Rational Thinking {Kol Mikaelson}

Chapter Three: Judgement Call

You tore your hands through your hair as you watched the life fade from Kol's eyes. The expression on his innocent features the moment that dagger pierced his heart would surely haunt you forever. Normally, the pain of others amused you, but not this time. Kol looked like he was in agony - true, tortured, agony - and not only that, he had looked terrified. There was something in his eyes - something far, far too familiar because you'd seen it too many times before in your own - it was desperate and pleading. You could almost hear him screaming the same words you'd offered so many times as a child.

"Please don't lock me in here! I can focus! I can be good! Please don't leave me! Please don't lock me in!"

The boy crumpled to the floor, obscured from the view of other customers by Meredith Fell's body. You bent down to him, taking his ashen face in your hands and letting your skin burn his in an effort to wake him up.

"No, no no... Kol, wake up!" He didn't wake up. There were tears - a single drop on his cheek and several more trailing down yours - but you wiped them away before anyone could see. Alaric raised a brow.

"I thought you were a psychopath, what do you care?" He asked. You glared at him ferociously.

"Do you idiots have any idea what you've just done?" You spat with venom.

Meredith Fell scoffed, looking offended. "We just saved your life! How 'bout a little gratitude?"

"Gratitude?" You seethed. "Gratitude? You didn't save my life, you've just ended it!"

"Excuse me?"

"You made me complicit in this!" You whisper-shouted. "You just made me a target!"

"I'm sorry, but did you see the way he was looking at you?" Fell demanded.

"He wasn't going to hurt me," You insisted.

"He was staring at your neck!"

"He was just curious!" You argued. "Vampires do that!" Never once had you thought you would defend a vampire, especially an original, but they had been.... wrong to stab him. Besides... Kol had called you pretty. Nobody had ever called you pretty before. You were always just smart - smart enough to know when someone was lying and Kol hadn't - you'd never been pretty.

"Okay, we can talk about this later but we need to go," Alaric said. He slung Kol's arm over his shoulders. Meredith took the other side, and together they dragged a desiccated vampire corpse out of a busy restaurant in broad daylight. You snatched a napkin from the bar and stomped after them, scribbling down your name and address as you went. Just before they reached the alley door, you slipped in front of Meredith and Alaric. "What are you doing?" The latter asked as you stuffed the napkin with your information on it into the mostly-dead vampire's pocket.

"Giving myself something of a chance," You mumbled, switching your pen out for a sharpie and writing: 'Check your pocket,' on Kol's hand. You looked up. "Also, you guys can tell Stefan and Damon that this is the last time I do them any favors. From now on, it's tit-for-tat only. Good luck stormin' the castle."

Then you turned on your heel and went home. Two hours later, you got a text from Stefan.

"I'm sorry about what happened."

But you weren't taking any of that.

"Save it. We both know you don't mean it. No more favors."

A few minutes later:

"I understand."

The doorbell rang downstairs and your head shot up. Showtime. You couldn't hear whoever was at the door, but you could hear your mother. You were pretty sure people in Australia could hear your mother.