Three days had passed since the night Caroline just barged into the lives of the Mikaelsons and took up residence in their home. Three days since the brothers started to contemplate if Maeve truly was as safe an option as they thought. After all, even with the responsibility of protecting their legacy she went to aid Caroline in a town that gave her more pain than her years on Earth combined.

Caroline sat on a chair in the dining area, with her legs outstretched on the table. She nursed her fifteenth glass of bourbon of the day enjoying the free feeling that came with no humanity.

"That is a vintage table. Do you mind not ruining it with your feet up, on it?" pleaded Elijah, although with a cold and stern voice.

Caroline gave him a side eye and immediately brought them down. "Is this okay?" she asked.

"Yes. Thank you."

Caroline watched Elijah take a seat across from her and pour a glass for himself as well. "It's been three days and yet you haven't asked me about Maeve."

"Why should I? Clearly she doesn't want me to know about her, what she's been up to. She's living the life she thinks is best without me meddling in. Let her be."

"You're hurt. It's so obvious."

Elijah shot her a quick angry look before he took a sip of the bourbon he poured for himself.

"She came to me because I called. I left her a voicemail asking if she could cure my mother's cancer. Clearly she could not. She stayed with me till after her funeral. She's the one who said I could turn it off."

That was a piece of new information that Elijah was curious to learn more about. "What did she do?"

Caroline began explaining what happened after the funeral.

"No Elena! She gets to have the choice. She gets to make that choice and we need to respect her choice. Of all people you should know what it feels like when your world burns and you don't know how to put out the fire. Let Caroline make that choice."

Caroline sniffled. "You agree, Maeve?"

Maeve made her way closer to Caroline. "On my terms and conditions. No drawing attention, no recklessness, no reckless feeding, no mishaps, nothing that would draw any form of recognition and attention. Caroline Forbes as she stands in front of me in this moment the logical, reasonable and rational lady remains with the absence of grief. Caroline Forbes will no longer feel grief but the rest of her self, including her empathy does not go away. And if any of my conditions are not met with, at any moment in the next year that you asked for, I will force emotions into you. Is that clear?"

Caroline hugged Maeve instead of answering her. "Thank you Maeve."

"She knew you would not be like other vampires."

"The promise I made her says so." mumbled Caroline with a disgruntled look.

Caroline weighed in again, "Why did she leave?"

"Because she doesn't want to burden us any more than she already has." Caroline dropped her head down causing her forehead to bang against the table.

"Believe me, we all had a similar reaction to it."

Caroline lifted her head up and inquired, "didn't she resolve whatever it was in therapy."

A dark mournful chuckle escaped Elijah's mouth involuntarily at her words. "Turns out she never went to therapy. She was practicing spells that do not require you to be a witch to perform."

"What the hell? Seriously?" Elijah hummed and nodded his head.

"There has to be more to the story." said Caroline.

"Why do you care?" snapped Elijah angrily. Caroline was prying information, one which despite knowing──he couldn't share.

"Yes why do I care?" replied Caroline and walked away.

Elijah sighed going back to his drink.

Night brought an eerie silence with it. Every night Elijah walked into his room, shut the door behind him and watched as the world outside went to a solace and he began drowning.

Caroline's words echoed in his mind throughout the whole day. She wasn't wrong. He wanted answers. He deserved answers from Maeve. Not a silly letter that barely gave him a response of any kind.

After months of waiting for the smallest of a sign──even a message, Elijah resorted to deal with all the matters at hand. He pushed his thoughts about Maeve to be dealt in his sleep and let the city consume his day.

Tonight was not any different. Or so he thought. As sleep slowly came to him, he felt different. Elijah felt himself being pulled by some force. Confused and cautious, Elijah resisted as much as he could. Physically his body remained unmoving, laying still on his bed but his mind and soul felt the pull──being pulled forcibly by something.

After much restraining, Elijah lost and let the force guide him wherever he was being taken. At least his soul. After a few seconds of total darkness, Elijah found himself standing alone in the middle of the woods. The gloomy woods seemed bright and everything was visible just enough, but the sky was dark and clear.

Elijah cautiously observed the place attempting to locate himself. After taking a complete circle of view, his eyes landed on a curious rock that stood, perfectly hidden yet at the same time easily visible to a keen observer. He recognised it instantly, but couldn't place it properly in his memory.

A few seconds passed before it clicked and Elijah realised where he was. "Mystic Falls." he said under his breath.

"Who is here?" he asked aloud. His eyes kept roaming around the place attempting to catch the smallest movement. "Who summoned me? Whoever it is, know that you can try but cannot beat me."

"That gives me a serious case of Deja Vu." Elijah's breath was caught in his throat at the melody of the voice he missed. He closed his eyes and took in a rather long breath. His love was declaring a triumph over his anger at the mere amusement in the voice he hadn't heard in months.

He turned on his heel and faced her. He soaked in her beauty. She looked as radiant as the day she left them. Left him. Left without any hesitation.

That thought was enough for his anger to return. "Maeve."

She smiled at him. A sincere smile but it faltered when he didn't smile back. "Hi."

"Why did you summon me here?" Maeve shuddered hearing Elijah's cold voice.

"Elijah please...understand why──"

"Understand? What do you want me to understand, Maeve? That you left? Left a silly letter as an explanation on your behalf as if it would be enough." Elijah raised his voice, making an unconscious effort to make himself heard.

Maeve bit her lower lip and looked down at her feet. "Look at me Maeve." Elijah's voice wavered as he called her.

She looked back up at him. "I waited for you to say something. Someway you'd reach out. Like you did back in Mystic Falls, when the council members attacked. That you would tell me it was all just an elaborate plan and why you didn't tell me you had it."

"You wouldn't have agreed."

"With what? You leaving? Of course I wouldn't have."

"Elijah──"

Elijah cut her off immediately, "what else are you hiding from me?"

Maeve pressed her lips into a thin line. Elijah scoffed and turned away. "You still are. Do you not trust me?"

"It's not like that. If you could let me explain."

"Why? Why should I? Why should I let you explain anything when all you've been doing is lying to me?"

"Elijah please──" Maeve begged as tears rolled down her cheeks. She expected a reunion that would be better. A warm reunion that could take away all her fear──even if for just a moment.

"You lied about therapy. You lied about getting better. You lied about your true intentions with gaining your magic back and now what? What is the meaning of this meeting?"

"I didn't want to worry you anymore than I already have." Maeve yelled at the top of her voice. In the alternate dreamscape reality Maeve created for their meeting, her voice echoed.

Elijah pressed his palms on his face and sucked in a harsh breath. "I don't have the energy nor do I have the desire to have this conversation with you again. I don't know what I need to do to ensure that you get it through your head that we do not think of you as a burden."

"You spend days and exploited resources at your disposal and what not to find me when there were bigger things you needed to attend to. I know how many times I've led you to a position where you have to make a decision. A choice between me and something else. The last thing I wanted was to be useless."

"Maeve you cannot believe that."

Maeve closed the gap in three long strides. She kept taking deep long breaths before answering. "I have been useless at every step of the way ever since our paths crossed again in the city. I have been nothing but a liability. I saw an opportunity after that incident to not be useless."

"So you pushed your own healing aside to do what? Become a knight in shining Armor for us? When all we were focusing on was you healing from a traumatic experience, you were concocting spells and potions. Doing exactly what we didn't want you to do? How does any of it justify what you did?"

"It does not. I am truly sorry for everything. For what I did to you, Nik, Beks, Kol and Hayley."

"When are you going to see yourself and a worthy person rather than a pawn?" Maeve stayed silent. It answered Elijah's question.

"Why did you call me here?" asked Elijah, sounding cold and detached.

"Elijah please...I wanted to see you."

"The time for that has passed and you know it. The time for reasoning, for explanation was six months ago when you did not explain anything, but left a lousy letter and ran away."

"I wanted to protect Hope."

"And I wanted to protect both of you." Elijah shouted at the top of his voice. Maeve flinched at the sudden rage that erupted from Elijah. "All I wanted to do that day was protect you both and you didn't even bother telling me let alone discuss this plan of yours. Why?"

"Because you would worry. You would have said no."

"Why do you think I would have done that? Why do you think I constantly say no and tell you not to implement any of your plans? Have you ever thought about that? No, because Martyr Maeve always wants to be a Frontliner."

Tears streamed down Maeve's face. She expected Elijah to be angry with her, but not so much.

Maeve pressed her hands to the side of his face and whispered with a sniffle, "Elijah I'm so sorry. I really am sorry."

Elijah leaned into her soft touch. His body reacted to her gentlest of touch and today it was no different. His arms reacted next moving up to her lower back and pulling her close. Like a moth to a flame, Elijah gave in to the warmth of her flame and for the first time in months truly let go.

Their foreheads touched, eyes closed and just them taking in the closeness after months of being apart.

"I am sorry."

"Why did you push me away?" asked Elijah.

"To protect you from me." Elijah pulled away instantly, his arms still rested on her waist but their heads were straight up and staring at one another.

"Your powers are not harmful."

"No but they are too much." Maeve was the one who pulled away first. "Over forty Serene witches passed on their powers to me. That is hard to manage. I took Hope first to Maywater Woodlands. We spent the first month there where I learned control and Hope was protected far beyond the reach of anyone."

"And now? Where are you?"

"I can't tell you that, you know that."

"Are you both safe?"

Maeve bit her lip. She couldn't tell him where they were, or that the place although safe had a risk factor at play──one that would never sit well with anyone let alone Elijah.

"We're doing good." she chose to say. "How is everything in New Orleans?"

"Niklaus and Hayley have both retreated into separate corners. But somehow killing Francesca has resolved some of the issues. Rebekah and Kol are in their own world as of now at least. Caroline has also taken residence in the compound."

Elijah gave her a knowing look. Maeve couldn't help but chuckle at that. "That was a nice thing you did."

"She has been through enough. She deserved this break."

"I see why you thought she would be a good match for Niklaus. She is empathetic but quite prone to violence."

"He has the darkness that'll balance her light."

Maeve smiled at him and hugged Elijah. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest. Both embraced the other as if their life depended on it. After months of being away, this was their win.

Both pulled away a little while later. "Elijah I called you here for another reason."

"What is it?"

"Your mother and Finn." Elijah's ears perked immediately hearing her words. "Elijah, they are not dead. They came back. Esther had this plan the whole time."

"How long have you known this?"

"Why do you think I made the plan to take care of Hope myself? I am not saying Rebekah isn't capable of taking care of Hope but I am a Serene witch. If I am there, Esther wouldn't even think about trying to find me."

Elijah only nodded his head. "What is her plan?"

Maeve bit her inner cheek. She couldn't tell him about Dahlia. Not until she was sure herself. Instead she said, "I don't know. All I know that Esther and Finn are back."

"Maeve I──" tears welled up in Maeve's eyes again.

"If you want to talk to me, take some sage in your right hand and call my name with the words Ego te voco ut respondeas. I'll get the message."

"Maeve..."

"I love you, Elijah. Please don't forget that." before Elijah could respond, he found himself back in his room in New Orleans once again laying on his bed.

He sat up straight on the bed breathing a little hard. "I love you too, Maeve."

Far away──so Elijah believed──rather in Mystic Falls, Maeve buried her face in her pillow to muffle her loud cries.

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Hey guys! Hope you still like the story.

How do you find this update? Please let me know :)

I know I go MIA a lot but that's only because Adulting sucks big time.

Until the next update

Take care everyone,

Raven :)