Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or Teen Wolf.

Chapter 6 – What Happens in Vegas

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Two days later

Las Vegas, Nevada

Stefan winced as he walked out of the airport building and into the searing heat and blinding sunlight of Nevada. The sun was hanging low on the horizon, lighting up the desert sky in a dazzling display of red, orange and pink.

"Not used to this kind of weather, I'm assuming?" Elena asked from where she stood next to him.

Stefan shrugged. "I was never a big fan of deserts."

"Can we get on with this already?" Klaus asked, leading the way towards the exit from the airport. "I've never been a particularly patient man, but having to listen to all of you chattering nonstop for the past six hours has been a new level of irritation!"

"Oh, shut up," Caroline snapped. "You weren't exactly suffering in silence! You couldn't go for ten minutes without complaining about something!"

Klaus's eyes narrowed, but he remained calm. "As I was saying on the plane, we should get there as soon as possible. Fortunately, it's highly unlikely they will have changed their address."

"Right… this mysterious witch coven you keep going on about," Damon said, with a hint of skepticism in his voice. "And you're sure they can help us find this Amulet thing?"

"And Bonnie?" Elena put in, with a pointed look at Damon.

Klaus sighed. "Yes, I'm positive. They've been living in the same location for over a hundred years; I doubt they'd have moved since the last time I was here."

"Vegas," Damon mused. "I've been here a few times over the years. Always fun."

"And, since you've been here before, you should know that Las Vegas is a hotbed for supernatural activity," Klaus explained. "One of them is this particular coven; they're one of the most powerful groups of witches in the western half of the United States. If anyone can find Bonnie and the Amulet, they're the ones."

Alaric nodded. "All right, then. Let's get going. Where is this place?"

Klaus smiled. "I thought you'd never ask."

Spotting two cabs driving towards them, Klaus stepped forward and flagged them down. He opened the passenger's-side door on the first one, and hopped in nimbly. "The Glamour Casino, mate," he drawled to the cabdriver, before beckoning impatiently to the others. "Well, come on! We haven't got all day!"

Elena, Caroline and Damon climbed into the back, while Alaric, Jeremy, Tyler and Stefan took the second one. Alaric repeated Klaus's instruction to the driver of the second cab, and both cars accelerated out of the parking lot.

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As the pair of cabs pulled up outside their destination, Elena's eyes widened in amazement.

"Not what you were expecting?" Klaus quipped from the front seat with an amused smirk.

Damon, seated next to Elena, whistled. "And I thought all witches were down-to-earth types who lived in country houses where they could smell the flowers and commune with nature."

Klaus chuckled. "Hardly. These witches have spent about a century in this city. They've spent that time building up quite a fortune for themselves."

"Obviously," Elena murmured.

The building where they had come to a stop was huge, towering ten stories above the street. It had clearly been elaborately designed; the elaborately constructed neon sign on the front of the building was proof enough of that. In huge, swirling letters, each in a different color, the sign spelled out GLAMOUR.

"The Glamour Hotel and Casino," Klaus announced as the group gathered on the sidewalk in front of the building. "Headquarters of the Aurum witch family." He smiled faintly. "I've had dealings with them on many occasions in the past. They're generally a pleasant lot. Don't worry, everything will be fine…" He shot a look at Elena and Caroline. "As long as you let me do the talking."

"Why are you looking at us?" Caroline asked.

Klaus raised an eyebrow, smirking at her. "Because you two are usually the ones who say something idiotic without thinking and, by so doing, get yourselves into trouble."

Elena and Caroline immediately started to protest, but Klaus held a hand up, cutting off their complaints. "Don't even try denying it; you both know I'm right. And these witches will not hesitate to try to kill every one of us if we get them pissed off at us. They can't kill me, but they could kill all of you, and then I'd have to go after Jonathan on my own, with no idea where to look. So, for once in your lives, actually do what I say, and shut up." His lips curved in a smile. "If you want your friend back, of course."

With frustrated sighs, Elena and Caroline nodded, backing down. They'd already agreed that, since Klaus was the expert here, they'd let him plead their case to these witches.

Klaus nodded. "Good. Now…" he glanced up, seeing that the sun had finished setting, and the sky had darkened into night. "Shall we?"

As expected, a security guard, tall and muscular with a light brown buzzcut, stopped them at the front entrance. "Names, please," he asked coolly, his eyes fixed emotionlessly on them.

Klaus stepped forward, a grin on his face. "Oh, I think my name will be quite sufficient. Niklaus Mikaelson." His smile widened. "I believe I'm on the list."

The guard's eyes widened, and he paled. "You're… you're Klaus?"

"I am," Klaus confirmed with another smirk. "We're here to see Vivian."

The guard's eyes widened even further. "I… yes, sir. I'll inform Ms. Aurum that you wish to speak with her. In the meantime, please do come in."

"Thank you," Klaus replied cordially, strolling into the building past the guard. "Come along, everyone."

Tyler followed Klaus without hesitation; the others trailed behind him more nervously.

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When they entered the main ballroom of the Glamour Casino, the first impression was the noise. The pounding beat of the music echoed through the room. Hundreds of people filled the room; in one area, people were dancing, while in the rest of the casino various games tables were in use.

Klaus seemed to know exactly where he was going; he headed straight for the bar at the back of the room, where a young woman with long blonde hair was serving drinks. Elena and the others followed him, the vampires in the room shielding their ears against the music.

Klaus seated himself casually on one of the stools by the bar and called, "Good evening, darling."

The bartender turned to face him, her blue eyes widening in surprise. A smile crossed her face. "Niklaus Mikaelson, as I live and breathe."

Klaus grinned, leaning forward onto the bar. "Vivian. It's good to see you."

"And you," Vivian returned, smirking as she glanced over the group arranged behind Klaus. "I never figured you for the type to travel with an entourage."

"Them?" Klaus chuckled. "Oh, they're not my entourage. In fact, I despise several of them. But we share a similar goal, so I brought them along."

"Goal?" Vivian asked. Her voice turned teasing, and she laughed. "So you came here because you needed something. Why am I not surprised?"

Klaus grinned. "As perceptive as ever, Vivian." His eyes lost the playful sparkle, and he leaned forward, his expression becoming more serious. "In all honesty, though, we need to talk to you in private, immediately."

Vivian shrugged, also losing the joking tone. "Well, I'm a little busy at the moment, as you may have noticed. You might want to come back later."

Klaus met her eyes, his expression hardened. "Jonathan Blackwood is back."

Vivian stared open-mouthed at Klaus, her hand actually trembling where it was holding the counter.

"He's alive?" she whispered. Then she managed to calm herself and force back the fear. Some strength came beck into her tone. "All right. Hang on a second." She raised a hand and called over another woman in a hotel uniform. "Tina, I need you to cover the bar for a while, okay?"

The other woman, a young brunette, nodded. "Whatever you say, Vivian."

Vivian smiled. "Thanks." She turned back to Klaus. "Okay, let's go."

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Topeka, Kansas

Bonnie sat in the restaurant booth, finishing her drink as Blackwood signed the check for their meal. They'd been driving for the past two days, only stopping for gas and meals - well, meals for her, as Blackwood, being a vampire, didn't eat human food. Fortunately, she'd been able to get some sleep, because he had been driving the entire time. Apparently, one effect of being a vampire was that you could go for much longer without sleeping. Odd, she'd never heard Caroline, Stefan or Damon mention that, but she supposed it just hadn't come up.

Blackwood was seated across from her, his usual ever-present smile on his face. He always seemed to be amused; it was as if life was a game to him, and he was only there to entertain himself. Considering that he was also an insane, bloodthirsty monster, Bonnie found him to be an interesting paradox. He was very polite, cordial, even friendly, one minute; the next, he was so terrifying that she could easily believe that he'd done all of the terrible things Stefan and Damon had described.

As for Katherine, she was still unconscious in the trunk with her neck snapped. Blackwood had explained that a broken neck was the only way, short of vervain, to keep a vampire down and unconscious for an extended length of time without killing it, so he'd been rebreaking Katherine's neck every time she started moving.

They exited the restaurant. Bonnie felt a chill in the air as a breeze ruffled her hair, and she shivered. Blackwood had allowed her to pick up a few days' worth of clothing when they'd returned to her house to pick up her grimoire, but they'd still left Mystic Falls during a warm spell. Now it was freezing, and she was regretting her decision to leave her sweatshirt in the car.

"Here," Blackwood said suddenly, handing her an object – his jacket, she realized, which he had removed as they were walking. "You're cold, I can tell."

"No, it's okay, I'm fine," Bonnie protested.

"No, you're not," Blackwood replied casually, holding out the jacket. "Come on, put on the jacket."

"But you'll–" she protested.

"I'm fine," Blackwood interrupted. He grinned. "Vampire, remember? I don't really get cold."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Fine," she muttered, taking the jacket and slipping it on. It was definitely warmer than she'd expected, considering that a vampire had been wearing it. It was definitely a lot warmer than she'd been before, so she quickly zipped it up.

Blackwood smirked. "Told you."

"Shut up," she muttered.

Blackwood chuckled as he led the way to the car.

"Just a moment, if you don't mind," he said, walking to the trunk. "I'd better check in on our passenger."

He opened the trunk, revealing Katherine's body. Bonnie noticed, with a start, that one of the vampire's hands was twitching, the fingers moving slowly.

"She's waking up," she whispered.

Blackwood smiled. "Yes, she is."

"Well?" Bonnie asked hurriedly. "Aren't you just going to snap her neck again?"

Blackwood considered for a moment, then shook his head. "No. I have a better idea." He glanced to Katherine, who was now moving, and then back to Bonnie. "You might want to stay over there." He pointed to the front of the car, then vanished from sight in a blur of super speed.

Bonnie nodded slowly, and then hurried to the front end of the car. She waited, prepared to use her powers to take Katherine down if she got too close. Blackwood, she wasn't worried about. He'd proven that he could easily handle himself.

Finally, a high-heeled shoe touched the pavement with a click, then another, as Katherine climbed out of the trunk. She looked around wildly for a moment, before spotting Bonnie.

"You?" she asked in shock.

"Hi, Katherine," Bonnie said coolly.

Katherine looked around again, her eyes narrowing in confusion. "Where are we? What happened?" Her eyes widened again. "Where's Blackwood?"

"No idea," Bonnie answered honestly.

Katherine's eyes locked on Bonnie, her expression now one of suspicion. "What did you do?" she hissed.

Now Bonnie was the confused one. "What are you talking about?"

"Where is he?" Katherine demanded, taking a threatening step towards Bonnie. "Where's Blackwood?"

"Right behind you, love," the familiar voice said cheerfully, as Blackwood reappeared directly behind Katherine.

Katherine whirled around, and Blackwood promptly backhanded her across the face, hurling her backwards. She slammed down flat on her back, gasping for air.

Blackwood advanced, still smiling. "Lovely to see you conscious again, Katerina."

"Blackwood," Katherine whispered, horror on her face. "How are you–"

"Alive?" Blackwood finished. "Simple, really; I was never dead to begin with." He chuckled. "Rumors of my death were… greatly exaggerated."

Katherine's eyes widened as she glared at him. "What do you want with me?"

"Nothing, really," Blackwood said casually, as he continued walking forward. "It was just your misfortune that you happened to run into me while you were skipping town, and I can't afford to have anyone knowing that I'm alive. Plus, you usually have vervain in your system, so I couldn't compel you."

Bonnie frowned. Wait… that doesn't make sense. Most vampires can't compel each other, can they?

"Then what are you going to do with me?" Katherine asked hesitantly.

Blackwood smiled. "Well, remember, I said that you usually have vervain in your system. However, you've been comatose for quite a while… and in that time, before I picked up Bonnie here, I bled all of the vervain out of your system." His smile grew. "Meaning…"

Katherine's eyes widened in shock, and she turned to run… but Blackwood was already standing behind her. He grasped her throat with his left hand, lifting her off her feet, and pinned her down on the hood of the car next to his Lexus. She struggled, kicking at him, but he had her in a careful grip, and she couldn't reach him.

Blackwood smiled, grabbing her left wrist in his right hand and pinning her arm down on the hood. "Listen to me very carefully," he said, gazing into her eyes as his pupils expanded. "You will do exactly as I say. You will obey my every instruction, and you will continue to do so until I release you from my compulsion. And you will do so without your usual… attitude." He smiled. "Do you understand?"

Katherine had stopped moving, her struggled ceasing as she stared up at him. "I understand," she breathed, her eyes glazed.

Bonnie stared at the two vampires in shock. "How did you…" she asked.

Blackwood smirked, releasing Katherine, who remained passive. "I've learned a few tricks over the years," he said, turning to face Bonnie. "Now, then. Back to business. We're close enough; it's time for the first spell I need you to carry out."

"What's the spell?" Bonnie asked slowly.

Blackwood smiled. "It's a very special type of incantation. One that can locate the site of a witch's death."

Bonnie's eyes widened. "You mean… my ancestor? Elizabeth?"

"Yes," Blackwood answered. "She sealed away the Amulet somewhere near where I killed her, so if you can find the exact spot, we'll have a place to start looking. I could find it myself, but that was almost a hundred and fifty years ago, so the area obviously looks much different now."

Bonnie nodded slowly. "I've never done a spell like that before, but if the incantation's in my grimoire, I can do it."

"It's fairly similar to a standard locator spell," Blackwood assured her. "The only difference is that you're looking for the impression left upon the natural world by Elizabeth's death. It shouldn't be hard to find." He grinned. "Besides, I've managed to obtain a copy of the spell you need, so you won't have to look through your grimoire for it."

Bonnie considered for a moment, then nodded. "All right, then. Where do we do this?"

"I've taken the liberty of finding a motel not far from here," Blackwood replied. "It seemed to be as good of a place as any." He turned to Katherine, who was now standing up, still strangely calm. "Hop in the back, my dear. We'd best get going."

With a nod, Katherine walked over to the Lexus, opened the back door, and slid into the back seat.

Blackwood opened the passenger's-side door and nodded to Bonnie, indicating the open door with one hand. "Bonnie?"

Bonnie nodded in thanks and, despite her misgivings, she climbed into the car. Blackwood closed the door, and, a split second and a burst of vampire speed later, opened the driver's door and hopped in. He closed the door, buckled his seatbelt and smiled at Bonnie, then at Katherine. "And off we go again."

Blackwood gunned the accelerator, and they were off.

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Glamour Hotel and Casino

Las Vegas, Nevada

The group was seated around a large, round table, on which was spread a huge map of the western United States. Vivian Aurum was seated next to several candles she'd arranged, with Klaus on her right and Damon on her left. Stefan, Elena, Caroline, Jeremy, Alaric and Tyler were also seated around the table, glancing over the map speculatively. Their surroundings were dark, illuminated only by the light of various scented candles that Vivian had placed around the perimeter of the room.

Vivian began to chant in a low tone, murmuring in Latin as she lit each of the candles one by one.

Since Klaus was the only one who had seen this process before, the rest of the group were somewhat unsettled by the ritual. Stefan and Damon, especially, seemed to be on edge.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked softly.

"As you may remember, the witch spirits don't like vampires very much," Damon muttered. "So the idea of doing some super-powerful witch ritual with us sitting right next to it isn't exactly appealing to me."

"Agreed," Stefan said tersely, glancing around the room.

Klaus smirked. "Oh, relax. You're perfectly safe here; Vivian is very good at her work."

Vivian nodded, lighting the rest of the candles with a wave of her hand. "The spirits won't harm you. There's nothing to fear here."

With a final sweep of Vivian's arms and a murmured chant, there was silence. Vivian looked around. "It's ready." Her gaze fell on Klaus. "Do you have a picture of the girl?"

Elena nodded, taking a picture of Bonnie out of her wallet and passing it across to Vivian. "This is her."

Taking the picture, Vivian nodded. "Thank you." She set the photo down on the table, and held up a knife in one hand. Holding out her other hand, she ran the knife across her palm, opening a shallow cut. As she replaced the knife on the table, she held her bleeding hand over the picture and clenched her fist so that her blood dripped onto the photograph of Bonnie as she resumed chanting.

After about thirty seconds, the candle flames flared up brightly. Vivian grasped the bloody photograph in her uninjured hand and turned it over, spilling the blood onto the map. It formed a red puddle on the surface of the map.

As Vivian continued her chanting, the blood started to move, flowing across the map as if it had a mind of its own. Slowly, it came to rest over one portion of the map.

Klaus leaned forward, his eyes narrowing in curiosity. "Kansas… interesting."

As they watched, the blood moved slightly. Vivian nodded. "She's moving at the moment, so I can't pinpoint her exact location, but that's the general area."

"Well, let's go, then!" Elena said.

"No," Klaus cut her off, raising a hand.

"What?!" Elena snapped.

"If they're moving, then there's no sense in going there," Klaus said calmly. "What we need to know is where they're going to end up… the location of Elizabeth Bennett's death."

"That would be the deathspot locator you want me to do next?" Vivian asked.

Klaus glanced over at her and nodded with a faint smile. "If you wouldn't mind."

Vivian shrugged. "Why not?" Her eyes narrowed in concentration. "I will need either a picture of her or something she once owned, though."

"I can supply that," Klaus replied promptly. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he removed an aged, black-and-white photograph of a young woman with dark skin and shoulder-length black hair. She bore a marked resemblance to Bonnie, and to her ancestor Emily. There was no denying that this woman was a member of the Bennett family.

"Elizabeth Bennett," Klaus announced, stating the obvious, as he handed the photograph to Vivian.

Vivian nodded, looking down at the picture of Elizabeth, and started to chant again, murmuring in a low voice. The candle flames around the room flared up again as the spell intensified. Matt glanced nervously at the candles nearest to him.

Vivian turned her still-bleeding hand over again, holding it over the picture as she clenched her fist, allowing her blood to drip onto the image of Elizabeth Bennett. She continued to chant, her voice increasing in volume, as the candle flames burned brighter.

Lifting the photograph in her hand, Vivian dripped the blood onto the map; it remained still at first, but then began to flow across the map, just as it had the first time.

As Vivian's chanting continued, the blood moved swiftly over the tabletop and the map placed upon it, until it finally came to a stop in the southern half of California, condensing into a smaller and smaller patch until a specific location was confirmed.

Vivian ceased chanting and sighed, leaning forward with a drained expression on her face. "Not an easy spell to pull off, but that should do it. That's where you'll find the spot where she died."

Klaus leaned in close, as the rest of the group all converged around the table, looking at the map and the droplets of blood upon it, highlighting the name of a town in Southern California.

Klaus's eyes narrowed as he read the town's name, barely visible under the bloodstain but still legible.

"Beacon Hills," he murmured. "As good a name as any, I suppose."

Stefan nodded. "Interesting… why would this witch have been there when Blackwood found her?"

"In 1864, that town must have been a mining village," Klaus replied. "I never knew the name of the place, but Jonathan most likely did." He placed one finger on the map, indicating the town of Beacon Hills. "This is where Jonathan killed Elizabeth, and where she must have hidden the Amulet. If we can find it first, we can get it before he does, and then wait for him there. We can take him out, get your little friend back, and all be back to Mystic Falls by the end of the week."

"Assuming we can actually find the Amulet," Damon pointed out.

Klaus sighed. "Will you people please stop being so negative? It's getting on my nerves!"

Damon shrugged. "Just being realistic."

Alaric faced Damon. "Look, Damon… we really don't have another option, unless we want Blackwood to get his hands on that Amulet." His gaze swung over to Elena and Caroline. "And if we want to get Bonnie back." Reluctantly, he turned back to Klaus, who was typing something on his cell phone, but glanced up expectantly when he saw Alaric looking at him.

Alaric nodded slowly. "All right. Let's go."

Klaus grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that." He rose elegantly to his feet and kissed Vivian's uninjured hand in a courtly manner as she stood. "Thank you for your assistance, Vivian. Much appreciated."

Vivian nodded. "Always glad to help, Klaus. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go put something on this." She indicated the cut across her palm.

"By all means," Klaus replied, smiling in a friendly way as Vivian exited the room, before turning back to the others. "Now, then. Shall we go?"

Alaric, who had taken the opportunity to take a quick photograph of the town's location on the map with his cell phone camera, turned to Klaus. "Lead the way."

Klaus strolled out of the room, leading the group back through the crowded casino and, eventually, back out of the same door they'd entered through. The security guard nodded respectfully to Klaus as they left.

"So, then," Damon called, breaking the silence. "How exactly are we supposed to get to this place? Do we drive there?"

Klaus laughed. "No, of course not." He held up his phone, which he'd been texting on the entire time. "I've already booked all of us on a flight to Los Angeles. We leave in an hour, so we'd better get back to the airport."

Damon looked away, his face sour. "Of course," he muttered sardonically.

As Klaus signaled for two cabs to pick them up, Alaric turned to Stefan, Jeremy and Elena. "So," he said. "Beacon Hills, huh? Sounds like a nice place."

"Well, we shouldn't be there for too long," Stefan replied, "but yeah, you're right."

Jeremy's eyes were narrowed in thought. "Personally, I don't like the sound of it."

"Well, at least it's hopefully not like Mystic Falls, where there's a different monster popping out of the woodwork every few weeks," Alaric commented.

"Fair point," Jeremy acknowledged. "But for all we know, it could be."

"Don't jinx it, please," Caroline cut him off abruptly.

Jeremy sighed. "Fine."

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A/N: And here we are at the end of another chapter. Sorry it's taken me so long to update, I've been very busy lately.

Anyway, I'm sure you were all wondering when I was going to finally get the story to Beacon Hills and connect the two series. The answer; now, actually! I figured I'd left it long enough, and even though nobody from The Vampire Diaries is actually in Beacon Hills yet, the countdown to their arrival has begun!

Hopefully you enjoyed this glimpse into the Aurum witch clan. If you're wondering, yes, they will continue to play a role in this story; I didn't just introduce them as a plot convenience to find the Amulet. The Aurum coven will continue to be linked to the events that will unfold. By the way, bonus points to anyone who can guess what the word "Aurum" means!

And if anyone's wondering how Blackwood was able to compel Katherine, even though she's a vampire… I can't answer that yet, because I'm not going to reveal much about him yet, but his backstory will eventually be explained.

Shoutouts to tablekorner, Guest, 10vampirekill, Delilah, and KaterinaPetrovah for reviewing! You guys are awesome!

And thanks so much to everyone who's read this story for over 2,000 views! :)

As always, if any of you have any questions or comments about this chapter or the story as a whole, please review! (No hate, please).

Next chapter, Bonnie, Blackwood and Katherine continue their road trip and begin the deathspot locator, and the rest of the gang arrive in Beacon Hills to begin their search for the Amulet, immediately becoming involved with the local happenings… stay tuned!

See you next time!

Review Q&A:

Q: So, wasn't sure about this but it's looking pretty good so far. The writing is great, and all the characters seem pretty in character. I've got a couple questions. Will the other Originals be awakened, seems like a logical strategy for Klaus to at least try to convince the Stefan it would be a good idea to hand them over so he can wake them. Also, since this is going on in S03a of Teen Wolf, then what's going to go on with the Alpha Pack? They going to be involved in this at all? Anyway, looking forward to reading me!

A: Thanks, I appreciate the compliment! I'm glad to know that you enjoy my work!

Well, so far Stefan has no intention of even considering handing the coffins over to Klaus… but we'll see how it goes. I will say this; one of the Original family, apart from Klaus, will be featured in this story. Which one? For that, we'll have to wait and see.

And regarding the Alpha pack… yes, they will definitely be involved in this story. In fact, one of them already has a prior connection to one of the characters from The Vampire Diaries… but that's all I'll say about that for now.

Q: I think Blackwood and Elena should have history together but she never knew he was evil because he told her his name was Chase and he showed her the soft side of him that nobody else knew he had

A: Interesting idea, but no, Blackwood has no history with Elena. However, I will be explaining the history that Blackwood has with other characters on the show, particularly Klaus and Katherine, as he's clearly met both of them before. And we'll also find out how Blackwood faked his death during the Vampire War all those years ago. But for now, he'll be remaining mysterious for the most part.