CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"I really wish you would stop doing that."
"Too bad." Kim smiles as she looks up at Jay. The older girl is currently in the process of planning the birthday party for the two siblings who live with her.
"You have veto power." The little brunette says as she turns to Henry, who's currently placing blow after blow on the punching bag in their living room. "Control your sister."
He stops and looks at her. "How much control have I really had over any of you since you got here?" He questions.
"Well, then, it sounds like it's time for you to take control. Buck up, Marine!"
Henry chuckles. "You're an adorable kid. Fight your own battles, it's good for character building." He says as he returns to his workout.
"I think I've built up great character." Jay argues. "Oh, and your sister's insane."
The front door opens, and the three boys walk in. They're still carrying on their own conversation while Jay argues with Kim about the party, and the older girl stops briefly to kiss her boyfriend hello. The girls continue their argument until Kim stands up, turns Jay, and pushes her away from her. The little brunette stumbles right into Paul, and he's quick to steady her. His hands are on her sides as he looks down at her, and neither of them moves for a moment.
"Oh, dude." Jeremy groans. "If you're gonna be that close to my sister, you gotta put a shirt on."
Paul looks up as he steps away from Jay, and she walks over to her phone that just started ringing on the table. "Shut up, Jeremy." He mutters as he goes to get himself something to drink.
"Trust me, man, you don't want to go there anyway."
"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Jay questions as she turns to look at her older brother.
"You're a little complicated in the ex department." He says, and she raises her eyebrows as she answers her phone before it can go to voicemail.
"I think I'm gonna have to kill your brother."
"I think we've lost enough family. Don't you?" Elena asks.
"How about if I just maim him then?" She asks, and Elena chuckles.
"What'd he do?"
"He's bringing up exes, like he has any room to talk." Jay tells her. "I've only got one ex, and last I saw him, we parted on good terms. Unlike Jeremy, who cheated on his last girlfriend." She says, and he looks down. "Yeah, bite me, jackass."
"Glad to see you two are getting along." Elena sighs.
"Normally, we get along just fine. I think Jeremy's getting a little territorial over his friends." The younger girl tells her. "What's up, Lena? You calling just to just check up on us?"
"Do you need checking up on?"
"Well, I've got a few decent friends—"
"Decent?!" Kim looks at her, making her chuckle.
"—and, as far as I know, Jeremy isn't flunking any of his classes...yet." Jay says. "Kim wants to get a cat, but if that happens, I need to find a new place to live."
Jeremy starts laughing. "Remember the one we had when we were kids?" He asks from where he's leaning against the counter in the kitchen, and she shakes her head.
"I couldn't breath with that thing around."
"How about a dog?" Kim asks.
"No!" Henry yells as he looks over at his sister. "We cannot fit any other living things in this house!"
"Buzz-kill."
"Hey, have you talked to Alaric lately?" Elena asks, regaining her sister's attention.
"Uh, yeah. I called him the other day 'cause I needed help with a History question on my homework. We talked for a few minutes after that, but then he said that he had to get back to grading papers." Jay tells her. "Is everything okay?" She asks, and Jeremy looks over at her.
"Yeah, everything's fine."
"Lena, you've never been able to lie to me. I can hear it in your voice."
"No, nothing's wrong. I just miss my two annoying little siblings." She chuckles. "I was just calling because I wanted to hear your voice." She tells her, and Jay visibly relaxes.
"We miss you too." She tells her. "Hey, can I call you back later? Jared's bugging to go to the beach, and I'm all for it if it pulls Kim from her party planning."
"Yeah, of course. Go out. Go have fun, and, um... I love you, Jay."
"I love you too, Elena." She smiles.
"Tell Jer that I love him, and give him a hug for me."
"I will slap Jeremy for you." Jay says, and she chuckles, then they hang up.
"Everything okay?" Jeremy asks.
"Besides that she told me to hug you for her?" The little brunette nods. "I think so. She sounded upset, but she said it's just 'cause she misses us. She told me to tell you that she loves you."
"Alright." He nods. "Well, we can skip the hug."
"Aw, come on." She turns as he starts to walk past her. "I promised, and I don't break my promises."
"Get... Get away from me, you spaz." He tries to push her off when she wraps her arms around his bicep. "Go hug Kim."
"Can't. She's attached to her boyfriend." She grabs his shirt and then wraps her arms around his torso. "Come on, Jer-Bear. Stop pretending you don't love hugs." She says, and he chuckles as he hugs her back for a second.
"Why can't you be nice to me like that?" Kim's looking at her older brother as she points at Jay and Jeremy, and Henry turns around.
"I'm sorry... Who are you?" The older boy asks as Jay starts toward the girls' bedroom.
When the little brunette walks back into the living room with her sweater, she sees Henry hugging his sister while Kim repeatedly smacks his back. She's yelling at him to let go of her, and he's arguing that she said she wanted a hug.
"That's your fault, you know?" Paul says as he walks up beside Jay.
"It's sibling love." She looks up at him, a small smile on her face. "It's cute." She says, and his lips pull into a smile as he looks at her.
—
They're all at the beach now, and Jeremy and Paul are playing touch football with Mike Newton and Tyler Crowley. Jared claimed that him not playing with the boys was keeping the teams even, but they all know that he just wanted to be with Kim. So the two of them are wandering around by themselves. And Jay's cheering on Paul and her older brother, much to Mike's annoyance because he and Tyler are losing.
"How could so many boys be so foolish?" A male voice asks from behind Jay, and the British accent makes her spring to her feet immediately. "To leave such a pretty girl sitting all alone."
"Please tell me that your last name isn't Mikaelson." She says as she looks at the brown-eyed brunette boy, and he smiles.
"I heard you were smart. I also heard that you were terrified of my family." He says as he takes a step toward her.
"Really more just Klaus." She steps back. "Kind of a byproduct of his murdering my mother."
"What a coincidence — he killed mine too." He says, and then raises his phone. "Now, do me a favor, darling, and say hello to Bonnie."
"Bonnie?" Her eyebrows furrow, and suddenly he's standing beside her with his arm around her shoulders. His phone is in front of them, and she can see Bonnie on the screen.
"Jay!" The witch looks at someone over the screen. "Let her go! She has nothing to do with this."
"Love to." Klaus' voice comes through the phone next. "Just do the spell, and Kol will leave her and Jeremy alone." He tells her.
"And if you tell your friends what's going on, I'll slaughter everyone on this beach." Kol flips the camera, and it's only then that Jay realizes they're facing the boys. Bonnie can see them on the screen, totally oblivious to what's going on.
"Haven't you done enough?" Bonnie questions. "Jenna's dead, and my mom's a vampire."
"What?" Jay's eyebrows furrow.
"Do as I ask, and no one else needs to die." Klaus tells her.
"I'll do it. Just leave Jay out of this."
"Thank you, Kol." He hangs up, and the original vampire beside Jay stuffs his phone back into his back pocket.
"There's no need to cry, darling." Kol raises his hand to Jay's face, and wipes a tear from her cheek. "Bennett's are very powerful witches. She'll complete the spell, and I'll be out of your hair in no time."
"What's going on here?" Embry asks as he walks over to them.
"Nothing you need concern yourself with." He says, and Embry's gaze flickers between the two of them.
"Jay, is everything alright?" He asks, and she nods.
"Mhm." She doesn't trust her voice enough to speak.
"I'll just be going now." Kol smiles as he looks at the little brunette beside him. "It was lovely seeing you." He says before walking away from them.
"Are you sure that you're alright?" Embry asks as he steps closer to her. "Jay, your hands are shaking." He reaches out and takes them in his own.
"Yeah, I, uh... He-He was... We talked a little about my mom." She says, her voice cracking in a few places. "That'll never not be a...sensitive subject." She tells him, and he nods slowly as he studies her expression.
He reaches up then and wipes more tears from her cheeks, and she leans her head into his hand, taking comfort in the fact that him walking over took the fun out of the situation for Kol. Embry walking over to them is what made the original leave her alone. At least for now.
"Hey, come here." Embry pulls her to him, and wraps his arms around her shoulders. She fights back tears as her arms wind around his torso.
Paul looks over then, wondering why Jay isn't cheering for them after Jeremy scored them another point, and his jaw clenches when he sees the embrace between Jay and Embry. He has no idea that she was just threatened by a vampire that absolutely terrifies her, or that she's trying not to cry now. All he knows is that he hates to see her in the arms of someone else.