(Disclaimer: I do not own anything from The Vampire Diaries.)

Chapter 21:

A man lounged at the bar, nursing a glass of scotch. He wore a worn brown trench coat, black pants with a white long sleeved shirt tucked in, and a pair of boots. His hard blue gaze swept across the tavern, eyeing the many different locals dressed in wealthy clothing or scraps of stitched fabric. He felt their own eyes examining, both curious and wary of his outward appearance. He did not blame them, for he looked rugged and gruff. But that was what happened when one travels from across the seas many a time for over hundreds of years.

He looked back over his shoulder, eyes drawn to the window where a familiar looking brunette passed by. Her head tilted in his direction, the sunlight highlighting her features in an almost angelic way. His eyes widened a fraction at the recognizing the face of Tatia Petrova, but he knew that it wasn't. Nor was it the second Petrova doppelganger from Bulgaria. The doppelganger would never dare be in the same city as his bastard of a son, as he would have killed her upon sight. Another surprise was the man that was walking with her, with her arm wrapped around his, was his youngest son. And it brought a grin to his lips as he watched the way his son looked at the doppelganger with a look that was akin to adoration. He had never seen such a emotion upon his face before, and it gave him something to use against his son.

It was his luck to have found the one thing Kol Mikaelson would ever care for. As he was the hardest to ever torment than his other four children. And this doppelganger was more than likely tormenting both Elijah and Niklaus with just the sight of her. Turning back to face the bar, he threw back his drink and enjoying the slow burn in the bottom of his stomach. He stood and left the tavern, his icy blue eyes narrowing in the sun. The doppelganger and his son was nowhere in sight, but he could wait for his moment to break them apart. Until then, he put his hands in his pockets and whistled as he started on his tread to the cemetery.

Rebekah walked into the living room and stopped short when she saw both Nik and Elijah arguing with one another in low tones. Elijah was urgent in his gestures and the way he was speaking, while Nik was in his dark brooding moods. Though, she had not seen him in one of those moods since they escaped their father the last time.

"What are you two squabbling about like a pair of old women over a cup of tea?" She called out to them, alerting them of her presence. Nik met her eyes with suspicion.

"How long were you listening in, 'Bekah?" He questioned, sternly.

Rebekah straightened up, feeling defensive. "I just got to the doorway a moment ago, and couldn't help but notice how you're in your brooding mood, Nik." She stared at Elijah, "and you are nervous. You and I both know that Nik is never in this type of mood unless it involves Father. Now explain now." Elijah sighed, rubbing his face as Nik went over to pour himself a glass of moonshine and gulped it down.

"Where are Elena and Kol?" Elijah asked. Their sister paled, since they did not deny anything about their Father.

"Elena went on a walk with Kol in town by the cemetery," she told them. There was a loud crash, startling both Elijah and Rebekah. They turned to see Nik's eyes a reddish black and veins protruding beneath his eyes, he was huffing and the glass he had in his hand was now in broken shards on the floor by the wall of where he had thrown it.

"I suggest dear sister that you go take Elijah or Marcel with you and go find them now," he growled. He stalked out of the room like he had a destination in mind.

"Is he off to go find a witch? It's not like they can do anything about dealing with Mikael. He feeds on vampires, and the witches won't have a problem with him being in town. Unless he starts to burn and destroy the city that we built."

"He's more than likely going to smoke out all the vampires and kill them as a bonus, in order to get us out. Let's just hope that he had not seen Kol or Elena in town today. If he did then we can assume of what he is going to do."

Rebekah worried her lip between her teeth at the suggestion that Mikael would take Elena from them and use her to hurt Kol. Just like he had in the future, she remembered from what Elena had told her of how she got here.

"Should we prepare to leave, if it comes to that. I do not want to lose Kol if something were to happen to Elena. Nor do I want to lose Elena, as she has become a sister to me. Her and Kol are just learning about one another. It is a second chance for both of them," she said. Elijah couldn't help but agree with his little sister. He began to walk out of the room, and gestured for her to follow him.

"Even though I am positive Elena can protect herself, especially if Kol is there to protect her. I would feel more secure that we go find and warn them," he started to say, before the silence was broken with the sound of Elena's laughter. Both siblings visibly relaxed at the sound, and went to join the couple in the foyer. Kol was holding Elena's hand, keeping her steady as she took off her heels.

Rebekah grinned when she heard the muttered response of Elena saying, "I miss my converse." Rebekah looked up at her brother, and saw his amused smirk at Elena rambling to herself. He opened his mouth to say something, but it was like Elena sensed it.

"Don't you dare say it!"

Kol pouted. "Darling, you ruin my fun."

Elena straightened up, and raised an eyebrow at Kol. "Oh, I am sure I do," she said sarcastically, causing Kol to grin at her.

Elijah cleared his throat, making the two break apart and look at him. Kol with annoyance and Elena with worried curiosity. Rebekah realized that Elena would have been feeling paranoid all day if there was Mikael's presence around.

"It is best if we discuss this sitting down," Elijah responded. He sent a message through his eyes to Elena, since she would be the only one to calm Kol throughout the discussion.

Elena sat frozen in silence. She had felt funny all day, her stomach was unsettled and it was because Mikael was somewhere in town. She felt sick at the knowledge that Kol and her had been strolling in town, and Mikael could have been watching them. She would be a target again. Mikael would use her against Kol again, and she didn't want to got through that again, lose him, or get him killed.

She was startled out of her reverie when a door slammed. Elena blinked her doe brown eyes and refocused on what was going on in the room.

"What are we going to do?" She asked.

Rebekah took the vacated seat that Kol left. "Nik went out, looking for whatever or whoever. But before our father decides to strike and burn down our city; Elijah and I thought it be best that we got out of town. Especially you, Elena," the blonde Original told her, clasping both her hands around Elena's right hand.

"What about Kol? I can't leave him. Not again," Elena responded, staring into sky blue eyes. Rebekah looked to Elijah, who was staring at Elena with concern in his dark gaze, before he left the room to go after his brother.

Elena was stuck between escaping from Mikael's claws again, or staying and trying to kill him like Klaus had done in their future. Though, death did not stop Mikael from tormenting his children. Death didn't stop Mikael from vengeance nor did it stop him from taking over her body to use to kill Kol himself. Rebekah, Klaus, and Elijah knew about this; and Elena was hoping that Klaus was looking for someone powerful enough like Esther to keep Mikael from doing something like that again.

Elena stood with Rebekah anchoring herself to her hand. "We need to find Kol before he gets into trouble," she announced with a wry smile.

"Speak from experience?" Rebekah quipped with a teasing smile.

Elena rolled her eyes in response, making the smile on Rebekah's face to widen with mirth. Rebekah had to strain herself to hear what her companion's muttered words were.

"It's not as if it isn't a known fact that Kol gets into his little temper tantrums like the rest of his family."

"Hey!" Rebekah cried, indignantly.

"What if he had seen us together today? You should have let us know before we had gone out, Elijah! You know what happens in the future! What he did to her! Only to torment us before staking us, his children, and going off his little merry way. He will use her to get to me! Just like how he and mother used Tatia with you and Nik," thundered Kol. He knew his last words were a low blow to his older brother, but he did not dwell on the fact as it was centuries ago and he was focused on now with Elena. Elijah shut his eyes at his brother's words, he knew what Kol said was right; though the blow never seemed to lessen as he thought of Tatia. Although looking upon Elena, even though she shared the face with two of the Petrovas he had loved, he saw her separate from them. Which was to the relief of himself and his siblings, and most importantly to the relief of Elena.

"Kol, calm yourself. You have every right to be displeased, but we must move past what has been done. We must think of what we shall do now," Elijah reasoned.

Kol spun on his heel to face his brother, incredulously. "What is there to think about, brother? Get Elena out of our city! I care not what happens to this damned city. I care that our father does not get his grimy claws on my wife! I bloody hope that Nik has all the preparations for our leave, but if not, at least for Elena's. I do not want her in this place, with him stalking about."

Elijah watched the fierce determination in his younger brother's dark eyes, that had once only held cold amusement and detachment from humanity. And now all Elijah could think in wonder of how one woman could change his brother so much. How in the future, Kol must be stuck and reverting back to all he knew before he had met the light that came with Elena. Because if the previous Kol, before meeting Elena, was darkness. Then Elena was the light that balanced him out, and brightened his life.

"Why are you staring at me like that? I know I am a beautiful specimen that should be admired. But I would rather not have you be gazing upon me like that," Kol said.

Elijah smirked. "No, of course you would not like your brother staring at you lost in thought. You would rather have a Miss. Gilbert gaze at you with dreamy doe brown eyes, full of admiration."

"As lovely as that picture sounds, that solves nothing for her safety. And I would rather have myself occupy all her thoughts, then having some slimmer of worry that Mikael could find her," he sniffed, raising his head and turning his back on Elijah. Elijah was about to open his mouth to retort something, when there was a knock on the doorframe to Kol's bedroom. Both siblings turned, taking in the sight of an amused Elena and Rebekah.

"Are you quite done?" Rebekah remarked, tiredly. "You two have been at it for ages."

Rolling his eyes, Kol replied, "oh, shut up, 'Bekah."

"Oh, how my dear brother wounds me! He tells me to shut up, Elena. How dare he! We must leave him to his lonesome, as he is such unwelcome company as of now," Rebekah cried out dramatically, holding the arm of Elena and bent on walking out with her.

"I apologize, dear sister, though you are very much a nuisance. I would rather garner Miss. Gilbert's attention for a spell, while you go off to find Marcel with our dear brother," Kol suggested to Rebekah. There was a gleam of curiosity in all three of the occupants at Kol's words. Rebekah seemed to understand, from what could be said about the sparkle of excitement in her sky blue eyes. Elijah seemed more cautious and not knowing what to make out of his brother's proposal, but went along and escorted himself and Rebekah out of the room. Leaving Elena to look to Kol, her eyes flicking across every inch of his face, as if trying to read and memorize him all at once.

"What is it?" She asked him, softly.

His eyes clung to her own, and he reached out, twining their fingers together. "I do not want to lose you. Especially to my father. He is the reason you're here now, I'm half grateful for that, but what does that mean for the Kol I am to be?"

Elena frowned at that, her chest hurting at the knowledge of the future. Her Kol had been devastated at her death before Mikael took control of her body. Kol had a small glimmer of hope at having her back, before she was sent away. Maybe he would remember this in the future, maybe that could ease some of his anguish at the knowledge that she was still with him in a way.

"I don't know," she admitted. "But hopefully you realize that I'm still with you, no matter what decade we're in."

Kol squeezed her hands tightly, his forehead coming to rest upon her own. Dark eyes unveiling the emotions held behind them.

"I can not believe that the one person I am to marry and be brought to my knees for is a Petrova Doppelganger," he snipped at her. Elena narrowed her eyes at him, ready to throw a sharp remark at him. But he easily went on, stopping her. "I mean I disliked Tatia for playing with Niklaus and Elijah as if they were food. And Katerina? She was cut from the same cloth as Tatia, but willing to do anything to live for as ever long as she wanted. Not caring about the price, and how many people that got killed in the process. Not that it mattered to me. I am just glad I end up with the better of the lot." He winked at her.

She growled at him. "You are incorrigible. I hope you know that I am the last of that lot as well."

"Thank the bloody magic for that," he replied, before swooping down to capture her lips in a kiss.

Walking back home, the sun already setting and showering the sky in a orange yellow that branched out into a hue of blue and purple, that sprouted out into a night sky, glittering with stars. Nik was mapping out the preparations for tomorrow. He needed to throw off Mikael, and he needed to make it public. He could stake and cart his siblings all away, so that the only one left that Mikael thought was alive was him. He had done it with Finn, the eldest Mikaelson. And he had been staked and in slumber for over 500 years now. Though, he knew he could not pull it off, if he staked all three of his siblings as all three would be adverse to the thought.

Mikael would be targeting Kol first, Nik reasoned to himself, as he could have seen Elena and his younger brother together strolling around. He had horses and a carriage ready to take Elena and Marcel away as soon as needed. He could not waste time, if Mikael struck unexpectedly, in hopes to catch his children off guard.

Nik had went off to talk with a witch of his, and he knew that she was more than happy that MIkael was in town to 'exterminate the abominations he had for children', as she had spat in his face. Nik was none too pleased with her reaction, and happily told her what would happen in the process of searching to kill him and his siblings. She paled at the mention of the massacres Mikael had caused and the destruction that went up to parr with himself on a good day. She soon agreed to cast a spell that would keep Mikael from encroaching on the living once dead.

So, all in all, he had a pretty fulfilling day, he surmised. Though, he could not shake the uneasiness in the back of his mind. He hated Mikael more than anything or one in the world. Nik vowed in his head that Mikael would be killed by his own hands, and he will drink in the satisfaction of watching his dead corpse lie on the ground, alight with flames.

He stopped at the entrance of his home, seeing Rebekah and Elijah with Marcel in the dining room. Marcel was eating, while both his siblings were drinking blood from wine glasses.

"Where is Elena and Kol?" He inquired, unease settling in his bones at the thought of them out at night.

Rebekah was the one to answer. "They are up in Kol's bedroom."

"Why?"

"Well, what do you do alone with a someone of interest in your bedroom?" She questioned, flicking a piece of blonde hair over her shoulder.

Before Nik could storm up to Kol's room, Elijah reprimanded their sister and told him that Kol had the same reaction as him, and Elena was the only one who could bring him down, before he shipped her off somewhere far away. Nik grinned at the notion of Kol being so worried about someone, as he hardly ever showed that side to even his siblings. It was like he could already feel the bond of how important Elena would one day become to him.

Shaking his head, Nik addressed the three at the table, "we're leaving tomorrow...or at least, Elena and Marcel. We can take care of ourselves. The only two defenseless against Mikael are Elena and Marcel. They'll be safe, so that neither Rebekah nor Kol can be distracted with worry."

Rebekah let go of a breath of relief. "Where will they be going?" She questioned.

"Mystic Falls."

…

A/N:

I finally updated! Hooray! I am not going to discontinue this story. I may be slow at updates, but I would hate not to finish any of my stories. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I hope you all review! To be honest, that's my encouragement for writing.

Until next time...