The light of the TV danced across the walls, casting shadows with the only other source being the moon shining through the door of the terrace. The volume barely above a whisper was still enough for Kol to hear as the large green creature on the screen grumbled about how annoying everyone and everything around him is. For a Christmas move, it was quite relatable so far.

It was Emma who'd suggested watching it once he didn't understand yet another reference she made. However, instead of watching it with him, she'd fallen asleep quite early on. With her head in his lap, Kol's fingers gently played with her hair while he watched the movie alone. He didn't have the heart to wake her.

Despite the fact that they'd agreed to spend their Christmas peacefully without making much of a fuss about it, he knew the day had been hard on her. It was her first without her mother, and having it so close after everything that happened clearly didn't ease Emma's mind. He'd tried to brighten up the day as much as he could, but Kol knew there wasn't anything he could really do to make it better despite how much he wanted to.

Kol was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts, the focus he had on the movie broken as he felt Emma stir. Thinking she was waking up, his eyes glanced down at her, hands untangling from her hair. However, the sight of her face scrunched up as a soft whimper pushed past her lips, had Kol quickly shifting in his spot, trying to gently shake her awake and break the nightmare that seemed to be plaguing her dreams.

In his worry, he'd forgotten about the last time this happened, and so, for just a moment, surprise coursed through him as the pain spread through his hand once he reached for her arm to try and wake her. With a silent hiss of pain, he quickly retracted the hand, but the surge of magic she'd siphoned seemed to be enough to do the trick and wake her.

Abruptly sitting up, Emma's eyes wildly scanned her surroundings until she finally gathered her thoughts and realized where she was. And when she noticed the way Kol rubbed his hand to relieve the last of the pain, her face took on a guilty expression as she spoke. "I did it again, didn't I? I'm so sorry."

"Hey, it's alright, darling. Everything is alright." He gently whispered to her, his hands going to her face, knowing the siphoning wouldn't happen again now that she was in control. "Do you want to talk about the dream?"

Emma shook her head instantly. She hadn't even realized she was crying until she felt him wiping the tears that had slipped down her cheeks. She was sure she didn't want to talk about it and risk getting even more upset. The events of that night haunted her mind and dreams more often than she would admit. It was enough seeing the worry in Kol's eyes after the times he actually realized it was happening.

"Do you want to go back to sleep?" He didn't push her to talk or tell him what she'd dreamt. Kol simply moved on to the next question which once again got the same response as the previous.

Instead, Emma shifted in her spot, head leaning on his shoulder now, letting his arms wrap around her in a comforting embrace. Respecting her wishes, Kol reached for the remote, increasing the volume of the movie again so that she too could hear it as they let a silence laps between them while it played. And he simply held her, listening to her heart as it calmed down from the frantic rhythm. As she relaxed in his hold, Kol let out a soft breath of relief, starting to trace soft patterns against the skin of her arm while the movie played.

They went to bed quite late that night, and still, Emma was the first of the two to wake up by the time morning came. She didn't bother waking Kol, wanting to let him sleep in to make up for the rest he'd lost the night before. Because of that, she found herself standing alone on the terrace, a map spread out on the table in front of her as she put the magic she'd siphoned last night to good use.

The nightmare had rattled her more so than it usually did, and because of that, Emma was doing the only thing she could, hoping it would ease her mind at least a little. The magic itself was already doing it in a way as she chanted the familiar words, eyes closed as she felt it course through her, allowing her to ignore the soft sting of the shallow cut on her palm.

Only when she felt the spell was finished did Emma open her eyes, glancing down at the map of the world and sighing a breath of relief when she took in the spot where the blood had moved and pooled together.

She didn't question what her father was doing in Alaska, finding only relief in the distance which separated them instead. She couldn't be sure if he'd discovered she was still alive by now, but she knew the cloaking spells she'd placed on both herself and Kol would keep him away.

The sound of the sliding doors being pushed open had Emma tearing her eyes away from the drawn peninsula and looking over to Kol as he made his way out of the home and towards her. She easily noticed the glass of red liquid in his hands as he extended it towards her without an explanation. She didn't need one either, nor did she protest before quickly drinking the blood and feeling her hand heal up again as if nothing happened.

As she set it back down on the table, Kol's hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her close while his own eyes took in the map. For a couple of moments he remained silent, but it didn't last too long before he let his thoughts be known.

"You never told me how often you need it." He pointed out, slightly nodding his head towards the now empty cup so Emma could understand what it was he was referring to with his words. He was talking about the blood which kept her alive and her disease from getting worse.

"According to my mum and doctor Fell it's supposed to be around once a month, depending on how things are." She said simply, not jumping into too many details even though she knew this time he would understand them. She'd caught him before, checking things up on the internet and trying to understand as much as possible. "I suppose I've stocked up quite a bit lately." She added on, unable to deny the fact that she was very well aware of the fact that she'd been feeling extremely well ever since they left Mystic Falls.

She felt his hand slip into one of the pockets in her dress as he pulled out the item she always kept close by. Her eyes remained focused on his face, trying to decipher what he was thinking or feeling as he spun her inhaler in his hands.

"You'll tell me if you're not feeling well, right?" Kol couldn't help but ask. He'd spoken with Rebekah about it the night that everything happened, learning from his sister just how much Emma hated talking about being sick and how little she shared of how it was making her feel.

"I will." Emma said gently, pulling the inhaler from his hand and slipping it back into her pocket before she turned to him fully. She wanted to make sure he believed her and didn't worry when it wasn't necessary. "I promise."

Kol nodded his head, accepting the answer as he leaned down to place a soft kiss to her forehead. What he didn't say out loud was that despite the promise he'd still worry even when she seemed to be fine. And a part of him hated it. He'd never had to feel this way; never cared if someone was sick or dying. And now here he was, holding back the things he wanted to say every time the topic was brought up.

However, Emma knew him well enough to be able to notice it in that moment. To notice the fact that he was holding something in. She had her own suspicions about what it may be. "With everything that happened, you never got a chance to be mad at me."

But since her suspicions were wrong, all Kol could do in response was pull back a little so she could see the entirely confused look which now painted his face.

"I told you I want you to be honest with me, to not keep things from me the night we rescued Rebekah. But then I myself kept secrets and lied." She started to explain. "It was hypocritical, and you deserved to know. And to be mad at me about keeping it from you. But you've been so worried about me and what I'm feeling that we never talked about what you're feeling."

For a moment, all Kol could do was shake his head as he finally understood what she was asking him about. His hand moved from her waist to intertwine their fingers together as he spoke up. "I already knew, darling."

Her eyes jumped up to his face in surprise. "Someone told you?" She questioned, expecting one of his siblings had spilled the secret at some point. Her first suspect was Klaus, but she couldn't forget the way Rebekah had been trying to convince her to do so either.

"No one told me." Kol said honestly, making her brows scrunch up in confusion. "All I knew was that something's wrong, but not the details." He explained.

"How?"

"I'm a vampire, Emma. All of my senses are heightened." A small smile of amusement spread over his face as her surprise continued. He liked knowing that she wasn't the only one that was so good at reading the other. "You think I can't hear every time you struggle to catch your breath? The way your heart speeds up when, for just a moment, you can't and you get scared?" His hand reached up to her face, fingers gently brushing the skin around her eyes as he continued. "I see every crease in your face, the pain every coughing fit causes you. I've suspected something since the first night I met you, by the second I knew."

"But you haven't asked or said anything?" Emma couldn't help but wonder. Every time people even suspected something they'd bombard her with questions or suggestions, trying to be helpful while in reality the only thing it did was annoy her. She'd heard enough of it since she first learned she was sick.

"It's your life, darling. And while I..." For a moment, Kol hesitated, realizing what nearly slipped out as he spoke. For a moment, he wasn't sure whether he should say what he wanted to, fearing it may be too much of an admission that would lead to others. A moment later he pushed those thoughts away, ignoring the way his heart sped up at the as he spoke. "While I wish for it to be as long as possible, and perhaps even longer, it is not my choice to make."

And as she listened to his words, letting them register in her mind, Emma was left speechless. Her whole life, she'd spent listening to people and their opinions on how she should live her life. Her own other had pushed her into thing she didn't even know were happening for years. Both Klaus and Rebekah had gone as far as offering to turn her.

And here Kol stood, revealing that he had his own opinions, that he wanted the same. But he never said it. He never pushed her or even asked. He respected the choices she made and let her make them. Emma couldn't remember the last time someone had done that.

Realizing the words playing around her mind weren't about to come out any time soon, she did the next best thing. With her arms wrapping around his neck, she pulled him down, her lips brushing against his. Instantly he kissed her back. And Emma could only hope that the kiss was telling him all the things she wasn't brave enough to voice out loud just yet.