I was sitting at my desk looking up online colleges at night as Nikolas slept. I know I didn't need to continue my education but I always wanted more for my life than just being a house wife and mom. I screamed when I someone put their hands over my eyes.

"Easy, love. It's just me." I turned quickly to see Nik behind me.

"You're back." I said happily. "Where'd you go?"

"I needed to get away from this town for a while. I didn't mean to worry you." He told me.

"I'm glad you're back." I said pulling his face down to mine and kissing him deeply. "Welcome home."


The next morning I dressed and looked in Nikolas' room to see him gone. I went downstairs and watched as Nik played with Nikolas and I smiled.

"You seem happier when you're with him." I said, drawing his attention to me.

"I'm happiest with both of you." He told me. I walked to them and sat next to Nik.

"We're going to be spending a lot of time at the Lockwood Mansion. Carol Lockwood wants protection for her son." He told me and I nodded.

"He was attacked at the memorial yesterday by a hunter." I reminded myself. "So everyone wants you out of town until the moment you become useful to them. Typical.

"Don't worry love, I'm not going anywhere." He told me and I smiled up at him before giving him a peck on the cheek.

"I'm going to change before we leave." I told him before leaving to go back to our room and change.


When we arrived at the Lockwood Mansion and Nik stationed two Hybrids in the foyer as he, Nikolas and I sat in the parlor for a moment.

"Who the hell are you two?" I heard Tyler ask.

"Tyler, it's okay. They're here for your protection." Carol told her son. Nik stood and offered me a hand. I accepted it and stood with Nikolas in my arms and we made our way to where Tyler and his mother were.

"More deputies?" Tyler asked her as we walked into the foyer with another Hybrid behind us.

"Not exactly." Nik told him.

"They're hybrids." Tyler sighed.

"I was halfway to Chicago when I heard from my fiancée you were attacked. I had hoped we were to leave Mystic Falls for good, but duty calls." Nik told him.

"Nice to know you care." Tyler said sarcastically.

"I don't. I should have killed you for the little stunt you and your friends pulled. Stopping my heart; leaving me in a coffin to rot; leaving my girl and son alone." Nik listed and I remembered my rant to them.

"Yeah, well you used my body as an escape hatch. So, maybe we're even." Tyler offered.

"Not even close. But, you hybrids are a dying breed. I can't make more of you and I won't have anyone taking liberties with the ones I have left." Nik told him. "Consider them your new bodyguards." He pointed to the three hybrids in the room and walked out to another part of the house.

"Looks like we'll be living together for a while." I told him before going back to the parlor. Tyler soon joined me with a football. He laid down and started tossing it in the air as I put Nikolas to sleep. Once he was down I sat in a chair and read a book.

"So, this is where you two've been hiding, huh?" we turned and saw a brunette girl and I smiled.

"Hayley?!" we both asked together, getting up from our respective seats.

"Hey, Lockwolf. Nikky." I hugged her tightly first before she embraced Tyler. She pulled away from him, holding his neck in her hands before she pushed him hard in the chest. "Ass! I thought Klaus killed you."

"I should have called." I told her.

"Both of us should have." He corrected me.

"From your trailer park in Florida, you liar!" Hayley said looking around before sitting on the desk. "You're totally loaded!" we both watched Tyler as he said nothing. "I chained you up all over the Appalachians. I talked you through every turn. I helped you break the sire bound. You could have told me your real story."

"I didn't want anybody to follow me back." Tyler told her and she frowned at him. "Werewolves weren't safe around Klaus and you shouldn't be here either. His hybrids are all over this house and so is he." Tyler warned her.

"But the only way he can make Hybrids is my blood and he's told us he won't do that." I assured her.

"I know. One of his hybrids is with a pack I ran with. He called me and told me that he was coming to protect a guy named Tyler not to mention the constant guarding of Nicole and her son and I thought what are the chances?" Hayley told us and we all stared at each other for a moment. "Well, the least you could do is pour me some fancy, rich people Scotch."

"Make that two." I told him and he nodded.

"Sure. Absolutely." Tyler said walking over to the Scotch as Hayley and I fell down onto the couch catching up on old times.

Later in the day Tyler had gone off to the door leaving me and Hayley alone to tour the house. I showed her to the office where she was looking at a picture.

"You're a new face." I turned to see Nik behind us and I smiled at him.

"And I take it from your accent you're an old one. Klaus." Hayley guessed.

"Nik this is my friend Hayley. Hayley, his is my fiancée Nik." I introduced.

"Obviously my reputation precedes me. Hopefully not all bad." He said.

"A little bad. Mostly repulsive." Hayley told him as he made his way to us.

"So, you're a friend of Tyler's and Nikky's? That's strange, they've never mentioned you." He told her.

"Only because I knew her from before I knew you." I told him. He must have heard something because he suddenly had a devilish look on his face as he looked at Hayley.

"And I think I know why he never did." Hayley quickly left as Tyler walked into the office. Nik moved to sit at the desk, pulling me with him. "She's quite fetching, that Hayley."

"Where is she?" Tyler asked him worried.

"Oh, she had to run, but don't worry I had her take the back door so Caroline wouldn't see." Nik told him smirking.

"Whatever you think you know…" Tyler said walking towards him.

"I don't know anything, but I've put together a pretty convincing picture. Why don't you tell me where my imagination deviates from reality?" Nik said getting up and walking the rest of the way to Tyler, circling him as he spoke. "You went off to the Appalachians to break my sire bound, there you met a pack of werewolves, begged them for help, among them was a girl. She was gorgeous. With the same animal instincts as you. Emotions ran high, inhibitions ran low."

"Stop it!" Tyler ordered.

"Then, in a moment of weakness, the thick sexual tension became something much more real." Nik continued.

"I said stop!" Tyler ordered once more.

"And Caroline has no idea." Tyler glanced at me as Nik finished what he thought was the truth before his phone rang. Nik walked to it and picked it up, smirking, before sitting back down behind the desk. "Hello, Damon. Tyler's otherwise occupied making big decisions about honesty and what not. Is there anything I can do? He wouldn't. I however…"


I somehow managed to convince Nik to take me with him to the hospital where they were laying a trap for the hunter, Connor. We hid in the supply area and watched as Meredith entered the small room only to be followed by Connor. He walked around for a moment before stopping.

"Is a hospital really the best place for a germaphobe?" Connor asked and Damon stepped out from behind some shelves.

"Did I say that I was a germaphobe? Pft, sorry, I meant vampire." Damon said smirking. Connor pulled out a gun to shoot Damon, but was struck by an arrow. He dropped his gun and bent down to pick it up only to be shot by another arrow. He followed the string on the arrows to see them connected to bombs. "Stings, doesn't it?" Connor went for his gun again, but I kicked it out of his way. He looked up only to see both Nik and I.

"Hello, mate." Nik said.

"Nice to see you again." I greeted him as both boys smirked. We watched as Conner attempted to pull the arrow from his side for a moment.

"Keep it up, buddy. We'll be scraping you off the ceiling." Damon told him.

"You two are gonna kill me anyway." Connor reasoned with him.

"Well, let's not be too hasty. I feel like we're just getting to know each other." Nik said.

"Let's start with the basics. Where are you from, what do you know, maybe you can cue me in on this 'greater evil', because I've fought this guy and his girl and there's nothing more evil than that." Damon said handing me a letter he was holding.

"Yeah, truth be told, together we're as evil as it gets." Nik told him as I read the letter.

"I'm not telling you anything. And if you think if you kill me it's gonna be over, there's another waiting to take my place." Connor told us.

"See, this is what I like to hear; vague threats, ominous prophecies, disappearing tattoos." Damon told him and I gave him a confused look.

"Disappearing tattoo?" I asked him.

"What do you mean tattoos?" Nik asked Damon.

"Don't bother; you can't see the damn thing." Damon told him as Nik leaned down next to Connor.

"There's more to you than meets the eye, isn't there?" Nik asked him. Connor stared at him before attempting to stake Nik. Nik quickly caught his arm before the wood could touch his chest. "Nice try, but I'm faster than your average vampire." Nik twisted Connor's arm and grabbed the stake out of his hand. He stared a moment at the mark carved into the wood. "You're one of the Five."

"The what?" Damon and I asked him.

"And I'm faster than your average hunter." Connor said. I turned and watched as Damon left us behind for some reason before I felt arms around my waist and the wind in my hair from Nik running to his car with both Connor and myself in his arms. Nik made sure Connor was knocked out effectively before heading to the Salvatore House where Elena and Stefan were.

"Why are we here?" I asked him.

"Elena seems to have run into werewolf venom and I'm here to save her." He told me and I threw him a curious look.

"Why?" I asked him.

"She may be useful in the future." He told me before we entered the house and walked to Stefan's room.

"You came." Stefan said walking towards us.

"I did. And for future reference, one voicemail is just as effective as nine." Nik told him. We stared at Elena as she moaned in discomfort from something. "What's wrong, love?" Nik mocked her.

"She has werewolf venom in her system. You know you're the only one that can heal her, Klaus, please." Stefan begged.

"And what would you have done if I were no longer here? Hm? If you and your friends had succeeded in ridding the world of me, let's play that game for a moment, shall we?" Nik asked him. Stefan angrily stepped forward.

"Stefan… drop it." I told him and he stopped moving.

"Whatever you want from me…." Stefan told Nik.

"I don't want anything from you." Nik said before walking towards Elena and sitting on the bed next to her. "Her, on the other hand… If you had told me a few hours ago, I wouldn't have cared a lick about her dying. But, as it turns out..." he bit his wrist. "You may be of use to me after all." He placed his wrist in her mouth and she drank his blood. "Yes. There we go."


Once we were done with his business at the Salvatore House we made our way to Connor's trailer, address provided by Jeremy. Nik placed him on the couch and I sat at the kitchen table as Nik stood over him, waiting for him to awaken. Once he did, he tried to get up but was pushed back down by Nik.

"You saved me." Connor said shocked.

"Congratulations, you just became worth more to me alive than dead." Nik told him.

"What – what did you mean when you said I was one of the Five?" Connor asked him.

"You don't know your own history?" Nik said before kneeling down next to him. "Well, let's just say, it's made you the most well protected vampire hunter in town."