••••••

It's been months since I had to send my child away to safety. I can't say it's easy knowing it should be me cradling her in my arms, however, I put her first and I could never let her be surrounded by danger in this city.

I try and contact Rebekah once in awhile even if it pains me to know that it's risky to have a conversation. We had the entire city believe our baby didn't make it and even though I know she's well and alive, it doesn't feel like she is. I guess you could say I'm grieving in a way.

The wolves have taken over New Orleans, or should I just say Francesca and her brothers. After figuring out that Francesca was also the one behind my daughter's plot to die, I wanted her head on a stick immediately. I've tried to convince the two Mikaelson brothers to let us attack but they refuse.

The night Hope was born was also the night the white oak stake went missing. Klaus and Elijah believe the werewolves have it stashed somewhere and are ready to use it when needed. That's why they won't finish this war.

I stand in front of the full-length mirror while putting my shirt back on. "The bed's still warm..." I hear a whisper by my ear and his arms snake around my waist.

I smile wide and turn to face him. I place my arms on both sides of his shoulders and look up at him. I close the gap between us and give him a soft kiss, and eventually it gets heated in seconds.

Shocking, isn't it? That I had him tied to me by a string for the longest time and now I let him in, literally. If we're being honest, Klaus and I needed each other the most when we gave away our child and in order to fill that void, we turned to physical matters.

I'm not complaining, though. It was long overdue and it helped stitch up any bad patches we still had opened up. All I've ever wanted was him and he's here, with me always. 

A few knocks hit the door softly but I chose to ignore the door opening seconds later and so did Klaus. My mind spaced out, my only focus was solely on the man in front of me. A voice clears their throat and Klaus pulls away with a sigh of annoyance.

"What do you want, Elijah?"

"I understand you two are grieving your child's absence but there are different ways to cope other than... intimate doings." Elijah speaks, raising his eyebrows in the process.

Klaus steps away from my presence and starts to wander by the bed. "Since when did you sign up to be a couple's therapist, Elijah?"

I turn away from the eldest Mikaelson and throw on the rest of my missing clothing that were scattered around the bed. "Admiring what is not yours, are we, brother?"

I turn around to face them with a confused look once I heard Klaus reveal those words. "What are you talking about?" I question, clearly not understanding what's going on.

Klaus and Elijah stare at each other as if I wasn't in the room. Elijah then squints his eyes, "My heart is with another and I could never betray you like that..."

"Here we go again, my big brother. Always wanting something he can't have." Klaus says and walks over to him, patting him in the back. "Don't be jealous,"

Elijah rolls his eyes, "I suppose you'll be pleased to know that I've located the last of the twelve rings forged with your blood."

I frown at their sudden change of the subject, still not comprehending what just occurred.

Klaus perks up slightly, "Then, it's time!"

The past few months have been rough for Klaus... not only did he also lose our child, he was being drained of his energy every full moon and that irked him daily. He wants to spill blood as much as I do.

Elijah says a few more words before excluding himself out of the room. Klaus walks over to his area of scattered paintings... more like broken canvases. Klaus kind of went off earlier today because he claimed he needed blood of his enemies to complete his artwork. You can see why he's so eager to shed some blood.

"You are very annoying." I tell Klaus after a moment of silence. He perks his head up with a raised eyebrow and a forming smirk, "And why's that?"

"You love making people uncomfortable, don't you?" I ask, which was more like a rhetorical question. "Yes. It makes me feel quite better about myself." he replies while picking up a paintbrush and letting it hit the blank canvas.

When I don't respond, he looks up at me once more before sighing. "Elijah does care," he says and I shake my head. "I wasn't necessarily talking about Elijah." I tell him.

"Oh, now we're back to that? Damon had what was coming to him." he states with a grin. I put my hands up in defense, "We're not going back to anything, Klaus. I'm just stating a fact that you are very annoying."

Speaking of Damon... I haven't heard anything about him. I've tried contacting him through the phone multiple times in the last few months and haven't gotten anything in return. I gave up long ago and I don't even know if he made it back to Mystic Falls.

I snap out of my train of thoughts and look at Klaus. "Hmm, but you've grown to love that about me, haven't you?" He drops his paintbrush and walks towards me. "Don't push it." I smile.

§

"Hello? Klaus?!"

I knit my eyebrows in confusion, hearing a female voice enter the compound demanding to see Klaus' appearance. I recognized her voice; Camille.

Klaus' presence startles me from behind and he seemed to be bewildered as well. "What is she doing here?" I whisper, trying not to attract the bartender guest downstairs in the courtyard.

"I'm just as confused as you, love. I've only had one conversation with her." he tells me and I knew he was exaggerating his words at the last bit.

I don't blame her for visiting. Klaus hasn't seen the light of day in months. I just don't fully get why she has to seek his presence though.

"Klaus, I know you're here somewhere. We need to talk." I watch as she takes her time walking up the stairs. Klaus and I hide in the shadows, listening close as Elijah makes his attendance known.

"He doesn't wish to see you." he states, his eyes as intimidating as ever. Cami gasps, "Oh! Elijah. Where the hell did you come from?"

Elijah, clearing unamused. "I beg your pardon? Aren't you the one who is trespassing?"

A small smile forms on my lips as I try my hardest to not make a sound of laughter. Klaus looks at me, smiling slightly at the sight of me before shushing me.

"He doesn't care much for conversation these days. And, he certainly wouldn't care for the fact that you've put yourself in danger by coming here." Elijah continues on.

Camille groans out in frustration, "I'm already in danger. I have Guerreras following me like it's a police state. The city's being run by gangsters, and you guys aren't doing anything about it. Marcel took them out a hundred years ago without any of you. Don't you think he might be up for lending you a hand?"

Elijah stares at her for a long moment before speaking, "Thank you for coming, Camille." He gestures toward the door for her exit, and she reluctantly follows him before turning and stopping him.

"I know your family is grieving. But I know you don't believe those rumors that Marcel killed the baby. So, if you want help taking down the Guerreras, you have a weapon across the river just waiting to be fired. Use it."

Camille says once more before turning away. I step out of the shadows with my arms crossed, looking at her bouncy curls fade away in the distant.

§

I hear mild yelling from the other rooms and me being curious, I stumble out of my bedroom and toward the sound. Hayley walks out with an aggravated look on her face. She comes to a halt when she spots me.

"Everything okay?" I question, rubbing my arms as a small breeze passes by. "Um, yes." she replies shortly, walking past me to get down the stairs.

I purse my lips and follow behind her. I haven't had the chance to talk to her in awhile... According to Elijah, she's been wolfing out in the Bayou and I'm genuinely concerned for her since she is never around.

I touch her shoulder and she whips around. "Hayley, if you ever need to talk, I'm here." I tell her with a small smile which soon drops at her next words.

"I don't need to talk, Maya. I'm not like your friends who have their vampy-witch college problems to complain about. Okay? So, drop it."

I open my mouth in shock. "What's your problem? I only asked because I'm worried about my friend." I tell her, growing irritated.

"We were never friends. I only put up a conversation with you because I was carrying your baby, that's it." Hayley says and I'm left dumbfounded. Her words hurt more than it should've.

"Am I missing a catfight?" Klaus' voice enters the courtyard with a smirk on his lips. He left the compound to have a chat with Marcel and I can only hope he has good news to erase the fact that Hayley hates my guts for no reason.

I blink the tears that were on the verge of spilling out and walk away from the female hybrid.

"It's perfect you're all here. I have got a plan... Elijah!" he screams out and the oldest Mikaelson comes to view from the balcony.

"We have the Guerreras where we want them. We have them waiting, we have them worried, and now, we know they're an army with no defenses against an Original."

Elijah comes down from the staircase, tightening his suit and joins the three of us. "We don't know that for certain." he says.

Klaus shrugs, "I'm willing to gamble." I shake my head and give him a look, "That's risky, Klaus. Someone has the stake and we don't know where it is."

Klaus shrugs once more. "One enemy at a time, darling! In the end, we'll slay them all. Tonight, we just have to plant the right seeds, and for that, we need help."

§

Our plan consist of retrieving all twelve original moonlight rings that are helping to drain Klaus. The Guerreras now believe they can get their hands on the missing white oak stake and in doing so, they'll try to attack Klaus at his weakest on the full moon tonight.

Except what they don't know is that Klaus will have his strength back by the time they come for him because the rings will no longer affect him when we repossess them.

We have anybody we can think of around the area that can help us during this war. Here I stand next to Marcel at an old foundry where we'll be trapping some werewolves who contain the rings.

It wasn't easy to get to this point. Klaus practically begged me not to be involved, worried that he'll lose me again. I won this argument this time, feeling sick every time I saw Klaus grow weak because of these werewolves. I was seeking revenge for what they did to him and what they tried to do to my baby.

I stand high on one of the metal platforms near the ceiling. Several of Francesca's werewolves come in, thinking the white oak stake is stashed in here somewhere. "Start from the corners. Work the room from the outside in." one of them say.

Marcel and I emerge from the shadows to make ourselves known. "Huh, look what we have here." they grin widely.

Marcel raises his hands in a non-threatening pose, distracting them while Josh quickly exits the building and locks the doors from the outside, trapping all of us inside.

"I know your boss wanted to buy this place, but... I've been stockpiling wolfsbane for months, and I just really needed a place to store it!" Marcel pulls a lighter from his pocket and lights it before holding it near one of the overhead sprinkler system, causing it to spray wolfsbane-infused water down on the werewolves.

Their skin burns from the exposure to wolfsbane, causing them to scream in pain. The werewolves run to the locked doors and try to break through, but they can't.

I pull out my bow and arrow, shooting my arrow laced with wolfsbane in one of their chests and Marcel jumps down and slices one of the werewolf's fingers off that had a ring on it. "I'm gonna need that!"

I continue to free-shoot my arrows in a fast motion and injure any of the werewolves that I can have easy access to. The platform I'm on is pretty high up, so they can't get to me especially when the wolfsbane is burning them severely.

I felt the adrenaline rush through me, a feeling I haven't felt in such a long time. At least in fighting purposes... I grab my last arrow and aim toward a moonlight ring and when the tip hits it, the ring shatters and pierces through the werewolf's finger.

I pull a knife out of my boot and jump off the platform, landing on top of a werewolf and stabbing his heart before tugging the ring off of him.

I glance at Marcel, who's pretty busy attacking the very few werewolves left. I stand up, the wolfsbane-infused water soaking up every inch of my body.

I notice a werewolf running towards me and as he gets close, I lift up my knife to eye-level and by the time he reaches me, the knife impales itself into this neck and his blood splatters onto my face. He gasps, holding his hands up and I take the ring off. "Thank you." I smile before pulling the knife out of his throat and into his chest.

I wipe away the blood from my face and stare down at the bodies beneath me, feeling no source of remorse. Marcel chuckles after pulling out the last werewolf's heart.

"I'm super impressed by your skills. Why have you been hiding out in the shadows all this time?" he asks and I shove the knife back in boot after wiping it dry.

"I don't know," I reply and take a deep breath. "I miss it though." I step over the dead bodies and walk over to the doors which Marcel breaks open with his vampire strength. "Klaus is one lucky guy."

By the time I got home, Klaus was already finishing up his artwork with a smile on his face. "I take it you got what you wanted?" I ask, referring to his enemies' blood as I toss my wet jacket in laundry basket.

"Yes, thanks to you." Klaus puts his paintbrush down and comes over to me, placing a kiss on my lips. "And do you feel better?" I question, still concerned about him and hoping he's still not weak.

"No." he says and I furrow my eyebrows, wondering where we went wrong. "What?"

Klaus smirks, leaning down to my ear. "I need you, Maya." he whispers and leaves soft kisses on my neck. I roll my eyes at him, actually feeling like we didn't complete our task instead it's just him wanting sex.

"Let me shower first. Does it not hurt you? I'm covered in wolfsbane." I pull away from him and he nods. "It does, but I'm choosing to ignore it."

I roll my eyes again and sneak away to the bathroom and close the door behind me so he doesn't follow.

§

I step out of the bathroom after taking a well deserved hot shower. A deep sigh excludes from my mouth as I stare at my cellphone from afar. It's been awhile since I last tried to check up on the blue-eyed Salvatore. Maybe this time he will answer.

I drop the towel I was using to dry my hair on the bed and let my fingers pick up the device, dialing the numbers I know by heart. I let it ring for a bit and hear it pick up, causing my heartbeat to quicken.

"Hello?" A familiar but unexpected voice answers. "Elena? Wait—does that mean Damon is okay?" I smile, taking a breath of relief. I wasn't sure he was coming back to Mystic Falls for awhile and it seems he has, making all my worries vanish away.

"Maya? I've been trying to call you for months. I have so much to tell you." My sister's voices rings through the phone and I frown, not liking the tone of her voice at the end of her sentence.

"I'm sorry—I'm kind of going through a lot and I haven't picked up the phone in forever." I tell her the truth and I hear her sigh from the other side. "So.. how's Damon? I want to talk to him."

"Damon's dead, Maya."

I feel myself freeze as soon as she says those words. Damon's dead. I felt like my heart was being squeezed violently and I hold my hand to my chest, unable to find this true.

"Wh-What are you talking about?" I choke out, tears threatening to spill. "I'm not exactly sure what happened, but there was a white light and Damon and Bonnie disappeared."

"Bonnie? Bonnie's gone too?" I gasp and Elena confirms it while telling me extra details of what happened. I let my emotions take over and my knees weaken, immediately falling to the floor. Hot streams of tears fall down my cheeks, unable to breathe properly.

The phone slips from my fingers and crashes to the floor. I bring my knees to my face and continue to cry out, nothing stopping this pain taking over my heart.

Footsteps run into the bedroom and rushes over to me. Everything felt like slow motion to me and I was unable to connect with reality. The loud voice near my ear start to slowly fade away. Hands shake my body, but the pain was too much.

Damon and Bonnie. Dead.

"Maya!" his voice yells once more and I look up at him, although my vision was very blurry. "Sweetheart, what happened? Are you alright?"

Klaus' thumbs wipe away my tears and everything becomes more clearer. His concerned eyes are furrowed and he holds my face to face him.

I pull him into a hug, holding him tightly as I choke out the words of reality, "Damon and Bonnie are dead. Gone." I sob, my wet tears soaking his light gray shirt. He wraps his arms around me, giving me soothing words to calm me down and it starts to work. He's always there for me.

§

Authors Note: omg i'm so sorry for updating deadass like once a month.. anyways i'm not gonna promise that i'll try and update more frequently bc i'll just end up lying so yeah.

if you guys want to leave anything anonymous (questions, concerns, confessions, etc) then press the link in my bio and i'll answer them thank you <3

one question: klaya or daya?