Note if you want to die of feels, read this and then listen to David Gray- Other Side, theme song of this excerpt. I'm not responsible lol.

Austria

1776 AD

He could see it, the fading. The aging process sped up a thousand fold. Each minute that passed her skin would become less taught, wrinkles forming, her hair turning, slowly changing from its rich black, thick texture to a thinning grey.

"Lilly, you will be fine. We've done this before," he comforted both himself and her.

He could go back to the witches, he'd do whatever it took, mass genocide if needed. He'd burn their homes to the ground if they refused. Line them up one by one and slaughter their children in front of them until they were ankle deep in mud created from their own tears. He held no loyalties to anyone anymore.

Only Lilly and he'd do whatever it took to keep her.

"This time it's different Kol…" the youthful timbre that had always been in her voice before was now gone.

"No, I'll make them Lilly," he swore. Her head leaned against the high back chair.

She closed her eyes, a chill creeping under her skin as her circulation weakened with advancing age. "You'll do nothing of the sort."

She was always this way when they'd reach this point, always willing to let go. It was just because she was feeling weak, reconciled for only a moment. But he could bring her back. He'd done twice before.

He crouched before the chair taking her hand now covered in age spots: his Lilly, wilting before him.

"Look at me, Lil." She opened her eyes to find him staring up at her desperate, ready to plead, not caring how pathetic he may look.

"You'll live."

"Not this time, Love."

"Don't say that!" He barked, dropping her hand. He stood, pacing the room. There wasn't much time. He could hear her heart slowing. Maybe if he left now he'd have an hour or so to go to the witches. If she fought it, they would have enough time.

"I have to go Lil," he grabbed his over coat that had been slung over the nearest chair, making his way hastily to the door.

"Kol… Kol!" she called out, stopping him.

"Don't go. I don't want to die alone."

Angered by her lack of fight, he hissed exasperatedly, "You won't die, Lilly."

Ignoring him, she continued, "Come here…."

Against his better judgment he turned from the door, back to her side.

"Down here," she coaxed, smiling, holding her hand up to him.

On his knees in front of her, she leaned forward, taking his face between the pads of her fingers, "I want you to be the last thing I see."

"Lilly-"

The corners of her eyes wet she looked down at him with more love than Kol had ever experienced in his existence and ever would again. They'd had over two hundred years with one another. More happiness than Kol knew he deserved. She'd given him multiple lifetimes of peace and belonging.

He couldn't give it up now.

"Kol, I am tired."

"It will be better once I bring the witch."

"No, Kol… I won't."

"If you loved me enough you would fight," he snapped bitterly.

It was possibly the most selfish thing he'd ever said to her. The witches had warned him time again that this would happen. Soon enough, the spells wouldn't work. They'd fade quicker than before and each new time she was respelled it would be more painful, taxing than the last.

She smiled, a tear dripped from the corner of her eye, slipping over her cheek, "I love you enough to brave hell."

"Then stay…" he softly begged. "Just a little longer, Lil… please…." He kissed the palm of her hand that held him, "Please… please" he whispered with each kiss. "Don't leave me."

"Oh Kol," she tugged at his chin so he'd look at her, "Is that what you think I'm doing? Leaving you?"

He wouldn't answer, busy fighting back all the emotions he was afraid were soon to burst forth if she continued this any longer.

"I'm not leaving you. It is only for a short time. I'll be waiting for you."

He buried his face again into her hand. It was a lie. Why couldn't she see that? There was no God or afterlife. There was only this, what they had and then a cold, dark, lonely place in the ground.

Even if there was a God, heaven and hell, he'd never see her again. Creatures like him couldn't have that.

Knowing what he was thinking, she leaned even closer, her lips on his ear, "You are too hard on yourself."

She could feel his tears blotting into the thin skin of her hand.

Even if what he thought was true. If she was right and there was an afterlife and Kol was damned, it didn't change a thing.

She'd follow him anywhere. Even into the depths of hell.

"I'll find you," she whispered, her warm words sending chills down his spine, "I swear it. I could never forget you," her promise from almost three hundred years before.

He couldn't do this. Not now. "Lilly, I swear things will be different. I could change…." He pandered.

She laughed, "Change? Why would you think I would want you to change?"

Almost three centuries together and she'd thought they'd been through this. She'd thought she'd proven him wrong enough times. He was a good a person. He was worthy of being loved, appreciated, someone remembering him forever.

"You haven't done anything wrong, Love."

Hadn't he? He'd killed thousands in his existence. He'd destroyed more lives than he could ever hope to remember. Was this his punishment for it all? Loneliness? Loss? He'd take it all back.

Her nose ran along his jaw line, nuzzling him.

"It's time Kol…. I can feel it and I know you can as well."

No he refused to admit to that. It wasn't time. It would never be time.

"I miss her, Kol…. I miss her so terribly."

Was he not enough? His mind screamed childishly. Could he not fill the gap that was Lyanna Lockwood, her previous family?

"When I go…."

"Shh…" he begged, the grief collecting in the back of his throat, choking him. He felt like he was drowning and all he wanted to do was hold on a little longer. Just a while longer. Could he not have a few moments longer?

She kissed his cheek, leaning back she pulled his head into her lap, fingers running through his hair as she continued, "When I go, I want you to take me back…."

No! His mind screamed. He'd keep her close. He'd find a witch that could do the correct spell. He'd find a way to bring back and keep her.

"Bury me in the ruins, by the south wall, the one that overlooks the woods."

"No, I won't leave you there alone."

Her hand had begun to slow its strokes, breaths becoming considerably shallow. Her pulse was lulling from a hum to a soft thumping.

"I won't be, Love…." She took a slow deep breath, eyes closing.

Lyanna stood in the sun, her hair blowing in the wind. She called to Lilly, laughing, smiling, and alive. Hand held out for her to take, inviting her to follow as she walked through the rows of plants: their garden, their home, Greyshaw.

"She's waiting for me," Lilly breathed, warmed by the image. Knowing she would be there soon.

She was talking about forever, leaving him forever. What would he have with Lilly gone? What would be the point of it all? Running from Niklaus, keeping her secret and their life…. How he loved their life together. He would have given them all up: Elijah, Finn, Klaus, and Rebekah. All of them for eternity if it meant he could go back and do it all again with Lilly. From the moment he found her.

He sat up; pulling her close, trying to be gentle about it, before kissing her. Somewhere knowing that it would be the last time, but he couldn't accept that. His mind wouldn't allow that thought to even permeate into his consciousness.

"Lilly, I don't want to live without you," he confessed.

She kissed him again, softly. This was it. She knew it. She could feel it coming on last night, for weeks but she didn't tell him. She couldn't give him that much warning because he'd find a way. He always did. And damn him, she loved him for that.

She'd only held on this long for him, because she knew he needed it, "Hush… You won't," she whispered, smoothing hair back from his forehead with her unsteady hand.

The woman he'd loved for three hundred years was gone now, an old woman in her place. But he didn't care. Kol didn't see wrinkles, age spots, or grey hair. All he saw was Lilly. The Lilly he'd met close to three centuries ago in the Garden of Eden. Same brown eyes, same spirit.

"What we have…" she promised, taking a long last few breaths, "It doesn't die…."

"Lilly?" he called out desperately as her body started to go heavy in his grasp, slumping back in the chair. He should have gone for the witches. He should have seen this coming.

Kol's mind raced as her hands started to go cold.

"Lilly…" he pleaded.

Eyes closing she could feel it. The sun warm on her skin and Lyanna's laughter filling her ears, as she spoke her last word to Kol, "Soon," leaving him with the promise that they'd meet again: her soul slipping from this world into the next.

"Lilly? Lilly?!" he yelled, shaking the corpse, pushing thin strands of hair from her face.

"Lilly, please!" his voice cracked, as he wrenched her forward but she gave no response.

She was gone. Pulling her on top of him, her lifeless body slumped awkwardly between him and chair as Kol rocked back and forth. No air, no sounds as he pulled her so tight to him she could have been a second skin. His hand brushed over her the back of her head, fingers knotting themselves in her hair in complete grief.

A choked noise, reverberated off the walls, followed by a soft cry before Kol broke down completely. Lost to the world, lost to everything he held Lilly on his knees, cradling her long past her body going cold.

In that moment, he'd lost everything he had. The only home he knew and would ever know. Nothing could fill the terrible emptiness that spread through him in an instant. None of it would ever be the same.

He'd remember her. He'd never forget her. Lilly was all Kol knew, or ever wished to know.