Damon slammed him into the wall.

"What the hell did you do?" he demanded as Maribel ran in to check on Jo and Alaric.

Jo and Alaric were perfectly fine (though Jo looked like she was about to throw up and cry at the same time). "What happened?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

"We're fine," promised Jo. "He came for my magic."

"Your magic?"

"He said he was dying... I don't know, I gave it to him and told him to get the hell out."

"And I'm trying to leave," Kai called out dramatically. Maribel stepped out, almost pleased with the sight of Damon's hand around his throat. "But your boyfriend won't let me go."

Damon and Maribel shared a look. The vampire loosened his grip, letting Kai fall to the floor.

"Thank you," coughed Kai. "Here." He reached into his jacket pocket and handed them a notebook. "I think you'll find something of interest there."

"What the hell is this?" asked Damon.

"Why don't you read it and find out? Catch you later, Jo. Congrats, again."

Maribel waited until Kai left to inquire, "Congrats about what?"

"Nothing," said Jo softly. "Um, I need to talk to Alaric alone."

"Sure," said Maribel. "We just wanted to check on you... my sister is administering the first injection on Liz to see if the mets in her spine shrink."

Jo nodded. "Thanks for letting me know."

Maribel found it odd that Jo closed the door in her face.

"That notebook better have something worthwhile in it," she said as she followed Damon back out. "Is it just me or was that really weird?"

"I'll tell you what's weirder," said Damon, craning his neck as if he was eavesdropping, "the fact that Ric managed to knock someone up."

"Shut up."

"I'm not lying. She's saying that Kai told her she's pregnant."

"And since when is Kai an OB/Gyn?"

"I don't know, but she seems pretty sure he's right. Yuck. I didn't need to know that."

"Ever found it odd that pregnancy announcements are just people admitting they did it raw?"

Damon snorted. "This is why I date you. So you can make weird comments like that and I can laugh at them."

Maribel smirked. "Is that all I'm good for?"

"You are also good with your mouth and hands, where it matters."

"That's the response I was looking for."

He stopped her before they could exit the apartment building. "Wait, wait, Beli, you know you mean more to me than that, right?"

"I know, Damon," she promised. "I know it's a tease and we both care for one another for reasons beyond sex and our senses of humor. We don't need to constantly reiterate it. I trust you, and I hope I've shown that you can trust me. I don't need you to tell me outright all the things you like about me to know you like me and feel something strong for me. In all honesty I can do without all the sappy comments and nicknames and the constant need for validation. You treating me with respect is enough. Making me laugh is enough. Being gentle and sweet is enough. If I ever need you to reaffirm it because I'm feeling insecure for whatever reason... I'll tell you. And ever so often I'll make sure to tell you all the things I like about you."

He scrunched up his nose. "So you don't want me telling you the things I like about you, but you can be telling me the things you like... about me?"

"Yes, unless you prefer me not to talk about how ridiculously handsome you are, on top of being deeply caring, fiercely loyal, passionate without judgment or demands..."

He blushed. "I like the way you make it sound."

"Good. Then that's settled."

She knew he must not have heard it much as a child. All the reasons he was wonderful, all the reasons he deserved to be loved. She wanted to make it clear where others hadn't.

"Let's see what's in this dusty piece of crap," said Damon as they sat in his car to examine the little notebook. "Okay... first page says 'PRISON WORLDS.' Worlds... plural."

"This must be a record of every prison world the Gemini Coven created," mused Maribel. "Don't know why I thought they only had one. Of course they make prisons for everyone who bothers them."

"Wouldn't you?"

"I'd shove them all in the same one so they could bother each other. Kidding. Realistically, I'd try to solve the problem instead of sending it away... where it could later come back to bite me in the ass."

"What if the problem can't be solved?"

"Any problem can be solved if you're willing to give it a try."

"And if you've got Maribel Fell's brains."

She shrugged. "It's one of my better qualities."

He flipped to the next page, where a summary had been written, but likely not by whoever started the journal. It looked far too recent. Maribel suspected this had been Kai's addition. He read aloud, "'This notebook contains records of every Gemini prison world made since the 1700s. For centuries already they've resorted to making alternate and parallel dimensions to imprison siphoners, forcing them to live in solitude, bound to a world where they could never die or age. A Gemini-worthy punishment for a condition they couldn't control. All but two prison worlds have been collapsed. Any siphoners in collapsed worlds are likely dead.'"

"Jesus," said Maribel as she turned page after page, noting the dates for each world, the names of the siphoner or siphoners trapped in them, and the date the world had been collapsed. Most had only lasted a few years, other a couple of decades. It seemed their creation had slowed down when the Ascendants began to grow unstable. "The two left are for 1903 and 1994. I wonder who is in the 1903 one..."

Damon read off the page when they reached it, "'PRISON WORLD 1903, Heretics and Sire.' Huh, heretics. 'The Heretics spent forty years tearing through the European continent, and were found with the intention of destroying the Gemini Coven. While the siphoners were cast out initially because they were not as violent as those in the past, their hybrid nature has made them a liability, and imprisonment has become a requirement. The group moved through Europe, killing what is estimated to be a total of three thousand people. They were stopped at New York Harbor after arriving on ship. The ship was burned at the harbor as an explanation for the multitude of dead bodies piled up within. The Heretics and their sire were imprisoned together, as she is the one who turned them into monsters, and while holding no relation to the Gemini Coven, we believe that... Lillian Salvatore... needs to be punished, too.'"

"Salvatore," said Maribel. "Is that... is that...?"

"That's my mother," confirmed Damon slowly. He read off the names of the Heretics, "Valerie Tulle, Malcolm Vogel, Beau Leroux, Mary Louise Keller, Oscar Gaudin, Nora Hildegard... and their sire, Lily Salvatore. No. No, this is not possible. My mother died in 1858. I remember it. She's buried in the family crypt. She's there."

Maribel began to get nervous once he started to mutter to himself while driving them to Mystic Falls. She didn't dare make any comments, simply following him to the Boarding House shed to fetch a shovel before they made their way to the crypt.

She flinched when Damon started beating the shovel into the ground where Lily was buried, breaking at the stone until he was able to access the coffin, which he dragged out onto the floor of the crypt.

"Damon," said Maribel slowly, "are you okay?"

"My mother died of consumption in 1858," he insisted, trying to convince himself. "We did not go through the trouble of moving this thing to the family crypt only to find out that she's not even in here. Whoever is mentioned in that notebook, it's not her. If my mother was imprisoned in 1903, she'd be in her 70s."

"They mentioned she was the sire," noted Maribel meekly. "She could have turned way before that..."

"I know my mother," he said sharply. "She's not a vampire. She's not in a prison world. She died of consumption in 1858."

"Did you see her actually die, Damon?" Maribel inquired. "Did you see her body laying there when you had the funeral? Did you open the coffin at all before she was buried?"

"We couldn't see her, she had consumption."

"Then you had no confirmation she died. She could have turned. Willingly, unwillingly... you can't know she's not a vampire if you didn't even see her dead body."

Damon pried open the lid of the coffin, his heart sinking into his stomach when he found it was empty. "This is not happening."

"Okay, here's what we do," Maribel said, trying to think. "We need Kai to get us the 1903 Ascendant so we can go get her, if she's really there. I'll do whatever he wants if it means he'll give it to us. I'll send him a message with that note magic trick. In the meantime, we'll talk to Jo. Hopefully she knows something about this or can confirm it's real. We can tell Stefan, make the journey... Damon, there's no description of heretic powers in here but if that's the one thing that can defeat Kai... maybe your mom can convince these people to help us get rid of him. I bet if they were imprisoned they'd love to tear down the Gemini Coven and what better way to do that than to get rid of their leader?"

It seemed like the vampire was lost in his own thoughts. Maribel nudged him gently, and he swatted her hand away, preferring to be left alone.

"Okay," she said gently. "I'll handle it."

She made sure to send Kai a note first, asking to meet. She hoped (even dared to pray) that he'd respond quickly and agree to help them.

Next, she returned to Alaric's apartment to speak with Jo. Though the reason for her arrival soured the mood just after they'd told her they were planning a June wedding, Jo was able to look through the notebook herself to confirm what they'd learned from it.

"This is true," she said gravely. "I've heard this story but I had no idea that Ripper Lily, the sire of the Heretics, was Damon and Stefan's mother. Before the 1900s, they'd been cast out of the Gemini Coven. They were siphoners like Kai. Sociopaths. Lily turned them, resulting in creatures that are both witch and vampire."

"Hybrids," said Maribel. "But how is that possible?"

"Think about it. These are witches that have magic only when they siphon power from another source. As vampires..."

"They have a constant source," realized Alaric. "They can siphon off of themselves."

Jo nodded. "They were on their way to destroy the Gemini, but the coven got to them first. Put them in exile. Heretics are ruthless– vampires with witch power, an aberration of Nature. They can never be allowed to escape. Imagine Kai with the bloodlust of a vampire. Now, imagine six of them, all Rippers. Six individuals with the ability to compel, to use heightened speed, strength, senses, and magic on top of being unable to control themselves when they feed. It's why I thought a Heretic would be the only thing that could stop Kai. You can't get the 1903 Ascendant... and if you do, you cannot go in there even just to free Lily. You risk letting the Heretics escape. Maribel..."

"I-I don't know what to do," she said in a small voice. "It's Damon and Stefan's mother. They thought she was dead, but she's alive. And I already asked to talk to Kai, I mentioned the 1903 Ascendant. I thought the Heretics might help us."

"They won't help you," warned Jo. "Stop this, before it's too late. You'd put us all in danger if you go through with this."

Maribel gulped. "I'll talk to Damon. Before he tells Stefan."

When she returned to the Boarding House, Kai was already there, tormenting a still zoned-out Damon.

"Did you know he hasn't told Stefan yet?" said Kai when he saw Maribel, clearly already aware of what was going on. "I mean, I get it, Mom's in a prison world and therefore an evil psychopath. Don't want to ruin little bro's perfect-mommy memory."

Damon snapped his head up to glare at him. "I will tell him as soon as I know the truth. You need to get us the 1903 Ascendant and send us into 1903 to get my mother. As the newly elected president of the Gemini freaks, I assume you know where to get it. Maribel already said she'll do whatever you want her to if it means you'll give it to us."

Maribel wasn't sure what to say anymore. She dared to add, "If you still want to render the Gemini powerless..."

Kai pursed his lips, and shook his head, surprising her. "No... no, I'll think about it. I have nothing in mind... yet. But you will pay me back for this." His lips curled upward. "I'll find the Ascendant."

He left without another word.

Damon was able to pay attention as Maribel relayed her conversation with Jo. Though, he reacted just as she expected he would.

"We still have to try and get my mother," he insisted. "We can't leave her there. It was 1903. She was returning to New York from Europe. What if she had just found out we were vampires and was coming for us and she got caught before she could?"

"I just want us to think about what we're doing, what we're risking," said Maribel slowly. "What if it takes care of Kai but then the Heretics become a problem? What if they get jealous of the attention your mother shows to you and Stefan if they get freed with her? What if we are powerless to leave them behind when we go in for her? We don't know if she is alone, we don't know if she's okay in there. They could have turned on her, they could have... I don't know. Damon, I'm really worried about this."

He was no longer paying attention to her, instead looking down at his phone. "Bonnie wants to meet us here. She says she figured out the spell."

"She did?" asked Maribel hopefully.

"Yeah, at least she thinks she did. She wants to test it on someone you used to know. A random classmate. Give me a name, I'll get them."

"Okay. Uh, I'll tell you where to find one, then. Assuming they are still alive."

Bonnie met them at the Boarding House. Damon left to Whitmore to retrieve one of Maribel's old lab partners to serve as a guinea pig. She hid around the corner while Damon dragged the girl in with a hood over her head.

"What the fuck is this?" asked the girl when they sat her on the couch. "Who the fuck are you?"

"What's your name?" asked Bonnie, leaning over her.

The girl sank back, trying to keep away from her. "Maya. Why do you care?"

"I need to ask you about your lab mate from last semester."

"Maribel Fell?" asked Maya. "The girl who died? What do you care to know about her?"

"Just making sure you know she's dead," said Damon brightly, looking into Maya's eyes. "Forget this conversation happened. Stay quiet. Go for it, Bon-Bon."

Bonnie held her hand out, chanting, "Phasmatos Morus Restituto, Phasmatos Obliv Scimor."

The girl looked no different after the spell was cast. Bonnie snapped her fingers, a signal for Maribel to make herself known. She walked out where the girl could see her, and immediately, Maya sat up. "Maribel! You're back from your internship!"

"Oh, thank god," said Bonnie instantly. "It worked. Now, I just need to do it with the grimoire's magic so it can affect everyone we know. You can get rid of her, Damon."

Maribel awkwardly smiled at Maya, having Damon compel her to forget the interaction before he sent her back to Whitmore. She knelt down with Bonnie, the two holding onto the grimoire and beginning to chant, "Phasmatos Morus Restituto, Phasmatos Obliv Scimor. Phasmatos Morus Restituto, Phasmatos Obliv Scimor..."

Something felt different after about seven times of chanting. Maribel's ears popped, and Bonnie seemed to relax her shoulders. "I think it worked," said Bonnie. "Good. One less thing to worry about. Now, you can try to get your lab back."

"Thank you, Bonnie," said Maribel softly. "I know this is a lot to ask especially after you just did all this work... but there's something else going on. When Damon is back, we can tell you. But um... I need to know, is there a way that we can kill Kai without killing Jo and Liv, too?"

Bonnie furrowed her eyebrows. "Well, I guess we could try to unlink them from the Gemini Coven so that they're not linked to the leader. But I don't know if that's possible, considering they were born into it. Maybe if we had a spell and you also did that genetic alteration you were gonna do on Kai to make him a regular witch?"

"Maybe," she mused. "And um, another thing. Did you know that... vampire-witch hybrids are a thing?"

"That's impossible."

"Apparently it's not if you're a siphoner witch. If Elena were to give me her blood and snap my neck... I'd still be able to do magic. I'd siphon my own vampirism and I... could be a hybrid. Known as a Heretic. If I was a Heretic, I'd be strong enough to defeat Kai."

"Maribel, it's starting to worry me how you found this out."

"I promise I'll explain everything... soon. I guess we just need to make an impossible choice."

When Damon returned, she pulled him aside to talk.

"This is wrong," she said, sitting beside him on his bed and holding his hand tightly. "Us having to essentially play God, deciding who should live and who should die, who deserves a second chance. I want to solve this problem in the way that makes the most people happy but I can't figure out how. I went into research to save lives, not take them. But I feel we're being asked to make a terrible, terrible choice. I want us to get your mother out. And to take that risk of the Heretics potentially escaping, too. Maybe they deserve a second chance, maybe they're better than Kai. But then I think, the rest of the Gemini Coven might deserve a chance, too. Maybe not all of them are terrible people. Jo's pregnant, we'd be putting her at a terrible risk. But Kai is linked to the prison world so we have to get rid of him somehow and if we do, we might as well save your mom before the rest of it comes crashing and burning. I don't know, Damon... what should we do?"

He stared at the wall for a long while. "Do you trust me, Beli?"

"Of course I do."

"Would you run away with me if it came down to it? Just us against the world? Living elsewhere, abandoning everyone we know just to be with each other?"

"Yes... I would, as long as I'm a Heretic so we can be immortal together. As long as I can still do science somehow... contribute to society."

"I don't want to risk the Heretics getting out. Not just for Jo but for us. Who knows what they could do to you, to Stefan, to Bonnie. But I still want to see my mom. I want to see... if it's true. If she's really there. And I also don't want the Gemini Coven to still be a problem and come back and bite us in the ass. Most of all, I want Kai dead. What if... we do what you told Bonnie? Unlink just Jo and Liv, and Alaric and Jo's baby in turn. We go into the 1903 prison world, get out just my mom. Then we kill Kai. The prison world will collapse with the Heretics inside. The Gemini Coven will die. And we leave. Everyone will be safe. Stefan can be with my mom, and you can give them the Ripper cure before we go. Jo and Liv will be alive. Jo and Alaric can raise their baby. And then we can just... be together, worry about doing whatever we want, whether it's to do science or just have sex on every surface known to mankind. Do what we choose to, what makes us happy instead of staying here where we always have to help solve a problem and where we just keep getting bombarded with suffering over and over."

"Damon, if we did that, you'd be leaving Stefan and your mother behind. Can you survive that?"

"I can. For you. Eventually we can see them again. Stefan might be bitter for awhile but he will understand. And my mother... well, I've been without her for a long time. Just knowing Stefan has her would be enough. He had the least amount of time with her. Now a question for you... if you join me, would you be able to leave Meredith and your mother behind?"

"I can. I've been away from them before, when I lived in Washington. It's not like I can't call and text. Truth be told, my mom and I tolerate and love each other more when we don't see each other constantly. We need space. And Meredith and I will always love each other no matter where we are. What about Jo and Alaric? We'd be letting all the Geminis die. People Jo might care about. And we'd be going against her wishes, taking a great risk."

"I've done worse. Ric will forgive me for it. As long as Jo is unharmed and their baby is unharmed, he won't hold a grudge."

Maribel rested her head on his shoulder. "Then let's do it."

.

A/N: I think the ending of this story is approaching quickly! I plan for it to be pretty happy. Forgive the lack of updates these past days, it's been a lot of work to plan for my Legacies story, basically having to write a whole season of my own ideas. I am also already eager to move onto the Elijah story that comes after this so I've been doing some adjustments for that. Comment for more!