The Saturday morning sun painted the field in a golden hue, casting long shadows as Maya stood at the edge of the pitch, her heart racing with anticipation. The air buzzed with excitement, the sounds of cheering parents and chattering teammates blending into a symphony of energy. Maya adjusted her cleats, feeling the familiar weight of the ball at her feet. She glanced across the field to where Kamala stood, her friend and partner in crime on the left-wing. Kamala flashed Maya a grin, her eyes alight with determination. They had trained together tirelessly, perfecting their plays, and synchronizing their movements, and today was their chance to shine.

As the referee blew the whistle, Maya's adrenaline surged. She darted forward, the grass beneath her feet soft and springy. The ball flew into play, passing from teammate to teammate as they moved down the field with practiced precision. Feeling the thrill of the game course through her veins, each touch of the ball sparking a rush of exhilaration.

With a burst of speed, she broke away from the pack, her eyes fixed on the goal ahead. She could hear the shouts of encouragement from the sidelines, urging her on. As she approached the goal, Maya felt a surge of confidence. This was her moment. But just as she raised her foot to strike, a defender lunged forward, blocking her path. Heart sinking as the ball was knocked away, the opportunity slipping through her fingers like sand. She cursed under her breath, frustration bubbling up inside her.

But she didn't have time to dwell on her disappointment. The game moved on, relentless and unforgiving. She sprinted back into position, ready to fight for another chance. Kamala sent a perfectly weighted pass in Maya's direction, and she seized the opportunity, weaving through defenders with grace and purpose.

Maya saw Amalia burst through the defence, her eyes blazing with determination. The team captain was a force to be reckoned with, her skill and leadership inspiring all of them to push themselves even harder. With a flick of her foot, she sent the ball soaring towards Amalia, who met it with a thunderous strike. The crowd erupted into cheers as the ball sailed into the net, a testament to their teamwork and determination.

The team engaged in a brief celebration, slapping palms joyfully against their teammates and basking in the cheers coming from their supporters, before play started again. As Maya jogged back to her starting position, she sent a glance towards the bleachers, grinning when she saw her family. Elijah in his exceedingly smart, and carefully pressed suit, incongruous amongst the rest of them, with their painted faces and banners. She was glad he'd agreed to come and watch her play though. Things were still awkward, but they were slowly getting to know each other better, and soccer was an important part of her life. Not as important as Quidditch, but it felt good to know he was as supportive of her as Damon and everyone else had been.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." Maddox assured him as he headed out the door of the teacher's apartment.

"Yes, do hurry. I'm anxious to get out of this body." Klaus replied, his tone mocking.

It was true after all; he'd already extracted almost all the usefulness he could from parading around in this body. He'd laid eyes on almost all the main players of the drama they were enacting. The only thing left that he really needed to accomplish was to retrieve the moonstone, and he knew just who he needed to get it done. After that he could return to his true body and, in just a few days' time, break his mother's curse.

"And if you get hung up, call me. You know how impatient I get."

He closed the door behind Maddox and turned back to Katerina, who slowly walked towards him holding out the cup of coffee he'd ordered her to make. It was the small things that brought him joy. Forcing Katerina to do things for him was one of those things.

"Where is he going?"

"To retrieve me. So, I can get out of this bad hair-do." Klaus told her with a small smirk playing on his lips.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Klaus?" Katerina asked.

Turning to follow him as he headed to the sink and placed the mug of coffee, he had given her down on the draining board. He hadn't really wanted it, just wanted to see if she was scared enough of him to do as she was told without the use of compulsion.

"Well, the full moon is almost upon us. And I am ready to break this curse."

"You don't even have the moonstone yet." She pointed out with faux helpfulness.

"Oh, don't you worry your pretty little head about that, Katerina. I will have it by the end of the day." He replied playfully, eyes gleaming with malice.

"And how are you planning to accomplish that?"

"It shouldn't be too hard. After all, everyone has weaknesses, it's just a matter of finding the right one. And I know just where to start."

He caught her gaze with his own.

"You can't leave until I tell you to." He ordered, heading out the door. He had places to be.

Damon poured two glasses of bourbon and handed one to Elijah, who accepted it with a nod of gratitude.

"So, no sign of him at the dance then?" Damon said as he sat down across from Elijah.

"Oh, I have no doubt he was there," Elijah replied, his demeanour composed despite the underlying tension. "But he was careful enough not to reveal himself to me. The children he compelled to taunt Elena with had no recollection of whose body he was inhabiting when he did so."

Damon's eyes narrowed as he studied Elijah, the amber liquid in his glass swirled lazily as he pondered the implications. The air between them crackled with a silent exchange of suspicion and strategy.

"But you have your suspicions, don't you." He remarked finally, taking a sip from his own glass.

"Niklaus would not possess just anyone," Elijah affirmed, his gaze unwavering. "He'd want someone close to the action, someone he could use to discover whatever information Katerina is unable to tell him. Someone his people would be able to gain access to without our noticing. That leaves a very short list of suspects."

The room seemed to hold its breath as Elijah's words hung in the air, each syllable heavy with the weight of impending confrontation.

"So how do we narrow it down?" Damon asked, his tone edged with determination as he leaned forward, the clink of ice against glass breaking the silence like a distant warning bell.

"Hopefully our little meeting this afternoon will provide some answers," Elijah replied. "Have you spoken to Maya yet about the spell?"

"Not yet. I haven't had a chance between her sleepover, and the soccer match this morning. I'm planning on talking to her before everyone comes over. It will be her choice."

"If she does not wish to do it. I have a potion that I procured for Katerina that Elena may use, one that should resuscitate her post ritual. And I'm sure I can find a vampire and werewolf abominable enough to not be any great loss to the world when they die."

Klaus couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction as he parked the teacher's car in front of the Salvatores' house, his grin reflecting the smugness swirling within him like a tempest. With Katerina's invaluable assistance, he had seamlessly blended into the guise of the unsuspecting teacher, biding his time, gathering the necessary intel to execute his master plan. And at its heart lay the elusive moonstone, the key to unlocking his deepest desires.

"Thanks for coming, Ric," Jenna's voice broke through his reverie.

Klaus turned his attention to her, nodding in acknowledgment. Her gratitude was merely background noise to his thoughts, already racing ahead to the impending meeting at the Salvatores'.

"It's not a big deal, I'm happy to help," he replied smoothly, masking the undercurrent of anticipation coursing through him.

Jenna's invitation to the gathering had been a calculated risk, one he had readily accepted despite the potential dangers. With Elijah's presence looming, the stakes were high, but Klaus thrived on such risks, viewing them as stepping stones towards his ultimate goal.

As Jenna exited the car, Klaus lingered for a moment, his mind weaving intricate webs of strategy. Today's targets would remain blissfully unaware of his machinations, allowing his associates to strike without hindrance. And amidst the chaos of their rescue, he would seize the opportunity to enact the next phase of his plan.

He hadn't laid eyes on her yet, but he knew precisely who he needed to manipulate Damon Salvatore to his will. The revelation had dawned upon him the previous night, when Damon had shown his hand, choosing his goddaughter over the doppelganger. In that moment, he had discerned Damon's weakness, and concluded that Elena's allure paled in comparison to the likes of Tatia or Katerina.

Everyone had their vulnerabilities, even powerful witches, especially when they were but thirteen years old. Klaus relished the challenge that lay ahead, confident in his ability to exploit both Maya and Damon's in order to bend Damon to his whims. Then he would have everything he needed, namely the moonstone and Elijah with a dagger in his chest and thus unable to interfere. Klaus was poised to unleash a game of manipulation and deceit unlike any other. And as he stepped out of the car, his eyes gleamed with the promise of victory.

He was still lost in thoughts on the beauty of his plan as he approached the house, that he didn't at first register the teenager who had opened the door.

"Who are you?" She demanded.

Klaus was startled out of his thoughts, and began taking in the scene in front of him. The girl, the very one he'd been planning to abduct was standing in the doorway of the Salvatore house regarding him with a fierce scowl. Jenna was looking between him and the girl, eyes clouded with confusion.

"Maya, you know who that is, it's Ric. You –"

Whatever else Jenna had intended to say was cut off by the girl grabbing her arm and tugging her into the house at the exact same moment as she opened her mouth and yelled at a decibel that was almost enough to set his ears ringing.

"BABBO! UNCLE ELIJAH!"

The girl's voice echoed, each syllable filled with urgency as she continued to back away from the door, dragging a struggling and confused Jenna with her.

Caught in a moment of disbelief, Klaus stood rooted to the spot, his mind racing to process the unexpected turn of events. It wasn't merely the fact that the girl had effortlessly pierced through his carefully crafted facade as the teacher that left him stunned, but the striking resemblance she bore to an imagined image of his own daughters. If Klaus had ever allowed himself to envision what his daughters might have looked like, had fate not intervened with the cruel curse his mother had bestowed upon him and his siblings, the girl standing before him would have been a mirror image of his deepest desires. The familiarity of her features sent a surge of emotions coursing through him, stirring memories long buried beneath layers of regret and sorrow.

With each passing second, the scene unfolding before him became increasingly surreal, pulling him deeper into a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. With ruthless precision he cut through those emotions, burying them deep within himself. It was an impossible dream, and the girl before him was nothing more than a cruel trick meant to disarm him and prevent him from carrying out his goals.

With the game up and his disguise no longer serving any purpose, Klaus swiftly made his escape from the scene before his brother Elijah could appear and complicate matters further. Igniting the engine of his car, he peeled away from the scene, leaving behind the tangled web of his dual identity as a teacher and a supernatural being.

As he raced through the night, his thoughts churned with determination and resolve. Maddox would soon return with Greta and his discarded human vessel, ready to be reclaimed. Klaus knew his true form awaited him, and with it, the power to see his grand plans through to fruition.

With a steely resolve burning in his eyes, Klaus vowed to shatter the chains of his mother's curse once and for all. He envisioned a future where he would command an army of hybrids, unchallenged by his brother's interference or the meddling of the Salvatores.

And as he drove on, his mind lingered on the image of the child, a cruel trick of fate designed to stir dormant longings within him. But Klaus was not one to be swayed by sentimentality or the ghosts of his past. He was a force to be reckoned with, driven by ambition and an unyielding thirst for power.

With each passing mile, Klaus hardened his resolve, knowing that nothing would stand in his way. Not his brother, not the Salvatores, and certainly not the manipulative schemes concocted by witches. For Klaus Mikaelson was determined to seize his destiny, no matter the cost.

At the first yell, Elijah merely looked up from the book he had been perusing whilst waiting for everyone to arrive to the meeting he had arranged. In the few weeks since he had first been introduced to his nieces' family and home, he had come to learn that yelling was a frequent occurrence. It never held the same note of acrimony that had coloured his own family's frequent loud disagreements, possibly because here, voices were rarely raised against each other in argument. Instead, the shouts and screams usually tended to bold and gleeful, accompanying games and dramatic reenactments, at least he had been told they were reenactments, he had not yet been able to make much sense of the ones he had seen, seemingly not following any history he was aware of.

So, when he first held Maya calling for Damon, he had merely lifted his head and listened assuming what followed would take the same tone as all the previous shouts had done. It wasn't until it was swiftly followed up with her calling his own name that the alarm and urgency in her tone registered. He shot up out of his seat immediately, speeding towards the front door, where Maya's yells were originating from, arriving just in time to see the teacher tearing off in a great hurry.

Damon appeared a mere second later, ignoring everyone else and going straight towards Maya, demanding to know what was wrong even as he checked her other for any sight of blood or injury.

"What is it? What happened? Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Since Damon was talking too much to allow Maya to reply to his questions, not that Elijah didn't understand his worry, he turned to Jenna. He had suspicions as to what had happened, but he would like confirmation before he acted.

"Miss Sommers?"

She shook her head, confusion in her eyes as she watched the spot where the teacher had been before he'd fled.

"I have no idea what's going on. Maya just grabbed me and pulled me away from Ric and started yelling."

"Did she say anything before she started yelling?"

Jenna's confusion deepened and she shook her head before she answered.

"Yeah. But it didn't make any sense. She asked him who he was, which is weird because Maya's met Ric before."

"Mr Alaric isn't Mr Alaric!" Maya said loudly, pulling back from Damon's frantic examination. "I'm okay Babbo, I'm not hurt."

"Are you sure?" Damon asked, worry evident in his eyes.

By this point the rest of the houses' inhabitants had arrived, drawn by the yells and curious to know what was going on.

"Damon, do you smell any blood?" Lexi asked, from where she stood on the stairs behind them, "Any hint of pain at all coming from Maya?"

"No."

"Then she's fine. What happened?"

"Mr Alaric isn't Mr Alaric." Maya repeated.

Elijah had a fairly shrewd idea what had happened. His brother was clearly possessing the teacher, Maya had seen something that had clued her in to something being wrong and had chosen to drag Jenna out of any potential danger, whilst calling for help. He applauded his niece's common sense in not engaging a potential danger on her own, however it meant he would now have to track down Niklaus and bring him to reason.

"What do you mean, munchkin?" Enzo asked.

Meanwhile Damon and Stefan had turned to look at Elijah with questioning looks that didn't quite mask the shock they were feeling. He nodded to them even as Maya answered Enzo's question.

"Mr Alaric doesn't have an aura, he's not a supernatural, but today he was surrounded by a dark crackling glow. Like someone else was inside his body."

"Elijah?"

He nodded in response to Damon's unspoken question.

"As I said earlier. He'd want someone close to the action, someone he could use to discover whatever information Katerina is unable to tell him. Someone his people would be able to gain access to without our noticing. Alaric Saltzman was one of the few possibilities I had narrowed it down to."

"What are you talking about?" Jenna asked, stress evident in her voice.

Elijah glanced at Maya trying to figure out how to put it delicately, not that there was any good way to tell someone that their father had the ability to possess other's and was currently using it on the teacher.

"It seems Niklaus is currently possessing Mr Saltzman's body."

"How long?" Jenna asked in a somewhat strained voice.

"Most likely since that business with Isobel and Elena," Elijah replied, noting the swift relief that crossed Jenna's face.

As Maggie approached Jenna with concern, Elijah remained silent, understanding dawning among the group. There were no words to offer, only the need to address the imminent threat posed by his brother's actions.

"What do we do?" Damon's question hung in the air, demanding a plan of action.

"Where does Mr Saltzman reside, I believe it's time I had words with my brother," Elijah declared, determination firm in his voice.