Thanks so much for all the amazing feedback guys! Its so amazing to have awesome readers who leave awesome reviews :) Sorry to leave this at a bit of a cliffhanger ;) Im wondering should they or shouldnt they at the moment. Let me know what you think! Should Mari give in finally? Or wait? Ill see what you guys think and go from there :)

Chapter 18:

Kol let out a long sigh as another call to Mari went unanswered. She'd barely spoken a word to him after he lashed out at Klaus the day before. While he felt a little guilty about it, Kol wasn't going to pretend Klaus didn't have it coming. He was tormenting Kol, shoving Mari's affections for him in Kol's face. It was infuriating.

He debated within himself on whether or not going to see her at her hotel room was the best option. If she wanted to see him, she would have answered his calls. No, giving her space was the best option. Kol knew that, so he refrained from heading over there. In two days, when Klaus was preoccupied with Hope, and Elijah was busy with Hayley, he would make his way to Mari.

His phone buzzed, later that afternoon, and a tiny part of him got a little excited. However, it wasn't Mari's name that lit up his screen. It was Klaus'. Kol huffed a little, but he answered in case it was an emergency. Klaus was frustrating but he was family before anything else.

"Yes?" Kol answered with a sigh.

"You and I need to make amends," Klaus said immediately, not taking the time for a proper greeting. Kol raised an eyebrow, but didn't answer at first. "Kol?"

"I heard you, Klaus. What made you come to this conclusion so suddenly?" He was curious as to why Klaus decided to apologize out of the blue. Well, it was as close to an apology as Kol would get, and he accepted that. It was Klaus after all.

"I am watching Marcellus and Mari have a drink together at her place of work," Klaus explained. "She seems to be genuinely enjoying herself. She's smiling and laughing. He's attempting to charm her into his bed, I'm sure."

"Mari isn't going to sleep with Marcel," Kol said confidently.

"That's not my concern right now. I am more worried that Marcel was right. What if our feuding sends her right into his eagerly awaiting arms?" Klaus sounded irritated, like he was talking through his teeth. Kol moved out onto the balcony, looking across the way at the light he knew to be the bar Mari worked at. If he wanted, Kol could have zipped right down there.

"You want to pretend to get along then?"

"If we must pretend, yes." It was more of an apology than he usually got, so Kol decided it was best not to argue. He shifted slightly, leaning forward with his elbows against the railing. He heard a growl from the other end of the line. "How dare he lay a hand on her..."

"What?"

"His hand is on her hip. He's asked her to dance." Klaus was fuming. Kol didn't need to be there to know. He was always a very possessive person, and whatever he thought to be his was not to be touched by any other. It didn't help either that Klaus was incredibly paranoid. It was a dangerous concoction, and Kol almost felt bad that Mari had captured Klaus' attention.

"Let her have her date, Klaus, so she feels less guilty about abandoning the other one." Kol was sure that Mari had no real interest in Marcel. Spending time with him was more of a courtesy after Kol and Klaus ruined her last date with him.

"I can't. I'll call you back." The call ended, and Kol knew he should probably rush to stop Klaus from interfering. However, part of Kol wanted to let him get into the middle of it. It would only work in his favor. Not only would he stop Marcel from touching Mari, but if someone were to catch blame for another interrupted date, it would be Klaus. Kol would be blameless, and the one to comfort Mari while she was angry at his brother. He smirked to himself and waited.

Mari blushed a little as Marcel's hand dipped low on her back. He pulled her a little closer, flush against his chest. They swayed back and forth to the music. He moved in rhythm with the slow jazz that played, and he smiled down at her charmingly.

"I'm glad we got another chance at this," he told her, spinning around a little with her in his arms. "I was worried I might have upset you by being gone on the phone too long."

"No, I just got dizzy for some reason," she lied calmly, though she knew he could probably feel and hear her heart thudding away in her chest. "I'm sorry for bailing on you, Marcel. Really. I felt so awful about it." He reached up to tuck a stray blond curl behind her ear.

"No, it's alright. I wasn't upset." He spun her again, this time letting her drift away then pulling her back to him. "You're a pretty good dancer. You do this often?"

"Not at all," she chuckled nervously. "I'm just following your lead. Honestly, I've ever really danced like this before." Never, not with a boy or by herself. When she was little, her mom made her dance with her little brother at weddings and such, but all they did was hold hands and spin around until they got dizzy and fell.

"Tell me something, Mari," he said softly, leaning in to speak directly in her ear, sending chills down her spine. "Why are you letting the Mikaelsons use you?" It wasn't a question she expected to be asked, and she didn't really have a good answer for it. Not at first. After a moment of awkward silence, she answered him.

"They're giving me a place to stay. My father, he's... not too nice to me when he's drunk. I went there with a black eye one day, and they didn't let me go home." She didnt want Marcel to think she was trapped there. Or that they were cruel to her.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he frowned sympathetically. "I dont know what it is about people like that. They feel like they have to destroy the beautiful things in this world." Her cheeks went pink again, and she shook her head.

"I think I'm just an easy target."

"Marcel certainly seems to think so," came an all too familiar voice from behind her. Two arms snaked around her stomach, prying her away from Marcel's chest and back into another. "What a coincidence, seeing you here, Marcellus."

"Klaus," Marcel grimaced. "What're you doing here?"

"I'm here to see our darling Marigold," Klaus answered, his devilish smirk never fading. He buried his face into the crook of her neck, a gesture to show Marcel that Mari was his, that he lay claim on her. "I didn't know she'd have company."

"Klaus," she said his name quietly, not wanting to draw attention to them. She put her hands on his arms, pushing a little to silently ask him to remove them.

"You may not know this, but stalking is usually a turn off for women, Klaus," Marcel shot at him angrily. "Can't the poor girl have a single moment of peace without a Mikaelson there to ruin it?" Mari's brows furrowed. She knew she needed to do something quickly to prevent anymore fighting. She'd already made up her mind about Marcel. She wasnt interested in dating him, so maybe telling him the truth was the only way to prevent bloodshed.

"Marcel, I think I should go," she let out a sigh. "The truth is, I like you. I think it would be amazing to be your friend, but... I don't want anything more than that." She looked back at Klaus. "I have feelings for someone else."

"You're making a mistake," Marcel warned her gently, "but I respect your decision. It's a shame. I really like you, too." He took her hand and lifted it to his lips. "Bye for now, Mari." He disappeared, then, and she let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you happy now?" Mari asked Klaus, pushing at his arms again, though he held her tightly. She expected some witty response from Klaus, but instead, she heard Kol's voice respond.

"I'm quite pleased." He was in front of her suddenly, stepping up until he was inches from her. Klaus' arms fell from her stomach, and his hands chose instead to rest of her hips. She looked at Kol, then over her shoulder at Klaus.

"I thought you were mad at each other."

"No sense in it, love," Klaus told her, placing a soft kiss to her shoulder. "We're family."

"Besides," Kol murmured, moving even closer, until he was practically pressing into her. She was sandwiched between Kol and Klaus, and the deepest, darkest part of Mari actually enjoyed being in such a position with the two of them. "More fun to fight fair, I think."

"Agreed," Klaus hummed in her ear, nipping at her earlobe with his fang, knowing how it made her shiver with excitement that she tried to hide. "May the best man win." Kol leaned in, sinking his fangs into the side of her neck Klaus wasn't toying with. Mari let out a soft whimper, her head falling back against Klaus' shoulder.

"N-Not here," she pleaded quietly. "Please."

"Where, love?" Klaus asked.

"The hotel." Kol pulled back, licking her blood from his lips. He smirked down at her, that devilishly handsome smirk that was always able to make her practically melt.

"To the hotel, then."