Chapter 7 : Cousins and fights

Jeremy Gilbert was an angry boy. He'd always been the poor second to his popular and successful sister not only to their peers and classmates but also to their parents.

When he was little he had nightmares of a strange man with an English accent threatening his life but when he had told his parents they had dismissed it as bad dreams but when it was Elena who had similar dreams they'd take her into their bed and held her all night long.

Growing up his father had seen him as more than just his sister's baby brother and the two would spend time together and be great, at least until Elena decided she wanted daddy's attention.

Just like the night they died.

It was his birthday and for once his parents listened to him and they spent the evening quietly at home like liked. However Elena didn't like that and chose to go to a party instead. When the party got raided by the police and the sheriff called about Elena drunk his parents went to fetch her, without even a backwards glance at him, instead of letting her spend the night in jail. on their way back they got in a freak accident while driving on the bridge and they both died. Only Elena made it out alive.

That's when he turned to drugs and booze and sex but in the end with the help of the vampire brother of Elena's vampire boyfriend (because all that crap actually exists) he got over that and went back to being her dutiful little brother. Even though he wasn't her brother.

Until because of her his paternal uncle John aka Elena's biological father died (even though he wasn't sure how he died, he had zero memories of the event), he himself almost died ending up to seeing dead people and their maternal aunt Jenna almost died and had simply returned to college, now he found himself in Denver because something inside him told him he had to go to Denver.

Upon landing he realized that there were zero family friends in Denver and that it probably wasn't his idea to begin with, even though his brain insisted that it was. Luckily a girl who was dropping a friend at the airport offered him a ride to a motel (because for some reason he also had no access to his bank account his parents set up for him either so he couldn't afford a cab and the motel).

The girl's name was Stephenie and her last name was... you got it, Gilbert. She was Uncle John's legitimate kid. The two skipped the ride and stopped for coffee.

"so... we're cousins, right?"

she threw her long light brown hair over her shoulder casually and leaned back in her side of the booth, her light blue eyes trained on him. Jeremy nodded knowing he was going to rock the ground beneath her feet.

"our dads are brothers"

"so you know where my dad is?"

"Last time I saw him, he was leaving Mystic Falls in early summer. he hasn't been back since?"

"no. not a card either. he missed my college graduation, he'd never do that"

"seriously?"

Jeremy's mouth fell open. John was nothing but a forgetful s.o.b., at least with him and Elena. He started to gently tell her about his sister being john's other kid but she already knew. John had sat both her mother Angela and herself down in the spring told them about his brother's death and the children that were left behind.

"Mom told him that if he wanted to bring you and your sister to live with us or if he wanted us to move, she'd be okay with it. Her parents died when she was a teenager as well"

"what did he say?"

"that your maternal aunt already lived with you so there was no need"

Stephenie shrugged before asking him straight

"is it true that your sister is also my sister?"

Jeremy looked at her for a moment before nodding

"how long have you known?"

"I overheard mom and dad arguing one night in February about dad going to mystic to be a judge in some beauty pageant. he wanted to be there for his niece and mom argued about it. a bit later dad whispered that his niece was his other daughter. Mom threw him out and run upstairs, I hid in my room"

the two cousins hit it off immediately. Angela Gilbert, Stephenie's mother, had no problem meeting Jeremy whom she regarded family immediately and insisted he moved in with them as long as he agreed to help around the family ranch.

In the end horses and Jeremy proved to be a perfect match. At least until Halloween rolled around and the two flew back to mystic. Stephenie looking for her father and Jeremy looking for answers.

Klaus was locked in what he'd like to call his thinking room. The very same room he had shown Caroline earlier fixing the broken bracelet. He wasn't sure why he had shown her the room but he didn't quite regret it. Yet. Probably because her bright blue eyes had the same almond shape as miss 'brown eyes' he had saved from a crazed copper haired sparkly guy back in spring.

if he was honest with himself those eyes, the girl's soft voice, her scent kept haunting him. he found himself drawing her face at odd times. When his mother had asked him if he'd bring a date this morning those dark brown eyes had appeared in his mind without his consent.

so he had asked Caroline. He did it for two reasons. The first one was because it would piss off his sister, petty and childish but it worked. The second one was because on the night of her birthday, when he was feeding the dying vampire girl his blood he had seen those dark brown almond shaped eyes. There was a photograph on her dresser featuring two little girls. One was obviously Caroline but the other one was his girl, as a little girl.

Wait. His girl? When did that happen?

That's how he found himself on this slippery slope. He had made a gazillion drawings of her, her eyes; he had even stolen that picture from Caroline's dresser. He finished the drawing he had made for Caroline he left his house ignoring the looks he got from his family and ran to Caroline's house. A quick cursory hearing told him there were 2 sleeping humans so he jumped straight to Caroline's room through the window.

he had failed to smell the room before sneaking in and someone attacked him from behind.

he relied on his instincts as he fought his attacker but no matter how much he bit them he felt as if he was biting marble. it did zero damage and his teeth threatened to break. Finally he managed to overpower his opponent and threw them on the bed kneeling over them holding one hand around their throat and the other one holding theirs back flat on the bed.

"what the hell is going on?"

"that I would very much like to know"

the person on the bed snarled at him

"get the hell off her"

Caroline shrieked from the now open bedroom door. Klaus blinked a few times his eyes traveling to the figure on the bed. it was a girl, wrapped in a fluffy green towel, crimson red eyes glaring at him and a cocked eyebrow was sent his way. he watched as the crimson orbs rolled and he received a really well aimed knee kick and was thrown sideways on the soft bed. he watched as towel-girl got up and pushed her wet dark red hair away from her face.

"Bells!"

"he snuck inside while I was changing Carrie! what did you want me to do, ask him if he'd prefer leg or breast?"

"you got a point... that's Klaus"

Caroline told the other girl and Klaus watched with something similar to fascination as the crimson was slowly gone from towel-girl's face and spread on her cheeks as her eyes widened and returned to focus on him

"sorry..."

the girl winced and he recognized those deep brown eyes.

"it.. it's ok"

he croaked both from the lingering pain on his groin but also from the morbid realization he could and would have killed his girl if Caroline hadn't interrupted.

"I'm going to do something, anything"

she mumbled and flew from the room ducking behind Caroline who's raised eyebrow demanded answers, with a sigh he explained to her he wanted to leave her something and before the blond vampire could answer he had jumped back out of the window and perched himself on a tall branch that had perfect view of the room.

"Just call me Klaus the peeping tom"

he mumbled to himself and turned his attention to the room just as miss brown eyes returned to the room and Caroline called her boyfriend

"hey, is he gone?"

"yeah he left this drawing"

Caroline replied the soft soprano voice and the two laid on the bed. were they...

"he's a good artist"

"yeah he is"

"did you have a good time?"

"actually yeah I did, I miss Tyler though"

"did you call him?"

"I left him a message"

his girl started laughing

"what?"

"You had what three boyfriends in the last year and I only had one in two years"

both girls burst laughing

"want one of mine?"

"nah thanks"

"I missed you Bella"

"we live together now, can't miss each other again cuz"

the two girls soon fell asleep but Klaus was elated. he found her name

'Bella' and that she's single. he all but skipped the way back to his house