Just play it cool and she'll never suspect a thing. Rebekah's sitting on the couch, Kol walks up behind her and leans over the back of the couch next to her.

"Hey Bek, fancy going out for dinner?"

Rebekah turns her head to look at Kol and asks, "you mean like Chinese food?"

"I was thinking more like wait staff at The Grill," Kol says with a smirk.

"Sure," Rebekah says, springing up from her seat and turning to face Kol. "I'm in. As long as we leave Matt out of it."

"Deal," Kol agrees. Perfect. This whole nightmare will be over soon.

xxx

They're hanging around outside The Grill waiting for Jeremy to finish his shift, though Rebekah doesn't know that. Jeremy and a girl Kol doesn't know exit the building. They part ways at the door, leaving Jeremy alone.

"You take the girl and I'll take the guy," Rebekah says, she's making this almost too easy. She moves towards Jeremy and Kol hangs back to watch, he wants to make sure she finishes this.

Rebekah walks up behind Jeremy and taps him on the shoulder; it's more fun that way. The moment when a person realises they're in danger; when their smile vanishes and the terror comes into their eyes is exhilarating. Kol's seen it thousands of times and will never get tired of it. Jeremy turns and recognises Rebekah, and she him, but she's committed to this now so she doesn't back down. Rebekah is quick to make her intentions clear and that exact look, that realisation of danger, forms on Jeremy's face. And for the first time in Kol's life seeing that look on the face of a mortal doesn't fill him with joy. It fills him with a suffocating fear of his own. The only thought in Kol's mind is to stop Rebekah. As Kol thinks it, he moves so fast that almost instantly he's standing in front of her. Her eyes have bled out and she grabs Jeremy, bearing her fangs. Kol can't let this happen.

"Let him go," Kol demands, "I want to finish what I started in Denver." Will she buy it?

"He's mine now brother," Rebekah says, tightening her grip on Jeremy, and that fires Kol up. What right does she have to make a claim on Jeremy? Kol glances at Jeremy whose eyes are wide with fear. Kol's got to get Rebekah away from Jeremy right now. Rebekah opens her mouth to bite Jeremy, this could all be over in an instant, Kol's got to move now. He lunges forward, it surprises Rebekah and she loosens her grip on Jeremy enough for Kol to shove him out of the way and push Rebekah back. Now Kol is now standing between Rebekah and Jeremy; he's facing Rebekah and Jeremy is safe somewhere behind him. Kol glares at Rebekah and slowly her eye's return to normal and her fangs retract. There's something in her expression he doesn't like, a look that says she thinks she's winning, and she's being surprisingly calm about this.

"Nice one Kol," Rebekah says with amusement, "now you've gone and spilled his blood all over the pavement, what a waste." No. Kol's worry must show on his face because her smile widens. Forgetting her for the moment Kol turns to see Jeremy lying on the ground. Jeremy's eyes are closed but Kol can hear his heart beating a steady rhythm. Thank God. Kol crouches over Jeremy to check the gash on his head, it's not that bad, the blood flow is already slowing. With a sigh of relief Kol reaches down and touches Jeremy's face, just to reassure himself that Jeremy's here and he's still alive.

Slowly Kol becomes aware that Rebekah's still here, he hears her move around to Jeremy's other side and Kol tenses, ready to defend Jeremy if he has too. Rebekah crouches down opposite Kol and with Jeremy lying unconscious between them, Kol looks up at his sister and sees the realisation in her eyes. That malicious smile appears on her face, fuck, she knows.

"Not a word and I'll make it worth your while," Kol tells her. Now Kol's got to make a choice. Does he follow Rebekah and make sure she doesn't tell or does he stay with Jeremy to make sure he's ok? Rebekah runs and fuck it, Kol just can't follow her when Jeremy needs his help. Kol's going to have to trust that she'll be interested enough in hearing his offer to keep her mouth shut.

xxx

Kol takes Jeremy home and waits by his beside for him to wake. Kol's feeling guilty, it's something he hasn't felt in centuries. Guilt implies you've done something you think is wrong and that's impossible when you have no morals left. Kol hates feeling this way and it's Jeremy's fault. Jeremy's eyes flutter open and the first thing he says when he sees Kol is, "you saved me." Kol doesn't say anything to that because if it weren't for him Jeremy never would've needed saving in the first place. That, and he almost killed Jeremy to do it. Something pulls at Kol and it takes him a moment to figure it out. The trouble is Jeremy's eyes, if only Jeremy wouldn't look at him like that. Jeremy's eyes are so full of need and pain and Kol has the insane desire to fill those needs and take away that pain. It's so bloody frustrating. Kol doesn't want to feel like this but he can't help it. When Kol looks into those deep, brown eyes, he feels like he's drowning. Kol closes his eyes to gather his thoughts, he can solve this problem. If he plucks Jeremy's eyes out he'll never have to look at them again. Opening his eyes, Kol reaches toward Jeremy but instead of hurting Jeremy, Kol's hand comes to rest on Jeremy's face. You're a vampire, you're a vampire, you're a vampire, a voice in his head screams. That's right, and what do vampires do? They drink blood. If he drains Jeremy dry, he'll never have to deal with him again. Kol leans in, lips seeking Jeremy's neck, this is it, it will all be over soon. But instead of finding Jeremy's neck Kol's lips come to rest on Jeremy's mouth and when they kiss it's like Kol has come home for the first time in a thousand years.

No. No. No, no, no. This isn't how Kol's life's supposed to be; the vampire pet of an insignificant mortal. He refuses to be ruled by his emotions. Kol's a proud top-of-the-chain predator, one who values power, strength and independence, not love. What to do? Duh, is he a vampire or isn't he? All he's got to do is use compulsion and Jeremy will never remember this. Kol will be free to carry on his life how he chooses. Kol stares into Jeremy's big, brown eyes and tells him to forget. It's the perfect crime, now Jeremy will never know.

xxx

When Kol finally catches up with Rebekah she promises she won't tell. Kol's offer kills two birds with one stone. It will stop Rebekah blabbing about Kol's secret and it will keep Jeremy safe in case Rebekah gets any ideas about finishing what she started. Kol reveals Jeremy's secret to her and tells her that he'll ask Jeremy to try to make contact with Nick and Finn if she keeps quiet. It's a shaky truce but at least Kol has been spared the embarrassment of his brothers finding out. For now at least, he won't loose all their respect.

AN: I found this chapter difficult to write, I hope I've got it right. Let me know in a review? Thanks for reading.