Author's Note: Thank you, lovely reviewers, for taking the time to comment. I really enjoy getting to hear what you think about the story. Your encouraging words definitely help keep me motivated. To all my readers, thank you so much for your continued interest, patience and support. Happy 2015 everyone!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.


4

BAD BLOOD

Bonnie wondered, not for the first time, how she managed to get herself into these situations. The situation being, she was currently pinned against a tree by an irate vampire.

"What the hell are you doing?!" She demanded.

Damon's eyes were wild and she was sure his grip was going to leave bruises.

"You don't get to avoid me this time, Judgey," He spat.

"Let go of me, Damon."

"What's the matter," He leaned in slightly, his voice low and dangerous in her ear. "You were so eager to cast aspersions on my manliness before. It's only fair I get the chance to prove otherwise," He leered at her.

The witch scoffed and tried to ignore the way she could feel the hard planes of his chest pressing against her. Damon would crowd your space as a way of making the world that was large seem miniature. Unfortunately for him, Bonnie's courage always rose with every attempt to intimidate her.

"You think this little show is going to impress me?" She retorted. "All the nauseating evidence still points to the fact you are completely castrated."

To drive the point home, Bonnie brought her knee up sharply. Damon shifted just in time, thanks to his vampire reflexes, and she ended up hitting his thigh instead of her intended target.

The vampire practically shot daggers at her with his gaze.

"You should know better than to think you're stronger than me," He spoke through his teeth. "I wouldn't try that again."

"What are you going to do about it?" Bonnie challenged. "I already know the answer. You'll do nothing. Because it would upset Elena. And everyone knows she's got you on a leash. You're like a lost puppy, licking at her heels, desperate to accept any measly scraps she'll throw you. It's pathetic."

Damon's grip on her tightened painfully but Bonnie forced herself not to react. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"That's rich coming from the girl who's got her own werewolf as a pet," He sneered.

"Make snide comments as much as you like, Damon. It's not going to change my opinion of you," Her expression turned curious. "Why do you care, anyway? What does my opinion matter to you?"

Damon hesitated. Why did he care?

He could fool himself that it was because of Elena. The witch was her friend so he would try to play nice with her. But then so was Caroline, and Damon had no problem being a complete prick to her. He had never even bothered to apologise to the blonde cheerleader for what he did to her. Yet with Bonnie, he had wanted to try for a truce, a clean slate after his horrendous first impression. Bonnie was different. For reasons he didn't want to examine too closely yet.

"Damon?"

He didn't like the way she seemed to be studying him. He could practically see the wheels turning in her head. Her clever, annoying, little witchy brain was devising a plan of attack, getting ready to win this round.

He couldn't have that.

Damon opened his mouth, ready to deliver a crushing, sarcastic retort, but he didn't get the chance.

He and Bonnie froze as a far too familiar scream sliced through the night air. Looking into her eyes; deep emerald pools, wide with alarm, Damon knew they were thinking the same thing.

That sounded like Caroline.

XXXX

A groan from the blonde form crumpled on the ground alerted them to the fact that Caroline was still conscious.

"Are you alright?" Bonnie frowned when she saw the cut on her friend's forehead. Moving her hand over the wound, her eyes flashed gold and then a soft blue light emerged from her fingertips. A few seconds later, the bleeding had stopped and Caroline only felt a dull ache, where before there had been a searing pain.

"You have healing powers?" She asked in awe.

"No," The teenage witch shook her head. She immediately regretted the action as her vision swam for a moment. "I just know some basic healing spells." She got to her feet, stumbling slightly and Damon moved quickly to steady her.

"Easy, there Judgey," He peered down at her. "You good?"

"I'm fine," Damon frowned at the way she shoved him away from her, but turned his attention to more urgent matters.

"Caroline, I'm assuming you didn't bash your own head into that tree," He said bluntly. "So what the hell happened?"

The blonde girl didn't answer straight away. Then a look of stark realisation swept over her features.

"Tyler," She said, panic creeping into her voice. "There were two of them. Two vampires. One attacked me and the other took Tyler."

"They were after Lockwood?"

"You're half right."

Three heads whipped round at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. A young man, who looked about Damon's age, approached the trio. His sable eyes fixed intently on Bonnie.

"That's him," Caroline unconsciously took a step closer to Damon. "He attacked me."

The dark-haired vampire smirked at the blonde teenager. "Consider yourself lucky. I could have done far worse. But my business is not with you tonight," He turned back to the teenage witch. His expression was emotionless. His eyes, however, turned bright crimson and Bonnie shuddered. The killing intent coming from this vampire was so strong she thought she might choke on it.

It was the only cue Damon needed. Fangs bared, black veins visible, revealing his own predator visage, the elder Salvatore charged their opponent. This proved to be a mistake. Caroline shrieked in fright as Damon was sent flying backwards, hitting his back against a tree some ten feet away.

"Caroline, get out of here," Bonnie urged.

"What about you?"

"Please Care, just go!" Thankfully, the blonde cheerleader seemed to recognise her urgency and did as she was told.

The enemy vampire was advancing on Damon, who was taking a lot longer to recover from the blow than usual.

"Is that all you've got? How disappointing."

With a swift movement he had Damon by the throat, raising him to eye level as he tightened his grip on the raven-haired vampire.

"Let him go!" Bonnie's voice echoed loudly in the stillness of the wood; her eyes flashed gold. Thousands of hot needles pierced through the vampire's skull and stars burst through his vision. He let out a strangled cry and dropped Damon, who immediately started coughing and sputtering.

Bonnie, however, was struggling to sustain the attack. Either she was still weakened from the effects of her mental prison, or he was a much more powerful vampire than she had ever faced before. She was alarmed when he straightened up suddenly, his features disconcertingly calm, and his gaze fixed on her. "Nice trick. But you'll have to do better than that," His voice was low, yet she was able to hear him as though he were shouting.

The strange vampire let his eyes travel the length of her body, taking in her wind-swept hair, baggy sweater, and worn jeans. He sniffed and didn't look impressed.

"You carry the stench of her all over you. The Bennett whore that turned my treacherous brother. Tell me Miss Bonnie, would you like to see your mother? Because I will gladly move you closer to her."

The teenage witch trembled and she could feel herself slightly swaying on her feet.

Damon, now back on his feet, attempted a sneak attack from behind. He didn't even see his opponent move, but suddenly his wrists were in an iron grip and he was wrenched forward. The vampire slammed him face first into the grass, pining his arms behind him in one smooth motion. He was pretty sure the bastard broke his nose.

"You are far too slow," the vampire said, as though he were chastising a naughty school boy.

"Modus!" Bonnie cried. Their enemy was thrown several feet backwards, but it barely slowed him down, and he came barrelling towards her again.

She managed to block a well placed kick to the temple, which seemed to surprise them both. But Bonnie let her guard drop a moment too long. The vampire landed a hard punch against her abdomen as he backed her up against a tree. Bonnie doubled over in pain. Her arms hugged her stomach and Damon cursed as he noticed her cough up a small amount of blood.

It was a miracle, frankly, that the little witch was still standing. But Damon knew she could not withstand the assault much longer. He shot forward, intending to intercept the bastard's next strike. Azure eyes locked with jade and Bonnie's eyes widened. With a growl that could hardly be considered human, Damon pushed himself off the tree that Bonnie had been pinned against. The muscles in his back screamed in pain, protesting the movement, but he fought against it turning to focus on his enemy. But he wasn't there.

There was a rush of wind and his opponent was suddenly tackled backwards by another force.

Klaus threw a flurry of attacks on the vampire, who could only block the rampage of punches and kicks. Damon held Bonnie against his side, letting her lean on him while he leaned against the tree. Neither of them gave any thought to their closeness, too preoccupied with the sparring match taking place. In all the years of his immortal life, the elder Salvatore had never seen a fight like this. The speed, the agility, the strength...even with his enhanced vampire vision, he was having a hard time following every single attack the two supernatural creatures were making. They moved so quickly, they almost seemed to 'disappear' and 'reappear'.

"You think you can attack those I love, without consequence?!" Klaus thundered and Damon felt Bonnie shudder against him. Klaus was so enraged; his desire to kill, to maim, so strong, it was as if it were a physical thing.

The vampire went flying across the clearing, skidding on his heels a few feet before he came to a stop. Klaus charged after him. "You betrayed Elijah!" He staggered back as Klaus landed an unexpected blow to his shoulder. "You murdered Abby!" Klaus slammed his fist into the vampire's chest with enough force to break a few ribs, "and now, you think that you can come after Bonnie!"

"You finally get it," the vampire smirked despite being in a lot of pain. "Do what you want with me; you're still going to fail, just like you failed eighteen years ago. You couldn't save Elijah's whore then, and you can't save his child now!"

The vampire's crimson eyes snapped to Bonnie and the witch gasped, realization breaking over her like a wave. Damon had to physically restrain her as she tried to charge at the other two supernatural beings.

"You're lying!" She cried out, still fighting against Damon's grip.

"Am I?" He choked out through Klaus's tightening hold. "Tell her, Uncle Klaus."

Bonnie looked to the werewolf, desperately searching his face for some sign that the vampire's words were false. But the thing she had been praying not to see flickered in his eyes.

A guilty acknowledgement.

Bonnie stiffened in Damon's grasp. She felt a chill come over her as she started recalling voices out of her memory.

Do you think she's not going to notice that she's different?

My half-brother, Elijah... He was actually the one who first went to Abby...

You carry the stench of her all over you. The Bennett whore that turned my treacherous brother.

She couldn't breathe.

I told Bonnie about my friendship with Abby...I didn't say anything to her about her father.

So what changed?

Elijah.

Her chest tightened painfully, her mouth felt dry as cotton. Bonnie had no protection against the well of emotions storming through her.

Tell her Sheila. Before she finds out some other way.

"Holy shit!" Damon cried jumping back as the row of trees behind them suddenly burst into flame. Lightning streaked across the sky and the earth started to tremble beneath them. Both Klaus and the vampire were knocked off their feet. Using Klaus's distraction, the vampire threw the werewolf off him before tearing away into the surrounding darkness.

Klaus started to go after him but Damon's voice stopped him.

"Bonnie!" The raven-haired vampire was calling to the witch. She was standing about a foot away and seemingly oblivious to the destruction taking place around her. Bonnie was so tightly coiled with tension that Klaus feared she might shatter from it. He was by her side in an instant.

"Bonnie!" His voice was low, sharp and commanding. "You need to calm down."

The witch struggled to focus on him. Hot tears pricked her eyes as she struggled for control, refusing to let them fall. She could feel a strong hand moving up and down her back soothingly, and a voice softly commanded her to breathe. The crushing weight on her chest finally started to ease and her gaze flickered to his concerned sea-green eyes. Her eyes flashed gold briefly and just as quickly as it had started, the flames disappeared and everything went still.

"Bonnie..."

"Tell me," She spoke, proud of the fact that her voice didn't shake. "I need to hear the words, Klaus. I need to hear you say it."

He pressed his lips together. Didn't answer.

She waited, her heart pounding, a splinter of ice down her spine, her fingers trembling so badly she twisted them together in front of her.

"Have you ever heard the name Mikaelson?" He said finally.

"Don't change the subject, Klaus." Bonnie wished she weren't quite so shaky. Wished she weren't so tired that she felt like she might fall over.

"I'm not," He said earnestly. "You've asked me about your father; you want to know who he is. Then you need to understand his family."

XXXX

There were only murmurs at first. A low rumble, definitely male. A soft, hushed voice, and definitely female, uttering a repetitive chant. His back arched as an excruciating pain intensified in his chest and his eyes snapped open; dark orbs moving wildly, unseeing, in an effort to deal with the pain as well as determine where he was and who was with him.

Tyler tried to get his mind to focus. At first it looked like a dark blob and he had to blink a few times until the film coating his eyes receded. Finally getting his body to co-operate with his mind, the blurry image separated into two distinct figures.

He was sitting on a chair, unrestrained, yet his limbs felt so heavy and numb he doubted he would be able to move his body, even if he wanted to. The room he was in most closely resembled a basement. It was lit only by candles and smelled strongly of wet dust. A veiled woman was chanting over what looked like a stone basin, engraved with unusual markings. The material obscured her features but he did catch a glimpse of auburn hair and noticed that the amulet she wore was glowing.

The man, no more than twenty five years of age, stood before him. He was tall and lean, with dark brown hair falling around his jaw. His posture was that of a soldier. Tyler recognised him as one of the vampires that had attacked him and Caroline.

"So you're awake." He could hear the pleased smirk in the vampire's voice. He crouched down so that he and Tyler were level; his charcoal eyes, cold like a fish, boring into his captive. They held the promise of pain, torture and eventual death in their intense gaze.

"You..." The teenager started hoarsely, but that was all he was able to get out before being overcome by a violent coughing fit. Tyler was vaguely aware of some shuffling beside him before he felt the rim of a cup placed against his lips. He accepted the offering, drinking thirstily.

"What have you done with Caroline?" He bit out harshly, as though he had swallowed sand.

"That's not how this is going to work. I ask the questions and you're going to tell me exactly what I want to know."

"I'm not telling you anything, arsehole," Tyler spat with disgust.

Instead of being offended, the vampire smiled. A hand fisted in his hair and yanked his head back.

"You are in no position to challenge me," He murmured. "Your uncle tried that. It didn't end too well for him. So I'll offer you this single warning, because I was brought up to be polite. Don't test my patience, Mr. Lockwood."

XXXX

Bonnie didn't know how long she had been walking. Her clothes were soaked through, the hem of her jeans caked with dirt; her hair beginning to curl and stick to her face. It had started raining not long after she left Klaus and Damon in the woods. Ignoring their cries for her to come back, Bonnie had stumbled blindly through the woods and somehow reached the main road. She ignored the sharp, stabbing pain in her ribs each time she exhaled, half welcoming it; a reminder of her physical vulnerability that was very human; that she was human.

Only, I'm not. Not anymore.

It was the cruellest irony. To find out she was the very thing she had always loathed, distrusted. Bonnie blinked hard as her vision started to blur, unsure whether it was from her tears or the rain. The bright head lights of an oncoming car appeared and she moved closer to the shoulder of the road. Instead of passing her as she had expected, the car drew to a stop. When the driver emerged, Bonnie understood why.

"Have you lost your senses completely?! What are you doing out on the road in this state?"

Her grandmother climbed out of the car, umbrella in hand, her expression wavering between annoyance and concern as she looked at her young granddaughter. Bonnie stared back at her numbly. Her chartreuse eyes, usually bright with defiance or dancing with mirth, were now suspicious and distrusting.

"I could ask you the same question," She said finally. Sheila's gaze narrowed.

"Do not sass me, young lady. I haven't forgotten that you disobeyed me tonight. And given everything that's happened you should have listened to me. Klaus called," Her grandmother answered Bonnie's unasked question.

"Then you know why I don't want to be around you, or anyone else right now," Bonnie said coldly.

"So what's your plan? You're gonna walk all the way to town in a rainstorm?"

"I can take care of myself."

"Bonnie, get in the car. Now. You are being irrational."

The younger witch released a strange sound. Her face changed and her coldness exploded into a burst of heated rage.

"Irrational?!" She made an outraged gesture with her hands. "My father, is a vampire! His brothers, my uncles, tried to kill me and my friends tonight. And his werewolf half-brother, also my uncle, protected us. And now I am this weird vampire-witch-hybrid...this...abomination! That by rights, shouldn't even exist! But here I am! Nothing about this is rational! And you've been lying to me about all of it, this whole time!"

"Bonnie, we cannot have this conversation here-"

"Would we ever have had this conversation?" Bonnie spoke over her grandmother. "Were you ever going to tell me about Elijah Mikaelson and my mother, or was I just going to walk into the sun one day and burst into flames, and that would be it."

"Don't say such things..."

"...or maybe I would suddenly start snacking on other co-eds and then the big secret would be out. At what point were you going to stop lying to me about what I am..."

"Bonnie, please..."

"...or are you nothing but a hypocrite and a liar!"

"That is enough!" Sheila's voice cracked like a whip. "You are angry and upset, but I am still your grandmother, Bonnie Alexandra Bennett, and you will show me some respect!"

Bonnie didn't say anything but she was practically shaking with the force of her stormy emotions. Her mind was like an engine, racing out of control. What am I? came the thought. Who am I now? What is my purpose? What do I feel now? The bitter sense of betrayal twisted in her gut, like a knife. How many times had her grandmother warned her against the danger of vampires, that they were no friend to humans; certainly not to a Bennett witch; and they should not be trusted. Grams had told her this, knowing full well the truth of her own granddaughter's vampire heritage.

"I never meant for you to find out like this," Sheila continued. "And I did keep the truth from you. But what's done cannot be undone. I know you don't want to believe me right now, Bonnie, but I do love you. And I've only ever tried to do what was best for you. You can hate me, you can be pissed at me. But I am not going to let you bury yourself just to prove something to me. If you want to know why I did what I did, know about your parents, then you will get your butt in this car and let me take you home. That's your choice," Her grandmother's tone was uncompromising at best.

Bonnie felt her jaw clench and she had to force out her reply.

"Fine," She said tightly. Disregarding everything except the fact that Grams had agreed to tell her the truth, Bonnie climbed into the front seat slamming the door shut.

XXXX

The ride back to the Bennett house had been silent. Bonnie had stared resolutely out the window, and Sheila had been focused on her driving. The rain wasn't falling as heavily, but it was still enough that she had needed to be on alert.

Bonnie was a little calmer by the time they arrived at the house, though still visibly upset. But she did let Sheila help her wash up and treat her injury with a simple healing spell. Her grandmother considered that progress. Now she was seated at the kitchen table while Sheila finished making them some cinnamon tea.

"That should put some warmth back in your bones," Grams said, setting the cup in front of her.

A not altogether uncomfortable silence settled over the two women. Bonnie took slow sips; the tension in her gut beginning to ease as the warmth hit her stomach. She looked up, meeting her grandmother's gaze for the first time since she climbed into the car.

"How did you know where to find me?" She said.

"Honey, I'm a witch," Sheila gave a small, indulgent smile. "Niklaus was worried about you when he called. Said you ran off in the middle of a storm. So I cast a simple locator spell. One thing we can say for Niklaus; he always looks out for you."

"But you still hate him."

Sheila sighed.

"I don't hate Niklaus," Bonnie was surprised by her grandmother's admission. "But he's a reminder of things I don't like to remember. Losing your mom, all the mistakes I made with her. And Elijah."

"Klaus told me about the Mikaelsons. How Mikael condemned Elijah for marrying my mother."

"I suppose that was one thing Mikael Mikaelson and I agreed on," Grams acknowledged bitterly. "Understand Bonnie, for as long as we have existed, vampires and witches have looked at each other as enemies. That kind of prejudice is not easily changed."

"Mikael saw Elijah's relationship with Abby as a betrayal of both his blood and his kind. That he had violated the family honour by fraternizing with a witch. And when Mikael learned that your mother was pregnant with you, his rage was uncontrollable. He could not stand the thought that Elijah had tainted, as he saw it, the purity of the original bloodline. Mikael pursued them. He hunted his son like an animal, determined to destroy the life he and Abby had built. Your mother came to me for help, but I refused."

Bonnie frowned. "But she was your daughter."

"People do what they do, and what they know," Her grandmother spoke sadly. "I was stubborn, proud. And I was angry at her for the path she'd chosen. So I let my pride speak before the love I had for my child."

"So when you wouldn't help, Abby and Elijah went to Klaus."

"His brotherhood sheltered them for a while," The older Bennett witch swallowed hard over the lump in her throat. Her gaze dropped to the dark liquid swirling in her cup.

"But something went wrong," Bonnie tried to ignore the sudden hollowing in her chest. She needed to hear this. "What happened to my parents?"

Sheila looked at her curiously. "Klaus didn't tell you?"

"He thought it would be better for me to hear it from you."

Her grandmother gave a very unlady-like snort. The older Bennett didn't know whether to kiss the werewolf for his prudence or kick him. She did prefer to be the one to have this conversation with Bonnie. On the other hand, there was no worse feeling than telling someone that their loved one was gone.

"Your father knew that Mikael would never stop coming after them," She started, a familiar ache rising in her chest. "And the life of a fugitive was not what he wanted for his wife and unborn child. Elijah went to Mikael and tried to make peace. But your grandfather betrayed him. He tricked Elijah into giving up Abby's hiding place with the werewolves. Then he ordered his younger son, Henrik, the same vampire you met tonight, together with a dark sorceress, to kill you both."

A familiar chill ran down her spine as Bonnie recalled the look in the vampire's eyes, the killing intent she had sensed from him. In that moment she had been imprinted with an image of death and it was not a feeling she would soon forget.

"The moment you were born," Grams continued, "Henrik and the sorceress attacked. Abby was in no condition to defend herself. And the werewolves were no match for a witch as powerful as Sybilla. Niklaus tried to stop it, but he had learned of Mikael's plan too late. He could not get there in time to help Abby. But he did fight Henrik and managed to save you."

Bonnie blinked and a single tear rolled silently down her cheek. Sheila reached for her hand and squeezed.

"I'm so sorry, baby."

Neither Grams nor Bonnie said anything for a while. The memory of the past a near tangible thing in the charged atmosphere of the small kitchen.

"I'm not proud of the choices I made," Sheila spoke at last. Her grandmother sniffed, betraying her raw emotions. "Or the role I inadvertently played in my daughter's death. She was my child. If I had chosen to act, I might have saved her. But my inaction, delivered her closer to danger. I will live with that knowledge, and that guilt, always."

"Why did no-one ever tell me?"

"I thought it was too dangerous," Grams tried to explain. "When Klaus brought you to me, told me what had happened, I swore that I would not repeat the same mistakes. I would keep you safe, no matter what."

"I had a right to know!" Bonnie pressed.

"I was trying to protect you. Niklaus led Mikael and Henrik to believe that you were dead. He had a white witch perform a powerful illusionary spell, to alter Henrik's memories of that night. Then Niklaus smuggled you to Mystic Falls. We agreed that it was best for you to have no knowledge of your father's family. Keeping you far away from the Mikaelsons and concealing your true nature seemed the best way to keep you safe."

"That's why you were so upset. When Klaus showed up..."

"He broke his word to me," Sheila's gaze hardened. "He had promised to stay away, to watch over you from the shadows. He knew the risks in contacting you, but he still sought you out."

"But why?" Bonnie demanded. "Why did he decide to approach me now, after eighteen years? What changed?" It came to her then; fragments of a conversation between Klaus and her Grams.

Does he know?

I can't be sure. She says she didn't tell him. But those words don't mean much coming from her mouth.

"Does this have anything to do with the woman I heard you two talking about earlier today?"

Grams couldn't help but smile. Niklaus's assessment had been right: her granddaughter's quick and agile mind wouldn't take long to piece things together.

"Niklaus informed me that we had made a mistake and you were possibly in grave danger. We were under the impression that he and I were the only ones who knew about your father, and your survival. Three days ago, he found out this was not the case. There is one other, who knew about you Bonnie."

"Who?" Bonnie said urgently, feeling a heavy weight in her chest begin to spiral up into a throbbing of dread.

"The same person who confirmed your identity to Tristan du Bois; who then told Niklaus that Tristan was coming for you. And likely the same person who informed Mikael that you were still alive."

How did you find me?

I found out from an old... acquaintance that you were in trouble.

Who?

Just a contact. Someone who trades in information, you might say.

She recalled her conversation with Klaus. He had been evasive about the identity of this contact and, at the time, she had not understood why.

"Who is it, Grams?" She repeated. "Who else knows about me; about...what I am?"

Sheila looked grim. And angry. Bonnie felt herself freeze as Grams uttered two words she would never have expected.

"Katherine Pierce."

TBC


AN 2: Thanks for reading and apologies for the long wait. This chapter felt a little clunky to me, but I couldn't wrestle with it any longer. I'm at your mercy fair readers. Feedback is always welcome!