Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries in any way whatsoever.
A/N: Sorry for the long wait for this chapter, everyone! I had school work to do since first semester exams are soon. Anyway, The actual author's note will be after the chapter. Happy reading!
Chapter 11
Elena stared after her brother and the two Original vampires who had accompanied him with disbelief. She couldn't believe that her own brother had just walked away from her, choosing Klaus who was using him over her, his own sister when she was just trying to care for him and protect him. She turned to Damon who was seated on the couch now but he was studiously staring at the wall and purposely ignoring her. She grew angry at that, not able to believe that even Damon was falling for all of this.
"How can you believe all the lies Klaus has convinced Jeremy is the truth? I thought you were better than that?" she demanded in outrage.
She gasped in surprise and a little bit of fear when Damon suddenly appeared in front of her, grabbing her by the throat and pinning her to the wall behind her. She could see in his eyes that she had pushed his limits; limits that she hadn't even been aware existed with her. She thought he loved her after all.
Damon tightened his grip slightly on Elena's throat. "Let's make something clear, Elena. I'm not my dear brother Stefan, who would blindly follow you anywhere. I actually think things through for myself. Besides, you know nothing about the supernatural. If you did, you know that no vampire, even one with a personality like Klaus's, would ever lie about being mates with someone just to get close to their enemy or someone they have a strong desire to kill. It's just not how it works," he said, his voice almost a snarl in his anger.
Elena nodded then coughed to get air back into her lungs when Damon released her throat. She hadn't even thought that he might act like this since he hadn't almost since she had first met him when he had arrived in town. But, she realized that she was pushing him now. Damon wouldn't let anyone tell him what to do or believe, even if was her. "Damon, you can't really believe Klaus loves Jeremy. He's using him," she said, pleading with him to agree with her.
Damon rolled his eyes, turning away from her. He had known that he would actually get a headache from this conversation, despite the fact that only witches could them actual migraines. He had never really noticed how self-absorbed Elena was but perhaps that had been wishful thinking or pure ignorance on his part. It seemed so obvious now to him that he wanted to stake himself for his stupidity and his humiliation from when he pursued her so intently.
He had never really liked Elena's little brother but now he found himself actually sympathising with the teenager, something he had thought he would never do when he had first met the boy. But now, he could see that nothing he had experienced in his life time could compare to the torture Elena put her brother through. Not even Stefan deciding for him that he should become a vampire would compare to Jeremy's life with his sister after their parents died in his opinion.
"Elena, I really think you need to really open your eyes and wake up. Your brother, to me, appears to actually be happy for the first time since I met him. I could see that with that girl, Vicki, he was actually just pretending, perhaps even using her as a way to deal with your parents' deaths. Anna, well, she made him happy until he realised she was using him but then he was happy again until she died because of us. Bonnie, I think he was just trying too hard to make you and her happy instead of himself. That's the cruelest way to convince someone they should live," he said, a sneer twisting his lips from his disgust and anger as he realised everything he was saying should have been addressed a long time ago.
Elena immediately shook her head at Damon, unable to believe he was treating her this way. She didn't deserve this from him because of imagined slights to her brother and the act Klaus was going through to get to her. "You compelled him to forget Vicki when you could have said no. You did it for me," she said, her voice steadily rising to a shout.
Damon scoffed. "Can't you see the problem right there in what you were saying? You just said for you. I actually volunteered to compel the kid because I knew the pain and depression he would put himself through wondering where Vicki went and what happened to her," he retorted. When nothing in her expression changed at his words except for her features to twist grotesquely in her anger, he threw up his hands in exasperation.
"I don't even remember what I saw in you. Or maybe I just saw Katherine," he said.
As he said those words, he realised they were the truth. He had never really loved Elena herself. He had just been trying to get her to love him because he wanted to be as close as he could to at least a mirror image of Katherine. Before Elena could say anything else that would just make him want to drain her dry, he turned on his heel and left, slamming the door behind him.
{HC}
Klaus held Jeremy close as Elijah guided the car into the driveway and stopped when they were sitting in front of the front door. He glanced up when he didn't see or hear his brother leave the car and found him twisted around in his seat, his eyes on Jeremy with sympathy in his eyes. He gave him a grateful nod to show his concern was appreciated. He watched as Elijah gave a nod to him in return then turned off the engine of the car, left and went into the house, leaving the front door open for him and Jeremy.
Turning his attention back to Jeremy, he ran his hand through his dark chocolate brown hair to get his mate's attention. He felt small tremors still going through his body but they were better than they had first been. He smiled softly when Jeremy raised his head from his shoulder, ignoring his wolf who whined at the loss in his head.
"Alright, love?" he asked softly, studying his mate's eyes to make sure he was alright.
Jeremy hesitated, not wanting to lie to his mate. He thought about it, doing a mental inventory of himself, to discover that with Klaus's help, he was still a little upset but otherwise fine. He nodded, kissing Klaus on the cheek to show that he wasn't lying even though he knew Klaus would never accuse him of that without concrete evidence. "I will be alright so long as you're here for me," he whispered, knowing Klaus could hear him as clearly as if he were speaking normally.
Klaus smiled softly, feeling a hint of sadness in him at the fact that Jeremy sounded so depressed and yet so happy at the same time. He only hoped that he and Elijah along with Finn if he decided to stay would be enough to keep that light of passion that he loved seeing in Jeremy's eyes whenever he laughed or did something he enjoyed. He put a hand under his chin and tilted his head back a little to get a better look into his mate's eyes. "I will never leave you and neither will Elijah if you say that you need his support," he whispered then twined his hand in the soft dark chocolate hair and kissed the teenager breathless.
Jeremy took in deep gulps of air that he desperately needed thanks to the kiss. He threw his arms around Klaus's neck and buried his face into the junction where the hybrid's neck connected to his shoulder. "Carry me?" he asked in a whisper. When Klaus gave a little shiver, he knew that his hot breath was making Klaus sensitive where it came in contact with his skin.
"You'll have to get out of the car first. I may be a hybrid, love, but there are things that even I can't do," he said, hoping his hint of humour would make Jeremy laugh. He smiled when Jeremy gave the laugh he was hoping for. It may not have been as happy and carefree as it had been a week ago but the laughter was still in his eyes at the same time as it usually was.
Jeremy felt the tension from his argument with his sister leaving him, his shoulders falling back into a relaxed pose and his muscles immediately loosening. He slowly unwound his arms from Klaus's neck, feeling reluctant but knowing that Klaus was right. He reached over and opened the car door, getting out. He stood beside the car, waiting for Klaus because he wasn't sure that he would remain relaxed without Klaus near him.
Klaus got out and the door behind him. He waited until Jeremy was distracted by studying the mansion before he quickly swept him off his feet and into his arms in a bridal hold that he was sure the boy would protest. He laughed in genuine amusement at the shout of surprise Jeremy let out and the little struggle he gave but he knew the struggle was just his mate's way of being playful and showing that he would be fine. He hugged him closer to his body as he walked over the front steps and climbed them.
It was easy for him because of his hybrid strength and the grace and agility he possessed from his mother and father's hard training back in the 10th century. He walked through the front door, kicking it closed behind him. He carried Jeremy all the way to the parlor where he found Elijah sitting on the couch sipping wine. He raised an eyebrow at his brother over Jeremy's head and wasn't at all surprised when Elijah merely shrugged at him and said nothing.
He set Jeremy down on the middle of the couch beside Elijah who moved to the far right on the couch. He sat down on Jeremy's other side which was on the far left side of the couch. It was a soft plushy black leather couch that he had been thinking for a while to replace and, noticing the brief flash of discomfort in Jeremy's eyes, he decided that he would buy a new one soon for he wanted his mate to be as comfortable as he could.
Elijah set his glass of wine down on the coffee table and turned to Jeremy. He glanced briefly at Klaus and knew he would have to tread lightly around the boy unless he wanted Niklaus to tear him to pieces because he upset him. "I know you would most likely never think if this again but I must ask: What are you going to do with your sister?" he asked, keeping an eye on Niklaus.
Jeremy's breath caught in his throat at the question and more specifically his sister's name but he quickly let it out in a gust of air, knowing that it was better for him to talk about it now and not later. He quickly put a hand on Klaus's arm when he heard the low growl escaping his mate's throat to stop him from attacking Elijah. "It's fine, Nik. You know just as much as I do that that question would have been asked that question sooner or later," he whispered.
Klaus gave off one more short growl of anger directed at his brother before he leaned back, wrapping an arm around Jeremy's shoulders and pulling him over to lean into his side. He didn't feel any tension in his mate's body which both pleased and surprised him. It surprised him mostly because he would have thought that bringing the subject again would make him upset like he was in the car after they left his house. He sent a meaningful look at Elijah and was slightly mollified when Elijah nodded to him, understanding that his brother was promising to do his best not to upset Jeremy too much.
Elijah turned his attention back to Jeremy, carefully watching his facial expressions and his eyes to tell when he became upset, if he ever did. "Do you plan to try to convince her that this is the truth and not something dear Niklaus here thought up to get close to her to get her blood," he said. He kept a watchful eye on Klaus as he watched Jeremy at the same time.
Jeremy grabbed Klaus's free hand for added comfort and snuggled up tighter against the hybrid's side. He didn't even have to think about his answer to Elijah's question for it was something he had been thinking about ever since his parents had died. He didn't think of Elena as his sister anymore for his parents would never have approved of how she was acting now.
"From what she said to me earlier, I don't think that I could ever forgive her. I didn't even really forgive her when I found out that she had had Damon compel me to forget about someone I had loved when Damon had turned her into a vampire and she had attacked me. But, because she was still my sister I did forgive her but now I realize that the apology she gave was just as fake as the plants in a dentist's office," he replied, knowing that his comparison was hilarious.
Elijah gave a smile at the comparison as he knew Jeremy had been aiming for and he could see laughter enter his brother's eyes even though he didn't smile. He studying the boy's eyes for a brief second but didn't see anything in them to show that he was upset at all. That surprised him, especially considering the emotional breakdown he had witnessed in the car. He was about to say something when his cell phone rang from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. Sighing mentally, he grabbed the one side of his jacket, pulled it outward and pulled the phone out of the pocket.
He glanced at the screen and raised an eyebrow at the name on the screen. He held it out to Jeremy, tilting his head towards Klaus.
Jeremy nodded, seeing the name on the screen himself as he passed the phone over to Klaus, who smiled at him softly before he let go of his hand and took the phone.
Klaus frowned when he saw Stefan's name flashing on the screen of the phone but he took it from Jeremy and pressed the accept button on the screen, pressing the phone to his ear. "What do you want, Salvatore?" he asked with a slight growl in his voice.
There was a pause on the other side of the phone and sounds as if someone was fumbling with the phone before someone spoke and it wasn't Stefan Salvatore. "Niklaus, I hope you don't intend to leave me with this excuse of a vampire. Even as much as I don't like you, I would prefer your company to that of this…" Finn said, trailing off as if he didn't know an insult good enough to describe Stefan.
Klaus smirked, sending a look at Elijah, who he knew was listening. "He is quite annoying, isn't he?" he asked. He could understand what Finn meant and most likely what he was going through being left alone with the younger vampire. He didn't wait for an answer from his brother, instead just continuing to talk. "You could just bring him here to the mansion. I'll send Elijah to guide you here since you have no idea where it is and I doubt Stefan will help you to find my mansion."
Jeremy glanced between Elijah and Klaus a few times before finally settling on Elijah. "Who is that?" he asked since it was obvious to him that it wasn't Stefan from how Klaus was talking.
Elijah smiled a little at the teenager. "It's Finn. He wants to get as far away from Stefan as he can," he replied.
Jeremy raised an eyebrow and wanted to ask a million questions but instead he turned and snuggled up against Klaus's side, soaking up the hybrid's warmth since he was feeling slightly cold although he wasn't sure if it was actually the temperature in the mansion of just another delayed reaction to his fight with Elena. At any rate, being close to Klaus helped to erase the feeling and make him feel warm and safe.
Klaus glanced down quickly at Jeremy, feeling the tremors that wracked his mate's body that he was obviously oblivious to. "Elijah is on his way to help you Finn. I have to take care of Jeremy right now and I'll explain everything to you when you get here," he said.
"I'll try to wait patiently for him," Finn said then there was the sound of fumbling again before the line disconnected.
Klaus pressed the cancel button on Elijah's cell phone then handed it back to his brother. "Go to the witches' house and help Finn to bring Stefan here. We'll have to figure out a way to keep him restrained while I work on fixing what I did to him but…" he trailed off when he felt Jeremy shiver again, merely sending his brother a significant look.
Elijah nodded, slipping his phone back to where it had been and left, leaving Klaus to take care of Jeremy as he knew his brother had been dying to. He had noticed the tremors running through Jeremy at the same time as Klaus had and he had been just as concerned. He turned his attention back to relieving Finn.
Klaus turned to Jeremy as soon as he was sure Elijah was far enough away from the mansion for his liking. He enveloped his mate in his arms, hugging him close and trying to stop the tremors running through his body. "It's alright, love. I'll make sure no one brings up your sister for a while. It may not be good to put things off but I think for you, talking about it immediately is also not a good idea," he whispered in the boy's ear.
Jeremy stretched his neck up slightly and kissed Klaus on the lips, deeply and with all of his love and passion for the hybrid behind the kiss. He separated after a moment, connecting his gaze directly with that of the hybrid. "I love you," he whispered. "I know you're right and that I've been trying too hard to be strong on my own. I could see even in Elijah that he thought I was trying too hard but I just couldn't help myself. My own sis-cousin has been walking all over me for practically years and I've done nothing about it. I just wanted to show that I could have a backbone, I suppose."
Klaus nodded, understanding what he was saying. "I know love. But you also have to think of whether you're going to have a breakdown afterwards or not," he whispered. He hugged Jeremy closer, carefully watching his hybrid strength to make sure he didn't harm him. "It's time right now for you relax." He released Jeremy and got up, quickly walking over to the small table near the doorway of the living room, opening the drawer and taking out a sketch pad and a box of pencils. He walked back over to the cousin and sat back down, pulling Jeremy close again.
Jeremy took the sketch pad and box of pencils with a small confused frown when Klaus held it out to him but after a short second, he understood what the hybrid wanted. He immediately understood that they both had the same way to get rid of their tension, their sadness, any emotion they were feeling too strongly to let simmer under their skin. He gave Klaus a kiss on the cheek before he took a pencil from the box and put it to paper after opening the sketch pad and finding the first page blank.
Klaus leaned back on the couch with Jeremy pressed tightly against him, watching closely as he sketched. He placed his chin on his shoulder, closing his eyes and relaxing. He didn't open his eyes again until Jeremy nudged him with his elbow in his ribs. He immediately kissed the boy on the cheek then looked down at the sketch pad and laughed immediately at the sight of what his mate had sketched.
On the page was a sketch of Elena and Stefan and all of their features were beautifully sketched but they were also twisted. It was as if Jeremy had excellently switched features from Stefan and placed them on Elena and vice versa. It was a funny sight, especially because the sketch was famous artist quality.
Jeremy leaned forward and threw the box of pencils on the table along with the sketch pad before twisting around in Klaus's arms and immediately kissing him with everything he was feeling at the moment so that Klaus could help him in any way he knew how. He separated for a moment to take in a few breaths before kissing him again; feeling emotionally desperate but that slowly disappeared as he continued to give and take with Klaus. He felt Klaus slide a hand around to rest on the small of his back and leaned into it.
Klaus kissed Jeremy one last time before he used the hand that wasn't on the small of Jeremy's back to gently grasp a handful of the chocolate brown locks and held the boy's head still so he was sure he would listen. He noticed immediately that his mate was listening and let go, running his hand through the chocolate tresses. "Are you sure this is what you want right now? This isn't just a way to cope with everything?" he asked gently, his voice soft and loving, something he himself, let alone his siblings, would have ever thought could come out of his mouth.
Jeremy stopped moving and thought through what he wanted right now and why. He didn't want to hurt Klaus which would be what happened if he decided to use him for emotional comfort and scape goat. He wasn't at all surprised to realize that he genuinely wanted this and he was happy that he wouldn't not make the same decision even if the situation were different.
"I'm not using you, Klaus. After having my own last remaining family do that to me for years, I couldn't even think of doing that to anyone else," he said, kissing Klaus again with as much passion and love behind the kiss as he could. He wanted everything to work out as best as they could with Klaus, he wanted to be happy forever with Klaus for he loved him more than he had ever loved anyone. More than he had loved Vicki, more than Anna, more than Bonnie… even more than his own parents depending on which moments with his parents he was asked about.
Klaus smiled, feeling happier than he ever had. He nudged Jeremy gently to tell him to get Jeremy to stand up then got up after he did. He took a pencil from the box on the table then walked over to the table again after telling Jeremy to stay where he was for a moment, grabbed a note pad from the drawer this time then walked back over to Jeremy. He wrote a short note to Elijah and Finn, telling them briefly and as subtly as he could what he and Jeremy were doing, where they were and what they could do with Stefan unless they had better ideas.
Jeremy waited for Klaus to finish the note and put the pad and pencil down on the coffee table before he took one of his hands and tugged lightly, knowing Klaus would only come on his own and not because someone made him. He was surprised when Klaus followed his tug and wrapped him in his arms then led him out of the living room and back to the entry way where the stairs were. Stopped for a moment, looking up the staircase then he turned to Klaus. "Carry me?" he asked, holding out his arms.
Klaus laughed softly then picked up Jeremy and used his vampire speed to get up the staircase quickly. He placed Jeremy back down on his feet, taking his hand again and led him down the hall to his room, which was at the very end of the hallway with the thickest walls so he could have some peace. He didn't use it very often either since he didn't need much sleep so long as he transformed into his wolf every once in a while.
Jeremy reached out and opened the door after a gentle nod from Klaus. He gazed around at Klaus's room in amazement. In the middle of the room stood a four-poster bed with a beautiful green canopy, a green that reminded him of Slytherin green from Harry Potter especially since it had shiny silver running through the green. There were intricate pillows arranged at the head of the bed. They looked like the Persian rug that covered the entire floor of the room, that's how beautiful they were.
The silver duvet Jeremy could tell was soft and comfortable just by looking at it from where he stood in the doorway. He turned his attention away from the bed and glanced around. There was a wonderful desk in the far right corner that he could tell was real wood and not clapboard or something just as cheap, it had Victorian style carvings in the wood from what he could tell. The walls were a dark smoky gray with white cherry blossom trees painted on them. He wasn't surprised since Klaus had just as big of a passion for art as he did.
He decided to stop looking over the room when he felt Klaus place a hand on his shoulder and sneak it under his shirt. He turned and wrapped his arms around Klaus's neck. "Make love to me, Klaus. That's all I want from you besides yourself and all of your love," he whispered, his lips close to Klaus's ear.
Klaus kissed Jeremy roughly and passionately and as his mate was distracted, he slipped the T-shirt off of his mate, slowly backing him up until he saw the back of Jeremy's jean clad legs bump into the bed. "Are you completely sure about this?" he asked for the last time, wanting to make sure Jeremy really did want this.
Jeremy stopped trying to kiss Klaus when he saw the serious light in the hybrid's eyes. "Of course, Klaus. Why, what aren't you telling me about this?" he asked. He could sense that Klaus was keeping something from him, something that was the reason why Klaus kept asking the same question; whether he was sure he wanted Klaus to make love to him.
Klaus sighed. He had hoped to not have to go through this at all with Jeremy but he had known as soon as he had asked for the second time that he would to explain. "Once we do this, there's no going back. We'll be mated and if either of us falls in love with another, the mate bond will be broken and we'll both die from the backlash of the bond breaking. The only way either of us could fall in love with another is if we never loved the other. I don't want that to happen to us, love," he whispered, lovingly caressingly the skin of the small of Jeremy's back.
Jeremy rose onto his tiptoes and kissed Klaus. "I will never love anyone else but you, Klaus. I can only imagine a future with you. When I picture my future, a happy one, I see you there, loving me and supporting me. I can't see myself with anyone else to the degree that I see myself with you," he said, meaning every word he said. "I want to be with you for the rest of my life and I would actually be willing to turn to be with you forever."
Klaus sighed softly in relief. He hadn't been worried about Jeremy's love for him, for he knew it to be genuine and as strong as anyone could love someone but he hadn't been sure whether he would really want to be with him forever, but Jeremy had gotten right to the point of his fears and settled them by simply stating what Klaus needed to hear and meaning it.
"Now make love to me, Klaus. If I have to wait any longer for you to act, I might actually find someone else," Jeremy said jokingly, hoping to jolt Klaus into acting.
He hadn't anticipated Klaus's reaction. A playful snarl came from the hybrid then he suddenly found his pants and boxers gone, leaving him completely naked. He suddenly found himself falling onto the bed a split second later. He was barely by himself on the bed for a second before Klaus was straddling his hips, just as naked as him, after adjusting him to be more comfortable, his head on the pillows and stretched out with a lot of room to move.
"Oh, I'll make love to you, Jer. No one will ever be able to compare if you even dare to go to someone else afterwards," Klaus whispered, his voice suddenly husky and rough with passion.
A/N: Please review so I know you loved this chapter! The next chapter I promise will come before the end of the month but I won't make any other promises.
