Chapter 38: The Cards

Free at last. Free from the Bastard, free from suffering, and free from judgement. Kol and I had hit the road as fast as possible. Despite Kol's lack of driving experience, he insisted on driving.

Being the party animal that he was, He decided that he lived it up while we had the chance. Since he was a man of chance, we headed straight for Vegas. Not even an hour down the road, I received a call from Elijah. "Please tell me you're just checking in. There is no way that there's something wrong already."

"Listen to me very carefully. Remember the white oak tree?" He asked seriously. His tone worried me.

"It was burned. I watched it burn." Panic was beginning to set in.

"It had a sapling. Rebekah found evidence. Don't worry. She's going to take care of the problem."

"Elijah, I saw it burn to the ground! No. You can't honestly trust her to-" I was panicking and Kol snatched the phone away from me.

"How are you Elijah, my favorite big brother?" Kol asked sarcastically and could careless how Elijah was. "Where are you anyways?"

"None of your concern, Kol."

"Well, we're offly busy at the moment and we'll simply have to call you back, brother."

"Kol-" Elijah began, but Kol had already ended the call and tossed my phone into the back seat.

"Kol! That was important!"

"Yes, it is. But, you need to stop worrying. It's causing you to suffer and I told you that I would not let you suffer again on my watch."

"But, they-"

"No," he said sternly.

"They need our help. I won't let you die. I won't let any of you die. I'm not ready to die!" Small tears were streaming down my face. They were silent tears but seemed to speak to Kol.

Next thing I knew, he sharply pulled over the car, looked me dead on while his hand brushed away my tears, and said, "No one is going to die and you are most definitely not going to die. We are going to party."

"Kol," I sobbed. "You don't get it. I think I'm linked to everyone and even if I'm not then I'll die of a broken heart."

"No, you will not die. I will not allow for you to die. It's simply not in the cards, Darling."

I was shaking my head as I looked down and fiddled with my hands. "Your mother wants me dead. I'm linked."

"Look at me," he commanded in a gentle tone as he place his hand under my chin and guided my eyes to meet his. "I am going to make sure that everything is taken care of, but you have to stop worrying and trust me. okay?"

"Okay."

"Now, we are going to go to Vegas. We are going to party and you are going to show me all the things I've missed for the last hundred years."

"Okay."

In a moments notice, he pulled back out onto the highway and we continued on our way. His driving was so fast and reckless that we almost crashed five times and participated in two car chases. We got pulled over twice, but those were easily fixed with compulsion. We made it there is a matter of hours due to his speed.

Las Vegas, the city of lights. If any city could catch Kol back up to the twenty first century, it was Las Vegas. Drinking, gambling, strippers, shows, and beauty. It was the perfect place.

They pulled up to the most expensive hotel they could find, handed the velvet the keys to the car, and strolled on in to the front desk. Kol had one hand holding the women that he lived for and the other was on the front desked. He leaned on the desk as he charmed the girl at the desk into giving them the penthouse suite. No compulsion was needed. For Kol, compulsion was a last resort if his charmed fail, which rarely ever happened.

"Why don't you go up to the room and check it out. I'll go make sure that the luggage gets there," he told her and she did as he said.

She had lightened up since Elijah's phone call, but he could still tell that she was worried. The truth was that he was the most worried of them all. If anyone died, if they all died, she would be ruined and he couldn't allow for that to happen.

Since he knew the luggage would get to the right place, he headed outside to make a phone call. "Nik-"

"Oh, it's you. Seems you've heard the news. Having fun abandoning the family?" asked Klaus.

"It's called a break and she needs one, brother. Besides, Mystic Falls only brings on trouble. You're just mad that she picked me, the one who's always been there for her, over you."

"Why did you call?"

"Elijah called and it panicked her when she heard about the tree. If any of us die, she'll be crushed. We can't let this worry her. She needs to relax. I'm going to make sure she stops stressing, but there's a problem."

"What?" Snapped Klaus. "It seems like you have everything perfectly under control."

"She thinks she linked as well." Kol expected a reply from Klaus, but he was silent and remained silent for a long time. "Nik, are you still there? What do you know?"

An exhale was heard from Klaus' attempt to calm himself down before he began. "When you were daggered and everyone that was linked felt the effects of it, she said she was in pain as well. I didn't believe her because I thought she was causing my pain."

Kol was angry now. "You listen to me right now, brother. Fix this and leave her out of it. Burn the wood and get us unlinked or help me God I will find a way to kill you without killing everyone else. And do not under any circumstance update her or allow Elijah to update her. Leave her out of this!" And with that, he violently ended the call and headed to the hotel room.

He had a problem. Love is a vampire's greatest weakness. Kol was no exception to the truth. As much as it killed him to only show affection towards her as a friend for the last thousand years, that's what he did. He loved her and he didn't know why. The only thing that he could do was what she wanted. He would be anyone and do anything for her, no questions asked. Although he longed to be her epic love, he remained the best friend that was secretly in love with her and would die for her. It was nothing he could control. Anything he could do to burn the wood or unlink the spell he would, but he knew he would just cause trouble in Mystic Falls. His job was to make sure Red was safe, out of the fray, and learning to live once more.

He strolled into the penthouse nonchalantly and found Red taking a shower. Sitting on the bed watching television, he waited for her. She came out eventually with blow dried hair and her pjs on.

"You know it's about lunch time, right?" he asked her.

"Kol, we're in Vegas and I'm teaching you the Vegas ways. Sleep all day and party all night till the AM. That's how it works. Plus, I smelled like road trip and needed to shower." She crawled under all of the covers as if they would protect her from the dangers that lied beyond the four walls that surrounded the two of them.

Kol proceeded to shower and when he was done, he put on his pj pants and climbed into bed next to the women he couldn't live without. Immediately, she noticed his presence and clung on to him as she continued her glorious slumber.

When night had finally come, she jumped out of bed and began to get ready. Halfway through, she noticed that Kol was still sleeping. So, she threw a pillow at him and told him to move his ass.

She was dressed in a clamorous black and sequin dress the was short but not too short. She wore black four inch black high heels and her hair was lush and full of curls. Kol looked extra tasty his hair styled in the front and the sleeves of his button down dress shirt rolled up. They looked sexy and took crap from no one.

Both decided they were hungry and thought it best to get a snack to start the evening off with. They then had a few drinks to get in the groove and proceeded to gamble hundreds of thousands of dollars away. Eventually, they won it all back and lost it again. They looked like a typical Vegas couple. She would blow on the dice for good luck and they lost. More drinks were had, strong drinks. After gambling all of the stolen money they had on hand away, they went clubbing. The music was blasting on the dance floor as she taught him how to dance in this century.

"So like I'm having sex with clothes on?" he yelled to her over the pounding music. She nodded as she danced with him. Then, she allowed him to fly solo as she moved to another man. A swarm of women flocked to him. They were moths and he was the burning candle. As she drank more and more, she got more and more jealous. Eventually, he went back to a hotel with a few of the skanky girls.

Red was not about to have sex with anyone, but the man she was currently dancing with didn't have to know that. Moving with her body on the dance floor, he thought it time to take her home. She followed him to the car as he held her hand. Giggling and slightly intoxicated, she got in the car and so did he. Before he did anything else, he looked into her eyes with the intent to kiss her. She lead him on and when his face was close to hers, she swiftly bit him on the neck and tasted his warm sweet blood. As she drained him, he screamed and screamed, but in an empty parking lot, no one could hear him and he was left dead.

Lying in bed motionless, she was found when Kol barged through the door smiling. He kicked off his shoes and layed next to Red on the bed as she tried to sleep on her stomach.

"You know, I really love this century. Having sex with everyone is common and women now like threesomes. This day and age is mind blowing and I love it," he state enthusiastically.

"You smell like skank," she mumbled into her pillow.

"And loving every minute of it."

"Go shower you man whore," she instructed and she hit him with a pillow in her sleepy and hung over state.

The next night, they danced and drank all night. Kol had a little higher of a tolerance then Red, but he had also paced himself. She was hammered and it took a lot to get anyone that old shit faced. Kol knew she could take it and they walked down the stripe to see the sites.

"Oh, Kol, look at that over there!" she pointed and ran out in the middle of the street to get to the other side.

"Red, no running out into traffic. I don't care how drunk you are."

"Oh, please. I'm indestructible, haven't you heard?" she slurred. "Well, I use to be and now I could die any day now."

"Don't talk like that. You are not going to die."

"But I could and-and I might. That's where I take a page out of the Kol Mikaelson handbook. The old me would worry, but no not this me. This one is relaxing and living it up," she yelled in her fuck the world voice. "See that right there?" She pointed to a building with Elvis on the front. "You see Kol, you have never left me. you're a good man, a way better man than Nik was ever. So I'm going to tell you a secret," she whispered and they were in the alley way of the Elvis church. "Come closer. Come real close." And he leaned so she could whisper in his ear. "You know I had a child and he got shipped off and-and I married Nik. Well, that child knocked up a girl and didn't even know it. Like father like son. And while that boy died, his child was stillborn." She pulled away from his ear and began pacing. "That child had a child and when I knew of this bloodline, I watched over it. I watch and protect the bloodline until it ended."

"We had more family?" Kol was beyond confused. "What happened to them?" He couldn't tell his she was telling the truth or if it was the alcohol talking.

"All died. Some of them killed the other. Two of them are undead, but they're all dead."

'It can't be. Can it?' Kol asked himself. "Red," he grabbed her arms. "Who are they?"

"I think you can figure that one out on your own. Why else would I make sure Klaus doesn't kill them? That is my biggest secret and I've been carrying it around for years while making sure they never fell off the deep end. I told you my secret be-because you're always there for me. You're the only one there for me." She had wandered to the front of the building. "Let's get married, Kol. I'm here, you're here. Screw Nik and fuck me." She got down on her knees and threw her hands in the air. "Come on, Kol, please? Someone needs to love me."

He grabbed her arms and helped her up. "Red, plenty of people love you. You're drunk. Let's get you back."

"No!"

"Please?"

"Okay, but only since you're pretty and said please." And they headed for the hotel.

She was out of her mind and wouldn't remember any of it in the morning. The last thing he would do is remind her of what a fool she made of herself. It was simply best if she forgot. He wanted to marry her, but he knew it wasn't right to take advantage of her while she was intoxicated. She probably didn't even want to marry him, just like how she was probably making up the story about the family.

As soon as they got to the hotel, she passed out on the bed. Silently, he snuck out of the room and onto the stair well. There, he made a call. "I need an update."

"I'm a little busy at the moment."

"Make time."

"Fine, give me a moment." Klaus moved to a private room. "Rebekah has almost found out where the wood is, Elijah has almost located Finn, Sage is in town, and I have a plan for the unlinking spell."

"What do you need me to do?" asked Kol.

"The witch is going to need some motivation and Jeremy Gilbert has never seen you before. Go to Denver, become his mate, hang out with the poor lad, and when the time comes I'll tell you what to do," instructed Klaus.

"Done," Kol stated and then hung up. Minutes later he received a picture of what Jeremy looked like and an approximate location.

When Red finally woke up, Kol handed her coffee and fresh blood to aid her hangover.

"Kol," she mumbled in her sluggish state. "Thanks for getting me back safely last night."

"No problem."

"You look worried. What's wrong?" she asked as she sat up and he sat down next to her.

"I-I have to go."

"Where?"

"To Denver."

"Okay. When do we leave?"

"We don't. There is no we this time. I have to go alone." Shock consumed her. "I don't want to but it must be done. I'm playing my part in the safety of this family. I am going to keep you safe."

"No. No, you're just leaving me."

"No, I am not. I'm doing this for you!" He ran a hand threw his hair. "Everything is taken care of. I'm leaving today and so are you. There's a plane ticket on the table. In a few hours you're going to board that plane, it's going to take you to New York, and you're going to stay with Elijah for a while. He can keep you safe."

She wanted to protest, to start a hundred sentences with the word but. She couldn't do it. She remained in shock as he gently kissed her on the top of her head goodbye and walked out of the door. When the shock finally wore off, she threw her mug against the wall and it shattered into a hundred pieces. Sobbing, she clutched herself. The mug was her and it could be glued back together, but it required a lot of patience and time. Time she simply didn't seem to have.

When she finally pulled herself together and was dress, she grabbed the ticket along with her things and headed out the door.

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