Disclaimer: I don't own the television show or book series The Vampire Diaries. Thus, I don't own the characters. All I own is my imagination.

A/N: I haven't written any fanfiction in a while due to various reasons taking up my time. However, I decided that I had to get back into it, write a one-piece and I did. I chose the Elena/Kol pairing because I still needed to work through my feelings about him dying on the show. I thought he was a very interesting character and had so many facets to him. I tried to showcase some of those in my story. I apologize if he or Elena are not as in character as they should be as a result of that. I enjoyed writing it a lot and am glad to say that my love for fanfiction is still very much in place. :)

Kill, F*ck or Marry

It was a high-school party and he would have been the party-crasher, if it hadn't been for the convenient and handwritten sign taped to the door. It was practically an invitation. Getting lost in a sea of warm bodies sounded like a perfect form of escapism from his undead and everlasting life. Everything always had to be so serious with one of his brothers and so life-or-death with the other one. He was neither. He was spontaneous, spur of the moment and ruthless in a reckless kind of way. A romantic killer is what he thought of himself. Distracting every single female he put his sights on with what he had been naturally blessed with.

Even as he was making his way over to the house, he felt gazes lock on him and follow him as he walked. It was the devilish gleam in his dark brown eyes, reflecting the dangerous and reckless things currently on his mind. His brown locks, unruly, a bed-head, giving him a sensual appeal and putting the thought of him lying in bed with you, in your head. A smile pulling ever so lightly at his lips, drawing you to him, like you wanted to be part of his inside joke. His were ways somewhere between charming and boyish, childish even, while he could flip the switch easily and often unnoticeably to the human eyes and become almost unrecognizable from the person he put out to be. His features turned from attractive to horrendous and his actions unpredictable.

Yet, he had been brought up to have a strong sense of etiquette and manners, adjusting his behavior to the environment. And as he walked into the house, no barrier holding him back tonight, he quickly unbuttoned the first couple of buttons of his dark green, slightly wrinkled button-up shirt and ran the fingers of his right hand through his locks. He always fitted in. He smiled at a handful of girls as he passed them on his way to get a drink. First thing was first.

"I can't believe you put that sign on my front door," Elena let Caroline know, raising her voice just enough so she could be heard through the bathroom door. For Bonnie's sake. "Especially since I didn't even agree to this party."

"You never agree to any party," Caroline remarked, shooting Bonnie a look. "I'm so right, aren't I? She's not exactly the belle of the ball. I was just being nice. I mean, we could all use a break from all the teenage angst and horror."

Elena heard Caroline approach the door and sure enough, a second later it swung open, revealing Caroline who was wearing a pair of skin-tight leather pants and a white top with a sparkly sheen to it that matched her pumps. She was exuding confidence and had the ability to make Elena wish for at least a portion of it. "See, I told you it would look good on you!" Caroline exclaimed enthusiastically upon giving Elena's outfit a once-over. It was a simple deep red dress, loose-fitting and with long sleeves that nonchalantly draped off one shoulder, but with the right shoes and statement jewelry, both borrowed from Caroline, Elena almost felt comfortable in it.

Bonnie got up from Elena's bed so she could get a better look. "I have to give it to her; you look great, Elena."

"And you're not so bad yourself, either, Bon," Caroline complimented her witchy friend on her chosen outfit: an orange maxi skirt and white tank top. "We clean up nicely once we wash off all the blood and dirt," Caroline joked while stealing one more glance at herself in the mirror. She turned to face her friends. "And the best part of tonight: no boys."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, no boys who might have once been or currently are our boyfriends." Caroline shrugged her shoulders. "There's no harm in looking."

"Or touching for the ones in this room who aren't currently tied down to anyone," Bonnie added. She looked over at Elena. "This party might be a good distraction. A moment to take a breather. Although I think we could have done with just our high-school in here instead of the entire town."

"Look," Caroline said while opening the bedroom door, the chorus of voices and music wafting in through the creaks, "since I'm the one who set this whole thing up, I'll be the hostess tonight and take full responsibility of it all. You two just enjoy it. Strut your stuff." She sashayed her hips to make her point.

"What about the music?" Bonnie asked as she exited the room. "Because I might have a few requests."

"Already on it," Caroline told her, her heels click-clacking down the stairs quickly as she left her friends to take care of the music situation.

Elena paused on the last tray, looking around her house. There were people everywhere, all seeming to have a good time as they danced, chatted and drank. Caroline had turned the lights down and the music up just enough. Bonnie grabbed her hand and pulled her in and through the crowd, her destination the refreshments table. Bonnie got Elena a drink and reached for her own, but a boy beat her to it as he offered her a cup. The smile and kind words momentarily distracted Bonnie and Elena pulled her hand free. She nodded at her friend. "Come find me when you're done."

Elena sipped her drink as she walked around her house, pleased to see that everyone was staying downstairs. She wondered if Caroline had anything to do with it. When her cup was empty, she grabbed another one, this time remaining stuck in the crowd as she swayed and hopped along with everyone to the heavy bass-filled beat. Caroline joined her for a couple of dances before she was off again, taking her job as hostess very seriously.

Elena did find herself relaxing and not being so guarded. The alcohol was also factored in, but it was a nice feeling. With the house filled with regular teenagers and her friends there, she was feeling okay and glad people were safe and having a good time. She hoisted herself up on the counter, looking down at the group that had formed on the kitchen floor. An empty bottle was in the middle of the circle and the person who spun it had to give the person it landed on a name, usually of a celebrity or of someone they had a crush on, and the other person had to tell them whether they would kill, do or marry them. Really, if you thought about it for too long, it was a cruel game, but was innocent enough in this setting.

Meanwhile, he had his eyes on her, knowing where she was at all time. He had even been in the crowd when she was dancing. She wasn't being as careful as she normally was, thinking that the group of humans in here couldn't do her any harm, although good intentions weren't on the mind of everyone in here. How naive to think so. He looked at the girl he had backed up against the wall, her back arched so she was pushing up against him. The girl was nothing special, unable to hold his attention for anything but what he had approached her for.

"Turn your head for me, love," he cooed in her ear.

The girl did as she was told, revealing the bite mark to him. He pulled the pins from her hair and draped it so it covered the marks. He grabbed her chin between his fingers and turned her head so she was gazing into his eyes. "You won't remember any of what just took place. You were dancing with your friends and saw a boy you fancied, only he didn't give you the time of day." He didn't blink as he spoke the words, pushing a drink in her hands as he finished.

"Cheers," he told her before sauntering off.

"Hey," Elena greeted Bonnie as she entered the kitchen.

"Hi, I've been looking for you everywhere. I didn't mean to bail on you."

"You didn't. You were strutting your stuff, as Caroline puts it."

Bonnie laughed. "It didn't stick though. He was a nice distraction and the attention was nice, but..."

"I know what you mean. The boys here don't do it for me either."

"Yep, they're so alive and boring," Bonnie sarcastically quipped while taking in the game that was going on at their feet.

Elena laughed. "Can you remember when our lives were so uncomplicated? Where our biggest problem was going to a party and not having something to wear or not having someone to dance with."

"And now I can just summon someone for you to dance with," Bonnie clicked her fingers together before she went on, "and Caroline can get something new to wear in a second or two with her vampire speed.

"It had its upsides," Elena agreed with a nod. "Although I do miss nights like these."

"The night isn't over yet. Come on." Bonnie pulled Elena off the counter. "We're going to have some stupid and normal teenage fun. And that looks like it's just stupid and normal enough." She nodded at the circle on the floor.

The people automatically readjusted the circle so there was room for the two of them. Bonnie sat down cross-legged and draped her skirt over her legs while Elena curled her legs sideways in a ladylike manner.

"We're throwing the party so I'm calling dibs." Bonnie reached for the bottle, positioning her fingers ready to spin. "Let's see who people here would kill, do or marry." She spun the bottle and it landed on Elena. "What a coincidence!" she feigned surprise as she caught Elena's look. "Okay... Matt."

"Bonnie!"

"What, we'll keep it in the circle, won't we?" she asked to the rest of the circle, of which only half gave a nod or mumbled something.

"Marry," Elena answered.

"I knew it!"

Elena shook her head. "My turn."

"Actually, I hope you don't find me rude," a clear and cheerful voice put the game on a temporary hold, leaving Elena's hand frozen in midair as her eyes flew upwards, "but I believe it to be my turn. I want it to be my turn," Kol finished as he stopped at the outer edge of the circle, his tone of voice sharpening just enough for the circle to instantly widen, creating a space for him.

There was uncertainty and a touch of fear on the faces surrounding him, although Elena also saw the admiration in most of the girls' eyes. They were fawning over him and even she took a second to acknowledge his appearance: an eye-catching mix of a charismatic gentleman and a cunning bad boy. The tousled strands and creases in his shirt almost a contradiction to the fancy shoes and the old fashioned watch fastened around his wrist. She had to admit that he did something to her. It was vain and stupid, and crystal clear to Kol as he took a seat across from her. "How about we change the rules. Just a tad. To make it more interesting to me," he said with a casual shrug of his shoulders, breaking eye-contact with Elena to look around the circle. "I know you want to please me, don't you darling?" he told the girl to his right as she hung onto his every word.

"The name of the game is now kill, f*ck or bite, and I am going to spin this bottle," he paused briefly to place his fingers on the colored glass, "and if it lands on you, I'll decide your fate. Fun, right?"

"I think we should end the game," Bonnie said, although they ignored her, enthralled as Kol spun the bottle.

"Kol," Elena said his name, her heartbeat speeding up as she watched the bottle turn and turn. She was going through the different endings of this game in her head and all of them ended violently and in screams. She wanted to say more, but didn't. Couldn't. When the bottle landed on her.

"Well, look at that," Kol began, tilting his head slightly as his eyes found hers, "I'd do all three things to you... Although... the last two options hold my preference. But since I like to save the best for last..." He reached for the bottle, throwing Bonnie a look and warning her, "I wouldn't try any of your tricks. I have nothing but respect for your kind, but if you try to hurt me, I'll have no choice but to return that favor. And I'll certainly do more than try," he let her know, his voice sounding sickenly sweet.

Bonnie's gaze turned intense and determined, moving to raise both her hands, but Elena stopped her. "Don't. He's an Original," she reminded her friend in a hissed whisper. "You won't be able to take him."

"I sure as hell can try," Bonnie hissed back, her eyes remaining on Kol.

"We need to-"

"You," Kol called, demanding everyone's full attention. He pointed at a girl sitting near Elena. "I'd bite and then probably kill you." He narrowed his eyes, beckoning the girl to him with his finger, but before the girl could comply, Elena had pushed herself to her feet and placed herself in the center of the circle, blocking the girl's view of Kol.

"That's enough, Kol," Elena told him, holding her ground even when he simply chuckled at her. "We're done playing."

"Elena!" Bonnie called out her friend's name, also getting up from the floor as quickly as her feet allowed it. "What are you doing?"

"Avoiding a massacre," she replied, her eyes still on Kol who had yet to get up. "Get them out of here."

Bonnie reluctantly began doing so, scanning the other room for Caroline.

"I wasn't done playing, love," Kol remarked, getting up from the floor in a calm manner.

"Well, I was and since this is my party in my house and you weren't invited.."

"Not directly, which I'm quite over actually." Kol took one hand from his pockets and placed it on his chest for emphasis. "But I'll let you make it up for me, the reasonable and understanding guy I am." He shot her a smile that masked all the horrible things he had done for a second or two, making Elena wonder whether he had any redeemable qualities to him.

Caroline had appeared beside Bonnie. "You know, for vampires who have been around for centuries, you sure-"

"I'd be careful with your words if I were you," Kol cut Caroline off. "You never know how I'll react, after all."

"Oh, really, well considering I'm a girl I'd say I have dibs on the whole unpredictable behavior thing. So if I were you, I'd leave while you still have all your limbs," Caroline threatened, taking a step forwards.

Kol did the same, but before he could move even closer, Elena placed a hand on his chest. "Don't," she said, distracting him with her hasty and thoughtless action. She turned her head to throw her friends a quick look. "Guys, start clearing everyone out of here."

"Like hell I'm going anywhere. I'm not leaving you with him!" Caroline exclaimed.

"Bonnie." Elena looked to her other friend. "He'll kill the both of you if you try anything."

"She has a good point," Kol chimed in, earning himself an evil look from Caroline.

"What makes you think he won't kill you?" Bonnie asked.

"Now she has a good point," Kol agreed.

Elena looked to Kol again, meeting his glinting eyes head-on. "Because I'd be an easy kill. And there'd be no satisfaction in that," she pushed her argument, mustering all the confidence she could in the case she was making.

"I wouldn't sell myself so short if I were you."

"And you're at a party that was thrown for me so I could get a break from it all," she continued, not taking his words to heart. Not yet. "Just for one night. One night, Kol," she said his name tentatively, "without someone in your family threatening my life or one of my loved ones. I don't expect you to care, but-"

"Oh, fine," Kol stopped her, waving his hand in her direction. "You said your piece, love. My family isn't the easiest to get along with, even when you share blood. Would you believe that I was looking for a distraction as well?"

Elena purposely ignored Kol's question, not wanting to get into the part of him that made him more approachable and less threatening. Because she didn't know whether he still had a strand of humanity left in him or had let go of it completely. It were thoughts that weren't supposed to be occupying her. "So you'll go?"

"The door's right there." Caroline used both of her hands to indicate the nearest exit.

"Caroline." Elena turned her body slightly to look over at her friend.

"What! You have a tendency to be nice to vampires who are so not deserving of it. And I would say an Original definitely tops that list," Caroline said her piece.

Elena turned back and Kol was gone. She knew Caroline had a point. She gave chances too swiftly and without thinking, choosing to believe that there was a little bit of good in everyone. Damon hadn't turned out that bad, although she wondered if a vampire with a family such as the Originals stood a chance to be anything but what they wanted him to be? He had grown up and lived among it. Elijah was a decent man. Something she didn't think upon first meeting him. And yet, there had been something thrilling about him, even when in their early contact.

"Huh, he must've gotten his feelings hurt."

"Guess the party is over," Bonnie said, coming to stand beside Caroline.

Caroline nodded. "I'll get on that sign, although the damage has already been done with that. I'm sorry about that," she aimed at Elena, passing her only when she had accepted her apology. "Everybody out! Party's over!"

"I'll check upstairs," Elena let Bonnie know, needing a minute to gather her thoughts and feelings and making some sort of sense of it all.

She didn't find anyone, except in her own bedroom. She was taken aback by the couple heavily making out on her bed. "Party's over!" she yelled, getting their attention.

"We only need about 10 more minutes," the guy murmured in between a kiss.

Elena shook her head, moving closer to the bed and crossing her arms. "This is my room, which would make that my bed, so I have to say no."

"Fine," the guy replied, lifting himself off the girl he was with and pulling on his shirt at the same time. "We'll find another place. Come on, babe." He helped the girl off the bed and they left the room.

Elena closed the door, turning to look at her bed with a disgusted look. She couldn't help but gasp when she found Kol sitting on the edge of her bed, looking like he belonged.

"I thought you left."

"You really are an easy kill." He rolled his eyes at her. "The vulnerability is stimulating."

"You must have felt vulnerable once too, when you were still human," she wondered out loud.

"I suppose." Kol shrugged, lowering his eyes briefly as he pulled at something on her comforter. "Although I've learned to use my surplus of gifts to my advantage. Even when I was human I could wrap young girls around my finger, one around each." He twirled his index around in the air before leaning back a little on the bed, looking at her through mussed hair. "Oh, don't look at me like that, Elena. You'd be amazed at what you can do when you've been taught nothing else. It's nature versus nurture, although I'm a culmination of both."

"You still have the ability to choose. And you know the difference between right and wrong."

Kol held out both of his hands, on to either side of him. "Right or wrong, I'll choose my life. Always. Dependent on nothing."

"You chose mine," Elena reminded him. "You spared me when I asked you to."

He got up, making her regret her words. Yet, she was also curious to the reason he would offer up to her. "That sounds a lot like a dare and I don't respond well to ungratefulness either." He wadded his finger at her, moving closer to her in the blink of an eye.

She raised both her hands when she saw the look in his eyes as she backed herself up against the wall. "Just one night without violence, bloodshed and lives lost," she repeated her earlier request. "I'm not used to it yet." She dropped her hands, realizing how stupid the action had been to begin with. "It still hurts," she admitted, wondering if she was making the biggest mistake of her life.

"You do know that I am not the compassionate one, right?" He moved even closer to her, holding her gaze. "I am not like Elijah whose weakness is you."

She nodded. "I know. From what I've heard about you."

He smiled at that. "I do have quite a reputation. Pretty girls keep my interest for a while, I don't usually let them speak so much. Or breathe." The smile on his face made the statement even more twisted.

Elena remained silent, not knowing if he was about to pounce.

He tilted his head, eyes roaming over her like he was looking for something in particular. "What makes you so different?" He was standing close enough to reach out and touch her if he wanted to. "What makes you have the ability to request so much of me and still live?" He took another step, his hands now on her face, his fingers trailing the contours as he spoke again. "You're just a human girl. And I've never really been a fan of Katherine. So that you look just like her, has no effect on me. Whatsoever." His hands left her face only to find their next destination: her hips. "I could end your life, you know." His fingers kneaded into her skin and he pulled her into him, their chests colliding and his fingers the only thing between their hips.

"No," Elena whimpered, hands landing on his chest. "Kol, don't, please! I'm the only one my brother has left and-"

He silenced her by pressing his lips to hers. She didn't respond immediately. It took a few seconds, but when she did, she surprised the both of them by moving with him. Just when she was about to change the position of her hands, he let out a growl and pushed her from him. Her back hit the wall with a thud and he revealed his fangs to her. "I think I'm done playing now."

Elena looked at him, knowing what would come next because she should have seen it. That would have been the only thing that had made sense of everything.

"It was fun while it lasted, me playing the slightly wounded but nonetheless insidious villain who sought out the attention of the extremely gullible leading lady, preying on her Achilles' heel. It was definitely the distraction I was looking for." Kol let out something that sounded somewhere between a chuckle and a groan, turning his eyes from her briefly as if contemplating something deeply. It didn't last long. "You can have your night," he spoke to her. "Or two, depending on my mood." He retracted his fangs, softening his features back to their boyish look. "There was no violence," he reminded her. "No war, just love. You're a good kisser, I have to admit," he jumped from one topic to another.

"Just get out," Elena asked of him, her mind thoroughly spent for the night.

"You sound hurt, love," Kol picked up on all of the emotions that she tried very hard not to put on display for too long. But he caught them. "You were fooling yourself thinking you could do anything for me, but be my distraction. Nature and nurture remember?" He instantly closed the distance between them once more, placing his hands on the wall above her. "But I'll admit to being conflicted about you."

Elena looked away, trapped between his arms, biting her lip as she kept herself from asking her questions and dragging it out.

He nodded. "I recognize when I'm not wanted. Sweet dreams." But instead of leaving, he leaned in to her, his lips grazing her ear first. "Don't forget to check under the bed for monsters. Especially ones that bite." He grazed her neck with his lips and he felt her intake of breath and the fear racing through her. He had trouble not sinking his teeth in right there and then, but he refrained from doing so. There was something about her trembling beneath him and the defiant look in her eyes that kept him at bay. "I'll be doing terrible things to you in your dreams, I'm sure. G'night, darling."

He vanished right in front of her eyes as Caroline and Bonnie came through the door. This was how it all started. A stolen moment with a monster that had a moment of weakness, or maybe it had been all an act. Allowing a stolen kiss to get inside her head, or to mess with it so all she could think about was him for reasons that made no sense. What Elena did know was that she couldn't wait to lie down in her bed tonight, because the thought of the monster under her bed showing his face again excited her, deliriously so.

Please review? As always, I am very open to your thoughts and musings on my writing, the characters, the story etc. Critique is also welcome, since I am always looking to improve. I did my best, although I do realize that the writing wasn't as good as it could be because I had to rush just a little to get this all done and out on time. Still, I loved writing this pairing. It was my first time! :) I hope I managed to entertain at least a few, besides myself, and I hope to find myself back in the fanfiction world again soon.