Hey guys,

Well . . . . this might be a particularly long Author's Note, so prepare yourselves.

First of all, I want to thank all of you for your support after the last chapter. It happens sometimes, that I get into a really depressing mood, and the slightest thing can set me off. I always come back from it though, and here I am, again! Everything that I spoke about has now since been solved. I'm friends with my ex again, and my friend has now forgiven me, after realizing that it wasn't my fault.

Even though at the time, I had no one to talk to, one of you said something in your review that really made me think. SophieSheeran said that "I think all of your reviewers that had stood by you all along your incredible stories actually become your friends too. So everything will be alright we support you.". And it's true, I really feel like you've all become my friends, and that we have a strange sort of bond. I've gotten a lot of support from you all, in many different ways, and I really appreciate it.

I've had a lot of help as well from ApekshaStar. She really helped me, and shared some of her experiences in return. I really feel like I have gained a friend in her, and I hope I will get the opportunity to do the same with some more of you.

Thanks to;

Siren's Fire, glevez25, SophieSheeran, xxxbulletxxx, IgnitingFireworks, PsychVamp, IrishBeauty294, ILoveAllBooksTVDKlaroline-Kol, Mystery Girl3, drewwnesss, Grace5231973, minty4794, justine, galloyway|062, DevilnAngel16, ApekshaStar, vampirember, Missyr256, ralahb18, lily94, and mikaelsonswife.

And here are some questions that were asked;

lily94 - "Normally the oldest son takes the throne, so why not Elijah?"

I might have explained this before, but it was probably a while ago, so I understand the confusion. Esther and Mikael chose Klaus to take the throne, because they thought he would be best to rule. They thought he had better judgement than Elijah and Finn, as he was a bit more like them, at least in the beginning. So that's why Klaus is taking the throne, and not one of them. Plus, Esther and Mikael don't approve of Finn's "lady-friend", but I hope to tell you about that in this chapter.

xxxbulletxxx - "His mother might have placed the spell, but the minute she died, wouldn't that have broken it?"

To be honest, I never thought of it like that, but I guess because it was more of a curse, than a spell, and it really depends on how she did it. But no, the spell was not broken by Esther's death.

IgnitingFireworks - "Is there any way to get around the spell?"

Of course there is! There's always a way! And don't worry, Klaus is going to find it if it kills him! (it won't, by the way, please don't take that literally!)

IgnitingFireworks - "When is the cure going to come into play?"

To be honest, the cure won't really feature that much. They've found it now, and done everything they had to do to get it. I'm going to say that this is slightly different, because I didn't know about Silas when I wrote that part. Well, I did, but I didn't know he'd be awakened by the cure. So it won't be the same as in the show. It might come into play at the end, but I don't want to give too much away.

ILoveAllBooksTVDKlaroline-Kol - "Can't he change the law somehow?"

Well, it's bound with a spell, so not really. But don't worry, Klaus will find a way around it, eventually.

justine - "Are you going to introduce Silas?"

No, sorry. I just think it would make the story more complicated, as I don't really understand the cure stuff on the show as it is.

DevlinAngel16 - "If Klaus turned Caroline into a vampire, would the law still kill her?"

Yes, because she would still be of a lower class.

mikaelsonswife - "The curse says that he can't marry her, not that he can't be with her, right?"

Don't worry, yes he can still be with her, I'm not that cruel!

Anyway, thanks again, to all of you, every single one. Enjoy!

Megz

oxox

The room was silent, as Caroline entered the Hall for breakfast. She slipped in without a sound, sliding between the gap of the door, and closing it behind her as gently as she possibly could. Still, as soon as it closed, the heads of the four occupants of the room snapped in her direction. She looked at them apologetically, and took in the seating arrangements, making sure she didn't sit in the wrong place, or anywhere that she might feel uncomfortable in any way. The table was very different to the first time Caroline had eaten her breakfast there.

For a start, six of the original occupants were now gone; Esther, Mikael, Kol, Elena, Lexi, and Rose. Their seats had been taken away, but the table obviously remained the same size. There were quite substantial gaps between the chairs and their occupants that sat in an awkward silence. The distance didn't seem to bother them, though. It wasn't just the missing people that made the room different, though. It was the atmosphere. It was so . . . quiet. It wasn't just that, but it was the awkwardness that bothered Caroline the most.

At the head of the table, which now seemed a lot longer than it had originally seemed, was Finn. He sat, wearing a fine, velvet jacket, black, for the funeral. And the expression his face held was no less welcoming than the atmosphere in the room. Sat on his left side, were Elijah, and Rebekah, both wearing black, and similar expressions to their older brother. And to Finn's right, was Klaus. He wore black also, but the expression that his face held, made Caroline pause for breath.

He looked at her . . . he looked at her like she was the only person in the room - no, in the world, - that mattered. He looked at her like . . . if she wasn't there, he'd lose control. Like she was the only thing tying him to the Earth anymore. She was his gravity.

She tried to give him a comforting look back, but she wasn't sure how comforting it actually was. As it turned out, the only available seat was next to Klaus anyway. But that's probably where she would have chosen to sit in the first place, as she didn't really know the other Originals that well. She told herself that's what it was, but she knew deep down it was because she wanted to be close to him, in every way possible. She quickly walked over to the seat, and instantly wished it was closer to him. She wanted to feel his shoulders brushing hers, so as to reassure him that she was there.

Instead, the best she could do was reach under the table, and take his hand. His fingers curled around hers instantly, and she gave them a comforting squeeze. He looked up from their hands, and gave her a grateful smile, which she returned.

She knew that the day ahead was going to be difficult, funerals typically were. But now that it was someone that she actually knew, being buried she wasn't sure how she was going to handle it, especially as it wasn't just one person. But she knew it would be even tougher for Klaus, him being the person that actually killed them both, so she had to stay strong, for him. She didn't care anymore, that he was the one that killed them. He was a different person since killing Jenna, and Jeremy had been an accident. She knew he was a good man, or at least he could be, and he needed her. She wasn't going to say no.

It amazed her how much their relationship had changed since they first met. The first time they really met, Caroline had hated him instantly, him being the person that tore her away from her family, from her friends, and from her life. But over the weeks, she'd began to realize that, hidden behind the monster on the surface, that everybody else saw, there was a man. And he was capable of love, and compassion, and friendship. And he was worthy of being loved in return.

Walking down the castle steps a few hours later, and out into the forest, where the funeral was to take place, Caroline kept a tight hold on Klaus' hand. She was afraid that if she let go, he might fall, and he seemed to have the same fear, so she didn't. The warm breeze tossed her hair, and whipped it around her face, but she couldn't care less what she looked like, because today wasn't about her, it was about them. It was about celebrating memories of them, and crying for their absence. The sunlight peeked out from behind the trees, and Caroline could feel it's warmth on her face.

She wondered, how much would still be the same, if she became a vampire. Would it feel different, to no longer have blood, or at least her blood, coursing through her veins? Would she still be able to feel the warmth of the sun, or the bitter cold of winter, or would she just be numb? Would she cry? Or would her humanity just disappear in moments that would normally tip someone over the edge? She wondered what time would mean, and whether it would be different? Would she still remember, thousands of years from then, being human? Would she remember her family, and her friends? Would she remember standing, as Jenna and Jeremy were buried?

Shaking her head, she saved those thoughts for later. There was no rush to think about those things now, she should just focus on what was going on now. Crowds of people were beginning to follow them on the walk into the woods, most of them, Caroline didn't recognize. She knew that Jenna and Jeremy's families would be attending, but as far as she knew, they came from very small families, and had come to the castle when they were quite young, therefore not making many friends. It still never ceased to amaze her how many people there were in the castle that she didn't know about. Servants, cooks, maids, advisers, everyone. She could never quite wrap her head around it, and she found it oddly heart-breaking, the amount of people that had stopped what they were doing, and come to pay their respects, it was mind blowing.

The crowd of black walked through the forest together, their minds all set on the same thing. The closer they got to their destination, the harder Klaus gripped her hand. She wanted to be there for him, to make him feel like everything was going to be alright, but she really didn't know how. She'd never seen him this broken up before, and it was usually him that was taking care of her. Still, she wanted to return the favor. Not only that, but seeing him like this upset her. She didn't like to think of him as being sad or broken, it wasn't right. All she wanted was to put the smile back on his face that had been all over it yesterday.

They could see Elijah leading in front of them, and they saw him take a sharp turn to the left, and knew that they were close. It had been Elijah and Caroline that had chosen the site for the burial. He'd come to her late last night, and they'd discussed it together. Apparently, Caroline was the only person he thought would be compassionate and caring enough to handle it. He'd drawn out a map of the forest for her, completely from memory, and asked her where she thought would be best. Eventually, they'd come to the decision of a nice, quite bare clearing in the middle of the forest.

Elijah already had the coffins made a few days before, not too fancy, but then, not the usual for a servant. They were to be buried in the clearing, and people would share their thoughts and memories. It would be more of a gathering, than a formal funeral, but Caroline had agreed with him that that was somehow better. The gravestones had been placed that morning, both carved as neatly as possible, and placed next to each other.

Taking the same turning as Elijah, they ended up in the clearing finally, and the ground stopped, spreading themselves out in the area. Caroline felt Klaus' grip weaken, and saw his knees begin to sway at the sight of the coffins lying in the graves, and the gravestones in front of them. She brushed his arm reassuringly, and lead him to stand over by Elijah and Rebekah.

About an hour later, the parade of black sat on the forest floor, as people stood up and shared stories and thoughts of Jeremy and Jenna. Caroline, and the remaining Mikaelsons sat in a neat row in the middle of the crowd, none of them having said anything so far. Caroline couldn't help but notice, though, the presence of a mysterious woman she had never seen before, who was sat in their neat little row. She sat silently beside Finn, and when Caroline took a look, she realized that they were holding hands.

She'd heard tales of Finn's mysterious 'lady friend', Sage, her name was. People had told her that Esther and Mikael never really approved of her, and thought she was too common for their son. Not that it mattered to Finn too much what they thought. He "snuck out" to her village quite often, telling everyone he was going on a "hunting trip". Sometimes he'd just go during the night, when nobody really noticed. Even though he lied to his parents, they knew where he was really going, but had since given up hope on him. They'd known since he was quite young, apparently, that they didn't want him to rule. They would rather it have been Elijah, or Klaus, hence why Klaus was to be crowned in a few weeks' time.

Still, Caroline had never imagined that she'd be so . . . beautiful. And it wasn't in the conventional way. When people used the world beautiful, they very rarely used it for it's true meaning, but this woman, she really was, just . . . stunning. All other women paled in comparison, and Caroline could see why Finn was so devoted to her. Her hair was a dark, but fiery red, piled quite high on her head, but a few curls falling loose. Her eyes were of the most magnificent green, and were so bright and full of life. Her lips just looked like they were about to curl up into a smile constantly, even though it wasn't really the right time. But it wasn't just that she was beautiful, it was the aura that she gave off.

She was so independent, and strong, and looked at the other women as if all she saw was a losing competitor. She definitely stood out in the sea of black and grief, with her fiery red hair and attitude, and she knew it.

Suddenly, her bright eyes snapped up to meet Caroline's, and she looked away quickly, focusing back on the funeral. Sage was one person that she definitely didn't want to get on the wrong side of.

Turning her attention back to the funeral, Caroline looked back just in time to see Matt get up. He looked at the other servants, all sat exactly where he had been, giving him looks of encouragement. His hands were trembling, and his eyes were focused on the floor. He honestly looked like he was going to burst into tears, and Caroline felt an overwhelming urge to hug him then. He'd just lost the only thing remotely close to family, that he had left. He'd lost a mother-figure, and a person who was like a brother to him. Now it was up to him to keep the rest of his family strong. He had to look after Anna and Bonnie, and that was quite a big weight on his shoulders.

Matt took a deep, and shaky breath, and pulled a piece of ripped parchment out of his pocket.

"Jeremy and Jenna were . . . like family to us," he began, not looking up from the parchment. Anna and Bonnie sat cross-legged behind him, looking at their hands, for fear of crying. "They were family. Jeremy, was the closest thing I've ever had to a brother. The first day I met him, we were both travelling in a carriage to come and work here. We'd never met before, and were from different villages, but among all the chaos, he managed to make me feel calm, and like everything was going to work out. We shared a room together, and had done for five years. He had a very unique personality, but he never failed to make me laugh, even when I was having a bad day.

When I was hurt, or upset, he'd sit with me, and we'd stay up all night. Sometimes we'd talk about other things, and he'd help me forget, other times, we'd just sit in silence, and somehow, everything was still better the next day, and he didn't even have to say anything. We worked together, but we weren't just work colleagues, it was much more than that. Because, at heart, we were just two scared little boys, away from home. No one else could really understand how that felt for me, but he did, he understood completely.

I'll still never understand how he could have lied to me, even though I knew there was something different about him these last few weeks. I thought we told each other everything. But he was always . . . he was always sneaking off, in the middle of the night, and not showing up for breakfast. I knew something was wrong, but, I never asked. I should have done, because, if I had, we wouldn't be stood here today.

But I'm not talking about that anymore, because I don't want to remember him that way. I don't want to remember him as someone who lied to me, and kept secrets, I want to remember him the way he was before this mess. I want to remember him as that scared little boy, then that man that could never fail to make me laugh. To remember him as my colleague, my friend, and most of all, my brother. Jeremy."

Caroline sat, with her mouth hanging slightly open, and tears in her eyes. She delicately lifted a finger to wipe the tears away, and took a small breath, before turning to Klaus. The expression on his face was unreadable, but Caroline could feel his hand shaking in hers, and could see the unshed tears in his eyes also. She squeezed his hand even tighter, just to let him know that she was still there, but it didn't seem to do much. So instead, she tilted her head slightly to the side, and rested it on his shoulder, burying her face in his shirt.

Almost automatically, his hand came up to her waist, and he held her tightly, and once again, she was the one thing that was keeping him grounded.

The next person to stand up was Bonnie. She too looked a little shaken, even more so now, after Matt's touching speech. It was strange, because Caroline had never really gotten a proper look at Bonnie, despite crying to her that one night. In daylight, she looked entirely different to the way Caroline remembered. Her long, jet-black hair was pulled back from her face, but fell straight down her back, and her bright, brown eyes shone with flecks of gold in the sunlight. The dress she was wearing matched her hair perfectly, and exposed her small shoulders, and clear-cut collar bone. Her bottom lip trembled, as Matt passed her a piece of parchment to read from as well.

"I . . . I think I speak for all the servants when I say, Jenna was the heart of our family," Bonnie mumbled, also not looking up from her parchment. All the servants behind her nodded sombrely as she continued. "She really was one of most truly beautiful people that I think I've ever met, in every conceivable way. She listened to us, and cared for us, she cooked for us, and told us stories. She was like a mother to us, despite only being a few years older. She made being here a lot less frightening, and comforted us when we got scared.

She was the first person that showed me the tiniest glimmer of hope. I always thought, if she could do it, if she could survive this place, then so could I. And she was always so strong, and so calm, she never let anything knock her down. I often wished that I could be a little more like her, she inspired me.

I know she probably thought that she never meant that much to me, I wasn't as close to her as Jeremy or the others were. I never thanked her, for everything she did for me. She helped me through so much. When I got homesick, and I would cry for my family, and scream for my parents, she would hold me until I fell asleep. She would tell me stories of her family, funny stories, to make me smile, and it always worked. She never knew how much it meant to me, I never told her. And now I really wish I had.

I always imagined that, I'd get out of here, and then, on the day that I left, she'd be leaving too. And we'd say goodbye, and we'd hug, and then I would tell her, explain to her how much it had truly meant, how much she'd helped me. I should have told her sooner, but I'd thought there was all the time in the world, and it kills me.

Because she'll never know how much we appreciated her, how much she mattered to all of us. She'll never know how, now, our family is falling apart, without her to hold it together. She'll never know how she kept us strong, and how vital she was in our lives. But we never even knew, because we didn't know what life without her was like. She meant so much to me, she was a mother, a sister, and more importantly, a friend.

We miss you, Jenna. We need you. And I hope you can hear this, and that . . . wherever you are, you're at peace, for if Heaven is meant for the saints, I can't imagine you'd be anywhere else."

Well? I know, this was a sad one, and I'm sorry, but I promise you the next one will be better! There's going to be more about the curse, and Caroline's about to find out about it, so stay tuned! REVIEW!