The Revenge Con

12. After Hours

Rebekah sat at the hotel bar sipping on a cocktail to distract from her thoughts. Klaus' words were starting to get under her skin. She had lost Stefan and Marcel and had been so focused on Elijah that she hadn't had time to process it.

She had put her entire life on hold to bring her brother home and it was starting to weigh on her. She was lonely.

"Want some company?" Rebekah was pulled out of her thoughts by a voice. She looked up to see a handsome man staring back at her. It was a fitting moment for him to appear.

"Depends, will I be paying for my own drinks?" She wondered with a sly smile. The man waved at the bartender, ordering them both drinks. "Is this the part when you ask why a pretty girl like me is sitting here all alone?"

"I don't think calling you a pretty girl does justice for such a beautiful woman." Rebekah blushed at his words. "And the reason you were alone just makes me the luckiest man in the world."

Rebekah had come a long way from her dependence on male attention. But it was nice to feel wanted.

"I'm Alexander by the way." The man introduced himself.

"Rebekah." She was thankful that he didn't seem to recognize her as the MIkaelson name had recently been dripping in scandal.

"A name befitting such an elegant woman."

"You probably say that to all the girls." Rebekah laughed. She had been so focused on Elijah that she hadn't truly appreciated what it meant to be in the city of love. Or at least close to it.

"Perhaps, though I would like to think that was only practicing for this moment. God forbid I make a fool of myself in front of you." Rebekah's heart had gone through in the past year. She had truly believed she and Marcel would marry one day then suddenly it all fell apart. Then when she finally began to figure out her feelings, Stefan came along and swept her off her feet only to be an imposter. She knew her brothers were suffering, but she had spent so much time worrying about them that she had forgotten the pain in her own heart. Although she did not believe the stranger in a bar was going to save her from her woes, it was truly nice to be flirted with.

"What brings you to Manosque?" Rebekah asked, noticing his accent did not resemble the locals'.

"Would you believe me if I said I was hoping to fall in love?"

"I would not,"

"Understandable. I am here for my cousin's wedding." He informed her. "You?"

"Just needed a vacation." She lied. She wasn't in the mood to explain the Mikaelson baggage to this stranger.

"It is a rather beautiful place. I believe it would make a great escape." Rebekah laughed to herself at his statement. He and Elijah would get along great.

"Do you have much to escape from?"

"I believe I'm running toward something rather than away from it." Rebekah found it hard to believe him. She had just told Klaus the same thing and she knew it wasn't true. "Forgive me for being too forward but it seems as though they are about to close. Would you care to join me in my room for another drink? I would hate to miss the opportunity to get to know you better."

"I would like that." He paid their tab before leading her up to his room.

Kol woke with a start. He sat up in his bed, covered in a thick layer of sweat. He glanced at the woman asleep beside him and sighed. His efforts to avoid his feelings had caught up with him after his lunch with Davina and the nightmares had been bothering him for a week.

He stood up, pulling on a pair of boxers and grabbing his phone from the nightstand before leaving the room, carefully closing the door behind him to avoid waking his companion. He made his way to the kitchen, not really sure what he was looking for. He thought about pouring himself a drink but there was no point. It wouldn't help.

Kol glanced at his phone. It was terribly late. There was no way anyone would answer him. There was an off chance that Rebekah would be waking up but he had no interest in discussing his feelings with his sister. His mind wandered to the person he truly wanted to speak to. He had no idea where Bonnie was. There was a possibility that wherever she was would have a vastly different time and she would be wide awake. Though even if that was the case, he didn't think she would want to talk to him. She may have even changed her number.

Despite the downsides, he found himself dialling her number and holding his phone up to her ear. He waited. He waited to hear her voice telling him she was not there. He did not think she would pick up. He couldn't even believe she had until her voice came through the speaker.

"Hello?" Kol froze. He knew that he had called her but he couldn't bring himself to speak. "Hello?" She repeated waiting for him to say something. "Kol?" Hearing her say his name had nearly caused him to drop the phone. He hung up immediately, almost shaking. He should have known she had caller ID.

Kol's heart ached as he glanced at his phone. Bonnie had been right there. He had heard her voice. After months of unaddressed heartache, he had finally heard her voice again. All of the emotions he had been avoiding were overwhelming him and he didn't know what else to do. Kol slid to the ground holding his knees and did the one thing he had managed to avoid in the past months. He cried.