A/N: I'm so sorry for how long it took me to get this chapter out but I kept encountering points in this chapter that just demanded a break to be able to continue from. Anyway, I'll allow you to read the chapter and not take up anymore of your time.

Chapter 14

The words began an awkward silence between Jeremy and Kol and the boy shifted uneasily after a moment. He noticed that Kol was graciously not saying anything and giving him time to think without interruptions.

"You don't know if you want to be a vampire do you, mate?" Kol asked, noticing that Jeremy had a confused look on his face and in his eyes.

Jeremy reluctantly nodded. "I love Klaus and I want to be with him forever but I don't exactly have a very good track record with vampires," he responded.

"Really?" Kol asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Yeah. First there was Vicki, she's my ex-girlfriend, Damon turned her and then she tried to bite me and drain me dry. Next was Damon who was in love with my sister and broke my neck. Last was Katherine, who actually did drain me and broke my neck," Jeremy explained, crossing his arms and rubbing the upper part of his arms. "And you probably find that amusing."

Kol shook his head, actually feeling sorry about for his brother's mate, something that never happened in his life before now. "I don't. What I do think about it is that you have the worst luck in this town," he said. He thought for a moment and figured that it must have been at least five minutes or more since they had left Niklaus. He figured that it was about time they went back before he ended up daggered again.

"We should go back before Nik gets too impatient," he said, walking over to Jeremy and gently taking his arm. "I'm sorry about bringing that topic up. Just don't tell any of my brothers that I apologised. They'll just start bugging me about what I'm planning." He opened the door and let Jeremy take the led as they left the room and went down the hall after he closed the door behind them.

"It's fine. I would have had to talk to someone about that sooner or later and it's probably better that it was you and not Nik. I'm not sure how he'd take my indecisiveness. I won't tell them anything. I wouldn't want to ruin your image after all," Jeremy said, shooting a teasing smirk over his shoulder at the vampire behind him.

Kol laughed and opened the door to Finn's room when Jeremy paused there to wait for him. He led the way inside and used his vampire speed to move out of the way of his angry hybrid brother, grabbing Jeremy as well so Klaus didn't blame him for any injury he accidentally inflicted.

"Nik," Jeremy said. He took a set forward, trying to go over to Klaus who was now standing in the doorway of the room with his fists clenched at his sides but Kol gripped his arm and held him back. He turned his head to look at him, forgetting about everyone else except for Kol and his mate. "Kol, he won't hurt me. Let me go." He pulled at the grip on his arm but Kol still didn't budge.

Kol looked over Jeremy's head at his brother. He knew that Klaus would do his best to stop himself from hurting Jeremy but every instinct in his body screamed that Jeremy would be better off waiting until it was certain that Klaus had calmed all of his anger. He waited until Klaus's fists loosened at his sides before he let go of the teenager.

As soon as he was released, Jeremy immediately ran over to his hybrid and threw himself into the man's embrace. "What's wrong, Nik?" he asked, burying his face in Klaus's shoulder.

Klaus did his best to calm himself down completely so that he didn't do anything he knew he would regret. He was thankful that Kol had moved Jeremy out of the way for he wasn't sure what he would have done if he harmed his mate accidentally. His wolf howled inside his head at the mere thought of the possibility. He pressed a hand to the back of his human's head, pressing him closer and he tilted his head down and kissed the top of his head.

"Nothing's wrong. It's just my possessive nature. Finn, Elijah, and Kol will all tell you that that has gotten them into trouble a few times in the past," he whispered, almost surprising himself with how honest he was with his answer. But then again, the teenager was his mate and he didn't even think of lying to him about anything.

Jeremy pulled away slightly from Klaus so that he could look behind him at the other three Originals. He wasn't sure if they had heard so he looked first to Kol, who was the closest.

Kol nodded, knowing what Jeremy was asking with his glance. He remembered the incidents Klaus mentioned and he winced inwardly in remembrance of the punishment his brother had inflicted. Anything they had coveted at the time, he had destroyed in retaliation.

Jeremy wasn't sure he wanted to know what had happened so he threw a glance at Elijah and Finn, who also nodded to him before he turned back to Klaus. The whole situation suddenly made him think about his recently ruined relationship with Elena.

Despite what Klaus had done to them, they still loved him as the family that he was to them. Elena, on the hand, as far as he could see didn't love him now that he had chosen to be with Klaus. He had heard her complaining about him as he was leaving although he knew that Klaus and Elijah both thought he hadn't heard anything she had said. It almost broke him to know that Elena was really so enamoured in herself that she didn't care for him anymore but Klaus's love and that of his brothers helped to keep him together.

Sensing Jeremy's distress, Klaus was unsure what to do except hold Jeremy closer to try to tell him that he was there for him and would always be there. He knew Jeremy had received the message when he wrapped his arms around his waist and hugged him back.

Kol itched to tease his brother about how he was acting but he understood that this was important for Jeremy's emotional state so he restrained the urge. He glanced at his other brothers and saw that they held the same understanding in their eyes. After a few moments, the depression started to get to him and he just couldn't stop himself any more. "As much as I think this moment is cute, why don't we go out somewhere and have a little fun?" he asked, shifting restlessly on his feet.

Klaus raised an eyebrow at Jeremy, telling him it was his decision.

Jeremy nodded, knowing that he needed that, a sense of normalcy. He pulled away from Klaus and turned to look at Kol, giving him a smile in thanks. "That sounds like a great idea," he said, trying to sound as happy as he wanted to. He threw a glance back at Klaus. "The Grill?"

Klaus nodded and took Jeremy's hand. He glanced over at his siblings, silently asking if they were coming. Kol immediately went over to join them at the door and Elijah and Finn joined him after rolling their eyes at his antics since his actions had a touch of arrogance and the psychotic nature they had noticed developing in their brother centuries ago. Finn only just remembered for they had noticed not too long before Klaus had daggered him.

Jeremy felt Kol brush a hand over the small of his back as he passed him and Klaus growled, making a move towards his youngest brother. Jeremy quickly stopped, forcing Klaus to do the same or risk dragging him along should he consider continue walking. "Klaus, let it pass," he whispered softly. "You told me yourself he likes to mess with people."

Klaus inhaled sharply as he restrained himself but he recognized the truth in Jeremy's words and restrained himself from hurting his little brother. He followed Jeremy as he started walking again, focusing on calming himself down. He caught the sound of chains when they all reached the bottom of the staircase. He turned his head too look in that direction confused for a moment.

Elijah noticed his brother's confusion immediately. "Finn and I had to put Stefan in that room that branches from the living room, remember?" he asked lightly.

Klaus nodded but something was urging him to go and confront the younger vampire. He glanced at Jeremy out of the corner of his eye. "I want to see him," he said lowly.

Jeremy shook his head immediately, worried about what Klaus would do but over Klaus's shoulder, he could see the expression on Kol's face and he knew that he wouldn't have a choice. He swallowed and looked back Klaus. "Ok," he whispered, looking down at the ground at his feet. "I'm staying in the living room with Kol, though."

Klaus nodded, throwing a glare in Kol's direction. He was satisfied when Kol held his hands up in surrender, giving him a nod to show he wouldn't try anything. He couldn't help but feel slightly hesitant about what he was going to do, able to sense Jeremy's indecision on the topic through their bond. It was obvious Jeremy loved him and wouldn't begrudge him his nature.

Jeremy sat down on the couch and watched as Klaus opened the doors, giving him a brief glance of Stefan chained to the wall in the small room before Elijah and Finn slipped in, closing the door behind them with an understanding glance thrown his way from the two oldest Originals. He glanced up at Kol when he sat down on the couch beside him.

"You know if you asked him to, Klaus wouldn't kill Stefan," Kol said, smirking slightly when Jeremy jumped at the unexpected sound of his voice.

Leaning back into the couch, Jeremy nodded. "I know," he whispered. "But I would never ask someone to change just so that I feel better. That's not really love or true friendship."

Kol blinked, slightly surprised at something so profound coming from the teenager who was barely even a fraction of his age. He listened closely to what was going on in the other room for a moment before turning his full attention back to Jeremy, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but where he was at the moment. He was about to say something when the sound of breaking chains stopped him, along with the door of the small side room flying open.

Jeremy looked up and saw Stefan flying towards him with an angry look on his face and revenge sparking in his eyes behind the cool and aloof exterior he was trying to put up. He knew he wouldn't be able to move out of the way fast enough for Stefan not to be able to do anything but he had nothing to worry about.

Klaus suddenly appeared behind Stefan, grabbing him by the neck and tossing him to the other side of the room, as far away from Jeremy as possible. He made a move to turn to deal with Stefan but Kol beat him to, suddenly appearing standing in front of the younger vampire. Deciding Kol would most likely try to kill him as well if he tried to kill Stefan himself, he turned to Jeremy and gathered him up in his arms.

Jeremy buried his face in Klaus's chest and wrapped his arms as tight as he could around the hybrid's waist so he couldn't pull away, despite his supernatural strength. He looked over at Kol beating Stefan up over Klaus's shoulder for a moment before burying his face in his mate's chest again.

Kol tossed a glance over his shoulder at Jeremy. He grabbed both sides of Stefan's head and twisted his head around violently, breaking the other vampire's neck. He glanced up to find Elijah and Finn standing in front of him, both looking in Klaus and Jeremy's direction. "What happened? I thought he was chained up," he said, tilting his head towards Stefan's unconscious form on the ground.

Elijah grimaced slightly to himself at Kol's question. "It would appear that the chains Niklaus had in the room that Finn and I used to restrain Stefan were not up to par to holding a vampire for as long as they did," he said.

Staring at Klaus's back as he held Jeremy close, Kol grimaced, not afraid to show the expression around his siblings. He was certain that his half-brother would not understand that it wasn't Elijah and Finn's fault, or anyone's really, since Jeremy had been placed at risk. He knew for certain that it would cloud his judgement if it had been him and he could actually bring himself to care about a human.

Klaus brought a hand up to twine his fingers in Jeremy's hair and pull his head back, kissing him passionately on the lips. He ignored the presence of his brothers behind him and concentrated on immersing himself in his mate. It was mostly to comfort himself with the knowledge that Stefan hadn't been able to even lay a finger on him. It was just a reminder that Jeremy as a human was more vulnerable than the rest of them. But, he respected his mate's choice to stay human and wouldn't bring the subject up unless he did.

Reluctantly, he pulled away after a moment and turned to look at Stefan's figure on the floor a few feet away, keeping an arm around Jeremy's waist. He glanced over into Jeremy's eyes and fought with himself. As much as he wanted to kill the threat to his mate himself, he knew that no matter how much Jeremy tried to accept everything about him and his nature, it would be better to not make him have to accept the fact that he had killed someone his sister cared about.

"It's alright, Nik. I won't mind," Jeremy whispered, sensing what Klaus was thinking about even though nothing showed on the hybrid's face.

But before Klaus could respond, Stefan shot up from the floor and sped over to Jeremy, reaching out to grab him around the waist. Kol was suddenly there, gently shoving Jeremy towards Klaus before throwing Stefan to the floor. He sped over to the dining room and broke one of the chairs, taking hold of one of the legs and brandishing it like a stake. As Stefan got up and started towards Jeremy again, who had somehow ended up on the other side of the room from Klaus and the others since Kol had turned his attention away.

Feeling a surge of rage rush through his veins like nothing he had felt before in his life as either human or vampire, he sped over to stand behind the younger vampire. He grabbed Stefan's shoulder and out of the corner of his eye, he acknowledged Finn, who had grabbed Stefan's other shoulder to aid him in ensuring that the young vampire wouldn't be able to break free. Glancing up at Jeremy, Kol brought the makeshift stake up and slammed it into Stefan's chest, right through the heart.

Klaus came up behind Jeremy, using the mate bond to ensure that his mate knew it was him and not someone else so he didn't startle. He wrapped his arms around the boy's waist and pulled him back into his chest, both for comforting his mate and for himself.

Jeremy turned around in Klaus's arms and pressed his face into the area where the neck connected to the shoulder. He closed his eyes and took a deep shaky breath. He could feel Klaus's worry for him through the bond, it being so strong that he almost forgot that it wasn't his own emotion he was feeling at the moment.

Noticing that Jeremy was barely holding back a breakdown from the recent events of the past few days together, Elijah gestured to Finn and Kol who nodded to him in complete understanding without the use of words and then grabbed Stefan's body and dragged it out of the room to toss into the lit fireplace in the drawing room a few rooms away from where they were now. He glanced over at Klaus when he felt his brother's eyes on him and merely sent a glance at Jeremy to acknowledge he had done it for the human boy they had all come to somehow care for when it had been thought that they would never feel anything genuine for anyone again.

Klaus was just grateful his brothers seemed to like and care for Jeremy almost as much as he did. This would have been a lot more difficult if they were against this or still hated him. He shook off thoughts of his brothers trying to kill him and concentrated on Jeremy again when he felt his mate's mental walls slowly crumbling. "I'm sorry, Jeremy. I know he was a friend at one point. Plus, this was more or less my fault since I compelled him to the state he was in," he whispered, leaning down so he could place his lips at Jeremy's ear.

Jeremy just shook his head in response. It was a few moments before he felt that he could bring himself to move away from Klaus, if only a little, and speak. "It's not your fault and I don't blame you, Nik. It's not like you compelled him to do exactly what he did. It was his choice to do this, humanity turned off or not," he said.

"Well, now that the fun is over, let's go out," Kol said from where he had appeared in the doorway. When Klaus appeared to be ready to snarl at him, he merely raised an eyebrow in Jeremy's direction and smiled smugly when Klaus gave a grudging nod in consent. "Alright, Finn and Elijah are already waiting outside. Let's go."

Jeremy twisted his head around and watched Kol disappear from the room. He looked up at Klaus and smiled. "Kol's got the right idea. Let's just hope that this takes my mind off of everything that has happened. Like the fact that out of all of my friends, Damon is the only one who has accepted this," he said. He thought about that for moment then sighed. "And Damon isn't even my friend really."

Klaus didn't allow any expression to cross his face but he felt a twinge of sadness for his mate. He quickly shook it away though, feeling uncomfortable with the emotion he hadn't felt for centuries. He considered something for a moment then glanced down at Jeremy. "You may have lost your sister and a few others, but you have gained my siblings' love and trust. From what I have seen they have accepted you as family," he said, hoping that it would brighten Jeremy's mood for real and not the fake happy front Jeremy had been putting up the past few minutes.

Jeremy gave a little laugh to himself at the realisation that Klaus had seen through his front almost immediately. He thought about what Klaus had said as they were walking to the front door to meet up with Kol and the others before they left without them. He realised it was true as he caught a glimpse of the worried expressions on the other three Mikaelsons' faces before they saw him and Klaus and smoothed the expressions from their faces.

Shaking off the self-pity he was feeling for what his life had become, he gave a smile to Kol when the youngest Original immediately came over and threw an arm over his shoulders despite Klaus's warning growl at his action.

Finn exchanged a glance with Elijah as they both watched Kol and Klaus escort Jeremy towards Klaus's car. It was obvious that Jeremy still wasn't 100% but there wasn't much that they could do to help the boy. It would depend entirely upon Jeremy himself and Klaus, no matter how much they wanted to help.

A sudden thought occurred to Finn and he quickly reached out and grabbed Elijah's arm, stopping him and allowing some distance between the two of them and the others.

Elijah quickly shot a questioning look at his brother, raising an eyebrow at him.

Finn exhaled, not really wanting to bring this up but knowing he needed to. "What shall we do if Elena is at this… Grill?" he asked, not quite used to the modern way of speaking and the names of buildings.

Elijah allowed a frown to cross his face at the question posed, cutting a glance towards the others from the corner of his eye. Jeremy was standing by the car, talking to Kol and Klaus was making his way towards he and Finn, obviously having heard what the two of them were talking about.

"Finn, would you mind going over to make sure Kol understands his limits when around Jeremy?" Klaus asked, looking directly at Finn.

Finn tensed slightly but relaxed when he realised that Klaus was, in fact, asking him and not ordering him to do what he wanted. He nodded and walked over to where Kol and Jeremy stood, throwing a glance back at Elijah, who gave a minute shrug.

As soon as Finn was standing with his mate, Klaus turned back to Elijah. "If you see Elena there, I want you to make sure that Jeremy does not see her, if it is possible. If he has already seen her, we'll deal with that should it occur," he said. He asked himself why Elena could not just pretend to be happy for her brother at least but then again, the girl struck him as the type to enjoy having everything revolve around her and no one else mattered to her, although she would pretend that they did. He didn't dare to say anything to Jeremy though, his mate being upset enough already.

Jeremy's sudden laughter reached Klaus and Elijah and they both looked over to see that Kol had started to tickle the teenager, apparently having exhausted all other methods of distracting him. Elijah watched Klaus out of the corner of his eyes when he saw that Finn was sneaking behind Jeremy, waiting to see how he would react. He tensed, ready to restrain his brother when Finn grabbed Jeremy by the arms, pulled them behind his back, and held him still so Kol didn't have to chase him.

He only relaxed when Klaus smiled at the unrestrained happiness in Jeremy's laughter that they could all hear perfectly and he suspected that his brother could feel through his bond with the young human.

"Nik!" Jeremy shouted through his laughter. "Stop them!" He tried to fight Finn but the Original tightened his grip just slightly in playfulness.

Klaus tilted his head slightly in consideration before he flashed over and gently pulled his mate away from both Kol and Finn, giving the both of his brothers a grateful glance when he knew his mate would not be able to see it. He rolled his eyes at Kol's smirk, having known that was how his youngest brother would respond to his thanks.

Jeremy backed up until his back was pressed against Klaus, traces of his laughter still in his eyes. "Let's get going, Nik," he whispered, turning his head to be able to direct the words at Klaus.

Klaus nodded, gesturing to his brothers to get in the car. He waited until Elijah and Finn were in the front, Elijah driving, and Kol was in the back behind Finn before he nudged Jeremy to get in the back before he got in himself, closing the door behind him. He noticed that Jeremy looked slightly uncomfortable being in the middle between he and Kol but there was little that could done.

Feeling slightly caged, Jeremy snuggled up into Klaus's side. He felt Klaus wrap an arm around his waist, nudging him until he was leaning with his head on his mate's shoulder.

Kol glanced at Jeremy out of the corner of his eye but was not insulted at the fact that the teenager needed his space. With all that he had been told had happened lately to the teenager, he thought if he were normal and had went through what Jeremy had, then he would be going through the exact same thing although he was not exactly certain for he had never truly been normal or exactly sane throughout his life.

After a few minutes, Jeremy raised his head from Klaus's shoulder and he happened to notice as he did so that they were at the Grill and Elijah was merely parking the car.

A quick glance at the cars parked around the Grill almost made him tense but he forced himself to remain relaxed by sheer force of will so that Klaus would not notice his unease. Elena's car was parked across the street from where Elijah was parking and this alone told him that the Original had not noticed the car and realized Elena was here. If he had, he had no doubt that they would be on their way back to the mansion.

They all needed this night out at the Grill, though, and he didn't wish to ruin the chance for Klaus to start to bond with his brothers again. His relationship was not as bad as it had been but it still needed a lot of work for it to reach the level he longed for it to be at. He needed to fix what he had done in the past to destroy the family he craved to have.

Klaus tightened his grip around his mate's waist when he felt him tense and then relax again in the span of less than a minute. He knew his mate was just trying to help him to have this opportunity to fix his relationship with his brothers so he said nothing. But, he decided that at the first sign that Jeremy was not enjoying himself, he would make everyone leave, no matter if they wanted to or not.

He gestured to his siblings to go in first and he waited until they were inside the Grill before he turned his full attention to his mate. He placed his hands on both sides of his face and gently nudged him to look him in the eyes, despite the reluctance he could see in every line of the boy's body and that thrummed through their bond. "You do know that as soon as you don't feel completely comfortable being here, none of us would mind going back home, right?" he asked, voice soft.

"Why wouldn't I feel comfortable being here, Nik?" Jeremy asked, trying to play oblivious even though he could see in his hybrid's eyes that it was a pointless endeavour. His mate had already seen his sister's car and there would be no persuading Klaus of the opposite of what he thought. It was better off to just try to pretend that nothing bothered him so he could have time with his brothers.

Sighing, Klaus told himself that his mate would tell him if he wanted to leave and decided to drop it. It wasn't worth the pain it would cause Jeremy if he fought with him now, especially over something so trivial as his sister's presence at the same place as they were. He opened the door of the car, got out and reached a hand out to help his mate before he realized that he might not want to seem weak and started to pull his hand back. He blinked in slight shock when Jeremy grabbed his hand before he could completely pull it back.

Shutting the car door behind him, Jeremy pressed himself into his mate's side, wanting the comfort he provided through his warmth and his close proximity. When he felt his eyes on him, he tilted his head slightly and smiled up at him.

Almost unwillingly, Klaus allowed a smile to spread across his own face and walked with his mate up to the door of the Grill. He sent one last look down into the boy's eyes before he opened the door and led the both of them inside. He immediately located his siblings who had somehow managed to sit at the best table in the whole place, although he supposed Kol would have just compelled whoever had been sitting there before to move. It certainly would explain why his youngest brother was smirking so smugly.

As he walked Jeremy over to the table to join his siblings, he subtly looked around for his mate's sister, wanting to know where she was so that they could avoid her as best as they could. He spotted her over at one of the pool tables in the raised area of the Grill with the witch, Bonnie Bennett. He angled himself to ensure that Jeremy would not be able to see either of them.

Jeremy sensed immediately that something was bothering Klaus but he ignored it for the moment in favor of sitting down in the seat that Finn pulled out for him. It left him with Finn sitting to his left and Klaus to his right. Kol was sitting to Finn's left and Elijah sat between Kol and Klaus, which Jeremy assumed was to ensure that the two would not cause a fight with such a proximity to each other. "How are you adjusting, Finn?" he asked to distract himself and the Originals.

Finn blinked a moment and then turn his gaze away from the girl he had been told by Elijah was Jeremy's sister. He looked at Jeremy and smiled slightly. "This time is slightly overwhelming for me. Perhaps if so much time had not passed, it would be easier for me to adjust however… I find that I will most likely never completely understand this time. I… I am unsure as to whether I will actually ever get used to this time," he replied.

Frowning, Jeremy threw a glance at Kol. "And what about you?" he asked, unsure as to how long it had been for Kol since he had been able to walk around.

Kol threw a wink at Jeremy, making the boy blush and Klaus growl at him in anger at the perceived threat to his claim to his mate. He rolled his eyes then set his attention to answering Jeremy. "Klaus here daggered me near the end of the 1800s. It has not been very long for me and I find that not much has changed," he said. "Except perhaps for the fact that metal bats are now used instead of the wooden ones for baseball."

Jeremy couldn't help himself and laughed at that little added frustration from Kol. "It's not something that anyone has really given much thought to, Kol. Truthfully, it's just an economical and environmental decision. It makes it so we don't have to cut down many tress and the metal bats are cheaper for companies to make. But, wooden bats are still made, they're just not that popular anymore since the metal actually gives an advantage according to some," he said.

He felt slightly awkward when he noticed that all four of the Original brothers were staring at him with all of their focus. He shifted himself and his chair to get closer to Klaus, even though his mate was staring at him as well.

"What?" he asked, trying to push his feelings of unease away. "I used to play when my parents would bring all of us to visit family in Colorado Springs."

"Relax mate. We aren't judging you, it's just that you didn't any of us as very sporty, no offense. Plus, Klaus had already informed us that you share his love of artistry," Kol said, his eyes firmly fixed on Klaus instead of Jeremy since his hybrid brother was a lot more volatile.

Jeremy relaxed but he felt uncomfortable still and too far away from Klaus. So, he stood up from his chair and sat down in his mate's lap, winding one arm around his mate shoulders to keep his balance. He felt the hybrid give him a slightly confused glance and he merely rested his head in the crook between his mate's shoulder and neck in answer.

Suddenly, Klaus tensed under him and turned his head slightly to see what was wrong. He regretted the action when he saw that Bonnie and his sister were standing there beside the table.

Elena was standing there, every line of her body portraying anger and disgust while Bonnie was slightly harder to read. The only emotions that were obvious from her were confusion and slight disgust as well.

"Well, if it isn't my idiot of a brother who can't even see when he's being used as a toy until his entertainment value has passed," Elena said meanly with a sneer across her face.

Jeremy knew immediately that Klaus's temper would get the better of him so he placed a placating and shamelessly passionate kiss on his mate's lips then turned to face his sister and ex-girlfriend.

"How many times must everyone in this whole town aware of the supernatural tell you that I'm not being used. I doubt anyone would go to effort like this to use someone to get close to you," he calmly replied back with only a slight bite to his address to his sister.

Elena flinched back slightly at the bite in her brother's voice but then her sneer deepened. "This whole town would sacrifice itself for me because without me no one here would have purpose," she said, posing arrogantly.

Jeremy snorted and he heard Kol echo his disbelief. "Elena, the whole world couldn't care less whether you existed or not. People in Egypt don't know you exist and they all have purpose in their lives. I hate to break this to you but you aren't the center of the universe of to anyone except for yourself," he replied, keeping himself calm.

Klaus remained silent, feeling that his mate needed this be able to become whole again. And, he was fairly certain that if he or any of his siblings were to interfere, Jeremy wouldn't take kindly to the action. He noticed the Bennett witch giving Elena a slightly disbelieving stare and was grateful that the witch could recognise how self-centered the girl was.

Elena didn't have a chance to say anything in reply to that for Kol just couldn't keep his mouth shut any longer. "You're an eyesore, darling. And, you're ruining our night out with family. So please remove yourself from our vicinity before I do it for you," Kol said with a slightly insane grin.

Elena quickly fled at that, recognising that she would not be able to get her brother to dote on her again and that if she lingered she would become a mere meal for one of the four vampires present at that table.

Bonnie lingered for a moment, uncertain. "I can't say I really approve of your relationship with Klaus, Jeremy. But I won't try to drag you two apart like Elena was attempting. I just hope you'll always be happy," she said. After she stated where she stood she turned and walked out of the Grill, a few tears falling from her eyes as she went.

Jeremy glanced around at the Original vampires plus his mate who were now his family and instead of dwelling on the past as he had been the past few days, he thanked god in his head for the new family that he now had. "Let's just enjoy our day," he said, refusing to allow this to be anything but an enjoyable time with his mate and his brothers.

Jeremy walked through the doors of Klaus's home, laughing at a joke Kol had made. Without really realising, all of them walked straight to the living room and distributed themselves on the furniture, Jeremy and Klaus sat themselves down on the love seat while Kol sat in the armchair near the fireplace and Elijah and Finn took the couch. Jeremy blinked when he realised where they had all immediately went but he said nothing, wanting the content atmosphere to last for a little while longer.

Klaus felt hesitation and contentment through his bond with Jeremy but he said nothing, instead shifting himself to be stretched out across the love seat and wrapping both arms around his mate, pulling him down gently to lie down on top of him. He nuzzled his mate's neck but remained silent. He relished the silence in the house for the moment, knowing with Kol around that it would not last much longer. His youngest brother just couldn't stand silence for more than a few moments.

And sure enough, Kol stood up from the armchair and stretched. "Well, as much as I would to stay around and gift you with my dashing looks, I'm going to bed. I've had my fill of emotion today," he said.

Klaus and the others remained silent as Kol left and the vampires in the room could hear him going upstairs. Jeremy sighed softly and made himself comfortable on top of his mate, allowing his heavy lids to cover his eyes slightly.

He must have drifted off for a few minutes for when he opened his eyes again and looked around, it was only he and Klaus remaining in the living room, laid out on the love seat. He twisted around to be able to face his mate and saw the amusement on his face, which meant that he had broadcasted more than he thought through the bond to his mate.

Klaus chuckled softly, reaching a hand up and running it through his mate's short chocolate brown tresses comfortingly. "Elijah and Finn decided to go get some rest and leave us alone when they noticed you had drifted off. They both asked me to tell you that they have enjoyed their time together with us as family," he said softly.

Jeremy felt his eyes widen in surprise at that but truthfully it should not have surprised him all that much. He had not missed how all of the Originals had taken to him almost immediately, protecting him even if they were not aware of it at first. He said nothing in response, knowing that his mate would be able to feel how happy he was with the news. "Let's go to bed, Nik," he leaned down and whispered into his mate's ear.

Klaus immediately swept Jeremy into his arms at the request and flashed them up to their room, closing the door softly behind them. He relished in the laugh his mate let out as he tossed him gently onto the bed, He kicked off his shoes and pulled off his mate's, setting them by the door of the room. He climbed onto the bed, lying down beside Jeremy. "How are you feeling love?" he asked, wrapping an arm around the boy's waist and pulling him up against his side.

Jeremy made himself comfortable and then pondered Klaus's question. How did he feel? "Surprisingly, I feel happy, Nik," he replied. He rolled slightly on top of his mate, who wrapped his arms tighter around him. "I think I've always known and accepted that sooner or later I would have to leave Elena behind. It doesn't hurt as much anymore. I think these past few days have just been a shock. There's a difference after all between accepting that it will happen and it actually happening."

Klaus nodded in agreement, remaining silent as he pressed a kiss to the top of Jeremy's head. After a few moments, he slipped out from under Jeremy, shedding all of his clothes except for his boxers. He turned back around to see Jeremy reaching out for him with a cute pout on his face. He chuckled softly and instead of taking hold of him, he stripped him of his shirts and his jeans. He settled back down on the bed with his mate half on top of him and pressed to his side.

Jeremy dozed off for a few moments and when he woke up, he turned his head slightly and noticed that Klaus was asleep, which made him blink in surprise at the sight. He shook off his surprise, deciding that his hybrid needed the sleep since he was surely feeling his own stress but Jeremy's because of their bond. He exhaled softly and looked around the room, spotting a duffel bag beside the bed that looked like one of his own.

So as to not wake Klaus, he stretched his leg out and snagged the strap of the bag, lifting it up onto the bed. He pulled it closer and opened it, riffling through it. His fingers encountered what felt like a book and he pulled it out, his breath catching when he noticed that it was the book where Klaus had found the hybrid myth.

He cracked the book open at a random page, settled back down on top of Klaus and began to read, using his mate as a table. He read in silence for the length of the first few pages but when he got through 4 pages from he had started, he had to stop and reread that page.

Hybrids gain powers from completing their bond with their mates if and once they find them. However, it must be noted that the mates themselves are likely to gain powers from their hybrid partners, depending on what species they are themselves. For human mates, it is thought that they will gain immortality from their bond with a hybrid although it is not for certain. If the species of the mate is vampire, it is….

Jeremy stopped there, rereading that passage again for the third time but the passage still didn't change at all. He hesitated, wanting to wake Klaus but his mate needed sleep and he wasn't certain that he could wake him up for something that was mere opinion and not concrete in the book.

The decision and the potential guilt were taken away from him as Klaus stretched under him and his eyes began to open. He quickly took the book from on top of Klaus, flipping it face down, open to the page he had been reading and placed it beside him on the bed.

Klaus rolled his head on the pillow to be able to look Jeremy clear in the eyes. He smiled softly at the teenager, bringing his hand up to twine in the chocolate brown locks he loved so much. He gently pulled his mate's head down and he rose up to meet him and kissed him softly on the lips before he let him go and collapsed back down onto the bed.

"Is something wrong, love?" he asked softly, noticing that there was a hint of confusion and another emotion that he could not identify in his mate's eyes. He allowed a frown to cross his face as he watched Jeremy reach out and pick up an open book from the bed. He accepted it when it was handed to him, his frown deepening slightly in his growing confusion.

Taking the cue from the look on his mate's face, he read the page the book had been open to. He didn't grasp what about these two pages could have possibly generated this reaction in his mate until he read them for a second time. He froze and then slowly raised his eyes to look at his mate again, lowering the book to the bed as he did so.

"You could be immortal, love," Klaus whispered, his shock echoed in his mate.

A/N: So, I hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter after the long wait. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Please don't forget to review.