ACT ONE: DUM VITA EST, SPES EST
(where there is life, there is hope)
england, 1853
"Bekah," he whines, features schooled into an expression of mock sorrow. "We need a new witch."
His sister rolls her eyes as she turns back to him, the hem of her sapphire gown brushing the grass under her bare toes. "What did you do with Lily?"
"Lucy," He corrects, and wipes the back of his hand with his mouth deliberately, anticipating Rebekah's groan of disapproval. "You can't keep eating our witches," She tells him, pushing his shoulder half playfully with one of her hands. "We'll soon run out of them if you continue this way."
He shrugs, reaches within himself to see if he can find any remorse. Comes up blank. There is something about the taste of witch blood which intoxicates him (and indeed, every other vampire) they are heady and sweet, and he can taste the power in their veins when he drinks deep. The only problem being- there has never been one he has been able to restrain himself from draining dry.
"So," he pushes, breaking Rebekah from her train of thought carelessly. "Can you find me one?"
She bats his words away, no doubt ready to return to whatever plan she is currently forming in that wicked mind of her, but he refuses to be ignored. "Rebekah," He wheedles, and she groans, irritation present in her tone.
"I have a friend," She snaps, "in London. But I'm quite partial to her Nik- I don't want her meeting the same end as the others."
"But you'll get her?"
"Only if you promise not to drain her dry." Klaus smiles at his sister, innocent as he can manage and Bekah raises a warning eyebrow.
"I'll try my very best," He promises silkily, and even though there is not a bone in her body that believes him, she acquiesces to his demands nonetheless. Klaus enjoys having a sibling that cannot say no to him.
"If you promise.." She trails off, pretending she believes he will keep her promise. "I'll ask Bonnie to come and stay with us for the summer."
"Bonnie," Klaus says with a grin. "I look forward to meeting her."
::::
Bonnie descends the carriage with the grace drummed into her from the years of training, thankful for the cleanliness of the rural air. She had grown tired of her London townhouse, cooped up in the polluted air with too many relatives she disliked who all wanted her to marry an earl, and was in truth grateful for Rebekah's invitation to join her and her family at their rural estate.
And anyway, one half of her family thought her father's side dull and uninteresting because he was nothing more than a mere mortal, well beneath the eye of a powerful Bennett witch. The other half of her family thought of her mother's side as far too low in station to afford the notice of their darling first son.
She is, quite frankly, tired of being caught in the middle. The Mikaelson family estate stretches out before her green eyes, and in truth, Bonnie thinks it rather a waste. An estate this large could house half of London's homeless, and it seems gluttony to keep it for a single family.
"Bonnie!" Rebekah's cry echoes through the air as her friend runs towards her, the fresh pink of her day dress complimenting the light rose of her cheeks. Bonnie easily steps into her embrace, grinning at her friends eager nature and allowing herself to be led into the house.
"I missed you," Rebekah admits, waving off the butler, poised to give them a tour. "It's been almost one whole season since we saw each other."
"A shame," Bonnie agrees, "I wish you were in London more often."
Rebekah gives an exaggerated shudder. "I don't care for London. Far too much drama for my delicate disposition."
Bonnie eyes her friend with disbelief, before dissolving into a short giggle. Rebekah hadn't even batted an eye when she had seen Bonnie heal a man with his hand severed almost clean off his arm, the only thing left connecting the two a thin strand of skin. Even Bonnie had felt a little sick.
"Anyway," Rebekah says, steering her into her drawing room and taking a seat on the window seat, motioning for Bonnie to do the same. "Tell me about you. Any suitors?"
Bonnie rests her head against the the blue of the wall, gazing out at the rose garden before her.
"The Lockwood son," She admits slowly, "Asked my family for permission to court me."
Rebekah's delighted gasp echoes through the room, much too loud for Bonnie's taste. "Tyler Lockwood? The son of the Mayor?"
Bonnie shakes the feeling that Rebekah seems to be playing a part and acting as she thinks she should, not as she feels, and turns back to her friend. She drums her fingernails against the silk of the cushions strewn around them and smiles at her. "The very same. He's charming, but rather dull."
"He's very handsome. I guarantee he will write before your time here is up."
Bonnie shrugs, as if she hasn't already looked at the breadth of his chest and the exact color of his eyes. There is a bark of laughter down the hall and a sudden rush of heavy footfalls, and Bonnie watches Rebekah stand, the grin contorting her face.
"It's very rude of me," She says to Bonnie with a quicksilver smile, "But I forgot to introduce you to my family."
As if on cue, the delicately paneled ivory doors shake on their hinges and are thrown open, two men striding into the room. The one she spies first is younger than Rebekah, the smile on his face almost identical to his sister's. "Bekah!" His exclamation is as ragged as his breath, and Bonnie's eyes remain fixed on the tiny splatter of blood on his exposed throat. "You missed out on the fun again."
Rebekah gives him a warning smile and turns to face Bonnie, pink lips pursed. "My younger brother," She introduces him, "Kol."
Kol strides towards her, caramel brown eyes widening as he takes in her presence. "Bonnie?" He asks, and she nods, allowing him to kiss her hand, lips gentle against the points of her knuckles. His eyes seem to flash darker for a moment before he turns to his sister with an impish grin. "Bekah's been raving about your arrival for what feels like months."
Rebekah pushes him with a groan and her other brother steps forward from where he had been standing in the shadows. "Klaus," He says, and the timbre of his voice is both deeper and more pleasing to her ears than his brother's. More polite, too, Bonnie notes as he kisses the air above her knuckles.
The conversation turns to the hunt they had just been on and Bonnie tunes out, focusing once more on the tangle of roses in the garden. Klaus and Kol excuse themselves, claiming that they have to clean up and Rebekah watches them leave with a slightly admonishing grin on her lips.
"So bloodthirsty," she murmurs to herself, and Bonnie looks at her with narrowed eyes.
Try as she might, she can't help but know that the blood they smelt of was most certainly not animal blood. Insanity, Bonnie reminds herself, is not at all becoming, and resolves to push the thoughts out of her mind.
::::
Klaus keeps his eyes fixated on Bonnie the entire way through dinner. He can tell he's unnerving her with the unbroken blue of his gaze- Rebekah kicks him in the shin to remind him to back off- but she is quite honestly, one of the most refreshingly pretty people he has ever seen in his life.
And power reeks from her every pore. He's surprised she's made it this far without some vampire grabbing her and tapping into a vein. Surprised, but glad for it. Rebekah has dressed her in one of her favorite gowns, an emerald silk gown that compliments the color of her eyes.
"She's delectable," He murmurs to Rebekah from behind his fork as she takes a sip of her pea and watercress soup, and Rebekah smiles, self satisfied as ever.
"Even so," She whispers, and their guest seems to be oblivious to their conversation. "You're unnerving her."
And it's true- the witch's heartbeat has increased slightly, and he feels it as if her wrist was pressed to his lips. As it will be, he thinks, relaxing into his chair and clasping his hands together, very soon.
Bonnie places her spoon down and glares at him, meeting his gaze head on. "Do you mind?"
"Not at all," Klaus grins, enjoying the fire in her eyes and Rebekah shifts next to them, watching them interact with interest. "Carry on."
The glare she gives him could possibly freeze his blood to ice in his veins if he wasn't the most powerful being on earth. Unfortunately for her, he is.
"Nik," Rebekah softly admonishes, and he doesn't break eye contact with Bonnie for a second, prompting and irritated sigh from his sister.
"You are disgustingly rude," Bonnie hisses. "And more than a little unsettling. Please focus on your own food, instead of me."
"I am focusing on my food," He tells her, and there's a warning underlying his words that she will not get, but he pretends that this makes them even nonetheless. Kol snickers from the end of the table, and Bonnie's gaze snaps to his for a split second.
Bonnie scoffs and Rebekah clears her throat in an attempt to diffuse the tension. "I was wondering if you would accompany me into the village tomorrow, Bonnie."
Bonnie turns to face his sister with a quick smile, but not before shooting a glare his way. "Of course."
"And I'm sorry," Rebekah nudges him sharply, the point of her elbow catching his ribs. "About Niklaus and his uncouth behaviour. He's not usually this rude."
"On the contrary," He smiles at his sweet sister, ignoring the warning in her eyes, "I'm always this rude."
"You say it as if it is something to be proud of," She sits like a queen, stiff backed in her chair, and Klaus imagines how wonderful she will look when she finally comes undone beneath him. He laughs easily at her comment, something which only serves to further her irritation and Bonnie returns to her food, knuckles unnaturally white where she grips her cutlery.
She tucks a thick curl back beneath her ear as she judges him, and his focus is immediately drawn to her finger, where a tiny triangular symbol is inked onto her skin. He's dealing with a Bennett. No wonder he is fixated on her.
"Nik, stop irritating our guest," Kol says with a sharp grin, "I know you don't have any friends but at least try to accommodate Bekah's, won't you?"
He grits his teeth and forces a smile at Kol, aware that Bonnie is now looking very curiously at him. Kol knows full well why he cannot have friends. It's part of the reason why miss Bennett sits across from him now.
Bonnie pushes her chair back from the table with a screech and stands, unsure whether Kol is on her side or laughing at her. "I think I'll retire," She says to Rebekah, shooting him one last reproachful glare. "I have a headache."
::::
Bonnie rises with the dawn and lets herself outside, through the french doors and past the manicured lawns, careful to stay out of the way of any of the staff she senses. She enjoys the countryside air; the witch inside her feels so much more connected to nature and is itching to cast some spells.
And practicing on an estate is so different to the congestion of town where she is usually required at all hours to heal others. Over here, she can levitate leaves and light candles simply because she wants to, not because she has some moral obligation to.
The thought of marriage is not usually that far from her mind most days- at four and twenty, she's the eldest of the Bennett children to remain unmarried. Cousin Lucy settled down at nine and ten, a fact her Grandma never fails to remind her when a gentleman calls for her (Cousin Lucy ran away from her husband not a full year later, Bonnie always want to snap back. She doesn't.)
She settles on a white stone bench at the very edge of the estate, the trees surrounding the property providing a wind block for the cool summer breeze that causes gooseflesh to rise on her arms. Her skirts fan around her and she kicks the gravel idly, wondering why the dirt feels suspiciously like paper under the satin of her slippers.
It's a book, she realises with a jolt, careful to look around and ensure no one is watching before she bends to retrieve it.
Covered with dust and insects, the yellowed parchment could not be worse for wear. She turns it in her white gloves, staining them brown with mud and dirt, and lifts the first page open.
It's a grimoire- Bonnie has one almost exactly the same at home, hidden in her drawer of stockings by the only maid who knows about the Bennett legacy. Only, this one seems to be infinitely more precious, like the one they keep in the glass case to avoid disintegration. She studies the latin words with a furrowed brow, unable to read the smudged ink.
Thankfully, the description of the next spell is in old english, a text which is confusing but one she can decipher nonetheless. "For the creation of monsters," She reads quietly, chill creeping up her spine, "Completed version."
What follows is words that she can make neither head nor tail of, more symbols than anything, and she understands that the description was only recently added the ink as fresh as if it was a few months before.
Someone wanted me to have this, Bonnie thinks, and the thought that someone is orchestrating and anticipating her every move makes her unspeakably uncomfortable. She stands, stowing the book back where she found it and half running back up to the castle, skirts fanning out behind her, good mood destroyed.
It's about to be destroyed even more, Bonnie thinks as she senses Klaus behind her. "Bonnie!" He calls, and she turns to find him grinning at her with a rifle slung over one shoulder.
"Miss Bennett," She corrects softly, stiffening her spine as she sinks into a curtsy. Something about him makes her want to smash the heel of her palm in his face- he seems to go out of his way to be intentionally rude to her.
You only met him yesterday, she reminds herself, and wonders for a moment why the only one of the Mikaelson's to be be seen in town is Rebekah. Kol especially, does not seem like the reclusive type to her.
"Are you going back up to the house?" Klaus asks her, jolting her out of her thoughts and prompting her to walk again. She nods and he falls into step beside her, whistling tunelessly.
It irks her, and she's not quite sure why. He bothers her in ways she can't describe or place.
::::
"I think I make her uncomfortable," Klaus grins at Rebekah, dropping the heart carelessly onto the china plate before her. "I brought dinner."
"Who is it this time?" And her tone is half playful, half admonishing as usual but he knows that whatever front she puts up for appearances sake, she cares just as little about any human blood they spill as he does.
"A ginger two villages over. Had the prettiest little neck, luminous and tiny." Bekah wrinkles her nose and licks blood off the tip of one fingernail.
"The way you talk is sickening, what if Bonnie's listening?"
"We are vampires, I'm sure we'd know if some baby witchling was listening to our conversation, love."
Bekah sits a little straighter in her chair, pushing the heart away from her and turning to him with her sky eyes sparkling, seriousness oozing from every pore.
"She's a Bennett witch, Nik," She warns, fingers tightening around her silver fork. "She's got power we can't even dream of."
He turns away from his sister for a moment, facing the panelled grey walls of the morning room and bringing his bloodstained fingers to his lips. When Klaus turns back, his fangs are elongated, eyes gleaming unnaturally bright. "We are the most powerful beings in the world, sister. We are the original vampires."
"Goodness," Bekah stands, pushing her napkin onto the heart and rolling her eyes. "We are touchy when it comes to power, aren't we Nik?"
He lets out a bark of short laughter and she watches as his fangs sink back into his teeth, veins clouding his eyes disappearing instantly. "Not touchy...you just seem to be forgetting who we are and what we can do."
"How could I forget?" She slides her ivory glove back onto her fingers, pristine as ever. When is Elijah coming back, she thinks, but knows better than to ask him, for Nik's famously awful temper will explode and it's lonely without family. She doesn't want to meet the same fate as Elijah- left roaming the earth completely absent of family. Nor Finn- locked away in his casket for 'his own good'. No, she'll take her chances here and hope that it's enough.
"You sounded as if you were."
"And that would be the worst thing to you, wouldn't it? Forgetting that we are vampires?" He takes a step closer to her, tension written in his tight posture, ready to reply with a cutting remark, no doubt, but there is a change in heartbeat from upstairs and both of them look towards the ceiling, instinctively reaching for the heart on the table.
"Get Mary to come clean it up," Klaus tells Rebekah, heading for the door.
"Niklaus-"
"Yes?"
"Stay away from Bonnie, all you're doing at the moment is unsettling her."
He pouts, pulling the door open and smirking at her. "But it's so amusing watching her squirm."
::::
The soft waxy petals of the flower fall away from their stem with one flicker of her eyelashes, dispersing easily onto the wrought iron table. Bonnie shifts in her seat, looks around to ensure no one is watching, and lets out a soft breath, watching them rise and spin softly around her head.
Rebekah lets out a surprised laugh and Bonnie slams her palms under the table, pink petals falling all around her. "You scared me."
"I've never seen you use magic for anything other than healing," Rebkeah says with a smile, plucking a huge pink petal from Bonnie's hair and taking a seat opposite her. "You looked happy."
"I am happy," Bonnie smiles and blows the petals up once more, and Rebekah can smell her blood- pulsating with power and happiness and something that is entirely Bonnie, and understands Niklaus' attracting to witches and their blood. She giggles as the petals take flight around both of them, spinning her finger slowly in a circular motion. "Thank you for inviting me here."
"Thank you for coming. It does get rather boring holed up here for the summer with no one but my brutish brothers for company."
Bonnie lets the petals fall softly around them, coming to rest for the final time, and squeezes Rebekah's hand in what she hopes is a comforting manner. "I'm the exact opposite- too many people in my family clamoring for my attention at once."
"Well, maybe I shall come to stay with you next summer, for a first hand experience of what Bennett family life is like."
"You should! My mother adores you-" She trails off as Rebekah's facial expression turns to one that can only be described as total exasperation.
"Speaking of brutish brothers..." And Bonnie laughs, turning to find Niklaus, leaning against the ivy covered wall and looking as if he has been there for more than a little while.
"I heard that," He says, throwing himself into a chair. "Kol's gone off to the village to find that girl he's been lusting after."
Rebekah clicks her tongue in apparent disapproval and Bonnie wonders why her brothers are such a source of amusement to her. If she had brothers who behaved as badly as Klaus and Kol, she probably would have boxed their ears by now.
Instead Rebekah rolls her eyes as if she is used to Kol chasing random girls around the village, sighing as she brushes her fingers over one petal. "She's not even that pretty."
"Is that jealousy I hear, sweet sister?"
Bonnie watches the exchange, slight pang reminding her of her many cousins back home, who were always ridiculously infuriating, but whose presence she missed. Rebekah was right- it could get quite lonely up here.
"Did you come here to quarrel?"
He shakes his head and leans forward, bracing his head on his hands. "Lady Alexander's in the drawing room- she came to call on you about the Spring Ball."
Rebekah shoots to her feet with a cross between a grimace and a squeak, shooting Bonnie a slightly apologetic look. "Damned lady is so desperate to find a husband for her daughter she probably wishes to check the guest list to ensure I have enough suitable bachelors on there."
Klaus watches Rebekah hurry off with an amused expression, turning to Bonnie with a sweet a smile as he can muster. "Care to take a turn around the grounds with me?" He asks, and she inclines her head in affirmative, brushing the petals off her purple gown and standing to take his arm.
::::
She's a lot more intelligent than he expected her to be, Klaus muses as Bonnie talks to him about the different types of flora and fauna located in her gardens. As a witch, he'd expected her to have an extensive knowledge of plants and nature, but not politics and literature. He's almost as old as time itself- has seen progress wax and wane, and Bonnie Bennett has stunned him with her ability to make good conversation.
"You know," She starts with a smile, crushing the flower she had been inspecting in the palm of her glove, "You are less irritating than you were yesterday."
"Well one must always try to better oneself," He says with a grin, tucking a daisy stem behind one ear, "So it's gratifying to know that I have succeeded with my quest."
"Don't get too cocky," Bonnie warns and he laughs, stepping back with a bright smile.
"As if I could ever do so with you around."
Klaus watches her pink lips quirk into a reluctant smile and wonders how long it will take her to realise all of the second thoughts she has been having about not being able to hear his heartbeat are not merely a figment of her imagination. How long it will take for her to hate him; how long it will take for him to tap into a vein and drink deep.
The sweet scent of her blood plays across his nose as a slight breeze wafts it towards him, and he curls his fingers into fists in an effort to stop himself from giving into the urge.
It's the first time he's managed to control himself, he thinks with a smile. Bekah should be extremely proud. "Shall we head back?" He asks, and threads her arm through his once more. "Bekah should be finished."
"Of course." They walk in silence for a few beats, and he takes a moment to admire how beautiful she looks amongst all the greenery, skin glowing with the natural magic she had been practicing before.
"Tell me of your family." He asks, and wonders how someone can be so casual at the mention of their family as she laughs softly.
"I come from a large family- even though I'm the only child my parents have," She starts softly, and he wonders if she would mind if he twined one of her curls around one finger. "We're very supportive of one another, no matter how much we get on each other's nerves. What about you?"
Klaus offers a smile that is more grimace than smile. "Our parents do not care for us, and my two eldest siblings are much the same."
"I'm sorry," She says quietly, small hand squeezing his arm in a reassuring manner as they approach the manor. "I don't know what I would do without my family, but you, Rebekah and Kol seem to get along very well with one another."
He wonders if she would say that if she'd seen the row he'd had with Kol yesterday, which ended with him flinging a human heart into Kol's mouth. On the other hand, Kol hadn't seemed to mind too much. He gives her a smile and pushes open the doors to the drawing room, disappointed to find Rebekah free of any callers.
He enjoys spending time with Bonnie. Perhaps more than he will enjoy her blood.
::::
"You have to have a new dress made for the ball," Rebekah pleads, pushing Bonnie in the carriage with as much force as she can muster without hurting her. "It'll be the biggest event of your time here!"
Bonnie settles back into the silk cushions and prods the floor with the edge of her parasol. "If I had the same fortune as you did, I would buy a new dress for every ball I went to, too. Unfortunately, I don't."
Rebekah waves her complaints away and eyes her blue travelling dress critically with her own clear blue eyes. "Consider it a present from me. Your current wardrobe is at least two seasons old anyway."
Before Bonnie can protest, Rebekah has smoothly changed the subject back to London town and the gossip from there. "I heard from Lady Edgerton that Lord Salvatore is currently trying to court a certain Miss Forbes, with no title to be heard of."
"Wasn't her father the Mayor a few years back? So you see, she does have a title after all."
Rebekah wrinkles her nose. "He wasn't a very good one, otherwise the Queen would have surely granted him Lordship by now. Besides, all this fuss about the girl is completely unnecessary- I've seen her and she's quite plain."
"You're practically green, Rebekah darling," Bonnie laughs, and before Rebekah can reply and try to pretend as if she isn't, she bounds from the carriage and into the dressmakers.
The dressmaker who sweeps out to meet them is positively beaming at the sight of them- two wealthy young women with almost perfect figures, ready to commission two extremely expensive. Bonnie hates to shatter the illusion, but really feels as though she must, before Rebekah gives her a warning glance and she decides to let it lie. It's just one gown anyway, Bonnie thinks as she runs her fingers over the fabrics presented for her inspection. And anyway, she wants a new gown.
"We need ruffles," Rebekah says haughtily, pushing away the duller, earth toned fabrics. "And lots of them."
In the end, she settles for a jewel toned blue that reminds Bonnie of peacock feathers she often sees strewn around the estate grounds. "I want three sets of large ruffles from the waist of the corset, all hemmed with white silk. And flowers at the top of the dress- on the ends of the puff sleeves and tops of the bosom."
"Say please and thank you," Bonnie whispers under her breath, nudging Bekah with one sharp elbow as her blonde friend settles back into her chair, obviously self satisfied.
"Now for Bonnie," Rebekah continues, steamrolling on as if Bonnie hadn't spoken a word. "I think emerald green really made you stand out the other night, Nik couldn't keep his eyes of you and he's usually fairly reserved-"
Bonnie snorts at her description of Klaus and cuts in. "I don't want emerald green."
"Excuse me," She asks the seamstress politely. "Do you have any pale pinks or whites?"
"It's a springtime colour," She explains, turning to face Rebekah once more. "And this is a springtime ball, after all."
She settles on a pinky white gown, that seems to change colour everytime she moves. Rebekah insists on it, after she sees the fabric, so beautiful with its ripples of colour, and insists on off the shoulder sleeves that puff and end at her upper arms, skirt flowing out from the waist of the corset. No ruffles, Bonnie insists, putting her foot down.
"You're going to look gorgeous," Rebekah insists excitably, before dragging Bonnie out to buy hair ribbons.
::::
Stop this. Let me come home. He balls up the letter in one hand and crumples it, the sound of the parchment curling in on itself somehow less satisfying than he hopes for. He thinks back to the last time he saw his brother; frozen with the news of Katerina's betrayal, the look of a man who did not yet realize what he had fallen in love with.
Go, Klaus had screamed, and he can feel the rage even now, bubbling inside him. Elijah should never had fallen in love with her- there is no love for them outside family. He must learn that lesson, learn it the hard way.
A light footstep coming up the garden path alerts him to her presence, and he hears the slight hum on her breath as she levitates the rose petals she has grown so fond of. Klaus leans back in his chair, and waits in the moonlight for her to come to him.
This is the picture Bonnie Bennett paints, smile gentle on her lips as she holds the flower petals aloft with her mind, clearly reveling in her own power. Stop, he reminds himself, and take your own advice.
Her footsteps stall as she sees him, feet instinctively halting, concentration breaking causing the petals to flutter to the ground. "Oh my goodness," She breathes, and he hears the spike in her heartbeat, laughs a little to put her at ease.
One look at her face tells him she is trying to formulate a plan on how to explain it away, how she was wandering around with petals flying around her head. He saves her the trouble- steps forward with the barest glimmer of a smile and touches her wrist gently. "You're a witch," He says, and bends to pick a petal at her feet.
"You know about us?"
"I've heard of you- our family has had ties to the witches since the start of our lineage." He's feeding her half truths, little tidbits of lies cloaked with hints of the truth that he hopes will encourage her to stay close. He's half surprised really, that her family hasn't told her of vampires yet, but he supposes they are trying to shelter.
Which is good for him- he gets to teach her what he wants her to know. "You won't tell anyone?" Bonnie asks furtively, stepping forward and lowering her gaze to the floor, fingers curled into tight fists.
"I give you my word," He promises, and takes her slender fingers into his own, pressing a soft kiss to the knuckles. The sound of her heartbeat speeding up, almost imperceptibly, causes the smallest smirk to graze his lips. "I am as trustworthy as Rebekah, whom I assume you have taken into your confidence."
Bonnie laughs, tossing her hair over one shoulder, the shift sending more wafts of her blood to cloud his senses. "Rebekah has trouble keeping her mouth shut when it comes to gossiping."
"But she's fiercely protective of those secrets she needs to keep."
He wonders if his eyes have changed color in the darkness, because Bonnie's heartbeat has spiked once more. "You're right," She breathes, and pulls her bare hands from his grip, taking a seat opposite him. "What's this?"
Bonnie touches the crumpled parchment of Elijah's letter and unrolls it gently, catching no more than the barest glimpse of it before he tugs it from her grip. "My elder brother, Elijah," He says caustically, "expressing his love for us."
"Why did he leave you?"
"We fell in love with the same woman. And he left to chase after her- chose her over family."
Klaus watches Bonnie chew her lip, looking at him thoughtfully, and it's one of the most innocent, unguarded expressions he has ever seen. There is very little true goodness in the world he has been permitted to bear witness to, and she is perhaps the brightest witch he has ever met.
"He'll come back," She promises him with a sympathetic smile. "My cousin Lucy did very much the same, but she still sends me letters. We'll meet soon, when she comes back from Spain."
Klaus smiles at her, allows her to continue believing that it was Elijah who voluntarily left them, and resolves then and there he will keep Bonnie Bennett for as long as he can. It's not just her blood he lusts for anymore. He enjoys this-her conversation, just being with her.
::::
"Is there something going on between you and Niklaus?" Rebekah asks over the gold rim of her china teacup, curiosity ill veiled behind her eyes.
Bonnie's blush is all the answer she needs. "Why do you say that?"
"He couldn't keep his eyes off you at breakfast, and while that's become ordinary, you were smiling back and blushing."
Bonnie tries not to choke on her tea, instead setting the cup down with as much grace as she can manage. Truth be told, she thinks there was a connection formed between her and Klaus that night in the garden, one that has her craving his conversation.
"We're friends," She settles with, and Rebekah smiles.
"That's how all the great love stories start."
"You read far too many novels about epic love. It puts silly ideas in your head."
The look Rebekah gives her can only be described as strange- it gives Bonnie the idea that she knows something Bonnie doesn't. "Whatever you say about me and my literature Bonnie, it has helped me with quite a few things. I did predict that Tyler Lockwood would write to you, didn't I?"
Bonnie gives a reluctant nod, eyeing the piece of parchment next to her fruit. Dearest Bonnie, it begins. I have missed your presence in London, found the chatter quite meaningless. Rebekah gives a self satisfied sigh and scans the letter once more, obviously pleased with what she finds.
"He seems quite taken with you."
Bonnie shrugs one shoulder, bared by her day dress. "Maybe. He's charming."
"Miss Bennett!" Rebekah mocks her playfully with a smile, "Two suitors! And one of them my brother- the scandal!"
Bonnie rolls her eyes and takes the letter back from Rebekah. "Shall I reply?"
"Of course. Tell him you ache for his touch, that you wish to feel his lips on your-"
"Bekah!" Klaus pushes open the door with a grin, and Bonnie knows he doesn't miss the blush rising fast on her cheeks as she looks down at her plate, doesn't miss the cackle Rebekah lets off once she sets eyes on him. "You have a filthy mind."
"Well, it's no more filthy than yours is. And we were just talking about you."
He takes a seat next to Bonnie, the length of his thigh pressing into hers through the fabric of their clothing. "Nothing bad, I hope?" He asks, and she looks up to finds his eyes on hers. He has very blue eyes, she realises with a slight jolt. Tyler's are the complete opposite-dark caramel that reminds her of the sweetmeats they sell at winter fayres.
"Of course not," Bonnie says with what she hopes is a reassuring smile. Rebekah looks at the two of them with a glint that can only be described as conniving in her eyes.
"We were talking about Bonnie's many suitors back in London," She interjects with a quick grin, "And debating how best to answer to a certain Lockwood's letters."
"Tyler Lockwood is courting you?" Klaus asks, and she wonders whether she is imagining the change in his amiable tone to something more dark. "He's not good enough for you, love. Does he know what you can do?"
Bonnie shakes her head. "But maybe I want normality."
Rebekah groans. "That's ridiculous. Your magic is a part of you- you can't remove it, and you won't, not if I know you." Bonnie smiles and reaches across the table for the emerald nestled in Rebekah's collarbone, to change the color of the gem with a single flutter of her eyelashes. One flutter and it changes to black, another and it changes to grey. She leaves it at red, enjoying the way it casts tiny beams of red light around the room.
"You look stunning," Klaus says, in such a way that tells her he did not mean to let that confession slip. Bonnie smiles and knots her hands over the pitcher of lemonade, turning it from yellow to green with a single brush of her fingertips into the liquid. "When you practice magic, it's as if you are connected with nature, with your true self."
"That's what a witch is, Nik," Rebekah says with a self suffering sigh, "And I need to see what Kol is up to. I don't think he came back from the village girl's house last night."
Bonnie waits until she leaves, before turning to Klaus with a grin. "I can turn your hair green, if you wish."
"Thanks, but I may have to pass up your very generous offer. I do however, need a trim, if you could perhaps provide that."
"I'm a witch, not a hairdresser."
"True," He says, and is suddenly serious as he takes her hands. "You should never let anyone exploit your powers," He tells her, leaning forward in his chair, and Bonnie looks into his eyes, so serious and genuine, leans forward and kisses him.
His hands instinctively reach for her face, gently cupping her cheek and pressing soft kisses on the corners of her mouth. She reaches for the tops of his cropped curls, runs her fingers through them, and allows him to take her onto his lap. They've been building up to this, she supposes, since she first set eyes on him.
::::
She kissed me, he reminds himself, pacing around his room while Rebekah and Bonnie are getting ready. Kol leans against his door, smirk in place. "What's got you so agitated?"
Klaus only smiles, resisting the urge to shove Kol out of the room with the fireplace poker. "How's your village girl?" He asks and his brother's shrug informs him that she is gone.
"I got a little bit hungry and ended up draining her entire family." Kol shrugs, boyish face twisting into an expression of mock regret. "What a waste of such innocent lives."
"Only the good die young," Klaus agrees.
"And we, brother, won't die at all. No tell me- are you in the mood for some hunting?"
Klaus debates on the idea, but shakes his head. The only problem with being vampires is that they can't keep animals- their carriage is lead lined to prevent the horses from catching their scent and spooking, otherwise he would quite like a dog.
"And the reason you're not in the mood for a hunt, is because the Bennett witch has given you her lovely neck, I imagine."
Klaus shuffles the papers on his desk and ignores Kol, who moves to clap a hand onto his shoulder. "I never did congratulate you, by the way. Although mother always told me that the best brothers shared everything even food. So I suppose you won't mind if-"
Klaus' hand is on his throat immediately, pressing him into the delicate plaster of his bedchamber, which instinctively seems to crack under his weight. "That's a no then," Kol chokes, forcing a laugh through clenched teeth as Klaus lets him go. "We are getting touchy about her, aren't we Nik?"
He doesn't dignify his brother a response, instead slumping into his chair and pushing the letter towards him. "This is the last letter I will send to Elijah."
"Don't bother coming back," Kol reads aloud, his expression settling into sobriety. "I'm guessing he's found Katerina."
"You never knew her," Klaus tells him; because Rebekah and Kol were both stowed away safely in coffins at that point, on time out from wreaking havoc. "But I suppose we can't blame Elijah, because she could tempt a saint."
"But Elijah is the one of out of all of us, the one who always believed in the family," Kol says slowly, and Klaus forces a small smile, so used to manipulation that he continues weaving the tale, never for a moment believing his siblings would stay if they new the full story.
Bonnie is different, he tells himself. She'll stay.
::::
"Honestly," Bonnie says with a grimace, "I wish getting ready was a little quicker."
"It would certainly make our lives a lot easier. You look stunning, however." Bonnie grins, catching a glimpse of herself in the huge silver mirror of the ballroom, her hair curled and flowing to the small of her back, the smallest spring flowers threaded into the twists. And the dress looks gorgeous- emphasizes the small waist of her gown and her simple beauty, tiniest amount of rouge applied to her cheeks and lips. She does look stunning, Bonnie concedes.
Rebekah threads her arm through hers with a groan. "You make the rest of us look far too overdressed, Miss Bennett."
A conscious move on her part, although Rebekah may not realise it. The ball has been in full swing for a few hours and she has not yet caught a glimpse of Klaus or Kol for that matter, and Bonnie flutters her fan impatiently, wondering whether it will be too obvious to ask Rebekah where her brothers are.
"A dance?" A deep voice asks from behind her, and she turns, dazzling smile already in place. She can still feel the press of his lips on her own, and wonders how he always manages to sneak up on her unnoticed.
His hand easily makes its way to the small of her back and he presses against her, closer than necessary as they take a turn around the gleaming dancefloor.
"You're easily the most beautiful woman here tonight," Klaus whispers low in her ear.
"Rebekah will be offended, she spent far too much on her dress."
He only smiles down at her, blue eyes twinkling in the candle light, and tips her chin up with one of his fingers. "Shall we take a walk?"
The end up in the rose garden, and she thinks back to the start of her visit just a few weeks before, when she had hated him. And now he's standing before her, arms knotted around her waist as if it's the most natural thing in the world, peppering kisses to the skin of her neck. Bonnie laughs, breath a little unsteady as she threads her fingers through his hair and kisses him.
She remembers Lucy after her own affair, how she'd come back with flushed cheeks and a happiness that was constant and knows that she and her cousin are not so different after all. There is no question of marrying Niklaus- her family barely consented to allowing her to stay with Rebekah, and their distrust of the Mikaelsons is not only unreasonable, but also unparalleled.
"We should go back inside," She tells him softly, and he looks to where the light is spilling from the huge windows, the sound of the music jarring to his ears. Shrugs nonetheless, and offers her his arm with a smile. "As you wish."
::::
She has meant for her to come here, he thinks as he enters the garden where she revealed her abilities to him just a few nights before. Bonnie's sitting on one of the iron chairs, dressed in nothing but a white, almost transparent shift that leaves her shoulders bare.
He wants to bite them.
Bonnie only smiles at him, and holds up the stem of the white candle she is holding. "I came to practice my magic," She says, and the candle flickers to life almost instinctively.
He makes his way behind her, and runs the palms of his hands over her bare shoulders, leaning down to press his lips against her ear. "You look so beautiful when you practice magic," He whispers, pressing a gentle kiss to the curve of her jaw. He feels her sharp intake of breath and watches as her lashes flutter close.
"Thank you," She says and he can hear the smile on her neck as he kisses her neck, laughter escaping her throat with a breathy giggle. Her fingers trail along the length of his hand and she gently pries them from her shoulders, turning to face him.
"Are you here for any particular reason, my lord?" She says mockingly, snuffing the candle out beneath her fingertips and rising.
Klaus takes a loose curl between his own fingers and tugs it gently, wrapping it around one finger with a grin, watching it spring back into place after he releases it. He has been many people; seen many things, yet none of them have given him as much pleasure as Bonnie Bennett does. "I wanted to take a stroll," He murmurs, and wraps his arms around her, tugging her close and inhaling her scent.
She smells like raspberries and mint, and the cool summer breeze does nothing to stop him wondering what her blood will taste like. Bonnie smiles against the skin of his throat and he tips her chin up with a single finger, searching for any hesitation in her eyes before he kisses her.
He finds none- he hadn't expected to, he can tell from her heartbeat that she is enjoying this as much as he is as she leans onto her tip toes and knots her fingers around the back of his neck, responding in sync with him.
She breaks the kiss and begins to pepper kisses over the soft stubble grazing his jaw, and Klaus knows that he can't hold out for any longer.
"Come to my chambers," He asks, and she breaks away to look at him, green eyes luminous in the moonlight, lips pink and swollen from stolen kisses.
"Why should I?" She questions, crossing her arms and raising her chin in apparent defiance. "You'll ruin me." Bonnie speaks as if it is a concept she does not quite believe in, the idea that he could ruin her.
In more ways than you know how, he thinks and the lazy grin unfurls over her face.
"When was the last time you did something simply because you wanted to?" He goads, well aware of her status in town as a healer, and she raises her chin a little higher, pursing her lips into a satisfied smirk.
"Coming here." She challenges him and he shrugs and holds out a hand with a smile.
"I will adore you," He promises with a whisper, and she slides her small hand into his.
"It's no less than I deserve," Bonnie Bennett tells him, and Klaus agrees.
::::
She pulls her shift on slowly, rising from the huge bed which is now empty. Bonnie wonders where Klaus has gone, and sees the doors of the balcony, thrown open so that the curtains are fluttering gently in the half breeze.
She steps out onto the balcony, feet cold against the stone, and stops dead in her tracks, because Klaus has his teeth sunk into a man's flesh and seems to be sucking the life blood out of him.
The spell flies out of her as instinctively as a breath, and he is thrown away from the body and onto the floor in a flash.
When she was five and ten, her mother taught her a spell and told her never to use unless it was on another supernatural being, because it would kill a human instantly. And whatever the man kneeling before her is, he is not a human (and hopefully not Klaus either, she prays silently) and looks at his eyes for a second, disgusted by the dark veins around them.
"Bonnie-" He begins, and a dribble of human blood flows from his mouth to stain his collar, and she is almost physically sick.
"Don't talk to me," She commands, "Don't look at me, and don't follow me. We're done."
He had told her he loved her just an hour before, and now she was-
She took a deep breath, held out her palms, and unleashed the power from inside herself, closing herself off from the sound of his agony.
She leaves within the next hour, without so much as a word to Rebekah or Kol. The entire Mikaelson family is monstrous, and she should have seen the signs a while ago, she thinks as she settles into the cushions of her carriage and waits until the manor has been swallowed up by the darkness before she allows herself to finally cry for the love she never had.
END OF ACT ONE
A/N: I had to really rush to finish this last bit in time for Klonnie week, so sorry if it's a bit of a mess :( I will be following this up with another part at some point, and the other part is going to be set in London town and feature more Tyler so yay!
Reviews are love, and I want to know what you guys think :)