Title: Promise of Forever
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries
Author: darkmagic-luvr/thecunningclock
Pairings: Kol/Anna (other canon pairings)
Rating: PG-13
Author's Note: This took much longer than I wanted it to. I had a bit of writer's block and also ended up combining two chapters together. Thank you everyone who's reviewed and read so far!

Anna watched Kol storm off from over Jeremy's shoulder as her undead heart beating wildly in her chest. She hadn't known he was going to be there…in fact she had been pretty damn sure that volunteering to come decorate for Founder's Day would be the last thing he would have done. She had been prepared to avoid Rebekah, and honestly it wouldn't have been that hard, especially since she and Caroline had been too busy undermining each other all day to pay attention to anything else.

Jeremy touched her elbow, bringing her back to earth as a searing pain short straight up her arm. She jerked away instinctively, breathing hard as she cradled her arm to her chest. Jeremy's head titled at her in amused concern.

"You okay, Anna?"

She could feel blood seeping through the thing material of her shirt and her hold on her arm tightened. "Sorry, Jer, I have to go," she said, her voice strained, shouldering past him as he made a face after her.

"Oh c'mon! I thought you were gonna hang out and be miserable with me."

"I'm sorry," she tossed over her shoulder, not stopping and not sorry. Her arm was starting to burn, how long had something been wrong? She should have been paying more attention; the moment she had seen Kol yesterday she should have started being hyper aware of everything, how could she have been so stupid?

People were staring at her strangely as she stormed off across the street, ducking into an empty alleyway the first chance she got. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes from the pain and she pulled her sleeve back to check the damage. There was a large, intricately designed band carved into her skin. Despite the vampire healing it was raw and bleeding profusely. Anna's hand shook as she covered her arm back up, squeezing her eyes shut and pressing her back against the brick wall behind her.

It hadn't happened this quickly before. Running her hand across her cheek to wipe away the tears, Anna took a shuddering breath as another wave of pain racked her. It was excruciating. But the first time, feeling the patterns drawn into her flesh with cursed silver, as a punishment for being with Kol; that kind of pain she had forgotten.

There would be so much more pain if she stayed so close to him.

Anna's eyes snapped open, determined, and with a muffled groan pushed herself off the wall; she shook off her pain, stumbling slightly as she pulled herself together and headed for her motel. But no matter how hard she tried the memories that had started cropping up couldn't be pushed away.

Anna refused to get sucked into the past. Wrapping her arms tightly around her middle, she gritted her teeth and trekked on, glaring at the ground and concentrating on her pain as much as she could. Because if she didn't, if she slipped up, she would see nothing but cruel eyes and the twisted, angry frown of the witch who had ruined both her life and her afterlife; only Cataleya.

And of course she slipped up.

Her memories didn't comeback in a rush, she was never staggered when she remembered what happened to them. She never forgot in the first place, it was always there, in the back of her mind, waiting to resurface. But she never forgot.

Anna hadn't met Cataleya until the night she woke up chained to the wall in the Mikaelson's dungeons; cold, sore, and still human. The witch was waiting for her, her eyes red with tears and anger, her upper lip curled around her teeth. She was chanting, snarling, above a row of silver needles smeared in blood. Anna had blinked slowly, dazed and confused, until Cataleya began carving into her arms.

"You don't get to keep him," she had hissed in Anna's ear, her voice hoarse and low. Taking shuddering breaths, her eyes closed as Anna screamed in agony, drawing runes in so deep that bits of bone began to show. One on each arm, one between her breasts, on each of her thighs and the tops of her feet. Anna had blacked out maybe, the memories were hazy. One moment she was closing her eyes and the next her name was being called.

"Annabelle!"

She couldn't see Kol, but she could hear him; hear the frantic tenor of his voice and the sound of his boots scrapping against the stone flooring. Anna watched through blurred vision as his silhouette came into view. It was probably an eternity, but it felt like an instant until Kol's hands were on her, pulling her into his arms and whispering things she couldn't understand into her hair.

His blood hadn't been able to heal her, and in a panic, as her pulse had slowed beneath his hands, he stabbed her in the heart and turned her into a vampire. He killed her to make sure she would live.

Shouldering through her the door to her rented room, Anna blinked away the image of Kol's desperate expression from her mind. Flinging open her suitcase and grabbing the random things she had scattered around the room. Bra here, sock there, she should really shut the door, oh so that's where her hair ties got to-

Anna froze in the middle of the room, one arm half way through her leather jacket, when she noticed that the atmosphere in the room had shifted. She shrugged her jacket on slowly, pulling her hair over one shoulder and exposing her neck, a submissive technique used only for much, much older vampires. If it was anyone else she wouldn't have cared...

Anna turned carefully, her dead heart thundering wildly in her chest. Kol stared darkly back, lounging against the wall opposite her with his arms crossed tightly over his chest and his jaw set.

"Hello," he said, his voice sending chills down her spine. "You must be Annabelle."

She wanted to throw up. Before Anna could even blink Kol was there, towering over her. He smiled at her, it looked forced and sinister. "Relax, darling," he drawled, his eyes narrowing slightly as she stepped out of reach. She could practically see the rage coming off of him in waves as he countered her step. "I just want to know who the hell you are."

"No one," said Anna before she could stop herself, backing herself into the wall. Kol actually stopped, cocking his head to the side in confusion.

"That's funny," he said. "Because that's exactlywhat you should be. No one." the comment stung, but Anna held her tongue. Seeing him up close like this, he wasn't well off. Yesterday at the Grille at least he had looked healthy, but now... Kol really did look crazed.

It broke her heart.

"Please let me go," she whispered.

Kol's eyes narrowed, replacing his confusion with irritation. "Just tell me who you are, darling," he said, his voice strained. Anna looked away, trying not to let her own emotions get the better of her.

"I can't," she managed to bite out. Kol's upper lip pulled.

"What do you mean you can't?" Anna shook her head.

"You compelled me not to," she said quickly, making him pause. She felt her stomach sink. Of all the things she could have said... Anna's eyes darted toward Kol, tensing to run in case he decided violence was in order. Instead his face went completely blank.

"Now why would I do that," he started, taking one careful step toward her. "When I can't remember you in the first place?"

Anna clutched her jacket around herself protectively, and headed straight toward the door, avoiding Kol. She didn't need things, she could get new things, she was a fucking vampire for god's sake, why did she need things? "I can't tell you that," said Anna under her breath. In a flash, Kol had her by the throat, slamming her against the wall so hard that bits of plaster fell from the ceiling. He snarled at her, and Anna stopped breathing.

"Do not test me, I'm not in the mood," he growled at her. Tears started gathering in Anna's eyes, and not from anything but the explosion of pain through her body. Kol pulled away from her immediately and almost immediately after, doubled over in his own pain.

"What the fuck did you do to me?" groaned Kol. Anna reached for him automatically, but managed to stop herself just in time to watch Kol's legs gave out beneath him, sending him crashing to his knees. Anna covered her mouth with her hands, horrified.

"You shouldn't have come."

Kol couldn't hear her, his body was too busy screaming in pain. And the stupidgirl was just standing there watching him. What the hell had she done? She had to be the reason, it was the only thing he could think of.

A woman in burgundy stood outside his window, staring up at him as he closed the drapes. His eyes narrowed in confusion before he turned away.

The same woman, her whites of her almond shaped eyes completely black, being fed by crawling veins beneath her skin. Her long, lank black hair fell around her face as she hovered over him, the inside of her mouth filled with blood.

Fire caught her hair.

Kol gasped, his eyes snapping open. The pain was gone but his memory of the witch lingered. But like most of his memories from the last two days, they were meaningless to him. With a start, Kol realized someone was bent over him, stroking his hair and whispering nonsensical things against his shoulder. He swallowed the bile rising up in his throat and pulled himself out of Annabelle's lap, watching her shirk back from him slightly.

He only had more questions.

"Tell me," he demanded, his eyes glancing over her gloved hands with mild interest. "Tell me who you are."