CLEVELAND, OHIO

Willow sighs as she stands in her kitchen both her and Stefan with cups of coffee in-between them. But the red-headed all-powerful goddess witch had yet to touch her drink after what Stefan had told her about what happened to him, and what exactly he wanted her to do to help him. It was insane, beyond insane not to mention extremely dangerous.

"It's stupid Stefan."

"It worked when you did it for Buffy." He argues remembering back to that day Willow had sent him into a comatose Buffy's mind after Glory had taken Elena for the ritual.
"We had no choice!" The witch argues staring at him in disbelief "You are still walking and talking, and somewhat function. When I went into Buffy's mind she was trapped in there, her body nothing but a shell."

Stefan sighs as his hands tighten around the warm cup in his hands, doing his best not to shatter the mug. Taking a shaky breath he looks up at her desperately this was the only thing he could think of to finally deal with the demons haunting his brain "I thought that killing Silas would allow me to move on with my life but I was wrong, Willow. I spent my summer trapped in a safe. One minute I'm fine, then the next I feel like I'm dying all over again. Please...Willow, I'm begging you. Go in there and pull me out. Please."

Willow sighs as she finally stops pacing, leaning her hands onto the counter she looks up at him with serious eyes "Stefan, this is extremely dangerous. If I go in there and you can't find something within to center yourself to help you handle this pain...then you'll be worse off than you are now. Your body won't be your own. You'll be trapped in your mind. For good. Are you sure you want me to do this?"

Stefan goes quiet for a long minute as he thinks about all the risks involved but despite her words, he already knew what decision he had made. He would find something to center himself but he needed to face his mind first and all the horrors he had been ignoring since Tessa pulled him out of the damn safe "I'm sure."


NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

Still trapped inside Finn's little mind game of a hunter's room, Elijah, Buffy, Klaus, and Finn all sat in their seats their chosen monikers above them. Buffy was close to losing it at that point, the sun was down which pretty much meant unless Marcel had somehow convinced a hoard of starving vampires not to chump down on her Slayer bones then she was beyond screwed. But worse than that Finn was getting closer to their darkest secret, a secret she and Klaus had sacrificed a hell of a lot to keep a secret.

"It's a shame really, for you to lose New Orleans. You've worked so hard to make this city a home." Finn taunts enjoying his brother's misery "On the other hand, this city hasn't given you much...in the way of good fortune. You had Marcel's betrayal, Father's attack..." Slowly Finn pauses as something occurs to him "...the witches that were sent to kill your child were from New Orleans too."
Buffy clenches her jaw as she turns to Finn adjusting her position in the very un-comfy chair "We get it New Orleans sucks. So do these chairs. Seriously all the magic you got you couldn't swing for something with fluffy pillows?" She snarks trying to get the witch off the topic of the New Orleans witches who were sent after her daughter at his mother's decree.

"It's representation magic." Elijah explains from her left before turning to look at his brother "One must be ever so precise. If you misrepresent us...every enchantment in this room was built upon would collapse."
Finn snorts in amusement at Elijah's failed attempt to intimidate him "I assure you, you have no been misrepresented."

"Well, that depends on how well the hunter knows his prey." Elijah corrects before gesturing around the hunter's room they were currently trapped inside of before he points directly at the animal above his own seat, the noble stag "This facade. This illusion that I have created over the course of my life." He continues as the suit-clad Original rises from his seat "The Nobel stag. It's nothing more than a deception. To myself. To everyone. For were I truly noble..." Slowly he turns to Buffy "I wouldn't have broken my word to you and your Aunt Jenna may have survived, you wouldn't have been torn from your home." At the mention of her long-dead aunt Buffy shifts awkwardly in her seat not meeting Klaus' gaze, she could practically feel his eyes digging into the back of her skull at the mention of the sacrifice that broke his hybrid curse, a sacrifice that had cost her very dearly.

Elijah turns to his younger brother with a hesitant look on his face "And brother...I would not have withheld from you a vile deed. And one that I, like a coward, allowed Mother to erase from my memory...It was I who killed Tatia."
Buffy's eyes' widen at the mention of the girl both Elijah and Klaus had loved 1000 years ago she turns to Klaus who was now staring at his brother with wide eyes of horror, truly shocked by his brother's admission.
"I hunted her down." Elijah continues making Buffy wince slightly at the pain seeping through his voice "...and mercilessly, I feasted upon her flesh. I tore her from us. Mother took the blame... Brother...that's not all."

At that both Buffy and Klaus freeze as Elijah slowly glances at the blonde vampire Slayer guilt washing all through his face "I knew of Marianna's plan, to change both your fates. I knew where you were Buffy before Rose Marie brought you to me. I always knew. And from the second you were born Buffy, it was at a period where my brother and I were at odds, so instead of seeing you as his hope...I drove every one of my brother's men away from you...I thought I would be keeping you safe." Pausing he turns to Klaus who he wasn't too sure at this point what he was more upset over; Elijah's hand in Tatia's death or for his help in keeping him away from Buffy "...I thought my brother a monster so every time one of your men..." He says turning back to Klaus "...got too close to her. I ripped them to shreds."

Crouching down in front of his brother Elijah takes a shaky breath staring into the eyes of his hurt brother "Brother. I felt certain if you knew...you would in no way forgive me. For either misdeed."
Buffy merely takes a shaky breath as something occurs to her, if Klaus had found her earlier would she have been able to prevent a lot of the death that had occurred to her family. Had Elijah not help intercept fate would things be different? Feeling eyes on her she turns and she quickly found the blue eyes of the hybrid clearly having his own similar thoughts as to what could have occurred had they had met when destiny planned.

Finn merely shrugs clearly not bothered by the uncomfortable tension in the room "Both acts may be reprehensible, but you're admitting to it...proves you to be the man I thought you to be. My magic stands."

Buffy clenches her jaw before turning to look at Finn with a dark look in her eye "Come on even you can't be that smug. You don't want to admit that maybe just maybe there is a crack in your little house." She says, crossing her legs "I mean come on...think about it, you paint me as a brave lioness. Do you know what I've done? A lioness protects, I've slaughtered innocent people. I've tried to kill my own sister. And not to protect anyone. Simply because I enjoyed it. That's not brave I killed to escape pain. To escape feelings I didn't want to admit. Feelings I still refuse to admit. I'd say that's cowardly not bravery."

Klaus pauses at her words glancing at her for a moment but she refuses to even look at him, sighing he stands forcing the pain of what his brother had just told him to the back of his mind as he faces Finn "Indeed, it seems you have also failed in your representation of me...because there is one thing you never thought me capable of." Placing a hand on Elijah's arm he turns back to Finn "Forgiveness."
With that, the room seemingly shakes and Buffy takes Klaus's hand allowing him to pull her up as the three of them turn to face the eldest Mikealson.

Klaus continues to glare in hatred at his brother, the one he had kept in a box for so long, wishing now that he was still in that box "You, Finn, have remained a boar for centuries...but here is where you true fault lies. You never learned that bonds of family far outweigh anything else. Such bonds trump petty jealousies. They overcome ancient feuds. They become who you never expected..." He says glancing at Buffy making it very clear to her now that his words applied to her too, she was his family just as much as the rest of his blood relations if not more.
Pausing Klaus finally forces his gaze back to his brother "And yes, they are capable of allowing one monster, to pardon the signs of another."

Suddenly flames begin to surround each of the animal heads as slowly the magic surrounding them begins to unravel, Buffy couldn't help but smile as she turns to Finn "How can you punish people you don't know? Little hint. You can't. So word of warning...I'm more of a Dragon and when I get my hands you, you'll be begging for fire."

Klaus smirks at the blonde's words before moving to take a step closer to his brother who in a panic waves his hand finally shattering the illusion they were trapped too. Releasing them.


WHITMORE, VIRGINIA

At the party, Elena was making her way to Wes's office to figure out what Damon had learned about the vials of blood of Buffy's that Wes had used on Jessie only as she moves her eyes widen as she feels her head pound slightly.
Pressing her hand against the wall for support as voices begin filling her head she groans trying to listen carefully before her eyes widen as she hears the sound of a struggle from down the hall. Running forward her eyes widen in horror as she spots Damon and Jessie. Damon was struggling with Jessie who was currently ripping into his neck viciously "Jessie!" She yells running over "Jessie let go of him."
"He's gonna tear my head off, Elena." Damon calls out weakly feeling Jessie tear his way through his neck "Please."
Elena takes a deep breath summing her power before her eyes slam open and she screams Jessie's name "JESSIE!"

As her voice distorts and echoes loudly Damon expecting to feel the pain of her Banshee scream covers his ears only to frown as he doesn't feel an ounce of pain, Jessie, however, scrambled to his knees howling in agony grabbing his head as blood pours from his eyes.
Without hesitation, Damon quickly snaps Jessie's neck causing Elena to finally stop as blood seeps from her nose and she quickly begins falling.
Speeding over he quickly catches her before she could fall just as Caroline runs out into the hall only to spot Jessie temporarily dead on the floor with a snapped neck and a barely conscious Elena laying in Damon's arms blood dripping from her nose.

"What the hell happened?!" She asks running over to check on Elena who couldn't even keep her eyes open long enough to speak before passing out.
Damon merely stares at the Banshee in shock still unable to believe what he had seen "I don't know how she did that but...she did it. Lock him up." He says gesturing to Jessie "Tightly. He's had vampire blood. He won't stop. Use as much Vervain as possible. I'll deal with the creepy Doctor. You got them both?"

Caroline merely nods before throwing Jessie over her shoulder and carefully lifting up Elena and without hesitation, she speeds off to the Salvatore Boarding house.


MYSTIC FALLS

After a day of somehow being forced to help Katherine and her daughter as well as learning about Travelers Xander was so completely done with the supernatural. Honestly, when Caroline called and said he could actually go back to his own apartment instead of having to spend that night at the Salvatores, he was relieved.
Finishing the last of his burger and fries he grabs his bill however as he does something on the back of one of the receipts catches his eye. It appeared to be a handwritten letter "What the hell?" He breaths before allowing his eyes to glaze over the words.

'Dear Nadia,

Sorry, I had to kill your boyfriend but it was the motherly thing to do. Suicide however not very motherly of me. I ran from my enemies for 500 years...and then, one day, I stopped. Now a new enemy wants me dead. Sure I could run from the travelers but there's still one enemy that I can never escape: time. So call it pride or vanity but after the life that I've led, I refuse to drift off into the sunset.

Goodbye Nadia.'

Xander's eyes widen and despite his better judgment, he runs out of the Grill, and quickly his eyes land on the tallest building in town. The clock-tower.
Running to the building he quickly begins running up the stairs to the roof "What am I doing?" he mumbles before groaning "Need more Cardio." He gasps out struggling for air "Stupid human heart." He mumbles as he continued to question himself before finally, he landed on the top floor.
Pushing open the door his eyes widen as he spots Katherine about to jump, grabbing her by the waist he pulls her off the edge pulling her over to him as she gasps in shock "And here I thought you were supposed to be a survivor. Color my old Xander mind confused. Wanna explain jumpy?"

Katherine who was still momentarily in shock from Xander ruining her plans to off herself sighs as he yanks her into the staircase away from the roof "I told you, Alexander. You either face your problems or you run. I chose option three." As her voice cracks, she couldn't help but frown in confusion as the human merely sighs and moves to sit on the top step. Hesitantly she takes a seat beside him watching him curiously "Why would you save me?"
"You haven't done anything to me." He admits after a long beat "Plus Buffster said you're not all bad."
Katherine couldn't help but scoff in disbelief at that "Buffy said that?"

Xander shakes his head in amusement as he faces the fast aging human "She said, that after she had her daughter...she understood you a lot more. And everything you've done. I found your little suicide note. Honestly, I think you and Buffy are more alike than either of you realize. You've both done horrible things. But when it comes down to it...it's for they love your daughters. When Buffy turned off her humanity she thought being away was the best thing for Joy. It wasn't...just like you killing yourself is not the best thing for Nadia, whatever you think you're protecting her from, whatever is wrong with you...this will crush her."

Katherine stays silent for a long moment letting his words wash over, honestly, she hadn't been expecting that, for Buffy to have actually said nice things about her. It threw the five-hundred-year-old human a real curveball.
As she thinks about it she couldn't help but laugh "You know, Buffy's the only one in this town I can stand it's why I went to her for help...I always go back to that face I swear...I fell in love with Mary back when she looked like Buffy. You know you love a face for 500 years and it's weird when you see their real one. Mary spent years practicing how to act like Buffy that at times it was hard to tell when it was her and when it wasn't."

Xander chuckles in amusement and nudges the brunette's arm playfully making her let out what was probably her first real laugh in her newly human life "Maybe you're a little in love with the Buffster. Trust been there." He jokes before he looks at her again and honestly as much as his head screamed at him he knew it was the right thing to do, if Angel and Spike of all people could change with a soul...why couldn't Katherine now that she was human?

"Look..." he begins "...Buffy's in New Orleans and probably won't be back for at least a week. Her apartment is empty. I have her spare key. Crash there for now until you figure out what you wanna do."
Katherine's eyes widen in disbelief, he couldn't actually be offering to help her, why would this human want to help her "What do you want?"

"Sometimes people do nice things KittyKat." Xander laughs "You're talking to a guy that laughs in the face of danger, then hides until it goes away. I'm literally being nice."
Katherine's expression softens ever so slightly before she shakes her head again "No, no. Buffy will kill me."

Xander breaks out a small smile and leans against the wall placing his hands on his knees before turning to Katherine looking at her seriously as he prepares for one of his brilliant Xander speeches "When it's dark and I'm all alone and I'm scared or freaked out. I always think what would Buffy do. I've been Buffy's friend since we were 15, I've been in more battles with her than you can possibly imagine. She's laid down her life literally to protect the people around her. Buffy has died two times and she's still standing. You and Buffy have been enemies. Do you know who else she's been enemies with? Angel, Damon, Spike...even Klaus. Yet she found something in each of them that no one else did. You doubt her motives...you shouldn't. She's isn't all about the kill. I've seen her heart, she good. Show her the person I'm seeing in you. And she'll see it too."

Pausing Xander stands and moves to stand in front of the teary-eyed ex-vampire watching her carefully "Whatever has got you so upset, let me remind you of what you told me. You're a survivor." Holding out his hand towards her he offers her a friendly smile "So are you gonna survive?"


NEW ORLEANS

Buffy gasps as she returns to her body, sitting up she looks around in panic before a small sigh of relief passes through her as she realizes she was back in the church. Looking down she quickly realizes she wasn't in pieces and covered in bite marks which meant the vampires had been dealt with. Spotting a hand reach out in front of her the blonde looks up to spot Klaus now awake too, standing above her.
Sighing she takes his hand allowing him to help her up before the two turn to spot Davina moving towards them "What happened? Is Kol okay?"

Buffy rolls her eyes "We're fine thanks."
Klaus shakes his head before moving to check the blonde's neck inspecting her to see if Finn's plan had worked "No bites."
"For me." She mumbles before her eyes widen as she hears the festival still going on outside "But everyone else..."

Klaus's eyes widen at her words and quickly turns to the impatient witch who was glaring at the couple that had been ignoring her "Now we can stand here and explain the specifics...or you can show a little trust and come with us."

"I'm the one who's been waiting for your asses to move." She points out before shoving past them "Let's go."


After Xander had driven her back and let her into the two-bedroom apartment Katherine moves around the white and purple room taking in the sight of. The walls were a light lilac with white lining throughout. There was a fireplace in the corner of the room as well as a black leather couch and some chairs. Placing her bag on the couch she moves down the hall eying the photos along the wall, some were of Buffy as a child, a woman she assumed was The Slayer's mother, as well as the rest of her little scooby gang.
As she approaches the bedroom she assumed to be Buffy's she pushes it open only to halt in her steps at the sight before her.

Instead of Buffy's room, it seemed she had entered the nursery, there was a white wooden crib in the center of the room, stuffed animals everywhere as well as purple letter blocks spelling out the name JOYCE on the wall.
Katherine couldn't help but smile sadly as images of what her life could have been like if she had never been forced to leave Bulgaria; if she had been able to raise her own daughter.

Stepping further into the room, her hands graze over the dusty crib before she spots the photos on the nightstand. There were photos of all of Buffy's friends and family as well as even a few photos of Rebekah, Elijah, and Klaus.
Stepping forward she rolls her eyes at the sight of the images of the originals but pauses at the sight of one photo, it was probably the only photo Buffy actually had of it's kind. It was of Buffy in a rocking hair holding baby Joy, picking up the photo Katherine's eyes fall to the blonde Slayer and as she stares at a face she had known for five hundred years she couldn't help but think back to 2008 when she and Mary had been in Los Angelus, that day had been the first time she had seen the true owner of Mary's face.

"Totally."

Katherine rolls her as Mary stands in front of the mirror, her normal raven looks now a honey blonde as she practiced the accent that she had heard the Slayer use in the visions she had. "Sweeter." The brunette vampire tells her before moving to stand behind the blonde "Try a softer tone."

Mary rolls her eyes playfully at the vampire before turning around to face her "I only have two years left. It has to be perfect."

"It's not that hard to pretend to be someone else. At least for me, it isn't."

Mary shakes her head as she begins pacing the room "She's the Slayer. It's not like playing some idiot human. I have to think like her."

Katherine sighs she could see the worry on the witch's face because if all their training and practice failed then it was all for nothing and Klaus would kill them both.
Slowly the vampire frowns as Mary gives her a begging look while shifting her hair out of the blonde and back into its natural black waves "Please go do a little recon."
"No." Katherine states shaking her head in disbelief "Not a chance."

"She hasn't been called yet, I can't go I look just like her. She hasn't seen the doppelganger in a few years a glance of you won't matter. Please, Kat..."
"May..."

Mary pouts and wraps her arms around the vampire's waist holding onto her tightly "Please for me?"
Katherine rolls her eyes in annoyance before groaning loudly "Fine. But you owe me. I'll be back." And with that, the vampire speeds out of the house heading towards Hemery High.

Standing across the street she watches as students begin to pile out of the school, rolling her eyes at the humans Katherine glances down at her nails impatiently before finally she spots her, stepping out of the school was the one and only Buffy Anne Summers.
Katherine watched the 15-year-old carefully, trying to soak up as much info as she could to give back to Mary, the girl who was still human at this point had her shiny blonde hair all the way to her waist, wearing more colorful clothing then she would have expected given the stories she had heard about from Mary's visions.

Moving closer the vampire watches in interest as The Slayer's father storms out of his car and over to the teenage girl who gulps and looks down at her feet "Get in the car Buffy now."

"But dad I didn't mean to..."

"You know the rules, Buffy. You broke them now get in the car. You grounded."
Katherine couldn't help but frown as she watched the blonde merely nod and wipe at her eyes before climbing into the car her father still screaming at her as they drove off down the street.

Katherine couldn't help but exhale as she begins to follow "She's prettier than the last one."


"Thank you." Caroline says to Elena as she walks upstairs after having locked Jessie up downstairs in the cellar and moves to stand in the parlor where the Banshee was still trying to get ahold of Buffy.
Elena frowns in confusion and turns to face her vampire best friend "What do you mean?"

Caroline couldn't help but let out a snort "Damon would have killed Jessie. Especially with Buffy not around to convince him not to kill people. You could have died doing what you did today, but you saved Jessie, so thank you."

Elena smiles sweetly before taking a seat on the couch, honestly, she didn't know how she did what she did, while she was glad she did it she had to admit she was a little terrified how much she didn't know about her own powers, especially given the fact that what she did tonight had almost killed her "You really like him don't you?"
Caroline rolls her eyes playfully but Elena could see clearly that the vampire was trying so hard not to blush "Maybe a little. He's one of the good ones."

Elena smiles before checking her phone again only to sigh in disappointment as there was still nothing from her sister, Caroline frowns as she spots Elena watching her phone in worry "Still no word?"
Elena merely shakes her head before looking over at Caroline nervously, for months something had been digging at the back of her mind, a horrible thought which she knew she shouldn't be having but she just couldn't stop it "Caroline do you think..."
When Elena trails off the vampire frowns in confusion and moves to sit in the chair opposite her watching her carefully "Think What?"

"That...Buffy might not come back at all?" Elena finally asks looking up at the blonde with wet eyes "That she'll stay in New Orleans. For good."
Caroline lets out an amused laugh and shakes her head, no way would Buffy just leave "No, no." She states before frowning as slowly her worry starts to build, Klaus and Buffy had a child together, Buffy was in New Orleans with Klaus who now had plenty of chances to talk her into staying in New Orleans on a permanent bases "I mean...no, she wouldn't just leave us, right? She wouldn't pick Klaus over us. She wouldn't."


Buffy frowns in confusion as she Davina and Klaus move into the middle of the quarter, instead of finding the bodies of the locals torn to pieces and blood reigning in the streets, everything seemed...well normal.
"I don't get it." She breaths turning to Klaus "They haven't eaten we should be walking into Carrie the vampire addition."
Klaus merely shrugs just as confused at the blonde, something was amiss here, the hybrid glances out at the crowd of humans again before turning to Davina "You look around, we will see if we can track them."

With that the two hybrids turn and head away from the witch, as they walk through the crowds Klaus looks over at the blonde; unable to contain his thoughts anymore "Is it true?"
At his question Buffy halts in her steps causing him to sigh and circle around so he was facing her, she knew what he wanted to know, if Finn's taunting about her being conflicted regarding where she belonged was based on the truth or if it was more of his lies.
The blonde merely clenches her jaw slightly before glaring up at Klaus "Why didn't you tell me about Esther's offer?" She counters back and when he glares at her she shrugs in almost exhaustion, she wasn't in the mood to have this conversation but it was too late now "What you get to question my choices and I don't yours?"

The hybrid growls in slight frustration, not wanting to admit the truth of why he hadn't told her, because that would mean actually being vulnerable and he didn't have time to show weakness, not with Finn around. As he goes quiet she sighs "The truth Klaus. Now."
Klaus scoffs in annoyance and turns to walk away only to halt as she grabs his arm yanking him back giving him a very terrifying look, which was basically saying tell me or I start cutting off body parts "Esther would have just manipulated you into accepting. Best you didn't know."

Buffy couldn't help but scoff "I said the truth." She snarks before crossing her arms and watching him carefully when she spotted something flash through his facial features, that's when it hit her "You were worried I'd say yes. That I'd leave." When he doesn't speak and merely clenches his jaw at her she sighs sadly she knew one of the big bad hybrids' biggest fears in life was being abandoned. And after looking for her for so long the idea of her choosing a human life where she would never see him again had clearly affected him "I'm not going anywhere. While tempting yeah...I wouldn't..." Clearing her throat she runs a hand through her hair "I wouldn't leave."

Klaus' face softens even so slightly and he offers her a small smile before he frowns as he spots the confusion and torn look on her face "Buffy, what Finn said..."

"Don't." She states before moving to leave only this time it was him who stopped her grabbing her arm pulling her back over to him forcing her to look him in the eye "Buffy..."

"It doesn't matter!" She exclaims pulling away before grabbing onto the ends of her hair yanking on them to try and calm herself, sighing she clenches her eyes shut before finally forcing herself to look at Klaus "What I want doesn't matter! It never has. I never wanted to be The Slayer, that didn't matter. I never wanted to die at the hands of the Master or Glory...but it didn't matter. I never wanted to be the one that people depend their lives on but I am. I accept that. I have friends a family, Slayers all over the world that look to me for answers, I didn't want that. But I do it, every day without complaint. That's the way my life is. Do you think I wanna pretend to be the good little Slayer when all I want half the time is to rip someone's head off when they cross me? I don't like denying that's what comes naturally to me now. But I can't be me. So I pretend. Because if I even admit the life that I want or how I really think now, to the people that care about me...I'd lose everything."
At her words Klaus freezes watching her with a look she didn't recognize and she wasn't sure she wanted to, at least not now. When he reaches forward to cup her cheek she shakes him off, she couldn't handle him touching her right now, because she knew, the minute he did she would crumble. Quickly wiping her cheeks realizing that a few tears had escaped, she shakes her head and forces all of it down before moving to head back into the crowd "Let's just find these damn vampires."


"If you're gonna do this..." Wes speaks up from where he was still strapped to a chair while Damon had his back to him still going through as much of Wes's stuff as he could "...I'd much rather prefer a bullet through the brain."

Damon smirks and doesn't even bother to turn to face the human as he continues rifling through the doctor's things "Actually, I'm gonna wait until I can compel all of this out of your head."

Moving towards the fridge Damon moves to put all the vials he had tested on Wes back only to halt as he spots a blood-bag in the back "What the hell is that?" He breaths as he grabs it only for his eyes to widen as he spots 12144 written across the bag.
Clenching his jaw he finally turns to glance at the doctor curiously, praying like hell that his theory was wrong and this wasn't what he thought it was "Why does this say 12144?"

"What do you care?"

Damon frowns before slowly it all clicks and he stares at Wes with wide eyes as horrifying memories fill his head, of a five year period he never spoke about; not to anyone, he had only ever told one person and it had taken 10 bottles of bourbon to even get there "Because I was 21051."

"21051. Hang on...you were an Augustine vampire?"

At Wes's question, Damon's entire body goes stone-cold as flashes of doctors cutting into him for hours on end fill his head, horrors he had forced himself to never think about "Augustine. I haven't heard that name in decades. Vampire lab rats coded subject names. I thought you guys shut down 60 years ago."

"You thought wrong."

At that Damon snaps tossing the blood back into the fridge he slams it shut moving over to the human a sadistic smirk crossing his face as he approaches the doctor who he now had even more reasons to hate "You know when I said I wasn't gonna kill you? I lied." He smirks before moving to grab the Ebola again.

However, suddenly Wes manages to get through his binds, and before Damon could even realize what was happening the doctor pressed a red button. The vampire frowns before gas begins seeping in through the ceiling causing him to cough violently as Vervain filled his system, bringing him to his knees.
Wes smirks over at the vampire as he drops "Atomized Vervain. When working with vampires you can never be too careful. I'm sure Augustine will be thrilled to have you back."


"How is my daughter?"

Buffy hears Klaus ask as they walk towards Marcel's home across the river, frowning she clears her throat and crosses her arms as he turns to face her, raising an eyebrow at him he rolls his eyes "Our daughter." He corrects making Buffy smirk as she hears Elijah chuckle through the phone.

"She's in good hands. As am I. However, if you say the word, I shall return."

Klaus pauses at his brother's words and glances at Buffy who smiles slightly at him, he couldn't help but smile back, he had all the help he could ever need standing beside him "No, you're needed where you are."

"So, the city is safe?"

Buffy snorts as she glances down at the floor as they enter Marcel's home only to find hundreds of blood bags all empty covering the floor "Safe as houses. As far as New Orleans is concerned. It's basically one apocalypse away from being a Hellmouth."
Klaus chuckles before glancing around Marcel's empty home in confusion, despite all the empty blood bags there was not a single vampire in sight "Marcel and all his vampires have inexplicably disappeared. Kol is in the wind, Rebekah is still lost...and Finn is dangerously suspicious of the secrets we keep. Speaking of what, I meant what I said. I am capable of forgiveness."

Buffy smiles slightly at his words as she glances over at the immortal hybrid before taking a seat on the couch "Thank god given how many times I've tried to kill you."
Klaus shakes his head in amusement at her words before moving to stand at her feet as she sits "We need to remain focused on our common enemies. We'll be in touch."

As Klaus hangs up Buffy turns to him standing back up with a worried frown on her face "What now?"
Klaus pauses for a moment at her words before a smirk on his face appears "Let's start with introductions. You saved a werewolf earlier." Placing his hands on her shoulder's he turns the blonde to face the doorway where the werewolf she had protected while still trapped in the compound approached them both "Buffy, my dear. Meet Aiden. Josh's love. He's the Calvary."
Buffy arches a brow before smiling brightly at him "Hi. Buffy, snapped a vampire's neck for you. Now in need of a favor. Pretty please?"
Aiden chuckles down at the blonde Slayer before shaking his head in amusement "What do you need?"

"You can start by questioning your wolves." Klaus tells him "Find out what Finn has done with Marcel and his vampires."
Aiden rolls his eyes in annoyance at the vampire before groaning "I would, but most of the wolves took off for the bayou waiting for Hayley and Jackson...to finish their wedding trails."

Buffy arches a brow in confusion "And this concerns us how?" She asks turning to Klaus who unlike her now had a slightly panicked look on his face, what the hell was going on?

"It's basic old school werewolf stuff." Aiden explains to the blonde "They go out into the woods and smoke this blue calamus root out of a peace pipe."
"Blue what now?" Buffy asks before shaking her head in confusion "Okay Slayer out of the loop here."
"It's a truth serum." Klaus reveals his jaw tightening to the point where Buffy was pretty sure it was going to snap under the pressure "In generations past, it was used among the wolves for divulgement rituals. Ancients rites where secrets are confessed."

Buffy frowns before turning to Aiden "Give us a minute." She tells him waiting for him to leave before turning to Klaus anger filling her expression, there was only one reason that he would be so concerned about a ritual like this. It wasn't due to Hayley's secrets, it was because she knew one of theirs.

"Why in the hell does Hayley know Klaus!?" She screams at him shoving him in the chest in anger, after everything they had given up to keep Joy safe how could he tell some werewolf girl they didn't even know.
"She already knew!" He yells back at her grabbing her arms forcing her to look at him "Your witch friend Willow, was the one helping Rebekah hide."
"Yeah so?" Buffy asks in confusion, she was just getting more and more confused by the second which wasn't exactly helping with her panic right now.

Klaus sighs thinking back to the day all of this happened, Buffy had been in Italy and too much was going on to fill her in on the deep dark details "Your witch friend is close with a wolf. A wolf who helped Hayley break the curse that makes her able to control her transitions. That's the whole point of her marrying this imbecile so that the werewolves won't turn on the full moon. He helped Hayley, taught her how to control her shift, and then helped her find her family...in exchange, they made a deal. To protect our daughter. For the Bayou wolves to consider Joy one of their own pack. Your friend swore them in."

Buffy shoves Klaus's hands off her as she begins pacing back and forth none of this made any sense, it was impossible for a wolf to learn to shift without the full moon unless they were hybrids. And this friend, why would Willow involve some wolf? None of this made a damn lick of sense to her "What friend?! This is impossible!"

"Actually it's not." A new voice pipes up from behind the two causing Buffy to frown as she listens carefully to the familiar voice, a voice she hadn't heard in 6 years. This wasn't possible.

"Well..." The voice continues "...it is, unless you have about a hundred shamans and a lot of dark magic. Trust me it was not a process Hayley enjoyed. Took us years. Not everyone survives. She's one of the rare few. Like I was."
Spinning around Buffy gasps as she finally turns to face the figure her mouth dropping open and tears filling her eyes as she stares at the figure she hadn't seen since she was 17 "Oz?"

Oz smiles brightly at his old friend and smiles ignoring Klaus' eye roll "Been a long time Buffy."