I'll Never Leave

Chapter 16 - The Killer

Ivy had been staying at her dad's for the last few nights, for many reasons. One being that it allowed her to grieve alone and in her own way, so she wasn't judged. Another was now that Stelena were back together, he would be visiting Elena a lot more. She didn't want to be around them when they were acting 'coupley'. It made her insanely jealous.

But, last night she had decided to stay at the Gilbert's to keep an eye on Jeremy more than anything. She knew he was struggling with the supernatural intrusion into his life. Now more than ever, now his sister was a vampire. The two of them stayed up late playing video games, not talking about any of the problems in the town. Ivy just wanted him to feel like a normal teenager again.

When Ivy had woken up the next day, Elena had already left with Stefan and Jeremy had gone to The Grill for his shift. The kitchen was a mess with grains of cereal across the countertop and bowls in the sink. Ivy decided to clean the house after the teenagers, starting to feel like their maid. As she was cleaning the kitchen, she found Jeremy's keys under a fallen box of cereal. That boy would lose his head if it wasn't attached to his body. Pocketing the keys, she made her way to the front door to drop them off at The Grill for the young man. She hopped in her car making a mental shopping list to get after visiting Jeremy.

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The mustang's growl silenced as Ivy arrived outside The Mystic Grill. She walked up to the entrance expecting it to be closed but was surprised to find it unlocked. She reached for the door hesitantly as her anxiety grew, worrying that Jeremy was in danger.

But he wasn't.

The young man had his back to her, washing some dirty dishes from the night before. Upon hearing her little boots hit the wooden floor, he turned round to see his guardian. Jeremy was about to ask her what she was doing here, when she pulled his keys from her pocket and dropped them on the bar.

"Thought you might need these" Ivy teased the forgetful man. His eyes closed in relief that at least someone in the Gilbert house was paying attention. Jeremy pocketed the keys, before picking up a bin of dirty dishes.

"Thanks Ivy! I'll see you back at home?" He asked the redhead hopefully, wanting to restore some normalcy into his life. She nodded with a smile on her face as he disappeared in the back room with the dishes.

She turned round to make her way out the door when she remembered that she was going shopping. Ivy sat on an empty stool to wait for Jeremy to see if he needed anything from the store. The clatter of china against china let her know he was busy and she didn't want to interrupt. She had been very impressed with his recent work ethic and making a regular routine of going to work. The young man craved a normal life more than anything.

Suddenly a dark hand came from behind her, forcing vervain into her mouth. She could hear sizzling in her ears as it reacted with her vampire body. The hand clasped her chin so she was unable to spit the herb out or warn Jeremy about the danger. Panicked started to rise within in as her mouth and throat became raw. Tears were pooling in her eyes at the anguish she was experiencing. Ivy groaned loudly trying to make any sound that would reach Jeremy's ears. A blinding pain began between her ribs as the assailant pierced a long nail through her flesh. The metal grinded against her ribs with every movement as she struggled against the man.

The hand let go of her, causing Ivy to fall against the floor of The Grill in weakness. The vervain was spat from her burning mouth, still unable to make any sound. Her eyes peered upwards to see dark orbs of the vampire hunter looking down at her. She felt inferior to the man as he loomed over her, bending down to her height. His gloved hand grabbed the back of her neck, forcing her to look him in the eyes.