The prophecy, unfortunately, wasn't fake.

Klaus had come back to Maddy's room after consulting Freya, Elijah, and Kol (as well as Rebekah, over the phone). According to Freya, there was truly a shadow looming over the three Original vampires. It stated that within a year's time, they would fall, one by friend, one by foe, and one by family.

"So we have no choice but to hear Lucien out for a bit more," murmured Maddy. "Find out what else he knows, what his plan is for this. Just remember what I said... pretend all is well between you two."

"On the contrary," said Klaus, "I believe we ought to put him down immediately. Lucien qualifies as both friend and foe."

There was a knock in the doorframe, and they looked up to see Elijah there. "Niklaus," he said calmly, "before we murder Lucien, there are certain questions that need to be answered. Chiefly, what is he doing here?"

Klaus huffed when he realized both Maddy and Elijah were suggesting that Lucien be kept alive a bit longer.

"I could go and talk to him," said Maddy. "Nik, if you're certain he wouldn't hurt me, then I can just go and see what he tells me."

Elijah seemed eager to see where this went, but Klaus shook his head. "Absolutely not. What reason would there be for you to speak with him?"

"He mentioned some science-y stuff that could be done to find out if Enzo is or isn't from our sireline. Maybe I can pretend I'm curious about that and see what direction he points me."

"I don't like this," muttered Klaus. "Lucien could easily tear you to shreds if he decides he wishes to hurt me."

"No, he won't," said Maddy. "I don't trust him, but I don't think he'd be stupid enough to hurt me if he's got an ulterior motive. He'll want that hidden as long as possible. It's okay, Nik. I'll be very observant. The slightest hints that there's danger... and I'll be out of there. Don't worry."

"I'd feel better if I went with you," said Klaus.

"But then it would be too obvious that you're suspicious of him, and we don't want him to know that! If you want someone to go with me, Elijah can. He can say he wants a chance to see the prophetic witch for himself, then bam. We both have a reason to be there."

Klaus huffed. "I don't like this."

"It's only one time," said Maddy. "I just want to see what I can find out. Either way, I need to know what sireline Enzo is from. It's important."

Obviously, the majority won. Klaus stayed with Hope while Elijah and Maddy went to Lucien's penthouse apartment, which was in the most luxurious building in perhaps all of New Orleans.

"Elijah!" said Lucien happily when he saw them. "Madeleine— do come in. What brings you here?"

"Business," said Maddy calmly. "Elijah wants to see your prophetic witch and I want to speak to you about a few things."

It didn't escape her notice how Lucien's eyes almost seemed to darken. "Alexis is through that door," Lucien told Elijah, gesturing to one of the rooms. "Now, love, what is it you wanted to ask me?"

"You mentioned a way to find out what sireline my brother is from," said Maddy, sitting on the couch once Lucien motioned for her to do so. "I imagine that since you knew of a way to do it, you either have the tools to perform such an inspection, or you know someone who can."

Lucien smirked. "I could do it, if I had your brother's blood. As well as Nik's, Rebekah's, and Elijah's."

"Do you think you could do it based on old karyotypes?"

"I could, yes. Do you have karyotypes for all of them?"

"All minus Rebekah. We were analyzing those a lot when I was pregnant, just to see what genes the baby had. Here—" she pulled out a folder with the information for Klaus, Elijah, and Enzo. "You'd think that at this point I'd know how to interpret these, but unfortunately, I haven't really learned how."

Lucien hummed, setting them out and examining them. "Ah, you already circled where the altered vampirism gene is located— how helpful. Let's see... there's a certain band pattern that comes with vampirism. One that all three share. However, there are the slightest differences..." he hummed, "it would be most accurate if I performed a gel electrophoresis experiment with their blood, however... I do think I can deduce it solely on this. Your brother— which one is his?"

She pointed at the one labeled 'ENZO' in the top corner, with very small print. "That one. Then, this one is Nik's, and this one is Elijah's."

"Alright. Give me a moment."

He got to his feet, going to get a large briefcase from beside a desk. It seemed to hold quite a bit of medical equipment, and Maddy even caught sight of a syringe labeled 'W.V.C' with a strange amber liquid. She pretended she wasn't looking, and just let Lucien examine all the karyotypes in silence.

"Lucky man," said Lucien. "He's from Nik's sireline."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. There was a particular band that Nik and Enzo had, which Elijah did not. I assume Rebekah would not have it, either."

"We really are from the best sireline," she said teasingly.

Lucien traced his eyes up her leg as she crossed one over the other. "I did want to ask you, love," said Lucien slowly, "if you happen to know where I might find a storage of magical objects?"

She hummed. "I don't know exactly... I heard Kol used to make them but they never actually told me where all that ended up. When I was pregnant there was a lot they didn't disclose to me because they didn't want me to worry. I expect someone from the French Quarter Coven would have that."

A lie. She knew exactly where any magical objects could be found. In Kieran O'Connell's secret apartment.

Lucien didn't seem to figure that she was lying. He simply reached for a bottle of bourbon, offering her a glass. "The baby isn't here now, in case you'd like to sneak a drink."

She decided to take it. "There was something else I wanted to mention, now that we're on the subject."

"Let me guess. You'd like to know if Nik has any other secret children you should know about."

She managed a laugh. "No, it's not that. I just heard of these murders that were happening, and I wanted to ask if you could keep an eye out."

"Murders?"

"Yes. Very strange, really, smiles being carved onto the men's faces. Most of us figure it's a vampire's doing."

Lucien leaned forward. "And you think I might be the culprit?"

Defensive. Suspicious. And yet there was a playful glint in his eyes.

"Not exactly," Maddy said. "I'm not sure what to think. If it is you, then, well, I don't want to judge how you spend your free time, but I do wish to be able to take my daughter out to enjoy a beautiful day without worrying we'll witness someone being eviscerated. I was more worried that... someone else might be the murderer. Someone you may know. Nik told me about how Tristan carved that smile onto you when he tortured you. And I worried that he may be here. If anyone can stand a chance against him, it's you."

He immediately sat up, and she knew he'd stroked his ego in just the right places. "I will keep an eye out, milady. I, too, have been worried that Tristan may have followed me here. If this is true, then chances are, he's making a statement. One toward me, toward you, toward anyone who would wish to get in his way." He brought his hand over his own face, as if he was remembering when Tristan had hurt him that way.

"I'm sorry," said Maddy. "I didn't mean to bring up any painful memories."

Lucien smiled. "You did not." He turned when he saw Elijah exiting the witch's room. "Come to join the party?"

"No," he said, looking at Maddy. "There is someone I must speak to. We ought to get going."

Maddy didn't want to go yet. She had a feeling she could still get more out of Lucien. "I think I'll stay a while longer. But I'll see you at the Compound later."

Elijah nodded slowly, before exiting the apartment.

Lucien leaned back in his chair. "You're not afraid of me, are you, love?"

Maddy shrugged. "Should I be afraid of you, Lucien?"

"No. I simply expected you'd be as nervous around me as you were last night."

"It was our first evening outing with our daughter. And things weren't exactly... calm. I want to know your story, Lucien, that's why I'm here. If you're to be an ally to our family, I want to know more about you. The man who's offered to keep an eye on me even though he owes me nothing."

Lucien ran his tongue over his lips. "I happen to know that many of Nik's sirelings would make a beeline to you if they were to find you out enjoying a day with your daughter. I offered to protect you, not because I doubt you, but because I know these people and how cruel they would be if they were to get their hands on you."

"At any rate, thank you," she said. "It's comforting to have another ancient vampire watching over me. As much as I like to think I have the strength to protect my daughter... against someone of your age, I don't really stand much of a chance."

Lucien got to his feet, heading into one of the rooms before emerging with a small folder. He handed it to her, and she opened it, seeing a drawing of a woman. "Who is this?" she asked.

"Aurora de Martel," he said, causing her to tense slightly. "I'm surprised you didn't know."

"I... I'd never seen a picture of her."

"I'm showing it to you so that you may know what to look out for. Rory can be a jealous and vindictive little bitch."

Maddy gulped. "That's another reason why you offered to protect me, isn't it? You think she might come after me?"

"It's why I mentioned her last night," said Lucien. "Not to drive a wedge between you and Nik, but to start a conversation. He needs to tell you everything about her if he means to keep you safe. You must know what to expect from this woman. If he does not inform you of her habits, of their full history... then he'd simply be a negligent father and husband."

Maddy traced her hands over the markings in the corner of the paper where Aurora was drawn. "He made this, didn't he? This is one of his drawings."

"Yes. He gave it to her. And it ended up in my hands."

"I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?"

"I'm sorry that he stole your girl," said Maddy. "You know Nik, apologies don't come easy to him. He struggles to admit that he was wrong. Even if he feels guilt he tends not to express it. But this... it wasn't right of him. No matter what his desires he should have considered your feelings. He wasn't a good friend to you. And I understand if you were bitter with him."

"Like they say," he replied, "time heals all wounds. And my wounds healed a thousand years ago. I only wish to stay alive, love. I worry that someone will come after Nik. Someone like Tristan, or worse, Aurora. To come after him, they will first try to harm you. Or worse, your daughter. I don't wish to be your enemy. Please know that. I would never lay a hand on you or your child. I may be a monster but that would be taking it too far."

She couldn't fully trust him. But she genuinely believed that he was telling the truth about that. He didn't have any inclination to hurt her, or Hope, which made her feel a bit more relaxed in his presence.

"Do you have a picture of Tristan, too?" she asked awkwardly. "Just so I know what to look out for?"

He came closer, leaning over her as he swept through different papers in the portfolio, before reaching a picture of Tristan. "This is creepy," said Maddy. "He looks like Elijah but... bigger eyes and... well... um... okay, there's no other way to say this— he looks a bit like a rat."

Lucien let out a hearty laugh. "Oh, don't let him hear you saying that, or he will not take it kindly. Tristan is an elitist. He doesn't respect those like me, of low status. You, however, were born of a more noble birth. He will respect you. However, if his sister decides she wants you harmed, then he will indeed harm you. You can never be too careful."

"Do you think after all these years, Aurora still wants Nik?"

"She might. And unfortunately, you'd be seen as an obstacle to him."

Maddy looked up at him, since he was still standing right beside her. "You still love her, don't you?"

He turned away. "We haven't spoken in centuries."

"That doesn't mean anything. You can still have feelings for someone you haven't talked to in a long time."

He ignored her statement. "I would recommend you keep close to Nik. Physically and emotionally. You will be safest there. If Tristan and Aurora aim to hurt him, they will first need to get you alone, to lure him into a trap or worse, to break him by forcing him to watch as you're harmed. Do not let anything drive a wedge between the two of you. For your sake, and the sake of your daughter, keep your relationship healthy and firm. That little girl needs a father."

Maddy noticed he said 'a father' instead of 'her father.' She wasn't sure what to make of that.

"Thank you for all your help," she said. "In return, I will speak to Nik about giving you a supply of his blood. Now that you're here, you're in wolf territory, and one can never be too careful."

"Not to worry, love, I have that covered," he said, though he seemed appreciative that she offered.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "I know you're very powerful, but even the Originals have been taken down by wolves. Luckily, wolf venom can't permanently kill them, but..."

"It's perfectly alright. Thank you, however, for your generous offer. I'll walk you out. If you should ever need anything..." he slid a card toward her, with his contact information, "do not hesitate to call."

She took it carefully. "I'll see you around, Lucien."

As the elevator carried them down, Maddy made a mental note of all that she'd learned.

One, Lucien was looking for some sort of magical object. Why? She wasn't sure. But that seemed rather suspicious, considering he had a witch who could do whatever he needed. Perhaps something that could amplify her powers? Or something she needed for a spell?

Two, Lucien seemed to want her to stay with Klaus. Which suggested that he was still pining after Aurora. He wanted to win, and winning would mean getting the girl. He knew that he had to protect Maddy to ensure that Klaus wouldn't be left available for Aurora to lure him back into her arms. Or whatever her intent was (this, Maddy still did not understand, as she had yet to learn if Aurora was or wasn't making her way to them).

Three, Lucien knew how to cure wolf bites. Maddy thought back to the vial she'd seen, labeled 'W.V.C.' A vial the same color as wolf venom. Could it be that 'W.V.C.' stood for 'Wolf Venom Cure?' It would be the only explanation as to why he didn't need Klaus's blood. And if that was the case, could this be why he was slaughtering wolves in the Bayou? She recalled Dr. Maxfield, experimenting with vampire blood. Could Lucien be doing something similar with wolf venom? But, to what end? Something told her that she needed to look further into this.

From there, she wasn't sure what else to draw from their conversation. All she knew was that Lucien still could not be trusted. Something was off about him. No matter how nice he seemed to be, it all felt too good to be true.

"Like they say," Lucien had replied, "time heals all wounds. And my wounds healed a thousand years ago."

But had they, really? Because the way he kept eyeing her made her think otherwise.

When she got back to the Compound, she found Elijah wasn't there, and neither was Klaus. Freya was with Hope while she napped, which gave Maddy a chance to shower before she went to get her little girl, thanking Freya and transitioning to the rocking chair, where she prepared a bottle for her and started to feed her.

Klaus arrived a few minutes later, letting her know that he'd actually been with Ansel, debriefing him on the situation with the wolves and what they were currently dealing with in terms of Lucien and old sirelings potentially coming into town. Ansel was more than happy to keep an extra close eye on Maddy.

She took his hand, stopping him from saying any more. "I think we need to talk about Hope."

He paused. "What about her? Is everything alright?"

"I know you wanted to send us both away. And I didn't want that because I can't just walk away and leave you to deal with this. But Hope... maybe it will be safer if she's not here." She let him into her mind, allowing him to see her memories of her time with Lucien. "I don't think he's going to hurt her, or hurt me, but I don't trust Aurora, Nik, I really don't. I know Lucien may have some more cruel reason for having brought her up but if she really might be a problem... I'd rather we not take our chances. All three of my brothers are living at the Salvatore House. Meredith is there often. So are Jenna and Ric. Rebekah and Matt live close enough, that way your sister would also be able to keep an eye on her. Rebekah and I still aren't very close but she adores Hope and she will lay her life down for her. Hope would have what she has here but... she'd be a thousand miles away from the drama we have here."

He frowned. "Love, are you sure? If she were in Mystic Falls, she'd be closer to your mother, to the Heretics."

"They won't hurt her, Valerie would make sure of that. I trust her. As for my mother... she's not relevant. I don't care about her. They needn't know she's even there, it's not like my mother bothers to visit Stefan, Damon, or Enzo. I just worry that something will happen to her."

"But then we wouldn't get to see her every day."

Maddy started to tear up, looking down at Hope. "I know. But if things get worse here, we won't be able to see much of her. She'd need to be taken care of by someone else constantly while we deal with things. And everyone here would be busy. She'd be passed around constantly to whoever was available and it... it would just be too much for her. It'd only be for a little while. Rebekah and my brothers will keep her safe for us, just while we make sure that all the trouble is gone from New Orleans."

She brought Hope closer, starting to sob as she held her close. "I don't want to even think about sending her away for a little while but it may be the only way to keep her safe. We wouldn't be able to tell anyone. They'd have to think she's here, so they don't think to look for her. We'd need a witch to cloak her so that no one could track her anywhere else..."

"I may have an idea how that could be done," murmured Klaus, putting his arm around Maddy and tearing up when he saw her squeezing her eyes shut tightly. "Kol could perform a spell so that if anyone tries to track her, it will show that she is here. Love... I believe it is a good idea. But it will hurt us to send her away. Is this truly what you want?"

"If it will keep her safe, I'll do anything," whispered Maddy. "Even if it means missing her saying her first words. Even if it means only getting to see her little face through a phone screen. I won't have anyone laying a finger on her."

"Then so be it. I know who ought to take her."

Maddy was surprised to find that the person he had in mind was Ansel.

The next morning, the family had had a meeting to discuss their plan, as well as to hear about Elijah's experience with The Strix (apparently, a strange cult of vampires from his sireline, now under the command of Tristan de Martel and Aya Al-Rashid) which confirmed that Lucien was indeed looking for a magical object— a weapon, in fact. For now, their only plan was to get Kol and Freya to look through Cami's dark object collection to see if they could figure out what it was that Lucien wanted. They decided that the instant they had the weapon in their possession, they would kill Tristan and Lucien and be done with them for good.

"Onto more pressing matters," said Klaus as Maddy came down with the last of the bags for Hope. "Ansel will be taking Hope to Mystic Falls today. No one knows of his presence, and through the back exit, a car will take them to the airport. When they land in Charlottesville, Enzo and Rebekah will be there to drive them to the Salvatore Boarding House. She will remain there until we deem it safe for her to return."

"I have the spell needed to cloak them," said Freya. "Kol can perform the spell to make it so no witch can track her."

"I will allow Tristan to believe he is going to gain my trust," said Elijah. "In reality, I will evaluate The Strix Coven and hopefully, obtain control of the entire order again, to ensure those dark witches cannot track Hope for whatever reason. We will have a decoy brought, if needed. Elena was volunteering in the hospital, and there is a little girl right around Hope's age who looks quite a bit like her, and she is in need of a foster home for some time. It could help keep up the ruse."

"I don't know how I feel about that," said Maddy uncomfortably. "Taking in someone else's baby as a decoy. What if that baby gets kidnapped instead of Hope, because someone thinks it's the tribrid, but it's actually just a regular human?"

"The baby won't leave the house," suggested Elijah. "It will just be so that, if anyone were to come in— say, Lucien— they would see a young baby girl and would not think to question it. The house will be placed in Freya's name, and spells will be put in place to keep out unwanted guests. The baby will be perfectly safe. The instant a good family is available, it can be placed with them."

Klaus looked at Maddy, who seemed to be the only one against the idea. Everyone else seemed willing. "Fine," she murmured. "Only because I'd rather we take care of it than some shitty foster family who'd pluck it right out of the hospital." She glared at Elijah. "But, if you don't find a good family for it, then you're fully responsible."

Elijah smiled. "Not to worry. Elena already adores her so much. She will likely wish to adopt her in the future. In which case, Hope will have a friend from a very young age."

Though Maddy's heart broke, feeling as if she was replacing Hope, she knew it was for the best. Her little girl would be safe in Mystic Falls. Someone else's little girl would be almost as safe in the Compound. And, with any luck, Elena and Elijah would actually adopt her, which would be perfect.

"I love you, princess," Maddy whispered, her voice cracking as she gave Hope a tight hug and a forehead kiss once she'd been placed in Ansel's arms. "Be good with your uncles and aunts. This is only for a little while, I promise."

Hope only gurgled, unable to understand what was being said. Next, it was Klaus's turn, and he took her hand, letting her squeeze his finger. "You, my littlest wolf, will be just fine," he told her reassuringly, though his voice wavered, as if he wasn't completely sure. "We'll see you soon."

Ansel nodded to the both of them before taking Hope into the car that would be taking them to the airport.

"Time to get to work, then," said Maddy numbly. "Elena's bringing the other baby. Marcel said he wanted to talk about something important, so I'll be going to his loft later."

"If you need a moment to breathe, love—"

"No," she said. "No one can know that something is wrong. We have to do whatever we were doing before Hope left. The sooner we get rid of these vampires, the sooner she can come back. I love Damon, I do, but I really don't want our daughter's first word being 'bourbon.'"

Klaus managed a weak smile. "Bold of you to assume that wouldn't have happened under my influence."