Kensi's actions were calm and deliberate as she summoned her Patronus, a graceful swan, which shimmered into existence with a soft glow. The ethereal creature took flight, carrying her message to Sam and Maya at the Academy, a symbol of reassurance in the midst of chaos.

"Situation contained. No injuries. Please remain at the Academy until further notice."

As the swan disappeared into the distance, Kensi turned her attention back to the scene unfolding before her. Agent LaSalle expertly herded the witnesses, to a safe distance, allowing her the space to delve into the grim tableau before her. The bodies, clad in sheriff's uniforms, spoke silently of a fierce confrontation — likely, as Maya had intimated, to be deemed self-defence by the Salvatores. Yet, her role as a government agent demanded a thorough investigation, irrespective of the expected legal outcomes.

"Agent Blye," a voice called.

Kensi straightened, turning to face the newcomer. A group of Aurors, led by the imposing figure of Commander Graves, approached, their robes swirling about them.

"Commander Graves," she acknowledged with a nod.

"What can you tell me?" Graves asked, his voice carrying a weight of urgency.

"Approximately Ten minutes ago, I received an alert triggered by the emergency portkey assigned to Miss Potter," Kensi began, her voice steady. "Myself and my colleague Agent Hanna, who was with me at the time, apparated to the Medical Centre of the New York Academy to assess the situation. Miss Potter informed us of an attack at her residence, reporting a fatality before she escaped using the portkey. Agent LaSalle and I arrived shortly thereafter to assess the situation. While Agent Hanna stayed back to gather Miss Potter's statement, I directed one of the Academy's professors to notify MACUSA. Upon arrival, Agent LaSalle and I determined no one required medical attention, Agent LaSalle moved the witnesses away to begin questioning and I made a preliminary examination of the scene."

"Your preliminary findings?"

"Seven bodies, all donned in deputies' uniforms from the local Sheriff's department. According to Miss Potter, they initiated the conflict."

Commander Graves stroked his chin, mulling over the information.

"Self-defence then."

"The most probable conclusion, yes."

Graves's gaze drifted toward the horizon where the last light of day was fading, his voice thoughtful.

"Seven deputies from a small-town department... This will require a plausible explanation for the outside world."

Kensi suggested without missing a beat,

"Meth lab explosion?" Her suggestion hung in the air, a stark contrast to the magical nature of their true work.

Commander Graves nodded his face set in a stern mask of approval.

"That could work." He turned, addressing the team of Aurors that had assembled behind him. His voice boomed with authority, "Conduct a thorough examination of the scene, secure the bodies, and erase any trace of their presence here."

The team acknowledged with crisp nods, springing into action, their movements a blend of precision and haste. Meanwhile, Graves summoned his Patronus with a graceful arc of his wand; an imposing grizzly bear materialized, its form casting a silvery glow against the darkening sky.

"Director Picquery," Graves spoke to the spectral bear, his voice resonant, "There is a situation at the Salvatore House requiring your immediate attention. No injuries. The only casualties are the assailants. Director Calhoun's presence may also be useful."

With a silent nod, the bear took off, rushing through the air as if borne by an urgent wind. Graves then turned back to Kensi, his expression softening slightly.

"Let's go find out what Agent LaSalle has uncovered."

Together, they moved towards the area where LaSalle was interrogating witnesses, their boots crunching softly against the gravel, each step echoing the tension that still hung palpably in the air.

The air in the room was thick with tension as Selene settled into her chair with a heavy sigh, the weight of the recent chaos pressing down on her shoulders.

"Well, this was quite the mess to sort out," she remarked, her voice carrying a weary resignation.

Damon nearly snorted at her understatement. To call the chaos of yesterday merely a 'mess' was like calling a hurricane a light breeze. In his eyes, it was an outright catastrophe. Thankfully, it was over now. The aurors had toiled through the night, piecing together the tangled events, and crafting a cover-up robust enough to withstand scrutiny. Damon's deepest relief, though, was that amidst all the confusion, not a single life had been lost to the deputies' rash actions.

Tyler had triggered his curse though.

Damon wasn't worried so much about the fact that Tyler was now fully a werewolf, as he was about the fact that Tyler would have to carry the weight of having been responsible for another person's death. He'd seemed pretty okay with how it had come about when Damon had talked to him yesterday, and honestly his primary thought had been gratitude towards Tyler for his actions. He'd saved Maya when he'd pushed the gun away from her. It was unfortunate that the deputy had died as a result, but he preferred that result, than his daughter dead or gravely wounded, and so it seemed did Tyler.

All of them were doing what they could to support Tyler through this. He'd already been talking to someone Maggie had recommended to help him come to terms with his feelings towards his father, and they should be able to help Tyler through this as well. Klaus had immediately offered to make him a hybrid as well, just like Mason. Tyler had thanked him for the offer and mentioned he might take him up on it in the future, but he wanted to be at least eighteen first and possibly older.

Aradia had invited Tyler to join the pack at the academy on the next full moon, which Tyler had accepted, so at least he wouldn't be alone when he transformed for the first time. Plus, the other wolves would be able to help him through it, Damon knew Mason had found it easier the few times he'd gone to the Academy to turn. Apparently, they'd been a lot better at coaching him through it than his former pack had. Tyler, for all that Damon wished it hadn't had to happen, would be okay. He had the support he needed to make it through triggering his curse.

There were bigger issues to address right now.

"What do we know?" Damon asked.

Director Picquery, her expression etched with weariness, signalled Commander Graves with a tired wave of her hand. Graves, his face deeply furrowed with lines of frustration and lack of sleep, stepped forward decisively. The room fell into a hushed anticipation as he began to speak.

"Yesterday morning the Sheriff received a visit from Mrs Lockwood who had taken over as acting Mayor following her husband's death. She wanted an update on what she termed the 'vampire situation', given the suspicion that her husband had been killed by one. Their conversation was overheard by Deputy Sheriff Mills.

"Mrs. Lockwood then left for home, a detail confirmed by Mason Lockwood and Rose-Marie Trestell, who vouched for her whereabouts for the remainder of the morning. The timing of her leaving the Sheriff's office and arriving back at her home, matches what would be expected, so we don't believe she made any stops on the way. Nor do her phone records indicate she made any calls to anyone."

Graves paused and allowed that to sink in before continuing,

"Later, Deputy Sheriff Mills received what he described to colleagues as an anonymous tip. We cannot say for certain if he knew the identity of the person who called him and chose to keep it a secret, or whether it truly was anonymous. As he is now dead, it's unlikely we will be able to discover the answer to that."

"What was the anonymous tip exactly?" Elijah queried politely.

"That there were vampires in Mystic Falls and that the Sheriff was aware of them. If he was given any more details than that, the one deputy we did manage to question didn't know."

Damon refused to react to the slight hint of annoyance in Graves' voice. He would not apologise for killing to protect his daughter. He knew the annoyance was more because it made it difficult to establish all the facts, than for any regret that they were dead. So, when Klaus, next to him, shifted angrily, a dark scowl forming on his face. With a discreet tap on his arm and a subtle shake of his head, Damon managed to calm him, though the brooding tension remained palpable.

Graves eyed the two of them for a moment, before continuing with his report.

"The analysts on Agent Blye's team managed to trace the call. It was made from a payphone on the outskirts of Chicago. Unfortunately, that area is a blind spot—no cameras, nothing to give us a visual on who made the call. They're still trying, but honestly, it's a bit of a long shot."

Klaus, his jaw clenched tight, growled one word, heavy with accusation,

"Katerina."

Damon shook his head, he had no love for Katerina, but he didn't think this was her doing.

"I don't think so. There was too much risk that anything the Deputy Sheriff did would harm Maya. She may not give a damn what happens to the rest of us, but she's fond of Maya. She wouldn't risk it."

"I agree." Pearl, her voice calm and analytical, added. "Katherine is meticulous when it comes to her plans, she would not enact one such as this. There would have been too many variables she couldn't plan for, too much risk that the outcome would be something she didn't desire."

Klaus scoffed, his scepticism palpable, but he remained silent, especially when Elijah, who had been quietly observing the group, nodded in agreement.

"I concur with your assessments. I do not believe Katherine was behind this either."

Commander Graves sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose wearily as he considered their next steps.

"The truth is, we may never be able to get a definitive answer as to who was behind this, or what their ultimate goals were." He straightened, his eyes sweeping over the group. "What we do know is that after the Sheriff left to come here, Deputy Sheriff Mills searched her office. He found her research and suppositions about you, Stefan, the St Johns, and yourself, Mr. Mikaelson."

Commander Graves' gaze shifted to Elijah, the intensity of his stare leaving no room for doubt about which Mikaelson he meant. His words hung heavily in the air, a silent acknowledgment of the dangerous stakes at play.

"He gathered up the rest of the deputies in the department who were aware of vampires, and they came here, with the intent to kill you all. Seeing the children, altered their plans slightly, and Deputy Sheriff Mills decided to get them out of the line of fire by sending them away with Deputy Wilkes, and you're all aware of what happened next."

The room fell silent as all heads nodded in understanding.

For Damon, the events had unfolded with heart-stopping intensity. It had been less than five minutes from the echo of the first gunshot tearing through the afternoon to the moment Agents Blye and LaSalle arrived on the scene—each second stretching into an eternity.

Adrenaline had surged through him as he bolted out of the house, the warm afternoon air rushing across his face. The first deputy he'd encountered fell swiftly to his wrath. In the chaotic flurry of movement, he'd realized he wasn't alone; others had also responded to the gunshot. When the dust had finally settled, the ground was littered with the fallen, save for one—their only captive, disarmed none to gently by Finn who'd been of the belief that they would need someone to question.

Thene had come the pang of fear at the realisation that Maya wasn't present, it had clawed at his chest, a sharp, nauseating twist. Those frantic seconds crawled by until Anna's voice cut through the turmoil, revealing she'd ordered Maya away, made her use her emergency portkey.

The agonizing wait for Agents Blye and LaSalle had been pure torture, every passing moment filled with dread over Maya's safety. The relief that had washed over him when Agent Blye confirmed Maya was safe and unharmed at the academy, could not be adequately described. It had been completely overwhelming, and a much-needed balm to his frayed nerves.

The room shifted back to focus as Commander Graves reported,

"We comprehensively questioned Sheriff Forbes, under a truth spell, and are satisfied that she had not ordered, nor did she have any knowledge of the assault carried out by her deputies yesterday."

Damon felt a weight lift off his shoulders. The previous day, when Liz had confronted him and Caroline, her behaviour had sparked a glimmer of hope in him. Now, knowing definitively that she hadn't been part of the deception, that she hadn't orchestrated an attack to distract them while her deputies moved in, was immensely reassuring. Caroline adored her mother, and the thought of her suffering from a betrayal of such magnitude was unbearable.

"Thank you, Commander," Selene said with a solemn nod.

He acknowledged her with a slight nod and retreated to lean against the cool wall, his eyes sweeping over the group as he took in the rest of the discussion.

"As we don't have conclusive proof of who sent them your way, there's nothing further we can do on that end." Selene informed them with a hint of frustration tingeing her voice.

Damon nodded, he had suspicions, he was certain it wasn't Katherine, Carol wasn't a plausible option, which pretty much, to his mind at least, left John Gilbert as the only true suspect. Proving it would be difficult though, and he'd rather not sign Jeremy's uncles death sentence without conclusive proof, so for the time being, his suspicions would be kept to himself.

"After we finished questioning her, we had a lengthy conversation with Sheriff Forbes. She agreed to sign a binding secrecy contract, as did Mr Gilbert, and Mr Donovan, so we've allowed them to retain their memories of our world. Additionally, as removing knowledge of vampires from the towns council, comes with several difficulties and a high probability that it would not be completely successful, she has agreed to accept four Aurors on her staff as deputies to replace the ones that were killed yesterday."

"Why is it a problem?" Finn spoke up, brow furrowed in confusion, "Why can't you just obliviate them?"

Galen straightened up and smiled, speaking for the first time since they'd done introductions.

"Although thanks to Sheriff Forbes we have a comprehensive list of who is a member of this secret council, there may be those who are aware of vampires who are not members of the council. Missing even one person could undo all of our work. Additionally, there is the issue of gathering up every record that mentions vampires and the secret council, again there is a high probability that we would miss something. After discussions with the President and the rest of the cabinet, we've decided closer monitoring of the situation is the best way forward."

"That decision may change if the situation does," Selene added pragmatically, her voice steady and commanding. "But for now, having four Aurors to monitor the situation closely seems best. We've taken similar steps in other cases."

Galen nodded in agreement, then added with a reflective tone, "Not to mention this town seems to attract the supernatural, and having people on hand to deal with anything that threatens the Statute is better than attempting to play catch-up. We probably should have made this move earlier, but it had been quiet for so many years that I never thought of it."

Selene nodded briskly and moved to get the conversation back on track.

"We did obliviate the deputy who remained alive after questioning him, and have facilitated his move away from the town. He had no family here so that made it simpler to accomplish."

Elijah, his voice calm but carrying an underlying sharpness, asked,

"And the ones we killed? How is that being dealt with?"

"Agent Blye initially suggested a Meth Lab explosion and a shootout with drug dealers as a cover," Graves responded, his tone considering. "But considering the local context, we opted for a less conspicuous story—a fatal car accident for those with families."

"And the rest?" Elijah pressed, his gaze piercing.

"We're using Aurors to impersonate them for now," Graves explained. "Eventually, we'll either stage other accidents or have them 'move away' seamlessly, avoiding any suspicion."

The room seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief as Selene spoke, her voice carrying a tone of finality and strategy.

"Accidents attract far less attention than murders, explosions, and gun battles. Spreading the deaths or the relocations out makes them much less suspicious to anyone with a reason to take a harder look." She paused, allowing the weight of her words to settle among the group.

"Additionally, we've supplied Sheriff Forbes with a culprit for the Mayor's murder who was due to be executed for his crimes anyway. We've also helped her craft a story for Mrs. Lockwood that should hopefully close that chapter as well."

Damon sincerely hoped so. They'd covered all the worries he had about what had happened yesterday. Hopefully, with Liz now fully aware and onboard the 'not all vampires are evil' train, they wouldn't have a situation like this again. Especially with her now having Aurors in the department, who should be able to deal with situations before they arrived on their doorstep.

"Thanks, Selene, Galen, Commander."

Selene's response was warm, her smile reaching her eyes as she turned her attention to a more personal concern.

"Happy that we could help. How's Maya doing with what happened?"

Damon's posture relaxed slightly as he replied,

"She's okay. She was more worried about everyone else than herself." He chuckled softly; the sound tinged with pride. "Maggie took her to see Sam today, so she could have someone to talk to about what happened. And other than that, she's absolutely thrilled with the Navy SEAL combat moves Agent Hanna taught her yesterday, whilst everything was cleaned up."

"I'm glad," Selene responded, her tone soft yet resonant in the quiet of the room, reflecting a shared relief that despite the shadows they navigated, there were moments of lightness and growth for the youngest among them.

The others added their own thanks, even Klaus grudging though they were, and Damon showed the three of them out, supremely glad that he could count on them as allies. He didn't know how they would have managed yesterday's events without their help.