Chapter 10

The bar was gloomy and it was full of young students who were either studying, trying to study or openly tried to get wasted. The music playing in the background was too loud to be ignored which probably made it impossible for anyone to get anything done here. But still, nothing had changed over the years; it has all been the same when he went to college. He felt a little uncomfortable sitting here. They kind of didn't fit in there.

"Tell me again how you are on board with all this?" Alaric got shoved out of his thoughts by Damon's accusing question. He was still looking at his bourbon glass but Alaric could see he was still pretty pissed.
"What can I say, man? I need him to be alive to get Jo back. If I could change it I would."
"So we resurrect Jo, find a damn way to undo that stupid link the two are sharing and kill the bastard."
"If only that was so easy. I guess if there was a way to unlink them Jo would have probably already done it. Plus I am not willing to risk Jo's life again by doing some hocus-pocus that is going to end up getting her killed."
Damon mumbled into his glass and took a mouthful. Alaric turned his attention to his own glass but he didn't feel the need to down it as fast as Damon. Yes, this whole situation was crazy, stressful and uncomfortable but Kai was just a means to an end and Alaric fully trusted Bonnie.

"Another thing I don't get is why you are helping him get his memory back when he is SOOOO much more manageable like this." Damon's voice was laced with sarcasm.
"Do you see me helping anyone but myself right now? We were trying to figure out what went wrong so Jo wouldn't suffer the same fate but this is clearly not going to happen to Jo since it is a transformation problem rather than a resurrection problem." Alaric mad a quick look around. Everyone was busy doing something and no one paid any attention to what they were talking about. Good for them.
"Look, I would rather be on my way back to Mystic Falls then sit here waiting for Mr. Covenleader up there to regain his memory." Alaric took a sip out of his glass.
"Then why are we waiting for Bonnie to find the psycho in Kai again? Let's grab her and leave."
"No, I owe Bonnie a lot and if she has some plan with Kai I'm going to let her do it. Maybe she is just trying to make a cover. He is not supposed to know about Jo. If we leave now and leave him alone here he is going to be suspicious and now that he knows about his magic again who knows what he will do. He is still Kai Parker."

Damon looked a little more contend now. Alaric's obvious concerns about the whole Parker mess must have reassured him in his own disfavor.
"So you are going to stick to Bonnie's plan then?" Damon asked.
"Do I have another choice?"
"I guess not. But what are you planning on doing with him once Jo is back?"
"Bonnie said she'd handle him but I guess we have to put him somewhere safe." He was referring to Kai as if he was an object but he didn't care. As far as Alaric was concerned Kai could be as far away as possible but alive so Jo and him could have a long and happy life together.

"What if I told you I have a little plan of my own?"Damon sated after a brief pause.
Alaric turned his head to look directly at his vampire friend. "Then I hope it would involve a little revenge and pain. And I hope you would share your thoughts with me."
Damon had a huge smirk on his face. He was watching Alaric closely as he swallowed the rest of his Bourbon.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Would you stop looking into these lame pages?" Kai's voice was filled with laughter. Bonnie looked up to him to see he was leaning back in his chair opposite her and watching her with a grin.
"Sorry if I want to try and help you get your memories back. Thought this might interest you."
"It certainly does but it seems like it interest you even more? Any specific memory you are trying to reawaken?" His grin only grew wider. Bonnie knew this look, the smart, charming ways Kai always used when trying to convince her of something. Looks like he learned that trick from a very young age. But Bonnie had some tricks up her sleeve herself.

She closed the grimoire and leaned forward looking Kai directly in the eyes. They were only inches apart when Kai also leaned in, his head retained in his hand. His stare was intense and for a second Bonnie lost herself in the blue of his eyes. But she pulled herself out of it as quickly as she had fallen in.

"What exactly do you think I want to reawaken?" Bonnie was teasing him.
"Isn't that the question of the day?" Kai leaned back again and took the menu from the waitress that just attended their table. Bonnie took the other card and when she wanted to thank her she noticed the girl wasn't even looking at her while she gave her the menu. Her gaze was stuck on Kai. He had a ridiculous looking smile on her face.
"So is there anything I can do for you?" She asked in a deep voice clearly trying to sound sexy. To Bonnie she only sounded flat. She let out a chunter and let herself fall back into the chair intentionally making noise so the girl would have to look at her.

"I'll have a coke for starters." Bonnie said with her most lovely voice. She almost puked from it herself.
"Same here." Kai stated. While the waitress left Bonnie noticed Kai wasn't looking into the menu but was watching her.
"What?" She spat out.
He let out a laugh. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Nothing is wrong with me. What are you talking about?" She was being touchy and she realized. But she couldn't help it. The girl annoyed her and so did Kai.
"You practically set that girl on fire with your stare. Did she do something to you? Did she steal your candy when you were three?" Kai was giggling.
" Haha not funny. I just don't particularly like her that's all. One can instantly dislike someone or isn't that allowed?"
"Who am I to judge you about disliking people? I obviously have my own issues in that department." He was now focusing his attention on the menu and stating "I'm starving!"

Bonnie was pretty hungry herself but she kept looking at the warlock for a few more seconds until she picked something to eat. Her thoughts drifted off. 'What happened that I am sitting in a restaurant with Malachai Parker?' she thought to herself.

When the waitress returned with their drinks she gave her some finishing looks but she wouldn't even notice since she had all her attention on her companion.
"Did you choose a meal?" She was playing with a strand of her blond long hair and was pushing her hip to the left side. It was ridiculous to watch.
Kai looked at Bonnie and said "I'll take what she takes." The waitress rolled her eyes or at least Bonnie thought she did. She looked at her with no expression on her face, ready to take her order.

"I'm having fried chicken with baked potatoes." She shut the menu close and left it for the girl to collect. She only nodded at Bonnie turned to Kai for confirmation and left with the most swinging ass Bonnie has ever seen. She looked after the girl and couldn't help but shake her head in disgust.
"Wow, you really do dislike her." Kai said.
"Yeah and I have every right to. I mean look at her the way she tries to impress every male person in this restaurant. That's just…" Bonnie hadn't even seen the waitress interact with other male costumers. She only didn't want Kai to know how much her flirtation bothered her. 'But it doesn't bother you, young lady!' she told herself not for the first time the past few days.

Bonnie looked back to Kai. He hadn't even followed her gaze to see what she was talking about.
Bonnie made a questioning face. "You wouldn't even look?"
"Nope, was never a friend of blasphemy. Plus I'm not interested in her in any way."
"Really? I would think that after 18 years alone you would like to risk a peek."
Kai was looking confused. Bonnie realized that for him it hadn't been 18 years. How could she always forget? She tried to change the subject quickly.

"So, I don't think we are going to find a solution to our memory problem in this one." She pointed to the grimoire.
"No, me either."
"You did everything that they said. So it has to have another reason why it didn't work. Maybe your head isn't ready to remember. I mean this is kind of a way for it to protect itself."
"Well, maybe my head just doesn't want to remember." Kai was looking at the napkin in front of him. He looked brooding, not a very common look on him.

"But it would be so much easier for you. You could finally feel like yourself again."
"I am feeling like myself." Kai sounded mad. "What use would it be for me to remember 18 years of pure solitude? Nothing really matters about those years. And I actually don't want to remember anything of the horrible things I have done after that. I feel good just the way I am right now."
Bonnie was happy Kai said that but she couldn't let that be his last words on the matter. She still needed this information about the Heretics.

"But don't you feel somewhat empty? There is no connection between the time you know and the time we are in right now."
"My memories won't help me with that either since they were all made in 1994." He paused for a moment looking directly into Bonnie's eyes. "Why the hell do you even care if I get them back or not? There is nothing for you to gain."
Bonnie bit her lower lip. She couldn't exactly tell him she needed something from him. He would only feel used and would push the regaining of his memory as far away as possible. She needed a story.
"Look, Kai…" She was interrupted by the waitress bringing their order. The girl tried to look as gallant as possible juggling the two plates but it was without success. Kai didn't even blink at her, he was looking at Bonnie the entire time. Bonnie tried to come up with a story but she was actually distracted by the girl. When she was leaving Bonnie tried again.

"Well, it is like this."
"Oh god." Kai leaned back and put his head in his neck, covering his face with both his hands. Bonnie was surprised by his interruption.
"What is it?" She wanted to know.
He sat back up straight watching her. "I just realized I have been the biggest fool of all times. You always told me everyone hates me because I did so many bad things, even to you. But still you are nice to me and now you're trying to get me to remember which is odd since I would only remember the way you hated me."
"Kai…" Bonnie tried to stop him but he kept going.
"You want something from me! This is why you're so invested in me. This is why you want me to remember." He genially sounded hurt.
"You're crazy, Kai." Bonnie tried to calm him down, but she knew when she spoke the words that nothing would be enough.
"Tell me that I'm wrong!" Kai was angry now. The old Kai resurfaced. Or was it the only Kai there was?

Now it was Bonnie's turn to look down on her napkin. There was nothing more to say. She got caught. She could only try and ease the situation by being honest to him now.
"You were using me. So what is it, hm? Do you need a spell? Is there something I hid away and you need to find it?" His voice was still silent but the intensity of his words grew with every second and Bonnie thought that this was way worse. Kai used to burst out in anger but this silent Kai was way more frightening.

Bonnie swallowed and started to talk "It is about Mystic Falls. The Heretics we met directly after you got resurrected? They are tormenting the town. But they were right about you. You have information that could be crucial. I need you to remember these information so we can get our town back. Trust me, I wouldn't push you to do this, if it wasn't that important."
"How did I get these information in the first place?" He still glanced at her. Bonnie felt terrible for betraying him like that. She felt like she was betraying a friend because that was how she had felt for Kai the past few days. A friend. A very handsome friend with anger issues who could charm her like no one else had ever done. She had to admit it, if only to herself. Kai had gotten under her skin.

"Because of me. I betrayed you back then. You just won the merge with Luke and I hated you for hurting me and leaving me alone in the prison world. When I got out I didn't belief you changed so I trapped you in another prison world where we got Damon's mother. Because of my betrayal you snapped and killed your entire coven by turning yourself into a vampire." She didn't dare look at him. This information was the one she had been afraid to share with him this entire time. How would he react to these information.

"Well, I guess we are even then." Bonnie looked at him. Kai seemed to be calm again, he even had a short sad smile for her.
"That's it? You are not going to tear me limb from limb. You are not even mad?"
"How can I be mad at you for something you did that I don't remember? I see why you did it. I seemed to have been a real douche. I don't think it makes any sense to be emotional at something that I can't access or change."
Kai was so reasonable Bonnie almost didn't recognize the person in front of her.
"And what about the thing with the Heretic information? Are you mad about that?" She really wanted him to say no.
Kai sighed. "Do you want me to be mad?"
Bonnie shook her head. She was embarrassed at how much she needed him not to be mad at her anymore that she wasn't daring to say something.
"Then I'm not mad." Kai turned to the food in front of him and started eating. Bonnie watched him for a while until she started eating herself. The foot was very good.

After a while of silence she finally regained her voice. She said something that was heavy on her heart but it also scared her to the bones. But she needed to say it.
"I'm glad you're not mad at me. I promise I'll be honest to you from now on." And one more thing came to her mind."I really would feel terrible if you'd be mad at me. I wouldn't know what to do. I'm sorry."
Kai looked up from this plate and smiled at her, an honest, pure smile. "Well, same here. You are the only person here I can trust, the only friend I have. So don't make me regret that."
Bonnie's heard made a little jump when she heard these words. Unfortunately she couldn't stop starting to care for Malachai Parker.

Author's note: Another chapter. Hope you liked it. I felt the need to push Bonnie and Kai a little closer so I can get to where I want this story to go. I fear that I pushed Bonnie too far too fast, though. Please, if there is anything you want to comment on put it in a review. I love reading all of them. And sorry again for any mistakes I make. I try my very best. Well, I hope to see you around for the next chapter. Until then, LiLaAir