I couldn't believe Elijah was right. A vampire was actually right!

From the moment Elijah and I strolled back into town, I could sense that there were other vampires all around. Some of them even stared openly at me with hostile expressions on their faces, but none came remotely close. I stayed by Elijah's side and they all remained at bay, but the sense of them surrounding me still made me claustrophobic.

"Elijah..." He looked down at me as he pulled his car up to a red light. "They're all waiting, aren't they? For you to leave me alone?"

He looked out onto the street, undoubtedly spotting the at least four hostile faces just on this street.

"Yes. They will take the first chance they get to either kill you or kidnap you. That is why I'm taking you to a safe place I have set up for you."

"Where?" He didn't answer, only step on the gas and speed away, and I could almost feel the angry vampires' eyes staring after us. It made me shiver.

We got into the town

square and pulled up to the unlikeliest of buildings. I got out and stared up at the second floor window, where I had lived for only a week before everyone started to come after me. I didn't have to ask now why we were here.

"Who did you get to sign the lease? One of your witches?"

"Yes, and she has places certain protection spells on the apartment so you will be safe when I am away. Need I lead you to the front door?" I ignored him and went into the building, going straight up the stairs and down the hall to the front-facing apartment.

It was Alaric's, of course, though I figured I should be calling it mine by now. Elijah followed me in and said "Your things are already in the bedroom, and the cabinets and the fridge are full. You stay in here unless you call upon me first, do you understand?"

I turned and asked "I thought I wasn't your prisoner?"

"You are not." He approached me and I froze, and he put his hand on my shoulder. "You are of my blood, like my own daughter. I simply don't want you to be harmed by any of the ruffians waiting outside this building."

I was slightly confused by what Elijah said, but agreed nonetheless. I had a feeling it was either accept his help, or be thrown to the dogs outside.

I felt despair at the fact that Klaus was one of those dogs now.

"Does Klaus know you've brought me back to Mystic Falls?"

"By now, he most likely does. He may not come in unless you invite him, and as I said, there are other protections in place to ensure he cannot force you out. Niklaus will come, but you must not allow him to gain entrance."

"And if I do..?" A hint of anger flashed in Elijah's eyes, but it was soon gone, and replaced with uneasiness.

"I know you have...feelings for my younger brother, but you must not let that get in the way. If you should choose to go to him, it may mean you will not live to see tomorrow. Are you entirely sure you're willing to hold Niklaus' life over your own?"

When I didn't say anything, he turned for the door.

"I suggest you stay inside until I return at sunset." He was gone and I slumped to the floor.

Why did this have to happen to me? Why couldn't I just leave and stay gone, and none of them would try to come get me? Why did Elijah have to turn my mom, or me, or even care about whether I died or not? If I would've just died during my birth like I was supposed to, then none of this would even be happening.

I held my hand to my chest and gripped my diamond ring tightly between them. I hadn't, nor would I ever, get rid of it as Elijah suggested. Even if I had to stay away from Klaus to do what I needed to, I wasn't just going to forget everything that I felt.

So maybe Klaus used me, and maybe he lied to me about his feelings. I didn't even care by this point. I just cared that I felt amazing and loved and alive when I was with him, and that was all that mattered in my mind. I loved him, and nothing Elijah said was going to change it.

No matter how much it hurt me inside to admit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was a knock at the door, but I didn't bother answering it. Sitting on the windowsill, staring out at the sky like I had been all day, I'd seen Elijah drive up to the building only a minute or so ago.

Elijah entered anyway, and said "You haven't eaten."

"Oh, you think? I only feel more terrible than I ever have in my life. Eating isn't exactly one of my 'top' priorities right now." Elijah surprised me by going into the kitchen and opening the fridge. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not entirely familiar with your tastes, but you need some kind of nourishment." He pulled out a blood bag I didn't realize was in the fridge, and brought it to me. I turned away from it, looking back out the window instead. "Dani..."

"I'm not hungry, and I'm not thirsty. Just leave me alone..."

"Well, I'm not going to force you to eat, but you may want to, considering where we are going." I looked up at him questioningly. "My little brother has received word that you are back in town. He has...informed me that either I am to bring you to him, or he will come here."

"I thought you said he couldn't get to me?"

"My witch can't prevent him from burning down the building to get to you. You do realize he would actually do that?" I sighed and stood up, stretching my stiff joints.

I went and pulled my sneakers on, and Elijah took me outside to his car. I didn't see any of the hostile faces from earlier and asked "What happened to all the vampires from earlier?"

"Oh, they're still hovering around. The few you saw earlier had daylight rings like those Salvatores, but now that the sun is setting, many more are coming." I swallowed audibly, wishing I hadn't asked.

We drove into town, to another unlikely destination. "You can't be serious."

"Would you rather meet my brother in his home, where he can do anything he wishes?"

"He does whatever he wants no matter where he is." We went into the Mystic Grill, and I was directed to a small corner booth. "If you're going to hold me prisoner even while we're out, would you mind getting me a drink?"

As he walked away, I said to myself "I'm turning into such a drunk these days..."

"Maybe you and Damon should become best friends." I almost jumped out of my seat at the sound of Alaric's voice. He had materialized right beside me, and I had the urge to punch him, had he been a solid person.

"Is it possible for you to appear normally, or is scaring the hêll out of me going to be your thing?" Alaric laughed.

"I can't help it. I don't get much entertainment on this side, you know. Anyway, I heard that Elijah brought you back, so I came to see."

"What, you couldn't come see me in Alabama?"

"There's only so far I can travel, you know. Why so crabby anyway?" I made a face.

"I've been told that I was not only turned into this on purpose, but that I have to stay away from my fiancé or I might die...How would you feel?"

"Well, I'd probably be thinking about suicide if I wasn't already dead. I did warn you earlier..." I made another face and waved my hand at him. Elijah came back with my drink then, looking at me oddly.

"I don't care if you warned me earlier, it was my choice...Okay, not really, but you know what I mean." I returned Elijah's gaze and asked "What?"

"Talking aloud to Alaric? I thought you were done with that."

"Well, if I'm destined to be killed by some vampire in the near future, then I'm not going to care what people think about me. That includes talking to someone they can't tell is there." Alaric chuckled again and I slammed my fist down on the table, right where his hand was.

"Losing your temper isn't going to make me any more solid."

"Yeah, but it does make me feel better..." There was a sudden chill in the air, and I asked Alaric "Was that you?"

Elijah answered my question instead. "No, I suspect that was just your natural physical reaction to my brother's presence." I looked at him oddly until I realized who had just entered the Grill.

I started hyperventilating almost immediately, and Klaus made a beeline for our table. He pulled a free chair and sat at the open end of the booth, effectively blocking my exit. He didn't look at me, only scowl sharply at Elijah.

"What's the matter Niklaus? Unwilling to sit beside your own fiancée?"

"Well, let's just say that I have an idea we're not the only ones sitting at this table. Am I right Dani?" I looked down and nodded, feeling my face grow hot. I began fiddling with my ring under the table, something I'd begun to do whenever I got nervous or anxious.

Alaric put his hand over mine, and I gasped when I could actually feel it. Klaus' eyes shifted to me but I looked down again, and Alaric disappeared before I could ask him anything.

"Brother, since you have apparently done such a good job of keeping my fiancé away from me, how do you intend to keep all the vampires in town away from her as well?"

"I have provided her a place to stay that will shield her from anyone that will try to harm her. I will go with her anytime she leaves her apartment, and I have a witch watching her as well. Not even you can get to Dani undetected Niklaus."

"Maybe not undetected, but I can still get to her. I don't think your little charms and spells will work very well if I take Dani across the ocean, hm?"

"You won't be able to. Not even the great hybrid Niklaus can overcome a protection spell, a powerful witch, and not being invited into Dani's apartment. Do not forget that you are still bound by the rules of a vampire."

"Some...but not all." Klaus reached for my hand, but suddenly stopped and snatched it back. "What the hêll was that?!"

"As I've said, I have a witch assisting me." Elijah looked towards the bar and I saw a woman wave and smile. "Her name is Annabeth; you may recognize her Dani."

I looked at the woman oddly, but I didn't recognize her. Her name did sound familiar though.

"I don't know her."

"You may know her as 'Beth.' She was the witch that assisted your mother with your birth." I gasped and the pale woman made her way over to us. "Annabeth, I think there is someone here that wants to say hello."

She looked at me. "Dani Taylor, yes? Ivy's daughter?" I nodded. "I'm Annabeth Bradford."

"You don't look like you were at my birth over 20 years ago." The woman looked barely over the age of 30 or so.

"I'm actually almost 70. One of the benefits of being a witch is being able to slow down the aging process." I tried and failed at a small smile, and just looked back down at the table again.

I heard Klaus bitterly remark "Bringing me to a fight without warning? And I thought I was the unfair one."

"I don't intend to fight you Niklaus, unless you give me a reason."

"You mean if I try to take back my fiancée? Are you sure you want to start this war Elijah? You know how this ended last time."

"You have no weapons to use against me, and I'm not so stupid as Kol, so you have no chance of tricking me. By the way Niklaus...you may want to check on Kol when you get home. I'm not entirely sure his restraints are keeping him still." Klaus suddenly disappeared and I looked up, and the witch Annabeth was laughing.

"That was a nasty trick Elijah. You are more like him than I thought."

"Don't compare me to Niklaus. Ever." She seemed to cower back a bit. "You may go, I have no need of you now." She got up and left without a word, and Elijah said "You may think me cruel, but I shall never be as depraved as my younger brother has become."

"Right, because releasing your evil youngest brother and holding me hostage isn't the most cruel thing you could do to him right now. I'm leaving."

I stood and Elijah said "You aren't leaving here alone."

"You said I wasn't your prisoner, or have you forgotten that? I am grateful to you for all the protection against my enemies...but your brother Klaus is not my enemy. Just because you two can't stand each other doesn't mean I have to be in the middle of it."

I got up and, surprisingly, Elijah didn't follow me. I knew he probably had either a vampire or another witch following me though, so it didn't matter if he was actually there.

I walked down the street, away from the town square and all the rush of town. I didn't wander out of town, but just traveled the little back streets for a while. I didn't feel like returning to the apartment just yet, but there wasn't really any place I could go either.

I hated being a complete outsider like this. I wasn't ever really an 'insider' or very popular, but having to wander the streets of this town alone? I felt like a homeless bum.

I felt like I deserved to be there.

I turned from the street I was on onto another tiny, dark alley-street, and found that I wasn't alone. I could tell immediately that there was another vampire nearby, and something else too.

The vampire moved across the street, but in the near-darkness, I couldn't clearly see his face. From behind me came someone that smelled human, but I knew he was probably a witch. Or a warlock, whatever male witches were called.

The man behind me was struck down almost instantly, and the vampire laughed. As soon as he did I recognized the voice.

"Kol? So Elijah really did let you out?" He came up to me, close enough to be able to see his haggard face. "You don't look so good though."

"Well, if you and my brother hadn't kept me in that basement, I wouldn't be slowly turning to stone, now would I?"

"If you wouldn't have attacked..." He raised his eyebrow and I sighed. "Yes, Klaus probably would have imprisoned you anyway...But you can't honestly blame me for that!"

"Oh, I assure you, I don't. I'm just...wondering why my other brother took time out of his busy schedule to free me. And why you're all alone on this little street, as well."

"Me and your brothers...aren't agreeing on some things. Elijah thinks I should cure everyone that threatens us, and Klaus thinks I should keep my powers to myself, unless he says so...They haven't stopped arguing about it."

"Well, it sounds like they haven't taken the time to ask what you want to do with your powers. Fortunately, I am not so selfish."

"Oh really? Prove it."

"Oh, I can. Come, let us have a civil conversation where my brothers will not intrude." He held out his hand and I took it gingerly, and was whisked away from that dingy alley.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, was this where you were hiding before your brother managed to kidnap you?"

"Yes. And the fact that he has not found it is no accident." I looked around the large apartment with interest. Kol actually had some interesting things laying around.

"I guess you had this place protected with magic?" He nodded. "My apartment is the same...Nobody but me and your oldest brother can enter without him knowing, some kind of alarm spell I think..."

"Well, I've done a bit better. Nobody can find this place unless you or I tell them about it. Comes very much in handy when I want to be near to my brothers without them knowing." He went to a small, ornate cabinet and pulled out a snifter of some unknown liquor and two glasses.

"A proper set? How nice it is to not be drinking out of a plastic cup." He chuckled and poured me some. I sipped and the burn hit my throat immediately.

"What's that word Elijah likes to use for Niklaus? Barbaric? I'm not barbaric enough to use plastic cups." I smiled tightly at the mention of Klaus' name. "Now, about the bit of news I've heard about you...Would you mind confirming if it's true?"

"I already did at the bar, remember? Whoever's been helping you has been giving you reliable information...So what need is there to talk to me?"

"Just making sure everything is in order...As honorable as I may seem, there is someone I want you to turn for me."

"Let me guess...Klaus?" He shook his head and I was legitimately surprised. "Who?"

"Elena Gilbert. My brother may want to punish me, but he won't kill me...I'm only doing the same to him."

"And how is turning Elena human a punishment? If anything, he wants her to be human so he can make more hybrids." I'd heard about how the Salvatores were hunting them down, and doubted if there were any left.

"Yes, but if Elena is human she can be killed more easily. And that would create so much more drama between the Salvatore brothers, and that's always fun to watch."

"I can't disagree there...But what makes you so sure I'll agree?" Kol smirked and approached me.

"I happen to have been communicating with some spirits myself...and I know there's someone you'd just love to make human again, and I can help you."

"I don't know who you've been talking to, but there's nobody I'd want to turn human again...especially not against their will."

"So Ayana has given me false information?" I stepped back, startled. "Yes, you are not the only one that has come into contact with her as of late. Though I did it on purpose, after I found out you has spoken with her."

"And what did she tell you? Who did she say I would 'love' to bring back?"

"Your little ghost friend...Alaric, I think his name was?" My eyes widened and I unintentionally grabbed Kol by the jacket, letting my glass fall to the ground and shatter. "Well, that's quite a reaction..."

"How? How could I possibly bring Alaric back? He's dead!"

"Yes, but he hasn't passed on. He's a ghost, and that's a supernatural creature, and so he can be made human again. If you are willing to accept my help, and don't tell anyone of course."

"Anything! Whatever it takes, I'll do it. Alaric didn't deserve to die like he did..."

"Of course. Now, as I said...are you really willing to accept my help?" I looked up at Kol as he touched the side of my face with his hand. "You'll have to be...very discreet...Niklaus will be furious if he knows I am assisting you."

"Assisting...That's a funny word for what you're trying to do." He snickered.

"I understand you haven't been with my brother in quite some time...so is it not true that I'm assisting you in this aspect as well? I promise to treat you with the utmost respect..."

"Providing I remain discreet?"

"Exactly." Kol stepped closer and I felt his lips against my forehead, and knew I probably had no choice here. I could refuse, but then would he still be offering his help in bringing Alaric back from the dead?

I highly doubted it. And it was true, that I hadn't been with Klaus in some time...

I was actually considering this? What was happening to me!?

"Now, now, why so tense..?" I made a face up at Kol and he chuckled. "Loosen up, it will do loads for your mood."

"I'm actually considering accepting your help, and your 'assistance' as you're calling it...Do you honestly expect me to feel normal?"

"No, I expect you to feel...wonderful. When I'm done with you." I couldn't help but chuckle at that line.