A/N: So I've had a few requests for the sequel to include more Original family stuff like the first story. I do realise that I've had the originals vacate much of this one and Sins of the mother, and I wanted to thank you guys for sticking through with it. The sequel will be focused pretty much entirely on the family as a whole. Anything else you want, let me know!

Also, do not get used to all these updates! I have a brief break in dissertation work while I wait for some feedback and when that happens, I go back to that as my priority!

"When did you last see your husband, Mrs Castle?" I gritted my teeth, unable to supress my wince at that label.

"Can you please not call me that?" He frowned and looked at me curiously.

"What would you prefer me to call you?"

"Anything is preferable. But you could try Elena. That is my name after all."

"Okay then. Elena. When was the last time you saw your husband?"

"A month or so ago."

Exactly one month ago. Chained to a chair.

"Why so long?"

"We had a… falling out."

"How long had you been married for?"

"A year and a half. Give or take a few months."

One year, eleven months, ten days

"And how long had you been together for?"

"A little over five years."

Five years, five months and twenty six days.

"And what caused your falling out?"

"It was a number of factors."

"Such as?" I looked down at the table, silent. "Elena?"

"He was an abusive asshole who used to beat me for fun and who used to –" I cut off sharply. The detective looked taken aback by my honesty.

"I'm sorry to hear that… can I ask why you stayed so long given how he treated you?"

"It was… not by choice Detective, I can assure you of that."

"Reluctant to break up the family? I've seen plenty of women stay in bad situations for the sake of the children."

"Well my children were a factor but it was more like I was reluctant to have their necks broken by trying to leave."

"Did you ever seek police assistance?"

"I never had the chance. And Lucien had a nasty habit of paying people to share his point of view."

A look of realisation dawned on the Detective's face.

"That's why you assumed you were in trouble… you thought he paid me to take you in?"

Sure, let's go with that.

"It crossed my mind."

"I can assure you, that's not the case."

"Well then, what is the case? Not to rush you detective but I have two children who probably think I've been locked away by this point."

"Of course. Well, Elena, your husband was found last night. I'm sorry to inform you, that he was murdered." He regarded my expectantly, clearly anticipating a particular type of reaction.

"Are you waiting for me to start crying?"

"I know that sounds crazy after everything you've told me. However, I've dealt with similar cases that have ended in tears for the men they loved."

"Well that's the key distinction. I never loved Lucien."

"But you married him?"

"Again, not by choice." I looked down at the table. "I'm not going to lie and say 'oh we had our differences, but I loved him and I would never wish him dead'. Because, if I'm honest, I wished he would drop dead pretty much every day for the past five years."

"Is this where you add on 'but of course I didn't kill him?'" he asked me.

"Did you want me to?"

"Did you kill him?"

"No."

"Then no. Because usually guilty people say that."

We lapsed into silence, watching each other. I broke it first.

"So since we've established I didn't kill him, any idea who did?"

"I believe that he's the latest victim of the murderer currently operating within our city."

"Serial killer."

"Excuse me?"

"Whoever is doing it is a serial killer, not a murderer. A serial killer kills more than three people over a spread out period of time." He raised an eyebrow. "I have a younger brother, he had… some… odd interests in his teenage years."

"Right… so yes, I do believe he was a victim of the serial killer. His injury pattern is consistent with the other victims. I just wanted to see if you could help me pinpoint when the attack might have taken place."

"I'm sorry that I can't tell you anything. But, like I said, I've not seen him in a month."

"Can you think of anyone who might have seen him since your separation? A friend?"

"Lucien didn't really have friends. Just people who worked for him. If you wanted a list of people who'd want him dead, now that is something I could help you with."

"Thank you for the offer. I'll have to bare that in mind."

"Surely you can work out the time frame from the body? Doesn't you have experts who can tell you when he died?"

"Ordinarily, yes. However, Lucien's body… and a lot of the other victims… are in… a peculiar condition. The bodies were… the coroner described it as desiccated. It makes it nearly impossible to accurately identify the time of death."

My ears pricked up at that. I knew Lucien would be desiccated, it was part of the whole being a vampire deal. But if the others were desiccated, then they must be vampires too.

"Wow… well, good luck with that. Err… am I okay to go?"

"Yes, we're all done. I'll be in touch if I need to ask you anything else." We both got to our feet. "Are you alright to get home?"

"Yes. It's still light out, I'll be okay to walk."

"If you're sure…" he paused. "Elena?"

"Yes?"

"This is grossly inappropriate, given my investigation and the fact your husband was just murdered… but would you consider going for dinner with me?"

"You got this job to hit on murder victim widows?"

"Ordinarily I wouldn't dream of asking but you're not a witness, you're not a suspect and, well, I think it's safe to say you're not in mourning."

"A fair assumption."

"So… what do you say?"

I opened my mouth, intending to politely turn him down.

"I'll think about it."

Where did that come from? I was… well, not married but… actually I really had no idea what I was. I didn't even know if the others wanted to be with me anymore in anything more than a family capacity. Five years was a long time.

"I'll give you my number."

"9-1-1 right?" I teased. He smiled and fished a business card from his pocket, pressing it into my hand.

"My direct line. Give me a call if you make up your mind."

I nodded and tucked the card away. The detective led me out of the room and to the exit of precinct.

"Be careful," he warned. I nodded and headed out onto the street. I didn't say that the only thing I feared now lay in the coroner's office, that any serial killer who faced me would find their nightmares unleashed once the Mikaelsons went after him. To the detective, I was just a nice normal girl who'd had her fair share of bad luck.

I went home quickly, worried about the girls, not to mention what the brothers would do to the local police force if Freya told them what had happened. Despite the killings, the streets were still busy, lit up with Christmas lights. Christmas was a week away and everyone was involved in last minute Christmas shopping. I'd been excited about this Christmas more than any, it was the first one the girls would get to enjoy with their family. Ordinarily I would take my time and appreciate the displays, looking for anything I could get to make their first proper Christmas special but today I just had to hurry back.

As I reached the courtyard, I heard Klaus' voice from the balcony above.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE GOT ARRESTED?"

Ah shit. I'd not been quick enough. Still, at least I'd got back before he started slaughtering law enforcement.

"I did not get arrested," I called out. Immediately they were at my side with a familiar rush of air. "I was taken to the police station, yes, but as you can see…" I held up my bare wrists. "No handcuffs."

"At least not down here," chimed in Kol. I rolled my eyes. Nice to see that the idea of me being arrested hadn't dampened his sense of humour.

"What did they want?" Elijah asked.

"It was to do with the serial killer."

"You been killing people Elena?" Kol teased. I ignored him.

"What did they say?" Elijah pressed.

"Let's put it this way… we can rule out Lucien as the serial killer." They frowned. I sighed. "They called me in to tell me that his body had been found."

"Did Tristan…?" asked Rebekah.

"I don't know." I pulled away from the group. I knew I had to tell them. "The last time I saw Lucien, he was alive. The day Rebekah brought me home, Tristan 'gave' me Lucien. He was chained up, weakened, at my mercy. And I tortured him… but…" I faltered. The truth, the terrible truth. How could I tell them? What would they think of me? "I couldn't kill him. He was right, I was too weak… I had the man who ruined my life, who tortured my children, who beat and ra-" I cut off, clenching my fists until my nails dug into the palm of my hands. "And I froze. I let him live."

No one spoke. I couldn't look at them. I'd betrayed them. I'd let that monster live.

Strong arms encircled me. I didn't know who belonged to but I let them pull me close.

"Mercy doesn't make you weak Elena," said Kol. "It makes you human. And it's part of what we love about you."

"Kol is right, for once. You're not a killer Elena, and that's a good thing," Elijah said.

I hung my head, still ashamed. He could have hurt the girls and it would have been my fault. I stayed quiet, letting myself be held, my family around me. I was drawn to the stairs, still locked in the comforting arms. I knew now that it was Finn holding me, as he was the only one I couldn't see.

After a while though, I had to speak up. I couldn't let my feelings consume me, I had things I needed to tell them.

"There's something else… the detective said a lot of the serial killer victims were desiccated. Like vampires."

"So it's a vampire hunter," said Klaus. "We can handle that."

"Or it might be Tristan. He was the last one to be near Lucien after all," said Rebekah.

"I don't think it's Tristan. Lucien maybe, but not the others," said Elijah. He produced the newspaper and held it up so we could all see without moving.

POSSIBLE CULT INVOLVED WITH SERIAL KILLING VICTIMS?

Under the headline was a picture of a small black card with a white owl drawn onto it. I bit my lip, recognizing the symbol. Not only did I recognize those cards, I had one of my own tucked away in my pocket.

"Are we missing something Elijah?" Klaus asked. Elijah sighed and looked at me, noting the look on my face.

"Elena, you know what this symbol is don't you?"

"Yep."

"Care to explain to my siblings?"

"It's the symbol of the Strix, Tristan's secret vampire club house."

"Actually it's my 'secret vampire club house'. Tristan is just babysitting it…" Elijah muttered.

"Well if this killer is just going after Tristan's vampires, we can ignore it," said Klaus.

I got up from the stairs, wriggling free of Finn's arms. I silently went over to the table, pulled the card from my pocket and set it on the table so that everyone could see it.

"Still think we don't have a problem?"

A/N: Next chapter – some sweet family time before I start tormenting my characters again.