Maeve Mikaelson

Chapter Twenty

*Maeve Miller*

She pulled up at the bonfire and looked around for anyone she knew. She figured they would be making a move against Stefan' and she wanted to know what that move was so she was out of the way, or ready to heal them.

She shrugged and walked over to the keg, ignoring the numerous looks she was getting from some of the male population. She new that one beer wouldn't get her drunk, just maybe enable her to have a little bit of fun.

Now that her hybrid guardian was away on business, she found that she could breath a little easier knowing he was gone.

Nik had been texting her, and she had reluctantly kept him in the loop. However, what surprised her was that he wasn't asking about Elena or his other siblings. He wanted to know what was going on in her life. It was quite the one-eighty in only a day, but now she couldn't go an hour without check-ins for her safety.

She had also found a package stuffed in her mailbox with a debit card and a note from Nik. Under normal circumstances, she would tell him to shove it up his ass after the stunt he pulled.

However, she knew that this was Nik trying to make things right in his own twisted way and she was willing to respect the effort. That did not mean she was going to forgive him, in fact he still had a lot of groveling to do.

She still hadn't used the card. She knew the Mikaelsons had money, but that didn't mean she liked the idea of leaching off of them.

She leaned against a tree and took another sip of her beer when it was pulled out of her hands gently. She looked up to see Stefan.

"You shouldn't be drinking that." He finished her cup for her.

"I thought you couldn't care?" She met his gaze. "Right?"

He ignored her prompting and refocused on her. "You should go home Maeve. You aren't supposed to be drinking after your dosage change."

Maeve groaned. "You've been talking to Henrik."

"Naturally, It's my job to protect you." He quipped.

"No. Your job is to protect Elena. So what is it you really want from me?"

He paused, and she allowed him to organize his thoughts. Something wasn't right, and she knew it. "Go home Maeve."

"Make me." He stared at her for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh.

"Why are you so difficult?"

She ignored the question. "How have you been? Staying safe?"

He tilted his head with raised brows. "This is a new tactic. Trying to sweet talk me into feeling again?"

Maeve met his almost amused look. "You went through hell this summer, if you want to take a breather from feeling be my guest. Just try not to hurt anyone. When the switch flips on you will have to deal with the consequences."

"So just like that, you are going to step away from the problem. Typical Maeve."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She tried not to let the hurt seep into her voice.

"I meant no offense. You just usually stay out of the messy taking sides drama." He raised his hands in mock surrender before seeing Elena and walking away. "Go home Maeve." He called out over his shoulder.

She watched him in confusion. He clearly meant offense, so why would he change his tone and backtrack? Just more pieces to the puzzle.

Damon seemed to appear out of nowhere and stopped her from getting another beer. "You didn't tell me about the medicine."