Hello!

Hope all of you had a pleasant week. I sure had a very very pleasant one thanks to all your lovely reviews!

Now without wasting anymore time, I'm going to address all my reviewers very quickly before you jump to the chapter.

bettingonalice - I am too trust me! But I have no idea why Kol simply isn't allowing me to do just that right now. Patience, they shall meet and when they do meet in person, I promise it'll be all worth it! Do let me know what you thought of this one.

DreamsForTheDead - To my personalized hero (as you already know) - You've been one amazing support. I've thanked you so many times, but I'll do it once again. And I am so anxious to hear from you about this one. And because your opinion matters so much to me, I take the liberty to command you to read and review :P

WhatsGoingOn - Thank you for that feedback - Melanie, well - Read on. That's all I'll say for now. Do let me know what you think.

LucyRider17 - I know! I felt just the same when I was writing this one, but I'm hoping that I'm going to be able to handle it a bit differently. Thank you for appreciating my story. Needless to say, I hope you enjoy this one just as much and let me know your opinion about it.

Cielja - Very honestly - I'm not really into Pretty Little Liars, (Sorry! :P) I just have something with the letter 'A', so most of my OC(s) inveriably end up having their names beginning with 'A'. And you would not believe that I realized I'd named her brother 'Nathaniel' and it actually did happen to be after Nathaniel Buzolic himself until you pointed it out! Damn these characters, they really do make me forget! But now that you've pointed it out - I actually like it more! Thanks for the feedback, I hope you like this one. Please do leave a review.

CritiqueOfReason - You are my second hero. Thank you so very much for the feedback and the encouragement. I was a little apprehensive about writing in first person myself, because I'm not the biggest fan of that but somehow it just came easier that way. I might change the POVs in due course too, just to break the monotony of my style of writing. And, yes - all those questions that are raging in your mind - the answers shall be here in due course. Just have a bit of patience! You'll be rewarded! Thank you so much again, and I so hope hearing again from you!

VampDiaries4ever- Everyone is impatient to see what their first encounter is like! Trust me, so am I. But I also want it to be just perfect. So, I'll tell you this - even though you'll probably have to wait a little longer - I have no intention of not having any Kol/Arianna interaction. There'll be plenty of Kol, trust me - considering this IS a Kol/OC fanfic. I look forward to hear more from you. Thank you for your encouraging words! :)

Mahtabi - Thank you for being such a dear and reviewing my fanfic. I'm really grateful And Damon - ah yes! I hate what they're doing to him on the show. I really wish I could change that you know! For now, I'd be happy to hear more from you!

Now onto the next chapter -

Happy Reading! :)


Chapter 4

The Mystic Grill was unusually bustling with people. Arianna made a face as her friend Melanie pulled on her hand, dragging her from the place she stood put.

"Oh come on now, don't be dramatic." Melanie sighed defeated, her hands on her hip.

Arianna looked at the exasperated face of her friend for a moment and a slow mischievous smile crept up her own. "You know, Tyler was right. You do look cute." If there was one thing that Melanie Strider hated, it was being called cute, least of all by one Tyler Lockwood who had attempted to kiss her in front of the whole school despite her being three years his senior. Arianna snorted at the pained expression on her friend's face. Clearly, she remembered.

Melanie narrowed her eyes at her friend, contemplating momentarily. She had decided to employ a different strategy to move her friend. Before Arianna could react, she was being pushed into the Mystic Grill with a force that could not be beckoned with. She laughed at the childish gesture of her friend and complied.

As the two ladies walked into the Grill, the three behind had an appearance of shock layering their face.

"She's back?" The petite brunette marveled, unable to comprehend the situation regarding the person she had seen.

"Guess she is." The little woman with golden-brown complexion muttered, a small smile playing on her lips, betraying the surprise of her friends.

"And she remains to be a fashion prude. Old habits die hard." The blonde looked with aversion at the woman wearing a pair of matching white chinos and chiffon shirt in company with a dark beige jacket and Oxford heels. The three of them eyed the laughing form of Arianna Griffiths with contrasting expressions.


Rebekah sat at the bar eyeing Matt Donovan, her latest love interest, inconspicuously. Even though the blond haired, blue eyed boy had refused her invitations on more occasions than one, she found it strange that her infatuation with him continued to lurk on. Under any other circumstance, she wouldn't have thought twice to snap the opposing human's neck in two, but here she was exercising control.

Maybe Kol had been right. Perhaps she was growing weak. She sighed dejectedly.

"Good evening little sister." The voice was unmistakable. She could recognize it without thought. Niklaus might have been her favorite, but there was only one brother who came to her aid when she most needed – the only one she could call her ally when committing a crime; the only one she could trust to bury the hatchet with or in their case, the corpse. She felt an odd rush of emotions convulse through her momentarily, her shoulders slumping. He hadn't forgotten her. Even if Niklaus had daggered her for his convenience and Elijah had taken to resuming his disappearing habits, he, had not forgotten her.

She was angry nevertheless. "Go away, Kol." Kol was quick to learn of his sister's transient anger. She had never been credible at concealing her human-like emotions. To him, she had always been an open book. It surprised him even, that his sister had not yet given up on her emotions, only to be hurt time and again. Surprisingly, even a thousand years had not been time enough for Rebekah to learn.

Silly 'Bekah! He thought.

"Missed me, have you love?" he chuckled taking a seat next to his sister. He watched her with hilarity as the blond quarterback with whom his sister was so taken, appeared in the periphery of his vision. He sighed, "Poor 'Bekah, still pinning after her food. How pathetic!"shaking his head sideways.

"Oh shut up Kol." She hissed under her breath, careful to look elsewhere hoping Matt had not heard their little banter. Kol laughed at his sister's peeved face and Rebekah couldn't help but let a smile slip her façade.

"Get me a Single Malt Scotch, will you darling?" Kol smiled charmingly at the server who arrived to refill Rebekah's glass. The server smiled at him, a faint shade of red coloring her facial skin as Kol scrutinized her form appreciatively.

"Oh stop being a debauchee, Kol." Rebekah reprimanded her brother when the girl walked away.

"Beauty must be celebrated 'Bekah." Kol muttered, his eyes on the black haired woman. The smile on his face was quickly replaced with an ominous smirk. It didn't take long for his sister to comprehend his true intentions. She smirked back at him, her eyes slowly directed towards the young server.

"Tyler! It's so lovely to see you." Kol's attention abruptly shifted from his impending prey to the vicinity from where the said words had been uttered. He had not a single doubt with regard to its proprietor. He trusted his conviction. Then what was it that had him so befuddled?

He turned to lay his eyes on her and much to his astonishment, before him stood once again his little mortal brunette. He felt unsteady upon her sight, unsure if he was hallucinating or still in pace with reality. She appeared to him even more striking than she had the first time he had laid eyes on her in the crowded bogey of a train. Kol let his eyes enjoy the sight of her and felt his eyes narrow with mischief upon realization that she had after all decided to refurbish her previously hideous wardrobe. How could it have been that wasn't possibly aware of the fact that his little mortal was a resident of this town, of his town?

Rebekah Mikaelson found it strange when her brother did not utter a word in retaliation. He always had the last word and seldom did he ever keep mum. She turned to find him staring at someone at the far end of the Grille.

Tyler Lockwood pulled out of the soft embrace of his childhood friend. "Look at you." He made a grandiose gesture at Arianna. She smiled, blushing slightly. "When did you come? Nate told me nothing."

"I'm just here for a day or two." She continued to make small talk deliberately making her friend squirm in discomfort. She was enjoying herself.

"Wait, you're leaving already? But you only just got back." Tyler looked at Arianna questioningly. The excitement in his voice slightly faltered to be replaced by what one would call a bit of glumness.

"Uh… yeah, I'll be leaving for Denver – got a course to do there."

"Old habits die hard don't they? You are still a geek." Tyler sighed.

"Guilty as charged." She laughed at his bogus frustration.

After a bit of inconspicuous stamping and punching on the part of her accomplice, Arianna finally bid adieu to Tyler and joined Melanie at the closest table.

"You did that to torture me." Melanie whined annoyed, flipping through the menu even though she knew what she was going to order for them. She always ordered for the two of them before Arianna had decided to relocate to England.

"I did not. I was just saying hello to an old friend." Arianna defended herself, feigning to be slighted at the accusation.

"Oh you did. You know I am averse to Tyler." Arianna chuckled looking at her friend. The door of the grille opened again eliciting with it the sound of two giggling girls. Arianna turned with curiosity to look at the merry party and froze at once. She remembered them now. They were the girls from the episode she had at the hospital. Her mind was racing. She couldn't fathom their dynamics; she couldn't comprehend how one of them was still alive. She was sure she had seen her being killed by the petite brunette who giggled with her.

Suddenly the blonde glared at Arianna as if she had just heard her thoughts, her eyes worried. Arianna quickly looked away turning to Melanie who was placing their order.

"Why do I feel like I know them?" she leaned and whispered conspiratorially to her friend, being careful not to point fingers at the merry party.

"Of course you know them, A. Caroline Forbes was the one who called you a Fashion Prude in school, remember?" Melanie chuckled at the memory. Arianna's dumb-founded expression had been lunch time gossip at school for over a week. What had taken both her and Melanie by surprise was the fact that if anything, Arianna had the most uncanny fashion sense in town.

"Caroline Forbes?"

"The blonde chic. Oh come on! You can't have forgotten her. Elena and she were always after your life." Another fit of laughter took over Melanie at the dismayed and bemused look on her friend's face.

"No wonder I never liked Mystic Falls."

Arianna was indebted to Melanie. She had practically been her only friend in Mystic Falls; supporting her through the painful phase of her father's death, her hallucinating episodes (as she called it back then), and the troubles she had at school. Melanie was her only confidante, her only ally. She conveniently played silent spectator, pleased as Melanie continued with another of her stories to which Arianna was paying little attention.

"And then Damon comes up to me and goes like-"she was stopped mid-sentence when a server arrived with a glass of red wine before them. "We didn't order that." Melanie looked confused between her friend and the black-haired girl who stood before them.

The girl turned to look at Arianna, "the gentleman at the bar over there," she pointed behind her, "he sent it for you." She smiled, offering her the drink. Melanie inhaled the scent of the appetizing red liquid. "Mhmm, Château Petrus Pomerol." She mumbled mesmerized. Arianna shook her head at her awestruck friend.

"Vin exquis pour une femme exquise." she wriggled her eyebrows at Arianna suggestively, making her laugh at her friend's candid French complimenting skills.

"When did you start speaking wine?" She muttered before taking the note that was tucked at the stem of the glass.

'A gem, for a gem.

Kol.'

It read. Arianna looked at the bar once again to spot her mysterious aficionado. She couldn't spot anyone other than a young blonde woman sipping on her wine.

"Who?" Arianna questioned.

"The gentleman at the bar." The server replied, an omnipresent smile never once leaving her face. She found it exceptionally strange. The people of this town were definitely queer.

"What does it say?" Melanie looked at Arianna excited, expectantly. Arianna rolled her eyes and gave her friend the note.

"Ooooh, a gem huh? Looks like someone has a secret admirer." she teased. Arianna turned to the server, deciding to turn down the offer. "I don't drink." She smiled politely and sent the server away.

"Why did you do that?" her friend asked surprised.

"Mel, I don't want to date." She laughed lightly. "Atleast not a guy from Mystic Falls anyway."

Her friend sighed in exasperation. She knew it was of little use attempting to make Arianna think otherwise. Her friend was pig-headed after all and she had come to humbly accept it like the cardinal truth.

"I'm going to the washroom." She declared and walked to the corner, leaving a contemplative Arianna to herself.

She looked at the parchment she had kept to herself. The writing of the script was eloquent, grand even. The strokes of ink on paper were articulate, carved to perfection. She could tell it was Edwardian and certainly did not belong to one of the present age. She wondered who the mysterious "Kol" was. Arianna looked in the direction of the bar again. Even the blonde who had formerly occupied the bar had now disappeared.

The clenched fists of Kol Mikaelson made his knuckles white with anger. Never had he once been rejected like an artificial mink coat. He felt belittled by the audacity of the little mortal. He was determined to avenge his fallen pride. He wanted to avenge his wounded ego and he knew just the way to do so.


Arianna looked out at the fog-laden, clouded night sky. The weather had an eerie feel to it. It was dark, signifying that it was beginning to get pretty late in the night and it wouldn't be soon before her mother started worrying of her whereabouts.

She wondered where Melanie had been. She had informed Arianna that she was headed to the washroom but it had been good twenty minutes since.

Unexpectedly, a loud shrill cry resonated in the confined space of Mystic Grill. Arianna's heartbeat paced. It had come from the direction of the washroom.

"Mel?" She yelled at the top her voice pacing towards the washroom. "Mel?" her friend however did not reply.

When she reached the entrance of the washroom, she found the black haired server crouched over the bleeding body of a girl on the white washroom tiles. The tiles of the walls had changed their color from white to hues of red. Arianna stood frozen at her spot till her eyes landed on the mangled form of the wounded girl.

"Mel… Melanie." She rushed towards her unconscious friend who lay in a pool of blood.

"Call an ambulance." She shrieked, tears staining her face as she cradled her friend on her lap. The chiffon she wore too changed its color from white to the hues of red.


I'd love to hear what you guys think is in store!

Please be kind and leave a review. I'd love to hear how I fared! :)