"Impossible. This cannot be happening." Elijah refused to believe his ears. The news that travelled through the closed doors of the fortress of the Mikaelson home had to be a lie. It was a lie, right?

"This is what I heard" responded Camille, her agitation clear in her voice. "Maeve really has..."

"Don't." Elijah pursued his lips. He raised a single finger in the air to silence the bartender slash psychologist. "She cannot have done that."

"Don't shoot the messenger." she raised her hands in the air defensively.

"But Maeve wouldn't do this."

"This is what I heard. Maeve has joined Francesca."

"Cami, this lady is solely responsible for several damages, one that also includes Niklaus's torment every full moon──not to mention the personal attack she's made on Maeve, rather foolishly twice. There is no way on earth that Maeve, of all people would join hands with her."

Camille forced a breath out her nostrils expressing her impatience. "Elijah I heard it from Francesca's bodyguard who was following me today. What more proof would you need to consider a possibility. I hate it just as much as any of you but this is what is happening."

Elijah sensed a presence in the compound. He hung his head low, but just an inch. "Cami, you should leave. I will look into the rumours myself. Take care of yourself."

With defeat and worry for what might be out the front door, Camille left. Elijah turned away and climbed the stairs immediately and approached his brother.

"What is happening? What is Maeve up to?"

"My knowledge is lesser than yours." Elijah expressed his defeat. He had to come to terms with a grave possibility. "I don't think I know Maeve anymore."

A smile. Such a beautiful feature on a woman yet so haunting at times. Maeve sat by herself praying and meditating peacefully.

Only it didn't last long, interrupted by the loud wails of baby Hope Mikaelson. Maeve opened her eyes and smiled. She immediately got up and went over to the crib. Maeve lifted the young six month old girl in her arms and bopped her up and down cooing softly along.

"Is my little witch hungry?" asked Maeve in a funny way. Maeve sat Hope on her waist and walked into the kitchen.

Hope cried, her tiny hands fisting the loose strands of Maeve's hair. Maeve let out a yelp. "Okay young lady...I get it, Nik's strength is already in you." Maeve set her down on her high chair and freed her hair from Hope's grip.

Maeve prepared Hope's food and came back to the chair. She fed a small spoon of the porridge oats she made. Maeve gazed at Hope affectionately and smiled. Hope looked exactly like Hayley, but her eyes; they were those of her father's. Eyes which, if Maeve knew Klaus well, were burning with sorrow, frustration and anger. Some of which was for her, most of it for Hope.

"You know something little bug. I don't regret deceiving your father and the rest of my family. I mean, I basically kidnapped you from your aunt. I do not want to face her. She alone knows if I would have my eyes after meeting her again. I made a whole lot of promises to your uncle Elijah, but I failed in keeping em'. I just hope he understands. Not that I expect him too."

Hope bit down on the spoon, tapping her tiny hands on the table top. "All that matters is that you are here, safe from New Orleans, your grandmother and uncle Finn being back ── especially that mean old lady named Dahlia."

A grimace and fear suddenly set deep within her heart just as she said that name.

"Nobody will ever hurt a single hair on your pretty little head as long as I am here for you." Maeve smiled and fed Hope some more. She burped the young Mikaelson princess and sang her to sleep soon after.

Maeve placed Hope in her crib and walked out of the room. She sighed and stepped out of the house. The fresh Breeze of dusk fanned her face as soon as she was out of the front porch.

The last six months blessed Maeve with silence. Her only job was to protect Hope.

"She asleep?" Maeve smiled at the sound of the voice.

"Yeah, she's down for her afternoon nap." It was Patrick, a Lennox. He walked up the small flight of stairs, on the front porch and sat down next to Maeve on the floor.

"You need some sleep, you know."

"I can't sleep. There's so much to still work out."

"And you will work it out. Right now you need to rest." Patrick pulled Maeve up by her hands. He shoved her into the house and kept an eye on her until he saw her walk inside her bedroom.

Small cottage with a floor above just within the deep south side of Maywater Woodlands. Who better to help her than the covens themselves. Patrick made his way up the stairs, directly into Hope's nursery. The littlest Mikaelson slept soundly in her comfy crib holding a stuff wolf, Maeve brought for her when she was just two days old. 

Inside her room, Maeve sat on her bed, cross-legged holding a rather large bound book in her lap. A stack of large books looking similar to the one in her lap was carefully placed by the nightstand. Fear, worry constantly rattled inside her mind.

Maeve glanced at the nightstand ── especially at the photo on the night stand. The photo was clicked on the night at the Mikaelson home in the middle of the night when the whole house was awake and buzzing with stories and laughter.

Everyone had squeezed in close to fit into the frame. Smiles were wholesome, genuine and bright. A gentle reminder every night and every morning of why she was doing what she intended to do. All for her family.

Her train of thought and a ghost of smile were interrupted when the door to her room was thrown open aggressively. She flinched up and was ready to attack the person. She recanted on her fight response seeing Patrick standing in the doorway. But her mind didn't ease seeing his panicked expression and erratic breathing.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Alpha Zoltan is here." announced Patrick. "How did he find you?"

"I'm not sure. Stay with Hope." Maeve shut the book and leaped off the bed before climbing the stairs down and into the living room space immediately.

High Councilman Zoltan stood by the French window that overlooked the lush green of the Maywater Woodlands. He had his hands intertwined behind him.

"Councilman Zoltan." Maeve called his name. He turned around to face her. Maeve immediately bent down on one knee with her head bowed low showing her respect for her elder.

"Rise." Zoltan moved away from the window and made himself comfortable on the couch.

"Would you like some coffee?" Maeve offered him. "or maybe something else to drink...or eat."

"No. I'm on a tight schedule. I have to take my daughter to a concert of something called One Direction. I don't know...what that is but a father got to do what he got to do."

Maeve laughed shortly at his comment. "And as for how we found you, every Alpha is always watched by the Councilmans people, Maeve. We have eyes and ears everywhere. It was easy to track you to Georgia and it did not take much longer to figure out the truth of these particular woods."

Maeve stood behind an arm chair in the room, her eyes bouncing off and onto another surface in the room──roaming everywhere but going to look at Zoltan. "Council man Zoltan, I had my personal reasons to take the──"

"I do not know nor do I care what your personal life has been like for which you thought it okay to abdicate from your responsibilities. Responsibilities that you were made away of before you formally were introduced into our world and were decreed to follow in the footsteps of your father and join your brother to take your rightful place in the pack." Zoltan' voice roared through the quiet house bouncing off walls and echoing around.

"Explain to me why you gave a formal statement about abdicating from the throne." Maeve did her best to explain but it was clear from the beginning of the explanation that Zoltan was not going to accept anything she had to say.

"All of what you just said shows the lengths you are willing to go for your pack." said Zoltan. "Maeve the Mikaelson family is as much your pack as those who were born into it and those who consciously decided to take the bite."

"I cannot take on that responsibility while──"

"You can. You single handedly put so much pressure on three of the strongest packs in Europe and shattered all mysogynistic idiots egos like glass."

"What...what are you saying?"

Zoltan stood up and stared at her with complete authority. His eyes turned red like the blood moon as he uttered his next words. "I, High Councilman Zoltan refuse your request for abdication of the throne to be the Alpha of the Kalon Pack right next to your brother Ezekiel Kalon. You are to be crowned as decreed previously by your late grandfather Kade Kalon in precisely the time of eight months."

Maeve didn't have to chance to digest the fact that it happened let alone protest; before which Zoltan had already left her alone in the living room.

************************************
Hey guys! I am so sorry for the late update. It's just I got a Job! Like Adulting has begun and I am not fond of it.

I graduated from my masters program and am currently employed. As much as I love my job, Adulting sucks, like big time. Excuse me for the complete absence but appreciate all of you for still sticking around.

Hope I did not disappoint you with this lousy update. More to come soon! Promise :)

Take care everyone!

Raven