The first couple of days during Kol and Emma's stay in the Bahamas had been spent exploring Nassau and the New Providence Island. Walking through hidden streets and admiring the corners of the city that remained hidden from ordinary tourists. However, there was one part Emma had been looking forward to quite a lot. And if the boat that was waiting by the dock when Kol led her outside, today seemed to be the day they were getting to do that.

"I'm starting to think I might like this surprise you have planned." Emma smiled up at the man walking next to her, his hand in hers. He smiled down at her, but it was one of those smiles she knew so well by now, one that told her she wasn't guessing nearly half of what he had planned.

"I told you you will, darling." He pointed out, his voice entirely confident and making Emma roll her eyes at his back as he climbed down into the same boat with which they travelled on their first day here. He turned back to her only after she'd done it, extending his hand and helping her climb down as well.

"You know how I feel about surprises and guessing things." Emma pointed out after greeting the familiar captain once she was on board. Expectant eyes turned back to Kol, hoping he'd give in and tell her what he'd planned for the day. But the Mikaelson's lips remained locked shut as the boat set out to sea. "Just a clue, please?"

"Fine, fine." Kol finally relented, pulling her over to sit down on one of the cushioned benches beside him. "We're going to Rose Island." He announced, and with a victorious smirk, Emma pulled out her phone instantly.

"Rose Island. Okay. What does it say about Rose Island?" She mumbled to herself, starting to type the name into the search bar while Kol laughed at her from his own spot.

"You won't find any clues on your Wiki-thing." He teased her, the lack of effort put into saying Wikipedia making Emma burst out laughing in amusement. And while she found it funny, it wasn't enough to discourage her from still looking.

"The island has no formal residential infrastructure or roads. So not some town or anything architectural. Unless its ruins of something that used to be there?" She read off of her phone, glancing at him as she spoke in an attempt to catch any changes on his face. There were none. "The largest mass of the island is made up of a shallow inland lagoon in the centre of the island. A lagoon sounds pretty. And I don't think you're the type for a pineapple plantation tour."

"Emma, I told you, you won't find clues on your device." Kol pried the phone from her hands, laughing at the pouting face she directed at him. "You'll like this surprise, trust me."

"I do trust you." She pointed out, wanting to be clear on that fact. "But I still don't like surprises." Emma added on the most important thing of all, listening to the laugh that followed.

To distract her from her distaste of surprises, Kol started to tell Emma a story about one of the witches he knew during his time in the Caribbean and about some of the magical items which they managed to steal from some of the pirate ships. He told her about the spells they created together and kept records of in one of her grimoires.

"Do you know where any of those things are today?" She asked curiously. Emma already knew that Kol took some of the things he'd gathered here when he went to join his family back in Europe, but she wasn't sure what happened to any of them after he'd been daggered. "Did Klaus keep them for you?"

"I know where they are." Kol smirked, looking pleased with himself, but before Emma could question him on it further, the sound of their Captain calling out caught both of their attention.

The announcement that they'd arrived made Emma look towards the island which had been drawing closer and closer as time passed. However, while she'd noticed some boats lingering on its shores from a distance, the side of the island which they found themselves on now seemed to be entirely empty of all tourists or locals.

Jagged rocks marred the shore, rising slightly into the air and making any idea of climbing them seem like a terrible choice for a surprise. "You're carrying me if we have to go that way." She announced to him, making the Mikaelson chuckle as he pulled her out of the seat.

"It's a good thing we're not going up then. We're swimming there." He shared mysteriously. For a moment Emma wanted to ask more, curious about what that might mean, but she didn't for two reasons.

One was that she knew she'd just get more evasive answers and 'It's a surprise.' lines, and the other, the one she wouldn't admit out loud was getting distracted. No matter how many times she'd seen it before, the sight of Kol taking off his shirt certainly made her quiet down. At least until she regained her senses again.

"You did that on purpose." She scolded, but the smile on her face showed how much she truly didn't mind. Slipping out of her own clothes until she was left only in her bathing suit, she let her eyes glance around again, trying to find where they might be going.

"Come on. It's not a long way to it." Kol took her hand, leading to the edge of the boat where the captain had already opened up a space from which they could jump into the water. "You do know how to swim right?" Kol asked in a teasing voice, making her send him an unamused look.

"We went swimming yesterday." She deadpanned.

"Well... We didn't really do much of that, did we?" He questioned flirtatiously, expecting her to laugh as she always did. Instead, Emma surprised him as she placed her hands on his back, giving it a quick shove and pushing him into the water.

She followed after him, jumping head-first into the bright blue ocean, enjoying as the cool water engulfed her. Once she rose back to the surface, she could hear him laughing right next to her.

"Come on then, lead the way before I grow too impatient and drown you." She threatened in a teasing voice, one that Kol didn't take seriously at all. His hands wrapped around her waist instead, pulling her towards him.

"I'm sure I can talk you out of it." He suggested, placing a short kiss to her lips and making Emma giggle at the action. But just like him, she didn't relent. If he was insisting on surprises, she was insisting on them happening as soon as possible.

"I don't have all day, Kol." She sent him a pointed look, swimming away before he could reach for her again, because he was right. He could most certainly talk her out of it. But she wouldn't let him. And so he was left with no other choice but to laugh as he finally gave in, motioning for her to follow him as he started to lead the way.

Swimming through the warm water, Emma took in the island in front of them as they drew closer and closer to the rocky shores. However, she remained unable to see where it was that Kol was leading until the last second. She watched him as he swam slightly ahead of her and only once he reached for some of the vines and leaves falling over the rocks and into the water did she see what they were hiding.

An opening in the rocks, wide and spacious, seemed to be leading into a short tunnel like structure beneath the island. She could see the light at the end of it, rays of sun spreading through the water, but not much more. Sending Kol a curious look, she easily noted the proud smirk which had appeared on his face at some point. Whatever was on the other end was obviously important to him. And so without hesitation, she started swimming through the rocky tunnel.

She'd never been scared of tunnels or caves. And even if she had been, the beauty of this one would be enough to distract her from the fear, Emma believed. The ocean reflected blue and green light against the rock, currents swimming on their dark surface as the two of them moved through it.

Only once they reached the opening on the other side did her eyes take in the rest of the cave-like formation. The nature alone was beautiful, vines and flowers spreading out from the walls, illuminated by a multitude of smaller openings in the ceiling of the cave. However, that wasn't the most important part.

Once Emma's eyes turned towards the raised shore circling around the pool within the cave, she noticed all of the objects littered among the surfaces of rocks and even tables that were scattered around. Sights of gold and jewels and numerous objects she couldn't recognize made her eyes widen as she turned to her guide.

"What is this place?" She asked in surprise, a thousand questions swarming her mind as they swam to the edge of the water. Kol pulled himself up by the edges first, quickly after helping pull Emma from the water with ease.

With their feet planted on the sandy ground, he finally answered her first question. "It's my hiding place." He revealed. "This is where I brought and hid all the items I didn't take to Spain with me." He explained, watching her approach one of the tables, her hands hovering above the objects placed on it. By the look on her face, it was easy to guess what she was realizing as she stood there. Emma could feel all of the magic coursing through the cave now, wafting off of the many objects inside of it and from the cave itself.

"How is it still here? How has no one found it?" She finally looked away from the table, knowing he'd explain every item she wondered about in due time. But the untouched appearance of everything she looked at was what surprised her the most in that moment. "And how did it remain so well preserved?"

"Why magic, of course." Kol said like it was the most obvious thing of all. And once she got the answer, Emma figured that it really was. "I befriended a witch who helped me maintain and hide everything in here. Her grimoire is somewhere around here too, I'll show you the spells she used."

"So we can start making our own hiding places?" Emma asked with a smile sent in his direction, one that he happily returned. "What kind of spells are there?" And, of course, she couldn't wait to get her hands on an actual grimoire. Not just her own or her father's scribbles which were now gone.

"Hiding and concealment spells, and even some she created herself. The most important being one which she used to make whoever came close and saw the entrance see it as a scary dark tunnel, entirely unappealing." He explained while rummaging through some of the chests in search of the grimoire itself.

"Huh, kind of like Hogwarts." Emma mumbled in an impressed tone, speaking more to herself than she was to him.

"It's not hogwash, darling, I assure you, it's all very real." Kol's corrected, voice completely serious as he thought she didn't believe him. And it only made Emma burst out laughing in amusement.

"Yeah, I'm taking over your pop culture education because this is just blasphemy."

The confused look on his face only made her laugh even more.