Mystic Falls 2012

I used Klaus's number for the first time while I was driving through Virginia. I realized after the fact that I should have asked him for the information I needed before beginning the hunt. My stomach turned as the phone rang. I never wanted to use the number. In fact, I would have been content to never see the vampire again. He made me feel all jumbled up inside and question my morals.

"Hello?" the English voice answered.

"Nik? It's Anna," I bit my lip as I waited for a reply.

"Anna, luv, what can I do for you?" I could almost hear him smirking in victory.

"I'm cashing in on that favor you owe me," I explained, trying to squash any immoral ideas he might have. "I'm in Virginia, on my way to Damascus and I need some information."

He chuckled and I grew more nervous. This was a bad idea, trusting a vampire. "Funny thing, darling, I'm also in Virginia. Get to Mystic Falls and I'll tell you anything you want."

"See you soon." I hung up, wondering where on the map Mystic Falls was. I pulled out my map and saw that I had already passed it. I would have to backtrack to get there. I growled as I crumpled it up and threw it in the general direction of the passenger's side. His information better be good.

I arrived closer to midnight, so I booked a motel instead of hunting the original vampire down. I postponed that until noon the next day when I drove into the center of town. I wanted to see the town before I called him. I wanted an exit strategy, but at the moment I had no bearings, no idea where I was.

I spotted him while I was driving down Main Street. He walked into what looked like a sports bar called the Mystic Grill. Clever. I sucked it up and decided to talk to him. I pulled over into a nearby parking spot and grabbed my case file. I spotted him immediately, well I spotted his back. His shirt was stretched across his shoulder blades as he hunched over the bar. I strutted up beside him.

"Guinness," I told the bartender, a young blond boy I was not sure was old enough to be serving alcohol, as I took a seat next to Klaus. "He's buying," I put a hand on the vampire's shoulder.

"Anna," he grinned and kissed my cheek. "Don't you look ravishing?"

"Here," I brushed him off and slide him the file.

He began flipping through the crime scene photos of emaciated bodies. "What's this?" he asked.

"I was hoping you could tell me. I've never seen anything like it before," I admitted, studying the photos again, looking over his shoulder. He smelled so good. I thought vampires were supposed to smell like death.

"I can find out, but it's going to take more than two phone calls," he replied, grinning mischievously.

"What do you want?" I found myself asking.

"There's a ball tonight at my place. 7 o'clock."

I laughed so hard I nearly fell off the stool until I realized he wasn't laughing. He was dead serious about me going. "No," I stood up. "No way in hell."

"If you're denying me because you have nothing to wear, there's a dress waiting for you at that sleazy motel," he called after me as I left the bar.

I turned around just long enough to reply. "Oh my god! I don't want to know how!"

The motel manager did indeed have a box for me. Inside was a gown and a small card with his address printed on it. I had to try the dress on. I loved dresses, but I didn't get to wear them because they restricted my movement too much. It was a strapless gown with a corseted top and a skirt with about five layers of tulle. Normally, I wore shirts that would cover most of my tattoos, except of course for the ones on my neck and chin, but in this gown you could see the runes and glyphs that spread across my chest and back, over my shoulders and down my arms. It was beautiful. I looked beautiful- and ridiculous.

His house was not difficult to find. It was the biggest in the town, maybe even the state. It wasn't so much a mansion as a manor house. I pulled up in my Jeep Rubicon, towering over the other party-goers and their rides, earning me several stares. Just the sound of the engine announced my arrival. I was greeted by a valet and although I handed him my keys it still took several minutes before I could enter the party.

"I can park it myself," I offered.

"No, no," the dweeby boy said. "Tom drives stick. He'll be back in a minute. You'd have to walk all the way back. Just wait. Tom drives stick."

I sighed and stood tapping my foot, wondering if Klaus realized I was here yet. When I finally got inside, I was greeted by him nearly immediately. "You came," he grinned, but raised his eyebrows at my dress.

It was black silk with a slit nearly all the way up the side and it had one strap that went over my left shoulder, just enough to keep it up without the help of my boobs. It took a while to find, but it was the only dress for me. It allowed me access to the knives strapped to my calf and thigh, but I was more under armed than I was comfortable with for entering the house of a family of vampires.

"I don't know if you were drunk or high thinking I would show up in something I couldn't fight in," I told him.

His upper lip twitched. "One can hope. Let me introduce you to my family."

I was presented to Elijah first. He frowned as he shook my hand, but did not make any rude remark, disapproving of my presence like I had expected. Finn, the eldest, came next. "Pleasure," he kissed the top of my hand stiffly and only because it was expected of him.

Klaus's only sister, Rebekah insisted on introducing herself next. "You are far too pretty to be here with him," she said referring to Klaus.

"It's only a favor," I assured her that I wasn't actually attached to him.

Kol shooed away his sister to shake my hand enthusiastically. "Ah, darling, it's a wonderful pleasure to meet a hunter!" he declared. "It takes guts to come to a vampire ball. It's lovely to meet such a brave girl."

"That's enough, Kol," Klaus pried my hand away from his brother and taking it in his own, guided me away from his siblings.

"They seem like nice people," I said, letting the sarcasm ring in every word.

He chuckled. "Come, Elijah is going to make a toast and then we must dance."

I wrinkled my nose. "I never agreed to dancing."

"You're at a ball, Anna, what did you expect?" he laughed at me.

I shrugged, but followed him into the foyer where he ascended the stairs to stand alongside his family.

Klaus and I moved together in a waltz, appropriately close for the occasion. I wasn't afraid and let myself enjoy the feeling of his hand on my lower back and my hand in his.

"You have more tattoos than I originally thought," he commented. He had obviously seen the ones on my legs last time we met, but now the ones covering the upper half of my body were exposed.

"They're for protection against magic and demons," I explained.

"And the one on your chin?" he pried.

I smiled at the memory of that one. "It's from a native tribe. There was a demon possession on their rez. It's very important to them. This way the ancestors will recognize me and welcome me into heaven when I die. It keeps my soul from getting lost."

Klaus twirled me around on the beat change and despite my lack of dancing experience, I landed safely back in his arms.

"Did you look into my problem in Damascus?" I asked. "Women are dropping like flies."

"It's a Gancanagh, a type of fey," he told me. "The people are addicted to him and when they don't get enough attention they wither and then commit suicide."

"And how do I kill it?" I pose my most important question.

He shook his head. "If I tell you now you will bolt before the end of the party."

"I, Anna, do so swear, that I will not dip out early from Niklaus's ball before the end of the night," I said, smiling as he chuckled.

"A blessed Ronan stake," he answered as the song ended.