AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter contains some mature content, if you wish to skip, please begin reading after the first ~O~

So here I am, updating when I said I would update next. I feel like this chapter might be a bit of a let down and I tried really hard to make it interesting but to me, it just... isn't. For the most part, I suppose it's just filler with a little bit of build up. I would also like to apologize for the short length, not much was intended for this chapter and I'm not sure if the next one will be much longer.

As always, a few thankyous:

geminigurl89, I don't really think Olivia understands who or what Silas is, but I also don't think she cares enough to ask. She is still fairly naive to the whole being a phoenix thing and relies very much upon what James says and does. She trusts him, blindly for the most part, to tell her what's important, other than that she doesn't care. What she doesn't know, can't hurt her; so what does she have to be afraid of when she doesn't know? And yes, James is very prejudiced against other supernatural species, even humans to an extent - but he definitely has his reasons. Thanks for the review, hope you enjoy this chapter!

Misskymm, success! I'm glad you weren't expecting it :P I'm pleased that you liked the previous chapter and I hope this one is as good. Olivia is sure competition for Klaus, something I intended from the start, but power corrupts, as it did to Klaus. The only question is whether power will corrupt Olivia in the same ways. Thanks for the review!

Ziba Mahdi, as we discussed over PM, I'll see what I can do about writing both the sequel and prequel at once, but please, don't be disappointed if I stick with one at a time. Thank you again for the review, hope you enjoy this chapter!

WickedlyMinx, I thank you again for leaving me a review, glad to know you're enjoying the story. I hope that I cleared up at least some of your confusion over our PM conversation, please drop me another if you still need clarification. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

And thank you to everyone else who favorited and followed this story, I am absolutely thrilled to have 100+ followers and favorites respectively. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Please, don't forget to head over to my profile to vote for the prequel or the sequel, as of right now, the sequel leads by 3 votes. So, make sure you leave your opinion, much love!

It was too soon for the mid-morning sun to shine through my window, not after how little sleep I'd got the night before. The vibrations from the opposite side of the bed dragged me from a deep slumber into a groggy period of semi-awareness. Kol's arms reflexively tightened around my torso, our naked bodies fitting together until we were an endless array of tangled limbs and touching flesh; beginning and ending with the other. The phone continued to vibrate and he growled angrily against my shoulder before peeling himself away and grabbing the phone, it ceased its noise in his hand and he dropped it onto the bed behind him as he settled against my back again.

His breath was hot against my back and a chill raked down my spine, raising goose flesh on my arms. "Was I supposed to hit the red or green button?" He murmured, sleep making his voice gravelly.

"Green."

He sighed carelessly and pressed scorching lips to my flesh, forcing me to draw in a sharp breath. "Oops." A giggle bubbled from my mouth and he leaned up to kiss the shell of my ear and then dragged the flat of his teeth around the edge until he could tug playfully at the lobe. "Klaus will be most displeased…" he muttered sarcastically and I twisted slightly so I could look at him, my back pressing firmly into his chest. "You look exhausted, didn't you sleep?"

"Couple hours," I answered tiredly, and he frowned as his eyebrows slashed together so that a little crease appeared between his eyes.

I narrowed my eyes at the sneaky smile that bloomed across his face. "What, didn't I tire you out enough last night?" he purred; his voice was like warm honey as I felt him flatten out a hand over my lower belly. Stifling heat rushed up the length of me at the memory and I swallowed hard when his hand began to travel south.

"Y-yes," I squeaked and shifted my hips reflexively as his hand cupped possessively between my legs. He stilled and I bit my lip to stifle a moan when his erection pressed into my backside, his length sliding against the moistened cleft. He teased the circumference of my clit with slow circles, coaxing my hips to curl in towards his hand and he slipped a finger inside.

"Are you ever not wet for me?" He groaned lustfully into my ear, slipping a second finger inside to the knuckle. A whimper escaped as my hand fisted into the sheets and Kol curled his fingers with agonizing precision, massaging the outer walls until he found that… one… spot.

A sharp cry pierced the room and I felt him grin against my ear at the sound of his name. Kol pressed his thumb down on the slick button of pleasure and I bucked against his hand as he curled around me. I felt his erection again and I panted heavily, feeling the white hot pressure build… and build… and build…

But the vibrating phone brought reality crashing down.

Kol's human teeth bit into my shoulder to block the heady growl of frustration. His other arm slipped out from underneath my head and he blindly felt around the mattress behind him, his fingers were still buried as deep as they could go. "Make it quick," Kol snarled viciously into the phone.

"Please, do not tell me you're still lounging around in bed at this hour, little brother." I heard Klaus' velvety smooth voice on the other end and grimaced, I reached down to tug Kol's hand away but he flexed his arm, pulling me tightly against his chest and refused to budge. This was so humiliating.

"I'm not finished yet," he hissed into my ear while pulling the phone away. It wasn't an angry hiss, but one of sexual frustration and I tingled all over as my imagination ran wild. "You've always had the worst timing when it comes to phone calls, Nik," Kol addressed his brother as his thumb continued to massage my clit. I squirmed partly with embarrassment, but mostly with pleasure.

Klaus ignored the jab. "I want you to come back to the house—"

"I'm a little busy."

"So fuck off, Klaus," I hollered.

Kol's lips twitched against my shoulder as he stifled a laugh and I heard the hybrid sigh heavily, his patience obviously wearing thin. "Kol, I really have no interest in the details of your little romp with Miss Knight. Get back to the house immediately – don't make me come over there."

The phone call cut out and Kol dropped his forehead against my shoulder. "I don't suppose you want him to come here?"

"Not really…"

"Then unfortunately we'll have to resume the fun at a later time…" Kol removed his hand from between my legs and rolled away about as fast as it took me to sit up in protest.

I gaped at him, trying hard not to let my eyes rove over his naked body and he smirked at the obvious effort it took. "You're seriously going to jump for him and just leave?" I demanded.

He smiled teasingly and crawled towards me until he was able to place one hand between my legs, the other by my hip. "Are we feeling a little hot and bothered, love?" His smile morphed into a wolfish grin as he placed a heavy kiss to my lips. "I suppose it won't take too long to rectify that, my brother can wait a few more minutes."

I hadn't even realized how his hands had curled possessively around the underside of my thighs and he tugged swiftly until I was semi propped on my back with him kneeling primitively before me. "Wh-wha—" I spluttered as he lowered his face, but not before shooting a devious smile over the plains of my stomach. Kol pressed his lips to my core before I could protest more adamantly and I immediately relinquished those protests for a soft moan. His mouth was hot as he sucked on the folds, pulling them between his lips and massaging the flesh with his tongue. He wrapped his arms around my hips, pulling me closer until the backs of my thighs rested against his shoulders so that there wasn't an inch left unexposed to him.

He hummed low to himself, devouring my center with languid strokes of his tongue and the vibration was a shockwave to the over-sensitive nub. I cried out, my torso reflexively surging upwards, I pushed a hand into his hair, feeling the silken strands slip between my fingers and the tips dug into his scalp as the pleasure built. My chest heaved, desperate for air, but Kol wouldn't give up. His tongue dipped into the slick canal, fingers digging into my thighs and I whined pitifully. I wanted him inside me, but Kol wanted to taste my orgasm more.

"Kol p-plea…" He dragged his eyes up to look at me through his eyelashes with primal satisfaction, and I nearly lost it there. His lips pulled up into a smile before enclosing the swollen nub with his scorching mouth and he watched me fall apart beneath his tongue, feeding off my moans of ecstasy. The heat of his mouth and his gaze and their unrelenting focus sent thundering shudders of pleasure up my body. He leaned up until his bangs were tickling the soft flesh of my stomach, and my fingers turned into a fist in his hair. I dragged my knees up until they hovered in the air, desperately pleading in my mind for the orgasm to come because I couldn't take much more of the buildup. Kol circled around my clit with the tip of his tongue, teasing it with light flicks and my lower body convulsed against his steel-like grip, my hips grinding back against the mattress. "Oh, oh God," I cried out, eyes squeezing shut as my mouth dropped open. "K—you gotta stop, p—please… I ca… I can't—"

Pleasure ripped through me and I fell against the bed with stars in my eyes. My back arched as electric currents sparked, rooting from my core and my hand tangled further into his hair. His name spilled from my lips, the chant of a possessed woman as my eyes rolled back. Kol lapped slowly at the body-rocking orgasm, leaving no crevice untouched as he coaxed me down from the high. He was careful not to stimulate the achingly sensitive nub of pleasure and when he pulled away, his mouth quirked into a wicked smile that glistened. He slid up my body and cupped my face while pressing his mouth to my heaving chest as I actively worked to calm myself.

"Feeling better?" He teased smugly and I nodded numbly, earning a self-satisfied smirk. "Speechless, are we darling? I know, I'm just that good." Quickly, he rolled away and got to his feet. "But, unfortunately, I really do have to go…"

Coherency came to me just long enough to catch the note of reluctance and I flashed to my feet, zipping around to face him. My legs were shaky as they held my weight and I quickly shoved him back onto the bed. "Do you really think I'm going to let you walk out of this house looking like that?" I queried, eyeing his sizeable erection pointedly.

He shook his head, the ends of his hair flopping against his ears and forehead. "As much as I would enjoy spending the day – and much of the evening – with you, because, trust me, I really would," he paused momentarily to watch my naked form saunter closer to him, "but I'm afraid my dear brother will make good on his promise—"

I grabbed him by the jaw and silenced him with a hard kiss, my musk still coated his tongue and the flavor filled my mouth. I straddled him and eased myself down until he was completely sheathed inside, filling me to bursting point. "Let him come," I growled, breaking the kiss to pour over the pleasure that flooded his expression, "the only thing he's going to find is me fucking you and that's his problem, not mine."

Kol's hands clamped down over my backside as he lifted me, fingers biting hard into the flesh. His eyebrows lifted with genuine surprise and I whimpered as I clenched and unclenched around his hard length, hating that even though I tried turning the tables, he still owned and relished in my pleasure. "Olivia Knight, I fear I may have corrupted your innocence."

"You corrupted my innocence the moment I let you lead me away to dance," I retorted and circled my hips, forcing a guttural groan from the back of his throat. His fangs elongated just before slamming his mouth against mine, claiming it in a sharp and bruising kiss. His hand knotted tightly into my hair, pulling it at the roots while his other arm circled around my waist, refusing to relinquish control. He didn't slow his thrusting hips that met mine at every circle, he didn't move gently either. He held me to his body as if he feared I'd float away, crushing and melding until it was almost impossible to separate us and I wouldn't have it any other way.

~O~

I towel dried my hair until it was dry to my satisfaction and quickly ran a brush through the long strands, idly noting to go get a trim. However, when I paused to slip my shirt over my head, voices travelled up the stairs and I froze to listen.

"What are you doing here, Kol?"

A dark chuckled floated up and I clenched my teeth. "If you really have to ask, Stefan…"

I flashed down to the bottom of the stairs, just managing to pull on my shirt, and found that Stefan, Caroline, and Damon had let themselves into my house. I got there just in time to see Damon's face scrunch up in disgust and mockery, his eyes taking on a nasty glint – like ice chips. "Walk of shame, Kol, really? I thought you had more class than that…"

Kol's face contorted into a sadistic smile and he sauntered over to the kitchen island shirtless. His jeans hung off his hips as he retrieved his shirt and made a show of putting it on. "Walk of shame isn't really my style, Damon," Kol sneered and ran a hand through the top of his hair, trying to smooth out the awry strands, "strut of pride on the other hand—"

"That's enough," I snapped angrily, knowing there would be a deep flush on my face if I weren't dead. Four heads turned my way at once, as if they hadn't known I was there. I pointed a threatening finger at Damon, "You, quit antagonizing him. And you," I rounded on Kol's smug face, "haven't you kept Klaus waiting long enough?"

"If I recall correctly, love, it was you who suggested…" he trailed off at the furious look of humiliation and chuckled to himself while tossing a lazy glance around the room and a slow smile appeared on his face. "Wouldn't happen to have seen my jacket, would you?"

I opened my mouth to say that I didn't keep an inventory of his things when Caroline cleared her throat from the couch, "Um… Liv?" I rounded on her and she pointed to the corner near the couch closest to the far wall with widened eyes, but I caught the little smirk that tugged at her lips. I spun around and found Kol's jacket.

Hanging haphazardly from the cover of the floor lamp.

Stefan snorted and I shot an evil look at him before retrieving the jacket as quickly as possible and walking it back to its owner and slamming it into his chest in a rumbled ball. I followed him to the door and he turned to face me when he stood just on the other side with a mischievous smirk on his face and that maddening twinkle in his eyes. "Well, it's been fun, darling," he purred and I narrowed my eyes at him. He reached for the back of my neck and pulled me into what was obviously a statement kiss because I could feel Damon's eyes burning into my back.

I tore away but the hand on my neck kept me from moving more than a couple inches, "If you don't get out of here," I muttered darkly and his stubborn smirk egged me on, "I'm going to get violent and—"

"Now now, save that aggression for the bedroom, darling," he teased and my eyes flashed at his audacity, "because I'd love to explore the side of you that I got a glimpse of this morning—"

I slammed the heel of my hand into his chest and pushed him away, shaking my head with exasperation. "Goodbye, Kol." The door slammed shut behind me and I walked into the living room, frustrated. From the corner of my eye I saw Damon open his mouth and I snapped, "Shut the fuck up, Damon. I don't want your commentary."

Caroline giggled and I turned to study her with my head cocked to the side, an eyebrow raised. "The two of you are like bunnies, seriously," she quipped and I smirked. "Is that all you two do?"

My lips twitched. "Not all… but most of the time—"

"TMI," Damon snapped, his eyes squinting away the image and I laughed darkly.

"No need to get jealous…"

Damon's mouth dropped open to fire back but Stefan quickly stepped in, cutting short the brewing fight. "Knock it off you two," he admonished and Damon and I glowered at each other like chastised children blaming the other. "Liv, we need your help," Stefan addressed me, "Elena she's… losing control."

"You make that sound like she had any to begin with," I quipped dryly, remembering how she nearly attacked the severely wounded April Young.

"She's too afraid to feed on anyone but Matt," Caroline piped up, glossing purposefully over my jab, "but if she continues to feed on him, she might just kill him. The blood lust is taking over, Olivia, and she's scared."

I rolled my eyes and walked into the kitchen to pour a cup a coffee, "And what does she need me for? She's got you, her best friend." I pointed at the blonde vampire, "You, her boyfriend." I gestured to Stefan, "And you… whatever you are," I waved at Damon who sighed darkly at my brushing him off. "The three of you are like the vampire-therapist-dream-team, now go… assess."

I waved them away, dismissing them but not one of my guests moved and I chugged back the hot coffee, hoping that they'd disappear by the time I finished. "Liv," Caroline pressed and her tone made me set the mug down on the counter, "Elena attacked her brother this morning."

"And this "dream team" as you worded it, is much too concerned with her feelings. We aren't helping because she isn't listening," Damon countered sassily.

Stefan came around the side of the island and leaned his weight onto the counter, holding my gaze with those warm, soul searching eyes of his that were foolproof at getting me to cave. "She needs someone to sympathize with her as well as give her a reality check. You're the only one who'll tell her how it is."

"You're the only one who won't take any crap," Damon corrected and I watched Stefan grit his teeth.

I sighed heavily, my shoulders rising and falling noticeably in defeat. I really didn't know how a century-old-vampire who sucked at control would be able to help a newbie vampire get a hold of herself from the start. "Alright, alright," I caved and the relief was obvious on the trio's faces, "I'll see what I can do."

~O~

Kol's phone went to voicemail for the second time and I decided to leave a message as I ascended the Gilbert stairs. "Don't know where the hell you are, but would you mind letting me know what was so damn important that your brother had to interrupt us this morning? I'll be at Elena's if you decide to call."

I rapped sharply on the door while stuffing my phone into my pocket, listening as the hollow knock echoed through the house's interior. The door opened and Elena stood there, and frankly, she looked like hell holding onto a thread, like the Devil himself had swept the dirt under a too small rug. She was falling apart at the seams and I invited myself inside, stalking past her slightly hunched frame. She was gauntly pale, her lips were stained an unnatural shade of red, the colour riding past the lines of her lips. The front ends of her hair were sticky and caked together, darker than usual with what I assumed was blood and the second I stepped inside, Jeremy's blood wafted over, stunning me and making my mouth water. Apparently, I hadn't fed in a while either.

"Please, why don't you come in, Olivia," Elena bit and I eyed her with uncertainty. Attitude wasn't quite this doppelganger's forte, and I made a vague note to suggest to Stefan that Damon might be influencing her on an unhealthy level. She gave the door a shove and it slammed as I turned to her with my arms crossed over my chest. "What do you want?"

I raised my eyebrows at the barely-a-week-old vamp. "I'm who they send over when the going gets tough," I smirked, "and I don't appreciate the attitude, Elena. I'm not the one who turned my brother into a snack pack this morning."

Pain and horror crossed her eyes but they were quickly masked by anger, "H—how do you know about that?"

"The troublesome trio," I whispered conspiratorially, "but that's beside the point."

"Oh, and what is the point?"

I advanced a step towards her, hands falling to my sides. "The point is that you're losing yourself, that you're losing control and neither Stefan nor Caroline, nor even Damon know how to help you because you don't want to listen to them," I watched her face begin to crumple as her eyes zeroed in on the vein at my throat and I made a conscious effort to move away. She's tasted my blood before as a human, now as a blood thirsty vampire, she might crave it.

"I reject anything except fresh blood, Olivia. I can't just feed off someone; I couldn't live with myself if I killed them…"

"Bullshit," I snarled and clasped either side of her neck, just below the jaw, "you feed off Matt and you don't seem to worry; so much so that you don't seem to bother spacing yourself so that you don't kill your human bestie. If you need to drink human blood, suck it up and learn to control it because I won't stand here and watch you wallow in your self-pity. I won't stand and listen to you equalize your self-worth with your state of being or your appetite for human blood. Being a vampire isn't the end of the world Elena, so don't let it control your life."

The tears welled up in her eyes and they slipped down her cheeks one by one, dripping off her chin. I pulled her to my chest, hugging her tight and she latched onto me, her fingers digging into my back almost painfully. "Elena, you have, for the most part, a town full of people who care about you and who want to see you pull through this, including myself. Besides," I muttered, pulling away from her, "you could have it a lot worse."

"How?" she blubbered, wiping her nose on her sleeve and I turned my nose up with distaste and wiped under her eyes with my thumbs.

"When I turned, I woke up alone on a metal table in a morgue. I was afraid, confused, and unbelievably hungry. My senses were out of control, I could hear the mice in the walls, the water dripping from upstairs. The lights were blinding and the last thing I remembered was the light of the train before it hit me. I didn't even know I was alive," I led her into the kitchen and sat her down at the table. "I knew two things; this unnatural desperation to find my ring because I think my subconscious knew that I was no longer my old self and it needed to cling to something familiar, something stable." Subconsciously, I began to possessively twist the ring around my finger and continued while blindly staring at the table. "And a burning hunger that ripped at my throat. It was practically instinctual and when the mortician returned to find me awake and in one piece, I barely hesitated. I drained him and relished in his death and, from there, I drained every other doctor upstairs. My death count followed me throughout my home town and when I finished, I had drained over 30 people in just one night."

She looked on in horror, her mouth dropping and I continued. "Somehow, in all that mess, I managed to turn off my emotions and for the next five years I continued to kill, slaying over a thousand people, half of which were for entertainment alone. So it could be a lot worse, Elena. You could be like I was, a terror to this town with no one to care. But you know what helps?" I asked lightly, climbing to my feet and opening her kitchen cupboards for what I wanted. I didn't hear her get up, but I sensed her behind me. "Alcohol," I answered my own question, pulling out a bottle of rum, "alcohol always helps, but I'm sure Stefan told you this already." I turned slowly, feeling her breath on the back of my neck.

Elena was inches from me and her eyes changed, the veins making an appearance as her fangs elongated. "I'm sorry," she muttered and struck, her teeth sinking into my throat. I stumbled back, hitting the counter and dropped the bottle of rum. It smashed over the kitchen tile, drenching our feet and I grunted as she sucked viciously at my throat, her hand wrapping into my hair.

My lips twisted into a snarl and I knotted my hand into the hairs at her crown, ripping her away and giving her a mighty shove. She spun around with a hiss, ready to latch onto my throat again but I whipped around her and grabbed her by the head, twisting it sharply to the side. There was a snap as her neck broke and she crumpled to my feet, the rum turning her blue shirt almost black.

"Rule number one for learning control," I scolded her corpse while pressing my hand to the side of my neck. "Discipline. You'll find that negative reinforcement works wonders, when you want to feed just think of your neck snapping and you won't want to bite someone."

I stepped over her body carelessly and left the house.

Later that night, when I returned home after collecting a small stash of blood bags from an empty Salvatore house, I turned on my phone to find a voicemail. Only it wasn't from who I wanted. "Livvy, I just wanted to check in on you after what happened last night. I went to your house this afternoon, but no one was home and you're not answering your phone. I know what Atticus and I told you last night was a lot to take in but we really need to discuss the next steps and I need to know where you stand. But you can't tell anyone, understand? And definitely not Kol."

The message cut out and I dropped my phone onto the couch, falling into the seat next to it. I'd promised Kol no more lies, I'd promised to let him in on my secrets, to share some of my burdens. But how could I possibly betray James, how could I go against him when he was trying to help? James was right when he said that if too many people knew it would become war and they'd be too greedy to understand that more could be made if I took it. I knew this to be true by what I'd seen from Elena today. She'd become so single-minded on the possibility to be human that anyone be damned if they got in her way.

But what if James and Shane were still lying about something and keeping it from me to suit their own needs. What if Shane was keeping something from James and vice versa? How could I possibly know if what they'd told me was the entire truth, or what they'd told each other was the truth? Kol was a thousand years old, he had to know something and if not, he wouldn't let me deal with it alone.

I picked up the phone and dialed his number. Four times it rang and I heard him speak, "Kol Mikaelson, leave a message."

"Kol?" I began when the beep signaled my go, "I wish you'd let me know what's going on. I really need to speak to you about something, it's important and I don't think it can wait. Please, call me as soon as you get this. Love you."

Several hours passed after the last voice message and in that time I'd sent him a number of texts expressing similar messages. It wasn't until I lay in bed after waiting up to about three in the morning for him that I tried calling again. I lifted the phone up and slowly dialed his number from memory, hoping that each second would add to the probability of him picking up. I pressed the phone to my ear waiting for the call to connect.

Ring. "Kol Mikaelson, leave a message."

My mouth turned sour and I disconnected the call. He'd sent me straight to voicemail.

~O~

Days passed after Kol sent me to voicemail and I didn't try to contact him again, leaving the initiative up to him. James had called a few times but I ignored him, deciding to turn off the phone completely, and now I sat at the Grill nursing my third glass of bourbon while a table filled with my friends chatted aimlessly. Elena apologized profusely for biting me, but I didn't for snapping her neck; instead, I explained for a second time that discipline will help her get through the beginning stages.

I've barely spoken since I joined Elena, Caroline, Tyler, Stefan and Damon at the table and Caroline was the first to notice as I spaced out with my eyes glued to the amber liquid in my glass. She nudged me, while leaning closer and Tyler eyed us from her right side. "Hey, everything okay?" She asked, dragging me from the pit of worry I'd been drowning in since Kol put me straight to voicemail. I glanced up warily as my fingers traced the lip of the glass. "You seem kind of quiet," she added, her large brown eyes pressing me to talk.

"I'm fine," I faked a smile and Damon dropped his glass onto the table.

"No you're not," he scoffed, the liquor thickening his speech a little. "You haven't said a word in an hour, what's eating you?" I glowered at him from across the table and he laughed spitefully, "What, is our company not good enough for you anymore, compared to the pampered adventures you have with Kol Mikaelson?" He then glanced around with extravagant sarcasm, his cerulean blues wide and mocking, "Well I don't see your Prince, Miss Knight…"

"Damon," Elena hissed from beside me while shooting the raven-haired Salvatore a sharp glare.

"No it's fine," I waved her defense away wryly, "the mere sight of him would be heaven compared to your drunken ass, Damon. Now shut up and drink your alcohol or I'll drown you in it." I downed my own drink and watched as he smirked darkly at me. I felt Caroline place her hand on my knee and squeeze, telling me she didn't buy it. "Honestly, Care, it's fine. We're just… spending some time apart."

"Did you have another fight?"

"Uh oh, trouble in paradise?" Tyler teased and took an animated swig of his beer as if the conversation just became more interesting. His overzealous interest earned a frigid look from his girlfriend.

I had to smile a little at Tyler's label of my relationship with Kol. "Ty, my relationship with Kol is far from paradise. It's more like home." I called for another drink as the table fell silent under my heavy confession. "And no, Caroline, we didn't have a fight… not really. He's just, not answering my phone calls—"

"Someone has some explaining to do," Damon interjected and I leaned forward to take his drink.

I grinned at him after draining what was in his glass and wiped my chin, "You're cut off."

"Well, have you tried him recently?" Elena asked softly, her face mirroring the concern on Caroline's as she wrapped her hands around the Cosmopolitan in front of her. "Maybe he was busy or away from his phone?"

I turned to her with a mockingly sweet smile, "So far from his phone that he was able to send me to voicemail without touching a button?" She bit her lip, unable to answer. "Regardless, there's something I need him for, and I'm getting frustrated with him not answering his phone. He could at least text me or something…" I suddenly understood how he must have felt when I disappeared for a week, but if this was just his childish form of payback, then there will be a fight when he returned.

The entrance to the Grill opened wide, letting in a gust of wind and I caught his scent before he spoke. "Don't you answer your phone anymore?" James snapped from across the room and I heard his heavy footsteps on the floor as he stomped angrily over to us.

I picked up the new drink and took an unimpressed sip. "I left it at home," I answered dryly as he came to stand at my shoulder. "Got tired of seeing your 99 missed calls and texts, wasn't waiting around to see when 100 would come in."

"We have things to discuss but here you are, drinking your life away with your friends…"

"Uh, can you blame me?" I retorted after swallowing a large mouthful of bourbon. "Never mind, don't answer that," I waved him off, "James, these are my friends. Friends, this is my brother, James."

The table took turns introducing themselves and James nodded stiffly at each of them, keeping it civil. "Ah, so you're the famous brother, had you pegged as just a myth," Damon drawled and I glowered angrily at him, wishing that he wasn't in such a mood to pick arguments with everyone around him.

"I can assure you, Damon, I'm far from a myth." James spoke politely, but his face was tense. "I need a word with you, Olivia. It's quite urgent."

I took another slow sip, dragging the gesture out. "I'm not finished my drink yet," I simpered and sipped again, only for James to grab it from my mouth mid sip and set the dripping glass firmly on the table. Bourbon spilled on my lap, dripping onto my shirt from my chin and I spluttered angrily, wiping the moisture onto the sleeve of my jacket. "What the fu—"

"Now, Olivia. I won't ask again." James marched away and I stared furiously after him before jumping to my feet and following. The words of my brewing insult were already formed in my head when I exited.

I found him waiting by his car and stormed in his direction. He wasn't facing me and I wrenched him around with my hand clamped on his bicep. "Could you be more rude?" I snarled, my human teeth bared in a pearly white sneer and he gave me a mental shove, sending me reeling.

"I do not care about your little friends, Livvy, and I certainly do not care about what they think of me. There's something you need to know and I've been trying to reach you since yesterday—"

"What is it?" I growled, stepping closer to him. "Is it about the cure?" I asked quietly, the last part coming out in a barely audible whisper as I glanced around anxiously.

"No, it's not," James answered with a little exasperation. "It's about…" he trailed off, seeming to be at a loss for words. "Look, I know you said that this was off limits to you, but it's extremely important that you know…"

"Know what, James, just spit it out already!"

"Olivia, it's about Kol… I know where he is, and I know he's avoiding you."

"The fuck do you mean he's avoiding me, he's in town?"

James shook his head, "Klaus sent him to Italy to get information from someone. We think Klaus has been tipped off about the cure and that he sent Kol out to blindly dig for information…"

I gaped at him, speechless, but James had more to say.

"Olivia… I sent someone to Italy on different business and she reported back the other night… what she showed us, well, it seems to suggest that Kol hasn't been entirely truthful with you." He took a cautious step towards me, his hand outstretched to rest against my face, coaxing me to look at him. "We – I think Kol has known about you and the phoenixes for some time now, long before he ever met you. I think he's been lying this entire time."

~O~

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