"Chapter 10 – Ability"

"Bonnie. Bonnie, open your eyes."

The witch turns away from the voice, curling up on her side beneath the covers. A convulsion startles her awake; she looks down to see a hand on her shoulder, touching her bare skin. She shoots up in bed and snaps around, looking at the incredibly muscular, raven-haired man she'd seen in her dream the night before.

"Who are you?" Bonnie asks quietly, her voice barely audible. "Why do I keep seeing you?"

He sighs, running a hand through his hair as he takes a spot on the bed. She looks around, somewhat surprised that she's in Stiles' room. Though she knows it's a dream, she can't help but notice how real everything is around her.

"You really don't want me to tell you who I am," he says, his lips curving slightly into a sheepish smile. "But I'm just trying to help you."

"When will I remember who I am?" she asks pleadingly, bringing her knees to her chest beneath the sheets.

The man looks away for a moment before looking back at her. "You have to channel your magic," he explains. "Another witch has control over you right now, but you're stronger. Once you tap into your power, you'll be able to stop her and go back to your old self."

"What if I can't get my magic back in time? You said that there wasn't a lot of time before your sister does something dangerous. What if I can't do this?"

He smiles warmly and grabs her hand, sparking her skin. Suddenly, his face becomes a little familiar as she feels warmth budding and spreading through her core.

She's no longer entirely sure this is a dream.

"I believe in you, Bonnie," he breathes. "You're more powerful than you realize, and you've battled tougher than this."

On impulse, Bonnie pulls him closer by his hand to kiss him. At first, he remains still, unreactive, but she can feel more of her memories coming back. Snapshots of her spending time with him, holding his hand, laughing with and kissing him, flash before her. But then comes the fear of his sister finding out, and even the slightest hint of darkness she felt inside of herself as she worried for his safety.

She can almost hear his name in the back of her mind when she feels a new set of lips caressing hers.

Bonnie startles awake and shoves the new body away her, her panic subsiding when she realizes it's only Stiles. She gasps when he hits the floor and leans over to look at him. "I-I'm so sorry."

"No, no," Stiles says, standing as he rubs his head. "That was my fault for thinking nothing would happen when I tried to kiss an amnesiac good morning."

She smiles sweetly at him, gently taking his hand. She pulls him closer to her and kisses him lightly on the lips. "Good morning," she whispers cheerily, her smile spreading from ear to ear.

"You're in a good mood," he points out, sitting on the bed.

"I had another dream," she announces, bouncing on the bed excitedly. "I saw that cute boy again, and he said it wouldn't be too hard to regain my powers."

Stiles' face falls slightly. "This doesn't seem like an I-can-get-my-powers-back kind of happy," he points out, eying her wearily. "Do you… are you… you just seem really invested in him."

Bonnie raises an eyebrow, looking at him skeptically. "I've only seen him twice," she reminds him, "And he's in my dreams, as in, not real. He's just trying to help me remember who I am and why I'm here. I don't even know his name!"

"I didn't know your name!"

She purses her lips, glaring at him slightly. How could he be that stupid? Not only was she grateful to him for everything he'd done for her, but she genuinely liked him. The man in her dreams, however, was just that: part of a dream. If she had loved him before she lost her memory, if he were even real, he would have told her… wouldn't he?

A gust of wind smacks Stiles in the face, knocking him down to the floor. With a gasp, she and scrambles over the bed, leaning over the side. He simply lies there, back flat on the floor with his eyes closed.

"I'm so sorry!" she spouts hurriedly. "I didn't mean to!"

"I don't know why I even got off the couch this morning." He opens his eyes slightly to look at her, a small smile forming on his lips. "Maybe you should try practicing or something so you don't end up killing me the next time we have an argument."

"This was an argument?" Bonnie questions, her face falling.

He sits up to place his elbows on the bed. "Not entirely. But all couples argue eventually."

She smiles warmly, lightly pressing her knuckles against half of her mouth to hide it. "So... we're a couple now?"

Her childlike wonder and shyness elicits a smirk from him. She drives him crazy, filling him with such a strong sense of happiness, warmth, and life. No matter how hard he tries, he knows the words won't come out of his lips to properly explain it, but he still has to try.

"I really like you, Bonnie," he confesses. "There's a lot going on with your magic and your crazy, super-human friends, so I haven't been able to ask you how you feel. So..."

Slowly, Bonnie's index finger extends over her lips, her eyes slightly narrowed with cat-like playfulness. She smirks back at him and leans a little closer to him. "I'd like being your girlfriend," she breathes, her lips barely centimeters from his, "But I need some time to think it over."

"Take all you need, because I kinda like the idea of being your boyfriend," he returns before kissing her softly. He places his hand on her neck and she rests her hand on his cheek.

"I can hear your heart racing, you know," Caroline announces, swinging her legs back and forth over the side of the bed. "Stefan's pretty harmless."

"I'm not worried about him," Derek states quietly. He leans back in his chair placed against the wall, his arms crossed and his legs outstretched.

"Then what is it?"

"Don't worry about it," he spits, his head snapping to her. When his eyes meet hers, his heart accelerates even more; she has to conceal her smile.

Caroline knows she's gorgeous; that's part of the reason she won the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant. There isn't a man alive who wouldn't fall to his knees for a pretty little blonde with big blue eyes and a nice rack. And while Derek is a werewolf, he's still a man. A darkly handsome man.

Men come easy to her; that much she has always known. She can't help but linger on the thought of seducing him into letting her go. She's never been much for elaborate planning, and he'll probably see right through her attempts, but it's better than not trying. And if all goes well, she might have enough strength left to fight him and whoever else guards the building.

"I think you should be nicer to me," she persists in a calm, masked voice. "I haven't done anything wrong, and I think I proved how trustworthy I am."

"I never trust vampires," he insists, turning away from her.

"I didn't choose to be a vampire," she rebukes. "I was turned against my will by a vindictive bitch who was trying to send a message to Elena."

"You still kill innocent people."

"I've only killed one person!" she cries, shooting to her feet with a glare. "And that was an accident! When Stefan gets here, you can ask him about how he helped me control myself. I only feed on animals, and I don't kill them unless someone starves me first. Stereotypes hurt, you… you mutt."

Refusing to meet her gaze, he watches her from the corner of his eye. His body seems to repose, if only slightly. His face softens from its hard scowl.

"I don't see why you're keeping me a prisoner here," she rages on. "I answered every question you wanted, and you saw how Bonnie and I were reconnecting. She knows I'm not evil! I don't know what sort of further evidence you need."

He stands and faces her, his face stern with deliberation. A small part of him wants to trust her, but he isn't sure if it's because he's distracted by her looks. While she doesn't seem like the murderous hag that Kate Argent was, the fact of the matter is that she's still a vampire; even if she says she only feeds on animals, he's sure there'll be many instances in her long life where she'll give into the temptation of human blood.

They all do.

She has power, and it's steadily growing—even with the small supply of animals she'd been given. Soon, it wouldn't surprise him if was were able to beat him in battle, to match his every move with one of her own. The thought of fighting her entices him, and their small display for power moments earlier sent adrenaline and desire for more of it coursing through him.

He craves more of it, more of her.

In the back of his mind, he knows that the bite from a vampire could potentially kill him, and his bite could potentially kill her. She isn't like the vampires he's seen—but that doesn't say much since she's been locked away since he found her—and researched, and she's assured him that he isn't like any werewolf she's ever known. The rules of life and death are different for them, any touch between them would be a risk he's itching to take.

"I could have killed you," he reminds her, his voice shaking with anticipation. In the small time they've been together, this is the first time she's ever heard anything but power in his voice. "There were so many opportunities …"

"So why didn't you?" she asks quietly. Keeping her eyes on him, she steps forward, stopping a foot away from him.

His hand snaps out to the side of her neck, but she quickly deflects him, digging her nails into his wrist. He tries the same with his free hand, and she repeats the process until she holds both, blood trickling down her fingernails.

She grins mischievously, a sense of pride lingering behind her lips. Taking him down was a piece of cake, just like she assumed it would be.

But caught in her hubris, her grip on him laxes ever so slightly, causing him to smirk. Dropping his body downward, he locks his hands around her wrists and throws her over his back into the wall. She hits the structure with a loud crash, but quickly recovers. Once on her feet, she speeds to him and pins him to the floor by his neck, intentionally straddling him to distract him.

For a moment, he stares up at her hungrily, lust staggering his breathing. Distracted by his confusing gaze, he flips her and crashes her against the hardwood floor. His lips collide with hers, ravaging the soft, smooth curves of her mouth.

She gasps into the kiss, taken aback by the sudden shift in atmosphere. Unperturbed by the action, she quickly finds herself returning the favor, her hands shooting to his hair. Her legs wrap around his waist, pulling her body off the floor and closer to his as their starving kiss deepens.

As she begins to grind her body against his, fire begins to burn in him and he can't stop himself from ripping her clothes off; it's an effort for him, but he's careful not to scratch her. She quickly follows suit and rips open his shirt. Tattered shreds of their clothing fly around the loft as they roll around on the floor, fighting to be on top.

By the time they tire each other out—ignoring all calls and texts amongst his loud snarls and her louder moans—the pair lie breathlessly on his bed, his sheets haphazardly twisted about between them. They both wait until their breathing settles before they check their phones. Derek finds three missed calls from Scott as well as messages from Isaac and Stiles, while Caroline's phone rings as soon as she touches it.

She smiles when she sees Stefan's name on the screen. "Hi, stranger."

Derek stares pointedly at her cheery disposition.

"What are you doing?" Stefan demands, his voice filled with urgency. "I've been wandering around town for half an hour, waiting for you to tell me where you are."

"Sorry," she offers, grinning ear to ear. "I got caught up in being held captive. I'll send you the address okay?"

"Just hurry," he advises. "You know it won't be long before Klaus tracks Elena down."

"The sooner you hang up," she taunts in a playful, singing voice, "the sooner I can text you where I am."

Stefan sighs and grumbles a goodbye before hanging up. As she ticks away on her phone, Derek huffs slightly, almost resembling a small laugh. "Admit it," he sighs breathlessly, his lips curling up slightly. "You liked it."

"Liked what?" she returns monotonously, keeping her eyes on the screen.

"Being held captive."

Instead of replying, she smirks at her phone. After sending the message, she locks it and places it under her pillow. She rolls over onto her side and snuggles up beneath the covers. She closes her eyes, biting her lip to stifle her ever-growing smile.

If being held captive meant amazing sex with a gorgeous guy, then she would gladly undergo it once more.

"Maybe."

Her phone buzzes beneath her pillow, just as she's about to doze off. Knowing Stefan was on his way, she hadn't meant to fall asleep; however, it was the first moment of peace and quiet she's gotten since arriving in Beacon Hills.

After pulling it out and seeing it's Stefan, she tells him she'll be down in a minute. Upon rolling onto her back, she finally notices that Derek isn't there; she hadn't even noticed him leave.

While it wouldn't be her first, would it still count as a one night stand if he left her in his home?

In the blink of an eye, she gets out of bed and dresses in what's left of her jeans, a white undershirt, and a plaid button-down from Derek's dresser since he tore her blouse. It felt odd donning his clothes since she didn't wear any of her ex's things until their second month of dating.

As she's about to open the door to head downstairs, it swings open and Derek and Stefan stand in the doorway. "Oh!"

"Klaus is tracking me," Stefan states, hurriedly walking into the room.

"Well hello to you, too," she quips, spinning around to watch him. Her blonde hair flies around her, a bit of a show for the wolf standing behind her. "How do you know he's tracking you?"

"You still haven't told me who Klaus is," Derek points out.

Caroline snaps back in annoyance, not wanting to relive the hell he's put her and her friends through by letting a stranger in on the drama; that's all this power-hungry werewolf is anyway. "He's someone you never ever want to meet," she tells him. "He's one of the oldest vampires out there, and he'll do whatever it takes to get what he wants."

Derek crosses his arms, pursing his lips. "So what does he want?"

"Right now," Stefan interjects before she can speak, "my ex-girlfriend."

"Elena?"

Stefan shoots a questioning glance to Caroline. "What all did you tell him?" he questions defensively, his eyes flicking back to the werewolf.

"Pretty much everything except the Klaus stuff," she responds, crossing her arms. "How did you find out about him?"

"Damon's been texting me," he answers simply, shoving his hands into the pockets of his dark-wash jeans. "Klaus is getting sloppy with compulsion and didn't tell him not to contact me. They were in Italy looking for Katherine, but he's decided to go after Elena first to draw her out with a negotiation."

"You shouldn't have come here," Derek growls, stepping in front of Caroline.

"Remind me who you are again?" Stefan taunts, mimicking the werewolf's dark gaze.

"I protect this town," Derek snarls, baring human-like teeth. "The last thing we need is more vampires."

"That's why I'm here to get Elena," the shorter supernatural man spits. "We're going to go get her and Bonnie and leave as soon as possible to keep Klaus away from here. The sooner you let Caroline go, the sooner we can find Elena."

"Maybe Bonnie's seen her and she doesn't know it," Caroline suggests. "She has a case of... witchy amnesia, it would seem," she adds when Stefan gives her a raised brow.

"Well where is she?"

"Neither of you are leaving," Derek states adamantly. "I need to keep my eyes on both of you."

Stefan squares his shoulders with an annoyed purse of his lips. "Listen," he starts with malice in his voice, "I am over a century and a half old; that means I'm very strong—definitely stronger than Caroline—so you can't play your little 'captive' game with me. I won't kill you, but I will take you and whatever you have up your sleeve out before you can even blink. We don't have time for whatever power play you're trying to make here."

For a solid minute, the two men stare each other down to assert their dominance. If Caroline didn't know better, she would think that they would have amazing, rough, gay sex. Actually, she didn't know better; she'd only known Derek for barely more than a week. And Stefan would fuck anything that moved if he was without his humanity.

"Can you wait until I get my phone before you start making out?" Caroline quips. "I could have left three times while you two were eye-boning each other."

Keeping his eyes on Derek, Stefan scowls. "We're leaving."

"Or we can compromise and have Bonnie come here," the blonde suggests. "That way, you two can have some alone time." She snickers slightly, garnering annoyed glances from both men.

"We'll wait for her," Stefan allows. He turns back to Derek. "But we're leaving after she gets here."

"I'm coming with you," the werewolf adds.

Stefan rolls his eyes. "Your trust issues are really starting to get annoying," he sneers.

Damon sits at the edge of Beacon Hills atop a large boulder with his leg propped up. Klaus stands beside him, staring off into the small town bathed in warm gold. Despite the circumstances, he smiles at the memory of a fling he had some fifty years ago; other than Elena, his year-long romp was the wildest lay of his life.

"Bring her to me," Klaus demands.

"I'd be more than happy to if I could run a stake through her first," Damon jokes, smirking at his own dark humor. More than likely, he's not going to enjoy his task with this seemingly innocent girl.

Klaus's hand snaps to the back of Damon's neck, and he pulls the younger vampire to face him. "Bring her to me alive," he seethes, nostrils flaring and eyes dilating.

Keeping his eyes on the Original's, Damon groans and mutters out a reply of compliance. He's tired of dealing with stupid girls, but there isn't much he can do about it; he can't beat the compulsion. Once released, he speeds off into the seemingly quiet town in search of his target.

Meanwhile, Klaus heads off in another direction of the small town in search of a certain young witch.

Elena sits on the small bed in the corner of Allison's room with her back against the wall and her wrists propped on her raised knees. She stares blankly at the off-white paint, lips pursed in thought. Her normally messy bun that she puts her hair in before she sleeps is more disheveled than ever from a sleepless night, and the makeup she forgot to take off is smudged beneath her eyes to enhance her chic sleep-deprived look.

Every time she closes her eyes, the previous day's antics flood her mind. Her favorite is fucking Chris on the kitchen counter.

No. Stop. You don't have a favorite anything!

She shouldn't be feeling anything with her humanity off, but the feelings and emotions keep trying to bubble back to the surface. She has to go through with her plan with Deucalion, to take down Klaus. If she lets her guard down for even a minute, he'll come after her. He'll torture her, break her, and shove the cure down her throat so she can aid him in his quest for domination. And if—by some god-awful circumstance—none of that works, he'll kill her; there's no telling how the cure will affect the magic in her blood, if it'll cancel out the Petrova line he needs to sire hybrids.

And she's not ready to die.

She can't give up on her plan. Not now. Not because she thinks she's developing feelings for a hunter. She has no feelings. No matter how handsome he is, no matter how good the sex is, no matter what, she's unable to have anything for him because she is strict, cold, hard stone.

But in the back of her mind, she can't help but question how well this humanity thing works.

She should just kill that stupid hunter and his vapid daughter right now to get it over with. After all, it's been her plan from the start, and she's taking too long to go through with it. A week ago, she would have gladly killed him; hell, she would have killed him before they had sex. She should have done it then; his guard—and his pants—were down, and he was ripe for the picking.

What kind of vampire was she that she couldn't kill a pathetic human when his walls were broken? Apparently, she was the kind of vampire that let her own walls crumble in the face of passion, that's what.

No real vampire would have turned off her humanity and let a dumb human bright it back.

The thought of backing out of the plan and running for the rest of her life seemed plausible, but she could never be free that way; deep down, Elena knew that. But here she was, preparing to throw herself back into another Klaus-induced nightmare just so she could live in the slightest glimpse of her own selfishness.

Breathing deeply through her nose, she looks to Allison sleeping soundly in her bed and quietly lets out the air from her slightly parted lips.

With the Argent girl's alarm set for eight a.m., she's about to be woken up in five short minutes, but she looks so blissfully unaware. A small smile dances on her twitching lips. If Elena had to guess, she's probably dreaming of Isaac. In the overheard conversations with Lydia, that's all she ever talks about.

Does he like her? What would Scott think? What about her dad?

Longer than she intends, she envies Allison in her calm slumber. She misses the days where she could be a normal teenager, where she could lead a normal life. She misses her parents and their warm hugs. Chris probably gives Allison a lot of hugs. Or maybe he doesn't. Maybe she takes him for granted like she took her own parents for granted.

Sighing, Elena climbs off the bed and heads to the bathroom to take a long shower just as Allison's phone goes off. Hot water will do her some good; it'll clear her head.

She can't lose focus.