A/N: If you are reading this, it means that you have returned for another exciting chapter for 'A Thousand Years'. Thanks for tuning in!

Suffering from a lack of reviews (and very concerned that people may be losing interest in this story). Please give generously, and let me know that I am wrong. Flames will be used to roast marshmallows. :P

I don't own The Vampire Diaries. All characters (except for Grace) belong to author L.J. Smith.

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HURTS TO BE HUMAN

"My whole life I've been a seeker, searching for something."
~Mike White.

I probably should've stayed at the bar with Gloria… I found myself thinking, as I attempted to make myself seem as small as possible. I was currently trying (and failing) to avoid looking at three highly dangerous and unpredictable predators feasting on three girls with incredible vigor, while also attempting to keep down the burger I just consumed earlier. Nik and Stefan were sitting on an abandoned couch, each drinking from their victim contentedly, while Rebekah – like me – watched them from her place atop a nearby crate. Only difference was, she looked bored, where I probably looked sick.

"My girl's dead. I'm bored." Rebekah announced, and I managed a very weak, but amused smile. I was getting better at this prediction stuff. Nik seemed to ignore her completely, focusing upon Stefan.

"You weren't kidding about being hungry." He observes as Stefan lifts his head from his victim's neck. Blood is smeared all around his lips and dripping down his chin.

"Yeah. It's been a long day." He said. Nik snorts with amusement.

"Try being related to her." He said, as I shook my head and Rebekah glares at her brother before pouting at Stefan.

"You're being mean." Rebekah scowled at Nik, before looking at Stefan with a 'kicked puppy' expression. "And why are you being mean? You used to love me." She complained.

Nik raised an eyebrow.

"It's been ninety years, Rebekah. Give him a minute." He suggests and both he and Stefan start laughing like Nik had just told a really funny joke. But neither Rebekah nor I thought that that was particularly funny.

"Why are you taking his side?" Rebekah pouted.

"Because, my dear sister, I feel pity for any man who doesn't give you what you want." Nik replied matter-of-factly. My mouth fell open, appalled. What the hell, Nik? Rebekah looked rightly offended by her brother's comment.

"Will you stop make me out to be a brat? I am not a brat." She shouted, sounding exactly like she claimed she wasn't.

"A thousand years of life experience says otherwise." Nik argued. Stefan chuckled darkly.

"Well, you're no picnic, either." He couldn't resist telling him, earning a mildly annoyed look from Nik. "I mean, I've only spent one summer with you, and if it wasn't for Grace, I'd feel like blowing my own head off." Nik scowled as Rebekah rolled her eyes.

"Fantastic." She complimented, sarcastically. Stefan then suddenly drops the dead girl he had been feasting from to the ground and gets to his feet to make a hasty retreat from the room. The poor girl's open petrified eyes stared unseeingly in my direction and I shuddered and turned to pointedly look out of the window I was sitting beside.

"I need to go." Stefan announced, as he disappears from view. The only person who didn't seem surprised at his random departure was Nik. Rebekah and I looked after him with confusion.

"Where's he going?" Rebekah wanted to know. Nik finished his meal and shoved his girl aside, wiping his mouth free from her blood before he responded to Rebekah's question.

"To write a name on a wall." He guessed, then got to his feet and stretched. "It's a long story." He said when Rebekah opened her mouth to question him further. "Are you alright, darling? You're a bit pale." I just turned and gave him a look. Nik looked a bit concerned and my eyes zeroed in on a trickle of blood still on the corner of his mouth.

Was he for real?

I got up from the window ceil and walked over to him, using my thumb to wipe away the blood and showed it to him, pointedly, as I replied.

"Pale? Why shouldn't I look pale right now? The adrenaline in my system is rocketing sky high, and every instinct I possess is sending me urgent fight or flight messages." I responded dryly. "Me, pale? Nah, why would you think of a silly thing like that?" I asked. Nik looked mildly irritated and sighed tiredly.

"Your point is noted, darling." He replied, before going back and resuming his seat back on the couch.

"I'd like to know what we have missed in your life since your … death." Rebekah expressed her interest, hesitating on the word 'death' in the process. I paused, thinking this request over as I watched Nik effortlessly drag off the corpses of the three girls for disposal. Rebekah's request wasn't a bad one, and I was also interested in hearing what my second family had gotten up to after I had been killed.

Hell, I already knew one thing that Nik had done that none of his siblings knew about (with the exception of possibly Henrik, of course), but I was eager to learn what happened; regardless if it was intolerable or not. And, it would kill time between now and when Gloria finally figured out that Rebekah's necklace was currently in Mystic Falls; and worn around the neck of the very person Nik believed to be six-feet-under, and whom was trying every trick in the book she could think of to bring back her 'beloved' Stefan by any means necessary (and fuck the consequences).

That would be my condition, if they wanted to know how I grew up in my reincarnated life. I turned and smirked at them both. "What's with that look?" Rebekah demanded, looking wary.

"I will reveal my new life to you, if you extend the same courtesy towards me." I bargained. Both Nik and Rebekah stiffened almost immediately. "It would be beneficial to both of us if I knew what went on after I died that night. Just in case your enemies somehow kidnapped me and/or tried to turn me against you with things that I would not know about." I pointed out. "It's only fair." Still, Nik and Rebekah hesitated; which made me question what was so bad in their thousand year history that they wouldn't be willing to share. Eventually, they nodded to each other reluctantly.

"You strike a fair bargain. Provided that you go first, love." Nik agreed.

"Deal." I got up from my perch on the window ceil and decided to pace in front of them while I revealed my life story. Partly, because my legs had fallen asleep. But also because I was feeling somewhat agitated and restless being cooped up in a strange place, while my vampire/hybrid family and friend devoured humans in front of me. "I was born in London, England back in 1989, and lived in the UK until I was ten. Then my parents relocated us to San Francisco, California for a job opportunity." I began my life story. "In the ten years that I lived in England; I grew up in what was known then as the 'Cool Britannia' fad, which mostly was inspired by 1960s pop culture." I said, and smirked when I noticed Nik shuddering.

Clearly, I had brought up some bad memories for him.

"Please don't remind me. It was bad enough that I had to relieve the 60s for that bloody Decade Dance at that High School." He pleaded. I grinned and rolled my eyes at his whining.

"I developed a liking for Britpop music, including the Spice Girls, and collected magazines about them and the latest trends, so I could fit in with my peers. Up until I realised that I didn't really want to fit in with them because they were trying too hard to outdo one another, instead of choosing something they enjoyed personally and developing on that interest." I said, tiredly.

"Spice Girls?" Rebekah made an appalled face. "What on earth is that?" She wanted to know. Nik snorted, as I raised an eyebrow over the fact that that was the only thing that Rebekah had taken in during that part of my story.

"A music group that consisted of girls who sang atrocious songs during the early 90s." Nik explained, and I sniggered.

"They're still around now, Nik. They're just taking a brief hiatus right now. But I suppose I'm not surprised that you don't like them, Nik. They are an acquired taste." I teased, poorly.

Rebekah nodded, taking it in.

"So what happened when you moved to America?" She asked, curiously. I stopped pacing and thought back.

"I was quietly resenting my parents mostly." I replied, honestly.

Nik and Rebekah frowned. "Why?"

"Because I had been taken away from my home country and thrown into an entirely unfamiliar one; where I had to make new friends, and adapt into an entirely different culture so I didn't become an unnecessary pariah with my classmates." I stated, matter-of-factly. "Children can be very cruel when confronted with something different." I explained, sagely.

Then I scowled playfully at Nik. "As I recall during my first childhood, Niklaus, when you were twelve, you found it amusing to find earthworms and chase after me, dangling them in my face until Elijah made you stop before Mikael could get involved." I reminisced, earning a crafty smirk and a wink from my boyfriend; that told me he wasn't at all remorseful for terrorizing me like that. I poked my tongue out at him. "But I digress. At that point, fitting in with my peers wasn't really a high priority. I was too busy trying to decipher some very strange, and yet very familiar dreams that I had been getting ever since I realized that my imaginary friend turned out to be very real." I explained.

"Henrik was responsible for that?" Nik sounded surprised.

"Yeah. I was remembering fond memories of our childhood when we would play in the woods after we had finished our chores and studies, or laze about in the meadow just enjoying the sunshine, or even watching Finn and Elijah sword-fight or teach you, Nik, how to sword-fight." I grinned, happily.

Both Rebekah and Nik grinned at the memories as well; both looking somewhat pleased that I had somehow managed to remember such wonderful, happy memories of them at such a young age without truly knowing them yet.

"But then came the nightmares of my death." The smiles vanished. "I remembered the first night that happened vividly. I was thirteen." I said, sitting down on the red couch beside Nik, deep in thought.

"It was dark at first, and I could mostly hear my heartbeat thudding ominously in my ears as well as my own anxious breathing. Then came the rushed rise and fall of running footsteps, bushes and tree branches being disturbed…" I barely registered the stricken expressions on both Nik and Rebekah's faces. "Then I heard your voice, Nik." He flinched. "It was anxious, urgent. You were yelling: 'Run, Graínne! Run!' and at the time, I wanted to go and find this 'Graínne' person and help her escape whatever she was running from." Nik wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me towards him. I lay my head against his shoulder, absently still thinking about the memories of that first nightmare. "Then this tall man with long blonde hair and stubble face, and dressed in extremely old-fashioned clothing suddenly appeared wielding a sword and glaring down at me."

Nik's unoccupied hand clenched into a fist.

"Mikael…" He growled.

I nodded. "These nightmares continued for a while, each progressing more and more; until I got the full picture one night when Mikael stabbed me, and I woke up screaming." I said, causing Rebekah to shudder. "That was also the same night I discovered my birthmark, which hadn't been there until after the nightmare had come and gone." I explained. Nik nodded sagely.

"That was when you asked your parents for your self-defense classes?" He guessed. I smiled warmly, pleased that he remembered.

"Yep. Then gradually the nightmares went away, and halfway through high school I signed up for sword-fighting classes." I said proudly, causing Nik to beam at me and Rebekah to look stunned. "Even picked a favorite sword-fighting style." I grinned.

"Which is?" Nik prodded, playfully.

"Quarterstaff." I replied. Nik raised an eyebrow at the rarely used form of sword-fighting.

"Unusual." He observed.

"Yeah. But this is my second favorite weapon to use during combat." I said, unsheathing my simple silver dagger from my thigh sheath and started playing with it. Nik reached for it, curiously. "Careful." I warned, earning a slightly insulted look from Nik in the process.

"Silver won't harm him, Grace." Rebekah reminded me, assuming that that was why I was suggesting caution.

"That's not why I'm stressing caution." I replied, flatly.

"Why then?" Rebekah asked. In reply, I simply lightly touched Nik's hand with the blade. He instantly hissed and drew back when his skin started smoking and blistering. "Vervain." Rebekah muttered, sounding reluctantly impressed.

"And wolfsbane." I added. "Learned that lesson the hard way." I stated, bitterly and re-sheathed my dagger.

"How?" asked Rebekah. I went to pull down my shirt to reveal my shoulder, before I remembered that Nik had already healed me, and I sighed.

"I was bitten badly by a vengeful werewolf. But it was my own fault for provoking the bitch – pun intended - in the first place. It left a gruesome bite mark on my shoulder in the process." I replied, sheepishly. Nik tightened his arm around my waist. He too was remembering what I had told him. Although, I knew it was partially because Elijah hadn't healed me properly and had left the bite mark as a punishment and reminder. "I scared the hell out of Elijah, and he healed me." I explained to a horrified looking Rebekah.

Nik growled.

"I wouldn't call what he did 'healing', sweetheart." He felt the need to remind me. Rebekah looked sharply at Nik, not looking surprised but more curious about her brother's reaction.

"What do you mean?" Rebekah asked, before looking at me when he refused to reply. "What does he mean?" She demanded, narrowing her lovely eyes a little. I paused, feeling a little taken aback by her commanding attitude. Rebekah really had changed from the sweet, innocent, if not slightly naïve girl I once knew.

"Do you remember how horrific Henrik's wounds looked when Nik carried him back to the village?" I asked, hating myself for bringing back that traumatizing image. Rebekah paled, but nodded shakily. "Well, he had several. I only had one, right here." I pointed to my shoulder. "But it was enough to frighten both Elijah and myself at the time, and brought back bad memories. So as punishment, Elijah only healed me enough that I wouldn't die from blood loss, but that the wound was prominently displayed." I explained.

Rebekah's eyes narrowed.

"For once I agree with you, Nik. That was an unnecessary punishment. Regardless if Grace was reckless. It's also unusually childish of him." She observed, thoughtfully. I decided to steer the discussion back to my life story.

"Moving on from this morbid topic – I'm sorry I even brought it up – I eventually graduated from High School and ended up getting an acceptance into Yale University, where I pursued an interest in studying a degree in Fine Arts with a minor in Creative Writing." I boasted proudly.

"So why aren't you in Connecticut?" Nik wanted to know, frowning a little. I deflated; feeling a little uncomfortable.

"A couple years into College, both my parents died. My mother from an aggressive strain of Cancer, and my father from grief." I replied succinctly. "Since I was already almost finished with the course, the dean allowed me to finish by correspondence. And ever since, I've been traveling like a vagabond for the last few years." I said, bitter sweetly. Rebekah looked guilty, probably for bring up the topic; while Nik was quiet and looked troubled. "Hey, don't look so upset. Sure, it still hurts every now and then; but I've accepted it and I've moved on with my life. Henrik helped me a lot, and I've found you both again." I reminded them, leaning over to kiss Nik's cheek and grinned warmly at Rebekah.

"So what inspired you to go to Mystic Falls, of all places?" Nik asked, curiously.

"A feeling. Like I was supposed to be there for some reason. That, and the pen pal I was chatting with also happened to live there and I wanted to finally meet her." I replied, honestly.

"Who was your 'pen pal'?" Rebekah asked, frowning at the unfamiliar term.

I grimaced.

"Elena Gilbert." I replied, reacting like a bitter taste had appeared in my mouth. Rebekah turned to look at her brother questioningly when he started to chuckle in both disbelief and amusement.

"And how did that turn out exactly?" Nik smirked at me, unsympathetically. I scowled playfully back at him.

"Hardy har har." I retorted, and squealed with both delight and annoyance when he started tickling me without mercy. Rebekah looked annoyed.

"Is anyone going to tell me who this 'Elena Gilbert' person is? Or am I supposed to guess?" She asked, dryly, ignoring the fact that her brother was trying to tickle me until I threw up from laughing too hard. We both paused our fun, and I had to elbow Nik in the gut before he could reply with a caustic remark at Rebekah's insolence and replied for him.

"She was the Doppelgänger Nik required to break his curse. The spitting image of both Tatia and Katerina (who is also dead by the way), and just as bad as they were personality wise." I reported.

Rebekah made a face. "Oh."

"And apart from the randomness that is my life currently in Mystic Falls and right here, right now; you've pretty much caught up with my life." I said, before immediately pulling away from a disapproving Nik, who was obviously content with me in his arms, and giving both him and Rebekah my undivided attention. "Your turn. Ready for the history lesson." I prodded, beaming at them both. Both Nik and Rebekah looked amused and slightly mystified by my random happy-go-lucky attitude, and exchanged looks between them.

"It is quite a long tale, darling. Are you sure you want to know?" Nik asked, warningly.

I pouted.

"Hey, I told! Don't welch out of the deal now." I argued, folding my arms across my chest. Rebekah giggled, and Nik rolled his eyes.

"Alright, darling. But I can't promise that you won't be disturbed by what we've got to share with you." He warned. I nodded, sincerely.

"I don't doubt that for a minute." I agreed.

Nik smiled.

"What do you remember of the night that you were killed?" He asked, seriously. I furrowed my brow, slightly thrown by the question.

"I'm assuming this has something to do with the history that I wasn't apart of?" I enquired. He nodded, as I wracked my brains to remember. "It's a little blurry, but I guess the last thing I remembered was running into you after you and Elijah told me to run shortly after I witnessed Esther casting the Hybrid Curse upon you. I was really scared, and you seemed hurt that I didn't immediately trust you." I looked at him awkwardly. "I do apologise for that by the way." I told him, and Nik shrugged that off dismissively; citing that it had happened a long time ago. "Eventually, we started to make a run for it and you were blindsided by Elijah, and I fell to the ground with Mikael closing in and cutting off any escape routes. You pleaded with him to stop, but he ignored you as he pulled me to my feet and threatened me with: "Let this be a lesson to you, girl—"" I relayed with a poor imitation of Mikael's deep voice, and was unexpectedly cut off by Nik, who had a look of cold fury on his face.

""Never trust a Mikaelson."" He confirmed.

"That's right. Then he stabbed me with his sword, and everything went dark." I finished my explanation; frowning as I could've sworn there was something that I was forgetting about that night. Rebekah went paler than she already was.

"Father really said that?" She whispered, horrified.

"Word for word." I confirmed. "What happened after that?" I asked, both wanting to know and dreading it at the same time.

"I shoved Elijah away from me, and Mikael tried to stop me from attending to you. I fought him off and he fled, as I begged Mother to heal you. But your wound was too severe, and I knew I had seconds so I leant down to whisper in your ear—"

""I love you, Graínne, so much." I recited, a whimsical smile on my face as I finally remembered what I was forgetting. Nik looked shocked. "And I want you to know, that no matter how long it takes or how long I search; I will find you, and I will never let you go. I love you, always and forever."" I repeated from memory, grinning at the expression on Nik's face.

"You remembered." He muttered.

I chuckled.

"Of course, I did. I told you I remembered that when we re-visited the caves on the night of the ritual." I attempted to jog his memory.

"Yeah, but I didn't think that you'd remembered it all." Nik sounded mystified.

"Well, you were wrong." I said, smiling warmly at him.

~:STEFAN'S P.O.V:~

I made my way back to Gloria's bar to check up on the mysterious witch that I only remember from my reawakened memories of 1922 when I had first met Klaus and Rebekah. Something just didn't seem right about her, which was why I suggested going out and getting a 'bite' to eat while we left Gloria to her own devices.

It was also a bit of a risk taking along Grace with us, when it was clear that we would be hunting for unsuspecting victims to feed upon, instead of leaving her here at the bar. But I also knew that Klaus and Rebekah wouldn't let anything happen to her, and I didn't trust Gloria to pull a fast one behind our backs by using Grace - basically an innocent in all of this - as leverage.

But it was only a matter of time before Gloria eventually locates that necklace back in Mystic Falls, and I was dreading it. I paused momentarily when I finally got there, before I shoved aside my insecurities about this whole ordeal and walked in. But I wasn't expecting what I found, and my eyes narrowed suspiciously.

As though sensing me, Gloria turned and fixed me with a calm unassuming expression. That just continued ringing alarm bells in my head.

"There you are." She greeted me.

"Thought you were resting." I said, cautiously. She shrugged in reply.

"Well, now we both have a secret." Gloria continued with what she was doing, while I observed her.

"What did you see?" I asked. Gloria offered a deceptively kind smile.

"It's what I heard that's interesting." She responded, a little too innocently. "You know, the girls with the necklace, they were talking about you." She stated, and I stiffened; questioning her motives.

"Yet you didn't tell Klaus. Why?" And the answer better be good. Gloria snorted derisively.

"‛Cause I wouldn't help that hybrid half-breed with anything." She admitted, honestly. "The necklace is a talisman from the original witch herself. I want it." She stated.

If the reaction Rebekah had when she realised it was missing said anything, it probably meant that it wasn't just Gloria who wanted it; it was any witch who knew the history that talisman represented. It also told me that if that talisman went into the wrong hands, we'd all be screwed.

"Well, I'm sorry. I can't help you." I responded. I may not agree with everything Klaus is doing right now, which includes forcing me to kill and drink human blood; but until he no longer requires my help, my loyalties lie with him. Gloria narrows her eyes at me with disapproval.

"Don't be difficult. You know, I'd hate to have to tell Klaus what a liar his sidekick is." She threatens me. I immediately ran at her, aiming to incapacitate her but stiffened like I had been shot the second she turned her head and looked over at me. A searing pain rips through my head, and I couldn't help but grit my teeth. "Guess I've got to get it out of you the hard way, huh?" More pain ripped through my head and then nothing…

I woke up lying shirtless on a table. What the hell? There were lit candles all over the bar floor and Gloria standing off to the side holding a very sharp knife. My eyes widened and I attempted to sit up, but didn't get very far.

"What's going on? Why can't I move?" I demanded. Gloria approached the table and waved a flippant hand.

"Relax. It's just a little paralysis spell, nothing major." She said, like it was another odd occurrence that could happen to everybody. Yeah, right! I hiss in pain when the bitch suddenly cuts my forearms with the knife. My blood pools into receptacles on the floor. "Just got to get the information out of your pretty little head." She tells me, and I snarled in anger. Something that she ignored. "You know, witches nowadays, they're into that new age stuff, but … I'm a little more old school voodoo." Gloria then takes some little iron hooks and puts them in the wounds she had made in my arms. I screamed out in pain. "This will stop that pesky healing." She said.

I glared at her.

"I won't tell you anything." I gasped. She smirks at me, nonplussed.

"You don't have to." The blood Gloria cuts from my wrists falls into some more glass receptacles that were underneath them. A cloud of vapor rises from them. "You feel that?" Feel what? "That's your essence. Your spirit. It lets me make a connection. Herbs help, too. Diviners, sage, witch hazel." She reaches for something that I couldn't see. "But my personal favourite…" She rubs her hands together with whatever it was in her hands. "Vervain."

Oh, shit! I struggled to free myself as Gloria places her hands on my chest, causing my skin to start burning from the herb. I screamed in pain.

(Ten minutes later)

Gloria then takes some red powder and repeats what she did with the vervain, and rubs it into her hands. Gloria hums underneath her breath and looks down at me with interest.

"I'm impressed." She muses. "You've got discipline, Stefan. It's not going to do you much good, but … just let go, honey." She puts her hands on my chest and I scream out in pain as my skin starts burning again. Gloria's eyes closed as she studies something in her mind. "There you go, there you go. There's the girl with the necklace." My heart sinks. "You love her. You'd do anything for her, and you have." She sounded surprised by this. "A lot of darkness, a lot of guilt. All to keep her away from Klaus. Why would he be interested in one girl?"

Nothing good can come from Gloria continuing to torture me for the information she needed. Especially if she realizes what Elena's purpose with Klaus was.

"Don't do this. Don't do this." I urged on deaf ears. Then Gloria grinned triumphantly, and swore underneath my breath.

"She's the doppelgänger." She breathed, surprised. "She's supposed to be dead, and that's why Klaus can't make hybrids, isn't it?" Gloria laughs at her achievement, and is so distracted by this that she fails to notice one of Klaus' minions standing behind her. I smirked, drawing her attention before she realizes that somebody is behind her and is instantly killed by the minion.

"Thanks." I said, begrudgingly, and pulled the iron hooks out of my arms and let the wounds heal over. Normally, I'd be annoyed that Klaus had had me followed (which tells me that he still doesn't trust me). But this time I'll make an exception. However… I hopped off the table and immediately plunged my hand into the minion's chest, ripping his heart out. "Can't let you go crawling back to your boss and blowing my cover, now can we?" I say to the corpse, as I pulled my shirt back on and then rolled up both Gloria and his corpse before dumping them in a dumpster and setting it alight.

Time to return to the warehouse before they notice I've been gone too long.

~:GRACE P.O.V:~

Well, that was an interesting history lesson I must say. I never knew that the family I was about to marry into a thousand years ago, would turn out to be this dysfunctional. And all of this was sparked because Mikael didn't like the fact that his wife had cheated on him with Nik's father (who turned out to be the Chief of our werewolf neighbours' pack) and thus sentenced Nik to a life of torment by killing off his werewolf family and forcing Esther to curse him.

I found myself sitting in the room where Nik was keeping his siblings' coffins, brooding, soon after Nik left to go and check up on Gloria's progress. But Rebekah (and to an extent me) was more concerned about the fact that Stefan was still yet to return from whatever the hell he was doing, and was gone looking for him. As I sat there, deep in thought; I couldn't help but go over what I had just learned hours ago from my boyfriend and my best friend, so I could be forewarned in the future against any enemies the Mikaelson's made over the thousand years we'd been apart.

For starters, I wasn't really that surprised that Nik had deliberately omitted the part where he had single-handedly killed his own mother out of retribution and then framed Mikael for the murder.

Justifiably, of course.

But it was frustrating when I knew that I had to keep it under wraps, that I knew the real truth. Or when I learned from Rebekah, seconds after Nik had left to check on Gloria, that his fuse was shorter than it used to be, and that he tended to be 'dagger happy' when any of his siblings crossed him, or ruined his plans.

I saw it as a slippery slope. One that I hoped that Nik would be able to continue keeping his footing on. Because I sincerely doubted that any of them (in particular, Rebekah) were likely to forgive him easily. My head shot up when I heard the sound of the warehouse doors open and close, and I glanced over when I saw Stefan standing in the doorway, looking determined for some reason. I frowned.

"Stefan? Where did you wonder off to?" I asked, a little annoyed. He glanced over at me briefly.

"Running an errand." He replied, vaguely. He looks over at the coffins and stops in front of one. I raised an eyebrow, feeling suspicious all of a sudden.

"For nearly three hours?" I sounded skeptical. Stefan glowered at me.

"Is that a problem?"

"I don't know. The fact that you're getting defensive over a couple of harmless questions from a worried friend makes it seem like it could be a problem." I pointed out. Stefan remained quiet still focusing on one of the coffins, looking like he was about to touch it. "Sharing is caring, Stef." I prodded.

Stefan touches the coffin.

"Stop imitating Damon, Grace. It's really annoying." He stated, then looked at me questioningly. "Why are you in here anyway?" He wanted to know. I was suspicious by the abrupt change in topic, but decided to just humour him and go along with it.

"Nice place to think." I responded. "Nik and Rebekah told me about their family history while you were AWOL." I added. Stefan raised an eyebrow.

"Bit morbid sitting in a room with occupied coffins, don't you think?" Stefan observed, and I frowned.

"The occupants of those three coffins are my family. I know it sounds weird, but being here brings me some comfort." I retorted defensively. Before Stefan could say anything else, Rebekah enters the room looking just as worried as I did. Stefan quickly removes his hand from the coffin in the process.

Nah, that didn't look at all suspicious or like he was plotting something bad. Not at all…

"You're back." Rebekah exclaimed, walking over to stand beside me. "Finally. Nik went to check on the witch." She explained Nik's absence to Stefan. I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure that Stefan stiffened when Gloria was mentioned. Why?

Rebekah looks at the coffin Stefan was examining before she had come into the room. "Dreary, isn't it? The family cargo." She stated, sadly. Stefan nodded in agreement.

"Why don't you undagger them?" He wondered. Rebekah frowned and I bit my bottom lip.

"Nik wouldn't be happy." I explained, logically.

"He would hunt me down and kill me." Rebekah agreed. "He's a vindictive little bastard, my brother." I nodded, agreeing with her there. Having observed him since we started this road trip for werewolves, it wasn't hard to figure out that Nik had the potential to be lethal when crossed or if plans went awry.

"But you still care about him. Why?" Stefan was curious. Rebekah sighed with resignation.

"Well, I hated him for a long time. It was exhausting." She explained, as she hoists herself up onto the coffin Stefan was about to examine. Stefan follows her example, while I went to the window and perched on it choosing to observe Stefan while he continued his conversation with Rebekah.

"You know, when I met you two, you were both on the run." He said.

"Also exhausting." Rebekah stated, bitterly.

"Who were you running from?" Stefan asked. I straightened up almost immediately.

"What do you mean?" Rebekah hesitated, looking worried about why Stefan was asking such a personal question.

"Stefan, that's none of your business." I scowled at him, but he ignored me completely.

"Last night I saw you, there was a man looking for you. You both seemed afraid. I just… I wouldn't think Klaus would be afraid of anybody." Stefan was intrigued.

"If you knew the bastard, Stefan, you'd be afraid as well." I spoke up, getting a grateful expression from Rebekah in the process. Stefan frowned over at me.

"You know who I'm talking about?"

"Unfortunately." I stated. Rebekah steered the conversation back towards her.

"No one in this world is truly fearless, Stefan. Not even Niklaus." Rebekah explained sagely to him. But Stefan was persistent.

"Who was that man?" He pressed for an answer. Rebekah suddenly looked like a cornered puppy.

"I can't. Please." She begged, getting up from the coffin. "If Nik knew we were talking about this, he would…"

"Kill us all in our sleep." I supplied. Stefan immediately backed down, when Rebekah didn't confirm nor deny what I said.

"I'm sorry." He gets up from the coffin as well. "Forget what I asked. Okay?" He suggested. Rebekah hugged herself.

"He told me about the girl you loved." Rebekah stated, turning towards Stefan with large doleful eyes. "The one that died. He also told me that you're only with him because he saved your brother, alongside Grace." Rebekah looked over at me, and I nodded in confirmation.

"It's true." Stefan said, quietly. Rebekah smiled a little at the admission.

"I think he secretly admires that about you." She told him. "You'd sacrifice anything for family." Her smile faded a little. "Don't tell him I told you that." She added, somewhat lamely. Stefan smirked, while I rolled my eyes.

"Your secret … is safe with me." He promises, then goes to turn around. However, Rebekah grabs him and pulls him into a passionate kiss. I cleared my throat uncomfortably and turned away to give them privacy; unaware that Rebekah was actually testing him.

"Do you think that you'll ever love anyone like you loved that girl?" Rebekah whispers, hopefully. I winced, already knowing that Stefan was going to lie and that she was going to catch that.

"One day, maybe." He shrugged, nonchalantly.

You're a fucking fool, Stefan… I couldn't help but think, as once again Rebekah frowns at his answer. The shit was about to hit the fan.

"I can always tell when you're lying, Stefan." Rebekah doesn't hesitate to remind him, and Stefan stiffens.

"What? I'm not…" He starts to protest his innocence, but Rebekah had already turned away and walked over to me, looking both angry and anguished.

"Don't bother. Your kiss already gave you away." I reached out a comforting hand to her, and she took it without hesitation; looking genuinely hurt. Just then Nik walks in looking pissed.

"Gloria's gone. She's cleared out." He announces, confirming my suspicions that Stefan had been up to more than just an errand when he was absent from our little group for more than three hours. Part of me wondered if it had anything to do with concealing the location of Rebekah's necklace. "We need to find a new witch immediately." He stated. Then Nik took a real look at us all; at the sorrowful, hurt expression on Rebekah's face, the alert and serious one on Stefan, and the highly suspicious one on mine. "What's going on?" He demanded, urgently.

Rebekah became serious.

"Something's wrong. He was asking about Mikael." She reported to Nik, who immediately frowned at Stefan. "He's not with us, Nik. I can sense it." Rebekah insisted. Stefan was quick to act.

"She's wrong. Klaus…" But he didn't get time to state his side of the story before Nik rushes over to him, a cold expression on his face. He immediately knocks out Stefan, and I winced sympathetically.

"What's the plan now?" I asked Nik, who looks at me sharply, as though trying to work out if I was in league with Stefan. But after a few minutes, he relaxes. He had obviously realised that I was just as confused as Rebekah was. He walks over to us, smiling pleasantly.

"I'm not sure just yet, sweetheart." He said, pulling me towards him and wrapping his arms around my waist as he addresses Rebekah. "How can you tell that Stefan isn't on our side, sister?" He asks. Rebekah was studying an out cold Stefan, curiously.

"I think that there's something that Stefan is keeping secret from you. A piece of his old life." She explained. Then looks at me. "Do you know what that could be, Grace?" She asked, studying me. I shrugged.

"Stefan has many secrets from his old life. It would be hard to determine which one he could be hiding from Nik." I worded my response carefully; hoping that Rebekah wouldn't get suspicious. Luckily, Rebekah seemed to accept my answer without too much of a delay.

"Then it's settled. We're going back to Mystic Falls to find out what Stefan is hiding." Nik declared. Part of me was relieved that I was finally going back home, while another part was also freaking out at the fact that Elena was about to be uncovered.

Of course, I can't say that I wouldn't be pleased to see her reaction when Nik did find her. The little bitch sort of deserves a wakeup call for dismissing that we had once had a friendship or even had the inclination to save me with her beloved Stefan (even if I had wanted to be saved).

MYSTIC FALLS, VIRGINIA.

DUSK, 2010.

By the time we arrived back to Mystic Falls, dusk was falling. And despite the pleasant demeanor Nik seemed to be adopting, it was clear to both Rebekah and I that Stefan, who was still out cold, was definitely in the doghouse. Nik pulls up the truck he was carrying around the three coffins in, and turns to his sister and me; still smiling that rather creepy pleasant smile.

"Home sweet home. Won't be long, then Grace and I will go out and find Ms. Gilbert for a little reunion." Nik promised before hopping out of the truck and heading for the back. We both heard the roller door of the truck slide up, and the trunk bounced a little on its tires as Nik jumped into it before closing the roller door again. I shuddered and looked at Rebekah.

"He's definitely pissed." I stated. Rebekah nodded in agreement. But she didn't say anything. "So how do you feel now that you're back in the place of our birth?" I asked her, curiously. Rebekah hesitated and glanced about our surroundings with a curious eye.

"It's hard to say. It's been a thousand years since I've last been here." She admitted. I opened my mouth to say something else, but Rebekah clapped a hand over my mouth, indicating for silence before pointing to the back of the truck where Nik had stashed Stefan with the three coffins.

"Just give me a chance to explain myself, okay?" Stefan pleaded, using a tone best suited towards somebody trying to talk somebody out of jumping from a high ledge. Rebekah rolled her eyes, and I remembered that she wasn't exactly known to be particularly forgiving if she had been slighted.

"No need. I'm not mad, I'm just curious." Nik falsely reassures him. "Rebekah seems to think you're holding onto something. A piece of your old life." He explained to a strangely silent Stefan. "The thing is, she's got flawless instincts, borderline supernatural. So I thought I would check it out. See for myself what it is you've been hiding." Nik paused momentarily to slide up the roller door, and Rebekah and I heard Stefan take in a strangled breath when he realized where we were. "Welcome back to Mystic Falls, Stefan."

I flinched when I heard the sound of Stefan's neck being snapped again.

"Subtle, Nik." Rebekah muttered.

Nik returns to the driver's side and reopens the door, still smiling that smile; only this time, his blue-green eyes were hard and flinty. And he looked like he meant business. And he expected me to follow him wherever we were going to find Elena, when he was in this sort of mood? It would be like walking with a live grenade minus the pin.

"Shall we, my dear?" He 'asks' me, extending his hand to help me down from the truck. Not wanting to push my luck, I immediately took his hand and accepted his help coming out.

"Good luck…" I heard Rebekah wish me, and I winced; realizing she'd only be saying this if I was at risk of Nik losing his shit with me, despite the fact that I was his girlfriend.

"No pressure." I responded underneath my breath, as Nik took my hand in his and turned to address Rebekah with a cold smile.

"Why don't you keep Stefan company, sister? We'll be back soon." Nik 'suggested' and Rebekah scowled and walked over to the back of the truck and hoisted herself up to sit down beside Stefan's unmoving body.

"If you insist, Nik." Rebekah replied, giving Nik a sarcastic smile back. I rolled my eyes at their attitudes. I was really feeling the unconditional love between them. Nik then proceeded to lead me back into town.

A/N: Look out, Elena! Klaus has returned for you. Stay tuned for the next update. Please review! TTFN xx