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Thanks for all the reviews and follows! Please enjoy!
Dark Angels and Light Angels: Thank you! I'm going to be treading very carefully when Aurora comes into this, because yes, her past can't be used as an excuse for what she's done, just like Klaus and Katherine's past couldn't be used as excuses, but with what Maya knows, she understands that Aurora can't be written off as just some crazy Vampire, because Aurora does have a legitimate illness. So I'm probably going to do quite a bit of research into her illness, just so I can try to do the character justice.
dragonegyptianblue: Kol is not going to be happy when he finds out what's just happened with Care. And the kids are great, they are just the little sprinkling of adorableness that I feel that this story needs now.
silverblade243: Thank you, Liz hasn't learned about Damon just yet, but she will, Sheila has to come up with a viable plan first, especially since Maya has established herself as a resource for the Council and has actually been helpful. Can't tell you about the Harvest because that would be spoilers.
Guest: Thanks!
Lalunarino: Thank you! Also glad that you're getting notifications, I know that a lot of my readers aren't and neither am I.
NaRuKo-InuTaiSHo-XD: Thank you!
WiseGirlDivergence46: Hope you enjoy!
lillen20: Thanks!
jenniferprignano: Thank you! Maya's definitely going to work on something for Caroline to protect her better, it'll be her top priority. As much as giving Maya more time with the kids would be great, you have to remember that she's still in high school and she and Klaus are in different states, and will be for the next several months.
Stachelbeere: Thank you!
xotinkerbella: Oh yes, Kol is definitely going to be Maya's best BIL. Hoping that Lexi's continued presence in Stefan's life will force him to relax a little. I don't ship Matt and Caroline either, he was not a good boyfriend for her, he accepted Rebekah and Elena as vampires, he even let Elena feed on him, but he judged Caroline for it so harshly, when she didn't have any choice in the matter. I'm going to be doing some research into Aurora's mental illness before writing about it, because I want to do her justice, even if I'm not a fan of her character, she needs to be treated the right way and not just written off as a crazy Vampire. You are right though, whatever Aurora felt for Klaus at the start, it became nothing but obsession.
Serena Salvatore: Damn right the pony was a bad idea! Who would look after it? Because you know Maya's not going to! I like it when Maya's bossy, especially with Klaus and Kol, because they're the two most dangerous Originals and she can just sweep in and take charge without too much pushback from them.
Heroina: Caroline knew that there was no way she was going to be able to lie to her mum about Maya so she didn't even bother to try. And Kol would totally kill Matt, he wanted to for no reason in canon before, and he would definitely off Matt if he was making moves on Care-Bear. I loved those lines with Klaus, because not only does it show Luna's growth from weak little girl, to absolute sass master, but it also shows Klaus's connection with her, in the fact that he'd even let her pull him down, because you know that he wouldn't have had to make any effort if he wanted to resist her. Maya bossiness totally comes from her friendship with Caroline, and the fact that she's not afraid to stand up to Nik, and to Kol, is something I really love about her. You'll find out who wants to open the tomb soon.
sam: You're welcome.
Elara54312: We didn't get to see Liz in Maya's life when she was growing up, because I focused on the magic part of her life, but with Caroline as Maya's best friend, there was no way that Liz wasn't a huge part of Maya's life. In fact, you'll find out how important Liz is to Maya in this chapter. Bonnie is going through a lot of changes, very suddenly, and the only person that she can relate to is someone that she hasn't liked her whole life, and because she's a very independent, strong willed woman, she wants to form her own opinions.
Maya stayed up all night, running her fingers through Caroline's hair as she slept, terrified to go to sleep for fear that something awful would happen to the blonde. Liz had remained at her daughter's side, she'd never felt such fear in her life, Caroline had been in more danger than Liz had ever thought possible, if it hadn't have been for Damon, she'd be dead, just the idea that if he was a few seconds too late, her daughter would be gone, was so hard for Liz to reconcile with.
Maya watched as Liz stirred, checking on Caroline first and then getting up, their eyes locked, "I know I'm not supposed to be here, but-"
Liz shook her head, cutting her off "No. You stay. Caroline needs you, and to be honest, I'd feel better, knowing that there was someone with her that can protect her."
"Liz you can protect her!" Maya insisted in a whisper.
"Can I?" she asked, "Logan went after her because of me! He hurt her because of me!"
"You can't think like that, what Logan did, that's on him, no one else! You didn't hurt Caroline, you didn't put her in harms way! You did your job! You protected this town! The only way you knew how! This isn't your fault. It's Logan's, and he's dead now because of it."
"But it still happened," Liz insisted.
"I know, but she's okay, and the only thing that's on my mind now is that we find a way to protect her better."
"You mean…magically?"
Maya nodded, "I have some ideas, and it'll take some time, and I'll probably need some help, but yeah, magically, I'm gonna find a way to protect her. I promise."
Liz walked over to her, sat on the bed and brushed some hair from Maya's face, giving the girl a soft smile, "Maya, I have spent your whole life watching you grow up, hell, I helped Jenna raise you! I know that things have been...off between us since Bill left, and your little…revelation, definitely made things rocky. But you're my family too, and I am so proud of the woman that you're becoming."
"Thank you Liz," Maya whispered, feeling warmth spread through her being, perhaps Liz finding out about her was a good thing, maybe it could help bring her and Caroline closer together again.
"I'm gonna call the school and pull you and Caroline out for the day."
"Okay," Maya nodded, "Damon would have told Mom what happened, are you going in to work today?"
"Yes," Liz replied, "I'm going to have to talk to the Council about last night."
"Oh, um…"
"What?"
"Before you do…I should probably tell you that I may have threatened to set the Mayor on fire last night…" Maya sheepishly admitted.
"You what?!" Liz hissed.
"He took Tyler and Jeremy outside and tried to make them fight 'like men'," she air quoted, "And when Jeremy tried to leave, he wouldn't let him, and when Tyler refused and tried to leave, he shoved him and insisted that they fight. Because that's what his daddy taught him."
"Maya you cannot just go around threatening town officials!"
"It's fine! It's not like anyone heard…except…maybe Mr Saltzman…the new History teacher."
"Oh my- just stop talking! I'm going to go get ready for work." Liz made an about face and left the room before she heard anything more.
"You threatened to set the Mayor on fire?" Caroline's scratchy voice came from the bed.
Maya faced the girl and smiled, "Yeah, sucks you missed it, I could swear there was fear in his eyes!" she snuggled back up into her friend's side, knowing that Caroline wasn't ready to talk about what happened last night.
The blonde shuffled over, wrapping her arms around her best friend and resting her head on Maya's shoulder, "Can we go over to your place?" she asked, knowing that Maya had already increased the protection spells on her home.
"Of course we can, you wanna lock up in the magic room? Or just snuggle on the couch?"
"Just snuggle," Caroline replied, she didn't want to have to think about anything just yet.
"I just can't believe that Logan's dead," Miranda lamented at the Council meeting, it was just the inner circle at the meeting, Richard, Carol, Liz, and Brian Walters (the Medical Examiner).
"He got cocky," Richard said, "Out at night when we hadn't confirmed that the town was clear, he should have known better."
"Richard," Carol admonished, "The man's dead, let him have a little dignity."
"The man tried to kill my daughter!" Liz cut in, "But he's gone now, I confirmed it with Damon, the Fell's are just going to bury him in the family plot. They don't want to make a big deal about it."
"Which brings us to our next topic," Carol said, "New members."
"I think that Damon Salvatore would be an excellent fit for the Council," Liz said, "To date no one's killed a Vampire before and Damon has taken down two. Plus he's providing us with vervain, now that Zach's moved out of town, and he's a founding family member."
There were nods from the rest of the Council, "Alright," Richard said, "All in favour raise your hands." Every member of the inner circle raised their hand in agreement, "Very well, Damon Salvatore will be welcomed onto the Council."
"Which moves us to our next potential member," Carol spoke, looking over at Miranda, "Jenna."
"My sister can't join the Council! She's not a founding family member."
"Maybe not, but Maya made a new Vampire detection device for us when I asked, we need her on side. But I don't want to force the responsibilities of a Council member onto a 17 year old. And while we're discussing that, how is that Jenna is your sister, and you had no idea what Maya was capable of?" Liz asked, genuinely confused that Miranda had no idea about what her niece was.
Richard snorted in amusement, "That probably has something to do with the fact that her kid nearly killed Jenna's," he muttered.
"Richard!"
"Elena did not nearly kill Maya!" Miranda protested.
"That's not what she copped to," Richard replied.
"She didn't!" Miranda insisted.
"Miranda," Liz sighed, "Elena confessed, get over it, you're lucky that she got a sympathetic judge was charged as a minor. If Maya had died, Elena would have gone to prison."
Miranda frowned, she hated the fact that Elena had confessed, "You're my best friend Liz!"
"I'm also the Sheriff."
"I think we're getting away from the topic at hand," Brian, the Medical Examiner, cut in, "The question for the day is, do we want Jenna Sommers on the Council?"
Half the week had gone by since Logan's attack, and Caroline hadn't been able to sleep, Maya had stayed over at her house every night so far, keeping her safe. Right now the red-head was fast asleep, her Mom had only worked the day shift since that night, and was asleep in her own room. Sighing, Caroline moved into the den, closing her bedroom door quietly behind her, her mind was still abuzz with possibilities of what could have happened to her, if her friends were even a second too late.
Tapping her fingers on her thighs, she grabbed her phone, popped in her headphones, and video called the only other person that she had wanted to speak to.
"Caroline Darling! What a pleasant surprise."
"Hi Kol," she sighed.
Kol's smile dropped at the tone of her voice, switching on the light on his end, he brought the phone closer to his face and took in her visage. "What's the matter Love?"
"I uh," she rubbed a hand over her face, "I'm not sure where to begin."
"Whatever it is, you can tell me, I'm halfway across the world right now, so you're safe."
Caroline's stomach dropped at the confirmation of him being so far away, it didn't make her feel safe, "If you're um, if you're busy, I can call you back later."
"Nonsense Love, there are very few things that could tear me away from you right now, what is it?"
"Okay," she sighed again, "Let me start by saying that I told Maya, and Damon and Enzo, not to tell you anything, I wanted to be the one to tell you what happened."
Kol frowned, "I don't like the sound of that."
"Um…a few nights ago, someone turned Logan Fell, a member of our town Council…he used to babysit me when I was a kid, I've known him my whole life," her voice broke, and she felt a tear slip free of her tight control, "He attacked me!"
Kol growled in response, his monster surfacing almost immediately.
"I was upset over a stupid boy, one that wasn't even worth my time. And I stormed out of school at night, away from Maya, away from the crowds." She sniffled and wiped away more tears as they fell, "I tried to get away, I screamed for help, but I was too far from anyone! He threw me against the car and knocked me out. He was gonna kill me Kol! He was gonna feed me his blood and kill me! All while my Mom listened, to punish her!"
"I'll kill him!" Kol snarled.
"Enzo already beat you to it," she shook her head, "Damon and Enzo found me before he could, and they killed him, but I can't sleep." She whimpered, "I don't feel safe if I'm not like, right by Maya, or one of the guys. I've freaking met Original Vampires! But I've never felt more helpless than when he grabbed me."
Kol tried to shove his monster down, he didn't want to upset her more, he'd be phoning both Vampires and the Siphon as soon as this call was over, he'd already opened his computer to book a flight back to the U.S. he was going to see Caroline in person, she clearly needed him. "I'm on my way there Love!"
"You can't come to Mystic Falls Kol, we're keeping you guys away so that Katherine will show up."
"Fuck Katherine Pierce! No one is going to stop me from coming for you!"
"I'm going to Georgia this weekend," she said, "Maya wants to meet a Witch she knows there because she needs some help with a new set of protections for me. Damon and Enzo are coming too. Meet us there? Please?"
Kol's jaw clenched, he wanted to disregard her request completely and barrel into Mystic Falls, but her asking to see him, was a huge step in whatever relationship they were building, "You're certain that you don't want me in Mystic Falls?"
"Not yet. As soon as Katherine's locked down you can come here. But I really wanna see you Kol."
"Send me the details, I'll meet you there." He finally agreed, she nodded and said her goodbyes, hanging up on him.
/ / /
Kol shoved his phone away and roared in fury, trashing his hotel room, he rushed out into the town and burst into the first nightclub he could find. He locked the doors, and slaughtered every last person in the club. Gorging himself on their blood, he even tore a few people apart, just to get his rage out. By the time he was done, every surface of the club was covered in viscera, his victims' screams were ringing in his ears, along with the pounding base of the music that was still playing through the club's speakers. Wiping the blood from his face he scowled, that hadn't done nearly enough to sate his anger, he smashed all the bottles of alcohol he could find and set fire to the place before whooshing out of there, looking for another place to destroy.
"Why do we have to take two cars again?" Enzo asked, loading up his SUV with Maya's Witchy ingredients.
"Because while there are four of us right now, we're going to be coming back with Stefan. Lexi says he's all dried out and firmly back on the wagon, so he's coming back with us. Do you want to share a car with him?"
"You're right, he's Damon's brother, Damon can drive him back," Enzo nodded, he certainly didn't want to spend 7 hours stuck in a car with the eternal bore that was Stefan Salvatore. "Is that everything?" he asked, shoving a second suitcase in the back of the car.
"Yep, we're good to go. Where's Caroline and Damon?" Maya asked.
Enzo cocked his head for a moment, listening out for his lover and the human, "Blondie's currently squeezing her mother to death, even though we're only gonna be gone for the weekend. Damon's complaining about it."
Maya laughed, "Okay, let's go. Once Damon hears us leave, he'll get Sunshine in the car. If we beat him there he owes us shots!"
"What are we waiting for then? Let's go!"
Damon parked his car directly in front of 'Bree's Bar' and jumped out, opening the door for Caroline, and offering her a hand, he helped her out. "Let's go!"
"Unbelievable!" Maya complained as Enzo pulled in after him, "We left before them! How did they get here first?!"
"You're the one that insisted on peeing at the rest stop," Enzo shrugged.
"How many times do I have to say that I am lady Enzo! I do not pee on the side of the road!" Maya frowned, jumping out of the SUV and stretching her legs.
Enzo rolled his eyes, "Come on, let's get inside before Bree jumps my boyfriend."
/ / /
The woman wiping the bar down looked up as the door opened and Damon, Caroline, Enzo and Maya stepped inside. "No, no. It can't be! Damon?!" she jumped over the bar and rushed over to him, "My honey pie!" she reached out for him, but he pulled back.
"Sorry Bree, these lips are off limits now!" he smirked and walked over to the bar.
"Hey Bree," Maya said, amused at the glare that Enzo was sending the Witch's way.
"Bree," Enzo muttered, following Damon.
"Are they…"
"Finally together?" Maya finished for her, "Yep."
"Damn! And here I was hoping to take one more ride on the Damon train before it closed down permanently."
"Ah," Maya sighed, "Many a woman will be lamenting over that! Oh, FYI, they may be together, but his baby bro Stefan, and Lexi, think that he and I are together."
"Why?" Bree asked.
"Because it's fun to mess with Stefan," Maya shrugged. "Anyway, this is my very best friend, Caroline. Caroline this is Bree, Damon's Witch friend."
Bree turned to the blonde who was staring at her with wide eyes, "So you're what all the fuss is about," she looked the girl up and down, "Oh I definitely get it!" she said, causing Caroline to turn bright red. "Let's get you ladies some drinks huh?" she made her way behind the bar and the girls took their seats between Damon and Enzo. "Listen up, everybody!" Bree called, lifting a half empty bottle of tequila and pouring a line of shots. "Here's to the man that broke my heart, crushed my soul, destroyed my life, and ruined any and all chances of happiness. Drink up!"
Damon smirked and took a shot, "Oh Bree, when are you gonna stop introducing me to everyone like that?"
"When my heart is whole once more!"
"So never," Damon lamented.
"Never." Bree nodded with a smile.
"How did you two meet?" Caroline asked, curious about someone that Damon referred to, even loosely, as 'friend.'
"College," Bree answered.
"You went to college?" Caroline asked Damon incredulously.
"I've been on a college campus, yes." Damon took another shot.
"About 20 years ago, when I was a sweet young freshman, I met this beautiful man, and I fell in love. And then he told me about his little secret, made me love him even more. Cus you see, I had a little secret of my own, that I was dying to share with somebody."
"She's a Witch," Damon mock whispered.
"You changed my world, you know?" Bree said.
"I rocked your world."
Bree laughed, "He is good in the sack isn't he?"
Caroline's eyes widened, "We've never-"
"No?" Bree shrugged, "That's a shame," she winked, "But mostly he's just a walk-away Joe." She took a shot, "That is until this one got a hold of him," she nodded at Enzo, who smirked in return.
"What can I say?" Enzo shrugged, "When I want someone, I go after them."
"So, I know why Red's here," Bree said, "But why are you? Your girl's come to see me on her own before."
"Has anyone come through here, asking about the tomb?" Damon asked.
"The tomb? I thought you decided you didn't care about it anymore," Bree replied.
"I don't," Damon said, "But someone else came to town, saying they had another way in, they turned a Vampire that attacked Blondie."
"Which is why you're here looking for heavier protections," Bree said to Maya, and the Siphon nodded.
"No one's come in here asking about it, but the only other way in, is to reverse engineer the spell, and the only way to do that is if you know the exact process of the spell, which can be found in-"
"In Emily Bennetts grimoire," Maya finished.
Bree stared at Maya for a moment, "You found the grimoire? It's been lost for 145 years!"
"I found the grimoire," Maya nodded, "She had some cool spells in there."
"Shut. Up! I can't believe that you found it!"
"Ladies!" Enzo cleared his throat, "Can we get back to the matter at hand please?"
"Right," Bree straightened, "Like I said, no one's come to me asking about it, but I can ask around some of my friends, see what they know."
Enzo nodded, "We'd appreciate it."
"Hey where do you want me to put my stuff?" Maya asked, "I brought a lot of ingredients with me."
"Grab your bags, I'll show you where, while I make some calls." She motioned for the girl to follow her and Maya grabbed the suitcases that Enzo had dragged in, and took them to the back.
Elena was back at the Boarding House, the lights were all dark, the front door locked up tight, and Damon's car wasn't there. She rang the bell, but there was no answer, frowning she circled the house, heading to the back, she remembered that there was a door that Stefan didn't usually lock. Trying it, it opened, and she snuck inside. "Stefan?!" she called, looking around the house, "Damon?!" there was no answer.
She looked around downstairs first, finding nothing she went upstairs, there was bound to be some information on where Stefan was up there, she found his room and started to look around. Stefan and Damon were hiding something from her, and she needed to find out what it was. Elena was drawn to the wall of books first, fingertips trailing over the cracked spines, that showed that they'd obviously been read more than once, and smiled, she loved books, and the fact that Stefan did as well was something she found incredibly attractive. She moved over to the table in the middle of the room and gasped at what she saw.
Elena's hand trembled as she picked up a very old picture, a picture of a woman that looked like her, looking at the writing below, she could feel her heart beat speed up, 'Katherine, 1864'.
Caroline was on her second drink when Kol appeared in the bar, she looked up at the sound of the door, and her eyes lit up when she saw him. "Kol!" she got up, and rushed over to him.
Enzo watched with a raised eyebrow, "Are we just letting that happen?" he asked Damon.
The elder Salvatore allowed himself to glace over to the couple, Kol had pushed Caroline's hair from her face, and was trailing a finger down her cheek, his eyes traversing the length of her body, as though he needed to make sure that she hadn't been injured. "I don't really think that we get a vote in that."
"He's a thousand years old!"
"And completely indestructible," Damon looked back at Enzo, "I don't like saying that Sabrina will handle it, but if she thinks that something bad is going down, then this, she will handle."
"I still don't like it," Enzo grumbled, crossing his arms with a frown.
"I don't think they care."
/ / /
Caroline and Kol moved over to a booth on the other side of the bar, it wouldn't stop the guys from listening in, but it did give them the illusion of privacy, "Are you sure you're okay Darling?"
"Physically I'm fine, it's just I don't feel safe on my own anymore. I always used to feel safe, no matter what. When Finn and Sage had me in their clutches, I was scared sure, but afterwards I was fine! But this…"
Kol pressed her into his side, threading his fingers through her hair, "When Finn and Sage grabbed you, Maya was there, you knew that she would die before she let anything happen to you, so subconsciously you felt safe. Mystic Falls is your home, you mother is the Sheriff, your best friend has magic, you've never needed to be afraid in your town because it's your safe space, no one would dare hurt you there. What that…Logan, did to you, was attack you in your safe space, and in your mind you knew that for once, you were in real trouble. I believe that this was the first time that you were in danger and were unsure as to whether you'd be okay, that's why you don't feel safe alone anymore."
Caroline relaxed into the Original, of all the people out there, she was aware that it was so messed up that she felt safe in the cocoon of his arms, but she also knew that he was one of the strongest beings in existence, no one could hurt her when she was with him, she felt indestructible. "What am I supposed to do? I can't just latch onto my friends and never let go."
"You said that Maya is here to work with a Witch to create some new protections for you," Kol said.
Caroline nodded, "Yes."
"Then I'll help, and perhaps, you should learn how to defend yourself, I understand that Maya has been taking lessons since she was a child."
"Yeah, as soon as Jenna found out about the world of magic, she put Maya in defence lessons."
"Go with her," Kol said, "This world is a dangerous one Darling, if you're going to insist on being a part of it, then you need to learn to fight. I'd be happy to give you some pointers, after all, I am a Viking."
/ / /
Bree stiffened as she felt the power that entered her establishment, "What's wrong?" Maya asked from her place at the bar.
"And Old One just walked in," she whispered, zeroing in on the man that Caroline had just walked up to.
Maya glanced up from her food and nodded, "Yeah, that's Kol Mikaelson, I think he's got a bit of a thing for Care."
"Wait- You know an Original?!"
"I'm a 'student of the game' Bree," Maya shrugged, "Who better to learn from than the Old One that runs with Witches?"
"Kol Mikaelson is your teacher? You run with Originals?!"
Maya smirked, "I run with Klaus," she revealed, she didn't want Bree spreading anything about her, and the best way to do that was to drop the Hybrid's name, he was the one that always had the supernatural community trembling in fear.
Bree paled, "You're serious aren't you? Maya do you have any idea how dangerous he is?"
"Yeah," the girl nodded, "I do, which is why I'll trust that you'll keep your mouth shut about it, lest he feels the need to swoop in and murder everyone in here."
"Is-is he coming here?" Bree panicked, she already had one Original in her bar, she didn't think that she could take the stress of a second one.
"Nah," Maya shook her head, "He's busy right now, Kol will definitely be sticking around until we leave though."
"I don't understand Elijah," Rebekah shook her head, "It's like any and all evidence that was pointing to Lucien has just disappeared!"
"He must have found out that we're the ones investigating his business," Elijah replied, "I'm surprised it took him this long." The older Mikaelson was going through the documents he'd been given by one of his investigators, the businesses that had leased out the spaces for the 'secret labs' were owned by a shell corporation, owned by another shell corporation, owned by another and then another, going on and on until the finally, at the very top of the pyramid was Kingmaker, Lucien's company. But the problem was, all of a sudden, Lucien was no longer the owner, founder and CEO of the company, another man had taken the helm, Arturo Torres.
"There's no way that Lucien would just give up his company," Rebekah stated, "He has far too much pride for that. This has to be a trap of some kind."
"I agree," Elijah flicked through the information in his hands, "You know, there are three possible locations for the CEO's office."
"You want to pay him a visit?" Rebekah asked with a smirk.
"He thinks that he's smarter than us," Elijah replied, "We should disabuse him of that notion."
"I'll send some of my people out," Rebekah said, "They'll find out which office the boss is in, and if it's not Lucien, well, they'll be that much easier to subdue."
Bree looked between Maya and Kol nervously, the three of them were in the back, the dinner rush wouldn't come in for the next few hours, so they were working on ideas for new protections for Caroline. Clearing her throat, she pulled out one of her own grimoires, much like Maya, she didn't have family grimoires, unlike the red-head though, Bree hadn't had anyone to teach her magic, she'd had to stumble through learning for most of her life, until she reached her thirties and she'd come across a Coven that had been willing to teach her the basics, but hadn't been willing to do much more unless she became a member. "You've got your warning spell down," Bree said, "But every protection spell that I know, requires the user to have magic, you can't spell something and have it work without a trigger. And humans don't have triggers."
"She is right Love, warding can be put up around houses and towns, even cities, but creating something specific that follows one person around, a human no less, has never been done before."
Maya fiddled with the bracelet around her wrist, as she bit her lip thoughtfully, "Just because it's never been done before, doesn't mean that it can't be done." She sighed, "Maybe a warding isn't what Caroline needs, maybe she needs an object," she looked at Kol, "You've helped Witches create objects that can be used by anyone before, couldn't you help me do the same again?"
"I taught them how to create dark objects," Kol said, "They were all designed to attack, hurt, cripple, I've never helped anyone create something to protect."
"If you're turning to dark objects, I can't be a party to that," Bree said, "I won't help, and I won't have it here."
Maya shook her head, "Caroline won't accept a dark object, and that's not what I was thinking."
"What were you thinking then Darling?"
"Caroline…tried to escape, but she couldn't, if it were a Witch that was attacked, they'd be able to counter immediately, with a whole host of spells, but humans can only rely on their strength and speed."
"Which is nothing compared to a Vampire's," Bree provided.
"She tried to run, but she couldn't…she couldn't escape…couldn't…dodge!" she looked up at both of them, "Couldn't we come up with a spell, that gave her faster reflexes? A spell of evasion! Couldn't we spell a piece of jewellery that, when she wore it, it could decrease her reaction time? Make it so that when a Vampire reaches for her, her whole body just automatically moves to evade the attack, faster than a normal human?"
"An evasion spell?" Kol tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Perhaps…but as a human, her body can only move so fast, she would still be no match for older Vampires."
"It's not the older Vampires I'm worried about right now, I'm worried about the baby Vampires that keep popping up back home! All she needs is to be fast enough to get to a crowd!"
"You're talking about creating a spell, something like that would require a lot of ingredients, time to brew, the right jewellery. And when it's done, your friend would need to practice, her body needs to know how to move in a situation like that before the spell is cast. Because if it's jewellery, it could be removed, if her body doesn't know what it's doing and it's taken from her, she could stumble or fall, and get caught."
"That won't be a problem," Kol dismissed, "I've already spoken to her, she'll be coming with you to your defence sessions, she'll learn."
"Okay, but that doesn't answer my question, can it be done?"
"Let me do some research," Bree said, thinking about how a spell like that could be done, "I'm sure that we'll need something more than just regular spell ingredients, I don't know what, but I have this feeling that we'd need something extra for a spell like this."
Kol nodded, "She's right, humans don't function the way we do," he gestured to all three of them, "A spell like that, something designed to alter a human attribute, it will require rare ingredients and a good amount of time to create."
"I don't care how long it takes," Maya replied, "I want Caroline to be in the best position possible," she held up a hand to stop Kol from saying anything, "Without having to become a Vampire."
"You and uh…Kol, can use this space to start brewing ingredients for the spell, I have the bar to take care of, I'll come back when I'm closed." Bree almost ran out of the back room, unwilling to be in the same room as the Original for any longer.
"I think she's scared of you Kol," Maya said, looking over at the youngest Original brother.
"But I'm such a delight!"
Bonnie stared at the ceiling, her hands cradling the back of her head, as she took in what Elena had just told her, "Stefan and Damon are Vampires," she repeated, "Vampires, and you and Maya are dating them!"
"Bonnie-"
"How long have you known Elena?!"
Elena sighed, "I found out the night of the car wash."
"The 'Sexy Suds' car wash?" Bonnie clarified.
"Yes," Elena nodded.
"Elena, that was two months ago! You found out two months ago, and didn't tell me? Even after I told you that I was a Witch?" Bonnie was hurt, the two of them were meant to be best friends, they shared everything with each other, but Elena hadn't told her, at least not until she absolutely needed to tell Bonnie something.
"I'm sorry Bonnie," the doppelgänger replied, "It wasn't my secret to tell."
Bonnie paused at that, it was true, being a Vampire, that was Stefan's secret, not Elena's, but then she thought back to the morning that she spent with Elena, not too long ago, when she'd told Elena about having actual magic. "You told me about Maya, and that wasn't your secret to tell either! But you still did, because we're best friends and we don't keep secrets from each other! Or at least, I thought we didn't!"
"Bonnie"-
"Caroline and Maya are best friends, and I bet that Caroline knows about the Salvatores!"
"That's Maya and Caroline! Why are you comparing our friendships?" Elena implored, looking at Bonnie with her doe eyes, trying to show that she hadn't meant to hurt the Bennett Witch.
"Because we're the same! One of us magical, one not," she gestured at Elena, "You just told me that Damon is a killer! He drinks human blood, you can bet your ass that Maya told Caroline because she wanted her to be safe around him! But you didn't tell me!"
"I'm telling you now!" Elena protested.
"AFTER! After our friend Matt lost his sister! After another Vampire was terrorising the town! After you found out that you're some carbon copy of Stefan's ex-girlfriend!" she picked up the picture that Elena had taken from the Salvatore house and threw it in her face. "After you let me sneak into Maya's house! After she threatened to set Damon on me! I didn't even know what that meant at the time, but you did!" Bonnie jumped up from the couch and paced the floor, aggressively running her hands through her hair, "You let me put myself in danger and you didn't even tell me!"
"Bon-"
"No Elena!" Bonnie held up her hand, stopping her from saying anything more, "I can't even look at you right now!" she shook her head, and ran out of the house. Leaving Elena speechless, how had things gotten so screwed up, so fast?
Bonnie rushed over to her grandmother's house, her Grams had said that Witches were immune to a Vampire's compulsion, and as long as she stayed out of Vampire business then she would be fine. But if Elena was dating a Vampire, even if she didn't want to, she got the feeling that she was going to be dragged into Vampire business, and she needed to know how to defend herself.
She burst through the front door, her Grams wasn't in, but hopefully she'd be home soon, Bonnie made a B-line for the grimoires on the shelf and pulled them all out, she needed to find out the best spells to go up against a Vampire and she needed to do it fast.
/ / /
"She threatened her! She threatened her Jenna! How could you not tell me?!"
"I took care of it Liz!" Jenna replied, "I made appropriate threats back! Hell I threatened to turn Sheila into the Council so that they could burn her at the stake!"
"You didn't tell me!" Liz repeated.
"I couldn't and you know it!" Jenna threw her hands in the air in exasperation, "You didn't know about Maya's magic, what was I supposed to do? Tell you that Sheila threatened my kid, but I couldn't tell you why?!"
Liz clenched her fists, "God! I'm so angry at you right now! At some point in the last six years, you should have told me! At least when Caroline found out!"
"I didn't know find out that Caroline knew until Maya was fourteen, and at that point, I had to respect Maya's wishes. Did I want to tell you? Of course I did! Do you have any idea how hard it is to be the only grownup in the know in this little family? Damon and Enzo aren't grownups! They are boys trapped in men's bodies! I have to be the adult! All the time! And it was fine when Maya was a kid, I'm her Mom, that's my job. But the moment, the moment, that magic got involved, our lives became so much more dangerous! Do you have any idea how many times my daughter has almost died because of magic?! Four times! Four times! That some magical bitch has attacked my daughter because of who she is! Do you have any idea of how terrified I have been? From the first second that I found out that my baby-girl had magic, I've known that there are things that I can't protect her from. At least you can protect Caroline."
"Jen, I had no idea," Liz said, looking at her friend in a new light, how had the younger woman been able to keep up such a happy, upbeat demeanour, when she had so much more than other mothers to worry about?
"I just-" Jenna sighed, "I just never wanted you to worry like I had to."
Liz abruptly stood, "Well now that I know, I'm taking some of this burden off of you! And I'm starting with Sheila Bennett!"
She marched out of the house and Jenna followed her, bewildered at the sudden turn of events, "What, now! You're going now!"
"You're damn right I am!" Liz got into her cruiser and Jenna hurried into the passenger seat. "What are you doing?"
"Well someone has to make sure that you don't commit a felony!"
/ / /
Sheila walked into her house and saw Bonnie on the couch, going through her grimoires, "Thank God you're back!"
"And hello to you too," she put her bags down at the door and sat down next to her granddaughter, "What's the matter?"
"The Salvatores are Vampires!"
"…"
"You knew!" Bonnie accused when her Grams didn't say anything, "I can't believe that you knew and you didn't tell me!"
"I told you to stay out of Vampire business," Sheila replied, "As long as you do, you'll be fine."
"I can't Grams! Elena's dating Stefan Salvatore! Did you know that? She loves him! And Maya's dating Damon! And he's killed people in town! He killed Mr Tanner!"
Sheila's face dropped at that, Maya had hinted that Damon cared about her, but to be dating a Vampire? It meant that she really did have a steady source of magic at her beck and call, "Damon won't hurt you," she tried to reassure Bonnie.
"How can you know that?" Bonnie asked, "Thanks to you, Maya pretty much hates me! What's to stop her from sicking her pet Vampire on me!"
"Damon Salvatore made a promise to our ancestor Emily Bennett to protect our line."
"In return for what?" Bonnie asked.
"There's a tomb, under Fells church, filled with Vampires that have been starved to the point of desiccation for 145 years, the deal was that one of her descendants would open that tomb after the passing of the comet."
"A tomb filled with starving Vampires?! We can't open that! What's to stop them from killing us all?!"
"We're not going to open it Bonnie! I'm not letting those Vampires out."
"Then what incentive does Damon have to keep us safe?!"
/ / /
Liz pulled up to Sheila's house and marched to the front door, Jenna scrambled out of the car after her, pulling out her phone and subtly setting it to record, if Liz didn't commit any felonies, then she was sure that Maya and Caroline would want to see what happened. The Sheriff pounded on the door with her fist, Sheila's car was in the driveway, so she was definitely home.
/ / /
Bonnie and Sheila were startled out of their conversation by banging on the front door, Sheila stood up and shifted the blinds so that she could peak outside, what she saw, was a very angry looking Sheriff, and worried looking Jenna stood behind her. "Go to your room," she said to Bonnie.
"Grams what-"
"Now Bonnie! You don't need to be here for this."
Bonnie rushed up the stairs, but instead of hiding in her room, she waited at the top, so she could hear what was going on, just in case her Grams was in trouble. Sheila straightened up and opened the door, "Sheriff! What brings you by?"
"What brings me by? What brings me by?!" Liz was fuming, the more she thought about the fear that Maya had to have felt, for years, because of this woman, the angrier she got, "I just found out, that you threatened Maya's life, when she was five!"
"Sheriff listen to me-"
"No you listen to me!" Liz cut her off, barely able to stop herself from putting hands on the sanctimonious Witch, "Maya is my daughter's best friend, my goddaughter, my family! And you threatened her, when she was in kindergarten!"
"She hurt Bonnie! I was just protecting my granddaughter!" Sheila defended.
"She was FIVE!" Her eyes were blazing with fury, "She had no idea what happened, what she'd done, what she was! It was an accident! And instead of helping guide her, teach her, you threatened her, for something that was not in her control!" Liz's fingers dug into the sides of her legs in an effort to stop her reaching for her gun, "Well, let me make something perfectly clear to you Sheila Bennett! I know what my goddaughter is, I know what you are, and if you ever, ever, threaten Maya again. I will bring the full force of the Sheriff's Department and the Council down on your head!" she pointed at the Bennett Witch, "That is a promise!" she spun on her heel and stormed out of the house, with Jenna running after her.
"Grams?" Bonnie asked, having snuck down the stairs.
Sheila turned around, taking in the look on her granddaughter's face, "Bonnie."
"What was she talking about?"
"It's nothing."
"Grams, tell me what's going on!"
Maya had just finished preparing the main ingredients for Caroline's spell, she needed to let them brew for several hours before they could be used. Kol had gone back out to the bar, much to Bree's chagrin, to sit with Caroline. He needed to figure out what special items Maya's spell needed, but he'd outsourced that to his sister, Freya, he'd sent her a message and she'd responded, telling him that she would go through her own grimoires, which she'd stored in a secret compartment in her coffin, and see if she could figure out what was required.
So there wasn't much Maya could do for the rest of the night, she was going to re-join her friends, when a potential idea popped into her head, and instead of heading back outside, she video called her favourite Original.
"If it isn't my Little Witch," Klaus said, not recognising the background, so opted to use his old pet name for her.
"Hi Nik," she smiled at the sight of him. He looked good, eyes bright, hair a little tousled by the wind, and an easy smile on his face.
"Where are you?"
"Oh, 'Bree's Bar' in Georgia, I came to see Damon's Witch friend."
"But you're Damon's Witch friend," Klaus replied, causing her to laugh.
"Damon knew Witches before me," she defended, and at his look she clarified, "Okay, Witch, he knew one Witch before me. They met like 20 years ago, he rocked her world, and then broke her heart…probably because he cut her off from his magical penis!"
Klaus choked on air at that, "Maya!"
She laughed, "Sorry, sorry! I had to say it someone! But Enzo doesn't like being reminded that there were others before him!"
"Never mention Damon's penis to me again!"
"Really? Not even if-"
"Never!" he cut her off.
"Okay, okay!" she relented, "I promise!"
"Did you just call me to put disgusting images in my head?!"
"No! I wanted to put dirty pictures in your head," she tugged on her green bra strap, showing it to him, "Wanna see my underwear?"
"Yo-A-" Klaus's eyes widened at her offer.
Maya grinned at his speechlessness, "I'm kidding," she pulled the edges of her jacket closed over her chest in a mock form of modesty, "You have three naughty pictures of me already Mr Mikaelson! That's all you're getting." She smirked, "Which is a shame for you, because I took some even naughtier ones."
Klaus raised a brow, "How naughty?"
Maya's eyes closed for a moment as he spoke, God she loved the sound of his voice, it was so sexy, "Let me put it this way, you know the clothes that I was wearing in those earlier shots?"
"Yes."
"I'm wearing even less."
"You were only in your underwear in those photos."
"I know! These newer ones are positively scandalous!"
"Maya," Klaus growled, his monster pushing through in his lust for her.
She giggled in response, "Ah, as much fun as this is, I didn't actually call you to rile you up."
Klaus closed his eyes for a moment and glanced down at his lap, where a certain something was demanding serious attention, "Well, you did a good job of it anyway Love…what did you actually want?"
"I was calling to ask if you'd be willing to draw a couple things for me…a swallow…and a hummingbird." The glint in her eyes told him that she was fully aware of the significance of the bird to him, "But they need to be small, like about one square inch, maybe a touch bigger."
"What is this for exactly?"
"The hummingbird's for me, the swallow's for Caroline. I need them for this spell I'm planning."
"You're not going to give me any more than that?" he asked.
Maya shook her head, "If it works out the way I hope, I'll let you know exactly what it was for."
"Any particular colours? Or design preferences?"
"I'll leave that up to the artist." She smiled and rested her chin on her hand as she watched him.
"What?"
"Nothing, I just…miss you. I know that you can't be here yet, but seeing Kol with Caroline…it just makes me wish you were."
"Kol's there?" Klaus asked.
"Yeah," Maya nodded with a secretive smile, "She called him, and told him about the attack, and he booked the first flight out to come and see her."
"Don't give me that look," Klaus said, "It's Kol, she's just his newest fancy."
"Oh no, Caroline's not the girl that's just a passing fancy, she's the forever girl, the one that you're with for eternity. Kol knows that, he's not just flirting with her, he's starting to catch feelings, I can tell."
"You think that you can read my brother?"
"I can read both of you."
"Really? What can you tell about me then?"
"Oh I can tell a lot, but the most important thing is...you're falling for me," she could see Klaus's jaw tense, and knew that he wasn't ready for this discussion, "It's okay, you don't have to say anything. I know. You don't have to worry, because I've already completely fallen for you."
Klaus swallowed heavily at that, she couldn't be saying what he thought she was, no one had said those words to him in centuries, "Maya…"
The smile she offered him was one full of understanding, "It's okay Nik, I won't ever ask for anything that you're not ready to give. Let me know when you're done with those drawings, it's pretty urgent. I'll talk to you later…Love." She hung up before he could say anything else.
"You and my brother are sickening," Kol said from the doorway, "Truly. Vomit inducing."
"No one said that you had to listen in!"
"You didn't put up a privacy spell," he replied and she rolled her eyes.
"What do you want Kol?"
"Freya texted me, she's made some promising in roads to the spell."
Thanks for reading, if you have time, please leave a review, they make me feel wonderful!