Chapter 12

It was around five that afternoon when Kol Mikaelson entered The Grill to find Jeremy Gilbert sitting at the bar nursing what appeared to be nothing more than a soft drink and talking on his cellphone – with his vampire hearing Kol discerned the call was letting someone know the girls had been found. With a grin Kol took the seat next to Jeremy.

"I'm at The Grill and Kol Mikaelson just showed up," Jeremy said and then he looked at his phone screen a moment before returning the device to his pocket with a sigh. Kol quickly compelled two rum and cokes and when they arrived he nudged one in front of Jeremy.

"You're not going to get over it drinking what you are mate."

"How do you get over the fact that your sister went back in time with her two best friends and married the most dangerous brothers in history?" Jeremy growled but he took a long drink of the rum and coke anyhow.

"Well I'd celebrate with champagne but how about we start with a party," Kol grinned. The youngest MIkaelson motioned the manager over and having compelled him soon added the bartender and a DJ to the list. Jeremy watched in shock as the sound system began to pump out a bass-laden beat and the line at the bar began to stack up.

People began to pour into The Grill and soon some girls had climbed up onto the tables and began to dance. Kol – feeling unusually benevolent towards the younger Gilbert – pulled him into the throng of people dancing and spilling drinks.

"Great party," a beautiful brunette grinned at Kol. The off-the-market Mikaelson quickly maneuvered her into Jeremy's arms and a second later she was making out with him.

Several hours later Elijah and Klaus stopped by The Grill for a bite to eat (well – a bite of human food anyhow) Elijah had spent the afternoon trying to track down Jeremy Gilbert while Klaus had been trying to mete out punishment to Kol for this morning's incident. Ultimately Rebekah had shown them how to ping a cell phone and it had led them here.

Neither brother had been prepared for the sight that greeted them as they entered the restaurant. Kol was on the stage belting out a tune before a swathe of adoring fans as though he thought he was Mick Jagger. Jeremy Gilbert had a beautiful brunette pinned against a wall as he scored second base and a throng of other participants were dancing wildly and sloshing their drinks on the floor which was helping to fuel the four-deep crowd around the bar.

"Please tell me that everyone here is over the legal limit." The two elder Mikaelsons turned to see Sheriff Forbes had entered behind them and also couldn't believe the scene before her. She glared coldly at Klaus who gulped in fear of his mother-in-law.

"We just arrived," Elijah said in an attempt to maintain the peace. "If I had known that our brother was-"

"No, I see Jeremy Gilbert," Liz Forbes sighed, "I'll call Alaric to come down here." Elijah shook his head.

"No need-I'll take care of him and undo my brother's mess."

VVVVVVVVVVVVV

Jeremy groaned the next morning as the sunlight from the uncovered windows stung his eyes and a blaring headache began.

"You and Kol had one stupid night together," Jeremy wanted to sit up as fast as he possibly could as his brain vaguely recognized the voice speaking to him but because of his blaring headache and the pain in his eyes, he resorted to some sort of half groan sound fluttering out of his lips. "You need to take these and I have a pot of coffee brewing downstairs."

The boy managed a weak nod but as he sat up as slowly as he could, he saw that his rescuer was Elijah and he had given him a bottle of water and a few aspirin to take. Before he could, however, he just managed to untangle himself from the bed in time to race over to the bathroom where he emptied everything in his stomach.

That day, he vowed to never drink that much again.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Kol was woken up by Klaus shouting right in his ear.

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU BLOODY WELL DID!" Kol groaned and looked positively pitiful as he pulled the blankets back over his head only for Klaus to take them off again and pick him up to flash him into an ice cold shower which made Kol scream as loud as he could.

"YOU BLOODY PRICK! I SHOULD FIND SOMETHING TO SHOVE INTO YOUR STONE HEART!" Kol yelled.

Klaus was fearful but wouldn't let it show as he knew that his brother was quite capable of following through on his threats.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Jeremy managed to make it downstairs and Elijah passed over a cup of coffee-black-with everything he might need for it like sugar cubes, milk, something he found called 'Coffee Mate' and what not. Elijah was pleasantly surprised when Jeremy went straight for the cup and adding nothing to it, began to drink it with a pleased smile.

"I wanted to apologize to you," Elijah started. "I know that you had wanted to walk Elena down the aisle when she got married but instead I denied you that right."

Jeremy nodded. "You're right-you did deny me that right but I'm not going to hold it against you. It'd be stupid to as this happened a thousand years ago but I'm not sure how Sheriff Forbes would take it if Klaus were to apologize to her."

"Nevertheless," Elijah continued as he ignored the thoughts of his hybrid brother nervous or even scared at the thought of the formidable woman. "I wanted you to know that I am deeply sorry for taking that right away from you and I will make it up to you one day."

"I'm counting on it." Jeremy gave him a mock soldier's salute before drinking more of his coffee. Wordlessly Elijah joined him.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Kol ran at his brother once he exited the shower and was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt but before Kol could snap Klaus' neck, Klaus threw his younger brother into his room.

"Stay in there Kol!" Kol snorted but an idea came to him and when he flashed into his bathroom, he turned on the faucet and dialed a number. It rang three times before a female voice answered.

"Sheriff Forbes." When he didn't answer, she snapped out a question that reminded him of Caroline in the past. "Who is this that I'm talking to?"

"Sheriff, my name's Kol Mikaelson…" he started and smirked as he envisioned the trouble that his brother could find himself in as the son-in-law of a sheriff who stakes and shoots vampires.

VVVVVVVVVVVV

If there was anyone in the world who could make Klaus Mikaelson-the Original Hybrid himself-think that he was nothing more than a boy, then Elizabeth 'Liz' Forbes was at the top of the one-item list. The way she studied him and his habits was unnerving. He could see where Caroline got her hard headedness and her unnerving stare from as he watched her stare down Kol as she enforced the cleaning and repairs of The Grill that afternoon.

"I've heard of your track record," Liz said in an oddly even voice as she sat on a bar stool next to Klaus. "Damon told me everything."

The first thing to do when that idiot comes back to town is to kill him Klaus thought darkly.

"It is true that in the past I was a monster," he acknowledged. "I even believed that I was beyond redemption until I met Caroline who became my everything in such a short amount of time. I fell in love with her. The last two people I had ever loved…well I realized that one would willingly give her heart away from person to person and the second one I lost to death…" he closed his eyes at the thought of his childhood crush who had drowned in a nearby stream when they were eight years of age. "After meeting Caroline, I knew that somehow fate had found my redemption in her and I will do whatever it takes to make her believe that I can be saved."

Liz had expected such a speech but still, she wasn't going to make this easy for him.

"Can you be saved?" Liz raised a brow.

"I want to be the husband she deserves to have," Klaus said sincerely.

"So you won't murder anyone for any reason whatsoever?" her voice was soft but you could hear the demand in it.

"I will only drink from blood bags," he promised her. "I promise you Sheriff, I won't be the man that I had been-drinking from humans and uncaring of whether or not they live. I will endeavor to deserve her."

She nodded and as she stood up, she glared at him.

"If you ever cause anything-even a single tear to fall from her eyes-I will make sure that no one will ever find your body."