Tourists and locals had gathered out on the streets of New Orleans, jamming to music. Caroline had her hands joined in front of her, as she walked alongside Klaus.

Hating to admit it aloud, Caroline was enjoying the evening. The golden hour of evening was perfectly mapping their path.

"Any special reason for all the music and dancing?" asked Caroline.

Klaus was beaming a smile already. "New Orleans always is in a mood of celebration. Never losing out on enjoying life."

Caroline smiled back at him, "have you joined in on it?"

Both stopped just a few feet away from an artist. The musicians entertained the crowd who were tapping their feet to their beats. They stood a few steps away from them tapping along the beats but observing the artist who stood making his painting with the brush strokes matching the beat of the music.

"Art." he responded, eyes set respectfully on the artist. "I may have been a part of an art society the last time I was in this city." a reminiscent look glazed over Klaus. "We spoke of art styles and colours, methods and famous pieces."

"What happened then?"

His face fell and turned slightly cold, "Mikael found us and burnt everything." Caroline looked at him sympathetically.

"Sorry I brought it up."

"It's in the past." she scoffed at his words,

"Nothing's ever in the past with you."

"True. I wouldn't be having this tour with you if I leave past where it is." Both smiled foolishly.

She pulled out her phone, against her conscious judgement and tapped a few times on the screen. Caroline looked at Klaus, and held up her phone.

“I'm standing in one of my favorite places in the world, surrounded by food, music, art, culture, and all I can think about is how much I want to show it to you. Maybe one day you'll let me.” a smile appeared on Klaus's face listening to his voice.

"You saved it." Caroline hummed and kept her phone back into her pocket.

"Alert the media! Alert the Newspaper! Somebody make a Tumblr post about it. This is not a drill. This is not a drill. It's happening!" Maeve yelled out loud cheerfully, a bright and beaming smile on her face.

Elijah and Kol were laughing inwardly watching Maeve be her usual old self and making Klaus extremely embarrassed. Discreetly Kol reached for his phone and caught a photo of the situation. It was obvious that the scene clicked on the camera was one of his most favourites. Klaus sitting at the head of the table, his eyes coldly looking at Maeve. Embarrassed look showing from the red cheeks. Maeve had her arms in the air and a childish enjoyment on the face.

"Would you quit it?"

"Quit it! Bitch my ship is rising!" she cursed him out. "Do you have any idea what I was listening to last night? What Caroline told me? Of course you do, you were there. You charmed her and you got the shine for her." Maeve was grinning ear to ear.

She teasingly continued pestering him in a sing-a-song manner, "Come on, Nikky, tell me, you're happy with last night aren't you? And sad too that Caroline left early today."

It was right, Caroline left early the same morning having already missed weeks of college. Ezekiel and Amara too along with Maverick too, left early on as well.

Klaus placed his hands on the table and leaned forward, "I'm not answering anything. Mind your own business."

Maeve cracked a hyena-like laugh and banged on the table with her hand a couple of times. "Oh, adorable lovesick baby."

"Don't forget the fact that he slept with Caroline about 2──or was it 3 months ago." Maeve's jaw dropped hearing Kol. She stared at Kol for a whole minute before she turned to look at Klaus with a teasing smirk slowly creeping on her face.

"You dog! That blondie never told me about that! When did that happen? When did it happen?" she erratically looked around the room.

Klaus had a deadly glare on Kol who was snickering inwardly, "Do we really need her to be here? Actually──neither of you need be here. Leave."

Maeve gasped dramatically and threw a used tissue at his head. "Come on, love. You know you like me." Klaus did not react at all but just closed his eyes reflexily.

Unfortunately for Maeve, her smile fell as did her face. Before Klaus could respond a loud painful scream echoed around the compound bouncing off the walls.

"Is...is──is that her?" she asked, her voice lowering alarmingly.

"Don't worry about her." Elijah grabbed her hand in his and brought it up to his lips. "Ignore her."

"I'm trying, it's just──she's screaming loudly, can't really ignore her." she nervously tightened her fingers around Elijah's. "I just want to know why she is still here?" she interrogated the Mikaelson brothers.

"It's because she's paying for what she did to you." Kol told her. Maeve hummed a little. All silently stayed in place. The brothers watched as Maeve lowered her eyes onto the table. Her bottom lip quivered a few times as if she was attempting to speak.

"What did you do to her?"

"Maeve..." Elijah began but she cut him off.

"I need to know." all men exchanged looks before Kol took on the job of telling her the punishment currently being served to Lilly.

Maeve's jaw was wide open listening to the extensive punishment. She took a few seconds to herself and then decided to respond.

She leaned back in her chair, "That's some cruel shit, Nik. Love you so much."

He smiled lopsidedly showing his teeth, "thank you love but it wasn't me who thought of it."

She then turned to Kol but even he shook his head, a mysterious grin appearing on his face. "Ezekiel Pepe Kalon! He's so in for an earful."

Both, Klaus and Kol chortled. Maeve furrowed her brows at both of them. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing just that even you didn't straight away expect the person who delivered the sentence. Just like us." Maeve titled her head to a side, furrowing her brows.

A complete minute passed before it dawned on her. She let out a dramatic gasp and whipped her head over to Elijah who was sitting right next to her. She grabbed his arm, jaw open and gawking. Elijah grinned foolishly, his head hanging slightly low, avoiding to look at her.

"You! You! No, nuh uh not possible." she looked between Klaus and Kol, "this one? This──suited, high horse riding, question before slap, sassy, gentlemanly original vampire is who suggested live burial of Lilly? You did that? Who are you?"

"Mad man in love." Klaus muttered under his breath. Elijah glared at Klaus.

"How did you even think about it? I mean I didn't even know you had it in you."

He sheepishly looked at her sideways, "I have my moments."

"Alright, so enough of this. Before these two rush into their mushy romantic nauseating display of love, let's discuss the city." Kol interrupted them all.

"I thought it would be better if we bring leaders of each fraction to a table conference and find a middle ground."

Klaus rolled his eyes, "Elijah, ever the diplomat."

"If you have another plan Niklaus please share it with the class." reiterated Elijah sharply. "Because you have been far busy with some plans of your own."

"Plans to woo the barbie of Mystic falls." said Maeve, throwing a wink at Klaus.

"Since clearly he has no plan, I am proceeding with my plan."

"Can I join?" she asked Elijah. He looked at her. He weighed in his choices here.

Maeve pouted her lips giving him a pleading look. "Come on, please...Lycans are a part of the quarter too, you know."

"Just give her a distraction or she might get another obsession to pester me about." said Klaus with a roll of his eyes. "Besides, you and I we both have seen first hand, playing the world is where she shines."

"Why did I agree to this?" asked Elijah half heartedly.

Maeve was setting the chairs around the round table inside St. Anne's Church giggling at Elijah's complaint.

"Simple. You love me. It provides me with the ultimate advantage of getting everything and anything I want. Also Nik pleaded my case, but mostly it was my charming beautiful face."

"So you use me." Maeve tutted and shook her head. She crossed the short distance between them.

"Use? That's such a nasty word." she wrapped her arms around Elijah's neck, "I prefer exploiting my asset."

He smiled, resting his hands on her waist, "I'm your asset?" she smiled at him and pulled him into a kiss.

Before the moment could heat up, the sound of a clearing of throat interrupted them. Both pulled away immediately and looked toward the entrance.

"Father Kieran. Sorry about that."

Maeve looked at the floor feeling warmth spread to her cheeks. "I'll...uh, I'll to the back room. I should make a call to Auntie and see if everything is okay back in Georgia." she scurried off immediately.

Wasn't long after that Genevieve and Diego walked into the Church.

"St. Anne's has long been neutral ground in our city. So, it's only fitting that we gather in this chamber at the behest of Elijah Mikaelson to bring harmony to this place we call home. Thank you all for coming." said Father Kieran commencing the meeting.

"Yes, thank you for coming. And welcome." He held up a signed document. "These are the rules of the city according to Marcel Gerard. Which, of course, no longer apply, because I'm in charge." he tore the paper in half.

Diego looked at Elijah suspiciously, "You said that if we came along, that we would get to run things by ourselves. Never mentioned anything about making yourself king."

"There is a difference between a king and placing yourself at top to oversee functionality." said Maeve as she waltzed into the room.

"Like Maeve just mentioned, you were each selected to represent your own communities. In our honor, however, any issues that arise between factions, it will come to me. Now, we are all responsible for the current chaos in the city. However, you have one very, very simple choice ahead of you here: you can all play nicely together, or you can leave."

Chaos ensued immediately echoeing around the church, reverbating through the halls. Maeve's brows creased irritated at the rising voices.

Maeve glanced at Elijah silently seeking permission to intervene. He sighed and shook his head.

Kieran looked visibly agitated, "We're getting nowhere. You vile creatures cannot agree."

"Everybody!" Elijah shouted to get everyone to calm down. "Father, calm yourself, please." He lowered his voice. "Thank you. Now returning to the issue of boundaries, you will all heed to the following──"

Unfortunately for everyone, the doors were thrown open by Hayley who marched in angrily and clearly agitated.

"Are you serious? You're dividing up the city, and the werewolves don't even get a say?"

Diego angrily stood up and pointed at Hayley rather rudely, "What the hell is she doing here?"

Maeve glared strongly at Diego. Feelling her burning gaze on him, he lowered into his seat again.

"We are not dividing the city. We're establishing boundaries──"

Once again, Hayley decided to intervene, "No, Elijah! There is not gonna be a peace if the werewolves are excluded. They want a seat at the table. And if they don't get one, I can guarantee that you will all regret it."

"Alright. Enough dillydally of you all. Diego and you──red haired bitch, leave." said Maeve walking closer to the table.

"Who are you to command me?" asked Genevieve rising up from her chair. "She's not even a pure something. A hybrid by birth who has done nothing!" she shouted.

"As opposed to you, I suppose." Maeve passed a snarky comment raising a single brow at her. "You should thank those bitches you worship that I still am recovering because believe me sweetheart, I want to rip every single strand from your hair, use it as a noose and tie you to the ceiling by your neck and watch your body tremble in pain and your voice begging me to spare your worthless life."

Elijah physically pulled Maeve away from the table. Not because he feared for Maeve but because he feared what would happen to Genevieve.

"And you──" Maeve turned to Hayley, "must you always?"

Father Kieran looked at Genevieve and Diego, silently asking them to leave. All three walked away, not before looking at the trio with a sneer, especially Genevieve, her eyes settling weirdly on Maeve as she left.

"You two are having a meeting with everyone but the werewolves." she stated adamantly.

"Well duh. Is that why you cut this all short to tell us the obvious?"

"Hayley, this is not a meeting to divide the city, this is just to get everyone on the same page."

"Same thing. Elijah the werewolves deserve a voice." Hayley once again looked pleadingly at Maeve but she ignored the silent plea completely.

"Right now I simply wanted to bring together those who were a part of the city, Hayley. Marching into here demanding a voice is helping nobody." it was clear, even Elijah was agitated with the interruption. "Do you have any idea what it took just to get those people in one room together?"

"No, actually, I don't! Because I didn't even know what you were doing out here until someone else told me. Tell me something, Elijah. Did you leave the werewolves out because of me?"

"Just to get you a reality check, you're not Kardashian, that we'd keep up." Maeve quickly commented and subtracted herself from the conversation entirely.

"I excluded them because they no longer reside in the French Quarter. My immediate concern is to end the mounting conflict here. Now, I can assure you once this treaty is solidified, it will expand to include your people."

"And until then, I should tell them what? Sit? Stay? Roll over?"

Elijah shouted at her, "I would prefer that you remove yourself from the process all together!" Hayley glared at him quickly making him realise that he had acted rudely, "Hayley, are you absolutely certain that you shouldn't return to the compound?"

"You think the baby belongs there? You think that's where she'll be safe?" She laughed sarcastically.

"Is the Bayou any better?"

"The wolves deserve a voice. Give them one. You know it's the right thing to do." she reasoned with Elijah but it wasn't helping her case for the time being.

"Hayley, yes the werewolves deserve a voice, nobody knows that better than me but understand that currently they aren't exactly in the quarter to include them in this meet." Maeve attempted to reason with Hayley but even she knew her attempt was in vain.

"Those werewolves are my family. They deserve something better than a life in the Bayou."

"We'll talk when they decide to walk into the quarter and demand housing. Until then, this is useless."

Hayley looked at the two of them again and decided to take her leave but not before one last thing, "you know I'm right."

Elijah and Maeve remained silent for a bit soaking in the plot twist to his plan.

"So? Are you going to give her a place?"

Elijah turned to Maeve, slight confusion flickering in his eyes. "Perhaps that would be the right thing to do."

"Well go on then, give them a place on the council. What's the worst that can happen? Vampires kill werewolves, werewolves kill vampires and witches kill everyone, all the while humans become battle collaterals." she painted a vivid picture of the possible future that would come off of the plan he was forming. "Lycans carefully pull out and safeguard ourselves watching the war from afar."

"That is not what I meant. Binding all the factions in a blood treaty could help us keep some peace if not in its entirety."

Maeve considered his words and hummed. "Maybe so, but remember they would do this reluctantly. Rebellions are always an option. A spark and ego and you've got yourselves a forest fire in the making."

"So pessimistic."

"Practical." she corrected him. "You cannot beg for peace from a city that has survived on chaos."

************************************
Hello! What's cracking, world?

Liked the chapter? Hate the chapter?

Whatever just please keep loving the story. It's at 140K reads!!

I'm so thankful for all of you.

Please keep up with the love for Maeve.

And, for the wonderful news. As opposed to the previous version, this time I have decided to give you all something interesting.
{ ps, it's a massive spoiler ;) }

Klaroline shippers rise! It's happening.

I still love Camille but I have decided on a different storyline... probably a better one, so Klamille shippers don't come at me. I don't hate her, I just love Klaroline more.

Anyways, take care everyone!

Raven.