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Thank you all so much for the reviews!
pinkshirt: Kol just burst into my mind was just begging for attention so I had to give him a scene, and I figured Elijah needed to be there to temper him, I just didn't count on the fact that Elijah would be suspicious of any form of peace that he didn't initiate. Although with the way Kol and Elijah are acting, that family peace probably isn't going to last long!
Raven R. Mahmood: I had to address the title sometime!
Guest16: I'm thinking about detailing some of Damon and Enzo's hunt for members of Augustine, TVD implied that Augustine was only centred around Whitmore, but a secret society that's been around for at least a century has to have more ties than what we saw. Of course Klaus had to lose his shit, he's Klaus, even when he's in a good mood he's violent. I'm glad you like Death, he'll probably only make token appearances in the story though, after all, I'm sure that he's got better things to do with his time that just hang around one girl!
TheQueenofGoodbyes: I understand that dating an immortal and wanting to be immortal are two different things, but Elena admitted to herself and to Stefan that she didn't want to be a vampire when Klaus took her for the sacrifice. Once she admitted that she shouldn't have been dating any vampires, because it's not fair on them, instead, she messed with Stefan's head and then dated Damon. I won't deny that Katherine was a bitch, but I think one of the main reasons people love her and hate Elena is that Kat always knew what she was, she didn't deny it, but Elena refused to believe that she was anything like Katherine which I think actually makes her worse. Damon did anything and everything to get back to Elena, but she didn't even try to get him back, she just lost herself in drugs and then forgot him, she erased every good thing that Damon did and made him the villain again. I can't forgive her for that, and while I'm not going to make her evil, when we get to TO timeline, she won't really be a factor other than an annoyance. As for Grayson I'm riding the edge with him, making him bad but not psychopathic because he still needs to be a good dad to his own kids. But rest assured, he's going to get his, and it should be soon.
Enileve: Thanks, I'm in two minds as to whether the Originals meet Maya now, or later in Mystic Falls, after all, Klaus is very possessive, I'm not sure he'd be happy to let his family have access to Maya before he has officially secured her allegiance to him. Even then, I don't think he'd want them to know about her.
Guest: Maya is not that dark, let's not forget that Miranda is Maya's Aunt, Jenna's Sister and Jeremy's Mother, even if she wanted to punish Grayson like that, she couldn't do it to her Mum or Cousin, because she definitely loves them.
OcChronicler: Thank you, I'm trying to make sure that Maya works in this world without completely ruining canon, there are a lot of storylines that Maya could just decimate if she knows too much, and if that happens then there's just no story.
Scarlett Winds: Thanks, I haven't left too much of a cliffhanger this time...
Klaus and Maya were sat at a table that had just appeared in the library across from the man who claimed to be death. "You can't honestly expect me to believe that you're Death." Klaus scowled, whoever this was, wasn't a part of Maya, the mental signature was vastly different from the witch's, so he must have been the reason for Maya being stuck in her head.
The man cocked his head and sat down opposite the two with a flourish, "You will believe what I tell you, because it is the truth, and it is the only way either of you will leave this place."
Klaus sneered him, "You cannot keep me here, I got myself in and I can get myself out!"
"Well by all means," dark eyes narrowed, and he raised a gloved hand, gesturing for Klaus to leave, "Go for it."
Klaus closed his eyes for a moment, concentrating on leaving Maya's mind, but when he opened them, he was still stuck in that chair. "I thought you said you were going," Maya whispered, she knew without a doubt that the man before her was exactly as he claimed, Death.
"I am!" Klaus snarled back.
"Then go!"
"I'm trying, it's your bloody mind that's keeping me here!"
"Oh, my mind is the problem? Fine, I release you! Go! Be free!" She waved her hands at him, imitating letting him go. When Klaus still hadn't disappeared from view, "Dude! You're embarrassing me in front of death right now!"
"You're obviously subconsciously keeping me here!" Klaus hissed, "And that is not Death!"
"No, I'm not! And yes, he is!"
"Children, as much as this amuses me, at least one of us does not have an infinite amount of time," his eyes locked with Maya, conveying that she did not have long left. "And just to clarify, we are not in Maya's mind."
"Where are we then?" Maya asked.
"Look around, it should be familiar to you my dear."
Maya's eyes darted around as she took the library in, eyeing the details with a renewed interest, "Holy shit," she whispered seeing the repeated name on the books, Nik's name, "We're in your reading room," she looked over at Klaus who was still struggling in his seat, trying to get up and attack Death, "Nik, Nik! KLAUS!" she finally yelled, getting his attention, "We're in Death's reading room. Look around, look at the names!" Klaus allowed his eyes to quickly dart over the volumes closest to him, Elijah's name on every one that he could see. "Every book in this room, details all the different possible ways, anyone, anywhere can die." She looked at the man before her, "We're in Death's domain, and there is no escape."
At her words, Death smiled.
The Living Plain
"Shouldn't they be waking up by now?" Jenna asked.
Damon sighed, Nik had been inside Maya's mind for six hours now, they'd all hoped that all the Original had had to do was give Maya a little nudge towards consciousness, but if that was the case then they would have been awake in minutes. The fact that Nik had arrived at the hospital at 10 a.m. but was still there at 4 p.m. meant that Maya's conscious mind was buried so deep in her subconscious, that Nik was having to search for her. He would have to dig through years of memories, dreams, nightmares, random thoughts, and find where she was hidden. "Maya must be better hidden in her own mind than we thought, I'm sorry Jenna, I have no idea how long this is going to take."
Enzo was pacing behind them both, he couldn't take this worry, he was losing her, and he could feel it, he'd been connected to her since she'd first forced her blood on him, the connection was only reinforced when she used magic to seal his mind away from compulsion, and now he could feel her fading. He couldn't take this! He couldn't breathe! Damon turned when he heard Enzo's breathing elevate, "Enzo! Enzo calm down, you're freaking out!" Damon gripped Enzo's face in his hands, trying to ground him to something.
"He's having an anxiety attack!" Jenna exclaimed, rushing over to him.
"I can't breathe!"
"Enzo look at me!" Damon said, "Look me in the eyes! Focus on my heart, listen, you can hear it beat."
Enzo blinked as he tried to focus on Damon's gorgeous blue eyes, he pulled back his hearing, closing off his surroundings, zeroing in on Damon's heartbeat.
"Breathe with me, okay," Damon said, his chest rising and falling with more pronunciation to emphasise exactly what he wanted Enzo to do.
Enzo nodded, eyes drifting to Damon's chest, where he could hear his slow heartbeat, it wasn't working though, the panic he was feeling was too overwhelming, he knew he couldn't stay in the hospital, not while he was feeling like this, he was liable to do something terrible and he didn't want Jenna to see that side of him. He whooshed out of the hospital before Damon could stop him.
Damon gave Jenna an almost pleading look, "Go after him, I'll be fine here, go Damon!" the older vampire disappeared from sight in an instant.
Jenna sat on the couch Damon previously occupied, staring at her daughter and the unconscious Original, who was now lying next to her in order to maintain physical contact, she sighed, "Please wake up, I cannot be the glue that holds our weird family together, so please just wake up," she whispered.
Death's Reading Room
Klaus sat back in his chair, he'd quit struggling, finally realising that until he was let go, he could not escape, and it felt like the more he fought the bindings, the stronger they got, "If you are really Death, then what are we doing here? What are you doing here? Why won't you let me leave?"
Death regarded him for a moment, Death had hoped that he wouldn't need to interact with the Original, but Maya had to go ahead and involve herself in the Hybrid's affairs at far too young an age, she had to get herself nearly killed at his expense without even knowing why. "You're here because you need to be, and you will remain, until I am finished with what's mine."
Maya's eyes widened, "I'm sorry, what's yours now? I know you're not talking about me! Because I belong to no one but myself."
Death looked back at the young girl before him, he'd missed her fire, been without it for decades as he'd plotted a way to gain a hold on the living world and keep it without his pesky sister from interfering, "How many times do you think you have reincarnated?" he asked.
"I-uh," she stuttered, looking over at Klaus who watching them both with suspicion, "Once I guess, although, given that you asked, I take it the actual number is larger than that."
He smiled, "You have been an old soul for much longer than your friend here has been alive, and I have been trying to reach you for weeks."
"Okay, step back, rewind, and pretend like you're talking to someone who has no idea what's going on, in fact, don't pretend," she turned her head towards Klaus, "And you need to stop glaring at me like this is my fault, I didn't ask you to jump into my brain and rescue me!"
"No but your friends did," Klaus replied.
"They're your friends too and let's not forget that they're only your friends because of me, so how about you show me a little gratitude and point those accusing eyes in another direction!"
"Oh please, you have nothing to do with my friendship with Damon and Enzo, and if you think that I'm not going to blame you for this, then all your time here really has driven you insane!"
"ENOUGH!" the room shook, and Maya squeaked in shock, turning her attention back to Death, who was looking much less pleased.
"I'm sorry," she rushed out, it was not a good idea to piss off the literal incarnate of Death, "I'd really like that explanation now," she finished a little timidly. The fear that had shot through her at his yell still hadn't left her, so she was decidedly more subdued than usual.
"There aren't many old souls that exist," Death began, one leg crossed over the other, his gloved hands folded in his lap, "But you were the first, my first."
"I don't understand," Maya admitted, the only life and death she could remember was her previous one.
"You see, I am Death, death is infinite, unyielding and final, but the Universe craves balance, and thus my sister was birthed into existence, I believe she is referred to by the humans as 'Mother Nature'."
"Nature's your sister?" Klaus asked incredulously.
Death turned his fathomless black eyes on the Hybrid, "We are two halves of the whole, there cannot be dark without the light, there cannot be life without death, so it has been, so it shall be. Now my sister, can be wild, vengeful, tempestuous, but she is loved, for she is life. And on this Earth, as on many others, life thrives, in her creation she was no longer left alone, with only myself for company. She can walk this Earth and any other she desires, the life that flows through every creatures veins gives her access that I don't have." There was a sadness in his eyes, a betrayal that ran deep, "She left me alone to frolic with what was hers, and I was jealous, that was when I heard you."
He turned back to Maya, "Roughly 6000 years ago, you were a Servant of Nature, you belonged to her favourite line, so devoted were you that you forsook everything else, your friends, your family, were nothing compared to the strength of your connection with Nature. Your pure heart was a joy for all those to behold. Until your home was attacked by raiders, they burnt your village to the ground, took the women and children for their own, and they tried to take you." Death reached out to her, clasped her hand in his and showed her, what he was unwilling to share with Klaus.
Maya saw another version of herself, warm caramel skin, dark hair, bleached from days in the sun, deep brown eyes, the colour of the Earth beneath her feet. She watched as this other version of herself fought her attackers, lashed out with magic, eyes aflame with anger as her home turned to ash around her. She broke the men, burned them, drowned them in their own blood, for daring to take what was hers, but it was too much for her, her body too fragile for the power that she'd called upon to defend her home, and she found herself falling to her knees as she tried to keep her attackers at bay, magic betraying her when she truly needed it more than ever before. Finally, as her magic had all but leached from her bones, a crude blade was thrust between her ribs, into her lungs, once, twice, and then a third time the blade was pulled from her, and she was kicked to the ground.
She landed on her back gasping for air that would never come, blood filled her lungs, drowning her as she had done to so many of her attackers, and as she struggled to cling to the last vestige of life, the raiders piled wood atop her prone form and set it alight, burning the witch so she could not rise to attack again. Death released his grip on Maya, pulling her out the vision causing her to cry out in agony as she felt a death that was hers once again, "As you burned, you made hardly a sound, you couldn't with your lungs so damaged, but in your last moments, there were no prayers to The Mother, you did not curse the raiders, you didn't even think to punish, so devastated were you, by what you perceived to be a betrayal from The Mother. Instead, your mind cried out to me, you begged for Death to come, you begged me to make you mine, and in my anger, and jealousy at my sister, I answered."
Maya was trembling from the agony of the vision, "That much power," she whimpered, feeling the lick of the flames crawl over her even now, "Her body couldn't take it, everyone has limitations, she just reached hers."
"You did," Death replied, "But you were so young, so full of life, that it had never occurred to you, and I took what was offered, I marked you as mine and mine alone, my sister could no longer have you. For a time you remained in the darkness, in the comfort of my embrace. You see, the souls of the dead eventually find peace, they linger with me for what seems like mere moments before they find their way to another form of life. But a soul that I have marked, is mine for eternity, and for eternity I will keep you."
"That doesn't explain how she was the first reincarnation," Klaus cut in, getting all together tired of being ignored, when Death spoke, he spoke only to Maya, his words felt like ice in Klaus' veins, but Maya gave nothing away to indicate that she felt the same. He felt a weight atop him that he struggled to keep from smothering him, but Maya did not look as though she had a similar problem.
Death shot Klaus a cursory glance, and then focused back on his little soul, "You enjoyed the dark Maya, your soul luxuriated in my domain, absorbed everything I could offer, but you grew restless, you knew what you had left behind and wanted to be able to go back. And I found myself indulgent, I do not give life, I had never thought about it, but my power, like my sister's is vast and unknowable. So I bent the fabric of the life that my sister had worked so hard to create, and pushed your soul back into the world, and when you reached the Living Plain, the power of my sister brought you back to life. Mother Nature was unhappy of course, I had taken what was hers and she wished to take what was mine in retaliation, she could not kill you, for all it would do, is land you back in my domain, instead, she took your memory, every time you were reborn on this Earth, you forgot who were before. I cared not, your soul was still mine, and when I knew I had the ability to ensure your re-birth I searched for other souls that cried out for me. I found them and marked more of them so I would no longer feel such loneliness. But much like you, I grew restless, no longer content to just observe life, and remain in the dark with my souls."
He looked over at Klaus now, properly taking in the scowling Original, "1000 years ago, a witch called out for help, she believed herself to be harnessing dark magic, magic meant to protect and preserve life, instead she harnessed death magic, she called out to the spirits to protect her family, and when the spirits did not answer, I did."
Klaus felt the words reverberate in his bones, he knew them to be true, "You are the reason vampires exist."
"It's my power that flows through your veins Niklaus Mikaelson, and every vampire in existence," Death smiled, "I let a Servant of Nature use my power to allow the dead to walk through life, and my sister hates me for it, that's why for all your strength, you have weaknesses."
Klaus thought about it for a moment, processing the information given before coming to a conclusion about why Death was before them now, "You want us on Earth, so that you have access, you want us to be able to walk the world, just so that you can too!"
Death smirked, "I knew there was an intelligent man under the beast," and Klaus snarled in response. "Unfortunately, it took my sister thousands of years before the Earth sustained enough life that she could waltz around among the masses, it will take just as long before I am able to do so. I must ensure that the curse of the vampire is cemented into the fabric of this world, I wish to ensure that it can never be undone, and to do that, you all must survive. I have seen your future Niklaus Mikaelson, I have seen the fate of my people at the hands of the Servants of Nature, and I will not let it stand. So, I sent you my deadliest child, my first, my favourite."
"You said she can't remember her past lives when she's re-born, she can't remember you when she lives again, how does she remember in this life?" The invisible restraints had grown tighter around Klaus, he could feel them begin to crush his organs, and believed that it was because of the man before him, the oppressive weight of death was pressing down on him, and he wasn't sure how much more he could take.
"I sent Maya to a different Earth, one connected to this Earth through myths and legends, but one without magic, I had her learn everything that she could about this world through that delightful little medium, humans call television, and then when she was killed, I ensured her re-birth here. My sister only wipes the memories from her birth world."
"And memories from another world, even if they are about this place, aren't something that she can just take without consequence," Maya concluded.
"Correct, she tried to take them from you once, when you were 10, I'm sure you remember the agony you were in as a child."
Maya remembered, she remembered doctors and therapists, her mother's tears as she could not be helped, she remembered blacking out in her bed, just after she'd seen a shadow stand above her "You hid them, I must have been close to death if you could reach out to me, if I could see you."
"My sister nearly killed you, trying to take your memories, so I have kept them shrouded, protected them, and you, they will only appear when triggered."
"So why can I remember everything here?"
"Because little one, this is as you said, my domain, my sister's power is not part of the fabric here."
"But I'm still alive, a living being cannot enter this domain without dying," her eyes slid over to Klaus, for the first time witnessing his discomfort, as though it had been hidden from her until now, "That's why Nik has to stay, he's taking the punishment that this place is doling out for my continued presence!" Her worried frown grew more panicked as she thought of what he must be going through, "We have to get out of here! I have to go, I can't stay here when he's being tortured!"
Death reached his hand out to her once more, this time cupping her cheek, and she felt the comfort he'd offered the night she died the first time, "Soon little one, but I believe that you two should have a talk before leaving," he waved his hand, an hourglass appeared on the table and a door opened to their left, "When you go through that door you will wake back in the Living Plain, but your memories will once again be hidden behind my veil, perhaps speak with Niklaus before you go, but be wary, you only have until the sand runs out before you die, both of you." He vanished from sight, Klaus felt a slight decrease in pressure, and his restraints were removed.
Shoving himself to his feet, he gripped her arm and began to drag Maya towards the open door, "Let's go, now!" his speed and strength had not returned, so Maya was able to snatch her arm from his grasp.
"Wait!"
"No Maya, now!"
"I know you're in pain, but there are things you need to know before it's too late! Before I can't tell you!" she looked back at the hourglass, she didn't have long.
Klaus was torn between craving knowledge of the future, and needing to leave before he met a true death, "Speak quickly!"
Maya's eyes darted to the bookshelf, seeing the names of Klaus' siblings she gasped, "Freya! She was your older sister."
"Died before I was born," Klaus cut her off impatiently.
"No! She didn't, she's been cursed, she spends a hundred years asleep for one year awake, she's asleep in the Dowager Fauline Cottage, in New Orleans, don't go yourself, send Finn, she knows him, and you'll need her."
"Why? I know nothing of her, she was never my sister!"
"But she's a Mikaelson witch! You'll need her help with your curse."
His hand was around her throat again, "WHAT DO YOU KNOW OF MY CURSE?!"
Shoving him off her, stronger than him, whilst he was still taking her brunt of the punishment from Death's Domain, "There's a failsafe! You kill the dopplegänger to become a Hybrid, but you can't make any more because you need human dopplegänger blood for werewolves to complete the transition!" she rushed out, she was running out of time, she needed to give him as much information as she could.
Klaus snarled in rage, of course his mother would do something like this, ensuring that he was alone for all time, just to spite him, he eyed the hourglass, halfway to empty, "What else? What else can you tell me? Make it fast!" he demanded.
"Your pack! Your bloodline, Mikael didn't kill them all, The North-East Atlantic Pack, they're yours, they pass down your story from generation to generation, you need to find them, learn how to be a wolf before you break your curse! What else? What else?" she muttered to herself, eyes on the grains of sand as they fell. "You need to tell your siblings what you did to your mother, they will find out Nik, and they need to know from you!"
"I can't," Klaus said.
"You have to! They will forgive you eventually, um… Rebekah and Marcel! You need to know the truth about how Mikael really found you in New Orleans!"
"Tell me she didn't," Klaus felt his heart drop to his stomach, his sister could not have orchestrated such a heinous betrayal, and with his son of all people?
"She has to tell you." Maya shook her head, she couldn't say it, "Oh god White Oak! You carved something, a horse? No a knight! You gave it to Rebekah, it's made from White Oak, you have to destroy it!" she said, there was so much more that she needed to tell him, so much that if he knew he could change, stop from happening, but there just wasn't enough time!
Klaus grabbed her arm again and pulled her to the opening of the door, "Time to go!" he said, witnessing the sand almost reach its end.
"Nik wait!" Maya tried to stop him, but she couldn't, he'd pulled her through the doorway with him yanking her away from death, ripping her from her own mind.
The Living Plain
Maya awoke shooting straight up into a seated position as she let out a hoarse scream of pain, the agony of being forcibly torn from her own mind ringing in her skull. Jenna jumped back in fright, she wasn't expecting her daughter's awakening to be so harsh, so sudden. Maya's head turned to the side as she felt movement coming from next to her, she saw Klaus's eyes flutter open, as he woke, scowling she used all her might to shove him from the bed, causing him land with a thud on the floor. The shove had thrown off her balance and Maya crashed onto the bed, her body twisted, head hanging over the edge as she eyed Klaus, "You are such an arsehole!" she exclaimed.
Klaus growled, veins under his eyes appearing as his fangs grew. It was Damon who stepped in, whooshing to Klaus, hauling him up and out of the room before anything else could be said or done. Groaning, Maya rolled her body, so she was lying on her back again, and tried to sit, this time with much more difficulty than she'd like. But before she could straighten up, her mother tackled her in a hug, "Maya! Oh baby, you're awake!" Jenna exclaimed, the tears falling from her eyes, ones of joy for the first time in weeks. "You're here, you're awake, oh sweetheart I can't believe it!"
"Mum!" Maya gasped as her arms wound around her mother, "I need to breathe!" she smiled.
Jenna pulled back, wiping her eyes, "You're okay, I can't even-" she was cut off when Enzo whooshed into the room, wrapping the younger girl in his arms.
"Love, you're awake!" He had been on a bit of a blood binge, his emotions too uncontrollable at the thought of never being able to speak to his best friend again, Damon had gotten him out of the hospital and set him on a short, yet bloody path, in order to gain back his control. It was a good idea, Enzo didn't want to hurt Jenna, and Damon understood what he was feeling, the need to tear apart, to destroy when his emotions overwhelmed him, so he wasn't in the room for Maya's initial awakening, he'd been trudging up the stairs in the hospital when he heard her voice and whooshed into her room. He'd never been so happy to see her upright and talking before in his life.
Four people stepped out of Newark Airport, three men and one woman, they'd just gotten off of a plane from Virginia, "There are 62 major hospitals in New York City, how the hell are we supposed to find one sick girl in 62 hospitals?" The woman asked.
"We have her name, we'll start checking out hospitals," one of the men said.
"Dr Maxfield already tried that, she's not listed as a patient in any of them," the woman replied.
"We do have this though," the second man pulled out his phone, he'd just received a text from Dr Maxfield, a picture of a man with dark hair, pale skin and blue eyes. "This is the guy that paid for Miss Sommers treatment at the hospital in Mystic Falls, said his name's Derek."
"There was no Derek on the hospital's system," the third man said.
"It doesn't matter," the second man replied, "While the girl is stuck in the hospital she won't be running round the city, but I bet whoever this guy is, he'll leave the hospital at least once, in a city this large with this many cameras, we'll catch him on one."
"We don't have access to the city's cameras," the first man said.
"I know someone who does," the woman frowned, realising why she'd been sent along to New York, "let's go."
So we've met Death, he probably won't be a regular, seeing as how Maya can only see him if she's perilously close to dying. Klaus has received some unfiltered news of the future, which means that pleasantness that Kol and Elijah were getting suspicious of definitely won't last. Maya's awake and Augustine have touched down in New York City, are they going to find Maya? Are they going to find Enzo? Will Maya meet any other Originals? Who knows? You'll have to wait and see!
Thanks for reading, please leave a review if you have time, I love getting the feedback!