Blood Lust ⚜ Salvatore or Mikaelson?

17. Reunion

"Poppy?" He asked.

"In the flesh." She told him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. 

Jeremy hugged her tightly, one hand stroking her brown curls and the other hand place on her back. Poppy nuzzled her face into his shoulder, closing her eyes. She was happy, but also scared and upset. Happy that she was finally back to Mystic Falls, and reunited with her friend. Scared of how people would react to seeing her again, and scared knowing that Mikael watching her and plotting her death. She was upset that her time with her dad was cut short, and that Stefan was still out there. She was upset that she had been gone for so long. 

Poppy sniffled, a tear slipping from her eye and onto Jeremy's shirt. 

"It's okay, Poppy. You're safe." Jeremy assured her with a soft voice. 

"No, I'm not, Jer." Poppy spoke quietly, her voice cracking. She cried quietly, sniffling and gripping onto the Gilbert's shirt more tightly. 

"You saw him out there?" Poppy heard Elena say, using her supernatural hearing. "Damon, is he okay?"

"No, he's not okay, Elena. He's an insufferable martyr that needs his ass kicked.." Damon replied. "But he can be saved." 

"And what about Poppy? You should've seen her, Damon. She's been through so much." Elena told the Salvatore vampire. "She's broken." 

"Yeah, she's been with Klaus all summer." 

"No, Damon, this was different. Did you know she had a brother?" 

"Hey-Poppy, answer me please." Jeremy interrupted her eavesdropping, pulling away and cupping her cheeks, his eyes piercing into hers. 

"Jeremy, they think I'm broken-they think I need fixing-" Poppy said, her voice shaking. "Maybe they're right-I mean, my brother is dead, my uncles and aunt are daggered, I'm a werewolf-witch-hybrid monster, and I'm being hunted by a man that has tormented me since I got my memories back." She took deep breaths. "I can't do this, Jer.." She let out a small sob as she was pulled into his chest again. 

Jeremy frowned. "No, you're not broken. You just need help healing." He told her, picking her up bridal style and bringing her to the bed and laying her down. He walked to the door and shut it before getting into the bed with her. Poppy laid her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes while taking trembling breaths. With a slow motion, Jeremy turned off the lamp and pulled the blankets over the two, holding his friend close to him. 

August 25, 2010

Mystic Falls, Virginia

The Gilbert Residence

Poppy woke up in morning, turning onto her back and rubbing her eyes. She furrowed her eyebrows, feeling the lack of presence in the bed, and sat up, looking around the bedroom. 

"Jeremy?" She spoke up, immediately cringing at her congested state. "Ugh, ew." She peeled the blankets off of her body and stood up tiredly and groggily. 

Stepping over to the closet, Poppy opened the door and grabbed a t-shirt. She quickly took off her shirt and replaced it with his, throwing it towards his laundry pile. 

Her feet padded against the floor as she walked to the staircase, trudging down. "Jeremy? Are you down here?" 

"You sound terrible." Jeremy told her, stepping into the hallway. "And you look a lot worse than you sound." 

Poppy rolled her eyes. "I bet you I feel a lot worse." 

"There's some medicine in the cabinet." He told her, walking back into the kitchen with her following behind. He opened a cabinet and grabbed some cold relief medicine, tossing it to her.