Title: fever dream
Rating: M
Genre: AU/Non-Canon
Pairing(s): Bonnie/Klaus, Tyler/Lucy, Greta/Jules, eventual Mason/Gloria, Luka/Rebekah, ect.
Summary: when bonnie bennett is inducted into the inner circle of niklaus mikaelson she immediately falls for him and starts on the winding path to darkness as she assists the hybrid in his quest to break the hybrid curse and bring about the new order. (season two rewrite from episode 2x03)
Warnings: Non-canon, Sexual Content, Explicit Sexual Content, Cults (Kind of), Violence, Language, Character death, OOC-ness, ect.
Author's Note: So this is basically a season two rewrite from the episode 2x03 Bad Moon Rising. I have had a lot of qualms with TVD as most of you know, I will not go through all of them here. Some of them however, will be addressed in this fic. Basically the premise of this is Klaus has a following of werewolves and witches prior to his arrival to Mystic Falls who know the truth behind the Sun and the Moon Curse and his real motives. Like it makes no sense to try and recruit and army of werewolves to make a hybrid army after the fact when you have literally hundreds of years to hunt them down and develop a following prior to this and also it was never really explained why Greta and Maddox were so loyal and exactly what "the new order" Greta was speaking of was. But I digress. Anyway this fic basically follows Bonnie and in a way Tyler as they get recruited by Klaus. Also Mikael will be a more formidable opponent when he does show up later on and Klaus's fear of him will be way more justified than it was on the show. No editing here as usual. Just let me know what you all think. Happy reading!
part one ∥ first sight
"Which monster do you choose?"
― John Ajvide Lindqvist,Let the Right One In
Bonnie Bennett half listened as Stefan Salvatore made his case about why she should try her hand at making Caroline Forbes a day walking ring. She was frustrated, annoyed and angry. The thing was, she wasn't able to let those things surface. Everyone else was entitled to their emotions but when hers came out it was as if everyone around her saw them as an invitation for her to be reasoned with, appealed to. Like some wild animal that needed breaking in.
They had been at Mystic Grill for a half an hour and had been talking in circles the entire time.
Her anger had become a living creature, clawing and squirming on her insides. It had started when Grams died. After seeing Caroline become a murderer it had only magnified.
Worse than that was the guilt. She had spent her time since the arrival of the Salvatore and discovering her powers, trying to do the right thing. It never seemed to work out for her. First by pleading to her Grams to get Stefan out of the tomb. Then with the Gilbert device. Then with asking Damon to give Caroline his blood. Every choice she made seem to come back and bite her in the ass and she was tired of it all.
She had loss so much. She was becoming increasingly isolated from her friends and yet no one seemed to really notice. She had almost killed Damon the night before, had nearly had a nervous breakdown and yet no one had even bothered to offer her a ride home or check in her. Instead she had been made to feel guilty about her reaction to Caroline's transformation and then they had come to her for help yet again.
As Stefan brushed off Bonnie's concerns about Caroline being a danger to the people around her, there were a lot of things Bonnie wanted to say. She kept her mouth shut. No one ever listened anyway, not unless she was going along with what they were already planning, or saying or feeling. If she trusted them to listen, she wouldn't have kept the Gilbert device a secret in the first place. She would just have to handle it on her own if Caroline got out of line, like she handled everything else. If there were consequences then so be it. She had given him a warning and that was good enough.
Stefan got up from the table they had been sitting at in order to call Caroline and Elena and let them know that Bonnie had agreed to make the ring. As if she had a real choice to do anything but that. Her using her powers for the benefit of others had become more of an expectation than anything else anyway, she couldn't remember the last time, if there had ever been a time, and she had used them for her own sake or her own benefit. It was always to help a friend, to protect the town, or to save a life. All of that power expended and yet she still lost out in the end and no matter how many spells she taught herself she still felt alone and helpless in the face of all the dangers around her.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" A voice asked, drawing Bonnie's attention.
Bonnie looked up and met the brown eyes of a girl she had never seen before. She was beautiful, tall, dark curly hair, brown skin and a smirk that Bonnie was sure could rival Damon's. She dripped confidence and Bonnie envied that.
Bonnie nodded. "Sure," she said, "The seats open."
"Sorry to bother you," the girl said, "It's just that the guy at the bar can't seem to take the hint that I'm not interested so it was either tell him I was meeting a friend here so that I could get away or wind up in jail for assault on my first day in town."
Bonnie laughed as the girl sat down in the chair across for her. "You definitely made the right choice then," she grinned, "I'm a lot friendlier than anyone you'd meet in a holding cell."
The girl laughed and held out her hand for Bonnie to shake. "Greta Martin," she introduced.
"Bonnie Bennett," Bonnie replied. She took the girl's hand and was surprised by the feeling she got as she did so. It was the cold chill or death that she got from vampires, it was rather something warm and familiar, but there was also an underlying hint of power. Magic, Bonnie thought, eyebrow raised.
"Bennett, huh?" Greta smiled as she pulled her hand back, "I have a friend with that last name. Her name's Lucy. Maybe you're related. She has some family from Salem. Sound familiar?"
Bonnie looked around to check and see where Stefan was and make sure that he wasn't listening in. She felt hope for the first time in a long. Another witch. One that possibly knew something of what little family she had left on her grandmother's side. It didn't seem possible. "Yeah," she said aloud, once she spotted Stefan a ways off by the bathrooms, "My family came to Mystic Falls by way of Salem."
"Thought so," Greta nodded, "I hail from Louisiana myself. Birth place of Marie Laveau."
Greta stopped talking as one of the waitresses came over to their table and placed a platter of fries in front of her and then disappeared.
"So you're…" Bonnie trailed as the waitress walked out of earshot.
Greta nodded minutely and opened her hand. Bonnie watched as the salt shaker on the table flew into her palm. "A powerful one," she said, "Not as powerful as you but close."
"I'm not that powerful," she muttered.
"I overheard you and your friend talking," Greta shrugged, "Was that whole thing about being able to drop a vampire with a sing look an exaggeration?"
"No but-" Bonnie started to object.
"But nothing," Greta interrupted, "I felt it when I touched you. From the sound of your conversation you're untrained but you got plenty of potential and more power than most witches I know, know what to do with. Under the right hands you could be a marvel, girl."
Bonnie blinked at her as Greta popped a fry into her mother. She didn't feel powerful on most days, if any days. She had taught herself enough tricks to survive but that was it. To have someone who she just met say that she was powerful and that she had potential to be great was more than Bonnie could comprehend. She was so used to Stefan and Damon comparing her to Emily and finding her wanting and to feeling like she wasn't good enough.
"You really need to learn how to take a complement." Greta said, breaking into her thoughts.
"Thanks," Bonnie muttered. She eyed Greta and for some reason she felt as if she could trust the girl. Maybe it was the fact that she was a witch like her, someone that could understand the things that Bonnie didn't have anyone else to talk to about. "I've just been learning on my own," Bonnie sighed, "I haven't been around another witch since my grandmother died. There's no one to really learn with."
"I'm sorry," Greta frowned, "My dad taught me along with my brother. It worked out for a time. The thing about it is, when you're powerful people like to police that power, be it the people you care about or the spirits. One way or another someone is going to line up to try and control you or you end up getting involved in some mess you don't want to be in or both. But you know that already don't you?"
Bonnie bit her lip but didn't answer. She wanted to avoid the question but she supposed Greta knew her answer whether she stated it outright or not. "What did you do? When other people tried to control you?"
Greta sighed and pushed her fries aside. "Why do you bite your lip like that?" she asked abruptly.
Bonnie shrugged. "It's just a nervous habit."
"You do it to distract yourself right," Greta said, "from things you don't want to think about. To stop yourself from saying things people thing you shouldn't say or maybe things you want to say but don't feel like you can. To keep all the stuff that's inside from coming out, right? You know doctors tell their patients to do that when they're in pain. To bite down on something. They say it makes it hurt less. It doesn't. It just distracts. Divides your attention. Keeps you from screaming. It doesn't fix the problem. That's how I used to hand it. When something happened that was too much, I bit down. Dealt with it on my own and kept my feelings to myself. Kept the pain to myself."
Bonnie felt uncomfortable and transparent all at once. The girl had put so many of Bonnie's emotions into words it. She caught herself as a tear slipped out and she wiped at her cheek frantically. "You don't look the type to do that."
"I'm not," Greta stated, "Not anymore. I cut off the people I needed to cut off. My own family. It was hard at first but then I met someone. Someone that said I had potential. Someone that encouraged me and brought me around other witches that helped me hone my gifts. Shared their knowledge and I grew into my powers in a way that I never would I have been able to before. They took me in and they didn't ask me for anything in return and I felt like for the first time I met someone that deserved my loyalty."
Bonnie looked down at the table. "Sounds like you got lucky," she smiled sadly. The way Greta was talking. Being around other witches. Learning about her powers and how to use them. Being encouraged without expectations. Bonnie wanted that, all of that. She just didn't know how to get it.
"Not really," Greta said, "I me the right person to help me take control of my life back. I bet…if you wanted…someone would be willing to help you do the same. You don't know me or anything so feel free to tell me to shut the hell up at any time but take it from someone who knows, I if you align yourself with the wrong people you wilt and your gifts go to waste. You meet the right ones and you flourish."
"And how do you meet the right ones?" Bonnie asked.
Greta glanced over Bonnie's shoulder and Bonnie straightened as she saw Stefan coming back over to the, one eyebrow raised.
Greta took one of the napkins off the table and dug through her purse for a pen. She scribbled down her name and number of the napkin and pushed it across the table towards Bonnie. "Call me and I'll answer that question," she said as she stood.
Bonnie nodded, taking the napkin, folding it and slipping it into her purse. "It was nice meeting you Greta," she said.
Greta winked as she left the table. "You too, Bonnie," she called over her shoulder, "I hope to see you around."
Bonnie watched as Greta walked away. Stefan was at her side a moment later. "Who was that?" he asked.
"No one," Bonnie answered as she stood.
Stefan opened his mouth to say more but then shrugged. "Caroline's ready for us."
"Let's just get this over with." Bonnie sighed.
:::
Tyler Lockwood had made it a habit to listen in on his Uncle Mason's conversations as of late. However, following him to the ruins of the old Lockwood plantation took a whole new level of stealth.
Tyler watched as Mason explored the property from the cover of a tall tree. He had gotten no closer to discovering what his uncle was hiding. It was just a bunch of scattered information that Tyler had yet to find a way to put together.
Tyler listened closely as Mason pulled out his phone as his stood at the top of the brick stairs leading down to what, Tyler wasn't sure.
"Hey Jules," his uncle said into the receiver, "Still no leads on the stone. I won't be able to make it back to Safe Haven for the change. I have a place I can go. It isn't pretty but it'll do for one night."
Tyler frowned. "Make the change?" he mumbled to himself and then, "Who the hell is Jules?"
"So Greta is coming out to assist?" Mason said, regaining Tyler's attention, "It'll make the change easier if nothing else. I'll be on the lookout for her. Thanks for sending her out a day early. I know she was going to try her hand at getting the Bennett girl to join our little party tomorrow but I also know she would have waited until after the full moon if you hadn't asked her come to her to come and help me out instead. I know you have everyone there but it's not the same."
Tyler was even more confused than before. Party? The Bennett girl? "What the hell does he want with Bonnie?" Tyler whispered.
Mason laughed into the phone receiver and then, "Yeah, well, don't get mad if I decide to steal your girlfriend while she's here." More laughter. "You know I'm charming enough to do it. Listen. I'm going to talk to Ty tonight. I think it's time we break him in. The Salvatore have been snooping around and they compelled some idiot to fight me at the school carnival. He needs to know what we're up against and he's not going to be able to keep his head above water whether he makes the change or not if he stays blind about what a shit show this place is. He needs to be under our protection."
Tyler felt his stomach drop. Something was off and he was determined to find out what it was.
Mason disconnected the phone and made his way back through the woods as if he was on his normal morning run.
Tyler waited until his uncle was out of sight before coming out of the cover of the trees and descending the brick steps. The stairs led to an old cellar and as Tyler explored it, noting the scratches and chains on the wall, Tyler knew that whatever it was that his uncle was mixed up in, wasn't good.
:::
Bonnie sighed as she left Caroline's house. Caroline had complained and made veiled accusations about the Bonnie not being a good friend to her the whole time she had been making Caroline's ring. She had even complained about how the spell had been done, that nothing "witchy" had happened during its execution, as if Bonnie was meant to put on a show for her on top of making it possible for Caroline to see the sun she hadn't been able to see in days.
Bonnie had warned her that she could take the spell of the ring just as easily as she had placed it on, that she could take Caroline down if she hurt anyone else. She was tired of playing nice. Tired of biting her lip and her tongue. She hadn't gotten a thank you and she hadn't expected any.
Bonnie's phone buzzed and she was surprised to find a text from Tyler Lockwood inviting her to a party he was having at the swim hole on the old Lockwood property. While she and Tyler didn't talk much, the invitation wasn't odd to her because they hung out in the same crowd and he always invited Bonnie to his parties. The odd thing about it was there were two separate text messages. The first was a group message that had been sent out to a large group of their friends from school but Tyler had sent her a separate message emphasizing that he hoped that she would be there.
Bonnie tried not to read too much into it as she made the drive over to the swim hole. She supposed that Caroline and Stefan wouldn't be far behind after Caroline fed but as she wasn't in the mood to be in the company of either one of them she decided a drive over by herself would be for the best.
As she drove she kept replaying the words Greta had said over and over in her head. She wanted to call the girl but she wasn't sure what to say once she did. She had so many questions but at the same time she was afraid to know the answers.
By the time she got the swim hole the party was already well underway. She got out of her car and immediately walked over to where Tyler and Matt were setting up the keg. She allowed Matt to give her a hug as she greeted him and was about to greet Tyler when his uncle pulled up with Greta Martin in his passenger's seat.
"How does your uncle know Greta?" Bonnie asked, before she could stop herself.
"You know her?" Tyler asked.
Bonnie nodded. "I met her earlier at the Grill," she said, as Matt continued to fiddle with the keg pump, "What's going on? What was with the text earlier?"
Tyler gave a pointed look towards Matt. "Later," he whispered, "I'm going to see what Mason wants."
Bonnie nodded and helped Matt with the keg as Tyler jogged over to Mason's truck. Bonnie watched out of the corner of her eyes as Tyler and Mason spoke.
When Mason pulled away Tyler gestured his head for Bonnie to come over to him. Bonnie glanced at Matt in time to see Aimee Bradley heading in his direction. Bonnie left Matt to deal with the keg and Aimee's flirtation and walked over to Tyler.
"Come with me," Tyler said, taking Bonnie's hand and tugging her in the direction of the woods.
Bonnie frowned but she followed. "If this is some veiled excuse to try to hook up with me," Bonnie said, just in case, "It's not happening."
Tyler grinned. "I wouldn't mind hooking up but that's not what this is about."
Bonnie listened as Tyler detailed Mason's odd behaviors as of late and she sighed. The Salvatore and Elena were already investigating the family and if Bonnie were honest she wished that they would stay out it. Tyler had lost his father, he'd been through enough. Whatever, his family secret was, it seemed like even he didn't know it, so Damon and Stefan sure as hell didn't have the right to figure out, no matter the reason.
But Bonnie knew that Stefan and Damon wouldn't stop until they knew. Had known that the minute she found out that the Lockwood's had reacted the Gilbert device. And she knew if they deemed the Lockwood's a threat they would got after the family because apparently the Salvatore were the only monsters that had the right to reign in Mystic Falls. They might've gone after Bonnie herself if not for Elena, she had threatened them more than once and if she wasn't so willing to protect Elena and they couldn't make use out of her they might've taken the threats more seriously.
"Why are you telling me all of this?" Bonnie asked, as Tyler led her down brick stairs to an old cellar.
"Because," he said, "Mason mentioned you by name when he was on the phone earlier and you knew that girl he was with. I thought you might know something or at the very least you'd help me figure it out."
Bonnie grimaced. Why had Mason mentioned her? She doubted very much that Mason was a witch, his acquaintance with Greta notwithstanding. "I don't know anything about whatever he's hiding," she said, "But the girl might."
"And how do you know her?" Tyler asked as Bonnie moved into the cellar and examined the scratch marks on the wall.
Bonnie look back at Tyler her face serious. "The Lockwoods aren't the only family in this town that has secrets."
:::
Niklaus Mikaelson looked up from his desk and Jules stepped into his office. She had only been at the compound with him for a year. He had found her and Mason in Florida. She had come with a whole pack, and she herself was a valuable asset.
Niklaus had started Safe Haven in the 1920's after daggering his sister Rebekah. Mikael coming so close to finding them had been a wakeup call. He had needed to change his plans and his focus. Breaking the hybrid curse had been placed on the backburner in favor of gaining allies and building a following. What good would it do him trying to build an army without wolves after all? What good would it do him to try to break the curse without witches at his side?
It had started on twenty acres of land about three hours away from Mystic Falls. It was as close to his former home as he could get without giving away his position. He had aligned himself with a few acquaintances he had made over the years and it had grown from there. There connections were told about him and then the connections of the new recruits were recruited and so one and so forth.
While he had spent nearly all of his existence as an outsider, and feeling utterly alone, even in the company of his family, since founding the compound Klaus had become the leader of something bigger than he had ever dared to the think possible. He might not have had access to his wolf side or the powers his the witch blood of his mother might have given him due to the curse and his vampiric state, but the wolves and the witches still felt connected to him. Drawn to him and his power. Wolves were pack animals and while witches could survive alone, they took care of their own and even the strongest among them knew that they were more powerful in a coven. Both creatures were built for loyalty, for community, congregation, and held endless potential for power.
Klaus had managed to bring together five packs and three covens, bringing his total to thirty nine witches and forty five wolves. The packs had been harder to track as wolves were secretive and low in numbers. The witches had been tricky as some had been more likely to want him dead than to aid his cause. However, Klaus had grown his compound from twenty acres to seventy five. He had wanted to grow it larger but he had also wanted to stay under the radar.
The compound was more of a private estate. The house grew as the number of followers grew though not all of them lived there, they gathered there often. Klaus had simply kept buying and clearing out land over the years and expanding the mansion when necessary. Some of the more loyal followers like Greta and Jules even had their own homes built on the estate. Klaus rewarded loyalty but it also gave him room to bring in the new recruits to the mansion, keep them close while their loyalty was still up in the air in case they turned.
The hand all around them was secluded, wooded and warded with magic. No one would be able to find them unless they knew where to look and no one would know where to look unless Klaus said so.
It was a beautiful estate. Land for miles. A lake. There was fifteen acres alone dedicated to the garden that the witches kept up.
Klaus was planning on expand again once the threat of Mikael was neutralized. After tomorrow he would have to leave the estate in Gloria's hands for the most part until his plans were carried out. Until then he would be on and off the property and in and out of Mystic Falls.
Klaus stood up from his desk and Jules entered his office more fully. "Has there been any progress?"
Jules nodded. "Greta spoked to Bonnie Bennett today," she said, "Says that she thinks she can get her here. Are you going to tell her the truth or feed her the Aztec bullshit?"
Klaus laughed. "The truth," he said, "Lucy believes that she will respond better to genuineness and as I plan to have her join us I tend to agree."
"You normally go in with half-truths until you know the person can be trusted," Jules pointed out, "Or manipulated or both."
"We can trust her." Klaus said simply, holding up his hand when Jules made to object, "She's going to be our biggest asset. I've come too far and waited too long for her to go into this halfway. You know what's at stake. We can't have her going into this blind. We show her what we are, everything we are."
"What if she doesn't respond the way you think she will?" Jules asked.
"Gloria said she'll either be our greatest weapon or our greatest threat," Klaus shrugged. "If the coin lands on the wrong side, they'll be more than enough of us here to take care of the threat."
"You mean?" Jules started.
"She either joins us or she dies," Klaus stated, "Same with everyone else we recruit. Like I said there's no room for error. But you needn't worry, love. We won't have to worry about getting any blood on our hands. Not with her."
:::
By the end of the party at the swim hole, Bonnie had had to incapacitate Caroline after she attacked Matt, discovered that Mason Lockwood was a werewolf, and had watched dumbfounded as Greta had healed all of Matt's wounds without much effort at all.
Bonnie had allowed Matt to be compelled upon receiving the promise that he'd be on vervain and after Caroline had told her, her plan to break up with him. However, when Stefan had moved to erase Tyler's knowledge of the incident, Bonnie stepped in between them.
"You know their secret and now he knows yours," she said, "You're even."
"Bonnie," Stefan protested.
She knew what his arguments would be. That Tyler would tell his mother. She was on the council. It could put them at risk. However, Stefan hadn't thought about the consequences when he had sought the secret out and for once Bonnie thought he and Damon deserved to deal with whatever fall out their stupid plans got them, even if they ended up dead at the councils hands so that the Lockwoods could protect their secret.
"You said you wanted to know what they were so you knew what you were up against," Bonnie told him, "Tyler deserves to know what he's up against too."
She was tired of everyone being in the dark. Her own secret was out as well and as far as she was concerned there was no reason to go backwards, Mason already knew about tem and Tyler having werewolf blood would make him a target and he would find out either way it went so there was no real reason to delay the inevitable.
Bonnie watched as Stefan walked away and she was sure the argument wouldn't end there but she didn't care, she was done staying quiet.
"Whatever you stopped him from doing just now," Tyler said once Stefan had gone to find Caroline, "Thank you."
Bonnie nodded and was about to respond when Mason came out of the woods naked and covered in dirt, Greta close behind. "Witches and wolves have a base understanding of one another," he said, "Unlike any other creatures. You shouldn't be so surprised she helped us. They're connected to nature and we're of it. We aid each other."
Bonnie ignored Mason's nudity in favor of looking towards Greta. "Is that why you're here?"
Greta nodded. "There's a lot of pain during the change," she explained, "There's a few spells that can help circumvent that. He's one of the people I was telling you about before."
"So you weren't just talking about witches?" Bonnie asked as Tyler tossed Mason his cargo shorts.
Greta shook her head. "Wolves too," she said.
"This is insane," Tyler said, seeming to voice Bonnie's thoughts. There was still so much she didn't know and always another kind of monster around the corner. Her anxiety and uneasiness increased. She looked at Greta and the girl felt like her only lifeline in that moment.
Mason stated that he needed to talk to Tyler alone and so Bonnie offered to give Greta a ride back to the hotel she was staying in. The other witch immediately accepted.
The car ride was quiet at first until Bonnie finally broke. "I don't what to do anymore," she said, "I don't think I ever did. There's always something for fight against or some other kind of monster out there."
"Contrary to what the spirits would have you believe regarding all this keeping the balance bullshit, it's not up to you to save the world," Greta sighed, "We do what we can to survive. As far as the monster things goes. There's a hell of a lot more gray there than you obviously realize. What makes a monster anyway? When we're little we're told fairy tales about wicked witches in candy houses. Does that mean all witches are bad? No but we're not all good either. Same with vampires and werewolves. Lore teaches us to fear them but they're just like us, creatures that are inhuman and cursed to exist alongside them in this fucked up world."
"So how do we know the right thing to do?" Bonnie asked.
"You don't," Greta shrugged, "You'll never be able to do the right thing for everyone, Bonnie. You have to do what's right for you. That's what no one tells you when you're a kid. There is no good versus evil. Everything is subjected. No right versus wrong either. We have light in us and we have darkness, we act on what works for us in the moment."
Bonnie thought about that and she knew Greta was right. When she had was protecting her friends sometimes she acted on the light. However, when she had attacked Damon she had been acting on the darkness. She had liked watching him suffer, seeing him hurt, watching him burn. Anyone could be ruled by light or dark at any time, no matter what kind of monster they were. Whether witch or werewolf. Whether vampire or human.
"Then what the hell side are we on? What is it that we're supposed to be fighting against?" She had been operating on her Grams' understanding and view or things but she hadn't even gotten the whole view point on that before her grandmother had died.
Bonnie hated being in the middle of it all but she felt like there was no way out. She couldn't ignore what was going on around her but she couldn't succumb to the pressure either. It was there, however, always there, threating to break her and she had no one to turn to that would know how to put the pieces back together once she caved.
"Everyone is somebody's monster Bonnie," Greta said, "Whether we know it or not. There are people who would fear us if they knew what we could do. The same way you've feared vampires for so long and the same way those idiot Salvatores are afraid of Mason."
Bonnie knew for sure then, that the girl knew more about her than she had let on initially, whether she had gotten the information from Mason or someone else she wasn't sure.
"The trick to survival is not who you fight against but who you align yourself with," Greta continued, "Witches. Vampires. Werewolves. No matter what monster you choose it really just boils down to two types in the end. You can pick the one that scares you. The one you fear. Alight yourself to it out terror and hope that you can do enough to please them for them not kill you anyway. No matter what you tell yourself you never trust that one. You might even plan on killing that monster yourself one day, to free yourself from it. Or you might make friends with it, walk a tightrope line and obey, obey, obey until you become collateral damage."
Bonnie gripped the steering wheel hard as she stared out at the road. She thought about the Salvatore brothers. About the anger and fear she had felt since they had arrived. About the shell of a person she has come. About her two best friends that had been obsessed with them from the beginning, about Elena who loved Stefan and Caroline who was now a vampire. About the times she had tried to kill Damon and the times she had gone along with both Damon and Stefan in spite of her idle threats.
"What the second option?" Bonnie asked, her voice hard.
"You can align yourself with the monster that fascinates you," Greta said, "The one that's so powerful that you want to immolate it. The one that encourages you to take on its traits and unleashes that monster within you that will send the other one running screaming."
"That's the one you chose," Bonnie said, knowing the answer before she said.
"And the one that Mason did, and a lot of others like us," Greta smiled, "But the one you choose Bonnie is up to you. One will make you feel powerless and the other….the other will teach you how to keep the first kind monsters at bay. The outcome is up to you."
Bonnie swallowed. She was tired of feeling powerless. Tired of loss. Tired of suffering. For once she wanted to be the one with the power. "The one you align yourself with," Bonnie asked slowly, "Do they have a name?"
"His name," Greta said proudly, "is Niklaus Mikaelson. But we call him Klaus."
:::
Mason sighed as Tyler stared at him dumbfounded. Mason had said that he didn't want any more secrets between them and had meant it. He was tired of the lying and backpedaling and the secrets. It was time that Tyler found out the whole truth so that he could finally join the fold and Mason could keep him safe. He'd been talking for the past hour and revealing everything that he had kept hidden.
"So you killed someone?" Tyler asked. Mason could tell that he couldn't quite wrap his mind around it.
"I told you," Mason scowled, "I was tricked into it. A vampire compelled a friend to attack me, the same way the Salvatore tried to do at the carnival. Katherine Pierce. The one walking around with Elena's face or Elena has her face, whatever. The point his vampires are not to be underestimated. They've hunted us to near extinction over the years. The ones of us left are mostly in hiding. We're at the bottom of the food chain right now. Witches still make the rules but even they're losing their power to vampires. We used to higher up to. They feared us. Klaus is going to make sure we get that spot back before we're all wiped out."
"That's why you need the stone," Tyler frowned, "to break some curse he claims he's under. Listen man, I'm not going to kill anyone. I don't need to know any of this stuff. I found the stone a while ago. I'll give it to you and you can get out of town-"
"Do you really think the Salvatore will leave you alone with me gone?" Mason hissed, "They'll come after you, the same way they plain on coming after me. If not them it'll be someone else. You can't ignore what's out there anymore Tyler. Now that you know you're part of it. There's always another threat around the corner and until Klaus carries out his plans we may not be strong enough to fight it. Even if you never become a wolf I need to make sure you're safe."
"What do you want me to do then?" Tyler shot back, "Kill someone, so I can join your little pack."
"No," Mason sighed, "I need you under Klaus's protection. In order for me to make that happen you'll need to meet him. There's a gathering at the compound tomorrow. More of a party actually. You can go with me if you want."
Mason wanted Tyler to feel like he had a choice. Klaus had told him that was important when getting people to do what you wanted, making it appear as if they had a choice even if they didn't. He had taught Mason how to play dumb as well, it worked well on Katherine especially.
"I'll think about it," Tyler said.
Mason nodded reluctantly. "Our following," Mason said, "Our family is far from small Tyler. I know you haven't processed this yet but with everything that's out there, you're going to want as many people in your corner as possible. And even if you're not into it, you always love a good party right?"
Mason smiled as Tyler laughed, relieved to see some of the tension leave his nephew. "True and after tonight I'm definitely going to need a drink."
:::
Bonnie had trouble sleeping that night. Greta had added another kind of monster to the list and a hybrid at that. Bonnie was curious about him more than she was afraid, however. She was in away relieved that there was something out there stronger than vampires, someone more powerful that was not using witches but encouraging them to share their gifts and hone their own powers.
Greta had offered her the change to meet him and Bonnie had taken it without much thought. She was curious about him. She wanted to meet other witches like her. She wanted to learn more about werewolves so that she wouldn't going in as blind as when she had found out about vampires.
It occurred to her that she could be walking into a trap but she doubted it. Besides, if she couldn't trust another witch, who could she trust really? Her Grams was dead. Her father was out of town constantly and she had been intentionally keeping him the dark. Elena's judgment was skewed by her relationship with Stefan and she would tell him if Bonnie went to her about it. Caroline wasn't the same since the change, or perhaps she was more of herself. All of the qualities that Bonnie had been able to brush aside before, the self-absorption and playing the victim, had only amplified with the change and she had gone from one of her best friends to someone Bonnie could barely even talk to anymore. Stefan had told her to trust him when it came to making sure Caroline wouldn't hurt anyone else and she had attacked Matt the same night. She should've known better. She'd tried trusting him before and that had gotten her nowhere. Damon sure as hell wasn't an option either and so Bonnie was so far past being out of options as far as trusting people went it, she would just have to go with her gut either way.
It helped that Greta had told her that Bonnie would be meeting her cousin Lucy. She was a distant cousin, but a Bennett just the same and Bonnie missed that calming, grounded feeling she had had being around family. Being around her Grams.
Still, even though she was sure of her decision, she had been up all night. Up with an anxious sort of energy. Something that quickened her pulse with equal parts excitement and trepidation. She felt like something was coming. Like whatever she was looking for she was about the find and she wasn't sure how she felt about it.
Bonnie got dressed and began to pack an overnight back. The compound Greta had told her about called, Safe Haven, was a three hours' drive away and she wasn't all that certain that they would make it home that night as the were leaving later in the day and they were going for some kind of party that would likely last until late.
Bonnie had been ignoring calls from Caroline all morning and one or two from Elena as well. She had made a call to check on Matt even if he didn't remember what happened the day before and had gotten confirmation about his break up with Caroline.
Bonnie wasn't too surprised when she received a call from Tyler as she sifted through her closet for something to wear to the party.
"Are you going to this party tonight?" Tyler asked without any preamble.
"Yeah," Bonnie said, "I think it's at least worth checking out. I've been dealing with this supernatural bullshit a lot longer than you have. We can't trust the Salvatore and with Katherine and whoever else lurking around we need to find out all we can and we need all the allies we can get."
"I don't know anything about all of that but at least we'll both have a familiar face," there was a pause and Bonnie frowned.
"Whatever it is just spit it out."
She heard a sigh on the other end. "Look," Tyler said, "I was talking to Mason and he said something about this party. There's going to be werewolves there and their …we're… whatever… they are animalistic. Their inhibitions are pretty much nonexistent and apparently these witches don't follow rules either. He said that things can get pretty wild sometimes. I'm more used to that kind of scene even if it's not supernatural related, so I'm game for anything but….you sure you're up for it?"
The idea of being around people who lived without rules, weren't crippled by their inhibitions and had no expectations about how she should behave was more exciting to Bonnie than she wanted to let on. All she ever did was what was expected of her it seemed. The only time she hadn't was right after her Grams had died and that had only been in her small and short stand against Stefan and Damon and her not deactivating the Gilbert device, neither of those things had brought her any satisfaction.
"I can handle it," Bonnie said, sounding determined, "I'm in."
:::
The drive over to the compound was a quiet. The four of them had decided to take Mason's truck. While Mason played the radio, neither he nor Greta were one for idle chatter and in the backseat both Tyler and Bonnie were balls of nervous energy. Bonnie spent most of the drive staring out the window and Tyler had spent in scrolling through his phone.
By the time a mansion was sight Greta had the get their attention as they drove through the gates. Darkness had already settled. Still even in darkness the behemoth of a house could easily be made out and it was the most impressive and beautiful house that Bonnie had ever seen. Painted white on the outside with gold trim, the mansion was three stories high and impossibly wide with large bay windows and a driveway that wrapped around a large white marble fountain.
Bonnie could see the large expanse of the grounds, could feel the magic pulsing in the air, thickening it and making the hairs on her arms stand on end. Other houses dotted the estate and there was a lake but Bonnie's eyes were drawn to the gardens.
"Welcome to Safe Haven," Mason said and she could hear the smirk in his voice.
"If I lived her I'd never want to leave," Bonnie said to one in particular. She heard Tyler mumble in agreement as they drove past the large house and on to a smaller one near it that was still a lot larger than Bonnie's own, two stories and done in white brick.
"We don't have time for the grand tour," Mason said, "We've to get changed and head over the gardens. You'll get to see our house though."
"You guys live together?" Bonnie asked, surprised.
"Not like that," Greta commented as they stopped the car in front of the house, "It's more like I live there with my girlfriend and Mason is more like a squatter."
"There's four bedrooms and you two share one so it's not exactly and imposition," Mason laughed.
"Yeah, whatever," Greta said rolling her eyes but she was smiling and as Bonnie watched them continue to tease each other she felt some of her nerves settle.
They got out of the car and Greta led the way into the house. The inside was done in all warm colors. Reds and deep browns. Bonnie felt at home immediately in spite of the oblivious luxury as Greta led her to room that she would be staying in.
The room reminded Bonnie of her own, floral patterns and lots of reds. She noted that there were boxes on the bed arranged by size. She raised a brow at Greta who shrugged. "Welcome gifts from Klaus," she said by way of explanation.
Bonnie walked over a touched the largest box. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had gone out of their way to get her a gift when it wasn't her birthday or a holiday. "Does he do this with everyone?" she asked, "As if this whole compound isn't impressive enough."
"Not everyone," Greta said but didn't expand upon her point. "I'll leave you to get settled."
With that Greta was gone and Bonnie was left to her own devices for the moment. She was struggling to process everything. She was only three hours from home and yet she felt lightyears away. In some other dream world that didn't really exist.
Bonnie reached out and opened the smallest box on the bed first. It was a teardrop ruby necklace on a gold chain. She could feel some kind of magic pulsing from it even as she held the box. Frowning she touched it cautiously and felt the familiar feeling she got when she entered her grandmother's house. It was a protection spell of some sort.
Bonnie shook her head, already this man, this monster she had never met was doing more to protect her than even she had done over the last year with one single gift.
Bonnie set the box aside and opened the next one, on the inside there was a book, a grimoire with orchids on the cover. Her Grams' favorite flower. Bonnie froze. She had always wanted to know about the spells that her Grams had created herself, about the experiences that she had had in her youth but her grandmother had said that the grimoire she had kept all her life had gone missing when Bonnie's mother left and she hadn't had the heart to ask for it back in spite of the resentment she had for her daughter, the mother Bonnie couldn't remember.
With shaking hands, Bonnie opened the inside cover read the words, 'Property of Sheila Bennett', there was note on the inside cover in an envelope. Taking out the envelope Bonnie closed the grimoire and set it gently on the bed ignoring the tears that fell at the same time.
Bonnie opened the envelope and read the note that said:
Dear Bonnie,
It took me a while to find it. I actually found this grimoire and Lucy at the same time. I hope that restoring some parts of your family to you can mend the wounds created by what you have lost. I look forward to meeting you. I have waited for you for a very long time.
Yours,
Klaus
Bonnie was equal parts confused and astounded. How much did these people know about her? Why had she been chosen? She was never chosen for anything. She had spent her life fading into the background. Living in Elena's shadow. Eclipsed by Caroline's glow. Even her powers she had been forced to hide and they were the one thing that might have made her stand out. But this hybrid that Greta deemed all powerful was seeking her out. It didn't make any sense.
"But you're here," Bonnie said aloud to herself, "And he is seeking you out. And you're not going to figure out why crying like an idiot in a guest room."
Bonnie wiped at her face and opened the last and largest box. There was a dress inside. A dress the color of wine that felt like feathers beneath her fingers. Bonnie took it from the box and held it up against herself. It was unlike anything she had ever worn. Backless, tied around the neck with a plunging neckline. The material was sheer with slits on the side.
Bonnie looked to where her bag sat on the ground with the outfit stand had planned on wearing and then back at the dress again. Looking at the other gifts Bonnie thought that wearing the dress was the least that she could do was wear the dress even if she looked ridiculous in it.
:::
Bonnie didn't look ridiculous in the dress. From the look on Mason's face as she descended the stairs, she felt she looked rather the opposite. She had never been looked at that way before and as vulnerable as it made her feel, it felt nice.
"You look amazing," he complemented and Bonnie flushed.
Bonnie wasn't wearing anything beneath the dress as the material was cut in such away it would make no sense to wear a bra and the slits on the side were so high she hadn't bothered with panties either. Bonnie felt less self-conscious as she saw that Greta was similar attired in a short black dress that was just a sheer.
Both Tyler and Mason were shirtless and wearing on simple pairs of black pants.
Bonnie raised a brow at Tyler and he shrugged. "Don't ask me," he muttered as Bonnie came to stand next to him, "Mason said that this was typically the dress code. You look hot by the way."
Bonnie smiled fiddling with the necklace around her neck and touching her loose curls shyly. "Thanks," she looked down at her bare feet, "I didn't have any shoes for this so I'll have to ask Greta."
"We usually don't wear shoes when we have parties in the garden," Greta said coming to stand beside them, "the less we wear the more in tuned with are with nature and our true selves."
Bonnie shrugged. "That makes sense, I guess."
Tyler coughed to cover up a laugh and Bonnie elbowed him in the side, and he shrugged again.
"There's one more thing we need before we go." Mason said walking over to a long table in the foyer Bonnie hadn't noticed before that held two black cases.
Curiously Bonnie watched as Mason opened the cases and each case held a set of white masquerade masks. One set were clearly female and were relatively normal in design aside from the shape of a pentacle at the center. The other two were shaped like wolves.
"They're enchanted," Greta explained, "they respond to the occupant's power level. Different colors for different strengths. For wolves the weaker ones during black. The next in strength turn silver. Then bronze and the strongest among them are gold. Klaus is the only gold."
"But I'm not a wolf yet," Tyler frowned, "If I ever will be."
"It picks it up even if it's dormant or hasn't surfaced," Mason told him, "that's how it words with Klaus."
"What colors are there for witches?" Bonnie asked.
"The weakest are blue," Greta shared, "Next up green. Then purple. The second most powerful would be orange. The strongest of all would be red. We've never had a red."
Bonnie nodded as watched Greta put on her mask. She wasn't surprised with the mask turned orange. Mason put on his next and it turned bronze. Tyler follower his turning the same color as his uncle's.
"You're next Bon," Tyler said.
Slowly Bonnie stepped forward and reached out for the mast not sure what to expect. Her hand had barely touched the mask to lift it before it turned red. Crimson, the color of blood. The color of dress. "That's impossible." Bonnie said.
Thirty nine witches, Greta had said. There were thirty nine witches on the compound and Bonnie was the only red. For once she would be the most powerful one in the room and actually feel it.
"Like I said," Greta said, taking the mask out of Bonnie's hand and helping her put it on, "A powerhouse, full of potential."
Bonnie felt her nerves grow as the left the house and made the walk to the gardens. The walk was longer than expected. However, it helped to calm her. By the time that Bonnie began hear the sound of music pulsing and see the parties occupants milling around some dressed in a similar fashion and some nude, but felt to her surprise, completely grounded.
The gardens were gorgeous, cobblestone paths, tall trees and marble statues. All kinds of flora that Bonnie could to her surprise easily identify for the most part. Lobelia. Wormwood. Rose. Lilac. Periwinkle. Vervain. Nightshade. Dahlia. All flowers commonly used in spells.
The path was lit by floating candles that danced across the air at the music's rhythm, changing as the tempo changed. The deeper in the delve the more people surfaced. People with trays of food and that Bonnie was sure had been compelled. Others in masks. Some wolf. Some witch. Some dancing to the music. Some naked. Some clothed. Some fucking in the grass. Against the trees. Drinking wine from each other's lips. Eating food from each other's hands.
There was so much power surrounding her that it made Bonnie's teeth ache and her legs tremble and yet she felt at home amongst the freedom. The intensity. The beauty. The vulgarity. She felt as if she were home.
She walked as if she were in a trance, not noticing the many people that stopped and stared, noting the colors of her mask. She wondered which witch was Lucy. Which wolf was Jules. Then she spotted the only other person she was looking for.
The man who had to be Klaus sat at the center of everything up a short narrow row of stairs on a large high back chair. He was shirtless like many of the other men but wore a black robe over his shoulders and lean musical frame. His face was hidden by the mask but she could see his eyes, ice blue yet somehow warm and endless.
Bonnie kept walking forward as he stood to his feet. There was a hush over the crowd as he began to speak. The music stopped.
"From the moment I became what I am I was stripped of my true nature," he said, "Robbed of my base instincts. Denied my true heritage. Denied acceptance. Denied companionship. None of you here are cursed but you too have been denied. Wolves hunted down to near extinction. Forced into hiding. Witches forced to bastardize their gifts. Policed by the spirits. Threatened by the very creatures that your power created. Restricted by the very rules your own kind made. All of you denied your power. You base instincts. Your freedom. Here at Safe Haven, her with me, my family, my pack, my coven, my comrades, here you will never be denied!" Cheers erupted as he continued, "When my wolf is uncaged he will be rabid! He will be ready to fight. I will prepare you as well. Encourage your gifts and hone your talents. You will grow without limits. And when the time comes and my blood right is restored it will the key to everything. To more hybrids. To more spells. We will be untouchable. We will reign. We will nothing denied and nothing to fear. We will bring about the new order and nothing, no vampire or hunter or spirit will stop us. We will bring the supernatural world to its knees!"
Bonnie felt her heart pounding as he stopped speaking. He spoke of the impossible. Power. Nothing denied. Nothing to fear. Yet Bonnie believed him, was enthralled by him. The cheers grew louder as his blues found hers in the crowd. As he smiled and Bonnie was certain that he would be the monster that she chose.
End Notes: More Klonnie in the next chapter. I just had to get this kind of introductory chapter in first. I might even take it down and do some rewriting later. I feel like this is like twenty pages of crap and it took me way longer to write than expected but there it is. So I will make up for it next chapter with smut and things. Hopefully this is not as bad as I feel like it is. Sorry for any errors. Please review.