She was in shock.

No. This wasn't possible. Her mother was dead. They'd buried her over one hundred and fifty years ago. Maddy had given the eulogy after Damon failed to show up.

"This can't be happening," said Maddy, who was now sitting beside Kai on the couch. She was holding her stomach, feeling like she might throw up. Kai didn't know what to do. He wasn't sure what one was meant to do when a pregnant woman's entire life was being turned upside down.

"Do you need a trash can?" asked Kai awkwardly.

"No," she said, turning around and putting her legs up, trying to breathe. "I'm just wondering how the hell my mother, who died, is actually alive, and in a prison world with a group of vampire-witch hybrids! I thought she was dead, but my mother is alive..."

Her voice broke, and Kai lifted his hand as if to pat her back, but didn't do it when she turned away, closing her eyes and starting to cry.

"My mom is alive," she sobbed into her hands. "My mom is alive..."

Kai tried to occupy himself by flipping through the book, to see what other information there was about Lillian Salvatore. All he could see were notes about her being a Ripper, as well as a bit of history about where the heretics had been trapped. He gulped, not sure if he should show Maddy.

"Oh god," she said, holding her stomach again. "This is just too much."

Kai wondered if she could miscarry just from the shock. He let his hand hover over her stomach, and she stopped her crying suddenly, watching as his hand started to glow. It wasn't hurting her, however, which had to mean she wasn't siphoning.

"You've got a lot of magical energy in there," he said. "I think you're getting too agitated. Sit up."

She did so, and tried her hardest to draw in slow, deep breaths. Little by little, she started to calm down.

"That's fascinating," said Kai, letting his hand hover over her stomach again. "I'd never gotten to do that to a pregnant woman before. It's like I can connect with it. Like I understand what it's feeling."

"Is it okay?" asked Maddy worriedly. "Am I hurting it by getting all worked up?"

"It's fine. It's calmed down. This is so confusing... but intriguing at the same time."

"What else does it say about her?" asked Maddy, taking the book from him. He quickly snatched it back.

"The details are gruesome," he said. "I'll give you a recap. She turned in 1858, faked her death, went to Europe, where she went a little nuts. Bodies piled up, she moved, killed some more, until she had to move again. They think three thousand total from her and the heretics combined. That's why my coven made it their duty to stop her. On October 31st, 1903, they cut her off at New York Harbor before she could tear through Manhattan. By the time they got to the ship, they found everybody dead. It was so gruesome they had to burn it there at the harbor."

Maddy gulped. "So she left us to take a group of Rippers on a binge with her."

Kai winced. "Apparently."

"And do you have a way of getting into this prison world?"

"Yeah, I have the Ascendant."

"Were you planning on going in?"

"I won't need to if I get Klaus's blood. I want someone powerful to be my sire. It would help for the heretics to be able to teach me about my abilities, but..."

"We need to go in."

Kai blinked. "You want to go in?"

"Of course I do!" she said, surprised he had to ask. "That's my mother in there! She's alive! I never got to say goodbye to her! If there's any chance I can see her again, I want to. And..." she bit her lip. "The cure. If we go in, we can get a copy of the Cure for Immortality. Rebekah wants that. She's wanted it for so long. If I could get that and give it to her..."

"Okay, well, you wouldn't be the one going in. No way in hell are your brothers gonna let you go in when you're pregnant."

"Well, then one of them can get the cure for me. We should call them—"

Kai immediately swiped his hand out to stop her from taking out her phone. "Hello! I didn't exactly tell anyone I was coming to see Jo. If they find out I'm here they're all gonna come and kill me! Your brothers will tell your boyfriend, and then he'll kill me—"

"Oh, come on, Klaus won't kill you if I tell him to spare you!"

"But Jo doesn't know I'm here! I don't want her to know! I just want her to get the letter, that's all. And her blood... that's all I came here to do."

"My mother is in the 1903 prison world," said Maddy firmly. "I am going to do everything in my power to get her out of there. I need to see her again. As long as you don't hurt Jo, no one will hurt you for coming here."

Kai huffed as she started to call Damon. The line rang several times before he answered, "Hey Mads."

"Where are Stefan and Enzo?"

"Did you call me just to ask where they are?"

"No. I want you all together when I tell you this."

"Did you already find out if you're having a mini Klaus or mini you, or something?"

"No. Just get them next to you, please, Damon."

"Give me a sec." He muted himself, likely to conceal a loud yell telling them to get to where he was. Moments later— "Kay, you got us all."

"Mom's alive."

Silence.

"How do you know that?" said Stefan. "Are you sure you're not just dreaming?"

"She's in the 1903 prison world."

"And what do you know about prison worlds?"

"I have a Gemini Coven journal right in front of me giving me all the details that I need."

"And how do you have—?"

"Kai is with me. But don't freak—"

"Excuse me?" snapped Damon. "Is Klaus there—?"

"No, but—"

"So you're home alone with Kai Parker? Mads, are you stupid?"

She huffed. "No, I'm not stupid! Just shut up and listen, okay? If he wanted to kill me, he would have already. The point is that our mother is alive and in a prison world, and I want us to get her out. Give me a second to send you pictures of the pages." She opened her camera, and quickly snapped the pictures while Kai held the book in place. She then sent the pictures, and waited for her brothers to look at them.

"Woah," said Enzo. "That... is mighty unsettling."

"What is it?" asked Maddy. "Is it because of the Ripper thing?"

"Er... no. Lillian Salvatore... the woman in the picture is her?"

"Yes. That's my mother. Why?"

"That's the woman who turned me."

Both Kai and Maddy made faces. "Wait, what?"

"In 1903," said Enzo. "That woman turned me into a vampire. She gave me her blood when I was dying of consumption. She abandoned me as soon as I turned. But if this information is true... including the date... then she did not abandon me. She was simply trapped moments before I woke."

Damon huffed. "Just when I think this family can't get any more complicated..."

"Well, Maddy is right," said Stefan. "We need to go in and get her."

"And," piped up Maddy, "we should get another copy of the cure for Rebekah. She wants it, and it'll be easy access in the prison world because calcified Silas won't be there."

"Hang on," said Damon, "are we really trusting this information that Kai brought to you?"

Kai looked offended, and Maddy said, "I highly doubt he'd lie about this, considering he didn't even know it was Lily until I saw the picture. Damon, it's our mom... we have a chance to see her again. Please."

"Well, what does Jo have to say about it?"

"Jo can't know," said Kai immediately. "She can't know that I was here."

Maddy looked at him, as if to ask silently how he expected to get her blood.

"Hang on," continued Damon, "do we even have the tools to get into the prison world?"

"Yes," said Kai. "I have the Ascendant. And all we need is for a Gemini witch— me— to do the spell after a Bennett witch— Bonnie— gives blood."

"Um, I'd rather trust Jo with this," said Damon snidely. "What's to say this isn't a trap to leave us behind in 1903?"

"Damon," said Maddy. "He's willing to help us."

"Maddy, you don't know the first thing about Kai, so you don't get to—"

"Well I know him," said Stefan, "and I think if he wants to help us—"

"You don't get an opinion either!" snapped Damon. "Lily is your blind spot!"

Enzo decided he might as well help, "I would like to see her again. I'm sure that if the majority of us are there, Kai will not be able to spring a trap."

"I don't even have a trap in mind," said Kai irritably, annoyed that everyone was assuming the worse. "I was trying to do something good!"

"You're not good," said Damon, "you're a little asshole—"

"Damon, stop it!" said Maddy angrily. "Why are you being so difficult when we have a chance to see our mom again?"

"Did you not read the fucking journal, Madeleine? She's a Ripper!"

"So am I," said Stefan defensively.

"Yeah," said Damon, "and you abandoned our sister for months because you couldn't control your hunger around her. Mads, you are pregnant. You are in the most fragile condition you could possibly be in, and you want to free a Ripper and her group of heretics for what, a chance to see her again? What happens when it backfires and they kill you?"

"I appreciate you being concerned, but she's our mother. She wouldn't hurt me. Especially if she were to know that I'm pregnant. Damon, I need her. I need her here with me. When I go into labor, I want her there holding my hand and talking me through it. I never thought that I'd get to have that, and now, it's a possibility. So I want to let her out. Please. We don't have to let the heretics out, but..."

"Wait," said Stefan suddenly. "The list of heretic names. Did you read that?"

"Not in detail, I don't know any of them. Why, do you?"

"Um... yeah."

"Wait, what? Which one?"

It seemed he pointed at it, and Damon read the name off for him. "Valerie Tulle? As in... V-Card Val?"

"That's the one," muttered Stefan.

"Hang on," said Enzo. "I'm a tad out of the loop on who that is—"

Damon answered, "Stefan's first love. First time in bed. Or on the ground, we should say. They had this little affair then she left and never came back."

"That settles it, then," decided Enzo. "We're going to the prison world."

"Great," said Kai. "Then in exchange for me helping you guys with this—"

Damon groaned, "I knew it! I knew he was gonna ask for something in return!"

"Oh, shut up," hissed Maddy. "Let him talk."

Kai glared at Maddy as if to indicate that he was approaching his limit when it came to Damon. "I want you all to help me get the blood I need for an important spell."

"Hang on," said Stefan. "What is this important spell?"

"It's for a good cause," said Maddy, who noticed Kai blushed, as if touched that she'd defend him. "That's all you need to know."

"Um, he's asking for 'blood,' I don't see how that can be a 'good cause.'"

"Just trust me on this. Please."

"Mads, are you sure?"

"Yes. Please, Stefan. Give him a chance."

She could practically hear Damon roll his eyes when he let out an exasperated grunt. "Does being pregnant make you ignore red flags? How can you just be chilling with a sociopath alone at home and then encouraging us to do what he wants? Maddy, this guy is dangerous!"

Maddy looked over at Kai, who was waving his hand and making the water in the fountain rise and turn into different shapes. "Yeah, I'm really scared of the waterbender here," she said sarcastically. "Katara looks real threatening without her hair loopies."

"Madeleine," said Damon more sternly, "did you forget the waterbenders can fucking bend blood?!"

"Alright, I see that my words weren't comforting. The point is, I'm safe. Kai isn't gonna hurt me. He could have if he wanted to. Just trust me on this, please. I want to see our mom again. And Kai is the only one who can really help us. The price to pay is very small. He's doing this all for good reasons, even if he claims they're selfish reasons. He's become a better person since the Merge. Look at yourself, Damon, you and Kai have more in common than you realize. Take a moment to reflect on how many people you've killed. Hey, might as well take a peek at the long list of people that I killed when I was a vampire. We're being given second chances by the people in our lives. They're choosing to see the good parts of us because they know we regret what we've done wrong. Kai deserves a chance, too. He didn't get one. His dad was Giuseppe, but worse. Please, Damon. Please. I need to see our mom again. Please..."

Obviously, Damon couldn't resist, even though he couldn't see the puppy eyes she was making. "Ugh, fine," he said. "But you're not coming with us."

"Kai said the same thing. No pregnant women allowed in the prison world. Just make sure you get our mom, get Valerie if you want, and get the cure for Rebekah."

"I don't want to get anything for Rebekah."

"Damon, please? I'd get it for her myself if I could. But if I can't go in, one of you needs to get it."

"I could go," said Enzo. "As long as someone tells me where I ought to look, I could easily find it."

"Elena can take him," said Stefan. "I'm assuming she'll want to go in, too. She and Bonnie went in the past. Bonnie will need to stay with us, but if Enzo and Elena go, it should be fine."

"Great," said Damon unenthusiastically. "Looks like we're gonna go get mama. We'll make a plan. And when we get her out, we'll tell you, Mads."

She beamed. "Thank you." She hung up, and Kai turned to her.

"So," he said, "they're gonna help me get Jo's blood but how will we do it?"

"Easy," said Maddy. "I'm gonna convince her to redo the genetic testing to see what she notices. She used her own karyotype for comparison last time. I'll get Klaus to compel the nurse who takes our blood."

"What the hell is the point of a karyotype?"

"Well, before, Meredith and Jo predicted the baby could be a hybrid or tribrid based on their genetic markers and determining what could or couldn't be passed down. If we compare Klaus's markers with Jo's and maybe Hayley's 'cause she's a regular wolf, and then all those against a baby's, we could find out if the wolf, vampire, and witch genes all got passed down."

Kai blinked. "Okay. Well, that works. As for Klaus's blood—?"

"I'll tell him to give you blood. Don't worry. As long as you swear to me that you're actually unlinking your sisters to save their lives, and not lying to me."

"I swear," said Kai sincerely, "I want to unlink them. For... selfish reasons. I don't know how I feel about admitting that I'm doing a good thing. So I'd rather say it's all for my benefit. To lessen the guilt. I want to destroy my Coven but I wrecked the family enough... they remind me of that every day. I'll let them be at peace and then, if you'd help me get money to go somewhere else and live my life however I want to live it... then I'll be fine."

"You'll probably have to get a job unless you expect me to be sending you money constantly."

"Well, if you wanted to be my sugar mama..." he realized that she didn't find this as funny as he expected her to, and he said, "I can probably figure out a job I can tolerate. Or I'll just compel someone to give me money once I'm a vampire."

"I'm gonna have a kid of my own to worry about soon," said Maddy. "I'm not gonna be anyone's sugar mommy."

"And just to check again, you have no issue lying to Jo about this?"

Maddy's lips curled up. "Well, you should know that if you're lying to me about your intentions, Klaus will turn you and disembowel you every day on repeat for the rest of your life."

Kai pursed his lips. "Okay, well, good thing I'm telling the truth about this."

"Yes, good. Because I'm trusting you with giving you her blood so that it can save her life. If you break that trust, things won't go well for you."

"You know, some might say you're being reckless out of a desire to see your mom again."

"Kai, are you implying that I should be worried about what you're trying to do here?"

He mimed a zipping motion over his lips. "I'll stop talking now, I think I'm just making it worse for myself."

They both looked up as they heard footsteps in the entrance hall. Klaus came in, and when he saw them, he immediately sped forward, putting Kai in a chokehold.

"Nik!" said Maddy sharply. "Put him down! We need to talk about what I just found out."

Obviously, even after the explanation, Klaus wasn't very delighted at the prospect of trusting Kai. But he'd listened to his heartbeat, and he knew that he wasn't lying. He only had to hope that he didn't change his mind suddenly and stab them all in their backs.

An hour later, Klaus and Maddy left for their appointment with Jo, to get another karyotype. Once Jo's blood had been collected, Klaus gave his, and handed the labeled vials to Kai, warning him once more that if he was lying, he'd make his life miserable. Kai took the vials and nodded before heading back to Mystic Falls.

Jo suspected nothing. She hummed to herself as she got the samples and left to the lab to get everything analyzed.

"How did it go with Finn?" said Maddy. "I noticed Elijah wasn't here. Did he go with you?"

"No," said Klaus. "He went to see Camille. He will most likely take up Elena's offer to stay with her at her family's cabin in Dunham Lake for some time while he fully works through the damage Esther left behind." He pursed his lips. "Finn told me something rather concerning about an apparent aunt we have. Dahlia, he called her. He stated that it was she who took our eldest sister Freya, and not the plague. He spoke of a bargain, of firstborn witches, of power and danger... all summing up to a warning that Dahlia would come for us all if she were to learn about the child you carry. It was why Esther wished to turn you human, permanently. She knew it might make you miscarry. And, had that happened, and had I accepted a new wolf body, the child that would have likely been created after that would not be a firstborn Mikaelson witch, and as such, would not be in danger of being taken by Dahlia."

Maddy blinked. "So... should we be worried?"

"According to the surprisingly cooperative Finn, we may yet have time. Dahlia apparently will be able to sense our child when it is born, or near being born. As you are barely two, nearly three, months along, we have time to devise a plan to deal with this."

"The danger never stops, huh?" mumbled Maddy. "At least... if we are able to bring my mother back... I'll have her for support."

Klaus hummed. "Ansel did not come again?"

"No. But he might have been checking in from afar. I think he was sincere, in wanting to help."

"Do you believe I made a mistake?"

"No. It's whatever you're more comfortable with. You're the one he abandoned. You're the only one who gets to make this decision no matter what I feel. Would I appreciate his advice and his help? Yes. But I wouldn't push you into accepting him into your life when you have trauma associated with that."

Klaus raised a brow. "Oh?"

"Well... the abandonment issues. Pretty sure they stem from that. It's why you feel like you have to dagger your siblings, because you think that if you let them be too free with their own opinions, they'll leave you. So you enforce control so they can never abandon you like your father abandoned you."

"I suppose that time with your mortal therapist has been enlightening."

"Just a bit. It's nice, taking care of my mental health even just a bit. Makes me feel good, understanding why I do certain things and how I can be better. Am I improving in that? Eh... I don't know if I'd say that. It's easy to think I am, since I'm human now, and the emotions aren't overwhelming. But I'll probably revert to old patterns when I turn again. Most of the talks are about preparing me for motherhood by having me reflect on my experience with my mother."

Klaus hummed. "It's why you've been missing her so much lately," he deduced. "Your sessions have been bringing her up constantly."

Maddy tried to contain a smile. "Yeah, but she's alive... she's alive, Nik. My mom is alive and I'm going to get to see her, and she'll be able to help me through the rest of this pregnancy. It's like a dream come true." She tilted her head. "What are you thinking? You look worried."

"Well," said Klaus, "it's good that your mother will be here. However, if she is a Ripper, I am unsure if it will be safe to leave you alone with her at any time. Not even Stefan could be alone with you. He feared he'd kill you. Now, you are carrying a child. Our child. If she were to lose herself..."

"She'd never hurt me."

"I used to say the same thing about my mother, love. And it just isn't true sometimes."