A/N: I come from a long line of procrastinators, but this is ridiculous. The Vampire Diaries was still on the air when I started writing this. Then I thought I would revise it and post if for this year's bookai week on tumblr and I still didn't finish until now. So I am now posting a Halloween fic on the day after Thanksgiving. Shameful. I stopped watching the show during season five then picked back up for bonkai in season six then stopped again when I realized they were only going to continue to pay Bonnie dust, so I apologize for any details I may have gotten wrong. This fic contains vague spoilers for a couple of old movies.

It didn't really surprise Bonnie that Halloween would be one of Kai's favorite holidays and he had gone all out with the decorations. The pumpkin under Bonnie's arm seemed to grow even heavier when she realized how unnecessary it was to have brought it. The winding driveway leading up to the front door was already littered with jack o lanterns. Each one bearing a different, grotesque carved expression. The front porch was covered with fake spiderwebs, cartoon cut outs of witches and skeletons posed in a variety of compromising positions. He had done his best to make Lockwood Manor look like a haunted house. Bonnie thought the outside of the house looked sufficiently spooky but knew it didn't compare to the scariness of the monster currently dwelling inside.

The post it note stuck to the front door read, "Come on in" in Kai's neat, blocky handwriting; a demented looking smiley face hastily drawn in the corner. Bonnie let herself into the Lockwood house, trying to ignore the general sense of unease that had been hovering over her all day. It was bad enough that they were even having a get together here in the first place but the fact that somehow, she was the only one whose schedule would allow her to get there first and get things set up left a sour taste in her mouth.

It had been a while since Bonnie and her friends had all been in the same room for reasons that weren't life threatening, so Elena had suggested that with Halloween approaching, it would be a great time to get together and watch a bunch of scary movies. Horrible events that were confined to a screen and happening to other people seemed like a nice change of pace. Also, the thought of a get together that had almost zero potential to end in bloodshed was appealing.

There was one problem however, they didn't really have anywhere to host said movie night. The dorm room was too small, casa Gilbert was no more and neither Bonnie or Caroline had stepped foot in their homes in over a year; there were too many memories of lost loved ones in the places they grew up to imagine going to either place for a party.

Not even the boarding house was a viable option. Stefan and Damon's big, beautiful flat screen had been broken during some fight or other and they hadn't bothered to buy another one to replace it. Neither of them watched a lot of tv anyway. Bonnie supposed that drunken housewives, cooking shows and whatever teenage love triangle tripe the CW was offering, didn't have much appeal when you were over 100 years old.

There was a tv in Damon's bedroom that he claimed he only used to "hate-watch" Grey's Anatomy. Bonnie wondered if it really was hate-watching though, considering how misty-eyed Damon got when McDreamy bit it. That was all beside the point because there was no way Bonnie, Stefan, Caroline, Damon and Elena were all going to cram into Damon's bedroom (can you say awkward) to watch movies anyway.

They were kind of stumped until Caroline suggested an alternative: "Why not just go to Kai's place?" And by Kai's place she meant Tyler's. Kai had been squatting on the Lockwood property for so long that people had actually started referring to it as his. Bonnie had objected, but of course she had been unanimously overruled. There really weren't any better choices and the Lockwood estate did have an actual home theater.

Apparently socializing with Kai was a small price to pay for cushioned seats and surround sound.

Bonnie was less than thrilled about the situation but determined not to let having to be around Kai ruin the evening.

She made her way to the kitchen, put down the pumpkin, shrugged out of her coat and began to unpack the grocery bag she'd brought with her. She laid tomatoes, onions, garlic, jalapenos, cilantro and a couple of limes on the island and got a cutting board off the counter. She searched around for a bowl and found one in the cabinet over the stove. Bonnie stretched up onto the tips of her toes and had just about gotten her finger hooked over the edge of the bowl when it suddenly seemed to move further back out of her reach.

Bonnie leaned further in and just when she got her hand on the bowl, once again it seemed to move closer to the back of the cabinet. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Stop it, Kai."

"I'm not doing anything." Kai appeared so suddenly that Bonnie wondered if he had cloaked himself and been standing there watching her all the while. He had perfected the art of casually draping himself in doorways and there he stood, his hair damp, his chest bare and a black t-shirt thrown over his shoulder.

Bonnie turned to face him full on. "I know you moved that bowl out of my reach."

"Come on, Bonnie," Kai said attempting and failing to look innocent. "Do I seem like the kind of person to engage in that sort of pointless and immature behavior?"

"Yes, Kai. You seem exactly like that sort of person because you are exactly that sort of person."

"Don't be like that. I was just having a little fun and I don't see what the big deal is anyway. You do remember that you're a witch, right? You could have floated the stupid thing right into your hands."

"Yeah, well not all of us witches are powerful coven leaders with magic to spare."

"You're a Bennett. I seriously doubt that moving a bowl would tire you out." Kai scoffed.

"Whatever. My Grams taught me that it was a waste of energy to use magic for anything that I could do like a normal person."

Kai gave Bonnie an incredulous look. "That's terrible advice. You're not normal; you're extraordinary. Try acting like it and you might actually have some fun once in a while."

Bonnie ignored Kai, turning her back to him while she made another grab for the bowl.

"You are the most hard headed person I've ever met in my life." Kai slid in behind Bonnie and reached over her to pull the bowl down from the cabinet.

Bonnie's breath caught in her chest as she felt his body move against hers. For just a moment something in her brain went sideways and she wondered what it might feel like to lean back onto Kai's muscular frame; to let herself be overwhelmed by the warmth of his body and the clean soapy smell emanating from his skin. The moment passed as quickly as it came though and her common sense clicked back into place as she elbowed Kai in the stomach. "Are you even vaguely familiar with the concept of personal space?"

The bowl clanged against the counter as Kai unceremoniously dropped it from his hand. "Are you familiar with the concept of saying thank you?"

"As if I would ever thank you for anything." Bonnie grabbed a knife and began chopping tomatoes. She watched Kai out the corner of her eye, thankful as he finally shrugged into his t shirt and pulled it down over his torso.

He leaned against the island, his dark blue eyes locked on Bonnie. "So, you're the only one here?"

"Do you see anybody else?"

"The rest of the scooby gang is actually coming though, right?"

"Of course they are. Why would you even ask me that?"

"I'm just trying to make sure that I'm not being lured into some type of Netflix and chill situation."

Bonnie knew that she shouldn't be, but she was continuously amazed by some of the nonsense that made its way out of Kai's mouth. "First of all, ew. Second of all, what the hell would you know about Netflix and chill?"

"Call it whatever you want, but inviting someone over under the pretense of watching a movie just so you can get them alone in a dark room and start making moves is a tale as old as time. I'm sure there was some Neanderthal back in the day trying to get a woman to come over for cave drawings and chill."

"Elena and Damon are at the grocery store getting more snacks."

Kai's eyebrows shot straight up. "You're letting those two be in charge of the food? Don't be too surprised if they show up with nothing but a bag of gummy bears, a few pints of o-negative and a gallon of bourbon. What about vampire Barbie and Ken? Where are they?"

"If you're talking about Stefan and Caroline, he's picking her up from Whitmore. She has a late class on Fridays. They should all be here in a little while. You and I will not be alone and your virtue, such as it is, shall remain intact."

Kai made a dramatic show of rolling his eyes. "Bummer." A hint of a smile danced around his lips. "I'll be right back." He bounced out of the kitchen, humming to himself.

Bonnie resumed chopping tomatoes and wondered if that was going to be the new normal for her interactions with Kai. Ambiguous (and potentially sinister) hovering had been replaced with flagrant (and terrible) attempts at flirting.

Kai returned to the kitchen a few moments later. He took a couple of beers out of the fridge and opened them; he put one bottle down in front of Bonnie as he took a long drink from the other. "What are you making?"

"Salsa."

"I've heard that there's places called grocery stores where they sell salsa already made in jars."

"Do you really want to be a smart ass while I have this knife in my hand?"

Kai ignored Bonnie's threat. "Want some help?"

"No."

Kai washed his hands then grabbed another knife from the butcher's block. He stood beside Bonnie and began working on an onion.

Bonnie, understandably, was still somewhat wary of Kai with a sharp object in his hand, but after her initial apprehension passed they worked in a somewhat companionable silence. She thought it might not be so bad after all. Her friends would be there soon and then there would be four people to buffer the space between her and Kai. Damon especially always seemed quite eager to provide a barrier between Bonnie and Kai, both metaphorically and physically. All she had to do was hold on and hope that he could be quiet for just a little while longer.

"Hey, Bon." Kai's voice cut into Bonnie's thoughts; she should have known him being quiet wasn't going to last. "May I ask you a personal question?"

"If I say no, aren't you just going to ask me anyway?"

"You know me so well. How come you and Dudley Do Right never hooked up?"

"Why do you keep calling him that? You know his name is Matt."

Kai stared at Bonnie as though she had said something ridiculous. "And you know that I don't care. Stop trying to change the subject."

"There is no subject because I never agreed to have this conversation in the first place." Bonnie put down her knife and looked at Kai, curiosity getting the better of her. "Why do you want to know anyway?"

Kai shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I'm just curious. He's around. You've known him forever. You're hot. He's hot."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow at Kai. "You think Matt is hot?"

"I'm very comfortable with who I am so I've got no problem saying another guy is attractive. Young Matthew is quite handsome; in a bland, generic, Sears catalog model kind of way."

"How is it that even your compliments manage to be insults?"

"Just one of my many God given talents."

"I doubt that God has anything to do with any of your so-called talents."

"I can't really argue with that. Now let's get back on topic, Bonbon. Do you not think Matt is cute or were you worried you two would bore each other into a coma?"

"I don't know." Bonnie said while shrugging her shoulders. "I guess I've always thought of Matt in a brotherly way. Not to mention the fact that he and Elena were attached at the hip for as long as I could remember. Even after they broke up it was hard not to think of him as her boyfriend. Then he was with Caroline and had that thing with Rebekah. After that…." Bonnie voice trailed off.

Kai leaned in closer. "What?" Bonnie shook her head and looked away. "Come on, tell me."

"I don't know." Odd as it was, it felt good to finally voice her feelings out loud. Kai obviously would not have been her first choice for a confidante but at the very least she knew she could tell him anything, he wouldn't judge and wouldn't share it with anyone else.

"Matt's a great guy but there's never really been any kind of spark between us and even if there had been, I'm not interested in being anyone else's second or third or in Matt's case, fourth, choice. Been there, done that and it wasn't a whole lot of fun. The next relationship I'm in I need to know that I'm not somebody's consolation prize because they wanted someone else and settled for me. I need to be somebody's first choice."

Kai was silent for a moment. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Again, even if I say no, you're just going to keep talking anyway."

Kai shot a couple of finger guns in Bonnie's direction. "Exactly."

"In that case sure," Bonnie said, her voice dripping with fake enthusiasm. "I'd love to hear a secret."

"I've never had a girlfriend before."

"Shocking." Bonnie responded in a deadpan tone.

"I know right. These boyish good looks and devilish charms, I should have been beating the ladies off with a stick."

Bonnie wondered if her sarcasm had truly gone over Kai's head or if he was simply choosing to ignore it. "Not what I meant, at all, but okay."

"My father tried to keep it under wraps for as long as he could but by the time I was fourteen word was out amongst the coven that I was a magical dud and a budding sociopath to boot, so none of those girls were exactly beating a path to my door. Combine that with dear old dad's insistence that the family not fraternize with outsiders and that added up to a very empty social calendar for yours truly."

"So, you never went out with anybody? You didn't have any friends?"

"Not really. Sometimes I used to sneak into town. As useless and unbearable as I found most of the other kids in the coven, I've got to admit that nobody can conjure up a better fake ID than a bunch of bored, repressed teenage witches. And it's not like we were going to snitch on each other. We all snuck into town. The atmosphere in the coven was suffocating; I wasn't the only one that needed to get out and breathe every once in a while. Wouldn't have really mattered if I got caught anyway. I was already a lost cause in my dad's eyes. I didn't have anything to lose."

Kai fell silent as a faraway look crept into his eyes. It was almost like he had forgotten Bonnie was even still in the room; like his mind had gone somewhere else entirely.

"Kai?" Bonnie spoke hoping to jar him from his thoughts.

He sparked back to life. "Anyway, it was nice to get out and talk to people that didn't know. Hadn't already decided what I was and what I wasn't. Sometimes it was just enough to be around somebody that didn't flinch if I tried to touch them."

Despite her best efforts, Bonnie sometimes felt herself softening towards Kai. At the very least she felt sorry for the person he could have been had he been born with his own magic or born into a family that could have loved him and taught him to love himself. Her sympathy however dissipated quickly when she recalled the look in his eyes as he had stabbed her.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Right. My point was that I've never had a real relationship before, so if I have one whoever I'm with would be my first choice." He shyly dropped his eyes a way from hers. "My only choice."

Awkward, Bonnie thought to herself. She hoped Kai wasn't expecting some sort of response from her because she was literally speechless. She had given up on pretending that Kai didn't have some sort of weird thing for her but that didn't mean she was willing to discuss it with him or anyone else anytime soon.

Bonnie looked away from Kai to check her phone. It had been more than enough time for one of the couples coming to have shown up by now. Not only had no one come, she hadn't gotten any messages or calls either. "Where are they? I wonder if something happened."

"Please if something happened to any of them they would have already called you begging for help by now, wouldn't they?"

"Yeah. I guess you're right, but still maybe- "

"Maybe nothing," Kai said cutting Bonnie off. "Your friends have the attention spans of rabid billy goats; anything could be distracting them. I say we finish making what is sure to be some very delicious salsa, grab some chips, go downstairs and start on our first movie. I'm sure they'll be here soon enough."

Bonnie and Kai were settled into the reclining seats with chips, Bonnie's salsa, a bowl of popcorn and a big bag of Twizzlers sitting on the seat between them. Kai had insisted on dimming the lights for an authentic movie watching experience, so the only real light in the room was emanating from the screen.

It came as no surprise whatsoever that Kai was the type to talk through movies.

"I'm confused."

"About what?"

"Are we not supposed to know that the boyfriend is the killer?"

"Really, Kai? This movie has only been on for twenty minutes. You're not supposed to say who the killer is."

"But I am right, aren't I? Besides it's not like I'm spoiling it for you. I'm the one that's never seen this before."

"That's not the point. Will you be quiet?"

"If they don't want you to guess the killer right away, they could have been a little subtler. I mean look at him. The greasy hair, the chock full of crazy eyes. I know a sociopath when I see one."

"Well you know what they say. Takes one to know one."

"Exactly."

"Please shut up."

The first movie had ended and still Elena and Damon nor Caroline and Stefan had shown up yet. Bonnie had tried calling all of them and had only been able to get their voice mails.

"Knowing them you know what they're probably doing."

"What are you talking about Kai?"

He wiggled his eyebrows in suggestive manner. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Let's start another movie."

Amazingly Kai was able to remain quiet until the end of the second movie. "I knew he was dead all along."

"No, you didn't."

"You're right, they got me pretty good with that one. People must have freaked out back in the day."

By the time the third movie started Kai's chatterbox tendencies had rubbed off on Bonnie. "You do realize that these movies make absolutely no sense. Mrs. Vorhees goes on a murderous rampage to avenge Jason's death in the first movie, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So, Jason goes on a murderous rampage to avenge her death in all the rest of the movies."

"Do you have a point, Bonnie?"

"If Jason wasn't dead what was Mrs. Vorhees so pissed off about in the first place? If he was dead, how did he come back to life? Is he a ghost? A zombie? Every single movie other than the first one is utter nonsense because they ruin the entire premise of the series."

"I. . ." Kai opened his mouth and then immediately closed it again. For the first time since Bonnie met him he had been rendered speechless. "I'll be damned. I grew up watching these and I never even thought about that. Stop trying to ruin my childhood."

Bonnie awoke with a start. It took a minute for her to get her bearings and remember where she was. She sat up slowly, the odd angle she'd fallen asleep at had caused a crook in her neck. The room was mostly dark as the last movie that she and Kai had been watching had long since ended. She checked the time on her phone and was surprised to see that it was just after midnight. Clearly, her friends had never shown up. She wanted to be more concerned, but it wasn't like this was the first time they'd ditched her with no warning.

Bonnie looked over at Kai. He was turned sideways in his seat with his cheek against the headrest. She was taken aback at how young and innocent he looked. She supposed even the devil himself might look harmless while sleeping. She reached across the seat between them and shook his arm. "Kai, wake up." When she got no response, she stood up and went closer; leaning over him and poking his shoulder.

Kai suddenly jolted awake, the contents of the half empty soda can in his hand splashing up onto Bonnie's shirt in the process. He started apologizing immediately. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that."

"Calm down. I know it was an accident." Bonnie was surprised by the horrified look on Kai's face. She wondered where this sort of apologetic energy had been after he'd shot her with an arrow.

Bonnie grabbed a napkin and started dabbing at her shirt, but it wasn't doing her much good. "I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?"

"I always keep a change of clothes in my car." Life in Mystic Falls had taught Bonnie to be prepared for anything. "I'm just gonna grab a clean shirt."

Kai followed behind Bonnie as she left the room. "It's not that bad, is it? You don't need to leave."

"It's cold and it's sticky."

"You can just wear something of mine." Kai almost seemed to be pleading with her to not go outside.

"What is your problem? I'm not leaving, okay. I'll come back." And as much as the words leaving her mouth surprised her, Bonnie also knew that she meant them wholeheartedly. She didn't want to leave. Despite herself she'd been having the best time she'd had in a while and genuinely did not want the night to end.

"I'll grab a fresh shirt, come back and we can start another movie. Why don't you go ahead and start up Nightmare on Elm Street and I can tell you all the things wrong with it too? It'll be fun."

"Sure."

"Okay. I'll be right back."

"Bonnie, wait."

"What?"

"I just want to say that I had a really good time with you tonight."

"Why does it feel like you're saying goodbye? I told you I'm coming back."

"I know."

Bonnie shook her head. "Weirdo." She made a detour through the kitchen to grab her keys off the counter before making her way outside. As soon as she reached her car, her phone started going crazy.

Kai was leaning against the kitchen counter when Bonnie re-entered the house. "You know, I would have expected better from a mega powerful coven leader.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Bonnie had to admit that Kai's poker face was world class. If she didn't know for a fact what he had done his innocent act would have been quite effective.

"I'm talking about the fact that if you had extended the boundary of your spell just a few more feet down the driveway it would have taken me much longer to figure out what you'd done."

"Still don't have a clue."

"Is this really how you want to play it? As soon as I stepped foot outside my phone started ringing. I have dozens of text messages and missed calls. Caroline, Stefan, Damon and Elena have been trying to get in touch with me all night. First, their cars wouldn't start."

"That sounds like a problem for Triple A. Don't know what it has to do with me though."

"In addition to their cars not starting, they're bound where they are. Physically incapable of walking more than five feet away from where they are."

"That's crazy but strange things happen in this town all the time, am I right?"

"It was a spell Kai. A spell powerful enough to keep four supernatural beings in two different locations rooted to the spots they were standing on. How do you explain that?"

"So, it was a spell. It's not like I'm the only other witch that's ever blown through this one-horse town."

"You're not the only witch, but you're the only one that would have done this."

"Are you kidding? The Mystic Falls Scooby gang has collectively probably made enemies on every continent across the globe. Your bestie Damon alone can't go two seconds without pissing somebody off. The list of people that might want to ruin their nights isn't exactly short."

"You can't even do me the courtesy of just admitting what you've done?" Kai continued to stare at Bonnie, his arms crossed over his chest; his face completely blank. "I don't know why I bother. I thought we were having a—" She stopped short realizing what she was about to say and pulling the words back into her mouth.

"Go ahead and finish. You thought we were having a good time and that's because we were." Kai stepped around the kitchen counter, closing the gap between Bonnie and himself. "Maybe I just wanted an opportunity to be alone with you and show you that I'm not some completely irredeemable monster. Maybe I wanted to be given half as much of a chance as you give everyone else. So maybe I bounced the cell phone signal away from this house. Maybe I bound those idiot friends of yours to the ground they were standing on, so they couldn't leave."

"So, you're finally owning up?"

"I'm owning nothing. I'm just saying maybe I did those things." He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe I didn't."

"You are so full of shit, Kai."

"I can tell you one thing I definitely didn't do. I didn't do anything to make you stay. You weren't bound in any way shape or form. None of your friends showed up and you were free to leave at any point, but you didn't. You sat with me all night watching a bunch of dumb scary movies for no other reason except that you wanted to. There was no trick to it. You were genuinely enjoying my company more than you thought you would and more than you want to admit. I think that's the part that probably pisses you off the most."

Bonnie opened her mouth but closed it just as quickly. She was at a loss for a comeback because she couldn't honestly deny anything Kai had just said. She would have been able to feel it if he had worked any magic against her and there had been nothing. They had laughed and talked, watched movies and taken a nap and she would have come back for more, if only he hadn't done what he'd done.

This was all a little more than Bonnie was willing or able to process at the moment. "I'm out of here." Bonnie grabbed her coat off the counter and stalked towards the living room. She turned back to look at Kai one last time before walking out the door. He was leaning back against the kitchen counter, arms dangling loosely by his sides. The air of defeat around him was almost palpable. She paused for a moment almost subconsciously willing him to say something, but he remained silent.

As the door shut behind her, she faintly heard Kai's voice. "Happy Halloween, Bonnie."