"Pivotal choice." he showed her two leather jackets.

Bonnie wrinkled her nose. "I don't like the black one."

Kol dropped the black jacket and tried the other one but Bonnie also looked unconvinced about the grey one. "No?" he asked shaking his head slowly.

She smiled. "It's not your type."

He turned around looking at the mirror. "Do you mean that it's not subtle yet sexy and flawless like me?" he asked with a silly rise of his eyebrow.

Bonnie got up on her tiptoes and rested her chin over his shoulder. "Exactly, oh perfect one."

Kol smiled looking at her through the mirror. "I have a problem darling."

"I'm shocked." she said pulling her eyebrows together.

"I spent two years wearing nothing but cammies and now I need new clothes but white, brown and green are not an option."

Bonnie pouted. "But I just saw the cutest leopard shirt and it screamed Kol."

"Show me the way." he wiggled his eyebrows.

Bonnie laughed and moved away from him to fondle over some long-sleeved shirts that were truly him.

Kol tried another black jacket. "Thank you for this…"

She picked up a few shirts with his size, sneakily getting one in dark brown into the mix. "It was the least I could do after what you did for me."

"I know that you are stubborn and proud but I expected you to tell me if you were in trouble during the ridiculously long letters you wrote me, not to find out how bad it all was only when I returned home."

Bonnie handed him the shirts with a sweet smile. "I was going to ask my father for the money."

He took the shirts frowning. "You rather ask your father than me? Between my estranged father and yours, who barely talks to you, let the devil come and pick which one he is dancing with."

Bonnie laughed. "Have I mentioned how much I missed you?"

"Not today." he said with a boyish happy smile.

Nik looked up from his desk surprised with the knock on the door, Finn was away to check on the vineyards and he was supposed to be going through some really boring numbers and statistics that he couldn't be bothered with today.
He smiled because of the woman sneaking her head inside the office.

"Are you alone?"

"Yes, you just missed the mistress by an inch." he sighed.

Caroline came inside closing the door. "Are you sure she isn't hiding under the desk?"

Nik smiled showing his adorable dimples and stood up to walk to her. "Well, it's a rather big desk."

Caroline pursed her lips barely answering his kiss and she poked his chest. "I'm too pretty to go to prison so behave."

He nodded solemnly. "I promise sweetheart."

She crumbled into a smile and answered his second attempt to a proper kiss losing her fingers in his wonderful hair.
His hand found her neck caressing it as they shared a long kiss and he stroked her cheek loving how she always tilted her head that certain way and how amazing she felt in his arms.

"Is there a reason behind the steamy visit?" he asked only brushing her lips now.

Her sweet look told him she was sneaky after all and when he stroked her chin, she didn't move her head but bit her lip like she was working her way to what she really wanted, lastly she started toying with his necklace.

"I'm doing another charity event for Bonnie, things at Haven have been really scarce and I want to help her."

"So very you." he said uneasy already to what would follow.

She smiled and moved her fingers to the buttons of his shirt. "And I want to do something unique that will attract a lot of people. My biggest clients love the new and unknown artists… so …" she looked up at him with loving and hopeful eyes. "… I want to do a showcase for this really amazing artist that the world needs to discover."

"No." Nik said pulling away upset.

But she was expecting it and she wasn't going to give up so easily. "Nik, please listen to me."

"You will not do this, you can't use my art without my permission and you do not have it."

She crossed her arms. "You are an outstanding artist and everyone should know what you are capable of."

He turned his back on her. "This discussion is over."

"Oh k..." Caroline opened her arms. "I didn't know this just turned into an argument."

"Because you are planning on using something that I don't want to share with others."

Caroline ignored his angry tone altogether. "Think about it at least? You a really good artist Nik."

He shook his head with a disdain laughter. "I'm simply average and the fact that I've shown you my poor attempts to do something worthy of being kept, does not give you any right over them."

She gritted her teeth mad and even let out a loud grunt. "Ugh, just because your father was an awful man who kept putting you down, it does not make him an expert in art. I am one and I'm telling you how amazing you are."

"I said no Caroline." he faced her furious that she dared to bring his father into this.

"I'm asking you to place your trust in me." she insisted.

"If you don't stop this nonsense, I will burn everything I ever did once I get home."

"Burn the entire house for all I care. God, you are so… mulish sometimes that I want to punch you in the face." she stormed away, slamming the door as she left.

Nik looked down on the desk, the silly horse he was making with felt pen only made him angrier now.

Kol gave Bonnie a judging look as they left the shop, he only noticed the brown shirt when he was already paying for it.

"Brown is your color." she said with the sweetest and most innocent smile ever.

"Well, you can't possibly refute facts. Since you've earned your food, what are we having for lunch?"

She looked around the huge amount of possibilities and decided quickly. "Pizza."

He slumped his shoulders. "I refuse to have something with pineapple in it."

"But I like pineapple..." she said naturally, like she always did every time they fought over food.

"I know, you are obsessed with it, you have pineapple with everything."

Bonnie straightened her long hair. "I'm exotic, deal with it Kol."

She adorably turned her back on him and he couldn't help to think he loved everything about her.

"Was your mom too mad at you for skipping dinner with the family?" Matt asked while he had fun twirling a lock of her hair.

Rebekah shrugged. "It was game night and I wanted to see you win the game." he gave her one of those amazing smiles and his eyes sparkled so much that she found herself pulling him closer.

"I loved having you there."

She stroked the back of his neck slowly. "I wasn't too happy with the cheerleaders wanting a piece of you." she confessed making a sad face.

His hand on her back brought her closer just that inch that was missing between them. "Jealous Beks is the best."

She huffed and looked away but faltered into a smile because he kissed her cheek and then her neck and soon she was giggling. "You don't deserve that I go so jealous over you." she smugly said.

He smiled before searching for her lips and Rebekah easily caved sharing a long kiss with him.
He held her close and kissed her with passion while she stroked his face happy and gave him a smile that made his chest hurt.

Before he said again that he loved her, she took charge and kissed him as passionately as he had before and that was enough for Matt, having the girl of his dreams in his arms while they kissed against his car, was more than enough.
Her hand got lost stroking the skin on his neck and she made a tiny giggle because he moved his lips to her neck again tickling her.

She casually looked up expecting to find the annoying girls that coveted Matt but surprisingly caught Vaughn walking by them with his eyes fixed on her.
She grew serious and returned the searing stare but was the first to break away and smile at Matt who caressed her cheek.

"Do you have class?" he asked sweetly.

She shook her head with a silly sting of guilt. "No, will you stay a little longer with me here?"

Matt didn't hide the surprise, Rebekah wasn't one to show much affection. "Of course."

She pulled him into another long kiss, she needed to quiet some disturbing thoughts.

Kol sighed annoyed while plucking all the pineapple from his slice, he gave Bonnie a very serious and disturbed look while doing it.

"You are so dramatic..." she easily said and started taking the pineapple away herself.

He slapped her hand. "That's the last time you choose pizza… I'm surprised they don't call it Exotic."

She smirked into her soda. "It's called Tropical and it beats that awful thing you like called Pepperoni." she made a gagging face.

He shook his slice getting rid of the last piece of that yellow thing and with that he was finally able to eat. "It's amazing how you can come to miss the simple things so much."

Bonnie chewed on the straw, building up her courage first. "How was it to be out there at war?"

Kol looked at her struck by the sudden question. "It was a duty that became something I actually enjoyed with time." he smiled ending the conversation and looking away.

Bonnie scooped closer to him. "Tell me."

"I know how incredibly fascinating I am but we could talk about you instead." he smiled.

"Kol, stop deflecting and answer my question." she demanded fiercely.

Lord help him, he wanted to grab her and kiss her right now, not talk.
She remained serious while he focused on something random in front of him while going back to everything he experienced.

"People are able to do the most atrocious things in name of a God that no one really believes in anymore." he sadly smiled looking down. "That's the problem with people today. They've lost faith, and in that loss, they no longer know who they should fear, everything becomes acceptable as long as you can find an excuse for it all."

Bonnie held her drink tighter, she wondered about all the terrifying things that Kol saw and lived but she knew him well; as expected, he simply shifted directions. "Enough with the drama Bonnie Bennett, are you not surrounded by enough misery every day?"

She stood up. "Misery that I need to go back to."

"I love how accurately you address your cop friend."

She ignored his silly remark and went to dispose their leftovers, when she returned they walked slowly back to his car. "Have you called your harem yet? You are here wasting all this time with me and they won't be happy about that. I'm keeping you away from all those really intelligent women that you somehow manage to seduce." she teased him.

Out of nowhere Kol grabbed her hand and twirled her around, she landed with her back against his chest and he rested his face against hers in that sweet way they had grown used to. "You are such a bother B."

She held on to his arm laughing. "I deserve an award for putting up with you during all these years. When everyone else gave up, I still stayed by your side. I'm a saint." she sighed deeply and loudly.

"For which I am very grateful." he whispered and kissed her cheek before quickly twirling her around again.

She laughed harder facing him this time. "It only took you two years away to finally acknowledge how important I am in your life, I'm so proud of you." she said with a stern nod.

He cupped her cheek with a sweet smile. "You are important to me."

Bonnie's smile faded but her green eyes seemed to shine in a different way and she slowly moved away from his touch that became less playful on her cheek. "I need to go back to the shelter." she fought to smile again.

"I'll take you." he gathered his control.

But she was still struggling with hers. "I'll walk, it's near and I could use it to digest all that pineapple I just had."

Kol knew that she was running away from him as fast as she could. "Bonnie... we need to talk." he said willing to push her just a little more.

"I know what you're going to say..." she quickly shook her head. "But don't do this. Don't ruin everything by saying how much you hate Luka and how bad he is for me. I made my choice Kol and this is it for me, I only need my best friend to support me." she asked him with tears dancing in her eyes.

"I am your best friend... I've been stuck with the gig since you tripped and fell on my lap during lunch, wearing the cutest braces and curly hair." again he couldn't help himself and touched her long satin hair.

"That's not the right version of the story, on the first day of high-school you grabbed me out of nowhere and sat me down on your lap saying that I looked perfect to teach you all about math."

"You make it sound all dirty now." he smiled amused.

She grabbed his jacket with a soft laughter. "I need you Kol. You have been a part of my life for so long and the one consistency in it, the one that never left. Can I count on you one last time before I become a married woman?"

"You can always rely on me darling." he said serious and with the saddest tone behind it all.

"Good." she sweetly kissed his cheek before pulling away with a big smile. "Call me when you need to go shopping again, you know how much I love making you buy stuff you don't really like."

He opened the door of his car and stood there watching her walk away, this was so much harder than he thought it would be, balancing the easiness of their friendship with what he really wanted without scaring her away was a true challenge.

Elijah was deeply invested in his long written speech, he was rereading it and searching for anything he might need to change when April knocked on his door.

"Yes?"

"There's someone here to see you." April said by the door.

When he looked up he wasn't expecting anyone and let alone the tall elegant woman who made way inside the office ignoring April altogether.

"Hello Elijah."

He nodded at April so that she would close the door and leave them alone and the other woman sat in one of the chairs crossing her long legs and not bothering to push the short skirt down an inch.

"What can I do for you Katherine?" he asked even though he returned to his written appeal.

She moved her black stiletto in circle movements in front of her. "You could drop your client."

He smiled without facing her. "I hope you had other affairs in the neighborhood or this was a wasted journey."

There was a slow moan from her while she played with one of her curls. "The Elijah affair is always worth my time."

Elijah slowly faced her. "What do you want?"

She entwined her fingers. "My client really wants that money. She wants to invest it all in an… independent religion."

"A cult." he assisted her lack of words.

"It's not my place to judge Elijah." she said shamelessly.

"I'm going to win this case Katherine."

She left the chair seductively looking at him. "I know that you are, that's exactly what I told my idiot client and finally last night she saw the light." Katherine opened her bag on top of his desk and then dropped a heavy file on it. "She's willing to give up half the money that she's legally entitled to so we settle this out of court. That way you are free to go defend the weak and the helpless and I win a new pair of Louboutin shoes." she pulled her shoulders together adorably. "Win, win."

He slightly shook his head with her lack of values but she pursed her lips at him, eating him up with her eyes.

"I miss our internship years."

Elijah remained silent but he looked after the woman with the flawless curves as she walked away.

Katherine stopped by the door with one last look at him. "I really miss the long nights..." she tapped her fingers on the door relishing in old memories before she left like she always did, as powerful as she claimed an entrance and owner of the moment.

Elijah folded his speech, there was no need for it anymore, Katherine was also an excellent lawyer and the deal was the best for both, he knew that even before he opened the file she left for him.

Kol looked at the red sign waiting for it to turn green, ironically it described his life right now perfectly.
He casually looked at the rear-view mirror frowning when a black car stopped behind his and a man stepped outside.

Luka looked around the empty street before reaching Kol's window. "Quiet neighborhood."

"Anything I can do for you officer?" Kol asked in his most calm voice, verging the mocking attire of course.

"You could stay the hell away from my girl." he bluntly said.

Kol shrugged. "She's been my friend before you even knew how to properly clean your gun."

Luka chuckled. "Well… she's with me now and we will be getting married soon. Not to mention that she's just your friend but she's with me during our busy nights."

Now, Kol had learned at least five different ways to kill someone but he could simply hurt him.
He could easily slam Luka's head against the wheel so hard that he would need to fetch for his nose and then there was the bat he always kept in his trunk.

It literally took all of his restrains to remain as still as he was, the army taught him well after all and that was a shock.

Luka leaned away from the window after an intense staring moment. "It would be great if you left, you were a bad influence on Bonnie in the past with your playboy life so you can guess how upset I am that you came back and that you keep hogging my girl."

"I'm not going anywhere… sorry darling, I won't fall for it this time. When I left, Bonnie was in charge of her life, I return and her work is falling apart, she's barely smiling and the only one I can blame is you. Amazing work Detective, I hope you are better at catching criminals than you are making a woman happy." Kol smiled spiking the other man.

Luka nodded looking around again. "Drive safely home Kol… sometimes quiet neighborhoods are surprising. And see about that tail light, will you? I'm letting you go without a fine this time, consider it a warning."

Kol squinted when he heard the noise, Luka smashed the light of his car with the back of his gun, he closed his hand around the wheel and remained motionless as the cop raced away in his car, things were only getting interesting now.

Esther expected Kol but took her glasses off when her troubled one strutted inside the kitchen, she turned away from the flowers she was fitting in the large vase and followed Nik's movements, when he silently sat at the kitchen island, she dropped her glasses on the table and went to her son. "What happened?"

"You always complain that I never visit my mother." he said simply opening his arms.

She pulled the long sleeves of her cardigan up and took a bottle of wine, she poured one big glass for Nik and had hers slowly. "Is it Caroline?"

"We had a spat..." he mumbled taking his wine.

"You are a couple, it happens Nik."

"Thank you mother, that was truly insightful. I wonder why I don't reach out more often for your wisdom." he said annoyed.

Esther dropped her glass on the counter and he slightly twitched in his seat. "I know that your temper is different from the others but there's only so much I will let you get away with, Niklaus."

He nodded.

Esther poured more wine for them. "What was the fight about?"

"She wants to showcase my work for one of her charity events."

"I'm genuinely surprised she hasn't done it before." Esther easily said which made him clench his jaw upset, however Esther was immune to Nik's tantrums. "You are very talented Nik, even if you don't acknowledge it."

"I don't want all of New York to see my renditions on a painting." he snapped.

"Mikael was a despicable man and it took me too long to realize it, and then to do something about it. And he used every chance to put your spirit down so instead of following your dream, you became distant and secluded in your own world. As an outcast you had your feelings spread all over a canvas and I know that it's scary for others to see those feelings Nik but somewhere out there is an estranged and outcast boy who will connect to your work and find strength to do what he likes because he will relate. Think about that." she touched his hand smiling.

Nik looked at his mother and smiled, it was very rare for him to feel this connected with anyone besides Caroline.

She leaned over a bit and whispered. "Now go home and have wonderful angry sex."

"Mother!" he yanked his hand away from her and made a really disgusted face that made her laugh.

He was still fighting with the wine and the talk he just had when he saw Kol pull into the driveway. "Mother just talked about sex with me, I'm very disturbed."

Kol smiled locking his car. "She showed me pamphlets with explicit pictures when I turned 15…"

Nik laughed. "That actually explains so much." he stopped just before reaching his car. "What happened to your car?"

"Detective Loser." Kol said nonchalant.

"Do we need to call Elijah and start working on your defense?" Nik asked worried.

"I didn't touch him…" Kol assured him before going inside the house.

Nik took his cellphone and dialed Elijah's number quickly.

"My case just solved itself." Elijah said with a strange tone.

"Good, that means that you now have the time to come over to the house and check on Kol… something is off. I don't really know what but either way, I have no time to find out as it turns out I had a lovely fight with Caroline earlier today." he said getting inside his car.

"I had a visit from Katherine."

Nik smirked. "Are your clothes still intact?"

"My feelings are not." Elijah grimaced into the call. "But I will talk to Kol."

"Fantastic, now I need to go home and… grovel." he ended his call with a big grumble.

Kol took his jacket off tossing it to the bed, he called Bonnie but she didn't answer his call and he couldn't help but think he might have pushed her too far today.
He knew her better than this, she would never cheat on the other moron even if he was able to turn this around and take things out of their friends comfort zone.

Still the nagging thought was there, perhaps she only saw the old Kol but he was different, he wasn't the same man he was when he enlisted.
Kol took his shirt off and looked at the mirror, he moved the army name tags out of the way and touched the small scar he had near his heart.

How could he be the same? When a bullet almost ended his life.

Soundtrack:

Starlight - Muse