Elijah settled into the wrought-iron chair at the quaint coffee shop, the aroma of freshly ground beans mingling with the crisp morning air. Smiling pleasantly at the witch seated across the table from himself and Finn.

"Thank you very much for agreeing to this meeting Ms Bennett-Wilson."

"It's okay. Damon said you won't hurt me; you just want to ask a few questions?" She replied, with a questioning lilt to her words, as if she wasn't quite sure she believed it.

Elijah understood her caution, his family had somewhat of a reputation amongst witch communities, particularly in America where they had spent the vast majority of the past three centuries. Given that she was a Bennett it was more than likely that she had an even greater knowledge of them than most. Her ancestor had been there at the very beginning after all.

"Damon spoke truthfully." Finn interjected, his tone a reassuring timbre. "We mean you no harm. We merely wish to know about the vampire you lured away from Mystic Falls and trapped."

A frown creased her brow as she tapped a rhythmic beat on her disposable cup, a silent melody to her contemplation. Finn tensed, but a subtle shake of Elijah's head stilled him. They were not here to intimidate or force answers out of her. Besides, it was clear to him that she wasn't considering whether to answer, but rather considering what she should say.

"I take it you already know about Elena?" she ventured; her gaze locked with Elijah's.

"We do." He replied evenly, "we discovered her a few months ago."

A flicker of pain crossed Abby's features,

"Is she…?"

She broke off as if she didn't want to actually ask the question, Elijah, ever perceptive, knew what answers she was seeking, even if she hadn't voiced them aloud.

"Miss Gilbert is alive and well. The curse placed upon Niklaus was broken, without requiring her death."

Relief passed across Abby's face, and she nodded, taking a sip of her coffee before speaking.

"Miranda was my best friend." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing, "Fifteen years ago, a vampire came to town. Looking for, Elena. Looking for the doppelgänger. No one could manage to kill him. So, I lured him out of town and cast a spell to desiccate him in a crypt in Charlotte."

"What did he look like?" Finn asked.

Abby looked surprised, whatever follow up questions she'd been expecting them to ask, that clearly hadn't been on the list.

"He was old, really old, but he looked middle-aged forty to fifty-ish. Um he was tall, six feet, maybe a little less, and he was muscular." She shook her head slightly and shrugged, "hair was dark-blonde to light brown in colour and his eyes were blue."

Finn and Elijah shared a glance, the description matched Mikael but they needed to be sure.

"You said no one could manage to kill him, was he too strong? Or was it something else?" Elijah asked, delving for answers that could confirm their suspicions.

"He was strong, stronger than any other vampire I'd ever encountered. But it was more than that, he was staked, straight through the heart, and he seemed dead, we were all sure he was, but then he came back, like nothing at all had happened. That's when Miranda begged me to use my magic."

"The spell you used, how long will it last? How long will he remain trapped?"

"I completely desiccated him. Theoretically it could last forever, as long as no one feeds him blood to awaken him."

"Where exactly in Charlotte, is the crypt you desiccated him in?"

"Are you going to wake him?"

"No."

"Is she correct?"

He'd been musing on Maya's words since last night and her guess seemed plausible enough, but he wanted confirmation and a solution. Between Kol and Aradia, with their millennia's worth of magical knowledge, they should be able to figure out what had gone wrong with his attempt at making hybrids and how to correct it.

"It is indeed a principle of both Potions and Chemistry, that if you need to mix two components that don't combine naturally, a third component is required to successfully fuse them together," Aradia responded, her voice calm and measured, as if lecturing a particularly stubborn student.

Klaus's scowl turned into a grimace of frustration. Aradia's response, accurate though it might be, dodged the heart of his query. She was playing a game of wits, answering his question but not his plea.

"You know what I meant," he retorted sharply, his patience wearing thin.

The air between them crackled with tension. Whilst she had always got on well with Kol and Finn of all people, her relationship with him over the past millennium had been rather thornier in nature. He held a wary respect for her, she'd lived millennia before any of them had been born and had a not inconsiderable amount of power and knowledge. Aradia had never been someone he would classify as a friend though, more a neutral acquaintance and occasional ally than anything else. And now she was his daughter's headmistress, and Kol's, well whatever she was to his brother. That had been going on for a thousand years and they had all learnt not to question it or attempt to get either of them to place a label on whatever was between them.

"Maya is correct. The two curses don't combine naturally," Aradia finally replied, "If they did then you wouldn't be the only vampire-werewolf hybrid in the world."

"Then how do I make it work? What am I missing?"

"How did the Original Witch make it work with you? Because that's what you're missing."

Aradia glanced at Kol who shook his head still fiddling with the object he'd been holding throughout the conversation. Something wooden, but too small for Klaus to see clearly enough to name.

"I've examined that spell a million times over the years." Kol stated, "If mother added an extra step to it, to ensure it would work on Nik she never explicitly stated what it was in her grimiore."

"She couldn't have," Rebekah looked up from the book she was reading and stared back at Kol, "father went through her grimiore constantly. She wouldn't have been able to write down anything that might have caused him to learn Nik's true parentage, not while she was still determined to keep it a secret."

Kol nodded, conceding Rebekah's point.

"Well, that doesn't bloody well help me, does it!"

His scowl deepened as both his siblings whispered 'swear jar' under their breath and laughed, but he resolutely ignored them, keeping his gaze on Aradia.

"Examining the spell again with clearer eyes, know that we know there's something to look for may provide an answer. But it's most likely the choice of blood that matters."

A thoughtful look flickered across Kol's face at her words, and even Rebekah closed her book and began to pay attention, intrigued by the direction the conversation was going in.

"Meaning what?"

"Your blood is required to initiate the transition. Blood from any other vampire would do nothing, they would remain dead. And it's only now that the curse has been broken and you are fully a hybrid that it works, yes?"

Klaus nodded. They'd all attempted it before in the past, but werewolves with vampire blood in their system did not awaken in transition, they remained dead. Now that his true nature had been unlocked, that issue had been surmounted. Only for the issue of getting them through the transition to present itself.

"Then it seems to me that the blood required to complete the transition needs to be carefully chosen as well. Not just any blood will do."

"Tatia."

Klaus, Aradia, and Rebekah all looked over at Kol, who's thoughtful look had transformed into a deep frown.

"Mother used Tatia's blood in the spell which turned us into vampires." He explained, noticing their looks.

"Ah! I see." Aradia said with a nod.

"Well, I don't!" Rebekah complained, before Klaus could demand an explanation himself.

"Mother used Tatia's blood because as a doppelganger her blood is a powerful ingredient in in witchcraft."

"So?"

"A powerful binding ingredient. I always thought she used it to bind the curse she placed on us, but what if she chose to use it because it was the only way to make it work on Nik."

"So, to make hybrid's?"

"You need doppelganger blood to complete the transition."

"Ugh! Of course, it would be that bloody wench you need!"

With just a month left before her crucial end-of-year exams, Maya was entrenched in her books when the tranquillity of her study session was abruptly shattered. The living room door burst open, and in stormed Elena, trailed by an entourage that could only be described as a recipe for chaos: her father, Uncle Kol, and Aunty Bex. Maya couldn't help but think it was the worst combination imaginable for any serious situation involving Elena.

She'd only been acquainted with them for a little over a week, but that was sufficient time to realize that Uncle Elijah and Uncle Finn were the pillars of reason compared to their younger three siblings. They were also much less likely to be deliberately antagonistic towards Elena, purely for their own amusement, unlike Uncle Kol and Aunty Bex.

"Where's Damon and Stefan?" Elena demanded.

Across the room, Maya's single raised eyebrow spoke volumes, a practiced gesture honed to perfection, conveying a mix of amusement and defiance. Her lips curved into a smirk, a silent challenge to Elena's inquiry.

"Stemmen din skurrer som latteren til en hyene."Maya's reply was smooth, bestowed upon Elena with an accompanying look of total innocence, as if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. Your voice grates like a hyena's laugh.

Behind Elena's back, Kol and Rebekah exchanged gleeful glances, barely containing their amusement. Klaus, too, couldn't hide a smirk, his eyes alight with mischief. Elena's narrowed eyes and twisted lips betrayed her frustration.

"I don't understand Danish," Elena snapped, her frustration palpable.

"Norwegian." Three voices corrected simultaneously.

"Du er like skarp som et pikselert bilde" Maya retorted, her sweet smile belying the sharpness of her words. You're as sharp as a pixelated image.

Rebekah and Kol erupted into stifled laughter, unable to contain their amusement.

"Norwegian, whatever!" Elena snapped again, her impatience boiling over. "I don't care. Where are Damon and Stefan?"

Klaus's amusement shifted into annoyance tinged with anger.

"Careful, love. You don't get to make demands here," he warned, his tone dripping with authority.

"Or what? You'll kidnap me again!" Elena challenged defiantly.

Maya's sweet smile morphed into a glare mirroring her father's.

"Vanære!" She spat, her voice ringing with fury. "Vanære over hele familien din! Vanære mot deg! Vanære mot kua din!" Dishonour! Dishonour to your whole family! Dishonour to you! Dishonour to your cow!

Her outburst was met with complete silence. Elena looked shocked at the angry response she'd received from Maya. Her aunt and uncle looked confused, Maya was certain she heard Rebekah muttering to Kol that she didn't know Elena owned a cow, to which Kol responded with a mystified shake of his head.

"For å være rettferdig mot hennes kjærlighet, er hun teknisk korrekt." Klaus interjected his amusement once more evident. "Jeg ga henne ikke noe valg om å bli med meg, mer en bortføring enn en kidnapping spør du meg."

To be fair to her love, she is technically correct. I didn't give her a choice about coming with me, more of an abduction than a kidnapping if you ask me though.

Maya crossed her arms defiantly and scowled a mulish look on her face.

"Jeg vil ikke være rettferdig. Jeg liker henne ikke, og jeg vil at hun skal gå." She declared firmly her gaze unwavering. I don't want to be fair. I don't like her, and I want her to leave.

Aunty Bex, looked incredibly satisfied at Maya's response, shifting forward slightly as if she was prepared to bodily launch Elena out of the house herself. Uncle Kol was grinning at Elena, whose head was twisting between Maya and Klaus with mounting frustration as they continued to converse in a language she couldn't follow.

Klaus ignored her, and his siblings, focussing all his attention on his daughter.

"Jeg trenger henne. Doppelganger-blod er nødvendig for å lage hybrider." He explained. I need her. Doppelganger blood is needed to make hybrids.

"Så? Bare bruk den andre, så kan hun gå og aldri komme tilbake." So? Just use the other one, then she can leave and never come back.

"Hvilken annen?" What other one?

"What's going on?"

Elena's annoyance vanished in an instant, replaced by a radiant smile that seemed to erase any trace of irritation from her features the moment Damon's figure materialized in the doorway of the living room. Her ability to put on such a façade would have impressed most audiences, but the Mikaelson's had seen it before, first with Tatia, and then with Katherine, who was by far the most skilled, so seeing Elena do the same was nothing new to them. She was a Petrova doppelganger after all. As for Maya and Damon, neither of them cared enough about Elena to pay attention to her sudden transformation. Their focus was on each other.

Maya, with a burst of excitement, catapulted herself from her seat, hurtling across the room like a comet aimed straight at her godfather.

"Babbo!"

Damon caught Maya in his arms, hugging her tightly in greeting. Today had been one of the rare occasions in which he hadn't been home when she'd returned from school.

"Hey, kiddo. How was school?"

"It was great. Professor Williamson, returned our combined history/math project, I scored 98% on mine."

"Well done, kiddo, I know how hard you worked on that project. I can't wait to hear all about your day, but maybe it can wait until I get an explanation for this." His gesture encompassed Elena and the three Mikaelson siblings in the living room.

"Yes, I'd rather like to know the answer to that myself," Elijah said calmly from behind Damon.

"As would I," Finn added a moment later, his eyes piercing through the tension, demanding answers.

"I was kidnapped!" Elena declared once more, her voice slicing through the tension in the room like a dagger.

Finn, Elijah, and Damon all swivelled their heads to fix their gazes on Klaus, awaiting an explanation that seemed to hang in the air like a heavy fog.

Klaus, ever the master of nonchalance, merely shrugged, a smirk dancing across his lips as his eyes flitted over Elena before returning to his brothers.

"Personally, I'd classify it more as an abduction than a kidnapping," he drawled, his tone dripping with smug amusement, drawing laughter from Rebekah and Kol, who seemed to revel in the chaos swirling around them.

Even amidst the turmoil, Maya, her head buried in Damon's side, couldn't contain her giggles, the sound bubbling up and spilling into the room, a stark contrast to the seriousness of the conversation. Damon, attempting to maintain a façade of solemnity, shook his head, suppressing his own amusement as Finn raised an impeccably arched eyebrow and Elijah let out a defeated sigh, the weight of their brother's actions heavy upon them.

"Why did you abduct Miss Gilbert?" Elijah's voice cut through the air like a whip, his patience waning with each passing moment.

"I needed to test a theory," Klaus replied with a shrug.

"What. Theory?" Elijah bit out through gritted teeth.

"We theorized that doppelganger blood is the key to successfully creating hybrids." Kol interjected, his words slicing through the tension like a knife. "So, we tested it out and it worked."

Elijah's brow furrowed in confusion his frustration evident.

"That doesn't explain why Miss Gilbert is still here."

"She's here because I want to make a deal with her," Klaus retorted sharply, his tone brooking no argument. "And for some reason, people trust your word more than they do mine."

"Could it possibly be because Elijah is known to keep his word, whereas you, Niklaus, are not?" Finn's dry remark hung in the air like a challenge, his words hitting their mark with precision.

"Finn does have rather a good point," Rebekah chimed in, her eyes dancing with mischief, adding fuel to the fire.

"I keep my word," Klaus insisted, his voice laced with defiance.

"Only when it suits you," Kol countered with a smirk, the amusement in his eyes matching Rebekah's.

"What deal do you wish to offer Miss Gilbert, Niklaus?" Elijah's voice cut through the swirling tension, his tone commanding attention and respect, effectively halting his siblings' teasing before it could escalate further.

Klaus leaned back in his seat, his expression turning contemplative as he considered his response.

"It's quite simple really. I require doppelganger blood to make hybrids. In return for regular donations, I will ensure her safety for the rest of her natural life, along with the safety of her family and her descendants."

The room fell into a heavy silence as Klaus's proposition hung in the air. Before Elena could respond, Maya, her young voice tinged with defiance, interjected, her words slicing through the tension like a blade.

"Du trenger henne ikke. Bare bruk den andre." You don't need her. Just use the other one.

Elijah raised a hand, a silent command for his siblings to hold their tongues, before turning his attention back to Elena, his demeanour composed yet authoritative.

"Miss Gilbert, you've heard Niklaus' offer," he stated evenly. "I suggest you take some time to think on it before you answer. There's no need for anyone to act hastily."

Elena's glare bore into Klaus, a silent challenge burning in her eyes, but she begrudgingly nodded in response to Elijah's suggestion.

"May I leave now?" she demanded, her tone dripping with impatience and disdain.

Klaus shifted uneasily, his instinct to refuse warring with the silent directives from Elijah and Finn. With a scowl, he acquiesced.

"Maddox is waiting outside; he will return you to your home."

With one final venomous look, Elena stormed out of the room, the sound of the front door slamming shut echoing through the silence that followed.

"What other one?" Klaus asked, once he was sure she was gone.

"The other doppelganger."

"Katerina is a vampire; her blood wouldn't work."

Maya huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Not Katherine. The other doppelganger. They come in pairs."