July 1912 Continued

She was drifting in and out of consciousness. She was quite sure something had snapped in her ankle, but she couldn't feel it. Bea couldn't feel anything below her waist.

Tears streamed down her face and she knew her body must already be turning black and blue with bruises. Her breathing hitched as she sobbed and when she tried to move she found that the pain increased to the degree that she would fall back into unconsciousness.

The sun had been at its peak when Bea fell, and by the time she ran out of tears it was setting. The pain was beginning to fade, and she somewhat deliriously wondered if her blood had stained the new carpet.

Bea startled when she suddenly heard Kol's shout.

"Everything alri-"

She knew the moment he had walked through the kitchen and had seen her when a choking sound left him and his breath hitched. She was not awake a moment later, but could hear his frantic shouts. In the back of her mind she idly marveled at the fact that he was crying for the first time in three years.

When she came to, her head was in Kol's lap and she choked right away. He had to have ravaged his wrist with the amount of blood that was pouring down her throat.

"Come on, swallow. It's okay – it's going to be okay, love. Please," his voice cracked and he was barely whispering when he said, "please be okay. You are not allowed to not be okay."

Bea had already swallowed some of his blood and she found the strength to reach up and wrap her hands around Kol's wrist to press it harder to her mouth.

Kol was running his hands through her hair with shaking hands, and murmured to her in French, humming between his words to soothe her.

When her spine realigned it created a cracking sound nearly as loud as the initial break. Bea cried out against Kol's wrist when sensation returned to her lower body and all of her injuries were revealed.

It took minutes for her to be able to breathe deeply and evenly, free of the debilitating pain she had been experiencing. Kol had torn his wrist open twice more when he had healed.

When Bea finally sat up, Kol immediately pulled her onto his lap and held her tightly. Bea was taking deep, shuddering breaths as she thought about how close to death she had been and what could have happened if Kol hadn't come home tonight.

She pressed her face into his neck and tried to regain her bearings, still utterly terrified. Kol was running his hands up and down her back and she heard as his own breathing returned to a more steady rate.

Neither of them said anything, they just held each other and calmed down after what had just happened.

Bea was the first one to pull free from his embrace and gently laid her hands on either side of his face.

"It's okay. I'm alright. Everything is fine."

Just when she finished speaking, Kol let out a loud growl and lifted her up off of him so they could both stand. When he spoke it was nearly hard to understand what he was saying in a snarling tone.

"Everything is not fucking fine, Bea! We didn't blood share last night. If you had died I would have found your fucking dead body!"

Bea nodded, accepting that he was turning his fear into anger. Anger was always much easier for Kol – and her for that matter – to deal with. Just as she opened her mouth to soothe him, he cut her off.

"That's it. You're turning now."

A strange feeling in the pit of her stomach began forming, and she realized her own rising temper was tinged with fear.

"I'm fine now, I was just scared. I'm not turning yet. We agreed we would wait until I'm twenty four, so we could be the same age physically."

Kol shook his head frantically and began muttering to himself, looking more and more unhinged as Bea began slowly walking backwards while keeping an eye on him.

"No, no, no. Tonight. It won't hurt a bit, I promise. We have to right now, you've got my blood in your system and-"

Bea shouted at him, getting more and more anxious as he paced and ran his hands through his hair.

"Kol, stop it! I don't want to turn yet!"

His next words made her blood run cold.

"It's the only way to keep you safe! And I can do it anyway."

Bea's throat tightened, and for the first time in years she was scared of Kol. In a choked voice that wavered just the smallest bit she said, "I wouldn't forgive you."

"I'm an Original. I can compel vampires."

And that was the last straw. Bea turned and ran toward the kitchen, trying to get as far away from him as possible. He had sworn he would never compel her. He'd given her the memory of their first horrific date back and she had laughed at the idea of him using his powers to make her feel better.

But this was different. This was her husband – the man who was supposed to be her equal – wanting to use mind control on her because they disagreed. And it would be easy for him. Kol could turn her and make her forget that she hadn't wanted to.

Of course she only made it a few steps before he reached out and grabbed her wrist. But Bea turned quickly and lifted her other hand, pressing her bracelet with vervain to his face.

Kol shouted and reflexively let her go, allowing her to make it into the other room. As soon as he walked through the door himself Bea began throwing everything she could reach at him. Pots and pans were all hurled at him, and in the back of her mind she mourned the loss of the beautiful ceramic mug that he deflected and shattered on the ground.

"Bea, stop! You're being unreasonable!"

When she ran out of things to throw, Bea pressed herself against the counter and held back tears. Kol walked over and stopped just in front of her. He raised his hands and cupped her face softly, completely at odds with her own terror.

Bea's voice was barely a croaking whisper as she said, "Please don't kill me."

Kol reared back immediately, letting go of her and had an absolutely shocked look on his face, as if he didn't understand what she was talking about. He frowned and seemed to note the tears running down her face for the first time as his expression changed to one of pleading and confusion.

"Sweetheart, I'm not –"

All reason left Bea at the sound of his soothing tone, and her vocal cords felt like they were shredding when she screamed at him.

"Get the fuck away from me!"

"Bea – "

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF THIS HOUSE!"

An expression crossed Kol's face that she had honestly never seen before. He looked scared, guilty, but most of all devastated. He walked away from her but just before he closed the front door he turned over his shoulder and quietly say in a wavering voice.

"I'm so, so sorry love."

Sorry everyone, but marriage isn't perfect! Don't worry too much - these two are much too co-dependent too stay away from each other for long.