"Who the fuck are you?"

That was the first thing that came out of my mouth the next night, as I woke up only to find a stranger, eating toast and drinking my tea, kicking his feet back and forth as he sat on my counter.

The man said nothing, just smiled at me while continuing to chew on his toast. But then, I remembered that this was probably nothing. I mean, think about it. If he wanted to hurt me, he would have done so already. If he wanted to kill me, he wouldn't have wasted time making himself at home. If he were an enemy, he would have stated his case by now. But, if I'm being honest, I really don't care at this point.

So, I shrugged and approached the boy, taking one of his many pieces of buttered toast and taking a bite, savoring it.

"Okay, you little criminal," I spoke after swallowing. "You can make a damn fine piece of toast, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. But who the hell are you and what the hell are you doing in my apartment?"

"Oh, my brothers haven't bothered to mention me then?" He asked with a little scoff. "How typical."

Looking at him, and now hearing his funny little accent, I put the pieces (of toast) together.

"You're a Mikaelson," I rolled my eyes. "Of course you are."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"You're the only little assholes who would make themselves that comfortable in my apartment." I smirked, feeling more at ease knowing that he was the little brother of the two men I trusted more than anyone. "How the hell did you even get in here, anyways?"

"I'm a Mikaelson, darling," He retorted, mimicking my face. "We always find a way."

"...I was talking in my sleep, wasn't I?"

"And what an adorable sleep-talker you are."

"I know," I said nonchalantly, stealing another piece of his toast. "I'm always adorable. Do your brothers know you're here?"

"Mhm. Asked me to keep watch."

"You're here to watch my cat while I go to work! Wow, thanks!"

"You have a cat?"

Wiggling my nose, I summoned up a black cat and sent it into the Original's arms with a smirk.

"Now I do." I said smugly. "Kol/Finn Mikelson, meet... Salem. Yeah, Salem."

"Wait, what?! I'm not here for your cat, I'm here for you." He argued, shaking his head as if to get back on track. "And for the record, I'm Kol. The best looking Original."

"Well, Kol, I don't know why you're here, or why the hell Klaus and Elijah sent you here, but really, it's not really needed. Now, if you could stay with Salem for a while whilst I'm at work, that would be great."

"Why don't you just conjure up some money and quit your job instead?"

"Because if I did, that would cause inflation. I'm not about to fuck up the economy."

Shaking his head, I wiggled my hips a little bit, quickly changing clothes and getting my hair and make-up done. God, what do normal people do without magic?

"I'm going to work. Bye, Kol! Bye, Salem!"

"You're not going anywhere!" Kol whined.

"And why is that?"

"Because Marcel is preparing to go to war."

My brow furrowed, now confused at the younger Mikaelson's words.

"What?" I asked him. "When the hell did you hear this?"

"Klaus called me last night." He sighed. "Apparently Marcel has been spending all this time planning a strike upon you and my brothers. They asked me to watch and protect you while they sort out things with Marcel."

Clenching my jaw, I let out a low growl.

"If he thinks that he can stop me, he needs to get his head out of his ass." I swore. "I have the witches and the fucking Original family behind me, not to mention that I am quite literally a queen. Who the fuck does he think he is, trying to strike against me?"

"The King of the Quarter, apparently." Kol rolled his eyes. "But, yes, that's why you're not going to work."

"Oh, I'm still going."

"What?"

"He's not stopping me from living my life. If I stay here, it will show him that I'm scared, but I don't have anything to fear. He can't touch me. If I show him who the hell is boss, he'll go back to being his boring little self. I'm going to work, whether y'all like it or not."

"Then I have no other choice but to come with you."

"Fine by me."

"But only if I can bring Salem!"

"...Deal."

So we were off, showing up to my workplace with an Original and a cat. And because I was the pettiest thing to ever grace the earth, I insisted that we walk there, drawing as much attention as we could to ourselves intentionally. If Marcel wants to wage a war upon me and my friends, he'd get one.

"Ophelia?" Asked Dylan upon my entrance. "Why is there a man carrying a cat following you?"

"Dylan, this is Kol. Kol, this is Dylan." I introduced instead of answering. "He's a friend of mine, and the cat is also mine."

"You have a cat?"

"You didn't know?" Kol said sarcastically, holding up the cat. "And... he has a name. Yeah, I just checked and it's a boy. His name is Salem, since you're oblivious."

"Another British guy?" Dylan asked. "Do you just pull them out of a hat or something, Oph?"

"Try a coffin."

"He's new to town and needed someone to show him around," I spoke, ignoring Kol's comment. "And since Klaus and Elijah are busy with matters of their own, I got stuck with him."

"Oh, he knows the other British guys?"

"Try another brother."

"Can you say anything else?"

"Try a no."

Rolling my eyes, I walked behind the counter and kissed Dylan on the cheek, trying to ignore the flashing image of Klaus that passed through my mind.

"He'll be gone as soon as his brothers are off of work, I promise." I smiled sweetly. "He could even work if you wanted."

"I'll what?!"

"And the cat?"

"His name is Salem!"

"Hopefully he can stay here for a while...?" I asked. "Kol wouldn't leave the house without him―"

"We have a bond."

"―and he adds to the whole aesthetic of the store. People see a cute black cat in the window of the shop? They'll want to come in and see him."

"...Fine." Dylan rolled his eyes, flashing a crooked grin. "They can stay. But only because you're looking extra pretty today and Alec called in sick today."

"You're the best!" I squealed, kissing his cheek again.

"You so owe me."

"And what did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking a lovely dinner with a lovelier girl."

"Can Salem and I come?"

"No."