Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries in any way shape or form.

Chapter 4

Jeremy blinked in confusion at Klaus's 180 turn in his attitude and actions. He shifted slightly, or tried to shift anyway. Klaus was holding him tightly, almost as if he were afraid that someone would try to take Jeremy from him. He jumped at the snarl that slipped past Klaus's lips but knew that it was not directed at him. "Klaus?" he asked, his voice timid. He wasn't sure if the man was rational right now or not so he found it better to show his submission now instead of when it was too late.

Klaus relaxed his muscles slightly, trying to show Jeremy that nothing was wrong. He didn't say anything, instead listening for whomever he had heard entering the house. He narrowed his eyes at the sound of the light but predatory footsteps. He knew who they belonged to but he couldn't think of the name, not with Jeremy's scent filling him with how close he was he was.

Jeremy held still when he felt Klaus relax against him. He knew that he was trying to figure out whatever had grabbed his attention and that was when he heard the faint footsteps. He made the connection of who it was almost immediately. He had spent enough time with the vampire lately to be able to know his footsteps, no matter how faint they were to his hearing. "Damon," he whispered softly, tilting his head back to be able to direct the words to Klaus and also to show that he was not trying to get the other vampire's attention.

Klaus tensed slightly when Jeremy spoke but he relaxed when he determined that the name was directed to him, that Jeremy was only helping him to identify who it was that had entered the house. He ran his fingers through Jeremy's hair again and pulled the boy's head back. He looked over Jeremy's shoulder at the entrance to the kitchen, at the same time that he was listening to the footsteps. When he was sure that Damon was close to entering the kitchen, he tightened his grip on Jeremy's hair and pressed his lips to Jeremy's.

Jeremy froze in shock when Klaus kissed him. He knew why the hybrid was doing this and he wasn't sure how he felt about being used as something to flaunt, especially to Damon. The vampire would never let him forgot about it. He relaxed at Klaus's whisper against his lips.

Klaus could tell that Jeremy was thinking that he was using him and that he didn't mean anything lasting with the kiss and knew that he had to do something to stop those thoughts. "Relax. I'm not using you, Jeremy. Not matter what anyone would tell you, I would never use anyone the way that you're thinking. I can understand why you would think that I am but it's not like that," he whispered against Jeremy's lips.

Jeremy felt relieved at the words and that was when he heard Damon's footsteps get slightly louder then suddenly stop and knew that he was standing in the doorway, staring at him and Klaus. He had an urge to pull away but he had an even bigger one to get under Damon's skin and show that he was in this willingly. He leaned his head slightly forward and pressed his lips against Klaus's. He kissed him roughly and when he was going to pull away, Klaus deepened the kiss and pulled away after a minute.

Klaus knew he had a slightly smirk on his face, especially after what Jeremy had done, something that he had never expected from him. But, he didn't know much about him and he knew better than to trust the words of others. He preferred to make his own opinion. Shaking his head, he turned his attention to Damon, who was looking undecided about whether he should tear Jeremy away from his or bleach the scene from his eyes.

Damon knew that the scene he walked in on in the kitchen was meant to show him something but he was more concerned with watching Jeremy from the moment he walked into the kitchen and froze in the doorway. He could easily see that the mini Gilbert was relaxed and not at all resistant to what was happening. What made him doubt that this was actually willing for him was that he was not wearing his vervain bracelet and there wasn't even a slight lacing of vervain to his scent.

Jeremy glanced at Damon and saw the hesitant belief on his face. An epiphany struck him and he glanced down at his wrist, seeing that he hadn't put his bracelet back on. He knew that without it on, Damon would most likely not believe that Klaus had not compelled him to be complacent at what he was doing.

Klaus locked his gaze with that of Damon. "Don't even dare to think that, Salvatore. I am not compelling Jeremy to do anything and he took off his vervain bracelet of his own free will. And you should know that no matter what you compel the mind; the body can give the compulsion away. Jeremy has not made even the slightest subconscious move towards you," he said.

Damon turned his eyes away from Klaus and back to Jeremy. "You really know how to get in trouble, kid," he said before he used his vampiric speed to go over, grab Jeremy's arm and drag him over to the doorway before Klaus or Jeremy could really react. He had never really shown much care for the little Gilbert so he knew neither one would expect him to do anything.

Klaus growled when he felt Jeremy ripped away from him and he glanced at the doorway to see Damon standing there holding Jeremy in front of him like a shield. He held himself still in the chair, restraining himself from moving. He wouldn't put it past Damon to harm Jeremy just to see if he true about not having compelled him. Something inside him told him to look at the fingers of Jeremy's right hand and when he finally gave in; he saw a ring that was familiar to him.

Jeremy was disoriented for a moment until he finally grasped that he was no longer sitting on Klaus, but standing with Damon holding him tightly in front of him. He turned his head to look where he had been sitting with Klaus and saw the hybrid still sitting there, glaring at Damon. "Damon, he really didn't do anything to me. You can compel me to tell the truth if you want just let me go before Klaus kills you, he said, pulling on his arm.

Damon looked down at Jeremy and saw the sincerity there. He let out a sigh of frustration and turned the boy around. "Look me in the eyes, Jeremy," he said. He saw hesitation in his eyes but knew that was because Jeremy didn't trust him to compel him only to tell the truth. "Just look me in the eyes." When Jeremy finally did meet his eyes, he allowed instincts to take him over. "Has Klaus compelled you or forced you to do anything you would never do?"

Jeremy's eyes dilated slightly with the compulsion and glazed over. "No," he said in a flat but honest tone. He didn't say anything else but that was only because he hadn't been asked anything else. He felt a slight tickle of annoyance and anger in the back but he knew that it was from Klaus.

Damon frowned uncertain, but he couldn't deny that Jeremy could not be compelled to lie under compulsion. That just never worked because you could never predict how the other vampire would phrase their question. He let go of Jeremy's arm and didn't move an inch when Jeremy slowly backed away from him then walked over to Klaus.

Klaus quickly grabbed Jeremy's arm and pulled him up against him, putting his nose up against Jeremy's neck to inhale his mate's scent to make sure that he wasn't hurt. He was annoyed that Jeremy had allowed himself to be compelled but he understood that it was the only was the only way they would have got Damon to believe either of them. He sat back down, having stood up to grab Jeremy, pulling his mate onto his lap to keep him close.

Jeremy didn't resist Klaus, knowing that the hybrid was being controlled by his wolf's urge to protect his mate. He did resist though when Klaus gave him an irritated and angry glare. He knew how to protect himself and he would never put himself in danger, especially when he knew that it would worry Klaus and put him in pain for he was quickly learning that they felt each other's pain because of the mate bond between them. "Klaus don't look at me like that. I knew what I was doing and I won't let you make decisions for me," he said, glaring back at Klaus.

Klaus kept glaring for a minute then gave in, knowing that being Jeremy's mate didn't him the right to control him. He wouldn't like Jeremy without his spirit anyway. If he controlled Jeremy, he was sure that he would be an empty shell instead of the amusing 16 year old that he was. He softened his gaze, showing Jeremy that he agreed. "I know, that would be wrong to make your choices for you. I was just worried about you," he said, his voice soft.

Damon was starting to get uncomfortable and impatient. "Alright, while this moment is touching, I would like to know what is going on here so that I can explain this to Elena and the others," he said, not moving. He knew that if he did, Klaus would most likely make him regret that movement even if it was only an inch because he had compelled the little Gilbert.

Jeremy jumped slightly at the sound of Damon's voice. He had completely forgotten that the other vampire was hear, having been engrossed with Klaus. He tilted his head back to look at Klaus for guidance as to whether he should say anything or not. He smiled when he saw a shrug in Klaus's eyes telling him to do whatever he felt was right. He looked back at Damon and took a deep breath then let it out.

"If you could come over here and read the pages in the book Jeremy is going to give you, we could explain everything you want to know after you finish the pages," Klaus said, easily able to tell that Jeremy had no idea where to start for the both of them hadn't thought that they would have to explain to anyone this soon after finding out for themselves.

Jeremy looked for the book on the table, grabbed it then quickly flipped it open and to the right starting page. He held it out to Damon, who had walked over to stand across the table from him and Klaus. "Read those four pages. Then we'll answer any questions that the book doesn't answer for you," he said, leaning back against Klaus and shifting to get comfortable.

Klaus felt Jeremy shift and put his hands on Jeremy's hips, lifting up and moving him to a new spot on his lap, hoping that it would be more comfortable. He looked over at Damon to see that the younger vampire had sat down in the chair across the table from them and was reading the pages Jeremy had pointed out to him. He rested his head on Jeremy's shoulder, feeling too lazy to hold it up and knowing that Jeremy wouldn't mind. He could feel his wolf purring inside of him at being able to hold his mate and having at least one person open to listening to his and Jeremy's explanation and not just jumping to conclusions.

Damon couldn't believe what he was reading but looking up at Klaus and Elena's little brother, he was able to see his own proof to the veracity of the myth he just finished reading. He closed the book and put it down on the table. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "So, what you're saying is that Jeremy, Elena's little brother, is your mate?" he asked.

Klaus didn't hesitate in his answer. "Yes. We're not quite sure of everything that this comes with but we've got most of it figured out. But we have established that the myth is true and not just a work of creative writing," he said. He moved his head from Jeremy's shoulder, instead burying his nose in his hair, inhaling the scent. He found that the more he breathed in Jeremy's scent, the calmer it made him despite being similar to his scent.

Jeremy moved his hand down to hold Klaus's then looked up at Damon, who was watching the two of them interact with each other. "We know that we can feel each other's emotions like when you grabbed me and pulled me away from Klaus, I could feel how Klaus was annoyed and angry at what you were doing and the fact that I was all the way across the room," he said.

Damon raised an eyebrow at that. "So, will you two always have to be right where the other is or will say Jeremy be able to be here and Klaus on the other side of town? Because right, from what I've seen and heard so far, it looks like you have to be right beside each other and not any further," he said.

Klaus shook his head, finally raising it from Jeremy to look at Damon. "No, it won't always be like that. It's only like that right now because I've just found out that because I'm a hybrid I have a mate and I've also just found that Jeremy is that mate. From what I can tell from the legend, a hybrid must stay in close proximity with his or her mate for at least a few days then the need to always be together passes," he replied.

Damon looked at Jeremy and felt a sick pleasure pass through him when he realised just how much of a hard time Elena and the others were going to give him when he explained to them the connection between him and Klaus. He was only taking this so well because he didn't really care all that much about the kid and he knew it would be the most entertaining moment of his life when Elena found out. "So, kid, how are you going to explain this to you sister? I'm supposed to bring you to the boarding house to her and somehow I don't think she'll respond all that well to seeing Klaus with you," he said.

Klaus could tell that there was something that Damon wasn't saying so he stopped Jeremy from saying what he was about to before he agreed to something that he didn't have or want to agree to. "There's something you're not telling us, Damon. I don't want Jeremy to have his sister angry at him just because you lied and made him have to confront her with this before he had to," he said, threatening the annoying younger vampire with his eyes.

Damon scowled; irritated that Klaus could so easily pick up his lies or half-truths. He glanced from Klaus to Jeremy then finally threw up his hands. "Alright! Elena said that at the very least I could just get you to call her to tell her that you're alright and not in need of a body bag or a rescue," he said, a snarl mixed into his words. He was furious that he couldn't play with Elena's sister but he understood that there was a point where he should just forget his own amusement and consider everyone else's feelings.

Jeremy sighed with relief and took a relaxing breath. He felt Klaus slid a hand under his shirt and rest it on his stomach, tracing comforting circles on his skin. He felt slightly uncomfortable with how bold Klaus was being but he understood that he was used to getting anything that he hadn't and moving at his pace and not having to consider the other's pace. He leaned back against Klaus, trying to tell him in a subtle way that he was not comfortable with what he doing.

Klaus tensed slightly when Jeremy leaned away from his hand but then he understood. Just being with another man was new to the boy and he was already jumping to the physical part of the relationship. He put his lips to Jeremy's ear. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. I… I slip into old habits and find it hard not to slip back into my habits," he whispered. He slipped his hand out from under Jeremy's shirt and was about to put it on the arm of the chair when Jeremy suddenly grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

Jeremy twined his fingers with Klaus's, now holding both of the man's hands. He felt Damon's eyes boring into him but he ignored it. He was content the way he was and didn't want to let Damon ruin it for him. "I guess I should call Elena now so she doesn't worry any more than she already is," he said, reluctantly letting go of Klaus's hands and trying to stand up but Klaus quickly grabbed a hold of him and stopped him. "Klaus, let me up."

Klaus shook his head, taking his own cell phone out of his pocket and putting it in Jeremy's hands. "Use my phone, Jeremy. Just tell your sister to come here," he said. He watched as Jeremy shook his head and quickly yanked Jeremy close to him when he tried to stand again. He ran a soothing hand over Jeremy's cheek when he struggled with him, the guilt of how he was acting starting to eat at him.

Damon frowned when he saw that Jeremy didn't seem as comfortable with Klaus as he had only moments before. He walked over and leaned against the table to Klaus's right, raising an eyebrow at the hybrid when he glanced at him. "I'm only tolerating this because you didn't seem to be doing anything to the little Gilbert. Now, I'm not so sure I should keep quiet," he said, smirking at Klaus.

Jeremy shook his head rapidly at Damon, knowing that the man was only aggravating Klaus. "Klaus please let go of me. I want to use my own phone to call Elena and I don't want to tell her anything about us right now. I just found out about this a few hours ago, I don't really understand it and I'm not ready to tell my sister anything," he said. He pulled against Klaus's hold again and was relieved when he was released.

Klaus reached out and gently took Jeremy's wrist surprised when Jeremy didn't try to resist. He looked up at Jeremy's face and saw fear in his eyes. He knew Jeremy was trying it and that made the pain he felt even worse. "I'm sorry Jeremy. I won't even pretend that I can explain what I did," he said, wanting Jeremy to forgive and feeling uncomfortable at the all of the apologising that he had done in the past three hours. It was more than he had apologised in the last 750 years of his life.

Jeremy drew in a deep breath and nodded to Klaus. "I forgive you. Just promise me that you'll try not to act like that again. When I see you act like that, I just freeze and it's not a very good feeling," he said, knowing that he sounded like he was begging but he couldn't help for anything that he was worth. He leaned down and kissed Klaus briefly on the lips.

Damon rolled his eyes and scoffed, not in the least bit amused in how Klaus and Jeremy went from hating each other to suddenly smiling with halos over their heads. "I take it you two have everything sorted out with each other and I don't have to play mediator? Cause I really hate being the mediator," he said. He pushed away the table and went back over to the doorway of the kitchen.

Jeremy slowly backed away from Klaus then went into the living room and to the table, grabbing his phone from the table. He opened his contacts and scrolled down to his sister's number, then pressed call button. He waited for his sister to pick up, jumping when he felt arms wrap around his waist. He turned his head slightly and when he saw Klaus, he relaxed. He didn't resist when Klaus pulled him to sit down on the couch beside him.

"Hello? Jeremy?" Elena's voice finally came through his phone. Jeremy stared at in trepidation for a moment then took comfort from Klaus's hand entwined with his. "Hey Elena, Damon said I should call you before I went to sleep," he said, feeling slightly guilty about lying to his sister but when he thought about what he was hiding, he didn't feel so guilty anymore.

There was a sigh from Elena and Jeremy could the relief in it. "Goodnight then, Jer. Please just be careful not to invite anyone into the house unless you're sure that they're human or won't try to hurt you," she said. Jeremy agreed with her then he hung up, tossing his phone back onto the table. He jumped when Damon spoke, having been lost in thought.

"You're a good liar, kid. But only if you're not doing it in person. You're face and eyes give you away when you're lying. I didn't think you had it in you at all to lie like you just did," Damon said, throwing himself gracefully into the armchair across from the couch Jeremy and Klaus sat on.

Klaus rolled his eyes. Damon was starting to get on his nerves but he stopped himself from doing anything for Jeremy's sake. "Perhaps now we can figure out a way to get my family back from Stefan," he said, pulling on Jeremy's hand until he managed to get him to lean against him.

"Ah," Damon said, trying both Jeremy and Klaus's attention. "That might be hard, not matter whether you're no longer going to anything to Elena and the others because your bond with little Gilbert here or not. Stefan seems adamant on showing you how it feels to have everything taken away from you." He winced at the look on Klaus's face, immediately knowing that what would happen next would not be fun for anyone except for Klaus himself.

A/N: I hope this chapter is just as good as the others were. I tried to make Damon as realistic as I could and keep him in character. I hope I managed that. And why am I getting less reviews and hits on my story? Isn't still as exciting as it was when I started it? Well, on to the review replies.

twilightmecrazii: I'm glad you loved Damon's reaction. I hope I kept him in this chapter to how you see him.

Alicia of the Temptation: Keeping the possessiveness, I promise. Don't I know it. I've been struggling with him for a while now and he's still not cooperating with me at all. I would never make Jeremy useless in any of my stories. He deserves to have a use with everything he's put through in the show.

Understanding: Not quite sure what to say here except thank you for the praise on my work. I'm glad that you like it to only have good things to say and no bad.

I will try to have the next chapter out on Saturday. Until then everyone!