This chapter is rated M for mature due to a short scene at the beginning. It's not overly graphic but more so than what I normally write for this fandom.

Chapter 3: Sending a Message

*****The Next Day*****

At Elijah's insistence, Buffy had moved her belongings into Elijah's room. It warmed her heart to know that Elijah wanted her so close, so she had no objections. Waking up into his arms was her new favorite thing.

Elijah felt her stir but kept his eyes close, savoring the feel of her. The woman was a picture of poetry in motion most of the time, but he relished the moments of stillness like this. Then she began kissing his chest. When her lips trailed downward, his eyes shot open, and he pulled the covers away to look at her as her lips closed around him, a mischievous look in her eyes. Elijah kept his eyes locked with hers as she pleasured him so skillfully. Before he could explode into her mouth, she climbed onto him, sliding him inside of her.

Sometime later, they got dressed, both feeling good. Buffy didn't know if she'd ever get used to her new life. Every moment with Elijah was like a dream come true. He was the perfect gentleman, the most exquisite lover, always thoughtful and attentive. In every way, he was different from her previous lovers.

"If you make me any happier, I may lose my edge!" she complained as they went downstairs.

"That could never happen. Your nature is as instinctive as mine," Elijah said fondly. He'd seen her in action a few times in their travels. She was a true goddess of war. The time he'd watch her behead some demon in Italy with her scythe and then grin up at him in satisfaction was probably when he fell completely in love with her. The blood on his own hands didn't stand out next to her own. Of course, he knew that he had killed many innocence and her none. However, it didn't matter. She was a creature of light, who was very much at home in his darkness. Loving two vampires with real demons in them probably had something to do with it. When he was with her, he felt clean again. If a woman such as she could love him, then he was not beyond redemption. Maybe he was the noble man he sought so hard to be. He was to her anyway, and that was all that mattered.

They found Klaus at the table with Freya and Willow, feeding Hope. At Hayley's insistence, they were letting her feed herself more. The results were a very messy but fun morning ritual.

"Hope is here?" Elijah asked in surprise. "I thought she was with Hayley?"

"She had some early errands to run and brought her over. She said she knew that you'd want to see her since you were gone so long," Klaus said with a grin.

"That was nice of her," Buffy said, grinning down at Hope, who looked adorable with oatmeal everywhere. "I need a picture of that!"

"She's such a doll! I think I want one, Buffy," Willow said with a pout.

"Well, we can compel a human to knock you up," Klaus said, flashing his dimple.

"I don't need to compel a man!" Willow said, offended.

"You don't need to involve a man at all," Buffy pointed out. "You can go to one of those sperm banks."

"What?" Freya asked, a look of confusion on her face.

Her siblings grinned at her innocence. "It's a place where men sell their sperm and woman can pick through their profiles and find a baby-daddy!" Buffy explained.

"Really?" Freya asked, fascinated.

"I don't think I'd want a stranger as my baby-daddy," Willow said.

"Well, you could always see if Xander would donate his fishies, but I don't think Dawn would be okay with that," Buffy said, snickering at the thought of Dawn's face if she was asked.

"My sperm have been known to reproduce," Klaus said suggestively. "But we'd have to work at it the old-fashioned way until we got it right!"

Willow laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure," she said.

"You can always adopt," Buffy suggested.

"I did that with Marcellus," Klaus said sourly. "If they're not of your blood, they'll turn on you."

"Not if you're not a total ass," Buffy said sweetly.

"I'd like it to be of my blood, so she can inherit some of my skills," Willow said.

"Do you have any idea if Hope will live a normal human lifespan?" Buffy wondered, looking at the child who was throwing handfuls of oatmeal at Klaus, who easily dodged her throws, making her laugh.

"We know not," Klaus said. "It's assumed that she will live a bit longer than a normal human life."

Rebekah came downstairs. "Good morning!" she said cheerfully.

"Good morning, sister," Elijah said.

"Morning," the rest of them echoed.

Rebekah sat down next to Elijah, across from Buffy. "So, what's our plan for dealing with Lucien?" she asked, not wasting time.

"He's a wily bastard, but he'll reveal his intentions soon enough," Klaus said knowingly.

"Where Lucian is, Aurora will follow. Then her asshole of a brother," Rebekah said.

"And you're in that frail, human body," Klaus said in disapproval.

"Which we can protect," Willow said pointedly.

"What of Kol? Should we try to restore him before becoming distracted with things?" Freya wondered.

"Davina has the final ingredient, so we can begin," Willow said.

"I still say trusting that little witch is not a good idea," Klaus warned.

"That witch loves Kol. She is going against the ancestors working with us," Rebekah reminded him.

"Well, I hope it doesn't backfire," Klaus predicted.

Buffy's phone beeped, so she pulled it out. "I'm going to meet Cami for lunch," she said. "I didn't get a chance to talk much with her last night. Willow took up all my time!"

Willow grinned. "Best friend privilege," she said.

"So, you haven't told us anything about your trip with Buffy," Freya said to Elijah.

"It was wonderful," he said, gazing at Buffy with a warm smile.

Rebekah's eyes widened as she saw the look Elijah gave her. "You're in love with her!" Rebekah gasped.

Buffy blushed and Freya frowned in disapproval. "Sister, that is really personal," she said.

"A love connection has most definitely occurred," Willow said knowingly.

"Yes, we know. Lots of sex. What else happened?" Klaus asked, dismissing their sentiment.

"We visited her family in New York. Then a few slayer houses before going to England," Elijah said.

"Your family is well?" Freya asked Buffy.

"They're great!" Buffy said happily. "My sister Dawn is pregnant with her second kid. She married Willow and I's best guy friend, Xander. They're in charge of the New York City slayer house. When they got married, I gifted it to them."

"Because New York City was safer than the hellmouth Xander was in charge of in Ohio," Willow added.

"There's a hellmouth in Ohio?" Rebekah asked in surprise.

"Yep. We closed Sunnydale's, and then Ohio's began acting up. It's a dangerous place," Buffy said. "I was glad to get them both away from it."

"How many slayer houses are there exactly?" Klaus asked Buffy.

Buffy shrugged. "You'd have to ask Giles for exact numbers," she said. "But I think there's about fifty at this point. We try to spread them over the globe to wherever there's a large demonic activity or potential hellmouths. Normally, big cities like New York have demons and vampires taking advantage of the high population numbers."

"We met quite a number of slayers," Elijah added. "They are an extraordinary group of women. All incredible fighters. All passionate about killing dark creatures. It was enlightening."

"Any want to move to New Orleans?" Klaus asked.

"You know you can't have my slayers in this city. If they didn't start killing your friends, they'd most definitely piss off the witches," Buffy said.

Klaus looked disappointed. "Well, I hope you told them to stop by for a visit any time!" he told them.

Elijah gave his brother an indulgent smile. "There's one or two that might pop in," he said.

"Most likely, Faith. She is at loose ends since she turned Ohio over to Kennedy. We've decided no one should spend more than two years in an active hellmouth. Her time is up there," Buffy said.

Willow smirked at Klaus. "Faith would tie you up in so many knots. I'd pay money to see that!" she teased.

"Literal knots, too!" Buffy added laughing.

"Faith is Buffy's number two," Elijah explained. "The dark slayer."

"Sounds like Klaus' type of girl," Rebekah said with a snort.

"Why is she dark?" Freya asked.

"Well, back when we were still in high school, she went a bit off the rails. Joined the evil mayor who tried to bring back dark times. She poisoned my boyfriend, and I put her in a coma for a while. But we made up, and she's a white hat now," Buffy explained.

"She's an acquired taste," Willow said with a grimace. "Not my favorite."

"Sounds like an intriguing person," Klaus said. The woman sounded like the perfect ally.

"She is that," Elijah said, thinking of his first meeting of her.

"She only propositioned Elijah once!" Buffy said smugly.

"You beat her good?" Willow asked knowingly.

Buffy nodded. "Yep!" she replied.

"She broke her nose," Elijah said in disapproval.

"You have to be tough with Faith. It's the only way she learns!" Buffy said defensively.

"You broke your friend's nose for hitting on Elijah?" Rebekah asked in awe.

"That's nothing," Willow said with a snort. "Buffy and Faith have gotten in lots of fights over the years."

"And she is your friend?" Freya asked, struggling to understand.

"Families fight," Klaus said in understanding. He gave Buffy a look of approval.

"Yes, they do," Elijah said, smiling at his brother. "Klaus and I have had our fair share of fights."

"Faith is like my sister. Besides Willow and Xander, I trust her more than any other of my friends," Buffy said. "She loves fighting, so by hitting her for flirting with Elijah, she knew that he was special."

"What a strange girl!" Freya commented.

"You're not wrong," Willow said, smiling at the witch.

"I also went on a few hunts with Buffy and the girls," Elijah said.

"But no one appreciated his fighting skills," Buffy said, a grin on her face.

The siblings all look surprised by that. "Why is that?" Klaus said curiously.

"It seems that slayers relish in the fight a bit too much and did not appreciate my method of ending the threat quickly," Elijah stated.

"Yeah, ripping out hearts is both gross and cheating!" Buffy shared.

Klaus laughed.

"Gross? Is that not a tad hypocritical? You and your girls chop things up with your axes and swords!" Elijah protested.

Rebekah was fascinated by their exchange. It was clear to her that her brother's bond with the slayer was stronger than she had ever witnessed with another.

Willow grinned. "Slayers love fighting. Don't you get that by now? Buffy is a slayer," she pointed out.

"I do get it now," Elijah said, giving Buffy a fond look.

Klaus couldn't help thinking about how much he would enjoy a slayer of his very own.

*****A Few Hours Later*****

Buffy excitedly shared stories of her travels with Cami. Finally, she paused for breath. "Oh God! I've been rattling on for, like, a half hour! I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed.

Cami smiled. "It's fine. I liked hearing about it," she assured her. "It's nice to hear that Elijah is finally allowing himself to be happy."

"I'm so crazy about him, Cami," Buffy confessed.

"Really? I couldn't tell!" she teased. "You know, I think you are really good for Elijah."

"Why do you say that?" Buffy asked.

"Well, you two have things in common, but you are also very different from him. Elijah carries around a lot of guilt. You help him see that he deserves to be happy," Cami said.

"You think he carries a lot of guilt? I've dated a brooding vampire before. Elijah isn't like that," Buffy pointed out.

"No, brooding would be too self-serving. Elijah's nobility is very deeply engrained. It wouldn't allow him to wallow," Cami said. "But he's told me a lot. Trust me. It's there."

"You've counselled him? He never told me that!" Buffy said, surprised.

"Klaus is the one who primarily speaks to me, but, yes, Elijah has confided in me a few times—usually concerning his brother," Cami said.

"Since you know him so well, can I ask you something?" Buffy inquired.

"Of course," Cami said.

"Do you think I'm the right girl for him? That we'll last?" Buffy asked. "I've loved a few men in my life, but no man has ever affected me this way. It's like he was made just for me. I don't know what I would do if it fell apart. When you're faced with eternity, a broken heart is a painful thing to contemplate."

"Are you referring to Hayley? Is that why you're worried?" Cami wondered.

Buffy nodded. "I know he loved Hayley," she pointed out.

"Maybe," Cami said. "But not enough to fight for her. He let Jackson swoop in and convince her he was the only way to save their packs."

"Wasn't it?" Buffy asked.

Cami shrugged. "Probably. But they didn't seem to question it or search long for another solution," she said. "I love Hayley. She's my friend. But I think you are a much better fit for Elijah."

"Really?" Buffy said.

"Yes. Hayley and Elijah both have too much dysfunctionality in their childhood. Two broken people can't make a whole," she said. "Hayley was very lost until she came here. She was murdered on a bloody alter after giving birth. Then she had to give up her baby afterward for months and pretend she was dead."

"I've had tragedy. I died twice. The second time, I was ripped out of heaven. My mom died," Buffy said.

"But you had a happy, normal childhood until you were called at fifteen," Cami reminded her. "You'd be surprised what a difference that makes. You are a breath of fresh air to the entire Mikaelson family. Hayley would never and could never be that."

Buffy was silent and let that settle. Then she said, "Okay, that's enough about me. What's going on with you?"

"I think the new serial killer in town is a vampire," Cami revealed. "And I think Klaus' buddy Lucian is behind the murders."

"Seriously?" Buffy asked.

"I don't think it's coincidence that he comes to town and we have these vampire murders," Cami said.

"That could be coincidence," Buffy pointed out.

"His company Kingmaker has branches all over the globe. Weird murders seem to be in every city at various times the past few years," Cami shared.

"How do you know this?" Buffy asked her.

"Detective Kinney and I have been researching him," Cami shared.

"Well, maybe we should go pay this Lucien a visit," Buffy said. "He gave Klaus a dire prophecy yesterday. It's got him pretty freaked."

"I know where he's staying," Cami said. "I can call Detective Kinney to go with us."

"We don't want Lucien to target the poor guy. He can be killed easily," Buffy said. "You are a friend of the Mikaelsons, so you have built in protection."

"Okay, then let's go," Cami said, getting up from the table.

It didn't take them long to arrive at Lucien's penthouse. They took the elevator to his door.

Lucien answered the ringing of the doorbell. He smiled at the beautiful arrivals. "Wow, this is a nice surprise," he said. "What brings two of the Mikaelson women to my door?"

"Can we come in?" Buffy asked.

"Of course," he said, stepping back. "Does Elijah know you're here?"

"No. He's my man, not my keeper," Buffy replied coolly. "Contrary to what you may think, I'm not some pretty piece of tail Elijah's distracting himself with. I can take care of myself."

"Really?" Lucien said, intrigued. "Well, how can I be of assistance?"

Cami and Buffy exchanged a look. They had agreed to let her take the lead since she was better equipped to handle a pissed off ancient vampire.

"You can tell us if you're the vamp that's killing humans in the Quarter?" Buffy said bluntly.

Lucien grinned. "If I was, why would I admit it to you?" he asked.

Buffy didn't hesitate. She pulled back and hit him, knocking him across the room. Then she landed on top of him before he could recover. Her hand was around his throat, and she began to squeeze. "Make no mistake, Lucien Castle, I don't care who you are or how strong or how much money you have. If I find proof that you are killing humans in my city, I will bring your existence to an end."

Lucien put his hands on hers, trying to remove them. When he couldn't easily do so, he grew alarmed. What the hell was she?

Buffy got off him. She finally noticed the waif-like woman in the corner of the room. "Are you the witch trying to rattle the Mikaelsons with your doomsday prophecy?" she asked.

Lucien got to his feet. "What are you? You smell human," he said, frowning.

"I am human. But that's not all I am," she said, a small smile around her lips. Then she looked at the woman. "What's your name?"

"Alexis," the woman replied.

"Well, Alexis, I'm Buffy," she said. She looked at Lucien. "Buffy the vampire slayer. The original. I kill demons and soulless vampires for a living. It's a sacred duty. Whatever little plan you got going on ends now. I have more power and more weapons at my disposal than you and your sire lines. Whatever war you think is coming, end it now. Because if you don't, I will." She moved closer to him. "And I don't think you'll like how I end it."

"You can't blame us for prophecy," Alexis defended.

"I'm not afraid of any prophecy. I've defied more than one myself," she said honestly. "Prophecies always have loopholes and are open to interpretation."

"You can't stop a war between the sire lines," Lucien announced.

"Watch me," Buffy said flatly. Then she went to the door where Cami was standing and waiting. Cami opened the door, and they walked out.

When they made it into the elevator, Cami looked at Buffy and grinned. After the doors closed, she burst out laughing. "Damn, Buffy! I think Lucien about shit his pants!" she exclaimed.

Buffy grinned. "That's what I call sending a message," she said.

"I think he got it," Cami said in satisfaction.

Inside his penthouse, Lucien was thinking. Elijah's lover was a new player.

He grinned. This was going to be so much fun.

******End of Chapter*****

Reviews are so lovely. Yes, Buffy is over the top, but at this point in her life, I see her that way. The last few seasons we got glimpses of her with this type of confidence more than once.