A/N: It starts out with bamon but bonkai is definitely the endgame here. Also, in this fic supernatural abilities are like genetic traits you inherit from your parents. If both parents are vampires, their child will be a vampire. If one parent is a vampire and the other is a witch, their child will be a hybrid/heretic (although crossbreeding is unlikely). Vampires have the same abilities as on the show like super strength/speed, heightened senses, compulsion etc. But they only develop those abilities between the ages of 19 and 21 generally (think of it like a supernatural puberty).

x

"All I'm saying is you could have talked to me about it first." Bonnie muttered as she dunked a plate into the soapy water. Her hand tightened around the sponge, scrubbing the porcelain so hard it made a squeaking sound.

"You have every right to be mad, but there's no need to to take it out on the dishes." She felt Damon's broad chest press against her back as he reached his arms around her. Taking the sponge from her hand, he made quick work of the dirty dishes.

Bonnie groaned softly, failing to hide her annoyance. "I'm serious, Damon. I don't want some stranger staying in our home."

"He's not a stranger. He's my brother."

"Who you haven't seen in years. I haven't even met the guy and after everything you told me about him, I don't think I want to."

"Just give him a chance. He might be a dick but he's the only family I have left." He rested his chin on her shoulder. "You gave me a chance and it worked out pretty well for you."

Bonnie didn't have to look at him to know he was smirking. "You're different. You worked hard to become a better man."

"Because you made me want to be a better man." Cold water sprayed in every direction as Damon rinsed a spoon, the droplets dampening Bonnie's face and the front of her shirt.

"Damon!" She whined.

He chuckled softly and spun her around, pressing her back against the sink and closing the space between them. Cupping her face in his hands, he wiped some of the water from her cheeks with his thumbs.

"I love you, Bonnie Salvatore."

She sighed, softened by his cheeky smirk and baby blue eyes. "I love you too."

His fingers trailed down her neck and he started unbuttoning her shirt. He was working on the last button when Bonnie gripped his biceps and gently pushed him away from her.

Damon might have been able to charm his way back into her good graces but she was not in a romantic mood. Her husband's selfish actions and disregard for her feelings hurt her deeply, and she wanted him to know that.

"I'm tired. I just want to take a hot shower and go to sleep." She started buttoning her shirt back up. "I have an early appointment with Caroline tomorrow morning. Can you take Micah to school?"

Even though he tried to hide it, Damon was clearly unnerved by her rejection. He rubbed the nape of his neck and cleared his throat before responding. "Yeah, I can drop him off but you're going to have to pick him up. Unless you would prefer to fetch my brother from the airport."

Bonnie narrowed her eyes at him. "Hard pass."

x

"So what's the big wedding emergency?"

Bonnie tried to pay attention as Caroline rambled about colour schemes and table settings but she was distracted. Concerns about her expected houseguest clouded her mind, making it difficult for Bonnie to think about anything else. He was due to arrive later that day and she was more anxious than ever. Her leg bounced nervously under the table and she gripped her knee, willing it to stop.

"Hello? Are you even listening?" Caroline snapped her fingers in front of Bonnie's face.

"Uh…yes."

"So what do you think?"

"Um…about what?"

"Bonnie!"

"I'm sorry. I just have a lot on my mind." Bonnie shook her head, snapping herself out of her thoughts. "But go on. You have my full attention."

"So as I was saying, Carol doesn't like the colour green. I tried telling her that turquoise is more blue than green anyway but she didn't care. So we need to change the colour scheme. I really can't settle on one so just tell me what you think." She fanned out a collection of colour swatches across the table.

Bonnie made a point of gazing intently at each colour, trailing her finger across the samples. A half-hearted attempt at showing Caroline that she was present and paying attention.

Most of the time she loved her job. Being able to make a bride's dream wedding come true filled her with so much joy. Planning her best friend's wedding was supposed to be fun but Bonnie was too preoccupied to enjoy it.

What should have been a pleasant morning going over wedding details was overshadowed by the impending arrival of her husband's troubled brother. Damon's childhood was complicated, he told her that much. Whenever she asked about his family he would tell her to forget about it. She couldn't press him for details because she was just as secretive about her own family. So it remained an unspoken understanding between them; leave the past in the past.

The sound of manicured fingernails rapping against the table jarred Bonnie from her thoughts. Caroline was growing impatient, clearly irritated by how long she was taking to say something.

"Dusty rose is pretty." Bonnie pointed to a subtle pink hue.

Caroline looked down at the swatch. Her blond ponytail bounced as she nodded. "I like it. Dusty rose it is."

"Are you sure Tyler will be okay with everything being pink?"

"He's given me carte blanche to plan the wedding so I think he'll be fine with it. I love him but he has the worst taste." She scrunched her nose. "We could get married in our backyard and he wouldn't mind."

"That could actually be quite romantic."

Caroline's jaw dropped, offended by the suggestion. "I am Caroline Forbes. I can't get married outdoors. It's just wrong."

Bonnie giggled and raised her hands in surrender. "Fine. Bad idea."

Caroline started flipping through pages of her binder. "I've also been rethinking the centrepieces. I just don't know if dahlias go with the whole atmosphere."

Bonnie had worked with some neurotic brides before but none of them compared to her best friend. Caroline's extravagant taste added to the fact that the groom was the mayor's son, meant that there were a lot of expectations and demands Bonnie had to fulfil.

This was probably the biggest wedding she had ever planned and she was determined to do a good job. It was going to be a grand, publicised event with almost half the town in attendance; nothing at all like her own simple wedding. An intimate ceremony in their living room with just a few close friends. Neither Bonnie nor Damon had much in the way of family. Neither of them really cared. All that mattered was that they were going to spend the rest of their lives together.

Bonnie's thoughts drifted to her husband's estranged brother once again. Having no idea what to expect, she found herself running through all the possibilities of what he could be like. Each figment her mind conjured was more unpleasant than the last.

"If Carol complains about one more thing, I'm uninviting her. I don't care if she's his mother. She's way too picky about everything; it's like every decision I make is wrong. She obviously hates me. "

Bonnie's attention was brought back to the present situation when she realised Caroline had stopped talking and was now looking at her expectantly.

Not wanting her friend to know that she had zoned out again, she decided to take a shot and say the one thing Caroline always liked to hear.

"I'm sure you're right, Care." She said as sincerely as possible.

"What?" Caroline gasped. "You think she hates me?"

Hiding her face in her hands, Bonnie groaned "No, of course not. I'm sorry."

Caroline's expression softened. "Okay you've been distracted all morning. Something is bothering you." There was no longer any irritation in her voice. Just concern for her best friend. "What is going on?"

Bonnie stared down at the table, her fingers drumming on the lacquered surface. "It's nothing really. Damon's brother is coming to stay with us for a while and I guess I'm just a little nervous."

"Damon has a brother? I've been friends with him since college. How did I not know that?"

"He doesn't like to talk about it. They haven't seen each other in years and I've never even met him. All I know is they have a complicated family history."

"Oooh. That sounds juicy." Caroline's eyes widened in excitement. "Tell me more."

"I don't know much about it but basically Damon's father cheated on his mother with this other woman and they had a son together. He and Damon were pretty close growing up but then he left town like ten years ago. From what I've heard, he's not a good guy."

"So that's what you're worried about. You think he's trouble?"

"I don't know. There's just too much mystery surrounding him. Like where has he been all this time? Why is he coming back to town now?"

"And more importantly, is he hotter than Damon?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes at her friend's playfulness.

"But seriously, whatever he's like I'm sure you can handle him." Caroline smiled reassuringly. "Besides, how bad can he be?"

Bonnie tried not to think about that question, she would find out soon enough.

x

"Still driving the old Camaro huh? Has it always been blue? I remember it being black." Kai took a big slurp of his iced coffee. "Oh wait, now I remember. It was Mason who had the black Camaro. Is he still around here?"

"Why don't we listen to some music?" Damon turned the radio on, tired of his brother's incessant talking. Kai made a gagging noise as an upbeat pop song started playing. He fiddled with the radio knob, flicking through the stations, unable to settle on one.

"Enough of that." Damon switched the radio off. "What were you doing in Mist Haven all this time?"

Kai shrugged. "Nothing much." He said as he propped his feet up on the dashboard.

"You were there for two years. Something must have held your attention." Damon's eyes remained fixed on the road in front of him, unwilling to look at the man in the passenger seat.

"Have you been checking up on me? I'm flattered to know you still care."

"You never stayed anywhere longer than three months. I got your postcards from all the places you visited. Then two years ago they just stopped. I figured you settled down and found the home you were looking for."

"Home." Kai scoffed. "No. I found something much better; a city crawling with witches. And witches know all kinds of things. I spent some time there doing some research. Finally I realised everything I was looking for was right here in Mystic Falls."

"Fine but I still don't get why you insisted on staying with me."

"Believe me, playing house with you and your happy little family was not my first choice either but I think it might the only way for me to get what I need."

Damon didn't respond, hoping the silence would spur him on. Maybe if he kept Kai talking long enough, he would reveal his agenda without even realising it.

Kai twirled his straw, poking at the larger chunks of ice at the bottom of the cup. "When I was in Mist Haven I learned more about ancestral magic. I thought if I came back here to the place where my mother lived, I might be able to harness it. There might be something she left behind like a grimoire or a diary or something that could tell me more about the Parker family."

"So that's why you came back here, you just want more magic."

"It's not the only reason. I missed my big bro." He playfully punched Damon's arm. "And I want to make up for everything I did."

"You can't." Damon replied sadly.

"I have to try." Kai's tongue wriggled around the straw before he captured it between his lips and took a noisy sip.

"I don't get it. Before, you wanted nothing to do with your witch heritage. What changed?" Damon asked, trying to steer the conversation away from their unfortunate past.

"I was wrong. In all the time I spent travelling I tried to find other people like me but there's no one like me. Witches and vampires don't procreate and I'm starting to think there's a reason for that. It goes against the laws of nature. I'm an aberration, an abomination."

"Yeah yeah yeah, I've heard all of this before. Page 10 out of Lily and Joshua's less than nurturing guide to parenting." Finally, Damon turned to look his brother in the eye. "You don't actually believe that."

"Maybe I do. Maybe they were right. People like me shouldn't exist. I have no control over my abilities. Compulsion, heightened senses, all that supernatural stuff; it comes and it goes. Don't even get me started on my magic, it's even more unpredictable. See." He lazily flicked his wrist in Damon's direction.

The car swerved and Damon groaned in pain, pressing one hand against his temple. His other hand gripped the steering wheel tightly, knuckles turning white.

"Dammit, Kai." He muttered through clenched teeth.

"Hey, it worked!" He said excitedly. Then seeing the unimpressed look on Damon's face, he added "Sorry. I wasn't expecting anything to happen, but you see what I mean. It's unpredictable."

Damon glanced at Kai's reflection in the rearview mirror, searching for the brother he used to know. Underneath all the stubble and muscle, that little boy was in there somewhere. It was unnerving to be so close to him now when they had spent a decade apart. Kai's bulkier frame and his air of confidence made him a stranger in his brother's eyes. He was nothing like the scrawny boy Damon used to protect from their father's wrath.

The sound of Kai blowing bubbles into his iced coffee made it difficult for Damon to think and he grimaced at the childish behaviour.

Kai grinned, taking pleasure in his brother's disgust. "So what do you say? Are you going to help me with this?"

"You think you deserve my help?"

"No, but I also know you don't want me to die." His voice was low and serious, having lost it's usual playfulness.

"A bit dramatic don't you think?" Damon quirked his eyebrow up. "You're not dying."

"Who's to say? My existence is essentially a crime against nature. I think my blood is poisoned or something. This might be the end for me."

"I won't let that happen." Damon's eyes met Kai's gaze in the rearview mirror, noting the grim expression on his face before looking away. "Maybe you need more time to gain full control of your abilities. I only came into my vampirism when I was twenty two. Maybe you're just a late bloomer too."

"I'm almost thirty, that can't be it. It doesn't make any sense. Like yesterday I could rip a man's heart out of his chest with my bare hands. Then this morning I couldn't even compel a McDonald's employee to serve me breakfast after 10am. Something is wrong with me."

"Yes something is definitely wrong with you. You're a grown man who still eats at Mcdonald's."

Kai snorted. He turned the radio on and leaned his head against the window. The upbeat music didn't seem so bad anymore.

x

Being back in his old home reminded Kai of all the things he tried so hard to forget. The house was eerily similar to the way it was ten years ago. It was almost as if Damon had tried to preserve their childhood together by keeping everything exactly as it was when Kai left. Maybe that way he could pretend nothing had changed and his brother was still with him.

"Bonnie!" Damon called out.

"I'm in here!"

Damon followed the voice into the kitchen, leaving Kai alone in the living room.

He plopped onto the couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table.

For the most part the living room seemed unchanged but the little succulents, lilac curtains, and scented candles all suggested someone else had made themselves at home there. It felt brighter than he remembered, more warm and inviting.

Kai picked up one of the patterned throw pillows and hugged it to his chest. As he looked around the room he tried to pick out all the unfamiliar items, like a game of spot the difference. It was all he could do to keep himself from sinking into the quicksand of memories that threatened to consume him.

Damon still hadn't returned from the kitchen and Kai was starting to feel a little bored so he decided to do some exploring. On his way out of the living room, something caught his attention and he stopped to examine it. There were five blue lines drawn on the doorframe to mark someone's increasing height; the highest one being level with his waist.

Kai heard footsteps approaching behind him. He turned around to face Damon and his wife. When he saw her, Kai's mouth curved into a smile. With his cold eyes and sharp jaw, the happy expression seemed out of place on his elegant face. A muscle twitched in his cheek, his instinctive grin disappearing almost as fast as it appeared.

She extended her hand towards him. "I'm Bonnie. It's nice to meet you." Her green eyes matched his steely gaze.

He shook her hand. "Kai."

He let go of her hand quickly but couldn't tear his eyes away from hers. It was almost overwhelming, like he had caught a glimpse of something he shouldn't be seeing and yet he was unable to look away.

"Uncle Kai!" A little boy ran up to him and wrapped his arms around Kai's legs. His body tensed and he grit his teeth. He awkwardly patted the boy's head and twisted himself out of the embrace.

Bonnie put her arm around the child's shoulder. "This is our son, Micah."

The boy grinned at Kai. It wasn't exactly Damon's signature smirk, but it had a similar cheeky quality. There were multicoloured paint splotches in his hair, on his hands, and on his clothes.

"He's working on an art project for school." Bonnie said as she picked bits of dried paint from his dark hair.

Kai smoothed the material of his thick, black coat and grimaced when he saw the splash of yellow paint on one of the sleeves.

Bonnie's gaze shifted between the two brothers. "Dinner should be ready in about twenty minutes." Then looking at Kai she asked, "You're not like a vegetarian or something, are you?"

"Uh no, but I'm not hungry. I just want to go to bed." He fiddled with the collar of his coat.

"Oh okay." She held on to Damon's arm, digging her nails into his bicep for good measure. "Damon will get you set up in the guest bedroom."

x

The guest bedroom was technically Damon's old room. Kai smiled smugly. When they were younger, Damon's bedroom used to be off limits and now there he was helping his brother get settled in. Kai was curious to see what his room looked like. He wondered if Damon had tried to keep it frozen in time like the rest of the house or if he had changed it completely because it served as a painful reminder of the brother he lost.

"It feels weird being here." Kai sat on the edge of the bed, watching as Damon looked through the cupboard. "I think I'd actually prefer my old room."

"That's Micah's room now." Damon tossed a blanket on the bed. "He likes that it's always a little cold in there."

"I liked that too." He sighed and leaned back on the bed.

"Want me to tuck you in?"

Kai snorted. "Goodnight, Damon."

"Goodnight." He flashed a small smile before leaving.

Kai took his coat and boots off but didn't bother changing into pyjamas. He crawled underneath the covers and wriggled around until he made himself comfortable.

As he drifted off to sleep, thoughts about Bonnie floated around his mind. The heart-shaped face, the full lips, the unmistakable green eyes; he had seen her before. There was no doubt in his mind she was the woman he had been looking for. Kai knew she would be somewhere in Mystic Falls but he didn't think he would find her so soon. He also didn't think she would be married to his brother.

x

A/N: Not a lot of bonkai I know, but it's just set up. I actually had fun writing this. I'm really just doing it for my own satisfaction but thought maybe other people might enjoy it too. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think:)