Gently disengaging Anabelle from about her waist, Freya touched the younger woman's cheek with the faintest flicker of a smile in her eyes before turning her attention fully to the males. Julian received her focus first, an incline of her head in answer to his. "Julian," she greeted him. There was the faintest trace of Scandinavia in her voice, only noticeable if you knew where to listen for it. "Congratulations on your joining." The elder vampire transferred Anabelle's hand into Julian's in one smooth motion, and turned to look at the last of the trio.

"Valerian," she repeated his name, studying him with a disquieting gaze. "Not the name you were born with."

"Thank you," Julian said, giving Anabelle's hand another squeeze when Freya placed his hand in hers, though the smile on his face was a strained one. He would have preferred this reunion to have been happened under happier circumstances, but it couldn't be helped.

The look on Valerian's face was not only one of surprise at her unexpected insight, but undisguised awe. As much as he tried to hide it, he was clearly in awe to meet the legendary elder that was Freya. "No, but it is the name I prefer," he replied, not offering any further explanation. "Thank you for coming. It's an honor to meet you," he said, offering her a polite hand.

Her hand slipped into his - cool, but not worryingly so, and with a strength that was definitely disguised by the delicate figure she presented. But then, over a thousand years of life had given her an accumulation of power that very few in the world could match. Despite that strength, however, she was still a vampire, still vulnerable to the same dangers as all others were. Those old eyes looked into Valerian's for a long moment, and quite suddenly, Freya laughed. "My, my," she declared. "Tobias is a dark horse, isn't he" I had no idea you were my grand-childe."

"In a manner of speaking," Valerian replied, that charming smile of his on his face. "I will resist the urge to call you Grandma," he teased, strangely at ease and far less nervous than Julian, who had known Freya for years. Valerian even went so far as to offer her his arm. "Shall we go somewhere a little more private?" he asked, not to mention quiet, the pulse of the music and din of the crowd almost loud enough to drown out their voices, though none of them had any trouble hearing what was being said.

Freya seemed to consider this for a moment, but in truth, none of them were a threat to her, and she had no reason to believe this was anything other than a social visit. Glancing to the Staffords, she laid her hand on Valerian's offered arm. "Privacy is preferable when hostile ears may be listening."

Behind her, Anabelle drew in a slow breath, squeezing Julian's arm as she looked up at her husband. So far, so good. It remained to be seen how calm Freya would be when she realized she had been tricked.

Valerian led the trio toward the same door he and Lauren had slipped through a few days earlier, which lead not only to a back way out of the club, but to a suite of rooms set aside for Valerian's private use. Lauren and Aly were waiting there to meet the elder vampire, but before they reached the suite of rooms, Valerian came to an abrupt halt. "Jules, why don't you and Anabelle go on ahead" We'll catch up with you shortly."

Freya's lips twitched as Valerian pinned a very familiar sort of nickname on Julian, sharing Anabelle's more open amusement as the younger vampire laughed and drew her husband past them, into the suite. The elder's hint toward a smile faded, however, when she caught not one, but two other scents in the air. Her eyes snapped to Valerian, silently warning him against deception.

Valerian put up his hands, as if pleading for mercy. "Let me explain," he told her, hoping she would give him - all of them - a chance before jumping to conclusions. "We've asked you here for a reason, and I think you know what that reason is, but before you tell me how you can't get involved, I respectfully ask you to hear us out," he said, unsure if he was going to have to plead their case here and now, or if she would agree to hear what the others had to say.

Freya's brows rose, but she withheld her natural desire to turn and leave. This was Tobias' only childe, and thus related to her by blood. Family was important to her, though it was not always clear quite how she expressed that. "I have been told all the details, Valerian," she told him sharply. "What else is there for me to know?"

"Have you? And have you considered the fact that innocent lives are at stake here" You know how dangerous Josef is. How much more dangerous do you think he will be with Serena in charge?" It was a simple question, and not an accusatory one. He had more to say, but he wanted to let that sink in a moment before he continued.

Freya's icy gaze was level and calm as he spoke, but there was a sense of irritation about her posture as she faced him down. "And have you considered that there may be other reasons why I do not want to get involved?" she countered, calm and quiet, but not prepared to allow herself to be badgered and cornered by a narrow-minded view. "You see only enemies, as you should. I see my family trying to destroy itself."

"Do you really think either of them will rest until they have destroyed us" Serena has already made threats to Julian and Anabelle right here in my club. She will stop at nothing until she destroys them, and Josef is no better. You know what he did to Tobias. He's been killing innocents - anyone who gets in his way. There's no reasoning with him or Serena. Has Tobias told you what he did in Albany' He turned a man and left him to feed on his own wife. If it was not for Tobias' intercession, it would have ended in tragedy. That is the kind of monster Josef is, and with Serena's help, there's no telling what they will do."

The calm gaze holding his turned colder as he spoke. "You think I don't know that?" she asked him in a low tone. "I have seen more life, more death, than anyone I have ever met. My own sire walked into the sunrise rather than face the thousandth year of his life. Life comes and goes, Valerian, but we endure. What you are asking me ....it is not something taken lightly. I need more reason than this to intercede. No matter what she has done, Serena is still the childe of my first childe."

Valerian frowned, unwilling to play his wild card just yet, hoping he could make her see reason without it. "Tobias is one of your children. I am one one of your grandchildren, and there are others you do not yet know. I am your family, Freya. Serena and Josef are dangerous. If we do not stop them, they will destroy us all, and then you will have no family left. No one but the mad ones, until you have no choice but to destroy them, too. What will you do then, when you are alone? But you have asked for more reason than this. Let me give it to you then," he said, once again offering her his arm. Though he had remained calm as he'd tried to reason with her, his speech had been a passionate one. She was about to find out why a previously neutral vampire had completely changed his mind - if she agreed to follow.

If it had been a purely logical situation, no doubt Freya would have come down firmly on their side. But emotion clouded her thinking when it came to Serena. Beatrice, Serena's sire, had been Freya's first childe, and they were still very close. Despite Serena pulling away from her sire, Freya was reluctant to destroy Beatrice's first. She could understand why her reluctance was frustrating, but as things stood, she saw one side of her family arrayed against the other side, and fairly evenly matched, too. She would rather not cause pain to the woman who was her eldest daughter. Troubled to be confronted with such passion, she frowned, laying her hand upon Valerian's arm once again. "I can make no promises."

Freya nodded thoughtfully. There was a moment of silence, and a sense of something powerful calling from her blood - powerful enough that Valerian could sense it calling him, too. "She'll have a good suspicion by the time you leave this place tonight," the elder informed them with a faint smirk. "Josef wants to hurt Tobias; Serena wants your information. They'll come out of hiding to get what they want, and we will have them." Her eyes swept those gathered. "Julian, you may join the hunt if you so wish. Anabelle, Lauren, you will both remain hidden with the young one's parents. It will not be a pretty fight, and there are some things that fledglings should not see. Valerian, I assume your two most obvious protectors will insist upon being present?"

Julian nodded, but again Valerian interjected. It wasn't that he disagreed with Freya; only that he knew his own club better than she did and knew there might be a better way. "There's another way," he said. "A back way out. Lauren could take Aly to my apartment. She knows the way. They'd be safe there." He might even send Adelia along to make sure of it, though he knew she'd argue against it, insisting her place was at his side.

"Speed is our best ally," Freya said thoughtfully. "Tonight, after your nightclub is closed to humans. They will assume Tobias and the others have left by another door, and will want to follow you home, Valerian. So you will leave in plain sight, and when they come for you, you will come back here. You will not fight them; you will lead them here, into your club, where we can contain them. The moment they are here, Alessandra and Lauren must be taken out of this place to somewhere secure."

"Anabelle, too," Julian added once Freya was finished. He didn't think she'd have any objection to that, considering how close she and Anabelle had become.

"Agreed," said Valerian, to both Freya's plan and Julian's suggestion. "There's only one problem," he added. "We don't know how many of them there are. Josef could have created a small army of minions by now."

Despite her natural objections, Anabelle, at least, knew not to argue. Even if Julian was staying, she knew he would be easier in his own mind if she was away from the danger. She did, however, avoid Lauren's healthy scowl. The adult dhampir in the room was not happy about the decisions that were being made all around her, but not confident enough to interrupt an elder of Freya's experience.

As for Freya, she nodded in agreement with Julian, narrowing her eyes as she considered Valerian's concern. "He could have done, yes," she allowed, "but Josef is not a sane creature. He lacks the patience to groom an army, and surely you remember what the bloodlust was like for you when you were newly turned. No, if they have minions, they will be few in number and chosen for their strength overall, I would imagine."

This was where the experience and knowledge of the elder vampires was essential to their plan. There could be no mistakes, and while Valerian was going on two hundred years old, Julian and Freya and even Anabelle were the elders here, at least until Tobias arrived. He was doing his best to avoid Lauren's scowl, though he hoped she understood his need to keep her and the dhampir child safe.

"They can't know you're here," Valerian pointed out. "Will you be able to shield your mind from Serena?"

"If she knew I was in the city, she would have left it by now," Freya told him with absolute confidence. "I have had a long lifetime of hiding in plain sight, Valerian. You can trust my skill there."

"I want to stay," Lauren said suddenly, just the sight of her contradicting that desire so long as she was cradling Aly as the baby girl dozed on her shoulder. "This is my home, this is where my family is. I'm not useless."

"No, you are precious," Freya answered her, shaking her head. "I do not want another death like yours on my hands."

Julian arched a brow, exchanging glances with Anabelle at both Lauren's insistence on staying and Freya's hint at some past event he knew nothing about. "Another?" he asked curiously, though he didn't want to pry.

Valerian turned his attention to Lauren, moving toward her with a worried frown on his face. Though they might not have known each other long, it was already becoming obvious how much he cared for her. "Please, Lauren. I need to know you are safe," he told her quietly, touching her cheek with cool but gentle fingers, hoping she would understand. It would be far easier for him to do what needed to be done without worrying that Lauren was in danger.

As Freya grimaced, her expression betraying some deep pain held tightly to her heart, Lauren looked up at Valerian, gentle pain of her own in her eyes as he spoke to her. "Don't you think I need to know the same of you?" she asked him, just as quietly. "I can fight. Or if you would prefer, I can stay up here and watch. But don't send me away with no way of knowing what is happening to you while you put yourself in danger."

"I cannot make you go," Valerian told her, touched by her concern for him. It was strange to think someone not of his own making might care for him in the same way that Anabelle cared for Julian. "But if you are here, I will be worried for your safety, and I cannot risk being distracted where Serena is concerned." Josef, as well, to a lesser degree, though he deemed Serena the bigger threat.

Lauren frowned, knowing he was right, though there was the chance that being present might also make him stronger for a while. She sighed, frustrated with the way things were turning out. "I don't like the idea of you being bait," she told him, letting a little of that anger show through. "So many things could go wrong."

"There's no one else," he reasoned.

A few days ago, it wouldn't have mattered. Few would have cared if he'd lived or he'd died, or so he believed, but now, it seemed, everything had changed. This wasn't just about Lauren, though. It was about his friendship with Tobias, who was almost like a father to him, and Julian, who was the closest he came to a friend; it was about Lauren and Alessandra, more precious than any of them, vampire or human; it was about the fledglings Nick and Willow, who had a child that needed them; it was about Adelia, who'd been a better friend than even Valerian cared to admit. And perhaps, most of all, it was about Valerian and his need to prove that he was more than just what he seemed - that he did give a damn when it counted.

"I have to do this, Lauren," he told her quietly, cupping her face in his palm. "If we are going to have any chance of a life together, this has to end now."

Conflicted emotions flickered across Lauren's face as she looked into his eyes. She couldn't say that she loved him, not yet, but there was some connection between them that made even the thought of his existence ending painful to contemplate. And yet ....she understood why he wanted to do this. She was torn, too, between wanting to stay with him and wanting to make sure Alessandra was safe.

"Don't die," she said eventually, tilting her cheek into his touch. "Promise me that, at least."

"I have no death wish. I promise you that," he assured her. He could not promise for sure, as the future was uncertain at best, but he could promise that he had no desire to die. Wasn't cheating death how he'd become a vampire, in the first place? He leaned close to touch a kiss to her brow. "I promise I will be careful and not do anything foolish," he whispered, hoping it was enough.

"Yes," Julian replied without hesitation. "I've felt her presence for some time," he said, knowing Freya had been shielding herself against Serena and hence, could not sense her the way he could. "She seems to be waiting for something," he said with a worried frown, hoping it wasn't Valerian she was waiting for, and yet, if it was, she was playing right into their hands.

It took Nick a little longer to reply, but Tobias had taught him to recognize when his sire was close, and after a long moment, he nodded his head. "He's there."

"Very well." Freya paced for a moment, considering their options. "I have a plan. Some of you will not like it, but I do not care. You will do as you are told, or you will be vulnerable tonight. It is as simple as that."

Willow swallowed, her natural cockiness negated by the sheer calm confidence in the elder vampire. She could see now why Tobias and Julian had been so insistent on getting Freya involved.

Anabelle raised her hand to catch the elder's attention. "Should we not wait for Valerian and Lauren to return before you elucidate further?"

Julian arched a brow at Anabelle's question, though he did not interrupt or scold her for speaking up. It was a valid question, though he had a feeling Valerian already had a good idea what Freya was planning.

Surprisingly, it was Nick who spoke up in support. "She has a point," he said. He had his own thoughts on how things should be handled, but he deferred to the elder vampires to present their plan.

Freya paused, considering the question, and nodded once in agreement, turning away to contemplate a picture on the wall.

Tobias stepped away from her, moving to stand with Willow and Nick. "Don't present any ideas in an aggressive manner," he murmured a little advice to them - mainly for Nick's benefit. "She was born a warrior; she's the most experienced fighter among us."

Nick clenched his jaw. Unlike Tobias and certainly Freya, he was a modern man. In his mind, he was just as much a warrior as Freya, though of a different sort, but he respected her judgment, just the same. He might be a modern man, but he was also a fledgling vampire, and Freya was the elder here. "I think you know how I feel about all this. I just want Josef ended, and my family safe. That's all. I don't care how we do it, so long as it's done."

"It will get done," Tobias assured him. "There are no promises that it will not happen without some loss on our part. That is why Freya wants us to split up. You need to go where you are told to go, Nick. There is method in her decisions."

Nick nodded. He knew how to take orders, and he'd do whatever he needed to do to keep his family safe. "What about you?" he asked. They owed Toby their lives, and as reluctant as he might be to admit it, they were a sort of family, too.

The older vampire sighed, rubbing his hand over his brow. "I'm tired of living my life in fear," he said wearily. "For all her faults, I trust Freya. She has wisdom I will never have; the years she has witnessed gave rise to the way humanity looks at itself. I just want this over, Nick. I don't care who kills him, so long as Josef is dead by the end."

Willow nodded in agreement, her hand sneaking into Nick's grip. "I think that's what we all want," she said quietly.

"No argument there," Nick said, looking over at his wife and child. How ironic was it that after all their years together, they'd only had a child after they'd been turned" "I'll do whatever needs to be done. You have my word," he assured Tobias, looking over at Freya, who he sensed had likely heard every word. "I know how to follow orders."

Sensing Nick's eyes on her, Freya turned to look at the little family, her expression softening as she took in the rarest of all creatures - a dhampir, with both parents there to love and raise her through the years to come. Did they know how special they were" Moving to join them, she made an attempt to soften her voice as she spoke.

"It is an honor to meet you, Nicholas and Willow," she told them quietly. Her eyes fell longingly on the baby in Willow's arms. "So long as it is in my power, I will not let harm come to your child."

Despite the worry, the tension, Willow could see something deeper in the elder vampire's eyes as Aly stirred against her shoulder. "Would you like to hold her?" she asked, wanting to make it absolutely clear that if Tobias trusted Freya, then so did she.

Freya's eyes widened, touched by the offer, and almost without thought, her arms rose hopefully. "I should like that very much," she nodded, showing the Gregorys a smile that was very human as Willow gently eased Alessandra into the elder's arms.

Nick arched a brow, his only reaction to Willow's offer and the elder vampire's obvious surprise that they trusted her with their child. And why shouldn't they' She was putting her own life at risk to help them. She needed to know exactly what it was she was fighting for.

"The honor is ours," Nick replied, respectfully. Let it not be said that he was so stubborn he couldn't be humble now and then. "I will do whatever you ask of me, so long as Willow and Aly are safe," he added, needing her to understand that.

Freya was silent for a long moment, in wonder as Aly trustingly nestled against her. The baby girl was very nearly asleep, her faith in her parents utterly unshakeable, and for what felt like a long time, there was no sound from the elder. When she looked up at Nick, her ice blue eyes were wet with unshed tears.

"I was created to protect and defend a child like this," she said softly. "It was my sole purpose. And I failed." She stroked her hand against Aly's dark curls gently. "I will not fail this time."

As it happened, Valerian and Lauren returned just in time to hear that confession from Freya, Adelia on their heels. Touched to find the baby dhampir in the elder vampire's arms, the trio remained respectfully quiet as they rejoined the group, but it was Adelia who seemed to be having the hardest time keeping silent. She did not look pleased with the plan Val and Lauren had laid out, and yet, she did not hold enough weight with the others to argue it. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, silently watching while the eldest among them met the youngest and at last understood what was at stake here.

As for Nick, he seemed to understand what that confession had cost Freya and he couldn't help but be moved by her unexpected show of emotion. "You will not be alone in it this time," he assured her again. "And we will not fail," he said, emphasizing the we.

"No, we will not," Freya agreed. She straightened, composing herself as she handed the baby girl back to her mother, turning to gesture for Valerian and his companions to come further inside. "We are all here?"