I do not own TVD or TO.

A few notes: I changed a few of the circumstances. Stefan and Damon knew about the bond, but they hadn't told Elena. I'd like to stress that he did not intentionally misuse it. He just wanted to find a way to break it before telling her.

February 2012

Kol strode down the street with his head tipped back admiring the stars. They seemed dimmer than they had the century before. He blamed it on the absurd amount of electric lights. People these days had no idea what they were missing out on.

He glanced down when his music was interrupted by the ringing phone. He smirked when he saw the caller ID.

"Jeremy Gilbert," he chuckled, "nice to see I'm still on your speed dial, mate. Hey, you want to meet up at the batting cages in Denver?"

"Actually, it's Elena Gilbert."

"What a treat," his smirk turned to a genuine grin. He knew the Salvatores were looking for the cure for her. Perhaps he could use the opportunity to convince her she didn't need it. Clearly her sire was not doing a good job of teaching her. Or he could remind her how easy it was for him to remove her path to the cure. "I was just thinking of all the clever ways I could have your brother killed, but I would settle for ripping off his illustrated arm instead. No need for him to die."

"I need to talk to you… in person. I want to call a truce in the name of Silas."

"You want to talk about Silas?" He blinked in surprise. Perhaps she wasn't a lost cause after all. He took off at vampire speed and stopped when she responded.

"I'll meet you wherever you want. I'll come to you."

"I'll tell you what," he reached out and pressed the doorbell, "how about I come to you?" He heard someone leave through the back door. "Open up and invite me in. I'm waiting," his voice turned bright with false cheer. "Let me in and let's talk truce."

Elena stood in her kitchen and watched the door.

"Wouldn't it be kind of stupid of me to invite you in?" Now that he was there she found herself very reluctant to go through with her plan; this was not what she wanted to do. So why was she approaching the front of the house?

"On the contrary. I can't kill your brother with my own two hands, or I'll suffer the hunter's curse and spend the next 20 years trying to off myself in increasingly gruesome ways. And I've heard that vervain is back in town, so I can't compel you to kill him either. I think it's fair to say you're semi-safe, for now."

She rolled her eyes at the smirk she could hear so evident in his voice. She could feel Jeremy over her shoulder with a crossbow.

"I'm the only one who can invite him in."

"He's right, obviously."

Elena shook her head in exasperation. Kol was cocky, there was no denying it. He was clever, handsome, dangerous and arrogant. Pulling the door open she tipped her head back to look into his familiar laughing eyes. Somewhere in the dark depths she spotted the ghost of kindness that he fought hard to mask.

"You'd think being alive for over a thousand years would teach me some manners," he removed his headphones and stored them in his pocket with the phone, "but I couldn't resist stopping by."

Elena ignored the way his eyes lingered on her and swallowed. "If I let you in, my brother goes. You're not getting near him."

"That sounds fair," he nodded.

Jeremy backed away slowly until he was standing at the back door. He kept the crossbow aimed at Kol's heart the entire time.

Elena wanted to tell him to put it down. She wanted to call everything off right then and there but she couldn't do it. This had to be done. Didn't it?

"You can come in," Jeremy stepped outside and closed the back door.

Kol smirked at the closed door before turning his gaze to the petite brunette still standing in his path.

"No gold medal for bravery, I see." He chuckled and tapped the pocket that held his phone. "Do you know what I love about this century? Music anytime you like."

Elena frowned. She thought it would be something else; something more sinister or blood related. She hadn't pegged him as a lover of music.

"So," Kol tilted his head, "is this the part where you offer me a drink so we can have a proper chat?"

Elena's eyes flickered to his chest when his jacket swayed open. Silver glinted from an inner pocket.

Kol turned from one of Jeremy's video games and pressed pause when Elena returned with a bottle.

"Sorry," she waved the clear liquid, "I had to dig up the old people alcohol."

"That's the problem with people today," Kol tossed the controller on the couch and circled around into the kitchen behind her. "They have no drinking imagination." He held up a finger and smiled thoughtfully. "Turn of the century New Orleans… now, they knew how to make a drink."

"You lived in New Orleans?" Elena twisted the cap off the bottle.

"We all did," Kol murmured, "until Nik shoved a dagger in my heart."

"Why?" Elena tilted her head and cocked an eyebrow. "What did you do?" She turned to pull some glasses from the cupboard.

Kol leaned on the island and narrowed his eyes. "What makes you think I did anything?"

Elena gave him a sceptical look over her shoulder.

"Has your alliance with my brother softened you to his horrors?" Kol bobbed his head slightly.

A line knit between Elena's brows when she faced him again. She shifted from foot to foot and met his eyes.

"I don't have an alliance with Klaus." The thought that she would was disconcerting. "We have a mutual interest in finding the cure…" Elena tilted her head and gave him a pointed look; although what point she was trying to get across she didn't know. "That's all."

"Had?" Kol inclined his head.

"Yes," Elena raised her brows, "and I'm willing to give up looking for it if you promise to leave my brother alone."

He frowned when he heard her heart skip a beat. Was it fear or dishonesty?

"Now," Elena turned towards the fridge; suddenly unable to meet his eyes, "can you teach me how to make this? I'll get some ice."

"Are we going to talk about Silas," he passed her a finished drink, "or just jibber jabber?"

"No one else seems to think this guy exists," Elena took a sip of her drink, "why do you?"

She found in that moment that she really wanted to hear the answer. What could possibly be so bad that he wanted to keep a person who probably didn't exist from waking up?

"I used to run with some witches in Africa in the 14th century, Haiti in the 17th, New Orleans in the 1900s. They all knew about Silas and he needed to stay buried." Kol lifted his glass in salute. "I actually hold witches in high esteem."

"Why Silas?" Elena leaned against the kitchen counter. "Why are you afraid of him?"

Try as she might she couldn't find it in herself to be afraid of the man. Qetsiyah's name had sent a chill down her spine, but Silas sounded more like the bogeyman.

Kol considered the seriousness of her expression before answering. "They said that if Silas rises, he'll unleash hell on earth. I happen to like the earth the way it is."

"How Biblical," she quipped.

"That's the other problem with people today," Kol nodded. "They've lose faith, and in that loss, they no longer know who they should fear."

Kol turned his gaze from the image of Elena and Jeremy. Even in the photograph he had been able to see the light in her eyes. He wondered where it had gone when he met her stare.

"We're out of gin," she forced a smile, "but I think this was a good year." She waved the bottle of wine.

Elena couldn't deny that she was starting to feel a bit of a buzz. She definitely would have been drunk if she'd still been human. It was probably a bad thing that she was comfortable in his presence, wasn't it?

"What if I said I don't believe you?" Kol smirked and gave her a smoldering stare. He fought down his smile when he saw the distant light in her eyes.

"Alright," she held up her hands and laughed, "you got me. I don't know anything about wine."

Kol shook his head and took the bottle. He read the label and exhaled slowly. "It just seems odd that you'd be willing to give up something you want so much."

"I'd do anything for my brother, Kol." Elena shrugged. "And if what you're saying about Silas is true, what does it matter what I want if it puts everyone else in danger?"

If she were being truly honest with herself she would have said she wasn't sure she really wanted the cure. She knew she didn't want to be a vampire, but there was something unnerving about trying to undo what had been done. The fates had designed it this way right? She wanted to be human, but that choice had been stolen away from her when the car went off the bridge.

"Well," Kol set the bottle on the counter and turned towards the door, "this has been enlightening. Thanks for the drinks." He smirked and tilted his head when she flashed into his path. "I'll take your request for a truce under advisement," he laid a hand on her shoulder as if to move around her.

"Is there any chance that you can be wrong about Silas?" Elena felt her arm warm under his hand.

"Trust me, Elena," Kol shook his head, "some things are better left buried." Reluctantly he released her arm and left with a sinking feeling in his chest.

They had been so close when Kol came back and overheard part of their conversation. Fear, anger, shame… her body was a mass of emotions as she shot him repeatedly. It took everything she had to lower the gun. She wanted to stop; she recognized the mistake when she did.

An agonized scream tore from her throat when Kol picked up a stake Jeremy had used and threw it. The wood embedded in her thigh.

She pulled it out and flashed into the kitchen where she saw him approaching her brother. Jumping onto his back she wrapped her arms around his neck. She winced when he backed her into a wall and drove the stake into her gut.

She blinked at the brief light she caught in his eyes. It almost looked like remorse. She didn't get enough time to examine it though before Jeremy drove the stake through his heart.

A sob tore through her throat that had nothing to do with the pain.

"No," she managed to pull out the stake. Falling to her knees beside the burning body of Kol Mikaelson she felt her stomach turn. What have I done?

Her wide eyes were glued to the small fire.

She was morally opposed to murder, but why was his tearing her apart?

Elena couldn't stop the tears that fell down. She had been in hysterics since leaving her house. Stefan and Damon fighting over her and Rebekah, and Rebekah's supposed allegiance to their cause, was certainly not helping.

"Stop it," she cried, "both of you just stop it."

"Now why don't you calm her down, Damon?" Stefan glared at his brother. "You've managed to use that sire bond pretty well so far, haven't you?"

"What the hell is a sire bond?" Jeremy stepped between the two brothers. "Is that what Tyler had?"

"It's a link between two vampires," Stefan explained. Elena needed to know what was really happening to her. He was also still a little upset about Damon revealing his dalliance with Rebekah. "When a human has feelings for a vampire and they are turned by that vampire's blood they might develop a sire bond. Basically means you follow their direct and indirect orders… oh," he laughed without humour, "and there's no known way to break it… unlike the bond between hybrids."

"I'm sired to you?" Elena's mouth popped open. Suddenly the things that had happened to her made sense: her problem with the blood bags, killing the hunter, and maybe even killing Kol; all of it had been indirectly brought up by Damon. Even the cure had been brought up by Damon.

Drink and adjust. We'll figure out the rest later.

Did she even want the cure? Did she only want it because Damon said it was what she wanted?

She didn't get a chance to think about it before Jeremy yelled and ripped off his shirt to reveal a sprawling tattoo.

Wow I'm on a role today. This is the third story I've updated. Next on the list SAF.