When Artemis awoke, she found herself lying on the couch in the living room of the Salvatore Boarding House, a blanket draped haphazardly over her body. She sat up slowly, grunting in pain as the muscles in her abdomen protested her every move. Artemis imagined that she looked about as good as she felt right now. As she lifted up her shirt, she saw that she was right. There was a nasty, purplish red mark on her abdomen, right where the poker had gone through.

"Morning, sunshine," Damon said, sweeping into the room. He knelt down next to her, offering Aspirin and a glass of water. "How're you feeling?"

"I've been better," she mumbled, tossing back the drugs and the water in one swift gulp. "It's gonna be a while before I'm back to the top of my game."

The vampire shrugged. "Stay here and rest, then, before you head out to wherever it is you're going to go," he told her. "Stefan and I are heading over to Elena's for a little bit."

She nodded in acknowledgement, and the two brothers headed out, leaving Artemis to her own devices. Only after she heard the engine of the car fade off into the distance did she finally allow herself to fall back onto the couch and groan in pain. Klaus had really done a number on her. Although her body did not allow her to wake up until it had repaired itself, it often didn't wait until all the pain was gone. After most major injuries, she incredibly sore for days.

A knock on the door caught her attention. Sighing and gritting her teeth, Artemis pulled herself off the couch and shuffled to the door, biting back all of her moans and groans of pain that came with every movement. When she opened the door, she was mildly peeved to find that there was no one waiting on the other side, only a thick envelope lying on the ground, her name written across it in calligraphy. Wincing, she reached down to pick it up.

Please join the Mikaelson family this evening at seven o'clock for dancing, cocktails, and celebration, the invitation inside read. She frowned. One of the Mikaelsons had killed her last night, and now they were inviting her to a celebration? Curiously, she flipped the card over. As an apology for my brother's behavior, please accept this invitation. –Elijah. Ah. So the nicer brother was trying to make up for the meaner one's mistakes.

Artemis turned and shuffled back to the couch, struggling to find a comfortable position. The invitation to the party had been abandoned on a nearby coffee table. She couldn't go to a celebration that fancy. She didn't even own a semi-formal dress, much less a floor-length gown that she assumed the Mikaelson party required. Besides, one of the Mikaelsons had just killed her. Why would she show up if there was a chance she could be killed again?

Even just thinking about a fancy party with the Mikaelsons brought back the happy memories she had made with her husband. They had met in 1417, during the reign of King Henry V. Times were prosperous for England, and the brewer that Artemis worked for certainly took advantage of that. Her husband had come into the tavern one day, ordered a pint of ale, and started chatting her up. She was not sure of what had drawn her to him, or what had drawn him to her. She had only fallen in love a handful of other times in her life, but never this deeply.

With him, it had been different. It was as though they belonged together. The Greeks had believed that people were born with two heads, two hearts, four arms, and four legs, but they were ripped apart. Along with the physical tear, there was also a tearing of a soul, and humans would wander with half a soul until they found their other half. Thus, everyone had a soulmate. Artemis believed that he was hers.

They ran together for years, exploring the world and learning as much as they could about all things supernatural. Then, in 1700, they settled down in Cádiz in Spain. It was a beautiful town, and Artemis had loved it. Unfortunately, their happiness did not last long. Two years after they had shown up, someone had accused Artemis of witchcraft, and she was thrown into the sea to see if she could survive.

From what Eugenia, an actual witch in the village, later told her, her husband dove in the water after her and brought her back to the surface. According to her, he killed a bunch of villagers and then left.

This left Artemis devastated and heartbroken. Since then, she had found herself wandering around Europe, and eventually in the United States, where the worked in factories to make a living. Now, Artemis held a degree in education that she updated every year, and supported herself as a high school history teacher.

As the memories began to flow, she suddenly found herself getting very tired again. Closing her eyes, she could only hope that he would visit her in her dreams.


"Artemis!" she heard Damon shout, waking her up from her sleep. "Artemis, you got invited to this ball thing too?"

"It's an apology invite from Elijah," she mumbled in response, rubbing her eyes. "I'm not going. I don't have anything to wear."

"You're going," Damon argued. "The Original witch wants something from Elena, and I don't trust her as far as I can throw her."

"Esther Mikealson?" Artemis asked. Damon nodded in confirmation. "Then fuck no, I'm out. I don't like that woman, and I never will." She threw the blankets off of her and rose to her feet, preparing to gather her things and get the hell out of dodge. If there was one supernatural species that she truly had a love-hate relationship with, it was witches. She had heard the stories of Esther Mikealson, and the magic that she practiced. Artemis never wanted to be closer than a few towns from her.

"Wait, wait, wait," Damon said, rushing over to stand in front of her as she stood. He held his hands out defensively. "Just hold on. The goal is to keep Elena from seeing Esther. You'll be away from her the entire evening, I promise."

Artemis thought about this for a moment, before sighing and running a hand through her hair. There was a hint of desperation in his voice, as if he had some sort of plan to keep Elena and Esther separated, and it hinged on Artemis's presence. "Even if I wanted to go, I don't have anything to wear," she pointed out.

Damon smirked. "I can fix that."


Artemis had to admit that Damon had good taste when it came to dresses. Even if she didn't feel like 100%, she definitely looked like it. The simple maroon lace gown with Queen Anne neckline was slim fitting, and accented all of her best features. It was modest, refined, and poised, all qualities that Artemis sought to embody.

She had seen Elijah when she arrived at the Mikaelson house, and thanked him for the invitation. Elijah had simply requested that she save him a dance, to which she agreed. She also managed to avoid Klaus like the plague. She wasn't too keen on spending time around the people who murdered her.

Artemis now stood with Damon, talking to Carol Lockwood, who had become the mayor after her husband's untimely death. The pair went back and forth about whether or not the Original family was dangerous, while Artemis sipped her champagne idly, bored with the conversation and starting to wonder why she had allowed Damon to convince her to come in the first place, and why everyone in the town seemed to own a ball gown or tuxedo that they could don at a moment's notice.

"Mayor Lockwood," a painfully familiar voice cut in. "We haven't formally me. Kol Mikaelson." He kissed the back of the mayor's hand, causing the older woman to smile. "I hope your lovely town embraces us just as much as we plan to embrace it."

Artemis froze, a flurry of emotions running through her mind. Her eyes were glued on the man in front of her, a man she hadn't seen since 1702, a man she hadn't stopped loving since 1417. There was no dominant emotion that took over the others she felt, so she simply stood still, her mouth hanging open, staring at her him.

"Damon Salvatore," she heard Damon say from next to her, although she never turned her head. "Have we met?"

"I've met a lot of people, and you don't particularly stand out," Kol replied with a smirk. "Except for the fact that you're standing next to my wife." He finally turned and met Artemis's eyes. "It's good to see you, darling. I assume you have been well?"

There was something about his casual demeanor, combined with the level of cockiness in his voice, that irritated Artemis. It had been 300 years, for crying out loud, and he acted as though it had been a week. "You bastard," she eventually choked out. It barely registered with her that she had crushed the champagne flute that she had been holding, causing both vampires to look at the mixture of blood and alcohol that was dripping down her arm. Artemis looked down at her hand, then back up the people she stood with, a false smile plastered on her face. "If you'll excuse me," she said softly, before turning and leaving to find a bathroom to bandage her bleeding hand.

She didn't see the shocked expression on Damon's face, or the hurt one on Kol's, as she left the room.


She was as beautiful as he remembered her to be. Artemis, his Artemis, the true love of his life, had been standing right there, next to another vampire, talking to the mayor of the town. He smiled at the bored expression on her face. She had always hated fancy parties, and making small talk with people. It was amazing how little had changed in the last 300 years.

He longed to hold her in his arms again. After the villagers in Spain had killed her without a second thought, or listened to her when she insisted that she was not a witch, Kol got angry. Artemis had made him see the good in humans, and had chastised him for his arrogance and violence. She had made him see why what he had been doing since he became a vampire was wrong. It was a cry for attention, and Artemis was the only one who listened.

After her death, he had gone on a rampage. He knew that she would wake again. Unfortunately, Mikeal had been close enough to try and respond. The next thing Kol knew, it was 1821, he was in a foreign nation, and his brother was apologizing for daggering him. Kol tried to make them pay. After that, he was going to scour the world for Artemis. He was daggered before that could happen, once again by his own brother.

In the early 1900s, Kol again tried to make his brother suffer by finally neutralizing him so he could leave and find Artemis. Once again, this did not happen.

And now, there she was, right in front of him. There were a lot of emotions that flickered across her face in rapid succession, most notably pain, sorrow, and anger. It took a moment for him to recover from the shock of her leaving with a bloodied hand. Kol quickly excused himself from the conversation to chase after her.

"Artemis!" he called, as soon as he could see her. "Artemis, darling, please wait!"

"Why should I wait for you any longer?" she shot back over her shoulder. "I waited 300 years, 300 years, Kol, and all I get is a 'trust you've been well?' I haven't been well, Kol, not since you abandoned me in Spain!"

"I didn't abandon you in Spain, not on purpose," he shouted back, getting closer to her. Her eyes widened in surprise and disbelief. "There was nothing that could get me to abandon you. My siblings, my father… they neutralized me for my own good, to keep me from attracting attention. All because I thought I lost you."

She was silent for a moment. "I searched the globe for you," she said quietly, not able to meet his eyes. Something in her voice made her seem small and fragile, and his heart broke looking at her. "I went to every witch I could find, used every tracking spell I could, but there was nothing, no one could find you. Even when you couldn't be found, I still kept up hope that you were out there somewhere, still alive, but at some point, it was just better to imagine that you were dead…" her voice trailed off.

Kol took a step closer, and she took a step back. "Why would it be better to imagine that I was dead, love?" he asked, scared of what her answer would be.

"Because if you were still alive and I couldn't find you, then maybe it was because you didn't want to be found by me," she said in a small voice that pained his heart. "It was better to imagine you dead than not wanting me."

He took another step forward, wanting nothing more than to hold her and show her that she was still the only one for him, but she took another step back. "There is nothing that you could do to make me not want you," he told her sincerely. "You are my soul mate."

She hesitated, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. "I just… I need some time to process this," she whispered.

There was nothing he wanted more than to hold her and kiss her, but the more rational part of his mind told him that it was best to leave her be. He bowed respectfully to her, and returned to the party, leaving her to process for as long as she needed.


Artemis emerged from the bathroom just as Elijah was calling for everyone to gather. She had found some bandages and quickly wrapped her hand. It was not healing as quickly as she would have liked. In fact, it was still actively bleeding. She knew that she needed to feed soon, which just opened up a pit of dread in her stomach, except the pain in her stomach was more from the wound she had there, which was still not fully healed.

"Welcome, and thank you for joining us," Elijah said. Artemis watched as the five siblings positioned themselves on the stairs, joined by an older woman whose appearance sent shivers down Artemis's spine. A witch, her mind told her. "You know, whenever my mother brings our family together like this, it's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance. Tonight's pick is a centuries-old waltz, so if you could all please find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom."

She watched as the siblings descended down the stairs, and only turned for a brief moment to grab another flute of champagne. The cut on her hand was still hurting, and the alcohol seemed to dim the pain.

"May I have this dance, darling?" Kol asked, appearing behind her. She turned, her eyes wide in surprise. "You look absolutely stunning this evening, and it would be a shame not to see you on the dance floor."

Artemis hesitated before nodding and accepting Kol's outstretched hand. It was a like a shock went through her when they touched. Kol felt it too, as he tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow and escorted her to the dance floor. Artemis could feel the envy roll off some of the other women in the crowd who wished they could dance with one of the rich siblings.

You know, I don't know all that much about the 21st century yet," Kol told her as they started dancing. "But, Rebekah has told me that courtship today starts with an unchaperoned date, like eating dinner and watching a moving picture. So, would you, Artemis, accompany me to dinner and a moving picture?"

Artemis smiled. "What are you doing, Kol?" she whispered.

He spun her so they faced one another. "Well, you spent three hundred years without me, darling," Kol replied. "I think we need to get reacquainted. You can tell me all about what I've missed for the last century."

"Alright," Artemis said. "I'll give it a chance. How does tomorrow evening work?"

Kol chuckled. "My calendar is wide open, darling," he replied.

She leaned in closer. "By the way, moving pictures are called 'movies' now," she murmured. "I think that you'll really enjoy them."

He smiled as he spun her, but frowned when he realized that she wasn't too steady on her feet. "Is something the matter?" he asked softly, helping her to steady herself.

She nodded, but seemed dazed. "I think I need to go splash some water on my face," she said quietly, bowing out from their dance. As she left, though, she tugged on the blood stained bandages on her hand. Something was definitely wrong.


"Where's your date?" Kol asked Rebekah as they stood, observing the party that was happening around them.

"Flirting with his ex," Rebekah responded coolly. "What about you? Where's your date? The girl you asked to dance earlier? She and Nik don't seem to get along too well."

"I don't know," Kol replied, taking a sip of champagne. "We're having one of those 'dates' that you keep raving about tomorrow evening." He paused for a second. "You've changed, Bekah," he continued, examining the golden liquid in the glass he held. "You know, settling for mortals is the first sign of weakness."

"I'm not settling," she replied. "Are you settling with that girl you're going on a date with?"

He laughed. "Oh, Bekah," he said. "That girl is no mortal, I can tell you that."

"Well, I brought my date here to kill him," Rebekah said. "He's Elena's friend, and if he dies, she suffers. But, I've already been scolded once, so, I was hoping you'd help your baby sister out."

"And spit right in the face of mother's rules?" Kol asked, a grin forming on his face. "I'm in."

Later, he watched as Rebekah led the mortal boy outside. Kol suspected that this boy was little more than one of Rebekah's infatuations. He, too, would pass. But there was something that caught Kol's attention. It was the way that the boy treated his sister. Normally, the guys that Rebekah went after were the strong, masculine types sometimes made her feel bad just for the fun of it. But this kid? He treated Rebekah with kindness and respect. He thought back to the way that he had first interacted with Artemis, and how he wished he could take back some of the things he had said, and instead acted more like Rebekah's latest man.


England, 1417

He was simply looking for his next meal, a tavern wench of some kind preferably. They usually had copious amounts of alcohol in their system, and he found that he could easily get drunk off their blood. All he needed to do was find the right girl. And there she was, a pretty blonde girl with grey eyes, serving up ale like nobody else could. Her hair shone and her eyes sparkled, and her fair skin had just a hint of red in her cheeks.

"What can I get for ye?" she asked as he took a seat.

"I'll have ye," he said seriously, using compulsion to help convince her.

She smiled and leaned forward, pressing her bosom up and drawing his eyes to her chest. "Thine tricks do not work on me, vampire," she whispered in his ear. "But if ye want a lass with as much alcohol as blood, might I suggest the dark-haired lass over there?"

He leaned back in surprise, his eyes snapping up to meet hers. After overcoming his initial shock, he smiled. "Methinks I rather desire conversation with the pretty lass who knows about vampires," he replied with a smile. "The lass can wait."

The blonde woman smiled. "Call me Artemis," she told him, setting an ale down in front of him.

"Call me Kol," he countered, taking a sip of his ale.


When he went back inside for the champagne toast, he spotted Artemis on the edge of the crowd, a flute already in her hand. She looked paler than she normally did, almost sickly pale. He wanted to brush it off as a trick of the light, but there were some things that one just knew about the other after 600 years of marriage. Kol plucked a champagne flute of his own off of the tray of a passing waiter, and moved to stand at her side.

"I was just reminiscing on the first day we met, darling," he whispered, his free hand coming to rest on the middle of her back.

Artemis smiled. "You demanded to have a conversation when you found out I knew about vampires, then followed me back to my home and tried to drain me of my blood."

"I remember your blood being one of the foulest things I'd ever tasted," he murmured, chuckling at the memory.

"Then, when you couldn't drink my blood, you tried to kill me, but I was faster and stronger than you," she continued. "And then, if I remember correctly, you called me a 'damn fine woman' and kissed me instead."

Kol remembered it well. It was in that exact moment that he realized that she was more than a random fling. His heart tugged when they touched, every moment touch confirming to him that she was the one who could tame the monster that he had become. Life had been easy when he knew he was the monster. It was better to relish in the role than try and reject it. But there had been something about Artemis when they first met, something that showed him that he didn't have to be the monster that his brothers had framed them all to be.

Their attention shifted to Esther, who stood on the stairs, proposing a toast and thanking everyone in attendance for being there. Everyone raised their glasses and took a sip. Kol thought the champagne tasted incredible, but Artemis thought differently. The single sip burned in her mouth, feeling like acid the entire way down. It wasn't the normal burn of alcohol, but something much stronger. She coughed loudly, causing Kol to look at her with concern.

"Are you alright?" he asked, moving his hand to rub between her shoulder blades.

"I'm fine," she responded, waving her hand. "I think that the champagne was just a little strong, that's all."

But his eyes now rested on the hand that she waved, zeroing in on the bandage then went across it. "Shit, your hand…" Kol exclaimed quietly, watching the scarlet blood beginning to seep through.

"I haven't fed in a while," she admitted, pulling her hand away. "It's alright, I'll be fine. I just need some time to heal."

Without saying a word, he leaned over and kissed her gently. She wanted to protest, but as soon as she felt his energy begin to flow through her, she wanted more. No one she had ever kissed before could make her feel the way that Kol made her feel. She could feel the wound in her hand starting to close, and a warmth in her stomach as the bruising began to fade.

When they broke apart, Kol could see that Artemis was already looking better. Her cheeks held some color that hadn't been present before, and her eyes sparkled brightly. "There, that should help, until you're ready," he said softly.

Before Artemis could respond, Damon suddenly appeared and dragged her away. "It's time for us to go," he told her. "Elena met with Mama Original, and you just made out with one of the brothers. That's way too close for comfort, so we're taking Elena home, and then you're going back to wherever you came from."

"But wait, I…" she trailed off, looking back at her husband.

"Tomorrow, darling," he called after her. "I'll see you then."


"Elena," Damon called out as he and Artemis approached. The dark-haired girl who had been walking in front of them turned around. So this was Amara's doppelganger. "Did you get what you want?"

Elena smiled. "Actually, yes," she replied, a hint of triumph in her voice.

"Good," Damon said. "Tell me on the ride home. We're leaving. Come on." He wrapped his hand around her upper arm and began dragging her towards the front door, not leaving her with any options for escaping.

"No, Damon," Elena said angrily. "Let go of me." He let go, but rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm sorry that I had to cut you out of the plan."

"There shouldn't have been a plan," Damon responded. "You shouldn't be here."

"Why shouldn't she, Damon?" Artemis chimed in. "She's an adult, isn't she? You can't make choices for everyone. Like, for example, I was having quite a nice discussion with my husband and I would like to go back and at least say goodnight."

"Exactly what she said, Damon," Elena said. "I don't like going behind your back, but if I hadn't asked Stefan for help, then you would have tried to be the hero and you would have ruined everything."

"Sorry for trying to keep you alive," Damon responded. "Besides, Artemis here was supposed to be the hero, but got sidetracked by Kol Mikealson."

Artemis sighed. "He's my husband, Damon," she repeated. "I hadn't seen him in three centuries, and you expect me to put all of my focus on a teenager who clearly has it set in her mind what she is going to do?"

"Look, why are you mad at her, Damon?" Elena said, gesturing to Artemis. "And why are you mad at me?"

"Maybe I'm mad at you because I love you," Damon replied. Elena and Artemis froze.

"Well, maybe that's the problem," Elena responded.

Artemis, in all of her experience with people in love, decided that it would be a good time to slip away, and let them have their lovers' quarrel.


"Matt," Kol called out as he saw the blonde teenage boy pass. It hadn't taken long for him to learn the name of the boy who had treated his sister with kindness and respect, and now he desired to make his acquaintance. It was his duty as an older brother, after all.

The boy turned to face Kol on the balcony. There was a look of apprehension in his eyes. It was clear to Kol that Matt hesitated to trust vampires. Perhaps his sister was different, since she was clearly infatuated. Or, more accurately, his distrust of Kol probably stemmed from the interactions he had had in the past with his brothers.

"Good evening," Kol continued, a smile on his face. "You're Rebekah's friend, right? We haven't met. Kol Mikaelson." He extended his hand.

"Matt Donovan," the human replied, taking Kol's hand with apprehension.

"I wanted to thank you for being so respectful to my baby sister," Kol told him as they shook hands. "I always wanted my sister to be with someone who respects her. Unfortunately, over the last millennia, they've been pretty hard to come by."

Matt looked surprised. He hadn't expected one of the Original brothers to be so… normal. "Thanks, I guess," he replied, unsure of how he was supposed to respond. "I just saw the kind of guys that my mom and my sister went out with, and decided that I didn't want to be like them."

The vampire nodded. "Well, if your goal was to be a gentleman, then I would say that you've accomplished that," he said sincerely. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Matt look startled, but gestured for Kol to continue. "I've been told that courting a woman today is far different than it was the last time I was awake. I asked my wife on one of these so-called 'dates,' only I have no idea where to take her or what to do. I obviously can't any of my brothers. Finn's been asleep for 900 years, Elijah doesn't date, and Nik is, well, Nik. I could ask Rebekah, but she doesn't know the town very well, so I was wondering if you had any suggestions?"

The human laughed, and Kol frowned. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh," Matt explained. "It's just, a thousand-year-old vampire, asking for dating advice from a teenager… I just never imagined my life would turn out like this." He paused, and Kol nodded his head. Even he could admit that the situation was rather humorous. "Take her to the Mystic Grille. It's one of the few places in this town that's more on the casual side. Perfect for a first date. Not too fancy, but not a dive."

Before Kol had a chance to thank him, Damon appeared. "Hey, hey, hey, hey," he said, mistaking their friendly conversation for a standoff. "Leave the boy alone. He's just a human."

Both Matt and Kol opened their mouths to tell Damon that he was wrong, but neither was able to get a word in. Damon charged at Kol and slammed him backwards, sending the Original vampire tumbling over the railing of the balcony and onto the brick walkway below. He jumped down after before Matt had a chance to yell at him, and landed on top of Kol. Kol tried in vain to push Damon off, but wasn't strong enough. The struggle ended when Damon snapped his neck, and Kol's world went black once again.


"Damon!" she heard Stefan shout as the doors to the house were thrown open. "Are you crazy?"

She gone back to talking to Elena once she had seen Damon storm off, listening to the younger girl fill her in on who was who in the town. When Stefan had shouted, Elena had turned and ran to the front door, her heels clicking against the stone floor. Artemis, like the Original siblings, walked outside slowly, only to see Damon standing over Kol's dead body.

"Maybe a little," Damon admitted, his eyes darting across the figures in front of him. "Far be it from me to cause a problem," he said, looking straight at Elena, a smile crossing his face.

Artemis walked forward slowly but purposefully, a neutral expression on her face. She came to stand in front of Damon, her eyes locking onto his. Before he could make a comment, she punched him square in the nose, causing him to take a few steps backward. Blood flowed freely, drops of crimson staining his tuxedo. He chuckled, looking back at her, and turned and walked down the driveway, leaving several surprised individuals in his wake.

She watched Damon retreat, and sighed before kneeling down next to Kol's body. Her fingertips ran lightly down his cheek and came to rest on his neck, where she could feel the place where his spine had severed. Her magic went to work, splinters of energy flowing from her fingertips down to his spine, fusing the damaged nerves back together. It would allow his body to heal more quickly.

Artemis wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders and gripped his torso, pulling him off the ground. She knew that the energy she had used to help mend his spine was likely more than he had given her earlier, and that carrying him would be a difficult task. Although she struggled under his weight, she refused to show it.

Someone appeared on Kol's other side, helping to support his weight. It was the eldest of the Original siblings, the one that Artemis had yet to meet. "I thought you could use a hand," he said, as they walked towards the house. "Finn Mikealson. I don't believe that we've met."

"Artemis," she responded. "I'm Kol's wife."

"I wasn't aware that Kol had a wife," Finn said, a surprised expression coming across his face.

Artemis smiled as they began to walk up the stairs. "We've been married for almost six hundred years now, and he still hasn't told anyone in his family," she replied, a hint of sadness in her voice. Although she understood that his relationship with his siblings was rather complex, it would have been nice to meet at least one of them before this.

"To be fair, I was in a box for the past 900 years," Finn explained as they reached one of the bedrooms on the second floor. He opened the door with one hand and helped Artemis lay Kol down on the bed. "This is the room that Niklaus has provided for Kol. Is there anything more that you need help with?"

"A couple of bags of blood would be nice," she said as she began to take off Kol's shoes. "He's usually rather hungry when he wakes up, and I would prefer to not have to sit in awkward silence with another human while waiting for him to wake up."

Finn nodded in understanding. "I'll send someone up," he told her, leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

She stripped Kol of his suit, leaving him only in his boxers and a t-shirt. The only time that she paused in her work was when a soft knock came at the door, revealing a young woman Artemis had never seen before, carrying two bags of blood. She then went through Kol's drawers, finding a pair of sweatpants and a loose, white t-shirt that she could change into.

He still had not awoken when she was finished changing, so she slid under the blankets next to him, curling up with her back to him and easily finding sleep.


When Kol woke, it was dark. The box on the table beside the bed displayed the time as 2:17. Elijah had explained that in the 21st century, this was how most people told the time. Kol rather missed hearing the bells chime on the clock he owned briefly in the 1900s, but this new way of telling time was arguably more useful in the early hours of the morning.

Next to the box were two bags of blood, which Kol downed greedily. After dying, he always felt like shit. The blood made him feel more alive.

He felt a warm body next to his as he slid under the covers. In the darkness, he could make out the sleeping form of Artemis. Smiling to himself, he reached out and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump and turn to face him, waking up from her sleep.

"What happened to needing time and space, darling?" he whispered, brushing a lock of blonde hair from her face.

"You need me too much," she mumbled in response, her eyes fluttering.

"I think you need me just as much as I need you," Kol responded, moving closer to kiss her.

The energy that Artemis got from Kol's kisses was greater than anything she had experienced in the past three centuries. She had remained faithful to Kol, even when he had disappeared from her life, and as a result, she had been unable to feel completely alive. There had always been a dark cloud that seemed to hang over her soul, and she had always seemed depressed. With the things that she did with Kol that night, she felt more alive than she had in a long time.

With both feeling as though they were alive again, they fell asleep, Artemis's head resting on Kol's chest, as if they had never been separated.