Elena threw herself sulkily back onto the same couch she'd woken up on after being kidnapped. Rose and Trevor were clearly done talking and as much as she wanted to push and find out more, she didn't relish the fort of Rose knocking her unconscious again. As she curled up, she heard the sound of paper rustling where she'd just placed her feet. A scrunched-up ball of paper was on the couch, one that hadn't been there before. With Rose and Trevor no longer in the room, she picked it up and opened it out to see a message written on it in black marker pen.

"Don't lose hope, we are coming for you – B."

She quickly scrunched it back up and hid it under the couch cushion so neither of the vampires who'd taken her would find it. Relief had lit a fire inside of her. She took Bonnie's note to mean Stefan and Damon and maybe even Bonnie herself. She'd hoped they'd come. That they'd save her like they'd saved her from Noah at the dance, and from Anna when she'd been kidnapped before. She just hadn't been sure how long it would take everyone to notice she was missing, or how they'd be able to find her once they did.

Rose came into the room where she was sat. She didn't speak, seemingly content to ignore Elena's presence as she went around packing stuff into a leather holdall. Elena just sat there playing with her hair and waiting to be rescued, at least until Trevor rushed into the room, a look of complete terror on his face.

"His here! This was a mistake." He spoke to Rose, panic clear in his voice.

Elena straightened up, Trevor must be talking about Elijah, the one they were planning to hand her over to. She just hoped that Stefan and Damon would make it in time.

"No, I told you I would get us out of this. You have to trust me." Rose responded, she sounded calm and in control, but Elena thought she heard a small thread of fear in her tone as well.

Trevor must have heard it as well, or he was just beyond reason at this point, because her words did nothing to calm him.

"No!" Trevor shook his head frantic, "He wants me dead, Rose!"

"He wants her more."

"I can't do this. You give her to him; he'll have mercy on you, but I need to get out of her."

Rose caught hold of his hands and pulled him to stop, meeting his frightened eyes with her own.

"Hey! What are we?"

Trevor took in a couple of deeps breath and nodded.

"We're family," he responded, calmer now. "Forever."

Rose nodded gently back, a soft smile on her face. At last, until a knocking echoed up from the front of the house. She looked towards Elena, there was fear in her eyes.

"You're scared."

Rose didn't respond, turning back to Trevor.

"Stay here with her and don't make a sound."

Rose disappeared out of the room and Trevor looked once at Elena, before turning his head away as if he didn't want to see her face. Elena stood up and began pacing nervously. If this Elijah took her before Damon and Stefan arrived, then they might never find her in time to save her from being sacrificed. Rose couldn't have been gone more than five minutes when she heard footsteps entering the room and turned around. At the top of the stairs stood a man, dressed in a suit. That was all Elena had time to take in before he disappeared in a blur and reappeared in front of her.

She was caught in his dark gaze, shaking with fear. He stared back at her for a moment before leaning in. For one hysterical moment she thought he was going to kiss her, but he bent his head towards her neck and breathed in deeply. When he straightened up, he was no longer looking at her, his eyes were tilted upwards, he had the look of someone who's mind was far away from where they were.

"Human. It's impossible." His gaze dropped back down to meet hers and a smile curved his lips, "Hello there."

Despite the terror that was filling her at the thought of what he might do to her, one part of her mind couldn't help but notice just how handsome he was.

"We have a long journey ahead of us. We should be going."

Elena turned away from him and looked over at Rose.

"Please, don't let him take me."

Rose turned her head away, a clear refusal. Elijah acted like he hadn't even heard her, clearly confidant that even if Rose had attempted to stop him from taking her, she would not have succeeded.

"One last piece of business and we're done." He said, turning and approaching Trevor.

"I've waited so long for this day, Elijah. I'm truly, very sorry."

"Oh no, your apology's not necessary." Elijah said, as he began to slowly circle Trevor, like a shark who'd scented blood in the water.

"Yes, yes, it is." Trevor replied head slightly bowed. "You trusted me with Katerina, and I failed you."

"Oh yes, you are the guilty one and Rose aided you because she was loyal to you and that now I honour. Where was your loyalty?" He stopped in front of Trevor and stared straight at him.

Trevor shut his eyes, unable to meet Elijah's bold stare.

"I beg your forgiveness."

"So granted." Elijah's reply was soft.

Trevor just had time to smile in relief, before Elijah struck out, cleaving his head off with a single blow of his hand. Rose let out a pained wail and stepped forward.

"You…!"

"Don't, Rose." Elijah's warning was enough to bring her to a halt. "Now that you're free." He turned to Elena. "Come."

She needed to buy time, or get herself out of this.

"No, what about the moonstone?"

He hesitated.

"What do you know about the moonstone?"

"I know that you need it and I know where it is."

"Yes?"

"I can help you get it."

"Tell me where it is."

"It doesn't work that way."

He seemed amused by her response.

"Are you negotiating with me?" He asked looking over his shoulder at Rose.

"It's the first I've heard of it." Rose bit out, looking angrily at Elena.

Elijah turned back to her, staring into her eyes for a moment before glancing down at the necklace Stefan had given her to protect her from compulsion.

"What is this vervain doing around your neck?" He ripped the chain off and tossed it away, before grabbing the back of her head and forcing her to meet his eyes.

"Tell me where the moonstone is."

"In the tomb, underneath the church ruins." Elena replied woodenly, unable to stop herself.

"What is it doing there?"

"It's with Katherine."

"Interesting."

The sound of shattering glass in another room was heard, and he let her go steeping away and breaking the spell.

"What is that?"

"I don't know." Rose replied.

"Who else is in this house?"

"I don't know." She repeated.

He grabbed Elena, ignoring her struggles and began to head towards the door.

"Move!" he barked at Rose, who quickly got out of his way and then hurried along behind them as they moved towards the front door.

As they reached the entrance hall of the house, figures rushed past them at super speed, leaving nothing but blurry trails and whispers of wind in their wake. Elijah tossed her into Rose's arms.

"Rose." Elijah commanded.

"I don't know who it is." Rose replied, answering his unspoken question.

Another figure blurred past them, too fast to see.

"Up here." Elena relaxed ever so slightly at the sound of Stefan's voice, even as Elijah spun towards the stairs and sped part way up them.

"Down here."

Elena didn't recognise the teasing female voice that had spoken those words. Elijah spun round on the stairs, and a stake flew through the air and pierced his hand. At the same time, there was another blur of movement, Elena suddenly found herself moving at super speed, and then she was upstairs pressed against the wall with a hand pressed over her mouth by Stefan, whilst Mason Lockwood of all people hovered nearby.

"Excuse me. To whom it may concern, you're making a great mistake if you think that you can beat me. You can't. Do you hear that?" Elijah's voice echoed up the stairs.

Stefan after giving her a warning glance, let her go and pressed an object into her hand.

"Distract him." He whispered, "then pull the pin on this and toss it at him. It's a vervain grenade."

Elena nodded silently, tightening her grip on the object, as Elijah spoke again.

"I repeat, you cannot beat me. So, I want the girl, I'm gonna count to three or heads will roll. Do we understand each other?"

Elena stepped out onto the landing, arms wrapped around herself, the grenade hidden from Elijah's view.

"I'll come with you, just please don't hurt my friends, they just wanted to help me out."

Elijah sped up the stairs, and she gasped stepping back.

"What game are you playing with me?"

Instead of answering, she pulled the ring out of the grenade Stefan had given her and launched it at him, before quickly throwing herself out of the way. The grenade exploded, dousing him in vervain, he let out a pained yell as his skin began to sizzle and burn, but it was only for a second. He healed quickly and began to walk further up the stairs towards her. Stefan and Mason came down the stairs on either side, firing stakes at him from compressed air guns, but he shook them all off like they were nothing.

Stefan threw himself forwards, hitting Elijah's legs and sending them both tumbling down the stairs. Elijah was on his feet immediately and took a single step towards Stefan, hand raised. Which was when Pearl appeared. The wooden coat rack that Elijah had dropped when Elena had thrown the grenade at him in her hands. It went straight through his chest, but she kept moving forward until he was pinned to the wall. Rose seeing all this, disappeared in a blur of movement.

Mason held his hand out to Elena, and they went downstairs to where Stefan was being helped to his feet by Harper, who had apparently also joined the team that came to save her.

"Are you okay?" Stefan asked, "Did they hurt you?"

She shook her head.

"No. I'm fine. Thank you for saving me."

Elena was incredibly grateful, that they'd come to save her, even though she wasn't sure why Mason was present. But she was also wondering why Damon hadn't come with them to save her.

"Good." Pearl said, "Let's get you home. You can use my phone to call Jenna and Jeremy from the car. They'll be glad to know you're safe."

"You told them!"

Elena was on the receiving end of four very judgemental looks, following her outburst.

"Jeremy was the one who first discovered your disappearance and Jenna is your guardian, she had a right to know you were in danger." Pearl said, before turning and walking out of the house.

Harper, Mason, and Stefan followed, leaving Elena to either go with them or remain behind with the corpses of two vampires.

"Right then, if you could all gather round." Professor Mephisto called, "Thank you."

Maya, Sora, and Kamala, shuffled forward, along with the rest of the students in the hall. All the eighth-grade students with active magic, and a few ninth and tenth graders, had been called to a special lesson in the hall, which was being led by Professor Mephisto. None of them had been told what it was about, just that it was a lesson given to the eight-grade every year, around this time. Plus, any of the ninth and tenth grade magic users who had missed it in previous years.

"Now as you all know, we don't teach Martial Magics as a course until you are sixteen. All the defensive spells you learn up till then are taught in your individual magic classes. There is one exception to this. It is an exception because it is better to face this particular creature for the first-time in a controlled setting."

An old trunk next to Professor Mephisto's feet, shook viciously, causing all the students to jump back.

"Nothing to worry about," he said calmly, "There's a Boggart in there."

Maya, Kamala, and Sora exchanged looks of alarm. Maya had been told by her Hogwarts friends about the Boggart they'd all faced in their first DADA class with the new professor back in September. They'd also touched briefly on Boggarts in their Magizoology class a few weeks ago, just a few comments from the professor when they'd been discussing several types of amortal beings. The main focus had been on Imps and Gremlins, creatures much given to mischievousness who thrived off creating petty annoyances for their targets, but who were birthed from the same dimension that had given rise to more serious threats such as Boggarts, Dementors, and Lethifold's, to name a few. They weren't the only ones eyeing the rattling trunk apprehensively, nearly all of the wixen raised students had looks that ranged from hesitant to terrified.

"Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces," Professor Mephisto said, ignoring the soft murmurs going through the crowd of students. "Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks, etc. Professor Crowley assisted me with capturing this one in the trunk so that we could teach you all how to deal with them. As I mentioned earlier it is better to face a Boggart for the first time in a controlled setting. The reason we teach you to face them is that you are more likely to come into contact with a Boggart than any other dangerous amortal creature. Because of this MACUSA requires that between the ages of thirteen and sixteen we teach you all how to handle them. So, who can tell me, what is a Boggart?"

Sora's hand went up as did a flurry of others. Professor Mephisto looked over the students before pointing at Jacob Gallagher.

"Boggarts are amortal beings from the shadow-realms. They are shape-shifters able to assume the shape of whatever frightens their victims the most."

"Precisely. Boggarts have been known to scare people to death, which is why MACUSA and several other ministries around the world classify them as XXX-creatures." Professor Mephisto nudged the trunk with his foot, and it shook once again. "However, provided you know the correct way to handle them, you should be able to protect yourself and others from the danger if you ever encounter one."

This didn't seem to reassure any of the students in the room, everyone was looking nervous now. None of them had ever faced a creature that had been known to kill. Well, none of them except Maya who had faced down a Troll, a Cerberus, and the Dark Lord when she was eleven. That didn't make her any less apprehensive about facing a Boggart, mostly she was apprehensive about what it might turn into for her. Only three of the people in the room knew who she really was, what if the Boggart revealed her real identity to everyone. The more she thought about it the more she realised that it kind of sucked, having to face what you fear in front of everyone else. There was probably a good reason for it, but it didn't make Maya feel any better. She didn't like being afraid, and she didn't want anyone to see her scared.

"So, the Boggart sitting in the darkness within has not yet assumed a form. He does not yet know what will frighten the person on the other side of the door. Nobody knows what a Boggart looks like when he is alone, but when I let him out, he will immediately become whatever each of us most fears. Which is why we have a huge advantage over the Boggart, before we've even begun, has anyone spotted it?"

Maya put her hand up along with a few others. She'd known there had to be a reason they were doing this in a group.

"Yes, Miss Nichols."

"Because there are so many of us, it won't know what shape to assume."

"Correct. It's always best to have company when you're dealing with a Boggart. It becomes confused. Now I would like you to separate yourself into two groups, Wixen on the left, Channelers on the right, Miss Nichols please join the wixen group for today, so that Professor Song and I can teach you how to handle a Boggart with the magic you have access to."

Maya and Sora meandered over to the left side of the room as Professor Mephisto had instructed, whilst Kamala went and joined the group gathering around Professor Song.

"Now." Professor Mephisto said once their group was assembled, "The charm that repels a Boggart is simple, yet it requires force of mind. You see, the thing that really finishes a Boggart is laughter. What you need to do is force it to assume a shape that you find amusing. We will practise the charm without wands first. After me, please … riddikulus!"

"Riddikulus!" They all chorused together as instructed.

"Good. Very good, but that was the easy part, I'm afraid. You see the word alone is not enough, you have to imagine the Boggart becoming something funny as you say the spell, and thus it will be forced out of a shape that frightens you and into one that makes you laugh. So, I want you all to spend a few minutes thinking of the thing that scares you most, and imagine how you might force it to look comical."

The group went quiet, each lost in their own imaginings. Maya didn't know what frightened her the most in the world. Lord Voldemort, maybe? But he'd been dealt with by the Horde, he was never coming back. Uncle Vernon… once yes, but he was in prison now, found guilty on all charges and given a life sentence. So, what scared her now? She honestly didn't know, and if she didn't know what scared her the most, then how could she make it funny.

Professor Mephisto gave them all five minutes to think before bringing the groups back together. Maya was still trying to think of things that frightened her, but none of the things she thought of seemed like it would be the thing that terrified her the most.

"Now, everyone will face the Boggart one by one. Professor song, Mr Crowley, Mr Fell, and I will all be standing by ready to jump in if you need it. Before we start, I would like to make one thing clear. Each of you will be facing your worst fears today and watching your classmates do the same. So, whatever happens, whatever you see, will not be gossiped about, by anyone. If I hear one word of gossip about what transpires in this room, the persons responsible will have detention with me every day for the next year. Do I make myself clear?"

Every single one of them nodded, knowing by the look in his eyes that he meant every word he'd said.

"Good. Now, I'm not saying you can't talk about it at all, if you choose to talk about it with your friends or people you trust you may do so. If any of you wish to speak to the school counsellors after today's lesson, then let myself or one of the other professors know and we will make arrangements. All of your parents or guardians were made aware of the subject of today's lesson and have given permission for it, so don't be surprised if they decide to check in with you about it. Now, I want everyone to stand well back, and I will call you up one at a time to face the Boggart, I would like you all to make an attempt to handle it yourself, but if you really can't, then we will intervene. You are all perfectly safe."

Maya nodded absently as she shuffled back with the rest of the class, still caught up with trying to figure out her fears. If she didn't know what most frightened her, then how could the Boggart know? And If it couldn't, then what would it turn into? Or would it not turn into anything at all?

"Miss Alvarez, if you could approach, I will release the Boggart."

Maya was pulled out of her thoughts, as Maria was called forward first. Professor Mephisto checked that she was ready, and when she gave a firm nod, he released the lid on the trunk with a wave of his hand. The creature that burst out of the trunk, was dog-like in it's appearance for the most part, though it had, leathery bat-like wings, shining red eyes, and a bloodstained mouth.

"What is that?" Kamala whispered softly.

"Chupacabra." Alessio, stood on the other side of Kamala to Maya, whispered back.

Well, that was good to know, apparently the Boggart could become anything, even creatures that didn't actually exist. Maya briefly wondered what would happen if it were to turn into a Dalek or some other alien from movies or TV. Maria was a channeler, and as Maya and the others watched, she whispered the spell that Professor Song had taught the channelers, a soft wind surrounded the Boggart and in place of the chupacabra, a fluffy white dog appeared chasing it's tail.

"Very good." Professor Mephisto said, "Mr Barkley, you're next."

Maya vaguely recognised the boy who stepped forward, she thought he might be in tenth-grade with Sora's brother Ryuu, but she wasn't completely sure. As Maria stepped back and the boy took her place in front of the Boggart, it quickly shifted into a terrifying looking clown, holding a single red balloon. He raised his wand:

"Riddikulus!"

The clown turned into several bowling pins which wobbled about and fell over.

One by one, Professor Mephisto called the students forward. Maya realised he was going in alphabetical order which meant Kamala would go first, then she would, with Sora being one of the last in the class to go.

"Miss Khan!"

Kamala stepped forward, swapping places with Samara Henries, whose Boggart had gone from being a human-sized rat to a tiny chubby hamster running on a wheel. It quickly transformed as Kamala stepped forward, becoming a crowd of people holding pitchforks and torches and yelling angrily. For a moment she wavered, then her spine stiffened, and she snapped out the spell, the crowd of people lost the pitchforks and torches and suddenly began to dance 'Gangnam Style', Kamala giggled at this as she stepped back, allowing the next person to take her place.

A few more people went and then it was Aiden's turn, which meant Maya was next, and she still had no idea what her biggest fear was, let alone how to make it funny. Aiden's Boggart was a giant spider, which became trapped in it's own web when he cast the spell. And then it was Maya's turn.

"Miss Nichols."

She stepped forward, past Aiden and approached the Boggart. The spider remained struggling in its web for a second before disappearing. A towering, cloaked figure replaced it, It's face was completely hidden beneath the hood. Icy cold was seeping into the room, she tried to raise her wand, grasping desperately for something funny to replace the figure in front of her, but it was like she was completely frozen. Maya's eyes darted downwards, and what she saw made her stomach contract.

There was a hand protruding from the cloak, and it was glistening, greyish, slimy-looking and scabbed, like something dead that had decayed in water… It was visible only for a split second. As though the creature beneath the cloak sensed Maya's gaze, the hand was suddenly withdrawn into the folds of the black material. And then the thing beneath the hood, whatever it was, drew a long, slow, rattling breath, as though it was trying to suck something more than air from its surroundings.

Maya felt her own breath catch in her chest. The cold went deeper than her skin. It was inside her chest; it was inside her very heart … Maya's eyes rolled up into her head. She couldn't see. She was drowning in cold. There was a rushing in her ears as though of water. She was being dragged downwards, the roaring growing louder…

And then, from far away, she heard screaming, terrible, terrified, pleading screams.

"Not Maya! Not Maya! Please – I'll do anything –"

"Stand aside – stand aside, girl –"

Maya knew that voice, had heard it once before when she'd come face to face with her parent's murderer. She wanted to help whoever it was begging and pleading with him, she tried to move her arms, but couldn't … a thick white fog was swirling around her, inside her –