3. family affair

A/N: It's been a while guys but I'm still here! Dusting off all my other bonkai stuff and maybe adding more ;)

The Salvatore boarding house was a mess and a half when Bonnie arrived there. Chairs and cushions torn into pieces; a carpet ripped down the middle like it was a piece of paper. The coffee table was broken in half. Glass littered the floor. Furniture smashed beyond recognition. A fork stuck to the ceiling.

That last one needed to be explained.

Damon was perched on the ground near the fireplace taking swigs from an entire aged decanter of whiskey. There were two similar decanters emptied on the floor beside him. She took in the scene with a raised eyebrow and glanced at Stefan Salvatore who was quietly seated on the armchair with several cuts healing on his face and arms. A piece of metal was lodged into his thigh which he made no move to remove just yet.

She addressed her guardian first. "Sometimes I worry that your liver will come back to life if only to die again with how much you drink."

He raised the whiskey with a mocking smile. "Best part of being dead. My actions have no consequences."

"Let's put a pin in that flaming red flag. I assume the two of you have made up now?"

"Eh." They chorused. She took that as a maybe. It looked like they'd gotten at least half of their centuries-long issues done with. Less work for her to navigate through. Bonnie wished as a kid that she had siblings. Being an only child was such an alienating existence with two parents lost in their own worlds. A partner in crime would have made it easier to bear. But looking at it now, maybe not having a sibling wasn't so bad.

She'd never stabbed anyone at least.

Stefan looked at her with curiosity from head to toe. The same suspicion he held the previous night loosened into understanding. "You knew I was a vampire last night." It wasn't a question.

Bonnie passed by the broken armoire to a spared couch and sat. "You're not quite subtle. That ring is bigger than the crown jewels and you flashed it around. I haven't been around a lot of vampires but I wonder if you don't all go to the same jeweler or something. Not to mention that you don't exactly have a solid backstory. Anyone with half a brain could poke holes into it." Mystic Falls was a small enough town that anyone with time could find information about anyone who claimed to be from here. Someone with enough time and the curiosity to sate might have no problem digging deeper. Damon had to get rid of all the pictures and paintings that depicted his immediate family from the 1800s.

"Never thought Damon would actually take responsibility for someone other than himself," Stefan mused. "I still can't believe he's the guardian to a Bennett witch."

Damon groaned standing up from the floor. "It was a momentary fog brought about by our mutual mistake setting me up to be killed. Emily saved me and I didn't read the terms and conditions so here I am." His words didn't hurt since Bonnie knew that was his main defense mechanism. Hell would freeze and melt then freeze again before he ever admitted he cared about his charge since she was a little thing.

Their mutual mistake was referring to a certain doppelganger who had left him to die at the hands of angry townsfolk. Emily saved him.

"He's kept me alive so far. I'd say that's a decent job all around."

"I've basically kept you from tripping on your own feet for the past fourteen years. It's not that hard," the elder Salvatore scoffed leaning against the intact fireplace.

"My hero," she said dryly. Her attention turned to the younger. "Damon says you didn't try to kill Vicky last night. Why did you come to town?"

"Elena," Stefan said solemnly and his brother groaned.

"Here we go again," Damon muttered taking another swig. "This is the good part."

"I was there the night her parents had the accident. She was in the car too. I tried to save them and that's when I realized she looked exactly like Katherine. I couldn't get everyone out so she was the lone survivor. I tried to stay away but I couldn't. I wanted to find out why she looked like the person I thought died long ago," Stefan narrated. Bonnie didn't trust him as far as she could throw him but she couldn't deny the guy was earnest. It didn't hurt that he wasn't ugly and had an air about him that screamed "I write love poems and stick them in lockers to be spontaneous."

Those puppy brown eyes no doubt lured Elena like a moth to a bright lantern.

"That's…wow," she said after a moment.

"Hmmm," Damon concurred.

"How come she didn't tell anyone all this?"

"I had to compel her to forget me," Stefan added sheepishly.

Bonnie rolled her eyes. Of course. She'd forgotten who she was talking to. The awareness of Damon in the room is what stopped her from commenting how distasteful she found that little vampire trick but he would rightly make a comment about her being a hypocrite. Her conscience still weighed on her for watching Kai perform that spell. While she couldn't exactly stop him, she didn't quite chasten him for the display. It was scary how much awe she felt watching him in his element. Even now she felt angry with herself for not finding him as dangerous as she should. Hence why it was a good idea to stay away from Kai Parker. The heir or not, he was the worst influence. Especially since a part of her not so deep down found that aspect particularly appealing.

"Fine. We've established why you're in town and Damon seems to believe your story so I will for now. But I do have to ask if you had any idea who attacked Vicky last night?"

Stefan shook his head. "My brother probably told you but I don't drink human blood. I haven't for a long time. Not to mention I was standing with you and Elena when she was attacked. Vampire speed is pretty fast but not that fast." Not to mention the guy didn't seem to want to draw any attention to himself despite his poor attempts at maintaining it. He was here for less dubious reasons but they weren't murderous.

Whoever bit Vicky wanted it to be known that a vampire attacked. They wanted to draw attention to themselves. It was flashy, provocative.

Dangerous.

"Right. You're a vegetarian." It was odd to her. Apart from Damon, she could count the number of vampires she interacted with on one hand in her entire life till now. And that was too many for Grams. The coven shielded their members from vamps since they tended to take advantage of witches and indebt them for whatever they wanted. Weaker witches could fall in with a manipulative vampire and spend their lives making sunlight rings and whatever they wanted before being tossed off or drained of their sweet witch blood. She understood the prejudice and disdain but still wished for some exposure just to learn. Dangerous things could be unraveled with exposure. Their mystique torn down to shreds. Having Damon at her side all these years was enough to sate her curiosity about the other side but he was one of a kind.

She hadn't been to New Orleans before but knew it was a bedrock for both vampires and witches. After Grams killed the vamp king, the rest stayed in like and behaved themselves to keep the peace.

"He's a pussy," Damon snickered.

"I'd rather not break another table on your head please." Stefan's eyes narrowed in warning.

"No fighting guys. Stay focused. My friend was attacked and is still in the hospital. We need to find out who did it especially since this person wants to be caught."

"That part had me cracking my head. Someone knows the history of this town with vampires and wants to make a statement. Either that or they know my presence." Damon's words sent a shiver down her spine. If someone knew that Damon was in town then they might know who she was. His only reason for staying in Mystic Falls was to protect her. There was also the chance they knew Stefan was coming to town also.

Grams didn't know about that detail or else she might have made a different judgment call this morning.

Things were more delicate than they'd anticipated. That meant certain flexibility would be needed to handle this crisis. For now, Vicky was still asleep according to Matt. She'd called him on her way to the boarding house to find out about her condition then promised to meet him during visiting hours with a hot meal.

"Were they trying to frame either one of you?" she wondered out loud.

"I doubt it. If they intended to put myself or Damon under scrutiny, I think there would have said our names and pointed the fingers right at us. According to you, the bitten girl was just compelled to say it was a vampire," Stefan reasoned. "It could be assumed that any vampire would do."

"Whoever the attacker is, they know this town's history with vampires which means it might be someone who's been around for a while." An old inhabitant perhaps. Or someone who studied enough about the quirky history of Mystic Falls.

"Nothing's impossible just yet. We keep our eyes peeled and a low profile for now. That means you gotta keep away from Elena and keep your prancing around town on the lower side. We would rather not bring any humans into this mess." Damon commanded folding his arms.

Stefan made a sour face but said nothing. The directive did not make him happy but he would keep to it if he had any common sense. Bringing humans into supernatural problems never boded well for either party. Someone always turned up dead or turned into something else. But the ones who didn't die were the ones to watch out for.

"I already enrolled for classes at the high school."

"Really?!" Damon threw up both arms in incredulity. "What pussy is worth making yourself suffer through AP Physics?"

"That's my friend you're objectifying," Bonnie warned.

"No, I'm dehumanizing her, shorty," he corrected as if it made the act any better. "In any case, I'm still correct."

Since Stefan already jumped the gun then some damage was done. Her friends would notice his absence so there was a chance she would have to give them some half-truths at least. She wasn't going to let anyone compel them. The matter was complicating itself every minute that passed. Once Coleman arrived explaining all this would be a joy. Fuck.

Bonnie wondered if she was in over her head. There was a chance that Gram's assertion about her readiness was spoken too soon. What was she even doing? Wouldn't it be better if she let someone more capable and experienced handle it? They didn't even know who or what they were dealing with. All that earlier confidence from this morning had deflated into a pitiful state.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her phone vibrating in her jacket pocket. She fished it out to see the caller ID and groaned internally.

"I gotta take this. I'll be upstairs." She announced already bouncing up the stairs to one of the rooms.

"Who is it?" Damon called out.

"My dad," she lied. The guilt was heavy but fleeting. She never lied to Damon. But she knew he wouldn't approve of the person on the other end. She entered a random guest room and scanned around until she spied a sage candle on the dresser. Bonnie waved her hand and it was lit. This was why she liked being at the boarding house. It was filled with all the magical knickknacks her dad would never let her keep around the house. At least not where he could spot them. The exception was the protection charm Abby put on the front porch and even that received a weary glare whenever he came home from his trips despite its usefulness. She wished that one day her dad would stop treating her witch heritage as some sort of handicap to be ashamed of.

Bonnie put her ringing phone out of its misery and finally answered the call. "Kai?"

"Hey, Bonster." His deep voice shouldn't have felt like a comfort. The anxieties of what they'd learned and what they still didn't know were present as a subtle fog. It wasn't so overbearing now. Hearing Kai speak eased some of it and made her vision clearer. "Is it a good time to talk?"

"Depends. What do you want to talk about?"

"Nothing. Everything."

"Kai." The annoyance was palpable.

"Chill out," he chuckled. There was an announcement over a speaker in the background. The words were indistinguishable but the chatter was familiar. Metallic clanging and a bell ringing. Feet frantically stomping around. People in a rush to get somewhere.

"Are you in a train station?"

"Keen hearing. I am."

"Where?"

"Ah, ah. I thought you wanted to maintain plausible deniability."

Bonnie rolled her eyes but her level of irritation didn't match the action. "That was you, remember? We both know I'm not going to blab to anyone unless you're committing murder or something."

"You're so sexy when you profess your undying loyalty for me."

"Who says I'm loyal to you?"

"That's hurtful. One would think my girlfriend would be loyal."

"I'm not your girlfriend."

"We both know you are but I'll let that little slip go because you're cute. Anyway, I'm calling to let you know my trip is coming to an end. I've got all I needed and I think it's time to head home."

Bonnie didn't expect that. A small wave of relief passed and she held in a sigh. Whatever Kai was doing was inevitably going to cause him trouble if it didn't cause the coven any indirectly. At least now that it was over the scrutiny was lessen. It wouldn't disappear, not when Joshua was still unhappy that his least favorite child would be the new coven leader.

"You're headed back to Portland now?"

"Not quite. I'm making a small pit stop for personal reasons."

"Personal reasons?" her curiosity was piqued.

"Yes. I'm going to see someone." Kai grazed the inscription on the ring worn on his forefinger.Igneconflatumimmortalilapide.

Forged in fire, immortal in stone.

The ring Sheila gifted to him when he emerged from the Merge victorious. It belonged to his mother. Melinda Parker had inherited the ring from her parents and they from their parents and so on. The family traced its roots to the Goths of Italy after the fall of Rome.

Theirs was a pedigree within the Gemini that could not be overlooked when it came to powerful witches. His grandfather made sure that she married Joshua to ensure all that juicy power continued with the Parkers. Melinda Parker died years before but she was wise enough not to entrust such an heirloom with Joshua. Instead, she gave it to Sheila Bennett for safekeeping until a time when she felt her eldest son deserved it.

Winning the Merge was a suitable enough occasion.

"Oh," Bonnie's voice lowered when understanding came to her. "Your mom's ashes?"

Kai closed his eyes willing that teeny tiny tug of guilt to fuck off back into the void. "Yes." Was it fucked up to lie to his (almost) girlfriend by using his dead mother as an excuse? It was. But if he happened to tell Bonnie he was coming to Mystic Falls her stubborn ass would protest and make a fuss he didn't need. According to Sheila, she was determined to get to the root of this random attack with no one but the vampire by her side. Especially now that she'd been permitted by her grandmother. He had faith in his girl but he'd feel better if his fabulous self was there kicking ass along with her. Preferably standing behind her so that ass was pressed against him-

"Her ashes are in Cape Cod, right?"

The blood in his groin went back to his other vital faculties to form a coherent thought. "Yeah, that's where she went on vacation with my grandparents as a kid. Thought I'd go there and pretend to at least be a sentimental human being."

"Going alone?"

"Jo's busy and she's mad at me. Something about me leaving her alone to deal with questions from Joshua." Jo Parker was one of Bonnies' favorite people ever. She successfully put up with Kai, their weird father, and a gaggle of other siblings while maintaining her sanity. She was being mentored with Sheila so they saw every time Bonnie came to Portland. Right now, she was applying to medical school in Oregon. One of the few people who didn't act like Bonnie was supposed to shit fire just because she was a Bennett.

"Oh well it's not like she's right or anything," Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"I already said I'm sorry, Bonster. Besides I'm already on my way back after this," Kai groaned.

"I wanted to see you before I left, Kai," she blurted quietly. Her fingers fiddled with a loose thread from the thick curtain. Had Damon decorated this place? Or Zach? She never thought to ask. It was hard to imagine Damon taking the time to pick out any fabric for something as mundane as curtains. He probably compelled someone to do it. Sounded like him.

"I shouldn't be surprised but I still am," he said after a few seconds passed. "I'm sorry -,"

"It doesn't matter," she shut down.

"It does," Kai insisted. "You know that I care about you."

Her stupid heart needed to stop beating so fast. "I get mixed messages when you say things like that?"

Kai snorted. "The message is loud and clear, Bonnie. I like you a lot." A whole fucking lot. "And I know you feel the same way despite how stubborn you are when it comes to admitting it."

She was quiet. Words on the tip of her tongue to say but she couldn't quite let them out. Instead, she kept rotating her thumb over the brocade embroidery of the curtain. The words were right there. Why couldn't she say them?

"Bonnie?"

"I want to believe that, Kai. I really do." Bonnie really did. But Kai being who he was made it difficult. He was like a hurricane, as cliché as it was to say. Fast, loud, and hard to pin down. That was the attraction. In a place where rules were rigid and tradition did not tolerate questioning, Kai Parker was a breath of fresh air. But there is a point to remember about the uncontrollable nature of hurricanes. One moment they lay beside you, drowning your body in kisses and sweet touches, magic in sync and thrumming through both of your bodies. The next day they leave you in bed alone with no more and a text that says they're out of town for something important with no details leaving you to gather your turbulent emotions alone.

A wave of frustration went through him. "Do I need a billboard to spell it out for you? I want to be your boyfriend. I want to be with you at all hours of the day. I want to go on picnics with you and have stupid dates and have dinner with Sheila where she grills me about my intentions." It would be different from the dinners they already had of course.

"You'll say that now but what happens when you get bored?" Bonnie snapped under the weight of her emotions. "When you get tired of whatever this is and I'm left the pick up the pieces by myself?"

Kai sighed on the other end. There was another announcement in the distance. His train just arrived. "Bonnie, -"

"I have to go." The line was cut. She sat in the bed for a few minutes to gather herself. In the grand scheme, placing a pulse on her relationship with Kai was insignificant. There was something or someone in her town looking for blood and it wanted trouble as a side dish. She could agonize over boys when it was over. Right now, she needed to see Vicki in the hospital and present a tangible dossier of facts to present to Coleman when he arrived.

Kai Parker could take a backseat in her psyche for once.