Sympathy and empathy are two things that are often confused for one another. Sympathy is feeling pity or sorrow for the misfortune that someone else experiences. Empathy is the ability to understand how a person may be feeling with these hardships and share those same emotions.

A quirk Mia Pierce possessed, that she found very inconvenient, was that she lacked the ability to be sympathetic without the feelings of empathy sneaking through. She felt the pain of those around her and often sought to relieve them of those burdens, this was okay when they were her loved ones. Of course, she would try to help them but it became an issue when the people she felt empathy for, were the ones who'd wronged her.

For example, the vampire that'd cruelly taken away her best friend, instead of killing him Mia moved in with him and became his friend, they still argued and fought frequently but in the end, she knew that she would go out of her way to help Damon. The Salvatore wouldn't admit this to anyone but he would also do the same.

But there was one individual that stumped Mia...Klaus Mikaelson. The hybrid had done the most terrible things to her loved ones which should've only sparked feelings of pure hatred and rage. However, he'd also been dealt a bad hand since the day he was born. The abuse he received from his father and the lies told by his mother were the actions that'd initially caused his heart to harden. Although Mia believed her experiences with abuse weren't as extreme, she empathised with him.

It was this same empathy that plagued her mind for the entire homecoming dance.

~~~~

"God, this is not what I pictured my first homecoming to be like." Mia remarked as she walked into what was meant to be a high school dance but was now somewhat of a rager. Banners and bleachers were replaced with kegs and ping-pong tables.

The gymnasium at their school had mysteriously flooded which meant that the event was moved to Tyler's house. The Lockwood boy graciously offered up his home, it made the most sense considering it was the only one big enough, however, there was more to this.

"What'd you expect?" Damon asked, offering her his hand as they climbed up the stairs. "I haven't done a stint in high school but I don't think I'd mind something like this."

"Something out of the movies, a perfect night. I mean, it's not prom but the same rules apply. Wear the perfect dress, have a hot date, then win Homecoming Queen." She said dreamily until she heard herself and cringed at how childish it was. "Sounds stupid, huh?"

"I don't think so." Damon shook his head and pursed his lips, actually finding it adorable how she got excited over something as mundane as a high school dance. "You'll get the perfect night, just cover your eyes when Klaus gets assassinated later and it'll be as though it never happened."

"Got it." The brunette nodded with a smile, attempting to ignore the sinking feeling in her chest at what was expected to happen by the end of the night. "What about the rest of the requirements?"

"Well, perfect dress..." Damon stood in front of her, his eyes travelled down her form. "...and a smoking bod, check." Mia laughed and pushed him away but he grasped her wrist and pulled himself back in. "Hot date-slash- chauffeur...check. Now all you need is to win Homecoming queen."

"First of all, you're not my date, Philip is but I have no clue where he is." Because they were standing at the top of the stairs it was easy for her to survey the area for the other Salvatore, however he was nowhere to be seen. "And second of all, my name isn't even on the ballot so... no plastic tiara for me." These words were heard by someone across the garden, they put down their drink and embarked on a new mission.

"Try to have fun anyways." Damon told her, "We need everything to look as convincing as possible." He glanced down at his phone whilst Mia continued to look around. She spotted Elena near the house with Matt, to which her frows burrowed in confusion, being that Matt was originally meant to be bringing Rebekah to the dance but the blonde also happened to be absent. "I need to go check on...you know who."

"But I thought you said everything has to be convincing." Mia placed her hands on his chest and painted on the most innocent expression. "It will be too suspicious if Damon Salvatore isn't at a high school event, dancing and flirting with minors."

Damon looked at her with a blank stare, he would've been more offended but the sound of her giggles caused his lips to tug upwards until he also chuckled. "That was funny, I'll give you that."

"Thank you." She beamed, swaying side to side. "I'm trying to lighten the mood. You know, considering I was almost just..." The brunette swiped her hand across her neck, closed her eyes, and stuck her tongue out.

The Salvatore was unsure of how to respond, he didn't understand how she managed to maintain her happy composure, especially after a close brush with death. It was different for him, so many people tried to kill him it honestly didn't surprise him anymore. But Mia didn't deserve it, not for being in possession of a white oak stake she knew nothing about. Granted, the personal insults directed at the Mikaelson patriarch were what sparked the violence but if Elijah hadn't hidden the stake in Mia's room then Mikael wouldn't have even spoken to her.

"I gotta go." Damon quickly pecked her cheek then left her alone. A pair of eyes were fixated on her, heart pounding at the very sight of her beauty, she was truly mesmerising. However, as they took a few steps to approach her the Bennett Witch had beat them to it.

"You look amazing." Mia squealed, holding both of Bonnie's hands. "Rebekah was right about the dress." She added with a smirk, watching as the witch's cheeks suddenly tinted red.

"Yeah, it was a nice choice." Bonnie responded, trying to sound the least amount of bothered as she could. She subtly glanced around the room in search of the blonde but instead made eye contact with someone else's relentless leer. "There's a hot guy checking you out, look but don't make it obvious."

"If my back is facing him, how the fuck do I not make it obvious?" Mia muttered to her friend with a deep sigh then flipped her hair over her shoulder and glanced back as a way to discreetly look at the individual. The man was tall with jet black hair, he was handsome but Mia was more focussed on the fact it was Bonnie he seemed to be staring at and the gorgeous woman that was standing beside him. "Girl, that's all you. He's not looking at me."

"Wait, really?!" Bonnie said with a bit too much excitement, when Jeremy cheated on her, the first question she'd asked herself was, what was wrong with her? Was she not pretty enough? Thin enough? Did her hair not shine as much as Anna's? Did her eyes not hold enough love? Did she not show as much attention or love as the spirit of his ex-girlfriend did? What was wrong with her? It seemed strange now that two people seemed to show interest in her on the same day. "What am I meant to do?"

"Make out with me to make him jealous." Mia joked, tilting her head innocently. Bonnie simply looked at her with an unimpressed look, the Petrova responded by squeezing her waist lightly to comfort her, then grabbed a cocktail from someone holding a tray. "Just play it cool, act like you couldn't care less and he'll come running to you anyways."

Bonnie nodded her head and followed the instructions, hooking arms with Caroline, who just happened to be passing, and sauntered away. "I didn't mean leave me alone." Mia called after her before shrugging, "It's fine... I'll just be here with the drinks."

What they didn't realise was that the individual happened to be a hybrid, which meant their whole conversation had been heard by them, but also by others. He decided to do what was expected of him, the witch was worth making himself look predictable. "Hey." The hybrid approached Mia with a bright smile and his hand held out, "I'm Zander."

"Mia." She replied, shaking his hand. A pair of eyes hardened upon seeing this as they suppressed the urge to tear the man's arm from its socket. "You new to town?"

"Something like that." He brushed off politely then glanced over at the Bennett witch, who was stood beside Caroline a few feet away from them. "Can I get you another drink?" He asked Mia, even though his thoughts were on someone else.

"No." Mia said, instantly catching him off guard and confused. "But..." She turned him slightly to face him towards the two girls. "I'm sure my friend Bonnie Bennett..." His lips stretched into a smile upon learning her name, "would probably like one."

Without saying another word Zander winked at Mia and clicked his tongue as a way of saying thanks then made his way to Bonnie. "And...I'm alone again." The Petrova vampire downed her drink and picked up another straight away, the night was certain to pass a lot quicker if she wasn't sober.

~~~~

"On a scale of 1 to 10, how much will your mom kill you for doing all this without her permission?" Mia asked Tyler as the two danced together, swaying in each other's arms. The bond between the two was purely platonic but if anyone was to see them together they would definitely perceive them as a couple, which did nothing but anger another hybrid, who despised seeing someone else dance with his girl like that.

"About....96." Tyler chucked, "It was either here or the woods and that always ends up in someone dying. She should be proud of me, I was being proactive." He twirled her around then raised his brow signalling that he wanted her to do the same to him, which she did and then dipped him backwards, pausing as the two looked at each other for several moments until Tyler spoke up, "We're weirdos, you know that right?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Mia lifted him back up before resting her head on his shoulder as they continued to move to the music. "To be honest I think I'm starting to prefer this to a basic high school dance with chaperones like Alaric, who stops us from drinking alcohol but he ends up bringing his own flasks. God, I'd hate to see his liver."

"I'd hate to see yours." Tyler hit back with a laugh, eyeing her as she reached for another glass, this one filled with only vodka yet she drank it with a straight face.

"Thank God for vamp healing, we'd all taken out by liver disease." She picked up two shot glasses and handed one to him, the pair linked their arms and downed the drink. The brunette looked around the room to spot her friends but was confused when she espied many people she'd never seen before, "Who the fuck are all these randos?"

"Klaus' new hybrids." Tyler whispered, he saw Mia's eyes widen and gripped her hip tighter, "Don't react, don't say anything. They can all hear."

Before she could respond a shrill voice interrupted them, "Mia, Mia, Mia!" One of their classmates, Maisie, sang as she approached them. "Congratulations!" The Petrova and Lockwood side eyed each other with bewilderment, both of them wondering if easy to access alcohol had become perhaps too easy to access and that certain people needed a limit. 

"Thank you...."Mia smiled politely, yet her brows remained furrowed, "What exactly are you congratulating me for?" I should be congratulated for just being here even after I was almost murdered.

"You won!" Maisie clapped her hands, bouncing on the spot, however, this did nothing to clarify why a congratulation was in order. The student noticed their still very confused expressions then peered over her shoulder, her nostrils flaring when the person who was meant to be behind her wasn't there. "Heather!" She shrieked with rage, "Which part of follow me did you not understand?!"

Another girl appeared holding a velvet pillow on which a tiara rested on, "Sorry Maisie." She mumbled, "Spencer was just asking me if I wanted to dance with him later."

"I couldn't give a flying fuck what Spencer wants, he only wants to dance with you so he can screw you later. And good luck doing that because it takes over an hour for his dick to get hard. It's like playing pool with a rope." The blonde grabbed the tiara from the pillow and waved off the girl to dismiss her. "And now the surprise is ruined because you were too busy whoring around to do a simple job...you can go now."

"You can't speak to her like that." Mia fumed as the other girl rushed away, tears spilling from her eyes. Sometimes it surprised her how cruel and mean some humans could be, it wasn't to the level that vampires or a certain hybrid reached but it was individuals like Maisie that eased the guilt of drinking blood from people.

"She's fine, it's like her fifth breakdown this week." Maisie brushed off, the fake and shiny smile returning to her mouth once more. "Anyways, congrats! You are officially crowned Mystic High's Homecoming Queen of 2010." The words hadn't registered in Mia's brain yet, she was too busy looking across the garden to see if Heather was okay and smiled softly when she saw Bonnie hugging the girl.

It wasn't until Tyler nudged her that she realised what'd just been said. "Wait what? But I'm not even on the ballot." Those words were ignored as Maisie placed the crown on Mia's head, brushing away a few strands of hair to make sure it looked nice. As the girl turned to leave the vampire grabbed her arm, "How did I win?"

"What are you talking about? Win what?" Maise scowled, looking at her up and down in distaste, she pulled her arm from the Petrova and muttered fucking weirdo as she strutted away, leaving the vampire annoyed and offended.

"This bitch needs to be put down." Mia laughed darkly, about to storm after her until she was lifted from the ground and placed back to where she was stood. Tyler shook his head at her and passed another drink to calm her anger. "You know, even though I said I didn't want any death tonight....I think I'll be okay if Maisie is....brutally and mercilessly murdered."

"That's the vodka talking." Tyler chuckled, his eyes following the ill-mannered student, "She was obviously compelled..." He looked back at Mia, who was too busy holding her phone up and admiring herself in the crown. "So technically you haven't even won."

"You mean it's...cheating." Mia held a hand to her heart in mock sadness, "Oh dear, what an injustice. You should've said something 10 seconds ago so I could've given the bitch her crown back." She circled her hands around her mouth, "Maise wait." The brunette whispered, her voice laced with sarcasm as she pretended to call her, "Come back, this is unfair to the person who actually won...Oh well, she didn't hear me." She then shrugged her shoulders and took another shot.

"You're such a dork." Tyler remarked, snatching the solo cup she had and draining it of its contents. "I don't get it, they were compelled to give you the crown?"

"Or perhaps..." A familiar yet unwanted voice spoke from behind, it was a voice Mia didn't want to hear for the rest of her life. She turned around and made eye contact with Klaus Mikaelson, the very man whose presence she was dreading. "...they simply know a queen when they see one."

"Klaus." Mia deadpanned. As much as she hated to admit it, he looked extremely good-looking, especially in his grey suit. If he wasn't the homicidal, cruel, sadistic hybrid she'd come to know and loathe, she might've found him quite tempting. However, good looks weren't enough to win her over, but they were definitely helpful.

"Stunning." Klaus greeted, taking her hand but just as his lips were about to make contact with her skin she'd yanked it away. The hybrid couldn't help but smile, even when she was impolite, she was intoxicating to be around. "Leave us alone, would you mate." Klaus said to Tyler.

Mia shook her head at her friend, warning him not to take a single step but it was futile, with the sire bond Tyler had no choice but to obey. "It's okay, Em." He patted her arm comfortingly. "I need to check on Heather anyways....call me if you need me."

"She won't but it's sweet of you to offer." Klaus spoke in a mocking tone and glared at his sireling. Tyler walked away with clenched fists, it was unbearable having someone else physically control his decisions. Mia longingly watched her friend leave, only breaking her stare when Klaus hooked a finger under her chin and turned her head back towards him, "How've you been, Trouble? Are you having fun?"

"I was." Mia stepped away from his hold, causing his smile to falter slightly. She brought her hand up to steady the tiara on her head then realised something, "Did you compel them to make me Homecoming Queen?" Her heart skipped a beat, not out of love or attraction but at the possibility of Klaus hearing the rest of her conversation with Damon, she managed to calm her nerves by telling herself if Klaus knew, they'd all be dead.

"It seemed fitting." Klaus smiled, leaning in closer. "You should have this town wrapped around your precious finger." He brushed his hand against hers as he spoke, "Yet you allow them to take advantage of you time and time again." This comment sparked annoyance in his ex-lover, she scoffed and looked away, "Aren't you happy?"

"Well, I'm not a kid that I'm gonna get excited over a stupid tiara." Mia hit back, well aware that's not what he was referring to.

"That's not what I meant." Klaus corrected which again earned him another scoff plus an eye roll, however, he wasn't one to give up easily. His aim tonight was to soften up the hard attitude she had, relying on nothing but his charm. After all, he'd already managed to win her over once before, it couldn't be that difficult to do it again...or so he foolishly thought. "Walk with me." He offered her his arm but she simply walked past, nudging him in the process.

The two strolled alongside each other then suddenly her gaze was caught by Stefan, who was stood by the house, clearly watching and listening to everything they were saying. Be nice. He mouthed to the Petrova, it was imperative that she kept Klaus distracted and unaware of what was going on, but he could still tell her attention was elsewhere. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Mia mumbled, she discreetly held up a middle finger by her side, making sure Klaus wouldn't be able to see it. Stefan raised his brows and gestured to Klaus' arm, making it clear what he wanted her to do. Then with a deep sigh, the Petrova looped her hand around the Mikaelson's bicep, not even bothering to look at his face. She didn't need to, she could practically hear his smile.

"I hear I have you to thank..."Klaus started, loving the way she would still scrunch her brows when she was confused. "....for Rebekah settling in nicely." He added, "I'll admit, I thought leaving her behind would be a mistake but...you welcomed her as one of your own." He placed his hand on hers and gazed into her eyes with a deep sincerity, "Thank you."

Leaving her behind?! You mean running away like a little bitch and abandoning her. "I didn't do it for you." Mia spoke dryly, "It didn't seem fair to judge her based on who her brother is, we can't help our relations."

"Too right." Klaus nodded, ignoring the twinge of hurt in his heart. "I suppose you'd know that more than most...in regards to Katerina." His words were an obvious dig, during their summer trip Stefan had unknowingly implied that the two Petrovas weren't on the best of terms, which back then was due to him warning Katherine off and not the doppelganger being the reason Aziel committed suicide, the topic was still fresh which caused it to sting more.

Mia immediately removed her arm from his and edged away from him, causing the hybrid to immediately regret his words. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." The brunette ignored him and walked faster, her vision fixed on the ground to make sure the pebbles wouldn't cause her to stumble in heels. This meant she didn't notice Klaus leave her side and speed in front of her, until she collided with his chest.

"Hey." He spoke softly, placing a hand on each shoulder so she couldn't leave. "I'm not entirely sure what went down between the two of you but I'm sorry for bringing it up.." The hybrid didn't want to upset her any further by prying, it would be far easier to torture the truth out of the doppelganger herself, first he'd have to find her. "Come on Sweetheart, let's not let it ruin our night."

The Petrova finally looked up and made eye contact with him, there was one question playing on a loop in her mind. Is this how he used to apologise to Malia? Klaus' attraction to Mia was something that used to confuse her, but since she found out his ex-lover was eerily similar to her, his interest was now sad but also disturbing. She believed he only spent time with her to fill the void of missing his girl.

Although it made her feel deceitful she decided to begrudgingly allow his delusions, considering the fact he'd soon be dead. "Fine." The brunette murmured as she brushed past him and made her way up the stairs, "Whatever, I don't even care."

Klaus breathed a sigh of relief, glad that he was able to console her, and made a note to control his subconscious temper from sneaking through and to watch his words. "Speaking of my sister, you wouldn't happen to know where she is, would you?"

"She's still not here?" Mia quizzed, whipping her head around to search for the Original. She mindlessly patted her thigh to get her phone, forgetting that she wasn't in jeans. "Crap, Ty has my phone, she should be here by now."

"Don't fret, Rebekah's more than capable of handling herself. She'll most likely be at the Salvatores' having a strop about a dress." He was partly right, Rebekah was indeed at the boarding house, however, she was currently incapacitated by the dagger stuck in her chest.

"Klaus!" A woman called, waving the two of them over. The Mikaelson stayed stuck in his place, not in the mood to socialise with anyone but the Petrova. Mia on the other hand was desperate to speak with anyone but Klaus, she approached the woman and realised it was the same one that stood with Zander earlier. 

 "We haven't officially met, I'm Demetria." Her demeanour was sensual and mesmerising, energy as dark as the pitch-black hair that flowed past her shoulders down to her hips. The hot pink strands at the front, although striking, weren't her most captivating feature, it was her almond-shaped hazel eyes that trapped Mia's focus. "And you must be...Mia" She glanced at Klaus with a knowing smirk, "I've heard a lot about you."

"Don't believe anything he says." Mia remarked, "He doesn't know me well enough to have anything to say."

Demetria raised a brow in confusion but decided not to pry, from what she knew Mia was someone Klaus was in love with and wouldn't stop talking about all summer, she sought to change the subject. "This is my husband JP." The Petrova felt her heart sink slightly at the mention of her not being single but its pace immediately picked up when a tall, muscular hybrid, who she was certain had been handmade by Zeus, held a hand up in greeting.

"And that's Serena and Brodie." The other two were too busy judging Caroline's dress to even notice they were being spoken about. "Anyways...you wanna play beer pong? Guys vs girls."

"No." Klaus answered immediately, all he wanted to do was woo his ex-lover, not play a juvenile game. However, his answer was swiftly changed when she saw Mia looking at him with a frown and her signature doe eyes. "Fine, but Mia and I are on the same team." He snatched the ball from Demetria and made his way to the table.

"Fucking asshole." Demetria mouthed behind his back, forgetting that Mia was stood next to her until she heard a giggle. "Don't tell him I said that, I kinda want to live."

The Petrova fastened the imaginary zip on her lips then linked arms with the girl before grabbing a red solo cup filled with alcohol and joining the rest.

~~~~

"Boom! Another point for us!" JP cheered as the ball landed in the cup, he picked it up and handed it to Klaus. "You know what you gotta do." The Mikaelson glared at him then downed the drink. A new fact that Mia had learned was that Klaus Mikaelson was an extremely sore loser when it came to games, it was amusing to see him get annoyed when he lost.

She'd given up on the game after 3 rounds and was now leaning against the wall overseeing the game. "That's my baby!" Demetria sang, jumping into her husband's arms and kissing him whilst he spun them around. Klaus turned his head away from the PDA and faced Mia, who wore a soft smile at the sight of the couple.

She missed it, the feeling of being loving someone and being loved, to have that one person you want to share all your happiness with, to confide in about the things that bother you. After she sabotaged her relationship with Relly she believed that fate was punishing her, that she'd be loved like that again.

Klaus also believed he was being punished by fate, for leaving Mia in Chicago. If he'd taken her with him there was a chance that they'd be the ones kissing and unable to keep their hands off each other. He'd let his fear get the best of him and took away the one thing that'd made him truly happy and now he was left to deal with her hatred.

"Dude." Brodie rested his hand on Klaus' shoulder, pulling him from his thoughts, the blonde looked at him in frustration and slight disgust that he had the audacity to touch him. "It's your turn." He then leaned in closer and spoke quietly, "Look, I'm no expert but constantly staring at a chick isn't the way to get her."

"Say another word and I'll have you hanging from this ceiling." Klaus quipped, brushing off his sireling's hand with a scowl. He bounced the ball on the table with precision and as expected it landed in the cup, earning him a point.

The hybrid smiled triumphantly and looked at Mia, seeking her approval but the brunette simply rolled her eyes and turned away, causing him to quietly sigh. "It appears my date is bored." Klaus observed, leaving the game and approaching her, "Join me for a dance?"

"I'm fine, and I'm not your date." Mia snarked. She wasn't sure if she was even Stefan's date anymore, considering he'd pimped her out to the Mikaelson, but she certainly wasn't Klaus'.

"Dance with me anyways." He held his hand out. "I promise not to bite."

"You're not funny." Mia fought hard against the smile that was threatening to appear however she couldn't help letting out a soft laugh which also made him chuckle. "Fine." She laced her fingers with his, ignoring the quiet gasp he breathed in. "One dance."

"Perfect." Klaus smirked, pivoting around to lead her outside. As they were walking down the stairs they passed a furious Caroline, who was too busy shoving Tyler to even acknowledge them. Mia's gaze followed them whilst Klaus' remained on her, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine..." She mumbled, still trying to see what they were doing but was stopped when Klaus spun her around and pulled her into his arms. Mia tsked at his brazen attempt to get close to her and stepped back, she moved his hand that was gripping her hip and placed it on her waist. "Don't push your luck."

"Apologies." He smiled sheepishly, reminding himself once more that this was a different woman than the one in the past, it wasn't okay to touch this one the way he adored doing with the other, not unless he wanted to be tasered again.

The perfect song began to play, it was a melody that led him to think of Mia whenever he'd heard it, the lyrics were perfect and fit them so well. His girl was just too good to be true and he couldn't take his eyes off her. He was even more delighted when he saw Mia smile upon hearing the song which was mainly because she enjoyed listening to it, unlike the huge analysis he'd created in his head.

"You'd make a good party planner in another life." Mia commented, "This is way better than whatever Homecoming we were meant to have tonight."

"Victories like these deserve an apposite celebration." Klaus responded, "I've been tormented by my father for centuries, now that he's gone I can finally stop running. I can reap the luxuries this world has to offer, Mikael can't stop me." Mia shifted uncomfortably at the mention of the Mikaelson patriarch's name which Klaus noticed instantly, "Were you in the house when he attacked the Salvatores." The Petrova bit the inside of her cheek and ignored his question, only edging his suspicion further, "Did he hurt you?" Again, not a word was uttered from her mouth. "Why won't you answer me?" He huffed.

Fuck my life. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Mia knew the only way to get him off the trail was to act innocent, like a damsel in distress. Men like Klaus loved feeling like a hero, even if they were saving the woman they love from situations they caused in the first place.

"What do you want me to say, Klaus? That I was scared?" She pouted her bottom lip out slightly and looked down, bringing her voice to a whisper. "I was terrified. He was so angry, I thought he was gonna kill us." The brunette brought her gaze to meet Klaus' and was taken aback by how much concern his eyes held. "He didn't touch me though, I walked in on him with his hands in Damon's chest, Stefan yelled at me to get out before Mikael could even react. But it scares me when I think about what could've happ-."

"Shh, it's okay." Klaus brought the back of his hand to her face and gently caressed her cheek. "He's gone now." Unfortunately, that did nothing but cause Mia's heart to wrench even more, the fact he was being so caring and sweet made her feel deceitful, evil almost.

I'm not better than Katherine. The brunette decided to turn back the cold act, it was too difficult to look into his eyes and not tell him that his abuser was still alive, preparing to kill him. "Well, he wouldn't even have been here if it wasn't for you." She snapped and watched as the disappointment and sadness spread across his features.

"I didn't ask for this...for any of this." Klaus retorted, even though he wanted to walk away and give her time to calm down, he knew that it wasn't likely they'd get the chance to dance together for a long time. "I know you perceive me as a monster but..." He halted upon seeing that Mia wasn't even paying attention, instead, she was looking across the garden in confusion as Elena held Stefan's hand and led him inside. "What's wrong?" The hybrid glanced back but the two had already gone, "You seem distracted."

"Nothing, I'm just looking at that girl's dress." Mia tried to give a fake smile but her attention was grabbed by Damon, who was walking with Tyler, but had a tight grip on the Lockwood's collar. What the fuck is going on?! She brought her eyes back to Klaus, who had a brow raised in wait. "I'm fine."

He gave nothing but a short hum, trying to figure out what it was that bothered her so. One thing he was sure of, was that she wasn't fine. "It's funny how the repetition of a word can cause it to become unreliable and contradictory."

"It's funny how people who have the most secrets naturally assume that everyone else is hiding things too." She hit back immediately, "It may surprise you but sometimes people actually tell the truth, there's no hidden meaning." It's a good thing he doesn't have to live another day, because his trust issues are gonna plummet even more after this.

"I believe you." He said genuinely, as Mia wished he would be as mean and conniving to her as she was with him, the whole situation would've been a lot easier if Klaus treated her the way he did the rest. "That's beautiful." He nodded towards the necklace resting on her chest, still trying to figure out where he'd seen it before.

"Thank you, Stefan gave it to me." Then it clicked, on Mia's 19th birthday she'd come home with a new pair of earrings that he had never seen before and when he asked her about them she said they were left on her gift table with no name. He knew that Stefan had feelings for her back then but they were one-sided, her heart belonged to him and only him. He also knew that Mia had feelings for the Salvatore before the summer after Matt had spilled the truth when he was compelled. 

The hybrid was now left wondering if anything had happened between the two that he wasn't aware of, why else would Stefan give her the present he bought when he was in love with her. It was his own girlfriend's birthday a few weeks prior yet Stefan had sent her nothing.

"It's lovely." Klaus spoke through gritted teeth, it was an injustice in his eyes. He'd compelled both Stefan and Mia so they would go on to lead separate lives away from him and Rebekah, yet fate decided to play a cruel game and entwine their lives once more. The man that Mia once despised was now someone she trusted the most, and the one she loved more than anything was now someone she couldn't wait to get away from. "So....you and Stefa-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there." Mia interrupted, "We are not and will not ever be close enough for you to ask me things like that. My life has nothing to do with you so I would appreciate it if you stopped trying to insert yourself as if you belong here. I said I would dance with you, not have a heart-to-heart." She'd been too nice to him, in her mind, and he was pushing his limits. He had no right to question her relationships when the only reason he was speaking to her was because she was a duplicate of his ex. "I'm not entertaining this anymore, just ...shush."

"Sweetheart." Despite the fact they were still dancing Mia was pretending not to hear him, the hybrid couldn't help but grin at her brattiness. Klaus tutted and shook his head almost mockingly, "Now, why can't you show this fire and stubbornness when your friends take advantage of you..." He saw her brows flinch and he'd hit a spot." I heard they handed you to Elijah in exchange for Elena...didn't it bother you?"

"Not really, me and Elijah ended up having a lot of fun on that trip." Mia responded, not knowing how it would agitate the hybrid. The Petrova spotted Damon and Stefan talking and took it as a sign that the plan was coming to its climax, her heart filled with dread all of a sudden, thinking how awful it must be to have everyone plot against you without your knowledge. He deserved it, of course, he deserved it, but it didn't stop her from feeling guilty.

"Be that as it may, they still used you as a term of negotiation, they don't truly care for you." The Mikaelson desperately wanted her to see the truth, that group of friends' main priority was and always would be Elena, they didn't deserve Mia.

"I'm trying really hard to endure your presence right now." Mia spoke with a sharp tone "But if you don't shut up I'm gonna leave." She couldn't, it was a bluff, one that he immediately saw through, but not for the reasons he thought.

"If you were going to walk away you would've done so the instant I asked you to dance with me." Klaus trailed a hand down her back, he hated how far they were from each other, dancing like a pair of middle schoolers who were afraid to touch. "You're still here because you need this as much as I do. So... you can continue to pretend that I'm the reason for your vexation or you can confide in me and share what's truly eating away at you."

"Yes, because I'm so touch-deprived that I would lower my standards and jump at the chance just to be held by you." Mia mused sarcastically, "When the actual reason is, we're in a place full of students and people I care about and I don't need you having a temper tantrum and killing them just because I refused to dance with you."

She closed her eyes with a sigh upon realising that she already broke her vow of silence with him. "You don't know me as well as you think you do and you don't have as much an effect on me as you think you do." And with those words she drained the emotion from her face, not allowing him to read her any further.

"Are you so certain?" Klaus quirked his brow, trying to incite another reaction from the Petrova yet her expression remained unchanged. "I see..."

Suddenly he yanked her harshly, bringing her body right up against his. Mia let out a small gasp but made it a point to keep her emotions hidden as Klaus tried to block out the images that sound triggered. The brunette turned her face away which did nothing to slow her pulse, the soft caress of his light breath brushing across her cheek was enough for them both to turn pink. "You still feel nothing?" He asked, overflowing with confidence.

"Oh well." Klaus quipped with a flat tone, he then dipped the girl backward, his hand resting at the bottom of her spine. His eyes lingered on her neck before travelling down to the decolletage, more specifically the soft tan skin of her breasts that were emerging from the top. In the past the Petrova preferred to cover herself, especially after the attack, she rarely wore revealing clothes unless Rebekah would force her to. One of the only benefits Klaus could see to his compulsion was that she was now more comfortable with her body and felt safe enough to wear what she wanted.

The hybrid pulled her back up and paused, gazing lovingly at Mia, who was too busy laughing in surprise to notice his heavy stare. The luminescence of her smile remained as bright as it was all those years ago, the sound just as melodious and soothing to his heart.

"There's that smile." He chucked. And just like that, the walls were back up, her mood changed once again, returning to the serious and cold facade she'd been trying to play for the entirety of being in his presence but he wasn't easily fooled.

She was his girl, whether or not she remembered, that statement remained true in his mind. There was something bothering his girl, other than him, and he was determined to find out what. He'd never guess that she'd been distracting him the whole time and leading him to his death.

"What's the matter, Sweetheart?" Klaus spoke softly, cupping Mia's cheek. Despite what he was expecting she didn't pull away but instead ever so slightly leaned in. "You know you can talk to me."

I'm a despicable being. She looked him in the eyes as he edged closer, awaiting her response. It seemed cruel that the last person he'd ever show affection to was one deceiving him. Mia opened her mouth, but wasn't entirely sure what she was even going to say, luckily for her, she didn't get the chance to say anything.

"You have a visitor." Mindy, a hybrid, appeared behind Klaus, she took a moment to take in the scene of her sire being extremely close with another woman. It felt wrong, she had been nothing but loyal to him yet he saw her only as a minion. Mindy glared at Mia, looking her up and down judgingly.

"Well, tell my visitor I'm busy." Klaus dismissed, keeping his gaze locked on Mia, who he noticed was trembling with anxiety as she knew what was coming. "What's wrong?" He whispered, stroking his thumb along her hip.

"Nothing." She stepped out of his hold and grabbed a random cup from the table, drinking from it to calm her nerves. The Mikaelson smirked and was about to make a remark on the physical contact getting too much and making her flustered.

"Klaus, the visitor." Mindy huffed, breaking his focus from Mia. "He said his name is Mikael.

Klaus' face dropped, his heart began to beat slightly faster but he was determined not to let his fear show. "Then we mustn't keep him waiting." He took Mia's cup from her and took a sip, "Move everyone out here, I need to have a chat with my dad." The blonde then addressed another hybrid, "Tony, you know what to do."

Just as he was about to leave, Klaus glanced at Mia, who was slowly shuffling away, trying to escape. All he could see was her younger self, her frightened expression when he told her Mikael was there, the tears rolling down her face as he tried to convince her of his plan and then her eyes dilated as he compelled away every memory of him. He now decided to do what he should've done 90 years prior. "Come with me, Sweetheart." He seized hold of her wrist, without giving her a chance to respond and made his way inside.

Mia tried to wriggle herself free from him but his hand might as well have been welded to her because there was no way she'd be able to get away. Once they'd gotten inside Klaus lead her to the living room and backed her into the wall, making sure she was concealed by the open door. "Stay here." He spoke quietly, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I'll come back for you later, okay?" The Petrova opened her mouth to respond but instead just nodded and watched as he walked away...to what was meant to be his death.

~~~~

A minute had barely passed yet Mia had already found herself becoming restless, she didn't understand the need for dramatics that men possessed, why they would waste time monologuing and mocking each other instead of just getting to the real issue. Although it would be difficult, almost impossible to watch, part of her yearned to see the stake drive through Klaus' heart, finally paying for what he did to her friends.

Fuck this. She quietly made her way to the main entrance of the house, as she turned the corner she spotted Klaus and Mikael stood on opposite sides of the door. Her heart filled with dread at the sight of Elena in Mikael's hold, surrounded by Klaus' hybrids that'd been compelled to switch sides. "Come out and face me, Niklaus." Mikael demanded, tightening his grip on the doppelganger's neck, "Or she dies."

"Please don't hurt her." Mia heard the words leave her mouth before she'd even thought of saying them, it was as if her body moved on its own accord as she ended up right behind Klaus, trying to get to Elena.

She wouldn't have stopped if it wasn't for Klaus' arm making contact with her chest as he held it in front of her. He looked at her with a threatening expression and shook his head, but not the type you'd expect, it was a look that said don't do anything stupid or I'll have to do something even more stupid to get you out of trouble. "Go ahead." He turned back to Mikael with a smile that attempted to exude confidence but his eyes showed an entirely different emotion. "Kill her."

"No, Klaus." Elena pleaded, her voice shaking with fear. "He'll- he'll do it." Mia felt nothing but helplessness in that moment. This wasn't part of the plan, as far as she knew. After her altercation with Mikael that day it was clear he wasn't the type to bluff or care about collateral damage. She felt as though she'd already broken her promise to Elena, she'd failed to keep her out of trouble, if she tried to do anything Mikael would simply push the doppelganger to the side and finish off what he started with the Petrova.

"If she dies...this lot will be the last of your abominations." Mikael spat out the last word with such distaste and cruelty to which Mia furrowed her brows, her best friend happened to be one of those hybrids and it disgusted her that a word like that was used to describe what they'd been turned into.

Klaus scowled and shrugged, "I don't need them, I just need to be rid of you." He brought his arm down and clenched his fists at his side.

"To what end, Niklaus? So you can live forever with no one at your side?" Mia edged closer to the hybrid and glared at the Mikaelson patriarch. "Nobody cares about you anymore, boy! What do you have other than those whose loyalty you forced, no one...no one." Mikael noticed the two becoming closer and smirked, so delighted to burst Klaus' bubble. "In fact just mere hours ago I had that one's heart in my clutches."

Mia's eyes became wide and her body grew cold. Klaus slowly turned his face towards her, finding the lies in her words from earlier, she was more involved than she let on, the look of heartbreak was almost euphoric for Mikael to witness so he continued to deride, adding salt to the wound. "Ah yes. The same wench you've been so desperately pining for...is the one who's kept you occupied all evening, precluded you from uncovering the truth."

And just like that the memory of the whole evening had sullied, it was all fake. Her smiles, her laughs, the fact she'd stayed by his side despite voicing his dislike for him. It wasn't playing hard to get, she truly hated him and went as far as to use his attraction for her against him. Klaus could've killed her in an instant for this betrayal, all he had to do was shove his hand into her chest and yank out her heart, that's what it felt like she'd already done to him.

But it wasn't her fault, she only knew him as the man that'd caused her loved ones nothing but agony, why wouldn't she jump at the chance to free herself and friends from this monster that'd seemed intent on tormenting them. He tilted his head slightly, keeping his eye contact with Mia fixed, he wanted her to see how much it'd hurt him. But what he didn't expect was for her eyes to become glossy with tears and for her to turn away in shame, that was all the confirmation he needed. She'd hated herself for what she'd done as much as he hated himself for allowing it to get that far. In his mind, her friends were to blame, they'd brainwashed her.

"I had her a millimetre away from death." Mikael bragged, it suddenly hit him where he'd seen Mia before. Chicago, 1922, outside a bar. The same bar he'd been told Klaus spent a majority of his time in yet she claimed to have never seen him before. The dots had finally connected, which is what made this all the more satisfying. "She wouldn't be stood there had I not let go. Whatever you have Niklaus...it is because I allowed it."

Klaus' felt his eyes well up, he faced Mikael with gritted teeth, "I'm calling your bluff, Father. Kill her" His breathing became ragged with rage as Mia was taken aback by the singular tear rolling down his face. She'd never seen him so vulnerable, it didn't match the character of the sadistic hybrid that she'd created in her mind.

The two continued to antagonise each other until Mikael had finally had enough, "Your impulse, Niklaus. It has and will forever be the one thing that keeps you from being truly great" And with those words she plunged the dagger into Elena's back, causing Mia to gasp in shock and lunge towards the girl only for Klaus to wrap his arms around her front and hold her back. 

She let out a sob as the doppelganger's body dropped to the ground, completely motionless. The Petrova shut everything out, focussing on the fact the closest thing she'd now had to a sister had just been killed in front of her. All she could see was Elena, all she could hear with Klaus' heavy breathing as his means to create more hybrids was snatched away.

Suddenly Mia was pulled out of Klaus' grasp and thrown to the side, her head collided harshly with the wall, knocking her out.

~~~~

"Helloooo, Mia." The brunette woke up to the sound of a familiar voice, Her head was pounding at first which quickly faded, a perk of vampiric healing and she felt a hand gently shake her body. "Wake up."

Her eyelids lifted slightly as she tried to see who was kneeling above her, they then shot open at the sight of the Petrova doppelganger, who she thought was just killed. "Elena?"

"Nope, guess again." A smirk grew on the woman's lips which caused a rage to flare up inside of Mia as she realised who it was. Katherine grabbed her descendant by the arm and yanked her from the ground, "Come on, we need to hurry." Unexpectedly to her, the younger Petrova pushed her away, causing her to stumble back a few steps. "Mia, we don't have time for this. Klaus knows you were working with Mikael, he's going to kill you."

"Klaus is dead anyways and even if he wasn't, I'd rather be killed by him than go anywhere with you." Mia fumed.

"Are you still whining about what I said?" Katherine rolled her eyes with a scoff, "It was months ago, get over it."

"It's not about that. I couldn't care less about that because I don't exactly want you as family either..but you know who I did want....Aziel." Mia crossed her arms, doing everything in her power to hold back from attacking the doppelganger. "Does that name ring any bells to you?"

Katherine straightened up at the mention of that name, it was one she hadn't heard for almost a century, "Why are you bringing that up?"

"You lied to him...to my dad." Mia snarled, her chest heaving with anger. "I want to know why, I deserve to know why."

"He abandoned you." Katherine responded, "He left when you were just a baby."

"No." Mia retorted, shaking her head, "He had his reasons."

"I'm sure he did." The doppelganger hit back with a bitter laugh. "They always have their reasons. Those reasons are just excuses they use to hurt people, then they come crawling back 18 years to see what they missed."

"He came back every year to see us, even though there was a chance he could be killed he never missed a year.Then you....you told him I was dead. On my 19th birthday, you lied and said I was dead!" Her voice began to crack as she spoke. "Please....please tell me that you didn't find out I was alive until later, please tell me that you're not that fucked up in the head, that you would let a father think his daughter was dead. Please, just tell me that and I'll go with you, we can leave."

The doppelganger stayed silent for a few moments, knowing that her relationship with Mia would never be the same after these words were spoken, "I can't tell you that. I can't lie and say that I didn't know you were alive because I did..." She paused and prepared herself for the lies she was about to tell, the lies she'd been compelled to say a few months ago when they were both trapped in Alaric's apartment. "I knew because....I'm the one who turned you."

Kill me now. Mia stood completely still, reeling from the shock of this revelation, she attempted to speak but couldn't find the words to say. "Shocker, huh." Katherine chuckled, "I'll spare you the tale of how two Petrovas met on a rainy night after the youngest had just run away from her home, it's a bore. All you need to know is I took care of you when you needed someone, not Aziel."

"It was fun, we had a good time, Chicago became our home for a little while but after a few months you became bratty, you were so sick of being this fragile little human that you begged me to turn you, so I did." Katherine circled Mia as she carried on talking. "I helped you with your control, taught you how to compel. Then I realised something...family only holds you back, I was still on the run from Klaus and I didn't need the extra baggage. So I got a witch to mess around with your head, basically fry it a little until you couldn't remember anything that'd happened that year."

She looked at the hateful expression painted on Mia's face and pouted mockingly, "Oh don't look at me like that. It could've been worse, I could've left you completely alone but I didn't."

Mia tilted her head in bewilderment, already guessing what was about to be said. "Jesse, you turned Jesse."

"Smart girl, you're finally catching up." Katherine quipped, "Look, I don't need to be here right now, I could've been miles away from Klaus if we weren't wasting time here. But I'm not, I'm here with you, trying to save your life." The doppelganger knew that if she'd just left Mia in the house, unconscious and vulnerable around Klaus and the hybrids, Stefan would hate her even more. As much as she hated to admit it, Mia was one of the most important things to the Salvatore, if something had happened to her and Katherine had the chance to intervene but didn't, he'd never speak to the older Petrova again. He'd truly hate her.

"Because unlike all the other Petrovas I've met over the years, you're special. Don't get me wrong, you're whiny, a pushover and you have a total martyr complex....but you're the only one worth a damn." Katherine held Mia's hand, surprised that she didn't immediately pull away, "Everything I've done....I've done to help you." That part was true, she'd rather have Mia think all these things than allow the hybrid to sink his claws into her, once she'd gone over to the Klaus side there was no saving her. "We're more alike than you think, we're survivors. The world constantly throws trouble our way and we get out alive, we fight. We're the same."

Mia glanced down at their entwined hands, a small smile appeared on her lips as Katherine mirrored it. Then suddenly the younger brunette's eyes darkened, "Bullshit." She yanked Katherine forward before twisting her wrist, the sounds of bones cracking sounded through the air. The doppelganger cried out in pain and was shoved onto the floor, Mia stood over her, looking down at her as if she was dirt. 

"Don't try to make yourself feel better, you did all of this for the same reason you do everything, for yourself. Do you even regret any of it?" She paused giving her a chance to answer but not a word was uttered. "You're not good Katherine, you're a selfish bitch and it doesn't matter how many lies you tell yourself or others, that will always be true."

The younger Petrova was being harsh, she was aware of that but after learning what Katherine did to Aziel, she couldn't find it in her heart to show the girl any sympathy, even if she just provided answers that Mia had been searching for since she was turned."You didn't do any of this to help me. You did it because to you, it wasn't fair that my dad still cared about me even after the Petrova curse but yours couldn't stand the sight of you. You couldn't deal with the thought of me having a family when you had yours snatched from you."

Katherine got up from the ground, her face screwed up in anger, angry that every word Mia was saying was true. "I don't need to hear any of this." She muttered, dusting her dress off and was about to walk away but Mia grabbed her arm, there was still a lot she had left to say.

"That's why you put Elena through hell, isn't it? You hate the idea of either of us having what you didn't get to have. Well guess what, we didn't do that to you Katherine, Klaus did!" Mia yelled, "But you can't do anything to him so you just take your anger out on everyone else, but not anymore. If you hurt anybody that I love again, I will make it my personal mission to hunt you down and kill you. Klaus may be dead but he still has siblings that I'm sure hate you as much as he did, and I happen to be friends with them."

The Petrova smiled sinisterly, grabbing Katherine by the face, digging her fingers in until the left a mark, "I will make your life a living hell." The doppelganger pushed Mia's arm away from her, as much as she wanted to tear her apart she couldn't. Not without angering all of Mia's friends, who would also make it their mission to kill Katherine. 

"You thought Klaus was bad? The bastard wasn't even looking for you but I won't stop until you're dead. We're nothing alike Katherine, I would never compel a 17-year-old not to be afraid of me just so I could jump into bed with him. Everything you do is for your own personal gain."

"What is wrong with you?!" Katherine exclaimed, "I saved your life, I gave you a purpose. You may think you're a badass now but you became this because of me. You're weak, passive....Now, just imagine if you had Daddy's love too, you'd be a complete doormat. Hate me all you want but you're stronger with those issues. What, you wanna be like Elena? Constantly getting yourself into trouble and waiting for a knight in shining leather to come save you?"

The two stood at a threatening distance, both of them with their fists clenched but neither of them willing to throw the first punch. "And the answer to your question is no, I don't regret any of it. Even though you're being a total bitch, I'm gonna give you a bit of advice. Leave this town as soon as you can. Because one day these guys are going to get you into something that you won't be able to get out of, and even though you do everything you can to help them, it'll never be reciprocated. They'll say they did what they could but at the end of the day Elena is the only one they'd do anything for and you'll be the one that ends up dead. And when they lower your body into the ground or scatter your ashes to the winds, don't expect me to be standing there to say goodbye."

"That's enough." Someone voiced from behind them, the two Petrovas turned around to see Stefan. "We've got bigger problems right now. Mikael is dead...Klaus is alive." Mia's breath hitched at the news, a miniscule part of her wishing that she'd just run with the doppelganger. "Can you give me a ride?" He asked Katherine, who was smiling at the fact he spoke to her.

"Sure. I need to put about a million miles between myself and Klaus as soon as possible." Katherine began to strut away to the car but realised the Salvatore wasn't walking beside her, she whipped around to see him stuck in his place, staring at Mia. "Stefan, you coming?"

"You go ahead, I'll be there in a minute." Stefan responded, not taking his eyes off of Mia, who was too busy glaring at Katherine to notice. "Hey." He placed a hand on her arm to get her attention, heart skipping when she made eye contact with him, "If you're worried about Klaus, don't be. He won't do anything to you."

Mia looked into his eyes, her brows furrowing at a flash of emotion in them, part of her wondered if she'd imagined it. "I'm fine, it's fine." Before she could say anything else, Katherine sounded the car horn and gestured for him to hurry up. "You better go, I'll see you later."

The brunette began to walk away whilst Stefan's stare followed her, his emotions had brought back a flood of affection but also confusion regarding Mia. Involuntarily his gaze got stuck on her ass, his eyes widening upon recalling how he slapped it when his humanity was off. He just prayed it wouldn't be awkward between them especially with everything he'd done during that time.

Once she'd made her way to the Lockwood house, Bonnie and Tyler had spotted her through the window and rushed outside, the witch threw her arms around Mia, "We thought something had happened to you."

"I'm okay, Bon." Mia reassured, holding Tyler's hand at the same time, she pulled away from the hug and did the same to Bonnie. "You guys do realise that this is the second time our so-called friends have left us out of their plan." She laughed bitterly, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to escape as her two friends looked at her with concern. "Did you have any idea Katherine was going to be here, because I didn't. Imagine if Klaus didn't hold me back before when I tried to save who I thought was Elena....Mikael would've killed me, he was looking for a reason anyway."

"At least you knew there was a plan to kill Klaus in the first place, I didn't even get that much." Tyler chuckled, trying to make her feel better, " I'm guessing you don't wanna be around Damon and Elena right now. Why don't you move in here? A load of the hybrids are too, well the ones that survived that whole attack."

"I don't know.." Mia mumbled, contemplating the decision, "What about the other hybrids...won't they tried to kill me?"

"Nah they're cool. They hate Klaus as much as I do. Also..." He turned to Bonnie with a smirk, "I happened to know that Zander has the hots for you." Bonnie tried to hide the smile that was creeping onto her lips but it was futile, the two had spent a majority of the night getting to know each other, they'd talked and danced and maybe even shared a small kiss. "And Em, at least 4 of them have asked me for your number."

It was then Mia remembered that her room was completely destroyed by Mikael earlier that day, so she agreed but let Tyler think it was due to his powers of persuasion. "But...only if Bonnie moves in too." She nudged the Bennett, "Please, please, pleaseeee. It'll be fun." When Bonnie nodded Mia practically jumped on her in excitement, Tyler wrapped his arms around both of them, lifting them from the ground and spinning them around as the two squealed.

~~~~

"Do you want us to come in with you?" Tyler asked Mia as they pulled up to the Salvatore Boarding House, they'd already been to Bonnie's house and collected her things. "You know, just in case Damon's there."

"I don't need your protection." Mia patted his cheek as if he was a child, "But you can come in and carry my stuff."

As soon as they entered the house Damon rushed to them in a frenzy with Elena right behind him, "Finally! So glad you decided to join us, you kids have fun?" He mused sarcastically, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't worried when he came home and saw that the Petrova wasn't there. "Did you go for a nice after-party meal...a couple of drinks? You didn't think to drop us a text to tell us that you weren't lying  decapitated somewhere. "

"What we do has nothing to do with you, dick. If you can't keep us in the loop then we don't need to do the same." Mia snapped, "You lied to me, you stood there acting like everything was normal but you couldn't even tell me that Katherine was involved."

She looked at Elena, who wore a guilty expression. "You knew what Katherine did to my dad, you knew how hard it would be for me to see her and you didn't even think to give me a heads up...I thought Mikael killed you. Do you know how that felt? How helpless I was, watching you die and not being able to do anything about it, watching the only family member I had left be murdered in front of me...And it wasn't even you."

The doppelganger brought her gaze to the floor as she filled with shame, hating that Mia was disappointed in her, "I don't mean to sound like a nagging parent but I expected more from you. Why couldn't you just tell me? I put my life on the line tonight, distracting Klaus because you guys told me to but you couldn't even let me in on this little detail. He could've ripped my heart out in the middle of that dance floor if he knew I was lying...Mikael could've killed me if I tried to save you." She shook her head in frustration, pressing her hands together and bringing them to her lips. "I'm done...I'm moving in with Tyler, I can't stand to be around either of you right now."

Just as she was about to walk to her room Damon stood in front of her but was instantly pushed back by Tyler, "She's made her decision, take it like a man and move." He flashed his gold eyes at Damon, reminding him that he had the power to end his life. The Salvatore stepped back with a scowl and stormed away. Tyler put his arm over the Petrova's shoulder and they made their way upstairs.

The two had just finished packing Mia's belongings, it was quite easy considering the fact they were all out of the drawers already and scattered over the floor, courtesy of Mikael. "Mia.." Elena spoke softly, standing in the doorway. "I'm sorry. Please, I love you. You're like a sister to me, I can't lose you." She approached her ancestor, her eyes full of desperation. "I love you, I'm really sorry."

Mia sighed deeply, holding her hand out to Elena so she could hold it. "You're not losing me, I just need time. Please don't ask me to forgive you because I'm gonna look at your puppy eyes then I'm gonna feel bad and give in, because I love you." Elena sniffled as the Petrova spoke, now wishing she'd just done the right thing and told her, "You're like a sister to me too, Elena, that's not going away. But I can't forgive you right now, because if I do you guys will think that it's okay to keep shit from me and that I'm just gonna forgive you each time."

She cupped Elena's cheek in her hand and felt her heart wrench when the doppelganger leaned into her touch and let out a sob. "Please don't cry, you know I hate seeing you sad. If you want to make it better then you need to do me a favour." Elena's face lit up with hope at the possibility of finding a way to fix this, "Don't call or text unless there's an emergency, don't come over unless you really need me. Just give me this time, let me be selfish for once."

Elena wiped away the tears that were staining her face and nodded. Mia picked up two bags whilst Tyler carried the other five, "I'm sorry." Elena whispered as Mia was about to walk out the door. The Petrova vampire simply gave her a small smile and left, leaving the Gilbert girl in a flood of tears.

~~~~

"Welcome to the Lockwood House, ladies." Tyler cheered as he carried the girls' belongings inside. "Help yourself to whatever you want and you can choose your rooms."

Unlike Mia, Bonnie did not possess supernatural strength which meant she was struggling and dragging one of her bags across the floor. Just as Mia was about to help the witch Zander sped towards her, "Here, let me." He took the bag from her and carried it with ease, "There's a spare room next to mine...you know, if you want to stay there."

"Yeah." Bonnie felt her face heat up slightly, trying to ignore the teasing kissing faces Mia and Tyler were making. "That'll be nice." She started to follow the hybrid upstairs, she paused midway and waited til he was at the top before turning around to her two friends, "You guys are the worst." She playfully scolded, but that did nothing to stop them.

"Oh Zan." Mia mocked in a high tone, stroking her hands across Tyler's face and body as he pretended to be aroused. "I love your big strong arms and the way you carry my bags."

"I love it when you touch me with your magic hands, Bon Bon." Tyler groaned loudly, he dipped Mia backwards, pressing his hand over her mouth and kissing the back of his palm to make it look like they were making out whilst Bonnie covered her face in embarrassment. He brought her back up and spoke over her laughter, the sweet sound that caught someone else's attention. "I want to make witchy wolf-vamp babies with you."

"There's nothing I want more." The Petrova wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest, Bonnie ran up the stairs to get away from the situation so Mia yelled "Show me some sweet hybrid loving!"

"Sweet hybrid loving?" Klaus chuckled, entering the room. His presence immediately ruined the mood but Mia still didn't let go of Tyler. "I don't mean to interfere in matters that have nothing to do with me but I thought Tyler was spoken for."

"What are you doing here?" Mia questioned with a glare, she decided not to push her luck and be too rude, even though Stefan assured her that Klaus wouldn't kill her, he didn't say anything about vicious torture.

"Carol was kind enough to allow me to stay here, whilst I make arrangements for my own home." Tyler and Mia glanced at each other at the mention of the word home, this meant that Klaus would be staying in Mystic Falls and they'd have to deal with him every day. "Looks like we're housemates." Klaus added with a smirk.

Fuck my life. Mia sighed and moved away from Tyler. "I need some air." The whole point of moving out of the Salvatore house was to get away from the hassle and trouble her friends brought her, and now the biggest trouble was going to be sleeping across the hall from her, ruining what was meant to be her new sanctuary. "And a drink."

~~~~

"Hi, I'm sorry I haven't visited in a while." Mia said softly, looking down at a gravestone, "There's been a lot going on that it completely slipped my mind....Actually that's a lie." She smiled sheepishly and twisted the ring on her finger. "I thought about coming here all the time but couldn't bring myself to do it. You know, like after the ghosts came back. I was hoping to see you that day, even if it was just for a minute."

The brunette placed a rose upon the soil before bringing her hand up to the stone and tracing the name with her finger. Jenna Sommers.

"So much has gone wrong, and I feel like I've let you down. I promised you that I'd look after Elena and Jeremy and I tried. I spent every night at their house this summer, making them dinner, trying to be the kind of role model that you were... but I didn't even realise that Jeremy was in trouble. That he was seeing ghosts and shit. I could tell something was wrong and I'd ask but he would always brush it off, I didn't want to seem pushy and keep pestering him about it."

She grabbed the bottle of bourbon that lay beside her and took a swig, it was her fourth bottle in the last hour however it did nothing to soothe the ache in her heart.

 "And then he cheated on Bonnie with Anna, and I got so mad that I hurt him. He's been jumpy around me since then and all I want to do is hug him and apologise but it doesn't change what he did, how he hurt my best friend. I need to be mad at him for a while, I'd like to think you'd understand."

"It's the same thing with Elena, I know she didn't mean to hurt me but Katherine was right, I'm a pushover, I give in and forgive too easily. And I do it because I love them. I've only known them for just under a year but they're my family, I love them like siblings so I guess I can be mad at them like siblings...if that even makes sense. I'm a bit out of practise when it comes to family. I've never had to be the eldest one, the one that guides everyone down the right path, I was always the one that needed the guiding."

"I'm sorry for letting you down but I'm gonna keep trying, for you." Mia stood up from the ground, making sure to pick up the bottles, "I promise I'll do better...Bye Jen, I miss you." She stumbled out the graveyard, wobbling around in her high heels as she travelled deeper into the woods. The sound of her phone ringing caused her to flinch, "Hello." She answered, flipping the phone around the wrong way and holding it to her ear.

"Finally, I've been texting you for hours." Caroline complained but Mia made a shushing noise, telling her to lower her voice. "Are you drunk?"

"Eh,a teensy weensy bit...weensy...weensy." She giggled, repeating it several times, "That's such a weird word...weensy, Sounds like weenie. Speaking of weenie...I think our baby Bonnie is getting some hybrid weenie tonight. God, those new hybrids are hot. I don't know what beauty-magnifying qualities Elena's blood has but I wouldn't mind taking a shot if it could make my hair as shiny as Demetria's...she was real pretty. But yeah, Bon Bon is deffo getting laid."

"Lucky for some, my hybrid is too brainwashed for me to even stand being around him. Did you know he vervained me tonight and kidnapped me...He took me home but still" Caroline turned on her side and ran her hands through her blonde locks, "I know he said becoming a hybrid gave his life meaning but it's a terrible and trapped meaning."

"He was trying to keep you safe." Mia slurred, defending her friend, it was no secret that since his hybrid transition, Caroline hadn't exactly made it easy for him. "Let's be honest Care, if he told you what was going down you wouldn't have left."

"Of course, I wouldn't have." Caroline sighed, "But how am I supposed to be with him when he's sired? How do I know that one day he's not gonna attack me because Klaus tells him to? He's not in control of himself, it's ....disturbing."

"And how do you think he feels?!" Mia asked, she stopped walking when she reached a huge tree that reminded her of her special tree. "Because trust me, as freaked out and uncomfortable you are about all this, Tyler is 10 times worse. He's had his free will taken from him and I'm sure he's just as terrified about the possibilities of hurting you. But you can't keep living in fear of what could happen, the only thing that's gonna do is break your relationship."

"It already has." The blonde murmured, "He asked if I had his back and I...I didn't say anything. I think we're broken up."

"I'm sorry baby." Mia comforted as she paced across the floor. Unfortunately, she'd lost her footing, causing her ankle to roll and her body to hit the ground with a thud.  The girl was so intoxicated that she'd completely forgot about Rebekah, the blonde was still nowhere to be seen and she was too angry before even think of asking Damon where she was. "Ouch."

"Are you okay?" Caroline giggled, "Do you want me to come pick you up?"

"I'm fine, I'm just gonna lay here a bit until I can feel my legs again. And I'm going to be really transparent...I won't remember this conversation tomorrow morning." Then without saying goodbye she ended the call and tossed her phone to the side. A rustling sound caught her attention, she rested her chin on the floor to look up at whatever it was but saw nothing. "If it's a murderer, it's their unlucky day, I could do with a blood binge."

The brunette sat up and shuffled backwards until she felt the bark of the tree make contact with her back. She then heard a small growl and wondered if it could be a bear, she then wondered if she'd be able to fight a bear. All of a sudden, something jumped out from the bushes, causing her to gasp. It was a wolf, with fur of grey and eyes of gold. This particular canine had had a very trying evening and was looking for an escape from his life. He didn't turn into his wolf form often but when he did it felt as though he was completely free, without any worries or cares.

Mia backed up further against the tree and attempted to stand up but once again her legs gave out on her, "Please don't hurt me." She whispered, "If you bite me I'm just gonna let myself die, my ego would never let me ask Klaus for the cure...he's a prick and I like to stay away from him."

The wolf upturned its head and barked, almost as if it was offended by what she'd just said, then it approached her slowly to show it meant no harm. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Mia quizzed, lifting her hand up and keeping it there to see if the canine would allow her to touch it, it lowered its muzzle and barked again to grant permission.

"So sweet." Mia cooed, running her fingers through its fur as it closed its eyes, enjoying the feeling. She then paused realising how comfortable the creature was with her and came to her own conclusion. "Ty...is that you?" The Lockwood was the only werewolf she could think of who would be so affectionate with her. It gave no answer at first as if it was deep in thought then sniffed and nodded which was extremely weird to watch a dog-like creature do so Mia broke out into a fit of hysterics. "I feel like Bella Swan." She giggled, continuing to pet it. "You look so cute, I wanna smush your cheeks."

The canine moved away with a yap, "Okay, big guy." Mia held her hands up, "No cheek smushing, I promise. She laid her legs flat against the floor which caused her dress to ride up, "Oops...keep your eyes up doggie." The brunette laughed, trying to pull it back down by the position she was sitting in wouldn't allow it. When she looked back up the wolf had vanished, "Hey, where'd you go? Tyler?!" She listened out for it and could only hear the sound of faint steps retreating, "What a rude puppy...didn't even say goodbye."

After about a minute she felt her eyes beginning to droop, the alcohol was clearly trying to leave her system and urging her body to sleep. It wasn't until she felt a paw on her leg that her eyes shot open again and saw that the wolf had returned, this time it was holding the edge of a blazer in its mouth. "Hi again." Mia smiled sweetly, "Did you have a nice walk?" She received no response to this question, instead, the wolf dropped the blazer onto her lap, and used its paws to straighten it out so it was acting as a blanket.

"Thank you. I think you should stay like this forever." The vampire ruffled Tyler's fur and laughed when a whine emitted from his mouth, "You know, you're one of the only people I trust right now. Stefan's got his humanity off, Jeremy is a cheating little cunt...Damon and Elena lied to me. But I think I deserve it like it's karma or something. I did a bad thing, and it's killing me like...it makes me feel dirty."

The wolf placed its paw on her hand, urging her to confide in it. "It's about Klaus...I can't stop thinking about what we did. We brought his abuser back to town, the man that made him so cold and evil....but is he really evil? We see him as this villain but in his story, we're the bad guys." She picked up a stick from the ground and dragged it along the dirt, drawing patterns. "I thought we were the good ones, that we were just doing something bad to stop something worse from happening...then why do I feel so guilty?"

"Seeing him cry it was just- like ...it wa- it felt like..." She groaned in frustration at her inability to speak properly and dropped her head into her hands, "It was like he's so much more than he seems. That he's not just this hybrid prick that we think he is, he has feelings and...has been hurt more than I can imagine. And for what, because of something his mom did, something he had no control over...it's fucking with my head.

The brunette went for the bottle once more but the wolf seized it in its mouth and launched it across the forest, she was already far too drunk. "I tricked him tonight, he was genuinely upset about it like he expected more from me...And I felt just as bad for doing it, for helping the person who'd hurt him the most in this world. You know, sometimes I think that I'm just as bad as Katherine, maybe even worse. At least Katherine admits that she's selfish, she knows who she is...I just found out today that it was Katherine who turned me...maybe I'm becoming like my sire. What if I've just been fooling myself my whole life? What if I'm-"

Her words were cut off when the wolf playfully nudged its head into hers to express its disagreement. "Of course, you won't think that, Ty. I could murder someone and you would find a way to excuse me." Once again her eyes became heavy, closing more each second, every blink was an opportunity for them to stay shut yet she fought against it. "I'm finding so much about myself, it's making my brain explode, I don't think I could take another secret being exposed."

Another whine came from the wolf but it was a sad one, "Don't worry Ty." She yawned, "You can tell me any...thing." And with those words, sleep had overtaken her and her head fell back against the bark.

After an unknown amount of time, Mia felt herself being moved, she opened one eye slightly and could see the Lockwood house getting closer but she wasn't walking. Her mind was still in a haze so she moved her hand around to feel her surroundings and felt the material of a shirt. The first few buttons were opened so her hand came into contact with warm, smooth skin, the feeling made her hum in content. There was also an arm locked around her legs and one cradling her back.

It then clicked, she fell asleep in the woods and was being carried in by her friend. "I love you, Ty." She mumbled sleepily, without bothering to look at his face she nuzzled her face into his chest and fell back asleep.

"I love you too." A voice spoke, but it wasn't Tyler's.

A/N: HELLO MY DARLINGSSS. I hope you enjoyed that chapter. I truly despise the writing but oh well....if I waited until a chapter was perfect to post it I'd never update at all.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO VOTE

What's ur favourite moment(s) from this chapter? It's hella long but there were loads of seeds that I needed to plant for future chapters.

Sooo....Mia moved out of the Salvatores. Incoming Tylonia housemates era, theyre going to be so chaotic I'm so excited. Someone asked me on my tumblr who my fave allure friendship is and its deffo this trio.

 Also FOLLOW ME ON TUMBLR (same user as this), I answer questions about my fics, give my opinions on random things, maybe will start posting one shots and spoiler. I also repost a lot of Cami content..you know bc thats my wife.

Some of yall when Katherine said she turned Mia:

Btw I've become a Klaus anti, like Klaus in the show is so annoying to me...THIS WONT AFFECT MY WRITING DONT WORRY.. hes just kinda an ick to me now. Still fine af tho. 

 Anyways Klaus' hybrids > Klaus. Imma post their cast next chapter, theyre so hot I cant deal. Some of u will already know who plays them bc of tiktok.

Btw klaus had his threatening conversations with the others before he went to Mia

UNEDITED BC IM A LAZY MF. yall should be able to read it anyways

GIF AT THE TOP MADE BY MY WIFE AND LOVER evanschris- I LOVE YOU SOOO MUCHHHH. Im obsessed with that gif, gives a sneak peek on how niklia will be this season.  Anna is so talented guys it seriously turns me on...jk....not rlly bc im so horny for her

LOVE YOUUUU

Published: 18th July 2023