Title: Thirst
Rating: M
Genre: AU/AH/Supernatural/Horror
Pairing(s): Bonnie/Stefan
Summary: Not many are aware of the addictive qualities of a witch's blood. Klaus is, and he knows just what it could do to Stefan Salvatore in his ripper state. However, when his plan to drive Stefan to drain Bonnie Bennett dry and thereby eliminating his greatest foe and pushing Stefan over the edge backfires, no one is prepared of the consequences.
Warnings: Language, Character Death, Violence, Torture, Non-Canon, Sexual Content, Dub-con, etc.
Stefonnie Appreciation Week Theme: Day Two (Going Dark)
Author's Note: Back again after as break. This is a repost of a fromer contribution to Stefonnie week. This is set right after 3x02 with some rather obvious changes. I will be touching on what is going on in Mystic Falls in the next part but this part mostly stays in Chicago. Minor edits from the original. Not anything major. For news on other fics see end notes on last part. Thanks for reading.
Stage One ∥ Exposure
"All sin tends to be addictive, and the terminal point of addiction is what is called damnation."
~W.H. Auden
Stefan Salvatore had no idea why their first stop after leaving Tennessee was a hospital in Chicago but he was sure that Klaus would let him in on his motives soon enough. He could still remember the hope in his brother's eyes even as Stefan had warned him to stay away, but there was no real hope left, not for him. Not anymore.
In fact his resolve was strengthened by the day to stay away. With each person he was forced to kill and each drop of human blood that he ingested, he was losing more and more of himself and he welcomed it. He welcomed it because in doing so he was allowing his brother to live, and he was allowing Elena to go on with her life without being threatened. He did it because it was easier to give in to blood and the numbness than it was to fight against Klaus any longer.
He followed silently as Klaus led him through the hospital halls, the smell of bleach and death burning his nose. The florescent lights flickered and he felt as if he was in some kind of horror movie and in a way it was the truth. Klaus was the villain, the monster under the bed, the killer with the axe just a step behind him. And he was the victim, except he wasn't running, or fighting, or screaming. He was just looking in the killer's eyes and waiting for something, perhaps death or perhaps an escape or perhaps both in one.
"You know," Klaus said conversationally, as he rolled up the sleeves to his white long sleeved t-shirt, "It's amazing how people can be connected to one another. The degrees of separation and all that."
Stefan stayed stiff and impassive as he normally did whenever Klaus spoke. It irritated Klaus being ignored Stefan knew and that was part of the reason that he did it, the other part of the reason was that Stefan had nothing to say. He had lost his voice at the same time he had lost his fight. Even thinking of his brother or Elena didn't bring either back, though he was still acting in ways to keep them both safe.
"I was looking up an old friend," Klaus continued, regaining Stefan's attention, "A witch by the name of Gloria, owns a bar on the northwest side, you'd like her I think. Powerful, beautiful, good taste in music. But I am getting away from myself. Anyway, I contacted her because as you know I've been having a little trouble creating my hybrids. And then there was also the matter of a certain witch that happens to have ties to you and your brother that I had my worries about as well. While I had been told by a few informants of mine that Miss Bennett is currently on holiday with her father's family, I could not seem to get a location. But I was sure that your brother being your brother would know exactly where to find the Bennett witch and as I was also sure that he would not take you being gone laying down I just knew that he would eventually make the phone call to ask for the witch's assistance. It wouldn't take much would it? To get her to agree? All he would have to do was mention her dead best friend that she couldn't save from me, you know play on her guilt just a little bit. People do the craziest things out of guilt, and you already know that of course. But one phone call and little Bonnie sweetheart would be riding in to save the day. And well I can't have that."
Stefan frowned as they stopped in front of a hospital room, labeled "Doe, Jane", but he already knew who would be inside. The only question would be how bad the damage was. He swallowed and for the first time in months he allowed himself to feel. Anger was the most paramount, then guilt, and then sorrow. "What did you do to her?" He demanded.
"Now, Stefan," Klaus grinned, "You've been ignoring me all of this time. The least that you could do is let me finish my tale."
Though, he was itching for a fight and wanted to strangle the hybrid, Stefan gave a stiff nod. It wouldn't do well to provoke the man, especially before he was able to get any real information about Bonnie's condition.
"I couldn't have the witch interfering you understand," Klaus continued, as if Stefan's face hadn't taken on a lethal scowl, "Though, she allows you and your brother to treat her like a servant she's a powerhouse in all truth. She almost killed me once, and I am willing to bet she could find a way to at the very least incapacitate me now. Even being what I am now, I am man enough to admit that she is, or rather was a threat to me. But like I said, I couldn't pinpoint her location. Which was why I was going to have Gloria perform a little locator spell, but as it turned out she didn't need one. You see, Bonnie's family, apparently lives here in Chicago, at least on her father's side. And you know that bar I mentioned before, it would seem she has been working there all summer. Who would have guessed? She was right there under my nose."
Stefan had heard enough. In the blink of an eye he had Klaus pinned to the hospital room door, his arm pressing against the hybrid throat. "What did you do to her?" He demanded, once again.
If any one of them deserved to live it was Bonnie. She had given more of herself for the people that she loved than even Stefan and the thought of her dying was unacceptable.
"I didn't do anything myself," Klaus sighed, "The thought occurred to me but it just seemed like such a waste. All that beauty, all that power. She could be great, if I took her under my wing. But we both know that she is much too stubborn for that. However, she is isolated at the moment and killing her would be easy. Too easy, and so I've thought of something much more fun."
Klaus pushed Stefan until he loosened his grip. "I swear to God if you she isn't alive," he said, "I will kill you myself."
"As if you could find a way," Klaus said, unimpressed. He gave Stefan a warning look and the vampire let go of him completely. "I had hoped that you had learned something over the summer," he said, "That you had gotten a bit of your merciless lethal streak back. But you're still soft, and you still have attachments where there should be none. Which is why I still feel the need to play a few little games with you." He reached for the door knob of the hospital room door and turned it. "Let's see what's behind door number one, shall we?" He said, smiling winningly.
Stefan's hands clenched into fists as he followed Klaus inside of the room. His eyes immediately found the hospital bed and his stomach dropped. Just as he had expected Bonnie Bennett, lay atop the white sheets. She was unconscious, still, and she looked ever so small. He was certain that she had loss weight. And his anger only rose when he saw that there was an IV line hooked up to her arm that was draining the blood from her body and into a blood bag.
Stefan flinched as the door to the room shut behind him, and a moment later he felt Klaus' hand on his shoulder. "As I was saying," Klaus said, his tone nonchalant, "I had thought about killing her but there wasn't really any fun in that. And I had expected for a while that you weren't all in with me. That you were still too soft around the edges and so I thought why not use her to break you instead?"
"And how do you plan on doing that?" Stefan asked, scowling.
"It's simple really," Klaus said, "The messiest part is done. All I had to do was compel one of the patron's at Gloria's who had a few too many to run into the little witch's car. The cops didn't ask any questions, not that it would have mattered if they had. But poor blokes that have the miss fortune of drinking too much sauce get in accidents all the time. The accident wasn't fatal, but it did some pretty bad damage. And now she's here, has been for three days now, under an assumed name. Her family thinks she went back to visit Mystic Falls for a few days, so no one has come to check on her. A few text messages to her dear old daddy to check in with him seemed to do the trick on that front. Her friends haven't checked on her at all I'm afraid. Not that I'm surprised by that. You lot are terrible at the whole friendship bit." He smirked wider as Stefan grimaced. "But I digress. She has been here getting just enough treatment to ensure her survival but not quite as much as she so desperately needs and in that time I've been farming her for blood. All so that I can make a bargain with you."
"What kind of bargain?" Stefan asked.
"It would only take a little of your blood and the witch would be good as new and I am willing to let you save her," Klaus smiled, "On one condition."
Stefan's eyes stayed on Bonnie's form on the hospital bed. "I'm listening," he said.
"Once you save her you will have to sustain yourself only on the blood that I have taken from her these last three days," Klaus said, "Nothing else from any other human or animal."
"That's it?" Stefan asked, turning to Klaus finally his brows furrowed in confusion.
"That's it," Klaus nodded, "However, I must warn you that for vampires a witch's blood can be extremely addictive. The stronger our connection to said witch, the more….potent the effects tend to be. And for someone like you….a ripper….who already has issues controlling his consumption...well…I'm assuming you get the picture, love."
"So basically you're saying I can save her now," Stefan said, "But you're going to get me hooked to her blood and in all likelihood I'll come after her and kill her myself later."
"Unless of course," Klaus pointed out, inclining his head, "You can manage to control yourself. But we both know the probability of that happening, don't we?"
Even in the state that he was in the thought of killing Bonnie made him sick. He had never hurt Bonnie, never would dream of hurting her. He had hurt his brother, and had even come dangerously close to hurting Elena more than once, but Bonnie, he had never felt anything for her other than a need to keep her safe. It had always been him alongside Elena that protested her using her powers to the point that it would be fatal. He had saved her more than once and his instinct was to save her now, even if he would risk killing her himself later.
"What do you say Stefan?" Klaus pressed, "Will you watch the witch die now, or will you kill her later?" Either way Klaus knew that the guilt would eat Stefan up inside, he knew that this would likely be the thing that broke him down and caused him to give himself over to the ripper side of himself completely. It was only a matter of time.
Ignoring him Stefan moved forward and gently detached the IV from Bonnie's arm. He then bit into his own wrist. "We have a deal," Stefan said, "But you're underestimating me and how much I want to keep her alive."
Klaus watched as Stefan gently pried Bonnie's mouth open and pressed his wrist to her lips. He had not seen Stefan act that gently with anyone since just before they had left Mystic Falls for the summer. Still he laughed as Stefan ran his fingers down the witch's throat in order to help her swallow. He was playing right into his hands, he had no real choice in the matter. "Maybe so," Klaus said, "But you are underestimating the pull that a witch's blood can have."
:::
Bonnie Bennett walked around slowly after having found herself in the spare bedroom of her aunt's house, where she had been staying all summer, upon waking a few hours before. The last thing that she remembered was leaving Gloria's after her shift, but according to the date on her cell phone that had been days ago. Her aunt, Clara claimed that she had been in Mystic Falls visiting her friends for a few days, and that she had fallen asleep in the car on the way home and her friend had carried her up to the doorstep.
None of it made sense. She could have sworn she had been in a car accident and had possibly been in the hospital. However, her car was sitting in her aunt's driveway without a scratch on in and she seemed to be in better health than when she last remembered being there.
But something was off, a few things actually. She suspected that something supernatural was involved. Her mind kept straying to Stefan the same way that it had in the days after he had saved her from Damon back when they had first came to town and she had Stefan's blood in her system. And Stefan fit the description of the friend that her aunt claimed had brought her home and so she knew that her answers would lie with him.
However, she didn't know how to find him. Not with him basically being held hostage by Klaus. So as much as she wanted answers she knew that she wasn't going to get any.
Still she kept getting flashes of things. A white room. Some kind of machine beeping. Florescent lights flashing. The sound of voices talking. But there was nothing that she could put together. Nothing that made sense.
And so she simply paced the length of the room slowly, trying like hell to concentrate enough to make something, anything come into her mind that would explain her whereabouts for the last four days.
Sighing when nothing came to her, Bonnie jumped when her phone rang. She picked it up from her bed and saw Gloria's name flashing on the screen. She supposed the woman was wondering why she hadn't been at work the last few days. Bonnie wished she had an explanation for her. Still she picked up the phone, deciding to give her the same excuse that Stefan had given her aunt Clara, if it was indeed him that had taken her home.
However, before Bonnie could even say hello, Gloria was speaking, her voice frantic. "Listen to me and listen carefully," she said.
"I'm listening," Bonnie said, her tone immediately becoming serious to match Gloria's. She had grown to respect the woman over the summer. Not only had she given Bonnie a job but she had become a mentor of sorts to her. She was helping Bonnie slowly but surely re-access her powers and teaching Bonnie about their kind in the process. Gloria was normally playful but also straightforward so when she got serious about something Bonnie knew that there was no playing games.
She knew all about Bonnie's history and Bonnie knew some of hers as well. She was the first witch that had taken Bonnie under her wing since her Grams and Bonnie had grown to trust her explicitly.
"Come to my place at ten tomorrow if you want to know what happened to you," she said, "Klaus has been lurking around here but he usually leaves around ten at night to go out and find more seedy places to loiter about. I would've called sooner but it wasn't safe."
"Don't worry about it," Bonnie said, "I'll be there."
:::
Stefan had been made to drink the first bag of Bonnie's blood after making sure that the witch had made it home to her aunt's safely. He had never tasted anything like it. It was smooth and rich and the minute that it had touched his tongue he had wanted more of it. It had burned on the way down, in that pleasant way alcohol did and it warmed him on the inside. The second bag he had drunk the same day without being asked.
It was the next day, and though he had tried to pace himself, to stop himself, he had already been through two more bags of Bonnie's blood without prompting. It was more than a thirst, what he had for it, it was a raw ache in the back of his throat that spread over his entire body.
Even worse than that both Bonnie and the blood were beginning to invade his thoughts, overriding all else. In the last few hours he had forgotten where he was at least three times and he was sure that he would eventually lose touch with reality if he continued to drink as much as he did the way that he did.
Klaus watched him with an amused sort of curiosity as he sat down across from him at their current haunt. Stefan was shaking and sweating and breathing heavily. But he forced himself to remain where he was. The only relief Stefan got was in sleep and that only came after he had had the taste he so craved.
"There's still plenty of blood left," Klaus said, encouragingly, "Why don't you have some more? Get some rest. You seem a bit…on edge."
"Fuck you," Stefan spat, tugging at his hair. The worst part was that, though, he had considered breaking Klaus' rule and feeding off of someone else to take the edge off, he knew it wouldn't be as good. Nothing would be as good as Bonnie's blood. Nothing would taste as pure.
"It was just a suggestion," Klaus shrugged, as he picked up a sketch pad from the table that was between them and the pencil sitting next to it, "Who knew that witch's blood could make a vampire so testy?"
"I won't kill her," Stefan said, shaking his head, "I won't. I'll let her live and I will suffer through this shit, just so I can see her end you. Slowly and painfully. That's good enough of a reason to keep her alive even without…."
Klaus looked up at him from where he had started to draw, his blue eyes questioning. "Without what?" Klaus asked.
"Nothing," Stefan muttered. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He imagined the scent of Bonnie's blood. He could see the green of her eyes. The almond color of her skin. The soft dark curls of her hair. He opened his eyes letting out as growl of frustration before he stood up and walked toward the door to the basement where the freezer that held Bonnie's blood was being kept.
Klaus watched him go, with a frown. Things weren't going as he had planned. Stefan should have been dreaming of killing the witch by now, of tasting the witches blood fresh from her veins. There was no reason that he should have been thinking about the witch in any other terms unless he was closer to her than Klaus had thought.
The only way to figure out would be to pry into the deepest and darkest recesses of Stefan's mind. Klaus was good at distorting a person's reality. At putting dreams and thoughts into people's heads, but those things wouldn't do him any good without knowing what it was that Stefan really wanted, what he really desired if it wasn't the witch's imminent demise.
But there was someone that he knew that could get the information that he needed out of Stefan, all he had to do was wake her up.
:::
Bonnie sat down across from Gloria at a booth in the back of the bar. She had been apprehensive to start off with but was even more so when the woman placed as shot glass in front of her and poured her a shot of whiskey.
"You're not going to want to be sober for this one, doll," Gloria said.
Bonnie frowned but took the shot anyway, downing it in one swallow. She cleared her throat, placing the glass back on the table top. "Lay it on me," Bonnie said, crossing her legs underneath the table and running her hands over the green sun dress she was wearing.
"Klaus had asked about you," Gloria sighed, "I didn't really think anything of it. I thought that at the worst he would try to recruit you, try to persuade you to his side. I knew you were too smart for it and so I didn't worry."
"But that wasn't what he wanted was it?" Bonnie asked.
Gloria shook her head, pouring herself a shot before she continued. "No that wasn't what he wanted," she said, "He wanted to use you against his companion, Stefan Salvatore."
"Stefan isn't himself right now," Bonnie said, shaking her head, "As far as I know he's been on human blood all summer. There's no way that Klaus could effectively use me against him, not when he's like this. I've seen it firsthand a couple of times and it's not…not Stefan, not really."
"Even so," Gloria sighed, "He figured out a way." She downed the shot and shook her head. "You're not going to like hearing this. But the last time you were here, that night….you were in a car accident. Klaus had you taken to the hospital and basically farmed you for blood. He gave Stefan a choice. He could let you die or he could save you. But if he saved you then he would have to sustain himself on your blood and only your blood."
"Obviously Stefan chose to save me," Bonnie said, sounding as surprised as she felt given what she knew of Stefan's current state, "Which explains why I can't get him out of my head. That's what happened the last time his blood was in my system when he saved me not long after we first met. It was only a few days but I didn't feel like myself you know?" Gloria, nodded, pouring Bonnie another shot. "Let me guess," Bonnie sighed, "Because Stefan is a ripper Klaus is hoping that he'll like my blood enough to come after me and finish the job. I'll be dead anyway and Stefan will shut down not being able to handle the guilt. It makes sense, now that he can't use Elena against him, outside of Damon I'm the next best thing considering I'm the biggest threat to him." While Bonnie trusted Gloria she had yet to tell the woman that Elena was still alive, she didn't want to put her friend at risk for any reason, and even if Gloria had kept the secret, it could always be tortured out of her later.
While Bonnie had been out of touch with everyone back at Mystic Falls for the most part and while in some ways she had changed over the summer under Gloria's tutelage, that didn't mean she wasn't still loyal to her friends first. Which was why she wanted to call Elena and Jeremy and explain the situation to them. But she didn't want to put Elena in harm's way and Jeremy hadn't been answering her calls as of late so she knew that she would have to take care of this herself.
"It isn't that simple, sweetheart," Gloria said. She drummed her nails against the table top and titled her head, unsure of how to word what she was about to say next. "The thing about a witch's blood," Gloria stated, "Is that even for the most in control of vampires it's very addictive and Stefan being what he is, having done the things that he's done… Things that even you don't know about. It makes him particularly dangerous to you right now. How close are you to him? And I need an honest answer."
Bonnie shrugged, downing her second shot. "I used to know," she said, "But I don't anymore. I thought we could be friends before what happened to my Grams but then I knew I couldn't trust him. We were getting to a better place I think, mostly because we had Elena in common and I could…never manage to say no to him. Partially because he's saved me before and partially because I've always….felt connected to him I guess. I don't really know why, it's just been there under the surface. But we're not close really."
"Well," Gloria frowned, "It sounds to me like you are and if he was willing to save your life then you probably mean more to him than you think. Which is a bad thing, because with this…the closer the witch is to the vampire the more the blood effects them. It probably won't take more than a few days for him to come after you."
"Which means that we still have time to find a solution," Bonnie insisted.
Gloria, shook her head. "You said you weren't close to him and in the next breath you're trying to get him out of his fix," she laughed, without humor, "What you need to do is stay away from him. While there is a chance that he won't want to kill you, you won't like the other option much either. And if he was as in love with your friend as you say then he'll definitely want to kill you over the other possibility."
"Are you going to keep being cryptic or are you going to tell me what else he could want besides me dead?" Bonnie asked.
Gloria cleared her throat. "I knew this witch once," she said, "Back in the twenties. Pretty little thing by the name of Florence. But folks around here called her Flo. She was friends with a booze runner. I was against it, he was white and married. But he gave Flo a few gigs at his brother's club and said a few sweet words and she insisted that there wasn't anything to it but what it was on the surface. This was before Klaus met Stefan the first time around-"
"What do you mean the first time around?" Bonnie asked, interrupting.
"I thought I told you," Gloria answered, "Klaus and Stefan knew each other back then. They were thick as thieves, used to cut up and reek all kinds of havoc. Stefan even had a thing with Nik's sister back then. But something sent them running and they had to leave Stefan behind. Not sure what it was but you know about Elijah so I'm assuming it wouldn't surprise you if I told you Klaus daggered his sister, then he wiped Stefan's memory and they were gone like they were never here at all."
"When Klaus knew Stefan before," Bonnie said, "Was he on human blood?"
Gloria nodded. "Stefan is what they call a ripper," Gloria said, "Goes on blood binges. Black outs…the whole nine yards. You've heard it before, I know, but you haven't experienced it firsthand no matter what you say you've witnessed. Where the ripper part comes in is the kicker. After he's done with the body, he dismembers them. Couldn't even recognize some of them after he was done with them. The saddest part about is sometimes the sap felt so guilty about it afterward he'd try to piece the bodies back together. Sick shit, I know, and Klaus was all over it."
Bonnie felt the urge to vomit, but poured herself another shot instead. "So," she said, wanting to change the subject, "What happened to Flo?"
"Klaus tried to persuade her over to his side," Gloria stated, "And into his bed. The man has a thing for witches you wouldn't believe. He probably would have went after you if he didn't figure you were a lost cause. But Flo, he was certain she would fall for his charms, and that was probably why he wasn't so happy when she didn't. He kidnapped her and farmed her for blood same way he did you. Turned that booze runner that was friendly with her and got him hooked on her blood. She disappeared a few days after the man was turned and Klaus thought he killed her and we all let him think it."
"What really happened?"
"He seduced her," Gloria said, "They ran off together. He left his wife. She kept giving him blood and he became more and more obsessed with her. Got to the point where he would kill any man who even looked in her direction. She couldn't take it anymore after a while, and he didn't want to live without her. She ended up having to kill him."
Bonnie frowned, looking down at the table. "There isn't really any chance of anything like that happening with me and Stefan," Bonnie said, "He was as in love with Elena as I said before and even if he wasn't there's never been any sort of attraction there."
Gloria rolled her eyes. "Yeah," she said, "And you two aren't close at all either."
Bonnie sighed. "Look," she said, "Whether you believe me or not isn't the issue. Stefan saved my life which means no matter what the effects of this blood are he is likely trying to fight them. I can't ignore either of those things and I can't sit back and do nothing. So the way I see it, I have two options, I could run and lead them back to Mystic Falls and make everyone else I care about a target or I could stay here and try and figure out some kind of solution or some kind of loop hole in hopes that maybe we can stop whatever is coming before it starts."
"And I am going to assume that you're going to go with the latter," Gloria said, blandly. When Bonnie nodded she sighed heavily. "I guess that also means you're going to need my help," she said.
"If you're willing to give it," Bonnie said.
"Alright," Gloria said, "We'll give it two more days. If we don't find a solution by then you have to promise that you're going to get the hell out of this city. I don't care if you have to go to the moon. You can't stay in Chicago, not while he's here."
"Fine," Bonnie agreed, "If we can't find anything I'll leave. I promise."
:::
The last thing that Rebekah Mikaelson had expected to wake up to was a world in which ninety years had passed and Stefan Salvatore was on his way to being addicted to some random witch's blood. Worse than that her necklace was missing and that was what her brother needed to execute the rest of his plans.
"You should have just shown him," Rebekah pouted at the brother, "Made him remember."
Klaus shook his head. "I did," he said, "Yesterday, but the exposure to the blood is effecting him already. He doesn't seem to care. But the way he was acting…it wouldn't have mattered to him anyway."
"How do you know that?" Rebekah protested, "If you had just given him a chance-"
Klaus eyed his sister impassively. "Like I said," Klaus said, "He isn't the same person. He's lived a whole life without us in it. I feel like he's lying about something but I can't put my finger on it. He's soft now. I was trying to bring out that part of him, the strong merciless killer, and even that isn't working and I don't understand why."
"So you tried to trap him into killing this witch that almost ended you," Rebekah said, "You said that the blood was affecting him. So what's the problem? It usually takes a few days for the killer instinct to set in."
"That's just the thing," Klaus frowned, "This is the third day he's been on her blood and there hasn't been any signs that he wants to kill her. Her blood he desires, yes, but not the kill. I need to know why."
Rebekah nodded, finally understanding. "And you want me to find out," she said.
"All I managed to get out of Gloria was that the closer a vampire is to a witch the stronger the effect which I already knew," he said, "I've tapped into all of my resources and the best I could get is that the vampire can fall on two ends of the spectrum. The first end leads to the death of the witch and the other end more than likely leads to the death of the vampire, sometimes by its own hands."
"Obviously the first would be the urge to kill the witch," Rebekah said, "So what's the opposite end?"
"I'll take you to Stefan and we'll see if we can figure it out," he said.
Rebekah followed her brother, attempting to fix her hair as she went. Even with her brother's warnings she still held out hope that once Stefan saw her, some of the old feelings would return.
Klaus led Rebekah through their old haunt and down into the basement. She jumped as she heard a crash but she continued to follow Klaus down the stairs. She scowled as they reached the bottom and she saw the scratches and holes all over the walls as if someone had gone between punching them and trying to claw their way out. There was furniture thrown about and pieces of ripped clothing on the floor.
By the time Stefan came into view Rebekah didn't know what to expect. They found him in the corner of the room, huddled up into himself, his eyes on the freezer. He looked like a man condemned, just waiting for his passage into hell.
Klaus stopped a few feet away from him, but Rebekah continued to hesitantly move forward. "Stefan?" She whispered.
He looked at her but it was clear he wasn't really seeing her, she wasn't even sure that he was lucid.
"There's only two bags left," he said, his eyes empty, "I tried to save it. To pace myself...but… Just two bags." He looked down at his shaking hands and then back up again. "Have you met Bonnie?" he asked, "Seen her face? Smelled her scent? She smells like honey and vanilla. That's kind of how her blood tastes…like honey and vanilla…and something else…..something else…I can't figure it out…I can't…."
"Stefan," Klaus said, interrupting his rambling, "You know if you run out then you could always go the source."
Stefan shook his head vehemently. "No," he spat, "That's what Klaus wants me to do." Rebekah's frowned deepened when she realized he really wasn't aware of who he was even speaking to. "But she's too good," he said, "She's too pure. That's why I stayed away. I've always stayed away from her. Even when I wanted..."
"Wanted what, Stefan?" Rebekah pushed, gently.
Stefan shook his head again. "I won't go to her," he said, "You can't make me. I can fight it, just like before."
Rebekah opened her mouth to try and get him to elaborate but stopped when she felt Klaus' hand on her shoulder. "You're wasting time," he said, "You know how to get the answers that you want out of him. Now do it. He'll be lucid soon and then he'll be able to fight you off. Do it now or we'll have to wait until the next time that he breaks and feeds again."
Sighing but nodding her acquiescence, Rebekah closed her eyes. She delved into Stefan's mind, prodding gently at first but then she became more insistent and she reached into the surface. She saw some girl, the doppelganger and huffed before digging deeper. She moved past his brother, and past a couple of unfamiliar faces, even past herself and her brother. The witch in question appeared throughout his thoughts, fading in and out, but there was a dark corner where she seemed to take up residence alone. Rebekah's hands clenched into fists as she saw the thoughts there, even without digging too deep she didn't like what she saw.
She came out of it quickly, not wanting to see anymore. "Well you were right about one thing," she said, "He doesn't want to kill her."
"Then what does he want?" Klaus demanded.
"To fuck her," Rebekah said, "He's thought about it a lot actually. The imagery in his mind is very…vivid."
Klaus frowned. "Why would he fight against that so hard?" he asked, "Not wanting to kill her I could understand as he has a soft spot for her, which was why I tried to push him to do it in the first place. But trying this hard not to fuck her?"
"He wants to stay faithful to the doppelganger," Rebekah explained, "But more than that he doesn't want to taint the witch. He makes her out in his head like she's some kind of martyred saint. I've never seen anyone placed on so high a pedestal."
"Not without reason, little sister," Klaus said, "She is the personification of a sacrificial lamb. One would think she was indeed trying to reach sainthood."
"It doesn't matter," Rebekah said, rolling her eyes, "He won't touch her." It was clear that she was threatened by the witch. "He's also afraid he'll hurt her as well," she told him, "That he'll lose control and kill her anyway."
"So the death of the witch is still a possibility," Klaus smirked, "Well, that I can work with."
"What are you going to do?" Rebekah asked. She could see the gears turning in his mind and she knew that it didn't bode well for Stefan.
"Give him what he wants," Klaus said, "At least in a manner of speaking. Just think if he kills her but seduces her first. The guilt would eat away at him even more."
"Why are you doing this?" Rebekah frowned.
"In case you've forgotten," Klaus said, "His emotions were turned off when he met us. He was much more fun then. I could force his hand but if he does it of his own free will…"
"It'll be more effective," Rebekah finished.
"All I have to do is push the right buttons," Klaus nodded, "And he will be back to his old self in no time."
:::
Bonnie closed yet another grimoire after finding nothing. There didn't seem to be a feasible solution and yet in spite of what she told Gloria, she didn't see leaving as an option. The only place she could go was back to Mystic Falls and she knew that if Stefan followed her there then Klaus would follow him there and would likely find out that Elena was indeed still alive.
Worse than that the situation was getting even more trying for Bonnie. While, things were quiet on the outside on Klaus and Stefan's end, Bonnie's subconscious was in an uproar. Dreams of Stefan attacking her plagued her when she slept. She heard his voice at odd times when she was awake. She saw his face whenever she closed her eyes.
She was running out of options and she was beginning to get scared. Though, she had greater access to her powers than she did at the beginning of the summer thanks to Gloria, it still wasn't much and she tended to burn out quickly. She knew that if he came for her she would be too weak to fight him off.
Besides even if she was strong enough, could she really kill him? No matter what state he was in he was still Stefan and she doubted very much that she would be able to see past that. She was already making excuses for him in her head. Blaming Klaus for his behavior and for his addiction. Reminding herself that he had saved her and was likely fighting the pull toward her even now, so that she could still see the good in him.
But trying to see the good in him was foolish she knew. He was a monster. A monster that was likely out to drain her dry. And he would succeed if she didn't find a solution in time. She felt trapped and alone.
She picked up her cell phone and thought about calling Elena, or Caroline, or Jeremy. But if she did would she tell them the truth or would it just be one more thing that she kept from the Gilberts for their own protection? Would they even answer the phone? The last time she had even spoken to anyone had been on Elena's birthday and she was sure that once Elena found out where Stefan was she would be more worried about getting him home than she would be concerned about Bonnie's safety. It was a sad thing to even think but it was the truth.
"I just have to keep looking," Bonnie sighed, to herself, "I can't give up."
Picking up the next book from her bed, she opened it and began to read asking silently for the spirits to give her some guidance.
:::
Stefan opened his eyes to find himself in an unfamiliar empty room tied to a chair. Dried blood from self-afflicted wounds clung to his skin. He was shaking and sweating and his vision was blurred. Restraining himself was the last resort.
After he had begged and begged he had managed to get Klaus to tie him up. He didn't know where he was and that was a good thing. The less he knew the better. If he didn't know where he was that meant that didn't know how to get out or how far away he was from Bonnie.
He frowned as he heard footsteps. He smelled the faint scent of honey in the air. "No," he said, shaking his head, "No."
But even so the next moment Bonnie came into view, her eyes frantic and her expression worried. "Stefan," she said, her voice full of relief, "I finally found you. I've been looking all over. I thought Klaus had killed you."
"You can't be here," Stefan insisted, "You have to leave."
Bonnie shook her head kneeling before him and taking his face in her hands. "No," she said, "I'm going to get you out of here. You saved my life and now it's my turn."
"If you don't leave now," Stefan said, "I'll kill you."
Bonnie smiled a strange sort of smile at him that he found unsettling. "Is that what you think?" She asked.
"I don't think," Stefan said, "I know."
Bonnie laughed then, standing to her feet. "Come on now, Stefan," she said, her tone almost teasing, "We both know you don't want to kill me. You just want me right…and you don't have to fight it. Not anymore."
"Bonnie," Stefan protested as she pulled a gleaming silver knife from the pocket of the shorts that she was wearing.
"I'll take care of you," she said, "I'll help you. It's not like you haven't used me before right? What's so bad about the idea now, hm?"
Stefan pulled at the chain restraining him to the chair, but he was too weak, having gone so long without feeding.
"You look hungry," Bonnie said, climbing onto his lap, her legs straddling his waist, "How about a little taste?"
"Don't," Stefan pled, shaking his head. Still she took the knife in her hand and drew it across the skin of her arm until she drew blood. He had to close his eyes as he caught sight of it and he felt the familiar burning in the back of his throat. "This isn't real," he said, his voice hoarse, "This isn't you."
"But it can be," Bonnie whispered, reaching out and running her fingers through his sweat dampened hair, "I can be yours. All you have to do is come to me. Take me. Isn't that what you want Stefan?"
"No," Stefan protested, shutting his eyes even tighter.
"No," Stefan shouted aloud, as he finally managed to break out of the hallucination. He was a mess. Trembling in the corner of the room as Klaus looked on at him, his face looking almost sympathetic.
Klaus had been in his head for two days now. He had run out of blood one day ago and he knew that he wouldn't make it much longer.
"How much longer can you take this, old friend?" Klaus asked, "Don't get me wrong, it's nice to see your old strength coming back but your motivation leaves much to be desired."
"Why are you doing this?" Stefan asked, his voice unsteady.
Instead of answering Klaus stood from the chair that he was sitting in on the other end of the basement room and stretched his arms over his head. "I keep trying," he said, "But I can't seem to wrap my mind around the fact that your respect and admiration for one witch could be stronger than your desire for her blood."
"That's because you've never cared about anyone in your life," Stefan spat, "Not the way-"
"That you care about Bonnie?" Klaus asked, on a laugh. He shook his head. "I suppose with Elena gone that she is one of the few people that you have left outside of your dear brother but still," he said, "I doubt that even your love for Elena could inspire this much devotion. What I don't understand is why the witch?"
"She's the only person I know…that would do this for me," Stefan said, more to remind himself than to answer Klaus, "What I'm doing now. She's the only person I know that's selfless enough to fight this hard not to do something that she knows would hurt me, or anyone else."
"Rebekah was right," Klaus sighed, "You do think she's some kind of saint." He had gone from looking sympathetic to bored. "What do you have left to fight with Stefan?" Klaus asked, "You are coming apart at the seams. How much longer can you do this? You don't have anything left to fight with."
But Klaus was wrong, there was one more thing he could do. One more move he could make, but it was too risky. He had thought more than once about turning off his emotions. There was a chance that when he did it would switch off his desire for Bonnie and her blood as well. But there was also a chance that it would simply take away his inhibitions. The only thing keeping him from going after Bonnie was the fact that he cared about her, the fact that he didn't want to hurt her or Elena by going after her. Without his emotions those things would be gone and nothing would be standing in his way. He didn't know what the outcome would be, but he did know he stood the chance to lose out either way.
"How long will it be before you give in, old friend?" Klaus asked, once more.
"A little longer," Stefan told him, his tone bitter and biting, "I still have one more trick up my sleeve, Nik. And this one I think you'll like."
Before Klaus could ask him what it was or try and bait him Stefan closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he flipped the switch and let his emotions go.
:::
Bonnie unlocked the door to her aunt's house and walked inside. As she shut it and locked the door behind her she frowned at how quiet the house seemed.
"Dad?" she called out, "Aunt Clara?" She sighed when there was no answer. She rarely saw her father even though they were supposed to be spending time together over the summer so not getting an answer from him wasn't all that surprising. However, her aunt was almost always home.
Walking into the kitchen Bonnie turned on the light and sighed in relief when she saw the note from her aunt on the refrigerator saying that she was at dinner with friends.
She hadn't known what to think but she knew with Klaus in town, anything was possible. Placing her purse on the kitchen counter and kicking off her shoes, Bonnie went about fishing out her cell phone so that she could tell Gloria that she had made it home safely. She froze, however, when the light in the living room suddenly came on.
Keeping her phone in hand, Bonnie cautiously left the kitchen. She took a deep breath before she walked into the living room, expecting the worste and she found it. As she walked inside she was greeted by the sight of Stefan Salvatore sitting on her couch.
"Hello Bonnie," he greeted his tone almost pleasant, "It's been a long time. Well for you at least since the last time I saw you, you weren't really conscious."
Bonnie shifted uncomfortably under his gaze as she stood in the doorway. His eyes seemed empty and his face lacked color. His seemed weak almost and yet she still found him to be intimidating. A weak vampire was still stronger than a mere human after all. "How did you get in here?" Bonnie demanded, though her voice faltered a bit.
"You're aunt Clara invited me in on her way out to wait for you," he told her, "She's a nice lady. I like her. Very sweet."
Bonnie cleared her throat, feeling the need to not beat around the bush. "Are you here to kill me?" She asked.
Stefan stood without answering, and began to walk toward her. "I tried not to come here you know," he said, "I tried everything to stop myself. I tried not to drink your blood and that didn't work. It just makes me so hungry no matter how much of it I drink and I couldn't resist. So I tried to lock myself in Klaus' basement but then I just tore up some furniture, and practically clawing at the walls. And you were all I could think about."
Bonnie wasn't sure what she found more disturbing, his words or the hard edge to his tone. However, even as he grew closer to her, she remained silent and still.
"Then after I ran out of blood Klaus thought it would be fun to play around in my head a bit," Stefan continued, with a humorless laugh, "Made me hallucinate and that…that was fun."
"Stefan," Bonnie said, carefully but stopped when he closed his eyes and sighed.
"That voice," he said, "Your voice has been torturing me for days. And I got so desperate. So fucking desperate not to hurt you and so I turned it off."
"Turned what off?" Bonnie asked, finally taking a step back.
"My emotions," Stefan clarified, waving a hand dismissively, "I thought it would stop the fucking longing. I mean I couldn't even breathe in and out without your name passing through my mind. It was driving me insane, literally. So I thought if I couldn't feel then I wouldn't want the blood, wouldn't want you. But it had kind of the opposite effect. I can't really feel anything else outside of my desire for you, and if that isn't the universe trying to screw me over then I really don't know what is."
"What did Klaus do to you?" Bonnie frowned, shaking her head, "This can't just be from my blood. There has to be some kind of spell."
"Something that has a quick fix you mean," Stefan laughed, "Sorry but no. He just gave me your blood. That's all it took and I became a man obsessed."
Bonnie looked around her for somewhere to run. "So you do want to kill me," she said, just as she remembered the phone in her hand. She just had to call someone, it didn't matter who, just anyone who could help.
As if he had read her mind, Stefan took the phone from his her hand in one swift motion and crushed it before tossing the remains the floor. "Don't be scared, Bonnie," he said, when she flinched away from him, "I don't want to hurt you. You see I want you alive. That way I can hear your heart pounding just like it is now. That way I can smell your scent. That way I can see your pretty little eyes look at me full of life. It wouldn't be fun for me if you died, not with that I have planned."
"And what exactly do you have planned for me?" Bonnie asked, though she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.
"I'll tell you," he said, "Gladly. But first I just want a little taste." His words were the only warning that she got before Stefan grabbed her, his face distorting as he sunk his fangs into her neck.
