Maya was tapping her fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the song that currently played on the radio as she waited for the light to turn green.
Her phone rang and she looked at the screen to see it was Liam, "Hey."
"Hey," Liam said, it was a lot quieter than it usually was when he called. All that could be heard was the faint sound of a car engine.
"What's up?"
"Well, I just wanted to let you know that I'm coming back."
"You are?" Maya said unable to hold back the smile.
"Yeah, I should be there by lunchtime."
"I'm going to be hanging out with Matt at the Grill today so you can meet me there or I can meet you somewhere else, if you want."
"I'll meet you at the Grill."
"Okay, see you then," Maya said as she hung up with a grin still on her face.
She was snapped back to reality when a horn honked causing Maya to jump. Looking up, she saw that the light was green and she drove off to the Mystic Grill.
Maya entered the Grill to find Matt on the phone.
"Really? Jeremy, you're half an hour late. Get here now," he said before ending the voicemail.
"Need any help?" Maya asked.
"If it's not too much to ask."
"I like helping, even if I'm not getting paid for it."
Maya began taking down chairs when the door opened again.
"Uh...Matt?" April said.
"Uh, hey, April. We don't open until eleven."
"Oh, sorry, I wasn't trying to scare you or stalk you or whatever. I just - I came to ask if you've seen Rebekah."
"Why would I have seen Rebekah?"
"Oh, I just assumed...I mean, aren't you guys kind of like a thing?"
"Rebekah and I are not a thing," Matt protested with a scoff.
"Well, I - I mean I'm worried about her. She said she'd help me find stuff out about the fire that killed my dad and then she just - disappeared."
Before anyone could react, Connor had pushed Jeremy into the room with a knife pressed to his throat.
"Trust me, that's the least of your problems," Connor said before shouting, "Sit down!"
Everyone took a seat and Connor took Jeremy's phone.
"At least let April go," Jeremy pleaded, "She doesn't have anything to do with this."
"She has everything to do with this. Her and her father. Plus, she and I have a history."
"What are you talking about? I've never seen you before in my life," April said confused.
"Well, you kids need to get some vervain. And don't just wear it as a bracelet where anybody can just take it off. Maybe then you'd remember our conversation at the hybrid's yesterday."
"Our conversation? Are you saying someone compelled me?!" Jeremy shouted.
"Would someone please tell me what he's talking about?!" April asked getting panicky.
"Compulsion, secrets, vampires," Connor said as though it were a mantra.
"If you know so much, then you know our friends are going to come for us," Matt said.
"Oh, yeah, I'm counting on it. Every vampire that comes for you is another one I get to kill. Now, who should I text first? Hm?," Connor said looking through Jeremy's phone, "Damon Salvatore, his brother Stefan, Tyler Lockwood? Nah, all of the above."
He then put the phone on the table and stabbed it with the hunters knife before walking over to Maya.
"You've been awfully quiet, no pleading for your life or asking why I'm doing this?"
"Honestly?" Maya said looking him straight in the eyes, "You, sir, are the least of my worries."
"And why is that?"
"Well, I know you are a vampire hunter and I am not a vampire, so you won't kill me unless you have to. Damon and Stefan will probably barge in here at some point, maybe even with Elena, do something stupid and get themselves or you killed but either way, I'm alive," Maya said playing her cards right and using the fact that he doesn't know what she is to her advantage.
Connor stood up straight, leaving the conversation at that as he walked over to the table with his bag on it. He poured werewolf toxin into a glass jar creating a jar as the other four conversed to themselves.
April was in tears as she tried to rationalize the situation, "He's clearly delusional. I mean, right? All this - all this talk about vampires, but I mean, he mentioned my dad."
"Hey, this guy's a nut job, okay? Don't let him get in your head," Matt said trying to lure her away from the subject.
"What if he knows something? Jeremy, did he say anything to you about why he's doing this?"
"I don't know. Maybe. Maybe I just can't remember," Jeremy said as he shot a look in Maya's direction and walked over to Connor.
"Let it go. Jeremy!" Matt shouted after him.
"You said we had a conversation yesterday," Jeremy said once he approached Connor.
"Mmhmm."
"About what?"
"We'll get into that. First, take a look at my handy work. Pick up some tips from the hunter's trade."
"What is all that?"
"The fluid is derived from werewolf toxin. Trip the wire, bomb goes off, nails deliver a lethal dose into the bloodstream."
"And what's the point? What do you get out of all this?"
"You know, I used to think that there was no 'get'; that I was just supposed to do. Kill vampires. That was until I realized that the mark held the answer to why I am the way I am. The more I kill, the more it grows and once it's complete, I'll know my story and - and all of this will have meant something," Connor explained before looking at Matt, April and Maya, "Hey! We're gonna have visitors soon, you three get in the back. Get up!"
"Move!" he shouted when the three stayed put.
April got up, still in tears and Matt guided her to the back room. Maya trailed behind.
"Before you think about any other exits, I got every door rigged. Got it?"
"We're closed," Maya heard Connor say using her vamp hearing.
"I want you to free the hostages," Stefan responded.
"I'll free them as soon as you give me what I want. You and everyone like you dead."
"What? So your hunter's mark can grow? Yeah, I know all about that. What it means, what you are. Listen, if you free the hostages then you and I can have a little chat. I'll even tell you about the Brotherhood of the Five."
"That's a weak move. You must be desperate."
"Think about it, Connor. Klaus saved your life. He needs you alive. Aren't you the least bit curious why?"
Connor slammed the phone down and from what Maya could hear she was pretty sure he broke it.
Matt began moving the shelves once he saw that the cost was clear.
"When I was a kid, my dad used to tell me these scary stories about vampires," April said trying to wrap her head around the events.
"They're just stories," Matt said as he continued moving the shelves.
"Not to that man out there. There's something so familiar about him."
"Look, this is a messed up situation, but the last thing you want to do is buy into that guy's craziness," he said pulling the panel off of the wall, "You're gonna be fine. We're getting out of here."
"What is that?"
"There used to be an exit to the old wine cellar. They bricked it over."
"So, that's it then? We're screwed."
"No, we're not screwed," he said grabbing a hammer and a nail to get the bricks out.
"You may be a potential hunter, but if you make one move, I'll break all twenty seven bones in your hand," Maya overheard Connor say to Jeremy as she continued listening.
"They're not all bad, you know. Some of them, they're my friends."
"Your friends, huh? Yeah, I had a friend like that once. She got turned by this vampire I was hunting. He thought it would be ironic."
"What happened to her?"
"I didn't want to hurt her. She promised that she would keep it under control, but...a vampire's like a loaded gun. Eventually it's gonna go off. That's why I got this."
"So, you killed your own friend?!"
"Listen, if you're gonna be like me, you need to understand. Vampires kill humans, hunters kill vampires."
"We've got company."
Music began to play and a few moments later there was an explosion.
"Oh my God," Matt said.
"We need to get you two out of here," Maya said. She turned around to find Stefan but he quickly silenced her by covering her mouth. Once he removed his hand she let out a sigh of relief.
"Follow this map, get out of here, take her to Caroline so she can..." Stefan said handing Damon's phone to Matt.
"Okay," Matt said taking April, he turned around to add, "Stefan, that guy is armed. If you go out there, he's gonna kill Jeremy."
"No one's killing anyone. Go."
Stefan turned to Maya but she stopped him. "I'm not going, you can't stop me. You may be older and more experienced but I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve so don't even try. You need me. He has no idea what I am let alone that I'm not human, we can use that to our advantage."
"Fine," Stefan said, "but you stay hidden until needed."
"Deal," Maya agreed following him out quietly.
Connor pointed his gun at Stefan as Maya remained hidden. Stefan super sped across the grill avoiding the bullets.
Connor pushed Jeremy out of the way. Maya saw that he was about to step on a rigged mat and quickly ran out and pushed him out of the way. She looked down to see that she was now standing on the mat, unable to move because she would set off the bomb.
"Connor, you don't have to do this!" Stefan pleaded.
"Stefan!" Maya shouted to show him where she was.
He turns around to see Maya standing frozen on the pressure sensitive mat.
"Connor, we can end this right now! Just put down the gun and come with me!" Stefan said slightly more panicked now.
"Sure. Come out, I'll hand the gun over," Connor said.
"Think about this. No one has to die. I'll tell you everything you need to know!"
"I don't make deals with vampires!!!" Connor shouted back.
"Listen to me, if you die right now, then your whole life, all that killing; it'll all be for nothing. I can give you the truth. Just put down the gun and let Jeremy and Maya go!"
Someone entered the Grill but Maya was to afraid to move.
"Please!" Elena's voice echoed throughout the Grill, "Don't hurt him."
"You come any closer, he's dead," he said pointing the gun at Jeremy.
"Elena, get out of here!" Jeremy warned.
"He's the only family that I have left. Just - just let him go."
"You hear that? Your girl is watching," Connor shouted in the direction of Stefan, "I will shoot the boy right in front of her! On the count of three! One! Two!"
Stefan stood up in surrender and Connor moved the gun he pointed at Jeremy to Stefan.
Elena rushes for Connor, he shot his gun and hit Jeremy in the stomach. Elena threw Connor to the ground and began choking him.
"Incendia," Maya shouted, her hand directed to the bar. The alcohol caught on fire, distracting everyone.
Elena looked up, "Jeremy?!"
While she was distracted, Connor got out of her grip and tossed her off. He grabbed his stake and was ready to stake her.
"Phasmatos navaro pulsus sanguinox," Maya shouted in panic causing Connor to fall on his back.
"Ahhh," Connor shouted in pain, after a moment he stopped writhing in pain and lay dead.
"No!" Stefan shouted.
Maya began to feel dizzy and almost fell. The bomb began to tick and Stefan ran up to her and protected her as the bomb exploded.
"What did you do?" Stefan said towering over her but not in anger.
"I-I didn't mean to. He was going to kill Elena. I needed to protect her."
"We needed him. Alive."
"Oh god, I killed him," Maya said her eyes widening, "he's dead because of me."
"Maya, calm down."
"Get off of me."
"You have to calm down, you did what you had to do."
"Motus," she shouted successfully getting him off of her.
"Maya, wait!"
"I have to go," Maya said as she went to the door but she was stopped by something, or someone.
"Woah, are you okay?" Liam asked looking down at her in concern.
"I'm fine, just let me go."
"Tell me what's wrong."
"It's nothing, I'm fine."
"You clearly aren't Maya."
"I'm fine," Maya repeated as she began to shake and a tear slid down her face. She fell to the floor and said, "I'm fine."
He fell to the floor with her and enveloped her in a hug and stroked her hair as she continued to repeat 'I'm fine' over and over.
She eventually calmed down and was huddled in the corner with Liam who sat next to her.
"Can you take me home?" Maya asked in a weak voice.
"Yeah," Liam said as he stood up and helped Maya up.
She gripped his hand for comfort and leaned her head against his arm.
"I apologize. Am I intruding?" Caroline's voice echoed through the house.
"I'll meet you in my room, I'll deal with that," Maya said letting go of Liam's arm.
"Caroline, it's not like that," Tyler tried to explain as Maya stood at the doorway.
"I keep waiting for you to make up some dumb story so at least I can call you a liar. Is that now?"
"I'll let you two talk," Hayley said as she left the room.
"Thank you. How big of you," Caroline said.
"You have to understand..." Tyler began.
"No, you don't tell me what I have to do. I went through hell when I thought you died. I cried like an idiot and this whole time you've been keeping a secret from me about falling for some werewolf in the Appalachians!"
"I never fell for her."
"Oh, please."
"Just give him a chance to explain, Care," Maya said from the doorway.
"Caroline, she saved my life. I almost died trying to break the sire bond. Hayley was there for me, she helped me get through it, but nothing else happened."
"Then, why would Klaus think that?"
"Because I'd rather him think that then know the truth."
Caroline shot him a confused look as he continued, "There are other hybrids that need to be set free. Hayley and I can help them. But if Klaus found out about what we're trying to do, he'd kill us all."
Caroline's eyes widened in realization and she wrapped her arms around his neck mumbling apologies for accusing him of cheating.
Maya let out a sigh of relief as she made her way up the stairs. She entered the room and shut the door behind her.
"Is everything okay?" Liam asked from the chair in the corner.
"Yeah, it was just a miscommunication between the two. They worked it out."
"That's good," Liam said as Maya walked over and sat on his lap. "There was actually something else I wanted to ask you."
"What is it?" Maya said turning to face him.
"I was wondering if you wanted to be my girlfriend?"
"Are you serious?" Maya asked as smile slowly crept onto her face.
"Yeah, I am."
"I would love to be your girlfriend," Maya said as the smile completely formed on her face. She placed her hands on both sides of his face and leaned in and kissed him.
"Well isn't this adorable," Klaus said, referring to the two.
"What are you doing here?" Maya asked, the smile that was on her face dropping into a scowl.
"You need to come with me."
"Why would I do that?"
"You have to trust me."
"I want nothing to do with you. Get out of my house."
"Maya, you need to lis-"
"No," Maya said vamp speeding over to Klaus, "You need to listen. Get the hell out of my house before I make you."
"Is that supposed to scare me?"
"Vodux," Maya shouted, telekinetically throwing him into the wall in the hall leaving a dent as he fell to the floor.
"I would listen to me if I were you," Maya said squatting down to Klaus's level on the floor, her eyes flashed gold, "you may be old and indestructible but I can inflict unimaginable pain."
Klaus looked up at her for a short, fleeting moment, before he quickly disappeared.