Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognise!

Thanks for all the reviews!

You got a faster update because this is a shorter chapter (sorry) but I did something I wasn't expecting...two things actually which meant I had to finish this chapter earlier than intended. Still, hope you enjoy.

AndTheSaintsAreAllMadeOfGold: Thank you! One of my biggest pet peeves is an OC that doesn't influence anything! It's like what's the point of having them there?

Hearteyesmf: With how paranoid Klaus is, I figured if he finds out later on, he'd never trust Maya, and that would completely de-rail the whole plot for the story.

Guest16: Thanks, I'm trying to keep up a decent pace! And Death is too powerful a being, he can't be around all the time otherwise he would change everything without even needing to try.

lilacsandroses93: While it could be nice to have Henrik back, we know barely anything about his character, and given that all the times TVD visited the Other Side, we never saw him, so chances are, he found peace.

Raven R. Mahmood: Maya's in Klaus's city now, I don't think that he'd let her go home without knowing that she's safe, but Augustine are in New York, and there are plenty of ways bad things can go down.

katitat: Thank you! I always thought the vampire mythology in TVD was a little skewed, after all, if witches are Servants of Nature then logically, they shouldn't be able to go against Nature and make 'abominations' because nothing could possibly be more powerful than Nature. Also if Nature needs balance then surely the human race needs a predator to keep it in check.

Omega-Maharan: Thanks! Death's too powerful to let loose on the TVDU he'd mess up a bunch of storylines if he could walk the Earth without consequence so he has to remain on the back burner. Also you have given me either a terrible or ridiculously awesome idea for the future, so you're just going to have to keep reading and see where I go with this!

Guest: Damon and Enzo are definitely going to get the chance to go on an Augustine hunt because they've got two years before they're supposed to show up in Mystic Falls. I have no idea what to do about Kol just yet, he's always had an affinity for witches and Klaus's possessiveness tells me that he wouldn't appreciate them getting close, simply because he'd be jealous/worried that Kol would take Maya away from him and possibly ruin his friendship with Denzo. But Kol is persistent and I end up putting him in a scene just for the added drama!

The next few days after Maya awoke was a whirl of tests and doctors, combined with her mother's unwillingness to leave her alone, Enzo and Damon's annoying capability to be awake for days without rest, it meant that Maya had very little time to herself. Case in point, Enzo was with her now while Damon had taken Jenna to grab a bite to eat from a little Pizzeria that was around the corner from the hospital.

"What were you thinking?!" Enzo scolded, "You don't tell anyone you're being haunted, you don't tell us that you've figured how to stop it and then you almost die getting a stupid rock for Nik!"

"I don't need permission to use magic Enzo!" Maya shot back, "I had a problem and I figured out how to deal with it, and as for that stupid rock, I wouldn't have found out what Esther was trying to do without it! I wasn't being haunted, that crazy witch was trying to take over my body! If I hadn't found the moonstone then chances are Esther would have found a way to possess me. Then where exactly do you think we'd be huh? Long term possession pits both souls against one another, I'm only 15, Esther is stronger than me, she would have beaten me, which would have killed me, permanently. Unless I convinced mum to move across the country from Mystic Falls, nothing would have stopped Esther. I did what I had to do."

"I'm not saying that you had to have permission, but you should have told us, we could have gotten you help."

"Help from who? You're all vampires," she hissed, "What could you possibly do in that situation? We can't go to a witch for help because barely any of them can be trusted. My kind only come from one coven, and the coven keeps such a tight hold on that secret that not even Nik had heard of something like me! You couldn't have done anything Enzo!"

"WELL MAYBE THAT'S MY PROBLEM!" Enzo thundered, hurling Maya's lunch tray across the room and through the wall, "You always do this!" his hand ran through his hair as he looked at her helplessly, "You dive headfirst into these situations without a single thought about yourself, it's like you think that your life isn't as important as ours!"

"IT ISN'T!" Maya finally yelled back, "It isn't, I'm not supposed to be here, I'm just an extra, I was supposed to die 6000 years ago, this life was never supposed to play out with me in it! Death made it perfectly clear, I am just a means to an end for him! My job is to keep the vampire race alive, so that he doesn't have to be alone anymore, that's my sole purpose here Enzo, what else am I supposed to do but do my job?"

Enzo froze, his jaw clenched at her explanation, "What would have happened to Jenna if you weren't here?"

"What?" Maya asked.

"Answer the question, what would have happened?"

"Uh Nik- Klaus would have killed her."

"What would have happened to me?"

"Yo- You would have spent a decade more as an Augustine vampire, gotten your freedom and then you would have died."

"What would have happened to Caroline?"

"Enzo-"

"What would have happened Maya?"

"She would have been used and abused by a version of Damon that doesn't exist here thanks to you."

"No Sweetheart, it's thanks to you, I couldn't have changed Damon if you hadn't have freed me, your mother would be dead in a few years, if you hadn't sent Damon and I on that ridiculous quest for a talisman. We wouldn't have met Nik, if we hadn't met him, he wouldn't have known you, he wouldn't be so interested in you, but we did, and Nik wouldn't touch your mother because I don't think he wants to hurt you." Enzo sat at the foot of the bed, ensuring that she couldn't look away from him.

"What's your point?"

"My point Sweetheart, is that Death, or whatever it is that sent you here, could have sent you anywhere, could have made you anyone in order to complete your task. But he sent you to a woman so strong, and full of love, that she is willing to take on the world for you, even when she knows that she doesn't stand a chance. Yes, he gave you to Jenna so that you'd eventually end up close to the Originals, but he also gave you a mother that is perfect for you, he put you in a life where you wouldn't just survive, he put you somewhere that you could really live. He hasn't told you to stop doing what you're doing with Caroline, or Jeremy, or your mother, has he?"

Maya shook her head, "No."

"Because he wants you to be happy."

"Enzo he said he doesn't care if I die," Maya refuted.

"Because you'll always end up back with him, but you made him love you."

"Enzo-"

"If he didn't love you, he never would have brought you back to life the first time, or any time after that. He gave you this life because he wants you to be happy, so I need you to be selfish with your life, because I swear to you Maya if you ever do something like this again, if you ever put yourself in a situation like this again, I don't care how much you'll hate me for it, I will turn you into a vampire myself. Do you understand me?" Enzo asked, he meant what he said, he'd kill her just to stop her from killing herself.

Maya swallowed, she'd never seen Enzo like this before he was so…hurt, "Enzo I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know, that's the only reason I didn't turn you the second time your heart restarted, that and your mother would have killed me. I need you to be selfish with your life Maya, I need you to do it for me, when I was in Augustine you became my hope, you were my light in the darkness, if I lose you, I lose my hope, if I lose my hope I have no reason to live. So at the very least, if you can't be selfish with your life for yourself, then you can at least be selfish for me."

Maya nodded, she'd never thought about it like that, she'd never thought that she'd be Enzo's connection to life, she'd just assumed that when he re-united with Damon again the dark-haired vampire would be his connection, "I promise Enzo, I can be selfish for you."

"Kol have you found a witch yet?" Elijah asked his brother, ever since Klaus had come back from his extended business a few days ago, he'd been in a spectacularly foul mood, it appeared they'd both spoken too soon when it came to thinking that their brother would actually be pleasant this time around.

"No!" Kol pouted, none of the witches he knew were alive, and the ones he'd managed to contact were unwilling to cross Klaus, "None of the witches here are willing to do something that Nik would disapprove of, I hate New York."

"Well, whilst that has not panned out, my contacts in the police department did come through with some footage of Niklaus, meeting with what appears to be two vampires, it looks like they met for drinks." Elijah eyed the footage with a puzzled gaze, Klaus looked almost like he was enjoying himself, truly having fun. It was...odd.

Kol whooshed over to his brother, taking his phone out of his hand and looking at the video that had been sent to Elijah, "Are they-they look like they're having fun! Nik doesn't have fun with baby vampires!"

"They may not be babies," Elijah responded barely concealing the flash of envy that bubbled up in him at his brother's words.

"Oh please, I don't recognise either of them, do you?" Elijah shook his head, "Then they must be babies because aside from Nik, you're the one who's been out in the world the longest, if they were anyone of consequence you would know them. Now," Kol tossed the phone back to Elijah, "Let's find out who these two are, whoever Nik was with, this doesn't look like business." Kol frowned, it had been a long time since he'd seen his brother smile like that, he wasn't sure that he liked it, whether that was because he was jealous or because he just wanted Klaus to suffer was yet to be determined.

Three days later had Maya trying to sneak her way off the floor, her mother still hadn't let up on leaving her alone for long, the doctors had insisted that she needed extra tests because they had no idea what was wrong with her (she suspected that the hospital just wanted more of Damon's money). Maya was done with being cooped up in her room so when Enzo and Damon had gone to get a 'drink' and her mother was busy talking to one of her doctors, Maya slipped out of her room. She had managed to creep past two of the vampires that had been part of the protection detail that Klaus had left. All Maya had to do was make it to the stairwell, she could get off of her floor and she would be lost in a sea of people, she wouldn't have to worry about the vampires looking for her because they wouldn't be able to smell or hear her. As she rounded a corner she crashed into someone, she yelped in shock and the person's hands grabbed her before she could fall to the floor.

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

"Nik!" Maya squeaked, "What are you doing here?"

"I think the more prudent question would be what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in your room Little Siphon?"

Maya's eyes widened and her hand reached up to cover his mouth, "Don't call me that! Anyone could be listening!"

Klaus raised a brow as he felt her hand over his mouth, he reached up and took her wrist in his own hand and gently pulled it away from him, "Very well, Little Witch, what are you doing you doing out of bed?"

"It's been five days Nik, I can't take it anymore! Those doctors have run every test known to man on me, I've been stuck on bed rest, even though I've been asleep for two freaking weeks and I probably have more vampire blood than human blood in me with the amount that Damon and Enzo have been feeding me! I need out, I don't need to go far, but I can't be in here anymore!"

"Well love, if I let you sneak out of here, that defeats the purpose of all the vampires that I have guarding you," Klaus smirked at the desperate look on her face.

"Then take me for a walk!" she insisted, "You're supposed to be the baddest thing out there right? If that's true then the safest place for me would be at your side wouldn't it?"

Klaus paused at that, no one had ever said that being near him was safe, no one, "Why would I do that?"

"You're here because you want to talk," Maya shrugged, "If we have our talk outside, then it gets us away from prying vampire ears. I might even have a little gift for you, and given the last gift you got from me was pretty spectacular, I'd bet good money that this next one is just as awesome."

Klaus gave her a smile, she was just as feisty as she was over the phone, "Alright love, let's go for a walk."

The four people from Virginia were holed up in an Augustine stash house, searching though the camera footage that had been provided for them. "How many more of these videos are we going to have to watch?!" the first man complained.

"Look we were given a job, and we will do it properly," the woman replied.

"We haven't seen him go into a hospital, so we'll have to figure out which hospital is nearest to the places that he frequents." The second man said.

The third man watched the footage with a suspicious eye, "Don't you think it's strange that he disappears off camera more than once? This city has almost 18,000 public cameras, even if he walks into a blind spot, he should show up on another camera somewhere."

"You think he's a vampire?" The woman asked.

"It makes sense, Dr Maxfield said that the girl we're after is probably a witch, witches make those daylight rings for vampires which means that they must connect with each other from time to time. Maybe he owes the witch."

"If he's a vampire we'll have to restock on the vervain, and make sure the cage is reinforced, it's been years since this house has been used to house a test subject," the woman replied.

The second man looked over at the first, "Go and restock, Francine you go with him. Bradley and I will continue to go through this footage and see if we can figure out which hospital the witch is in. And then we'll take them both."

Klaus and Maya had been walking for about 15 minutes, just around the hospital, she didn't want to be too far from her mother, so he'd agreed that they could walk around the private grounds belonging to the hospital. She got some air and got to stretch her legs, while Klaus was given time to put his thoughts together. Now that he was faced with someone that could actually answer his questions, he found that there were thousands of things that he wished to know, privately he'd cursed his temper, if he hadn't have attacked Maya after she'd shown him the vision of her past life, would she have had more time to tell him his future? Or would he just have a whole different set of questions that Maya potentially couldn't answer?

Repressing a sigh, he spotted a bench nearby and guided her to it, chances are the conversation they were about to have would be best whilst seated, "So Love, where is this gift I was promised?"

Maya gave him a little smile, "What you can't wait a little longer? Patience is a virtue you know?"

Klaus smirked, leaning in close enough that she could feel his breath on her cheek, "Oh don't be fooled love, I'm the Devil in disguise," his finger trailed down the side of her face, curving under her jaw, tilting her chin towards him so that he could look deep into her eyes, "And nothing about the Devil is virtuous."

Maya felt her heart speed up at his close proximity, and judging by the mischievous spark in his eyes, and the smug satisfaction on his face, she knew that he heard it. Cursing her raging hormones she held the eye contact, unwilling to show an outward sign of faltering, even though she knew that he knew, in that moment she was his. She pulled a small pouch out of her jacket pocket, holding it out for him to take. "You ruin all my fun," she pouted.

Klaus quirked a brow, being the first one to break eye contact simply because he was curious about what was in the bag, taking it from her, he looked inside, eyes widening he couldn't believe what he saw. Tipping the contents into his hand he couldn't hold back the shock, he knew what the moonstone looked like, knew what it felt like, and he knew that what he held in his hands was undoubtedly the moonstone that he'd been searching for, for five hundred years. "How?" was all he could muster, Maya had said that it was cloaked, how had she found it?

"So you remember six months ago, our calls became more regular, we talked for longer and about more than just ridiculously superficial things?" she asked and at his nod she continued. "Well, after we became more…friendly, I decided that I wanted to try and find the moonstone for you, I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to be upset if it didn't work. It took a really long time, but I managed to narrow down its location to a single town. But then I started getting these nightmares, they weren't too bad at first, just dark, but as I got closer and closer to finding the moonstone, my nightmares became…terrors. There was a woman, shrouded in darkness, it was like she was trying to claw her way inside of me."

At these words Klaus looked alarmed, one of his favourite tricks was bodysnatching, and he knew what she was saying, someone had tried to take over her body from afar. "Sweetheart, who-"

"Just let me finish please," Maya said, of course Klaus was going to want to know who had tried to attack her, at his nod she continued, "Sunshine was actually the one who figured out what was happening to me, who was coming for me, so I went to a site with a lot of magic, and I used it to push through the cloaking spell on the moonstone and found that it was somewhere in the Mayor's house. My girl's got complete access to the Mayor's so she found it for me. I went over to hers to get it and the moment I touched it…" she paused, remembering the pain so strong it practically killed her, "Klaus the pain that I felt…it basically killed me, and then that dark place that you saw when you came for me…it wasn't the first place I ended up."

"Show me," Klaus said, he hoped that what she was hinting at wasn't true.

"Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly.

Instead of answering, both his hands came up to her head, he gripped her temple tightly and fell into her memories of the Other Side. He watched first as she faced off with his father, watched as she ran and then was forced to fight The Destroyer, heard as she screamed that she would help break his curse just to spite Mikael. The next scene was worse, an attack by his mother, and confirmation that his mother wanted all of his siblings dead, not just himself. He felt Maya push him out of her head after that, he was almost grateful, unwilling to see any more of the horrors that she went through just because of him. Klaus snatched his hands away from Maya's head, he drew her in close and found his lips on hers, in an almost tender kiss. The only apology he was willing to offer for the pain that she had endured at his expense, slowly Klaus pulled away from her, swallowing the little moan of protest she made as he did.

"Oh," Maya gasped, her face flushed making her almost as red as her hair. Turning away from Klaus she held out a hand to stop him from talking, "I'm- I'm gonna need a minute," Maya said, pushing down the urge to squeal like a teenage girl, she could do that with Caroline later, "Shut up Nik!"

"I didn't say anything!" Klaus replied, not even trying to hide the smirk on his face and in his voice.

Turning back to him, Maya's eyes narrowed, "I know what you're thinking, so you just need to stop… all of that!" she waved her arms at him.

Glancing at himself then back to Maya amused he replied, "You just gestured to all of me."

"Yes well, all of you needs to stop," she said, completely flustered by him.

"I think you need to be more specific," Klaus said, he was loving this, she'd always been so sure of herself when they'd talked, but now, here in person, he'd completely thrown her off her game.

"And I… think it's time for me to go back inside!" she stood and started heading back to the hospital entrance.

He laughed as she did her best to walk away like he wasn't affecting her, he caught up to her quick enough, "Come on Love, we've barely had time to talk! I thought I might share some of my nefarious plans with you!"

Maya stopped walking, steeling herself she turned to face him, "Your nefarious plans?" She asked sarcastically.

Klaus nodded, "Oh yes, I have many that you might be interested in, but first I do have one question for you." When she didn't say anything he continued, "Exactly how much do you like being choked?"

"Ah-" Maya's jaw dropped, she couldn't get any sound out, of all the things that he saw on The Other Side, that was what he focused on! Her stupid little quip to Mikael! Scowling at him she screwed up her fists, did an about turn and marched away from him

"Oh don't be like that Love! We're just getting to know each other better!" he grinned, following after her at a sedate human pace, he was going to have so much fun with her.

Ok so I had to stop it there! And I'd just like to stress that this kiss, is just that, a kiss, he knows that she's way older than him now so he find that it's easier to just make it his apology, because he's too proud to say the words 'I'm sorry', it's also his thanks because we all know he can never just say 'thank you'. But they're not getting together yet, Maya's got her whole life ahead of her and Klaus just isn't ready for the level of trust and commitment that Maya would want from him.

Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review, the feedback is awesome!