Stefan had one errand to run first.

Since they figured they might not have another chance, Stefan stopped by first to tell Elena what was going on with Damon, while Maddy called Bonnie to see if she found anything.

"I heard a name, when I asked the witches," said Bonnie. "I'm pretty sure it was... Klaus."

"Okay," the woman said nervously. "That's where we're headed. Listen, if we don't make it back..."

"You have to make it back, Maddy, you can't die over there."

"Bonnie, please, I need to tell someone. If I don't make it back, you and the girls and Jenna look through my stuff first, get anything you want for yourselves, and donate the rest of it. Bury me next to my mother. Pour some bourbon over my casket before you lower me into the ground. As for the money... Stefan and I have the same plan for it. There's a safe in my room that I had spelled shut by a witch. Inside are instructions so that you can give the majority of money to someone, and a certain percentage that's left can be split amongst everyone in the group. Can you do that for me? Please? Only if you confirm my death, of course. If there's no body, don't do any of that."

Bonnie sighed. "Okay. Fine. Who's this mystery person that's getting all the money?"

"An old friend who's always helped us a lot." This wasn't true, she and Stefan had intended, since 1994, that if they died, their money would go to Sarah.

"Just be careful."

"I will be. Thank you."

Once Stefan had finished talking to Elena, the siblings made their way back to Alaric's apartment. Katherine was still inside, clearly bored out of her mind.

"Hello, I've been waiting!" said Katherine irritably when she saw them. "Is Klaus still not dead?"

"He didn't come back at all?" asked Maddy nervously. Crap, what if he wasn't planning to come back? He had, to right? Katherine was there, and Klaus hated Katherine. But what if he didn't make it back in time?

"He hasn't come back yet," said Katherine. "Well? Why are you here?"

"To see if Klaus has a cure for Damon," said Maddy. "He has to. He's a thousand years old and part werewolf. If anyone knows, it's him."

"Do you have any idea where he might be?" asked Stefan.

Katherine scoffed. "Does it look like they gave me a pamphlet outlining what locations they'd hit before coming back?"

"Okay, you're not helpful," mumbled Maddy. "Is there any place he may have stored documents or something?"

"Do I look like an encyclopedia?"

"No, Katherine, you don't look like anything more than a stubborn bitch. Goddamnit, can you just say something useful? Please?"

Katherine said nothing. Instead, she rushed to them, pushing them into the wall and covering their mouths. Seconds later, Klaus and Elijah walked through the door.

"Klaus," said Katherine nervously. "You're back. Look who decided to come for a visit."

Klaus frowned. "Katerina, these aren't the two Salvatores I instructed you to keep a watch over."

"Not my fault," said Katherine, letting go of them. "Princess here managed to keep me down long enough to let her big brother out. And now her little brother came to get her."

Klaus stared at Stefan. "You just keep popping up, don't you?"

"We need your help," he said. "For my brother."

"Well, whatever it is," said Klaus, "it's gonna have to wait a tick. You see, I have an obligation to my brother that requires my immediate attention."

Maddy and Stefan glared at Elijah as he came closer. "You understand how important family is, or you wouldn't be here."

"We trusted you," said Maddy. "What happened to wanting to be friends? Friends don't do this to friends, Elijah."

He was feeling guilty, but kept from showing it. "My brother gave me his word that he would reunite me with my family."

"And so I shall."

Mady and Stefan gasped as Klaus stabbed a dagger into Elijah's heart just as he turned around. The elder Original cried out in pain, and Klaus shushed him, holding him in place as he started to desiccate. Once he did, Klaus carelessly let him fall to the floor, dead.

"Now," said the hybrid, looking between the siblings. "What am I to do with you two?"

Maddy caught onto the slightest bit of movement just before Klaus lunged at Stefan with the broken bit of the chair that Katherine had stabbed her with before. She got between them, shielding Stefan from being impaled. Unfortunately, it meant she got hurt, which left her falling against Klaus's chest.

He immediately pulled the stake out. "Come now, love, everyone has a special punishment. That wasn't yours."

"We need your help," she said, gasping as she felt her wound healing. "Please. It's why we came to talk to you."

"Well," said Klaus, looking at Stefan, "at least one of you has manners. Tell me, love, what do you need?"

"Damon got bitten. We need to know if there's a cure."

"It's his fault he got bitten, isn't it? He ought to have followed your lead instead of rushing off to rescue Tyler Lockwood."

"He shouldn't have done it, okay? I'll apologize on his behalf. But you got what you wanted. Your ritual was done and you're a full hybrid now and we need to know if you have the cure, because otherwise, my brother is going to die. Please, Klaus."

He was amused that she was still trying to be polite. "Hmm... no."

It was like he was trying to make her snap. She tried again, praying that she didn't lose her temper and do something stupid. "I'll beg on my knees if that's what you want."

Klaus chuckled. "Let me think about it again... no. Oh, come now, love, there's no reason to cry about that, you're far more sensitive than I thought."

She wanted to slap him, but she figured that if she did that, he wouldn't allow her to keep her head attached to her body.

"What do you need us to do, huh?" she asked. "What's the price we have to pay? You want someone's life to balance it out? Go ahead, kill me."

"Oh, you assume the worst of me, love," said Klaus, before glancing at her brother. "Him. I want him."

"What?" said Stefan and Maddy at the same time. Even Katherine was confused.

"I'll make a deal with him," said Klaus. "Not with you, Madeleine. I can already see you have manners. That's enough on your end. One does tend to get what they want when they ask nicely. It's his turn to pay up. And I have... something very specific in mind. You're free to leave, love. Your brother and I will settle things from here."

"I don't trust you," she said. "Until you hand my brother the cure, I'm not going anywhere."

"Persistent little thing, aren't you?"

"You're going to hurt Stefan. I can see that sadistic look in your eyes. I'm staying right here."

Klaus seized her throat, his face neutral as she started to wheeze. "Hmm... I still smell just the faintest whiff of vervain. But that'll be gone soon. Katerina, love, go and sit with Madeleine on the couch." He looked intently at Maddy as he released her. "You may stay, and because I cannot compel you, I cannot force you to follow my rules, but know this... disobey me, and your brothers die instantly. Understood?"

She nodded quickly, and he said, "You are to sit still with Katerina. No matter what, you do not move and you do not speak. Once Stefan and I have made our deal, the cure will be all yours."

Maddy was filled with hope, realizing there was a cure, and Klaus did know it. Though, he could potentially be lying, and that part created a deeper pit in her stomach. She had to hold onto the hope. Otherwise, she would lose everything today. She couldn't handle that.

She went to sit on the couch with Katherine. Klaus smirked at Stefan, before grabbing the stake and stabbing it into him.

Maddy covered her mouth to hold back a cry of protest. Klaus tilted the stake up as Stefan collapsed onto him. "Do you feel that?" the hybrid whispered into the vampire as he moaned in pain. "It's scraping against your heart. The slightest little movement, and you're dead."

"He's just trying to help his brother," said Katherine nervously. For once, Maddy had to appreciate her obsession with Stefan. The doppelgänger was saying what she couldn't.

"The witches said you had a cure," panted Stefan. "And it seems one exists. I'll go along with your deal. I'll do whatever you want as long as you just give me the cure."

Klaus yanked the stake out, and Stefan fell to the floor. Klaus slowly made his way to the counter, and set the stake down, before grabbing a blood bag and starting to pour a glass. "Trouble is," he said, "I don't know if you'd be any good to me the way you are now. You are just shy of useless."

He moved back to Stefan, holding the glass of blood firmly in his hands. He crouched down in front of him. "I heard about this one vampire, crazy bloke, always on and off the wagon for decades. When he was off, he was magnificent. 1917, he went into Monterrey and wiped out an entire migrant village... A true Ripper. Sound familiar?"

Maddy knew immediately why Klaus had told her not to talk. Surely Katherine had told him how quickly she jumped to Stefan's defense, keeping people from bringing up his past because it was a trigger. If she would have spoken, it would have made it quite a bit more difficult for Klaus to turn him into what he wanted. Ripper Stefan.

Of course that was what he wanted. A partner in crime now that he learned Elijah had betrayed him. He needed a right-hand-man to do his dirty work for him, completing the mission they all knew about. Siring hybrids.

"I haven't been that way in a very long time," said Stefan uncomfortably.

"Well, that's the vampire I can make a deal with. That is the kind of talent that I can use when I leave this town." He waved Katherine over as Stefan got to his feet. "Katerina, come here."

She got off the couch, and went toward him obediently. Klaus's face immediately changed, dark veins rising beneath his eyes, which had morphed from their usual white sclera and dark blue iris to a black sclera with glowing yellow irises, typical of werewolves. He bit into Katherine's arm viciously, eliciting a panicked scream.

"Aah— ahh!" she cried. "No," she gasped when she saw the oozing bite on her flesh. "No, no, no, no—"

Klaus then bit into his own wrist, and once the blood was flowing, forced it against Katherine's mouth, making her drink. She relaxed, and when her arm dropped, her wound was healed.

"You want your cure?" said Klaus, blood flowing off of his lips before he wiped his mouth. "There it is."

Stefan's eyes darted to his sister, whose chest felt tight as she figured out what this meant. "Your blood is the cure."

"Gotta love Mother Nature," Klaus said, putting his hand on Stefan's shoulder. "Now... let's talk, you and I."

He brought Stefan to sit beside him at a stool by the countertop. Taking out a small vial, he used one of the kitchen knives to slice into his own palm, which he had to do several times in order to fill the vial halfway with his blood. Maddy and Katherine watched intently.

"There it is," said Klaus, holding up the vial. "You want to save your brother? How 'bout a decade-long bender? And I have big plans for you when we leave this town." He looked at Maddy. "Do you understand why I didn't want you here for this conversation now, love?"

She said nothing, and merely stared at him.

"I'm not like that anymore," said Stefan, drawing his attention back to him.

"Well, that's too bad," said Klaus. "You would have made a hell of a wingman." He started to pour the vial's contents down the sink.

"Wait!" said Stefan.

Klaus smiled. "Now that's more like it. I want you to join me for a drink." He slid a blood bag over to him, setting the vial down and holding up the glass of blood he'd poured himself, wiggling it slightly and urging him to drink.

Stefan popped the blood bag open, taking a small sip as Klaus drank from his glass.

"Finish it," said the hybrid. "All of it." Stefan made no attempt to do so, and Klaus added, "You do everything I say, and I save your brother. That's the deal. Perhaps you need more motivation? Drink it now, all of it, or your brother dies, and I'll compel Katerina to kill your sister. The choice is yours."

Stefan immediately started to drink, staring at Klaus hatefully for a moment before closing his eyes as he forced himself to down the entire blood bag. It wrinkled up as he depleted it of its contents, and tossed it onto the counter. Still not satisfied, Klaus reached for another blood bag and tossed it to him. "Again."

Maddy was almost tempted to speak. To beg him not to make Stefan do this. Klaus was going to keep pushing and pushing until Stefan turned into a version of himself that the hated. The guilt when he exited his bender (if he ever exited...) was going to be overwhelming. And this time, Lexi wasn't there to help with the detox.

She started to cry as she watched Stefan slurping up a total of four blood bags. He kept looking at his sister, eyes already filled with regret. He seemed to be apologizing to her from across the room because he knew that she would be the one in charge of bringing him back. Something she'd never had to do alone.

Klaus was silent as he watched, his smirk growing more with each wrinkled bag Stefan deposited on the floor. At one point, Stefan sunk down to the ground, growling angrily, blood spilling down his chin as he kept finishing each bag that Klaus handed to him.

"You're very cooperative," said Klaus, getting to his feet and standing over Stefan. "It's almost as if you're enjoying it."

"No more," Stefan spat when Klaus dropped another blood bag in front of him, as if he were a dog. "Not until you give me the cure."

"Not until we make a deal," Klaus replied. "It's your choice, Stefan. You can either remain here living your life in Mystic Falls, or you can embrace what you truly are, leave town with me, and save your brother's life, as well as your sister's."

Stefan and Maddy shared another look. The youngest Salvatore gave a weak nod before taking a fifth blood bag from Klaus, and downing it. Maddy quickly wiped her eyes, so that Klaus wouldn't realize how miserable she was, watching this.

"That's the spirit," said Klaus, before going to fetch the vial. Maddy thought that he would offer it to her, but he walked over to Katherine. "Sweetheart." He held her throat to try and compel her. "Take this over to Damon and come right back."

"You want me to leave?" asked Katherine, taking hold of the vial.

"No!" cried Maddy and Stefan.

"Yes," said Klaus. "And if I were you—" Katherine sped away with the vial, and the hybrid finished with a chuckle. "I'd hurry."

Maddy realized Klaus had known about Katherine being on vervain for a while already. He must have smelled it on her the instant he was back in his real body. He'd been waiting, just to see what she'd do. She'd played her part well until the point where he freed her.

Klaus sat down at the table, extending his legs as he watched Maddy cover her mouth, trying to force herself not to say anything. She wanted to yell at him, to curse, to ask him why he hadn't just given her the vial.

"She'll never take it to him," said Stefan, horrified, speaking for the both of them. "She'll never take it to him..."

"And whose fault is that?" said Klaus. "Oh, come now, love." He got up, and went to sit beside Maddy, who was squeezing her eyes shut and breathing heavily, trying to calm herself down.

I'm going to lose Damon, she thought. I'm going to lose my brother and I didn't get to say goodbye because I stayed here, and because I didn't go to rescue Tyler and Caroline with him.

She almost smacked Klaus when he brought up his sleeve to wipe her eyes, clearing away the tears that had dried on her cheeks.

"You care too much, love," he said. "But there's a simple fix for that, you know it."

She realized that there was a choice to be made. And with that choice, came four possible scenarios.

Scenario One. She could choose to go with Stefan and Klaus, wherever it was that their mission would begin. In this scenario, Katherine would not have taken the cure to Damon, and he would die. Being with Stefan would save her a bit of grief, because at least they would still have each other.

Scenario Two. She could choose to leave and go to Damon, and at least say goodbye before he died. She'd find herself alone, practically having lost both of her brothers on the same day. She'd be miserable, especially considering it would be nearly impossible to get Klaus to let Stefan go.

Scenario Three. She could go to Damon, and find Katherine had already given him the cure. She would stay with him, and though she'd be distraught, she would be alone, and perhaps, together, they'd be able to get Stefan back before Klaus corrupted him beyond repair.

Scenario Four. She could go with Stefan and Klaus, only to find out later on that Damon was cured. Which left a chance that they could all be reunited with the least bit of damage.

Staying with Stefan made more sense. Perhaps it was her maternal instincts, begging her not to abandon him. At least if she was there, she could protect him, even slightly.

"I'll go with you," she blurted out.

Stefan looked terrified, but Klaus was intrigued. "Will you?"

"Chances are Damon is going to die," she said unsteadily. "And even if I leave now, I won't be able to say goodbye. I'll have one brother left. I won't let you ruin him."

"I never intended for you to come along. We don't need you tagging along, do we, Stefan?"

"Mads, no," Stefan gasped. "Don't. Don't do this just for me."

"I made my choice," said Maddy, forcing herself not to cry again. She couldn't afford to cry anymore. The time for that was done. "I'm going with the two of you. You can't stop me."

Klaus pursed his lips. "Very well, then. Come now. No time for either of you to pack— you'll have to get new clothes once we settle down." He grabbed Elijah's body, tossing it over his shoulder. "Follow me."

Maddy rushed to Stefan, holding his hand tightly as they exited the apartment, heading down to the street where Klaus's 2007 Lincoln Navigator was parked. Maddy imagined he would have had a flashier car. At least a car made in that year, not a model that was three years old.

The Salvatores didn't speak as they rode in the back seat. Klaus seemed to prefer listening to the radio anyway. He was having such fun, checking on them by peering into the rearview mirror to enjoy their depressed expressions. Maddy could hear Elijah's body bumping into the walls in the trunk. It didn't make her feel any better.

They arrived in a warehouse, where two men were waiting for them by a large wooden crate where five coffins waited. Klaus took Elijah's body, placing it in one of the coffins. The others must have already been filled.

"I suppose, brother, you've been reunited with our family," he muttered to Elijah before closing the lid. "Put him with the others," he told the men. "We're leaving town tonight."

Stefan and Maddy's phones buzzed at the same time. They each looked down at their screens, seeing Elena had texted them in a group, 'Damon's okay, Where R U 2?'

"So," asked Klaus. "Did Katerina make it on time?"

"You won't be seeing her again, you know," Stefan murmured.

"Because she's on vervain?" asked Klaus. "I've been around a long time, Stefan. I rarely get played for a fool. Besides, she won't get far. You'll help me see to that."

"What is it you really want from me?"

"All will be explained in time. Once we leave this tragic little town."

"Then are we done here? Can we go?"

"Two more things first."

Klaus grabbed Maddy, pulling her closer, and looking at her for a moment, before smiling. "No more vervain. Which means you can be compelled."

She had a feeling he would compel her to turn her humanity off. But instead, he said, "I never wished for you to come along. You're only going to be getting in the way. Thus, instead of letting you butt in, I'm going to use you as motivation for Stefan. To ensure he does nothing to try and escape while he ah... acclimates to everything."

"What?" said Stefan, panicked. "What are you going to do to her?"

"Well, for starters, we're going to find her a nice little coffin to reside in. You can pick it, you know what she likes best."

He held her face roughly, and though she tried to close her eyes, she couldn't. "You're going to go to sleep, love. And you won't wake until I tell you to."

Maddy sank into his hold immediately.

It was a dreamless sleep. One that felt as though it lasted a minute, when it had really been much longer.

"Wake up, Madeleine."

Her eyes shot open, and she felt a blood bag being pressed against her mouth. She immediately started to drink, seeing Klaus and Stefan standing there.

Klaus was now sporting some stubble, his curly hair having grown quite a bit. Was it wrong of her to think he'd gotten more attractive? Yep, definitely wrong.

She focused on her brother instead, which made her heart sink into her stomach immediately. Stefan's eyes were empty, almost unfeeling. He didn't seem to care that his sister was waking up after a nearly four month slumber.

Klaus offered her his hand, to help her out of her coffin. "Welcome to Chicago, Madeleine."