Author's note
Thank you guys so much for your feedback and support on the first chapter, knowing you guys are interested in seeing how this story develops helps me write a ton.
Some of you asked who the new character was, it's Sheriff Gaines! Honestly he's such a sweetheart, you'll see more of him in the future. It broke my heart to see Sheriff Forbes go in Season 6, and I really missed her presence on the show SO, Gaines is kinda like an homage to her character.
The basic format for this story will be a flashback scene followed by a continuation of the story in current time.
I like to work with italics (maybe a little too much) in expressing inner voices, or accentuating certain parts of the story so I apologize if it gets confusing at times.
Happy reading.
Kai watches as his blood slowly drips onto her palm. The red contrasts against her pale but normally brown skin, illuminating the veins leading up to her wrist. The sudden urge to grab her hand and give it a small bite comes waltzing into his head.
Well there goes your attempt at reconciliation.
Shaking away the mildly psychotic thought, he observes the intricate lines of her palm instead. He notes how deeply etched and prominent her heart and life lines seem to be.
They almost resemble battle scars, he thinks.
Huh.
If memory served right, he'd done a bit of reading on palmistry back in '92, in one of the old Divination archives.
He racks his brain trying to remember parts of it, but it doesn't come easily.
Tea leaves, palmistry and all that voodoo jazz had been Jo and Hannah's thing. Who'd have guessed that there'd be a worthwhile pastime to make of it in the future?
Then he remembers.
Yes, a deep life line with a graceful but forked curve indicates a strong will for life but speaks of unexpected change, possible tragedy. And...
He frowns, trying to get a closer at the heart line.
A clear and deep heart line signifies a sincere heart, an individual who gives their all in matters of love.
Interesting.
Suddenly, palmistry doesn't seem like such a bad area to rework after all.
"You have really nice palms"
Bonnie glares at him, unimpressed.
Nice work Casanova.
She begins the spell.
"Phasmatos tribum nas ex veras…"
Withering a little under her icy glare, he starts to question his ability at reconciliation. In his defense, he'd never attempted it with anyone, and this was his one chance to make things right again, to salvage whatever was left of their relationship...if there was even one to begin with.
No pressure at all and yes, I'd like to think so.
But Bonnie...she's changed.
He felt it when their hands touched during the spell.
Just being within close proximity to her, he's able to tell that her soul is brimming, no, pulsating with power, fueled by a rage that'd been built over the years.
She could pinpoint it all on him but he knew better. Her anger wasn't something that just manifested itself by spending a few days being stabbed, shot, strangled, drugged and betrayed by him.
Well when you put it like that, maybe a good 60% of it could be on me.
But that didn't change the fact that it'd already been there for a long time. He just happened to be the last domino that knocked everything over and he was well acquainted with her current state.
It was a familiar feeling.
Back when his family had banished him to the 1994 prison world, rage was all he could fathom within himself. Without magic, he could only break things...and break things, he did. He'd spent days going through houses...department stores...buildings... ripping, tearing and crushing everything in sight before setting it all on fire. There was only so much he could destroy before it stopped having its therapeutic effect and he was forced to find an alternative. When he realized that nothing could be as fun anymore, all he'd wanted to do was rip his insides out. He did, many many times. The first 57 times helped, and afterwards he experimented in numerous creative ways until everything flatlined and he stopped trying.
It wasn't until a certain duo came to join him that the feeling slowly started to creep its way back in.
Happy days.
Bonnie's rage was different from his, though.
It was a slow, simmering heat that boiled below the surface.
Despite everything he'd pulled, she'd made no attempts to fatally maim him (so far) and for that, she deserved all the credit.
If the roles had been reversed, she'd already be in a bloody, heaping mess.
But then again...maybe he'd spoken too soon. They weren't too different in their sense of revenge, so he needed to change her mind stat. Or he wouldn't be making it back today, at least not in one full piece.
"Do you know why I'm here?"
She continues the spell, eyes closed.
"Because my guilt keeps me up at night." He'd meant to say more.
This feeling...I can't shake it, I can't sleep. I wish I could show you how it feels like, but I can't.
The words don't come.
When I left you behind in 1994, I did it cause I knew you'd come back. You were never going to let me out if we went together.
But I made sure you came back.
"I don't expect you to believe me, but I need you to give me one more chance."
A chance to tell you how I could be anything but the irredeemable vermin that life's circumstances have made me out to be.
She's not listening.
"Bonnie, LISTEN TO ME!"
Everything rushes in.
Her rage... her pain...her grief, everything.
He doesn't even realize what he's doing until it's too late.
"S-sorry, I…"
He sees the emptiness in her eyes, his hand still throbbing from the sheer force of accidentally siphoning her power. "Oh my god I…I didn't mean to do that."
"But you did it anyway." Her gaze is determined now. "Because even if you're telling the truth...the old you is still inside you."
Her words come like a slap, a chokehold, a knife to the gut.
Bonnie.
"Come on, the ascendant's this way."
It dawns on him that she's not really looking for the ascendant.
It was all just a hoax, staying back with him so that she could what? Test him? Kill him? Either seemed plausible, although the latter was the winning probability.
"The spell feels stronger. The ascendant must be around here somewhere."
"Why would the ascendant be here?" he implores, trying to grasp her thoughts.
"I don't know, I didn't put it here"
She's going to knock me out in….10 seconds, tops.
"If you don't think I'm capable of change why spend an entire day with me?" He already knows the answer but asks anyway, just to give her the benefit of the doubt. "And bring me out to the middle of nowhere…"
When she doesn't reply, he gives the situation a risky push.
"I could gut you all over again."
But I wouldn't.
"Your friends would never even hear you scream."
That gets her to turn around.
"Because maybe you're right."
He gazes at her in awe, can't believing how he missed it before.
"Maybe deep down there's a part of me that believes there's a sliver of good in you"
You're lying.
You do this thing with your eyebrows when you lie. You're just priming me up for slaughter. How morbid.
"Then you'd be right"
Grinning, he walks past her and contemplates how he's going to dodge whatever weapon she was about to unleash on him.
Knowing her, it was probably a knife or dagger of some sorts.
"Bonnie, Bonnie. Always in the middle of it all...forced to see through the horrendous evil in everyone, just to see the smallest sliver of good. Living the life you do, I'd call you pathetic but you're no Elena, Bon." He turns to look at her. "It doesn't matter what someone did before or what they're going to do after. You see what's right in front of you."
"Enough with psychoanalysis, Kai." she grits out, her determination even stronger now.
Alright, Plan B.
"It's a shame, though, that your friends don't see it. After all the crap you put yourself through for them, you'd think they'd try and let you off the hook once in awhile. Like today, for example"
"I chose to come here myself, for Damon and Elena."
"Yeah, right."
He grabs a small branch off the ground, patting it against a tree bark to shake off the snow.
"One," he raises the stick in the air. "you just majorly contradicted yourself in that statement." He examines the branch's pointy end. "Two, you hate me. And three, you only came because a certain douche of a vampire made you a tempting offer you just couldn't resist. My head on silver platter up for grabs, perhaps?"
Bonnie recoils and reaches around to the small of her back.
"You and me, we're the same. If you'd been the one to stab and leave me behind in 1994, the first thing I'd have done when I got out," he points the branch at her. "would've been to kill you"
He looks at her arm, already clutching the weapon behind herself. "Like you're about to now."
He tosses the branch.
"But the thing is, you could've done it any other day. You could've melted my face off, as you so nicely put it, at the rave a few days ago. You could've used your witchy-woo, done a locator spell, and just offed me in my sleep. But you didn't"
He walks over and places both hands on her shoulders.
Taking the opportunity, Bonnie swings out at him and goes for the kill.
He catches her arm just before it plunges into the left artery of his neck.
Knife, I knew it.
She doesn't give up so easily, pressing the knife down hard as they both struggle for control.
She's strong.
He barely manages to divert the tip of the blade as he pulls her in a little closer for leverage.
"I of all people should know how screwed up it can be, being overshadowed by people who don't really have your best interest at heart...and how sometimes all you seem to get is everything you don't deserve." Bonnie struggles in his hold, trying to pull herself back. "I agree you have every reason to want me dead but know this, I don't even think you're doing it for yourself, Bonnie. You haven't done anything for yourself in a long time. So excuse me if I put this bluntly," He flips her around, and locks her in a tight embrace, reminiscent of their encounter in the car in 1994.
"You're going to need more than a knife and the the seven rages of hell to get what you want and so deserve" he whispers. "You're going to have to," he coaxes the knife out of her hand. "fight harder"
He squeezes her arms together until she drops the knife involuntarily.
For a while, it's just them... the snow...and the sound of their labored breathing. Through their clothes, he feels the curve of her body pressed against his. They're so close, they can hear each others' rapid heartbeat as she stops struggling and stands still.
He revels in the sensation, clutching her a little tighter.
So warm.
I could stand this way forever.
When he feels her wince, he slowly eases his grip on her.
She spins around to face him, and her gaze moves to his lips.
I'd want to kiss me, too.
Their eyes meet.
Before he can say anything she's already on the ground, grabbing the knife faster than he can say her name.
She invokes a crucifying spell and has him on his knees within seconds.
"Alright, alright...I get it!" he yells, holding his temples. "I won't try to stop you. By all means." he looks up at her. "I'll stay on the ground. Just don't do that pain infliction thing".
The pain goes away.
He laughs. "See that wasn't so hard was it?"
"Shut up. I'm not falling for your antics anymore."
The knife's held at the base of his throat this time. He holds up his hands in part plea and part defence.
"You're right. I do hate you. I hate you more than its humanly possible to hate someone."
She presses the cold steel closer to his adam's apple. "I almost killed myself because of you!"
"But you didn't. Again, Bon, give yourself some credit. You're-"
"What," she says mockingly. "you're gonna tell me that I'm a good person again? Brave? All those lies you spoonfed me just so you could leave me for dead?" She laughs, eyes shining from oncoming tears. "Didn't work that time, and sure as hell won't now."
He lets out a sigh.
"You left me," her voice quavers. "Alone. Why go through all that effort to gain my trust if you were only going to stab me in the back? Oh, right, yeah I almost forgot. You're a sociopath. Things like that don't occur to you."
"Honestly-"
"You're incapable of feeling."
"Bonnie-"
"JUST SHUT UP!"
She's breathing hard, and the knife's made a small cut in his neck. Glimmers of his blood shine on its surface.
"Actually, I was going to say." he says, smiling sadly. "Stay strong, Bonnie Bennett."
She stares at him, silent.
"You've got a long life ahead of you, trust me I checked, and its already filled with people who try to snuff you out like a candle." He imitates pinching a flame out. "But I meant what I said. You are brave. You're also very stubborn, and if you could half as stubborn as you are with me with everyone else, you'll get through. You're plucky"
You won't just get through, you'll win. Like me.
"You…" she begins, but her voice falters. "It's all lies"
He grabs her wrists, a risky move, but this time he doesn't hurt her. She anticipates it but it doesn't come.
"Look me in the eye," he says quietly, looking directly at her. "And tell me that I'm not telling the truth."
Kai feels some of her anger dissipate and drops his hands.
He's completely oblivious to the thoughts running through the Bennett witch's mind as she stands frozen in time, reminded of the one person who ever saw her and loved her for who she was.
Stay strong Bonnie, Grams' voice echoes. You are stronger than all of this.
The knife in her hand suddenly seems so foreign to her, as she tries to recall why she's holding it in the first place.
Because I wanted Kai dead.
She hears Grams' voice again.
What will this do for you, my child?
It will make me happy, she thinks. And he deserves it. It's not like I haven't done it before.
She holds the knife tighter again, pressing it to his neck shakily.
Grams asks again. Is this really who you are?
Bonnie holds back a choked sob as the tears blur her vision.
Please get out of my head.
Kai watches her internal struggle, not wanting to impart any disturbance.
But watching her be driven to tears is not something he can watch anymore. He looks down.
Bonnie hears Grams again. You know that I love you, and that I'm proud of you Bonnie. But ask yourself if doing this will make you proud of who you are.
"No," she whispers as the knife slips from her fingers.
She closes her eyes, tears slipping from under her closed lids.
He may be a sociopathic piece of trash that I still hate with every fibre of my being but he's right: I'm not doing this for myself.
I am hurt.
And I can't lie to myself anymore, thinking he was always the problem.
She looks down at the knife and kicks it away, no longer finding the motivation for its use appealing.
Grams. I miss you. So much.
Kai rises, shaking the snow from his pants.
"Are you.." he begins
She stops his sentence with a single look.
Taking a deep and slightly shaky breath, she wipes her face with the back of her coat sleeves.
He gives her a moment to herself.
"I still hate you." she says, adjusting her pants. "I may not want to kill you anymore, but don't think for a second I won't change my mind" she grits out.
"But you hate me slightly less" he says cheekily.
Bonnie glares at him.
"Maybe. Actually, no. I hate you even more"
Kai, verging on ecstatic, holds out his hands. "Can I read your palms then?"
She looks at him incredulously,
Damn you, Kai Parker.
An hour later, Damon and Elena return with Lily Salvatore in tow, ready to leave 1903 when they hear Bonnie scream out for help. They rush to the source of the sound, already horrified by the possibility of seeing her cold dead body lying on the ground.
But that's not what they come across.
They see Bonnie on the ground, covered in mounds of snow, drenched to the bone and yelling seething insults to Kai, who seems to be laughing so hard he can barely stand. She yells "motus" at him, and he hits a tree.
When Bonnie sees the trio gawking in awe, she quickly gets up and brushes the snow off her coat, making a snow pile land on Kai's head with a flick of her wrist.
Damon looks at her in confusion.
The Bennett witch rolls her eyes and shrugs her shoulders.
He doesn't ask questions. None of them do.
Kai, finally catching his breath and holding his sides, looks at them cheekily.
"Ready to go?" he quipps.
"Can't say I'm too pleased" Damon drawls.
End of flashback
Present day
Caroline carries Bonnie into her home as Kai follows closely behind. She sets her down on the living room sofa and rushes to get a glass of water. The couple exchange looks that border between "Imgoingtomurderyou" and "weneedtotalkNOW".
Caroline comes in with a full glass of water and gently places it in her friend's hands.
"Okay look, Bonnie, I need you to down that" she pushes the glass towards her encouragingly "and eat the leftover chicken parmesan I'm reheating for you right now, so we can get you on some painkillers. And don't say you need it. That blood you took from me was barely enough"
"Care, I'm fine. Don't forget that I used to be the Anchor." She takes a big sip. "This is nothing compared to having someone's death pass through me every minute."
Kai scoffs and the two girls both turn to look at him.
"Says the witch who just nearly died from using a spell that technically should never be done without channeling another power source." He points to himself.
"Wait what?" Caroline asks, whipping around to look at Bonnie. "Then why did you-"
"Because someone here," he begins. "thinks it's funny to ignore people for prolonged periods of time, for no reason, I might add; and just likes to go all out on super complicated spells to prove a point" His pseudo-mocking tone has a hard edge to it.
Bonnie stares at him indignantly.
Caroline looks back and forth between them, clearly sensing the tension. Before she can say anything else, Bonnie shakes her head and mouths don't.
She slowly rises and walks into the kitchen, making sure to close the doors behind her.
Kai chuckles. "She sure knows how to take a hint."
"I wasn't ignoring you."
"Really?" He plops down on the armchair next to her. "Then what do you call, dodging my calls, stealing my copy of your house keys, not seeing me for an entire week exactly?"
Bonnie sighs. Can't say I didn't miss you too.
"That's...something else, the keys. I lost my own copy and I was really busy on this case, I couldn't answer-"
"Bon, you really need to think of a better lying face. Cause this," he outlines her face with his fingers in the air. "I can see right through."
Her insides do a small flip.
"Plus, why would you need an extra copy," he says, pulling out two sets of keys from his coat pocket. "when you already have two in your key cabinet out front?" He dangles the keys from his ring finger, giving it a little shake.
Grr. Perceptive little shit.
She decides to switch tactics.
"Okay, honestly, I just needed the time alone. Your place isn't necessarily the ideal abode"
"We both know that's not true" he wags his eyebrows.
"But it's not like we need to be together all the time. I don't need you 24/7."
Her heart gives a little pang when she sees the hurt on his face, but it only lasts a millisecond before he slowly rises from the armchair and looms over her.
She looks up at him, wondering if now would be a good time to make use of his signature "invisigue" charm.
By the looks of it, yes.
He crouches down until they're face to face.
"Don't do that"
"Do what?"
"THAT" she takes a pillow and shoves it at him. "That weird puppy face you do while biting your lip, it's creepy and it's not working"
He holds the pillow under his chin. "Can't say it hasn't worked on you before" he says, giving her a small wink.
Bonnie rolls her eyes.
"Whatever. Point is, I do my job the way I want to. We both agreed that there is an 'us' sphere" she draws a circle going around the two of them. "and a private sphere" she circles her fingers in front of her. "And you're invading mine"
"Right." he tosses the pillow to the side. "Anyhoo. Why don't you tell me what you saw today then? It can't have been too pleasing"
"It wasn't"
Frowning, he reaches out for her hand but she quickly uses it to comb back her hair.
He gives her a scrutinizing look.
"Is this the same murderer that's been out on the town before?"
"Yes. No. I don't know."
"You didn't see anything?"
"I tried to but, the person…" she rests her chin in her hand.
He raises his eyebrows expectantly.
"They were blinding me. On purpose. I, I, tried to get a closer look..I thought maybe I just wasn't trying too hard and that I wasn't focusing right but then it just-"
"You could've died today"
She looks at him.
"No, I would have not. But that man did. And so did the eleven other people that had nothing to do with this mess"
"Rather them than you"
"Eleven people, Kai. Eleven, innocent people are DEAD because some sick freak is out there, thinking it's funny to send messages through corpses."
Kai's expression turns dark.
"You can't expect me to be fine with what you did today. You and I both know the risk"
"I didn't think there would be magic involved!"
After a quiet moment, she begins to laugh. "To think that I actually...thought, with the Heretics gone, and everyone just moving on with their lives," she takes a sip of water and nearly chokes on it. "that everything could be okay again, that we could have lives.."
She stands up too quickly, only to sway on her feet and fall against Kai's chest as he catches her just in time.
Shit, shit, shit.
Panicking, she pulls away from him a little.
Did he find out?
"Bonnie" he whispers furiously. "I can't be strong. Not when it comes to you" he says, voice verging on shaky, as he holds her face in his hands.
"Kai," she needs him to understand, but he can't. "Please.."
His expression is pained, and he can't seem to look directly at her. "Please don't ever do that to me again"
She gazes at him, willing him to trust her as she clutches his coat lapels.
"I won't"
He takes a shaky breath and gently presses his lips to the top of her head.
"I promise" she says. "Not without you"
Kai pulls back her hair and she presses her lips to his.
She means for it to be short- quick, but he opens his mouth and she inhales, grabbing his hands as he laces his fingers through hers.
"Bonnie.."
She feels his urgency, the burning touch of his fingers as he strokes her jawline. The need to touch, to taste..it's too strong.
He tucks into the nape of her neck and gently bites the soft spot below her ear.
Bonnie gasps as he trails his hands up and under her shirt.
Please let Caroline's blood do it's magic for the time being...because I need this. I need him right now.
Caroline walks in. "Bonnie I have the chicken- oh god"
She drops the cutlery on the floor, face turning red.
They break away from their embrace, Bonnie self consciously pulling down her shirt and Kai giving the blonde vampire a dirty look.
"Sorry, I-" she doesn't know where to look, trying to find the wallpaper patterns intriguing.
"What good is vampire hearing," Kai begins. "If you can't make use of it, blondie?"
"Well excuse me if I didn't think to anticipate a makeout session between you two after a traumatic experience at a crime scene," she says sarcastically.
"Actually, we-"
Bonnie slaps him on the arm.
"Ow…" he winces, rubbing the spot grudgingly.
"Is he taking advantage of your weakened state? Caroline asks, turning to her friend.
Kai looks at the two of them in disbelief.
"Unbelievable. Why am I always the villain at the center of every problem?"
Caroline gives him a sweet smile. "Because you are the villain at the center of every problem?"
Bonnie steps in between them, taking the plate of food from Caroline with a thank you and turning around to face Kai.
"Get some forks, and eat this with me"
He gives her a wry look and goes to the kitchen.
Caroline moves out of his way, glaring at him as he goes. She turns to her friend.
"I don't know what you see in him"
"Other than his devastatingly good looks and charm? Me neither."
The two laugh and settle on the couch, making themselves comfortable.
Caroline starts to go on about her and Stefan's plans for spring break, and reminds Bonnie of the upcoming masquerade ball and their plans to wear matching dresses.
I know something's coming for me, for all of us, Bonnie thinks. But when they do, I'll be ready.
She takes out her cellphone, and finds the contact she's looking for. Abby flashes on screen. Caroline notices and asks her to put away her phone while she's talking cause its super rude. She hastily types in "Need to see U. Explain later. B.", and hits send.
Kai walks in with forks, some cups and a half open bottle of port.
"Guess what I found?" he asks in a sing songy voice.
She smiles at him.
Because I have him, and he has me.
As Caroline and Kai bicker over who gets to have the mug of their choosing, Bonnie takes a bite of the chicken and watches the two with a lingering sense of contentment.
It's not like anyone's stopped us before.
End too soon?
Wish Caroline hadn't cockblocked the Bonkai kiss?
Review with your thoughts :)
Trivia: Hannah is one of Kai's dead siblings.
