Chapter 20: No Tears Left To Cry

Date: March 28, 2020

Author's Note: Hey guys! I hope this forced time off has been gentle to you all and that you're reconnecting with yourselves and rediscovering yourselves and your passions/dreams. If not, you have my prayers and I send positive vibes to you. That said, I want to take the time to thank you all for reading. I faced performance anxiety while trying to write this chapter and launch this story into another territory, (while staying true to the characterization). Sometimes, I get discouraged because I think there is no one out there reading Klonnie/Bonnie fics anymore. The show has been over for a few years now and I get that interests fade so, I thank you for your continued support. It's nice knowing you're still out there and interested. It keeps us writers and content creators inspired. Now that I'm done being sentimental, this chapter takes place directly after the fight in the cemetery which means it jumps around (both scene and time periods) to catch everyone up to speed with what's happened since uh… Klonnie had their moment. Hopefully, you don't think I'm a harlot and are still reading. I was nervous posting that the last chapter lol.

Warning: You will begin to notice the effects of the spell in Bonnie's reactions. She may come across as callous and bitchy towards certain people. Some of this is partially due to the spell and some from siphoning Marie's magic. Keep that in mind if you feel like choking her lol.

Recap: Marie and several witches are dead, The Harvest is completed, Agnes is on the run, Marcel is awaiting Davina's resurrection and Vincent well… scroll down. :)


Roughly 30 Hours Earlier

Vincent found himself in the middle of carnage for the second time this year. Frankly, he was ready to throw the entire city away. Maybe he'd move to Charleston and work as a bartender somewhere on King Street. The city was similar to New Orleans, he heard. Maybe somewhere in Savannah would be nice. Any place was better than where he currently stood—in the middle of Lafayette Cemetery with dead bodies all around him. How the fuck would he explain this to the council? He was so sick of funerals. The weariness he felt as he helped those that survived Bonnie's attack was almost too much for him to bear. He was numb.

"Vincent." He turned and found Sabine standing before him with an inscrutable expression on her face. She looked out of place in the chaos of the cemetery. Her hair and makeup were pristine and she was as flawless as ever; not at all like their witchy counterparts. Vincent himself looked well put together, save from the stress pulling at the corners of his eyes, tightening and trying to cause wrinkles. She, like him, was weary. Vincent's jaw tightened. He needed someplace to focus his anger.

"Are you happy? You got what you wanted. I hope it was worth it," he spat. Sabine closed her eyes.

"Of course this isn't what we wanted," she countered. "None of this was supposed to happen. We were supposed to do the ritual and move on with our lives," Sabine gritted her teeth. "Bonnie was a wild card that none of us anticipated. Marie should have never involved her. Our fight wasn't with Bonnie, it was with Marcel,"

"They go hand in hand!" Vincent rubbed his temples. Vincent hadn't known Bonnie long but the Bennetts had a reputation. You simply did not fuck with them. "You all were arrogant and went into this half-cocked. Now look at us!" Vincent's frustrations sent his blood pressure through the roof. He had a massive migraine that would not go away.

Sabine remained quiet as she surveyed the area in which they stood. The earth was scorched and piles of ashes were scattered amongst heaps of clothing. She had watched in awe as Bonnie channeled the elements and rained lightning down on everyone within her sight and it was then that she realized that they had sorely overestimated themselves.

"Together we are strong," Vincent began. "But our strength relies on our ancestors and for that, we will always be limited," he stated truthfully. "I don't know what the fuck kind of magic Bonnie drew on tonight but we better pray this is the end of it. We can't compete with that," If he hadn't met Bonnie before tonight, fear would have led him to call for her removal from the city which would be a task in and of itself.

"She's a threat to us. The others will want her out of this city," Sabine stated, confirming Vincent's thoughts.

"They can try," he scoffed. "But unless they ask nicely and she agrees, good fucking luck," Vincent wasn't having that conversation with Bonnie. Not after what he witnessed.

Sabine sighed, "Well then, we need to gather those that remain and advise them against it." She wasn't sure how it would go, but she knew that she didn't want any more bloodshed.

"I'll leave you to it, then," Vincent muttered as he gathered the remains of the witches that had been reduced to ash, trying to identify those that perished.

"They won't listen to me. As far as they're concerned, I'm an outsider," Sabine reminded. "They'll listen to you." She paused for a moment. "Marie and Bastianna are dead, Josephine and Agnes are not fit to lead the covens," she paused before making her point. "I think it's time we appoint someone new as regent. Josephine will make a play for it but she'll get us all killed." Vincent didn't like where this was headed.

"No," he stated firmly.

"You're the only one of us on good terms with Bonnie," Sabine reasoned.

"I wonder why that is," he scoffed sarcastically. Sabine relented.

"Just… give it some thought." She said as she joined him in collecting the remains of the fallen. Her words remained with Vincent for the remainder of the night until only one question remained.

If not you, then who?

-X-

Davina blinked slowly and silently took in her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was the awkward position she was in. Strewn about a bed, she could feel she was laying on something and didn't take long to realize that something was legs.

"That took longer than I anticipated." Davina's heart raced for a few seconds before her mind registered the voice. Marcel. She sat up clumsily and threw her arms around his neck, happy to b alive. Her hands went to her neck as she remembered getting her through sliced open. Her heart skipped a beat when she remembered blood down the front of her dress and she jumped to see the damage.

"I changed your outfit. I figured you wouldn't want any reminders of what you've been through." Davina felt relief wash over her as she continued to hold her neck, trying to piece together the memories of the night before, or whenever that was.

"How…" Davina paused when the searing pain cut through her throat. Marcel bit his lips and looked away.

"I was only able to heal it a little. You were dead so I couldn't get you to drink so I placed some of my blood on your wound. It healed the scar but I guess it didn't do enough," he explained. Dark veins flitted beneath his eyelids and his fangs unsheathed from his upper gums as he bit into his wrist and held it to her lips. Without hesitation, Davina drank from his wrist and sighed as relief flowed through her with each pull of blood.

"Thank you," she spoke softly. "How much time has passed?" Considering that he was still in the same clothes she last saw him in, it couldn't have been too long; at least she hoped.

"About five or six hours, it's almost sunrise," Davina's eyes flitted over to the nearest source of light and the soft blue coming from behind the curtains confirmed his statement. Davina rubbed her neck again as images from The Reaping flooded her.

"Josephine." She recalled the elder brutally sliding a knife across her throat and Davina's magic surfaced, though not as strong as she remembered. The lack of strength made Davina feel vulnerable. She was weak and her attempted killer was somewhere on the loose probably.

"I'll find her, I promise," Marcel swore. As she was about to comment on making Josephine La Rue pay, a thought slammed into her.

"Bonnie?!" She glanced around the room frantically, realizing this was the very room she and Vincent performed the spell to contact Bonnie and break her from the hex placed on her. At the mention of Bonnie's name, Marcel felt his anxiety soar.

"She's alive and okay," Marcel assured the both of them. With the amount of power she wielded in the 'Battle of Armageddon', he had no doubt that she made it out alive. Still, he was itching to check on her to make sure she was okay. His attention was divided and he was forced to eat the elephant one bite at a time. "I think the spell the two of you performed worked," though, he couldn't be sure if Bonnie had awakened on her own.

Davina sighed with relief and Marcel shifted from under her. He had held Davina in his arms all night, praying that she would come back to life as the witches said. He was spent and in need of blood, but there was no rest for the wicked. The city was in chaos and he needed to reestablish his authority. His hold on the witches was gone and it was only a matter of time before they exacted revenge. Then there was Klaus. The hybrid was obviously there to reclaim his throne but the fact that he has been quiet all of this time made Marcel nervous. He needed to figure out Klaus's angle and quickly. There was also the issue of Bonnie, which he rarely had time to address; shit just wouldn't stop happening.

"I'm glad nothing happened to you," Davina finally said, lost in thought about what happened the night before. There was no shortage of death in the city recently and Marcel was just about the only person she could trust that was still in her corner.

"For now," Marcel stated. He had a sense of foreboding that he could not shake. Shit was hitting the fan every day and he had a feeling the splatter wouldn't cease any time soon.

"Don't say that. We've got each other's back right? You have me and… Bonnie I think," Davina didn't know a whole lot about their relationship but she could tell Marcel truly liked her.

"Bonnie," Marcel still wasn't sure how to broach that subject. "I have to find her first," though he had an inkling suspicion that she was wherever Klaus was. The thought grated his nerves.

"Well, go find her, I'll be here. Waiting, hungrily," she added. Marcel chuckled and hefted his chin towards the door.

"Come on, I'll make you cornmeal pancakes."

She didn't have to be told twice.

-X-

For the first time in a long time, Bonnie felt really damn good. Her skin tingled with magic and her skin glowed radiantly. Her eyes were bright and teeming with life and the scowl she was beginning to think was permanent was nonexistent. She wanted to believe it was solely due to the magic flowing through her veins but she had to admit that a good tussle between the sheets may have had something to do with her perky mood. She didn't bother hiding it, either. She ignored Klaus as he leaned in the doorjamb, watching her prance around her room getting ready for whatever she planned to do today. She sang along to the songs as they queued in her R&B playlist, using her hairbrush as a microphone. She hadn't allowed herself to be this free since before she learned she was a witch. Living with Marcel was peaceful, but she spent most of the time worrying about her past catching up with her and him discovering her secrets. If not that, she spent the other time recovering from the trauma of dying and the crippling loneliness it brought.

She felt good and it made her want to laugh like a maniac whenever she considered how Klaus played a role. Of all fucking people.

"You know you could turn that into an actual microphone if you wanted," Klaus finally chimes in. Bonnie waved him off and flung her wet hair over her shoulder before brushing her curls. Usually worn straight or wavy, Bonnie decided to ditch her usual hair routine and go for the wet, curly look, hoping that she didn't look like a hot mess once the elements took over. It was risky but she couldn't bother to care about impossible beauty standards; not today.

As an added measure she applied copious amounts of gel so that her curls would keep, hopefully.

She spun on her heels and faced Klaus. "What do you think?" She wondered why she was bothering to ask in the first place.

"You could shave your head and wear a potato sack and for all I care," he shrugged. "I'd still bone you." Bonnie laughed but didn't have a chance to respond when a knock that could wake the dead sounded on the front door. Their eyes met briefly before Klaus disappeared. Once downstairs, he snatched the door open and came face to face with Marcel. Klaus grinned like The Grinch as he regarded him smugly.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, Marcellus?"

Marcel rolled his eyes, "Where's Bonnie?" He wasted no time getting to the purpose of his visit, brushing past Klaus brazenly. Affronted by the blatant disrespect, Klaus had Marcel pinned to the wall by his neck instantly. The younger vampire growled and fought to get Klaus off him but his attempts were futile. The bastard was strong; stronger than usual, he noticed.

"Get your fucking hands off me!" Marcel felt the bones in his neck buckle under the weight of Klaus's grip and wondered offhandedly if Klaus had fed recently to make him this strong. The two men glared at one another until a look of realization flashed over Marcel's features and an inquisitive brow raised high on his forehead.

"Why do you smell like Bonnie?" Marcel feared the worst. "What the fuck did you do to her?" Marcel growled and struggled against Klaus's grip once again, but got nowhere.

A devious glint flashed over Klaus's features and his Grinch-like smile came into view once again. "Where should I begin?" He smirked. Marcel opened his mouth to speak when Bonnie appeared at the apex of the staircase. Klaus glanced over his shoulder and Marcel used that moment to slip from his hold. Before Klaus could retaliate, Bonnie spoke up.

"Must there always be a measuring contest between you two?" Bonnie asked with a bored expression. Marcel watched as she descended the stairs, assessing her from head to toe. He immediately noticed that everything about her was different and it unnerved him. Ever beautiful, she appeared ethereal as she made her way closer. As he stared, he was reminded of the day he first laid eyes on her and something in his gut twisted.

Once she reached the bottom, Marcel appeared in front of her. The gust of wind rustled her hair and his close proximity made Bonnie crane her neck to look at him. Marcel noticed instantly how indistinguishable their scents were and the conclusion he drew almost knocked the breath out of him.

"Wow," was all he could say. Bonnie swallowed the lump in her throat and braced herself for what was coming. She didn't plan to have this conversation so soon but it was probably better to rip the bandaid off now. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Marcel asked, glaring down at her. He stepped closer and Bonnie subconsciously took a step back. Klaus moved to intervene but Bonnie held her hand up, her gaze never leaving Marcel.

"Look—" Marcel didn't allow her to finish.

"Save it," he cut her off tersely. Bonnie felt her chest twist at the look on his face but held her composure. "I just came to give you this and to make sure you were alive," he said robotically, dropping her cellphone in her hands after retrieving it from his back pocket. Bonnie stared at the dead phone in her hands.

"Thanks," was all she could say. Marcel turned and walked away from the two of them, scoffing with a shake of his head.

"Yeah, whatever." He turned to leave but not before addressing Klaus. "You have a knack for ruining people's lives. Don't fucking destroy her like you did your family." Klaus moved to lunge at him, but Marcel was gone in a flash. Bonnie stared at the spot he occupied for a moment. Klaus watched her, expecting her to storm out after him but was surprised when Bonnie turned and made her way towards the kitchen. He grinned proudly and followed after her, watching as she moved about, seemingly unbothered.

"You're not going to run after your little boyfriend," Klaus asked, attempting to provoke her. Bonnie sighed and shook her head.

"No. It is what it is. I can't change what happened and I regret nothing. There isn't anything I can say to make him feel any less slighted so, what's the point." Klaus's brows raised slightly and he nodded his agreement. "And he's not my boyfriend, never was," she added. The words were acidic and a part of her cringed as she said them, but it was the truth.

"I'm impressed by your candor." And he was, though a part of him wondered if this was her talking or that dratted spell. Marie was dead so the spell should technically be null and void, right? Klaus realized he had no way of finding that out. With Marie went the only other person that knew of what he had done and he wanted things to remain that way. Still, a part of him wondered…

"Yeah, yeah," Bonnie shrugged. She too was a bit thrown by how easily she was able to dismiss the altercation but couldn't be bothered to sort through her feelings right now. She had other things on her mind.

Like figuring out what siphoning Marie's life force would do to her ultimately.

She knew better than to think she was out of the woods. Nothing was ever that simple. Still, she had never done anything remotely close to this and wondered if Marie's magic would simply wear off and dissipate or would there be any adverse effects from harnessing so much power.

"I can't imagine that the witches are happy that I practically laid waste to all of them last night," Bonnie mentioned casually as she poured herself a glass of orange juice. She was hungry and beignets sounded like a good option.

"We can worry about them later, Love," Klaus assured. "Anyone that tries to retaliate will be destroyed." Bonnie sipped her juice and looked at him. There was a certain emptiness inside of her that she couldn't quite place but rather than being alarmed by it, she thought nothing of it.

"I warned them," she muttered against her glass. "They wouldn't listen." As Bonnie said the words, she noticed the nagging guilt that usually came with knowing she hurt or killed someone wasn't there. Was she numb or did she not care anymore? Killing Marie was traumatic and she was beginning to wonder if she would ever recover from it.

"They get what they get. A warning is more than what I would have done." Bonnie eyed Klaus quietly while worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. She looked to be deep in thought and Klaus wondered what was on her mind. Just as quickly as she slipped into her thoughts, she snapped out of it and set her empty glass on the counter.

"Cafe du Monde?" She suggested. "My treat."


A/N: Hey Guys! I'm curious to know what you all are thinking now. There is more to come in later chapters including the aftermath and backlash amid Marie's death, along with the introduction of a character I'm excited about. Normally, Bonnie is known for being just and good, however, with that, she's done some questionable things for the 'greater good'. I tend to delve into the other side and while yes, in this story, Bonnie is standing up for herself and thinking on her own, she's bound to make mistakes and will still have to face consequences of her actions but unlike the show, she's not the only one facing consequences. Everyone is, (hence Marie and the witches/harvest ritual, Marcel, etc).

As the title of this story suggests, this story presents the chaos of everyone acting for themselves. Here, we have Bonnie finally acting in her own self-interest. It's what she's fought against all throughout the seasons of the show because she didn't want to give in to her desires. This story is her giving in and with that, she won't always be the good-guy we know and love.

This chapter is shorter than I'm used to so I apologize if it seems 'rushed' or 'abrupt' at the end. It serves as a transition chapter and I didn't want to try to cram everything in at once. As always, thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts! Stay safe and healthy!