The Vampire Diaries

"People don't think when they're hurting and Kols hurting them by lashing out."

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"I love you." Eri whispered.

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"I'd lose him."

"He's lashing out because he's hurting terrified though, mum. Terrified he'll kill them, and he's hurting… haunted. You'll understand if you see him."

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"If you want to walk would that be a bad thing ? Either you sort things out or you'll do what you actually want to do." Tamara whispered.

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"I love you too,"

"I don't want to walk, it just feels like an option sometimes"

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Eri grinned and rested her head on his chest.

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"I know, but it's like a vicious circle."

"I'll talk to Adrian if you talk to Adam." Tamara whispered.

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"But it's not his fault, mum. It's not him that needs to reel it in, it's others that have to be a little understanding. They haven't gone through what he has the past seventeen years so they need to be a bit understanding of him."

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Karl smiled.

((You forgot me Beth))

"Like I said, it's hard when someone's lashing out at you to be calm..."

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"Looks like we have our work cut out, mm?"

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Olivia shook her head. "Adrian wouldn't leave you. Adam would leave me.

"You choose one," Camila replied quietly.

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"I manage it," Astrid whispered quietly. "It's not that hard.•

Tatia sighed at that.

"It isn't though, mum, stop sighing. Everyone tip-toes around you and puts up when you snap after not seeing you for a while, they need to be like that with him too. He's been through hell, he's been through some real bad stuff and it's not too much for ask for people to understand that and not to take what he says to heart."

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"If he loved you he wouldn't, and if he doesn't love you enough to stay with you then you don't need him."

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"Mhm," Karl hummed.

Matteo crossed the room and pulled one from a stack on the wall setting it up and hitting play before sitting on his bed. "You can sit down you know." He teased gently.

"I think, it's only right to talk to Ivar first. Smooth things over with him .."

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"Well it's not easy Astrid, not always."

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"Love isn't enough sometimes

"So it's so easy for people to be okay and gentle with you but not with Kol? How does that work, hm? I'm sick of how people aren't being understanding of him, he's been through something worse than you, worse than death."

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Karl just shook his head in response, "That's fine."

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"It should be enough."

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"You sure?" She asked with a laugh.

"Unless you feel like standing the whole time, that's fine by me too." He laughed.

"Thanks Astrid." Tatia muttered, moving her arms away.

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"Just so he doesn't see me and wonder what's going on."

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"Sometimes it isn't."

"He has," Astrid mumbled, "Don't take offence, he has."

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Karl nodded in agreement.

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"Why not?" Tamara asked, "I don't get how love isn't enough, relationships are built on love and trust. Purely on that."

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She laughed and sat beside him.

He grinned at her when she finally sat down.

"If I wanted to hear about how little I've apparently suffered I'll ask you to tell me." Tatia said quietly, struggling to get to her feet and leaning against the walls as she walked away.

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"You sure you're okay with it?"

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"I loved Kol. But I couldn't have had a relationship with him, even before Adam, before Astrid. Just because you love someone doesn't mean it'll work between you."

"Not really, there are different kinds of love. A certain love is all that matters, you need in a relationship. I don't understand how there is anymore to it, if there is no love in a relationship then what's the point of a relationship?"

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Karl nodded in response to that.

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Astrid made a noise of discontent, grabbing her mothers hand and showing her what Kol had been like, and how she had found him. Hoping it'd make her understand what she meant.

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"So, what're we watching?"

"I forget how young and naive you are sometimes. That you've only been with Adrian... Sometimes you can have all the right components for a relationship and it just doesn't work."

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Eri nodded, teaching over and pressing her thumb against Ragnars candle in thought.

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Tatia flinched, not expecting it and batted Astrids hand back. "Don't do that ever again!" She hissed.

"Some vampire, werewolf thing" he shrugged having purposely put it on to see how she'd act about it.

"Don't what? Show you? Show you what he's like, how I found him so you understand and don't get oissy and make out like I'm an awful daughter like you do? Sorry for trying to make you understand."  Astrid muttered, flinching when her mother batted her hand away.

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"I haven't only been with Adrian, it's not like he was my first boyfriend. I had some before him and they were all vile, vile users." Tamara replied with a shake of her head,  "Just talk to Adam, sort out your issues with him. If he loves you he'll stay, if not then you don't need him. A relationship without requited love isn't a relationship at all." she mumbled before getting to her feet to leave.

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He watched her silently.

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"That's cheesey," Camila grimaced, "Is it one of those cheesey bad ones or a decent one?"

"He always wanted loads of little brothers and sisters." Eri whispered.

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Olivia sighed and watched her.

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"Go. Leave. Back to your precious Kol."

"Next time I'll go to talk to dad and my brother," Astrid hissed, getting to her feet and just leaving without a word.

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"Well, he got lots of siblings as soon as we married. Now he'll get another." Karl smiled.

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"Thanks for the advice though…. I'll try and visit more often." Tamara whispered before heading out.

"You do that, because who're dad's so much better than I am at parenting."

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Olivia watched her go.

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"I want to speak to my uncle? Or whatever he is to me, Klaus. I've seen the drawings he's done, paintings. I want to show him my sons. If I can't have a photograph a painting is the next best thing."

"What's the difference?" He asked smirking at her and sliding the cover of the movie across the bed to her.