Chapter 12

It was a lazy Saturday and Bonnie was lying on her bed, texting with Elena. She wasn't particularly interested in the things Elena talked about, mainly because she only spoke about the new hottie in town that kept staring at her like a creep in history class. But Elena was her best friend and she had been through a lot lately, so she could use something good in her life for once. And if Bonnie needed to listen to her pining over this guy, so be it.

"Bonnie, child. Can you come down here?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes. What was so important that she needed to abandon her semi-conversation with Elena. Bonnie quickly told her via text, that her Grams just called for her and waited until Elena replied. That took some time, which lead to her Grams calling for her once more, now sounding a little more impatient.

"Coming, Grams.", Bonnie called back like the spoiled teen she was and moved to get off her bed.

When she passed the mirror next to her door, she let her view roam over her appearance for a short moment. She shrugged. It was Saturday and no one could expect her to look like a princess. There was a party later that day that she wanted to go to with Elena and Caroline. She'd dress up then but until then, Grams would have to deal with this version of her.

Bonnie jumped down the stairs of the old cottage. It was small but combatable. She much preferred it to her father's house, and since he was always traveling for work purposes, she didn't spend much time there anywhere. This was her real home.

When Bonnie reached the end of the stairs, she expected a rather annoyed looking older Bennett woman standing in front of it, judging Bonnie for her lack of takt concerning the older generation, but there was no one. Bonnie frowned. Her Grams had called for her, right?

"Grams, where are you?", she called through the old house but didn't get a reply. Bonnie started searching for the older woman in the kitchen but didn't find anyone. When she made her way to the living room, she nearly shrieked when she spotted a young man sitting at the dining table.

"Hi." The man, or rather boy- he couldn't be older than Bonnie herself- raised a hand in greeting and looked at her innocently.

Bonnie tried to regain her posture and breathed in a little heavier then usual. She didn't say anything but just kept inspecting the stranger that was just happening to sit in her living room. She knew it was rude, especially because she was really staring at him, but she had no idea what this was all about. Where the hell was her grandmother?

The guy seemed to not mind her weirdo-behavior because there was an amused smile playing around his lips as he watched her watch him. Bonnie saw dimples on his cheeks. That sight sent a weird feeling to Bonnie's stomach. She realized that he was in general a pretty attractive guy. His dark hair and bright grey eyes contrasted each other. His smile was cunning and gave him a sort of edge. All of this was topped off with the general mischief in his eyes and the dark look he wore, black jeans, black boots and a dark shirt with a band name printed on it, which Bonnie had never heard of before.

The stranger tilted his head while keeping his eyes stuck on her. She felt weirdly uncomfortable and wished she had bothered with wearing decent clothes.

"Can you talk?", the boy asked with a little disbelief.

Bonnie frowned. "Of course, I can talk. What kind of question is that? And who the hell are you? And where is my grandmother?"

Bonnie just started rambling in front of the guy and didn't even let him speak. He was about to open his mouth and talk when Sheila Bennett's figure appeared next to Bonnie. The door to the cellar was wide open, telling Bonnie she had been down there this entire time.

"Oh good, you two already introduced each other.", the elderly woman said while slipping passed Bonnie and making her way over to the stranger.

"Actually, your granddaughter preferred to stare.", the boy implied smiling mischievously. Bonnie shot daggers at him.

Sheila turned around to look at her granddaughter with a warning glance. "Child, where are your manners? Didn't I teach you better?"

When Sheila sat next to him, Bonnie rolled her eyes and took a few steps closer. "Hi, my name is Bonnie Bennett, I am 17 years old and a junior at Mystic Falls High. My favorite TV Show currently is Lost. My favorite color is blue and I dream to grow up and become a Superhero one day.", Bonnie told the stranger with spite in her tone. Something about him seemed to rub her the wrong way and she had no idea why. She looked back at her Grams, knowing that she didn't like her behavior. "Was that good?"

Sheila glared at her. "Not quite.", she looked down on Bonnie's hands and tilted her head in the guys direction. Bonnie sighed and extended her hand to the boy. "Really nice to meet you."

He kept looking at her hand as if she was going to zap him or something but, in the end, he reached out his own hand, a smile prominent on his face crying out to mean nothing good. It was obvious he wasn't bothered by her little power play with her grandmother at all.

"Nice to meet you, too. I'm Malachai Parker."

The moment their fingers touched, something flashed in front of Bonnie's eyes. It was only snapshots, snapshots of scenes that seemed to have her and him in it. It seemed like a lifetime full of memories that she hadn't even had yet.

Intuitively, Bonnie pulled away from him and rubbed her fingers gently. She didn't want to look obvious to him or her grams, so she just sat down on the chair closest to her. She had no idea if Malachai had seen the same thin as her, but if he did, he didn't look like it.

"So, this is the book I was talking about.", Sheila said after Bonnie had sat down.

Malachai turned to look at the book Sheila had brought from downstairs and flicked it open. It was a Grimoire; Bonnie could see but she had no idea why Grams would show this to him. It was like Sheila could sense her question, because she turned and looked at her.

"Kai is from a coven in the North West. The Gemini Coven. They are allies of ours.", Sheila explained.

"Then why haven't I heard of them until now?", Bonnie asked, not taking her eyes of 'Kai'.

"Because-", he looked up and looked her straight in the eyes. "- it's run by crazy, paranoid, secretive weirdos."

Something burned inside her as he kept his intense gaze locked with hers. Bonnie tried not to look away, but she felt more and more uncomfortable. No, not uncomfortable, more like, heated. Desire and want flashed through her and another feeling as well. The feeling of feeling safe and secure and then something in Bonnie clicked. She knew this already, she knew all of this. And she knew him… Oh no, not again.

The shock over the realization that this must be a dream and she was trespassing in his subconscious again, was probably visible on her face. At least, Kai tilted his head and watched her curiously.

"Bonnie, I thought, since Kai isn't leaving until tomorrow afternoon, why don't you take him along to that young adult meeting of yours?"

Bonnie blinked, still a little dazed by the situation she was in. "Young adult what? Do you- do you mean the Bonfire?"

"You know what I mean, child."

Bonnie was staring at Kai and not listening to what her grandmother said. For some reason Kai looked right back at her, but she couldn't read the expression on his face. Was there a bit of amusement playing in his eyes or was she imagining it? It would fit his character perfectly, even when he didn't understand the situation at all, he would still find pleasure in Bonnie's uncomfortableness.

When she heard her grams clearing her throat, Bonnie turned and watched her. She still owed her grams an answer. "Oh, yeah. I mean, why not. I mean, if you want to come?"

The prospect of spending more time with Kai delighted her but also frightened her. What if she did some spell again and he would end up being mad at her. Or what if she accidentally changed the timeline in a way that she could never return it to the way it was before?

Kai seemed to be pleased at the moment, though. Smiling happily. "I'd be delighted."

"God, then that's settled. Oh, I completely forgot about that tea I offered you. I'll be right back.", Sheila said and stood up, releasing Bonnie out of her stupor. When Grams passed her, she looked at her granddaughter intensely and said, "Be nice." Before she disappeared into the kitchen.

Bonnie wanted to beg her grandmother to stay because she had no idea how to behave, she didn't know what was going on, because this was certainly not like all these other times she had visited Kai in his past before. It didn't make sense and Sheila seemed to get along with this Kai pretty well. She could occupy him while Bonnie searched for an answer. Then again, the feeling of having Kai for her own right now was tempting. She hadn't seen him in so long.

"So, Bonnie- you have a boyfriend?"

Bonnie's eyes widened at his question. "What?"

"Are you single or is there a lucky bastard that holds your heard?", he patiently repeated his question like he was talking to a toddler.

Bonnie's heart jumped when she thought about the answer. She did have a boyfriend. In real life at least. But she couldn't exactly tell him, that he was that lucky bastard that held her heart, could she? He would be so confused. Also, she couldn't say no because it was simply just a lie, even though in this dream timeline, she was indeed single.

"Lost your voice again?", he asked after a while, since she didn't give him an answer.

"I- I-. No. I haven't. I just- As a matter of fact there is someone I really care about, but that is actually none of your business, is it?"

Kai smiled devilishly. "Oh, how cute. Young love." He grabbed his chest with his right hand in an overdramatic gesture, mocking her. "Don't you want to know if I have a girlfriend?"

Bonnie looked at him and felt challenged by his stare. Her heart was beating like crazy and she realized that she was afraid of his answer. What if he did have a girlfriend in this world?

"I'm not really interested.", she said and watched as Kai got up from his seat, went around the table and placed himself in the chair next to her.

"Oh, but I think you do.", he claimed and smiled. His gaze went to her lips and Bonnie shivered a little. She wanted to lean forward and capture his lips so badly, but his closeness sent her in some kind of stupor. When he leaned forward a little all she could do was look at him.

"Let me tell you about my girlfriend, Bonnie." Kai whispered in a low voice that did funny things to Bonnie. She fought the urge to close her eyes and look away, because she didn't want him to see how hurt she was.

When Kai continued, he looked her right in the eyes. "She is a wonderful human being. A witch, actually. She's got spunk. A fire, no one can really control. Sometimes not even her. But she is the most loyal and caring person I ever came across. A little judgy at points but I still love her for it. She is the only person brave enough to call me out on my shit and I adore her for it. We got off on the wrong foot, or maybe we started good and then it turned downhill before we got better. Depends on who you ask. But I would never change a single thing I went through with her, because in the end, we came out of it stronger then ever."

Bonnie blinked at little. His description sounded awfully familiar. But it couldn't be.

"It doesn't hurt that she is freaking gorgeous either, you know.", he continues. Not waiting for her to say something. "When I think of her caramel skin, it's hard to not start daydreaming. She is pretty small, but damn she has it all. Smarts, beauty, charisma and don't get me started on her smile. But the most breathtaking part of her, are her beautiful green eyes that hold so- much- love-in them."

The last part was whispered into her ear, making Bonnie shiver before she even got what he had said. Her. He was describing her. Bonnie leaned back on instinct and watched this Kai intensely. His gaze was stormy, but he was still wearing this mischievous grin on his face. But nothing on his face indicated any kind of mocking. He was serious. And that was when he started bursting out laughing.

In that moment, Bonnie realized who was actually sitting in front of her. "Kai? What the fuck?" She reached out and smacked his arm, which made him wince but at least it shut him up.

"Ouch, Bonster. That really hurt.", Kai said and rubbed his arm.

"You fucking deserved it. What the hell is this, Kai? Where are we?"

Kai grinned at her again as he leaned towards her. "This, my darling, is a dream." Kai opened is arms in an overexaggerated gesture, therefore looking a bit like a mad man presenting his invention to take over the world.

Bonnie's eyes widened in shock. "Kai, you didn't. Tell me you didn't do something stupid. We just broke the last spell, and it was fucking hard to do, why would you go and-"

Bonnie wanted to go on, but Kai had put a finger onto her lips, shutting her up. "Relax Bon, none of this is real."

He removed his finger from her lips and smiled at her. "None of it? So, there won't be some freakish consequence to anything that happens right now?"

"Bonster, this is just a dream that I manipulated a little bit. Nothing out of the ordinary, I promise."

Bonnie raised one eyebrow at his comment. "Yeah? Then why are you here in the first place? And why the hell do you look like this?"

Kai laughed. "Because I realized that I have a tone of childhood memories of you, but you were always an adult in them. None of you as a kid. So, I figured, why not give you a memory of me when you were younger. One where we actually get to be the same age for once."

Something inside her told her she should be offended, but the look in Kai's eyes told her that it was more of a romantic gesture. He knew Bonnie his entire life, he just wanted her to be able to say the same, to have a history to look back to, one that was without any conflict between them. Her heart missed a beat when she thought about how life would have been if she had known Kai Parker at the age of 17.

The thought made her smile and Kai returned her smile. She felt the intense need to lean forward and capture his lips when she realized something and her smile abruptly fell.

"So, you're not really here?"

Kai's face became sober as well. He sighed. "No, Bon, I am still in Portland. It's going to take longer than I anticipated."

Bonnie looked to the ground, tears threatening to fill her eyes. She missed him and having him close but not close at all, it wasn't really helping much.

"Hey.", his soft voice coated her and she felt his hand reach out to cup her face, making her look up. "I can leave if you want."

Bonnie quickly shook her head. No, she didn't want him to go. Even if this wasn't real, she felt his hand on her cheek just as if it was really there. If that was the only closeness she would get in a while, she would gladly take it.

In the next moment, Bonnie finally caved in to her need to kiss him and she was amazed at how willing and eager Kai reciprocated her kiss. Everything around them faded, as the teenagers engaged in a kiss that turned more passionate by the minute. Nothing mattered, except for them and both of them were content.

Until a female voice cleared its throat and Bonnie finally remembered the presence of her grandmother. She abruptly leaned back from Kai, just in time to see him do the same. Just like two teenagers that had been caught doing something inappropriate.

"I see the two of you are getting to know each other." Sheila made her way to the table and stopped behind the two young witches. To Bonnie's surprise she didn't sound a bit judgmental.

Bonnie's eyebrows rose. "You don't think this is weird?"

"Ah, come on baby, I might be old and dead, but I am not from yesterday. I knew what was going on between you two the second he stepped into my home.", Sheila explained.

Kai and Bonnie threw each other a confused look. "Is that your doing? Like, is she connected to your consciousness or why did she say she was dead?" Bonnie asked confused.

Kai frowned as he looked back at Sheila. "No, I have nothing to do with that, I swear."

"Oh, good lord, calm down you two. It's like you never saw a spirit in your life before."

They again exchanged a look before Kai shrugged. This was obviously not the weirdest thing that ever happened to him and Bonnie had to agree. A smile spread across her face, when she realized this might actually be the imprint of her grandmother's spirit in her head. Bonnie suddenly jumped up and ran towards her grandmother, giving her a huge hug.

She felt Sheila chuckle as she hugged her back. When Bonnie finally let her go, she placed her hand softly to Kai's cheeks, who looked up at her with delight. Now, Bonnie remembered how fond he had been of her grams and it had obviously been a mutual feeling, given the warmth in Grams eyes.

"It's good to see you, boy.", Sheila whispered.

"Good to see you too, Sheils."

All three of them smiled happily. It dawned on Bonnie this right here was the very first time in almost 30 years that they had come together like this. And it would probably be the last time.

Bonnie's dark thoughts were probably reflecting on her face because she suddenly felt her grandmother stroke her cheek. "Don't be downcast, child. This is a gift. I am not going to spend this moment with my two favorite witches in sorrow."

Warmth build in Bonnie's chest at her grandmother's words, not only for herself but also for the fact that her grandmother cared so deeply for the man she loved. It made a question come to the forefront of her mind, that had been banished by her strong emotional reaction.

While her grandmother sat down opposite the pair, Bonnie turned her head in her direction. "So, you are okay with this?"

Sheila chuckled. "My dear girl, you have to be a bit more precise then that. What am I supposed to be okay about? My death? This meeting?" Sheila tilted her head a little and smiled knowingly before she added. "The two of you?"

Beside her, she felt Kai shift in his seat. Could it be that he was nervous about Sheila's thoughts about their relationship? Bonnie shook her head lightly, abandoning that thought and returned her attention to her grandmother, suddenly feeling tense herself.

Nervously, like if she didn't even want to say it out loud, Bonnie nodded and said. "Well, about us."

Sheila's gaze shifted between Bonnie and Kai, who's body was still facing Bonnie, his gaze turned to the older woman. The look the elder gave both of them was equally taxing and intense as it was frightening, and Bonnie instinctively reached out her hand to find Kai's in his lap. He gently squeezed it.

It felt like an eternity passed until Sheila finally answered. A light and loving smile formed on her face. "My darlings, it is out of question that I am okay with this. In fact, I have been waiting for this day since the very first time I met you, both of you in fact."

Bonnie and Kai shared a look of confusion. "What exactly do you mean, Sheils?", Kai asked.

"I am talking about that day we met, Kai. The day I took you to the hospital about your broken arm. It was Bonnie who introduced us, remember?"

Something inside Bonnie clicked and she suddenly understood. She looked at Kai who seemed to have a little more trouble recalling the events, but in his defense, it had been 30 years.

Sheila recognized his expression just as Bonnie did and elaborated. "Bonnie was visiting you. She had found you hurt and afraid. I was in Portland for a conference your father had called for. She knew that you needed help and that she might not have enough time to do it herself. So, she came to me for help. I had never seen her before in my life, because to me she hadn't been born yet. But the feeling I had when she touched me, told me I could trust her, that we were family. So, I did what she asked me to and looked after you. I knew from the very first moment I talked to Bonnie, that she cared about the young boy very much. And as I watched you grow up, I wondered what had happened to the woman that was so hellbent on saving you. She would have never abandoned you.", Sheila sighed.

"And when I watched you," Sheila turned to Bonnie now. "grow up. I finally understood. There was never another outcome to this. You two were inevitable to me. So, don't ask me if I am okay with this. I had 30 years to prepare for my grand-baby to fall in love with this wonderful young man. And frankly, I am more than relieved that this day is finally here."

Bonnie's heart felt heavy in her chest from the kind words her grandmother had said. She smiled warmly at the elderly woman and then turned to face Kai. She expected him to be just as pleased as she was, but his face was filled with doubt. Bonnie wanted to say something, but her grandmother beat her to it.

"Don't you worry, my dear Kai. I might be dead, but I still know what is good for my granddaughter. I wouldn't trust her with anyone else but you."

A ghost of a smile flashed across his face and Bonnie knew that he was finally accepting that he was a good match to her. When he finally turned to look at her, his eyes were shining with affection. Without hesitation, he grabbed her by her neck and pulled her in for a deep kiss. Bonnie could only chuckle against his lips.

When they parted, Kai smiled at Bonnie happily before turning to Sheila once more. "Thank you, Sheils. For everything you ever done for me. I don't know where I would be without you."

Sheila smiled warmly but shook her head. "Dear boy, I never really did much. In fact, I think it is time for me to apologize to you. I never had the chance to say it before, but I am so very sorry for what your father put you through. You didn't deserve his cruelty and I wish I could have done more to prevent you from going to that awful prison world in the first place."

"There is no need to apologize. You did me a solid by letting me rot there. If I hadn't, I would have never come here.", Kai turned back to Bonnie and smiled lovingly at her. His dimples making Bonnie weak once more.

Before he could pull her into another kiss, Sheila interrupted them once more. "So, I guess it is time for me to go now. I did my part, I said what I needed to say and now the ancestors are calling me back."

Bonnie's head turned quickly in the direction of her grandmother. "Now? But there is so much more I want to tell you. I don't want you to go."

Bonnie was already on her way over to her grandmother when she said this and threw her arms around her. Sheila snickered as she returned the hug.

"My dear, I live on borrowed time these days. I am just so grateful to have had this opportunity. I doubt this will be the last we see of each other, child. Anyways, you don't need me anymore. You have someone else to confide in now." Sheila pulled away from Bonnie and held her at an arms length to look at her now. "Besides, this was never my dream spell to begin with, I just hijacked it. You have a good live, Bonnie. Be happy, be bold, be kind and love. And always remember, I will always keep an eye on you."

Bonnie's eyes started to water. She always hated to say goodbye to her grandmother. "I love you, Grams. And I miss you."

"I love you, too, child.", she turned around and looked at Kai, gesturing her head to indicate for him to join them. Kai didn't wait and moved over to the two Bennett women that changed his life in such a strong way. He embraced them in his arms and kissed Sheila's temples in a silent goodbye.

When the three of them felt power brewing over their heads, they knew it was time for Sheila to go. Kai let go of Sheila and she turned her attention to Bonnie for another second. She cupped her cheeks with her hands and kissed her forehead.

"Remember, this is not my spell. So, why don't you two kids make the most of what time you have left in this dream land and have a nice time. Make some memories." Sheila winked at Kai at the last part and dragged herself away from Bonnie.

The moment her grandmother had let go of her, she scooted closer to Kai and let him envelope her in his strong arms. They both watched as the imprint of her grandmother faded and when she was gone, Bonnie buried her face in Kai's chest. She wasn't necessarily heartbroken, on the contrary, she was happy that life had given her this chance to see her grandmother once more but saying goodbye to the one person that had loved her unconditionally for her entire life was hard.

For a long moment, the two just stayed entwined and Kai soothingly brushed his hand up and down her spine. It made her feel safe, and when she decided she was done being sad, Bonnie pulled back and smiled at Kai.

"Thank you, for being here."

He smiled and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Where else would I be?"

That made Bonnie smile, too, and she decided to take her grandmother's last advice. "Wanna get out of here?"

Kai blinked. "You still wanna go to that bonfire?"

Bonnie shrugged. "Grams is right. I don't know when I'll see you again properly so I will make the most of this. And I remember this party being pretty good, if you don't count the vampire attack on Matt's sister, of course."

Kai chucked. "I have a feeling this time, there won't be any unfortunate accidents."

Bonnie smiled as she started pulling at his arm. Kai only frowned. "Where are you going?"

"To the party."

"That's not for another few hours, Bon."

"I know. But I can think of a pretty good way to spend the time until we have to go." Now, Bonnie winked at a dumbstruck Kai and started running up the stairs to her bedroom. It took Kai a few seconds to comprehend what she was implying but then she heard footsteps behind her and right when she tried to open her bedroom door, she felt arms encircle her waist and she screamed in delight.

Author's note: So, I said this was going to be the last chapter, but I edited the chapter and thought that it was better to split it up. There is going to be a short epilogue after this very soon. So stay tuned and thanks a lot for reading.