chapter 28

But something happened, I heard him laughing
I saw the dimples first and then I heard the accent
They say home is where the heart is
But that's not where mine lives
He likes my American smile
Like a child when our eyes meet, darling, I fancy you

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

JADE WAS DROOLING on her pillow, smothered in a heavy sleep, when the shrill sound of her phone woke her up. Reaching out toward her bedside table with a small groan, she picked up and placed the phone to her ear, her eyes firmly closed.

"Have you seen Stefan?" Klaus asked immediately, bypassing greetings, his voice urgent and distressed.

As soon as Morticia heard the hybrid's voice, she jumped out of her place on Jade's dress from the previous day and lay down next to the blonde's shoulder, purring in contentment.

"Who...?" Jade asked quietly, her brain half asleep and her voice raspy as she hugged the cat closer to her chest.

"Do you know of anyone else named Stefan?" Klaus asked with incomprehension.

"Who... is this?" She breathed, her words barely understandable.

"Sweetheart, are you drunk?" Klaus asked. When the blonde didn't answer for a handful of seconds, her deep breathing the only thing the hybrid could hear, he spoke up again, his voice a little louder. "Jade."

Jade let out a questioning groan as she woke up again. When Klaus' voice echoed in her mind, she let out a sound of familiarity. "Oh, Nik. Hi." She mumbled incoherently.

There was a sound of mouth opening and closing on the other side of the line, and when blonde's own voice returned to her, she snapped her eyes wide open, sleep forgotten in a second.

Did she fucking said what she thought she said or did she fell asleep again? Please, God, Satan, whatever━let it be the latter or she might just kill herself right there.

Klaus cleared his throat. "Stefan Salvatore." He muttered, his voice much more quiet than before, making Jade pull on her own hair, eyes fluttering shut in embarassment.

It wasn't a fucking dream, you idiot!

"No, I haven't. I was too busy." Jade answered his previous question, her voice steady and firm now.

"With what?" Klaus questioned in confusion.

"Sleeping, you fucking moron!" The blonde shouted into the device in momentary surge of anger. "Do you know what time it is?" She asked, glancing at the time on her phone. "6 a.m, you psychopath!" She yelled in outrage as she put it back to her ear.

There was a huff, but Jade didn't know if it was out of amusement or exasperation. "You're a vampire, you don't need much sleep."

"Well, I'm a special vampire." Jade said in a sweet, mocking tone. "Why do you need Stefan at six in the fucking morning, anyway?" She asked, her voice turning more serious as she rubbed her face.

"He stole the coffins." Klaus grumbled.

Jade's eyebrows immediately jumped to her hairline, eyes wide. "Oh, shit..." She mumbled, staring at the ceiling in shock. "By what miracle?"

"Well, while Elijah was busy appeasing the wrath of our dear sister, and I was busy doing the oppos━"

"━Mhm, okay." She immediately interrupted him through gritted teeth. Hearing his soft chuckle, she let out a deep sigh. "I'll meet you at the Grill at some more god-given hour."

Klaus hummed in amusement. "Aw, sweetheart, are you asking me out?" He asked in his usual smug and cheeky tone.

"Goodbye." She grumbled and immediately hung up, burrying her face in her pillow, screaming silently.

...with a smile on her face.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Jade sat with Caroline on her bed in their pajamas, bowls of cereal on their laps. Since, of course, Jade couldn't get any more sleep after her conversation with the Original, and Caroline wasn't going to school due to it being a weekend, the sisters were lazily spread out on the older's bed. There was a laptop between them with a video chat with the Louisiana blonde, and Jade's phone next to it with a conversation with her favorite doppelgänger.

What? Girl's time!

One was sadly missing, but Liz still refused to invite Rebekah home.

Boo, mum. 

Although the blonde Original was too busy deciding who she should be madder at anyway━the doppelskank or her older brother.

Arriving home last night━reluctantly, very fucking reluctantly━the elder Forbes told the younger one about the events of the Homecoming party, in more detail than Tyler could.

There were many emotions on Caroline's face as Jade spun her tale; fear, shock, sadness, compassion, betrayal and finally anger. Anger that turned into burning fury with every word Jade spoke. When she revealed that it was her best friend who told Mikael about Jade's relationship with the hybrid. Damon? That one was expected, him being a piece of shit was nothing shocking, but Elena?

Elena, who has been her best friend since diapers? Elena, who Caroline has supported since they found out about the supernatural world? Elena, who she supported during her breakup with Stefan? Elena, who knew full fucking well that Jade was Caroline's whole world?

Yeah, that one.

Her ex-best friend, Elena.

Caroline Forbes was no longer a member of the Scooby Gang.

Round of applause?

So, they were all engaged in conversation, including Morti, naturally. Well, perhaps 'talking' wasn't quite the right word to describe it. Jade was actually recounting the eventful conclusion of last night's party.

She needed some advice, okay?

When it came to Jade and her involvement in such affairs, things usually followed a predictable pattern━some kisses, some sex, and then a swift descent into forgetfulness. But this time, things were different. There were emotions in the mix, something Jade wasn't accustomed to. In her human days, her emotions were like a drop in an enormous bucket of water, diluted and barely noticed. But now, she was no longer human; she was a vampire.

She could actually feel.

I mean, she could feel earlier, it's not like she was a robot, duh. But either she needed to exert herself, focus, or it must have been something tremendously moving. Now? Now it would make her cry if she saw a dying dog in a movie.

In a peculiar twist of fate, vampirism had bestowed upon Jade a strange sense of normalcy. It might sound paradoxical, but becoming a vampire had given her a taste of what it meant to be truly alive.

"And we..." Jade began, her voice barely audible, trailing off into incoherence.

Caroline and Cami exchanged grimaces. "What?" The younger Forbes snapped, spinning her spoon through the air impatiently.

"Jade, speak up, for goodness sake." Katherine's voice hissed from the device's speaker.

Jade bore her eyes into her meal, avoiding the blondes' eyes. "We kissed." She shrugged innocently, trying to appear indifferent.

Three voices chimed in at the same time.

"What?!" Caroline shouted, making Jade almost spill her cereal all over herself and Morti, who lay between them, to hiss.

"Oh, my God." Cami mumbled, eyes wide as she stared at her best friend.

"How was it?" Katherine questioned, her smirk evident in her cheeky tone.

Jade groaned and rested her head against the headboard. "Good." She confessed, her expression pained. "Very good."

"Did you kiss him back?" Cami asked, arching an amused eyebrow.

Jade shot her a deadpanned look. "Duh."

"Just kissed him back?" Katherine inquired.

"Yes, because my dear sister decided to call and interrupt." Jade said casually, pointing at the younger Forbes with her spoon.

"Caroline!" Camille scolded, throwing her hands in the air.

"Carebear, you stupid fucking bitch!" Katherine shouted in frustration.

Caroline scoffed. "How the hell could I know?" She questioned, glaring at the laptop's screen and Jade's phone. Then, she turned to her sister, who was watching her in slight annoyance. "You should throw it out the damn window!" She shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at her.

"So now it's my fault?" Jade pointed at herself with her spoon, shooting her sister a disbelieving look.

"Yes!" All three shouted, earning an eyeroll from the blonde.

She shook her head. "Okay, fuck all of you." She said with a cold smile, returning to her meal.

"No, fuck you." Cami said, a knowing smirk stretching on her face.

"Really soon, hopefully." Katherine added, backing up the Louisiana blonde.

Jade rolled her eyes, busing herself with her breakfast.

"So what are you going to do?" Caroline asked with a sigh.

Jade snorted. "You tell me." She said, her tone defeated.

"Jade in love, Jesus. I need to mark that day in calendar." Cami quipped with a cheeky grin, earning a chuckle from Katherine and Caroline.

"Still not in love." Jade grumbled under her nose.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "You literally fought Mikael, the worst being on the whole planet, just because he insulted him in front of you." She reminded her with a raised eyebrow. "If that's not love, I don't know what it is."

"It's probably some kind of mental disorder." Jade nodded to herself with pursed lips. "Cams, any thoughts?" She asked, turning to the laptop.

"It's love." Camille deadpanned.

"No."

"J, I love you, but you have a brain the size of a peanut." Katherine said, her tone exasperated. Caroline and Cami laughed, nodding their heads.

Jade scoffed, slapping her leg in annoyance. "Yeah? How about you and 'Lijah, huh?" She questioned knowingly, cocking her head to the side as she glared at her phone.

Caroline let out a disbelieving gasp at her sister's words. "You and Elijah?!" She shouted to the device. "I thought it was no longer on the table!"

"Because it isn't━"

"━Oh, but it is. They're just to stubborn to admit it." Jade said with a tight smirk.

"Pot calling the fucking kettle black!" Katherine shouted.

"I don't love him!" Jade shouted back, shooting daggers at her phone.

Katherine groaned in annoyance. "You made out with him, you blind fuck!"

"Have you seen his fucking face?!"

"Okay, can someone send me a picture of him?" Cami chimed in, gesturing wildly with her hands. "Did fucking God sculped him himself or what?"

"Worse, Cams." Jade shooked her head, leaning back on her headboard, her face defeated. "Satan sculped him." She muttered, letting out a might sigh. "In the best way possible."

Caroline glanced at the open laptop. "Check your phone." She said with a smirk, waving her own phone in the air.

Jade whipped her head to her sister in a flash. "How in the holy fuck you have Mikaelson's picture?" She asked in bewilderment.

"I made the photographer snap it when you were dancing last night." Caroline said, giving her a self-satisfied smirk and an innocent shrug of her shoulder.

"What?" The older Forbes barked, blinking rapidly.

"Yeah, before my boyfriend stabbed me with a needle." Caroline said, her tone bitter as she resumed her meal.

"How do you even have her Cami's number?"

"Oh, I stole it from your phone." Caroline said casually, earning a bewildered look from her sister. "What? I did it so she won't have to worry if someone decides to kidnap you again." She rolled her eyes.

Jade blinked. "Well, when someone's going to kidnap me, you should all be fucki━"

"━Oh, my God." Camille breathed, staring with wide eyes at her phone.

"Yeah, it's pretty juicy." Katherine quipped.

Jade threw her hands in the air. "You send it to her, too?!" She shouted to her sister.

"Um, duh?"

Jade banged her head against the wall. "I'm going to kill myself." She mumbled under her breath.

"Jades, that's him?!" Cami exclaimed, still staring at her phone. "Oh, sweet Jesus." She muttered.

"Yeah..." Jade trailed off, rubbing her forehead and briefly closing her eyes.

"If you don't want him, I'll take him." The O'Connell woman snorted in amusement.

"Woah!" Jade exclaimed, raising her palm up. "How about that he killed me? It was a big factor the last time I saw you." She arched her eyebrow at the blonde.

Cami shrugged. "People make mistakes." She said innocently, earning a laugh from Caroline and Katherine.

Jade shook her head. "You're deranged." She accused, pointing at her with her spoon. "And you're not taking him." She added after a second, her eyes narrowed.

"Guys, it's starting." Camille stated, trying to surpress the laugh that begged to be let out.

"Someone's possesive." Katherine quipped in a cheeky tone.

"Jade Mikaelson." Caroline mused in mock thought.

Jade scoffed and quickly put her cereal on her nightstand, the vein on her forehead almost popping. "Okay, fuck you." She muttered with a tight smirk to the blonde, ending their video call. "Fuck you." She muttered to her phone, hanging up. "And fuck you." She turned to her sister, pointing at her bedroom's door.

Caroline's face broke into a grin. "You're blushing." She stated, shooting her sister a pointed look.

"I'm not." Jade grumbled, her jaw clenched in frustration.

Caroline pouted. "Sure." She whispered knowingly. "It must be menopause, then."

"Get out."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

It was the moment when Klaus dipped her low, his face inches from hers. There was a mass of people around them, but the photo was taken in such a way that it looked like they were the main characters in some stupid romantic drama. They were like some kind of sculpture, mesmerized in each other's eyes and frozen in time while the crowd next to them a blur, too preoccupied with themselves. Kudos to Caroline for adding a black and white filter, it added much more drama.

All in all, it was a good fucking picture.

Yeah, she asked Caroline to send it to her.

She is not gonna even start on how much shit she got before her sister actually done it.

Jade began to study the hybrid's face and was surprised at how much emotion she saw on it. The photo was not so clear, but his gaze was. He looked at her as if she was the last person in the world, as if no one else mattered at that moment.

Then she looked at her own face.

It was the same.

"Fuck me." She groaned, resting her head on her hand, elbows bent as she stared at the screen of her phone. Does her face always looks like that? Or does it looks like that only when she's staring at━

"Daydreaming again, sweetheart?" Klaus questioned cheekily, his lips curled into a sly smirk.

Jade flinched so hard that she almost dropped her phone to the floor. "Jesu━fuck." She mumbled under her breath, touching her chest, eyes briefly closing as he laughed at her. "What the hell, Mikaelson?" She snapped, quickly hiding her device to her jacket's pocket. "Don't sneak up on me like that." She scolded, leaning back in her seat in the Mystic Grill.

Klaus arched his eyebrow. "I have been sitting here for 17 seconds." He said smugly. When he noticed the slight widening of her eyes, his cunning smirk deepened. "What were you doing?" He questioned.

Jade shrugged innocently. "Nothing."

The hybrid hummed. "Let's pretend I believe you." He nodded mockingly with narrowed eyes.

"Mhm." Jade hummed back, shooting him a cold smirk. "Found your thief?" She asked, changing the subject as her eyes involuntarily raked over his form.

She loved leather.

Bastard looked really good in leather.

Her eyes stopped on his neck, or more specifically on his necklaces, which were absolutely driving Jade crazy. Was he doing this on purpose? To look cool? Scratch that, to look sexy as hell?

Klaus smiled maliciously, not noticing her staring, because he was doing some staring of his own. "No." He muttered.

She was wearing a black lace top that was partially hidden under her, apparently favourite, black leather jacket. Her hair had returned to its messy waves, a contrast to her straight hair from the night before. Yet his attention was still most drawn to her full lips, which glistened in the slightly dim light of the restaurant.

He really adored them, especially after last night.

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "You know Mystic Falls is not that big, right? Don't you have like milion minions now?"

"Yes, they're looking for them as we speak." He replied, his eyes dancing with amusement. "Although they're not the brightest lot."

Jade tutted mockingly. "It's not nice to be mean to your children."

"They're not my children."

"They're your blood, so..." She trailed off, clicking her tongue against her teeth. Second later, she perked up, snapping her eyes to his. "Oh, my God. They're yours and Gilbert's kids." She gasped, grin stretching on her face. "You didn't even had to do it━"

"━I'm feeling a bit famished, is your whiskered nuisance still around?" Klaus interrupted her, leaning back and draping his arm over the blonde's chair.

Jade gasped in disbelief. "You did not just say that!" She exclaimed, slapping him on his thigh.

"I believe I did." He muttered nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulder.

Jade scoffed, shaking her head. "I hate you." She murmured under her breath in annoyance.

The hybrid arched his eyebrow. "That's not what you said last night, love." He said knowingly, playing with a strand of her hair.

"Yeah, because you weren't talking." She muttered in exasperation, swatting his hand away.

Klaus pouted in mock thought, humming. Then, he snapped his gaze to hers and leaned towards her, his breath fanning over the side of her face as he murmured. "No, but you made all those pretty nois━"

"━Matty-ratty!" Jade exclaimed, pushing Klaus back into his seat. "Hey, sweetie, would you mind bringing me a double Knob Creek and some shotgun?" She chirped, putting her chin in her palm, earning a snort of amusement from the hybrid.

"Hi, J. Yeah, sure." The Donovan nodded with a smile. Then, he crunched his face a little. "The drink, not the... shotgun." He said hesistantly as he turned around.

"Boo." Jade called out with a pout, giving him thumbs down.

"Didn't I tell you that Knob Creek is a pedestrian choice?" Klaus questioned with raised eyebrows.

"Do I listen?" She shot back, mirroring his expression.

"I'm begining to think you lack the ability." He muttered, earning a scoff from the woman.

"And I'm begining to think you're annoying." She retorted, looking at him with a tight smirk. "Scratch that, you are annoying." She added after a second, scanning him up and down.

Klaus touched his chest in mock hurt. "Oh my, my tears are about to fall."

"Feel free to choke on them." She send him a cruel smirk. When she saw that his expression was changing into a very cheeky one, she pointed at him with her finger. "Don't even open your mouth." She warned, shooting daggers at him.

Klaus let ouf a huff of amusement before he leaned once more toward the vampire. "I have a funny feeling you like it open." He whispered into her ear, his breath making the blonde clenched her jaw as a shiver when down her spine.

"I'm literally going to stab you." She grumbled under her breath, not moving away.

She kinda didn't want to.

The hybrid leaned slightly back, a shit-eating grin on his face. "Something's bothering you, sweetheart? Your sharp tongue is magnified today." He cooed, dragging his knuckles up and down the blonde's spine.

Jade took a deep breath and smiled mischieviously to herself.

Turning her head towards him, she leaned in towards his ear. "I have a funny feeling you love it." She murmured, her breath hot against his skin. Klaus clenched his jaw in response, his hand travelling from her back to her thigh. "Especially..." She trailed off in a whisper, bringing her hand to his neck and dragging one of her sharp nails up his skin, drawing a little blood. As Klaus let out a soft hiss in pain, she merely smirked and brought her bloody finger to her lips. "Here." She murmured as she locked gazes with his and licked it off.

Klaus's blue eyes darkened with a mixture of desire and something far more dangerous as he watched the blonde in hypnosis, especially her tongue that swirled around her finger. His grip on her thigh tightened, his touch possessive. "Do I indeed." He murmured in a drawl, his eyes filling with an intoxicating mix of lust and possession as he finally tore them from her hand and locked it with her eyes. "Careful what you start, love." He warned, his voice laced with a husky edge.

Jade's lips curled into a satisfied smirk as she continued to hold his gaze. "Careful isn't really my thing." She murmured.

A low growl escaped Klaus's throat at her words, and he found himself leaning in, but she spoke up. "He's here." She muttered as her eyes caught the sight of the elder Salvatore walking to the bar with the Gilbert girl.

Klaus responsed with a soft huff of amusement, his hold on her thigh momentarily bruising, to which she let out a quiet hiss of pain. Missing her lips at the last second, he leaned towards her ear, his voice making goosebumps appear on her skin. "Lead the way, sweetheart." He whispered, slightly nibbling on her earlobe with his blunt, human teeth before he leaned back, smirking slightly at the look on her face.

Jade looked at him with parted lips, her breathing slightly heavy. God, it was a good thing they were sitting in a corner of the restaurant and no one could see them, otherwise they might have traumatised someone.

On the other hand... fuck them.

Jade shook her head, a scoff leaving her lips as she rose from her seat and ran a hand over her face to calm herself down. Walking towards the bar, she could hear the hybrid laughing behind her, to which she responded by raising her middle finger in the air, not bothering to turn around.

Jade and Klaus sat at a table near the bar, and at the same moment Matt approached with her drink and a small apology for the delay, to which Jade dismissively waved her hand, her attention too focused on the ongoing flirtation between the doppelbitch and Piece of Shit the First.

Klaus sent a small text message to his hybrid Tony, who, a few seconds after sending the message, entered the restaurant, leaning against the table where the pair were sitting. After a quick exchange of names, his eyes carefully measured the oblivious blonde from head to toe, a smirk on his lips that disappeared almost immediately when he caught his master's murderous stare.

"Don't mind us." The Original said with a smile, making the pair whip their heads around in a flash.

"Klaus." Elena breathed in fear, making his smirk more defined.

Damon stepped protectively in front of the doppelgänger, earning a snort from the blonde as she sipped on her drink. "Gonna do this in the Grill? In front of everyone? A little beneath you, don't you think?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I just came down to my local pub to grab a drink with my girl and a mate." Klaus responded, walking up to the pair with an innocent look in his eyes as he glanced around. Jade raised her eyebrow at the word 'my', earning a wink from the Original, to which she rolled her eyes. "Get a round then, would you, Tony?" He nodded at his hybrid, smirking maliciously at Elena's frightful reaction.

"Surprised you stuck around long enough for happy hour." Damon muttered, shooting him a hateful look.

"Truth is..." Klaus began, taking few, dangerous steps towards the raven haired vampire. "I've grown to like your little town. Thinking I might fancy a home here." He said with a grin, snatching a dart from Damon's hand. "I imagine you're wondering how does that affect you? The answer is, not in the slightest." He mused in amusement, sidestepping him and making his way over to the dartboard. "As long as I get what I want and everyone behaves themselves, you can go on living your little lives however you choose." He spoke as he twisted his head towards the pair. "You have my word." He whispered mockingly.

Elena drew in a shuddering breath. "What more could you possibly want?"

"Well, for starters, you can tell me where I might find Stefan." He muttered threateningly as he walked up to her, pointing the dart's sharp end at her neck.

"Stefan skipped town the second he saved your ass." Damon spat lowly, inching his face towards the hybrid in an attempt to intimidate him.

Key word━attempt.

Klaus merely smirked and pointed at him with his dart. "Well, you see, that is a shame." He murmured, turning around and hitting bullseye effortlessly, earning an impressed look from the blonde and slight breath of fear from the doppelgänger. "Your brother stole from me. I need him found so I can take back what's mine."

Elena raised her eyebrows at the Original. "That sounds like a Klaus-and-Stefan problem." She scoffed, making Klaus tilt his head predatorily at her, to which she gulped.

"Ha." Jade laughed from her place at the table, shaking her head as she took a sip from her drink. "And you're wondering why your life is always at risk." She quipped, amusement dancing in her eyes.

Elena whipped her head around to the blonde, anger flashing on her features. "And what do you even want? You turned Caroline against me." She spat, folding her arms over her chest, eyes narrowed.

As soon as the blonde heard her words, her amusement dropped and she snapped her eyes to the doppelgänger's, making her face fall. "Mind repeating that?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at her. At her silence, Jade continued. "I didn't turn shit, Gilbert. My dear sister just finally realized how shitty her friends really are."

"I was trying to protect her." Elena spat defensively, earning a smirk from the ripper.

"I was trying to protect her." Jade mimicked mockingly, adjusting imaginery glasses, earning a laugh of amusement from the hybrids. She hopped from her chair and walked predatorily towards the brunette, making her jaw clench. "Remember when we were standing here, at this very bar, and you were saying some sappy shit like 'keeping people out of it hurts them anyway'? Because I do. Fun night." She whispered the last part knowingly, a grin stretching on her face. "Oh, and let's not forget how you and your lapdog literally threw me into Mikael's warm little hands." She sneered, inching her face dangerously towards Elena's. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't trying to kill your best friend's only sister a little...oh, I don't know... pretty fucking unforgiveable?" She asked with a little tilt of her head.

Damon stood between the women, blocking Jade's view of the brunette. "Back off, Harley." He growled into her face.

Jade grinned in amusement. "Lapdog speaks." She laughed, scanning him from head to toe. "How was your little nap?" She asked, cocking her head to the side with a sweet smile.

Damon let out a smirk of his own. "Not long enough, almost killed your boyfriend." He said in low voice, making Jade hum mockingly.

"Remind me again how that ended?" She asked with a pout.

"Leave him alone." Elena chimed in, anger in her eyes.

"Oh, don't be jealous, 'Lena. It's not your most attractive look." Jade mocked knowingly, looking at her from over Damon's shoulder. "And don't worry, he's all yours." She waved her hand, glancing black at the furious vampire. "Well, he did say that he loved me, but I think it's over now." She mocked again, making the Salvatore's jaw clench and doppelgänger's eyes widen. Klaus, who was watching her carefully, narrowed his eyes at Damon after hearing her words. "Unless...?" She trailed off with a smirk, raising one of her eyebrows.

"Go to hell." Damon spat lowly, piercing her with his icy stare.

"I'll see you there." She mirrored his tone, nodding at him with narrowed eyes. "But before we'll have our cute little date there..." She trailed off, quickly pulling out her dagger and plunging it between his ribs. "Where's Stefan?" She asked in a whisper as she twisted it.

Damon let out a slightly muffled groan. "You really want to do it in front of all these people?" He spat, grabbing her wrist and pulling the blade out of his flesh.

"Do I look like I care?" She shot back with raised eyebrows. When he responsed by an angered huff and twisted her wrist, she gasped, widening her eyes. "Oh, my God! I'm sorry! Please don't hit me again!" She shouted, causing every customer's head to turn around in their direction. Damon noticed and send them a smile, to which they shook their heads and returned to their conversations. But before he could let her go, Klaus pulled him towards himself by his collar.

"Touch her again and I'll feed your brother your remains once I find him." He whispered with menace, his breath on the Salvatore's ear. "My lady asked you a question, I would kindly advise you to answer it. Truthfully." He spat, a smirk stretching on his lips as he connected his gaze with the blonde's.

"I don't know." Damon spat through gritted teeth.

"Fair enough." Jade pouted with a shrug. Second later, she turned to the doppelgänger and clasped her hand on brunette's mouth, plunging the dagger into her stomach. "That's what Rebekah felt when you stabbed her in the back." She whispered into her ear as she muffled her cries. "Well, little higher, actually. But don't worry, I'm sure Damon will be very excited to share his blood with you." She grinned at her as she pulled the blade out and brought it to her mouth, licking it off and cutting her own tongue in the process. As soon as she let her go, Damon tore himself out of Klaus' grip and took her into his arms. "Have a nice day, we'll be in touch." Jade whispered with menace as she licked her bloody lips and wiggled her fingers at the pair.

Klaus watched her with admiration and slightly parted lips and, before he could control the Wolf within himself, he grabbed the woman's forearm and dragged her out of the restaurant.

"I didn't pa━" She began in irritation, but before she could end her sentence, the hybrid pushed her against a brick wall in some alley when they were far enough from prying eyes and ears. Before she could say anything else, he smashed their lips together in a bruising kiss.

Jade, initially taken off guard by Klaus's forceful advance, found herself succumbing to his actions almost immediately.

Duh.

She molded her body against his, feeling the hard contours of his muscles pressing into her with a delicious pressure. The kiss was just as passionate and rough as they were━the taste of blood lingered on Jade's tongue, and Klaus couldn't help but let out a small sound of approval at the taste.

Their breaths mingled, rapid and ragged, as their mouths fused together, mirroring their tumultuous connection. Klaus' hand moved from her forearm to tangle in her hair, pulling and tugging at the roots, earning a soft moan from the blonde that was muffled by his lips. Her fingers curled at his necklaces, pulling him even closer to herself, desperate for more contact.

As the kiss finally broke, leaving them both breathless and craving more, Jade sighed, letting go of his necklaces and dragging her hand down his torso. "Mhm." She hummed, her tone as if someone asked her a question.

Klaus let out a huff of amusement as he caught his breath. "Told you I was a bit famished, didn't I?" He murmured with a grin that devil himself could pull off, his voice raspy.

Jade let out a puff of air in amusement, leaning her head back on the wall as she locked her hungry gaze with his. "You might've mentioned it." She shrugged, earning a laugh from the hybrid.

After a moment, he tilted his head in thought. "Are you needed somewhere?"

"No, why?" Jade questioned, giving him a curious look, to which he only smiled.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Um, he took her on a date.

Well, maybe it wasn't a date, just a casual friend outing to dinne━okay, it was a date. Or was it? No, it was, wasn't it?

Jesus fucking Christ, if Cami or Kat saw her nervous like this, she wouldn't hear the end of it.

Caroline probably would just squeal.

Just like Jade wante━no you don't, you're a grown ass woman, chill, the fuck, out.

This is what she feared! It's one thing to have little heated moments and another to sit across from each other and fucking talk! What do people do on dates? Was it even a date at all? Jade's brain was exploding while she joined her gaze with Klaus, who merely smirked in response. He was about to open his mouth, but the waiter came over to them with their orders.

"Pig Blood Pasta with Smoked Stock for the lady." The suited man said, serving her the dish, to which she politely nodded. "And Sous Vide Rare Steak for the gentleman." He turned towards the Original.

"Thank you, mate." Klaus nodded with a smirk, to which he politely nodded with a smile and walked away.

Jade hummed as she tasted her bloody pasta. "Hm, not as good as human's." She said, pouting a little.

Klaus chuckled, shaking his head as he began to cut into his steak. "You don't say." He mused with irony, earning huff of amusement from the blonde while she sipped on her wine.

"They probably think we're some vampire-obsessed freaks." Jade said, glancing at the waitstaff. After a moment, she grimaced in thought. "Well, that's not that far from the truth." She bobbed her head from side to side, swirling the contents of her glass. "I love that wine, though." She said, taking an another sip. "Do you?" She asked. Before Klaus could have any chance to respond, she spoke up again. "I mean, you probably had like, a bajillion, in your lifetime, 'cause you were actually there when they discovered that they can get pissed from a fruit. How did they even come up with━" She stopped herself when she realized that Klaus stopped eating and just stared at her with a little smile, amusement dancing in his ancient eyes.

She wanted to actually kill herself.

"I see the resemblence to your sister now." Klaus quipped with a grin.

"Oh, shut up." Jade retorted, trying to suppress her own smile. "Me and Carrie are actually a lot alike, FYI." She said with raised eyebrows, pointing at him with her fork.

"Do you, now?" He asked playfully.

"Of course!" She exclaimed as if it was the obvious. "Daddy issues, mommy issues, we're both controlling, always have to do things ourselves, 'cause everyone is lacking their braincells, so that's not really our fault," She rolled her eyes, to which his smile only deepened. "Snappy, sarcastic, some may call us annoying, but I would say charming..." She trailed off knowingly, cheeky grin on her lips, to which he responded with a raised eyebrow, but his smile never wavered. "And we're both blondes." She concluded, shrugging her shoulders and resuming her meal.

In that moment, Klaus realized that, for now, everything else faded into insignificance. He was under her spell, and nothing else seemed to matter. His family dramas were pushed to the side, as was the fiasco with the Salvatores. He was enchanted by that nervousness he never saw before, by the rebellious gleam in her eye, by her.

Klaus hummed, taking a sip of his wine. "You forgot utterly beautiful, incredibly strong and full of blinding light." He murmured smoothly, a small smile on his lips.

"Are you hitting on my sister?" Jade asked with her face absolutely serious, causing Klaus' smile to drop. Bursting into laughter, she shook her head. "Kidding." She sang, earning a scowl from the hybrid, which only amused her further. "And yeah, I shine like a goddamn Christmas tree." She said with sarcasm, rolling her eyes.  "Especially when I kill people, my light blinds them so hard, that they don't even know when they're crossing the rainbow."

Klaus leaned in, his gaze intense. "Let me tell you something, sweetheart." He began, his voice low and captivating, making Jade's amused grin to slowly falter. "Sometimes the most brilliant stars are obscured by the clouds, hidden from the world's gaze. But that doesn't diminish their radiance; it only makes their light all the more precious to those who can see it." He paused, letting his words linger in the air, then continued. "And it isn't a mere beacon amongst some trees; it's a blazing fire that consumes the entire bloody forest."

As Klaus' words hung in the air, Jade found herself completely frozen and entranced in his watercolor eyes. In that moment, she realized that there was so much more to him than she realized. Yeah, she knew he was smart as hell, but that was something beyond that━he had a profound insight into the essence of a person's fucking soul. His words had peeled back a layer of her self-assured facade, revealing vulnerability beneath.

What are you doing to her, Klaus? You're supposed to be a bad, evil hybrid, not... this. Please, stop right now, or you might uncover something you won't like. Who nobody likes, not even her.

Don't make her feel like that. Don't make her feel like she hasn't felt in her whole life.

She's scared.

"Is everything all right? Can I get you anything?" The waiter's voice pulled her back from her thoughts.

"Wine." She breathed, her voice suddenly hoarse. "Much more wine."

Their conversation flowed on, the wine definitely helping the blonde. Klaus, as he observed her, he couldn't help but sense a hint of fear in her eyes. It was as though his words had breached a wall she had carefully constructed to protect herself. He understood the importance of those walls; he had built his own fortress of defenses over the centuries.

He couldn't help but wonder what lay behind Jade's facade. Yes, he know the glimpse of her past, but not everything. He wanted to know her dreams, hopes, everything she wanted in life. Klaus had always been skilled at unraveling mysteries, and she was the most intriguing puzzle he had encountered in a long time.

Well, he did love a good challenge, didn't he?

"So, I take you were a tattoo artist in New Orleans?" He asked, taking a sip of his wine.

"No, why would you think that?" She shook her head, giving him a blank stare as she put her tattoed arms on the table, to which he chuckled, Jade joining after a few seconds. "Not were, but are." She corrected smugly.

The hybrid hummed. "I see you finally remembered that you're a vampire."

"Yeah, I have my moments." She shrugged her shoulder innocently. "Heard you're an artist yourself." She said with a smile, putting her chin in her palm.

"Ah, and where did you posses such information?" He questioned as he mirrored her action, putting his chin on his joined knuckles.

"I have my ways." She flashed her eyebrows up and down smugly.

"Well, remind me to have a little chat with my brother."

"Yeah, it was him... yeah." She murmured to herself, pouting at nothingness, to which he arched his eyebrow in suspicion. "Do you paint with blood of your enemies or you're like us, boring people and use regular paint?" She asked playfully, smile creeping on her face.

"You would be surprised how much of a good medium it is." He said, nodded at her in mock seriousness, to which she barked a laugh, her head shaking as she slumped it between her shoulders. The hybrid smiled, narrowing his eyes at the blonde. "So not only a tattoo artist, then? Colour me intrigued." He mused with curiosity.

This is how the subject of art began, which could probably go on for hours, but at some point they were interrupted by a waiter who brought them their desserts. Klaus was mesmerised as she talked about her favourite painters, and she had eyes like coins when the hybrid told her tidbits about them that no one else knew, because he actually knew them. Do you even comprehend that? Drinking with them, partying with them, painting with them for goodness sake!

Like, did you know that Pierre Auguste Renoir was a cat person? She would totally vibe with him. Too bad Klaus killed little Babette when she pissed on one of precious landscapes. Jade was sure there was a reason, to which Klaus replied that, yes, there was━it was utterly better than her owner's.

Talk about ego.

"Any memorable tattoo stories?" He questioned in curiosity.

"I've done this leaf one time━"

"━I said memorable." He deadpanned.

Jade scoffed with a laugh. "Let me finish!" She exclaimed, attempting to smack him, but he dodged her hand with a grin. Shaking her head, she continued. "I was doing this leaf on some guy, and it took literally forever. Tiny ass leaf, and he was moaning and grunting in pain the whole time, annoying me beyond oblivion, and he wouldn't shut up about something. Care to guess what?"

"No idea." Klaus leaned back, shaking his head.

"Seeing a vampire." She leaned, wigling her eyebrows, her voice hushed.

Klaus snorted in amusement, slightly shaking his head. "Oh, sweetheart."

"Yup." She nodded, barking a laugh. "Of course, I was like, yeah sure, why not, you psychopath?" She mimicked herself, earning a chuckle from the hybrid. "Aaand later that same day I came back to Mystic Falls."  She deadpanned, giving him a look.

"And look at you now." He mused, looking pointedly at her with a warm smile.

"And look at me now." She echoed with a sigh, putting her chin in her palm. "A vampire on a date with a thousand year old hybrid." She concluded with snort, shaking her head.

"Date?" Klaus repeated, a shit-eating grin threatening to split his face in half.

Jade slightly widened her eyes, and the hybrid chuckled. "Huh? You've said something? I'm sorry, it's too loud in here." She shook her head, pointing at her ears, trying with all her might to appear casual.

He leaned in, pointing at her. "There's something on your face, sweetheart." He said with mock seriousness.

"What? What is it?" She furrowed her eyebrows, starting to touch her cheeks.

"I don't really know, but it's red. I think people call it a blush." He said smugly, leaning back in his seat.

"Check, please!"

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Some time later, the pair drove back to Mystic Falls from their little outing. Klaus, of course, didn't stop teasing her the whole way, only intensifying her urge to jump out of their speeding car. Despite everything, Jade had a good time at their... date. Ugh. She found out a lot more than she thought she would about the hybrid, which didn't help the fact that she couldn't stop thinking about him anyway. Well, now at least she would be able to it in greater det━

Stop.

She also told him that his feather tattoo is ugly and cringy.

He responded by asking for her portfolio.

She totally didn't get excited about tattoing him.

Totally.

They drove straight towards the Salvatore mansion, and now they were leaning against the doorframe of the its living room. "I see you fixed the furniture." The blonde mused, raking her eyes over the room.

Klaus smirked at her words, fixing his gaze into the elder Salvatore. "I think it's about time we all had a drink, don't you?" He questioned, raising his eyebrow.

Damon sighed before turning around. "I'd say we were overdue." He replied, a false smile on his lips.

The hybrid huffed with amusement. "Well, you've been so busy with all your plotting and scheming."

"You know me, never miss a chance to plan an epic failure." Damon said bitterly as he took a sip from his glass.

Jade snorted. "Good, at least you're self-aware." She said with a cold smile, leaning her head against the wall.

Klaus twisted his head around to the blonde vampire, shooting her an amused smirk as he  walked up to the Salvatore. "Oh, don't be so hard on yourself, who could've guessed your own brother will betray you?" He said with irony.

"Well, I did have a front-row seat when your sister lied to you." Damon shot back, his trademark half-smile on display, earning an eyeroll from the blonde as she walked to them.

Klaus' amusement immediately dropped. "Yeah, well, she's fickle, that one." He muttered.

Damon pursed his lips and downed the contents of his glass. "Drink?" He offered, and they both just gave him a look, to which he nodded and poured them each a glass and handed it over.

"Cheers, mate." Klaus said, a hint of a smirk curling his lips.

"Down the hatch." Damon murmured.

"To love and honor, if you can't come in her, come on her." Jade added, raising her glass in the air. When both of them just slowly turned their head to the blonde with bewildered expressions, she shook her head in confusion. "What? I thought we were doing sayings." She muttered, downing her drink, the men following after a quick moment.

"Do you have to be here? Or you go wherever your boyfriend goes?" Damon asked bitterly as he placed his glass back on the liquor table.

Klaus raised his eyebrow at the vampire's audacity, and Jade merely snorted in amusement. "You gotta to stop with the jealousy, Damon. It's getting a little embarassing at this point." She said in a hushed tone, inching her thumb and index finger together in emphasis.

"There's nothing to be jealous of, Harley." Damon said with tight smirk. "Elena is a hundred times better woman than you could ever be."

Klaus chuckled at his words, and Jade burst into straight laughter.

"Well, you see, that is funny, because six months ago she wasn't even a woman. Tell me, Damon, do you always seduce minors?" She questioned as she walked up to him with a menacing smile. "And it's nice to hear that you're not even denying wanting to fuck your brother's girlfriend." She added after a while, a smirk firm on her lips.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Are you still salty about your little, bitchy sister, or about the thing with Mikael? 'Cause I'm lost at this point." He raised his eyebrows at the blonde. "You could've died, so what? I did what I had to do, Elena would've been safe, and that's all that mattered."

Klaus took one, dangerous step towards the vampire with clear murder in his eyes, but Jade immediately outstretched her arm, stopping him.

The blonde let out a low whistle, shaking her head slightly. "Wow, not even Tyler's sirebond to Mikaelson is as strong as your Gilbert's obsession." She scoffed in amusement, eyeing him from top to bottom in awe. A he clenched his jaw, she took few steps towards him, her voice low as she spoke. "And this is why you'll always stay the lesser brother." She spat knowingly, recounting their little moment before Klaus' ritual. "Well, is it on Gilbert, though? Or is it about that you were obsessed with Kat for over a century and a half and she didn't give a single shit about you?" She questioned with a grin, predatorily tilting her head to the side.

Damon let out a small huff of amusement. "My obsession? Why don't you look at yourself? A guy gives you a little bit of attention and suddenly you're opening your le━" He didn't get to finish his sentence, because the hybrid immediately flashed between them and raised the vampire in the air by his throat.

Jade took a step back, lips slightly curled as she watched him.

"━You see, I wanted to have a little chit-chat beforehand, but you seem to lack the control of your tongue, so I'm about to tear it out in a second." He said with artificial calm, enjoying the pointless struggle of the Salvatore. "There'd be no point in killing you, because you're the one with the most hope of getting me what I need. Perhaps I wasn't clear enough when I told you to find Stefan. Oh, well." He mused with false sympathy. "It seems you people respond best to displays of violence. Why don't you take this as an example of my reach?" He whispered with menace, sharply throwing the vampire to the floor.

Then, Klaus reached towards his pocket and retrieved his phone. As he dialed a number, he reached towards the Salvatore with his free hand and, in one fluid motion, ripped his tongue from his mouth.

Jade let out a soft gasp, her mouth stretched into a grin as she listened to his scream.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Keeping the trashing vampire down with one hand, Klaus spoke with an amused smile. "There he is. So that thing I told you to do━why don't you go ahead and get on with it?" He said to the device, piercing the confused Salvatore with his gaze.

Jade crouched down between them, her voice hushed as she inched her face towards Damon's ear. "Ability to walk is so important during those pubescent years, don't you think?"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Jade sat on the couch in her family cabin, her fangs sinked in some hiker's throat that she and Rebekah found strolling in the forest. Without comparison, human blood was much better than pig's. Duh. She absorbed every drop thoroughly, her fingers gripping his neck and digging into his skin so hard that she pierced it.

When his heartbeat stopped echoing in her ears, the girl peeled away from his skin and licked her lips, taking a deep breath. "Done with the whiny bitch?" She asked as she glanced at the blonde Original.

"Yeah." She breathed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "You can take her." She looked pointedly at the dead body in her hold.

Jade scoffed. "Hell no, it's your turn." She rolled her eyes and threw the limp body in Rebekah's direction, which she dodged.

"Ugh, I was hoping you might have forgotten." Rebekah grumbled under her breath.

So, as the women met in the Forbes family cabin and ate their lunches, they developed a system. Since neither of them had the slightest desire to dirty their nails by digging graves, they decided to swap. They either set the bodies on fire or quartered them and waited for the animals to dispose of them themselves. Rebekah wanted to simply throw them into the river nearby, but Jade protested, not wanting to add to her mother's workload. As she had promised not to feed on the townspeople, the blondes always checked if their meals were from the town, if not... well, you know what.

Last time, Jade chopped the bodies into small pieces and threw them to some pig farm, compelling the owners to look the other way.

Did she learned that from 'Snatch'?

Duh.

Brat Pitt wasn't the only reason she remembered that movie. It turned out really educational.

Jade snorted in amusement as she collapsed back on the couch, crossing her legs. "You wish. Take his ass." She looked pointedly at her man's lifeless body.

Rebekah rolled her eyes and dragged them both outside by their legs. While she was busy pouring gasoline and setting them on fire, Jade poured them both a drink.

"Where's Elijah?" She asked as Rebekah joined her on the couch, grabbing her drink from the coffee table.

"Scouring the Earth with Nik for our family." The blonde replied with raised eyebrows, taking a sip.

"Why aren't you helping?" Jade questioned in curiosity.

Rebekah shot her a look. "My idiotic brothers lost them, they need to find them themselves." She grumbled in annoyance.

"And you don't care?"

"Of course I care. It's my family, for heaven's sake." She spat, making the other blonde raise her palms in defensive gesture. "I'm in a mood right now." She added with a sigh.

Jade nodded with a slightly amused pout. "Of course."

The Original huffed in amusement. "But let's not talk about those wankers, let's just talk about the sweet revenge on equally sweet Elena." She said as she turned to the other blonde, a cruel smirk curling her lips.

The Forbes woman mirrored her expression, clicking her tongue against her teeth. "Actually, I already stabbed her today in your name." She said in satisfaction in her tone.

"For me?" Rebekah gasped, clutching her shirt dramatically. "Oh, Jade! You didn't have to." She cooed, giving her a quick hug, making the other blonde laugh.

"Of course I had to." She said with a smile, twirling her hand in the air.

Rebekah huffed a laugh and leaned her elbow on the couch's backrest. "But still, I would like to do a little stabbing on my own."

"What's stopping you?"

"Literally nothing."

"Exactly." Jade winked, making the other girl smile. After a pause, Jade sighed, tilting her head back and looking at her with more serious expression. "How are you feeling, Bex?" She asked in sympathy. When Rebekah shot her a confused glance, she elaborated. "About your mom."

Rebekah's eyes flickered down. "Better." She murmured with a sigh. "I mean, she was dead already for a thousand of years, so it's not like I'm relieving the grief." She rolled her eyes, taking a big gulp out of her drink. "But it's like a storm of anger, betrayal, and sorrow all rolled into one. She was our mother, despite everything, and I can't believe Nik would do such a thing." She said under her breath, her emotions evident in her tone. "And Elijah, of course, behaves like he always does━forgives him in a second and then acts like nothing ever happened." She added bitterly.

Jade drew in a big breath. "Well, fuck 'em." She said as she let the air out. "You have me." She said with a little smile.

"Please, I know you two kissed." Rebekah grumbled, rolling her eyes.

Jade's jaw immediately clenched. "Well, Elijah needs to learn how to keep his damn mouth shut." She spat through gritted teeth, earning a snort of amusement from the other blonde. Sighing, Jade patted the Original on her thigh. "Yeah, we did, but that doesn't matter. If one of my friends is hurting, I'm there, no matter what, okay? And if you want to get back on him, I'm there too." She said with a small smile, which Rebekah returned.

The Original sighed deeply, fixing her gaze ahead. "We could kill Elena." She suggested.

Jade pondered over the idea, her gaze also fixed into nothingness. "We could, but we would also die, like, five minutes later." She said with a little grimace.

Rebekah kissed her teeth, nodding slightly. "Yeah, not a good idea." She muttered. When silence fell between them, both women trying to think of something, Rebekah suddenly perked up, smirk curling on her lips. "We need to find the coffins." She said knowingly, turning her head to the blonde.

Jade grimaced, glancing at her friend. "Uh, no shit?" She raised her eyebrow.

"...And free the rest of my family." The Original added, arching an eyebrow.

Jade let out a low whistle, shaking her head. "Oh, you evil, little bitch." She said with a mischievious smirk.

Rebekah shrugged innocently. "I got it from my brother."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The girls sat and talked for a few more moments, but a text message from her sister made Jade run out of the cabin and head towards the hospital where her favorite history teacher was.

Or rather the idiot.

Jade won't even comment that the rest of the message included something along the lines of 'im texting bc idk who ur with or what ur doing' and some winking emoticons.

Little bitch.

"Hey!" She exclaimed to some nurse as she marched quickly along one of the corridors in the hospital. "I'm looking for Alaric Saltzman, where is he?" She questioned impatiently.

The nurse nodded and pointed at some door at the end of the corridor. "He's over there, they're about to take him into surgery." She informed with a smile, that quickly faded when Jade started to briskly walk towards it.

"Hey! Ma'am!" She called out after her. "You can't enter━" She began, but Jade quickly spun around and leaned towards her face.

"━What's your deepest secret?" She questioned as her pupils dilated, testing if the woman was on vervain.

"I lick my cat." She answered robotically.

"Okay, so━you what?" Jade barked in bewilderment, her face scrunched. "Why?"

"Because I think she misses her mom, and I've read that the sensation━"

"━Okay, shut up, weirdo." The blonde stopped her, raising her palm. "You're tired, you're going to get coffee. And now you will forget about this conversation." She compelled. When the woman turned around and started to leave the corridor, Jade shook her head. "What's wrong with people." She muttered under her breath as she walked towards Alaric's hospital room.

"Hey Ric, you fucking idiot." She said as she walked in, closing the door behind herself. Alaric was lying on a hospital bed, covered in his own blood and the forming bruises that protruded from under his torn clothes.

"How the hell did that even happen?" Jade questoned aloud, looking at his ring as she bit into her wrist. "When there's a car speeding, you wait for it to hit someone else, dumbass." She spat in annoyance, bringing her bloody skin to his lips before sighing. "But I get it. I would do the same for Carrie." She confessed, watching as his wounds started to close. "There, I will kick your ass when you wake up." She threatened, wiping her hand on the inside of her jacket.

She stood like that for a while longer, shaking her head. After a minute, she reminded herself that someone could walk in here at any time. Rolling her eyes and saying goodbye to Ric's unconscious form, she left the room.

As she strode towards the hospital's entrance, a voice called out. "Jade?"

Jade furrowed her eyebrows as she turned around. "Merry?" She said in slight surprise as her eyes landed on Meredith Fell.

Jade has spoken to Meredith maybe a couple of times in her life. The woman was three years older than the blonde, so they passed each other sometimes in the school hallway, but they ran in different circles. Jade was more of a loner who only kept up the appearance of a model student, while Meredith was one of the popular kids━a cheerleader and prom queen. However, Jade never had any issues with her. Unlike some of the other privileged popular kids, whose only concern was who would win some dumb football game, Meredith was a really good and kind person. So, Jade wasn't the least bit surprised that the girl became a doctor.

"That's a sight I thought I would never see again." Meredith quipped with a little smile.

"I've been in town for a couple of months." Jade said, pursing her lips.

"Really?" The Fell woman raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Well, I pretty much live here, so..." She trailed of with a soft chuckle. "How are you doing? And what are you doing here?"

"My friend got hit by a car." Jade answered, not bothering to answer the question about her well-being. "I came to visit, but they say I couldn't." She sighed, false concern crossing her features.

"Oh, yes. Alaric Saltzman, isn't it?" Meredith asked, shuffling through her pad. As she found the right page, she raised her eyebrows. "I'm not surprised, he's got internal hemorrhaging, three broken ribs and a severe concussion. You won't be able to visit him for a while." She said, giving the blonde a sympathetic look.

"Jesus Christ..." Jade breathed dramatically, rubbing her forehead. "Can you give him a message from me when he'll wake up?"

"Yes, of course." The woman smiled kindly.

"Tell him that he's a fucking idiot and that I'm going to kill him." Jade said, her face absolutely serious.

The brunette arched an eyebrow. "Jade, I can't talk to my patie━"

"━Channel your inner Dr. House." Jade interrupted, shrugging and giving the woman a smirk.

"He never swore." Meredith deadpanned.

"Because the show is 15+, which is a bummer." Jade rolled her eyes, and the other woman nodded after a moment of thought. Sighing, Jade spoke up. "Okay, just tell him to call me."

Meredith smiled at the blonde. "And that I can do."

"You're boring." Jade muttered.

The Fell woman laughed, nudging her in the arm. "I prefer professional." She said cheekily, and Jade rolled her eyes with a slight smile.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Saying goodbye to Meredith, she concluded she would return home on foot. She strolled leisurely toward the Forbes residence, her phone pressed to her ear as she chatter and smoked.

"She's strangerly calm, I don't trust it." Klaus grumbled from the other side of the line.

Jade snorted in amusement. "Maybe she forgave you?" She asked, taking a drag out of her cigarette.

The hybrid let out a small huff of annoyance. "Oh, don't pretend you don't know anything."

"I don't!" Jade exclaimed with a grin.

"Tell me." He urged.

With a mischievous grin, Jade shook her head. "Nope." She popped her lips as she flicked the ash.

"So you do know." The Original muttered, his tone laced with amusement.

"Maaybe." She drawled cheekily, placing her cigarette between her lips and inhaling the smoke.

"Oh, c'mon. For me?" He questioned, the charming tone of his voice making her laugh.

"Especially not for you."

"Fine, I will find out on my own." He grumbled, earning another laugh from the blonde. After a brief pause, he changed the subject. "I have found a home for myself and my family today." He boasted.

"Really? There are houses big enough to fit your fam's insanity?" She questioned, her tone impressed.

"I menaged to locate one, yes."

"Where is it?"

The hybrid hummed. "What is the matter with my sister?" He countered.

Jade let out a puff of air, her head shaking. "Oh, no, no, no. I won't fall for that." She shook her head with a smile on her face, taking finishing off her cigarette and throwing it into a nearby trashcan.

Klaus clicked his tongue against his teeth. "Pity, I won't tell you, then." He said in such childish manner, that Jade couldn't help but bark a laugh.

"Oh, no. What will I do without that information?" She gasped dramatically. As Klaus chuckled, she stopped in her tracks, her eyes fixed on her family's home. "Okay, I gotta go. Need to watch some Dr. House with Carrie." She said as she climbed the front porch's stairs.

"Have a nice evening, sweetheart." Klaus said, his voice warm.

Jade smiled. "You too. Say hi to Elijah for me."

The Original let out a thoughtfull sound. "I'll think about it."

Jade scoffed, her smile not leaving her face. "Dick." She muttered, ending their call and swinging open the front door.

As she entered the depths of her home and reached the living room, her smile immediately fell from her face.

Her eyes widened.

Her breathing stopped.

Everything seemed to just stop.

"Hello, Jadie." Wiliam Forbes said with a warm smile, leaning back in his chair and taking a sip out of his glass.

a/n: tldr;

jade: im not in love, i just ✧like him✧
klaus: me neither, im just ✧intrigued✧

yeah and i wanted rebekah faking killing jade as revenge but then i was like no way he would be over it in a second 💀 and then i wanted kat to come and pretend to be elena so they would fake killing her, but then he would be mad at kat and we dont want that . . . . ugh

PAPA FORBES IS IN TOWN !!! everybody get your torches and pitchforks

also, random thought--there is not enough words in the world for me to describe how much i hate the title of this book 🤤