Fix You

Chapter 15

"Have you ever considered moving to a city like this?" Kol asks me on the walk back from the theatre.
"I tried it in Chicago, many many years ago and the amount of people made me anxious. I think it's from having been invisible most my life." I tell him as we dodge around a group of people standing in the middle of the sidewalk taking a picture with a marquis.
"You could get involved with a theatre company. It might do you good to get away from that wretched town." He says and I shrug.
"It didn't help me much when I wasn't living there. And anyways, I can't leave my brothers to be idiots again. Someone needs to to be the voice of reason." I tell him as I let him take my hand again.
"They don't listen." He points out and I sigh.
"My mother would be rolling in her grave if she found out I left those two to their own devices. She always joked they'd be trouble. It's unfortunate she never lived to see her prophecy come true." I tell him with a non committal shrug.
"They might be pains in my ass, but they're family. The only one I've got." I say as he wraps his arm around my shoulder.
"I guess we have to go back then..." He says sounding sad.
"If we don't want both our families hunting us down." I respond with a sigh.
"Eventually I have to face them anyways. I don't even know if they know I'm upset. I just sort of disappeared again." I say as we walk. We linger inside the hotel room for a moment as I toss things back into my bag. Mentally noting the fact that they haven't called me.
"You should get a head start back. If we come back together it's going to start a fight about us and not about what they did." I tell him and he frowns for a moment.
"What are we then? So I know what you're fighting for." He says and I shrug.
"I've never been good with labels. I suppose we're whatever you want us to be." I say with a non-committal shrug as I toss him his jacket.
"So if I said I wanted us to be exclusive. That's what we'd be?" He asks and I stare at him blankly for a moment as my heart races.
"Yeah we would be. We practically already were." I say as I slide my phone from my pocket and shoot off an 'I'm alive' text to Niklaus.
"I'll be a few hours behind you. I have to prepare for battle." I say with an uneasy smile as I cross the room and plant a kiss on his cheek.
"I promise I'm coming back and then you'll have my undivided attention for as long as you want it."  I say I push him out the door.

The next morning, I step into the lobby of our hotel and stop dead in my tracks as an all too familiar face stares at me from across the lobby. Ignoring them, I step to the counter.
"Checking out, last name is Salvatore." I tell the baby faced young guy behind the counter. He looks me up and down appraisingly and I stifle a laugh.
"Too bad you're leaving." He says and I roll my eyes at him.
"I'm also involved." I say as I slide my key card across the counter. And then I turn on my heel and head for the person standing across the lobby.
"Give me one good reason why I should call Niklaus and tell him exactly where you are." I say, dropping my voice low as to not attract attention.
"I'd be gone by the time he got here for one. And two, I'm here for you." She says and I look at her confused.
"Why me? Haven't you done enough to my family Katherine? Now your little doppelgänger is following in your footsteps and I'm right back in the same position. Right down to nearly dying." I snap at her quietly.
"I understand that I put you through a lot. And I am sorry for the role I've had in your death."
"Prove it." I say and cross my arms over my chest.
"They're once again bickering over a girl I seriously doubt loves them. Nearly allowed me to die for her, again. So prove your sorry. The only thing preventing me from throttling Elena Gilbert where she stands is Niklaus. For some god forsaken reason she's the key and he needs her." I say as I beckon her out of the hotel with me.
"So take her place, temporarily. Until I've collected enough of her blood to render her existence virtually useless. There would be no need to keep her alive." I say as I pull out my phone and text Kol that I'll be leaving soon.
"This isn't the Serena I remember." She says and I blank stare at her for a moment.
"The Serena you knew was beat to death by her father. This Serena isn't her." I say with a shrug.
"I like it. It's about time someone took charge of the Salvatores." She tells me and I roll my eyes.
"They still won't listen. When I'm eventually found out it'll get spun so I'm the bad guy for rendering Elena useless." I say with a flippant wave of my hand.
"But I'm tired of sitting idly by while another ignorant girl works at tearing what little family I have left apart. Call me when you're ready to get this moving and I'll be ready. If you flake out on me, I promise to personally hunt you down and turn you into Niklaus myself." I tell her with a wave over my shoulder as I sweep from the hotel lobby.