Chapter 18: Ding, Dong, The Witch Is Dead

Date: January 19, 2019

Warnings: None, yet. :)

Characters: Klaus & Bonnie

Author's Note: This chapter starts off dark, but it'll get lighter after the first segment. You all deserve it. :) Thanks for reading and reviewing, as always. I hope you all like it.

Bonnie stumbled away from Marie's lifeless body. She stared down at her bloody hands which shook with copious amounts of adrenaline. The air in her lungs forced its way through her nostrils painfully. Her vision blurred as her chest heaved increasingly. The deafening sound of Marie hitting the ground triggered an anxiety attack and suddenly, the earth seemed to shrink beneath her, trapping her where she stood. The air closed in on her and Bonnie barreled over in grief. Now that it was over, she didn't feel any better. This wasn't what she wanted. None of this is what she wanted. Bonnie released an angry, guttural scream as she tried to prevent herself from unraveling.

"Look what you made me do!" Bonnie screamed at Marie's aged body. Reality was heavy.

Just as she screamed, Klaus found her alone on the other side of the cemetery. Her scream propelled him to take a step forward. His steps were tentative, knowing that Bonnie was in a vulnerable and volatile state. He grabbed Bonnie's shoulders and fixed himself between her and Marie, blocking her view of the deceased witch. Bonnie continued to stare at the spot, transfixed. Reality felt so heavy.

"Love," Klaus' voice was soft as he gently tried to pull Bonnie from the prison of her mind. He watched as the witch hyperventilated and felt a twist in his chest. He wanted to fix this for her but there was no way he could. Bonnie wasn't a murderer. No one started that way.

"I can't breathe… I can't breathe…" Bonnie began to chant. As she spoke the words, the chants became more frantic until Bonnie dropped to her knees, clutching her chest as it expanded. Thousands of tight rubber bands wrapped around her lungs and it threatened to collapse under the weight of reality. She was beginning to freak the fuck out.

"Focus on me, Love," Klaus kneeled before Bonnie and began to inhale and exhale deeply, coaching her through her panic attack. His thumb brushed at the unshed tears at the corners of her eyes. Killing a threat was much different from killing someone close to you; even if they were the threat in question. Klaus pulled Bonnie to his chest and held her.

"I killed her Klaus, I—" Bonnie's voice weakened under the weight of reality and she gripped his arms tightly, desperately needing something to hold on to.

"She wouldn't have stopped if you hadn't…" Bonnie shut her eyes tightly and inhaled the fabric of Klaus's shirt. His rigid body was rock hard but comforting, nonetheless. Her body melted into his as a sob tore through her chest. Klaus held her tighter as she released the pain and grief bottled up inside of her. His arms wrapped around her and his large hand cradled the back of her head. He stroked it gently as he rested his chin on the top of her head.

Though Marie and Bonnie had their grievances, the outcome was a hefty price Bonnie never wanted to pay. She had taken a life before with magic but feeling literal blood on your hands made killing much more real. While Bonnie sought vengeance, she couldn't help but mourn her once-friend. There were so many emotions going through her, Bonnie's knees weakened as the weight of everything hit her full strength. Marie was gone. Bonnie killed her. Marie is dead.

Klaus felt Bonnie dip in his arms. He caught her and leaned to sweep her legs from under her, holding her bridal style in his arms. Bonnie turned so that her head was buried in Klaus's chest. Her voice was inaudible to human ears, but Klaus heard her perfectly.

"Get me out of here," she whispered.

Klaus sped away without hesitation.

-X-

Bonnie stared at the shower floor as the crimson water swirled down the drain. Minutes passed before the color began to diminish and the water ran clear. With each movement, spurts of crimson stained the white porcelain at her feet. Each time she closed her eyes, visions of her battle with Marie flooded her memories.

Bonnie stared at her bruised hand. She could still feel the force of her hand plunging through Marie's chest. Her knuckles cracked painfully against Marie's sternum and Bonnie could feel the ache of her sore joints still. Killing someone with magic was different from hand to hand combat. It was easier to disassociate the murder when she didn't physically lay hands on the person. This time was different, personal.

Bonnie turned up the heat of the shower, hoping that the water would scald her sins away. Everything felt wrong. This wasn't how she wanted her relationship with Marie to end, even worse, there were no tears left to cry. Each time the pain in her chest swelled, the tears failed to follow. She felt broken beyond anything tears could fix.

An hour later, Bonnie exited the shower. Her body was on autopilot as she dressed and dried her hair. Her blonde bob usually straightened, now adorned ringlets of wet curls. Her face looked the same, but her eyes were devoid of any emotion. She was dead inside. The past 48 hours were emotionally taxing.

She entered her room and found Klaus perched on the window ledge, looking out at the city in the distance. When she entered the room, he hoisted himself off the windowsill and turned to face her. In his hand was a cognac glass he sipped from. He moved to stand in front of her and offered her the remainder of his drink. Bonnie grabbed the glass and drank its contents quickly. Klaus raised his hand to reveal the bottle he held and readily poured her another drink.

"How are you, Love?" It was a stupid question but Klaus wanted to know where her head was. Bonnie shrugged weakly and stared into the brown liquid as if it had all of the answers she needed. She shook her head and finished off the rest of the glass before holding it out for another round. Klaus obliged.

"I feel like shit," she answered honestly. Emotionally she was a wreck and physically she was sore and tired. "When I can feel…" Bonnie grumbled into her glass. She watched as Klaus rolled up his sleeve and bit into his wrist.

"It'll help with your hand," he offered, noticing the swelling that was beginning to set in. When she didn't immediately accept his offer, he motioned towards her glass. Bonnie raised it and watched as his blood tainted the liquor. She swirled the liquid before taking a few gulps. The relief was immediate and while it did help her joint pain, it wasn't enough. Her eyes flitted over to his wrists and she watched as it slowly began to close. She sat her glass down on the closest surface and grabbed his wrist, raising it to her lips. Klaus watched silently as her mouth closed around the wound and she began to drink from him. He bit his lip as he felt the softness of her lips caress him. As she drank, Bonnie felt her strength return to her and her magic tingled beneath the surface. She pulled away from Klaus's wrist and licked her lips.

"Thanks," she whispered.

"Don't mention it," he responded, watching her with hazy eyes. Bonnie ignored the way her stomach vaulted with excitement and grabbed her glass to finish drinking her liquor. When she reached for the bottle, Klaus pulled away from her. Bonnie shot him a dirty look. "I'm not dealing with Hangover Bonnie again," he admonished. Bonnie smirked and gave him the finger. "Let me feed you first, Love, then we can discuss payment," he quipped.

"What the fuck ever," she retorted with a playful roll of her eyes. Klaus smirked and grabbed her hand, leading her out of the room and into the hallway. Bonnie allowed him to walk her down the steps and into the kitchen where she expected to see the good-and-faithful servant, Jonathan, but instead, found no one. "Where's Johnny boy?"

"I couldn't afford to pay him, so I sent him home." Klaus grinned at the look Bonnie gave him. "He requested this weekend off." Bonnie gave him an even stranger look. Klaus laughed. "I told you before, he's not compelled. I pay him very well." When Bonnie gave him an incredulous look, Klaus elaborated. "I only compelled him not to speak on the things that happen here, other than that he's quiet by nature, not torture."

"I'm not judging," Bonnie stated. Klaus looked at her knowingly. "Okay, I am. It's just weird, I expected your entire staff to be compelled," she confessed.

"That's fair but considering the obscene amount of money my family has, we need to get rid of it somehow," Klaus answered offhandedly as he began to pull ingredients from the fridge. Bonnie simply looked at him, wondering how one could be both normal and abnormal at the same time.

"I can't figure you out," she mumbled as she watched him pull a pan down from the overhead rack above the kitchen island.

"I am quite the conundrum, so I've been told," Bonnie shook her head with a grin as she hoisted herself up on the stool. As she sat at the island, she watched silently as Klaus made his way around the kitchen as if it was something he did daily.

"I guess after a thousand years, you pick up a few hobbies," she observed. "I'll give you that."

Klaus smirked to himself as he washed the pan and dried it. He sprinkled the pan with oil and turned the heat up. "What else will you give me," he asked as he chopped a variety of vegetables at vampiric speeds because who had the time to slice one carrot 40 times?

"My undying love and devotion," she deadpanned, earning a hearty laugh from Klaus. Bonnie found herself smiling at Klaus's side profile. When they weren't trying to murder one another, Bonnie could admit that Klaus was pretty hot. It was an admission she was determined to take to her grave.

The two of them continued to go back and forth as Klaus prepared his 'mystery meal'; his words. Whatever it was smelled wonderful and though his blood satiated her hunger, she was more than ready to chow down. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she had a meal.

"What is that?" She asked for the third time since she sat down. Klaus wasn't offering any information what-so-ever.

"Turkish Delight," he deadpanned, grinning when Bonnie began to laugh at his reference.

"There is no way in hell you watched The Chronicles of Narnia, I fucking refuse!"

"I was bored and lions were involved." Bonnie shook her head in disbelief. When he placed a plate in front of her, all was forgotten.

"Are you trying to feed an army?" She asked, staring down at the hefty portion size.

"I'm a Viking, Love," was his response as if it was a valid answer. "Plus, I plan to get you shit faced so you're going to need it," he added. Bonnie smirked to herself as she picked up her fork, ignoring the excitement building in her chest.

-X-

Maybe it was the alcohol, the blood, his 'winning personality' or a combination of all three; Bonnie wasn't sure how, but Klaus managed to successfully distract her from her thoughts. It was rare to see Bonnie with her defenses down but in the course of a few months, Klaus had gotten to experience such rarity more than once. Watching a drunken Bonnie dance on his coffee table while she sang the lyrics to a rap song he knew nothing about was something he never thought he'd experience but seeing her liberated and carefree was a treat. His vampiric reflexes kicked in the moment she toppled backward off the coffee table. Before he could process what happened, he had her in his arms for the second time that night. He watched as Bonnie giggled freely and held on to his shoulders.

"Thaaaanks," she squealed before correcting her posture. She plucked a bottle of Scotch from the table and brought it to her lips. If she wasn't a witch, Klaus might have worried about her liver. It was nearing the wee hours of the morning and she showed no signs of slowing down.

While she drank, Bonnie went through highs and lows that seemed to match the mood of whatever song was playing. At one point, her shuffle landed on a series of breakup songs that Bonnie managed to liken to her situation. After watching her cry her heart out to Toni Braxton's Breathe Again twice in a row, A highly annoyed Klaus angrily changed the playlist on her phone from '90s R&B' to 'Trap Shit'. The end result was amusing.

As she drank, Klaus offered his blood in small amounts so that she wouldn't suffer a hangover the size of Texas in the morning. His blood seemed to sober her up just enough for her to continue her drunken festival and after three hours of non-stop drinking, Klaus was beginning to feel his own buzz as well.

Bonnie squealed when the song changed to one of her favorites and she began rapping along to the music. She jumped on Klaus and wrapped her arms and legs around him. She playfully pushed his hair out of his face and smirked down at him.

"We should go to her funeral." Bonnie grinned. "You think she'll have one? Who's left to bury her?" Bonnie's smile faltered slightly but Klaus picked up on it. He held her in place as he walked them over to the couch.

"Happy thoughts, Love," Klaus reminded. Bonnie smiled and rested her forehead against his.

"I know," she mumbled, then added, "I can't help it." Though Klaus did a great job at keeping her mind off things, her thoughts always drifted back to Marie.

She buried her face in Klaus's neck. Never in a million years would she have considered him to be a point of refuge for her. She felt as though nothing could get to her as long as he was nearby. It was insane to think about, but in the days since she arrived on his doorstep, she never bothered to overthink it. Instead, she went with the flow.

Klaus made no moves to remove Bonnie from his lap. He was hyper-aware of her vulnerability and wanted to remain the perfect gentleman. However, with each of her heated gazes, Klaus grew more and more tempted. Bonnie's voice broke him from his trance. A trance he didn't realize he slipped into.

"What was that?" He hadn't even heard her. Bonnie sat up to face him. The drowsy expression she wore was adorable.

"I said, how do you do it," she repeated. When Klaus raised his brow, she elaborated. "Kill. How do you get over killing? That feeling," Bonnie couldn't describe the ache in the pit of her chest knowing that she took away someone's life; someone who had been around long before she even existed. Klaus eyed her for a moment, contemplating if he should be entertaining her in her current state. Unexpectedly, the two of them became lost in one another until Klaus spoke up.

"I have about a thousand years on you and an animalistic bloodlust that makes it fairly easy when it comes to adapting, Love." In truth, Klaus wasn't sure how to answer her question in a way that would make her feel any better. After existing for so long, killing was his nature. "I could tell you it gets better with time but the time it takes for that to happen is beyond your years here on earth." Klaus watched as her eyes drunkenly flitted from his eyes to his lips, still, he could tell she clung to every one of his words. "Moreover, it's impossible to be fully prepared for anything, especially in battle. You must always calculate the incalculable and be content with the outcome, no matter the costs." As he spoke, he absently rubbed at her sides. An act that Bonnie found comforting. She raised her glass to her lips and sipped meagerly. Klaus grabbed the glass from her and finished its contents before setting it on the side table.

"I think you've had enough for one night, Love."

"Wasn't this your goal? To get me shit-faced?" She bit down on her bottom lip, raising a brow teasingly. Klaus smirked.

"Yes, but if you keep staring at me like this, I can't promise I'll remain a gentleman," he teased.

"Who said I wanted you to be?" It was a simple question that almost unraveled him. Klaus stared up at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes that Bonnie returned.

"I know better than to give in to the whims of a woman indisposed," Klaus said. Before Bonnie could protest, he continued. "Besides, when I have you, I can't have you blaming it on the alcohol."

"When?" Bonnie teased with a smirk. Klaus chuckled.

"Yes, when. Former enemies always make the best bedfellows." His words sounded almost like a promise that Bonnie found herself interested in. She held on to him as he stood, wrapping her arms around his neck and shoulders and her legs around his waist. He held on to her thighs and carried her (at human speed) up to her room. Once inside, he gently laid her on the bed and Bonnie stared up at him watching with a small smile.

"You're actually kind of cute, Klaus," she blurted out. At her admission, Klaus grinned and shook his head.

"Well, its high time you noticed," he teased, earning a middle finger from her. "If you still feel the same when you wake up, come visit me." Bonnie couldn't tell if he was joking or not. "You're cute too, especially when you're breathing fire. I didn't know you were part dragon." Bonnie blushed.

"I did that, didn't I?" In truth, much of what Bonnie had done was on a whim. Once her magic took control, she took a back seat and allowed it to reign free; a true manifestation of her will.

"Yes, you did," Once she was tucked in, Klaus leaned in to kiss her on the forehead. Bonnie grinned at the sentiment. "Good night…" he paused and glanced at the window nearby. Evidence of morning crept through the curtains, indicating that night had come and gone. "Good morning my little fire-breathing witch."

-X-

Bonnie was fully prepared to deal with the anguish of a hangover, but when she opened her eyes, she felt fine, physically. Magically, however, she felt as if she was ready to bounce off of the walls. The amount of energy flowing through her was, in a word, insane. She needed a release. Bonnie jolted out of bed. One glance at her appearance in the mirror made her stop in her tracks. Her skin glowed brightly, and her eyes shimmered with a shade of green she'd never seen before. The sclera of her eyes was milky white when, just a day before, they were red with fatigue. A breathless chuckle escaped her lips and Bonnie noticed that her teeth were whiter as well. Perhaps the most jarring change was the fact that her short blonde hair had been restored to its original state and it was hard fathoming how her hair grew twelve inches overnight. The absurdity of her predicament made her chuckle.

"What the fuck?" She stormed down the hallway, making her way to Klaus's room. There, she found him lying supinely on his king-size bed, staring up at the ceiling. When Bonnie entered, he didn't flinch. He heard the moment she woke up.

"Klaus…" He ignored the breathy way his name escaped her lips.

"You have been glowing since last night," he said, sitting up. His eyes drank her in, and his brow raised in question at the drastic changes in her appearance. "I'm guessing this has something to do with what you did to Marie last night," Klaus speculated. He saw the condition Marie's body was in and if it weren't for the braids she wore and the smell of her blood, Klaus wouldn't have recognized her.

Realization settled on Bonnie's features as she remembered draining Marie of her powers. When Bonnie began siphoning Marie, she never thought that it would linger, she assumed Marie's power would wear off eventually. And when did she learn to siphon other witches?

"Oh," was all Bonnie could come up with.

"So, your magic pressed reset and restored you to factory settings," Klaus began. "Does this mean you're technically a virgin now," he grinned, ducking when Bonnie threw a bottle of Arquiste Nanban she found on his dresser at him. He caught it with ease and smirked. "I'll take that as a yes," he chided. He glanced at her curiously then asked, "What did you think would happen?"

"I don't know how any of this shit works, okay. My entire life, I've been winging it. And that's before I learned I was a witch." Bonnie's approach to Magic had always been on a whim. Whether she was fighting for her life or preparing for a battle, when it came to how she weirded her power, there was never much thought put into it. The most preparation she ever had was when she went up against Klaus; back then, she was a baby.

"Maybe you should practice," he offered.

"mAYbe YoU sHoULd pRaCTiCe," Bonnie mocked. "I'll start practicing when you start shifting, how's that?" Klaus chuckled at her antics and held his hands up in defense.

"Deal." He watched as Bonnie moved away from the mirror and roamed around his room. She realized that it was the first time she'd been past the threshold and took a moment to take in her surroundings. She wasn't sure what she expected, maybe something over the top and extravagant, but that's not what she got. Instead, his room was neatly organized and very minimalistic, save the giant king-size bed that sat in the middle of the room. The bed was the most extravagant thing and Bonnie wondered what century it was made in.

Klaus watched as she roamed around his room. There was a pensive expression on her face, and he was reminded of the Bonnie he left behind in Mystic Falls. A small smirk appeared on his face as he closed the distance between them.

"You know," he began, "I prefer this Bonnie." He reached out and fingered her chocolate tresses. Bonnie stared up at him, aware of his closeness.

"Why?" Her voice was huskier than she intended.

"Nostalgia, I guess," he shrugged, then smirked. "This Bonnie had no qualms about bringing me to my knees," he grinned. Bonnie smirked and leaned against his bedpost.

"Neither did the Blonde Bombshell." Klaus laughed heartily.

"Is that what you called her?" Bonnie nodded and bit her lips. Beneath the surface, her magic still surged and before she could back down, she took a step closer to him.

"Are you still feeling like a gentleman?" There was a brief moment of confusion before he caught on to what she was asking. His blue eyes darkened with lust.

"Do you want me to be?" Bonnie felt her heart skip with anticipation as Klaus pressed himself against her. She wasn't sure when Klaus went from being bearable to her preferred choice in company, but she didn't want to dwell on that. The closer he was, the more her magic thrummed. Right now, she felt like a power line conducting a massive amount of energy that she needed to release.

"No."