chapter 29

Scattered 'cross my family line
God, I have my father's eyes
But my sister's when I cry
I can run, but I can't hide
From my family line
Oh, all that I did to try to undo it
All of my pain and all your excuses
I was a kid but I wasn't clueless
Someone who loves you wouldn't do this

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

"WHAT THE HELL is he doing here?" Jade spat through gritted teeth, plunging her bulging eyes into her mother, who was staring at her ex-husband in bewilderment, gripping the side of the countertop she was standing by.

"Mum? What happened?" 9-year-old Jade asked with furrowed brows when she saw her mother lying on the ground in the hallway.

Liz snapped her eyes upwards in a flash, her eyes glistening. "Nothing, sweetie. Go back to your room." She said with a little smile, pointing at the door.

Jade was about to open her mouth, but then she saw her father's form walking nearby. "Your mother had a little accident, now she's being dramatic." He snorted in amusement, glancing at his wife. "Get up from the floor, Liz, for Christ's sake." He muttered, his head shaking as he sipped on his drink.

Jade was looking at her mother with furrowed eyebrows, eyes darting between her and her father, who was looking at her expectantly. "Did you not hear what your mother said to you?" He asked, taking few steps towards the little blonde girl.

"What did you do?" She asked defiantly, little pout forming on her lips as she watched her father crounch down to her eye level.

Liz began to say something, but his commanding voice was louder in Jade's ears. "Being curious can get you into trouble." He said with artificialy warm voice. "Would you like to be in trouble, Jadie?" He asked, tilting his head with a little smile.

"No." She said quietly.

Bill smiled, patting her on her blonde curls. "I thought so."

Bil chuckled, his head shaking slightly. "What a nice welcome." He said ironically, amused smile on his lips.

Even his voice alone made Jade shiver. His stupid, infuriating grin, his relaxed demeanor, so casual, as if he hadn't single-handedly shattered the lives of the women who now stood before him. The room seemed to tighten around the blonde, the atmosphere growing heavier with every passing moment, every second of tense silence.

Jade curled her fingers, driving her sharp nails into her palms, trying to control the panic that grew in her chest like icy spikes, driving into her already palpitating heart. "Mum?" She echoed herself, not sparing her father a glance.

She couldn't. If she did, she wouldn't be able to tear herself away from his gaze. His cold, heartless, tyrannical, harsh━

The gaze that mirrored her own.

She did have his eyes.

"I don't really know, that's what I'm trying to figure out." Liz said, looking at Bill with a look that was reserved for the worst of criminals, her tone just as icy as Jade's. "What are you doing here, Bill?" She questioned in suspicion, narrowing her hateful eyes at the man.

Bill looked at his ex-wife with a small smile and a little shrug of his shoulders. "It's my daughter's birthday tomorrow, why wouldn't I visit and wish her a happy birthday?" He asked, and Liz's eyebrows shot up to her hairline. Then, he glanced at his firstborn, giving her a pointed look. "And yours it's coming, too. I got you both some gifts." He said, smiling at the blonde.

"C'mon, Forbes! I did it myself." 11-year-old Vicki exclaimed with a half-toothed smile, pointing to a chocolate cupcake with one, small burning candle. 

Jade smiled tightly, clutching secretly at the arm her father had pushed her against the door that day because she wanted to wear a pink tiara to school for her birthday.

"Make a wish." The brunette urged excitedly, slipping the cupcake under the blonde's nose.

Jade sighed, candle fire reflecting in her stormy eyes. Taking a deep breath, she blew out the flame, earning a toothy grin and excisted clap from her best friend.

"Happy birthday, J!" Vicki exclaimed as she pulled her best friend into a tight hug.

"Thanks, Vicks." Jade smiled and put her arms around the girl, her wish echoing in her mind.

I wish dad would die.

Jade couldn't hold back any longer and connected her gaze with his. She looked at him with a mix of shock, disbelief and pure fury, a total contrast to his expression, which was warm and kind, a facade that Jade knew very well.

He hasn't changed one bit. The same hairstyle, maybe with some more gray hairs, the same wrinkles, the same empty, soulless eyes, the same smile that to others might have seemed nice and friendly, but made the blonde shudder in dread.

Jade scoffed softly, her eyes narrowed into tiny slits. "Are you... fucking kidding me?" She said quietly, her head shaking lightly in disbelief.

"Woah! Language!" Bill exclaimed with amusement, raising his palms at the blonde as a grin started to form on his lips.

Jade's eyebrows shot up, eyes widening as she glanced at her mother, her disbelief only growing, mirroring her mother's.

"Am I in some fucking hidden camera?" She scoffed, spreading her arms in the air and glancing around with wide eyes. Then, her gaze returned to her father's, pure hate blazing in them. "Get the hell out of here!" She shouted, pointing at the front door.

With each passing second, she felt her inner monster trying to get out, scratching at her chest, begging to emerge and show her father who is more dangerous here now. Who is stronger, who could crush whom like a meaningless worm.

She drove her nails into her thigh and clenched her irritated teeth, whose gums itched with the need to drive her fangs into her father's artery. A delicate, flimsy neck that would be so easy to tear apart, rip his stupid head from his stupid shoulders, and then rip out his heart━his stupid, empty, small, black, made of stone━

"This is my house too, Jade." Bill spoke up, his smile faltering, the familiar coldness lacing his tone.

And Jade hated how it still made her flinch.

Jade stirred in her plate reluctantly, her gaze focused in her food. "Can Vicki come over? We have a project to do together." She asked in a small voice, glancing sideway's at her father, but not looking him in the eyes.

"No." Bill said firmly, busy with his meal.

"But dad━"

"━Didn't you hear what I said?" He immediately interrupted her, turning his head towards the blonde.

"I did." She said quietly in defeat, her eyes fixed on her plate.

"And what did I say?"

"No." She murmured. "But dad, we need to do━" She tried again, but the rough and loud bang of his fist on the table made her shut her mouth and flinch.

"━I said no!" He shouted, Jade and her mother flinching at his tone. Seconds later, a cry could be heard from floor above, from little Caroline. Bill clenched his jaw and spoke up. "Liz, go to her, I need to speak to our daughter about manners." He comanded, not tearing his eyes from the girl. Liz was about to protest, but when he looked at her, she stood up and did as she was told. Turning to his daughter once more, he spoke up. "You need to work on your listening skills, Jadie." He said, making the blonde bite on the inside of her cheek. "This is my house, my rules. And what are the rules?"

"No friends over." She murmured quietly.

"Speak up, girl."

"No friends over." She said a little louder, still not looking at him.

"Especially?" He pressed.

"Especially not Donovans." She whispered.

In the next second, Bill pushed her chin up forcefully. "Keep your head up when you're speaking to me!" He shouted, and Jade's eyes immediately twisted into a pained expression, her eyes watering. "Sit up straight, hands on your lap." He comanded, and Jade immediately complied, straightening herself and putting her hands on her knees, digging her nails into her skin. "And stop crying or I'll give you something to cry about." He growled, slapping her on the back of her head.

Liz glanced at her daughter, noticing the familiar fear crossing her features, which she tried with all her might to hide. Seeing her flinch at Bill's harsher tone, she shook her head, walking up to the man. "Get out, Bill." She spat coldly, pointing at the door.

When the man didn't move even an inch, Jade took few steps towards the man, stopping when she was right in front of him. "Get out of this house or I'll fucking drag you out of it." She practically snarled into his face, pointing at the door.

The daughter and father were locked in a cold staring contest, their twin eyes neither blinking, nor breaking away from each other. Jade felt like killing him there and now, her urges the same as when she was in that forest, when her father was just a mere hallucination.

Bill looked at his daughter coldly, yet a small smile began to appear on his lips. As if knowing, as if not surprised by her attitude and behavior.

She hated it.

She hated him.

"Jade." Liz's concerned voice broke them from their eye battle. She grabbed her daughter's arm, pulling her slightly away from her father, who sighed and began to rise up from his chair.

"Okay, I see I'm not welcomed here." She muttered under his breath, earning a scoff from his daughter. Grabbing his bag from the floor, he took few steps towards the front door. "I'll see you both tomorrow." He said with a little smile, twisting his head around. Jade and Liz furrowed their eyebrows in unison, especially at his warm facade. "Goodnight." He smiled once more, and left the house completely.

As soon as the click of the closing door resounded through the house, Jade let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding and leaned against the countertop, rubbing her face with her hands.

"Are you okay?" Liz asked in concern, putting her hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"Yeah." Jade breathed out, nodding rapidly. "What the fuck?" She questioned aloud with a grimace. "Where's Carrie?"

"She's at Bonnie's. She should be back soon." Liz said with a sigh, also leaning beside the other blonde, her head shaking as thoughts swirled in her head.

"Good, good..." Jade nodded softly, her voice hushed. After a pause, she glanced at her mother. "What the hell does he want?" She questioned, fear lacing her tone.

"I don't know, sweetie." Liz said gently, shaking her head. "I don't know." She echoed, more to herself than Jade. When silence fell between them, Liz looked up at the other blonde with a concerned look. "Are you sure you're━"

"━I need to lie down." Jade pushed herself off the counter, her head shaking. Liz was about to say something, but Jade twisted her head around, a small smile on her lips. "Goodnight, mum." She said before climbing up the stairs.

As soon as the girl closed the door to her room, she leaned against it, her trembling hand instinctively reaching for the spot where her heart seemed determined to pierce through her bones, muscles, and skin.

"No, no, no, no, no..." She whispered under her breath, her breathing heavy and loud, echoing in her dark room.

How could he show his face here? After everything? How could he look her dead in the eyes and fucking smile?

The turmoil within her was a relentless storm, tossing her emotions like fragile ships on treacherous waves. Anger surged like a tidal wave, an inferno fueled by years of pain and suffering. She clung to that anger, for it was a lifeline, a shield against the overwhelming fear that threatened to consume her.

Suddenly, a little meow pulled her out of her dark musings. She looked down, feeling the soft fur rubbing against her leg, and smiled, crouching down to the animal.

"Wanna trade bodies, Morti?" She whispered softly, scratching the purring cat under its chin. Morticia didn't seem to agree, stepping away from the blonde and walking towards her bowls, busying herself with her dinner.

Bitch.

Jade sighed, rubbing her face with her hand, her mind returning to reality. 

Feeling her rage pulsating inside her heart, like a caged beast yearning for release, she pulled a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of her jacket, shrugged it off, and opened the window. The cool night air brushed against her skin, a stark contrast to the heated turmoil within. Sitting down on the window sill, she fired up a much-needed cigarette and took a deep drag, the ember glowing brightly in the darkness.

"Fucking joke." She whispered under her breath, her voice edged with bitterness. She inhaled deeply, letting the acrid smoke fill her lungs, the harsh burn a painful reminder of the turmoil within her. She shook her head, her eyes fixed on the quiet neighborhood below.

The fucking audacity. It felt like a twisted punchline to a cruel joke, a nightmare that had come back to haunt her once again. How could he have the nerve to act as if everything were normal, as if he hadn't left a trail of pain and destruction in his wake? She remembered the bruises, both physical and emotional, the nights spent in fear, the shattered pieces of their lives that she, Caroline and their mother had painstakingly tried to rebuild. How could he simply stroll back into their lives, as if he fucking belonged there?

Her life was starting to get better, so of course her father came back to destroy it.

Again.

Finishing her cigarette, she crushed it against the ashtray on the windowsill and threw herself on the bed with a sigh. Few moments later, the black cat joined her, maybe sensing her turmulet emotions. Jade smiled softly, her hand immediately reaching out to the animal, absentmindly stroking her fur. Focusing her gaze in the ceiling and hoping she would burn a hole there with her eyes, she suddenly felt something.

She felt it.

Like a faint whisper, like tempting candy waved in front of a child, like a light promising bliss at the end of the tunnel.

The infamous switch.

Covering her face with her hands, she shook her head, trying to suppress its silent cry, its silent promises that everything could be turn off. Zero fear, zero anger, zero sadness. So simple, so at arm's length.

"Fuck no." She muttered under her breath, her voice muffled by her palms.

As tempting as it might be, the girl had to have her feelings. Her humanity, her conscience, or whatever it was called. She knew what it was like without them, or at least with them barely existing. True, it would have been a bliss without them completely, the thought of being in her father's presence without a blink of an eye was wonderful, but every stick has two ends. Being unmoved by her father, she would be unmoved by everything else, and that didn't sit very well with the blonde.

Before she could think about it any longer, a quiet knock on her door snapped her out of her train of thought. Mumbling an invitation, her sister appeared to her eyes with a slightly frightened and concerned expression on her face.

Jade, still wrestling with her inner turmoil, groaned in frustration as she noticed the worry in Caroline's eyes, shielding her face with her forearm to avoid revealing her own vulnerability. "Ugh, don't look at me like mum." She groaned.

Caroline let out a small puff of air in amusement as she walked up to her sister's bed, although it came out bitter. "Are you surprised?" She asked with a sigh, collapsing right beside Jade and grabbing the black cat to herself, hugging it to her chest and planting a quick kiss to her forehead.

"No." The older Forbes mumbled in defeat, her face still covered with her arm.

Caroline pursed her lips in response, fixing her gaze upwards. "What the hell?" She whispered under her breath, her head shaking in disbelief as she softly petted the animal.

Jade snorted slightly in amusement. "My question exactly."

"Did he really say that crap about our birthdays?" The younger one questioned with a raised eyebrow, her nose wrinkling at the uncomfortable thought.

"Yup."

"Geez..."

"Yup."

Caroline sighed and put the cat aside, which immediately jumped off the bed. Turning over to look completely at her sister in the dimly lit room, she spoke up. "What are we gonna do?" She asked, fear lacing her tone at the thought of him being in their lives again.

"Not a fucking clue." Jade replied as she finally uncovered her face, revealing the anxiety etched into her features.

Caroline, now deep in thought, chewed on her lip, her face a canvas of contemplation. "I could ask Bonnie for some kind of barrier in the house." She suggested, her voice tinged with hope.

Jade twisted her lips, pondering over the idea. "Would that last?" She asked, her tone sceptical.

"Probably not." Caroline sighed, her hand absentmindedly running through her curls, a gesture of frustration. "Worth a shot, nonetheless." She shrugged her shoulder lightly.

"Yeah." Jade breathed in defeat, her eyes returning to burning a hole in the ceiling.

Caroline mirrored her action, sighing. "How are you?"

"Pissed."

"Me too." Caroline grumbled under her breath. "First Tyler's sirebond, then that Mikael thing with Elena, then Tyler's sirebond again, and now our dear daddy decided to come home. Awesome." She summarized with a bitter smile, glaring at the ceiling.

"You two still broken up?" Jade asked, glancing sideways at the other blonde.

"Yup." She drawled, her lips letting out a loud pop.

"Fuck him."

Caroline let out an amused snort, nudging her sister with her elbow. "It's not his fault."

"Stefan could resist Mikaelson's compulsion because he loved the Gilbert girl so much." Jade reminded, raising an eyebrow at her sister. "Why couldn't Tyler do that?" She asked, and Caroline just tightened her lips into a straight line. At her silence, Jade shook her head. "He doesn't deserve you."

Caroline opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, unable to form an response. "Ugh, if I'll think about it once more, my head's gonna explode." She groaned, earning a small smile from her sister. Then, she glanced knowingly at her. "Speaking of the guy who's fault all of this is, how are you and my ex-boyfriend's master?" She asked with a little smirk.

Jade snorted in amusement. "Love that sentence." She glanced at her sister, who only gave her a look. Rolling her eyes, she returned her eyes to the ceiling. "I don't know, to be honest." She shrugged, twisting her lips into a grimace. "I... like him." She admitted reluctantly, her grimace deepening at her own words.

"So you love him." Caroline corrected, earling an eye roll from the older one. "Stop being stubborn and just admi━" She was about to rant, but paused when her sister's mouth stayed closed. "You didn't deny it." She whispered in realization, her eyes widening. "Oh, my Go━"

"Stop, before you wake up mum." Jade grumbled with slightly narrowed eyes, interrupting her sister's shout.

"You love him!" Caroline whisper-shouted with a grin, pointing an accusatory finger at the older girl.

"I don't love." Jade said defensively, emphasizing the last word dramatically, eyes darting around the room. When she noticed something, she reached out for her phone.

"You didn't love." The younger Forbes corrected with a smirk, that quickly faltered when she saw her sister typing something on her phone. Annoyance flashing on her features, she spoke up. "Hey, you can't just igno━"

"━Happy birthday!" Jade and Katherine's voices chimed in at the same time, the latter one's coming through a phone.

Caroline blinked in momentary stun and then noticed that it was, in fact, one minute after midnight as she glanced at the device's screen. "Oh, my God." She breathed out, blinking rapidly. "Thanks, guys..." She trailed off, mustering a small smile.

Jade furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, scanning her sister's sour expression. "What's that face?" She asked, pointing at the tight, totally fake, smile her sister was trying to fool her with.

"Hey, I didn't interrupt my tanning for you to be ungrateful." Katherine's voice resounded from the speaker, annoyance dripping from her tone.

Caroline remained silent, which only deepend Jade's confusion. "What's wrong?" She asked, nudging her in her shoulder.

The younger one groaned, burring her face in Jade's pillows. "I'm stuck." She whined in defeat, earning an arched eyebrow from her sister.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Katherine questioned in confusion.

Caroline's suddenly popped her head up from the pillow, her expression bitter. "Well, since you oh-so-nicely decided to turn me into a vampire at seventeen, I'm forever stuck in a filler year. The only point of seventeen was to get to eighteen." She grumbled, glaring at Jade's phone.

"Oh." Katherine let out quietly, guilt lacing her tone, to which the younger one only rolled her eyes.

Jade gave her sister an amused look. "You'll forever be the dancing queen." She quipped cheekily.

Caroline scoffed, snapping her gaze to her sister's in a flash. "Shut up, you turned as a twenty-two year old. That's a perfect age." She spat bitterly, giving her sister a pointed look.

"Oh, stop wallowing." Jade gave her little sister a look, to which she arched an eyebrow in response. "I know you're a child, and you think that seventeen is somehow different from eighteen, but as an actual adult here, let me tell you━it's not. You would look exactly the fucking same in a year from now." She said matter-of-factly. Seeing Caroline's defiance faltering a little, she continued, pointing at her eyes. "And I have eye wrinkles! Would you like to have eye wrinkles for the rest of your life?"

"You don't have eye wrinkles." Caroline grumbled under her breath, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, I do, when I do this━" She paused to point at her eyes again and squint repeatedly, earning a snort of amusement from her little sister.

"Look, Caroline, you're going to be forever young and hot. No backpain, no wrinkles, no gray hairs and no shitting yourself when you're 80. It's literally everyone's dream." Katherine said, supporting Jade's point. "So own it."

"Ugh, maybe." Caroline muttered under her breath, slumping on the pillows again.

"Ugh, you're so annoying." Katherine huffed in irritation. "If I tell you that I'm sorry will it make you feel better?"

"Probably." Caroline muttered quietly, making Jade chuckle.

Katherine drew in a frustrated breath. "Consider it your birthday present━Katerina Petrova says sorry." She said, her tone as if someone held her at gunpoint.

Caroline cracked a small smile. "I didn't know you were capable." She muttered.

"Don't push it." Katherine hissed. "Okay, I need to go. I just spotted an unbelievely hot guy and my back suddenly needs some sun lotion." She said, earning a laugh from the sisters. "Happy birthday, blondie."

Caroline smiled, giving the device a warm look. "Thanks, Kat." She said, before her tone turn a little firmer. "Don't eat him."

"He's too delicious, so no promises. Bye-bye!" Katherine said in a rush before hanging up.

Jade huffed in amusement as she slipped off the bed. "I made you something." She said with a cheeky smile as she reached her hand behind her nightstand.

"You better." Caroline quipped, her mood improving. Jade only smiled in her direction, handing her the painting she had recently done. As soon as the younger's eyes fell on it, they widened momentarily.  "Holy shit, J..." She trailed off, her gaze raking over the painting of herself.

It was blonde's portrait done in Jade's usual messy style, which she liked to call impressionism, her favorite style, but that was probably just her ego talking. Her head was tilted slightly back, and painted in profile. Jade knew her sister preferred lighter tones, so she ditched her usual dark and moody color palette, replacing it with bright yellows, pinks and warm blues.

"Complements are welcomed." Jade muttered as if gossiping, leaning forward to the blonde. Seeing her smile, she patted her on her head, messing up her hair. "Happy birthday, sis."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Jade had plans to rally Katherine and take the girls up to NOLA to visit Cami and celebrate the younger Forbes' birthday, but she insisted that she wanted to celebrate this year one's quietly. At that point, Jade really started to think that someone had switched bodies with her sister, something like Klaus was... in Ric.

She shuddered at the memory.

And was fucking pissed that she bought NOLA tickets for nothing, again.

Speaking of the teacher, she just gave him a hard kick to his side, causing the man to crash impetuously against a tree.

"And what the hell did I do to you?!"  He glared at her, his voice laced with both pain and frustration as he clutched his side.

Jade huffed in annoyance. Jade, her blonde hair slightly tousled from the scuffle, exhaled sharply in annoyance. Her piercing blue eyes fixed on him with unwavering intensity. "You put yourself in danger!" She shouted, shooting him a pointed look.

"Yeah, sure, because that," Alaric's lips twisted into an ironic smile as he pointed to his aching muscle. "Was because I almost died. Sure." He said with a nod, swinging for her face.

Jade scoffed as she blocked it. "You did die, you idiot." She spat, spinning around gracefully, landing a swift kick to his already bruised side. Alaric stumbled back, his breath catching in his throat as he hissed in pain.

"Oh, and that's what I'm talking about." He bit out, shaking his head with a pained grimace. "You normally don't want to break my ribs. Nose, yeah, but not ribs." He breathed, catching his breath, earning a involuntary snort from the blonde. "What the hell is going on?"

Jade sighed, her fingers rubbing her temple. "Family drama." She murmured, the annoyance evident in her voice.

"There's never enough of those." Alaric quipped, before finally regaining his footing and delivering a surprise punch to Jade's stomach.

The blonde hissed, but she was quick to react. She grabbed his outstretched hand and expertly twisted it, causing him to wince in pain as his body met the forest floor unceremoniously. "Oh, you have no idea." She muttered with a tight, ironic smile.

Alaric groaned and spun around, kicking her in the stomach with his knee and pushing her away from himself. "What happened?" He asked, his breathing heavy.

Jade put her hands on her knees, catching her breath. "Daddy decided to show up for his daughter's b-day." She breathed out, bitterness tainting her brief smile.

Alaric's eyebrows jumped up. "I take by your tone that━"

"━Nope, we don't like each other very much." She interjected with pursed lips, walking up to her gym back and pulling out a water bottle.

The teacher sighed, raising to his feet. "I know what can make you feel better." He said knowingly, a small smile stretching on his face.

Jade snapped her eyes to his and immediately understood his intention. Grinning at him, she looped her arm around his. "You speak to my heart, Saltzman." She cooed, putting her head on his shoulder, earning a chuckle in response.

Some time later, the two of them were sitting on two bar stools in the Mystic Grill, two glasses beside them on the countertop.

Jade took a sip from her glass, her blue eyes twinkling with mischief as she glanced at her friend. "So, how are you? Feeling like dying again?" Her tone was cheeky as she playfully elbowed him.

Alaric rolled his eyes, a playful smirk forming on his lips as he mirrored her action. "I'm fine," he replied, his voice carrying a hint of amusement. As he set his glass back on the counter, wincing at the burning sensation of the alcohol, he sighed. "I think the ring, however, is running low on batteries." His gaze shifted to the Gilbert's heirloom on his finger, examining it thoughtfully.

Jade twisted her lips in contemplation, her eyes momentarily fixed on the magical jewelry. "Who would've thought that magic rings have an expiration date?" She tilted her head, making the teacher raise and lower his eyebrows in silent agreement. "Do you know how much I was freaking out when I painted my ring? A little hint━a lot." She widened her eyes dramatically at him.

Alaric arched an eyebrow. "You painted your ring?" His tone held amusement as the blonde proudly displayed her middle finger adorned with a daylight ring painted over with black nail polish. "Of course you did." he chuckled, shaking his head and taking another sip of his drink.

"What? I hate blue. Especially that ugly-ass shade. Ew." She said with distaste, pretending to shudder.

Alaric nodded, smiling slightly as he downed his drink. "You're going to the Founder's party?" He asked, changing the topic.

Jade raised an eyebrow. "Guess." She said, shooting him a deadpanned look.

The historian nodded, pursing his lips. "Right." He drawled.

"Even if I wanted to, I can't. I'm having a family dinner in an hour, which I just can't fucking wait for." Jade grumbled under her breath, leaning her head on her hand in a gesture of defeat.

Alaric gave her one, sympathetic look, and then turned to the bartender. "One more for the lady." He ordered.

A delighted smile spread across Jade's lips. "I love you, Ric." She cooed, forming a heart shape with her fingers and earning a laugh from the teacher.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"A junkie, a vampire, a Sheriff and a criminal sitting at the same table." Jade mused, her voice tinged with a mix of bitterness and irony as she took a moment to appreciate the absurdity of the situation. She couldn't help but let out a snort of amusement, shaking her head in disbelief. "Sounds like a beginning of a joke."

"This is insane, mum." Caroline shook her head as she carefully arranged plates.

"I know." Liz sighed, rubbing her temple with her fingers in an already exhausted gesture. "But don't worry, nothing's gonna happen." She tried to assure her daughters, but she didn't even convice herself, let alone them.

"If something were to happen, don't worry, I'd love to show daddy my new set of teeth." Jade said with a cheeky grin, causing her mother to scowl.

"That's what I'm afraid of, among other things." The oldest Forbes muttered under her breath, earning an amused huff from her firstborn.

Before Caroline could interject in their banter, the sound of the front door's bell rang throughout the house, causing all three to snap their heads in its direction.

"Speak of the literal devil incarnate." Jade murmured bitterly under her nose, collapsing onto her seat and immediately pouring herself a generous amount of red wine. She might have added some blood to her glass to help keep herself sane.

You have no evidence.

The girls' mother took a deep breath and walked to the front door, opening it with a steely face. "Liz." She heard her ex-husband say politely.

"Bill." She greeted back, staring him down with a fierce gaze. Before he could step even an inched deeper inside the house, she blocked his path, piercing the man with her hard eyes. "Let me get one thing straight before you pass this threshold━one wrong move, and I won't hesitate to shoot this time."

"You've changed, Liz." Bill stated as he scanned her ex-wife from head to tie, amusement dancing in his stormy gaze. "Good for you." He whispered with a little nod when his eyes zeroed back on hers, causing her to clench her jaw. "May I enter my house now?" He asked, arching an eyebrow at the woman.

Liz clenched her teeth once more, her irritation only growing at his light and slightly mocking tone. Taking a step back in silent invitation, she allowed the man to enter, his eyes immediately zeroing in on his youngest daughter, who looked at him with nervousness.

Seeing his happy and warm eyes, Jade felt like vomiting.

She watched him with attentive gaze, her mouth busy nursing her wine. "Caroline." He breathed out, walking up to the tense girl.

"Dad." She said with a small, tight smile, rising up from her chair.

Before anybody could react, the man pulled his youngest into a hug. "Happy birthday, honey." He murmured.

Jade slowly turned her head toward her mother, who was back in her seat, her eyes widened as she looked at the phenomenon before her. She carefully set her glass down, her shocked expression gradually morphing into a scowl as she observed her sister's discomfort.

"Um, thanks." Caroline said quietly, not embracing the man back.

Bill, seemingly oblivious to the tension, continued with a grin. "I got you something." He said as he pulled back, reaching for the inside pocket in his jacket. "Since you're eighteen now, I assume that your mother has already shared the family secret with you." Bill glanced knowingly at his ex-wife, missing the way Caroline's eyes widened like pennies as she briefly joined her frightened gaze with her sister, who's eyebrows met her hairline at their father's words, her throat too close to choking on air for her liking.

What in the fucking fuck?

As Bill turned toward his daughter, Caroline cast a quick pleading glance toward her mother, who nodded in her rescue. "Uh, yeah." She said a little hesitantly, sending her father a forced smile as she watched him pull a small box from his pocket.

"I know that vervain supplies in this town are almost non-existent, so I got you these earrings." Bill said as he opened it, presenting the gift to his daughter. "They have the herb inside, it will protect you from vampires." He explained, his smile unwavering.

Holy.

Shit.

Jade's body tensed momentarily, joining her panicked gaze with her mother, who mirrored her expression. She bit the inside of her cheek when she caught the stealthy clenching of her sister's hands, the slight gritting of her teeth, the little sheen of her forehead.

Caroline drew in a big breath, her turbulent eyes fixed on the silver earrings in his hold. "Wow... thank you, dad." She breathed out, mustering a tight smile.

The man gently picked them up, holding them out for the blonde to take. "Try them on." He urged, tilting his head with a smile.

"I..." Caroline began, the loud echoing of her heart ringing in Jade's vampiric ears like a truckhorn. "I... already hav━"

"━Mum already got her a vervain ring, she doesn't need your earrings." The older daughter chimed in, her eyes narrowed at the man.

Bill huffed in amusement, twisting his head in her direction. "Do you always speak for your sister?" He raised a questioning brow.

She mirrored his expression, adding a slight malice into her tone. "You wouldn't know, would you?" She asked, tilting her head as she grabbed her wine glass.

And ignoring her own heart palpitating.

Bill looked at his eldest for a moment and then smiled, tucking the earrings back into the box and sitting down at the table, Caroline following.

The family busied themselves eating their meal in silence, the only sound the clatter of their cutlery. Awkward wasn't even a half description of how miserable the atmosphere was. Jade felt like jumping out the window, Caroline looked like she was about to have a heart attack, and Liz seemed prepared for the ground to collapse under her and bury her alive. The only contrast was the man, who looked like he was in seventh heaven.

"How you've been, Jadie?" He asked, glancing up at his eldest.

Jade gripped her knife a little harder, her head twitching to the side at the nickname. "Very well, since you were rotting in prison." She chirped with a tight, absolutely fake smile.

"Jade." Her mother murmured, sending her daughter a warning look, which the blonde ignored completely.

She knew her mother wanted her to not stir anything for Caroline's sake, but God, it was impossible.

Bill hummed, resuming his meal. "I see your tongue only sharpened in my absence." He pointed out, briefly widening his amused eyes to himself.

Jade hummed back, taking a sip out of her wine. "I wonder who's fault is that." She mused in false puzzlement, gaze shooting upwards.

Her father shook his head, his tone defeated. "You're ruining Caroline's birthday." He muttered.

Jade's eyebrows disappeared under her bangs as soon as Bill words left his mouth. "Excuse me?" She said lowly, sending a grimace in his direction as she slowly put the glass back on the table.

"Dad." Caroline called out through gritted teeth.

Liz briefly closed her eyes in anger, her voice coming out like a hiss. "Bill, for goodness sake."

Momentary anger sparked in Jade's heart━dangerous, blind fury that swirled and rumbled like thunder, engulfing her entire being.

Wanna do this? Fine by her.

"I'm ruining her birthday?" She questioned slowly, eyes wide and eyebrows high on her forehead, finger pointing at her own chest. Then, she shook her head, disbelieving scoff escaping her lips as her eyes darted around the living room. Not giving anyone a chance to chime in, she whipped her head back in his direction, giving him a pointed look. "How about you, huh? What the hell do you even want?" She spat.

"I want us to be family again." He answered calmly, looking her dead in the eyes.

A blink.

Another blink.

"What?" She finally breathed out after a moment, her face sour as if she had just bitten into a lemon.

Caroline and Liz locked gazes with each other, both equally shocked.

Jade bore her eyes into her father as if his hands had turned into wings and started flying around the table. Did she fucking hear that right? Did he really say what he just said?

He let out a resignated sigh. "I know what I did." He said in defeat, shaking his head. "And there's not enough words in the world for me to describe how much I regret it." He confessed, glancing up back to his firstborn. "I'm sorry." He said quietly, piercing the blonde with his eyes.

Everything stopped.

Liz froze, the fork that almost touched her mouth never did.

Caroline parted her lips, eyes widening, not knowing who of the two to look at.

Jade stilled like an ice figure, no emotion on her face.

It felt like a minute passed, nobody breathing even a huff, word, the only sound echoing in the house was the ticking of the clock on the wall, as if mimicking a time bomb, counting down Jade's outburst.

"You're... sorry?" Jade finally broke the stilness, slowly rising from her chair, her narrowed eyes not leaving her father's.

"Yes, I'm━"

"━You're sorry?" She echoed herself, her voice much louder now, the monster inside hanging by a thread, banging its clawed fists against the inside of her chest.

"Jade, please, calm do━" Liz tried, but to no avail.

"━No, I won't fucking calm down, mom!" She shouted, not sparing her mother a glance, her eyes locked in a deadly staring contest with the only man. She shook her head rapidly, spreading her hands in the air. "What kind of bullshit is this? You think you can just walk back into our lives like nothing fucking happened? Are you that delusional?" She shouted some more, pointing at him with her hand, nodding rapidly, eyes darkened with fury.

"I can't turn back time. Believe me, I would if I could." He said defensively, a pained puff of air leaving his lips, eyebrows furrowed together. "But please, Jadie, I'm sorry. I love you and Caroline so mu━" He didn't get to finish his sentence, the loud bang of Jade's fists on the table silencing him.

"━Don't call me that." She growled, her head tilting to the side, jaw set hard enough to loosen some teeth.

"J..." Caroline said softly, shooting her sister a sympathetic look.

Hearing her little sister's gentle voice, Jade drew in a breath, running her hand through her hair as she sat back down in her seat. As soon as she did so, a dark chuckle escaped her lips, head shaking in disbelief. "Did you hear that, Carrie? He loves us." She said with a much too wide smile, which actually gave Caroline the creeps. "Daddy loves us." She echoed herself, putting her chin in her palm, shooting her father a toothy grin that screamed menace more than anything.

"Jade, please, listen━"

"━Where was all that love 13 years ago? 8 years ago? 5 years ago?" She questioned, eyebrows furrowed together in mock thought, joined by a pout that soon broke into a knowing grin. "Oh, wait, I get it. Physical touch is just your love language, is that it?"

Bill closed his eyes, turning to his youngest daughter, his eyes watering. "Caroline, I love you." He confessed in hushed voice as he grabbed onto her hand. "Please, you have to believe me." He whispered, pleading look in his eyes.

Caroline's mouth opened and closed for a few times, unable to form an response. "I..." She began, eyes darting from her father's eyes to his hand, that was clutching her own.

Jade's eyebrow shoot up, amusement dropping from her features. "Am I fucking seeing things again?" She muttered under her breath, looking in bewilderment at the father-daughter duo. "Stop manipulating her!" She shouted, eyes alight with unbridled fury.

"I'm not." Bill shook his head, glancing at his eldest, letting go of Caroline's hand. "I know you won't believe me, but I changed in my time in prison. Those long, five years helped me. All the therapy sessions and solitude helped me. I'm not the same man I was when you all last saw me." He said, his eyes pleading as they darted from one woman to another. "I beg of you, believe me. If not, at least try. You girls were all that I could think about, you were the only thing that kept me going."

Jade stared at her father as if at a blinding sun, her eyes barely open as her mouth twisted into a disgusted grimace.

Disguist━that was all she felt at the moment.

"This is such bullshit."

"It's true, please."

Jade scoffed, raising from her chair once again, her hateful eyes piercing her father's. "How can you have the fucking nerve to say all of this?" She questioned, genuine curiosity on her features. "How can you have the nerve to sit here, by the very table you refused to invite me to, by the very countertop you slapped my hands on, by the very china you smashed against my head, and tell me..." She trailed off, her voice turning more strained with each word she spoke, her finger jabbing painfully in her chest. "That you're fucking..." She spat hatefully, hating how her eyes started to water as they were locked with his.

"J..." Caroline tried once again, reaching for her older sister's hand, but Jade pulled back as if it would burn her.

"No, daddy's right, as always." She laughed bitterly, shaking her head as she took a step back. "Sorry for ruining your birthday." She murmured to her younger sister's in guilt, spinning around and walking briskly out of the house.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Tear.

Slash.

Hiss.

Scream.

Four bodies laying lifeless on the forest's floor.

It was dark now, and it had been hours since Jade had left the house and the catastrophe that had taken place there. She was sitting on the ground, her empty gaze focused into nothingness. Her entire face was covered in blood, her previously light blonde hair now colored crimson, stuck together in some places, her back warm.

"Woah, you good? Your eyes━"

That was all the guy had menaged to say, not knowing that those words would be the last in his life.

She killed him almost immediately, throwing herself at his neck, quickly finding his most rich and valuable vein. She ripped his throat into the tiniest of shreds in front of the three of his friends, their shrill screams a beautiful melody to her sensitive ears.

Like her own, personal Chopin accompaniment.

Briefly satisfied with his blood, she threw his greyish corpse to the side, poking her macabre gaze into some terrified brunette, not even bothering to wipe her face off her friend's blood. The brunette didn't even have time to cry out for help, Jade's fangs silencing her forever in a blink of an eye.

The screams echoed again, the alive scattering in two, different routes, pathetically hoping for survival.

How utterly pathetic food could be.

Food, because that all they were now. Not humans, not sisters, not brothers, not the same species.

Food, prey, snack.

Nothing else.

But the screams! Oh, the screams!

Their screams, like honey on the blonde's ears, stirring her to a macabre dance, calling for her fangs, calling for death.

Don't worry, darlings. There's enough Jade for everyone.

She caught the next one, a blond man with green eyes, by surprise, flashing right in front of his running figure, making him collide harshly against her iron body. She whispered something to him, she no longer remembered what, but she remembered his gaze as soon as her warm breath tickled his ear. So terrified, so scared, so hopeless.

So delicious.

In one fluid motion, she plunged her manicured fingers straight into his frightened eye, plucking it out a second later. The man screamed shrilly, wanting to fall to the ground, but she quickly prevented him from doing so, holding his frail body up with her free hand as the other shoved his eyeball straight into her mouth, biting and mauling it before his eyes. Well, one eye.

Heh.

When she grew weary of his screams, which looped in her ears like an annoying broken vinyl, she drove her fangs hard into his neck. It wasn't even about hunger anymore, it was about strength. Power. She bit through his skin, digging deeper into his flesh, sloppily searching for his most important vein, not really caring about finding it. Her teeth encountered the bones, ripping his collarbone right out of his body and spitting it aside, her mouth returning to his flesh a second later.

See, daddy? See what she's capable of doing?

You should be scared here. Not her.

Are you scared yet? No? Well, you've always been a fan of something more cruel, weren't you, daddy?

Why don't she show you?

Pushing the massacred body aside, she tucked her hair behind her ears, listening for the last one of friends. A few seconds later, her head twiched to the side.

Then, she smiled, swirling her tongue around her sharp fang.

Flashing behind her last victim, a curly-haired redhead of some sort, she greeted her with her beloved dagger, which went straight through her fiery head, the tip of her blade sticking out of her forehead.

She pulled it out just as quickly as she threw it, licking the flowing blood right off her face, her horrified scream and pathetic attempt to throw the her off only propelling her further, driving her sharp nails deep into her flesh, piercing it to the bone.

She also said something to her, this time joined by maniacal laughter, probably sharing something about her father. As before, the girl did not remember. Well, no matter, the redhead won't remember either, because she died a minute later.

Cause of death? Decapitation.

But not the usual decapitation, who did you think she was? No, no, no. Jade severed her head by plunging a dagger into her neck a couple of dozen times, repeatedly, the movement a blur to a human eye.

In and out.

She stopped counting after the slash number thirty six, when her dumb fiery finally head fell off her skinny shoulders.

Then she dragged them all to one place, setting their bodies on fire and sitting by them, not wanting them to burn alone. That would be sad, wouldn't it?

Look how empathic she was, daddy.

Scared now?

She was.

So she sat like this, feeling the heat on her back like a warm hug, fire and smoke wrapping her shivering body like a nice quilt. Her cold body, her cold heart, wrapped in the warmth of death.

You're the absolute worst.

"Damn, nice party you have going on here." Stefan's voice chimed in her ears, causing her to flinch.

Great. That's what was missing in her evening.

A fucking Salvatore.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even hear his footsteps. And she should have, being pumped up with blood and adrenaline. "Shoud've invited me. You know, as fellow ripper duo. Memories and all that." He quipped in amusement, tilting his head at the campfire as he casually strolled over to her, hands in his pockets.

Jade clenched her jaw, eyes fluttering shut in exasperation filling her every fibre. "Don't fuck with me, Salvatore." She growled, opening her eyes and piercing him with its crimson shade. "Not now."

Stefan chuckled, shooting the fellow vampire a pointed look, which only deepened her anger. "Someone's woke up on the wrong side of the bed today." He said playfully, grin stretching on his face.

"Don't you have literally anything better to do? Like guarding Original's coffins for example?" She questioned hatefully as she rose to her feet.

"They're tucked away safe and sound." Stefan mused, a thoughtfull look on his face. Jade shoot him a grimace in response. "Couldn't say the same about you, though." He said after a pause, glancing up at the woman, his smile faltering.

"Wha━" Jade began, but her voice was silenced by the painful stab od vervain filled syringe in her neck. As he sharply pulled it back, she cluched the painful spot. "Oh, you son of a bitch." She hissed, her vision becoming blurry as she swung for his heart.

The vampire avoided her hand efortlessly, taking a small step back. "Oops, missed me." He grinned at her weak state. She let out a furious huff, atemptting again, but he avoided it too. "Missed me again!" He exclaimed dramatically, his tone mockful.

"I'm... going to..." She trailed off, her voice turning into a whisper. She might've been pumped with blood, but the vervain dose was just as large as her meal. "Fucking... " She whispered once again, black spots covering her sight and, before she knew it, her body collapsed to the ground.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"Stop the car, Stefan!" Elena Gilbert's shrill voice accompanied Jade as her consciousness returned. She opened her eyes slightly, feeling as if her veins were frozen and being set on fire at the same time. A quiet groan left her lips as she tried to move, yet as soon as she moved, she felt a burning, agonal pain in her wrists, which were bound behind her back.

"What... the fuck?" She muttered under her breath, eyes fluttering open. She saw that she was in the back seat of the car, and its owner was behind the steering wheel, with his frightened girlfriend next to him on the passenger seat.

"Rise and shine, blondie." Stefan greeted with a false smile, glancing at the bound vampire through the rearview mirror. "Just in time, that's very dramatic of you."

Jade grimaced. "What in the fucking fuck is going on?" She spat, glaring at the side of his face.

"Don't worry, you'll find out." He said cryptically as he pulled out his phone and dialed some number.

"Stefan, how nice━" Klaus' amused voice resounded through a speaker, but Jade quickly cut him off.

"━What the fuck is wrong with you all?!" She screamed, trying not to move too much, hissing painfully at her already burning flesh. "How in the fuck I got dragged into this pissing contest?!"

"Shut up, won't ya? Grown ups are talking." Stefan said patronizingly, looking pointedly at his phone.

The blonde scoffed, burning a hole in his head with her eyes. "You did not just said that to me, you little shit!"

"What's going on? Why is Jade with you?" Klaus questioned, amusement vanishing from his tone.

"Tell your hybrids to get out of town, Klaus, or I'm gonna drive your blood source off Wickery Bridge and lock your blonde toy in a box and drop her at the bottom of the ocean along your precious family." Stefan threatened, causing the women to snap their heads in his direction, eyebrows meeting their hairline.

"Oh, for fuck's sake." Jade whispered under her breath in exasperation, throwing her head back on the seat.

"I don't believe you, Stefan. You won't kill them."

Without answering the Original, Stefan reached to his side and pulled out a wooden stake, turning and firmly driving it through the chest of the blonde sitting behind.

Jade let out a shrill scream, feeling the wood break through her bones. "I'm going to enjoy ripping your fucking head off your fucking shoulders, you fucking son of a bitch!" She shouted, panting heavily.

Ignoring her screams, Stefan sank his fangs into his wrist and pressed it against his girlfriend's mouth, forcing her to drink his blood. "What are you doing?!" Elena shouted, coughing.

"What's going on?" Klaus asked in worry, his breathing loud through the speaker.

"I just drove a stake right through your plaything's sternum, and she's whining because she can't do anything about it. You know how annoying those vervained-soaked chains could be. As for Elena, I fed her my blood. No more hybrids if she's a vampire."

"You won't do it." Klaus hissed in fury.

Stefan let out a small huff, his intense eyes fixed ahead. "Really? Try me, because your coffins are next to go. Say goodbye to Jade and your family, Klaus." He said in a rush, changing the gear and flooring the gas pedal.

"Stefan, slow down!" Elena shouted in distress. "Stefan, stop it!"

"Oh, I'm going to fucking peel the skin off your bones, you motherfucker!" Jade shouted, stretching out her leg and kicking at his face, causing him to hit the car window, shattering it.

"Fine, I'll send them away. You win." Klaus' angered and worried voice resounded from the device, which landed on the car floor from all the commotion.

Stefan shook off the momentary pain and turned, driving the stake deeper into the girl's chest, making it brush against her heart, causing her to cry out in pain.

"I will kill you and your brother at the same time and make you both watch as I pull out your fucking hearts, boil your bones and feed them to fucking pigs!" She shouted in a rush, lips curled into a snarl.

"Get your bloody hands off her, Stefan! Stop the car!"

The car suddenly braked sharply, the sound of squealing tires the only thing echoing in the girl's ears as she collided with the seat in front. For a while no one said a word, Jade only grunted in discomfort, and Elena whimpered in fear, looking at her boyfriend with wide eyes.

As the brunette weakly got out of the car, still in state of shock, Stefan turned toward the Forbes and sharply pulled the stake from her chest, also tearing her chains, freeing her.

"Aw, thank you so much, dear. That's so nice of you." Jade chirped with a false smile, which he didn't reprocicate and just got out from the car, following his girlfriend. Or rather ex-girlfriend now.

Jade sat still for a while, breathing heavily and watching how slowly, oh, so slowly her wounds were stitching back together, due to the vervain still in being her system. Had it not been for the massacre committed earlier, the girl wondered if she would have haunted Mystic Falls with Vicki by now.

When the last of her wounds, namely a huge hole in the middle of her chest, glued together after a few minutes, the ringtone of her phone sounded in her pocket. Groaning after seeing Matt's ID, she answered the call. "What?" She snapped.

"It's Caroline."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The sight Klaus found on the other side of the Forbes house door was definitely not the one he expected.

Neither Liz nor Jade opened the door for him. No woman, no. An older man appeared as he swung open the door, his hair dark and his face decorated with wrinkles.

"You must be Klaus, the Original." The middle-aged man said, his eyes hardening as he plunged them into the hybrid's.

Klaus arched an amused eyebrow, wanting to laugh at the pathetic display of bravado. "And you are?" He asked, locking his gaze with the man's. As he did so, he furrowed his eyebrows slightly, recognising the color, recognising the storm, they were just like━

"William Forbes, father of the girl you attempted to kill." He introduced with a little tilt of his head, probably an attempt to intimidate him.

As soon as the man introduced himself, whatever amusement that was visible on the Original's face momentarily subsided. He measured the man from head to toe, his eyes stopping at his hands, which he knew very well what they had done. Then, his gaze settled on the man's eyes, his blue eyes that were fixed with hatred on him, which Klaus answered with his own. Despite their identical color, they were different from Jade's, lacking her fire, her passion, her spark.  His were simply dead and empty.

"Oh, really now?" The hybrid drawled, his eyes narrowing, darkened with immidate hate. A hint of a satisfied smirk started to appear on his lips at the slight jump in Bill's pulse as he noticed the knowingness in Klaus' gaze.

At some point Liz interjected to ask what the hybrid wanted in return for saving her daughter and Klaus replied that all he expected was her support. He didn't really focus on their conversation, too busy driving sharp eyes at Bill, who seemed increasingly uncomfortable in the hybrid's presence.

Good.

As Klaus imagined the man's bowels wrapped around his neck like a winter scarf, Liz spoke up, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Come in." She said, inviting him in.

"Liz." The man immediately growled, twisting his head around to his ex-wife.

The blonde woman mirrored his look and tone. "Shut up, Bill." She spat in his direction.

Klaus looked up at the woman, recognising the fierce stare.

It was identical to his favourite ripper's.

Smirking to himself and hiding it by dropping his head a little lower, he took a step forward, passing the Forbes' threshold. When he was about to pass the man, he slightly tilted his head towards him, his gaze fixed on the floor. "Touch any of your daughters, and you will have me to deal with, do you understand?" He whispered, enjoying how the man gulped in response. Snapping his eyes to his, he smiled, nodding a little. "Splendid." He whispered again, proceeding to walk deeper into the house.

Liz squinted suspiciously at his words, leading him away with her eyes as the hybrid found his way to the stairs.

As Klaus leisurely climbed the stairs, fingers trailing up the bannister, his head swirled with thoughts.

She would understand, right?

She will understand that he had no other choice, right? She'll understand that it was all a strategy, and that her sister was never in any real danger? Right?

He himself did not expect the young vampire to lose his mind and try to kill his own girlfriend, for whom he was able to resist compulsion. Had things been different, he might even have granted him respect for such action. But things were unfortunately no different, meaning Stefan was just an incredible pain in the arse.

A pain in the arse that nearly killed her.

Klaus' blood began to boil at the very thought.

So, he had to go to extreme measures. Caroline Forbes was the lunatic vampire's best friend, so wasn't that the perfect retaliation? Of course, her life didn't really hang in the balance as it might have seemed; the hybrid had planned to heal her from the start.

She would understand, right?

As Klaus' feet stepped onto the floor of the house, his ears strained, quickly finding the right room. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open slightly, and his jaw momentarily tightened, seeing her gaze.

She didn't understand.

Jade lay with her sick sister on the same bed, one of her arms hugging her delicately to herself. Her gentle embrace a complete contrast to her gaze, which was so cold, so hateful, fixed straight into his.

The gaze with which she looked at him before the ritual.

Before the roadtrip, before the mountains, before Chicago, before the roof, before the kisses.

Before everything.

Klaus stepped closer, not saying a word as she did, merely watching his every move with attentive eyes that dripped with hatred and disappointment. The only sound in the room was her sister's ragged and painful breaths, accompanied by the faint beating of her heart. Jade still didn't say a word, which slightly unnerved the hybrid, all she did was glance at the prepared glass at her sister's bedside table in a silent command.

Before he could do anything, he felt something rub against his leg.

Furrowing his eyebrows, he looked down and saw the animal that Jade had stolen from the dead Teneesee girls. As soon as he looked at her, Morti gave him an overjoyed meow, purring and rubbing her face on his leg at the same time.

He looked at the blonde with a raised eyebrow and slight amusement in his eyes, but her burning gaze made him drop it immediately. Clenching his jaw and rolling up the sleeve of his shirt━he allowed his inner monster to surface, his veins pulsating with power as he pierced his wrist with his twin fangs, filling the glass with his healing blood.

He was about to pick up the glass and offer it to Caroline, but before he could, Jade snatched it away with a quick, almost aggressive motion.

Letting out a slight breath, he watched as she propped Caroline's limp body against hers, putting her glass to her lips. Watching the younger vampire drink it greedily as soon as the blood touched her lips, Jade let out a huge breath of relief.

As Caroline finished the entire glass, Jade carefully laid her sister's body back on the bed. She stared at the wound, now slowly closing and healing, and let out a relieved breath, slumping her tensed shoulders.

Shoulders, that tensed again as soon as she remembered the presence of the hybrid.

The girl quickly bolted from her bed, and before Klaus could realise what was happening, she grabbed him firmly by the arm and started dragging him into another room. Kicking the door open, she shoved him forcibly inside, slamming the door loudly behind her.

Klaus' eyes widened momentarily as the bitter cherry scent of her room enveloped him on all sides. The space was shrouded in darkness, scattered with sheets of sketches and canvases strewn haphazardly about. Some of the canvases were painted over, others remained blank, and a wooden easel, its surface stained with the remnants of various paint colors, stood solitary in the center of the room.

"Sweetheart, you need to und━" He began, attempting to turn around to face the blonde, but his sentence was abruptly cut short by Jade's open palm crashing against his cheek.

A resounding noise reverberated against the walls of the room, the force of her slap twisting Klaus's head to the side.

The hybrid closed his eyes briefly, his cheek glowing red as he turned his head back to the blonde, who was staring him with such anger, such fury, such betrayal. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" She seethed, her head shaking, hair falling into her blazing eyes. "What in the complete fuck," She pushed at his chest, causing him to slightly stumble back. "Is wrong with you?" She shouted, pushing him again, forcing him to collide with her vanity, causing a couple of objects to crash to the floor.

"I assure you, I did not mean your sister any ha━" He tried again, but it only angered the blonde further, earning an another fierce slap into his face.

"How could you?!" She shouted in betrayal as his head once again turned in her direction. His temper began to rise, but when he caught the sight of her eyes, so angry, so hurt, which began to get glossier and glossier with each passing second, his anger momentarily vanished.

He tried once again, his tone soft as he reached for her hands. "Jade, please, let me fini━"

"━No! Don't fucking touch me." She snarled, abruptly backing away from him, as if his touch would kill her. Klaus' felt the stab in his heart, seeing her like this, all because of him. "How could you fucking do this to me?" She shouted, pointing rapidly at her own chest, slow tears starting to drip down her face. "Was that fucking easy? Huh? Oh, I bet it was." She taunted, her bitterness palpable.  "Woo me, gain my trust and then what? Kill me too?!" Her voice cracked as she shouted in anguish. "Is this some kind of sick gam━" She started to shout again, yet the quiet creak of the door interrupted her.

"━Is he troubling you, honey? I heard screaming." Bill asked worriedly, leaning towards them from the threshold.

Jade slowly turned her head towards her father, eyes widening like coins. She poked them into his, watching his seemingly worried face, a disbelieving scoff escaping her lips. Klaus furrowed his eyebrows, looking at the man hostilely, yet before he could say anything, the blonde's maniacal laughter echoed through the room.

Jade began to laugh loudly, her head lowered down between her shoulders. Yet second by second, her laughter was turning into something more desperate, and then Klaus realised that it wasn't laughter anymore, it was helpless crying, similiar to a wounded wild animal.

Suddenly, she snapped her head up, arm oustretched. "Get the fuck out!" She screamed to the man, who just nodded in response, closing the door moments later.

She hid her face in her hands, her crying not diminishing, on the contrary, it was even louder now.

Everything was wrong. When Jade found out what had happened to her sister, she returned home quickly, and who did she find there? Him, of course! It turned out that the bastard had stayed by some miracle, throwing around some excuses about being homesick. That's why he was also one of the first to see a dying Caroline and a blood-smeared Jade.

He found out they were vampires.

And then Klaus decided to remind her who he really was.

Klaus approached Jade cautiously, his hands hovering in the air as though trying to catch the fragments of trust that had shattered between them. "Jade, please, calm down. I will explain everything to you, just give me a chance, please." He whispered, watching her face twisting in pain, that made his heart feel as if it would shatter into a thousand pieces.

Jade did not reply, her throat too tight for any words to get through. She shook her head, a sob escaping her lips. Klaus sighed softly, his hands━warm and comforting, found their place at the sides of her face, his thumbs gently brushing away her tears. "She was never in any danger, I swear to you. I just needed Stefan to know that he can't do whatever he bloody wants without consequences." He whispered, sending her a pleading look for her to understand. "She's his best friend, he needed to think she was dying because of him."

Jade started to shake her head again, slapping his hands away. "She is my sister, you asshole!" She shouted, pushing at his chest again, causing the man to close his eyes briefly. "My only fucking sister. She's not even a part of any of this!" She shouted, glaring at him hatefully. "This fucked up thing between you and Stefan is with Stefan! Not with me, not with Caroline, with Stefan!"

"I needed to make a move against Stefan, I promise I wouldn't let her die. She was never in any danger, Jade. He just needed to think she was." He tried to explain once more, taking a step towards her, and he absolutely hated how she took a step back. "I'm sorry." He whispered, pleading look in his eyes.

Jade shook her head, shoving her hands against his chest. "Stop lying!"

This time Klaus didn't stumble back. "I'm not lying."

Jade's frustration boiled over as she whirled around. "Everyone is fucking," She growled under her breath, pushing the first thing that came into her vision."Lying!" She screamed, hurling her easel against the wall, the wood splintering into countless pieces.

Watching her breathing heavily, eyes fixed on the broken wood, the hybrid realised that it wasn't about just her sister anymore. "What's going on, sweetheart?" He asked, his voice soft and filled with genuine concern. "Why is your father here?"

Jade scoffed, turning to him. "Oh, don't pretend to care, I won't fall for it again." She snarled, causing his jaw to clench. Shaking her head, she walked up to him, only fury on her tear-stained face. "I hope Stefan will drop your fucking family in the ocean or whatever the fuck and you'll never fucking see them again." She spat into his face. "I can't believe I was so stupid! I can't believe you made me care about you, you stupid piece of shit!" She shouted, every word emphasised with a sharp shove or a slap to Klaus' chest. Finally, the hybrid caught her wrist, restraining her. "I hate you and I hate myself for thinking that I ever meant anything to you." She spat, and Klaus thought she might as well have stabbed the white oak stake into his heart━the feeling would have been similar.

"Of course you mean something to me, Jade." He said gently, his voice a tender murmur that quivered with vulnerability as he leaned closer to the blonde. His eyes, usually so fierce and unyielding, now held a deep well of emotion. "Not just a mere something, you mean so much that it frightens me to the very core." He said, and Jade twisted her face into a grimace at his words, more tears flowing down her face. "Please, sweetheart, I'm so sorry." Klaus' grasp on her wrists tightened, not as a show of force, but as a silent plea for her to listen, to understand, to forgive.

The pair stood like that for a while, the only sound was Jade's ragged breathing, her eyes closed as his words echoed in her head. Klaus closed his as well, resting his forehead against the blonde's. Had he succeeded? Would she finally believe━

"No." She said, her voice carrying the weight of her shattered trust as she abruptly pulled away from him, her head shaking. Klaus' heart sank further, a heavy ache settling in his chest as he watched her retreat from him. "If that was true, you wouldn't do this." She said, her eyes, once filled with affection, now held a chilling indifference. "I don't give a single shit about your apology or you, for that matter." She spat. With a swift motion, she wiped her tear-stained face, her movements sharp and decisive, and marched towards the door. The air in the room felt thick with tension as she swung the door open, the harsh sound of its movement echoing the finality of her decision.

"Get out." She commanded, her voice cold and unforgiving, her eyes fixed firmly on the floor as if she couldn't bear to look at him any longer.

Klaus sighed, shooting the blonde an another pleading look. "Jade━"

"━Get out!" She shouted, her voice echoing in the entire house.

The hybrid pursed his lips, nodding once softly. "Okay." He murmured under his breath as he began to walk to the door. Glancing sideways, the saw that she still wasn't looking at him, eyes permanently fixed on the floor. "I'm sorry." He whispered before he passed the threshold, disappearing from the Forbes residence in a flash.

a/n: nothing to see here, only me torturing our girl for 12k words (* ^ ω ^)

also, this fic is about to hit 200k reads and idk how to feel

am i famous????????? venmo for the next chapter xoxo;-)))))

also, i wrote half of this high as a mf kite so sorry for any inaccuracies hehe

EDIT: LMAOOOOOOOOOOO I FUCKING FORGOT ABOUT MORTI WAIT A SEC I NEED TO WRITE THAT BITCH IN

ok shes there