After their discussion last night Bonnie made sure Jo received a large dinner and slept in the best bed- her father's old room. It helped alleviate some of the tiredness on the other woman's face. But no breakfast large enough would be able to erase the dark circles in sunken cheeks gaping out at her.

Josette still held onto the hope that her words would be enough to convince people. Bonnie was sceptical and decided to send Enzo with her, with the instructions that he should make the situation as easy for her as possible. Basically to kill anybody he thought would be trouble- without Jo's knowledge of course. She didn't want it weighing on her mind.

'Thank you for this.' Jo held onto Bonnie's fingers a little tighter than she intended to as they said goodbye.

'It's alright. I'm sorry you didn't get to sleep longer.' Bonnie lifted the hood of her cloak up as it slipped. Enzo kept guard to make sure no one was around. They wouldn't be at this time, the sun wasn't even up and not even servants wandered this far.

'I slept better than I have in a long time Your Majesty.' Jo smiled, her eyes separate to the emotion on her lips.

'Please call me Bonnie.'

'Thank you Bonnie.' She took a deep breath, preparing herself to let go and mount the horse tied quietly to the tree behind her. But she couldn't yet, not because of herself, but because of Bonnie. As scared as Jo looked, Bonnie's worry was parallel.

'Please be careful.' She warned. 'Kai is dangerous.'

'I know-'

'No, you don't. Not like I do.'

Bonnie bit the inside of her cheek. 'Of course, I know that and I'm sorry. But I'm so sick of people warning me about him. I'm not exactly an angel either.'

'It's more of a, Persephone against the god of the underworld vibe.'

'People forget that Persephone was a god too. I promise, I can take care of myself.'

Jo licked her lips thinking carefully about her warning. 'I just mean that… Kai has this way of getting people to trust him. He says all the right things but the things he does to back them up are just… terrible.' She shook her head, giving a nervous laugh. 'You're nothing like him Bonnie. You're a good person.'

Were good people always meant to feel so fractured? Every still moment like this she felt whole, solid- this was who she was always meant to be- but then she would step once more and crack apart around her thoughts. Whatever Jo was trying to convince her of, she wasn't a good person. She couldn't be something that didn't exist.

She pushed the thought away and went to wrap her arms around Jo, holding her tighter than she planned.

'Please be careful. And come back soon?'

'Here's hoping.' Jo crossed her fingers. A few more nervous words and Bonnie was left waving two figures goodbye.

The whole of last night she spent worrying about the morning. Seeing him for the first time after coming to terms with what she knew.

'What's on the agenda for today?' He asked, slotting down into the chair opposite her.

Was the dining room he murdered his family in similar to this one? She picked up the knife beside her and wondered if it was just as sharp as the one he used to slit his brother's throat. Instead of throwing out any of the insults and angry accusations that bubbled to the surface of her mind she gave a tight smile and replied.

'I was thinking, a tour of the Kingdom. We can see what you remember from your last visit.'

He laughed and she felt how hollow it was.

Filling his plate with the pastries from the platter presented by the servant stepping forward he spoke, 'I think I'll disappoint you there. I can't seem to remember much.'

'You know it's funny,' she pulled a grape from the stem on her plate, 'I can't seem to remember much either.'

'Well then,' he held up his glass of freshly filled juice. 'To making new memories.'

She mirrored him. 'To making new memories.'

'We have to.' Jo pleaded.

Enzo sighed, adjusting his squat to peep over the wall and then back down again. Two guards standing by the entrance and miscellaneous ones patrolling the area. He'd only just managed to get Jo out with the help of compulsion and now she wanted to return.

'Look, do you really need this witch? You'll be Queen soon enough and you can pardon her. But right now I think we should focus on clearing your name.'

'We will but right now my priority is getting her out. She helped me so much Enzo. This is the least I can do to repay her.'

'Ugh.' He rolled his eyes, already planning the best route to get in and out as quickly as possible.

'The cell next to yours?' He clarified and she nodded.

He was hopping over the wall before she finished, deciding the best course of action was to just walk straight in and compel anyone who got in his way.

Jo stayed low and waited, hearing shouts before they became complacent voices. A minute more and she was deciding whether it would be worth following him in. She hadn't officially used her magic for anything other than practicing but with the right motivation she was sure she could knock most the guards unconscious. The flush of magic began rising to the surface of her skin, summoned by her thoughts, but the air around her fluttered and suddenly Enzo was standing by her. Beside him was a dishevelled inmate, familiar only by eyes that were lighter in the sun.

She looked taller too. Only in the daylight could Jo appreciate how her clothes hung off her skeletal frame.

'Is that what I looked like?' She asked.

Enzo had rescued Jo during the dead of night, a quick creaking from her cell door and suddenly she was back in the castle with him explaining everything to her. She had the chance to wash and change, but she moved so fast out of fear of re-capture that she never paid attention to how she looked.

'You sent a vampire to rescue me?' The witch yelled, ignoring Jo's question.

'A what?' She stood up, brushing the mud from her skirt.

'Vampire.' Enzo answered, already leading them towards the waiting horses, ready to head to their original destination. 'And you're sounding awfully angry for someone who's just been rescued.'

'I didn't ask to be rescued. If I wanted to be out of there I would have left a while ago.'

Jo mounted her horse with ease while Enzo cupped his hands for the witch to stand on, giving up his own mule. 'Then why didn't you?'

She shrugged as their transport began to canter, Enzo walking alongside. 'I didn't want to. I had food, shelter, a place to relax. It's surprisingly easy to tap into your magic when you're suffering.'

'Do you want to go back?' Jo asked quietly, rethinking her kindness. The witch looked back at her, visibly softening but ignoring the question.

'Did you kill your brother?' She asked Jo, looking over the vampire's head.

'Uh, no.' Jo replied, thrown at how suddenly the topic turned to murder.

They reached the castle and dismounted. Enzo compelled the oncoming guards not to lock Jo up on sight, even going as far as to escort them inside.

'I didn't know you could do that.' She said, mesmerised as they walked familiar terrain she thought she'd never see again.

'Compulsion is a vampire's best friend.' The witch muttered. 'Why didn't you kill him?'

Jo walked a little faster, unsure of where she was even heading to until she was leading the group down a hallway she used to wander routinely.

'I will.' She said, pushing open wooden doors leading to a room gone cold from months of disuse.

So he didn't have dinner here anymore. It was morbid how clean the room was, devoid of any particular objects, yet the walls and floors were still tainted pink in spots.

'You don't sound too sure of that.' Enzo gave a nod for the guards to leave the three of them.

'I will.' She reaffirmed. Jo started to walk around the room, around to where the table would have been and coming to stand in place of the chair she sat at for the past twenty years.

'I'll do what I have to do. But I'm not Kai. I'm not taking any joy from this.'

'Good. Remember that. It's what makes you stronger than him. He's a bad person.' Enzo said, satisfied in having a moment to bash Kai's character. But Jo frowned and the witch beside him shuffled from one foot to the other.

'You know the worst part of all of this, is that I don't think he is.' Jo flexed her fingers as the words came tumbling out. Months spent isolated with little company meant she'd had time to over-analyse and draw conclusions that she never thought she'd be able to speak. Now, among the ghosts, felt like the only time she'd get to say her peace. 'When he killed them, he was just doing what he had to to survive. It doesn't mean I don't hate him for it. But I understand. I wish I didn't, but I do.'

The witch was the one to step forward and place a comforting hand over her shoulder. 'He'll get what he deserves.'

Jo squeezed the hand with her own. 'But what about me? What do I deserve? I don't want to have to kill my brother. I still see-' she took a deep breath, controlling the spiral 'I still see them in my dreams. The moments before they died, right up until they're all lifeless. Over and over again and there's always so much blood. If I kill Kai it will haunt me. I'll never be free of him.'

'Don't be worried. Be strong and remember what I taught you, there won't be any blood.' The witch replied, almost insensitively to anyone who was listening. But a secret exchange passed between her and Jo of information none but the two were privy to.

'What did you teach her?' Enzo asked.

The witch looked at him, deciding to keep her secret. 'What she needs to know.'

He rolled his eyes. Leaving the witch in a ditch somewhere wouldn't gain him any favour. Besides, he was sure Jo needed her for emotional support. 'Look, I'm not the enemy here, witch, and quite frankly I'm sick of people assuming I am.'

She snorted but pushed down the humour to look at him severely.

'Fine.' A truce was called from a war he was oblivious to fighting. 'And don't call me witch like that.'

'I'd call you your name but I don't know it.'

'Qetsiyah.' She replied, looking expectantly as she let the name hang between them. But Enzo didn't know it and moved forward.

'Enzo.' He rubbed his hands together, focusing on Jo. 'Right. Who do you want me to compel first?'

The heat was starting to slip down the back of his neck from the intense sun. There was no shade on the docks unless he stood in the shadow of one of the behemoth ships.

'Oh look,' He pointed to the gold lettering adorning smooth lumbar across the hull of their current cover. 'The Queen Bonita.' Using the was more initiative than the other five Queen Bonitas. How was someone meant to distinguish between them? His partner gave a smile as sarcastic as his comment.

'It's considered good favour to name them after the sitting monarch.' She explained monotonously. He was teasing her, she knew that. Teasing meant he was trying to gain some familiarity with her. That was the furthest thing she wanted from him. Her job was to keep him here while Jo was away and keep him complacent. Civility was enough to do that. She left the shade and he followed her. Behind him Elena and Alaric moved with them. Last time he came, her father had a whole team of people surrounding them on outings. Bonnie planned for it to be just the two of them until yesterday's revelation.

Suddenly she was begging for her lady-in-waiting and advisor to accompany them. Elena and Alaric were not here for her protection. She could handle Kai. But their presence made it easier for her to focus. Being alone with him was the last thing she wanted. Bonnie guided them back towards the crowded marketplace, focusing on the warm bodies all around her rather than his shoulder brushing her as they walked.

The place was packed out more than usual, villagers preparing for a celestial event. She chose a silk stand to browse from, showing off the craftsmanship to him. Their chaperones did the same at the stall on the opposite side, Elena becoming invested in the Arab Pashminas.

'Summer is one of our busiest seasons.' Bonnie said to fill the disturbingly comfortable silence between them.

She was going to add more when suddenly the pressure of his shoulder left her own and she looked in time to see him dip through the crowd, pausing before an alley before heading to it. It was insulting that he'd think that she wouldn't notice him runaway. Alaric joined Elena's enthusiasm in feeling the material and neither showed any indication that they'd look up anytime soon. Her hesitation meant he was getting further away and she was burning with curiosity to know where he was going.

'Fuck it.' She whispered under breath before maneuvering through shoppers to see where he'd gone.

Down an alley she'd walked a thousand times before, she stepped from side to side of the gulley to avoid sewage running through the middle. Above her there were a few people watching as she walked, some recognising her as Queen. A woman with a baby on her hip made to bow but Bonnie put a finger to her lip to indicate she keep the secret.

'Have you seen a man, about this high,' she asked up at her, indicating height with her hand, 'black hair.'

'He went that way.' A child, leaning out of the window bordering the woman's, answered.

'Thank you.' Bonnie replied, following the direction of his finger.

She travelled down the cracked cobbles, wrinkling her brows as she walked past a rusted metal gate, instinct telling her to go inside. The last time she was here was months ago when it was being emptied out. There was no reason for Kai to be here but as the dirty grey hinges creaked and she stepped inside, there he was- standing in the middle of the empty courtyard looking up at the crumbling shack. He glanced at her and then back.

'You found me.'

'I didn't know you were hiding.'

'Not hiding just… being pulled away.'

She stood beside him, joining him in looking at the rotting brick work. 'What pulled you away?'

'Where are the children?' He asked, avoiding the question. Then he'd have to go into detail about how his memories weren't quite adding up and he felt compelled to keep that to himself.

'I thought you couldn't remember much?'

'Bits and pieces keep coming back to me.' Khaya mentioned the orphanage and his brain had already swept the memory away. But when he saw the familiar gulley it was like his feet were moving of their own accord.

'I moved them to a better location as soon as I became Queen.' She said, answering his first question. 'You've been here before?'

'Once, I think. When we came last time.'

She nodded, not wanting to ask more about it and risk her own threatening headache. 'We should go back.'

'Can I see it?'

'See what?'

'The new orphanage.'

She opened her mouth and then closed it once more, too shocked to form a sentence. Once she gathered her opinion on his question she finally spoke. 'Why?'

'Because I want to see it.' He punctuated his vague answer with a smile meant to subdue her.

Warily she nodded, leading them out of the abandoned building and further down the alley. As they walked she felt the low hum of magic slip around her and had to reel herself in, unaware her emotions were becoming unstable enough for it to escape her. As she took a breath to calm down the magic still didn't dissipate.

But she was calm. She was sure of it.

Unless...

It wasn't her magic.

She looked around. All eyes that had been on her earlier barely glanced their way now, as if they were invisible. Offense pricked her.

Kai thought she was stupid enough not to realise he was cloaking them. But it dawned on her that he didn't know she had magic.

How could he?

Why would he cloak them anyway? Was he planning something dangerous? Here in an alley, suddenly immune to any witnesses. What was the protocol if the Queen suddenly disappeared? She'd kill him before he even managed to try. Killing a foreign King probably wasn't good for her image either.

The entire two minute walk to the new premises was spent on edge, but as they rounded a corner and loud chattering filtered through the air, she felt the cloaking disappear- leaving them in view again. So there was no ulterior motive other than to make sure no one saw them. It couldn't have been for protection. Kai didn't protect people. He was a ruthless murderer.

Jo said so.

But he didn't look so ruthless when the children approached, running to hug Bonnie and investigate the awkward stranger. He even let Penelope, one of the smallest kids for her age, pull him by the hand to show him around. When she pulled him, he glanced back at Bonnie who tried not to laugh at his panic. She gave them a head start then ventured after them with her own entourage chattering about their latest exploits, trying to ignore how suddenly her chest began to warm and putting it down to the brisk walk.

'And Salim's been getting the best marks with Professor,' Julie nattered.

'He is? I'm so proud of him. Where is he?'

'He's at the Market. There's new yellow fruit from the sea and we wanted to try some. Don't tell.' She replied conspiritorily as they reached one of the boys dormitories.

'Don't worry, I won't.' Bonnie made a mental note to have a whole crate of the exotic fruit brought here.

Kai was already seated on a plump mattress feigning interest in the wooden soldier collection he was being shown. Feigning, she assumed, because he didn't seem like the type of person to actually be interested in what the different colours represented to Penelope. She kept up the assumption even as Kai joined the children crouching to help arrange the battlements, chatting to them about things Bonnie couldn't hear.

It was getting harder and harder to reconcile everything she'd been told with what she was seeing. All the way back to the castle they spoke about how she'd found funding for certain projects and it came up that he was starting an educational initiative.

'The money was donated by one of the Lord's.' He said with too much emphasis on 'donated' for her to believe and she felt herself walling up once more.

'Maybe you shouldn't have dinner alone with him.' Alaric advised. She'd come clean about everything to him the minute they got back, trusting him to keep it to himself. Alaric's entire job was to keep her secrets. He nearly choked when he heard about Jo's framing. 'And maybe next time don't follow him into an alley alone.'

'If I do that he'll know something is wrong. And I told you I had no choice. I wanted to know what he was up to and you and Elena were busy. So really it's your fault.'

He raised an eyebrow and she flopped onto the chaise opposite his. 'Sorry, I think it's starting to actually hit me. The fact that he's here and he's a murderer and my entire job is to make him suspect nothing.'

He leaned forward, prodding the fireplace with an iron poker. 'I get it, it's hard.'

'Any sage advice?'

'Yes.' Alaric tented his fingers. 'Buck up.'

'Buck up?'

'Buck up. Do what you have to do and get it done Bonnie. You're Queen, you can't afford to have a mental breakdown. Look at it this way, you only have to carry on with the charade for a few more days and then he'll be out of your hair.'

'I suppose' she said unsurely, standing up to move to her desk.

'If it helps, try and forget everything you know about him. Treat him as if he really is just another suitor.'

'That's dangerous' she looked at the scrolls piled up as she spoke then looked back to see Alaric's confusion.

'Why?'

After today's display at the orphanage if she acted like he was just another suitor, a man without sins weighing him down, there was a very real chance she could…

Alaric was starting to put it together and somehow she knew if he realised he'd look at her with disappointment she couldn't bear. Like she was just some silly girl who couldn't control her emotions.

'Actually you might be right' she changed the conversation. 'I'll try to forget.' She could control her emotions.

Kai leafed through the Grimoire until he found the page once more, running his fingers over the spell. Without tapping into any of the borrowed magic, origin still unknown, he began to practice it again, wanting it to be perfect. This was a good way to take his mind off certain people. A certain person in particular. A certain person he'd been thinking about after their moment in the library. Who'd practically mooned over him in the Orphanage and then dived for separation the minute they'd gotten back.

God, he hated her so much he couldn't stop thinking about her.

He was also thinking about another person. Someone's who's magic had practically screamed at him the moment Enzo brought her into the castle. She was his twin. Did they really think he wouldn't be able to sense her the minute she stepped over the stone threshold? That night, he was about to sleep when he sensed Jo. By the time he cloaked himself, followed the familial thread bonding them all the way to Bonnie's study, he was just in time to find Bonnie and Enzo arguing outside the door. A prelude to the scheming he was privy to, from the other side, when they went back in.

They seriously thought they could pull the wool over his eyes?

At first he wanted to storm in there. But that would do more harm than good. So instead he listened and formed his own plan. If Bonnie wanted to play him, then fine, he'd let her think she could. He'd play her back at her own game. Jo could try her little coup, he still had his own plan in motion, he'd fix her mistakes when he got back- planning on being much more powerful when he did.

Kai repeated the spell to himself again, concentrating on his pronunciation. But as he repeated the words again his mind wandered to green eyes planted on his as she watched him from the doorway of the dormitory, fighting a smile as he studied her watching him in his periphery. The way his heart spasmed to see her actually looking amused, if only for a moment.

He slammed the tome shut with undeserved force and slipped off the bed. Hiding it in his trunk, he decided on his next move. She was going to do her best to be polite to him. It didn't mean he was going to make it easy for her.

She tapped her fingers impatiently against the tablecloth. Any shred of likeability King Kai had was slipping with each tick of the clock.

Tick, tick, tick, and the final waft of heat left the stuffed goose. Along with her last bit of patience. She stood up, chair groaning over stone, and threw her napkin on the table. Donovan entered as she was about to leave, looking red in the face from running all over the castle.

'Well?' She asked as gently as possible, antithesis to how she was feeling.

'He's- He's,' she let him take a breath 'He said he's not feeling well and will be skipping dinner.'

There was every possibility that he was telling the truth. He could be sick in bed right this moment, watery eyes, nose dribbling, or maybe puking his guts out. She imagined to satiate herself over the niggling idea that he was very clearly lying.

The question; why would he lie?

She shoved her plate away and stood up, deciding to head to his suite to find out. Matt stood up with her and followed. When they got there, it was empty.

'Uh, he said some fresh air would help.' Donovan lied.

She knew he was lying because he brushed the back of his head and looked anywhere but eye-level when he answered.

'I see.' she said tightly, leaving him to go anywhere else. Her paranoia threw guilty hands in the air. He knew. He must have known. It was the only explanation as to why he was suddenly avoiding her. And if he knew, it was ridiculous that he was stupid enough to believe she wouldn't figure out he knew from the sudden change in his behaviour. Wasn't he meant to be smarter than that? Or was he toying with her?

Enough.

This was ridiculous.

She didn't even feel like eating anymore, Matt could dine by himself.

'You're back early.' Elena noted yanking her from the overflowing thoughts.

The brunette was setting up her outfit for tomorrow, an emerald green frock in need of one of the gold necklaces she was trying to match from the two in each hand.

'I wasn't hungry.'

'But shouldn't you be entertaining your guest?' She said with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows. Bonnie envied her naivety.

'My guest is entertaining himself.' Bonnie sat on the trunk at the end of her bed, watching Elena work and grateful for the thousandth time that she didn't have to do this stuff herself.

'Is he allowed to do that? I thought the whole point of this visit was that you entertain each other and you know…'

'Yes well,' She clasped her hands together. 'The gold one with the bits of red looks like it'll go.'

'I thought so too but you've worn it before.' Elena answered, ignoring how obviously Bonnie was changing the topic. 'When Lucas came to visit.'

'Oh.'

Elena chose the all gold chain and placed the rest back on the dresser, choosing to focus her attention on Bonnie now.

'What's bothering you?' She drew up the stool. 'And don't say nothing, because we both know I can read you like a book.'

'Alright,' Bonnie grimaced, deciding confessing something to her was the only way to placate her. 'I still don't know how I'm meant to react when people bring up Lucas.' She cast her eyes down, pulling on the shallow emotion to authenticate it. 'It just seems wrong to play the part of a grieving fiance.'

'Especially when you're onto his brother now.' Elena said, eyes widening when she heard the words echo back. 'Sorry that sounded-'

'No it's okay. It's true.' Putting it so methodically made her seem calculating. But it couldn't be denied. It was the truth.

'I just mean that I understand where you're coming from.' Elena put her hands over Bonnie's clasped ones, looking up into her eyes with sincerity to apologise for her callous words. 'Be honest about how you feel. You're allowed to be upset about Lucas. And you're allowed to still have feelings for Kai.'

Who said she had feelings for Kai?

It was Elena's turn to look down, giving Bonnie a view of her scalp as she hid her own emotions.

Oh.

This was never really about her.

'Elena…' She said, holding her hands back tighter. 'What happened?'

'I…' Her voice came out weaker as it bounded off the stone floor. When she looked back up at Bonnie, round eyes became watery receptacles of candid feelings she'd been hiding so well. 'I'm sorry. You've got so much going on, you don't need to be burdened by my- my problems.'

That was the thought placing fresh seconds between her and crying, constantly delaying the inevitable.

'Elena, before I'm anything else, I'm your friend.' She knelt off her seat to prostrate before her. 'We were raised together. We're more than that. You're my sister. And you're in pain. Please let me help. Tell me what's going on.'

'Do you remember Damon?'

Oh no.

Bonnie's heart gave a single thump before she felt it go cold. 'The Salvatore brother?'

Elena nodded, taking the fear in Bonnie's eyes for concern. 'We were seeing each other. In secret.'

Nonononononono.

Please no.

She wanted to scream at her not to go on.

'And h- he,' She hiccoughed through the tears.

'I know.' Bonnie whispered, clenching their hands together tighter, as if the contact would be enough to fix this.

He was dead.

Missing, officially.

But she knew better.

Stefan would get the news of his death in a week. Stefan… his brother… 'Especially when you're onto his brother now?' Bonnie quoted back in question. 'Stefan?' Bonnie asked.

Sobbing, Elena nodded, she dropped her head onto Bonnie's lap using their locked fingers as her pillow. Bonnie pressed her forehead against Elena's hair, feeling her own features sag and biting her cheek to stop from crying along with her. It wasn't fair. How was she supposed to know? Elena never told her. If she had confided in her then maybe… But she'd been so wrapped up in her own problems that, by her own admission, Elena hadn't wanted to burden her.

Of course she would understand the conflict of being torn between two people. It wasn't just Elena's empathy. She had been seeing Damon but now she was with Stefan. It didn't stop irresponsible guilt burrowing into her.

'I feel like,' Elena's voice came out muffled from the folds of fabric, 'I'm not allowed to be sad that Damon is gone, because I'm with Stefan now. But I have all this hurt, and I don't know where to put it.'

'Put it with me.' Bonnie said, feeling the rims of her own eyes warming. 'Give me your pain.'

All that sorrow bruising her face and it was Bonnie's fault. Bonnie, who wanted to help, was the cause. She was the one who ordered Damon dead.

'How?' Elena whispered.

'Like this.' She whispered like anything louder would break the fragile catharsis. 'Get it all out and leave it with me.' She absolved Enzo of his guilt for killing Damon. Why the hell couldn't she absolve Elena as well?

Planting a kiss on her hair, wet from her own tears beginning to fall, Bonnie pulled Elena down to the floor and wrapped her shaking form into her own. Melding her arms over her prickly spine and dabbing a hand on the back of her neck like she would a child, she let Elena break, holding the pieces of her safely. Sobbing became weeping and each breath pulled in and shoved violently out, hitting her own chest in kind.

She left Elena tucked under the blanket, buried so deep she looked like she was hardly there. But the shallow rise and fall of furs meant she was. She was there and resting after some much needed emotion, for both of them. Safe for now. Bonnie got too used to pushing down her own feelings that with hindsight she could admit how good she felt after crying.

Even if it also meant her conscience was heavier.

On her quiet tip toe out of the room and into the main castle, she considered what she'd learnt. Yes, she was responsible for Damon's death. She was responsible for her friend feeling so terribly. But Damon's death was for the greater good. Loving Damon didn't make him a better person. It was an unfortunate side-effect of his hypnotic personality. A tiny part of her wondered what Elena would say if she told her the truth. Elena wouldn't understand why it was necessary.

And she never wanted to know what betrayal looked like on her face.

The kitchens were as quiet as she expected them to be this time of night. Everyone had gone to sleep and the castle was stuck in that hazy moment where everyone breathed in dreams. A moment she'd become familiar with, when lying awake at night. It wasn't that she didn't want to sleep, or that she had nightmares- she couldn't actually remember what she dreamt about. She slept with nothing to fear but it was getting to that place that was the issue. Trouble falling asleep these past months meant she often tried other outlets to tire herself out.

Nothing so nefarious.

Cooking.

Cooking because... She rubbed her temple, looking for a knife to cut her vegetables with. Cooking because it was relaxing. Being able to make something from scratch, using nothing but her instinct and skill, gave her a triumph even magic couldn't compare to.

Magic, she already had- her power came from her bloodline, but cooking was something she'd learnt through hard work. It was only a few dishes so far, but one dish in particular she'd perfected. Inhaling deeply, she reached for some chives, ready to sprinkle.

'I wouldn't if I were you. Anymore and it'll ruin the taste.'

He was meant to be sick.

Sick people didn't look as smug as he did, as he crossed over from the backdoor to the stove, shadows slipping over his expression as he did. She refused to turn more of her face to him and utilised what little peripheral vision she could, to see him come to stand behind her elbow.

'Aren't you meant to be walking off an illness?'

'I walked off something' the preparation table behind her gave a creak as she heard him lean against it. 'Now I'm hungry.'

'You wouldn't be so hungry if you came to dinner.'

'Explain why you're here then. Lost your appetite without me?'

She slammed the spoon onto the table a little harder than she expected, irritation starting to bubble. At his presence, at having to play the double agent, at the fact that she managed to hurt her best friend without meaning to. One more thing to add to the fact that she was a bad person. Worst of all was that she was starting to realise she didn't want to be a bad person. Maybe that was why she was so adamant in helping Jo.

Something to redeem her.

But if she wanted that redemption she had to play him softly. Pretend to be the innocent version of herself that she lost so long ago.

'Bad mood?' He preempted any response she could give.

'It depends.' Turning around she faced him, prepared for the usual appreciation of his form that ran through her mind whenever she saw him and the self-loathing that came with it.

'On?'

'On how this conversation goes.'

'That's a lot of pressure to put on me.'

'I think you'll do fine.' She lied.

In the dark she saw the twitch across his face, shrouded emotion running from her scrutiny and leaving her with his boyish smirk, playing with the ball she'd placed in his court.

'I wasn't sick.' He let the sentence hang, waiting for her to react. 'I suppose you guessed that,' he continued when she didn't. 'But I needed some time away from you.'

A quick scoff, the reaction he wanted from her finally drawn out.

'Away from how accommodating I've been?'

'No.' He pushed off the bench and wandered closer to the pot and by extension, her. 'Away from you.' Reaching an arm behind her, revelling in how hard she was trying not to flinch at the proximity. 'You seem to have this effect on me Bonnie.' Soft scraping of fingertips bunching up on a wooden surface and the noiseless sprinkling of herbs on liquid meant her stew was ruined.

'I-' He creased his forehead to sell how profound he wanted this confession to be. 'I see you and my heart starts beating so fast.'

Her face was set in stone and his words weren't sharp enough to chisel.

She needed to believe him. He wanted her to believe him. If she saw through his facade she'd be dangerous, knowing that he knew. If he wanted to be able to tell the lie convincingly he had to be able to feel it, even if it was just a little emotion, the surface of what he was saying he felt.

Kai allowed himself to imagine feeling it, tasting it, holding onto it, pulling the emotions from his gut and pushing them up to his face as he spoke.

'You're a good person Bonnie. You're brave, loyal, patient. And I'm...' He looked down, running his tongue over his teeth. 'I'm not. But I look at you and suddenly I want to be. People like you. I want to be more like you.'

The room held its breath, waiting for the penny to drop. Waiting for Bonnie's blank expression to break out into laughter, haunting any genuinity in his speech.

'You made my stew taste like trash.'

Outright ignoring it was.

He rolled his eyes, grabbing the spoon she slammed down and lifting it's newly filled contents to her mouth. Her sigh blew away some of the steam, a second, deliberate puff cooled most of it when she realised the only way out was to taste. The tiniest mouthful and her cheeks melted into the warm flavour. He waited too expectantly for her to praise the dish. Avoiding giving away how good it tasted she circled back.

'You don't want to be more like me.'

'I do.'

'You don't. But you do think I'm brave, loyal and patient.' Her eyes sparkled a little as she said it. Having someone say that to her, even if he ruined it with how hard he was trying to lie to her, lifted her a little.

Her assurity poked his ego. Out of all his words she found the truthful heart of them.

'Well you like my cooking.' He accused back 'You think it's better than yours and as soon as I'm gone you're going to scarf it down.'

'It's still my cooking. Adding a few things doesn't make it yours.' Tilting her head, Bonnie stepped away from him and took the nearest bowl, taking the spoon from his fingers and carefully avoiding his touch out of instinct. 'And I'm not even going to wait until you're gone.'

Close enough.

The whole reason for his charade was to pacify her. Sitting at the bench, shovelling a mouthful, she looked mollified enough. He shrugged and grabbed a spoon, rather than stand there, digging into her bowl and expecting her to pull it away from him. Even if she didn't entirely believe his story, by the third spoonful, it was clear that she wasn't averse to sharing with him and he continued, putting his glow down to the hot food.

'You know I'm a great chef.' He said, boasting with the after effect of information he wanted her to know. To glow in the understanding that he was even a little bit more than what she expected, even if the extent was unrealised.

'Really?' Was her calculated trivial reponse, baiting him into a gloat she could caress. Men loved their egos. They loved having them petted.

But he didn't fall for it in the way she expected.

'Why are you here? In the middle of the night…. Alone in the darkness, cooking for no-one but yourself?'

'Because I can,' she replied, shoving a harsh spotlight on her power while she tried to wriggle out of his one on her mind. This wasn't about her. It was about him. Kai had no right to make her feel like the intruder here. She sighed, spotting how hostile she was becoming again.

Play nice.

'I do it because it relaxes me.' Leeway in her answer, meant to make herself feel slightly at ease, knowing that she was still trying to be nice to him.

'And what do you need to relax from? Having people fall at your feet?'

'Being a good ruler is hard.' she jabbed back. He snorted into a spoonful.

'Yeah, I'm sure having people adore you must be exhausting.'

'If you want people to like you, try being nicer.'

'The nice rulers always die.'

'Newsflash. Everyone dies.'

'Touche.'

Bonnie looked down into the nearly empty bowl, considering a refill versus just going back to her rooms- completely oblivious to the intensity in his stare as he watched her think.

'Is that why you're so nice to everyone? Reckless abandonment?'

'Is that why you're mean? Self-preservation?'

'What makes you think I'm mean, you barely know me.' No anger, just the same curiosity pushing onto her as a voyeur on a caged animal. He took the decision from her as well as the

bowl, returning it filled more than before, pushing for their talk to last longer. There was no way to reveal her sudden intimate realisation of his character without giving away her underlying motive.

'I'm assuming' she shrugged, trying not to bring up the whole murdering family thing, squeezing her insides with how bad the lie was and shoving it under more words to hide it, 'No-one with a jawline like yours is nice.'

'Are you saying I'm pretty Bon'?'

When did he get so close? Heavy lashes fell on his cheeks in a slow blink- or maybe she saw it slowly- and suddenly he was too far away again. There was a word for the ringing in her bones.

A french one, she'd learned about it only a few years ago.

Deja.

Deja vu.

It felt like they'd done that before, been in this situation. Been closer, in fact.

But no. An overactive imagination begging for rest.

'I'm saying I'm sleepy.'

'So sleep.' He took his last spoonful and half rose from his seat. 'I'll be here when you wake up.'

She wasn't worried he wouldn't be- until he said that. And though he was still in front of her, eyes as searching as hers, she was hit by a sudden ache, a loss that started and ended when he looked at her.

But she played off the sudden feeling and the thoughts wafting from it as exhaustion.

She gave a small nod as her silent goodbye and headed off into the castle as quickly as her legs could take her. Only coming to rest at the foot of her staircase, leaning against the brick to take stock of her solidifying speculations.

His interest in her, the way he fixated on her when he thought she couldn't see him, how much joy he took from teasing her- they could all be explained easily away with the idea that it was because he liked her. Something in her own ego purred at the thought. But her ego was guarded enough to know the purring came from a false conclusion.

There was only one explanation for his behaviour she was willing to believe. If she was wrong then there was no harm. If she was right… If she was right, she was prepared. That was the upside. The only one compared to the mudslide of negatives. All coming from the speculation that he knew.

Kai knew she was working with Jo.

She didn't know how, she didn't know when, but she knew he knew. She also knew that their plan needed to be brought forward because of it.