A/N: Welcome back! I hope you are looking forward to reading this new chapter.
Please review, and as always no flames will be accepted.
I don't own The Vampire Diaries. All characters (except for Grace) belong to author L.J. Smith.
Enjoy Xx.
HELL HATH NO FURY
"People quake with fear because I have the power to make them afraid."
~Klaus Mikaelson.
The subject of what Nik had set up as a 'demonstration' to get Damon to cooperate never came up again. But I couldn't help but feel disappointed that he had had a plan like this set up in the first place. It still seemed like Nik had a lot to learn and get over in order for our relationship to process any further.
"Is there something the matter, sweetheart? You've been very quiet for a few days now." Nik observed, with concern. I opened my eyes and registered the beautiful, clear blue sky; dappled with wispy clouds slowly going by in the wind. We were lying in a grassy meadow, not too far away from the falls on yet another one of our dates. The sunshine was making me feel warm and sleepy. "Grace?" Nik squeezed my hand, trying to get my attention and sounding slightly impatient.
I sighed, "What was the 'demonstration' you mentioned earlier, Nik?"
Nik groaned when he realised what I had just asked him. He let go of my hand and sat up, scowling down at me. "Does it really matter, love? It got us what we wanted, didn't it?" He sounded annoyed with me, and I felt my heckles rising before I breathed in and out slowly and counted to ten.
"That's not the point, Nik. You can't just threaten people to get your own way all the time." I told him, sternly. "The fact that you haven't come out with it already tells me that it's something that you believed I wouldn't like." I pointed out.
"I've been around the block a few times, darling. I think I would know by now how things are done." Nik retorted, with slight irritation.
"Kudos to you for that." I agreed. "But you do realise that Damon was just joking around. He had every intention of helping to find Stefan." I pointed out. Nik was briefly silenced.
"Ah." He said, sounding a little sheepish. I sat up and looked him in the eyes, pointedly.
"You don't have to threaten people to get what you want, Nik. Yeah, okay; sometimes it's necessary because some people cannot be bargained with." He looked away, stubbornly. I cupped his cheek with my hand, feeling the roughness of his slightly stubbly face in the palm of my hand and gently turned his head back as I smiled at him, fondly. "In other words, choose your audience. Some people deserve it, and some people don't." I said. Nik didn't look entirely convinced, as he reached up and pulled my hand away from his face. He started to absently play with my fingers. "Look, it's just my opinion. Take it or leave it, sweetie. But as the saying goes: 'you catch more flies with honey, than with vinegar.'" I quoted. Nik opened his mouth to retort, when his phone suddenly rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and studied it for a second before sighing.
"I'll keep that suggestion under advisement. But I can't make any promises. Old habits die hard, after all." Nik relented, offering me a weak smile as he got to his feet.
I nodded, "Good enough. You better take that call, it might be important." Nik chuckled and leant down to kiss me on the cheek.
"I'll see you back at the apartment, darling." Nik promised as he walked away and called back the unknown caller. I watched him go until he disappeared from sight then sighed contentedly and flopped back down on the grass. I decided to continue cloud watching, like I had been minutes ago with Nik before the uncomfortable conversation occurred. That was the last thing that I remembered before drifting off to sleep in the warm sunshine.
I woke up to the sound of something shrill ringing in my ears. I frowned and sat up trying to figure out what the annoying sound was … then scrambled quickly for my bag to dig around for my phone.
"Yes, hello?" I answered, a little sharper than I intended. I winced, praying that I hadn't offended whoever the caller turned out to be.
"Is this a bad time?" The voice sounded amused and slightly concerned, and I blinked registering who the voice belonged to.
"Damon? No, no, of course not. I just fell asleep." I replied sheepishly, getting to my feet and straightening out my slightly wrinkled clothes.
"Okay? Where exactly are you right now?" Damon sounded hasty; like he was trying to reveal something without getting caught in the process. I frowned curiously, glancing around at the sun drenched meadow that gleamed like a sea of emeralds.
"A meadow not too far away from the falls, why?" I replied, getting to my feet and already anticipating that he wanted me to meet him somewhere. My assumption turned out to be right on the money.
"How soon can you get to the Old Witch House?" He asked.
"Old Witch House?" I said, momentarily confused as I looped my purse over my shoulder.
"Yeah, the place filled with the ghosts of dead witches who love to torture me by turning the protection in my daylight ring on and off. That place." Damon elaborated, impatiently.
"Not difficult to forget that dilapidated death trap." I responded, earning a chuckle from Damon as I pulled away my phone to check the time. "I can leave right now. What's the emergency?" I cut to the chase.
"I think I've got a hunch of where Stefan could be hiding the coffins, but I'm not completely confident." Damon explained, sounding almost relieved that I was able to drop everything and come down. Not that I was doing much since I had just recently finished my correspondence course and had bugger all to do.
"Really? That's great! I'll be there as soon as I can!" I exclaimed. I didn't even care that I was about to be invading the territory of a whole coven of dead pissed off witches that I unfortunately could see due to my medium abilities.
"Great! Hurry!" Damon urged, sounding a little distracted.
I practically sprinted for my car and dived right into it, thanking everything that was holy that Nik hadn't decided to take my car wherever he was going when he had gotten the latest in a series of phone calls he had been receiving. I drove up to the clearing where the trail leading to the Old Witch House lay, and wasted no time getting out and hurrying up the trail to where the house was. As the house came into view, I noticed Damon and Elena walking towards it, and I narrowly avoided being seen by Elena by ducking behind a nearby tree. However, I was spotted by Damon whose eyes widened, and he immediately went to distract Elena to avoid her spotting me also.
"I thought Bonnie said this place lost all its mojo." Damon queried, and I was thankful that the old abandoned house was empty enough to create an echo that meant anybody could hear what someone was saying from another room in the house. I cautiously approached the house, and waited until Damon and Elena went into another room before I paused in the doorway, just eavesdropping.
"The dead witches were angry at her for bringing Jeremy back to life. I guess now they have something they want her to know." Elena responded to Damon's query using an almost distracted voice. I heard Damon snort with distain.
"I hate witches. So fickle … Passive-aggressive…" He muttered, and I winced; questioning why Damon wasn't using his brains at a time like this, considering that he was walking through a house full of vengeful witches that could turn off the protection in his daylight ring as easily as changing a lightbulb.
"Stefan?" Elena called out, idiotically.
"Come on, Stef. Olly olly oxen free!" Damon sang out, then hissed in pain. I figured that he must've stepped into a patch of sunlight and had gotten singed by the UV rays. "Aaah. Ow. Ugh!" He yelled, then came into view near the doorway I was eavesdropping in that had a shadowy corner. "Really!? Still!?" He snarled, angrily.
"What?" I heard Elena ask, sounding mildly concerned. Damon sighed, exasperatedly.
"Witchy spirits aren't a big fan." And I blinked when a whole group of the witches suddenly appeared before my eyes, all glaring at Damon. "And they use their witchy juju to screw with my daylight ring!" He growled.
"Then wait outside." Elena said, impatiently. The sound of her footsteps faded away, and Damon looked in her direction with alarm.
"Elena!" He protested.
"I'm not leaving until I know if he's here." Elena's voice echoed through the house. Damon groaned in frustration and turned and ran straight towards me, nearly bowling me over in his haste to get out of the house. I glowered at him.
"Hi there!" Damon greeted me, and I lightly slapped him on the arm.
"Elena? Really?" I whisper-shouted at him, so that Elena (or Stefan) weren't alerted that I was there. It was bad enough that I wasn't exactly popular with most of the witches in this godforsaken house; I didn't need to let Stefan know that I was on to him about the whereabouts of Nik's coffins. Damon looked slightly shamefaced, but also unrepentant.
"Sorry, geez. Calling you was a last minute thing. Besides, you and Klaus wanted me to help you find Stef; well here he is." Damon gestured towards the house, and I pursed my lips; knowing that he was right.
"Fine. I apologize for hitting you. It was uncalled for." I conceded. Damon shrugged.
"Didn't even feel it." He said, before shoving me inside. "You better catch up, but be careful not to be seen." He warned me. I nodded, and proceeded slowly deeper into the house; hoping and praying that I didn't accidentally step on any squeaky floorboards in the process. It was a little difficult actually knowing which direction Elena had headed off to, as there was quite a few potential places Stefan could have hidden the four coffins.
"Stefan?" I heard Elena call out from not too far away from where I was presently standing. I followed her voice towards the basement, and grinned from ear to ear in triumph.
"Go away!" I froze, thinking I was busted because of how close Stefan's voice turned out to be. But when I didn't suddenly get an up close and personal view of Stefan himself, I naturally assumed he was in the basement where Elena was. "You shouldn't be here, Elena." Stefan warned his ex. I accessed speed dial and called Damon's number. The answering click told me that Damon was listening in, and smart enough not to answer and blow the whole plan sky high.
"Stefan, I need your help. Bonnie said that you would be here." Elena explained.
"Well, Bonnie sucks at keeping secrets." Stefan sniped back, and I couldn't help but agree with that particular statement.
"Listen, you need to give Klaus his family back." Elena insisted, and I nearly dropped my phone out of shock. What did she have to gain from this? There had to be some catch that Stefan had to meet for Elena to be asking him for this request.
"Oh, really? Is that what I need to do?" Stefan said.
"Klaus and Rebekah are out for my blood, Stefan. Because I daggered Rebekah and Grace ruined everything by pulling the dagger out again." Elena explained. I bristled. "Don't you get it? Stefan, Klaus isn't gonna stop until he gets what he wants!"
"Elena, stop talking. I'm not giving Klaus anything." Stefan stated, dismissively.
"Are you listening to me? He's gonna kill me!" Elena insisted.
"Not really my problem." Stefan dismissed her, and I winced when I heard flesh slapping flesh. I couldn't believe it. Elena had slapped Stefan. Something I never thought would've happened between these two.
"You can go to hell!" Elena declared, and I heard footsteps heading in my direction.
Shit… My eyes widened as I immediately ducked into the next room to avoid being caught by Elena. The very last thing I needed was her to alert Stefan to my presence here. Thankfully, Elena raced past, not noticing that I was literally in the next room, listening in.
"You shouldn't be here." A voice speaks out to me, causing me to jump and spin round to face the person. It was one of the dead witches. However, it must've been one of the nicer ones because of the concerned expression on her face. I scowled at her, feeling defensive.
"Where's the rule that says otherwise?" I challenged her. Suddenly, Damon's voice comes over my phone and both the witch and I look down at it.
"That didn't go over well." He was saying to an obviously angry and distraught Elena outside the house.
"Don't even start, Damon!" Elena yelled at him. Some scuffling came over the line, and I frowned. Risking being caught, I peeked around the doorframe and saw Elena attempting to leave but Damon had grabbed her arm preventing her from going. He had a sympathetic expression on his face.
"Let me talk to him." He offered. Elena looked at him like he was crazy.
"You can't get in. The witches won't let you!" She insisted. Damon hesitated, but then looked determined as he dug around his jacket pocket and produced his car keys; which he gave to Elena, much our surprise.
"Here. Take my car keys and head on home. I'll deal with my brother." Damon stated. He presses the keys into Elena's hand, then rushes into the house; headed in my direction while running from shadowy spot to spot, trying not to be burned. "Come on!" He tells me, seizing my wrist and pulling me along with him towards the basement in between dodging the sunlight patches. We both find Stefan sitting alone in a chair. His green eyes narrowed immediately when the both of us come into view.
"Wow! That was impressive. But the coffins aren't here, so … you can go away now." He tells us both. Damon steps towards his brother, hissing still from the burns he had inflicted on himself coming down here.
"We don't care about the coffins. We need to talk." Damon told his brother. I pulled my wrist away from Damon and scowled at both brothers.
"Speak for yourself, Damon." I spat, before turning my glare on Stefan who didn't look at all intimidated, but smirked at me. "No more games. Where are my brothers?" I demanded.
Stefan's smirk became nasty, "No comment." But the smirk dropped when he faced his unamused brother, as I groaned with frustration. "Let's talk then." He says to Damon.
The dark-haired Salvatore bristled, "Nothing's ever easy with you, is it?" Then he attacks Stefan, grabbing him by the lapels and throwing him out of the house. My eyes widened in alarm.
"Damon!" I cried out in shock, and ran to catch up with them; but nearly collided with the same witch from before who had spoken to me. "What are you …?" The witch waved a hand, and I was hit by a subtle shift in the wind and I heard four solid thuds. I turned and saw the missing coffins Nik was searching for. "But, why are you helping me?" I faced them both, feeling very confused with this random act of kindness.
"Most of us have noticed a subtle change in Klaus, and it all leads back to when both you and the youngest Mikaelson came back into his life." The witch explained.
"Henrik? And me? Wha-what did we do?" I was confused. Another witch appeared beside the first one, she had a sad smile on her face.
"Both of your deaths started the Original Hybrid's spiral down into darkness. With your separate returns, we foresaw his potential redemption." She explained. "However, when this will happen, we cannot tell."
I frowned, "What does revealing the location of the coffins have to do with that?"
"Consider this, our white flag, and your reward for helping to right a wrong." The second witch said.
"We will protect your brothers for as long as we can." The first witch promised. I smiled at them both, gratefully.
"Thanks, I guess. At least I've got something to tell Nik when I see him." I acknowledged as the witches disappeared from sight; making the coffins invisible in the process. I hurried back upstairs and out the front door, just in time to see Damon and Stefan both shouting at each other. Stefan had a tree branch protruding from his stomach.
"Why did you screw it up!?" Damon was shouting at Stefan, angrily.
"I did it to protect us all!" Stefan shouted back, throwing Damon off of him and removing the branch from his gut.
"Protect us? From Klaus?" Damon looked dubious. I came forward so I could hear this properly, but Damon put out an arm to prevent me from coming any closer. For once, I didn't scowl at him for his overprotectiveness.
"Whatever for?" I demanded, as Stefan's slightly pained green eyes slid towards me.
"Klaus is unpredictable. If anybody got in his way when it came to Mikael, he would've killed us all. I know this." Stefan insisted. I let out a frustrated sigh.
"You might know him now. But I knew him then, and he can be reasoned with if you give him the right words and the evidence to back it up." I told him, with exaggerated patience. "You crossed the line this time, Stefan, and involved family. And when it comes to his family, Nik doesn't suffer fools lightly. I hope you are prepared for what will come for you." I warned him, feeling very unsympathetic. I glanced at Damon, taking his hand. "Come on, let's go." I said, leading him down the trail to where I had left my car. However, Damon resisted, pulling away his hand before turning to head back into the house. I reluctantly followed, while Stefan was standing just outside the entrance watching us.
"Do you know what I can't figure out? Is your switch on, is your switch off?" Damon asked his brother, curiously. Stefan glared.
"You have somewhere you need to be, Damon?" He hinted, earning a humorless bark of laughter from Damon.
"Deflection. That's not gonna work on me! I invented that." Stefan just rolled his eyes and stepped back into the dilapidated house.
"We're done. Can't you just go away?" He requested, then glanced over at me. "Both of you?"
"Why did you steal the coffins?" I demanded, coldly.
"Because Klaus's family is one weakness I can use against him." Stefan humored me, and I hated him for that. It wasn't as though what I was asking for was a hardship. But it did give me an insight into how resentful Stefan was feeling towards Nik.
"Use against him to do what?" Damon asked, suspiciously. "You're not gonna kill him, and you know how I know? 'Cause there was only one way to kill him, and Grace used it to kill Mikael." He said, somewhat smug.
"You're wrong Damon. Klaus doesn't get to live forever. There's another way. There has to be." Stefan insisted, stubbornly. I folded my arms across my chest.
"Good luck trying to find it. But know that we will stop you." I warned him. Stefan took a step towards me, obviously trying to be intimidating. But I stood my ground, despite Damon standing between us to protect me from his brother.
"Challenge accepted." He vowed. Stefan disappears back into the house, and I smirked triumphantly while Damon's back was turned watching his brother to make sure he didn't attack us from behind. Damon sighed with frustration as he turned and this time grabbed my hand, leading down the trail.
"The coffins are in the house." I revealed to Damon once we were in my car and halfway down the road away from the Witch House. He turned and looked at me in astonishment.
"How do you know that?" He demanded, looking relieved that for once we had managed to find something to give Nik this quickly, and not risk his wrath. I rolled my eyes at the glee reflected on his face.
"A couple of the witches showed it to me, as well as giving me an explanation to go with it." I said, still feeling slightly perplexed at how generous and willing they were to help me and go against Stefan and his fruitless revenge.
"What's the catch?" Damon asked, suspiciously.
"No catch, surprisingly enough." I explained, as I changed lanes and merged into thickening traffic. "According to them, the return of Henrik and myself back into Nik's life is apparently changing him for the better." Damon looked at me skeptically.
"Changing him? How?" He asked.
"It seems that the death of his baby brother and his beloved fiancée, messed him up even worse than I initially believed." I theorized. "Of course, I am going by what Rebekah, Elijah and Nik told me. I obviously wasn't around after I died a thousand years back to witness this spiraling downfall Nik had." I said. Damon snorted, looking and sounding skeptical.
"I'll believe that when I see it." He stated, dryly. I frowned at his negativity.
"Must you be a downer?" I asked him. Damon just looked at me.
"You can't just expect me to miraculously act all buddy-buddy with the guy, just because he going to be making this positive turnaround in his attitude, now that he's got you and his baby bro back. Things like that just don't happen overnight, Grace. It's not a crappy fairytale." Damon pointed out.
"I know that. And I don't want it to be one either." I agreed. "But I have seen little flashes of Nik gradually toning down the rage and the ruthlessness." Damon looked like he wanted to say something else to me, but decided not to at the last minute and remained silent, just staring out the window or fiddling with the car radio to find a good song to listen to. "You want me to drop you back to the Boarding House?" I asked him.
"Nope. We got the information Klaus wanted me to find for him. I want to let him know while the knowledge is still fresh." Damon replied, as I pulled up to the Apartment block and cut off the engine.
I shrugged, "Suit yourself. I just hope that Nik's in a good mood and doesn't attempt to go out and maim Stefan when he learns the location."
Damon and I got out of the car and headed straight for the vestibule. It seemed like Nik was expecting us, or at least overheard our conversation when we first pulled up, because he had opened my apartment door before I had even gotten the chance to get my keys out of my pocket.
"Hello, love." Nik greeted me warmly, pulling me into a hug. "Salvatore." He curtly greeted Damon who nodded, but didn't verbally respond back. I rolled my eyes, but let it go; knowing that their current ceasefire could very well dissolve at any time. I just hoped it lasted for a long time. "Did you have a nice afternoon?" Nik enquired, walking back over to the armchair he had presumably been sitting in, reading a book, as I closed the front door and slid the security chain in place. Damon made himself comfortable on the couch next to Henrik who was in the middle of a video game, and attempted to subtly stare at Rebekah – who was giving herself a home manipedi treatment and ignoring the rest of us – unsuccessfully.
"Semi. But Damon and I do have some good news for you." I responded, grinning at the interested smile that spread across my boyfriend's face the second the words fell from my lips.
"You've located the coffins?" He guessed, accurately.
"Got it in one." Damon confirmed, still focused curiously on Henrik's game. Nik looked mildly impressed.
"I see. And where pray tell is the location?" Nik demanded, all business.
"At the Old Witch House." Damon piped up once again, before I had the chance to speak. The smile dropped from Nik's face the second he learned that witches were involved in all of this, and I knew that he correctly anticipated that it would be difficult for him to get the coffins back at this time. He scowled.
"Young, old, dead, or alive. Witches are a pain in the arse." He muttered underneath his breath in irritation, pinching the bridge of his nose. I chuckled softly, earning a half-hearted glare from my boyfriend for my troubles.
"While I tend to agree with you about that, dearest, not all witches are like that." I stressed to him, as I perched on the armrest of the chair he was slouching in, looking down at him with fond amusement. "It was actually two of the dead witches that revealed the location of the coffins to me." I said.
"But the likelihood of them forking them over, Grace, is about a million to one. Witches still don't trust or like us, despite the fact that they 'helped' you. Plain and simple." Damon stated, and I raised my head and narrowed my gaze at him in annoyance.
"Thank you, Captain Downer." I drawled, then let out a startled gasp when Nik pulled me down into his lap and held me close.
"Nevertheless, the both of you came through with the task I set out. That's all I asked for." Nik thanked me with a pleasant smile.
"So what happens now?" Rebekah asked, sounding bored as she blew lightly on her freshly painted toenail, which she had varnished a lilac color. A devilish smirk spread across Nik's face that made all of us nervous.
"I think it's time we paid my doppelgänger a visit, don't you?" He suggested, rhetorically. Nik's phone then suddenly and unexpectedly rings. We all stare at him in astonishment for several seconds before he casually tugs his phone free from his jeans pocket and glances at caller ID. He chuckles in amusement. "Speak of the devil…" He quipped brightly as he tapped me on the bum, indicating that he needed me to get up. I nodded, after giving him an annoyed look for the bum pat and flipped my legs over the armrest, standing up from his lap. "Elena. A pleasure as always." Nik observed falsely in a honeyed tone, as he walked over to the main window that overlooked the town's square. That caused his sister and me to roll our eyes, while Henrik sniggered at his older brother's antics.
Damon on the other hand looked guarded and inclined his head to listen in on the conversation. The pleasant smile on Nik's face broadened and I quickly glanced in Damon's direction and watched as he let out an exasperated groan. "I suppose I could spare a moment of my time to see you, love. But it better be worth my time." Nik warned before hanging up on Elena and sliding his phone back into the back pocket of his jeans.
"What's going on?" Henrik asked, curiously.
Nik shrugged, "It seems like our luck is paying off."
"Please. You could not have planned that any better." I declared.
"What did she want?" Rebekah butted in, bluntly. Damon knocked back a tumbler of bourbon he had helped himself to during Elena and Nik's conversation; much to my consternation.
"She wants to make a deal with your brother." He drawled, filling in the blanks. I exchanged dubious glances with Rebekah.
"Can't wait to hear this." I replied, promptly. Nik glanced back at me with a raised eyebrow.
"Who says you're coming along?" He asked, and I frowned at him.
"Am I not?" I asked, surprised. The smile my boyfriend gave me was slightly condescending and I glowered at him.
"You've done enough already, sweetheart." He told me, cupping cheek with one of his hands. I brushed it off.
"I intend on seeing this through. Because with Elena, Stefan and their entourage; you never know what they might come up with … if they are desperate enough." I retorted. Nik's smile dropped instantly, obviously catching on to what I was hinting.
"They would be dead before they could even lift a finger." Nik dismissed my theory. "But if you insist on coming along, by all means."
I smiled sweetly. "You are too kind." I walked up to him and placed a wet kiss on his slightly unshaven face, before swaggering over to where I had dumped my purse and scooped it up as I headed for the door. I was followed quickly by Rebekah who was smirking, enjoying the annoyance Nik was exuding. I could've sworn I could hear him muttering 'women' underneath his breath as he and an equally bemused Damon and Henrik followed us.
I rode shotgun beside Nik in my own car as he personally drove us to the Gilbert residence with Rebekah, Henrik and Damon sitting in the backseat; all looking thoroughly confused by Nik's behavior at the moment. I had half expected him to have summoned one of his hybrids to chauffeur us around, but wisely stopped myself from saying this out loud. I suspected that his current saucy mood was probably due to learning from both Damon and myself that his brothers were being held hostage in a house inhabited by both a highly volatile Ripper with a serious vendetta against him, and some Bennett witches that would sooner magically set fire to all four coffins, than let Nik, Rebekah and me reprocess them. By the time we got to the Gilbert's, there was one thing that became glaringly obvious to both Damon and myself.
"Uh, where's my car?" Damon piped up, sounding a bit irritated.
"I guess Elena didn't go straight home like you told her to." I said.
"Is this relevant?" Nik demanded, also sounding irritated.
"Yeah, a bit. Elena was at the Old Witch House when Damon and I attempted to interrogate or literally beat some answers out of Stefan about the whereabouts of the coffins." I replied, moving to open the car door. "Damon suggested that she take his car and go home to leave it to him to sort this bullshit out. Clearly, she didn't heed his advice, and judging by the panicked look on his face; he's worried about the condition of his car." I said, getting out of the car and making a deliberate stride towards the Gilbert's front door.
"Where are you going?" Damon asked, getting out of the car and grabbing my arm. I calmly pulled it free from his grasp just as Nik used his vamp-speed to neatly intercept Damon as he wrapped his hand around the younger vampire's wrist, and judging by the slight wince Damon gave; Nik was none too gentle.
"If you want to keep that hand, I'd suggest you remove it." He ordered, sternly. I sighed heavily and moved around them to walk up the Gilbert's black slated front porch.
"Would you two cut it out? I'm just asking Jeremy or Alaric if they've seen Elena. Your rivalry is becoming tiresome and I'm getting sick of it." I said.
"No, by all means, Grace. Let them go. If they want to persist in behaving like a couple of arses, don't interfere. It's actually quite amusing." Rebekah piped up from the car with a catty smirk touching her lovely face. All three of us looked back at her, with only Nik and Damon scowling at her unamused.
"Keep it up, Rebekah. You know how much your sass thrills me." Nik retorted, sarcastically. Rebekah continued smirking at him, but her eyes widened very slightly; obviously catching on to the underlying daggering threat Nik was insinuating. I wrapped my knuckles on the wood stained front door, pausing when I heard somebody's heavy footsteps coming closer to greet us. The door opened and I was greeted by Jeremy who was frowning at me suspiciously but with a hint of curiosity.
"Grace?" He asked, cautiously. I offered Elena's brother a warm smile to put him at ease.
"Jeremy, hey! How's it goin'?" I greeted him, brightly. Jeremy gave a surprised look and relaxed a little.
"I'm okay, I guess."
I nodded, "Listen, do you happen to know where your sister is at the moment?" I asked him.
"Last I knew she was headed to the Grill with … Bonnie." Jeremy seemed to hesitate mentioning Bonnie, and I mentally kicked myself for forgetting what Elena had said about Jeremy and Bonnie splitting up. And about how hurt he had been and distracted and neglectful he was acting recently. I was about to open my mouth to ask him where Elena might be lurking currently, when Damon; presumably impatient, barged right into the conversation.
"Hey, baby Gilbert." This earned him a hateful scowl from Jeremy. "Where's your sister at?" He asked, a little too forcefully for my liking.
"Damon!" I growled at him, as Jeremy bit back.
"You again. What business is it of yours?" He demanded. Damon shrugged nonchalantly, but his blue eyes were beginning to harden in frustration.
"Long story. But it would much appreciated if you could stop beating round the bush and just tell us already. Her boyfriend is getting impatient." Damon thumbed casually in my direction.
Jeremy frowned, "Her boyfriend?"
"That would be me." Nik saunters casually up the front porch and comes to a stop beside me, as he wraps a possessive arm around my shoulder and narrows his eyes at Damon. "And I'd thank you not to be so rude in the future, mate." Damon pointedly ignores him, focusing on Jeremy, whose eyes widened in shock.
"Klaus." He glares at me accusingly, and I mentally swore realizing how quickly south this whole conversation was going. This was supposed to be a calm, friendly conversation, not the beginnings of a raging fight ignited by a few ill-timed choice words from two hot-headed supernatural entities. "He's your boyfriend?!" Jeremy growls at me. Nik offers the youngest Gilbert a tight smile.
"Yes. I believe we've just established that. Now, please tell us where your sister is." Nik requested. Jeremy's hand visibly tightened on the doorframe. It was obvious he hated being ordered around.
"Even if I did know where Elena was, I don't know why I should tell you. Nobody tells me anything around here." Jeremy procrastinated. Nik looked like he was about ready to tear out Jeremy's throat and use his arteries like a silly straw, but I stopped him; feeling stunned and angry over what Jeremy had just said.
"Hold on a minute. You know nothing about the supernatural?" I clarified, and Jeremy directed his attention towards me; his anger mellowing a little when he saw how genuinely horrified I was learning this about him. He shook his head.
"Not nothing. I know a little, but obviously not enough if I had no idea that you were dating the vampire that killed my sister several months ago!" Jeremy corrected as he glared heatedly at Nik who glared back.
"Hybrid." Nik corrected in frustration.
"Whatever you still killed my sister." Jeremy retorted.
"That's not really important right now." I redirected the attention towards me. "May we come inside, Jeremy? It seems we need to fill you in on a lot of things." I asked, politely. Damon just pushed passed without permission and disappeared inside the house. Both Nik and I growled or hissed at him in displeasure.
Jeremy hesitated for several minutes, before nodding and stepping aside to let us in.
"Thank you." I beamed at him, pleased that Jeremy was at least willing to hear us out.
"Much obliged, mate." Nik agreed as we walked through the hallway and into the living room. A wary Jeremy made to close the door when Rebekah and Henrik appeared and gently knocked on the wood.
"May we come in also?" Rebekah requested, politely. Jeremy blinked; obviously not expecting a beautiful girl and a guy roughly his age to be standing there asking entry.
"Uh, yeah sure. Who are you two?" He asked, now looking confused.
"Rebekah Mikaelson, and this is my younger brother Henrik." Rebekah responded almost dismissively as she made her way into the living room, leaving Jeremy and Henrik in the hallway.
"Hey." Henrik greeted Jeremy with a smile. It appeared that Jeremy had been in the middle of a video game before we had showed up on the doorstep. But what was interesting was that there was two game controllers instead of one. Jeremy had a friend over.
"Hey Jeremy, is somebody else here?" I asked, not wanting to divulge anything about the supernatural if it was likely to be overheard by somebody who had no business knowing about it, or had a big mouth. Jeremy walked into the room and turned off the game, packing it up.
"Yeah, I was just hanging out with Tyler. Dunno where he's gone though." Jeremy replied. Nik smiled pleasantly.
"Probably avoiding me. I shouldn't worry about it." He said, dismissively.
"Back door's wide open." Damon reported, walking in from the kitchen. Jeremy frowned in confusion, and I decided to change the topic.
"So, exactly how much of the supernatural do you know, Jeremy?" I asked him, getting straight to the point.
"Just what I read in Johnathan Gilbert's journal from 1863, back when Ric wanted me to do some extra credit for history." Jeremy replied promptly, slouching back down on the couch. "Mystic Falls back then was the hot spot for vampires, werewolves and witches. And that Bonnie's a witch, Caroline, Damon and Stefan are vampires, and Tyler is a werewolf-"
"Hybrid." Nik cut him off, as the Mikaelson siblings and I exchanged glances with each other, while Damon slouched against the wall nearby the window; looking bored.
"What's with the looks?" Jeremy demanded, ignoring the correction Nik had made.
"It's just what you said. It's not entirely true." Henrik piped up, looking a little uncomfortable.
"What do you mean?" Jeremy asked. "Was everything I read a lie?"
"Not a lie. Just inaccurate." Nik reassured him, looking slightly peeved. "Mystic Falls was a hot spot for the supernatural, but back a thousand years before this humdrum town was actually called 'Mystic Falls'."
Jeremy's eyes widened in shock.
"Woah. Is that how old you are?" Nik, Rebekah and Henrik nodded. "So basically what you're saying is that it sort of picked up from where it left off back in 1863?" Jeremy asked.
"Basically." Damon confirmed.
Jeremy frowned, "Why would Elena not tell me this?"
"Probably because she wants to protect you against the supernatural." I replied, angry that Jeremy was only just learning this now. "But what she continues to ignore, is that you are in more danger if you are ignorant of what will kill you." I stated, bitterly.
"I'm not an idiot. But it would be nice to be filled in on the current danger." Jeremy was also pissed off at his sister. But then started glaring at Nik once again. "And you still killed my sister, and probably loads of other people over the years." He accused.
"Of course. I'm not going to sugarcoat it." Nik agreed, bluntly.
"You're not even sorry?!" Jeremy snarled. Nik was getting annoyed with him, so Rebekah stepped in to attempt to smooth things over and defend her actions and her family's.
"Of course we were, at first. But over the centuries it became a little pointless to apologise, and it literally became bloody depressing." Rebekah explained, matter-of-fact.
"It became a matter of survival." Nik insisted, sternly.
"Is that why you killed Elena? Survival?" Jeremy sniped. I decided to step in this time.
"No. It was so he could break his curse." I spoke up, quietly. Jeremy turned his glare onto me.
"Curse?" He questioned.
"The Hybrid Curse." I elaborated, calmly.
"Remember during the 60's Decade Dance when Bonnie faked her death and you took her to the Old Witch House to recover and prepare?" Damon impatiently attempted to jog Jeremy's memory. Nik's head snapped in Damon's direction as Jeremy looked suddenly thoughtful.
"Yeah. Then she knocked me out on the night of the full moon and took off. Is that why she was so determined? It was because of your curse?" Jeremy looked at Nik in bewilderment.
"Yeah, it was her job to help take down Nik when the curse was broken, and he was going through his transformation into a werewolf. That was when he was at his most vulnerable." I explained, the memory leaving a foul taste in my mouth.
"With Elena's death." Jeremy realised, looked horrified.
I winced, "Yeah, sorry."
Nik looked surprised by this piece of information that he had been ignorant about before the events of breaking the Hybrid curse took place.
"You know that actually explains so much why Ms. Bennett had made such a miraculous resurrection that night." He mused. Jeremy still looked pissed.
"Still don't know why my sister's death was needed to break his so-called curse. In fact everything you just told me is a little hard to believe." Jeremy accused. I suddenly got the lightbulb-over-the-head moment, but hesitated. The plan I had in mind, might not work.
"I can show you." I offered.
"How?" Rebekah asked, looking skeptical. I ignored her for the time being.
"You're a medium, right?" I asked Jeremy, who looked surprised that I seemed to know that. He nodded, while Nik looked at me calculatingly. "Then you're capable of having flashbacks, visions and premonitions from ghosts and others linked with the supernatural." I explained.
Both Nik and Rebekah looked at me in protest. But Henrik, bless him, defended my actions.
"Do you want Jeremy to believe you or even trust you?" He pointed out. "It's obvious that his sister doesn't trust him, or he'd already know about this by now." He said, firmly. I turned towards them, giving them a beseeching face.
"It's not just your memories I'd be showing him, guys. It's mine too. Or least the memories that I can recall, since I haven't reunited with Kol or Finn just yet." I reminded them. "Remember, we're doing this for a reason. Don't you want them back, as well as Elijah?" I questioned them.
"But Jeremy has already explained that he doesn't know where Elena is." Damon pointed out. I rolled my eyes and gave him a hard look, before getting to my feet and corralling my boyfriend, his brother and sister, and Damon away from Jeremy's ears.
"Humour me. Besides, I doubt that Jeremy is likely to trust his sister again if he believes what he sees." I retorted. "Who knows? He could align with you, Nik." I said. Nik gave me doubting look and exchanged a glance with Rebekah, who sighed heavily and shrugged.
"Has Grace let you down before?" Henrik continued. It took several minutes for Nik and Rebekah to come around and we turned and headed back over to where a confused Jeremy was waiting for me to prove that what we had been telling him was factual.
"You ready?" I asked, taking a seat beside him.
"What do I have to do?" Jeremy asked, cautiously. I reached out a hand towards him, palm down. He eyed it with confusion.
"Just take my hand." I said, succinctly. The second Jeremy took my hand, we were both hit with that same sinking feeling you get in your stomach when you descend in a lift. I was sure it affected Jeremy as well, because he flinched and gripped my hand tightly.
"Grace!?" I barely heard both Nik and Damon yell out in alarm. Nor registered the hands that tried to pull me away from the teenager.
~:(Multiple) Flashback/Memory:~
The next time my eyes opened, I found myself standing in the woods surrounded by trees as far as the eye could see … and no hint of a civilization within range.
"Where are we?" I heard Jeremy speak out, and I turned in his direction. "What did you do to me?" He demanded, almost panicked.
"I'm not doing anything. This is the work of our medium abilities. It can be very erratic." I reassured him, calmly. Jeremy was blinking in the bright sunlight like a newborn, before he finally focused on me and made a face.
"What the hell are you wearing?" He asked, trying and failing to hide his amusement. I frowned in confusion and glanced down at what I was wearing, and realised to my annoyance that I was once again, dressed as classic 'Graínne': a long-sleeved, heavy-duty grey and brown dress with an olive green smock, leather wrist vambraces, heavy-duty and slightly scuffed traveling boots and my normally dark brown hair that previously brushed my shoulders; was now long and down to my waist in a thick plait. Some wildflowers had been woven intermittently into the plait.
"Oh, for God's sake. I really don't miss wearing this." I complained, bitterly. "I prefer what I was wearing before."
Jeremy snorted, "Yeah, I never could've guessed." He grinned, teasing. I just gave him a look.
"Yeah, alright. We've established that I'm less than enthusiastic about my old Viking attire. Let's just move on and focus on our real purpose here." I suggested, gruffly.
"You were all Vikings?" Jeremy blurted out, shocked.
"Born and raised." I confirmed, walking over to Jeremy and hooking an arm around his shoulders. "Welcome to 10th century Virginia, Jeremy." I said, gesturing dramatically to the wilderness all around us. "This was what life was like a thousand years ago, when the only supernatural creature that roamed America at the time, were the werewolves." I explained, wincing when I realised just how much of a university lecturer I sounded at that moment.
"You serious?" Jeremy looked appalled. "Where is everybody?" He asked. I paused for a split second and scanned all around.
"If I remember correctly, in this direction." I said, taking off in that direction with Jeremy right on my heels. I continued giving Elena's younger brother a running commentary on what my former life was like. "Ever been camping before?" I asked him. Jeremy looked at me like I was nuts.
"Mum and Dad used to take Elena and me camping all the time. Elena used to hate it. Why?" He said, smiling almost nostalgically at the memory as he helped me over a large fallen log. I didn't bother to object, because dresses back in the 10th century were heavy and cumbersome; mostly built to last and made to get down and dirty in ... because we had to, to survive in this dangerous and yet beautiful wilderness. Women constantly required assistance to move about in them.
I smiled at him, politely.
"Just forewarning you. Because the way we used to live, was nothing like the camping in the woods that you're probably used to back in the 20th or 21st century. Everything was very hands on, basic and very rustic. One constantly needed to work hard each and every day in order to survive." I explained, failing to hide the smug smile that spread across my face when Jeremy shuddered.
"Who are they?" He suddenly asked, and I turned to see what he was talking about and instantly froze, while Jeremy frowned curiously at the two teenagers we were looking at like a couple of deer-caught-in-headlights. More memories started unlocking as I continued watching both boys having an earnest conversation on the log they were sitting upon. I smiled, immediately recognizing the two older boys that used to take care of me, Nik, Rebekah and the rest of us; while the grown-ups were busy maintaining our homesteads and doing general adult things.
"The older boy standing with his leg mounted on the log, that's Finn. He must be at least fifteen." I explained, indicating to a boy dressed in a loose fitting dark mahogany top, with a belt strung around his waist, and some tight-fitting bottle green leggings with brown traveling boots. His dark brown hair was shoulder-length and loose, blowing in the light breeze. He looked a little similar to what Henrik looked like, before he adapted to the 21st century. "The other boy is Elijah when he was twelve." Jeremy's eyes widened in surprise. Elijah was dressed in a copper-orange and black drawstring tunic top, tight dark brown leggings and traveling boots. Unlike Finn, his shaggy dark brown hair looked damp through with sweat. Both he and Finn must've just recently finished a sparring session, because Elijah was holding a sword in his hands.
"That's Elijah? Woah, that's a change from the suits he normally wears." Jeremy marveled. "This is unreal." A group of children in the age range of eight to three-years old ran into view. Jeremy laughed as he watched as the children and Elijah attempt to playfully wrestle an unwilling Finn to the ground. "Who are the kids?" He blurted out, as I finally recognized them.
I couldn't help but observe how innocent we all really wore. I was particularly surprised by how overprotective Nik was of both Rebekah and me, and wanted to kick myself when I realised just how it had carried on, up until he and his beloved little sister had been turned into the killers their parents made them be. Except, in reality; Nik had shown signs of taking his protective nature way too far at times.
I sighed, "That's me (during my first life) and the Mikaelson Siblings: back when we were children." I introduced, earning a wide-eyed look of shock and disbelief from Jeremy. "Yeah, before the Mikaelson's were cursed to roam the earth as vampires and the Original Hybrid." I confirmed. I pointed to the little blonde girl with wide periwinkle blue eyes, wearing a simple but very pretty white dress. "That's Rebekah. She's about three – just mastering the art of talking."
A little boy with dark brown hair that reached his shoulders and wearing a grey undershirt, an oversized green tunic top, light brown leggings and boots; pile-jumped on Finn causing the teenager to grunt a little in pain. Jeremy sniggered, and I knew that he and Kol would be thick as thieves; if given the proper introduction. "That's Kol, he's my twin in everything but blood. We were born the same day." I explained. "We're both five, and he's older by about ten minutes."
"So that little girl with the long, messy dark brown hair in a braid, and wearing that light blue dress is you?" Jeremy guessed, watching her run after 'mini-Rebekah' who had stumbled and fallen, scraping her knee and bursting into tears.
"You are okay, Bekah. It only hurts for a second." I hear myself consoling Rebekah who sniffs and nods, before letting 'mini-me' help her to her feet and brush her down, before giving her a hug and leading her back to her brothers.
I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's me."
Jeremy glanced over at the last boy; who had short, but slightly shaggy dirty blonde hair and expressive blue-green eyes. He was wearing a green-grey tunic top, in a similar style to Finn's shirt, with a chocolate brown vest, dark leggings and boots. It appeared that he was digging around in the dirt, twigs and leaves with 'mini-Kol' for something I couldn't see from this vantage point.
"So that skinny blonde kid is Klaus?" Jeremy smirked, as I turned to look at him, questioning what the smirk was for.
"Don't really see who else it could be." I said. We strolled over to take a seat on the log, to observe the bittersweet memory. I knew that it was bittersweet because I immediately remembered that in a few minutes, Mikael was going to show up and ruin the light-hearted atmosphere. And all of his anger would be directed towards Nik, who I recalled hadn't finished his chores from before we had started playing. Jeremy continued observing him.
"What's eating you?" He asked, not taking his eyes off 'mini-Niklaus'. I offered him a tight smile.
"You'll find out in a moment." I promised, grimly. Just then 'mini-me' let out a disgusted shriek and I snapped my head back in her direction, and watched as she started batting at her hair; removing dirt and what looked like worms. She ran off towards Elijah who glanced at her in surprise and confusion when she wrapped her arms around his waist. He sighed tiredly when 'mini-Niklaus' came running after 'mini-me' cackling with mischievous laughter. His infamous dimple was on display.
"Niklaus, what did you do now?" Elijah's deep voice, even at twelve-years old scolded 'mini-Niklaus'. Elijah crouched down to look 'mini-me' in the face and wiped away her tears. "Do not pay him any attention, dear one. He is still yet to mature, but he does not intend you harm." We all watched as 'mini-Kol' ran over to 'mini-Niklaus' and they hi-fived each other as 'mini-Rebekah' ran over to 'mini-me' and Elijah and gave me a comforting hug while scowling at her brothers. "Do not cry." 'Mini-Rebekah' urged, sweetly. 'Mini-me' smiled a little, but we all instantly flinched when Mikael's deep aristocratic voice came angrily booming in.
"NIKLAUS!"
Jeremy's eyes widened in horror as he watched the children and teenagers shiver in fear. Finn and Elijah attempted to comfort us, while 'mini-Niklaus' stood bravely and defiantly by himself, but still exhibited some fear. The memory instantly went fuzzy, like an old-fashioned television on the fritz before Jeremy had the chance to see what happened next. I just wished that I was able to forget the memory of Nik being verbally and physically abused by Mikael while the rest of us watched helplessly under the protection and comfort of Elijah, while Finn tried to intervene.
Jeremy looked horrified.
"Did that guy always sound like that?" He asked, and paled when I nodded grimly.
"That guy was Mikael." I said as Jeremy's eyes widened when he recognized the name.
"You mean the guy that Elena, Damon and Alaric were always talking about?" He asked. I looked at him strangely.
"Thought you said that you knew almost nothing because people left you out of it?" I asked, suspiciously. Jeremy scowled.
"Didn't stop me from overhearing their conversation. All I knew was this 'Mikael' guy was bad news for Klaus, and that they were bringing him to town to help get rid of Klaus." Jeremy elaborated. "Was he really as bad as they claimed?" He asked, curiously.
I nodded, upset. "Mikael was their father and head of their family." I explained. "In the 10th century, his word was law; which meant that all of us had to toe the line or suffer the consequences of disobeying him." I explained. "It was particularly hard for women during this time, because we were deemed as inferior and that our only job was to remain a virgin until we got married, have children and become the dutiful wife to obey her husband." I added, bitterly.
"So, you and Rebekah were pretty much screwed?" Jeremy asked, sounding shocked.
"Pretty much. Except in this family, Rebekah actually got treated better than Nik, but only just. He used to cop it constantly, and none of us knew why Mikael hated him so much. It sometimes got so bad that Esther; his mother, had to risk Mikael's wrath and intervene." I said, sadly.
"Shit. He sounds like a bigger dick than Uncle John used to be." Jeremy observed. I thought back to the guy we all discovered was actually Elena's biological father, and I remembered how much I despised his arrogant, cocky attitude. At times he made Damon look like a saint, even though he never killed any humans.
"The biggest." I agreed; still pleased that both Nik and I were the ones who finally killed Mikael.
Another memory was beginning to take form, and Jeremy and I found ourselves as apparitions just standing in the middle of the village, with the residents going about their business as usual.
"Where are we now?" Jeremy asked, looking fascinated by everything going on around him.
"You could say that we're standing in Mystic Falls, or at least the site of what will eventually become Mystic Falls." I replied. "The Mikaelson's and I grew up here since our families immigrated to America from Norway to avoid a deadly plague." Jeremy looked like a kid trapped in a candy store.
"This is way better than any history class Ric has ever taught us. Why didn't he know about this?" He asked. I shrugged, a tad confused about that myself ever since Rebekah pointed it out when she first came to the high school to help Stefan keep an eye on Elena and me.
"Beats me." I said. Just then Tatia Petrova walked around the corner of a nearby group of thatched houses, instantly catching Jeremy's attention.
"Elena?" He muttered, looking stunned.
I snorted, "No. That is her ancestor, Tatia Petrova; the first doppelgänger in the line of the Petrova Family." I stated with disgust.
"That is so freaky how much she looks like Katherine and my sister." Jeremy observed, looking freaked. We followed her wherever she was headed, and I bristled instantly when I noticed Tatia making a deliberate beeline for a now grown-up Elijah and Nik, who were having a lively conversation with my former life. Jeremy frowned when he noticed 'Graínne' and looked at me curiously.
"You sure you're not a doppelgänger also, Grace?" He asked sardonically, as we watched Tatia barge into the trio's conversation and turned on the charm with the Mikaelson brothers trying to hog the attention. Elijah seemed instantly charmed (much to my disgust), while Nik smiled politely at Tatia but ultimately looked uncomfortable. 'Graínne' on the other hand was shooting Tatia a look of utter loathing, which Nik noticed and hastily made excuses to leave; taking my former life with him.
Jeremy let out a low whistle.
"That looked awkward." He observed, as the memory faded like the first one before.
"Not at all. Tatia just lacked manners and had no filter or common sense. At this stage of our lives, Niklaus and I were courting, and Tatia had a reputation." I lectured Jeremy who frowned curiously, but wisely decided to change the subject.
"How did they become vampires? I know how it works back in our time, because Anna explained how it's done. But I don't think that's how the Mikaelsons' became vampires, right?" Jeremy questioned.
I grinned. Another memory faded into view; which this time I recognized as the day after Henrik was killed by werewolves. (Which thankfully we just breezed quickly through, since this would be the third time I was revealing this to someone) before it shifted to where the both of us were standing in a house that I recognized as the Mikaelsons' sitting room.
I frowned.
"I have no memory of this." I stated, glancing about their sitting room, earning a frown from Jeremy who was still pale from seeing Henrik – the same kid he had just met back in reality – lying limp and bloodied in his brother's arms as he was carried back into the village. I had to explain to a shaken and confused Jeremy that the Henrik he just met, was in fact a corporeal ghost. Something that youngest Gilbert struggled to understand, in addition to the knowledge that he could now see ghosts.
"What do you mean?" He asked, nervously.
"What I mean is, if this memory is what I'm thinking it is, then I only heard it from Rebekah personally when she was forced to explain it to Elena. I never saw what actually happened. So this is impossible." I explained. We jumped – forgetting for a moment that we couldn't be seen – when the entire family (minus Henrik and myself. I recall being blissfully unaware of what was about to happen) came into the room, dressed in their sleepwear. Both Mikael and Esther looked suspiciously calm, which rang alarm bells. A large golden goblet filled with a suspicious red liquid was being carried in by Esther.
"What's happening?" Jeremy demanded, looking alarmed. My grip tightened on Jeremy's hand.
"I believe we are about to witness the creation of the Originals." I replied, nervously.
A/N: To be continued next chapter. Jeremy's education into the supernatural shouldn't take too much longer, and I hope that my loyal readers have an idea of what I am doing. If not, leave a review and I'll explain. Thanks for sticking around for this long. Stay tuned for the next chapter. TTFN xx