I do not own TVD or TO
This chapter doesn't have much Lexa in it as we are journeying over to NOLA with Kol. There is some smut though.
Consciousness always returned slowly.
It was followed by the feeling of being trapped. His mind lost in the darkness of his own body. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He couldn't breathe.
With the removal of the dagger his body slowly regained feeling. It took hours before he would heal enough to sit up; it took so long that his mind usually wandered and dreamed while his body was busy repairing itself.
The warm summer air passed easily through his lungs. Each breath brought the smell of fresh cut daisies to his nose.
Kol knew before he opened his eyes that she would be there.
He was right.
Kol rolled onto his side and debated doing it. He knew at this point that the dagger had been removed and soon he would wake. He knew that Nik would be on the other side and that she would disappear only to be seen in his dreams.
He didn't know how long his brother had made him sleep. He didn't know how many years had passed since the day he had been dragged from the tavern. He didn't know why his mind haunted him with images of her.
It was wonderfully devastating.
His heart ached for her. His body craved her.
He reached out with one hand and caught a white blossom between his fingers. He wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted the flower to her gaze.
The soft intake of breath told him she was awake.
She turned onto her back and stared up at him with a mixture of surprise and elation.
Kol tucked the daisy behind her ear and gently cupped her neck.
"Hello, Elskling," his lips quirked up in a sad smile.
1901
New Orleans
Kol supressed his groan and sat up. He'd barely had a chance to kiss her when he was ripped into the realm of consciousness.
"Welcome back," Klaus twirled the dagger on the table top.
Kol glared at the feet propped on the edge of the bed. He wanted to tear his older brother apart limb from limb, but he knew he had to be smarter this time around.
His eyes swiveled to the coffin in the corner that had yet to be removed.
"New casket?" He arched an eyebrow.
"I thought it should match the darkness of your soul," Klaus smirked. He climbed to his feet and pulled open the door.
Kol inhaled the fear rising from the young woman's neck when she was pressed to join him on the bed. He caught the surprise in Klaus' eyes when he forced himself to take the time to compel the girl to relax.
He wasn't sure why he did it. Maybe it was the remnants of his dream. Maybe it was the fact that he had been asleep for a shorter period of time. Maybe he just wanted to surprise his brother.
Or maybe it was the fear in her green eyes.
1904
New York
Disappearing into a large city was easy. It was so simple to vanish into thin air when you were surrounded by a million people.
She had been in New York City for fifteen years. Normally when she ran away it was to another country or state, but in the city she could relocate to another neighborhood and never again see the people from the old.
It certainly helped that each section of the city had its own coven that was at war with the others. They were always at each other's throats and were not the type to exchange idle gossip.
So long as Lexa kept to herself and only spoke to the local covens when necessary she was fine.
She wasn't sure how much longer she could stay back in the wings though. The covens were making the gang violence in Lower Manhattan look like child's play. The gangs were children fighting with wooden swords compared to the witches of the city.
"Alright, darlin'," a man leered at her as she walked passed on the street.
Lexa rolled her eyes and waved her hand in a backwards motion when she felt him following her. She smirked when she heard the boards give way on a stand of fruit.
Children darted forward and snatched the fallen apples while the proprietor yelled at them and screamed 'thieves'.
She couldn't bring herself to feel too badly though. The children were starving and the action had caused enough of a raucous that the man had lost sight of her as she disappeared into the crowds.
Later that night after she had slid into bed she wondered what her dreams would hold. It had been nearly three years since her nightly routine had been interrupted. Three years had passed since Kol had tucked a flower behind her ear and pressed a sweet kiss to her lips.
Her dreams had been sporadic since then. Her love only popped into her head once a week at most.
She dreaded the night almost as much as she longed for it. The dreams of him were wonderful, but waking up and being reminded that he was not there broke her heart.
1914
New Orleans
"When is the last time you slept?" Rebekah crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame of her brother's room.
"Not sure," Kol shrugged. He tilted his head while he thought about it. "Perhaps a week."
"Perhaps you should rest," she gave him a pointed look when he reached for his hat, "instead of going out."
"Where is the fun in that sweet sister?" Kol donned the cap. He paused on his way out the door and pressed a kiss to Rebekah's cheek.
He knew exactly what fun was in his dreams, but he dreaded them. Ever since waking up he had been plagued by her.
The witches thought the plagues affecting the city were bad. They had nothing on his unconscious mind. He might have thought someone had cast a spell on him if the dreams had not begun before he had remerged into New Orleans society.
His exhaustion was catching up with him though. He knew he would have to sleep soon and deal with the heartache that followed waking.
Kol's steps faltered when he reached a clearing just outside the French Quarter. He wasn't sure what possessed him to lie down in the soft grass. It had been two hundred and twelve years since he had looked up at the stars.
He draped his hat over his stomach and stared at the night sky. It took less than a minute to locate the constellation he had spent his waking time avoiding at all costs.
The tear slipped from the corner of his eye when he found Taurus glittering in the heavens.
He blinked once before closing his eyes and wishing for dreams of his golden haired Persephone; for anything that would sustain him in the winter that would never end.
He blinked and caught the fingers working the buttons on his shirt.
"What do you think you're doing?" He held her hand to his lips and smirked.
"You're wearing too many clothes," Lexa smiled innocently. She used her free hand to tug on the fabric playfully.
Kol grasped the back of her neck and pulled her face to his so he could lay a bruising kiss to her lips. Arousal pooled in his stomach under her small hands downward journey. He groaned when she squeezed him through his trousers and massaged the hard bulge.
His wandering hands grasped the thin cotton around her waist and lifted it upwards. He broke their so he could pull the material over her head. Tossing it into a corner of the room he pressed a sweet kiss to the corner of her lips and caught her hand before she could unfasten his pants.
"Ladies first," he answered the question in her lust darkened eyes.
She squealed when he lifted her and positioned her wet center over his face.
Kol's fingers kneaded her smooth behind and drew her down. He heard the soft moan as his tongue made contact with her clit. He groaned when her fingers grasped his short hair. He lapped at her dripping pussy and flicked the sensitive bundle of nerves with his tongue.
It wasn't long before she started rocking her hips back and forth.
He snuck a glance at her as she rode his face and found her fingers rolling a tight bud. His tongue drove into her body and massaged her inner walls; his hands caressed her backside.
He knew she was approaching her orgasm when the edges of the room faded from his vision.
Lexa sat up on the roof and groaned in frustration. She had fallen asleep staring at the night sky on the flat rooftop. She climbed to her feet and hurried inside before collapsing on the soft sofa.
Lifting the edge of her nightdress up and around her waist she slid her fingers through her folds and gathered the cream before working her clit. She closed her eyes and summoned the recent image of his face between her legs while her fingers slid inside and her thumb worked the sensitive bud.
Her dream had pushed her to the edge so it only took her a few minutes to bring herself to orgasm.
She laid back and panted while coming down. Her body took longer than her mind, but soon enough she began to crave his arms around her. She wanted to lay her head on his chest and listen to the frantic beating of his heart as he came down from his own high.
She refused to cry though. She was not going to lie on the sofa half naked and cry while juices coated her thighs.
She laid there for so long that she eventually drifted off to sleep again.
Kol caught the hand on his chest and used his enhanced speed to pin the small body to the ground beneath him.
Heavy skirts tangled around his legs. His heart stuttered when he saw the blond ringlets covering the woman's face. He cursed himself mentally when his hips pressed between her thighs and she gasped at the feeling of his erection through their clothes.
"Hello," she swallowed and pulled her hair aside to reveal a round face.
Kol had to admire the girl's courage. Not many would have looked at a strange man holding them down in such a way. There was a mixture of fear and arousal in her blue eyes.
"Did you need something, Miss Claire?" His eyes traced the ringlets surrounding her face. Lexa's hair had once looked similar when she had taken the time to actually style it; the spring rain had ruined the effect later that day.
"I didn't realize," she blushed under his heated gaze, "that it was you until you woke up. You were…" she bit her lip," …groaning… I thought you were hurt."
"Obviously not," Kol's eyes searched her face. He didn't miss the way her thighs shifted on either side of him or the way her gaze darted to his lips. "As you can see I am quite alright, so unless you want my help with something I do believe we are done here."
His hand grasped her skirt when she surged up and caught his lips in a hungry kiss. He couldn't help but think woman were very repressed these days when her arousal reached his nose. They had to be if all it took was proximity to a man to set their blood on fire.
Perhaps it was the remnants of his dream. Perhaps it was the fact that it had been two hundred and twelve years. Perhaps it was the way her hair reminded him of his lost love.
Maybe he just wanted to have a little fun after so long alone.
He picked her up and flashed across the clearing into the tree line without breaking the kiss. His eyes widened when her hands deftly unfastened his trousers and his erection was pulled free. Pushing her back to lie in the grass again he slid her skirts up around her legs. He took enough time to make sure she was ready before gliding inside of her.
A little bit of fun never hurt anyone, so why did he feel guilty?
The fog curled around her ankles and muffled the sharp taps of her heels on the cobblestones. With each gust of wind she glanced over her shoulders warily.
This was a dangerous time to be a witch in New Orleans. There was a war brewing between the different factions: those who had sided with Klaus Mikaelson and those who had sided with Kol.
She was in the latter group; it was much smaller than the first, but she believed it to be the right one. Her growing feelings for the distant vampire may have had something to do with it.
She gasped when her back was pressed to the cool stone and stared up into his dark eyes.
"Just once, Kol Mikaelson," her hand landed on his chest, "you might greet me like a gentleman?"
"If you are in the market for a gentleman, Mary Alice Claire, I'm afraid you have the wrong Mikaelson brother." His gloved hand cupped her neck when he bent down to press a sweet kiss to the edge of her mouth. "Where is Astrid? I need two witches before the lessons can begin."
"She thinks you can't be trusted." Mary Alice swallowed and stepped forwards after him. "We've all heard the stories of how you use witches and then discard them."
"Lies," Kol swore. Something flashed in his dark eyes before she could read it properly. "Propagated by my wicked family, love." Kol held up a finger as he talked. "You know, if Klaus has his was you'll all be dead. This," he nodded to the cemetery, "will be a vampire country, don't you want to keep you all safe, for all the future generations of Claires to come?"
"Why are you so keen to help us? What do you get out of this?"
Kol smirked and shook with a silent laugh. What did he get out of this? If everything went according to plan he would get his revenge on Klaus. He had given up on fighting back against Elijah who he suspected had only gone along with their brother's plan. The main priority was Klaus… the war between the witches caused enough of a headache for his oldest breathing brother.
"As soon as we get rid of Klaus' witches," he tilted his head and grinned, "we are going to get rid of Klaus."
Thirty minutes later Astrid and Mary Alice were examining the contents of the playhouse. Kol had spent the past decade amassing every magical object and grimoire he could find and placing them inside.
Mary Alice's fingers lifted the lid of a small box on one of the shelves. The black box sat beside a silver dagger.
"Don't touch that," Kol snapped. He took the emerald ring from her hands and put it back in the box and slid it into his pocket. He masked the pain and anger in his eyes before smiling and starting the lesson.
"We've tried everything, Kol." Mary Alice dropped the blade onto the table. "We need a bigger diamond."
"There is no bigger diamond," he shook his head. Anger and disappointment furled in his chest. He had come so close only to fail in the end.
He knew the witch was right and that the diamond would need to be bigger. He knew it because the pair of them, Mary Alice and Astrid, had grown distant over the many months he had them practicing Kemiya. The bond was strained and they would need something much bigger to focus their magic.
He swept up the dagger and glared at the dark object in his hand. It had to be in his head right? There was no way he could actually feel the energy radiating from the blade. He slammed the silver down on a low shelf and closed his eyes.
"There may be…"
Kol turned around when she continued speaking. His eyes narrowed at the news of the dowager Folly keeping a massive gem inside her house.
Three days later Mary Alice and Astrid found him covered in blood in St Anne's shortly after mass.
He recognized his mistake when it was too late. That was always the way. Hindsight was 20/20 after all.
He should have known better than to tell Rebekah anything. She saw Klaus through blinders. She overlooked everything he had ever done to her.
Kol was starting to lose hope that she would ever see sense. Would she ever leave him? Would she ever do something for herself?
He highly doubted it.
In retrospect he should have known Klaus would dagger him while he attempted to reclaim the dowager's diamond.
I love reviews... the next chapter is planned to take place at a speakeasy during prohibition era Chicago where Lexa finally catches up with a Mikaelson.