I'm back again. It didn't take me too long to post this… I think.

Brookie Twiling – I was wondering how long it would take you to come back. Hope you like the next few chapters. A lot more Elijah and Ray… Maybe even Gabriel on top of it. We'll see.

Prfh – Here you go. Let's just say that Damon might have ruined his chance to get Ray to help him protect Elena. If so, it's definitely up to Elijah now to make her change her mind. Hope you'll like it.

Charlie1233 – I'm glad. Thank you for Reviewing.

Lyryenn – Well, for now, there are more Elijah and Ray moments coming but maybe I'll mix in Gabriel as well, even if it's just a phone call or something.

NicoleR85 – Thank you so much. Here you go.

Enjoy,

Nick

As soon as I reached Mystic Falls, I called Damon to see where he is "Ray?"

"Hey, Day," I greeted "I'm driving into town now. Where are you?"

"At the Grill. Do you want to come?" he questioned.

I shrugged, forgetting that he couldn't see me "Get me something to drink… non-alcoholic and I'll be there in five minutes."

"See you then, Ray."

I hung up and turned at the next crossroad, heading for the Mystic Grill. Whoever got the idea to name this place was either trying – and failing – to be funny or they were just boring. Which one it was, I couldn't really say. Plus, I couldn't decide which one was more pathetic.

"Hello, Damon," I smiled, as I reached the table where my vampire friend was sitting with a human woman he seemed pretty close to. Opposite of him, there was a man I hadn't seen before.

Damon got up from the bench he was sitting on and pulled me into a quick hug "Hey, Dove. How was your last job?"

"Weird," I replied, sitting down next to the man I didn't know yet "Hello," I nodded at him "I'm Samael."

"Alaric," he introduced himself "You know Damon?"

I nodded with a grin "Yeah. We met… a few years ago, I believe. I saved him from a homicidal spirit."

The man choked on his drink "Spirit?"

I frowned at Damon… Did Alaric even know? Did the woman next to him? I got a small nod in return and sighed "I'm a Hunter. Supernatural Hunter that is."

"Why was your last hunt weird?" Alaric tilted his head curiously.

I took a sip of the drink the vampire pushed closer to me "Mm. Well, there is this house in Wisconsin that was known as one of the most haunted places in all of America. Several people have gone missing there… Two friends and I check it out. It turned out to be a spirit murdering everyone who came to spend the night. The weird and kinda gross thing was that there were death echoes in the house… Usually they are where the people were murdered but in this case… The previous owner of the house stashed their already dead bodies in a bunker of sorts to celebrate his birthday with him."

"Wait, what?" Damon laughed "How did he get the bodies?"

I shrugged "He was a janitor at a hospital."

"Gross is right," the woman next to my friend wrinkled her nose in disgust "I'm Andie, by the way. What do I call you? Samael or Ray?"

"Samael," I told her "Ray is only for hunting. Damon has gotten used to calling me that though. Thinks it fits me better…"

Damon smirked "That's because it does. So, other than that. How are you doing?"

"Better than Dean, that's for sure," I mumbled into my glass "His deal is up tomorrow."

"Fuck… Sorry that I called you away," he apologized seriously.

I shook my head "I wouldn't have been able to stay with them anyway. Too many people I'm not supposed to meet yet, you know." I paused and then tilted my head "Why am I here anyway?"

"Oh, right. Listen, there's this Original vampire called Klaus – not sure if you know him. Anyway, he's after Elena and I was hoping that you'd help us protect her?" Damon explained.

"I do know Niklaus," I nodded "Alright, for now, I'll help you but you understand that I will only continue to do so…"

Damon rolled his eyes "Yes, yes, your morals and shit. Damn, you're so uptight."

I snorted "If you think I'm uptight, then you probably shouldn't meet some of my siblings."

"I feel like I'm missing something," Alaric spoke up, raising an eyebrow at me in confusion "No offense but how could you help us?"

"None taken," I grinned "I'm not what I seem. That's all I'm willing to say on that matter."

The man cleared his throat "Yeah, maybe we shouldn't talk about this here?" He glanced over at Andie thoughtfully.

"Andie?" Damon smirked "She's been compelled not to divulge my secrets. Haven't you?"

The woman giggled sickeningly "Uh-huh." The vampire waggled his eyebrows at the man and pulled Andie into a kiss "Mm. My lips are sealed."

Alaric and I stared at them in disgust. Honestly, Damon? You really should be out of the age where you… Never mind. Compulsion is still decidedly less creepy than Gabe's conjured girls. Now that is extremely disturbing to witness.

"This is too weird," the man next to me mumbled under his breath.

I snorted in agreement "Too right."

"I just need the right opportunity," Damon remarked randomly. His comment made next to no sense to me but for once I decided not to question it… yet "Ah, there's Jenna with her new boyfriend. Hi."

I craned my neck to see Elijah walking closer with a red-haired woman who I assumed was Jenna "Hey, guys," Jenna smiled, waving at the other three, before shooting me a confused look.

"Hello, Elijah," I nodded politely. It had only been a few days since we met – again in my case. It was funny that I remembered him while he had next to no clue who I was. Might have been because I was aware of what he and his siblings were as soon as I saw them "You must be Jenna? Damon told me about you… Well, not really but you know. I'm Samael."

"Pleasure," the other woman shook my hand, still a bit confused "How do you know Damon?"

"Oh, we've been friends for years," I told her.

Elijah raised my hand, dropping a quick kiss on the back "Samael."

If I had been anyone else, I would have probably blushed but things like that were almost normal to me. I had lived through the last millennia after all.

"So," Damon cut in "I hear you two had quite a meeting of historical minds today."

Jenna shrugged "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Well, as much as I'd like to continue this, I've got papers to grade," Alaric muttered, dropping some money onto the table.

Andie suddenly sat up straighter "No, you know what? We should continue this. Let's have a dinner party."

I glared at Damon. If this was a spontaneous idea from the woman, how did Damon know about this yesterday? I would find out what game my friend was playing here. Then – and only then – I would decide if and how much I would help them with protecting the girl I met last year.

"Ooh, my girl," Damon cooed, ignoring me "Full of good ideas. I'll be happy to host. Say tonight. Maybe?"

Andie shrugged "It's good for me. Jenna?"

"I don't know if tonight works…" Alaric hesitated, glaring at the older Salvatore brother.

Jenna smiled happily "Yeah, I'm free."

They all turned to Elijah, who bowed his head "It would be a pleasure."

"Great," Damon smirked smugly.

I rolled my eyes at him and got up "If you'll excuse me. I drove for over sixteen hours and didn't get any sleep the night before either. I take it my room is still the same?"

The younger of the two vampires nodded "Yup. You know it always is."

"Then I'll see you later, Damon," I nodded, walking out of the Grill quickly. I wasn't lying. I did feel quite tired… might be because my grace was replenishing. Sometimes it took longer, even with the help of food and sleep. When I reached my car, I became aware of footsteps behind me. My hand drifted to the Blade that was up my sleeve and I whirled around. I relaxed when I saw the Original standing behind me "Elijah. Is there anything you need?"

"They planned something," he told me plainly.

I shrugged "Damon is always scheming. I'm afraid I don't know what this is about. The only thing I know is that I got a phone call from him yesterday, saying that he would have a 'dinner party' today and I should come."

The Original nodded "May I ask where you've been?"

"Eh, Appleton or something similar. Wisconsin in any case," I told him, covering a yawn with my hand "If you don't mind, I'd really like to get some rest now… I'll see you tonight."

"Tonight," Elijah agreed before running off. What the heck just happened? Oh well, I'd find out sooner rather than later anyway… Right now, I really wanted and needed to sleep though.

Several hours later, I was still bleary-eyed but at least less exhausted than before. Angel or not, I had spent too much on Earth, not to be slightly affected by it all. When I was dressed in tight black skinny jeans along with a dark blue tank top. Something that usually wasn't my style at all but I never really go to things like these anymore, so I would probably be uncomfortable with anything but my usual hunting clothes.

"So what's going on with you and Alaric?" Andie questioned Jenna when I came downstairs "I feel like there's some tension."

Jenna sighed, setting the table "I don't know. I really like him. It's more than like and I want it to work but I can't help but feel that he's hiding something from me. And then I've got John whispering things in my ear about him."

"Like what?" Andie frowned.

"Things I don't want to believe," the red-haired woman shrugged "Things I don't believe, not if they're coming from John's mouth."

I decided it was time to make my presence known "Why don't you just ask him about it? Tell him that he can trust you or something?"

The two women jumped in surprise "Holy shit!"

"Sorry," I grinned "Didn't mean to scare you…"

"It's fine," Jenna waved off "You think talking to him would work?"

I shrugged "No clue. Never been in a relationship."

The women's eyes widened "Never?"

"Nope. Never really wanted one before. I was always a bit busy and now that I would actually think about it, my job kinda gets in the way," I explained and it was true. Over the time I spent on Earth, I barely ever wanted to be with someone… Certainly not if I was going to lose them again after only a few years "If you'll excuse me. I need something to drink."

A while later, the doorbell rang and a man I didn't know yet walked in. I watched his interaction with both Jenna and Damon who had walked out of the library.

"Who invited him?" the red-haired woman complained, shoving past the man roughly.

"John," Damon greeted with a false smile "Surprise. Leave."

John smirked at all of them "When Jenna told me she was coming to a dinner party for Elijah, I decided I couldn't miss out on all the fun and games."

Alaric walked in, making the two men look at him "There are not going to be any games tonight, John. It's just a friendly dinner party."

"What he said," Damon agreed. Wow. Even if I didn't know the vampire as well as I did, I would have been able to tell that he's lying.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you suck at lying, Damon?" I questioned, stepping closer to my vampire friend.

John raised an eyebrow "I don't believe we've met before. I'm John Gilbert."

I stared at his hand, not making a move to take it "Samael. Pleasure, I'm sure." Jenna giggled at the obvious distaste in my voice. I hated men who flirted with me in the way this guy just did. It was never ending and after a few decades that can really get on someone's nerves. I sat down at the table, playing with the fork that was lying next to my plate. While hunting was dangerous most of the time, it stopped me from getting bored and I was definitely bored at the moment. Well, bored and antsy. Dean's deal was almost up and I just knew that Sam would do something stupid and dangerous to try and get him back. The only thing I hoped was that the younger Winchester would heed the warnings of the necklace. It was never wrong after all…

"Jenna. Wonderful to see you again," I heard Elijah's voice and looked over at the ancient vampire "How are you?" Another reason why I detested events like this. The constant small talk was boring as shit and I honestly couldn't hold a conversation like that if my life depended on it.

"Nice to see you," Jenna smiled back.

The Original nodded "You look incredible."

"Thank you," the other woman blushed lightly.

Sometime later, we were all sitting around the table. Elijah was in front of me, Damon on my left and John on my right.

"I hate to break it to you, Damon," Jenna started, pouring some wine for the vampire "But according to Elijah, your family is so no a founder of this town."

"Hmm," Damon hummed, not interested in the topic at all "Do tell."

I hit him on the back of the head "Would it kill you to be nice for once in your life?"

"Bite me, Ray."

"No thanks," I shot back "That's your thing." Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Elijah's lips twitch up in amusement.

The Original cleared his throat "Well, as I mentioned to Jenna earlier, a fraction of settlers migrated from Salem after the witch trials in the 1690s. Over the next hundred years, they developed this community where they could feel safe from persecution."

"Because they were witches," Jenna whispered in amusement. I frowned at her and looked around the table. If I wasn't mistaken, everyone in here was aware of the supernatural. Why didn't the red-haired woman know? She seemed to be just as in the middle of all this drama as the rest of them.

Andie snorted lightly "Yeah, but there's no tangible proof there were witches in Salem."

Damon wrapped his arm around the woman's shoulders "Andie is a journalist. Big on facts."

"Well," Elijah started "The lore says that there was this wave of anti-witch hysteria. It broke out in the neighbouring settlement, so these witches were rounded up. They were tied to stakes in a field together and, uh, burned. Some say you could hear the screams from miles around us. They were consumed by the fire…"

Jenna tugged her hair behind her ear "I wouldn't repeat this to the Historical Society."

"It's starting to sound a little like a ghost story to me," John remarked.

I rolled my eyes at them "Why did I let you talk me into this?"

Damon full on ignored me "So, why do you want to know the location of these alleged massacres?"

Elijah smiled nervously "You know… a healthy historian's curiosity, of course."

"Of course," the younger of the two vampires nodded "Would anyone care for some cognac? I have a bottle that I've been saving for ages." He got up from the table.

Alaric shook his head "None for me thanks. Nine bottles of wine are my limit."

The others started to get up as well, still lingering around the table uncertainly until Andie spoke up "The gentlemen should take their drink in the study."

Elijah nodded "I have to say the food was almost as wonderful as the company." At the last part, he winked at me without any of the others noticing. I blinked at that. Was he… flirting with me? Well, even if he was, I could appreciate the subtlety of it.

"I like you," Andie giggled.

Damon grabbed my arm, dragging me to the library as well. I straightened in annoyance and glared at him "You could have just told me to come along, idiot."

"You wound me, Dove," he smirked, handing me a drink. I scoffed and sniffed at it suspiciously… I wasn't sure what I was trying to smell but I knew that the vampire was planning something and I didn't like being in the dark nor did I like the feeling that I had "So, let me guess. In addition to the moonstone, the doppelgänger, the lion, the witch and the wardrobe, you need to find this witch burial ground."

Elijah's voice was sarcastic when he answered "Because I feel as though we've grown so close, Damon, I'll tell you yes. Do you know where it is?"

"Maybe," the Salvatore vampire shrugged "Tell me why it's so important." He handed another glass of scotch to the Original.

"We're not that close…"

I groaned and put down my glass with a small bang "You two are acting like spoilt children. Can't you just fucking get over it already?" I turned to my friend first "Whatever you have planned, I'd advise you against it." Elijah was the next to be addressed "And you… I get that you're a 'super powerful' vampire or whatever but you're too arrogant. From what Damon told me, he already killed you once. Think about how much you can rile him up before he tries to do something stupidly dangerous." Without another glance at either of them, I whirled around and stalked out of the room. By Father, they pissed me off. Why couldn't they just act like the adults they were? Back in the dining room, I threw myself down into the chair I had occupied earlier and rested my head on the table.

"Samael?" Elijah's voice made me look up a few minutes later.

I blinked up at him "Huh?"

"I apologize for annoying you," he spoke up quietly, coming to stand next to me.

I sighed and rubbed at my forehead "Don't worry about it. I'm not angry at you or Damon… A – A friend of mine is in a bit of a situation right now and I'm worried. I shouldn't have gotten annoyed at you because of that."

"Sorry, guys," Jenna spoke up when the others entered the room as well "Dessert is taking longer than I thought. I usually just unwrap food."

Andie cleared her throat "So… I know this is a social thing, but I… I would really love to ask you some more questions about the work that you're doing here."

"I'd love to answer," Elijah gave back, settling himself back into the chair across from me.

"Great," the reporter nodded "That's so great. Ric, would you do me a favour and grab the notebook out of my bag?"

Damon watched his friend go, before turning back to the older vampire "Elijah, did John tell you he's Elena's uncle-slash-father?"

"Yes," Elijah murmured "I'm well aware of that."

"Of course, she hates him," my friend continued "So there's absolutely no need to keep him on the endangered species list."

"No, Ric," Andie interrupted "It's in the front pocket. On the… you know what? Excuse me, guys. Sorry." She got up to help Alaric find the notebook.

John, in turn, looked at Elijah "What I'd like to know, Elijah, is how you intend on killing Klaus?"

My head whipped to the old vampire "You want to what? Why?"

"Gentlemen, there's a few things we should probably get clear right now. I allow you to live solely to keep an eye on Elena. I allow Elena to remain in her house living her life with her friends as she does as a courtesy. If you become a liability, I'll take her away from you and you'll never see her again," Elijah threatened.

Andie came back to the table and sat down next to me. I saw Alaric walking up behind the Original with a dagger in his hands. This was Damon's master plan? Stabbing Elijah – who had been willing to help them protect Elena – in the back? Within a second, I was behind the Original's chair, taking the silver dagger in the stomach without a problem "Stupid move," I told the man in front of me, pulling out the dagger as if nothing happened. I grabbed Elijah's arm and vanished to a location I had picked from his mind.