Brave New Girl

"I'm sorry," Bonnie said, gritting her teeth. "I didn't realize Marcel would know about the ward once I crossed it. I didn't even know it was there until I'd crossed it."

"But you knew it was there when we met at the diner?" Elijah said, his hands in his pockets where he leaned against Bonnie's refrigerator. "And you simply failed to mention it."

Her apartment had never seemed so small. Elijah hadn't seen the inside of this place since he'd shown it to them when they'd arrived. Klaus was the one who liked to make house calls, but now they were both there, Elijah in her tiny and rarely used kitchen, Klaus lounging on her sofa.

"Yes," Bonnie said, "but I didn't think it was...I didn't think to tell you. I didn't think it was relevant."

"They got it up past Marcel," Klaus said. He faced the window, one leg crossed over the other and gazing out as if he was pretending that Bonnie and Elijah weren't there. "That's very relevant."

"They didn't get it up past him," Bonnie corrected. "One witch, the mother, bunched it in with a bunch of other magic and disguised it. When Marcel executed her for it, he missed that one."

"That is irrelevant," Elijah said. "Does he know about Hayley?"

"I don't know," Bonnie answered. Marcel hadn't been very forthcoming during their meeting. It had been brief, and he'd been unusually short with her, light on the sarcasm and the flirting and the playful taunting. He'd asked his questions, thrown out some vague explanation when she questioned why he'd missed a ward in the first place, received her dismissive denials and then she'd been out the door.

"If he does, we have a problem," Elijah said.

"Thank you for stating the obvious," Klaus said. "Sophie said some of Marcel's people came for the sisters. They took the oldest one for questioning."

And to be killed later.

"Do you think she'll say something about Hayley?" Bonnie asked.

"She may not have a choice," Elijah said. "Marcel knows how to turn witches against one another. He may even request your services."

"He won't," Klaus said. "Bonnie's too close to me. He'll find someone else. For now, we should assume he knows about Hayley."

With Klaus, the worst scenario was always the one they should always go with.

"And what would you like to do about that?" Elijah asked loftily.

"I'd like you to give Bonnie and me some privacy."

With a sharp look in Bonnie's direction, Elijah left. When the door had closed behind him, Bonnie spoke. "You're gonna have to explain this Hayley thing to me now. Why's she so important?"

Klaus approached her where she leaned against the wall. When he came to stand right in front of her, he dropped his gaze to her chest where her new necklace hung. "Am I going to have to take that back?"

Bonnie straightened up, folding her arms. "You can try."

The corner of Klaus' mouth twitched into a smile. "I've enjoyed working with you these past three months, Bonnie," he said. "I hope our partnership lasts another three. Perhaps four or five. Years, even. You've been an invaluable asset, and at times I've even liked you."

"Ditto."

"So tighten up," he said. "I need you at your best at all times."

Yeah, yeah. "Are you going to answer my question?"

"Elijah and I have to leave the city for a day or two," Klaus said. "When we return Rebekah will be with us."

"I thought she didn't want anything to do with you anymore."

It was Klaus' favorite thing to whine about. Rebekah not being there with them, Rebekah going on some around the world trip with Matt of all people, Rebekah planning on enrolling in college and spending another four years with people who couldn't stand her. That conversation topic had died off recently, but Klaus was ready to pick it up again at any moment.

"I'm going to change her mind," Klaus said. "Which means Hayley will be your responsibility."

Bonnie opened her mouth to tell him that she didn't want to when Klaus spoke. "She's pregnant."

"She's what?"

"Pregnant," Klaus said. "With child. Expecting. However you'd like to say it. With my baby."

She laughed. Hand over her mouth, trying and failing at not laughing, she laughed. She couldn't remember the last time she'd actually laughed like this. Not just a little chuckle, a little annoyed breath of a laugh but a real one that spilled from her mouth recklessly.

"I'm not joking," Klaus said, not half as amused as she was.

"I know," Bonnie said, going to sit down at the dining room table, still laughing. "You don't joke. I'm laughing because that is still the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"It's true."

"Like I said, I believe you. I'm just wondering how that happened."

"It happened because I had sex with her."

"Yeah, I know all about the birds and the bees," she said. "But how did you, half-werewolf, half-vampire, get a werewolf pregnant? You're supposed to be shooting blanks."

"Yes, well," Klaus said. "Nature had other plans."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. Of course nature, in all its infinite stupidity gave Klaus a kid and just sucked all the life right out of Bonnie. Literally.

"How far along?"

"A little over four months now," Klaus answered. "So I expect that you'll make her protection your very close second priority."

"I'm not a nanny."

"I'll buy you a car."

Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"I'll buy you a car," he repeated. "A very expensive, very foreign, very fast car. I'll buy you one. We'll just be gone for a couple of days."

"I don't like to drive."

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Would you like another necklace?"

"Make it a bracelet," she said. "Bonus points if it matches my necklace."

"Done," he said with a bow of his head. "Goodbye, Bonnie."

She watched him go out the door and waited until it had slammed shut behind him before she started laughing again.

Three Months Ago

"You just met him yesterday," Bonnie said to her reflection. That was what Elena would say. Caroline would tell her the bad boy thing was tired and out of season, and it was time to let that go. "Take it from someone who knows," she'd say. Bonnie had never been the one night stand type of girl. There always had to be things attached. Dates, honest feelings, hopes for the future, etc. The quick hit, straight to the sweet spot, had never been her thing. Caroline used to say Bonnie just didn't have the stomach for it. Caroline had it.

Bonnie had it, too. The first night had come and gone. There was no more feeling sorry for herself, no more thinking about old friends in the old town. She'd already decided. She was a new Bonnie, in a new city with a new life. She was going to kick it off with a bang. A sexual bang.

In Marcel's beautiful guest bathroom, all in shades of white with porcelain and shiny tiles, she was the most colorful thing in there in her new red dress. She'd bought it today. She'd bought everything today, the dress, the jewelry, the heels. She looked perfect. Very sexable.

Klaus said Marcel would definitely try to sleep with her, and she was inclined to believe him since she remembered Marcel checking her out the other day. He'd go for it, and she'd go with it.

Bonnie pictured Jeremy standing next to her, and she remembered the feel of his mouth on hers, his hands on her waist and his tongue scraping across her teeth. Disapproval came off his imaginary form in waves.

So? Bonnie 2.0 said. That's all in the past. Remember? You're shiny and new now. Act like it.

She nodded to her reflection reassuringly and went back outside. She took her place at the end of the dining room table where Marcel was standing, looking at her like he knew exactly what she'd been doing in his bathroom. The open collar of his button down hinted at the toned expanse of his chest, and she'd noticed when she'd come in that the pants he wore definitely accented his butt. Which wasn't a bad butt at all.

"How do you do it?" Bonnie asked as Marcel placed her plate in front of her. It was beautifully arranged, though she didn't know a whole lot about arranging food on plates in the first place, but it definitely looked nice. Generous portions of meat and vegetables placed in specific positions, peering up at her and asking her to consume them.

"Well, I have a nice little old lady who handles my cooking for these kinds of things," Marcel said, opening up a bottle of wine.

"I was referring to the whole magic lockdown thing," Bonnie said as he poured the rich red liquid into her glass.

"Oh," he said, moving on to his own glass, "that. Well, that's classified information." He gave her a wink. "I don't share many of my secrets. If I did they wouldn't be secrets anymore, and I like secrets."

When he sat down, he told her all about his rules for the witches. They just didn't practice. Oh there were a few here and there, fortune tellers on the street who read palms and tarot cards for tourists. They got a bit of reprieve, but only if they asked Marcel for his permission themselves, face-to-face, and had no problem still being monitored. That face-to-face thing kept a lot of them away, and the city had been flooded with a bunch of pretenders who had perfected their acts.

"If a witch breaks my rules, I kill them," Marcel said. "You break my rules, and you die." He leaned back in his chair. "What's Klaus gonna have you doing?"

"You should ask him."

Marcel nodded. "Yeah, probably should. How'd you end up working for him? I mean, I've known Klaus to always be able to find some use for a strong witch, but your kind don't exactly line up to work for the guy."

"I help him, he helps me."

"How's he helping you?"

"He got me out of a bad situation."

It was so strange that Klaus had a role in her life now that wasn't tormentor, that she had a role in his life that wasn't magical foil. That they were on the same side now.

"Bad situation," Marcel echoed curiously. "What's that mean?"

"I died."

His eyebrows arched, and she was glad that she'd surprised him. "You look pretty good for a dead girl."

"I came back to life," she said. "I got Klaus to bring me here. I do whatever he needs, and I get paid for it."

"Sounds like a good arrangement," he said. "As long as you don't go rogue and decide to use some of that magic on me, you're good to go."

"Then I'm good to go," Bonnie lied.

Marcel smiled. "You done?" he nodded to her empty plate. "Then follow me." He rose from the table and extended a hand to her. She stared at it but didn't take it. Instead she refilled her wine glass.

"Tough crowd," he said as he led Bonnie into the living room dotted with plush furniture with a giant piano in the corner. Marcel sat down behind it and began to play.

"Are you going to compliment my skills?" he asked after a few minutes of her not speaking.

"You're very good," she said mechanically.

"Oh, thanks."

Bonnie did a circuit around the room, looking at the high shelves covered in books and various trinkets. Everything looked perfectly polished, clean and treasured. It was a beautiful house, and it reminded her of the Lockwood mansion, unattainable in its beauty, dripping with wealth and privilege and loads of things Bonnie didn't have. But while the Lockwood place had a cold, frosty something about it, this house was warm, electrified and pulsing with something else.

"Klaus said you'd try to have sex with me," Bonnie said, turning around to look at him.

Marcel kept playing. "I will," he assured her. "Right now I'm being a gentleman. Give me a few minutes to work down to a sex fiend."

"Can we just skip right to that part?"

He laughed and finally paused his playing. "In a hurry?"

Bonnie raised her glass to her lips and drained it. Old Bonnie hadn't been big on wine. This one didn't mind it.

"I don't see the point in wasting time," she said. "Do you want to?"

Marcel took his hands from the piano keys and turned around on the bench. "I want to."

Bonnie couldn't figure out if this was the best or the worst decision she'd ever made. Homicidal vampires were not her preferred sexual partners but maybe it helped that she'd never seen Marcel with his fruit punch mouth, that he could so easily hide behind his charm and his humor and that one part infuriating one part disarming smile. She knew it was a mask, but it was a good one.

A very, very good one.

Bonnie set her glass down on the coffee table and turned her back to him. "Unzip me?"

Bonnie felt the wind in the air as Marcel closed the space between them with vampire speed, taking hold of her zipper with gentle fingers. She felt him pulling it down, felt air meeting her bare skin and then cool fingers pressing against her lower back which made her heart pound. It wasn't a bad pounding, like the nervous, erratic poundings before giving a presentation in class or something. It was a good pounding, an excited pounding, a persistent let's-go-faster-more-more-more pounding.

Definitely the best decision she'd ever made.

Marcel may have been surprised when she turned around to kiss him, a hand on the back of his neck to keep him close, but if he was he hid it with his lips and his tongue and his fingers, tilting her mouth to his. Maybe he thought she was going to back out before this went too far, chicken out and leave in a hurry, the back of her dress still open. If he did, he was wrong.

She let him get her dress off, pushing it off her shoulders and down her hips where it pooled on the floor in a cherry puddle, and she moved her hands to the front of his shirt to undo the buttons. Shirt taken care of, she moved to his pants, working the belt, undoing the button, pulling down the zipper.

Then they were on the floor.

And it felt so good. Better than anything had in a while. After dying and coming back to life, after everything she'd done, she deserved this. She deserved something that was just hers, something she could file away and dig up later. She deserved a dirty, sexy one night stand with the vampire king of New Orleans on the floor of his beautiful house.

She deserved it.

And she got it.

She got Marcel's hands, slow and languid across her stomach and his head between her thighs. She got his mouth at her ear, his tongue flicking across her earlobe and his body a delightful weight on hers. She got his voice in her ear asking how she wanted it, where she wanted it, if she liked it.

Yes.

And she got another one of Marcel's smiles as he rolled his hips against hers, and it was the first time she actually returned it with one of her own, just as wide as his. When he rolled off of her, she was still smiling.

Bonnie closed her eyes and saw Bonnie 2.0, looking down at her where she lied in a sweaty heap next to Marcel. She wore an impressed smile as she crouched down at her side. Look at you, she said with a light laugh. It wasn't her cruel laugh, mocking and full of hate. It was nice. I'm proud of you, Bonnie 2.0 said.

The old Bonnie didn't do one night stands with homicidal vampires on the floor of their beautiful houses. The new Bonnie did.

She opened her eyes and turned her head to look at Marcel who was looking up at the ceiling as well. "Well?" he said, turning his head and flashing that smile again. "Satisfied?"

She rolled so she could straddle him. "Almost. One more time before I go."

Present Day

"This is a nice place," Hayley said, glancing around the apartment, keeping her hands firmly in her lap. She hadn't moved from that spot since she'd sat down, (on Bonnie's sofa which was apparently had a pull-out mattress but no one had told Bonnie) dropped off by Elijah who reminded her that he was leaving the mother of his unborn niece or nephew in her care.

"Yeah," Bonnie agreed.

"So you work for Klaus," Hayley said. Her outfit wasn't much better from yesterday's, still gigantic and swallowing her up. it hid her stomach pretty well until s he gathered the fabric at the sides to examine her belly. "How'd you land that gig?"

"I asked for it."

Hayley nodded. "Well, I told them I could have just stayed at Elijah's place on my own. It's just one weekend, right? I don't need a babysitter."

"And I don't need a pregnant girl to babysit, but we've got each other anyway," Bonnie said.

Because of this she wouldn't be able to go to Turbulence tomorrow night to dance all the work off of her. She'd be stuck in with Hayley instead, having more conversations like this one. Or maybe she could leave Hayley here. It wasn't like anyone would be able to get to her. Bonnie had protected the apartment with a range of spells. Hayley was perfectly safe here if Bonnie wanted to go out for a few hours and dance with strangers.

"I actually cared about Tyler you know," Hayley said.

"You had an interesting way of showing it," Bonnie said. "That being said, I don't care if you did or if you didn't."

Apparently that was really hard for Hayley to wrap her head around.

"I heard he left Mystic Falls," she said. "That sucks. Wherever he is, I hope he's okay."

Yeah, wherever he is, Bonnie thought. He was probably back at the house, sleeping off the drugs Marcel had slipped him. He hadn't even seen it coming, didn't have much of a reason to anyway. She wondered why Marcel had resorted to those tactics anyway, why a lucid Tyler was such a problem. If Tyler had taken Bonnie's advice he may have been able to keep some control of himself, maybe even stay awake, see something Marcel didn't want him to.

If Marcel knew about Hayley, how much longer until Tyler knew about her, too? And how long until he came looking for her? Of course, Marcel wouldn't allow it. Letting Tyler go after Hayley would send him straight to Klaus, and that was the opposite of what any of them wanted. She wasn't worried.

Marcel would keep Tyler in check.

"So what are you gonna name it?" Bonnie asked, nodding down to Hayley's stomach.

"Don't know."

"Do you know what it is?"

"Nope," Hayley said. "I don't really want to either. I don't want to get too attached, you know. I haven't decided if I want it yet, but if I bail then it's gonna be stuck with Klaus and Elijah as its parents."

"Lucky kid," Bonnie said sarcastically.

"The luckiest," Hayley agreed.

They both laughed.

"I mean, I'm not really mommy material," Hayley said, "but you can't do much worse than Klaus and Elijah with all their...problems. But Elijah's nicer to me than Klaus is," she went on. "I'm not Caroline Forbes so he's less interested in me and more interested in the baby that's gonna be shooting out of me in a few more months."

Hearing Caroline's name slip from Hayley's mouth was weird. She said it differently than Bonnie had ever heard before, like it was weighty and strange and hard to say. All the syllables sounded wrong. It took Bonnie a few minutes to realize Hayley had coated Caroline's name in disdain.

But she didn't say anything about it. She pretended Caroline's name hadn't come up.

"Elijah's nice to you?"

Elijah was good at hiding it among his perfectly cut wardrobe and polite speech, but he was an asshole. Bonnie didn't know who she trusted with a baby less, him or Klaus. At least Elijah wouldn't rip its head off for crying through the night.

"I'm sure he thinks he's being more than friendly," Hayley said, "but he doesn't care about me. He cares about the baby, and I'm gonna ride that train for as long as I can. This baby is the only reason I'm safe, and once it's out who knows. It'll be on its own, too, ready to fall victim to a very specific brand of Original hell. I'd probably be a bad person - definitely a bad mother - if I just left it to that wouldn't I?"

Bonnie shrugged. If Hayley was worried about being a bad person maybe she should have thought about that before she got twelve hybrids and Carol Lockwood killed. But Bonnie didn't say anything about that either, and apparently Hayley didn't require a response.

"And to think," Hayley said with a giant sigh as she dragged a hand along her stomach, "I was sure I'd beat teen pregnancy."

"So you had sex with Klaus," Bonnie said.

"That I did."

"How was it?"

Hayley laughed. "Girl talk, huh? I like it." She gave her shoulders a noncommittal shrug. "It was okay, I guess. Nothing to write home about. It started off pretty good then you know, it fizzled. I wouldn't recommend it. It wasn't really worth the weight gain and the achy boobs. And of course, the tiny, screaming human that's gonna be climbing out of my uterus in a few months."

"Good to know," Bonnie said, almost smiling. Then curiously, "You're not turning on full moons are you?"

"No," Hayley said. "The baby making happened right after the full moon, and then I got here before the next one. The witches were suppressing it with a spell. Hurts like a bitch, but I don't turn."

That spell would probably be Bonnie's job now. She'd have to do some research on that.

"I came here because I wanted to find out where I'd come from," Hayley said. "That's why I did everything I did, what happened to the pack and Tyler-"

"I told you I didn't care," Bonnie reminded her. The last person she wanted to talk about was Tyler, but Hayley just couldn't let it go. She considered just putting Hayley to sleep for the night to avoid this.

"I just don't want you to think that I'm some kind of monster bitch," she said, like Bonnie was using this time to form an opinion and not counting down the minutes until Hayley would be out of her apartment. "I had my reasons. We've all got reasons."

"Yeah, whatever," Bonnie said. "I'm going to bed."