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Falling in love was no easy feat, nor was falling in love with a Mikaelson who, at first, planned to kill you. Juniper knew it would be hard from the very beginning, from the first time she laid eyes on him in that overly crowded tavern. From the way his lips curved into a boyish smile and the way his fluffy hair swooped over his forehead messily as if he had run his fingers through it many times before.
When he spoke, ordering her a glass of cider, speaking his name with such confidence it almost pissed her off. Knowing him had been an anomaly. Kol Mikaelson was not supposed to happen. Juniper Zenik was never meant to meet him, Juniper Rietveld was, however.
Juniper Zenik was a monster with bloodied hands. She was angry and wanted only one thing: revenge. But Juniper Rietveld, she wanted something, too: love.
The two sides co-existed for a long time, the former pushing the latter to the bottom of her heart, keeping it locked away for safekeeping. And it stayed like that for a while, until she met him and his stupid lopsided smile.
She learned everything about him, the way his laugh sometimes silenced itself if he thought he was being too loud, the way his head tipped downwards as he smiled, the way he fiddled with his hands behind his back when he was nervous, the way he hated chocolate cake with chocolate icing and could only eat a mix of vanilla and chocolate without being repulsed.
She saw the way he cowered when in the same room as his siblings, fear setting in his heart whenever he heard a quiet clinking sound that resembled a dagger. Juniper knew that he put things off to the last minute, the act leading to him being filled with stress, though he never stopped doing it.
She knew him inside and out. Every quirk. Every thought. Every stresser. Everything you could imagine, she knew.
And that is why it hurt so much when she felt his heart stop beneath her hand as she cried into his chest, his blood coating her skin.
Two Weeks Before
"It's simple, I promise," Juniper spoke, her hands held firmly in Kol's as he stared down at her with worry. "You haven't been on a heist in over a year, darling. Are you sure you are prepared?" He paused, watching as she opened her mouth before cutting her off, "And no, I do not mean weapon wise."
The Heartrender grinned, her thumbs rubbing along his skin comfortingly as she stared into his soft brown eyes. "I will be fine. Matthias will be by my side for most of it and no one can get past him."
"Why can't he and Inej take care of it? Or even Jesper. I'm sure he could find a way in– he could just shoot the lock."
She chuckled softly, "And inform the entire guard of his location? That won't end well, baby."
"Then why don't you just teach them or something?"
"It would take months for even Jesper to figure it out. I'm the only one who can do it, Kol."
