A long way
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As the door to the small bar opened, only a small ray of light entered the dim-lit room.
It was early in the evening and just a few senior citizens and mostly students, which had escaped the ongoing rain, were spread on the stools and benches.
A young, very handsome man in jeans and a grey jacket stepped into the „Mystic Grill" and strolled over to the bar. He ordered a double Bourbon and took his place on one of the stools right in front of him.
It was no coincidence, that Kol Mikaelson was here. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but he not only came back to Mystic Falls to fulfill Niklaus next order, but also to see how his friend Jeremy Gilbert was doing. Although Kol would never worry about someone than himself, the question what happened to the boy wandered around in his head.
Like Kol had hoped for, Jeremy was at his job, which he got back after his return from Denver.
First Jeremy thought to be mistaken. It was impossible, that Kol, or better said the Original Kol, who had earned his trust that deviously, was seated at the bar.
In the beginning Jeremy was shocked and couldn't believe it, but in the meantime anger instead of fear roared through him.
He slammed the plastic bowl with the empty and dirty plates on the wooden surface in order to get Kol's attention.
But the latter one just shrugged of his shoulders and smiled, while he took a sip from his glass without looking up.
„What's so funny?", angrily Jeremy took off his waiter's apron and threw it at the empty stool next to him, before he also took a seat.
Finally Kol turned to him.
„Nothing! It's good to see you, Jer!", Kol greeted him and toasted to him with his glass,
„You think, this is all a game, do you? You manipulate people just for the fun of it!"
With a theatrical sigh and his hands on the knees Kol looked down.
„Listen Jer. I just did, what I had to do. Sometimes you have to do things in order to protect yourself", with this he mostly thought of Niklaus'way to deal with people who wouldn't obey him, „but also because it's fun!", he added with a smile.
„So you admit it! You know… I don't even know why I waste my time with you! From the most vampires you should keep a great distance!" With these words Jeremy turned away to leave, but a hand on his shoulder got him to stay.
„Now, now, wait. Drink with me and we talk for a bit! Like in good old times!", Kol smiled and because of his steady and hurtful grip he forced Jeremy to turn around to him. „Take a seat!"
„You cannot compel me!"
„That's not what I want", Kol raised his hands in defense, „Come on, I'm going to order us some drinks."
With a signal in the direction of the already suspicious barkeeper he ordered two more double Bourbon und pushed Jeremy back at the stool.
„I'm not allowed to drink yet."
„So? Do you mind?"
Now it was on Jeremy to smile and embarrassed he ran a hand through his hair.
„What brings you to Mystic Falls?"
„I just wanted to see what my sister's up to in this armpit of civilization and… ah whatever! I just like to drift from one place to an other!", Kol interrupted himself with a small thoughtful grin.
„And then by all means you come back here?"
„You know…", with a shrug of his shoulders Kol took a deep gulp from his glass.
He would never admit to himself or others that maybe he desired the company of something known, like for example family or friends.
„You know..., now it was Jeremy's turn to interrupt, „your brother doesn't make it very easy for us. I mean for my friends and my sister."
„He never makes it easy for anyone!"
„But what does he still want here? Why does he cause us so much trouble?"
„You and your friends also got us into a lot of trouble!", Kol exclaimed with an evil glare in his eyes.
„This is our town! We only try to protect the ones we love!"
„Really? As far as I remember my family settled here first."
Scoffing Jeremy shook his head and turned his back on Kol. Now deep in his thoughts Kol observed Jeremy over the edge of his glass. The boy just tried to cope with the whole situation and to enable his sister a normal life as possible.
A normal human life.
Something the vampire could hardly remember. He also didn't knew exactly what a normal life looked like and doubted, that his family with the almighty mother and dominant father and the differing personalities of his siblings had ever been considered ordinary.
Jeremy on the other hand didn't knew why he was still sitting here. He'd be better at work, before his boss would scold him once again. But a much stronger argument for him was, that he wasted his time trying to talk some sense into a psychopath for whom everything was just a game and who loved to terrorize people.
„Jeremy, you're aware, that you will never be able to save your sister?", Kol asked with a deviant look at the bar drawing invisible patterns on the wood with his finger.
„What do you want to say with that?"
„You can't help Elena. It just won't work."
No, he also couldn't have helped his siblings from their downfall.
He remembered all too well that evening, when his family was gathered around the table and father was pouring them wine and how he ordered them to drink to it. It seemed to be a normal family dinner, but their father didn't take his place at the head of the table like usual. Instead he stood there with his empty wine goblet turning around to face the wall.
In the next moment all you could hear was a splutter from Niklaus' throat and a red liquid pathing its way over the table. Finn and Elijah, who were both seated at opposite sides of their younger brother, were too shocked to even move. Rebekah, who broke down in hysterics and could hardly be kept still by their mother. He, Kol, thought he could make it outside to call the neighbours for help, but before he could even reach the doorknob, he already felt a cold and at the same time hot pain shooting through his chest and everything just went dark.
Snapping out of his memories and back into the present, Kol looked up to the young human who still waited for an answer.
„Believe me, Jeremy, she has to make her own decisions. It doesn't matter how often you try and interfere, at the end she will have to make the final choice herself."
Just like he did, when he decided to get in contact with his brothers and sister only occasionally and rather enjoy the freedom he was granted and couldn't live up before due to the strong presence of his father.
„I don't trust you! You only help Klaus, so he can go on using Elena for his purposes!"
„Are you for real?", Kol exclaimed with an annoyed laughter. He bend over to Jeremy and looked the boy straight in the eyes. „My oh so fantastic brother let me rot in a dirty box for a whole century!", Kol spat out, „Why the hell should I care for all his hybrid mess?"
„But otherwise you won't do anything to stop him!"
„Live and let live.", Kol snorted into his glass and added: „As far as I can recall, you also don't do much to support Elena with this small thing she has with these Salvatore brothers."
„I don't know what to do! Believe me, I would love to shove a stake straight through Damon's heart, if only I could!", Jeremy now admitted angrily.
„You see? Like I said, you're helpless! Some things you just can't change."
And I will never ever be helpless again, Kol thought to himself. That's what his mother's spell had seen to it. If it was to him, Niklaus could go to hell. Why should he care?
„Maybe I can't help my sister, but at least I care for her!", Jeremy again interrupted Kol's thoughts.
„Jeremy, you still have to learn so much. As your friend I give you the advice only to care for yourself and you will never be helpless again."
„Since when are we friends? You've only used me. And if you think, I will ever listen to you again, you're wrong!".
„There was a time when you had easily listened to me.", Kol said with a mischievous smile.
„Like I said, you played me for a fool! I'm done here!", Jeremy grapped the empty plates and vanished into the kitchen.
Kol emptied his glass with a last sip, banged it onto the wood in front of him and while getting up straightened his jacket. He's way too young to understand how it works in this world, he thought to himself and randomnly fished a ragged looking baseball out of his pocket, which he let drop onto the bar.
With this gesture he left the Grill and went out into the open.
As Jeremy came back a while later, he found the baseball. Shaking his head he observed the ball of leather in his hand and with a chuckle he threw it into the air.
Strange, for someone, who didn't care about anything or anyone, Kol had come a long way.