Chapter 10: Leader of the People

Date: January 9, 2018

Warnings: Alcoholism (slightly)

Pairings: Bonnie, Marcel & Davina, Bonnie & A New Character. :)

Disclaimer: Again, I own nothing. This is just here as a precaution at this point.

A/N: Thank you all so much for your response! The curse is slowly taking effect and the lines are hella blurred on purpose. It's the consequences of messing with someone's free-will lol. Klaus will learn and suffer. *Evil Laughter*. I'm so glad you guys are still with me. I promise Bonnie will get her Just Desserts but she's hard headed, stubborn, and self-sacrificial, so she'll have to go through some shit first to get there. Without wasting any more time, here goes…

On Saturdays, Bonnie liked to pamper herself. Usually, it was Marcel spoiling her but occasionally she used the money she made from spells she crafted for people or potions she put together. Since falling out of Marcel's good graces a week ago, Bonnie was assed-out for lack of a better word. She was too prideful to use any of her credit cards for fear of being declined and she had no cash on her. Not having to worry about money for two years really spoiled her. Most of her belongings were still at Marcel's house and Bonnie was hesitant to go and collect her things. She hadn't heard anything from the Vampire King in a week. No one had seen him as much, not even Klaus.

Speaking of Klaus; he had offered to escort her to Marcel's but Bonnie knew better. Bringing Klaus with her would be pouring gasoline on an open flame, no pun intended. She would have to brave this one alone. Bonnie sighed as she stared at Marcel's house from across the street. There was no sign of any life inside and she wondered if this would be a waste of her time. Klaus was generous enough to let her borrow one of his vehicles. She was in no position to object and only hoped that Marcel didn't recognize it. She wasn't sure why she cared but the fact that Marcel was upset that she didn't side with him and decline Klaus's truce let her know that he would definitely not approve of her practically moving in with him.

"Why the fuck do you care, Bonnie," she muttered to herself aloud. Her feelings for Marcel was more complicated than she let on. They were never official, but the fact that she didn't have the balls to go knock on his door and demand her items from him made this entire situation feel eerily close to a bad breakup. If she was being honest with herself, she dreaded making this move. Once she knocked on the door, their fates would be sealed. She would be drawing a line in the proverbial sand and once Marcel found out about her living arrangements, she would have picked a side.

The good part of her didn't want to betray him that way, despite what he did. The bad part wanted to knock on the door and rub his face in it.

Before she could talk herself out of it, she crossed the street and marched up to his door, ringing the doorbell quickly before taking a step back. Several minutes passed and Bonnie began to wonder if her finger actually pressed the button or if she imagined she did. Just as she reached to ring it again, the locks clicked, making her jump slightly and take a step backward. Marcel's stony face came into view and gave Bonnie a once over. Her blonde hair hung at her shoulders. She wore a simple white, short sleeved t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans that both clung to her like a wet cloth. Marcel scoffed and glanced over her shoulders briefly before glancing back down at her.

"What?" He was angry. She couldn't blame him.

"I just came to get my things, that's all." Marcel rolled his eyes but stepped to the side to let her in. Bonnie stepped over the threshold and surveyed the place quietly. It looked just the same except for the giant area rug was gone. It was the rug she burned him alive on. Bonnie bit back a smile. She couldn't apologize for feeling vindicated. When Marcel cleared her throat, she began to move with purpose, looking for anything she may have left lying around before heading upstairs to the bedroom. As she walked through the house, memories flooded her and she wondered if any of it was real or was he using her from the jump. Sadness crept inside of her heart as she entered the room but she couldn't dwell on it. She could hear Marcel just a few feet behind her, watching her like a hawk.

"Did you get rid of your witch?" The last thing she had told him after nearly killing him was that he needed to stop his witch from siphoning her. Bonnie could feel the atmosphere shift from slight awkwardness to rage. One glance at Marcel's handsome face confirmed it.

"When the fuck would I have time to deal with that? I was too busy trying to heal myself, Bonnie. So no, I haven't addressed that yet."Bonnie raised a brow.

"Still talking reckless, I see." Bonnie flexed her fingers, smiling when Marcel twitched. She chuckled as she turned away from him. Her magic thrummed beneath the surface, begging to be unleashed so that it may teach him another lesson but Bonnie quelled. She wasn't a tyrant.

"I'll handle it," he said in a more respectful tone.

"I want the talisman she's using to channel me," Marie informed her how it was being done. Bonnie paused to question how Marie would know. "Davina Claire, is it?" Earlier this week, Bonnie did some digging and found that Davina was one of the harvest witches that was supposed to be sacrificed a little over a year ago. One of the girls had gone missing before she could be killed. Her name was Davina. It didn't take Bonnie much brain power to guess that Marcel had been the one to take her. Bonnie was prepared to destroy Davina but learned that she was just a child. As angry as she was, Bonnie could never harm a kid. Bonnie rummaged through the closet and gathered her shoes and dresses. Towards the back of the closet was a box where she kept her families grimoires and other magic related things. She pulled the box from the back of the closet and felt around, looking for something in particular. Marie had told her that Davina probably hexed her. If that was true, there had to be a hex bag somewhere in the house. As she searched, she allowed her magic to flow out of her to help her look, hoping she could pick up on the bag's magical essence.

It didn't take long for her to detect it. As soon as Bonnie put her feelers out, she felt the pull of the dark magic coming from near the bed. She stood up and walked to the bed, crouching down on her knees. She stuck her hand underneath the bed and came in contact with a large wooden box she never noticed before. She pulled the box from under the bed to find that it was locked. Closing her eyes, Bonnie focused on the box, summoning her magic. She released a ball of white-hot energy towards the box and smile when the wood splintered under its force. There in the center was a brown cloth tied together with twine. Inside the box was a lock of Bonnie's hair as well as a piece of clothing and a picture of her. Her body became hot with rage as she stared at the contents. She could smell the herbs and the magic radiating from the bag as her fingertips thrummed with both her magic and Davina's. Bonnie grit her teeth and crushed the bag in the weight of her hand. The bag burst into flames in the palm of her hands, never singing her. She watched as it burned to ashes. A wave of magic rushed through her, causing her hair to rustle from the force. Bonnie, shivered as black veins trickled down her arms and disappeared beneath her skin. The magic from the bag was powerful but her magic was used to create it. She could tell. Upon releasing the energy, the magic returned to its source, her. Bonnie's eyes glowed as she felt her power return. For over year she had felt slightly out of touch with herself but upon destroying the bag, she finally felt whole again. Her body teemed with magic giving her an unrealistic glow. Bonnie struggled to maintain her magic, feeling her power return to her all at once was giving her a high she'd never felt before. She wanted nothing more than to unleash her fury on Marcel again but she managed to contain herself.

Marcel watched as Bonnie literally transformed before his eyes. He watched as black veins skittered along her arms and neck. The wind in the room picked up as she absorbed the bag's power. He watched as she doubled over from the weight of the magic. Instinctively, he stepped towards her to check if she was okay but quickly remembered the attack she released on him. He stilled his movements, taking a step back when her gaze fell upon him. Her green eyes glowed brightly. Her irises held flickers of gold in them and her skin glowed with magic. She was breathtaking.

"Take me to Davina," she demanded. Marcel gave her a weary look. The amount of magic that radiated off her made the air in the room thick. There was hesitation in Marcel's eyes. He couldn't allow Bonnie to hurt Davina for something he had done. She was just a kid. Before he could think of an excuse, Bonnie spoke again. "I won't hurt her. You have my word." Marcel wasn't sure if he believed Bonnie but he wasn't in a position to argue with her. The way she attacked him last week was vicious. After what he just witnessed, he had no doubt that Bonnie couldn't kill him with a single thought now.

"She's just a kid Bonnie. Any issues you have are with me, not her. Remember that." Marcel felt the need to reiterate that Davina was innocent in this. The Bonnie he knew would never harm a kid but the Bonnie before him now was nearly unrecognizable.

"I wouldn't hurt a kid Marcel," Bonnie snapped, irritated by his assumption. Bonnie moved to gather the rest of her things. When she was done, she had only the things she came with and the things she purchased herself. Pride wouldn't allow her to take anything Marcel had gifted her.

"I have what I need. You can burn everything else," she spoke in a deadpan tone. Before Marcel could argue, she was out the door. Her magic carried her items in the air behind her. "I'll drive."

DBMDBMDBMDBMDBMDBM

Davina stared out of the window of St. Ann's Cathedral, glancing at the city below. It was mid-morning and everyone was headed out to brunch. Davina watched as tourists and locals fumbled about the city without a care in the world. She envied them. They could go anywhere and was free to do anything they wanted while she was holed up in a church.

After Bonnie attacked Marcel, he moved her from the house in Algiers to the church so that she could be closer to him in case Bonnie found her. Davina was afraid and did as Marcel suggested but she missed her old 'home'. At least out there she could sneak out and lay in the sun for a couple of hours. In the city, there were eyes everywhere. She was about to go stir crazy and it had barely been a week.

Upon seeing the attack on Marcel, Davina got a glimpse of just how powerful the Bennett witch really was. She had heard stories of the powerful line of witches but never thought she'd ever get this close to one. She hoped she would never meet Bonnie face to face. Her reputation preceded her. The Bennetts have always been the talk of the supernatural world and now the ancestors were whispering about how Bonnie had gone against Marcel and Niklaus and came out unscathed. Some of them called her an abomination, saying her magic wasn't from the earth. That she had somehow tapped into a darker form of magic. Others were calling her their savior, sent to destroy both vampires and hybrids alike. She didn't know which side was right.

Her stomach growled, bringing her back to earth. She grabbed her phone to text Marcel when she heard the door to the attic open. She smiled and ran to greet him but skid to a halt when she saw Bonnie Bennett instead. Davina gasped and turned to run. The look on Bonnie's face did not spell out good news for her. With wide eyes, Davina looked for a means to escape. Magic was not an option. She knew she wouldn't win against a Bennett.

"Oh my god, please don't hurt me!" Davina cursed herself for her reaction but she was caught completely off guard. This was the last place she expected Bonnie to ever show up. Using her magic, Davina placed a barrier around herself. It wasn't much but she had to try.

"Davina, she's not here to hurt you, I promise." The sound of Marcel's voice calmed her a bit and she opened her eyes to find him running towards her. When he hit the barrier, she relaxed just a tad, staring up at him in confusion. Why would he bring her here?

Bonnie had prepared to confront the witch about siphoning from her but the reaction from Davina softened her tremendously. She truly was a child, no more than fifteen or sixteen. Bonnie was instantly reminded of herself at that age, being thrown into the supernatural without any guidance. The scowl on Bonnie's face lessened as she slowed her steps. Her eyes met Marcel's as he watched her with uncertainty. She fought not to roll her eyes. She had no intention of hurting the girl. She just wanted to put a stop to Davina draining her of her powers.

Bonnie cleared her throat before speaking. "Hey… I'm not here to hurt you okay. I just need the talisman you made to siphon my magic, that's all." Bonnie couldn't help the guilt that plagued her. She had stormed through the church in hopes to intimidate the girl into handing over the talisman without a fight. She didn't mean to put the fear of God in her.

Bonnie briefly wondered if this was how Klaus felt whenever he entered a room. A sick part of her enjoyed the reaction causing her to feel ashamed. Even so, seeing the fear and uncertainty in Davina and marcel's eyes was quite intoxicating.

Davina glanced up at Marcel who nodded his approval. The young girl handed over the Talisman which was hanging from her neck. She watched in awe as Bonnie gripped it tight and absorbed its energy until the amulet shattered into tiny crystals. When Bonnie's eyes met hers, Davina looked away. She felt guilty for what she'd done now that she was face to face with Bonnie.

"I don't blame you for what you did," Bonnie began. Her eyes cut to Marcel briefly before studying Davina once more. "If you ever find yourself in a bind," Bonnie slipped a note in Davina's hand. "Reach out to me."

Davina took the note gingerly, watching in awe as Bonnie turned to leave. As she retreated, the heavy blanket of her magic dissipated as it traveled with her. Once Bonnie was gone, Davina turned to look at Marcel with ire in her eyes.

"A warning would have been really great, Marcel," she spat. She crumpled the note in her hand and tossed it at him. "Why would she give me her phone number? What's going on, Marcel? Why'd you bring her here?" As Davina tore into him, Marcel opened the paper Bonnie gave Davina.

"This isn't a phone number. It's a spell. And I tried to warn you but I couldn't." Bonnie had melted his cellphone so that he couldn't text her.

"A spell?" Davina grabbed the paper from him and read over the Latin words Bonnie had written. "It's a summoning spell." Davina had read about witches having their own summoning spells but she hadn't met many that did. In fact, she thought it was a myth. The fact that Bonnie had given it to her sparked many questions for Davina.

"A summoning spell?" Marcel frowned and wondered why Bonnie would ever give that to Davina. "When she found the hex bag, she destroyed it but it seemed like she grew more powerful. Is that normal?" Marcel asked the question that burned his brain since he and Bonnie left the house. Davina considered his question before answering.

"Nothing has ever been normal around here, Marcel," Davina reminded him. "I'm guessing she absorbed its magic as she did with the amulet I gave her. If so, she absorbed a year's worth of magic all at once which creates a surge in power. It should wear off in the coming days but this is Bonnie we're talking about and her magic is peculiar so who knows how it'll be affected."

Marcel nodded as he considered what Davina told him. With Bonnie's growing power, she was quickly becoming a threat to him. They were no longer on the same side of the coin and as much as long as she went unchecked, other witches would start to rise up against him. He needed to find a way to put a lid on her and fast if he wanted to maintain control of his city. She was a loose cannon that he could not afford.

Hopefully, she maintained her desire to stay out of supernatural business but something tells him that she won't stay neutral for long and if she isn't with him, she'll be against him.

BVBVBVBVBVBVBVBV

Rousseau's was the common ground for supernatural beings, especially during mourning. Last month, Twenty-seven families had to bury their loved ones. Even for New Orleans, that was a high number of funerals. Families marched through the streets as they buried their loved ones, each funeral grander than the last. After each funeral, supernaturals that knew the dead gathered at Rousseau's for drinks and a respite from mourning. Rousseau's was more crowded than ever as people filed in day after day.

However now, mourning was just about over and everyone was returning to their normal lives. Everyone except Bonnie, that is. Drinking had become her favorite past-time and like vampires and werewolves, witches also had a higher tolerance than humans when it came to alcohol. After the encounter with Davina and Marcel, Bonnie visited the bank to get her affairs in order. When she left Mystic Falls, she took the inheritance from both her Father and her Grams with her. Since meeting Marcel, she's barely had to touch it and was pleased to learn how much interest it accumulated since then. That gave her grounds to celebrate which led her to Rousseau's. Bonnie was three sheets to the wind but she maintained her appearance and composure. She was a bit traditional in the belief about being a public drunk, especially as a female.

Her green eyes scanned the crowd, looking for prey. It had been a while since she's had sex and it was starting to gnaw at her. She needed someone fun to replace Marcel but so far, no one in Rousseau's was living up to her standards. Bonnie sat her glass down and pushed it away from her. It was her fifth drink in the hour she's been there; Ciroc Amaretto on the rocks with a twist of lemon.

She crunched the ice she held in her cheeks as she surveyed the bar one more time. She was close to giving up and calling it a night when she laid eyes on a smoking hot guy from across the room. Bonnie discreetly watched him from afar. He looked troubled but Bonnie was too drunk to care about social cues. She needed to scratch an itch and he seemed like the perfect guy to do it.

Bonnie ordered two drinks and made her way to his end of the bar where he was nursing the same beer he'd had since he came in. Luckily, the stool next to him was empty. Bonnie rounded him and slid the drink gently in front of him.

"You look like you could use this." At the sound of her voice, the young man glanced up, giving Bonnie a better view of him. His skin was bronze and radiant, like hers. His eyes were bright, dark pools of obsidian. Bonnie thought he was gorgeous. His cheekbones sat high on his perfectly unblemished face. Bonnie wondered how she hadn't seen him around. "I'm Bonnie," she introduced.

"Vincent," he countered as he reached out for the drink hesitantly. When their fingers brushed one another, she felt a wave of magic from him. They both twitched slightly and their eyes met again with a gleam of familiarity in them.

"You're a witch," she observed with a small smile. Vincent scoffed bitterly and nodded.

"So are you," he replied. He stared at the drink she gave him for a moment and slid it back to her. Bonnie frowned. "You're his witch. Forgive me but for all I know, Sweetheart, that drink could be poisoned," Vincent explained. Bonnie was taken aback and struggled to figure out what on earth he meant before connecting the dots.

"I'm nobody's witch," she balked, highly offended by his accusations. Was this what the witches said about her behind her back? "Let me guess, you're one of the families?" Bonnie could only assume by his bitterness that Marcel killed someone he loved. She really had to be more careful around witches now. Everyone had an ax to grind.

"One of the families," Vincent scoffed. "Yes. I am. Her name was Eva and your boyfriend, or whatever he is to you, murdered her and twenty-six other witches in cold-blood. You probably did nothing to stop him, did you, Bonnie?" Vincent didn't give her a chance to answer. "You know, when I first heard that Marcel landed a Bennett witch, I thought it was hearsay. A Bennett would never associate herself with someone as vile as him, but to see it with my own eyes…" The look of discontent he gave her made Bonnie's skin crawl. It wasn't the first time one of the victim's families had confronted her this month but this one seemed more personal. "How could you let this happen?"

"I didn't know it was happening!" Bonnie felt the urge to defend herself. She didn't like what was being said about her but she didn't know how to address it. No one ever gave her the benefit of the doubt when it came to what Marcel had done. "Just like he manipulates the entire city to bend to his will, he manipulated me too!" Vincent's eyes softened a little as he searched for any signs of deceit from the young girl. When he found none, he relaxed just a tad.

"Why'd you come over here? What do you need?" Bonnie suddenly felt foolish for ever leaving her chair in the first place. Chuckling, she rubbed a hand over her face before taking a gulp from her glass.

"I came over here to seduce you but that's obviously not gonna happen." Bonnie felt as if she'd been doused with cold water but she was determined not to let this ruin her night. After finishing her drink, she took the drink she'd offered him back and took a step back. She gave Vincent a once over and shook her head. "Have a nice night," she offered with a raise of her glass. She went to close out her tab and tipped her bartender handsomely before leaving with her drink in hand. She walked out onto Bourbon Street, careful not to stumble through the crowd of people littering the streets. She raised her glass to her lips but started when she felt a gentle hand over hers, halting her movements. Her heart skidded in her chest as she glanced up to find Vincent over her. She raised a brow, readying herself for a battle.

"I can't just let you leave like this, not in good conscience," he explained. Bonnie took a moment to appreciate his height. Tall guys were always a turn on for her.

"I can handle myself, thank you." Though her words were snarky, her tone remained light. Vincent smiled a little and raised the glass to his lips. "Hey…" Bonnie protested when he began drinking the contents of the glass.

"Hey yourself," he chided. "This is technically mine," he pointed out. Bonnie eyed him for a moment, smirking when she saw the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Well, you declined it so it's mine now." Bonnie watched as Vincent polished off the drink and threw the glass in an alley nearby, Bonnie giggled at his tenacity. "Whatever, I'll just get another one," she challenged.

Vincent smiled warmly. "I apologize for being rude. I never considered that he was using you," he said. Listening to the other witches tainted his view of Bonnie. "Everyone thought you were the one sent to 'lead us into victory' and when we saw you were with him, we lost faith,"Vincent explained. Bonnie frowned, craning her neck to look at him fully.

"Wait, what do you mean, lead you all to victory?" She wasn't sure if the drinks were taking a toll on her but she had no clue what Vincent was referring to. He stared down at her for a while, realization washing over him.

"You have no clue about the prophecy do you?"

Bonnie hated prophecies.

"What prophesy, Vincent?" She spoke slowly, afraid of what she might hear, what she knew she would hear.

"The ancestors have been whispering about how you're the answer to freeing the witches of the quarter from Marcel's bondage."

Bonnie sighed her frustrations, "My God, you people put way too much stock in me," she grumbled.

Why was she always the answer?

A/N: Thank you all for sticking with me! I'm back sooner than I planned with another chapter. This year I have a flea up my ass apparently so hopefully, I'll be more active. I'm trying to do better, I swear. To those reading Savages, I haven't forgotten it. I'm simply going where the Lord leads me lol. Next chapter I plan to reveal how Bonnie died hopefully but who knows, the story may take me in a different direction. So if not next chapter, the following; I also plan to reveal how Elena was killed. Damon, Stefan, and Caroline will also make an appearance, they aren't forgotten. Since it's been so long, I tried to reiterate the timeline of events in this chapter for you guys. It's been about a month and a few weeks since the start of this story unless I completely missed something lol. Right now, Bonnie is being pulled in every direction but bear with me lol. It's much like how things were in Mystic Falls except this is a different Bonnie so we'll see how she responds to the pressure.

I named this story after the Jay Z and Kanye song, No Church In The Wild so think about how the chorus applies while reading this story. Also, I currently don't have an endgame in mind so let me know your thoughts. Thank you SO much for reading and commenting. It really does matter!