"He's in Tennessee!"

Sera walked up to the map that had been set up in her uncle's bedroom and put a pin it. It had been a couple of months since Stefan had been forced to go on the road with Klaus and Sera had been using magic to track them ever since. The amount of bodies they left in their wake helped to confirm that the magic was working, but Sera still had yet to actually speak to or see her father. Stefan and Klaus seemed to slip out of their grasp every time Sera pinpointed their location. But, that didn't stop her from continuing to figure out where they were.

She turned and looked at her cousin. "I love having magic."

Xavier almost laughed. "That's the first time I've heard you say that in a while," he commented. "What's the occasion?"

"Having magic means that I can track Dad and Klaus is none the wiser," Sera said. "I know exactly where they are at any given moment."

"I'm sure that Klaus knows that you are tracking them," Xavier said. "He's not stupid."

"True," Sera agreed. "But, if he did, why hasn't he tried to stop me?" They both turned when Damon walked in the room. "Found Dad. Again. This time he's in Tennessee."

"You have an address for me?" Damon asked.

"Of course," Sera said, handing her uncle a piece of paper. "When do we leave?"

"We?" Damon said. He looked at his son, who shrugged.

"Well, yeah," Sera said. "I'm going with you."

"No, you're not," Damon said. He held his hand up before his niece had a chance to complain. "Sera, we've had this discussion. Multiple times. Stefan wouldn't want you to see him like this and I highly doubt you're Klaus's favorite person right now. I'm not going to let you walk into the Lion's Den."

"Technically, he's a wolf," Xavier chimed in.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said. "My point is, Xavier and I will go and check this out. You stay here."

"Absolutely not!" Sera said. "You'll need me if things get bad."

"We can handle it," Damon said. "I promise."

"I hate this, you know," Sera said, as Xavier stood.

"Yeah, I do," Damon replied. "But, I do it for your own good."

Sera crossed her arms as she watched her uncle and cousin leave the room. "You guys will call if you need me, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," came Damon's reply.

Sera rolled her eyes as she looked back at the map where they had been tracking Stefan. "We're going to bring you home, Dad," she whispered. "I promise."

Bloody. Gruesome. Downright nauseating. All the marks of a Ripper killing spree.

Too bad the Ripper was his uncle.

Xavier stepped carefully around the bodies that had been set up on the couch and left behind by Stefan's latest kill. He, Damon, and Alaric had driven to the address Sera had given them to investigate her findings and see if maybe, just maybe, they could find Stefan too. But, as to be expected, Stefan and Klaus were long gone.

As Damon explained Stefan's Ripper behavior to Alaric, Xavier couldn't take his eyes off of the poor women who had been killed by his uncle. What truly horrible deaths they suffered. Xavier knew that his uncle had spent years trying to curb his Ripper tendencies and he knew that Sera had been a key factor many times in getting Stefan back on track. But, at the same time, he understood why his father didn't want Sera to come with them. It was absolutely horrific.

Damon left the room and came back with a tank full of gas. Alaric turned to Xavier as Damon started spreading the gas all over the bodies. "What is he doing?"

"Getting rid of the bodies," Xavier explained. "That way, no one will know that this was a vampire's doing, let alone Uncle Stefan's."

"Ah," Alaric said. "Lovely."

Xavier took a step back to get out of his father's way and they heard the floor creak. He and Alaric looked at each other before pulling back the rug and finding a trap door. "Dad, come look at this."

Damon put the tank down and went over to Alaric and Xavier. The three of them crouched down as Alaric opened the door. "Well, what do you know?"** Damon said, as they looked at the hidden space's content. "Werewolves."**

"That can't be a coincidence," Xavier said, as they closed the trap door and stood.

"No, it certainly can't," Damon agreed. He lit a match and threw it on the bodies, which went up in flames within seconds. "Come on, let's get out of here. We have a party to get to."

Setting up for Elena's birthday party was the furthest thing from Sera's mind. So, when Caroline, Tyler and Elena all showed up with party decorations, it took Sera a moment to remember what they were there for.

"Right, the party," Sera said. She stepped aside to let them in. "Come in."

"Don't tell me that you forgot about us," Tyler commented as the three of them entered the Boarding House.

"Yeah, maybe a little bit," Sera admitted with a smile. Considering the fact that this was the most that she had ever spoken to Tyler Lockwood, it was understandable that she would kind of forget about him.

Her phone started buzzing in her pocket. She looked at the name on the screen and her heart started beating a little faster. "You guys go ahead and get started. I'll be there in a minute."

Sera turned and headed to the furthest part of the house, where she was sure that Caroline's Vampire Hearing wouldn't be able to pick up on the conversation she was about to have. "Salvatore Private Investigators. You lose them, we can track them. How can I help you?"

"I might have known that you would do something like this. Stop."

"Whatever do you mean, Klaus?" Sera said, not even pretending to sound innocent.

"I know you're tracking us. One of my spies just spotted your uncle and cousin at a local farm house where we left behind some rather unfortunate ladies. I'll say it again. Stop."

"Or, what?" Sera asked. "You already have my father."

"But, I don't have your uncle and cousin. If you don't stop tracking Stefan, I fear that they will pay for your crime."

"My crime?" Sera said, incredulously. "You're the one who's committing crimes! Harm my uncle and cousin and you will be sorry that I failed to kill you at the ritual."

"Haven't we already had this conversation, Love? You can't kill me. Not now."

"Don't underestimate me, Klaus," Sera warned. "I know your secrets, remember?" The silence on the other end of the line signified that he did. "The only reason why you are still currently drawing breath is because I want my father returned to me, unharmed. Let him come home and we can forget that this ever happened."

"Such powerful words. It's too bad that you won't be able to act on them. I know you, Serafina, you are too much like Elijah and Celia for your own good. You say that you'll let bygones be bygones, but how can I trust that you won't turn your back and do the opposite once you get what you want?"

"You have to trust me," Sera said. "You did once. You can do it again."

"Trust? How can I trust you after what you did to me?"

"I won't stop tracking my father, Klaus," Sera said. "Either trust me or continue to be hunted, like the dog you are."

"I had a feeling you might say that, Love. And, while I do admire your courage, I will warn you again. Stop tracking him or you will answer to me. Personally."

"I'm quivering in my boots."

"Until next time, then."

Klaus ended the conversation and Sera closed her eyes in frustration. She quickly typed out a text to her cousin. Klaus knows you're in Tennessee. Get home ASAP!

Slipping her phone back into her pocket, Sera tried to calm her nerves before heading back out to where the others were preparing for Elena's birthday party.

"Klaus actually called you?"

Sera nodded, as she placed a few different outfits on her bed for the party later that night. Damon and Xavier had returned home just in time to get themselves ready for Elena's party. "It seriously felt like it was a kidnapper-calling-for-a-ransom situation," she replied to her uncle's question. "He told me to stop tracking Dad."

"He has to know that we're not going to stop," Xavier said.

"I told him that and that's when he threatened the two of you," Sera said. She turned to her uncle and cousin and crossed her arms. "The next time you go after Dad, you're going to have to take me with you."

"I suppose," Damon reluctantly agreed. "I still don't like it, though."

"You don't have to like it, you just have to do it," Sera said. "So, how bad was it?"

"Pretty bad," Xavier said. "Classic Ripper. Mutilated bodies meticulously put back together. We burned the house down so no one would find them."

"Wonderful," Sera said, sarcastically. "I guess the only question now is whether or not he's flipped his switch."

"If he has flipped his switch," Damon said. "Can you get him to flip it back?"

Sera nodded. "I've done it before," she said. "I can do it again."

"Good," Damon said, with a nod. "Now, we need to get ready for this party before all of Caroline's guests arrive."

"Do I seriously have to go?" Sera asked. "I'm really not in the party mood."

"I am," Xavier said. "After what I saw today, I need something to make those images fade away."

"This will be good for you, Sera," Damon said. "You need a night to just let everything go. Stefan wouldn't want you to stop living your life because of something like this."

"You're talking as if he's dead," Sera said.

Damon gave her a look. "You know I'm right," he said. "Take a page out of your cousin's book. Eat, drink, and be merry. Just give yourself this one night to forget and then you can go back to your regularly scheduled worrying tomorrow."

Sera sighed. "I guess you're right," she said. "I can't even remember the last time the Boarding House had a party of this magnitude."

"Elena said she wanted something small," Xavier said.

Now, it was Sera's turn to give her cousin a look. "Caroline is the one planning it," she reminded him. "I haven't known her long, but I do know that this isn't going to be small."

"She's right," Damon said. "This is going to be huge."

The Boarding House was absolutely, positively packed with people.

Sera needed fresh air. There were too many people in practically every corner of her home and she needed to get away from the crowd. While she was having a fairly good time at the party, there was only so much that she could take.

She found herself in the backyard of the Boarding House. A place that was, miraculously, not filled with people. With the sounds of the party muffled behind her, Sera crossed her arms and stared up at the starry sky. A light breeze blew, causing a chill to run down her spine. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking in the peace and relative quiet, when she heard a familiar voice come up behind her.

"Alright, what's going on with you?"

Sera looked up to find Caroline taking a seat next to her. "What do you mean?"

"You've been acting strange since you got that phone call earlier," Caroline said. "Who was it from?"

"No one," Sera said. "It was nothing."

"It was not nothing," Caroline said. "I may not have known you long, but I know when you're upset. What happened?"

Sera sighed. "Just talked to my uncle, that's all."

"Damon?"

Sera shook her head. "No, my other uncle."

"Ah," Caroline said. "Klaus." Sera nodded and Caroline continued. "What did he say?"

"Oh, nothing in particular," Sera said. "He just wants me to stop tracking Stefan."

"You found Stefan?"

"Of course I did," Sera snapped. She rolled her eyes at her response. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said it like that."

"No, that's fine," Caroline assured her. "I can't even imagine what you must be going through. Just…you know that you can talk to me, right?"

Sera managed a smile and nodded. "Yeah, I do," she said. "Thanks. You know you can talk to me too, right? About whatever. Boys, relationships, the ups and downs of life. I have had multiple years of experience, you know."

Caroline laughed. "Yeah, I do," she said. "I'll take you up on that."

Sera smiled. "Good."

Caroline smiled and gave her friend a hug. "I know things majorly suck right now," she said. "But, try to have some fun, ok? It is a party, after all."

Sera laughed. "Yeah, I will," she said. "I promise." Caroline stood and turned to leave. "Hey, Caroline?" She stopped and turned back to Sera. "Just, don't tell Elena about me finding Stefan, alright? We're kind of keeping it on the down low until we can actually maybe talk to him or something. Damon doesn't want her to get her hopes up."

Caroline seemed hesitant. "I don't know, Sera," she said. "Elena deserves to know…"

"I'm Stefan's daughter," Sera interrupted. "If anyone actually deserves to know where he is, it's me. And, until we feel the time is right, we're keeping his whereabouts a secret. I hate to put you into this position, but I would really appreciate if you could just keep this from Elena for a bit, alright?"

Caroline nodded. "Sure," she said. "No problem."

Sera watched as Caroline headed back into the party and then turned to stare out at the forest behind the Boarding House. She closed her eyes once more, until she got the distinct feeling that she was being watched.

Her eyes snapped open, scanning the backyard for any sign of person or animal. Though she couldn't find anything, the feeling that she was being watched didn't go away. Then, a realization - or, rather, a feeling of hope - dawned on her.

"Dad?" She called out into the darkness. "Dad, is that you?"

She knew that she could use her magic to determine whether or not Stefan was hiding himself in the shadows. But, at the same time, she knew that he was hiding for a reason. Whether or not she liked it or agreed with it, there was a reason why Stefan had been "missing" for the last two months. So, she decided not to push the matter. Not yet anyway.

"Dad, if you're out there, I'm not going to force you to appear to me," Sera said. "But, you have to know...I miss you. I miss you and I love you…and I won't stop fighting until you can come home again. No matter what Klaus threatens me with."

Sera looked out into the trees and could have sworn she saw her father's face hidden amongst the darkness. The feeling that she was being watched lingered for a moment or two longer before it disappeared completely and whoever had been watching her had left. Sera sighed and turned to head back into the party, feeling in her heart of hearts that her father had come back, even temporarily, to check on her.

He wasn't lost yet. Sera had to make sure that it stayed that way.

With the party still in full swing, Sera made the decision to call it an early night and head up to her room. Xavier seemed to be having the time of his life, dancing with at least three girls at the same time. He tried to get Sera to join him, but she just smiled and shook her head. Trudging up the stairs, passing one too many couples in the midst of drunken make-out sessions, Sera reminded herself that they would all be gone tomorrow and that tomorrow was only a dream away.

"You know!"

Sera winced when she heard Elena's voice and stopped just in front of her bedroom door. "Know what?"

"Where Stefan is," Elena continued. Sera turned and saw that Elena was really struggling not to cry. "You've known this whole time. Damon just told me that you've been tracking him."

"It's an easy thing to do when you're a witch," Sera said.

Elena started shaking her head. "How could you have kept this from me?" She asked. "I thought that we were friends."

"Friends don't tell each other everything."

"You know how much I have been hurting since he left," Elena said. "Why wouldn't you tell me where he was?"

"Because, knowing you, you would do something stupid like try and go after him!"

Elena was shocked into silence. Sera rolled her eyes and continued. "Ever since I got back to Mystic Falls, it's been one thing after another and all of these things seem to be revolving around you," she said. "And, you know something? That may not be your fault, you certainly didn't ask for it, but it sucks at the same time. Because I have spent literally one night alone with my father, where it was just him and me hanging out, and that was only because I was recuperating from being stabbed by Klaus. Every other moment has been about protecting you. So, no, I didn't tell you that I had been tracking him because we need to worry about getting him home safe and not worry about your protection."

Elena looked to the ground for a moment and back at Sera. "I didn't know you felt that way."

Sera ran her hands through her hair. "It's not you, Elena, it's the situation," she said. "I'm mad, I'm frustrated, I'm scared about what Klaus is forcing my dad to do, and I just really don't need to worry about you too, on top of everything else."

"I get it," Elena said, looking at her hands.

Sera shook her head. "I know, I'm a bitch," she said. "You probably hate me now. "

Now, Elena shook her head. "I don't hate you," she said. "I just…I want to be kept in the loop about things like this."

"I guess there's no keeping this from you anymore," Sera said. "Just…brace yourself for what may happen next." Her Vampire Hearing picked up on noises coming from Stefan's room. "It's not going to be pretty."

Walking past Elena and heading to her father's bedroom, Sera walked carefully and quietly until she reached the open door and peered inside. Damon was ransacking the room, throwing things left and right. Sera walked in and placed a hand on her uncle's shoulder, stopping him instantly. Damon turned, saw his niece, and automatically brought her into his embrace.

She had no idea what prompted this outburst, or what prompted Damon to tell Elena that they had been tracking Stefan, but at the moment none of that mattered. What mattered was that Stefan was still out there, with Klaus, and not at home with his family.

For those that don't know, this is the second installment in the ECUS series. The first one is called "Everything's Coming Up Salvatore" and is set during Season 2. You may want to read that one before reading this one, because that story introduces the two OCs and tells a bit of their backstories, as well as introduces how the OCs are connected to the Canon characters, etc. But, here are the three main things you need to know:

1. Sera and Xavier are Stefan and Damon's children (respectively). They were both born before Stefan and Damon became vampires.

2. Sera is Elijah's granddaughter. Her mother, Celia (another OC), was his daughter.

3. Sera is a witch-vampire hybrid (But, NOT a siphoner! An actual witch!). She inherited her magic from her mother, who was a very powerful witch herself.

I'm really looking forward to this story because I can't wait to play around with Sera's relationship with her Mikaelson family and seeing how she behaves around them. I feel like this one is going to be a lot of fun!

Just like in the first story, if you see a quote with two stars next to it (**), it means that the quote is taken directly from the show. Also, I will try and update this once a week, but I make no promises, only that I will certainly try!

I hope you have enjoyed this first chapter! Please let me know what you think!