Grace - Elijah Mikaelson -

Chapter 41

Grace hadn't really been alone in weeks. Since Elijah was back, most of the time she had spent with him, even at nighttime, or with Klaus. The drive back from Denver to Mystic Falls brought way too much space to think. She tried to push it all away to concentrate of the tasks ahead, but she couldn't help but feel all that fear, paranoia and self loathing for the things she had done creep up inside her. 

Talking to Elijah would've helped. He would've told her that it would all be ok, that he would protect her and his family and of course let her feel like she was the most precious being on this earth. But it was so complicated. Grace wanted to be selfish. She wanted to turn the car around and just stay far away from the drama and danger of Mystic Falls. 

Elijah could take care of himself. Grace's siblings couldn't. Klaus and Rebekah needed her. So she took a page from the noble Original's playbook and was selfless. 

It was already morning when she arrived in town. She was in desperate need of sleep, as she hadn't really closed her eyes in two days. Fortunately lack of sleep couldn't kill her anymore, but it still made her feel miserable. 

Stepping inside the Mikaelson mansion, she listened in to a conversation between Klaus and Rebekah. They were talking about a school dance. Didn't they have the murdering of their mother to plan? She rolled her eyes as she approached them. 

"Aren't you a bit old to attend a school dance, Nik?" 

A grin spread on the hybrid's face when he noticed his friend. He was happy to see her hear, even if he knew that Grace and his brother could've needed some more time alone. But Klaus also felt that something strange was in the air, he had yet to find out that the threat was closer than he thought. 

Grace kissed Rebekah's cheek and rubbed her arm lightly when she came up beside her. A little frown crossed her face as there was this bad feeling in her stomach living up again when she touched the blonde Original. But she was ripped out of her thoughts when Klaus stepped closer to her smiling widely. 

"Considering that, technically, you're the youngest, Gracie, I see this fact quite irrelevant." 

He wrapped his arms around her slim body to hug her, which Grace immediately return. Whenever he saw her, Klaus found himself wondering how he came to trust this girl so much. She was probably the purest soul he ever had seen. He felt this urge to protect her, to apologize for the horrors he put her through every day of their immortal lives. Sometimes he still couldn't get why she really here, embracing him with her big heart, being someone he could trust with his life and family. 

"Grace, you need to come, too! Actually, why can't Elijah come back home, too? And Kol? We wanted to be a family again and now we're again split apart!" 

Rebekah chirped in, to which Grace lifted an eyebrow. She pulled away from the hug she shared with Klaus while padding his shoulders and turned around. Rebekah had a point, but still the idea of oblivious. 

"Because it's too dangerous for you all to gather in one spot while your mother is still walking the earth and we have a missing white oak stake because the town's lumberjack creep, who tried to kill me and literally shot a dozens of bullets into Elijah's chest, has an either more creepy alter ego."

Grace gave her a serious look, to which the blonde pouted and crossed her arms in front of her chest. 

"Whatever. But you two are coming tonight." 

She ordered and stormed off. Klaus only chuckled. 

"Is it just me or is she acting strange?" 

The younger vampire looked after Rebekah, her instincts on high alert. Over the past few days, she had learnt that she should pay more attention to them.