Kol shows up at her door one afternoon, a bouquet of honeysuckle in his hands and a compliment on his lips. Elena accepts both with a smile and a kiss to his cheek, meeting his dark eyes fearlessly as he stares down at her with something like adoration.
Elena thinks her situation is not dissimilar to keeping a tiger as a pet: even if Kol appears to be falling in love with her, she doesn't fool herself into thinking he's anything like itame/i. Damon and Stefan are housecats compared to him – and she has to admit that even they draw far too much blood, when she allows herself to think about it.
Elena dithers over the threshold for a moment, but Kol doesn't ask for an invitation, seeming perfectly content to wait while she puts the flowers in one of her new vases. She moves over the apple blossoms he gave her yesterday and puts the new bouquet in pride of place on the island.
Her kitchen and living room are looking more and more like a florist's shop, these days.
When Elena rejoins Kol at the threshold, he offers her his arms and ask her to joins him at the Mikaelson's mansion. Elena hesitates for a moment, not particularly wanting to deal with Klaus's temper over Kol's "courting" of her, or Rebekah's sarcastic quips and pointed barbs, or Elijah's silent, disappointed stare.
Elena agrees to go after Kol reassures her that his siblings are out for the day.
It'll be dangerous, being alone with Kol in the Mikaelson's empty mansion. But not really any imore/i dangerous than being alone with Kol anywhere else. (And honestly, it isn't like being with Kol when they are surrounded by people is particularly safe – it is certainly more dangerous for those around her.)
When they get to the mansion, Kol leads her upstairs. Elena is a bit surprised - and maybe, if she's honest with herself, a little disappointed - when he opens a door for her and it leads to a study, rather than his bedroom.
Kol shows her to a table, covered in stacks and stacks of old books.
And not just any old books: igrimoires/i.
Elena looks at Kol curiously, wondering why he is showing these to her. As a response, he pulls out a chair for her, gesturing for her to sit, before he places a thick grimoire in front of her.
"There has to be something in here to keep Nik from interfering with us; and we're going to find it," Kol tells her with a smirk, as he pulls another grimoire onto the table in front of him.
If Elena gives him another kiss – this time, square on the lips – before they start pouring over the grimoires together, no one could blame her.
For the first time in a while, Elena has a real sense of hope that she can live her life without the specter of Klaus looming over her.
Even if, ultimately, she is just trading one Original for another.
(She can always dagger Kol later, if she needs to.)
