Chapter 24

As Elena entered the pool, she began to do laps when Kol appeared above her. He was staring at her like he's never seen anyone like her before.

"Did you want to join me or are you going to stare at me all night while I do laps?" Elena asked him.

Kol dove easily into the pool and began to match her stroke for stroke effortlessly.

"I have a feeling that you aren't going anywhere so I thought I might get to know you," Kol said evenly.

"By staring at me?" Elena frowned as they continued swimming.

"Bonnie says you sleep with a teddy bear," He began, "what's the story behind that one?"

"Well I was six and I got chicken pox at the start of spring vacation. I ran a pretty bad fever and I was miserable. My Dad ran out to an all-night drugstore for my medicine and he came back with that teddy bear. As I held the bear I began to get better. After that anytime life sucked I just felt like that bear brought me a little bit of good luck - stupid I know."

"Rebekah has a wooden duck that Klaus made her and I have an arrowhead that Elijah gave me. We all carry things like that...Bonnie has a locket with a picture of the three of you in it."

"She still has that?" Elena was amazed. "Of course she does. Bonnie never forgets birthdays and bad days. She's the best friend anyone could ask for. She even helped Caroline celebrate the anniversary of her turning and I had forgotten all about it..."

"Why did you forget about it?" he asked and she gave him a look.

"Damon had annoyed me pretty badly that day and Jeremy took me out of town with Alaric. Their reason was that they had found some of my birth family. I didn't know they had done that as I thought they all died." She looked at him. "My birth mother Isobel-who Klaus compelled to kill herself in front of me in the cemetery-told me that her parents never knew about me. That was true but she didn't say that she had other relatives who discovered my parentage and had talked to Alaric to schedule the meet." She smiled wistfully. "As nice as they were-and they were-they didn't really seem interested in my life but wanted to know more about Isobel and why she did what she did."

"I'm sorry," Kol said sincerely. Elena looked at him askance and stopped swimming in the shallow end. Kol stopped swimming as well.

"Bonnie really needs you right now," she said with a touch of worry on her features.

"I know," Kol said. "I've never felt about anybody the way Bonnie makes me feel. It even scares me a little and I'm not afraid of anything." He laughed lightly and Elena joined him.

"The last thing I ever want to do is hurt Elijah, Kol. I know you don't trust me yet and I'm glad that you're trying to get to know me before you just dismiss me outright. I'm on love with him Kol; the kind of love where I would come between someone's hand and his heart if you know what I'm trying to say."

"I can see it." He looked at her with a light expression. "I just don't want him to end up hurt in the end."

She shook her head. "He won't end up hurt because of me." She got out of the pool and grabbed a towel. Turning to look at him with a smile, she murmured, "go talk to Bonnie. She needs you now."

Kol watched her go and realized there may be something different about this one. Elijah's reaction was certainly different. He swam a little longer and then went in search of Bonnie. He found her in the Greecian colonnade of Elijah's garden. She was sitting in front of her grim moire and he watched from a distance for a moment. She had made a rose bush and the blooms were a beautiful white except the edge of the petals which was a deep blood red.

"Gardening," Kol asked with a smile as he approached and sat next to her.

"I was inspired. I've decided to call it the Mikaelson Rose"

"Well it certainly is beautiful," he commented as he touched the petals. Each one felt like satin against his fingers. "I talked with Elena while we were swimming."

Bonnie smiled at him. "That's great!"

"She's beginning to grow on me more than the others have." He looked curiously at her. "I remember that Damon kept implying that she was a strumpet for some reason. You know why?"

She turned around to stare at the Mikaelson Rose before speaking.

"Damon has feelings for her and so she asked him about these feelings. He told her how strong they were and he ended up calling her Katherine. Since then, she's tried to be away from him."

"He'd better not pursue that course of action now that she's with my brother. That's Mikaelson blood in her veins and we take that seriously."

"Some of you take that seriously," Bonnie said thinking of the fact that it was Kol's blood in her veins. She felt so close to him ever since the transition. "Kol..."

He wrapped his arms around her and held her close before his lips descended on hers. She could feel all of his feelings for her in that kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him until she trailed kisses down his neck while he groaned and ran his fingers in her hair.

"I have never felt for anyone the way I feel about you. Please promise me you won't forget that," Bonnie whispered softly.

"I won't forget that Bonnie." Kol whispered to her.

She sat there cuddled in his embrace for a long time before they returned inside. She began rummaging around in the kitchen and soon prepared mushroom ravioli from scratch while there was marinara and pesto sauce cooking on the stove. Kol was finishing a fresh loaf of French bread which he put in the oven while he started throwing together a salad.

"Bonnie you're hungry," Kol said gently.

"I know that's why I'm...oh. How do you do that?"

"I can feel all of your needs and desires. It goes both ways actually. That's not all I can do," Kol whispered. Suddenly Bonnie gripped the counter feeling like Kol had slipped inside of her.

"Kol, you can't do that in here!" She moaned. "Not to mention everyone in the house will hear and I'm not anyone's favorite person."

"Please you two! NOT IN THE BLEEDING KITCHEN!" Klaus shouted at them from his studio where he had Caroline wrapped up in a blue silk sheet.

Kol groaned and slipped out of her.

"We will have to continue this in our room."

She let out a content sigh and they went back to preparing her food. Looking around, she saw that there was no one else anywhere in the house-maybe Klaus and Caroline in his studio, but the others seemed to have disappeared.

"Any idea where everyone else went to? I made enough for everyone but I guess they can have some later if they want," Bonnie said. She tasted the sauce and smiled. "Perfect."

She plated her dinner and left Kol to choose his sauce and then they settled at the table for dinner.

"Well...Bekah's going to try and play nice with Damon for Stefan's sake and Elijah's gone to Elena's to explain what happened to her."

Bonnie winced. "I don't think that Alaric's gonna take to kindly to that."

"Elijah can handle himself," Kol grinned. "What would you like to do tonight?"

"Well I thought I might see if I can get a harness on my magic since you went to such lengths to preserve it for me," Bonnie smiled. "the edge of Elijah's garden feels like the best energy. I hope he doesn't mind. I did after all leave him a surprise..."

Kol shook his head. "I don't think that he'd mind-he kept saying that he was thinking of adding to it so the Mikaelson Roses will be fine where they are."

"Do you even have grimoires?" She asked as she went back to the food. "Where would you even keep them?"

"The library." Kol supplied to her. "Every single grimoire that I've collected will be in there in my section of it." He grinned. "Besides, I believe that Nik and Caroline are finished and would like to have dinner with us."

As if on cue Caroline waltzed in with Klaus behind, "mind if we join you?"

"Not at all," Bonnie beamed.

"This smells heavenly. Let me guess; your portabello ravioli with red sauce and pesto?"

The other two settled and began eating Klaus was immediately surprised.

"This is actually quite good," Klaus grinned.

"Bonnie has many talents," Caroline offered wanting everyone to see the greatness in Bonnie that she does.