Chapter 3

Previously:

"Im sorry, it's… it's Damon and Stefan, I can't… I can't do even more damage" I said as I was turning around again to face him. I saw the sadness on his face for a second and then he was gone.

….

I kept standing on the porch for a couple of minutes, looking at the stars and thinking about how I've gotten myself into this situation. I was replaying every conversation we had to find out where all of this started. I was thinking about that pathetic kiss and that he might have thought that she was kissing him because she was attracted to him.

I am not some animal who would do anything to survive, and the truth is that that maybe was a big reason why I did it, but not the only one. It was definitely not because I was attracted to him, of course he is a handsome man but if I would kiss every handsome guy I know I would literally be kissing everyone that I'm friends with.

I just wanted him to understand that he doesn't have to be alone forever, just because of Klaus. He can feel loved without a family too. He didn't believe me when I told him he could have a new family so I just… tried to make him feel loved, tried to give him a taste of that. I was shaking my head, thinking how it must have looked to him.

I remembered my Mom sitting on my bed next to me while I was crying about Matt and how he was the sweetest guy I've ever met but that he wasn't what I wanted. That I needed more, more passion and adventure. I didn't want to get married in the Mystic Fall Church and then live there forever, going to the Grill my whole life, with the same people, doing some boring office job.

I was crying my eyes out and my mom just kept rubbing my back and told me that I needed to break up with him if he is not who I want. I explained to her that I couldn't because I couldn't hurt him. I just couldn't. I'd rather stay with him and not be a hundred percent happy than break his heart.

My mom was smiling and telling me that I've always had that urge to help people and do everything so they wouldn't feel alone or unloved. She said my capacity for anticipating other people's needs and the will to meet them are a gift. Elijah had said that my compassion was a gift. But still it felt like now it was ruining everything and has brought me in a messy situation again.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I noticed that it had gotten windier and raindrops were falling on my face. I quickly got back into the bedroom and tried to figure out whether I should just go to sleep or look for Kol and talk to him. I've always been someone who needs harmony. Being in a fight with someone has always made me feel horrible and afraid of losing someone. I went downstairs and looked for him in the living room.

He wasn't anywhere to be found but the fire was still on so I decided to warm up a little bit before going to bed. I looked through the books on the coffee table and found one that looked really old but had beautiful golden detailing on the cover. I couldn't see a title but just flipped it open and read the prologue. It said: ""Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love." ― Rainer Maria Rilke

As I was thinking about the truth and beauty of the quote I heard footsteps and turned around to see Kol leaning against the bookshelf. "I think you should go to sleep. It's late. We'll talk about everything tomorrow. I'll sleep on the couch." He seemed peaceful which made me feel a lot better. "Actually, I'd like to sleep here if that's okay. I've always wanted a fireplace. And thousands of books. I'm not sure if I'll be able to sleep after today so they could come in handy." He nodded and gave me a small smile before he went upstairs.

I kept reading for an hour and then fell into a deep sleep.

Kol's point of view:

I was lying on my bed with my arms crossed behind my back, staring at the ceiling. Elena was hard to figure out. Sometimes she seemed like someone who overanalyzes and over thinks everything – and seconds later she does something that seems completely rash.

I knew she sees me as the typical Original, living a life full of killing, fun, women and no emotions. I've refused to live in that way for a long time now. It hasn't always been like that. I have killed people but there wasn't one death that hasn't haunted me for at least a while. Maybe it's because I'm the youngest one. I never wanted to seem week so I've covered all of my regrets with silence. I flinched at the memory of Klaus beating me and breaking all my bones so I would talk again. When I finally had talked he had laughed at me and spit at me for feeling.

I felt anger rising up and the urge to get revenge got even stronger. I didn't want to kill Elena, because she was the first one in hundreds of years to tell me that I deserved love.

She is beautiful and courageous but I have given up on women a long time ago. None of the ones I've met have fascinated me the slightest. Elena is more extraordinary but revenge against Klaus and the desire for a family have always overshadowed every other emotion and it's still there. Even friendship is something I haven't experienced in a long time.

Elena couldn't have known that I haven't kissed a woman in hundreds of years and that even though there have been women that have tried to, I've always rejected them because their attraction to me was purely physical or based on my wealth.

I guess I was curious about what she wanted to demonstrate to me. I could have laughed at her for even suggesting the ridiculous idea of marrying and getting babies and just having a new family, finding new love. I felt that tug at my heart again that I always felt when I thought about Elena trying to make me feel loved and appreciated. I quickly pushed it away and the feeling subsided. I replaced it with the few memories of her pushing me away and calling Damon.

I needed to focus more on my revenge than on her. She will have to understand that when you find true love it lives on, it doesn't just leave your head and you certainly don't just replace it.

Elena's point of view

I woke up because I heard noises outside. Sleepy and dizzy I sat up and tried to focus on where they came from. I heard nothing for a few seconds and then suddenly fell from the couch because I was so startled as I heard footsteps right in front of the door. I hit my head pretty hard but tried to keep looking around for something to defend myself with when I realized that it could be Klaus.

I froze and felt like my heart was going to explode. Without thinking about it I ran upstairs straight into Kol's bedroom and my heart stopped beating for a second when I realized that the bed was empty. I was alone now and felt the fear in me getting bigger and bigger.

I gasped as I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Pssshht Elena, I'm here." I turned around to see Kol standing behind me. Of course, vampire hearing.

"I want you to stay here. This house technically belongs to an old lady, I made her sign the contract years ago so that no vampire that is not invited can enter. So as long as you are inside the cottage you should be safe. I'll go downstairs and deal with whoever is trying to get in here. Understood?" My heart was still beating extremely fast and I could hear my breathing. "o-okay." I nodded and he was gone in a second.

I tried not to make a sound and focused on trying to hear what was going on downstairs. I heard someone throwing something against the door a couple of times and after a few seconds I heard the door fall. Definitely vampire strength. I gasped as I heard Stefan's voice and couldn't keep my legs from running down the stairs. I knew that Kol wanted me to stay upstairs but Stefan was not a danger to me and I couldn't keep my legs from moving.

"Stefan!" I screamed as I got downstairs and saw him standing outside. I saw him quickly scan my body and his vampire face coming out when he looked at my head. "What have you done to her?" he yelled as he leaned as far into the open door as he could. Confused I touched my head and realized that there was bit of blood coming out of a wound at my forehead. I hadn't even realized that I hit my head that bad.

"No, no Stefan it's not his fault I hit my head.." Kol didn't let me finish. "See, Elena is fine, you can leave again." His voice sounded calm but with a dangerous tone to it. Suddenly Damon came up behind Stefan. "Yeah sure, cause we just came to check if she's having a nice weekend with uncle Kol in his cozy cottage. .."

Kol was walking towards Damon and Stefan and I suddenly got scared of what he could do to them. "Actually, I have treated Elena with all the respect that she deserves. I had no idea she hit her head but I will take care of it as soon as you leave." He said with a polite but cold smile.

"With all the respect she deserves? She needs to go HOME, Kol. And not be kept hostage." Stefan seemed desperate but willing to be peaceful, whereas I could tell from Damon's facial expression that he was ready to rip Kol's head off.

"I'm afraid that that's not possible. Elena plays a crucial part in getting my revenge on Klaus." Damon was losing his patience. "I'm telling you ONE more time, let her go right now or I will burn this house down and I will kill you, even if I have to die myself."

Stefan took a step in front of Damon and put on his diplomatic face. "Do you think we don't want revenge on Klaus? Do you think we like the idea of him only letting Elena live so he can use her as a blood bank whenever he wants to? The way I see it, we have the same goal. Let her go and you and I will make a deal and figure out a way to get revenge on him."

Damon looked at Stefan in unbelief and threw his hands in the air furiously. "Yeah, why don't we talk about it over lunch tomorrow. Let's all trust each other unconditionally and hey why don't we become facebook friends? Let her go, and if you've really treated her soo well, maybe she will actually want to help you somehow."

Kol laughed loudly at that. "oh, actually me and Elena have been getting along more than fine, haven't we?" He turned around and gave me an innocent smile. I felt myself blushing as I saw Stefan and Damon looking at me confused. "he has, uhm, actually been really nice to me." I said awkwardly.

Then I turned to Kol. "Please consider it. I promise that if you let me go and don't hurt them I will try to help you." Kol just looked at me with his eyebrows furrowed. "I'm sorry Elena..no."

My shoulders sank and I realized that now the only way that I could go home was if Stefan and Damon used violence. Suddenly I heard glass shatter as rocks were being thrown into the windows and I heard guns and saw a wooden bullet fall to the floor a feet away from me. I gasped and tried to figure out what was going on.

I suddenly saw Tyler behind one of the windows, shooting at Kol. Damon and Stefan were shooting from the door and Kol was fast but he still got hit by a few bullets. I used the few seconds I had to run to the door and Stefan caught me as I literally jumped out of the door. Then I heard Stefan groan and he dropped me. I landed softly on the grass and crawled towards the bushes.

Everything that happened after that was too fast for my human eyes. All I realized was that suddenly there was fire and people were thrown against the tress and the walls of the cottage. I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed that no one had to die. I was praying out loud and snapped out of it when I heard Damon scream. It sounded like he was in a lot of pain so I opened my eyes and tried to figure out what was going on.

I saw Tyler who was lying on the floor, not moving. Stefan was on the floor too, not able to get up but at least still conscious. Then I looked up and saw Damon pinned against a tree, Kol standing in front of him with a steak in his hand. I realized that I was the only one who was able to make an attempt to save Damon.

I ran towards them when Stefan grabbed my ankle and pulled me to the ground with him. "He's gonna kill both of you Elena" I tried to break free of his grasp. "I can't let him die, Stefan" Stefan released me but put a stake in my hand. "It's the last white oak tree stake…" He kept talking but I already knew what I had to do. I ran towards the tree and tried to tell myself that I could do this. I've done it with Rebeka once and I could do it again.

Just as I could have raised my arm and staked Kol in the back I realized that I couldn't do this to him, not after everything that has happened.

Him agreeing to keep me alive if possible. I remember not being able to sleep because of the guilt that I felt for stabbing Rebeka in the back. When had I become someone who betrays people that open their hearts to me and make themselves vulnerable?

I wouldn't kill him as long as there was another way just like he agreed to do the same with me.

I threw myself against Kol's back with my entire body weight and then screamed at the top of my lungs. "I'll come with you if you let Damon live and I'll stay with you. Damon and Stefan will not try to hunt you down and get me back anymore because I will stay with you voluntarily. He has agreed to keep me alive as long as it's possible Damon." I looked at Damon and then at Stefan. "Please don't make me lose Damon just so you have the guarantee that I will stay alive. You don't. Klaus could take me away every day or someone else could come and kill me. At least this way I know that Damon didn't die for nothing."

Everyone was silent and looked at me with wide eyes. Then everyone started talking at one, I caught phrases like "NO, Elena.." and "Stop playing the martyr" and then suddenly it stopped as Kol raised his voice.

"Do we all agree on that?" Silence again. I heard Stefan groan frustrated and saw his fist hitting the ground. Damon had fallen to the ground as well and I saw him breathing hard. "Is that a yes?" Kol asked again. Both Damon and Stefan said something that sounded like a yes, but I wouldn't know because the second they muttered it, I was moving as fast as a flash and after a few seconds it stopped and I found myself in Kol's car again.

He started driving and it took me what felt like hours to catch my breath. After an hour I felt very sleepy and couldn't keep my eyelids open anymore. Just as I was about to fall asleep I heard him speak softly. He probably thought that I was asleep and couldn't hear him anymore.

"I wouldn't have killed him."

PLEASE READ:

I hope you liked it. Thank you for ALL the useful reviews, it really helps me because I'm completely new to this!

Also, I want to make sure that it doesn't seem like they will be sleeping together soon or that they are falling in love instantly. You only see Elena's point of view and right now she is in the stage that Kol is really nice to her and she knows how it feels to have Klaus take everything from you, so she has compassion and therefore feels sorry when she has said something to hurt him. And the remarks Kol makes… well he's just being flirty and likes to see her reactions.

As for the kiss in the beginning, it's something that I have never read before in a story and just something that I thought would be something different. Please see it within the context of their conversation before. He told her about Klaus and that he took his family away from him. Elena feels compassion (and most importantly doesn't want to die for his revenge haha) and tells him that he can have a new family (as in get married and have babies for example) that does NOT mean that she is offering! But since words couldn't reach him, she tried to show him that he can feel loved without a family too. Or something like that. I hope it makes sense to anyone. I mean, honestly, I know it's not realistic, but she didn't really think it through either. I hope that helps to understand my train of thoughts when I wrote the last couple of chapters better!

Thank you for reading

Xo