Bonnie turned the key in the ignition pulling out of the driveway and glanced down to the clock on the radio; grating out in irritation that she was over an hour late to pick Elena up from the hospital and the blame was wholeheartedly placed on Kai. Spending most of the morning curled up in bed she was beginning to regret her choice of making a plan to hang out in advance as she stayed snuggled up inside a cocoon of blankets wrapped inside Kai's embrace, his fingers dancing across her naked back.
"I have to get going," Bonnie uttered for the third time smiling at his grunts of disapproval, "I still have to get dressed."
"Sounds like a lot of work, are you sure it's worth it?"
"I told her I'd get her from work."
"But do you really want to?" he countered and she nuzzled into his chest letting her true response out before leaning over and swinging a leg to straddle him, not giving a moment's pause to look over the virile specimen between her legs before leaping off of him to the hardwood floor. "Message received."
Shielding her face so he didn't catch her reaction Bonnie moved around the room sliding on a pair of panties and pulled out a white BDG Crepe stripe button-up dress. Skinny and thick grey stripes cut down vertically and the black buttons stood out against the stark white with the help of a skinny black belt around her waist. The sleeves ended halfway down her bicep but the shape of her body must be a little more curvaceous than the average girl from France because the material clung to her frame and only went as low as her upper thighs, some type of bottoms to go with it deeming a necessity. Bent over and rummaging through the drawers Kai's voice resonated from directly behind her, shooting her upright.
"I don't feel well."
"What's the matter?" Bonnie asked instinctively spinning to him towering over her placing his palms on the dresser.
"I think I'm burning up." Lifting a hand to his forehead she was about to tell him his temperature was fine when his hands slid up her stomach and over her breasts, unhooking the buttons on the way down as his gravelly voice rattled her. "I might need a doctor, maybe even a full physical to get to the bottom of what's wrong with me."
"Sounds serious," Bonnie played along in a stern tone, huffing out an exhale when the last button was undone exposing her body, "maybe Elena can pencil you in during her internship."
"I need a woman with a little more personal experience," Kai countered gripping her outer thighs and lifting her onto the bureau settling in between them, "someone who knows how to handle me."
"And you think that's me?"
"I think you're a fair candidate choice," he nodded with a rueful grin, breath catching when his boxers slid against the thin material of lace.
"You mean a person who's had an in-depth look at your anatomy?" Bonnie inquired back, seeing the spark ignite behind his scorched gaze.
"You have my permission to do a full body analysis, Doctor Bennett; have your way with me."
The open invitation blended with the surge of authority that she could do anything she wanted triggered a yearning so deep Bonnie hadn't even known she felt this way until she was pushing Kai backwards sending him stumbling onto the bed. Walking with each deliberate step their eyes locked when he leaned up on his elbows, tensing every muscle in his abdomen as her fingertips brushed across them heading south.
At a crouched angle the sheer size and mass of Kai's shaft sent a thrill of intimidation and hunger through her bloodstream making her lightheaded, the same reaction that overcomes her every time he's stripped naked in front of her. Tracing light designs with her fingernails up his thighs Bonnie's anticipation rose catching the corner of his mouth lifting in a smirk in her peripheral – assuming it's at her undefended expression feeling the nerves bubbling up to the surface and traveling out her shaky hands, gripping his flesh to steady them.
"Everything okay, Doc?" Kai asked tilting his head to the side resting it on his shoulder, lifting her chin and standing tall between his legs.
Arching her back the sleeves rolled down her arms letting the dress flutter around her feet and arched a brow, meeting his stare with her own commanding gaze. Inch by inch she drew her face closer to his, being halted by the edge of the bed bringing her mouth halfway up Kai's abs and his hard underside was tucked firmly between her breasts. Using the position to her benefit Bonnie rubbed against him provoking a hoarse end of an exhale, ducking her head to hide the smile and brushed her lips across his skin using the tip of her tongue to trace the defined lines he gained from his metamorphosis. The rush that flows through her never fails to make her tingle every time Kai's muscles tighten from her touch – his cocky grins and sassy banter the façade against his body's physical and instinctual reactions that he can't control.
"I don't know, you have a very rapid heartbeat," Bonnie responded in a formal tone, flicking her line of view up his long torso, "is this something that happens often?"
"Recently," he confirmed with a nod.
"Then I would suggest staying away from those strenuous activities," she began and his loud guffaw broke her concentration.
"If that's your educated analysis then I'll risk the heart attack, thanks. And speaking of making my heart stop – come 'ere," Kai murmured holding out his hand, "I have an idea."
"The last time you said that I ended up tied to the bed."
"Did you like it?" he asked openly, Bonnie's eyes squinting slightly bringing forth a soft laugh. "Then you can trust my judgment. No bondage this time, I promise. You'll even have the better advantage on me – and I do mean that literally."
"What do you want me to do?" Left her vocal cords unconsciously, letting him lead her onto the bed and crawled up beside his ribs.
"Turn around."
"What?" she asked scrunching her eyebrows when he didn't explain farther. "Why?"
"Because I have a plan, and the first part involves you facing the other way."
The composure in his voice didn't seem to ease the butterflies swarming in Bonnie's stomach but listened to him regardless, one leg being swung over to the other side of his head when she was off balance in half a pivot.
"Kai," she let out teetering forward dropping her palms to his lower abdomen to steady herself, his fingers drifting up to grip the thin lace, "don't-"
Before she could get the words out Bonnie let out a harsh sound feeling the sting of the material being torn against her skin and swung her hand around swatting at his. Kai's light chuckles at her low sound of hostility in the back of her throat only amplified when the final tug snapped the elastic against her thigh and she swiveled her upper half to get her hands on him – only to be hindered by his pushing her arm up behind her back propelling her forward.
Ripping the shredded remnants away Bonnie lurched forward feeling his mouth sheath her completely, a sonorous boom being expelled from somewhere deep inside. Panting out short huffs her mouth lined up to the tip of Kai's dick, noting his hold tightening around her wrist the longer she drew out the wait and his entire frame shuddered at the contact against his sensitive head. Aiming to stay cautious as she swirled her tongue around Bonnie's body had other endeavors planned, responding to every touch and silent command that was being asked of her.
Fighting through the heavy breathing against Kai's audaciousness her fingers wrapped around his base squeezing as she pulled and her thighs shook at the vibrations of his deep growl. Taking a few needed beats to center herself Bonnie loosened her jaw taking him in as far as she could manage, choking when his ragged groan sent her down farther. The ascent back up wasn't as suspenseful until a sharp smack across her cheek forced a screech out of her full mouth, letting go of her wrist to grip both cheeks of flesh burying his face in to physically assault her in the most blissful way imaginable.
Rocking her into him spots appeared in Bonnie's vision signaling she was close and gained a new determination using one hand to pump him swiftly as the other tickled all of the sensitive areas within range. The more she teased him with things like dipping her hand lower to caress his underside, focusing with detail on just the tip and not the whole package caused him to react in a virile and assertive way; using the curve of her butt to control her movements bursting out resonances mixed with shock and pleasure each time she felt the familiar sting against her cheeks.
When it came to Bonnie's sexual experience – she was lacking, to put it lightly, since Jeremy was the only person she had been with. That's not to suggest that they weren't all over each other behind closed doors but their antics were a little more… reserved, and was typically consisting of the same routine. Because of that level of comfort she had never experienced the unthinkable and significant delights she's had with Kai; from letting him ravage her while in public places – both cloaked and visible, to discovering a new side of herself that has a 'temptress fetish', and all while letting their magical sparks are flying obliterating their surroundings.
Aside from the earth-shaking variances the little things were what really opened Bonnie's eyes to what she had been previously missing; like the severe aching in her chest when Kai wasn't with her, the way she noticed other girls gawk at him and glare at her when they're together, and that even after all they've been through he still makes her nervous and excited simultaneously, overall unable to shake the invisible tether between them. Since her and Jer didn't mix it up much Bonnie also didn't get to take part in things that other couples probably did frequently – like the apparent oral fixation she's picked up since being with him – and had certainly never winded up in a position where they were both doing it to each other at the same time.
The way that Kai lifted his head to push into her or grip between her open thighs to drive her backwards made her feel like he couldn't get enough of her and that unspoken confession of predatory salaciousness drove her wild, rolling into him and planting her palms beside his thighs using his movements to pump him with her mouth. Hearing his rough utterances as his stomach muscles clenched an inch away from hers Bonnie had a fleeting thought that she had gained control when a firm pressure pushed against her rear, a garbled moan spilling out of her closed vocal cords. The vibrations traveled down through Kai and grunted nudging through the restriction pushing down to the knuckle, drawing him out of her mouth as she cried out a piercing sound.
Sagging onto him Bonnie's temple collided with his upper thigh from his knee being bent and heaved in what little oxygen she could hold onto before gasping it out. Electrified neurons fired behind her closed lids and hands shook violently on the bed, too weak to lift herself back up. Unintelligible utterances of 'oh God', 'too much', 'Kai', 'yes', and a stream of choppy assurances rolled off her tongue by its own free will, his body physically reacting to her declarations only spurring Bonnie on more. Closing in she licked and pecked up the side of his shaft slow taking him back in feeling like she was attached to a charged voltage, every stroke and caress causing a moan to reverberate around his hypersensitive area sending him over the edge.
Kai's huffing and puffing was scorching against her tender folds and thought she was going to lose it on the spot when she caught his thighs shaking in her peripheral giving away how close he was too and blew out a breath for the needed push, curling her fingers down low and drawing him in as far as he would fit – and then farther. Bonnie could feel the guttural growl deep in his chest against her lower stomach and whimpered softly, the final descent cutting off the last bit of her airway and hands flew out digging her nails into his flesh.
A sensually provocative sound escaped Kai a few octaves lower than a baritone against her sex as he trembled underneath her which set off her own orgasm, her closed lids brimming with tears and falling down her cheeks from not being able to let out the trapped scream. Bonnie's system felt overstimulated, shaking violently around him and steadily drew him out of her mouth – the high-pitched and erratic clamor not sounding like her real voice. Getting spun around Kai coiled an arm behind her back and she peered through heavy lids at the worry line between his eyebrows, ducking her head in embarrassment when he wiped her wet cheeks.
"Oh Bon, ever the emotional one," Bonnie heard in his playful voice and nuzzled her face deeper into his chest, his next sentence more somber. "I didn't hurt you, right?"
"No," she remarked with a quiet laugh, lifting her head to curl up closer into his neck and paused looking over his features.
"But you'd tell me if I ever do?"
"Of course, telling you what you're doing wrong just fills me with satisfaction," she sassed back wanting to eradicate the grave and earnest expression he was giving her, a small smile forming when he pecked her forehead.
"I knew that's why you kept me around."
"You saw right through my rouse," she said with a cock of her brow, falling into a fit of giggles pulling her out of her moment of intensity as Kai kissed all across her face and neck.
"I usually do."
Pursing her lips at how true that statement was Bonnie scratched her nails lightly across his arms and down his ribs, leaning up just enough to tickle across his stomach hitting all of the areas that do her in and beamed when his laughter trickled throughout the room.
"I knew you were ticklish! How come that doesn't happen every time I'm running my nails all over you?"
"Because I'm way too turned on to notice anything other than how good it feels," Kai admitted and demonstrated by dragging his nails up her back luring her in closer, his touch seeming like it was setting her skin ablaze, "know what I mean?"
"Mhmmm," Bonnie hummed closing her eyes briefly – darting them back open when she remembered where she was already supposed to be. Scurrying backwards she was able to slip through Kai's grasp and crouched down scooping the dress off the ground, standing to him leaning up to watch her with his hands behind him. "Stay right there."
"I had planned on it, why don't you come back over," he enticed with a tilt of his head glancing at the material in her hands and tsk'd like a disappointed schoolteacher. "Why Doctor Bennett, are you leaving a patient during the middle of my analysis?"
"Somehow I think you'll be here when I get back," she commented over her shoulder turning to grab another pair of underwear from the drawer and turned back to Kai sitting at the edge of the edge with his feet on the ground. "Hey-"
"Now that's not fair – I'm the one who has you right now, surely that must count for something," he uttered nonchalantly moving to stand less than five feet in front of her. "I need you and your expertise to fix me up."
"You're not broken, Kai," Bonnie said truthfully, watching the goofy mask momentarily slip away revealing his soft smile underneath, "probably just dehydrated; I prescribe lots of rest and fluids for the next few days."
"What about a quick fix?" Kai inquired stepping closer and she jumped to the side towards to the door clutching the two articles of clothing.
"Quicker than that?" She retorted throwing a hand up in the direction of the bed. "Yeah, good luck trying with your endurance."
"Hmm, you make a fine point," he said with another casual step to her, "I guess we'll just have to test out the other end of the spectrum then."
Turning into a full-fledged sprint Bonnie got her second leg halfway out the door before she was thrust backwards colliding with his nakedness, grinding into him and letting out something between a shriek and moan when his teeth clamped down on the side of her neck. Swiveling Kai kicked the door shut and she wiggled around in his tight hold, wrists clasped together by one hand.
"You know we must be breaking some type of doctor-patient contract here."
"I won't tell if you won't," he whispered placing her palms flat against the dresser keeping his hand over them and hovered behind her, his bulking and rigid frame making her burn with a fresh new hunger. Keeping his eyes connected with her through the mirror Kai's free hand traced absently across her skin dipping lower and settled between her legs, nudging them wider and easing her back against his still hard shaft. "And we aren't nearly finished yet, Doc; that was just the checkup."
Groaning out in defeat Bonnie's voice hitched and turned ragged the instant his fingers grazed through her folds, feet lifting off the ground followed by her back making contact with the comforter as his face hovered close. Raking her nails through Kai's scruff her hand traveled south slightly taken back by how fast his pulse was beating and examined his calm exterior, lulling her into the same state of mind as he pulled her closer sealing his lips over hers.
The blaring of a car horn ripped Bonnie from her daydream and turned left at the light pulling into Whitmore Hospital's parking lot. Taking a few needed extra breaths to clear her mind she checked her phone again to see Elena still hadn't texted back and headed to the spot they said they'd meet, getting halfway there before a woman's unfamiliar voice behind her caught her attention.
"Hey – Bonnie?"
Pivoting with an initially confused expression the look was wiped clean, eyes bulging and mouth popping open slightly at the present day version of someone she's heard so much about. Even if Bonnie hadn't dipped into Kai's memories she'd still be able to see the person in front of her was his twin only she was sporting the age he should really be in 2013 and the physical representation was unsettling to say the least. Jo had such similar features to her brother that even with the eighteen year difference anyone would be able to spot they were siblings by the matching dark hair and piercing ice-encased irises, as well as the way they bore into your soul when you were under their scrutiny.
"Jo – hi, you're here," Bonnie stammered with a shake of her head laughing at herself, "I mean I've come by a few times since I've been back and haven't seen you, but… wow, you still look a lot like Kai. I'm sorry I'm a little thrown off, it's nice to officially meet you."
"And it's really nice to finally meet you – gives me a visual to put to the great things I've heard from your friends. Speaking of, Elena and a few other medical interns got pulled into an emergency surgery with Dr. Brooks about fifteen minutes ago so I wouldn't be expecting her need the ride home anytime soon," Jo informed looking her over, "but I was just about to go and take my lunch – get away from this place for an hour or so, would you like to join me?"
"Really?" she asked heedfully, the spontaneity of having a one-on-one with Kai's twin sister after everything she's digested about the Parker family filling her with an unexpected outpouring of anxiety. This was 'his person'; the one he used to trust and tell all of his secrets to, and also the one that helped send him to an eternal damnation.
"Yeah, I think it's long overdue that the two of us get the chance to talk, wouldn't you say?" Jo smiled lifting her purse up her shoulder.
"Yeah, okay, sounds good," Bonnie agreed swallowing back the golf-ball sized lump in her throat and headed for her car, choosing a sub and pizza place right around the corner.
"I thought I wanted a chicken salad sub but now that we're here all I can think about is the pizza I smell," she remarked with a long whiff of the air, making her chuckle.
"I'll split one with you if you want."
"Like I couldn't finish a whole pizza on my own, but regardless, I'm sold." Ordering a large pizza the two settled into a corner booth having the first real instant to dive into a deep discussion – the thought making Bonnie's leg shake. "So tell me about yourself."
"Me – I uh, well I'm 20, I grew up in Mystic Falls, and I've had more than any sane person's share of near-death experiences, the last one landing me in an alternate world in 1994."
"You know I did hear whispers of that."
"Good news travels fast. And then once I was there for a few months… I met your brother."
"Kai," Jo murmured with a sadness in her voice, "it's weird, no one's brought up his name in almost twenty years and now he pops up in every other conversation."
"Yeah, he seems to be a pretty common focal point."
"Well he certainly always thought so," she said with a roll of her eyes taking a sip of her soda, "couldn't take him anywhere. But I'm curious; do you mind me asking what he's like now?"
"I'm sure he's still very much the same, he was pretty set in his ways when I met him; sarcastic, intelligent, devious, funny even though I wouldn't admit it, and surprisingly easy to be around which is saying something since I didn't actually want to be. He had a one-track mind when it came to your dad, I don't think that hatred ever lessoned which is why I couldn't believe he went to go see him and came back not covered in blood."
"Oh, he told you he went to see him?" Jo questioned sounding genuinely stunned, Bonnie's own reaction giving away her confusion. "Sorry, Kai was never really one to share – I mean with me, sure, but… anyway, what did he say?"
"Um, that he went to find you and you both went to go see your dad who essentially resides in my backyard and ask him to take the spell off of me. Kai said he offered to stand down and leave their past back in the prison world if he agreed and Joshua said he'd think about it; is that true?"
"Yes," she said unflinchingly making Bonnie respond in the polar opposite effect, the look she displayed giving away her dismay.
"But why? I'm sorry I know it's your dad but… after everything, I just don't get it."
"How much do you know about his past?" Jo wondered with a skeptical squint, face morphing into one of appall when their gaze connected; eyebrows raised and mouth popping open. "Oh. He – so you know about their fights."
"Both physically and psychologically, and some I figured out on my own. I know about the night terrors, that he knew my Gram's, the things he had to endure. I ended up finding out more than he would have wanted me to know from getting into his head – literally – on two separate occasions."
"What?" The ding of a bell signaling their order was ready cut Bonnie off and waited as Jo scurried up to the front grabbing the tray and slid back in across from her. "Okay continue."
"Well the first time was an accident, Kai started having these terrifying nightmares that were affecting his mood and personality and I tried to help by doing a spell to pull the dream out of his subconscious but instead kind of sucked myself into it. I don't know if he had to experience the same moment on a loop or go through different ones but I saw the two of them… they were in the shed, and Kai was sixteen." The brief pause gave Jo's complexion just enough time to dull a shade paler before continuing. "I think I was experiencing it through your point of view, I got pulled into it at one point and Joshua burned my arm to push Kai harder."
"Oh my God," she mumbled behind her hand, staring wide-eyed in what Bonnie assumed was a flashback to that agonizing day.
"So I didn't have to wonder for too long about how he got that mark on his back."
"He had so many excuses," Jo snorted with a shake of her head, blinking away the memory and mimicked a deeper voice, "a vicious sloth, Wolverine came at me with just the middle blade, A bald eagle tried to carry me away, a naked grilled cheese accident; every answer was more absurd than the last with that kid."
"He hasn't lost that quirk," Bonnie simpered, "but Kai hasn't kept much from me, mainly because I've witnessed them firsthand so he doesn't really have the chance. The second time was when your dad had possessed him so I went through his '7 Hells' obstacles to get him out. You were in every one of his memories."
"I bet," she said quietly biting into a piece of pizza.
"The name is deceiving, it's a person's worst and happiest times but the goal is to keep you trapped there one way or another. I saw you both when you couldn't have been older than ten, the treehouse, birthdays, Gabby, graduating, the night you two found out about your mom… and what your dad planned, and then the day he's been trapped in since '94. After everything I learned about him and saw with my own eyes, I couldn't leave him in there."
"So you took it upon yourself to break him out and a week later he merged with and killed another one of my little brothers."
"None of us walked away from that day unscathed," Bonnie reminded her, the irony being Jo made it out with the least amount of damage during an encounter which would have resulted in her death. "But I am sorry for what happened to Luke, and what Liv must be going through because of it. I never wanted anyone to get hurt, I just-"
"You care about him," Jo finished her sentence after a few ticks of silence, her posture turning defensive at the statement, "and you don't want him hurt, which is why you keep helping him. I've had my skepticisms, to be frank; I figured my brother was up to his old tricks of charm and manipulation in order to be set free then would toss you aside to set his sights on the coven that screwed him over, but it didn't go exactly as I dreaded."
"You mean he didn't drop me like yesterday's witch?" Bonnie fired back feeling like she was under scrutiny, the remark making his twin chortle.
"I don't mean to be so abrasive, but yes. Kai wasn't exactly known for his reliability."
"With you?" she quizzed catching Jo's stern expression waver. "I think Kai's the type of guy that chooses who he wants to put his faith in, he doesn't follow it blindly."
"You don't trust me very much, do you?" Bonnie didn't reply, instead going for a bite of pizza. "But you've stuck by Kai's side through all of this; that speaks volumes."
Sensing Jo's feelers out to inspect her she didn't know what information she should let out, what could help or hinder the relationship between Kai and his sister, or what she's already unknowingly spilling just by her demeanor alone. There was a mutual interrogation between the two of them to see what the others intentions are, and Bonnie wanted to get a better sense of if she still cared about her brother at all, and if not how deep the animosity stemmed.
"There was a time in your life where you did the same – even more so since it was up against your father, your coven. You made a choice and stood beside him even when he was spiraling out because you couldn't leave him."
"Because he was my brother and best friend but that was before he went on a mass-murdering spree in our childhood home, after that I wasn't that fond of him anymore."
"Which is why you sided with the person who despises Kai the most to ensure he was either killed or locked away before he got to you too; you did what you had to do, I don't blame you I would have done the same thing. And after hearing every jab directed towards his father over what he became and where he ended up, Kai doesn't seem to either. You were one of the first topics we talked about actually, he used to tell me about his nightmares and how you would try to help him, and that sometimes it would work. It seemed like when we'd talk about you he'd become more… relaxed, like it was a safe zone for his mind to be able to reflect back on."
"That's…" slipped out of Jo's lips staring back looking utterly perplexed, her face scrunched up in deep thought, "not what I'd expect."
"What'd you think; he was plotting your demise?"
"Without a doubt; that's how he had to have spent the first decade. The look he gave me before our dad started the chant – even after everything he had just done – my heart still broke seeing the betrayal on his face, like me siding with the enemy was somehow worse than his upcoming fate." Bonnie bit the inside of her cheek, her instincts telling her that Jo's guess was closer to the truth than she'd suspect. Grabbing another slice they ate for a minute in silence, the next sentence snapping her out of her thoughts. "I uh, I struggled with it over the years and would stop by Sheila's sometimes to talk."
"Gram's?" Bonnie sputtered nearly knocking over her cup.
"Yeah, she was close with Kai when we were teenagers and was someone he would talk about frequently. I figured she had to be the real deal so I made an effort to spend more time around her when she stopped by the house and came here one time with him to visit. Once he was gone no one would talk about him anymore and when they did it caused uproar so Sheila became that bit of sanctuary for me to hold onto."
"She was good at that," Bonnie smiled softly, her throat getting tight and behind her eyes burning picturing her face with clarity feeling a soothing effect overcome her.
"And boy did she have a special place for you in her heart, high up on a pedestal," Jo commented making her lip quiver, "I wasn't around long enough for you to remember me but we did meet a few times when you were a kid, no more than eight or ten."
"We did?"
"One time I had just finished moving all of my stuff into this ratty old apartment in the sticks of Mystic Falls because Sheila suggested maybe staying closer to Hell's mouth where Kai could be let loose from would balance out my guilt and be able to live my own life – which, oddly, it did. So I stopped by with pie to thank her and didn't realize until I spotted all of the decorations that it was Halloween and you and a couple of your friends were getting ready. You were fittingly dressing up as a witch."
The reminder of the costume clouded Bonnie's vision with a flashback of running around Gram's house with Elena and Caroline, all fighting over who was going to be which of the Sanderson witches based off hair, personalities, and of course – their favorite colors. Care ended up as Sarah in purple with her blonde hair, Elena was Mary in red whom also had dark hair but she didn't want to be her and cried through half of the night, leaving Bonnie with the leading role of Winnie in a green robe minus the red hair. Thinking back to it she can place a girl in her twenties that she'd met before stopping by and lending a hand in fixing up everyone's outfits, taking a photograph of the three of them and Gram's that she knows is still in a shoebox in that house somewhere.
"I remember you," Bonnie let out sounding like a revelation, "didn't we have a tea party at one point?"
"We did," Jo beamed, "you said I was your most talkative tea party guest."
"Which was saying a lot seeing how you were up against contenders like Mr. Bear and Count Kitty Claws," Bonnie rejoiced spiking up their humorousness.
"Oh Sheila could carry on a discussion too," she reminded, "and there was no cutting off her stories."
"Not unless you wanted to hear it three times in a row. Wow, I can't believe – what a weird, surreal, small world. Both of you knew Gram's and I knew you when I was little. Flash forward to over a decade later and I meet your twin who is closer to the age you were back then. I wish she would have left me a Bennett – Parker handbook or something to follow the lines of where everyone intercrosses."
"She didn't seem like the type to make things easy for someone. Besides, how would she know you'd get trapped in a world with Kai all to yourself?"
"Well she wouldn't have been able to predict the future, that's true, but she was the reason Damon and I ended up in there. You see I was kind of this 'anchor' to The Otherside and by the time I had my friends cross back over the two of us were stuck in limbo that was crashing down around us. Gram's appeared and I tried to pull her back over but she wouldn't go and she told me she had finally found peace so I could find mine, and next thing I knew I was waking up in Mystic Falls circa 1994. It wasn't until after that I learned the Bennett blood sealed the prison like a lock and key which is how she was able to stick me in there and avoid death, but I think part of the reason she did it was for her own redemption against keeping Kai in there for so long. If she loved him as much as he likes to brag about then I know it would have eaten her up inside knowing he was trapped in A Groundhog's Day in Hell and passed away before she could make up for it."
"So you think Sheila sent you in there to Prison Break Kai out?"
"Either that or she wanted me to kill him for it all to be over, but I tried that and he came back twenty minutes later so I'm going to stick with the former."
"Do you think you made the right choice?" Jo questioned and Bonnie cocked her head to the side, examining her the same way she was getting it.
"Yes."
"Hm," she hummed, "tell me more about how he is now, after the night we lost Lucas."
"Since then Kai has certainly changed… but he's also the same, too. I know that doesn't make sense out loud but his core personality is still intact, but it's like the equivalent to a vampire flipping on their switch. They were living life just fine before and used to going about doing things a specific way until someone turned on the lights inside and everything that had been shut off – like every emotion across the spectrum – is now high-powered and working faster and stronger than any average person's."
"So the sociopath got blasted with a dose of humanity. That's only forty years overdue, give or take."
"Better late than never," Bonnie shrugged aiming for optimism, "but it's true, and it did change him. According to Elena and Care, 'he's a real boy, now'."
"Well I would take your word on it more than theirs seeing how the two of you are dating, right? When he went to barter for your life Kai seemed pretty committed to the cause. Fooling friends and family is one thing but your significant other can usually see through the bull and know what they're feeling. So what do you believe, is the change in him real?"
Taking a moment to recollect on the obnoxious boy she met while in isolation from the rest of the world, all the way through the prison world into present day – past the merge – to where he currently resided asleep in her bed, Bonnie didn't have to question what she already believed to be true.
"Yes, it is. Like I said before I got a glimpse into the relationship you had with him, and I know you loved him. I know you still felt that way even after the horror he caused which was why the guilt drove you to my Gram's, because she loved him too. I think you've been looking for something or someone all these years to tell you it's okay to feel that way, and the unexpected gift you received came in the form of him in his twenty-two year old form, now fully equipped with the familial connection you were always searching for."
"You Bennett's – wise beyond your years," Jo cracked, her smile turning down at the edges.
"Do you miss him, still?"
"I spent too many years hating him, cursing his name to every dark pagan out there," she confessed, Bonnie fiddling with the Celtic ring with the pad of her thumb.
"Kai broke your heart; you don't have to be dating someone for them to be able to have that power over you. And you were the only one that knew who he really was, I'm sure in the normal sibling way you felt responsible for him." The way Jo snapped her head up to meet her gaze told her she hit it dead on. "I think he thought that way about you too, and tried to make up for it by keeping you in the dark about what was happening with him and your dad. But you know better than anyone – there is no taming that kid, especially back then in his prime of being power hungry and emotionless so he has come a long way since then."
"Hmm."
"I hope you don't mind me asking but why did you decide to tell him where your dad is and go with him?"
"Color me intrigued; the last time I saw Kai before all of this I was metaphorically stabbing him in the back, and the day before that he was physically chasing me around the house with a hunting knife. Since then I've seen him approximately three times and each was varying from the last so I wanted to do a follow up and see if there were any other bizarre or extreme changes."
"And are there?"
"Yeah, as a matter of fact, my natural assumption was that he'd kill our dad the first chance he got but instead he waited to get invited in – that was substantially out of character. Then there was the whole topic of choice; choosing not to enact the long-awaited revenge that my brother's been going on about for decades if the binding spell was lifted off of you. You've most likely come to this conclusion on your own but Kai's a pretty narcissistic and self-centered person by nature so publicly declaring that he'd do a selfless act and not perform a magical lobotomy on dad in the same sentence was a little hard to believe, to put it mildly. But… shockingly enough, he was pretty convincing."
"I still don't get how, but he must have been for Joshua to tell him he'd consider it. Did Kai tell him that we're together?"
"No, he told me before I agreed to help him but he was adamant on evading it from our father so I got the inkling he didn't want him to know."
"Your dad told me I was his strength before," bubbled out of Bonnie's subconscious, hearing Kai's formal voice trickle through, "when he possessed him he said he couldn't kill Kai because he was holding onto me as a source of energy to fight off the Gemini leader."
"Really?" Jo questioned an octave higher than usual.
"Yeah, why, isn't that a good thing?"
"That Kai has someone in his corner that authentically cares for him, yes. But if I know the inner workings of that delinquents mind he knows our dad will use whatever or whoever is closest to him against him, which in actuality makes you his weakness."
"What – no, he already tested out that theory when he kidnapped me and made Kai choose; me or the power. That's his real weakness."
"Wanting the power, but now he has it," she reasoned biting into the crust.
"So what, then that's checked off the least? Then I think losing it would take its place."
"He seems pretty afraid of losing something," Jo said ominously, leaning forward. "Did Kai say anything else about what they talked about?"
"Like what?"
"You know, just… anything."
"No?" Bonnie responded unsurely, thinking back to him telling her she was more important to him than the grudge he holds against his father. "What else did they say?"
"Oh they went on for a little bit talking about a lot so I figured he had filled you in with vivid detail."
"Oh, no," she grinned cheeks flushed remembering what they had just gotten finished with beforehand. "I had just woken up so he gave me the Cliff Notes version."
"You'll have to get the full scoop soon, it was pretty riveting stuff," Jo said lightly but she could sense the weight of importance in her suggestion.
"I'm more interested in seeing what the outcome of that day will bring, not so much on the particulars," Bonnie said honestly, Kai's twin's expression inscrutable as she peered back, "but I'll keep that in mind."
"I like you Bonnie, I've been hearing chatter about you for months now – between finding out a Bennett witch made her way into Kai's dungeon, and Elena talking up how special her best friend is – but I haven't had the chance to sit down and talk to you myself since you've been back. I've had my doubts to be completely truthful, I know Kai's a master manipulator with his charm but you were still able to see through it. You aren't at all what I expected, and Alaric had assured me you were the one for the job when it came down to any supernatural dilemma so I'm happy to admit that I was wrong in my initial judgment of suspecting you wouldn't be able to handle him, and I apologize."
"How did you expect me to be?"
"I had no idea but I know every trick Kai has in the book, I've seen young girls fall under his spell and that's when he wasn't aiming to work someone over for his benefit. I was just praying you weren't like Gabriela who was too infatuated to see what's in front of her of who he really was and let him roam free because of it."
"Well I wasn't too blind to spot the sociopath lurking in a world of his own, but letting myself get to know him better was the reason I ended up deciding to bring him with me even before your dad interfered."
"That's what I mean, your instincts and intuition were right about him from the start. Ric told me about the escapades you, Kai, and Damon had while you were there and the last thing he saw before getting thrown back into the real world. I figured if Kai still managed to get out of there it would have either been by force, or that you wouldn't have made the trip back," Jo put it simply, the beat of silence stretching on as Bonnie tugged her hands back to fiddle with the ring, "but neither of those tactics came about. Then the first time I saw my brother at the hospital you ran in yelling at Damon to leave him alone and I could see how genuine it was and I knew I had miscalculated. I'm sorry for poking and prodding at your brain over lunch – it's kind of my thing, the natural doctor in me I guess, but I wanted to get a better sense of you, and him, and see if it's real."
"If what's real?"
"If the merge really did change him into another… better, version of himself like our dad always said it would; fusing the souls into one and all that. Lucas was such a gentle and kind-hearted soul who put everyone else first and was brimmed to the top with compassion, he really was Kai's polar opposite," Jo quipped letting out a dreary sound of amusement.
"If it means anything, I can see those traits in Kai now too," Bonnie mentioned trying to ease his sister's mind as she reflected on his metamorphosis. "He's much more calm and expressive about what's on his mind and what he feels, and he really does have a kind heart. I've witnessed him go out of his way to help me, my friends… you; I doubt anyone goes before 'his number one' but at least he's not the only one on the list. I don't know if I could use 'gentle' to describe him but he does seem to have a softer and sweeter side to him that he's been open about everything with me. And I know it's hard to believe but… I've seen the empathy, and I know it's there because I can see the confusion and fear in his eyes when he feels it. I can't imagine having to go through losing so many siblings the way that you did, and I don't even know if this will ease your mind or make things worse but I just want you to know Lucas' vibrant personality is still very much alive and evolving."
If there was one thing Bonnie could say that the twins have in common is their impeccable way of masking their emotions to appear impassive in subject matter that she knows with conviction cuts deep leaving a scorching mark behind in its wake, still fresh in both of their minds. The only fragment of a reaction Jo let slip was when her gaze dropped to the plate and the corners of her mouth went down with it, letting whatever numbing thought pass through before steering her attention back into the present.
"Thank you. What do you say we get out of here? My lunch hour's just about up."
"Oh right," Bonnie let out with a light laugh, "I almost forgot we were on a time crunch, that went by pretty quickly."
"I'll say, I could use three more of these before going back," Jo simpered, collectively gathering their things and throwing out the trash as they headed to the car for a quick ride back to Whitmore Hospital's parking lot. "I'm glad we got to talk Bonnie, I've had a lot of doubts these past few months and I think this has helped me process and maybe even appease some of them."
"I was hoping I would get the opportunity to run into you soon too. I know that there's been too much bloodshed for you to open back up that part of you that still cares for Kai but I've gone through a fairly thorough investigation into his mind's eye and you stand out above everyone else in his heart, even after all of these years. He didn't believe he was capable of feeling anything real for anyone, but you are the closest thing he's ever felt to loving someone."
The smile that appeared on Jo's face was small and soft and a flash of ease passed through her identically captivating irises; a subtle look that expressed reassurance that would go over most people's heads, if Bonnie hadn't witnessed it through someone with similar features.
"I don't know how true that holds up to be anymore," Jo stated locking eyes and Bonnie's mind fluttered back to the day she betrayed him.
"Oh it's still there, I can tell," she assured curving up the corner of her mouth, "Kai's been trapped in a physical manifestation of his past hell-bent on retribution for so long, but since the merge –as cliché as it sounds, he's seemed to have turned over a new leaf and is looking ahead to see if he can make some type of future in this world."
"Well he seems to already be making his mark… typical," Jo threw out rolling her eyes back and looking up the roof of the car with a short laugh.
"Yeah he's resilient that way," Bonnie agreed unbuckling her seatbelt and meeting her around the other side where her car was parked. "And now that I'm aware that you know exactly where Gram's house is you have an open invitation to come by anytime you like."
"Thanks Bonnie, you know I think Sheila would have a field day knowing little devious Kai Parker was making himself comfortable in her home with her grandbaby."
"It's not… yeah I've thought about that too," she admitted going over all of the antics that's happened since her 'no sex clause in the house' was broken, clamping down on her bottom lip.
"Good thing she was one of the few that didn't mind his company," Jo mentioned bringing forth the flood of conversations her and Kai have had over the two's relationship when he was a teenager, "which means she would probably kill him and bring him back just the one time."
"Oh that's a soothing thought," Bonnie joked hoisting her bag over her shoulder, saying their final goodbye's before heading back home.
Stepping through the front door Kai's angry spews sliced through the air shooting her heart into her throat; swinging around the corner to him sitting cross-legged on the couch in his sweats and a wife beater, yelling at the TV with a controller in hand. Cutting her line of view to the screen Bonnie watched his camera line dart around a scene that looked like an Afghanistan warzone, ducking behind blown up cars and piles of rubble and running through deserted and rundown buildings. The current predicament that had him riled up was the swarm of attackers coming at him from all angles, cornering him in the top corner of the house with nowhere to go.
"Damn it," Kai huffed under his breath.
"No escape," Bonnie summed up just as he dove out the second story window doing a tuck and roll in the middle of the street and hightailing it behind at armored truck, turning the gun on them and picking them off through the open frame.
"There's always a way out," he opposed, making it down and around the corner before a sniper took him out, "just as there's always someone lurking in the shadows."
"How philosophical," she said in an overly dazzled tone sitting beside him and tucking her legs on the opposite side, "where did you get the game?"
"Same place I bought the Xbox; Target," Kai grinned cheerily turning his attention on her and leaning in a fraction. "Hi."
"Hi."
"You're back soon."
"Yeah it was not what I expected," Bonnie said with a single nod, nibbling at the corner of her bottom lip. "By the time I got there Elena had gotten pulled into some emergency situation but – what do you know, your sister was just leaving to go get something to eat."
"Josette?" he said drawing in his eyebrows. "You asked her out to lunch?"
"She asked me, and truth be told it wasn't nearly as harrowing as I thought it would be."
"What'd you talk about?"
"You," she said with a sweet smile and crinkled her nose, grabbing hold of his arms to steady herself as he lifted her from the hips plopping her into his crossed legs with hers hanging over one side.
"Ooh my favorite topic, go on."
"Oh she was just curious to see if you were still the same overconfident sarcastic hooligan from way back when, I reassured her your sass is still fully intact," Bonnie commented making his smile flash wide, looking into the same blue eyes, "she was… sweet, nicer than I thought she would be."
"She has no reason not to be to you."
"Well that's not necessarily true – I did break her brother out of an eternal prison which may have had an effect on her, you know with that whole merge business being unsettled which endangers her life. But other than that, no, except for the fact that I am now dating you too."
"If anything that should send a burst of dopamine into that overworked brain, settle her down a little."
"What can I say, you make girls a little crazy," Bonnie concluded patting his chest lightly, "but she just wanted to know more about you. See how 1994 was, how we are, check in on how you've been since you barged into her house all sickly and she gave you her powers. She really did seem sincere and open-minded to what I was saying."
"My girlfriend and my sister are gossiping about me," Kai remarked, chuckling at his own words, "I feel like I'm in high school."
"Close, college," she teased in a blasé tone, pushing away with a quick giggle feeling his fingers wiggle around her ribs.
"Yeah, I just deferred for a couple years longer than most other kids."
Running a hand unhurriedly up the side of his neck to the back of his jaw Bonnie stared into the clear and unguarded eyes of someone she's spent every day with for almost an entire year, the contrastive way she sees him still bringing forth a physical reaction fluctuating between internal and external. During this encounter the swelling in her ribcage was making it difficult to breathe; the way Kai was looking at her triggering the same expression Jo had when Bonnie had asked if she still missed her twin.
"Jo still cares about you," she said softly and he cocked his head to the side raising his eyebrows, looking amused. "I asked her – and she does, I can tell."
"You're adorable, Bon."
"I'm serious. The main thing she was trying to find out was how much of the brother she remembers was still here and what aspects of you had changed, if they even had. And being a person who's spent so much time around you recently she put a lot of faith in my answers which may have come across slightly biased, but I can live with that."
"Why does it matter what she thinks of me now?" Kai inquired searching her eyes in a way that showed that he really didn't know why Bonnie would care, sliding both hands behind him to lean in closer to point out that she wasn't trying to shield her face.
"Because she matters to you and was the most positive influence in your life so it's too good to pass up. Plus Jo's a doctor now and with your track record you're going to need someone like her around because you can't always rely on magic to patch you up."
"Technically she is a doctor who has supernatural powers which on paper makes her the equivalent to the original fabled witch."
"Even better," Bonnie concurred, noting that Kai didn't deny the first half of her statement, "so try to make more of an effort to be in her life again."
"I'll see what I can do."
"Okay," she uttered kissing his cheek and pushed herself over to the other side of the couch scooping up the extra controller on the coffee table. Settling in beside him Bonnie switched out of his current checkpoint in Call of Duty and switched it to two-player, bumping up against his bicep with a troublesome grin. "You've been living in a whole other era when it comes to gaming for too long, grasshopper; let's see if you can keep up."