Previously in "Angel of Destiny", Kol and Lexi meet up at a bachelor party for Kol's youngest brothers and share a kiss in the alley.

Chapter Four

Lexi arrived at home and clumsily walked up the steps. She was about to get her key when she saw a shadow behind her and turned to see..."Kol?"

Kol nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry for following you, but I wanted to see that you got home okay."

"Are you my stalker or my protector?" she teased him with a grin, her tongue in her cheek as she got the door unlocked successfully.

Kol shook his head. "My dear, stalker is a bit harsh. I'd like to consider myself your protector." He smiled and when he saw the door opening, he added, "If you'd like, I can help you inside."

Lexi giggled. "Will I get another kiss?"

Her answer came in the form of Kol embracing her and kissing her passionately.

Grace was inside the house, reading a book to Gwen, who she was baby-sitting for and who was only 2 when she heard her mother's voice out on the front porch, and another voice with a British accent. She heard 'Kol' being mentioned and she turned to Gwen. "Gwen, do you know who Kol is?"

"That's my uncle!" Gwen said excitedly. Outside, Kol and Lexi were still kissing when they heard the excited squeal from inside. They broke apart, both breathing heavily.

Lexi looked at Kol. "Oh, I forgot that Grace was babysitting for Francesca tonight."

He nodded then brushed his lips over her forehead in a tender caress while she sort of swayed into him. Kol glanced down and saw that she looked like she was going to get sick so he picked her up bridal style and carried her into the house, kicking the front door shut with his foot after retrieving the keys and placing them into the bowl on the table in the front entryway.

Kol then carried Lexi upstairs to her bedroom, laying her gently on the bed. He then heard footsteps behind him and looked to see Grace standing in the doorway, Gwen in her arms. Both girls were smiling at him and he gave them a smile back. There was a silence between them before Grace said, "You must be Kol. I'm Grace Branson, Lexi's daughter."

Kol nodded. "It's lovely to meet you, Grace." He then looked toward Gwen. "Hello, Gwen, my sweet niece. Are you being a good girl for Grace?"

Gwen nodded as well. "Yes, Uncie Kol."

Kol then felt Lexi tugging on his arm and saw that she was nauseous, so he escorted her to the bathroom adjacent to her bedroom, where she immediately threw up in the toilet. He cringed and then looked at the girls. "Apparently, she had a bit too hard partying tonight."

"Do you think she'll be okay tomorrow, or should I call Aunt Vicki or Aunt Meghan and tell her she needs the day off?"

Kol looked toward the bathroom. "I think you should tell Vicki and Meghan that your mother needs a day off."

The Next Morning…

Lexi woke up, one eye opening to see the glass of water with the note in front of it with her name on it. Reaching out, she plucked it from its resting place and flipped it open.

"My dear Alexia,
Last night was absolutely amazing. You are amazing and your beauty is beyond compare. I can't stop thinking about you, and I have a feeling that the kisses we shared in both the alley and on your porch will be haunting my thoughts just as much as your face does. You are also an amazing mother. Grace is truly lucky to have a mother like you, and she's equally as beautiful as you. She is a fine young lady and I enjoyed meeting her.

Rest up and get well. I shall see you soon.

Yours,
Kol."

Lexi cheered internally then reached over and picked up the Tylenol on the nightstand next to the glass of water, swallowing them back with the water.

Grace went past the room and looked in. "Mom, are you okay?"

Lexi saw her daughter and nodded slowly. "Yes, honey, I'm fine. I just have a headache, that's all."

"I called Aunt Vicki and Aunt Meghan," Grace said. "They know that you don't feel good and that you need a day off."

Her mother nodded then pulled back the covers and Grace immediately came into her mom's bedroom, climbing into the bed next to her. "I know this hasn't been easy since your father died," Lexi said, stroking Grace's dark-blonde hair. "But we've gotten through all the tough days, haven't we?"

Grace nodded. "We have. Evan and I did have a rough time adjusting at first, but we go through it." She smiled. "I like Kol. He's very nice."

Lexi smiled as well at the mention of Kol's name. "He is, isn't he?"

Meanwhile…

Finn was shocked by what Sage tells him as they enjoy their morning coffee, his jaw dropping (but not literally). "She confessed that?" he asked.

Sage nodded. "Yes. Lexi said that she kissed Kol. I didn't believe her, thinking she was just saying it because she was drunk." She looked at Finn. "Did Kol say anything to you about it?"

"Not directly," he replied. "But our dear niece blurted it out when I got Henrik home last night."

Sage shook her head. "Ah, out of the mouths of babes."

"She's cute, sure, but I wonder how Henrik and Francesca put up with her active mouth," Finn said with a shake of his head.

Sage got up from her chair and kissed the top of his head. "Now, now, Ruby was like that too when she was two, and so were Bridget and Cooper." She smiled. "Come to think of it, so were you."

She laughed when Finn finally put two and two together; getting it through his head what she meant then began to squeal when he grabbed her around the waist, tickling her. Sage laughed as Finn continued to tickle her. "FINN, STOP IT! I'M GOING TO PEE IN MY PANTS!"

He did as she asked, then turned her around and kissed her passionately, trapping her against the counter.

Sage returned his kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and reaching one hand up to run her fingers through his hair. She then left his lips and began kissing his neck.

Picking her up, Finn placed her onto the counter then mimicked her action, pressing open-mouthed kisses along the skin of her neck and moving down. He groaned into her shoulder when he heard his cell phone going off from his back pocket. "Work, work, work," he grumbled before pulling out his phone. "Well, maybe not; that's Father. Either way, I have to go, my beautiful Irish Rose."

Sage pouted after he helped her down from the counter. "We need our own kids-free night. No work, no cell phones, just worry-free," she told him.

Finn saw her pout and kissed her. "We will, my love, I promise. Better yet, I'll arrange to have kids-free weekend."

She nodded and kissed him softly one more time. "Off you go, Agent Mikaelson," she said with a smirk. Finn kissed her one more time then left the house. Sage went to check on the progress of their children, knocking on each of their closed doors.

As she knocked, Sage said, "Ruby! Bridget! Cooper! Come on, hurry up! You don't want to be late for school!"

She raised a curious eyebrow when she heard her eldest daughter grunt from in her bedroom and she opened the door to find all three of them playing, halfway on the floor, halfway on the bed. "Oh, hi, Mum," Ruby said casually as she got out from beneath the pile and straightened her clothes.

Sage gave her children a curious look. "What were you doing in here?"

Bridget smiled. "Nothing, Mum, we're just playing."

"Okay, well, enough playing; it's time to go to school," Sage said as she gestured to them one by one to leave the room. "After school, Ruby Lorraine, you are to take them straight to your grandparents, is that understood? Don't stop by and see Grace, or Caleb either, okay?"

Although disappointed that she wasn't going to see Grace or Caleb today, Ruby nodded and said, "Yes, Mum. I'll take Bridget and Cooper to Grandfather and Nana Ellie's after school."

Sage sighed at her eldest daughter's tone and decided to rephrase what she said earlier. "You can see Grace and Caleb at school, Ruby. But, it's after school that you can't, because I want you to take Bridget and Cooper to your grandparents."

At the Clinic…

Sage got out of the large SUV Finn often loaned her, getting out the correct bag she needed to start her day.

Sage walked into the clinic, waving to the others as she walked past the nurses' station. "I like it when she comes in. She's too quiet though," Meghan said to Vicki after Sage disappeared into her office in the back.

"I don't think so," Vicki said. "I've spoken to her a lot of times."

Meghan shrugged. "I guess it's just me then," she said. "Have you heard anything from Operation Lexi?"

Vicki nodded. "Grace told me they kissed…twice," she replied.

Meghan blinked. "Twice…in one night? Damn, she must REALLY like him if she kissed him twice."

Vicki gives her a smirk then nods toward Sage. "Should we let her in on the plan?"

"Yes! She can have all the nieces and nephews, and sisters and brothers help us!" Meghan said excitedly.

Vicki smiled. "Yes, she will. And if all goes well, Lexi will be Mrs. Kol Mikaelson."

When Sage came out to take her lunch break, the two other female doctors cornered her. "We have a plan that we want to run by you," Meghan said as a start.

Sage raised a curious eyebrow. "Oh, really, and what, pray tell, is this plan of yours, Dr. Lockwood?"

"We are going to be playing matchmaker for Alexia and Kol. We know that you're Kol's sister in law, married to his oldest brother, Finn, right?" Vicki guessed. Sage nodded that she was right and gestured for her to go on. "Oh!" Vicki turns to Meghan. "That masquerade ball your mother in law and Eleanor Mikaelson are hosting for the hospital? We could ply them together by pretending that they have dates, to make the other jealous, but then lock them in a room together?"

Sage listened to this and said, "That does sound sneaky, and they might get mad at us for tricking them."

"True, but we're doing this to help them," Meghan said. "Lexi and Kol obviously belong together, and Grace seems to really like Kol." She smiled. "And Gwen blurted out that they kissed twice. If that's not an indication that they're destined for each other, I don't know what is."

Later…

Rebekah waddled to the front door to let her nieces and nephew in, smiling at them all. "Is your mother coming by in a bit? She said she had something important to discuss."

"I'm here, I'm here!" Sage called out as she ran in behind her kids. "Let's go into the study. Eleanor, Francesca, Katherine, Sabrina and Cora might want to be present too. Actually, let's include all the Mikaelson girls." She turns to Ruby and Bridget. "That includes you two as well."

Ruby and Bridget looked at each other and then Ruby said, "Count us in."

Sage laughed and nodded then turned back to Rebekah. "I'll call Grace and have her bring Gwen back here."

Cooper listened to this and pouted. "Hey, how come I'm being left out? I may not be a girl, but I'm just as much a Mikaelson as everyone else here!"

Ruby reached out and ruffled his copper-red hair. "I'm sure that Grandfather and Uncle Stefan would be glad to hang out with you, Coop," she said, a grin finding its way onto her face when the two men she'd previously mentioned came into the room.

Stefan nodded at his nephew and put his arm around his shoulder. "Yeah, we'll go to the Grill and flirt with the girls that pass us by. Maybe get a number or two." Seeing the glare he got from his wife, he added, "I was kidding, Bekah. We'll probably watch a movie or play on the Xbox."

Rebekah shook her head then gestured for her sister in law and nieces to follow her into the study.

The girls followed Rebekah into the study, leaving Stefan, Mikael and Cooper in the living room. Once they were alone, Cooper looked at Stefan and said, "Should we do what you told Aunt Rebekah we were going to do, Uncle Stefan? You know, go to the Grill and flirt with girls?"

"Cooper, your uncle didn't mean it when he said that," Mikael said, answering the question for Stefan. "He was being silly." He cleared his throat. "Now, what do you say we go into the recreation room and play some cards? I've been meaning to teach you to play poker for some time now, but wasn't sure if your mother would approve of it."

When Finn arrived a little later, with Kol, Klaus, Henrik, Elijah and Olivier, he heard two different sets of laughter, one coming from the study and the other toward the back. He and his brothers followed the one in the back, finding Stefan, Mikael and Cooper in the middle of a game of poker.

Finn was shocked when he saw what was going on. "Father, what are you doing?"

Mikael smiled at him. "What else? I'm teaching my grandson how to play poker. And he's very good. Stefan and I have lost two hands in a row to him. I've got to say, Finn, you've got a regular card shark on your hands here."

Finn gave his father a smirk. "That's because he has a teacher. Me," he told Mikael.

Stefan smiled at his brother-in-law. "We figured that from the way he was beating us."

Behind Finn, there was a gasp before he felt his wife's fists pound over his back. "You're in BIG trouble, Finnegan! You can't teach OUR son poker," Sage hissed.

Finn smiled at her innocently over his shoulder. "He asked me to teach him."

"That does NOT make it okay for you to say yes, Finnegan! He's only NINE years old, or do you not remember that?" By now, Sage was turning purple (figuratively speaking) from all the yelling she was doing and when she finished, she turned and left the room without saying another word.

Stefan felt guilty as he watched Sage leave the room, looking back at Finn. "I'm so sorry, Finn. I didn't mean to get you into trouble with your wife."

Finn shook his head and placed a gentle hand on his brother-in-law's shoulder. "It's not your fault, Stefan. I got myself into trouble with her by doing something stupid. I don't want you blaming yourself for this, okay?"

"You're welcome to stay with us if Sage throws you out," Klaus said. "Caroline and I have more than enough room." He cleared his throat. "Though, I'm kind of setting up a nursery and…"

"Wait, did you say nursery?" Finn said, turning to his brother. "You mean you and Caroline are…"

Klaus nodded. "Just found out the other day. We weren't going to tell anyone until it was official, but…"

"It doesn't matter, Niklaus," Mikael said. "What does matter is that there is going to be another Mikaelson grandchild soon."

Back in the study, Sage was fuming as she paced. "And then he had the gall to 'fess up to what he'd done! UGH! I don't even know why I married that man!"

Eleanor got up from her seat behind Ruby after tying off her French braid before putting her hands on Sage's shaking shoulders. "You married him because you've loved him for almost as long as Mikael and I have been married. That's a pretty dang long time to me."

Sage heard what her stepmother-in-law said and sighed. "I know, but sometimes, he aggravates the hell out of me."

"That's what marriage is all about, dear," Eleanor said. "You have to take the good with the bad."

The redhead sighed again. "What time do you want me to bring the dresses for all of the girls?" she asked Eleanor, changing the subject.

Eleanor smiled. "Bring them by about 5:30, 6:00." She then added, "I took the liberty of getting a loose dress for Rebekah because she's pregnant, and a loose one for Caroline."

Sage blinked. "Wait, what are you talking about?"

"I saw Caroline coming out of the doctor's office with Niklaus the other day," Eleanor said. "They were smiling and he was kissing her knuckles and then her lips. That means there's going to be another Mikaelson grandchild."

Sage turned to her blonde sister-in-law, who confirmed it with a nod. "Liam and Anastasia are going to have another brother or sister soon," she told the redhead. Her hands were occupied with French-braiding her own daughter's hair.

Sage nodded. "Why didn't Caroline say anything?"

"She wanted to wait," Rebekah said. "But, I'll bet Nik already told."

At the back of the house, Mikael popped the cork in a bottle of champagne while Finn handed a bottle of water to his son. After the bottle cork had been released, Finn passed out the glasses to his brothers before their dad poured the champagne.

Mikael raised his glass after everyone got theirs. "I'd like to propose a toast." He smiled at Klaus. "This is to Niklaus and Caroline. May their child, boy or girl, be happy and healthy."

"To Niklaus and Caroline," his sons echoed, lifting their glasses and clicked it with their father's. Finn did the same with Cooper, who grinned up at his father.

Finn smiled at his son and hugged him, kissing the top of his head. "You're a good boy, Cooper. Don't let anyone tell you different."

Cooper nodded. "I won't, Dad." He glances in the other direction, toward where the study was. "Is Mum going to be mad at you for very long?"

"I'm not sure, son. We'll determine that by tonight," Finn said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I hope she isn't mad at you for very long," Cooper said. "I'd hate for you to get a divorce."

"That won't happen, Cooper," Finn said. "Your mother and I may have our disagreements every now and again, but I promise you, we will not get a divorce. We're going to stay together. We Mikaelsons always stick together, through thick and thin."

Later that Evening…

At 5:30, 6:00 on the dot, Sage lifted the metal rack that had all the required dresses, even the loose ones for Rebekah and Caroline then opened the door to the mansion, gasping in shock at how beautiful it looked. "I'm here!" she called out as she pushed the rack inside then shut the door behind her.

Eleanor walked in and saw the rack of dresses that Sage brought. "Ah, the dresses are here. Sage, you are remarkable. Honestly, I don't know what we'd do without you."

Sage nodded and then looked around at the decorations. "Everything looks great, Eleanor. This party is sure to be a great success."

"I truly hope so. Carol and I want this to be a success, for the new wing at the hospital," Eleanor said with a smile, turning when the door opened again. "Hello, Sabrina. I wondered when you would be getting in for the ball."

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because you'll now get an update! Sabrina will explain where she's been in the next chapter, so be on the lookout for that and the beginning of the masquerade ball!