To zaja: Congratulations on guessing correctly! That would have been the big hint.

To kadienewberg: Well, since I've seen maximum three episodes of Powerpuff Girls, you can be rest assured He is not that "He." Rebekah/Stefan will come: It will take some time to develop. And I really don't think I'll do Kennett. I hope you're not disappointed about that, but I'd prefer to find somebody else for Kol.

To JennyMikaelson: I love the idea of E.J. playing matchmaker! That's actually a great way of first getting them together, and it is definitely within her personality to do so. I hadn't even thought about that. I would like to point out that E.J. is really not like either Stefan or Rebekah in personality. She gets along with people just fine. Genetics are only part of what make us who we are, and E.J. didn't grow up with them, remember. If anything, she's the most like Kol. Scary thought, right? You'll have to wait a few chapters for Damon's reaction. It hasn't come up yet. And thanks!

To nessafly: Yes. Yes, He is. And, yes, that Tatia! Makes you curious, don't it? Unfortunately, family moments will be few and far between as I near the climax of this story. They will be there, trust me, just not that much. Damon won't find out for a few chapters. It will probably be in Chapter 15, but I'm not sure yet since I have yet to finish 14. The next chapter does have Damon, though. I guess I'd better get typing away before you guys catch up with me!

To Marauders12345: Misao and Shinichi were part of the inspiration, but they inspired his personality and behavior more. What he is was inspired by something else. Great guessing! Actually, Chinese names are usually monosyllabic, so I'd say his name is closer to Japanese. If I remember correctly, kitsune are of Japanese origin. The name is made up though, so it doesn't technically have an ethnicity behind it. I've never seen the fourth season, so I wouldn't know if there're any similarities between Silas and "Him." Damon won't find out for a few chapters. My muse went that way. And, yes, that Tatia! That makes you curious, doesn't it? There will be no love triangle, though! I don't pit family against family.

To crazygurl: Thanks for reviewing this chapter, then! Yay, family fluff moments will come! Along with a thickening plot, of course. Elena is a forgiving person by nature, but she will not quite "deal" with the idea, if you know what I mean. She's good at hiding it, I guess. And thanks! I'm glad you understood all of my science-y mumbo jumbo. I had to do a little research for that.

To dreamer: Welcome to my story! I can't stand spoiled brats, and would never make the main character one. I have read a few stories with this same basic idea of there being a sister/daughter of a main character, and the child (usually a girl) does tend to be spoiled. I'd never actually thought about it. I'm glad you like E.J.! She has really developed as a character as I write for her. And thanks for reviewing!

AN: I'll be brief, since I know you all are eager to find out who "He" is. His name is still not mentioned, so you have another chapter to guess! I'm offering up cake this time. Heads up: This is a better explanation of this new OC. He is inspired by the books, but not taken directly from them. I basically took an entity and put my own twist on it. He has a whole background that I'm excited to share with you all!

I need to take a few days to write more chapters so my new deal is: If I receive seven plus reviews, I will update Monday. Any less and I will update once I feel I can. It will still be soon, though! Reviews motivate and inspire me!

Disclaimer: Reference previous disclaimers

Minutes passed and nothing else happened. E.J. was still crouched on the ground, hands wrapped around her head as she trembled. What on earth! Whatever that had been, it had been the most powerful, most horrific thing she had ever experienced. The pain radiating through her body was not physical but . . . metaphysical? Was that even possible?

From somewhere near, E.J. heard a groan that sounded suspiciously like Rebekah. For a moment, the fourteen-year-old was confused until she remembered the last twenty minutes or so and jerked her head up. She regretted it the minute she did, hissing in pain and putting her head between her knees. Was that a bloodstain on her white-and-gray-striped pajama shorts?

"What the hell just happened?" That sounded like Stefan, and he didn't sound good. E.J. heard scraping and panting sounds and the coffee table suddenly shifted, jutting into her side and pushing her back into the couch. Stefan immediately sensed the resistance and hurried to yank the piece of furniture away from her.

E.J. blinked up at him, gaze blurry. He looked even worse than she felt. His arms were shaking as he grasped onto the coffee table. He was on his knees, probably too weak to stand, and his eyes were wide with shock and fear. His hair was spikier than normal, and E.J. actually contemplated comparing it to looking electrocuted. Not that she had any experience with that . . .

Another groan, and E.J. recognized it as coming from behind her. It took some effort, but she managed to turn herself around to locate her groaning mother . . . that was a weird thought, thinking of Rebekah as "Mother." She found the blonde Original facedown a few yards away from her, nearer to the kitchen than the living room. All in all, she looked better than either E.J. or Stefan (which made sense, if E.J. thought about it), but she had most definitely seen better days.

She heard a crash behind her and whirled around, immediately regretting the action. Her head exploded with pain and she squeaked, slumping against the couch, grateful for its support. Stefan's arms had given out beneath him and he now lay stretched out, panting on the ground, next to an unconscious Elena. When his arm brushed his girlfriend's arm, he jumped slightly in shock and painfully turned onto his side.

"Babe?" he asked hesitantly, now more scared for her than for himself. He reached out a hand to lay it on Elena's neck and she groaned under it, reaching up to bat it away. "Are you okay?" Stefan suddenly demanded, worry making his patience wear thin.

Elena's eyes blinked open and she stared up at him. "You fell into me, you great big ox," she grumbled. "What was wrong with you all, anyway? You were all screaming and it was . . ." She groaned and shook her head, turning away from Stefan. "Nope. Not until after your head stops hurting, Elena."

"Did you hit your head?" Stefan asked, suddenly panicked. He tried to reach out to lay his hand on her forehead, but she simply batted it away again. "Elena, you're scaring me!"

"Shut up!" E.J. slowly turned to where Rebekah was now sitting up, futilely trying to smooth her hair down. She was glaring at Stefan, but must have sensed E.J.'s gaze on her. "You okay, baby?" she asked softly, as if suddenly remembering that E.J. was her daughter. Besides her wrinkled red tank top and black yoga pants, mussed-up hair, and bloodshot eyes, Rebekah looked just fine.

E.J. didn't have the energy to answer, and instead groaned out a reply. Rebekah climbed painfully to her feet and was stumbling toward her daughter when her cellphone went off. The blaring Justin Bieber song made Stefan quirk an eyebrow up at her—looking both disturbed and amused, E.J. noticed. Rebekah glared as she fumbled for her phone.

"Where the hell it is?" she mumbled as it continued to go off. She didn't have any pockets, so where was the sound coming—? "Oh, right!" Stefan turned away in disgust when the Original reached down into her shirt and plucked her phone from its depths. E.J. was wondering why she hadn't figured out where it was sooner. Doesn't she feel it vibrating, or something? she thought distractedly.

Rebekah had answered as E.J. was thinking very "deep" thoughts to herself. "You don't sound very good, big brother," Rebekah answered the caller, reaching up to rub a hand over her face, yawning widely. "Did you feel it, too?" After a moment, "Seriously? That's what you're worried about? Forget about the damn 'curfew' thing, Lijah!" Rebekah winced and reached up to hold her pounding head.

E.J. swore she could hear the reply that Elijah gave, that's how loud and sharp it was. The eldest Original was only patient to a certain point. Rebekah sounded much meeker as she remedied, "Oh, right. I don't have a curfew: I'm not supposed to leave the house without one of you." She frowned and shook her head, practically pouting. "I came to find E.J. Doesn't that count for anything?"

Rebekah sighed as she hung up, cutting her brother's lecture off. "Home now, love," she mumbled to her daughter. "Big brother's going all parental on me again." She suddenly blinked, scrunching her nose up in thought. "Huh. I suppose if you're my kid that makes Elijah, Nik, Kol, and Finn your uncles, huh?" A snort and another face rub. "That's a strange thought."

"Not without me, you're not!" Stefan grumbled, staggering painfully to his feet. Rebekah gave him a blank look and Stefan growled, although it didn't sound all that threatening when he could barely stand up straight. "I'm not letting E.J. out of my sight!"

Rebekah wrinkled her nose again. "Even when she's in the bathroom or changing her clothes? What are you, a pervert?"

That was a very valid point. Stefan hadn't thought that through. "Okay, almost never!"

"Hello!" Elena grumbled from the ground as she sat up. "Is anybody going to explain to me what just happened? You guys were screaming like somebody'd staked you or something."

E.J. moaned and rolled her neck in an attempt to relieve the stiffness. "It felt like somebody was trying to rip me apart from the inside out," she mused. "But it didn't feel—real, or something."

"It was not tangible?" Rebekah offered lightly.

"Yeah, it wasn't tan-able," E.J. agreed, apparently not knowing what the word "tangible" meant.

"We're coming with you," Stefan mumbled, trying to walk over normally to stand between Rebekah and E.J.

"What's this 'we' business?" Elena mumbled. She climbed to her feet, reaching up to hold her head, and noticed E.J. "Oh, right. You're actually Stefan's daughter. I momentarily forgot." E.J. wasn't sure exactly how she should take that comment. Elena looked as if she was torn between acceptance and jealousy.

"I'm sorry," E.J. mumbled. At her words, Elena's eyes softened and she brushed past her boyfriend to kneel before her. Apparently, she had not experienced whatever trauma her three vampire companions had. She did keep rubbing the side of her head, but she didn't look as if every muscle in her body was sore and every joint ached.

"It's not your fault, honey," Elena said softly. She reached down and gently helped E.J. to her feet. The smaller girl weighed less than one hundred pounds, but her inability to hold herself up made holding her weight much more difficult for Elena.

"I've got her," Rebekah snapped. She did not appear to be as battered as the two younger vampires, but she was stiff as she shuffled toward Elena and E.J. She tried to sweep her daughter up into her arms, but instantly hissed and stepped away, shaking her head and reaching back to rub at her lower back. "Never mind."

"Get on my back, E.J.," Elena offered before she could change her mind. E.J. was light, but Elena wasn't exactly known for her strength. She was pretty certain she could carry the other girl for a little ways, though. She hoped that either Stefan or Rebekah could take over by the time her body really began protesting.

E.J. did not even protest as Elena bent down. She clambered onto her back, wrapping her arms tightly around Elena's neck. "Need to breathe, E.J.!" Elena reminded her before even attempting to stand. Even barely conscious, E.J. was still strong and could easily suffocate her.

The girl obligingly loosened her grip, and the four made their way out the door. Elena thought to holler up to her brother and Alaric that she was leaving, before remembering that Alaric was probably knocked out from pain meds (E.J. kicked him and he cracked his skull on one of the porch frames, remember) and Jeremy had taken off for The Grill before Rebekah had shown up.

So, Elena decided not to bother leaving a note, rationalizing that she had her phone in her back pocket, so why bother?

TVDTVDTVDTVDTVD

Rebekah, Stefan, and E.J. stopped aching about halfway to the mansion. E.J. slipped down from Elena's back (to Elena's relief) and hopped up onto Stefan's, much to Rebekah's annoyance. The girl immediately started up a lively commentary as they continued on their way. The vampires could have sped, but running did not sound desirable after just recovering from their odd plight. That, and Elena was not too keen on being taken along on a "ride," as she and the other human members of the "gang" had come to call speeding with a vampire.

As it was, they still reached the mansion in under half an hour, and Rebekah marched up semi-confidently to open the door. Before she could, the door was swung open, and she had a moment of déjà vu. Really, what were the odds of it happening twice? Although, the door did not bang this time.

Most likely because it was Elijah who was at the door (instead of Finn, who had a temper that made Niklaus's look mild), looking irritated and about as not composed as he was capable. "Where the hell were you?" he asked his sister in a thick, strained voice. He sounded both sick with worry and pissed as hell.

Rebekah had been all ready to defend herself, to bitch at Elijah for being such a worrywart, but she could see in her brother's eyes just how worried he had been. It had been a very long day for Rebekah, who, no matter how many years she had resided on this earth, was still only eighteen years old, and she did what any other girl her age would do.

She broke down. Whether it was natural instinct or just convenience, she launched herself at her brother, nearly knocking him to the ground. Elijah's façade promptly dropped and he crushed his little sister in a hug. He looked as near to tears as any of the other three present had ever seen him, but he still held on to his composure.

Stefan and Elena were beginning to feel uncomfortable as the hug went on for several minutes. Rebekah showed no signs of calming, and Elijah was not making any attempt to comfort her besides holding her. His gaze lifted from the ground to E.J. and he frowned. E.J. remembered what she had said before storming off and suddenly felt embarrassed.

"Sorry, Uncle Lijah," she said before she could think.

Elijah promptly shoved his sister away and stared wide-eyed at E.J. Rebekah stumbled away, looking from her brother to her daughter, wondering how she could explain this.

"E.J. really is my daughter," she said simply. Elijah's head whipped toward her, and she nearly flinched, but held her ground. Everything about his stance and expression demanded an explanation. "I can't explain how I know: I just do." Elijah only stared. "And Stefan's her father, just so you know."

Now Elijah's head whipped toward Stefan, who shot Rebekah a panicked look. Stefan had been a dumb teenage boy once. (Damon would argue he still was one.) A dumb teenage boy who had begun getting a little too cozy with a schoolmate for her older brother's liking. That older brother had broken his nose with one solid punch, and Stefan had learned a valuable lesson about messing with big brothers.

He was pretty sure sleeping with a girl was enough to warrant far more than a punch, considering who the "big brothers" in question were. Never mind it had happened eighty-eight years ago.

E.J. came to his rescue, whether accidentally or purposefully, Stefan didn't know and didn't care. "Why are you glaring at Daddy like that, Uncle Elijah?" Stefan glanced down to stare wide-eyed at E.J. (had she just called him what he thought she just called him?) and Elijah turned his head slightly to blink at her.

"No reason," he finally answered, his composure coming back. "Do come inside." He stepped aside and Rebekah promptly hurried past him. E.J. followed after her promptly, but Elena had to practically drag Stefan through the door. Stefan could literally feel Elijah's glare on his back as he was dragged after E.J. and Rebekah.

". . . and you are certain you are both unharmed?" came an unfamiliar voice as Elena and Stefan approached a room that Elena assumed to be the parlor. The mansion was an older-styled home even though it was a new building. Probably came from its architect being a thousand-year-old hybrid.

Stefan and Elena stepped through and Elena tugged her boyfriend to the right to stand nearer to the fireplace. Rebekah was sitting on the lap of a strange man, apparently telling him about what they had experienced at Elena's house.

Damon had paid a visit to the Originals after Elijah had undaggered his siblings and the five had decided to live together. He had decided to try to weasel a bargain out of Elijah, but what he got instead was introductions to the rest of the family. Stefan and Elena had never met Finn, but they knew Kol from school.

Three men, including the one Rebekah was sitting with, occupied the parlor. One of them was Klaus, who was standing near to the fireplace talking to an excited E.J. ". . . so that makes you my uncle!" she was saying. "Isn't that so cool?!"

"Quite 'awesome,' as you kids say," Klaus replied with a chuckle and a twinkle in his eye. Elena would never get over how E.J. seemed capable of turning the hybrid into a lovable teddy bear with just a bat of her blonde lashes.

The third man was sitting cross-legged in an armchair, his eyes focused on a Nintendo DS in his hands. His tongue was between his teeth as he concentrated, seemingly unaware of the others' presence in the room.

"Guess what, Kol!" E.J. bounced over and leaned over the back of his chair and into his personal space.

"Huh?" the Original asked without glancing up from his game.

"You're my uncle!" she giggled, reaching down to flick his screen.

Kol paused for a moment, glanced up at E.J., and blinked twice. "Okay." And then he glanced back down and was absorbed again.

E.J. rolled her eyes, although Elena noticed that she was smiling, as she trotted over to Rebekah and Finn. "Oh my gosh!" the girl suddenly shrieked, freezing with a foot in the air. "MY BOX!" And then she was gone from the room, and Stefan was reaching up to rub his throbbing eardrum.

E.J. shoved past a just entering Elijah on her way out, hollering over her shoulder, "Sorry, Uncle Lijah!"

"I will never get used to that," the eldest Original muttered.

E.J. was torn between excitement and apprehension as she tore up the stairs to her room. How could she have forgotten about her box?! Gloria had said to "discover who you are" to open the box, and then the box itself had reiterated that point!

Wait, what? She slowed down as she neared her ajar bedroom door, pondering what had just popped into her mind. Hadn't that been a dream? But a very important dream? Huh?

Her thoughts immediately ground to a halt when she stepped through her bedroom door.

"What the hell?!" she growled, leaping into the room and staring around at the carnage in disbelief. It looked as if a tornado had blown through. Her wardrobe was facedown on the ground, its contents blown haphazardly around the room, and her bed had moved fifteen feet closer to her thrown open balcony doors.

What had really grabbed her attention was the boy standing on her balcony, looking as if he broke into and trashed people's houses every day. He hadn't even glanced up at her exclamation, but by his change of stance, E.J. could tell he had noticed her.

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded, carefully making her way over to him. She thought briefly that that might be a very bad idea, but she was a friggin' vampire! She could take some scrawny dude who thought vandalism was funny!

Finally, the boy turned around, and E.J. reeled away in shock.

Beautiful could not even describe him. His curly hair was an odd mixture of gold, light brown, and pale, pale blonde, resting in a curly mass atop his head. His skin was so perfect to be unreal, and it was so pale it seemed to literally glow in the waning early night hours. In fact, his entire being seemed to glow, pulse even, E.J. might say.

What had really captured E.J.'s attention was his eyes. Even from her distance, she could see them. They were the bluest blue that she had ever seen, lighting up his face and piercing her through with a single stare.

It took several moments for E.J. to get her breath back. "Do you even know what you're doing?" she demanded rudely to hide how madly she was blushing. How could a guy this gorgeous even exist? "Do you have any idea where you are? And do you have any idea who lives here?"

Without a word, the boy pushed off from the balcony's railing and strode back into the room, not looking where he was going but yet not tripping over a single thing. E.J.'s heart began to beat faster in her chest as he approached. (She had always wondered why she had a heartbeat and other vampires didn't, but she barely noticed it until times like this.) The closer he drew to her, the more she began to realize that it wasn't the setting sun that was setting off the porcelain skin tone.

He was frickin' glowing. "Hello, E.J." When he spoke, E.J. felt her knees go weak and she stumbled away from him. His voice was not that of a teenage boy going through adolescence, but it sounded closer to a soothing waterfall. His words flowed together beautifully, and there was almost a poetic way in which he spoke, as if he were singing without actually singing.

"Or"—he smiled and his entire face lit up—"should I call you Esther Joy?" If E.J. hadn't been attracted to him before, she was now. But, at her full name, she gaped and squeaked. Was it normal to feel both attracted to and terrified of teenage boys?

"Do not fear me, child," the boy spoke gently. His tone now became that of a cooing dove and E.J. was helpless as he took her by the hand and led her to her bed. His hand was warmer than normal, and it warmed the poor girl to her bones. As a vampire, her body temperature was naturally cooler, but his hand did not feel normal. When humans were hot, they tended to feel feverish and sweaty. This boy's skin just felt warm—like the sun was radiating within his body and warming her with its rays.

Wait, what had he just called her? E.J. was speechless as he knelt beside her and took one of her hands in his. "You are safe now," he said. E.J. felt herself drowning in the blueness of his eyes as he gazed up at her. "I will protect you."

"E.J.?" The voice at the door startled the girl out of her reverie, and she gasped. She was struggling to recover from the strange sway the boy had over her, and was unable to tell her mother that now was not the best time.

The boy had stiffened at Rebekah's voice, standing up and turning around swiftly. Rebekah froze at the sight of him, probably as taken by his beauty as E.J. was. "Er, hi," the Original said nervously. "I didn't realize E.J. had a friend over."

The boy's eyes narrowed and, suddenly, he was across the room. Rebekah looked alarmed but easily moved to fend him off. What shocked her was when he ignored her attempts at doing so and threw her across the room with unnatural strength.

Rebekah screamed, the spell of his beauty broken, as she slammed into the wall and fell to the ground in a broken heap. "Stop it!" E.J. screamed. She leapt up and began digging in her wardrobe for her box. Maybe it had something in it to help her! This could not be happening! Rebekah was an Original! How the hell could this strange boy hurt her so easily?!

She heaved her wardrobe up and leaned it up against the wall. She realized instantly that her box was not inside and frantically began searching the room. It was nowhere in sight and she dove under the bed to check there.

The boy had not moved since throwing Rebekah, his eyes trained on E.J. "What are you looking for?" he asked mildly. Now his voice sounded like the purring of a cat, and E.J. cursed that mental image. This boy was anything but a harmless kitten!

"Something!" she snapped back.

The boy sighed and turned back to Rebekah. "Now, where were we?" he asked in a voice that set Rebekah's teeth to chattering. She didn't know why, but this boy utterly terrified her.

He was kneeling beside her in that next instant, and Rebekah couldn't remember having seen him move. "You won't feel a thing, love," he said quietly as his whole being began to pulse with white-hot heat that seared Rebekah's skin.

"I can't find it!" E.J. suddenly shrieked, making the boy break his concentration. The girl was standing in the middle of the room, panting and clenching her fists. "Where the hell is my box, you bastard?!" she screamed at the boy.

The boy cocked his head and smiled at her, and, despite herself, E.J.'s knees went weak once more. "Standing right before you, darling," he purred mockingly. E.J. stared at him in confusion until he disappeared.

No smoke. No lightning. No blast of wind to indicate speeding. One moment he was there, the next he wasn't. Vanished into thin air. E.J. wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen it herself.

It took a few seconds for the spell over her to break as she ran over to her mother. "Who the hell was that?!" the girl cried as she struggled to help Rebekah sit up.

Rebekah stared at her with wide, wild eyes. "If that was who I think it was," she whimpered, "then he is our worst nightmare."

AN: Last chapter's ending was dramatic, and this one's was ominous. Yay! Next chapter we will see more of this mysterious "He" that you still don't know the name of! Tune in for the next chapter to find out more about him. I have created a lot of OC's in all my writings, but he is quite possibly my favorite! P.S. If I receive my seven reviews and suddenly go on a writing spree, I might update before Monday. Thanks for reading!