A/N Thank you for waiting so long!

"So, tell me about Vikram" Caroline was perched on a bar stool, whiskey in hand, as she met Kol's slightly drunken gaze. They had left the White House in high spirits and found this pretty little bar run by witches with the most magical drinks. She had waited for Kol to have a few drinks before broaching the subject of Vikram because he had seemed upset when they came across his portrait. And, she wanted to know. He had listened to her cries and complaints and offered up his shoulder and she wanted to do the same.

Images of Vikram attacked Kol. Vikram with his witty dark eyes and knowing smiles. Vikram dressed in his green and gold uniform serving the imperious Akbar the Great until Akbar learnt the truth. Vikram being dragged away by the cruel guards after Nik had exposed him to the Court. He took a deep breath and met Caroline's clear blue eyes. He knew she had been waiting. She had thought getting him drunk would make him confess. But, the truth was that he had never a soul to hear his sorrows and here Caroline was waiting. She wanted to hear his pain. And, he had always wanted to share it. "He was a military commander for the Emperor Akbar" He paused as he recalled the way they used to spar. "And, he was also a witch which was very heavily frowned on at the time so it was a secret. A secret that he shared with me. A secret that got him killed" Kol's face was inscrutable save for the slight twitch in his jaw.

"What happened, Kol?" Caroline took his hand with a reassuring glance. She had never seen the Original care so much except when it concerned his siblings. It was not a grief of tears for show nor loud sobs to garner attention but it was a grief that hid in his eyes. And, it unnerved Caroline slightly. She was accustomed to the cocky, devil may care Kol. She was used to his playful behaviour and endless flirting. But, a saddened Kol? That she instinctively knew was unusual.

Kol could feel the anger rising within him. It had been five hundred years but the pattern had continued. He would love again and again. And, his siblings would ruin it again and again. Finn with his disdainful disapproval, Elijah with his insistence on family, Nik with his paranoia and Bekah with her unending jealousy. But, he could not blame Bekah. She too had suffered at the hands of Elijah and Klaus. And, he had played his part in warning off unsuitable suitors. It was what they did as a family. They destroyed every relationship with a smile. "Nik happened" His lip curled in disgust. "He travelled from bloody Copenhagen to use Vikram after one of his little spies told him that Vikram might be able to make him into a hybrid" The rage was clearly expressed on his face. The composure that he had been trying to maintain was broken. "But, I told Nik that he wasn't going to use my lover for his own selfish purposes. Vikram didn't want to help him"

Caroline's eyes widened in understanding. Refusing to help Klaus was a death sentence. She leant forward and hugged him. "I'm so sorry, Kol" His eyes were bright with rage and she could feel the anger coursing through his body as he shook slightly.

"So, Nik told Akbar in his own bastard way that my Vikram was a witch!" Kol's voice rose slightly. "And, Akbar had him imprisoned. That's when I went to break him out and found Klaus standing over my darling's body smeared in blood" Kol crushed his glass between his fingers. He was dimly aware of Caroline's arms wrapped around him as he nearly toppled off the bar stool. "He killed him because of me. The same way Davina died because of me. The way everyone I've ever loved died because of me" Kol felt the pain burst within his chest and felt Caroline manoeuvre his head onto her shoulder. He wanted to rip this world apart. Leave it nothing but ashes with streams of blood and piles of rotting flesh.

She did not realise she had shed tears until Kol pulled away with vengeance lit up in his dark brown eyes. She reached out for his hand once more. "It was not your fault, Kol. It was never your fault" She saw him as he stood poised to leave. She recognised the expression on his face. It was that of a predator. "Klaus did that. Not you. Klaus killed him" He stood unmoving. She regretted bringing the topic up. She didn't want Kol to kill Klaus. She didn't want Kol to leave.

"Nik deserves everything coming to him" Kol saw the way Caroline worried. She was worried and upset for him. Or was she? A darkly cruel voice whispered that he could kill the little blonde right now and make Nik feel the pain he felt a thousand times over. Or, he could torture her and deny her death. He could rip her delicate body into a thousand tiny pieces. He felt her hand on his shoulder. He breathed in deeply. Rage still clouded his vision but he would not take it out on Caroline. She had been an unexpected light in these dark days. He focused on her tense blue eyes. It was odd. She was not worried about him hurting her. She was stood there unafraid. She was worried about him. He let off a slightly hysterical laugh. What a partner he had found. "But, let's not worry about that, sweets" His tone was lighter and more carefree though there was still a tinge of anger. "Where do you fancy going next, darling?"

Caroline was surprised by how Kol stopped himself from acting upon his darkest and most depraved impulses. She could not read his mind but rather could imagine the vengeance he would inflict. She would never want to be on his bad side. But, he had not acted in anger against her. She knew she was so often used as a tool against Klaus and yet here his own brother would not do so. She felt Kol's arm wind itself round her shoulder. "I think we should go to New York, pumpkin" She emphasised the last word with a playful smile to loosen the tension.

"Your wish is my command, Princess Barbie" Kol bowed exaggeratedly. He was gratified by the sight of Caroline rolling her eyes and sticking her tongue out. It was really quite strange the effect the baby vampire had upon him. The rage was slowly ebbing out of him spurred on by the blonde's playfulness and mischief. She was his friend despite how odd he had initially found the idea. She was there for him. And, he would be there for her. That he vowed to himself as he bickered with her back and forth on their way to their new car, a stylish Lamborghini that he had compelled from an irritating playboy.

A/N Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it!