authors note: I own nothing. We are half way through Part 1, I announced on my profile that this story will contain 3 Parts. I'm hoping to get another chapter posted today as well, keep an eye out for it. Enjoy!

Chapter 10: Recluse

October 6th 2012

Dear diary,

I've been keeping myself locked in my room for the past week.

I don't know what else I can do, I can't see myself going back to school just yet... I've been getting countless calls from Elijah as well as Spike. I haven't responded to any of them. How else do they expect me to react? Finding out the man you were seeing is an original vampire that is a thousand years old and that your best friend is a warlock? I need more time and they should both understand that... I successfully managed to keep Carly in the dark about all this. I simply told her I haven't been feeling myself lately and not to worry, it's not exactly a lie, there's more truth to it than anything.

Carly is a seventeen year old girl who should be focusing on all the great things her senior year has to offer and she should be able to enjoy herself to the fullest without any of this. Would she even believe it if she ever knew? I have no idea, I still find myself second guessing all the things I've seen and heard in regard to Elijah especially, but the painful truth is, they did happen and that all this is real...

My sleeping patterns have been erratic throughout this last week. The mental image of Elijah's face as well as the heart he had ripped out had surprisingly left my mind. Instead now I've been having different dreams, even nightmares... One of the reoccurring dreams is of a woman, I'm not able to see her face, but I did hear her scream and beg for her life.

My vision in the dream was blurry, it was almost as if what was happening to this woman was happening to me, as if I was seeing it through her eyes. Her hands were bound and suspended and she repeatedly pleaded to be set free, not for herself but for the lives of the children she had, that she didn't want to leave alone. I also saw that she was being kept in a dungeon like setting with multiple candles surrounding her... Whomever was holding her captive, kept their face hidden and ignored her.

The worst part of the dream that always manages to wake me up in a cold sweat is hearing the woman's final scream as a blade is plunged into her stomach and she is left to bleed to death... It takes me a good few hours to shake off this dream whenever it enters my mind. I'm grateful that I wasn't able to see either of the people in this dream, if I had it would have made the experience even more haunting... The other dream was different, in a way I was actually happy to have it, it was a dream of my Dad.

Although I didn't understand this dream in the slightest, just seeing his face and even hearing his voice was enough to bring me comfort... I felt that I was watching what was happening in the third person, in this dream my Dad was speaking on the phone. Whoever he was talking to was clearly upsetting him. His shouts had woken up a five year old version of myself.

I had slowly climbed down the stairs to see what was wrong but once he saw me, he put me back to bed and reassured me that everything was alright. I then would lean against my door and still listen to his conversation, from what I could make out, it sounded like he was discussing me. Saying things like "I will not let you near my daughter, I will not allow you to enter into her life and drag her into your world.

She will find out when she's ready if at all..." For some reason I couldn't remember that night, I'm not sure if had really happened when I was five years old or if it happened at all to begin with... My head was swimming with so many questions as well as doubts and fears about all that has gone on... I had gotten more than enough answers from Elijah, at least for now, but I was told nothing by Spike, and this dream about this woman and about my Dad was visiting my dreams almost every night over this last week. I need to know what they mean...

I looked up from my diary as I thought about what I had just written.

"How could I get answers?" I thought but in that moment my attention was drawn to my cell phone.

I know I had just promised myself more time before I return any of the missed calls I had received but I went against my own advice and dialed the most recent number.

"Hey, I need your help, can you come over?" I asked.

About an hour later, there was a knock at my door, Carly wasn't going to be home for another two hours and I was hoping I could accomplish what I set out to before she comes home... I opened the door and Spike stood in my doorway.

"I'm surprised you called" he said as he stepped inside.

"Like I said on the phone I need your help with something" I said as I thought about how to go about my request.

"What is it?" Spike asked as he put his bag down.

"Well knowing what I know about your secret, which isn't very much, I assume that your able to cast spells and do various things regarding magic right?" I asked.

"Yeah, I can, I have my family's spell book that allows me access to all their spells, rituals and enchantments as well as other things, why?" Spike asked.

"I've been having dreams lately and I need to know what their about, I wouldn't be having them almost every night if they didn't mean anything..." I said as I started to pace.

"You want me to try and interpret them?" Spike said.

"No, I actually I want to know if it is possible to contact the dead..." I said as I looked at him.

"The dead? Well it's possible but nothing is guaranteed, why do you want to do that?" Spike said sounding concerned.

"I want to try to contact my Dad...can we please try to do it? I asked desperately.

"Okay sure" Spike said as he then reached into his bag and pulled out the same book I had seen the day he was chanting in my room as well as when he came to our loft when he first moved here, The Roman Grimoire.

Spike made his way into my room and emptied his bag on my bed. He opened a jar of what looked like salt and made a large circle of it on my bedroom floor. He then opened his Grimoire and placed some large white candles around my room.

"I need you to bring me a bowl and a picture of him" Spike said as he made his way around the circle he made and lit the candles as well as turned out the lights. I returned with a picture I had kept from our old family albums, it was of Dad and Mom. Spike took the picture from me and folded it in half to only show my Dad's face, I then sat down next to me and simply waited for what he needed to do next.

"I need you to give me some blood" Spike said as he reached his hand out.

I looked at him confused but if this is what's needed then I'll do it. I placed my hand in Spike's as he gently pricked my finger with a pin. He then squeezed my finger gently and a few drops of blood dripped onto my Dad's picture. I then sat back and covered my finger as Spike placed both of his hands over the bowl and closed his eyes.

"Spirits, Ancestors, Elders...I ask for your assistance. We need to speak with the departed soul of Malcolm Lewis. Please if he can be contacted, bring him to us, show him to us..." Spike said.

We then sat in silence for a few moments while nothing happened, Spike continued to keep his eyes closed but he slowly brought his hands down back to his side. I looked around and waited for something, anything to happen...

"Why isn't it working?" I asked feeling impatient. "I don't know, maybe his soul can't be reached, it has been over a year since his death, maybe he has truly moved on" Spike said.

I looked down disappointed yet grateful to Spike for trying but just as Spike and I went to stand up, the picture that had the droplets of my blood on it ignited in fire. I jumped in my place as I then felt a cold chill pass through my room.

Spike and I both were frozen in our place. An aura was then starting to form over the bowl as the picture had completely burned. The mist collected and I started to see a slight figure emerge. In a few moments, the figure was visible. He had the same dark brown eyes, black hair, and olive skin tone as I did as he stood staring at both me and Spike.

"Oh my God...Daddy?" I said completely stunned, he looked exactly how I remembered him.

"Hello sweetheart" he said as he shot me a smile.

I couldn't believe it here he was, standing in my bedroom as if nothing had ever happened, almost as if the fire and his death as well as Mom's was a nightmare, but I knew it wasn't...but despite all that I was overjoyed to see him, I missed him so much.

authors note: reviews will be much appreciated. As I said before this chapter is somewhat filler but is still important. Malcolm Lewis, the father of Natalie and Carly, is loosely based on Alaric. The two dreams Natalie had will also prove to be important to the story. Elijah was absent this chapter but he will be appearing in the next. Carly and Spike's roles in the story are going to continue to grow as well. The mystery behind why Natalie is being called Natasha is going to be solved in the next chapter and Klaus will be making his official appearance very soon. To clarify, Klaus did appear incredibly briefly in the end of chapter 5 and has been accidentally invited in by Carly and will be entering in soon and staying. Will Malcolm be able to provide Natalie with some answers? We will find out! thanks so much for reading xo