Kol Mikaelson was what people would call an attention whore. He knew it, he loved it and he owned it.
His oh so adorable baby sister had slapped him with that moniker at a very early age, when at a pool party she was having, he strutted his sexy ass out into the yard, shirtless and sweaty from his workout so that all her little friends could notice – and drool over - the glory that was him.
And they had. Well all except Bonnie and Caroline who refused to acknowledge his innate sexiness. Instead those two smirked at him before whispering to one particularly hot looking blonde in an itsy bitsy yellow bikini that had her squealing like she was five years old.
And she kept squealing for the rest of the bloody day, sending his annoyance levels sky-rocketing all the while glaring the laughing trio that was his sister, Bonnie and Caroline.
Apparently Jackie, Jenny, Josie – whatever the fuck her name was – was a constant squealer. And not the good kind. No this broad would squeal at anything. Even if she was having a one on one conversation, she tended to squeal her response instead of state it.
It drove him absolutely crazy! And made him promise to get the conniving little trio back if it was the last thing he did.
That was until Bonnie introduced him to her cousin Lucy. Long legged, green-eyed Jamieson-drinking Lucy Bennett, whose sexy long limbed body and taunting little grin had him harder than his mother's imported granite counters.
That was when she deemed it worthy to strut her sexy ass into town. Their relationship was an open one. When she was out of town anything goes, however when she WAS in town ... Well Kol suddenly found himself well and truly exhausted and wondering what the hell just happened.
So being the attention whore that he was he could recognise one from a mile away. Damon was definitely one. The oldest Salvatore brother was probably more so than he. Women flocked the man to the point where it was pathetic. They literally prostrated themselves at the man's feet, begging for attention. And like the attention whore he was Damon lapped it up.
Another attention whore was little Miss Elena Gilbert. Oh she came across all cutesy and nice. Had pulled the wool over Stefan's eyes and conned Bonnie into believing she was all sweet and innocent but she this - look. A look he all too recognised because Kol was use to dealing with gold digging, power hungry, attention seeking broads. He had encountered more than his fair share in his lifetime.
Women who wanted the money, the power and the name to back them up. Women who would do anything and anyone to get what they wanted.
And Kol knew Little Miss Elena Gilbert wanted the Salvatore bank account in the worse fucking way.
He had seen the way she had locked on to Stefan like she were a heat seeking missile and he was the Human Torch from the Fantastic Four. Seen the way she had batted those big brown eyes, smiled that innocent little smile and acted all coy and shit.
Kol noticed the way she watched as Bonnie's and Damon's relationship explode like the doomsday bomb, a relieved little smirk on her pretty features as she played all concerned and supportive to Bonnie, yet understanding and available to Damon.
Although if truth be told, Damon barely spared the girl a second look. Nope, the idiot Salvatore – and that's what Kol called him to his face – was too busy trying to win Bonnie back. Although even for Kol – who according to his sister had a PhD in crazy – the way Damon went about it was just straight up questionable.
The man tried blackmail, bribes, threats, instigation – everything he could to try and break up Bonnie and Mason so that he could win Bonnie back.
Although Kol had a feeling even if Bonnie and Mason did break up – which he couldn't really see happening – Damon would be the last person Bonnie would go back to.
The bridge had been well and truly burnt and flushed away into the sewage system.
But back to little Miss 'Innocent', Kol remembered the first time he met the doppelganger.
They had been partying at Stefan's and Damon's pad, before Damon's brain explosion.
Bonnie had strutted her sexy little ass into the condo, Elena trailing behind her like a lost puppy.
"Bonnie my love!" Kol crowed, ignoring the dark scowl from Damon and enveloping Bonnie into a massive hug. Grinning he kissed her on the cheek loudly, squeezing her tightly.
"Can't breathe –"she gasped, limbs failing as he swung her back and forth. "– no oxygen."
Grinning like the mad man he was he continued to squeeze her tighter, waiting for Damon's explosive reaction.
As predicted Damon stomped towards them, eyes burning fire as he glared darkly at Kol.
Just before Damon reached them, Kol released Bonnie shoving her into her boyfriend's arms.
"Not the face!" Kol cried dramatically throwing his hands up.
Snarling Damon hugged Bonnie to him, squeezing her almost as tight as Kol had.
"Hands off, ingrate." Damon snarled, hands possessive, eyes shooting death threats at Kol.
Kol smirked. The guy was way too easy to rile.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll stop when Bonnie wants me to stop." Kol smirked.
Damon gave a low snarl, his flashing dangerously, big body tense as he made a move towards Kol again only to have Bonnie stop him. As usual Bonnie stood in front of her boyfriend, her hands on his chest as he pushed him back.
"Take it easy, Damon. It's Kol. He's only teasing." Bonnie told her boyfriend, her tone slightly exasperated. Probably because they went through this every single time. And it wasn't only Kol who loved riling the eldest Salvatore up. Tyler, Matt and even Klaus loved watching the vein in his head throb like it had a life of its own.
"No touching, Mikaelson." Damon warned pointing at him angrily.
"Or what?" Kol taunted.
"Kol!" spinning around Bonnie slapped him on the chest earning another growl from her possessive boyfriend. "Stop it." She insisted, annoyed.
Rolling his eyes he conceded.
"Fine." He pouted. "I'm sorry I irritated the Neanderthal." He apologized his eyes falling on the tall brunette that came in with Bonnie.
First thing he noticed, was how much she looked like Katherine. The hair, the eyes, the facial features. It was like a slender, lighter skinned version of Katherine Pierce.
Second thing he noticed was that her whole attention was on Damon and Damon alone.
Her eyes practically devoured him, hungrily taking in the man's overly possessive nature, and a keen look of interest in those big brown eyes.
She looked, turned on. As if Damon's possessiveness was hot to her. The look of longing also stopped him. It was as if she wished she were in Bonnie's position.
The thing about Kol that people didn't realize was that he was an expert and reading people. Their facial expressions, their body language, the inflections in their voices as they spoke.
Many people gave themselves away without even realizing it. He could have a conversation with a person and gage exactly what they were thinking.
And as he watched the newbie drool over her friend's boyfriend Kol knew that this girl was only going to bring trouble to their little group.
"Kol." Bonnie said from the arms of her boyfriend. "Elena Gilbert. Elena, Kol Mikaelson, Rebekah's brother."
"The youngest one?" Elena queried and Kol raised his brows.
"Yep that's me love." He told her, watching her closely as she dismissed him.
Kol's ego wasn't big enough that he felt insulted by the snub. But by her stating the youngest one Kol knew that she probably thought that he was of no personal interest. That his bank account was not something she would be interested in.
Heh, what the little girl didn't know won't hurt her. He may not be the richest out of all his siblings – that honor lay in Elijah's court – but he had enough that he never had to work again in his life and still spend up large.
"Nice to meet you." She said automatically her eyes slipping back to Damon as if expecting him to acknowledge her.
First thing the little chit had to know was that if you weren't Bonnie Bennett, you weren't worth acknowledging.
Instead Damon had his face buried in Bonnie's neck, those bright blue orbs glaring at him.
"Damon, say hello to Elena." Bonnie chastised.
"Doppelganger." Damon intoned, throwing Kol one more glare before grabbing a hold of Bonnie's wrist and dragging her into his bedroom and slamming the door shut.
Kol watched as Elena's face dropped at the doppelganger comment, her face darkening a little as both Damon and Bonnie disappeared leaving her and Kol behind.
From that moment on Kol knew that he wouldn't trust the girl and probably never would.
Eyes narrowed Kol watched Stefan and the doppelganger walked up to Sofia Salvatore, noticing the way she watched Damon watch Bonnie, a look of longing on her face before she forcibly smoothed it out, smiling up at Stefan like she was in love with him.
Shaking his head Kol downed his glass in one go, placing the glass on the bar before sauntering his way over to the small group Stefan – and the doppelganger - had just left.
Grinning as he reached them, Kol came up behind Bonnie lifted her out of her seat smacking a kiss on her cheek. Widening his eyes at the woman in his arms he turned his grin on her, probably looking like the lunatic he was.
"Dammit Kol Mikaelson put me down!" Bonnie scowled, squeaking a little as he shrugged and dumped her on her boyfriends lap before taking her seat.
Mason grunted a little, shifting his girlfriend into a more comfortable position before grinning wolfishly down at her.
"Hey there." He rumbled down at Bonnie, before leaning down and kissing the lipstick off his girlfriend's mouth.
Chuckling Kol rolled his eyes at the two, their display of affection something he was use to.
When Bonnie had been with the Salvatore idiot, public displays of affection – if one could call it that – were a stamp of ownership on Damon's part. Him making sure that every other male knew she was with him.
With these two it was because they literally couldn't keep their hands off each other.
It was almost enough to make a happily single man wish he had something more. Almost.
"Really? In public?" Tyler complained, the grin on his face belying the irritation in his voice.
"Get a room!" Caroline booed, scowling at the two playfully.
"Or we could just try the men's bathroom like you and Klaus tried to." Bonnie teased her friend.
Kol frowned, shuddering at the memory of walking into the men's bathroom to take a whizz and seeing a wrinkly white butt as soon as he walked through the door. Something he never wanted to see ever again. Ever.
"Men's bathroom was occupied." He told them, catching he eye of a delicious raven-haired beauty from across the room, winking at her. Man there were some hot looking women at this party. "Old people fucking."
"See!" Caroline told her friends. "Geriatric sex!"
Grinning Kol eyed his brother's girlfriend, loving the way she never minced her words and the way she wore the hell out of that dress.
That long athletic body with sweet svelte curves was encased in a Vera Wang wrap around dress. She wore six inch heels adding even more height to her frame. Make up was artfully applied drawing attention to those killer eyes and that amazing mouth.
And even though she was his brother's woman, didn't mean that Kol couldn't admire the beauty that God blessed them with. Caroline Forbes was freakin' hot.
Bonnie was the same. The girl was a knock-out. Caramel colored skin, wicked green eyes and a sassy little grin.
Too bad they were like the little sisters he never wanted.
"Umm excuse me." A sexy feminine voice interrupted them drawing his eyes to a pair of sexy blue ones.
Oooooh, nice, Kol thought eyeing the pretty blonde with a big camera strapped around her neck.
"Well, hello love." He purred leaning forward to smile at the newcomer. This was definitely a tasty looking treat, he thought licking his lips.
The blonde flushed meeting his gaze before looking away.
"Photo?" she croaked her eyes on Bonnie, refusing to meet his interested gaze. "For the company newsletter."
Bonnie glared at Kol for making the girl nervous before shooting her a reassuring smile.
"Sure Candice." Bonnie smiled, kicking Kol in the leg as the girl shifted under his gaze.
Pouting he rubbed the abused spot, giving her a puppy dog look that had her rolling her eyes at him.
"Group shot!" Kol announced happily, drawing closer to Bonnie and Mason. They waited as the others moved into the shot, Kol turning at the last minute to place a big wet kiss on Bonnie's cheek just as the blonde took the photo.
Turning to see Mason's reaction Kol rolled his eyes. Instead of jealous anger, he was met with amusement.
"You –"he told Mason. "Are absolutely no fun. Her psychotic ex would've tried to skewer me the moment I got within touching distance of her." He whined.
And it was true. Damon would've tried to beat the crap out of him the moment Kol appeared, always thinking Kol was trying to get it on with Bonnie. In fact, in Damon's mind the only male that wasn't trying to get it on with Bonnie was Giuseppe Salvatore. And that was because the man was practically her father.
Mason lifted heavy shoulders his smirk firmly in place. This guy was what Damon was not. Secure in himself and in Bonnie's love for him.
Kol respected that. But it meant that he couldn't pull a reaction from him the way he could Damon. And that was no fun.
"One more photo?" the tasty blonde asked, her gaze flicking from Kol to Bonnie. "Of you and your boyfriend Miss Bennett."
Bonnie flashed the girl a friendly grin.
"Please call me Bonnie." Bonnie told her laughingly. "Anyone says Miss Bennett and I'm wondering who the hell they're talking about."
Kol resisted the urge to laugh as Bonnie grabbed hold of Mason's face, her lips touching the corner of his mouth as they both looked at the camera. It was a sweet shot. Sickening but sweet.
"Awwwwww." Chuckling as the rest of them timed that awww perfectly; Bonnie shot them all a dirty look.
"Thanks Miss – I mean Bonnie." Candice chirped, smiling shyly at Bonnie before shooting him a look.
"No problem, Candice." Bonnie grinned before Candice smiled one last time and walked away.
"And there goes the mother to my future babies." Kol sighed, watching the blonde walked away.
"Isn't that what you said about the red-headed bartender?" Rebekah told him causing Kol to frown. What red-headed bartender?
"Or the pretty blonde waitress?" Bonnie mentioned. Kol looked thoughtful. There were a lot of pretty blonde waitresses.
"Then there was the hot looking caterer." Caroline spoke up causing him to frown confused. Scowling when all three girls laughed at his confusion, Kol shrugged good-naturedly.
"Can I help it if I want to spread around the love?" he asked them, eyebrows dancing.
"That's not all you'll be spreading around if you're not careful." Klaus told him dryly, shaking his head at him.
"Yeah, yeah." He waved his brother's comment away. "I say we blow this Popsicle stand." He announced, bored to death over the mundane-ness of the Salvatore Company Party. It was too proper, too sedate. He wanted lively. Fun.
"Go somewhere where I can get arrested for indecent exposure." He grinned, leering at Caroline. "Or the very least disorderly behavior."
"Stefan's just sweet talking our way out of here." Bonnie told him, pointing to her best friend talking to her surrogate mother.
Kol resisted the urge to sigh. Sofia Salvatore was the epitome of sophisticated beauty. Gorgeous beyond belief, Kol had a crush on the Salvatore Matriarch ever since he knew the difference between boys and girls.
He had also been scared shitless of the Salvatore Patriarch ever since he caught him trying to teach Bonnie how to play doctors and nurses.
Kol watched as Stefan talked earnestly with his mum, Sofia staring at her son with barely contained amusement.
Shifting his eyes to the brunette, Kol had a thought.
"Hmmm does that mean the doppelganger will be joining us?" he asked them, frowning. He didn't want his night ruined by the drooling doppelganger.
"Probably." Bonnie told him.
"Unfortunately." Caroline and Rebekah muttered together, causing Kol to smirk in amusement.
Ahhh so B1 and B2 – as he aptly named them – had noticed as well. Funny he thought he and Katherine were the only ones.
Turning he stared at Bonnie, head tilted to the side.
"So, tell me something." he began slowly, his eyes never leaving Bonnie. "Am I the only one that sees the doppelganger's morbid fascination with a certain blue-eyed Salvatore that's not actually her boyfriend?"
There he threw it out there. Now to see if anyone else had noticed it as well.
Silence settled over the group as they all looked at each other, but no one saying a thing.
Caroline and his sister looked at each other, while Tyler shot Mason a pointed look.
"Oh come on." He drawled, his attention on Bonnie. "I can't be the only one that has noticed it. Elena, checking out He-who-must-not-be-named whenever he's –"Kol air quoted. "- around. She's not exactly tryna hide it!"
"Harry Potter references?" Caroline sneered at him while eyeing a silent Bonnie. "Is that a Brit thing?"
Ignoring her Kol turned dark eyes on Bonnie.
"Tell me you've noticed this." He demanded, eyes narrowing. "Because there is only one person in this little Girl Guide group that can talk to Stefan without getting their head ripped off, and that person is you. So tell me you see this!" he insisted.
He may not be a main part of this group, but he did care about them.
Kol had many 'friends' but hardly any friends. He had people who he could call up and hang, his persona of the care free, attention seeking whore firmly in place. Friends who knew his favorite drink, his favorite drinking spot and his favorite restaurant.
But this small group that surrounded him, plus Stefan and Matt, were his friends. People who he could call up to bail him out of jail without asking why. People who knew him to be more than the care free, attention seeking whore that he gave off to the world. People who had the same taste in drinks and the same taste in restaurants as him. Friends that were actually family.
And that was this small group.
Kol watched as Bonnie glanced at Mason, her body settling deeper into his.
"Yeah I've noticed." She told them causing the others to look at her in surprise.
"Soooooo." His sister drawled. "Are you going to do anything about it?" Rebekah demanded. "Because if that girl hurts Stefan …" she trailed away, her face hard.
Kol glanced at her, probably the only one in the world that knew of her feelings for Stefan.
Out of all of his siblings, he was closest to Rebekah, being that they were only 16 months apart.
And when she told him one drunken night that she was in love with Stefan, he had made it his life's mission to break up the doppelganger and Stefan and hopefully get the two of them together.
"I know. Believe me I know, after all I am the one that encouraged them to get together." Bonnie told them her eyes drifting to Elena and Stefan. "But if there is anyone that knows Stefan it's me. Besides how do you tell your best friend you think his girl friend is - at the most in lust with his older brother?"
"By opening your mouth and letting the words come out." Kol told her snarkily, grinning when she shot him a dirty look.
She was so freakin sassy!
"I need evidence to back myself up. "She told them pointedly.
"Evidence?" Kol snorted, rolling his eyes at her. "If Damon told the girl to drop down and blow –"
"Ok!" Caroline interrupted shooting Kol a look that had him grinning. "No need for visuals."
Kol rolled his eyes at her.
"That girl has herself wide open when it comes to Damon. The puppy dog looks, the biting of the lip. All clear signs of a girl on the make." Kol told Bonnie.
"I know that and you know that, we just have to get Stefan to notice that." She told him exasperated.
"For what it worth." Mason interrupted, drawing everyone's eyes to him. "Don't you think that it will be better if you give him the heads up first? That way when this all goes to shit – and from the look on that girls face it will - and Stefan finds out that you knew he won't be hurt that you didn't tell him before."
"Exactly!" Kol answered, pointing at Mason. He knew he liked this guy for a reason.
Bonnie took a deep breath, her gaze going back to Stefan who avoided his mother's playful slap, a big grin on his face.
Kol turned to watch the trio his eyes narrowing when Damon sauntered up to them, throwing Elena a wink. The doppelganger blushed, tucking her hair behind her ear, all the while throwing Damon a flirty look.
"Yeah." Bonnie finished, her eyes shadowed as she watched Elena smile hopefully at Damon. "I'll talk to him tomorrow."
Kol nodded, watching as Stefan's face darkened, glaring at his brother who smirked at him.
Damon said something to his brother that had Stefan take a threatening step towards him.
Elena took a step between the two brothers, a hand on each chest, looking for all the world that she enjoyed the position as she pleaded with both brothers.
Mama Salvatore spoke to both of them quietly her face stern.
Damon smirked at his brother again that had Stefan lung for him only to have Daddy Salvatore appear from nowhere and push Stefan back, his face furious.
"Aw shit." Bonnie muttered, pulling the hem of her dress down she stood up, a look of resignation on her face.
"You better be quick, Bon." Rebekah told her friend her eyes on the pending storm. "Because you're the only one who can calm that situation."
Rolling her eyes, Bonnie took a deep breath, obviously building her patience up to go and deal with her ex boyfriend.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Mason asked her quietly, eyes questioning.
Bonnie glanced at him and then back at the family.
"Please?" she asked. "I might need someone to stop me from killing Damon."
Mason smiled at his girlfriend, rising to his feet.
"Let's go." He told her grabbing her hand and letting her lead him towards the feuding family.
Grinning Kol watched them go, leaning back in his chair, suddenly not wanting to go anywhere.
Because the entertainment he was wanting to find, was just about to happen. Because there was nothing more entertaining than an explosive Salvatore Family argument.