Chapter 6: The New Year

*****New Year's Eve*****

Xander was pleased that they had managed to get enough of the mansion furnished to throw a New Year's Eve party. The bedrooms weren't furnished, but Buffy and Rebekah had gotten the downstairs bathrooms decorated as well as the large ballroom. That's what they were calling it anyway. Xander believed it was technically a large den. It had a wet bar built into the back wall, so it was perfect as a party room. Elijah wasted no time in stocking it with top shelf liquor. The girls scattered a few high tables with chairs around the room for those that wanted to sit and visit. There was plenty of floor space, of course, for dancing.

Xander found a local place that had the king size bed that he and Elijah preferred. They even had ones that could be raised and lower. Since money was no object, Xander went with the top of the line, knowing Elijah would be pleased. He let his lover order the sheets since he was a total snob about that kind of thing, and Xander could care less about it. Who knew some men actually cared about thread count? Anya would be snickering if she was privy to their conversation.

Illyria opened a portal, so that their Mystic Falls and New Orleans guests didn't have to fly. Giles flew in with many slayers as he wanted to inspect their newest slayer house. He brought with him the slayers who would be staying in the house.

"Are we sure about the guest list? Dawn insisted she couldn't come without Caroline. Fred insisted that all Angel's people get invited, which now includes, Damon since he's working for him. That means Elena has to come. More reason that we couldn't exclude Caroline," Xander said.

"This is a party. I am sure Niklaus will behave himself and keep his distance and not torment the poor girl whose heart he has already broken," Elijah said, knowing his brother had come up behind them.

"It will be fine," Klaus said, stepping next to his older brother.

Elijah had wanted the party to be formal as in black tie, and Xander did not. They compromised by simply sending out invitations with the word formal on it but not defining what it meant. Xander knew his friends would interpret that very differently than the Mikaelsons and some of the Mystic Falls crew.

"So who is responsible for the eyesore of dress everyone is wearing?" Klaus asked. Some of the girls were dressed for a club in slinky dresses. None of the slayers were dressed in formal dresses except Buffy, who knew enough about the Mikaelsons to dress appropriately.

"Hey, you should just be glad no one is in jeans," Xander said with a smirk. He was wearing a suit with a black silk tie while his lover sported a full suit and black tie.

Illyria opened another portal and out stepped Kol with a beautiful teenager behind him. Marcellus followed and Katherine and Spike stepped out last. All three were dressed like Elijah, and Xander wasted no time in teasing Spike.

"How the hell did you get talked into wearing that?" Xander asked, grinning.

"In my human days, the get-ups were much more ridiculous," Spike said. "My lady bird here picked it out."

"All Mikaelson parties are formal," Kol said. "I see you went with a more simple look."

"Not unless he compels me will I wear one of those," Xander said with snort.

"Welcome to our new home," Klaus said, greeting Marcellus, who smiled and embraced his father.
"This is Davina, my ward," Marcellus introduced. "Davina, that is Klaus, the man who freed me from slavery as a boy and raised me."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. Thank you for the invitation," she said.

"This is Elijah, our oldest brother, Kol introduced.

Elijah smiled and shook her hand, introducing her to Xander.

"I hope you enjoy yourself," Elijah added.

"She's a witch," Kol said. "One that I'm completely infatuated with. Come, let me introduce you my sister." He pulled her by the hand toward Rebekah and Willow.

"Please tell me that you did not bring me to a party full of vampire slayers," Marcel said as he felt predatory eyes on him.

"Relax, my girls would never harm you," Xander said. "They might try to seduce you, however. That smile of yours is particularly potent."

To prove his point, Kitty sauntered over. "Xander, who is your friend?" she asked.

"This is Marcellus Gerard, Klaus' adopted son," Xander introduced. "He goes by Marcel."

"I'm Kitty," she said, holding out her hand. She was wearing a red dress that hugged her figure and left her breasts on prime display. "Would you like to dance?"

"He's a vampire like I am," Xander added.

"As long as he doesn't try to bite me, we'll get along fine," Kitty said, smiling.

Marcel grinned at the flirt. "It would be my pleasure," he said, taking her hand.

Kol wasted no time in taking Davina onto the dance floor after introducing her to his sister and Willow.

"There's Caroline," Xander pointed out. "What are you going to do? You can't just ignore her. It'd be rude and hurtful. All my best friends are girls, so believe me when I say that."

Klaus knew his brother-in-law was correct and nodded, so he walked toward Caroline, who was with Elena and Bonnie. Matt and Dawn walked a step behind them.

"Hello, ladies, you all are looking lovely as always," he said, greeting the group.

Elena glared at him while Bonnie asked, "Where's Rebekah and Willow?"

"Over there," he said, pointing.

"Thanks," she said.

"Would you like to dance?" Klaus asked Caroline.

Caroline looked at Elena who shook her head no, but Caroline did want to talk to him and took his offered hand.

"One dance," she said.

She was wearing a light blue dress that hugged her figure and her hair was pinned up for a change. Her neck offered him a strong temptation.

"You do look beautiful," he said.

"Yeah, well, you can't say that anymore," she said, glaring at him.

"I'm sorry," he said. "You know this isn't what I wanted. My feelings for you haven't changed, so I wish that you wouldn't hate me. I am trying to be a better person for my daughter."

Caroline's expression softened. "A daughter? I am happy for you, Klaus," she said. "Truly. I just wish this wonderful thing didn't have to happen at the expense of our happiness."

"We are vampires. We have a lifetime ahead of us," he reminded her. "You are young, so it doesn't seem that way to you. However, I have lived ten centuries, and I know that we have time. You have time also to go to school, love other boys and make sure that I am who you want."

Caroline nodded. There was wisdom in what he said as her mother had said the same thing really. "You're right. Mom said the same thing," she said.

Klaus smiled and held her close.

Nearby, Angel was dancing with Fred, who saw Caroline come in. Illyria had expressed her annoyance when Klaus began dancing with the young vampire. Angel saw her frown. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Illyria is upset that Klaus is dancing with Caroline," Fred said, gesturing to the couple on the other side of the room.

"I thought he had broken up with her," Angel said.

"He did because I asked him to," Fred shared. "It was probably selfish of me, but I just don't want to be one of those women who has a baby with a guy while he's sexing up some other girl. It seemed icky."

"It's not selfish," Angel said, rising to her defense. "It's understandable. You've gone through a lot—more than a person should have to handle. Now you're pregnant with a baby you didn't technically help create, but you'll be the one giving birth. It's not too much to ask Klaus to focus on you and the baby. Caroline is a vampire. They have their immortal lives to be together if they're meant to be."

"Thanks," Fred said, grateful for his friendship and loyalty. "She's young, and I feel a bit guilty."

"Well, don't," Angel said, frowning. "Connor's here tonight. He's over there with three slayers, but why don't I introduce him to Caroline? He's going to Standford, and Damon told me that Caroline and Elena had applied there. I'm sure he would like to be rescued. Those slayers are really aggressive."

"Oh, Stanford is a great school. I'm real proud of Connor," Fred said.

Angel smiled; it brought him such satisfaction to have her back in his life again.

The song ended, and he walked over to Klaus and Caroline.

Fred smiled in welcome to the young teen, who looked worried to see Fred approach her and Klaus.

"Happy New Year," Fred said to Caroline. "I love your dress."

"Thanks. I love yours," Caroline said. Fred was wearing a red dress with a princess train that covered her baby bump.

"Caroline, I was hoping that I might introduce you to my son, Connor. He's attending Standford. I heard that you and Elena had applied there," Angel said.

Caroline's eyes lit up. "Really? Wait, you really do have a son?" she asked.

"Klaus isn't the first vampire that the Powers have messed with," Angel said with a smirk. "Except my son's mother was also a vampire. His birth is entirely mystical."

"That's incredible. So is he special?" Caroline asked.

"He's like a male slayer. Very strong and an incredible fighter. He grew up in a hell dimension, raised by one of my enemies to hate me," Angel shared. "I didn't meet him until he was nearly an adult. It really messed him up, so I worked a deal and bent reality, giving him another set of memories and human parents that loved him. Eventually, though, he did remember me."

"Wow. That's a lot," Caroline said.

"Yeah, he's a special kid," Angel said.

"So is he a freshmen?" she asked.

Angel nodded. "Yes. Come one, and I'll introduce you," he said.

"Thanks for the dance, Klaus," Caroline said.

"You are very welcome. Happy New Year," Klaus said. He knew that come midnight he could not be near her. He looked at Fred. "Would you like to dance?"

"Sure," she said. "You look very nice in the tux."

"Thank you," Klaus said, smiling at her. She was very sweet. "You look beautiful tonight." It was not a lie. Fred's dress was sleeveless, showing off her very nice breasts. Klaus tried to think of them as future food for his daughter, but he was a man. The dress' full skirt accented to his eyes her growing belly, making her very appealing to him.

As he gathered her in his arms, it struck him that Fred was as warm as Illyria was cold. She was brilliant as Illyria was strong. He and his daughter were extremely lucky. Although it pained him to be away from Caroline, having Fred in his life was no hardship.

Fred could not help but return his smile as his smile was so potent. That dimple of his was something else. She couldn't help but smile and give him a dreamy look.

"What's that look for?" Klaus asked.

"That dimple of yours," she said. "It's lethal. I really hope our baby inherits it and your artistic talent. I can teach her about science, but she may not like it the way I do. My brain works at a speed most humans don't. I skipped two grades, so I was always younger than everyone, kind of the outcast. Our daughter will be beautiful, brilliant, and brave."

Klaus found himself deeply touched by her certainty and learning more about her. "You are extraordinary," he said. Then he twirled her around, causing her to giggle.

Nearby, Esther, his mother, watched the couple with interest. Rebekah saw her mother's interest and asked, "What are you looking at, Mother?"

"Niklaus is dancing with Winifred and seems to be enjoying himself," she said.

"Have you ever spent much time with her? She and Willow talk on the computer a lot—they're close friends," Rebekah said. "I don't understand half of what they're talking about."

Esther smiled. "This new world is confusing," she admitted.

"No, it's because of the science and math talk," Rebekah said, smiling at her lover.

"Fred's smarter than me," Willow shared. "I have always been brilliant, and in computers, I would be considered a genius. Fred, though, has mathematical knowledge and science knowledge beyond me. We both know we need to get graduates degrees. She fell into the Pylea dimension before she finished hers, and I never applied. Now that we're both immortal, though, there's no rush. Oz was the only one who could ever understand what I talked about, but he didn't like to talk as much as Fred."

"She does love to talk," Rebekah said, smiling. "Mother was noticing how she and Klaus are getting along."

"He seems very comfortable in her presence," Esther observed.

"They will be great parents together for their daughter," Willow said. "The more Klaus gets to know Fred, the more he will like her because she is very likeable. Caroline is very young, still learning who she is. Fred already knows who she is and what she wants to do in this world. Klaus is infatuated with Caroline, but he doesn't really love her. He hasn't known her long enough. It's good that he broke it off with her before the baby was born and his life become more complicated."

"So you do not think my brother will go back to Caroline after Fred has the baby?" Rebekah asked Willow.

"I do not," Willow said. "I think Caroline will have moved on, and he will be too busy being a father to date a teenager."

"You are probably right," Esther said.

The song ended and Marcel stopped in front of Rebekah, staring at her. "You look as beautiful as I remember," he said, smiling at her.

"I saw you at Christmas," she reminded him.

"I know," he said. "I just can't believe I'm back in your life, and that I don't want to kill your brother."

Rebekah laughed. "I know. I feel exactly the same way," she said.

"Can I have the next dance?" he asked, glancing at Willow for permission.

"Only if you dance with me next," Willow said.

"It will be my pleasure," Marcel told her.

Rebekah took his hand as the music began, and they danced. Finally, Rebekah said, "Marcel, Willow and I have a really big favor to ask you."

"If it's within my power to give you, I would do so," he said. "I am sorry that I let my desire to be strong keep me from a life with you, but I was born into slavery, Rebekah. You can't possibly understand what it is like to never have any power and being treated like you are worthless and don't matter."

"I might not know what it's like to be treated as worthless, but I definitely understood what it was like to feel powerless," she said. "That is how all of us felt with Nik. Willow, though, stood up to him. She even sent him to a hell dimension once when she heard about the daggering. Of course, he had just turned Xander into a vampire after making Oz, her ex into a hybrid. Xander's her oldest friend. Klaus never for one moment scared her. Now she is so powerful."

Marcel laughed. "I am very happy for you even if I am a bit jealous," he admitted. "I never thought there would be anyone out there that could put my father in his place so effectively while keeping your family united. I can't imagine what I could do for such a powerful woman, but I am always happy to help."

Rebekah felt butterflies in her stomach as she looked up at his beautiful face. "Would you let Willow make you human and make a baby with me? There's not anyone else besides Xander that we would trust enough. When Willow is ready to be a mom, it will probably be Xander's child she will carry. However, I would like to carry yours. I know you might not want to give up being a vampire, but I have discussed it with Mother. She is willing to share the spell that made us an Original, so that you can be as strong as us after I am impregnated."

Marcel stared at her in shock. This was the last thing he had expected her to ask him. However, the thought of having a child of his own was a dream that he never had allowed himself to have since he had known growing up he would one day be what his adopted father was—a vampire. He mentored, though, many vampires and built a family to fill those lonely places inside him in the absence of the Mikaelson family.

"I am honored," he said. "Growing up with your family, I always knew that one day I would be a vampire, so I never allowed myself to think about having my own family. However, I have built a vampire family that means everything to me and now Davina. So I can see the appeal of having my own son or daughter. I love kids."

Rebekah smiled. "So you would consider it?" she asked hopefully. "I know you would be an amazing father."

"Maybe," he said, smiling. "If we can do it the old-fashioned way."

Rebekah laughed. Then she stopped dancing to hug him. "Thank you, Marcel," she said. "Willow might not care about how the baby is conceived as long as she gets to participate."

Marcel's eyes widened in surprise as they stopped back in front of the druid-witch in question.

"He said maybe," Rebekah told Willow.

"Really?" Willow said, looking at him.

"I would love to make a baby with you ladies, but I do have a tricky situation going on in New Orleans right now with the witches," he said. "Davina has her coven after her. They killed three of her friends and were going to sacrifice her for this messed up ceremony in their ancestor worship they do. I stopped it."

Willow frowned. "You should not interfere in a group's free exercise of religion," she said.

"Human sacrifice is not allowed in our Constitution," he pointed out.

"Well, if they had been allowed to finish their ceremony, all four of the girls would have been brought back, and the coven's power blessed by their ancestors," Willow informed him.

"How was I supposed to know that?" Marcel said. "I just saw them slice the throat of three girls. I saw Davina scream and had to help."

Willow smiled. "You're exactly like Xander. Unfortunately, though, Davina has to go through with the ceremony. I saw her dancing with Kol. The power she has is too strong for her body. It will consume her before the Spring Equinox if the ceremony is not allowed to continue," Willow told him.

"You're sure about that?" Marcel asked her.

Willow nodded. "I am," she said with certainty.

"Can you come to New Orleans?" he asked. "If you and Rebekah are there with Kol, who's a total hothead, I would feel a whole lot better about things."

"That is a good idea. It would give us time to get to know each other," Willow said.

"But you have class," Rebekah said.

"Why don't you go back to New Orleans with Kol, and I can come on Fridays through Sundays?" Willow said.

"That's a lot of flying," Marcel said.

"You're cute," Willow replied, smiling.

"She can teleport," Rebekah told him.

"Do you think you can handle being gone from Buffy?" Rebekah asked.

"Her baby's not due until April, so let's hope Davina's situation can be resolved before then," Willow said.

"Should Mother come?" Rebekah asked.

"She would more likely align herself with the witches in the town to look for a way to escape me," Willow said. "I have marked her, though. Only in her death can she escape me. I will send her back to England with Giles. When it is time to make Marcel an Original, we'll bring her around."

The idea of being an original vampire was very appealing to Marcel.

He smiled at the two witches. The new year was fool of exciting possibilities.

Nearby, Caroline was talking to Connor, who was very sweet and somewhat shy.

"Have you decided on a major?" Elena asked him.

"Not yet," Connor admitted. "My dad says there's not hurry. I don't have to declare until my junior year anyway."

"I want to be a doctor," Elena said.

"Okay, enough time talking to Angel Junior or as Spike likes to call him Junior Peaches or JP," Damon said, taking Elena's hand. "Come dance with me."

"It was nice to meet you, Connor," Elena told him.

"You, too," he said. Connor found the two girls less intimidating than all the slayers that were there. The slayers knew he was Angel's biological son and knew Angel's history with Buffy, so they were way too fascinated with him. Both girls were very attractive.

Caroline looked at Klaus dancing with Fred and seemed upset. "Are you okay?" Connor asked.

"I used to date Klaus, but he's having a baby with Fred," she said gesturing. "We broke up. He didn't cheat on me. They got together before we started dating."

"I'm sorry," Connor said. "It's hard to be rejected. I loved someone who rejected me and then died. It hurts."

Caroline liked him more for his confession and asked if he wanted to dance when the new song began.

"Sure," he said. "I'm not too good, though."

"That's okay. I don't mind leading," she said with a grin.

Angel looked on as his son danced with Caroline and felt smug.

Klaus took a sip of his drink at a table, trying not to brood as he watched Caroline dance with Angel's son.

"How are you?" Oz asked as he approached.

Klaus smiled, happy to see his hybrid. "You came!" Klaus exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't see you come in."

"Sorry. We were late," Oz said. "Asha decided that she would come to the states with me."

"Really? That's wonderful!" Klaus said, hugging him. "Did you not come in with Rupert?"

"We came in yesterday. I wanted her to meet my parents," Oz said, smiling.

"That's great, Oz," Klaus told him. "I take it things are going well with you two?"

Oz nodded. "They are," he replied. "She has finally come to terms with being a slayer and a werewolf. I will introduce her to some wolves here. I know that will help her a lot."

"It will," Klaus agreed. "I am happy for you. Are you going to move into the house here?"

"If you have room," Oz said.

"Of course, there's room for you. I'll kick out some slayers if there's not," Klaus said with a grin. He put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"No need for that. You're filthy rich," Oz reminded him. "You can build another wing if there's not."

Klaus laughed. "I have missed you," he said. With his hybrid by his side, all was right with his world.

Buffy saw Oz and went over to hug him. "You're here! How have you been?" she asked.

"Good. Asha and I are relocating here," he said. "We came in yesterday. I took her to meet my family."

"That's great, Oz. I'm so happy for you," Buffy said, smiling.

"How are you? How's married life?" Oz asked. "You look great." She was wearing a green dress that showed off her baby bump that she was clearly proud of.

"I know. It's hard to believe this is me. So grown up!" she said.

"You deserve it," he said. "We all deserve some happiness."

"Well, I can't help but wait for the other shoe to drop. Something's coming, I'm sure," she said.

"I'm sure it is," Oz told her. "But we'll deal with it like we always do. Scooby-style. Together."

Buffy grinned. "As Faith would say, 'damn straight!'" she said.

"Speaking of Faith, where is she?" he asked. "I hadn't seen her on the dance floor."

"That's because she started a poker game in the room across the hall," Buffy said.

"Really? I didn't know she played poker," Oz said.

"Clem got her into it," Buffy said.

Rick came up to them. "Good to see you Oz," he said. "Buffy, it's almost midnight."

"I better go find Asha," he said. "I introduced her to Fred, who was telling her all about her time in Pylea."

"Fred is my pregnancy buddy," Buffy said. "I'm having a boy, and she's having some supernatural girl. One day, we will plan their wedding."

"Now, let's not start that," Rick said, dragging her onto the dance floor.

Oz could not help but notice that Klaus was listening to Fred's story as he approached.

"So the vampire with a soul that I am not allowed to slay even though he is the kind of vampire I am supposed to slay," she paused a gave Oz a pointed look, "saved you?"

Fred grinned. "Yes, he was like a real-life hero. He came in and rescued me," she said. "Then he took me to his home and made me a part of his family. He didn't laugh at me when I had to write on all the walls for weeks at a time in my room. He didn't get mad. Angel just let me be until I was ready to leave my room and face the world again. He spends all his time helping save people like me. Although he isn't responsible for the people Angelus killed with his body, he thinks he has to earn redemption for his crimes."

Klaus was struck by her words. The demon in Angel tortured and maimed while Klaus did all his torturing and maiming of his own free will. If anyone was damned in the next life, it was surely he. Having visited a hell dimension, he had no strong desire to ever visit the next world. There was no way that he could ever do enough good deeds to earn his redemption, so Klaus would do what he could to live forever. Living in a house full of vampire slayers was not so bad after all.

"It's almost midnight," Oz said, taking Asha's hand.

"Fred's lived such a fascinating life," Asha said.

"I know," Oz said.

"I would like to visit this Pylea where humans are treated as cows," she said.

"No," Oz said.

"Illyria or Lorne could probably take you, but I don't ever want to go there again," Fred said.

"Okay, everyone," Xander called out as the music stopped. "It's time to countdown, so if you have a honey, or want one, move to stand next to them."

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one! Happy New Year!"

Klaus found himself next to Illyria, not Fred. "As we have a child, Fred believes that it would be good luck for you to kiss me," Illyria said.

Klaus smiled. "It would be my pleasure. I am glad you have finally made an appearance, love," he said. Then he kissed her.

She smiled before morphing back into Fred.

Fred looked a bit embarrassed to be standing so close to Klaus and blushed.

"Oh, sorry," she said.

Rupert Giles began singing the typical New Year's song and many who weren't kissing joined in. Klaus, though, found himself, staring at Fred.

"Happy New Year," he told her.

"Happy New Year," she said.

Klaus figured it would be rude not to kiss her, so he leaned forward to place an innocent kiss upon her lips.

Fred's mouth opened slightly in surprise at his move, but she allowed him the kiss.

Both were surprised, however, at the feeling the innocent kiss invoked.

Klaus stared at her in bemusement while Fred's face heated up, and she stepped away.

Angel and Gunn approached Fred, pulling her into their arms to kiss and wish her a Happy New Years.

Rebekah and Esther approached Klaus and did the same, and the moment was over.

Caroline, though, caught the kiss and was devastated. She turned to Connor, giving him a bright smile. "Happy New Year," she said. Then she kissed him.

Connor stared at her in shock as she walked away.

Willow caught the kiss and smiled.

*****Chapter End******

I'm not sure there's that many people reading this story, but I am sorry that it took me so long to get this update done. I hope you enjoyed it. Comment and let me know you're interested in more! Thanks!