"Ah, so you do remember me," his tone oozed arrogance as he spun me around elegantly, "I was beginning to wonder if I had lost my touch."

Oh you haven't lost it at all, I thought as his touch on my back and on my hand began to burn, the heat spreading throughout my body. My teeth clenched together as I tried desperately to hold my tongue against the overflowing current of rage that was bubbling within. I refused to speak because I didn't trust myself, so I blatantly ignored him and looked pointedly over his shoulder. However, I knew he was frowning because despite how hard I tried not to look at him, my eyes stubbornly kept his face within sight.

"You look simply ravishing in that dress," he purred. His tongue caresses the syllables as his fingers caress mine, lightly stroking their sides and tracing the lines of my palm, just like he used to when we would dance together a century ago. He tilted his head to the side in a teasing manner to catch my gaze.

Squaring my jaw, I dragged my eyes back to his face and gave him an unwavering look. My chin lifted and I prided myself on the chill that wrapped around my words.

"Thank you."

He smiled mischievously, his fingers still paying special attention to mine. I grabbed them suddenly, and kept a firm grip on them, causing him to laugh loudly. "You know," he began to inform teasingly, "The proper thing to do would be to return the compliment." His face returned to its usual smugness while his fingers returned to caress mine and my face hardened at his persistence.

Sighing angrily, I looked him square in the eyes and smiled an overly sweet smile as he spun me around and, like the showoff that he is, dipped me low to the floor. "I thought you knew me better than that Kol," I said, my voice like warm honey, "When have I ever said something I don't mean?"

I grinned victoriously at my little jab. It wasn't very often that I got the chance to strike at his ego, and it was even less likely that he would be wounded by it. His eyes darkened at my comment and I smirked darkly, daring him to snap back under the watchful eyes of his family.

Kol leaned forward to place his lips close to my ear. His breath tickled against the sensitive skin. "I had forgotten about your sharp. Little. Tongue, darling," he hissed, the threat would have been subtle to anyone else but I heard it loud and clear. My snarky comments ran hot and cold with Kol, they could force him into fits of rage, or they could turn him on. Of course I was not aiming for the latter, but I was praying that he would contain his rage for the sake of the party.

Immediately, his fingers quit playing with mine and he held my hand in a vice grip, and I winced. Once again, in a single, simple action Kol was able to reassert his dominance over me. The hand squeeze was a warning not to test him but the anger at his audacity to even try to control me overrode my better judgment.

I leaned closer, my neck straining a little so I could meet him face to face and I whispered, "I may have a sharp tongue, and a smart mouth to match, but I've never heard you complain when I put them to good use."

At that the music ended, the final notes floating through the air and I stepped back from Kol, the eagerness to do so was very clear on my face and in my posture. Politely, I clapped like everyone else and then disappeared before Kol could notice that I had gone.

~O~

I stood with Damon and Caroline after the dance, each of us held a glass of white wine and I casually sipped at mine while trying very hard not to reveal my distaste for its bitterness.

"How was your dance with Kol?" Caroline piped up after a lengthy period of silence.

A wave of heat rose up my body when Damon turned his attention to me. Understandably, Caroline was only trying to make conversation and she was hopelessly devoted to finding me a match; however, she was clueless about the 'relationship' between Damon and I. Everyone was, even Damon's own brother.

"Peachy," I snipped, and Damon raised his eyebrows at me. I shook my head and tossed back the last mouthful of wine before putting it on a passing tray.

"And yours?" I inquired, "I saw you getting chummy with Klaus."

Caroline huffed and looked away with hardened eyes. I smirked at her discomfort; it wasn't every day that Caroline Forbes was made uncomfortable by her own game. She didn't answer me, but it was very clear that the dance had been less than enjoyable.

"Have you seen Elena?" Damon muttered to me and I searched the room for the brunette beauty; she was nowhere to be found.

I shook my head, "When did you lose her?"

"Middle of the dance, she's gone off and done something stupid, I know it."

Rolling my eyes, I plucked a second glass of wine from a passing server and took a large gulp. Where's a bottle of whiskey when you need it? I complained to myself and then caught sight of Stefan walking towards us, an obvious purpose to his step.

"Damon," he muttered and the dark haired Salvatore turned to face his brother, "I need a word, with you upstairs." When Damon made no effort to move Stefan sighed, "Now, please."

"Hold this," he said to me and passed off his nearly empty glass. I balanced the curve of the glass in my palm, the stem nestled between my middle and ring finger, and we watched Stefan lead Damon up the stairs. Caroline and I eyed each other, both figuring at the same time that something was up and I shrugged while downing the rest of Damon's wine and placing it on a table.

From behind Caroline I watched Klaus stroll towards us, an overly pleasant smile gracing his lips, however, it looked more like the sneer of the Devil to me. He touched Caroline gently on the elbow and she started.

"Evening, Ladies," he said smoothly while kindly replacing Caroline's half full glass with a fresh one, "might you join me for a walk outside, Caroline? I have something I would like to show you." His voice was like silk and there was a tenderness to his face that made his seem almost human. Almost.

Caroline sighed grumpily and sent me an apologetic look before turning away. Klaus paused for a moment and then turned to look at me, his eyes hardening. "Fancy seeing you here, alive," he muttered and I glowered at him.

"Drop dead." I replied coldly and swallowed some more wine because for whatever reason, my mouth was suddenly dry.

He tilted his head in mild surprise at my lack of manners before chuckling to himself, "That truly is a lovely dress."

I scoffed and turned my back on him, sensing his lack of presence almost immediately. I quickly polished off my glass of wine and deposited it as quickly as I picked one back up. I was about to lift it towards my lips when a hand touched my wrist to stop me. Elijah's face was pleasant but there was mild concern in his eyes as he took the wine glass from my hand and placed it behind him.

"This is your fourth glass of wine since the dance, perhaps you should slow down?"

I really wanted to tell him to mind his own business, but regrettably, I agreed with him. Too much alcohol and I were a bad mix and I shot Elijah a small, but grateful smile.

"Where are all your friends?"

"Oh, you know, either being chased by the town's local Monster or searching for our favorite human." I really couldn't help the bitterness in my voice; I suppose my issue lied in my abandonment fears.

Elijah, too, looked surprised and an apologetic look formed on my face. "See, it's a good thing you stopped me when you did. If I had had any more wine, I'd probably make a fool out of myself."

Concern returned to Elijah's eyes. "Emotions are a difficult thing to acquaint yourself with again," he sympathized. "I've met many vampires who've turned to either excessive amounts of alcohol or excessive amounts of blood to cope after turning their emotions back on. You aren't alone in this."

"It gets easier, right?" I couldn't keep the whine from my voice and I grew angry with myself for showing such emotion to Elijah.

He smiled gently and turned to face me, "I should imagine so. It does help, however, to confront the sources of your deepest feelings; whether they be anger, disappointment, or fear."

I glanced up at him abruptly with a suspicious look on my face, and he sighed before looking around the room with false interest.

"For example, your hostility towards Klaus, although reasonable at best, seems slightly out of place considering, from what I understand, the little to no contact you've had with him."

I averted my eyes away from Elijah's, there was something about his tone that made me want to confess everything about my past to him. However, despite the confusion and the anguish that the past has caused me, holding onto those dark emotions has kept me afloat, and I wasn't ready to relinquish them just yet.

"Has Niklaus done something to you, Olivia?" Elijah pressed on. "Has Kol? I saw the way you reacted to him during the dance, and you were far from warm to him. Please, tell me what my brothers have done to you. A vampire as young as yourself should not hold so much darkness within her heart, it will destroy you."

I could feel the tears well up in my eyes and I blinked them back quickly, how was it that Elijah could be so concerned with my coping mechanisms when I couldn't even address the emotions inducing the need for them.

"Elijah," I began with a little shake to my voice, "I appreciate your concern, I really do. But you have no idea what you're talking about. So please, stay out of my business." I regretted being rude to him when he was only trying to help, but I wasn't about to break down in the middle of his family's party.

I turned on my heel and stalked out the front door for some air, hoping that it would clear the way through the alcohol I had consumed. The pain was swirling around in my chest, like disturbed sand at the bottom of a clear lake and I sat down heavily on the cement half wall that framed the stairs. My weighted shoulders slumped forward and I dropped my chin to my hands while my elbows balanced on my knees. In the distance I heard voices and I looked up to see Rebekah and Matt walking towards his car. There was a coldness to her shoulders and I straightened up to watch them. Matt went into his truck and pulled out a jacket, and then wrapped it around Rebekah's shoulders. Unexpectedly, the air between them changed and she hastily directed Matt back towards the mansion. I studied them with narrowed eyes until they disappeared behind the front wall and I turned back to the parking lot. I jumped when I caught sight of Kol, a look of dark disappointment on his face and when I blinked, he was gone too.

From within, I heard the sounds of people gathering and I headed back to the party. Once again, the doors opened for me magically and I strode into the foyer. Glasses of champagne were being passed around and people were depositing their wine glasses; on the stairs, a woman, who I assumed to be Esther, stood with a glass of champagne at the ready. A server paused to offer me a glass and I took it gingerly between my fingers with a gracious smile. Studying the faces in the room as Esther made her speech a gnawing sensation began in the pit of my stomach as my eyes fell on the faces of each of the Originals. Between the words Esther was speaking and the way everyone hung on her words I could sense there was something larger at play, and when people began to drink something sunk within me. It wasn't very often that I acquired these feelings, but they were never good when I did. However, when I saw that Elena stood with Elijah and how he peered at her calculatingly before taking a sip of his champagne I knew that, once again, Elena was the center of it all.

I took two large gulps of my champagne and set it off to the side to be picked up and then headed up the stairs. From the landing above I watched as people began to filter out when I caught Damon walking up to block Elena's way to the door. Quickly, I stepped back to remain out of sight and half listened to their conversation.

"Do you think I like going behind your back…?"

More quiet murmurs ensued and then Damon's voice broke through. "No, I'm mad at you because I love you."

I swallowed and made a move to step up to the railing and call down to them but Elena's voice stopped me.

"Well maybe that's the problem."

I closed my eyes in pain for Damon's sake. It had always been obvious to me that he loved Elena, despite that she strung him along; because of her choice of problems it was once again clear to me how manipulative Elena really was. Sure that would bother certain people, but in her case it didn't – what bothered me was that she didn't know it. Its one thing to be manipulative and know you're being so, that's just wrong. It is another thing to be completely oblivious to your manipulations, and go on like nothing's wrong – that is just infuriating.

Again, I backed away from the railing and walked out onto the balcony. Voices spilled out over the front grounds to the mansion as people disappeared for the night and I tilted my head to the side, wondering how it would feel to be human again, just for a little while. My thoughts were interrupted, however, by a firm body pressing into my back and a pair of arms reaching to grip the railing, and for the second time that day, I found myself trapped. I knew who it was before he could speak by the underlying danger in how he pressed against me; this was not a completely suggestive act, it was threatening too; another reminder of his dominance.

My whole body stiffened in response to his lips at my ear, my hands clenched the railing in front of me until my knuckles turned stark white. "Could you remind me of the 'good uses' that mouth of yours has, little dove?"

"Back off, Kol." I snapped, and shoved backwards with my body.

He laughed while edging away from me with his hands raised in mock surrender.

"Relax, darling." He grinned, "I was merely taking you up on your offer."

I stared at him incredulously, "That was not an offer, Kol!"

Again he laughed and I nearly throttled him. "Oh, my mistake," he teased before invading my personal space again. I tried to take a step back but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back, his broad torso over taking mine and he lowered his head so his eyes could meet with mine. His eyes locked mine into a heated stare for some time; he had that terrifyingly calm anger surrounding his posture and I shivered. Slowly, he leaned forward with his nose at my collarbone and inhaled deeply before pulling back to assess me with his 'calm before the storm' gaze.

"You smell like Damon Salvatore," he accused and I swallowed while pulling my head away from his. "Tell me this, Olivia. Does Damon Salvatore smell like you?" He hissed lowly. I didn't need to answer him, it was all in my silence, and it was all over the fear on my face. His hand came up and knotted into the hair at the nape of my neck and he dragged it up so he could look down on me with a snarl etched onto his face. His face was so close to mine that our noses touched and I could barely breath I was so terrified.

"You could do so much better," he whispered and suddenly he released me and I sagged forward with barely enough time to compose myself before Matt opened the door.

"Olivia, hey!" he exclaimed and then caught sight of Kol standing there coolly, "What are you doing out here?" He inquired with slight suspicion and my eyes shifted from him to Kol and back again.

It was Kol who spoke first while taking an overly friendly step forward, his hand held out. "Good evening," he grinned, "You must be Rebekah's friend. We haven't met." Only I knew that Kol's friendly tone was false but it wasn't until I saw the ice within Kol's eyes that I knew his intentions.

"Matt Donovan," he replied and grasped the original vampire's hand.

"Kol Mikaelson." In a split second, Matt realized he just made a big mistake. I heard the crack before I saw the pain register on Matt's face and he dropped to his knees.

"Kol! What the fuck!?" I yelled and surged forward to grab at his arm but he shoved me away and I was propelled into the railing.

"Hey, hey,hey. Easy on the hand." Damon stepped in and I looked up in surprise. His normally bright blue eyes were like coal and there was a sinister smirk playing at his lips, "The guy's a quarterback."

Damon's eyes flicked to me and I looked horrified back at Kol, praying that he wouldn't jump to the bait that Damon was implying. My prayers went unanswered when Kol met Damon with a challenging grimace, and a sickening smirk of his own. Damon growled low in his throat before launching at Kol and shoving him off the balcony.

I leaned over and watched Kol fly through the air and land with a loud thud onto the concrete and then spun around to face Damon. "Don't you dare!" I warned through gritted teeth, visualizing the way he would look if Klaus ever got hold of him but he was already over the side without a second look at me.

I rushed to Matt and helped him stand. "What can I do? Do you need…?" I trailed off without needing to finish and he shook his head firmly, his face pale and sickly.

"No vampire blood."

I nodded and then dragged him back inside with me and down the stairs where he trotted to keep up with me. When we got to the door way, I saw Damon snap Kol's neck and stand to face Stefan who had a look of stunned horror on his face.

"Are you crazy?" Stefan hissed and Damon looked slightly pleased with himself.

"Maybe a little." By this time the other members of Kol's family filtered outside and I flew down the stairs.

"Damon, go." I muttered urgently while taking note of the look in his face. He glanced at me then back at the forming crowd.

He bent forward ever so slightly, the corner of his mouth turned upward and a wild look in his eyes, "Far be it for me to cause a problem." And I knew he was directing it at Elena.

I grabbed onto his forearm and began to lead him away, but not before I looked down at Kol's unmoving body. Damon resisted me at first but at my heated glare he followed me. We didn't stop until we were at the center of town and I dragged him around to face me and took his face in my hands.

"Damon…"

He grabbed my wrists and pulled away from me. "Not now, Liv," he snapped, "I need to be alone."

He was gone before I could protest. Being alone was not what Damon needed, if experience had taught me anything it was that when Damon was alone, only more trouble would ensue.