A/N Again huge shout out to my bestie who has yet to make an account but I still wouldn't be doing this without her encouragement.

On that note, please read and review :) I love reading comments, they make my day and I love getting any feedback!

Chapter Two - Unpleasant Introductions

Salvatore… NO. Gwen couldn't recall anything about any Salvatores. She recognized the word from the few years she'd spent in Venice but she'd never heard of any Salvatore brothers. Yet from the tone of absolute loathing in Klaus' voice, she would have assumed they were famous.

"No… I can't say that I have." She replied slowly, wondering where he was going with this.

"Well let's just say they have some things that…belongs to me, and I'd rather like to get them back." It was obvious that Klaus wasn't telling her the whole truth but she knew he wasn't a complete idiot, if she needed to know, he would tell her and it wouldn't be in anyone's best interest for her to push him for information.

"And where exactly do I come in?"

"There's a human girl, Elena, and Damon Salvatore would be quite willing to do anything for her, even reveal the location of the c-" Klaus cut himself off sharply and Gwen raised her eyebrows.

"Yes?" She could wait for an answer, she had no doubt that she would find out eventually, one way or another.

"But, she's out of town for the moment, so I'll be needing you to go to her house, and get invited in. I want you to deliver a message for me."

Gwen frowned as she thought about this, it wasn't that she was worried for herself exactly, she knew how to take care of herself, it was just, "and why exactly do you think I'd do this for you, is it a favor?"

Gwen's frown deepened as Klaus chuckled on his end of the line. "Not a favor per se, but you'll want the information we'll be collecting. You see, Damon Salvatore knows where to find Elijah."

If Gwen's heart still beat it would have taken flight, but even without it her breaths quickened and she was sure that she heard herself gasp.

"So, it is in your best interest to help me, wouldn't you agree?"

Gwen closed her eyes and murmured a quiet prayer under her breath, she knew she was basically making a deal with the devil and it was more than likely she'd regret her decision by morning but it was ELIJAH! If there was even a slight chance that this Damon would know where to find him, she would have to take it.

"What do you want me to do?"

Gwen was absolutely furious at herself for helping Klaus willingly, without even the threat of compulsion, but what other choice did she have?

She supposed it was more of an issue of pride; her confidence had been damaged severely when she realized she'd been lowered to the lackey job of one of Klaus' hybrids.

She shuddered in disgust but she would do it for Elijah.

Elijah was the sole reason she was in this tiny little town and the only reason she was currently standing outside Elena Gilbert's house was that she still clung to the hopes of finding him.

With a quiet sigh she pushed all thoughts of Eljah out of her mind and gave herself a mental shake. No morbid thoughts; she'd find Eljah soon and then everything would go back to normal.

Yes Gwen smiled, once she and Elijah were reunited they would leave Mystic Falls and forget about all of this but in the meantime, she would just have to help Klaus.

For a few moments Gwen just examined the white house curiously, it was practically a hut compared to the mansions she'd stayed in over the course of her lifetime. But for a human, she supposed it was acceptable. The columns decorating the porch were a nice touch.

With a light shrug to herself, Gwen marched up to the green door and knocked three times. She plastered on a fake smile that had been practiced to perfection over the years and pinched her cheeks to make them appear more flushed.

Her sharpened hearing picked up on one human heartbeat in the house but no vampires and she was a little confused. This was the doppelganger's house wasn't it ? Klaus said she played a key role to making his hybrids so wouldn't she be guarded a little more heavily?

But when she heard the heavy footsteps of a man, things clicked into place and she relaxed, her plan to getting inside would still work. In fact it might even go off better than before. The only other human currently living with Elena was Alaric Saltzman and he would be more touched by her cover story than the girl probably would.

A blond man, probably in his thirties, opened the door and stared down at her and she was a little taken aback. She had been expecting someone who was more alert and dangerous but everything about this man screamed sad. Gwen might have even thought he was handsome if his eyes weren't bleary and red.

Ah…. So he was drunk. She was never one who particularly enjoyed alcohol but she knew many vampires who found that it took the edge off the thirst. And it this case it would work to her advantage.

"Um, hello?" He appeared a bit stunned by her, and she figured that she wasn't exactly who she was expecting. He probably thought it would be some hybrid coming to threaten his life or everybody he loved or something like that. She could see why he'd be wary.

Annoying creatures those hybrids.

"Hi I'm Maddie." She beamed up at him and her red curls bounced a bit as she held out her hand for him to shake. Madeline was her mother's name and whenever the occasion called for it, that was the name she took.

It was the only thing she let herself remember about her human life; in her opinion there was no point in dwelling on things that were long gone.

Alaric stared down at her blankly, "And how can I help you Maddie?"

Gwen looked up at him with her bright grin. "I'm here to see Jenna, is she around?"

At the mention of the dead woman's name the man's face paled dramatically, almost looking like a vampire himself. "What?"

Gwen pretended not to notice and held up a hand to her cheek, feigning an embarrassed look.

"Oh my God, I'm at the wrong house aren't I? I could of sworn she said she lived at 2401 Maple, I'm so sorry to bother you!" She turned slowly on her heel and prepared to walk off the porch, expecting him to stop her by the time she got to the second step.

He grabbed her elbow before she made it to the first.

"Wait!" His voice cracked a bit and she wondered how close Alaric and Jenna Sommers had been for him to still care so much months after her death.

"Yes?" She turned back to look at him, pretending to be confused.

"No one called you?" His deep brown eyes searched her green ones but she didn't break, keeping them wide and open.

"Why would someone call me?"

"Jenna died last spring." He whispered gently, obviously trying to tell her in the least upsetting way.

Gwen's widened her eyes dramatically and she clutched one of the columns for support. "Oh my god."

In her opinion she was a fairly decent actress; Klaus wasn't the only one who enjoyed theatrics.

The blond man rushed over to her, "I would have thought someone would call." He sounded genuinely apologetic as he helped her stand.

Gwen shook her head slowly, "No…" She trailed off and looked up at him pathetically. "We were best friends in college." She leaned against the railing as if she was too weak to stand. "I haven't heard from her in almost two years. I thought I'd just come and surprise her. What happened?"

He sighed and ran his hands through his thick hair. "Why don't you come inside and I'll explain?" He gestured to the door that was still open.

She stiffened up and brushed fake tears off her cheeks. No way, it couldn't be that easy… but just in case she had to make it seem like he convinced her.

"No I should be going… I promised my boyfriend I'd only be gone for a short while and since Jenna's not here…" She gestured helplessly with her hands and slumped against the railing again.

"No, why don't you come in for some coffee or something, I think you need to sit down for a few minutes." He put his hand on her shoulder and led her inside the white house, shutting the door behind them without any hesitation.

"Thank you." She murmured, letting her eyelids droop and her shoulders sag. She could still see through her lowered lids and out of the corner of her eye she examined the wooden staircase that led upstairs, presumably to the bedrooms.

He steered her towards the living room and helped her out of her coat, and as he did, her Lapis Lazuli necklace flopped out of her shirt, the blue stone swinging like a pendulum for anyone to see. Her eyes widened in genuine panic for a moment and she hastily stuffed it into the collar of her sweater. She had no idea if Alaric saw what happened but she wasn't about to take any chances.

"Do you mind if I use your bathroom?"

He looked over at her and smiled a little bit, showing no sign of seeing the special piece of jewelry. "Sure, up the stairs to the left."

She trudged up the stairs, putting on a show of being exhausted but once Alaric wandered into the kitchen, she blurred up the rest of the stairs, making it to the top in less than a second.

She peeked into the first room she saw which had the appearance of someone just moving out. The room was virtually empty, only a few half-packed boxes remained along with a bed frame and a desk.

The next room she looked into had to be the Alaric's, it looked lived in and there wasn't anything remotely interesting besides a few pictures standing up on the dresser but she didn't care enough to examine at them any closer.

The third bedroom on the end of the hall had to be Elena's. It was girly as any 18 year old girl's bedroom would be, with a few teddy bears scattered around the room and pictures of friends shoved into the mirror frame. She walked further into the room, prodding the books laying around and something caught her eye.
Elena's diary was resting on the window seat and she took a few steps towards it before hearing a rustling noise from behind her.

Gwen spun around and came face to face with an oddly designed crossbow pointed at her. She looked up and there was Alaric, frowning down at her with a grim expression.

She raised her eyebrows at him sceptically, looking at the crossbow with distaste, "Really, that's the best you got?" He opened his mouth to respond but she didn't give him a chance.

She knocked the bow upwards and out of his hands sending the useless combination of metal and wood flying across the room. She grabbed his throat and slammed him against the wall before he had a chance to take another breath. "Who are you? Robin Hood?"

He clutched onto her fingers, trying to pry them off his neck but it was pointless, they were like iron.

"Now, I'm not supposed to kill you since you helped me but that whole stunt with the crossbow really pissed me off."

He merely glared at her and Gwen sighed, "I'm going to let go but you have to promise not to do anything dramatic, okay?"

He didn't respond but his face was beginning to turn a strange shade of red. "Oops." Gwen pulled her hand away and he slumped to the ground, gasping for air. He clutched onto the leg of a chair and tried pulling himself up but failed.

She chuckled to herself, humans were always trying to act stronger than they really were. She crouched down to his level and looked him in the eye, not hiding the amusement that was evident in her expression.

"I'm just looking for Elena, and I'd be very grateful if you told me where I could find her." She could tell he wasn't the type to betray the girl he was sure to love like a daughter but it was worth a try. Alaric just stared her down, panting heavily.

Gwen pouted mockingly, running a hand along his cheek, taking a brief pleasure in the stubble along his jaw. "That's too bad, I guess we'll just have to do this the hard way."

She traced a finger along his face again, this time digging in her nail, leaving a deep cut from his jaw to his cheekbone. His only response was a wince that he almost covered up and Gwen frowned, unhappy with his reaction.

"Oh well, I suppose throwing you into a wall could be more effective." She picked him up by the back of his neck, like he weighed no more than a few pounds and tossed him down the hall. She heard a low grunt as his head collide with the railing and she smiled.

Finally, a reaction.

She took her time walking down to meet him, her heels thudding along the carpet, making a satisfying noise.

She reached down and pulled him up by the front of his shirt and licked her lips, examining the blood that had begun to flow from his temple. " I would suggest you get that looked at later, but I doubt you'll get the chance."

Gwen's fangs lengthened and she prepared to bite into his neck but her head snapped around when she heard the door creak open.

From her point by the railing she could see the back of a man with black hair and from the lack of the heartbeat she knew he was a vampire. She sniffed delicately and raised her eyebrows.

Was this one of the famous Salvatore brothers?

"Hey Ric?" The vampire called loudly, his steps coming closer and closer to the staircase. He stopped right at the bottom and stared up at Gwen with mild curiosity in his clear blue eyes.

"I didn't know we were expecting company."