Welcome and thanks to all who favorited, followed and especially commented! The comments make me write like a madwoman :D Here's a piece from my playlist: The Wolven Storm (Priscilla's Song)

These scars long have yearned for your tender caress

To bind our fortunes, damn what the stars own

Rend my heart open, then your love profess

A winding, weaving fate to which we both atone

Chapter 8: With friends like these…

Odette had a lovely bathroom. It had an antique feel to it, like the rest of the house, with wooden furniture and those, almost retro tiles on the floor and walls. But, the thing that Jess liked the most about Odette's bathroom was the fact that the woman had a clawfoot tub. Not one of those small, birdbath ones either. It was a proper, lie down and soak until you're a prune, clawfoot tub. The childish joy of using one, for the first time in her life, almost made up for the fact that Odette had said all of her clothes had to be burned. At least, all the ones which had been in that house where they'd kept her. Just in case they'd attached a charm to one of them.

The issue developed even further when Jess explained how she'd changed her jacket, boots and scarf on her way out that day, leaving the items she'd had on during the incident at home. All of that developed into the current situation, with Jess soaking in spelled bathwater and Odette heading for her apartment to fetch the possibly spelled clothes and footwear.

But, the clawfoot tub made all of those issues seem minor. For the first time in weeks, no, probably years, Jessica felt safe. Relaxed and safe. She didn't mind ghosts too much, but they had a tendency to invade every single aspect of her life. Those who were bad with communication would send her dreams, visions, give her subtitles in her head or even play songs. It was invasive. It was bothersome. She loved the medium aspect of herself, but she struggled with it. Even after laying down some ground rules and having her workplace and her bedroom clear of ghosts, there was always an occasional interloper. Long story short, Jess never had any time for herself, by herself. Until she had gotten in that clawfoot tub.

Which wasn't to say that she would've had the same experience in a regular tub. No. A clawfoot tub had something magical to it. It was like a fairy tale aspect of the whole bathing ritual. There was something romantic and magical to being in one. Jess couldn't explain it properly, but there definitely was something to it. She would surely thoroughly enjoy the at least forty-five minutes of soaking which Odette had prescribed.

"You alright in there?" Jess sighed, opening her eyes and looking towards the bathroom door, through which Kol's head was poking in curiously.

"Epic," she murmured drowsily. Another thing which the warm bath with all of the herbs in it had done for her was make her want to fall asleep in it.

"Alright," Kol nodded, slipping fully through the door.

"Excuse you?" Jess said, her tone rising as the ghost casually pushed himself up on the counter beside the sink, next to all the herbal products Odette possessed.

"Now, darling, we're all adults here, no need to be testy," he shot her an amused smile. "I'm sure I know what you've got under all that water, I've seen it plenty of times." Jess rolled her eyes.

"Why don't you get naked then, and we'll be even, eh?" the ghost remained silent. "C'mon then, I'm sure we've all seen a dick before." She kind of wished that he'd be childish enough to take her up on her jibe. It would be a sigh, for certain. But, instead of a retort, she got a retreat. Just when she was thinking that she was beginning to figure him out.

"Point taken," Kol huffed, hopping down from the counter and heading for the door. Jess felt the wave of his emotions roll over her and she pinched her eyes.

"Fine, fine," she said, stopping him before he could get out the door. "You can stay." Slowly, Kol turned, gave her a curious look, and then hopped back onto his seat.

"I was wondering if we could talk about a deal?" he asked after a minute conversationally.

"Not until we're even for this…. thing," Jess motioned her hands in a circle, splashing water around the tub.

"I've got an idea about that, actually," Kol asked, his face brightening. Jess looked at him, her eyebrow rising. With that eager expression, he looked somehow boyish. Younger than he usually seemed. She inclined her head for him to continue. "You can contact the Mystic Falls Sheriff's office and tell them where a body of a woman is."

"Ah," Jess nodded. "Helping another ghost?" Kol's smile spread to an almost impossible size.

"Yeah," he nodded. "And thanks," he added.

"For?"

"Not assuming I'd dumped her body."

"Oh, should I assume that in the future?" Jess looked him over. Sure, he had been a vampire. He'd definitely killed people. But, was that really what people assumed when they talked to him?

"No," he said, then looked up, thinking. "Well, sometimes?"

"It's perfectly normal, I guess," he gave her an odd look, so she elaborated. "To assume that you've killed before. I mean, you were raised in a different society from today's. Murder was a given rite of passage if we trace humankind throughout the ages. It wasn't considered a crime, but the sign of strength and power, also it provided for a reputation which could protect the community if their leader was a prominent warrior," Jess sighed, leaning back in the tub. "It's safe for assume that most vampires who are older can't get rid of their upbringing throughout the centuries. After all, formative years are up until you're seven and then you simply have a base you build on, can't really change anything drastically in regards to how you see the world. You can only change your actions."

"So, if I've been screwed up until the age of seven, I'm going to be homicidal for the rest of my life?" Kol asked with a hint of amusement to his voice.

"Not necessarily," Jess replied. "If it's important enough for you, you could change your patterns. What I'm saying is that the fact that you've dropped bodies isn't unnatural, considering that you're a member of a predatory species and that you're like a gazillion years old."

"More like a thousand," he corrected.

"Gazillion," she smiled at him teasingly. He rolled his eyes, but didn't comment. She could tell that her little analysis had pleased him. There was a wave of something close to relief that emanated from him as she talked. "I love clawfoot tubs, you know?"

"A weird fetish?" Kol raised his eyebrow.

"Nah, just something magical about them," Jess shrugged. "They've got something romantic about them and, oh I don't know, something that makes them fairy tale like. I've always wanted to have one, but they're fucking expensive nowadays, you know?"

"I had a clawfoot tub in almost every castle I lived in," he supplied sagely.

"You've lived in many castles, then?"

"Loads," he leaned back into the wall, getting comfortable. "We lived in Europe for a long time, my family and I, and Nik insisted on having the best possible lodgings we could find. So, we mostly inhabited castles. Sometimes we were guests, at other times we were Lords."

"Which one did you like best?" Jess asked, watching as his face relaxed when he closed his eyes, remembering.

"For a long time, we lived in Italy in this rather small castle, compared to the rest," he told her. "It was simply magnificent, overlooking the sea and near a river on the other side. There were fields all around and we would go horseback riding in our spare time, which was a lot of the time, really," he recounted. "Then, of course, bloody Bekah had to fall in love with a human and Nik went ballistic on him, daggered her and we had to flee before our father caught wind of the massacre which ensued."

"Do you think the castle is still there?" Jess asked, making the ghost open one eye and look her over.

"Don't know," he shrugged.

"We could Google it, if you want?"

"Sure," he said, closing his eyes again. "In retrospect, I'm sorry I called you a sow," he added after a moment of silence. "And a cow and a twat. You're not too bad," Jess opened her eyes again at his words.

"I never heard you call me a twat?" she chuckled, shaking her head.

"Well, to be fair, it was while you couldn't hear me," Kol elaborated. "And, I was rather angry."

"You were being a dickhead," Jess said.

"I take my apology back."

"No takebacksies," Jess giggled, the water splashing around with the movement of her chest.

"I took it back, you called that rule too late."

"Nuh-uh."

"Yes, you did."

"Nuh-uh."

"You're positively juvenile!"

"And just won this exchange, bish," Jess giggled, causing Kol to pout, which just made her laugh even more.

Kol entered Jessica's apartment first, watching as she closed and locked the door. Odette had given her some clothes and shoes, which were a tad too big, but the medium had thanked her profusely regardless and promised to wash and return them.

"Hang those bells on the doorjamb," Kol said, waiting for her to do it. He had given Odette the spell for the witch's bells. They were a powerful magical item, when made correctly, and were meant to not only guard the home from any spells that were aimed at those inside, but also to stop the people who meant harm to anyone inside at the doorstep.

"I just hang them?" Jessica asked, digging through her pockets for the two silver bells on a red string. "No special knot or chant?"

"Just wrap them tightly," he said. "The tighter they're tied to the jamb the better the spell will work." He watched as she wrapped the string a number of times around the doorjamb, before tying it twice and then leaving them to hang. They jingled pleasantly as they hit the surface of the door.

"Now, I understand why all of those witchy stores have jingly things," Jessica laughed, going further into her apartment.

"They're not all spelled," Kol told her, following her into her room. "But, a lot of them are." He turned around to afford the young woman some privacy as she changed from the witch's clothes into her own.

"Let's see about that woman in Mystic Falls, shall we?" Kol turned around to see Jessica in her favorite sleepwear, the Bugs Bunny plush onesie.

"You look ridiculous," Kol said. "Go sleep and we can do it later," he told her. Jessica gave him an odd look, one that he'd begun to associate with her being surprised.

"I'm still-" she yawned, "-good to go. I'm a horse," she added, her eyes lidded.

"You're a horse?" he chuckled.

"Yeah," Jessica said, hopping onto her bed and pulling her laptop into her lap. "As strong as a horse or, no, healthy?"

"Healthy if I'm keeping track of modern lingo," he smiled at her, sitting next to her. When she went to open her laptop, he put his hand over his, focusing some energy into his palm and not letting her start working. "Alright, horse woman, you're dead on your feet. We can get to it tomorrow."

"But I'm good no-" she yawned again. "Alright, you win," she finally conceded and laid her laptop onto the nightstand. Kol watched as she snuggled under the blanket with a soft smile on his face. She was out like a light in seconds.

He stood, going to the window and looking outside for a moment. Jessica turned in her bed, murmuring something and he glanced at her. Her brow was furrowed and she was moving her lips. Kol went back to the bed, sitting down, and placed his hand on her forehead, focusing.

It took him a moment, but he penetrated her subconscious and took her to Italy, to the lovely castle on the beach he'd stayed at with his siblings centuries ago. He watched as she materialized, in her sleepwear, painfully out of place in the Italian countryside.

"You could at least give me some proper clothes? So, I can enjoy this experience thoroughly?" Jessica said, grinning up at him.

"As you wish," Kol bowed theatrically, his mind conjuring up a dress for her, appropriate for the times. He opted for green, a deep emerald cotton gown, because he knew that it would look simply stunning with her eyes, but keeping it a simple day dress, nothing too lavish. She didn't need anything extraordinary, after all. Jessica was magnificent enough to stand out in any garb, he realized.

"Are you quoting?" she giggled, looking down at the dress and twirling childishly.

"Quoting what?"

"Oh, I need to introduce you to a popular movie, then," Jessica laughed, taking off down the hill and towards the numerous merchant stalls in front of the castle. Kol stood still, watching her go. Jessica Reid, he mused. She wasn't his usual choice of company, he supposed. She was direct, outspoken, liked life more than he ever did and had a childlike wonder to her. She was good, he decided. Jessica was entirely and completely good. Kol smiled when she stopped, turning around and waving him over.

"Are you coming, dickhead?!" she yelled out at him. Except for her vocabulary, he figured. Because Jessica's vocabulary was atrocious. Still, Kol hurried down the hill, joining her at the numerous stalls to browse various knickknacks.

"You will need to show me some identification before I let you in, miss," the policeman at the door stopped her, making her wince.

"I was mugged, I don't have any ID on me except- erm- a library card?" Jess replied, pulling out the laminated piece from the pocket of her black waist length jacket. The policeman eyed the card, then her carefully.

"I'm going to need an official document, I'm sorry," he said. "Your driver's license, student ID, passport or something akin to that. Seeing as your library card doesn't feature a photo or an address, I'm afraid I can't accept it as formal ID."

"Please, I just need to see detective Martinez," Jess pleaded at that point. She just wanted to get the police station over with so she could head to the bank next. "He knows me."

"I'm sorry, miss, I can't let you into the police station without a proper ID," the man said again. "If you have the police report of the mugging, I will accept that, as well." Jess sighed, her hands going over her face in exasperation.

"He fucks the ME on his breaks, you know?" an elderly voice came from behind her and Jess looked behind her only to see a dandy looking gentleman in his eighties, leaning on his cane next to her. "They fuck like bunnies. Very inappropriate." Jess closed her eyes, doing her best to ignore the ghost and the chaos of the policemen running around behind her, in order to focus on the one in front of her.

"I'm here to make that report," she clarified, ignoring the look he was giving her for the lengthy pause. "If you could just get detective Martinez, he can clear everything u-"

"Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to leave now," the policeman finally said.

"Grunting like gorillas," the elderly ghost supplied.

"He has a cute butt, though," a woman with disheveled hair and fairly revealing clothes added from the chairs in the corner, laughing.

"But he's bad at oral," the elderly ghost said.

"Miss, we don't want to get the security involved, do we?"

"Ye, she's always faking orgasms when he licks her," the woman in the corner replied.

"Miss?"

"What?!" Jess yelled, looking up at the policeman. Suddenly, everything seemed much quieter than a second ago. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell," she sighed, but, it was too late. Two burly policemen came up to her through the throngs of people, one touching her on the shoulder.

"Miss, you're causing a scene," he said. "I believe it's time to leave before you do something you're going to regret."

"I'm just here to see a friend and make a report, I'm not doing anything illegal," Jess frowned at him. The man in question grabbed her upper arm in a tight hold, pulling her towards the door.

"That one's queer, young lady," the ghost of the elderly gentleman told her. "Likes to take it up his ass, too. Especially on night shift."

"Oh, fuck me," Jess groaned, being helplessly carried out of the police station, the ghosts following, giving her more information that she didn't want to know.

Jess marched to the nearest payphone and fed it whatever leftover change she had. Without her credit cards, ID and cellphone she felt like she was walking around naked. At least, she'd had a good night's rest. Or, well, a good twenty-four-hour rest or so.

Jessica had dreams. Not the usual kinds of dreams which all humans and supernaturals got, but the other kinds of dreams. She could recall dreaming about her grandmother dying and it happening that very same week. She had also dreamed about a serial killer, seeing his face and his victims, only to see him arrested on the news the following month. Sometimes, the dreams weren't too invasive, leaving her as a bystander. However, the majority of them had her starring in them. She was the one dying, instead of her grandmother. She was the one being killed or killing, instead of the victims and the murderer. So, Jess didn't sleep all too well. She'd learned in high school to live off coffee and Red Bull and that had easily become a norm for her.

Until Kol. She had no idea what he'd done, how he'd done it or even why. She only knew that he had done it. He would pull her from her prophetic nightmares into something else. Whether those were his memories or his fantasies, she didn't know. And, she didn't much care to find out. All that Jess knew was, that when he wanted, Kol could give her a good night's sleep. And, she relished in it.

"Martinez," picked up a familiar voice on the other end of the line.

"Get downstairs and make them let me in," Jess growled into the payphone, slamming the receiver back onto the hook as laughter rang out on the other side. She walked back towards the police station at a brisk pace. Kol had been gone the next morning. Where he'd gone, she had no idea. She'd waited a while, but he hadn't come back. So, Jess had left her apartment about two hours before work, in order to get to the police station and the bank before clocking in. She needed to get a new phone, too, but she could wait and do that after work or the next day.

When Jess entered the police station yet again, she ignored the ghosts in favor of raising her hands in surrender at the policeman behind the desk.

"I'm calling security," he grunted out, picking up his phone.

"No need, Jake," another voice said, a lilt to the words. Jess looked away from the annoying policeman to see her favorite homicide detective. Ricardo Martinez was a tall glass of fine, fine, fine chocolate liquor. He towered over her, head of meticulously styled, always perfect, hair and those deep brown eyes which made any woman melt on the spot. He had muscles in all the right spots, not lean, but built, and he rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirts to his elbows, which made Jess weak at the knees.

"Ass," she greeted with a smile.

"Psycho," he grinned back at her, spreading his arms wide. Jess accepted the hug, inhaling his cologne shamelessly. He always smelled so good. "So, how'd you get stuck at the gate?" he asked conversationally, leading her past Jake and towards his working area.

"Well, this ME banging gentleman wouldn't let me in without an ID," Jess replied, saying the important information loud enough for Jake to hear. The man positively paled. "Oh, and apparently you're not too good at oral, in case you were wondering."

"Stop scaring my men, Jess," Rick took her by the shoulders, a rather comic picture as he was dwarfing her with both his hands and stature, pushing her further away from the policeman who seemed to want to vanish into the earth. "Why're you here?"

"Got mugged by some witches," she replied conversationally.

"Please tell me you just said you were mugged by some bitches," Rick sighed, pushing her to his desk and making her sit down in the suspect chair, as she called it.

"Nope, witches," Jess corrected. "I wish it were just bitches. But, they took my purse, so I don't have anything. ID, wallet, keys, all gone. Thought I should report it." Jess picked up a random file off of Rick's desk, thumbing through it.

"Alright," the detective sighed, sitting down in his chair and getting a form from his drawer. "Fill this out to flag your missing items like a usual mugging. Please don't mention anything outlandish."

"No problem," Jess grinned, taking the form and the pen he offered. She started at the top, checking boxes, writing information, filling out descriptions of her missing items and so on.

"If they've taken your credit cards you need to go to a bank and cancel them," Rick told her. "Also, if they have your keys you ought to change your locks."

"Way ahead of you on the locks," the medium replied. "I got some witchy voodoo on them which apparently will stop anyone with ill intent on the doorstep. Here, all done," she handed him the form back. "You got any cases you need me to give you a hand with, while I'm here?" The detective nodded, opening the second drawer of his desk and gave her a pile of folders.

"You can't take them home, but if you can get anything off them, it would help," he said. "I'll be right back with this." Then, he stood in one languid motion, leaving Jess alone at his desk with a pile of work. She smiled, opening the first one.

Jess had met Ricardo Martinez some two or so years ago, after moving to Seattle. She'd had dreams about one of his serial rape and murder cases, foretelling the next victim. After struggling to get to the detective on the case, she had to make him actually take her input seriously. Unfortunately, Rick was a skeptic. In the end, it had all worked out and the police had managed not only to catch their murderer, but also save his intended victim because of her information. Since then, Rick would often call Jess and ask her about the cases he couldn't crack and she would ring him if she had any dreams that could help him with various police work. They were tentative friends and sometimes they even shared a bed. It was a nice arrangement, seeing as Jess quite liked the detective and knew that he was on the right side.

"All done," Rick came back, dropping into his chair. "How's that coming along?"

"This isn't an isolated incident, you have three more bodies on the case, but over the years," Jess gave him the file. "Here, I can't get much except beeping, like a heart monitor or something. Might be related to a hospital employee? Finally, this one is in a different language. I don't speak it, so I can't really tell you anything concrete. It looks like German, though."

"Alright then," Rick nodded, writing notes on his post its and tagging the folders. "Serial killer, doctor or adjacent, German…. Thanks, Jessie."

"My pleasure," she handed him the rest of the folders, as well. "Sorry, but I've got nothing on these. Maybe if you let me talk to your suspects? Or see the victims?"

"Sure, you got a few hours?" the detective tagged those files, as well. Jess looked at the clock on the wall behind him and shook her head.

"No can do," she said. "I've got to get to work and then I need to get a new cellphone after. Maybe tomorrow afternoon? I have first shift again."

"Sounds good," Rick looked at her for a moment, taking in her messy appearance. "You okay, psycho? You seem on edge?"

"Being held captive by witches for no apparent reason whatsoever will do that to you," she sighed, raking her fingers through the loose parts of her hair. It was in a messy bun again, her usual hairstyle.

"Captive? I thought they mugged you?"

"Try more like a combo of kidnap and mug," she chuckled. "It's fine, don't worry, I'm dealing with it."

"No, Jessie, give me the address where they held you," Rick was adamant. "I'll go check it out." When she gave him a worried look, the detective extended the notepad to her, expectant. "I'll take the cavalry with me. You know that the freaky and the strange don't like attracting attention. Should be able to make them steer clear of you a while." Jess sighed, knowing that she'd lost the exchange.

"I don't know the address, but I can tell you off which route and what the place looks like?"

"Good enough for me," Rick flipped the notepad open to a clear page and wrote down what she told him.

That's all folks!

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