this was a path that led to nowhere

Alice looked faintly amused as she listened to him and she shook her head gently in response. "Of course you're not going to like it or approve of it," she murmured with amusement, "I never said you had to. But, you do have to accept this, because you don't really have a choice in that." She nodded once as she watched him, taking him in for the time being. It was nice to see Klaus so protective of Grace, even if it was amusing. Seeing how much he cared about his daughter, knowing how protective he was of her, warmed Alice's heart, because Grace deserved to know that so many people cared about her. So many people were ready to protect her, in whatever way they could, be it against enemies that posed a threat or against boys who could break her heart, and Alice was glad to see it, glad to know it.

"You'll only be able to rip their hearts from their chests if you manage to beat me to it," she teased with amusement, because, while she never wanted to actually hurt anybody, she knew that, when it came to Grace, there was no way she'd be able to stop herself if somebody hurt the girl. Grace meant too much to Alice for her to just stand around and do nothing if she got hurt in any way. Hearing Klaus's later words, her expression softened as she watched him and she leaned into his hold as she watched him. "And, she'll get that. But only if you don't chase away every boy she meets." A grin formed on her features, then, and she arched a brow. "Oh? What kind of other things?" she asked teasingly.

---

"I hope I do. I want to look well enough to deserve to stand next to you," Jeremy said honestly as he watched her, a small smile on his lips. Of course, it still surprised him that Grace would even look his way, much less invite him to this ball. He wanted to make it worth it for her. He wanted to make sure that she didn't end up regretting inviting him. But, more than any of that, he wanted to make sure that she enjoyed herself as much as she possibly could. In his opinion, Grace deserved that more than anybody he knew. He nodded, though, with the mention of pizza. "Sure, pizza sounds like a good idea to me," he decided as he moved over to help with everything. He wasn't sure how well he'd be able to handle making pizza, but, worst case, they could just order if it ended up being bad. At least he got to spend time with Grace either way.

"Yeah, pretty much," he confirmed with a nod. "I guess it makes my family important - along with a couple other families, really. They have practically an entire month dedicated to all of the events, and their fun in their own ways, sometimes." He shrugged gently while he fixed up his pizza, though he glanced to her on occasion. "When the events come around again, you can join me for them. You might like them." A small smile formed on his lips at the thought because, really, he'd take any chance he could to spend time with her, even if it meant going to the events that he normally wasn't the biggest fan of. Really, he felt like Grace's presence would make them bearable. She'd make going to them worthwhile, if they ended up attending them together.

Klaus hadn’t approved of any man that his dear sister was interested, in fact he had killed a few of them, simply because they were talking to Rebekah. He wouldn’t go that far with Grace, he’d never approve of anyone she was keen on, but he wouldn’t start shedding blood because she was talking to a boy. No matter how badly he did want to, however if a boy ever hurt his daughter, that was a whole other story. He grinned as he listened to Alice, he knew how much she hated hurting people, so he couldn’t really see her killing a human. Unless, Grace’s life was in danger. It still meant so much to Klaus, that Alice would do the one thing she loathed the most in order to protect his daughter.

“If you get to the heart first, then I’ll rip off the head.” Klaus grinned even though he was deadly serious, anyone who hurt Grace wouldn’t get away with it. “Fine… I won’t chase any boys away from her, unless they are completely wrong for her.” He bargained with Alice, Klaus has been around long enough to know that not every guy was a nice person. He would definitely chase those boys away from his daughter, because he knew they would only break her heart if given the chance. A smirk formed on his lips as he leaned closer to her, his lips brushing against her ear. “If I remember correctly, I did find this special spot on your neck that when kissed, drove you crazy.” He whispered into her ear, his hands moving down her body until he found her hips which he squeezed lightly with his hands.

---

Grace looked over at Jeremy like he was crazy, “You don’t have to be dressed up to deserve that.” She told him as she wasn’t that amazing, before yesterday she was just a normal girl who happened to be a witch. There wasn’t anything special about her, at least in her eyes she couldn’t find anything to make her more special than anyone else. Grace listened as Jeremy told her about what the Founding families do, “It does sound pretty awesome. I’ve never lived in a place that holds special events like that,” She was interested in going to one whenever there was one on, if she was allowed to go and if Jeremy wanted to take her. She smiled as she looked at him, she had never felt like this with a guy before, so it was all really new to her, but it was exciting at the same time.

“Excuse me, I don’t want to interrupt you. But I want to deeply apologise for what I did earlier, you caught me by surprise. I would never hurt you, Grace.” Finn spoke as he stepped into the kitchen and saw the two teenagers, seeing them did make him miss the time when he had been human. Playing games in the forest with his siblings, not having to care about a single thing. He missed that. “You don’t have to apologise,” Grace assured him as she looked at her Uncle, she could see the pain and anger in his eyes. It made her wonder what he has been through since being turned into a vampire, obviously his life wasn’t always happy and easy. Which made her move over to him and wrap her arms around him, she hugged him as tightly as she could in hopes he would feel it. He was her family now, she had her own little family.

Alice looked mildly amused with his words, though she personally hoped it wouldn’t come to that. She hoped Jeremy would treat Grace right and that Grace would never have to deal with any sort of heartbreak. Of course, she was well aware that it was, in a way, a foolish hope, but she wanted what was best for Grace and she never wanted Grace to get hurt in any way. Grace was too good of a person and the girl didn’t deserve any pain, much less the kind Alice considered the worst. “Fine,” she hummed out, nodding once, “But, you have to at least give them a chance before you decide that they’re wrong for her.” After all, plenty of people had tried to warn her that Klaus was wrong for her and, yet, here they were, and she was still as desperately in love with him as she had ever been.

She paused with surprise when she saw the smirk on his features and she knew that it meant that he was up to no good. When his lips brushed against her ear, she felt her breathing hitch, the familiar but far overdue feeling causing her eyes to close over as she listened to his words. “Is that so?” she questioned with faint amusement, a small smile playing on her lips. “I don’t seem to recall.” But, she remembered it well. He’d always known her weakest points and he’d always used them to his benefit, not that she would ever complain. Her smile broadened into a grin when she felt his hands on her hips and then broadened even more when she felt the squeeze, her arms soon sliding around his neck as she drew closer to him. “I think you’ll have to help me remember, Klaus.”

---

Jeremy smiled faintly when he heard her words but he shook his head slightly. “I think I do,” he told her honestly, because she was an amazing person. Besides, if he was going to go to a ball with her, he wanted to do things right. He’d never been to an actual ball before, but he still wanted to make sure that she had a memorable experience at this one, so he made a mental note to do everything he possibly could to ensure that. She deserved it, after all, even if she didn’t see it - although he couldn’t quite understand why she wouldn’t see it. He was sure anybody who was around Grace, anybody who ever even just simply met her, would be able to see just how amazing of a girl she was and they would easily agree with him that she deserved whatever could make her happy, and he wanted to give her that.

“Well, you live in a place that does that now. Although, I can guarantee that they sometimes get old. The adults make such a huge deal about it. Well, and some of the kids around here do, too.” He knew Caroline absolutely loved every Founding Family celebration there was, though he sometimes struggled to understand what was so great about it. Sure, their ancestors founded Mystic Falls, but all of the celebrations were a little unnecessary. He could understand one or two - like the Miss Mystic Falls pageant, - but otherwise, the town overdid it and made the founding families overly important when the town wasn’t even aware of why the founding families were really as important as they were. He blinked, though, when Finn came in, and watched, hoping things would be okay between him and Grace.

“I will give any boy that Grace is interested in, one single chance. If they ruin that chance, they won’t be getting another one.” Klaus assured Alice as he did want his daughter happy, but he knew she could be happy without having an annoying boy in her life. Or so, he liked to think. “But of course, it’s not just me the Gilbert boy has to impress. Tegan will like him straight away, but you my dear, know Grace better than anyone. I know you wouldn’t let her date anyone who isn’t good enough,” He loved that about Alice, it wouldn’t have mattered if Grace wasn’t his daughter. Alice always had this fiery protective side to her, anyone she loved or cared about would have her to keep them safe. He had admitted that in her even as a human, so he knew Alice would only let Grace have the best in life.

“Oh? You don’t remember? Well, we can’t have you not remembering, now can we.” Klaus smirked as his lips pressed to the side below her ear lobe, before he pressed kisses down along her neck. His hands stayed on her hips, as he moved them both quickly down the hallway. His body pressing against Alice’s as he pinned her to the wall, this moment was a long overdue one and a moment that Klaus desperately wanted to share with her. He didn’t kiss the sweet spot on her neck, he wanted to tease her and make her really want it. He did this to her constantly once he fell in love with her, of course he had been more careful then. She had been human, and he was afraid that he would hurt her, now that wasn’t something he had to worry about.

---

Finn lightly placed his hands on Grace’s back as she hugged him, “How about you two finish those off,” He told the teenagers when he heard Klaus and Alice upstairs, he doubted that was something Grace wanted to see or hear. Moving back, Grace nodded her head as she turned back to her pizza. She took a handful of cheese and sprinkled it on top of her pizza, once Jeremy had finished she grabbed two trays and slid the pizzas into the hot oven. She set the timer on the oven before she turned back to Jeremy, “Now we just have to wait.” She smiled as she just wanted to eat already, “How about you two go sit outside? It’s lovely out there,” Finn suggested to the kids, his eyes glancing over to the human boy for a second.

“Yeah, that sounds good.” Grace agreed as her hand found Jeremy’s and she guided him out onto the back deck again, she looked over at him once they were alone. “I know that look, you don’t have to worry about Finn. I’m sure he won’t try to attack me again,” She did understand why Jeremy may be a little weary of her family, she would have been to if she had been in his position. But Klaus and Alice had made it clear that she could trust her family, then they were going to protect her and keep her safe from any harm. “Besides he did just apologize, and I know he meant it.” She didn’t want Jeremy to not like her family, even if Klaus had killed his Aunt, but so far the rest of her family haven’t done any harm.

Alice grinned with the mention of it, because Klaus was definitely right about that; she wouldn’t let somebody be with Grace if they didn’t deserve her affection and attention. Grace was too good of a person to be with somebody who would ultimately just hurt her. So far, though, Jeremy hadn’t done anything to make Alice feel as though he didn’t deserve Grace’s attention. Of course, Alice hadn’t spoken with the boy much at all and she didn’t know much about him, so he didn’t have her acceptance or approval, but she wasn’t going to judge him right off the bat and assume that he wasn’t good enough for Grace. No, she’d give him the chance to prove that he deserved her. If he proved to be bad for her, though, Alice wouldn’t let things continue.

Her grin broadened when she felt his lips on her skin and her eyes closed over as she adjusted her neck a bit, letting out a noise of surprise when she felt them land against a wall. “No, no, we definitely can’t have that,” she murmured teasingly, shuddering with the attention because she knew what he was up to, but she wasn’t about to complain. She’d been used to his teasing long ago and, while much time had passed since then, it still felt completely familiar and she’d missed it. Pressing closer to him, she let her fingers trail down his shirt, curling into the fabric when he got close to her sweet spot, even though she knew he was teasing her.

---

Jeremy peered over his shoulder at Finn while Grace led him outside, though his gaze went back to Grace when she spoke and he watched her for a moment. “See, logically, I kind of know that, I think. Kind of, because who knows with this family, but, still…” he trailed off and shook his head slightly as he watched her, taking her in for a few long moments. “I just want you to be okay, that’s all. I don’t want him or anybody hurting you, so I can’t help but to worry.” He shrugged gently, wondering if he seemed to overbearing with his concern, but he couldn’t help it. Even though he’d seen her power and knew that she could take care of herself, he didn’t know what to expect when it came to the Original family - and, on top of that, they were basically indestructible. Grace wasn’t.

Still, when she went on to talk about Finn apologizing, he offered a small nod. “He did seem genuine, I guess,” he admitted quietly, but that didn’t usually mean much when it came to vampires in general. He couldn’t count how many times it seemed like one of them was being genuine in their promises and words, only for them to turn around and completely go against what they had said. Still, he tried not to think about it for now and focused on trying to enjoy his time with Grace. “I guess we’ll have to keep an ear out for the timer, so we’ll know when to check on the pizza. Unless you think Finn will keep an eye on it, but… Would he even know anything about pizza?”

Klaus was only inches away from the spot on Alice’s neck that could make her knees weak, however his lips never reached that spot. They travelled further down instead, finding her collar bone before he pulled his lips away from her skin all together. “As much as I desperately want to continue this, I don’t know if I’d be a good father if we took this further while Grace is down stairs and my siblings are about.” His light eyes locked onto Alice’s, it would be their first time together since Alice was turned. He wanted it to be a little more special than what it would be, if they didn’t stop themselves. She deserved each and every time to be special, he had tried to make it so when she had been human. So, he would carry that on, now that she was back in his life.

Pressing his lips to hers, he kissed her tenderly. He would hate for Grace to hear them or even walk in on them, he liked to think that she knew nothing about being in love and what that entails. Because if he thought any different, he would rip out the heart of any boy that Grace was even remotely interested in. Just to make sure nothing happened between them, no matter how natural and amazing it was. “I wish this would have happened to you instead, my love.” His voice was barely louder than a whisper, he never loved Tegan and never would. He had known Alice would have been a wonderful mother, if she had been given the chance.

---

That was one of many things that Grace liked about Jeremy, how much he cared for people and how much he wanted to keep them safe. She was fine with how he didn’t trust the Mikaelson’s, she didn’t blame him for still being weary when they were around. She’d be worried if he wasn’t, after what Klaus has done to his family and his friends. It made sense. It would take time for him, if he ever did come to trust her family. “No one will hurt me, they don’t have a reason to. And with five Original vampires on my side, even if someone tried, I don’t think they’d get very far.” She looked at him and smiled, she wasn’t used to having a guy care so much about her and to be open about it. It made her feel so special, and slightly giddy.

She couldn’t help but laugh when Jeremy made the comment about Finn, “I’m sure he’ll know when something is about to burn… I hope he does.” She smiled as she wasn’t sure what Finn did before he arrived in Mystic Falls, she didn’t know what any of her family were doing before today. She’d have to ask later on when they had arrived back to the house, “I’m sure we’ll hear the timer go off,” She assured him as they weren’t too far away from the kitchen, and even if they didn’t, she was sure Finn would let them know if he heard a strange noise coming from the oven.

Alice paused with surprise before she let out an amused laugh. “You’re the one who started it, you tease!” she reminded, grinning. But, really, she wasn’t all that surprised that Klaus was doing this. She’d been used to it when she was a human and, while so much time had passed since then, she suspected as much - even if it was hard to avoid pressing the matter when being a vampire made her senses heightened, along with her emotions, and made it so that the barest touch from him drove her crazy. But, she could force it back and ignore it, because she knew he was right and the last thing she wanted to do was ruin Klaus’s relationship with his daughter before he could even really start it.

Hearing his later words, though, she watched him for a long moment. “I don’t,” she told him quietly, shifting to cup his face for a moment. “I mean, as much as I would have loved to be a mother, to have a family… If I had, if we had, then Grace wouldn’t be here and I wouldn’t change that for the world, because she really is a wonderful girl, Klaus, and this world needs people like her in it.”

---

Jeremy nodded slightly as he listened to her, though he couldn’t be sure that he agreed. “Do you know there’s a way to put the Originals down?” he asked after a moment, “Mystical daggers… If you dip them in ash from the white oak tree that helped to create the Originals, then it temporarily kills them - at least until the daggers are pulled out.” And, that was something he was worried about, too, for Grace’s sake. He knew that his sister and her friends and the Salvatores would stop at nothing to get rid of the Originals, after all. “Although, it doesn’t work on Klaus, for some reason. I guess his werewolf side prevents him from being affected by the silver in the dagger or something…” But, that didn’t make it any safer in general.

He smiled, though, to her later words, and offered a small nod. “Probably,” he said after a moment, “Let’s just hope he doesn’t break something because the noise is annoying or something.” After all, he wasn’t sure if Finn had ever heard incessant beeping like that of a timer - or perhaps just the smell of burnt pizza would drive the man crazy. Of course, Jeremy, for one, hoped that wouldn’t be the case, but still.

Klaus grinned, “I know I started it, love. I didn’t mean to be a tease, besides we have plenty of time for that later. When a certain girl isn’t in the same house,” He gently tucked some dark hair behind Alice’s ear, he wanted nothing more to be with her right now but he had to think about his daughter before his own personal needs. His eyes focused on Alice as she spoke, he did agree with her. If he had taken Alice with him when he fled, they could have had a child together but then Grace wouldn’t have been born as he never would have met Tegan. But he did wonder what the child would be like, if he had taken Alice with him like he had desperately wanted to do.

“I agree, but being a mother was still taken from you. You should have had the chance to fall in love with a human man, start a family with him.” It had been taken from her because of him, he knew that and he hated himself for it. He had known better, yet his feelings clouded his better judgement and he didn’t listen to what his mind was telling him. “I’m sure Grace sees you like a second mom,” He looked at Alice as he moved his face into her palms, enjoying the sensation only she could give him from just a simple touch.

---

Grace could feel the worry creep into her body as she listened to Jeremy explain to her how someone could take an Original down, she wondered if that was common knowledge or if only a small select group knew. Not that it really mattered, even if a limited amount of people knew, it could be the only way to stop her family. Did his sister and her friends know? If they did, then it could be used against her family. A family that she had only just found out about, a family that she belonged to and wanted to get to know.

“I didn’t know that,” Her voice dropped, she wasn’t as safe as she once thought she was with who her family was. Lifting her eyes to Jeremy, she gave him a small smile. “We should be able to hear him breaking stuff, if we don’t then Alice and Klaus will.” She chuckled softly, “We could see if Klaus got any good movies. We could watch one while we have pizza,” She suggested as that sounded to be a relaxing evening, she needed one of those considering everything she’s learnt and been through in the past few days.

“You completely meant to be a tease,” Alice said with a laugh, fairly amused with the entire thing. She was happy, though, regardless of whatever did or didn’t happen between them in that moment. He was back in her life and they were together and had all the time in the world to indulge in their desires. While things had been good in her life the past few centuries and especially since Grace’s birth, everything was perfect now - she had her family, Grace and Tegan, and she had her love, Klaus, and her close friends, Elijah and Rebekah. Nothing could be better and she was grateful for it.

She blinked, though, watching him for a few moments. “Klaus… I never wanted to fall in love with anybody other than you,” she reminded quietly, running her thumbs over his cheeks gently as she took him in, adoring him, “Whether I would have become a mother or not, it doesn’t matter anymore, because I’m here and you’re here and we have eternity together, and we both have Grace and Tegan in our lives, and your siblings. I couldn’t ever imagine a life better than the one I have in this moment, with or without a child of my own, okay? I am perfectly happy with how things are now.”

---

Jeremy’s expression softened when he heard how much softer her voice had become and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “On the bright side, your father has all of the daggers for now, if that makes you feel any better,” he told her gently. Of course, he knew his sister and her friends wanted the daggers to try to put the Originals down themselves but, more than that, they wanted a way to completely kill all of the Originals. With that knowledge in his mind, he couldn’t help but to worry more about Grace. Either she could get caught in the crossfire of all of that or she’d end up losing her family before she really got to know them.

He smiled and nodded, though, hoping to roll into an easier, more lighthearted conversation to get Grace’s mind off of the daggers. “Well, as long as he doesn’t get blinded by rage, I’m sure we’ll be fine,” he said, though he was mostly hopeful, since he wasn’t sure. After all, he was still wary of Finn after what the man had done earlier when he’d tried to attack Grace. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever trust any of the Originals, but he was sure that Finn would be the one he would trust the least overall. “You think Klaus might have movies?” he asked with faint amusement, though he eventually nodded, “We might as well give it a try. The worst thing that could happen would be that he’s the most boring person we’d know when it comes to technology and entertainment.”

Klaus’ eyes slowly moved over Alice’s face, slowly taking in every single feature. “How is it possible for me to love you more, than what I already do?” He asked even though she wouldn’t have the answer, because he truly did love her more, no matter how impossible he thought that to be. He wasn’t sure who had blessed him, but someone must have, for him to have Alice back in his life after all these missed centuries. To have her still love him, after knowing the monster that he still was to that very day. “You my dear, are the definition of perfection.” He grinned as he closed the gap between them, his lips pressing against her own in a warming kiss. “And yes, I had meant to tease you, love.” He murmured softly against her full lips, before leaning up slightly and pressed another kiss to her forehead.

“Shall we go check on the children? I don’t trust the Gilbert boy to be alone with my daughter,” He looked at Alice, hopefully once Grace was safe there or back with her mother, Alice would agree to go out with him that night. It felt like forever had past since he had taken her out for a night, of course when he had taken her on dates it was usually to a nice fancy restaurant, before they went dancing or took a walk through a park. Now their dates would be different, but still just as special as what they used to be. “I would like to take you out tonight, celebrate that you will be staying in my life and that we have been reunited again.” His light eyes looked at her, his siblings could take care of themselves for once and he was sure Tegan wanted Grace back home for the night.

---

Tingles shot through Grace’s hand when Jeremy’s hand touched hers, she nodded her head lightly as she assumed it was a good thing that Klaus had all the daggers. As it meant it would be harder for someone to try and steal one to use against him, or against anyone in her family. That is what Grace had to believe, that the daggers were safe with her father. Looking at Jeremy, she shrugged her shoulders. “He might have movies, I haven’t really checked out the living room yet. Let’s go find out how exciting he could be,” She smiled as she took Jeremy back inside, walking through the large mansion she found the living room and immediately moved over the console below the television. Pulling the doors open, she was mildly surprised with the collection of movies that Klaus had. “Seems like he isn’t all that boring, we at least know he can buy movies.” She chuckled softly as her eyes skimmed over the titles, before she pulled one out, “He does have taste.” She looked at Jeremy as she had found The Boondock Saints, a film that she assumed Jeremy would like.

Hearing the timer ring, Grace stood up again and looked at Jeremy. “You look for a movie and I’ll get our pizzas,” She smiled as she was curious as to what movie he wanted to watch, so she decided to leave it up to him considering he was a guest. Walking into the kitchen, Grace turned the timer off before she carefully removed the two pizzas from the oven and set them on the counter. Turning the over off as well, she cut the pizza into slices and transferred them onto plates. She tucked two drinks under her arm, grabbed some napkins and the plates, and carried it all back into the living room. Setting everything on the coffee table, she sat down on the black leather couch and was grateful that Klaus knew what a comfy couch felt like.

Alice paused, staring at him with mild surprise, and she struggled to think of an answer, when, honestly, it had surprised her from the very beginning when they’d first spoken of loving each other, so hearing him ask how he could fall even more in love with her left her stumped and without an answer. “Maybe the same way I still fall deeper in love with you,” she offered up as an answer instead as she examined him, taking him in, her expression softening. She closed her eyes with the short kiss and leaned more into him when he kissed her forehead, relishing in the feeling. “Of course you did,” she murmured with faint amusement, opening her eyes to peer up at him, “I suppose some things don’t change, even centuries later.” She grinned softly as she watched him; she’d missed these small moments, more than anything she could really explain.

“That might be best - not because I don’t trust the boy, but because I’m half certain that, if we don’t check on them, you’ll let that horrid imagination of yours run wild and we wouldn’t want that, considering what would likely happen,” she hummed out quietly as she examined him for a few moments. She’d been about to turn to lead the way downstairs, but paused and looked to him with surprise, blinking with the idea. For a moment, she wasn’t sure what to say, but a small grin soon formed on her features and she nodded. “I’d really like that,” she murmured happily. “What exactly did you have in mind for us to do?”

---

Jeremy chuckled lowly in response as he watched her, nodding. “Is it odd that I expect for him to have several… I don’t know, mob movies, or historical movies?” he asked jokingly, though he looked amused with the thought of it. It wouldn’t really surprise him if he ended up being right, of course, but he’d admittedly mostly been joking. Shrugging the thought aside, he smiled as he watched her but took the movie that had seemed to caught her eyes. “Ha, I was right,” he joked, grinning to himself, though he watched her rush off to get to the pizza. He smiled to himself, though, waiting for a few moments before he returned his attention back to the movies. Boondock Saints was already picked out, so he grabbed out the second movie to it, too, figuring they could watch them both if they ended up having enough time to do so, so long as Klaus didn’t kick him out first.

By the time he’d pulled it out, he spotted Grace already back and he grinned over at her, holding it up. “Think we can manage to watch both of these today?” he asked, arching a brow, though he wondered if there was the chance that she wouldn’t want to watch both of them. His eyes went to the pizza and drinks she’d brought back and he stood up, moving over to her to hold out the movies for her to get a better look. “I figure that, if we watch the first, we might as well watch the second one, too.” And, he couldn’t deny that he enjoyed the movies himself, though he hoped that she would end up liking them, too, or that she’d already seen them and liked them herself.

Klaus didn’t want to believe that Alice was still falling deeper in love with him, but he did believe her because he knew exactly what she was feeling. He grinned at her, “That part of me will never change. And I can see it in your eyes, you wouldn’t want me to change that part of myself either.” A cocky smirk replaced the grin that had been on Klaus’ lips, as he looked at Alice, he knew she was right. His mind could run away from him when he allowed it to, the times when his mind did get away from him, it even ended well for anyone. Sometimes it even backfired on him, as his actions could cause tension between his siblings. However, now it just wasn’t his siblings that his actions could hurt. He now had to think about Alice and Grace, who he cared about more than himself. So, he would need to keep his mind stable, and that wasn’t as easy as it sounded for him.

“I’m not going to do anything that would risk my chance of having Grace in my life,” He admitted honestly, because he had only just gotten his daughter into his life. All he wanted was to have both his girls by his side and to love him, he has one with Alice, now he just had to prove himself to his little girl. He went to follow Alice downstairs but noticed that she had stopped walking, “That my dear, is something you will have to wait for.” He looked at Alice as he wrapped his arm around her small waist, there was no way he was going to tell Alice what he had planned for their date that night. It was their first date in centuries, he would be keeping it a surprise until the last second. Walking downstairs with her, he could hear voices coming from the lounge room, so far he was somewhat pleased with what the teenagers were talking about.

---

Grace looked to see what movie Jeremy had picked out, “Oh yeah. We’ll be able to watch them both, no problem.” She smiled sitting down on the couch, she watched as Jeremy put the first movie on before he joined her on the lounge. Grace set the plate on her lap as she took the first slice of pizza into her hand, her eyes moved to the large flat screen television as the opening credits appeared. Even if they couldn’t get through the second film, Grace knew they would have many chances of finishing it and hopefully watching many more movies, as she really wanted to spend as much time with Jeremy as she could.

Curling up Grace made herself comfortable, before two set of footsteps caught her attention. When she saw Alice and Klaus, she smiled at her best friend. “Want to join us?” She asked hoping that wouldn’t make Jeremy uncomfortable, but she had no idea where Klaus’ siblings were, but knew Alice would want to catch up with them if she knew them back when she had been human. Grace also felt like she hadn’t seen Alice much recently, considering what has happened in the past few days, but she missed her best friend.

A quiet laugh escaped Alice’s lips when she heard Klaus’s words before she could stop herself. “Always so arrogant,” she teased lightly, watching him for a moment before she focused on walking again, “And secretive.” She made a joking face but leaned into him when she felt his arm around her, looking to Grace and Jeremy when they reached the lounge room. Seeing her friend’s smile, she offered a smile in return and nodded slightly. “Sure, if you two don’t mind,” she decided, “We wouldn’t want to interrupt anything.” She was sure her words would get to Klaus a bit, but she also knew that Grace seemed happy and she didn’t want to get in the way of that.

“Oh, uh, no, it’s fine,” Jeremy assured, clearing his throat at the implication, peering over to Grace for a moment before he rubbed the back of his neck. “We’re just… Watching movies and eating pizza for now.” He nodded once, looking back to Klaus and Alice, though he shifted, moving over a bit to give the pair room to join them. Even if he wasn’t all that fond of Klaus, he wanted to try to at least be civil around him, for Grace’s sake. He cared too much about Grace to let his disdain towards Klaus get in the way of things. He wanted everything to work out between him and Grace, after all, but he was sure that, if Klaus really wanted him gone, he’d have to be gone.

Alice grinned slightly but moved to sit down, mostly wanting to spend some time with Grace. With everything that had happened lately, they hadn’t been able to really enjoy themselves and spend time together - which felt off for Alice, because she and Grace usually spent much of their time together. But, things were a bit more complicated now compared to before, since Klaus was in their lives and Grace had a boy who seemed genuinely interested in her, a boy who seemed to genuinely care about her, so she made a mental note not to complain. “Great, so what are we watching?” she asked with curiosity.

“Uh, for now, we’ve got Boondock Saints and Boondock Saints 2 picked out,” Jeremy said with a small nod, offering an amused expression before he shrugged. “Who knew Klaus, of all people, would have taste in movies?” He made sure to keep his tone joking, not really wanting to anger the hybrid or cause tension. Regardless, he leaned back in the seat, attempting to relax while he started to eat his pizza, though his gaze shifted to Grace easily, as he was clearly more interested in her than he was in the pizza or the movie, and he didn’t really see much of a reason to hide that. It wasn’t like it wasn’t obvious, anyways, he was sure.

Klaus didn’t approve, nor did he like how close the Gilbert boy was sitting to his daughter, but then Grace invited him and Alice to join them. She seemed to be happy in that moment, he couldn’t ruin that for her, especially not after everything she has learnt in the past few days. Though nothing would stop him from being tempted to push himself in between the teenage pair on the couch, but once Alice had sat herself down he knew she wouldn’t allow him to sit anywhere but beside her. “Any of us who have been around for centuries will always have good taste, I’m more concerned that young people won’t have any.” He commented to the boy, making sure to keep his tone light as he made himself comfortable beside Alice. He had heard what the kids are calling music these days, all it does is hurt his ears.

Grace looked to Jeremy as she also shifted on the couch, to give Alice and Klaus plenty of room, but it also gave her a chance to be closer to Jeremy. She couldn’t help but send him a thankful smile, for allowing Klaus to join them. “Well we’re two that you don’t have to worry about, clearly Jeremy has amazing taste and I got mine from Alice.” She looked over to her best friend, it was nice to be able to spend time with her again. She had missed this and hoped they could go back to normal now that everything was out in the open and Grace was beginning to learn the truth about herself and her family.

Klaus again draped his arm across Alice’s shoulders, he wasn’t blind to the way the human boy was looking at his daughter. It took all of his discipline to not kick the boy out of his house, which was part of the reason he was staying close to Alice. She calmed that side of him down, the irrational side of him that would always find a way to come out. “I’m glad to know that, clearly Alice does have wonderful taste.” He grinned at the beauty sitting beside him, she did have the best taste in men after all. “Sadly, we won’t be able to stay for much longer. We have a date tonight, and I’m sure you’ll need to get home soon, Grace.” He spoke knowing that the second Tegan was home, she would be wanting Grace home as well. He wouldn’t stand in the way of that, as he knew Tegan would need to do a lot of talking and explaining to their daughter.

Looking at Alice, Grace rolled her eyes as she decided to ignore Klaus’ comment about Alice’s taste as it was obvious what he meant. “I wouldn’t go that far,” She murmured under her breathe before her attention was captured, “You have a date?” She looked at her best friend as she couldn’t remember the last time Alice had a date, “Don’t let us stop you.” She smiled knowing that she would get more time alone with Jeremy when they went on their date, “And I will. Mom said she’d text me when she was going home,” She did have questions for her mom, but she felt like Jeremy wouldn’t want to sit through all of that and hear about the mess that was now her life. So, he’d probably head home himself at that point, which did disappoint Grace a little but he couldn’t just hang out with her all the time either.

Jeremy arched a brow, looking to Klaus for a few moments, unsure of whether the comment about young people’s taste was meant to be a jab or not. Still, he settled in next to Grace and nodded his agreement. “Right,” he agreed with Grace easily, looking back towards the television. “I mean, our tastes are still influenced by anything new we see. I can’t really say the same about those who have lived for, uh, centuries. Their tastes seem pretty centered on specific things. At least the young generation can still explore their tastes, see what catches their interests, find things that affect them.” He shrugged slightly, offering an amused look to Grace for a moment, taking her in. He couldn’t help but to enjoy just looking at her, she was just too beautiful.

Alice grinned slightly with Grace’s comment, leaning against Klaus as she relaxed a bit. “Well, from me and your mom,” she reminded with amusement, “And, tastes can still evolve either way. It’s always changing, no matter how old you get - new people come into your life and it can alter your perspective of things, or they can introduce you to new interests.” She shrugged gently, though she offered an amused look up at Klaus, rolling her eyes. “You’re not subtle at all, are you?” She couldn’t help but to laugh lightly, because it didn’t really surprise her. If anything, she’d missed this. She’d missed being in his arms, and joking around, and planning out silly things to do. She’d missed just being next to him.

Hearing the mention of the date, Jeremy looked over at the pair. He couldn’t really understand how they were together - he assumed Alice was a good person, since Alice had been in Grace’s life for so long and Grace was a wonderful person herself. But, Klaus was… Definitely not such a good person, so he couldn’t really understand how that dynamic worked. Regardless, he nodded along to Grace’s words. “Yeah, you guys can go ahead and head out on your date, if you want,” he told them with a shrug, “We’ll just be here, watching the movies. When Grace’s mom texts her, I can make sure she gets home safely.” At least it would serve to give him a little extra time with Grace, if he was allowed to drive her home, and he definitely looked forward to the idea, not wanting to part from her any time soon. At least her mom hadn’t texted to have her home yet, either, which was even better. “I could maybe even stick around a bit, meet your mom and stuff?” he suggested, looking back to Grace.

A small smile formed on Alice’s features when she listened to the pair, watching them for a moment. It was pretty obvious that the two were super interested in each other - and if Jeremy wanted to meet Tegan, then, obviously, it was a good sign. “I think that’s a really good idea,” she mentioned with a small nod, “I’m sure Tegan would really like that, too.” Mostly, Alice wanted Grace and Tegan to get to talk things out, though, since things were obviously strained between them with everything that was going on. But, hopefully, everything would work out.

“When have I ever been subtle, love?” Klaus grinned as his eyes moved over Alice’s features, he hadn’t understood what she saw him in when she had been human. He still didn’t understand why she chose to love him and want to be with him, but because she did love him, he knew he was the luckiest man to have someone so perfect in his life. No matter the horrible things he has done and continued to do, Alice still decided to give her heart and love to him. The Gilbert boy did have a decent point, though Klaus would never be admitting that to anyone. He still didn’t like the boy, he certainly didn’t trust the boy, but then again Klaus didn’t trust most people. He sometimes couldn’t even trust his siblings, so he wasn’t going to be putting his trust into a human boy until he was proved otherwise. But the boy had just offered to take Grace home, a task he was going to ask Elijah to do, however he knew Tegan tended to know good people from the bad ones. “As long as you drive safely and get her home in one piece,” Klaus agreed almost through gritted teeth.

Grace smiled as she looked over at Alice and Klaus, they were both giving Jeremy the go ahead to drive her home when her mom finished work. As she looked at the pair, she could feel the love they felt for each other. It was obvious looking at them, they had a long history together and no matter how long they had been apart, their love had only grown stronger. That is what Grace wanted, she wanted to have someone who just loved and adored her, someone who would always be there for her no matter what life threw at them. “I know mom would love to meet you,” She turned to look at Jeremy, she wasn’t surprised that he wanted to meet her mom. It would have happened eventually, but she had expected her mom to bring it up before Jeremy did. Sadly, it wasn’t something that Grace would also be able to do. She could meet Jeremy’s sister and that was it, and even then, she wasn’t keen to considering what Klaus has done to the girl already.

Klaus didn’t feel the need to be there, his gut wasn’t giving him a sign that he should stay. He did want to take Alice on a date, she deserved to be taken out and he wanted to spend some time alone with her. His siblings would be close enough to Grace if anything were to happen, which is the thought that caused him to stand up from the couch. “You need to get ready, my dear.” His hand was out to help Alice to her feet, “Let’s give the kids space, so they can watch the movie. And only watch the movie,” His eyes flashed over to Jeremy as he wanted to make sure that was clear, they were only allowed to watch the movie and that was it. Many years ago, Klaus had found a dress that reminded him of the dress that Alice wore on their very first date, the dress wasn’t exactly the same as it was more modern to what people wore these days. It was hanging up in his closet and he wanted to show Alice, give her the chance to wear it as he knew she would look beautiful in it.

“Please take him away, Alice.” Grace begged her best friend as Klaus was beginning to embarrass her in front of Jeremy, what did he think they were going to do? His siblings were around the house and so were many of the hybrids he had made, if Jeremy decided to make a move then it would be seen and stopped, before being reported back to Klaus. Glancing over to Jeremy, she gave him a small apologetic smile. “Have fun,” She smiled at Alice, knowing she needed to go out and have a nice night for once. Turning her attention back onto the tv screen, she tried to watch the movie, but her mind constantly fell back to Jeremy. How had he not been scared off by now? Out of all the girls in Mystic Falls, why would he want to spend time with her? He should have been hanging out with a normal girl, a girl from a nice family who was human and didn’t have a murderous biological father that she had just found out about. Lifting a slice of pizza to her lips, she tried to busy herself so she didn’t keep glancing over at him.

Alice offered an amused look up at Klaus, because she could admit that he had a point. He’d never been subtle - not about his interests, what he wanted, or what he liked or disliked. It had generally amused her in the past, and it still did now; the fact that that hadn’t changed made her pretty happy. It felt familiar and she could imagine reminiscing about this later, and especially about the past. “You have a point there,” she admitted in a hum, nudging him teasingly, “You just love to be obvious.” Grinning up at him, she listened to Klaus talk to Jeremy and made a joking face at Grace. It was really nice that Klaus was already taking such a protective role when it came to Grace, but Alice really hoped that Klaus didn’t end up scaring Jeremy away from Grace, because Alice could see how much Grace liked Jeremy already. She didn’t want Grace to go through the pain of losing somebody she liked so soon, or to go through the issue of somebody she liked being driven away by her own father.

Blinking, Jeremy looked at Klaus, watching him for a moment when he heard Klaus agreeing to the idea. Of course, it surprised him a bit that Klaus would agree, but Jeremy figured the decision would mostly be left up to Grace in the end, since Klaus was going to be leaving soon. Still, the fact that Klaus was agreeing, caught Jeremy mildly off guard, but he could see that Klaus seemed to genuinely care about Grace, he seemed really protective of her, and Jeremy could at least acknowledge that much - even if he wasn’t all that eager about it. “I will,” he assured, “I mean, my parents died in a car wreck, my sister almost died. There’s no way I’d risk Grace getting hurt.” He stared levelly at Klaus, trying to convey that he could be trusted with this. But his attention got caught by Grace, and he offered a smile as he looked over at her, watching her for a moment, before he nodded. “I’m looking forward to meeting her,” he promised her as he watched her, “I just hope I leave a good first impression and everything.”

His attention went to Klaus, though, when he spoke to Alice, and he watched them for a moment before he nodded. “Well, have fun, you two,” he told them, offering a small smile in hopes that being encouraging of the two would at least get Klaus to be a little less hostile - not that he was very hostile at the moment, but he knew how Klaus got when it came to his family, and he knew the lengths Klaus would go to in order to make a point. He definitely didn’t want to cause more problems with how he was feeling for Grace, and how much he liked her, but, even if that ended up being the case, he wouldn’t let himself be thrown off by Klaus. He wouldn’t let Klaus dictate how he felt about Grace, and he wouldn’t let Klaus push him away or get in the way, because he just wanted to get closer to Grace. “Right. Only the movie.” He arched a brow as he watched Klaus. “I like Grace, Klaus,” he said honestly, watching him, “That doesn’t mean I’ll just automatically suggest other things the moment you’re out the door, and I definitely wouldn’t pressure her.”

Alice laughed quietly as she listened to Grace’s begging. “Are you sure?” she asked with a smile, “It’s kind of amusing, seeing Jeremy stand up to Klaus.” She leaned over to Grace, then, to whisper in her friend’s ear, “I think you’ve got a keeper there.” Winking teasingly, she straightened before she looked to Klaus, placing her hand in his to pull herself up to her feet. “Right.” Nodding slightly, she looked to the others, offering a smile to the pair. “Sorry to bail on you guys.” She genuinely felt a little bad about it, since she and Grace hadn’t gotten to spend much time with each other since arriving in Mystic Falls, but she figured she could make up for it later, maybe have just a girl’s day for the two of them. “Enjoy your movie.” Looking back to Klaus, she gave his hand a squeeze before she led the way away from the living room.

(I’ll leave what Alice’s dress looks like up to you.)

Walking away Klaus looked at Alice, she didn’t seem to have a problem with Grace spending time with the Gilbert boy. He had overheard what Alice had whispered to his daughter about the boy, he knew where his trust issues stemmed from, he simply wasn’t sure about the Gilbert boy until he knew for certain that he could be trusted. Another trait of Alice’s that he loved, although she didn’t trust everyone, she still knew who she could and couldn’t trust. Apparently, she trusted the boy, or she trusted Grace’s instincts about who she wanted to spend time with. He wouldn’t bring it up with Alice now, tonight was theirs and he was only going to be focusing on her. With his hand holding hers, he guided them up the grant staircase before leading her into his bedroom. “I have something for you, my love. I wonder if you’d like to wear it tonight, for our date.” He spoke letting her hand go as he stepped over to his closet, opening the wooden doors before pulling out a stunning dress that was delicately draped over a clothes hanger. Turning around he held the dress up for Alice to see, watching her face he hoped that she would also adore it as he already knew it would look perfect on her.

“What do you think, darlin’?” He eagerly awaited her reply, he didn’t have a backup plan in case she didn’t want to wear the dress. He was positive she would, at least the Alice he had fallen in love with would have. He couldn’t be certain if her taste had changed over the centuries that they had been apart, suddenly he was second guessing himself which he has only ever done when Alice was involved. He just wanted this night to be perfect. Everything else had been set up for them, all Alice needed to do was get changed if she wanted to and then he would whisk her away for the evening. “If you aren’t fond of the dress, I’m sure there will be a dress in Rebekah’s closet.” As he spoke, he could feel the uncertainty creep to the forefront of his mind. Alice was really the only person that he ever gave options to, most of the time the people in his life would either have to do things his way or no way at all. Which didn’t always go down well with his siblings, however they knew how he could be. With Alice he was different, he wanted her happy so in turn he would do whatever he could do make her happy.

---

Grace knew her mom was going to like Jeremy, he was the only boy that she has talked about to her mom, so she knew her mom was interested to meet him. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be anything said that would embarrass Grace in front of Jeremy. “You’ll be fine,” She assured him with a smile before her attention moved onto Alice, “Have fun.” She knew she would find time later to spend with Alice, she deserved to have a night with the man she clearly never stopped loving. It was about time that Alice took the time she needed for herself, to do whatever she wanted and be with whoever she wanted to be with. It was her time now. Settling back into the couch, she didn’t move from where she sat close beside Jeremy because she was comfortable there. Her eyes found the movie again as more of her pizza was eaten, however the movie was only about half way in when the sharp ring of her phone interrupted them.

“Sorry,” She mumbled to Jeremy as she quickly answered her mom’s call, she had finished work and would be home shortly. Grace agreed to see her back home soon, sliding her phone back into her pocket she looked to Jeremy. “Mom’s just finished work, are you okay to drive me home now?” She asked knowing they had a plan to watch more movies, but she really did need to see her mom. Standing up from the couch, Grace grabbed the now empty plates and the finished drinks before carrying it all back into the kitchen. She tossed the drinks into the trash and left the plates in the sink, certain that someone else would be able to clean up after her as she didn’t have the time to. She didn’t want to give her mom another reason to freak out, if she took ages to get home after they spoke on the phone. Grabbing her backpack, she looked at Jeremy, “Ready?” The drive from Klaus’ house to her mom’s wouldn’t take them long, but would still give her time alone with Jeremy before he met Tegan.

Silently, Alice followed Klaus, keeping close to him. Really, she was glad that Grace was getting close to somebody her age. With how often they moved around, Alice wasn’t sure how often Grace got to spend time with people her age, or people who were more or less normal and human. More than anything, Alice thought Grace deserved that much in life - having somebody that she could rely on outside of Alice and Tegan. Her attention was caught by Klaus when he spoke, though, and she blinked, watching him with curiosity. “Something for me?” she asked with mild surprise. They’d only remet the day before, there was no way he could have already gotten her a gift, was there? But, then, he turned around with a gorgeous dress and Alice could feel her heart swell, her eyes widening with shock and happiness. “Klaus,” she breathed out quietly as she moved over, taking the dress in her hands, running her fingers over the intricate and delicate details of the dress.

“It’s gorgeous,” Alice breathed out quietly, unable to tear her eyes from the dress, “Perfect, even.” Shifting, she carefully took the dress from him and held it up, holding it against herself to see how it looked in the mirror and she could feel herself perking up, a broad grin forming on her features. For a moment, she even let herself spin a bit, too happy with the dress to really stop herself. But, she paused in her actions when she heard Klaus’s later words and, blinking, she looked towards him, confused. “Why wouldn’t I be fond of the dress, Klaus?” Smiling, she moved to set the dress carefully on the bed before she moved over to him, sliding her arms around his neck to kiss him, just for a moment. “I love it.” She smiled a bit broader, letting her fingers toy with his hair for a moment before she pulled back and picked up the dress. “I’ll go change now, then we can leave.” For a moment, she grinned at him before she moved to the bathroom to change. Once she was done and ready, she came back out.

---

“Well, at least, if I can survive your dad, I’m sure I can survive your mom,” Jeremy joked lightly, grinning slightly as he watched her. He relaxed into the couch with Grace and a part of him so badly wanted to wrap his arm around her and hold her close, but he was pretty sure that would result in him losing that arm in a house that was full of Originals. But, that didn’t stop him from watching her, smiling to himself as he took her in. The fact that he’d met her, that he was getting to know her, was something that he considered himself lucky for. With everything he’d been through ever since his sister first started dating Stefan, ever since they were first introduced to this supernatural world, he hadn’t really expected to meet somebody who seemed to fit just right into his life, even with the family she had. Something about Grace really just seemed to make his entire life seem that much better, it brightened up every day for him, and he couldn’t imagine what his life would be like if he hadn’t met her. He didn’t want to imagine that, either, honestly.

When her phone started ringing, he nodded when she excused herself and watched her while she spoke to her mom on the phone, smiling as he waited. The phone conversation didn’t seem to last long, but maybe it wasn’t too much of a surprise, since it seemed like a mostly quick conversation overall, from what he’d paid attention to of it. “Yeah, of course,” he assured her, nodding as he stood up. “What does she do for work, anyways?” He arched a brow as he helped her clean up as much as he could, wanting to leave as much of a good impression on this part of Grace’s family as he could. If anybody could keep him out of Grace’s life, after all, it would probably be the Originals. But, he also wanted to know more about Grace’s mom - he wanted Grace to see that he wanted to be a part of her life. Once they’d gotten everything cleared, he grinned to her and nodded. “Ready,” he assured before he took her hand in his gently and led the way out of the house, back to his car. Unlocking the door, he opened the passenger door for her.

Watching Alice take the dress from his hands, he grinned as she held it up against her body and looked at herself in the mirror. It was times like this, that Klaus forgot only for a few seconds, about how long they had been apart from each other. As it felt like to him, that they were back there, a different time than now. They had been happy, the only threat he had was from Mikael, but they had spent so much time together where Klaus never once thought about the man he used to call his father. “It has been a while since I have brought you a gift, I wasn’t sure if you would like it. I saw it a few years ago in a small store in Paris, it might have been silly of me to buy it with you in mind. But I couldn’t walk past that store without it,” He explained how he had kept the dress over the years, in case by some miracle they were reunited. Part of the dress had tortured him since he made the purchase, knowing Alice would never see nor wear the dress for him. Why the universe was now giving him the one person he always dreamed about was beyond him, why was he being rewarded now after all the monstrous things he has done.

His hands easily finding her waist as he eagerly returned her kiss, his eyes moving over her body as she turned and hurried off, so she could get herself ready for their evening together. Klaus again stepped over to his closest and pulled out black dress pants with a black shirt, changing his clothes and shoes, he also grabbed a blazer which would merely serve as something he could drape over Alice’s shoulders. Waiting until she walked back over to him, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. The dress fitted her impeccably as he knew it would, and she glowed with beauty that left him speechless. “You are perfection, my dear.” He smiled as he pressed a kiss to her temple and offered his arm for her to take, once she had he lead her through and away from the mansion. What he had his hybrids set up for them was within walking distance from their home, yet still far enough away as to not have anyone annoy them. The gravel path guided them through the dense trees until flickering lights could be seen past the tree trunks, “What do you think, my love?” He whispered softly into her ear once they had arrived at their picnic.

---

Grace knew her mom was going to love Jeremy, he was after all the first ever boy that she was going to bring home. Normally, she wouldn’t bother with friends or boyfriends, as she knew no friendships that she made would ever last long. “She’s a doctor at the hospital,” Luckily her mom always found jobs each time they moved, plus she was able to keep an eye on if any patient had a bite wound although it also meant she often worked late or through the night. Holding his hand, she couldn’t help but smile as they headed outside to his car. She climbed inside as Jeremy held the door open for her, buckling her seatbelt across her body before she looked at him. How she had gotten this lucky, she would never know. She had figured if her mom continued moving as often as they had been, Grace wouldn’t have the chance to find someone who would love her and except her completely. Her gut was telling her that she had finally found that person in Jeremy, she assumed that she would be sticking around in Mystic Falls for a while now.

With that in mind, Grace loosened the seatbelt across her body and closed the gap between her and Jeremy. Before he had the chance to start the engine of his car, her hand cupped his cheek and gently turned him so he would be facing her. Pressing her lips to his for the kiss that she had been dying to share with him, she couldn’t care less about if her family saw the intimate moment between them because she had wanted to kiss him for weeks. She just found the courage to act on how she felt for him at that second, kissing him was exactly what she thought it would feel like. Her stomach was filled with butterflies and her heart was racing in her chest, all she could possibly think about was Jeremy. “You truly are the most amazing person ever,” Her voice was a whisper after she pulled back from his lips slightly, she could tell he didn’t see himself in that light. Grace had been preparing for him to hate her for what her father and family has done, the fact that she’s a witch, her best friend is a vampire. Yet none of that mattered to him, he never once focused on that part of her, he never saw her as just that, it was like he saw passed that and saw more of her when no one else did.