Coming Home (A Klaus Mikaelson Story)

11. Body Cleanup

I could hear Liz shouting as I stood there, shock on my face. "Jennifer, Jennifer it's me, Liz. Do not shoot."

I threw the gun to the ground. I definitely did not like that thing. I ran to the door and Liz was leaning over whomever it was I had shot. I felt my blood run cold when I saw who it was.

"Oh god Damon," I whispered, "I'm so sorry."

He was groaning as he stood up. Glaring at me he used his thumb and index finger to reach into the hole in his stomach and pull out the bullet. He threw it to the ground and marched over to me. He suddenly stopped... oh right, he wasn't invited.

"Invite me in." He growled at me, too afraid to speak I just shook my head at him.

He just threw his hands in the air, "Fine, I come here to help you get rid of some bodies and you shoot me, and then won't invite me in, fine. Get rid of the body yourself." He shouted.

He saw the fear on my face and his expression softened. I remembered my first night here, sitting by the bonfire, how he had comforted me while I cried so the others couldn't see. I know people can fake smiles and tears and anger, but his eyes that night. I remember that he was someone that truly did feel sorry for me and my loss. A monster wouldn't feel like that, would he?

I moved closer to the door, then taking a deep breath I stepped outside. I put my hand on his arm and he turned to look at me,

"Damon," I began, "Please don't take this the wrong way. But I'm still new to this whole thing. I'm really trying to get my head around it. My home is now open to most of the vampires in this town. I need the cabin to stay vampire free, for my own peace of mind. I know you came here to help me, but please. Let Liz help me with the body inside."

I could tell he was considering what I had said, and when he smirked I knew he understood. "You're a lousy shot anyway." He joked, I laughed with him,

"Well maybe you could show my how to fire the damn thing. I may be from New York but that doesn't mean I know how to use a gun."

Then I remembered why they were here and I swung my attention to Liz, she was leaning over the body of the delivery man. I walked over to her and put my hand on her shoulder, "Do you know him Liz?"

She nodded, a single tear on her cheek. I squeezed her shoulder, not knowing what to say. She shook herself off and stood up. Then facing me she asked me, "What happened here Jennifer?"

I took a deep breath, "I came out here to..." I paused for a second, would I tell them everything? Why not, I needed them to know I trusted them, how could I expect them to trust me if I didn't earn it. "In the letter my dad left me he spoke of some secret area he and Grayson Gilbert built behind the wall in the bedroom closet. I came out here to find it, which I did. It held weapons, hence the gun, and ammo, lots of what I think is vervain and journals. Everything a budding vampire hunter would need. I ordered food from the Grill as I hadn't thought to bring any with me, when the delivery guy got here I told him to come in and put it on the counter while I got my money."

I could see the disapproving looks I was getting from the sheriff and Damon but ignoring them I continued, "Well yeah, as soon as I said it I figured I had made a mistake. Which I did, he chased me into the house and up to the bedroom. I managed to get him with a stake to the stomach and tried to run. I nearly got to the front door when he grabbed me from behind. I thought he was going to kill me, and he almost did. The next thing I knew I woke up on the couch and the vampire was dead on the floor."

Ok, maybe I wasn't going to tell them everything. I don't know why I left out Nik's part in what took place, but part of me wanted to keep him a secret, for now at least. Damon was standing in front of me in a heartbeat; I was getting sick of all this vampire flashing about. He grabbed my chin and moved my head from side to side, examining my neck.

"Are you sure you can't remember what happened?" he asked, scepticism in his voice. I pulled my head back out of his grasp.

"Yes I am sure." Anger was showing in my voice, but it was not anger because he didn't believe me, hey I was lying after all. It was anger that I couldn't lie better. Then I had an idea, I looked down at my hand,

"Although," I began, trying to sound convincing, "when I woke up my bracelet wasn't on my wrist. It was on the table beside me. Would that have something to do with it?"

He lifted the arm that bore the bracelet, gazing at it he answered me, "Well if you didn't have your bracelet on you could be compelled to forget what happened, or who showed up." He sounded like he wanted to believe me so before he could think any more on the subject I turned to Liz,

"Do you want to see the other one?"

She nodded and followed me into the cabin. As she stood over the body, looking from where it lay to where the heart lay a few feet away, I asked her if she knew who he was. She shook her head,

"No, I've never seen him before. He must be a new player in town. Here help me will you?"

She had grabbed his hands, and indicated his feet to me. Taking a deep breath I lifted his feet and we both carried him outside. Damon had already placed the human body into the trunk of Liz's squad car and came back to get this one. Before he lifted it, I grabbed his arm.

"Damon, do you think..." he could hear the pain in my voice, "Do you think that this is the vampire that killed my parents?"

He looked at me for a moment, as if unsure what to say. Liz spoke up instead, "Jennifer, this may well be the vampire that did it, but we can't ever be sure. I know this is hard, but you're going to have to move on. Do not let it consume your life."

Damon lifted the body and placed it with the other one. Without as much as a glance at the cabin he climbed into the passenger seat of the car, waiting for Liz.

"Good night Jennifer," Liz said, "and remember, no more inviting strangers in. Be safe pet."

She turned to walk away but I grabbed her and threw my arms around her. I could feel her surprise but after a moment she put her own arms around me, returning the hug.

"I'm so sorry Liz, growing up you were always like a second mother to me. I'm so sorry I've been acting like a bitch, I really am. It's just finding out about all this stuff, then finding out my friends knew something about my parents and didn't tell me. I was just so angry. I hope you can forgive me."

"Oh Jennifer," Liz's voice sounded slightly hoarse and I realised she was crying, "Don't apologise. I can't pretend to know what you're going through. I may see a lot of death doing what I do, but I've never lost family. Even when Caroline became... what she is. I still have her in my life. Just know that I'm here for you, and I know your friends miss you and want to see you."

I pulled back from the hug and wiped my cheeks, a few tears had escaped my own eyes as well. She smiled at me and went to the car. I watched her get in and with a final wave they were gone. I went back into the cabin and lifted the phone again. I dialled a number from heart; I could hear the soft voice answer,

"Jennifer? Is that you?"

"Hi Elena," I said slightly shyly, I didn't know how she would react to me. After all I had called them monsters. "I'm out at my parent's cabin and was wondering if you wanted to come out to me. I really need to talk to someone."

Without a pause she answered, "Of course, I'll be there soon."

I went to add something but she cut me off, "and don't worry, I'll be on my own. See you soon."

With that she hung up and I let out the breath I hadn't realised I was holding. It's not that I didn't want to see the others, it's just I was serious when I told Damon that I needed the cabin to be vampire free. I started to clean up while I waited for Elena to get here. One of the stools had been knocked over and broken in the struggle; I couldn't say whether it was the struggle with me and the vampire, or the vampire and Nik. I cleaned up the wood, then filling a bucket with hot water and bleach and fairy liquid I started on the blood. It looked like it was everywhere. 

"Oh my god. What happened here?"