AN: Thank you so much for the reviews. This is another chapter for you. Please read and review. Apology in advance for the grammatical mistakes. Looking forward to hear from you. Thank you!

Chapter 8: Exchanging Personalities

With every passing day, Shanyra was growing fond of Mystic Falls. She still wanted to travel but the small town has become her home now. She was getting attached with the people of the town too. Shae was gradually changing with every passing day as well. Both personality wise and in other different ways. Some changes in her seemed good but others, not so much. However the changes in her were subtle enough that no one really noticed it. Well no one except for Kol who watched her every move very keenly and carefully. He could tell even the slightest difference in Shae's behavior.

Speaking of Kol, the original himself was experiencing changes in his personality. Though unlike the changes in Shae, the changes in Kol's behavior were obvious enough that everyone noticed it. Everyone means everyone. And to say that Kol was troubled about these changes in him, would be an understatement. The only explanation was that the soul sharing bond was affecting him in such way. Nowadays, the original didn't enjoy killing humans anymore. For past few days, every time Kol fed on someone, he let them go after compelling them to forget about it. He just couldn't help but let them live. Yes, he was the same Kol Mikaelson who used to leave trails of bodies just for the fun of it and always itched to kill something. Only he wasn't the same Kol Mikaelson anymore.

It was fairly obvious that Kol's humanity was coming back. Perhaps his humanity switch has already flipped on. He has kept his emotions off for such a long time that, now that he was experiencing feelings again, he was freaking out about it to say the least. Kol didn't show it or admit it to anyone but every minute of the day he felt like falling apart. The only thing keeping him together was Shanyra. Kol would look at her and think that he has to take care of her. But he wouldn't be able to do that if he couldn't even take care of himself. That thought would automatically prevent Kol from breaking down.

"Are you alright?" Shae asked Kol with concern in her voice. She noticed that her soul mate looked troubled. Kol has just pulled over the car in the school parking lot. He was dropping Shanyra off to school as usual. Kol glanced at her before saying-

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" He asked curiously.

"You look troubled to me. And not just right now. Something's been bothering you for a couple of days. I've noticed it. Is it because of me? Am I doing anything wrong?" Shae asked sounding very serious about it. Kol maybe her guardian but she was allowed to worry about him too.

"No." Kol said quickly.

"You aren't doing anything wrong love. And I'm fine. There's nothing to worry about." Kol sounded convincing enough but still Shanyra gave him doubtful looks.

"You will tell me if there's anything wrong, right?" Shae asked with intensity in her voice. Kol shared a lot of things with her, if not everything. Actually Shae was the only person Kol wholeheartedly opened up to. She wasn't old enough to betray him and she didn't judge.

"Of course. I assure you nothing is going on. Everything is fine" said Kol, making Shae look at him more carefully.

"You say you're fine but there's a small voice in my head telling me something is wrong. And it's making me concerned for you." Shanyra sounded very mature as she said that. Kol inhaled and exhaled a deep breath. For a moment he thought about telling her what was happening but then decided not to. Truth to be told, he didn't even know what to say.

"Shae, I am really alright. I promise." Shae didn't have any other choice but to accept this answer since she couldn't exactly read Kol's mind.

"Off you go now. Wouldn't wanna be late for the class, would you?" Shae shook her head in reply and prepared to step out of the car. She opened the car door but stopped instead of getting out. She turned around and wrapped her arms around Kol, giving him a tight hug. It was the first time Shanyra embraced Kol like that. It made the original go rigid at first but then he relaxed a bit and embraced her back.

"Okay, right….. ah this is, great." Kol said incoherently. He obviously wasn't used to of getting hugs from kids. So it made him uncomfortable to some extent. He untangled Shanyra from him slowly, then flashed her a tight smile.

"You are really getting late now" said Kol making Shae roll her eyes at him.

"Fine. I'm going." She got out of the car and closed the door behind her.

"I'll come to pick you up." Kol said as Shae waved by at him. And then she left. Kol on the other hand sighed out heavily. He wasn't feeling strange at all. Sarcasm inserted. He may have told Shae that he was feeling fine but it wasn't really the truth. Kol was feeling things he didn't let himself feel for centuries. Love, concern, affection, responsibility and many other emotions were surfacing up. The original started the car. He had a goal in his mind. The goal to find answers.

Kol has asked Gabriella to come to Mystic Falls. He wanted to speak to her. Find out if she learned anything new about the soul mate bond. He also wanted to know if whatever was happening with him was really the affect of that bond like he was assuming or was it something else? Gabriella was staying at a motel room. Kol arrived there and found her waiting for him.

"Hello Gabriella. Nice to see you again." Kol said with a smile which confused the witch because Kol Mikaelson rarely smiled. He always smirked.

"Hello to you too Kol. How are you doing?" Gabriella asked really wanting to know.

"Great. I'm strong again. And I am still here" said Kol sounding grateful about it. They both walked over to the couch and settled down across from each other.

"And how is your soul mate doing? Is she still okay with living with you?" Gabriella inquired. The mention of Shanyra made Kol smile more.

"She's more than okay with it actually. I know it's going to sound unreal but I don't think she would leave me even if I ask her to which I never will of course." Kol spoke rather fondly about Shanyra which Gabriella didn't miss to notice.

"I see you're getting quite attached with her. And it seems the other way around too." She said, making Kol smile more.

"I guess I am. Shae is very easy to get along with. Anyway, have you found anything else about this bond? Anything that you didn't know before?" Kol asked quite politely. It once again surprised Gabriella. She felt like talking to a different person. However, she didn't make it obvious to Kol that his changed personality was surprising her to no limits.

"No, nothing new I'm afraid. This kind of bond was never created before. An ancient witch thought about doing it but she never could after creating the spells. No one knows the consequences of this bond. Frankly speaking, I'm actually hoping to learn from you and your soul mate." Gabriella said honestly

"Is there anything going on with you or her?" She asked curiously.

"Nothing much going on with Shae but something strange is happening with me lately. I'm feeling again. Emotions that I haven't felt for centuries. My humanity is coming back or already back." Kol obviously sounded troubled about it.

He has been a killer for a thousand years. Including all those years Klaus kept him locked up in a coffin. And now all on a sudden, he didn't enjoy killing anymore. This sudden change wasn't comfortable at all. Feelings were comfortable at all. He was Kol Mikaelson. He was supposed to enjoy ripping people's head off.

"I think I know why." Gabriella said after hearing out Kol. She stood up and started to pace a little as she began thinking of something.

"When you were turned, your human soul left you. Moreover you had your emotions turned off. So obviously you didn't care about taking lives or anything else for that mater because you didn't have your humanity. But now, you are not soulless anymore. You are sharing a soul with a human who clearly got feelings and emotions and most importantly humanity. I believe this bond between you and her is letting you harbor her traits."

"But I didn't want to have her emotions and feelings" said Kol getting anxious.

"Then it is something that will happen whether you want it or not." Saying that Gabriella suddenly stopped talking as a thought came to her mind.

"What is it?" Kol asked, feeling a little worried.

"I'm thinking if you are getting affected by her humanity; what if the girl is being affected by your vampirism. I mean it seems possible now that I'm thinking about it." The witch said worriedly because Kol getting his humanity back was certainly a good thing but Shanyra becoming anything like Kol was not a good thing at all.

"What are you saying that one day Shae would suddenly want to go on a killing spree? That's insane. She's only twelve for god's sake." This very thought disturbed and worried Kol to no limits. He hoped against hope that the witch was wrong about her theory.

"Maybe not that but it's possible that she becomes- wild and unpredictable. Like you were" said Gabriella. She smartly avoided saying rude, arrogant, full on crazy and a psychotic maniac. She didn't want to insult Kol. After all he was still an original.

Kol on the other hand started feeling worried and troubled to no limits. He certainly didn't want little Shanyra to be anything like him. Like a monster. He may have been fine with being one himself but he couldn't let his soul mate become one. Specially not at such a young age. Before Kol could continue this conversation, he got a call from Caroline.

"You're interrupting a very important conversation Caroline. Say quickly whatever you have to say." Kol said to Caroline as soon as he picked up.

"Mom got a call from school. It's about Shae. I'm going over there right now. Mind telling me what the hell happened?" Caroline asked impatiently. There was an accusatory undertone in her voice as well. Since Kol was responsible for Shanyra more than anyone else, if anything wrong happened it was automatically his fault. At least in Caroline's mind. She was obviously still not friends with Kol Mikaelson.

"I don't know." Kol said honestly and started getting worried as well. He usually stayed close by school campus everyday but today he had to leave to come and meet Gabriella. Kol immediately started regretting not keeping an eye on Shae.

"Well then, I'm sure you'd like to find out. Come to the school as soon as you can." Saying that Caroline hung up the call. Kol looked at Gabriella.

"I have to go. Please don't leave" said Kol. Please? He was definitely screwed. Gabriella thought to herself. Kol reached the school very fast. The motel wasn't that far away anyway. When he got there, he saw Caroline getting out of her car. He walked over to her. She looked worried and it got Kol more tensed up.

"Did you find out anything?" Kol asked nicely with patience.

"No, I just got here. The principle called mom and asked her to come to the school immediately. She didn't explain anything to mom, so I have no idea what happened." said Caroline. Did Shae get hurt? What must have happened? The both of them started walking together towards the principle's office. Once they got there, Caroline knocked on the door. The principle permitted them to enter. After the casual formalities, she finally got to the point.

"Shanyra Forbes is your cousin Ms. Caroline right?" The principle asked and Caroline nodded her head in confirmation.

"Yes, ma'am. She is."

"And I found out that, she moved to Mystic Falls not long ago." The principle further inquired.

"Yes, that's correct. She lived in Prague before" said Caroline.

"How well do you know her Ms. Caroline?" Caroline was asked. She looked at Kol who lightly shrugged his shoulders at her. Telling her, she could tell whatever the hell she wanted. He didn't really give a damn about it.

"I, actually, we are still getting to know each other." Caroline said with hesitation.

"I see. Have you noticed any strange behavior in her? Something troubling." The principle asked with a calm tone of voice. Kol however couldn't take the anticipation anymore. He wanted to know what happened right away.

"Would you just tell us what happened?" He snapped angrily for he was getting very worried. Caroline kicked him under the table for that and gave him a pointed look.

"Very well Mr. Mikaelson. Shanyra got into a fight with one of her classmates today. Do you want to see what she did to that poor girl?" Saying that the principle asked her assistant to bring in that said girl. She also mentioned the name Alison. Kol immediately knew the principle was talking about Shae's rival.

A moment later a girl of Shanyra's age walked inside the office room. She was badly beaten and her hair was completely ruined. Someone cut her hair so messily that it looked like the girl had her hair stuck in a fan or something. Her scalp was showing in places. She didn't have any other option but to become completely bald. And Shanyra was apparently the culprit here. Caroline's eyes widened immediately and a small gasp escaped her lips. She turned to face the principle again.

"Shanyra did this?" She asked with disbelieve in her voice. Kol was equally shocked. He never saw Shae going violent before.

"Yes, not to mention in the classroom; in front of all the students and the teacher." The principle was both angry and concerned.

"Did she tell you anything about why she did this?" Caroline asked still feeling very shocked.

"I'd like to know that too Ms. Caroline. She refused to answer any of our questions. You must find out what is going on with her. I mean, don't take it personally but if she has any mental-" Kol cut off the principle immediately.

"She is perfectly fine. This will never happen again." Kol assured but not convincingly enough.

"What he means is that we'll find out what's going on with her and fix everything." Caroline said, not letting the principle react to Kol.

"Well you better Ms. Caroline. We won't tolerate this kind of behavior again in the school. If she does anything like this again, we'll be forced to expel her."

Not long after that meeting with the principle, Shae was back in the Mikaelson mansion. Caroline was there too along with the originals. Shae was sitting on the couch with her head lowered and hands joint together. Her joint hands were resting on her lap. Kol was standing a few feet away from her while Caroline was pacing right in front of her. She had her arms crossed over her chest. Rebekah and Klaus were both present in the room. They were watching the drama unfold with great fascination. Klaus was full on smirking to himself due to enjoying it so much.

And speaking of Shanyra, even though she had her head lowered but she wasn't being apologetic at all about what she did.

"You are going to apologize to that girl Shanyra. Do you understand me?" Caroline said with stern tone of voice. Ever since she heard that Kol and Shae might be swapping personalities, Caroline was freaking out. Who wouldn't? Kol was worried himself about it. Shanyra didn't respond to her cousin and remained quiet. Clearly not willing to do what she was being told to do.

"Why did she pick up a fight with someone in the first place?" Klaus asked. He wasn't present in the room from the beginning therefore missed out on a few things.

"Alison put chewing gum in my hair." Shae answered finally speaking up after the long silence.

"I had to cut off a lock of my hair because of her."

"But that doesn't mean you needed to turn her into a horror movie character" said Caroline in a scolding manner but it only made Shanyra smirk.

"Don't smile." Caroline snapped getting frustrated with her cousin. Shae lowered her face again. Not due to feeling ashamed but to hide her smirk.

"Come on love-" Klaus said to Caroline. "No need to be so harsh with her. I'm sure little Shae here, wouldn't do anything like that again."

"Right?" Klaus asked Shae for assurance and she nodded her head vehemently as well.

"I won't do it again what I did." Shae said and she really meant it.

"If Alison messes with me again, I'll just rip her head off." And she meant that too.

"That's enough." It was Kol who said that, not Caroline. He wasn't saying anything so far but after what Shae just said, he couldn't stay quiet anymore. Kol walked over to her aggressively.

"This is it. You are not staying with me anymore" said Kol shocking everyone.

"What!" Shae exclaimed looking stunned but Kol ignored that.

"Rebekah, pack a bag for her. Only the necessaries." He said to his sister. Rebekah however was too stunned and confused to do what Kol just asked her to do.

"I'm taking her back home. To her mother." Kol said that more to himself. Everyone else was looking at each other. Not understanding what suddenly got into Kol. Shanyra on the other hand started to freak out. She just couldn't believe that Kol was talking about taking her back to hell.

"No, you are bluffing." Shae said with certainty. Though fear was clearly evident in her voice and in her eyes.

"We are soul mates. You can't just get rid of me." She said strongly.

"We will see. I'll dagger myself if I have to but you are not staying with me anymore." Kol said with a stern tone of voice. He has already made up his mind.

"Rebekah, the bag. Do hurry up." Kol said running a hand through his hair in restlessness. Rebekah had no other choice but to start packing a bag for Shanyra who was staring at Kol with complete and utter disbelieve in her eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere." She said stubbornly with a strong tone of voice as she overcame her shocked state. Kol didn't respond to her. Caroline on the other hand didn't know what to do or say anymore. Rebekah came back with a small bag and handed it to Kol. She was still feeling shocked about what was happening. Kol grabbed the bag, then grabbed Shanyra's hand and started dragging her towards the door. Shae immediately started struggling.

"No. Kol, let go of me! I am not going back!" She shouted and yelled but not a single word reached Kol's ears. It seemed he had turned deaf for that time. When Shanyra struggled too much, Kol had to pick her up and hold her tightly. So her struggling didn't help a bit.

"Kol. Please! No!" This time Shae started crying. She looked at her cousin who was following behind.

"Caroline. Please make him stop! Please!" Seeing her cousin cry like that, Caroline decided to stop Kol. If he didn't want her anymore then so be it. Shae would live with her and her mom. However, Klaus put a hand on her shoulder, stopping Caroline from advancing. He quietly told her not to interfere.

Kol reached his car. All the way Shanyra screamed at Kol to stop and let her go. But he didn't listen. He forced her into the car, then got inside himself. Kol started driving towards the airport. No one else but Kol knew what he was really trying to do or planning to do? Was he really going to take Shanyra back to Prague, to her mother? Or was he just trying to scare her so that she'd never dare to repeat violence again?