They were found pretty easily.

Bonnie had done a Locator Spell using Damon and Maddy's blood combined, and had located Stefan and Elena in an abandoned house past Whitmore. According to them, they'd been snatched up by a group of Travelers who hadn't spoken a single word to them— they'd just sliced into their wrist, drawn blood, and called it a day.

"They just left you there?" asked Maddy, who was confused about how they could possibly be completely unharmed.

"Yeah," confirmed Elena. "Trust me, it was really weird for us, too. Whatever they needed with our blood... it seems to be over now. They didn't exactly give us a date for our next appointment with them."

"And you're feeling alright?" asked Damon, confused as to how they could be so normal after being kidnapped. "You're sure?"

"I was dizzy for a bit," admitted Stefan. "But now... nothing. There was this weird part though..."

"Oh, yeah," said Elena, as if she'd forgotten an important detail. "At one point, our daylight rings weren't working."

"I assume it was to keep us in the house," said Stefan. "Which we would have done if they just asked us with a 'please' attached to it."

"Well, yeah," said Elena, "but we only started to feel that the rings weren't working after our blood was already being drained. We had like a minute where we could have escaped, because I remember I was standing in front of the window and felt all was fine. They'd been chanting the whole time, since we came to."

Maddy just shook her head. "It doesn't make any sense to me. We need someone who knows a lot about the Travelers. Someone who can explain to us why they need your blood and why they need just one of each doppelgänger."

"Too bad Nadia's dead," said Damon. "Your boyfriend has absolutely no problem ripping people's heads off, and it shows."

"We've known that for ages already." She hummed. "Abandoned house... group of Travelers... blood in buckets... daylight rings... doppelgängers... is that all? No other thing you need to mention?"

Elena and Stefan shared a look. "That's all we remember," said Stefan. "We don't know how we got there. I'm sorry."

"No, Stefan, don't apologize, it isn't your fault. It's not like you asked them to abduct you. Are you absolutely sure you two are okay?"

"Hungry," admitted Elena. "But definitely alright. Excuse me, I'm going to get one of your blood bags." She walked past them and headed to the cellar.

"We need to talk," said Damon before Stefan could do the same. "About something called Augustine."

Stefan raised a brow. "I heard that in passing, I think Elena was telling Jenna something about the death of a boy named Aaron who had something to do with whatever 'Augustine' is."

"Aaron is Aaron Whitmore, and he comes— well, came, 'cause Klaus killed him too— from a very long line of vampire-probing, blood-testing, organ-removing freaks called Augustine."

"Technically the 'Augustine Society,'" said Maddy.

Stefan looked confused. "And why do you two know this?"

"Because," replied Damon, "we were their test subjects in the fifties."

"What do you mean test subjects?"

"Meaning we donated our bodies to science, except we were alive and it was against our will."

"It's a lot to explain," said Maddy. "Most of the details involve... going into memories of abuse that we're not comfortable with. We were in there for five years... from 1953 to 1958. The reason Damon turned off his humanity was because he couldn't save Enzo, a man who was in there with us. He'd been there for ten years before, and after we left... he was in there until yesterday."

"As it turns out," muttered Damon, "Enzo is alive and is the son of our half-brother Leo. He's our new brother according to Maddy."

"Wait, hold on a minute," said Stefan. "How do I not know about this? Not the Enzo part, but you two being trapped for five years."

"You were with Lexi, I was with Damon," explained Maddy. "We weren't in contact very often because I didn't want to disrupt your rehabilitation. Plus, I wanted to make sure I devoted time to helping Damon, too, since he'd been alone for awhile. When we got out, we didn't feel comfortable saying anything. And we didn't think we had to."

"You were already guilt-ridden at that time," said Damon. "And you and I were on the outs back then. By the time it was over, you know, it was over."

Stefan looked between them sadly. "I'm sorry that you didn't feel like you could tell me. If I had known... I would have done something."

"It's in the past, baby bro," said Damon. "The Augustine Society's gone for good."

"But—"

"Trust me, Meredith's worried enough for everyone in my close circle, she's got you covered. She's considering taking off work just to go on a trip with me. I mean, who am I to deny constant hot sex, you know, but I'm not fragile. It's been awhile. I'm okay."

"And I'm okay, too," said Maddy. "I had already talked about it with Klaus before. And he saved us, so..." she checked the time. "I should actually get going. I'm gonna talk to him today about... everything I've been neglecting to mention."

"Wait, one more thing," said Stefan before she could disappear. "Where's Enzo now?"

"In his apartment. He's not ready to meet you yet but... soon. Please don't go looking for him. He needs time."

Stefan nodded, and Maddy cast him a reassuring smile before heading to the mansion.

When she arrived, she found Klaus had brought enough groceries to make some pasta from scratch.

"We could chat while we cook," said Klaus, who had already washed his hands. "It has been quite a long time since I made a meal, but I heard you enjoy cooking, therefore, I figured creating the meal ourselves would be nicer than buying one."

Maddy made a face. "Who told you I like to cook? I don't think we ever had that conversation."

"Damon mentioned it when he informed me of Katerina being in the hospital." He raised a brow. "Was he lying?"

"No, he wasn't, I just... I like to cook but not for other people." She quickly added, "It's fine right now, though, I love you and I haven't cooked for you yet, so there's a first time for everything."

"Are you certain?"

"Yeah. I mainly have an issue when my brothers are being lazy and don't even know how to say 'please' when they ask me to make them a portion. And other people just tend to be judgy."

Klaus smiled. "Well, if it turns out awful, I'll swallow it all without a complaint."

She faked offense as she finished washing her own hands. "Wow, are you expecting my pasta to be shitty?"

He blushed. "Not what I meant, love."

"How about you start making some rotini, and I make a creamy mushroom sauce to go with it? I'll grill some chicken, too, and maybe steam some vegetables."

"Now it is my turn to take offense," said Klaus, patting his chest. "Why have you landed me with the simplest and most childish task?"

She scrunched up her nose. "We're making pasta completely from scratch. If anything, you got landed with the most time consuming job."

She moved to stand on the other side of the kitchen island, beginning to prepare her materials for the sauce. He kept looking at her as he got started on the pasta, and it was only after the third expectant look that she realized he was just waiting for her to start talking.

She pursed her lips, not even sure where to start. "Do you remember that conversation we had in Italy?"

"Er... which one?"

"The one about kids. You said you couldn't imagine anything more awful than being a father."

"Yes. I recall you said you would be alright with a puppy in a few decades. I could get you one sooner, I wasn't sure if—"

"I don't want a puppy," she interrupted, feeling too overwhelmed to met his gaze. "I like dogs and cats and all sorts of animals, I really do. But I... I want a baby. Not a puppy."

He stopped what he was doing. "I thought you were alright with a puppy. You said if it wasn't in the cards for us, it was alright."

"I lied. I lied because I didn't want to push the subject when it was clearly not something you were comfortable with. I bottled it up and I thought... I thought I'd be okay. But ever since we had that conversation I feel this emptiness. I know that most people these days don't want kids. Most vampires especially. But I do. I want to be a mom. And I just need you to know that. I can't pretend that I'm completely alright with this no kids decision, because I'm not. I'll understand if you don't want any, I really will, but I needed to have this talk again because having it be just us two isn't enough for me."

Klaus came to stand beside her. "Love," he said guiltily, "were you afraid to tell me? Were you afraid of how I'd react?"

"A little," she admitted. "It's not that I thought you'd get mad, I just didn't want to see that pained look in your eyes... the one you have now. You think you hurt me, but you didn't, Nik, I promise you didn't. It's just that our wants are different. I don't want to force you into something that you're not interested in."

"I cannot imagine myself being a good father," said Klaus. "I simply cannot. I don't ever envision myself being able to be a good parent to an adopted child. One with no ties to me. I'd only make them suffer. I lose my temper far too often. I'd be what Mikael was to me. Someone with no blood relation to such an innocent being. I'd be ruining someone else's child. In these past days that I have been in New Orleans, it is abundantly clear that Marcellus resents me... to what may be an irreparable degree. I ruined him. I cannot stand the idea of ruining another child."

He could tell that it broke her heart to hear him say that. But he also knew that she preferred to hear the truth, no matter how much it hurt, than for him to be lying and putting on a brave face just to give her what she wanted. Most times, he had no problem conforming to her needs, because he truly did like to see her happy. His behavior, he knew, wasn't the best, and if she asked him to do something differently, he could be alright with that.

But for this, he couldn't just set his own feelings aside.

"There are two ways this could go down," she said quietly. "If I wanted to be a mom, I could adopt a kid on my own. Be a single parent. You wouldn't have to be involved, I'd never force you into that. You'd just be 'Mom's boyfriend' to the kid, not 'dad.' The other option would be for us to just not get any kids involved. Ever."

Klaus cupped her face. "Even just speaking about that last option, I can see light fading from your eyes. The light that shines when you imagine being a mother."

"But it might be the better option," she said, her voice cracking. "Because if we go with the first one, I wouldn't have as much time to be with you. I don't want you to feel neglected or... or..."

"Jealous," he finished for her. "It's alright to say it. I am a jealous and possessive man, that is no secret. I want you all to myself. I would never wish to share you with anyone."

"The only way for us to not lose time with each other would be to co-parent," said Maddy. "But that can't happen if you're not wanting to be a dad. I won't force you into this, Nik, it's not fair to you. I just needed you to know that it's been on my mind for weeks."

She started to cry, and he slowly brushed her tears away with his thumb. "Love," he whispered sadly, "I never wished to hurt you. And yet it seems I have."

"It's fine," she said amidst tears. "It's fine, it is, I get it, I know what it's like to have an abusive dad. You've been through so much more than I have, you've suffered, and if it's not what you want then I have to respect that."

"I... I would like to support you in the first option, but..."

"But it would destroy the relationship, wouldn't it?" she managed weakly. "Not being able to be together as often. It's already been so hard with you in New Orleans, even if that's only temporary... something that will only last a few more months at most. With a kid, it would be years and years of me being with them more than I am with you."

"Be honest with me, love. Will it destroy the relationship if we go with the second option?"

She shook her head. "No, Nik, it wouldn't. I will still love you. I will."

"Even if it meant you were letting go of a dream just to respect me?"

"I don't have to be a mother, no one does. I'd rather let go of my dream than see you suffering in an uncomfortable situation. Everyone needs to be respected. And I... I will be okay if we go with option two. If we say no kids, ever. Just tell me the truth, Nik, tell me which option you want. I will respect whatever you choose, no matter how much it hurts."

She already knew what we was going to pick. And she could have saved herself a bit of extra pain if she'd just said it outright. But she needed to hear him say it. She needed to hear him confirm his choice.

"Option two," he said, which caused her to squeezed her eyes shut tightly, more tears streaming out. "I'm sorry, love, I'm sorry..."

"Don't apologize," she said, turning away from him and bringing her shirt up to cover her face. "I understand, I do, I swear. I still love you and I always will. It just hurts. It does..."

He tried to hug her from behind but she drew away.

"I can't right now, I'm sorry," she said shakily. "If you hug me, I'm never going to be able to stop crying. I'll break down completely and I can't, not when we're supposed to be cooking..."

He hugged her anyway, resting his chin on her shoulder as she started to sob.

They didn't end up making the pasta. Maddy decided she'd do it another day, when she was alone. It was time for Klaus to return to New Orleans, before Marcel got too suspicious.

"I can't beat knowing that I've caused you pain," he said as she drove him to the airport. "Love, if you're not alright with this..."

"You needed to be the one to make the decision," said Maddy, staring ahead at the road. "I'm going to be okay, Nik, really I will. I do want a puppy, though. If we can't have a baby... then a puppy will be fine. It really will be."

"You continue to say that but I don't quite believe you."

"Almost all the other options involved me getting what I wanted, while you had to bite your tongue and be tormented. I couldn't do that to you. So please, Nik, understand that I am truly okay with this, because the last thing I would want is to bring up that trauma day after day while I get to enjoy something I don't actually need in life. I'll be a dog mom. Or a cat mom. Maybe a bit of both. I'm sure any puppy we get would be very fond of you."

She pulled up to the terminal, and put the car in park. She turned to Klaus, tucking her hand under his chin. "I love you. I love you more than you could ever know. And I will always love you."

"I apologize," he whispered, "for not being able to set aside my feelings... my memories... everything that keeps me from believing that I could be a good father. I promise you, love, I will give it a great deal of thought. We have centuries ahead of us, together. Mikael is dead, and he will remain so. Perhaps in the future I will be more willing to discuss this again and determine how I feel after a lengthy period of time without Mikael's voice ringing in my ears constantly."

She perked up a bit at this, knowing he could potentially change his mind. She knew it would take awhile, but 'someday' was much better than 'never.' He noticed the immediate change in her demeanor and offered her a smile, before leaning in to connect their lips.

"Have a safe flight," she whispered against his mouth as she rested her forehead against his. "Please be careful with Marcel. I love you. Please keep updating me as often as you can."

"I will, love," he promised, kissing her one more time before he exited the car. He reached his hand through the open window, connecting their fingers briefly. "Goodbye. Take care, my Madeleine."

She nodded as he sped off.

She cried a bit more as she drove back to Mystic Falls. She stopped in the cemetery, and took a few moments to sit inside the Salvatore crypt, right over where her mother was buried. Though she didn't speak to her, she could feel some comfort just from being near her. Maybe what she truly needed wasn't being a mother. It was having her mother around again.

When she got to the Salvatore Boarding House, Enzo was there on the couch, holding a bottle of bourbon over his lap.

"I'm sorry, I missed a chapter here," said Maddy when Damon appeared in the kitchen, apparently making nachos. "Damon... cooking. Enzo... here, drinking. How did you two—?"

"Nothing a little murder spree can't fix," said Enzo, smirking slightly, though he became serious. "Damon came to check up on me. Let me know you were going to have that difficult conversation with your beau today. We chatted. Went to feed together. And now..."

"Peas in a pod again," said Damon, bringing the tray of nachos over to him. "Stefan wasn't here today, he went with Blondie, Witchy, and Elena to see Whitmore College with Jenna. Now that they turned in their college applications, they wanted to tour the campus again. Elena wants to visit Tulane, too, since she said she might be interested in going there with Bonnie once you move to NOLA. You should take them when you visit Klaus."

"It's not safe for me to go yet, according to him."

"So what? You don't have to tell him you're there."

"How can I go to NOLA and not tell him I'm around the corner from where his house is?"

"You just don't tell him. Simple."

Enzo snickered a bit, and Maddy rolled her eyes. "It's all about communication, Damon, that's how relationships last."

"I communicate plenty with Meredith," said Damon. "Speaking of Meredith, you should meet her, Enzo."

He nodded, but raised a brow when he noticed Maddy acting like she was tying her shoe. "What, you don't like her?"

"I told you, I turned her," said Maddy. "She accepted my apology but she hasn't forgiven me. We're not close... at all."

"Ah, lovely drama," said Enzo. "I can be the neutral party, then. I adore Klaus and Meredith."

"Ew," said Damon. "There's no 'adoring' Klaus."

"I said it, mate, neutral party. I adore Klaus. Might even steal him from Lanie."

Maddy shot him a murderous look as Damon howled with laughter. "Ha, he still calls you Lanie!"

"Shut up," she said, rolling her eyes. "Great. Now I have three obnoxious brothers."

"How many brothers does your boyfriend have?" asked Enzo.

"Four."

"But three are dead," said Damon. "What?" he added after the way Maddy glared at him. "It's the truth. Finn, Kol, and the little one—"

"— Henrik—"

"— Yeah, that one. As for sisters... two, but one's dead. Rebekah and—?"

"Freya," said Maddy, exasperated.

"Freya, yes. The one that died of plague."

"Bloody hell," said Enzo. "Six siblings. I don't even have one."

Damon wagged a finger at him. "Now you have three. Can't say you're an only child anymore."

"I'm just glad to not be the middle child anymore," said Maddy. "So what have you two been doing? Just drinking?"

"Damon taught me to drive," said Enzo. "Not in his car, of course, he never would have forgiven me if I scratched it up."

"Damon has never even let me sit in the driver's seat of his car, he definitely wouldn't let you drive it."

"Just for that," said the eldest Salvatore, "I'm gonna let Enzo drive my car."

Maddy stared at him indignantly as Enzo snickered.

The door opened, and they heard several voices as the group made their way into the house. Stefan stopped in his tracks, the three girls behind him nearly running into him as he looked at Enzo, confused.

"Stefan," said Maddy as Enzo stood up. "This is Enzo."

Elena poked her head out from over Stefan's shoulders, smiling when she saw what Enzo looked like. Both Caroline and Bonnie demonstrated great interest, too, Jenna didn't seem to care, and Maddy had an idea why.

She remembered seeing Damon and Ric acting like brothers not too long ago.

Maddy hoped that she didn't feel that Damon had finally gotten a new drinking buddy as a replacement for Alaric.

Stefan slowly neared them, reaching his hand out to Enzo. "Salvatore nose, lips, and brows. Definitely related to us. It's good to meet you, Enzo."

"Good to meet you too," replied the other vampire, with a bit less enthusiasm. Stefan was a complete stranger in his eyes. He needed time to warm up to him.

"You all look so cute together," said Elena once Maddy was driving her and the girls home. "You need a family picture."

Maddy scrunched her nose up. "Family picture? I don't know about that. The last one we took was with Zach and Gail before... disaster struck."

"I think it would be good for you," said Jenna. "A new picture to commemorate a better time, where your family is growing in a good way. You guys are the last Salvatores. All vampires, so the line ends with you."

Well, not the last ones. Sarah would be turning seventeen soon. Maybe she'd end up having kids, and the line could continue.

"All you Salvatores are unbelievably good looking," said Bonnie, nudging Maddy from the seat behind her. "Kind of like the Mikaelsons. Everyone in the family is attractive."

"Not Mikael and Esther," said Caroline, making a face. "Or the siblings that died as children, that's just wrong."

"Oh, come on, you know I meant from the Originals— Finn, Elijah, Klaus, Kol, Rebekah. Kol is..." she frowned a bit. "Was really, really hot."

"Any word from your Grams?" asked Jenna, who of course knew that Bonnie had been trying (and unfortunately failing) to contact Sheila Bennett on the Other Side to see if things were or weren't okay over there. "After that anchor thing that apparently looks like Elena died..."

"I don't know," admitted Bonnie. "I've tried every spell in the grimoire, and even the ones Kol taught me. I'm coming up empty handed. If there's anything major I need to know, I'm hoping my Grams will find a way to contact me herself. Maybe it needs to be in a dream. I haven't slept the same since Kol died."

"Same for me, but with Ric," murmured Jenna. "Sometimes I see him in dreams but it's all memories... or scenarios where it doesn't make sense that he's reaching out to me. It's still so recent... I'm starting to get better but I miss him a lot."

"Maybe the Other Side falling apart is a good thing," Caroline offered optimistically. "Maybe it means there's a way to bring them back... right?"

Bonnie shrugged. "Maybe. I'd need to talk to my Grams about it but... there is potentially some way for them to come back. I just need to figure it out. What would help is if another witch was here to help. But seeing as there isn't one..."

"What about Dr. Maxfield?" asked Elena. "Not that he's a witch but what if he knew one? He was a scientist, I bet he knew at least one werewolf and one witch for whatever his studies were."

"I can go to Whitmore tomorrow and look through his stuff," said Maddy. "I've been meaning to go and get rid of everything. I'll see what I can find."

She drove to Whitmore early the next morning, bringing a lighter with her so that she could toss everything in one of the dorm fireplaces after she finished gathering papers that needed to be destroyed.

She skimmed through most things, since they had scientific aspects she could never hope to understand. She set aside a few papers that mentioned 'vampires' and 'blood.'

One in particular caught her eye.

"Doppelgänger blood?" she whispered. "Huh..." she looked at some contact information scribbled on the side. "Sloan... you wouldn't happen to be the lady that seemed to be doing a drug deal with him the other day...?"

She dialed the number on her own phone. The line rang twice before Sloan answered.

"Wes, we've been waiting to hear from you," she said.

"Not Wes," said Maddy. "I'm one of the vampires he had trapped. Got out, though, and he's dead. So why don't you tell me what you need with doppelgänger blood?"

"Who are you?"

"Madeleine Salvatore. Girlfriend of the Original Hybrid Klaus Mikaelson. I've got three brothers who are also vampires, and my in-laws are pretty fierce, too. I suggest you tell me what I want to know. Are you a Traveler?"

"Yes."

"Were you there when my brother and best friend were kidnapped?"

"I wasn't, but I know what you mean. Wes was scheduled to analyze the blood for us. Since he didn't respond, we went with a different scientist."

"What do you need with the blood?"

"It's just important for a spell that will help us."

"Is it true that you want to get rid of all the doppelgängers except Stefan and Elena?"

"That's the goal, yes. If we get rid of the other doppelgängers, then Stefan and Elena are free to live. We would only need more blood for our spell, and then, we'll never bother you all again."

It seemed too good to be true. But then again, Maddy didn't think Sloan would lie knowing who Maddy had for backup if things didn't go her way.

"Maybe we can work out a deal," she said, her lips curling slightly. "That way we can all get what we want."

"Very well. Get the doppelgängers on board and meet us at the Charlottesville stockyard. We'll be waiting there."

A/N: Happy 500 pages! Comment for more :)