Maddy didn't want to go to the Decade Dance.
But Rebekah was absolutely insistent.
"What took you so long?" Klaus asked her the next morning when she returned while he and Maddy were in the living room.
"Alaric didn't want to hand over the stake." She held it up. "Luckily, I'm quite the charmer."
Maddy figured Rebekah must have beat him until he did her bidding.
Klaus raised a brow. "That's it?"
Rebekah assented. "The last of the white oak stakes that can kill us. Do you want to do the honors, or shall I?"
Klaus took the stake, and tossed it into the fireplace, causing the flames to flare up around it.
"Well, that's that, then," said Rebekah.
Klaus patted Maddy's shoulders. "Pack your bags, both of you. We're leaving."
Maddy was all for it, but Rebekah frowned. "Today?"
"Why not?" asked Klaus. "There's nothing keeping us here. I'll ask Elena for one more donation of blood for the time being, and we'll be off by sunset."
Rebekah pouted. "But tonight is the Decade Dance."
"So?"
"So, I'm head of the committee, we have to go!"
Klaus scoffed. "I'm not going to any dance."
"Please, Nik!" Rebekah whined. "I was planning to ask Elijah and Kol to go, too! Please, I have big plans for tonight, just go for me."
The hybrid relented. "Okay, fine. One last hoorah."
Rebekah smiled. "One last hoorah, Nik."
She skipped off, likely to convince her other two brothers to attend. Maddy heaved a sigh, frowning at Klaus. "Do we have to?"
"She'll be insufferable if we refuse," said Klaus. "It's alright, love, we'll start packing tomorrow. Heading to New Orleans is the next thing on the agenda now that the stake has been destroyed."
"And you're sure it's safe to just go there without scouting the area first?"
He raised a brow. "Do you believe there to be danger in New Orleans?"
"No," said Maddy. "But it's been a long time since you were there. A lot has changed. Maybe it's best we plan ahead a bit more. I want to leave as soon as possible, I do, but let's be smart about it so we don't end up with any problems."
"Very well. I'll have one of the hybrids scout the area." He looked up as Rebekah entered the room again. "What now, sister?"
"I forgot to tell you," she said sweetly. "It's 'Twenties' themed. Get yourselves something from the era."
She trotted off, and Maddy made a face. "Twenties themed? Oh, I don't own anything from that time anymore."
Klaus smirked. "I suppose it's a good thing we have all day to prepare."
Maddy hadn't expected him to take her into Charlottesville to visit the literal most expensive store that sold flapper dresses. He'd sat comfortably on the couches of the store, having Maddy model each dress that she tried on until she found one she liked.
Rolling her eyes playfully at him, she took the dress in hand, then dragged him to a nearby store that sold fancy suits, having him do the same until he selected an all-white suit, which she feared would get stained easily. He obviously didn't mind, he could just buy another suit or get it professionally cleaned.
"I don't understand how Elijah can wear these all the time," said Klaus once they were on the dance floor, both feeling quite out of place.
"I don't know," she said, peering over to where Elijah was dancing with Elena. Off to the side, Kol was with Bonnie. Damon, apparently, was chaperoning despite Alaric's absence. Stefan was near where Caroline and Tyler were chattering and admiring the outfits that others had worn.
Klaus hummed. "Where the bloody hell is Rebekah?"
"Maybe behind the scenes," mused Maddy. "She could be making sure all is well with the music and drinks or something."
"I know my sister, she'd prefer to be part of the action." He looked at Elijah, waving for him to come over.
"Brother," said Elijah, standing beside them. "What is it?"
"Take Kol and look for Rebekah. I'm going to call her. If that brat made us attend this ridiculous dance just to have a laugh, I will make sure she regrets it."
Elijah cast him a look, before doing as he was told.
No one could find Rebekah. She wasn't answering her phone, and apparently, wasn't anywhere in the school. Klaus pulled Maddy with him, deciding to check outside. The younger vampire wasn't sure how Rebekah could possibly miss this, considering she probably had an authentic and expensive dress to flaunt in the faces of the other high school girls.
They both came to an abrupt halt before they neared the lawn, noticing a line of salt around the perimeter.
"What is this?" asked Klaus under his breath.
Maddy reached her hand out, placing her hand on the invisible barrier that kept them from going any further. "A spell that's keeping us in here. But why?"
They turned, sensing someone behind them. Jeremy had come up to them, breathless. "Esther took Elena."
The vampires followed after him as he led them to the geography classroom, where Bonnie was gathering candles and maps. Kol was already in there, writing a spell for her to try.
"How the bloody hell is Easter alive?" asked Klaus. "Rebekah told me that she came by yesterday and died."
"She jumped into Bekah's body, that's how," said Kol, nodding to Elijah as he came in, holding his phone as if he was calling Elena.
"She's not in there anymore," said Jeremy. "She was in her real body. I would have known if it was Rebekah."
Matt entered the room from the hallway. "People are walking right out of the dance, past the barrier."
"Matt and I can leave," said Jeremy. "We can stop Esther ourselves. We just gotta find out where she is."
Stefan shook his head as he brought Damon in. "It's suicide, Jeremy."
"She took my sister," snapped Jeremy. "I can't just sit back and do nothing."
"We're not asking you to do nothing," said Bonnie quietly as she sat down in front of the map and candles. "I need your blood for the spell." She offered him a knife, and he took it, cutting into his palm and allowing his blood to drip over the map.
Klaus huffed. "What's taking so long?"
Kol made a face. "Think you're the only one who wants out? It takes time. Give us a moment."
Bonnie held her hands over the map, starting to chant while Kol looked over her shoulder. She then frowned. "Esther is fighting me."
"Push harder, love," said Kol, though he furrowed his brows as if this wasn't normal. "Concentrate, and try again."
She did, but she winced. "It's too strong."
"What could be affording our mother such power?" asked Elijah. "Her connection to the Bennett line was severed."
Klaus's eye twitched. "She's channeling something else."
"A hotspot?" offered Bonnie helpfully.
"I know where she is," said Klaus. "It must be the spot where she turned us into vampires. In modern times... it's where the Salvatore tomb rests."
Jeremy immediately darted out, and Matt followed him.
"They're barely going to manage to stall her," said Maddy worriedly. "Whatever she's planning is big, she might already have it done."
Damon held up his phone. "Ric isn't responding. He was supposed to be here tonight. You don't think—?"
"I think," said Stefan quietly, "we should assume the worst. Bonnie, do you think you can break the boundary spell?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "But I can try."
"You can break it, love," said Kol, writing out another spell for her to try. "Go on, let's start with this one."
Everyone was on edge. The vampires couldn't leave to serve as backup for Jeremy and Matt, who could die facing Esther. Elijah was pacing the room nonstop, worried out of his mind. Klaus was ready to blow a fuse, and Kol was teaching Bonnie so many different types of spells that the witch's head was spinning, trying to break away Esther's barrier.
"It's done," she said, the air suddenly clearing after the fourth attempt. "The barrier is broken."
The Originals sped off immediately.
"Get Caroline and Tyler," Maddy told Stefan. "Keep them close. Damon, get Meredith. If something happened to Ric, or even Elena, Jeremy, and Matt, she'll know how to help them."
She took the time to help Bonnie clean up before speeding off. The cemetery appeared to be empty when she arrived, but a text from Klaus let her know the brothers had Esther's body. Elijah and Elena were in the tomb with Jeremy, Matt, and Alaric.
Apparently, Esther had need a new Mikael. In the spot where she turned her children, she created an indestructible white oak stake, and attempted to turn Alaric into an Original vampire. It would have kept his dark side in control for good. However, now that she was dead, he'd decided not to complete the transition.
Which meant that it was time to say goodbye.
Maddy informed everyone in the group chat, asking them to come to the Salvatore Tomb. She left only to get Jenna, who was probably at home, blissfully unaware and maybe watching a movie while she waited for everyone to get home.
It broke her heart, explaining everything to her. She did her best to stay calm as she took Jenna to the cemetery. By the time they arrived, everyone was gathered there. The entire friend group (and Elijah) were gathered and prepared to say goodbye to Alaric.
Maddy was touched when she heard Elijah apologizing on behalf of Esther and the rest of the Originals. She could see Elena beaming through her tears.
One by one they went into the tomb. They took several precious moments to speak to their friend before they left. Little by little the cemetery was emptied, until the only ones that remained were Damon, Maddy, and Jenna. Meredith had left them with a sedative, which they injected into Alaric so that he could drift away painlessly, without the discomfort that Bill Forbes had experienced.
"I could snap your neck, you know," murmured Damon, holding a bottle of whiskey up. "Could put you out of your misery."
Alaric just stared at him. "No. Just... no." He took Jenna's hand, bringing it up to his mouth so that he could kiss the back of it. "You don't have to stay. You can go."
"I don't want to go," Jenna whispered, fighting back tears. "I want to stay right here."
"You don't need to see this."
"I'm not going anywhere, Ric. I'm staying with you until the end."
"I want you to be happy," he told her, resting his head on her shoulder. "I want you to eventually move on and do... everything that you want in life. Travel. Establish your own practice, maybe. Have kids. Buy a ridiculously expensive sports car that you'll only use on special occasions..."
Jenna mustered a laugh. "I don't want to do all that without you by my side."
"You have to, Jenna," he said. "I'm not going to be here anymore." He looked up at Damon, his eyes drooping a bit. "Is this the part where you give me a dream? Rainbows and rolling green hills?"
Damon blushed. "I was drunk when I told you that."
"Yeah. And I told you I'd use it against you."
"Damn you," the vampire murmured. "Sorry I killed you... twice."
Alaric chuckled. "So I have to actually die to get a real apology out of you."
Damon offered him the bottle of whiskey. "Drink."
He didn't take it, a tear rolling down his cheek. "Actually, I've been thinking about cutting back."
"Ha, yeah," replied Damon, his voice wavering slightly. "This stuff will kill ya."
Alaric took the bottle, taking a swig. "I'm sorry, Ric," Maddy whispered. "I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault," murmured Alaric. "It's not anybody's fault but Esther's. How can a mother... hate her kids that much? Promise me, all of you, that if you ever become parents... if you ever get the urge to adopt a kid and raise it as your own... don't be like Esther."
Maddy managed a smile. "Alright, Ric. I promise."
"Promise," said Jenna quietly.
Damon snorted lightly. "I'm not gonna adopt any kids, but alright."
"And Damon," continued Alaric, "just let your sister be happy, for fuck's sake. You're not going to change the fact that she's with Klaus. He's here to stay. So protect her, but without butting into everything. Protect Klaus, too. He's been real patient when he could have cut your head off ages ago."
Jenna nodded in agreement, and Maddy sighed as Damon looked down at his feet sheepishly.
They all tensed at the sound of footsteps outside. Jenna put her arm protectively around Alaric. The two vampires got up, and exited the tomb, finding Bonnie was approaching them.
"Bonnie?" asked Maddy, confused. "I thought you left."
She didn't respond, staring at them intently. Damon and Maddy both let out cries of pain, holding their heads as aneurysms on repeat started to burst and heal in their brains.
"Bonnie," Damon yelled, realizing what must be happening. "Bonnie, no! NO!"
They heard a panicked scream, and smelled blood. Just when they thought the spell would let up, and their headaches would be over, they felt an abrupt tug on their chins, snapping their heads to the side suddenly, and killing them temporarily.
When they came to, it was morning. They rushed into the tomb, finding that Jenna, whose arm was bleeding, was unconscious beside Bonnie, who was in a similar condition. Alaric and the indestructible white oak stake were gone.
"Jenna!" cried Maddy, shaking her while Damon started to do the same to Bonnie. "Jenna, wake up!"
Jenna gave a gasp as she awoke, holding her arm immediately. She looked around wildly before fixating on Bonnie. "What did you do? Why did you make him feed?!"
Bonnie seemed to have snapped out of her trance after having a night of rest. "What? What are you talking about?"
"Esther," said Maddy. "It must have been Esther. She— she made the witches possess you or something. You made Ric feed on Jenna. He transitioned."
"Which means," said Damon angrily, "my best friend is now an Original vampire... slash vampire hunter."
Maddy swore under her breath. "The new Mikael. Just as ruthless as the last one. Come on, let's get back to the Gilbert House."
She helped Jenna up, while Damon held onto Bonnie. They sped to the Gilbert House, finding that Stefan was with Jeremy downstairs. Elena, apparently, was upstairs.
"Oh my god," said Jeremy in shock when she saw them entering. "What happened?"
"Alaric turned," said Maddy as she sat Jenna down at the kitchen table and pressed a towel over her cut.
"What do you mean he turned?" cried Stefan. "I thought you two were standing guard!"
"Don't blame us," snapped Damon. "Blame Bonnie, she got all possessed and freaky and turned Jenna into a blood bag!"
"I had no idea what was happening," said Bonnie angrily as Jeremy rushed upstairs, presumably to call everyone and warn them once he told his sister. "The witches led me there. They wanted him to feed so he turned."
"So where's the stake now?" asked Stefan, watching as Maddy brought the first aid kit over to Jenna now that the bleeding had slowed down a bit.
"On, you mean the white oak one?" asked Damon. "The one that can kill an Original and wipe out an entire line of vampires? We don't know."
"Ric has it," said Maddy. "But we don't know where Ric went. I doubt he went directly after the Originals, they're all together right now, he doesn't stand a chance."
Damon rolled his eyes, then glared at Bonnie. "Hey!" she snapped. "You don't get to be mad at me! This isn't my fault! If you're so upset with me, you should have just killed me in retaliation— that's your specialty, isn't it? Why let me live?"
"Because I do stupid things, Bonnie," snapped Damon. "I do things, like let my friend die with dignity when I should have just killed him."
Maddy wasn't going to put up with their bickering. "I need to call Klaus so that all the Originals are aware. In the meantime, try to find a way to stop him. A witch made him, surely a witch can stop him."
She moved into another room, dialing his number. The line rang twice before he answered. "Love," he said, "Alaric is—"
"—an Original," she finished. "I know. The witches forced him to transition. We're at the Gilbert House. How did you hear about—?"
"He nearly killed Rebekah when she was at the high school cleaning up after the dance. He has the stake."
"I know... what are we going to do?"
"We're going to leave."
"Leave?" she hissed. "Nik, we can't just—"
"We can, and we will. Get home, we're going to get somewhere safe before he can murder the lot of us."
"I can't just leave. All of us are in danger. Running won't solve anything. Maybe Bonnie can find a way to subdue him."
"This is not up for discussion, Madeleine, you must get here this instant. He will take you and use you against me, then he'll kill you."
She didn't say anything, looking up from her phone as she heard everyone calling out for Elena.
"What is it?" she asked. "Where's Elena?"
"We don't know," said Stefan. His phone chimed. "Hold on..." he paled. "Alaric has her and Caroline at the high school. He wants Klaus to turn himself over."
"Get here now, Nik," said Maddy. "Bring your siblings— we need a plan."
Reluctantly, Klaus listened. Within ten minutes, the Originals were ringing the doorbell. The group stepped outside, not about to invite all of them into the house. Elijah could enter, but he was too polite to insist they go into the house. He had on his usual poker face, but Maddy had a feeling he was panicking on the inside.
"Why only Niklaus?" asked Rebekah. "Why not have all of us turn ourselves in?"
"Klaus is a hybrid," said Stefan. "He poses the greatest threat to Alaric. Even if his bite can't kill him, he'll be blinded with pain. No offense to all of you but Klaus is probably the strongest one."
Kol crossed his arms. "That's his plan, then? Take out the most dangerous one to pluck us out one by one and kill us subsequently?"
"If he wanted Niklaus to turn himself in," said Rebekah, "he should have kidnapped Maddy. She was right there." She rolled her eyes. "Idiot."
"Unless," murmured Elijah, "it's a trap for all of us. He knows we would not abandon our brother. He knows that Elena means a great deal to me."
"He had heightened strength even as a human," said Damon. "That's what Sage said. Maybe Esther gave him an extra boost."
"There must be a loophole," said Kol. "A weak link. If we get Elena back successfully, she can tell us exactly how Esther performed the spell. When we were created, our mother linked us to the white oak tree. Something living. Consequently, wood from that original tree is the only thing that can kill us."
"Maybe she had extra white oak," said Stefan. "She got one stake, she could have gotten more. Which means the stake will also be lethal to him. If you all overpower him, the stake will be just as effective on him."
"I might have an idea," piped up Bonnie as she came outside. "My mom used a desiccation spell on Mikael that immobilized him for over fifteen years. If I can get it, I might be able to use it on Alaric."
"If and might?" said Klaus sharply. "Your words inspire such confidence."
Bonnie continued, "Even with the spell, we'll need a lot of vampire muscle to take him down. Including yours."
"I believe I know a spell that'll work," said Kol. "I could teach it to you. Everyone else would need to go and confront Alaric. Surely three Originals and three vampires can overpower him."
Rebekah snorted. "That's assuming that Mother doesn't give him a boost from the Other Side."
It took an hour for Kol and Bonnie to be ready. The others paced back and forth, just waiting to hear whether their spell was going to work or not. At last, Kol alerted them that they were a-go for the desiccation spell. Bonnie would need to stop Jeremy's heart in order to desiccate Alaric. Kol would guide her through the spell while the others went on a rescue mission.
"I just got this," said Bonnie once they met outside the high school. "It connects me to Caroline and Elena through our phones. They're in Alaric's classroom. You should go in from the South entrance."
"Digital Locator Spell," said Damon. "Why the hell do we need you then?" He waved at Jeremy, who was toying with the Gilbert ring on his finger. "Hand it over."
Jeremy glared at him. "I'm not giving you my ring. Let me do this."
"By my math, you've already bit it once, this will be twice, wearing that thing and if for some reason, Bonnie can't restart your heart and you do indeed die, then before you know it, we have another psycho alter ego case on our hands, which is bad so give me the ring."
Kol snorted. "Have a little faith, will you, I wouldn't teach her a faulty spell. Are you doubting me, mate? The boy wants to keep his ring. Alaric died what, twice at your hand, and several other times before he went mad? He'll be fine."
Damon wasn't about to challenge him. Bonnie tried to contain a smile as she held up a vial of crimson liquid. "Drink this. It's my blood. It bridges us all together so that when I stop Jeremy's heart, you'll have the power to stop Alaric's. You need to make a physical connection to his bloodstream; a vein, artery, something connected to his heart."
Stefan drank first. "If one of us gets a clean shot, take it, the other two: hold him down." He passed it to Damon, who took a sip before passing it to Maddy. Once she drank, Klaus took it, then Elijah, then Rebekah.
"Wow," said Jeremy, making a face. "That... is disgusting."
"We're not affected by bacteria," said Rebekah with a cheeky smile. "It won't kill us."
"You basically kissed Maddy."
Rebekah frowned. "Gross."
Stefan groaned. "Jeremy, stop talking. Let's just get this over with, shall we?"
They split into two teams. Maddy and Klaus were going directly to Alaric's classroom to rescue the girls. The others were going to cause a distraction and lure Alaric away.
They found Caroline was staked to a desk with pencils, while a cloth dipped in vervain acted as a gag in her mouth. Elena was unharmed, which Maddy found strange. Was it possible that Alaric still remembered that she was like a daughter to him?
"I've got you," said Maddy, ripping the pencils out and taking the gag off, hissing as it burned her hands. "Both of you, get out."
"Wait," said Elena before Caroline could grab her and speed away. "Caroline, go. Alaric won't kill me. I think... I think I know why. I just need to find a way to prove it."
Klaus and Maddy couldn't stop her from following them to the main hallway, where Alaric had already snapped Damon and Stefan's neck, ripped out Rebekah's heart, and was currently fighting with Elijah, who wasn't doing very well on his own.
The hybrid and the vampire both jumped into the fight, which didn't benefit their side in any way. Maddy was thrown into Elijah, and when they recovered, Klaus was flung to the side, giving Alaric an opening to snap Elijah's neck.
Alaric suddenly sped forward, forcing his hand into Maddy's chest, gripping her heart.