Maeve pulled herself off her bed at four o'clock after she kept rolling around in bed hoping to sleep. She tied her hair up in a tight bun and made a beeline to the punching bag in one corner of the room. She rolled her fingers in a fist made her first punch.

Maeve kept punching till her fingers ached.

"You are an abomination." *Punch*

"You are a Monster" *Punch*

"You are a mistake" *Punch*

"No one loves you" *Punch*

"No one wants you" *Punch*

She kept chanting again and again and again until her throat felt dry. She continued to punch till the crack of dawn. She kept punching until a hand pulled her away from the bag. Her hands dropped on her lap, head hanging low, she let the person guide her around the small living room.

"Breathe." She did.

"Open your fists." She did. Maeve looked up when she felt a cold cloth on top of her hands.

"Zeke..." she trailed off.

"It's okay, I'm here. Just breathe." Maeve rested her head on his shoulder shedding more tears. Ezekiel's heart broke seeing Maeve.

"Come on now, Moony, you can't go down this path again."

Maeve shifted on the couch and sat facing her brother, "Zeke you didn't see what happened yesterday. I was so──" Ezekiel cut her off,

"Strong and yourself."

Maeve looked at her brother as if he had cracked an offensive joke. She looked away with a sniffle. "How long are you going to beat yourself up over this?"

Maeve looked at him befuddled, "I killed yesterday."

"Because you were stabbed in the gut and the wolves kidnapped you." Ezekiel wrapped his arms around Maeve pulling her close to him. "Now you listen to me carefully. You cannot keep up on this long road of self sabotage again and again. I can try to understand how it gets for you. I understand that these powers take a toll on you. They become uncontrollable when you feel an intense emotion. But Maeve, why don't you just give in."

"If I did then..."

"You cannot keep nursing that old wound. It was not your fault, just like yesterday." Maeve lifted herself up from his hold and looked at her brother,

"you didn't see their faces, Zeke. Damon looked hurt that I lied. Both of them looked terrified of me. The wolves stepped back in shock and fear. I wanted the ground to swallow me whole when I saw their faces."

"That's their loss. Remember what Pops told you?" Maeve cracked half a smile at his words, "yeah."

"Now now...I need you to repeat it."

"there's some who'll hold it against you, but they're not worth botherin' with." Maeve repeated earning a smile from Ezekiel.

"Think about it this way, if Hagrid the half giant was not ashamed of who he was than why are you?"

"I'm not ashamed of myself. I just think my powers are too strong for me to lose control...like I did."

"Harry was a horcrux with a part of the he who shall not be named living inside of him. He did good despite of it...I know Moony isn't that different."

"I'm the chosen one." Ezekiel leaned away from Maeve with a grin spread across his face,

"Don't get cocky on me now." Maeve slapped his hands before both erupted into laughter.

"How's Pops?" asked Maeve folding her legs up.

"Grumpy that I grounded him." Ezekiel told her copying her position.

"Yo──you grounded him?" Maeve emphasised followed by a delirious chuckle.

"He wanted to come. I told him he needs to take it easy. He hasn't been the best of health for a month. I'll handle my sister."

"Handle is a strong word." Maeve huffed out a breath, "I'll pay him a visit soon."

"Fine. I'll take care of my sister. How does that sound?"

"Again a bad connotative meaning." Ezekiel tilted his head to a side confused about what Maeve meant before it struck him.

"Why are your thoughts so dark?"

"Because I am a dark bad bitch." Maeve bragged beaming a smile before she giggled.

"Who hides behind a spelt ring." Ezekiel sharply noted making Maeve scowl. "I am not trying to hit you with a comment, Moony. But how long are you going to keep thinking about what happened two years ago? As long as you keep thinking about it, you will keep losing your control."

"So what do you want? That I stop wearing the ring? Let the world finally see me?"

Ezekiel sighed looking away before he turned his head to his sister again, "I want you to stop being scared of yourself."

"Stop fidgeting with it, nobody is going to be looking at you!" Maeve snapped sharply at her brother.

"You wound me, you know that! You are toxic for my self esteem." Ezekiel snapped back.

Ezekiel was absolute opposite of Maeve when it came to looks. Maeve had stark black hair while his were brown. Ezekiel was taller than Maeve by atleast three inches, which he always lorded over her.

Maeve brought her brother along to the Mystic Falls historical society tea party. Maeve chose a pastel colour dress that clung to her curves perfectly while Ezekiel wore the emergency blazer over a t-shirt and jeans that which he kept in the trunk of his car.

"Why are we here again?" Ezekiel quizzed Maeve as they stepped inside the Lockwood mansion.

"I promised Alaric I'd help him with the society documents. That too because I let it slip that I had AP history in high school and did a history class in college for two years." Maeve whispered to her brother.

"Big mouth, Moony." Maeve pinched Ezekiel's hand making him let out a yelp and jerk his hand away.

Maeve gave him a side glare before she returned her attention to the crowd gathered for the tea party. Maeve smiled brightly seeing someone waving at her from the crowd. "Excuse me bro."

"You're excused." Ezekiel mumbled back looking away with a glint of a grin.

Maeve made her way over to the woman "Jenna! Hello ma'am." Maeve hugged her. "It's so great to see you!"

"It's great to see you too. Who's that?" Jenna asked pointing to Ezekiel.

"Oh that's my older brother, Ezekiel." Maeve introduced. Ezekiel made his way over to her and stood right behind her,

"I heard my name."

"Nothing, why don't you get yourself a cup of tea and sit somewhere in the corner." Maeve suggested.

"Don't boss me around. I'm older than you."

Maeve tilted her head back looking at him before she whispered, "I'm stronger than you." Ezekiel excused himself and disappeared.

Maeve continued staying in a corner, occasionally smiling and chatting with a few members of the historical society. She finished eating one of the finger sandwiches when someone placed a han on top of hers. Maeve snapped her head to look at who it was, when a blank confused look marred on her face.

"What?" she asked lowly.

"Come with me." he told her. He guided her towards the study room. Maeve stepped inside hearing the door close behind her.

"Hello Maeve. Nice to meet you again."

"Elijah. Nice to meet you too. Again." Maeve quickly added with a smile.

"Again? You two have met before?" Maeve made a scowling face as she turned to face Damon,

"I thought you were mad at me." she chastised crossing her arms.

"I still am, but you've met before? When were you going to tell me? What else are you hiding, huh?" Damon inquired angrily.

Maeve mumbled someone incoherently before speaking up, "Do you mind getting along with whatever idea you have with this meeting?"

Elijah stared at Maeve, watching her move to the desk and climb on it. When Jonas Martin came the night before from the place where the wolves held her captive explaining what he had seen, Elijah felt more intrigued about Maeve. He had heard stories of her kind throughout the centuries he had been a vampire. He gazed at her, but something felt off about her to him. She had her shoulders slumped, back bent unlike how he remembered her from the last meeting. She cowered in the room especially in front of Damon.

"I was hoping we could have a word." Elijah's drew his attention away from Maeve to Damon hearing his words.

"Where is Elena?" he asked Damon. Maeve looked at him again convinced even the original knew that the Salvatore was upto something stupid.

"She's with Stefan. They are laying low. Bit of a werewolf problem." responded Damon. Maeve flinched at the mention of the incident. Damon noticed her flinch as did Elijah. Damon chose to neglect it. While, Elijah discreetly gazed at Maeve silently wanting to reassure she was doing okay. Maeve nodded her head seeing his eyes set on her.

"I'm sure it was taken care of well." Elijah replied, his eyes still set on Maeve.

"Yes. It was taken care of." Damon agreed in a venomous voice.

Maeve's jaw fell open at his tone. "Excuse me..." she jumped off the desk and went straight over to him. "What was that supposed to mean?"

"That you lied to me. No. No. You don't get to talk. You haven't told me what you are." Damon spat at her, "now, excuse me but I am having a conversation with Elijah."

"I killed so many yesterday, to save you and your brother from being chewed down by the werewolves. That is not enough for you to trust me? No no...you fear I am a threat to your precious Elena, don't you? Or do you fear that I might kill you?"

"Can we not have this conversation. I am still mad at you!" Damon dismissed her. The door to the room bursted open right on queue.

Maeve stared in shock seeing someone tackle Damon and hold him against the wall, "Zeke!" she screamed in surprise.

"You really think you are so mighty, don't you?" sneered Ezekiel holding Damon by his throat. Damon tried to pry away Ezekiel's hold but failed miserably as Ezekiel had more strength than him. He opened his eyes staring in shock as Ezekiel has his eyes as red as he remembered Maeve's.

Maeve looked at the open door before turning to Elijah, "Elijah the door." she said. The original turned around and the closed the door.

"My sister was taken because of you. She was kept tied up, because of you and yet you dare to make her feel even worse than she already does? Who do you think you are?" He snared angrily, "she puts herself in a position that could get her killed all to save this ungrateful bastard."

"Zeke let him go." Maeve told her brother, "he is not worth it. Let it be." Ezekiel loosened his grip on Damon and stepped back. Damon grunted in pain massaging his neck which fashioned a red handprint that slowly started to fade away.

Maeve stepped ahead to stand in front of Damon. He stood back up gazing down at her, a hand still on his neck, "is this how it will be from now on?" she asked him. Damon remained silent. He couldn't say another word. He didn't know what to say.

"Is this how it really be? You constantly doubting me and me having to prove myself always." Maeve didn't wait for an answer and moved away to the door. She stood next to her brother before she began, "Elijah this is my brother, Ezekiel. And this is Elijah." Maeve introduced the two.

"It's nice to meet you, Elijah."

"Nice to meet you as well, Ezekiel. I have heard a lot about you." Elijah mentioned turning to look at Maeve for a second before he looked back at Ezekiel.

"I'm guessing..." Ezekiel trailed off earning nods from Elijah and Maeve. "I'll take your leave now." Both of them shook hands before Ezekiel left the room.

"See you around Elijah."

"See you around, Maeve."

She loomed around the front porch of the Salvatore house. Her eyes were fixed on the front door of the house as her brain whirled around in thoughts contemplating whether to open it or not.

The last light of the sun fell on the porch from behind the tall trees onto the floor. Maeve looked at her shadow before her mind consumed itself in thought and vision blurred to the point she wasn't sure what she was staring at: the ground or the shadow.

She threw open the door without another thought and stormed inside. Thankfully for her and Damon, Ezekiel left after the tea party in a hurry to catch a flight to Germany for a meeting.

Maeve stepped a foot inside the hallway as she got close she could hear Damon's voice, "Hey Maeve." she stopped a step above instead of walking right into the library.

"What do you want?" Maeve asked crossing her arms with a grumpy look.

"Please, Mae." Damon said with a neutral tone pointing to the couch. Maeve stared at him for a few seconds before she reluctantly took a seat on the couch.

Damon offered her a glass of bourbon and sat next to her. Maeve took a sip of her bourbon staring at the bookshelf stacked across from her instead of looking at Damon.

"I am sorry." Maeve whirled her head around to look at Damon with a gaping mouth.

"What'd you just say?" she asked reconfirming if she heard it right.

"I said I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I did."

"Which time?" Damon's features softened as he pressed his lips into a thin line.

"The two times. I shouldn't have said what I did." He spoke in honesty, "I just...you were this human who occasionally had a drink with me and suddenly you turned into this big badass wolf with magic that could kill all of us and I...."

"Acted out? Threw a tantrum? Victimised yourself?" Maeve listed out with a smirk dangling on her lips.

"I am sorry."

"It stung Damon. The way you were looking at me. The way you yelled. I thought atleast you wouldn't judge me so easily....call me a──monster."

"I never said that! Don't you dare put that word in my mouth." snapped Damon before taking a breath to calm himself. "I guess I didn't take it well."

"You guess?"

"Let me finish." Maeve slumped her shoulders and immediately put the glass of bourbon to her lips.

"I really am sorry. I shouldn't have acted the way I did. You were this human and suddenly you having red eyes, magic and claws freaked me out. Please forgive me."

"Do you mean your apology or are you saying it because of my brother." Damon grimaced at the memory before he shook his head.

"I am saying it because I want my friend back." Maeve stared at Damon, an unknown feeling glassing his eyes. Maeve saw sincerity in his expression but his eyes told a different story, one that Maeve couldn't understand.

She threw the thought to the back of her mind and cracked half a smile, "bring out the bottle then." Damon's mouth fell open when he realised what she meant.

"Why the bottle?"

"You want me to accept your apology? Get the bottle and pour me a glass." Maeve raised a single brow with a challenging look. Damon took off from the couch and entered the wine cellar. Maeve stood up and walked around the place looking at the books on the shelves. She twirled around just in time to see a man standing behind her before he placed a hand on her mouth. Maeve struggled in his hold but quickly her world went black.

*******

Maeve groaned blinking her eyes trying to clear her vision as she sat up again. She felt her hands tied behind her back. The ropes dug in her skin of her wrist as she tried to get out of it.

"What about her then?" she heard a woman ask. Maeve threw her head up to see it was Jules who stood just feet away from her. Jules held up a shotgun with the barrel aimed at Maeve.

"Leave her out of this! You have a problem with me. Deal with me. Leave her." Damon snapped with a sharp voice.

"Tsk tsk tsk, look at you caring for the one who can kill you." Jules tutted before letting out a sharp laugh. "How sentimental. Where is the moonstone?"

Damon stayed silent. Jules nodded her head as a signal. A man standing behind the couch on which sat Maeve grabbed her by her hair and pulled her back. He stabbed a needle in her neck and emptied the wolfsbane in her system. Maeve screamed loudly at the burning sensation that spread across her body from the wolfsbane that entered her blood stream.

"Leave her alone!" Damon struggled to get out of the chains that held him down.

"I won't ask again. Where is the moonstone?"

"You looking for this?" another voice came announcing its presence. Elijah stood by the pillar and a step behind the wolves. He held up the moonstone that Jules demanded. He walked into the room and set it on the table. "Take it." he told them.

The wolves reached for it one after another but Elijah was quicker than them. With ease he ripped hearts or snapped their necks. He held the youngest of the pack by his throat and coldly asked, "where's the girl." The boy shook his head frantically shaking from fear. Elijah shook his head sideways before he snapped his neck too.

He pulled the chains that held Damon next, keeping a neutral yet authoritative voice, "you do realise this is the third time that I have saved your life. And second time that she has been taken because of you." Elijah freed Damon before he reached out to untie Maeve's arms.

He helped her sit up before he cradled her head in his hands, "Maeve are you okay?"

"Yeah." she responded weakly, "I think so." She looked up at Elijah seeing worry on his face for her. "I'll be okay, Elijah. Thank you." she smiled tiredly.

She looked from Elijah to Damon before letting out softly, "can we just agree to never let what just happened get to my brother? He won't act well if he finds out."

"Agreed. Let's keep it within these walls." Damon nodded his head as he rose up from the chair with a slight grunt.

"Sure. I'll be in touch." He said before he walked out taking the moonstone with him. Damon immediately went to the couch settling next to Maeve. "Hey! Look at me." He ordered her. Damon bit into his wrist and held it up to her mouth.

"It will heal with burns." he assured her. Maeve placed her hand on top of his and pulled it down.

"I am fine. I just need to sleep it off."

"Stay here. We've got a bunch of guest rooms. Pick one of your choice and stay here."

"Damon I'll be fine."

"I know. But I want to show you that you are my friend. And how sorry I am. Stay here so I know you'll be fine." Maeve smiled.

"I'll get settled then. I need a shower."

Damon smiled, "can I join?"

Maeve slapped his arm before she stood up on her wobbly feet, "you're not my type."

"Ah, you hurt me." Damon placed a hand on his chest dramatically pouting his lip.

"Good night demon."

"Good night, little devil."

Maeve whipped her head around to look at him again, "little devil?"

"Yeah. Because of your eyes."

"Does that make me the boss of you?"

"Now, don't get cocky on me." Maeve smiled again making even Damon smile with her, "good night."

"Nighty night."

**************************************
Hello world? How is it going?

Please let me know how you like this new version. Is it good? Better? Not so good? Please tell me. I would like to know your views.

Take care everyone!

Raven :)