Kol's plan was brilliant.

She'd never say this in front of Klaus because she wasn't sure he could handle knowing the truth, but she genuinely believed Kol to be the smartest of the Mikaelsons. She was thankful to have a brother-in-law who was so good at solving problems in a rational way. Becoming a witch had helped him think about everything so much more logically than he would have as a vampire.

"This is what we're going to do," said Kol once Freya went down to where Aurora's body was being kept to remove some strands of her hair. "Freya and I will stay here performing a spell to make an illusion of Aurora. The rest of you will go to the exchange. We are going to assume Tristan has the Serratura with him. That will be the key to trapping him."

"Just checking," said Damon, who wanted to make sure his part was right, "you want me to go find someone, turn them, but not let them transition?"

Kol assented. "Precisely. The Serratura creates a boundary no one living or dead can cross. However, someone in transition is technically not living... and not dead. We need an actual body to carry out the illusion of Aurora. That will have to do. Pick someone with acting skills if you can."

Damon snorted. "Yeah, there will definitely be some crappy actor or actress I can use for this in the prisons I'll be searching."

"Just remember to hurry," said Freya. "We need this done as soon as possible."

Damon nodded, then sped off with Enzo, who would be accompanying him. "The rest of you, be ready," said Kol. "This may end in a fight."

While Kol and Freya got started on their spell (with Liv and Jo offering input) everyone else started to gather weapons, which Alaric had let them bring with them. Maddy slipped on one of the sleeves with mini-stakes that would be released when she punched. It made her smile, remembering the first time she'd seen a weapon like this. Way back when they had a plan to kill Katherine at the Masquerade Ball. She had long since died, as had Nadia. Though Maddy still disliked her, she hoped she might one day find peace.

The others chose a variety of different hidden stakes and pistols that would fire wooden bullets, tucking them into their belts or jackets and concealing them well. The Originals were the only ones not getting any weapons. They were lethal enough.

"Ready for this?" asked Klaus once the group was waiting in the doorway for Enzo and Damon to be back with their person in transition for the spell.

"Ready as I can be," said Maddy, glancing up at the balcony, where she could see Elena carrying both Anita and Hope to her room. Given she was the youngest of all the vampires present, it was better she stay and watch the girls. They'd try to convince Caroline to stay, but she refused to when Tyler was going, which was better for them since they had one more vampire to help them, but also worrisome because Caroline truly did not stand a chance if a fight broke out. The witches would be too occupied with their spell to help them from afar. "If it doesn't work... we kill him."

Klaus took her hand, as if solidifying that promise. "You needn't come if you don't wish to."

"If everyone else is risking their life, so will I."

"Our daughter needs at least one parent."

"She needs both parents. And the only way we can ensure she has that is if we work together to get this done as efficiently as possible. I'm not backing down. We have a whole village here helping us. We're gonna defeat Tristan today. And, if a fight breaks out, then we'll kill as many of The Strix as we need to."

"I'd prefer it not come to that," muttered Klaus. "However, if it does, then... we will persevere. Stay close to me, whatever happens."

Damon and Enzo arrived not long after, with a dead body slung over the younger Salvatore's shoulder. They carried the man (apparently some unsuccessful D-List actor who had been arrested for fighting in a bar) to the witches, who did a quick spell to wake him up sooner. He was quite happy to play the role, given they promised him a great deal of money as well as the chance to be turned. Maddy knew they'd likely just kill him when his part was done. She didn't care to feel bad for him.

Elijah was the one who made the call to Tristan, asking to change the meeting location. By some miracle, Tristan was willing to allow this. Either he was certain that The Strix would have the upper hand wherever they went, or he was just desperate to get his sister back. They didn't necessarily have a greater advantage in the warehouse of Patrick's Dock, but it was convenient that a shipping container was already waiting there for them to put the fake Aurora in, tied to a chair and with a black hood over her head.

They sped off in different groups, before meeting together in front of the shipping container. The three Original vampires, plus Damon, Enzo, Maddy, Caroline, Tyler, Davina, and Bonnie. The others were back at the house keeping up the spell, and of course, Elena was keeping an eye on the girls.

"Here they come," said Klaus when he sensed movement outside.

Moments later, The Strix flocked in. At first, only a dozen arrived. Then twice that many. Then three times that many. Soon, they were surrounded by maybe around fifty ancient vampires, including Aya and Tristan, who stood with Marcel near the front.

Tristan's expression did not reveal how surprised he was to see how many people were standing behind Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah. Though, judging by the way his posture changed, he definitely hadn't known that they had this many people on their sides.

And this was really only a fraction of those who were willing to stand with them. The entire Crescent Pack had been willing to help, but given that Maddy was tremendously worried about putting them in a vulnerable position, she'd told Hayley and Jackson not to worry for now.

"Gentlemen... and ladies," said Tristan. "I wish I could say it was a pleasure."

"Marcellus," said Klaus, looking at the vampire and feigning animosity, "made your bed with the enemy, I see."

Marcel smiled fakely, responding accordingly. "Membership has its privileges."

Klaus smirked. "Let's get on with this, shall we?"

Tristan turned to face a vampire to his left, and she nodded before heading out of the building. Moments later, Vincent, Valerie, and Stefan were dragged in. All bloody and weary but otherwise alive.

"Vincent Griffith, Tremé witch," stated Tristan, "Valerie Tulle, Heretic, and Stefan Salvatore... vampire." His eyes flickered to Maddy for a moment. "Now, where is my sister?"

"She lives," said Klaus calmly, walking closer to Tristan. "You can thank Elijah for that. I wanted to flay her and hang her skin like a flag after the threats she made against my wife." He ran his tongue over his lips. "Anyway, enough chit-chat. Let's conclude this tedious business, shall we?"

"My sister first," said Tristan. "And, if you're tempted to argue, consider the numbers in comparison to yours."

Klaus moved so close, his nose almost touched Tristan's. Maddy knew he was just showing off, indicating he wasn't threatened at all by The Strix present. He knew they had a significant advantage, with witches on their side. He then turned back, heading toward the shipping container and popping open the door, revealing 'Aurora.'

"If they try anything, attack," said Tristan to Aya before speeding into the container, and removing the hood from his sister. Immediately after, The Strix vampires released Vincent, Valerie, and Stefan. Maddy and Damon immediately let them drink their blood to heal. They offered it to Vincent, but he declined, just limping to stand with Bonnie and Davina.

The actor played his role well. "Oh, brother, you came for me," fake Aurora breathed out, just like the real one would have.

Tristan smiled. "Always." He removed the ropes then pulled her to her feet. "Come on, come on..."

'Aurora' drew him into a hug, her hands moving over his body before suddenly pulling out the Serratura from his front pocket and ripping away from the embrace. Tristan looked confused. "Rory? What are you doing?"

The Serratura was slammed into the wall, making the entire warehouse shake before all went still. Tristan tried to exit the container, but found himself rushing into an invisible boundary. He faced his 'sister' with a horrified expression on his face. "No... Aurora... what have you done to us?"

"Not to us," she said. "To you."

The instant 'Aurora' crossed the barrier, the disguise was washed away, and the actor bowed to Tristan, revealing his true face.

Before the man could even turn around, Rebekah swiped her leg through the air, decapitating him. Tristan watched his body fall, his jaw twitching.

"What is this?" he sneered, slamming his hand against the barrier, and finding he still couldn't exit.

"What does it look like?" said Rebekah with a cheeky smile. "You're trapped, Tristan."

"No," he whispered. "How is this possible?"

Klaus was smug as he replied, "The Serratura creates an impenetrable boundary. Nothing living or dead can pass through. The gentleman there," he gestured to the dead body, "was in transition. Neither living nor dead."

"No," said Tristan. "No... NO!"

The Strix vampires were all looking at him as the Mikaelsons, Salvatores, and their friends got in a closer circle. "What are you waiting for?" snarled Tristan. "Take them, NOW!"

Elijah stepped forward before anyone could lunge at them. "Before you rush headlong toward almost certain death... As your sire, I would like you to employ just a little bit of common sense."

Aya scoffed. "We are ancient vampires, Elijah— each of us almost as strong as you. Surely you don't expect to beat us with the help of these children."

Elijah chuckled. "You know not who we have at our side... do you?" He gestured to those by him. "Five vampires, a hybrid, three extremely powerful witches, a Heretic, and ah, yes, my two siblings and I. You might almost be successful in subduing us, but at what price? Most of you will die in the process, and for what? To avenge a fool marching you headlong toward your very extinction in the name of a witch's prophecy? You do realize he engineered absolutely all of this purely to satisfy some petty grievance against my family?" He passed right by the shipping container, leaning on the metal door and smiling fakely at the man inside of it. "Tristan doesn't care for any of you."

"Stop listening to him!" Tristan said furiously.

"The only danger here," Elijah continued, speaking loudly over him, "is the choice that you must make. You see, I am not your enemy. It's true, I delivered you into this existence. I can just as easily pluck you out of it. The choice is yours to make."

Aya seemed like she still wanted to fight. But Marcel stepped forward, whispering in her ear (which they could all still hear), "It's done. The moment has passed. Be smart, Aya. Smarter than Tristan. Don't waste any more of our guys."

After a brief moment of pondering, she seemed to agree with him. "Stand down."

Tristan's eye twitched when he realized that The Strix weren't going to avenge him. "You will not abandon me!"

Aya walked to the entrance of the shipping container. "It's a shame it has to end like this."

"Aya!" Tristan snapped. "This isn't over!"

She placed her right hand over her heart in salute. "May the ghosts of our fallen keep you company." She motioned for The Strix to follow her out of the warehouse, and they did so without questioning it.

"Aya," said Tristan loudly. "Aya! AYA!"

She didn't turn to face him. Seconds later, a series of 'wooshing' noises let them know The Strix had all sped away. Tristan's posture remained tense, though his face changed from an angry expression to a defeated one. "So, this is to be my end?"

"No, no," said Elijah with fake sweetness. "This is the very beginning! You are going to the bottom of the ocean, where you will drown in darkness again and again and again over the course of centuries. This will be your splendidly horrific and perpetual end."

"What have you done with my sister?"

Maddy figured she might as well own up to it considering everyone present (aside from Tristan) knew the truth anyway. "She's dead. I killed her days ago."

His eyes burned with hatred. "No..."

"She kidnapped someone I care about all to get me to go talk to her. And then, she immediately started to threaten me and my daughter. She got what she deserved. And I don't regret it. I ripped her heart out, and after this... we'll finally be able to toss her body in the swamp."

Tristan sneered, "Your heart will be removed soon enough. Perhaps I cannot enact my revenge personally, but you will suffer for this..."

"My heart is staying right where it is," said Maddy. "Your Strix aren't going to manage to kill me. And sorry to burst your bubble, they wouldn't do it to avenge your sister."

"Oh, but they will." He came as close to the barrier as he could. "I made sure of it."

Klaus immediately came to stand between them. "I suggest you speak plainly before I force it out of you."

"You'll see, soon enough," said Tristan with a smirk. "Perhaps it's merely a theory now, but I imagine it will be proved soon. Where there are three, there will be none. One has been taken care of, to be safe. The other will linger for a while before they, too, are rendered to ash. And lastly... you. To give it a bit of spice. Two hearts are better than one."

Maddy's face paled when she realized he wasn't talking about the three Original vampires and the prophecy.

She caught sight of Hayley standing alone, and was about to excuse herself to go and keep her company when Tristan said, "A creature like her is incredibly rare."

"Rare?" asked Maddy, having no clue what he was trying to imply. "A hybrid, you mean? She's hardly rare considering there are three of them in the world."

Tristan raised a brow. "Only three?"

Maddy pretended she was completely right. "Yes. Nik, Hayley, and of course a friend of ours who I'm sure you know of, given how informed one ought to be when entering the city where the Originals reside."

"Yes, Tyler Lockwood, I know of him," said Tristan. "However, I was under the impression that there were four hybrids."

"No, I'm certain there are three. Unless you mean my daughter, of course. Everyone knows about her by now."

"I am not meaning your daughter, either. There's a fellow out there... by the name of Dwayne."

Maddy's heart sank into her stomach. Tristan continued, "I happen to know that he and Hayley turned around the same time. Interesting, isn't it, considering there was only enough 'old doppelgänger blood' for one person."

"If you're going to make a point," she whispered, "I suggest you make it now."

He offered his hand to her. "In private, then? I'm sure you wouldn't want anyone else to hear this."

She allowed him to take her into one of the upstairs rooms. The instant the door was shut, he said, "I know your daughter can sire hybrids."

"Three vampire-wolf hybrids in the entire world," said Tristan softly, with a murderous undertone. "Two of which were sired by your daughter."

"But you mentioned three," said Maddy slowly, her heart starting to beat harder. "What do I have to do with—?"

"I wonder if you're still tied to the Originals in the way you think you are. Perhaps..." he tried to lean further forward, but the barrier stopped him, "you, too, are free. And because of it... you will die."

Klaus had heard enough. He slammed the door shut in Tristan's face. "Get rid of him," he said to Elijah. "Have him dropped as far in the sea as possible. It does not matter where."

As soon as they all met back at the house, they immediately began to dissect Tristan's words. And it didn't take long to figure out what he was implying.

"Is he trying to say that you weren't turned by Damon's blood?" asked Stefan, who was tired, but unwilling to sleep until they figured out why The Strix might want Maddy's heart.

"It's possible," said Davina, who had out old notes from when she'd last been performing the spell to unlink the sirelines. "I've been thinking about what was reported... Tristan saying Maddy's heart would be wanted. That one had been taken care of. And Maddy, you said that thing about Aurora..."

"Well," Maddy had said to the redhead, "I understand your ire, but I sure am glad you didn't find that weapon earlier. Now, we know our lives are linked to the Originals. You would have died if you killed them. And, keep in mind, you will still die now if you kill them."

Aurora smiled. "That's the beautiful mystery, isn't it?"

"They're trying to unlink the sirelines," said Davina firmly. "I almost managed it before... but my binding agent wasn't strong enough. This makes complete sense... hearts are typically used for very major spells— it's a small bit of sacrificial magic tied in to anchor the spell. What better than a heart outside the link? Hope isn't one of the Original vampires. Her sireline is completely separate, and only two people are confirmed to be from her line. Hayley's alright, but maybe that other hybrid Dwayne was taken. That could be what Tristan meant by 'to be safe.' They're making sure their spell has a good binding agent. If his theory is right then Maddy's heart would just be an extra as part of a revenge plan. The spice."

Tyler was already working on trying to contact him, to no avail. "Okay, but explain to me," said Damon, "how Maddy could have been turned if it wasn't with my blood."

"She had a veil of Traveler magic over her," explained Jo. "It kept vampire blood from being able to heal her, because the Traveler Magic would counter the Spirit Magic that vampire blood comes from. You had Hope's blood in your system when you died. But, at the same time, Damon had been feeding you his blood, and they waited until just as you started healing to turn you so that you wouldn't age. Which means... either Hope's blood was used up to heal you by battling the Traveler magic, and then Damon's blood turned you, or Damon's blood was counteracted the Traveler magic, and then Hope's blood turned you. I... I wouldn't even know how to check for that. When Lucien proved Enzo had the same sire, he was looking for a specific genetic marker. The problem is, Hope will have that marker because she's Klaus's daughter, and she gets her vampirism from him. Which means no matter who turned you, the same marker will apply. I can try to analyze further but... I haven't the faintest idea how to prove or disprove this theory."

"It wasn't even made public knowledge that Damon turned me," said Maddy quietly. "Somehow, Tristan found out, and chances are, The Strix know, too, so they might not come for me because there's no point in using my heart if I wasn't sired by Hope. Dwayne was their best bet. But if they do want to hit where it hurts, they'll just use my heart as an extra part of the spell. Just... to be cruel. 'Two hearts are better than one,' he said.This is absurd— I don't even know how worried I should or shouldn't be. I don't know what Tristan told them."

Elijah got to his feet. "The one we must worry about now is Aya. Undoubtedly, she will head The Strix following Tristan's absence."

Rebekah snorted. "And she hates you perhaps more than Tristan. We're screwed."

"Maybe not," said Bonnie, glancing at Vincent and Davina. "Surely there's a way we can... render Dwayne's heart useless or... test Maddy magically to determine who her true sire is... or... just block them from performing the spell... which I assume The Strix Coven would perform."

"One major problem there, love," said Kol. "Stopping The Strix Coven will be near impossible. Perhaps we ought to just do the spell ourselves."

Klaus slammed his hand down against the table. "Are you mad?"

"Nik," said Kol calmly, "if we do it before they do, they'll be running in circles like chickens without heads wondering why it isn't working."

"Or you'd be giving them precisely what they want! They would still come for my wife!"

"I don't know about doing it ourselves," said Freya worriedly. "A spell of that magnitude would create a Nexus Vorti. They would sense it. Whatever the outcome of the spell, it would be the same. Though, I do agree, perhaps doing the spell would ensure it is completely in our control. With Hope's blood, we could sire another prisoner... someone more disposable. Use their heart."

"We can't do this," said Rebekah fiercely. "Having our sirelines linked to us keeps them from attacking us. Do you know how many enemies we've made over the centuries?"

"All your own fault, blondie," said Damon, ignoring the glare Rebekah shot at him. "Maybe Kol is right. I don't want my life or the life of my siblings and Meredith resting on the shoulders of Klaus. If he were to die, we all would too. The prophecy thing says the Originals are gonna 'fall' and we don't know if that's a temporary fall or a permanent one. I'd rather not take my chances."

"Every vampire deserves to be free," agreed Davina. "It's not fair that their lives have to depend on your survival."

"This is all getting quite confusing," said Valerie, worried that they'd all be at each other's throats if the conversation continued. "Perhaps we ought to wait to discuss this another time—"

"I will not put my daughter at risk!" snapped Klaus, standing up. "What we must do is kill every member of The Strix, and Lucien. No one does the bloody spell, and that's that! We will get rid of the prophecy—"

"Have you ever picked up a book in your life?" said Davina angrily. "You can't outrun prophecies! There are legit thousands of stories that show you why it's a bad idea to try and twist fate into your favor. It's not fair that Marcel, Josh, and almost everyone in this room have to depend on you winning every fight just for them to stay alive, too. Dahlia nearly killed all of you with hardly any effort! It's too risky to remain linked. Chances are, this spell will happen either way, so isn't it better that we be able to monitor every single aspect?"

"Guys," said Maddy loudly, "doing the spell would leave an opening for The Strix to descend on us immediately. We need to find a way to be unlinked without creating a Nexus Vorti. There has to be a way to do it without them finding out at all, and then it'll be a good idea."

Kol let out a frustrated sigh. "The Nexus Vorti is unavoidable. We might as well create it ourselves, and use its power for something we need! That much power could grant us the ability to kill the entire Strix order in one swipe. With all the witches we have in this room, it would be easy to kill them all at once, and then, we would only have to kill Lucien separately."

They all started to talk at once, shouting over each other and trying to get their point across. Valerie was the first to get up and leave, feeling too exhausted to deal with this. Maddy and Stefan both followed after her, and moments later, the shouting quieted down when Liv yelled for them to shut up.

"I am so sorry about that," said Maddy, having gone to get Hope and Anita, who'd started to cry, before heading to Valerie and Stefan's room. "Are you guys okay? Is there anything I can bring you?"

"I'm alright," said Valerie, and Stefan nodded in agreement. "Simply frustrated. Now is not the time to be discussing this. I say we see what move Aya makes before we start planning. As Davina said, this will likely happen either way. I just wish there was a simpler manner to go about this... but there is not. And unfortunately, everyone makes a valid point to a certain extent."

She reached out to take Hope, who was making grabby hands to her. "Hello, sweetheart," she whispered, rubbing her back. "Forgive us for being too loud."

She got a far away look in her eyes as Hope cuddled up to her. "I can sense that things are going to get far worse. I sense death and suffering. Which at this rate isn't unfamiliar to anyone in the group. I only worry about who will die. Will it be our enemies? Or will it be one of us?"

"No one is dying on my watch," said Maddy as both Anita and Hope started to fall asleep again. "We're going to figure this out. We've always managed to make it through the worst of things. After everything we've suffered... we deserve for things to go our way. We deserve our happy ending."

"Unfortunately," murmured Stefan, "happy endings aren't always realistic."

A/N: Deadass still have no idea how I want to end this story but I'm thinking I'll sprinkle in more angst and then allow them all to be happy so like... they suffer along the way but things end on a good note. We'll see. Still have a while to go. Comment for more! I love hearing your thoughts :^)