Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries.

Full Summary:Elijah tries to recruit the warlock Martins, Jonas and Luka, to aid him in destroying Klaus. Klaus procured Greta's help and now the Martins will do anything to get her back. But does that mean they're willing to help one of the most powerful Originals? As Elijah continues his persuasion of the warlocks, he stumbles across Greta's former best friend and family friend of the Martins, Ana Griffith, who is adamant to see that she get Greta back safely. Providing road block after road block for Elijah, Ana becomes a thing of intrigue and annoyance for the Original. However, as times call for a rasher means of urging, Elijah sees the opportunity Ana presents for him. He just never realized how pushing her far past her limits would have any lasting effect on him and what challenges they would face. Elijah/OC (This is a different 'Anna' than was in the show. Not the same person!)

"I am not in love
But I am open to persuasion
East or West
Where's the best for romancing?

With a friend
I can smile
But with a lover
I could hold my head back
I could really laugh
Really laugh."

~Joan Armatrading

One

Save for the loud ticking of the grandfather clock, all was silent in the Martin house. It was a morose, lonely silence that, being filled by the constant reminder of time, only served to make it more desolate and deadening. Jonas sat in the living room, the chair facing the west windows, watching as the sun continued to fall further in the sky as dark clouds in the distance rolled in. He could see lighting flicker and hear the thunder crack. It was going to be quite a storm.

His fingers were laced together in front of him, atop a gremoir. The crisp page within, written in Latin, was for a location spell. It was a simple enough spell to use without looking up, but the circumstances weren't so simple. He had searched through every bit of it, looking for a way around the magic that was blocking him from locating his daughter. The glasses he normally wore now sat on the table beside him from overstraining his eyes. He blinked at the setting sun wearily.

"Dad," Luka said, taking a seat next to his father as he handed him a cup of coffee. His voice, as always, was soft and gentle, imploring his father to look at him. Jonas didn't. "Dad, it's been two weeks. We've searched through every gremoir we have. Maybe we should look for some outside help."

Jonas finally turned his head, giving his son an appalled look. "We will not. I'll figure this out. I'll bring her home."

Luka sighed deeply, his shoulders falling with disappointment. "I know you will, Dad. I just think we shouldn't have to face this on our own. You know who took her. You know… why."

Jonas averted his eyes again, lost in thought. Just then, there was a rapping at the front door. Luka stood immediately and left the room to answer it.

Standing out on the front porch, shivering and clutching a closed umbrella to her chest, was Luka's guardian angel. Or so he hoped. If anyone could get through to his father right now, it would be her. She gave him a small smile, her blonde hair settling about her from the wind, as he let her inside and took the umbrella from her, setting it on a cherry table beside a coat rack. She embraced him like the brother he always had been to her.

"Hey, Luka," she said, rubbing his back. Then she pulled away and searched his eyes. "How is he? Your father?"

Luka tried to hide his worry, though it appeared in his voice. "He's in denial."

"And you?"

He smiled. "I'm still me."

"Good," she grinned, patting his shoulder. She went to enter the combined living room and kitchen, but Luka caught her arm and held her back.

"Ana," he said. "Just… make sure he hears you. He'll listen if it comes from you."

Ana nodded. "I'll give it my best."

The sound of rain pattering angrily against the rooftop could be heard now. As Ana entered the living room, she saw the downpour through the large windows. Aside from the single lamp glowing beside a motionless Jonas, it was dark. The occasional flash of lighting lit the room up in neon blue hues and her golden blonde hair in a strange silver color.

Ana pursed her lips before decidedly crossing in front of Jonas and sitting delicately on the coffee table before him. He showed no signs of registering her presence.

"Jonas," she probed, leaning in close to him. "Jonas, will you look at me please?"

Jonas blinked. "Ana. What are you doing here? You should be home right now—it's going to storm soon."

She smiled sadly at him. He was definitely not himself. "It's already storming. I just wanted to come over and check up on things. How are you doing?"

"You really should get home," Jonas insisted. "I think this storm may persist well on into the night, and—"

"And I can always stay here if it does. You know you don't have to worry about me."

Jonas sighed. He fingered the page of the location spell. "I know why you're here," he said finally. There were age lines in his face Ana hadn't noticed before. Her stomach tightened with worry.

"That's good," she managed to joke. "You know how terrible I am at lying."

Only a ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. "Greta would want you here. But she would also want you safe, Ana."

Ana tucked a stray blonde strand behind her ear, glancing over at Luka, who stood with his arms crossed apprehensively in the archway. "Well I guess that's the funny thing. I want her safe, too."

"She will be. I just have to figure out how to get around the block. I'll look through the other gremoirs—something's sure to turn up if—"

"Jonas," Ana laid a hand over his. "You've combed through those gremoirs at least five times now. We should look for other sources."

"So Luka put you up to this," Jonas said almost bitterly. Standing behind his father, Luka tried not to look hurt. But he was. "I'll find her my own way. I don't need someone else telling me how to do it."

Ana stayed silent a moment. By looking in Luka's eyes, she knew they were thinking the same thing. Sucking in a breath, she kept her eyes on the ground. "Your pride's getting in the way of your daughter's safety."

Jonas's mouth parted in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Ana said sadly. "There's a chance that we can get help from someone else, but you aren't willing to take that chance because you have too much pride. She's your little girl and you should be the one getting her back, right? Sometimes the only way to do that is to get help."

"She's right," Luka spoke up. "Dad, we just can't do this on our own."

"Two weeks have already passed," Ana added. "How much more time do we have to lose before you realize that?"

Jonas looked between the two, his face a mixture of anger, shock, and hurt. Ana felt terribly guilty. "You two," he pointed his finger between them, "have absolutely no right. You don't have children. You don't know what it's like to have one taken from you. Don't lecture me on how to get her back."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Luka asked helplessly. "Dad, she's my sister. She's Ana's best friend. Don't you think we care about her, too?"

"You do," Jonas allowed. "But not the way a parent cares for their child."

Luka threw his hands up with exasperation. "That's not fair! Why do you have to—"

"Hey," Ana said, standing, holding her hands out to quell the building anger. "No fighting, okay? Things are bad enough." She looked sternly at Jonas. "We're both on your side. We want her back as much as you do—you can't argue about that."

Shaking his head, Jonas buried his face in his hands. "Don't you see? There's no one who can help even if we asked. No one wants to face an Original."

"That's just a myth," Luka said with some conviction. "We don't know that an Original actually took her or if they even exist. It could be any vampire."

"It is the vampire," Jonas said. "Trust me, son. I've been around long enough to know it's true. He's used the aid of a witch before."

Ana looked at her hands. They were chipped down to the cuticles with pink nail polish from two weeks and one day ago, when she and Greta had their occasional girl's day. She remembered just being able to laugh and gossip, the things they always did when they could see each other. The amount of time they had spent together in the past six months had been more than the collected amount within the two years they had known each other, since Ana took a semester off of college. The presence of magic had never been worrisome for Ana. It had saved her life.

"Why would a vampire like that need Greta?" She asked in a hollow voice.

There was no answer.

After standing in silence for several minutes, Ana forced herself to busy up in the kitchen. She wasn't a great cook, but she could make soup and sandwiches that would be enough to sate the men's appetite. She knew her way around the kitchen as if it were her own and worked speedily so that they would have something to occupy their thoughts instead of dreadful images of Greta being kidnapped. It haunted her all too often.

Once she had managed to get the two of them to eat, she entered the living room herself and studied the gremoir Jonas had held. The words were foreign to her, even if she had taken a semester of Latin in high school. She wouldn't know how to look for a loophole in the spell, much less be able to chant it, or whatever it was that needed to be done for it to work. She had been there the entire week Jonas had tried using the spell nonstop. He'd nearly exhausted his magic. If it hadn't been for Luka getting his father to rest while he took over, Jonas probably wouldn't even be functional at this point. She looked sadly at the father and son that ate in silence at the small table in the kitchen. It was filled with tension and unspoken fears. Her lips pulled down into a frown.

Outside, the rain had let up to a light sprinkle. The dark clouds had lightened considerably, yet night had fallen so the difference was hidden in the stars peaking out. Ana returned to Jonas and Luka.

"I'd better head home for the night," she said. "Unless you guys want me to stay."

"No, no," Jonas said in the way he used to—that fatherly way of his. "You should get some rest."

She gave him a pointed look. "So should you."

Luka stood to walk her to the door. She slipped her jacket on and grabbed her umbrella but didn't head outside just yet. Standing with Luka, they both glanced back at Jonas.

"Thank you," Luka said after a moment. "For always coming over, I mean. He seems to become himself again when he sees you."

"You shouldn't worry too much," Ana said. "I think he'll come around to the idea of getting help."

A line of worry appeared in Luka's forehead anyway. "The problem is how long that might take."

"Well lucky for us, there's plenty of witches in town. You know, considering it's Salem and all," Ana smiled. "So the moment he does, we can just call someone up. I don't think it's like he said—about no one wanting to face this vampire. I think if we just ask, we'll get help."

Luka nodded. "I hope you're right."

Ana hugged him again. Then she turned to the door and twisted the handle, pulling it open. She made to hurry outside, what with the little bit of rain left, but froze instead.

Standing face to face with her was a stranger. His smoothed dark hair had small diamond-like droplets of water in it and his hands were tucked into the pockets of his black coat. In no particular way, he smiled at her, yet his dark brown eyes seemed to take on a considerably lighter color.

Behind Ana, she could hear Luka suck in a gasp.

Ana was frozen still, her eyes locked on the stranger's, her grip on the umbrella so tight that her knuckles were bloodlessly ashen. She opened her mouth several times, but no words came out.

"Jonas," Ana finally called out, her voice wavering slightly. "There's a vampire on your porch."

Author's Note: A romance… and everything else. I do think Elijah could use some romance, wouldn't you agree? Reviews are greatly appreciated.