Hey there, dear potential reader. This is a bit of an experiment, or exploration if you will. I might just leave it as is.
But: I would kinda like taking this in different directions, seeing whether I can pull off pairing Bonnie with other guys, a chapter for whoever comes to mind. Kai, Enzo, Damon, Tyler, Stefan, maybe even go crazy and use Alaric, or Klaus, or Caroline, or... (if anyone has a wish, I'm open for suggestions.)
First, though, the beginning...
...
After everything was over, after Enzo's death, after the hellfire had been averted, the world had still been beautiful and open wide, but Bonnie's heart had closed itself off anyway. Not that she hadn't tried to enjoy it, to enjoy life...
A few months into traveling the world to rediscover it's beauty, she had almost taken on a position as a travel agent. But then she had found herself drawn back to Mystic Falls, a strange pull so strong she couldn't concentrate on a life away from her old home.
Hushed voices had reached her everywhere, even in the remotest of places. in Morocco, Tanzania. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Australia, New Zealand. In Romania, Bulgaria, France, Guatemala, Uruguay. Bonnie had been everywhere and nowhere, but they had always been there, whispering in her ear. Enticing her, luring her down dark and unknown roads.
It wasn't over; there was a chance. Behind the darkness, there was light. Nothing was forever. She merely had to get to the core.
A nature that could be corrupted to allow vampires to walk the earth, could also be made to return more dead. Death was just another door. And doors opened two ways… Didn't they? The magic would have to be powerful, however. Strong enough to break boundaries that not many dared to cross.
…
She knew someone that would.
…
I'm the one that loves you baby can't you see?
I ain't got no future or a family tree…
As the music continued playing in an eternal loop, a sincere smile appeared on his face.
"I knew you'd be back," he told her, smile widening into a cocky grin. He was so very sure of himself, even now. Bonnie glared at him with a roll of her eyes as she placed herself in front of his chair, arms crossed over her chest, chin raised.
"I need your help, Kai."
A smug expression replaced the grin. "I love it when you say my name, Bonnie Bennett."
Another eye roll was all the reaction he got when Bonnie contemplated her options. Was she really willing to do this? Go this far? Oh hell yes, she was. Fuck all of this. Fuck caution. Fuck dignity. ("Get some. - it's free," she had told Enzo a long time ago. An eternity. Her heart clenched at the memory, an ache too strong threatening to burst out of her. Was she not allowed to be happy? To live without pain and heartache?)
In a bold move she moved closer and bent over Kai, looking him straight in the eyes.
"I want to bring Enzo back from the dead, and you'll help me achieve that."
He chuckled a heartfelt chuckle, then nodded his head to the music blaring in the back as if he didn't have a care in the world.
"You know," he informed her, "I've almost grown to like this song. It's… catchy. It reminds me of you, love. - That's what he called you, right?" He grinned and Bonnie's glare intensified. "You know that that is not a very… unique endearment, right? I mean, he called other people that,ones he supposedly cared way less about. It's just a word, really. I think you deserve more."
"Cut the crap, Kai. I have heard rumors about a spell..."
She trailed off, eyeing him warily, trying to gauge his reaction. "Dark magic that can bring even the most fargone dead back."
He nodded, still that smug look on his face that she wanted to punch out of him. "Yup yup. I think I know the one. It's reeeeally dark though. Like, 'sacrifice an innocent's life' dark. You sure you're willing to go there?"
Her eyes flickered darkly in reply and Kai looked at her appreciatively. "I'm impressed, Bon. Dare I say, I like this new, improved dark-Bonnie."
"Watch it, or this dark-Bonnie will tear your heart out."
"Quite the turn on, actually…" He ogled her breasts, the part he could see through her shirt, since she was still so close to him, and there was an involuntary flush creeping into her features when she noticed it. Kai chuckled.
Bonnie rolled her eyes and scoffed. "So. I'm guessing you'll want something in return. I'll offer you this, and only this: take it or leave it."
"I'm at the edge of my seat," he chuckled, pretending to address the room at large, "Will she be offering me my freedom back? Or a karaoke duet? Or something involving a little more… skin? - Stay tuned for the next episode of BonKai's ventures into the darkness."
She slapped him lightly, but gritted out a "Yes" shortly after, ignoring the little voice in the back of her head telling her to stop, telling her that she was heading into too dangerous territory. That she'd regret it.
But she wouldn't. Not if she got Enzo back. Not if she got her life back.
Her world.
"I'll let you go. But you'll have to stay away from Mystic Falls as far as possible. And if you do just one thing to make me regret this, just one kill, one wrong move of your finger, I'll revoke this decision and put you back here for another endless loop of Spin Doctors."
He sniffed, pretending to shiver. "You have my word, little witch. Anything, just not this."
She raised her eyebrows. It was her turn to smirk. "Yeah, not gonna take your word for it, Kai Parker," she whispered, then spoke a slow melodious incantation that made him frown.
"Yeah," he muttered, half to himself, "this can't be good. She's hexing me. Are you hexing me, Bonnie?"
Once she was done, she smirked at him. "I put a spell on you - you could say I learned from the best. Your life is now linked to mine. Your happiness depends on mine. Your life depends on mine. You disappoint me in any way whatsoever, you'll feel the consequences…"
Kai swallowed, the smugness suddenly wiped out of his face, though he caught himself quickly.
"Does that also mean you'll be horny when I am? That you'll orgasm when I do?"
She surprised them both when she suddenly leapt forward and slapped him across the face. "Stop it," she hissed.
"Okay okay. You're testy, Ms. Bennett. I have a feeling orgasming is a bit of a sore subject. Did your man lack in that regard? Or is it just because it's been so long-"
Another slap. His eyes fell on her cleavage again and he forgot his train of thought. He hadn't really had anything happen in that regard either. And he was starved…
"I'll untie you now. But don't try anything or you will regret it."
"I'd raise my arms in surrender," he jerked his head to his restrained limbs, "but it so happens that I'm a little… tied up here."
Bonnie scoffed, ignoring him. Then she chanted a quick spell and the ropes fell away, freeing him quickly.
He flexed his arms and quickly got up. "Aaaah, sweet freedom!" He quickly took a few steps toward her until she raised her hands.
"I'm warning you, Kai."
His most innocent smile in place, he stopped in his tracks. "Okay okay. Now, let's go, Bonnie Bon Bon."
Bonnie Bon Bon?! She closed her eyes, her annoyance too strong for even an eyeroll. He didn't get to call her pet names. He just didn't. She forced herself to ignore him, however, grabbing his arm hard and leading him out with her.
"I like a bossy woman." He winked at her, and she let go of him, sending another glare his way.
"So, how are we doing this?" Kai asked cheerfully. "Will you be choosing the innocent that we'll have to sacrifice or shall I? Don't want you to feel all mopey and weighed down…"
She bit her lip. This was the part she had been trying to avoid even thinking about. He hadn't meant it metaphorically. The magic they were about to perform did require an innocent.
"Although, I gotta admit I'm really pumped to see some dark!Bonnie emerge. I think she and I would make a beautiful team."
He grinned cheekily and she bit the inside of her cheek so as not to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. He chuckled as if to himself and followed her out to where she had parked her car.
…
...
Time didn't generally stand still, yet when Bonnie swiftly overpowered the old frail woman with the use of magic and she fell down like a puppet cut loose from its strings, Bonnie did feel like everything around her stopped.
She had made a decision. That woman's life for a chance to get Enzo back.
She shot a glance at Kai, who looked at the old woman with a hint of disdain and a scowl of disappointment.
...
When she had first found that old woman and chosen her as the victim, Kai had been so disappointed. It had been a bit of a pleasure, admittedly, to see him whine about it.
"What are we doing in a hospice?" He had asked before understanding dawned all too quickly. She hadn't needed to explain it.
"I should have known you'd choose someone at the end of their lives," he had snapped at her as if she had personally insulted him, and she had glared at him, but hadn't said a word in reply. "Fine," he had reluctantly allowed. "I guess it counts. Let's just get this over with before I grow too bored." He had wagged his eyebrows at her and she had once more ignored him, shaking her head as if to get him out of there.
She had gone on to choose a sweet elderly lady who was barely hanging on to life, no relatives, no one there to mourn her when she was gone. But Bonnie would remember...
Kai had rolled his eyes dramatically. "Why such an old hag?! Why not at least someone tragically young? Be a little creative, Bon Bon."
She had glared at him and slapped his face hard. "You dont get to call me nicknames."
But he had merely grinned his annoying harmless-looking grin at her small outburst.
"Easy now, Bennett. All I meant is, why not at least go for someone Lorenzo's age, you know, to make sure it counts. Well, I guess, technically, since he's a shriveled old soul in a dead body—"
Bonnie had interrupted him before he could go on a rant about vampire versus human life spans.
"You just want to kill someone in the prime of their lives, I know. But it is not how this will play out. The spell doesn't specify how old or healthy the… sacrifice has to be. So I'll go with this dear lady before she'll have to succumb to that nasty cancer spreading in her body." She had not graced him with another look, instead she had swiftly hummed a quick spell that made the woman's body turn limper, forcing one last breath out of her lungs.
"Alright. This was fun. Let's get her out of here."
Kai clapped his hands briefly, then motioned for Bonnie to help him pick up the slumped form.
Bonnie needed a moment to gather her thoughts. It had been so easy to kill that woman, to take a life. So very easy…
But it had left a darkness in her that she felt spreading already. It wasn't a good feeling. She had to pull herself together, though, for Enzo. And she quickly did. They didn't have much time before the body would go stiff and the blood would congeal.
Reluctantly, she watched as Kai began pulling at the woman's arms, and she moved over to the legs and helped him get her off the bed and then down to their waiting car. They were quickly working up a sweat as they carried the weight together to get the surprisingly heavy body of the frail looking dead woman out of her room and down an elevator until they could finally hoist her into the trunk.
They kept looking over their shoulders, or rather, Bonnie did. Kai couldn't care less whether anyone saw them. To him, this was like a fun game. Clue with a twist.
"Your place or mine?" Kai joked when they were finally done, leaning against the car all sweating and exhausted, and he earned himself an eye roll. Of course she wasn't coming to any place he suggested. This was not a date or anything even remotely close.
"You drive. I'll give you directions," were her curt orders.
"Ah, there she is again, bossy Bonnie." Kai winked at her and did as she had told him. He quickly hopped into the car and waited for her to settle in beside him. "Yup, I think I really have a thing for bossy Bonnie."
…
They drove in silence until they reached an old forgotten looking warehouse.
"Sinister. I like it. But… how does someone like you even know of a place like this?" He cocked his head and looked at her questioningly.
Someone like me? She wanted to ask, but didn't. He was trying to lure her into a bantering conversation and she didn't have time nor energy for it. She wanted to get this over with. So, instead, she simply snapped, "Doesn't matter." And that was that.
"Alright, the witch is testy today. One could almost think you were the one stuck in a prison karaoke place. I mean, am I-"
"Cut it out, Kai," she interrupted him, waving a hand in his general direction. "Let's just get this over with and then you can be on your way."
"Fine…" Kai eyed her out of the corner of his eye as they parked the car right in front of the warehouse and got out to haul the body out of the trunk and onto the icy floor.
Winter had come early that year and held the world in a freezing clasp, but Bonnie didn't notice just how cold it was, and Kai only briefly thought of pointing it out to her before his mouth closed again. The witch was indeed rather… unfun.
What had she even seen in that obnoxious boring vampire. A blind man's could have seen her chemistry with Damon Salvatore and if anything, he would have thought those two were an item by now. But that faceless, charmless knock-off version? Lame.
If he had a say, he would try to mix the deck anew...
…
They had lit up candles. Two half circles and an infinity symbol in their midst. The body lay in the middle, slowly draining of its blood, the dark liquid meandering along the same lines of the candles.
Kai had thoroughly enjoyed watching Bonnie's lips thin into a determined line as she had swiftly cut the old hag's throat. A flicker had gone through her eyes, maybe just the fire but maybe something else…
This Bonnie was dark and selfish and it turned him on even more than he was willing to admit. This Bonnie was… fun.
…
Her voice filled the cool vast room. They had opened a portal and she did all she could to keep it open while he drained the magic right out of the other sphere. It was as if they had opened a bottle and he could just chug its contents out. It felt so satisfying, glorious and empowering. The surge of magic was addicting. He wanted more, he wanted it all.
Of course that was also the plan. He was going to suck the magic out of Bonnie's random involuntary creation, her different plane of existence and along with it, he'd basically summon dear Enzo, too - and whatever else had been trapped in there. (Or who…) Kai was going to make that magical realm bleed out and crash until it was gone, or one with their own world again.
He felt Bonnie's eyes on him and tried to wink at her. "This is fantastic," he raved. "This-"
He was cut off abruptly by a loud "zapp."
His gaze locked on Bonnie's, then…
…
...
No. Don't do it. Bonnie.
He implored her. He stomped around her, tense and bristling like a caged wild animal in a too constrained space.
Bonnie!
But of course she couldn't hear him. Of course, to her, it was as if he wasn't there anymore.
He had tried to keep his distance. He had popped in briefly every day to make sure she was okay, just a brief moment in which he allowed himself to watch her, so close yet always too far away. But not more. He had felt anything beyond that would violate her. She needed to live her life without him. He wanted that for her: happiness, love, peace. But he knew that watching her with another partner would give him a pang, regardless. And it would turn him into a creep or a masochist.
He knew that she could sometimes feel his presence, more of an inkling that he was there. She sometimes talked to him, as if he really was with her. Usually he sensed it through whatever magical bond he shared with her, and he appeared by her side, but it was never enough. They were always too far apart.
So when he had found her drift into a darkness and away from her friends, he had become agitated, anguished, because he couldn't help her.
He couldn't contact Caroline or Elena or Damon to send them over to her. He couldn't tell Bonnie to continue her travels of the world and enjoy every moment of it. He couldn't wrap her in his arms and just hold her, breathe in the warmth of her skin and feel the comfort of her body against his.
He was a freaking ghost! And not a very cool one, either, because no one could see him or hear him, and nothing he did showed any manifestation anywhere other than in Bonnie's drab otherworldly creation he now called his home.
He had yelled at her, almost torn his own hair out and banged his head against walls that didn't notice he was there, when she had gone back to Malachai Parker. He had raged. He had implored her. He had fought so hard he'd had nothing left to fight the tears from falling.
He hadn't wanted this for her. He had found peace for just one moment after his death, knowing she would live to write her own story in which she would be the sole protagonist. But then she had deteriorated so quickly, given up all the new freedom. She had even returned to bloody Mystic Falls.
A shuddering breath escaped him.
Whatever was happening, was already happening. The love of his life had killed an innocent old lady to bring him back somehow.
"Why an innocent?" He had wondered, until she had explained to the air around her - as if she knew he was questioning her, "So that nothing can have a hold onto the soul. No one can snatch it away, not hell, not the place I created…"
A soul untethered. To pay for his…
He didn't even deserve it. He hadn't been a good person for a very long time, until he had fallen in love with Bonnie Bennett.
"I know you'd argue you don't deserve it," she had said, "That you've killed. That you've even harmed and threatened me in the past. I see your point. But honestly? I don't care. You've become a better person since. You're the most caring, loving man I know. You've endured so much pain in your life. You deserve another chance more than anyone."
She had not listened to his objections. Of course not.
…
He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, tired and defeated, as he stood watching powerlessly as Kai sucked the life away from his plane of existence. He could feel a strange pull that made his neck prickle uncomfortably. But that was it.
It felt unreal. Would this really do the trick? And then what?
What if it did and Bonnie had to come to terms with the price she paid. What if he didn't live up to her expectations after all? What if—
It was as if a loud zap consumed him and then, for a second, there was nothing but a white cold silence. Emptiness.
Until…
…
A gasp. Bonnie's hands fluttered to her face.
She saw Kai in her peripheral vision, a smug look on his face, oozing power and contentment. And something darker. But she was too focused on who else had finally, finally appeared in front of her again to worry about that more.
"Enzo?" She breathed, the whisper barely audible, so she repeated it, as if to prove to herself that she had indeed spoken and that he wouldn't suddenly vanish if she said his name out loud. "Enzo!"
She flew toward where he stood, a little lost and forlorn, but exactly like she had last seen him, his soul back with a body, some strange magic having given him back his former shape. She didn't even want to question the specifics. She had done and seen enough. She didn't want to know more.
"Bonnie…"
His voice, dark and somber, how she had missed it. How she had missed his smell and feeling him under her grasp. He was really here, with her.
It had worked.
After months and months spent alone, after a deal with the devil, she had gotten her love back. Her life.
When she felt his lips on hers, a lingering touch, nothing soft about it, just desperate, her hands came around him and she grabbed his jacket in her fists to get as close to him as possible. She wanted to crawl under his skin so that nothing could ever separate them again.
"Not even death can part you two cuties, huh? Well, aren't you lovely?" Kai chirped up behind them, and Enzo whirled around to face him, Bonnie's hands suddenly empty as he sped over and grabbed the other man in a choke hold.
"Enzo stop!"
Kai gurgled a little, still half smiling as he tried to get words out. But he didn't have to. He was full of magic, so full that nothing and no one stood a chance against him.
Enzo's arms were flung away with ease and Kai stood before them both with a smug grin, rubbing his neck, as he shook his head.
"No no no." He wagged a finger at Enzo, freezing him in place, much to the vampire's obvious dismay. For good measure, he also muted him. He didn't care what the guy thought or felt or had to say. Then he turned to Bonnie.
"Nice seeing you, beautiful, but now it's time I go."
"Let Enzo go, or that spell I put on you—"
"Oh, that? That's not gonna do anything anymore, little witchy witch. I siphoned the magic right out of that one." He grinned mischievously at Bonnie's horrorstruck expression. "And in order to keep you from following me or trying to catch me again, I've decided to put a little spell on you and dear old Mystic Falls. Don't worry, I won't break my promise. You got Enzo back and he'll stay. But neither of you will remember the other. None of all of you will remember who you loved. Let's mix the cards anew, let's see whether you'll still end up with the 'love of your life' if you don't remember who they are. Tabula rasa."
The little idea had come earlier, and it had manifested into a plan. A little fun was always a good idea, right?
With a wink he moved his hand nonchalantly, and before Bonnie or Enzo could do anything, their world clouded over in a strange fog and it didn't take long before they came out of it, with no idea who they were.
Despite his desire to see it all unfold right there and then, Kai knew it was time to leave. At least for now. He smiled, walked over to a confused looking Bonnie and placed a rough kiss on her lips.
"So long, little witch!"
...
Her brow furrowed in confusion as her mind tried to translate the features of the man in front of her into a person she knew. But he was gone before she could muster up enough concentration, and all that was left was a feeling of utter incomprehension.
Where was she? Who was that man. What hadn't happened? And... who was she?
She patted herself down clumsily as if to make sure she was real. Under her wandering fingers, a piece of paper appeared. There was a post it note on her jacket. She tore it off and stared at it intently.
I am Bonnie Bennett, please take me to the nearest hospital," was all it said.
The name didn't sound familiar. She touched her face, confused, lost. It was as if the ground she walked on wasn't stable anymore. She would fall.
"Are you okay, love?"
A man, handsome. Dark hair. She didn't know him.
"I… I don't know," she breathed, gingerly walking closer. Maybe he could help? But then she stepped in front of him and saw a similar post it note on his jacket.
"I am Lorenzo St. John..."
She touched the paper lightly, looking up into his hazel eyes.
"You don't know who you are, either, do you?" She asked quietly, and he shook his head, confused. Defeated.
…
Since there wasn't much else to do, they decided to do what the note had suggested, and went on their way to the hospital.
Bonnie had shrieked out when she had spotted the dead body of an old woman laying in what looked like a circle of blood and she had wanted to call the police, except, she didn't have a phone and she didn't know what to say.
Lorenzo, the stranger - or, the other stranger, she should say - had suggested to inform the authorities as soon as they had found help.
But that proved to be way more difficult than they could have ever anticipated, for when they stepped out of the old building they had been in, and into the sun, Lorenzo suddenly screamed in pain as the sun seemed to burn his skin right off and Bonnie barely managed to shove him back into the darkness of the abandoned factory.
"What the hell was that?" She half yelled, cradling him as his skin slowly began to mend itself and his anguished breathing turned calmer once more.
…
...
Kai had taken a little souvenir. He had taken a few…
As he left the city behind in a haze of unclarity, amnesia befalling the old Mystic Falls Gang, he made sure to get all the remaining daylight rings… It would make for a nice little touch. Especially if no one was there to make new ones, the knowledge for now lost somewhere in the fog of Bonnie's brain.
The only problem was that he wasn't sure he could really stay away and not watch as the new drama unfolded…