"Please explain, everything. I'm listening."
Sam's voice was steady, but the weight of her words filled the room, wrapping around each of the Mikaelsons like a tangible presence. Damon, sitting beside her, had an expression carved from stone, his eyes never leaving Sam as she spoke. The air felt heavier as she continued, each word meticulously chosen, not just to inform but to bridge understanding in a way that transcended mere facts.
"I'm not going to tell you everything Maya and I discuss in her sessions. That is confidential and will remain so. What I will disclose today are the things she has given me permission to."
She paused, letting the gravity of her introduction settle. The Mikaelsons, creatures of immense power, found themselves humbled by the human ordeal laid bare before them.
"As I said, the Dursley's were emotionally, verbally, and physically abusive towards Maya. That was the primary reason for Damon engaging my services, to help her learn how to cope with the harm they had caused her. It's a work in progress, and our sessions have covered other things Maya is struggling with as well. I will tell you that her primary concern with revealing this to you, was that you would treat her differently."
She paused again, giving time for that to sink in.
"I understand you may want to, but that is not what Maya needs. She is healing, she is learning techniques to cope with the trauma she has been through. What she needs from all of you is your love and support. Maya is not fragile, and treating her like she is will not be helpful for her. You also need to understand that you shouldn't broach the subject of the abuse with Maya, unless she brings it up first and indicates she is comfortable talking about it with you. Forcing her to engage with the subject before she is ready to may well setback her healing. Do you understand?"
A chorus of affirmative answers rippled around the room.
"Good. I will take it step by step, go through what Maya has given me permission to tell you, and any associated triggers to look out for."
"Triggers?"
Sam gave Klaus a kind smile, acknowledging his question with a nod.
"Triggers are specific stimuli or events that elicit a strong emotional or psychological response from an individual. These reactions are often due to past experiences, traumas, or deeply ingrained associations. Triggers can vary widely among people; for some, a particular smell, sound, or visual image might evoke memories or feelings related to a past event, sometimes leading to significant distress, anxiety, or other emotional states. For others, triggers could involve more abstract stimuli, such as certain dates, words, or situations that remind them of something negative or traumatic they've experienced.
"It's like pressing a button that immediately sets off an alarm in your brain, causing you to relive emotions or feelings you've associated with a specific experience, often without a conscious decision to do so. Understanding and identifying one's triggers is crucial for managing reactions and working through emotional or psychological challenges.
"One of the main thing's I work on with Maya during our sessions, is identifying triggers and helping her develop the tools she needs to manage them. With time and healing some of them may go away completely, some may lessen in severity, and some might stay with her always. Everyone is unique, and the path to healing is also."
She explained it all as thoroughly and clinically as she could. Pausing to give them all time to ask any clarifying questions that they might wish to. When none were forthcoming, she began to describe in mostly general terms the abuse Maya had suffered.
"The verbal abuse Maya suffered was persistent and deeply harmful. Ranging from derogatory remarks about her parents, in particular they would target Jasmine and Luke's characters and lied to Maya about the manner of their death until she was eleven. They would also make disparaging comments about her own worth as a person, 'freak' was the most common, that word and similar one's are a trigger for Maya. They would belittle her appearance and her abilities, and demean her worth, often referring to her as a burden or unwanted.
"She was isolated from others and kept uninformed about her true identity and heritage until that was no longer possible. This is a form of psychological abuse aimed at controlling the victim and diminishing their sense of self.
"Physically and emotionally, she was severely deprived. The food and drink she was provided with was minimal and she received neither love nor affection of any kind from the Dursley's. Petunia would hit her occasionally, but physical harm was more likely to come from Vernon Dursley. Voices raised in anger is another trigger and I would advise you to try and modulate your tones around Maya.
"Punishments for wrongdoing should not be physical, that is true for any child not just Maya, physical violence does not teach children to learn from their mistakes and rule breaking, it merely teaches them to fear both the punishment and the punisher. I'm sure Damon's already provided you with the list of rules and the expected consequences for breaking them. It's important to stick to these, they provide Maya a structure and a set of expectations, breaching these expectations could result in a lack of trust and stall or even setback the progress she has made.
"As I've advised Damon, I will advise you. Maya shouldn't be outright denied food if she asks for it. Guiding her towards healthy snacks is always a good way to respond, if she asks and a meal will be served soon, give her a timeline, and allow her to choose for herself whether she still wants a small snack or can wait until the meal is served. Giving Maya a sense of control over her choices is important, not just for food, but in all aspects.
"Don't lie to her. If there is something you think she doesn't need to know the full details of then give her general information and explain why you don't want to go into too much detail. Don't dismiss her questions out of hand, if you don't have an answer straight away, take the time to explain that to her, and let her know you will answer it more fully when you can.
"The Dursley's never gave her gifts. Most of her clothes were second-hand and cheap, and those that weren't came with strings attached. So, try not to overwhelm her. Maya's got better at receiving gifts, Christmas, Birthday, for doing well at school, or succeeding in something, but giving her too much at once for no reason other than you want to can be a trigger.
"Maya has several rare gifts including her magic. Vernon Dursley would often force her to use her legilimency gift to read the minds of his guests, Maya was exposed to things she shouldn't have been at a very early age, and we're still working through a lot of those. Don't make her feel like you're using her for her gifts, allowing her to offer to help would be better than asking her to.
"Maya is still developing her sense of self, and it's important that you don't challenge that. Allowing her to express herself in a healthy way is important, she's of an age where she is still exploring her identity. Being supportive and encouraging towards that and any goals she expresses is important. Maya is resilient, but I can't stress enough how important it is to be supportive. Kindness, acceptance, and encouragement will go a long way towards helping her continue to heal."
Silence consumed the room, as Sam finished explaining the general details of Maya's formative childhood, the things to look out for and what not to do. All five Mikaelson siblings were once more lost in their own thoughts, as they assimilated the information Sam had given them. Kol was the first to break the silence.
"Tell me again, why we can't start hunting down the Dursley's and killing them for daring to harm one who should have been loved and protected."
"Because that's not what Maya needs from you." Same answered, an underlying steel in her tone. "As I mentioned, Maya is still developing her sense of self, as most children her age are. Part of exploring her identity is developing a moral and ethical framework that she's comfortable with.
"People often use terms such as 'getting over it' to indicate recovery and healing. This is not the best way to express it, Maya is not required to get over what happened to her, that's not what healing is. Healing is about accepting that what the Dursley's did to her was wrong, and learning how to cope and even live a good life despite the horrors she experienced.
"Maya has made tremendous strides since we began working together, but she still struggles. Some of those struggles are with her thoughts and feelings on punishment and justice. The Dursley's are in prison, they will be in prison for a very long time, she has accepted that, has come to accept the notion that what they did to her was wrong and they deserve to be punished for it, and that imprisonment is their punishment."
"I'm still not hearing a reason for not killing them." Kol said sullenly.
"Kol. Listen."
The instruction didn't come from Elijah or even Finn, but from Nik, and Kol wasn't the only one staring at him incredulously.
"If you kill the Dursley's you will be doing it for yourself, not for Maya. It would be complacent and wrong to believe that she would never find out, even if you don't tell her yourselves, the truth has a way of getting out. When it does, Maya will have to face both the fact that you lied to her, and that you murdered people in cold blood in her name.
"Guilt is a complex emotion and not bound to logic. If you kill them in her name, you will be placing a burden of guilt on Maya that you shouldn't. I understand your anger, I understand your need to feel like you're doing something. But killing the Dursleys would be the wrong something. Maya doesn't need to be avenged, she needs a family that supports and cares for her, who put her needs before their own selfish desires. And that is what they are."
If the criticism stung, none of them let it show. Sam held Kol's gaze until he looked away, before speaking once more.
"These are complex issues for anyone to deal with. It might help all of you to talk to someone who might be able to work with you to help you understand and deal with them better. I have some colleagues I can suggest."
"Why not you?" Klaus asked.
"Firstly, because I am Maya's therapist, and it could be considered a conflict of interest. Secondly, my area of expertise is helping adolescents. If Maya chooses to invite you to a session, to help you connect or to discuss issues she is happy to share with you then I will be happy to work with you in regard to that. But my main focus has to be on helping Maya. She is my patient."
"Thank you, Dr Acesco." Finn said, "a list of colleagues you recommend would be very helpful."
Sam pulled the list she'd already prepared out of her briefcase and handed it over to him.
"Do you have any more questions for me?"
All five siblings shook their heads, and Sam nodded in acknowledgment. Removing the magic she had used to secure the room as she stood.
"If you do have further questions, Damon has my contact details. As long as the answers aren't a breach of Maya's confidentiality, I will do my best to answer them."
With a final nod towards Damon, she portkeyed back to her office.
"Is there anything else we need to know?" Elijah asked Damon, breaking the silence Sam had left in her wake.
Damon frowned at him.
"I may not be bound by the rules of doctor-patient confidentiality like Sam, but Maya only tells me stuff because she trusts me not to repeat it to anyone without her blessing. I won't break her trust in me."
Elijah didn't look very satisfied with that answer, but he begrudgingly accepted it when he found himself on the receiving end of glares from Finn, Niklaus, and Rebekah.
"If Maya opens up to you, that will be her choice. I know you love her, else believe me I wouldn't have allowed you anywhere near her. But you've only known her for a little over a month Elijah, and the rest of you have known her for less than that." Damon sighed, "Maya wants you in her life, she has since she found out about you, but you need to work on building relationships and trust with her. Sam's right, Maya's come a long way since she started therapy, but the kind of trust it takes to talk about her experiences with you, any of you, needs time to build. Please accept that."
"We will." Klaus promised, eyeing his siblings with a warning glare as he spoke.
"Thank you. Sam was right, Maya doesn't want you to treat her differently, like she's fragile or wounded, so try to bear that in mind, over the next few weeks."
All of them nodded, before dispersing, to think about what they had learned.
Finn went to see Pearl, they had struck up a rapport since he had been released from his coffin, she too knew what it was like to feel misplaced in time, and to struggle with the years and experiences they had missed out on. She also had a respect for humans that many vampires lacked, and he liked that about her. He didn't reveal any details of what he had learned, mindful that it would be a breach of trust, but he voiced his feelings and worries to her as she listened. It was this simple act of listening, being there while he worked his way through everything that helped the most.
Kol went to Aradia, using the portkey she had given him. He was still stewing in anger, he understood what Sam had said, but it did nothing to quench the rage, the need to punish those who had crossed his family. Sitting in Aradia's office, fiddling with the various magical objects she had collected over the years, helped some. But it was her forcing him to spar against her and Takeshi that helped the most, gave him a healthy outlet for his overwhelming emotions.
Rebekah went to Stefan. They might not be together anymore but other than her brothers, he was the only one she could think of to talk to. With Stefan came Caroline and Tyler, the four of them squeezing into a corner booth in the Grill. Rebekah didn't talk about what she'd learned, but asked all of them for advice on ways she could continue to bond with her niece. They all knew Maya better than she did, and she wasn't too proud to admit when she needed help. Not this time anyway.
Elijah didn't have anyone in Mystic Falls to go to. He went back to the house he had rented and attempted to throw himself into work to distract himself, give his burning rage a chance to cool. When that didn't work, he found himself penning letter after letter that he would never send, pouring out his anger, pain, and regret onto paper. The one person he could consider talking too was gone, alive but away from Mystic Falls and never coming back, not without permission that Niklaus would never give. It was cathartic in a way, helping to dampen down his anger into embers, allowing him to reassert control over himself.
Klaus stayed with Damon. The unreasonably jealousy and anger he had felt towards the younger vampire, had mostly fallen away under the weight of the day's revelations. Damon had done what he could not, what he had not known to do, he had provided Maya with a home, a family, a refuge from the cruelty the world had piled upon her. Jealousy, anger, and hate, were meaningless in the face of that, finally allowing him to admit, if only to himself, that he rather admired Damon. And there was an awful lot about him to admire, resourceful, cunning, and devious, but also loving, generous, and honourable.
Damon didn't say anything about him remaining behind after all his siblings had left, just struck up a light conversation. Klaus appreciated it, both for the distraction it was, and because Damon regularly slipped small bits of information about Maya into it. Her likes and dislikes, funny stories, her escapades, how she was doing at school. He even gained an invite to the end of year parent-teacher conference, something he hadn't expected, or even really thought about. He would go of course, the parenting books he'd made Maddox obtain for him, well the ones that weren't completely useless, said it was important to show an interest in your child's schooling and gentle encouragement was better than pressuring them to succeed. Going to a parent-teacher conference would be a good first step towards that.
"What have you been able to find out."
"He left town a few days ago and hasn't returned yet. We did see his nephew though."
"His nephew? Another wolf?"
"Don't know. We couldn't get close enough to say for sure."
"Why not?"
"He was in the company of three vampires."
"Vampires?"
"Yeah. This town seems to be crawling with them."
"Warn the others, tell them to take extra care."
"Understood."
"Keep an eye out for Mason's return. When he does come back, we'll find out what happened to Brady and the others. One way or another."