Breathing ∞ Kol Mikaelson [1]

[41]

Emma woke up to the feeling of the sun shining down on her face through the windows. It took her a short moment to remember the night before, explaining why she was somewhat confused by the unfamiliar bedroom until she was reminded that she spent the night at the Mikaelsons'. And another moment to dig herself out of the mountain of journals among which she'd fallen asleep.

Sitting up on top of the covers, she looked over the covers and pages around her and heaved a somewhat annoyed sigh. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting last night when she started scouring through them, but, of course, she found nothing. Only more cryptic allusions to her being something other than sick. She suspected whatever answers her father's words may have had for her, the journals which contained them had been confiscated.

With a small groan, she pushed one of the journals out of her way and swung her feet over the side of the bed, standing up and stretching her arms over her head as she moved over to the window to glance outside. The winter sun felt warm on her skin as it beamed through the glass, making her wonder just how late she'd slept in. She reached to the night-stand, hoping to grab her phone and check, only to find it missing.

"What the..." She whispered to herself, confused since she distinctly remembered putting it to charge right there the night before. Browns scrunching up, she looked towards the closed door of the bedroom before letting determined steps lead her towards it before she could chicken out and give into her wish to avoid the Mikaelsons, or rather a specific one, for the day.

The house seemed unusually quiet as she stepped out into the hallway, looking around her for any sign of life. And while there seemed to be none, Emma doubted that all three siblings had left the house, allowing her to roam around freely. At least not if Klaus had any say in it.

Her suspicions were only confirmed as she started to move around, soon enough able to hear sounds of movement coming from the kitchen. Only once she entered the room did she realize it might not have been the smartest idea, but at that point, it was too late.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." Kol seemed oddly chipper as he stood at the stove, the angle of his body preventing Emma from seeing what exactly he was making. That only made the confusion on her face more evident. "It's an old fairy tale about a-" He started to explain, thinking his reference may be too outdated for her to understand.

"I know who Sleeping Beauty is." Emma interrupted before he told her the whole fairy tale, holding back a small smile at how adorable some of his lost-in-time moments could be. "What are you doing?"

"Now, I know breakfast is surely still a thing." Kol said in a teasing tone, making Emma glare his way at the light jab. They both knew that was not what she meant. The way they'd left things last night, she wasn't expecting a joyful morning breakfast. "Rebekah mentioned your affinity for tea." He added on carelessly, probably pretending not to notice her questioning look as he pushed a cup towards her across the counter.

Emma reached for it, actually finding herself eager to drink some as she hadn't in a while. She didn't really worry about what might be in it. If anyone in this house wanted her dead, they didn't really need to put something in her tea to accomplish that. However, she still found herself surprised by its taste. Not because it was strange, but the opposite. After all this time, it took no effort for her to recognize the soft taste of vervain within the cup.

"There's vervain in this." She couldn't hold back the surprised comment as she pulled the cup away from her lips. Emma also noticed the smirk which spread over Kol's face as he took in her reaction.

"Well, we wouldn't want any big bad vampires messing around with that brilliant mind of yours, would we?" He questioned teasingly, making her send him a suspicious look.