AN: Okay, so I have this idea in my head and it won't leave me alone. At least not until I write down the story. This story is going to take place after the other side is destroyed by Markos but it won't be following the show story line from that point. This is a Kol/OC fic. Hope you give it a chance. To be honest, I'm not sure where this story is going to go. I might not continue it, if I run out of ideas or lose inspiration. But your opinions are always appreciated, so please let me know what you think. Thank you!

Oh and of course I don't own anything except for my OC's.

Chapter 1: The Solution Of The Problem

"Kol Mikaelson, welcome back to the world of living." An old woman greeted Kol who happened to be a very powerful witch.

"Hello Gabriella" said Kol with a stern and cold tone of voice. There was no playful smirk gracing his lips. The original looked dreadful actually.

"Thank you for coming." Knowing Kol didn't really meant it, Gabriella roll her eyes at him.

"Don't speak as if I had a choice" said the witch throwing a glare at the original. Kol didn't respond to that as he needed the witch's help.

They both settled at a round table right across from each other. It has been a few days since the other side collapsed and got destroyed completely. Kol was supposed to go somewhere unknown along with the other ghosts. Most possibly to hell considering all the horrible things he has done in his life. But Kol managed to escape the other side before it got destroyed. Though he wasn't free from problems. At the time being the Gemini witch Liv was unwillingly helping Kol stay in this world but she wouldn't be able to continue for long. Every second of the day Kol felt this pull that threatened to take him back to the side of the dead where he belonged. But Kol didn't want to go obviously.

He needed to find another way to keep on living in this world. Hence the meeting with the witch Gabriella. Over hundred and twenty years old, Gabriella knew a lot of things. She was probably the only witch who could help Kol in this situation. Fortunately for Kol, she owed him a lot and couldn't say no when he asked for help.

"You look exhausted Kol." Gabriella commented as she eyed the original carefully.

"I feel exhausted. The witch keeping me in this world is getting weaker every passing minute. With her, I'm growing weak too." Kol said. Bead of sweats appearing on his forehead indicating exactly how weak he was at the moment.

"I see. So, you need another way to stay in this world." Gabriella stated the obvious.

"Well that's what I am here for."

"You already know of another way, don't you? What is it?" Kol asked impatiently. He was not going to die again or go to hell.

"Patience honey" said the witch with a calm tone of voice. Not rushed by the seriousness of the situation at all.

"Things like these, take time. Did you bring what I asked for?" Gabriella asked. Kol handed her a bag containing his burnt skull and bones. Thankfully Klaus kept his corpse safe in a coffin. He didn't get rid of Kol's remaining after he died at the hands of the Gilberts. Kol didn't know why the witch needed something of his body. But he was going to find out soon. Gabriella on the other hand pulled the skull and two bones out of the bag and put them on the table.

"Where are your siblings?" Gabriella asked curiously while she checked the skull attentively.

"I heard the Mikaelsons moved back here in Mystic Falls once again. I never thought Klaus would leave New Orleans. Not when he got the chance to rule it once again." Gabriella chatted away as if she wasn't burdened with the task of keeping an original alive. The witch couldn't say she wasn't happy that Klaus and the other originals left New Orleans. It was her home and she liked it free of originals. Gabriella came to Mystic Falls only because of Kol and intended to return to New Orleans as soon as she was done.

"Of course my siblings had to come back to Mystic Falls. They're trying to find a way to kill Markos. You see destroying the other side wasn't the only thing Markos intends to do here. He wants to kill every immortal being living in this world which means he wants to rid the world of all vampires. His mission endangers my siblings the most." Kol said to Gabriella. But there was more of course. While Kol was on the other side, he found out that it was Markos who tortured their mother and persuaded her to kill all her children. Kol kept that information to himself and didn't tell anyone about it.

"Besides, the last doppelgangers live in Mystic Falls, and I heard that they are somehow needed to defeat Markos. My siblings have taken it upon themselves to protect the doppelgangers and keep them safe." Kol informed which satisfied the witch's curiosity enough.

"That explains why you are on your own to find a way to live again" said Gabriella without any sympathy or pity for the original.

"I have always been on my own." Kol stated which was very true. He was never part of his siblings' always and forever thing.

"Yes, I know. Well I better start explaining to you how you are going to live. You don't seem to have much time left" said Gabriella and she pulled out a Grimoire from her bag.

"How much do you know about human soul?" The witch asked Kol making him frown at her with confusion.

"Not much. Only that human soul is a very powerful energy" replied Kol, wondering what did human soul have to do with his survival?

"You are right. It is indeed very powerful. And the power of a soul is what you need to stay in this world." Gabriella confused Kol more with her explanation.

"Taking human life is easy. You know that better than anyone else. You've killed many over the time. But taking a human soul. Now that- is going to require very powerful spells."

"I'm sure you are powerful enough Gabriella" said Kol both confidently and threateningly. He'd hate to search for another witch in such short time.

"I am but- performing the spells isn't a problem here." Gabriella said making Kol furrow his eyebrows at her.

"Then what is?" Kol asked anxiously.

"We need to find YOUR soul first" said the witch with a casual tone of voice but it had quite the effect on the original.

"My soul?" Kol said with both confusion and disbelieve in his voice.

"Well you can't expect to take soul from anyone and have it work for you. You need to possess your soul." Gabriella explained making Kol more worried than ever.

"I thought my soul got destroyed when I was turned into a vampire. Where would I find my soul in present days?" Kol asked worriedly but thankfully the witch already had the answer to that question.

"You must know that energy is never destroyed. It simply changes forms. Soul is an energy. Therefore has the capability of changing forms or should I say persons. When you were turned into a vampire your natural human soul left your body, replaced with magic that gave you immortality along with super strength, speed and blood lust. However your soul never got destroyed. It possessed someone else. Meaning, someone else was born with your soul. And when that person died, another person was born with that same soul. So, you see Kol- it is very possible that your soul still exists in this world. Just possessed by another person" explained Gabriella and finally it started to make a little sense to Kol.

"And it's not just your soul. No one's soul gets destroyed after they die. Sometimes while sleeping, we dream of strange things. We see people we've never met before or seen before. We recall memories of events in a dream that hasn't happened. Those dreams are actually past visions coming from the soul." As Gabriella spoke about these things she sounded quite fascinated. Kol understood she acquired as much knowledge about souls as possible due to personal interest. Well good for him.

"So, how do we find my soul or the person who is possessing it?" Kol asked the only question he cared about. And he had a feeling that that was going to be the real problem. Gabriella sighed out heavily proving Kol right.

"No witch has ever done it before. There isn't any specific spell to locate a soul like this. But I came up with an idea that might help. Though, I can't guarantee it'd work." Gabriella said clearly, not wanting to get Kol's hope up.

"What is it?" Kol asked curiously nonetheless. He thought that whatever it was, it was still a chance for him to live.

"Well your soul once resided inside your body. Soul and body always have a strong connection. I'm hoping to use that connection and locate your soul. But since your body is in such a good shape, I doubt it'd work properly. But it's worth a try. If it doesn't work then I'll have to look for another way but mind you, that another way would take me time which I'm afraid, you don't have" said Gabriella. If Kol was hoping for this way to work before, now he was praying for it to work.

"Try your best Gabriella." Was the only thing Kol said. The witch opened her Grimoire and turned to a page. There were many spells written on it.

"Give me your hand" said Gabriella. Kol gave her his hand.

The witch held his hand with one hand and put her other hand on the burnt skull. Then she started chanting spells. For a while nothing happened and Kol started to get anxious. What if it didn't work? Kol feared. Would he die again and go to a more miserable place than the other side? No, this must work. It has to. Suddenly, Kol started seeing visions in his mind. He was seeing a huge mansion. Several expensive cars were parked outside in the parking lot. A huge lawn in front of the mansion. It felt like seeing things through another person's eyes. Kol then had visions of ascending stairs and entering a bedroom. The bedroom was also very huge. Bigger than the bedrooms Klaus has in his mansion in Mystic Falls. And the architecture of the mansion clearly said it was not in America but somewhere else. Probably somewhere in Europe. The person locked the bedroom door and then walked over to the mirror, standing right in front of it. And then Kol saw her. A little girl in the mirror. Barely twelve years of age. Kol took his hand back from Gabriella immediately which caused him to snap out of the visions. The spell broke right away and Gabriella opened up her eyes as well.

"This is not possible." Kol said to himself not believing what he just saw. He should've been happy that whatever Gabriella did, it worked. But the original wasn't happy a bit.

"I'm afraid it is. A little girl is possessing your soul" said Gabriella confirming Kol's fear.

"It means I'll have to kill her to get my soul back, doesn't it?" Kol said the obvious. The witch sighed out heavily and nodded her head. There was a price for everything. Kol would definitely feel awful about killing a little girl but he didn't exactly have any choice here, did he? He wouldn't go to hell. No matter what. Within minutes, Kol Mikaelson made up his mind.

"Were you able to locate this girl's whereabouts?" Kol asked with emotionless voice.

"Prague." Replied Gabriella with soft tone of voice. There was guilt lacing it. Clearly she didn't want the little girl to die either. But she also knew that Kol would do anything to stay alive.

"Don't leave Mystic Falls until I return with the girl." Saying that Kol walked out of the room. Once he left Gabriella sigh out heavily with sadness. If she knew a little girl is going to get in danger, she'd have never helped Kol in the first place. But the damage was already done. Still the witch thought to herself, perhaps there was a way to save the girl.