Give Me Love.

Alice had always loved New Orleans. She spent time away and return every so often, but she never had a need to just stay there. The only person she had there anymore was her friend, Marcel. Her family had long since died. Toying with her daylight ring, she walked towards the compound, seeing it up ahead. She’d tried to call Marcel several times over the past couple of months, but he hadn’t been answering, which left her concerned - it was why she was back now. Worried she’d lost the last person she had, she wanted to check. Finally getting to the compound, she stared at the entrance for a few long moments, steeling herself as she chewed on her lip. What if her concerns were proven right? She’d be all alone. She didn’t want that. Worried that it wasn’t something she could really avoid, though, she breathed out and walked into the compound. “Marcel?” she called out.

---

Kol watched Davina while she practiced magic, scanning over her as she chanted the spell over and over again. While he watched, though, he couldn’t help but to think about Ashlyn. It’d been too long since he last thought of her and he felt mildly guilty about that - and he even felt mildly guilty for thinking about a girl he’d loved a thousand years ago when he was with his current girlfriend. Regardless, he offered a smile when he realized Davina was watching him. “I think I’ll go for a walk and leave you to this, love,” he chimed before he moved to stand up and winked teasingly, “I wouldn’t want to distract you.” He smiled at her laugh but, once she returned her attention to her spell, he turned and made his way out, walking out of the building in hopes of distracting himself and getting his mind off of Ashlyn. She was long since dead; it wasn’t fair on Davina for him to be thinking about her now.

@ momentai.
Ashlyn played with her necklace as she walked down the streets of New Orleans, her new home. Ashlyn she walked, she thought about Kol, causing her eyes to drift down to the necklace she was currently playing with. It was an arrowhead from her childhood home. Kol had made it for her long ago when they were but teenagers. It felt like just yesterday, but it was a whole thousand years ago. Ashlyn missed him every single day and always thought about him. She had felt it when he had died, physically felt it. She wasn't apart of his sire line, but she still could feel her heart breaking because she lost the only man she had ever loved. Eventually she was able to just wake up and realize that she hadn't seen Kol in almost a thousand years and that him being dead really showed the end of their relationship. As she thought about Kol, she got into her own mind, not realizing she where she was walking and ran straight into someone, "Oh gosh, I'm sorry." She stated as she looked up to make eye contact with who she bumped into. Everything inside of her stopped and she froze, "Kol?"

---

Klaus was in the middle of painting when he heard someone enter the compound. His eyebrows furrowed when he heard someone yell out for Marcel. The voice was familiar to him, but he couldn't place it. He walked out of his room and looked over the balcony, shocked to see who stood there in the middle of the compound, "Alice?" He questioned. He started to walk down the stairs with a confused look on his face. Surely it couldn't be her. She had died a long time ago. She had to have, "How are you here?" Why was she here was a more concerning question. She came here to see Marcel, which means that she knew he was alive as well and a vampire. He was still shocked to see her. He knew deep down how she was there, but he didn't want to admit it to himself.

(Klaus's was really bad I'm sorry.)

(I hope this is okay!)

Alice blinked, looking towards the voice, though her brows furrowed at the sight of the man. He was attractive, to say the least, and his voice was almost addicting, but… “I-I’m sorry, do I know you?” she asked with confusion as she watched him. She couldn’t recall ever meeting or seeing this man; she couldn’t even place the voice. There was no way she’d just forget somebody like him, after all. “Sorry, um, actually, do you know Marcel? Or where he is? He’s been dodging my calls for a while and that’s not like him, so… I’m starting to worry. He’s family.” Or the closest thing she had to family, anyways. Any real family members she’d had were long since dead. Marcel was all she really had left, so the fact that he wasn’t talking to her made her worry that something might have happened to him.

---

Kol had been mildly surprised when he felt somebody bump into him. To be fair, he hadn’t really been paying attention to where he was going, too caught up in his own thoughts. When he heard the voice, though, he felt his heart stop, recognizing it immediately, because he’d dreamt about it more times than he could count. His eyes widening, he peered down at Ashlyn, taking her in with shock. “Ashlyn?” he asked quietly, eying her with surprise, taking her in, trying to figure out how this was possible. She was meant to be dead for a thousand years - how was she here now? “How - This isn’t really possible.” Was he seeing things? Lost in another dream? But, she looked and sounded so much more real than she had in his dreams and his expression softened with realization. “How, Ashlyn? Who turned you?”

@ momentai.
Ashlyn couldn't stop the smile from coming to her face as she looked at him. When he asked who turned her, she shrugged, "You wouldn't know him. Met him a few years after you all left. His name is Lucien. I'm pretty sure he's part of Klaus's sire line." She replied. She couldn't keep the smile off her face, but then something dawned on her, and she got a look of confusion on her face, "Kol....you were dead. I heard about your death, I felt you die." She stated. She couldn't believe that he was here now. She couldn't believe that they were back face to face after a thousand years. The world was so small to her after a thousand years, but she still had never managed to run into Kol. Every time she went to a new place, she always hoped that would finally be the place where she ran into Kol after all these years, but it never happened, until now.

---

Klaus was taken back by her question. She didn't know him. After all this time there was a possibility she could have forgotten him, but he highly doubted it. They had a special connection. There was no way she could have forgotten him. When she asked about Marcel, he regained his composure, "Um, he doesn't live here anymore." He stuck his hand out for her, "I'm Klaus." He introduced, feeling weird for having to do so. Klaus had missed Alice so much over these years, but she didn't remember him, "He lives outside of the city now." He added. It felt weird for him for her to be just looking for Marcel and for her to just look at him like he was just some stranger.

Alice watched him for a few long moments before she nodded and placed her hand in his to shake it. She felt something when her hand touched his, but she ignored it in favor of concentrating on the conversation - besides, whatever that feeling was, it didn’t make sense, anyways. “Odd. I can’t imagine Marcel ever leaving this place,” she mentioned lightly, because she knew what the compound meant to Marcel, how he’d rebuilt the city after the fire. “But, then, he’s okay? Alive?” That still didn’t explain why he wasn’t answering her calls or talking to her. It didn’t make sense and it left a worried tension in her. It wasn’t like Marcel. “Um, anyways, I’m Alice, but… You seem to already know that.” Which didn’t make sense. What was going on? “Is there any way you can give me an exact address so I can… I don’t know, go give him hell for worrying me?”

---

Kol felt a slight concern build up in him at the mention of Lucien. He remembered Lucien well - if it was the same Lucien that he’d known in the past. He nodded, though, to her later words and offered a small smile. “Ah… It’s a love story, love,” he told her honestly as he rubbed at the back of her neck. “My mother, she brought Finn and me back as witches… I died as a witch here in New Orleans and my family and a witch named Davina consecrated me. Then, Davina brought me back again, and here I am.” He motioned to himself, hoping the explanation was easy enough to follow, but he worried that she’d pick up on his mention of Davina, that she’d figure something out. He shouldn’t worry about it, he knew. He was with Davina and he shouldn’t hide that, but… Well, this was Ashlyn. Watching her, he took her in for a moment. “So, uh… What brings you to New Orleans?"

@ momentai.
Ashlyn raised an eyebrow as Kol explained everything that happened. What stuck out to her was that he was brought back as a witch. All Kol had ever wanted was to be a witch and he finally got it, but then he died again. He died as a witch...but was back in his vampire body. She couldn't imagine what he had gone through. When he spoke about Davina, Ashlyn faltered for a second. What reason did Davina have to want to bring Kol back? "Don't take this the wrong way, but why did she bring you back?" It wasn't registering to Ashlyn about why Davina would bring him back. To Ashlyn, she was the only woman to ever be in Kol's life because she hadn't seen him in so long. When he asked her what she was doing in New Orleans, she shrugged, "I wanted a new place to call home and I just felt drawn to this place." She explained.

---

Klaus felt a smirk come to his face at her words but shook his head, "I can assure you, he was reluctant." He replied before nodding, "He is indeed alive and well." Klaus stated. He quickly nodded and grabbed a piece of paper before writing down Marcel's address and handing it to you, "I don't know if he will be there when you get there, but this is his address." Klaus said. He felt weird not being able to normally talk to Alice like he once had been able to. This was different and he didn't like it at all. Alice used to be his closest friend and a woman he cared for deeply, he still did, but her not knowing him was painful, "If he isn't there, he might be somewhere around the Quarter, but he should be at his home."

Alice dropped her gaze to the paper and she nodded slightly as her eyes scanned over the address for a few long moments. She recognized the address, at least, but why would Marcel go there, of all places? She was having trouble wrapping her head around what exactly was going on, but she offered a small smile to Klaus and nodded again. “Thanks for this, really,” she told him after a moment. Dropping her gaze back to the address, she chewed on her lip for a moment before she turned her attention fully to Klaus and offered a small grin. “I think I’ll head there now, but, uh… It was nice meeting you, Klaus. Maybe I’ll see you around.” Turning, she headed towards the exit to leave.

---

Kol should have known that she would pick up on it. She’d always been smart. And, a part of him was sure she knew why Davina had brought him back, but she probably didn’t want to admit it to herself. And, could Kol really blame her? He didn’t even really want to tell her or explain it, but he knew he had to. “We, uh… Have a bit of a thing,” he told her, making certain to use the present-tense, because it was true, even if he felt guilty mentioning it now. Their past together had been so long ago, though, so certainly she’d met others herself. “I suppose New Orleans has that sort of effect.” At least it usually provided reasons to stay, even when Kol usually wanted to get far away.

@ momentai.
Ashlyn couldn't help the pang of jealousy that surged through her veins when he mentioned that he and the witch had a "thing." If she hadn't mastered her self control ages ago, she would have gotten angry, but she controlled herself enough to laugh lightly at his next words, "I guess it does." She replied. Ashlyn knew that she had no reason to be upset or jealous, she had been alive for a very long time and had other guys in her life besides Kol. Though, nobody ever had the same affect on her that Kol did. He was her one true love, and she would always know that, even if he was with someone else. She bit her lip lightly before she nodded, "Well I should be off. I'm looking for a place to stay. There is a place in the Quarter that has the perfect overlook of the street. I'm thinking about getting a room there. There is a beautiful compound across the street from it, I would love to meet the owners and look around the place." She rambled before she laughed and shook her head, "Sorry. I ramble when I get excited about things. You know that better than anybody."

---

Klaus looked up at Alice briefly with a small smile on his face, "It's no problem, love." He replied. When she spoke again, he nodded and smiled at her, "It was nice meeting you as well, Alice." He said and laughed lightly, "New Orleans may be big, but I have a feeling we will be seeing each other around." He stated, "Oh and tell Marcel I said hello if you would please. He and I have to catch up." Klaus requested. We have a lot to catch up on. Starting with Alice. Klaus thought to himself before he gave a small wave to Alice, watching her walk away before he walked back up to his room, going to the balcony and watching as she walked down the street of the French Quarter. Klaus couldn't believe that she was alive, but what shocked him the most was that she didn't remember him. He wanted to get to the bottom of it, fast.

Alice smiled slightly upon hearing his words and she nodded before she left. As she walked, she couldn’t help but to wonder more about the man. How long had he known Marcel? Why hadn’t Marcel ever mentioned giving up the compound in their many conversations since she left? Why hadn’t Marcel mentioned that man during those conversations, either? Her brows furrowed slightly with confusion as she thought more into these thoughts and questions. Of course, maybe Marcel just hadn’t thought to bring it up, hadn’t thought the answers were really worth talking about or that they just simply weren’t important at all. That didn’t serve to make Alice any less curious about it, though, and her gaze dropped to the paper to read the address and she focused on getting there.

---

Kol blinked, taking in the information she was spouting out and processing it. For a moment, an amused expression formed on his features and he debated on telling her that the compound belonged to his family, but he eventually refrained from doing so. It would be far more amusing if she showed up with the hopes of seeing the compound, only to find that the very residents of the compound were people she knew very well. “I see,” he decided with a small nod, “I wish you luck on getting that room, in that case.” And, while she rambled, he listened, because he’d missed the sound of her voice and it had never been a problem for him to listen to her in the past, so it definitely wouldn’t be a problem now. “I certainly do know and remember that, love,” he admitted with a small grin despite himself.

@ momentai.
Ashlyn grinned at his words and couldn't stop the flutter in her stomach when he called her love. Suddenly it was like when they were teenagers again and she would get flustered around him for the tiniest reason. She had loved him since she was a child, but it never really came about until they were teens, "Well I will let you get back to your day. It was really nice to see you again, Kol. I'm glad that you're back in the land of the...somewhat living." She teased before she reached in her back pocket and pulled out her phone, handing it over to Kol, "I assume you have one of those as well. You're only older than me by a couple months, and I mean if we are getting technical, I was turned after you when I had time to age, so I'm technically older. So if I have one then you definitely have one." She teased.

---

Klaus watched her until she disappeared from his eye sight and then some. He finally turned around and headed into Hope's room. She was still asleep, which was good, and he quickly headed out. He walked into his study and pulled out a blank canvas along with his paints. He had so many mixed feelings about what was going on, and he needed to get them out in some form or another. That another usually ended up being his paintings. He usually only painted nowadays when he was scheming. This time, though, he just didn't want to have to kill somebody in order to shove aside the feelings he was experiencing. He figured that was best for everybody.

When Alice found Marcel, they’d greeted each other with tight hugs, though when Marcel asked how she had found him and she told him that a man named Klaus told her where to go, Marcel could feel a panic ball up in his stomach. He’d kept Alice a secret from Klaus for her own good - anybody who got involved with the Mikaelsons usually ended up destroyed. And, with Alice’s memories gone, there was no reason for her to get involved with them again. He showed her to a room she could stay in before excusing himself after Alice told him what Klaus said, and he went to the compound in hopes of at least trying to explain things before Klaus went back to ripping the town apart.

---

Kol looked mildly amused with the mention of it, watching her as she rambled a bit again before he nodded slightly. Pulling out his own phone, he offered it out to her for her to put her number in while he focused on putting his number into Ashlyn’s phone. “To be quite honest, love, a phone was one of the first things I got when I got undaggered back in Mystic Falls,” he said honestly. Of course, he’d had to get more phones since then, but the point still stood: technology, with how advanced it had become over the centuries, was still an amazing thing. And, it continued to advance as well, which left Kol astounded usually. “Here you go, love,” he told her as he held her phone back out to her.

@ momentai.
Ashlyn laughed at his comment as she typed in her number in his phone. She handed it back at the same time he handed her's back as well, "I'll trade ya." She teased before she tapped her phone lightly in her hands, "I'll let you get back to your day then. I'll see you around, Kol." She said with a smile before she started to walk away toward the buildings where she would be looking for a place to stay. She was more than ready to compel herself a place to stay, but she wanted to check out the best rooms first before making herself at home. Ashlyn had been traveling for many years and had a way with always needing the best rooms with the best view. She could care less about the quality of the room itself, as long as she had a great view that was all that mattered.

---

Klaus had just finished his painting when he heard Marcel walk into the compound. He set down his brush and stalked out of the room, meeting Marcel at the bottom of the staircase, "This is one of the only instances where I'm allowing you to be in the Quarter, Marcel, so you better talk quickly and explain to me how Alice is alive and why she is here looking for you. Oh and why you're at it, you can explain to me why she looked at me as nothing more than a mere stranger. As if she had never met me before in her entire life." Klaus could feel himself getting angry. He took a couple breaths as he listened to Marcel explain to him everything that had been going on with Alice since Klaus had last seen her.

Marcel sighed out when he heard Klaus’s words and he watched him for a few long moments before he dropped his gaze, weighing his options, and nodded. “Mikael didn’t kill her like he said he had. When I found her after you and your siblings fled New Orleans, I turned her,” he answered before he looked back to Klaus, watching him. “It didn’t go well. She was so devastated after being turned, from you leaving and her turning, that she nearly lost her humanity. I went to the witches for help and they locked away her memories of you. So, basically, you are a mere stranger to her.”

---

Kol smiled slightly as he watched her leave, staring after her for a while before he turned to find Davina. She was still practicing, which he supposed was likely expected. Seeing her, though, he didn’t feel the same sense of relief he usually felt. Instead, he felt almost a sense of dread but he pushed it aside. For a while, he spent time with her, watching her practice but avoiding getting in her way or disturbing or distracting her. Eventually, though, he mentioned that he had to get home and left. There wasn’t really any reason for him to leave or for him to go home, but the idea seemed better than being there.

@ momentai.
Ashlyn grinned as she unpacked her things into her new apartment. She had the perfect view of the below her out her balcony. She also had a view of the beautiful room in the compound across the street. Once finally unpacked, Ashlyn took it upon herself to relax, at least for a little, and stand out on her balcony, watching the people below her. Ashlyn loved to people watch. She loved to try and pick out emotions that people were feeling. In this town, she assumed she was going to pick out the happy emotion a lot. There was movement in the room across the street, causing Ashlyn to look over. She couldn't help but not be surprised at the person on the other side of the street. It was Kol, "Of course my new room would have the perfect shot into his." She mumbled to herself as she watched him.

---

Klaus was furious that Marcel had turned her. How could he subject her to this life? She was far to pure to be involved in this life, "She was close to losing her humanity?" He asked curiously. Klaus grew upset over this thought. He never wanted Alice to experience something like that over him. He was so broken when Mikael told him that she was dead, that he had killed her. Klaus went on a rampage once they had finally stopped running. He was destroyed, broken even. The thought of losing Alice was enough to break him. But now the reality of the fact that she was alive, but she had no idea who he was, well that was enough to break him all over again.

Marcel nodded as he watched Klaus for a few moments. “Yeah,” he confirmed as he shifted a bit. “Look, I didn’t want to do it, but it was the only way. And, she’s still the same Alice, just… Vampiric now. The witches might be able to give back her memories, but I’m not entirely sure if that’d be a good thing or not.” After all, if Alice got her memories back, she might feel betrayed by Klaus for leaving them once she saw him, or she could be upset with Marcel for taking those memories away in the first place and that certainly wasn’t something that Marcel wanted. Or, worse, things could go back to how they had been, with Klaus and Alice being inseparable, and it could very likely get her killed. He watched Klaus for a moment, frowning. “Are you satisfied with the information now?”

---

When Kol got back to the compound, he went straight to his room. He could hear Nik and Marcel talking, but he chose to ignore them; their conversation wasn’t important to him, unlike the events of the day. Sighing out as he got to his room, he closed the door, his expression falling into a frown. With how the day had gone, he wasn’t sure what to think or how to process it all. It was hard enough to believe that Ashlyn was alive, but it was even harder to try to focus on Davina now that he knew that Ashlyn was in New Orleans. He and Ashlyn had always had a very close connection, after all; she’d always meant the world to him, but he’d been so sure all this time that she had been long dead. And, now to find out she wasn’t? He was still reeling.

@ momentai.
Ashlyn couldn't help but laugh lightly at the sight before her. Ashlyn knew that look better than anyone; he was deep in his own thoughts. Ashlyn leaned against the railing of her balcony with a smile, "Penny for your thoughts?" She asked with a raise of her eyebrow. She was more than willing to sit and listen to him talk, even if it was for hours. Hell, he could even talk to her about Davina and she could hold her jealousy at bay. Ashlyn just wanted to listen to him talk, to have a conversation with him. It had been a thousand years since they had last spoken, so she would talk with him about anything at that point. Ashlyn had always loved hearing Kol talk.

---

Klaus ran a hand through his hair and started pacing. Marcel was right, as much as Klaus didn't want to admit it to himself. If Alice got her memories back, that could be one of the worst things to happen to her, and it would be all his fault. Klaus didn't want that for her. When Marcel questioned him, Klaus sighed and nodded, "I guess if that's what you want to call satisfaction then yes, but I'm not happy about it." He grumbled before he stopped and faced Marcel, "Thank you for telling me, Marcel."

(These are short I'm sorry. I just haven't posted in two days and wanted to get something out)

(Don’t worry about it! Sorry it took a bit. I was sick yesterday and, the day before, my family had a bonfire and I was exhausted afterwards.)

Marcel watched him for a moment before he nodded slightly. “You can hate the choice I made as much as you want, but I did what I had to in order to protect her,” he pointed out as he stared at Klaus for a moment before he moved closer to him, frowning slightly. “And I’ve been protecting her ever since. So, try not to drag her into your family drama. We all know that anybody who gets dragged into it gets ruined or killed.” He was the prime example of it, since Klaus had basically raised him and Marcel was now just as awful as the Mikaelsons were. If Alice still had those memories, she’d be in the same situation he was in, he was sure of it. Turning, he walked away.

---

Kol paused when he heard Ashlyn’s voice and he peered over towards his window with mild shock. His brows furrowing, he stood up and headed to the window, staring out at her. “Well, would you look at that. You really did end up across the street,” he mentioned half-jokingly as he watched her before he shook his head slightly. “Oh, it’s nothing, really, love. Just still processing the fact that you’re alive and here.” What were the odds, after all? After all this time, they’d ended up running into each other again, when he’d thought she’d been dead for a very long time. It still shook him to his core, left him struggling to really believe it.

@ momentai.
Ashlyn laughed lightly at his words before nodding, "Well it would have been nice to know that you would be the neighbor whose room I would be looking into whenever on my balcony." She teased. When he spoke again, she froze slightly, "Yes well it's a bit of a shock for me that you're alive as well. I'm gonna have to find that Davina of yours and personally thank her for bringing my best friend back from the dead." She said with a bittersweet tone to her voice, "I just I would have known before now. Though, I guess you could say the same about me being alive." She added. Of course she hadn't seen Kol in a thousand years, but it destroyed her when he was killed the first time. She physically felt it. She had heard about when Finn died how his entire sireline died with him. When her vampire friends started dying around her one day, she knew another one of the Originals had died, but she knew it was Kol. She felt it in her heart. It felt like it had shattered into a million pieces. She even contemplated turning off her humanity for a while, but then she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror of her last home and saw the necklace Kol had made for her, and she knew that he would always be with her no matter what, and she couldn't bring herself to turn it off.

---

Klaus couldn't bring himself to speak as Marcel brought to light everything Klaus knew was the truth about people who sided with his family. Before Marcel had fully walked away, "Thank you, Marcelous. She doesn't need to have those memories. Thank you for protecting her." He said before he turned himself and walked back up to his room to think over things. It had been so long since he had last seen Alice, yet he still felt the exact same toward her that he did when he last saw her. He didn't think those feelings would ever change. He was happy that she was living a good life, he just hated that it had to come at the expense of losing her memories of all of times they spent together. All of the wonderful moments they had, but he knew that it was for the better.

Marcel paused in his steps to listen to Klaus before he eventually nodded. He didn’t say anything else to Klaus, because he didn’t feel the need to. Alice was family, one way or another, either by connection to the Mikaelsons or because she was all he’d had as a constant since the Mikaelsons had left. They were all each other had had and he wasn’t going to let that be taken away from either of them. Returning to walking, he headed home, figuring that he’d have to pretend to be normal, though he figured he could explain to Alice in simple terms why he was there instead of the compound, and why Klaus was there now. He’d have to leave out the past, tell her as little as possible about the first time the Mikaelsons had been in New Orleans to avoid raising questions, but he’d have to tell her what he could and try to keep her away from them.

---

Kol nodded with the mention of it as he watched her, taking her in, committing her to memory because it’d been far too long since he’d last seen her and he never imagined her in present-day clothing, or her hair styled differently compared to before. “I like to have my secrets, too,” he chimed with a small smirk, tilting his head as he eyed her. “I wanted to leave that realization as a surprise for you, love.” Because it would have been amusing, at least under normal circumstances. With his mind reeling with so many thoughts, though, it didn’t have the effect he’d been hoping for. At the mention of Davina, though, he felt a pang of guilt - surprisingly. Really, did he have anything to feel guilty for? It wasn’t as though he was messing around with Sophie; he was merely catching up. But, perhaps he felt guilty for Sophie’s sake, rather than Davina’s.