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Dying sucks. There was no other way to put it. Of course she had said she was ready, willing stood before her friends to die for them, said she believed in the Harvest. It was so easy then, but now? Now standing here above her body all she could think was dying sucks.
“Tell me about it love,” the voice startled her so much that she spun around her wet hair clinging to her face.
“Are you with the ancestors,” she called out louder than necessary, “are you here to take me back?”
He sighed pushing off against the tomb he had been leaning on, “sorry no one here but me, gets pretty lonely around here get used to it.”
He started walking away and she stood paralyzed looking down at the way Marcel cradled her in his arms, she didn’t have time to watch his sorrows. She looked back towards the man, “hey! Wait up.”
Surprisingly enough he actually stopped. Perhaps an eternity alone watching his siblings have fun without him was starting to make him soft, “what now?”
“Who are you,” she asked finally catching up to him, “what do you mean you’re the only one here? The ancestors are supposed to-”
“Trust me Darling if there’s one thing I learned it’s that ancient and dead doesn’t make a witch anymore trust worthy,” he snorted thinking of his own family, “so I wouldn’t hold my breath if I was you.”
She frowned looking back as her friends put their umbrellas away, it must have stopped raining, but the man had been right she saw no one else around. She turned to face him again only to notice that he’d resumed walking away, “wait! You still didn’t tell me your name.”
“Kol,” he smirked, “Kol Mikaelson. Probably haven’t heard of me, right gits my family is.”
“Davina Claire,” she said with a small smile, “I’m one of the-”
“I heard,” he shrugged and started moving again her quickly scurrying after, “what are you following me for? You’re going to miss the good part.”
“The good part?” She parroted confused.
“Yeah don’t you want to see your friends and family pitch a fit over your death,” he joked dryly, “maybe they’ll even kill somebody, or two somebodies. That’s even better.”
“What the hell is wrong with you,” she spat freezing in place, “I just died and you’re mocking me.”
He snorted, “you’ll find things get pretty boring over here without the snark, trust me it’ll grow on you. Hell you’re lucky after all; no one gave two shits when I died.”
She frowned at that finding it unlikely, “what no forever and always?”
“That was never for me,” he sighed turning to face her now a significant distance away. She raised one single eyebrow at him and he felt the need to explain, “Finn and I, we never counted in that and neither did our mother. It was always just Klaus, Elijah, and Beks. Hell I spent most of my year being stuck inside a box, not quite as much as Finn. At least they pulled me out to play with every now and again, thank god for small miracles.”
“I’m sorry,” she said sincerely, “maybe when the ancestors come they’ll let you come back with me.”
“Unlikely Darling,” he said giving her a tight smile, “don’t think I have any fans over there either.”
“You have me,” she smiled softly and then felt about ten times colder, “what was that?”
“The warmth leaving your body,” he frowned, “I suppose you wouldn’t be quite as thankful as I was for that.”
“Should I be?”
He shrugged moving back over to her, “probably not. To be fair I burnt to death.”
“Oh,” was all she could say before looking over her shoulder, “I I go to check on them will you disappear? I don’t want to be alone.”
Kol didn’t want to be alone either, but he had pretty much accepted it at this point, “I don’t know.”
Davina hesitated biting her lip, “come with me?”
He shrugged walking back with her, “why the hell not. Maybe Marcel will flip his shit and send one of my brothers to visit us.”
“You shouldn’t say things like that,” she chided looking back in on the scene as Marcel most certainly was upset, “they’re your family.”
“Never stopped them from saying things like that about me,” he laughed dryly.
It was quiet for a moment as they watched the scene in front of them, “my throat hurts.”
“I’d think so, you did just have it sliced open,” he looked down at where she stood barefoot next to him, “it’ll pass.”
“I hope so,” she whispered, “so this is it, huh? I’m dead.”
“Yep,” he said rocking back and forth on heels, “it’s not that bad, boring as hell though.”
“I guess it would be with you around,” she’d said it so straight that he didn’t even realize she was teasing until he looked down to see the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Very funny,” he shook his head, “right laugh you are.”
She looked up at him with a big grin before frowning suddenly, “how come the sun hasn’t come out.”
“It has,” he said, “just not for us. Looks like they’re splitting up, who do you want to follow?”
“No one,” she said solemnly after a moment, “I don’t want to see that. I know they’re hurting, I wish-”
“Oh please don’t say you wish that you could make things better for them,” he scoffed, practically offended by her kindness.
“I wish I didn’t have to die, I wish that none of us had to,” she said softly, “Marcel would have stopped it before it ever started. My mother would have never betrayed me; I’d still be going to school with Monique… and Tim. Oh god Tim would be alive and playing music instead of cold and dead because he dared to be someone your brother could hurt me with. All the witches could be doing magic and everything would be wonderful. I guess I wish a lot of things.”
She was certainly different, he’d give her that. He thought about saying something equally as eloquent but instantly realized that wasn’t him, “I wish I could roast my brother on a spike and use the Gilberts as kindling.”
She rolled her eyes, “okay, be like that. Be cynical and snarky and pretend that you don’t care. But I know better, you can snark all you want but you wish you were one of them: that they’d never let you die or at least if they did that they would have avenged you- hey! Where are you going?!”
“To the bar,” he called back, “I don’t actually have to listen to you, you know?”
“You’re rude,” she crossed her arms but continued to follow him none the less, “has anyone ever told you that before.”
“Lots of people,” he called back, “you’d think they’d realize it doesn’t do any good by now.”
“Maybe if you were nicer someone wouldn’t have killed you,” she bit out.
He spun around to face her, his index finger raised to make a point, when she gave him a look that made him roll his eyes, “maybe if you were less nice you’d be alive.”
She thought for a moment before shrugging, “perhaps.”
“Really?” He asked, “You’re not going to fight me on that.”
“No,” she said simply, “I can take criticism, especially when you do have a point.”
“Huh,” he laughed, “that’s a first. I’ll have you know Davina Claire I’ve been around for over a thousand years and I don’t think anyone’s ever listened to me before.”
“Too pretty for your own good,” she teased.
“Talking about yourself again,” he quipped back swerving to avoid a playful swat, “you wound me Davina Claire.”
“You do know you don’t need to say my name every other sentence,” she laughed. For a moment he couldn’t help but think that she looked so alive, the only think betraying her being the red ring of blood around her neck.
“Maybe I’d like to remember you if the ancestors change their mind and come and take you back,” he smirked.
“If it hasn’t happened by now I don’t think it ever will,” she frowned for a moment before remembering Kol was still there and flashing him a big smile, “guess you’re stuck with me.”
“You tolerable,” he teased, “I mean I could kill you again but where’s the fun in that.”
She rolled her eyes, “I’m growing on you, admit it.”
He snorted holding the door of the bar open for her, “you wish Darling.”
She twirled stepping through the door and smiled, “well you know what they say about wishes.”
“No,” he chuckle, “but I’m sure you’re about to tell me.”
“If wishes were horses than beggars would ride,” she wiggled her eyebrows moving behind the bar, “so can we like drink?”
“Quote old poetry to me, I’m flattered,” he teased moving across the bar, “of course, well we can pretend at least.”
She looked around, “I call being the bartender then.”
“Like your friend Kathy?”
“Cammie,” she corrected.
“Ah I’m sorry,” he said completely insincere taking a seat at the bar, “you have to admit it’s a stupid name.”
“Is not,” Davina said back pulling a bottle from the rack, “is this a good one?”
He scrunched up his face before shrugging, “beggars can’t be choosers.”
She laughed, “Look at that I’m taming the shrew already.”
He shot her a look of mock indignation, “shrew? At least call me a beast or something. And here I was just starting to find you tolerable.”
“Well we can’t have that now can we,” she teased quietly staring at the bottle. It started to dawn on her that this was real, that it was permanent. She didn’t know how she felt about that. Her and Kol on the horizon of forever, she literally couldn’t imagine it.
“Give me that,” Kol snatched to bottle from her hands, “don’t tell me you’re a sad alcoholic.”
“Why is it just us?”
“As opposed to?”
“I mean,” she bit her lip, “where are the other Harvest girls? Where’s Monique?”
He shrugged, “with the ancestors probably, “guess they stuck you with me a punishment. Maybe you should try repenting Miss Claire.”
“I’m not sorry,” she said instantly and bitterly, “they lied to us. And I wanted to live, why shouldn’t I?”
“Of course,” she gave her a strange smile, “why shouldn’t you?”
She reminded him of them, of how they used to be way back in the beginning. How the Mikaelson children could not take the heart break of being hunter by their own father for nothing other than wanting to live. He remembered Rebekah taking it particularly hard.
“So how long till we drive each other crazy,” she joked.
He laughed, “to late for that.”
“Well if it gets too bad we could always divide up the world and stick to our own area,” she suggested half serious.
“Has anyone one ever told you that you’d make a terrible bar tender?”
“Hey,” she objected, “I would make a great bar tender.”
“Really? Because so far I’ve had to serve myself,” he pointed out, “and you still have tried any psychology bullshit on me, asked me how my day was going, flashed me your boobs.”
She shoved him knocking him off the stool, “prev.”
He just laughed, “it was worth it Darling. It was more than worth it.”
It was much later when he took her to the Mikaelson residence and they sat up on the roof, “is it always this depressing here.”
He was watching her stare out over the horizon, he used to agree with her but now he wasn’t quite so sure. He shrugged, “it’s not that bad.”
She snorted leaning back till she was lying beside him, “Will you make fun of me if I tell you something?”
“Probably,” he joked, “oh come on love, what did you expect me to say?”
“Why are you such an ass,” she grunted annoyed at him.
He chuckled, “genetics.”
“I’m serious Kol,” she said getting angry at his attitude.
He sighed, “so am I. You’ve seen my brother, and trust me if you think he’s bad it’s only because you’ve had the privilege of never meeting our father. Now he was a real monster that one, tormented me my whole life.”
“I’m sorry,” she frowned.
“Doesn’t matter now,” he chuckled, “I’m dead and so is he. Thankfully the universe has been kind enough to keep our afterlives apart.”
“I’m still sorry,” she said giving him a kind smile.
“Keep doing that and I’ll have to shove you off the roof or something,” he said making her roll her eyes, “anyways out with what you were going to say? The sooner you get it over with the sooner I can get making fun of you out of the way.”
“Yeah, that makes me really want to tell you,” she scoffed.
“Fine then, don’t,” he replied indigently.
It was quiet for a moment before she started up anyways, “I’m afraid.”
“Of what,” he snorted, “we’re dead. It’s not like it can get much worse.”
“Easy for you to say,” she pouted turning away from him. It was quiet for a long while, he was just about to apologize when she stood up, “you know what: I think I want to be alone, so if you’ll excuse me.”
And just like that she walked away. He watched her go, told himself it didn’t bother him, but it wasn’t long before he felt an uncomfortable feeling begin to creep into his spine. What if he never saw her again? She could carve out her own purgatory or the ancestors could always come for her. A large part of him said he didn’t care… but if she left it would be just him again. That idea was depressing to say the least.
He couldn’t keep himself from getting up and going to look for her, “trying to get rid of me already?”
“Kol!” she spun around startled, “how did you find me?”
“It wasn’t bloody easy,” he grumbled, “I’ll tell you that much.”
She was sitting next to her body in her bedroom. He tried to not let his eyes linger on any one thing too long: especially not her, “it wasn’t supposed to be easy.”
He sighed leaning against the wall, “you’ve got a lot of people who care about you Davina Claire.”
“Jealous,” she asks and he wonders where all the kindness she had shown him had gone.
“Very,” he admitted quietly, “very much so. Hell it seems that even your enemies mourn your loss.”
“I don’t want that,” she said bitterly.
“Why not?”
“People are hurting, Kol,” she practically yelled, “people I care about are hurt, and there’s nothing I can do to help them.”
“But that’s not your fault,” he said like it was obvious.
“Agree to disagree,” she sighed forcibly looking away from him, “if I had just gone through with things when I should have, I can’t help but think-”
“what happened to not being sorry,” he frowned, he preferred it when she was sharing his point of view.
“How can I be that selfish?”
“We already established that that wasn’t selfish and you didn’t do anything wrong,” he stated somewhat annoyed.
“Sorry if I don’t take you as on the subject,” she rolled her eyes, “it’s not like you’ve been sorry for anything in your life.”
“Nice, Davina. Real nice,” he scoffed, “take it out on the only guy around. Well you know what? You’re right I’m not sorry for a bloody thing. I like who I am. And maybe you don’t like yourself, but don’t put your issues on me.”
“Get, out,” she bit out between gritted teeth.
“Make me,” he pushed her back and for a moment he thought of all his past victims.
“Get out,” she shrieked striking him with a force that was so powerful that he didn’t know what had hit him.
After being evicted from her room he was pissed of course. So he went around trashing things for a while, watched people cry over Davina, tried to pretend like things were the same as they had been before… but they weren’t. He thought about killing her. He had no idea of how the logistics of that would work; then again he wasn’t sure he wanted to. The little witch could be rather entertaining when she wasn’t straight up being a brat.
“I’m sorry,” she came by later, found him at the bar.
He shrugged not really wanting to analyze everything, “dying sucks, I get it.”
“It’s not that I don’t like hanging out with you or anything,” she frowned, “I just didn’t think it’d be this way.”
“Thanks for the ringing endorsement,” he raised his glass in her direction.
“Stop it, okay? Just stop,” she frowned at him, “I keep waiting and waiting, and I know no one’s coming for me and that this is just how things are now, but maybe I’m not okay with that. I thought I was, but im not.”
“Do you think I am,” he asked seriously, “because I’m sorry darling but I don’t think anyone is. I mean my family wasn’t even all that sad that I died and I still expect them to bring me back sometimes, it’s just how it is.”
“How do you live with it?”
“We’re dead Davina, we don’t live with anything,” he snorted, “we just exist. We don’t have a choice.”
She was quiet for a long time before she spoke up again, “kiss me.”
“Excuse me,” he practically choked on his drink.
“I know we’re dead, but there’s so much I’ve never done so why not?”
He stared at her long and hard for a moment and thought about it, “if we were alive I’d kiss you in a heartbeat Davina Claire. But I have no idea how long it’s just going to be the two of us. I’d rather not make things awkward- don’t get like that, you know it’s true.”
She grabbed his drink and downed it, “eugh, that was disgusting.”
“I know,” he said pouring himself more, “feel the burn.”
“Masochist,” she teased, “how can you drink that?”
“Slowly,” he tease back, “don’t worry I’ll teach you sometime.”
“No thanks,” she laughed shaking her head and taking the seat next to his, “you couldn’t pay me to drink that crap.”
He was quiet for a moment before an idea occurred to him, “hey Darling, what do you say to robbing a bank.”
A wide smile pulled across her face, “lets.”
It was more fun than he had had in a long time, of that much he was sure of. Hell he couldn’t even eat people, or get arrested, or actually use the money and he’d still ten out of ten do it again.
Davina fell over next to him laughing, “was every day like that when you were alive?”
“Only when Nick wasn’t being a total kill joy,” he joked taking her in like a breath of fresh air, “you?”
“Of course,” she laughed, “I was robbing banks every other day I’ll have you know.”
“The notorious Davina Claire,” he laughed.
“Don’t forget he talented sidekick Kol Mikaelson,” she teased shooting at him with a fake finger gun.
“Why am I the sidekick,” he whined.
She gave him a face that said ‘seriously’, “do I even need to explain.”
Just then the air chilled, “what was that?”
Kol frowned, “I don’t know.”
And that was one thing neither of them wanted to hear, “do you think it could be the ancestors?”
The idea was literally the most abhorrent thing to him in the world, “don’t go with them.”
“Why wouldn’t I,” she frowned, “they’re supposed to bring me back.”
She began to get up when he snatched her wrist, “don’t, please don’t. You can’t trust them.”
“I’ll take you with me,” she said as if it could ever have been that easy.
His eyes were sad and she absolutely hated it, “we’ll go together.”
“I have no body,” he said quietly pointing out the flaw in her plan.
“I can’t just not go,” she objected.
He stood up so he could tower over her, “we don’t even know it’s them, yet alone what they want.”
“Kol,” and it was the look in her eyes that did it, “please.”
He sucked in a breath, “ah hell, what’s the worst that can happen: me finally getting rid of your annoying ass.”
She smiled and he knew he hadn’t fooled her in the slightest. And like that they were off drawn further and further into the city. Around every corner the ancestors seemed to lurk and he didn’t like it one bit. He wasn’t kidding when he said he didn’t trust them as far as he could throw them, “mom?”
Davina pulled up short, “what did you just say?”
“Nothing,” he frowned, “I just thought I saw someone I shouldn’t have. Let’s get you back to your body.”
And there she was, wrapped up in her body bag. Quickly she hugged him, “thank you.”
“What for,” he snorted, “I didn’t do anything.”
“Being there was enough,” she smiled and could swear it felt like dying all over again.
“Well I guess we both should be thankful I didn’t decide to eat you then.”
“I’m going to miss you,” she hesitated, “how much longer do you think it’ll be before they come for me.”
He stood there feeling useless, “sorry can’t say Darling.”
“Got any words of wisdom for me,” she tilted her head crawling onto the bed.
“You’re a phoenix Davina Claire, burn all your enemies to the ground,” he joked dread filling him as they waited.
It was quiet for a long moment as they waited, “do you think I’ll ever see you again?”
“Someday,” he shrugged, “not to soon though, don’t need to hear you whining about dying again.”
“Now Kol is that really anyway to be talking to your guest,” a voice he knew all too well spoke up chilling him to the bone.
“Ah mother, I thought that was you,” Kol greeted in his typical manner, “come to torture me?”
“Oh Kol,” his mother said with what he could only assume was false kindness, “and to think I was here to help.”
“Wait he didn’t mean it like that,” Davina spoke up for him, “I know he sound like a rude prick- well I mean he is a rude prick, but he’s not all that bad.”
“Thanks Darling,” Kol snorted, “you’re so very helpful.”
“What I’m trying to say,” Davina stopped when his mother waived her hand.
“I hear you loud and clear Davina Claire,” she smile warmly but it didn’t reach her eyes, “the ancestors will be here for you shortly. As for you Kol, you won’t be alone to much longer. I think it’s about time we all had our second chance, don’t you think?”
“I don’t understand,” he frowned.
“You don’t have to,” him mother said, “ah sadly I have to go now. The ancestors will be here soon and I they’re none too happy with me at the moment I think. See you soon Kol.”
And just as quickly as she had come she vanished. Davina stared at the space where she had been, “do you know what this mean?”
“No idea,” he frowned trying to ignore his growing apprehension. He could see Marcel enter the room and knew it was almost time, “I guess this is goodbye.”
“No Kol,” Davina shook her head, “see you soon. As in on the other side.”
“Never trust a witch Darling,” he frowned his eyes still trained on the spot.
“Well I’m a witch and you trust me right?”
“Not in the slightest,” he teased. He could hear the ancestors making their way up the stairs shaking the foundation to its core.
“Find me?”
“Only if you remember me,” he joked.
She nodded eagerly putting out her hand, “I will, pinkie swear.”
“Oh Davina Claire,” he said quietly as she moved back towards the bed, “how I wish I believed you.”
And like that the ancestors were upon them. He never thought that passing back over would look so painful. Then again it’s not like Davina was on the best of terms with them. He highly doubted that they even tried to make it bearable.
Davina woke with a start, panic ringing in her heart. Marcel was there to sooth her, but she couldn’t help but feel amiss, “you okay D?”
“I don’t know,” she frowned, “you know when you wake up and you can’t quite remember a dream, but it’s still kind of hanging there. Like you could figure it out if you try hard enough.”
Marcel pulled her closer to him, “whatever it was it’s over now. Your back, that’s what matters.”
“Yeah,” she said softly before a realization hit her, “Marcel I came back!”
“Yes,” he smiled, “yes you did.”
Kol followed her for a while, talking to her here or there. He knew it was a pointless endeavor, but he quickly remembered how much he hated being alone. He hated the way the other witches treated her, hated that she didn’t remember him, hated that he was stuck waiting for his mother. And then one day he wasn’t.
When they passed again, it was as two strangers in a small record shop. Their pull was almost magnetic, neither quite wanting to look away. Davina didn’t think much of it, of course, he was handsome but there were other things to life; Not that she wasn’t pleasantly surprised to see the dashing stranger again the next day. After all Davina was quite ready to start a new chapter in her life.
“I’m Kaleb”
“Davina”
“Cool name, terrible taste in music,” he joked and she laughed lightly, “You obviously need me.”
To be fair to Davina Kol’s memory had alluded him almost as well upon his return, but a glimmer remained and that was enough. Yes, quite rightly so, that was enough.