*slight smut warning. not really though*

His lips trailed along her neck, leaving love bites in his wake as his hands trailed along her bare waist.

He moaned softly in her ear, "You're using your magic, aren't you?"

She smirked as she tilted her head to kiss his cheek, "I'm afraid that's all you," She whispered as she felt him poke against her thigh.

Juniper flipped them around so she was sitting on his lip before she held his hands against the wall. He was so close to her, he didn't have to be a vampire to hear the thumping of her heart and feel the heat of her skin.

Kol's eyes left hers, moving down to her exposed chest as he pulled at her hands, "Let me touch you."

The Heartrender smiled, "Not so fast. I'm not done beguiling you," She whispered as she pulled off his white shirt, her magic keeping his hands still.

His breath caught as her fingers traced the outline of his abs. He didn't even care that she knew the effect she had on him.

He needed to have his hands on her, to hold her neck, her waist, her hands. He needed her as much as he needed blood, as much as lungs needed air, and as much as his heart ached for love.

It wasn't the first time she had taken control of his body and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

He stared up at her as she traced his jaw, "Maybe you would suit a beard," She whispered, recalling their past conversation from a week before as she held his chin.

Kol grunted, "Let me go."

"Will I regret it?" Juniper beckoned, her hands leaving his jaw as she gently tugged on his hair.

His eyes closed as a soft whimper escaped his lips, "Let me go and I'll show you."

His sentence hadn't even been finished when her magic disappeared, leaving his hands free to do whatever they pleased.

His hand flew right to her neck, holding it with just enough tightness to earn a gasp. Before Juniper could do anything, his lips met hers and this time, it was her who melted into the kiss.

Kol could hear as her heart pounded in her chest, her blood pumping loudly through her body, and he felt pride surge through him. He enjoyed being in control of her blood flow for once.

The rough skin of his fingers dug into her neck as his other hand pulled the folds of her dress down to her hips before he gripped the soft skin, pulling her closer.

She moaned into his lips as he swore it was the sound of an angel.

Her hands moved along his chest as his lips moved to her neck, giving her a moment to breathe. His nose brushed against her carotid, her scent filling his nose, as his hands massaged her breasts.

During their time in the wilderness, she had been nice enough to offer him little amounts of blood. And every time he drank the thick red liquid, he felt as though he had been brought back to life.

Juniper grabbed his wrists once more as she pushed his back down to the bed. She used her free hand to grab his chin before she pulled him into a searing kiss.

She pressed herself against him, rubbing herself against him.

She let one of his wrists free and his hand moved to grip her brown hair. The faster she moved, the more he lifted his hips to meet her.

For a moment, he forgot about everything, he forgot about his family, their betrayal and his fears of being alone. He could only think about how good she felt against him and how he'd do it all again if it meant it would lead to this, her thighs wrapped tightly around his waist as she moaned against his lips.

— — —

Kol was dreaming again. Dreaming of her.

In all his dreams he hunted her, sometimes through the town of Portsmouth, but usually through the icefields, dodging boulders and crevices with unerring steps.

Always he chased, and always he caught her.

In the bad dreams, he slammed her to the ground and throttled her, watching the life drain from her eyes, heart full of vengeance as she passed out before he delivered her to his brother.

In the good dreams, he kissed her.

In these dreams, she didn't fight him. She laughed as if the chase was nothing but a game, as if she'd known he would catch her, as if she'd wanted him to and there was no place she'd rather be than beneath him.

She was welcoming and perfect in his arms. He kissed her, buried his face in the sweet hollow of her neck. Her hair brushed against his cheeks, and he felt that if he could just hold her a little longer, every wound, every hurt, every bad thing would melt away.

"Kol," She would whisper, his name so soft on her lips.

The former were the worst dreams, and when he woke, he hated himself as much as he hated his brother. To know that he could betray her, betray his love again even in sleep, to know that after everything he'd done, some sick part of him still longed for her.

Tonight was a bad dream, very bad. She was wearing blue silk, clothes far more luxurious than anything he'd seen her in. It was something his sister would wear, some kind of gauzy veil was caught up in her hair, the lamplight glinting off of it like caught rain.

God, she smelled good.

The mossy damp was still there, but perfume, too. Juniper loved luxury and this was expensive– vanilla and something else, something even his enhanced sense of smell couldn't recognize.

She held his wrists, clawing at them as he choked the life out of her. He could swear she was crying as she stared up at him.

"Kol."

"Juniper," He managed before her neck snapped.

When he woke, he felt her bare skin pressed against his, warming him as she huffed in her sleep. Her hair was a mess, sprawled out around her as she cuddled further into his arm.

She must've felt him move, she opened her eyes, turning her head slightly to look at him, "Kol."

"Juniper," He whispered.

She frowned slightly at the sad look on his face, "What's wrong?"

He shook his head, leaning into her hand which had been placed on his cheek, "Nothing. Go back to sleep, beautiful."

"Your heart tells the truth. What has you so scared?"

"I don't get scared," He spoke quickly. Too quickly.

"So that time in the True Sea when you would have rather dove into freezing cold water than lay next to me– that wasn't fear?"

He smiled slightly, "No. No, that was me ignoring my feelings for you."

Using his strength, he pulled her body up to sit on his lap. He shuddered as she wrapped her thighs around his waist.

She stared down at him as he placed her hand on his chest, letting her feel his heart, "See? All better now."

Juniper stayed silent for a moment, paying attention to his heart, the thumping of his blood, before she met his eyes.

"This isn't over."

He nodded, "I know. We'll talk about it later. I just... I just want to hold you."

She smiled, leaning down to press her lips against his, "Hold me tonight. Explain tomorrow."

— — —

They were in the pub once again. Over the past two weeks of them staying in Arkest, this had become a habit for the couple.

Every morning and every evening, they would spend hours sitting in the corner, next to the fire as they indulged in waffles, or as Kol liked to call them, Juniper's truest love.

"You're getting better," He said with a smile.

Juniper grinned as she re-set the chess pieces. For the first time, she had actually won a game of chess, "Am I? Or are you just distracted?"

He chuckled softly, "Maybe a bit of both."

Her eyes moved from the board and to his eyes as she felt him choke on his breath slightly, "Or is it something else?"

He turned red.

"It is, isn't it? What is that pretty little head of yours thinking about?"

He bit his lip causing a smirk to form on her lips, "Is it something naughty? Oh, Mr. Mikaelson..."

Kol's flush deepened as he played with her fingers, "If we go upstairs, I could show you."

Juniper only smiled, "Getting brave, are we?"

The Original didn't really know why he was so nervous around Juniper. He had never felt this type of way around a woman.

He never felt butterflies rush through his body from a simple touch. He never felt nerves fill his mind every time he went to touch her.

Juniper made him feel nervous but in the best way possible.

Every time she touched him, spoke to him, smiled at him, his heart beat differently. Every night, laying next to her, her head on his chest with his arms wrapped around her waist, he felt his humanity shine through him.

Every time their lips met, he felt his need to kill slowly disappear.

"You look beautiful," He told her out of nowhere.

Juniper stared at him, "Flattery will get you nowhere."

"Oh? I believe it got me somewhere last night... and the night before that... and before that."

She grinned, "It wasn't your compliments that did that, Kol. It was just you."

His heart stopped.

"Stop doing that," He whispered.

She smiled again as she traced her pointer finger along the palm of his hand, "Stop doing what?"

The pub was empty. It was only 11 am. It never got busy in the mornings, leaving only them in their corner and the workers who stayed near the bar, playing dominoes as they day drank.

He swallowed as her finger moved to his wrist, resting on his pulse point, "That. You're using your magic on me."

"Am I?"

"Yes..."

She smiled as her hand left him, "Do you still feel it? Even now without my touch?"

"Yes."

"I'm not doing anything, Kol. The only thing I have done is keep you warm and hold you still."

He blushed, "Then why am I feeling this?"

"Because you are. Now," she paused as she stood up, "Waffles?"

A laugh left his lips, "Waffles."

A few moments later, Juniper came back to the table after ordering the simple food.

"Five minutes," She told him, repeating what one of the workers told her.

"Can you wait that long?" He teased as he pulled her chair beside him with no problem, letting her lean her head on his shoulder.

"Can you?"

Seven minutes later, the waffles were placed in front of them before the worker scurried off, wanting to get back to her drinking game.

She smiled, moving away from him by a few inches as she grabbed one of the waffles, Kol doing the same.

Her eyebrows furrowed. They tasted different. Sweeter.

She glanced around the room, the workers were still playing their drinking game, dominoes fell as a man pushed them over.

At the door, a new man stood. Blonde, tall, blue eyes.

Her eyes met his for a moment before the sounds of Kol choking filled her ears. Her eyes quickly left the man as her head turned to Kol.

"Kol?"

He didn't answer. He stood up slightly before falling back into his chair.

"What? What is it? Kol? What's the matter, Kol?" She asked as his coughing continued.

His eyes met hers before he passed out, his head hitting the table.

The man at the door straightened his back as he walked further inside the pub, "Juniper, is it?" He started causing her eyes to dart to his.

"Who are you?" She asked.

His eyes didn't meet hers as he looked at the workers, "You're free to leave. Thank you, for your wonderful help."

The workers quickly walked out and it was only then that she saw bite marks on their necks. Juniper stood up quickly, standing in front of Kol's body as she watched the man.

"Who are you?"

He grinned, "You don't know me? I'd assume you would. I mean, you do seem quite close to my brother."

"Brother- You're Klaus."

"The one and only."

"What did you do to him?"

"Oh, don't worry about it, love. Just a little vervain to keep him asleep for the time being."

She glanced at the door.

He noticed, "I wouldn't do that. Just be a good girl and sit down. We need to have a little chat, you and I."

When she didn't move, he moved, "Come on, love. Sit down."

She moved back a few steps, her knees hitting the seat of her chair before she slowly sat down, "What do you want?"

He grinned as he pulled up a chair and sat across from her, "What I want is simple. I want you. Your power. Gone more specifically."

Juniper glanced down at Kol. Unmoving, not breathing, skin pale. All the things she hated to see.

Her eyes moved back to his, "If you're going to kill me, do it."

Klaus' grin never left his lips, "You know, I never thought I'd see the day where my brother fell in love with a mortal. Hell, I never thought he would fall in love. What makes you so special that he'd go against me?"

"I'm not special."

"You are. For starters, you're the last Grisha. You could have empires on their knees with enough training. Did you know that?"

"Yeah, well I didn't have much training. Your people killed off my people before we got to the good stuff."

A chuckle left his lips, "So hasty. I want you to come with me."

"And why would I go anywhere with you?"

"Because if you don't," He paused as he pulled out a dagger and set it on the table, "My brother will never leave his coffin again."

"You won't touch him."

"So protective," He teased, "I won't do anything if you do what I say and come with me."

"You won't hurt him?"

"I won't hurt him."

— — —

When Kol woke up next, he was on a familiar bed. He sat up quickly, looking around his room.

He was in New Orleans again. That could only mean one thing. Niklaus had found him.

He got out of his bed at lightning speed, his thoughts running a mile, as he himself ran down the stairs of his family's mansion.

"Nik! What did you do with her?" He yelled as he ran through every room.

He heard his brother scoff, "Oh, relax. She's right here."

Kol sped into the dining room and his eyes met hers. He scanned her face, looking for any wound, any slight show of harm but he found none.

"Are you alright?" He asked quickly.

Klaus laughed before she could answer, "You've gone soft, brother."

He didn't meet his brother's stare, instead, his eyes stayed on hers as he repeated his question, "Are you alright?"

She nodded, "I'm fine, Kol."

She sat at the head of the table, Klaus at the other. Her hands chained to the sides of her chair, stopping her from doing anything.

"Sit, brother. I believe we have a lot to talk about."

He sat next to her and for the first few moments it was silent.

Before they could begin, another man walked in. He was brunette, his features resembling Kol's. He smiled at the sight of his brothers before his eyes moved to her, "I wasn't aware we had guests."

"She's not staying," Kol quickly spoke.

"She is staying actually," Klaus corrected, earning a glare from his younger brother.

Juniper rolled her eyes, "She has a name."

Klaus grinned, "Ah, yes. Elijah, meet Juniper Zenik. Juniper, meet our brother, Elijah."

"Juniper Zenik? The Heartrender?" Elijah asked.

"It's just June," She corrected, not liking the way her name rolled off their tongues.

Elijah smiled at her, attempting to give her comfort but it did nothing of the sort. So he moved to sit next to Klaus and his eyes joined his brothers in staring at the girl.

"Well, now that everyone is here, we can get to the questions. How long ago did you find her?" Klaus asked.

"Three months ago."

"Three months. Were you ever going to bring her to me?"

"I was," He paused, guilt filling him, "Our ship capsized in a storm."

"And at what point did you decide to disobey me?"

He stayed silent. In all honesty, he didn't know when. He didn't know if it was the moment he met her, the moment she saved him, the moment he saved her, or the moment their lips first touched.

Klaus's gaze left his brother and turned to her, "Juniper– June..."

"What?" She snapped, not liking his and Elijah's stares.

He grinned, "How did you survive the war?"

She didn't answer and he stood up. Pushing his chair in, he leaned on the backrest, "Answer me or I dagger him."

She glared at him, "I hid under the floorboards. Slowed my heartbeat down enough so no one would hear me."

He chuckled, "That wasn't it though. Was it? The witches would have found you with a simple tracking spell. So, tell me what helped you... Or who helped you."

She didn't answer. But her heart told the truth.

Klaus grinned as he walked toward her causing Kol to stand, "Don't get any closer."

"Calm down, little brother. I won't touch your girl."

He stepped around Kol before he kneeled in front of Juniper, "Who helped you, love? You can tell me."

She shook her head, "I won't tell you."

Klaus sighed, his eyes moving to Elijah before they moved back to Juniper. His hands moved to her temples and before Kol could stop him, Elijah held him back.

"No! Don't touch her!" He yelled as he fought against his older brother's hold.

"Open your mind for me, sweetheart," Klaus spoke, ignoring his brother's words.

"No," She grunted as his hold on her head tightened.

His eyes glanced at his brothers, nodding at Elijah, causing Juniper to quickly turn her head. Elijah stood, holding Kol with a dagger to his chest.

"Don't touch him," She grunted.

"Then let me in your head."

She breathed out, glaring daggers at him as she finally let him in.

She tried her hardest to keep her memories hidden deep inside her mind, but he was too strong. He quickly found them and brought back everything she had tried to forget.

The first thing he saw was a bar. It was empty, only a few stragglers in every corner. At the bar, a younger Juniper sat.

She held a cup of cider in her hand, the liquid almost gone as she sipped on it.

"Juniper!" A voice yelled, "You're fifteen. No drinking," He said before grabbing the glass from her hand and drinking the contents himself.

She rolled her eyes, "And you're seventeen. What's the difference, Kaz?"

"The difference is: I can hold my liquor. You can't, little sister."

"Oh ease up on her, Kaz. I'm with her," Another boy spoke, his arm wrapped around Juniper's shoulder.

"Yes, and that helps so much, Wylan. You're just as bad at holding your liquor."

Wylan smiled innocently, "I wasn't drinking. It was only Juniper."

The Heartrender scoffed as she slapped her hand against the boy's chest, "Seriously?"

"Hey! I just don't want Kaz to hit me with his cane again. I still have bruises from the last time," He told her, shuddering.

Kaz rolled his eyes as he moved to sit next to his siblings, "I wouldn't hit you if you didn't almost blow yourself up."

"Then why did you hit me?" Juniper asked, smiling slightly.

"Because you helped him. Now come on. We have a meeting in the slat."

Klaus smiled as he looked down at her, "Brothers, huh? Did they save you?"

Juniper glared at him, not saying a word as he dived back in.

Juniper was alone this time and a year older. Her eyes were scared and filled with worry.

She ran through an empty road. Ketterdam, Klaus quickly recognized. The Barrel more specifically. He had only been there once, that time being many centuries before.

It wasn't until she reached the pier that her heart stopped. Below her, was the beach. Though it wasn't the beach that made her heart stop.

It was the people on it.

The Queen's Lady Plague had swept through the streets of Ketterdam. Klaus remembered hearing about it.

On the beach, lay two boys, the same ones from the last memory.

One boy, Wylan, his face was covered in the red dots unmistakably from firepox. The other boy, Kaz, had some, not nearly as many as the younger boy.

Juniper ran towards them, her hands gripping the skirt of her dress as she ran through the uneven sand.

"Kaz!" She yelled.

"Juniper!" He yelled back, his voice broken.

She ran faster until she was next to them and a gasp ripped through her throat.

"Wy- Wylan," She whispered as she knelt down, her hand going to his cheek. "Why can't I feel his heart?"

Kaz stayed silent, tears in his own eyes.

"Why can't I feel his heart, Kaz?" She whimpered, tears streaming down her cheeks as she shook Wylan's body.

"We- We had passed out. They must have thought we were dead because the next time I woke up we were on a sick boat. There were bodies everywhere, I couldn't move but when I looked down... Wylan..."

A sob broke through his throat, "I was too weak to swim. I had to use his body as a float to get me back here."

Juniper's hands moved quickly, moving up and down, mimicking the beating of a heart as she tried to restart her brothers.

"Please," She whispered, "Please don't leave us."

Kaz's hand touched her shoulder, though he quickly pulled away.

She glanced up at him, eyes full of tears, matching his own.

"I'm so sorry, Juniper. I- I can't... I still feel their bodies–"

Juniper shook her head before she pulled off her gloves and handed them to the older boy, "It's okay. We- We're gonna get through this. We always do."

Klaus looked down at her, "Dead brother, huh? Very sad, love."

He dived back in, not caring about the tears filling her blue eyes.

It was a year later. Juniper was seventeen, Kaz nineteen.

They sat silently at the bar, both holding glasses of strong liquor. Kaz's hands were covered by leather gloves, he hadn't stopped wearing them since that night.

"You did a good job today," He spoke quietly as he held a diamond in his hand, testing the weight.

Juniper nodded, "I did what you trained me to do. Of course I did good."

A hint of a smile ghosted on the man's face, "I'm proud of you, Juniper."

Klaus could feel her heart swell. He knew how much the words meant to her.

"We'll have another lesson tomorrow. You're getting better though. You took down those three Fierdans with ease. Wylan would be proud, too."

She smiled slightly, her eyes glistening, "He'd be proud of you, too. So would Mom and Dad."

The memory changed.

Explosions went off in every direction and screams could be heard from miles away.

"We need to get you away!" Kaz yelled, his grip on Juniper's wrist tight as he ran away from the fight.

They hid in an abandoned home, under the floorboards just like Juniper said. Kaz layed on top of her, shielding her from everything that could hurt her.

He ignored his fear of touch, holding her tightly as the explosions continued.

"We shouldn't have come here," He kept whispering.

She held his shoulders tightly, her body shaking as every explosion went off, each getting closer than the last.

"I can't lose you, Kaz."

His eyes met hers in the dark, "You won't. I'll never leave you."

A few more seconds of raced breaths and heavy hearts went by before a door slammed open above them.

Kaz held his hand over her mouth, stopping any sounds from escaping as the floor creaked above them.

"I can feel you, witch," She heard a woman say from above. "Come out and we'll do this the easy way.

The floorboards squeaked once more before they were ripped up, revealing their bodies to the vampire.

Kaz stared at his sister before he got up quickly and tackled the supernatural.

"Run, Juniper!"

She held up her hands, slowing the vampire's heart, "I can't leave you!"

The vampire fell to the ground, blood spewing from her mouth as her heart stopped.

Kaz stared at her before he quickly joined her and they continued running. His bad leg slowed him down but he ignored the pain as they ran into a forest.

It wasn't until she felt his hand leave hers that she stopped.

Once again, her heart stopped as she watched three vampires rip into her brother's throat and wrists.

"No!" She screamed as she felt his heart come to a slow stop.

She held up her hands, her fists tight as she closed their airways before snapping their necks.

She ran towards Kaz, lifting his head to lay on her thighs as she quickly moved her fingers along his skin.

"Don't," He whispered weakly as more blood flowed from his wounds.

"I can't lose you, too."

He choked, blood falling from his lips, "You aren't a healer, little sister. It won't help. You- You need to keep running."

She sobbed, her hand on his cheek as his eyes struggled to stay open, "You can't leave me, Kaz. You said you'd never leave me."

"I won't. We're all still here," His hand came up to her heart, "Right here. And we'll never leave."

More gunshots went off causing her body to tremble.

"Keep fighting. Never stop fighting, Juniper."

He stared at her, his eyes soft with a smile on his face as his heart stopped.

Her scream echoed for miles. Which only brought attention to her.

Vampires, witches, and werewolves alike surrounded her.

Juniper stood up quickly, her hands covered in her brother's blood as she stared at them with a dead look in her eyes.

"You took everything from me."

A vampire walked closer to her, "We don't even know who you are."

She raised her hands, "You will."

Klaus sighed as he stared down at her. She only glared at him.

Her eyes were filled with tears but she never let them fall. The vampires could hear her heart though. It was unsteady and fast.

"Two dead brothers. Dead mother... dead father. You truly have nothing left."

She exhaled sharply, "Go fuck yourself."

He chuckled, "Such strong language."

"Would you rather I call you a bastard? That is what you are, isn't it? Unwanted... A mistake..."

He glared at her, dark veins running down his red eyes as he held her neck.

"You will not speak to me in such ways if you want to live."

"Who said I wanted to live?"

He stared at her silently for a moment. Confusion filled his eyes.

"You saw it all. Who would want to live after that? So do it. Kill me."

Klaus's grip on her neck loosened, earning a confused look, "What? Are you scared now? I thought this was what you wanted? To have the last Grisha on her knees before you yourself killed her."

"Not yet," He whispered into her ear before his eyes met Elijah's.

Klaus turned her chair around, forcing her to watch as Elijah stabbed the dagger into Kol's chest.

"No," She whispered as she watched his skin turn grey before his body fell to the floor. She fought hard against the chains around her wrists, "You said you wouldn't hurt him!"

"I did. But you see, little Grisha, you need to pay attention to the details. I never said I wouldn't dagger him, did I?"

A tear fell from her eye, "So that's what this is? What? A lesson to improve my hearing?"

"No. This is just the beginning."