A/N: Blessing 1.0, I hope you killed that test!
Part 25: Kitchen Magic
Abby and Lucy didn't leave until around one twelve forty-five in the morning. Abby asked Bonnie for what used to be her Grimoire, because she had an idea of how to get Silas out of Bonnie's head. She wasn't going to wait for an attack to find out if the incense was still wrapped around Bonnie's aura.
Of course the Hopkins house didn't have the ingredients that she needed, so she asked Lucy to teleport to her house in Eden to retrieve them.
"I call it Magic in a Bottle," she told the kitchen as she watched Lucy fill the clear 65oz jar that Rudy had provided them with tap water.
Lucy carried the jar to the island. Resting her right hand on the Grimoire, she silently read through the purification spell so that she wouldn't stumble over the words during the casting, and then she picked up the book and casted the spell. The tap water became unnaturally clear.
"When it's done, she's going to put it on your nightstand," Abby explained to Bonnie, "And it'll do its job every time you sleep on the bed. If you're gonna sleep on the couch, bring it down with you. You're going to sleep next to it until one of two things happen: the herbs are at the bottom of the jar, meaning they've expired, or the water turns black, meaning it's pulled all of the toxic magic that it can, and can't pull anymore."
Bonnie nodded. She was seated at the breakfast table with Tyler and her father. They were helping her go through some of the grimoires from Jonas Martin's collection, in search of home-cleansing spells. She was going to blend them into something that would clear the negative energy from the farmhouse.
"I'm going to earmark the page for you so that you can recreate it yourself when this jar's done," Abby continued.
"Okay," Bonnie answered distractedly.
"That means I need you to get more of everything, Luce."
"Remind me what juniper does again?" Rudy asked Abby as he perused the instructions for a cleansing ritual.
"Uh," Abby said, racking her brain, "It helps witches see any spirits strong enough to hide. It makes them feel off-balance, something similar to being drunk, and that forces them to become visible."
"Hey, that would help you see whether or not pastor Young's the only spirit in the house," Tyler said.
Bonnie put the book that she was looking at aside and held her hands out for the one that her father had. Rudy passed it to her and picked up another one. Bonnie read the instructions and decided to only write down juniper in her notebook.
"I don't think I have any juniper at the house," Abby said. "I haven't needed it in a long time."
"I have some in my apartment," Lucy said. "I can go get them after this. You activate them by commanding the spirits to show themselves," she told Bonnie, her eyes on the order of the ingredients that needed to go in the jar. "Okay, milk thistle, half of a bergamot orange, pine needles,"
Bonnie slid her eyes from the notebook to Tyler. He was looking at her, too. They shared a smile and returned to their research. Yes, they'd been very close to some pine needles recently.
"Angelica," Lucy continued, oblivious, "And the other half of the bergamot orange." Abby handed her a knife, and she cut the orange in half. She then added everything in, following the order. She closed the lid on the jar and picked up the book to recite the spell that would activate the herbal mix.
"I found something," Tyler announced. "Betony. Usually used in purification rituals, betony is also a protective herb and can be placed under a tormented sleeper's pillow to protect them from nightmares." He turned in his chair to face Abby and asked, "Can we remix it to keep Him out of Bonnie's head while she's sleeping? The jar's gonna pull all of the bad magic out, the crystal protects her from His herbs, but we don't have anything that keeps Him from putting anything new in her head."
"Well, there's the protection spells that she cast. Those will be her strongest defense. There isn't anything that absolutely keeps magic from touching you. That would put you at odds with Nature. Actually, the people, or….beings who come closest to being impervious to magic are spirits."
"Because they're dead," Bonnie reasoned.
"Exactly. You can only cast two spells on a ghost. You can manipulate their environment, like cleansing a house or cursing their grave, but…."
"What are the two spells?" Tyler asked.
"A summoning spell and a banishing spell," she told him.
"And the older they are, the more choice they have in whether or not they come," Rudy told him.
"But we can still remix the betony," Abby picked up. "You can put it under your pillow, spell it first, and it'll get in Silas' way if He tries to reach you while you're sleeping."
"What if He's too powerful?" Bonnie asked.
"Herbs don't care how long you've been practicing magic. That's why I love them. I have betony at the house," she told Lucy.
"Have you ever had a nosebleed?" Bonnie asked. "I'm serious," she said when Abby smiled. "You know all of these herbs and plants."
"Herbs and plants don't take care of everything, so, yes, I have gotten nosebleeds. I do love to prepare my magic and store it in bottles, though."
"Very cool," Bonnie approved.
"Are we gonna tell the others about Shane and Silas, plus Him wanting to get rid of you?" Tyler asked.
"Um….when I'm ready. As soon as they know, it's gonna be a big deal, and I don't need that distraction right now."
"It's gonna be a big deal because of the cure, you mean," Tyler said dryly.
"Exactly."
"Wait, can they help?" Lucy asked. "If they can help, then we should bring them in as soon as possible."
Tyler made a nasty sound in his throat.
"We don't have the same priorities," Bonnie told her cousin. "They can help, but there'll be arguments and disagreements. I'd rather get as much done as I can with just us before I tell them."
Abby frowned. She hasn't liked the idea of Bonnie's friends since she'd met Stefan Salvatore.
"Okay, it's ready," Lucy announced. The ingredients inside of the jar were slowly spinning close to the lid. She turned to the table and said, "Your treatment is ready."
"Thank you," Bonnie said.
Lucy smiled at her and set the jar on the island. "I sometimes sell protective amulets made out of burdock root. I'll grab some while I'm getting everything else. I can hide them around the four corners of the house," she told Abby who nodded. "I can give you one for your trip," she told Rudy.
"Uh, can you...also grab one for my mom? Please?" Tyler asked.
"Absolutely."
Lucy left the kitchen to go put the jar in Bonnie's bedroom, and, for a moment, Bonnie contemplated what was happening in her kitchen. Her father was concentrating on a Grimoire on her right, her mother was flipping through her former Grimoire, the cousin whom she'd come to think she would see again was about to teleport herself hours away, and then there was Tyler: steadfastly reading across from her. They were all participating in her magic, participating in what used to be the loneliest part of her life. They were all working their hardest to save her.
She breathed steadily, content in a way that she has never been despite the uncertainty of the future.
But if certainty fell on the side that worked out for her, then...she wanted more of this. This was how she wanted her future: her family and her boyfriend working together and sharing in her world.
"Oh, Bonnie," Abby called as she picked up the Grimoire.
"Hmm?"
"I know what you can use to represent water in your Grimoire. There are different symbols for water, but this one's always been my favorite."
She set the book in front of Bonnie, and Tyler and Rudy leaned in to see.
"Upside down triangle," Bonnie mused.
"It's a thought," Abby shrugged. "There are also the two horizontal squiggly lines, that's a cue for water."
"Neither of them sound right," Bonnie complained.
Abby smiled and retrieved the book. "You have time." She was going to make sure of it. Speaking of which, she turned to Tyler and said, "I need your number, so we can talk about…" She nodded her head in Bonnie's direction.
"Yeah," Tyler said, and he pulled his phone out.
Lucy appeared at the doorway and said, "Okay, I'm leaving."
"Wait, we're exchanging numbers," Abby said.
"My phone is in the room," Lucy said with a roll of her eyes. She cupped her hands together and closed her eyes. A moment later, her phone floated in from the second floor and settled in her hands. "Okay, I'm ready."
Tyler blew out a breath and shook his head, inciting Bonnie and Rudy to smile at him.
Lucy left after the exchange, leaving a warm breeze behind her.
"Uh, I should probably go, too," Tyler said with an apologetic look at Bonnie. "Everyone's waiting for me, and I've left Kim by herself long enough."
"You're not back for good?" Rudy asked.
"Not tonight," he said as he stood. "I'll be back in time for school tomorrow. We've progressed far, but not everyone is completely healed. I've probably set us back by transitioning out of the wolf, used up some of my strength, but I needed to see Bonnie."
Bonnie stood and walked around the table to stand by his side. She looped one arm around his lower back and placed her other hand over his belly button.
"I hope everyone's okay," Abby ventured.
"Thanks. When she comes back with the amulet, keep it for me, and I'll get it tomorrow," he said to Bonnie.
"Okay."
"Okay, well, um, I'll see you."
Bonnie stepped in front of him, cupped his face, and pulled him down for a kiss. Her family has questioned her about Tyler, and she's answered, but it still felt like they needed further explanation.
Didn't he have a girlfriend? In the beginning, but it was complicated….
Isn't she your best friend? Uh, kind of; it's complicated now….
She pressed her lips against his warmer ones, and this kiss was the final answer. He was hers, no more questions would be received.
She left Tyler in a haze. He opened mutated eyes, so he ducked his head to hide them. The change remained.
And then he raised his head. If Bonnie was going to claim him, then he needed to stand tall and be claimed. He liked her doing it, liked it very much, so he should stand in it.
It was incredibly embarrassing, considering these were her parents. He would take Lucy being here over the two of them anyday, but he kept his head up.
He pursed his lips, wilting on the inside. Bonnie noticed and felt very bad for him. "Come on," she said, failing to hide her smile.
Bonnie picked up her phone from the table and said, "I'll see you guys later."
"Where are you going?" Rudy asked.
"Well, you're gonna transition, right? You can't go back otherwise," she said, turning to Tyler.
"Right," he confirmed as his eyes changed back.
"I want to be there," she told her father. "Unless you can do it in my room?" she asked Tyler.
"No, I need someplace roomy if I can help it."
"I'll be back," Bonnie told her parents. She ran up the stairs to get her car keys and wallet. When she came back down, she slipped her hand in Tyler's.
"Good night," Tyler said to the former couple.
"Good night, Tyler," Abby said, amused. Her smile enticed Tyler to smile back.
After the front door was closed and locked, Abby slowly turned her head to Rudy. "Hmm," she commented.
"Mmm-hmm," he responded.
"Okay, so I definitely didn't expect you to react like that," Bonnie said after she drove away from the house.
"I didn't expect you to do that," Tyler countered. "Trust me, I would've helped it if I could," he said, shaking his head from lingering embarrassment.
"I forgot you have that kink about me being possessive," she said cheekily.
Tyler licked his lips, blushing. When was the last time he'd blushed?
He took her hand off of her thigh and held it. "Are you sad that your mom and Lucy are leaving?"
"A little bit. It's been really nice having them here, annoying in the beginning, but….nice now. And my dad's gonna leave, too, and it's just gonna be me, with Silas lurking in every shadow." She imagined herself becoming very scared at night. Suddenly, Silas was the great boogeyman.
"I'll be here," Tyler assured her, linking their fingers. "I'll be making very frequent visits, remember?"
Bonnie smiled and squeezed his hand. "Good."
They enjoyed an easy silence for the duration of the ride. When they arrived at the woods, Bonnie took her hand back to park the car, and then they went on foot.
"Are you okay with your mom sleeping alone tonight?" she asked as they walked.
"Yeah, a little bit. She should be more scared than me, but she's adamant about sleeping in her own home. She just wants me back in the house, and then she'll feel all the way better. Caroline cleaning up is a plus. She doesn't have to look at that blood or all of the debris."
"Did she happen to say anything about me after I left?"
"Not yet, but I know she will."
"Great," she dragged between her teeth.
"She's gonna have a hard time with it, but she's gonna accept it. She doesn't have a choice."
"She's gonna more than have a hard time. I know how your mom can be."
"Hey," Tyler said, stopping their walk. He almost told her that Carol was not going to be like that with her, but he couldn't guarantee it. "I'm on your side," he promised her instead. "She can be mean, rude, but I feel like she's changed a little bit. She's not going to disrespect you. I'm not going to let her."
His record wasn't spotless when it came to standing up to his parents on behalf of the girls that he was dating. He hadn't done it for Vicky. Standing up to them had been too hard back then. Standing up to them had meant a possible blowback: overt criticism from both of his parents that only made his life harder.
But he could do it now.
"I made my bed, and now I have to lie in it," Bonnie said. Not that Carol Lockwood would've welcomed her if the genesis of her relationship with Tyler hadn't necessitated the end of his relationship with Caroline. Carol wasn't known for welcoming anyone with open arms.
"I don't want you to feel uncomfortable," Tyler said.
"I don't. Really, I'm just thinking about having to fend off the tag team of Caroline and your mom now."
"I'll worry about my mom, and I'm gonna talk to Caroline if she keeps bothering you."
"I can handle her," she said. Tyler kissed her forehead and then pulled her into a hug.
"So….are you okay?" he asked when they resumed walking.
"Yeah," she answered definitively.
"I mean about what we did in the woods, or….what I did to you. Like, are you feeling any…. pain?"
"Oh. No," she answered, smiling. "Not so far. I'm fine." She was touched that he'd thought to ask. She moved closer to him and cradled his arm between her breasts as they walked, running her other hand over his arm.
"But speaking of that, I don't think I'm ready to be a witch who's having sex."
"Excuse?" he asked, dipping his head and raising his brows.
"My mom questioned me about what happened to you earlier, with your powers? It was awkward and horrible, and I almost passed out, because I kept waiting for Lucy to have a vision of us or something."
Tyler stopped walking. "But they don't know, right?"
"No, they don't know. But they already have too much of an idea. Turns out my eyes had changed color in front of my mom and….oh my God, my dad was there, too! Oh no, I need to work on controlling my eyes."
"They change when you're emotional. And when you're fresh from drinking my blood, but look they just have to be realistic. We're supernatural people. We're gonna create some sparks when we come together."
"Is that what you're gonna tell them if they ask you about it?"
"Hell no, I'm gonna act like I don't know what they're talking about. I'm glad your dad talked to me about not breaking your heart if that conversation was the alternative."
Bonnie blew a strawberry when she laughed, her body folding into his. "That's what I thought. You'd do worse than I did."
"Maybe" he said, wrapping his free arm around her waist. "But we do need to talk to them. When and how are we gonna tell them that I Marked you?"
Sighing noisily, Bonnie said, "I have no idea. I can't even imagine their reactions."
"I can," Tyler deadpanned. "I'd say let's try it out with Lucy first, but I don't think her reaction would be much better."
"We made a big commitment," Bonnie said.
"Yeah, your dad will definitely think we rushed into it," Tyler said, stretching his face into a humorless smile.
Bonnie cocked her head, her smile more genuine and sympathetic. "He's gonna come around. Heck, he's already around, he just….has reservations."
"I know."
"I'm around," she said seductively.
"I know that," he responded in kind. He closed the distance between them and kissed her.
"And I'm tired," she said, resting her head on his chest when they parted, her hands going around his waist.
"Me too. I haven't slept in almost twenty-four hours."
"I feel like you should sleep in tomorrow. Let me handle the chaos, and I'll call you if it gets hairy."
He didn't respond. She didn't expect him to. He'd already told her his plans for tomorrow. He was going to be at her side.
"You're my hero," she said.
Tyler smiled and kissed her head. "You're mine, too."
"Uh, quick change in topic: what's our status? I mean I'm pretty sure, but….."
Smiling, Tyler rubbed her back and asked, "Do you want me and only me?"
"I do. Do you want me and only me?"
"I do."
"I'm your boyfriend."
"Good."
Tyler waited for her to say that she was his girlfriend, but Bonnie kept her mouth closed. Her cheeks did twitch with amusement, and Tyler felt it on his chest, so he ran his fingers over her ribcage, tickling her.
Bonnie screeched and jerked away from him. "What?!"
"You know what," he said, advancing menacingly, fingers at the ready.
He attacked, and she squirmed, bringing her body closer to his in the process. "Okay, you are! You know you are!"
"Do I?" he asked steadily.
"Tyler," she laughed, her knees buckling. "You're my boyfriend; leave me alone. Ah!"
"Fine." He let her go and straightened. He couldn't remember the last time he'd done that either, tickled someone. Sixth grade?
"Oh my God," Bonnie sighed. "Geez."
She smacked his leg, and he helped her up, and they soon resumed their walk. When they arrived, he didn't take her down to the cellar. He stopped just outside of it. "It's better to transition out in the open, where the moon can touch you all over. It makes the transition go faster. A woman named Jules taught me that. The problem is that once we shrink down, we're animal, and we'll attack almost anyone that we see, so unless you're a hermit who lives in the desert, it's just not practical."
"But I'm safe, right? I'm your mate," she said with a confident shrug of one shoulder.
Tyler smiled. "Yes. It's gonna be scary and disturbing," he warned.
He was suddenly very aware of the fact that he's never changed in front of her before. She'd been busy casting the night he'd killed Klaus.
Bonnie nodded, but she wasn't prepared. He stripped down to nothing, having no problem baring it all in front of her. He backed up, putting enough distance between them, and he dropped to his hands and knees, and he started.
She wasn't prepared. Nothing could have prepared her for the noises that he made, for how hard he forced it, for the sound of breaking bones, was this really what bone sounded like when it broke, this thing that echoed in the ears?
And none of it ever ripped through his skin. He tore himself apart, and the horror, the pain, remained under his skin.
Tyler has shifted over one hundred times and still, something will dislocate, and he'll flinch against it and cry out with fear that irreversible damage has been done to his body.
But he did it, and he walked on paws now. His emotions settled, his senses intensified, he saw differently, and he processed differently. He recognized the female standing in front of him. He didn't recognize what she was saying, but her body emitted a mix of wonder, horror, and sadness. She dropped to her knees, and he knew that she was also impressed by him, by his ability to handle such pain and come out transformed on the other side.
She opened her arms, and he trotted to her. She petted his thick fur, running her fingers underneath. He nuzzled her cheek and sniffed her face. When she pressed her face against his, he rubbed his cheek against hers. He wanted to erase the horror and sadness and leave only the wonder.
She started to play with his ears, and they pricked sideways, his body relaxing in bliss after being stretched to the brink, his bushy tail wagging feverishly from the attention.
"I love you," Bonnie said. Because of Klaus, he's gone through this metamorphosis more times than he should have had to. Tyler was proud to be a Hybrid now, proud to be an Alpha, but the journey that he'd been forced to take still sucked. "I love you. I love you," she repeated, and she hoped that he somehow understood.
Bonnie frowned when she noticed that there was something on his face. It actually took up a large portion of it.
She stood from him and said, "Come here." She looked around for a clear slice of moonlight and walked to it. She looked behind her to motion for him to follow, but he was already trotting to walk beside her.
When they arrived, she faced him and kneeled. He walked into her hands, his tail a heavy, bushy blur. Bonnie held his face and peered at his skin. It was still difficult to make out because the dark color blended into his fur. But it was green like her eyes, and it when she touched it, his reaction told her what it was.
Tyler moved forward and used his strength to knock her off her knees.
"Woah, geez!"
He pressed his paws on her shoulders, pinning her to the ground, and he proceeded to lick her face.
"Tyler, ew! Ew!" she protested, laughing.
He leaned down and pressed his snout to her nose, his eyes intense on hers, and there he remained.
"Hi," she greeted, her heart in his captivity.
Hi, sexy.
She didn't hear the words. She felt the feeling. And she remembered what he'd told her by the quarry: the bond is telepathic when it exists between mates.
He more than found her sexy. He found her interesting, enigmatic, curious, and it all made her smile.
"You're not so bad yourself. Not at all."
He moved off of her and retreated. When she sat up and could see him again, he bowed to her, stretching his forelegs in front of him, his butt high in the air, his tail pointed straight out.
Bonnie wasn't sure how to respond at first. But then she imagined herself as a werewolf. The simplest answer was to mimic him. She positioned herself on her knees, placed her forearms flat on the ground and touched her forehead to the ground, her butt sticking up.
Tyler barked and jumped in circles, happy. She raised her head and smiled.
He knew he had to go, though. He wanted to have more fun with her, but he needed to leave.
"I know," Bonnie said. "We can play another time. I promise."
Tyler barked, telling her that he loved her, and she responded with her words. He turned around and ran off, because he wanted to show off his speed, and then he disappeared.
Alone in the woods, Bonnie stood and dusted her hands off as much as she could before she wiped them on her pants. She knew what she wanted her water symbol to be now.
It would not only represent the fourth element, it would represent her bond with Tyler.