April, 1911
"Did you know Mark had to be the one to tell me it was your birthday? I stopped by the store and he said you'd be home. I looked like a complete prat."
Bea lifted her head from where it had been buried in her pillow. Her room had been dark and warm and now everything was blurry and too damn bright.
She groaned and pulled her covers over her head before whining, "No, no, no. Foutre le camp. Too early. 'M sleeping."
However if Kol was anything it was persistent, so a moment later the blanket was ripped away from her. She sat up, crossing her arms and glaring at him as he triumphantly stood over her.
"Now. Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday?"
She sighed, realizing that he was more bothered by this than she'd thought he would be, so she answered, "You'd said you'd be out of town for most of this week. If you weren't going to be here anyway I didn't see the point in telling you."
He rolled his eyes and said offhandedly, "Well obviously I'd have rescheduled if I knew. You're more important than some errands, and now I don't have the time to buy you those new oil paints and brushes you've been talking about."
A warmth flooded through her and based on the way he was now eying her she knew she must be red. Feeling incredibly fond, she scooted until she was at the end of her bed before rising onto her knees. Once she was nearly eye level with him, she leaned forward and pecked his cheek.
"We can do something later then. I have the day off from work, so I'm going back to sleep. Go eat someone and come back after I've gotten some more rest."
Kol saluted her and gave her covers back, leaving quickly after turning off the light and having clearly realized he wouldn't be getting any coherent conversation with her when she was still half-asleep.
Things had been better between them since he'd revealed what he was. There weren't any more secret meetings he had to rush off to get to and he was much more free with his affection. Though it had taken a few weeks, now she considered his diet just another part of who he was. He'd shown her his fangs when she'd asked to see them.
She'd even watched him drain a man a few days ago.
That night had been… dark.
When they had gone to the bar she knew how the night would end. Kol was by all definitions a monster, a creature usually bound to the shadows that old wives tales were told of. But he was hers. So when he had begun walking toward a pretty blonde that had been eying him she pulled him back and whispered that she wanted to pick someone out for him.
It had only taken her dancing with an overly forward man and a quiet suggestion to meet her in the alley for his next meal to begin.
He'd used the eye contact thing he'd told her about to make the stranger keep quiet, but she knew the man had to have been in pain. When Kol had finally finished and the man slumped to the ground, red streaks was leaking from the corners of his mouth and veins were black beneath his eyes.
Bea had only stroked his face in fascination and carefully wiped away the blood with her thumbs.
She'd always been pragmatic. She loved fiercely, yes, but she loved few. And in that moment she knew that she would march an army of people to death's doorstep if it kept Kol fed and happy, because if the situation were reversed she had no doubt he'd do the same. God, to know that such a powerful person – someone capable of so many inhuman things – would bend to her will… it was intoxicating.
When had she turned so dark? Turned her back on the human race for the man in front of her?
She let those questions swirl in her mind for only a minute before she fell back asleep, safe in her own bed.
Bea woke up slowly the second time. A rustle of fabric, a slight shift in position – gentle things made her slowly surface from her dream. When she felt the warmth coming off of the person next to her she shuffled over, throwing an arm over them and drifting off again. It was Kol whispering in her ear that made her fully open her eyes.
"You're drooling. And you snore."
She swatted at him with the hand laying across him already. Wiping her mouth and finding nothing there, she then propped her chin up on his chest, narrowing her eyes at him and saying, "Can't all be pretty like you."
He only smirked in response, not moving from where he was stretched out on her bed over the covers, arms crossed behind his head and looking entirely too put together. Deciding that he deserved to look a little more ruffled up, she began dancing her fingers across his collarbone and upper arms before she leaned forward and gently kissed his neck.
"What are you doing?"
Smiling against the curve of his shoulder, she continued dragging her lips lightly across his skin.
"Nothing," she said in an innocent voice, "why? Something wrong?"
After another minute of her teasing him he began running his fingers through her hair and lightly scratching her scalp just the way she liked. Sighing, Bea gave up and nuzzled into the crook of his neck.
In a politely conversational tone he remarked, "If you don't stop that soon I'm going to pin you to the bed and have my way with you."
She couldn't hold back the harsh intake of breath, images of skin sliding against skin and lips against her body rushing through her mind unbidden. Kol laughed loudly and sat up, getting off the bed and stretching his arms over his head.
"We best get the day started. I've got a bit planned for you and its already noon. But I'm definitely cataloguing that reaction for later."
Bea rolled out of bed herself, yawning but shuffling toward the kitchen. He followed closely behind her, pulling orange juice from the ice box and pouring them both a glass while she began turning on her stove to cook some eggs.
He leaned against the counter in silence, sipping his drink and watching her as she prepared her brunch. When she finished and sat down at the table she looked up at him before asking, "So what is on the itinerary for today?"
"Well first we're going to shop. You need a new dress for tonight when I take you out for dinner on the town. After that I'll take you to the art store and you can pick out whatever it is you're low on."
She smiled widely, more than happy with that plan as she washed and dried her plate and pan, wandering over to him to quickly peck him and wrap her arms around him.
"Thank you. It sounds good. Now I have to go get dolled up and put on my human disguise."
He snorted and kissed her more deeply, letting her turn away before lightly smacking her behind when she started toward her room to get dressed. She let out an embarrassing yelp but didn't bother turning around to glare, knowing he was probably grinning like the cocky moron she knew.
After she cleaned her teeth she went about getting dressed, darkening her lashes, and applying some red rouge to her lips. She emerged ten minutes later, finding Kol leafing through one of the books she kept on the small bookshelf in her den.
He glanced up and looked her over with an appreciative expression. Satisfied with his reaction, Bea nodded toward the door.
"Ready to go? I haven't been shopping in weeks."
They wound up crowded together in a single dressing room, their bodies pressing together tightly while Bea harshly sucked on his neck and let her red lipstick smear only just above his collar.
When she finally pulled away he captured her lips immediately, nipping her bottom lip before running his tongue over it slowly. He pushed her against the full sized mirror in the small room, grinding his hips against her and letting her feel that he was quickly becoming aroused.
She pulled away finally to catch her breath, chest heaving and legs feeling weak at the reaction she had gotten from him. Kol looked over her shoulder, saw his reflection, then snickered and looked back at her entirely amused.
"It looks like you took a bite out of me."
Bea looked at him and assessed the smeared kiss mark she had left on him before nodding to herself, entirely satisfied with her results. She let out a low hum of agreement and met his eyes with a fierce expression.
"I didn't like the way those saleswomen were looking at you. Like they were waiting for me to leave you alone so they could pounce."
Kol laughed loudly and looked positively gleeful with her explanation.
"You're jealous. I like it."
"Damn straight I am. It doesn't matter though. You're mine, and they should know it."
He nodded slightly and said quietly, "Yes. I am," before he lost his serious expression to lift an eyebrow and say mockingly, "I am very fond of the possessive streak as well. Thought I should let you know."
She smirked, leaning up to peck him once more and wipe the errant lipstick from both of their faces before she whispered, "Takes one to know one, mon amour."