Mystic Falls, Virginia, 24 October 2010
"This is the opposite of My Babysitter's a Vampire then?" Anastasia said, rubbing her corgi's stomach while lying in bed. On the edge of her bed, the Original Hybrid just told her he needed her to look after his younger brother who decided to stay in town. "I'm Babysitting a Vampire."
"You won't be babysitting him," Klaus shook his head. "Just watching him — and more importantly stopping him from murdering too many people."
After discovering the existence of another weapon that could kill an Original, all of the Mikaelsons were on alert. Elijah may have left tone and Finn was nowhere to be found, but Kol remained in Mystic Falls much to Klaus's confusion. Considering his brother not only a loose cannon, but a nuclear bomb, Klaus needed to be sure that he didn't go on a killing spree that only would add to their list of problems.
"And who will stop him from draining me of blood or snapping my neck like a twig?" Anastasia asked, raising an eyebrow in question. Being in the presence of one of the strongest creatures on the planet would be terrifying enough without adding a reckless and uncaring personality to the mix. "He's already tried once."
"Nastya, I would not ask you if I feared that Kol would do anything to harm you," Klaus told her. "No one knows better than me the extent of what he's capable of — I've seen it all. But I also know the times Kol are all bark and no bite. It's a rare occurrence — but it happens."
"That's reassuring," Anastasia muttered, still not onboard with the idea. "How am I even supposed to keep an eye on him? He's freakishly fast and strong. If he decides to leave, I can't exactly stop him. Unless I decide to trap him in his room — and if I do that, then he's definitely going to kill me."
"Kol always had a weird obsession with magic," Klaus shrugged. "I can even admit his knowledge in that particular area surpasses my own. Ask him to teach you something — his arrogance will make him blind to your true motives."
"That requires me dealing with his arrogant arse while Rebekah is out searching for what happened to the White Oak Tree and you spend you trying to teach your bloodsucking-puppies how to sit," Anastasia said when an idea popped into her head. A smirk stretched across her lips, "I'm going to need a whiteboard."
.•° ♛ °•.
Being the Wildest Mikaelson's babysitter proved to be quite easy for the first few hours when Kol decided to sleep in. Anastasia sat in the kitchen eating lunch – pancakes with blueberries and maple syrup – when Kol decided to grace everyone with his presence, dressed in a pair of jeans and a dark blue henley.
"Good afternoon," Anastasia said in an unusually happy tone that definitely surprised the Original. "Did you sleep well?" she inquired politely.
"I'd have preferred some company, but it was okay," Kol sent her a wink as he took out a blood bag from the fridge. "Why are you acting like a ray of sunshine this morning, princess? Have you poisoned my blood-bag?"
"Thanks for the idea for a future revenge plan, but no," Anastasia jumped off the high-chair by the kitchen island. "I just feel like the two of us got started on the wrong foot with you trying to murder me-"
"Says the girl that gave me an aneurysm..."
"-and I would like to give you a peace-offering," Anastasia explained, smiling brightly. Margaretta Eagar, her governess as a child, once claimed that the youngest grand duchess possessed the greatest personal charm of any child she'd ever met. "It must be very confusing for you to wake up after almost ninety years, with everything that has changed in the world, which is why I am willing to offer you my most valuable time – to teach you about the wonders of the 21th century."
"Nik asked you to keep me busy, didn't he?" Kol tilted his head to the side in question.
"Yep," Anastasia nodded, realising there was no point in trying to lie when the truth was so obvious. "He told me to keep an eye on you — I made some pretty valid arguments against the arrangement — but your brother is a stubborn little puppy soooo - here we are."
"And what do I get out of this little arrangement?" Kol asked, crossing his arms over his broad chest. Instead of being angered by his brother's clear lack of trust in him, Kol appeared amused by their little predicament.
"The honour of spending time with me?" Anastasia offered lamely. When he didn't buy it, she added, "There are thousands of men — and women — that would kill for this opportunity to be in my glorious presence."
"I would kill for a lot of things, but not that," Kol said drily.
"Your loss," Anastasia shrugged. "What do you want?" she asked, regretting the question as soon as she said it.
"What are you offering?" Kol smirked, taking another step towards her, using his height advantage to tower over her.
"Give me a suggestion and I'll tell you if I accept it," Anastasia told him. Hopefully Nik realised how much he'd owe her for this.
Kol pretended to ponder over it for a few seconds, "I want a favour."
"How original," Anastasia snorted. "What kind of favour?"
"I don't know," Kol admitted, clicking his tongue. "But when I do figure it out — you have to do it."
"No," Anastasia shook her head. "I don't accept your terms."
"Then I might just go on a little walk and murder everyone I run into," Kol turned around at a human pace, making a show out of it. "Too bad their lives could have been spared..."
"I'll give you one favour. One," Anastasia caved. "But — it can't include hurting anyone. Especially not Nik."
"What do you think of me, Princess?" Kol said in mock offence. Then his playful grin came back as he held out his hand, "Do we have a deal?"
"Deal," Anastasia shook his hand. "Welcome to 21th Century 101."
.•° ♛ °•.
Anastasia could see how she was going a little overboard as she rolled a whiteboard into the living room where Kol sat on the couch. However, if she was going to be stuck with a homicidal maniac until Klaus figured out a way to unlink his siblings and Rebekah tracked down the White Oak Tree — then she'd do it her own way.
Perhaps she'd not appreciate being forced to attend lessons as a child but Anastasia spent the past century with little else to do than read and watch television. She'd never attended a modern school but was confident she could pass any given examination on every subject other than mathematics or science.
"What is this?" Kol asked her, brown eyes shifting between the young woman and the empty whiteboard.
"We have a lot to cover," Anastasia turned around the board to reveal a few talking points she'd written on it. "According to my sources you were daggered on Christmas in the year of 1914, which means you only saw the beginning of World War I. During the time you played Sleeping Beauty you completely missed the Second World War and the Cold War. Not to mention the Great Depression, the beginning of the Nuclear Age, the decolonisation, the moon landing and so much more. And that's just historic events. We have to get you up to speed on all the great movies you've missed. The music-"
"Darling, I've been daggered before," Kol reminded her with a roll of his eyes, leaning back on the couch, draping one arm over the back. "It's not that difficult to acclimatise to a new age."
"Sweetheart," Anastasia retorted, "this isn't like missing out on the 12th century. You've missed out on pretty much the entire Digital Revolution. The world we live in today is very different from what you're used to."
Kol opened his mouth to argue but Anastasia said, "You promised me that you would listen." Giving him her best puppy eyes, Anastasia practically dared him to leave.
"Cute," Kol commented. "But it doesn't work on me." Despite his words, Kol made no move to leave the couch. Deciding to now ponder the reasons for his strange behaviour, Anastasia picked up a notebook from the coffee table and threw it to him.
"Feel free to take notes," Anastasia told him with a bright smile just as corgi-Kol pattered into the room, tongue hanging out of his mouth. "There is my boy," she immediately forgot about the Original Vampire on the couch as she sat down on the ground to pick up her dog. "Did you have a nice little nap?" she kissed his head.
"Is this a part of your 21th century 101?" Kol mocked, brown eyes narrowed at the corgi. "That people have an unhealthy obsession with their pets?"
"Yes, in a way," Anastasia nodded, standing up with corgi-Kol in her arms. "Nowadays a lot of people treat their cats or dogs like children." Placing Kol on the couch – as far away from the Original as possible – she turned back to the whiteboard, "Okay, let's start with 1915-"
"Are you planning on telling me about every year since I was daggered?" Kol groaned, bored by the mere thought of it. A millenia on this planet and not once had he attended any type of school; unlike Rebekah he didn't crave the 'human experience'.
"Are you planning on interrupting me every other minute?" Anastasia retorted in annoyance. "Because then this is going to take a century." All she received in response was Kol raising his hands in mock surrender. The strawberry blonde girl pointed at the notebook beside him, trying her best to mimic the do-not-dare-argue-with-me look her old governess used to give her when Anastasia acted out.
With a roll of his eyes, Kol put the notebook on his right thigh and opened it. Satisfied with his newfound obedience – no matter how reluctant – Anastasia started her history lesson, "We're in the middle of World War I, the year is 1916-"
"What happened to 1915-"
"I decided to skip it, okay?" Anastasia snapped. Kol muttered something under his breath but she ignored him. "To give some background information, after the war broke out the German Army invaded Luxembourg and Belgium, opening what we refer to as the Western Front. However, their advances into France were halted and both sides dug fortified trenches which pretty much is when advances on both sides stopped – it was a deadlock. Are you with me so far?"
"Yes, ma'am," Kol said with a charming grin.
"The Germans tried to break the deadlock in February 1916, during the Battle of Verdun, and this went on until September without luck," Anastasia continued. "Around the same time, in July of 1916 the Allies – that's France and Britain if you've forgotten – turned on the offensive to hasten their victory. But the only thing the Battle of Somme accomplished was that around 1.5 million soldiers died, making it one of the deadliest battles throughout history."
"Sad I missed it," Kol commented, earning yet another glare. In afterthought, speaking about a war she'd lived through – a war she'd seen the effects off – wasn't a particularly wise idea. It brought up old memories she'd rather forget. But at least she could distance herself from what happened on the Western Front.
"Up until the spring of 1917, the U.S remained neutral since the war was considered European business," Anastasia wrote the date on the board because she was now fully embracing the teacher slash babysitter role. "The President, do you remember who that was? He was the president when you got daggered."
"Wilson," Kol said unenthusiastically.
"Good, but we raise our hands in class," Anastasia told him. "Where was I? Yes, Wilson to be some neutral peacemaker but at the same time the U.S financed a large portion of France and Britain's war effort, since the U.S had an economical interest in the Allies winning. But then the Germans declared unrestricted submarine warfare – which meant they sank neutral ships too, among them American ships and that was a major cause for the U.S joining the war – tipping the scale in favour of the Allies."
"The last year of the war became a race where the Germans tried to win before the American support could arrive," Anastasia summarised. "They went on the offensive, gained some terrain but lost a lot of soldiers. In the end, the German Emperor, Willhelm II lost the support of his people and the military after the defeat on the Western Front which forced him to abdicate and after that, in November 1918 a cease-fire was declared."
"Question," Kol said, mockingly raising his hand. "What happened to Russia?"
"What do you mean?" Anastasia asked, tone coming out a little more clipped than intended.
"You may be an expert on the 21th century, but I actually lived during the beginning of the 1900s," Kol said in a patronising manner. "And I seem to recall the Russian Empire being a part of this conflict."
"Russia didn't do well in World War I," Anastasia said shortly. "When things go bad, people want to blame someone. The Tsar was in charge of the army – and was blamed for every defeat. Food scarcity, constant losses and revolutionary propaganda became the end for the Russian Empire and the birth of the Russian Republic. I think it's time for a break, don't you think?"
.•° ♛ °•.
While Anastasia kept Kol busy with a history lesson, Rebekah had a busy day of trying to track down the White Oak Tree. After a quick conversation with Mayor Lockwood, she found out the Salvatore's owned all the logging mills in the old days and therefore had all the records. This forced her to hang out with the Salvatore brothers in order to find out what happened to the only weapon that could kill the Originals, but so far it had all been for nothing.
As night fell over Mystic Falls, Kol left to take care of some needs – which Anastasia assumed meant finding a midnight snack, a girl to hook up with or both – and with Klaus out doing whatever he pleased, the strawberry blonde girl was left alone in the manor. After spending almost a century being left alone while Klaus tried to break his curse, she was rather used to being by herself even if she hated it.
All those countless times Klaus left her alone – for her safety – Anastasia found her thoughts drifting to dark places. The life she lived now was so different from the first seventeen years of her life that it sometimes felt like nothing more than a dream – that ended in a nightmare. Over ninety years had passed since Grand Duchess Anastasia died alongside her family, yet it still haunted Anya like it happened yesterday.
"Did my brothers finally decide to give you a moment of peace?" Rebekah asked upon stepping into the kitchen to find Anastasia seated by the kitchen island with a bowl of ice cream in front of her.
"Nik had some hybrid-business and Kol is out terrorising the town, I guess," Anastasia explained, using her spoon to mix the melting ice cream. "Did you find anything about the tree?"
"No, not yet," Rebekah admitted, leaning against the opposite side of the counter, studying the siphon closely.
"Do I have ice cream on my face?" Anastasia asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious under the blonde's gaze.
"No, it's just — I don't get it," Rebekah said, narrowing her blue eyes. "You're a powerful witch-"
"Not exactly a witch," Anastasia pointed out.
"- that is clearly loyal to Nik but he doesn't even allow you to leave the house," Rebekah continued, unbothered by her correction. "He's a selfish bastard – but he clearly cares about you. At first I thought you were his play thing – but that's obviously not the case."
"I'd help if allowed me," Anastasia shrugged, looking down at the table instead of the blonde. "I owe Nik my life and like I told Elijah – he's the only family I have left. No matter how much of a twat he can be."
"Tell me about it," Rebekah snorted. "I've spent a thousand years with him."
"How many of your boyfriends has he killed?" Anastasia asked half-jokingly.
"All of them," Rebekah replied bitterly. "You?"
"They never survive long enough to become boyfriends," Anastasia said with an awkward smile. A few times when travelling, or when Nik left her in some safehouse in a small town in the middle of nowhere, Anastasia met a nice guy. But somehow, Nik always found out and the poor guy ended up six feet underground. "And I don't have time for anyone else in my life right now anyway. Between babysitting one of your brothers and being emotional support to the other, my schedule is full."
"How did you manage to keep Kol busy all day?" Rebekah asked curiously. "For as long as I've known him – which is my entire very long life – he's never listened to Nik or Elijah when they told him to stay put."
"I gave him a history lesson," Anastasia smiled. "To understand the world we live in, he needs to understand what he's missed."
"You – you gave him a history lesson?" Rebekah asked slowly, trying to process the absurd thought of her brother spending an entire day listening to anyone tell him about history.
"Yeah," Anastasia nodded. "He whined a lot in the beginning, but after a few hours he even started taking notes – I think. I couldn't really see what he was writing down."
"Just when I thought things couldn't get weirder," Rebekah muttered under her breath. That Kol didn't leave town when Elijah did was strange enough – this made the Original wonder what her brother was up to. "Be careful around Kol – when he's playing nice, it's he's always planning something terrible."
"Your faith in me is inspiring, sister," Kol said drily, striding into the kitchen with messy hair and blood on his henley. "Don't fill our little siphon's head with twisted facts about me."
"Have you forgotten how you tried to kill her a few days ago?" Rebekah sassed. "I think she already has a good idea about how twisted you are, brother."
"We have moved past that, haven't we, princess?" Kol winked at the siphon.
"My neck is still a little sore," Anastasia lied, bringing a hand up to rub the spot he'd bitten her. "Soooo – No." Jumping down from her stool, she said, "And if you pardon me, I think I should retire for the evening. It's been a long day for me. Goodnight, Rebekah."
"Goodnight, Anya," Rebekah smiled warmly at the strawberry blonde girl. At first she'd been a little suspicious about the girl her brother brought home – Rebekah rarely liked any of her brother's special friends – but the more time spent in her presence, the more the Original grew to like the siphon.
When Rebekah heard Anya's footsteps disappear up the stairs she turned to her brother, "What are you planning?"
Kol innocently asked, "Whatever do you mean, dear sister?"
"I don't know what your plan is with her, but if you harm her, Nik will dagger you until the end of times," Rebekah warned him. "Don't make her a part of your grudge against Nik."
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Bekah," Kol said with an innocent shrug of his shoulders. "I am simply trying to welcome this young girl into our lovely family the best way I can. No ill intentions involved whatsoever."