A/N: Apologies for the late update. I just started university so I've been really busy, and I went through a bit of a phase where I just couldn't motivate myself to write but I'm back now yay!

The truth is rarely pure and never simple.

When Kai returned to Mystic Falls, the sun was beginning to set. He found Bonnie pacing up and down in her bedroom. She was wearing a floor-length navy blue dress and her hair was secured in a neat up-do. Tendrils of brown hair framed her worried face.

Bonnie stopped pacing when she saw Kai.

"You're back." She said quietly. "Your father?"

"He's…gone." Kai replied. He reached into his pocket and pulled out tufts of green herbs.

"Betulina Barosma." He said as he handed them to her. Bonnie's eyes widened in surprise. She tentatively took the leaves from him.

"How did you find it?"

"Don't ask questions. Just take them." Bonnie looked at him suspiciously. She was curious to know where Kai had got it from, but her questions had to wait. They were running out of time. She examined the leaves in her hand.

"We can finish the spell now."

Kai nodded as he picked up the Gilbert device. Bonnie scattered the Betulina Barosma in a circle on the floor. Kai placed the Gilbert device inside the circle of herbs. Their determined mutterings filled the room as they performed the finishing touches on the spell. When the final line of the enchantment had been uttered, a drop of blood fell from Bonnie's nose. Kai winced as he struggled to control his desire. Bonnie wiped the blood on the back of her hand and turned to Kai.

"It's done." She shot him a small smile. Kai tried to return the smile, but his jaw felt stiff. Thoughts of his return to imprisonment prevented him from sharing in her delight. The spell was complete. Kai had sealed his fate.

"We have to leave for the ball soon. I should get ready."

Bonnie nodded. "I picked up a suit for you. You can use my shower." She said, gesturing towards the en-suite.

When Bonnie heard the water turn on in the bathroom, she rifled through her jewellery box and pulled out the necklace with the cure. She clasped the chain around her neck and tucked the vial behind the sweetheart neckline of her dress. The cure to vampirism was safely nestled against her chest, but she still hadn't decided who she was going to give it to. She took one last glance in the mirror and fastened an embellished mask over her face.

Kai looked good in his suit. Black really was his colour.

"It's a bit snug." He said, tugging his sleeve. The jacket was a little small and his pants just barely reached his ankles. Bonnie had underestimated his measurements.

"You're just freakishly tall." She replied. He looked unimpressed when she handed him a black mask.

"It's a masquerade ball. Everyone is going to be wearing one."

Kai reluctantly took the mask from her and put it on.

"I feel like I should have got you a corsage or something."

"This isn't prom, and you're not my date. Also, no one knows I let you out of 1903 so try not to talk to anyone."

"Well this should be fun."

"It's not supposed to be fun. We're on a mission."

"Right."

Kai tucked the Gilbert device into the breast pocket of his jacket. He could save himself if he wanted to, and Bonnie was making it so easy for him. He could destroy the device in a matter of seconds and ruin her entire plan. Bonnie had let her guard down around Kai. She didn't exactly trust him, but she was no longer repelled by his presence either. The spell would be too arduous for Bonnie to perform herself so she was counting on Kai. She needed him. As much as he dreaded going back to another prison world, disappointing Bonnie would be a more agonising punishment.

Bonnie was rarely invited to town events and she felt a little out of place at the Mikaelson's ball. Kai's company was a strange comfort to her. He was always annoyingly confident and charming. Whenever Bonnie anxiously chewed on her lip, Kai would try to distract her by muttering snarky observations.

"What is up with this classical music? Well I guess it makes sense considering most of these people are like a thousand years old."

"It's not that bad."

"This is the worst song I've ever heard. Well, this and Two Princes."

"I actually kind of like Two Princes."

"Then you're even crazier than I am."

Bonnie and Kai had fallen into a rhythm, like two people who had known each other for years. There was an obvious bond between them whether they liked it or not. They needed each other. After everything they had been through together, their relationship surpassed convention. It wasn't exactly love. It wasn't even friendship. There was something special about the way they destroyed each other. There was always an underlying push-pull attraction between them, like two planets in orbit. Especially after Kai's transition, his affinity for Bonnie had grown deeper - and more dangerous. Kai stayed by Bonnie's side for most of the night. He was desperate to feel close to her. He had always felt like that, ever since he first met her in the prison world. It was the closeness that he yearned for every time he physically invaded her personal space. Spooning her whilst she slept, grabbing her and siphoning the magic out of her body and into his own, their tussle in the car with his hands around her throat and his breath tickling her neck. Then, his desire to touch Bonnie had been fuelled by his craving for her magic. Now, it was more of a need for comfort and intimacy.

Bonnie fidgeted with her necklace. She could save one of her vampire friends but the more she thought about it, the more she realised that none of them deserved saving. Elena was the reason Bonnie got involved with vampires. Damon had killed countless people, including a pregnant woman. Stefan was a ripper. Even her saintly best friend, Caroline, had killed innocent people. Mystic Falls would be a better place without vampires. None of them deserved the cure, so she decided she would just give it to her mother instead. The thought of Abby caught Bonnie by surprise and she blinked back tears. She felt truly alone. Bonnie had never properly mourned the death of her Grams and in that moment she felt the full weight of her loss. She rushed outside and Kai followed her.

"We have to do the spell now." Bonnie said shakily.

"Are you sure?" Kai was taken aback. He thought he would have more time.

"Yes, Kai. Now."

Kai pulled the Gilbert device out of his pocket and held it in his palm. Bonnie put her hand under his, the smoothness of her palm cushioning the back of his hand. She closed her eyes. Kai took a long look at Bonnie. She would be the last thing he would see before returning to yet another prison world. His fingers tightened around the Gilbert device and he closed his eyes.

"Phasmatos Tribum, Invocia Cavea, Misero Mundi."

Their synchronised mutterings were barely audible over the music that was blaring inside. After the spell was completed, Bonnie walked shakily towards the entrance of the mansion. The spell had drained her energy, but she was determined see her plan through. Vampires started to groan and clutch their foreheads before falling to their knees. Bonnie stood rooted to the spot, transfixed by the scene in front of her. She was overwhelmed and dizzy from exertion.

"Aargh."

An anguished groan from behind Bonnie snapped her out of her daze. Kai's eyes were squeezed shut and he winced in pain. He cradled his forehead in his hands before falling to the ground. Bonnie rolled him onto his back. She knelt next to him.

"Kai, what's going on? Was the spell too much for you?"

Dark veins spread across Kai's face and he bared his fangs. Bonnie gasped in shock and recoiled.

"I'm a heretic Bonnie." He said through gritted teeth.