12 Hometown Glory

*a few weeks later*

He should've known it wasn't her. She had been all smiles and laughs when she walked up behind him in the woods earlier. He thought she even made a joke. It didn't seem like the proper reaction to someone who tried to drain her niece of all her blood. However, it had been weeks since he saw her last and he guessed he had been simply surprised.

"Jenna," a smile broke out across his face, "I see you finally decided to come back."

"I guess it was time," she smiled and stepped closer to him, "What have you been up to out here? Got a lead on the cure yet?"

"You know about the cure?" This was when he got suspicious.

"Sure, I've been back for a while now and I've heard things. I think you should just give it to Silas, you know. I mean, it would be the best for all of us." Well, now he just knew something wasn't right.

"You're not Jenna."

"No, I'm not." Before Klaus had time to react Jenna appeared behind him and brought him with one swift kick down to his knees. "I want this cure. Next time I'll pay you a visit, you better have it."

Next thing he knew he had a piece of the white oak stuck in his back. A piece he desperately tried to get out of his body. He could feel it moving and burning him from the inside. He needed to get it out before it would reach his heart.

He was dying and where was she? Somewhere lying on a beach? Or maybe just around the corner laughing while he was miserable? This was all her fault. He hadn't been this angry since he was put into a coffin a few weeks back. Klaus knew none of what had happened that night was Jenna's fault and maybe on some level even he could admit that he had it coming, but he needed someone to blame and she was perfect for that, seeing how she wasn't here to defend herself to him. He was angry with her. She had just watched them put him down like a dog and then she had left.

It was only a small comfort that Rebekah had gone after Elena after she had learned what had happened to him, but it was enough. It made him love his little sister a little more. She could be as angry with him as she wanted, but they were family and he knew she would come back to him eventually, no matter how long it took. At the moment, of course, she looked at him with concern whenever she saw him. It probably had to do with the fact that she had walked in on her big brother talking to himself several times. Klaus remembered one time in particular.

He had been pacing his room mumbling to himself unintelligibly for quite some time now. Eventually he sighed and turned his eyes up to the ceiling.

"Is this your idea of a joke or something? I know I've been out of line. I'm sorry, really I am."

He waited, but there was still nothing. "You know your niece is about to go off the rails. Don't you care anymore? She's also started a romance with Damon. Personally I'm still rooting for Stefan and I know you like him better, too. Maybe we could both scheme a little and break them up again. That could be fun."

He waited another couple of moments before anger washed over him and he screamed, "Show yourself already!"

A knock on the door brought him out of his angry conversation with the ceiling and made him turn to see his sister looking at him with a concerned look on her face.

"Nik, who are you talking to?" Rebekah asked tentatively.

He didn't answer that right away. Who was he talking to? A ghost that only he could see, but he somehow lost sight of? That didn't sound like an acceptable answer, so instead he went with, "No one, I'm just blowing off some steam."

Rebekah crossed her arms in front of her chest and narrowed her eyes at her brother. "You know, this isn't the first time I noticed you doing that."

"I guess I must be going crazy then," he smiled at his sister, but it didn't quite reach his eyes like a real smile would.

"Well, you're officially scaring me now, so I'll be leaving you to whatever it is you're doing." She felt like she was missing something, but couldn't figure out what it was. With a last uncertain look around her brother's bedroom Rebekah had left again.

Thank you, Rebekah, for not being interested enough to find out what that was all about, Klaus thought. After that he was more careful. He should've just stopped altogether, but time and time again he found himself asking her to come back. He would never admit to it, but he felt a little lonely sometimes. It was a constant up and down with his sister, Elijah was nowhere to be found and everyone else was dead. Even annoying little Kol was no longer here to antagonize his older brother. Klaus bet he was probably having the time of his life on the other side.

Not having any friends left in this town made it a little harder to reach out for help. The one time he really needed her and she wouldn't show up. Jenna had been annoying and whiny, yet helpful to have around. Most of all she didn't leave. At first that was irritating, but eventually he felt himself warm up to his ghostly companion. That was all well and good, but it didn't help him now. He supposed he could call Caroline, but he really wasn't in the mood for another judgmental lecture. It looks like he would have to do it himself, like always.

Klaus inhaled deeply and tried again to reach the stupid piece of wood.

xxxxxx

Jenna Sommers had no intention of returning to Mystic Falls again, at least not anytime soon. It's been weeks since she had left, but time holds no meaning when you're dead and she felt that it simply hadn't been long enough. Besides, she rather enjoyed visiting places she never had a chance to see when she was still alive. Ever since it had clicked in her head, she was no longer bound to her former restrictions. She had always wanted to see Europe and this was her chance now. This week she chose Rome as her stop on her ghostly sightseeing tour.

As she walked across the Piazza di Spagna she felt a tuck at her heart. It wasn't the first time this happened and subconsciously she knew that meant something wasn't right, but so far she managed to ignore it just fine. Returning would only mean that she would have to witness more destruction and death. That much she was sure about. The only good thing was that the mess with Alaric had been taken care of, but the price had been much too high. Elena was a vampire now because of it and Jeremy had turned into some kind of vampire hunter, as far as Jenna could tell.

The only time Jenna's conscience had gotten the better of her and she returned to Mystic Falls to check in on her family, had granted her a first row seat to Jeremy beheading one of Klaus' hybrids. That was all she had to see to realize that they were living very different lives now. There was no place left for her there. At least that's what she told herself. She had also fought the urge to check up on Klaus while she was in Mystic Falls.

Was he still in a coffin or had he escaped? Jenna had decided it didn't matter, though she couldn't help but wonder. Being free was great and all, but she was also so alone again. She might not be bound to former restrictions anymore, but she was still invisible to the world around her.

Jenna shook her head to clear her thoughts. Still, the tucking wouldn't stop. It seemed more insistent than ever. Someone was very much in distress and with a sigh Jenna finally gave in.

Even before she opened her eyes again she knew something was different. She had expected to be at her house or at least somewhere where she would find either Elena or Jeremy, but when she opened her eyes she found herself standing in Klaus' home. Strange sounds came from the next room, so Jenna figured she might as well see what this is all about.

A shirtless Klaus stood in front of the fire place. His right side was turned to her, but he seemed too occupied with looking into the mirror above the fireplace to notice her entrance. Apparently he was trying to reach something on his back, but if the frustrating sounds he made were any indication, he couldn't. He was also definitely not trapped in a coffin, Jenna noted.

His arm is too short. No sooner had Jenna thought that, Klaus had grabbed his shoulder and dislocated it with a painful crack in order to be able to reach further. Jenna couldn't help herself and screamed at him to stop. Klaus spun around and faced her with a painful expression on his face. Sweat covered his entire body and his breathing was rapid. Basically, he looked ready to break down and cry, Jenna thought.

"Oh my God, what are you doing?" Jenna took a couple of steps towards Klaus, but he stepped away from her. His back was now fully turned towards the mirror and Jenna could see the wound on his back in the reflection. "What happened to you?"

If he had been surprised to see her he didn't let it show. "If you can't tell, I'm slowly dying here."

xxxxxx

Klaus leaned against the couch with a pain filled expression on his face. He had been in this position for a while now, but Jenna still seemed rather unimpressed by it. She sat in the armchair across from him with her legs crossed and examined her nails. She had carefully removed all trace of emotion from her face. No way was she going to make it this easy for him.

"Please, just pull it out." It was not the first time he demanded Jenna's help. She noticed he added a please now. He was getting more desperate.

"Just tell me what I need to do for you to help me." At least this time Klaus was sure it really was Jenna and not Silas playing mind games. Silas didn't strike him as patient enough to just sit and ignore him without saying a single word.

Jenna pondered this for a moment before she finally looked at him again, "An apology would be nice."

Klaus' breath was coming in short, hard gasps, but somehow he still managed to sounds as arrogant as ever, "An apology for what? Come on, I thought we were friends or at least on our way there."

"Friends don't try to kill their friend's nieces." Jenna crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked at him reproachfully.

"What do you mean tried? I succeeded, remember?" As soon as the words had left his mouth he regretted them. Reminding her that he actually killed her and her niece wasn't exactly the best move and Jenna reacted just as badly as he thought she would.

"It looks like karma is finally coming back around to you." Jenna didn't even bother storming out of the room, she simply vanished.

"No, wait, come back!" Klaus called after her, but the ghost did not return.

xxxxxx

Jenna was so angry, she didn't even think about where she was going. She was vaguely aware that she was walking down a street, while mumbling to herself about a stupid hybrid. It was the lingering burning smell that made her take in her surroundings at last.

"What the hell!" Jenna couldn't believe her eyes. What was this ruin? It certainly was not her house, her home. Jenna looked around to make sure she got it right, but she really was looking at her house or what was left of it.

"What happened here?" Jenna asked herself out loud and took a few steps closer to what used to be her home. There must have been a fire, Jenna thought. Hopefully no one got hurt. Suddenly she didn't feel so good about ignoring all the little tucks at her heart. Maybe she should have come back sooner. With a horrible feeling Jenna concentrated first on Jeremy.

xxxxxx

She found her nephew together with Matt, who looked a lot better than the last time Jenna had seen him. She was glad he seemed to be ok. They were slowly walking her way. Both were dressed in shorts and t-shirts and were covered in sweat. Jenna figured they must've been running.

Ok, that's good. Running means they're fine. Jenna relaxed a little and started to follow them as soon as they had passed her.

"How's your sister?" Matt asked still trying to catch his breath.

Jeremy answered in a concerned voice, "No change. To be honest, I have no idea what it will take to get my sister back. I just hope we'll find a way soon. You know, the trail of bodies she's leaving behind her is getting longer every day."

Trail of bodies. That didn't sound good. Was Elena having trouble adjusting to her new life? Jenna always thought that with Stefan around she would be fine. She concentrated on Elena and hoped it wouldn't turn out to be too bad.

xxxxxx

Jenna landed in the middle of an argument between Elena and Stefan. One they seemed to have had more than once, judging by the tiredness in Stefan's voice.

"It doesn't have to be this way. I know what it feels like to never want to feel again, but it's not the answer. It will only be worse in the end." Stefan was following behind Elena who was licking some blood from her lips. He was trying to get through to her, but he had no luck.

"Save it Stefan, I'm not interested." It was the tone of her voice that surprised Jenna the most. She had never seen Elena this cold towards anyone, let alone Stefan. Jenna sensed problems on that front. "I do what I want, when I want it and no one tells me what to do anymore."

While Jenna thought that this was not the worst of attitudes and certainly a view she had wished for Elena when she was still human, it didn't seem to be very healthy for Vampire-Elena or the innocent around her.

Stefan simply shook his head. He seemed ready to give up, but Jenna knew he would never give up on the girl he loved. Then Damon entered the room and a grin broke out on Elena's face, "See, your brother doesn't mind. Why can't you just let it go, Stefan? We could have so much fun together."

Damon and Stefan looked at each other for a moment in silent communication. Jenna might not have been here in a while, but she could tell that their relationship wasn't great at the moment. If she had to guess it was because of the girl literally standing between them. Not really a surprise. The conversation ended with Stefan shaking his head again and leaving the room.

"He'll come around." Damon tried to make Elena feel better, except she really didn't feel bad, Jenna noticed.

"Who cares?" Elena grabbed Damon's face and kissed him and she really didn't hold anything back.

"Oh. My. God!" Jenna's mouth practically fell open and she just stared. She tried to look away, but she was so shocked she couldn't even think clearly anymore. First her house and now her niece. Had she somehow fallen down a rabbit hole without noticing?

When Damon grabbed Elena's ass, Jenna quickly placed her hands in front of her eyes and got out of there as fast as she could. It was time to get answers. Unfortunately, there was only one place she would get them.

xxxxxx

Klaus looked considerably worse than when she had left him before. His body was still covered in sweat and he once again clawed at his back. Without losing time she made herself known, but didn't give Klaus a chance to say anything.

"First of all, what the hell happened to my house? And why is Elena acting like she doesn't give a damn about anything anymore?"

"Probably because she doesn't. She flipped the switch. You know a thing or two about that, don't you?" Klaus stopped talking for a moment to catch his breath, "As for your house, I believe Elena burned it down."

"Why would she turn her emotions off? I get that she never wanted to be a vampire, but this seems a little drastic," Jenna took a seat on the piano bench and stared at Klaus, waiting for him to shed some light on the situation.

"Funny story, actually. However, I had nothing to do with it, seeing how I had been looked up at the time, but that's another story."

"Tell me what you know." Jenna demanded.

"Don't you think you should pull this freaking stake out of my back first?" Klaus suggested, but already knew what she would say to that.

Jenna shook her head, "No, first you tell me what's going on here and then I'll help you."

"And how do I know you won't just leave me here again?" Their eyes locked. This statement seemed to hold more meaning, but Jenna chose to ignore that.

"Because I promise I won't. I keep my word. Believe it or not, but not everyone is planning and scheming at every turn. You tell me and I'll help you. It's that simple."

Klaus considered this and decided that he believed her. He hated having to show weakness, but the pain in his back was killing him, literally. The faster he would answer her questions, the sooner this torture would be over.

Klaus took a deep breath and rushed through his explanation, "I'll try to keep it short then. The new bad in town is called Silas. He is two thousand years old and he screws with people's minds. My brother Kol, who was killed by your nephew by the way, tried to warn us about him, but of course your lovely niece and her stupid companions went right ahead and unleashed him. I wasn't there when that happened, but whatever happened on that island it eventually lead to Elena turning her emotions off. Also, there is a cure that supposedly makes an immortal human again and Silas wants it. Problem is, there is only one dose and I don't know who has it at the moment, but I'm pretty sure there are some who would love to use it on me."

This was a lot to take in. Jenna had only been gone a few short weeks. How could everything go down the drain so fast? And what was this about an island? She had so many questions, but Jenna decided to keep her main focus at the situation at hand, "And you got a stake stuck in your back because…"

"…because Silas wants me to get the cure for him. He's good, you know. He can make himself appear as anyone he wants. He can read people's minds and make your worst fears and nightmares come true."

He's really scared, Jenna thought. She let her eyes wander over the hybrids trembling body again. If someone has the power to make a powerful hybrid this scared then Jenna really didn't want to meet this Silas guy.

"I'm sorry about your brother," Jenna mumbled, but she figured he'd hear her. In a louder voice she continued, "So what's the plan? There has to be a way to stop him, right?"

A frustrated and pain filled scream came from Klaus, "I can feel the stake moving closer to my heart. You have to pull it out now, please. It's your turn now. You promised!"

Jenna took a deep breath. He was right, she had promised as much and she wasn't going back on her word now. Positioning herself behind Klaus, she saw the wound up close for the first time. It didn't look good and there was blood smeared everywhere from his hands that had tried to reach the spot. Looking at her hands and then back at the wound, Jenna wondered out loud, "How am I supposed to get it out exactly. I mean, you don't really want me to put my fingers in, do you?" God, she hoped not.

"Wait here," came Klaus' reply. He disappeared and a few seconds later returned with a pair of pliers in his hands. He held them out to Jenna and waited for her to take them, but Jenna hesitated. When she had arrived in Rome this morning she would've never guessed that this was how her day would progress. When Jenna still didn't move, Klaus grabbed one of her hands and shoved the pliers forcefully into her hand.

"Let's get this over with." Klaus turned around and braced himself against the piano in the room. Jenna lifted the tool and inserted it into the wound. She moved it around a little, noticing how Klaus' hands tightened his hold on the piano. "Are you sure about this? There is nothing here."

"What do you mean there is nothing there? Dig deeper!" Jenna did as she was told and used the tool to dig deeper into the wound, but she still couldn't find anything. Klaus screamed when she twisted the pliers again.

"I'm sorry," Jenna apologized, not feeling sorry at all.

She searched the wound thoroughly, but after several tries she gave up. With a quick pull she pulled out of his wound which earned her another painful scream from Klaus.

"I swear there is nothing there. Not even a splinter, let alone a chuck of wood," Jenna tried to explain, but it only seemed to aggravate Klaus further. He spun around and grabbed her upper arms and shook her a little. "You promised you would help me!"

Jenna was at a loss. He wasn't listening to her and she needed him to understand. After she had struggled out of his grip again, Jenna put both her hands on either side of his face and forced him to look straight into her eyes.

With slow words she explained to him again, "Listen to me, there is nothing in your wound."

At first he just stared at her, then something seemed to click in his head and the look on his face changed. His next words were barely a whisper, but Jenna thought she heard him say something like, "He got into my head. Silas go into my head."

As he sank down to his knees Jenna went down with him, still holding on to his face. "There was never any pain. He just made me think there was."

Suddenly she felt incredibly sad for him and a little angry at herself for letting him make her feel this way.

"You took my mind off it." Klaus let his head sink down on Jenna's shoulder and took slow, calming breaths.

Jenna on the other hand was at a loss again. She had never seen Klaus this way and she wasn't sure how one would properly comfort a hybrid. So before she could talk herself out of it by reminding herself why exactly he deserved everything that was happening to him, she reached with both her arms around his shoulder and, despite the sweat, held on tight.

A muffled 'thank you' reached her ears and she smiled.