Disclaimer: Only original characters and the plot belong to me!

This is a sequel to: The Young And The Restless

For the third day in a row, Laura woke up feeling ill. "Call school again," she told Edward. "I don't feel like going today, either."

"But this is the third day," Edward replied. "You can't just be skipping school all the time. How will you graduate?"

"I would have thought you'd have more sympathy for me that that!" Laura snapped. "Seeing as how me being sick is unnatural, yet, look at me!" She paused and then hopped out of bed and ran for the bathroom. "That's it," Edward told her. "I'm taking you to Enid's. She'll be able to tell you what's wrong."

"She's gone, didn't you hear?" Laura called. "Hazel found out about Joey and now Enid's being read the riot act! And I know what's wrong!

"Well, who else could we ask?" Edward asked, ignoring Laura's last comment. "Not a human doctor. They wouldn't take kindly to vampires."

"Maybe Alistair," Laura suggested, realizing Edward wouldn't let this 'doctor' thing go.

"All right," Edward replied. "We'll take you to go see Alistair and I hope he'll tell us that whatever is wrong with you will go away and you'll be able to enjoy graduation and our wedding."

"Fine," Laura groaned. "We'll go see Alistair. But until then, please let me stay in bed!"

When Edward was finally able to rouse Laura, he helped her into clothes and they drove over to Alistair and Astrid's. When they arrived, they knocked and furiously rang the bell for what seemed like hours, until a very grumpy Alistair opened the door. "What?" He barked. "I was sleeping!"

"Sorry," Edward replied quickly. "We just need a favor. It will only take a moment or two. Can we come in?"

Alistair groaned and gestured for them to come inside. "Now, what is it that you want?" He asked gruffly.

"Laura's not feeling well, and we were wondering if you could tell us what's wrong," Edward replied.

Alistair looked at Edward incredulously. "Are you serious, boy? Don't you realize there's only one thing that could cause someone like her to be ill? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out!"

"Well, what is it, then?" Edward cried.

"I'm pregnant!" Laura burst out. "That's what's wrong with me, okay, Edward? I'm pregnant!"

Edward's eyes widened. "What? No. That's not possible. We used protection!"

"No protection is perfect," Laura told him. "One of your determined little swimmers probably got past it."

Edward leaned back, rubbing his temples. "Your father will kill me!" He said. "And I guess I always knew you were pregnant. I guess I just hoped that because of the timing, it would be something else."

"I'm sure that once Dad hears, he'll understand," Laura replied. "I think that at this point, the worst he'll do is move up the wedding. He won't kill you or anything."

Alistair cleared his throat. "Now that we have that problem solved," he asked, "could you two please leave so I can go back to bed?"

"Sure," Laura nodded and stood up, pulling Edward after her. "Sorry for disturbing you, Alistair."

When they got home, Laura called her parents to tell them the news. Even though she'd assured him that Elijah wold be fine with it, Selina was the only one he let her tell.

"You're pregnant?" Selina exclaimed. "That's wonderful. Your father will be so happy to hear, but he'll probably want to move up the wedding."

"I figured that," Laura responded. "But Edward's terrified, so please don't tell Daddy yet. Let me do it."

"Have you assured Edward everything will be okay?" Selina asked.

"I've tried," Laura replied. "But he doesn't believe me."

"Poor guy," Selina replied sympathetically. "All right. I'll let you be the one to tell your dad. Congratulations again, and if you need me to come over and take care of you, don't hesitate to call."

"All right," Laura replied. "I won't. Thanks, Mom." She hung up the phone and gave Edward a look. "I told Mom not to tell Dad. Are you happy?"

"For the time being," Edward nodded. "How much extra time do you think that gives us?"

"I don't know," Laura told him. "Just keep in mind that Mom won't be able to keep silent forever and Daddy will have to know sometime."

Then she ran off to the bathroom, leaving Edward alone with his thoughts.

Stefan and Felicity had gone out to lunch, but Sam had decided to stay home. He'd been reading a book in silence until he heard the doorbell ring. He went to answer it, and felt two men grab him and hit him hard from behind. The next time he came to consciousness, he found himself tied up in the backseat of a car. "What the hell?" He whispered.

"Hey!" he heard a voice from the front seat. "You awake yet, boy?"

"Yes," Sam grumbled. "Who the hell are you? What am I doing here?"

"Our boss ordered us to take you," the man replied. "She's very interested in you."

"Oh, yeah?" Sam chuckled. "If she wants a date from me, there are better ways to ask!"

"You fool!" The man shouted. "What she wants you for is nothing as petty as that. She wants us to bring you to her because you are unnatural. We are taking you to our boss so she can kill you."

"Why me?" Sam asked.

"You're not supposed to be here," the man said. "Your father is a vampire...a made one. He cannot father children, yet here you are. Our boss even stopped looking for a rogue boy brought back from the dead to find you."

"So I have to die for a mistake my father made?" Sam sighed. "Wonderful."

Stefan and Felicity pulled up to the house after the car that held Sam had disappeared. They went inside and looked for him, then Felicity found the forced open door and the note on Sam's pillow. "Call Grandma," She told Stefan. "Call your brother too. Sam has been kidnapped and they should know."

Stefan nodded and quickly called Damon. "Sam's been kidnapped," he told his brother. "We thought you'd want to know."

"Who kidnapped him?" Damon asked.

"Somebody working for a woman named Hazel," Stefan told him. "I don't know more than that. Felicity and I were gone when it happened."

"All right," Damon nodded. "I'll let Selina know and see if she knows anything about Hazel."

Unfortunately for Damon, Elijah was the one who answered his call first. "Damon," he said. "What could possibly make you need to call my house?"

"It's Selina," Damon got out. "I need to talk to Selina. It's kind of an emergency, so could you just give her the phone, please?"

Elijah sighed and held the phone away from his ear. "Selina!" He called. "You have a phone call!"

Selina came running. "Who is it?" She asked.

"It's Damon Salvatore," Elijah replied. "He claims it's an emergency." Selina nodded and took the phone. "All right," she told Elijah before she put it to her ear. "You can go now that you gave me the message."

Elijah chuckled darkly. "While you converse with your ex-husband? I don't think so. I'll be staying right where I am. Because who's to say he won't start whispering sweet nothings once I'm gone?"

"If he says it's an emergency, I highly doubt romancing me is high on his list of conversational topics," Selina shot back. "You should really try some trust, Elijah."

"Hey!" Damon yelled from the other end of the line. "Did you not hear him tell you it was an emergency, Lina?"

Elijah scowled at the nickname, and Selina quickly put the phone to her ear. "Yes, sorry, Damon. What is it? What's the emergency?"

"According to Felicity and Stefan, Sam's been kidnapped by someone named Hazel. Does that name ring a bell with you?" Damon asked.

"Hazel?" Selina thought a moment. "I know of a Hazel. She's head of the witches and worked with Enid to try and kill off Adrian when I was pregnant with him so her sister Vanessa couldn't take over the world, but I don't have any idea what she'd want with Sam."

"Me neither," Damon replied. "Do you think we should wait for a phone call or something, or go find out where this Hazel lives and punch the daylights out of her until she gives us Sam back?"

"No, we shouldn't do that," Selina shook her head. "And don't you dare try and do it on your own, either. I'll go see Astrid and find out what she can tell me about Hazel, and what course of action we have. Don't do anything until I tell you I've done that, okay?"

"Fine," Damon sighed. "Even though I really just want to hurt someone right now, I'll wait for your call."

"Good," Selina nodded. "Thank you, Damon. Goodbye."

"What's happened?" Elijah asked once Selina hung up.

"Nothing romantic," Selina assured him. "So you can stop with that train of thought. Apparently, Sam's been kidnapped by Vanessa's sister Hazel and we have no idea why."

"What would the most powerful witch in the world want with Sam?" Elijah asked. "There's nothing unusual about the boy. He's only a vampire."

"Oh!" Selina's eyes widened. "Maybe she won't see him that way. He exists because Damon took a potion that he got from Enid that allowed Damon to father children when ordinarily, that's not allowed. Maybe Hazel kidnapped Sam because of that and is gonna do something horrible like try and kill him! Elijah, I can't let that happen! I know I've been a horrible, neglectful mother to Sam, but damn it, I'm not gonna let him die!"

"Well, what is it you propose to do next?" Elijah asked. "I mean, proclamations of intent are nice, but they're useless if they don't turn into action."

"I know," Selina nodded. "I'll go see Alistair. Or Astrid. Whichever one I can find first."

"Well, well, well," Alistair said when he opened the door and saw Selina on the other side. "Have you come to visit, or do you want something from me too?" He looked tired and pale. "Are you okay?" Selina asked. "Have I come at a bad time? I mean, I can talk to Astrid if you're worn out. And yes, by the way, I do need something from you."

"All right," Alistair sighed. "Come in." He led Selina into the kitchen where Astrid was preparing tea. "Would you like a cup?" She asked Selina.

"Sure," Selina nodded. "Thanks."

Astrid brought her her tea, and they both sat down at the kitchen table. "So," the witch began, "what brings you here? We don't see you all that often."

"She has something she wants from us," Alistair said. "That's a big surprise, isn't it?"

"Are you okay, Alistair?" Selina asked. "Why are you so grumpy? Did something bad happen today?"

"He was woken up much too early by Laura and Edward coming by," Astrid told her. "Apparently, Laura is pregnant. But you knew that already, didn't you?"

"Yes, I know," Selina grinned. "I'm so excited! Elijah will be too, although he's got to have this mask of seriousness put on. And he'll insist we move up the wedding..."

"What is it that you came to ask us?" Alistair interrupted. "Please, just spit it out!"

"My son Sam has been kidnapped by a witch named Hazel," Selina told Astrid. "Is there any way you could, you know, get a hold of her and ask why?"

"How long ago was he kidnapped?" Astrid asked.

Selina shrugged. "Probably an hour or two ago. I don't really know."

"Well, if Hazel hasn't appeared to me to tell me about the kidnapping, that probably means it's nothing that's my business, so we won't know," Astrid replied apologetically. "When Hazel has it in her head to do something, she doesn't always explain why."

"So that's it?" Selina asked. "Some crazy powerful witch has kidnapped my son and I'm not gonna know why or have an opportunity to save him? Would her kidnapping him have something to do with him being the result of a fertility potion Damon got from Enid and drank, even though that's technically illegal?"

Astrid nodded. "That's a very strong possibility," she said. "But I can't help you anymore, I'm sorry."

"All right," Selina nodded. "Thank you, Astrid." Then she looked at Alistair. "Try and get some rest," she suggested. "You look like you need it, and crabby is not a good color on anyone." She made her way out of the house and called Damon.

"Astrid said that the reason Sam was kidnapped might have something to do with the fact that he was conceived by that potion you got from Enid, since technically it's against the laws of nature for made vampires to have children."

"Well, that's not fair!" Damon exclaimed. "If Sam is being punished because I'm a made vampire who fathered a kid and that's illegal, why aren't both your families with Klaus and Elijah on the chopping block too?"

"Because the whole thing with me was foretold or something," Selina replied. "And thus, it's okay. I know it's weird and unfair, but that's how things are." She paused. "Speaking of the potion, I think I'll go to Enid's and talk to her. Maybe I'll find out more that way." She hung up the phone, got in her car, and drove to the bar.

"Where's Enid?" Selina asked Roxie, who was pouring the drinks. "I need to ask her something."

"She's gone," Roxie said and poured herself a glass of vodka. "Hazel found out about Enid bringing Joey back to life and she was mad as hell about it. Joey got away, though. I hope she doesn't catch him, cause who knows what she'll do since he defies nature by being alive and all."

"I don't think you have to worry about Joey," Selina assured her. "At least not for the moment. Apparently, Hazel found Sam and has turned her interests to him instead. He's been kidnapped, and she did it."

"Well, since he's the product of a potion Damon got from Enid, I'm not surprised," Roxie replied. "And I've told Addie she needs to be extra careful with herself now that Joey's got the bulls-eye on himself. I don't want to lose both of my children."

"It'll be okay," Selina told her. "We'll get this all sorted out in the end, don't you worry."

Roxie nodded and took her mother's hand. "Same to you," she said. "And thanks. I really needed that."

"So what exactly sent you our way?" Diana asked Joey as she helped him set up his tent. "I mean, we don't have newbie werewolves running here every day."

"Did I tell you before?" Joey asked. "If I didn't, here it is again: Technically, I'm supposed to be dead. My mom took a bunch of supplements when she was pregnant with my twin sister and me in hopes that that would speed up her labor. We were born early, and my sister was small, and I was dead. It would have just been left like that, but Enid felt so bad for my parents that she used her powers to bring me back to life. My bum leg is the consequence of it, I guess, along with a life spent in seclusion because my parents never wanted Hazel to find out that Enid had broken the rules. But she has, and that's why I'm here. I need somewhere to hide."

"Well, maybe you're safe now," Diana suggested. "No one's come this way looking for you."

"If you don't want me here, why are you helping me set up a tent?" Joey asked her.

"It's not that I don't want you here," Diana replied. "But if you had a choice between being here or being with your family, which one would you pick? And be honest."

"Here," Joey said immediately. "Being here, it's the freest I've felt in my entire life."

"But aren't you worried about the family you've left behind?" Diana asked. "Don't you think your family is worried about you?"

Joey nodded. "They probably are, but I have my phone. Eventually, I'll call them and tell them I'm okay. That should clear things up."

Just then, a tall man approached both him and Diana. He looked imposing and had sunburnt skin and thick, bushy eybrows over mud-colored eyes.

"Diana," he asked her, indicating Joey. "Who's this?"

"His pack expelled him," Diana explained. "Well, actually he doesn't have a pack. But he needs a place to stay and I thought we could take him in. You don't mind, do you, Daddy?"

The man rolled his eyes. "Diana, you know how I hate your habit of bringing in strays. Do you know how dangerous it is? He might not even be a werewolf, but a human preparing to expose the whole species to the world instead!"

Diana turned to face Joey, her eyes wide. "I didn't think of that," she said. "You really are a werewolf, aren't you?"

"Not officially," Joey replied. "But both my parents are, and Enid who runs the bar is my godmother."

"Well, I suppose that's good enough," Diana's father replied gruffly. "Now, who are your parents?"

"My mom is Roxie Talbot, and my dad is Vince Talbot," Joey replied immediately.

Diana moved instinctively in front of Joey as her father's teeth became bared and his eyes showed anger.

"Daddy?" She asked fearfully. "What's the matter?"

"Don't you protect him," her father huffed. "He's a Talbot. And any trouble he brings with him will just mean worse for the rest of us. Send him away, Diana."

"But Daddy, he's got a bad leg!" Diana cried. "He can't survive out there by himself!"

"So much the better!" Her father replied. "One less Talbot in the world is better for everyone."

"What was that about?" Joey asked as his leg finally gave out and he collapsed on the ground.

"I don't know," Diana replied, watching her father walk away. "But I won't send you away. Whatever has gone on between my family and yours, it won't make me turn my back on you, even if my father exiles both of us."

A/N: This story is a crossover with my soon to be written fic, "Shadows of the Past."