"Well, funny meeting you two here"

I roll my eyes, Kol and I haven't even been at the bar for five minutes; of course we had to run into the Salvatores.

I scoff

"Yeah, absolutely hilarious"

Damon gives me a look

"Funny how you're the hostile one; you weren't killed now were you?"

I laugh

"I see you're still angry about that"

He looks baffled

"Still? Of course I'm still angry! You killed me!"

"She had good reason to, mate" Kol walks over to us, holding 2 glasses of gin

"Guys, let's not start something. Damon and I just came to talk" Stephen interjects before Damon can respond

"Fine" I say, "then talk"

"Well, thanks to Elena's close attachment to Damon; she agreed we'd consider what you said when she thought you would kill him; which you did."

I laugh, "You know, you can say sire bond"

Stefan makes a disgusted face

"But anyways, continue; I'm all ears"

"Like I was saying, we've considered what you've said. And we'd like to know more"

I raise my eyebrows "what more is there to know?"

Damon speaks up before Stefan can answer

"We want your life's story, all the way down to the juicy details"

An involuntary breath catches in my throat; it was hard enough revealing a small chunk of my life. How am I going to reveal everything?

A hand places itself on my shoulder and I jump

Kol is staring at me intently "You don't have to if you don't want to"

"Actually" Damon says "she will, if she ever wants us to consider giving up on the cure. We need to know exactly what her whole over dramatic deal is before we make a decision"

Kol growls "You don't tell her what to do"

Damon smirks "and you don't have to protect her, hell she could kill you and your destructive Brady Bunch without blinking."

Kol takes a step toward them, veins forming under his eyes.

"Kol, don't" I grab his shoulder, holding him back

"Yeah Kol, don't" Damon laughs "It seems me and my brother have hit a nerve"

"Damon that's enough" Stefan says tensely

I smirk

"Yeah Damon, you seem to have forgotten you're having a conversation with an original vampire and a super hybrid. Stefan, you seem more sensible than your brother. And I don't feel like slicing your throat open every time I see you; so meet me at the Mikaelson mansion at 8:00 tonight. Don't bring anyone with you."

I look at the older Salvatore

"Especially not him"

Damon looks baffled "What-

I hold my hand up, cutting him off.

"That's my only offer, take it or leave it"

He looks hesitant, before slowly nodding his head

"8:00 tonight?"

"8:00 tonight"

I let out a sigh as both Salvatore's leave. Now I really need a drink; I reach for one of the glasses Kol's holding, only to find him staring at me intently, strange.

"What's wrong?"

"You're worried"

I go stiff. I've gotten extremely good at hiding my vulnerability. But sometimes it likes to peak through – before I clam it right back up by laughing or scoffing or snapping someone's neck depending on the circumstances.

This circumstance calls for laughing. So I do, I laugh; even shaking my head light-heartedly to make it seem genuine – though, it's far from it.

"Why would I be worried? I'm the most powerful creature on this planet. I don't have much to fear – to put it quite bluntly"

"Even the most powerful creatures can have inner turmoil. And you're leaking of it"

"You're getting inner turmoil mixed with lack of blood and annoyance"

He laughs, it's a soft sound, yet it still holds something behind it – slyness and experience. It almost sounds, in some weird way wise. I have to restrain from giggling; Kol and wise? He's the farthest thing from the word. I really and truly have lost it.

" I've experienced both. Believe me; I know the difference quite well"

"But you don't know me" I say it quietly, not a hint of emotion present in my voice "you don't know me at all"

He narrows his eyes. I know I shouldn't have said it, it was stupid and Kol isn't the one to blame for that fact and I know it. Yet a felt like it was necessary. I shake my head. You're an idiot Anna, you are such an idiot"

He opens his mouth to speak; his eyes have lost the warmth they had possessed only minutes ago.

Here it comes

"And whose fault is that? Yours Anna, not mine. Not mine or Rebekah's or Nik's or Elijah's. Yours, you left us. We didn't leave you, Anna. Nor would we have; we were your friends, your family"

He turns his back, facing away from me and towards the door

"I'll see you at the house at 8" He says over his shoulder before walking out

"I silently sink back into my chair. Great, Kol's angry with me. Oh well, at least he won't miss me when all this is over and I leave. He would have figured I wouldn't be back for good, wouldn't he? And if he hasn't I guess it'll be a surprise. But it's not like I can stay and try to build a life here. After everything that's happened, after all the bad things I've done. I can't just shack it all away and pretend none of it happened. I can't just move on, I can't. It would be... wrong. All the lives I've destroyed, all the people I've killed, all the dreams I've crushed. I don't deserve to be happy. I deserve exactly what I've got. I don't deserve a chance at being Anina again.

I sigh before picking up a glass, forget the drink; I need the whole bar.