No fancy introduction this time, honestly, I just couldn't think of one. Alright here goes…

Chapter 18

The Golden Leaf, a tavern just outside of New Orleans…1751

"Drinks for everybody!" A dark, velvety voice announced, belonging to a young man who now stood on the counter of the bar. His offer making the entire tavern erupt with cheering and applause. The now very liked and very handsome man jumped off the counter on which he stood. "I tell you Thomas this is the life, drinks flowing, women dancing and not a care in the world!" he said taking a large swig of the beer glass he was holding. Thomas Whittaker, a pale, lanky and bespectacled young fellow, nodded in agreement with his friend. "And don't forget this wild music!" Thomas shouted, and the rest of the tavern shouted in agreement.

The two young men made their way to the band that sat on a raised platform performing some of the best jazz either of them had heard. "Excellent choice with the bar mate, this one is definitely a lot a more fun than all the others." "Only the best for you." Thomas replied as his friend stumbled over toward the bar, he clearly had had enough to drink but was eager to consume more. "Hey beautiful…. how…abou…one more… round… huh….?" He slurred at the burly barmaid who slammed a beer down on the counter in front of him. He took the beer and knocked it back in one big gulp, finishing with a satisfied sigh. "Woah, easy there mate, don't want to get too drunk now do we?" Thomas asked calmly gripping his friend's shoulders to steady him. "Ah Thomas don't be such a stiff!" he shouted. "Grab a drink, get a whore, live a little!" And Thomas watched as his friend grabbed a woman dressed in red and planted a kiss straight on her lips. The woman looked surprised but happy, however her husband did not share her feelings. The woman's husband rose sharply glaring in their direction and immediately moved out from behind the table. Thomas sensing trouble grabbed his friend and ran. Frankly speaking this was not their first, they had caused many a bar fight before however his friend was on the verge of collapse and Thomas knew he had to get him out of there.

Running through hordes of people wasn't easy when you had a giant man and his friends chasing you, especially when your only back up was too drunk to comprehend anything. Thomas ran as fast as he could, tugging his drunk friend along all the way. They had managed to make it out the back of the tavern. "Why mate…? Why do you always have to go for some other bloke's girl?" Thomas questioned his friend who had his back to the wall, laughing hysterically. "Because…my dear Tommy boy…. it's fun…" He slurred and laughed again this time grabbing his torso. The back door flew open and the woman's husband was back. "Run mate!" Thomas screamed gripping his friend by the sleeve and shoving him forward. Both men ran, only a few feet ahead of the mob of men chasing them. Thomas looked around and thought on his feet, the mob was gaining on them and they had to hide. "Sorry about this mate…" Thomas whispered before pushing his friend into the nearby bushes. The mob was near their hiding position and Thomas had to hold his hand over the drunk boy's mouth, so he wouldn't give away their hiding spot. Once the mob was far away and at a safe distance. Thomas emerged from the bushes pulling his friend with him. "Come on mate." Thomas huffed as he struggled to get his friend's arm around his shoulders. "Let's get you home."

The boys walked for what felt like hours alongside the cobble stone streets. "You owe me big time for this one, you drunken fool." Thomas said to his friend who only grunted in response. The moon and dim street lights were the only light source around and Thomas struggled to find the way back to the hotel which they were staying at. It didn't help that he was a little buzzed himself. "Which way was that blasted hotel?" Thomas asked himself before being stopped by three huge and scary looking men. "Excuse me gentlemen, just trying to find our way hom…" the lanky young man did not get the chance to complete his sentence before one of the men pulled out a gun and fired three shots to his abdomen, while another emptied five rounds into his friend. Both boys fell to the ground while the men loaded their bodies into a carriage.

Early the next morning…

"Hhhhnnnn" groaned the young lad who now had a splitting head and sharp pains throughout his upper body. He sat up with a huff, squinting at the sunlight coming from the carriage window. He rubbed his head and eyes and realised he was moving. "What in the worl…. arrrgghh" he winced in pain, tearing open his white shirt which was blood soaked. He ran his fingers over the bullet wounds. "Bullets! I fucking hate bullets!" he whispered harshly and braced himself as he reached into one of the wounds and pulled out a bullet casing. The wound immediately began to heal. 'Who the hell shot me?' he wondered and where the hell was Thomas? Thomas lay about a foot away from his friend, his breathing so weak it could barely be heard. "Damnit Thomas!" His friend whispered rolling him over and inspecting his injuries. He lowered his head to Thomas's mouth and listened for breathing. "He's alive!" he whispered as his fangs tore through his gums and he bit into his wrist and held it against his friend's mouth.

A few moments later Thomas gasped loudly and bolted upright to find his friend sitting crossed legged across from his position, pulling out bullets from his chest. "What the hell?" Thomas asked, and his friend threw his hand over his mouth. "Quiet! They will hear us!" "We have to escape, listen I'm going to break the latch on the door and when I say just jump!" "Are you crazy? We could die" Thomas whispered in panic. "No time. Now or never!" His friend whispered and broke the latch of the door grabbing Thomas and jumping out the carriage. The men rolled until they came to a stop at the edge of the dirt road. "Well that was fun…" and Thomas stared at his friend in disbelief. "WE NEARLY DIED!" he screamed. "Oh, relax mate, we're alive now aren't we." "BARELY!" Thomas shouted. "OF ALL THE CRAP YOU PULLED THIS IS BY FAR YOUR WORST!"

The dark-haired lad yawned and brushed the dirt of his clothes he knew what Thomas was saying was true. He had gotten them into quite a bit of trouble since they had met, and Thomas was a good friend. He didn't want to get him killed. He decided it was best they part ways. Grabbing Thomas' head, he whispered "You are going to forget everything that has happened last night, you do not know me, and I do not know you, we never met. You got into a small accident and you're going to walk until you find help." The vampire's pupils widened as he compelled his friend to forget everything before speeding away whispering "Thank you Thomas, you were a good friend."

The Mikaelson Mansion….1751

Ten-year-old Stefan Petrova stood on the balcony that led out from the parlour room. He had just rounded up his lessons with Professor Saltzman and went out onto the balcony for some fresh air. The faired haired boy had really grown since he was brought to the mansion along with his siblings six years ago. He had grown close to the Mikaelsons and had the utmost respect and love for them. Stefan folded his arms against the rail that bordered the balcony, resting his chin on them he let out a sigh of exhaustion. This was one of his favourite spots in the mansion. The view was amazing, he could see most of the Quarter and the birds were always chirping around this spot. His thoughts drifted to the upcoming chess competition next week. 'I need to put in more practice.' he thought. Rebekah had begun entering him into competitions two years ago. The venture was successful as he claimed victory in each one of his tournaments. And now that he was ten, Klaus said he would be ready to compete in archery as well.

He wanted nothing more than to make the Mikaelsons proud, after all they had done so much for him, besides, he had to keep up with the other children in the house when it came to achievements. His older sister Katherine took regular awards and certificates for her music and so did Bonnie, who competed globally with her academic prowess. Several private institutions and universities around the world already had scholarships waiting for her. His twin sister Caroline weighed in with her art accolades, two of her paintings even making it into a local gallery. People had often mentioned to the Mikaelsons how accomplished and talented the children were, and Stefan would watch as their faces beamed with pride. The Mikaelsons had grown attached to the children and did everything in their power to ensure they were safe and that their needs were met.

Stefan sighed once more, straightening himself to leave the balcony when he spotted something odd in the distance. It looked like somebody was walking into their courtyard. Stefan braced both his hands against the rail gripping it firmly, craning his upper body to get a better look. Upon closer inspection he could make out a man, a very unkempt one at that. His clothing strewn with dirt and what looked like dried blood, his hair was dishevelled, and he looked to be wobbling slightly. 'Who is this man?' Stefan thought.

He had been walking for hours, he was hungry and tired. His gums burned in need of blood and the drunken haze he had possessed the previous night had begun to ware off. 'Dear Lord, I hope I don't die by the time I get there' he thought. "That was a damn close call." He whispered to himself and replayed the conversation between the men who he figured had shot him.

"He the one?" "Yeah its him." Said one of the men pulling out a picture from his inner coat pocket. "Wasn't that hard to take down, wonder why Mikael was so worried he would attack. Ha! He's nothing more than dead weight." The other laughed kicking him in the ribs. "Come on, Mikael wants his delivery!"

Thankfully he had managed to escape the ordeal with his life and that of his friend still somewhat intact. As he walked along the dirt roads and cobble streets, he thought about laying low for a while. The last thing he need was another run in with the devil. 'Where the hell am I gonna go?' he thought when he noticed a sign board reading "New Orleans, 10 miles ahead." "Well that does it then!" he said in a comical tone. "I'm going home!" After a long trek and lots of sympathetic looks from young women, he found himself in the courtyard of his old house. He silently prayed his Nana had breakfast ready. Yawning loudly, he stumbled toward the door only to be stopped by someone screaming at him.

"Hey! Get out of my courtyard!" the voice screamed, making him stop in his path toward the door, he decided to ignore it and keeping walking. "Hey! You there! Get out of my courtyard now!" The voice screamed again and this time he realised the voice didn't sound as authoritative and booming as he initially thought. In fact, the voice sounded like it hadn't even broken yet. He turned sharply and finally saw who had been screaming at him. It was a kid! A little boy, standing on the balcony with a stern look across his face. "Hey kid, what are you doing? Who are you?" he asked using his hand to block the sunlight from his eyes. "Who are you!? The boy screamed back at him and he started to grow annoyed. He was tired and hungry, he had walked almost 15 miles and he was on edge. "I'm the owner of this house!" he screamed in response. "You lie! This is my house!" the kid shouted. The young man scratched his head, 'Did they sell the house?' he wondered, his thoughts interrupted by the child yelling at him again. "HEY! I SAID THIS IS MY HOUSE NOT YOURS! GO AWAY!" Now he was angry! "LISTEN YOU INSOLENT CHILD! THIS IS MY HOUSE!" he shouted loudly and continued walking to the front door. He stopped when he heard a familiar voice.

"Stefan! Why are you yelling?" Rebekah Mikaelson asked running to the balcony adjacent to the one the little boy stood at. "What is the matter?" she asked looking around the courtyard. When she saw who it was she immediately darted for the front door only to be blocked by a tiny little body. "Miss Rebekah no! That man is dangerous! Please don't open the door!" Stefan pleaded. "Stefan relax baby it's alright." Rebekah tried to reassure the boy who only ran to the door bracing himself against it spreading out his arms as a barrier. Rebekah rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Come now Stefan, step aside." "No Miss Rebekah! I can't let you open the door, that man might hurt you!" "That man won't hurt me Stefan he's…" Stefan didn't wait for Rebekah to finish her explanation, he immediately yelled at the top of his lungs. "MR KLAUS! MR ELIJAH! COME QUICK!"

The Mikaelson brothers were in the office when they heard the boy they had come to care for like a son scream. Both brothers sped over to the boy only to find him using his body as a barricade. "What on earth Stefan, Rebekah, what is the matter here?" Elijah asked, and Stefan explained the whole story. Klaus immediately yanked the door open to find his youngest brother standing at the threshold, beaten, bloody and wreaking of alcohol. "Why if it isn't the prodigal brother returning home from his misadventures." Klaus said sarcastically. "Nik, wonderful to see you too." Rebekah stepped forward pulling her brother into the mansion, embracing him tightly. "I missed you so much…" she whispered to him letting go. Elijah placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "It is wonderful to see you again little brother." he said garnering a huge smile and a tight hug from the youngest Mikaelson.

Ayana, hearing all the commotion came out of the kitchen with her wooden spoon that her granddaughter swore was her magic wand. She reached the Mikaelsons and her wooden spoon came cluttering to the ground. "KOL! MY BABY!" she shouted excitedly and rushed over to him enveloping him in a motherly hug, kissing his face repeatedly. Klaus rolled his eyes at the scene. "Where have you been all these years?" Ayana asked shaking Kol slightly. "No letters, no visits! Did you have any idea how worried I was huh? Stupid boy!" she scolded. "Hi Nana…" Kol replied sheepishly. "Master Kol, you're back." The servants wore looks of excitement. Kol greeted them and they left with Ayana to prepare Kol something to eat. "Come Elijah, we have work to complete." Klaus huffed and pulled Elijah after him "I could use a bath and a change of clothes." Kol said and Rebekah took her brother to help him get cleaned up.

Rebekah led Kol into Klaus' room, opening a cupboard she retrieved a towel and threw it in his direction. She opened Klaus' wardrobe pulling out a shirt and some slacks. "Here you are, take a bath and change." Rebekah instructed him. "Thank you, Bekah." Kol thanked his sister before pulling her close whispering, "Bekah, who's the kid?" motioning to Stefan standing in the corner of the room, arms folded, glaring at Kol. "His name is Stefan Petrova. He lives here, we adopted him and his sisters six years ago. Stefan come her sweetie, this is my youngest brother Kol." Stefan reluctantly shook Kol's hand. Once they were done Rebekah ushered Stefan out the door and Kol did not miss the death stare Stefan gave him on his way out.

A whole half hour later Kol was bathed and changed and heading to the kitchen. "Mmmmmm, something smells good." he remarked as he entered the kitchen and found Ayana cooking. "Its your favourite, lamb stew with vegetables." Ayana stated proudly. "Nana, you still remember." Kol chuckled. "Course I remember baby." "Now taste that for me" she said and handed Kol a plate of the stew. "Wonderful! Absolutely amazing!" Kol replied making the old woman smile widely. "You know Kol baby, this also happens to be my granddaughter's favourite dish." Said Ayana with a hand on her hip. "Really?" Kol replied. "You bet your fangs!" Ayana responded. Both Kol and Ayana chuckled at this. "Well Nana, I tell you what your granddaughter has excellent taste."

Klaus sat alone in his office. He tried to work but no matter how much he tried he just couldn't seem to get anything done. 'He returns after years and they're all fawning over him!' Klaus thought. 'They forgot how he would almost get us killed! The blethering idiot!' Klaus huffed and crossed his arms in frustration. 'Even Elijah went to get him things, so he'd be comfortable!' he thought as he knocked back a shot of Bourbon. It was no secret that Klaus was slightly jealous of his younger brother, he was envious of all the attention Kol always received and how he always got himself into trouble and suffered no consequences. Rebekah, Elijah, Finn, Freya, Nana, Mother, Father, Kol had all of them wrapped around his finger. Klaus angrily slammed the glass on his deck and poured another shot of bourbon.

"Careful, to many of those will give you a cracker of a headache mate." Kol chuckled from the doorway which he now leaned against. "What do you want Kol?" Klaus asked sternly and Kol straightened his standing position. He knew when his brother meant business. "I just wanted to say thank you…" Kol said sincerely walking up to his brother. He continued, "I know trouble always seems to find me and I leave for lengthy periods of time…but…you're always there for me when I need you and you never say no when I need help. Thank you big brother…" Kol grabbed Klaus in warm hug and Klaus was taken aback. Klaus returned Kol's hug. Before breaking apart Kol whispered "Love you Niky…" Klaus' eyes glistened with tears hearing his brother use the old nickname he had given him. Klaus patted his shoulder when he noticed something. "Is that my shirt you're wearing?" Klaus asked and Kol grinned widely and left the office and Klaus took a seat at his desk. He was still feeling emotional hearing his brother's words. "Kol, you really do have everybody under your thumb don't you." Klaus chuckled and quietly sipped his bourbon.

And Kol has arrived! (Hope the Bonenzo aren't too upset…) Long chapter, the next might take a while but I will update. Next chapter Kol meets the girls! PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO LEAVE A REVIEW! Everybody stay safe…Peace and Love…xoxo…Delena Revengero.