Chapter 25: Pleasant Surprises

April 10, 2010

Danny wobbled a bit as Castiel transported him in front of the Boarding House, still unused to the rapid transportation. He dusted off the sleeves of his black leather jacket, despite the fact that there was nothing on it. He then gave a small salute as Cas disappeared, giving a tiny nod as he did so. Danny checked the inside pocket of his jacket, making sure the vials of angel blood were still there. Relaxing slightly, he walked to the front door and into the house, softly closing the door behind him. Unfortunately, no matter how softly he closed it, a vampire could still hear it.

"Where've you been?" Asked a voice behind him.

Danny turned around, seeing Stefan standing there with his arms crossed over his chest, mouth turned down in a frown, forehead brooding. Danny glanced around him to see Damon and Elena sitting on separate couches, staring at him as though he had just interrupted an important conversation. Which he probably had.

Danny debated briefly whether or not he should respond sarcastically but instead chose to be upfront for once and say, "Sanctuary."

Stefan mouthed the word, his face growing confused, as did Elena's. Damon's expression, however, seemed to clear up immensely, understanding seeming to dawn on him. Danny strode past his youngest brother, headed toward the key rack. His fingers danced over the keys before he picked the one in the middle. He turned around, swinging the key on his finger to see the three staring at him with harsh expressions on their faces.

"I just recalled – where's Elijah?" Danny asked, forestalling their comments and or questions.

"He left. Where're you -" Damon began.

"Oh, you mean how Stefan left to go see a friend of Lexi's?" Danny cut him off, eyes narrowing sharply.

Both brothers looked away, seeming to find something interesting in the walls and floors of the house. Elena, however, continued to look confused – which led Danny to believe she wasn't aware of the story the younger Salvatores had cooked up.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," he stated in a smug tone. He then paused, turning to face Elena with a thoughtful expression on his face. After a moment, he pointed at her and said, "You're coming with me."

"What?" The two brothers replied incredulously.

"Why on earth would I want to go anywhere with you?" Elena questioned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Because, between me and Klaus, I'm less likely to kill you," he paused again, sighing and rolling his eyes when she still seemed unconvinced. "Look, I have some business I need to take care of and I could use the company. I'd rather not spend an entire car ride in awkward silence or yelling like I would be with my brothers."

"Where are you trying to take her?" Stefan asked.

"Sioux Falls, South Dakota," Danny replied, twirling around Damon's keys. "Bobby won't stop calling me, so I figured I'd go up there and see what's got his knickers in a twist. Give Ric an update on his sister while I'm at it."

"You don't even like Elena," Damon stated bluntly.

"True. But I also enjoy pissing off Klaus. Getting Elena out of town and out of his grubby little hands for a bit will do just that," the hybrid grinned.

The three looked at each other for a moment, having a silent conversation amongst themselves. Danny twirled Damon's car keys around his index finger, now and again tapping the imaginary watch on his left wrist. They finally seemed to come to a conclusion when Elena rolled her eyes and grabbed her coat, walking past Danny and at the door. Danny gave his brothers a wide smile and raised his eyebrows before walking out the door after her.

Danny jogged over to Damon's car, opening the passenger side door and holding it open for Elena. The teenager gave him a wary look before getting inside, strapping on her seat belt as he closed the door. He slid over the hood of the car to the driver's side, getting in and strapping on his own seatbelt before plugging the key into the ignition and turning it. Elena stared at him, a mixture of surprise and curiosity on her face.

"What?" Danny asked as he put the car in drive.

"Nothing...I've just never seen a vampire wear a seatbelt," Elena remarked with a shake of her head.

"Well, gotta set a good example for the vulnerable female teenage human," Danny grinned, putting on his sunglasses and pulling out of the driveway.

They were quiet after that as they rolled through town. Elena seemed unsure of what to do or say, whereas Danny was just content to quietly observe the doppelgänger. He noted with some amusement that she continually sent him sideways glances, her brown eyes questioning and wary – not to mention very unsure of him.

It was only after they had left Mystic Falls well behind them that Danny finally said, "What's on your mind, Gilbert?"

"Nothing...just...something Isobel said to me the other day," Elena finally said, looking out the window.

"Isobel? Your birth mum?" Danny confirmed, receiving a nod in return. "What did she say?"

"That...that you couldn't be trusted – that you'd choose the Originals over us."

"Oh? And why on Earth would I ever do that?" the hybrid questioned, raising an eyebrow and giving an amused half-smile.

"Because of Lukas," she replied.

Danny's hands tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white as his brow furrowed. His lips pressed themselves into a thin line, eyes narrowing as they glowed icy blue for a moment. After a moment, he forced himself to relax, releasing the tension in his muscles as he slowly exhaled, giving a small hum as he did so.

"So, she knows about Lukas? That crafty bitch," Danny murmured before saying in a louder tone, "What exactly did she say about Lukas?"

"Nothing really. Just that you were more loyal to the Originals because of him," Elena finally turned to look at him. "Who is Lukas?"

"Lukas is... complicated, to say the least. Only myself, the Originals, and one other know about him," Danny replied. "Which makes it surprising that Isobel knows... Although, now that I really think about it, it's not unlikely that Katherine knows either. I believe she might've met him on a few occasions."

"Okay, so who is he?" Elena persisted.

Danny turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow as he asked, "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then give me your necklace," he responded, turning back to the road and holding out his hand.

"Why?" Elena asked, clutching her necklace tightly.

"Because, this is super-secret information that could possibly put the lives of yourself and my brothers more at risk than they already are – and I want to make sure I can either compel you not to tell or to forget when we're done here," Danny answered simply, giving a 'hand it over' motion with his hand.

Elena hesitated for a moment before unclasping the necklace and putting it in the hybrid's hand. Danny pocketed it before saying, "Lukas was Elijah's son before he became a vampire."

"Wait, what? Elijah had a son?" Elena asked, disbelief evident in her voice.

"Yep," Danny answered, popping the 'p'. "He's also the reason Elijah saved my life and turned me. Apparently, I resemble him greatly – an exact copy, some might say. Of course, I only discovered this years later after I caught Kol in a good mood."

"So, what, you're a doppelgänger too?"

"No. Just... it's complicated, and I don't really feel the need to go into it, Elena," Danny replied, his tone making it apparent that the subject was not open for further discussion.

The two were quiet for a few minutes before Elena asked, "What's 'Sanctuary'?"

"Sanctuary is a house my...," he stopped for a moment, gathering himself. "...my Uncle Gabriel and I built. It's heavily warded – no supernatural being can enter without my permission."

"I didn't know you guys had an uncle. Is he a vampire too?" Elena questioned, her tone full of curiosity.

"No, he's - was – an archangel," Danny replied, receiving a look of skepticism and disbelief in return. "It's complicated to explain, so I'll keep this short: yes, archangels exist. I'm actually a descendant/reincarnation of the archangel Alistair – the son of Lucifer. Yes, the Devil exists too, he's locked up in a cage with Michael – my other uncle – at the moment."

"That's - that's insane. You're joking, right?" Elena stammered, prompting the hybrid to turn his head slightly to look at her, lowering his sunglasses a bit to reveal glowing eyes. She gave a gasp before he pulled them back up and turned back to the road. Only after she had managed to collect herself did she finally ask, "Wait, so are Stefan and Damon descendants of... Lucifer too?"

"No...my mother was, though," Danny replied, receiving a questioning look in return. "Damon and Stefan are my half-brothers – same dad, different mum. My birth mother died when I was born, so I didn't know anything about my heritage until last September."

"Do Stefan and Damon know?"

"About me being Lucifer's son? No, and I aim to keep it that way. That's an apocalypse sized can of worms that I don't want them getting involved in," he replied succinctly, reaching up with his right hand to rub the amulet around his neck. "Don't know if you've noticed, Elena, but we've got enough drama going about without adding mine in too."

"That's fair, I guess," Elena conceded. "Did you ever meet him – Lucifer, I mean."

"Oh, yeah. Met him last September – and I've met him on several different occasions since then. Fortunately, he's locked in a cage – built by God – in Hell, and they don't allow visitation."

"What was he like?"

"Likeable. Snarky. Sassy. Funny – a lot like me, I noticed. We caught on pretty well for the most part, until he killed Gabriel and I had to help shove his ass back in the cage. Other than that, swell guy. I'd hang with him," Danny admitted, giving Elena a crazed grin.

Elena just gave him an appalled look in return, prompting the hybrid to laugh uproariously.

The next day, they finally arrived at Bobby's early in the morning. Danny felt that they had made pretty good time – only having to stop for gas, snacks, and a few bathroom breaks. Other than that, they had remained on the road – since Danny had no need for sleep and Elena could sleep just as well in the car. She was currently doing so when Danny pulled up in front of Bobby's house, his shoulders pensive and his jaw set.

He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, pulling out one of the vials of Cas' blood. He unstoppered it before bringing it to his lips, pouring the liquid into his mouth and down his throat. Immediately, he felt an influx of power – not as much as he had felt when he had drank archangel blood, but still. The euphoric feeling flooded through his veins once more, eliciting a small moan from the vampire. He closed his eyes, savoring the flavor and the feeling as he slowly inhaled and exhaled, trying to regain control of himself.

When he had done so, he reached over and gently nudged Elena awake, nodding his head over at the house when she looked at him sleepily. She gave the house an unimpressed look before exiting the car with Danny and walking up to the door with him. The hybrid raised his hand, knocking loudly three times. After a minute, he heard grumbles on the other side of the door. He smiled genially when Bobby opened the door, his expression not faltering even when the man threw holy water on him.

"Bobby, you know demons can't possess me," Danny replied, amusement evident in voice.

"I was hoping you would at least sizzle a bit," he responded with a shrug before looking at Elena. "Who's this?"

"Starting to get the feeling you don't like me very much, Bobert," Danny rolled his eyes. "Bobby, this is Elena Gilbert – a doppelgänger from Mystic Falls. Elena, this is Bobby Singer – a crusty old hunter who helped us stop the apocalypse."

"A doppelgänger? Can't say I've met one of you before," Bobby admitted, eyeing her curiously.

Danny cleared his throat abruptly, bringing the attention back onto him as he asked, "Bobby, why were you calling me?"

"Right, that. We have a... situation that you need to deal with. It's upstairs," Bobby stated hesitantly, opening the door a bit wider and stepping aside to let the vampire in.

Danny frowned, his brow furrowed as he walked into the house. A situation? What's he on about? He strained his hearing as he made his way up the stairs, able to make out two heartbeats. One's Karen, who's the other? Perhaps some sort of monster that Bobby's got trapped? An angel, perhaps? Maybe he got Sam back somehow and he came out weird?

His curiosity now officially piqued, he jogged up the stairs, taking them two at a time before arriving at the top, making his way down the hall and stopping at a door. There's two people inside, guess we'll find out what the 'situation' is. He grabbed the doorknob, twisting it and pushing the door open, revealing Karen laying on the bed, reading a book. She looked up at his entrance, excitement and nervousness mingling on her face as she closed the book and rose from the bed, walking over to meet him.

"Danny! You're...here," she said nervously.

"Yeah, nice to see you, Kare," he flashed a small smile before glancing around the room, eyes narrowed slightly. "Where's the other guy?"

"'Other guy'?" Karen repeated questioningly.

"Yeah, I heard two heartbeats on my way up. I know one of them is you, but where's the other? Are they hiding?" his eyes widened excitedly as a sharp gasp escaped him. "Are they invisible? Am I dealing with an invisible dude? Or, maybe it's a - "

"No, Danny," she interrupted him. She took a sharp breath before continuing, "It's here. The other heartbeat is right here."

"I know it's right - ," he stopped, his gaze following hers to her stomach. Immediately, his expression fell. "Oh, well, uh...congratulations. Who's the father?"

She gave him a look of disbelief as she asked, "Who do you think?"

"I don't know, Bobby?"

She reached up and smacked the back of his head.

"No, you dumbass, it's you."

"Oh, well why didn't you just -," he stopped abruptly, eyes widening comically as he realized what she just said. "Wait, what? That's impossible, vampires can't procreate!"

"But you're not just a vampire anymore, are you?" she countered.

Danny opened his mouth to respond, but found he had nothing to say. He moved past Karen, settling himself on the end of the bed as he rubbed his hand over his face. I knew Nephilim could procreate – Kate was an example of that. I just never thought that I could – I mean, I'm a vampire. It shouldn't be possible... but it is. A choked laugh escaped his mouth as a smile crept over his face, tears springing up at the corner of his eyes. I'm going to be a father.

He rose quickly from the bed, wrapping his arms around Karen and spinning her around a few times, eliciting a surprised laugh from her. He set her down before cupping her face in his hands, bending down to give her kiss before pausing, a thought occurring to him. His face fell as he took a step back, moving back to sit on the edge of the bed again.

"Danny? What's wrong?" Karen asked, sitting on his right and putting a hand on his arm.

"The baby – our baby," he got a small thrill at saying the words. "They'll be an Elioud – a child of a Nephilim and a human and... you won't survive their birth."

Karen pursed her lips, looking at her stomach and placing a hand on it. She reached over, grabbing Danny's hand and placing it on her flat stomach. He looked at her, and she gave him a small, sad smile as she said, "I know, Bobby told me."

"He did?" he confirmed, receiving a nod in return. "And...and you still want to have them?"

"Yes, I do," she stated firmly. "Why should our child have to pay for what their parents did? Besides... I want this. And I know you do too." She gave a wide smile, receiving one in return. She looked down at her stomach again, rubbing a hand over it and Danny's hand. "My only regret is that I'll never get to see them – never hear their first words or know who they'll look like."

Danny frowned at this, his mind, oddly enough, flashing back to the boy he had seen in his mind a little over a week ago. 'I can't tell you who I am because I'm nobody yet.' Could that -? Is it -?...'I'm healing you from a distance.' An Elioud would be the only thing with the power to heal. And, since he and I share blood – and perhaps Grace too – it wouldn't be difficult for him to access my mind.

"Danny?" Karen questioned, shaking him out of his thoughts. "What's wrong?"

Danny explained to her about the boy he had seen – as well as his thoughts on who he was. Karen seemed stunned at this, as well as a bit sad that she hadn't experienced it and seen him for herself. Danny pressed his fingers to the side of her head, allowing her to see the memory of the boy standing before him, talking to him, playing chess with him. When he finished, happy tears were streaming down her face as she stroked her stomach lovingly.

"A boy," she choked out. "We're having a son."

A/N:

This chapter took me forever to write - both because I was looking forward to it and dreading it. I always had a plan for Danno to have a kid, but I was never very sure if my readers would like it or not. Guess we'll find out now, won't we?

Questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, etc. are welcome. Requests for updates are not. (Seriously, gives me really bad anxiety when I see them.)