Blood Connection

::Brooke's POV::

I tapped my pencil against my notebook as I looked over my trigonometry homework again. I just wasn't getting it. I was sitting on the floor, in front of the coffee table with books and papers all around me. Its times like this I wish Lilian would cry or something. So, I'd have an excuse to take a break. But she was in my crib taking a nap. She always slept to the left of the crib with the window open. But now she was always clutching onto that locket she got for her birthday. Its been weeks since and she's never left go of it, at all! And I've been trying to figure out what the symbols on the back of it meant. But came up with nothing.

I heard blanket shifting in Lili's room which told me she was up from her nap. I waited for her to cry for me but it never came. I sighed as I realized that I wasn't getting out of this. I heard the melody from the locket in the room. Lilian just learned how to turn it by herself not too long ago. Now I hear it everyday. Not that I mind. But I still don't get how that locket just showed up, looking almost the same as my old music box and with the same jiggle. Was that even possible? Lilian's giggles filled the silent apartment. I shook my head and dropped my notebook. I need a break anyways.

I stood up pulling up my jeans before walking into to my baby's room to see what she was giggling about. Just as I walked in the door, a strong and sudden wind went passed the window. I walked up to it and looked outside. After deciding it was nothing, I turned to look inside the crib. My head tilted as I watched Lilian playing with her opened song playing locket. She was just waving it around in her hand and looking at it. Wait... Opened. I walked up closer to get a better look. Yes, it was open. But I thought it was stuck. I slowly grabbed the locket out of Lili's small hand and ran my thumb over the slightly rusted, metal outside before turning it over to gaze at the inside.

It was a picture of Lilian. And, a picture of a young woman who looked just like Lilian. The picture was old though. Like during the 1700s, painting-like picture. No color but it was in perfect condition. "What is this?" I said lowly with my eyebrows furrowed in worry. What did this mean? It not just coincidence that this locket with these pictures in it just show up at my mother's doorstep on Lilian's birthday. Should I be worried? Because I was. Looking down at Lilian, she was just looking up at me as innocent as she was. I gasped as the locket slipped from my hands and closed as it fell on the ground. I picked it up and tried to open it but it was stuck again.

I shook my head while scooping up Lili and her small sweater and walking out the room. I picked up one of my jackets and my cell. With Lilian and her sweater in one arm, I held my jacket with my teeth and use my free hand to dial Mandy's number. I place the cell between my ear and shoulder as my now free hand grabbed the car keys.

___BC___BC___BC___BC___BC___BC___BC___BC___BC___

"Sorry, darling." My father said handing me the necklace back. "It gonna take more then a few tools to open that thing up. Its always like it sealed shut." he shrugged. I uncrossed my arms as grabbed it with a sigh as I passed my mother with Lili in her arms. I looked at it again.

"I know what I saw. Its was a picture of Lilian and a woman that looked just like Lilian. This thing was open." I saw squeezing it out of anger.

"Well, maybe it needs to be playing while you try and open it." Mandy suggested. I looked at the locket and slowly twisted the music key. Just as it started playing I tried to force it open but that didn't work either.

I sighed. "Forget it." I muttered and handed it to Mandy before making my way up the stairs of my parents' house. I walked into my old room and sat on the uncovered bed, looking out the window. My mother and Mandy slowly walked in. Mom placed Lili on the bed and she crawled to me with, of course, the locket in her hand. I smiled at her and trailed my fingers down the baby-smooth skin of her face.

"Are you going to be okay, honey?" My mother question. I looked up at her with a soft smile and nodded.

"Yeah." Then I stood up and hugged her and Mandy. We all stopped as we heard a click and music playing. We turned around to look at Lilian. Lilian was looking down at the locket that she held with each side in her hands. She looked up at me, smiling then kicked her legs as she left out a squeal. My breath got got in my chest.

"She...opened it." Mandy said. I quickly grabbed the chain of the locket from Lilian and held it up.

"See, look!" I pointed at the slowly twirling locket in my hand. My mom grabbed it to got a better look. Mandy looked over her shoulder to see it to.

::Tony's POV::

I had to show Lilian how to open that Locket. Earlier today, I slipped into her room after she was finished taking her nap and opened it for her. I did it a few times before I let her do it. When she did on her own, she giggle. I got nervous because it was kind of loud. Then I saw Brooke making her way to the room, so I left. It takes the strength of a vampire to open it. So no one can open it but Lilian. If she wants to that is. Vampire babies are kind of indenpendent when it comes to stuff like that. Their minds work faster then a normal human baby so I knew when she saw me open it that last time, she knew how to do it.

The symbols on the back is a language. An ancient one, but a lanuage nonetheless. Vampires learn it at the schools they go to. Its 'With Love Always' and truth be known, it was my mother's. That young woman in the locket. She looks just like Lilian. And I bet she's just like her in a lot of ways. The music box that Lilian gave to Lili was my mother's too. She had it for centuries. But she traded it to a mortal merchant long ago. And somehow Brooke's mother got a hold to it and passed it on to Brooke. The first time I saw it after sneaking into Brooke's room when we were together, I knew it was fate for us.

I sat there on the neighbor's roof and watched the three women in the bedroom talked about the pictures inside the locket. I looked at my watch just before standing up and stretching. 'I'll check on them later.' I thought to myself and raced my way back home. When I got there, I instantly went to get some cold blood. Just as I pulled it out, Stefan stepped into the front door, out of breath. I looked at him weird because he doesn't even need to breath.

"What's up, Steph?" I asked, the weird expression never leaving my face as I poured the blood into a cup

"Tony, man, we gotta do something." He said in panic. Then I realized he was breathing out of nerves.

"What's going on?" I questioned.

"They know..."