Forever

John Gilbert is a little bitch

"What the hell were you thinking?" Damon paced. "You could have gotten yourself killed."

"I didn't and Bonnie didn't die either." Mission accomplished. I was seated at my kitchen counter. "Luckily for all of us, Elijah stepped in."

"On that- what is your deal with Elijah. Are you on his side now?" Damon crossed his arms.

"What did you mean by 'something better than a Bennet witch'?" Elena was leaning against the counter on the other side of the kitchen, next to Stefan, who had been remarkably quiet.

I swallowed. "I was trying to distract Klaus."

"He would have killed you and Bonnie." Stefan set his hands on his hips. There it was. "Why were you even at the dance, I thought you are Caroline were gonna have a night in."

"Matt asked her out and I convinced her to go."

"Why?" Damon's eyes narrowed.

"Well, when two people like each other very much-" Bonnie was going to die.

"There's something you're not telling us." Elena interrupted.

John stepped off the stairs, heading toward the kitchen.

Perfect. Could not have come at a better time.

I pointed down the hall. "It's John."

Damon tutted. "Convenient."

"What're we all talking about?"

"Nothing that concerns you." Elena crossed her arms.

"I think it would. Especially if it involves my family."

"You'd have to be around to be considered family." This was the opportunity I needed to escape. "Now, it's been a long and exciting night. I'm going to bed. This interrogation is over."

Somehow I dreaded Kol and Elijah more than my own siblings.

Damon appeared in front of me. "Can only lie for so long, Little Gilbert."

"I'm not Salvatore. Maybe you're just looking for problems that don't exist. Elijah pops up when anyone in our group is in danger. That includes me."

"I didn't know that the Original was hanging around." John was so out of the loop, I almost felt bad for him.

If he wasn't such a little bitch...

"He's not gonna save you, you're not on Elena's loved ones list." Damon's attention was on John, and I managed to slip out, though I think it was more that they let me escape than I got out on my own.

...

I was curled up in my room, the early morning sun peeking through my curtains. I'd been avoiding everyone for days. Even going so far as to call in sick to school.

Avoiding Elijah's disappointment was kind of worth it.

"Drew, honey. I brought you some soup, can you open the door?" Jenna's voice filtered through the wood.

"Just a second." The sight of myself in the mirror startled me a little bit. At least it helped sell the 'sick' story. I let Jenna in before sliding into bed.

"How're you feeling?" She set a tray of food beside me. "Have you been sleeping very much?"

"No, I'm not tired is the thing." Oh I was dead tired. Thing was, if I slept, I'd have to deal with a rather anxious vampire. If I went out, Elijah would find me and that was a whole other can of worms.

"Is it the nightmares again?" She pushed the tray toward me. "Maybe eating something would help."

I picked up the bowl, it was what my mom used to make when I was sick. "You got her recipe." I grinned.

"Who do you think was your mom's guinea pig." Jenna tucked some hair behind my ear.

"You're the best."

Jeremy leaned into my doorway. "Hey. Jenna, you mind if we talk?"

"Oh! Yeah, of course." Jenna got up, kissing the top of my head. "Eat." She pointed at me. "It'll help you feel better." Then she left.

"Can I come in?"

I nodded, scooting over for him. He looked both ways in the hallway and then closed the door behind him.

"There's no vampires in the house and I need you to be honest with me Drew." He tentatively took a seat at the foot of the bed.

"Alright.."

"How did you know, about Bonnie."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't bullshit me, I know you knew, but I just don't know how. We didn't tell anyone what was gonna happen."

He had me on that. "What do you mean you guys didn't tell anyone, you knew Bonnie would die?"

He dropped his head. "After Bonnie got all her magic, I found a warning in her grimoire. She made me swear not to tell."

"And since you're her boyfriend, you didn't."

"I didn't like it, but it was her choice. So, how did you know."

Jeremy was safe right? He wasn't a supernatural. "You're absolutely positive there aren't any vampires nearby?"

"Stefan's with Elena and Damon's managing Kathrine."

"You have to swear you won't tell anyone, not even Bonnie." I held out my pinkie. "This is really important." Jeremy's brow furrowed but he wrapped his pinkie around mine.

"I swear."

"Okay." I took a deep breath. "This is going to sound crazy, but considering our lives, it's not that out of the blue."

"What is it?"

"I have a soulmate." I began slowly. "But he's a little caught up in.. something and Elijah's been looking out for me."

"Why would Elijah do that?" His expression dropped. "It's not Klaus is it?"

"Close. It's his brother, Kol. I've been seeing him in my dreams every night since my seventeenth birthday and he finally told me who he was after I got kidnapped with Elena."

"Why not tell anyone?"

"Kol says that supernaturals believe that if they kill me, they'll gain their own soulmate, there are only a few born every century."

He nodded. "But that still doesn't explain why you knew Bonnie was in danger."

"Kol liked running with groups of witches, he said he picked up a thing or two. He warned me that Bonnie would die if she used that much power." I fiddled with my spoon. "And I couldn't let her get hurt, so I went to the dance."

"So you see Kol in your dreams and you've been what, spilling secrets?"

"No no, of course not. Kol is indisposed, he couldn't say anything, even if he want to. Besides, he could really care less about what our group is up to. He just wants me to be safe."

"Why tell me then?"

"Because Jer, I've been dying to tell someone and I need it to be someone that's not Elijah. He's all stuffy and a thousand years old and he's not my twin brother." I held back a yawn.

Damn I was tired.

"Have you been sleeping?"

"Not recently." As long as we were being honest..

"Why? If you see your soulmate, why avoid him?"

"He's protective and he won't agree with my stunt. The longer I stay awake, the more stressed he's gonna get, but at least I don't have to explain."

"That's healthy." He deadpanned. "You're gonna have to sleep eventually Drew. Better to get it over with now than later."

I knew it wasn't a permanent solution. It's just- "I know, I know."

"Look at you, you're making yourself sick." He took my bowl from me and set the tray on my bedside table. "Go to sleep."

"Fine."