A/N: My apologies for the late chapter update. My laptop's hard drive decided it was time to die, and I had to replace it; losing ALL of my data because I stupidly neglected to back up. So I had to start from scratch. Thanks for your patience.
Fair warning. There is a rather violent scene described in this chapter. I shall give you fair warning if you would like to skip ahead. Otherwise, read at your own risk!
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.
THE TWILIGHT ZONE
"Not all those who wonder, are lost."
~J.R.R Tolkien.
~: (Multiple) Flashback/Memory :~
Jeremy and I watched nervously as the unfamiliar memory unfolded before us. We were both going into this one blind, because my former life had not paid witness to this a thousand years ago when Esther and Mikael first created this plan between them, leaving all of their children ignorant.
I strongly suspected that I was probably focusing on either Nik or Rebekah's memory of this fateful night, unconsciously. I also wouldn't doubt it for a moment, that if I had've been there when the first vampires in the world were created; that I'd probably would've been one of them right now … or worse: my blood would've been used for their transformation, just to really stick it to the siblings who truly cared about me: namely Elijah, Rebekah, Kol and especially Nik.
I shuddered at the very thought.
Jeremy nudged me insistently while I was stuck thinking about this, and I was brought forcibly back to the present. He was frowning curiously at the red liquid the golden goblet contained.
"What do you suppose is that?" He wondered.
"Wine, laced with blood." I replied promptly. Jeremy made a horrified face, turning a slightly sickly shade of green at the same time.
"Thought you said you had no memory of this?" He stated, frowning at me. I grimaced.
"I don't. Like I said before; I'm just going by what I was told by Rebekah when Elena started interrogating the both of us." I explained, helplessly. Jeremy stopped looking at the Mikaelsons for a split second to look at me with surprise and bewilderment.
"Elena interrogated you and Rebekah? Wha... How is that her business?! Why?" He demanded.
"Because Damon and Alaric are big mouths, and showed Elena the caves where the Mikaelsons and I once camped out in during the full moon, to avoid the werewolves. They showed her the cave walls, on which the family carved their names, and years later; locals drew a mural-like story that depicted Nik killing his own mother – justifiably, of course – out of revenge." I explained.
"Revenge? For what?" Jeremy asked. "Turning him into a vampire?"
I hesitated, earning a suspicious frown from Jeremy, but figured this was the point of no return and decided to press on; since I had made it this far with the explanation, and it would be really stupid if I reneged on the deal that I had struck up with Jeremy about telling him the whole truth about the supernatural, that Elena … and to a point, Damon and the rest had neglected to tell him.
"That … and other things. I'll explain to you later. I've got a feeling that this will probably be revealed to us before this premonition/memory is over." I told him, as we both watched Mikael sharpening his sword with a whetstone; using long deliberate strokes.
Jeremy paled, "Yeah, 'cause that's not intimidating at all." He said dryly, as he observed Mikael testing the sharpness of his sword, by scraping it with the edge of his thumb. The sword is immediately set aside as Mikael addresses his confused and very wary children, who were sitting or standing around; waiting patiently for their father to explain himself to them. Elijah, ever the leader, bravely stood up and addressed Mikael.
"Father? Why have you woken us up at this hour? Is something the matter?" Both Jeremy and I frowned disapprovingly when Mikael merely ignored the question, and gestured for Esther to come forward with the Goblet in her hands.
"Your mother and I have come up with a solution to our present crisis; due to the needless death of your brother..." Here Mikael aimed a vicious glare in Nik's direction, which caused my love to glare at the dirt floor of their hut with guilt and resentment. I cracked a small smile when I noticed Rebekah, who was sitting between both Nik and Elijah on the same wooden bench, attempted to comfort her brother by taking his hand and rubbing it tenderly with her thumb. Nik squeezed back gratefully. "...we will be participating in a ritual for protection against those beasts. We will not lose another member of this family!" Mikael bellowed, causing everybody to jump or cower in fear.
"This guy is looney tunes." Jeremy muttered, with disgust. "Be grateful you never had to deal with this prick up close and personal, Jer." I muttered back.
"A spell?" Kol raised a (blurred; since he was still unknown to me at present) eyebrow. "Are you sure that's wise, Father?" He bravely asked, earning a hard glare from Mikael in response.
"Are you questioning my judgement, boy?" Mikael growled at Kol whose eyes widened almost immediately, causing Elijah to stand up to calm Mikael down.
"Be reasonable, Father. It's only natural for us to be cautious. It's self-preservation." Elijah attempted to soothe the savage beast. Mikael backed down a little, but still scowled at them all. Jeremy's disgust deepened.
"Geez, what's this guy's problem? It's just a question." He bitched, and I placed a calming hand on his shoulder.
"It's just how it was done back in the Middle Ages. Mikael was the head of the household, and his word was law. You didn't dare defy the head, if you did not want to suffer punishment." I scowled at Mikael with intense dislike. "Although, Mikael often took things way too far. But it depended which child was receiving the punishment; I had the unfortunate pleasure of witnessing him punishing Nik once when we were both very young children; about six and eight-years old respectively." I said, sadly.
"What did Klaus do?" Jeremy's voice became suddenly very small, it looked like he was thinking of every possible punishment he could think of.
"Nothing that warranted being switched until he was black, blue and bloodied." I explained, darkly.
Jeremy looked confused, "What's 'switched'?"
"A form of corporal punishment. In this case, a child would be beaten with an object like a tree branch or a whip, belt, whatever the punisher could get their hands on." I explained, much to Jeremy's horror. "Sometimes, the parent or guardian would often make the child retrieve the 'switch' they were to be disciplined with, just to ram home that they were to be punished."
"That's sick." Jeremy exclaimed, horrified.
"That's life. Up until it was abolished in the 20th century." I insisted, nonchalantly. "Although, there are only very few countries who still practice corporal punishment even now."
"What the hell did he do to get 'switched'?"
"Nik and I were playing in the dirt and just enjoying being children. At one point, I was particularly cheeky and Nik retaliated by chasing me though the woods we were playing in, and he tackled me to the ground and proceeded to tickle me until I almost threw up." I recalled, smiling at the memory.
"What's wrong with that?" Jeremy asked, confused.
"Officially, nothing. Except that our positions were slightly compromising and the fact that I was female, might've been a factor. We – females – were considered inferior back then, and had to be protected like we were porcelain dolls." I scoffed, dejectedly. "Had it been anybody else who came across us, Nik probably would've gotten a stern warning and a lecture about how I was a female and thus should be treated as such. But alas..."
"Mikael found you." Jeremy connected the dots, tonelessly. "I think I've got the picture." He said, glancing at Mikael with hard eyes.
We both watched as Mikael gestured rudely for the Goblet Esther was holding patiently in her hands, unaware of the dark glare she aimed at him as she obediently walked over and placed the cup in his hands. Wordlessly, the Mikaelson head of house; placed the rim of the goblet to his lips and drank deep. Wincing only slightly - perhaps at the taste, I suspected – before he slowly opened his eyes and passed the Goblet over to an unwilling Finn who looked at the blood-laced wine, hesitantly.
"Drink some of the wine, then pass it along to your brothers and sister." Mikael orders him. When Finn doesn't immediately obey him, Mikael whirls on his eldest child and snarls. "Do it, now!"
Seeing that he had no choice; Finn raises the goblet to his lips and mimics his father, wrinkling his nose at the taste before withdrawing and passing it along to Kol, who frowns, but follows his brother's example. He makes a face at the flavour.
"Ugh. Mother, I think the wine you used for this ritual is corked. It tastes ghastly." Kol observes, as he passes the goblet to Elijah who aims a warning look at his brother too late.
"Shut up, boy!" Mikael snapped. Kol scowls and looks away, as Elijah stoically drinks and passes it to Rebekah without any comment; but questioning his parents' motives as Rebekah takes a tiny mouthful of the wine. "More!" Mikael orders her sternly. Rebekah grimaces but obeys him.
When it is Nik's turn however, both Jeremy and I noticed something strange. Nik takes the goblet from his sister, and obviously not desiring to inflame his father's ire even further, quickly gulps down what is left of the wine. Except after swallowing the foul-tasting liquid; Nik's eyes widen in horrified realisation and stares at Mikael.
'Oh, God no...' I thought, aghast. Jeremy seemed to suspect something was amiss as well.
"Why does Klaus look so horrified?" He demanded, looking scared.
"I'm not positive; but I think he's somehow figured out what was mixed in that wine he just drank." I answered. Jeremy looked surprised. "I think he just unconsciously used his powerful untriggered werewolf senses." I added.
"Untriggered? You mean Klaus isn't a werewolf right now?" Jeremy asked.
"Not right now, no. He's like Tyler used to be before the masquerade ball. You remember, where Damon and Stefan attempted to take down Katherine before we all realised that she had somehow gotten a witch to link herself to Elena?" I tried to jog his memory.
Jeremy suddenly looked sympathetic, "Yeah. Tyler really didn't want to trigger his werewolf gene." He stated. "So untriggered werewolves still have supernatural abilities, huh?"
"Seems like it." I decided. Suddenly, Mikael gets to his feet, grabbing our attention, and making Nik and the others nervous.
"Father? What happens now?" Elijah enquired, trying and failing to disguise his nerves.
"What's he doing now?" Jeremy echoed Elijah's question. I didn't answer, or rather didn't have to as Mikael suddenly reached for his newly sharpened sword, which triggered something that Rebekah had rather grimly told Elena and me during our interrogation:
"That night, my father offered us some wine laced with blood. Your ancestor's blood actually. And then he drove his sword through our hearts..." My eyes widened when I realised what was about to happen next.
"Jeremy, close your eyes!" I immediately spoke up, urgently. Jeremy looked at me with surprise.
"Why?" He asked. But before I could tell him again, Rebekah screamed; drawing both our attention. Jeremy's eyes widened in horror as Mikael had driven his sword through Elijah's heart.
"Holy shit!" He swore, his brown eyes wide.
'That's why.' I thought, panicking.
(A/N: VIOLENCE AHEAD. Skip ahead if you'd rather not read.)
All hell broke loose, as Mikael released Elijah from the sword; not giving his slain son a second glance as he turned towards his next victim: a horrified Finn, whom he promptly skewered. Immediately, both Kol and Nik corralled an inconsolable Rebekah into a corner, trying to protect her from their father.
"Stay behind us, Bekah. Father's obviously become unstable." Nik instructed his sister, as Mikael pulled his sword free from Finn and turned his attention towards the three of them, pinning them with a ruthless warrior's stare.
"You just stay away from us!" Kol yells at Mikael, who smirks maliciously and suddenly vamp-speeds towards him. He gasped when the cold steel suddenly cuts into his chest. Rebekah and Nik yell out in horror and dismay.
"Wait? Mikael turned into a vampire first? How is he controlling his bloodlust?" I exclaimed, incredulously.
Jeremy threw me a scandalised look. "You're seriously asking that question right now!?" He yells, gesturing at the bloody scene before us. Kol clutches at his chest and his knees buckle before he falls face first to the ground.
"KOL!" Rebekah shrieks, trying to reach for her brother. But Nik instantly stops her.
"Run for it, Bekah!" Nik urges as he wraps his hand around her wrist and they make a beeline for the door. However, Mikael manages to intercept them both, and backhands Nik out of the way before grabbing a sobbing and pleading Rebekah. "No! Leave her alone!" Nik pleads, trying to stop Mikael from impaling his beloved sister. But Mikael ignores him and stabs Rebekah who barely makes a sound as she drops to the hard, straw strewn floor. Nik's tear-streaked eyes widen in horror, before he collapses beside Rebekah's fallen body. "Rebekah! No!" He sobs. Mikael comes up behind him, sneering down at him with disgust. A look of unrestrained fury passes over my beloved's face. "YOU BASTARD!" Nik roars and turns to confront Mikael, who merely stabs Nik; all the way up to the hilt.
Instinctively, Nik grabs Mikael's tunic top and looks at him with betrayal. Blood spills out the corner of his mouth, as Mikael pushes Nik off his sword and grabs a rag to slowly and deliberately wipe the blood from the burnished metal.
"Just as I suspected, Niklaus. Pathetic and weak." He sneered, and to both of our outrage; continues to stare at Nik as he slowly and painfully draws his last breath, triggering his transition.
(A/N: End of Violent scene)
"I'm gonna have nightmares for weeks." A pale Jeremy decided. Then it was like somebody had hit fast forward on the remote control as the memory suddenly shifted to what was apparently either several minutes or a few hours later. As we both watched, slowly, one-by-one; each Mikaelson sibling woke up and sat up, looking both scared and confused as they glanced around the room.
Mikael had disappeared.
"Where'd the hell did that complete psycho go?" Jeremy wondered, shakily.
"I don't know, Jeremy." I replied, feeling numb. I was honestly, relieved that I had never known that this carnage had occurred. Nobody should've gone through, what they went through. It was too horrible for words.
There was a large, red grisly reminder of what had occurred soaked into the nightshirts and nightgowns of each Mikaelson sibling. Nik was the first to speak; but he only had eyes for Rebekah who looked disoriented. "Bekah..." He murmured, crawling over to her side and helping her to sit up, ignoring his own pain. Rebekah glanced down at her nightgown and saw the bloodstain right where her heart resided.
"Blood!" Her eyes widened in horror. "What happened?" She demanded, fearfully. Nik gently seized a hold of her face, drawing her focus to his own fatigued, frightened face.
"Everything's going to be fine. I promise." Nik promised her, his voice sounding false to all our ears. He held Rebekah close as both Mikael and Esther reappeared in the room, with the former leading in a dazed looking local girl from the village.
My eyes widened grimly. I feared that if they got any bigger, my eyeballs would fall right out of my head. I turned towards Jeremy and clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"Okay, Jer. Pop quiz." I began, trying to relieve an otherwise horrible situation. "When a human undergoes transition, what are the two options available to them?" I asked, praying that at least one of our vampire friends on hand had told Jeremy the procedure. Jeremy immediately tensed up, obviously knowing the answer but reluctant to say it.
"Uh, Anna told me this..." He said, distractedly. My eyebrow rose, questioning who 'Anna' was, but also feeling relieved. "When we transition we can either do nothing and die within 24 hours. Or, we..." He trailed off, and I smiled approvingly when Jeremy realised why the dazed village girl was being led into the room. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me..." Amazingly, the normally quiet Finn was the first to speak.
"Father, what is this?" He demanded, urgently. Mikael did not respond to Finn's question.
"Each of you must feed." He announced, earning looks of confusion from his children.
"Feed?" Elijah frowned. Mikael used the same sword he had killed his children with to slit the wrist of the village girl, and in seconds; five heads swivelled in her direction, confused but hungry eyes fixated upon the fresh, hot blood that trickled down her wrist in a steady red rivulet. Kol, Rebekah and Nik widened their eyes in horror, while both Finn and Elijah looked grim and like they were in serious pain.
"Drink!" Mikael led the girl over to a whimpering Rebekah who eyed the bleeding wrist with trepidation. She shook her head, and tried to back away. But Mikael was relentless.
"Leave her alone!" Nik growled, but he was still weakened and unable to budge the obviously much stronger Mikael who shoved him aside and grabbed the back of Rebekah's head, pulling her closer to the poor girl's wrist.
"I SAID DRINK!" Mikael roared, and pressed a resisting Rebekah down. The second Rebekah's lips wrapped around the wound, and she began to suck; I knew that as of that moment, the first vampires had been born.
The 'fast forward' motion occurred again, and both Jeremy and I groaned in frustration.
"Stop the ride, I wanna get off!" Jeremy quipped, sardonically as another memory started to resurface. I grimaced, and looked at him apologetically.
"I'm sorry, Jeremy. This whole thing was a really bad idea." I stated, regretfully.
"No it wasn't." I glanced at the teenager in astonishment. "Sure, what's going on is annoying as hell. But at least I'm learning something." He insisted. "Plus, I have to admit. I kinda feel sorry for Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah. Their dad was a dick." I couldn't help but blink at him in astonishment.
"You are a very strange kid." I admitted, giving him a crooked smile.
"I've heard worse." He laughs. Our surroundings suddenly dimmed dramatically, and it immediately put both of us on alert for potential danger. "Do you know where we are, Grace?" He asked, sounding slightly hopeful that we weren't traipsing through unknown territory again.
"I regret to inform you, mate, that I haven't the foggiest idea what this memory could be." I said, frustrated. "This must be one of those memories that the Mikaelsons excluded me from for my own safety."
It turned out that Jeremy and I were standing exposed in the middle of the woods in the dead of night. I just hoped that 'dead' was not the key word this time round.
"Figures." Jeremy bitched, then jumped when the bushes beside him immediately started rustling. "What the hell is that?" That turned out to be a frightened villager running for his life, as fast as his feet could carry him. Forgetting that neither of us could be seen, or heard; Jeremy and I instinctively cringed when the man fazed through us like we weren't even there and continued on. Intrigued, Jeremy cracked a small grin. "Let's follow him!" He suggested and took off.
"Jeremy, wait for me! This dress is heavy!" I shouted at him, picking up my skirts and running after the surprisingly fast teen. We followed the stranger deeper into the woods. Sweat was practically dripping off his body and soaking into his tunic, and making his long, unruly hair stick to his forehead.
"What do you suppose he's running from?" Jeremy asked me curiously when the guy finally stopped running, probably believing that he was safe.
That could be a potentially fatal mistake.
"Whatever it is, it can't be good. I just wonder whose memory we're observing." I replied, and gasped in fright when the answer appeared from behind us in a blink of an eye: Niklaus. "Make that who is this guy running from." I amended Jeremy's earlier question, making him turn and widen his eyes when he saw Nik. My love eyed the man, his 'prey' I belatedly realised to my horror and sorrow, with a calculating gaze. But there was an obvious pain in Nik's blue-green eyes that I did not like, as well as anger and frustration. He took a single step forward, deliberately crushing a twig beneath his boot; which alerted the man to his presence.
"Please, don't hurt me..." The man pleaded tearfully. Without warning, Nik immediately pounced upon the poor man; tearing into his jugular and spraying blood all down the front of his tunic top, smearing and dripping down his chin, around his mouth and in his long dirty blonde hair. The man's blood stained his hands.
"Oh, Nik..." I moaned in anguish, causing Jeremy to come over trying to comfort me. Within seconds, it was over and Nik carelessly dumped the corpse to the leaf-strewn floor and drew in a couple of deep breaths to regain some control over his blood lust. Suddenly, the clouds parted overhead and my eyes widened when brilliant white light flooded over us … including Nik. "Shit!" I blurted out.
"What is it?" Jeremy was immediately alert.
"I know whose memory this is, and what is about to happen." I told him, immediately. Jeremy frowned at me, waiting for me to explain. But just before I could explain, there was very loud cracking noise … coming from Nik's direction. He screamed out in agony. "This is the night Nik discovered that he was a werewolf." Nik's bones continued breaking and shifting position; just like they did when he had finally broken the Hybrid Curse. Only instead of looking elated, Nik looked utterly terrified and confused about what was happening to him.
Jeremy gulped, "He's shifting, isn't he?"
"Yes."
"Niklaus!" Jeremy and I turned towards Elijah's urgent voice off in the distance. Nik screams again and drops to his knees, panting heavily and recoiling horribly from the pain. Jeremy cringed with sympathy. Suddenly, both Elijah and Mikael run into view, but freeze when they see Nik's condition. He looks up at them, pleadingly.
"What is happening to me!?" Nik shouted at his brother and Mikael, desperately. Elijah made to rush over to aid his brother, but Mikael stops him, a look of horror and disbelief passing over his face.
"Don't!" An alarmed Mikael orders Elijah, who glowers at his father in outrage. "Don't! Get back!" Before all of our eyes, Nik immediately curls in on himself in an effort to alleviate some of his pain. He looks up at Mikael, beseechingly. At this point, Mikael has realised what is happening, and is looking enraged.
"Father! It hurts!" Nik whimpered. Jeremy, Elijah and I looked over at Mikael, and none of us were surprised to see a cold mask covering his face. Nik's bones continued breaking and shifting like kindling and he lets out a passionate, agonised scream that quickly shifted into an inhuman growl, and he started shivering like a leaf as he continued panting through the pain.
"He's a beast! An abomination!" Mikael snarled, livid. Nik slowly looks up, causing both Jeremy and I to back up in alarm; his normally blue-green eyes had shifted into a brilliant golden shade.
The Original Hybrid had been unleashed.
That seemed to be the trigger for the memories to start fast forwarding again, as the image of Nik's pissed off 'hybrid-mode' face faded from view, much to Jeremy's relief.
"Remind me never to piss off Klaus, if that's what happens if he's crossed." He instructed me, before shuddering violently.
"Likewise." I silently agreed; although I sincerely doubted that I'd ever make Nik that angry. It would take something drastic and unforgivable for him to show me that face.
"Do you know what happened after that?" Jeremy asked. I grimaced, uncomfortably.
"Yeah. Unfortunately, I do." I replied. Finally, the next – and hopefully final – memory stopped, and this time I definitely recognised it. Jeremy groaned in annoyance.
"The woods? Really, again?"
"Yes, again." I confirmed. "We're not far from the caves we used to shelter in to avoid the werewolves."
"So this is your memory?" Jeremy guessed, and I nodded solemnly.
"Yes. This is the night that changed both Nik's and my lives, forever." I said, attempting to climb over a fallen log. Jeremy easily scaled it, and offered me a hand over. I smiled gratefully at him. "Unfortunately, it doesn't have a happy ending." I concluded, ominously.
Jeremy made a face, "Have any of these memories ever ended on a good note?"
"Touche." I conceded. Jeremy followed me as I wondered through the trees, trying to pinpoint where my memory began.
"Judging by the reaction Mikael had in that last memory, he didn't take Klaus being a werewolf very well." Jeremy stated.
"According to Elijah's account of what happened, that's an understatement." I told him. "It turned out that Nik was not Mikael's son."
"Esther two-timed Mikael?" Jeremy blinked, obviously not expecting to learn that.
I nodded, "This had serious repercussions that unfortunately I got caught up in." I told him, sadly.
"What do you mean?" He asked, sober-faced. I sighed heavily, resigned to watch myself being slaughtered like an animal, in person.
"Mikael did not appreciate finding out that Nik was not one of his own, and he was furious at not only him but also Esther for breaking their vows." I explained. "That night; Mikael, Esther, Elijah and Nik were very late coming into the caves. Since Henrik's death, everybody had become very vigilant about their safety; so it was very concerning that something bad might've happened to them. So I ventured out of the caves to find them."
"Niklaus?" My past life stumbled into view, dressed in a blood red dress, brown belt and leather vambraces. My waist-length wavy dark brown hair had been let down and allowed to blow freely in the night air. Jeremy looked between both me and 'Gráinne' with shock.
"Woah, sure you're not a doppelgänger?" He muttered, dryly.
"Elijah? Esther?" 'Gráinne' shouted out into the night air as she made her way further through the woods, searching for them. Jeremy and I followed her through the trees. "Mikael?" The expected bright light flashed in the distance from where we were standing.
"What's that?" Jeremy frowned, as he watched my past life cautiously heading towards it.
"Why don't you go and find out?" I suggested, earning a suspicious look from him before he reluctantly follows 'Gráinne'. I follow unhurriedly after the pair of them, not particularly keen on witnessing what was about to happen in the clearing. 'Gráinne', Jeremy and I make to the clearing; which revealed a large campfire with Esther kneeling before it chanting in what sounded like Latin underneath her breath while she was chucking handfuls of herbs and other miscellaneous ingredients into the crackling flames. There was a tense, fixated expression on her slightly careworn face.
"What the hell is going on here?" Jeremy demanded nervously as he looked at me for an explanation. I lean against a nearby tree and gestured over at what I still considered the worst thing I had ever witnessed in my mortal life.
"Take a look." I encouraged him, and Jeremy followed my pointing finger and gasps. Nik was in the process of being chained up to a wooden cross by Mikael, who was having issues because he was violently bucking and struggling against him.
"What is he doing to Klaus?" Jeremy exclaimed.
"They are preparing him for the Hybrid Curse." I explained tonelessly.
"The curse that required Elena to die?" Jeremy suddenly looked fierce.
"Yes." I said, succinctly.
"Elijah!" Jeremy flinched when Mikael's harsh voice cut into the conversation, and he, like a horrified 'Gráinne', zeroed in on him and a very reluctant Elijah who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but where he was. "Elijah, hold him down!" Mikael barked at his older son.
"You see, Jeremy..." I started to explain, grabbing his attention as we watched Mikael vamp-sped over to Nik and watched him use his super-strength to hold him down; earning a glare from his victim. I eyed Mikael with so much hatred and disgust. "Mikael's biggest weakness, is his pride; and when he transitioned into a vampire alongside his children, it was magnified. He was so humiliated and angry about the betrayal, that he forced Esther to curse Nik and suppress his werewolf heritage."
"Brother please!" I avoided looking at the memory, and chose to stare Jeremy in the face, to observe how he was taking my memory on his own. "Don't let them do this to me!" Nik pleaded with Elijah. Jeremy looked at me with shock.
"Wait. Elijah helped his parents curse Klaus?"
"Unfortunately."
Mikael turned his head and glared at Elijah, "Do it now, boy! Now!" He roared, and Jeremy's mouth fell open when Elijah finally obeyed his father.
"He did it. He actually betrayed Klaus right to his face." Jeremy muttered in disbelief, obviously unsure if he should be impressed or look at Elijah with pity as he watched him help Mikael shackle Nik to the cross.
I nodded, grimly. "And according to Elijah himself, it wouldn't be the last time he betrayed his little brother." This time I glanced over at both brothers, watching as Nik attempted a last ditch effort to appeal to Elijah to help him.
"Help me...!" Nik begged, almost aggressively. His werewolf momentarily rearing its head.
"Which is why Nik doesn't trust easily, or suffer fools lightly." I told him, stepping away from the tree and walking over to the cross Nik was shackled up against. I bypassed Jeremy and stood in front of a weakened Nik and looked him right in his blue-green eyes, despite the fact that I was just an illusion and he could not see me. "He also has no mercy for those who disappoint him."
"So he wasn't always a total psycho?" Jeremy guessed.
I shook my head, "No. He wasn't." But then turned and levelled Jeremy with a hard stare. "But even though he can be in our time; can you really blame him? Considering how his life had turned out?" I questioned. Jeremy opened his mouth to retort but I pushed on before he could speak, knowing what was about to happen next. "Mind you, I didn't exactly help matters."
"NO! STOP!" Jeremy jumped when my horrified voice pierces the night air. He looks at me with confusion, before realising that it wasn't me that had spoken. He turned his head towards 'Gráinne' who had rushed into the clearing, grabbing everybody's attention.
"Gráinne, get out of here! GO!" I heard Nik's familiar words, and winced.
"What's happening?" Jeremy demanded, suddenly looking afraid. I didn't answer. "Grace!?" Esther stood up from the campfire, looking sober-faced.
"It is done." She announced, causing Nik's face to fall in anguish. Jeremy's eyes widened in horror when Mikael turned his murderous eyes upon 'Gráinne' and unsheathed his sword.
"RUN, GRÁINNE!" We heard Nik shouting urgently, as Elijah body slams his father, and attempts to keep him at bay.
"What are you waiting for, Gráinne, run! I cannot hold him off for long!" Elijah urges, and 'Gráinne' took off through the trees followed closely by Jeremy and myself.
"Damnit, Grace! Tell me what the fuck is going on? Why is everyone going apeshit?!" Jeremy yells at me, as I ran alongside him through the woods; following a petrified 'Gráinne' trying to evade a vengeful Mikael.
I sighed, tiredly. "This is my final few moments upon this Earth, in this life." Jeremy looked at me with horror. "That's what I meant before when I said that I didn't exactly help matters."
"You mean, you're about to die?" Jeremy mutters in a small voice, indicating towards 'Gráinne'. Then his eyes widened in realisation. "Is that why Mikael unsheathed his sword? He's going to murder you?"
"I learned a long time ago, Jeremy, that everything happens for a reason. If I had not died this night, my death would not have been a motivation for Nik." I explained.
"Motivation for what?" Jeremy sounded appalled. But his attention was caught when a tall, blonde blur suddenly zooms past us and pulled 'Gráinne' down into some nearby bushes. Jeremy swore loudly.
"Relax, Jer." I reassured him. He looked at me like I was nuts, but when Nik suddenly emerged from the bush and looked about cautiously, looking a bit stressed; before pulling a scared 'Gráinne' out. Jeremy relaxed a little. "Don't get your hopes up. Nik's chivalrous actions are about to fail." I warned him, hating myself for bursting Jeremy's bubble. On cue, Nik is immediately blindsided by Elijah who pins him to a tree while 'Gráinne' is sent sprawling to the ground, causing her to gasp for breath. I winced as I remembered the nauseous, dazed feelings I experienced as a result.
"Oh, goddamnit!" Jeremy curses underneath his breath, making me crack the tiniest smile when I realised that he was actually rooting for Nik to get 'Gráinne' out of there safely. It was just too bad that his hopes would be in vain.
"NO!" Nik yells, as Mikael comes into view. "Father, please!"
"Be silent, you stupid boy!"
Jeremy glowers at Mikael and clenches his fists, "What is this guy's deal!?"
"I told you. This is his pride talking, Jeremy." I told him, sadly. "Mikael saw my death, as the only way to get back at Nik and to teach him a lesson." Jeremy flinches when he sees 'Gráinne' pulled forcibly to her feet and slammed none too gently against a tree.
"But it wasn't your fault. Why is he taking this out on you?" Jeremy was understandably confused and anxious.
"A question I continue asking myself even now, kid." I admitted.
"Look at me, you stupid girl!" Mikael snarls, and I automatically flinch, and closed my eyes when I remembered the cruel words Mikael hissed into my ear: "Let this be a lesson to you, girl. Never trust a Mikaelson."
"NO!" Jeremy screamed in unison with Nik when Mikael stabs 'Gráinne'.
"It's okay, Jeremy. I'm right here." I touched his shoulder, trying to draw his attention away from the grisly scene. I was startled to see that he was crying as he watched Nik break away from a horrified Elijah and gather up 'Gráinne' into his arms.
"Why did this happen?" He demanded. "This isn't right. Klaus might be a psycho, but even he doesn't deserve this type of treatment." Jeremy protested, angrily.
"I love you, Gráinne, so much." Jeremy turned back to Nik, looking shocked at seeing the hybrid he associated as the one who murdered his sister, looking genuinely vulnerable and grief-stricken as he held his dying love in his arms. "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 smiled sadly, remembering the shocked but pleased look on Nik's face when I told him that I remembered those exact words. Nik leans down and kisses 'Gráinne'. "I love you, always and forever." He promises as she dies in his arms. Jeremy looks upset before he remembers that I was standing beside him, alive and well.
"Like I said before Jeremy, everything happens for a reason. As a direct result of my death at the hands of his stepfather; Nik slowly started losing his trust with most of his family, especially Elijah and Esther; whom turned her back on him not long after I was buried, according to Rebekah." I told him.
"I don't blame him." Jeremy agreed.
"In essence, my death was his motivation to circumvent Mikael's actions and to both free himself from his curse and to find me in anyway he could."
"So that's what you meant by 'motivation' before." Jeremy realised. "And a thousand years later he succeeded with all three of his goals … and along the way became a ruthless, evil, psychopathic asshole." He said, scathingly.
"But at least you now know why. The Mikaelsons have not had a great beginning and especially not an easy life; even before they became history's first ever vampires. And while they have done many horrible things all though history, most of it was so they could survive against Mikael who had been hunting them down ever since." I attempted to appeal to him. But Jeremy still didn't look entirely convinced, much to my worry and frustration.
"So, you're basically telling me to look the other way about the fact that these guys have murdered people to get their own way or probably for fun?" He looked at me accusingly. "Don't tell me that that hasn't affected you in any way."
I frowned at him. "I've never approved of them killing anybody. They're not saints, and I'm not trying to make them out to be." I said. "I'm trying to get you to see both side of the same coin, before you start pointing fingers."
"But Elena-"
"Jeremy, I'm going to attempt to give you some advice about your sister. Feel free to take it on board, or take it with a grain of salt. But that's my advice to you in terms of what your sister may tell you in the months to come: take anything she says with a grain of salt." I stated, firmly.
"Excuse me? Why should I listen to anything you've got say? She's my sister, I barely know you. For all I know, Klaus has compelled you into saying all of this to me." Jeremy argued.
"Hardly. I've shown you all of these memories of my own free will. Neither Nik nor Rebekah have any idea what is going on right now. In fact, my biggest guess would be that they, Damon and Henrik are probably having kittens as we speak." I held up my wrist, revealing the plaited plum leather bracelet dangling from it.
"What's that?" Jeremy narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"My vervain bracelet." I responded. "Elena gave to me back when we were friends. Of course, it was also before Nik came to town and caused Elena to become a paranoid, selfish martyr who manipulates people to get her own way." I said, also rather scathingly as I tugged my oversized sleeve down, causing Jeremy to unconsciously touch his own wrist and freeze when he realised that it was somehow missing.
"Missing something?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"My vervain bracelet. Where'd it go?" He questioned, and my eyes widened when I realised exactly what Nik's persuasion technique was, back when he was attempting to get Damon on side. I pursed my lips and made a mental note to lightly slap him when Jeremy and I were finally free from this premonition run.
"Nik probably compelled somebody or got one of his hybrids to persuade you to take it off." I supplied, apologetically. Jeremy looked confused, until suddenly something occurred to him and he frowned looking betrayed.
"Tyler." He stated.
"A possible candidate." I agreed, sighing when Jeremy aimed a glare at me.
"And yet you're still with Klaus, even after he did that to me?" He stated, accusingly. I frowned back at him, getting annoyed and a little worried.
"Oi! You're still here and in one piece. I also hesitate to let you know that the second I found out what Nik had done, I persuaded him to take it back. So, instead of getting angry with me, you should be thanking me for saving your life." I told him. Jeremy looked surprised.
"You did that, for me?" I was angry that he seemed shocked by that.
"Why should you die over something that your sister and Stefan fucked up over?" I pointed out to him.
"What did they do?" Jeremy looked nervous.
"Stefan stole Nik's four coffins, three of which contain his brothers. Although, we're not so sure about the fourth coffin. Nik's keeping that secret pretty close to his chest. And Elena made things worse, by attempting to get Stefan to give them back. But that only made him dig his toes in further." I sighed, making one last ditch effort to get Jeremy to understand that Mikaelsons were not the enemy they had been made out to be. "Look, Jeremy. Nik might be notorious for being an evil, conniving, manipulative, ruthless psycho. But he does have a kind side and he's not unreasonable."
Jeremy looked sceptical. "Could've fooled me."
"He can be persuaded if you give him the right arguments, and don't stab him in the back afterwards." I continued, ignoring the snide remark. "That's a sure fire way of getting yourself killed, especially if it was provoked."
"What do you want from me exactly?" Jeremy exclaimed, slowly getting defensive.
"To give him a chance. Give him, and his family a chance. You don't piss 'em off, or attack them. Hell, don't give them any reason to harm you; then they will leave you alone. They might even help you if you needed it." I told him, pleadingly. "I've already given this lecture to Damon, and he's – slowly – coming around."
Jeremy hesitated, "I really don't know, Grace."
I placed a hand on his shoulder, and smiled kindly at him.
"Just think about it." I suggested. Then I paused, frowning a little. Something just didn't seem or feel right. I noticed Jeremy frowning also, so I was relieved that I wasn't being paranoid.
"What's happening? Why am I dizzy all of a sudden?" He asked me, sounding a bit scared. I staggered a little, putting a hand to my head.
'I-I don't … know." I mumbled. Jeremy and I continued struggling as the world around us both, started to fade away. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the teen suddenly collapse. I attempted to go over to him, but sank to my knees; not faring much better than he was. Nevertheless, I attempted to give him aid. After all, I was responsible for his safety. "Jeremy..." I crawled towards him and managed to wrap my hand around his wrist before everything went black.
~: Reality :~
The first thing that I was aware of when I regained consciousness were shouting voices. But it took a moment for them to clear up so I could understand, and when it did; I recognised the angry shouting as Nik who was interrogating an annoyed and concerned Jeremy. A lukewarm hand was carding through my hair.
Rebekah? Or Damon?
"You've got ten seconds to explain to me why my girlfriend is taking so long to wake up!" Nik was seething, rather unfairly, to the teenager.
"I don't know." Jeremy said, truthfully. I knew that I needed to get up and come to his rescue. Problem was, something wasn't cooperating with me to make this happen.
"9..." Real mature, Nik.
"What did you do to her?" Damon demanded off in the distance to my right. He was also having a go at the poor kid, which meant that Rebekah was the one attempting to wake me up. And I was waking up … just excruciatingly slow, much to my chagrin.
"Nothing. I don't know how to explain what happened." Jeremy insisted, calmly but with a slight edge to his voice. "One minute, I took her hands like she asked me to while we were sitting on the couch, and the next; both of us ended up standing randomly in the woods."
"The woods?" Rebekah piped up, causing me to jump because of the volume.
"Grace?" Henrik had obviously seen me move and calls out to me from my left side and I groaned, raising a hand to my head. I opened my eyes, almost immediately snapping them shut when the bright lights hit them.
"Yeah, I can hear you, Henrik. Probably the reason for this throbbing headache." I grumbled, and attempted to sit up on the Gilbert's slightly lumpy couch.
The second I attempted to sit up, Nik was at my side in the blink of an eye, and then both he and Rebekah gently pulled me up and he sat beside me on the couch as I hunched over with my head between my knees and cradling my head.
"You too, huh?" Jeremy sympathised. I glanced up through squinted eyes to see Jeremy gingerly shielding his eyes from the bright light, just like I was. I nodded, glumly.
"Yeah, one of the more unpleasant side-effects from a prolonged premonition." I explained, and grimaced when I moved strangely causing my head to throb. "Sorry about that." I apologised as Nik, realising that I was sensitive to light right now, raised one of his hands to shield my face from the light coming in from the Gilbert's large living room window. I groaned uncomfortably and leaned against him. "Thanks, Nik..." I mumbled, hiding my face into his shirt.
"Don't sweat it." Jeremy waved away the apology. "I'll be back in a sec." The retreating footsteps headed for the general direction of the kitchen, as the 'wolves' immediately descended upon me; waiting for an explanation about what both Jeremy and I had seen.
"So, don't hold us in suspense." Damon quipped, dryly. I cracked an eye open and looked at his unimpressed face.
"Can you vague that up a little?" I requested, as Nik cradled me closer and aimed a warning glare at Damon, which was promptly ignored.
Rebekah sighed from her perch on the backrest of the couch behind Nik and I. "What your friend is probably trying to ask is: what did you show doppelbitch's brother?" She asked, sounding rather concerned.
"I gave him some insight into how we used to be, before Mikael and Esther ruined our lives." I replied quietly, reaching for a big glass of water that Jeremy had returned with from the kitchen. I smiled at him, gratefully. "Thank you." But before I could take sip, a hand was placed over the rim. I glanced up at the owner – Nik – with confusion before my eyes widened when he bit into his thumb and squeezed a couple of drops of his blood into the water, changing the clear liquid into a slightly rosy tinge.
I tried not to think about how uncomfortably familiar that addition was.
"That should help with the pain." He explained. I raised an eyebrow at the random move.
"Why did you pollute my water with your blood?" I asked, a little crossly.
"Take a sip and find out, darling." Nik encouraged. Shrugging, I followed his advice, knowing that he wouldn't do something like that without a legit reason. Almost immediately, the thudding headache began to gradually ease up. I glanced up at him with surprise.
"Neat!" I remarked, earning a warm smile from my boyfriend. "You should write a book about that. '101 Uses for Vampire Blood.' You'd make a mint." I joked, still sipping away contentedly at the sweetened water. Nik gave a small chuckle.
"Somehow I don't think that it would be a page turner, sweetheart." He joked back, but the smile didn't really reach his eyes.
"When you say 'some insight into how we used to be', could you elaborate?" Rebekah asked. I opened my mouth to respond, when Jeremy unexpectedly fielded the question.
"Grace showed me memories of your past." He clarified. All three Mikaelsons looked alarmed.
"What memories?" Rebekah asked using a tiny frightened voice.
"I'll explain soon. Right now, I just need to re-cooperate a little." I requested, settling back against the couch still drinking from the water. Nik looked like he wanted to protest, but unexpectedly received Jeremy's hand in front of his face. He frowned cautiously and curiously at him.
"I just want to say: I'm sorry that you've had a rough life, man. Nobody deserves what has happened to you." Then he looked up at Rebekah with the same sad expression on his face. "None of you." Jeremy stated.
Nik reluctantly took Jeremy's hand and pumped it up and down a few times, accepting the obvious truce. "Thank you." He responded, a little taken aback.
"You're still a dick..." Jeremy added, with a small smirk that was returned by Nik, who realised Jeremy was just kidding around. "But at least I have a better understanding of why you, Rebekah and Elijah are the way you are." He said, solemnly.
"Is that so?" Nik stated, amused.
Jeremy shrugged, "It's a lot more than Elena was gonna tell me, that's for sure."
"What the hell did Grace show you to make you become so buddy-buddy with Klaus?" Damon demanded, incredulously. Jeremy indicated to me.
"Ask Grace, I've relived enough of their memories to give me nightmares for weeks." Jeremy said, slumping down on the couch beside me and shutting his eyes.
Despite hearing this, I could see that all three Mikaelsons had hope reflecting in their eyes. I smiled, shutting my eyes and letting Nik's hand rub soothingly on my arm, calming my frazzled thoughts.
A/N: Let's stop here. Next chapter will be out soon! :)
TTFN xx