The afternoon of the party, Amelia headed back to the Lockwood mansion. She and Matthew had talked it over and decided that it would be best for her to be the one to tell Michael about what was going on. They'd gotten his body out from near old Fell's Church earlier that day and now they just had to stick Michael in it.
She met George as she was coming up the stairs. "Are you looking for Michael?" He asked.
"Yes," Amelia nodded. "He is here, isn't he?"
"Yes," George nodded. "In Selina's old room. Where else?" He looked her over. "What happened to you?"
Amelia looked down at herself. "I'll explain it to you later. You, Mason, and Jacob all need to know what's going on."
"But first you have to talk to Michael," George finished. "Follow me." He led Amelia to the door of Selina's old bedroom and gave the door two sharp raps. "Michael," he said severely, "It's George. I'm here with Aunt Amelia. She wants to talk to you, so let us in."
"Come in," called a subdued voice from the other side of the door. George opened it and he and Amelia entered. Michael was under Selina's covers. George took one look at him tucked under Selina's white silk comforter and rolled his eyes. "That's exactly how you looked when I left you this morning. Have you left since?"
Michael shifted. "No. I see no reason to."
George came and sat next to him. "Sit up," he ordered. "I'll get you a brandy and then you and Aunt Amelia are going to have a little talk, all right?"
"Fine," Michael said emptily, throwing the covers aside and sitting up. He looked hopelessly dejected.
As soon as George was gone, Amelia came and sat next to Michael on the bed. "Are you all right?" She asked. "What's the matter?"
Michael held her eyes. "I think you know what the matter is. It's the same thing that's been the matter since 1852. Selina."
"Tell me," Amelia said, "What exactly is it that makes you so interested in my daughter? Were you in love with her? Is that why you got so upset when I told your father that I'd agreed to let Selina marry Damon Salvatore?"
Michael frowned. "No, that's not exactly it. It's because of something I've never told anyone. I should have told you, but with everything you had going on at the time that it happened, I thought it would just be too much for you to bear."
"Well I'm better now," Amelia said. "What happened?"
Michael got off the bed and ran his hands through his dark hair. Then, he got down on his knees and began rummaging around under the bed. Finally, he re-emerged clutching a newspaper. It was practically new. "Read the front page," was all he said.
Amelia took the paper. On the front page was an article about a group of cheerleaders who had been found brutally murdered at the high school. "I've been listening around," Michael said. "I heard Caroline and Elena talking the other day and they said that Selina killed those girls."
Amelia's head snapped up. "She wouldn't. I know my daughter and she wouldn't do anything like this."
"Why not?" Michael asked. "She has before. Doctor Stensrund comes to mind. And I've heard whispers about others: She made Tyler turn and attacked Elena's brother Jeremy."
"What are you trying to tell me?" Amelia asked.
Michael sighed. "Remember when Selina was six and our overseer had that sudden attack of nerves? Father tried to get a word out of him, but he couldn't speak coherently for days."
"I remember," Amelia nodded. "He just kept going on and on about evil laughter, demons and eyes in the dark. But he was a drunk though. Your father always said that everything Jim saw was a hallucination."
"If only that were true," Michael said.
"What really happened?" Amelia asked. "Did Selina do something?" She was beginning to feel cold all over.
"Selina was out at night, playing with the dogs. Jim was drunk," Michael said. "Selina and one of the dogs stumbled across him. He took her for one of his charges and grabbed her. As the moon came up that night, he tried to drag her back to the slave quarters, and when she resisted, he began to hit her. Then, Selina took the knife Jim always kept with him and began to slash at him with it. She got some good licks in before he dropped her. He began to run away from her, but she sprinted after him, still brandishing the knife, spittle rolling down her chin, her eyes flashing. They reached the house and Jim began knocking madly on the front door. I was the first one to answer it. Jim begged me to let him in. I did and when I saw Selina, I dragged her in as well. I took the knife away from her and threw it into the fire. She was growling and thrashing. She looked absolutely insane. It was a struggle, but I managed to get her upstairs and lock her in her room, where she stayed for the rest of the night. Come the next morning, she was back to normal. It was as if nothing had happened."
"My God," Amelia breathed. "You're not lying?"
"No," Michael said gravely. "It was a terrifying experience. That was the first time Uncle Jacob came to visit and told me the truth about our family. I was scared for Selina after that. I knew she could react like that again at any time. That's why I wanted to keep such close tabs on her. If she were to get away and kill someone, then the secret would be revealed to everyone. Do you honestly think anyone outside of our family could handle our little eccentricity?" He looked down at the paper again "And here it is again, that temper of hers in action." He hit the paper hard.
"She never mentioned that," Amelia said. "Did something happen to make her forget it?"
"Well now, I have no idea," Michael said. "But the fact that you very nearly killed someone is not a fact one usually wants to bring up with their mother. She never mentioned anything about it to you?"
"Maybe a little," Amelia said. "She told me that Jim tried to hurt her when she was playing with the dogs and nothing else. But I haven't talked to her about it since then."
"Do you think she'd know about the rest if you asked her now?" Michael asked.
Amelia shrugged. "I don't know. But it's worth a shot."
Just then, George came in, carrying a glass of brandy. He gave it to Michael who downed it, then he looked at Amelia. "You look ill," he observed. "Could I get you anything?"
Amelia shook her head. "No thanks, I'm fine." She paused. "Maybe a glass of white wine. Do we have any?"
"Of course," George said and hurried back downstairs. Amelia looked at Michael again and cleared her throat. "It's interesting that you tell me this story now," she said. "Because something's happened and we need your help."
"Is Selina in trouble?" Michael asked.
Amelia nodded. "Selina and possibly everyone else in town; she got in an accident awhile ago and lost her memory. Then, the oldest vampire in the history of time, who also happens to have werewolf blood, found out about Selina's werewolf heritage and now he wants to use her to help spawn an entire hybrid race that is going to take over the world. She's been living with him ever since the accident. Apparently, he's convinced her that they're man and wife."
"Well that's distressing," Michael said. "And you're telling me this because you think I'll be able to stop it?"
Amelia nodded. "Or at least make a valiant attempt. Selina will be evil otherwise. So will you come?"
Michael looked down at himself. "I'm afraid I won't be able to be much help outside this house. I'm a ghost, remember?"
"Not for long," Amelia said. "We've got your body back at the hideout; all you have to do is reenter it. Now come on if you want to. We don't have much time. We still have to get Mason and Jacob to come with us."
Michael nodded and stood up. As he was following Amelia out of the room, George showed up with her wine. She took the glass from him and downed it in one gulp. "Thank you," she said. She looked him over. "I can't remember," she said. "Is the curse activated in you or not?"
"Yes," George nodded. "It is. Why?"
Amelia grabbed his arm. "Come with us then," she said. "We need everyone we can get."
"Where are we going?" George asked as Amelia pulled him along.
"It's a little complicated," Amelia said. "I'll explain once we get there."
"It has something to do with Selina becoming mother to a bunch of vampire-werewolf hybrids that are going to take over the world," Michael said helpfully. "And we have to stop her."
They got outside the house and Michael and George became ethereal once again. "Where are we going?" Michael asked.
"It's downtown," Amelia said. "I'll wait outside for you. And make sure you get Mason and Jacob too, and explain to them what's going on as best you can."
"We'll do it, Aunt Amelia," George said.
Amelia smiled and got in her car. "Thank you," she called as she drove away. A few feet away from the drive, she paused. "Michael, come with me," she ordered. "We need you there a lot sooner. Michael reappeared in the passenger's seat, and once more, George waved them away.
"Did you get him?" Elijah asked as Amelia entered the study, with Michael trailing behind her.
"Yes," Amelia nodded. She gestured for Michael to step forward. "This is my nephew Michael," she said. "Where's the room I woke up in again?"
"Just across the hall," Elijah said, gesturing outward. Michael went and returned in-body a few minutes later. "Nice to be in your own body again?" Amelia asked.
"Yes," Michael nodded. Just then, Elena entered the study, starting when she saw Michael standing there. "Why is he here?"
"He's here," Elijah said, standing up, "because he cares so much about Selina that he will get rid of anyone who tries to hurt her."
"Yeah," Elena nodded. "I know that. But Selina's not going to want to come near us if he's here. She's never been particularly fond of him."
"I plan on being more subtle this time," Michael said stiffly. He played around with the cuff of his gray suit jacket. "And if I recall, Selina's lost her memory, so she won't know who I am, and thus won't run away from me."
"Good point," Elena said, walking further into the room. She sat down next to Elijah and let out a squeak of surprise when George, Mason and Jacob appeared in the room. "I got everyone, Aunt Amelia," George announced.
"Who are all these people?" Elijah asked.
"Well," Amelia stood up and gestured at each of them in turn. "This is my nephew George, my brother Jacob, and my several-greats nephew Mason."
"I see," Elijah said. "So are we building up a team then?"
"Well yes," Amelia said. "In life, both George and Mason had the werewolf gene activated in them."
"And me," Jacob said. "Don't forget about me."
Amelia shook her head. "I wouldn't forget about you, Jacob. You started all this." She looked back at Elijah. "Jacob's the werewolf scholar of the family. He did his research before he turned."
"I learned from his notes that if Selina is bitten by a werewolf, she turns human instead of suffering like vampires usually do," Mason said.
Elena saw the glint in Elijah's eye. "Oh, no," she said. "I'm not digging up anymore dead people for you."
"There will be no need for that," Elijah said. "Too many extra guests at the party might look suspicious. Only Michael will regain his body. The rest of you will stay as you are for now."
They nodded. "So what's the reason for all of this?" Michael asked. "Is Selina really going to give birth to a bunch of vampire-werewolf hybrids that are going to take over the world?"
"No," Elijah said. "Not if we can help it. Now, she and Klaus, who just happens to be my brother, are having an anniversary party thrown for them tonight by Klaus' wizard lackey Alistair Fale. My plan is to bring Amelia and Matthew with me as my guests, the reason being that I've heard the story Klaus has told Selina about her life, and in that story, both of her parents are dead, so he won't be expecting them to show up alive and well at his anniversary. I also have a hunch that having her real parents around her might bring her back to herself."
"So you want us to come to the party too?" Mason asked. "Lurk around in the bushes until something bad happens and then attack?"
"For now, yes," Elijah nodded. "I don't think much is going to happen tonight, but one can never be too careful. Once Klaus finds out how onto him we are, then we'll really need you."
"What do you think might happen? Klaus will try and have his way with her right then and there?" Mason asked. "Do you think they'll celebrate their anniversary by going out and killing someone?"
"Actually, I'm more concerned about Klaus' reaction once he realizes Selina's got her memory back," Elijah said. "I hope that happens tonight." He looked at Elena. "You're still bringing Damon and Stefan tonight, correct?"
"Yes," Elena nodded.
"Wow," Mason said. "The looming threat of death, Selina with no memory, and Damon and Michael in the same room. Sounds like a party to me."
Selina and Alistair were making some last minute adjustments to the refreshment table for the party when Klaus appeared in the dining room. He gave Selina a glance and then looked at Alistair. "Would you give us a minute?" He asked.
"Of course," Alistair nodded and left the room. "What is it?" Selina asked. She noticed Klaus was trying to hide a long, thin package behind his back. "Did you get something for me?"
"Yes," Klaus said after a moment. "What kind of husband would I be if I didn't get you anything for our anniversary?"
Selina took the package, opening it and slowly pulling out the contents. "Wow," she breathed when she'd gotten all the roses out. "Red roses are my favorite. How did you know?"
Klaus grinned wickedly. "Lucky guess. Happy anniversary, darling."
She smiled. "Thank you." Klaus went and got her a vase and she put the roses in it and set them in the middle of the dining room table. "There," she said. "Now everyone can have a look at how pretty they are."
Alistair came back a little while later. "The first guests have arrived," he said.
"My brother?" Klaus asked.
"No," Alistair shook his head. "Elena and the Salvatore brothers."
Selina looked at Klaus. "Are you going to be all right?" She asked him. "I understand that it might be a little awkward having my ex at our anniversary party."
"Of course," Klaus said. "You didn't really feel anything for him, did you?"
"No," Selina said. "Of course not." They headed to the front entryway and saw Elena standing there with Damon and Stefan on either side of her. She wore a knee-length purple dress. Damon and Stefan were in sport coats and slacks. "Thank you for coming, Elena." Selina said.
"It's no problem," Elena said. "I wouldn't miss an occasion like this. Is anyone else here yet?"
"No," Selina shook her head. "Just you. Why? Are you expecting anyone?"
"No," Elena shook her head. "I was just curious, that's all."
When the doorbell rang again, everyone tensed and stared at it until Klaus cleared his throat and Alistair went to answer the door. On the other side stood Elijah. He looked at Klaus and stepped into the house. "Hello, brother." He said.
"Hello," Klaus got out after a few seconds. When Elijah leaned in toward Selina, Klaus ever-so-slightly pulled her toward himself. "What's the matter?" Elijah asked.
"You just behave yourself tonight," Selina said. "I know we've had some history, and I'm sorry about all that you felt because of me, but you have to forget about it; I'm married to your brother now and I'm not going to forsake him just because you want me."
Elijah frowned. "What?"
"I told her what you did," Klaus said. "How you assaulted her after she and I were married. How you erased her memory of me just so you could have her to yourself. But it backfired on you, didn't it?"
"Oh, yes, that." Elijah cleared his throat. "It's strange that I don't remember that, but I've honestly tried to make amends for that dreadful mistake."
"You have?" Selina said. "How?"
"Well for starters, I brought you two a present for your anniversary." Elijah went back to the front door and called out. "All of you can come in now."
People appeared in the doorway. They were wearing vivid colors. The woman was in red, and the man was wearing a green shirt with tan chinos. They entered the house, followed by another woman with black hair and blue eyes who settled herself on Elijah's arm, and a dark-haired, dark-eyed young man who glared at Selina and Klaus' linked arms. The first couple strolled over to Selina. "There she is," the woman breathed. "I can't believe we're finally seeing her again after all these years."
Selina looked at them. "Excuse me," she said. "But who are you?"
The woman, a brunette with blue eyes, looked at the man, who Selina assumed was her husband. "She doesn't remember us, Matteo."
The man frowned. "That's hard. What could possibly make a person forget their own parents?"
Selina's eyes widened. Beside her, Klaus' grip tightened. "You two are my parents?" She asked.
"Yes," Matthew nodded. "I'm Matteo de Pena, and this is my wife, Amelia Salazar. We used to be nobility, but we shed the title years ago."
Selina looked at Klaus. "You told me they were dead!"
"Did he really?" Elijah asked. "Well it just so happens that I managed to get Matteo out of Torquemada's clutches before he was scheduled to be executed. And then I thought it would be best if he got out of the country for awhile. But I figure it's safe enough for him to be in contact with you again since the Inquisition's been over for years."
"He told you I was dead?" Amelia asked.
"Actually," Selina admitted, "he didn't tell me anything about you," she said, looking at her mother. "Why were you gone from my life?"
"I got sick soon after you were born," Amelia said. "The doctor took you away and gave me his blood to make me better. That's how I became a vampire."
"I had no idea," Selina said. She looked at them a little longer and then went to the hall mirror to look at herself. Amelia and Matthew followed. "Do you see it?" Amelia asked. "You really are our child."
Selina studied the image of herself and that of Amelia behind her. "You're right," she said. "We do look alike. And the two of you do seem kind of familiar." She slowly turned and looked deep into Amelia's eyes. Then, something clicked. She hurried to her and Klaus' bedroom. Underneath the bed were boxes of pictures from Selina's files. She began rifling through the photos and pulled one out: a picture of herself as a baby, sitting on Amelia's lap with Matthew standing behind them, his hand on Amelia's shoulder. "That's it," she whispered. She brought the picture down and strode into the living room where Klaus and Elijah were arguing. "I hate to break up this little love fest," she said, strolling over to Elijah. "But I'd like to know what the hell you think you're trying to pull."
"What?" Elijah stopped cold. "What do you mean?"
"Those people in there," Selina gestured wildly out the library door. "They aren't my parents, they're the people I pretended were my parents when I went slumming here. See?" She held up the picture. "I thought you said you were trying to become a changed man, but you really haven't changed at all." She strode from the library, crumpling up the picture and throwing it on the floor.
"Are you all right?" Elena asked as she strode up to Selina. "You look upset."
"Oh, it's nothing," Selina said. "I just don't know why Klaus wanted to invite his brother to this party in the first place. I've always been a point of contention for them and this is just re-opening old wounds."
"Oh," Elena said. "Would you like to meet the other two people Elijah brought with him?"
"All right," Selina said. They headed toward the living room where they heard a crash, followed by shouts and curses. They entered the room and found Damon and Michael throwing punches at one another. A dark blue Ming vase was shattered at Damon's feet. "What the hell is going on in here?" Selina shouted.
"What's going on," Damon said, "is that this jackass had the nerve to come to this party." He aimed another punch at Michael, but Amelia got hold of his arm and bent it backward, causing Damon to wince. "I brought him," She said through her teeth. "He promised he would behave himself and I expect no less from you."
She let go of his arm and pushed him forward into the coffee table. Feeling a pang of sympathy, Selina hurried over to the coffee table, lifting up Damon's head which had a large bump on it. She looked up at her mother. "What did you do that for? He didn't deserve it!"
"It's not good form to fight at a party," Amelia said. "This is supposed to be a happy occasion."
"Yeah," Damon said, blood dripping from his nose. "If by 'happy' you mean fake." He looked at Selina. "All this is a lie," he said. "It's not your anniversary."
"Yes it is," Selina nodded.
"No it isn't," said the dark-haired young man, taking a seat next to Damon. "You and him," He gestured at Klaus, who had just entered in the room with Elijah, "aren't even married. He just wants to use you for his own personal gain. I mean come on. He already lied to you about your parents. What else do you think he lied to you about?"
Selina glared at him. "Who are you?"
The young man smiled easily. "Michael Lockwood," he said.
Selina nodded. "Well, Michael Lockwood," she said stiffly, "I'm afraid you're mistaken. People can be mistaken you know. It happens."
"Not this time I'm not," Michael said. "I'm absolutely, one-hundred percent correct. Kill me if I'm wrong." He held out his arms, exposing his whole torso. "I won't try and stop you."
"All right," Selina said, baring her fangs and hissing. She launched herself at him and he pushed her away, his eyes flashing, his own fangs visible. "Surprise," he said. She was so stunned that he pushed her off easily. At that moment, Alistair entered the room. "Has anyone seen my date?" He asked. "She—" he paused when he noticed Michael. Soon after, Michael began to scream, clutching his head. He rolled off Selina and Alistair gave her a hand up. "Are you all right?" he asked.
"Yes," Selina breathed. "I'm fine." Then, she screamed as Matthew grabbed Alistair with one hand on the top of his head and the other on his neck. Before Alistair could cry out, Matthew snapped his neck and he crumbled to the floor. "Oh, my God," Selina breathed.
She stood frozen. Then, Matthew grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him. "What," she breathed. "Are you going to kill me too?"
"No," Matthew said, his gaze full of longing. "Do you honestly believe I would harm my own child?"
"I'm not your child," Selina breathed. "I'm sorry."
"All right, enough of this," Amelia snapped. She strode over to her daughter and grabbed her by the shoulders while Klaus tried to pull her away. He finally managed to succeed. Suddenly, the windows broke and the room was plunged into darkness.
Klaus cried out, and when the lights were back on again, Amelia was panting in a heap on the floor and Klaus had disappeared. Selina strode over to her. "Where's my husband?" Selina asked. "What did you do with him?"
Taking a deep breath, Amelia turned slowly toward Damon. "I didn't do anything to your husband. He's sitting right there." Damon reached out a hand to Selina, but she turned away. Slowly and painfully, Amelia got to her feet. "What's it going to take?" She asked. "What can I do to make you remember who you really are?"
"Nothing," Selina shook her head.
"Oh, come on," Elena said. "You said yourself that she looks familiar to you."
"I admit she does," Selina said.
"How did Klaus teach you about your life?" Elena asked.
"Alistair found boxes of stuff about me in the town archives. He took most of them back, but I've kept the photos," Selina said. "Or at least the me I created when I came here."
Elena and Stefan went up to get the boxes, and when they came downstairs, a startling sight met their eyes. Selina was crumpled on the floor, blood gushing from a cut in her head. Elijah, Stella and Amelia were kneeling over her.
"I'm sorry," Amelia said to Selina's prone body, her voice teary. "I don't know why I did it. It made me so angry to see you confused and I guess I just lost control." She looked at Elijah. "Do you think she's going to be all right?"
"Yes," Elijah nodded, pushing Selina's hair out of her eyes. "It was just a bump on the head."
It was then that Selina moaned. Her eyes opened a little. At the first sound, Michael and Damon, their enmity temporarily forgotten, rushed over and got on their knees beside her. "Mama?" She said weakly, looking at Amelia, "is that you?"
Amelia burst into relieved laugher, tears pouring from her eyes. "Yes, dear. I'm here." Selina's eyes changed focus. "And Damon too. How nice. I just had the strangest dream…" She trailed off, and her eyes closed again.
"Let's get her to a bed," Matthew said. "Tuck her in so she can rest up."
"You know," Elena said, "It's so convenient that Klaus disappeared just when Selina came back to herself."
"Yes," Elijah said darkly. "But don't celebrate just yet. He'll be back." He looked around the room. "So it would be best if you all watched yours."
"Some anniversary party," Damon quipped on the way up to the second level of the house. "One guest of honor disappears, the other gets knocked out, and to top it all off, we didn't even get cake."
