"Maya..."

I sat in place, staring at my not-so burning house. It was burnt to the ground. All the memories and moments disappeared, just like that.

"You've been sitting here for hours. Let me take you back to Klaus'." Stefan tells me, grabbing my hand. I take it back. "No, I don't want to see him." I say, my voice breaking.

He sits next to me with a sigh. "You've been through a lot today, I know, but you need to—"

"Stop telling me what I need. I just lost my brother and my house and now my sister turned off her humanity because of your brother. I don't need anything and I don't need you here." I say, turning my head away from him.

I hear him sigh and feel him get up. "I'm not leaving until you come with me or with Klaus." he tells me, sticking his out his hand for me to grab.

I stared blankly at the ground below me. What I just said was rude and so un-called for and all he's trying to do is help me and be a good friend.

I take his hand and get up, pulling him into a hug. "I'm sorry." I tell him, squeezing him tight as my tears continue to fall from my cheeks. "Shh, it's okay. There's no reason to be sorry."

He pulls away and wipes the tears off my cheeks. "You're not alone, okay? I'm here."

"Thank you, Stefan."

—

It's been almost a week ever since that incident and I've been progressively feeling a little better. But, I still felt like there's something empty in me. Besides my brother, it was Klaus.

I haven't seen him in so long and it's making my heart ache. I feel like he's still mad at me, so I never had the chance to go over to him and apologize.

I slam my locker door and walk over to Caroline and Elena who were currently talking to Matt. "I have an idea." Elena says, holding up a flyer. "Can you get me my old spot back on the cheerleading squad?"

Elena, obviously, wasn't the same. Emotionless and bitchy. I can barely stand her, let alone stay in the same room as her. I know, it's horrible to think that about your sister, but when she flips off her switch, she's a whole new person.

It almost makes me want to leave all this teenage drama she kept stirring up. Over time, it's exhausting and I'm aching to leave Mystic Falls and start somewhere new. I just don't know where to start or where to go.

"I mean, technically, yeah. I'm captain, but I thought you hated cheerleading." Caroline tells her, crossing her arms.

"I did, but now I think it would be really fun to jump around and toss people up in the air. It's not like the routines are that hard." Elena responds and Caroline glances at me and I roll my eyes, shrugging.

"I.. think that would make Damon really happy." Caroline fake smiles at my sister and Elena smiles back, walking away.

"I have class. Bye." I tell the both of them before walking away.

"Looks like you're skipping today." I hear behind me and I turn around, finding Damon. "Damon? What are you doing here? Go away."

"Come on. I need you." he says, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of my school. I yank his hand off of me. "No! I've missed so much of school because of your supernatural business and I won't miss another day."

He didn't seem to believe me and continued to pull me to his car. "I'll compel your school attendance lady or whatever. Now, get in."

He climbs in his car and I stood outside it, crossing my arm. "Unless you tell me where you're taking me, I'm not going."

"I need you to do me a favor." he smiles at me and I furrow my eyebrows. "Me? A favor? After what you did? After what you did to Elena?" I ask, growing furious.

He doesn't say anything, except stare at nothing. "I'm taking you to Klaus and I need you to ask him something for me."

At the sound of his name, I joined Damon on his car ride. And I was beginning to regret it as every minute passed. "Actually, never mind. Take me back to school." I tell Damon and he gives me a look with a smile. "Oops."

I give him a confused look before letting my eyes wander around my surroundings. We already arrived at his house.

I stand next to Damon as he knocks on the door. Damon wants me to ask about Katherine because she has the cure. Not to forget to mention that Klaus and that werewolf, Hayley, had a phone call about him protecting her against Katherine because Hayley made a deal with her.

The door opens and I refuse to look up. A hand grabs onto my arm and pulls me into the building, causing me to look up at Klaus, who was already staring down at me with a look I could not read.

Damon's releases my arm and starts to speak, but I couldn't focus to what he was saying and I totally blocked him out as Klaus and I never broke our eye contact.

I break the contact and follow Damon into the parlor and he pulls out a piece of paper. "So I just came up with a list."

"It's called, Things You Suck At. Number one: Finding Katherine. Ever. Number two: covering up your secret phone conversations with that little backstabber Hayley. Yeah, so, where is she? What does she know about Katherine?"

"I should help you?" Klaus states, not sounding so convinced. I inhale sharply and slowly realized there's no reason for me to be here besides being used as bait for Klaus, again.

Damon nods, "Mhm."

"After you lot killed my brother and imprisoned me in the Gilbert living room?" Klaus asks, anger in his voice. Damon walks closer to him, "You might want to prioritize, Klaus. You have much bigger problems."

"Katherine has the cure," Damon states and Klaus looks displeased by this news. "My guess is she's gonna want to cram it down your throat. You help me find Katherine, I'll get the cure, I'll give it to Elena, everybody wins. Just let me question Hayley about Katherine."

"Can't help you, mate. Hayley's off limits." He walks past Damon and sits down on the sofa. "Although, I did have a run in with a vampire who may know where Katerina is. Too bad for you, I bit halfway through his bloody neck. He probably won't have much time for chit-chat."

"Well, this blows." Damon seemed disappointed and aimed towards the door where I followed him. He turns around and stares at me, "What are you doing?"

"Going back to school? Where you are going to take me. So much for needing my help." I respond sarcastically, but he blocks the door.

"No, you'll stay here. You two seem miserable without each other. Go cheer each other up. Bye!" Damon waves at me before flashing out of the house.

I scoff and turn back around to walk where Klaus is currently located. I don't know why I'm feeling so awkward around him. It was just one small fight. We fought before and we were just fine after that.

"Ugh, okay. I'm sorry for what I said that night. Can we please move forward because I miss you." I tell him and a big smile forms on his lips.

"No need to apologize, love. I should be the one apologizing. I'm the one who lashed out and left you alone."

After a few seconds of silence, I grab onto him and wrap my arms around him, and he does the same. "I am sorry about your little brother, Maya."

I pull away from the hug and stare at his facial expression. He leans in and just as our lips were about to touch, I pull away. "Why do I have a feeling someone is in here with us?" I ask, walking away from him and looking around.

"It's a good thing you trust your instincts." Klaus says behind me and I spun around with a raised eyebrow. "So there is someone in here?"

"That someone would be me."

I turn back around and see the brunette with her curly hair down with her usual smirk, leaned up against the wall.

"Maya, you've met Hayley before, haven't you?" Klaus asks me and I cross my arms with a nod. "I'm gone for a few days and you brought a girl here?"

Klaus rolls his eyes at me and Hayley walks down the few steps towards me. "Oh, right. I do remember you. Tyler was telling me all about how you and Klaus tried to hit it off on his father's desk."

I open my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I glare at her, "Yeah, Tyler doesn't mention you much. Actually, he never mentioned you at all."

"Enough, you two! Let's sit down and discuss more about Katerina Petrova, shall we?"

My phone buzzes in my pants and I pull it out and see Stefan calling me. "Excuse me," I say and step out of the room and answer the phone call where Stefan starts to explain what happened.

"What do you mean she fed?! Didn't Damon tell her not to feed?" I almost yell at him through the phone. "Right. That's what I'm saying. The sire bond isn't working." he says more quietly.

I let out a deep sigh and shake my head. "Okay. So, the sire bond isn't working. Does that mean without her humanity, the sire bond doesn't work?"

"That's what I'm thinking. Elena's sire bond stems from her feelings for Damon, right? With her humanity off, she has no feelings." Stefan responds and I nod, even thought he cannot see me.

"Where are you right now?" he asks me and I bite my lips, "Definitely not at the cheerleading competition." I tell him, then continue on. "I'm at Klaus'. We're trying to find out where Katherine is so we can find the cure."

"Oh, you're with Klaus?" he asks and I walk around the room I am currently in. "Yes, is that a bad thing?" I question, picking up a random book and fiddling with it.

"No! I think it's a good thing you're with him." he responds. "Alright, well, Tyler's friend, Hayley is here and she's going to tell us what Katherine said to her. Keep me updated, okay?"

"Okay."

I turn off of my phone and make me way out of the room and into the dining room where Klaus and Hayley were seated. Drinking wine.

The way she was looking at him made my blood boil and I never wanted nothing more than to kick her out of the house. But, I really wanted information about Katherine and get revenge for killing Jeremy.

"...but I have been known to change my mind on a whim. Where is Katerina?" Klaus asks and I sit down at one of the chairs, grabbing a cup of wine before chugging it down my throat.

"You seriously think I know?" she asks him and I roll my eyes. There's no point in her being in here if she doesn't know where the one person we're trying to find.

"You tipped her off as to what we were up to and set her on a course to find the cure. In return, she sent her lackey to snuff you out. Tell me, what did Katerina promise you?"

Hayley looks at Klaus and pauses for a moment before setting down her glass and readjusting in her seat, leaning forward. "I was in New Orleans trying to find information about my real parents. Katherine found me and told me she could help."

Klaus raises his eyebrows, "An orphan? Well, that does explain your charming bravado. Abandonment issues will do it every time."

"Sounds like you would know." Hayley replies almost instantly. Klaus smiles, leaning forward. "I'm the only one that can protect you. I'm happy to do so, provided you cooperate. And Maya, if she'd like..."

"Klaus. Can we please talk for a second? In the kitchen?" I get up immediately and grab my cup and wine with me, walking to the kitchen.

I shut the door to avoid Hayley listening on our conversation. "Okay, there's no reason for her to be here if she doesn't know where Katherine is."

I went to open up the wine bottle, but I found scotch instead, so I grab a glass and pour that instead. "Love, it takes patience to get information from someone."

"I don't have patience when they're trying to have eye sex with you!" I respond, finishing my glass and pouring myself another glass of scotch.

Klaus takes the glass from me and gives me a disapproving look. Hayley walks into the kitchen and scurries through us into another room.

"Where is she going now?" I ask, snatching the glass from Klaus' hand and following after her.

Hayley stumbles upon Klaus' room which is full of his paintings and drawings. Hayley, with a drink in her hand, starts to skim through them and make comments.

She starts to point, "Hate that." She flips through larger ones standing upright, "Too much. I don't get that."

"Hmm.. I don't care." she says as she tosses away a drawing of his. "Hmm. This one." She picks up a painting of a dark figure silhouetted by a fading sky, standing near a bare tree.

Hayley smiles, looking over her shoulder at Klaus. "It doesn't make me wanna puke. Why'd you paint it?"

"Painting is a metaphor for control. Every choice is mine—the canvas, the color. As a child, I had neither a sense of the world nor my place in it, but art taught me that one's vision can be achieved with sheer force of will. The same is true of life, provided one refuses to let anything stand in one's way."

Hayley snorts slightly, smiling. She looks up at Klaus through her hooded eyes, and as she talks leans in to speak near his ear as she passes him. "So this is your thing—show a girl a few mediocre paintings, whine about your childhood, and I swoon and spill all my dirty secrets?"

I clench my teeth, one hand forming into a ball as the other holds tightly on the glass. I'm so close to tearing this bitch apart.

"There's plenty of other dicks in Mystic Falls you can hop on, but Klaus is off limits." my drunken self tells Hayley.

"Maya!"

"I came here for his protection. Not for his dick, as you say." Hayley responds, putting down her glass. I pull out my phone and read through some recent messages. "Damon killed the vampire that was after you. You can go now."

"Fine." Hayley sighs and gets her stuff. "Thanks for the help, Klaus." she tells him before walking out and I hear the door slam shut.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" Klaus asks me and I out down my empty glass on the table. I sit on one of the couches and try to process what just happened.

"I'm drunk. And sad and angry. I don't know." I bluntly reply, admitting my current emotions.

I fiddle with my fingers and Klaus starts bursting out laughing. I furrow my eyebrows and stare back at him as he continues to laugh at nothing.

"What? What's so funny?" I question, crossing my arms and stand up in front of him. "Because I've never seen you this jealous before and it's truly entertaining."

I laugh along with him for what like felt forever. Soon, the laughter stopped and I'm so close to Klaus that our bodies were almost touching.

He grabs my hips and pulls me to him. Smirking and tilting his head. I gasp and my hands find themselves behind his neck. As our lips finally meet, I was already pulling his shirt over his head and he speeds me up onto a table where I soon rip my shirt off.

He was my only distraction to take my mind off of my brother and my non-humanity twin sister. All my emotions vanished as I continue to kiss Klaus.

Klaus lips find their way down to my neck. All that tension that was built up was gone as my phone's ringtone blares in the room.

"Just ignore it." I tell him, declining Caroline's call and he nods, continuing where he started. But, he stops once my phone rings again.

"Why does this always happen." I mutter to myself and answer the phone. "Finally you answer! Elena ran off in the woods and we need your help to catch her. Bring your weapons or whatever you have."

I let out a load groan. Of course she calls because of Elena's mess. "I-I don't think I should go." I reply as Klaus begins to unbuckle his pants.

"What? Why no– Elena!" I hear Caroline yell before the line went dead. I throw my phone to the couch and hop off of the table. "Let's continue this upstairs."

———

😁