Author's Note: This chapter has at least one paraphrased quote from the show. I'm sure you all will recognize it because it's one of Kol's more well-known quotes. I do not in anyway claim ownership of that or any other lines from the show that may be in this chapter.

Chapter 23

Who's Laughing?

Friday, January 21, 2011, just after 4:00 p.m.

Bonnie's Bedroom

I am on The Otherside pacing in Bonnie's room. I'm invisible to the occupants of the room because Kol said my pacing was beginning to become tiresome. He's sitting in Bonnie's Vanity chair next to his Little Bella's bed.

She thankfully passed out before he had to really dig to get the last couple of splinters out. She's been asleep for almost three hours, and Rebekah, Finn, Jeremy, Caroline, Henri, Kol, and I finished packing her things about twenty minutes ago.

Caroline was incredibly helpful because she's gone on trips with Bonnie before, so she knew what essentials my grandbaby will want with her when we make the trip. Everything else has been teleported to the new house in New Orleans.

The others left to go pack up Caroline's things at her house a few minutes ago, so it's just Bonnie, Kol, and myself in the house. I'm not a violent person by nature, but I tend to agree with Kol's urge to go to the boarding house and beat Elena, the bitch, to a bloody pulp for hurting his 'Little Bella.'

However, we both know Bonnie well enough to know that doing so would only further upset her, and the last thing either of us wants to do is distress her more than she already will be when she wakes, even if rearranging Elena's face would make us feel better.

My grandbaby moans in her sleep and her eyes flutter before her heart rate slowly picks up its pace, so Kol leans forward resting his elbows on his knees while he waits for his Little Bella to wake up. Her eyes flutter a few more times and then slowly open. She lays there for a minute before she lifts her head and the blanket and looks at her body. She wonders, 'How did I end up in my Pj's?' before a blush blooms across her cheeks and down her neck.

Kol laughs and tells her, "Relax, Little Bella, your grandmother, Caroline, and Beks helped you change after we got all of the wood out."

"Oh my God, Elena!" and she sits up in a hurry and then grabs her head when the world spins ever so slightly.

Kol reaches out and grips her shoulder gently, steadying her before he tells her, "Easy there, Darling. Elena's gone back to the boarding house. I had Jer call Damon and double check that she was there and unharmed. He couldn't really talk much because she was screaming quite a bit, but he assured Jer she got there in one piece and that she was unhurt. I removed all the wood from your back, and Beks called Nik and got the number for his contractor who gave Nik the supplies when he fixed up our house. So, we replaced your front door, and it looks just like the old one if not a little sturdier. We've been packing under Caroline's careful direction. Has she always been so organized and take-charge?"

Bonnie giggles and nods so he grins back and continues, "Well, she's efficient. I'll give her that. She says the only things left are the things you said you wanted to take on the trip with you and your toiletries. Once you feel up to it, you can check each room and all the drawers and shelves and make sure we haven't inadvertently missed something."

She looks around her room, which is bare of all her personal items then she lays back down, but grabs hold of Kol's hand tightly before the first tear slips out of her eye. Standing, he tries to let go of my baby girl's hand, but she holds on for dear life, so he gently tells her, "I'm not going anywhere, Little Bella. I was just going to join you on your bed so that I can hold you while you cry."

She nods and reluctantly lets go of his hand. He pulls down the blanket and then picks her up and puts her closer to the other side of her bed before he toes off his shoes and then climbs onto the bed pulling her into his arms, "Shh, Little Bella, Jer, and Caroline are safe, and you are fully healed. Although I do want to get some food into you as soon as you feel up to it because you barely ate any lunch and the adrenaline crash will probably make you very hungry once you're fully awake."

She trembles and her tears pick up the pace until she's sobbing against his chest, so he just holds her while she cries out her anger, fear, frustration, sadness, and a little bit of misplaced guilt.

When her tears finally slow some twenty minutes later her hand slides down his chest to the hem of his t-shirt before tucking under it and sliding up until she's touching the bare skin of his abdomen. Her fingers brush back and forth along the flesh there.

If she doesn't stop that soon, he's going to have a very stiff hard-on, but he's loathed to ask her to stop because other than yesterday when he had no shirt on this is really the first time she's initiated touching him beneath his clothes.

Bonnie wiggles up alongside him until their mouths are about even then she leans in and kisses him sweetly. He just enjoys the gentle kiss while her tongue traces the seam of his lips seeking entrance into his mouth. He, of course, grants it, and then her little tongue is massaging his, and he thinks that she really is an incredibly talented kisser for someone who is so inexperienced when it comes to the carnal arts.

My grandbaby's hand slides farther up his torso until his shirt hinders her path, so she pulls her lips away from his and tugs at his shirt with her other hand before she says, "Off."

He pauses and considers. He doesn't want to stop her, but perhaps he should do just that because going farther than they have already after such a traumatic event might be taking advantage.

Bonnie pulls away from him slightly and tells him, "Don't do that Kol. You're not taking advantage. I know exactly what I'm doing, and I'm not reacting to what happened earlier, not really anyhow. I just want to feel you and be as close to you as I can get. Your presence and warmth comfort me. I promise I'll stop us before we go farther than I'm comfortable with."

He nods and sits up before pulling his t-shirt off and tossing it off the side of the bed and then lies back down. Bonnie sits up, too, and removes her tank top and then her bra before practically climbing on top of him and pressing her bare chest into his causing him to think, 'God that feels so bloody good.' She wiggles again until she can reach his lips once more and then she leans in and kisses him again.

They kiss for a minute, and although he's mindful of where the edge of her smaller than his bed is he then rolls them, so she's under him. Kissing her hard for a moment, he then pulls back and looks her over before telling her quite honestly, "Stunning, just stunning." He leans in and kisses her lips, cheeks, chin, and then trails his kisses along her jaw and down to her neck before sucking on her pulse point for a moment before he continues trailing his kisses down and across her collarbone and then down to her breast.

Okay, I think she's fine, and I will just go sit downstairs until they finish comforting each other. I think myself down to the living room and do my best to avoid eavesdropping on the couple upstairs though I do hear my granddaughter say, "Oh God, Kol, please."

She repeats herself, "Oh God, Kol, Please, I need, please."

I can hear his grin when he asks her, "Tell me what you need, Little Bella. Tell me, and I'll do it."

A moment later my grandbaby tells him, "I, I don't know what I need or want, Kol, I've never… I just need, please."

That's bordering on dangerous territory, so he asks her, "Exactly how far are we going, Bonnie? I need to know before we go any farther, so I have some idea of when I should stop us."

There is silence for a moment then he asks again, "How far, Bonnie? Tell me, and then I'll go back to what I was doing a minute ago."

She pauses then tells him with quite a bit of passion in her voice, "I don't want you to stop Kol, not ever."

I hear him think, 'Sweeter words have never been spoken, but I still don't want to take advantage,' so he resists her when she once again tries to pull his lips to hers and asks her, "Are you sure Bonnie. I'm not opposed to waiting longer. I don't want you to mistake my teasing earlier for impatience. I also don't want you to make love with me because of what happened earlier and then regret it later. I want no regrets between us ever, so I need to know that you're 100% sure that you're ready, or I will stop us right now before it goes too far."

I can tell he means that too. He'll have to take a spin in her shower under very cold water afterward, but he will not take advantage of her or the trauma she suffered earlier. He thinks, 'We have the rest of Eternity and waiting a few days or even weeks or hell even months won't kill me. And oh my God will it definitely be worth the wait.'

He really does think she's reacting to Elena though, so he wants her to step back and look at things from a different vantage point.

My precious girl shakes her head and tells him, "I know what you're thinking, Kol, but it's merely a coincidence that I got hurt and fought with Elena and am now trying to get you to sleep with me. I, I want you Kol. In ways I've never wanted anyone before, not even Jer, and he's the only other boy I've ever loved romantically. I, I need to feel you. You make me feel safe and loved, and while, yes, some of the need to feel safe and loved is a response to what happened I wouldn't try to go that far with you if I wasn't ready because I don't want any regrets between us either. I, I love you Kol, and I want to be with you in every way. I'm ready, I promise."

I see in Kol's still slightly reluctant mind while he looks into her eyes trying to gauge just how honest she's being. Oh, she's glowing green, so he knows she believes what she's saying, but what she thinks and what is true are not necessarily the same thing. She could hardly look at him when he teased her earlier, but he's not sure if that's because she wasn't ready or because Caroline and I were in the room with them while he was teasing her. He sees her love for him shining out at him in her eyes, and he decides to take her words at face value and trust that she knows herself well enough that she wouldn't unintentionally lie to him even if she subconsciously thought it would please him.

He leans down and kisses her while his hand returns to her breast before he pulls back slightly and tells her, "I'm going to trust that you know what you're ready for and what you're not ready for. I'm also going to trust that you aren't trying to please me with things you're not ready to give, but if you change your mind at any time I want you to promise you'll tell me, okay? I promise I won't get angry no matter how far into it we are. I may very well make a B-line for your shower and some very cold water, but I won't be angry okay?"

She nods and tells him, "I know. I trust you to follow my lead, and I realize I'm asking you to trust that I'm not rushing things in reaction to Elena, but I'm really not. I was going to try to go farther with you this morning when I first woke up, but then my stomach and the conversation downstairs distracted me. I want you Kol, in every way possible, right now and always. Do you remember what Nik said that first day? I told Caroline I was waiting until it felt real and forever, and it does with you. Always and Forever, Kol."

He thinks, 'God, I know she doesn't know the significance of those words to my siblings and me, but I know her well enough to know they do have the same kind of significance for her,' so he leans in and kisses her before bringing one hand up and squeezing her breast. His other hand travels down to her hip and then cups her through her shorts.

I stand abruptly from my seat on the couch and begin pacing again. I try very hard not to listen as they explore each other. I'm not having much success, so I hurriedly walk into the kitchen and begin cleaning up after lunch. Everyone put their dishes in the sink, but the dishwasher was full and clean, so the dirty dishes need cleaning. Opening the dishwasher, I put all the clean dishes away. When that's done I decide filling the dishwasher with the dirty dishes won't take long enough, so I fill one side of the sink with soapy water, and I begin slowly and methodically washing all our dishes.

I'm pleased that Kol continued to be mindful of what my granddaughter was ready for, but I really don't want to invade their privacy any more than I already have. I firmly believe he's a good match for her. Actually, I think they're a good match for each other. My ancient friend needs to be loved unconditionally, and my baby girl is just the woman for the job.

When all the dishes are clean I listen in long enough to hear Kol tell my baby girl, "Careful, Little Bella, remember I don't wear anything under my pants, so you're about to get an eye full as you once put it."

I can tell she is grinning at him when she pulls away from his nipple and tells him with a sparkle in her hazel eyes, "I'm hoping it's a mouth full."

Chuckling to myself I focus back on the dishes. I slowly dry each bowl and then place it in the cupboard where it goes. Next, I take apart the top of the stove and clean up the splatters that have accumulated over time. I use a damp paper towel to rinse the soap off the stove and then use a dry paper towel to remove the dampness before putting the stove back together. When that's done I open the oven door but it's already spotless, so I close it again.

I check back in with the duo upstairs in time to hear Kol tell my precious girl, "If I cum today I want to cum inside you, so it's time I get you naked so that I can make that happen."

Bonnie giggles and lifts her hips in silent invitation before he tells her, "I really do love modern lady's underthings. They're so much sexier than the old-fashioned undergarments you would have worn if you were born even a century ago."

She giggles again and tells him, "And what do you know I'm modeling my modern underwear for you, just like you wanted from day one."

I chuckle because she has no idea how badly he's wanted this since the night she saved his life. I focus back on the kitchen and what else I can clean to keep myself busy. I take the bucket out of the cupboard beneath the sink and fill it with hot soapy water and then begin scrubbing the floor by hand because that should take longer and keep me more focused than using the mop would.

I focus on the heat of the water when I dip the sponge into the bucket and the slide of the soap bubbles on my skin while I squeeze the excess water out. Bonnie has kept a very tidy house. I think that's mostly because she feared what her father would do if she didn't, but regardless the floor doesn't actually need to be cleaned and especially not as thoroughly as I am doing it.

Half an hour later I stand and wet the mop before rinsing the floor quickly. Stepping back when I finish I decide I at the least haven't made it dirtier, so that's a plus.

I tune into the couple upstairs and hear him think that he's had a lot of sex in the years since he bedded his first maiden. There have been a fair amount of virgins in the 301 years he was not in his box while sexually active. Though, he doesn't think any of them were anywhere near as tight as she was. He silently hopes, 'If I'm lucky, The Linking Spell we did will keep her this tight for all time. Although, now that I think about it she may find that her maidenhead will regrow, and we'll have to break through it every time like I know my Sister has to anytime she has sex.'

So far as I can tell they're done when he says, "I love you, Bonnie, Always and Forever."

I can see through his mind when a tear slips out of her eye before she tells him, "I love you, too, Always and Forever." She leans up and kisses him then pulls back and says, "That was beautiful and more than I could have hoped for when I decided to wait until it felt real and forever. Thank you."

He brushes his thumb under her eye brushing away her tear before he laughs and asks her, "Did you seriously just thank me for making love to you? Believe me, the pleasure was definitely all mine, and if you feel like repeating the act anytime just let me know."

She frowns, so he kisses her tenderly and tells her, "I didn't mean to make light of what you said. You're welcome, and it really was my pleasure. I, it was never that good before and given that I've been fucking for over 300 years that's saying something. Then again I've only ever truly made love to one other woman."

My baby girl smiles slightly and says, "You mean Chalina?"

He nods and wonders, 'Is it weird to bring up my past love while in the naked arms of my current love?'

Bonnie just smiles and tells him, "You look pained, Kol. I'm not upset that you brought her up."

Then she smiles, and as if she's reading his thoughts she says, "I also don't think it's weird. She was a part of your past, and really that makes her part of who you are now, too. If you hadn't loved her and started writing that spell, we wouldn't be linked right now. Plus, I think she taught you how to not only love but forgive yourself for your sins, so you could love me fully when the time came. I get the sense that she was the only other one you truly loved the way you love me. I also think her loss made you appreciate love more when it came to you a second time. You value me more and work harder at keeping me safe both physically and emotionally because of the gaping hole her death left in your heart."

She's correct on all counts, so he just nods slightly. She pauses and kisses him then says, "Really when you think about it I owe her quite a bit of gratitude. First, for loving you and second, for teaching you the things you needed to learn to be with me this way. After all, you've said multiple times since we became friends that she's the one who finally managed to teach you how to control your anger and jealousy enough that you could ultimately control your bloodlust, too."

Bonnie reaches up and wipes a tear from his cheek before he tells her, "I, I never thought I'd open myself up to someone this way again because it hurt so bloody much when she died, but I'm glad I have and that it's you who won my heart. I'm also so incredibly grateful that you agreed to The Linking Spell so I can let go of the nagging fear that I'll lose you, too. I wouldn't have survived your loss, but now it's impossible, so I can breathe easier."

My granddaughter smiles and nods before telling him, "I love you, Kol."

He smiles and leans down and kisses her briefly before he tells her, "And I love you, Bonnie."

Just then Kol hears a car door close and a single heartbeat walk towards the front door, so he leans down and kisses her before telling her, "I hate to end this little interlude, but I think your father is home."

Bonnie's eyes widen, so Kol pulls out of her moaning at the loss of her heat while she moans at the loss of him inside her before he throws his clothes on at vampire speed and then hands her the pile of clothes Caroline left out for her to wear once she woke up. She dresses quickly though not as fast as he did.

I return to The Otherside making myself invisible again a moment before her father opens the front door and Kol asks her, "Do you want to officially introduce me, or would you prefer I leave via the window and we do the introductions another time?"

Frowning my baby girl asks, "Can we do both? You leave out the window and then come back in a minute or two, so he doesn't know what we just did."

She blushes when she says the last part, so I laugh lightly at the fact that they just did what they just did but talking about it causes her to blush deeply. Kol thinks it's humorous, too. Still, he smiles and tells her, "I can do that. Do you mind if I compel him to resist all compulsions from anyone not you or my family and me?"

Her eyes widen, but then they narrow so he tells her, "The loophole would be there for the same reason I put it there when I compelled Jeremy. It's a safety precaution, nothing more. No one in my family will abuse the existence of the loophole if only because we know it would upset you if we do."

She frowns and tells him, "Sorry, I wasn't upset about that because I know why you want it there and honestly it makes sense to have the loophole, so that's not why I was frowning."

He smiles gently but tells her, "Was? You're still frowning, Little Bella. What's wrong?"

She leans in and kisses him and then says, "I just wish I knew how much of his acceptance of my recent decisions is his free will and how much is your compulsion. It's not a big deal, and I'll get over it eventually."

He frowns and tells her, "I wish I could fix it for you, but we need to keep the compulsion in place. Plus, the man used to beat you on a regular basis. I hate to say it, but I doubt he has many nice things to think or say about anyone, you included."

My baby girl nods and says quietly, "I know. Don't worry I'll get over it."

He leans in and kisses her just when her father calls out, "Bonnie, are you home?"

Kol walks to the window, opens it, and then blows her a kiss before jumping out the window and landing a few feet away while she yells back, "I'm upstairs, Dad." Based on where the heartbeat is in the house Kol goes around the opposite side of the house before walking at vampire speed to the end of the block, and then he stands there for a minute before turning around and walking back to Bonnie's house at a human pace.

When he reaches the front door, he rings the bell and waits. Rudy answers and asks, "May I help you?"

Wow, déjà vu' but Kol keeps his smile from becoming suspicious and tells the ass, "Yes sir. I'm Kol Mikaelson, a friend of Bonnie's. I'm hoping she's home, and I can take her out for dinner if you don't mind. My sister, 'Bekah, said Caroline, Jer, Bonnie, and she worked most of the day boxing and shipping Bonnie's things, so I figured I'd stop by and offer to buy your daughter some dinner, so she doesn't have to worry about cooking for herself after working so hard all day long."

Kol can hear Bonnie moving around upstairs presumably looking through each room to make sure that we packed everything and didn't miss anything. When he says the last word, Bonnie comes down the stairs and smiles a blinding smile at him before she says, "Hey Kol. You just missed Rebekah and the others."

While she moves to stand beside her father, Kol smiles and tells her, "I know. I saw Beks when she came home briefly before heading to Caroline's house, and she told me how hard you all worked today, so I thought I'd come and save you from having to cook after a hard day's work and offer to take you to The Grill for dinner."

She smiles but turns to look at her father and asks, "Do you mind Dad, or would you prefer I stay home tonight?"

The balding man shakes his head and tells her, "No, I have a meeting with the Sheriff and other town officials, so go have fun with your friend. Are you sleeping over at Rebekah's again tonight?"

Bonnie's green eyes widen before she says, "Uh, if you don't mind, I'd love to. She invited me to stay over, but I wasn't sure if you'd be cool with me staying over two nights in a row."

Rudy smiles the way he usually does at her when others are present and tells her, "You're a grown woman, and this time next week you'll be living on your own, so although I'm pleased that you're so considerate I don't think it's really necessary at this point. All I ask is that you let me know where you'll be for the night, so if something happens I know where you are, but other than that you're an adult now, so I'll let you make that decision for yourself."

She leans up and kisses his cheek before telling him, "Thanks Dad," then she turns and looks at her mate before she says, "I just need to grab an overnight bag, Kol. I'll be right back."

Rudy moves so he's not blocking the door and motions with his hand obviously testing the vampire to see if he can enter without an invitation, so Kol walks past the man into the house suppressing his chuckle when Rudy lets out a sigh of relief, and his shoulders relax dramatically.

Bonnie's father turns before he shuts the door, so Kol catches his eyes. He compels him, "You will from this moment forward wholly and completely resist all vampire and witch compulsions from everyone except your daughter, myself, Rebekah Mikaelson, Elijah Mikaelson, Niklaus Mikaelson, Finn Mikaelson, Henrik Mikaelson, Sheila Bennett, or Caroline Forbes regardless of how much or how little Vervain is in your system."

Kol pauses so he can repeat his words back to him and then Kol tells him, "You will not remember any of my compulsion just now or that I am a vampire."

Rudy repeats those words to him, so Kol releases him and smiles at him and because he doesn't remember anything that just happened Rudy asks, "So Kol, what do you do?"

Kol smiles and tells him, "I graduated from Secondary School two Junes ago and then took two years off while I tried to decide on a Major and a university."

Rudy nods and asks, "And did you decide?"

Kol nods back, and thankful that he did a bit of research on his phone last night while Bonnie slept he tells the abusive ass, "Yes, I'm thinking Anthropology and Mythology, perhaps with a minor in English because I think I'd like to use my degrees to write. As for a school, I'm thinking Tulane or the University of New Orleans."

Rudy nods while Bonnie comes back down the stairs with the bag Caroline packed for her slung over her shoulder. When she reaches the two men, Kol reaches out and slides her bag off her shoulder. Rudy smiles at her and surprisingly tells her, "I'm so proud of you Bonnie, and I think you've learned from your past mistakes and are making really smart decisions about your future."

Kol lets out a sigh while his shoulders release the tension he hadn't even realized was making them stiff. Bonnie is smiling an ear to ear smile with her pearly white teeth showing before she leans up and kisses her father's cheek. When she pulls away from him, she says, "Thank you, Dad."

My former son-in-law nods so Kol reaches out and shakes his hand before the vampire lies through his teeth, "It was nice meeting you, Sir."

Bonnie's father nods and says, "Have a good evening you two," and then he walks towards his room.

Kol holds the new door open for Bonnie smiling when she quickly inspects the door before smiling widely at him and heading out to the car. He smiles back and closes the door before following her out of the house. She gets into the passenger side after handing him her keys, so he goes around the car and gets in before adjusting the seat.

Kol turns and looks at her before asking, "So do you really want to go to The Grill, or do you want to go to my house, or do you want to see if Caroline and the others need any help?"

She takes out her phone and dials. When the line connects Caroline asks, "Bonnie, are you feeling better?"

Bonnie smiles and says, "I am feeling better, thanks."

Caroline's smile is evident when she tells Bonnie, "I figured Kol would take good care of you."

My grandbaby laughs and tells her friend, "You have no idea."

Caroline laughs but then stops abruptly and says, "Wait, I sense a story, spill."

Kol and I both smile when my grandbaby says, "It was real and forever, so I stopped waiting."

Thankfully, Bonnie knows her friend well enough that she pulls the phone away from her ear just in time to avoid hearing damage when Caroline squeals, "Really!? You did it?"

Bonnie blushes ten shades of red again before she nods and says, "Um yes and it was amazing. Anyway, that's not why I called. I want to know if you still need help packing or can Kol and I can go back to his house for some more alone time."

Kol smiles wider when Caroline laughs and says, "Totally go have alone time. We're almost done here anyway so go bask in the glow. Since we've discovered that ghosts can eat and taste food Jer and I promised to take Beks, Finn, and Henri to the local DQ, so the three of them can try soft serve ice cream, so we're probably going to head there soon."

Bonnie smiles and says "Okay, I bet Henri will love that. I'll talk to you later."

Caroline laughs again and tells her, "Oh, we definitely will, and you'll be telling me everything."

When Bonnie hangs up a moment later, she turns and tells Kol, "Other than needing to eat I'm down with going back to your house."

I make myself visible to the two other people in the car at the same time Kol nods and pulls out of my granddaughter's driveway heading in the direction of The Grill. Kol doesn't so much as twitch when I appear in the rearview mirror, but Bonnie notices my appearance and jumps so hard she almost bumps her head on the ceiling. "Geeze, Grams, don't do that!"

I chuckle and tell her, "My apologies, Baby Girl. We need to come up with a way for us ghosts to warn you all that we're about to materialize."

Bonnie nods and then asks, "So what's up, were you with Caroline and the others?"

I smile gently and tell her, "No, I stayed behind with Kol and cleaned up your kitchen while you comforted each other."

I chuckle when she blushes furiously, and her jaw drops, and she turns an even brighter red again before stuttering, "You-you were in the house?"

I nod, so she covers her face with her hands and says, "Oh my God."

I place my hand on her shoulder and tell her, "Relax, Baby Girl, once I knew he wasn't pressuring you to do anything I went downstairs and did your dishes, by hand, and then washed your floor and the stove to keep myself busy. I only peeked every so often to find out if you were done yet, but as soon as I realized you weren't, I closed my mind again and went back to cleaning. Your private moments were private. You're okay though?"

She peeks out from between her fingers and smiles before she nods then she lowers her hands and says, "I'm perfect."

Kol laughs and says, "Yes, you are."

Her blush returns in full force. We chat about how much we think Henri is going to enjoy soft serve ice cream and before we know it we arrive at The Grill. Kol parks the car quite a bit down the street from the bar and then gets out going to Bonnie's door to help her out of the vehicle. She giggles, and when he raises his eyebrow at her, she smiles and tells him, "Sorry, your impeccable manners reminded me of our conversation at the coffee shop that first morning and the way you said the world has gone to crap in the last hundred years. Chivalry is not dead for you, and I really do love that about you."

He smiles while he reaches back and helps me out of the car, too. He tells her honestly, "I wish I could say something corny about it being a reaction to you. In truth, chivalry was the way of most lands for the majority of my existence, and I really do hate that the Modern World seems to have lost touch with it."

She smiles and tells him, "Care said Nik said something similar once. I wasn't friends with you all at that point, but now that I know all of you so much better than I did I can see how much you and all of your older brothers really hate that one thing about this day and age."

He puts his hand in the small of her back and leads her down the street towards the door of The Grill while he tells us, "It's the one major complaint I have about the 21st Century, well that and how people today have lost faith through the years. As such they have no clue who they should really fear, Silas for example. Elena told me the night we made our truce that what the witches I've known through the years said would happen if he rose is biblical. And while I realize what she said is, in fact, accurate, the problem is she doesn't believe the old stories and has no faith in their veracity, so she sees no problem risking raising Silas because she doesn't believe he'd really bring about hell on earth. What she and most people in this day and age, with the possible exception of witches, seem to fail to remember is that all myth has some basis in reality. Every culture has tales of vampires because we truly exist even though most people consider vampires to be nothing more than scary bedtime stories. Yet the three of us all know without question that the myths are true. Even if all the old superstitions regarding us aren't accurate, we do still exist, and the major parts of the mythology are, in fact, true. What I tried to explain to her before she went back on her offer of a truce is that even if all the stories of Silas are not accurate, the chances that most of them are is too high to risk releasing him. It's why I asked you to move all the professor's personal and professional items into one of the spare rooms in my house. I went through his journals shortly after you moved everything and tried to narrow down where the tomb is. I didn't have much luck. Then the other day after you showed me your premonition I knew enough information to figure out where he was hidden. I then made sure the information and Silas' tombstone reached a hunter who has no interest in The Cure other than for the purpose it was created for; to turn Silas mortal and then kill him. I got word from a reliable contact while you were unconscious that the tomb was found, and Silas was fed The Cure and then ended."

My granddaughter has very wide eyes when she stops and turns and looks at him and then asks, "For real?"

He nods so she nods back but asks, "And how do you know they weren't just telling you what they know you wanted to hear?"

My friend smiles and tells her the same thing he told me, "That's a fair question and one that Sheila asked when I told her earlier. I've known this line of witches for centuries, and they hold me in high esteem. Chalina and her family were witches as was her future brother-in-law and, um, if you trace this line of witches back far enough you find Chalina's baby sister, Josefina. They know I tried to save her sister and was devastated when I failed to prevent her death at Mikael's hand. They discretely helped me in my search for a way to dagger Nik in the early 20th Century. They warned me that the wrong people knew what Mary-Alice, Astrid and, I were doing with my other witch friends and that Nik knew what I was up to. I disregarded their warnings and gave my brother the opportunity to trap Mary-Alice and Astrid in their house and then dagger me. Our other friends were so scared of Nik that they immediately fell into line and began behaving how Nik wanted them to. Anyhow, I trust Josefina's descendants more than most. In fact, my siblings, you, and Jeremy, Sheila, and Caroline, to a slightly lesser degree, are the only ones I trust more than I trust them and that's fairly new."

When he starts us walking again, she smiles and asks, "So what you're saying is it's highly likely that Silas is no longer a threat?"

He nods before he pauses at the closed door and tells her, "So far as I know The Cure is no more as well because there was only one dose and Galen used it to kill Silas once and for all."

My grandbaby frowns before she tells us, "I'd tell Elena, but I doubt she'd believe us."

We both nod, and Kol opens the door of The Grill for us and tells her, "I agree she wouldn't even listen to what we have to say, but I wanted you to know, so you'll have one less thing to worry about."

She frowns and asks, "How do you know I was worried about that?"

Sliding his hand from the small of her back to her hip, he squeezes gently before smiling just as softly and telling her, "Hanging out with a family of vampires and vamp running aren't the only things you have in common with Bella Swan: You also talk in your sleep. It sounded like you were having a nightmare last night about Elena unleashing Silas, and although I couldn't wake you up whispering that Silas was still hidden and we were all still safe seemed to calm you enough to have what I hope was a dreamless sleep after that."

Her eyes are wide, and her mouth is hanging open slightly before she frowns and asks, "Seriously, I talk in my sleep? I thought it was just that once on the way back from the beach. That… that has the potential to be very embarrassing."

Kol and I ignore Stefan Salvatore who has likely been listening to our entire conversation since we got out of the car and Kol squeezes my furiously blushing precious girl again before leading her to the bar to place her food order. Kol leans his back against the bar while we wait for the Bartender to see to us and tells her, "Little Bella, I think the only things you would consider embarrassing are your private thoughts about me, and I think I already know full well how you feel about me and how HOT you think I am so—"

She smacks his chest pretty hard causing the older man to let out a grunt before he laughs and rubs his chest telling her, "Careful of your new-found strength there, Little Bella, or you might hurt one of us without meaning to."

Her face falls, and her hand comes up to his chest before she asks, "Are you okay? I didn't mean to—"

He grabs her hand and holds it against his chest over where his heart slowly beats and tells her honestly, "I'm fine. It's not me you need to be mindful of. I only mentioned it so that you know to keep an eye on it so that you don't accidentally hurt someone who doesn't have vampire healing, like Jer or your father."

She's still frowning before she asks, "You're sure you're okay?"

Smiling, he nods and tells her, "When we get home, you can inspect me as thoroughly as you like, and you'll see there isn't even a bruise though I won't try to stop you if you decide to kiss it and make it better."

She blushes and smacks his chest again although with much less force this time and tells him, "Could you possibly say that any louder? I don't think the people in the corners heard you."

Kol and I both laugh when he opens his mouth as if to repeat himself louder, so she slaps her hand over his mouth and then turns to the bartender and gives him her order all while keeping her hand over Kol's mouth.

He can't keep his laughter to himself and honestly neither can I, but he gets it under control enough to lick her hand, which causes her heartbeat to speed up despite the scowl she sends his way. She slowly takes her hand away from his mouth and tells him as sternly as I imagine she can, "Behave, Sparkle Pants."

He groans while Stefan chuckles so Kol asks her, "You just had to call me that within earshot of The Ripper of Monterrey?"

She looks around the room until her eyes land on the much younger but infinitely more violent vampire in the corner booth. Her eyes widen, and she says, "God, Kol, I'm sorry I didn't realize he was here. I wouldn't have—"

He cuts her worried words off with a soft smile on his face, "No worries, Little Bella. He knows full well that regardless of what you may call me I am perfectly capable of ending him in one of your heartbeats without even breaking a sweat. He also should know that he stands no chance against me even if my girlfriend does insist on calling me 'Sparkle Pants.'"

She's still frowning, so Kol bumps her shoulder with his and tells her, "I mean it, Bonnie. His knowledge of your nickname for me changes nothing between him and me or you and me for that matter, so don't worry your pretty little head about it, okay? I'm not angry."

She reluctantly nods so Kol tells his order to the patiently waiting bartender and then turns to me and asks, "Sheila do you want anything?"

I pause and then grin and say, "I'd love one of their deluxe bacon burgers with curly fries."

The bartender nods and repeats my order and then looks directly at me and asks, "Anything to drink with that, Ma'am?"

I hide my surprise and tell him, "A large vanilla milkshake would be great."

My interaction with the bartender has caused all of our eyes to widen so when the man nods and then leaves to place our order I turn my wide eyes to Kol and ask, "He heard me and saw me. How is that possible?"

Kol's eyes narrow while he thinks then he shrugs and says, "I'm not entirely sure, but technically we did two Waxing or Waning Moon spells on a Full Moon, so that might have inadvertently changed some of the results of the spells. I heard you and Finn discussing Freya and her sudden disappearance at the completion of the spell so I'm inclined to think that the timing of when we did the spell has made several things happen differently than how they would have if we did the spells at the time the spells were designed to be cast."

My grandbaby frowns and asks him, "You're worried about Freya?"

He shrugs and says, "I'm sure she knows how to get in touch with us because I clearly recall her making a point to recall any family phone numbers as they were revealed while on The Otherside so that she could get in touch with us upon her waking. The only reason I can think of that she would have vanished is if she woke early, so I'm going to give it a few days before I really start to get concerned, but there is a slight hum of worry in the back of my mind. I keep praying that we didn't inadvertently hurt her or mess up her ability to wake but something is keeping me from truly worrying or panicking so I've decided to try to be patient and see what happens in the next few days."

My granddaughter and I both nod and we lapse into silence until Bonnie's phone beeps at her.

She takes her phone out of her pocket and reads the message before showing Kol and me the text from Damon which says, "Why does my brother think Silas and The Cure are no more?"

I frown and tell my two companions, "Stefan really is very good at sticking his nose where it doesn't belong."

Kol sighs and nods before telling us both, "He really is. Bonnie, you can tell him. He may be the only one who can get through to Elena."

My baby girl frowns again and asks, "But how does Stefan even know? We were more than 100 feet from the door of the bar when you told me about Silas being dead, and the door was closed at that."

Kol smiles and tells us, "He's old enough despite his diet making him weaker than most his age that he would be able to hear our conversation in the car as we drove by to find a parking spot never mind what we said while we walked to the door."

Her eyes widen before she asks, "Is Damon's hearing even better then because he doesn't eat animals?"

Kol nods before her eyes widen even more and she asks, "So he heard me call you Sparkle Pants last night, too, then?"

He chuckles and tells her, "Probably. Like I said I'm not worried about it, especially with Damon because despite your history with him I can tell that he genuinely cares about what happens to you and your wellbeing, so he's not likely to try to make a big deal about it. I mean don't get me wrong, he's a sarcastic ass at the best of times, but I don't mind if he busts my balls, as the saying goes, because I know he won't mean anything by it. Plus, his fear of my family might actually be enough to keep him from saying anything about it."

Bonnie frowns and says, "Clearly you don't know Damon as well as you think you do. His fear of your family will actually be more likely to cause him to lash out in any way he can if he feels threatened so…"

Kol smiles genuinely, "Even still it doesn't bother me in the grand scheme of things I just don't like Stefan and would prefer he know as little about you and me and specifically our relationship as possible."

My baby girl's phone beeps again, so she reads then giggles and shows us the message, "Tell Sparkle Pants to stop babbling and tell me why my brother thinks Silas is dead and The Cure is used up and lost forever."

Kol laughs and says out loud, "He's got to be outside because Stefan hasn't touched his phone while we've been talking. To answer your question, Damon, a contact of mine that I may have given access to the Professor's personal journals contacted me earlier today to tell me that a hunter I've given information to through my contact before found the tomb and used The Cure as its creator intended. Your brother knows the same way you heard our conversation just now because he listened in while we were walking from the car to the front door. If I had known he was in here, I would have waited and told Bonnie when we got home."

Kol pauses then asks what I'm wondering, "If you're here, where is young Elena?"

Bonnie stands up straight when she and Kol, as well as Stefan, all hear him tell us, "She's at the store down a ways and across the street. She should be far enough away that she can't hear given how short a time she's been a vampire, especially because she only had a little of my blood in her system when she died. Even though her abilities should be on par with mine, I'm finding that they're not anywhere near mine. Best guess is the fact the blood was injected instead of directly from the vein and was only a small amount possibly coupled with how long she waited to complete the transition has likely dulled her senses and abilities considerably because her abilities are nowhere near where they should be."

Stefan slams his fist on his table and says, "Is it really a good idea to be telling the enemy that Elena is weak?"

Damon chuckles and tells us all, "First, I'm not as convinced as I used to be that Kol is the enemy. Don't get me wrong, I disagree with some of his actions in the past but most everybody disagrees with me, too, but that doesn't change that I usually did whatever for the greater good. Second, Brother, I was explaining to Bonnie, not Kol because if you think for a millisecond that Kol doesn't already know each and every single one of all of our weaknesses, then you clearly haven't been paying attention the way you should be."

Stefan frowns and asks, "But how can she hear you? She's still human."

Kol standing beside Bonnie and me frowns and tells him, "That is none of your business because you've already made it clear you consider myself and Bonnie to be your enemies. Just know that she's not as weak and helpless as you think and could easily wipe the floor with you if you try to harm her or those she cares about."

The Bambi eating vampire frowns and opens his mouth to argue, but Kol cuts him off, "Don't bother arguing because it will only show how foolish you are."

Damon laughs at that while the bartender brings our food to us. Kol takes his wallet out of his pocket and pays the man. When he takes back his change and puts a few dollars in the man's tip glass Stefan pouts and tell his brother, "It's not funny, Damon. We need to know everything about them, and you know that."

Damon's laugh abruptly stops, and he asks, "What makes you think I don't already know everything I need to know? Besides he's leaving town soon, so he shouldn't bother us for a few decades at least. Plus, I think Bonnie, Caroline, and Jeremy will keep them all in line the next time we see them provided you or Elena don't go and do something stupid. God, how fucked up is it that I'm the one saying this?"

Bonnie, Kol and I all laugh at that before my granddaughter smiles widely and tells him, "It's pretty funny if you ask me, but you're not giving yourself enough credit Damon. You and Ric were the ones who always came up with the plans that saved the day. You know when something needs doing and when it doesn't. You and Stefan have just seemed to put you in this hopeless category that I'm beginning to realize never truly fit you, or at least not when your switch is in the on position."

Stefan is frowning while Damon says, "Thank you, for that, Bonnie."

She smiles even wider and tells him, "You're welcome, but it's true."

Stefan slams his hand on the table again and then gets up and drops some cash on the table before he walks out of the bar. We all hear the secretly psycho man tell his brother, "You're not helping, Damon. They're a threat, and you're not only looking the other way, but you're actually thanking her for being nice to you?"

Kol leads Bonnie and me out of The Grill a moment later in time to catch Damon's shrug before he tells his brother, "You and Elena are the only ones who don't realize that A.) Bonnie saved all of our lives with the truce she formed with Kol and his family. B.) Bonnie, not to mention Jeremy and Caroline, are smart, and level-headed enough that they won't stand by idly if the Mikaelson's are truly a threat to any of us and yet the three of them are agreeing to move with them."

He holds up his hand when his brother's mouth opens to argue and then tells Stefan, "Before you go accusing any of them of compelling them all, Bonnie can't be compelled. Plus, even you should know better than to think she would stand by and let any one of the Mikaelson's hurt any of us unless we attack them first. And if we do attack first, then she'd be justified and absolutely right to let them protect themselves. God, Stefan, can you please go back to being my level-headed, calm, sane, and smart brother? I hate being like this, and all you're going to do is get the woman we both love dead if you keep egging her on."

At Stefan's frown, Damon gives him a pointed look and tells him, "Yeah, I know you're the one who suggested she confront Bonnie about the Mikaelson's having their magick back. She seriously hurt Bonnie, and they would totally be within their rights to take action against both of you. Now because you're obviously still not hearing the words coming out of my mouth you should probably leave and be forewarned that I used The Sire Bond to keep Elena from listening to any more of your bullshit so tread carefully before you piss me off enough for me to let the Mikaelsons give you what you have coming."

Um Wow. I'm honestly impressed that he would do such a thing. Bonnie is right he loves Elena more than he loves himself because he had to know she wouldn't like or approve of his action, and he did it anyway because it will protect her.

Kol takes the break in the conversation and catches Stefan's eyes before compelling him, "From this moment forward you will never lose control while feeding. However, you will not feed from humans or drink human blood ever again unless you are injured, still in danger, and there is absolutely no other option, and then you will only take enough to heal yourself. Other than that, one exception you will only eat animals. You will never try to harm or kill any of my siblings, me, Bonnie, Caroline, Jeremy, Damon, and Elena or anyone any of them are related to or anyone who is innocent or not a direct threat to you, Damon, Elena, Jeremy, Caroline, Bonnie, Myself, or any of my siblings. You will always protect all of us to the best of your ability, and you will turn your switch on if it's not already on and then never turn it off again."

Kol pauses so Stefan can repeat everything back to him, and without breaking his gaze, Kol asks Bonnie, "Little Bella, did I miss any of the things you requested I compel him to do or not do?"

My baby girl frowns but starts wiggling her fingers as though she's ticking each thing off in her mind before she smiles and says, "I honestly think that's everything, but if you can compel him not to try to instigate any more, that'd be awesome, too."

Kol and I laugh at that, but he tells Stefan, "From this moment forward you will not try to instigate strife between anyone, and you will not conspire against or try to cause any sort of trouble for Bonnie, or anyone she considers her friend or family. You also won't help or instigate anyone else trying to cause any of us any trouble either."

While Stefan repeats all of that back to Kol, Bonnie and I nod and so does Damon. When Stefan finishes repeating the compulsion, Damon asks, "Should I be worried that you seem able to compel my brother? And how is the very deceased Ms. Bennett standing here nodding at you?"

Kol shakes his head and tells him, "No. Bonnie would disapprove if I abused that fact. As for Grams, well, the short answer is we did a spell to make her ghost visible to us."

Damon nods but asks, "Okay and how is it that my brother's not taking Vervain like he swears he has been?"

Kol chuckles and tells him, "Back when he was spending time with my brother, Nik, compelled him to never eat, drink, or wear Vervain ever again. And before you get worried none of us have abused that fact even before we became friends with Bonnie. I swore to her, as have the other members of my family that we will not compel anyone she considers hers without first talking to her about it, so you're all safe."

Damon frowns but nods, so Kol man asks us, "Are we done compelling him?"

Bonnie and Damon both nod as do I, so Kol tells Stefan, "You will also not remember any of the compulsions I just placed on you, the fact that I compelled you at all, nor anything any of us have said within your hearing range about the spell that makes Sheila visible and corporeal."

When he finishes repeating the compulsion Damon stands up straight from where he was leaning against the building next door to The Grill before he says, "Heads up, Kol, Elena is headed our way, so you should probably get Bonnie and Ms. Bennett out of here lest we have a repeat of this afternoon."

Kol sees Elena, and thankfully she's coming from the opposite direction from where we need to go to get to the car, so he nods and then tells Damon, "Thank you, we'll let you know when we leave town, so you can stop worrying about your brother and Elena causing any trouble with us."

Damon nods, so Kol puts his hand back in the small of Bonnie's back and leads us towards our car. When we reach it, we hear Elena ask, "Was that Bonnie and Kol? God, what do they fucking want now?"

Damon's frown is apparent when he says, "They were just getting Bonnie some food and telling me that they'll let us know when they leave town."

Elena's voice begins to fade when they walk away, but the three of us still hear her loud and clear when she says, "I can't wait until I don't have to deal with any of them anymore. Good riddance I say."

Damon pauses his walking and looks at the girl he loves before he says, "God Elena, could you possibly stop being such a raging bitch. Bonnie saved all our lives, and Kol was kind enough to undo the compulsions you wrongfully placed on your brother. You also need to realize that you seriously hurt Bonnie today, and Kol would be well within his rights to end you for that, and he's not."

Kol and I turn and look at them in time to see her scowl before she grunts and says, "Whatever."

She goes and starts walking again, but Damon puts his hand on her arm and stops her before he tells her, "I'm serious, Elena, Bonnie is likely his mate that means any attack on her is an attack on him. He could end you, and I wouldn't be able to do a damn thing about it except get myself killed, too. And don't look at Stefan for help because Kol would end him even faster than he could end me. You need to stop and think about the consequences of your actions, and God there I go again channeling the old reliable Stefan. You both are giving me a damn headache with all this creepy role reversal."

Kol and I laugh lightly while Bonnie giggles before Kol pulls away from the curb and drives away from the three younger vampires. We're still within range, so we hear when Damon says, "It's not fucking funny you asses so stop laughing."

Our laughter only gets stronger when Elena and Stefan both say, "Who's laughing?" confirming Kol's suspicions regarding both of their vampire abilities or rather their limitations.

Kol turns the corner, and we're out of their range too soon to hear Damon's response, so Kol smiles at my granddaughter and tells her, "Well that was interesting. Can we go home now and entertain ourselves before the others show up?"

My grandbaby giggles harder and just nods so he drives us toward his house, and I spend the ride trying to figure out what I can clean at the Mikaelson's home to keep from eavesdropping on Kol and Bonnie's future private activities.