Maddy wrote Bonnie a gigantic check.

It felt like the right thing to do. She didn't know what else to give her, to thank her for what she'd done. She figured the Bennett witch could use ten thousand dollars for something good. After all, she lived alone, and Maddy had no idea how the hell she was managing to pay any bills when she didn't work.

This caused a chain reaction of good deeds, though all from Maddy to other people. She knew that she was incredibly lucky to have Klaus sitting beside her at that moment. Had he not arrived when he did, she might have shut it off without worrying about teaching Elena anything.

She wrote Matt a check, too, so that he could take it easy for the rest of his senior year. He worked too much, and he seemed like a good kid. She helped Jenna pay off her college debt so that she could take a break from work to process her grief. Jeremy, Tyler, and Caroline all got smaller amounts of money since their families were better off.

Everyone was thankful. Stefan and Damon had been very confused as to why she'd done it, and worried that she was using it as a way to say goodbye. But when they saw Klaus standing beside her, they knew that she was just showing her gratitude for everyone she still had in her life.

Though their world was still a mess, being able to bury Alaric brought them peace. Jenna had been inconsolable, and had shut herself in her room after the service. Maddy spent the night at the Gilbert House to organize a bit for the family, making breakfast for them come morning before she left.

"Day one of your training," she told Elena the following day. "Elijah said he'll handle your fight training, which is good because he's an Original and knows more, but bad because that's probably going to lead to a lot of sexual tension that you're not used to."

Elena squeaked, and Maddy continued, "Which means that today we have to cover the basics before you get to sparring with a vampire who is like, fifty— almost sixty— times your age. First on the list, getting you used to your powers."

She pointed straight ahead, through the trees of the forest. "I want you to run as fast as you can to the edge of the forest and back. Go."

Elena hesitated for just a moment before dashing off. Maddy hummed, crossing her arms and tapping her foot as she waited. About a minute later, Elena was back, and not even out of breath.

"Good," said Maddy. "What did you notice?"

"Even when I barely start jogging, I move faster," said Elena. "Like... I can instantly reach my max speed when I think about moving as quick as I can."

"Did you run into any obstacles along the way?"

"A few logs. I jumped over them. Dodged some branches."

"Good. So, the only way to really understand your own heightened speed and agility is to play around with it. When I first turned, I would go to these really tough and unfamiliar terrains and just sprint through, getting used to reacting quickly and gauging my own limitations when it came to changing directions suddenly or stopping before I flew off a cliff. Though, if you fly off a cliff you'll be fine, you'll land, maybe ache a bit, but you won't die. Now, I want you to run, but I want you to change directions suddenly at one random point. Don't think too much, just give a hard right or left whenever you feel like it."

Elena took off. Not even thirty seconds later, Maddy heard a loud thump.

"You ran into a tree, didn't you?" asked Maddy, smirking slightly when she heard a groan.

"Nope... tripped on a rock. I can't believe I can hear you from over here."

"The heightened senses is pretty fun. Wait til you try one of those exfoliating body scrubs for the first time. It's so weird but so satisfying at the same time. Come on back."

Elena practically materialized in front of her. "So it's like driving? You just have to keep practicing on different routes to get used to it?"

"Something like that. I mean, technically, we're spirits stuck in corpses. We're essentially driving around dead bodies. The more you practice and understand yourself, the more equipped you are to come out alive in a dangerous situation. There have been vampires who never practice speeding around, never work on their agility, and it gets them in trouble. How about you climb this tree now? Jump down when you reach the top."

Maddy was impressed with how she did it. Instead of clawing her way up quickly, Elena would jump off of the branches as she landed on them, seeing how far up she could get.

"Good," said Maddy when she leapt down. "Now punch the tree."

"Punch it?" said Elena worriedly. "It's wood, won't it splinter in my hand?"

"Not if you do it right. Ric taught you to throw a punch. Make it direct, drive through a straight line, and ball up your fist properly. Use your vampire speed, too. The wood won't have time to splinter in. Let's try in this tree over here, the bark isn't as rough."

Elena gulped, but went for it. She picked a spot in her head and punched, breaking right through the center, her fist exiting on the other side.

"I just killed a tree," she said when she brought her hand out, amazed there were really no splinters.

"I didn't like that particular tree," said Maddy, leading her to the other side and pointing at a set of initials on the top that read 'M.S. + G.L.'

Elena stifled a laugh. "You carved that with George Lockwood?"

"Yep. It's gotten higher since then, 'cause the tree grew a lot. Poor George is nothing but an ex in my mind now."

"Klaus would probably snap him in half in a millisecond if he somehow showed up asking about you."

"Probably. Now onto compulsion and going into people's minds."

She drove the two of them to Charlottesville, where they picked up an unsuspecting waitress and took her to an alleyway. Maddy checked her for vervain first, before showing Elena how to compel her. She then guided her through going into the woman's mind, creating a nice little dream where she got to pet bunnies (clearly, Elena found it hilarious that Stefan had wanted her on a bunny diet).

"Now onto snatch, eat, erase," said Maddy when Elena emerged from the woman's mind. "You snatched her. You know how to bring your true face out, fangs and all. Pick a spot, bite in, and drink very gently. Listen closely to her heartbeat, let it guide you and tell you when to stop."

Elena slowly got closer to the woman, before biting into her neck rather softly. She didn't get any blood at first, until Maddy urged her to bite in harder. Elena obeyed, and began to drink, her other hand pressing against the opposite side of the woman's neck, feeling her heartbeat pulsating through her fingers while she listened. She disconnected rather quickly, wiping her mouth.

"She could have handled way more than that," said Maddy. "Her heartbeat had barely started to speed up."

Elena winced. "But if she loses too much blood, she'll be dizzy."

"That's why you erase. You can either compel her to cover up the bite and go home and get some rest, or you can heal her and compel her to be really careful for twenty-four hours. Have her go home and have a movie marathon or something. She'll be okay, either way."

The doppelgänger nodded before looking into the woman's eyes. "Do you want me to heal you, or do you want to take care of that wound yourself?"

"Heal me," the woman whispered.

Elena bit into her own wrist, wincing a bit as she accustomed to inflicting pain on herself, then brought her hand up, allowing the woman to feed a bit. Once she noticed the mark had healed, she compelled her again, "Forget all this, go home, and stay inside for the next twenty-four hours. Treat yourself to a nice, relaxing day, and be extra careful."

The woman walked off. "Good job," said Maddy. "That sort of extra metallic sour taste you might have experienced was from her cortisol levels going up. Since she was scared and stressed, it adds a lot of it to the bloodstream. If you don't want that taste, you just compel them to not be afraid."

"How does that even work? That's so insane..."

"I mean, I'm rusty on my biology knowledge but there's this thing in your brain called the amygdala and it deals with fear, so I guess you temporarily disable that so cortisol isn't released. Hmm... what else. Right. Now controlling the hunger."

She spoke to her about it as she drove them back to Mystic Falls. "After so many years, I've gotten used to it. Unless I'm starving, I can smell blood and not have my vampire face come out. If I'm not wanting to feed, I can just think of something else and it does the trick. With my emotions, however, I become... very reckless. I'll want to keep feeding. I guess it's like I stress eat a little bit when overwhelmed."

"What if I'm a Ripper? What if I can't control it?"

"You're not a Ripper. If you were one, you wouldn't have stopped feeding so easily. You could have fed for much longer but you didn't. It's a good sign. I think you're set for becoming a good vampire. The most important thing is practicing and getting familiar with your new skills. Know your own strength. Maybe don't give Jeremy and Jenna any massages no matter how much back or neck pain they might have, 'cause you might shatter their spinal column without meaning to. You'll learn your limitations soon enough. For now... start taking vervain to develop a tolerance. Be diligent with your fight training. Ask Caroline, or me, or any other vampire if you have questions. Except maybe Damon. He might not be very helpful."

Elena wrung her hands together. "I talked to him yesterday. Meredith's not taking this very well."

"I don't even feel like apologizing to her," said Maddy honestly. "She got what she deserved."

"Look, I heard about how it happened, and I know you were really panicked thinking me, Klaus, and Alaric were all dead... but it wasn't fair to her. It wasn't fair to me, either, and though I can be bitter, I wouldn't wish this pain on anyone else. Meredith was always nice to me. I think she could use your help, too. You're a good teacher."

Maddy pursed her lips. "Facing her means facing Damon. Facing... the monster I become when I lose control."

"I've never heard of you being so livid."

"It doesn't happen often. But I thought I lost three people at once. I felt this big chunk of me being ripped out and I reacted... very badly. I'm usually able to keep my composure even when I get mad at other things. That day, however... it was just too much at once."

"Do you feel better now?"

"Yeah. Ric is gone, and I feel... really awful about it, but you're here, and so is Klaus. I can survive it. I know that. I'm more worried about Jenna."

"She really appreciated the money you gave her. I think it's going to go a long way to helping her feel some sense of normalcy after all of this. You know, when she first heard Ric had been turned, she said she considered it. Turning to be with him forever. But then when she found out that him turning would mean his dark side was going to stay... the idea went down the drain. She loved him a lot."

"Maybe it's not the end," murmured Maddy. "Maybe there's hope that he can come back. That she can see him again."

"Maybe." Elena's phone chimed, and she frowned. "Oh my god.... Mrs. Lockwood and Sheriff Forbes are in the hospital."

"What?" said Maddy. "What the hell happened?"

"They were on their way to a Council meeting and the building blew up. Twelve council members are dead, including Pastor Young. I remember him... I used to babysit his daughter, April."

"Wait, do they know what caused it? Which building in town was this?"

"It wasn't in town, apparently. They were meeting at Pastor Young's farm. Carol and Liz were running late, according to Stefan. They got lucky, but the explosion did knock them back, so they're being assessed right now."

Since they knew they wouldn't be allowed in the hospital, they parked near the front and waited until Caroline and Tyler emerged.

"Are they okay?" asked Elena worriedly.

"They're okay," said Caroline shakily. "Their eardrums are ruptured, but they'll heal. But twelve Council members died. Twelve... and they're saying it had something to do with the gas line."

Maddy had a hard time believing that could happen during a secret Town Council meeting. This felt like murder, not an accident.

The next day, she went to see Damon, who was sitting at the bar of the Mystic Grill, drinking.

"That seat's taken," he told her when she tried to sit to the left of him.

She moved to the other side. "What do you know about the Council being blown up?"

Damon scoffed. "Am I wearing my 'I Blew Up The Council' t-shirt? Why does everybody keep asking me that?"

She raised a brow. "Who's everybody?"

"Liz texted me. Meredith showed me the article. Even Elena was suspicious, and now you're here. Thanks, by the way, for landing me with a vampire girlfriend."

"I'm not apologizing to you, but I'll apologize to her when I see her."

"Why won't you apologize to me?"

"Because you hate dating mortals, you prefer vampires. I did you a favor."

"Now you're just being a hateful little brat."

"At least I'm not a sexual assailant and a misogynist."

"Thought you said you forgave me. I am sorry about what I said to you."

"We're even. Now, what do you know about the Council being blown up?"

"Liz says they ran the headline 'Faulty gas line leads to tragic explosion at the Young farm' because they have no suspects... they know that the explosion was sparked from the inside. This was no accident."

"I knew it," muttered Maddy. She nodded to an unfamiliar man walking in. "Who's that?"

Damon turned, but frowned to indicate that he didn't recognize him. The man continued to walk until he was standing in front of them, though he was looking around as if he was searching for someone.

"Who are you trying to find?" asked Maddy with fake sweetness.

"Sheriff Forbes," he said. "I was told she was released from the hospital."

Maddy made a face. "She wouldn't be at a bar after being put on medication. She's probably resting. I'm sure you can leave a message for her at the station. What's this about?"

"The explosion at the Young farm. I'm sure you heard about it."

"And who are you?"

"Oh, Connor Jordan." He extended his hand to her, but she didn't take it.

"Sorry," said Maddy, "I don't shake hands, it's weird to me. But I'm Lily Branson. The station is down the street."

He took it as a sign that he wasn't wanted there and walked out.

Damon frowned. "Okay, one, why did you use your alias, and two, why didn't you shake his hand?"

"Vervain," she muttered. "I could smell it on his gloves. Are you sure Alaric didn't manage to send out that letter?"

"It was in his apartment, he never sent it."

"Well, why was the Council meeting, then? A specific secret meeting, too. I think we did get outed, just without him naming names. He probably sent a message that there were vampires all over town. This dude could be a hunter."

She started to walk out, but Damon caught her arm. "Where are you going?"

"To see Klaus," she said. "Maybe he'll know who this guy is."

Unfortunately, Klaus had never heard the name 'Connor Jordan.'

"Bummer," said Maddy, sitting back against her headboard. "Something's up. I can't place it, but there's this weird feeling." She leaned onto his shoulder. "Sorry I was gone all day today and yesterday."

"It's alright, love," said Klaus, kissing her head. "You had family matters to attend to, as did I. My siblings were rather shocked to see me alive again. I did not plan for Bonnie to save my life. She chose to do it."

"I'm glad you're here. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"As jealous as it makes me to admit this... you are aware that if I had died and you had lived... I would be alright with you moving on?"

She shrugged. "I wouldn't have wanted to move on. It hurt so bad, knowing how much I was losing in one day. I wanted to shut it off. I felt like it was the only way to stop the pain."

Klaus hummed. "If you turned off your humanity, one of my siblings would surely compel you to turn it back on."

"I don't think they care enough to do that."

"Elijah would care. Rebekah, albeit keeping up the façade that she despises you, would, too."

"It's not a façade. Your sister literally hates me."

"Not anymore. Before, yes. I believe that she felt a connection with you, when you both thought I had died."

"A connection isn't enough. She doesn't like me."

"Perhaps she doesn't. But I do know that she no longer hates you. She may be finally beginning to accept you as family."

Maddy rolled her eyes. "I doubt it, but alright. Can we not talk about your sister anymore, pretty please? I just want to hold you."

Though Klaus would have preferred to hold her instead, he allowed her to cradle him into her chest, stroking his hair and back and humming as she lulled him to sleep.

The next morning, they were awoken early by Maddy's phone going berserk on the nightstand.

"Who the hell is calling me right now?" she groaned, rubbing her eyes as she answered. "Damon?"

"Get to the house, now. Connor just shot Tyler about a bazillion times."

Klaus followed after her, having heard Tyler's name. The two rushed to the Boarding House just as Stefan finished pulling another wooden bullet out of Tyler's torso using metal tongs.

"Please tell me that's the last one," said Caroline, holding Tyler's hand tightly.

"What happened?" demanded Klaus.

"He just showed up at the house," groaned Tyler. "Demanded my mom let him in. He shook my hand, and his glove burned me. They must have been steeped in vervain. This guy knew what he was doing. He was looking for a vampire and he didn't hesitate for a second when he found one."

Stefan held up one of the bullets with the tongs. "These were specially carved... the length, the width. If you were a normal vampire, you'd be dead. These etchings..." he touched the bullet, but withdrew his hand when it burned him.

"Hand them over, mate," said Klaus, extending his hand. Stefan wrapped the bullet in a napkin before tossing it to the hybrid, who paled slightly when he saw the mark on the bullet.

"Do you know what that means?" asked Maddy.

"I'm afraid I do. What else did this man attempt to do?"

Tyler tried to remember. "He um, he had a needle and syringe, but it was empty."

Klaus hummed. "It's possible he meant to extract wolf venom from you. It would be a rather efficient way of killing all the vampires at once. Fill their food supply with something that can kill them."

"Today's the memorial for the Council members that died," said Caroline worriedly. "What if he tries something?"

"He might," said Maddy, raising a brow at Klaus, who seemed to be debating whether he ought to tell them what he knew or not. "We shouldn't go. If he's setting some sort of trap for the vampires in this town..."

"But what if that's his plan?" asked Damon. "What if he wanted us to know he was here so that we wouldn't go? And then he just marks down who wasn't there and comes to check on us individually?"

"Well, fine, if you really care to go, then go. But I'm not going. It's too risky. Meredith and Elena especially shouldn't attend. They're too new to this. Caroline's in danger, too, even if she has more experience. Except for Klaus and Tyler and the other hybrids, we're all vulnerable to wolf venom and we can die if we're staked. They can't. We're not guaranteed survival no matter how old we are."

"Elena's going to want to go," said Caroline. "April Young will be there. I want to go, too, my mom is required to attend."

Maddy let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine. I guess we're going to church."

She pretended they were on a mission.

It was better than accepting that she was attending a combined twelve-people funeral with no bodies. That was just too unsettling.

She felt safe with Klaus there. If anyone could sense a trap before it was sprung, it was him.

"Nervous, love?" he asked as he put his arm around her, leading her up to the balcony. They figured the others could handle the lower level.

"A bit," she admitted. "Is it alright if I use you as a shield?"

Klaus chuckled. "One minute, you're wanting to shut off your humanity because I died, the next, you're offering me as a sacrifice."

"This won't kill you, but it'll kill me. Besides, I meant it playfully."

She held his free hand tightly for a moment before letting go to grip the railing as they walked upstairs.

Both could sense that someone was already there. And they could smell the slightest bit of blood. Fresh blood.

Connor hadn't heard them coming. He had his rifle propped up, and was waiting for all the attendees to finish filing in.

Klaus sped forward, grabbing the front of the rifle and tossing it through the air. Maddy caught it, removing the thick wooden bullets that had been inserted just recently.

"What the hell?" said Connor, unable to believe that he'd been trapped so easily. "How did you—?"

"I'm faster than your average vampire," said Klaus wickedly. "Let's get to questioning you, mate."

"And then, we'll kill you," said Maddy as Klaus dragged Connor down the stairs.

Klaus shook his head. "No, love, we won't be killing him. If this man is who I think he is, then we will have quite a problem on our hands if we lop off his head. Swear to me that you won't kill him."

Albeit confused, Maddy assented. "Alright, I swear I won't kill him."