"Is this our thing now? Sneaking away from parties?" You ask, sitting on the wide railing on the upper balcony, dangling your feet over the ledge, wrapped in Kol's arms. Your dress is flowing in the wind, the twinkle lights wrapped around the lower part of the railing, shining through the thin fabric of your dress.
"It appears it is." Kol smiles, his thumb caressing your hand he's holding in his grasp "We're much better company than any of these fools."
The sound of chatter and music carries through the open, white painted, balcony door. It reminds you quite a lot of the night you had in New Orleans all does years ago.
"I don't know. I heard Finn is a fun-loving guy." You joke and Kol laughs, knowing that you would most likely bore yourself to death even talking to Finn. He has always been a nuisance.
Kol can only imagine how Finn's hanging on Esther's coattails. Ever the devoted son.
Pathetic.
"Don't tell me I should I be worried about my bore of a brother."
"You know I'll choose you over anyone." You say, turning your head away from his chest, looking up to him.
He smiles, not uttering any words, but you understood all the same. His eyes express what his lips cannot. He lights up with the truth he never thought possible and his inner storm settles, his whole world right in front of his eyes, brought into focus by your words.
In that moment, it feels like nothing can touch you, nothing could even begin to try. Just for that fleeting moment, everything else melts away.
He leans down and gently grazes his lips over yours, the still present butterflies in your stomach drawing circles after circles. His hand grazes your neck and pulls you into him as far as the sitting position allows.
When he pulls away you chase after the kiss, your lips unwilling to let go, before you resettle, looking out on the unchanged scenery.
"This view is breathtaking." You say looking out on the unchanged scenery the dawning sun dipping everything in its way into his golden and soon dark red color as if the sun itself is bleeding away before rising like a phoenix in the early morning hours.
You felt like you bled out too, not sure if was your own shattered heart bleeding through the thinness of your skin, or if it was the blood of your victims. Either way, you've risen from the ashes and Kol did too. And you both have no intention of leaving the golden hours any time soon.
"It is," Kol says, looking at you rather than the view. "Beautiful, magnificent, ravishing...there aren't enough words."
By then you knew that he wasn't talking about the scenery "Ever the charmer, huh? You know, I do love you in a suit too."
"Now simply add a top hat and a coat and we'd travel back in time."
"Is that you want? Travel back in time?" You ask him, the tiniest bit of worry entering your mind. Would he rather turn the clock back then be here right now?
In all honesty, he never thought about it. But what he did consider is that if he had the opportunity he would'have walked a different path.
But that's the tragedy of choices. There is no chance to turn the clock back, no way of lowering the curtain of the past to slip through it. Still, he would'have prevented everything from happening. He would've never let you walk the earth alone for so many years.
But there is no such thing as time travel. The only thing he can do is keep you happy. And he made a vow to himself that he will do just that, even if it means bowing down this brother. He would do anything.
"No." He answers finally "I'm happy right here, as long as you're with me."
"Oh, you won't get rid of me that easily. You're stuck with me."
"Good." He smiles, pressing his stubbled jaw against the side of your head.
"As long as we don't get that house I dreamed about we'll be fine," You say and Kol's blood runs cold " It was so weird and..ordinary. It looked like it was ripped out of-"
"An episode of desperate housewives." Kol completes the sentence.
You sit up abruptly "What the hell? Did you have the same dream?"
The many possibilities of the origin of that dream run through Kol's head, but the only conclusion he can find is that the dream might not be a dream at all
"I think it was not a dream, rather a vision." He Says.
"A vision for what? For being human?" You theorize, only the thought of being human seems comical to you "That's not possible. Why would anyone show us that, let alone some random witch spirits?"
"I don't know."
"Probably just a prank. I would get bored if I'd be trapped in that creepy house too." You say, wiping away every other possibility. Everything else would be too crazy, right?
"But it doesn't matter who it was, we will happy anyway. I know it. We don't need to be human for that.
"No, we certainly do not. Besides, we're a prime example of our species, wouldn't you agree? Or at least you are."
"Don't sell yourself short. You're Kol Mikaelson. One of the first vampires ever created, undeniably handsome and strong, and the most charming out of them all."
"And you're Y/N Salvatore, the woman of my dreams, Cunning, beautiful and the only one that I have ever loved. And ever will love."
You melt into a puddle in his hands, his words as truthful as your that follow "I love you too. To hell and back."
Your silhouettes join in for a kiss, the darkening sky drowned by your silhouettes.
Kol abruptly pulls away a few moments later, the presence of an uninvited guest startling him.
"Ever the intruder" Kol mutters to himself and you look over your shoulders.
It's Stefan, standing in the doorway.
You didn't even notice he was there. Kol on the other hand did. He can't relax here with his brother around, so being on edge every second is the only solution.
At least for now.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," Stefan begins, visibly nervous " I..uh, can we talk? Please?"
"Sure. "
Kol clenches his jaw, every fiber of his being screaming to stay here. Wouldn't be the first time siblings turn on each other. But even if it's difficult, he has to give Stefan the benefit of the doubt. At least once.
"Look, I, uh...I'm sorry" Stefan says after Kol closed the windowed door behind him.
"You have nothing to be sorry for. I hurt someone you love without thinking of the consequences. It was a rash and selfish decision."
Stefan shakes his head "If someone deserves to be selfish for once, it's you."He says, looking out on the garden that spreads out farther as the lights illuminates it "I shouldn't have been so angry."
"I don't know if I deserve any of it." You shrug your shoulders " I'm just.. I'm sorry you got hurt in the process. And Damon too. If Klaus wouldn't have come to Mystic Falls a lot of things would'be unfolded differently. You wouldn't have gone on a ripper binge, Elena's aunt would still be alive and I would've never stepped back into your life, tearing down everything you build here."
"No, that's not it..."Stefan says and looks at you, the words not as easily escaping him as he would want "I'm glad you're here."
"Even if I might leave again? Eventually?" You ask him carefully, the plan to travel the world with Kol still present in the back of your mind
"Even then." He nods "You've done more for us than we ever did for you. You deserve to be happy, even if that happiness comes from a Mikaelson."
Tears of relief fill your eyes, the reconciliation as well as the fact that he supports your relationship moves your than you ever thought.
"You're gonna make me cry." You laugh, your vision already blurred by a few tears.
Stefan laughs as well, his tension falling "So we're good?" He asks.
"Of course we are." You smile at him "You're not the one I'm angry with. Damon on the other hand, he always has to open his mouth and criticize everything I do. The good and the bad, and I'm sick of it."
"You know, Damon, he, uh, spend all morning doing a background check on your friend.." Stefan says, and you freeze, not knowing how to process that new information "He might not have the words for it, but he cares about you. He always has."
"I know you want nothing more than for us to get along, believe me, I do too, but it's not working out. It never has and I don't think it ever will."
"You know, you two are similar than you think." Stefan says, truthfully, without any hesitation "Maybe that's why he's so angry. Because he knows he would've gone down the same road you have if it meant saving Elena."
"He really likes her too, doesn't he?"
"He does."
"I'm sorry I catapulted you right back where you started. With Katherine. But I want you to know that I meant what I said back in the creepy witch house; I will always look out for you. Even if I have to run into burning buildings again. No matter where each of us is and even if you'll hate me one day, I'll be there. Always."
"I could never hate you." He shakes his head "And don't beat yourself up. Damon and I we would've come to that point sooner or later. That's what we do. Just....Just try to enjoy yourself tonight. You deserve it. "
With the weight off your shoulders lifted, you step into the warm, contrasting room adjoining the balcony.
"I presume you and your brother reconciled?" Kol asks as you approach him and smiles as well, infected by your own
"I think we have." You say, the overwhelming feeling of finally being back on the same page as Stefan, as well as the fact that having Kol here, so close, fills your entire body with bliss. You almost forgot how it felt like.
"Apologies for the intrusion," Finns' sudden voice turns your head "Y/N if you would follow me, please. Esther is ready for you."
"I'll be right there."
Right. Esther. It somehow completely slipped your mind she wanted to talk to you.
"Very well," Finn says and takes his leave.
"It seems everyone wants to steal you away. I don't like it." Kol says, slipping his fingers in between yours, holding them.
"Seems like it, but I'll be fine." You reassure him, hoping it would cover up the agitation that's building up "As soon as we're done here we'll pack our things and go. Just pick a destination and we'll be on our way, okay? I have loads of road trip music to introduce you too."
"I can't wait."He smiles, almost believably at ease, "Be careful." He adds and plants a kiss on your forehead, a token of luck as well as a sign of his undying adoration.
"I always am."
As your hands slip from his fingers, the fear within rising with every step you take. What if you don't return? God knows what his mother is going to do to you. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time fate has laughed in his face.
This time, however, he hopes that it will smile, rather than laugh.
The corridor leading to Esther is narrow, old candle holder still on the walls. Finn is waiting in front of a big double door, opening it. You presume to announce your presence. When he steps aside, however, to your surprise Elena leaves the room,
It felt like time was slowing down as your eyes cross, yours full of distaste, and hers, well, her eyes are full of regret. Perhaps she finally realized that she's not so innocent as everyone claims her to be.
Finn must'be sensed the tension between you, and he clears his throat, gesturing you to enter. Ever so impatient Mikaelsons. Must be a family trait.
"Thank you, Finn." Esther says upon your enter, and Finn closes the door on his way out.
Your senses are punished by the stench of burning sage and the copper smell of blood. What the hell went on here?
"Y/N, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. Please sit." Esther gestures to a light colored couch "You must be wondering why I invited you here."
"A little, yeah. But most of all, I'm wondering how you're alive."
"When I died, the witch Ayana preserve my body with a spell. She was a close friend of mine and an ancestor of Bonnie Bennett. That is how I am here, before you."
"So you've been on the other side for 1000 years?" You ask "Probably wasn't a picnic."
"No. It was nature's way of punishing me for turning my family into vampires.
"No offence, but I think it was Klaus way to punish you for lying to him all these years." "Not that I'd ever justify any of Klaus' actions ever, but you know..."
"No matter what or who decided to punish me, there is a way for me to undo the evil I created, matter of fact, the spell is already completed." She holds up at a piece of parchment, a red substance on it, forming what could be recognized as a tree.
Blood. The red substance is blood.
"A binding spell." Esther explains "To undo the evil with the same means I created it."
She bound them together as one. She wants to kill them. But how?
She created vampires with the doppelgänger blood. That's when it hits you. The stench of blood, the guilty look on Elena's face - everything makes sense. She offered her blood to be the undoing of not one but all Mikaelsons, and with that Kol.
Numbness spreads throughout your body, the stomach-turning, fever-hot chill cursing in your veins, staining them. It's happening again. The noose is tightening.
"That's why Elena was here. You needed doppelganger blood."
"I see you are very well informed." Esther says, quite surprised by your knowledge.
"So you invited me here to gloat? To see the look on my face when you destroy my happiness I just got back, is that it?"
"No. I invited you here to offer you a chance to release Kol of said spell." She says her mouth quickly twisting into a triumphing smile at the surprise on your face. "I've watched you from the other side, and it is clear that you preserve the side of my son that I thought lost. I mustn't destroy that."
"But you're willing to destroy everyone else? You turn your children into vampires to keep them safe and alive, just to turn your back on them now? Why?"
"I have to atone for my mistakes." She says, the first time seeming sincere "That is why I offer you and Kol a peaceful life. Like I already showed you in my constructed vision of yours.."
"It was you." You say, the pieces of the mystery of the strange dream finally falling into place "I knew it wasn't just a dream."
"It could be reality, Y/N." She says the sound of her voice meant to bring comfort, yet it's just the opposite "You could live happily ever after, without knowledge of your previous......lifestyle. As humans. That is my offer to you. An offer to set yourself free from the burden my family has set for you."
You never felt comfortable in your own skin, and as a human, it was much worse. There are tales upon tales how vampires hate what they've become, who long for being human again. You couldn't be farther from it.
"All I ever experienced from being human is loneliness, abandonment and the suffocating feeling of being locked in a cell." You swallow, only the mere thought of the close confinement, fueling your claustrophobia "Why would I possibly even think of going back to that when becoming a vampire brought me love and something to fight for? You really think I give all of this up, including my memory, for your fairytale?"
"You would deny my offer simply to resume your bloodshed? Without my son by your side?"
"Even if I would agree, which I am not, I couldn't decide for any life but my own. I couldn't choose Kol's fate when time and time again his fate was chosen for him. I'm not gonna be one of those people." You say, your voice shaking under your breath, barely hearable "If you'd really wanted to save him, he would be here. He's not. You just want me to be in your debt for whatever you've planned next."
"I see you made your decision." She sighs, her plan not working out as she might've hoped "How unfortunate."
"Doesn't mean I won't find a way to undo your spell." You say with full confidence, knowing that anything less would only mean she wins.
"My dear, there is no undoing it. The blood of the doppelgänger bound my children as one. If one dies, all die."
Meanwhile down the hall....
"I was hoping to get you alone." Kol steps out of the balcony overlooking the front of the mansion, his voice echoes in the chilly night, dripping down on the old stone walls.
"Oh, great it's you." Damon says, his voice dripping with sarcasm " The reason my own sister betrayed me."
"Now she's your sister? That's funny, you never seemed to care for her once in your pathetic existence."
"Pathetic, me? What about you? How does it feel knowing that the second Y/N realizes she doesn't have to fight for you she'll get bored and move on? That's what she does."
Kol growls at his words, and lunges at him with force, flying over the balcony's ledge. Damon's head hits the stone flooring, cracking open slightly on impact. He tries to shove Kol off of him, by twisting his neck to the side, but he doesn't stand a chance.
Kol keeps him pinned down, punching away.
"You've done nothing but shove her away time and time again." Punch "Condemning her for her mistakes" Punch "treating her like a dust particle on your clothes " another punch " when in reality you're much worse than she'll ever be."
Damon groans, blood pooling around his head his raven hair already damp with blood.
"Listen to me very carefully." He forcefully grabs Damon's bloodies jaw "If you dare to speak to Y/N like you have ever again, you will live to regret it. You do not want to make me your enemy."
With a flick of his wrist his breaks Damon's neck, the sound echoing in the open entrance area.
He looks up to the balcony, measuring the height he just hurled Damon over. He tilts his head to the side, satisfied with the outcome.
The door swings open just as Kol wipes the blood off his hands on Damon's suit jacket. You hurry down the stairs, tears running freely.
Your step falters for just a moment at the sight of Damon bloodied and bruised on the floor, but your sorrow overcomes every sense of empathy. You collide with Kol's chest, pulling him as tight as possible. Who knows, it could be the last time.
"Y/N....darling what's wrong?" Kol asks, concerned.
"You're gonna die. You're all gonna die." You sob into his shoulder and you could swear you could hear his heart stopping a beat. And not in a good way this time.
In that moment, it feels like everything can touch you, it wouldn't even have to begin to try. In that fleeting moment, everything that melted away comes flooding back.
For once Kol is glad to have his back turned, or his distress would have been obvious to people watching.
And as it happens, they are watching indeed.
"You were right." Mae says, her face half covered in shadows by the upstairs window "Esther is not interested in any kind of reconciliation. If the rumors of the white oak are true, we have to make some preparations."
"I trust you have a plan?"
"Of course I do. I'll keep Y/N in check, you worry about your brother. He seems to lose sympathy as rapidly as you do." Mae says, referring to his altercation with Damon "Watch his back, and not with a dagger this time."
"Now now, love, don't underestimate my ability to play nice. You should know how pleasant I can be." Klaus, her partner in crime says, stepping out of the shadows into the cold night light that's pressing through the glass windows.
"Once perhaps. But you and I were nothing more than partners with the same goal in mind. And we'll do what needs to be done even if everyone hates us in the end." She says and turns to walk away, the work already cut out for her.
"Maeyra."Klaus calls after her "I.. thank you. Without your assistance, my curse would still have a hold over me. I'll remain forever in your debt."
"And don't think I won't collect. Just try not to die in the meantime. Believe it or not this still means something." She says, holding up her hand, her daylight bearing the same design as the Mikaelson's, before walking away, disappearing out of Klaus field of vision.
A/N: Surprise!!! The mystery person is none other than big bad Klaus. A lot of you guessed Elijah (on my tumblr), which pleases me so much you have no idea. It means that my aversion worked out just as I hoped it would ;)
Also, I am personally really pleased with this chapter, a lot more pleased then I was with most of the previous ones. But what do you guys think? Let me know!!