Chapter 21: Original Origins

March 25, 2010

The next morning found Danny rifling through his library of the supernatural. Despite what he had said to Damon, Danny had no idea what his powers were or how they worked, now that he was a Nephilim. He couldn't call Cas, since there was no cell reception in heaven. He wasn't going to call Crowley for help – he wasn't even sure if the demon knew what he was, and he wanted to keep it that way. That left only one option: research.

As far as he could tell, there wasn't much lore on Nephilim. The Bible only vaguely mentioned their creation – and other religions didn't seem to mention them at all. After going through his third book that day, Danny had enough. With a small curse, he threw the book at his door, which just so happened to be opening at the time. The door closed abruptly, allowing the book to slam into it. After a second, it slowly opened, Damon peeking his head out.

"Bad time?" He questioned.

"Day's still young – always time for it to get worse. What's up?" Danny asked, running his fingers through his hair haphazardly before turning to face his brother.

"Elena's missing, somebody took her," Damon informed him.

There was a pregnant pause between the two where Danny just stared at his brother blankly. After a moment, he broke the silence and said, "This is the part where you tell me how this is my problem."

"The girl your baby brother loves is in danger and you're asking how this is your problem?" Damon clarified incredulously.

"Yes, I am. I don't know if you've noticed, Damon, but I'm not particularly fond of Elena Gilbert."

"She's not Katherine, Danny."

"I'm perfectly aware of who the girl is, brother," Danny responded coldly. He paused, taking a deep breath and running a hand over his face before continuing in a more neutral tone, "She's the girl that both of my brothers are in love with. The girl that they would sacrifice everything – maybe even each other – for. She is the girl that will inevitably tear you two apart, just like Katherine did almost 150 years ago.

"It took you guys that long to get on speaking terms with each other. And even longer to become brothers again. I won't let her tear apart our family again."

"Oh, don't bullshit me. Since when do you care about family? Last I checked, you ditched town and left us when we became vampires. Stefan didn't see you for almost 70 years – and it took you another 50 to even bother looking for me," Damon shouted, striding further into the room. He stood toe to toe with his older brother, whose eyes were narrowed and his jaw clenched. He looked into his brother's eyes, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and shaking him slightly as he softly asked, "Why did you abandon us?"

Danny looked down at him, inhaling and exhaling heavily, pursing his lips slightly as he clenched and unclenched his hands. After a moment, he finally said, "I was protecting you."

"From what? From who?"

"I can't tell you," Danny replied, prying his brother's fingers off him and walking toward another bookshelf. He skimmed through the titles, trying to ignore his brother's eyes on him. He sighed, placing a hand flat on the bookshelf as he said, "Go rescue Elena. I'll hold down the fort here – call me if there's any trouble."

Damon said nothing, instead turning and striding out of the room, leaving Danny alone. Damn it, Danno. You're really in it now. He shook his head before skimming the bookshelves once more.

The following morning saw Danny sitting at his desk, pouring over the Book of Enoch. It was the only book he could find that went into any sort of detail about the Nephilim. Admittedly, it still wasn't much – but it was a start. After hours of muddling through the damn thing, he came to a few conclusions: one, Enoch was probably crazy. Two, he was moderately certain half the stuff written about Nephilim wasn't even true. And three: he really needed a drink.

With that last thought, he rose to his feet, stretching as he did so. He opened his door, making his way through the hall and down the stairs. He walked into the library in time to hear Damon say that someone was in denial.

It was after Stefan told him to shut up, that Danny made his presence known with, "In denial about what?"

The two brothers and a girl who oddly resembled Bela Talbot stared at him as he poured himself a drink. Taking a long sip of it, he sighed before walking over to the couch and sitting on it, staring at them expectantly.

"An original vampire named Klaus might be after Elena," Stefan answered at last.

"Uh-huh," Danny replied slowly, taking another sip of his drink before asking, "And, uh, who's the broad?"

"I'm Rose – " the girl began.

"Rose-Marie?" Danny clarified, taking another drink as the girl nodded. "Well, ain't that a kick in the pants."

"How do you know my name?" Rose asked carefully, looking as though she was in between bolting and shaking him.

"Klaus bitched about you and Katherine a lot. It was kinda annoying."

The three stared at him, shocked expressions on all their faces. Danny merely smiled before reaching over the back of the couch to pour himself another drink. When he turned back around, they were still staring at him, prompting him to check his clothes for any spots – wondering if he had perhaps spilled his drink or something.

"You've met Klaus?" Damon asked, to which Danny nodded. He then asked, "What was he like?"

"British. He's also a brilliant strategist – kind of a dick though, but you get used to it. Personally, I preferred Elijah's company. Much nicer, funny guy too. You wouldn't expect it from him, but he's very sassy," Danny smirked.

"You knew Elijah too?" Stefan questioned.

"Well, yeah. He did sire me, after all."

"You were sired by an original vampire?" Asked Rose.

"Is there an echo in the room?"

Rose turned toward the younger two Salvatores angrily, pointing at Danny and shouting, "You had someone sired directly by Elijah, and you didn't think to bring him along?"

"Bring me along where?"

The brothers quickly explained that Elena had been taken by a human under Rose and her friend Trevor's compulsion. She had been brought to an abandoned mansion and Elijah had been called in. Not long after, Damon and Stefan had snuck in, and Damon had killed Elijah by running him through with a wooden coat rack. Danny seemed mildly amused by this, and had to keep himself from laughing about how the great Elijah Mikaelson had been bested by a couple of young – by vampiric standards, anyway – vampires. For a brief moment, he debated telling his brothers that Elijah was still alive. But why spoil the surprise?

"You seem pretty cheery after being told your sire bit the dust," Damon commented dryly. "No love lost between you two, huh?"

"On the contrary, the guy was like the father I wish I had. Instead, I got that douchebag Giuseppe. Hashtag, Father of the Year," Danny replied with a sarcastic roll of his eyes, taking another long sip of his drink.

"I don't understand; how does someone like you get sired by someone – " Rose began.

"As sophisticated, honorable, moral, and noble as Elijah? It's quite the tale – well, no not really," Danny added as an afterthought. "It's actually quite boring – not worth mentioning at all."

"Out with it. You know how we were sired - it's only fair we know your story," Stefan stated, sitting in an armchair across from him.

"Fine, if you insist," Danny replied, leaning back in his seat and resting his right foot on his left knee.

Daniel pushed his way through the dense forest, panting heavily as he stopped and looked around. Hearing nothing, he leaned against a tree, hand pressed tightly to the right side of his abdomen to staunch the flow of blood. He grunted in pain as he looked down, eyeing the blood flowing through his fingers. He looked up, glancing around furtively before he started moving again. He had to keep moving, he had to make it back home. Back to Mystic Falls. Back to his brothers.

That last thought encouraged him to push his pace harder. He kept running, only stopping at brief intervals to check if anyone was following him. When he was only met with silence, he continued onward, only occasionally glancing behind him to make absolutely sure he was alone.

It was as the trees began to thin out that he discovered a dirt road. And by discovered, he meant his face found the ground and his body followed soon after. He didn't have time to dwell on the pain as the whiny of horses told him he was not alone. He rolled out of the way of the oncoming carriage, panting heavily as he heaved himself up. He leaned against a tree, warily eyeing the carriage as it came to a stop. Shaking his head, he turned away from the carriage, ignoring the sound of the door opening as he shuffled down the side of the road.

"You know, you shouldn't travel alone. There are dangerous things lurking in the night," spoke a masculine British voice behind him, his tone one of amusement.

Daniel merely grunted in response, continuing forward. At the sound of footsteps behind him, however, Daniel turned around abruptly, frowning slightly when he saw no one there. With the smallest of shrugs, he turned forward once more, nearly falling backwards from shock as he did so. In front of him stood a man with dark hair and eyes wearing a suit. That wasn't the oddest thing about him, however, the man seemed a bit blurred around edges – an odd glow seeming to come from around him. Daniel wasn't sure if he was hallucinating due to blood loss, or if it was something else. What he was sure of was that he didn't have time for this.

"Stand aside, please," Daniel grunted, leaning heavily against a tree.

"In a hurry, are we?"

"Yes," Daniel responded in a curt tone, pressing his hand more firmly to his side.

The man's eyes trailed down, eyeing Daniel's wound. For a brief second, Daniel thought he saw the whites of the man's eyes turn red, as well as veins beginning to appear. It disappeared in an instant, leaving Daniel to wonder if he imagined the whole thing.

"You're wounded," the man stated, meeting Daniel's eyes once more.

"Astute observation," Daniel replied dryly, shifting slightly. "Now, if you don't mind, I really must be going. I'd like to reach my destination before I bleed out."

"The nearest hospital is in the opposite direction."

"That's not where I'm going."

The man seemed to pause at this, scanning Daniel over with a more critical eye. After a moment, he said, "You're a deserter. A Confederate deserter. That's why you're not going to a hospital." Daniel didn't respond, instead staring at the man, a defiant gleam in his blue eyes. The man seemed to be a mixture of intrigued and amused by this as he continued, "I'll tell you what; you answer my questions honestly, and I'll ensure that your wound is properly treated. Does that sound fair to you, Mister...?"

"Salvatore. Daniel Salvatore," Daniel replied, pausing as he considered the man's offer. He looked down at his wound, grimacing slightly before shaking the man's outstretched hand with his relatively clean left one. "It's a deal."

"You may call me Elijah," the man responded with the smallest of smiles, watching as Daniel slowly eased his way onto the ground. When he was finally situated, Elijah asked, "What made you desert?"

"I don't believe in slavery. Never have, never will."

"Then why join in the first place?" Elijah inquired.

"To protect my brother. If I didn't go, my father was going to force my younger brother to join up instead. I couldn't let that happen. Whatever may happen at home – the battlefield is a much worse place to be," Daniel grimaced, closing his eyes as he leaned against the tree.

Elijah was silent, processing this. After a moment, he quietly asked, "You went against your own beliefs – practically threw away your own life – just to keep your brother safe?"

"One thing you should know about me, Elijah, I would do anything to keep my brothers safe – even if it means surrendering my own life," Daniel replied, his eyes opening to give Elijah a sharp glance, as though daring him to threaten his brothers.

"Then why leave? If the purpose of joining the Confederacy was to protect your brother, why leave it?"

Daniel was silent for a moment, debating how best to answer that. After a few seconds of silence, he finally came up with, "I've always wanted to be a role model to my brothers – someone they could look up to and believe in. Going against everything I've ever believed in – doing the wrong thing for the right reasons..." He paused, frowning as he shook his head. "I became someone I didn't recognize. I want to protect my brothers, but I don't want to lose myself doing it."

Danny paused, taking a long, slow sip of his drink. He looked at his glass, swirling the contents thoughtfully. Glancing back up, he saw the three vampires staring at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue his story. It's not every day you get to tell someone how you died. He hummed slightly in amusement.

"Long story short, Elijah held up his end of the bargain and fed me his blood. Shortly thereafter, I got shot by a Confederate soldier who was tracking me. But you know how that song and dance goes," Danny continued offhandedly, taking another long drink. "Woke up in transition, Elijah said 'feed or die', I fed. Then lived happily ever after with the Original Vampires for three years, came back to Mystic Falls for a few weeks, then returned to them until 1949. The end."

"So, an Original Vampire just walks up to you and says 'answer my questions and I'll save your life'?" Damon clarified skeptically.

"That's the long and short of it, yes."

"Why leave in 1949? Why that specific year?" Stefan questioned.

"Klaus made some unfounded accusations towards me, and I was worried Elijah might take his side. So, I started hunting for Katherine in the hopes that I could use her as a bargaining chip," Danny paused, swirling his drink around before scowling. "Little bitch got the better of me, I got sidetracked, yada, yada, yada."

"How do you get sidetracked from trying to save your life?" Rose asked.

Danny's eyes darted to his brothers, his lips pursing slightly as he emptied his glass of bourbon. After refilling it, he answered, "Shit happens."

"Do you know where Klaus is now?" Damon asked, purposefully steering the subject away from his brother's time in hell.

Danny shot him a grateful look before shrugging and saying, "Not a damn clue. I haven't seen him since around '95ish."

"What happened in '95?" Stefan asked.

"Met him at a bar, sat next to him, threatened him a bit, then carried on my merry way," Danny smiled before rising to his feet. "That's enough questions for today, kiddos. I have some work to do."

"Wait, you can't just – " Rose began hotly.

"Watch me, sweetheart. I have much larger concerns than Klaus, at the moment."

With a small wave of his hand, Danny walked out of the library. Ignoring the shouts of the other vampires, he smiled lightly as he made his way up the stairs. It was good to be home.

A few hours later found Danny sitting in a car with Rose and Damon on the road to Richmond. They were off to see a guy named Slater, who Rose said might be able to get them in contact with Klaus. Now, normally, Danny would try to stay out of Klaus' way. However, he was certain that his reckless younger brother would go after Klaus regardless of what his big brother might say. He figured he might as well be there if/when things go south.

They eventually pulled into a parking garage, climbing out of the black SUV and glancing around. After threatening each other, the three made their way through a door, entering a café-esque room lined with windows on one side.

"Whoa. What about the, uh... sunlight?" Damon questioned.

"Double-paned and tempered. UV rays can't penetrate," Rose answered, taking off her jacket.

"Very clever," Danny conceded, glancing around the room.

"You see the appeal now?" Rose asked, watching as Damon turned his head away without responding.

"That, and the free Wi-Fi," spoke a voice in front of the three.

They turned to see relatively young man – though, considering the fact that the guy was a vampire, who knew how old he was? He had light brown hair, blue eyes, and a slightly faded goatee. After the man – Slater – and Rose greeted each other, they turned back to face the Salvatore brothers.

"Damon Salvatore. Turned 1864, Mystic Falls, by Katherine Pierce, AKA Katerina Petrova," he smiled at Damon before turning to Danny, frowning slightly as he did so. "Daniel Salvatore. Turned 1861, just outside of New Orleans, by Elijah... you're supposed to be dead."

"Aren't we all?" Danny smiled, holding his arms out and glancing around.

"You vanished without a trace in 1950, rumors went around that Katherine had gotten to you - "

"In a manner of speaking, yes. Can we move on? If I have to hear that bitch's name one more time, I'm gonna cap someone," Danny continued smiling genially.

After some awkward small-talk, the four made their way toward a table by a window. Danny was facing towards the window, Rose was across from him, Damon was on his left, leaving Slater on the right. Resting his head on his arms, Danny vaguely listened as Slater informed him of his PhD's and Masters degrees, prompting Damon to ask what the point was. After Slater got a bit short with him, they finally moved back to the topic at hand: how to get in contact with Klaus.

Slater informed them that he usually took an ad out on Craigslist, somebody who knows somebody who knows Elijah gets in contact with Klaus. Unfortunately, Elijah was dead – or so three of the four of them believed.

"Here's what I don't get. Elijah moves around during the day, which means the Original people knew the secret of the day ring. Now, why would Klaus want to lift the curse of the sun and the moon?" Damon asked.

"To keep the werewolves from lifting it. If a vampire breaks the sun curse, then the werewolves are stuck with the curse of the moon forever, and vice versa," Slater explained, causing Danny roll his eyes.

"But werewolves are all but extinct," Rose stated.

"True, I've never seen one, but rumor has it – " Slater began.

"Not such a rumor," Damon interrupted.

"Mystic Falls?" Slater confirmed

"Werewolf numbers are a bit on the low side, but there's still plenty out there. They just prefer to keep away from vampires and mind their own damn business," Danny smiled brightly.

"God, I've got to visit this place. It sounds awesome," Slater stated excitedly.

"Awesome doesn't even begin to describe it," Damon replied.

"It's a melting pot for the supernatural, unfortunately," Danny sighed.

"Can we stop the curse from being broken at all?" Damon asked, driving the conversation back to one of the main topics at hand.

"What do you mean?" Slater questioned.

"Well, if we rendered the moonstone useless and stopped the curse from being broken."

"Well, yeah, probably. But why would you wanna do that?" Slater replied.

Danny tuned out the rest of their conversation, already having an idea where this was going to go. Slater was too afraid to stand up to an Original, plus he wanted to walk in the sun. Damon would most likely offer a way to make that happen if Slater helped him find a way to nullify the moonstone. With a roll of his eyes, Danny shifted his gaze to stare out the window, lifting his head slightly in surprise when he noticed who was standing across the street staring at them. Well, Elijah certainly moves fast. Wait, what's that in his hands? Is he throwing coins – oh shit!

Danny swiftly held out his hands to cover face as the windows exploded all around them. As the sound of sizzling and screaming rent the air, Danny slowly opened his eyes to see a large piece of glass floating inches from his hands. Am I -? His thought stopped abruptly as the shard dropped, shattering on the table. He glanced over to the other side of the street, his eyes meeting Elijah's. Well... shit.

Following the disastrous events at the café, Rose, Danny, and Damon hopped in the van and headed back to Mystic Falls. Upon reaching their house, Danny immediately shut himself in his room, hoping he could replicate whatever the hell had happened in the café. Taking a few coins out of his pocket, he set them on top of his desk before hovering a hand over them. Move. Move. Move. Float... do something. He repeated in his head over and over again. After three minutes of nothing happening, he gave up, deciding to try another way tomorrow.

He walked to his bed, prepared to flop down on it and go to sleep. Before he could do so however, his phone went off. With a small frown, he took it out, glancing at the unrecognizable number. With a small shrug, he answered it, pressing it tightly to his ear.

"Salvatore hunting services. What can I kill for you today?" Danny smiled, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Give me a week, I'm sure I can come up with a small list," replied an all-too-familiar amused voice on the other end of the phone.

"Elijah! You learned how to use a phone? Gold star for you, buddy," Danny snickered.

"I don't really appreciate the condescension, Daniel," Elijah admonished lightly.

"Well, I don't really appreciate having glass shattered all over me. Cool trick with the coins, by the way. A little show-offy, but I'd give it a solid 8 out of 10 for class and originality," Danny smirked. He then paused for a moment, frowning slightly as he asked, "How did you get this number?"

"I had your new friend look into it for me."

"Well, I guess Slater is dead for realsies now?" Danny raised an eyebrow.

Elijah was silent for a moment, causing Danny to grin wildly as we waited for the man to respond. After a full minute passed, Elijah finally spoke, "You've changed a lot since I last saw you."

"Why did you call me, Elijah?" Danny asked, not acknowledging the man's statement.

There was another long pause before Danny realized that Elijah had hung up. With a small frown, and the smallest of sighs, he placed his phone on the nightstand before flopping his head onto his pillow, hoping to get a decent night's sleep.