Elijah arrived home the next day around noon with Elena and his siblings. They'd had to take two cars. Rebekah and Finn came with Elijah, While Niklaus followed them with Kol.
Elijah, Elena, Finn, and Rebekah got out of the car and waited until Klaus and Kol arrived and got out as well.
Kol looked at the outside of the house. "This place looks around the same size as Nik's. It's not bad, although we are used to much bigger."
"I don't think I want to know what that means. I could fit my old house in this place, possibly twice," Elena said.
"Alright, before we go inside, we all need to get something straight," Elijah addressed his siblings. "Elena's brother and aunt and brother are waiting inside. I will not tolerate any disrespect towards either of them. Jeremy is as good as my son. I expect him to be treated that way. This is his home too, and he will be here often. You will treat him as you treat Elena."
"Of course, Elijah," Rebekah said.
Elijah looked pointedly at Niklaus.
"Why is it me you look at that way? I will be kind to the boy," Klaus assured him. If the child was important to his brother and niece, he would treat him well.
"The same applies to Elena's aunt. She cared for Elena on her own for months, and she and I essentially share responsibility for both children. I want her treated with respect. One thing to know is that Jenna does not yet know about the supernatural," Elijah said.
"So, be nice and keep quiet about the supernatural. We've got it," Kol said.
Elijah nodded before leading the way inside. When they got inside Jenna and Jeremy were waiting. Jenna had called him not too long after they'd left to come home and asked if they could meet him at his home. Jenna and Jeremy both had keys, and he had no problem with them greeting them there. "Hello, Jenna, Jeremy."
"Hi, Elijah. Welcome home.
Jeremy made a beeline for his sister as soon as he saw her and hugged her. They'd spoken on the phone, so he knew she was alright, but he didn't really stop worrying until he saw her face.
"Hey, Jer," Elena said as she hugged her brother. She missed her little brother. This was the longest they'd been apart in months.
Jenna was next to hug Elena. "Hey. I missed you. I know it's only been a little over a week, but it seemed like longer."
"I missed you too, Aunt Jenna," Elena said before pulling away.
"Jenna, Jeremy, these are my siblings. This is Finn, Niklaus, Kol, and Rebekah," Elijah told them.
"Hi. It's really nice to meet you all," Jenna said as she began shaking their hands.
"You as well, love, and please, call me Klaus or Nik," Klaus said before glaring at his brother for the way he introduced him.
"Okay," Jenna said with a smile.
Rebekah was the first to greet Jeremy. She smiled at him and shook his hand. "It's wonderful to meet you, Jeremy. Elena talks about you a lot, and Elijah is very protective of you. You can call me 'Aunt Rebekah' if you want, although, don't feel obligated."
"Uh, thanks," Jeremy said as he returned the smile.
"Hey, mate. I'm Kol. What Rebekah said goes the same for me," Kol said.
"Hi, there," Klaus said as he shook the boy's hand.
Jeremy regarded Klaus more distrustfully. This man had been planning to kill his sister not too long ago. "Hi."
"Hello, son," Finn said as he shook the boy's hand.
"Hi. It's nice to meet you," Jeremy said politely.
"So, was everything alright? I know you said it was a family emergency, Elijah," Jenna said.
"Yes, it turned out alright, although that was mainly due to luck," Elijah said.
Elena bit her lip and looked away awkwardly.
"Elena, why don't you and Jeremy show your aunt and uncle's around the house?" Elijah suggested.
"Sure, Dad," Elena said.
Jeremy looked slightly caught off guard at his sister's words. He hadn't known that she was calling Elijah 'Dad' yet. It wasn't completely unexpected though. He had a feeling it would be coming soon. It didn't exactly bother him. He supposed he was just a little jealous. Elena got to have a dad while he didn't. He just found it slightly unfair, but he didn't begrudge Elena or Elijah for it.
Elena saw the look on Jeremy's face but decided not to comment on it as she led him and her aunt and uncles from the room.
Jenna smiled at Elijah. "I wondered how much longer it would be before Elena called you that. I knew it was only a matter of time."
"I hope it doesn't bother you," Jenna said.
"No. You earned the right to be called that. You're a wonderful father, Elijah. And I know it doesn't change the way Elena feels about us."
"Of course not," Elijah said.
"So, Jeremy asked to spend the night. Are you okay with that while you have your family here?" Jenna asked.
Elijah nodded. "This is Jeremy's home too. He is always welcome."
"Okay, great. I was wondering if I could pick Elena up from school tomorrow and keep her for a few days. I've really missed her," Jenna said.
Elijah was extremely hesitant. He didn't want to tell Jenna no. He gave his word that she could spend as much time as she wanted with Elena, but he wasn't ready to let Elena out of his sight. Even forgetting the fact that his aunt would soon be targeting her, he had gone six days without knowing where Elena was. He needed more time before she was away from him again. "Would you be willing to wait until the weekend? It's just that I need a few more days with her."
Jenna frowned in confusion. "You say that as though she hasn't been with you this whole time."
Elijah sighed. "I owe you an apology, Jenna. I wasn't entirely honest with you. The family emergency that I left for was that Elena had taken off with Niklaus without my permission."
"What? Why would she do that?" Jenna asked in disbelief.
"Elena wanted to help him with something, but she knew that I wouldn't approve, so she went with him without telling me, and without telling him who she was. I didn't know where she was until a couple of days ago," Elijah explained.
"I can't believe she would do something like that. She knows better than to just take off like that. And why didn't you tell me?" Jenna asked.
"Because I didn't see the point of us both worrying needlessly. There was nothing you could've done but be consumed with worry," Elijah said.
"So, you let me think she was with you and had Jeremy lie to me? He knew, didn't he? I could tell that something was off with him. This was it! How could you do that Elijah? How could you ask my nephew to keep something like that from me? I thought we were a team!" Jenna said angrily.
"You're right, Jenna. I have not been fair to you. I should never have expected Jeremy to hide things from you. We are supposed to be a team, and that means I need to be honest with you. There are some things I need to tell you. I would like to come see you tomorrow. I want to be completely honest with you. There should not be any more secrets between us," Elijah said. It was time for her to know the truth. He'd sworn that he was going to do it once Elena was safe. It was time.
"There's more you've been keeping from me? How much more?" Jenna asked irritated.
"Quite a bit more. I want you to know that the only reason I haven't told you thus far was to protect Elena. Things were very difficult for her for a long time, and I didn't want to make it worse. But you and I have to be able to trust each other, and that won't be possible until you know the truth," he said.
"Can't you just tell me now?" Jenna asked.
"I would rather not do it here with my siblings around," Elijah said. This was going to be difficult enough for Jenna to deal with. He didn't think it was a good idea to have four more vampires in the house when he told her. Plus, he didn't want Elena there when he told her, just in case Jenna had a bad reaction. He wanted to believe that none of what he had to say would change how Jenna saw Elena, but he had to protect his daughter.
"Okay, fine. I'm really not happy about all of this, Elijah. I know that you are the parent, but I feel like I had a right to know what was going on with Elena, and the fact that you're still hiding things makes me even more angry," Jenna told him.
"I know. You have every right to be angry. You did have a right to know, but I hope once you know the truth, you can understand why I handled it the way that I did. I recognize that I may not have handled it the best way, but everything I did was to protect my daughter," Elijah said.
Jenna had many questions, but she decided to wait until tomorrow to get her answers. "Alright. I'll reserve judgment until I hear what you have to say tomorrow. And I can have Elena for the weekend?"
"Yes, if that's what you'd both like. Just so you know though, Elena is grounded, and I would expect you to enforce that," Elijah said.
"I had a feeling, given that she disappeared for almost a week. I still can't believe she did that. She's never done anything like that before," Jenna said.
"Well, after the punishment I laid down, I don't think she'll do it again," Elijah said before telling Jenna exactly how he'd punished Elena. Jenna needed to know exactly what Elena was and wasn't allowed to do in her care.
"Ouch. That's probably the worst punishment she's ever received. Then again, I think this is the worst thing she's ever done," Jenna said.
Elena and Jeremy came back into the room moments later. "Hey. I showed everyone to the rooms they'll be sleeping in. They're getting settled," Elena told her father.
"Good. Thank you, sweetheart," Elijah said.
"Is everything okay," Elena asked. She saw that her aunt didn't look happy.
"I don't know if I'd say everything is okay. Your dad just told me that you disappeared for almost a week. What were you thinking?" Jenna asked her niece.
Elena grimaced. "Well, I thought I was helping my uncle, but I realize now that I didn't go about it the right way. I'm sorry if I worried you, Aunt Jenna."
Jenna sighed. "Well, I know you've been sufficiently lectured. I don't think there's anything I could say to you that your dad hasn't already said, and I also know he punished you. But, Elena, don't ever do something like this again."
"I won't, I promise," Elena said.
Jenna went over and hugged her. "Your dad says I can have you for the weekend if you're okay with it."
"Yeah, of course," Elena said. She only hoped her aunt would still want that by then. Her dad had told her that he planned to tell Jenna the truth soon. Elena was worried that her aunt wouldn't want to be around her after that. She wouldn't be the first person she loved that thought badly of her just because of who she was. Her own mother had hated her, and the man who raised her had thought of killing her.
"Okay. I'll see you then. I'm going to head out. I'll see you in a day or two, Jeremy," Jenna said.
"You're welcome to stay for a while, Jenna," Elijah said.
"That's okay. You've got your family here. I could use a bit of time by myself anyway. I'll see you tomorrow," Jenna told Elijah.
"Yes, I'll call you in the morning to discuss a suitable time," Elijah said.
Jenna nodded and headed for the door.
"You're going to tell her tomorrow?" Elena asked in a nervous tone.
Elijah nodded and put an arm around her. "It will be alright, sweetheart. We need to have some faith in Jenna. It will be alright."
"Jenna would never turn her back on you, Elena," Jeremy said.
Elena nodded, but she was still concerned.
"Alright, now I want you to go upstairs and get me my mother's grimoire," Elijah said to Elena.
Elena pouted a bit.
"None of that. You knew this was happening. Go get it please," Elijah said firmly.
Elena nodded before heading out of the room.
Elijah turned to Jeremy. "You're worried too, aren't you?"
"Yeah, but not for the same reason as Elena. I don't think Jenna would ever turn on her, but she might on you. What if she doesn't let me come over here anymore?"
"Like I said, we need to trust Jenna. Either way, I will not allow you and Elena to be separated," Elijah promised.
"I don't want to be separated from you either," Jeremy said before leaving the room.
