Rescue Me

Chapter 7

The atmosphere in the room had shifted, leaving a tense, silent moment in its wake, and Klaus found himself shifting his gaze between the young man that stood next to his sister and Caroline, who stood frozen with a devastated look on her face next to Stefan.

He watched as the color drained from Caroline's lovely face, and the way her spine straightened, as if she were preparing for a confrontation. His eyes didn't miss the way Stefan's arm was protectively pressed against her back, either, and he bit his tongue when he felt a surge of jealously rise up.

Tearing his gaze away, he returned his attention to the newcomer. Clearly he was young, a few years younger than Rebekah and Caroline, he'd wager. He was dressed in the typical college student attire: T-shirt, baggy jeans, messenger bag slung over his shoulder. His face, though, led Klaus to believe that, despite his age, the lad felt much older than his 20 odd years. His face was weary. His eyes, dark and brown, were clouded with emotion—which emotion was anyone's guess. And they were cold. Unforgiving.

And focused on Caroline.

"Stefan," Rebekah said, propping a hand on her hip. One perfectly shaped eyebrow was arched as her blue eyes took in the sight of her fiancé standing so closely to the other blonde. "You remember Jeremy Gilbert from the other day?"

Jeremy Gilbert.

Gilbert.

Of the Golden Family of Mystic Falls.

Klaus shut his eyes, his jaw clenched as everything suddenly fell into place. The argument between Stefan and Rebekah, Caroline's reaction to seeing the young man standing behind her. Jeremy's evident disdain for the young blonde across the room. Jeremy Gilbert, younger brother of Elena Gilbert, who'd perished with her parents one fateful night on Wickery Bridge. The last surviving member of the Gilbert family.

He'd never wanted to throttle his sister more than he did in that moment.

He heard Stefan clear his throat and he opened his eyes, returning his gaze to Caroline again. She'd taken a step back, further into the room, her arms crossed protectively across her chest, gaze downcast as she avoided looking at the young man in front of her.

"Jeremy," Stefan said softly, taking a step forward. "It's good to see you again."

Jeremy nodded, finally breaking his death glare, and turned to Stefan. "Yeah, you, too," he said, making quick work of the two stairs that led into the foyer. "Thanks for giving me the shot. It'll look great for my end-of-the-year portfolio. And it's pretty much the most talked about event in Mystic Falls, so who wouldn't want to be involved?"

Stefan smiled, nodding. "No problem. Couldn't really say no to Rebekah," he said, his voice lilting slightly at the his fiancée's name as he met her eyes over Jeremy's shoulder. She merely glared at him, shaking her head slightly. "It's her dream wedding, so. I'm sure you'll do fantastic though. You always had a good eye."

He was angry, Klaus realized. Clearly, he'd been trying to spare Caroline the ordeal of facing Jeremy. He'd obviously fought against using the Gilbert boy, talented he may be, knowing that, as the photographer, his path would cross with hers constantly. And clearly, Rebekah had completely ignored his plea.

Klaus wondered just how much his sister knew of Caroline's past with this town. Surely his baby sister wasn't as heartless as she was appearing now, if she knew the truth.

Though, given the genes that ran in the Mikaelson family, he supposed he wouldn't be horribly surprised.

He looked over at Caroline again. She was standing next to the fireplace now, arms wrapped tightly around her waist. He could see her chest heaving from where he stood, and he could only imagine what she was feeling in that moment. He wanted to cross the room and pull her into his arms, race her out of the Boarding House and far away. Away from Jeremy Gilbert's hate-filled gaze and Rebekah's insecure, jealous tendencies.