Elena and Kol hiked up a trail that looked out over the lake and house. He could tell she loved it here, the way her eyes lit up. Especially when she shared memories of her childhood. He loved seeing this side of her with no worries, just a smile on her face and twinkle in her eyes.
"This is my secret place, and only you know about it" Elena said looking up at Kol.
"Thank you for sharing it, and I promise not to tell anyone" Kol smiled with his hand over his heart and winked at her.
"You're welcome, and if you told it wouldn't be a secret anymore" she said nudging him playfully with her arm as they started walking again.
"Where are we off to now? Or did you bring me out here in the woods to take advantage of me?" Kol teased.
"Well Mr. Mikaelson that is entirely up to you" Elena said flirtatiously as she took off walking leavng Kol to stare after her.
"Oh darling, didn't anyone ever tell you not to flirt with danger?" Kol said with a smirk using his vampire speed to come up behind her and grab her around the waist, bending forward slightly to let his fangs brush up against her neck.
"You know that doesn't scare me, in fact..." she whispered, "it's quite a turn on."
"Is that so Miss Gilbert" Kol smirked as his grip tightened around her waist and let his fangs graze her neck before he nipped her lightly.
Elena turned in his arms looking up at him and the dark veins under his eyes were still visible as were his fangs. She stood on tip toe with her lips not even an inch away from Kol's. She knew he had control or he wouldn't have vamped out. He wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned in to close the distance between their lips. Kol pulled back and took her hand in his as they headed back down the trail.
"After that hike I think a swim is in order" Kol said eyeing the lake.
"That sounds like a plan, after I clean up the kitchen from this morning" Elena said.
"I'll clean up the mess beings I made it and you go change" he said as they headed inside.
Elena nodded and headed upstairs to change into a bikini top and shorts, then made up the bed before heading back downstairs. Kol had just finished and was turning to head upstairs just as she reached the bottom step. She stopped short when he paused in front of her to give her a quick kiss, then headed upstairs to change. A few minutes later he reappeared wearing shorts with no shirt.
Once they had walked out onto the dock Kol picked her up and jumped in the water. The water was definitely cool but not cold. They spent about an hour swimming before they both got out heading to the house. After they had both showered and dressed Elena went into the kitchen to start making lunch.
As it became nighttime they sat on the porch swing with his arm wrapped around her shoulder and her hand on his leg. With his long legs Kol set the swing in motion and kissed the top of Elena's head.
"It's a shame tomorrow we head back to the real world and leave this peacefulness behind" she said solemnly.
"I know darling, we can come back here anytime you want" Kol said trying to cheer her up a little.
"It's just going back to Mystic Falls and having to deal with Damon and the others" she sighed.
" I know it can't be easy for you, but they do care about you. So them asking you twenty questions doesn't seem so bad" Kol said trying to get her to relax.
" You're right, guess I liked the quiet and being able to breath" she said quietly.
Kol knew she was thinking about what Damon had said, his crude remark that she had probably slept with all the Mikaelson brothers. Little did the mouthy vampire know that Kol hadn't even kissed Elena until last night. He had wanted their first kiss to be special along with their first time with no interruptions of siblings ruining the mood. After last night he was pretty sure the lake house could have blown up and he wouldn't have noticed.
"Don't let what he said that night get to you, he was saying those things to get me to lose control and hurt you in the process" Kol said hugging her to his side, "come on let's go inside, it's getting chilly for you to sit out here."
"I never thought about it like that, yeah it is getting a little cold" she said thoughtfully as they went inside.
Kol lit a fire then sat down next to Elena on the couch, she snuggled close to him and drifted off to sleep. He sat with her in his arms and watched the flames dance, wishing he could take away all the hurt she ever felt.
Once the flames died down Kol picked Elena up, careful not to wake her and carried her upstairs. He laid her down on the bed and took her shoes off before laying down beside her. He smiled because it was like deja vu when she was drunk and he had put her to bed at Nik's, pulling her close to him he drifted off to sleep.
