this was a path that led to nowhere

Alice stared at her friend for a moment before she tried to word what she had to say properly. "Klaus followed me to where I was meeting Grace," she said quietly, "He told her the truth, that he was her father, while he was in a rage about me lying to him and us keeping Grace a secret. Grace, she... She got so upset that she used her magic to knock us down, then she and her friend - some human boy - got in my car and drove off. I don't know where they went." She frowned slightly and ducked her head, chewing on her lip as she thought for a few moments. She didn't want to mess her explanation up or to make Tegan angry with her, but by the way Tegan kept calling Klaus a monster - not that it wasn't something Dawn was used to hearing from Tegan, because she'd heard it often enough - made it difficult to believe that she'd be willing to stay in Mystic Falls.

"I, um, I talked to Klaus. He's still angry about us hiding Grace from him, but... All he wants is to be able to know her. He doesn't want to take her from you." Breathing out, she lifted her gaze again and stared at her friend, hoping to gain some courage to further continue her explanation. "I don't want to leave," she finally admitted, "Klaus won't hurt us, he promised me that. And... And I want to see if there's anything left for us, between us."

---

"Oh? Why's that?" Jeremy asked with mild curiosity, figuring that it was an easy enough topic to talk about. He supposed she probably moved around a lot, if she hadn't ever lived anywhere that actually felt like home. It would make sense to move around often, too, if her mom really was dead set on staying as far away from Klaus as possible. Maybe their luck had just run out if this was the first time they'd had this kind of run in with him. Jeremy felt bad for Grace, though. If she hadn't ever really had a home or hadn't ever felt like any place had ever been home, had she ever felt safe or comfortable? He knew it was difficult to feel either of those when somebody was so involved in the supernatural world, but he was sure that she deserved to at least be able to relax without a worry. He smiled, though, to her offer, and nodded. "I'll make sure to hold you to that. Just let me know when things cool down, I guess."

But, he wasn't sure how her mom would feel about that. What if her mom really did end up taking her away? After all, that was what Alice had come to find Grace for today, to leave Mystic Falls. What if her mom was still set on that? Shaking the thoughts from his head, he finished making the sandwiches and offered hers to her with a grin. "Bon appetite, or whatever the hell they say," he joked lightly before he smiled, "Do you want anything specific to drink?"

Tegan looked at Alice as she could feel her emotions start to overflow, “What were you thinking?” She snapped at her friend, she didn’t mean to but she couldn’t help it. Her daughter was somewhere in Mystic Falls and neither of them knew, “Why didn’t you stop him from telling her? We’ve been through this Alice, Grace was never meant to know that Joe wasn’t her biological father.” Her voice raised although she wasn’t quite yelling just yet, she was angry that Alice hadn’t protected Grace like the vampire had promised. “He killed my husband, don’t you remember that? Don’t you remember being there when I told Grace and how broken she was?” Tegan was fuming and scared all at the same time, she ran her fingers through her dark hair as she tried to think straight and make a new plan for the small family.

Tegan opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Alice saying that she didn’t want to leave town, “Are you serious? You can’t believe a word he says, Alice. He’ll take Grace from both of us, is that what you want? We’ve kept her away from him for this long, and we’ll continue keeping her away from him. She doesn’t know what he’s truly like, she won’t understand the danger of being his daughter.” Tegan didn’t care if she talked bad about Klaus, it was all true. He wasn’t fit to be a father, hell he probably didn’t know how to love anyone more than he loved himself. “We’re still leaving town, go get Grace and drag her here if you have to. And don’t you dare go crawling back to that monster,” Tegan demanded firmly as she looked at Alice, “If you don’t. Then go back to him, but neither of you will ever see Grace again.” She said giving Alice the choice of what she wanted to do, she either way Tegan wasn’t allowing her daughter to stay in the same town as Klaus.

---

“We’ve always moved every few years, I was told it was for my dad’s… Joe’s job. But I guess, now I know the real reason.” Grace explained to him, she wasn’t even sure if she should still call Joe her dad. He had raised her from since she was a baby, but she wasn’t the only person who had two fathers. “When I was younger it never bothered me, but then I started making friends in school and I was joining clubs. Then my parents would pack up and we’d move again, I just started to not make friends. I went to school and then went home, if I went out then I’d go with Alice.” She had hated what her life had become, no matter how much she wanted to make friends and have fun. She didn’t because she knew when she moved, she’d lose contact with her friends and that always hurt.

But it was all she knew. “Thanks, a water is fine.” She smiled at Jeremy and took the plate from him, she took a bite of her sandwich and chewed. Surprisingly it was a good sandwich, and the thing she needed right now. “You’ll be the first person to know when things are okay again,” If that even happened, Alice had been on her way to get her so they could leave Mystic Falls. Grace knew her mom would still want to leave, meaning she would be forced to move yet again. This is why she didn’t like making friends, because it was harder to leave when the time came. She looked at Jeremy, she really liked him. She didn’t want to lose him as a friend, especially now that he knew what he did about her.

Alice cringed slightly at the sound of Tegan snapping at her. She'd never heard her friend raise her voice directly at her, so it caught her off guard and she found herself staring at Tegan with surprise. "I didn't mean for it to happen!" she quickly defended, "He showed up and, before I could say anything, he began spouting out that he was her real father." She hadn't even had time to try to stop Klaus when the entire thing had happened. She hadn't even been aware that he'd followed her, because she'd sped off in her car and he'd promised not to listen in to her phone call. "I remember it all, Tegan. Do you really think I could forget any of it?"

As Tegan continued to speak, though, she could feel herself crumbling under her friend's anger. This wasn't what she wanted at all. "Tegan, you didn't see him," she said quietly, "He was so, so hurt by all of this, and he really loves Grace, I saw it. All he wants is to be able to actually see her - is that really so bad? Does him wanting a chance to be in Grace's life really make him a monster? Just give him a chance." She stared at Tegan for a moment but eventually ducked her head as she tried to process everything that Tegan was saying. "Don't do this, Tegan," she pleaded quietly, "Don't make me choose." Because she knew that, no matter how much she loved Klaus, Tegan and Grace were her family, and she couldn't turn her back on them, no matter how much she wanted to avoid hurting Klaus.

---

"Hey," Jeremy murmured quietly as he nudged her gently. "Just because he wasn't your biological dad doesn't mean that he's not your dad. He took care of you and loved you, right?" He offered a small smile, hoping to cheer her up a bit. He couldn't imagine what it was like, finding out that the man you'd thought was your father your entire life actually wasn't. He knew his sister had been in that situation already and it was hard enough just for Jeremy to grasp that Elena wasn't really his sister; he couldn't imagine what it was like for Elena to know that her parents weren't really her parents and that Jeremy wasn't really her brother. He couldn't imagine what it was like for Grace to be in a situation so similar to it, but it was even worse because her real father happened to be a psychopath.

When he heard her decision, he nodded and moved to the fridge to grab out two bottles of water, one for each of them. Setting hers down in front of her, he went ahead to open his and started eating, but blinked in surprise to her words. "Really? I'll make sure to hold you to that," he said with a small grin as he glanced over at her. "Besides, you might need my help in catching up to where we are in the classes we share. I guess it's a good thing we get along pretty well, because you might be stuck spending a lot of time with me." It was something that Jeremy personally was looking forward to. But, then, he was also aware that it might not even be an actual possibility. For all he knew, the moment Grace went home tonight, he may never see her again because her mom may drag her away from Mystic Falls and never return.

Tegan shook her head, “The only person that Klaus loves is himself.” She snapped as he didn’t know the meaning of love, she was certain that if she didn’t run when she did he would have killed both her and Grace as she was growing in her womb. “I shouldn’t have to give you the choice, Alice. And I certainly didn’t think you’d have a choice to make,” She looked at her vampire friend before retreating into the kitchen, she grabbed a beer from the fridge and twisted the cap off the bottle. “Go… I need some space and I need to find my daughter,” She spoke knowing Alice would be able to hear her from where she stood in the kitchen, Tegan was still going to leave town.

So she grabbed her phone and called Grace’s number, however it rang until she was asked to leave a message. “Call me back Grace,” She ordered before hanging up, she then sent a text message to her daughter telling her to get home that instant or she’d be grounded. Tegan waited for a reply but when she did it caused anger to flow through her body, Grace replied with a simple ‘no’. This is why she kept it all a secret, because now Grace was acting out and it was all Klaus’ fault. This is what he does, he’ll take both Grace and Alice from Tegan because he’s selfish.

---

Grace nodded lightly as she continued to eat her sandwich, Jeremy was right. Joe had raised her from a baby and had loved her, he never treated her any differently because she wasn’t his biologically. He treated her just like a father would, which is why Grace never thought that she might not actually be his daughter. “That’s true, I just don’t know what to call either of them. Joe was my dad and I’m nowhere near ready to call Klaus anything even remotely like dad, I’m just so confused.” She admitted to Jeremy as she opened her bottle of water and took a few sips, she was glad that he was there for her otherwise she’d be going through this on her own.

“Oh?” She looked at him and smiled, “And who said I’d be getting behind at school? Alice would kill me if I fell behind in any of my classes, she’s already thinking about which college I’m going to.” She smiled as she spoke, Alice wanted Grace to have the best possible life and always encouraged her in whatever Grace wanted to do. Which made it harder for her to stay anger at her best friend, she was probably only doing what her mom asked of her. Then her phone rang but once Grace saw who was calling, she ignored it but then her mom messaged her. She replied saying she wasn’t coming home, Grace knew what would happen if she did go home tonight. She’d get dragged to the car and there wasn’t anything she could do to stop that, so she decided she wouldn’t go home tonight. “What if my classes don’t suffer, will I still be stuck with you?” She asked as she glanced over at Jeremy, a small smile on her lips.

Alice stared at Tegan with surprise, uncertain of what to do. It bothered her that Tegan was so upset and, while Alice wanted to be there for Tegan, it didn't seem like Tegan wanted her around. Swallowing, she offered little more than a nod but retreated out of the house. She felt torn, because things had never gotten this bad before and she felt like she was losing the only family she had left. She'd never been on the receiving end of Tegan's or Grace's anger before and the realization made her feel incredibly alone. Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair and tried to think of what to do.

Eventually, she decided that, since Tegan was going to spend this time to think, Alice should spend the time she had left in Mystic Falls with Klaus. Since she was sure Tegan would choose to leave Mystic Falls, she figured it was only right to see Klaus while she could, because she knew that, if leaving ended up being the final decision, she'd leave with Tegan and Grace. So, with a sigh, she headed off in search of Klaus's home.

---

"Well... Joe raised you. You didn't even know Klaus until now," Jeremy pointed out with a small shrug. "So... in my opinion, Joe's definitely more of a father to you than Klaus is." But, at this point, it was also pretty clear that Klaus wasn't in the picture because of Grace's parents, not because of Klaus's own decision. He didn't mention this, though, because he was sure it would only serve to confuse and bother Grace more. What if she even felt guilty for not thinking of Klaus as her dad when it wasn't his choice to not be around her? A small frown came to Jeremy's lips but he shrugged it aside and offered a smile. "That's just my opinion, though. I hear there are a bunch of people who think the same on this, though, so there's that."

He opened his mouth to reply to her later words, but got cut off by the phone ringing. Blinking, he watched her for a moment, but when he saw that she wasn't answering it, he figured it was probably her mom. He didn't question it, though, not wanting her to think he was nosy or anything. "Oh, I'm not saying you'd be getting behind. I'm just not sure if you're completely caught up to where we're at in classes," he explained with a small smile before he shrugged. "But, either way, you'll definitely still be stuck with me. You're pretty much the only person I can tolerate at that school at this point." And he wasn't lying about that at all; something about Grace really made it easy to enjoy her presence.

Klaus was standing on the front porch of his new house in Mystic Falls, he knew that it wouldn’t be long until Alice found him. He knew Tegan, he knew what she was like when she was scared. She would lash out at people, even people close to her so he was expecting her to do just that when she saw Alice. Which is why he was waiting for her, he also knew Tegan wouldn’t stop running from him. Which meant she’d still want to leave Mystic Falls, she’d take their daughter away yet again and she’d also take Alice away from him. There wasn’t much he could do to change that, Tegan and Grace were family to Alice so she’d follow them. And Grace didn’t have any say in any of this, but she would be the only person who may change Tegan’s mind and he was praying that she did. Because he wouldn’t stop searching for his two girls, not until they were both in his life completely.

He leaned against the wooden railing as he waited, and like he had been expecting it wasn’t long before he heard the familiar footsteps of the love of his life. “She didn’t mean any of what she said, love. We both know how she can get when she’s angry and scared,” He spoke as his eyes landed on the brunette beauty, Alice still managed to take his breath away just by standing in front of him. He could tell she was upset and hurt, he knew Tegan wouldn’t have been nice in what she said to Alice and he was tempted to go speak with Tegan himself. But that would probably push her further away, and he’d make things worse without meaning to. “Come inside, I’ll work something out.” He looked at Alice as she moved closer, he would give her and Grace up without a fight.

---

“He did…” Grace nodded her head lightly as Jeremy was right, Joe had raised but he had also kept all of this a secret from her and they had been close. She spent all of her life so far knowing that he was her father, and in a sense, he was because he was there from her birth until he died. But he wasn’t her father by blood, which she would have liked to know at some stage in her life. She took another few bites of her sandwich as she put her phone back into her bag, if it rang again then she would ignore it. She did suddenly realise that her staying away from home, meant she was leaving Alice on her own to face her mom. Which she never did, her and Alice were a team and faced everything together. She sighed softly as she wished this was all a dream, that she’d wake up shortly in her bed and none of this would be real.

“I’m caught up, in most of my classes anyway.” Grace looked at Jeremy, Alice never let her get behind in school. Not even when they were focused to move to another town, the only classes where she was slightly behind were the classes Grace disliked and weren’t overly important to her. Not that Alice knew that, Grace wasn’t going to tell her best friend that. “Thanks, I think.” She laughed softly but she was glad that Jeremy could tolerate her, she enjoyed his company and liked having a friendship with him. He didn’t seem to judge her, he also didn’t seem to care all that much what she was or who her family was when most people would. Grace glanced at the time and realised it was getting rather late, “I should probably go soon…” She didn’t know where she’d go, but she’d rather not drive around a town that she still didn’t know well at night.

Alice paused when she heard Klaus speak, a part of her having to remind herself that Klaus knew Tegan just as well as Alice did. At one point in time, that knowledge had been painful, but she couldn't blame either Tegan or Klaus for being together when they had been. She hadn't told Tegan about Klaus until after Tegan had gotten with Joe, and Klaus hadn't even known that she was still around. When they'd been together, she'd been sure they'd been happy, and she hadn't wanted to ruin that. But, when Tegan chose Joe, Alice was worried about what would happen to Tegan. Tegan and Grace were all she had, and she hadn't wanted to lose them back then, and she certainly didn't want to lose them now, even if it meant that she had to lose Klaus to keep them.

"I don't know how much longer we'll be staying, but I'm sure she's going to make us leave," she said quietly, though she frowned slightly to herself. She didn't want to leave and, honestly, this was probably the only time she'd ever been against Tegan on leaving. She'd understood in the past that it was safer to run, but... After talking to Klaus and him assuring her that he wouldn't hurt Tegan or take Grace, that he only wanted to be a part of his daughter's life, what did they have left to run from? She knew Tegan didn't trust Klaus, but Alice did. She nodded to Klaus's suggestion to go inside and moved to the door, opening it to walk in. "Do you think you can really work this out? Tegan doesn't trust you and a part of me worries that, after our conversation, she might not trust me anymore, either."

---

Jeremy grinned when he heard her laugh, unable to help it. Something about Grace made it easy to just enjoy being around her. They hadn't known each other for long, but he felt like she was easy to be comfortable around. Did she have this effect on anybody? Or was it just him? Regardless, he was glad that she was able to laugh and that she wasn't just crying again. Seeing her cry was hard, especially when he didn't know what to do or how to help calm her or make her feel better or cheer her up. She didn't deserve what life had thrown at her - from losing the man she called father, to finding out that he wasn't her father, to finding out that a cruel hybrid like Klaus was her father, and finding out that everybody she'd cared about her entire life had kept that secret from her. He couldn't imagine the pain she was going through because of it.

"I more than tolerate you," he assured her after a moment, a small smile on his features. "I promise." He shifted, nudging her gently, before he shrugged. He didn't want her to think that he didn't care about her or that she was merely tolerated. She was his friend, after all, and he wanted her to know that. "You're my friend, no matter what. From now on, don't forget that," he assured her with a small grin, though he blinked in surprise to her words. A part of him didn't want her to leave - a very big part, even, - but he knew that she had a point. It was getting late and, on top of that, if she was gone for too long, her mother might very well go searching the entire town for her if she got worried enough. He watched her for a moment but offered a small nod. "If you're sure. Will you be okay to drive?"

Klaus followed Alice as she stepped into his new home, “I will do everything I possibly can to make you all stay here.” He promised as he looked at her, he would do anything to keep Alice and Grace in Mystic Falls. He didn’t care much about Tegan, but he knew that she was the mother of his daughter so she’d be in his life if Grace was. “Tegan will always trust you, love. She’s put our daughter’s life in your hands many times, she’ll always trust you.” He assured Alice as he reached his hand out and gently touched her cheek, “I’ll just need to make her realise that all I want is for you and Grace to be in my life. That I’d never take either of you away from her, but even if she does leave. You should know that I’d always find you, love.” He looked into her stunning eyes, the dark eyes that he always got lost in. Sometimes he wouldn’t even pay attention to what she was saying, he’d just stare into her eyes and get lost. Something that Alice never liked, because he wasn’t listening to her.

“Tegan will calm down soon enough,” He promised Alice, “Did you want a drink?” He asked her as he wanted to spend as much time with her as he could, if she was going to leave town and leave his life again then he would enjoy every single second that he had with her. Who knows when he’d find her again, Tegan had a certain way with cloaking spells but he always eventually found his family. He would go talk with Tegan once she had some time to calm herself down, he’d tell her to stay but to also never make Alice feel as bad as what she had done that day. Klaus hated seeing Alice upset over anything, so knowing that Tegan had hurt Alice with her words, didn’t sit well with him.

---

Grace smiled softly as she finished off her sandwich, “I know that. And I consider you to be a friend as well, I promise I won’t forget that.” She looked at him as he seemed to be able to make her happy even though at a time like this she shouldn’t be, but he also seemed to be able to take her mind off of everything. She had no idea how he did it, but she was thankful for it. She really didn’t want to leave, but it was getting late and she didn’t want to over stay her welcome. She also didn’t think it would be a good idea for her to crash on the couch, in case his sister arrived home and found a strange girl in the home. “I think I better… I’ll be fine, it’s not like the drive will be a long one.” She smiled softly as it wouldn’t take her long to drive home, or drive to wherever her mind took her as she didn’t want to go home.

She would have liked to sleep on the couch in Jeremy’s living room, as she didn’t really have anywhere else to go. But she wanted to change clothes and get a good night sleep, which she hoped would make her feel better in the morning. “I’ll text you when I get home,” She looked at him as she’d text him anyway, hopefully they could chat more before either of them fell asleep. Standing up she took her plate over to the sink and gave it a rinse under the tap, “Besides I don’t really want this to be the first time I meet your sister. I’d rather give her a good first impression, and I don’t think that will happen right now.” Grace told him honestly, she also wanted to find Alice. She wanted to apologize for letting hitting her with her magic, she hadn’t meant to hit Alice and she really just needed to see her best friend.

Alice found herself leaning into his touch while she stared at him, listening to every word he spoke. She wanted to believe it all, but a part of her worried that Tegan would never see it that way. Even if Klaus tried to talk to Tegan, would he really be able to convince her of anything after he'd killed Tegan's husband? He'd be lucky if he got within fifty feet of her before she lashed out at him. "You always did have a way with words," she joked lightly, but the joke felt misplaced in the serious conversation they were having. She missed this, though. Even when she felt at her worse, Klaus had always been able to assure her that things would get better. He'd always been able to convince her that she'd be okay, and she wanted that feeling of safety back. It hurt knowing that she might have to give it up completely to remain with Tegan and Grace.

She arched a brow at his question, tilting her head. "My, Mister Mikaelson, are you offering blood or alcohol? If I didn't know any better, I'd think you're planning to let me drink away my woes until I'm drunk and vulnerable," she teased, allowing a bit of her old playfulness to slip into her words. She couldn't wallow in the misery she felt with the idea of Tegan being angry at her, at least not for tonight. Tonight could be the last time she'd see Klaus ever, or just the last time she saw him for who-knew-how-long, and she wanted to relax and enjoy the night. She knew things were hectic and difficult right now, likely for both of them, but she didn't want to worry about that for now. "I suppose I'll take you up on the offer, as long as you have my favorite available."

---

Jeremy was beyond glad to hear that she wouldn't forget that they were friends. Even if he was sometimes a little difficult, he hoped that she'd keep that in mind. He hadn't always been the best person to be friends with, especially since many of his friends tended to get hurt in the process, most of the time because of him, but he wanted to be able to be Grace's friend and to be there for her if she ever needed him. "Good. If you ever forget it, I might be a little insulted," he joked lightly, but he grinned despite his words. When she decided fully on leaving, he watched her for a moment but offered a small nod in response. He couldn't stop her from leaving if that was what she really wanted. Besides, he was sure that she had plenty to think about and she probably wanted to confront her mom and her friend about the entire thing, about all the lies. "Be careful on your way home, then."

Offering a small smile, he was relieved to hear that she'd text him when she got home. At least, if she did that, he'd know that she had made it home safely and hadn't run into one of the town's supernatural. He wasn't sure how well Damon or Stefan would behave, or any of the others. But, he wanted her to be safe. "Okay. Don't forget. And, don't forget that you can just text me if you need something to talk to as well. Or if you just want to rant or ramble and vent," he offered after a moment, his eyes taking her in. He worried that things wouldn't go well with her mother and, if that was the case, he wanted to be able to be there for her, one way or another. "I doubt my sister will be home any time soon," he admitted as he stood up. He knew Elena tended to stay with Stefan for as long as possible or even stay over at his place. "Besides, you wouldn't be capable of leaving a bad impression - you're too good for that. I'll walk you to the door, though, okay?"

Klaus chuckled softly as he looked at her, “Alcohol my love. Isn’t that the best cure when something like this happens? If I remember correctly, you were always the life of a party.” He grinned as she lit up every room that she stepped into, whether she was drinking or not. He always had to carry her home and tuck her into bed when she did party, not that Klaus ever minded because he loved to watch her sleep. It always reminded him that she was in fact human, and that he had to enjoy his time with her as it would eventually come to an end. Guiding her into the lounge room, he held up two bottles which were her favourites. “Of course, I do. Did you think that I wouldn’t have gotten your favourites?” He looked at her as he let her decide which drink she wanted to have first.

It felt like all those years ago, when they would spend a night at home. Just the two of them, neither of them worried about anything and they just had fun. However, things would never go back to how those days were, not if Tegan had her way which he knew would happen. She always got her way, no matter who it hurt in the process. Once Alice picked her drink, he poured them both a glass and handed one over to Alice. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you, darling.” He dropped his voice to a whisper, he stood close to Alice but didn’t touch her. All he wanted was to take her into his arms and kiss her, but that could make her leaving all the much harder for them both. But he couldn’t help himself, he had slowly begun to lean in closer to her when a car pulling up to the house alerted him. “We have company,” He looked at Alice as a mix of emotions ran through him, he could smell her familiar warm scent from anywhere.

---

Grace smiled softly as she had never made a friend so quickly before, but she was glad that her new friend was Jeremy and that he was so understanding of everything. “I’ll remember and I’ll make sure to drink safely,” She told him as she grabbed her backpack from where it was on the floor, “I’m sure I could if your sister found me sleeping on the couch.” She looked at him as she was tempted to stay there for the night, but that would also probably give her mom a heart attack. Not that Grace cared all that much about how worried her mom would be right now, she had brought it upon herself after all. “I’ll text you later and I’ll see you at school tomorrow,” She told him as they walked over to the front door, she watched as Jeremy held it open for her. “Thanks again,” Grace leaned in and hugged him, it wasn’t a long hug but it felt really good. It surprised her at how right hugging Jeremy felt, which is why she pulled away as she could feel her cheeks heating up with a blush.

“Bye,” Grace looked at him before she turned and walked back over to Alice’s car, unlocking the door she climbed inside. Turning the engine and head lights on, she pulled onto the road and gave Jeremy a quick wave as she drove away. She had no idea where she was going, home wasn’t the right place to be at the moment so Grace just allowed herself to drive. She was paying attention to the road but at the same time, she wasn’t thinking of where she was going. Until she realised that she had turned into someone’s driveway, a large house came into view. It was probably too largest house she has ever been to, parking the car she climbed out because she felt safe there. She didn’t know who lived in the house, but her feet carried her up to the front door anyway. It opened to reveal Klaus, she looked at him silently before her eyes moved onto Alice. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to,” Grace moved to Alice and hugged her tightly, she felt awful for using her magic on her best friend.

Alice snorted quietly, despite the hue tainting her cheeks. "You always did tease me for that," she almost whined, but it was true - and she didn't really mind, if she was being honest. It had always been something they could joke about, even if it was sometimes embarrassing, because she was never really sure how she acted if she got too drunk and Klaus would never reveal any of it, claiming to find it an amusing secret to keep. She smiled, though, when he assured her that he had her favorites around, and she followed him into the lounge, eying the two bottles for a few moments. When she made her decision and was given the glass, she couldn't help but to find happiness in the simplicity of it all. It felt normal, it felt like them, and she had missed this feeling so. "I've missed you, too," she admitted in a murmur, her eyes searching his when he leaned in, but she cleared her throat when he announced a visitor.

She recognized the sound of her own car and Grace's scent. Her brows furrowed together slightly and she watched as Klaus went to open the door, her gaze settling on Grace. What was she doing there? What would Grace think upon seeing Alice there at Klaus's, especially after all the secrets Alice and Tegan had kept from Grace? But, before much could really be said, Grace was hugging her and Alice's expression softened at her friend's apology. Careful of her drink, she returned her friend's hug and shook her head. "It's okay, really," she promised quietly, "I mean, I did kind of deserve it. I'm really sorry that we kept the truth from you all this time, but we thought it was safer that way, for all of us." She glanced over at Klaus for a moment, though she hadn't yet released her hold on Grace, and she offered a small smile. "It seems we were wrong about that."

Klaus watched as his daughter moved past him and wrapped her arms around Alice, apparently she hadn’t picked up his or Tegan’s habit of holding a grudge. He watched them, a small smile on his face. “You had been wrong, although I must also apologize for how blunt I had been.” He looked at his daughter and admired her, she had grown up so fast and really had turned into a beautiful young woman.

“You didn’t deserve that,” Grace looked at Alice before she glanced back over her shoulder, her blue eyes landing on Klaus and she finally realised who she looked more like. “No, it’s okay.” She looked back at Alice and knew there was something special between them, “So mom is okay with you two being together? We’re staying in town?” She asked Alice as hope filled her eyes, she might not have to move again and she’d be able to stay there with Jeremy.

“Not exactly, Grace. This will be the last time we see if each for a little while,” Klaus told his daughter the truth, he wasn’t going to hide anything from her. Not when her family had kept such a big secret from her for her entire life so far, he always knew Grace would be smart and he was right when she picked up on his relationship with Alice. Grace frowned as she looked at Alice, she saw some shock on her face.

“It’s obvious, besides one of my paint brushes have the letter K craved into it. It all makes sense, but why can’t we stay? I’m not leaving, I finally made a friend and I like it here.” Grace wasn’t going to leave now, not when she finally knew who her father was. “I’m not leaving,” She looked between Alice and Klaus, “If mom wants to leave then she can. But I’m staying here,” Grace spoke firmly as she could be stubborn, she was sick and tired of constantly moving.

Alice hadn't expected for Grace to figure everything out so quickly, but then... Well, Grace had always been pretty smart. But, she didn't expect for her to really piece together Alice's relationship with Klaus, even though she wasn't really sure if there was much hope for the relationship if they were meant to leave again. "Your mom won't let us stay," she said with a quiet sigh, "She doesn't like Klaus, at all... And she doesn't trust him." And she was sure Tegan wouldn't be okay with Alice being here with Klaus right now - and she'd be livid if she found out Grace was here.

Shifting, she couldn't help but to take a drink from the glass, hoping to make it a little easier to have this conversation, because it honestly hurt to think that she'd have to part from Klaus again. They'd been away from each other for so long and they finally had the chance to be together again, but it likely wouldn't happen. "I don't think we really have a choice. You know your mom isn't going to allow you to stay, she'll drag you out if she has to." And, Alice would inevitably have to follow as well.

She glanced over at Klaus for a moment, but turned her attention back to Grace. "I don't like it anymore than you do, really, but... You know how your mom is. Unless we can talk her into staying, there's no way we'll be able to stay ourselves." And, she hated it, she really did. She wanted to stay; she wanted to stay with Klaus, be there with Klaus, but she knew it wasn't likely.

A frown settled on Grace’s features, if she could just make Alice realise that if they stuck together than maybe Tegan would give in this once. “Then she’ll have to drag me kicking and screaming, because I’m not giving up that easily.” She looked at Grace while Klaus stayed silent, he didn’t want to interrupt the girls or make anything worse for Alice who was already torn. “Why do you and Mom get to know Klaus and yet I can’t even be around my father? How is that fair? He’s finally here, Alice. Why does Mom have to make all the decisions?” Grace didn’t even realise that she called Klaus her father, however he certainly did hear and wouldn’t be forgetting how amazing it sounded coming from his daughter.

“You’ve always put this family first, you’ve done whatever Mom tells you to do. You go wherever she takes us, without complaining. When are you going to put yourself first, Alice?” Grace looked at her best friend, it was clear to Grace that if Alice could be with Klaus again then it would make her happy and that’s all Grace wanted. “Please think about yourself right now, staying would make you happy and I don’t want to leave. Mom always told you to protect me, right? Well I’m not leaving, which means you’ll have to stay as well.” Grace could be very stubborn when she wanted to be, this time she would make sure she got her own way.

Grace looked over to where Klaus stood, before turning her attention back onto Alice. “We can convince her, if we stick together.” Grace was begging Alice to help her, neither of them wanted to move again. But if they were going to convince Tegan, Alice would need to stick up for herself and to think about her own happiness. “You’ll always be a part of this family, Alice. Even if you do get to stay here and I don’t, you’ve been part of this family for hundreds of years. Nothing can change that,” Grace promised as she knew it was one of Alice’s fears, that she’d lose her family.

"I don't know if I can put myself first, Grace," Alice said quietly as she used her free hand to rub at her face a bit. "I've been indebted to your family for hundreds of years, ever since I woke up and your ancestor was the only person there, willing to help me with my transition - and every ancestor after helping me and me helping them. I just... I don't want Tegan to think that I would just throw that all away." All for Klaus, the man who'd left her to die. While she didn't fully see the situation like that, especially given Klaus's explanation of it, she was sure Tegan would. And she was sure Tegan would feel more than a little betrayed by it. Tegan had, after all, threatened that if Alice went back to Klaus, she'd never get to see Grace again.

But, she knew Grace had a point. Alice wanted to be happy. She wanted to do something for herself, just this once. The problem was that Alice wasn't sure she could do that, not at the risk of never seeing Grace and Tegan again. But... If Grace was going to be as stubborn about this as Alice was sure she seemed to be, maybe it would work out. And, if Tegan saw that she was outvoted, that forcing them to leave would likely end in disaster, maybe it was worth being a little selfish, just this once. "Are you sure us being firm on wanting to stay here will work?" she asked softly, looking over at Klaus for a moment before she settled her gaze back on Grace. "Because... If you're sure it will work or that it will at least get your mom to think about it, then... Then I'm in."

Grace honestly wasn’t certain if there was a way to change her mother’s mind about still running from Klaus, but she wouldn’t stop until she did because she was tired of moving from town to town and hiding from the man she now knew was her father. Although her being there with Klaus, probably wasn’t going to help things with her Mom but Grace didn’t care. She wasn’t going home yet, she was still dealing with the lie that she had believed for her entire life so far. “We can do this, I’m sick of constantly moving all the time. I want to have friends, I want to stay at the same school and not fall behind in studying just because we have to move again.” Grace looked at Alice, she didn’t understand Tegan’s hatred for the man she obviously once cared about.

But now that she knew who he was, she wasn’t going to simply do whatever her mom said or what she thought was best. She had the right to know her father and make up her own mind about him, she wanted to stay there in town and see Jeremy every day. She didn’t want to be the new girl at a new high school any longer, she wanted to finally have a stable life. Letting Alice think about her words, her eyes moved to look around the large foyer she was currently standing in. She’d never been inside a house so fancy and grand before, “Off you go, darling.” Klaus grinned as he watched Grace closely, once she walked off to explore the house he turned his attention onto Alice.

“She’s right, love. Maybe it is time you think about yourself, I know you feel indebted to this family. But you’ve done more than enough for all of them,” Klaus spoke as he stepped closer to Alice, his hand easily finding her waist. “Shouldn’t we be thinking about what’s best for Grace? You can’t enjoy the constant running and moving, either. It sounds to me like it’s time to stop living that way, I don’t want Grace to start resenting her mother because of this.” Klaus looked into her eyes as he could see that happening, Grace was his daughter and he could see it in her that she had some of his traits. If she begun to feel resentment to anyone, she could end up like him. Alone.

Alice watched Grace quietly, taking in her friend's words while Grace went to explore the house. Alice herself could only imagine what everything else in the house looked like, but she wasn't quite ready to part from Klaus just yet. Turning her attention up to him, she leaned against him slightly and sighed out. "I'm still not sure whether this will be easy or not. If Tegan's really desperate to leave, desperate to get out of the same town you're in, and get Grace out of here, who knows how it will play out? Tegan will go to really great lengths to protect Grace," she murmured quietly. It worried her, but she hoped that Tegan would see how badly Grace wanted to stay and allow it.

Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to relax, figuring she could allow herself that much during the time she was getting to spend with Klaus. "But, you know, it kind of surprised me how easily Grace caught on to us," she mentioned after a moment, though she sounded a little amused. "Are we that obvious?" She finished off her drink before pulling back from Klaus just enough to peer fully up at him. "I think the part that surprises me the most, though, is that she seems pretty encouraging of her best friend being in love with her father and vice versa." Because, surely, that should have thrown Grace for a loop, if nothing else.

Klaus couldn’t take his eyes away from Alice, “If you think Tegan would do anything for Grace. Then you haven’t seen what I would do, are you forgetting that I’ve been searching non-stop for Grace since she was born?” His smooth accented voice filled the room, he would do absolutely anything for the people he loved, his family and Alice. “Now I have any more of a reason to search for her, now that I know you’re be there with her. If you do have to leave,” He had lost Alice once, that won’t ever be happening again.

He chuckled softly as his hand lightly squeezed Alice’s hip, “She’s clever. And really why else would you be here with me, unless you were madly in love with me or looking for trouble.” He grinned down at the brunette, a cheeky spark lighting up his eyes. “I think she’s still trying to process everything else, she might be fine with us or she just isn’t thinking straight. Which is why I think you should let Tegan know that Grace is safe and is with you, I don’t think she’s ready to speak to her mother just yet.” Klaus looked at Alice as he was certain Tegan would be worried sick not knowing where their daughter was, she didn’t need to know she was with him. But as long as she knew Alice was with her.

Alice's gaze lifted to him and she watched him for a few moments, absorbing his words and processing what he said, though she couldn't help but to smile. "That's true," she murmured quietly while she focused on enjoying being near him. It'd been far too long since she last felt this safe and happy, if she was being honest. But, it was nice to have that feeling back, and she could only hope that she'd be able to keep this feeling for a while longer. Closing her eyes, she let herself relax for a bit before she finished her drink and offered a small nod, soon moving to step away from him.

"I'll give her a call," she assured him before she leaned up to kiss his cheek. "In the meantime, you should go bond with your daughter." After all, if Tegan stayed firm on running away again, this would probably be Klaus's only chance to bond with Grace until he managed to find them again some other time. But, there was no telling how long that would take and, really, she knew Klaus deserved to spend as much time with Grace as he could, since he'd missed out on her life for the most part. "Go on," she motioned before she gave him a light push, a small grin forming on her features.

(Considering my writing for both Klaus and Grace, let’s just have them bond and for right now I’ll just be Tegan.)

Tegan couldn’t sit still, she was feeling scared and panicked. Grace wasn’t answering her calls or replying to any text messages, she had no idea where her daughter was and she knew the damage that Klaus could do if he had found their daughter. She was pacing around the house, her car was packed with enough belongings to keep them all going for a few days. Until they found another town to settle in to, then Tegan could have their belongings brought over. She had also prepared herself to set another cloaking spell which would keep Klaus from finding them, she just needed Grace and Alice so they could all leave again.

Her phone only rang once before Tegan had it pressed to her ear, “Alice. Where are you? Do you know where Grace is? Please tell me she’s okay,” She begged her friend knowing she owed the vampire an apology for how she acted earlier, but this was her biggest fear. Klaus entering their lives again, she knew what would happen if he was in Grace’s life. She wouldn’t be alive for much longer, as Klaus didn’t make friends. He only made enemies, and if any of his enemies wanted to hurt him or get revenge on him. Grace would become the main target, and Tegan would die herself, before allowing her daughter to be murdered because her father was a monster.