Chapter 42:
Klaus may have been content with Kol staying far away from Mari, but she wasn't. Even though he tried to lie and say he was just taking time to himself, that he was just drinking in a bar somewhere in a bad mood, Mari knew better. She could tell that he was avoiding her.
So she spoke to Freya. Being the only other woman who stayed at the house permanently, Freya was the only person Mari felt comfortable confiding in. Of course, Freya told her the truth because she felt that she deserved that much at least. Kol was likely with Davina, she explained. Mari asked her to take her there, and she agreed since she needed to know the spell that Davina found which could be used to break the curse.
So there they stood outside of the attic door in the dusty old church that once served as a cage for Davina and many others. Mari was anxious, nearly trembling.
"Don't be scared. Davina doesn't hate you. She won't hurt you, and neither will my brother," Freya tried to calm her down. "No one's going to bite."
"I know," Mari attempted a grateful smile. "I just have never been very good at dealing with conflict. I don't like upsetting someone."
"You should be upset with him."
"I'm not good at that either."
"I'll be here," Freya reassured her. "Don't worry." She lifted a hand and knocked on the door. It slowly swung open on its own a few minutes later.
Inside the room, Davina sat at a table with old, withering papers spread out before her. Kol stood by the window, peering out at it for a moment longer before turning to look at Mari. He knew she was there. He had heard them talking outside.
"Davina, may I speak to you alone," Freya asked, using her eyes to suggest her brother leave immediately to have a conversation with Mari.
"Sure," Davina muttered, not entirely unaware of the true reason for Freya's visit. She wasn't annoyed that they came, nor was she upset by their presence. She was more or less frustrated with the situation at hand, and Kol's insecurities.
Kol hesitated for a moment, glancing up at Davina once more before leaving the room to the two witches. He stepped outside the door and closed it behind him, leaving him alone in the hallway with Marigold.
It took Mari a moment to summon her courage. The Mikaelson's could be so intimidating, so incredibly volatile. While she trusted him not to hurt her, she didn't exactly want to see him get upset either. The damage they could do when they were upset was terrifying.
"You haven't come home."
"I'm not wanted at home," Kol grumbled, avoiding eye contact with her at all costs. He childishly kicked his heel into the ground, clearly uncomfortable standing there with her for some reason.
"That's not true. I want you to come home." Mari looked up at him even though he wouldn't meet her gaze. It was the only way to show her sincerity. "Was what I did that bad? Did I make you hate me?"
"I could never hate you," he scoffed.
"Then do you want to be with Davina again? Is that it? Do you still love her? I'll leave you alone if that's what you really want, but at least say so."
"Mari-"
"Tell me. Say it to my face. If you don't want me anymore, then just say so. I understand if you want Dav-"
"Mari!" He snapped, startling her enough to stop her from finishing her sentence. "Stop talking. Just stop saying such things. I beg of you."
She wasn't sure what to say. Mari dropped her gaze finally and conceded to the fact that she wasn't going to get a clear answer out of him. Kol was just as confused about the curse as she was, as they all were. She wondered if he was doubting his feelings because of the information Davina had no doubt been feeding him about the curse. They had been spending so much time together.
The look of fear and sadness in her face was almost enough to break Kol's heart. He never meant to hurt anyone. He was trying so hard to avoid it, but it seemed inevitable. A decision had to be made, and he couldn't keep one foot in, one foot out anymore.
"You don't understand what it's like... to really hurt the one you love," he tried to explain. "Davina was the first woman I truly loved in centuries... and I killed her. With my own fangs, I killed her. Whether it was forced or not, it was my doing that destroyed her. To hurt her again is so hard to do."
"I know." Mari had heard this before.
"But more than that... I fear hurting you."
"Me?"
"I want to be confident in my feelings, but I'm so terrified that I'm wrong," Kol admitted finally. "To suddenly fall out of love with you because the curse is broken... I cannot imagine how that would hurt you. I've hurt and disappointed everyone in my life. Over and over again. Just once... I wanted to avoid it. I'm so scared I'll be forced to hurt you, Mari. I'm petrified of the thought that I could break your heart without even meaning to. This curse... it's powerful. Powerful enough to seduce even an Original. If it's broken... and my love is gone... I'll have disappointed you. I'll have hurt you. If my feelings are real, I'll hurt Davina. Can you understand the position I am in?"
She could understand it, but there wasn't any way for her to help him. Not without letting him go entirely. Was that the right thing to do? To make the decision for him? Could she even bring herself to do such a thing? Mari loved Kol.
But he was right. The curse was powerful enough to break down the walls of even the noblest Mikaelson, Elijah. Even he couldn't stand against the affects of the curse. Perhaps Kol was no different. Maybe Davina was right to assume that breaking the curse would free them all of their bonds to her. Mari suddenly wondered if it was cruel of her to keep them trapped within her orbit. Was it her selfishness that kept her from agreeing to break the curse?
Mari stepped to the side and opened the door to the attic. Without responding to Kol, she walked over to where Freya and Davina were talking. She took a deep breath.
"My mother has to die to break it, doesn't she?" Mari asked.
"Yes," Davina nodded. "There is no other way."
"As long as she dies... can she be resurrected and still break the curse?"
"Resurrected?"
"If we stop her heart and start it again, will it break the curse?" Mari questioned more specifically.
The two witches looked at each other and pondered on that though for a moment. It was risky, but it could work.
"It may," Freya nodded her head. "Would your mother be willing to take that risk? What if she can't be revived?"
"She should at least have a chance to make things right. It should be her decision," Mari sighed, wringing her hands together. "I don't know if she'll agree to it, but... I want to try. Please. Help me break this curse."
"I'll get to work," Davina smiled slightly, moving around the room to start gathering things.
Mari sucked up her emotions and hurried out of the attic. She planned to walk back to the compound alone, to collect her thoughts, but Kol followed closely behind her.
"Mari, are you certain about this?" He asked, walking just a step or two behind her.
"It's the only way."
"To do what?"
"To free you. And Klaus. And Elijah."
"Elijah? What does he have to do with this?"
"And me," she added quickly. "I'll be free, too. I won't be in danger everywhere I go in the Quarter now. I won't attract vampires. It's the only way to end this."
"Is that what you want? To end things?"
She stopped walking for a moment, her heart beating so loudly in her chest that Kol could barely hear anything else over it. He was disgusted by the fact that the sound of her blood pumping made him writhe with thirst. Somehow, he kept it to himself.
"I want you to be able to decide if you want to end things or not," she turned to him. "We should all have a choice of who we love. It shouldn't be decided by a curse."
"Alright. We'll break the curse, and for tonight, I'll come home," Kol gave in, taking a cautious step closer to her. "Let's spend the night together... in case it is our last."
"I'm not sure that's a good idea. Won't it just make it hurt once if Davina is right. If your feelings change..."
"I'm not worried about my feelings in the future. I know what I feel now. I don't want to spend this night away from you. Whether it's real or not, the love I feel for you is consuming me, and I want to let it for one more night."
She was reluctant to answer. She could be setting herself up for a worse heartbreak if she let him get close again. At the same time, she had missed him so much. Mari wanted to have him close again, even if it hurt more later. Eventually, she let her heart take over her mind.
"Okay. Let's go home."