(1) The Phoenix (D. Salvatore)

Chapter One Hundred and Four

The batting cages aren't full but they aren't empty either, so whatever Kreacher sensed or saw, it might throw them for a loop if these muggles witness anything happening. But as Damon and Daphne walk along the row of cages, she can't help but worry about all of that. She's thinking about how much she has missed Jeremy. He was the one that knew about her before any of the others. Her baby brother and her friend. And she's missed having him around. And it's not even been that long. She's just missed him.

"There" Daphne states and moves ahead faster, heading towards the last batting cage in the row where she can see Jeremy. It so strange, he hasn't been apart from them for that long but she thought he would look different. She thought there would be something different about him. But at the same time, she is glad that he is just still Jeremy. They have all changed so much since she came home that seeing Jeremy being exactly the same, in her eyes, is a relief. Jeremy swings at a ball and misses. Damon snorts.

"Jeez, who taught him to how to play baseball" He teases. Daphne smiles a little before she lets out a breath, reaching the batting cage where Jeremy is.

"Jer!" She shouts and Jeremy turns to look at her. Surprise crossing his features, but relief too. Like he's happy to see her even if he is confused as to why she is here now.

"Daph?" He then looks between the two of them as they approach him, he can see that there is something going on. It's impossible for him not to see that. "What are you doing here? What's wrong?" He sets the bat down and leaves the cage to join them, almost immediately, Daphne hugs him tightly. Jeremy chuckles a little and then reciprocates, hugging her back just as tightly. It's been rather lonely for him. Even with Pad and Kreacher around. It's not the same as having his sisters around him. To talk to. Plus he was worried about everything going on back there and him being all the way over here.

.....

After explaining everything to Jeremy, because Daphne refuses to leave anything out, she knows that it has burnt them all in the past. Keeping secrets has led to a lot of wrongs before she came back and after too. She doesn't want that for them again. They are all in a good-ish play, relationships-wise, and she doesn't want to do anything that changes that. Not now. Not when they all need each other.

"Katherine sired us, Rose sired Katherine, all we need to do is find out who sired Rose" Damon continues with their explanation of their plan, as to why they are here now.

"So, you traveled all this way to get me to talk to a dead vampire?" Jeremy asks.

"Dead vampire is redundant, but yes" Damon answers, Jeremy gives him a look and then points at Daphne.

"What about Daphne?" Jeremy asks.

"I don't have a connection to Rose" Daphne argues. "I could see Anna and Vicki because of you and because they lingered all over Mystic Falls..."

"Well, then maybe I can't either for the same reasons" Jeremy counters. "I could talk to Anna and Vicki because I knew them. I've never even met Rose"

"What good is you dying and coming back to life if you can't talk to a ghost when I need you to?" Damon complains, Daphne gives him a look and then turns back to Jeremy.

"Rose spent a long time running from Klaus as well. She and Damon were close, so maybe we can use him as a connection, and between the two of us, we can...." Daphne motions with her hands. Jeremy lets out a small sigh and then nods. If they can pool their ghost-abilities, then maybe it would work.

"Fine, fine, but can we do this later?" Jeremy asks them. "My friend just got here and yes, Damon, I actually have some. I'll call you when I'm done" Jeremy starts to walk away, passing Daphne and Damon. Daphne lets out a breath and turns to look at Damon, only to spot something behind him. Her eyes widen realising that it is Kol.

"Jer..." She whispers. "It's Kol!" Daphne points out, reaching into her sleeve for her wand. Kol suddenly hits Damon with a wooden baseball bat. The bat breaks in half and Damon falls to the ground.

"What are you doing?!" Jeremy yells, moving back towards them.

"Jeremy, get back! He's an Original" Daphne informs him.

"What?" Jeremy asks, completely confused by what is happening around him. Kol turns to Jeremy as Daphne checks on Damon.

"No hard feelings, mate. But we're not buds" Kol tells Jeremy and then moves to grab an aluminium bat from the bat rack against the wall. "You know, I'll never get used to aluminium. But hey, at least it won't break" Kol marches towards where Damon lays on the floor only for Daphne to stand between them. Standing in Kol's way. Kol spins the bat in his hand and gives her a look. Because she knows he knows about what she is. He might not actually risk killing her here. Damon groans, trying to push himself up to his feet. To get between them himself. Kol moves at vamp-speed, heading for Damon. Kol pushes Daphne aside and she stumbles into the side of the batting cage. Kol then swings to hit Damon with the bat, but Kreacher suddenly appears and grabs the bat in his hand. He then throws out his other hand, blasting Kol across the space and into a stack of bats.

"Kreacher" Daphne cheers softly with a smile. She's proud of him. That he came to her aid. That he came to Damon's aid. "Jeremy" She states and motions for him to join them as she pulls Damon up to his feet. She needs to apparate them out of here. Kol vamp-speeds to his feet and glares at Kreacher. Daphne can see it all unfolding. Whatever it is that Kol is about to do. So she reaches out to grab the house-elf's shoulders, to pull him out of the way, but Kol is a vampire and Daphne is not. So Kol gets there first. And he snaps Kreacher's neck. Just like that. Daphne screams as Kreacher's little body flops to the ground. Even Jeremy and Damon appear shocked. Daphne lets out a harsh breath before she narrows her eyes and turns a glare on Kol. She holds her hands out at her side and tenses her fingers. Bone after bone after bone snaps and cracks, sending Kol to his knees in agony. She's angry and hurting and she wants to hurt him too. She twists her wrist and with one final snap, this time his neck, Kol falls to the ground. Still and silent. Daphne lowers her hands to her sides, her lip quivering as she fights off tears.

"Did you kill him?" Jeremy asks, breaking the silence. Daphne closes her eyes and hangs her head.

"No" She answers, ashamed of herself for that actually. He killed Kreacher, she should be able to do the same to him, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She doesn't know why she couldn't.

"Hey" Damon whispers as he touches her arm. "Come on"

"I can't leave him here" She whimpers and he nods.

"I know" He assures her. "We'll take him with us" She nods and raises her hand to her eyes to hide the fact that she's getting upset over this. Jeremy shrugs out of his jacket and hands it to Damon who crouches with it to wrap up Kreacher's body to take with them. The house-elf protected him and Damon might not value life much, or he never used to, but he will do the right thing here. He stands and lets out a breath before he looks at Daphne who is very much barely holding her emotions together. It's clear how much the house elf meant to her and how much this is hurting her. Daphne places a hand on Damon and Jeremy's shoulders before they apparate away.

.....

A/N – TBH, I am not sure how I feel about this whole chapter. I went back and forth a lot whilst I was writing it. Kreacher was old and obviously has to die at some point anyway.