When they arrive, there are way too many cars than she had expected. There are valets at the front and Stefan says something about not wanting Bonnie's dress to drag in the dirt because they had to park far away. So he allows the valets to their job. Tyler opens the door for her and he offers his arm with a smile. In the corner of her eye, Bonnie spies Stefan stiffen slightly but she ignores it. For a moment, she considers looping her arm through his too but thinks better of it. She has no obligation to him at the moment.

Brushing the curls from her bare shoulders, Bonnie walks arm-in-arm with Tyler to the entrance. The greeters nod their heads at the invitation in her hands and Bonnie glances around the large foyer. People bustle around, babbling themselves. She remembers the one time she had been here—when the Mikaelsons had used her. But not anymore. She can't let that ever happen again.

There is a feeling of a stare and she looks to her right, only to find more than one pair of eyes on her. Bonnie clears her throat and self-consciously brings a hand to her neck, looking away. Someone catches the hand and she blinks over to Tyler. He lets go the moment their eyes meet.

"Maybe we won't need me as a distraction," he says with a playful grin, "I think you're doing that for us already."

She's about to tell him to stop with that but Stefan steps closer to them and whispers, "I'm going to look around for Klaus. Stay close to the exits. If anything goes wrong, we can take the fight outside."

Bonnie and Tyler nod simultaneously and watch Stefan move through the bodies of sleek suits and extravagant gowns. Something leaves with him—like a feeling of security? No, something else. There is a loss of something and she's unsure what that is. Bonnie blinks it away. She doesn't have time to care about vampire feelings.

Turning to Tyler, she spies him looking directly at someone in the crowd. Following his line of sight, Bonnie spies Caroline, adorned in clear crystal jewelry and a baby blue, glossy dress. She's so beautiful and Bonnie feels a sense of pride for her friend. Tyler moves closer to Bonnie and she knows he needs some assurance. Hiding her hand behind the large dress she wears, she touches Tyler's wrist and his shoulders immediately relax.

"Maybe we should get to another room," he says in a hoarse whisper and she nods her head in agreement. He's not ready, Bonnie knows, not just yet.

They stride together to the right stairwell, swiveling through the bodies together. Klaus sure could convince people to attend a party. Or maybe it's really Elijah who did most of the convincing. He seems to be more of the folk to invite crowds whenever he wanted—connections in all the right places. Something twists in her gut at the thought of Elijah. She may be on fine terms with Rebekah, hold complete indifference for Kol and have Klaus on a leash but it's Elijah who unsettles her. After all, he played a huge part in turning Abby—and while she still blames a couple people for that, she won't turn a blind eye for that.

Tyler suddenly stops at the stairs and it's the first time she noticed they had been holding hands the entire time. Bonnie glances down then back up at him and frowns when he's staring upwards. Looking in the general direction, she feels a pang of severe annoyance when she meets a pair of cobalt eyes. Damon. Tyler's eyes narrow and she swears a growl escaped his throat. The older Salvatore brother smirks down at them, as if the sight of them together is rather amusing. He's holding a glass of wine, swishing it slightly.

He flashes in front of them, a step above and leans against the railing. She really has no time for his bullshit. It's getting on her last nerve to have to see him within the dreams; she really doesn't need to see him in real life. They have better things to take care of. Bonnie throws him an irritated glare and tugs Tyler in another direction.

"Come on, Tyler," she nearly orders, some bitterness seeping through her words.

"That's right, follow her like a little bitch, Tyler," Damon taunts.

In that moment, Tyler releases Bonnie's hand and flashes forward, fisting the front of Damon's suit. Damon's smirk almost widens at the action; he's completely unfazed—like he won something. Some people passing gasps and stills. Bonnie feels frustration when she realizes this could quickly become a scene and ruin everything. She steps forward and places a hand on Tyler's shoulder gently.

"Tyler," she warns quietly. "Not here."

You can kick his ass whenever you want but not here. It's obvious in the small statement and that seems to placate him enough. He frees Damon's front suit but not before offering a vindictive shove. Damon throws a hand up in mock surrender and shrugs his shoulders. Tyler growls and whips around, a tick in his jaw and fists balled. Bonnie breathes a sigh of relief as people start moving again. It'll be one of the many gossips of the night but not the talk of the night.

As Tyler brushes past her, probably expecting her to follow, Bonnie glances at the older Salvatore. He throws her a smug expression and a wink. Bonnie suppresses the urge to curl her lip in disgust and settles for a venomous glower. He steps nearer to Bonnie and she grows rigid. He's so close, she can hear his breathing amongst the chattering and clattering of glasses. He stares down at her, the height difference notable.

"How many boyfriends do you have, Bonnie?" he asks, somewhat offhandedly, as if he was trying to make a joke but it came out wrong.

Bonnie gives him a cold look. "I didn't know I had any at the moment, Damon," she nods to her right. "Where's Elena? Shouldn't you be swooning over her?"

Damon stares back, unblinkingly, a sign of some frustration. "She's off with Elijah, trying to make peace talks," he takes a sip, "Or something stupid like that."

Ah, Elena and her 'plans'. Damon hasn't ever been a fan of her tactics. It's always been an issue between them. They could never really agree on a game plan and there were times Bonnie felt the same. But somehow they all would go along with it because—because they loved Elena. Still love her, apparently, if Damon was so intent on letting her get away with it. Even Stefan disapproved, despite himself. And Bonnie pondered why they would keep letting it happen.

But Elijah? Shouldn't someone be overseeing that? Elena plus the Originals never end well and Bonnie slightly worries that maybe Elena's trying another assassination. She couldn't take on Elijah if she tried. And the fact she may attempt it again could only spell trouble. If they truly are planning something, even if it has nothing to do with Klaus' new bond with Bonnie, Elena would clearly get in the way. Bonnie inwardly sighs.

"So," Damon sips again, taking her mind to the present, "What are you doing here? I thought you hated the Mikaelsons."

Bonnie eyes him. Stefan never told him? Her thoughts turn to the young brother. What did that mean? If Stefan didn't tell the one man he plotted with over and over again, did that mean he didn't trust Damon as much anymore? Or perhaps he simply didn't want to betray Bonnie with giving out that information. And if Damon was never told by another source, did that mean something? Perhaps everyone else is just ignorant to them—her, Stefan, Tyler and Klaus. And maybe Bonnie has always wanted it that way.

"I mean," he continues, shifting his weight and gesturing to her, "I can only assume the reason Tyler is here, insulting us with his mere existence, is because of you."

Bonnie purses her lips at his connection. His eyes flicker over her body, in that way that makes Bonnie feel like he's undressing her. She glares at Damon. Again, she really has no time for this. And she's sure Tyler's waiting for her to get done with this conversation so that they may do some snooping. She has an idea where she'd like to go first: where Elijah and Elena are. When she's through talking with Damon, they're going into Sherlock Holmes mode.

"And if the Mikaelsons are throwing this tacky Cinderella ball for the return of their favorite brother," Damon carries on, her glares doing nothing to stop him from talking, "I would think the coincidence of the both of them showing up at the same time are a little…strange. Don't you think so, Bonnie?"

It's not that she didn't want Damon to know—it's the fact that she really didn't want to discuss it with him period. Or discuss anything with him period. In real life, he's smug and so damn frustrating. He acts so damn entitled, as if the world should somehow bend to his every will. But he's not all that wonderful and Bonnie just wishes he'd stop acting like it. Stop acting like tiny bits of information is leverage. Stop acting like some lovesick fool. Stop acting like no one but him really mattered.

But her mind goes to the dreams, where a different Damon seems to live. Where touches are gentle and he speaks in whispers. There aren't things to worry for in that world. He considers her too. And everything about him is better there, amongst sheets and labored breathing. If anything, Bonnie has grown attached to this Damon in the dreams they share and bitter towards the Damon in front of her. Just a little attached.

"Just leave Tyler alone, Damon."

His eyes narrow and she frowns at the reaction. Why would he be mad about that? Damon steps even closer and she shuffles back a little. His voice is low and hushed and she has to strain to hear. "Don't you ever worry about yourself? Ever?"

She opens her mouth to answer but there's a cold hand upon her bare shoulder and something electrifies her there, dancing underneath her skin. Sharply, Bonnie breathes in and whips around, curls hitting the side of her face as she immediately recognizes who it is. Stefan. Her heart stops momentarily at his stony features. But he's not staring at her. Stefan's glowering at Damon. They exchange a look that strikes her as strange. She writes it off as their usual rivalry.

"Should I be asking if I'm treading on your territory?" Damon asks mockingly, taking another drink.

Stefan steps forward, steering clear of touching Bonnie again, she notices. "You really don't have any room to talk about relationships," Stefan snarls and Bonnie blinks in some shock. This is not the good Stefan. It's that Stefan that seems to drift in between the saint and sinner. With that, she feels some excitement and is a little scared of why. Then, in a quieter tone, as if to speak so that she cannot hear, "Stay away. This isn't a competition."

"But it seems like you want it to be one," Damon leers and then glances over his brother's shoulder to smirk at Bonnie, in which causes Stefan's body to tense. "We'll catch up, Bonnie. Soon."

The promise sounds more real than it ever should and she can only assume he means the dreams. Stefan waits until Damon saunters off to presumably find Elena. Bonnie mentally groans. Elena and Elijah. They've probably separated by now and she wanted to find them before that happened. Ugh, a perfect opportunity to squeeze some information out of them. Sighing, she looks up to see Stefan turning around to face her. There's that strange expression on his face. It's almost painful and yet there's a transparent mask over it—a ghost of forced apathy, as if he's trying his best to cover it up.

"You could have just set his brain on fire," Stefan says with a sigh of his own.

Bonnie shrugs her shoulders with a smile. "His suit looked kind of nice and I didn't want him to spill the wine on it."

Stefan rolls his eyes and she studies the reaction. When does Stefan roll his eyes? He stuffs a hand in his pocket and leans forward. His voice drops low with some warning to it. "I found Klaus."

Her eyebrows rise. "And?"

His lips purse slightly, like he's dissatisfied. "I didn't find out anything but he's definitely up to something. So keep an eye out."

Bonnie nods and finds Tyler weaseling his way towards them. He looks bothered about something and she wonders if he may have been held back by something. Or someone. Stefan backs up, away from Bonnie as the hybrid approaches the two. Tyler glances between them, obviously knowing he interrupted something but doesn't address it.

"I found my mom," the statement comes out heavier than he probably wanted it to.

Bonnie offers a sympathetic look as he breathes in and nods. "Tyler—"

"Don't," he cuts her off and gives her a desperate glance. "It's okay. I'm okay."

There's a sudden ting ting ting of glass and metal and everyone's eyes dart to the top of the stairwell. There stands Rebekah in a black and white dress, matching the three brothers in back of her. Tyler, Stefan and Bonnie exchange looks before looking back up at Rebekah with a spoon and glass of wine in hand. Her blood red lips curve upwards into a bright smile as she speaks.

"I'd like to thank everyone for attending our little get together tonight," she glances around the large room and her eyes fall upon Bonnie. Something changes in her eyes and there's a flash of shock. Strange. Didn't Rebekah know she was coming? She could have sworn the invitation was signed by the only sister. Or perhaps Rebekah didn't expect she'd come. Whatever it was, Rebekah blinks it away and continues. "As many of you know, Klaus, our brother, as been gone for a while. And now that he has returned to us, we are delighted." Rebekah throws a look over her shoulder to Klaus, who nods.

Rebekah's talking some more but Bonnie doesn't register it. All she sees is Klaus. He's not looking at anyone in the eye, nothing seems to be of his interest. But she can feel that pull of the bond. He's fighting against it but no avail. It won't happen. His rebirth was into her union, nothing will separate them until she dies. Bonnie grits her teeth. Maybe she should have rethought that entire spell—but her friends were on the line. Her mother was on the line. If they died…Bonnie would have blamed herself. Her life for theirs seemed better at the time.

The bond is something she's still trying to fully understand. Whatever she feels strongly against, Klaus has to comply. And the same goes when she feels strongly for something. Since Bonnie does not want him to ever touch her friends or family, it will never happen. He cannot create his army or go on killing sprees. But if he was plotting, she would really have no control over that. Bonnie's unsure why for now. At times, Bonnie will have to take great concentration to make Klaus do something she wants, such as turning down a fight with Stefan. She cannot be interrupted while concentrating or it won't work.

It's then his eyes meet hers. She catches her breath. Klaus' features are, once again, neutral and Bonnie silently curses him. What goes on in your head? Bonnie can only imagine something along the thoughts of a version of Edgar Allen Poe, if anything. Bonnie refuses to break the stare, fists balled at her sides, hidden within the dress. When Rebekah's done, she turns to her brother and he has to turn his eyes away. When everyone's clapping, Bonnie stands like a statue, quietly.

"Tyler?"

Bonnie closes her eyes at the voice. Caroline. Oh, god. This won't end well. When all three of them turn to meet the blonde's gaze, she's holding a hand over her heart and visibly shaking. Next to bonnie, she feels Tyler slightly shift closer to her. He wants security. Security Bonnie's not sure she has at the moment. Caroline's eyes don't leave Tyler's and Bonnie's certain that is all she sees right now.

Bonnie thinks of dragging Caroline away to explain but that would be unfair. She needs this confrontation and Tyler definitely needs it too. Stefan bumps his hand against hers and nods in another direction. Bonnie purses her lips. She doesn't want to leave but it's only right. They move away together and she glances back to see Tyler looking after them desperately. Oh, Tyler. Bonnie whips her head back and trails after Stefan.

Stefan's taking longer strides and they're moving through a corridor, with chattering couples and loners staring at paintings on the walls. Bonnie picks up her dress to catch up as he leads her through hallways. Bonnie huffs as they turn corners and continue for over two minutes.

Finally, "Where are you taking me, Stefan?"

"The back," Stefan mutters, abruptly stopping at a door and she almost crashes into him. He jiggles the knob before whipping it open, revealing a dark room. Her eyes adjust and Bonnie notes it's just a bed room with a sliding glass door to the outside. He allows her to go in first and she glances around.

"You sure know your way around the house," Bonnie deadpans and Stefan shrugs.

"Have your spells in mind. Klaus has been sulking out there ever since this started. I think he's been waiting for us," Stefan begins towards the sliding door and his eyes meet hers for a moment with some hesitation. With a low murmur, "Or just you."

Something passes between them and Bonnie can't help but feel like his voice held some sort of apology. Stefan closes his eyes and turns away and the feeling is lost.

The moment they step outside, Stefan's arm holds her from passing him. He gives her a warning look before he glances around cautiously. Bonnie's eyes dart around for any sign of the Originals. She thinks of Tyler and how they could probably use his help, instead of catching up with past girlfriends. But if Stefan didn't want to bring back up, she trusts him. Besides, she could take on Klaus alone. She didn't need a vampire or a hybrid to help her.

That's when there's a sudden breeze and Stefan's thrown back into the sliding door, glass shattering and he cries out. Bonnie whips around to see Klaus on top of the younger Salvatore, wrestling with him inside the bedroom. Bonnie hisses, picking up her dress to approach them. If she orders Klaus to cease, he will. He can't help it. But the second she can even think of the command, someone is twisting her arm around her back. Bonnie screams in surprise.

"No!" Stefan roars as a hand covers her mouth.

She watches as he throws Klaus off him and speeds towards her and the unknown assailant, until someone is tackling him to the grass. Bonnie recognizes him as Kol and her heart beats louder. That means whoever is holding her must be one of the other Originals. It has to be.

Stefan struggles with Kol until the Original has him pinned. Klaus stands and speeds towards Bonnie and she moves against the body who has her in their grip. She releases a muffled protest as Klaus approaches her, menacingly and slowly. Stefan's shouting something but she's focused on Klaus. She silently sends a command and Klaus suddenly pauses, staring at her with some shock. It's working.

And that's when Klaus is thrown off his feet and she sees a flash of dark hair. Damon. Klaus lets out a growl and throws a punch to the older Salvatore. Damon groans and holds his jaw as he glowers at the hybrid. He flashes to him and his hand his suddenly around Klaus' neck. Klaus reaches over and digs his hand into Damon's wrist, cutting through the skin. In response, Damon releases a growl.

"Oh, all this is so unnecessary," Rebekah's voice sounds as she suddenly appears next to Bonnie. She glances at her, eyes scanning Bonnie before turning to who she assumes is Elijah. "Brother," she says in a hushed whisper, "You know what we discussed." The blonde raises an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you've changed your mind."

There's a pause before she feels Elijah's head close to hers, lips near her ear. There's a deadly threat within his words. "No spells, Bonnie."

Bonnie shudders. She's suddenly released and Bonnie stumbles forward. That's when she glances Klaus' way and he's suddenly shaking, resisting. But soon enough, his body grows slack and his arms drop from Damon's arm. Damon mutters a curse as he pushes Klaus away from him, staring at him questionably.

Elijah grips her arm and she tries tearing away with a glare. He gives her a scathing look. Rebekah steps forward and shakes her head. The hold from her arm is freed and Bonnie steps even further away, turning towards Stefan. She's got to help him in some way. Her eyes flash to Kol, who wears an amused expression.

"No, Bonnie," Rebekah calls out and she freezes where she stands. Bonnie turns to meet Rebekah in the eye. The blonde purses her lips and, with one glance at her older brother, she speaks, "We all know about your hold over Klaus, Bonnie."

Bonnie swallows and her eyes flicker towards Stefan, still pinned and it's the first time she realizes there's a wooden stake protruding from his shoulder. Kol has him down and Stefan is grimacing in obvious pain. She whips her head back, desperately staring at Rebekah.

"Do as we say and we won't hurt him." When she doesn't respond, Rebekah continues. "We know that since you have control over what Klaus does, that means you have control over all those he's sired."

In all honesty, Bonnie's never really thought of it that way. She's always been worried for Tyler, Stefan, Caroline and her mother for anything of that to pass her mind. But she doesn't know where Rebekah's getting at. Why haven't they tried killing her yet? There's plenty of opportunity. Unless they want to use her. Bonnie finds herself feeling sick at the thought. Again. She'll be used again.

"What are you doing?" Klaus demands, fists digging into his palms. Bonnie channels through him once more, making sure he doesn't move from that spot. He's far too close to Damon for her liking and in any second, he could harm any of them. "Just turn her already!"

Bonnie chokes. Turn her? They're planning on turning her? Inwardly, Bonnie panics. No, she will not be a vampire. She'll die before that ever happens. Never. She looks between Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah with dread. She won't be a witch anymore. She'll have to live like them. She'll need to depend on them. Oh, god, no.

"What?" Damon says, exasperatedly. It's so clear he'll need to be filled in later. He's not following at all. "Why the hell would you need to turn Bonnie?"

She'd love to know the reason for that as well but Rebekah moves towards Bonnie and within the same second, she's in front of her. Bonnie gasps and backs away in horror. She can feel her heart stop for a moment.

"No, Rebekah, don't!" Stefan shouts and cries out when Kol digs the stake deeper, another hand around his neck. Bonnie whimpers at his pained voice. She feels cold everywhere. This can't happen.

Rebekah leans into Bonnie and she visibly shivers. In the corner of her eye, she spies Damon shift to stop her but Elijah has him against the wall in a blink. Rebekah bends ever so slightly to be eye level with Bonnie.

She shuts her eyes tightly and waits for it.


-x-


a/n


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This particular arc is dragging out but I love it because I can include Rebekah. Also, a couple of you said you can't believe this story doesn't have too many reviews, it's okay. I honestly can't believe I get more than one review per chapter. So thank you.