"Elijah!" called Klaus impatiently, from the entrance to the compound, bouncing on the balls of his feet so great was his mix of agitation and excitement. A split second later, his brother appeared at the top of the stares, closely followed by Haley and Rebekah.
"Brother?" Elijah asked simply.

"I've just had a call from Marcellus. Davina called him earlier today in rather a state of distress, saying that the white oak stake she had has been split into two. She told Marcel that although her stake appears whole, it has in fact been doubled using some ancient magic to copy it and its power exactly. Marcel suspected witches, less forgiving than Davina may have been involved, so he sent Josh out to try and trace our little stake thief. He tracked her out a few miles east of the wolves in the bayou, but lost her there. Seeing as incompetence has failed us yet again, I myself am planning on going thief hunting. I assume you would like to join me?" Klaus half growled half smiled with a feral smirk. Buttoning his suit jacket Elijah appeared in a flash at the base of the stairs, Rebekah hot on his heels.

"Naturally. Let us be going then. Hayley I'd rather that you stay here, especially so close to your due date." Then addressing Klaus "I assume that you have called Marcel again?"

"Yes. He is on his way over to ensure that our little wolf is safe whilst we behead a thief." Hayley was grumbling about being baby-sat but no one paid her any attention.

"Easy Niklaus we are not necessarily beheading anyone." Warned Elijah but Rebekah cut across him saying

"Speak for yourself Elijah, if some little witch bitch has a white oak stake I'll remove her head myself." she promised, stalking over to stand at Klaus. Sighing slightly Elijah joined his siblings and together, the three disappeared from the compound.

As Hayley watched them go she absent-mindedly rubbed her baby belly and muttered half to herself and half to miracle baby

"Poor little witch. She doesn't stand a chance."

"Are you sure that Josh said she was out here?" Rebekah called looking around with distain at the forest surrounding them.

"Of course I'm sure you moaning half-wi-" Klaus began to snarl but Elijah held up a silencing hand tilting his head slightly.

"Quiet both of you." The three originals fell silent, listening. Then their heightened hearing heard it. A small whimper, a cracking of twigs and the scuffle of footsteps. Heading closer. Without speaking Elijah signalled to the other two and they dispersed.

She stumbled slightly, pushing her way through the thick undergrowth, her head spinning and throat burning. The white wood, was tucked into the inside pocket of her over sized hoodie, which was covered in dirt and small perforations from attacking thorns and nettles. Something blurred to her left and she whirled around eyes wide and staring looking bemusedly for the danger.

"I'm over here love." a clear voice rang out and she spun again, struggling to regain her footing as she stared fearfully at the leather jacketed man who stood leaning nonchalantly against a large oak.
"I believe you have something of mine." He purred, and that was all it took for her to turn and try to run back the way she had came. Only try however, as she spun straight into a blonde haired ice woman, who simply glared and barked
"don't even try it witch bitch."

Another whimper of fear escaped her and she turned once more only to find herself staring at another ice man, calm and collected in a suit he somehow had manage to keep spotless despite their surroundings.

"Hello there. This is my brother Klaus and my sister Rebekah. My name is Elijah."

Elijah quickly appraised the girl in front of him. Small, skinny and fragile at least 19 perhaps 20 years old. Pale skin that, although currently stained by smudges of earth and tear tracks, was complemented by dark auburn waves that brushed her shoulders and deep blue almost purple eyes. He stepped forwards before Klaus and Rebekah had the chance to get aggressive and said calmly
"Hell there. This is my brother Klaus and my sister Rebekah. My name is Elijah."

Klaus laughed harshly and with little humour as the girls eyes darted around looking for an escape that was not there. Then Klaus spoke menacingly

"Oh spare us the formalities Elijah. Kill the little hell-bitch and retrieve the stake." It was n these words that the girl realised wat they were looking for. Quickly she reached into her hoodie and pulled out the stake, offering it out to Elijah, who took it seeming a little taken a back by the gesture.

"Hello. My names Evie. I think I'm dying." she said simply, and with that she fell sideways, only to be caught by Elijah and scooped up into his arms. Rebekah looked from brother to brother and finally to the unconscious Evie girl in Elijah's arms.

"Nik what the bloody hell is this? Why did she just give over the stake without a fight?" she said sounding a little shaken and a lot pissed off at the confusing turn of events.

"Because she's not a witch, not a human either but not quite a vampire." answered Elijah, his head inclined slightly as he listened to her heart, his brow furrowed in slight confusion. Then abruptly he righted himself and said in his usual manner
"Regardless, she is exhausted, starved, in immense pain and if I'm not much mistaken she's in transition. So she shall be returning to the compound with us until she is firstly healed and then until all this business with the stake is cleared up." he spoke evenly but firmly, re-adjusting Evie slightly in his arms. Rebekah all but stamped her feet in temper and Klaus looked irately at his noble brother.

"Elijah, you surely can't be serious? She managed to duplicate and steal the one thing that could end us! And you would invite an enemy right into our home?1" he thundered but Elijah looked unimpressed.

"I am perfectly serious Niklaus. We have no prove that it was in fact she who tampered with the stake and while yes she may be an enemy she is also an unknown entity to our family. I would like to have her in an environment that we could control until we know exactly what we are dealing with." he said a little more forcefully this time, before turning and flashing out of sight, speeding away from his two furious and bewildered siblings.

"What the bloody hell is he playing at?" Rebekah sighed incredulously before she and Klaus went after Elijah.

When they arrived back at the compound they found Marcel and Cammie downstairs talking quietly and Hayley was nowhere insight. When Elijah entered carrying the barely conscious girl in his arms, both of them stood abruptly and Cammie's hand covered her mouth as she gasped out
"Oh my!"

"Elijah what's going on?" arcel asked as not two seconds later Rebekah and Klaus arrived, and it was Klaus who answered.

"It would seem that this is our stake duplicating little thief Marcellus. However for reasons he is yet to divulge my brother has taken it upon himself to bring her back here after she collapsed in the woods. I personally see no reason not to remove her pretty little head from her body, all in favour?" he said as both he and Rebekah raised their hands.

"Niklaus, I have explained my interest and suspicions in what Evie actually is. If it transpires that she is indeed a threat to our family, I will deal with her myself. however it is my inclination at the moment to believe that she did not steal the stake from Davina. Speaking of which-" and here Elijah paused and addressed both Cammie and Marcel "I would very much like one of you too summon Davina here to the compound, I require her particular talents when she re-awakens."

"I'll do it." Cammie murmured to Marcel, before walking away to make the call. As she walked out into the hall, Elijah began up the stairs to the first floor. The sound of a door opening and closing alerted him to Hayley's appearance.

"Who's that?" she gasped as Elijah joined her at the top of the stairs.

"Her name is Evie, she needs rest and she may or may not be plotting against my family. Could you do me the favour of finding the smallest clothes you own?" Elijah stated coolly. Taken a back ever so slightly, Hayley nodded and then disappeared back into her room as Elijah continued walking down the hall to the room in the far right corner adjacent to his own and also to Rebekah's. As he entered and deposited Evie gently on to the scarlet covers of the rooms queen sized bed, his hyper-sensitive hearing heard Cammie re-enter the court-yard and say to the others

"Davina's on her way. She's not happy about being ordered around but she's coming. She said she'd be here soon but she's leaving as soon as she's done what needs doing."

That was when Hayley entered the room in her hands, a black t-shirt, dark blue hoodie and a pair of denim shorts. As she entered Elijah was in the process of gently unzipping the mud-stained hoodie Evie was currently wearing and throwing it into the corner of the room. He looked up as Hayley approached

"Thank you Hayley. I wonder if I could ask you to re-dress her? she's sick enough without being in freezing mud soaked clothes. I hate to bother you with this but I believe it would not be appropriate for me to do so myself. I'll send Rebekah up to help you."

"O-okay. Elijah what's wrong with her?" Hayley asked as she switched places with the original brother, so that she had the girls back leaning against her.

"I am not entirely sure. She's exhausted certainly, and running a small fever, but I also believe her to be in transition to becoming a vampire, however it seems to have quite the effect on her body. That's why I summoned Davina, something about this is not as it appears and if she truly is an enemy I want to know what my family will be facing." Elijah said, the smallest of creases forming between his brows. And just like that he blurred from the room, and she heard him calling for Rebekah to help her. The original beauty grumble and complained about playing hand maid all the way up the stairs until she entered the bedroom.

However she made no move to help Hayley, merely stood in the corner for a minute before saying with not real emotion

"Awfully small, fragile little thing isn't she?"

Hayley just rolled her eyes and replied a little exasperatedly

"yeah she is, but she's also being a pain the ass and I cant support her and get her stuff off and on, so are you just gonna stand there princess or actually do what your brother asked?"

Rebekah huffed but came over to help. When the two carefully removed the girl ripped and stained t-shirt, Hayley's eyes widened as she looked at the Evie's back. It was criss-crossed with small scars in some kind of pattern.

"what is it?" Rebekah asked impatiently, coming round to look for herself and then her face softening as she let out a small "oh".

Their was a pause between the two women. After a minute or so Rebekah broke it

"Don't tell Elijah. Not yet at least. He cant help but sympathise broken things and want to fix them and if she is a threat to our family I don't want whatever she's been through clouding his judgment."

All Hayley could do was nod.

"Yes" she thought "Whatever she's been through will cloud his judgement. And it looks like she's been through hell."

The room was dark, but streaks of light were coming through from somewhere.

Evie blinked slowly and the first thing she was acutely aware of was that her head was no longer burning. As the room became clearer, the second thing she became aware of was the man sat in the plush armchair across the room. This second thing caused her to sit up abruptly, now looking around wildly. The man in the chair sat up a little straighter as well, observing her

"It's alright. You are quite safe for the time being. How are you feeling?" he said in accented tones, but Evie couldn't answer. Tumbling from the bed in a panic, she stumbled to the wall, not taking her eyes off of him.

"Elijah!" she blurted out the name now coming back to her. Dimly, she noticed that everything felt more - well just more. Her eyes picked up the tiniest movement her ears the smallest sounds from outside in the human world.
Slowly, as though to avoid causing her alarm, Elijah rose to stand opposite her and every muscle in her body tensed pushing her to run.
And run she did. She streaked across the room to the door at a speed she did not recognise and wrenched it open only to scream slightly as she cam face to face with the sneering man from the forest the night before.

"Klaus" she remembered.

"Hello love." he smirked, before forcing her back a step by taking one forwards himself and closing the door behind him. Eyes darting around wildly, Evie attempted a mad dash for the window, but Klaus's hand shot out, grasped her by the scruff of the neck and casually tossed her towards Elijah who caught her before she hit the floor.
Gently Elijah manoeuvred the violently trembling Evie to sit in the chair he had vacated then the brothers stood over her. Finally, still refusing to look at the pair, she whispered

"What happened to me?"

"When we came across you last night, we believe you were suffering an unknown side affect from transitioning into a vampire. We gave you human blood when you were unconscious and it seems we were correct, as the blood completed the transition. You're a vampire now love. Welcome to the side of the undead." Klaus grinned. Surprisingly Evie seemed unsurprised at the revelation that there were vampires in her world and that she was now one of them.

"But why- why was I burning? I could feel it. Why?" she asked, at last daring to glance at Elijah, who seemed to terrify her the least. Brow furrowed the original crouched until he as at eye level with Evie.

"Evie, how long were you burning as you put it? Do you remember what happened prior to this sensation?"

She shook her head minutely, as though frightened of angering him at her lack of knowledge.

"I don't remember." she started o the brink of tears "I can feel the burning from at least a week ago maybe more but I don't remember why or how. I'm sorry."

The brothers looked at each other.

"It's impossible, she should have died1" Klaus nearly snarled.

"Davina will be able to tell us more, once she examines her." Elijah said certainly.

"You wan to just let her wander around the compound? After she stole the stake? You feel to much for our enemies brother." Klaus demanded.

"Niklaus look at her. Do you really believe for a second that even if she were an enemy to us, we could not defeat her in her current state?" Elijah countered, before a tiny voice broke out,

"What do you want from me? People always want something."

Elijah turned back to Evie and offered her his hand, which of course she did not take.

"We want a friend of ours to examine you properly. She's a witch but I assure you she will not harm you. She may be able to tell us and you why you were stuck in transition for so long, why you felt as though you were burning. Then provided you are no threat to our family, you can make your own choice about what you want."

Evie looked up at him, eyes wide and innocently scared.

"Promise?" she whispered.

"I give you my word." Elijah assured.

Taking a deep breath she nodded and took his hand to stand up. Immediately Klaus shouted, with a determined voice

"DAVINA!"

So yeah it mostly my own storyline with bits of the real plot thrown in.

Enjoy and please review.

Geronimo xx