Maddy didn't like playing detective.

First, she'd struggled to find someone who could accurately point her in the direction of the main security room where the cameras were. The hospital employees either didn't trust her enough to tell her, or they genuinely had no idea.

Then, when she got there, she could smell the vervain in the cup of coffee that the singular guard was drinking, which meant he couldn't be compelled. Grateful for her formal attire, she went up to him and sat down, trying her best to look as official as possible.

"Hello there, sir," she said, tucking her hands together. "I'm an off-duty officer working for Sheriff Liz Forbes. I was wondering if I'd be able to take a peek at the security camera footage for the third floor over the last twenty-four hours?"

The man was suspicious, which made it worse. "No one said you were coming."

"It was an emergency, I'm sure the email will be sent later today to confirm this visit. It's urgent. It could pertain to an open murder investigation we're currently following leads on. The information has not yet been released to the public, but with this footage, we could come up with an accurate sketch to give to the press promptly."

He narrowed his eyes. "Show me your badge."

"Sir, forgive me for having to reiterate, but I'm off-duty. I was called in because everyone else is busy. My badge is unfortunately at the station. I could give Liz Forbes a call if you really want, but she's going through something pretty difficult at the moment, and although it would really disturb her if we were to contact her now, I would be more than happy to dial her number if it would dissuade your concerns."

He finally relented. "Fine. But if I get in trouble for this—"

"You won't."

She slid her chair closer to his as he pulled up the footage of the third floor. She peeked at her phone. "Could you perchance limit it to just Room 245 and the surrounding hallways?"

He nodded, and switched the camera angles to show that hallway. He started it since last night, fast-forwarding until Maddy gestured him to stop, when she saw Bill Forbes being wheeled into the room. She watched intently as the hours went by. Nurses entered to check on him. Meredith Fell was there. Alaric and Jenna, it seemed, had been there already and had been allowed to visit while they waited for Caroline and Liz to show up.

Fast forwarding to hours later, Bill was upright, and walking out to the nurse's desk.

"Follow that man, please," said Maddy, pointing at him as he handed a clipboard to the nurse and started to walk away. The security guard obeyed, and the angles switched every few seconds as he moved down toward a back exit. He entered one of the medical supply rooms, but never emerged.

"Do you have cameras in that supply room?" asked Maddy.

The man nodded, and switched to the interior of the room. Light shone into the dark room when Bill went inside, but when the door was shut, and Bill didn't turn on the lights, the camera was unable to pick up more than a dark silhouette coming up to Bill and stabbing him in the chest from behind.

"Oh my god," said the security guard, in shock. "They didn't tell us that the patient was murdered."

"All details will be released to the public once we have more information," said Maddy, drumming her fingers anxiously on the desk. She continued to look at the screen, hoping the person would exit through one of the two doors.

He chose the door opposite of the one Bill had entered through. Though the guard switched to footage of that back hallway, they couldn't find a face. It was as if the man knew exactly where the cameras were, and knew how to keep his head down so that he wouldn't be seen. His clothes were dark and unfamiliar. At one point, when Maddy thought the camera was finally going to get a clear view of his face, he pulled up the hood of his jacket and darted down the stairwell. According to the guard, there were no cameras there.

"Thanks for your help," she muttered dejectedly as she left the room, and headed to the Forbes household.

She spoke to Liz outside. Caroline was with her dad, who was still not dead yet.

"It's really, really hard to tell who it could be," said Maddy. "This guy— definitely a guy— is experienced. He knows how to keep from being seen. He's swift, and he understands the layout of the hospital. Maybe I watch too many crime shows but that could point to someone who works there. Brain Walters was the medical examiner, they would have come in contact."

"Do you have anything for the description?" asked Liz.

"Um... tall, dark clothes, seemingly dark hair. Nothing aside from that. It could quite literally be any man in the city. The clothes were on the baggier side, it's hard to tell his body type."

"I worry it may be Meredith Fell. She did have access to the weapons Alaric Saltzman keeps. The stake that killed Brian Walters had Elena Gilbert's fingerprints on them— weapons from the Gilbert House. Seems Meredith and Jenna always knew each other, but are recently becoming closer. It could point to it being her."

"I don't know. I don't think she would do that. But I'll see what else I can find out."

Liz nodded, and sighed, before pointing at the door. "I need to get back in there. Thank you."

"I'm so sorry about this," Maddy said gently. "I wish there was something that could be done to convince him to transition."

"I understand that it's his beliefs that are keeping him from feeding. I respect that. I just wish it wasn't so sudden. I don't know how Caroline is going to feel, losing him."

"We're all here for you if you need anything. Please remember that."

"Thank you. We'll keep in touch."

Maddy was just making her way back to the mansion when Stefan messaged her, asking if she could stop by the Boarding House. Figuring dinner was over, she made a stop there, first, and found Damon beside the youngest Salvatore.

"What's going on?" she asked worriedly, seeing serious looks on their faces. "Is everything okay?"

"There's something I need to confess," said Damon uncomfortably. "You're gonna be mad at me."

Maddy glared at him. "Well, you might as well say it now."

"I took the sealed coffin for a reason. Bonnie was having these weird dreams about the coffins, and she told Stefan that she thought whatever was in it was some weapon that could be used against Klaus. She tried to get me not to go through with opening it. Instead, I basically forced her into helping me."

"Damon," said Maddy, disappointed. "Why? And how?"

"I heard her telling Stefan and Elena that in one of her dreams, she saw herself in the coffin, and it was opened by her mom. I went to her mom's and got to her before Bonnie could. Convinced them both to help me open the coffin. They were reluctant but um... I may have made several threats that convinced them to help me. The whole dinner was a stall. I was buying them time to open the coffin. When I went to get it, I found both Bennetts knocked out. The coffin was open, whatever was in it, gone."

"And let me guess," murmured Maddy, "you told Stefan to come up with an excuse to leave."

Stefan assented. "I told Klaus that there was something you wanted me to see. He didn't question it, just asked that I make sure you were safe."

Maddy rubbed her forehead. "I need to go and talk to him."

"No!" cried Damon. "Are you kidding me? You need to stay far away from there before whatever was in the coffin tries to kill you to get to him!"

"He needs to be warned! He's about to wake up his siblings because he's expecting that coffin back. If this weapon is powerful enough to kill an Original, they're all in danger."

"Yeah, if it's powerful enough to kill an Original, you won't last a minute in there."

"I'm leaving whether you like it or not," said Maddy. "You shouldn't have risked unleashing a weapon that could kill all of us. It's why I worked with Katherine to get Klaus to kill Mikael. Mikael would have wiped us all out. If you just unleashed the plague, then I need to find out more. If Klaus dies because of you being stubborn and spouting out fake-ass apologies, I'll never forgive you."

"Hold on!" spat Damon before she could leave. "My apology was crappy but it wasn't fake!"

Maddy whirled around to face him. "I thought for a second that you were finally going to stop interfering in my life and then you go and do this? This whole time you were pretending to be cooperative and you were really just stalling and giving time for these poor witches— that you threatened— to release a weapon that could kill someone I love."

Stefan forced Damon back before he could try and pull Maddy into the house.

The house was anything but quiet. As she approached, she could hear three new voices. Two men, one woman. Her stomach flipped when she realized that the other familiar voices belonged to Rebekah, Elijah, and Klaus.

The Originals were all awake.

She wasn't sure whether she should actually walk in. It sounded like a bad idea to just burst in when the Originals were clearly not all getting along just yet.

Instead of waltzing in, she texted Klaus, letting him know she was outside.

It took several minutes, but he asked her to come inside, saying that he was waiting for her at the door.

She walked to the main entrance, and the door opened from the inside. Klaus offered her his hand, and she took it, gulping nervously when she was brought into the main room.

Rebekah was glaring at her from behind Elijah, who seemed to be acting as a shield to keep the blonde from rushing toward the brunette. Beside them were the other two brothers— the older looking one with longer hair, she assumed to be Finn, figuring the younger one with a mischievous expression to be Kol. The one she had no clue about was the woman, who looked older than all of them. But then, upon observing how all the siblings shared features with her, she realized that it had to be their mother.

Esther.

"Who is this, Niklaus?" she asked, glancing over Maddy's figure. In fact, all of them were looking at her. Scrutinizing her.

"This, Mother," said Klaus a bit unsteadily, "is Madeleine Salvatore. My partner. Maddy, love, this is my mother, Esther. My brothers, Finn, and Kol."

"Nice to meet you," she said meekly, suddenly feeling very small. Physically, she wasn't very small. She and her brothers were all around the same height as Klaus as his siblings. But knowing that she was in the same room as four Original vampires, one hybrid, and a not-so-dead Original witch was definitely intimidating.

Klaus patted her shoulder. "Why don't you head up to your room, love? I'll meet you there later. Give me a moment to help everyone get settled."

"By the way," said Elijah before Maddy could go, "she is the one who has made all the rooms in this house look comfortable and neat. She was also the one who convinced Niklaus to undagger all of you. Mother has stated that she wishes for us to be a family again. This girl is our family. Please treat her as such."

Maddy cast him a grateful smile before nodding at everyone and slipping away.

Sometimes, she wished she didn't have vampire hearing. This was one of those times.

"Nik's new girl looks like a tasty little thing," Maddy heard one of Klaus's brothers saying downstairs. "Think she'd like a sample of another one of the Original brothers?"

"Shut up, Kol," Rebekah replied. "Nik would kill you if you even spoke to his little whore."

"Woah, Bekah, you really don't like her if you're calling her that."

"He told her about killing mother. And the brat didn't tell me, yet continued to call herself my friend."

"Ouch. Low blow. Then again, it's Nik. He might have threatened her to keep her mouth shut."

"He didn't. I saw into her mind. She made the conscious decision to keep quiet."

Maddy felt another wave of guilt washing over her. She would certainly never keep a secret like that again, that was for certain.

"What do you say you help your baby sister get rid of her?" asked Rebekah sweetly.

Maddy's heart hammered in her chest as Kol said, "Perhaps I will help you."

I'm gonna die here. They're going to kill me.

She flinched when Klaus opened the door, having come in to check on her.

"Love," he said, closing the door and locking it. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, but he could tell that her hands were trembling as she pulled her sheets back and prepared to climb into bed.

He frowned, and took her arm, leading her into the bathroom and turning on both the sink and the shower. "What is it?"

"It's nothing," she said shakily. "It doesn't matter."

His eyes scanned over her face. "You don't feel safe here."

She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut and burying her face in his chest as she started to cry.

"I will ensure that they don't hurt you," murmured Klaus, rubbing her back. "It's alright, love. Tell me what you heard that made you panic so much."

"No, you'll just dagger them again and they'll blame me," she sniffled.

Klaus put his head on top of hers. "Perhaps you might prefer to live with your brothers for some time."

She scoffed. "Then they'll just see me as a coward who couldn't handle the pressure of living here. Elijah just announced me as family. If I leave, they'll never accept me. I have to stay here."

"Then you'll sleep beside me every night. You won't stay here alone. Elijah will protect you, as well."

She sniffled. "How is your mother alive, Nik? How is that possible?"

"Her body was apparently preserved by the witches. She claims she is here to forgive me. To make the family whole once again. In fact, before you arrived, she pitched the idea of holding a ball tomorrow, as it is Saturday. My siblings and I were not very eager, but she stated that we ought to invite the townspeople so that we may get to know our new neighbors."

"You should tell Elijah to invite Elena," she murmured. "She wants to talk to him."

"I will tell him. Are you alright?"

"Worried. But I feel better now that you're here."

A brief pause. "You said you love me," whispered Klaus. "Did you mean it?"

"Yes. You said it first. You told my brothers that you loved me decades ago, and you love me now. Was that intentional, or did it slip out?"

"A bit of both. I wished to say it to you privately. But it felt like something they ought to know. Thus, I said it."

She tilted her head up and kissed him gently. "I do love you, Nik. And I want to be with you, forever. If you'll have me."

"Always, love."

Her phone buzzed, and she pulled back, heaving a sigh. "Caroline's dad died. And it seems Ric was attacked, after Elena called me. He's okay now... in the hospital. But Elena had to kill him so that he could come back, healed. What the hell is going on here? The security footage revealed nothing. What if this killer is some sort of supernatural? Maybe a witch? That might explain how he's kept from being caught. I-I should go and check on Ric, Jenna must be terrified."

"Are you certain that you wish to leave the house?" asked Klaus.

"Yes. It'll be quick, I promise. Just one more thing."

She told him (for the sake of being honest) about what Damon had had the Bennett witches do. Though Klaus was very unhappy, he didn't rush off to kill the impulsive vampire.

Maddy stopped by the hospital first, making sure that Alaric was okay. Jenna was with him, and they chatted for a while, so that the vampire could update the two of them about how the Originals were now awake. It was better they be informed.

She stopped by the Forbes household after that, bringing them some flowers, takeout so that they could eat something, and some money in an envelope to cover some of the funeral costs, because they refused to accept a check that would have taken care of the entire thing.

She returned to the Boarding House to update her brothers, and to search through the fancy dresses in her room, wanting to have one ready for the ball. Though none really satisfied her, she selected a black evening gown that she hadn't yet worn.

It was morning when she returned to the mansion. She hung her dress in her room, not noticing the way Klaus raised his eyebrows at it.

"The ball begins at seven," he told her. "Will you be ready by then?"

"Yes," she said. "I've got the entire day."

"The servants have been compelled to set everything up. My mother wants us all fitted into suits downstairs. That's where I will be, for the time being. Rebekah has left the house to procure a dress, you needn't worry about her."

Maddy half-smiled. "Thanks. I'm going to take a bath and a shower to clean myself up. I'll start doing my hair when I'm done, since it will take the longest."

"Don't slip into that dress until I've given you a chance to see the ones I have."

She raised a brow. "You have dresses?"

"I do. I recently purchased two for you. I was waiting for a special occasion to bring them out. I'll show them to you, and you can decide which one you wish to wear. Mind you, one is green, and Rebekah was saying something about wearing a green dress."

"Nik," she sighed, "you didn't have to get me anything."

"I wanted to," he said, a light blush dusting his cheeks. "The jewels you can pick yourself, if you wish."

"Thank you." She kissed his cheek. "Let me go bathe, and then I'll check out the dresses you got me."

She took her time in the bath, trying to calm her nerves. Surely Rebekah and Kol wouldn't try to kill her in a gathering with so many people... would they?

She was grateful for the distraction that came when Elena called her.

"Hey," she said. "So, I received this invitation on my doorstep today. I thought it was weird, seeing someone wrote my name in such a fancy font over the envelope. I opened it, and the card read, 'Please join the Mikaelson Family this evening at seven o'clock for dancing, cocktails, and celebration."

"Yeah, Klaus and his family are having a ball," said Maddy. "I'd never heard them call themselves the Mikaelsons before. Maybe now that Mikael is dead they feel safer using the name."

"This is legit, then? A real ball?"

"Yep. Why, were you worried it was a prank?"

"No, it's just... there was a note on the back of my card. It says, 'Elena, I think it's time that we finally meet. Esther.'"

Maddy's eyebrows went up. "Oh. Esther wants to talk to you? That's interesting. I wonder why."

"I wonder, too. Damon and Stefan don't think it's a good idea for me to go. But Caroline and Tyler were invited, and so were Bonnie and Jeremy, and I don't want to be the only one that doesn't have the guts to show her face."

"I'll be there, if my brothers are worried. Besides, it's the perfect opportunity for you to talk to Elijah."

"Alright, then. I'll go. I don't know what to wear, though, I don't have any dresses right now."

Maddy hummed. "I have a black one that I'm not going to wear, since apparently, Klaus got me some dresses and he wants me to pick between them."

"If it's not too much trouble, then yes please. What does it look like?"

"Satin, really comfy, it has a slit about mid-thigh and is a V-neck, but the straps are adjustable so that it gives good support. Very plain but nice. You could honestly toss some glitter over it if you want it to be fancier."

"Alright, I'm down to wear that. Do you think black is too... inappropriate for a ball?"

"There's no color specification on the invitation, from what I heard, so I think it should be fine. If Caroline and Bonnie need dresses, you can take them to my room to look through them. Was Jenna invited?"

"Yeah, but she couldn't get off of work with such short notice, so she's going to be at her job, and Ric will be at the house. Hold on—" a scuffling sound. "No way. Caroline says that she just saw Rebekah giving Matt an invitation to the ball."

"Rebekah invited Matt? That's... interesting. Good luck to him." She checked the time. "Listen, I'm going to hop in the shower, but I'll take the dress to you when I'm done."

"Thank you, Maddy, I appreciate it."

When she finished cleaning up, she stopped by the Gilbert House to take the dress to Elena, and then drove Caroline and Bonnie to the boarding house so that they could see if they wanted to wear some of her dresses.

By the time she returned to the mansion, Klaus had already brought up the two dresses he bought for her.

"This green one, I thought would look stunning on you," he said as she smoothed her hands over the fabric. (A/N: Dark Green Vintage Off the Shoulder Prom Ball Gown [promfy.com])

"I think I might wear this one on a different occasion if Rebekah's wearing green," she murmured. "This is so perfect... maybe if there's ever another ball in the future." She looked at the next one, her breath hitching. "Nik, it's beautiful..." (A/N: Shiny Draped Royal Blue Velvet Sheath Long Dress)

Klaus smiled, removing it from the hanger. "Go on, try it on, love."

Looking at him intently, she brushed her now hair aside and slid off the clothes she'd been wearing. He tried to pretend it didn't affect him, but the bulge in his pants told another story as he watched her slipping the dress on once she was wearing nothing but underwear— not even a bra.

"It matches your eyes," he said in a bit of a strained voice.

"Does it?" she asked, batting her eyelashes as she walked toward her vanity so that she could start curling her hair.

"I'll be ripping that off of you tonight."

"Aw, be more gentle with it, I might want to wear it again."

"No promises, love."