AN: Sorry for any mistakes that were made while editing this. I'm multi tasking today now that I finally manage to find some energy. Enjoy.
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"I'm sorry, Linda. I can't make the book club meeting tonight," Aubrey Sharp apologized as she paced the floor of her bedroom trying not to let the agitation that she was feeling seep into her voice. "Why not? Because my daughter is still missing and discussing Pride and Prejudice is not going to distract me from the fact that she could possibly be lying dead in a ditch somewhere."
Not waiting to hear Linda's response, Aubrey hung up and sighed loudly. She knew that she was going to come to regret blowing off one of the town's most influential and respected women, but in that moment, she didn't care. She had more important things on her plate to deal with. Her daughter was still missing and her husband was never home and when he was, he was more preoccupied with forming some stupid secret counsel instead of being a half decent father and searching for their daughter. Aubrey had been the one going to the police station every day to check on the progression on the investigation into Tiffany's disappearance. She had been the one hitting the pavement putting up flyers and flooding social media with desperate pleas to find her baby girl. The longer Tiffany went missing, the more her head was flooded with the worse case scenario's and it was slowly driving her anxious, she reached into the nightstand next to the bed and pulled out a orange medication bottle that contained her last amount of Xanax. Usually the prescription would last her a month, but ever since her daughter went missing, she had been popping the pills like skittles. Grabbing her nearly empty glass of white wine, she washed the Xanax down her throat before heading into the kitchen for a refill.
Turning the corner in the hallway, she heard a soft yelp and looked down to see the family's bulldog starring at here miffed that she had stepped on his paw.
"Damn it, Bubba. Go lay your old ass down somewhere," she scolded him before continuing on her journey ignoring the soft whining coming from the injured pooch.
Walking into the kitchen, she made a beeline to the refrigerator and retrieved her half emptied bottle of white wine. After she poured herself a healthy amount of the acholic beverage in a glass, she walked across the room and stared out the window with a saddened look on her face. She missed the days when they lived in the big city where she would meet up with like minded women who were less interested in book clubs and more interested in art shows and concerts by young and upcoming musicians. She missed the sophistication and the loudness of her old home. Mystic Falls was so backwoods and it was far too quiet for her liking. As she turned away from the window, Aubrey silently made herself a promise. If and when Tiffany ever returned back to her safe and sound, she would take her baby and head back to the big city with or without Brody. She was tired of sacrificing her happiness just to prop him up. If it hadn't been for her giving into his demands that they moved to this hillbilly town, her daughter wouldn't be missing and she wouldn't be so goddamn miserable. The more that she thought about Brody and his complete indifference he had for her and their family, the more angrier she became and suddenly she was seeing red.
Grabbing her phone, she scrolled over to her husband's contact information and hit the green icon button that would connect her to him.
"Hello, sweetheart. Is everything okay?" he asked with a bored and slightly annoyed tone in his voice.
Aubrey's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. Was everything okay? Hell no everything wasn't okay! What kind of question was that?
"No, Brody. Everything is not okay. Where the hell are you?" she spat venomously. "I know that your stupid little meeting ended hours ago."
"I'm wrapping things up with some of the counsel members," he started but was interrupted by her bark of laughter.
"The only thing that you are wrapping up is your penis that you can't seem to keep out of Dixie Trixie," she snarled.
+She could practically hear him roll his eyes over the end of the phone.
"I really don't have time for this, Aubrey," he grumbled annoyed.
"I wonder how your precious constitutes would think if they knew you were screwing that skank you call an secretary," she grumbled unhappily as she took a slow sip of her wine.
"Have you taken your medicine today, honey? You sound unhinged," Brody sneered.
"I'm fine," she snapped seething. "Get your ass home now, or I will go downtown to town square and make such a scene that your aspirations will be nothing more than a pathetic joke. I. Will. Ruin. You."
Before Brody could respond, Aubrey hung up and tossed her phone on the kitchen counter.
"Mom?"
Aubrey gasped as she dropped her wine glass and whirled around to find her daughter Tiffany standing in the threshold of the kitchen. Her hair was greasy and limp, her skin was very pale, and the clothes she was dirty and stained with blood. Despite standing several feet away from her, Aubrey could tell by the stench radiating from her daughter's skin that she hadn't showered or bathed in days. The fact that Tiffany was dirty and smelly didn't stop her from rushing across the kitchen and sweeping her daughter up in the tightest hug that she could muster.
"Thank God you are alright. I was so worried about you, Tiff. I am so glad you are home," Aubrey practically sobbed as she showered Tiffany's face with kisses. "I love you so much."
"I love you too, mama," Tiffany said softly as she and her mom broke apart.
"I thought something terrible had happened to you," Aubrey exclaimed as she examined her daughter closely, "Where have you been?"
"I went out of town to meet a friend I met on Facebook and I ended up stranded in a motel. I lost my wallet and ended up having to hitch hike back home," she lied easily.
"Why didn't you call me or your father? We would have came and picked you up," she asked, her voice trembling with emotion.
"Because you would have been freaked out and dad would have killed me," she protested quietly as she stared down at her feet.
"Listen to me, baby. There is nothing that you could ever do that will make me mad enough that I wouldn't be there for you when you need me. You hear me?" she whispered tearfully before hugging her again.
Tiffany fought back her own tears as she clung to her mom. The entire time she had been held up at the Salvatore's Boarding House she thought about the moment she would be reunited with her mother. She had dreamed about it and how she wished she could go back to the day where she had been alive and human where her biggest worry was her dad grounding her after finding out she had gotten a secret tattoo on her inner thigh. Now she was worried that her parents would find out that she was a vampire and would freak out and disown her forever. The thought of her mom and dad no longer loving her made her feel emotional and terrified. Pulling away from her mom, she was about to asks about her the whereabouts of her dad, when a familiar smell hit her nose.
"Mom? Are you hurt?" she asked, her voice very quiet.
Aubrey was confused until she looked down and saw a bloodied foot print on the floor. In her eagerness to greet her daughter, she hadn't realized that she had walked over the shard of glass that exploded when she had dropped the wine bottle which caused a small but deep cut in the bottom of her feet.
"Oh shoot. I made a mess. Why don't you go upstairs and wash up while I clean this up," she suggested as she limped towards the cleaning closet.
As she made her way across the kitchen, Tiffany felt her stomach twist in knots and her hunger flare to life as she fixated on the bloody footprints marring the white floors. She began to tremble furiously feeling her sense of control quickly slip away. The sensation of having fangs cut through her gums was still relatively new so the pain caused her to cry out softly.
"Baby, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Audrey asked walking up behind her daughter feeling concerned.
"I need you to get away from me," Tiffany mumbled, "Now."
"You just got home and you are pushing me away?" Aubrey cried sounding hurt, "Do you really hate me that much?"
"It's not like that," she said nervously.
"So why are you acting so strange? What's going on? Why did you really leave? Are you on drugs?" Aubrey pressed desperately as she grabbed her daughter by the shoulders and whirled her around to face her.
Tiffany watched as her mom's face transform from concerned to pure horror as she finally saw her daughter's new face.
"Mom, I need you to know that something happened to me," Tiffany pleaded as she stepped towards her mom.
"What are you? What did you do with my daughter?" Aubrey choked out as she stumbled away from the child she had spent eighteen hours in labor giving birth to.
"If you just calm down I can explain," Tiffany cried taking a step towards her but stopping abruptly when her mother had picked up a meat tenderizer that had been lying abandoned near the sink.
"No you are not. You are a monster!" she croaked holding the cooking object up as a means to defend herself.
Tiffany felt so many emotions rush through her that she had to grip the chair in front of the table to keep from swooning. Anger, hurt, pain, sadness...Did her mother really think that she was capable of hurting her? Was Kai right? Did becoming someone different automatically meant that your parents would stop loving you? She had been so sure that she had the greatest mother in the world who would love her through thick and thin without any conditions, but starring at the terror and disgust she saw in her mom's face, she was starting to think that she was wrong and that coming home was a mistake. A very huge mistake.
"I'm your daughter," she exploded as her grip on the chair tightened to the point that it shattered causing Aubrey to flinch, "I may not be human and mortal, but I'm still the person that you raised me to me. I'm still a good person and nothing is never going to change that."
"What exactly are you?" her mother asked her morbid curiosity getting the best of her as she subconsciously lowered the small weapon in her hand.
"I feel crazy for even saying this but I'm a vampire," Tiffany laughed hysterically as she watched her mom put the meat tenderizer down in disbelief, "I've read enough books and seen enough movies to know that there is nothing good about being a blood sucking demon. They run around killing people and not caring who they hurt, but I promise that I will never be that person!"
"Just tell me the name of the man who did this to you, and I swear I will make him wish that he was never born," Aubrey promised darkly.
Tiffany shook her head as she wiped the tears out of the corners of her eyes.
"Why does it matter?" she asked miserably.
"Just trust me. It does," Aubrey said seething.
"His name is Damon Salvatore. The person who did this is a very strong and demented vampire, mom. I was suppose to expose him when I escape, but I think it's just best if you and I packed some things and get out town," she said feeling terrified.
Aubrey smiled sadly as she reached over and stroke her daughter's cheek wet with tears. It was ironic that it wasn't even ten minutes ago that she had been wishing that she could find her daughter and go running back to the big city, but now that her wish had been granted, she knew that she couldn't leave without avenging the person who had hurt her baby. Her mother instincts wouldn't allow it and she told Tiffany that in so many words.
"What makes you think that you can take him on?" she said as she worried her bottom lip with her teeth.
"Because I'm a mother who loves their child," Aubrey said with a chilling tone in her voice that made Tiffany shudder, "And there are very few forces in the world capable of challenging that. Trust and believe, that I will find a way to handle this Damon Salvatore."
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"Sit. Stay."
Those were the two commands and that Kol directed towards Stefan who was currently learning what it was like to be a creature with four legs, fleas with a passion for bones. After the Original had officially made him his little bitch, Stefan's first instinct was to go all Cujo and lean into his natural feelings of rage and blood lust, but unfortunately Kol had compelled him to be docile and obedient.
"Now that's a good Rippah."
After playfully scratching the brooding pooch behind the ears, Kol abandoned the vampire turned canine before he quietly made his way inside of the residence that Bonnie was currently occupying. The place was tolerable and quaint, but Kol personally would have preferred to cool his heels in a place more decadent and lavished. The Original was quiet and stealthy as he made his way towards the room where he heard a very human and very strong heartbeat beckoning him like a moth to a very bright flame. The door to the bedroom was closed but it was unlocked allowing him to enter without any hinderance. Stepping over the threshold, he noticed several things right away. There was a circle of candles in the middle of the floor surrounded by salt and flower petals which indicated a spell had been performed not too long ago. He also noticed a trail of clothing leading to the bathroom where he could smell bath soap and perfume lingering in the air and his ears detected the sound of soft humming that was borderline hypnotic. Following the light hearted and sweet melody, he made his way deeper into the room and casually peeped around the doorframe into the bathroom where he discovered Bonnie Bennett in the middle of taking a bath.
"No one can get to the cure if you are too dead to find it."
As Kol watched as the witch soaked peacefully in the large tub, he couldn't help but recall the first time that he had a physical interaction with the formidable Bonnie Bennett. Power. Expression. Fear. Rage. Those were the main emotions that Kol felt pouring from the little witch as she used her magic to break his legs subsequently making him bow before her when she forced him to his knees. If Bonnie had been a more experience and ruthless witch, she would have used that moment to kill him by allowing her dark magic to rip him to shreds. Instead, she had been frightened and young and she had spared him before bolting out of the school as if hell hounds were nipping at her heels. Kol smirked as he remembered the murderous urge he had felt when he had drained three bodies to heal completely and the temptation he had fought to go after Bonnie and rip her throat out and drain her dry. The two things that had kept him at bay was the fact that despite the violence he had initiated against her, Kol had a begrudging respect for witches. The other thing had been that he had saw up close and personal what Expression could do and he wasn't eager to be on the business end of it for a second time.
As he continued to watch her, his mouth curved into a small smile as he listened to her hum softly with her eyes closed. The balcony door's was open and the sunlight and the sounds of birds chirping provided a nice relaxing soundtrack and ambiance to the atmosphere. As she rubbed a black wash rag up and down her long lithe brown leg extended out of the water, he felt his mouth grow dry as he watch the droplets of water pebble on her skin. Her hair was limp and sopping wet around her shoulders and there was a look of pure serenity settled on her face. The Bonnie Bennett he remembered had been a young innocent girl with a body that was petite and frail. He could only imagine how developed and voluptuous her body looked beneath the blanket of soap bubbles. As his imagination began to run wild, he felt heat stir in the core of his belly and a quiet hum appreciation escaped his lips causing the witch's eyes to snap open.
"What the hell Stefan?" she shrieked using her arms to cover her breasts despite the fact they were well hidden from the vampire's view by the suds and water. "You really need to learn the definition of boundaries."
"Fair enough, but you should also learn the function of a lock on a door. This whole little incident could have easily been avoided," he said unapologetically as he leaned into the door frame with his ankles crossed and his arms folded across his chest.
"Get. Out," she growled dangerously as her green eyes glowed with anger.
Kol sighed feigning exasperation. "Fine, but you are going to regret being nasty to me when you see the gift that I left for you on your bed."
Before Bonnie could respond, the vampire spun on his heels and exited the bathroom and seconds later, she heard her bedroom door shut securely.
Seething quietly, she dried off before wrapping the towel around her ankles and stomping barefooted into the bedroom.
Feeling her pleasantly relaxing bath ruined, Bonnie scowled before pulling the plug and draining the water from the tub. Standing up slowly, she stretched out her hand and used her magic to summon her towel like Thor would have summoned his beloved Mjolnir. Grabbing the fluffy towel, she quickly wrapped it around her body to ward off the cool breeze coming through the French balcony doors. She was well aware that Stefan was a asshole but if she knew that he would spend the entire trip working her last nerve, she would have left him back in Mystic Falls and happily embarked on this mission by herself. Of course she knew that would have been damn near impossible given the fact that Damon and Enzo were both too stubborn and over protective to let her go running off towards danger solo, but being alone would have been much more preferable than dealing with a man who seemed keen on showing how very little respect that he had for her. First he had hooked up with the flight attendant while she had been forced to listen to their disgusting coupling that had taken place behind closed doors, and now he was happily being a creepy peeping tom while she was having her own personal alone time? In her book, both incidents constituted as being two strikes. One more strike and it was lights out for Stefan fucking Salvatore.
An hour later, Bonnie found herself fluffing her hair with her fingers while staring appreciatively at her reflection in the mirror. When she had discovered Stefan's unexpected gifts on her bed, the anger and annoyance she had felt towards him had slowly melted away. She had been impressed by the golden gladiator sandals he had chosen, she had been pleased by the bangles that he had selected, but what had truly impressed her was the dress that he had picked out for her. It was a Caitriona halter neck maxi dress. At first glance it seemed like a simple and casual dress, but when she put it on, it transformed from simple to classically sexy. Her midriff was exposed and there was a split that went from her mid thigh down to her ankle exposing a great deal of her left leg. Right before Bonnie had gone through the process of getting dressed, she had been caught off guard when Stefan had knocked on the door and made a strange request about her hair. He had insisted that she put her locks in a secure up do. When she had asked him why, he had simply replied that she had a beautiful and graceful neck and she should show it off more. While the thought of baring her throat to a vampire who was notorious for his lack of control and stability was alarming and a major red flag, a small part of her was thrilled by the danger that his request presented.
"Are you almost ready? I'm getting more than a little bored waiting on you, Bennett."
Bonnie rolled her eyes exasperated as she heard the impatience coming from Stefan's voice on the other side of the door. After brushing a light coat of pink lipstick across her mouth, Bonnie breathed in deeply before exiting the bedroom. As she shyly made her way into the living room, she was unaware that the vampire sitting on the couch looking bored was Kol Michaelson masquerading as Stefan. When he lifted his head to look at her, his mouth parted slightly and he slowly rose to his feet.
"You look absolutely beautiful."
The witch blushed beneath the vampire's praise.
"Thank you. You don't look half bad yourself," she murmured fiddling with her ear nervously.
Bonnie found herself silently observing how good Stefan looked dressed in gray slacks and a long sleeve white shirt that had silver buttons that were opened at the throat revealing a flash of his pale chest and a curious looking beaded necklace that had the charm of a feather dangling at the center of it.
"My eyes are up here, Bonnie," he teased causing her to blush lightly.
"I wasn't checking you out," she said defensively, "I was just admiring your necklace. I never seen you wear it before."
He smiled as he toyed with the piece of jewelry lazily while nibbling on his bottom lip.
"One of the shop keepers where I did a little close shopping at convinced me to buy it. She says it's a lucky charm," he explained easily.
"That is a good sign I guess. I figured that with everything that we are up against, we could use all the luck we can get," she sighed heavily with a worried look on her face.
Kol couldn't help but feel irritated by her change of mood. Just a moment ago, she was beaming and smiling with warmth and happiness and the very mention of her mission bought her out of that head space and caused her to be somewhat moody.
"We can worry about all of that later. Tonight, you and I are just going to sit back and just enjoy a nice dinner together," he insisted.
Before she could say another word, he took her by the hand and they exited the residence.
After a five minute stroll through the small, but beautiful city, they arrived at a beautiful restaurant surrounded beautiful luscious plants and flowers.
"Welcome to Trattoria da Anna. My name is Diana. Have you dined here before?" a blonde young woman with green eyes and a warm smile greeted Bonnie and her companion as they walked though the double doors.
"This is actually our first time visiting your beautiful island. Are any tables available?" the vampire pretending to be Stefan asked pleasantly.
"Usually we require reservations, but for you I believe I can make an exception," she said before grabbing two tall black leather menu's and leading them upstairs to the rooftop where it was private and intimate.
The view was so spectacular that it left Bonnie breathless and in complete awe. The sun was settling behind fluffy white clouds, the ocean was softly crashing against the beach below, and there was young man with black hair sitting in a corner near the opposite end of the balcony strumming an acoustic guitar and singing softly about some long lost love.
"Here's your table, sir and madam. Enjoy your meal."
As the host walked away, Bonnie murmured her appreciation as the vampire pulled out her chair allowing her to get comfortable at the table.
The table cloth that was clean, crisp and white and there was a candle lit in the center of the table next to a crystal vase with a beautiful red rose. She had been on her fair share of romantic dates, but this one definitely took the cake. It was something straight out of those romantic novels that Caroline use to obsess over back in high school. Thinking about her blonde hair friend, Bonnie felt a sudden pain of discomfort. If Stefan hadn't turned off his humanity and Caroline hadn't broken off their engagement, this would have a perfect spot for the pair to spend their honey moon. The more she thought about what her friend had lost, the more guilty she felt and suddenly the thought of having in an intimate dinner with the younger Salvatore vampire became a little less appealing.
"What's wrong? You seem...unsettled," Kol asked curiously.
"I couldn't help but think about Caroline and how much she would have loved this island," she confessed softly.
Kol left eye twitched slightly. He knew that Caroline Forbes was Stefan's ex fiancé and Klaus's past love interest. While he could admit that blonde was cute, he didn't know what made her special to the people who cared for and admired her. What he did know was that he wasn't going to waste a beautiful evening with Bonnie talking about the unremarkable blue eyed vampire.
"I rather not talk about her," Kol said bluntly as he flashed a brief smile at the waitress who sat a basket of bread and a bottle of wine on the table, "I rather talk about you."
"What about me?" Bonnie asked fiddling with her silverware.
"When you aren't out trying to save the world and falling for vampires and vampire hunters, what do you do that actually makes you happy?" he inquired as he smoothly poured the expensive wine into both of her glasses.
The pretty witch took a sip of her wine while trying to disguise her smile behind the rim of the glass.
"Well when I'm not out trying to save the world, I enjoy simple things like gardening, meditation and believe it or not scrap booking," she admitted laughing shyly.
The Original vampire grinned as he cocked his head and stared at her curiously. "Let me guess...You love gardening because it was something your father liked to do in the rare moments he was home. You liked to meditate because it was something your grams taught you whenever you were anxious and needed to be grounded, and you liked to scrap book because you like to look back at all the good times you use to have before your life became a horror story."
Bonnie blinked owlishly as she stared at him speechless.
"Are you surprise that I know these things about you?" he asked with a self satisfied smirk.
"It's just that Damon doesn't even know that about me," she confessed softly, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised given the fact that you have been super close with my best friends. Elena and Caroline probably told you all my deepest and darkest secrets during your lazy pillow talks."
"I know the things that I know because I use to watch you from a distance," he said honestly causing Bonnie eyes to widen slightly. "I remember the night where you found out that Caroline was a vampire and you went home and you destroyed the scrap book that you had because you were so angry that Caroline was turned into the one thing that you hated and Elena was dating someone that you didn't trust. Two weeks later you found a whole new scrap book on your porch and you were wearing that tattered Blink 182 hoodie and gray boxer shorts when you opened the door and found the present on your doorstep."
"That was you?" Bonnie's voice was hoarse and emotional when she was finally able to speak again.
He nodded somberly. "I also know that you like gardening because it was something you and your father spent time doing together whenever he was home on the weekends. His prized tomatoes and cucumbers is the reason why you always preferred to eat salads made from your own backyard."
Bonnie felt a large lump of tears form at the base of her throat, but she forced a smile as she reached over and took a large gulp of water.
"How did you know that I like to meditate?" she asked folding her arms across her chest, a subconscious act of defensiveness.
The vampire chuckled and wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin before dropping it down on his plate.
"I knew because I once saw Sheila go down to the liquor store and grab a bottle of Gin to put in her Green tea before she drove out to the Bluffs where she would commune with nature. You hate the taste of Gin so you would use Rum instead. We may have not been the closest of friends, but even when we were enemies at best, I would watch you. I would see you. Really see you," he said sincerely. "I could lie and say that I watched over you because I cared about you, but the truth was that I did it because your safety and well being meant that you would be around to protect Elena and she was the priority back then," he said honestly.
"I figure as much. We both know that is probably the only reason you fed me your blood when Damon tried to kill me in the woods," she scoffed draining the rest of the wine out of her glass.
"Do you want to know a secret? The night that Damon attacked you for destroying Emily's necklace, I almost didn't save you," he admitted.
"Why?" she asked quietly.
"Because your blood was so tempting that it made me sway between doing what was good and what was bad. Even with Elena being present, I was tempted to sink my teeth into the very spot Damon had ripped into and taste you," he said darkly.
"What stopped you?" Bonnie asked feeling freakishly fascinated.
"Elena would have hated me if I had hurt you worse than you already were, and I wanted to prove to you that I wasn't a monster like Damon. He was selfish and always willing to kill, steal and destroy, but in that moment I wanted to show you that not all monsters are the same but we both know that I failed miserably."
"I agree that you failed, but I wouldn't say miserably," she tried to placate him but he brushed her comment off as he rolled his eyes.
"You don't have to be nice about it, Bonnie. I was a part of the reason why your grams died; I strong armed you into helping me hide the coffins of Nik's family members, Damon and I flipped a coin to see who would turn your mother, my doppelganger murdered your father..."
"I get it," she said cutting him off abruptly, "You did some really terrible things and there were times that I hated you. I guess I just remember that things between us wasn't always...doom and gloom. You remember all the bad things that you done to me, but there were good times."
"Really?" he asked leaning forward intrigued. "Remind me."
"Well," she started slowly with a sly smile, "There was the time that you were really worried about me when I was facing Klaus trapped in Ric's body. I know I was unconscious but Elena later told me how pissed you were with Damon for helping me to fake my death and that you did everything in your power to try to get to me."
The vampire eyes narrowed. "That was extremely dangerous and you could have been killed. If anything happened to you that night..."
Bonnie laughs lightly. "Stop brooding, Stefan. It wasn't that bad of an idea. What was a bad idea was the time that I thought I could do a spell to keep Elena from completing her transition into vampirism and that act ended up having grams punished by the spirits."
"I remember coming over to ask you about those bullets with the weird carvings and I remember that you looked...," he paused briefly, "You looked so broken and hurt. I should have been there for you more than I was."
"Not really," she shrugged. "It wasn't your responsibility to check on me and make sure I was okay. If I was to be honest, most of my tragic situations was bought on by the fact that I allowed myself to be used for my gifts."
"So why do you do it? Why do you always put your life on hold to save your friends and the world?" he asked curiously.
She felt a wave of sadness wash over her as she stared out at the ocean fighting back tears. "The truth is that ever since I discovered that I was a witch, I always felt the need to help protect people from vampires. That is my role and I have learned to accept that."
"That's a depressing way to live, Bonnie," the handsome vampire said somberly. "You seem like you are...trapped."
"Be that as it may, it's my destiny and I don't think that I can ever escape from that," she said with more cheeriness than she actually felt.
He surprised her by reaching over and resting his large hand over hers and starring her straight in the eyes. "I know that witches consider themselves to be servants of nature, but you are more than just that. You are a woman. A beautiful, powerful human woman and you deserve to feel free. You deserve to be free."
"Careful, Stefan. That look on your face is making me think that you are dangerously close to flipping your humanity switch back on," she teased lightly.
The moment was interrupted when the waitress came over and placed their meals on the table.
"Oh my god. This eggplant pasta is delicious," Bonnie moaned happily as she slowly slid the three prong fork from her mouth and stabbed it into her half devoured meal. The creamy tomato sauce, the melted cheese and the softness of the eggplant melted on her tongue causing an explicit moan to escape from her lips. Living in Mystic Falls, the most decadent meal Bonnie had ever experienced was Damon's home made Ziti and while she had pretended that it was a mediocre meal, truth was, that entrée' was the only food that was capable of making her panties wet. Until now. As she was having an orgasm in her mouth, she was unaware of the amused stare that her companion was sending her way as he watched her dive into her meal.
"You should try some of this," Bonnie suggested as she licked some sauce off the corner of her mouth.
"I'm good," he said blandly, but Bonnie wasn't preparing to take no for an answer.
"Here, just take this small bite," the witch insisted firmly as she held out the fork with a bite side piece the delicacy clinging to it.
Narrowing his eyes, he reluctantly opened his mouth and allowed Bonnie to feed him the small portion of food and to his surprise, it was actually pretty good. Kol usually enjoyed having two different things on his tongue. Blood and pussy. However, he wasn't that big of a snob to admit that some human food was actually tolerable. As he swallowed down the forkful of delightful entrée, he watched as she shoveled several mini bites into her mouth happily.
"It's good, right?" she practically purred as she turned her attention to the half loaf of bread in the charming straw woven bread basket.
"I have tasted worse," he sniffed dismissively.
"This is one of very many reasons why I couldn't be a vampire. I love the taste of food too much to have to depend entirely on blood for nourishment," she mumbled as she picked at her salad.
"Well for the record, you wouldn't make a very good vampire. You don't have what it takes to survive past a day," he snorted as he picked at the rock hard bread in the white plate next to his glass of water.
"I died and came back to life more times than I can count. I was an anchor, a ghost, and a witch. I survived every single one of those transitions. Why wouldn't I survive as a vampire?" she inquired with a challenging look in her mint green eyes.
"You wouldn't survive because the first time that you lost control and accidently killed someone, you wouldn't be able to live with the guilt. It would destroy you and you would stake yourself before you allowed yourself to become a monster," he said bluntly, "You are too good to ever make it as a vampire. You are selfless, you are moral and you are annoyingly respectful of human life."
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't those all the traits that attracted you to Elena?" she pressed curiously as she nibbled on her nana bread.
The vampire Bonnie assumed that was Stefan wiped his mouth with the napkin before he tossed it into his empty plate. Clearing his throat, he placed his elbows on the edge of the table and folded his hands before resting his chin on his knuckles peering at her through his long eyelashes.
"Yes, but in the end, I learned that Elena was the worst kind of girl. I mean what type of broad would run around fucking two brothers with no shame? I wonder that kind of behavior stemmed from the fact that she had daddy issues long before her father tragically died. I mean that would make sense." The cold way that Stefan talked about Elena made it seemed like he never loved her, and that made Bonnie frown as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She knew that Stefan was in diet Ripper mode which meant he would have his moments of being a complete asshole, but something about the way he spoke about someone who had once been his epic love seemed off. There was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind telling her something wasn't right with the typical broody Salvatore brother, but before she could observe the matter closely, the emotionless vampire continued. " "You may be a judgmental pain in the ass, but you are inherently good. You save everyone around you and still manage to save yourself," he said with a note of appreciation in his voice as he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. "Elena was always a victim and Caroline was so self absorbed, but you were the complete opposite. You aren't the type to manipulate people to get what you want and you aren't the type to hurt and use people for your own amusement." Pause. "You may have made a terrible vampire, but you are a very impressive witch."
"I don't know what to say," she stammered flustered.
She was interrupted when loud and upbeat music was playing on the first floor of the restaurant. She watched as a smile creeped across his face as he rose from the table and approached her.
"Don't say anything. Just dance with me." Kol took her hand in his and tugged her along causing her to yelp softly in protest.
"I thought that you hate dancing," she reminded him with a surprised look on her face as he led her downstairs into the dining room where other customers were gathering to dance.
"Typically I do, but I'm in paradise with a beautiful woman. It would be a shame to pass up the opportunity. Let's just live in the moment," he coaxed.
They spent the next half hour twirling and spinning around on the dance floor where the locals clapped and cheered as Kol used his best moves to impress not only their audience but the giggling witch in his arms. Suddenly the sounds of glass exploding against the floor caused Bonnie to shriek as she saw several men and women holding an armful of white plates in their arms with a devious smile on their lips.
"It's a Greek tradition to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits," a young child explained walking over to the pair shyly as she handed both Kol and Bonnie a porcelain plate. "You and the pretty lady have to break it at the same time. You have to count down in Greek."
"Can you teach us how to count down?" Bonnie asked kindly as she squat down and stared the bashful girl in the eyes.
"Eva, Dio, Tria," she sang proudly.
Bonnie repeated the numbers religiously until she got it right causing the young girl to clap in delight. As the young girl took Bonnie's hand and led her onto the dance floor where they began to clap and dance in a circle with several other diners. Sipping his wine slowly, Kol smiled as he heard Bonnie's laughter fill the air as she was spun around and dipped by an middle age guy with salt and pepper hair and a weird looking goatee. As he watched her enjoy herself, he couldn't help but think back to the last time that he had laid eyes on the Bennett witch. She had been cold, stiff and lifeless on the dirty floor inside of a boiler room. He remembered thinking that it was such a tragic waste of life of someone who was so young and had so much potential. Most witches would have done everything in their power to bring themselves back from the grave regardless of the consequences, but Bonnie had been one of the rare ones who had been completely selfless. She had resigned herself to being a ghost on the other side rather than drop the veil and unleash hell on earth. Back then, Kol had been angry and highly annoyed that Bonnie wouldn't do what was necessary so that they both could live again, but now he understood. She was noble and she was a good person and he could appreciate that now even if he couldn't back then.
Moments later, Bonnie made her way back over to him. Her face was flushed, she was smiling with all of her teeth and she was struggling to catch her breath.
"I overheard Mia telling her little friends that she has a crush on you," she said with a sly smile.
"Sorry to break the little bambino's heart, but I have my eye on someone else," Kol said with an charming smile causing Bonnie to snort amused.
"A rose for the pretty lady?" a middle aged woman with amber hair offered as she walked over to them with flowers in a basket.
He dug into his wallet and pulled out a couple of bills and handed it to the woman. "Actually, I'll take the whole basket."
The woman eyes widened in surprise as she handed the basket over to the vampire before taking the money.
"Thank you, sweetheart," he murmured causing the woman to blush and giggled shyly before she shuffled away.
Bonnie fought back a smile and the urge to roll her eyes. It was ridiculous how easy women fell prey to Stefan's charms.
"Why don't we take this party somewhere a little more quiet and a little less crowded?" he suggested huskily.
She batted her eyelashes and smiled flirtatiously. "Lead the way."
After paying the bill, the vampire and the witch made their way out of the restaurant and headed down to the beach where a few tourists and locals were tanning. Bonnie could hardly believe that any of this was real. The delicious dinner, the fun dancing at the gorgeous little Greek club, the sunset walk on the beach where the sun was slowly setting behind fluffy clouds in a orangish blue sky made a warm smile settle on her face. When he reached down and intertwined his fingers through hers, she smiled and surprised herself by not pulling away. It had been so long since she had experienced something as nice and as romantic as the day that she had experienced. Even when she was still with Enzo, the most romantic thing they had done outside their little trip to Paris was when he bought her several dozen roses and a beautiful diamond necklace with an owl pennant for her birthday. It was nice to actually have a date where she wasn't expected to have wild and crazy sex after being wined and dined. To be able to relax and nap and dine and enjoy her beautiful surroundings without it being interrupted by some sort of drama was a luxury that she had deeply taken for granted.
As they walked down the beach, Kol handed out roses to some of the female sunbathers causing many to swoon and stare at her in envy. Most were young attractive women, but the older women who Kol gifted with the beautiful flower gave him a kiss on both cheeks while gushing how lucky Bonnie was to have such a striking and generous suitor on her arm. Bonnie was tempted to correct them by snidely telling him that looks weren't everything, but decided not to waste her breath. Besides, a part of her believe that the vampire was pretending to be a perfect gentleman in order to get a rise out of her and she was determined not to let the vampire get under her skin. Once he was down to the last rose, he turned and handed it to her. She was surprised to find that it was thorn less and absolutely perfect.
"I saved the best for last," he grinned winking at her as he noticed the awe on her pretty face.
She lifted the flower to her nose and inhaled before sighing sweetly.
"Thank you for today, Stefan," she said shyly.
"It's just a flower, Bonnie," he said sounding bored.
"I'm not just talking about the rose. I'm talking about the dancing, the dinner, and the heartfelt conversation. I had a really great time today. "I have a confession," she admitted softly as she turned to face the vampire who was starring down at her with the setting sun reflecting in his forest green eyes causing her breath to catch in her throat. Whenever she was this close to the vampire she was always reminded at how irritatingly handsome he was. Everything from his square jaw to his piercing gaze all the way down to inviting lips was enough to make any girl weak in the knees. Realizing that he was patiently waiting for her to continue, she cleared her throat and forced herself to focus. "When you and I first started out on this trip, I was disgusted with how you treated our flight attendant and I thought that you would be a complete jerk this entire trip, but I was wrong. You bought me this beautiful dress and you treated me to this amazing date and showed me the side of you that made me see why Elena and Caroline fell for you. I guess I'm just saying that it's really nice to see that despite you are stubbornly clinging to your Ripper side, there still is a softer and gentler side of you and I like that side. A lot."
He was surprised when she stood on her toes and placed a sweet kiss on his cheek.
It was in that moment that Kol was beginning to feel a twinge of guilt at deceiving Bonnie and he was somewhat tempted whether or not to come clean and tell her the truth.
"Bonnie, there is something I need to tell you," he started but was officially silenced when she pressed her index finger against his lips.
"I think we have done enough talking for one day. We should probably head back to the house and get sleep. We have to leave at dawn to go find the dagger," she said softly reminding him that they were here on the island for business and not pleasure.
"Or we can just stay here on the beach for a little while longer," he suggested with a charming smile. "All work and no play makes Bonnie Bennett a very uptight witch."
She watched speechless and wide eyed as he slowly unfastened his shirt and tossed it aside before removing his pants with a wicked smile.
"W-what are you doing?" she stammered as she looked around wondering if there was anyone who could see him standing in nothing about his boxers.
"I'm going for a swim," he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"The beach isn't that big. What if someone sees us?" she protested.
"Who cares? I can always compel them to forget," he grinned deviously.
Before she could stop him, he took off in a full sprint towards the ocean before diving in. Bonnie covered her mouth to stifle the giggle that was threatening to escape her lips. She had seen Stefan in many different lights, but she never thought she would see the day where his impulsiveness would drive him to skinny dipping. She watched amused as he broke through the surface howling and splashing around like a child. She don't know if it was seeing Stefan in such a playful state, or the fact that she realized she hadn't swam in a couple of years, Bonnie found herself wanting to join him. She batted her eyelashes shyly before reaching up and using her thumb to hook under the straps on her shoulder letting the dress fall around her body and fall around her feet.
Glancing over her shoulder nervously, she giggled before running towards the ocean with air whipping through her chocolate brown locks. She gasped as she felt the cool water hit her skin as she waddled waist deep into the ocean feeling giddy and laughing happily. She dove under water and swam peacefully with her eyes closed.
When she broke through the surface of the water, she gasped as she came face to face with a muscular alabaster chest. She bit her bottom lip softly as the vampire grabbed her by the hips and lifted her slightly causing her legs to wrap tightly around his waist. Water droplets that clung to the strands of his hair fell across her face and a unavoidable whimper escaped her lips as he sunk deeper between her legs. Gone was the light playfulness that had been between them when they had been splashing around during their impromptu evening swim. In its place was heavy sexual tension and Bonnie felt as if it was making her dizzy and intoxicated. She was painfully aware of just hard Stefan's body felt against hers and how his mouth was only inches away from hers.
"It feels good to walk on the wild side doesn't it, little witch?" he breathed with a wicked smile.
"Why did you call me that?" she said her brow furrowing with confusion.
"Call you what?" he asked lazily as he gently ran his knuckles across her flushed cheek.
"You called me little witch," Bonnie said with curiosity and suspicion radiating in her leaf green eyes. "In all of the years that I have known you, you never called me that. In fact you have been acting a little weird all day. You called me little witch , you talked about Elena and Caroline as if you never loved them a single day in your life. If I didn't know any better I would think that you were a completely different per-," Before she could finish her statement, his warm mouth was pressed against hers and he was kissing her.
At the initial contact, Bonnie felt a spark and could have sworn that the spark felt almost...magical? Bonnie moaned as his tongue slowly crawled inside of her mouth tasting her and coaxing her tongue to come out and play. The kiss was so intense that Bonnie felt like she was being overwhelmed by his passion and she whimpered as she felt him wrap his arms around her practically crushing her body against his. Their first kiss had been hungry and desperate, but this was slow, deep and deliberate. She could hear the waves crashing against the shore in the back ground, she could feel her desire triggering goosebumps across her skin and she could feel Stefan's erection pressed against her stomach and she knew that if there was a chance that Stefan carried her back to the beach and pushed her down in the sand and ripped her clothes off, she wasn't sure that she would have the will power to stop him from screwing her until her voice went hoarse and her throat went raw from crying out his name. As his large hand slowly made its way up from her hip and rested underneath her right breast, she gasped causing him to chuckle huskily as he nibbled on her bottom lip hungrily.
"We should continue this somewhere a little more private," he murmured before taking her hand in his and leading her back to shore.
The moment her foot touched the sand, she heard a low and dangerous growl and nearly jumped into the vampire's arm once she spotted a mangy dog hovering near their clothes.
"Relax, Bonnie. He won't hurt you. I promise," he murmured with his lips pressed against her ear.
"What are you? A dog whisperer now?" she teased amused.
"Among other things," he chuckled lowly as he nibbled gently on her earlobe drawing a soft whimper from her lips.
Bonnie was reaching for her dress when she felt a force snatch her back causing her to be dragged several yards away from the vampire. She was about to open her mouth to call out to Stefan when she suddenly felt an invisible fingers wrap around her throat nearly crushing her wind pipe. Fear shot through Bonnie as she realized that something was terribly wrong. As she struggled, she sunk deeper into the sand and she realized that she was under attack.
"If you don't turn back now, you shall die."
The voice in her head was soft but firm. Later on, Bonnie would wonder if she was imagining it or if someone was trying to communicate with her telepathically, but at the present moment, she was trying to do her best to not let the ominous warning be her fate. As she sunk waist deep into the sand that was determined to drag her under, her mind raced as she struggled to find a spell that would help free her. Suddenly she saw the dog lunge forward as if trying to reach her, but her eyes widened in horror as it yelped loudly as it bounced off the barrier. The pooch was stunned momentarily before he got back up and barking viciously.
"Bonnie!" the vampire yelled trying to break through the forcefield that was separating them but failing miserably.
"IF YOU DON'T TURN BACK NOW, YOU SHALL DIE!"
Bonnie grabbed the sides of her head and whimpered as the voice grew louder and louder. The pain was so intense that she had tears pouring from her eyes and blood pouring from her ears. It was like someone was setting her brain on fire and drilling in a hole through her skull simultaneously. As she felt herself growing weaker and weaker, she heard a voice with an accent calling her name which made her eyes flutter open slowly. The spot where Stefan had been standing seconds earlier was devoid of the notorious Ripper and in his place stood the last person she ever expected to see.
"Kol?" she whispered blinking back tears as she stared at him shock.
"Yes it's me, darling. Give me your hand," the Original vampire growled as he struggled to reach out to her.
She flinched backwards as the began to sink up to her waist in the quicksand.
"I'm not going to hurt you, but if you want to get out of this quick sand alive, you have no other choice but to trust me," he insisted desperately.
Bonnie fought back the anger and fear she felt and reluctantly thrust her hands into Kol's who gripped her so tightly that she felt the bones in her hand crack. She watched wide eyed as his eyes darkened and black and purple veins crawled across his face as he began to chant loudly in Latin.
"Phasmatos Tribum, Exum Sue, Redem Su Pas Quo," he chanted the incantation several times and suddenly the sand began to loosen up and suddenly she found herself being violently pulled out of the quicksand. The movement was so sudden that Kol lost his grip on her causing her go flying through the air flailing wildly as she braced herself for the impact she was preparing to make against the ground. She closed her eyes and waited, but it never came. Peeling one eye open slowly, she found herself starring down at Kol who had his hand outstretched as he used his magic to slowly lower her down into is arms were she fell softly causing him to hold her bridal style.
"Are you alright, love?" he urged as his eyes searched her shocked face closely with concern.
Bonnie felt her heart thud against her ribs violently as she stared up into Kol's eyes trying to process everything that happened. The mysterious warning of her impending death, the quicksand that appeared out of nowhere that tried to murder her and the worst part was that her savior, the man that had been masquerading as Stefan was no one other than an Original vampire who she had believed to be dead. Feeling her anxiety, fear and adrenaline surge through her, she watched as Kol's concern face become blurry. Seconds later, everything went black.
End Note: Stay tune for the debut of my new story "Under Your Scars"