Author's Note: I don't own TVD. Does anyone want to own the show at this point though? For real? Lol

A/N: Inspired by episode 6x17 "Like a Bird in a Gilded Cage." Bonnie being the benevolent, genuinely good person that she is felt really guilty over finally getting her revenge on Kai the way she did and simultaneously releasing Lily Salvatore who is a sociopathic killer in her own right…so I'm still trying to figure out how the writers really thought we as audience are that stupid to fall for that screwed up logic and actually feel sorry/ approve of Damon's hypocrisy in this situation. Sigh…I could go on all day, sorry! Enjoy this re-write of the episode's ending.

Bonnie sat still, watching the slowly burning fire as if enchanted by the sparks of color. The crackling of the fire soothed her distraught thoughts by giving her a tangible distraction to hold onto in lieu of her mind delving dangerously into a state of paralysis. She had just recovered from a panic attack where her breathing labored to the point of wheezing, her body trembled to the point of breaking, and her tears fell to the point of completely drying her out of tears to spare. Once she, Elena, and Damon returned from the prison world, Bonnie could only follow the instinctual pull that told her to isolate herself from everyone in order to retain a grip on reality. Her trip to the 1903 prison world assaulted her already fragile state of health, plunging her again into a situation that was all too familiar-prison world, ascendant, Kai. Kai. Even the mere thought of his name caused her body to violently react. Clutching her chest in an effort to calm her erratically beating heart, Bonnie tried to focus on the positive outcome of the trip-her tormenter's entrapment. However, the idea of Kai trapped in another prison world did nothing to ease her mind. On the contrary, it caused more unease. Bonnie just couldn't eradicate Kai's pleas and looks of desperation from her mind. His sudden need for her forgiveness startled her and initially formed dread and unease into her gut, but now that she finally received her revenge by stabbing him and leaving him for dead in another prison, she couldn't help but feel a lack of vindication from the whole ordeal. It was guilt, a tiny sense of guilt that lodged itself in her heart. This guilt created more agony for her, and in no way was there a chance for it to go away anytime soon.

Suddenly, a soft tapping at the door interrupted her thoughts, and she heard the faint sound of the door being pushed open. She tried to summon the energy to turn around and face the visitor, but all she did was huddle further into herself, watching the fire intently.

"Bon?"

She mustered the willpower to glance at the familiar figure of Damon Salvatore who had sat next to her on the couch and watched her with concerned eyes. Blinking slowly, she made eye contact with him fleetingly before facing the fire once again. She didn't face him when he started speaking.

"I wanted to check on you. Make sure your witchy head is okay," he tried to joke with her, but his soft tone prevented any humor from coming out.

"Never better," Bonnie lied.

Damon sighed, his eyes watching her intently. "I know I asked a lot from you today. Working with Kai to go back to another prison world. But, I appreciate it. To have my mother back..." He stopped before his voice trembled and revealed his vulnerability.

Bonnie could only nod at her friend, still lost in the fire. She didn't want her mind to betray her and think about Kai. Especially about how she had helped Damon release one threat while trapping another. The hypocrisy was purely illogical and made Bonnie's head hurt.

After a long stretch of silence, Damon spoke up again, "I know it was difficult to work with Kai again, but at least he is gone for good. We could never trust him, and you made sure that we would never have to worry about him again." Damon reached out to pat Bonnie's shoulder reassuringly.

Bonnie listened to Damon's words without a trace of emotion. She was fully aware that she was the one who decided to leave Kai behind in the prison world, but she felt neither proud or satisfied by her actions. Heaving a deep breathe, Bonnie wrung her hands together as she tried to summon the courage to really be truthful with Damon. "I did nothing good today," she confessed quietly.

Furrowing his brows together, Damon squeezes her shoulder quickly before letting go and staring at her. "What?" The only question he could manage.

"What made it okay for me to leave him behind? He's killed less people than all of our friends combined for sure. And your mother…" The words spilling out of her mouth carried a weird numbing effect on Bonnie—she felt almost emotionless as the honest words fell from her tongue. "How was it good? Nothing about it is good," she mumbled the last part under her breath, not caring to look at Damon anymore. She focused on the flames instead, which seemed to dance even more vividly under her gaze.

Eyeing her with confusion and unsettling disdain, Damon could only lick his lips, while a perplexed look dominated his handsome features. Bonnie seemed out of it. "I'm not following." He admitted the words after a long stretch of silence.

Bonnie shrugged her shoulders, suddenly tired of talking about it. "Forget it." She tried to sound nonchalant despite the overwhelming sense of despair that latched itself into her psyche, preventing her from feeling any semblance of positive emotion. Guilt was literally eating her alive. She really thought that enacting revenge on Kai would magically alleviate her pain, but ironically, it merely heightened her sadness and perpetuated her anxiety. She retreated to the level of a killer when she left him for dead back in the prison world, and nothing about Bonnie Bennett was supposed to be a killer. Suddenly a spark of fire jumped from the fireplace, dangerously approaching the rug that covered the dorm's floor and causing Damon to jump back in surprise.

"Bonnie," Damon spoke cautiously, "What's going on with you? Kai's out of your life forever." He released a frustrated sigh as a troubling thought occurred. "You feel guilty for leaving him behind?" Damon rolled his eyes as he wracked his brain for the possible people who could've told Bonnie about Kai's effort in saving her. "Look Bonnie. Kai probably had ulterior motives when he helped us communicate with you in 1994 on your birthday. Don't let one act make you forget all the bad he's done. You and your witchy morals are too much to keep up with sometimes." He ran his fingers through his hair, missing the sudden confusion and fury that crossed Bonnie's demeanor.

"What are you talking about?" She demanded.

Damon glanced at her, surprised to see such a blatant display of panic on her face. "Don't forget that Kai is a psycho. Who cares that he helped a little bit?"

Bonnie's hands trembled, and her voice sounded weak to her own ears. "What did he do?" Her eyes stared helplessly into Damon's, waiting for an explanation.

When Damon realized that Bonnie didn't know anything about Kai's efforts in helping with her rescue attempt, he desperately tried to back track. "Nothing." He stated forcefully. He stood up, pacing the floor quickly before turning towards her now huddled form. "It doesn't matter. You took care of him." When Bonnie gave no sign of acknowledging his words, Damon sighed deeply.

After a minute of more silence, the vampire gave up on the stonily silent witch. "I'm gonna go. Give you a chance to rest," his voice softened as he looked at her with a steady, concerned gaze. "I'll stop by in the morning." Damon threw her one more look of concern before backing away and leaving Bonnie alone with her burden. She probably sat in the same position for hours before she sprung into action, grabbing her family Grimoire, and resting it on her lap as she poured over different spells until she disappeared from the present in a flash, leaving her open spell book behind.

000000

The trickling snow momentarily deceived Bonnie into believing the place was a peaceful sanctuary away from her real life reality, but the horrors housed here for years wouldn't be purged by the seemingly calm winter wonderland. A sort of reformed psychopathic warlock lingered somewhere along with the rest of Lily's Salvatore's undead army, so Bonnie had to be on high alert as she cautiously explored the prison world.

In the distance, a soft glow of light emitted from the cottage Bonnie faintly remembered seeing both Damon and Elena enter when they searched for Lily Salvatore. Taking cautious steps into the fluffy snow, Bonnie walked to the cottage, mentally preparing herself for what she could possibly find there.

Sounds of pain filled moans reached her ears as she crossed the threshold of the cottage, and Bonnie used the trail of sounds as her guide to find her target. Eventually, she found him, but the sight wasn't one she was prepared for. Bite marks littered almost every exposed part of his body-neck, forearms, wrists—and he lay on the coach curled in a fetal position with eyes closed tightly as his jaw clenched in pain. Her heart lurched as she surveyed his injured form, and despite her better judgment, she approached the coach until she found a spot at a comfortable distance on the floor where she knelt. She began to murmur a healing spell under her breathe until she noticed Kai's tense expression soften, signaling a break from his pain. The warlock opened his eyes, immediately preparing to defend himself from the new presence in the room. However, once his eyes found Bonnie, recognition flashed in his eyes, causing his body to slightly relax even if his face still exhibited caution. For a moment the two just stared at one another, unable to make a movement, but eventually Kai broke the silence with a dry laugh that was tinged with disbelief. The sound sent chills down Bonnie's spine.

"I'm hallucinating," he admitted after his laughter died down. "Great." He clenched his jaw before resting his head against the couch arm in defeat.

After a second debating with herself, Bonnie spoke up. "You're not." She trained her gaze on his face, diligently watching for a change in expression that would signal a threat to her. Kai was still the unpredictable boy she met in 1994, so she couldn't let her guard down. However, his cautiously hopeful expression surprised her, reminding her of the boy who seemed desperate to get on her good side before they traveled to the 1903 prison world. A new side to Kai that appeared after he left 1994 and merged with his brother.

"You're really here?" The way his eyes lit up at the thought of her presence unsettled her for a brief moment as more guilt crept into her mind.

She nodded her head, eyes glancing at the soaked fragment of cloth that served as a bandage for a fresh wound on his arm. Without thinking, Bonnie reached forward and rested her hand against the injured arm. Kai's eyes widened when they made contact, proving that she really was there with him, and Bonnie furrowed her brow as she thought of possible sources for another clean bandage.

Still shocked by her presence, Kai grabbed her own arm, causing Bonnie's breath to hitch and her defense instincts to kick in by yanking her arm from his grasp and moving away from him. Kai looked hurt by her actions, but he quickly concealed his disappointment by questioning her. "I thought you left me here? You came back?"

Fumbling for the right response, Bonnie found a spot on the ground to rest upon before answering. "I couldn't just...it felt wrong after a while. It's not me." She admitted the last part with an air of defeat, her head tilting downwards.

"You're right," he admitted quietly, his eyes full of admiration for her. She found new ways to fascinate him. "What changed your mind?"

Her eyes met his before she answered. "Did you really help my friends communicate with me when I was still stuck in 1994? On my birthday?" Bonnie's voice trembled with faint hope as she questioned him, afraid of the possibility of what it meant for her that he would do that.

Kai gulped, his eyes never leaving hers as he responded to her. "Yes." He frowned, "It was a spell that needed to be done. I managed in time before Liv tried to kill me. Jeremy went to send you a message. To stop you." He watched her, his expression turning morose as he thought about her suicide plot. That day, he never felt so sad over someone else's well being.

Biting her lip in an effort to stop its quivering, Bonnie cleared her throat to erase any sign of emotion from lingering in her voice when she made her next confession. "My friends went weeks without trying to rescue me. Jeremy deleted my cell phone plan and moved on really quickly to forget about me, and my friends were throwing me a birthday party while I had spent every day of the week leading up to my birthday sobbing so hard until night fell and I went to sleep with severe headaches, but you—the person who tormented me in your prison world—actually put in an effort to help me when your life was at risk. You did something that day that actually helped right away." She released a hoarse laugh that held no happiness whatsoever, just hollowness. "You have to love irony."

Kai regarded her sadly. "You deserved the help. It was the least I could do after everything." His voice carried so much remorse, stunning Bonnie into silence.

She scooted closer to him, wearily reaching out to touch one of the many bite marks on his un-bandaged arm. "Let's get out of here," she stated as she surveyed his injuries. As she did so, Kai stared at her, transfixed by her presence, and most importantly, the regard she showed for his well being. Kai Parker was convinced that somehow an angel had been sent to rescue him.

"You mean it?" His voice rose, exhibiting his anxiety about all that was happening. For all he knew, The conversation with Bonnie could all be part of an elaborate hallucination created by his mind, but the conflicted brown eyes that bore into his own instilled a faint sense of hope in his heart that somehow it all might be real. "Really?" He asked again, not bothering to hide his fear that it all wasn't real.

"Yes," she confirmed after hesitating for a moment. Perhaps guilt, a good heart, and the bad habit of being honorable to a fault drove her to make this monumental effort to help Kai. Plus there was a gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach that urged her to forget logic and go with her gut—why else couldn't she sleep at night over guilt about Kai? "I came back to help you. Having feelings is a curse," she grumbled, standing up and searched the room quickly for any sign of company.

"Tell me about it," Kai stated while struggling to get up. He paused, slightly shocked, when Bonnie extended her arm for him to grab. He looked at her, awaiting her verbal permission to touch her, but she never met his gaze; instead, her eyes searched the room in fear. Kai timidly reached out, wrapping his hand around Bonnie's until he stood up. He kept his hand tightly latched around her own as he trailed behind her, slightly in awe that he was even touching her. Shaking his head, Kai tried to regain his focus and be alert as possible to defend them against Lily's undead friends.

"Bonnie," he called out worriedly, "Let me." He shuffled forward, wincing in pain due to his stab wound and many bite marks, until he stood in front of her. "In case, they show up. You'll have a chance to get out of here." His mouth curled into a half smile as he spoke, while his hand never loosened its grip on her arm. He began moving forward, careful to place his body in front of Bonnie's, ready to shield her from any harm.

Despite her best effort to remain objective, Kai's concern over her safety tugged at her already softening heart and compelled her to speak up. "Why? I should be in front. I'm physically okay. In fact, I'm the reason you're here...why do you want to help me?" Her voice edged into hysteria with each new question. Bonnie didn't want to truly confront the possible reason why Kai suddenly cared for her safety or why she cared for his.

Kai surprised her by halting suddenly and turning to face her. His face, now pale from the loss of blood from his injuries, "I owe you. Probably a million times over. Truce?"

Despite his pain and weakness, his eyes lit up with hope waiting for her answer, making him look innocent—an odd phenomenon that happened often despite his unhinged mental state. Bonnie, entranced by his considerate answer and deceptive looks, just gaped at him while her heart raced. "Truce," she relented in a whisper that satisfied Kai, prompting him to turn around and continue to lead them through the cottage.

"Do you have the ascendant?" He questioned.

Diving her free hand into her coat pocket, Bonnie felt the familiar shape of the ascendant against her fingers, which briefly alleviated her growing anxiety. "Yeah, I have it." A frown adorned her face as she tried to figure out how they would escape this cold, barren prison world. A noise from outside halted Bonnie and Kai's movements, sending them into frightened state. Bonnie tightened her hold on Kai's arm, "Is that them?" She whispered fearfully.

Kai cleared his throat, trying to quell the quivering from his voice to sound secure for Bonnie's sake, but he failed and allowed his fear to seep into his strangled whisper. "Yup." He began to divert their path, leading them into a tiny closet when the noises of angry voices began to surround the small house, reverberating through the room. After he closed the door behind them, he leaned against the wall, actively avoiding her scared gaze.

"Why didn't you use magic against them when you were left behind," she interrogated him, afraid of his answer. The small space began to make her feel claustrophobic, instilling more panic in her mind as she watched Kai—someone who was usually so confident slowly fall into an obvious petrified state, complete with shaking, avoidance of eye contact, and labored breathing. The image made her feel more desperate about their situation.

Continuing to avoid her gaze, Kai crossed his arms across his chest as if he could protect himself from the question. He didn't want to admit weakness, but they were both in serious danger in this situation, so there was no point to lying. "I have no magic right now." He gathered the courage to make eye contact and almost changed his mind when he saw the look of panic and disbelief on her face.

"How is that possible? You took my magic in 1994. Your powers were restored when you escaped the prison world. You helped me…" Her eyes gazed the ground as her mind frantically tried to figure out an explanation to Kai's defenselessness. Her head snapped up suddenly, and she fixated her gaze on a candle that was propped against the wall. "Light that candle," she demanded. Kai sighed deeply, retreating further into himself as he ignored her request.

"Can't," he responded. His usual sarcastic tone had disappeared and was replaced with a foreign one—tinged with embarrassment, self-consciousness, and sadness. Bonnie felt a familiar fluttering sensation of her heart as she once again felt sorry for this much more subdued version of Kai. Reaching out to grab his hand, she stepped closer to him until they were barely inches apart. "Try now," she demanded more gently this time.

Gulping heavily, Kai tried to ignore the proximity to Bonnie and focus on the task. In an instant, the candle lit up, illuminating the tiny room. Kai didn't feel like celebrating the accomplishment, since it proved his worst fears about his magical ability—his only way to tap into magic by draining another witch or warlock of it.

"It's not possible," Bonnie stated. Her eyes watched Kai, as memories of their time in 1994 flashed through her mind. His desperate, constant nagging and mocking her for not being able to perform magic, and the dizzy, weak sensation that burdened her every time he touched her skin all pointed to the likelihood that Kai needed a source to tap into his own magical powers. He couldn't muster them on his own. Why she never figured it out sooner, baffled her.

The sounds of snarls and slow footsteps drew closer and closer, prompting both Kai and Bonnie to snap out their intimate conversation and face the incredibly real threat looming outside the confined space of the closet they huddled into.

"Kai," Bonnie whispered frantically, "We need to do something quick. You need to take some magic from me or else we won't be able to fend them off," her chest heaved with panic, causing Kai to move closer to her and wrap his arms around her waist in a vain attempt of comforting her.

"I know," he whispered back, trying to soothe her. "You trust me?"

Taking a couple of deep breaths, Bonnie nodded slowly, her eyes wide in fear as her ears registered the footsteps outside the door. "Kai, please…"

Kai interrupted her plea, pressing his lips hurriedly against hers in a desperate but strangely soothing kiss. It took a moment for Bonnie to register the action, but she found herself kissing him back out of a weird mixture of paralyzing fear and need for comfort in their dire situation. The adrenaline rush from being in immediate danger caused both of them to seek some form of assurance, making them clutch tighter to one another and deepen the kiss until neither one could breathe properly. Bonnie didn't question her sanity for second while she kissed Kai, because a part of her had slowly registered the realization that she wanted to kiss him this entire time. Never again could she get on either Elena or Caroline's case about their choice in boyfriends.

For Kai, his burden of guilt over his treatment of Bonnie in his prison world and his oddly genuine feelings for her spilled into the intimate gesture, spurring him to hold her closer despite breaking the kiss first. He never completely pulled away, his lips ghosting over hers, sending chills down her spine as he spoke. "Okay?" He asked the question quietly, never relinquishing his hold on her.

Bonnie's mind registered the sudden drain of magic, but her body quickly recovered until her limbs felt sound again. She nodded her head, assuring him silently with a reaffirming squeeze on his arm. They stared at each other intensely, holding on tightly to one another until the voices suddenly quieted down, signaling the presence of Lily's companions right outside of the door.

Bonnie and Kai spared one more glance—filled with longing, fear, and trust—between them before the door was ripped from the hinges, forcing Bonnie and Kai to step back from each other and focus on the inevitable fight for their lives…

A/N: OOOOH. Okay, I have another story—"Miss Nothing"— that I am working on, but I felt inspired by this idea and had to write. This will either be a two or three part story, since I am not looking to start writing another really long story lol They are hard to maintain. This was just a little break and another attempt to help my brain process how annoying the TVD writers are. We could have had great things…sigh. Anyway, I hope you all liked this and until next time! Thank you for reading!