this was a path that led to nowhere

(I hope this is an okay start)

Klaus has somewhat tamed his actions over the centuries, he had his wild streak when his mother first turned him into a vampire and then he accidently killed a person which erupted his werewolf gene that he never knew he had. The first time he realised that he couldn’t continue on living how he had been, was when he met Alice Thorne. He never once wanted to turn her or hurt her, even though he did crave her. But she brought so much light into the darkness that clouded him constantly, she made him realise that the world wasn’t out to get him or to kill him. For the first time in centuries he enjoyed his life, he quickly fell in love with Alice even though she was human and he knew better. He would never turn her and she didn’t want to be turned, which meant there would be a time when he’d need to let her go so she could have a normal life again. Get married and start a family, which he couldn’t give her because he refused to watch her grow old and die while he stayed alive.

The next time his life changed when Tegan told him that she was pregnant after the four month fling they shared, although at first he wasn’t sure he could be a father as he never had one himself that left him with good memories. Mikael has hunted him down with the intend on ending his life for centuries, and his biological father was killed before Klaus could even know him. But the second he felt joy about having a child, it was ripped away from him because Tegan told him that she had met another man who was willing to raise their child as his own. Of course that never stopped him from finding his little Grace every few years, he’d only ever check on her while she was sleeping as he didn’t want to ruin her innocent life by telling her who he was.

But Klaus was now currently in Mystic Falls, a small town that he never really thought he’d return to but something brought him there. He wasn’t sure what or why he felt the need to return, but he followed his gut and went out on a whim. When he arrived he wasn’t sure where to go or what to do, so he allowed his feet to take him wherever they wanted and he ended up stepping through the doors of Mystic Grill. His light blue orbs scanned the inside, taking in the faces of the few people who were currently enjoying their day. His eyes reached an arm chair tucked away in the back corner, a woman sat there but her face caused Klaus to freeze. He stood there staring at her as he didn’t believe what he was seeing, was he imagining this or was it real? It couldn’t be real… Alice couldn’t still be alive… unless she… was a vampire. “Alice…” His voice wasn’t even a whisper but it was all he could get out.

---

Grace sat outside on a bench on her own, it was the end of her first week at Mystic Falls high school and she still hadn’t made any friends. The only person she had spoken to was a boy, Jeremy, who had helped her on her first day. She had been running late because she didn’t want to get out of Alice’s car, so as Grace was running towards her first class she had tripped and fallen. Thankfully no one else was in the hallway apart from Jeremy, who had helped her up and picked up her dropped books. However it was partly her fault that she hadn’t made friends, for the past two years she has pushed everyone away from her. Losing her dad so suddenly broke her, and then she felt like her mom was keeping what happened from her. Her dad was a human, but he knew about his wife and daughter being witches. It didn’t seem to bother him and he loved them more than anything else, the only person Grace felt like she could trust right now was Alice. Alice was her best friend, she was like a sister to Grace.

She took another bite from her sandwich as she ate her lunch alone, that was until she noticed Jeremy was heading over towards her. She wasn’t entirely sure what his deal was, as he didn’t seem to have many friends himself. But from what Grace saw of him, she didn’t know why because he was incredibly nice and sweet. “Hey,” Grace smiled at him as she watched him, he was attractive there was no use in lying about that. His dark warm eyes did hold pain in them, although she knew that he had lost both his parents which Grace couldn’t imagine how that would feel. She thought losing her dad was the worst thing, if she lost her mom as well at the same time then she wouldn’t have anything to live for. “It’s nearly the weekend, I can’t wait to do nothing at all.” She smiled as he sat down opposite her at the bench that was mostly covered by a large oak tree.

(It's perfect, as usual! I hope this is okay.)

Falling in love with an original hybrid hadn't been on Alice's to-do list, but it had happened. At the time, she'd been so enchanted and enthralled by Klaus that she believed he'd felt the same. He'd made her happy, even when they both knew that they wouldn't last forever, because Alice didn't want to be a vampire, didn't want to be turned. She'd felt like she belonged with him at the time, though, and, for that time, that was all that mattered, even when she knew that it wouldn't last. Unfortunately, the end of their time together had come a lot quicker than she had expected. Mikael had found the Mikaelson siblings and, in doing so, he had turned her, likely as some form of punishment to damn her for being so in love with the one he called a bastard. When she'd awoken and realized she was in transition, though, the person she'd expected and hoped to be there with her was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she had found herself face-to-face with a witch who helped her in her transition and whose family had continued to help her since then.

While she felt indebted to the family, though, it wasn't why she was so close to Grace. Grace and her just seemed to understand each other better; they could give each other looks and know exactly what each look meant. They could joke and tease and she'd never felt like she'd had a friend as good as Grace before. She'd protect Grace with her life, even if it meant keeping her away from Klaus, Grace's real father. The father that Grace had known had been killed and, while only Alice and Tegan knew the circumstances - being that Klaus had been the one to cause the death - Alice couldn't bare to tell Grace the truth: that the man that she'd known as her father wasn't her blood father and that her blood father had killed the only father she'd really ever known.

Mystic Falls was meant to be their safe haven. While Alice was sure other supernatural creatures lived there, she was also sure that they'd mix in well enough to avoid attracting attention and to avoid being tracked down by undesirables. They'd been there a week and everything seemed to be going well. While she was aware that Grace hadn't made many friends at the school, she knew that her best friend was still settling, so she knew it may take a while for her to feel comfortable with getting close to people. With only a few hours left before Grace would be out of school, Alice had decided that she didn't really want to be cooped up in their home, so she had instead gone to the place she'd found was popular with the locals: The Mystic Grill. It was a nice place to relax and that was what she'd planned on doing, while she'd settled in with a drink and people watched. But, then, she heard a voice she'd once longed to hear and now wished she hadn't. Her attention went to the source and her mouth fell agape with surprise and mild concern regarding Grace's safety. "Klaus," she breathed, though she hoped that he wasn't aware of Grace being there in Mystic Falls with her. Maybe they could flee without him noticing.

---

The year hadn't been the best for Jeremy up until recently. He'd been in a few fights and there was everything with his sister Elena, and her friends and the Salvatore brothers. Everything had just been increasingly overwhelming and he was still trying to get over everything that had constantly mounted against him ever since his parents' deaths. It was hard to move past that and he'd gotten into drugs, which had led him to getting involved with Vicki. But, then Vicki had died and that had hurt him. Then there had been Anna, who he'd been fairly close to and had fallen for, but she'd been ripped away from him as well. At this point, he was really starting to believe that maybe he was just cursed. Everybody that he cared about died. It was only a matter of time before his sister ended up with the same fate, really. It hurt, knowing that any time he was happy, the world shattered around him, and he wanted to escape all of that and pretend that he wasn't Jeremy Gilbert, the guy who loses everybody. He knew it was an impossible desire, but it was there all the same.

He'd planned to keep his distance from everybody because of that. It was easier to not have friends and to stay away from anybody that might get hurt because they got close to him. That's what he had thought, anyways. But, earlier this week, a girl had shown up, a new girl who, like him, had no friends here. At first, he hadn't intended to really get close to her, but when he had seen her fall and drop her books, he hadn't hesitated to help her at all. From there, they'd begun to talk and... Well, he couldn't explain it. Something about her just continuously drew him to want to keep talking to her, even when he knew it would be best to avoid getting too close to her, for her own safety. His life was already a mess; he didn't want to drag somebody like her into it all.

Even knowing this, though, he felt like, for the first time in a while, he had a friend again. He had somebody he could talk to and somebody who would listen. They'd only known each other for a week, but it wasn't like this was the first time he'd made a friend quicker than really expected. There were still times that he worried that he should keep his distance, but he'd begun to try to ignore that. She hadn't tired of hanging out with him yet and she didn't think he was a freak, so there wasn't really too much harm in being her friend, at least until she made more friends and wasn't completely alone. As he approached her outside, he smiled slightly and nodded. "Hey," he greeted before he moved to sit down. "Ah, right, new kids don't usually hear about parties and such." He was mostly joking, but he relaxed on the bench and fiddled with his own lunch. He'd been a partier before and while he wasn't sure about parties lately, maybe Grace deserved a little down time. "If you want, we could go to one?" he suggested after a moment before he looked to her. "Or we could just hang out this weekend? I don't usually have anything to do myself, so I'm pretty free either way. Since it's your first weekend here, though, it might be a good idea for you to see that Mystic Falls isn't entirely boring."

Klaus needed to blink his eyes to make sure he wasn’t just seeing Alice, that her sitting right there wasn’t just in his head. But when he opened his eyes, she was still sitting there. Shock was etched onto his features but he still managed to walk across the floor in the grill and moved closer to the beauty that he had loved so deeply so long ago, “How? Who did this?” He asked as his eyes never once moved away from her, in case she disappeared from his view. Klaus remembered the day that he left her, the day Mikael had found him and his siblings which caused them to flee with their lives yet again. However Alice hadn’t known about that, Klaus had explained to her about his father and the hatred that his ‘father’ held for him. But he didn’t have the time that day to tell her about Mikael’s appearance, so he was expecting Alice to be holding a grudge. Not that he ever thought she’d still be alive after all this time, someone had to have turned her. He needed to know who it was so he could kill the vampire.

He wanted to reach out and touch her again, but he didn’t. He held himself back knowing that wouldn’t help the situation that he found himself in, she looked exactly the same as he remembered her. So she would have been turned soon after he fled the city with Elijah and Rebecca, she was dressed to fit in with the young people of this era. But her dark hair was still curled and her dark eyes were still rich and warm, although he couldn’t see the light that once used to fill her eyes. The pure joy that used to sparkle in her eyes and in her smile, she could brighten any room when she was human. Klaus hoped that hadn’t changed now that she was a vampire. “What are you doing in Mystic Falls?” He asked as he looked at her, his eyes taking in her beauty while she was there in front of him.

---

“Hey!” Grace looked at Jeremy as she defended herself from his comment, “I was actually invited to one party this weekend.” She told him before she looked down at her hands, “But I don’t know if I should go or not. It’s only been two years, should I be enjoying myself and having fun at parties?” She had already mentioned to Jeremy about losing her father, she felt guilty whenever she did have a good time because he wasn’t there anymore to see her or to live his life. “Besides if I go to a party and you ditch me, then I’ll be forced to either talk to other people or sit in a corner and look like an idiot.” She moved her eyes back onto Jeremy, there was something about him that she felt drawn to. They were similar in many ways, but then she also felt bad because she was keeping a massive secret from him. She couldn’t just tell him that she was a witch, that her mom’s entire family were witches because he would think she was insane and never want to speak to her again.

“I don’t really care what we do, as long as we do something. I can tell Alice is beginning to worry about me and my lack of friends,” Grace spoke after she finished off her sandwich, when it came to describing Alice to people who didn’t know her or the family, it was a little difficult. Grace wanted to tell people that Alice was her sister as they pretty much were, Grace grew up with Alice and loved her. “But this party will be filled with footballers, I can’t be bothered preparing to like them for a whole night.” A small smile rose onto her lips as she knew Jeremy felt the same way about the guys on the school sports teams.

Alice didn't really see why it mattered who turned her. Klaus had been the one to abandon her and that had hurt more than waking up to realize she was in transition had. Granted, everything that had happened before Mikael turned her wasn't exactly something she wanted to talk about. Being thrown around as a human by an original vampire had been painful. She didn't really want to recall any of that, so she hoped that she could just leave the answer as simple as possible. "Mikael did," she said simply, though she turned her attention away from him because it was hard to look at him. It brought back the overwhelming despair of waking up to find that Klaus had abandoned her. Emotions, for vampires, were heightened, and the only thing that ever kept her from turning it off were the generations of witches within Grace's family. They had been there for her when Klaus hadn't; they'd cared for her when Klaus had abandoned her. She could feel her chest tighten at the thought.

But, then, he was asking why she was there, and she could feel herself tense. There was no way that she could tell him the truth, and she couldn't bring herself to come up with a lie that might convince him. In the past, Klaus had known her well enough to know when she was lying through her teeth and she didn't want to give anything away so that he would be suspicious. So, instead, when she settled her gaze back on him, a deep frown had formed on her features. "I don't think that's any of your business, Klaus," she told him firmly, "In fact, I think you gave up any right to know anything when you abandoned me without a word - even more so when you never came back to explain or even apologize for doing so." Sure, it wouldn't have mattered, because, if he had come back, he would have found her as a vampire, but the fact still remained: within the lifespan that would have been acceptable for a human back then, he hadn't returned once, not even to check on her.

---

Jeremy's expression softened at her words and he eyed her for a moment. He knew he couldn't answer her question properly, but he also knew that avoiding having fun wouldn't make it any easier for her. "I think your father would want you to enjoy yourself," he told her honestly, because it was what he had tried to tell himself lately. His parents wouldn't want him to be miserable and to wallow in self-pity over their deaths. They would have wanted him to live his life and that was what he was trying to do, even when it was hard in a town like Mystic Falls. "I think you should enjoy yourself, too, really. Right now, your life's kind of on pause and... Well, you won't progress far like that. I'm sure your father would want you to enjoy your life and reach goals and have successes to look forward to. You can't do any of that if you hold yourself back all the time by feeling guilty for having fun when he's not here." He wasn't sure if those were the right words, but he smiled anyways.

"And I wouldn't ditch you." It wasn't like he would have anybody to really hang out with at the party aside from her, anyways. If Elena showed up, she might try to make him leave, but he knew he wouldn't leave without Grace. He wouldn't let her go through the torture of being awkward at a party full of half the school on her own. "I mean, we don't even have to go to the party. We could just have a movie night at some point or something. I just know that having nothing to do on the weekend except be alone and think isn't really the best thing for somebody who's lost a parent." He knew from experience and he was aware that Grace understood that; they didn't really hide their whole issues with grieving from each other, despite knowing each other for a short time. "If you want, I could just come to your place and we could play board games all day or something. At least, then, Alice can see that you've made at least one friend, right?" And he didn't think going to his home would be a good idea, not when Elena would probably have the Salvatores and her friends over.

Klaus’ face dropped when he heard the name that fell from Alice’s lips, he had left her all alone and because he had Mikael had gotten to her. Which he should have known would happen if he wasn’t there to protect her, he knew how psychotic Mikael was and there would have been nothing stopping the man from going after Alice because Klaus was stupid enough to fall in love with her. He was stupid enough to leave her in the city that his ‘father’ had found him in, his heart broke knowing that Mikael would have turned her and then left her to fend for herself. Which was just as cruel as him hunting down his children. Looking into the warm chocolate eyes that he still loved, but the spark of light, the spark of pure joy had been extinguished a long time ago when she had been turned into a vampire against her own will. “I never wanted to leave you but Mikael tracked me down, I needed to leave and I thought leaving you have kept you safe. I needed to lure Mikael away… I now know that it hadn’t worked as I had planned.” Klaus explained himself quietly to her, he never felt the need to explain his actions to anyone. But Alice was different, she always had been different. He wanted her to know what had gone through his mind at the time, when he fled with Elijah and Rebecca.

“I didn’t return to you as I thought you were still human, I wanted you to find a new man and have a family. I should have seen you that night, I do know that Alice and I do apologize for all of this. I never wanted this life for you,” He didn’t know if any of it mattered to her now or if his words made a difference in how she saw him now after all these centuries. “I’m not expecting you to forgive me for what I have caused, but I have never once stopped thinking about you nor have I stopped loving you. Honestly another reason I didn’t return back to you, was because it would hurt too much.” It was selfish and Klaus knew that, he knew his heart would have been broken if he saw Alice with another man or with her family. No matter how much he wanted that life for her, he couldn’t bare the pain that he would feel knowing she had moved on from him.

---

Grace knew that Jeremy was right, her dad would want her to continue living her life. But it was still hard for her to think like that, when she did it made her realise that he was truly gone and there wasn’t a way for her to bring him back. “I do know that but it’s still hard, sometimes I still expect him to come home. When my mom or Alice walk through the door, sometimes I think it’s my dad.” She told Jeremy and she knew how she was feeling was normal after losing a parent, she just hoped it would get easier and wouldn’t hurt as much as it did right now. A soft smile formed on her lips when Jeremy agreed that he wouldn’t ditch her if they did go a party over the weekend, “I really don’t mind. How about you come over to my place and then we can go from there?” She suggested as they could watch movies all day and hang out, or they could go to whatever party was being held if they felt like it.

Grace knew she would need to get out there and make more friends, it would make her mom and Alice stop worrying about her so much. But right now she was happy just spending time with Jeremy and getting to know him more, sure they had slightly bonded over the fact that they have both lost loved ones but Grace just had a feeling that they had more in common than just that. “Or you could come over to my place and help me unpack, I really need to get my easel out of the box.” She sent him a warm smile in hopes it would coax him into helping her, Grace was a painter and she hadn’t painted anything since her mom decided on moving to Mystic Falls. Painting had always helped Grace, it was a stress relief for her and it also helped her think and clear her mind.

It hurt to hear Klaus say everything he'd said. Alice could feel her heart aching, she could feel it breaking painfully all over again. The worst thing about it all was that she actually believed him. She believed that he thought leaving her would keep her safe, that he didn't want her to have this life, that he still thought about and loved her. It should make her happy, she knew that. She knew that, if it had been at any other point in her life that he'd shown up, then she would have forgiven him on the spot, because she had trouble holding a grudge. But... She couldn't forgive him, not openly, not when forgiving him would give him a place in her heart again, in her life - not when it would put Grace and Tegan in danger. Dropping her gaze, she clenched her jaw as she tried to choose her words.

"I believe you," she said after a moment, though she tried not to allow any emotion other than distaste in her voice. "But I can't forgive you, Klaus." That wasn't a lie, either. She couldn't forgive him, but it wasn't because she didn't want to. It was because she honestly couldn't, not without putting the people that mattered to her at risk, because she could never let Klaus into Grace's life. "I want to forgive you, I want to get past what happened back then, but... I just can't. And it's not because of anything that happened between us, but because I can't put the people I care about at risk. I can't let you back into my life, because, if I do, I'm a target again and so are the people who matter to me." And Grace and Tegan would be a target anyways, if Klaus found out they were there.

---

Jeremy nodded in understanding, because he'd been there. With everybody he'd lost, he always thought they'd show up out of nowhere, that he'd see them again. In a town like Mystic Falls, it wouldn't really be all that odd, but he knew that he'd never get those people back. For some reason, the people that mattered most to him never seemed to return to him. Once they died, they were dead and there was no way of getting them back. It wasn't fair, and he knew Grace probably felt the same with the fact that she'd never see her dad again, but he didn't want to bring it up because of that; reminding her would only hurt her more. "Sure, we can decide from there," he said with a small grin, figuring it was the best idea for now. They could decide later on, there wasn't a rush for them to decide.

He blinked, then, at her suggestion, and offered a small nod. "I don't mind helping you unpack." A small grin formed on his features, because he figured that it would give them something to do. Sure, it wasn't what he usually spent his time doing, but... Well, it'd be a nice change of pace, at least. They'd be able to relax at the very least and he was sure they both deserved that at this point. "An easel, though?" He arched a brow for a moment, eying her. "You paint, then?" He supposed it made sense; she seemed like she might be artsy, at least from her personality. But, then, he supposed that wasn't really something that should be all that surprising. "What do you usually paint?" Okay, yes, he was curious. But, he liked the idea of learning more about Grace; it'd be nice to get to know somebody better.

Klaus didn’t understand why Alice believed him but yet she couldn’t forgive him, he had been expecting this however so it didn’t hurt him as much as he did know it was coming. But it still felt like a slap in the face, he listened to what she was telling him as she explained herself. A deep set frown settled on his strong features, now he really didn’t understand. Why wouldn’t she let him back into her life? She was protecting someone in her life. “I won’t allow you to be a target again, my siblings mostly adore you.” Well Finn hadn’t met Alice when she was human and neither had Kol, but he knew Elijah and Rebecca liked Alice. Although they didn’t truly understand why he let himself fall in love with a human, but they did in fact like Alice. So they wouldn’t true lay a finger on her, and Klaus knew she was probably talking about all the enemies he had but he would kill every single one of them if they even thought about harming his sweet Alice.

“You won’t be a target, if my enemies are stupid enough to even think about harming you then they will be dealt with by me.” He told Alice as he closed the gap between them, he had taken a few steps forward as he needed to be closer to her. “And if you have people you care about, I will protect them as well.” He promised her as he would, if she cared about anyone then so would he. Reaching out his hand cupped her cheek and he felt all the love and affection he felt for Alice, return to the surface. His guard was cracking like it had done when he first met her and allowed his heart to love her, “You don’t have to worry about anything.” Klaus promised her as he had kept her safe while she was human and he’d do exactly the same now, if she did decide to let him back into her life and back into her heart.

---

Grace smiled when Jeremy did agree to helping her unpack, which she hadn’t been serious about. She looked at him as she shook her head lightly, “I didn’t actually mean that. I can’t ask you to help me unpack,” She’d never ask anyone to do that, but it was nice that he was willing to come to her house and help her. “I do, I paint whatever comes to mind really. But mostly landscapes,” She told him with a smile on her face, “I’ve always painted. It’s something that I’ve always found comfort in, I’m the most relaxed when I’m painting and it’s the time when I can think.” She spoke as she looked at Jeremy, “What about you? Are you creative?” She asked with interest as it would be nice to have a friend in her life that was, because her parents aren’t and neither is Alice. So she had to get her creative talent from a Grandparent down the family line, sometimes she would just start to paint without having a clear idea in her mind and she felt it was those times that her paintings were the best.

“Mom’s agreed to give me the back sun room, so I’m going to make that into my little studio.” She couldn’t wait to have a room for all her paints and brushes and canvas’ as she’s never had that before, it also felt like forever since she has painted and it was beginning to unsettle her. She had painted after her dad’s death which had helped her immensely, “So do you have much planned for after school?” She asked as she’d probably just hang out with Alice like she did every day after school, which she did enjoy because Alice was her best friend and they always found something fun to do.

Alice could feel herself tense slightly when Klaus drew closer to her, though her gaze lifted to his as she listened to him. She wished it was as simple as believing that he'd protect her and those she cared about, but it wasn't, because he was who Grace and Tegan needed protection against. There was no way she could tell him that, though; not only would it hurt him too much - especially with her knowing about his daughter and doing everything she could to keep Grace from him for Tegan - but it would cause too many questions that she didn't want to answer, too many questions that weren't hers to answer in the first place. She was ready to run, in hopes of avoiding this conversation entirely, but then she felt his hand upon her cheek and all she wanted was to be closer to him.

She didn't allow herself that, but she didn't move away from him either. Her gaze remained locked on his, searching his in hopes that they would give her some idea of what to say to push him away without causing him to hate her. "You don't understand," she murmured eventually, though her chest ached and she closed her eyes in hopes of avoiding being drawn into his like she used to. "I have people to protect, Klaus, and, while I believe that you'd prevent your enemies from getting near them, I can't put them at risk like that. They don't deserve that at all and they've done far too much to help me for me to just bring somebody as dangerous as you into their lives."

---

Jeremy shrugged slightly in response to her words. "Regardless of whether it was a joke or not, just know I'm up for it if you actually need the help," he assured her with a small smile, though he let himself relax as he listened to her, nodding along occasionally. It made sense; he was aware art had that kind of effect on people. It helped him, too, but he didn't really paint. "I guess you could say I'm creative. I draw a bit. I used to draw a lot in the past, but it got hard to do after my parents' deaths." He shrugged slightly and turned his attention fully to her for a moment. "I got my interest back a while back, but, even then, I still don't get to draw as much as I would like to." There was always too much going on, too much happening, so he didn't really get the opportunity to just relax and draw lately.

"Maybe you could show me your paintings some time? Who knows, it could inspire me." He grinned, mostly joking because he didn't want her to feel like she had to do anything for him. But, really, he would like to see her artwork and, sure, there was the possibility of it inspiring him, if he ever got any down time to just relax and draw like he wanted to. When she brought up what he'd do after school, he shrugged again. "I don't really have any plans." Had it been in the past, he would have probably been getting high or sneaking off to a party, but he didn't do that anymore, really. Lately, he didn't even get the chance to plan for anything, either. "I'm sure I'll come up with something, I guess. Who knows? What are your plans?"

Why Alice cared so much about these people, was beyond Klaus because the only people he cared about were the members of his family. But Alice never did have a mean bone in her body, she saw goodness in every single person which was someone he never could do because he knew if he let someone into his life they would eventually betray him. Even his siblings have betrayed him in the past, but because they were his family he forgave them in due time. “I wouldn’t be dangerous towards these people you care about, let them meet them. I can help you protect them, my love.” He looked into the deep dark eyes that he adored, he did want to meet these people if Alice was trying to push him away just so she could keep her loved ones safe.

“I will hold a dinner party, you always did tell me that I needed to socialize more.” He grinned in the hopes that she would agree to his offer, he desperately needed her back in his life. The love he held for her never left his heart, but he did lose her from his life when he decided not to return to the city to find her. “You can trust me, love. Believe it or not, I have changed.” It was true, he isn’t killing as many people as he once had, unless of course someone deserved to die.

---

Grace would have to keep Jeremy’s offer in mind, she may need his help carrying the heavy boxes through the house. She smiled as she listened to him, sipping from her water bottle as her eyes stayed focused on him. She didn’t think that she would have been able to cope with her dad’s death if she hadn’t been able to paint, she was certain she would have developed depression as painting allowed her to get all her emotions out, especially when she didn’t want to talk to anyone about it. “Yeah, I just found being able to paint helped me grieve.” But everyone grieved differently, like her mom stopped doing certain hobbies that either reminded her of him or that they used to do together.

“Anytime that you like, although I do have a few half-finished ones that you won’t be able to see until I’m completely finished and happy with them.” Grace smiled as she never showed anyone a painting that she wasn’t happy with, and she wanted Jeremy to see the good ones that she has done. She shrugged her shoulders lightly, “I’m not sure either. Probably hang out with Alice if she’s free, or we could hang out.” She suggested lightly as she was fine if he didn’t want to, or he wanted to spend some time on his own.

Alice so desperately wanted to give in to what Klaus was saying, she wanted to have him back in her life. Her concern still focused on Grace, though. And... Along with that... What would Klaus think of Alice if he knew that she was helping Tegan to keep Grace away from him? Would he ever forgive her? She knew how he felt when it came to people betraying him and she was certain that he'd end up thinking that her working with Tegan to keep Grace away from him was some form of betrayal, some intention to hurt him, and that wasn't what she wanted at all. In a way, though, she was sure that she actually was betraying him in that sense; she was helping to keep his daughter away from him, and she knew that would hurt him.

"I'll talk to them about it," she murmured after a moment as she stared up at him with a small frown. "And I'll... Try to let you know what they think at some point, if I get the chance." But, really, she would have crumbled right then had he not said he had changed. She knew better, though; he'd killed Grace's father, so she knew that, despite all his promises and all his assurances, he hadn't changed at all. He was still ruthless and willing to get rid of those who got in the way of what he wanted. And, in a way, she was in the way, too, so what if he decided to get rid of her?

---

Jeremy nodded slightly in response because it made sense. The grieving process worked differently for each person. Some people kept it all bottled up inside. Some people distracted themselves. Some people acted out. And some people got creative, using their emotions to help fuel their creativity. He could understand why painting would help her and he was glad that she had managed to find a way to cope without hurting herself more in the process, like he had. "That makes sense," he said finally as he offered a small smile. "I'm glad you found a way to cope in the end. Maybe it will help you even more now that you've moved here. You'll be able to keep yourself distracted, at the very least, and I think you deserve that."

He grinned, though, to her suggestion, and he offered a small nod in acknowledgment to her suggestion. "I'd love to see your paintings, regardless of whether they're finished or not. But, if you don't want me to see any unfinished paintings, I guess I'll just have to wait for you to finish them." His grin softened into a smile before he leaned back and allowed himself to relax, though he arched a brow and shrugged. "I'm free, if you want to hang out. In the end, it's completely up to you, because I think it would be pretty fun. Besides, it's nice to be able to hang out every now and then."

Klaus nodded his head lightly, “Thank you. I will do my hardest to make it up to you, Alice. You deserve that,” His voice lowered as he looked at her, he couldn’t take his eyes away from her and he never wanted to. In fear that he would lose her once again, he hoped that the people she was with allowed her to be happy and have him back in her life. No doubt they probably knew about him and how he hadn’t been there for Alice when she needed him the most, if that was the case then he would just have to prove that he wasn’t going to hurt Alice again. “Do you have time now? We can go somewhere quiet, talk about whatever you like.” He asked with hope in his pale eyes, he wasn’t ready to leave Alice as he had only just found her again.

“I’ve waited too long for this moment, I’m not going to give up on you. Not like I did before, I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you again.” Klaus spoke honestly to Alice, she deserved to know how he felt about her. How strongly he would fight to have her back in his life again, because that is where she belonged. They belonged together, side by side and surviving in this world. Closing the gap between them, he leaned down to press his lips to her cheek. “I never stopped loving you, Alice.” He whispered into her ear.

---

Grace smiled at Jeremy as she wouldn’t mind spending more time with him, but sadly a second later the bell rang to signal that the lunch break was finished with. “I’ll find you after school then,” She told him as she cleared away her rubbish as she didn’t want to be late for class, she did share a few classes with Jeremy but that afternoon she didn’t so she would just find him after the school day was finished and then they could go from there. Standing up Grace headed back into the school and walked away from Jeremy as he went in the opposite direction that she was going, she stopped by her locker to grab the books that she needed before she continued on to the next class that she had.

As she sat in class listening to the teacher and taking whatever notes she needed, her fingers automatically found the necklace that she always wore around her neck. The chain was simple but that wasn’t important to her, it was the ring that the chain held around her neck that was special to her. It was a chunky metal ring, obviously a male ring, but it held a blue gem and she had the necklace for as long as she could remember. She wasn’t sure who had given it to her, she assumed it was a grandparent or someone else in the family. Her parents never told her nor did they answer any of her questions about who had given her the necklace, she did however remember a few arguments between her and mainly her father about the necklace that she wore. But nothing has made her take it off, and nothing ever would as she felt lost without it around her neck.

Alice wasn't entirely sure how to answer Klaus. While she had free time, she wasn't sure that spending that free time with him was the best idea. Beyond that, she didn't have much free time when Grace would be out of school within a few hours and there was no way that Alice could talk about the situation with Tegan if Grace was around. There would be too many questions that neither herself nor Tegan would be able to answer and, while Grace had been left in the dark long enough, Alice really didn't want to be the one to bring up everything that Tegan had worked so hard to keep secret. "I have a little free time, but not much," she answered after a moment as she looked up at him, "If you're set on spending time together now, that's fine, but I'd be much freer later."

Her breathing hitched when she felt him kiss her cheek and she almost wanted to cry with the feeling because she'd missed having him this close far too much. And, when he whispered in her ear, she wanted nothing more than to say the words back to him, because they were just as true for her as they were for him. She felt like doing that would only give them both false hope, though, and she wasn't ready for that when she still had to figure out what she, Tegan, and Grace would do once Tegan found out Klaus was in Mystic Falls. "I see you still have your charm," she murmured instead as she peered up at him.

---

Jeremy grinned as he watched her leave. "Try not to ditch me, alright?" he called after her, but he was sure she wouldn't. They got along well enough and she didn't completely avoid him or stare at him like he was some freak. Most people still thought he was just Elena's druggie little brother, but he was trying to change himself and make things easier for himself. He was doing better in school, but it didn't really change most people's opinions of him, so it was nice to have somebody who didn't know that part of him. And, even if Grace had known that part of him, he was almost certain that she wouldn't have thought poorly of him now or judge him now for what and how he had been then. Shrugging the thought aside, he stood up and gathered his things so he could go to class.

Once he was in class, he allowed himself to slip down into his seat, though he partially wished that he shared this class with Grace. While they did have classes together, it didn't seem like they shared enough classes, in his opinion. Maybe he was just partial to Grace's presence compared to everybody else in his class, but... Well, she was different from everybody else. She was kinder and she didn't seem to be judgmental. Plus, he could talk to her easier. He figured that he could just wait until after school when he could see her again and just talk to her more there - it wasn't as though he had anything important to say, really, but it was nice to know that somebody cared enough to listen.

Klaus didn’t move back from where Alice stood, and she also wasn’t moving away from him. Something was holding her back from letting him back into her life, he could see in her eyes that she was torn. She hadn’t screamed at him or told him to stay away from her, so the pain she had felt when he had left her wasn’t the reason she wasn’t giving into what they both wanted. Which meant it was whoever she was with in town, they were holding her back and he was tempted to find out who this person was and why they weren’t giving Alice the chance to be happy with him. “If you’d prefer to spend time together later, then I will find you later.” He told her softly as he wouldn’t pressure her into anything, if she would rather see him later in the day then that was fine with him because he would still see her.

“My charm only comes out when you’re around,” His deep accented voice lingered in the air between them, having her so close to him was like what he imagined heaven to be like. But it was still hurting him, all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her small waist and kiss her like no one else could. Kiss the lips he adored, making her know how much love and passion he still held for her. But he wasn’t sure if that would be going too far or not, normally he wouldn’t have cared but he wanted to do things better this way. “You really are more beautiful even time I see you, and no that isn’t my charm, darling.” His eyes locked onto hers, his fingers moved up and gently tucked her dark hair behind her ear.

---

Class seemed to drag on slowly for Grace, while the classes that she had with Jeremy never dragged on. Those classes always finished much too quickly for her liking, but eventually the last bell of the day rang causing Grace to sigh to herself. Gathering her books she followed the other students out of the room before she made her way to her locker, once there she sent a text message to Alice to tell her she would be hanging out with a friend and that she would be home later. So Alice wouldn’t have to come to the school to collect her, she hit send on the message as she pulled her backpack straps over her shoulders. Walking through the corridors of the high school, most of the students were rushing to leave while Grace was on her way to find Jeremy.

Finding him by his locker, she smiled as she walked over to him. “Hey, I was thinking we could just take a walk and see where it takes us. Unless you wanted to do something else?” She asked as she looked at him, she had heard from another boy in one of her classes about what Jeremy was like. Apparently, he had taken drugs and tended to do things that he shouldn’t, it seemed like the other boy was a little jealous as he had asked Grace if she wanted to join him at the Mystic Grill after school. Grace would have declined even if the boy hadn’t told her anything about Jeremy, she didn’t care what Jeremy had done before she met him. She knew he had lost both his parents and was trying to deal with that the best he could, she wasn’t going to hold that against him.

Having Klaus so close to her was making it difficult for Alice to maintain her resolve. Every time he spoke, her eyes trailed down to watch his lips move without her really paying attention to it, and she could remember each time she felt his lips against her own and every promise he ever made to her. If she wasn't so intent on protecting Grace, she might have already given in to Klaus's behavior, because it was difficult to fight her own desire to have him back in her life, even with knowing everything he'd done and knowing that he'd killed Grace's father. A part of her wanted to be angry at herself for even considering falling back into Klaus's arms after what he'd done to Grace's father, but it was hard to think straight with him so close.

When he tucked her hair behind her ear, she almost wanted to lean her head into his hand for old time's sake. And, really, she almost did, but her phone ping-ed with a notification and she brought herself back to her senses. Taking a step back, she pulled out her phone to look at it, seeing that Grace had messaged her about hanging out with a friend and coming home later. This might be a good time to talk to Tegan, she realized before she lifted her gaze to Klaus. "Do you mind if I step outside for a minute? I need to make a call. It shouldn't take long. But, if you eavesdrop, I won't forgive you," she told him, as she was more than aware of the vampiric level of hearing now that she was one.

---

Jeremy's classes had been dull, as per usual, though he had enjoyed every single one he'd had with Grace. They'd chatted a few times in each one of them throughout the day, though it was mostly jokes, and the chats never lasted too long so as to avoid being too distracted. Grace was still new to school, after all, and he didn't want to distract her from learning, nor did he want to give the teachers a reason to complain to her mom about him distracting her; it would only end with Grace's mom possibly disliking him and he hadn't even met the woman yet, so he definitely didn't want that. Besides, even he was trying to get better in school, so concentrating on the work rather than being a distraction to Grace worked in his favor as well.

While at his locker, he arched a brow when he heard Grace's voice and he peered over at her with a grin while he put his last book away. "Sure, we can do that," he decided, though he shrugged. "I can't really think of anywhere we could hang out in particular, aside from The Mystic Grill, but it's probably going to be crowded within the next thirty minutes, because that seems to be the go-to hangout for high school students after school ends." And, it was true. Everybody always went to and hung out at The Grill after school; it was probably the only real hang out place there was in Mystic Falls. "Should we just wander around aimlessly or did you want to search for a specific type of place to hang out at?"

(Sorry that Klaus’ reply is so short, I wasn’t sure what else to write for him.)

Klaus glanced down at Alice’s phone when she pulled it out from her pocket, his eyes moved back onto her as she read the new message that she had received. He nodded his head lightly, “I won’t eavesdrop as long as you come back after you get off the phone.” He told her as he would give Alice the space and privacy she needed to make whatever phone call she needed, he stepped off to the side so she would be able to move away from him. He sat down on the chair that Alice had been sitting on before he found her, his eyes watched her closely as she walked across the room and it would have been easy for him to listen in to what was being said. But he knew Alice wasn’t joking when she told him not to, he knew that there would be an argument between them if Alice found out that he had overheard her phone conversation.

---

Grace didn’t really want to end up at The Grill if it was going to be full of other students, she wanted to spend time away from other students when school was finished for the day. “I haven’t really explored anywhere outside from the town centre, are there any creeks or lakes close by?” She asked knowing that could give her something nice to paint once she did get home, but she also liked to know little quiet spots around the town in case she ever needed to get away or have some time to herself where she could think. She looked at Jeremy and smiled when he nodded, she would let him lead the way as Grace would probably end up getting herself lost if she didn’t. “How was the rest of your day?” She asked him as he grabbed his backpack and started to walk with her, “My classes really seemed to drag on today, I’m glad we’ve finished for the day.” She told Jeremy as they walked through the front doors of the high school.

Grace didn’t mind attending school, she did like learning but that afternoon felt like torture with how long it took to finish. Maybe it was because she wanted to spend more time with Jeremy, or maybe it was just one of those days. She wasn’t sure which one it was, or if it was a mixture of both or it could have been something completely different. But she was glad that she could now hang out with Jeremy away from the school, they could do whatever they wanted and talk about whatever they wanted. There had been a few times when Grace thought about telling Jeremy that she was a witch, she knew that he always wore a ring that would protect his life if he was killed by a supernatural creature. But that didn’t mean he knew about what lurked in the shadows or that the new girl wasn’t a normal teenage girl.

(No worries! :) )

Alice watched Klaus almost warily for a moment but she offered a small nod seeing as he had agreed not to eavesdrop. She'd definitely know if he did, because she knew him well enough to know that, if he heard what she said or what the person on the other line said, he'd have questions. Even if he didn't ask them, he would certainly be angry and she'd know, even if he tried to hide it in some weird attempt to placate himself or plan a way to get back at her for keeping secrets from him. She'd seen what happened to his siblings when he felt betrayed by them, after all. While she'd never been on the receiving end of that anger, she'd seen it enough to know that it was certainly not where she wanted to be. "I'll be right back," she promised quietly before she stepped away from him. Turning, she headed outside of The Grill for good measure and pulled up Tegan's contact before she called it and hoped for the best.

---

"There are a few. There's also the river that you drive across the bridge to get over when you come into town, but it doesn't really hold the best memories," Jeremy told her as he adjusted his backpack slightly and glanced away. While he'd told her his parents were dead, he hadn't told her the details about their deaths, so he hadn't told her about them driving off the bridge and drowning. It wasn't really the easiest thing to talk about and it wasn't like they went into details about their separate parents' deaths. Sometimes, it was just easier to avoid talking about in general, though it wasn't like he meant to completely avoid the subject with her; it just felt like an unnecessarily morbid conversation and he was sure neither of them really needed that right now.

He grinned, though, to her words and looked down at her as he held the door open at the exit to let her head out first. "That sounds about right. My classes weren't all that great, either. There wasn't really much to keep me occupied in them, really, aside from the classes that you and I share," he said honestly. While he knew they couldn't really outright chat in the classes they had together, they had talked a bit and that was better than nothing, in his opinion. Besides, it wasn't like they were the only ones talking, so they couldn't be the only ones to get in trouble for it. Since he didn't have many classes with her, though, he didn't get to talk to her as much as he wanted to. "Did classes bore you so much that you might think about doing homeschool?" he asked jokingly.

Tegan heard her phone ringing and when she checked the caller ID, she saw Alice’s name flashing on the screen. “Hey Alice,” She answered the call to see what her friend needed, “What’s up?” She asked the vampire and waited for Alice to speak, she grew slightly worried when there was a pause and silence from the other end of the phone call. “Alice, what is it?” She almost demanded from her friend as Tegan’s mind instantly went to her daughter and someone happening to her, but when Alice begun to explain her situation, Tegan’s panic only increased as she learnt that Klaus had arrived in Mystic Falls. Tegan’s mind went into overdrive at that moment, “We have to leave now. He can’t know that we’re here, you have to get away from him now. Get Grace and just go, I’ll head home now to grab whatever we need and I’ll meet you a few towns over.” Tegan planned out as she knew Klaus, he would take Grace away from her.

She had already lost her husband, Joe, by Klaus’ hands. She couldn’t handle losing her only child to that monster as well, this was the main reason as to why Tegan hated Grace wearing the necklace with Klaus’ daylight ring. It was just a reminder to her of how much pain she went through because she was young and stupid, she thought sleeping with Klaus was exciting but she never thought of what would happen if she did fall pregnant. Which is exactly what happened. “You have to get away from him, Alice. If he finds out that you know about Grace… he’ll kill us both.” Her voice grew quiet but was shaky, Tegan only feared one person and that was Klaus.

---

Grace looked at him, “Then take me somewhere that does have good memories,” She smiled at him as having Jeremy uncomfortable or hurting was the last thing she wanted to do, they could go to whatever place that Jeremy liked and she would still be happy with that as she’d still be seeing and exploring a spot that Grace hasn’t been to before. As she listened to Jeremy and his comment about only enjoying the classes they shared, Grace could feel the heat of a blush rush to her cheeks and she was tempted to turn her head away so Jeremy wouldn’t see. But she decided against it, it was a nice thing for him to say and she did agree with him. “I do enjoy those classes as well,” Grace smiled as they continued to walk side by side, the day was beautiful and the sun was still shining brightly in the sky. There was a peaceful sense in the air and it was rather relaxing for Grace.

Grace smiled as she shook her head, “No. Boring classes aren’t going to scare me off, besides I’ve already tried to be home schooled and it isn’t all that great.” She told him as there had been a time when she was younger and Alice had home schooled her for a year. Grace had been young and her magic had just begun to form in her body, she was having trouble controlling her gift and there were a few times when she was at school and her magic would be set off. Nothing horrible happened, a few floating tables and some paper suddenly catching fire. But Tegan had decided to take Grace from school, just until she could control her magic so there wouldn’t be any more accidents.

Part of Alice was beginning to feel a little upset with the thought of fleeing from Klaus, until Tegan reiterated Alice's own concerns that Klaus wouldn't be happy if he found out that Alice was aware of Grace. Her thoughts came to a grinding halt and she stared at the window, mostly to see if Klaus was watching her or not, before she made a dash to her car and got in. "Go west, get on the highway out of town and get off on the third exit. It doesn't matter where it takes us, just stop at the first gas station you see. Wherever it is, whatever town we end up in, that's where we'll meet," she said quickly, though she didn't linger on the phone for long.

Starting the car, she backed out of her parking space and pulled up her contacts quickly, soon dialing Grace's number. "Please pick up," she whispered, repeating the phrase several times while she listened to the phone ring.

---

Jeremy smiled to her suggestion and nodded. "Follow me, then," he told her as they walked and he led the way, hoping that the place he took her to would be peaceful enough for him. He hadn't been there in a while himself, but he was hoping for the best in this situation; he only wanted to continue to keep Grace's mind off of everything. Being a new kid at school was probably rough enough, but add that to also having lost a parent recently, he knew she needed as many distractions as she could get - healthy distractions, not the ones he usually indulged in. He grinned, though, and glanced back at her. "Really? It's nice to hear that. I'm glad I'm not alone in that opinion."

After all, the only real reason he liked those classes was because Grace was in them. At least she didn't seem horrified with the thought of sharing classes with him and they got along well enough. Plus, she was gorgeous, both inside and out from what he was aware of, so he considered himself lucky to know that she enjoyed the classes they shared together. "Oh? You were home schooled before? What was so bad about it?" he asked with curiosity, though he blinked at the sound of a phone ringing and didn't recognize the tone, so he knew it wasn't his. "Guess you got a phone call."

(I’m starting with Grace as it’d be easier to bring Klaus in)

Grace smiled as she did follow Jeremy in the direction he was walking, “It wasn’t bad. But I prefer to leave home to go to school, I still had to wake up early so I didn’t see what the difference was. And I couldn’t see my friends every day,” She explained the best she could without telling Jeremy the reason why she had to be home schooled, hopefully he wouldn’t ask because she didn’t want to lie to him. He was an amazing person, he has been nothing by kind to her and he has this way of making her feel welcomed and wanted. “Oh sorry…” Grace pulled out her phone and gave Jeremy a small smile as she answered the call, “Hey Alice… why?” She asked when Alice asked where she was, her voice was hiding the panic and Grace could tell. So she told Alice where she was, before she was told to stay there. “That’s weird… I think Alice needs something, do you mind if we wait?” She asked Jeremy as she couldn’t think of anything that would alarm Alice, but she didn’t want to tell Jeremy to go away.

Once he agreed to wait with her, she wasn’t sure what else to say to him. “Sorry about this,” She apologized even if she didn’t need to, it was only a few minutes before Grace saw Alice’s car come to a sudden stop. She rushed over in a hurry, “What’s the matter?” She asked as she looked at Alice who was already climbing out of the car, confusion covered her face when Alice told her to get in the car. “No, tell me what’s going on.” Grace frowned as she wanted to know why she had to suddenly leave, she wanted to spend time with Jeremy. But then she looked past Alice and saw him, the man who she has seen before throughout her life but never knew who he was.

---

Klaus had lied to Alice, he did listen into the phone conversation between Alice and Tegan. He knew Tegan’s voice from anywhere, at first he was confused as to how Alice would know the mother of his daughter. But then he listened to what they were talking about, Tegan was here in Mystic Falls and so was Grace. His little girl was there and he hadn’t know, but not only that but Alice knew them. Alice knew his baby girl and she didn’t tell him. Rage was quick to fill his mind when Alice told Tegan to run, she was taking his daughter away from him just like Tegan and Joe had done. He watched as Alice drove off so he followed her, he moved quickly and arrived the second that Alice had. His eyes immediately landed on his daughter, who was even more beautiful as she grew older.

“When were you going to tell me, Alice?” His deep voice loud enough to capture their attention, but not loud enough to attract unwanted attention. His eyes focused in on Alice as she lied to him, she kept this a secret from him and she was going to help Tegan keep Grace away from him. “When were you going to tell her about me? Doesn’t she deserve to know who her father is,” Klaus spoke to them and no, he didn’t want Grace to find out this way but he wasn’t going to stay silent anymore. He wanted his daughter in his life, he was tired of sneaking around in order to see her. He hated staying in the shadows so he could watch her grow, he needed his baby girl.