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𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 - 𝐂𝐡. 10
"𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈
𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒓?"

┗━━━                                             ━━━┛

— KOL DIDN'T HAVE THE ANSWERS,
and he knew she didn't really want them anyway, she just wanted to be held, safe and loved, however, he did have a question, one he couldn't stop himself from asking, "Who did you promise, gem?"

Skyler nearly whimpered, tears streamed down her face, and she could barely force herself to lift her head in order to look Kol in the eyes like he deserved as she answered, "My mom. I promised my mom."

"Your mom?" Kol was shocked, Skyler rarely spoke of her parents, truthfully she didn't speak of her human years much at all though she had told him everything that mattered... but when it came to her parents, it was all blurred over, they were included in memories she'd speak of but never the focus. She glossed over them like they weren't important, like they were simply a part of her past and nothing more, and he never spoke of it. If anyone understood parental issues, it was the Mikaelsons.

Skyler pulled away from him, wanting distance in her sadness but craving his touch. She grasped his hand tightly as she sniffled, and attempted to brush away her tears with her hand. It was no use, more replaced them almost instantly. She looked away, and began to speak as Kol went silent, patiently waiting for her next words but ready if that was all she wanted to say.

"My father hid it from us, but we knew she was sick. She always hid in her room, her eyes got darker and darker, and even before she died she was a ghost. Thin and sickly. Stefan and I were too young to really understand, Damon tried to explain it since father wouldn't. Stefan still didn't understand, but I did."

"Damon and I, we started spending more time with her because we didn't know how long she would be there. Damon started fighting with father more then too, so I would hide upstairs with her while Stefan ignored everything and played outside."

"The last week, we knew it was coming, and I started avoiding her. I didn't want to see her go, I thought if I avoided her all together, it wouldn't have to be real. But she called me in to her room one day, and talked with me about it. Comforted me, and then made me promise to always protect my brothers, because she couldn't anymore. Not from father or the world."

She looked at him, and he broke at the raw pain and sadness that seeped from her very being, "I promised, Kol. I promised her." Sobs wracked her body, "And now I'm supposed to betray them and just move on?"

"No." He whispered like he was the one breaking in front of her, her pain oozed into him and nearly brought him to tears, "No. you don't have to do anything, Skyler. I know my brother wants the doppelgänger but if it's too much... we all agree you're more important."

Skyler shook her head defiantly, "I don't care for the doppelgänger. I just wish giving her to Nik didn't mean betraying my brothers and leaving them stranded." She sighed, "I want to continue the plan, and I will. For Nik. He needs this, Kol. He needs to break this curse so he can be free of your mother finally."

"And what of your mother?" Kol questioned without being able to stop himself, "Will you be able to withstand breaking the promise you made to her?"

"I will have to."

"But you don't." He nearly cried out, frustrating sadness encompassed him as he witnessed her defeat, "You don't have to, Skyler."

She pulled their hands apart, stubbornness ruling her as she stood. "I have to go, my brothers might start suspecting..."

He stood after her, abrupt and full of anger, not at her but for her. "Let them suspect! Hell, let them know! The whole town can know, I don't care. They can know we're married, that you're a Mikaelson, and they can love you or we can leave. It doesn't matter." He was desperate for her understanding. He needed her to know that she was the most important thing, not the plan or even the doppelgänger herself. "You matter, gem."

"The plan does too! The plan matters, I told Nik. I promised him."

"Who cares for promises?!" He snapped, "they don't matter, not when they're hurting you. What matters is you. You and I. Us, together. That's what matters."

Skyler shook her head, "I know, mio cuore. I know. But I have to do this." She smiled softly, sadly, he wanted to reach out and hold her close but he stopped himself, "I'll come back, I always do. Until then I know you're not far."

He wanted to protest, to argue and persuade her to just forget the plan and leave with him, she wouldn't have to hurt her brothers or Klaus, but deep down he knew it wouldn't change a thing. She had already decided. So he sighed, and pulled her into a passionate kiss, one that told her everything he couldn't say, and when he pulled away he whispered to her the only thing that mattered, "I love you, ástin min."

She smiled, tears brewing in her eyes once more, "I love you, mon cœur."

"I don't know what to do." She admitted after a moment of silence as they held each other.

Kol looked her in the eyes, "Honestly, darling? I don't either. But we have each other, no matter what happens. Always."

"And forever." She smiled once more, and laid her head against his chest. The height difference was something Kol often teased about, he was 6'2", and she was 5'6", however as he held her close, he didn't much mind, how could he? She fit perfectly in his arms.

He kissed her once more, it came easier this time. The kiss was softer, but never less passionate. They just had different meanings — while the previous kiss told her of his frustration, hurt, and love for her, this kiss served as a reminder that he was here and she was safe.

Barely pulling away from her lips, Kol picked her up and laid down on the bed with her. She relaxed instantly, and moved impossibly closer to him as they settled together.

She had decided, the plan would go on, even if it hurt her brothers... or her. It was not something he agreed with, but he knew he couldn't sway her, so instead he held her. A reminder he would be here no matter what that town and the rest of the world threw at them. His kiss told her he was here and not going anywhere, same as her touch and pull, gripping at his shirt, thanked him and promised him the same. Their bond, their everything, told each other they loved each other. This was what mattered, the rest of the world could wait.

ೃ⁀➷
1,260 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔

╰┈➤ words from the author

A bit of a shorter chapter that is pretty much a filler but a cute one so it's fine.
I'm not sure exactly what happened before Lilian Salvatore was gone from the Salvatore family in canon so I may be wrong in my interpretation what I've found is that she died from consumption when Stefan was 10. In this story, Lilian got sick as she did in the show, but Giuseppe sent her away later, when she had already gotten sicker. "The week before" Skyler references, is not when she died but rather the last time Skyler saw her, before her father took her away. Skyler and the brothers all believe she passed away soon after in the TB ward, though Giuseppe never spoke of it.

— Translations!!

I do not speak any of the languages, I simply looked up the translations so if any of them are wrong please don't hesitate to let me know.

Mio cuore — my heart in Italian
Mon cœur — my heart in French
Ástin min — my love in old Norse

Giuseppe was Italian, and although he wasn't a very good father or person, the Salvatore siblings did learn of this part of their ancestry from him.
Lilian was supposedly a Frenchwoman, who happily taught her children of her culture.
The Mikaelsons are said to be Vikings, so I used old Norse. No real reason for it, but I thought it'd be cool to add this in to show Kol's past since Skyler speaking Italian and French means a lot to her, I think speaking old Norse would mean a lot to Kol.