Begin Again || Closed

You be the moon, I'll be the earth
And when we burst
Star over, oh darling
Begin again

The youngest Original vampire could hear his mother's voice on repeat in his mind. No more mindless bloodshed. You will not harm a single human in Mystic Falls, she'd implored of him and his siblings. And, oh, was Kol livid. Here he was, in a room full of humans that were practically begging to be torn into, but he could do absolutely nothing to them. While Kol had liked to go against his mother's wishes quite frequently when he was younger and human, she had been serious enough to scare him into following at least that rule. Heavens forbid they dagger him again and he spend another near century locked up in a wooden box. Maybe he'd travel to the nearest town when he was done with his little game of darts at the Mystic Grill and satiate his appetite with something a bit warmer than a blood bag. Kol knew how to bend the rules well enough and no one would even know it was him.

Though, there was a certain sort of sadness that had swept over him when he woke up realized what town he was in. Mystic Falls meant nothing to him, really, even if it was where he was born and lived until being turned. If his memories served him correctly, it was the birthplace and hometown of a beautiful young vampire who'd been the one who held sway over his heart. Unfortunately, he'd not been able to say goodbye to her--his being daggered was surely a turning point in their relationship--and he wasn't sure if Klaus had killed the poor girl or if she'd managed to get away. He hadn't been able to bring himself to ask Klaus for fear of wanting to rip into his older brother or spend an eternity trying to hunt her down and find her once more. No one had ever meant that much to him in his long years and it felt like she was with him for such a short mouth of time.

With those unpleasant thoughts running through his mind, he lobbed the last dart and the board and it landed in the bull's eye with a loud thud before he grabbed his beverage of choice for the evening, gin, and swallowed the rest of it down without a wince. Leaning against the table beside him, he let his dark eyes wander the restaurant and bar, there were a few town regulars in the building and for a weeknight, it was pretty busy. With a sigh, he made his way over to the bar, the bartender immediately refilling his drink when he placed it on the bar with a resounding smack. Maybe tonight was a good night to allow himself to get a little inebriated.

"Thanks, mate," he told the bartender as he grabbed his drink. His accent was enough for the woman just beside him to shoot him an interested look. He merely gave her a terse nod and smile before making his way back over to the dart board. Playing the game by himself was at least keeping his mind off of tearing the throat out of someone.

---

Alysse cut the engine to her Bonneville and rolled it into a parking spot outside of a local restaurant the lady at the bed and breakfast she was staying at suggested. She was kicking herself for not picking a town to live in--for a while, at least--that had more people in it and more places to hide. Mystic Falls was small, and while Alysse really didn't care about being conspicuous, she didn't really feel like being staked or burnt to a crisp by the sun anytime soon. The place had an odd vibe to it, something deep and powerful, and she wasn't quiet sure she liked it. She pulled the helmet off and tucked in under her arm as she leaned the bike on it's kickstand, shaking her hair loose before grabbing the key from her bike and heading inside. It was beginning to sprinkle and she was hedging her bets that she'd come back to a soaked bike to ride back to the bed and breakfast on. That was just her luck.

As she stepped inside, she realized just how crowded the place was and raised a brow before stepping up to the hostess' stand. The peppy girl gave her a once over and her smile grew a little bit more strained and fake. It was a reaction the blonde was used to; what with her messy hair, black-rimmed eyes, and "resting-bitchy face". Alysse had always been told that she had a way of looking at people: like she was dead inside, but that she was looking directly into their souls. Most people found it uncomfortable, so she was now giving the hostess her best look. "Any tables available?" Alysse asked, her voice low and monotone as she stared directly at the hostess.

"Just you?" The hostess asked, with a certain amount of snark in her tone at the thought of the girl dining alone.

"Just me," she replied shortly, not bothering to hide her annoyance. The hostess grabbed a menu and motioned for the blonde to follow her. Alysse tucked her motorcycle helmet a bit more securely under her arm as the hostess led her to a two top off in a dark corner of the restaurant. The hostess placed the menu on the table and walked away without another word. Alysse stared after her for a few moments, upper lip curling into a slight snarl before she rested her helmet on the table and lowered herself down into a seat.

Brooklyn pushed her fingers through her hair as she let out a sigh into her phone. "Do you have any idea what you're asking me to do Stefan?" She said wishing her brother understood that the two last people on earth she wanted to see right now were Klaus and Damon, both of whom were in Mystic Falls right now, yet another reason she hated to be back here.

"I'm only asking because I think it's insane that you haven't spoken to our brother in almost seventy years. I mean yea there have been times when I didn't like him either but an eternity is a really long time to go without you siblings. Plus it's only for dinner, and you can finally meet Elena. Maybe you can even help us figure out a plan for this whole thing going on right now with Ester. Because Elena seems to think we may be able to trust her, and I'm not so sure I agree. So just meet us at the grill in an hour please."

Brooklyn rolled her eyes but kept her comments about everything to herself. "Fine, I'll see you in an hour," she said before hanging up. She honestly felt like it was a little insane that Stefan was pretty much forcing her to forgive Damon, and that he was introducing her to his girlfriend Elena. Whom she'd heard through the grapevine looked exactly like Katherine Pierce, yet another person Brooklyn would be happy to go the rest of eternity never seeing again. But she was doing it to make her brother happy. And because she had high hopes that in helping Stefan and being out and about maybe she could get some intel about Kol. So far all she knew was that his family was in town. She wasn't sure if he was with them, if he was un-daggered, or if maybe he'd went looking for her. But she wanted to figure it out. So she spent a little bit of time fixing up her hair and makeup before finally slipping on her shoes and heading out the door to meet up with her brothers, and Elena at the grill across town.

---

Damon rolled his eyes as he threw back his shot of bourbon while he listened to his little brother on the phone with their sister. He couldn't say he was shocked that Brooklyn had agreed to meet them since she'd always been wrapped around Stefan's finger. Damon knew their sister would do anything Stefan asked simply because he'd asked her to. And for a while, Damon had had sway in her life as well. But well things got complicated once a certain vampire entered the town and made a mess of their lives. He was sure it didn't help either that to prove a point to her he'd killed someone close to her, which was the reason she'd stopped talking to him. But in his defense, he had turned off his emotions and hadn't been thinking straight.

"Do you think she's up to something?" Damon asked wondering if Stefan had thought it was a little too easy to convince her to meet them.

"What on earth would she be up to Damon?"

Damon shrugged, "Oh I don't know, maybe she's going to try and pry all the information we have on the original family out of us. I mean you know she had that thing with one of them ages ago."

Stefan sighed and pushed his fingers through his hair. "We don't know anything other than they're in town. Do you even know which Original it was? Because I can't remember if she ever told me. And even if she did she clearly hasn't been around them in a while otherwise we would know surely. So no I don't think she's up to anything. And even if she is just be happy that she's decided to at least grace you with an appearance,"

"Whatever, I'll go get ready," Damon said not sure how this night was going to end up going. But he could see it going badly every easily. He hoped it didn't because he had enough drama going on in his life already without needing to add more into it.

Kol drew in a deep breath of air as he lifted another dart in one hand, his gin grasped in the other hand as he "took aim" at the dartboard and let it fly. It, unsurprisingly, hit the bull's eye without much effort on Kol's behalf. He grinned slightly to himself as he lifted his gin to his lips and took a sip of it. As he lowered the glass, he leaned against the table just beside him, pausing his game of darts to glance around the room once more. He drew a hand through his hair as he studied the inhabitants of the restaurant before his eyes darted over to the bar. Tonight was one of the few times he'd been to the Mystic Grill where he didn't see anyone he outright recognized. Not that he needed to know anyone for his safety. There weren't many in Mystic Falls who knew what could actually cause some damage to him.

Just as he was about to pick up another dart and resume his game, his phone buzzed in his jacket pocket. He took a sip of his drink before setting it aside and pulling his phone to see who was calling. It was Klaus, as was typical of his older brother. He was probably calling to make sure that he wasn't trying to find some way to off him. For as evil as Klaus was, Kol was the mastermind of scheming in his family. Kol didn't really blame him for trying to keep tabs on him.

"Evening, Niklaus," he answered as he brought the phone to his ear. There was a pause on the other end before his brother replied.

"Evening, Kol," came the voice on the other end of the phone. Kol had yet to truly grasp the concept of cellphones and how they worked. He just knew they were terribly useful and most humans seemed tethered to them. "What might you be doing tonight?" Kol picked up another dart as he thought of the wittiest answer to shoot back at Klaus.

"You know me. I'm surrounded by ten women who'll do just about anything I'd ask them to," he joked and he heard the deep rumble of a laugh from his brother. "You're not going to tattle on me to mother, are you?"

"Brother, mother said nothing about compulsion," Klaus said and Kol smirked to himself as he let another dart fly. "And she said nothing about simply making the townsfolk enjoy being fed from. Her words were rather vague and cryptic...with many, many loopholes." The realization suddenly dawned on Kol that the rule his mother had put on them could indeed be worked around and a roguish grin curled his features.

"Right you are, brother," he replied, grabbing his drink with his free hand. "I'm at the grill. Why don't you meet me here and we can see how far mother's rule can be bent?" The phone went dead without a formal closure from Klaus and Kol grinned to himself as he pocketed the phone. Tonight had suddenly got a lot more interesting.

---

Alysse pushed her hair out of her face, only managing to make it look even messier, but not really caring. She didn't think she'd be sticking around Mystic Falls for much longer anyways and she didn't really care how unkempt she looked to others. D.C. suited her needs a bit more and it would be easier to hide from daylight and make her way around. The owner of the bed and breakfast had already been giving her odd looks from her staying cooped up in her room all day and only coming out at night. No, Alysse would probably have to leave in a day or two. She wasn't one of the lucky few she'd come across with a daylight ring. The nature of which she'd been turned and learned everything about being a vampire wasn't exactly easy on her and it was a good reason for her being so bitter and sharp toward anyone. She did better on her own anyways and had never really liked the company of others, even when she was human.

Pushing her helmet to the other side of the table, she took the time to take the menu in hand and glance over her choices of food and drink. She honestly didn't see much that caught her eye, but knew that she had to keep up appearances lest she catch anyone else's attention for doing things a bit odd. She was, however, pretty hungry, but not for anything that was on the menu. Alysse leaned back into her chair, glad that she was sitting in a corner of the restaurant with her back facing a wall: it made her feel a little more at ease that no one could sneak up on her.

"Hi, I'm Jonas," someone said from beside her and she lowered her menu to the table as she lifted her smoky blue gaze to the high-school age teenager beside her. "I'll be your server this evening. What can I get you started with?" He asked, grinning over at her despite the fact she was nearly glowering over at him. She studied him for a few moments before replying. She figured she'd ask for something that would help with her cravings and warm her up a little bit.

"I'll take a coffee. Black. Two shots of Jameson in it, please," she told the waiter. He nodded a bit before clasping his hands behind his back.

"Can I see an ID?" He asked, and it was everything Alysse could do to stop from rolling her eyes. Instead, she locked eyes with his, nearly staring him down.

"You don't need an ID. I'm 22," she told him, using her compulsion on him.

"Of course, one Irish coffee, coming right up," he said, ever as chipper as he turned and left her table. Alysse let out an exasperated noise as she let her head fall back against the chair and her eyes slip shut in annoyance. Was everyone in this town so falsely happy with everything? The hostess or the waiter was going to be her meal ticket for the night; she just had to figure out which one she disliked more.

Oh, the things Brooklyn would do to get out of going to meet Stefan, Damon, and Elena, at the grill. She knew she couldn't however because they all already knew she was in town and well both Stefan and Damon could be rather persistent when it came to getting things that they wanted. And something she was positive she didn't want to deal with was her brother's and their annoying persistence. So Brooklyn had made sure she looked nice before heading out so she wasn't late. After all, knowing her brothers if she was late they'd freak out and do something stupid.

She hadn't expected the place to be quite as busy as it was, but thinking about it, it made sense given the town was pretty damn small and there clearly wasn't much else to do.

"You wouldn't happen to know if Stefan Salvatore was here yet would you?" Brooklyn asked the hostess when she'd walked in, mostly hoping that she wouldn't have to be the one to get them a table.

"Yea he's here with his girlfriend, right over there."

Brooklyn rolled her eyes, "I'm not here as his date, or some sleazy girl trying to break them up," she said before looking the girl dead in the eyes, "so why don't you lose the attitude and be just a little bit more pleasant," she said in even less of a mood to deal with whiny teenagers who felt like they had it so much harder than anyone else in the world. So, of course, she was going to go right ahead and compel the girl a new attitude. Maybe it would be helpful.

---

"We haven't even been here ten minutes and you're already compelling people. Whatever would our dear Stefan say?" Damon said walking in shortly after his sister and resting his arm on her shoulder before leading her over towards the table Stefan and Elena were seated at.

Honestly, Damon didn't care that Brooklyn was compelling people. He personally had done much worse, and at least she wasn't killing people he supposed. "Donavan!" Damon said with a smile once he'd seen his favorite quarterback to mess with was working that night. "How about a round of drinks for our table here."

Matt rolled his eyes and made his way over to the table, "I know you and Stefan are old enough to drink, I know Elena isn't, and I'm not sure about your other guest," He said knowing he'd never met this girl before.

"Trust me, she's old enough to drink. Donavan this mine and Stefan's sister, so she's old enough now will you please get us a round of drinks. And fast please before someone loses it," he said knowing fully well that they would need drinks if anyone was going to make it out of the grill sane that night.

Kol easily drained another gin or two as he played a few more solo games of darts, wondering exactly when his older brother would show up to the small town restaurant and bar. Not too long after he went for another glass of gin, barely feeling the affects of the amount of alcohol he imbibed of, he noticed Stefan and Elena taking a spot at a table meant for four. Nothing out of the ordinary there. Kol considered the idea of going over there and trying to ruin their evening, but thought against it. He was beginning to get hungry and getting caught up with those two may prolong the time it took for him to snag a bite for the evening.

He'd just thrown another dart when a voice he never thought he'd hear again cut through the din of the Mystic Grill. A voice that had him freezing altogether for a moment before his eyes searched wildly for the owner of the voice. When his dark brown eyes rested on the brunette beauty, who was currently glowering at the hostess, a smile curled his lips despite himself--she was lovelier than him memory served him. It'd been too long since he'd seen her. Of course, if he'd had his way, he'd never been daggered in the first place. The smile fell as his train of thought fell on the conclusion that Klaus was going to be in the restaurant shortly and he wasn't sure how the two felt about the other. If Klaus wanted Brooklyn dead, he'd inadvertently lead him right to her.

He quickly stepped away from the dart boards and over to the table as Damon led her to the two already seated. Kol dodged Matt as he walked by him, paying the human no mind, before stopping beside the table.

"Stefan. Damon." He stated, eyes darting between the brothers before landing on Brooklyn. "Brooklyn." When he spoke her name, it lacked the cool, brusqueness he'd used when speaking to the other two and a smile curled his lips once more. It fell as he noted Stefan opening his mouth to say something, Kol speaking quickly before he could get anything out. "Before you two decide you want to play the part of the protective brothers, don't," he told them, dividing a stare between the two of them before his gaze found Brooklyn's. "Klaus is on his way. I wanted to give you warning in case you didn't leave him on the best of terms," he told her, a sense of urgency underlying his tone. He wanted to say so much more, to hold her in his arms again, but with the passing of time he was unsure her feelings for him remained the same.

---

By the time Jonas had come back with her spiked coffee, Alysse had figured out there were at least two or three vampires in the restaurant. She was still quiet a newbie vampire, so her sense to those like her wasn't quite honed yet. The realization that she wasn't the only vampire in town, put her on edge a bit. She knew she had trust issues when she was human; a trait that had only been amplified when she transitioned. For the lack of trust she had in humans, she doubly distrusted other vampires.

The hostess, she decided--if anyone else didn't piss her off worse--was going to be her meal for the evening. Especially after hearing the way she spoke to a dark-haired woman as she asked if someone had already been seated. Alysse noted the woman, or vampire as she now realized, had compelled the hostess and a small smirk curled her lips. Serves the hostess right for her bad attitude. Her eyes followed her as a man came up beside her and lead her away, the two of them looking similar. She sipped her coffee as her eyes roamed the restaurant, her gaze resting on a couple of pool tables off to the side of the room. An old haunt of hers in her hometown had a few pool tables and she was rather good at the game.

After Jonas had taken her dinner order of steak fries and a grilled cheese, she stood up from her seat, leaving her helmet there as proof she wasn't leaving, and clasped her warm coffee mug in both hands. She had to put it to the bartender, it was the perfect ratio of coffee to whiskey and she'd definitely have to have another before the night was through. The young woman paused beside the occupied pool tables, leaning back against the wall as she studied the games with vague interest. Despite her inclination to shy away from having to deal with strangers more than she had to, she'd indulge in a game or two once a table became available and someone to play with presented themselves. It was the least she could do for herself if she was going to have to ride her motorcycle back to the bed and breakfast in the rain.

Brooklyn was just about ready to snap Damon's neck and just be done with him for a couple of hours, and she'd only been near him all of five minutes. Luckily though he had made a smart choice in making sure the bus boy got them all drinks because she could use one. Her mood was quickly changed however from annoyed by her brother to one she couldn't quite describe.

She was speechless for a moment as her eyes locked with Kol two separate times, and it was impossible for her not to smile just at seeing his face. It'd been decades since she'd seen him last and all those feelings for him were just as strong as always. "Kol" his name slipped off her lips softly. Brooklyn wasn't sure what he was feeling right now, she had no idea how long he'd been un-daggered, and honestly, she wasn't sure she knew how to react.

"I'm not going to lie to you and say that I was happy with him when I left. He had, after all, daggered both you and Rebekah. I'm also not going to say he was happy with me, which I don't understand why. I mean I was nothing but charming, but I doubt he wants to kill me." She said ignoring all the looks she was getting from Stefan, Damon, and Elena. "Can we talk outside? Alone." She asked biting her lip and sending both Stefan and Damon a look. There was no way in hell she was about to let either of them keep her from Kol, especially right now when it had been so long since she'd seen him last.

---

Damon raised a brow when Kol the one original family member he'd rather not deal with right now showed up to their table. And before he could even get a word into Kol, his sister, or Stefan for that matter they were having their own conversation. He finally let out a sigh realizing there wasn't a chance he was going to convince Brooklyn to ignore Kol so they could talk about whatever Stefan felt they needed to talk about. "I'm going to go shoot some pool," he said standing up and grabbing one of the drinks off the tray Matt was carrying over to their table while he made his way to the pool tables.

He walked up to one of the tables and just took a stick deciding to take over the table. "Dude, what the hell!"

Damon just rolled his eyes. "You weren't that good anyways, so you and your friend are going to leave and find somewhere else to hang out for the night," he said compelling them both to leave so he could take over the table and not have to wait. Because he really wasn't in the mood to wait. "You wanna play?" He asked looking over at the girl leaning against the wall. He figured right now talking to anyone who wasn't an original vampire would lighten his mood.

Kol watched Brooklyn closely, slightly in awe that she was standing right in front of him. When he knew he'd been daggered, she was the only thing that was on his mind as his body was forced to shutdown. He wondered what would become of his Brooklyn if he wasn't around to protect her, not that she needed much protecting to begin with, but he'd never felt such an urge to protect anyone in his long years. He knew that her relationship with Klaus wasn't the best of ones, but before he'd been daggered they got along...or at least tried to, for his sake.

He knew that the rest of the party she was with--Stefan, Damon, and Elena--were less than thrilled to see him, but he could have cared less about them at the moment. He didn't even want to make any sort of snide remarks or try to stir them up the moment he saw Brooklyn, and that was really saying something coming from Kol. "Well...I just figured I'd tell you. We both know how Klaus can be," he told her, eyes slipping over her features in the dim lighting the Mystic Grill provided. When she requested that they talked alone, it was then that he finally shot a look over to Elena, Stefan, and Damon. He offered them a smart, close-mouthed smile with a distinct twinkle in his eyes. "Of course," he replied to Brooklyn, turning his gaze back to hers. The mischievous grin he wore before fell into a more genuine one.

He wanted to offer his arm or hand to her, to escort her like he would have in the era they last saw each other, but again, he was held back by the fact that so much time has passed. Kol wasn't sure if she still felt the same for him as she had then. So, instead, he offered her a short nod and stepped around her and toward the entrance of the building. People easily parted for him, he supposed he did give off a rather foreboding presence--one a little more impish than Klaus or Elijah. Once he got outside, he realized it was sprinkling slightly, so he found a spot under an awning nearby for them to talk under.

---

Alysse sipped her coffee as she watched the pool games continue on. It was everything she had not to shoot remarks to them about their techniques or how they clearly weren't following the rules she'd grown up playing pool with. With a sigh, she settled back against the wall, occasionally watching out for Jonas with her food. This place desperately needs another pool table or two, she thought to herself as she waited for her turn at one of the tables.

Just as she was about done with her coffee and her patience had reached her limit, a dark-haired man, one she'd spotted with the one who'd put the hostess in her place earlier, commandeered one of the pool tables using compulsion. The young woman rolled her eyes at the sight of it, wondering exactly how many vampires there were in Mystic Falls. Maybe she'd skip town tomorrow with how many blood-sucking fiends she found herself surrounded with. It was a wonder there were still humans left in the city. When he turned his gaze to her and asked if she wanted to play, she merely regarded him with those dead-yet-cutting eyes for a moment, as if she were trying to figure him out before barely nodding in reply. "Sure," she murmured, setting her nearly empty coffee mug to the side and shrugging out of her army green, oversized jacket to expose the dusty rose, pink camisole type top she wore underneath.

She chose a stick from the assortment on the wall and pulled a coin from her pocket. "Heads, I break. Tails, you break," she told him bluntly as she flipped the coin in the air. She deftly caught it after it'd spun a few times and overturned it out onto the back of her other hand. A short hum left her as she saw it was tails and she held it up for the man to see. "You first," she said before racking the balls up and setting the cue on the table. "We going to play by the rules, unlike those two pansies you just scared off?" She asked in that monotone way she had of speaking. She also didn't want to let him know that she knew he'd used compulsion. The fewer individuals that knew she was a vampire, the better.

Brooklyn could hear Stefan quietly trying to explain to Elena what was going on, which caused her to roll her eyes. He was, of course, giving the half ass-ed version where Kol was so awful and brought out the worst in people so it made no sense for Brooklyn to love him the way she had. When in reality Brooklyn loved Kol for so many different reasons. Yes sometimes he could be an ass, but what person didn't have moments where they were a total ass because she couldn't think of one. Her feelings weren't going to change after all just because neither of them liked him, or could accept that she loved him. She did kind of hate that they wanted her to feel differently though, given they'd both had feelings for Katherine who Brooklyn never been able to stand.

She turned to face Kol spending a moment soaking up that he was actually there in front of her and not daggered in a box hidden from everyone aside from Klaus. And he was just as handsome as the last time she'd seen him. Honestly, it had been so long since she'd seen his face aside from pictures that he seemed more handsome than the last time she'd seen him if that was even possible. "You look good," she said finally breaking the silence and mentally smacking herself for sounding like an idiot.

Honestly, Brooklyn had lost count of the number of days it had been since she'd been with Kol, the years without him had all started to blur together, and it had felt like much longer than it really was, though it had been a long time. Her feelings hadn't changed, she still loved him with every fiber of her being. The fact that she still loved him, however, didn't change that time had passed. Brooklyn hadn't 'moved on' but she wouldn't lie and say she hadn't tried either. Just like she wouldn't lie and say that there hadn't been times when she'd just lost it and was a total wreck because there were. Yet now that he was standing in front of her it was like she'd lost the ability to speak or make sense of her feelings.

---

Damon grabbed a stick off the wall so he and this mystery girl, who didn't seem to happy to have to talk to anyone, could start a game. He wasn't exactly sure why someone who seemed to hate being out in public, maybe, so much was even out. But he decided not even question her because he didn't really care if he were honest, and he'd been told that it was rude to pry into people's business. Of course, it was his sister who found it rude to pry and that was usually just when he was trying to get something out of her.

"I guess I'm breaking then," Damon said sending the girl one of his signature smiles. "And yes we're going to follow the rules. I'm not even sure who let those two idiots anywhere near here but I'm not an idiot and know the proper way to play the game," he said as he stepped up to the table and set himself up for his first move. There were quite a few things that Damon prided himself on, and playing pool the way you were supposed to, of course, was one of those things. He had had plenty of time to practice perfecting his game after all. Though usually unless he was playing against another vampire, or someone he didn't exactly like, he did tend to take it a little easy on who he went up against. Otherwise, it wouldn't really be any fun and the game would likely be over in no time.

Kol glanced over to Brooklyn as she stood beside him, trying to study anything that he may have missed about her in the grill. She was still staggeringly beautiful and had a way of looking at him that made him weak in the knees. He'd never met anyone that could even hold a candle to her in so many different ways. He couldn't help but to grin as she spoke, looking away from her for a moment before meeting her gaze once more. "And you're more beautiful than ever, Brooklyn," he told her honestly. He drew in a deep breath of air, staring directly into her eyes as he fought against the inclination to cup her face in his hands and press his lips fully against hers. It really had been far too long since they had seen each other.

"How have you been since I've been tucked away in a box for the majority of the last century? Did I miss anything interesting?" He questioned her, dark brown eyes slipping between both of hers as his signature crooked grin pulled at his lips. Perhaps this would open up the discussion for him to determine if she'd found anyone to replace him, anyone else she would spend her days with. Certainly she hadn't spent her time with her brothers, at least not Damon. She'd mentioned quite a few times that he got on her last nerve and knowing Damon now, he really couldn't blame her.

---

Alysse took a step back from the table and finished off the last of her "Irish" coffee, licking her lips as she set the mug aside. Her eyes roamed the restaurant for Jonas so she could flag him down for another but couldn't spot him in the busy place. A short hum left her but she decided that she'd just wait until her food came to grab another. Her eyes flickered over to the man who'd asked her to join him in a game, passing her pool stick from hand-to-hand a few times before she stepped over to the table and leaned a hip against it.

A short laugh of disbelief left her as he spoke, the closest thing to a smile curling her lips for a moment as she shook her head. The expression was short-lived as her face smoothed out to neutral once more. "We'll have to see about that," she murmured, not really caring if he heard her or not. She wasn't playing pool to make small talk or to hook up with anyone. She was merely doing it to pass the time. All it took was for Alysse to catch a glimpse of his smile to know she'd met his kind before and knew exactly what kind of person he was. If he were human, he'd probably quickly take the place of the hostess as her choice of meal for the evening. With a sigh, she grabbed the pool chalk and began to chalk the end of her pool stick, keeping her eyes set on the man as she waited for him to make the first shot.

Brooklyn smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear knowing that if she were human right now she'd be blushing. There weren't many people on the earth who could make her feel alive and as if she were human again and Kol was one of them. The way he spoke to her, treated her, loved her, everything had never failed to make her feel alive. Not that she really missed being a fragile human very often. There had been times over the last half century when she'd wished she were human again because oh the things she would've done, but alas she wasn't. Now that she'd been reunited with Kol however hopefully those feelings would go away for good.

"Not good honestly," she told him glancing to the ground for a moment. "I've spent the last half a century missing you. And doing everything but turning my emotions off to try and move on in case I never saw you again. Of course, nothing worked. I tried to get Elijah to compel me into forgetting you but he wouldn't which I suppose was smart. I spent time wishing I could be human again and simply live out a hopefully normal human life and forget all about you. But not a damn thing I did worked. So you've basically missed me having a mental breakdown over the fact that I had no idea where you were, when or if I'd ever see you again. You also missed the 60's 70's and 80's which so far have been my favorite decades, and were also a little helpful in keeping me sane and from turning off my humanity." She told him straight not wanting to lie to him about how she'd felt over the last fifty years, which she knew wasn't his fault but nonetheless it's how she'd been feeling.

---

Damon raised a brow and watched the girl walk up to the pool table to play against him. He wasn't sure what her comment was about because he did know how to play the game properly unlike the idiots he'd sent away. Just because he was planning on going easy on someone didn't, after all, mean anything. Other than maybe he was a more decent person than even he liked to think. Whatever, the girl probably was just making assumptions about him, like everyone always did. And honestly, at this point, he didn't care. His mood couldn't possibly get any worse, and if it did then he'd just have to find someone extra tasty to take the edge off before he went home. The way he looked at it, either way, was a win.

Once she'd walked up to the table, and actually looked like she was joining him in his game he rubbed the chalk over the end of his stick, then leaned over the table and made his first shot. Which if he did say so himself had gone pretty well, and he hadn't put any effort into it at all really. Which kind of made him believe that maybe he was just naturally a good pool player. Because he didn't usually take it easy on anyone because he had no one to take it easy on anyways. He knew that he was taking it easy on her, and he would take it easy on someone else like Elena or Jeremy or someone else in this town he didn't hate. But he didn't play pool with them ever so he'd never really had to take it easy on anyone.

Kol kept his gaze on Brooklyn, a small grin playing around his lips. As the rain started to pick up, he gently placed his hands on the tops of her arms, guiding her further underneath the awning they were under so that she wouldn't get wet from the hard spray of the water on the pavement. He slowly pulled his hands away from her, wanting nothing more than to pull her closer, to cup her cheek in his hand and stare into those beautiful, deep blue eyes of hers forever. Still, he knew that this was a bit of a tumultuous time for her to come back. His mother was back in his and his siblings lives and he wasn't sure if he completely trusted her, it was just an inkling of a feeling that gave him reason to distrust her.

When Brooklyn spoke, his grin fell slowly. Damn Klaus for daggering him and shoving him into that blasted pine box. If he'd been there for her, if he'd been able to stay with her, she wouldn't have felt the need to turn it all off, to try and forget him. A small grin curled his lips at the mention of Elijah. "Well, if there's ever a moment I've been glad for Elijah's stubbornness, it would be now. Though, if he'd made you forget about me, it would have given me a chance to woo you all over again," he told her, eyes lighting up as he lifted a hand to cup her jaw, thumb trailing lightly over the apple of her cheek. "I'm sorry you had to go that long without me, Brooklyn. If I could have changed it, I would have." He offered her a rare smile, eyes slipping between hers. "I'm just glad I didn't have to search the world over to find you. I would have never thought I'd find you back here."

---

Alysse ran her tongue over her teeth as she tossed the pool chalk off to the side, pulling her messy blond hair over her shoulder. She could tell that she had offended the guy with her less-than interested attitude and her comment about waiting to see if she could play. Alysse knew that actions, most of the time, spoke louder than words did and she wouldn't doubt that this guy knew how to talk a bit talk. She was pretty decent at reading others, even when she was a human. Tapping her fingertips against the side of her pool stick, she raised a brow as the man started the game and a soft hum left her.

Her gaze swung over to a gentleman at the table over from them who was ogling her like he was the first woman he'd seen in months. She shot him a dark look, one that clearly said to back off, but he seemed to pay little to not attention to the warning glare. Another one of those irritated noises rattled in the back of her throat and her eyes slowly slipped shut as she shook her head. "Not interested, dude," she snapped at him, shooting him a tight smile that clearly said she was more than annoyed with the gentleman. When she heard him murmuring to his friend about how she "totally wants him", she ran her tongue over her bottom lip, silently debating on whether or not to drag him outside and make a meal out of him. Her eyes slipped back over to the man she was playing pool with and a heavy sigh left her. "You done with your turn?" She questioned, ignoring the man at the table next to them for a moment.

Brooklyn smiled and gently placed her own hand on top of Kols pulling it away from her face slowly so she could hold her hand up to his and lace their fingers together. "It's not your fault," she said softly looking up at his face and placing her own hand on his cheek before moving it behind his neck. "I love you Kol, more than I've ever loved anything," she added before she pulled his face closer to her own so she could press her lips against his in a much-needed kiss.

And to be honest kissing him again felt better than she'd expected it to. Probably because of the whole everything being heightened as a vampire, and it had been well overdue. Regardless, she didn't want it to end. Brooklyn had spent the last fifty years without the love of her life and dealing with her brothers constantly trying to bring her back into their lives, and every day the pain of missing Kol had gotten worse. But now it was finally going to get better because they were together again. And since it wasn't likely that she'd be leaving Mystic Falls anytime soon she figured she could at least give Stefan another chance at being in her life. Which would likely mean she'd have to deal with Damon as well.

---

Damon rolled his eyes as he took his turn at the pool table and had to deal with listening to the stupid guys at the table near them hitting on the girl he was playing pool with. It wasn't that he thought she was ugly and not worth being hit on because she was anything but ugly. It was more because they couldn't take a hint, which was not at all surprising. People nowadays didn't seem to be able to understand when a girl said they weren't interested. Of course, Damon knew he wasn't innocent at all but he did like to think that he understood the concept of a girl not being interested in him. Though usually, he didn't go looking for girls to hook up with, and when he did it was usually so he could feed on them so there was that.

"Yea your turn," Damon finally said take a step back from the pool table and letting her have her turn. And while he did that he make the stupid choice of looking around the grill again, only to find that Stefan and Elena were still at their table talking to Donavan about God knew what. And if he looked in the other direction he was sickened by seeing Kol and his sister outside under the awning kissing. He really had no clue what it was she saw in Kol the original, but it must've been something.

Kol couldn't help but smile warmly as Brooklyn placed her hand atop his, eyes lighting up as she placed her hand on his cheek and spoke to him. While he knew it wasn't exactly his fault he'd been daggered and kept in a coffin all these years, he still felt like he'd missed out on so much. He especially felt like he'd missed so much he could have experienced with Brooklyn. As she told him that she'd loved him more than anything, he completely forgot everything except for her.

When her lips pressed against his, he instinctively wrapped his free arm around her waist, pulling her body flush against his as he gave their joined hands a soft squeeze. He melded his mouth against hers, knowing this was all he'd wanted to do since he'd woken up in that coffin. The moment was cut short, however, when he heard footsteps come up behind him and he just knew who it was. He pulled away from Brooklyn and shot her a look before turning and blocking her slightly with his body, hand still clasped tightly around hers.

"Looks like you're already occupied, Kol. Shall we reschedule our brotherly bonding time for later then?" Klaus commented as he stood there, dividing his stare between Kol and Brooklyn as he wore a slightly crooked grin. "Good to see you're well, Brooklyn," he commented to the Salvatore sister, causing Kol to give her hand and anxious squeeze.

---

Alysse lifted a brow, trying her hardest to ignore the comments from the man at the pool table beside them. While she knew that she'd probably be cutting her time in Mystic Falls short, she didn't want to go off on the dude and make a mess of things either. She was looking forward to that grilled cheese and honestly didn't feel like making another city/state on her "do not visit" list. However, with her keen hearing, it made it hard for her not to want to go off on him.

When the other gentleman said it was her turn, she shot him a look before debating on how she would begin her game. Finding her move, she walked around the table and lined up the shot, eyes set on the cue ball and the ball she wanted to sink into a pocket. The moment she leaned over, the ignorant jerk at the table next to them made a rather disgusting comment about how she looked bent over and that was all it took. She slammed her pool stick forward into the cue ball with artful precision, sending it launching off of the table and flying through the air. It hit the guy's side with a loud thud and he immediately doubled over with a loud groan as he dropped his pool stick. It was everything Alysse could do not to grin at her work as she stepped over to the guy and picked the cue ball off the floor.

"Oops," she deadpanned before turning away from the two men, who it appeared wouldn't finish their game of pool. She grinned wickedly to herself for a moment before extending the cue ball to the dark-haired man she was playing with. "Guess I'm not as good at pool as I thought." Despite her icy exterior, she did look quite pleased with herself.

[ sorry for such a late reply! ]

Brooklyn would have been happy with her moment with Kol never ending, she would've been fine running off into the night with him and not looking back. But it did come to and end and they weren't running off anywhere together, at least not right now. She sent Kol the best smile she could when Klaus appeared ruining a perfectly good moment hoping that he wasn't going to cause any trouble.

Brooklyn had never wanted to be more snarky with someone than she did in that moment, she bit her tongue however because if there was one thing she knew it was not to piss Klaus off. He didn't take well to not getting his way, he always got his way, and he wouldn't even hesitate to hurt someone if someone stepped out of line. And while she was all for being strong and not letting anyone hold power over her, that didn't apply when it came to Klaus. She didn't like him, and he probably didn't like her, and given she just got Kol back she also didn't want to do anything to put that in jeopardy.

"I'm assuming you're here to whisk your brother away for some brotherly bonding?" She asked if you wanted to call Klaus and Kol drinking and most likely not from glasses brotherly bonding.

---

Damon wasn't entirely sure what was going on with this girl or in general right now but he wasn't sure he wanted to know either. "Well I guess our game's over," he said stepping away from the pool table. He sighed then glanced over to the table where his brother and Elena were still sitting and having a hushed conversation. Who knew what it was about or what his sister was up to outside with Kol her original boyfriend.

Honestly, Damon kind of wished that for just once he could have things go the way he'd like them to. And in this case, for that to happen then he'd be having a conversation with his sister and brother about their family. Elena could, of course, sit in given she was a part of their lives. But it would be good. There would also be a lack of originals around to ruin things.

[That’s okay! ]

Kol knew that this could easily turn bad if Klaus decided to be in one of his moods. If anything happened to Brooklyn because of him, that would just mean the Salvatore brothers would just end up more pissed off at him and that was something he didn’t want to happen in the least. Kol knew Brooklyn and knew that had this been any other vampire, she wouldn’t need his protecting, but being that this was Klaus, he couldn’t be too careful.

Klaus lifted a brow as he glanced between his brother and his long, lost love with a smile that told the two of them that he was eating this up. “If you would be so obliged to give me the time with my brother, Brooklyn,” he told her, calculating eyes locked on her before his gaze slipped over to his brother. “I’ve only just woke him up, you see, and he needs to get a taste of the world.”

Kol regarded Klaus with a cool look, jaw clenching for a moment before he replied. “It’s actually a bit too crowded in the Grill for my tastes tonight. I was just escorting Brooklyn back to the Salvatore Boarding house,” he told Klaus with a certain force in his tone that dared his brother to follow him. He wound his fingers in between hers and started away from the Grill briskly, leading her away from his brother quickly and starting toward the parking lot where his car was waiting for the two of them.

---

Alysse shot a look over at the man she had been playing pool with and scoffed as he set his pool stick down and stepped away from the table. She regarded him with a cool look before throwing her pool stick down besides his and stomping back over to her table. That was it. She was grabbing a meal, a real one, then getting out of town tonight. Hopefully she’d find a hotel to hide out in until night fell again.

She stepped over to the hostess and laid a hand on her shoulder, getting her attention and locking eyes with her. “You’re going to show me how to get around to the back of the restaurant and don’t ask any questions,” she said, pupils dilating and shrinking to regular size. The hostess nodded numbly and started walking through the tables, Alysse following closely behind her. She shot a look over to the vampire she’d attempted at playing pool with, flicking her hair over her shoulder before rounding a corner behind the hostess and entering a hallway that led to a door. Alysse was in such a foul mood that her gums were already itching to tear into the girl’s jugular.

Brooklyn would go to the ends of the earth with and for Kol, she had and would again easily end anyone pathetic human who tried to come between them. Brooklyn would cut ties with people if she needed to, and she wasn't scared to go up against other vampires either. However, Klaus Mikaelson was a totally different story. He was awful and that was being nice about it, and quite honestly Brooklyn was a little scared of him. He had after all daggered all of his siblings and only recently had they been un-daggered them. While most vampires enjoyed the hunt and the kill Klaus more or less just killed. She used to be able to handle him because when she'd first met the Original family everyone tended to keep one another in check, but then they were run out of town and before she knew what was happening Klaus was shoving a dagger in Kols chest and sticking him in a box for fifty plus years.

"Is it a good idea to just leave him like this?" Brooklyn asked Kol as they walked quickly towards what she assumed was his car so they could drive away. "Not because I like him, or because I think it would be a good idea to indulge in the pleasures he wants you to. But because we both know he has a temper. And the last time he was upset with you, he daggered you then put you in a box. I barely made it through losing you this time I don't want to do go down that road again," She told him silently wishing they could just drive off into the night and run away from everything.

---

Once Damon ended the game of pool he'd made his way back to his brother and Elena taking a seat and sighing. "So I think we may have a bigger problem than just the originals in town," he said not sure how long the girl he'd just been with had been a vampire or if she really planned on staying in town for long given this was the first he was seeing her. But he did feel like Stefan should know which also meant that Elena and everyone else would also know.

"You're talking about that girl you were playing pool with right?" Stefan asked to which Damon nodded his head.

"Yep. I'm not sure what you and your hero's hair want to do about it. But I thought you should know. I also just wanted to inform you that I'm going to head home, and I promise not to kill anyone on my way there. Unless they absolutely deserve it," Damon informed them before smiling their way then getting up to leave and head back to the boarding house. Maybe on his way home, he'd get a chance to run into the vampire girl and have a nice chat about who knew what. It would actually be nice to have a vampire besides his brother or Caroline to talk to. Which if he were being honest, neither of them really talked to him anyways, so it'd just be nice to talk to someone for a chance.

Kol knew that not giving Klaus what he wanted could be a dangerous mistake. It wasn’t like Klaus could kill him though, but…he could take his anger out on Brooklyn. Kol would make it his duty to be sure that she was never left alone for very long and only when Kol knew exactly what Klaus was doing. He glanced over to Brooklyn for a moment before he stopped beside the slick, black sports car that was waiting for him in the parking lot. What did Rebecca say the model was again? Kol couldn’t remember and he wasn’t exactly sure he should be driving just yet, since they were just on the cusp of being mass produced when he’d been daggered by Klaus. And in the drizzle they were having, no doubt it wouldn’t be safe. His dark eyes slipped over to Brooklyn as she spoke and his hand dove into his pocket for his keys.

“Do I look like I care about what he wants, Brooklyn?” He retorted testily, shaking his head as he met her eyes. Though, the more she spoke, the more he realized what she was saying. Normally, he could have cared less if Klaus was inconvenienced by a last-minute change of plans. Did Kol want to be daggered and put back into a coffin? No, but Klaus had continuously gone on about how he wanted to be a “family” again, so he didn’t think he would put him back there anytime soon. Though, when Brooklyn mentioned losing him again, his brow furrowed and guilt weighed in him heavily. So, for her sake, he pressed the keys to his car into her palm and met her gaze. “I’ll stay with him for an hour or two. Take my car back to your house, if you’d like. I’ll meet you there,” he said with that charming, crooked grin of his.

---

Alysse followed the hostess out the backdoor and into a secluded alleyway behind the restaurant and noted the lack of people around to see her do what she was about to do. When the hostess stopped walking, the blonde vampire pushed her back against a brick wall, eyes locking on the hostess’ once more. “Don’t scream. Don’t talk. Don’t move. And when I’m done, you’re going to go back to work like nothing happened,” she commanded sternly. In a flash, she could feel her fangs extend and the veins beneath her eyes pushing at the skin. Without a moment wasted, she sunk her teeth into the girl’s neck and gulped greedily at the blood.

When her hunger was finally satiated, she pulled away from the girl, swiping a hand over the back of her mouth to clean it of blood before speeding out of the alley with her vampire speed and stopping just out of site. Her eyes locked on her motorcycle and thought to her bag and helmet inside the restaurant. She really didn’t feel like going back inside and she had her keys in her jacket pocket. Alysse strolled over to the bike, eyes slipping over to the couple a few cars down from her that seemed to be in a rather intense conversation. She lifted a brow before straddling her bike and cranking the engine over. She’d never ridden without a helmet before and, now that she was a vampire, she didn’t really need one. Cranking the engine over, kicking up the kick stand, and backpedalling out of the parking spot, she slowly rolled out of the parking lot and stopped at the next stop light. She could feel the rain pelting at her skin and could see the next stretch of road was empty. A rare smile curled her lips at the sight; after the rush of a feed, this was going to be an entirely new rush for her.

Brooklyn closed her hand around the keys Kol had placed in her hand and did her best to smile at him. She honestly hated the idea of Kol being anywhere alone with Klaus, but she did prefer him not in a coffin and this was the best way to make sure that he stayed with her. It was probably safer for them both really if Kol just went along with his brother's plan, at least this once. Maybe together they'd be able to come up with something to get Klaus off their backs though and wouldn't have to worry about what he might do if they told him no.

"Be careful, and I'll see you soon," Brooklyn finally said using her free hand to cup his cheek and softly press her lips against his. She wasn't sure what was going to happen in the next couple of hours, but she was going to let herself have hope that it wasn't anything bad. And if by chance something bad did happen she was going to hope it was something they could come back from, so hopefully nothing too bad, and that was a big deal considering who Kol was about to go spend time with. "I love you," she said softly once she'd pulled away.

---

Damon had decided to walk home and try to clear his mind because this night had been a disaster. Which it was partly his fault because he was selfish and stuck in his ways. Maybe it was because he hated that his sister was a vampire, hell he hated that Stefan was a vampire, and he kind of hated that he was a vampire. There wasn't anything he could do about that now, and it wasn't Damon's fault that they were all in this mess, but they were. And he kind of felt like he'd failed them both. Then he'd felt even worse when Brooklyn had run off and ended up with the Originals because that couldn't possibly be safe.

Damon couldn't help but roll his eyes a little when he'd walked past his sister and her whatever he was. But he decided against saying anything because that would likely just cause some drama he didn't exactly want to add to his pile right now. He also couldn't help but think about that girl he'd played pool with as well. She was a vampire as well, but he didn't know how new she was, he didn't know her name, or how long she planned to stay in town, but he did kind of want to know.

Kol appeased Klaus and spent at least two hours doing some "brotherly bonding", which was really them just at the Grill chatting over drinks and compelling two blondes to be their meal for the evening. He tried his hardest not to be distracted, but all his mind kept resting on was the fact that Brooklyn was so near to him, but here he was stuck with his psychotic older brother. Granted, it was nice to actually be getting along with Klaus--far better than being on his bad side.

Excusing himself from the festivities after feeding, he made his way from the Grill, then when he was sure he was out of sight from any humans who could see, he sped off toward the Salvatore Boarding House and to Brooklyn. He found himself at the front door in no time as was about to just let himself in, but he thought against it. He knew her brothers were against the two of them being a couple and acting like he owned the place was a good way to step even further onto their bad side. Kol couldn't believe it, but he actually found himself thinking that he may need to attempt at trying to be considerate toward the Salvatore's. So, drawing in a deep breath of air, he ran the doorbell and stood on the other side with his hands in his pockets. He was positive that Stefan or Damon would be the one to answer the door, but he was sure that Brooklyn wouldn't be too far behind. He loved it when he could watch her put her brothers in their place; there was something about her attitude that was extremely attractive.

---

Alysse idled at the light for a while, eyes slipping over to the Mystic Grill a few times, wondering if poor Jonas had gotten back to her table to realize that she had up and left. The thought of the overly happy kid finding something to be miffed about brought the ghost of a grin to her lips. The last time she glanced over to the Grill, she spotted the dark-haired vampire she'd attempted at playing pool with walking from the building. A heavy sigh left her as she watched him for a moment or two; something seemed to be troubling him, maybe he'd wanted to play pool as a distraction from something else. Maybe he, at least, deserved an apology for her behavior.

So, despite a small part of her telling her to just get out of town, when the light turned green, she hung a U-turn and rode back toward the grill, stopping her bike beside the man and bracing her legs on either side of the motorcycle to keep it upright. "Sorry for being a bitch in there," she told him, raising her voice slightly over the low rumbling of the idling engine of her bike. "It wasn't directed at you...and I get kinda pissy if I haven't had food," she continued, watching him closely with those cutting eyes of hers. She drew in a deep breath of air, lifting her hands from the clutch to push her hair back from her face. The more she stared at him, the more she picked up about him. He was an older vampire--she could tell by his eyes--but she wasn't exactly how old. She also could tell that he could probably give dirty looks that rivaled her own. Up close, however, he looked even more troubled than his posture was giving away. "I know I'm a stranger but...you look like you've got a lot on your mind," she told him honestly, in that dead-panned way of hers.