You caused my heart to bleed

Jeremy let out a sigh once he was handed the paper and pencil and he turned his attention to Connor. Figuring that he didn't have much of a choice, he went ahead and got started on drawing the tattoo, though he was surprised to hear Belle speak to him. Looking up at her, he offered a small smile. "I'm sure he won't hurt me. He needs me to draw this tattoo, after all," he told her quietly, hoping that he was right, but more so hoping that he could ease Belle's worries. Hearing Connor, though, a frown came to Jeremy's features and he turned his attention to the hunter, narrowing his eyes with annoyance. "You really expect me to listen to you?" he asked simply. He didn't care who thought what of him. So what if he cared about Belle? Nobody had the right to judge that. Not his sister and certainly not this hunter who didn't even know him. It wasn't something that he was going to deal with anymore.

Turning his attention back to the drawing, he continued to speak with Belle, opting to ignore Connor except to draw the tattoo. "Just ignore him, Belle," he told the girl after a moment, "He's not worth getting worked up over." And, he wasn't, in Jeremy's eyes. If the man was going to speak rudely about Belle, then Jeremy had absolutely no reason to listen to him about anything.

---

"Force hurts humans. Last I checked, Jeremy's a human," Letha drawled with a low scoff. She remained quiet for a few moments, watching as Belle followed Jeremy into the room. She could hear part of what was going on inside, but she didn't hear any immediate danger-related words being spoken. Sure, whoever was in there sounded like a complete vampire-phobic jerk, but he was probably chained up tight, so she wasn't too worried about Belle at the moment. Letting herself relax, just a little, she leaned back in her chair. She wasn't going to let Klaus think that she was just going to sit down and roll over like some pet, just because he had told her to silence. She wasn't really one to listen to authority the past few years - what vampire really was? And she wasn't going to let this hybrid think that he had an upper hand. Turning her attention to him, she let a frown take over her features.

"Either he doesn't want anybody to use the cure against him or he actually needs the cure for something. It doesn't even have to be himself," she told Damon after a moment, opting to avoid speaking with Klaus unless she absolutely had to - and the only reason she would have to would be to distract him so that Belle and Jeremy could get out (and, okay, maybe Damon, too.)

Damon wouldn't admit out aloud just how confused he was about why Klaus would want the cure, even if he wanted to use the cure on himself. That wouldn't cure the werewolf side of him, he'd just become a full werewolf instead of a hybrid. Damon knew that wasn't want Klaus would want, so the original had to want the cure for someone else or just so no one would take it. Although he was assuming that the hybrid would have a plan inside his head, a plan that Damon didn't really care for as it didn't involve him nor did it interest him. He glanced over to Letha, "I honestly couldn't care less." He told her as he was listening in on where his sister was, she seemed to be fine and wasn't in any danger with the hunter being in the same room. But that thought did make a shiver run down his spine, he never wanted his sister that close to something that could turn deathly dangerous within seconds. "Neither of you need to know why I want the cure, it's personal after all. All I need is the map and the sword, then I'll have the cure and no one needs to worry about it anymore." Klaus told them and he already didn't like Letha.

She wasn't being nice nor was she friendly to him, she was in his house and wasn't being a good guest. But he could deal with that later on, because right now he was more interested in having the human boy finish his drawing of the hunter tattoo. It was actually very lucky to have found out that the Gilbert boy could see the tattoo, after he killed the the original group of hunters. He hadn't heard about any humans becoming hunters, apart from now of course.

---

Belle knew that the hunter wasn't worth her time and she didn't care what he said about her, but she didn't want him to be anywhere near Jeremy. She stood close to Jeremy and watched as he drew the tattoo that only he could see, she had always admired how talented Jeremy was when it came to art. It took him a little while before he showed her some of his art, but after that she always asked to see what he was working on because she loved seeing what he was drawing. She did frown when the tattoo looked nice but it meant nothing to her, it would mean nothing to so many people. She was listening to what was being said out in the other room, if Klaus did get his hands on the cure than he could do whatever he wanted with it. He could either keep it safe or do something horrible with it, both would be for his own personal gain which meant he would probably use it for himself. He wouldn't take it because he loved being the original hybrid, but he'd still use it in time for something he wanted.

She was glad when Connor seemed to keep his mouth shut because she already had enough of him, she didn't want to be this close to a vampire hunter even if he was chained up. She didn't want him getting into Jeremy's head, which she knew that he would try. If Jeremy had the hunter gene that it would be easy for him to become one, Connor would want that to happen so there would be more people in the world to hold a hatred for vampires.

(I really don't know what to do with either parts right now, for some reason. D: Like, really, all Letha can do is sit there and listen and all Jeremy can do is draw. Should I skip to something, maybe after it all?)

(No, that is completely fine. You can certainly skip ahead.)

Nobody had gotten hurt throughout the meeting with Klaus, which Jeremy deemed as a very good thing. He knew that, if Letha or Damon got hurt, Belle would try to avenge them and get herself hurt - and, if Belle got hurt, he knew that he wouldn't have just sat down and watched, he would have done something, too. The thought aside, he kept close to Belle as they made their way out of the house, mostly because he didn't want any of the hybrids to try to bite her - hybrid bites were still werewolf bites, which meant they were still lethal. On top of that, he was still a little worried that Connor might get free and try to kill Belle - or, any vampire, really, but Jeremy was more concerned about Belle. "Are you okay?" he asked her quietly, glancing at her. Sure, he knew that she hadn't gotten hurt throughout the entire thing, but Connor had said some pretty cruel things and he didn't want her to think that any of it affected their friendship - and he didn't want Connor's words to hurt Belle.

Though he heard Letha's question, he wasn't sure of what either of the Salvatore siblings answers would be. Moving to the car, he opened the door to the back and gestured for Belle to get in first. "Let's get out of here before Klaus tries to make us do something else," he muttered, running his fingers over his ring, thankful that he had it back, since being without it was always cause for worry.

---

Thankfully, the entire thing had ended without a hitch - and Letha hadn't had to piss Klaus off to get the others out. In her opinion, that was a good thing. Sure, she had made an enemy of Klaus, but at least she hadn't had to push him to the edge and get him to kill her then and there. So, once they were allowed to leave, she waited to make sure that Belle and Jeremy got out first before she went ahead to leave as well. "That cure... If it was real, if this Klaus guy isn't crazy and that hunter in there isn't crazy... Would any of you take it?" she asked after a moment. Part of her didn't want an answer. Part of her was just curious, just wanted to see if either of her friends, if she could even call Damon that, regretted becoming vampires. In the beginning, she had, when she lost her humanity and somehow managed to turn it back on and had all of the horrible stuff that she did come to her. But, now, she didn't, not really.

Not wanting to really think further on it, she climbed into the car and started it. Chewing on her lip, she tried to avoid thinking too much. It was next to impossible, of course, but at least the thoughts kept her thoughts away from the thoughts of Damon that she had constantly been having since returning to Mystic Falls.

Damon had never been so glad to leave a place before now, no one had gotten injured although it was obvious that Letha wasn't on Klaus' good side. Which he didn't think anyone really was on or that Klaus even had a good side to start with, he was pretty sure the original only had a bad side which a lot of people was on and it would be staying like that for a while. "No way, who would want to give all of this away? All the strength and power, sure we have the hungry and all that. But humans are so weak," He answered Letha's question easily, he hadn't always liked being a vampire but he grew into it and now wouldn't change that he had been turned by the woman he hated with all of his fiber. He sat in the car as Letha began to drive them away from the manor, if Klaus wanted the cure so badly then he could go get it himself. He didn't see why the hybrid couldn't have just gotten Jeremy himself, no he made Damon get up from his bed which he had planned to stay in all day long.

He had also planned to give Letha all the space that she wanted, meaning he didn't want to be sitting in her car with her. Not that he didn't mind it because he didn't, even since he saw her again yesterday, emotions have been returning to him. Emotions that he was trying his hardest to push to the back of his mind, she didn't want him anymore after he pushed her aside so easily.

---

Isabelle wasn't okay, Connor's words continued to replay in her head and she couldn't shut them up. "I'm fine," She told Jeremy as they left Klau's house because she didn't want him to worry, she wouldn't let anything come between her and Jeremy. But Connor had gotten under her skin, if Jeremy did turn into a vampire hunter than he would hate her. He'd try to kill her and never want to see her again, she was trying to protect him but what if she was just putting him in more danger? She didn't want that but she really did like him, she liked him more than a friend and maybe it was about time that she finally told him. In case anything did happen to them, giving him a small smile she climbed into the back of Letha's car. "I might," She answered her friend's question about taking the cure, she knew Damon and Stefan would disapprove of her answer but she was being honest. She didn't regret being turned, but if she was still human than she could have a better life with Jeremy.

They could leave Mystic Falls and start a life somewhere far away, they could go to college and start a career for themselves. They could get marries and have a family, grow old together before dying when their time came. She wasn't about to admit that but she thought about it often, "How about we all go to the Grill or something? Take our minds off of Klaus," She suggested as she didn't want to stay at home all day.

Jeremy stared at Belle for a long moment, not buying that she was fine at all. He knew her better than that, knew that things like what Connor had said had probably really bothered her. "Hey," he murmured quietly, nudging her gently, "I don't believe anything that guy said. You know that, right?" He hoped she did. He didn't want her to think that he would just suddenly start hating her out of nowhere. Sure, she was a vampire (and he already held a dislike of most vampires,) but she was Belle and he could never have any ill feelings towards her. He knew that, because he liked her far too much to even think about having hateful feelings towards her. But, when she mentioned that she might take a cure, if one was real, he was more than caught-off-guard. Then, out of most of the vampires that he knew, he figured that she would have been one of the first to take it, after Elena (because Elena constantly complained about hating the vampire life.) "Really? Why would you want to take the cure?" he asked after a moment, though he hoped that he wasn't prying. He could never be sure.

He kept his attention on her - not that it was anything near new, because he couldn't help but to have been drawn from her since meeting her. It was almost natural by now and he had stopped questioning it. Trying to relax during the car ride, he was a little relieved to hear Belle suggest the Grill - and for Letha to agree. At least they could all relax there.

---

Letha could understand Damon's answer, honestly. She had actually fully expected it, because it was just how she expected Damon to be when it came to vampirism. What guy who had been in love with some power-hungry vampire woman wouldn't enjoy the power that vampirism brought? Belle's answer, however, had easily caught her by surprise and she almost looked back at her friend, but kept her attention concentrated on the road. She would have asked why Belle thought that was, out of curiosity, but she knew that wasn't really her business and didn't ask - instead, Jeremy had, which didn't surprise her. Keeping her attention on the road, she let herself stay silent as to listen to Belle's answer, if she answered, though a huge part of her actually wanted to talk to Damon. It still drove her crazy, being in his presence, in the way that brought back memories of how much she had thought they had loved each other in the past. But, then, there was also the crazy pain, too.

Hearing Belle suggest going to the Grill, she nodded slowly and began driving that way. "Yeah, okay. As long as you don't try to get vampire drunk," she teased her friend, mostly trying to keep the entire thing light-hearted. Belle had a good point, that they should get their minds off everything that happened with Klaus.

Damon had been acting in his usual bad tough guy act for so long that it came second nature to him now, he wasn't going to open himself up and admit that it wasn't just the power or strength that he liked about being a vampire. He had needed and used the traits that being a vampire gave him, to make sure that his family was safe and alive. If he lost his siblings than he would have no one left, he didn't even let himself think that way because it hurt him too much. But he wasn't going to let Jeremy, of all people, to see his soft side although not very many people did see that side of him. "What about you, Letha? Would you take the cure?" He asked knowing that his sister would want to talk to the Gilbert boy, but she still wanted her privacy meaning she'd wait until they were at the Grill. But he already knew why she would take the cure, she had always wanted a family of her own and he took that away from her when he turned her. It was something Damon had always blamed himself for and he hated himself for what he did, he hadn't even asked Belle if she wanted to be a vampire or not.

He heard Belle's answer to Jeremy's question and turned his head so he was looking at Letha, "Well?" He asked wanting to know her answer, he wasn't sure what she was going to say. He hadn't been around her while she was a vampire, he hadn't listened to her when she told him what happened with Pearl. He really did have a lot to fix and make up for, which he'd get started on shortly.

---

Belle looked at Jeremy after feeling his light nudge, she let herself look into his dark eyes and get lost in them. "I know," She whispered to him because she did know that, it was obvious that he didn't care about being able to see the invisible hunter tattoo. She did know that he had been a little freaked out about it, it was just one more thing for him to worry about and deal with. But he didn't believe what Connor has told him either today or before, although Belle couldn't help but wonder if becoming a hunter would give someone such strong emotions and beliefs that could make them hurt the people they cared for. "I'll tell you later," She promised him as Damon was in the car and she knew he'd always feel horrible over turning her, she would tell Letha if she wanted to know as it wasn't something Belle would hide. As Letha drove, Belle let a few of her fingers rest over Jeremy's as their hands were placed on the middle seat. Having him that close to her allowed her to somewhat relax, it also just felt good to feel him.

Once they had made it to the Grill and had walked inside, she took Jeremy's hand in her own and begun leading him over to an empty table. "You two go do something," She said simply as she wanted to be alone with Jeremy for a little while, she was sure Letha would be somewhat alright with spending time with her brother as no fights or arguments had started between them yet.

Jeremy was at least relieved to know that she believed him, at least. The last thing that he wanted was for her to think that he could ever hate her, or that anything that Connor had said had any sort of legitimacy to it. The man was a raging lunatic, in Jeremy's opinion, and Jeremy had no intention of ever becoming like the man. Hearing her agree to tell him why she wanted to turn, though, he nodded slightly. "Alright," he told her quietly and was mildly surprised to find her fingers resting on his. He shifted his hand to give hers a gentle squeeze of assurance, though it didn't last long because they got to the Grill soon after. "Are you okay, though, Belle?" he asked quietly, having noticed how she had whispered earlier - it wasn't something he was used to, but he supposed that she probably wanted to keep whatever her answer to his question about the cure as a secret. He didn't mind, of course, because knowing that she trusted him enough to at least tell him made him feel all the more relieved. Moving out of the car, he looked around before making his way inside with Belle.

Before long, their hands were interlocked again - not that he minded at all; in fact, he rather liked the contact. "Trying to get rid of them already?" he asked jokingly, though he knew that she probably just wanted them to go off on their own so that he and Belle could talk alone.

---

Letha hadn't expected the question to be turned around on herself, but she knew she probably should have expected it. She had asked them, so it was only fair that she get asked as well, right? But, how could she really answer a question when there were so many things that were piled against either answer? Eventually, she just shrugged and sighed. "I don't know," she eventually told him. "I mean, there are a lot of things that I hate about being a vampire, the heightened emotions, the bloodlust, the way it's so easy to just lose yourself. But, if I took the cure, then who's to say that I would live a full human life, anyways? Just five minutes after taking it, I could get run over, or I could fall ill a month later and die. Despite the fact that I would love to be a human again, I don't want to die any time soon, especially not when I've just reunited with all of you." She had even been relieved to find that Damon was still alive, after all. She wasn't overjoyed after all the emotions flooded back, but she hadn't wanted him dead - and she didn't want to lose any of them.

Once she had parked and walked into the Grill, she wasn't too surprised that Belle wanted to talk to Jeremy alone and she chewed on her lip before she sighed and looked to Damon. "Let's play a game of pool, shall we? Unless you're afraid to lose to a girl," she suggested before making her way to the pool tables, glancing over her shoulder to see if he would follow or not.

Damon did understand where Letha was coming from with her answer, he could have been tempted to take the cure when he was still a new vampire. The change was hard to go through but at least he had his siblings there beside him so they could go through it together, he did hate the bloodlust at times and the heightened emotions. But he wouldn't take the cure now, he was pretty sure that if he did and turned human than someone would kill him shortly after. He wasn't always the nicest to people and he did have enemies from his years traveling around the world, he didn't say anything after Letha did. He knew that she didn't mean that she was happy to be reunited with him, not after everything he did to her. He was relived that she was alive and was back in town, but he wasn't stupid and knew it would take him time to get Letha to forgive him. If she even wanted to forgive him, which she didn't have to of course but he hopes that she would in time.

He followed everyone into the Grill and frowned when his sister took Jeremy away and told him to leave them alone, he hated when Belle did this because he never trusted any guy that was around his sister. He felt that way when he was human but now he felt all that much stronger about it, "When have I ever been afraid to lose to you?" He grinned as he followed closely behind Letha as they walked over to a free pool table, he grabbed two pool sticks and handed one to her. "I'll let you start," He said as he placed all the balls where they were meant to go, so Letha could start the game.

---

Belle let his hand go as they reached the table and sat down on the chair, "I'm always trying to get rid of Damon." She smiled which was partly true, she looked down at the grains that was running through the wood of the table. "What if you do become a hunter? I believe Connor when he says that a hunter only sees the bad in vampires, you'll only see a vampire in me and not see me anymore." She admitted what she was worrying about, she couldn't just hold it back when Jeremy could tell something was on her mind. She didn't want to hide it from him, they never hid anything from each other so she wasn't going to start now. She couldn't keep anything from him, she was sure that he had to be worried about becoming a hunter also. "You can say that it won't happen or you won't feel that way, but I think it will happen. If you're meant to be a hunter, than it'll happen and I'll be there for you." She told him as she wouldn't turn her back on him just because he changes.

She turned her attention onto him and she really did hate that he was going through this, he has already been through way too much. Things that people his age shouldn't have to go through, if Connor had just stayed away from Mystic Falls than Jeremy wouldn't even know about vampire hunters or The Five.

Jeremy smiled as he went ahead to sit down with her, rather amused with her mention of getting rid of Damon - because, yeah, he partly noticed that by now, but it wasn't so overly obvious that he thought much about it. But, when she began to talk about hunters, he frowned deeply as he listened to her. "I won't become a hunter, as long as nobody kills Connor," he told her quietly, wanting to assure her. Sure, he hated Connor, but, as long as the man was alive, then he didn't have to worry about becoming like him. He didn't want to hate Belle, ever - the very thought pained him like crazy. "And, I doubt I could ever hate you, Belle. You're my best friend," he reminded quietly. She was one of the most important people in his life - how could he ever possibly bring himself to hate her? It just wasn't possible - he absolutely refused to think it possible, even remotely.

Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair and glanced around the Grill briefly before he frowned and let his eyes rest on her. "Klaus isn't going to kill Connor, so there's really nothing to worry about. Connor's going to stay alive and I won't ever have to worry about becoming one of the Five. So, you don't have to worry," he told her quietly, trying to reassure her as much as he could, but he wasn't sure if it was having any sort of effect.

---

Letha gaped at Damon when she listened to his words before she scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Um, let's see, I can probably think of a lot of times you were afraid of losing to me," she drawled, though she knew it wasn't true. They hadn't really been competitive when they were humans; they had just enjoyed each other's company and she thought that it had meant something back then. "And, in case you forgot, I'm older than you, which means that my skills are way better than yours - meaning my hand-eye coordination can kick your ass." She grinned, then, and turned her attention back ahead, eyeing the balls he placed on the table as she twirled the pool stick on the floor. "Bad choice, Damon. Never let the older of us start the game." She smirked, then, and took aim, though she paused and looked up at him with curiosity.

"Let's make a bet," she suggested in a sing-song voice, tilting her head to the side slightly. "If I win, you owe me a book dedicated to my favorite poet - I mean, if you can remember who that is." She doubted he'd remember, but she was a little curious if he would - plus, she wasn't going to complain if she actually got a John Donne poetry books. She smirked, then, and took her shot, breaking the form of the balls and watched two sink, both being solids.

Damon rolled his eyes as he watched Letha, "Older than me? Yeah, by like a month." He commented as there was a gap between when Letha was turned into a vampire and when he was turned, but it wasn't a huge gap so her comment about being older wasn't something he was going to pay attention to. "Let's just see how good those skills are," He told her and watched as she broke the balls and even pocketed two of them, he knew that she would want to make a bet as she always did. Even when they were human and of course Damon always agreed with them, he had lost to her and done such stupid things but they had had fin back than. That was before Katherine showed up in town and dug her claws deeply into him and his brother, he moved around the pool table until he found the position where he wanted to take his first shot from.

Although he wanted to stand around and keep an eye on his sister, he knew that if he wanted to try and win this game of pool than he'd have to concentrate on the game. He took his shot and watched as he knocked a ball into a pocket, he raised his eyebrow at her. "You still like that John guy? I really never understood why you like poetry, it never makes sense." He said as he had been expecting her to bet something like that, he remembered he had even read some poetry to her once when they were human but it only made him confused.

---

Belle really hoped that no one tried to kill Connor, she didn't want to protect the hunter but if it came down to it. Than she would if it meant keeping Jeremy human, she kept her attention on him and gave him a small nod. She wanted to feel reassured by his words and she tried to be, but there was still a bad feeling that she just couldn't shake. She didn't want to let Jeremy know about that, so she put a smile on her face so they could forgot about everything and have some fun for once. "Alright, but if you do become a hunter. Just know that I won't go easy on you, I bet I'd still be stronger." She was only joking as she didn't know how strong or powerful a vampire hunter could be, she hadn't seen Connor fighting nor had she had a run in with him where he attacked her.

She stole a quick glance over to where Letha and Damon were, they were playing pool and seemed to be having fun. Which did make Belle feel better about everything that was going on in the town, "Hopefully Klaus won't do anything. It'll be nice to have a break from fighting and trying to keep humans safe," Ever since Belle returned home, life had gotten busy for her with everything that happened in Mystic Falls and it was honestly pretty tiring.

Jeremy smiled in response, at least glad that she was joking, as it meant the entire thing was more light-hearted than anything now. Or, at least, he hoped that was the case, because he wanted to keep their conversation calm and enjoyable. He didn't want either of them to stress over everything that they had to face. It was a complicated life already without either of them having to worry about everything going on in their lives, but he didn't want to think about it, not now when he wanted to relax with her. "Yeah, well, if I do become a hunter, I give you full permission to kick my ass, alright?" he told her, joking as well, though he wouldn't blame her if she actually did try to do that. He would deserve it, he knew, if it became anything like what Connor was like. "Hopefully, it won't come down to that, though."

Nodding to her words, he leaned back and glanced around a bit. "It would be nice," he agreed before he let out a sigh. "Unfortunately, I don't think Klaus is really willing to just let Mystic Falls have a bit of normalcy, at all." It sucked, really, but it was true. He didn't understand it, but he supposed that Klaus just liked the power, the control he had over the town. It sucked.

---

Letha smirked slightly and lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "On the bright side, you're still older in human years," she teased before tilting her head slightly. "And my skills are far better nowadays, hm?" With a shrug, she watched him quietly, leaning against the pool stick, though she avoiding getting the blue chalk from the tip on herself. It surprised her, though, to hear that he actually remembered who her favorite poet was and she couldn't help but to stare at him with surprise. She smiled, then, and lifted her shoulders in a slight shrug. "Of course I still like that John guy. His poem The Relic is kind of creepy, what with the whole bracelet of hair and graves thing, but it's adorable, too, since it's got that total devotion thing going on, too, even in death." She lifted her shoulders, then, and took her shot once he was done.

Once she got another two balls in, she turned her attention to him. "What about you? I suspect you'd want a prize if you beat me, though, you know, it's incredibly unlikely that you will." She grinned, then, trying to taunt him, but also trying to keep in distracted in a way as to better her chances of winning.

Damon had never been one to like poetry or one who understood what the words meant, he only put up with it when he was human because Letha enjoyed it and he liked seeing her happy. "If anyone had a bracelet of hair, you wouldn't think it's adorable. They'd be taken away into a mental hospital," He stated as he stood there and watched Letha as she took her shot, he still remembered a lot about what she liked and what she didn't like. He had no reason why he should forget, he wouldn't be surprised if Letha made herself forget things about him. He had ripped her heart out and crushed it, she'd still have a lot of pain over what he did to her and if that happened to him. He wouldn't want to remember a single thing about the person who had hurt him, it's a natural reaction to having someone that you trust turn around and hurt you.

"Of course, I'll want a prize when I win. But you've put me on the spot so I'll have to think about my prize, but it will be good." He told her as he probably would just tell her that he wanted her to drink with him, or something along those lines as he didn't really want anything else from her. He also knew that it'd hurt her to be around him, so he leaned over the table to take his shot in which to knocked two balls into the pockets.

---

Belle smiled at Jeremy as he joked around with her, she wouldn't actually kick his ass because she wouldn't want to hurt him which she was sure she would still be able to. "I wish Klaus would just leave town and never show his face around here again, but enough about Klaus and what's happening in this town." She wanted to change the subject onto something that didn't involve vampires or hybrids, "Have you finished the English essay and History essay?" She asked him as school was a very safe topic to talk about, the school was usually a safe place to be and one where drama didn't happen. The only drama that did happen was between other humans who had no idea about the creatures that walked among them, the drama was only small and stupid but seemed to be the worst thing in teenagers lives.

Belle had finished both of the essays within days of the teacher giving the class the essay outline, but that was only because she had already written essays on the topic and she had lived through the history essay topic. So she actually knew what the answer would be, there had already been a few times where she has helped Jeremy with his homework and she really didn't care.

(I'm so sorry if this ends up beinf short; I'm on my phone. D: )

"He was a seventeenth century poet, Damon," Letha pointed out, "Back then, giving somebody a bracelet of yourr hair was symbolic of giving a part of yourself to somebody else - as explained in his poem The Funeral, where he literally wrote Whate'er she meant by'it, bury it with me. For since I am love's martyr, it might breed idolatry, if into other hands these relics came; as 'twas humility to afford to it all that a soul can do. So, 'tis some bravery, that since you would have none of me, I bury some of you." She smirked and took her shot, though she only managed to pocket one ball this time. "He wanted to take a part of her to the grave with him. And, while it may be creepy now, it was sweet back then."

Humming in response to his later words, she offered a subtle nod. "As long as it doesn't involve me having to give you physical affection, then fine," she hummed out.

---

Jeremy easily agreed with Belle's wish, though, since she didn't want to talk about Klaus anymore, he didn't say anything more on the subject. As much as he hated Klaus, he didn't want to make Belle feel uncomfortable with the topic. In fact, he would feel a little beyond guilty if that ended up being the case. Sometimes, it really surprised him how much he cared about the girl, but he never mentioned it. At the change of topic, though, he cringed and laughed. "Actually, no, I haven't," he said honestly, "I'm just completely lost on it." That, and he had been a little preoccupied with all of the supernatural happenings in Mystic Falls. It wasn't the first time that the supernatural world got in the way of his studies at school.

"I bet you're finished already, though. Are you trying to outdo me?" he teased, unable to help but to smile. That was easy, though, because Belle was obviously smarter than he was. "If you are done, you wouldn't mind helping me out with mine later, right?"

Damon found the poet to be creepy back when he was human and he still found the guy to be creepy, "It doesn't matter what century it was in. It will always be creepy and I'll never understand why you like his work so much," He stated but knew that even if she didn't win the game, he'd buy her the book of poetry anyways, he watched Letha closely before he took his shot and hit a ball in as there was only one ball that would be easy for him to get into a pocket. "Don't you worry about that, there won't be any physical affection needed." He assured her as he stood back and leaned against the pool stick that he had in his hand, the game was going to be a close one and whoever won would probably only win by one ball and that was good for either of them. Damon remembered that they had played a game of darts when they were human, Letha didn't do every well so Damon tried to make her feel better by kissing her lips softly.

But he shook that memory from his mind because it hurt him thinking about times like that, he could have easily kept moments like that happening but he didn't. He broke Letha's heart just because he thought Katherine was the woman he loved, the woman he loved had been right there all the time and he only realised that after she left town.

---

Belle smiled when Jeremy told her that he hadn't finished the homework that they had been given at school, "No. I'd never try to outdo you, how dare you even think that about me." She joked with him as she knew he was only teasing her like he usually did, "When have I refused to help you with homework? Never, so of course I will and you don't even need to ask." She smiled at him as she didn't mind doing work for school or even going to school again, it gave her something to do with her time and it made her seem like she was a normal human teenager. She had lived in towns before and not gone to the school there, it quickly brought unwanted attention onto her and she had to leave the town which she had grown to hate. She usually liked staying in one place for a few years before leaving before people noticed that she didn't age or change as she got older.

"It's really not that hard, we'll have both essays done in no time." Although it was only easy for her because she had either done the work before or she had lived through whatever the class was learning about, it did give her an unfair advantage but she didn't care about that.

Jeremy couldn't help but grin when she joked. That was something that had become a gradually growing thing, really - he couldn't ever help but to grin or smile or laugh along with her jokes, because he genuinely enjoyed just joking around with her. And, she was pretty much the easiest person to get along with, in his opinion, but, then again, his opinion was probably a bit biased, he realized. "Great. You know I wouldn't survive half of my classes if you didn't help me," he joked lightly - and, maybe that was actually a little true. Sure, there were some classes that he was actually good at, but others were more difficult and, without Belle's help, he would have been totally lost and failing those. "You always manage to save me, in those cases where I really do need your help with the homework, though." He was more serious, now, but his smile was still present as if to show how appreciative he was for her help - because, well, he was.

Nodding to her words, he ran a hand through his hair. "We can do them tonight, then. For now, we can just relax and enjoy ourselves," he offered, "As usual." He grinned again, because he didn't want to leave her presence. She helped to keep him distracted from everything else that happened in Mystic Falls - and, really, he couldn't ever thank her enough for that.

---

"Because he had a way with words," Letha complained, almost childishly - and, to add to the effect, a pout pulled at her lips. "You're just jealous that Johnny boy can write wonderful poetry and you can't." Her pout got replaced by a grin, then, because she was almost teasing him. Almost. She had to remind herself not to cross that line, though, because it would be too much like the past and that was one thing she didn't want to face again. She didn't bother replying to his agreement, though, and nodded as she went ahead to take her shot. Two more balls in and she was hoping that she could keep that going - because, if she kept at this rate, she might actually beat Damon, something she had never managed to do when they had been humans. And, maybe part of her wanted to cheer about finally beating him more than she wanted that book of poetry. She still desperately wanted that book, though.

"You know, you could always just give up. It's pretty obvious that I'm going to beat you," she hummed out, smirking a bit. It wasn't obvious, really - they were pretty close in the game, but part of her wanted to just distract him so that she had a better chance of winning.

Damon did enjoy seeing Letha act like her old self around him, however it didn't last long but it was enough for him to know that the old her was still there somewhere. She probably wouldn't be coming out much when he was around, but he was certain that when Letha was with Belle and Stefan than they'd always see the old her. He was slightly jealous over that but didn't let it show, he had no right to be jealous over anything that Letha did. "Not many people like or understand poetry, so I'm right at home with them. I don't want to write about the flowers or taking someone to the grave, he couldn't even spell right." He commented as he always did this, even when they were human. He'd make fun of the poetry that she liked just because he could, he had been a pain in the ass back then but Letha always stood up for herself and he really liked that. "When have you ever known me to give up in a game?" He asked as he took his shot, he watched a one ball knocked into another and both fell into the pocket.

There weren't many balls left now on the table, so within the next couple of shots, someone was going to win. "Do you still write poetry?" He thought it was an innocent enough question for him to ask her, she had been so interested in it when she was human that she tried her hand at it. But he wasn't sure how far she got along with it or if she had stopped when they were still human.

---

Isabelle shook her head lightly, "You would survive classes. Well you would survive without me, if this town was normal and you could focus completely on school." She knew it was the truth, but she knew how important school was and Jeremy was still human so he needed to do well in high school. She was trying her hardest to make sure that happened, that Jeremy would eventually graduate with flying colours. Her smile softened when he became serious with her, she always told him that she would be there for him no matter when he needed her. Whether he needed to be saved from a vampire or needed help with school, nothing would take her away from him. "You wouldn't need my help if you had more free time on your hands, not as much stress and you'd be great at school. But I'll always be there, Jer. No matter what you need help with, you know that." She told him again and would continue to tell him until he stopped thanking her, she didn't need to be thanked.

She leaned back in the chair she was sitting on and continued to smile at him, "That sounds like the perfect plan. I do like it when we relax and don't do anything," She told him as she really hoped the rest of the afternoon would be relaxing for them, neither Letha or Damon were coming over so maybe it could continue to be just her and Jeremy.

Jeremy supposed Belle had a point, he would survive classes, if the town had been normal. But, the thing was, part of him didn't want the town to be normal. If it had been normal, then he wouldn't have Belle around and he didn't even want to think about that. "As much as I really hate this town sometimes, I wouldn't want it to be normal, because that would mean that you wouldn't be around," he told her honestly, offering a smile as he hoped to show that he meant his words. Part of him was worried that he could lose Belle any time. And, really, anything could happen, from her getting killed, to her leaving, to her brothers dragging her off to some other city to get away from all the craziness of Mystic Falls. He didn't want any of that. He just wanted his best friend to be around. "I know, Belle. And I'll always be there for you, so don't forget that, either." He nodded, then, because he almost wanted to reaffirm his own words.

It wasn't necessary, he knew that. But, he felt the need to, because part of him was worried that she might forget about it or that she wouldn't believe him. Regardless, he shook the thought away and nodded to her decision. "Well, what should we do to relax today, then?" he asked, tilting his head to the side in slight curiosity.

---

Maybe Letha shouldn't have been too surprised with Damon's response, but it prompted a familiar eye roll from her anyways. "Oh, I was just assuming you might want to give up, for the sake of your dignity," she offered with a coy grin. Okay, maybe teasing Damon was just a bit too natural for her. She couldn't help it, though; she had been so close to him before that it was almost instinctual. She didn't want to believe that, of course, after everything that had happened, but it was so painfully obvious to her and she almost wanted to stake herself to make it stop. Regardless, she lifted her shoulders in a shrug to his question. "On occasion. I haven't gotten any better at it and I hate half of what I write, anyways," she murmured with a sigh. She loved writing it almost as much as she loved reading it - and, really, it was easier to be honest about her feelings in poetry than it was in reality - but she felt she lacked the talent.

Shaking the thought away, she went ahead to finish off the game, pocketing her last few balls, before she smirked over at him. "Looks like you owe me that book, Salvatore," she chimed before moving to put the pool stick away.

Damon wasn't surprised that Letha had pocketed the balls before him, he wasn't a sore loser when it came to losing a game to Letha. He never really was a sore loser to begin with, he could boast when he won however. But if he lost than it meant the other person just played a better game and that was nothing to be sore over, "My dignity is just fine. But it's nice to see that you still care about me, I mean if you're so worried about my dignity." He teased her as he put his pool stick aside, "Yeah. I'll get you the creepy book, but if you stay taking my hair for a bracelet than I'm burning the book." He grinned at her, "You should go to a poetry class. They do that now," He mentioned to her lightly before saying that he was going to go get them both a drink, he walked across the Grill to the bar and caught the attention of the bartender.

He brought two drinks, a whiskey for him and a drink that he knew Letha really liked. He stood there with his elbows resting against the wooden bar as he waited for the drinks to be made, he did glance over his shoulder to make sure that his sister was alright. Which she was, but he still always wanted to keep an eye on her when she was spending time with Jeremy.

---

Isabelle did know that if Mystic Falls had turned into a normal town, then she wouldn't have ever thought about coming back home. Which meant that she wouldn't have met Jeremy, she never let herself think like that because she didn't want to think about her life without him. "It's a good thing that I came home, though it was only because my brothers were getting themselves into trouble." She told him and she was actually glad that her brother did get into trouble, if Stefan hadn't called her than she wouldn't have known and would have stayed in the city that she was in at the time. She hadn't been sure about returning to Mystic Falls, the town still held so many horrible memories for her but her brothers needed her and she wasn't going to refuse them. "I'll never forget that, that's something that you never have to worry about." She smiled at him before she thought about his question, she didn't really have any plans for the day.

"I guess, we can just see where the day takes us. We could take a walk or go home to watch some movies," She suggested knowing both of them liked to relax and do nothing every now and again, more so lately because they have been so busy with keeping the town as safe as they possibly could. Which was getting harder every single day.