Chapter 25: To late night text messages

He had been tossing and turning since he laid down, but it was like he couldn't get comfortable. It was about Two in the morning when he gave up and grabbed his phone.

'You up?' He texted.

'Yeah. Why are you?' was the reply. Then his phone beeped again.

'Where are you? I stopped by you house. Was going to sneak in but you weren't there." Before he could reply his phone went off again, 'Since when is Elena a vampire?'

He laughed and replied, 'A little while now. And I'm staying at friend's house.'

'What about your aunt?' He stared at the text for a full minute not understanding. But then it clicked Anna had been gone before Aunt Jenna died, so maybe she didn't know that his aunt had passed. He had typed out how is Aunt had died but before he hit sent, Anna messaged him again.

'Her and Elena were yelling at each other earlier. Your name was mentioned.' Jeremy was off his bed and searching for clothes before he even realized what he was doing.

He heard his phone go off again but he was fighting with his jacket so he ignored it while he finished getting dressed. Then he reached down grabbed his shoes and was tying them when it beeped again.

'Dude your Aunt is vampire too?' said the first text followed but a simple, 'Jeremy?'

He stared at the bright screen. How was this possible? First Anna and knew Aunt Jenna. He had to see for himself. He had to know if she was really back. He opened his door and started to sneak towards the stairs. It was at the top stair that he stopped.

He looked back at the hallway where all his friends were sleeping. They would kill him if he snuck off again. Maybe he should wake one of them, that way he had someone with him and he wouldn't get in trouble.

But which, Caroline knew his aunt but she also knew Anna and he wasn't sure if he wanted anyone to know she was back yet. That was the same reason he couldn't take Tyler or Matt.

That meant one of the brothers, but when he thought about talking Klaus a rock formed in his stomach, he wasn't sure why but every instinct he had told him that was a horrible idea. So that left Kol or Elijah.

He sighed as he made his way to Elijah's room. Rationalizing that Elijah was the most even tempered and rational so it would be good to have him there. Instead of Kol's act first attitude.

He was quiet as he snuck into the vampire's room. He approached the bed, the vampire was laying on his back one arm of his bare chest and another back beneath his head. Jeremy took a second to look over the vampire. He couldn't remember if he had ever seen Elijah without a shirt on before. But he was pretty sure that memories would have stuck with him. Because the man had an incredible body. Shaking his head at his wandering mind, he reached out to wake up the vampire.

His wrist was caught before he touched Elijah. The vampire must have reacted on instinct because one second Jeremy was over the vampire and the next he was tossed onto the bed and was under the vampire.

Elijah held his wrist in one hand and had the other at his throat. Ready to fight, but then Elijah recognized him and pulled back both of his hands.

"Jeremy?" Elijah asked.

Jeremy heard him but he was stuck in his own mind, the vampire was straddling him and he was in just a simple pair of pajamas pants. Jeremy's heart sped up, Elijah looked good, really good, and Jeremy had the urge to reach out and pull the vampire closer. To press against him and…

"Jeremy." This time Elijah was smiling at him.

He blushed and pushed the vampire off of him. He rolled off the bed and put distance between them. "I…Umm need to meet a friend. Didn't want to go alone. Wanna come?" He asked. Trying to keep his eyes off the vampire who had decided to just sit on the bed and watching him. He knew his heart was still racing and knew that Elijah could hear it. He just hopped the room was dark enough to hid how red his cheeks were.

"I'll meet you down stairs." Elijah said and Jeremy was out the door. He swore he heard the man chuckle behind him. At the bottom of the stairs he pulled out his phone.

'Need to talk. Can you meet me?' He knew she would.

'Sure. Where?' He smiled. He had really missed Anna.

'Edge of town. The turn off before enter in the town?' He heard Elijah walking down the stairs and he placed his phone back in his pocket. The vampire brushed past him as they moved towards the front door. And Jeremy broke out in goosebumps. Cursing his body's reaction under his breath he followed Elijah to one of the Black SUVs. Once his side he told Elijah where to go.

"Jeremy why are we meeting your friend at 2 in the morning?" Elijah asked as they drove.

He looked at the vampire, should he tell him? Maybe Elijah would have an idea of what was going on. But he didn't want to put Anna at risk. What if Elijah or the other's thought that she or is Aunt where a threat. He bit his lip as he thought it over. He couldn't risk it. Not yet.

"I can't tell you." He went with honestly, "At least not tell I talk to her." Elijah looked at him. "Please Elijah trust me." He could see the vampire thinking about it. Finally, Elijah sighed, "Just be careful Jeremy."

"I will." The rest of the ride was quiet. When they reached the turn off Anna was already there sitting on the hood of her car. She jumped off when she saw them. When the car stopped, Jeremy hopped out and rushed to hug her. Some part of him still wanting to make sure she was real.

"What's going on Jeremy?" She asked.

He looked at Elijah, who had followed him out of the car and who seemed to frown at their hug but had given them space.

"I need you to tell me everything you saw at my house."

"Well I was going to sneak in your window like before. But you weren't there. I was getting ready to leave, when I heard Elena shout your name. I figured you just weren't in your room and snuck down to look in the kitchen but she wasn't yelling at someone else. They were fighting over her attacking you?" He heard the question but urged her to continue, "Well Elena said you had been spelled and you aunt walked, "He heard Elijah let out a shocked breath, "Into view and told her that some named Ric said she was wrong. And then Elena was bitching about how Ric didn't know and how you needed to be protected." Anna rolled her eyes, "I swear your sister never changes. Anyways they both vamp out and then Elena stormed up to her room."

Jeremy tried to process it all. His Aunt was alive. Well a vampire but alive.

"Now you wanna tell me what you both like you have seen a…" She cut off, "Oh shit, she was dead too?"

"Dead too?" Elijah asked.

Jeremy glared at Anna. Who seemed to realize she had made a mistake and closed her mouth.

"Yea she was dead. That's why I was freaked when you said you saw her." He said hoping to take attention away from the too thing.

"How'd she die?" Anna asked.

It should have been an easy question, but Jeremy's mind pulled up a blank. He could remember talking to her in the kitchen one minute and her funeral the next but not what happened in between. But that didn't make sense his memories where back, well most of them. The only people he had a hard time remembering where, he looked up at Elijah and saw the guilt on the vampire's face.

"Who?" He asked his voice sound wrong to his ears.

"Jeremy." Elijah spoke his name with so much emotion.

"Klaus." Jeremy said, "That's why he avoids me. That's the thing I forgot that he wasn't sure I would be able to forgive a second time. He killed me aunt. That's why Elena was so angry." He tried to take a breath but it was like his lungs couldn't catch enough air.

"Jeremy." Elijah went to move towards him but Jeremy backed away, "Don't." He shouted.

Elijah stopped moving. But small arms wrapped around him, "Jer, you have to breath." Anna's voice was right in his ear and there was comfort in the familiar way she felt. He felt his body start to shake and let her take his weight.

"Breath." She said again.

He did. Once and then again, and slowly he was able to get his breathing back under control. Anna held him the whole time and Elijah stood close but didn't reach out for him again. When he finally felt his legs could hold him, he stood up. Jeremy could tell Elijah was hurting and he knew the vampire wanted to comfort him. Probably apologize for his brother or maybe for none of them telling him and he was confused because he wanted to let Elijah do just that. But he was angry. Angry at Klaus for killing his aunt, angry that neither of the other brothers told him and angry that none of his friends at mentioned it either.

"Elijah." He said and the vampire's eyes locked on to his. He gulped because the need to be comforted the vampire grew, "I need space. Anna can take me home." He held up a hand to stop Elijah from fighting him on it, "Anna is more than capable of taking on Elena if she causes problems But I don't think she will. If Jenna is truly back. I don't think Elena will do anything to me." He took a step towards the vampire, "I'll be okay. I'll text you when I'm there. Okay?"

Elijah looked at him and Anna, Jeremy could see that Elijah still wanted to argue. But the vampire nodded. "If you need us. Please call." Jeremy turned and nudged Anna towards her car. He watched Elijah watch them leave in the review mirror.

"What the hell what that?" Anna asked once they were far enough away.