Here it is! Finally, Chapter 13! Sorry for the wait... I've started school and my muse has been a bit awol. Anyway, hope you like :) Let me know!

Enzo

I couldn't sleep. Tossing and turning for what felt like hours, I sat up again, staring at the clock. 2.14am. Great. I had managed to will my eyes shut for all of three minutes. Best night's sleep ever! Not. This clearly wasn't working. Giving up, I turned the night lamp on my table back on, rubbing my face to try to clear my head. I was exhausted, but I couldn't sleep. I hadn't had a good night's sleep in ages, not since that dreadful day…

The door to my room was left ajar, just as I promised I would keep it. Through the small crack, I could make out Maya's room in the darkness, door wide open. She refused to shut the door… the darkness in there was only adding to her nightmares. It was the third time that week. Nightmares were haunting Maya's once peaceful dreams, now engulfing them in dark terrors that were keeping her – and me – from getting a good night's sleep. Three times she had woken up screaming. Three times since that dreaded day at the bank, one week before. The slight concussion she had got wasn't doing her any favours, either. Or maybe it was. The meds she was taking had calmed her down slightly, but I couldn't help but wonder if they were simply numbing the pain. They couldn't heal her psychologically. That she would have to do on her own.

On that note, my own psyche decided it had had enough for one night, finally allowing itself to drift off into my deep little Wonderland.

Not that it lasted very long, mind you. Why would it? It's not like I needed sleep or anything, after a whole week living off caffeine and approximately two hours of sleep per night. But hey, we have an improvement. Three hours! Three cheers for my subconscious, y'all.

When it was painfully obvious that my body had had enough sleep for the night, I got out of bed, slowly putting on a pair of sweatpants and tee, not even bothering to turn the lights on. I swear, this last week has made me as nocturnal as an owl – I can practically sense where everything is around me.

Step two: bathroom. Dragging my way to said bathroom, I took a quick glimpse at the man who was looking at me in the mirror, and actually had to do a double take. Showering my face and sore neck with water, I looked up at my reflection again. At least I think it was my reflection. Staring at me were red, hollow eyes and bags the size of ping-pong balls. Is Halloween coming anytime soon? If it were, I wouldn't need a costume.

I hated to say it, but she wasn't the only one having nightmares. This past week, the dream had been the same: Maya in the bank, trapped inside, held at gunpoint. Me on the outside of the bank, banging hard against the door, looking on helplessly. Shouting. Screaming. Praying for a way in.

Looking on, as he pulls the trigger.

And I wake up, sweating and panting more than the night before.

I couldn't let her know I was having nightmares too. Mine were nothing compared to hers. She was petrified.

I made my way downstairs to get my daily dose of, you guessed it, caffeine, needing the boost like a drug. I looked at the time again. 5.32am. Relishing in all of my coffee's caffeine glory, I thought of my plans for the day, deciding to start with a good old fashioned jog. Then I could run some errands, and maybe meet Damon. It was time. I could definitely use the bro talk…

Damon

I looked out the window again, staring at the balcony of the house in front of me. Her balcony. Sure, I loved annoying the living hell out of her whenever her curtains were opened, but at least having them open meant I could see her, and seeing her meant I knew she was okay. Well, physically, at least. Now we have reached day 8, and the curtains are still closed.

"Damon?" I turned around to see Stefan coming into my bedroom, cup of coffee in hand. "One of these days someone's going to call the police on you."

"What are you on about, it's seven in the morning," I answered, sounding more like King Kong than myself. My brain wasn't fully functioning yet.

"Exactly," Stefan replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. My glare must have made it clear that I hadn't understood and wasn't in the mood for games, because he continued. "It's seven am and you're out here, stalking a girl's balcony, as you have been doing for the past week."

"I'm not stalking her balcony."

"I know you're not… but our neighbours don't."

"Well you know what, screw 'em. They want to call the police, let them. I'm not moving," I declared, signing off my declaration by turning my back on him, returning my focus to the balcony.

"Damon." There he was again, in that tone of pity that made me want to torture little kittens.

"What?" I spat with slightly more spite than I had intended. Slightly.

Stefan crossed the room and came next to me, leaning against the railings. "You care, I get it. I do too. But what good is standing here going to do? Those curtains aren't going to magically reopen."

I just stood there, not saying anything.

"And what about Kol? Aren't you worried about him? Poor guy was held at gunpoint," he continued.

"He's down there," I said, gesturing towards the Mikaelson pool. Since that day, Kol seemed to put his head in nothing but exercise. I wasn't sure if he was talking to anyone, either. "Besides, he has two brothers and a sister to look after him."

"And Maya has a brother."

"Whom I haven't seen since that day."

Slight pause. "That's why you're worried." Finally, you get it, brother.

"The whole deal affected him too. And he's not talking. Who's taking care of him?"

I felt a hand resting on my shoulder, its owner waiting for me to turn around. When I didn't, he continued anyway. "Give them time, Damon. Everyone heals in their own way. They'll open up eventually. Don't force it out of them."

Enzo

More days passed, and still no luck. She was still as reserved as ever. She had returned to work a few days before, but it didn't really help. When I talked to Caroline, she said that she was still withdrawn, still scared of her own shadow. Her grades were getting better though… she was focusing on her studying. And, she wasn't waking up as often as she used to, which was a damn good thing, both for herself, and me.

The talk with Damon helped that day. I didn't realise it then, but taking care of Maya was taking its toll on me, and although I knew it had had its effect on me, I didn't realise how much until then. It has been me and her ever since I was old enough to take care of her, and the thought of losing her brought me dangerously close to the edge. And apart from her, Damon knew me more than anyone. A bro-day and *some* tears later and I was good as new. Well, almost. I was better. You know what I mean.

But I was still worried. I had to leave town for the weekend and I couldn't leave her alone. Not just yet. In situations like these, I would usually call Kai, but this one probably needed a bit more delicate handling.

So I called the most mature person I know.

I called Elijah.

Elijah

I made my way to the vacant table at the back of the café, espresso in hand. Just as I was about to take out my phone to signal my arrival, Enzo showed up, giving a slight nod to acknowledge my presence before sitting next to me.

"Enzo, what a pleasure. Anything to order?" I asked, already raising my hand in search of a waiter.

"That's fine," he said. "I've already had my morning dosage of caffeine. Thanks for meeting me on such short notice… I hope I'm not keeping you."

"Oh that's quite all right, my meeting's in two hours, we have plenty of time,' I smiled, taking a sip of my espresso. "Although, I'm surprised you asked me to meet here when we are in fact neighbours."

"I know, I'm sorry. I just didn't want to risk being overheard. It's about Maya," he suddenly whispered, as if expecting her to show up at any moment.

"No apologies necessary, I assumed as much." I put down my espresso, leaning forward and interlacing my fingers together. "How is she?" I asked cautiously.

"That's the thing, I don't know. She seemed fine that day, but since then, she has completely shut me out. The only contact we've had is at night. She refuses to close the door and has asked me to keep mine ajar, just in case. There has been screaming, but it seems to have stopped."

I frowned, knotting my eyebrows. "That is a problem. Has she been going out?"

"Well, to her classes and work, yes. Her grades have improved, but socially? Zero. She's shutting everyone out. Even Caroline. Even Kai."

That got my attention. "Even Kai? Rebekah mentioned she hadn't talked to her in a while, but to shut out Kai? She loves that guy."

"I know. After an experience like that I would expect her to be even closer to the people she loves, but apparently not. Hence my worry."

"You're right," I said finally. "Although, though I appreciate that you came to me, I'm not quite sure what you want me to do exactly. I'm willing to help in any way though." I was seriously confused, but I wasn't about to let that poor girl live through her torture all by herself.

"Well, I wanted to ask you something," Enzo started, leaning forward. "Two things, actually."

"Go ahead."

"I have a feeling that there is one person she would be willing to open up to, given the right surroundings."

"And who might that person be?" I asked.

"Your brother. Kol. How is he?"

Obviously. How didn't I think of my brother sooner? Of course she would open up to him. "There are good days and bad days, but he seems to be coping in his own way. You're right, she will probably talk to him."

"How has he been doing? Has he shut you out, too?"

"Well he does have his quiet days, but I wouldn't say he has shut us out. He's reserved, but he still talks to us."

"Which brings me to my next question," Enzo continued. "I have to leave town for the weekend. I would postpone it, but it's a work thing and it's kinda cemented into my calendar, if you know what I mean."

"Loud and clear," I replied. Seeing as my work involved a lot of meetings and travelling, I knew all too well what that meant.

"Right. So the thing is, I really have to go, but I'm not comfortable leaving her alone for a whole weekend. Not just yet."

"And you were wondering if she could stay over at chez Mikaelsons," I replied, gluing the pieces together.

"If it isn't too much of a problem…"

"Not at all," I smiled reassuringly. "Anything to help her out."

"I mean, I would tell Kai to come over, but like I said, she isn't talking to anyone, and I think Kol would really help her, given the circumstances."

"You're absolutely right, I wouldn't have it any other way. I'll let the others know."

"I owe you one, Elijah," Enzo said, relieved. "Now I just have to tell her."

"Do you think it's going to be a problem? I could ask Bekah to help out if you want."

"Nah, actually I think it will be fine. We might not be talking that much, but there's one thing we have undermined… she doesn't want to be alone. Period. And what better way than to be surrounded by a family of four?"

Rebekah

I might not have been there that day, but the fear hidden deep in Maya's eyes in front of me still portrayed exactly what happened, as did Kol's, even if he thought he didn't show it. He had put on a brave face for all but a week, but we all knew what was really helping get through it. It's what always gets him through something like this.

Maya, on the other hand, needed something to channel her fear to. This was seriously affecting her life. I had tried offering to go shopping, watch a movie, heck, go tour the city, but to no avail, she wouldn't have it. "Thanks," she had told me in a painful smile that almost broke my heart. "But I'm fine."

But she wasn't. She wasn't fine. Her face had lost that vibrant glow she didn't know she had, her eyes just two dark pools of emptiness. She looked exhausted… Enzo had told me of her sleepless terror nights.

I just wanted to run up to her and hug her, let her know that everything is okay, but I couldn't. That wasn't the way to go. If she wanted to open up, she would open up in her own time. So I moved on to the second best option.

Food.

"Would you like to help me with dinner, Maya? Feeding three starving boys… and ourselves… is no easy feat."

She smiled. At least, I think it was a smile. "Sure."

Sure? Did she say 'sure'? Score!

"What are you making?" she asked, coming closer to the island in the middle of the kitchen.

"We are making a pie. Beef, mushroom, and, wait for it, red wine," I said, wiggling my eyebrows. Is that a gleam I saw in her eyes? I knew mushrooms would do the trick. Girl loves mushrooms. You'd think that red wine would tickle her fancy, being twenty-one years old and all. But nope. It was the mushrooms.

"Oh wow, that sounds amazing. Are you sure you want me in here though? I'm not exactly what you would call a natural cook when it comes to pies…"

"Oh poo, I'm here to help you love. You'll be fine, we'll live."

The gleam in her eyes suddenly turned into something else as she quickly turned around, as if hiding something. Oh crap, bad choice of words. We'll live? Seriously, Bekah.

"Let's start, shall we?" I asked in the most optimistic tone I could muster, wooden spoon in hand.

"Dinner's ready!" I called out, and lo and behold, I could hear a trio of footsteps making their way to the table. Men.

"Oh wow, Rebekah, that looks absolutely divine," Klaus proclaimed as he entered the dining room.

"I can't take all the credit today… Maya helped me." I smiled at my neighbour, grabbing her by the waist in a little side hug.

"Yeah, so if there's something bad in it, you know why." Was that a joke? Was that an attempt at a joke? Food really does miracles. Kol smiled at her from his end of the table.

"Don't be so modest Maya… Enzo mentioned countless times the exquisite dishes you prepare for him," Elijah said, giving me an acknowledging look of approval as he went to sit down next to Kol.

"None of them involve pie though," she smiled. Another smile!

Klaus, who couldn't wait to dive into his food, sat down at the head of the table, fork and knife in hand. "Well, you know what they say, it's as easy as pie. Let's dig in."

Now comes the hard part. At around eleven, we headed upstairs for bed, and I could already see her start to tense up. Ready in pjs, I went to turn off the lights as she made her way to the double bed, when her eyes suddenly bulged wide, as if wanting to tell me something.

"Is everything okay, Maya?" I knew she was sleeping with the door open, but I wanted to let her tell me.

"Um… no, it's nothing," she decided finally. Huh… maybe she didn't need the door open today? I closed it cautiously, almost scared she would jump on me or something.

Nothing happened. Breathing a sigh of relief, I crawled into the other side of the bed.

We stayed there in silence for a few minutes. I was already drifting off to sleep when she suddenly spoke.

"Bekah?" she started, half-whispering.

"Yes love?" I said, turning towards her.

Silence. Then, "thank you. For today. I needed that."

I smiled in the dark, finding her hand and stroking it gently. "It was nothing dear. That's what I'm here for. Now go to sleep. If you need anything, just wake me up, okay?"

"Okay," came the reply. "Thanks again."

Maya

I couldn't do it. It was too dark.

My heart felt like it was trying to pound its way through my chest. I felt the back of my neck… I was sweating like crazy. I used to have beautiful, restful nights, with beautiful out-of-this-world dreams that never made sense, but at least they were nice. Now my nights were full of masked men, guns and screaming.

I looked at Rebekah, or at least, where I thought she was. I could hear her steady breathing a few inches away from my face. Why couldn't I have that? I almost let out a whimper at the thought. Should I wake her? She did say to wake her up if I needed anything. But what do I tell her? Your room is giving me scary visions of men trying to kill me?

Tossing and turning, I let out a sigh. It was a miracle she hadn't woken up yet. This wasn't working. I carefully got out of bed, making my way to where I thought the door was.

I knew exactly where I had to go.

Kol

I lied down against the cold tiles underneath me as I let my feet float in the pool. Looking up at the starry night, I couldn't help but think. How could something as beautiful as this produce nightmares as terrifying as those?

I couldn't get it out of my head. The crying, the deadly silence. Maya behind me, terrified.

The cold barrel against my head.

One second is all it took. One second, and it was over. It could have ended horribly badly, and by horribly, I mean my untimely death, but that one second was all that I needed. It was as if time almost stood still. I could feel his cold, icy breath on my neck, almost feel his pulse quicken as he went to pull the trigger.

That's when it happened.

Don't ask me how, don't ask me why. I was completely positive I was going to die that day. But my body had other plans. There and then, the adrenaline rush kicked in… literally. I somehow kicked him (or hit him, I don't know what I did) where it's not pretty. The gun moved forward, and falling backwards, he still pulled the trigger. I shuddered at the thought as I unconsciously massaged my left arm.

"I thought I'd find you here."

Getting up abruptly, I turned around to see who was awake at two in the morning. Apart from me, that is.

"Maya?" Was she having nightmares, too?

"Hey," she smiled. "Um… mind if I join?"

I answered by gesturing towards the space next to me, scooting over. Not that I needed to; the pool was empty.

"How did you know I'd be here?" I asked, in an effort to break the silence.

"I uh…" She blushed red in the dark, with a look that said that she had been caught. "I saw you at night, when I couldn't sleep."

I raised my eyebrows at that comment. "So you're stalking me now?" I asked, amused.

She said nothing but gave me a shy grin, hiding away. Man, did I miss that smile.

"There it is," I said. Did I say that out loud?

"There is what?" she asked knotting her eyebrows in confusion.

Well I spit it out, might as well go with it. "Your smile."

And cue the blushing. "It's …it's been tough," she admitted finally.

"Tell me about it."

"I take it you can't sleep either?"

"Now whatever gave you that idea?" I asked smiling, raising my eyebrows. Surely it couldn't be the fact that I was up at two in the morning.

"Every night, like clockwork, I wake up at two, breathless, sweating. Every night it's the same thing. All I see is those black, beady eyes staring deep into my soul." I listened on as her eyes drifted elsewhere, picturing her nightmare in front of her. I looked down at her hand resting very close to mine. I was about to grab it, but thought against it.

"But that's not the worst part," she continued.

"What is?" I asked cautiously.

She took a deep breath, preparing herself. "The part that wakes me up, every night. He has grabbed you," she stopped before continuing, tears welling up, "and he pulls the trigger."

I said nothing, waiting for her to carry on, only now I did grab her hand.

"Kol, you were trying to protect me, and you didn't have to. Every time I close my eyes, all I see is what could have happened if the gun had actually – "

" – Hey hey hey," I said, stopping her. I grabbed her face gently, wiping away those rogue tears. "What I did was my own choice, no one forced me. It was instinct… of course I was going to defend you. Besides, I knew what I was doing when I kicked him." I smiled my most confident smile, hoping she would buy it. No, I didn't know what I was doing when I kicked him, but I wasn't about to let her know that.

She took hold of my hands, lowering them slowly. But she didn't let go. "Thanks," she said, sniffing, when she suddenly frowned.

"What is it?" I asked concerned.

"Your knuckles," she said slowly, going over my fingers gently with the thumbs. "They're bloody."

Of course. I should have explained that. "Come on, I'll show you," I said getting up, offering her a hand as she looked up questioningly.

"Trust me," I smiled.

I led her inside, across the hallway towards the gym. Well, it wasn't exactly a gym, but it had all I needed.

"A punching bag," she said knowingly.

"Yeah," I replied, letting my hand rest on the soft leather.

"How did you decide a punching bag was your best option?"

I smiled sadly, thinking of the memory that led me here. I made my way to the mirror in front of me, looking into my own eyes, looking at the old me.

"We used to move quite a lot when I was younger, back in England. I was fifteen… I used to go to this school. Klaus and Elijah were older, they had graduated. Bekah was still in middle school. I was the new kid, the young scrawny runt who could barely lift his bag full of books. I was the target for many. They left me alone some of the time. Other times… not so much."

"One time, I had to stay late at school because of a project, and then decided to walk it home. It wasn't very far. Twenty minutes tops."

I saw Maya's reflection coming closer in the mirror, eyes searching, trying to imagine the scrawny boy I used to be.

"I heard a car passing by. It stopped. Suddenly, I found myself blindfolded. I heard laughing and mocking. I recognised the voice. It was Ryan. I tried to call for help, but nothing happened. They… they got rid of my clothes, and threw me in a ditch, hands tied, without anything but my underwear. It was February. I spent three hours trying to get home."

At some point while I was saying this, Maya had come right next me, her hand gently draped on my shoulder protectively.

"From that day on I said, 'No more'. No more will I let someone walk all over me like a rug. I am my own person, and I sure as hell am not going to let someone tell me what to do, even if that someone is an idiot who's trying to rob a bank."

"I'm so sorry," she said finally, after contemplating what to say. "No one should have to go through that."

"Don't worry about it," I smiled. "It was a long time ago. Although, I still think I'm an idiot for trying to take it with a guy who had a gun, but anyway."

She smiled in return, resulting in an awkward silence. Just as I was about to lead her out of the room, she spoke.

"Teach me."

"Huh?" I turned around to look back at her.

"Teach me. How to punch. How to kick. I want to learn how to defend myself."

I walked back to her, resting my hands on her shoulders. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Positive."

I smiled down at her, admiring the courage in her voice. "Okay," I said finally. "But how about we go get some sleep for today, huh? I have a feeling I'm actually going to sleep tonight."

She nodded in response, following me out of the room. We made our way upstairs, where I walked her to Rebekah's room.

"Well, goodnight," I said, waiting for her to go in.

But she was hesitant somehow. What was she waiting for? "Maya?" I asked.

She looked inside at the bed where Rebekah was sleeping soundly, and back at me. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't get it out.

"What is it, Maya?"

She looked up at me, pleading eyes searching. "Would you mind if… can I stay with you tonight?" she sighed.

Rebekah

I turned around, and felt the cold side of the bed next to me. Hold on, shouldn't, shouldn't Maya be here?

Alarmed, I woke up suddenly, trying to get a reading on my surroundings. I looked at the clock. Four am. Where was she? Bad best friend move, Bekah.

I quickly stumbled out of bed, grabbed my phone and put on the torch as I found the door and got to the corridor. It was pitch black, I couldn't see a thing.

"Maya?" I called out to no one in particular, waving my phone around. Nothing. I went to check the bathroom, still nothing. Maybe she was hungry? Worried, I made my way downstairs, but it was very obvious that there was no one down there. The pool? Empty. Where could she be? I sat on the staircase, thinking of where she could have gone.

Then it hit me.

I slowly tiptoed across the hall, making my way to Kol's room. Slowly, I opened the door and peeked inside, and sure enough, there she was. Kol on one side, Maya on the other, her head planted into his chest, his bandaged arm draped gently around her… both sleeping soundly in the best night's sleep they had had in ages.

Heading back to bed, I smiled, drifting off to sleep at the thought of two distressed souls finally finding solace in each other.

Well, there it is :) I seriously hope that you like it! It has taken a slightly more serious turn for now, but I promise there is more mischief coming soon, both from Kai and Kol. Please leave reviews and let me know what you think! x