Sophia's POV

Nine days, is how long it's been since I'd decided to take a hiatus from the drama that surrounded my brothers and the beacon that was Mystic Falls which was swimming with drama but that didn't mean I hadn't heard it about the drama that was continuing to go on even without me especially the fact that Nik was not at all happy that I decided not to return just like I wasn't happy that he'd been attacked and tormented by Silas who was still after the cure and he hadn't told me or that he had gotten Caroline to help since that bitch clearly had some messed up feelings for my husband that I was not at all comfortable about especially given Nik neglected to see it and sometimes even encouraged which is why I was pissed and have stayed away.

I'd also been kept in the loop of the drama withstanding in the Mikaelson family as Elijah was pitting Nik and Rebekah against each other to decide who got the cure, Rebekah wanted to take the cure obviously to become human but Nik needed the cure to hand it over to Silas to stop the guy from torturing him...while me...I was on the fence since Nik couldn't give the cure to Silas and bring forth the end of everything like Kol had feared but I didn't want Silas to continue to torment him either.

I was sitting in my car looking up at the bar in front of me while my attention was also directed to my phone as I was listening to the negotiations that were currently being discussed by my husband and in-laws.

"Elijah, being human means a fresh start, I can grow old and have a family and fill my days with meaning, knowing that each one matters" Rebekah pleaded her case.

"Well, that was poetic" I heard Nik laugh making me roll eyes.

"Well, if you can provide us with a more compelling reason for wanting the cure, Klaus, please" Elijah protested.

"Silas can appear as anyone, he got inside my thoughts, convinced me I was dying, he will torment me until I give him the cure" Nik spoke his side of the argument.

"And in doing so, he will break down the wall to the other side" Rebekah cut him off.

"So it doesn't trap him there when he dies, he wants to reunite with his lost soul mate, you of all lovesick fools, should applaud his devotion" Nik argued making me frown and roll my eyes.

"He will open the floodgates for every supernatural being that has ever died" I spoke up over just listening.

"Including our dear brothers Kol and Finn, we'll have our family back" Nik argued making my frown drop even more despite that they couldn't see me.

"Please, you hated Kol because of the friendship Sophia and he shared and you kept Finn in a box for most of his life" Rebekah quickly defended

"Elijah, please" Nik spoke in a finalizing tone of voice that had me rolling my eyes.

"Your personal discomfort might not be sufficient reason for putting the entire world in jeopardy Klaus, I think our sister deserves a shot at happiness" Elijah finally said siding with Rebekah.

"Tell me you're joking, tell me you're not fating me to an eternity of torture" Nik protested.

"I've made my decision" Elijah replied finalizing his decision as my face dropped even more as I looked down at the map on the seat beside me, maybe I should go back from where I've been heading these past couple of days.

"When you're sick and dying and you beg for my blood, I will laugh in your face and compel you to forget me" I heard Nik say after rustling like the phone was on the move before heavy angry footsteps followed thereafter.

"Nik" I called out to get his attention. "I'm coming back-"

"No" I heard him say and my eyes widened a little. "I don't want you involved with this mess Sophia, Silas will use you to get to me so I need to know that your safe" I frowned picking up the phone and pressing it to my ear.

"Nik just promise that you won't do anything reckless" I warned him.

"When am I ever reckless, my love?" he asked and I could hear the smirk in his voice.

"You're not cute Niklaus Mikaelson, I'm demanding you be careful or I'll return just to release my own throughs of torment to you that you'll want to be tormented by Silas and don't go doing anything stupid with your siblings either"

"Wouldn't dream of it Angel" he replied and I rolled my eyes.

"Just promise me Nik, please or I'm turning around this second"

"I promise love" he finally said making me let out a sigh as I nodded my head.

"I love you Nik, call me if you need me to come back"

"I will" he replied before the call cut out, I let out a heavy sigh as I lowered my phone dropping it onto the seat next to me once again staring at the map viewing my crossroads moment, I could continue on with my plans or I could go back despite Nik wanting me to stay away and everything in me screamed to do just that but I also didn't want to be used as a way to torment him since if I stayed away and Nik knew that I was gone than Silas couldn't use my face against him.

I turned the key in the ignition bringing my car to life and put it into gear peeling out onto the road taking the left with my wheels spinning at the speed in which I'd taken off seeing the sign up ahead which indicated my next turn...into New Orleans, our old home and the place in which Nik and I had been truly happy for nearly 50 years before Mikael had run us out but it was also the place I had met and bonded with Kol which is one other reason I had wanted to return because I wanted to give him a proper goodbye.

It was morning by the time I was pulling to a stop smiling around at the city seeing not much had changed but in some ways it has, my time spent here with Damon and Stefan had been brief and I hadn't really allowed myself to take in the city had it had hurt back then...it hurt now but I was pushing down the pain as I parked my car and hopped out walking down towards the docks seeing almost a whole other city across the river which must be the cause for all the extra tourists that I've seen running around, you could always tell the people that were born and raised in this town and those that weren't just by the way they carried themselves and there was a ton more tourists than there had been when we ruled this city.

I found my way to my old spot, a place that overlooked the Mississippi River smiling for the fact that things hadn't really here thank god, not even the distant skyscrapers disrupted my view of the river leading out to the sea so I took a seat on the rock running my hands over the rocky texture pushing away the moss from engravings in the rocks unable to stop my smile broadening into an even wider smile.

'N+S'...it was juvenile of me at the time but I had done it shortly after I first connected with Niklaus, before we'd even expressed our love for each other and on the other side of the rock as I removed the moss my hands brushed over the rough texture of. Kolphia 4 Ever smiling since that one wasn't mine as Kol had carved that one after he'd came and found me and saw the one I had done for Nik and I and laughed at it before he decided that it was only fair that he was represented as well and had carved our blended name as well, it was one of the happiest memories of him but also clouded by one of the worst since it was that night that he was daggered by Nik for betraying the family by conspiring with the witches to kill Klaus in a totally insane Kol way.

I had escaped the planning of the ball tonight for Christmas as well as to take my time to mourn yet another Christmas without my brothers but for the past 13 years it's been better since Niklaus had un-daggered his younger brother Kol and the two of us became close, he was sincerely my best friend, the only one I have ever been able to make even including my human years but I still took time to mourn my brothers.

"I'd thought I'd find you here" I smiled looking up as Kol sat next to me on my rock and he held up a bottle of bourbon.

"What your not spending time with your witches?" I remarked taking the bottle from him and took a drink before handing it back to him.

"Not right now, consider yourself lucky to have my attention darling-" I shoved him with a laugh which he joined in on holding onto me so he didn't do toppling off the rock. "I half expected you to be attached to Niklaus's side, hosting this year's Christmas ball"

"I escaped all that" I nodded back towards New Orleans city. "I'm taking my twice yearly mourning me time"

"Well we could always head back and make popcorn strings" he suggested and I smiled looking over as I took the bottle of bourbon from him and had another drink before I nodded my head giving it back and jumped off the rock. "Hang on, what's this?" I turned around and my eyes widened.

"It's nothing" I quickly exclaimed lunging forward to place my hands over it but he swatted them away.

"N+S, is this what I think it is" he smirked devilishly.

"Shut up" I blushed embarrassed.

"When pray tell did my dear sister-in-law declare her love in stone?" I rolled my eyes at him.

"Your such an immature ass Kol Mikaelson" I growled at him letting the veins move beneath my eyes letting them go red for a second.

"Ooh seems I've hit a nerve" he laughed so I shoved him crossing my arms. "Aw" he crooned clearly taking amusement in this so I turned to face away from him ignoring his laughing before he fell silent and I frowned knowing he was waiting for my attention back but I refused to give him the satisfaction although I could hear a faint scratching sound which was enough to finally gain my curiosity so I turned and saw him etching something into the other side of my stone rock.

"What the hell are you doing?" I demanded shaking my head at him.

"I feel like it's only fair that I am represented on your think rock"

"It's not a think rock" I argued hating that he and Nik both liked to call this place my 'think rock' since they were the only Mikaelson's who knew of this place and why I liked to come here.

"I am your best friend so this is only my constitutional right" I rolled my eyes at his dramatics as I stepped forward looking down at what he was doing and scoffed a small laugh at the words he had carved into the rock on the opposite side of my rock 'Kolphia Forever & Always' I don't know why Kol always reversed their families moto when it came to our friendship but I had always liked it since it was ours.

"You are such an idiot but your glad that I do love you as my best friend" I smiled before he stood upright and held his arm out for me, I linked my arm through his and let him escort me back to the Abattoir so that we could get ready for this ball tonight.

I ran both my hands over the marks on my think rock...yes I was calling it that since I might as well before I jumped off the rock and started walking along the rocky shores gathering up sticks and twigs weaving them together to look like an old Viking funeral boat but on a much smaller scale before kneeling on the shore and put it in the water feeling the tears building up already.

"I know this isn't the proper Viking funeral that you deserve but I hope this will do for the wily Kol Mikaelson" I laughed through a small sob as I grabbed a lighter out of my pocket and lit the boat before I pushed it out onto the water. "You promised me Forever & Always, you promised that you'd always be here to be my best friend Kol and I wish I had been there...I should have been there to save you and I'm sorry" I cried out before I just sat on the bank watching the boat slowly float away.

It was picked up by a small current while the fire worked its way through the wood burning it until it suddenly fell from the water having sank and I felt the finality of this act, I was finally hopefully putting Kol's soul to rest and I only hoped that I could bring myself to continue on from this pain of loosing yet another person in my life, I might have gotten Stefan and Damon back but I still mourned for our human selves and the bond we once shared.

"I didn't want our story to end this way but I know that I'll love you Forever & Always Kol Mikaelson" I smiled sadly wiping away the tears from my eyes before I stood up and walked away deciding that it was time to return to Nik and Mystic Falls.

I made it back to my car but thought I'd grab a bite to eat before heading back so I went into a quaint little bar/restaurant called Rousseau's walking straight to the bar taking a seat on one of the stools smiling as the bartender came over since it wasn't that busy in here.

"Hi, what can I get you?" she asked and I looked at the name tag on her shirt before I lowered my eyes to a menu that was on the bar since I should probably order something before I found someone to drink around here.

"Uh...the gumbo and a shot of bourbon, please and thank you Camille" I replied and she looked down at her own name badge.

"It's Cami actually, I need to change that badge since Camille sounds like a grandmothers name" I laughed a little as she immediately began pouring out the shot of bourbon before sliding the glass towards me. "I'll bring you that gumbo as soon as Sophie's done with it" she replied and I raised an eye looking towards the kitchen figuring she was talking out the woman making the food and not me.

"That's funny actually, my name's Sophia" I told her and she laughed.

"You new in town, I don't think I've seen you in here before?" she asked.

"I'm just passing through, I used to live here...a few years back now"

"Really, you a local?" she asked making me frown for the twenty questions. "Sorry I'm a bartender with a phycology major and you have tear stains so you can totally tell me to mind my own business-"

"No it's okay, uh...no I'm not local I just lived here a few years ago" more like over a 100 years ago but it wasn't like I could tell her that. "I uh...came to memorialize a friend of mine, we met in this city but he uh...passed away a few weeks ago"

"Oh I'm sorry" I nodded a quick thanks.

"I'll uh...get your food now" she said and left to go to the kitchen grabbing a bowl of gumbo while I watched as another woman came in and immediately headed around the bar and when her eyes fell on me I got a sudden bad feeling but I grabbed my shot of bourbon and raised it to my lips taking a sip but recoiled when it tasted funny. "Here you go, one bowl of gumbo"

"Thanks Cami" I said pulling the bowl closer picking up the spoon and began to eat feeling quite hungry despite my real craving begging for me to taste blood which I would get after this.

"Alright I'm off, have fun with the late shift Jane-Anne" I overheard Cami say seeing as she had picked up her things and was walking out of the bar while I finished the gumbo and forced down the rest of the bourbon even though my body didn't want the alcohol, I stood up pulling out some money since it was pretty dead in here and I wasn't gonna get a meal out of someone here so I went out to my car and got in starting it up and turned around heading for the highway to head back up to Mystic Falls but right as I saw the sign that told me I was about to leave New Orleans my car suddenly spluttered and slowed.

"What the hell?!" I cursed looking down seeing all the lights flashing on the dash before the car slowly rolled to a stop and died completely. "Seriously!" I sighed getting out going over to the hood popping it open and looked down at the engine but I was pretty clueless about all this shit so I pulled my phone out of my pocket and looked up the nearest tow service before calling them. "Hey I'm looking for a tow service" I said when the receiver clicked over but the only sound I got back was a god awful screech that hurt my ears and I dropped the phone stomping on it just to silence the damn sound before I looked up and noticed that I was surrounded by figures all wearing dark hoods over their faces. "You don't want to do this!" I growled out letting my vampire face show showing my fangs but then I screamed out feeling the blinding pain of my head splitting in two and I fell to my knees holding my head trying to fight of the damn witch migraine but this was worse than anything I've ever felt and soon I found my vision going black in the corners before everything went black.