꧁ 𝟹𝚛𝚍 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙿𝙾𝚅 ꧂
"SOMETHING'S NOT RIGHT."
Damon pointed out as he walked into the bar with Jeremy, music was playing in the background as they walked in to see a giant blood smear on the ground.
They followed the blood trail into the back cold storage room where a giant pile of vampire corpses was found in the corner, "Looks like we're gonna have to find some new vampires. What a waste."
"What the hell happened?" Jeremy questioned as he looked around.
"I confess." Kol called in lieu of announcing himself as he walked in with Skyler by his side, unbothered by Jeremy pointing his bow at them, "I did it." He looked at Skyler and smirked, "Well... we did it."
"Kol? Skyler?"
"Jeremy good to see you mate." Kol greeted as Skyler offered a little mocking wave, "Sorry about the mess."
Skyler nodded in agreement, looking around to the pile of vampire corpses she told them, "It was a little crowded."
Kol wrapped an arm around her waist as he added, "And we prefer more intimate gatherings. We four need to have a little chat." He said, holding onto his wife with one arm while he uses his other to take a sip of bourbon straight from the bottle, "Care for a drink?"
"He's underage, and I don't like you," Damon told him and narrowed his eyes, "so let's just cut to it."
Kol hummed in consideration, "You know my brother bragged about his plan to complete Jeremy's hunter's mark. It was easy enough to track this lot down."
"They were all hiding in the shadows like cowards. They tried to run but..." Skyler licked her lips, licking away the last bit of blood that remained on her face after her meal, "I enjoy the chase."
"Now, killing young vampires is easy or old ones, for that matter." Kol told them conversationally.
"Why? What's it to you either way?" Damon asked.
"Because you fools in your zeal to find the cure, you risk waking someone very dangerous." Kol said.
"Oh... you must be talking about Silas."
"What do you know of him?" Kol questioned.
"Nothing." Damon shrugged, "Don't want to. Not our problem."
"Isn't it?" Skyler asked, Damon shook his head in response and she continued, "If he threatens your poor little Elena..."
"You know a few hundred years back, I came across a group that worshiped Silas. His followers told me that he would rise again, and when he did, he would trigger the end of all time." Kol explained, raising an eyebrow as he continued, "You know being an immortal, you can see why I'm opposed to time's ending. So I murdered all of them. And now, here you are willing to risk raising him in your search for the cure."
Kol tilted his head as he looked at his brother-in-law, "I can't exactly sit back and let that happen, can I?"
"We're not going to back off the cure 'cause you were told one too many scary bedtime stories, you idiot." Damon scoffed.
Kol's smirk dropped as his arm around Skyler fell, he pushed Damon with a scowl, "Jeremy, we were mates in Colorado. You're a smart lad." He said never taking his eyes off Damon, "Why don't you call off this imbecilic treasure hunt?"
Jeremy held up the bow and pointed it right at Kol as he responded, "I'm not calling anything off, mate." Skyler let out a growl similar to one a werewolf would produce upon seeing his bow pointed at her husband. She would kill him -- kill all of them --if they hurt Kol.
Kol hummed and took a step back, "Well, I could kill you. But then I'd have to deal with the hunter's curse. And I don't particularly feel like being haunted for the next century." He commented thoughtfully, "Better idea, I'll just rip off your arms."
Kol rushed at Jeremy but Damon rammed Kol into the wall, head butting him and continuing to wrestle with him afterward.
"Jeremy, run!" Damon yelled while Skyler came up behind Damon and tried to pry him off Kol, he fought against her as Jeremy fled.
As Damon continued to hit Kol, Skyler began to punch Damon's back. Grabbing onto his arms, she tried to forcefully drag him off when he snapped back and threw her into the nearby wall which was inevitably his downfall as Kol snapped, catching the hand he used to throw Skyler away and putting him in a headlock.
______________
"Little brother." Klaus greeted as Kol answered the phone when his big brother called when he and Skyler were still in the back of the bar, "Just two days home, and I'm told you've already gone and made a mess with your little wife."
"That little wife can beat your ass, Niklaus." Skyler called with a huff as she drank from a bottle of bourbon.
"Come on, Nik. I was only having some fun." Kol told him.
"Those vampires were for my hunter."
Kol rolled his eyes, "I'll make some more. There's no shortage of people."
"Where's Damon Salvatore?"
"I gave him a good and proper beating just for old time's sake." Kol said casually as Skyler sat down on a wooden box.
"Yes. Well, you two have had your fun. Now let him go and come home. Avoid any more trouble, or you'll find yourself back in a box." Klaus threatened sternly.
"Hey. No need to be nasty about it."
"On the contrary, I find nastiness to be essential whenever my siblings try to sabotage me." Klaus responded, "Listen closely, Kol. Stay away from the Gilbert boy. You understand?"
"Fine. I won't touch him. You have my word." Kol agreed albeit reluctantly.
"Good. Now put Skyler on the phone." Kol rolled his eyes but pulled the phone away from his ear and held it out to Skyler, "He wants to talk to you."
Skyler hopped off the box and took the phone. She walked to the door and turned although she didn't leave, "Yes brother dearest?"
"Don't call me that." Klaus responded immediately, "What are you doing beating up your brother with mine?"
Skyler shrugged, "I got bored."
"I thought you were supposed to be the good one."
"Well, I guess you thought wrong." She responded with an edgy tone as she was getting rather done with people assuming she was "one of the good ones."
"I have never claimed to be a good person, Niklaus."
"Now stab yourself a little bit further." Kol compelled Damon in the background.
"And why are you suddenly okay with him or anyone for that matter hurting your brothers?" Klaus questioned curiously.
"Let's make one thing clear, Klaus." Skyler drawled as she turned to look at Damon, who was stabbing himself with a stake and groaning in pain while Kol watched, "I will always choose Kol over them."
Without another word, Skyler hung up the phone and walked out of the room leaving Kol to it while Damon watched her leave.
Kol called out to Damon, gaining the man's attention as the door swung close behind Skyler, "You should have never hurt her."
______________
"Going somewhere? Perhaps on another honeymoon?" Rebekah asked as she blocked the married pair's way out, "I would if I were you. If Damon kills the hunter, Nik will not be pleased."
Skyler scoffed, "He's never pleased."
Kol smiled, "I told Nik I wouldn't touch the kid. I didn't."
"Oh well, that was clever. I'm sure he'll really appreciate it." Rebekah responded sarcastically.
Kol grabbed Skyler's hand and pushed past his sister to leave however before he could, Rebekah pulled out the white oak ash dagger and pointed it at his back causing Skyler to let out a gasp. Kol stopped, looking afraid for the first time in quite a while, his hold on Skyler's hand tightening.
"You'd really dagger me?"
"If I do, Damon's compulsion ends and this is all over." Rebekah replied.
"If you do," Skyler called, voice wavering, "I'm dead too."
"And then you're no better than Niklaus." Kol continued, "Daggering siblings when you disagree with them-- look at what this family has become. I mean Elijah won't ever show his face, he's so disgusted by our bickering. This cure has ruined us, and it hasn't even been found yet. Just imagine what would happen if it is."
Rebekah shook her head in disagreement, "This family was ruined long before we knew about the cure."
Kol glanced at Skyler once before he dropped her hand and sped around to face Rebekah, pointing the white oak stake at her heart, "Kol!" Someone called, Skyler wasn't sure if it was her or Rebekah though both were inevitably shocked by his actions.
"I won't let you raise Silas." Kol told his sister, however before he could do anything, Klaus ran into the room, breaking them up.
"Enough of this foolishness. Put it down, Kol." Klaus said sternly.
Kol glanced at his siblings before he grabbed Skyler's hand and ran out of the house to the sound of his sister yelling, "He was going to kill me!"
______________
"Kol." Skyler snapped sternly as they stopped at a safe space just outside Mystic Falls, "What the hell was that? Were you seriously about to kill Rebekah?"
"They're going to raise Silas, Skyler, I can not let that happen."
"So you're willing to kill your family because of something people told you years ago?" She shook her head and took a step forward, bringing her hand to Kol's face, he flinched away however she didn't hesitate, caressing his cheek as she stared into his eyes and spoke softly, "Kol, you cannot let your fear turn you into someone I know you are not."
"You don't know what will happen..." Kol trailed off shaking his head.
"No, I don't." She responded sternly, "But I do know that we can get through it. Together."
Kol reached up, grabbing the hand that was caressing his face and taking it away as he looked at her, "Do you trust me?"
"Yes." She told him without a moment of hesitation.
"Good. Then let me do this now before we lose everything because of them."
Skyler sighed but reluctantly nodded in agreement, "Okay. I trust you, Mio Cuore."
꧁ 𝟷,𝟽𝟶𝟾 𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 ꧂
Mio Cuore— my heart