Chapter 14: Connecting

******Same Time, Same Place******

Buffy didn't like being surrounded when she didn't know the players. Willow would be here soon; she would bide her time. "So who are your new friends?" she asked Klaus. "I already met your brother Elijah."

"This is my dear sister Rebekah," he said, pointing to the blonde who looked at the two women with interest. "The young man here is our baby brother Kol. He doesn't always listen. And behind you is the ever morose and always boring Finn, another brother."

Faith turned and eyed the tall, slender man behind them. He didn't look like much of a threat. "So you're all Originals?" she asked.

"Yes, so it wouldn't be a good idea to challenge us, love," Klaus said with an arrogant grin.

"They're awfully pretty, Nick. Can I keep one?" Kol asked eagerly, eying the two slayers.

"Someone needs to teach your baby bro some manners," Faith said crossly.

"He means no disrespect," Elijah said quickly. He shot Kol a look.

Kol chuckled and turned to Caroline. "Don't worry, sweet Caroline. You're still our favorite," he assured her.

"As if!" she protested with a roll of her eyes.

The door of the restaurant opened and Willow and Bonnie rushed inside. "Are we late for the party?" Willow said easily as she stood behind Finn, who quickly turned to face the two new arrivals.

She grabbed Bonnie's hand and began chanting in Latin.

"No need for that," Elijah said holding up his hand. "This is not a place for that."

"He's right, Will. Too many witnesses," Buffy agreed, looking at the few customers that were looking at them with interest. "I don't care how many of you there are. If you bother Elena or any of the humans in this town, you will die."

Kol laughed. "She's awfully daring," he noticed.

"Yes, she is," Klaus agreed. "I can't be killed."

"Oh, so you've survived a beheading before?" Buffy asked pointedly. "Because I can run home and grab my supernatural scythe and separate your head from your shoulders. We'll test your theory."

"Might make for a nice game of keep-away," Faith said with a snicker.

Klaus lost his smile. He never handled threats well. He stepped closer to Buffy. "Careful, girl. You have people you care about that I can easily kill. Not to mention I can rip your head from your shoulders with my bare hands," he threatened.

"Not so easily, I think," Buffy said confidently. "Even without Willow, I have access to more power than you can imagine."

Klaus examined her closely, trying to discern the truth of her words. "Maybe so. We will see," he said. "Let's go." He turned to his siblings. He headed for the door and his siblings followed. Except for Elijah, who lingered behind.

"It never ends well when people challenge my brother," Elijah warned.

"It never ends well when arrogant men underestimate me," Buffy responded without missing a beat.

"Klaus won't underestimate you. However, for all your gifts and skills, my brother has 1000 years experience defeating his enemies. He has never known defeat," Elijah said.

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Buffy said confidently.

Elijah frowned, weighing his words. He looked at Caroline and the boy Matt, who had came up behind them to listen. Then he said to Buffy, "I can protect Elena to a degree, but if you arouse Niklaus' ire, I won't be able to stop him," Elijah said.

"We don't need your help," Faith said in annoyance. Who was this guy?

"This is Faith. My second in command. She's also a slayer," Buffy introduced. "This is Elijah. Apparently the non-homicidal member of the family."

Elijah nodded at her. "Every family needs at least one. Too bad I was an only child," Faith said with a wicked smile.

Elijah didn't know if she was serious or not but knew enough about people to know that Faith was the loose canon between the two. She had an element of darkness in her that the fairer slayer did not. However, he could sense the steely resolve both women had. He couldn't help but admire people of conviction. Too many people in today's world didn't have much belief in anything. It made for a tedious world at times.

"Well, I wish you luck," Elijah said in resignation. "Miss Forbes." He nodded at Caroline as he passed by and left.

"That vamp is something else! Who talks like that?" Faith asked with derision.

"A 1000 year old vampire who actually respects women and has manners," Caroline said, making a point to disagree with Faith's obvious objection of the oldest original.

"I'll take him over the normal vamps we have to deal with," Buffy said. She turned to Caroline and asked, "So what did we miss?"

"I was talking to Matt and this cocky poser interrupts and tries to hit on me," Caroline said.

"That would be Kol," Matt added with a grin. "He was all ballsy and Caroline blows him off!"

"Then he tried to compel me. When I laughed at his attempt, he was really surprised," Caroline said with a satisfied grin.

"You can't be compelled?" Buffy asked, trying to keep it straight.

"Well, only with Originals. Vampires can't compel other vampires except for them. But if that skank Katherine can handle sipping vervain then so can I. So he couldn't compel me," Caroline said proudly.

"Vervain?" Faith asked, not following.

"It's a plant that vampires are allergic to. Like holy water on all those vampire movies," Caroline explained.

"So you keep it in your system so you can't be compelled?" Faith asked.

"Yep. Every painful drop," Caroline said.

"We drink it like tea or wear something that has it on it," Matt explained. "Jeremy has a bracelet and Elena a necklace."

"That's kind of dumb. Jewelry can be ripped off. I'd definitely ingest it," Faith said.

"We don't know if we can be compelled or not, so let's not risk it," Buffy advised. "We should get some."

"The Salvatores grow it," Caroline said.

"Good to know," Faith said. "I don't think regular vamps can compel us. I think Stefan tried that on me the night I met him. It didn't work."

"That's good at least. However, we don't want to take a chance with these originals. We need to get home and fill Giles and Alaric in," Buffy said.

"Ah, don't you want to know what else happened?" Caroline asked a bit uncertainly.

"What else happened?" Buffy asked.

"Well, um, they sort of knew about Elena's birthday party and well, Kol really wanted to come, and, well," her voice trailed off.

"You invited the super-vamps to Elena's birthday party?" Faith asked incredulously.

"No! Well, not exactly. I told Klaus that he couldn't come 'cause he killed Elena's aunt Jenna, and Kol promised he wouldn't kill anyone if he could come," Caroline explained.

"Because vampires are always so honest," Faith said sourly.

Buffy didn't know whether to laugh at the young vamp's rambling explanation or yell at her foolishness. However, the girl's naivete was fascinating.

"I didn't tell him he could come!" Caroline said defensively.

"So what did you say exactly?" Buffy asked, calling on her patience.

"I told Elijah that since he was Elena's friend he could come," Caroline said as if that was perfectly reasonable.

"Just Elijah?" Buffy asked with an arch of her brow.

"Well, I told him he could bring a guest," Caroline admitted.

Faith laughed, unable to contain her disbelief any longer. "I'm outta here!" she said to Buffy. "You can deal with the ditzy vamp!"

"I'm not a ditz!" Caroline said. "I have a 4.0 GPA!"

Faith just grinned and turned to leave. God save her from Valley Girl vampires!

Bonnie finally spoke. "No one thinks you're a ditz. Faith just doesn't know you," Bonnie said loyally.

Willow smiled at Caroline. She rambled like Willow used to at her age. "I think you're really cute when you ramble, and I am sure those very delicious vamps thought so, too," Willow said.

Matt laughed. "Yes, they were particularly taken with her," he agreed. "Kol and Klaus were flirting with her like crazy."

"Shut up, Matt!" Caroline said, turning red. "It was a bit flustering. I know Klaus is evil or can be, but he was all charm and well, kind of cute."

"I am familiar with his charms," Buffy said dryly.

"And I don't know anything about Kol. Is he evil? He seemed like a regular guy my age or even Jeremy's," Caroline admitted. "It was really hard to be rude."

Buffy just shook her head. "Well, it may not be a bad idea to get to know them. Find out what they're all about. Are they all on board with Klaus' plans?" Buffy said. "We know Elijah isn't. What about the rest?"

"So you want me to be nice to Kol?" Caroline asked doubtfully.

"It'll be such a hard job," Matt said sarcastically.

"Whatever," Caroline said crossly. "I wanted to spend my time at the party with someone else."

"Tyler's bringing a date," Matt informed her. Caroline glared at him. Would he shut up already?

"I didn't say you had to sleep with the guy. Just talk to him some," Buffy clarified. "I'll introduce Giles to Elijah if he shows up."

"What about me?" Willow asked.

"Why don't you go charm the sister?" Buffy suggested. "She's surrounded by men who think they're invincible. Surely she could use some female friends."

"That won't be a chore," Willow said with a grin.

Buffy chuckled. "Somehow I thought you'd say that!" she said.

******Later that Night******

Damon stood outside the slayer's house debating on the wisdom of his actions. He should just walk away. He should just grab his brother and leave town and forget about all of this. Disgusted at his weakness, he knocked on the door.

The slayer's sister answered. "Hey. Come in," she said, opening the door.

"No thanks. Can you ask Elena to come out?" Damon asked.

"Ah, sure," she said. "Elena!" She left the door open and bellowed again for Elena. A minute later Elena came to the door.

"Damon? What's wrong?" she asked in concern.

"Nothing. Can you talk for a minute?" he asked.

"Sure. Come in," Elena said.

"No. How about you come out?" Damon suggested.

She frowned but she closed the door as she stepped on the porch. "What's up?" she asked.

"Well, I heard a rumor that a girl I know turned eighteen today," Damon said with a lazy smile.

Elena was surprised by his words. "Ah, yes. My party's tomorrow, though. You're coming, right?" she asked.

"That remains to be seen. But I wanted to give you something for your birthday," Damon said.

"I thought we agreed that you weren't going to buy me anything? I don't need your money," Elena said with a frown.

"I know. I didn't buy you anything," Damon said. "I was going to give you back your necklace that Stefan gave to you. I reacquired it."

"You did?" Elena asked with mixed feelings. It was the first gift Stefan gave her. The only one really. But did she really want it back?

"Yes, but I figured with the way things stood between you and Stefan it might not be the best choice for a gift," Damon admitted.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Elena agreed with a sad look.

He handed her a small box. Elena smiled and opened it. Inside was an old-fashioned jeweled covered cross on a silver chain. "It's beautiful!" she exclaimed. She picked it up to examine it. "It's old."

"It belong to our mother," Damon shared. "I know if Stefan had his head on straight he'd want you to have it, too, so consider it from both of us."

Elena's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? Your mother?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. He reached over to take it from her. He looked at it. "She told me once that my grandmother gave it to her for her sixteenth birthday." Pulling apart the silver strands of the chain, he held the ends out to her. She turned and lifted up her hair.

After he fastened it, she let her hair drop and turned to face him. She looked down at the necklace, admiring it. "Thank you, Damon. I love it!" she said. She gave him a hug.

He hugged her a moment and then pulled back. "I knew it'd look perfect on you," he said, giving her that crooked smile of his.

"You don't ever talk about your mother. Neither does Stefan," Elena observed.

"Stefan doesn't really remember our mother," Damon said with a sad look. "I was very close to her."

"What was she like?" Elena asked with interest.

"She was always laughing. Always happy. A magnet that attracted everyone around her. The sun that my dad and I evolved around," Damon said, a far away look in his eyes as he remembered the first woman he had ever loved. Her compassion, her kindness imprinted on him to some degree no matter how much blood he spilled. Would she hate the man he had become? Hurting at the thought and the memories, he turned away from Elena.

Elena sensed his pain and put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Damon turned back to face her. "My father was a different man after she died. Harder. Unbending. Sometimes I think I reminded him too much of her or not enough. I was never sure. I just know I could never please him no matter how hard I tried," Damon said regretfully.

Damon hadn't been so open with her since he was dying of his werewolf bite. This side of Damon was rare, and it was a side she was drawn inexplicably to. Elena knew that he didn't show it to anyone but her. For some reason, his humanity seemed to come out the most when he was with her. She knew that it was because he loved her. Sometimes the weight of his love weighed on her. Other times it gave her comfort. She had lost so many she cared about and knew that Damon's love tied him to her. It maybe be selfish of her, but she liked knowing that in her ever changing world she wouldn't lose him.

"It's hard to lose someone you love," Elena said in understanding.

"Mother was so excited to give me a brother," Damon said, remembering with small smile. "She used to make up stories about all the things I would do with my new brother. She'd be disappointed at all the ways I've let him down."

"No, she wouldn't. You and Stefan are there for each other when it counts," Elena said.

"Now. But not always," Damon said with a mournful look in his eyes.. Then he shook his head. "It's your birthday and this conversation has become very morose."

"I like learning more about you," Elena confessed.

Damon flashed a smile. "I hear that Klaus has brought some fun new relatives to town," he said, changing the subject.

"He has Elijah and two other brothers. And a sister," Elena said.

"Stefan told me that he knew Klaus and his sister in the 20's. Klaus compelled him to forget, so he didn't remember until today," Damon shared.

"Yeah, Caroline told me that Klaus had compelled him to remember, but she didn't know the specifics," Elena shared.

"I think the sister was sweet on Stefan," Damon shared, figuring it was best if he prepared her for whatever unpredictable action Stefan took next.

"Ripper-Stefan? Really?" Elena replied, surprised.

"So he says," Damon said.

"How is he? Caroline said Klaus compelled him to flip the switch. Is he okay?" she asked, concerned despite her hurt and anger.

Damon shrugged. "He's okay. I'm keeping an eye on him. He hasn't killed anyone yet," Damon said.

"You left him at home? Is that a good idea?" Elena asked.

"Faith's there," Damon reminded her.

Elena grimaced. "Great," she said.

"Well, I better head back," he said. "Happy birthday, Elena."

He gave her a smile and turned to leave. "Damon!" she called out. He turned and looked at her. "Thank you. It means a lot." She put her hand on the necklace. He lifted his hand in a small salute and then was gone. She stood there a moment. Sometimes he really surprised her.

She went back inside. Dawn was curious and came up to see what was going on. "What did Damon want?" she asked.

"To give me a birthday gift," Elena replied, showing her the new necklace she was wearing.

"Way cool!" Dawn said peering at it.

"He said it belonged to his and Stefan's mom," Elena shared.

Dawn looked curious. "So are you and Damon more than friends?" she asked.

Elena shook her head. "He told me that he loved me when he was dying. I kissed him, but I've always loved Stefan," she said. "I care about him, though."

"How much?" Dawn asked with a devious grin.

"He's important to me. Since Stefan left with Klaus, I've depended on Damon more and more. He hasn't let me down," Elena shared. "He's changed a lot since he first came to town."

"Yes, love does that to a man," Dawn said. "My sister had Spike fall in love with her when he was a soulless vampire. He was so obsessed with her that he found a way to get his soul back. He went from always trying to kill her to dying for her."

"He died for her?" Elena asked intrigued.

"Well, for all of us. He had this necklace that Angel gave Buffy that had some type of magic powers. It killed all the vampire hordes coming out of the hellmouth. He died saving all of us," Dawn shared.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Elena said with sympathy.

"He came back though," Dawn said. "The Powers That Be sent him back or he was trapped in the mystical necklace somehow."

"The Powers That Be?" Elena asked in confusion.

"It's kind of what we call God or whoever's in control. They're behind the good in this world," Dawn shared.

"You guys really take your battling evil thing very serious, don't you?" Elena asked in bemusement.

"It's what Buffy does. It's who she is," Dawn said. "She'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. We all will."

"You don't have superpowers, do you?" Elena asked curious.

Dawn grinned. "I wish! I used to be this ball of energy. You'd think I'd at least be able to float a pencil or something, but nope! No powers at all!" Dawn said with a regretful sigh.

"Hey, don't sell yourself short," Buffy said, coming up behind the girls. "You have a great gift for getting into trouble." She put her arm around her sister's shoulders.

"No reason to rehash the past," Dawn said quickly. "I've turned over a new leaf."

"We'll see," Buffy said with a cheeky grin.

"I think I'm ready for bed," Elena said yawning.

"Good idea," Buffy said. "Get some sleep. Big day tomorrow. Caroline is very excited."

"She's always excited about something. You'll learn," Elena said, smiling. "She is the planning queen. She started planning our weddings back when we were still in kindergarten."

"I'm excited! Matt said he was coming," Dawn said happily.

"Looks like someone has a crush," Elena observed.

"Is it okay? I know you two used to be a thing," Dawn asked nervously.

"Well, he dated Caroline last, so you should ask her," Elena said with a grin.

"But she likes Tyler," Dawn said.

Elena laughed. "Let's go to your room, so I can share all the drama Caroline left out!" she said.

Buffy watched them run up the stairs. It was good Dawn was making some real friends. She turned and went back into the living room. Alaric was showing Giles some of his hunter toys. She grinned at the two of them. It was good having Giles here with them even though Buffy knew he'd soon go back to England. The girls needed his stern wise presence to keep them in line.

"Did you see this Buffy? It's quite ingenious," Giles said with approval. "These vamps react to a plant called vervain like holy water."

"So I've heard," Buffy said.

"It's like a vervain bomb," Giles said admiring it.

"Well, I don't think it does much damage on the Originals," Alaric stated. "They heal incredibly fast. Even more than regular vampires."

"So do you think Klaus will make a move for Elena tomorrow?" Buffy asked.

"Klaus doesn't usually do his own dirty work," Alaric said.

"Do you think Elijah will take her?" Buffy asked.

"I think he'll do whatever he thinks will both appease Klaus and keep her safe. He usually doesn't go around hurting people," Alaric said.

"I'd like to meet one of these Originals. Elijah could fill in some gaps for me," Giles said eagerly.

"If he shows up to the party, I'll introduce you," Buffy said with an indulgent smile.

"We have to remember though that his loyalty is to his family and his brother. In the end, he'll pick them," Giles said.

"Yes, but if he isn't working to hurt Elena, we can focus more on the other siblings. The youngest, Kol, seemed very rash and impulsive. He'll be the most trouble I suspect," Buffy said.

"I hate that we have no records of this family. It's very frustrating," Giles complained. "I'm going to call some friends back home and see if they have any records. A family this old has to have records somewhere or left evidence of their doings some place." He got up with a distracted air.

"He really does thrive on puzzles, doesn't he?" Alaric said, smiling at Giles as he left and headed to the study.

"He really does," Buffy said with a fond smile. "But he can usually be depended on to find answers."

"You two seem a bit closer than teacher-student," Alaric observed.

"Says the man who lives with two of his students," Buffy replied with a knowing smile.

"Touche," Alaric acknowledged. "It's impossible to stay distant sometimes, especially when I was in love with their aunt."

"The one Klaus killed in his ceremony?" Buffy asked.

"First, he turned her into a vampire. Then he ripped out her heart," Alaric said bitterly. "And I wasn't allowed to be there. Bonnie and Damon decided I'd just get hurt. Bonnie trapped me inside a house with a barrier." The memory of that still ate away at him. He didn't wish he'd seen her die, but he'd have liked a chance to say goodbye or tell her how much he had loved her. Did he ever tell her? He couldn't even remember.

His sorrow pulled at Buffy. She reached over and took his hand. "I'm sorry. For all my powers and capabilities, I was helpless to help my mother when she died of a brain aneurysm. It was the most horrible feeling," she recalled, the memory still painful.

Alaric looked down a moment at their joined hands. Her unexpected compassion and empathy surprised him. She was a warrior, but she wasn't cold or embittered by her losses. He looked into her eyes and saw only compassion and kindness. Her warmth reached inside him. The cold knot he'd been carrying around inside him began to melt.

Buffy found herself trapped in his brown eyes. The attraction between them built. She really wanted to kiss him.

The front door opened. Buffy let go of his hand, and he gave her a rueful smile, the moment building interrupted. Willow came in. "Hey, guys," she said.

"Hey. Anything new?" Buffy asked.

"Well, I taught Bonnie the uninvite vamp spell. We did it on Elena's house. I figured the concept should be the same even if these vampires are different. Some things still hold true. The sun weakens them both, and both kinds need an invite to go inside a person's home. Tomorrow, we'll take them back over there and conduct an experiment with Caroline," Willow suggested.

"Good," Buffy said, getting to her feet. "I guess I'll head to bed. Do you need anything, Alaric?"

"I'm good," he said.

The two women bade him goodnight. After they left, Alaric kicked off his shoes and stretched out on the couch thinking about the incredible Buffy Summers. She was unexpected. Alaric worried, though, that she had taken on too much with this challenge to Klaus. No one knew more than him how truly powerful Klaus was. He had taken over Alaric's body and his life. Although he very much would like to see Klaus finally get what was coming to him, he didn't want to see anyone else he cared about die. He was startled to realize that Buffy had already become someone that meant something to him. What he didn't know yet.

******Chapter End********