The room was dimly lit, with a soft glow emanating from a solitary lamplight in the corner and the burning fire in the fireplace. Ezekiel stood frozen in the doorway, his heart pounding in his chest as he witnessed a sight that was a nightmare he feared since that morning.

Elijah walked into the room carrying Maeve lifeless in his arms, her pale face etched with an expression of eternal peace. Her once vibrant spirit extinguished, leaving behind only a hollow shell. Ezekiel's gaze locked onto Elijah's face, searching for any sign of explanation or solace. But the young man's eyes were vacant. With every step he took towards the living room, his shoulders sagged under the weight of the tragedy that had befallen them.

Elijah gently laid Maeve's lifeless body on the couch, her limbs arranged with delicate care. As he straightened, his eyes met Ezekiel's, and for a fleeting moment, the weight of their shared loss hung heavy in the air. No words were exchanged, for none could adequately convey the depth of their sorrow.

"She's not..." Ezekiel croaked. The crushing weight of everything overwhelmed him. His knees wobbled under that weight and he dropped to his knees by the couch. His hands trembled on his lap.

"She'll wake up. She's Maeve!" Said Ezekiel, his tears rolling down his cheeks. "She has to. She can't be gone so soon." his voice wavered. Ezekiel felt a lump in his throat. "I just got her. She can't leave me so soon."

Klaus entered the room after him. His face was hung and colorless. His eyes fell on the couch. Elijah stood near the fireplace but Ezekiel had taken a seat on the armchair, burying his face in the palms of his hands.

Caroline tottered in right after Klaus. She immediately went to the couch where Maeve laid. Caroline stood frozen in place unable to move or even made a single sound. She pressed her hands to her mouth and closed her eyes. Now, she believed with everything seemingly going back the way it was, she believed Maeve and her could become friends like they were before. But tragedy strikes at the least expected time and she hated the unfairness of it.

"She thought she would be a burden to us." Elijah told Klaus a heavy heart. He glanced at Maeve and then at his brother. "So she decided to not tell us about it."

"What are you talking about?" Klaus asked Elijah. He looked at his brother and then to Ezekiel. Elijah licked his lips before he explained about the Prophecy that spoke of Maeve's death.

Klaus didn't say anything. Words had left him. In hesitation he looked at Maeve. Klaus had just lost his best friend at the hands of his mother. He could have done something to help her but he couldn't. He hated that he just stayed oblivious to it. Klaus's gaze shifted towards the lifeless body lying peacefully before him. His friend's face was etched with a serene expression, as if she was merely sleeping.

Klaus couldn't help but be reminded of the countless memories they had shared in the short span of time. How she stood up for him even when she was in the hands of a man after her life. He was reminded of how she understood him without him having to explain anything to her.

"The Gilbert boy did say her eyes were red and golden." Klaus shared with them. His tears welled up but he hid them well by looking away from Ezekiel and Elijah.

The prophecy had come true. Why wouldn't it? Maeve had given up. She accepted her fate and death.

For Elijah, the room felt suffocatingly silent as Elijah's breath caught in his throat. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her. Memories of their time together played like a film reel in Elijah's mind. He remembered their first meeting. The way Maeve's laughter had filled the air, and her infectious smile that had warmed his cold heart. At the time, he had dismissed these feelings as mere curiosity, nothing more. How she had managed to befriend everyone in his family and of course, helped them immensely.

But now, as he stood there, witnessing her life extinguished before his very eyes, a wave of emotions crashed over him. Regret, sorrow, and a realization that he had been blind to his own feelings. Elijah had spent centuries suppressing his emotions, protecting himself from the pain and vulnerability that came with love. But in this moment, he couldn't deny the truth any longer.
Slowly, Elijah knelt beside the couch, his hand trembling as he reached out to touch Maeve's cold cheek. The reality of her loss hit him with a force he couldn't comprehend. She had been a light in his world of darkness, a beacon of hope that he had unknowingly relied upon.

Soon the three retreated into three corners, neither having the strength or willingness to stare at Maeve's lifeless body any longer than they already had.

Ezekiel stood outside on the porch staring into space. His mind was clouded. He couldn't find words gentle enough or compassionate to convey the news back home. How could he tell his mother, the niece she had to part from when she lost her brother and whom she had in her life again was dead.

At the other end of the mansion, Klaus sat on top of the stairs, his hands resting on his knees. He gazed into space holding back on the tears that threatened to fall. Klaus Mikaelson the great evil was feeling hurt on losing yet another person that had begun to mean something so much for him. That was his punishment, he knew it now. The punishment was to watch as everyone around him died while he lived on.

Caroline sat down next to him. She didn't dare speak a single word. Even she grieved the loss of her friend.

Elijah was a whole different story. Elijah closed his eyes, trying to make sense of the emotions swirling inside him. The walls he had built around his heart had crumbled, leaving him vulnerable and exposed. He wished he had told her how he felt when she was still alive.

Maeve lay motionless on the couch, her body still as a statue. The room was dimly lit, casting long shadows that danced across the walls. The Mikaelson mansion, once a place of grandeur and life, now seemed shrouded in an eerie silence.

As midnight swept in and minutes ticked by later a faint tremor ran through Maeve's body. It started as a gentle quiver, barely noticeable, but soon grew in intensity. Her fingers twitched, as if responding to some unseen force. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, her eyelids began to flutter, revealing the milky white of her irises beneath.

The air in the room seemed to shift, as though an invisible energy was building around Maeve. Her chest rose and fell with a newfound rhythm, each breath growing stronger than the last. A soft glow emanated from her skin, bathing her in an otherworldly light.

With a sudden surge of energy, Maeve's body jolted upright, her back arching off the couch. It was as if some unseen force was pulling her back to life, refusing to let her remain in the realm of the dead. Her eyes opened wide, now a vibrant shade of brown, filled with an intensity that spoke of determination and strength.

Maeve joined her hands together. She felt the ring set like a crown on her finger. Immediately, realisation and recognition dawned on her. That ring was gifted to her by Gwenlyn as a parting gift. She sat up immediately gasping in deep harsh breaths.

She kept turning her head taking in the setting around her. Maeve recognised the room as the living room area inside the Mikaelson mansion. She groaned lightly, pressing a hand to her temple as memories surged through her mind flashing vibrantly before her eyes.

It became hard to breathe for a moment before it went away. Maeve understood that somewhere in the mansion was her brother. Also, the Mikaelsons.

"Prongs!" she shouted at the top of her voice. "Nik? Elijah?"

As soon as the names left her mouth, three men staggered into the room one after another. Each as bewildered as the other. Every single one of them, now joined by Caroline took in the dishevelled look of a now alive Maeve staring back at them.

Ezekiel found his voice, his words trembling as he said, "Maeve... how is this possible?" His eyes welled up with tears, a mixture of joy and disbelief overwhelming him.

Maeve's voice, soft and haunting, filled the room. "It's really me." Ezekiel didn't waste a second more and rushed to her side, gathering her into his arms. He held her tightly, refusing to let her go, as he wept in her embrace. "You came back...you're alive." He said, his eyes brimming with tears. "I can't believe it. I thought you were gone forever." 

Maeve rested her hand on his back, nestling her head in the crook of his neck. Ezekiel did not move. He couldn't. All that mattered to him was that Maeve was back and alive. "How are you feeling? huh? Does your head hurt? How are you feeling?" he asked pulling away from her. Maeve gave him a wry smile. "I---I feel tired. I feel hungry. But that's all, just tired and hungry." 

Ezekiel rubbed away his tears. "I'll get you that. What do you need? Burger? Pizza? Milkshakes? You know what? I'll get all of that." he turned to the Mikaelson brothers who were still frozen in place as was Caroline. Neither had moved an inch or even taken their eyes off of Maeve. 

"I'll get for all of us." he announced, his voice cracked as he spoke, not that he cared or anyone did. Maeve, someone they believed to have died was alive.

"Don't you want to know how I am alive?" she asked her brother.

"I...it doesn't matter. You're alive. That's what matters. That's all I want to know." Ezekiel hugged his sister once again, tightly wrapping his arms around her, and whispered a silent prayer of thanks for her life. He kissed her forehead and stepped away from her. Ezekiel stepped out of the room hoping to compose himself. He felt overwhelmed by a flood of emotions he had not experienced in years. 

Inside the house, Maeve still stood by the fireplace, the flames casting a golden glow on her face. "Are you guys not going to hug me or..." her words dissolved immediately as it was Caroline who first reached out to her. Caroline embraced her tightly as well, tears streaming down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around Maeve. Caroline pulled away after a few moments, her eyes searching Maeve's face. "I want to know...how did it happen? Like, we saw you dead...no heartbeat."

"Yeah....um," she held up her right hand to show the ring on her finger. The ring, an old-fashioned, slender band delicately wrapped around her finger. A pentagram, was flawlessly engraved on the ring's surface. "The Pentagram has five points, each point represents an element: earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. Gwenlyn gave this to me before Elijah and I left the Woodlands. I guess...this saved me."

Caroline smiled through her worn out look. She glanced back at the brothers and quickly stepped back. Klaus was the first to stand before her.

"Hey wolf boy." Maeve chuckled lightly, "missed me?"

"I did not." he replied. Maeve smiled gleefully and hugged the original. Klaus did not answer but instead pulled Maeve in a hug. He closed his eyes not believing his own self at how happy he felt to see her alive. She had a certain effect on him not a soul could in a thousand years.

Elijah had not once seen his brother be compassionate as much as he was for, and with Maeve. "I see my absence made the lone Alpha wolf sad. It's okay, puppy. I'm here now." She rubbed his back not sure whether the comfort was needed by her or for him. 

"I'm just happy to have you back." He shrugged. Maeve laughed breathily knowing Klaus wasn't someone to show but she knew what he truly felt. 

"I'll leave you to it. I believe my brother wants to talk to you." said Klaus patting her shoulder one last time and walked out. 

The original and the witch were now alone in the study. The crackle of the fire and it's light illuminated the room. The lights were dimmed earlier when Maeve was brought inside. Elijah stood in front of Maeve. Maeve looked at Elijah and then at the fire. Her eyes straying away and back at Elijah. Him, on the other hand kept his gaze firmly on Maeve.

Maeve tucked a strand of hair behind her ear looking down at the floor. "why didn't you tell us? Tell me." asked Elijah giving voice to the suffocating weight he felt since Ezekiel came that evening and told him about the prophecy.

"I didn't want to worry you." replied Maeve looking away.

"Why do you not want me to worry about you?" he asked her, his voice getting low and raspy. "Why think of yourself as a burden?" she didn't reply. She didn't have an answer for it. Why did she think of herself as a burden? Perhaps it was death that lingered around her like her shadow or grief that never seemed to leave her alone.

"In a thousand years I can't seem to recall when I felt so...frightened." He confessed to her. Maeve looked up at him, meeting his burning gaze.

"Don't say that." Maeve fretted. "I have too much darkness and wildness, for you to say that. You can't let me in, Elijah. You just can't. Death follows me around. I am not worth the trouble."

The room was silent for a moment, the weight of their words lingering in the air. Then, without warning, the tension between them became too much to bear. Elijah placed his hands on her neck, his fingers burying in her hair. His thumbs traced over her jawline.

"It is not your decision to make, now is it?"

Both leaned in, no longer afraid of the possibility. Maeve rested her hands on his hands by the elbow and leaned in as well.

"Everybody! Burgers and Pizzas are here!" both reluctantly pulled away when Ezekiel's voice came booming through the quiet Mikaelson mansion.

Maeve cleared her throat and stepped away from Elijah. "we should...uh,"

"You must be starving." Elijah said agreeing with her.

Maeve walked ahead of him to hide her flushed red cheeks. Elijah found himself cursing internally at Ezekiel. Something he often didn't do.

The two souls, those who had fallen for each other were facing the same turmoil of uncertainty of what their next action should be. Will the other person feel the same?

Sighing to themselves, both of them brushed things off and resumed walking away from the living room to wherever Ezekiel was carrying dinner.

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The cruel one, aren't I? Lol

I'll explain thoroughly what happened to Maeve in the next chapter. Until then please peace for the slow burn guys :))

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Take care everyone!

Raven :)