A/N: YES! The long-awaited sequel to "Ordinary Loneliness"! It's about 75 percent complete, so the updates will come quickly for a while, at least. I've started a brand new job in the last week, so once I run out of pre-written chapters, I may update only on weekends. We'll see.
As the summary says, Damon and Lindsey work to get rid of the Augustines, once and for all. It is going to get very dark in places, but I hope you all enjoy it. Many of our friends will return from "OL," and a few new ones will also pop up, so get ready for some surprises! One thing you'll see in the story is how a real reporter goes about getting a big story. The methods Lindsey uses to get information are the same ones reporters use every day.
So, get ready for lots of adventure, mystery, and of course, romance. It's me writing this, after all, right? LOL. So the curtain rises. Read, enjoy and REVIEW! Much love to all of you!
Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Vampire Diaries."
Chapter 1: Only the Beginning
March 2016
"You really don't have to be that careful, you know. Not like you're ever gonna have a cavity," Damon teased Lindsey, who was brushing her teeth.
She glared at him and rinsed her mouth out. "Still. It's a good habit to keep."
"Like I don't brush my teeth," Damon said, his tone a little snippy.
"Never implied it, oh touchy one." She saw his expression. He looked perturbed - and not nearly as much upset her husband these days. Living in the country, away from supernaturals as well as humans, was good for him. "What's up, hon? You look irritated."
"Just got off the phone with Stefan."
"You two had better not be arguing again," she said.
He rolled his eyes. "No, it's not that." He went into the bedroom and flopped on the bed, an arm over his eyes. "It's that supernatural cesspool, Mystic Falls."
Lindsey reclined on the bed too, turned to face him, head propped up on her hand. "What more could possibly go wrong in that town? It's like that place in 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' - you know, a hell mouth."
Damon chuckled. "Exactly. And I'm not really sure what he expects me to do about it."
"Maybe he just needed to talk to a sympathetic listener - someone who understands the background."
"It would do him and Caroline a world of good if they would just leave."
Lindsey sighed. "Well, Mystic Falls is their home, Damon. You've put down roots here, so this is home for you, but that boarding house is the closest thing Stefan's had to home for 150 years. It's Caroline's home, too. She was raised there. It's tough to leave."
Damon ran his hand up and down her arm. "You're right. As usual. But this is a little different. Rebekah and Kol have been seen tooling around town."
"Originals, right?"
"Yeah. And Kol is the worst one, except for Klaus." Lindsey narrowed her eyes at the mention of that name. "I know. I hate him, too. But Klaus usually has a purpose behind whatever he does. Kol's a true psychopath. He kills without any reason at all."
"Didn't you say they've been mostly based in New Orleans? With all the supernatural stuff in that town, why Mystic Falls?" Lindsey asked.
"I'd like to know that, myself. Not like the Big Easy doesn't have its full complement of witches and spooky people. We should go sometime."
Lindsey shook her head emphatically. "Nope. No way. Being in Mystic Falls was bad enough. New Orleans has enough bad vibes to completely freak me out for six months."
Damon grinned at her. "And you say you're not psychic."
"I'm not! I just pick up on stuff. And there's way too much stuff to pick up on in New Orleans. I can't even tell you what's around. I just know when it's bad."
"Which still makes me wonder how you stood to be around me."
She gave him a playful shove. "You know the answer to that."
Her gave her the grin that told her he loved her. "I know."
Lindsey rolled to her back. "There's still a nice, low branch on my maple tree that's just waiting for Klaus."
"What are you planning on doing to him?" Damon was curious.
"What I told Ric I'd do when you all were chasing him and Stefan. Hang him up by his heels for three or four days. See if that got through to him."
Damon chuckled. Lindsey's bloodthirsty streak rarely showed itself, unless she was contemplating mayhem against someone who had hurt him. "And what were your plans for my little brother?"
"For Stefan? Oh, I was just gonna slap the snot out of him. Repeatedly. And if that didn't work, then my cast iron skillet upside his head."
"Ow," Damon said, rubbing his nose. He was remembering when he got a taste of that in Nashville.
Lindsey looked shamefaced as she rolled back to face Damon and rubbed his head. "Bless it. I'm still sorry I did that."
"No, you're not. And I totally deserved it." He grinned at her. "I think that's when I really started falling in love with you. I was so pissed at you I couldn't see straight, but I loved the courage it took to do that. Turned me on. And I started thinking this was a woman who could hold her own with me."
"Really?" This was news to Lindsey.
"Really."
Even after their unspoken truce had been declared, Lindsey still felt apprehensive around Damon, and he was still very capable of being little short of insulting when he felt like it. He had been drinking too, too much and was nagging Lindsey about not eating. It was a bad combination.
"The powers that be want you to eat," he said.
"Like I told you before: Tough."
"Well, I don't want them dogging me about it the next time I have to go in there."
"Deal with it." Her tone brooked no argument.
Damon rolled his eyes. "Look. I don't know if this is some kind of hunger strike protest thing you've got going on, but it's damned depressing watching you eat toast and nothing else. I'm tired of it."
"You're tired of it? Well you can go straight to hell, Damon Salvatore!" she yelled at him. She went to the stove and started wiping it off. He was sitting at the kitchen table, with his back to her.
He mumbled something, then, and Lindsey thought it sounded like, "Not like I've never seen a fat girl eat before."
There were few times in her life when Lindsey Hargrove had been in a killing rage, but his words sparked it into flame. She picked up the iron skillet. She didn't even have to step toward him. "You are one more fucking asshole!" she screamed.
Just as Damon turned in shock, Lindsey creamed him upside the head with the skillet. He immediately crumpled to the floor, blood everywhere. She had broken his nose, and probably fractured his skull. She stood, looking at him, hands on her hips. "Maybe that'll shut you up - finally!"
About that time, the "voice" came over the loudspeaker. "Ms. Hargrove, what did you do?"
"Knocked Damon across the head with the iron skillet. He'll be all right. Might take a couple of hours, though. Tell him to knock it off with the fat girl comments, though, or I'm doing something more permanent. I don't care what happens to me."
"This was unexpected. We will need to reassess," the voice said.
"Tell it to the Marines. I don't care," she snapped and went into the office.
Just about two hours later, the office door flew open. Damon stood there, his eyes blazing, and Lindsey could see some faint bruising still remained around his nose. Good enough for him. She turned back to her book.
"Bitch!" he yelled. All he got for his trouble was Lindsey flipping her middle finger at him. "You'd better apologize for that," he said, and he sped to her, and was looking her in the eyes, fangs showing. He knew he was one scary SOB, but he was shocked to see not a flicker of fear in Lindsey's eyes. Anger, yes - and hurt. But not fear.
She put down her book. "O.K. I'm sorry, Damon. I'm sorry you weren't unconscious for a couple more hours so I could get some peace and quiet around here! I'm sorry I couldn't hit you harder! I'm sorry you feel the need to act like a jackass to someone who's never done a damn thing to you! You've probably had that coming from a woman for decades. So snap my neck or drain me or do whatever the hell you have to do. I am so far past caring, it's not funny." Her eyes blazed right back into his.
Damon raised his hands and then dropped them. He felt the rage drain out of him. "You are the most frustrating woman I've ever met," he said.
"From you, I'll take that as a compliment."
Damon shook his head and a rueful chuckle escaped him before he could hold it back. "How is it I can't even stay mad at a woman who just cold-cocked me with a cast iron skillet?"
"Because you know how much you deserved it. And it's not like it did any permanent damage."
"Before I passed out, I heard what you said about me finally shutting up. I think you've made your point now. I get it. I'm sorry. That was a dick comment. Completely unnecessary."
"Well, I will admit to losing my mind in there. I'm sorry, too. I should have just walked out."
"No," he said, sitting next to her on the futon. "I totally deserved it. Like you said, I've had it coming for a long time. It's even kind of hot."
"What is?"
"That a human woman should just wail on my head with a skillet, not caring what I might be able to do to her. That takes guts, Lindsey."
"Or a unique brand of stupidity," she said dryly.
Damon laughed out loud. "Maybe a little, but mostly, courage." He ventured putting his arm around her shoulders. He looked keenly at her. "We're messed up," he said.
"You got that right," she replied.
Lindsey chuckled softly at the memory. "Normally, when my temper gets away with me like that, I'm a wreck after. Not that time, though. I probably should have been."
"Want to know what I really wanted to do?"
"What's that?"
"Kiss you senseless, then drag you to the bedroom and do unspeakably indecent things to you until you realized how wonderful I am." His eyes were twinkling.
"So instead, you just waited until you married me," she laughed.
"Call me unconventional," he said.
"You are that. For sure." Her phone rang and she answered it. "Hey, Dana. What's going on? You do? Another one? Oh, my gosh. All right. Sure. You want us to come and get her or do you want to bring her over here? O.K. We'll be waiting on you. See you." She clicked off the call.
"Meth and crack?" Damon asked, having overheard the call.
"Yep, both. They found her in a house where they were making meth and she has crack in her system. Two months old." Lindsey shook her head sadly.
"I'd better not find out who her sperm donor is. I'll take care of him."
"Settle down, sweetheart. You need to get in an appropriate frame of mind before Dana gets here with that baby."
Somehow - and Damon still wasn't sure how it happened - he and Lindsey had become temporary foster parents. They took care of babies and toddlers who needed emergency, temporary care, usually children removed from crack houses and drug addicted mothers. Lindsey moved her office upstairs to the attic and refurbished the room into a comfortable nursery or child's room.
Lindsey was absolutely serious about using her vampire abilities to help others. She knew emergency foster homes were tough to come by, but she also knew she and Damon could do it. Damon got the nursery ready, plugging in the cameras and monitors so they could keep a close eye on the child who would be staying there. She rarely said much to him about it, but Damon was wonderful with the babies. They liked Lindsey, but he could just hold a fussy child and it quieted immediately. He would have made a fantastic father. And babies and toddlers didn't notice anything odd about their caregivers, so they were the ideal group.
When Dana, the social worker, arrived with the child, Lindsey and Damon were waiting on her.
"Hi Dana. Sorry to see you," Lindsey said, as she always did. This was a tragedy.
"I know. I'm thrilled to see you, though." She handed Lindsey the tiny baby, who was wrapped in a blanket. "Takeelah only weighs eight pounds. She was five pounds at birth. But you know these babies are usually underweight when they're born."
Lindsey nodded as she took the child. "Yeah. But we'll fatten her up for you."
"I know. Babies always do well here."
"It's love," Lindsey said, and she was only lying a little. Love did work wonders - and so did just a few drops of vampire blood. It seemed to kill the addiction, which Lindsey thought was over half the battle. Once the little body was free of that obstacle, the child could grow and develop.
"Must be. Well, I'll let you know when we have a more permanent placement."
"Take your time. We've got her. You get all the papers signed, hon?" she asked Damon, who had been talking to the deputy accompanying Dana and signing the transfer paperwork.
"Yeah. We're done."
"O.K. Let's get this little one something to eat then, and put her down for a nap. Take care, Dana. We'll be in touch, too."
"All right. Thank you and Damon again. We don't know what we'd do without ya'll."
"We're glad we can help," Lindsey answered.
Dana drove away, happy to have placed the child. Damon and Lindsey Salvatore were definitely an unusual couple, but babies seemed to thrive under their care. Toddlers, too. Lindsey attributed it to fresh air, peace and quiet, a healthy, wholesome diet and love. Dana couldn't argue; the results spoke for themselves. Even the most fragile, emergency cases - which Takeelah was - always seemed to rally when placed with the Salvatores. "I can't explain it, but I'm glad they're here," she said to herself.
Damon followed Lindsey upstairs to the nursery. He was reading the baby's paperwork and Lindsey heard a low growl from behind her. She put the baby in the crib and turned to her husband. He was outraged. "What is it, babe?"
"This little girl? Her sorry sperm donor has been a busy, busy boy. This is the third - third - child of his we've had here. Third. No telling how many other kids have been in other homes. When he gets out of jail, I'm gonna fix him."
"Damon…" Lindsey's tone was a warning.
"I didn't say kill. I said 'fix.' As in neuter."
She chuckled. "While I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment, no. Not your place to do it."
"Watch me."
That earned Damon "the look." Lindsey narrowed her eyes at him and stared him down.
"O.K., O.K. But I can think about it."
"Think all you want. I'm right in there with you on thinking about it. But don't do it. We've got a little girl to see about, anyway." She went to the crib and let down the rails on one side, so she could easily hold Takeelah. She undressed the little girl - and growled, herself.
"What is it?" Damon asked. Lindsey hardly ever made that noise.
"Look at this baby's skin! She's got flea bites all over her! No wonder she's trying to claw at herself. Hand me the Caladryl lotion." Lindsey spread the lotion all over the baby, and its anesthetic properties started to take effect. She put the bottle sterilizer in the nursery microwave and started heating formula.
Damon stood over the crib, watching the baby. "Poor little mite," he said. He stroked her forehead and as babies always did when he touched them, she stopped fussing. He grinned, pleased.
Lindsey was smiling too, as she prepared the bottle. She dropped her fangs and pricked her finger, then allowed a few drops of blood to mix with the formula. She capped the bottle, shook it and went to the baby. She wrapped her in the blanket, picked her up and sat down in the rocker with the child. She put the bottle to Takeelah's lips, and after a moment, growled again.
"Now what?" Damon said.
"Poor sucking reflex. No wonder she's so tiny. She can hardly suck hard enough to get the formula out of the bottle," Lindsey answered. She shifted the baby's head, and squeezed the bottle gently, to get a few drops of formula on her tongue. The vampire blood entered the baby's system, and the healing started immediately. Her sucking reflex strengthened and she started on the bottle with enthusiasm. Lindsey grinned at the smacking noises. "She's getting a tummy full, now. A couple of ounces ought to work, and then we'll feed her again in about three hours." She finished and handed Damon the bottle, then put the baby over her shoulder to burp her. That accomplished, Lindsey put the child in a nightgown and put her to bed. She turned on the cameras and nursery monitors. Everything was working, and what the monitors didn't pick up, her own ears would.
They went down to the den and sat on the sofa. Damon harrumphed irritably. "They'd kill us in a heartbeat for being what we are. But what about those losers who're allowed to run around, procreate indiscriminately and leave the state to take care of their children? The kids are born addicted to drugs, in poverty and left to grow up on the streets. In jail by the time they're twenty. Or younger. But I'm the monster. Bullshit."
Lindsey had heard this before, but he was right. "Well, that's why we do what we're doing, sweetheart. Maybe we can help get these kids a little better start. Dana told me once we were an odd couple," she said and laughed. "If she only knew. A middle-aged woman and her much younger husband, the reformed serial killer. And both vampires. It really is pretty funny."
"Just goes to show you the people who look the best on paper aren't always the ideal," he answered, smiling at Lindsey.
"That's for sure. I know I grinned when I got to the part on the form about whether you'd been convicted of any felonies. Committed, yes; convicted, no. I don't know for the life of me how you passed the kind of background check they do for foster parents."
"I told you about vampires in government offices. They pushed it through, I'm sure. And even though I have disposed of my share of bodies - and then some - I've never hurt a child, and I never would."
"I know you wouldn't, Damon. And these days, it would take a lot more to prompt you to hurt anyone else. You just don't know how very proud I am of you." She climbed into his lap to face him. "That's not to say you're still not every bit the badass vampire I fell in love with, but the mellower version is much easier to live with." She took his face in her hands and kissed him. "I saw one of the new Camaros the other day. It was this inky black, and I thought of how insanely hot you'd look driving it. I love our baby blue, but she is getting some age on her, and we might want to think about making her our weekend car."
"You might have a point," he said. He knew Lindsey would never ask him to give up his classic Camaro, as long as it was safe to drive. "Was the car you saw a convertible?"
"It was. It's the revamped Camaro, and it is one more sexy car. It might be as sexy as you are."
He grinned. "Says the woman who still drives a sensible Ford sedan."
"Well, one of us needs to drive something that will accommodate us and a car seat. I'd love a new Mustang, but a car seat would be inconvenient. And you know how I feel about climbing in and out of the back seat of a two-door car. Besides, owning a classic pony car is a legitimate hobby. Three performance cars for just a couple? Someone might start thinking something's a little weird about us. Even more than they already do. But having a decent sedan means someone just likes classic cars. Nothing strange about that."
Damon chuckled. "You're trying to tell me I'm weird again, aren't you?"
"No. I'm weird, too. We just have to keep the weird within acceptable limits." She kissed him again and then raised her head. "Someone's coming up the drive. Not a car I recognize," she said.
Damon grinned. Lindsey's hearing in the higher registers was better than his, even, and she could distinguish whose car was coming into the drive by sound. Of course, she was able to do that to a certain extent when she was human. He supposed it had something to do with the fact that she also rarely ever forgot a song, once memorized - again, a talent she also had as a human.
They heard the car stop and Lindsey went to the front window. "I don't recognize the driver," she said. "And the car has Louisiana tags. Sports car."
Damon looked toward heaven. It all sounded suspiciously like Klaus. He also went to the window and peeked through the sheers. Oh, shit. What was he doing here, and how had he found the place? The house wasn't exactly on the beaten path.
"Dammit to hell. Klaus," Damon whispered, but Lindsey was already gone and back with a fabulous crossbow loaded with vervain darts. Ric had given it to her when she was human and he and Damon had stayed a couple of weeks. She knew she couldn't kill Klaus with it, but it might slow him down enough for them to bundle him into the car and get him out of the territory. She would have to get Bonnie to put a protection spell on the place. Aside from her daylight token, she hated dealing with witchcraft in any shape, form or fashion, but if it kept her home safe, she was willing to do it.
A knock sounded on the door. "Let me deal with with him," Damon mouthed and Lindsey nodded. She stood out of sight, but where she could quickly get to the door.
Damon opened the door. "Klaus. What brings you to this little corner of nowhere?" His tone was pleasant, but Lindsey could hear the suspicion underneath.
"Hullo, Damon. I'd heard you found your own little slice of paradise, complete with a lovely bride. Where is she, by the way? I'd love to meet her."
Damon knew better than to lie about Lindsey's presence. Klaus could probably smell her. He was about to answer when Lindsey appeared from the front room, crossbow stowed handily by the door, within easy reach.
"I'm right here," she said. She and Klaus appraised each other. She saw a man of about average height - perhaps a shade taller than Damon. He had a slender build, short sandy hair and blue eyes. Not the gorgeous blue of Damon's eyes, of course. His face was nice looking, with a generous mouth, but there was something coarse underneath. She did not like this man, going from what she had heard, and also, what she saw in his eyes.
Klaus saw a brunette, a few years older than Damon's human age, but it was hard to tell how many. Her face was attractive, but she was not beautiful. "Interesting," is how he would describe her. She had a high forehead, a firm chin, a well-shaped mouth and deep-set eyes that flashed a coppery brown. With her curvy frame, she was as unlike Elena Gilbert as a woman could be. He looked into her eyes and found himself rendered intensely uncomfortable. It was as if she could see into his soul, and he did not like that feeling, at all. There was no fear in her eyes. As Elena had noticed the first time they met, he saw she was intensely suspicious, but not afraid. His mouth crooked in a grin. Unless he was much mistaken, Damon Salvatore had met his match in this woman. His respect for both inched up a notch. "Klaus Mikaelson. So lovely to meet you."
"Lindsey Salvatore. Nice to meet you too, Klaus."
"I have to tell you, the vampire community has been abuzz over the news that Damon finally married, and everyone is wondering who took him out of circulation," Klaus said.
Damon rolled his eyes as Lindsey snorted, "Then they don't have enough to do with their time. So I'll repeat my husband's question. What brings you all the way from New Orleans?"
"The Augustines. It's past time they were eradicated."
"I find myself in complete agreement with you, Klaus. You and Damon make yourselves comfortable on the porch. Would you care for some bourbon, or sweet iced tea? I keep a gallon of extra sweet tea brewed for Damon all the time."
"If there's fresh lemon, I'd love a glass of tea," he said.
"Always. Be right back," Lindsey answered. If she left the front door open, she would be able to hear them. She would drink tea with Klaus, and even though she knew he could come into her house without an invitation, she didn't want him thinking he could stroll in any old time he felt like it.
She brought three glasses and set one down for Klaus, then Damon, who was in his spot on the swing, and sat down beside him.
"So, what made you decide the Augustines needed to be terminated?" Lindsey asked.
"Well, they've been stirring things up in Virginia, in New Orleans and other places. And as the sort of de facto leader of the pack, you might say, one could make the argument the responsibility falls to me to make it happen."
Lindsey raised her eyebrows. "So you're concerned that vampires are being tortured? I didn't think most vampires exactly cared about what happened to each other, with a few exceptions."
Klaus glanced at Damon, who was clearly enjoying himself. This line of questioning didn't surprise him, apparently. "We've always cared. There just wasn't much we could do about it. But now, with communications being so much better, with more vampires being affected, this is a good time to strike."
Lindsey didn't believe his act for a second. He was being hit by these characters, or it what they did wouldn't bother him in the least. "Let's cut to the chase, Klaus. Who got caught that you knew, or how it is affecting your bottom line? There's a reason you want them gone, so what is it?"
"You're a perceptive little thing, aren't you? They got Elijah - one of my brothers."
"Shit," Damon said. "Do they still have him?"
"No. He escaped, but his descriptions of what they did to him inspired my sudden activism. Kol and Rebekah have been in Mystic Falls, trying to see what they can pick up. I thought, as one of their former captives, you might also be interested in their immediate demise."
"So what were you thinking?" Damon asked.
"Round them up and do what we do best." He flashed his fangs in a grin. Damon chuckled.
"Won't work," Lindsey said.
Klaus looked at her. "Excuse me, Lindsey dear? What won't work?"
"Getting rid of the current crop. Damon tried that before. They came back. You never got the immortal head of the Hydra, to wax mythological. You only got the heads that could be killed. I've thought a lot about those how those idiots operate, and someone is bankrolling this operation. Cut off the money and you cut off the immortal head." She looked at Damon and Klaus, both of whom were staring at her, open-mouthed. "What? I'm a reporter! Follow the money. Such is the way of the world!"
Damon put his arm around Lindsey's shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "That's my woman! She's smarter than either one of us, Klaus," he said, pride in his voice.
"You may be right, Damon. So, my sweet. How do we cut off the immortal head, so to speak?"
"Like I said: Follow the money. It will always lead you to your destination. These characters are pretty much based at Whitmore University, right?"
"Yeah," Damon said.
"And they use college facilities for their ahem - research, right?"
"Right."
"O.K. I know Whitmore is a state university. That means you can get to their financial records. They're public record, by law. Then you start looking at their board of trustees or regents - how ever the college is governed. And start looking at least back to the forties, and look for the same last names, over and over again, on the board. You're looking for trends and patterns. How many victims did they have in the fifties when you got caught, Damon?"
"About ten, I think."
"I know they eventually killed the victims. How did they dispose of the bodies? Cremation, I'd imagine."
"Probably." Damon still wasn't quite following her.
"All right. Are there any records the college purchased an incinerator, say, along about that time? It's worth a look."
Damon's eyebrows went up. "I never thought about that."
"See, that's how these people have been able to keep doing what they do. So many vampires have been turned a long while. You don't have to deal with humans at the paperwork level, or in real, practical numbers. You pay cash or use compulsion, or both. You've lived outside humans for so long, you don't see it anymore, and you're all too suspicious of each other to work together. But I'm still in the swim of human existence. I still do some reporting. And, I was a regular reporter for 20 years, even though I wrote mostly feature stuff. This is still the kind of stuff we bird-dogged every day. The term is 'watchdog journalism,' which basically means you hold officials' feet to the fire to make sure they account for the money they spend. You start looking down the financial back trails though, and you will find who's been keeping this project alive. I guarantee it."
"So where do we start with all this?" Klaus asked. He actually looked impressed.
"With public records. Most states have an open records law. We start by requesting public records, and we go from there. It would help if you had a friend who works for a member of the Virginia Press Association, either with the newspapers or TV."
Damon grinned at that. "Would you believe Vampire Barbie? Caroline started working for the Mystic Falls Herald a couple of months ago. She writes the society page. No surprises there, but she does."
Lindsey nodded. "There's your in, then. As a member of the media, she can make the request, and she can put the VPA's attorney on their tails if they won't come up with the records."
"I expect Caroline is still playing house with Stefan?" Klaus asked.
"Oh yeah. They're disgusting together," Damon answered, but Lindsey knew he was just putting up a front.
Klaus shook his head. "What is it about you Salvatore brothers? How do you effortlessly manage to attract the most beautiful, accomplished, intelligent women? I can almost understand you, Damon, but Stefan? Good God."
Lindsey's eyes widened. "Well, I didn't know you had a thing for Caroline, too, Klaus. Damon never mentioned it."
"Let's say I didn't exactly use the best judgment on that front," he muttered.
"Must be something in the water in Mystic Falls, I swear. That town is full of humans and altered humans who are bent on using really bad judgment and making terrible decisions. I don't understand it."
"How old were you when you were turned, Lindsey?" Klaus asked.
"Forty-six. And that's been a year ago, so I'm nearly forty-seven."
He shook his head. "You hardly look a day over thirty-five. Not much older than Damon."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, love. Perhaps being turned a little later in life allows one to acquire better decision-making skills."
"That's what Damon says, but who knows?" She paused and cocked her head, listening. "The baby's awake. You'd better go get her, Damon. It's not time for her to eat yet and you'll be the best one to calm her down."
"O.K.," he said and as he stood, he looked at Klaus. "That's my wife, remember."
"Oh, for God's sake. Do whatever it is you need to do, Damon! She's quite safe."
Damon harrumphed in reply, but went upstairs.
"So. A baby? Did you adopt?" Klaus asked, looking keenly at her.
"No, we're temporary foster parents. We take the emergency cases. Usually, the mother's on drugs, or the baby has been abandoned or something like that. We just got Takeelah today. And turns out, Damon is wonderful with babies. All he has to do is pick them up, and they stop fussing and are as happy as they can be. I don't know how he does it."
Klaus shook his head. "I confess, I have a great deal of difficulty seeing Damon in such a - domestic - role, considering his awfully bloody past."
"He's never harmed a child, and never would, Klaus. He's trying to live with honor and decency as my husband. I know about his past. He's told me. No secrets. But I choose to let the past stay where it is and extend grace. He's capable of love and kindness, which means he's not irredeemable. He's very much worth loving, and I do love him."
"I see," Klaus answered. Well, hadn't she delivered an effective set down?
Damon, of course, could hear every word, and as he picked up the baby and put her on his shoulder, he had to smile. Lindsey was his staunch advocate and defender. Takeelah fussed every time he put her back down, so he put a cloth over his shoulder to catch the drool and brought her downstairs.
When he sat down in the swing with the baby, Klaus looked surprised. "Tiny little thing," he said.
"She's underweight. She was born addicted to crack," Lindsey explained, "and so she has a hard time eating. We'll get her in good shape, though."
"Born addicted. And they call us monsters," Klaus said.
"That's what I say," Damon responded.
"So what do we do once Caroline requests the financial records?" Klaus asked.
"We read. A lot. We look for patterns, unusual purchases, like for stuff that doesn't match a program they actually offer. And I'd recommend we get Caroline, Stefan and Bonnie all in on this. The more sets of eyes we've got on the project, the better." She thought for a moment. "And let me check the online conspiracy boards. Just because a whole bunch of nuts post there, it doesn't mean they're all completely wrong. Sometimes, they have good information. I'll see what I can dig up. Because that's what this is going to be: a lot of digging and scratching. It's not going to be easy, but here's the angle: we know these people have used regular humans in their experiments. Without their consent. I'm proof. So that's where we get the bankrollers. We threaten to expose that they've been using humans."
"And that will likely take care of the problem," Damon said.
"I'd think so," Lindsey answered.
Klaus chuckled. "Lindsey, my dear, you have a truly devious mind. This could work."
"It will work if we do it right. And I'm not devious. I'm logical."
"Nah, you're devious, sweetheart," Damon replied.
"Shut up."
Klaus grinned at them. "Damon, I do believe you've finally come across the one woman in the world who is unwilling to tolerate your nonsense."
"I don't tolerate nonsense from any vampires, period," Lindsey said, looking Klaus right in the eyes.
Klaus raised an eyebrow. "Somehow, I can believe that," he answered. He might well be an Original and immortal - the most powerful vampire in the world - but he hadn't survived this long by being stupid. He read people very well, and he had a feeling that if he put a foot wrong around Lindsey Salvatore, he would likely pay for it. She might not lash out immediately, but she was indeed, devious, and he knew eventually, she would get her own back at him, and it wouldn't be pleasant. She might even be able to put Kol in his place, and wouldn't that be something to watch?
"Well, I'll send an email to Caroline to tell her what's up, and to get her to request those records. Then we'll see what happens from there," Lindsey said. "I may also ask her to get in touch with Elena. She's on campus and can be eyes and ears, if she's willing. I mean, this affects her, too. Every supernatural is at risk from those people."
Klaus stood. "Well, I'll be off now. I'll probably stop by again tomorrow. So delightful to meet you, Lindsey." He went down the steps and peeled out of the gravel driveway in a cloud of dust.
Lindsey looked over at Damon. "Well, that explains why Kol and Rebekah are in Mystic Falls," she said. "You'd better go ahead and call Stefan. I'll email Caroline. I can't believe Klaus is actually trying to get rid of these idiots. I think it's the right thing to do, but I still can't quite believe it. He's being as honest as he ever is, I think, but we'll see." She smiled at the baby in his arms. "Is Takeelah asleep again?"
Damon looked at the baby and grinned. "Out like a light," he said. "I'll put her back down."
Well? Can I get a review? Please? Reviews are love, after all! :)