A/N: Hope you enjoyed the last chapter. Here comes the next one!
This chapter has taken a long time to come to fruition due to some personal medical problems both for me and my mum. So, it took top priority over this story. Apologies for the delay :)
I do not own The Vampire Diaries. All characters except for Grace belong to author L.J. Smith. This story belongs to me.
Please review without flaming!
Many thanks!
I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE…
"Spying is a little like a game of chess: Sometimes you have to withdraw, somethings you have to sacrifice one of your pieces to win – preferably a knight rather than a king or queen." ~John Rhys-Davies.
Mikaelson Mansion.
Morning.
They say that if it does not rain, it bloody pours. Well, we were all about to learn that the hard way. It started when there came a loud knocking on Nik's bedroom door. Both Nik and I stirred almost immediately.
"What?!" I yelled, attempting to sit up. That was when I realized that this time, I was the human teddy bear for Nik. We must have passed out like this after our heavy make out session last night. "Nik, let me up." I mumbled, trying to gently shove him off so I could get up. In response, Nik merely wrapped his arms tighter around my waist and started going back to sleep.
"Ignore it, love. It's just one of my rude, inconsiderate siblings trying to ruin our good morning." He tried to persuade me. I scowled at him, trying to think of a way to crawl out from his clutches so I could answer the door. Then the loud knocker started pounding again which made Nik sit up sharply, glaring at the bedroom door. "Whoever it is, you've got ten seconds to leave before I come out there and start maiming!" Nik yelled at the unfortunate visitor.
"I'd be interested to see you try, brother." Henrik responded, having suddenly used his ghost abilities to appear beside the bed.
"Holy shit!" I hollered, as Nik swore colorfully and both of us nearly fell out of the bed, completely caught off guard. When we recovered, we noticed that Henrik was curling in on himself and laughing so hard that he could have busted a rib had he been alive. "That's not funny, Henrik!" I growled, as Nik immediately sprang out of the bed to tackle his baby brother.
"C'mere!" He snarled, but Henrik easily side-stepped him and darted to the other side of the room, out of reach. "I hated when you did that back then, Henrik, and I still do now!" Nik recalled sourly as he picked himself up off the ground and perched on the side of the bed.
"I'm really sorry about that." Henrik giggled.
"You don't look very sorry." I threw back at him, and Henrik smirked.
"Nah, I'm not." He agreed cheerfully, dodging a pillow that I instantly chucked at him, and he looked at me with a dubious expression. "Seriously? You didn't learn from the first time you did that?" He indicated towards the pillow that fazed right through him.
"Yeah, well. You cheated." I pouted, indicating to his ability to become corporeal or non-corporeal at will.
"What the hell did you want?" Nik interrupted our banter; yawning, and obviously desiring a few extra hours of sleep. Henrik's smirk was immediately wiped from his face as he appeared to suddenly remember why he woke Nik and I up.
"Uh, Jeremy needs to talk to you, both." Henrik explained, earning a crabby look from his brother in the process.
"And this couldn't wait until a more appropriate hour?" Nik bitched, and Henrik glanced at the time on the alarm clock on Nik's side of the bed with a raised eyebrow.
"It's nearly 10:00 in the morning." Henrik pointed out, flatly. "And apparently Elena attempted to call him earlier." He added.
"Did she really? How nice." Nik replied, dismissively.
"Jeremy looked a bit nervous when he saw her name on his phone." Henrik explained, insistently. "I think he needs help."
"Tell him we'll be down in a few minutes." I instructed Henrik, who nodded and immediately darted from the room. Nik spun on the spot and looked at me with annoyance.
"What?" He yawned, frowning at me as I slid from the bed and headed for the walk-in wardrobe to pick something to wear for the day.
"The least we can do is try and help him, Nik. After all, we gave him sanctuary when Elena practically forced him to move to Denver against his wishes." I reminded him, as I picked out a pair of navy-blue skinny jeans with a brown plaited belt, a white button-down tunic top with rolled up sleeves and dark brown knee-high boots.
"We did, didn't we?" Nik frowned at the memory, before rolling his eyes and grabbing his clothes too. "Let's get this over with." He muttered, and I smiled and went over to plant a small kiss on his cheek.
"Lighten up, Nik. It's not going to be a hardship." I attempted to reassure him and earned a tiny smile back from him for my efforts.
A few minutes later, a thoroughly disgruntled Nik with slightly damp hair from a quick shower, came stomping down the staircase; dressed in his usual casual-style: a black T-shirt, dark denim jeans, a charcoal grey jumper and his usual black boots. I followed close behind him, and once we reached the landing we turned and nearly bumped into a sheepish Jeremy, who was holding two steaming mugs in his hands. Henrik stood not too far away, observing us curiously.
I grinned at Jeremy, warmly. "Hey Jeremy!" I took the mug that he offered me eagerly and took a sip. "Thanks, just what I was craving." I said, winking as Nik looked at Jeremy with a dumbfounded expression; apparently surprised at the thoughtful gesture and obvious olive branch that the nervous teen was offering him.
"Sorry for waking you, Klaus. I'd really appreciate your help, and Grace's too." Jeremy greeted Nik who eyed the black coffee the teen was offering him. He then slowly reached out for the mug and nodded to him in greeting.
"Thank you. How can I help you, mate?" Nik asked, surprisingly polite, as he took a generous sip of the coffee and walked in the direction of the dining room. Jeremy fell into step with him, obviously relieved that he had not been blown out of the water by Nik for waking him prematurely.
"I just need some advice about how to deal with Elena." Jeremy said, as we stepped into the dining room, which was already occupied by Elijah who was sipping at his own coffee and reading from the newspaper, and Kol who was tucking into a plate of bacon, eggs and sausage and drinking some blood.
Both Jeremy and I immediately grimaced seeing this, but thankfully we both recovered quickly, since we were used to seeing this nearly every morning when Rebekah was having her breakfast. Said Original was noticeably absent from the table, and I prayed it was because she and Damon had a positive conversation together and she had spent the night with him.
Nik sauntered over to the chair at the head of the table and took a seat, looking at Jeremy quizzically.
"Well, what do you usually say to her?" He asked him, setting aside his coffee and reaching for some toast. Jeremy hesitated as he sank down into a chair beside mine and began mulling over his answer.
"Elena's never sent me away before. I dunno what to say without making her suspicious or giving it away that I'm still in Mystic Falls." Jeremy confessed.
"What's going on?" Kol piped up, frowning a little at Jeremy with concern. I smiled; since Kol had been undaggered and he had gotten to know Jeremy, both boys had developed a rather unique friendship between them. Since then, Jeremy could be found hanging around with the younger Mikaelson brothers and allowing himself the chance to be a typical teenage boy with knowledge about the supernatural world.
"We're trying to help Jeremy come up with a way to fool Elena into thinking he's still in Denver, instead of hiding away here underneath her nose." I explained, and a mischievous grin spread across Kol's face, that made Nik, Elijah and me nervous.
"That sounds like fun. Count me in." Kol chirped enthusiastically.
"Kol…" Elijah spoke up, eyeing him sternly, and Kol immediately attempted to look innocent.
"What? You are seriously going to deprive me the opportunity to help out a friend in his time of need?" He protested, and both Nik and Elijah rolled their eyes.
"The last time you attempted to help out a 'friend', Kol, we ended up running away from an angry mob." Nik pointed out, looking annoyed.
"A simple misunderstanding." Kol insisted defensively, and Nik snorted not believing him.
"Sure, it was." He muttered dryly, reaching for his coffee and taking a sip from it.
Both Jeremy and I exchanged amused glances with each other, eager to learn what it was that had them running for their lives instead of relying on their instincts, which usually involved a bloodbath; if I remembered their history of how they dealt with people who betrayed or threatened them. However, before we could ask what happened, Elijah chimed in.
"Okay, enough." He said, firmly. "Why don't you call back Elena and just act like it's a normal conversation." Elijah suggested to an unsure Jeremy. "If we believe you are going off track or about to reveal something detrimental, we'll step in."
"Okay then." Jeremy reluctantly agreed, pulling his phone from his pocket and accessing his missed calls.
"Put it on loudspeaker when she answers, just so we can listen in on your conversation." I added, and Jeremy nodded as he searched for Elena's name, which I noted, had called in about 9:00 this morning. However, before he could, his phone immediately started ringing.
Elena's name flashed across the tiny screen.
"Speak of the devil." Kol quipped, as Jeremy hit answer and then loudspeaker.
"Hello?" He answered, trying to be as casual as possible.
"Hey, Stranger. Why didn't you pick up before?" Elena's raspy voice suddenly came over the line, and Jeremy hesitated for a split second before responding.
"Oh, I was taking a shower. Didn't hear my phone." He improvised. Thankfully, Elena seemed to buy it. It also sounded like she was a bit upset. "So, what's up? Are you checkin' in on me?" Jeremy asked her.
"Do you need checking up on?" Elena asked, curiously, causing Jeremy to panic.
"Well, I'm not flunking any of my classes. Yet." He improvised, and a tiny smirk spread across his face when he briefly eyed Nik, who looked at him warily. "And I got a dog."
I face palmed at the same moment that Nik scowled at him, unamused, while Kol had to stuff his napkin in his mouth to avoid laughing out loud at his brother's expense. While Elijah rolled his eyes at Jeremy's immaturity.
"That's great!" Elena responded, apparently finding nothing suspicious about her brother being the proud owner of a new and totally fake dog, that he probably would not have been allowed to keep if he had been 'summoned' back to Mystic Falls. "Hey, have you talked to Alaric lately?" Elena suddenly, and expectedly asked Jeremy. We all knew that that was bound to come up in conversation sooner rather than later.
"No, why?" Jeremy answered, truthfully. "Is everything okay?" He asked, getting a bit concerned. I must admit, I was interested to know if Alaric was okay too. Damon seemed to avoid the topic when it was brought up. I glanced over at Nik, Elijah and Kol and was pleased to see concerned looks on their faces too.
"Yeah, everything's fine—" Elena lied, her voice cracking a little. "—um, I just wanted to hear your voice." She confessed.
Jeremy swallowed hard, "Okay." He glanced helplessly at the rest of us, and I gave him the signal to wrap things up, sensing he was becoming uncomfortable with their conversation. He nodded, obviously eager to hang up. "Hey, can I call back later? I'm actually on my way out with some friends." Jeremy lied.
We heard Elena sniff a little on the other end of the conversation.
"Yeah – um – of course, Jer. Go out, go have fun, and um – I – I just miss you." Elena said.
Jeremy winced, and my heart went out to him. Despite how betrayed he had originally looked when he asked us if he could stay here at the mansion, it was obvious that Jeremy did sincerely love his sister.
"Yeah." Jeremy attempted to be more upbeat to avoid raising suspicion in Elena. "Yeah, I miss you too." He said, sincerely. "Talk soon." He hangs up, and lets out a deep breath, looking extremely uncomfortable and very worried. "Shit. Alaric must be bad if Elena is acting this way." Jeremy mused. "Have you seen him recently?" He looked at me, questioningly.
"Yeah, yesterday at the bridge when I went with Rebekah to help her with her investigation into the White Oak Tree's reappearance." I confirmed. "He looked really uncomfortable, and a bit paranoid. Which isn't surprising considering what happened to Samantha Gilbert."
Jeremy narrowed his eyes. "Why didn't you mention this to me before?" He asked, a bit accusingly.
I frowned back.
"I was bit preoccupied with an obsessive, stalkerish 900-year old vampire who could snap me like a twig if she wanted to." I retorted. "At that point, Alaric's condition was the furthest thing from my mind, and even if I wanted to know more about my friend, Damon wasn't exactly forthcoming with the information either." I added.
"Figures." Jeremy grumbled, slouching down into his chair.
"On that note, I'm going to take a walk." I announced pushing back on my chair and walking towards the door.
"Um, where do you think you're going?" Nik almost instantly piped up, sounding stern. I froze and turned to look at him, reluctantly. "Are you forgetting something?"
I groaned.
"Seriously, Nik. I'm a big girl, I don't think anything is going to attack me between here and my short walk through the woods." I turned to continue walking and found my exit route blocked by Elijah.
"Not without one of us." Nik insisted, firmly.
I took two steps backwards away from my brother and glared heavenward and then at Nik.
"This is ridiculous." I groused.
"Until the situation with Finn and Mother is resolved, you're not going anywhere without one of us. We discussed this!" Nik growled, getting up from his seat and walking over to me. "Fancy a walk, Kol?" Nik asked him without taking his eyes off me, and Kol immediately stood up from his seat and walked over to us, much to my chagrin.
"Love one." Kol replied.
"Oh, c'mon!" I muttered underneath my breath, which unfortunately Kol and the rest overheard.
"Gee, thanks. I love you too." Kol said, sarcastically. I just looked at him with frustration.
"Wouldn't you rather be doing something else instead of escorting me across town and through the woods?" I asked him. Kol smiled, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me close enough that I could smell his expensive cologne.
"And miss out on the opportunity to reconnect with my favorite sister? Not a chance." He grinned, and I could not help but mirror it.
"Rebekah would slap you if she heard what you just said." I pointed out, and Kol shrugged.
"She's done worse, and yet I'm still here."
"More's the pity." I heard Nik mutter from across the room back over at the dining table.
I glance over at him, and then at Elijah who was standing not too far away from the table, ensconced in what looked like an urgent tense phone call. I noticed Nik occasionally glancing over at him, as though he were listening in on the conversation while taunting Kol at the same moment.
"Sod off, Nik!" Kol spat back, earning a smirk from Nik, and I giggled at their banter.
"Uh, hey? Can we come too?" Jeremy called out, indicating between himself and Henrik.
"You still got your necklace?" I asked him, and Jeremy nodded pulling free the chain from underneath his shirt.
"Haven't taken it off." He replied, eagerly.
"Why not? The more the merrier apparently." I agreed unenthusiastically, as Nik then instantly gets to his feet.
"Wonderful! Now, run along you four. We've all got things to do." He said, practically shoving us out the door. He glared warningly at Kol. "Take care of her, Kol. I mean it; one hair out of place—"
"I get it, brother. What exactly do you take me for?" Kol retorted back, looking mildly insulted as he pulled his arm away from my shoulders and strides from the room. "Let's go, poppet." He called back to me and I rolled my eyes.
I was immediately stopped, and I glanced back at a sober-faced Nik who had grabbed my wrist.
"Be careful." He urged, and I smiled at him.
"Always." I responded and kissed him. Suddenly my phone unexpectedly started ringing. "What the?" Nik and I stared at my phone as I immediately swiped right to answer it. "Hello?" I answered, a little uncertain.
"Hey Grace."
"Damon? What's up?" I asked, turning to leave after waving to Nik.
"Actually, I want to talk to Klaus. If you wouldn't mind?" Damon requested, and I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to look at an equally surprised Nik and Elijah, who had just finished his phone call.
"Why? What's the problem?"
Damon let out an impatient sigh.
"I've got bad news and even worse news that I think Klaus needs to know. Can you just put him on, please?" He requested, a little sharply.
I pulled the phone from my ear and held it out to Nik.
"For you, apparently." I stated, bewildered.
"So I hear. Put it on loudspeaker." Nik requested, and I stabbed at loudspeaker. Elijah came over to stand beside him as Kol came back in, looking annoyed.
"What's the hold up?" He asked, and immediately became alert when he saw the three of us staring down at my phone, looking serious. "What's going on?"
"What can I do for you, mate?" Nik asked Damon, ignoring Kol's question.
"Stefan and I received a mysterious package last night from an anonymous caller." Damon went straight to the point. "It turned out to be a large chunk of White Oak Wood that had been made into the Wickery Bridge sign."
"So? Easy solution. Just burn the damn thing." Nik responded like Damon was a complete moron.
"Easier said than done." Damon retorted. "The hunk of wood came with a typed message explaining what the wood was and its purpose. Stefan and Alaric made stakes out of it early this morning." All four of us tensed up the second we heard this.
"And how did you know their intentions?" Elijah piped up, a little suspiciously.
"Figures you'd have this call on loudspeaker." Damon bitched.
"Just answer the question, please." Elijah requested, with thinly disguised patience.
"I tagged along, underneath the pretense that I was going along with their plans of killing Klaus and getting rid of you all once and for all." Damon responded, defensively.
"In other words, you were going to spy on them without being obvious that you were." I summed up.
"Pretty much. They made a grand total of 12 White Oak Stakes, which they plan on distributing to the other Scoobies later today and learn how to use them." Damon confirmed.
"Why the sudden act of loyalty? What's in it for you?" Nik asked, also suspicious.
"To keep my friendship with Grace in tact." Damon explained truthfully, surprising all three Originals and me in the process. "Killing you and your family would put a serious dampener on it, and I like it the way it is already. I also kinda need to get out of Elena's clutches. She's really starting to piss me off, and there's only so much I can tolerate before I snap."
"What do you mean?" I asked, imagining one scenario after another in my head, and not liking any one of them.
"I think Elena has got it in her head that she's falling in love with me. I mean, who wouldn't? Have you seen me?" Damon stated, boastfully.
"Damon, quit flexing your ego and get to the point." I said, sternly.
"The point is, I don't want to be involved in that drama. As far as I'm concerned, Stefan can have her. There's no contest." Damon concluded, and Kol let out a low whistle.
"Wow. That is unfortunate. Glad I'm not in your shoes, I'd have killed her already." He told Damon, matter of fact.
"And I would've pulled your spleen out through your throat if you so much as even tried." Nik countered, fiercely. "I still require Elena's blood to help me create more hybrids in the future."
Kol rolled his eyes, looking bored of Nik's not so empty threats. "Yeah, of course you do."
"Seriously! Guys, feel the room; we don't have time for this argument." I cut in, frustrated with their tedious bickering.
"Agreed." Elijah backed me up, looking at his feuding brothers disapprovingly before Damon's voice suddenly pipes up from my phone, and I jumped, having almost forgotten he was still there.
"So, what happens now?" Damon's slightly amused voice drifts up from the phone.
"We need to make it seem like we are ignorant about the existence of those White Oak Stakes." Elijah took over the explanation, while the rest of us listened in earnestly. "Which means, you Damon, have to continue playing spy and go meet up with the others as previously planned."
"Okay. Why?" Damon questioned.
"Yeah, why?" Kol demanded, looking at Elijah in confusion as Nik looked at him like he was mad.
"So, he can fly under the radar and not immediately be accused of being a narc when the rest of us eventually reveal that we knew all along." I chimed in, immediately understanding where Elijah was going with this plan.
"Precisely." Elijah confirmed.
"Better earn that Oscar statue, Damon." I added, playfully.
"You're also going to play spy too, sister. Alongside Kol when you go for your walk through the woods." Elijah pointed out to me, causing both Kol and me to look at him with disbelief.
"Wait, what?" I blurted out.
"Conveniently where I'm going to be meeting up with Stefan and Alaric when they distribute the stakes, huh?" Damon guessed, and I let out a disbelieving scoff.
"You're encouraging me to eavesdrop?" I demanded, slightly miffed.
"What if she gets caught?" Nik demanded, protectively.
"She won't. I'll make sure of it." Kol declared, confidently.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys." I drawled, dryly.
"So, it's settled then." Elijah concluded.
"What happens after that?" Damon wanted to know.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." I said to Damon. "See you soon." I abruptly hung up as I started grumbling to myself while stashing away my phone in the back pocket of my jeans.
So much for my plans of having a peaceful walk. I turned and grabbed Kol's wrist and stomped towards the front doors.
"Come on, Kol. Let's get this over with." I grumbled, half-dragging a slightly startled Kol along with me.
"Apparently we're going. Don't wait up!" He shouted back at a slightly amused Nik and Elijah, as he basically tripped and hopped after me trying to stay on his feet. We both met up with a confused pair of teenagers.
"What are you standing around gawking for? Let's go, we're burning daylight." I ordered and practically frog marched them out the door.
"What's eating her?" Jeremy muttered a little nervously at Kol who chuckled a little.
"Don't worry about it. Grace is just sulking because she's not getting her own way." He explained to him.
"I think you're mistaking me for Rebekah, brother dear." I called back, using a fake pleasant voice.
"No, I'm not." Kol replied in the same tone.
I turned my head to glare at him, but Kol simply smirked, winked and childishly stuck out his tongue. I begrudgingly let through a small grin.
"I've missed you, Kol. Don't change." I urged and Kol zipped over to my side to grab me in a bear hug and spontaneously spun me around like a rag doll. Pretty much how he used to do a thousand years before. "No! No, put me down, Kol!" I shrieked, in between joyful laughter.
"I missed you too, Grace. You really scared the hell out of me." He mumbled into my hair, when he placed me back on the ground and held me close to him.
"Uh, guys? I thought that we were going for a walk?" Henrik spoke up, and both Kol and I turned to look at him; almost forgetting in our nostalgic moment that both he and Jeremy were still standing there, looking weirded out.
"We are. We're just deviating a little from the original plan." I explained as Kol casually draped his arm around my shoulders.
"We're going to spy on your sister and her friends." Kol chirped, with a shit-eating grin on his face.
"Why? What did they do?" Jeremy asked, confused.
"Somebody anonymously sent Damon and Stefan a huge hunk of a wood that can permanently kill your hosts." I explained, bluntly.
"And whittled stakes for themselves. Twelve of them to be exact." Kol added, still smiling but his deep brown eyes flashed dangerously.
"How do you know that?" Henrik asked.
"Damon told us. That's why we took so long coming out." I explained.
"He decided to give us a heads up, and that's why we're off to spy on them during their little training session on how to take us down, apparently." Kol stated, looking amused by the very thought.
"Sounds fun." Jeremy replied, dully.
"My sentiments exactly."
Kol then immediately turned us both back on course and started forcibly leading me and the boys down the street towards town.
"No backing down now, Grace. You made a promise, now you gotta fulfill it." Kol reminded me sternly.
"Knock it off will you, you're starting to piss me off." I retorted, feeling crabby. "This family means everything to me, and just because I don't like being babysat doesn't mean I'm gonna shirk my duties. Alright?"
"Just so we're clear." Kol smiled.
The Woods.
Day.
The four of us made our way through the woods. The sunlight created a dappled pattern, filtering in from the canopies above our heads onto the grey pine needle strewn ground.
I had almost forgotten exactly how pretty these Virginian woodlands truly were. What with all the headaches that we had been experiencing recently, it was a bit difficult to stop and smell the roses. I found myself immediately regretting being such a sourpuss earlier, as I was currently having a ball talking and reconnecting with Kol. I smiled and readjusted my scarf, shoving my hands deep into the pockets of my jacket as a particularly chilly breeze blew by, causing Jeremy and me to recoil and groan in protest, hunching up to stave off the cold.
"God, why?" Jeremy wailed after the wind passed by.
I nodded in agreement, "That was mean."
"See how much fun we are having right now, Grace? I bet you're glad Nik made me come along with you?" Kol was cocky and I nodded as I rolled my eyes, knowing that he was trying to lighten up the mood.
"You're right." I agreed.
"Naturally." Kol responded playfully, and all three boys laughed as he easily dodged when I took a swipe at him for the comment. "What was I right about?" He asked, curiously.
I sighed heavily.
"I was being a bit of a brat before about the extra protection you guys were foisting upon me." I said as Kol took a seat beside me on the log, and both Jeremy and Henrik looked at me curiously.
"Well, why did you react that way?" Jeremy asked.
"I'm used to being independent." I said, feeling sheepish. "Ever since I started learning self-defense when I was twelve, and after my parents died; suddenly it was up to me to make sure that I survived by my own merits. The idea of somebody else stepping up to take up that task for me seemed like a bitter pill to swallow."
Kol nodded, "I agree and brava for admitting that. But remember darling, you're still human." He reminded me.
"What's being human got to do with anything?" Jeremy asked, looking confused.
"Haven't you ever heard of 'fight or flight'?" I added.
"Doesn't matter." Kol reached down to the ground for a random twig and started fiddling with it. "It's like you said earlier, Grace, during breakfast; to a vampire, especially one as old as Sage, you'd be as fragile as this twig." He demonstrated his point by easily breaking it in two with his fingers.
"You make your point very vividly." I winced, feeling even more foolish for my previous outburst as Jeremy eyed the broken halves of the stick uncomfortably.
"Have I? I'm not sure that I have as I'm not sure you've learned from the last time, dear sister." Kol eyed me sternly.
"The last time? What do you mean?" I blinked at him, confused.
Kol let out an exasperated sigh as he got to his feet and started to pace.
"I learned this lesson the hard way when I first transitioned as a vampire. Our emotions become heightened, and it does not take much for us to become angry and lash out. It's even harder to control it when you're young and inexperienced." Kol explained. "For me, becoming a vampire meant that my days as a witch were gone forever, and that was an emotional blow that I have never forgiven my mother for. I loved being a witch: having that connection with the Earth and nature meant everything to me, and when I lost that, I took out my frustrations and despair on many unlucky villagers in a blood-fueled rage."
I paled when I remembered back when Caroline completed her transition and what a scared and hysterical mess she had become as she struggled to come to grips with her new status as a newborn vamp.
"But I wasn't the only one who found the lifestyle of a vampire difficult to control." Kol continued.
"Nik struggled bitterly too." I spoke up.
"Correct. Are you beginning to remember?" Kol questioned and I frowned at him.
"No. Elijah and Rebekah told me. What should I be beginning to remember?" I questioned back.
Kol shook his head.
"It's not something I can tell you. But I can show you." Kol told me, and my eyes widened when I realized that he was hinting towards a Medium premonition.
I nodded reluctantly, as memory recollection was not exactly a smooth trip back and forth, and I offered him my left hand, palm up. Wordlessly, Kol took my hand and it felt like I had the wind knocked right out of me. My eyes snapped shut as I was thrown back into our past. To me it felt like several minutes, but in reality it was only a few seconds, and I blinked to clear away the fuzziness hovering around in my brain. Then shuddered when I started remembering what I had seen.
"Welcome back." Kol grinned.
I glowered at him before I gently grabbed my throat and cleared it, and then started massaging my upper gums; feeling extremely uneasy with what I had just briefly witnessed only seconds before.
"That burning feeling in your throat. Do you get that every time you crave blood?" I questioned my brother. He nodded slowly, and I grimaced sympathetically. "How can you stand it?" I mumbled, swallowing hard.
"It's not without extreme difficulty. But it gets easier over the years." Kol responded, gravely. "Do you remember everything now?" He asked, and I blinked at him in astonishment.
"You mean when Nik verbally attacked me after yet another bloody confrontation from your prick of a father?" I scoffed in disbelief. "No, I don't remember anything of what I just saw. Was it just after everyone was changed into vampires?" I asked Kol who nodded.
"A few months afterwards. I can't guess what Nik's true feelings were that day, except from what you saw, but Father bullying him mixed with our near constant hunger; you shouldn't be completely surprised that he reacted the way he did." Kol stated.
"My best guess is that I was so horrified that Nik had yelled at me that I must've blocked it out completely, unable to visualise the man I agreed to marry acting almost like Mikael, minus the physical violence."
"Weird. But understandable." Kol said. "Nik can be a scary bastard when crossed."
"No kidding." I said, sardonically. "But having said that, this is sort of my fault Nik lashed out at me like he did." I confessed, sheepishly.
Kol frowned, "How is it your fault?"
"Because Elijah warned me on an earlier occasion to just let Nik be. I brought what happened upon myself when I didn't heed his advice." I told him.
"When did our overly-moral brother advise you of that?"
"When I broke the rules and challenged Nik to a duel with swords. Mikael discovered us and gave us and even Elijah a severe tongue-lashing for letting me handle the weapon."
"Wait. You were there when that happened? Nik refused to speak to any of us for the rest of the night after Father humiliated him in front of the villagers." I winced apologetically. "But even so, you still didn't deserve being yelled at, regardless of how angry or embarrassed he had been. I told him so." Kol insisted.
I reached over and wrapped both arms around his shoulders, surprising him as I pulled him into a hug.
"I know. Thank you for being there for me at the time. I really appreciated it." I mumbled into his ear, and Kol returned the hug tightly.
"Never doubt that for a second. I will always be there for you. We will always be there for you, just like we were back then." Kol insisted. "So, can you see why we insist that one of us tag along with you whenever you leave the house?"
I nodded, "So you can stop Sage if she suddenly does what Nik did back then." Kol nodded and I glanced around, frowning when I realised that neither Jeremy nor Henrik were within cooee of us. "Where did Jeremy and Henrik go?" I asked.
"They walked on ahead." Kol explained, then suddenly became alert when both boys suddenly came running into view.
"Guys! Somebody's heading this way." Jeremy reported, a little breathless from the run. Kol got up from his squat in front of me and closed his eyes. "What are you doing?" The teen demanded, then immediately fell silent when Kol sharply held up his hand for quiet.
"Well, well. If it isn't Nik's ripper buddy, and the pathetic band of brainless teenagers." Kol drawled sarcastically.
"And Damon?" I asked, mildly concerned.
"He's there. But we already expected that." Kol confirmed, looking at me with slight annoyance.
"I was just checking, Kol." I scowled at him. He ignored me and scanned the canopies above us, before focusing on the tree we were standing beside.
"Let's go." Kol suddenly said, grabbing Jeremy's arm and tugging him to the base of the tree.
"Where?" Jeremy asked, confused. Without responding, Kol simply wrapped an arm around his waist and blurred up the tree trunk, with Jeremy swearing colorfully the entire time. "A little warning would've been great!?" Jeremy shouted down from where he was perched. Kol jumped back down off the tree and landed gracefully and catlike beside Henrik, who had an amused look on his face while he was observing his friend's expected reaction.
"Relax, mate. You're in one piece, just don't let go of the tree branch." Kol shouted back up at him, before looking at me. "You're next." He stated, and I rolled my eyes and walked over to wrap my arms around his shoulders. In a split second I went from standing on solid ground, to perching a little precariously on a thick but sturdy tree branch beside a panicking Jeremy.
I slowly sat down, straddling the branch as Kol returned with Henrik.
"There they are." Henrik pointed and all of us followed his pointing finger towards Elena and Caroline who suddenly walked into view. Both were in the middle of an intense conversation.
Kol perched gracefully beside me, smirking.
"Wish that we had brought popcorn." He joked, and easily dodged the half-hearted swipe I aimed at him that nearly dislodged me from the tree branch. Luckily, Kol caught me before I could go far. "Easy, poppet. It's a long way down." He admonished, lightly. "Now, shush. We're missing the conversation." I glanced down at the two girls and right away, I could tell Caroline was not loving what Elena had to say.
"Alaric Saltzman killed my father?" She stated, angrily.
Elena and I winced.
"I can't expect you to be okay with this. But at least these herbs that Bonnie's giving him, they're healing him and they're keeping the dark side buried." Elena tried to justify Alaric's actions.
"Yeah, and that's supposed to make everything okay?" Caroline speeds up her pace in her anger, but Elena grabs her arm and turns her friend to face her. Caroline is very obviously crying.
"No, Caroline, it's not okay. It's horrible and I feel horrible about it, but he's a victim of something supernatural, he didn't ask for this, it just happened to him." Caroline just looked at her, not saying a word. I found this interesting, as it appeared that not everything was sunny in Caroline's world when it came to Elena, despite the girl's attempt at being sincere or comforting. "Just like Bonnie's mom, I mean, she didn't ask to become a vampire. And neither did Stefan or Tyler."
"Or me." Caroline did not smile causing Elena to sigh, obviously trying and failing to make her friend feel better.
"None of you asked for this, but who would I be if I just turned my back on any of you?"
"Doing us all a really big favour?" I muttered underneath my breath and heard Kol chuckle. The girls' conversation immediately stopped when Matt appeared, looking confused and frowning at both girls as he held up his phone at them.
"Hey. What's with the cryptic secret meeting text?" The blonde quarterback asked Elena who shrugged, also looking just as lost as he did.
"I don't know. Stefan just said to meet here." She replied, as Matt's eyes locked onto something over her shoulder.
"Why don't we ask him then?" Matt suggested, causing both Caroline and Elena to turn around as both Stefan and Damon walked up them; Stefan looking all business and determined, and Damon a bit distracted.
I pulled out my phone from my pocket and texted him.
'We're right above you all.' – G.
I hit send and put my phone away. A few seconds later Damon tugs his phone from his jacket pocket and briefly checks it, before looking up at the trees and spotting us. I mock saluted him, Jeremy and Henrik waved and Kol smirked. Damon's eyes widened at little, probably because of Jeremy's presence here. But he gave a subtle nod to acknowledge we were there, before giving his whole attention to his brother, who was looking around.
"Where's Bonnie?" Stefan demanded. "I texted her too."
Caroline and Elena immediately looked sad and guilty, probably because of all the shit that has happened to Bonnie's mum recently, due to Damon's instincts and quick thinking at the time. Damon did confess later (and between us) that he did regret doing what he did, but if he had not, we'd have all been screwed and at Esther's mercy. I may not like Bonnie because of her arrogant attitude, especially towards Nik, Damon and at times Stefan. But nobody deserves to have their lives changed, even if it meant saving a life or multiple lives in the process.
"Um, Bonnie's mom bailed on her. Again." Caroline explained. "So, I think we should leave her out of this one."
"So, what are we doing here?" Matt asked, glancing around at everybody that was assembled there.
"We found some more white oak." Both Kol and I stiffened, despite knowing this already. Everyone looked at the brothers with shock, and Damon immediately shut down and waved a dismissive hand. "Long story, wait for the movie." He said, before anybody could ask questions.
However, Elena just could not help herself.
"Hang on. White oak? You have a weapon that can kill Klaus?" Both Kol and I frowned at the way she sounded just a little too hopeful.
"Nope." Stefan throws down a duffel bag. The white oak stakes we already knew were inside, clunked together ominously. "We all have a weapon."
"Shit…" Jeremy muttered what we were all thinking.
"Where did you find white oak? I thought it was all burnt when Rebekah set fire to the bridge." Elena asked, looking suspicious.
I glanced down at Damon in surprise; why did he omit my involvement with that adventure last night? I glanced over at Kol, who also looked a bit taken aback as well. Stefan squats down beside the duffel and unzips it, pulling out very sharp stakes and distributing them.
"Who knows? It was sent to us anonymously." Damon responded and looked really tense, as Stefan immediately went right to business.
"Klaus has always been one step ahead of us, but now we have the advantage. We're all armed, and they are all linked, meaning we only need to kill one of them." Stefan lectured them. "We need to seize the best opportunity, which means we need to prepare for every opportunity." He glanced over at Damon, who immediately took over.
"Scenario number one." Damon grabbed Elena's arm and moved her to one side. "You get to play Klaus." He tells her. Elena raises an eyebrow, but nods.
"Okay."
"Rebekah is our target." Stefan tells them, causing Damon and I to widen our eyes in alarm while Kol growled menacingly. "So, we distract her and catch her off guard." Stefan seemed too focused on their plans to eliminate Nik and the rest of our family, to really notice Damon was extremely uncomfortable and looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.
But Caroline noticed, if the slightly concerned frown on her face spoke any volumes. She returned to her attention back on Stefan, who apparently wasn't finished with his drill sergeant manner of talking.
"To do that, we need to keep Klaus separate and occupied."
"How are we gonna do that exactly?" Matt raised his hand to grab Stefan's attention. All eyes swiveled towards Caroline, who immediately looked like a cornered puppy.
"Caroline." Stefan replied. The blonde looked appalled by the implication.
"Me?" Stefan nodded. She immediately frowned, chucked her stake back to the duffel and started backing off. "Forget it." She scoffed. Everyone except for Damon looked at her in shock. "I'm not playing the distraction for Klaus." Caroline insisted, firmly.
"Why not?" Elena demanded, frowning at Caroline disapprovingly.
"Two reasons: 1) Klaus isn't as bad as you're all making him out to be." She said, angrily. "He and I actually sat down and discussed my feelings about my dad's death, and helped me cope. You don't do that if you're a heartless monster with no morals."
"What's the other reason?" Matt asked, curiously.
"I don't want to lose my friendship with Grace either. She helped me out with all my issues since becoming a vampire, while you all were too focused on trying to find ways of getting rid of Klaus and his family." Caroline declared.
I was speechless; we were all witnessing an obvious rift being wedged in the Elena/Caroline friendship, right before our very eyes. I had initially believed that Caroline had taken what was said in our heart-to-heart conversation during the ball with a grain of salt. Color me stunned that I obviously had an impact on her.
"How could she do that? She's not even a vampire." Elena pointed out, looking irritated.
"Not all of my problems are vampire related, Elena. While you were trying to dodge Damon and Stefan to go talk to Klaus's mom, Grace noticed that I was upset and came over to talk with me." Caroline explained. Elena looked a little guilty, which caused Caroline's already stony face to become even angrier. "We ended up chatting for a while and she even told me about her past, including her past with Klaus and his siblings."
"Really? All it took for you to betray us all and go on Klaus's side was that?" Elena said, sounding snide. "Why didn't you come to me if you were so upset?" She asked, looking hurt when Caroline didn't correct her about defecting to Nik's side.
"I shouldn't have to, Elena. If you really were my friend, you would've noticed earlier." Caroline retorted. "Besides, it's not like you really care. You've been too wrapped up in getting back Stefan and figuring out how to kill Klaus." Caroline made another attempt to leave. "You'd rather spend time with Bonnie than hang out with me and discuss my issues."
"That's not true!" Elena protested.
"Don't kid yourself. You've been avoiding me ever since I became a vampire. Count me out." Caroline stormed off.
Damon looked at her with sympathy, before turning to his brother and the others.
"Hey, Caroline! Wait up!" Damon suddenly called out, much to everybody's shock.
"Where the hell are you going?" Stefan demanded.
"Who me? I defected ages ago, long before it became fashionable. Caroline and I know a good thing when we see it. Toodles." Damon turned on his heel and walked towards a surprised Caroline and breezed past her without a glance. Matt, Caroline and Stefan watched him go with mixed reactions. But Elena immediately jogged after him looking betrayed, hurt and confused.
"Quick! Let's go after them before they go out of hearing range." I muttered urgently at Kol, who wordlessly blurred all three of us down the tree to solid ground. I sprinted after Elena and Damon before Kol could stop me and noticed that Elena had somehow managed to catch up with Damon before he could speed away. I stopped behind a nearby tree and cautiously peered around the trunk; praying that I couldn't be seen.
"Why?" Elena questioned him, grabbing Damon's arm to stop him. Almost immediately Damon jerked his arm out of her grip.
"What's it to you?" Damon raised an eyebrow at her.
"Why would you side with Klaus over us? He killed me, Damon. Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Elena insisted, and I heard Kol snort as he eventually caught up.
"Where are Jeremy and Henrik?" I whispered, not looking at him.
"They decided to hang back and keep watch on Stefan and that blonde kid." Kol replied carelessly. We watched as Damon shrugged before replying to Elena's accusation.
"I didn't give it much thought." Damon admitted. "Besides, I wasn't aware that I required your permission to change sides." Damon retorted, snidely.
Elena reacted like he had just slapped her.
"But what about me?" She whispered, brokenly.
"What about you?" Damon snapped. "When are you going to get it through your thick head, Elena, that I don't like you?" He told her harshly and Elena's face flamed red out of embarrassment and anger. "Besides, even if I was interested; I still wouldn't for three very good reasons: I'm already seeing someone, you look too much like Katherine, and I'd have to put a paper bag over your head to stop myself from killing you every time I look at your face." I noticed Elena's hand clenching into a white-knuckled fist; something that Damon apparently noticed, as a cruel smirk spread across his face. He moved in for the kill. "And also, why would I go after Stefan's sloppy seconds?" Damon declared.
I audibly gasped and clapped a hand over my mouth when Elena hauled off and gave Damon one hell of a slap across his face.
"I believe she just took a direct hit." Kol joked, and I had to stifle a giggle at the sarcastic quip as Damon easily recovered and looked at Elena with a 'are you kidding?' expression on his face.
"Feel better?" Damon chirped, massaging his slowly reddening cheek, as Elena attempted to roast him alive with her glare.
"You're a pig, Damon." Elena growled, tears in her eyes.
"Sticks and stones." Damon smiled, unfazed. Elena brought all of this upon herself, and it was nobody's fault but her own that she could not handle the truth when it was pointed out to her. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I've got places to go, people to see and a best friend to visit." He wiggled his fingers in the air in mock farewell, then turned and walked away leaving a seething Elena glaring holes into the back of his head.
"Well, that went well." I said, letting out a chuckle and turned towards Kol to prepare to head home to the mansion to report in. However, he gently grabbed my arms to stop me.
"Wait a minute, darling. It's not over yet." Kol stated and indicated with his head at something over my shoulder. I turned and spotted a shocked Caroline standing not too far away from where Elena was. The girl in question slowly turned to make her way back to where she had left Stefan and Matt with the duffel bag of white oak stakes but stopped when she saw Caroline.
"Caroline?" Elena looked at the blonde with hope in her eyes and voice, but Caroline merely looked at her with indifference before walking on. "Wait, Care! What about Tyler? He's still got his sire bond with Klaus; don't you still want to find a way to get rid of it?" Elena attempted to appeal to her friend's goal of saving her boyfriend from his hybrid sire bond.
Caroline stopped and looked over her shoulder.
"Yeah. But using one of my mom's weird sayings: 'you catch more flies with honey, than with vinegar.' I figured asking him nicely might get me what I want." Caroline retorted, then continued walking as she added: "You might want to give it a try some time."
"Now we can go." Kol declared, as we watched Caroline blur away and Elena slump dejectedly, stomping her way back towards Stefan and Matt. When the coast was clear – or as clear as Kol could make out – we stepped out from behind the tree, glancing in the direction Elena had just taken minutes earlier.
"I'll see if I can help Caroline with getting Tyler released from Nik's sire bond. It's the least we can do." I decided, earning a thoughtful look from Kol.
"You might have a few problems with that, love. Nik can be very stubborn when people are trying to change his mind." He cautioned me.
I shrugged, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
I pulled out my phone and texted Jeremy.
'We're heading back. When Elena returns, walk in the direction she came from. You should find Kol and me.' – G.
I sent the message and slipped my phone back into my pocket as I leaned against the tree trunk, soaking up the afternoon sunshine warming the skin on my face.
"I wonder what Nik and Elijah were up to while we were spying on this pathetic bunch?" Kol mused out of interest just as Jeremy and Henrik came jogging into view, both looking a bit worried.
"I guess we'll find out when we get back." I responded, looking at both boys with concern. "What's wrong?" I asked as Kol studied them curiously.
"We continued observing Stefan and Matt like you said." Jeremy revealed.
"And?" Kol prompted, frowning a little at the chagrined face Jeremy and his baby brother were making. Whatever it was that they observed clearly was not good.
"And it looks like you're gonna have to watch your backs from now on." Henrik reluctantly revealed. "At least, until a plan is made to get rid of the stakes." He added.
"What made you come to that conclusion?" I asked, glancing back up at where Stefan and Matt had been having their little tête-à-tête in Elena's absence.
"Stefan made Matt and Elena promise to keep the stakes hidden, safe and secret, and to look for the perfect opportunity to strike." Jeremy filled in the blanks.
Kol instantly smirked at the challenge.
"Is that all?" He scoffed, unimpressed. "I say bring it. They've got twelve stakes to work with, which means twelve chances to eliminate us."
I scowled at him disapprovingly, "Must you be so cavalier and jocular about all this? This is your existence that you are gambling with here, Kol. Not to mention your brothers and Rebekah's." I scolded. "You can't afford to be cocky."
"Must you spoil all my fun, dearest? It's been a long time since I've had any worthy sport." Kol complained. I exchanged a worried glance with Henrik before sighing. I personally wondered if this reckless attitude Kol had right now, was one of the reasons why Nik daggered him for as long as he did.
"Whatever, Kol. Do what you want." I muttered, walking off in the direction both Damon and Caroline had taken.
Mikaelson Mansion.
Day.
I walked with a purpose up the street towards the Mansion, lost in thought, while Kol, Jeremy and Henrik followed in the rear.
"Where's the fire?" Kol asked me when I eventually stopped in front of the pedestrian gate and started letting myself in. When I didn't respond straight away, Kol rolled his eyes. "You're still upset with me, aren't you?" He questioned me.
"Gee, what gave it away?" Jeremy dryly asked before I had the chance to open my mouth to answer. I threw Jeremy an annoyed look before sighing and pushing open the gate, stepping aside to let everybody else through too.
"I'm not upset. Disappointed with what little regard you apparently have for yourself, but not upset." I said as I shut the gate and started walking towards the double front doors. "And I'm trying to figure out the best way to tell Nik, Elijah and Rebekah that they have to have eyes in the back of their heads until further notice." I added, shoving my front door key in the lock.
"I always found the blunt approach the most effective method of communication." Kol shrugged, draping his arm over my shoulder.
"Of course." I replied, rolling my eyes as I shrugged it off, and got the door open. Stepping inside, Jeremy and Henrik started towards the staircase while Kol and I made a beeline for the living room; where Kol headed straight for the wet bar and fixed himself a double scotch, and I sat down heavily on the couch staring into space.
"We'll be in Jeremy's room." Henrik announced as both boys took their bid for freedom before either of us could acknowledge them.
"Care for a drink, darling?" Kol indicated towards the selection of liquor and I eyed off the half-full Maker's Mark bottle with interest.
"Bourbon, neat." I asked and took a generous sip when the glass was pressed into my outstretched hand. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." Kol acknowledged, taking a sip from his own drink. He didn't speak for several minutes, before he eventually took a seat on the coffee table in front of me. "I shouldn't worry, Grace." He spoke up, drawing me from my thoughts again as I looked at him doubtfully. "This isn't the first time this family has been threatened, and I dare say it won't be the last either."
"How comforting?" I replied. "What about the situation with Finn and Esther?"
Suddenly, the front doors were flung wide open without warning, and I watched completely dumbfounded as in stepped Nik dragging in Finn, whom he immediately throws into the foyer. Rebekah saunters in behind Nik, shutting the doors behind her.
"I daresay we're about to find out." Kol said, knocking back his drink and striding towards the entrance to watch the commotion; looking to all intents and purposes completely unfazed that Nik was manhandling their eldest brother.
I cautiously followed, wondering what the hell was going on.
"Gather your witch. Let's get his blood and get on with it." Rebekah suggested, causing Finn to glare up at them.
"You can't force me to help you." He insisted. Nik squats in front of Finn and smiles nastily at him.
"Oh, I most likely could, but why force when I can persuade?" Nik questioned him before pointing towards the staircase. We all glanced up at the person walking down it, and my mouth fell open in disbelief.
"Sage?" Finn gasped. She beams at him with happiness shining in her green eyes as Finn slowly gets to his feet but does not walk towards her.
"Hello, Finn." Sage greets him and closes the distance between them, embracing him. As expected, I saw Finn stiffen. He was obviously less than happy to see her, which confirmed my theory that Sage was sired to Finn, and he only saw her as something to cuddle up to during those long winter nights.
"What the fuck is this?" I demanded, grabbing everyone's attention as I immediately stepped out from the living room, feeling confused.
"Grace?" Nik looked at me with surprise, probably because of my outburst.
"What is she doing here?" I asked both Nik and Rebekah.
"It's all part of the plan to stop Mother's plans, love." Nik insisted, and I looked at him in bewilderment.
"You do remember me telling you that she threatened both of us, right?" I questioned him, and Nik nodded.
"Yes, I do." He responded.
"But that was only if I wasn't reunited with Finn so we can have the chance to be happy." Sage piped from where she was clinging to a miserable looking Finn. I glowered at her over Nik's shoulder.
"Right. And that's what, supposed to make it all okay now? You threaten us with our lives if you don't get what you want, but the second you get your beloved Finn back everything's peachy?" I spat, scornfully. "That's big of you."
"You still can't force me to help you." Finn insisted, and Nik was about to angrily launch himself at his brother when I stepped in, wanting to avoid a family brawl. Sage immediately hissed at me, but I just looked at her flatly.
"Oh, you can shut up." I barked at her before getting Finn's attention. "May I have a private word with you, please?" I asked him. Finn nodded, looking guarded, and disengaged himself from Sage.
"Back in a moment." He politely promised her. I pulled Finn further up the staircase, ignoring the curious and slightly suspicious looks from everyone else and started talking to Finn in a low voice so that only he could hear me.
"Finn, the sooner you cooperate with Nik, the faster you can get away from her." I pointed out, indicating towards Sage. "Just give us some of your blood, pretend to be lovey-dovey with Sage and then take the next opportunity to ditch her. Deal?"
"Lovey-dovey?" Finn looked at me with a perplexed expression. I rolled my eyes, mentally kicking myself for using 21st century slang when Finn wasn't used to it just yet.
"Pretend that you're still into her." I translated.
Finn frowned, "What makes you think that I still don't have feelings for Sage?"
"By the mere fact that you openly flinched when she hugged you." I pointed out. Finn looked sheepish. "Now, do we have an accord?" I held out my hand for him to shake. Finn looked at it, then at Sage, then at a frowning Nik and curious Rebekah and Kol, and back at my face.
He sighed heavily.
"You got a deal." He agreed, taking my hand and making a 'gentlemen's agreement' with me. I smiled and knocked back the remainder of my bourbon and handed the glass to Finn.
"Fill it up." I requested, as Finn reluctantly took the glass from me.
"How much?" He asked, tiredly.
"Just a mouthful." I instructed. Finn nodded and bit into his wrist with the familiar crispy apple crunch noise and let his blood ooze into the glass. He handed it back to me and I smiled gratefully. "Thank you."
"Of course." Finn responded, smiling a little when I pecked him on the cheek; and scowled at Sage when she growled at me for doing so. I made my way back downstairs to hand a surprised Nik the blood-filled glass.
"Thank you, sweetheart." Nik said, taking the glass from me and looking at Finn dubiously. I pecked him on the cheek and headed in the direction of the kitchen.
A/N: Finished finally! Thanks for your patience. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I apologize if it's not as great as the other chapters have been.
Please review with kindness.
TTFN xx