Drag me back into myself
Chapter Fourteen
Ayr, South Ayrshire United Kingdom
Klaus holds his slashed open wrist against Bonnie's mouth and there are only two options available to her: she can be brave and refuse his offering, let his flesh and blood against her mouth smother her and put her out of her current misery; or she can drink deeply, complying like Stefan had only a moment ago.
Stefan didn't seem to think the act of drinking from Klaus unpleasant, and was rather gluttonous.
The fact that she had two choices did nothing to assuage the idea that the aforementioned choices were terrible.
Bonnie chose to let the bitter blood slide down her throat because any other recourse at the moment seemed impossible.
More than once, Bonnie was curious about Klaus not using compulsion. She was grateful. But she can't help thinking that it would be easier for Klaus to control them in that way. There lies a hundred percent guarantee that Bonnie and Stefan would follow his orders.
As it stands, Bonnie and Stefan are forced to comply regardless. The imminent threat of hurting the people they loved kept them in line as surely as any compulsion.
She tries to talk to Stefan again when they are alone, but all he does is take her gently by the arms and murmurs, his voices soothing while rubbing circles into her skin.
Bonnie should be calmed by the action, but her heart picks up into a full throttle gallop. For the first time in a long time, she is scared of Stefan.
It's his unpredictability. It's not knowing where he stands, not knowing what's going on in his head.
She doesn't mention Elena's name. She doesn't mention Damon. She's not sure how he were to react if she did.
Klaus sends the other vampires away. In that big empty house, there's only Klaus and his reluctant guests.
Damon walks in like he owns the place, like this is not some sort of suicide mission.
He's expecting a legion of vampire fiends sworn to protect Klaus till the end of their existence.
Reality is anti-climatic at its best.
Klaus doesn't need anyone to help him take out Damon, but Damon would like the illusion that he is a hard kill, that you better bring an army when dealing with the older Salvatore.
They stare at each other: Klaus, a portrait of serenity that Damon is very close to smashing into pieces.
"You're foolhardy. And despite your best efforts, quiet emotional," Klaus states, an incredible knack for reading people in the same way a psychic gazes at a palm.
"Where are they?" Damon has a sudden memory of the last time he was in a similar situation, the last time he played hero to a captured Stefan.
Klaus smiles, his focus not on Damon but behind him.
Damon turns around to face his brother and a clearly distressed Bonnie Bennett.
For some reason, Damon expected Stefan to be in worse condition than he really is. He pictured a snarling, roaring mess of a man.
Stefan should be falling apart.
Damon turns his attention back to Klaus, "You just made this a whole lot easier."
He launches himself towards Klaus, the stake hiding on his person, now in his hand.
Damon feels the impact at his back before he can truly comprehend what's going on. Stefan intercepting his attack was not in the game plan.
He chalks it up to Stefan being confused and pushes his brother away from him only to have his face meet Stefan fist in a spectacular punch.
Before Damon can ask what the hell is going on, another punch lands across his face.
'This is bullshit,' Damon thinks, 'this is utter bullshit.'
Damon rights himself and decides that getting Stefan to calm the hell down is his first priority.
Bonnie summons power, determined to stop the madness that's happening in front of her.
"If you interrupt, I will kill them both," Klaus assures.
Her body crackles with unleashed energy and anger at her inability to interfere.
Before Klaus left town with Stefan in tow, Damon would like to think that he and his brother were pretty much equal in strength, especially since Stefan had been slowly introducing himself to human blood via Elena.
Stefan is much more difficult to take down, and Damon briefly wonders how this will all end. His thoughts are interrupted when he is thrown into a wall and the stake he was going to kill Klaus with is firmly planted in the middle of his body.
Damon is more than a little shocked at Stefan's blank face, his hand still connected to the buried stake. He's more than a little shocked when he slides down the wall.
Stefan runs a hand in the hair at the back of Damon neck. "Stay down," Stefan whispers, and Damon's pretty sure that's all he can do at this point. Stay down, and watch Stefan's shoes as he steps across Damon's prone body.
"You've waited so long for this, I can't blame you for wanting to draw it out," Klaus comments.
Stefan walks over to where Klaus is standing and stops in front of him, "I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to..." Stefan trails off, seemingly at a lost for words.
He steps closer to Klaus, reaching out. He hugs the other vampire to him, and if Klaus is surprised, he doesn't show it. Klaus returns the embrace, today's events seeming like a victory.
Klaus doesn't see the look Stefan gives to Bonnie. He doesn't see Bonnie levitate a spare stake and send it straight towards his heart. He thinks nothing of Stefan's hold momentarily tightening to keep him still for the assault.
Klaus collapses, laughing. Laughing and then screaming at the force of Bonnie's power as she afflicts pain, his body feeling as if it's on fire.
Stefan removes the stake from his brother's body. Damon gets up, still stunned and a little shaken. He stares at Stefan for a moment before inquiring, "What are we going to do him?," gesturing towards Klaus.
"We take him to the basement."
Bonnie's never been to the basement, and she doesn't know what's in there but Stefan seems to think it is the best place to put Klaus.
Damon and Stefan act as pallbearers as they carry a stupefied Klaus to the designated location. The basement in question looks more like a torture chamber.
Bonnie doesn't have to guess the reason Klaus keeps a space like this.
Stefan picks up heavy chains and restrains Klaus' body with it, wrapping it tight around his wrists, ankles, and neck.
Stefan grabs a batch wolfsbane with his bare hands, and uses his shirt as a barrier between his other hand and the batch of vervain he takes as well.
Klaus holds in his screams for a full minute before the searing pain is just too much.
Damon snorts at the display, "He was always better at torture than I was."
Neither Bonnie nor Damon further comment about Stefan's familiarity with the process. They both ignore how steady Stefan's hands are as he torments Klaus.
After, Stefan, Bonnie, and Damon leave Klaus' dwelling. They pile into a car and Damon refuses to reveal the way in which he acquired it.
No matter how far they get from the house, Bonnie can still hear Klaus' screams.
Mystic Falls, Virginia
Stefan steps into his own home and when the heartfelt recognition that he's out of Klaus' grubby little hands doesn't register, Damon is worried.
A huge part of Damon wanted for Stefan to detox away from home, thinking he could send Bonnie ahead, and stick it out with his brother.
Bonnie insisted that getting home as quickly as possible was the best idea.
Stefan didn't stir at the tempting scent of human blood on the flight home. Damon broke his vow of silence and decides to play big brother for once, "Are you okay?," he asked.
Stefan looked at Damon as if seeing him for the first time and responded, "I'm fine."
Damon didn't believe him.
It's only when they were leaving one flight for a connecting one that Damon realized that the lovely flight attendant who promised them a wonderful experience was missing.
Her body was discovered in the bathroom. If this were any other setting, the police would rule it an animal attack, but as it stands, animals can't buy plane tickets.
Elena, hearing the trio enter the boardinghouse, runs and leaps into Stefan's arms. The only words in her mouth is his name.
Elena climbs unto Stefan; her embrace is so thorough, her nails dig into the skin of his shoulders, his neck; wanting a piece of his DNA to keep forever.
Stefan seems to return to himself then; he crushes her to him, his own hands rough, smelling her hair.
There's a moment of normalcy before Stefan pushes her away.
"Stefan," Elena calls out, perplexed. He gives her a dark look in response.
Damon stands between Elena and Stefan sensing that something has changed.
Before anyone can move, Bonnie uses her powers to bring Stefan under control. Bonnie feels good when she releases power, not sick and weak like she normally would.
It's Caroline who comes out of nowhere to stab Stefan with a vervain injection.
Elena watches as Damon and Caroline drag Stefan off, their reunion soured.
Bonnie had planed to stick around only as long as it takes to make sure Stefan is okay.
She's headed out the door before Damon stops her, his body blocking her exit.
"Are you seriously trying to sneak out of here?," Damon asks.
"Damon, I'm tired. I want to go home."
"Stay here," Damon suggests.
"Damon, I ―"
"Stay. I won't bother you."
Bonnie gives him a look like she wants to protest but she doubts Damon will let her leave anyway. She turns away, heading for the stairs.
"Bonnie," Damon calls behind her.
She doesn't turn around to face him, but she answers, "What?"
"I'm glad you're back." Damon mentally berates himself for not saying something more meaningful.
"Me too," she agrees in a whisper.
Bonnie picks an unoccupied room and settles in.
She removes her clothes. She showers, she tries to rub off the past few days, wishing that there was some kind of magical white-out she could use.
She comes out to find her night-clothing on the bed. She recognizes the items as being something she must have left in Damon's room.
The thought makes her sad.
She dresses, and picks at a fingernail that can't decide whether to break or not. When it does make up its mind, the nail takes some of her skin along with it.
Bonnie curses, eyeing the blood welling up. She curses again when she goes into the bathroom and discovers the Salvatores do not have band-aids.
She uses a piece of toilet tissue to dab at the blood.
She's lying in bed when she notices a prickling sensation. Her first thought is how it would be just her luck to get an infection from her broken nail.
Bonnie glances at her finger and frowns when she sees her nail starting to grow back.