Maddy was too late.

She had scoured the entire town, looking for Finn and Sage. She found them in the passageway beside the Mystic Grill, a scorched white oak stake lodged in Finn's heart. Alaric was off to the side, temporarily dead and with his bag of stakes. Sage was sobbing, holding Finn's desiccated face in her hands.

"No," whispered Maddy, sinking down. She rushed to the bag of stakes, and counted only nine. Nine, plus the one in Finn. Damon had said there were eleven stakes. Where was the last one?

"He used vervain," said Sage hoarsely, looking up at Maddy sadly. "He lured us out."

"How did he overpower both of you?" asked Maddy in disbelief. "Was he alone?"

Sage nodded. "He had strength like nothing I've ever seen before in a human. I don't know how..."

"Come on," said Maddy, grabbing the bag of stakes. "Let's get these and his body to the mansion. I'll come back for Alaric later."

Sage nodded numbly. She leaned down and picked Finn up gently, cradling him into her chest as she followed Maddy.

By the time they got to the mansion, Elijah and Kol were back. The siblings gathered in the entrance hall, their mouths dropping open when they saw Finn's dead body.

"There are only ten stakes accounted for," said Maddy numbly, setting the bag down. "There's one more. I'll find it, I promise."

She figured she ought to get started on that while they discussed what they were going to do. She exited the mansion, though didn't speed off immediately, since she sensed that Sage was beside her. Sage made a motion for her to continue, and Maddy sped off, with the other vampire at her side.

"I want to see him burn," said Sage angrily as they stepped over Alaric's body. "I could only snap his neck after he staked Finn. It isn't enough torture."

Maddy wasn't sure how to tell her that Alaric wasn't permanently dead. "He... he can't be burned," she said awkwardly. "He'll come back in a few hours."

"But he isn't a vampire, is he?"

"No. He just has this ring that brings him back to life. It— it isn't his fault, he's just died so many times it's starting to turn him into a vampire hunter of sorts, it's really hard to explain, but—"

Sage slammed her into the wall. Maddy crumpled down, and the elder vampire stood over her, placing her heel on Maddy's throat.

"If he's going to come back to life each time I kill him," sneered Sage, "then I'm going to make him suffer." She pressed down so hard on Maddy's neck, that she feared her head would pop off. "Tell me, who does he care most about?"

Maddy was whimpering, grabbing onto Sage's leg and trying to throw her off. She shook her head as best as she could, indicating that she wasn't going to tell her anything.

"You'd prefer to die for him?" snarled Sage. "The man who killed your boyfriend's brother? What's Klaus going to think?"

The younger vampire was slapping her frantically, unable to breathe. Just a bit more pressure and she'd be dead for real. Sage would decapitate her without much effort.

"Don't want to talk?" asked Sage. "How about I—"

As soon as Sage ducked down to see into her mind, Maddy kicked her legs up and knocked Sage back. She grabbed onto Alaric and sped off before the other vampire could recover. She rushed to the Boarding House, thinking to get Jenna out of there before Sage figured out where she was.

Unfortunately, she'd actually just led Sage to her.

She'd only just set Alaric's body down and called out for Jenna when the door flew open. Damon and Stefan rushed down as Sage and a male vampire walked in.

"Ding dong," said Sage. "Where is she?"

"You're not getting her," said Stefan, figuring out rather quickly who this was about.

"He killed Finn!" spat Sage, pointing at Alaric. "He took the person I love most in this world and killed him! Now, I'm going to do the same to him. I won't hesitate to kill all of you if you try to stop me."

She flicked her hand at the male vampire, who rushed to the stairs. Damon tackled him, while Stefan and Maddy jumped onto Sage. However, instead of instantly perishing at her hands, they found themselves gaining control over the situation. Was she punching more weakly than them?

Sage staggered back, lifting her hand as her nose started to bleed. She coughed and Stefan took the chance to kick her in the stomach, sending her into the ground. She couldn't seem to get back up.

"Troy," she gasped to the other vampire, who had also started to cough, blood leaking out of his mouth. "Help me!"

"What the hell?" whispered Maddy as Troy sank down beside Sage. The two vampires shivered before desiccating.

Several sets of footsteps rushed to the stairs. The three Salvatores looked up as Elena and Caroline ran in with Jenna, who looked terrified out of her mind.

"What's happening?" she asked fearfully. "What—?"

"They're dead," said Elena, looking at the two vampires on the floor. "But... how—?"

"Who is this guy?" asked Maddy, pointing at Troy.

"Some dude Sage turned," said Damon. "I saw her with him earlier."

"Did she say Finn is dead?" asked Caroline meekly.

Stefan nodded. "Yeah. Finn is dead, and apparently, they are too."

Caroline gulped as she walked down to join them on the lower level. "Maybe Sage was so in love with Finn she just died of sadness."

Elena frowned and shook her head. "No, that doesn't explain Troy."

Stefan tensed. "It's the blood. The bloodline. It has to be. Think about it: Finn turned Sage, Sage turned Troy. They're all part of the same vampire bloodline that originated with Finn."

Maddy's mouth dropped open. "But... but that would mean that if all the Originals had been killed when Esther linked them..."

"You all would have died, too," said Jenna, covering her mouth.

"This can't be happening," said Damon, looking mildly panicked. "Which Original do we come from?"

"Caroline was turned with Damon's blood," said Elena. "Maddy was turned by Stefan. Damon and Stefan were turned by Katherine, and we know Katherine was turned by a vampire named Rose."

"But who turned Rose?" asked Maddy. "Did she ever mention that? She didn't know much about the Originals, so I doubt she was turned directly by one of them. We're obviously not from Finn's line, or we'd be dead, but that leaves four other possibilities. Elijah, Rebekah, Kol, or Klaus."

"It better not be Klaus," muttered Damon.

"Wait," said Caroline in a small voice. "Even if Klaus didn't create our bloodline, we know for a fact that he turned one of us."

"Oh my god," said Elena. "Tyler. If Klaus dies, so would Tyler."

Maddy selected that moment to kick Damon across the room.

"I thought you were sorry about how you've been treating me," she fumed. "I thought you were finally going to let me be happy, but you just couldn't help yourself, could you? You went and made those white oak stakes and— LOOK AT ME!"

Damon hadn't been able to meet her gaze, but he forced himself to face her as she stood over him.

"We all could have died tonight!" she snarled. "Alaric could have killed all of the Originals, and all of us by default! Klaus could have died! Elijah and Kol, too! You don't see any good in them but some of us do and you just— you trusted Alaric knowing his alter ego hates vampires and the Founding Families? Something could have happened to Jenna, to Elena, or Jeremy, or everyone we care about!"

"Maddy," said Damon quietly. "I shouldn't have... I know that..."

"That's right, you shouldn't have. There is still one white oak stake out there, so find it, and maybe, I might forgive you someday in this lifetime."

She rushed back to the mansion, and found it was very, very quiet. She stepped slowly through the rooms, trying to find Klaus. He wasn't in his art room. Or in his bedroom. Kol and Elijah weren't there, either. Rebekah had shut herself in her room, and once Maddy pressed her ear to the door, she was able to make out faint sobs.

The door opened downstairs, and when she reached the top of the staircase, she saw the three brothers had returned with an urn in their hands.

"Madeleine," said Klaus, watching as she sprinted down.

"Sage is dead," she told them. "She and a vampire she turned... they just died. Finn's entire bloodline..."

The brothers shared a concerned look. Suddenly, their phones began to ring. Maddy imagined their closest associates were letting them know about vampires dropping dead all over the world. Surely, Finn's sireline was quite massive because of Sage and the other vampires.

"Where is the last stake?" asked Kol gruffly.

"I don't know. The others will help us find it. I... I need to know which one of you sired our line. Me, my brothers, Caroline, even Katherine and Abby Bennett, we're all from the same line. Elijah," she turned to the elder brother, "who turned Rosemarie?"

"Mary Porter," said Kol. "I remember her."

Maddy gulped. "So you sired—?"

"No," muttered Klaus. "I did. I turned Mary."

Instinctively, the younger vampire pulled him into her arms, hugging him tightly.

Elijah went to set the urn in the living room, while Kol left the house altogether. Klaus and Maddy remained alone in the entrance hall, still locked in an embrace.

"You're trembling," Maddy whispered when she placed her head on Klaus's chest. "Nik... it's alright to want to let your emotions out."

"No," he said, keeping his voice steady.

"He was your brother. It's okay to mourn him. To miss him. To feel angry."

Klaus scowled. "Finn was boring. Obnoxious. Could never keep his comments to himself."

"He was still your brother."

Klaus shook his head. Maddy put her arm around him, leading him upstairs, to her room. She sat him down on her bed, urging him to lay down as she tucked him beneath the blankets. She crawled in beside him, spooning him and starting to hum in his ear as she rocked him slowly.

He was tense at first, refusing to allow his body to go limp and relax in her hold. But when he realized that she'd teared up, he slumped back, his lip quivering as she brought one hand up to his chest, rubbing circles on it.

"I've got you," she whispered. "Let it out."

He felt safe there. Like he could show a different side of himself without worrying that he'd be exposed or judged for it. She held him the entire time that he cried, singing different lullabies and otherwise just keeping him comfortable.

When he stopped crying, she went to draw him a bath, making sure the water was barely on the warm side, just how he liked it. She helped him to his feet, carefully discarding his clothes before lowering him into the water, his back against the side of the tub with enough space for Maddy to sit down and massage his shoulders.

"You needn't do all this for me, love," said Klaus, though he leaned forward so that she could reach more of his back.

"I want to," she said. "Maybe after this I can bring you some bourbon and burgers, alongside a tasty waitress. Think you might like that?"

He nodded. "I would very much like that."

"Alright." She smiled and kissed the top of his head. "Would you like me to do that now while you finish bathing?"

"Yes... that would be nice."

She got off of the tub, and left immediately. She returned half an hour later, once Klaus was clean and wearing a bathrobe while he waited on her bed.

The food made him feel better. Maddy could see a more upbeat demeanor about him as he ate, occasionally taking a break from his burger to bite into the waitress Maddy brought with her.

Once Klaus was satisfied, Maddy healed the waitress and sent her home, compelling her to forget that she'd been fed on. She put the hybrid to bed, holding him until he fell asleep, then leaving briefly to take some blood bags to the rooms of the other three Mikaelson siblings, who didn't open their doors to receive them until they heard her disappear down the hall.

The next morning, Maddy spoke to Stefan. He let her know that Alaric was in the cellar, unable to remember where he put the last stake. He was taking charge of trying to find it through Alaric, while Damon went and searched Alaric's apartment, room at the Gilbert house, his office at the high school, and even the entirety of his car.

"How is everyone?" asked Maddy quietly, looking out over the forest through the window in her room.

"Jenna's pretty distraught, Elena and Jeremy took her to Whitmore for the day, pretending they want to have the 'college talk.' It's a distraction for her, helps her channel her emotions into giving them a tour and advice about what they might want to study in the future."

"What about Bonnie and Caroline?"

"Decorating for the Decade Dance. Tyler's back, so Caroline dragged him and Matt with her."

"I bet that's where Rebekah is. She left this morning saying she was going to school but I didn't know what for."

"Seems Matt really likes her. Though, it's confusing since he usually hates vampires."

"I don't know, you're the one who had a thing with Rebekah, I'm sure you can figure out why he might like her."

Stefan chuckled. "Well, I guess there are many reasons."

Maddy cleared her throat. "Klaus sired our line. He told me that he turned Mary Porter, the woman who turned Rose."

"Mary Porter?"

"Yeah, he knew her name, which was helpful."

"I'll pass the message along. Thanks, Mads. Everything alright with you?"

"Yeah. I think I might take Klaus out somewhere, just to get him out of the house. Literally no one is home right now, I think Elijah and Kol left, too, so there's no point in staying here. He might be interested in going to see Alaric."

"Well, he can come by, as long as he doesn't do anything to hinder my... not-so-great progress."

"Thanks, Stefan. Maybe we'll stop by later."

Klaus definitely wanted to go and see Alaric. When they arrived, they found Alaric sitting on the seat of the cell, his head in his hands. Across from him was Stefan.

"Well, this is depressing, isn't it?" said Klaus, glaring at Alaric.

"I'm sorry, okay?" said Alaric when he saw him. "I can't remember doing anything. I didn't mean to..."

Klaus simply looked him over. "How about a good neck snap? It seems that to get the stake, w need you to pass out. What better way than—?"

"No," said Maddy, swiping her hand out before he could rush at Alaric. "He hasn't woken up as his vampire-hating-self any of the times that his neck has been snapped. It happens when he's awake, which means he needs to stay conscious."

"The only question is," murmured Stefan, "how to get him to come out. He's the only one who knows where the stake is."

Alaric huffed. "This is stupid. Evil me or whatever you want to call him, he's not gonna make an appearance. Why would he? I mean, the best hiding place is the one where you can't find the person who hid it." He slid his ring off, setting it aside.

"Wait, wait," said Stefan, panicked when he saw the evil glint in Klaus's eye. "You need that ring."

"No," replied Alaric. "What I need is hope that my alter ego doesn't have a death wish. So, I'm taking bets that my dark side has a sense of self-preservation. So, let's see if he defends himself against death."

"Hold on," said Maddy. "Are you suggesting we beat you to near-death?"

He cast her a look. "That's exactly what I'm suggesting."

Klaus cracked his knuckles. "We ought to get started, then."

"You're not going to beat him," said Maddy. "You're way too strong, it'll kill him and then he won't come back. We'll never find the stake. Stefan... you or me."

"Hang on, love," said Klaus. "Perhaps the strongest person should do it to encourage the other bloke to come out sooner. You said that Sage mentioned him being stronger than expected."

"Nik," said Maddy, slightly exasperated. "Will you be able to control yourself? Will you be able to stop yourself from murdering him?"

Klaus opened and closed his mouth a few times.

"Exactly," said Maddy, before removing her jacket. "I'll do it. If it gets bad then Stefan can jump in. If other-Ric is stronger than both of us, then you can pitch in."

She rolled her sleeves up, and Alaric gulped, holding his fists up, though this was pretty much useless, considering Maddy had no problem shoving his arms aside and beating over his nose, causing him to stagger as blood leaked out of his right nostril.

Stefan took a step back, giving her more room as she kicked Alaric in the ribs, sending him into the wall, crumpling down. He groaned, and shook his head. "You're not putting enough into this."

"Yes I am!" she said indignantly. "That was enough to break a rib! Are you telling me nothing broke?"

"I've broken ribs before and this is not what that feels like. Come on, get angry."

Maddy huffed. "I don't want to get angry, I could lose control."

"Then just get a little pissed. Um..." he glanced at Stefan, who shot him a warning look.

Maddy turned around. "What? What aren't you telling me?"

Klaus leaned in the doorway, raising a brow at the youngest Salvatore, who pursed his lips.

"Stefan!" Maddy hissed. "Tell me!"

"Damon went to Whitmore. He told us just before you arrived."

"Okay... what's in Whitmore?"

"Jeremy, Elena, and Jenna."

"And?"

"He went to talk to Jeremy, who can see ghosts."

"And?"

"He wanted him to speak to Rose. To find out who turned her."

Maddy frowned. "So he didn't believe it, did he? That Klaus is our sire?"

"I'm sure he just wants to fact-check it," said Alaric meekly. "You know, make sure Rose was turned by someone named Mary Porter."

With an angry sneer, Maddy kicked him twice in the abdomen, before yanking him up by his hair and pinning him down on the bench.

"Maddy!" said Stefan when her fist collided with Alaric's face. "Mads— stop! You're gonna shatter his face!"

This made Alaric laugh. Maddy got off of him, watching as he sat up, bloody but apparently not in the excruciating pain that he should have been feeling.

"You are so weak," he sneered.

Klaus narrowed his eyes as Alaric got up, and said, "Look at you, one of nature's most hideous creatures and you can't even get that right."

Maddy tried to stand up straighter. "So it's you, hmm? The evil version of Ric?"

He smiled, his teeth stained with blood. Maddy inquired, "Where did you hide the stake?"

He acted like she hadn't answered a question. "You're all worse than I ever was. Spineless. Pathetic."

"I think you're the pathetic one, hiding in Alaric's body."

"Oh, do you think me to be a completely separate entity? No... I am him. This is my rightful body. Nothing like what he experienced when he was in here." He stared at Klaus. "Look at you, pretending you don't feel fear. Like you aren't a scared little boy on the inside, worried that stake will fall back into my hands, and I'll kill you just like I killed your pathetic brother."

Stefan and Maddy only just managed to pull Klaus back before he could rip Alaric's heart out. "Nik, no!" Maddy screamed. "He hasn't told us—"

"WHERE IS THE STAKE?" Klaus roared, baring his fangs at Alaric.

"You know you're all gonna burn," said Alaric malevolently. "Ashes to dust."

"Tell us where the stake is!" said Stefan angrily. "Or we'll let him go and he'll kill you."

Alaric just laughed. Klaus shoved Stefan aside, ripping his hand away from Maddy's grip before rushing toward Alaric, placing him in a chokehold against the wall.

"The stake's location, now!" said Klaus, flashing his hybrid eyes at Alaric.

"It's in the cave," Alaric wheezed. "Where no vampire can get it."

Klaus dropped him, and immediately headed out of the cellar. Maddy followed after him, the two stopping in their tracks when they saw Rebekah in the entrance hall.

"Did you get it, Nik?" she asked eagerly.

"It's in the cave," said Klaus. "The one that Elena took Elijah too. I presume you know the location?"

"Yes, Elijah told me." She looked at something behind them, and the two turned to see Stefan dragging Alaric upstairs. "I'm going to take him to the caves." She grabbed Alaric roughly by the shoulder. "You're gonna go inside and fetch me the stake, and if you think you're gonna hide, you're wrong."

She dragged him out the door.
"She'll bring it by when she has it," said Klaus, taking Maddy's hand. "Shall we return home, love?"

She nodded. "Stefan, you good here?"

"Yeah," he said. "I'll just wait for Alaric to get back. Get home safe."

Maddy smiled, mouthing 'thank you' before letting Klaus lead her back to the mansion.

"You're in a good mood now," she noticed when he walked straight to his art room. "What do you have in mind to paint?"

He smirked. "I'd like to paint you. If you're willing to pose."

"Only if I can choose the pose."

"Of course." He went to fetch a new canvas. When he turned around, his jaw went slack, seeing that she'd laid over a blanket before the fireplace, completely nude.

"What are you doing, love?" he asked curiously.

She batted her eyelashes at him. "The last time you painted me like this was in the twenties. Seeing as we had a good day today, I thought that maybe you'd enjoy painting me like this again."

Klaus's eyes seemed to darken. "And you recall what we did last time, yes?"

Maddy pretended like she didn't remember.

"Perhaps I should wait to paint you," Klaus had murmured, taking her wrists and pressing them down on either side of her head. "Until after we're done."

"But then I'll look a mess."

"And that'll mean I did my job properly."

"It doesn't ring a bell," she mused. "Why don't you give me a hint?"

He materialized on top of her, kissing her fervently.

Both of them unaware of what was taking place in the cave.