this was a path that led to nowhere

Alice couldn’t help the grin that formed on her features when Rebekah hugged her and she returned her friend’s hug happily. While being a vampire hadn’t really been what she had ever wanted, the fact that she was getting to see the people she’d cared so much about in the past again made it worth it. Plus, being a vampire made it easier to protect Grace, too. She listened to Klaus, peering over at him for a moment, watching him, her expression softening fondly. It was easy to see how much Klaus wanted this, how much he wanted to ensure that his daughter got to stay there, where he could spend time with her. Looking back to Rebekah, she waited for Rebekah’s answer, though she was relieved to hear her answer and she nodded quickly after processing it, her grin returning to her features.

“Great,” she decided, looking between the two of them. Everything was coming together and that meant so much. Not only would Grace be safe but she and Grace would both get to stay there, along with Tegan. Everything would be okay. “If you two want to go ahead back to the house to see Grace, since I’m sure she’ll be there any minute now, I can stay here and wait for your brothers to wake up and lead them there afterwards?” she offered up, because she knew Klaus would want to spend time with his daughter, but she also knew that Rebekah would want to meet her niece. And, if it meant them getting that, Alice really didn’t mind staying there and waiting for the others to wake up while they left.

---

Jeremy smiled as he climbed into the driver’s seat once Grace had climbed in and he started the car before he shook his head slightly. “I’m perfectly sure that I’ll be comfortable there,” he assured her with a small grin. Besides, he wouldn’t necessarily have to interact with Klaus, he supposed. Sure, Klaus might throw out a complaint or two about Jeremy’s presence but Jeremy could easily just ignore him. After all, a part of him was sure that Klaus wouldn’t just lash out at him and try to kill him or something with his daughter being right there - especially when Grace seemed fond enough of Jeremy. Klaus might turn out to be a protective father, but Jeremy was sure that he wouldn’t do anything to risk Grace being upset with him so early on after Grace had found out that Klaus was her real father.

He nodded to her words as he began driving. “Let’s hope so. I mean, I can’t say that a protective father would really surprise or frighten me, but… Well, it’s Klaus,” he joked lightly, smiling over at her before he shrugged slightly. But, he was sure Klaus wouldn’t go too overboard when it came to threats or anger; perhaps he would just end up being the overbearing type. Or he could simply end up jealous that Grace would be spending her time with Jeremy instead of spending time with him. Either way, Jeremy was sure that he could handle whatever Klaus threw at him so long as Klaus didn’t lose his mind. “Do you like it there, at least?” he asked with curiosity as he followed the directions she was giving him to get to Klaus’s house.

Rebekah nodded her head, “Yes. I wish to meet my niece, it won’t be too long of a wait. We will see you soon,” She smiled at Alice as she wasn’t completely ready to speak to her brother yet, but she wanted to meet Grace and welcome her to her family. She glanced over at her brothers, their ashy skin was slowly beginning to regain colour so Alice wouldn’t be waiting for much longer and then everyone would be able to meet the newest Mikaelson. Klaus looked to Alice, “Thank you, my love. We will see you back at the house,” He stepped over to the brunette and pressed a kiss to her forehead, he knew that she knew how important this was to him. He always just wanted his family to be together, he loved his family more than anything even if some of them did wrong or betrayed him. He would do everything and anything for his family.

Turning he ran out of the shipping container with Rebekah close behind him, he had left the car keys with Alice so she could drive her car home once Elijah, Finn and Kol were awake. Making his way back to the home he had built for the sole purpose of it being their new family home, he slowed to a stop once he was by the back door. Walking inside he turned to his beloved sister, “She isn’t here yet. Please don’t fuss over her, she has only just found out that I am her father. I don’t want you scaring her away,” Klaus grinned towards the end of his sentence which caused Rebekah to roll her eyes and ignore him.

---

Grace really had no clue what type of father Klaus would be, she would have to wait and found out as time passed. She glanced over at Jeremy as she thought about his question, “I do like it there, I have only been there once but it was fine. I think having Alice there helped with that, I’m not sure if I’d feel differently if she wasn’t.” She explained the best she could about how she felt, would she feel awkward or nervous around Klaus if Alice wasn’t around? Grace didn’t know because she hadn’t been put in that position yet, she hoped she wouldn’t as he was her father after all. But she still didn’t know him, she knew off him and had heard stories of him but that was all. She gave Jeremy the last direction before he was driving up the grant driveway and parked his car out the front, grabbing her backpack she climbed out of his car and shut the door behind her.

What did make her uncomfortable were the freshly turned hybrids that seemed to linger around the place, a few of them were standing on the front deck and just watched them. “Let’s go inside,” She told Jeremy as she made sure he was beside her as she guided him up the front stairs and through the front door, she went to ask Jeremy if he wanted the grand tour but she wasn’t able to before Klaus walked towards them with a blonde beside him. “This is her?” Rebekah asked as she stared at the teenage girl, she could see Klaus’ features all over the girl. “Grace, this is my sister Rebekah.” Klaus spoke as he watched his daughter closely, he didn’t want to overwhelm her but he knew he wouldn’t have been able to stop his sister from meeting Grace. He frowned when his eyes landed on the human Gilbert boy, he was still hanging around and it was annoying Klaus greatly.

(I’ll skip Alice for this post and bring her back in in the next, give the guys some time to wake up)

Jeremy eyed the hybrids as they passed by them, not at all surprised that they were watching the pair of them like hawks, basically. They were sired to Klaus, which meant they would do whatever it took to keep him happy, even kill a human boy who showed interest in his daughter. Jeremy tried not to snort with the thought, walking past the hybrids without a sound. The hybrids could stare all they wanted; he’d killed a hybrid before, it wouldn’t be hard to kill another if they came at him. His gaze went to Grace for a moment before he looked towards Klaus and Rebekah, eyeing the pair for a moment. “Grace invited me,” he mentioned easily because he saw the look Klaus was giving him and, really, it annoyed him that Klaus thought he could show any form of disdain towards him after everything Klaus had put his sister through.

Shaking his head to rid the thoughts, he glanced to Grace for a moment. He didn’t see the girl who’d come after Grace the day before, Alice, but he figured she could perhaps be further into the house. Still, if she wasn’t here, he wondered how Grace would be, how she would feel around Klaus without her friend acting as some sort of buffer. “So… Mind showing me around a bit?” he asked with a small grin, tilting his head a little, because he couldn’t lie and say that he wouldn’t take any chance he could to put some distance between himself and Klaus. While he would tolerate being in Klaus’s house, for Grace’s sake, that didn’t mean that he was going to try to get along with Klaus or ignore everything that Klaus had done to everybody he cared about, or that he would forgive Klaus for his actions and behavior.

(Okay, I might also just have Grace’s post as Klaus and Rebekah would only talk among themselves so I’ll wait to bring them in once Alice comes back.)

Grace waited silently for a few moments in case Alice walked into the foyer, she wasn’t sure how she felt after meeting an aunt that she had no idea existed until now. She was glad when Jeremy broke the silence, “Yeah of course.” Grace breathed out as she reached out and took Jeremy’s hand into her own, she pretty much dragged him away with her and hoped that Klaus nor his sister Rebekah would follow them. She took Jeremy into a room that was close by but would still give them some space, “Here’s the kitchen…” Grace looked at him, “I’m sorry about that. It seems like my long-lost family just keep popping up,” She sighed as she tried to process the fact that she had an aunt who didn’t look that much older than what she did, she wasn’t sure where Alice was or why she wasn’t there.

She needed Alice if she had to meet anymore of her family, she didn’t know these people and Jeremy was helping a lot by being there. But Grace assumed that Alice knew Klaus’ siblings, Alice also knew Grace better than anyone. “Let’s go outside, the back yard is amazing.” Grace knew she was still holding Jeremy’s hand and she liked how it made her feel a lot, so much that as she turned to show him the back yard she entwined her fingers with his. She stepped out onto the back porch that overlooked a well maintained back yard, “This is probably my favourite place so far,” Grace felt like she could breathe out there, she could think through everything that filled her mind.

(Works!)

After a while, Alice heard movement in the caskets and, before long, she spotted Elijah climb out. An amused expression crossed her features when she saw him straightening his clothes, a small frown on his lips when he noticed the blood stain from where he’d been daggered. “Still silently the cleanliness is next to godliness man as always, Elijah,” she chimed casually, tilting her head when he looked over. He looked just as surprised to see her as Rebekah had. “Alice?” he asked with shock, “How?” Alice smiled but shook her head slightly, folding her arms over her chest as she watched him. “It’s a long story. But, Rebekah undaggered the three of you after Klaus undaggered her and, once your brothers wake up, we can leave, because we have somebody very important to meet up with.”

Elijah’s brows furrowed at the mention of it. Who did they have to go see? He assumed she meant Klaus, but her wording made it seem like that was certainly not the answer. Before he could ask, though, he heard more movement and his eyes went to the other caskets as Kol and Finn woke. Finn didn’t look all that pleased, but Kol looked fairly eager to start stirring up trouble now that he was undaggered. “Great. Everybody’s awake. Come along now,” Alice chimed as she turned to walk. Kol frowned deeply, looking to the girl. “Does she honestly think she can boss us around?” he asked, looking to Elijah. Elijah looked faintly amused but motioned for his brothers to follow. Once they were all in Alice’s car, Alice began the drive back to Klaus’s home.

---

Jeremy was mildly surprised when he felt her take his hand but he smiled slightly as he followed her, listening to her before he shook his head. “It’s fine, really,” he assured her carefully. It didn’t really bother him at all. It could be worse, after all; Klaus and Rebekah could have jumped straight to trying to kill him the moment he and Grace had walked through the doors. While he was sure he stood a chance against Klaus’s hybrids, he highly doubted he stood a chance against Klaus or Rebekah, especially since both of them were from the Original family and couldn’t be killed by anything other than the white oak tree that had been used to make them into what they are now. Shaking the thought aside, he watched her as he followed her, admittedly finding it difficult to pay attention to their surroundings, since he was fairly focused on her.

Once they were outside, he found himself looking around for a few moments before his gaze went back to her and he took her in, watching her. “I can tell,” he said with a small, fond smile. “You look… Peaceful. Which is surprising, considering all the news you’ve gotten the past two days. And then there’s school, which I’m sure just adds to everything else, making everything even more stressful and difficult. But, you look peaceful and happy right now.” And, he liked that, really. It surprised him that something as simple as being outside in the backyard had that sort of effect on her. But, he figured she deserved to have something that made her feel at peace, especially considering everything that had happened and that would probably keep happening.

Klaus moved into the lounge room with Rebekah, “Please keep in mind that Grace has been through a lot in the last two days. You’ll be able to get to know her once everything settles,” He assured his sister, “She’s my niece, Nik. I can’t believe that you of all people, got a witch pregnant. I don’t understand why you didn’t remove the daggers when you found out, we could have helped. Taken Grace when she was a baby, so she could grow up surrounded by her family.” Rebekah didn’t know Tegan but she already didn’t like the witch, keeping a child from knowing their parent was a horrible thing to do. As she waited, Rebekah looked around the lounge room as she held back the anger that she still felt towards her brother for how long he kept her daggered. But she had Grace to think about now, her plan to leave Klaus behind was forgotten about as that meant leaving her niece behind also.

Klaus forced himself to stay where he was, no matter how badly he wanted to check on his daughter and make sure the human boy wasn’t laying a finger on her. For now, he would give her space, considering his three brothers would be arriving very shortly and Grace would have to meet them as well. He hoped it wouldn’t prove too much for her to take in all within a short period of time, which is why he needed Alice there as well as she would know if Grace was starting to freak out. “Ah, here they are.” He spoke when he heard a car pull up in the driveway, he was prepared for whatever his brothers decided to throw at him. And like Alice had said before, he did deserve everything he got from his siblings and more.

---

“I’ve always been able to think clearer when I’m outside, my mom’s the same way. She first told me to go outside and breathe, when my magic started and I had to learn how to control it.” Grace explained as she felt free when she stepped outside, it was like she could decide what she wanted to think about. Probably because she wasn’t facing a problem and if she was, there was plenty of space for her to move around or make a run for it. She smiled softly as she looked at Jeremy, “I also have pretty great company right now too. So that’s also helping me out a lot,” She told him as he’d never truly know how much he was helping her by just being there with her, Grace felt like having Jeremy there meant she didn’t have to face everything on her own. She wasn’t sure how to thank him, so she did something that she had been wanting to do for a while. Leaning in closer to him, she pressed a kiss to his cheek. She wanted to kiss his lips, but thought it wasn’t the best place for them to share their first kiss. “Thanks again…” She whispered but before she could say anything else, a yell of pain could be heard from inside the house.

“What was that?” Grace frowned as she looked at Jeremy, turning she made her way back inside before she followed the sound of several strange voices. Stopping when she came across people that she didn’t know, her eyes were trained on Klaus who had been stabbed through the hand by an ancient looking dagger. “Hey! Leave him alone!” Grace frowned as she lifted her hand, sending a guy which shoulder length hair across the room. “You little brat,” Finn spat as he bared his fangs at her and lunged, he only managed to get half way to the child when Klaus grabbed his throat and pinned him against a wall. “No one will threaten or touch her, you hear me?” Klaus raised his voice as he let a gasping Finn go, “She is my daughter.”

(sorry this is a liiiiittle short)

Alice paused with shock, looking between the siblings with mild surprise, though she instinctively moved to stand in front of Grace protectively while she watched Finn warily for a moment. He’d been so quick to try to go after Grace and that made Alice decide fairly immediately that she didn’t trust or like him. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion before she turned to look at Grace and she offered a small, concerned frown. “Sorry, I don’t really know that one,” she murmured gently as she moved closer, cupping her face to examine her for a moment. “Are you okay?” She knew that Finn hadn’t gotten to her, but she worried that the entire thing might have frightened Grace too much. After all, she hadn’t ever met or heard of the siblings until today, and having one lunge at her might have made her tense.

Elijah’s brows furrowed with mild surprise as he looked between Klaus and the girl. “Niklaus… Is what you’re saying the truth?” he asked with mild shock. How was that even possible? Vampires weren’t capable of procreating. But, perhaps Klaus’s werewolf gene had found some sort of loophole? Who knew? “You can’t tell me you’re actually buying this silly lie, Elijah,” Kol claimed as he looked at Klaus for a moment, eyeing him, before he looked to Grace. But, even from the distance he was away from her, he could see some of Klaus’s features in the girl, which left him shocked.

Jeremy watched with concern, unsure of what to do, but he eventually shifted closer to Grace, worried for her after her own apparent family had gone after her. His eyes went to the one who’d tried to attack her for a moment and he wondered just how crazy the man was before he looked to Grace. “Maybe we should give the Mikaelson family a little time to get their anger out on each other,” he suggested softly to Grace, because he definitely didn’t want her to be caught in the crossfire if the one who had tried to attack her happened to make another attempt. Moreover, he didn’t really know anything about the others, either, so how could he be sure that none of them would try to attack her if Klaus pissed them off and they decided that they wanted to get back at their brother in some way?

Grace’s heart was racing in her chest from the fright she received when the vampire had attempted to attack her, deep in her mind she understood why he would want to attack her. He didn’t know her, he didn’t know that she was his niece but even so, it scared Grace more than she wanted to admit. She had never seen a vampire move that quickly towards her, and his eyes held a lot of anger. Grace wasn’t sure if it was all directed at her or if he was holding onto that anger for another person, “Yeah.” She whispered as she looked at Alice, she couldn’t even convince herself that she was okay so she was certain Alice would be able to see right through her. All Grace could do was stand there and listen to another man say that all of this was a silly lie, it hurt Grace more than she had been expecting. She didn’t know these people either, but she believed Klaus and Alice enough to know they were her family. So, it hurt hearing one say that it was a lie, “Okay…” She whispered as she turned around and walked away, she headed upstairs and took Jeremy into the bedroom that she slept in the night before.

Klaus watched as his daughter left the room as fast as she possibly could, it broke his heart seeing the pain and fear on her face and it was all thanks to his siblings. “I never expected this to happen either, but it is the truth. Ask Alice if you don’t believe me,” He looked over his brothers, he was glad he didn’t have to worry about Rebekah not believing him. But then again, she did hear this from Alice, someone that Rebekah trusted and Elijah had also trusted Alice when she was human. “If any of you scare or hurt my daughter again, it will be the last thing you do.” Klaus threatened them all, he had spent so long protecting his family but he wouldn’t stand by and have them hurt his little girl. “I built this house for all of us, so we could be a family again. Which is why you have all woken up, Grace is a Mikaelson and she needs all of us right now. She’s a witch yes, but she still needs our protection… as you know, I’m not all that well liked.” Klaus spoke as his eyes landed on his siblings, before he looked at Alice as he was so happy that she was there helping him through this.

Grace dropped her backpack onto the floor before she sat down on the window seat, her eyes looking through the window as her eyes welled up with tears. She wasn’t sure how much more she could take in, she had a father who she didn’t know about and now she had a whole family as well. She had grown up only knowing her mom and Alice, she knew she had grandparents and other family members but she has never met any of them and her mom refuses to tell her why. “I have a family, and my mom kept it a secret for all this time.” She didn’t want to look at Jeremy as he had already seen her cry once, “The only family I know is my mom and Alice… why wouldn’t they want me to have a family?” She wiped away some tears that rolled down her cheeks.

Rebekah frowned at her brothers, especially Finn. “Klaus is right, isn’t it obvious that Grace is our family? You can see Nik in her, and why would he lie about something like this?” She spoke up as they had promised each other that they would always be a family, always and forever. That now included Grace. “You can fight each other all you like, but do not attempt to hurt our niece.” Her eyes lingered on Finn as she spoke, she knew he was angry at Klaus and that is who he should take his anger out on. Not their niece who has no idea who they are and is nowhere near as strong or fast as they are.

(My alert didn’t want to load! :(((( )

Alice listened quietly as she looked between the family for a few long moments, weighing her options. She didn’t trust Finn. Even though he hadn’t known that Grace was family, the fact that he had been so quick to try to attack her put Alice on edge, though she wouldn’t dare mention that to any of his siblings, for fear of upsetting them. “You have an opportunity to be in your niece’s life,” she pointed out after a moment, looking to Finn, Kol, and Elijah. “You can either take it or not. Just keep in mind that your family could be the one thing standing between her and any potential dangers that come her way. Now, you may all be upset with Klaus for daggering you for however long, but I seem to recall that always and forever being thrown around a lot back when I knew this family, so maybe you guys should step up and be the always and forever that Grace needs.”

Elijah listened to Rebekah and Alice for a few moments before he nodded slightly, looking to Finn and Kol. “It is our duty, as her family, to protect her,” he reminded them, looking between them. He wasn’t entirely sure about Finn, but he knew that, while Kol was wild and reckless, he did have a sense of honor when it came to family. Kol stared around at the group for a while before he eventually sighed out. “If it will get you lot off my back, count me in,” he decided eventually. A broad grin formed on Alice’s features when she heard it. Regardless of whether Finn was alright with this or not, the fact that a majority of the family was going to step up to protect Grace put Alice’s mind at ease.

---

Jeremy’s expression softened as he watched her and he quickly moved over to her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close while he rubbed her back in an attempt to comfort her. “I’m sure she only kept it from you to protect you,” he assured her quietly. After all, that was why she had kept the fact that Klaus was Grace’s biological father away from her, wasn’t it? All to protect Grace. While Jeremy could understand why it upset Grace, he could also understand the lengths somebody would go to in order to protect the people they loved. Hell, he’d seen those lengths play out constantly every day. Other people often got hurt to protect the ones that mattered to somebody. It just sucked that Grace was the one who got hurt while Grace’s mom was trying to protect her. Sighing out, he tightened his hold on her in the slightest, just for a moment.

Pulling back, he wiped away the tears he saw falling down her cheeks and he watched her, offering a small smile. “What she did might not have been the best option, but… Sometimes, people have to do whatever they can to protect those they care about and love - those that matter to them. And I’m sure that’s what both your mother and Alice were trying to do - protect you. I’m sure it wasn’t that they didn’t want you to have a family, they were just trying to keep you safe. And, well… Considering who that family is, how quick that one guy was to lunge at you, maybe it was for the best that you weren’t aware of it for so long. I’m sorry, though, that this happened, okay? But everything will be okay now.”

Finn listened to what was said, he didn’t really know Alice as he had only seen her once when she had been human and it had been a brief encounter. He knew that he didn’t have any bad history with the girl, she had caught him off guard and after being daggered for so long he was still on edge. “I will apologize if given the chance, I reacted much too quickly without thinking.” Finn spoke the truth, as much as he hated being a vampire and believed that all his siblings should die once and for all. He wasn’t going to drag his niece into that mess, she was only half of Klaus and half of her mother meaning the girl would have a good chance of not being anything like her father.

Rebekah smiled as her brothers all agreed for once in their lives, “It’s settled then. I will start attending the hideous high school in order to protect Grace, while all of you can do your part to keep her safe. So please, don’t draw attention to yourselves.” She looked over to Kol, knowing he tended to get himself into trouble all the time. Klaus smiled fondly as he looked at Alice, he couldn’t have been any prouder of her for how she stood up for Grace. Not many vampires dared speak to his family in that way, but she did and he loved her all the more for it. He moved over to her and pressed his lips to hers, “I like it when you get bossy.” He whispered into her ear, a cheeky grin on his face. “We shall hold a ball here, invite the locals so we can properly introduce ourselves.” Klaus announced to his siblings as they used to hold balls all the time.

---

Grace had to keep reminding herself that she wasn’t told about her father and his family, because her mom and Alice wanted to protect her. “I know… I guess they also weren’t around, at least I don’t think they were.” She was a little confused as to why they all suddenly turned up now, none of them seemed all that pleased to see Klaus so he must have done something to keep them away. Looking at Jeremy she felt him wipe her tears away, it felt so nice having his arms around her and she wished he would hold her again. But now wasn’t the time for that, she had enough on her mind. “I just hope there aren’t any more surprises, I don’t think I’d be able to take much more in.” She told him honestly, she hadn’t completely dealt with knowing who her biological father was yet and now she had an aunt and three uncles.

“He didn’t know who I was, and I did use my magic on him.” Grace didn’t blame her uncle for getting angry and trying to attack her, she had come out of nowhere and attacked him first so she didn’t blame him for what he did. “I guess you never expected all of this when you first met me, I’m sorry that I’ve dragged you through all of this too.” Grace looked at Jeremy as she was half expecting him to run away and not want to be her friend any longer, and she wouldn’t be surprised if he did because it was a lot for him to know and deal with too.

Alice watched Finn, nodding when he assured them that he’d be apologizing to Grace. It put her at ease slightly, because she wanted Grace to feel safe around her own family. After everything Grace had been through, she deserved that. She grinned, though, with the feeling of Klaus’s lips against hers and the words he whispered in her ear. “Now you’re just being silly,” she murmured in return as she watched him, though she arched a curious brow at the mention of a ball. “Oh, you and your celebrations.” She rolled her eyes teasingly, nudging him gently with amusement, because, really, she wasn’t even all that surprised. The Mikaelsons tended to favor the idea of making an entrance.

“A ball, Niklaus?” Elijah repeated with an arched brow before he nodded slowly. “Certainly. I see no reason why we shouldn’t.” He wasn’t even sure how long it had been since they’d last just been able to enjoy themselves. Shaking the thought away, he looked to his other siblings. “But, as Rebekah said, don’t draw attention to yourselves,” he mentioned, his gaze settling on Kol, “That means behave, Kol.” Kol snorted quietly in response, offering a small smirk as he tilted his head. “We’ll see, brother,” he decided eventually, “The most I can assure you is that I won’t do anything to get our niece hurt. I think that’s fair enough.”

---

Jeremy nodded gently in response as he watched her. “I think Stefan once said something about them being daggered in boxes, so… They’ve probably all just been stuck in coffins or something this whole time because of Klaus,” he said carefully. He knew for sure that Klaus had a tendency to dagger his siblings, after all. Klaus had daggered Elijah before; Stefan had informed them of that. Anything else Klaus might have done to his siblings, though, Jeremy couldn’t really speak on, because he didn’t know anything else for sure. He only knew what everybody had told him so far. His expression softened to her later words, though, and he shifted to hug her gently. “You’ll be okay.”

No matter how many surprises came her way, he was sure she’d get through it. She was strong and brave, and clearly powerful. He smiled, though, with amusement to her later words and lifted his shoulders in a small shrug. “You didn’t drag me through any of it,” he assured her softly, “I wanted to be here. It was my decision to be here. You didn’t drag me here.” He nodded once to assure her and rubbed her back gently. “Besides, I was already involved in all of this one way or another, since my sister’s so involved in the vampire world. Or… Supernatural world, I guess, would be a better word for it, since there’s more than just vampires.”

Klaus smiled as he wrapped his arm around Alice’s waist, holding her close to him. “We haven’t held a family ball in a very long time, love. Now that we’re all back together, I think it’s the perfect time. Besides we haven’t gone dancing in a while, either.” He looked at Alice as it should be a fun night filled with drinking and dancing, “And we haven’t yet met the locals of Mystic Falls. It would be rude of us not to invite them over,” He grinned looking to his family, of course they would need to be careful of how they acted about Grace at the ball. He would do whatever he could to keep Grace a secret from his enemies, even if it hurt him to keep her a secret when all he wanted to do was be the best father for her.

Rebekah rolled her eyes at Kol’s comment, “Another thing, please no drinking when Grace is around. She doesn’t need to see that right now,” She told her brothers as that was probably the last thing their niece wanted to see, her family drinking the blood of a poor innocent person in the town that was to become her new home. “I will organise the ball and will have the invitations sent out tomorrow, we shall need to go dress shopping.” Rebekah smiled at Alice as they would both need a lovely dress, and Grace would also need one as Rebekah doubted the young girl had even gone to a ball before.

---

Now Grace realised why her uncles didn’t seem all that pleased to see Klaus, if he had daggered them and kept them in coffins. Then that explained their actions perfectly, hopefully that wouldn’t cause them to leave town to get away from Klaus because Grace wanted to know her family. She had just learnt about them, she couldn’t lose them straight away. “I guess they would have a lot more family drama, then most normal families.” Grace only knew of the Original vampire family, every supernatural creature did but that was all she knew. In the back of her mind, she knew deep down they had all done horrible things but she didn’t want to think of that.

She wanted to get to know them as a person, they were her family so she wouldn’t judge them. She has always wanted a family, and now she had a chance of having the family she always wanted. “I just don’t want you to feel like you have to be here, that’s all. Knowing me and knowing who my biological father is, is one thing. Now that I have a whole new family, that’s a lot and I don’t want you here if you’d rather make a run for it now.” Grace explained as Jeremy wouldn’t just have to deal with Klaus being around, the whole Mikaelson family was now in town.

Alice grinned, leaning into Klaus’s hold as she rolled her eyes slightly. “You Mikaelsons love making an entrance,” she joked lightly, looking around to the family for a moment, eyeing them. She’d missed this, missed being around them. Of course, she wouldn’t trade the time she spent with Grace and Tegan and their ancestors for the world, but she’d make sure that she enjoyed her time with Klaus and his family as much as she could. Looking to Rebekah, she nodded to her words. “I’ll make sure to let Grace know. After all, finding the perfect dress is the best way to ensure you enjoy yourself at a celebration as grand as a ball.” Shifting, she pressed a kiss to Klaus’s cheek before she parted from him to go find Grace.

Kol sighed out at the new rule that Rebekah had laid out. “Come now, Beks, that’s hardly fair,” he complained. “Listen to our sister, brother,” Elijah said firmly, peering over at him as a warning. “We must do everything we can to ensure our niece is comfortable and happy. That means respecting the fact that she is mortal and feeding in front of her will only cause her distress.” Kol huffed out quietly, but fell silent at that, supposing that he had no choice but to obey at this point. Anything for family, he supposed. Elijah, pleased with Kol’s silence, looked to Klaus. “Now, Niklaus, I think it would be best if you filled us in on all that we’ve missed,” he mentioned.

---

“And a lot of baggage,” Jeremy admitted with a small nod as he watched her with mild concern. “But, I’m sure things will be okay. I don’t know much about the family in general, but I know that family means everything to them, so you’ll be important to them now they know who you are. I’m sure of it.” Even if he wasn’t sure he was fond of the members of that family, he wanted Grace’s mind to be at ease. While he didn’t trust the family in the least - aside from Grace, anyways, - he knew that, since Grace was a part of the family, they’d do everything they could to protect her. As long as that held to be true, he was sure Grace would be perfectly fine. Or, at least, he hoped she would be, anyways.

Hearing her continue to talk, though, he blinked with surprise and watched her with concern. “I know that I don’t have to be here, Grace,” he assured her gently as he watched her, taking her in, his expression softening a bit. “I want to be here.” Offering a small smile, he tilted his head. “No matter who your family is or how crazy or possibly bad they are, I want to be here for you. That’s my choice and I’m not going back on it.” Still watching her, he nodded once, firmly, as if sealing his words in a hope to assure her that this was what he wanted. Regardless of who her family was, he cared about her. “I won’t be making a run for it, I promise.”

Klaus watched as Alice walked away before heading upstairs in search of his daughter, turning his attention back onto his siblings as Elijah spoke. “I don’t know where to start,” He hummed before he decided to start from the beginning as that was the best place to start, so, he explained when he first met Tegan. She had been sitting in a bar, an empty glass in front of her so Klaus brought her another drink. She looked exhausted and emotionally drained, as they started to talk Klaus found out she was a nurse at the local hospital and had a rough day at work. It was enough for Klaus to decide that he would feed from her, but there was something about her… Tegan reminded him of Alice.

Their relationship was brief, but he had told her about what she was, Tegan already knew as she was a witch. “Her ex-boyfriend came back begging, we both knew it wouldn’t last. She told me that she was pregnant before her boyfriend convinced her to run from me, so I chased them from that moment.” Klaus explained with a pained expression on his face, he wasn’t ever given the chance to be a father until now. “Every time I found them, found Grace. Tegan would pack up and run again, I never got to watch Grace grow up or learn to walk or talk. Which is why I need us to work together to keep her safe, it’s the only way Tegan will let me be in my daughter’s life.” He looked to his family, the only one he wasn’t sure about was Finn.

---

Grace was glad that she had given Jeremy a way out and he didn’t take it, she couldn’t remember the last friend she had that would have stuck around with how crazy her life was right now. She knew that she’d be fine, it might still take her a little while to come to terms with who her family was, but she would be just fine. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a friend that wouldn’t have run,” She admitted as she had stopped trying to make friends years ago, because she constantly moved from city to city and town to town. If she didn’t have friends, it wouldn’t hurt when she had to move somewhere new.

“I was hoping you’d agree to stay,” Looking at him she couldn’t help but smile, he made her feel comfortable. She knew that she could get through anything, if he was there beside her. And that was something she only felt with her mom and Alice, it meant that she had someone else in her life that she trusted entirely. Movement from the doorway caught Grace’s attention, looking over she smiled when she saw Alice standing there. “Hey,” She hoped Alice hadn’t overheard what Jeremy had said to her, it would be embarrassing if Alice had.

Elijah nodded slowly as he listened to his brother’s explanation while he moved to take a seat. “In that case, we will all do everything we can to ensure her safety, brother,” he said firmly, looking to Klaus for a moment. Grace was family, after all, and they never gave up on family. They never left family to fend for themselves. As a family, they fought to protect each other and he knew they would each protect Grace in their own ways - Klaus, likely with his anger and plots. Rebekah, with the nature of the mother she’d never gotten the chance to become. Kol, likely recklessly. Finn, who would protect her even when he hated who he was. And, Elijah, the eldest and the noble brother, who’d stand in the way to protect all of them. They’d do whatever it took.

“Now that this family chat seems to be winding down to an end, could I possibly go find something to eat?” Kol asked casually, arching a brow as he looked around at his siblings. “I think we could all use it, after all, considering how long we’ve each been daggered.” He knew Finn had been daggered the longest, then there was Kol, then Rebekah, then Elijah. Regardless, he knew they all needed to feed and, really, he was parched and starving.

---

Jeremy grinned with her words and he lifted his shoulders in a small shrug. “Well, that’s just because you haven’t had a friend quite like me yet,” he teased lightly, nudging her gently, though his expression softened and, smiling, he nodded gently. “I’m not going anywhere, I promise.” He watched her, taking her in for a few moments, though he blinked when he saw her attention go somewhere else and his gaze followed hers, seeing the girl, Alice. For a moment, he wondered if something had happened or if they’d be forced to head downstairs. While he was sure that Alice didn’t seem the type to force them to do anything, he worried that Klaus might be being difficult.

“Hey,” Alice chimed with a small wave, offering a smile. She’d heard a good bit of the conversation, but she had no intention of bringing it up, since she knew it would just embarrass Grace and that was the last thing she wanted. “Klaus is planning to throw a ball. Rebekah will handle sending out invitations and everything but she thinks it’d be a good idea for us to go dress shopping. I figure that, when we do, you’d love to come along, so I wanted to let you know.” Her smile softened after a moment, though, and she made her way closer. “I’m sorry about what happened downstairs. Your uncle plans to apologize for his behavior, but they’re all sticking around and agreeing to terms to protect you and avoid making you uncomfortable. I think, given the chance, you might actually like them.”

“Thank you, Elijah.” Klaus knew that he could trust Grace with all his siblings, but Elijah and Rebekah have always been more involved in keeping the family together. Looking over to his younger brother, Klaus nodded his head. “Off you go, but do not kill anyone.” He warned Kol as the youngest Mikaelson tended to lose control when he fed, he always had been the reckless one among them and often did leave bodies around without a care in the world. That was something that Klaus wouldn’t allow in Mystic Falls, not when he had Grace to think about. His eyes watched as Kol, Finn and Rebekah all left the room, in order to quench their thirst.

“Thank you again, brother. I’m not sure if I’d be able to keep Grace safe on my own, we both know I have the most enemies out of all of us.” Klaus stood up and wrapped his arms around his older brother, he knew that if he was protecting his daughter with Alice’s help, they would be fine for the most part. But he knew there would be a time when his enemies would grow too strong for them, that is what he feared the most.

---

Grace looked at Alice before she glanced to Jeremy, “A ball? I thought they would have tried to not draw attention to themselves,” She looked at Alice, she hadn’t been to a ball before and certainly didn’t have a dress that she could wear to something as fancy as a ball. “Yeah, whenever you want to go shopping just let me know.” She would need to go shopping if she was going to attend this ball, she knew she would need to act like she doesn’t know the Mikaelson’s in order to keep the secret hidden from everyone else in town. She was assuming that Jeremy’s sister, Elena and her vampire boyfriend would be invited. Meaning Grace would need to pretend that her family wasn’t throwing the ball.

“Want to come with me? Someone will have to be my date, because I’m not going to this ball alone.” Grace looked at Jeremy, she doubted a ball would be an event that Jeremy would enjoy but she needed someone to keep her company. And he was the only person that she’d want to go with, so it made sense for Grace to ask him to go with her. Nodding her head, she looked to Alice. "I'll apologise as well," Grace didn't want to make a bad first impression on her new family, "I think I'll like them. I just hope they like me though," She was nervous about none of them liking her, none of them knew she existed until that afternoon.

Elijah nodded once in response to his brother’s words as he returned the hug, patting Klaus’s back before he stepped back. “We will protect her, Niklaus,” he assured him gently, “There’s no need to thank me for that. We’ve always done everything we’ve had to in order to protect our family. We won’t be stopping now.” After all, that’s what they’d always done and what they always would do. They worked in a unity. Sure, they occasionally did their own things and they occasionally bickered and fought and betrayed one another, but they’d always protected each other, no matter what. “We’ll protect her, no matter what. She is the most vulnerable of all of us and there is absolutely no way any of us would allow harm to come to her.” He lifted his hand, resting it on Klaus’s shoulder as he gave it a gentle squeeze. “I promise you this, brother.”

---

Alice looked mildly amused and shook her head gently. “The thing about those Mikaelsons is that they absolutely love attention,” she joked lightly, grinning to herself. “Of course, I’m sure they’ll avoid drawing attention to you, but perhaps this would be best. Hiding a needle in a haystack, having everybody’s attention focused on the Mikaelson siblings so that nobody focuses on you.” She nodded once, figuring it would be a good way to at least distract people from Grace for now. “I’ll let you know when Rebekah decides to drag us dress shopping. I’m sure you’ll love her. She’ll help find the perfect dress for you.” Because, Rebekah was always wonderful with things like that. Hearing Grace invite Jeremy, though, she watched the pair with amusement. She wasn’t at all surprised that Grace was inviting him, but it was nice to see. “I’m sure you’ll love them and they’ll love you.”

Jeremy listened to the pair talk, but didn’t interrupt them. From how they spoke to each other, it was clear they knew each other well, and he wasn’t really surprised by that. After all, they’d been together Grace’s whole life, so of course they’d be as close as they were. He was mildly surprised to hear about the ball but what caught him off guard the most was the fact that Grace had asked him to it. It shocked him so much that he found himself speechless for a few long moments and he stared at her, wide-eyed, before a broad grin formed on his features. “I think that’s a really awesome idea,” he told her eventually, nodding firmly, “We’ll have fun. I’ll be looking forward to it and I’ll make sure to, uh… To dress properly for it.” He figured he’d probably have to ask somebody for help with that, but he’d do it either way. “Just make sure to fill me in on the details for it and everything so I don’t screw up.”

Klaus nodded lightly as he looked at his older brother, Grace was the most vulnerable and Klaus wasn’t used to that. His family were the Original Vampires, yes, they would need help at times, but they always survived whatever was thrown at them. They were raised to be survivors, being vampires only aided in that. Now Klaus had to think of his daughter, his human daughter who only had her magic to defend herself. “Go feed, you’ll feel much better when you do.” He told Elijah before he turned and walked upstairs, he listened to what was being said before he appeared beside Alice. His hand instantly finding her lower back, he still felt like he had to pinch himself just to make sure that all of this wasn’t a dream.

“I’m just going to steal Alice for a little while,” He smiled over at his beautiful daughter before he guarded Alice far enough away, so Grace wouldn’t overhear them. “Why is the Gilbert boy still here? And, why did my daughter just invite him to the ball with her?” He looked at Alice as it took all his strength not to get rid of the boy himself, he didn’t because he knew Grace would hate him if he did. He knew what was happening, he could see it on Grace’s face. He just didn’t want to believe that a human boy was capturing his daughter’s heart, and stealing the time that Klaus wanted to spend with her. “I could compel him to leave… forever.” He grumbled as he didn’t like what was going on between the young teenagers, especially considering what he had done to the Gilbert family.

---

When Jeremy didn’t answer straight away, Grace could feel she was beginning to freak out. She worried that asking him to the ball was moving too fast, or that he simply just wanted to be her friend and nothing more than that. Then he smiled and agreed to go with her, and relief washed over her body. “I’ll let you know the details when I do,” She smiled before she looked over to where Alice stood, she nodded when Klaus said he was needing to speak with Alice. “If you don’t have a suit then I’m sure I can pick one up for you, when Rebekah takes me shopping.” Grace told him as she didn’t mind, she was looking forward to a girls shopping trip. As she’s never gone on one before, usually they would rush into a store and grab whatever they could in five minutes before leaving.

Tegan never liked drawing too much attention to the family, so even when Grace wanted to go look through stores she hadn’t been allowed. The times that Alice had taken her out shopping, were the only times that Grace enjoyed, apart from keeping the shopping trips a secret from Tegan. “Are you hungry? I can see if we have any food here,” Grace asked looking at Jeremy, she knew there was some food in the kitchen as she had breakfast that morning. She just wasn’t sure what else had been brought for her, she felt bad because she hadn’t asked him if he wanted some food or a drink since they arrived.

Alice blinked, peering up at Klaus with mild surprise, though she let him lead her away without any real complaints. As he spoke further, she couldn’t help but to look mildly amused as she shook her head gently. “Klaus, as a father, you’re going to have to understand that Grace is going to be attracted to somebody,” she reminded him carefully, pausing in her steps to move in front of him, watching him for a moment. “You’re not going to be able to control that. And, really, as much as I know you don’t want to, you’re going to have to accept it. It’s how girls work. Hell, it’s how guys work.”

She shifted closer, cupping his face gently. “Grace likes him. He likes Grace. You’re not going to be able to really control any of that,” she told him gently, eyeing him. “And compelling him to leave forever? Grace would never forgive you and you know it. You may not like Jeremy, but Grace does. And, what if they’re meant to be? You’ll be taking away her happiness and that’s not what fathers do. Fathers tell their daughters that they don’t approve of who they’re with, but they don’t force the two apart. They stand by their daughter’s side and wait to pick up the pieces if the guy breaks their hearts or they watch as their daughters fall madly in love and just get to be happy - and Grace deserves to be happy.”

---

“Oh, no, I actually have plenty of suits,” Jeremy assured her with a small grin as he shook his head gently, “I mean… I kind of have to, being a founding family member and all.” With all of the events, there were several times that he’d had to dress up over time. He’d had to look nice and presentable and, if he didn’t, it usually ended in somebody complaining until he gave in and fixed the problem. But, now that he had a reason to dress up that he was actually looking forward to, he couldn’t help but to be a little excited about it. “I’ll make sure to look my best.” He didn’t want to embarrass her, after all, but he also wanted to impress her.

At the mention of being food, though, he couldn’t help but to grin broadly and he nodded slightly to the suggestion. “Food sounds really good right about now,” he admitted with a slight chuckle before he motioned for her to lead the way. “Are you hungry?” he asked with curiosity, arching a brow. “I mean, if there’s nothing to eat here, we could always just go to the Grill and get a meal or I could go pick us up something and bring it back.” He shrugged, figuring that’d only really be necessary if there wasn’t anything to eat. Either way, he didn’t really mind. He wanted to make sure they both got something to eat, since neither of them had eaten since lunch. But, more than that, he just wanted to keep spending time with Grace.

Klaus couldn’t help but make a face when Alice reminded him that his daughter would be attracted to someone, although he had only just gotten into her life. He still really only saw her as a little girl, his little girl who wouldn’t be looking at anyone in the way that she was beginning to. Looking at Alice, he knew that she was right. He wasn’t going to be able to control everything in Grace’s life, no matter how desperately he did want to be in control. She was old enough now to make decisions herself, “It doesn’t mean I’m going to like it or approve of it.” He looked at Alice, he was thankful that she was there. Otherwise he would have already compelled the Gilbert boy to leave and never return, but he wasn’t going to compel him as Grace would hate him for it. Klaus sighed heavily because Alice was right, he didn’t want to ruin love for his daughter. Not when she could be as happy as he was with Alice back in his life, he did want that for Grace.

He ideally wanted Grace to have a normal life, he never wanted her to trigger her werewolf gene or to become a vampire. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to provide her with that sort of life, but he would do his very best to give it to her. “If that boy or any person breaks her heart, I’ll rip theirs from their chest.” He would be there to support Grace, but if anyone dares to break her heart or hurt her in any way then he would see to it that their life ends… and he wouldn’t give them a quick death either. “I do want her to be happy, to feel what I do when I look at you, love.” He grinned at Alice before wrapping his arms around her body, “Now that my siblings are back. Grace will have many babysitters, and we have the chance to do… other things.” His grin turned into a smirk as he looked at Alice.

---

Grace smiled at him, “I’m sure you’ll look just fine.” She told him as he couldn’t look anymore handsome then what he already did, but she was keen to see him dressed up in a suit. “I’m starving, I’m sure Klaus would have gotten someone to go buy some food.” Standing up she led Jeremy out of her new bedroom and back down stairs, she headed into the kitchen and started looking through the fridge and pantry. All of which was surprisingly completely stocked with food, “How about making pizzas?” She asked as it was an easy but delicious dinner that wouldn’t take long to make, she glanced over to Jeremy and once he agreed. Grace pulled out all the ingredients that they could possibly want, she found two premade pizza bases and handed one over to Jeremy.

“So, are there events that you go to because you’re a founding family?” Grace asked as she hadn’t lived anywhere that held events about the history of the town, she poured out some tomato paste and spread it across the pizza base. Then she started grabbing whatever toppings she felt like having on her pizza, she was curious about these events that were held in town. She wouldn’t mind going to the next one and seeing what it was all about.