A/N: Remember canon? Me neither. This is a season 4/5 AU and I will be taking a LOT of liberties so just go with the flow. Enjoy!

1.

Bonnie Bennett had gone through hell for her friends. Faking her death, being punished by the spirits for bringing back her boyfriend, losing her powers, losing her mother, bringing back their enemy in the body of a friend even though she really just wanted to kill him.

But sometimes she wondered if death and danger was what they truly deserved. Because their actions precipitated it so many times.

When Kol Mikealson approached her about Silas, her first instinct had been to set him on fire. He'd tormented Bonnie and her friends. His family had been the reason for their many losses. Yet his desperation was something that couldn't be faked. No one went to the camp of an enemy unless there was a bigger one chasing them.

"Your friends are making a terrible mistake in looking for the cure. Silas is not someone you want to fuck with," He said pacing underneath the tree they met. Kol had asked to meet in the park after she nearly fried him when he accosted her at the lockers in school. She almost didn't come but something propelled her to at least take a listen.

Bonnie flexed her fingers eager to strike once he did or said the wrong thing. Expression had been a sweet little amplifier. The magic from the dead witches had been glorious within itself but this was like adding a thousand head sprinkler cap to a hose. She could do things she had only dreamed of before. And it was all hers. Shane had called it a gift and a calling. One that was all hers to bear.

"How do you know so much about him anyway?" She asked.

Kol ran his hand through his hair, "Because while my brother may boast of acquiring witches into his personal arsenal, I actually ran with them for years. I once met with a cult who believed that Silas would kick start the apocalypse. I'm not sure about you but I rather like the earth standing without a big evil overlord tearing it down."

"No, you'd just prefer if your family were the only evil overlords," She sneered.

Kol rolled his eyes, "In a way yes but this is much bigger than us all."

"How do I know you're not just lying to keep Elena from getting the cure?" Bonnie accused.

Kol chuckled darkly. He took slow, deliberate steps towards her. Bonnies' fingertips filled with power. Just a single step out of place and she would desiccate him. But he did nothing. "My brother may have his own agenda but I can assure you that I personally could give less of a shit what happens to your doppelgänger. Whether she lives or dies, the world will keep moving. Although I have a feeling the latter might benefit us all in the long run."

She glared at him, "She is not dying. Look, she needs the cure. If this thing with Silas is true then can't there be a way for us to get it without waking him up?"

He eyed her with a mixture of incredulity and, well, pity surprisingly. Not what she'd expected from the Original. "I find it almost revolting."

"What?" Bonnie was confused.

He shook his head, putting both hands in the pocket of his jeans, "I've happened across a few of your ancestors in the past. Powerful women. Queens and warriors. The name Bennett could turn the tide in almost every situation. Yet here you are, practically wasting away doing tricks for a doppelgänger in this small little town. So much wasted potential."

Rage bubbled within Bonnie. How dare he?! Without thinking a shot of energy burst from her hands. Kol managed to dodge it with half a second to spare allowing the ray to hit the tree behind it. It instantly disintegrated into ashes. The move frightened her and she immediately cradled her hand.

Kol grinned wide eyed despite nearly being incinerated, "There's that power I was talking about!"

Expression had certainly amplified her magic.

Bonnie closed her eyes taking a deep breath. She'd lost control and she couldn't do it again. No matter how infuriating Kol was. All she had to do was verify the information he was giving her. "Are you sure what you're saying is true? That Silas will really bring the end of the world?"

"I am very sure," Kol turned serious.

Bonnie pondered, "But why would Shane want to bring him back then? He knew about Silas and the cure. Unless he doesn't know about this part."

"I've found that everyone has an ulterior motive for the things they do," Kol said. "It's just a matter of who hides it best."

"What's yours then?" She challenged him.

He smirked speeding with a blur until their faces were mere inches away. "Why, I've never hidden it, have I?" He gave her a suggestive look which made her want to soak herself in a tub of ice. The few times they'd met he plied with her innuendos and flirtatious remarks that would make a nun blush. It was a shame. If he weren't such a psychotic vampire, Bonnie might have found him attractive.

She moved away. "I'll find out for myself. If what you're saying is true then I have to find a solution."

"We." He corrected her.

Bonnie frowned, "In case you've forgotten, I don't exactly trust your or anyone with the last name Mikealson. None of this makes us allies."

"So, you plan to take on the potential apocalypse bringer yourself? I know I said your line is powerful but even that's a little much for you Bonnie girl," Kol told her skeptically.

"Don't call me that," She crossed her arms. "Give me a day. If it's true then I'm sure my friends will be more than willing to stop it."

She doesn't need a full day. That night Grams comes to her in a dream. It's scary at first. For one, the spirits don't really speak to her anymore. Apart from her stunt with Klaus, she's been dabbling in magic they don't exactly find acceptable. So, there is no reason they would want to speak with her.

Bonnie wondered what exactly changed.

But Sheila is warm and familiar and Bonnie can't help but cry in her arms as the loneliness she tried to forget swells up once more.

"W-why are you here Grams?" She asked afraid of what answer she'll receive. They're standing in the living room of her grandmother's house. It looked exactly how it was in the pre-Salvatore era. If only she could truly close her eyes and send everything back to how it was then. The things she'd taken for granted would be appreciated ten times. Every drunken rant from her grandmother. Every gossipy rant from Caroline. Painting nails, watching movies and eating junk food with her friends on Friday nights without a care in the world. Their world then was small and perfect. Now it had morphed into a vast thing with untold dangers lurking in every corner waiting to pounce. There was no time to breathe or relax. Something was always waiting.

How she wished there was just a moment to breathe.

Sheila smiled sadly, "You've been through so much my dear. So much that I wish you would never have to experience. I failed you by not preparing you and now a great evil is coming."

Bonnie shakes her head, "No you didn't. You did the best you could. What exactly is coming?"

"You mustn't let them open that tomb. Hell on Earth will unleash. Silas wants nothing more than to get what he feels he lost," Grams warned.

"So Kol was right," Bonnie mused. "What do we do then?"

"Do everything you can to keep that tomb sealed," Grams instructed. "That man taught you Expression simply to harness your gift for his use. You cannot let him." The revelation that Shane had only been using her was not as much of a surprise as she'd anticipated but it hurt nonetheless. Wasn't that the trend with her? Her power, her gift was always of use to someone and that was all they ever wanted. In the end only she ever suffered for it. The spirits took away her powers because she didn't do what they wanted.

"How do I stop my friends then? We need the cure for Elena," Bonnie questioned. They were already far too deep and far too invested. Shane had promised them this. Everyone was willing and ready to do it if it meant curing Elena. They weren't going to just let go because she asked.

"No one person's life is worth so much chaos." Those were the last words she heard before waking up back in her bedroom. The next day she called Shane and Elena. The former was adamant that they had to unlock his grave and it was only after she pressed that his true motivations came out. The man wanted to revive his dead family and thought Bonnie was the tool he could use. Shane didn't even seem sorry for it. Just sorry that his confession meant she was no longer interested in doing his bidding.

Damon, Stefan and Jeremy were far from agreeable.

"Bonnie this is the only way to help her," Stefan said patiently as though he were speaking to a child.

"And I'm saying that while I want to help her, this could have far reaching consequences than any of us could imagine," She explained plopping herself on a couch.

Damon snorted, "How exactly are you so sure about this?"

Bonnie knew better than to tell them about Kol so she talked about the dream with her Grams instead. Elena sat looking contemplative, "M-maybe we shouldn't do this. I mean we're not even sure the cure is there."

"I threatened that Shane dude with things that would make the Pope weep," Damon declared. "Apparently he's devoted his entire life to this. He's certain it's there."

"Well, whatever you decide I'm not going," Bonnie stood up to leave the boardinghouse.

Jeremy grabbed her wrist to stop her, "Hold on, please Bonnie you have to."

"Jeremy, this is bigger than all of us," Bonnie yanked her wrist irritated. "I'm not going to release something we don't know much about just for a one in a million chance."

"My sister can't live like this!" He shouted startlingly.

A strange emotion overcame Bonnie. She narrowed her eyes, "Well I'm sorry but she's not the first vampire neither will she be the last. Why does she require such special treatment? None of us seemed to care this much when it happened to Caroline!"

Bonnie ignored Elena's shocked face and Damon and Jeremy's murderous glares leaving the boardinghouse.

She went home, thankfully her father was out of town. With all the business of the new mayor and the mess with the council she wasn't sure how she might have gotten away with half the things she did nowadays. Now all she had to do was avoid everyone. Without her, the tomb wouldn't be able to get unsealed.

But of course, things could never truly go smoothly for her. Jeremy and Elena killed Kol earning the ire of Klaus and completing the Hunter's mark. Shane had a contingency plan in case she fell through. Another witch he had on the burner agree to go with them. The trip to the Island went terribly and there was only enough of the cure for one person. The witch ended up dying and was drained by Silas along with Shane. Katherine ended up taking the cure and dying. Now Silas was in the wind and no one knew who he was apparently.

"What are we going to do?" Caroline asked, truly afraid.

Bonnie had no answer. A situation she had tried to thwart happened anyway. All of her warnings had been for nothing. The only person who had known enough to try and stop it was killed. This was unlike any enemy they'd ever encountered before. How could you fight someone whose face you couldn't even see?

In the end, Bonnie went to her grandmother's grave pleading and crying for help. The spirits had every right to deny her but there was nothing else she could do. Nothing but hope.

Her hope did pay off.

"I have seen your efforts child," a tall beautiful woman with braided hair appeared to her. "While you have done many questionable things, I cannot leave my own behind."

"W-Who are you?" Bonnie stuttered kneeling on the dirt.

Something about her felt familiar. It was her eyes, bright and green that resembled her own. They shone with such power untold. The aura around her was ancient and powerful. It was revealed to her instinctually.

"Qetsiyah," Bonnie whispered. "You're here."

"I have heard your cries and I have come to give you reprieve," Qetsiyah stretched a hand. Bonnie held it without hesitation feeling a wave of energy pulse that jolted her onto the ground. It felt like every cell in her body was on fire. Every blood vessel was singing out. She screamed writhing around on the ground. The pain was unbearable and for a moment she wondered if the objective had been to kill her, not help her.

But soon it subsided. She sat up confused at what had just happened. Something within her was buzzing louder than before. It felt like burning only it didn't hurt. That wasn't the right word. Like...consuming instead of burning. Similar to the first time she'd lit all those candles with Expression only more. If that were even possible to say.

"What did you do to me?" She asked the spirit.

Qetsiyah looked unperturbed, "You are the last worthy child of my lineage. Silas was my mistake so it is my responsibility to see it end. I have given you the power to resurrect yourself a helper. The dead original abomination." She didn't look pleased at the mention of Kol.

"Kol? Why do I need to resurrect him?" Bonnie questioned in surprise.

"Because by binding himself to you, he can help you end my treacherous lover," Qetsiyah explained.

"But why a vampire? It's obvious you don't like them," She stood up from the ground.

"With how much you've aligned yourself with their kind I wonder why you question me," The witch's tone held a warning.

"All I've done for vampires has only been for my friends," Bonnie defended.

Qetsiyah pursed her lips, "And now because of those friends Silas walks free once more." Bonnie had the mind to tell her that it was all her fault for creating the Immortality spell but shut her mouth. Something told her it wouldn't be a good idea to threaten the most powerful witch she'd come across even if she was a spirit.

"The original has the means to aid you. As much as I would rather have someone else as your companion, even I cannot sway the winds of fate," The witch stated.

Fate.

So, she was connected with Kol somehow. The revelation gave her an uncomfortable feeling.

"How exactly do I bring him back?"

"He has been on the Other Side only a short time so retrieving him will not be so hard. With the power I've lent you, it will be far easier."

Bonnie felt it sizzling beneath her fingertips, "Then what after that?"

"The answer will come." With that she disappeared.

Bonnie stared at the spot Qetsiyah had been in just a second ago. "That wasn't uselessly vague at all." Not to mention that Qetsiyah hadn't actually told her how to bring Kol back. Just that it wouldn't be as hard. She dusted the dirt from her clothes looking around the cemetery. Too bad he didn't have a physical body she could channel.

But he has ashes, it occurred to Bonnie. Getting them would be hell and half since from what she knew, Klaus had it. There was a chance that she could reconstruct his body from the ashes if she could get them. All she had to do was get them from his crazy brother. The same brother she'd trapped in the Gilberts living room and had a hard-on for killing.

Easy enough right?

This feels like incoherent trash. One day I'll probably get over my first-chapter-is-shit syndrome. Let me know what you think!