Summary: Bonnie tries to summon Jeremy's ghost. She gets a different person instead. / Post 4x14. Kennett
Author's Note: Ok, so I really felt like writing a Jeremy-centric oneshot. But somehow I ended up writing a Kennett one instead. Sorry Kennett fans for so much mention of Jeremy. I really couldn't help myself, but there is underlyings of Kennett.
.-.
She stood in the middle of his room, eyes closed. Bonnie was murmuring something under her breath, chanting as if it was her last dying wish. In her hands clasped Jeremy's t-shirt very tightly, as if it would disappear if she let go of it. She took a shuddered breath as she continued to chant. It had been a week since Jeremy died, two days since getting back from the island and a day since Elena disappeared with Damon and Rebekah. Every minute she lived, she was reminded that Jeremy wasn't, and that he was truly dead and wouldn't be coming back. She had tried contacting the witches almost immediately after discovering Jeremy had died, but they didn't appear to her. That had lost them all hope that he could be revived like the last time. She used magic too frequently to solve her problems and in the end, it couldn't even save the people that she loved. She was paying for her actions and it hurt that she couldn't do a thing to help. But there was something she could do, and it was at least contacting Jeremy, to see if he was ok, to apologize for not being able to save him, and to relay any messages he might have for Elena. Her best friend, after snapping out of her denial, had quickly turned off her humanity without so much of a word. Not that Bonnie blamed her for doing so. If she could, she would probably do the same thing. Elena had lost a lot in her life and now her only living family member was dead and not coming back. All because they had to look for this stupid cure, something that Bonnie didn't want anyways. Sure, she would want it for Elena, but now she was wondering if it was worth it. Losing Jeremy put everything in perspective for them. They were all travelling down a dark path for this cure. Bonnie practicing dark magic, Jeremy killing Kol to complete his hunter's mark, raising Silas…
She had to pause from her chanting to wipe a tear from her eyes. She took a breath before gaining back control, her voice rising just a little bit. She remembered vaguely seeing Jeremy and Katherine in the tomb. She could remember Katherine biting Jeremy and force-feeding him to Silas and the one thing she couldn't forget was hearing the snap of her ex-boyfriend and friend's neck echoing throughout the cave. She also remembered a lot of darkness from Jeremy's eyes as he stared at her. Bonnie felt her voice wavering and she took another pause, her hands almost turning blue from holding Jeremy's shirt too tightly. She just needed to see him one last time, to speak to him. She didn't get a chance to save him. She knew it wasn't her fault, but knowing she had seen him die, being paralyzed quite literally, was hard to accept. She knew Elena couldn't bear to look at her, which was why she left without a goodbye. Jeremy's death could have been prevented. If only they hadn't gone for the cure, if only she could have foreseen at least one of the events that day.
But it was too late now. Her powers were on the fritz and Shane had even told her that using expression to bring back the dead would kill her. She had the witches on her side the first time, but not now. So now, Jeremy was buried in the ground, next to the rest of his family, and everyone else was alive, living with the pain. Bonnie let out another choked sob as she had to stop again. She hated not being able to get through this damn spell, but she knew it would work. It was something she discovered in one of Shane's books, a spell to see a dead spirit for a little while. She wished it could have been a spell to bring him back forever, even if it was just as a ghost, but Bonnie knew it wouldn't be right. Having him there would have been great, but Jeremy was dead and she couldn't have everyone holding to the past. Caroline had even told her that through her own tears of losing her boyfriend. Everything just sucked and Bonnie swallowed deeply before picking up the spell again.
She could feel it working as a tingling sensation went up her arms. Her eyes stayed closed as she began murmuring faster, as if it would bring him to her faster. Please, she thought as she chanted. Please let this work. Once she uttered the last word of the spell, she felt a soft wind blowing past before everything stopped. The tingling was gone and Bonnie was afraid of opening her eyes. Did it work? She waited and listened but she heard nothing. She opened her eyes slowly, almost expecting Jeremy to be standing in front of her but there was nobody there. She glanced around the room, seeing it empty. She felt absolutely defeated. She couldn't even use magic to speak to a ghost. Then again, that was Jeremy's expertise. Yet another thing she caused. She felt her eyes well up in tears as she collapsed to her knees, the shirt dropping out of her hand, onto the floor. She failed yet again. She couldn't do anything right. She heard something behind her though. She took a shuddered breath as her heart raced. Maybe it did work? Just as she was about to turn, she heard a familiar voice speak to her.
"Sorry, witchy, but I am going to have to say that I told all of you so." That voice was not who she was expecting it to be. In fact, she never expected to hear that voice again. The last time she did, it had been at school, being held up against the lockers like a trapped animal, the threats of being bitten and killed still fresh in her mind. Then again, that had been two weeks ago. She stood up very slowly, her arms crossing as she faced the Original vampire who they had killed. Kol Mikaelson was sitting on Jeremy's bed, a smirk placed upon his lips. She couldn't believe this monster was here, especially with that smug look. She screwed up again. She would have rather not had the spell work than be in a room with Kol.
"Are you kidding me?" she managed to get out, her voice raspy. She cleared it as Kol just kept looking, bemused. He shrugged lightly as he nodded.
"You know, I don't take too kindly to people who try to kill me. Oh wait, you didn't just try, you succeeded," Kol stated lowly. His voice was rather calm but the smile never wavered from his face, even if his eyes were telling a different story. Of all the dead people Bonnie could have summoned, it had to be this guy. Bonnie refrained from yelling, not that she had the energy to do so.
"If you think I summoned you, I really didn't. I was trying to find-"
"-Jeremy Gilbert. Yes, I know," Kol interrupted, causing Bonnie to tilt her head in confusion. Kol definitely saw this and his smile dropped slightly. "Yes, the Gilbert boy and I have been in communications ever since he died. Don't worry your pretty little head, he's fine," he explained. Bonnie felt very confused. Her emotions were spinning within her and she could barely find herself breathing. She took a few steps forward, her eyes never leaving Kol.
"Why-why are you talking with Jeremy in the afterlife? He killed you, didn't he? I thought you would be furious at him," Bonnie asked, the only question that could come to her mind. Knowing that Jeremy was ok made her feel good; but then again, Kol was the one telling her this so he could by lying. Thinking of Jeremy miserable, being stuck with Kol, made Bonnie's heart hurt but she kept her cool gaze on Kol. She couldn't let him see her weak. She watched as Kol shrugged, settling back onto Jeremy's bed. The white-hot rage burst inside of her and it took her a lot to hold back from doing anything, not like she could. He was dead.
"Of course I'm pissed at him killing me. Here, I thought we were mates and then he goes and kills me," Kol began before Bonnie interrupted.
"-after you threatened to rip off his arms and kill Elena," she defended Jeremy as Kol shifted, his gaze turning even colder.
"-after they decided not to listen to my pleas about Silas. Hence, back to 'I told you so'," Kol stated, his voice rising just a little bit. Bonnie knew that he was right, but agreeing with him wasn't part of her agenda. Actually, she just didn't want to fight with him. There was no point. She walked over to Jeremy's table, where all of his stuff still lay. A sadness washed over Bonnie once again. Usually she would be furious, but this was Jeremy. Having him dead made her depressed instead. She really thought that they were on the track to becoming friends again. They were getting close and then he was ripped away. Sighing softly, she turned to face Kol as he spoke again.
"I saw him die, you know. I thought it would be a good idea to ease him into being permanently dead. He did not take it so well, as you can gather," Kol told her. That made Bonnie even more confused. She figured Jeremy wouldn't take it well, but why would Kol even care? She gripped the desk with her free hand so she wouldn't fall over.
"Wait, you were there when he died? Why?" Bonnie asked. Kol shrugged lightly.
"I thought I would haunt him for the rest of his life but I guess I came in at the wrong time. I came when he was kidnapped by Dreadlocks Guy and thought I would watch Jeremy suffer instead. Also, I wanted to see you all fail. I guess I didn't quite expect somebody to be killed so quickly," Kol admitted. Bonnie shook her head in disbelief, slightly creeped out that Kol was trying to haunt not only Jeremy, but all of them. There was one question on her mind though, about Kol being there for Jeremy in the afterlife.
"So, why did you do it then? If you hate him so much for killing you, what's in it for you?" Bonnie asked. She watched as the Original furrowed his eyebrows in thought. She didn't know why it was taking him so long to figure it out. Wasn't it a simple question? Kol finally let out a sigh as he patted the bed, gesturing with his free hand for Bonnie to come over. She shook her head, not wanting to get close to the Original. Kol sighed as he shrugged his shoulders before responding.
"Believe it or not, back in Denver, Jeremy and I were really good friends," he started off slowly. His legs swung slightly as he sat back. His tone seemed to grow softer as his eyes soften just a little bit. Bonnie had to admit to be taken aback by the sudden change in Kol. "Being daggered for a hundred years isn't what it's all cracked up to be. You really have to start all over, like a new life, making new friends, new enemies," Kol smirked a bit at that as Bonnie refrained from rolling her eyes. "Jeremy was my first real friend."
Bonnie eased into the nearest chair as she kept her gaze on Kol strong. She didn't want him to get to her emotionally but she did feel a bit touched that Jeremy had been Kol's first real friend, and actually having Kol admitting that. She guessed the afterlife did some pretty crazy things to people. Instead of speaking, she would let Kol continue. She was getting some pretty interesting information, such as what happened in Denver. Jeremy never really mentioned it much so Bonnie had always figured it wasn't important. But apparently, it had been. "He showed me a lot that I had been missing. We did a lot of teenager stuff. Playing sports, video games, walking his damn dog. We even got drunk quite a few times and slept with some girls," Kol said. Bonnie couldn't help but flinch at the idea. Kol noticed this and the corners of his lips tugged slightly. "It had been a fun time, even if it was mostly all a lie. But I was his friend and we did have fun. Just the intentions were a lie and how it ended, I knew, would be a lie."
Bonnie nodded to show that she was listening. Kol seemed to notice that he was getting off track and he composed himself, sitting up as his eyes hardened.
"So when he and his bratty Mary Sue vampire sister conspired to kill me," Kol continued but Bonnie shot him a glare and interrupted.
"She's not a Mary Sue vampire, she's my friend who's struggling right now," Bonnie snapped. Kol shot a glare right back but Bonnie didn't back down.
"Well, whatever. When they did that, can I deny that it hurt a little bit? Sure, I was trying to kill him, but I was doing it with good, selfless reasons. They were doing it for their own personal gain. I couldn't just let Silas roam free. Well, now he is and nobody gives a damn," Kol told her, his voice suddenly hard and cold. Bonnie could feel herself getting angry along with him. She stood up from her chair, crossing the floor to stand directly in front of him.
"We are all still in mourning over losing Jeremy, ok? And you still have not answered my question as to why you're helping Jeremy in the afterlife now," Bonnie told him roughly. Kol stood up so he was staring right at Bonnie. His eyes bore into hers and Bonnie could practically see the anger and the sadness in his eyes. The two stood in close contact for several seconds, the tension in the air rising. Finally, Kol looked away, muttering something under his breath before walking to the other side of the room, glancing at a picture on Jeremy's nightstand.
"I have nobody on the other side. Finn is missing, most likely with his precious Sage avoiding me. My father wants nothing to do with me and who knows where my mother is hiding. Probably with a bunch of witches, still plotting our demise," Kol admitted, his voice hard. Bonnie couldn't help but feel a tug of remorse for him. Even though Kol had lived for thousands of years and had done some pretty cruel things, she couldn't imagine being alone. She decided to sit on the bed, as she listened to Kol speak. "Even though I had been dead three days before Jeremy, I knew the afterlife wasn't going to get easier. And seeing him die, it made me put things in perspective. I may be dead, but I've been alive for a lot longer than this kid has. And he's already gone through so much." He shrugged lightly as he turned back to Bonnie and she could see the vulnerability that he was trying to hold back. "Maybe the afterlife has made me a sentimental sap or whatever. I just wanted to help him."
Bonnie smiled slightly, even though she tried not to. She glanced down at her feet for a moment before looking back up. "You decided to help him because he's your friend," she said simply. Kol laughed bitterly, shaking his head.
"Was. He was my friend, witch. Before we both did some pretty stupid things. No, I thought it was the least I could do. Or maybe it was mostly out of boredom," he mused, but Bonnie knew he was trying to backtrack. She let it slide. It was weird to see an Original being so open and honest. Well, Rebekah could be at times. She didn't know Kol all that well, but everything she heard about him, and their brief first encounter, it had all been negative. But now? That opinion was changing quite quickly. She knew it shouldn't, but Kol wasn't wrong. Every bad thing he had done, it was for other people. First, Klaus and then to save the world. It was kind of endearing, actually. She stood up, walking toward the Original, hoping that she wouldn't regret being nice to him. She knew she couldn't touch him but she tried anyways, feeling absolutely nothing. He looked at her, frowning a bit.
There was so much she could say to him, and there was stuff that she couldn't. It wasn't like she could easily trust somebody she barely knew, and especially somebody who was dead after almost killing her friends. But, then again, look at the Salvatores. Look at Rebekah. Hell, even look at Klaus to an extent. Why did they seemingly get free passes for their murderous ways and not Kol? And he was actually trying to help in his own weird way. She knew their first encounter had gone horribly wrong, but having this do-over was nice. It was nice to clear the air and get to know the Kol that Jeremy had been friends with, the one who didn't do too much to them personally. Again, a lot she could and could not say, so she went for the simplest thing.
"Thank you," she told him. Kol looked startled at this and he backed away slightly in disbelief.
"For what?" he asked. Bonnie pursed her lips slightly as she glanced around Jeremy's room.
"For being there for Jeremy on the other side," she answered. She frowned a bit as she remembered what got this started in the first place. "Why isn't he here, by the way? Did I do the spell wrong?" she asked. Kol, recovering from this sudden grateful phrase, shook his head.
"Oh no, darling, it did. Jeremy is a bit preoccupied at the moment, so I intercepted the spell and came in his place," Kol told her before smiling slightly. "He's bonding with his parents."
The mention of Jeremy with his family stunned Bonnie and sent her into the whirlwind of emotions that she had been before Kol came along. Her eyes brimmed up with tears and she turned away from him, trying not to cry. Jeremy was with his family? So he wasn't alone. He was ok. That was all she wanted to know. Well, she would have liked to see him but clearly that wasn't happening today. She bit back a cry of relief as she reached up to wipe a tear away. "He is?" she finally asked.
She could feel Kol's presence getting closer and she had a feeling he was right behind her. "Yes, his whole family," Kol said, his voice dangerously close to her ear. She jumped slightly as she turned and faced him. She didn't want to cry in front of him but she just couldn't help it. The last week had been devastating and she could barely control herself. Kol's facial expressions turned completely somber and he seemed to reach out, his hand hovering over her shoulder. He seemed torn and he seemed to want to comfort her, but this whole ghost thing was complicated. "He's happy, darling. He's sad that he cannot be here with you guys, but for now, he's with his whole family and he's doing alright. He misses you all though," Kol admitted. He laughed a little bit at that. "He won't stop talking about any of you. He cannot bear to see you guys right now, though. He knows it's too soon and you will all need some time before it can happen, which is the other part of the reason why I came in his place."
Hearing all of that made Bonnie feel a whole lot better, and she understood. She knew it would be painful to see him. In a world full of the supernatural and seeing from second hand experience what seeing a dead loved one could do, she knew it was for the best. She just wished she could help the others understand and move on so when they were ready, they could see him. She sighed as she eyed Kol, who was looking at the picture of Jeremy and his parents yet again. She sighed.
"It must suck, knowing you don't have your family anymore," she murmured, causing him to snap out of his mood, turning to Bonnie with an incredulous look. She smiled softly, feeling sorry for him for the first time. He shrugged his shoulders, tensing up.
"Now that is not why I'm here. I came for your little dead hunter friend, and now that job is over. So I guess my purpose is over," he said curtly. Bonnie frowned a bit but she didn't want him to go quite yet. He did seem to look hurt by what she had brought up. She knew family was everything. She took a step forward.
"Klaus is devastated, you know. And very much pissed. The reason why he hasn't killed Elena is because he knows she's going to suffer from Jeremy's death," Bonnie supplied. Kol's eyes travelled to her. She could see his expression soften just a little bit. She nodded quickly as Kol let out a breath.
"Well, that's nice," he said airily. He seemed to want to go but something was holding him back. Bonnie thought Kol looked torn but he finally spoke up. "Can you tell my brother-" Kol started before shaking his head. Bonnie frowned slightly as she reached out for the Original, only grabbing onto air. She just wanted him to know that she would do what he wanted, even if she wasn't completely happy about it. "Tell my brother that-" he tried again but he couldn't finish his sentence, he couldn't say that little word that some people could say more easily than others. But Bonnie knew and she nodded.
"I will," she said softly. She paused before speaking up. "Tell Jeremy that we all love him and we miss him. And be good to him, ok? And I hope he's good to you," she finished. If Kol wasn't surprised by her reaction to him, he sure was now. He remained calm and cool on the outside, but she saw his complete disbelief in his eyes. Bonnie could just tell that he was confused to why she was showing him concern. She was barely understanding it herself. But Kol seemed lonely, especially now that he was dead. Deserving of it or not, Bonnie had met all the Mikaelsons. She understood how messed up their family was. Kol made a lot of mistakes, but even Bonnie Bennett could admit that everyone deserved somebody. Even if it was just a friend.
"I will," Kol answered. He reached out for Bonnie, also meeting only air and both stayed like that for a few minutes, trying to touch each other in a comforting way. Neither could feel it physically, but it meant something to both of them. And just like that, the moment was gone. Kol retracted his hand as he tensed up, his posture changing back to how it was when he first arrived, cold and distant. "Goodbye Bonnie Bennett. Good luck with trying to stop Silas. I figure all of you will be seeing us soon enough," Kol smirked. Bonnie glared again as she crossed her arms.
"We will deal with him the best way that we can," she said stubbornly but Kol scoffed.
"Yeah, not before more lives are lost. I think the afterlife is much safer now anyways. I think I'll go back now because you are boring me, darling," he said. He offered a tiny smile, though, just before he disappeared. Once he was gone, Bonnie collapsed onto the floor, her energy wearing out. This visit from Kol had drained her more than she thought possible. All that he said was running through her mind, her emotions trying to stabilize as best as they could but all she could think about was how she started out hating him but ended up feeling sympathy for him. She truly hoped he would get some sort of peace in the afterlife and she hoped that soon, she may be able to see Jeremy and him again. If what Shane said about Silas was correct, both of them could be resurrected by Silas himself. Bonnie knew she had to now focus on finding Silas and getting him to resurrect both of them. Because nobody deserved to be alone, and Jeremy was just a kid who deserved to live a full and happy life, even if that meant ripping him away from his dead family again. And Kol? He deserved to have a family again, and friends who cared about him. Besides, if Jeremy came back to life, Kol might be alone again. And Bonnie didn't want to wish loneliness on somebody, even Kol.
Smiling slightly, Bonnie moved to Jeremy's bed, laying on it as she decided to go to sleep, to dream, to hope that everything would work out. And, she would deny it, but the last person on her mind was the Original who somehow changed her mind in a split second.
Well, that's it guys. Again, I know there was a LOT of mention about Jeremy and I did try to keep that to a minimum and focus on Kennett, but this is also my release of my anger about Jeremy's death. So, I hope you liked it.