I do not own TVD or TO.
This chapter goes from November to mid January
New Orleans, November 2014
She hoisted the box in her arms and used her hip to push open the door to Rousseau's. She stumbled over her heels and gasped when a pair of arms steadied her.
"You really need to be more careful," Thierry's eyes flicked to her shoes, "and you really shouldn't be lugging around boxes of… lights…" he arched an eyebrow, "in high heels."
"I happen to like my heels," Lexa rolled her eyes and laughed. "I can do anything you can do, and I can do it better while wearing high heels."
She paused when she caught his amused gaze. "Alright," she sighed, "anything a human man can do."
"Whatever you say," he chuckled. "Do you need some help?"
"No thanks," she shook her head, "I've got it."
"Hey," Cami grinned when she spotted her, "there's my helper. I was beginning to think you got lost."
"I live two streets over," Lexa snickered. "I got caught up with something, but I'm here now. Your unpaid help has arrived to decorate." She looked down into the box. "We really should have thought it through last year when we cleaned up."
Cami tossed the rag down on the counter and leaned over the bar. "Don't tell me…"
"We did," Lexa tilted her head. She sat the box on a stool and lifted a tangled wire. "I'm thinking we might have been a little tipsy on New Year's Day."
"Well," Cami shook her head, "let that be a lesson to us: never clean up while drunk."
"Tipsy," Lexa clarified. "I'm going to go and monopolize that table over there," she nodded to the corner, "so I can untangle these. With any luck I'll have them ready to go in an hour."
"Just in time for the lull," Cami smirked.
Lexa chuckled before moving through the crowds to the empty table. She lost track of time while she was busy untangling the mess of Christmas lights. She glanced up every now and then, but it wasn't until she was midway through the box that her attention was grabbed.
The breath caught in her throat when she saw the brunette sitting on the barstool. She recognized Diego, and she recognized the kicked puppy look on his face. What surprised her the most was that she recognized the woman.
She was the woman from her dreams. Her dark hair fell in loose waves to her shoulders.
Lexa saw the surprise flicker over her face. She saw the soft smile and the happy gleam in her eyes. There were too many people in Rousseau's for her to overhear the conversation when Elijah sat beside the brunette on the stool and ordered a drink.
Lexa wondered if she was imagining the clear attraction between the two. She was certain she could see an almost magnetic pull drawing them together. Even when they lapsed into silence the looks cast between them were full of longing.
Lexa slid through the crowds when she saw them moving. It took her a moment when she emerged on the now dark street to locate them, but locate them she did.
Maybe it was creepy to follow from a distance, but she followed them. She maintained thirty paces between herself and the couple and watched them chat. Lexa paused across the street from the building and read the sign 'The Abattoir'; she heard the faint strains of laughter and caught a glimpse of them through the crowd on the street.
She saw the moment the laughter ended. She saw the moment the air flew from the brunette's lungs.
She turned away when she saw the first kiss.
She knew he wasn't in there; not at that moment in time. She turned away and spun back around to return to the restaurant.
Kol froze in the street when he caught the faintest trace of lavender in the air; it brought the image of fresh daisies to his mind. He could almost smell them when he stood across the street from his family home.
He could have sworn when he opened his eyes that he saw blond curls rounding the far corner.
I'm going mad; he exhaled before flashing into the house, completely mad.
"I was wondering if you were ever coming home," Rebekah grinned when he appeared in the library.
"I was actually here last night," Kol dropped onto the couch with a half-hearted smirk, "but you being the strumpet that you are were out."
Rebekah's grin tightened. It was almost angelically sweet when she picked up a pencil and threw it at his face.
"Your aim is improving," Kol caught the projectile, "you need to put more strength behind it though if you have any hope of actually harming me."
"I'll keep that in mind," she huffed. Flopping back in her chair she crossed her arms and settled him with a glare. "How long will you stay this time? Are you going to flit off again after a week?" She focused on the dark circles beneath his eyes.
"No," Kol shook his head, "I think I'm going to stay for a while."
She trailed her fingers over the tall grass while walking through the fields. The flowers sprang up beneath her hands and bare feet.
The snow was all but gone now.
The heat from the sun warmed her skin.
"Kol don't get me wrong," Rebekah leaned against the door frame, "I'm glad your home. I really am, and I don't want you to leave, but you need to sleep."
"I'm fine," he shrugged one shoulder and stared at his book, "perfectly fine."
"Have you slept since you've come home?" She walked into the room and sat back against his headboard.
"Nope," he shook his head, "you know we don't need that much sleep, Bekah."
"It's been six weeks," Rebekah tipped her head back, "you haven't slept in four weeks." She reached over and snatched his book. "When you first got back you had dark circles under your eyes, so I'm guessing you hadn't slept for at least a week before that."
"What's your point, Bex?" He sighed deeply.
"My point is you need to sleep," she gave him a hard look. "You need to stop reading. You need to stop pulling stupid pranks around the house. You need to sleep."
"I'm not tired," he denied while stifling a yawn. "And my pranks are not stupid; they are hilarious. That thing yesterday with the glitter and the balloons was pure genius."
"You only think that because you haven't slept in a month," Rebekah grimaced. "Why are you so hesitant to close your eyes?"
"I'm not," he laid down to prove his point. He didn't intend to fall asleep, but the moment he closed his eyes he went out like a light.
"About bloody time," Rebekah sighed before carefully standing up and pulling her brother's door shut.
She tilted her head when she saw the door pop up in the middle of the field. The knotted wood was more than familiar to her; she opened it almost every night.
This was the first time it had ever shown up after she had entered her subconscious.
Her steps were slow. Her hands ran over the wood lightly while making for the iron handle. She swallowed once and drew in a deep breath.
When he opened his eyes it was to stare at the late morning light filtering over the ceiling. He stared in silence for a moment before turning his head and sighing at the daisies.
"I'm definitely going mad," he climbed to his feet. Slowly he ran his hand along the smooth wall and plucked a daisy from the vase. "Completely mad," he murmured.
The soft sound of a lock clicking drew his attention to the door. He was across the room when it opened.
She froze when she stepped through the door. Every muscle in her body became immobile. She tipped her head back slowly in time with the swinging door.
She heard it click when she looked into his dark eyes.
"Completely mad," his voice was a breath of air that didn't quite reach her ears. "Hello, little witch."
She opened her mouth to speak only to be cut off by a vigorous pounding on wood. What was strange was that it seemed to come from everywhere, and he couldn't hear it.
"Are you going to say anything, Elskling?"
"I…" She leaned into the hand he laid on her cheek and closed her eyes to drown out the voice. "I…" she groaned and closed her eyes. "Mierda… why now?"
"Elskling?" He lifted his hand as if to cradle her face only to have her vanish before his eyes.
So close... I dropped a few hints in here about when this chapter ends.
Who can guess the reason she was torn away?