The next day continued to add to the devastating mood of yesterday. Elijah was silent for most of the time, so deep in thought that it took him long to even notice when she was saying his name. His knuckles stood out white because he grabbed the stirring wheel too tightly. She even feared that he would eventually break it.
When they arrived at the place were Jason said the witches were practicing their rituals, a horrible sight unfolded in front of them. They were all slaughtered, flies were covering the bodies. Slit throats, totally Esther's style. Grace and Elijah burned the corpses to cover up the mess before they returned to the hotel, realizing that they hadn't got any leads anymore and that Esther was probably walking around, juiced up with magic. On her way to find something that could kill her children. How long until she would find out that there were still white oak stakes left? Klaus and Rebekah needed to hurry to get them from the Salvatores.
After they got back inside, Elijah immediately grabbed her and kissed her like he was starving for her. Elijah desperately needed to forget and Grace was simply there for him. They spent the afternoon indulging in their lust for each other, but this time it was more rough, a means to release all that build up frustration.
Later one they together laid in the bathtub, the warm water embracing their bodies comfortingly. Still, Grace's mind couldn't stop spinning as she was worried about Elijah's silence. At least he made some sounds when they had sex. Sighing, she closed her eyes and laid her head back on his chest. His arm held her by her waist and she could feel his breath on her scalp, but still it felt like he was miles away. Surprisingly she felt so comfortable with him, both of them naked in this bathtub, she always have had a problem with being nude around men, but her head was occupied with trying to find words. She couldn't talk to him about what happened. He needed time to process.
"When Damon compelled me when I was still human, it didn't work properly. Snippets of memory came back to me. It was pretty tough, gave me quite the headache, but it led me to undagger you then. To you think it is related to my 'talent'?"
Elijah pushed her wet hair over her shoulder and drew abstract circles onto the sensitive skin over her collarbone. She already noticed that he was a quick learner to what she enjoyed.
"Yes, it could be. Humans can learn to resist compulsion. But it's a process that can take decades and I've never seen anyone resistant the compulsion of an Original. Vampires like Damon use a sloppy technique...still, you had no clue what was happening to you, which makes it quite special that you could gain your memories back...Do you take vervain?"
Frowning, she turned around so she could look at him. At the side she was happy that he was speaking again. She seemed to have found the right topic. Elijah seemed to be curious about it himself.
"No, why would I? Burns like a bitch and I hope that none of you will ever try to compel me."
She started to place small kisses on his chest, but Elijah placed a finger under her chin to lift it up and he stared her in the eyes.
"Grace, why don't you get some champagne for us?"
His pupils dilated and Grace felt a kind of tug in her brain, but it didn't cloud her mind like compulsion should. She lifted a brow.
"Why don't you get it yourself?"
He chuckled and pulled her to her for a long kiss. It strangely relieved him that she could resist and Original's compulsion. Not that he was afraid that his siblings would dare and try, but one could never be safe enough. It was another part of protecting her from the evils and darkness of his family.
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to test a theory."
Elijah's arms wrapped around her and he relaxed a bit. She always found ways to calm him, it was magnificent. Of course he grieved for his brother, but his greater concern were the living. It upset him that Grace was bound to his brother's life. He couldn't bear loosing Klaus, but he would loose any sense in life if he lost Grace with him. In that short time she had become such an important part of his eternal existence, he couldn't even imagine a future without her anymore.
"I really hope that the Salvatores are sired by Niklaus. At least that would mean that they won't try to kill him."
The brothers were reckless, Elijah knew that. They wouldn't stop their revenge towards Klaus, even if it meant that Elena's sister would go down with him. Elijah couldn't have that. He would protect his family and Grace with his life, but right now, he couldn't make sure that his brother was safe.
Grace lifted her head and looked at him worriedly.
"Yeah, which would mean that you're open for the hunt. I bet you have enough enemies that would love to drive a stake through your heart."
Sighing, he cupped her cheek with his hand. She was so beautiful. He had to admit that he took a liking into her that exposed and vulnerable in front of him. She trusted him, she showed that by letting go of any shyness towards him.
"I know I didn't sire them, Grace. I made it my duty to know which vampires I sired."
"Well, let's hope that the Salvatores won't find that out soon."
She stole another short kiss before she stood up and got out of the water. He waited until she was wrapped in her bathrobe before he followed her.
Grace was about to boil some water for tea when her phone started ringing. She expected it to be Klaus, filling her up on new developments in Mystic Falls, but when she saw it wasn't him, but another person she was very close to, she was surprised.
"Jer?"
Immediately she was worried. He hadn't called since Damon compelled him to leave. Maybe it was because of the part to not look back to his old life in Mystic Falls.
"Yo, stranger, how are you doin'?"
Letting out a relieved sigh, she glanced over her shoulder to Elijah, who nodded when he saw that she was ok. Gently, he pushed her away to take over making tea.
"Um, I'm fine. How are the art classes going?"
Slowly, a smile spread on her face. She then realized how much she missed her little brother. But Denver or Mystic Falls, compelled or not, it probably would always be like that from now on if Grace wanted to protect him. The youngest Gilbert was an easy, wanted target, as he was a loved one of the doppelgänger and also very close to someone that meant a lot to the Mikaelsons. Living with them had a certain degree of danger, but it could take even wider circles when the families' enemies would find out about the newest addition to the inner circle.
"They're pretty good. Did a lot of progress here. The people here are cool...Are you at home?"
At least he seemed happy. Of course it wasn't ok to take his free will from him, but there was nothing Grace could do about it, so she could grant him that little amount of peace. A proper life for a teenager.
"No, I'm somewhere near Richmond...with Elijah."
Grace hadn't told him yet that she was together with the now oldest Mikaelson brother. She was a little shocked when she heard her little brother chuckle.
"Early honeymoon? Would've chosen a different place for vacation."
Her eyes widened to the size of saucers.
"How...How do you know?"
Jeremy's chuckle turned into laughter and Grace couldn't help but loosen up a bit. His reaction was way more humorous than Elena's.
"Gracie, please, I knew even before you became a vampire. Remember you told me Bonnie and I were obvious? You two were, too."
Her shoulders sunk down in relief and she released her held in breath. He took it easy. It made her wonder even more why Elena simply couldn't accept it. That the sisters split in argument and that she had moved out of their home was another thing she should Jeremy.
"So...you're ok with it?"
Grace's gaze melted into a kind of doe eyes, that Elijah saw for the first time in months. The deep insecurity in her had been more prominent when she was human, but now that she talked with her brother, she probably felt closest to her humanity.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I? Ok, his brother is a dick, but it's your choice."
The young vampire chuckled, but it mixed with a little sob which made her sound like she choked on something. She needed to hold back tears harshly. At least her little brother was still the person she grew up with. That poor boy had to see his sisters change that immensely right in front of them. One actually died and came back undead, the other had a bunch of vampires at her feet and called them friends. There was nothing he could do about it.
"Thank you, Jer."
"No problem, Gracie...Um, can I call you again later? A friend of mine is coming."
Grace wanted to say yes, when she suddenly heard a voice through the speaker from a bit farer away.
"Hey, mate, up for a match?"
Elijah immediately turned around, his eyes fixated on Grace's as he too noticed the voice. He knew it. Of course he did, it was his brother's. Kol. Why was he near Jeremy Gilbert? That wouldn't end well.
"Bye, Gracie."
He little brother ended the call and Grace's hand sunk to her side. Elijah and her stared at each other in shock for a moment, before fury took her over.
"I'm going to kill both your brothers."
The Original looked away, his lip curling upwards in anger. He thought it was clear to Niklaus that Grace's family was an untouchable subject. Didn't he even think about the consequences if something happened to her little brother? They would loose Grace for good.
"Elijah, I need to get him out of there. Kol's a maniac, I don't think anyone can assure me that he won't kill my brother if he gets bored."
She started to get hysterical and paced up and down the room. Elijah looked at her for a while, before he stepped in front of her and cupped her face with his hands.
"You're right. We can pick him up and I'll teach Kol some manners."
Sighing, she shook her head and took his hands in hers.
"No, I need to go alone. I'll need to bring him back to Mystic Falls, Elijah. Both you and Kol need to stay out of there and you need to keep looking for signs of your mother."
Now it was him to shake his head. He frowned, looking at his love with worry.
"I don't trust Kol. I would never forgive him or myself if he hurt you."
She lightly chuckled and leaned her head on his shoulder after she wrapped her arms around him. The thought of being apart from him again was tormenting.
"He wouldn't hurt me, he's not that stupid. He knows he would have you, Klaus and Beks on his heels of he even tried to. And, adding to that, I know how to handle him."
Elijah immediately believed that. Her personality was that strong, she never would be pushed around and she was never afraid to confront idiots like Kol. Still, it didn't really calm him. Maybe he was just afraid that in those dangerous times, he wouldn't see her again. He pushed that thought away quickly. It wasn't an option.
"I'll come back when I know Jeremy's alright."
He nodded. Of course he understood her. Like himself, she had a strong consciousness about how important family was, even when it tried to block her out. Elijah had witnessed this a thousand times, whenever Niklaus felt like going on a downward spiral again. He didn't want Grace to live through her family breaking apart. It unfortunately already had started with her and Elena's continuing arguments, but until the doppelgänger changed her mind and accept her sister's relationship to him, there was only her bond to Jeremy she could keep stable. There would be trouble when Jeremy would notice how deep her loyalty to the Mikaelsons ran, but Elijah begged for the teenager to not abandon her, too. It would be too much for Grace to take.
Pulling her close, Elijah kissed her forehead. He knew that he would have to let her go, that they couldn't live in their bubble of intimate happiness, apart from reality, forever, but Elijah's instincts told him that they wouldn't see each other for some time.
...
He really gave her the keys to the Porsche. Elijah wasn't a man of status symbols and even if money, cars and property didn't mean much to him, it of course would've been easier if he kept his car and Grace compelled herself one. But he did it anyway, so she could get to her brother as soon as possible.
Grace drove through the night, only stopped to feed and reached Denver in the morning. Until then, she had called Klaus a dozen times and left multiple threats that included very creative torturing methods on his voicemail. He should quake in fear by now.
She memorized the address of the families' friends where Jeremy stayed. Grace hadn't seen these people often. The last time they visited, she had been 12.
When she stopped the car in front of the house, she faced one big disadvantage. How suspicious could these people get if Grace couldn't enter their house? This having to be invited in thing was annoying. She needed to be quick to compel them.
Sighing, she climbed up the porch, her heels clicking on the old woods. Seconds after she rang the bell, she heard the steps and the heartbeat of someone approach. A woman in her early fifties opened the door and looked at Grace, examining her face closely. She didn't say anything as a frown rushed over her face, seeing that the young woman on her doorstep looked familiar. Then she suddenly clapped her hands and a wide smile spread on her lips.
"Grace Gilbert! What a surprise! You are looking for your brother, aren't you?"
The woman stepped aside, obviously implying that she could come in? Nervously, Grace shifted her weight from one foot to the other, but her face stayed emotionless. Why couldn't she simply be polite and invite her in?
"Yes, I am. Is he here?"
She looked a bit confused to why Grace still stood on the porch, but just shrugged.
"No, he's out at the baseball practice. Do you want to come in and wait for him here? I'm just preparing lunch."
A slight smile rushed over Grace's features. That woman probably made the greatest mistake of her life. But of course, until now Grace wouldn't mean harm to her.
"Yes, I would love to."
She stepped inside and took a quick look around. From the kitchen she could smell chicken and herbs, so she was telling the truth. There seemed to be no other heartbeat in here, but Grace needed to be sure. Grabbing the woman by her chin, she stared into her eyes and saw her pupils dilate.
"I'm alone. My husband is working."
Grace nodded.
"Very good. Where exactly is Jeremy?"
She continued to speak, because she pathetically felt weird when she did that mind control thing just with asking question through her mind.
"It's near the school. Just follow the street and at the end turn right."
"Jeremy will come back later and pick up his things. He'll go back to his home and you won't worry about him, he simply finished his art class. You'll never think of him again. Oh and, you'll forget that I was here."
The woman repeated her words and Grace stepped outside again, satisfied with her work. Quickly she got into the car and followed the directions. She found the school shortly after only to be annoyed by the facts that there were still kids out here. When she got out of her massive car, she could've slapped herself that she didn't park it farther away. The pupils stared at the hot woman that definitely not one of their teachers. Of course she didn't have time to compel them all, so she had to live with the fact that she gained some attention. She was tempted to show them her fangs, just to scare them away and have good laughter, but she pushed the thought away quickly.
Luckily, the baseball practice seemed to be nearly empty. She wanted to storm right into it and grab her brother, but she froze on spot and jumped behind a wall into hiding when she heard familiar voices.
Damon and Elena were there. They were talking to Jeremy. Did they have the same agenda as Grace? Maybe they too found out that Klaus knew where Jeremy was. Not that it bothered Grace too much that Nik knew, she was more worried about the fact that he had to send his most maniacal brother after Jeremy. Kol was unpredictable, Nik was aware of that.
Just as the youngest living Mikaelson brother crossed Grace's thoughts, he made his entrance. With a baseball bat on his shoulder and a creepy grin spread on his face, he casually walked towards the trio. Grace had to admit that it looked pretty bad ass.
The first thing he did was hitting Damon hard with the bat over his head. Well, the Salvatore deserved it, but this went south quicker than Grace had imagined. She rolled her eyes before she gave up her hiding place.
Using the element of surprise, she suddenly pressed the Original into the fence that surrounded the baseball fields hard, her arm over his throat, before he could smash Damon's head into pieces.
She felt the shocked gazes of Damon, Elena and Jeremy on her. They all whispered her name in surprise. At least they didn't know she was coming.
Kol just stared amused at her. Grace couldn't help but notice how similar he and Elijah looked, but their personalities couldn't be more different. Behind his dark brown eyes she could see pure rage because she interrupted him. Still, he didn't dare touching her. He stood still, leaning against the fence even tough he could've pushed her away easily.
"Nice to see you again, Gracie."
She wouldn't fall for that sweet smile. He would rip her to shreds if she pushed him too far.
"Leave my brother out of this, Kol."
His gaze grew predatory, but Grace surprised him by staring back with the same maniacal look he mastered so easily. She surely was a wild thing.
"Or what?"
"I'm saying it nicely now. Just be aware that I could make your life quite miserable without even asking your brothers to help me. Which they would without hesitation."
The trio watched the Original and the brunette with wide eyes. It was fascinating how much power Grace had over the Originals. Kol would have already ripped her heart out for her intruding, but even the most reckless of the Mikaelsons knew that he would end up dead or in a box if he killed that girl.
"Should I be afraid of you now, little girl? Hiding behind her boyfriend like a coward?"
She smirked.
"Do you see Elijah anywhere? But you know what, you're right. I need your brothers in order to truly hurt you? But do you know the advantage of being friends with Nik? A nearly endless supply of daggers that can make you shut up. So, Kol, I warn you one last time, leave my brother out of this."
Grace awaited another snarky reply, but before he could even open his mouth, Damon drove the splintered end of a baseball bat through Kol's heart from behind. He fell to his knees and his skin turned grey. Of course he wouldn't be out for long. She covered her face with her hand and shook her head in disbelief of Damon Salvatore's stupidity. Now he lit Kol's temper.
"You have a death wish, don't you?"
She looked at Damon and knelt down beside Kol. If she removed the woods, which she would when the others finally disappeared, he would be back within the next ten minutes.
"Do you really think he would let us go? You want to see your siblings dead?"
The younger vampire groaned. Again with these accusations. She cared for her family, way more than it was good for her.
"Yes, he actually would've left, because he knows that Klaus would dagger him if I ask him to."
It was without doubt. She would never claim that she had control over them, that was something she never wanted, but she had their loyalty, which was a value Damon, Stefan and Elena would never truly understand.
She ignored Damon's muttering and went straight for Jeremy, hugging him tightly. Her little brother seemed surprised, but he immediately returned it. Grace didn't spare a glance at Elena.
They needed to go fast, so she had only some seconds to explain something to her little brother.
"We don't have time, you need to leave before Kol wakes up. Jer, I just want you to know that I don't live at home anymore. Hear Elena's side of things. She probably will see it quite differently."
A short glare was adverted towards her sister.
"I will always be there for you. Even tough everyone thinks I'm a traitor, all I want is for us to live in peace. With the people we choose to spend our lifetime with, however long it'll be. Just give me a call and I'll vamp speed."
The siblings chuckled and she kissed Jeremy on the cheek. She squeezed his shoulders.
"Now go home quickly. I'll see you soon."
Damon and Elena thankfully seemed to get the hint, too, and they finally walked off. Grace sat down on the hard ground beside Kol again and pulled out the makeshift stake. His wounds healed quickly and he was staring to move only a minute later. Damn, those Originals were strong.
Kol hissed and his eyes opened. With bared teeth, he scanned the area and jumped to his feet, surprisingly not lashing out at Grace.
"Do you even know why they were here?"
Growling he picked up a bat again and hit the fence with it to let out some energy, so he wouldn't accidentally smash Grace's head off.
"Yeah, to get my little brother home. Which was my intention, too."
He rolled his eyes at the still sitting vampire. Kol must admit, she had fire and he could get to like her with time, but sometimes she was just overly annoying.
"No, darling, they need your psychic brother to figure out who sired their line so they can choose which of my siblings they can kill first."
Should it bother her that she could imagine that and actually believed Kol. This was such a Salvatore reeking plan, it must be the truth. Again they were using Jeremy just to get their stupid revenge. Why couldn't they simply leave the Originals alone and do not risk the death of all vampires? Everyone had a family and loved ones. Some of course deserved to die, but not everyone. Grace herself wanted to live. She was so close to be fine with her existence as a vampire. She wouldn't let her life be ruined by those brats.
"Seems we have to work together, then."
Kol and Grace stared at each other and the young woman then held out her hand. Grinning devilishly, Kol took it and helped her up.