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↳ 021, the new deal

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𝐈𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄 the homecoming fiasco and Colette was almost as paranoid as Elena. She couldn't help but feel someone was watching her, more than usual. When she'd leave the boarding house, she felt eyes. When she was at school, she felt eyes (and Naya's didn't count). Even when she'd occasionally join Elena for a run, she felt eyes.

And this Sunday was no different.

"You really think the dreams I've been having could be witchy?" asked Bonnie as Colette sat down at their little table in the Grill. Elena had gone off to find Alaric and Damon at the bar, so it left Colette to deal with the drama spiraling inside Bonnie's head.

She shrugged as she placed down the basket of fries she'd gotten up to get. "I don't know, maybe? How many times can you have the same dream before deeming it 'witchy?'" She dunked three fries into her little pool of ketchup, stuffing them into her mouth as she said, "You've seen four coffins and Klaus is in one of them, so...now, I'm just spitballing here, but my guess is that it's definitely, one hundred percent, witchy."

Bonnie reached over to snag a fry, which Colette allowed, and the girl said, "How's Elena doing, really?"

Colette shrugged again. "She doesn't want to admit it but she misses Stefan. He was one of the greatest loves of her life, you know?" She dunked another fry. "She's putting on a brave face."

"Have you figured out why he even betrayed you?"

"Probably to get his freedom, I don't know," she sighed. "But he tackled Damon to keep him from killing Klaus, so maybe he was just protecting him?" She shrugged for a third time. "I don't know, it all makes my head hurt."

Bonnie smiled softly. "Aren't you supposed to have your humanity turned off? Shouldn't all this not bother you?"

Colette glared as she stuffed her fries into her mouth. "I don't know the rules to all this, BonBon, but my switch does as it pleases."

"And that doesn't bother you?"

Colette shrugged. "Not as much as your freaky dream. You think you recognize the place the coffins are in? Like, can you go find it?"

Bonnie nodded. "It's the old witch house, have you ever been?"

"No," said Colette, shaking her head. "But I'm assuming because it's called a witch house it must not be a place a vampire goes." She shook her basket of fries, making sure they were coated with enough salt before eating more as she said with her mouth full, "Isn't that the place where you could go to speak to your old dead family members?"

"It's complicated."

"Oh, really?" laughed Colette. "I wouldn't have ever guessed that."

Bonnie rolled her eyes with a smile as she grabbed her purse from the chair beside her and stood. "Listen, I think I'm going to go see what I can find at the witch house but keep an eye on Elena for me?"

Colette nodded back and waved her goodbye. If she wasn't mistaken, she was pretty sure Damon or Elena had told her about the old witch house and its history. She felt a kind of kinship with the witches, they'd all died the same as she did. She always felt a sense of togetherness to those who had died just as painfully as she and it somehow made things seem better. She wasn't entirely alone.

She could see Elena through the small crowd with Damon and she wondered when the man would finally make a move. She could smell the lust coming from him whenever she was near, and it surprised her to know that no one else could. It was strong and powerful, almost like cinnamon or another spice she just couldn't put a name on.

It was rustic, sharp almost with a sweet undertone, and she could smell it from where she was sitting. It grew stronger with every inhale and she should've realized that it wasn't coming from Damon because his was sweeter than the one she was smelling now but she didn't have enough time to decipher it until someone was pulling out the chair beside her and sitting down.

"Colette," said Klaus with a smirk.

She nearly choked on her fries. She'd been waiting to see if he'd finally show. He'd left everyone paranoid that he'd pop out and kill one of them before they even bat an eye so when he sat down at her table with a smug look and an arm draped on the back of his chair, she nearly wanted to yelp in fright.

"What are you doing here?" she asked once she'd had a sip of her water to clear her throat. "Shouldn't you be out somewhere planning our demise?"

He gave her a small grin as he lounged back in the chair. "Just thought I'd come and say hello."

She frowned, she didn't believe him for a second. "What are you doing here, really?"

"My sister is missing," he said, reaching forward to steal some of her fries. "I need to find her."

"I don't know where she is," said Colette with a shrug, pushing her basket of fries closer to her so he'd stop taking them. He gave her a small smile when she did so. "Trust me, I'd love to know where she is but I don't. Sorry."

"Somehow," he whispered, "I just don't believe that." He glanced over his shoulder before looking back at her as he said, "But I do believe they might know."

"They know as much as me," she muttered. "Which is diddly squat."

He chuckled softly and leaned forward, moving so he could rest his arm on the back of her chair now, as if that made them even closer. "Rebekah was very fond of you."

"Yeah, we're friends." Or more, or something, Colette didn't know. There were moments where she wouldn't mind the girl running her hands up her thighs and then there were moments where she'd love it if they could talk about boys or school or anything to give this life more purpose.

"And what are we?"

"What are we? Well..." She pursed her lips. "I'd say we're nothing."

"Colette..."

She narrowed her eyes. "You played me, you know that, don't you? And you expect me to go running back to you as if you didn't manipulate me into liking you?" She tightened her grip on her glass of water and had to ease the tension so she didn't break the glass. "And you're actively trying to kill my friends, so yeah, Klaus, we're nothing."

"I don't believe that."

"That's your problem."

He frowned and leaned back. "Can't you believe me when I say you mean something to me?" He looked at her, genuinely. "I can protect you from all of this...chaos."

"I don't need protecting."

"God, and don't I know it," he murmured with a sigh that sounded like a laugh. "But I can, even if you don't want it or need it, I still can be there for you. I value you and your opinion."

"You just want to drain me for your little army of dogs," she spat, pushing her chair back to stand.

He stood quickly, standing just slightly taller than her and even then, she had to tilt her head just enough to meet his gaze. "At least let me show you something today."

"Like what?" she asked with a frown. "The dungeon you plan on slaughtering us all in? Or maybe your personal torture chamber?"

"Very funny," he murmured with only a hint of a smile on his lips. "I'll text you the address later."

"Text all you want but I'm not going to answer."

"Oh, yes you are."

She narrowed her eyes. "Definitely won't."

He chuckled, a sound that she could feel vibrate through her without even touching him. "You can tell yourself you don't want me and you want nothing to do with me but we both know that's a lie."

"I don't think you have any right to assume anything about me," she whispered back, slinging her purse over her shoulder. She gripped the strap as she glared at him but ultimately murmured, "What time should I be expecting your little text?"

"Later."

"Just...later?"

He nodded, head tilting to the side with another one of those smirks that left her feeling warm and fuzzy. "Don't tell me you're suddenly eager?"

"Just don't want to be doing something important and have to rush out because you can't take no for an answer." She glanced away with a frown.

"It'll be later, okay?" he moved past her with one long stride as he said over his shoulder, "It's not a date, don't worry your pretty little heart, Colette, darling. I only want to spend some time with you."

She nodded and her frown nearly turned to a scowl as she watched him walk further into the bar and she saw him greet Damon and Elena at the dart corner. She waited just for a few more minutes to see that he wasn't going to do anything bad before she left.

"Klaus did what?" breathed Colette, holding the phone to her ear in a tight grasp as Elena relayed what had just happened. It was only a few hours later since they'd both seen him at the Grill and he was already trying to manipulate Elena and Damon.

"He almost got Jeremy killed," Elena breathed on the verge of tears. "Alaric pushed him out of the way and got hit by–by a car!"

"But he was wearing his special little ring though, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," murmured Elena and Cole could picture the girl pacing back and forth in her living room, a hand tangled in her hair, "he'll be fine but Klaus got Tyler to help him. He got Jeremy off vervain."

Colette sighed. "So, wolfy can no longer be trusted."

"Was he ever trustworthy, though?" said Elena which earned a small laugh from them both.

"Want me to come over? Bring ice cream and wait for Ric to wake up?"

"No, that's fine, I just...I gotta figure out what to do about Klaus."

"You know," said Colette, "he's not going to stop."

"Damon said Stefan took something from Klaus," explained Elena as Colette leaned back in her car. She'd decided going back to the boarding house wasn't for her so she went down to a coffee shop to get away from the noise and eyes of the Grill to finish homework and she found herself, when she was done, sitting in her car to pass the time. "He wants Damon to find Stefan and get them back."

"Them?"

"The originals."

"Stefan stole Klaus's family?" laughed Colette, drumming her fingers against the steering wheel. "Did he really not expect there to be much retaliation from that? He stole the guy's entire family and we both know just how precious that family is to him." Colette let out another laugh, shaking her head. "He's kept them in coffins so they'd never be apart."

"Well, Stefan has them," said Elena, "and Klaus will keep going after Jeremy to get them."

"Ah, to force Damon's hand."

"Exactly."

"What do you need me to do?"

Elena let out a sigh. "Nothing, Cole, serious. I just need someone to vent to that isn't Caroline or Bonnie."

"Because Caroline is way too tied up with wolfy and Bonnie is going through a crisis of witches?"

"God," breathed Elena with a soft laugh, "you get me."

"Why not just trade Rebekah for Jeremy?" asked Colette, glancing out her window and watching a couple cross the street in front of her. They were holding hands and it made Cole's stomach rumble. She hadn't had any blood recently. "Sibling for a sibling?"

"And let Klaus undagger Rebekah so she can just come after me?"

"I mean...Klaus would have to control her, right? He needs you for his little hybrids." The couple continued down the sidewalk and Cole followed them with her eyes and she could practically hear their heartbeats as they walked side by side. She could almost see the blood pumping through their veins and through their swinging arms and throbbing necks. "And besides, he should be worried about Bekah if what you all found out was true. That, you know, Klaus totally killed their mom and framed their dad for it to cause an even bigger rift between the family."

Elena was quiet for a moment but Cole could hear the sound of her shoes on the hardwood floor of her kitchen. "You said Klaus wanted you to go somewhere with him, right?"

Cole nodded. "Yup."

"Go and find out what he's thinking," she said. "I'll give him Rebekah this evening and...and you can see what he does, what he's thinking."

"You want me to play spy with the big bad wolf?"

"I want you to play love sick puppy, actually."

"Elena, you know I can't do that." Colette rubbed her head, feeling a headache coming on. "If I get even more involved with him I..."

"You don't know if you'll be able to come back from it?"

"He's, like, intoxicating to me, I don't know."

"He manipulated you," said Elena, reminding Cole of what she already knew. "He hurt you. He played you like a complete idiot. You won't fall for it again."

Colette rubbed her forehead deeply, working the skin against her skull and the pain eased just slightly. She needed to eat so she let out a large sigh and said into the phone, "If I do this and I totally get suckered back into being his little, I don't know, sex toy, you're going to be in for a fucking ear full, Elena Gilbert."

"Love you too, Cole."

Colette hung up and got out of her car. She stretched once and took in a deep breath. The air was getting cooler and it smelled fresh and crisp in her nose. Locking her car as she walked across the street, she wondered why she hadn't been to this part of town before. Sure, there were people out but it was easy to pull someone into an alley and disappear for a while.

She followed the couple, watching as the man let go of his lady's hand to head into one of the stores as she went into another. Colette looked at both stores and contemplated which one she was going to go into before finally deciding on one.

She'd gone hunting before like this but never out in the open. She'd fed on the hotel worker and a woman she'd seen jogging late at night last week but it wasn't like this. This was more dangerous, exhilarating almost to know she could be caught at any moment.

The shop smelled like wood and must, the floorboards creaking underneath her feet as she wandered inside. It was quaint, little paintings hanging on the wall that were being sold. The art was simple and she'd admit she'd seen better, especially at the hands of Klaus which made her heart sizzle and burn. There was jewelry hanging up on tables against the wall, colorful beads and silver. She walked over, looking at one of the necklaces as she played with the one around her neck.

She wished she could get rid of the little thing since Naya had been the one to give it to her but it was laced with magic, a special magic she couldn't afford to lose unless she wanted to burn up under the sun.

From deeper inside the shop, she heard the person she'd followed say something to one of the workers. Colette instinctually followed and picked up a skirt hanging on one of the racks as she ran up with a breathless grin.

"Hey, did you see my friend just go in one of these?" she asked, pointing to the changing rooms. "I told her I'd find the skirt she wanted in her size."

The worker nodded. "She's in room three."

Colette nodded a small thanks and headed into the room with the narrow hall that separated the walls of changing rooms. She counted them carefully until she found the one she was looking for. She took hold of the curtain and threw it back, the woman inside turned sharply as her mouth opened with a scream.

Colette moved quicker, taking the woman by the face and snarling, "Don't make a sound."

The woman's lips fell shut but the horror on her face did not ebb. Her skin was pale from fright and Colette took note of how she trembled slightly as if she wouldn't notice. Cole turned and drew the curtains shut before asking in a soft voice, "Are you scared?"

The woman nodded her head.

Colette leaned forward, sniffing up the woman's neck. She could smell an expensive perfume, something chemically and rosy. She smiled, exhaling against the woman's jugular. She could scent the anxiousness, the terror, and even the slight pulse of adrenalin that loved this sort of fear.

"Good," breathed Colette before her fangs sprouted free from her jaw and she clamped her mouth shut around the fleshy part of her neck. Blood was drawn effortlessly into her mouth, warm like honey and as sweet as it too.

She swallowed, pulling the blood into her mouth as she sucked gently. She didn't want to drain her, she just wanted to feel someone against her. She liked how the woman brought her hand up to grab at Colette's shoulder as if that little ounce of weak strength would pull her away. She liked how the woman's breath caught in her throat, breathy and warm against her skin. The woman was scared but she liked how it felt and Cole could smell it all on her like a hound to meat.

When she pulled back, she felt blood drip past her bottom lip and she swiped at it with her finger before sucking the red clean off. She smiled, her fangs pressing gently into her lips and she felt the throbbing under her eyes ease as the woman reached up to touch the little wounds. Cole pressed her finger to her fang and drew just enough blood to let it dot up against the pad of her finger.

She reached out, pressing her blood to the woman's wound so it could heal. "Clean yourself up," said Colette as she bent down to pick up the skirt she'd dropped, "and maybe try this on, the color will go great with your eyes."

The woman nodded, still breathless and under control. She took the skirt and Colette left the changing room feeling fuller and more alive than she had in the past few hours.

As she made her way to her car, her phone buzzed in her back pocket. When she glanced down at the text, she sighed. It seemed Klaus wanted her to meet him and she had no way of declining. She put the address into her GPS once she got into her car and slowly drove off to whatever hell hole he wanted to spend time with her in.

When she arrived at the address, she slowly put her car in park so she could look up at the grand house. It was being renovated, she could see that by the plants of wood and tarps and the men and women still trailing in and out with blueprints and more tools. It was a lovely house, from what she could tell as she got out of her car in the big driveway.

It was a beautiful home, far bigger than any she had seen except maybe for the Lockwood Mansion but that was clearly different. This must've cost a fortune to buy and even more for renovations.

"You're here!" said Klaus as he appeared on the front steps. He threw his arms out as he walked down, turning in a small circle with a grand smile as he said, "Isn't it going to be wonderful?"

Colette nodded with a slight frown, her brows furrowing as she fixed her purse on her shoulder and slipped her keys securely inside. "Is this what you wanted to show me?"

"You don't sound impressed," he said, his eyes running over her face.

"I mean, yeah," she sighed, "it's definitely impressive and...large. But why did you want me to see this, exactly?"

He held out his arm for her to take and she walked past him and up the driveway, ignoring his gesture of good will. Elena wanted her to be the love sick puppy with lust in her eyes but she couldn't just jump right back into that. Especially not with him.

"I wanted your opinion on some matters inside," he explained as he followed her up the front steps.

The parlor was beautiful as she walked inside and she moved to the side to touch one of the walls being supported by beams as construction continued. There was a large staircase against the wall that traveled up to the second floor with an overlooking balcony. The floors were tile, or at least were going to be as she noticed that someone had begun to lay out the beautiful square pieces.

He came up to stand beside her, his hands clasped behind his back as he smiled. "Wonderful, isn't it?"

She nodded, amazed at the size and beauty this place would have once it was finished. "Are you staying here by yourself?"

He shook his head. "My family will join me once I get them back."

"Ah," she breathed with another nod. "So, Stefan hasn't told you where he'd hidden them yet?"

Klaus bowed his head with a scoffing smile. "Unfortunately, no. I've advised your little friends to help–"

"Yeah, by almost killing Jeremy."

He shrugged. "He was merely the push they needed in helping me."

Colette frowned as he led her into another room. There was furniture covered by plastic sheets and she could tell just from the outside that the couches and chairs were expensive. There was a hanging chain on the top of the ceiling where she'd guessed a beautiful chandelier would go once construction was finished and she imagined the home sparkling with the reflected crystal.

"Jeremy is a good kid," she murmured as she ran her fingers over the exposed lining of one of the chairs. It was smooth, leather perhaps. "And setting Tyler on him is a cheap way of getting what you want." She glanced at him over her shoulder and let her eyes flicker to the way his jaw was set and then further to his chest. The wolf's fang necklace hung around his neck and she wondered what unlucky girl would get it next. "Elena spoke to me about what she might do, explained how she might know where Rebekah is."

"Might?" He scowled.

She nodded. "Only if you agree not to harm her family, maybe she'll let you know where Bekah is hidden away."

"Mhm," he hummed following her as she entered the next room filled with the same brilliant furniture and coverings. "You have a fondness for my sister, do you not?"

"She's grown on me," said Cole with a faint smile before glancing at him as her lips fell into a smirk, "Jealous that I like your sister better than you?"

"Not at all," he said, walking past her but as he did so, took her by the elbow to guide her into the smell brilliant room. One of the walls was torn open and covered by plastic sheeting that flapped with the slight breeze outside. "I know your fondness still lies primarily for me." He grinned at her. "It's why you agreed to come after all."

"I didn't have much of a choice," she muttered.

"You have all the choice in the world with me."

"Do I? Really?" she sneered, rolling her eyes as she turned to face him. She rested on the back of one of the couches, crossing her arms. "Because it seems to me you think you can control me like you do everyone else. I'm not some blood puppet, Klaus."

"I never said you were."

"You sure act like it."

He sighed, bowing his head slightly as if to conceal the features of his face. "I admit, I've done some things that I'm not proud of and when I look at you and see the hate in your eyes," he sighed, "I don't like that I've become this–this monster for you to blame."

"But you are to blame."

He sighed again, moving to touch one of the beams in place to support the wall and ceiling in the doorway. "I resort to violence and anger because it's easiest for me," he said, admiring the work being done on his future home. She wondered if he slept here underneath the open roof and against the empty walls like some wolf searching for home. "I have to become a villain in order to protect myself and yet, when I see how it draws you further and further from me, it makes me wonder if all this was worth anything at all."

Colette gnawed on the inside of her cheek before murmuring, "You started all of this because the army you wanted was failing. You came back here to start a war."

He laughed softly, shaking his head. "I needed a pack as much as I needed a family. Those hybrids are just another way for me to finally have a place to belong. You, of all people, should understand that longing to be a part of something great."

"And now I am," she whispered. "I'm not tied down by the people I thought were my friends. I found people who care about me and yet, you come barging in threatening to kill them all."

"Perhaps I should threaten to kill Naya, instead?"

She rolled her eyes, a light chill settling in the house. "If you get Rebekah back, will you leave us alone?"

He pursed his lips and glanced at her for a moment before drawing his attention back to his home. "I need them all back."

"We don't know where they all are."

"Stefan does."

"Yeah and we don't know where the hell he is."

Klaus smiled softly. "I'm sure Damon can find out."

Please leave him be. Please just let him get out of this unscathed for once.

Colette's fingers curled into her palm, creating a tight fist. "You need to leave Damon out of this."

Something unrecognizable flashed in Klaus's eyes as he turned to face her again but it was gone in seconds. "He's the key to his brother and the key to forcing Elena's hand. So," he smiled, "I don't think I'll be leaving him out of this fun game we're having."

You're not threatened by your sister but you're threatened by the weaker vampire who knows he can take and take and take until everything you've ever loved is gone.

"Watch out, Klaus," she muttered, "your angry wolf side is showing."

He rolled his eyes but chuckled softly and the sound was melodilic in the large room. The sound echoed around her like faeries dancing on chimes. "Once my family is returned to me, your friends will be spared."

"You swear?" she asked, stepping away from the couch to approach him. He smelled like cedar.

He grinned down at her. "You'll just have to wait and see." She scowled and moved to brush past him but he grabbed her arm, pulling her back to face him. "You know," he whispered, "you really did look beautiful at the wake."

She narrowed her eyes. "Complimenting me won't get you what you want."

His smile flattened just for a moment before he was smirking again and his eyes were lighting up like little fires dancing in embers. She wondered if her flames would burn him or if they'd dance off his skin like it did hers. "I meant everything I told you that night. What we had together over the summer, it meant something far more to me than I expected. And when I hurt you, when you found out the truth, I didn't know what to do."

Maybe if you hadn't lied. Maybe if you had told me who you were and what you were, things would've been fine.

But that too would've been a lie.

"A piece of you sliced its way into my heart, Colette," he breathed, taking her hand and bringing it up to press against his chest. Underneath her palm, she felt the steady rhythmic beat of his heart. "I know my words don't mean much anymore but I need you to know that I'll protect you, that you'll always have a home with me."

She pulled her hand away from him as if she'd been burned, taking a stumbling step back. She couldn't let herself fall for him and his subtle words of manipulation and ease. She'd felt herself almost let go of her stubbornness to fall into him as he spoke. She clutched her hands to her chest and gasped out, "You are not the person I was falling in love with so stop acting like you're still him. You're not fucking Nik!"

Klaus's brows furrowed and hurt burned out from him, surrounding her and the entire room. It was suffocatingly thick, like heavy dust or the smoke of a fire swirling up your nose.

"You're not him," she whispered, shaking her head. She closed her eyes for a moment, desperate to find that switch inside her head and flip it away because she could feel that horrible aching emotion creep up from her gut and into her throat like little hands desperate to choke the life out of her. "You're not him," she repeated as she opened her eyes, her eyelashes damp. Klaus stared at her, his lips slightly parted and his hands by his side and even as she whispered again, he couldn't find it in himself to move. "I allowed someone else into my heart. I allowed someone, who I thought I could love, into my bed. Do you–do you know what that feels like? To realize the person you invited into your life to share something so intimate and private with is a complete stranger?"

Klaus's hands twitched by his side and still, he said nothing.

"I loved Nik," she breathed. "I loved Nik. I met Nik at a bar. I danced with Nik. I had sex with Nik." She shook her head again, hiccuping on the breath that was escaping her. "And you are not Nik."

This time he moved, striding forward but slowing just a few paces before where she'd stumbled away. He looked at her, his brows slightly furrowed, a slight color to his cheek that she could smell was anger and disbelief but not towards her but at himself. He reached out his hand and it faltered between them before he let it drop back down to his side. "Colette," he whispered, his accent thick on his tongue and his voice laced with a tone she hadn't heard come from him before, "I..." He cast his gaze down and for a moment she thought maybe he was trying to find the words to say but the smell was evident from him. He was being submissive to her, he was laying out his shame, and she could see the way he almost craned his neck away to show her that if she needed, she could tear him apart. "I never want to make you feel this way again," his voice was so smooth and warm, she thought she could slip into his words, bathe in them. "I will do everything in my power to take back all the pain I've caused you."

His eyes flickered up and met her worried gaze as her heart pounded erratically in her chest. There was something so sincere in the way he was now looking at her that, god, she wanted to believe him. She needed comfort, she needed someone to hold her and she knew he would never be someone she could crawl into bed with after a long day and relax but he was baring himself to her, making himself vulnerable.

Wasn't love supposed to be growing together? Finding yourself and evolving?

"What I did," he breathed, "I can never take back. I believed I was doing the right thing, keeping you away from the darkest parts of myself. To not show you my true face, I thought I was protecting you but I was using you. I thought if I could have you on my side..." He shook his head. "I thought I could use your power, that I could use it with my own, and create something unstoppable but I was wrong and it took me too long to realize that."

He reached out again with a hesitant hand and she reached out with her own. His hand was warm against her skin, his heat seeping into her cold. He let his fingers slide between her own slowly, connecting them and she didn't know whether this was a good thing or not.

Let the beast in, little girl. Let him flourish and savage you inside.

Even as their hands clasped and their hearts beat almost nearly as one, her mind couldn't help but wander and spin towards someone else waiting to be let in.

AUTHOR'S NOTE━━not....not the best chap im so sorry. ive been very unwell the past week. it felt rushed but i hope u guys like it anyway :((

let me know what u guys think about the cole+klaus moment at the end.

ALSO POLL: who do u want colette to be with? (this will help me pull her in a certain direction the rest of the fic....maybe)

vote/comment and maybe your fav ship will be endgame