Chapter 7

"Bonnie," Kol whispered gently as he rubbed the back of his fingers against her arm. Bonnie bolted upright and Kol cried out grabbing his head. He dropped to his knees in pain and his brothers were at his side at once both glaring a Bonnie.

"What have you done witch?" Klaus growled.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. It's just Kol startled me," Bonnie worried.

"That's quite a punch," Kol said as he regained his footing and held out his hand to help Bonnie up. "You're a very powerful witch. It felt like my head was exploding."

"It kind of was. I'm used to doing that on – well on vampires when they get out of line," Bonnie said.

"I don't like to be intimidated either," Kol admitted with a smile. "No hard feelings?" Bonnie smiled and gave a quick nod. Once everyone had finished breakfast the men mounted the horses and then helped the ladies on behind them.

"I like that your heart beats faster only for me," Elijah said softly as he felt Elena's arms slip around his chest.

"They'll hear you," Elena gasped.

"That's okay," Elijah smirked. "I'm sure they've already worked that out for themselves." Elena leaned in and inhaled the smell that was only Elijah – present or future. The party rode until mid-morning when it was time for the horses and the vampires to get something to eat.

"This is kind of fun you know," Caroline grinned. "It's like one of those adventures that you only read about in a book only now we're living it – our own real quest!"

"Yes where if we don't succeed people we love and care for could die," Elena said but her first thoughts were no longer for Stefan and Damon – instead she immediately thought of Elijah and last night in the pond.

"Elena what are you thinking about? You're as red as a rose!" Bonnie gasped.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVV

The Present

Elijah Mikaelson smirked as he lay nestled in his silk sheets and down comforter. The new memory he had gained while he slept had his senses racing. Elena Gilbert was making a play for him a thousand years in the past! At least a thousand years ago he wouldn't have felt quite so duty-bound to resist her.

As his brain remembered snatching her into the lake and then washing her hair he turned his shower on cold – not that it would help! As he washed clean he remembered the electricity of her touch against his skin – setting him on fire. This was going to make her return to the present rather interesting. Were they going to pick up where they left off in the present? Or rewrite history thanks to the past?

VVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"Are you asleep back there?" Kol asked gently as they were scouting a place to camp for the night.

"No" Bonnie replied stiffening.

"You were so relaxed back there I thought I'd check. Rebekah would probably pummel me if I let you fall off," Kol said.

"There's a cave up ahead," Klaus called out.

"Who wants to be the lucky one to see if it's inhabited?" Elijah sighed.

"I'll do it," Bonnie offered.

"I could not risk you doing something so dangerous…suppose it was a bear," Kol said.

"What if I could promise I wouldn't even have to set foot in the cave?" Bonnie hypothesized. As Kol helped her down from the horse Bonnie neared the cave entrance. She began to chant and suddenly a blue aura appeared at the entrance to the cave and then moved deeper inward. Bonnie continued to chant and finally the light returned.

"There is nothing harmful inside there," she pronounced.

"That was magnificent," Kol said with reverence.

"Thank you," Bonnie smiled.

"I like that much better than the one from this morning."

"I am sorry about that," Bonnie blushed.

"Okay, what's for dinner? I'm starving," Klaus grinned. It made Elena a little uneasy. In response Klaus grabbed Caroline's wrist and brought it within inches of his mouth.

"How about I have a taste of you?" he stared deeply into Caroline's eyes.

"No!" Bonnie commanded and she raised a hand prepared to act. Elijah and Kol were instantly at Klaus' side. For a long, tense moment the two factions faced off.

"Stop!" Elena decried and she left Bonnie and Caroline's side to stand between the Mikaelsons and her friends. "We can't turn on one another. That's exactly what the wolves would need to win. Bonnie I don't think he was serious and Klaus you must be respectful of the fact that we may be a little nervous at times knowing what your diet is." A moment later the tense situation dissolved.

"Niklaus," Elijah chided.

"Forgive me brother but it is hard to resist a taste of something that smells so very sweet," Klaus grinned to Caroline.

After dinner Kol found Bonnie lying on her back in a nearby clearing. He quietly joined her arranging his body to lie next to hers and staring up into the heavens. The sky was full of stars but the most prominent feature was the moon that was almost completely full.

"I have always liked staring at the stars," Kol said gently. "I try to make shapes by connecting them. Did you know that you can navigate by the stars because they are a fixed location like the sun?"

"Did you know that moss grows on the north side of a tree?" Bonnie answered. Kol rolled onto his side to stare down into her gaze. He smiled as her heart rate increased.

"Did you know I think you're the most beautiful and talented lady I have ever met?" he whispered. Bonnie shook her head in the negative slightly. Kol smiled and then he leaned in and his lips met hers. The kiss was gentle and sweet. He pulled back a few inches and then whispered again.

"Did you know I was going to kiss your lips?" Bonnie reached up with the arm furthest from Kol and pulled his lips back to hers for another kiss. This one wasn't as hesitant as the first and with a sigh of pleasure from Bonnie Kol slipped his tongue past her lips and set her soul on fire. Unbeknownst to them little twinkling fireflies began to fill the air around them. Kol slipped a hand behind Bonnie's neck gently cradling her as they paused for her to breathe and then their mouths met once more.

Bonnie waited for the small voice inside her head that would say she shouldn't be doing this. He's a vampire. She's a witch. In her time he's practically psychotic and at the very least dangerous. She waited for her mind to make any of these arguments but they didn't come. Instead she felt safe and desired in his arms. His shoulder length hair fell around them like a veil and she could feel the distinctive beat of his vampire heart against her chest. She heard him inhale deeply for the second time and she paused.

"What are you doing?" she asked carefully.

"I'm sorting out your smells," he said as though it were second nature. "You see now that I'm a vampire I have an amazing sense of smell which is sometimes horrid but other times comes in handy. For instance I know what fear smells like so I can tell if someone is afraid of me. That's usually because they've been told what we are now. It kind of hurts when that happens but I can understand too."

"What do you smell now?" Bonnie asked curious. Kol inhaled deeply again and smiled.

"Well I smell what makes you, well you – the soap my sister leant you to wash your hair with and the roses you rubbed against your skin this morning. Then I smell other things. I can smell the magic in your blood. It's what tells me right off that you're a witch."

"Wow," Bonnie marveled.

"There's another smell that I've never smelled before…but I like it. It makes me want to kiss you over and over again just to keep smelling it." He leaned in and kissed her deeply again.

Meanwhile Elijah joined Klaus where he was leaned against a tree at the edge of the clearing watching Kol silently in case he should need to intervene.

"He takes after you," Elijah whispered as he followed Klaus' gaze to watch Kol kissing Bonnie.

"Nonsense," Klaus rebutted, "he gets all that smooth talking from you – over there describing all of what he smells. I had half a mind to add to his instruction and let him know that other smell is desire and she's papering the field with it! Who was in charge of his instruction with regards to the opposite sex anyhow?"

"I was leaving it up to Finn," Elijah grinned.

"Looks like he's doing a fine job sorting it out on his own," Klaus grinned where Kol was now feathering kisses on every inch of Bonnie's exposed skin.

"Unless she opens her eyes," Elijah said and they watched as Kol's face completely changed with the heightened emotions raging through him. After the next kiss Bonnie opened her eyes and froze in his arms. She sat upright – bringing herself to the same height as him but she didn't move. Elijah and Klaus watched the scene ready to intervene if needed.

"Bonnie?" Kol frowned at her sudden change. She gently reached out a hand her chest heaving with her shaking breaths. Her outstretched hand trembled a little as he watched her reach towards him. He suddenly realized that his face had changed - his eyes dark and his fangs out. He waited – frozen – to see what she would do next. Would she run? Scream?

Bonnie's hand came to rest gently on his cheek and she fingered the prominent veins as her eyes studied him. Then she carefully moved in closer and she kissed him again. Kol groaned as her tongue brushed up against his fangs. His arms slid around her back bringing her more protectively against him.

"Maybe our younger brother should be instructing us," Klaus scoffed.

"Perhaps you need it," Elijah teased boldly. "I'm rather sure I do not."

"The lovely Elena cannot seem to keep her eyes off of you today," Klaus said as he put his arm around Elijah's shoulder and they left Bonnie and Kol to walk back towards the fire.

When they parted for breath again Kol tenderly tucked back a strand of hair that had escaped from Bonnie's long braid.

"Only my siblings do not turn away from me when my face changes," Kol said. "I could have bitten you."

"Strong emotions also trigger that response. In my time Elena calls it 'vamping out'," Bonnie laughed gently and Kol joined her.

"Vamping out - I like that and I definitely have strong emotions where you are concerned Bonnie. Do you belong to another in your time?"

"No," Bonnie looked to the ground.

"Are there no men in the future or are they all daft? I want you to be mine Bonnie Bennett – now and a thousand years from now." Bonnie's eyes locked with his and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Would things have been different if she had met this Kol a thousand years in the future?

"A thousand years does a lot of things to people," Bonnie sighed.

"Then how about now," Kol said before he pulled her to him for another kiss.