To JennyMikaelson: Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me again! I didn't think about researching myths until after I created him, and I wasn't really sure where to look after I'd already decided on his character. And then I wanted to incorporate Norse mythology (for the Originals), but I found nothing there. So I had to make something up. Haha, yeah, those Originals are protective, aren't they? Stefan was right to be afraid. As to the rest, I have no idea. I guess we both have to wait and see!
To chathg14: Thanks for reviewing again! I'm still developing the Stefan-E.J. relationship, and I can promise you there will be plenty more moments between them. E.J. can be pretty cute when she wants to be.
To nessafly: I can see where you got that idea, but he is not an angel. I know, isn't it so cute?! Now I can do lots of uncle-niece fluff! I'm eager to write family moments, but I have a plot to write, too. *sighs* The mystery guy will really be explored in the second story of this series. You'll learn some things about him in this one, but For the Love of a Daughter is meant to focus mostly on E.J. and her relevance to this world. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me!
To .37: Welcome to my story! Thank you, I pride myself on being original. I take inspiration from a lot of things, but I try to twist it in such a way that it's completely my own. I'm excited to introduce you to him! He quite possibly has the most depth of any character I've ever written.
To kadienewberg: I love writing cute-E.J. She's so much fun! As to your guess: Who? Heehee! I've never seen the fourth season (don't have the channel it's on, can't find it online, and it's not out on DVD yet). I couldn't write anything from it accurately. So, no. I can tell you this: He is way, way, way too old to be Silas's son. But he is extremely powerful. I just want to tell you, but I don't want to spoil it! More cute-E.J. coming, I promise! Thanks for reviewing again!
To crazygurl: I would have updated sooner, but I didn't get as much done on this as I'd hoped. No love triangle with family! I don't like 'em, don't do 'em, and sometimes downright hate them. I do love love triangles, just not when they pit family against family. Tatia might get involved with one of them (I can't say for sure), but not both of them. Thanks for telling me your thoughts!
To Marauders12345: You know what's really funny? Klaus doesn't know yet. Heehee. He will not be happy, that's for sure. My new OC won't destroy Mystic Falls like Misao and Shinichi did. (Or will he? O.0) You'll have to read on to find out just who he is! I can confirm Damon will find out in Chapter 15. It is very weird imagining that, right? Will Damon react like Elijah, Klaus, Finn, or Kol? Or like none of them? Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me!
To dreamer: Thanks for reviewing! Kol is extremely fun to write, that's for sure. Suspense and cliffhangers are the ways that we authors keep you lovely people reading. Tatia and the others will appear soon! More about who they are and their connections to "Him" will be in upcoming chapters. I've got a cliffhanger to rectify in this one!
AN: Beware, a rant is coming on. I am so mad at Alloy Publishing and Aubrey Clark! They wrecked one of my favorite novel series! I don't know if you guys realize this, but L.J. Smith only wrote books 1-7. The publishing company fired her and hired a "ghostwriter" because of a pivotal plot twist in book 8 they didn't like. First off, Damon's character is destroyed, the antagonist seems anticlimactic, and something dreadful happens to a beloved character that seems to be glossed over. I don't know if any of you have gotten the newest book yet, but it's nothing like L.J. Smith's stories. (I haven't actually finished it yet, I got this all from reviews.) I think I need to go back and read the first four to calm myself down.
Anyway, enough about that! You all don't want to read my ranting and raving. As promised, here is your newest chapter! I think I can promise to update Tuesday if I get eight plus reviews. Any less and I will update as soon as I feel I can. Read on to find out just what Rebekah knows!
Previously . . .
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.
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."
"Well, that was weird," Elena laughed as she took her boyfriend by the arm and squeezed. Maybe she was trying to make him feel better, maybe she felt bad about her earlier "jealousy," or maybe she needed the comfort as much as he did. Whatever the reason, Stefan was grateful for her support.
"Yeah," he mumbled as he dug his phone out of his pocket. He had put it on silent so that Damon couldn't pester him while he was at Elena's, but now he was worried about said brother. Whatever that thing had been, it had taken down Rebekah, and could easily take down his brother.
He turned his phone on and groaned when he realized that he had eleven missed calls. Eight from his brother and three from . . . Bonnie? That was weird. Why would Bonnie call him?
He called his brother back and impatiently waited for him to pick up. He had a pretty good idea of why Damon was so desperately trying to reach him, since every single one had been made after the initial "thing."
The other end picked up on the fifth ring. "Stefan, what the hell?!" the voice of his angry brother screamed. "I've been calling you for nearly forty-five minutes! I've been worried sick!"
Stefan's cold, dead heart warmed at those words. He knew it was weird since he was getting yelled at, but his brother had just indirectly told him he loved him. The two brothers had ways of doing that. It might not be the healthiest relationship, but it was good enough for them.
"I'm okay, Damon," Stefan assured his brother once he could get a word in. "A little shook up maybe, but I'm still in one piece. You still at the house?"
"Hell, no!" his brother answered. "I tracked you to Elena's house and me and Bonnie busted down the door all ready to save you. And you were—wait, say it with me—gone, you little brat! What was I supposed to think then, huh?!"
"I'm sorry, Damon," Stefan muttered into his phone. He hadn't heard his brother this angry in a long, long time. Damon hadn't exactly been too keen on lecturing him while giving him an "eternity of misery." Which, by the way, he had succeeded at doing quite nicely.
"Damn right, you're gonna be!" Damon snarled. "With this freaky 'He' back on the loose that Bonnie keeps bleeping out and talking about, we've gotta be more careful!"
As far as Stefan was concerned, his brother's words made about as much sense as his trigonometry class. "Huh?" was all he could muster to say.
"Never mind, I'm at the door!" That statement surprised Stefan, who pulled his phone away from his ear and jumped when he heard a pounding at the front door.
"I think that's for you," Finn spoke up from his place on the couch. He hadn't moved since his conversation with Rebekah, which was fine with Stefan. He'd rather have the ultra-powerful Originals where he could see them, thank you very much. He and Elena had only just been introduced—by a very uninterested Kol—and now Stefan was a little wary. He didn't like the gleam in the Original's eyes as he said those words.
"It's your door," Stefan shot back. He knew that comeback was immature, but he didn't care.
He groaned out loud when he heard the sounds of the door being opened. "This is a bit unexpected, Damon." Elijah's voice. Stefan had completely forgotten about him. "I do hope that you're not here to try to force young E—"
"Where's Stefan?" Stefan heard Damon demand with a snarl. He groaned again and slapped his forehead. Only Damon would snarl at an Original like that. Sometimes Stefan swore his brother was suicidal.
Then, the next thing he knew, Damon was in front of him and he'd been clocked in the jaw. Stefan stumbled backward and glared up at his brother. "What the hell was that for?" Stefan demanded, even though speaking hurt his now throbbing jaw.
Damon only glared at him until, quite to both of their shock, he grabbed his younger brother and crushed him in a hug. Stefan's arms wrapped around his brother's waist on instinct and he buried his face into Damon's shoulder. The whole stress of the last hour came down on him in that moment and he was thankful his brother was there.
Damon began petting his hair hard, looking in danger of losing a few tears. Elena stared at Damon with wide eyes, but she also couldn't hide a smile. She knew Stefan was still reeling from the shock of finding out he had a daughter—heck, Elena still didn't quite believe it—and he needed this. She had never before seen Damon cry, and she really didn't think she ever would.
"Because you deserved it, brat," Damon finally muttered in answer to his brother's question, still petting his brother's hair. He wasn't gentle about that or about his hug, but Stefan didn't care. A few broken ribs wouldn't last all that long, anyway.
Small footsteps entered the parlor and Elena turned to find Bonnie. At seeing her friend's haunted expression, Elena immediately moved to engulf her in a hug, holding her close and rubbing up and down her back. "I had a vision, Lena," Bonnie spoke in a soft, nearly inaudible voice. She sounded as if she was running on her last bit of energy. "And it came true."
"What are you talking about?" Stefan had finally pulled away from his brother and was now blinking at Bonnie. His eyes were misted-over from nearly crying and hazy from being pressed against his brother's shoulder. Neither Salvatore brother had cried, but that didn't matter.
"Don't know exactly," Damon answered, releasing Stefan completely and stepping away. In the heat of the moment, Damon had acted upon instinct, and now he was feeling awkward. He hadn't hugged his brother since before their transitions and . . . he missed it. He could tell Stefan had needed it, too.
Stefan turned his attention to his brother. Unlike Damon, he wasn't embarrassed—so to speak—but he did feel a little awkward. It felt good to be held, and he missed it terribly. Maybe he wouldn't feel this way if they had been in private? "What is she talking about?" he asked, quickly trying to smooth out his embarrassment.
Damon smirked at him, and Stefan knew that they were back to the way they had been before. Baby steps, Stefan, he told himself.
"As that whole freak thing happened," Damon began his explanation, "Bonnie had a vision. Well, actually, it was more like she was possessed, and she said 'He is back.' Now Bonnie is freaking out about whoever this 'he' is, and she won't listen to reason."
Stefan quirked an eyebrow. "Won't listen to reason or won't listen to you?"
"Same thing!" Damon snarled. "And you're grounded for scaring me like that!" Stefan gave his brother a disbelieving look. "What, you think I'm kidding?"
"No," Stefan mumbled. "I'm shocked because you're not."
"You're grounded, mister," Damon repeated as if he thought Stefan hadn't heard him the first time, thrusting his finger in his younger brother's face. "Until further notice!"
"Uh huh," Stefan mumbled. He figured he could humor his brother for now and find a way around it later. He had bigger things to worry about. "E.J.'s been up there a while."
"Rebekah went to check on her," Elijah spoke up from his place beside the wet bar across the room. "I'm sure she is fine."
Stefan muttered something under his breath and marched out of the parlor. Before he could ascend the staircase, two sets of feet came running from upstairs and E.J. and Rebekah stampeded down the stairs. "Elijah!" Rebekah screamed, sounding half out of her mind with fear. E.J. was following a few feet behind, looking worried but not scared stiff.
Elijah burst from the parlor and stumbled toward his sister. That amused Stefan, since the Original almost never stumbled. "Rebekah?" was all Elijah could get out before his sister had launched herself into his arms. "Rebekah, honey, what's wrong?" he asked softly, cradling her in his arms.
"It's horrible, Lijah!" Rebekah sobbed, clinging to her brother's suit jacket. "All the stories Mama told us were true! They're all true!"
Niklaus and Finn appeared in the doorway. Niklaus looked more amused than worried, and Finn just looked bewildered. Kol still had yet to move from his place in the armchair. "High score!" could be heard from within the parlor.
"What are you talking about, love?" Niklaus asked softly. His sister was so rarely vulnerable, that he felt his dormant protective brotherly instincts awakening.
Rebekah slowly pulled away from Elijah and stared at her other two brothers. "He's real," she hiccupped. "And he's going to kill us all."
"Who the hell are you talking about?" Damon demanded as he shoved his way out of the parlor, Stefan at his heels. Elena and Bonnie followed at a distance, and Bonnie had paled even more.
"Rebekah," Elijah soothed, "whatever happened upstairs, it just scared you."
At the same time, Finn asked, "Who?"
Rebekah focused her attention on Finn. "Djöfullin Veiðimaður."
The temperature in the room seemed to literally drop and the three other Originals looked torn between horror and concern. Kol appeared in the doorway, having heard the name, and shot Rebekah a look that could terrify anyone: a look of fear.
Elijah was the first to recover from his shock. "Djöfullin Veiðimaður is not real, Rebekah." He tried to take her back into his arms, but she fought him off. "That is just a legend Mother told us as children," he continued.
"I saw him," she said in a weak, hoarse voice. "I spoke with him. I fought him! I didn't even stand a chance, Lijah!" she sobbed. "He could've killed me so easily!"
"She's telling the truth." All heads jerked up to stare at E.J., who shifted uncomfortably. "Um, I think. All I know is that there was a strange boy in my room when I went up to look for my box. He took Rebekah down easily, and it kinda freaked her out. Hell, it freaked me out."
"We are all going to die!" Rebekah sobbed, tearing away from Elijah and bolting up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Her four older brothers jumped when her door slammed shut and they could hear its locking from downstairs.
Bonnie froze and her eyes glazed over silver. "He is here," she spoke in the voices of many. "And He wants revenge."
Caroline's world had been one mass of pain for what felt like an eternity but was in reality less than an hour. She now sat hunched over in her kitchen, at a small breakfast table, breathing heavily. Feeling like an idiot and a weakling, Caroline whimpered as she pounded her fist on the table, her face buried in the crook of her elbow. The light still hurt her eyes.
Why her? Really, what had she done to deserve this? She'd been a good girl for most of her life. There had been that time during her parents' divorce that she had become an angry, disagreeable person and she had gotten in more fights then than in the rest of her life combined. But was that enough to cause her this much stress and pain?
She felt a presence behind her and she stiffened. Normally, her first instinct was to whirl around and attack whoever sneaked up on her that she did not recognize the presence of, but something stopped her.
This presence was overwhelmingly powerful. Not in the sense that she felt terrified or pathetically weak, but more like she knew she couldn't fight whoever was standing beside her. She felt a small, slender hand press against her cheek, and she stiffened. The hand was unnaturally warm, but not as if the person were feverish. It felt like when she lay on the beach on a hot summer day: like the sun's rays, basically.
She still hadn't looked up, but she was beginning to calm down. The presence was not malevolent, but actually soothing. She did not really feel afraid or threatened, even though she could still sense the great power wafting from this individual.
"Hello, Caroline," a gentle voice said. The voice flowed through her and over her, calming her further. It was almost melodic, like a lullaby or love poem.
Finally, she lifted her head up and glanced up at her visitor. For a moment, she could not process what she was seeing and simply stared up at him.
He was so stunningly, breathtakingly beautiful, that Caroline was at a loss for words, something very unusual for the normally bubbly blonde. His gold-blonde-tan hair seemed to glow around his head like a halo and his porcelain skin literally glowed, giving his entire body a shimmer about it that almost hurt Caroline's sensitive eyes.
But what caught her and reeled her in was his eyes. They were the bluest blue eyes that she had ever seen. She had always thought Matt's eyes were true blue, but this boy's eyes made his seem dull. They pierced through her like shards of ice, chilling and warming her at the same time. Caroline quivered, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that the boy before her was no ordinary boy.
"The normal polite response would be to return the greeting, young one," the boy chuckled. Now he sounded like a purring kitten, and it really threw Caroline off. Should she melt on the spot and ask for his number (did gods have numbers?) or shrink into a tiny little ball and wait for him to just go away?
Caroline suddenly felt herself being lifted from her seat and she was soon face-to-face with the strange boy. He stood just under her eyelevel, short enough that she had to look down her nose at him with his being so near but tall enough that he could look her in the eye. He had a tight grip on her forearms and, no matter how much she squirmed, she could not break it.
The boy's eyes pierced her and, if it was even possible, his eyes grew bluer. Caroline sucked in a breath and squeezed her eyes shut, willing him to go away.
"I have a message for your friends," the boy purred. His voice had taken on a steely edge that made Caroline think of a double-edged sword. His words pierced through her and she hissed in pain. It was almost as if he could radiate feelings on another plane that affected Caroline in another part of herself.
And then she got it. "It was you!" she gasped, her shock finally allowing her to speak, her eyes flying open. The boy quirked a pale-blonde eyebrow, but Caroline was on a roll now. "You caused that power surge that happened earlier!"
The boy only smiled. "Tell your friends that Mshiagi is here, and he wants the witch." As he spoke, he pressed a piece of paper into Caroline's trembling hand. He had to release one of her forearms to do so, and Caroline stole the opportunity to try to struggle away from him.
She suddenly found herself across the room and pinned against the wall by her throat. She gasped and blinked down in fear at the boy. His smile was gone, and his eyes had taken on a dangerous edge. The blue now appeared to be swarming with gray, making it appear that a storm was brewing within them.
"They will never give you Bonnie!" she squeaked, shoving the paper into her back pocket. Whatever it was must be important.
The boy stared up at her for a moment before chuckling, revealing a blindingly white smile. "I believe they will," he chuckled again. "Because, if they don't," his voice now sounded like contagious laughter even though he wasn't laughing, "then I will kill you."
The words seemed to break whatever spell the boy had over Caroline and she gasped. She glared down at him, her lips quivering. "You want me to deliver a message," she snapped, "but part of ensuring it will be followed through with is threatening me but you're not taking me prisoner or anything? That's really stupid!"
The boy's laugh took on a darker edge, and Caroline now felt as if she had stepped off the edge of a deep trench in the ocean and was plunging into the netherworld below. How on earth could this boy invoke such pictures in her head?
"I do not have to be near you to harm you, child," he purred. "Not even to take your pathetic life."
Before she could respond, a blinding pain ripped through Caroline's body and she felt as if somebody was trying to rip out her very life essence from within her. The pain was unbelievable, and white dots spotted Caroline's vision as she gasped, raking in oxygen even though she didn't need it.
As suddenly as the pain had begun, it subsided. Caroline was now a trembling, sobbing mess on the floor. She could still sense the boy's presence, but she was too overcome with humiliation and genuine, heart-wrenching terror to care.
"Who are you?!" she gasped out, fat tears now rolling down her cheeks. She felt unnaturally warm, strong hands cupping her face and tilting it upwards. Soft, equally warm lips pressed against her cold forehead and she sobbed harder.
She felt herself being pulled into an unwanted embrace, but she was too weak to fight as the boy held her against his chest and smoothed her messy, sweaty hair out of her face. "The Devil Hunter," the boy informed her as an answer.
Caroline felt slender fingers gripping her chin and tilting it up. She blinked her eyes open and stared up at the boy. "And you, my precious little Caroline," the boy purred mockingly, his voice now like that of a gentle summer breeze, "are a devil."
He kissed her again and Caroline broke down into sobs, burying her burning face in his lap.
Caroline did not notice when a third presence joined them, but the boy did. He did not look up as he continued to stroke Caroline's hair.
"Do you enjoy tormenting poor souls, Mshiagi?" a cold female voice demanded. She stood in the middle of Caroline's kitchen, looking forbidding.
Mshiagi chuckled and finally turned his head to face the woman. "What the hell do you want, Pandora?" he growled, beginning to pet Caroline's hair a little harder.
The woman was tall and dressed in a long midnight-blue robe with large sleeves. Underneath she wore a lighter blue shift that fell to her knees and hugged her figure nicely. Her skin was the color of coffee and her hair was so dark it was nearly black, her eyes large black oval-shaped disks.
She was as beautiful as the boy, but in a different way. Her lips curled seductively into a smile, her eyebrows arched in a playful way. An otherworldly aura hung about her that made her seem even more mysterious than the boy. Her thick hair fell well past her shoulders and in curtains around herself.
"I wanted to see you," she answered quietly, sounding hurt at the boy's harsh tone.
Mshiagi shifted Caroline into his arms so that he could lift her as he stood. He glared at Pandora as he shifted through the Other Side to pass quickly into Caroline's room. He laid the girl in her bed and smoothed back her hair.
Before he could make a break for it, the mysterious presence behind him returned and he blew out an agitated breath. He felt a hand on his shoulder and then Pandora was turning him around.
Mshiagi did not resist as she pulled him to herself and planted a kiss within his curly locks, but he made no attempt to return the embrace. Pandora sighed and pushed him away once more, lifting a delicate, long-fingered hand to smooth his uncontrollable locks out of his face.
"Are you well?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.
Mshiagi's blue eyes were filled with annoyance as he glared up at her. "I'm fine," he snarled, and his voice filled Pandora with the image of a tiger.
"I've always loved that trick of yours, Mshiagi," Pandora sighed proudly.
Mshiagi glared at her and turned, disappearing without a trace. Pandora stood watching where he had disappeared, heartbroken. Would he never forgive her?
She gently reached out a hand and touched Caroline, and the girl's weeping promptly stopped. The girl soon fell into a deep sleep and Pandora sighed.
"Sleep, child," she said gently. "Deliver the boy's message, and do not delay. He is vengeful."
Pandora's eyes narrowed in determination. "And I will have to fix that, I see," she said to no one in particular before phasing back to the Other Side.
AN: No translation given to keep you all in suspense. I wonder if anybody figured out what it means from other information given in the story? What is going to happen to poor Caroline? Why was Rebekah so terrified? Who is Mshiagi and why does he want revenge? What does Pandora have to do with it all? Tune in for the next chapter to find out! (Wow, I sound like I'm on TV. Score! Cross that off the bucket list!)