The branch exists only to bear the fruit
The knowledge of which resides in the root
Would a gardener plant and tend the vine
Without the promise of the grape and wine?
Before this truth let all your reason pause
What you thought was effect, is but the cause.
- Rumi, Cause and Effect
1919
The Compound
New Orleans, Louisiana
A knock on the door caught his attention as Klaus looked at her all dressed up in black for the much anticipated play. She walked inside, coming straight towards him and took the bow tie from his hands.
"Your skills in tying these pieces haven't improved," she said with a smile, unfurling his collar.
"Not everyone is Elijah," he rolled his eyes as she placed the tie around his neck.
"Hmm," she crossed the ends and worked the loop. "Asphyxiation is the only result I foresee if you tried."
"I am honoured to have your vote of confidence, Maeve. You give me brilliant ideas to be inconspicuous with my murders," he smirked and she glared at him before pinching the bow to finish the loop.
"That very much assures me of your deteriorating sanity," she quipped.
"When was I ever sane, love?" He said and she suddenly pulled the loops, tightening the bow tie making his head jerk and he almost glared at her.
"I shall remember to correspond with your absent ethics when you decide to act on one of your fiendish thoughts," she replied and straightened his bow tie gently, lowering his collar to fix it properly.
"My fiendish thoughts you say?" He chuckled at the notion, turning towards the mirror to examine her work. She held out his jacket for him to get his arms in as the Original proceeded to button it properly.
"And leave bodies for Elijah to clean up," she smoothed his suit and smiled, "You are done." He smiled back which did not go unnoticed by her. "If wearing tuxes make you smile more often then I shall persuade Lana for tickets once in a while," she finished and took the glass of drink from his hand and placed it over the vanity when he kissed her forehead.
"People might stop fearing Klaus," he replied as she leaned against the mirror to observe him quietly.
"You already invoke plenty of fear. Do not let your own fears destroy you. You are above them," she softly said, pecking his cheek and started walking away.
"Maeve," Klaus called out and she turned around expectantly. "Nothing," he said after a moment of hesitation.
She rolled her eyes with a fond smile and walked away leaving him alone.
Sleek fingers stopped working the keys of a laptop when a mail popped up on the screen breaking her concentration. She looked around the café, seeing it almost empty and opened the window browser.
Not many people dared to contact her so it tentatively roused her curiosity as to why she was being approached after so many years.
She had gotten used to her name falsely crunching out various theories in the shadows linked to the most fearsome of creatures, that she definitely was not thankful for. The headache her name had yielded for almost a century still annoyed her to great extents.
Maeve had become synonymous with his name that it wasn't even about kingdoms and rulers anymore, just plain association.
As she clicked on the pop-up after making sure to not get traced by her pursuers, she silently hoped it wasn't another death threat or a secret society initiation.
When the rotating wheel stopped and she took a glance at the sent mail, her eyes widened. Putting down the coffee mug, she slammed the laptop shut and paid the bill before rushing out of the establishment.
Not bothering with her coat, she walked down the familiar street at a normal pace to avoid frightening the humans around. As the secluded villa came into view, she entered the house foregoing her etiquette to directly approach the study, knowing she would find him there.
Already on a phone call, she waited for him to acknowledge her as he raised his eyebrow at her sudden appearance. He ended the call and took a seat when she opened her laptop for him to read.
"Remember Mystic Falls, Elijah?" She simply said as he went on to read the mail impassively. He exchanged a look with her before pursing his mouth.
Two days later
In an abandoned warehouse, a desiccated vampire slowly started regaining his color. He opened his eyes to examine his surroundings, then looked down at the coat rack embedded into his heart and pulled it out without any effort with unconcealed annoyance. Once regaining his composure, he took out his phone and tapped the speed dial hurriedly.
"Salut, Mr. Mikaelson," a female voice answered after two rings.
"I need you here at the earliest," he hurriedly said as he opened the door of his car and sat inside.
"Is that a way to talk to your wife, Elijah?" An amused voice replied from the other end.
"I apologize," he sighed and then admitted quietly, "It is true. The Petrova doppelganger is here, albeit a human one and Katerina too."
"How is that possible?" The voice questioned, getting serious after moments of prevailing silence.
"I met the human doppelganger today. Our suspicions of involvement of a doppelganger proved to be quite accurate, though I did not suspect another Petrova. We will talk once you arrive. How fast can you come to Mystic Falls?"
"By tomorrow. I will resume the search for Klaus. Until then, we need an extensive plan."
"I already have one in mind," Elijah said with a smirk.
"He veritably did rub off his diabolic nature," replied a voice flooded with humor.
"I am glad you find this situation utterly delightful," he quipped with a roll of eyes.
"I cannot applaud the plan your brain has already concocted?"
"And your presence is awaited if things are to go without complications," he said coming to the point.
"I wouldn't be anywhere else but your side, Elijah," she softly whispered and a smile took over his face. "I will see you soon."
"I love you, Adelia, and I sincerely apologize for the abrupt end to our vacation. I promise to make it up to you," Elijah said and was immediately rewarded with a chuckle from the other end.
"Now that is something I look forward to," she hummed and soon the dial tone filled the interior of the car.
Elijah closed his eyes and took a deep breath before going through the events that occurred earlier that day. The doppelganger and the moonstone, the two most important elements of the curse were present right here.
He needed more allies, he couldn't leave this opportunity to chance and called the person he knew would be willing to help them in their plight.
"Dr. Martin, this is Elijah."
Meanwhile, in a beautiful countryside of France, a woman ended the call with a click and pulled her leg to her chest, deep in thought. She leaned her head back against the divan and her hair tumbled down her shoulders in soft brown waves. Her delicate fingers swirled a glass of Merlot as she overlooked the hills outside.
Spring 1965
"We shall come back here. It is certainly more peaceful than the turbulent intermingling classes of London," Elijah voiced his thoughts all of a sudden.
"I believed that you liked people, Elijah," she humoured, emphasizing on people.
"You should be more particular with your claim," scoffed Elijah, lost in thought.
"You must not overexert yourself," Adelia detected the change in his demeanor and inferred.
"I do not want to."
"Are you?" She asked looking towards him, "Honest to yourself I mean. You want to abandon our search for Niklaus. I know he is keeping them safe, but we must be optimistic if we are to find him."
"It has been three decades, Adelia. He does not want to be found and has daggered our sister. The only thing that consumes my being is rage. I wish to have peace. Does that make me a bad person to want a semblance of normality when our family is in endless torment?" The Original questioned, his features contorting in pain.
"It doesn't make you a bad person to wish for peace. Everything will be fine, Elijah," she reassured him, leaning her head on his shoulders while they walked down the streets. "So Manosque?"
"Hmm. I like the scenery and the quiet. You always do your best to avoid the business districts and here I thought you were the people person," Elijah said in an amused tone and kissed her forehead, his lips lingering for a second or two.
"Do not mock me for deflecting chatty wives of the aristocrats, Mr. Mikaelson. It is very unbecoming of you," she countered and then sighed. "He cannot evade us forever."
"I believe you, my love."
Adelia came back to the present as a streak of lightning flashed across the sky. She got up and walked towards the bedroom, ultimately concluding that the weeks ahead of her were going to be difficult.
She packed her belongings and some of Elijah's, finishing the task by zipping up the suitcases. She glanced at her phone seeing the two ticks confirming that Gregory got her message and took a breath of relief.
With a last glimpse of a photograph taken during Christmas 1914, she determinedly took off. The only sound that announced her departure were the decreasing notes of stilettos hitting the marble floor when the door clicked shut.
Elijah entered the apartment and silently thanked his wife for having such extensive contacts. He did not think he would have been able to deal with acquiring a house for them when he was at the end of patience after dealing with such insolence.
It was certainly good to be back to the place he lived millennia ago. A lot had changed, but the nostalgia still tugged at his heart, bringing along a wave of sadness thinking about his family. Adelia was right; he could not lose hope, not when he was this close to getting them back.
His phone screen lit up at an incoming message announcing his wife's departure from the French countryside. He could not help but think that she was leaving the peace behind to step into chaos because Mystic Falls was anything but normal if the presence of doppelgangers and troublesome vampires were any indication.
The Original trusted Adelia's close personnel to send the required documents concerning the doppelganger and her close circle of people by morning. His own men were busy collecting information on the latest happenings of this cursed place.
He would leave nothing to fate and to size up an opposition was a task he eagerly anticipated. For now, meeting the Martins and keeping a low profile topped his list of priorities.
The next morning Elena arrived at the Salvatore boarding house and knocked on the door, which was opened by the elder Salvatore seconds later.
"Hello Elena," Damon said.
"Is Stefan here? He called. He said it was important," Elena asked.
"Right this way," he told her, holding the door wide open.
"Hey," Stefan greeted.
"What is this about?" Elena questioned him when she looked behind him to see Rose. "You," she contended and looked at Stefan for an explanation.
"Okay, you have to understand that I only know what I picked up over the years and I don't know what's true and what's not true. It's the problem with all this vampire crap, but Klaus, I know he's real," Rose started talking, pacing left to right.
"Who is he?" Elena inquired.
"He's one of the originals, he's a legend," Damon explained.
"From the first generation of vampires," Stefan told further.
"Like Elijah?" The doppelgänger asked.
"No. Elijah was the Easter bunny compared to Klaus. He's a foot soldier. Klaus is the real deal," Rose answered her, to which Damon rolled his eyes.
"Klaus is known to be the oldest," Stefan said.
"Okay, so you're saying the oldest vampire in the history of time is coming after me?" Elena asked skeptically.
"Yes."
"No," Rose and Stefan answered simultaneously.
"What they're saying is, I mean, if what she's saying is true..." Damon clarified.
Rose interrupted him mid-sentence, "Which it is."
"And you're not saying it so I don't kill you," he replied.
"Which I'm not," she retorted.
"Then we're looking at a solid maybe," he hesitated.
"Look, Elijah's dead, right? So no one else even knows that you exist," Stefan went towards Elena to calm her down.
"Not that you know of. If only he didn't inform anyone or specifically his wife," Rose paused, giving out the new piece of information.
"That's not helping and," Damon's lips thinned into a tight line, "his wife?" He continued raising an eyebrow.
"You killed her husband and she must definitely know Klaus. If she isn't already on her way, then expect her to arrive with Klaus himself," Rose said, positively scared.
"Look, I've never even met anyone who's laid eyes on him. I mean, we're talking centuries of truth mixed with fiction. We don't know if he's real. For all, we know he could just be some sort of stupid bedtime story, and we will deal with Elijah's wife when she arrives," Stefan elaborated while comforting his girlfriend.
"He's real and he doesn't give up. If he wants something, he gets it. If you're not afraid of Klaus then you're an idiot," Rose emphasized again.
"Alright, we're shaking. You made your point," Damon replied.
"Where are you going?" Stefan asked his girlfriend when she got up from the couch.
Elena turned around and answered, "School. I'm late."
"Let me grab my stuff, I'll go with you," the younger Salvatore said while getting up himself.
"It's okay, I know where it is," Elena offhandedly told him to which he nodded dejectedly. He watched as she walked away.
"She's in denial," Damon remarked when she left.
"Shut up, Damon," said Stefan to his older brother who smiled.
"Whoa. What about the sunlight?" Damon asked entering the coffee shop after Rose where they were supposed to meet a person for more information on the Originals.
"Double pane and tempered. UV rays can't penetrate. You see the appeal now?" She replied.
"That and the free Wi-Fi," a voice chimed in walking towards them and hugged Rose so Damon concluded that it must be Slater.
"Hey, how are you?" She asked him.
"Good. I saw you come, what are you doing here?" He questioned.
"Mmm, it's a long story, but I want you to meet..." she looked at Damon and Slater turned to see him.
"Damon Salvatore. Turned 1864 in Mystic Falls by Katherine Pierce aka Katerina Petrova," Slater answered for her, making Damon a bit uncomfortable. He turned his gaze back to Rose and continued, "So I take it I was right, what I told you about the tomb under the church was true?"
Rose nodded, "Yes, it was right. Thank you for the tip."
Slater extended his hand for Damon to shake, "It's nice to meet you." Damon looked untrusting but went forward with the greetings, "Maybe. What's going on Rose? Where's Trevor?" He asked her.
Rose's smile fell from her face and Slater's immediately followed as the realization hit him.
"Are you sure Elijah's dead?" Slater questioned Damon.
"Beyond dead," he replied.
"Trevor was a good man; he helped me with my dissertation on sexual deviance in the Baroque period. I was schooling for my Psych Ph.D." Slater elaborated walking towards a table where they all got seated.
"Slater's been in college since '74," Rose explained.
"When I was turned. I have 18 degrees, 3 masters and 4 PhDs," he said with a smile.
"The point?" Damon asked, annoyed.
"Exactly, I mean, what is the point? What should I do with my eternity? If you have an answer, please enlighten me," Damon and Rose sighed exasperatedly when Slater questioned back.
"We need your help. If someone wanted to get in touch with Klaus, how would you hook him up?" asked Rose.
"Craigslist," Slater answered.
"Really?" Damon said, unimpressed.
"Seriously. I responded to a personal ad to get sent to somebody who knows somebody who knows Elijah, who's dead and that's where my connection ends, but Maeve might know," he added with hesitance.
Outside Elijah walked down the street, stopping next to a street musician playing a guitar. He put a hundred dollar bill in his guitar case and grabbed a handful of coins. Juggling the coins from one hand to the other, he listened on to the conversation inside the café.
"Now who is Maeve? Where can I find her?" Damon immediately blurted out.
"Maeve? Klaus' Maeve? Do you want to die? You contacted her?" Rose implied as her eyes widened.
"Maeve is her name, no last name provided. Klaus kept her close until the '20s and then she disappeared. If anyone might know where he is, then there is your answer. I was told that Elijah was informed through her so she definitely knows," Slater voiced out, turning to Damon.
"Fine. We have no clues on either Klaus or Maeve who definitely might lead us to him. But, here's what I don't get. Elijah moved around during the day, which means the Originals knew the secret of daylight ring. Now why would Klaus want to lift the curse of the sun and the moon," Damon asked him, confused.
"To keep the werewolves from lifting it. If a vampire breaks the curse, then the werewolves are stuck with the curse of the moon forever and vice versa," he explained it all to them.
"But werewolves are extinct," Rose pointed out.
"True. I've never seen one, but rumor has it..." he began.
"Not such a rumor," the Salvatore interrupted him.
"Mystic Falls? God, I've got to visit this place. It sounds awesome," Slater replied in awe.
"Awesome doesn't even begin to describe it. Can we stop the curse from being broken at all?" He continued the conversation.
"What do you mean?" The vampire turned to him apprehensively.
"If we make the moonstone useless, would it stop the curse from being broken?" The Salvatore postulated his own theory.
"Well, yeah, probably, but why would you want to do that?" He questioned the raven vampire.
"Tell me how?" Damon's voice turned serious.
"You think I'm gonna help you figure out how to do something that will piss off an Original? And keeping them from walking in the sun?" Slater interjected him instantly.
"You want to walk in the sun? I can make that happen if you help us," he offered.
Elijah palmed the coins in one hand, his face impassive. He suddenly shot those coins at the tempered glass panels, shattering them. Some of the vampires present inside the café immediately began to blister and scream in pain, including Rose and Slater.
Damon got up from the ground and looked outside to see nobody of suspicion. Slater fled with his laptop while the Salvatore put his jacket over her and carried her to the car.
"You're gonna be okay," he told her.
"I know," Rose replied as her burns started healing.
"Who's behind that?" Damon asked.
"I don't know. Where is Slater?"
"Iowa by now. Who the hell knows?"
"He's not behind this, he's a good guy, he wouldn't betray me," her voice trembled at the end.
"Who did it?" He questioned.
"It's Klaus, don't you understand?" She finally broke down. "You don't know this man, we're dead, we're all dead," she told him, hysterically crying while he said nothing. He closed the door and started their journey back to Mystic Falls.
"It's a lie you know. There's no switch you can turn-off. Sure, you're a newbie after a couple hundred years... you just have to pretend," Rose told Damon where they were sprawled across the couch in the Boarding House when after a moment her phone rang. "Hello?" She spoke up, accepting the call.
"Rose?" Slater's voice echoed from the phone.
"Slater? Are you okay?" She asked, breathing a sigh of relief knowing he was safe.
"Yes, I took off, I am, sorry, I was frigging freaked," he answered.
"No, I'm sorry to involve you."
"Look, I wanted no part in any of this, but I did some digging," he said.
"Okay, what did you find?" The female questioned.
"You can destroy the curse, but you need the moonstone," Slater stated from across the phone.
"How? What do you mean? I don't follow."
"Can your friend get the moonstone? You need it," he replied. She looked at Damon, who nodded.
"Yes, he can get it. What's next?" She frowned.
"You need a witch. Get a moonstone, a witch should be able to figure out the rest. Good luck, Rose," he said before hanging up.
"Very nicely done," a voice said behind Slater.
"Thanks, I have a degree in theatre," he replied in evident fear and turned to look at Elijah in front of him. "How can you compel me? A vampire can't compel another vampire," he asked.
"I'm a special vampire," Elijah answered, shrugging his shoulders.
"What, because you're an Original?" Slater questioned.
"Hmm. About Maeve, you cannot find her unless I want her to be found," he said seriously. "Now I want you to take this and drive it through your heart," he handed the other vampire a lamp stand.
"But that would kill me forever," Slater stated.
"I know. But it's necessary," Elijah compelled him again.
Slater helpless from the compulsion took the wooden object and drove it through his heart, desiccating instantly as Elijah merely looked on at the morose sight.
"Was it, really?" Jonas Martin asked as he walked in.
"It had to be done," the Original replied, turning to look at him. "He delivered his message. Won't be long now," he finished before walking out of the apartment.
Elijah sat in the armchair reading when his phone buzzed on the table. He closed his book to look at the screen and furrowed his brows.
"I thought you were still amidst some layer of atmosphere to consider placing a phone call," he quipped, pressing the phone to his ears.
"Stratosphere, Elijah, but blame the storm ahead that shall bring forth the unfortunate delay, my love," informed Adelia much to his dismay.
"I am displeased by the turn of events. Your arrival was expected by midnight and now it has been postponed by something as frivolous as a stormy weather," he intoned.
"Few more hours will not call out an apocalypse," mused Adelia.
"I am almost disheartened by your lack of enthusiasm concerning your beloved husband," he playfully mocked.
"I consider my said husband to be an exceedingly patient man," the smile was well placed in her voice.
"The heart has its reasons, and they aren't debate topics," he quoted.
"Quoting Brault are you?" She humourously said. "According to your wife, physical distance illuminates the shadows the emotional proximity do not conquer."
"And I was under the impression that we were way past the shadows dear," Elijah replied.
"I revel in the darkness for I choose my light, Elijah."
"And my light leads me to you."
"Those who have courage and faith shall never perish in misery," Adelia said with a tinkling laughter.
Elijah found himself smiling along with her—she never failed to give him hope for a better future. He already had her and now there was a possibility of seeing his siblings again. In the background, he heard the host informing Adelia of the departure.
"I miss you too, and I shall see you tomorrow," she told him enthusiastically.
"Come soon," he replied.
"I will," she said and disconnected the call.
Elijah sighed as he thought about the unfortunate events that had taken place today. The Martins would ensure the moonstone reached him, 'The Sun and The Moon' curse was still around making his lips twitch in amusement and the rumors of Maeve being their salvation considering Klaus was not a good sign.
It was already bad that she had been contacted to reach Elijah, signifying the name was still circled around. Adelia would deal with the 'Maeve' problem, he decided instantly.
He picked up his book again and looked at the moon in the sky, and thought that maybe the broken curse would finally bring Klaus some peace. The torment would finally end and they wouldn't have to run from each other.
Winter 1859
Laurentis House, Cloverville
The night of the Annual Ball
"So we meet again," Elijah said as soon as he heard her enter the house.
"That we do, Mr. Mikaelson," Adelia's lips twitched as she stepped inside the room.
"You shouldn't have been inconspicuous earlier," he stated, looking at the portrait in the parlour.The Laurentis family.
Sharel Beauchene, the matriarch of the family and Adelia's grandmother sat proudly on a divan. A very powerful witch who stood up for what was right, even if she had to go against her own people.
Next to her stood Arnold Laurentis, her son. An untapped warlock who did not let his wife and father's sacrifice go in vain; loyal to the fault and brave.
The Laurentis heir sat beside the matriarch looking every bit of woman of the family she was born into. Taking after her late mother, a very gifted Fleureau witch, Adelia seemed to have embraced every trait her family was known for.
"It was no fault of mine that you were rather ignorant," she replied.
"No one has ever called me ignorant before, Miss Laurentis," he humoured.
"Then I shall praise myself for getting the honour of being the first," her eyes twinkled.He moved to mark the page he was reading and closed the book, giving the girl his full attention now.
"A benevolent claim," he glanced to see her unruly appearance hours after the ball, but her youthfulness surrounded her like a sun.The clock raced at one after midnight.
"I happen to aspire for greater things," she said and the curtains blew in bringing in the cold air, making her shiver. With a frown on her face, she moved towards the French doors finding it open as Elijah joined her, immediately suspicious.
Feeling watched from outside, she turned towards the Original who nodded in confirmation before he stepped forward and closed the door, latching it shut. He gave her a look and fled the room to check around.
"It must be them. I failed to locate anyone," he appeared after a while, shaking his head.
"We shall inform grandmother and Klaus in the morning," she said and wrapped the shawl around her. "I wish you a good night, Mr. Mikaelson."
He smiled, "Good night, Ms. Laurentis."
As they went on their way, two figures emerged from the forest surrounding the house and looked at the nineteen-year-old witch from an uncovered window as she parted ways with the vampire.
"Are you certain she is powerful enough to endure it?" The elderly one questioned.
"Extremely. She vouched for her," the second woman replied impassively.
"We haven't finished making the spell."
"Patience sweetheart. We will. Their end is near," she smirked as they trudged back towards the trees.
A body dropped on the floor, phone clattering with a thud as blue-green eyes examined the scene in front of him carefully. He bent down picking up the device and scrolled through the contacts stopping at a particular name.
With a smirk, he saved the number in his own phone before crushing the tracker's phone in his hand, the evidence wiped out.
"It had been a close call this time," he heard one of his men saying.
"It would not have been if you all did your job properly. Learn something from this loyal fellow," he nudged the dead man with his foot. "I haven't been bothered like this since the 90s. What could have thrown the noble Elijah and his wife into an influx to start the search party with such vigour?" Klaus wondered aloud thinking about the possible reasons.
He had finally made them lose his trail in the earlier decade. While their devotion warmed his heart, it also brought him pain thinking about Maeve.
Klaus possessed no desire to see her or Elijah again if he had any say. Seeing them made him question his own actions and he was not a person to venture into that aspect of his life.
Breaking out of a reverie of mishaps and continuous torment, he took off leaving his men to clean up the mess. The Original had no time to concern himself with such frivolities.
A/N: The mystery of Maeve. Who is she?