The Original Heretic

xvii.

i woke up late into the next day by a knock on my front door. i came downstairs yawning, to find nobody there, but a pristine envelope was left at my doorstep. i opened it up, and a smile grew on my face as i read the contents.

Please join the Mikaelson Family
~
This evening at 7PM
For Dancing, Cocktails, & Celebration

i turned it around, and saw a note from rebekah.

"look hot for kol. xx, beks"

i laughed at that, and decided i would go out of town to see if i could find a good dress. i wasn't ready for tonight, but i knew that if i looked confident, i would feel it too.

after a long 3 hours, i found the perfect dress. a dark red ball gown, covered with lace and off the shoulder sleeves had caught my eye, and after trying it on, i knew it was the dress for me.

it was 5pm by the time i had gotten back home, and i spent the last 2 hours getting ready. with some spells to make my hair stick straight instead of it's normal wavy mess, and some carefully applied makeup, i was ready to go. i put my phone in a hidden pocket of the dress, and drove over to the new mansion that klaus had apparently had his hybrids built. i arrived at the same time as caroline, who was wearing a stunning blue dress, so i walked over to her.

"miss me?" i asked, and she whirled around excitedly.

"brit! oh my gosh, you're back! and you look so stunning!" she gushed as she gave me a quick hug.

"you too! where did you get the dress, i love the design!" i complimented, and she blushed.

"klaus gave it to me." she muttered as we approached the door.

i gasped dramatically, causing her to roll her eyes. "the hybrid has the hots for you? as he should, you're sexy." i nudged her hip, and she laughed again.

"shut up! how did you even get an invite? you've been gone for basically the whole time any original has been in town." she asked.

"remember care, i've been around just as long as them. after a few things happened while i was in england, i was reminded of the importance of friends and family, and i let elijah and rebekah remember who i am." she looked at me in shock, but couldn't say anything as we had finally reached the open doors. walking in, i immediately felt multiple sets of eyes on us.

caroline was whisked away by klaus, and rebekah came walking up to me.

"you certainly did not disappoint." she looked me up and down, and a light blush rose on my cheeks.

"thanks beks, you look amazing too!" she beamed, and i could tell she was truly in her element.

"my brother is somewhere here, and has probably noticed you already. he may not remember you yet, but i bet anything he has the same look in his eyes when he first realised how head over heels in love he was with you." rebekah muttered in my ear as we went to get champagne, and i looked at her in disbelief.

"don't get your hopes up too high, beks. this will be my first time talking to him in nearly a millennia, literally. we're both very different people now, and that terrifies me." i answered, and as she was about to speak more, elijah called up his family to the stairs. she just shot me a grin and walked off, while i walked over to damon, who i had seen earlier.

"looking dapper, mister salvatore." i complimented as i stood next to him.

"you too, brit. i have to ask, how did you manage to, in the span of the 12 hours you've been back, run into both elijah and rebekah, let them remember you, and snag an invite to this ball?" he asked me, and i looked at him incredulously.

"were you listening to me and caroline outside?" i whispered angrily.

"maybe."

"ugh. well yes, it was purely coincidental for both of them, and i was ready. what i'm not ready to do, on the other hand, is look up at those stairs to see the rest of them." i made my voice even lower, because the room was starting to quiet as the last stragglers were coming in.

"good luck, brit. one of them is already looking at you like you're the only person in the room." damon's voice was so quiet that even i could barely hear it.

"what?" i hissed, and he just nodded to the staircase. i turned to look instinctively, and my breath caught in my throat.

kol, klaus, finn, and esther, the original witch were looking around the room as elijah spoke, as well as bekah. i made brief eye contact with her, and a smile appeared on both our faces as we nodded in acknowledgement. klaus' eyes were trained on caroline, who was trying her best to avoid his gaze, but ended up staring at him too.

and kol? kol was looking right at me, just like rebekah thought he would be. once i laid my eyes on him, i couldn't look away. he looked amazing in a suit. his hair was done neatly, with just a little bit messed up, as if he rubbed the back of his head after getting ready. he had a little smirk on his face, one that i knew permanently rested on it unless he was angry.

"... so if you could find yourself a partner, and head to the ballroom." elijah had finished talking, and suddenly everyone was moving around. i broke my gaze from kol as i looked around to see all my friends partnering up.

"ahem." i heard a voice behind me say, and i froze, slowly turning around. "i couldn't help but notice you among the crowd, and i thought you were just so beautiful. would you like to dance?" kol asked me, holding out his hand.

"i would love to." i replied after a moment, taking his hand, and we walked to the ballroom.

"so, what's your name? i cannot just dance with you once and go on not knowing it." he requested as the opening notes to give me love by ed sheeran started playing.

"brit. brit kaldottir." we spun around, eyes never straying away from one another.

"i'm sure you know me, kol mikaelson." he said, and i softly laughed as we made another turn.

"indeed i do, mister mikaelson. i know you quite well." i vaguely said, and he looked somewhat confused.

"i saw that you were invited here by my sister, you must be one of the vampire friends she made. did she tell you stories of me?" another turn, and i knew we were about to switch partners.

"something like that." he let go of my hand, and i found myself in the arms of klaus mikaelson. without missing a beat, we continued dancing.

"hello, love." he greeted.

"hello, klaus." i replied.

"ah, you know who i am. no surprise. are you one of the salvatore's friends? elena gilbert? caroline forbes?"

"all of them, and some of your siblings." i said. "especially rebekah, she's my best friend."

"how have i not heard of you? what's your name?" he asked as we twirled around.

"brit kaldottir. and you do know me. you'll see." i said, just as another partner change happened.

"brit." the familiar voice of finn mikaelson spoke, and i stared at him in shock.

"how do you remember-" i was the confused one this time, and he laughed.

"the first thing mother asked me yesterday after talking to all of us yesterday was if any of us knew how you were doing. i had no clue who you were and who she was talking about, so with a lot of magic, she managed to undo your compulsion on me. i'm glad to see that you've changed over a thousand years, it would be quite boring for you to stay the same." he explained, and a laugh escaped from my lips.

"indeed i have. well, i'm going to get fresh air finn, but i'm glad to know you remember me as well. That leaves kol and klaus." i stepped away, curtsying. he bowed back, and without anyone noticing, i slipped out the doors, into the cool night air.