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Chapter Seventeen

Honey, you're familiar like my mirror years ago
Idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on its sword
Innocence died screaming, honey, ask me I should know
I slithered here from Eden just to sit outside your door

Babe, there's something wretched about this
Something so precious about this

Get closer to me…

-From Eden by Hozier

The moment Kol's lips touched Elena's; she knew it had been a mistake.

They both sprang away, childishly wiping their mouths and making gagging noises.

'It was your idea,' he accused.

'As if you weren't the one, who jumped to push your mouth against mine,' she retaliated.

'Let's blame the whole thing on the over consumption of the alcohol, and forget it.' Kol shuddered as he dragged her by his side and started walking to where the valet was waiting with his car.

'You don't think anyone saw us, did you?'

'Don't worry, darling,' he said conspiratorially. 'I can play the lover boy in public.'

She smacked him soundly on his head with her Venetian mask that she held in her hand. 'I don't want the bloody vultures to tear you apart because of me, Kol.'

'I'm not that easy to hurt, Elena,' he replied. 'And when it comes to you, I won't mind being painted in not so favorable light. You can keep me company in the days of my notoriety.'

They both smiled at each other, content as they were in this moment that whispered about companionship and affection.

He opened the door for her and when she was settled in her seat, closed the door and rounded off the car to get in driver's seat. They had plans to drop off from the face of the earth for next couple of days.

After all, he'd promised her that he'd show her the northern lights…

Elijah knew that this was madness, but yet here he was-following Kol and Elena's car.

The kiss had shaken him to his very core.

He knew he couldn't do any fucking thing if Elena went and fell in love with Kol. For all his admissions inside his mind that Elena was his, in reality, he had no claim on Elena. Not even in barest sense.

And still, his heart had hurt so painfully when he'd seen Kol's lips on hers.

His jealousy hadn't been a beast clawing the chains of his control, but a violent storm of emotions that threatened to engulf him in its never ending embrace.

Why was he following them?

The idea of confronting Kol in front of Elena had gone out of the window the moment it had come. What would he say to Elena? That the man who was putting smiles on her face was only doing so to hurt him? That the Kol she was so enamored with was nothing but a mass of vengeance covered with muscles and skin?

He sounded obnoxious even in his own head.

The best thing for him would be to forget Elena and get on with his life. But what was he to live for? He couldn't return to his empty existence that he'd led before falling viciously in love with Elena. He knew he would love no other woman. He knew he couldn't use them to forget her. He knew he had no reprieve from the hell he so unwittingly had created.

So lost he was in his thoughts that he didn't see the oncoming disaster until a shrill crunch of metal and choked cries rang in the night air.

'Elena?'

'Elena, baby? Open your eyes, darling?' Kol knew he was shouting but he didn't know what to do. The red of the blood on her dear face was not something that Kol had ever envisioned.

'This isn't fair, Elena. You open your eyes right now,' he ordered and yet the orbs of honey remained hidden beneath her lids.

It was his fault.

He'd been so invested in enjoying the gentle ribbing and feeling twenty foot tall for showing those stuck up blood-blooded bastards that she was far better than every single one of them, that he hadn't seen the oncoming SUV.

It had been sheer luck that his circuit driving reflexes had kicked in and he had managed to put his Audi on the side. The fucking bastard in the SUV had run like his ass was on fire. Kol would have given chase but then his gaze had landed on Elena and his heart had literally withered in his chest.

'Elena?'

Was he crying? He didn't care. What if something happened to her? It would be his fault.

Someone came running to the side of the road where he was sitting on the ground, propped against the side of his car with her in his arms, his tears falling on her cheeks.

'Elena?'

It was Elijah.

Kol looked up to his big brother and in that moment he was hit by Déjà vu so strong that he thought he was choking.

The man who wore concern and worry was his brother-the brother who'd taken Mikael's wrath on his flesh to spare his younger siblings. The man who'd taught him how to read and write. The man who'd nursed him back to health when Mikael and Esther had been enjoying one of the many parties given by distant royal cousins.

This was his brother Elijah-the man who was still paying for the sins of a brother who'd hung himself from the ceiling for his love, for a wife who'd never loved her husband but married him to save herself from her monstrous parents, for a son who'd died for no reason at all.

'Kol, we have to take her to the hospital,' Elijah said urgently.

Kol knew he should move but he was frozen-maybe in shock, maybe in guilt.

Elijah took Elena from his arms and walked back to his car to lay her gently in the back seat. He returned and pulled Kol to his feet and supported him until he was sitting in the back seat with Elena's head in his lap.

His big brother had come to save him again.

Where had been Kol when Elijah had gone round the bend after Sage's death? Where had been Klaus?

They all were selfish creatures too enamored with comfort and yet every time one of them fell, Elijah was always standing with the safety net.

Weren't they supposed to take care of their big brother for a change?

Instead of being the crutch Elijah could rely on, Kol had been spending his days raising hell and Klaus had been too bitter to come out of the shadow that Mikael had left in his wake. They hadn't even thought that their big brother might become a drug addict and alcoholic to escape the pain.

They'd been too busy in their own lives to fucking care.

He looked down at Elena's face, her dear sweet face, and wondered why he hadn't ever asked her about her favorite color.

He looked ahead and to his surprise, Elijah was already pulling in the parking lot of the hospital. He was on his phone, giving princely commands, no doubt.

Even a minute hadn't passed when medical professionals opened the back door and carefully took out Elena before laying her down on the stretcher.

'Kol?'

He turned towards his brother and suddenly the reality of the event caught up to him. The fear, the heartrending terror-he found himself sobbing on Elijah's shoulder in the hospital parking lot.

There went his image of being the tough guy!

'I forgive you,' he whispered. They were sitting on the ground, in the shadow of the car, far away from prying eyes.

'You don't have to, Kol. What I did was wrong on so many levels. Not to mention that I broke your trust.' There was bitterness in those eyes, shame on that proud aristocratic face.

'But you weren't alone,' Kol admitted. It was the first time he was accepting the fact that Bonnie had been equally guilty. Maybe it had to do with the close nick with death, but Kol realized that life was too short to waste it on regrets, guilt and past.

'I made a mess of everything, didn't I?' Elijah asked.

'No more than I did. That's why Nik is the happiest among us all. He keeps his hybrid senses sharp and Caroline close.' They smiled together, remembering a very young Nik who'd proclaimed in his proud childish voice that he was a powerful hybrid and he would eat them alive if they didn't let him win hide and seek.

'You love Elena, don't you?'

Elijah turned his head as if her name alone hurt him, but Kol had seen the yearning on his brother's face.

'You should start fresh with her, you know,' he said conversationally. 'I might even put a good word about you. I'm her best bud.'

Elijah choked. 'I saw you kissing her,' he said after some time.

Kol sniggered at the look on his brother's face. 'We were experimenting.'

'Experimenting? I thought you were done with that after your puberty.'

'Duh, Elijah! We were making sure that we didn't like each other like that.' Kol wriggled his eyebrows.

'I'd forgotten how irritating you are, Kol,' Elijah remarked fondly. 'It's nice to remember it.'

'And I remembered exactly how easily flustered you are, big brother.'

When the Mikaelson brothers returned to the hospital waiting room, a group of nurses had already been searching for them.

A harried looking doctor came running to Elijah the moment he saw them.

'Your highness? The patient-'

'What happened to Elena?' they asked at the same time.

'She's fine, your highnesses. It's just that…it's complicated. It would be better if I show you instead.'

They followed him to the private room where they were keeping Elena.

Kol was scared out of his mind. And Elijah was no better.

She turned the moment door opened. Apart from the bandage on her head, there was no physical sign that she'd been in an accident.

But her eyes were devoid of recognition as they passed over Elijah and then rested on Kol.

'Who are you?' she asked, her forehead scrunching with curiosity.

What?

Had she forgotten everything?

'Elena-'

Kol cut his brother in between before sauntering to her bed. 'Hello Elena. Don't tell me you forgot your fiancé?' His smile was mischievous when he looked at his brother.

Maybe this was fate's way of telling him that Elena and Elijah were meant for each other.

'Fiancé?' she asked, obviously confused.

'Yes, darling. See that man standing at the door?' Kol pointed towards the door where Elijah stood still as a statue. 'He's Elijah, and he's been dying to know how you are. Loves you unconditionally, after all, doesn't he?'

Elijah looked pale.

'Elijah?' Elena's voice was tentative as if she was tasting his name on her tongue.

He walked slowly to her bed-a man being offered a second chance which he didn't know what to do with.

'Is my name really Elena?'

Don't shoot me. I swear there is a happy ending for this story. Review and let me know what you thought about this chapter.