Hit me with your best shot. Fire away...

I came to a halt before a fuming Vanessa.

"What is she doing here?" Snarled an angry Vanessa just when I burst into her room and came to a halt just inches from here. Her face contorted into her more visceral form as she spat her next words," Don't kill her you said. You would take care of her. But here she is!"

I opened my mouth to remind her that she had tried to get me killed. Then slammed it close on a second thought.

"I will leave," I said agreeably. "There is not much I can do here anyway. Other than splash more blood of others across these clean floors." I didn't have to kill anyone for that to happen. I was already dripping blood and gore where I stood.

"I just want to see Lucian first. I thought it best to ask you first rather then have you get irked when Damon takes me to him," I said simply.

"You know looks are said to get improved on the change. I can't say that applies to you. Or is this an improvement on before? I can't really tell what you look like beneath that muck. But it can't be anything worth looking at," said Vanessa bitchily, speaking mostly to herself.

I didn't see anything rhetorical in her statement so decide to ignore it altogether. I had bigger fish to fry instead of worrying about my reflection in a mirror. Did I even have one anymore? I don't think I ever considered that possibility.

I spared that a momentary concern before ripping my whole attention back onto the beautiful blond before me.

"Lucian!" I exclaimed demandingly when she failed to respond to my request.

"You think you could make demands of me," said Vanessa smirking vindictively.

I merely nodded my head. I did think that but only because I knew Damon wouldn't let anything happen to me. Knowing that he was involved in all this actually made me feel better. I knew instinctively he would never let anything happen to Lucian no matter what he may say openly. I knew he loved his brother beyond anything.

And the fact he had left his son in my care said it all with regards to his feelings for me. He cared.

So secure in that knowledge that I didn't want to jeapordise his plan whatever it may be. Instead what I wanted was simply Lucian. So here I was demanding that his ex let me see him.

Her smirk was positively devilish. It raised my anxiety levels to new highs especially when I correctly read the malicious intent behind it.

"She wants to see Lucian," said Vanessa almost consideringly before nodding her head. "Fine. See him. I'll take you there myself."

"Vanessa!" Damon didn't look too enlightened by this kindly overture on Vanessa's part. I wasn't all that glad about it either even though she was giving me exactly what I wanted. It came down to being careful with what you wish for. Somehow I knew just from Vanessa's ready aquiescence that I will not be happy with the outcome.

Gritting my teeth to prepare myself for the very worst, I said meekly, "Let's go!"