Some dialogue comes directly from the show.

Chapter 5: A Miscalculation

*****A Short Time Later*****

Lucien looked at his tied captor in amusement. The redhead had been by Klaus's side too many times to not mean something to him. At first, he was going to nab the counselor bartender, but the redhead had accompanied Klaus to the police station. If she was privy to Klaus's many secrets, then she meant something to him. The woman began to stir.

Willow's head was pounding, and her mouth felt like it was full of cotton. She suspected that she had been drugged. When she opened her eyes and saw a smiling Lucien, she knew that she had. Deciding to see what game he was playing, she didn't get loose. It was time to play the helpless human—a role she'd not played since high school.

"Where am I?" she asked, blinking and looking around. She focused on Lucien. "Hey, I know you! You're that serial killer Klaus knows! Don't kill me!" She tried her best to convey fear and helplessness.

"Relax. Your future has yet to be determined. No reason to get so upset," Lucien said with a cheerful grin. "I don't know how much power you have, but you can't do magic here. I have a deal with the Ancestors."

Willow took a deep breath, determined to contain her anger. The arrogant twit was going to suffer before she killed him. "Klaus will kill you for this!" she warned. What did he mean that he had a deal with the ancestors? He must assume she's a New Orleans witch. That would work to her advantage.

"Oh, he might threaten. He might maim, but I think I can stay his hand," Lucien said confidently. "I'll let him miss you, and then I'll give him a call."

Willow kept the fearful look on her face. Lucien would be in for a real surprise when showed him how little the Ancestors could hold her back.

*****The Mikaelsons*****

"Any sign of Aurora?" Rebekah asked as she came down to breakfast.

"Not yet," Klaus said. "It's only a matter of time. She never strays from her brother for long. Something you two have in common."

Rebekah glared at his smirk. "Yes, we both have insufferable controlling asses of a brother," she said.

Buffy giggled. "At least you have brothers. I always wished I had one," she said.

"Well, you have Xander," he reminded her.

"That's true, but he's not a big brother. We're the same age. And I didn't meet him until I was sixteen," she said.

"If you and Elijah get married, you'll have Klaus," Rebekah said happily.

"Marriage? Who's talking marriage? He just met my family! We haven't even had a six-month anniversary!" Buffy said, a clear note of panic in her voice.

Elijah smiled. "Relax, Buffy. You and I don't have to get married in order for you to claim Klaus. I'll gladly give him to you," he told her.

Klaus rolled his eyes. "If we're done being infantile, let's get back to this prophecy. Lucien says that Tristen has a weapon that can kill us. And, given the circumstance, Lucien qualifies as both friend and foe, and according to the prophecy—"

Elijah cut him off. "You are to beware both friend and foe. Yes, he does fit. But, let us not forget family, Niklaus."

Klaus, clearly hurt by the insinuation, paused for a moment before shrugging it off. "Lucien's two out of three—I say we put him down. Just like old times," he said.

"Just like old times? Brother, I wonder who among our family do you suppose has the greatest predilection for betrayal?" Elijah asked pointedly.

"Elijah, that's not nice. Klaus did what he did for the sake of the family. It wasn't just to hurt and betray," Buffy said, frowning at her lover in disapproval.

Klaus gave her a grateful look. "Brother, please—let's not rehash all the ways I messed up. We don't have time for a walk down memory lane," he said. "Let's kill Lucien and be done with it."

"Now, before we murder Lucien, there are certain questions that need to be answered. Chiefly, what is he doing here?" Elijah wondered.

"Wait," Buffy interrupted. "If Klaus sired him, how can he be a threat to Klaus? Killing Klaus is like killing himself, right?"

"As far as we know," Elijah said. "But if the three of them are aligning against us together, things could get worse."

"I thought they were at war," Buffy said, confused by all the political intrigue.

"That's what they say, but who knows? We did teach them everything we know," Klaus said sourly.

"And that's why Lucien hates you?" Buffy asked.

Elijah gave Klaus a look. Buffy caught it. "What am I missing?" she asked, looking between the two brothers. "Is there another reason why he hates you?"

"Well, he was in love with Aurora," Klaus said. "I knew that, but I still seduced her away from him."

Buffy gave him a disapproving look. "You just can't keep it in your pants, can you?"

"Of course, I can! But Aurora was an incredibly beautiful woman—she was hard to resist," Klaus insisted.

"She is a redhead," Elijah added. "Klaus has a weakness for redheads."

Hayley came into the room. "Is Willow here?" she asked.

Buffy frowned. "Isn't she with you? She told me that you and Jackson were taking Hope to the Farmers Market. She wanted to go with you."

"She was with us. Then she just disappeared while I was looking at some fruit," Hayley said.

Buffy stood. "She wouldn't have left without saying something to you. She's the most responsible person I know," Buffy said.

"What do you wanna bet that Lucien took her?" Klaus said, getting angry.

"Why would he take Willow?" Buffy asked.

"Who is Lucien?" Hayley asked.

"Oh, no one has told you? The first of our sire lines are descending on New Orleans, declaring us in dire straits," Rebekah said.

"What?" Hayley asked.

"I'll fill you in," Rebekah assured her.

"In the meantime, I'll go talk to Marcel and see if he knows where Tristan is hiding at," Elijah said.

"Why would he know that?" Klaus asked, frowning.

"It seems my old group is thinking of breaking tradition by recruiting Marcel for the Strix," Elijah said.

Klaus snickered. "They must be getting desperate to seek outside your line," he said.

"On the contrary. Aya is in town with Tristan and believes that Marcel is so exceptional that he deserves an invitation," Elijah explained.

"If that is the case, then Marcel could fit the prophecy also—not just Lucien," Klaus said, frowning.

"What prophecy are you talking about?" Hayley asked.

"Well, it appears my old mate Lucien has acquired a genuine seer, and in an effort to prove his good intentions, he got her to show us some rather dire visions of future doom. It's grim stuff, really—not for the faint of heart," Klaus said.

"Whose doom are we talking about, here? Because if it's yours, I think we're all okay with that," Hayley said with a smirk.

"Well, sadly, we're all on the chopping block. But, chin up! This witch claims her visions are constantly evolving. So, you may just get your wish!" Klaus announced. "I'm going to go find my wayward siree."

"I'll go with you," Buffy told him.

"If anyone is going to kill Lucien, it's going to be me," Klaus informed her.

"I'll slay whoever I want to slay. I don't need your permission," Buffy said, glaring at him.

Klaus gave Elijah a beseeching look. "Elijah, control your woman!"

Buffy knew she had to make one thing very clear, so she hauled off and slugged him with all her strength. The hit broke his jaw and moved him back several feet.

"No one controls me," she said coldly. "Not you. Not your brothers. Not Willow. Forget that again, and I won't be just breaking your jaw." Then she walked out of the room. She didn't need Klaus' help to get to Lucien's since she knew where he lived.

Hayley was torn between laughter and disbelief as she had never seen anyone treat Klaus the way Buffy did. She was so powerful and didn't let anyone—not even Klaus—intimidate her.

Elijah wasn't torn. He simply laughed.

Rebekah ran to her brother to help him up. "Are you all right?" she asked.

Klaus's rage threatened to overcome his good sense. He popped his jaw back into place with a wince. "I'm going to beat that little slayer blue!" he growled.

"You'll try," Elijah said smugly. "Buffy is her own boss. She will do what she pleases. With her friend in danger, there will be no mercy."

"It's not like Willow needs her protection," Klaus grumbled as he marched out of the room, determined to intercept the slayer.

As he made it outside, his phone rang.

"If one hair on Willow's head is harmed, I will personally dismember you," Klaus warned. "That is if Buffy doesn't do it for you."

"I haven't harmed her, and I have no intention of harming her. I just wanted to get your attention," Lucien said. "I don't think you're taking the threats of the sire line very seriously."

"Oh, I'm serious," Klaus said disconnecting.

*****A Short Time Later*****

Elijah went to Marcel. He found him looking at a card in bemusement. "Marcellus. Any sign of Willow? Lucien has made his first move," Elijah said.

Marcel looked up. "What? Willow? The redhead? No. I don't usually see her around here unless she's with Davina. I think that's one witch who can take care of herself," Marcel said with a grin.

"True. But Buffy is a bit hot headed when it comes to her friends' safety," Elijah said. "She's apt to kill Lucien before we find out what he's up to exactly."

"What they're all up to," Marcel said, holding up the card he held. "I've been invited to a party."

Elijah looked at the card. "A surprising turn of events. They've signaled you out for a reason," he said.

"What? It can possibly be because they admire what I've achieved in New Orleans?" Marcel asked, annoyed. Elijah and Klaus were his role models for a century. They taught him everything he knew about being a man. Yet more than anything, he had longed to be real family to them. For a time, he was. Then they left him for dead, running from their father. They never looked back nor came to see if he truly perished. If he had mattered, they would've. The sting of his abandonment never quite left him.

"Marcel, I can assure you that although your accomplishments are great, Tristan would never choose a member of Niklaus' line," Elijah said. "The rules of the Strix are ancient and unbreakable. They would seek to use you."

"No one uses me," Marcel said coldly.

"I hope not," Elijah said. "If you see Davina, tell her that we fear Willow's been taken. If she senses strong magics being used, not to be alarmed. Willow might slap around some ancient vampires."

"Call me if you need help," Marcel said.

"I'm sure I'll see you later. If the Strix take you in, we'll have someone on the inside. You can find out what exactly they are planning," Elijah stated.

"You know that you can count on me to have your back," Marcel said.

"I'll be in touch," Elijah told him. The Strix were playing a game with Marcel. It was time Elijah reminded them of who he was. For a minute, he considered eliminating their seer. However, Buffy wouldn't like it. She had a strict sense of morality. Killing humans was not allowed—unless they were trying to kill her sister. He would go another way.

*****Lucien's*****

When Buffy arrived at Lucien's penthouse door, she decided that a clear display of force was needed. She had just kicked down the door and walked in when Klaus arrived.

A startled Lucien looked at her in amazement. Buffy had her scythe in hand. "No one kidnaps my friends. Now you're going to die slayer style," she informed him. She was about to swing her scythe when Klaus grabbed her arm.

"Buffy, calm down," he said. He gave Lucien a glare.

"Out of my way, wolf boy. This guy needs to die. He's a threat to this city. I'm the slayer, so I'm going to slay him!" she told Klaus pulling her hand back.

Willow decided to get up from her chair, dissolving her binds in a moment. She gave Lucien a smug smile when he looked more than surprised.

Lucien was a brilliant man, learned all he could from Klaus and then spent centuries gaining all the knowledge and power that he could. It was clear that he had miscalculated. This woman who called herself a slayer was strong enough to not fear Klaus at all. Lucien sensed not one ounce of fear from her. Was this simply because she was that secure in her place as Elijah's lover?

"Klaus, Buffy, both of you can relax. You know that I'm perfectly fine," Willow assured them as she stood to her feet.

"I'm glad, Will. But the vamps in this town gotta know that nabbing my friends off the street will not be tolerated," Buffy said, taking a step toward Lucien.

Lucien's seer, Alexis, appeared and saw the threat to Lucien. Deciding that Buffy was the most immediate threat, she raised her hand to bring Buffy to her knees. However, her magic bounced off Buffy as if hitting an invisible shield.

Willow glanced at the witch in amusement. "You can't hurt her. I've made sure that she's immune to magical attacks," Willow told her.

Lucien exchanged a look with his seer. It was becoming abundantly clear that he knew very little about Klaus's allies. His miscalculation could cost him a lot. He scrambled to disarm the situation, holding out his hands in a placating gesture.

"Look, I'm sorry. I was just trying to get Klaus's attention. It didn't feel like he was taking the threats from the other lines seriously. The prophecy is real," Lucien said earnestly.

Klaus moved in front of Lucien, facing his former protegee. "You wanted my attention—you got it," he said. "But understand this: I am not as vulnerable as you believe. I have friends with powers you cannot begin to comprehend. My family has stood for a thousand years. We will not be brought down by inner-fighting amongst our lines. Find a way to declare a truce or I'll let Buffy kill the lot of you. She is a vampire slayer, after all. It's what she was born to do."

"I don't need your permission to know when to slay, Klaus!" Buffy fumed. "How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Come on, love. I need to keep Lucien alive—for now. He is useful," Klaus said in a cajoling tone.

Lucien looked between the redheaded witch and the slayer, frowning. These two women were obviously powerful. Buffy's manhandling of him the evening before had been telling. However, her interaction with Klaus now was more so. He was definitely not in control of this slayer. As for the slayer's redheaded friend—Lucien glanced at her—she must have some type of power that was not connected to the ancestors. He would have to deal with her another way. Fortunately, he had many ways and many resources.

"I have word that there's a weapon that can kill an Original, and I know where it is," Lucien said, playing the card he knew would stay their hands.

This game was just getting started.

*****To Be Continued*****

If you are reading but never have watched the show, Klaus does change on a dime. His character can enrage you in one scene and move you to tears in another. He is almost never the hero of the story, but his family is his redemption, especially Elijah and his daughter.