Chapter 22

"KOL!" Rebekah screeched as she ran into his arms, a wide smile shining on her beautiful face. Wrapping his arms around her, Kol hugged her and twirled her around in the air, both of them laughing.

Finn and he had just reached his siblings' house. It was a beautiful red brick villa. With the golden sun shining on it, the villa almost looked orange, giving to the passers-by a feeling of warmth. Although it was located in town, it was far from the modest dwellings and the few villas around only belonged to rich families.

It didn't surprise Kol. The Mikaelson family had never been one to settle for nothing less than the best.

"It's been too long brother!" Rebekah exclaimed happily once she was back on her own two feet. " I really missed you and there is so much I have to tell you."

"I imagine so," Kol said with a lopsided smile, "though there was nothing stopping you from coming to see me." And it was true, as Nora had never really said anything against his little sister.

"And let Nik and Elijah alone?" she giggled innocently, her blue eyes sparkling. "You know I cannot do that. Always and forever, remember?"

"Right." As if he could forget that. "And your betrothed is aware that he is also marrying these two?" That would be one weird household, to be honest.

"Idiot," Rebekah said instead of answering, still giggling. "Alexander is a good friend of our family. Actually, you will meet him this evening."

Bloody hell. It wasn't enough that his little sister was going to marry a vampire hunter with the approval of Elijah and Niklaus. No, their brothers were actually friends with the hunter? Had his family lost pieces of their brains since his last visit?

Glancing at Finn, he met his embarrassed and resigned gaze. Alright, maybe not his entire family.

"So, let me get this straight dear sister of mine, I just learned today that you are engaged to a man I have never met or even heard of… And you still want to introduce me to your betrothed today? Are you not scared that I will kill him?"

Rebekah didn't seem to be shaken by his words. Instead she merely shrugged and said in a deadpan voice, "As if I would let you hurt the man I love. Besides, I know you. You would never hurt me." Words like that were the reason why Rebekah was still his favorite of the family. While she hated how he could act, she still trust him.

Grabbing his hand, she pulled him towards the entrance door. "Now, come with me. Elijah and Nik are waiting for you inside. They have been looking forward to seeing you again."

"I'm sure they have been… But perhaps you could explain me why they couldn't welcome me before the house?" If he spoke a bit harsher than usual, no one said anything.

"They are overseeing the banquet preparation," Rebekah explained. "During the dinner, Alexander will not only meet you but also speak about the marriage with Elijah and Niklaus. Everything must be perfect. I have told him so much about you, he is quite excited to meet you."

He felt a pang of hurt when he realized he wouldn't even have a word regarding his sister's wedding. Elijah and Nik would be the one overseeing everything while he, like always, would stay in the background. Whether or not he was there didn't actually matter.

"Me too," he managed to say with a forced smile, Finn casting him a knowing glance as he did so. After all, Kol wasn't the only one in the background.

Fortunately, Rebekah didn't notice anything, too busy with her rambling. She met Alexander in the market place and it was love at first sight for the man. She told Kol that when her betrothed first saw her, he compared her beauty with the sun. Of course, she was charmed. Such sweet-talking made it hard to remain unfazed. Still, she didn't take it very seriously.

Sadly - in Kol's point of view - a few meetings here and there quickly changed Rebekah's mind. With compliments and a tragic story - you need to understand Kol, Alexander and his four brothers lost their parents when they were young and their older sister had to work hard to feed them, only to die of exhaustion afterwards - Rebekah was besotted by the handsome young man.

Of course, just like every epic love story, she encountered a terrible obstacle. Elijah and Niklaus, because Kol and Finn's opinions were as important to her as the imaginary invisible ghost of an ant with no legs. And because love conquers all, Elijah and Niklaus accepted Alexander with open arms, only wishing for their sister's happiness.

"And the fact that your beloved kills people like us?" he asked just before entering the room where Elijah and Nik were.

Against all odds, Rebekah answered proudly, "A proof of nobility and his bravery. Alexander only wants for the people to be safe."

"Are you not afraid that he will betray you once he discovers you are a vampire?"

"No," she answered tersely. "I know he won't. I trust him."

The way she was staring at him when saying this troubled him but he didn't say anything. Knowing his sister, she would tell him later. Besides, no matter how much he disliked the idea of Rebekah marrying a vampire hunter, she wasn't a child anymore and was free to make her own choices.

"Brother, here at last, you certainly took you time to get here," Nik said when Kol entered the room. As for Elijah, his brother didn't even bother with words, perfectly content with a simple wave of his hand and a polite smile. Once done, he grabbed a cup of wine.

"Hello to you too Nik, I am fine, thanks, and you?" Kol said flatly, taking a seat. "Oh, Elijah, you're here. Sorry, I didn't see you. Are you the first of us to manage to catch a disease? No voice anymore? Darling, I hope you get better soon."

"Kol, as charming as ever," Elijah chuckled. "Tell me brother, how many villages suffered your ravenous appetite during your travels?"

"Brother, your loving words make my heart beat really fast. You know me so well Elijah. Do you spend a lot of time dreaming of me?" He pressed his hands against his cheeks dramatically. "Dear God, I think I am blushing."

Nik rolled his eyes and poured him a drink. The liquid was clear, void of the smallest drop of blood, just like Finn had told him. A good thing they made a quick stop earlier. Losing an arm and growing it back tended to make one thirsty.

"How was your journey Kol?" Nik asked cautiously. "Have you been careful like we asked you? We cannot have Mikael here, ruining our lives once more." He sent a smile at Rebekah. "Especially when our lovely sister is about to start a new chapter of her life."

"No need to worry, I covered my tracks. Have you heard of that town in the South? What was the name… Right, Valkorn," he said with a wicked smirk. "Magnificent town, you would have loved it there. Such a pity that the villagers had to put to death and drain the blood of eleven men. Well, five actually because the others didn't die of blood loss. But they are definitely dead. And deader than dead, if you know what I mean. Rumors said they were a bunch of heretics looking for virgins to dismember on an altar."

"And the truth?" Although Rebekah spoke dryly, she was unable to hide the amusement in her eyes or the ghost of a grin on her lips.

Hearing Rebekah's question, Kol did what his siblings expected of him and cackled evilly. "They were a bunch of bastards."

"Of course," Elijah said drily as he eyed Kol with disgust and annoyance, not even bothering to conceal his feelings. "Why am I not surprised? Let me guess, you were in a tavern and one of them spilled their drink on you?"

His right eye twitched and his smile became strained. As his grip on the metal cup tightened, the iron creaked in his hand. He loosened his fingers and put it down on the table. "Something like that."

The truth was that the six bastards had dared to abduct Nora when he was feeding. Their goal was pretty basic and unoriginal as they wanted to sell her and several other women as slaves. Nora had killed two and left a third man dying in an alley before the other three managed to knock her out.

When he came back, smelling her blood in a dirty alley, he quickly got his answer from the dying man and ripped out his heart before leaving. When he found Nora, she had a bruise on her face. So, he did what any vampire would have done and used the three men to refine his methods of torture. Weeks later, he could still hear their screams in his mind.

As for the five people who died from blood loss… Well, he was kind of sorry for them as they had simply been at the wrong place when he was really angry. They did got pretty graves when the poor compelled villagers suddenly realized they had mistaken those five poor people for heretics. Unless the six bastards whose remains were given to the dogs.

A smirk appeared on Nik's face. "I do know of Valkorn, but I would have never guessed it was you. Well done brother. Looks like you're getting better at this."

Kol emptied his cup in one gulp and wiped off his mouth with the back of his hand. It was going to be a long night. "Yes well, I didn't want our dear and caring father to notice me and ruin our sister's wedding." He paused, his eyes opening wide. "Wait, I didn't know our sister was getting married. I just learned about it today."

Nik waved him off carelessly, "Such news should not be told through a letter."

"No indeed, Nik. In your mind, a letter is only useful to give me the order to go somewhere. Remind me to do exactly the same when I get married."

A loud laugh filled the room and shook Nik's body. Rebekah joined him quickly even though there was a slight blush on her cheeks. A clear sign she was aware that she was in the wrong.

Eyebrows raised and a knowing gleam in his eyes, Finn looked like he had already known what his intentions towards the beautiful woman waiting for him in Sófi's home were. He could hardly wait to call her his wife. She just had to say yes, of course.

"You still need to find a woman who can put up with you Kol," Finn said with a laugh, the only one here understanding what it was about.

Elijah lifted his cup towards Finn, "I can only say amen."

"Same," Nik managed to say through his laughter.

Not one to be left out, Rebekah giggled, "Not like Finn, isn't it? Although, in his case, the question is how he put up with her. This Sage is so rude. Kol, the day you bring a woman home, please, make sure she doesn't come from a brothel."

Kol was good at hiding his anger. Had always been, really. But even he find it hard to be stoic as he felt a flash of anger at Rebekah's comment and the smirks on the faces of the naughty Always-And-Forever trio. He narrowed his eyes at them. "Good thing Finn and I are old enough to make our own decisions." With that said he gave Rebekah a forehead flick.

In all honesty Kol didn't understand why Finn was staying silent when the trio was clearly mocking Sage. Did he love their family so much? He could be a whole lot happier living with Sage and visiting their siblings once in a while and yet here he was.

Later, before the dinner, Kol was lounging on a bench in the garden, his eyes on the sky and the evening sun. Finn had left to do something and his two other brothers were going about their own business - the banquet preparation. Of course, said banquet preparation didn't involve their hands cooking. Instead, it involved the difficult task of sitting and giving orders to servants. All the while drinking wine, of course.

Rebekah's betrothed would soon arrive there. As such, Kol was caught offguard when the blond appeared before his eyes. Not saying a word, she sat at the edge of the bench, her hands wringing in her lap.

"Hey you," Kol smiled softly and sat up, "is something wrong Bekah?"

"I…" She lowered her head and mumbled, "Can we speak? A bit further away?"

Oh? Did his adorable sister have secrets she didn't want to share with Nik and Elijah? "Of course Bekah."

He gave her his arms and they walked in silence. Once they were far enough, Rebekah hesitantly asked, "Can I trust you with a secret?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Why ask something when you already know the answer?"

She shook her head. "I'm serious Kol."

"As am I." He brushed a lock of golden hair behind her ear. "You know you can trust me Bekah. I will never hurt or betray you."

"I know. It is why it is hard to tell you… Yet I am aware you are the only person I can tell the truth."

If she wanted to make him worried, it was a success. "What is it Rebekah?"

She let out a sigh and her forever seventeen years-old face suddenly seemed older, the weight of years darkening her gaze. "Alexander already knows I am not human," she admitted sorrowfully, "that I am a monster who lives off blood."

There was something akin to sadness in her voice, but he could also hear her relief. Still, he couldn't help but tense. "And how did he react? Not too badly, I guess, if he is coming here."

"He truly loves me Kol. We spoke and…" She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them again, there were full of tears. The smile stretching her lips was strained and broken. "There is a cure Kol. Every time Alexander kills a vampire, a piece of a map appears on his arm. It leads to a cure and Alexander wants to bring me there when the map is complete. I will be human once again, have a home with my husband, bear his children, watch them grow old, show Alexander my first grey hair and smile at my grandchildren. Then, after a long life filled with laughter, I want my body to be buried by my husband's side. This is what I want Kol, and I know it is horrible because I am going to leave you all but I-"

She couldn't finish her sentence. When he saw the tears running down her face, something broke inside Kol and he took her into his arms, her face buried in his chest and his hand running through her hair. "Rebekah, there is nothing wrong with wanting this."

"Then why do I feel guilty?" she cried before glancing up at him. "Do you want to take the cure with me, Kol? You could be a witch again."

He answered without hesitation, "No Bekah, I like my life." He would never stop loving magic. However, it was easy to choose between doing magic again and staying with Nora. Besides his family, Nora was first in his heart. "But I will be there for you Rebekah. Always. And I will stop anyone, Nik and Elijah included, from ruining your dream and stopping you from making your own choices. If taking this cure to be human again is what your heart desires, then this is what you will have. And when the time comes for you to take your last breath, I will be by your side to hold your hand."

She nodded and he continued to hold her until there were no more tears. Then, he used his sleeve to wipe her face and proceeded to braid her hair.

"I wasn't expecting you to be that good at doing this," Rebekah remarked with wide eyes as she stared at the flowers stuck in her braid.

He let out a laugh before saying with a grin, "You don't even know what you look like. But if you must know, I have quite the experience in braiding hair."

She scrunched up her nose in disgust, "I don't need to know what you do with your lovers before you eat them, Kol."

"Then don't be surprised the day you receive a wedding invitation."

A warm grin lit up her face as she said, "I will be dead long before it happens brother. Now, Alexander will arrive soon. I hope you will like him."

"Shouldn't you be a little concerned? Just imagine, he could leave you if I like him. After all, I am the better looking Mikaelson."

End of chapter 22. I hope you liked it and sorry for the late update. I don't know about you but staying home for such a long time makes me want to do nothing but sleep and read fics. Actually, if doing nothing was an olympic game I could easily win a gold medal.

Also, as promised, the oneshot side-fic of The way we burn is now there and called Dancing with a drunk milkshake and drinking strawberry people.

Bye and stay safe!