Chapter 37: To the on coming storm
The next morning, he woke up feeling more relaxed then he had in what felt like years. He was wrapped in Klaus's arms as the vampire had at some point during the night turned them so that his back was against the vampire's chest and said vampire had an arm wrapped around his waist holding him close. Jeremy closed his eyes and let himself enjoy the feeling for a few moments. The he quietly pulled Klaus's arm up and away from him and slide out from the bed. There was a low whine from the hybrid but Klaus didn't wake up. So, Jeremy tiptoed across the room and grabbed the first shirt he could find and his pants, then made his way out of the room and leaving the door cracked behind him.
It was early so he wasn't surprised to find the kitchen and living room empty. Not really in the mood for breakfast, he grabbed a banana and went about trying to finding a pair of shoes. He was pretty sure his were still in Kol's room. Finally, he found a pair that looked like they would fit.
It didn't take him long to get dressed. When he was done he looked down at his mismatched outfit and smiled. While he had grabbed things at random, the outfit looked good. He had on his dark blue jeans, Klaus's Henley shirt the chest was deep red and the sleeves a dark grey, a pair of light brown suede dress boots that he was pretty sure belonged to Kol and Elijah's long black leather jacket that was soft to the touch and made Jeremy wanted to curl up in it.
He was just about to open the front door, when he heard someone's steps on the stairs behind him. He turned to see Lexi walking down.
"Where are you going?" She asked looking him over and grin on her face.
He blushed knowing she noticed he was wearing something that belonged to each original.
"Out?" He asked, doubting he was going to be getting out of the house alone now.
"You really want one of them to get angry, don't you?" She asked walking down the last couple stairs to stand in front of him.
"Not really," He said shrugging, "I just don't like being followed around like I need protection or a babysitter. I guess it's habit by now to take care of myself." He heard her sigh.
"I get that. But with everything happening. It's not you needed a babysitter or even that you need protection. It is us all looking after each other." She took a hold of his arm and dragged him away from the door, "Now, "She said pushing him down in a chair just inside the living room. "Stay here, while I get dressed and then we can go where you want." Then she was gone.
He gave a brief thought to just getting up and going but decided against it, she was right.
He pulled out his phone and reread the text he had gotten the night before.
'Jer, we need to talk. Meet me at the grill at 6am tomorrow. Will.'
He had received it right before going to bed and it took him forever to fall asleep because he kept going over all the horrible things Will could possibly have to talk to him about that early. Most of his thoughts strayed over the coven and them attacking someone. But a small part of him worried that Will found something wrong with the protection spells around him. He knew it was silly because he had been told over and over again that they weren't doing anything to him. But every so often his sister voice rang in his ears and it caused him to doubt it. Even though he knew she was wrong. It was the childish part of him that would always want to look up to his sister. Like before their parents died and his sister was a different person.
"Jer?" Lexi's voice shook him out of his thoughts.
"Ready?" He asked standing up.
He had planned on walking, not feeling right about sneaking out and taking one of the brothers vehicles but it seemed Lexi had other ideas because once they were outside she held up a set of keys and heading for Elijah's SUV. He tilted his head and looked at her trying to figure out how she got the keys but the blonde vampire just grinned and got in the car. He sighed and followed her.
"Where to?" She asked turning the car on.
"The Grill." He heard her sigh.
"What?" he asked.
"You guys seemed to spend a lot of time there." He laughed.
"Not really anywhere else to go."
"So?" She asked after they pulled away from the house.
"So?" He asked her confused.
She looked at him, "Last night?" She asked with a smile.
Jeremy groaned and placed his head against the window, wishing he was back in bed with Klaus next to him.
"I mean, it's not like we couldn't all hear you." She mumbled loudly, causing him to groan even louder. He could hear her laughing and he picked his head up and glared at her.
"What?" She asked, "I mean, it's a good thing. You finally got one of them to make a move and now it's only a matter of time before the other two follow suit. Plus having sex in a house full of vampires, you should have known we could hear you two."
"You could have not listened?" He grumbled at her.
She laughed, "I could have. But I didn't. where is the fun in that?" she looked at him again before returning her eyes to the road, Besides I'm not the only one who listened it. I know I heard Tyler telling Caroline to stop." Jeremy choked.
He had known the brothers had been there and of course Lexi and Anna because they had been talking to him but he had totally forgotten about Tyler and Caroline and at the moment he was so grateful that Matt was human.
"I hate vampires." He said reaching over to turn on the radio. He was done with this conversation. Not completely because he did own Anna and Lexi and thank you but that would come later when he wasn't so embarrassed.
Once they made it to the Grill he was surprised when Lexi didn't sit with him. Instead she moved to the other side of the bar, where he could see Stefan and Damon waiting for her. It made him wonder if the only reason she caught him sneaking out was because she was on her way out too. He waved at the two brothers and sat down at the table he spotted Will already seated at waiting for him.
"What's up?" He asked.
He was worried, Will looked like crap. Deep dark circles under his eyes and had a bruise one his left cheek. Jeremy almost reached out to touch it, wanted to ask if his friend was okay. But he held himself back, unsure how Will would feel about it.
"We have a couple problems. You should tell your friends tot come over here." Will said nodding his head towards the table with Lexi and the Salvatore. All of which had stiffened and looked over at them. He could see questions in all their eyes so he waved them over.
Damon took the seat next to Will, while Lexi and Stefan squeezed in next to him.
"My coven is fighting." He looked at Jeremy when he opened his mouth, "Not like before. Before it was small arguments and some yelling but now people are attacking each other. One of our members is in the hospital because someone hexed him with a bloodletting spell, he wouldn't stop bleeding, no matter what we tried. Another was throw off a building and didn't make it." He stopped talking and took a drink of the water in front of him.
"Some of the members, like me, that are against what they have been doing want to leave. They are scared of what is happened, both within the coven and outside it. They have never come across a group like yours before. You scare them. Other's like my father," He hissed out the word, "think that they are to close to reaching their goals to stop now." He took a shaky breath, "But there is a third group, ones that want to continue but have also started practice darker magic." He looked at Jeremy.
"I looked around and found out, that there are four members of our coven that have been playing with some bad magic. They are the ones that brought back your dead friends. They wanted something to distract all of you, so they could go about their ritual without interference. But to do what they did, Jer, they had to sacrifice animals and use their own blood to do it. Each of them brought some one back. It's dark. When the rest of the coven found out they exiled them on the spot. But they are still hear in town."
Dammit Jeremy thought, now they had two separate groups to worry about.
"What happens if we kill those four?" Stefan asked, looking at Lexi.
"Nothing. The magic is sealed. Your friends are back for good. Unless they get killed again." Will answered giving Lexi and Stefan a reassuring smile.
"Wait four?" Jeremy's brain finally caught up, "But we have only three?" Will shrugged.
"Great." Damon muttered, "Who know who else they brought back. Should be interesting."
"Okay, we will worry about that later." Jeremy said, " But for now. The ones that want to leave? What are the chances they do?" He asked hoping that at least some would. Less people for the Mikaelson's to kill to protect their friends.
"I don't know. I mean, we are family and separating a coven is hard. We are used working magic together and relying on each other. If the coven splits more then it already has, most of the people in it will become weaker and none of them want that." Will looked sad, and Jeremy wanted to give him hope, that they could stop all this and still keep everyone safe but he knew that wasn't likely and he wasn't going to lie.
"Any chance of talking all of them out of it?" Stefan asked.
"Again, I don't know." Will said looking at the table. "The ones that want to leave are outnumbered by those who wanted to stay. So even if you could convince those to stop, the rest wouldn't. And I don't think you are going to be able to convince out high priest to stop. He is to invested in it."
"Dammit." Stefan cursed.
"It's going to come down to a fight, isn't it?" Jeremy asked more himself then the others.
But he heard Will mumble as sad, "Yes."