Bonnie sat there and blinked. What else was there to do?

The ever-bubbly guy seemed to have lost his tongue. She remembered the time he had flirted with her while talking about annoying siblings. The time before he ever revealed his true species. A sociopath that didn't bother to justify his actions. It was hard to believe the silent man in front of her was the same Kai.

His eyes were sparkling but she could see the grey in them. That thick tone of sadness. Even in his anger or his laughs. He would never be able to free himself of it.

Good.

People like him deserved every bitter end there was.

"Why didn't you come?" Kai asked again.

She wanted to laugh. Just sit there and laugh in his face. But she couldn't.

Even Bonnie Bennett was fed up with her battle mask after all.

"To meet a sociopath deep in the woods? Oh, I don't know. Trust issues, I guess."

The heavy grey was showing through Kai's gaze again. But he blinked it away pointing at her with a mere smirk. "Good point. Still not funny, though."

She could hear the usual mirth in his voice mixed with..something else. Bonnie felt naked under his gaze even though she was wearing a simple sleeveless top. He just sat there and stared into her eyes. He didn't avert his gaze when people walked past their table or when she gave him her best death glare.

The worst part was that Bonnie had never seen anyone staring at her like that. His eyes were focused as if she was a prey that could escape any minute. And yet, there was that 'something else' she had noticed before in his voice. He was staring at her in awe. And Bonnie wasn't even sure if it was part of his act.

Her glare shattered into pieces leaving her with a blank stare. Was it because of the Prison World that they were comfortable just staring at each other in silence, avoiding any noise?

"This..," he perked up his eyebrows leaning over the table, his look too severe for Bonnie's liking. "This is going to affect all of us. Do you have any idea what Lilly is about to do?"

He was always in her face threatening her ramparts. This was no exception. Bonnie wondered if the stubbles were his attempt to prove himself that he wasn't lying. That the psychopath Kai Parker had changed, moved on to a new level of sanity.

"No, I don't," she hissed before checking her surroundings for an audience. "But the Grille? Not the safest place to talk about this. A simple text would have sufficed."

Kai leaned back on his seat giving her the much needed personal space.

"A text? As in a warning?" He let out a cold chuckle shaking his head. "So you, Damon and whoever you decide to let in on it, can discuss and end it with a compromise?" His smile vanished absorbed by the dark blue eyes. "We need to stop her, Bon. There's no way around it."

Bonnie glared at him. "I'm not going to kill her."

Kai narrowed his eyes a smile dancing on his lips. "Isn't that how you handle the bad guys?"

Her eyebrows made a sassy lift. "I could lie about that," she showed off her teeth in a cringing smile. "But you're obviously still breathing. So, apparently not."

Kai groaned ruffling through his hair. "Fine. Don't kill her." He rested his elbows on the table breathing in her face again. "You still need me to bring her down."

She jutted her chin defying the fire in his eyes with her own. "No, I don't. And I'm also done talking to you."

Kai watched her walk away with a blank face. Yes, he was mad to say the least. The double standards she had in store when it came to her friends was eating away at his sanity. Or what was left from it.

"Text me if you change your mind," he yelled after her. Matt stared up from the table he was taking orders at, his gaze guarded.

A wicked smirk flashed over Kai's lips. Bonnie had not even bothered to turn around. He must have really pissed her off.

As soon as she was out in the dark side alley of the Grille, Bonnie's fingers flashed over her phone screen, typing eagerly. Only seconds later, Damon appeared.

It was so ironic. A few years back she would have avoided to meet him at a place like this. Far away from any witness' eyes.

Bonnie approached the vampire staring up in alarm. "We need to do something about it, Damon. She won't stop until she gets all of them back."

Damon studied her face with narrowed eyes. "Why? The ascendant is down the drain!"

Bonnie let out a laugh but it sounded like a bitter gasp. Had she really been thinking getting out of this mess would be as easy as destroying a device?

"I talked to Kai," Damon found it funny how easy that name came out of Bonnie's mouth – Well, at least for someone that threatened to melt off said person's face.

"There's a way to bring them back without the ascendant," she took a breath before continuing. "It's a dark ritual that requires my blood and - the blood of the Gemini coven leader."

The vampire scoffed, his eyebrows pulled in a despising frown. "She doesn't need them now. Do you see her going around ripping off people? She's adjusting, Bonnie."

"She attacked Elena," Bonnie crossed her arms. "You call that adjusting?"

Damon groaned. "That was because she was desperate..or alone, I don't care. As creepy as it sounds she seems to have history with Enzo. And guess what? Not so lonely anymore." He whispered the last part mockingly.

"Looks like your warlock friend is making a fuss about nothin'."

Bonnie perked up her eyebrows in an are-you-serious manner.

"Come, on, Bon Bon," he rolled his eyes. "It's a trick to have more alone time with you. Wouldn't be the first time."

And with that he walked off in his typical Damon-nonchalance. One of the traits Bonnie would have loved to kill him for a few years ago.

As soon as he was gone, her eyes narrowed. She didn't like Damon's reaction to the news. At all. Had he been knowing of that ritual all along?
If that was the case she didn't want to think what else he was keeping from her about Mamma Salvatore.

The worst part was, as much as she hated to admit it, Kai had been right. Damon was not going to help her with this.

"I told you not to count on his friendship, Bon," Matt murmured shaking his head. "It's Damon we're talkin' about."

Bonnie bit her lip. "Are you sure you can do this? It's not fair to ask you for that."

Matt leaned on the counter studying her face. "It's nothin' compared to all those times you saved my life. And I'm not just talking about the pool thing 3 years ago."

The corners of the witch's mouth slid down in a grimace. "I just hope it'll work."

Matt frowned playfully. "When has a Bonnie Bennett plan not work out?"

Bonnie could give him quite a list for that. But she decided to hold it back.

"I'll always have your back, Bon," the blonde nodded, his gaze severe. "Out of the people I have left, you're the one I'd trust with anything."

Bonnie gave him a weak smile. "Thanks, Matt."

It was Thursday night at the Grille. The reserved day for live music and small local school bands. The perfect distraction.

Elena had convinced Caroline and Bonnie to have some High School nostalgia. They had spent most of their Thursdays here before the Salvatores came into Elena's life. Matt had joined them from time to time. But his relationship with Elena had started to falter back then.

Bonnie hated nostalgia. Ever since she had lost her Grams. Sometimes it was a nice consolation. An evidence for the spirit to hold on to. To make sure all those memories did actually happen and were not just faint images in her head. But most of the time it hurt.

The vibration in her pocket brought her back. She opened the text from Matt avoiding to crush into the swaying figures in the crowd.

'She's outside. You ready?'

A nervous smile flashed over her lips as she typed hastily. 'Hell, yeah.'

She felt a soft grip on her arm. "Where you going?"

Bonnie turned around to give Caroline an apologetic smile. "I just got the worst migraine. I need a dark room and some place far away from all that cheering."

The blonde vampire sighed. "Let's get you home, Bennett," she put an arm around her shoulder pointing a finger at her. "But we're totally catching up on it next week!"

Bonnie frowned grabbing her arm. "Uh, no. You guys stay. Matt's taking me home."

Caroline opened her mouth to protest but Bonnie cut her off with her usual don't-let-this-ruin-your-night talk.
She even waved a drunk Elena who was cheering up the band jumping up and down. It reminded Bonnie of their first High School days again. Their overrated cheerleading uniforms and obsessions. All of it didn't seem to matter anymore. And yet, here they were doing their best to relive them.

At least her pep talk had motivated Caroline enough to stay. The fact that none of the girls were following her were proof enough. Bonnie breathed in the cold night air preparing herself for the storm.

A/N: Kennett is and will always be my OTP. But I also love the dynamic of Bonkai. Have some team work in store for next chapter. And Kai will get involved as well.

I don't own any of these characters. They are the creative property of the CW and L.J. Smith. *yadda yadda yadda*