A/N Thank you so much for the reviews! you're all so amazing and i'm stoked.
So glad you all like this story so much!
Kchev11 - i'm very happy you like the Phoenix characters/culture that I created! I wasn't sure how that'd go down at first but you've given me confidence to delve deeper into Kol-Sera's past and to actually have more Phoenix characters in the story!
Jessisthebest - thank you! glad you like the suspense angle of this! plenty more plot twist coming your way ;)
Massive thank you to the Guest reviewers - Here's a nice, long update fo your ;)
Happy Holidays!
Chapter 13
972 AD
"No! Sera! Sera come back!" Seraphina struggled against her Mother. She had to get to the Mikaelson house. She had heard whispers around the village that one of the Mikaelson boys had been killed by the wolf pack in the neighbouring town.
"Mama I need to get to Kol" tears were streaming down Seraphina's face, so much so, her vision was blurred.
"You need to control your emotions or you'll burn down the entire village!"
It was only then that she noticed blue flames crawling up her arms.
"But.. but-"
"It wasn't Kol" her mother whispered as she soothed back her youngest daughter's hair.
"It was Henrik"
Sera's heart broke. He was Aurelian's age. She saw so much of her younger brother in Henrik. He used to help her pick berries, fetch water…he used to play fight with her, he even used to give her flowers because he had a little crush on her. He was a 13 year old mischievous charmer, following Kol's footsteps but now he was dead.
She felt a certain numbness as she thought of Henrik, of the Mikaelsons and how they were coping with his death. One of her older brothers, Caius, had been killed 3 months ago by the same wolf pack and now they had claimed Henrik's life. Sera needed to be there for them…be there for Kol, just like he had been there for her.
"I'm fine. It's…I've calmed down. I need…I need to see them. Please"
Ayana could only stare into her daughter's eyes for so long before she gave in.
"Fine, come with me"
0000
Seraphina tried her best to comfort her sobbing best friend in her arms but even she knew no words would take the pain away. The pain would never go. It would fade a little, dull a little, numb a little but it would linger like a bad stain on silk.
She kissed Rebecca's forehead as she wiped her tears away. Her gaze caught Kol's and she hoped she was conveying how sorry she was for his loss. Her resolve crumbled as she watched his face contort in rage.
"They have taken enough from us. This ends now" He stood up in a rage and Sera found herself mirroring his actions.
"Kol, no!" Esther cast a worried glance at Mikael but that didn't seem to have much of an effect. He appeared even more enraged.
"Kol you are not strong enough" Esther shouted, afraid of seeing the rage spread to the rest of her children.
"I am strong Mother, my powers are strong. You know of this." Kol argued. It was true, he was somewhat of a prodigy, having tapped into his witch magic at the mere age of 3.
"Kol has his magic and we have our spears" Klaus stood tall, Elijah and Finn behind him appearing just as determined to exact revenge.
"Aryan" Mikael addressed his dear friend, Ayana's husband and Seraphina's father.
"You have my tribe's complete protection" Malik spoke with a sour look upon his face, "The pack killed my son mere months ago. I have been waiting to exact my revenge upon them my friend"
"Then come, tonight we must avenge our sons"
Sera had never seen Mikael and his sons look this angry before. It truly was a terrifying sight but it wasn't something that deterred Esther. The pain of losing one son and the fear of losing more of her children made Esther brave enough to stand up to Mikael.
"They are children Mikael. This family has already lost one child, don't be foolish enough to lead the rest of our children to their deaths"
Sera's eyes widened as she watched Mikael advance towards Esther. He looked like he would strike her but the blonde woman stood strong, her resolve unwavering.
"So what?" he spat out, "I should just sit quietly and let this go?"
"Esther" Aryan spoke up, "My tribe will be there to protect Mikael and the boys"
"Forgive me Aryan but you and your tribe are not human" she spoke with no malice in her tone, yet her words held a certain resentment to them.
"My children do not have the same advantages you and your tribe do"
Sure enough that silenced Aryan but it did not seem to phase Mikael who was still as eager to kill the wolf pack as he was before Esther had spoken.
"Our children are witches" Mikael growled, "We are powerful, we can survive this-"
Ayana watched her daughter closely whilst the Mikaelson family argued. She watched as Seraphina gasped, cried and bit her lip in worry, hard enough to draw blood. All the while, Sera kept her eyes steady on the now youngest Mikaelson boy. Kol.
"We can help" Ayana's voice silenced the room. "We can make your children stronger. Powerful witches you all may be…but I believe there is a way for our family, as Emeras of the clan…to protect you in more….assured ways. Give Esther and I a day."
Mikael was quiet for a moment for he too knew of Ayana's magic and how powerful her clan were.
"Kol, please" Sera caught hold of Kol's hand, her fingers clutching him tight enough to cut off circulation.
Mikael watched the pair with intrigue. He had noticed their connection of sorts before, at village feasts and festivities. Himself and Ayana had even spoken about a possible pairing but then they had seen their children bickering all the time and Caius, one of the Beyenette's sons had died which put all talk of marriage on hold. Mikael caught Ayana gazing at his son, Kol and he wondered if her thoughts were a reflection of him. Perhaps this was why Ayana was offering her powers to his sons. Mikael was pleased.
It appeared his most mischievous son had somehow secured the hand of whom was potentially be the most powerful girl in the village. That was enough for Mikael to decide. If his children could be made more powerful by the Emera of the Phoenix clan then he would, like Ayana had asked, wait.
0000
"Kol" Sera called out, her heart breaking at the sight of him hacking away at the trees in the woods so violently. His axe swung repeatedly, the impact and his grunts of anger covering up her voice.
"Kol!" she tried louder but he ignored her. He threw his axe to the floor and screamed, his fist pounding repeatedly against the coarse bark of the tree. She cried as she watched the skin on his knuckles split and blood pour of cuts and gashed on his hands.
He had lost all his fire and had collapsed to his knees, his head burying in his hands as he cried. She sat beside him and wrapped her arms around him.
Wading her fingers through his locks, stayed silent. She knew there were no words she could say that would make him feel better. She knew of his pain all too well.
"It was my fault" he croaked, "All mine. Henrik wanted to see the men turn to wolves and he begged me and Nik to take him. Nik said no but I called him a coward and goaded him into coming with us. And then- and then-"
Her heart broke for him. He couldn't even continued.
"He doesn't blame you. No one does. It wasn't your fault Kol." She consoled him but she knew he wouldn't take her words to heart. He blamed himself and she knew he'd carry that guilt with him for a long time.
"I want them to suffer" he growled and she was stunned upon seeing the flame of vengeance in his eyes.
"You heard what my Mother said…" she muttered in his ear as she wiped his tears with gentle fingers, "She'll make you stronger. Like Phoenix."
His eyes snapped to hers and a spark of hope lit in his soul. He never ever wanted to feel this helpless again. He couldn't protect Henrik and he shuddered to think of losing anyone else in his family. He wouldn't let it happen- not again.
"And then nothing will ever hurt us" he muttered, his hands moving to cup her cheeks as his eyes gazed into hers. Her fingertips brushed tears off his cheeks and he found himself leaning in to kiss her. His lips sponged against hers as tenderly as they possibly could. He felt emotion fill his chest to its brim and vows tumbled out of his lips before he could so much as comprehend what was happening, "I will love you for all of eternity. I will protect you with everything in me. My soul belongs to you my little flame"
Seraphina recognised the words he spoke and gasped, puling away harshly, "What have you done?" she whispered whilst his fingers continued their ministrations against her throat and her collarbones.
"You've…you've spoken the vow"
"I intend on making you my wife" he spoke with such conviction, it made her heart thud against her chest.
"When I return from battle with the heads of the wolf-men, I will speak to your Father"
0-0-0-0
"Kol?" Seraphina's head snapped around as she watched a blur of motion across the forrest grounds. She heard the wind rush across her skin as the creature – for it couldn't possibly be human- ran around her in circles, teasing her, stalking her.
"Kol is that you?" Seraphina asked doubtfully, placing her basket of flowers down. She hadn't seen him in two weeks. Not since her parents had told her the spell on the Mikaelson family had gone horribly wrong. Her father forbade her from seeing Kol and for a few days she had been heart broken thinking Kol had abided to her father's rules. She thought she had lost him but she started finding bunches of verbena tied together with ribbon on her bed at night. Being the only girl in the house meant she had the privacy of her own room and for that she was grateful. She knew who these flowers were from – she just hoped he'd show his face soon.
"Kol!" She screamed in fright as he slammed into her sending her flying back into a tree. She winced, awaiting pain but instead felt strong arms wrapping around her, securing her against a warm body. Eyes slowly opening, she took in his strong jaw, his roguish grin and the twinkle of excitement in his eyes.
"Look at my speed" he boasted, "and my strength" he laughed as he lifted her up and twirled her around in his arms.
"Kol! Kol put me down" she laughed with him as he placed her on her feet. He didn't let go however, pushing her back against the tree bark once more.
"I don't know why they call it a curse" he hummed, his head dipping into the crook of her shoulder, "Everything is heightened- your smell, your touch, the way you feel against me" he groaned, his palms gripping her plump bottom.
"Kol!" she gasped, arching into him and his lips captured hers in a rousing kiss. Unable to help herself, her arms wound around his broad shoulders and her fingers found their home in his hair, raking and scratching a little harder each time he groaned.
Pulling back, he all but ripped apart her dress and she sucked in a breath at the feral look in his eyes. She saw black veins under his eyes as his pupils turned black. He hissed and withdrew from her, his body turning the opposite way. He was hunched over, tensed – like he wanted to hide his new face from her.
"Kol" she placed an open palm on his jaw and turned his head back towards her.
Cupping his face with both hands now, she placed a kiss on the cleft of his chin. That was all she could reach, despite being on the very tips of her toes. The gesture made his heart clench.
"I've seen how I look" he muttered sharply, "How can you still want me. I thought I could hide this face from you…but I can't" his jaw was painfully tight and she sought to rectify that. Placing little kisses along his jaw line, her fingers deftly unbuttoned his shirt.
"I missed you Kol" she murmured as her kisses drifted to his neck and his chest, "And I will always want you" Her eyes snapped to his then and the sincerity in them sent his head spinning. Caging her in his arms again, he spoke in a sombre tone, "Your parents were right…I am a monster. My entire family is."
"Kol no-"
"Shh" he placed a finger against her soft lips, "Listen to me."
She nodded.
"Elijah dismembered the Miller's apprentice earlier today and we all drank his blood. We are animals Sera"
She sucked in a shaky breath as she heard him speak.
"Killing is our first instinct…my first instinct and I will not change." He was growling, his veins popping and his teeth protruding.
"I don't just need blood to survive – I crave it. There's nothing more I want than to rip into-" he paused, his brows furrowed.
"Why don't I…why don't I feel the need to drink your blood? It takes so much control around humans- Elijah and Nik say I'm the worst at controlling the urges – so why…?"
"My blood was used in the spell" she whispered, her gaze firmly attached to his black eyes.
"My Mother wouldn't have helped your mother create a spell that would endanger our species – in fact your family is now bound to us Phoenix. You will not feel the need to drink from us."
His fingers traced her long neck and her collar bones, "Then why is my face like this? It's only like this when I'm angry or...hungry"
Her cheeks flushed red as she whispered, "Maybe you're feeling a different kind of hunger"
His eyes that were previously entranced by her neckline, snapped to stare into her eyes.
"Now you listen to me" she spoke clearly, having gained his attention, "I love you, Kol. All of you. Your mind, your body, your face…your soul. You've spoken your vow – now let me speak mine"
He was speechless for a long moment and then his eyes grew darker than she thought was possible as he dove in, his lips claiming hers in a heated kiss. She felt a flame low in her belly as his kisses grew in passion, drifting from her lips down her neck to her breasts. She gasped loudly when her feet gave way and in a fraction of a second she was on her back, on the forrest floor.
"Kol" she moaned as his hands roamed her bare skin, his lips following suit quickly.
"The…you…" she stuttered, lost for words as he began undressing. He was all lean muscle with taught, slightly tanned skin and her hands were itching to hold onto every part of him.
"Kol" she warned, her voice more steady, "If we carry on-"
"I want to" he spoke so simply, so clearly – as if he didn't have a shadow of a doubt in his heart.
"I want to create the bond" his thumbs brushed across her lips, his palm splaying out over her heart.
"I want all of you" he muttered, his lips now sucking against her collarbones deliciously, "Will you be mine, little flame?" he nipped her skin with blunt teeth and in that moment she gave herself to him.
0-0-0-0
Serena screamed as she came awake, scaring Matt in the passenger seat and Elena in the back seat.
"Finally" Elena sighed, "You were out far longer than I was"
"Out?" it took Serena a few moments to grasp a handle on the situation – the present situation. Her eyes narrowed as her temper flared.
"She remembers" Matt muttered, avoiding her eyes.
"I told you to not include me in this little plot twist of yours" she growled, smacking his arm.
"Hey I'm driving! You can't abuse me"
"You knew?!"
Matt and Elena spoke at the same time and Serena didn't know who to be more annoyed at.
"Yes, I knew" she grumbled but before she could continue, Elena started her diatribe about feeling betrayed by her own family.
"You're both idiots" Matt growled and both the Gilbert girls stared at him with mouths agape.
"You think you're invincible cos of your powers" he spat out, eyes narrowing at Serena, "And you, Elena- you think you need to save all your friends and that you aren't worth the effort everyone puts into trying to save you so you constantly sacrifice yourself. I'm sorry but neither of you have parents to tell you what to do and I ran this by Alaric and he- well he approves. He said we should take you and Elena out of town and that was that"
"Where's Jeremy?" Serena asked with a sigh, "And jesus Matt what did you even give me? My head's killing me."
"Jer's with Elijah. He wanted to make sure we weren't all just running away without returning Klaus to him."
"Where's Stefan?" Elena eyed Serena strangely as her elder sibling seemed to be struggling to even hold her head up. She looked to be in pain and Elena didn't think it was from the drugs Matt had given them both.
"He's back in Mystic Falls with Jer and Elijah. He…doesn't know we've taken you. He thinks you're with Bonnie. Look" Matt sighed, "Everyone's fine – everyone's safe. The both of you just need to stop worrying-"
Matt seemed to be rambling on about something or the other but Serena couldn't escape the stifling feeling of her head pounding as more and more flashes of memories came back to her. It was all too fast, too bright, too sudden and she was having a hard time coping.
"Matt watch out!" Elena was suddenly screaming and now the car was swerving as Matt tried to avoid hitting Rebekah who was standing in the middle of the Wickery Bridge. Serena's hand instinctively grabbed Elena's as the three of them toppled off the bridge, into the water. The impact of hitting the water knocked them all out for a few seconds. Elena awoke first and attempted to shake Matt and Serena awake. Her lungs burned and her eyes teared but she forged on, desperate to save her sister and her friend. She watched Serena's eyes snap open and felt a wave of relief in her chest. Her sister would survive this. Being trapped by the seatbelt, Serena struggled to face Elena. Her magic was weak as she burned off her seatbelt and she realised why when she watched spirals of blood mix with the water surrounding the three of them. Elena's eyes widened as she noticed a large pike of broken wood sticking out of Serena's abdomen. Clutching her sister's hand for dear life, Serena sent a surge of sparks Elena's way and burnt off her seatbelt too. Blood loss was affecting her much more than she had anticipated and before she knew it, blackness surrounded her as she passed out. Elena's mouth opened to a horrified scream, her chest heaving as she panicked.
Suddenly the entire car shook and she watched in relief as the driver's door was ripped off violently. Two hands grabbed at Serena's waist and pulled her out. Elena was indebted to Kol Mikaelson that day as he swam to the surface with her sister in his arms.
Kol's face was pale, his eyes steely and his entire demeanour was tense. She had to survive this. She simply had to. He didn't think the curse would take affect this quickly. It had never taken affect this quickly. Sera always had some form of untimely death- freak accidents and they were always a result of the curse but he had hoped it wouldn't affect her this time around. Not when so many other things were different. He had already pulled out the wooden spike from her abdomen and he had splattered his blood across her lips but she wasn't taking any of it in. She wasn't healing.
"Breathe, come on…breathe" he panted as he locked his hands and did compressions on her chest. Bending down, he attached his mouth to hers and breathed air into her lungs, hoping, praying she would just live.
"Wake up" his voice cracked, tears streaming down his face as he lifted her upright, pulling her to his chest as he rubbed the back of her neck.
"You are not giving up on me" he growled, pushing her back down, starting compressions on her chest again. It felt like his heart had skipped a beat when he saw her body lurch upwards.
Coughing out the water in her lungs, she took a few moments to settle. She recognised his scent and his possessive embrace as he held her to his chest.
Kol.
She knew she was safe.
She felt his wrist press against her lips and she drank his blood without hesitation.
Her eyes snapped open as something else registered in her mind.
"Elena"
Frantically she pushed him away, "Where's Elena, Kol?"
"Shh…I pulled you out" he stated, not looking the slightest bit guilty.
"My sister is in there – you need to save her!" she was frantic.
"No"
She gaped at his blunt refusal and then her panic grew as she began smacking his chest, "No. Go. Go. Kol please" she was crying now, pleading for him to go. He held her hands tightly to his chest and tugged her towards him again.
"No." he muttered when their eyes locked, "I need to make sure Rebekah doesn't come back to kill you"
"I can fight her off" Serena spat out but he snapped right back, "You are weak."
She shot him a scathing glare but before she could retaliate more violently, he spoke softly, "I saw Stefan dive in as I got you out. He'll get her"
Relief swept through her and she let him pull her into his arms, her head resting on his shoulder.
"Matt" she shot up again, "Stefan can't save both-"
"No" he glared.
"I'll be fine, Kol pl-"
"You are still weak, there is no way in hell you can fend off an Original Vampire in this state" he spat out, unmoving to her pleading. He pressed on her wound sharply and she gasped loudly in pain.
"It'll just be a few seconds… please go save Matt" she tried pleading – perhaps this would appeal to him and she could convince him.
"I'm not leaving you" he spat out heatedly and she began shoving his chest.
Guilt flooded her in waves and she didn't know how else to release her anger other than to use him as a punching bag. She had realised by now that it was probably too late to save Matt.
"You should have gone" she punched his chest weakly but when his arms simply tightened around her, she growled and pulled away. Hands clutching his collar, she barked, "What makes me worth more than him huh? Why didn't you help them all? Just because they're human and I'm not?" her comments were scathing and the look in her eyes was vicious but he was calm and it agitated her to no end.
"Their lives are not relevant to me" was his blunt reply and her face twisted horribly as she cried more.
"Get away from me" she screamed and pushed him away as she stumbled to her feet.
"Sera" he caught her hand and she pushed it off with disgust, "No" she rounded on him, "Your sister did this and you didn't save them. You know how much my family means to me"
"And you know that I don't care Sera. I don't care. Their lives don't matter to me"
"And mine does?!" she scoffed, "Why" she shoved his chest, "Because I'm a Phoenix? Because what, you knew me when you were human? Yeah I remember Kol! I've been having dreams of a life in Mystic Falls a thousand years ago but they aren't dreams, are they?! They're memories" she was shoving him, slapping his chest, anything to get a reaction out of him, "So you chose to save me and endanger my family because I was your girlfriend when you were human?!"
He had a lot of patience when it came to her but not when she questioned their relationship. She was crossing a line by even questioning what her existence meant to him. Gripping her hand painfully tightly, he tugged her to his chest and spat out, "I chose you, Sera. I will always choose you. It's not something to feel guilty about – it's just something to accept."
She was silent, her eyes wide as she stared absurdly at him. What a ridiculous thing for him to say.
"Why" she whispered as she held her breath, "It's been a thousand years since you've seen me right? You must have moved on. Why?"
He simply stared, brooding, refusing to speak.
"Tell me" she hissed through gritted teeth, her hand gripping his wrist tightly, her nails breaking his skin, drawing blood.
He didn't speak and just as she was about to turn and leave, his arms wound around her waist, tugging her body to his, lips crashing down with a fierceness she hadn't seen in him before. His kiss was devouring, bruising, yearning and she fell slack in his arms for a few seconds, giving in to his demands. He held her like she was fragile- like she was something he'd always protect.
Then Matt's face flashed before her eyes for a brief second and that was enough for her to rip herself away from his hold.
His kiss had meant volumes more than any words he could have possibly spoken.
It was terrifying.
So without a glance backwards, she ran.
0-0-0-0
She felt numb as she stared at her sister's body in the morgue. She had run to the hospital, expecting it to be Matt's body she would be staring at – but no. It was Elena's. Her heart had twisted and cracked and burned. She didn't know what to do with herself. She barely registered Jeremy and Stefan shoving her into the room and closing the door.
"Serena calm down" Jeremy was yelling but it was all fading to the back of her mind as she stared at Elena's unmoving body.
"You'll set this place on fire"
She felt a blanket being wrapped around her. Everything was irrelevant at this point. She felt numb to it all- till Elena's eyes snapped open and she sucked a lung full of air as she came back to life. Serena's heart stuttered and she collapsed, exhaustion and sheer disbelief taking over, causing her to pass out.
0-0-0-0
She awoke again with a pounding headache and sore limbs. She wasn't in a usual hospital room, she had noticed. She was on a bed in the morgue. She noticed a lack of sheets on the bed too which most likely contributed to her sore back – she had been lying on a metal cot for god knows how long. All of that didn't matter though as her eyes fell on the bed she had just seen Elena lying in. A very dead Elena – who had come back to life.
She shot up in bed, glad she had a pair of fresh clothes on. Meredith must have changed her. Before she could even reach for the door handle, it swung open and the one person she didn't want to see that night, stood in front of her.
"What are you doing here" she blurted out, voice cold and detached.
"Sit" he commanded, not moving out of her way, "Sit" his eyes narrowed, "before I make you" he threatened.
She took a step towards him, nose turned up stubbornly.
"Serena" she heard her brother's voice and her head shot to him. He was hunched, behind Kol's tall frame, his face boring a broken look.
"Jeremy" she whispered, her voice cracking. Kol moved aside and let the siblings hug.
"Jer" she clutched onto him for dear life, "Elena…"
"She's ok…she's…ok." And then his next words made her breathe easily again, "She's…in transition."
She felt happy in some sick, twisted way. Her sister had survived. Her family was ok. She didn't care in that moment that Jeremy was upset and that she should be too. Laughter bubbled up her throat and she hugged him, "She's safe"
"I don't know if she'll complete the transition" he spoke unsurely and she clicked her tongue, "Nonsense. She will." She spoke with such conviction, Jeremy didn't have the heart to argue with her.
"What about Matt?" she asked softly, her hopes rising.
"He's fine" Jeremy smiled softly, "He's ok". He pulled away from Serena and breathed deeply as he looked at Kol.
"Thanks, man."
Serena gawked as she watched her baby brother give 'the nod of approval' at the both of them before leaving the room. Then she realised Kol and her were alone again. She felt fear crawl up her skin and made to bolt out of the door when his arm shot out and shut the door. His other arm moved to cage her in, his breath warm against the back of her neck.
"You can't run, Sera"
"Kol" she murmured weakly, her form slumping in defeat. "I just…need…space"
She jumped in surprise when she heard his hand slam on the door in front of her. He was angry. Spinning her around, he made sure she was watching his eyes as he spoke softly, dangerously, "I will not apologise for pulling you out and staying with you. Neither will I apologise for feeling the way I do. You asked me a question earlier but you ran away before I could answer"
His eyes were swirling pools of rage and she felt like she was drowning all over again.
"I'm not in a state of listening right now, Kol. I don't want your answer" her response was calm, stubborn and nothing less than what he expected. His Phoenix was strong and obstinate. She was also whip smart and just by looking at the fear in her eyes, he knew she had a hunch their connection ran deeper. That was precisely why she was pushing him away right now. She was scared. He understood, albeit reluctantly. Leaning forwards, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and took note of the fact that she didn't flinch. Not even the slightest. So she was receptive of his affections – it gave him hope.
"Ok" he mumbled, his fingers caressing her jaw then slipping to the door handle to open it for her. And so, with a heavy heart, Kol Mikaelson let go. For now. He was confident she'd come back. She always came back.