Alaric Grimm
Part 6
After they sent Katherine's dead body to Klaus, nothing major happened except for Alaric getting a call from Klaus assuring him that Elena and her loved ones would now be free to lead the lives they wanted. He wouldn't ask for anymore of her blood unless she wanted something in exchange. Knowing how the originals lived to keep their words, Alaric felt pretty happy about this turn of event.
Alaric stayed in Portland with his brother for the entire summer, studying the books from his ancestors, training with the ancient weapons, having fun with his brother, getting to know each other. He grew to think of Juliet as his sister and the thought of going back to work in Mystic Fall's, away from his brother, was very hard for the history teacher. He wanted to stay with his brother but he also didn't want to leave Elena and Jeremy alone any longer than the summer. They needed him and he had promised Jenna that he would keep them safe. It was his duty to move back in Mystic Fall's were he could protect them.
"You're going to have to go back don't you?" Nick asked his brother that night at dinner.
Alaric had only a few days left before he had to go back to his teaching job and he knew he could put his departure away any longer.
"Yes. I tried pushing it back as much as possible but I do need to get back to work. I have to be in Mystic Fall's in a week and a half at the latest..." Alaric replied.
"Juliet and I have been talking about that... We both have a lot of vacation days to take so we were thinking we could go back with you and spend a few weeks back there with you..." Nick suggested.
"That would be great!" Alaric exclaimed.
"Good, then we'll both set everything up and we'll go to Mystic Fall's with you." Nick decided.
"What about the trailer? Are you going to leave it here on its own? Unprotected?" Alaric asked, worried for their family memories.
"No, we'll take it with us. It's too risky leaving it here... if someone finds out what's inside..." Nick replied.
"You're right." Alaric nodded his agreement, happy at the idea of his brother coming with him.
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Before he got on the road, Alaric got his phone out and called Damon.
"Alaric, how's it going?" Damon asked as soon as he answered his phone.
"Good, very good. I just spent an entire summer with my brother, what could be wrong?"
"Right! You must be bummed to leave him behind... I mean, you are coming back to us right? I miss my drinking buddy. Stefan is a bore and Elena forbid Jeremy to drink with me after he ended up dressed as a girl the last time... I have to drink with Lockwood! Can you imagine?" Damon chuckled.
"Yeah... a vampire and a wolf are in a bar... Sounds like the beginning of a joke!" Alaric joked.
"True. So, when are you coming back then?" Damon asked him, more seriously.
"Well, about that, see, his wife and him are coming back with me for a few weeks and I wanted to ask you if you could get the guest room in my apartment ready." Alaric asked.
"Sure, of course. Also you might want me to clean a little the rest of the place too because you haven't been in there for over 2 months and I'm sure there is dust everywhere." Damon suggested.
"True, it must stink too... Thanks man, I'll owe you." Alaric said.
"Anything for the Grimm that is my best friend!" Damon replied with a smile.
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The road was long but fun.
Alaric was in his car ahead and Nick and Juliet followed in their own car and the trailer attached to it. The drive was pleasant and they often stopped for drinks and food on the way. At some point, Juliet found herself driving Alaric's car while the brothers were together in the other car, talking and enjoying this road trip.
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When they arrived in Mystic Fall's, it was the middle of the afternoon and Damon was waiting for them at the apartment.
After the introductions where done, Damon suggested they kept the trailer in front of his house to keep it safe and Alaric agreed. They couldn't leave it out in the open. Nick trusted his brother and agreed to drive it back to Damon's later.
"We're having a dinner party at my house tonight to welcome you, you can just bring it with you." Damon said.
"Another dinner party? Who's getting daggered this time?" Alaric asked, humor in his eyes before he was reminded that Jenna had been alive at the previous dinner party and wasn't anymore.
"Well, you're the one who did the daggering, in the middle of dinner, while the girls were getting deserts." Damon smiled back.
"Let's get you two settled in then, we'll go to the Boarding House as soon as we're done Damon." Alaric told his family, wanting to change the subject before it brought him more heartache.
"Sure, I'll go back now and let you settle down. Oh by the way, you were out of good Whiskey so I brought you some. It's in the cabinet next to the bad one." Damon announced before he left.
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Alaric showed his small apartment to his brother and his sister in law and showed them to the guest bedroom.
"It's not much, I know..." Alaric started to say.
"Don't worry about it, it's perfect." Juliet replied gently.
"I'll let you get settled down while I put my bag away. Call me if you need anything okay?" Alaric asked them.
"Sure. Don't worry Ric, everything is going to be fine." Nick reassured his brother with a small smile.
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Later, after they parked the trailer in a hidden spot of the property Damon showed them, Alaric introduced his new family to all of his friends.
"So, this is Katherine's doppelganger..." Nick said when he was introduced to Elena.
"Yes... But I swear I'm not like her!" Elena replied with a charming smile.
"You better watch out for yourself... According to what Alaric and I have read in our family's books, a real human doppelganger is very valuable... Hair or blood can be used in a lot of potions..." Nick warned her.
"What?" Elena exclaimed, already imagining people trying to kidnap her to sell her hair and her blood off.
"He's right, I was going to tell you about it later." Alaric confirmed, nodding his head.
"What kind of potions?" Bonnie asked curiously.
"According to what I found, potions to change form and become somebody's doppelganger." Alaric replied.
"And they use both Elena's blood and hair?" Jeremy asked.
"No, I think what part of the doppelganger is used depends on how potent the potion is, on how long it lasts." Nick explained.
"But then don't they simply end up looking like Elena?" Bonnie asked curiously.
"No, you need to add the blood of the person you want to look like I think...or a hair." Alaric added.
"This is creepy... Really creepy." Damon said.
He knew right then that he wouldn't be able to leave Elena behind because the danger would never disappear.
They were all in the living room by then and it wasn't the best conversation to have before the appetizers.
"I think I also saw some part about using a doppelganger's heart but I don't remember what that was for. It was all in old German and I gave up on trying to understand it... I didn't have the time to ask Monroe to translate it for me." Nick added.
"Well, don't I feel safe all of a sudden." Elena retorted with humor as Stefan and Damon served everyone drinks and appetizers.
All in all, the dinner party went on pretty well. Juliet and Nick got along with Alaric's friends and when they went back home at the end of the evening, they had had a good time. Juliet had felt weird at some point, when Jeremy pointed out how similar to their dead aunt Jenna she was but thankfully Damon turned it into humor when he said that it just proved that Alaric and Nick were truly brothers and had good tastes.
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The next day, Alaric decided to look into the old box he had that kept the few childhood memories he had taken with him. He remembered keeping a blanket and a teddy bear he had with him when he was found, along with the clothes he wore that day.
"I've got it!" He said, making Nick and Juliet come closer to see.
"I had the same blanket! Well, my name was on it and not yours but...yeah." Nick exclaimed while Juliet held the teddy bear.
It was a small, classic baby blanket in blue wool. Alaric's name was in a corner, in very elegant brown writings.
"There's something weird about this bear... It feels like something is hidden inside... I feel something hard...and small..." She exclaimed.
"Really? I never realised." Alaric replied as he held it too and checked it.
"Let's see what's inside." He suggested as he grabbed a knife and cut the old teddy bear open.
Immediately after that, they found a small rectangular and metallic object.
"Hey, I've got one of those too! Aunt Mary gave it to me before she died and made me promise never to part with it!" Nick exclaimed.
"What is it?" Alaric asked as he opened it.
"I'm not sure but the drawings on the side seem to show something...like a map or a picture." Nick replied before he added "Mine is hidden in the trailer."
"You didn't find anything about it in any of the books?" Juliet asked.
"No, nothing. But now that I think of it, maybe we should ask Captain Renard. If he's half royal, he's got to know about this right?" Nick suggested.
"Are you sure we can trust him with this information? What if it's something that his family wants and he suddenly decides to use this as a way to get back in with more power?" Alaric asked.
"We could just take a picture and tell him we found it in possession of the Originals. We'll tell him that we were wondering if it was important enough to steal it or not." Nick suggested.
"Good idea. Okay, let's call him then." Alaric agreed.
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They waited until it was time for lunch so the Captain would be relatively alone in the office and Nick dialed his number, putting him on speaker.
"Burkhardt? Problem with your vacations? You're welcome to come back to work early if you want." The Captain asked as soon as he answered his phone.
"Not really, but I do have a small question for you." Nick replied.
"What is it?" Renard asked him.
"I've just sent you the picture of an object we saw in possession of the Originals. It looks pretty important and it seems to attract trouble. Alaric and I were wondering if it's one of those things we should take and keep safe like the coins a few months ago." Nick explained.
"Wait a minute I'll check it out. Oh yeah, I see it. Hum... To tell you the truth Burkhardt; it is something very important...My half brother, the royals, they think that the Grimms have some of those... It's a key-map and there are 7 of them." He started and stopped.
"What do they do? What do they open?" Alaric asked.
"You better sit down because this is one long story." Captain Renard said.
"Go ahead." Nick said.
"The Key-map is believed to lead to something very valuable and super powerful that was buried somewhere in the 13th century after being taken from Constantinople during on of the Crusades. 7 Crusaders betrayed the royal families they were working for back then to hide whatever the royals really wanted when they ordered the Crusades to happen. I guess they thought that the royals didn't deserve that kind of power or something. After some time, one of the 7th betrayed the other 6 after being tortured several days without a break. The Royals are pro when it comes to torturing information out of people. He ended up giving the Royals his key-map and he told them about the other 6 but he died before he could tell them anything about the location or what it was exactly that was hidden. I know for sure that the royal families have now 4 of the 7 Keys and you can guess that it took a lot of time and bloodshed. It took them 600 years to get the other 3 and some of the worth European wars were started on those key's alone." Captain Renard pause for a moment.
"All of this for 7 little key? Who were the 7 crusaders? Were they Wesen, Royal or Grimm?" Alaric asked.
"We don't know... I've heard that the one that betrayed the other was a simple human. A good soldier he was, he was loyal to his cause and he only betrayed the other after days of torture from a wicked witch but we have no idea what the others were. Maybe they were humans... I know some royals think that their leader was a Grimm that used to hide well among humans... I guess it could be true. The Grimm's have been known to work with human through the centuries." Renard replied on the phone.
"And what was it that was hidden?" Nick asked.
"We don't know for sure."
"You mean the royals shed so much blood without knowing what was hidden?" Nick asked again, shocked.
"Oh, they don't know for sure but they have a few theories... Some of them think that it's the secret of everlasting life, other believe it to be the secret of Alchemy. It could also be the sword of the prophet Mahomet which holds a great deal of power. And lastly, some believe that it's the nails that secured the Christ on the cross and several pieces of the cross itself." Captain Renard finished.
"Wow... Now I understand... Whichever of those it is, whoever gets it could end up ruling the world..." Alaric said in awe.
"Exactly. I know that your Aunt Mary had one, if she didn't give it to you then it's probably somewhere in her stuff... You should find it and hide it. If you see one, it might be a good idea to get to it before the Royals beat you to it." The Captain suggested.
"Do you have any idea where the other keys are?" Alaric asked him, knowing that there was really just one they didn't know the location of since they had 2 and the Royals had 4.
"No idea... I'll keep you informed if I find out anything. I have to go now." He replied before they said good bye and he hung up, leaving the 2 brothers in chock of what they had found.
"Should we tell your friends about it?" Nick asked.
"No, I don't think we should. They tend to be careless when speaking and we don't want the Originals finding out about this. Who knows what they could do with this... I think we should keep our eyes open but our mouths shut." Alaric suggested.
"You're right." Nick nodded.
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Klaus was entering the Grill in hope of some quality time with Caroline when he spotted a few of her friends with her. They were at a table and seemed to be in a deep, serious conversation. He decided to settle at the bar and to listen in discreetly.
"Of course I'm happy that Alaric is back in town Caroline!" Elena exclaimed before she added "I just wish he could live with us again."
"Well, it's probably temporary...He's in his apartment because his brother and sister in law are there with him. I'm sure that as soon as they leave he'll come back to live in your house." Caroline told the Gilbert girl.
"But why can't he just leave them in his apartment and come with us?" Elena complained.
"Well, one that would be rude!" Bonnie replied.
"Yes, and he just found out he has a brother he never knew about and that he was kidnapped as a baby... Can you blame him for wanting to send as much time as possible with his new little brother?" Caroline added.
"Plus, they might have Grimm things to discuss alone." Jeremy added quickly, looking relaxed.
Klaus was shocked. Of course he had heard all about the Grimm family and who they were, what they did... He had even drained one a long time ago... he had also helped one a long time ago... If Alaric was a Grimm, then he needed to keep a eye on him and his new found brother... This could prove to be either helpful or a very big problem for him to handle.
"He could discuss it with us! I mean, I understand everything and all but... Well I miss him, that's all." Elena said, sighting.
"Hey Caroline, did you happen to see Klaus since last night?" Bonnie asked her friend to change the subject, catching the hybrid's attention again.
"Why would I have?" Caroline sounded confused.
"Well, with what Alaric told us and all and since you're closer to Klaus I figured that you might go and tell him everything." Bonnie explained.
"I thought about it but then mom was sick when I got home and I got distracted... I figured I'd run into him soon enough... I mean, he's always around anyway..." Caroline replied, shrugging her shoulders and making Klaus smile softly.
"Well...hum... you might want to get to the bar and tell him now then." Jeremy said, an amused smile on his face.
"and why does it have to be me? Why do I always the Klaus duty?" Caroline complained.
"Because he's in love with you." Elena replied.
"And because if he gets mad he won't kill you when he would kill other people." Bonnie added.
"Fine! I'm going now!" Caroline rolled her eyes as she got up and turned around to face a smiling Klaus who was already waiting for her with a drink of her favorite beverage.
"So, Caroline, what is it that you need to tell me?" He asked.
"I really think that Alaric or his brother would be better to say this... I don't know how to say it..." She said as she finished her drink in one go and added "but even if I'm the one to tell you, we really shouldn't do this here... Who know who could hear us."
"Well, why don't we go and see Mister Saltzmann then. If he's needed I supposed it has to do with him being a Grimm and all?" Klaus asked as he led Caroline out the door.
"You heard that then... Yes, it has to do with that." She replied as they slowly made their way to Alaric's apartment.
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When they arrived, it was Juliet who opened the door and called Alaric so he could invite them in.
"Caroline, Klaus? What's going on?" Alaric asked before he invited anyone in.
"I figured you could tell Klaus about what you told us last night... I could have done it but I really wouldn't know where to begin..." Caroline explained.
"Fine then, come on in, both of you. Please take a seat. Klaus, this is my younger brother Nick and his girlfriend Juliet." Alaric introduced.
"Nice to meet you...Now, what is it I need to know so badly?" He asked.
"Well, as you may know, Nick and I are Grimm's..." Alaric started.
"I've heard something about it yes..." Klaus nodded.
"I assume that you know what a Grimm is and does?" Alaric asked him.
"Of course I do. I've crossed path with a few of them over the centuries."
"Yes, we've read about that." Nick said.
"Well, I suppose that you also know about the royals?" Alaric asked Klaus who nodded.
"Good... Well...You're half Royal...so are your siblings." Alaric let out at once.
"What? Is this a joke? Seriously?" Klaus replied, looking more shocked that he had ever been before.
Then Alaric, with the help of his brother, began to tell the hybrid everything he had managed to find out abut Klaus and his siblings, giving the man as many details as they could.
Klaus was shocked of course and he didn't know what to do, how to handle what had just been discovered.
"Are you sure about this?" Klaus asked.
"Yes, we are." Nick nodded.
"I need to tell my siblings about it... I don't understand why nobody ever told us anything... We've crossed path with them before!" Klaus said as he got up.
"Well isn't obvious? You live forever and have more power than they'll ever have. They probably fear that you would take over power and rule forever, leaving them in the dirt. They're scared and jealous!" Caroline exclaimed.
"Maybe... I need to tell my siblings about it and discuss the next course of action... we might end up going to Europe and see how we can handle things..." Klaus said, thinking out loud.
"Well, my boss at work, Captain Renard, is also half royal, the other half is Wesen too but he's much less powerful... He won't mind me giving you his address and phone number. You might want to go and see him before you go over sees. He might have information for you or contacts to give you." Nick suggested.
"Thanks, I'll remember your help... I owe the two of you one..." Klaus said before he said good bye to them and left the apartment with Caroline behind him.
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"So, you're going to Portland now?" Caroline asked him.
"I'm going to talk to my siblings first, then we're going to see this Renard and we'll decide what we'll do then." Klaus explained nicely.
"Well, good luck then." Caroline told him.
"Caroline, I know you have the school year to finish but I hope that when everything is settled in Europe you'll come and visit me." Klaus told her before they parted ways.
"As long as you offer me the trip, I'll take it! I always wanted to see Europe after graduation." Caroline replied with one of her bright, illuminating smiles.
"Good." He replied quietly as he watched her go away.
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Once Klaus had all of his siblings assembled in front of him, he told them everything he had just found out and they all decided to go, together, see this Renard and see what he could tell them. They took first class ticket in the first airplane they could find and soon, they where in a small restaurant, speaking with the man who, technically, was a very distant relative of theirs.
They all talked for a very long time and in the end, even if Renard decided that he wanted to stay in his town to do his job, he promised all of his support to Klaus and his family.
Klaus, Elijah, Kol and Rebekah were soon making their way to France with, in their hands, the few addresses that Renard had given them. They wanted to know more about their origins and their family. They were also looking for power and revenge for being ignored for so long.
If their brother Finn and his mate Sage supported their action, they decided to look after the family interests in the United States for the time being.
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While the Original family was dealing with their own affairs, Alaric spent a lot of time with his brother and started back at the local High school as a history teacher. While he was at work, Nick and Juliet got to know Damon and the town's council better. They really enjoyed their time here in Mystic Fall's.
"It's going to be hard to go back home isn't it? " Juliet asked Nick as they were walking in town, on their own.
"Yes, I'm going to miss Alaric... But I talked about it with hi last night." Nick replied.
"Oh? And what did you say?" She asked, surprised.
"Well, he came here to avenge Isobel, then he stayed for Jenna and now he's staying for Elena, Jeremy , Damon and the others... But after graduations, they're all going to be parting ways for college and all... So he's going to stay here until they can find a replacement and then he'll look for a history teaching job in Portland near us." Nick explained.
"As soon as they find a replacement? He's not going to finish the year?" Juliet was surprised, she figured that Alaric would at least finish the school year here.
"Yes, he finds it hard to be here without Jenna, everything reminds him of her... He knows that Elena and Jeremy will be looked after by Damon and Damon told him that he would move wherever he is after Elena moves to college. By then he'll see of Jeremy stays on his own or if he comes to Portland so Alaric can look after him while Elena has the whole college experience." Nick explained.
"What if Elena ends up breaking up with Stefan and decides that she loves Damon?" Juliet asked.
"Well, then Alaric will see him less often and they'll visit each other..." Nick replied with a smile.
"You two have been thinking a lot about all of this obviously! And here I was wandering what the two of you were talking about late at night before you joined me..." Juliet joked.
"Yeah well, he doesn't want to be away from me too much either. We still have a lot to catch up on." Nick chuckled.
"I know honey, now come on, we're invited by Elena tonight and I told her that I'd bring desert, we need to buy everything I need to make it." Juliet said, dragging Nick with her to the grocery store.
Nick was happy right now and if he didn't already have a job he loved back home, he wouldn't have minded moving in this supernatural filled little town with Juliet... Maybe later he would, who knows what life had in store for the two of then.
So, here it is... I'm sorry I've been so long but there has been a lot going on in my life...
The next chapter should be the last... I might wait until the end of the summer to update this last chapter, just in case inspiration does come. Also I have so much lined up for next chapter that I might make it two chapters... If it's the case then I'll update sooner.
Please update and if you have ideas to make this longer, don't hesitate.
Don't forget to REVIEW PLEASE!
Lorelei Candice Black
