A 2 part story (was going to be a one shot, but I'm so slow at writing this week) set after 6x15 then AU after that, Kai doesn't trick Damon into seeing Bonnie, he's avoiding her and trying to adjust to having Luke as part of him. #BonKai
Totally inspired by Mon-El reading Harry Potter
Bonnie walked into the bar, every fibre in her being said this was a bad idea. Still she came anyway. Her high heeled boots clipped on the hard wood floor drawing attention to her more than she wanted, she had hoped to sneak in. Yet every step echoed loudly around the building, deafening her.
It was mostly empty during the day, only occupied by the young bar tender and a few old men who sat reading newspapers with their pints of beer at random tables. Her heart skipped a beat thinking he may not be there, she couldn't tell if she was happy or sad with this. She pulled her jacket closer around her thin frame and closed her eyes taking a deep breath. She cursed Elena, things were easier before she had told the truth of who helped out in the prison world. A secret she was sure Damon would never had said, Jer never would have told her either. She wasn't sure she really wanted to know. Things were easier when it was simple. When people filled the roles she mentally assigned them, less so when they may have acted against type. She didn't want to feel indebted to anyone. Least of all him.
That was when she spotted him. He was sat on one of the leather sofas with his feet on the low table poised between sofas. She couldn't see his face, he was focused on a book. He was wearing a black T-shirt and dark skinny jeans, his black jacket was hung over the end on the sofa. Looking more mature, a few days stubble on his face, he looked so different. She approached him. Questioning if it really was him.
Getting closer she felt his magic in the air. This was new. Normally she felt stolen magic around him, her magic with his scent on it, dark and twisted from what she knew. This was new, stronger, mischievous, playful, and confident and a hint of that darkness she knew. His personality. She was sure it was him, no one's magic would feel like that other than his, it was intoxicating.
He turned to face her as though he felt her magic as well. He didn't smile, just raised an eyebrow in confusion. Her self-preservation kicked in, heart started beating faster, ready to run, ready to fight, ready to deal with Kai Parker.
She fought the unwanted urge to smile in his direction, and kept her poker face. Striding towards him, seating herself on the sofa opposite him, she felt small, as he watched her, silently. It was unnerving, he was never quiet, always chatty and confident. He sipped his Latte and watched her.
Well she had turned up uninvited, Liv had said he would be there, he had coffee and read there every day for an hour, just liked to be around people be reassured they still existed. After 18 years in isolation he seemed to need reassurance, not that he would admit it to anyone, he hated showing weakness.
He placed the book on the table and lent back in the sofa, his toned body barely covered with the Tshirt he opted to wear. It tensed around his biceps where the fabric ended and his tanned skin was showing. Kai looked good, he was aging well, finally being able to grow after 18 years stuck as a skinny 22 year old. He now was a good looking young man in his early 20's. She hated that she even considered his looks. Avoiding looking at him she glanced at the book and laughed.
"Harry Potter? The mighty Kai Parker, leader of the Gemini Coven is reading Harry Potter"
He shrugged, then smiled slightly, "well I have read every book ever written before 1994." His tone playful and boyish put her on guard. "So Bon Bon, what have I done to deserve your company today? Or haven't done, or do your vampire friends want another favour, I'm not their errand boy" his sing song tone captivated her. It always had, the sociopath had the fortunate, or unfortunate ability (depending upon your view point) of being charming.
Bonnie hesitated, she wasn't sure where this was going, she didn't know what she wanted. All she had wanted for so long was to hate him, wanted to hurt him, make him feel the desperation she felt during those months in his prison world. But in the months she had been back she realised he had also felt that but for 18 years. There was a part of her that started to pity him, in a human prison he would see people, but his prison he saw no one.
"I want to ask you something"
He didn't speak, nodded slightly, it unnerved her more.
"Did you try to contact me on my birthday?"
"I did not see that coming" Kai swung his legs to the floor and leant forward, "Who have you been talking too?"
"No one"
He laughed, "Clearly someone Bon, or else you wouldn't ask me" he got closer to her, she could smell the coffee on his breath, "why does it matter? You made your feelings about me clear, I'm trying to respect your wishes."
"I need to know," she pleaded. Something in him fought his sociopathic nature, he accepted the constant internal fight he now had. Every action or choice made him long for those days when he was only focused on himself, caring about others really wasn't great.
"Yes, I tried to send your friends to see you, but we could only see you, not interact. It took a lot more power than I had so I focused on one of your friends and then Liv got in the way" he was matter of fact, didn't really want her to know the full story, this would do.
"Liv?" Bonnie hadn't heard of her witch friend's involvement.
"Yes, blonde, annoying, my little sister" he smiled
"What does Liv have to do with this?" she was starting to think a lot of the story had been left out.
He watched her, studying with interest, his grey eyes sparkling. She felt uncomfortable, this close to Kai Parker wasn't good, but worse was her urge to flee was gone. The natural instinct that protected her from him was reduced.
The young barmaid approached which snapped her out of her trance when she realised she was being asked if she wanted a drink. Bonnie hadn't expected to stay, let alone considered a drink, but she found herself ordering a coffee caramel flavoured and a muffin, Kai followed suit ordering another latte and a slice of cake. The waitress smiled at him more than she paid interest to Bonnie. Bonnie found it amusing normal sane women would avoid the sociopath, she reasoned, but this was Mystic Falls, strange behaviour was over looked and he was attractive, and charming, and deadly. So the ideal partner for most of her friends.
She returned to her poker face, "Kai what did Liv do?" His silence frustrated her, and she moved to slap him on the arm to get a reaction. He grabbed her wrist before she could strike him. His touch was electric, more than electric. The charge between the two of them was more than she expected, she felt as if every nerve ending was on fire. A warm heat of his magic washed over her, it wasn't unpleasant, when he siphoned her magic that was unpleasant, painful. This was different, it felt very much of him, playful and teasing and a hint of danger and unpredictability. He felt it as well, they locked eyes for a second questioning each other, assuming the other was doing something. Suddenly he let go of her arm and she pulled it back.
"What was that?" he demanded
"I have no idea" she looked shocked, "You are powerful"
He smiled at her, and nodded, "That can't be a shock, I'm the leader of my coven, I should be, plus I have Jo and Luke's Magic and am still a siphoner."
She looked at him, moving slightly closer, drawn to his power, wanting to understand what they just felt. He cocked his head slightly studying every action she made.
They both jumped out of the pseudo trance when the barmaid brought their drinks and cakes. He smiled in a charming manner, the young woman blushed and allowed her hand to linger slightly so it brushed his. Bonnie felt a chill, aware how lucky she was that the barmaid had no magic, or else being that close to Kai was dangerous.
Then they were alone again, "So what did Liv do?" Bonnie decided to get back to the point. Kai chuckled, and sunk back into the sofa.
"What do you want from me Bon? As fun as all our hate flirting is, I'm tired of it. So whatever you want to get off your chest or rant at me for, get it over with so I can find out what happens in my book, and you can go scold other people. Unless you want us to work it out some other way." He winked.
Bonnie huffed, slightly annoyed at his suggestion, but didn't want to make eye contact, so put sugar in her coffee and focused on stirring it more than it needed. There was an uneasy silence, made worse that he didn't try to fill it like he normally would. Rather he picked up his book and started reading.
"Kai!" demanded Bonnie, he ignored her, pretending to be focused on his book. She called his name again and he looked up annoyed.
"I don't know what I want, just the truth?"
"What does it matter Bon, surely your life would be better if we had nothing to do with each other, go back to your friends, be with them. I don't want to have to deal with your friend's drama anymore. I nearly died the last time" He stopped realising he said too much. He hated the part of Luke that now whispered in the back of his mind, who made him feel guilty for leaving Bonnie in the prison world, he justified that action, as he respected her wishes, left her alone.
"Liv tried to kill you?"
"Your Faux concern is touching, it wasn't serious, everyone in the Coven's life is linked to me. Self-preservation would have kicked in" he down played how serious it had all been. Instinct over took her and she reached out to grab his hand to force him to focus.
It was a sharp pain this time, sudden, through her stomach, stabbing and so real. Then she saw Liv brandishing a poker, while Kai caught his breath. She lived the moment, as Kai struggled to fight against Liv, and couldn't, and Jeremy dragged him away to the kitchen and begged him to carry on the spell, and she felt every cell in her body panic that he was dying and both would not see if the spell worked or not. Damon forcing his blood into the young witch to bring him round to pull Jeremy out of the spell. The guilt on her friends faces for having alone time while her mortal enemy risked his life for her. The image vanished and a cross looking Kai was glaring at her.
"What are you doing?" he didn't shout, this was more scary, there was more than a hint of his sociopath side showing, but that was tinged with fear, he didn't like being vulnerable, she knew that feeling well. She just stared at him, trying to make sense of what she saw. He fumed and created distance between the two of them.
"I-I-I don't know" she stammered, she didn't know, she was as shocked as him, that had never happened before, "How did that happen?" he was studying her again, rational and controlling, even the flashes of emotion before the merge had been controlled, that seemed the same.
His face relaxed, and he smiled slightly
"You have your answers, look Bon we are not friends, you don't like me, you won't accept my apologies, so maybe its best if you and I avoid each other" He picked up his book, slung his legs on the sofa and leant back.
She huffed and sunk back into the sofa, glaring at him, yet he ignored her.
They stayed like that for what felt to Bonnie like hours, Kai the oldest child of 8 was more than used to silent protests, and could out wait any of them. He relaxed into reading his book.
