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Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries TV series or any of its characters; those belong to the CW network and all other respective owners. This is purely for entertainment.
Last time:
Kol grinned, his eyes twinkling.
"Sure I will, it's always nice to have a friendly neighbourhood witch."
"See you then."
"See you."
Kol then easily swung all his bags over his shoulder and headed towards the gate.
A short moment passed then Lynette suddenly thought of something.
"Hey Kol!" the witch yelled, prompting the Original to turn back around.
"Thanks." She did not bother yelling this time, knowing that he could hear her. He smiled before disappearing behind the gantry.
Chapter 6: Denver Days
The plane ride was horrible.
When the vehicle had apparently taken off, the pressure change caused an absolutely hideous pain in the Original's ears. When he had attempted to compel an explanation from the air stewardess, she had told him that it was normal and would go away after a while. But apparently, the Wright brothers or whoever, had not taken supernatural hearing and in turn, sensitivity, into account and while some experience what the stewardess brushed off as "slight discomfort", it was full-blown painful to him. And then there was the rule about staying in your seat as much as possible. Maybe humans had no qualms about sitting in a fixed position for two and a half hours but he did and sitting in a tiny cabin with a bunch of humans with nothing better to do than listen to their heartbeats and wonder what would happen if he murdered everyone onboard was doing nothing good for the Original vampire. And then when he had thought that the torture was over, the plane started descending and if he had thought the pain before was bad, someone might as well have been driving a nail into his head. Lucky for him, and mostly everyone else on board, he healed quickly. The only thing that came to mind after he had alighted from what he had affectionately dubbed "the Wright torture device", was that he should have ran. Sure it would have been tiring and depending on his route, may have taken longer, but still, he should have ran.
After collecting his things, he exited the air-conditioned airport and looked around, trying to find his bearings. This was not the first time Kol had been to Denver but it certainly did not look the same. He checked the map Nik had sent him and compelled himself a ride to the address. As it turned out, it led to a family home, supposedly belonging to the Miller family according to none other than their mailbox. Kol was really beginning to question the human intelligence. The estate stunk of vervain so after some lurking and deciding rather dejectedly that no one was home, he started circling outward from the house, hoping this Jeremy person had not gone far. He eventually found himself in a park and was wandering rather aimlessly when a fairly large dog that Kol figured was a golden retriever or at least mostly retriever, bounded up to him, tongue sticking out of its mouth in a loopy grin. Kol stared at the over-grown teddy bear, suddenly filled with an urge to pet it. He liked dogs.
"Hey, Max! Get back here!"
The dog or puppy, considering how fast retrievers grew, turned its brick-sized head back towards its owner and barked but otherwise did not bother to respond. Kol frowned, perplexed as to why the dog seemed so interested in him. The canine turned back to look at the vampire, tilting its head to one side in a way that even the Original could not deny was cute. It sniffed his hand for a moment before leaning back and sitting down on the grass, looking up at him as if his presence was something it could not understand. Then it dawned on him; the damn dog knew he was a vampire. What the hell? Max's owner finally caught up to them, panting slightly. Kol was about to start one of those I'm-a-friendly-stranger-but-we'll-probably-never-see-each-other-again-anyway conversations or perhaps, eat him when he got a good look and almost burst out laughing. It was unmistakable; it was Jeremy freaking Gilbert. What were the odds?
"Hey, sorry man," Jeremy, completely oblivious to the danger in front of him, greeted before bending over to ruffle his friend's golden fur. "He's a complete doof, always running up to strangers."
The dog licked its owner's cheek before turning back to Kol, still appearing to study the vampire. Kol narrowed his eyes, as if daring the animal to tell on him.
"No, don't mention it. I don't mind."
"Hey you come to the park often? Never saw you around here before."
Kol grinned, maybe the animal was doing him more of a favour than he had thought. It was a pity that he was going to have to kill its owner though, that was if Nik wanted him to.
"No, I just moved here not too long ago."
"Well, nice to meet you."
Jeremy smiled, getting back up to his feet and tugging at Max's collar a little. He paused then and turned back.
"Hey, what's your name?"
"Kol," the Original replied carefully, leaving out his family name just in case.
"I'm Jeremy, well I'll be seeing you around." Jeremy waved, grinning as he shoved Max in the opposite direction, the latter bounding off like a freight train. Kol watched them leave before pulling out his phone and texting Nik. Once that was done with, he slowly followed after them, already having memorised Jeremy – and rather awkwardly, Max's – scent.
Klaus grinned at the message, shoving his phone back into his pocket before pushing the double doors open, stalking over to the witch.
"Tick tock. I should hear chanting by now."
The witch did not even bother to look up from the grimoire, her features furrowed in concentration, or maybe, frustration.
"I'm still studying the unlinking spell. It's not easy, especially under duress."
The hybrid circled her, feeling the need to give the witch some warning – or maybe, some incentive.
"You've been warned; if you're looking for a way to send for help, I will kill anyone who comes to your rescue."
Bonnie frowned, never one to take threats quietly.
"This is the spell," she spat, "I just don't know if I'm strong enough."
Unable to tolerate her captor's incessant hovering, she stood up and moved away from him, reminding herself to keep her posture straight, hiding any signs of fear.
"Then you should have a little more faith in yourself, Bonnie." Klaus grinned, showing his teeth, before stepping forward towards her. "Your energy helped my mother link us. Honestly, I think someone isn't trying very hard." Klaus surmised, not showing any signs of rage though it was obvious he was upset. He waited a beat before looking up at her again.
"Very well," he pulled out his phone from his pocket and unlocked it before dialling a memorised number.
"Kol. How's the weather up there in Mile High City?"
"Well it took you long enough. It's lovely, Nik. Maybe you should abandon your exploits in Mystic Falls and come terrorise here instead."
"And how's our friend?"
"Playing with his dog. You could have given me a heads-up though. Plane rides are nasty."
Klaus grinned, but stayed determined in making his point to Bonnie.
"May I see him?"
"Oh so there's someone you're trying to blackmail I see. And I had thought that you had called me just because you missed me. What a shame. Hold up a moment, I'm still not very good with this…"
The hybrid quietly listened to Kol tinkering with his phone before he heard a triumphant "there!" and held his phone up to look at the screen. After the camera on the other side swerved a bit, it steadied on a clear shot of the younger Gilbert, waving a toy in front of a retriever. The dog was watching the object intently, wagging its tail. Klaus grinned and walked over to the witch, holding up his phone so she could get a good look just as Jeremy sent the toy flying through the air. He noticed her heart beat and breathing rate speed up significantly and could not help but feel a little pleased with himself.
"There's Jeremy, playing fetch with his new puppy. Oh, isn't that just the most adorable thing you've ever seen?"
Pulling the phone away before the video show lost its purpose, Klaus brought it back up to his ear.
"Thank you, Kol. We'll be in touch."
"Yeah sure, whatever. So am I supposed to kill him? You know what? I'll just text you; wouldn't want to ruin your fun. Happy blackmailing!" Kol chanted in a sing-song voice before the line went dead. Klaus returned the device to his pocket before approaching Bonnie again, a look of terror on her face.
"So, Bonnie, how 'bout that spell?"
Kol typed in a quick text message before hitting 'send' and pulling back into the cover of the trees, away from Jeremy and Max. He was getting hungry to be honest; it had been quite a while since he had last fed properly and the Original was seldom in a position to exercise restraint. He never thought there was a real need to. Trailing away from his mark, he wandered about before deciding on hitting a bar. In Denver apparently, it was not difficult to find one.
Bars were where people met, caught up with some old friends, grabbed a drink whilst attempting to hide their age, and dance the night away. But for Kol, and most probably the majority of the self-respecting vampire population that continued to embrace the thrill of a kill, it was the perfect hunting ground, where there are no qualms about leaving with a random stranger, where dropping dead in the center of the room was probably just because someone had a little too much to drink and where one could pretty much do anything without anyone bothering to give you a second glance.
And he loved it.
The Original sauntered up to the door with a giant welcome sign and pushed it open. The day had been a long one and the sun was now dipping past the horizon, but for him, it was just beginning. Throwing a brief glance over the room to get an idea of where all the potential targets would be, Kol made a beeline for the counter and ordered himself a drink, compelling his way out of needing to show his ID. Content with simply watching the bartender for now, he waited for his prey to start flocking in. It did not take long – just about two bottles of bourbon or so – before the previously quiet room was packed with bodies. Someone was playing some tunes over the speaker and that, coupled with the loud cheering and clinking of glasses drowned out almost all other noises. A petite blonde with wavy hair took the seat next to Kol, her cheeks flushed. She was clad in a low v-neck and beige jacket as well as a pair of shorts that stopped a little above mid-thigh and heels so high that Kol thought should have already broken her ankles.
"Hello darling. May I buy you a drink?"
The woman turned about rather unsteadily in her seat, a smile playing on her blood red lips.
"Sure stranger."
She bat her eyelashes at him and Kol smiled back, compelling the bartender.
"May I interest you in anything else?" he teased, a smirk on his lips.
The lady leaned over, wobbling slightly. Kol breathed in her scent. It was artificial thanks to the amount of perfume that she had probably sprayed all over herself but he could still smell the blood, hear her erratic heartbeat. He growled. Apparently, her muddled brain took this as an encouragement. The lady swung both her arms up around the vampire's neck, hopping off her seat to move closer to him. Her balance apparently caved and she collapsed into the Original, giggling.
"Careful darling, you don't want to hurt yourself."
Kol smiled, leaning in towards her and bringing her lips to her neck. But it quickly turned lethal as he let his hunger take over and sunk his fangs right through the skin into the supple flesh, drawing blood. The woman gasped, groaning before attempting to push him away from her. Her struggles were futile though as he sapped her of her strength, eventually dying out before she collapsed, pale as a sheet. Kol roughly pushed her back onto her seat, her body leaning forward onto the countertop in a crude impression of someone who had passed out drunk. The bartender returned with the drink in hand, his eyes clouded over and unfocused. He would not tell on him. Kol thanked the man before grabbing the glass and heading towards a redhead on the other side of the room.
Jeremy ran a hand through his cropped hair, shifting the weight of his bag on his shoulder. He felt a light tap on his back and grinned, swerving around to come face to face with his friend Andrew.
"Hey man, what's up?"
Andrew was a bit of a recluse but it was not that he was unfriendly; Jeremy often thought that he was one of his best friends here in Denver. He was a bit of a nerd though, with a pair of thick-rimmed spectacles that were often seen peeking over the edges of a thick volume in the library.
"Good morning Jeremy! Have you heard the news? It's tragic really. That bar that Ryan and his crew like to hang out in was burned down yesterday. Twelve people went down with it. The police think it was arson."
That was the thing about Andrew, he did not say 'about ten people' or 'quite a few people'; he gave you a specific number.
"Did Ryan and his crew get burned down too?" Jeremy joked, never having liked the residential jerk.
"No no, why would you say that?"
As if on cue, Ryan strolled past them, laughing with his bunch of friends before rather deliberately slamming into Andrew's shoulder. The latter lost his grip on his books as they spewed onto the floor.
"Ooops. Sorry about that nerd-brain! Didn't see you there."
The gang then proceeded to burst out laughing as their leader gave a mock-salute to the pair before the group headed into the building.
"That's why." Jeremy murmured before bending over to help his friend with his things. He looked up to find himself staring at a pair of combat boots.
"Hello Jeremy, fancy seeing you here."
"Kol?"
The teenager wondered aloud before getting back up to his feet, handing Andrew his things. He hurriedly shoved most of them into his bag, looking a little flustered.
"Yes, the one and only."
"Wow, I never thought I'd see you again."
The Original put a hand over his heart, wincing.
"Ouch. Did I really make such a nasty first impression?"
"No no, I mean… Wow."
"Well, I recently transferred here from my home in… Montana. So you'll probably be seeing quite a lot of me I'm afraid."
Jeremy grinned.
"No no, that's great. But doesn't Montana have lots of fields and farms? No wonder Max likes you so much."
"Well actually it does," the Original shrugged nonchalantly. In all honesty, he had not been to Montana in over three centuries, only having had been there once a long time ago and only staying a short while. He only had a vague impression that it was a mountainous region – desolate – which he had thought would be a good cover story. Andrew, adjusting his glasses a little, scowled.
"Hi, I'm Andrew. Err… no offence but if you were born in Montana then why do you have an accent?"
Kol chuckled.
"None taken, mate. It runs in the family. My parents were not originally from America; they moved here only a short while before my oldest brother was born." There. And he was not even lying.
"Cool. Well we need to get to class so we'll see you around, Kol!" Jeremy announced, patting his new friend on the shoulder before he disappeared into the building with Andrew. Kol stayed rooted to his spot and listened in to their conversation. Apparently neither of them had thought there was anything wrong with him. Kol smirked lightly to himself before reluctantly heading off to his own class.
Matt wandered around the Grill, handing drinks out to the customers even as he fought the tight feeling in his chest. They were acting soon, and apparently, after arriving here for his shift after his brief meeting with Caroline and Elena, their newest target was Finn, the longest daggered Original. He could not help but feel the nerves creep up on him though. Finn Mikaelson, despite how much more vulnerable he was compared to his siblings was not exactly alone and he remembered the last time they had tried to fight an Original. They were probably still alive only because Elijah had half a good conscience. The blonde quarterback wandered around his side of the Grill before Jennel stalked in, a smile on her face.
"Hey, Matt."
Matt smiled back at her, pushing his nerves to the side for a moment.
"Aren't you too young to be drinking?"
The brunette shrugged, sitting down on one of the stools.
"Well, I don't think so."
Matt glanced around before shaking his head and Jennel rolled her eyes.
"Oh, come on, half the people in here are underage and I'm pretty sure most of them are even younger than I am."
Still, Matt refused to relent.
"Nope, I'll help who I can. And besides, I thought you said you were skipping town."
Jennel snorted, reaching into her bag.
"I'm leaving soon. Just wanted to wander around town a little, get to know more people… By the way, I heard there were a string of murders recently. Care to shed some light on that?"
Matt shifted uncomfortably as Jennel watched him, pulling a map out from her bag.
"Err, we aren't entirely sure about that; the killer's still on the loose. We'll probably just find a bear or something anyway. There've been quite a lot of animal attacks recently."
Jennel shrugged, seemingly unbothered by the new revelation.
"Okay then, I'll take note to stay out of the woods. Speaking of which, I just wanted to ask what this is," she stated, pointing to a spot on the map, "I've been wandering around town following this and that particular spot is a little out of reach."
Matt looked at the paper over her shoulder, recognising the place immediately.
"That's the Mikaelson mansion."
"Mikaelson? So it's a family home?"
Matt nodded.
"Klaus and Rebekah Mikaelson live there. You may see Rebekah around; she goes to our school."
Jennel nodded, pursing her lips for a moment before shoving the map back in her bag.
"Well, since you're so insistent on me not drinking," she teased lightly, "I guess I'll just be leaving then, best deal with everything out of town before I get back here."
Matt nodded, waving the brunette off as she exited the bar, pulling the hood of her jacket over her head. Less than a minute later, Stefan strolled in, looking extremely tense. Matt strolled over to him, a questioning look on his features. The vampire turned towards him for a moment before whispering into his ear.
"Get ready."
Detaching himself from the situation, Stefan casually strolled over to the bar countertop before settling down, ordering himself a drink from the server. Matt moved away from the door and continued working, half his mind going through all the scenarios they had ran once more as Finn Mikaelson strolled into the bar, a redhead following after him.
Kol dragged his feet out of the school compound, feeling a dull throb in his head. The Original had been alive for more than a thousand years; he had thought that there was nothing about the world that school could possibly teach. He had lived the history, he had walked the geography, he was there when the books in Literature were written and when their respective plays gained and lost their popularity. He was around before and after the many theories of their now renowned scientists were made, rejected and then understood. Whatcould possibly faze someone who had lived that long a time? But apparently, it had not taken long for him to come to the disheartening conclusion that he did not understand a single thing any of the teachers were saying. And while there was no practical purpose of him needing to understand anything other than how to lure and kill prey, he had tried and now, all he had gotten for his efforts was a nasty headache that was refusing to leave him alone. Time had slowed down to a crawl in the classroom and Kol felt like he had not been out in the open for half a century and most of all, he felt drained. And this was coming from someone that had just fed, and fed a lot, the night before. By the time he got to the parking lot, he had already decided that he would not be attending anymore school. Pretend to attend, sure. But no more sitting in a tiny room listening to different people drawl on and on about things he did not care about for six hours.
"Hey, Kol!" The already familiar voice of Jeremy Gilbert tore through the small field between them, the Original swivelling around to greet him. The teenager was alone this time, Andrew being nowhere in sight.
"Jeremy! Good to see you, mate."
"Hey you wanna hang out? We could go to my house, play some video games?"
Kol grinned though he had no idea what video games were. But it was an opportunity to get into the boy's house nonetheless, and he was not about to let that pass him by.
"Sure."
"So, you've never had tequila before?" Sage asked, incredulous. She had not been entirely sure about when tequila had gotten popular. She knew she was there but she could not really remember the when. And her being there when something got invented was not narrowing the time frame very much.
"Mm-mm." Finn shook his head, examining the shot glass.
The younger vampire grabbed the salt from the table and poured some on Finn's wrist, before doing the same on her own. Keeping his gaze, she proceeded to demonstrate licking the salt off her own wrist and then swallowing the shot. Finn watched her with raised eyebrows before copying with his own salt and drink.
"Happy now?"
Sage grinned before reaching over the table and grabbing a lime, passing the fruit to him. He shrugged and sucked on it for a moment before speaking again.
"I am truly awed by the evolution of mankind."
Sage laughed, eager to show him exactly how much mankind had evolved when a familiar scent wafted in through the double doors. A stocky man with tousled golden hair sauntered in, clad in a black leather jacket. He paused when he reached Sage's table, a friendly smile on his lips.
"Hey Sage."
"Hey Troy."
The newcomer easily detected that he was intruding and nodded at Finn before leaving.
"You know him?" Finn asked in what he had hoped was a casual manner. He did not like feeling possessive but the truth was that he was feeling a little betrayed.
"I turned him," Sage replied, indifferent. She continued with another shot.
"You turned him? Why?" The Original was feeling a little indignant now. To him, turning someone was special, a sign that you wanted to be with the other person and were unwilling to let them fall away with age and time.
"Because I'm in enemy territory," she deadpanned, enunciating every syllable clearly. They were together for a reason; she could read the Original as easily as she could a book and she knew he was getting angry or at the very least, upset. "When your brother and sister called, I thought I might need a little backup. You can't trust anyone here." The vampire broke off when she felt a waiter approaching their table. With lightning speed, she reached up and grabbed his wrist, hearing his heartbeat pick up.
"Two more tequilas?"
The waiter, whose nametag read 'Matt' nodded, his heart rate still abnormally high. It roused the predatory instinct in her.
"Yeah, cool, I'll let your waitress know."
Sage smiled coolly in thanks before turning back to Finn, who still looked a little grumpy. Meanwhile, Matt headed over to the counter and snagged the offered bottle of vervain before disappearing to the back to get some drinks.
Kol was lounged on the couch, a Play Station 3 controller in one hand and a can of cheap beer in the other. He had discovered after entering the property that the vervain was only growing on the yards and the Millers probably just took them for wild plants, rather than the only defence they had if a vampire decided to compel them. He had gotten Jeremy to say the magic words and let him in much easier than he had thought. The two, despite having had decided to play video games on the way here, had spent the better part of the afternoon on a computer when Kol had sheepishly admitted that he did not know how to use one, shrugging and then silently apologizing to the people of Montana that he was using his so-called upbringing to justify his ignorance of technology. Jeremy had then spent the entire day teaching the Original about computers and the internet and Kol had to admit, he was a good kid. Said kid was now nestled on the couch next to him, fiddling with the right analog stick of his own controller.
"Okay okay, that should do it," Jeremy declared, finally exiting the options menu.
Kol put his can onto the coffee table, heaving a sigh.
"Finally, I thought you would never make up your mind."
"Okay sorry! You remember how to shoot right? Aim with L1, fire with R1? Adjust the aim with the analog stick?"
"Yes Jeremy," Kol drawled, rolling his eyes.
"Okay! Let's kill some zombies!"
Lying on its stomach a short distance away, Max raised its head and barked, as if it were responding to Jeremy's war cry. The two of them were playing the Mercenaries mode on 'Resident Evil 5' since neither of them wanted to be the female character on the story.
"You know, you're actually pretty good at this game," Jeremy commented lightly as he fired three magnum rounds at the Executioner, watching it drop to the ground. Kol shrugged nonchalantly.
"I'm a fast learner."
Jeremy spared a quick glance at the window the couch was set next to, watching the sun dip behind the canopies of the trees. He then turned back to the game, cursing when he realized they were running out of time. He looked over to Kol's half of the screen.
"Hey could you climb up onto that roof? It's the one to your right. There's a time extension there."
"Yea, sure," Kol replied, dropping a horde of zombies that were heading his way before scaling up the ladder to the roof. There was a brief pause between them before Jeremy spoke again.
"There's a party at Meg's tonight. Want to tag along?"
Kol raised his eyebrows at his friend cum mark, his mind already made up. A party equals to illegal alcohol which equals to drunk teenagers which equals to food, which equals to a happy Kol. Of course he was going.
"Yea sure, why not?" Kol grinned, turning his attention back to the game and hitting a zombie right in the head.
"How many people have you turned?" Finn snapped, feeling a little bitter.
Sage sighed.
"I don't know, a lot? Don't judge me. Finn, you turned me."
"Exactly Sage, I turned you. My passion overtook my morals." The bitterness was gone now, replaced with guilt. Finn had been awoken and convinced by their mother that vampirism was a curse. He had agreed with her back then just as much as he did now and he now realised that he had let himself curse someone else, Sage, someone he loved more than anyone else.
"My passions overtake my morals on a daily basis. It's called 'living life to the fullest'," Sage chimed. She caught sight of Finn's appearance, love and guilt chasing one another across his features, and felt a pang of hurt.
"Hey," she whispered, placing a hand over his. The Original looked up at her. "It had nothing to do with you. I love vampirism but it would be nothing without you. You gave me life and I just want to live it to the fullest. Don't feel guilty, I don't blame you." She paused for a moment. "And you aren't a curse, Finn. Not you or your family."
The Original smiled crookedly at her, just as their waitress came over with their shots.
"Finally," Sage commented, all evidence of their prior exchange gone.
She raised her glass to her partner, smiling.
"To living life to the fullest."
He raised his own and tapped it against hers gently, the glass clinking.
"To living life."
Sage laughed lightly before they both downed their shots but not a second passed before they had spit it back out, coughing.
"Oh, what the hell?"
"Vervain," Finn spat, turning around and spotting the younger of the two Salvatore brothers staring right at him, an eyebrow raised. The young vampire then slinked out through the door as the two rose to pursue him.
The Original slowly pushed the door open, his senses at their peak as he listened intently for any sign of Stefan. Behind him, he felt Sage follow. He carefully stepped out the Grill but caught his assailant's scent too late before the shape of the White Oak stake was coming right at him. The Original froze for the shortest moment, feeling pure terror come over him. But this had been what he had wanted, right? This was why he had volunteered himself to their mother when she had spoken to him. But now, he was not so sure anymore. Sage was directly behind him and he suddenly felt a painful aching for her. No, if he died, she would be left alone again. He did not doubt her ability to take care of herself but she had waited for him, she had waited for nine hundred years and she had never forgotten him. No, even if he hated his vampirism, the least he could do was to endure it for her. They loved each other. His siblings had one another with their "always and forever" but his 'always' and his 'forever' had always been with Sage. He had just been too consumed by his own self-loathing to see it. He could not leave her, not after everything they had been through together and definitely not after everything he had put her through. All of a sudden, the idea of death did not seem so appealing anymore. But then the stake was flung down the stairs, the vampire having had lost his grip when Sage had grabbed and thrown him. The deadly weapon rolled down a few steps, each clank echoing in the Original's ears.
"Finn, the stake!"
Sage's anxious voice pulled him out of his reverie as the Original charged down toward the murder weapon, hand outstretched to grab it. His fingers were just about five inches away from the wood before the door burst open and the doppelganger emerged, armed with a crossbow, which she promptly used to shoot him with right in the stomach. Finn stumbled forward, doubling over in pain, before he registered the presence of the waiter back in the bar. But before he could react, he had plunged another stake right into his chest. Immediately, pain spidered out from the wound and his vision began to blur. From far away, he could hear Sage screaming but he could not do anything about it. The ground rushed up at him but he did not feel the pain of impact. His lungs were failing now and every breath was laboured. He gets the idea that he should try and yank the wood out of his heart but his hand refuses to move. From far, far away, Sage appeared, holding onto him desperately. He heard her calling his name, felt her fingers caress his cheek but it was like he was not there. Everything was fading out now, even the pain. He gets one final look at Sage, her cheeks stained with tears and her emerald eyes clouded in pain, before keeping that one final picture in his heart and feeling himself fade away.
Sage pulled back, her hand coming up to muffle her sobs as the body of her lover burst into flames. He was gone. She had waited nine hundred years to see him just to lose him again. They were always too far away from one another: Pulled apart by their families and their customs, ripped apart by Niklaus and now, ultimately, separated by death.
They would always be just five inches apart; never to meet but forbidden to forget.
Kol stood outside the room, wiping his hand over his mouth and taking one final look at his work before slamming the door shut. That had been fun. He had gone to the party with Jeremy and like moths to light, he had attracted quite a fair bit of prey. Needless to say, he had cornered all of them and had an all-you-can-eat buffet. But there was nothing to worry about; he had left the lot of them alive so he would not have to make a stupid cover story later. This was becoming a little odd for him though, considering that he had had quite a large meal just the night before. If he did not slow down a little, he might get what the vampire population called a 'blood high'. While that made all their vampire quirks – speed, strength, enhanced senses – sharper and better, it also took away one's control: You had no idea what you are doing while 'high' and all Kol remembered from the times he had let himself go a little too far was that he was happy, there were people screaming and there was blood everywhere. That was not entirely unpleasant to him but his current situation needed him to be a little more discrete. Feeling a little bored now that he was full, he sauntered downstairs to find Jeremy, who had melted into the crowd. All he could smell was alcohol and sweat though and the vampire felt a little repulsed. When he did locate his mark, he was slouched over on a table, laughing a little too loudly.
"Jeremy, it's time to get you home now. Chop chop, let's go."
Said teenager looked up at the Original blearily, frowning.
"Anna?"
Kol rolled his eyes.
"It's not Anna; it's Kol. Now get up!"
Jeremy did not seem to hear him.
"I've missed you."
Kol howled in frustration, grabbing and then shaking Jeremy's shoulders.
"I'm Kol, you idiot, Kol!"
"Why?"
Kol stared at him, confused and then watched in horror as Jeremy stood up and clambered onto the table he had, moments ago, been sprawled upon.
"Jeremy, I would really suggest that you get down right now."
Jeremy, looking indignant, started yelling.
"Why?! What's wrong with standing up here?!" he paused for a short moment before frowning, "Did you know I have a sister?"
Kol sighed.
"Yes, Elena Gilbert, right?"
"How did you know that? Have you been stalking me?" Jeremy laughed, wobbling slightly.
"Actually, yes but that's not the point."
Jeremy frowned before bending over to try and get a drink but before he could reach the glass, he promptly lost his balance and toppled off the table. Kol groaned before walking over, the drunkard looking up at him from the ground. He squinted up at him, as if he could not see very properly, which was most likely the case.
"Kol?"
"Yes mate, it's Kol. Now get up!"
When the human did not move, Kol walked over and hooked his arms under his shoulders, hauling him up to his feet and heaving him outside.
"Wow man. You're reeeeaaaallllllyyyyyyy strong…" Jeremy drawled, his head lolling to one side.
Kol rolled his eyes and flung Jeremy into his car. The latter laughed.
"I can't brive, Kol. 'ere! You can take mah keyz and you can bive!" Jeremy sputtered, tossing – and completely missing – his keys at the Original. Kol caught them anyway.
"I don't know how to drive. I have been in a box for the last century!" Kol yelled at him, knowing that the boy would not remember what he had said anyway.
"Whattttttt?! Haha… You are so funnnnnyyyyyyyy…" Jeremy grinned, hiccupping. Kol sighed, cursing under his breath before shoving Jeremy over to the passenger's side and sliding into the driver's seat.
"Okay, Jeremy. If you do not want to die in a horrific traffic accident, tell me how to drive."
Jeremy narrowed his eyes, as if he were trying very hard to concentrate. Then he relaxed again and grinned.
"It's 'imple! Dat's what you tap on hen you wanna move or go faster and you stab on that to stop! And then, you pin that left and right to turn!" Jeremy pointed to the accelerator, brake and steering wheel in turn.
"Then what's this for?" Kol snapped, pointing at the gear shift.
Jeremy stared at it before shrugging.
"I can't bebender."
"What do you mean by 'I can't remember'?!"
Jeremy laughed.
"No torries! You're a kick burner. You'll figure it out!" Kol felt his jaw drop, utterly mortified that his own words were being used against him. But before he could retort, Jeremy's head had lolled and hit the window next to him and the boy started snoring. Kol had to sit in the car and close his eyes for a few minutes to squash the sudden urge to kill the teenager. Then he fiddled around with all the various buttons, levers and switches – accidentally reversing and slamming into the car behind them at one point – before he finally managed to get the vehicle to go forward. It then took him six tries to get out of the parking lot, Jeremy sleeping soundly through it despite all the jerking and bumping. Eventually, the Original got a little more comfortable with driving and went a little faster. When he did not crash, he started to toe the speed limit – not that he cared about obeying it – and concluded that if he ignored the circumstances, he kind of liked driving. They were almost back at the Miller's residence and Kol was just starting to think that the experience was really not so bad, before he heard Jeremy mutter something and then promptly throw up in the car. Kol cursed. Never mind.
By the time Kol had gotten them back to the Miller's, the rancid smell of bile and acid had gotten so acrid that the Original had rolled all the windows down and had fallen into the pattern of taking single breaths out of his side of the window, holding it and only exhaling and repeating when he could not take it anymore. The car swerved to a stop as Kol practically threw his door open and marched to the other side. He grabbed Jeremy by his arm – which had escaped unscathed by the episode – and hauled him out. Retaking his previous position with both his arms hooked under his friend's shoulders, he dragged the dead-drunk teenager toward the house, spewing a litany of curses he had picked up over the centuries. Finally arriving at the front door, Kol, since he had his back to the door, kicked backwards awkwardly, trying to keep his balance. He heard the people inside shuffle around for a moment before the door swung open to reveal a middle-aged couple, both with identical looks of shock on their features.
"Excuse me, Mister and Missus Miller?" Kol asked politely, trying to sound casual.
The man walked forward before realizing that their odd guest was in fact towing their charge. They visibly relaxed after that though worry was blatant on both their faces.
"What happened?"
"Jeremy here had a little too much to drink. But no need to worry, sir, madam; he'll live."
The couple immediately made way, thanking the Original profusely as he lugged Jeremy upstairs to his room. He managed to throw him onto his bed before the realization that the boy – and the car downstairs – was still covered in puke, hit him. Kol scowled. He was not going there and he did not care if Jeremy did have to sleep like that; it was his fault. Fortunately for both of them, Mister Miller came up behind him and told the vampire to let him handle it. Grateful and not exactly looking forward to spending any more time with Jeremy at the moment, Kol escaped from the room.
The shadow waited and watched, perfectly motionless on its perch on the tree. Things had gone very wrong and it was not happy. It watched apprehensively as a redhead vampire broke into the house it was watching and attacked her lover's murderers. It did not bother to intervene; vengeance belonged to her and her alone. Then, it leaned forward when the redhead started gasping, clawing desperately at her chest before both she and her companion collapsed to the ground, dead. It frowned, not entirely understanding what had happened but shook it off anyway before listening to the vampires discuss their next move and disappearing back into the trees, eyes narrowed.
Jeremy opened his eyes, sharp pain stabbing him right in the head as he groaned, trying and failing to turn onto his side. The light coming in from the window was killing him and doing all sorts of things to his abused head. He numbly registered that he was in his room but could not recall how he had gotten there. Most of the time, if he passed out drunk, he would wake up to find himself at whomever's house it was that he got drunk in. Then it hit him: Kol. The guy had probably towed his drunken body out of Meg's house and drove him home. The teenager was suddenly hit with an odd sense of appreciation. As if on cue, Kol appeared in front of his door, a sympathetic smile on his features though he seemed to be somewhat amused by the sight in front of him.
"Rise and shine!" the Original made it a point to shout, knowing that it would inflict maximum damage to his friend's hung-over head. Jeremy groaned, covering his ears before attempting to sit up. He failed.
"Oh man… What happened?"
"You got drunk. Isn't it obvious? Here! Have some pills and some coffee!"
Jeremy hissed when the vampire began shouting again and crawled over to the other side of the bed, next to the table where Kol had left the tray. He dry-swallowed the aspirin and then downed the coffee. He got about three swallows in before he collapsed back on the bed.
"No worries, mate! You will be feeling great soon!" Kol chimed, still making an effort to be louder than usual.
In fact, Kol knew he was going to be better soon. Unbeknownst to the human, he had spiked the coffee with his blood. Sure, it seemed a little over-the-top for him but he had promised the Millers – who had let him stay the night – that he would take care of Jeremy and he was not going to spend the day watching him nurse a damned hangover. Kol pulled a chair over towards him and sat down, propping his legs up onto the table. He made a mental reminder to get rid of the coffee if Jeremy did not finish it. A moment passed before Jeremy sat up, rubbing his head.
"Hey… Did I do anything stupid?"
"It depends on what you call 'stupid' but if you ask me, then yes, you did."
"Why? What did I do?"
Kol grinned before shaking his head.
"I don't feel like talking about it."
The teenager looked horrified and Kol had to hide his snicker.
"What?! Kol, what did I do?!"
"Don't you remember anything?"
Kol was laughing now, watching Jeremy's face contort into a picture of hung-over confusion and mortification.
"What's so funny?! This isn't funny, Kol!"
"Of course it is. But if you are so worried then fine, I'll tell you. I only found you after you were drunk though so for a complete list, you'll need to find whoever it was that you were getting drunk with," Jeremy paled a few shades, "So your list of transgressions includes climbing onto a table and screaming, later falling off said table, requiring me to heave you outside because you refused to move, forcing me to drive when I did not know how to drive – I blame all the damage to your and everybody else's cars on you by the way – and throwing up in the car you refused to teach me how to drive. Oh and you called me 'Anna'."
"I what?!"
"So, do you want to talk about it?" Kol snickered.
"No, actually I don't."
Jeremy had gotten up now, groaning loudly.
"I'm going to go take a shower," Jeremy mumbled before disappearing into the adjacent room and shutting the door behind him. Shrugging, Kol left the room to find Max downstairs, the retriever looking thoroughly pleased with him.
"Hello, Max."
The dog barked, wagging its tail. Kol grinned at it, ruffling the fur on top of its head. The dog started to circle the vampire before plopping back down, cocking its head to one side.
"Now, we should just keep that between us. No need to tell Jeremy anything."
The canine looked down at the floor before looking back up again. Kol frowned. Was it nodding?!
"Okay…"
The dog then bounced back up to its feet and started barking, before disappearing into another room and returning with a leash in its mouth.
"Are you blackmailing me?!"
Max barked, dropping everything on the floor.
"Fine, fine, I have nothing better to do anyway. But you better keep up," Kol turned back in the general direction of the bathroom and yelled, "Jeremy! I'm taking Max out!"
He picked up the distinct sound of the teenager laughing before he hooked the leash up to the collar and followed the dog outside.
By the time Kol had returned with Max, Jeremy was out of the shower and had finished up the coffee, all signs of his hangover gone. Kol unleashed the dog and it proceeded to bound over to its owner, laying its head on his lap, still panting heavily.
"Hey Max!" Jeremy greeted, all smiles now, before turning to Kol and thanking the Original for all his help. Kol settled himself next to the human, propping his feet up on the coffee table.
"So Jeremy, what do you want to do?"
Jeremy stayed quiet for a while before sighing, sub-consciously stroking Max.
"Hey, about yesterday, sorry about that."
"No need to worry mate! So long as you don't ask me for repairs, I forgive you."
Jeremy chuckled before straightening up.
"You asked me about Anna, right?"
Kol stiffened. He could hear it in the way Jeremy said her name; it was not just some hormone-driven crush. It had been real at some point but it had obviously not ended well.
"Look, if you don't want to talk about it…"
In reality, Kol did not really want to hear it either. He had meant it as a joke in the morning but now it looked pretty serious. Jeremy shook his head, sighing.
"Nah, I guess I should have told someone."
"So, was she your girlfriend of some sort?"
"Yeah, yeah she was. She did not really have anyone at that time; her mum had passed away a long time ago and her dad was who knows where. And as for me, I guess I did not really have anyone either, my sister and her friends were keeping things from me, I was on crack and getting myself in a whole lot of trouble," Jeremy chuckled humourlessly.
Kol was beginning to feel a little awkward, or maybe helpless. He had never been able to handle human emotions well and probably never would. He had no idea what he should do and it was not like he had much past experience. So he just kept quiet. Jeremy paused for a moment before continuing.
"We just sort of gravitated towards one another eventually. We found comfort in each other for a long time and then… she died." Jeremy sighed, and for some reason, Max began to whine. Kol shifted uncomfortably.
"Well… … I suppose sometimes we need to let go of things. I'm sure she's happy, wherever she is."
There was an awkward silence as Kol contemplated over what else he could say before giving up. "I'm sorry, I'm really not good at this," Kol murmured sheepishly. On the bright side, Jeremy laughed.
"Hey, it's cool. Wanna head out? We can go to the batting cages, play some baseball."
For once, the Original recognised what he was talking about. Sure, baseball, that will be fun.
"Sure thing, but you're driving," Kol grumbled and Jeremy laughed.
