After a quick lunch, Lucien said, "Anne, why don't you head back to the penthouse? I have something I need to attend to, and I'll be there shortly."

 "Really?" Anne put her hands on her hips. "What are you up to this time?"

 "Well, if you'd like to join me, you can. But I'll be bringing something back with me. You'll be surprised."

 She sighed. "All right. I'm going home. Whatever you're doing, I don't think I want to know."

 Anne returned to the penthouse alone. She actually wasn't sure she wanted to know what Lucien was doing now. She was his friend always, and she would pretend to be his secretary if necessary, but she wasn't stupid. Going up against the Mikaelsons was dangerous, and they all knew it.

~~~~~~

 Anne was sitting on the sofa with a drink and a magazine when Lucien returned with two unconscious bodies.

 "Do I want to know?" she asked, barely even looking up at him.

 "Probably not." He dropped one of the bodies on the sofa. "Watch her, will you? I'm taking this one to the kitchen."

 Anne closed her magazine and looked at the young woman now lying unconscious on their sofa. Her blond hair was strewn across her face, and Anne gently pushed it away. She had a sweet, gentle face, the kind you could look into and instantly feel calmer, more safe.

 The woman opened her eyes and sat up straight. "Who the hell are you?" she demanded.

 "I took the liberty of removing your handcuffs," Lucien said, coming back into the room. "Unless you're the type who likes to be tied up." He handed her a glass. "Please, take this. Consider it an apology for our rough start today. No reason we can't be friends."

 "I only drink with friends," the woman said, glaring at him, "And unless this isn't abundantly clear, I don't like you."

 Lucien sighed. "Oh, very well. I hope you'll remember this could have gone so much easier. Come in, Detective! Oh, and by the way, this is my secretary, Anna Bullen. Anna, Ms. Camille O'Connell, our newest acquaintance."

 Anne recognized the man who came into the room with the tray of vegetables as Detective Kinney, the policeman who had come looking for Lucien.

 "What the hell is going on?" he asked in a frustrated tone.

 "You compelled him?" Cami cried.

 "Why don't you focus on your cutting?" Lucien said to Kinney. "We don't want you losing any fingers, now, do we? Did you know that Will's mother's side if full of chefs? He's going to make us his grandmother's grillades and grits! And I texted your nosy friend Vincent on your behalf. After your ordeal at the police station, he thinks you have a date with The Real Housewives in your PJs."

 "What the hell kind of point are you trying to make?" Camille asked angrily.

 Lucien looked up at Kinney. "Detective, do me a favor-throw your blade at her pretty face."

 Anne watched in silence as Kinney threw his knife straight at Camille-and as Lucien caught just before it hit her.

 "Now that I have your attention," he said, "My point is simple. I'm looking for a particular dark object-a small bronze medallion with Runic markings. Since you're on vervain, I'm going to ask you nicely to help me find it. If you don't, these parlor tricks will become increasingly less fun."  He handed the knife back to Kinney. "Carry on, both of you."

 As the compelled policeman continued with his work and Camille reluctantly began to shift through the boxes Lucien had brought in, Anne said to him, "Lucien, Tristan asked about something. The-"

 "The serratura," he said. "I know. Camille's uncle owned these dark objects, and it's there. We just need her to find it for us."

 The two vampires sat together as they feasted on the food the detective had cooked them.

 "I do find Cajun cuisine almost as delicious as their people," Lucien remarked. "Well done, William."

 "Not like I had a choice," Kinney said. "The moment I do, I will use this knife to stab you in the heart."

 "You couldn't if you tried," Camille said with a sigh. "You've been compelled to do everything he says. "It's like hypnosis. Vampire use on humans so they'll do their bidding."

 "We're using the V-word now? Great. What else you gonna force us to do?"

 "If she is on vervain," said Anne, "We can't compel her to do anything."

 "But, in exchange for preventing future bloodshed, I would ask that she find me that pretty little medallion," Lucien said.

 "I've told you, I catalogued everything," Camille said in a frustrated tone, "What you're looking for is not here."

 "It's there!" Lucien cried. "It's hidden in something! Find it!" 

 "And then what?" she asks. "Some shiny ornament helps you get your revenge on Klaus? Don't tell me this is all because he stole your girl."

 "Oh, he did much more to me then steal my girl. He stole a hundred years of my life!"

 "Lucien." Anne gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "Now isn't the time to get into that."

 He sighed, and looked up at Kinney. "Slice open your arcuate artery."

 Kinney took the knife from the table and sliced open the artery around his ankle, crying out in agony as he did so.

 "Ooh. That's a nasty wound," Lucien said, shaking his head. "He'll bleed out if he doesn't get help. Tick-tock, Camille."

 He looked down as his phone began to ring. "I'll be back. No slacking. Anne will watch you."

 Anne sat in a chair, arms crossed, watching as Camille tried to help Kinney's wound. These were innocents, she realized, perfectly innocent people in all of this. But Lucien needed them to get what he wanted, to get to Klaus. Klaus had wronged him, and she, of all people, knew what it was like to be wronged.

 "Have you found it yet?" Lucien asked when he returned.

 "You know, you've made your point," said Camille. "Vampire win, humans lose. Let him go."

 "Have you found it?"

 "Maybe. I'll only show you if you heal him now."

 "Show me first."

 "Heal him," Camille said firmly.

 Lucien looked at Anne, who only shrugged. He scoffed and made a cut in his wrist with his teeth, letting it pour into a glass.

 "You can drink," Camille said to Kinney. "It'll heal you. I've checked everywhere, and this is the only place it can be."

 Anne perked up at the mention of actually finding the object they were looking for. She watched as Camille pulled out a small human skull. Lucien picked it up to examine it, but when he did, the sockets began to grow green, and Lucien's hand began to shake.

 "Lucien!" Anne quickly got up from her chair as he was suddenly thrown backwards.

 She wasn't able to stop Kinney from smashing the skull with his shoe, but she was able to grab hold of Camille and pin her arms behind her back.

 "Well, I can certainly why Nik is so fond of you," Lucien said, having recovered from the effects of the skull. "You do have spirit." He picked up the knife from the floor and held it to Camille's throat. "But your heart skipped a beat just before I healed your friend. You know exactly where my medallion is, you crafty girl." He turned to Kinney. "Knife to your throat, mate."

 The detective took a knife from the table as Camille said, "No, don't do this, please."

 "I'm afraid it's part of the plan, Ms. O'Connell," Anne said. "Of course, you could just give it to us."

 "Don't give them a damn thing!" Kinney cried.

 "Oh, enough!" Lucien cried angrily. "Go on and slit-"

 "Wait!" Camille screamed. "Take it! That's it there! It's in there, just take it!"

 Both vampires looked toward what she was pointing at. It looked like a large pin.

 "Had it all along," Lucien said, picking it up. "How about that?" He smashed it repeatedly against the table until a medallion with strange markings fell out. He held it up and smiled. "We all make quite the team, don't we? You can let her go, Anne. She won't do anything to us. Detective, go wash the dishes, will you?" He continued to grin. "Cooks and cleans. He's a real keeper, Anne. Sadly, it's not meant to be. You, Detective, are going to go tell your superiors that you arrested the wrong suspect."

 "You can compel me all you want," Kinney said coldly. "I will find you."

 "No, you won't."

 "Lucien, don't do this," Camille pleaded as he grabbed Kinney by the throat.

 "Instead, you'll keep this wretched failure that is you life," Lucien said. "You'll continue this pitiful investigation, never quite connecting the dots or making any progress whatsoever. After a time, you'll grow to hate yourself for your mediocre talents. All the while, knowing there are things lurking in the shadows, and in the face of these, you are nothing."

 "Well, that's a little harsh, don't you think?" Anne asked.

 "Please don't," Camille continued to plead.

 "Oh, shut up." Anne pushed her back down onto the sofa. "What do we do with her? She's feisty, but annoying me."

 "Well, we'll just have to wait until the vervain is out of her system," Lucien replied. "I'll compel her to forget this. But like him, I'll leave her with one lesson-against vampires, humans always lose."

 Anne looked down at the terrified young woman on their sofa. She wasn't sure how much she was going to like this.