Author's Note: Whew, after the absolute chaos of the last chapter, this one is a bit more subdued, but definitely no less important. For those of you that have stuck through all the twists and turns...we're alllmosssttt thereeee! Enjoy :)

"Bonster?"

Bonnie was shocked back into consciousness. She blinked blearily and sat up, the process slow as her limbs felt like strands of cooked spaghetti. Vision hazy, it was taking her eyes much longer than usual to refocus and sharpen.

Her thoughts were just as opaque. She couldn't remember what had happened and she couldn't really see any potential cues to jog her memory.

"Bonster, please." The voice was jarring, not because it was Kai's, but because of how soft and tender the tone was. What the fuck was going on? She hadn't heard him talk to her like that since…

Letting out a loud gasp, she spun to and fro, trying to find him in the fog that seemed to surround her. The second her eyes fell upon him, it all came rushing back.

The battle…

The pain…

Hands immediately flying to her abdomen, where most of the energy blast had connected, she pressed the pads of her fingertips against her clothing. Feeling nothing unusual, she hazarded a glance, surprised to see that she was completely whole.

Peering back at Kai, she then realized that, unlike the current backdrop, he was coming in crystal clear. And so was the body he was hovering over.

Body?

Her legs still felt like jello, so Bonnie shifted forward so she could crawl and slide towards the scene. The closer she got, the more confused and agitated she became.

The prone figure...it was her. A much more mangled version of her, anyway. This Bonnie had clearly been affected by the blast, shirt torn and blood...God, there was blood everywhere.

Jolted by the gore of it all, Bonnie shrank back onto her haunches. It was overwhelming, how traumatic this all was. Seeing herself...her dead self...What the fuck was happening? If she was dead, then why hadn't she been sucked into the abyss? Why was she still here?

It appeared like she was still occupying the same space, but save for Kai, everything else seemed like it had been placed behind a frosty film. She could make out shapes and blobs strewn along the ground, but little else. The noise had been severely muted as well. Considering the apocalyptic event that just took place, the only thing that resonated in her ears was her fellow hybrid's voice.

Breathing in deeply to push back the cries that bubbled up in her, she forced herself to focus on what was happening.

Kai was cradling her head in his lap as he leaned over her. His hand gently ran over the marred skin, a glow emanating from his fingertips. His caress smoothed and healed every part he touched. Moments passed and she looked unblemished again, almost as though she was merely sleeping.

Briefly, she wondered how he'd managed to do that considering he should have been drained of all his magic. Bonnie had to assume that it had only been, maybe, an hour or so from the moment she'd...phased out to what was transpiring now. There was no way his stores had replenished that quickly.

"Bonnie," Kai cooed softly, his voice cracking as he cupped her cheek. "Baby, please. Wake up. It's safe now."

Safe? Seriously, how much time had passed? Last she remembered, they were severely outnumbered and her last-ditch attempt to keep the three of them from dying had clearly failed. Had reinforcements come in? She willed her vampire vision to kick in, provide a clearer view, but nothing changed. There seemed to only be one figure actively moving besides Kai. The voice was garbled and distorted. Was it Freya? It had to be…

"She'd not fucking dead," Kai screamed, the growl in his voice deep and abrasive. "We're immortal, we're all-fucking powerful. If there's anybody that could survive this, it'd be her."

Realization finally dawned on her addled brain that Kai was grieving. He was grieving her. Which meant...

"Kai?" she whispered softly, sliding even closer until she was practically touching his side. "You're back." Reaching out to stroke him, she wasn't at all surprised that her hand went right through his cheek. Still, she was elated, a loud laugh escaping her lips. A laugh that quickly became a choked sob of heartbreak. "You're finally back and I can't even talk to you." Eyes brightened with tears that teetered on the edge of her lids, threatening to spill onto her cheeks. She watched as his arms tightened around the body and pulled it to his chest. His right hand cupped the head and she caught a look in his grey orbs while he lowered his gaze. The remorse that she saw, the sorrow, it tore her in two.

There had to have been a way for her to communicate with him, for her to let him know that she was still there...sort of. Bonnie mentally reached into the deepest part of her, prodding for any semblance of magic. Her core was still broken apart and she felt nothing but a cold void. Making a strangled sound of frustration, she buried her face into her hands before letting them drop to her sides.

"She can't be dead, Freya." Kai was speaking again. "You say it couldn't have happened if she hadn't died, but her soul isn't lost. I feel it."

Bonnie's eyebrows knit together. What couldn't have happened? Nothing about that way things were unfolding were making any sense to her. The confusion was making her frantic. She had to find some way to let him know she was still on this plane. Maybe he could figure out a way to get her out; maybe she wasn't truly dead.

Freya's voice responded, but the tone remained muddled and she could understand nothing. Kai didn't react to the Original witch. Instead, he burrowed himself deeper and nuzzled his face into the short brown locks. Pulling back with a sniffle, he tenderly kissed her forehead and got off his knees, pulling the body up with a fireman's grip.

"You're leaving?" Bonnie called out, standing as well, but moving much slower than him. "No, no, no. Kai. Please, I'm here." Her breaths came out in short bursts as tears of agitation rolled down her cheeks. "Kai, I'm here." What was going to happen to her if they left? Would she just fade away? "Please don't leave me, Kai. Don't leave me here alone. I don't know what this is; I don't know where I am."

Pivoting his feet, he made his way towards the gates of the manor grounds. She tried to keep up, her limbs in this form slowly regaining dexterity. Now feeling full-blown panic, she looked around frantically and pulled at the roots of her hair. "We're soulmates; you said you could feel me, Kai, please."

She stopped dead in her tracks, a moment of clarity hitting her. Soulmates...root magic..

Their magic was linked. And even though she didn't have any of it at the moment, her essence should still be there. They were connected on an intrinsic level, so if she could just…

Bonnie rushed as fast as she could until she was only inches behind him, grateful that he was walking at a leisurely pace. She couldn't sense anything in herself, but she needed to try and reach for him. Harnessing all of her mental energy, she focused on prodding for Kai's magic, letting her soul call for its Yin. She sensed resistance, but she willed herself to push on. This had to work. This was not the end for her. For them.

Her fellow hybrid slowed to a stop, twisting his neck to look behind him. She thought she saw recognition in his eyes, so she launched everything she had at him. It was almost as though her soul was trying to fully reconnect with his, to embed itself within him.

A sharp pain caused her to pull back with a hiss and a shuddered sigh. She'd hit some kind of wall. That must mean that it didn't work. Draped in a hopeless melancholy, she kept her eyes down, allowing herself to fully grieve. She was dead. Bonnie Bennett was dead and she'd never get to be with those she loved ever again.

"Bonster?"

Breathing in sharply, Bonnie's head snapped up. Kai was looking directly at her. "You - you can see me?"

He didn't even have to respond at first. The look of utter relief and reverence was a sight she would forever etched into her brain. She'd dreamt of him looking at her like this again and it was finally happening.

"You're not dead." It was a mix between a statement and a question. "Bonster, this isn't a ghostly final visit before moving off into foreverland, right?"

She had to laugh at his words. Always trying to inject his brand of humor into the most inappropriate moments. "I'm - I'm not sure." Fingers swiping at the wetness in her cheeks, she came to realize that they didn't have time for pleasantries. She had no idea how long this connection was going to last. "I don't know what happened, Kai. I don't know where I am. I want to come back. Please don't leave me here."

Shaking his head emphatically, he hugged her body to his chest, subconsciously hoping her spirit could feel his warmth. "I'll never leave you again, Bonster. So much happened. I have to -" His attention was diverted away for a moment. Freya was speaking again. This time, Bonnie could recognize her timbre, but still couldn't understand what was being said. "It's Bonnie." He was elated, a smile so wide it split his face. "Can't you see her? She's -"

"I think you're the only one who can see me, Parker," she said softly. "I - I think I'm dead, but I'm still on this earthly plane and I'm not sure why."

Kai relayed the information back to the other witch, who seemed to respond in an excited manner.

However, before he could return his attention back to Bonnie, the world around her was starting to blur even more, swirling and twisting as though she was being spun around in circles. "Kai, what's happening?"

"Bonnie, no, we can -"

"Kai, please…"

Even he was becoming fuzzy now, joining the rest of the muddled world she was stuck in. His lips still moved, but all she could hear was the roar of wind in her ears. She called to him again, saw his grey orbs reflecting the same fear and anguish she felt.

"I love you." It was the last thing she managed to catch over the din.

Before Bonnie could blink again, the landscape had calmed, everything righting itself. For the first time since she'd awoken, the view was clear; the film had been removed from her eyes.

But she couldn't feel relief for that fact.

Because she was completely alone now.

It had been three weeks.

Three weeks since she'd last seen Kai or, well, anybody. Whatever this place was, it was devoid of any tangible lifeform. She'd spent the better part of the first two days searching: mostly for Kai, but also for any person to keep her company. In truth, she needed to hear another voice; the one in her brain was doing a piss-poor job of keeping her sane.

She would have even settled for an animal of some sort, but aside from her...nothing.

As far as Bonnie could tell, this place was some kind of expansive holding cell, similar to where Kai had been banished back in 1994. Except, based on her phone's notifications, the repeating day was the day of the big battle against Joseph. Food was plentiful and the blood bags replenished daily, but she was going crazy, feeling trapped even though she had boundless space.

Today marked the fourth time she'd perused the entirety of Portland— twice on foot, blurring through, and the rest in whatever car tickled her fancy. She'd managed to pilfer quite a collection of magical paraphernalia, hoping that one of the items would help trigger her powers. None of the pieces had been fruitful thus far, leaving Bonnie to become more morose as the days passed. Her core had begun to rebuild itself, however, so that was the one huge relief that kept her going. The sharp edges that had cut at her whenever she tried to cast a spell were becoming less prominent, dulled. She hadn't been able to manifest anything, yet, but if her internal vessel could heal, then she was hopeful that her abilities might come back at some point.

Her vampirism was still active, which meant she had that innate magic within herself; she just had no means of harnessing it. It frustrated her to no end. She hadn't even been able to light a candle, which was - literally - Witch 101.

Aside from that, Bonnie had been trying, endlessly, to find some kind of way to communicate with Kai. She'd scoured the Gemini Manor - which was thankfully uncloaked here - hoping she'd come across some kind of totem or conduit that could send a message back to the earth realm. Some items had seemed promising, particularly an old-fashioned rotary phone that had possibly been enchanted to connect with the afterlife. Unfortunately, there seemed to be a kind of blockage that kept the signal from pushing through.

She had spent most of the last three days sorting through the Mikaelson compound, seeing what they had there. It appeared to be an exercise in futility, however, since this wasn't a place the family frequented often. Artifacts were scant, save for the typical witchy stuff you'd find in the home of any sorcerer.

No matter where she was, however, she always found herself coming back to the Gemini manor at night. On especially stressful days, she would shuffle into Kai's closet and pull out a sweater or a tee that had his scent embedded into its fibers. Wearing the clothing would give her comfort, a fleeting sense of safety in an uncertain world.

This was the explanation for her current state: cocooned in an old black hoodie that dwarfed her already small frame. Her arms barely reached three-fourths of the sleeves and the hem practically grazed her knees. She was lying flat on her back on his bed with papers, grimoires, and unlit candles strewn about on top of the comforter.

Quiet points like this were when Bonnie felt the most drained, when her brain was on overdrive, carefully dissecting all the moments that led up to her being trapped in this...place.

She'd been so sure at the start that she was dead. How could she not be? She'd felt herself die, felt the unbearable pain that ripped her insides to shreds. But yet, do dead people heal? If her core was, in fact, restoring itself, what would be the reason for it? Unless she was actually alive and just trapped in some dimension. But she'd been physically separated from her body, a body that she'd watched Kai carry away.

Kai.

Another aspect to ponder.

Kai, who had been completely awful to her, who had treated her like the dirt on his shoe. Kai, who, within seconds of her realizing that he was "normal" again, immediately had all of her love and forgiveness. Now, completely alone with her thoughts, without anything to sway or distract her, Bonnie had to wonder why she was so willing to overlook all the pain he'd caused her.

His humanity was back and he'd told her he loved her without any hesitation. What did it all mean? Her emotions had been constantly see-sawing between a warming hope and a hollow dread. It was entirely possible that they'd never be able to go back to how they were before. Not after all the heartache they'd caused each other.

But the thought of getting back to him to hash all that out was what kept her pushing forward. Regardless of how things panned out, she deserved the chance to speak her piece. They both did.

Shifting so that she was on her side, Bonnie chose to ignore the mess she made as things rolled and slid onto the floor. Her hand dangled over the edge of the bed as she let out a lamenting sigh. Her phone indicated that it was well-past midnight and, considering she hadn't slept in the past five days, it was probably as good a time as any to try and rest. Not bothering to clear off the remaining stuff, she shimmied and bucked her body until she was able to pull the comforter up and over her. Though Portland was still in the throes of summer, the manor was quite cool and she could smell Kai's comforting scent on the sheets and blankets.

Immersing herself into the warmth, she allowed herself to drift, thoughts of him playing like a movie behind her lids.

The smell of bacon and fresh coffee filled Bonnie's nostrils, causing her to stir. Arm thrown out next to her, she blearily acknowledged that the other side of the bed looked mussed, as though somebody had recently occupied the space.

Wait, what?

The haze of sleep dissipated immediately and Bonnie shot upright, the comforter dropping to her waist. Focusing with her vampiric hearing, she could make out the sounds of cooking coming from the kitchen on the floor below.

This whole event was jarring and she was left feeling both excited and apprehensive. One, there shouldn't be anybody else here...and two, there should definitely not be any type of food cooking.

Hopping out of bed, she padded to the door and listened again for other clues. However, short of an added sizzle and the smell of eggs permeating the air, there were no indicators of the tresspasser's identity. Bonnie opened the door as softly as she could and blurred down the stairs, hoping her speed could provide an element of surprise.

But she was the one in for a complete shock.

The man's back was immediately recognizable. The tall, lithe form. The dark hair, perfectly trimmed and beautifully tousled. The broad shoulders and slim waist.

She dared not be too happy. This had to be a dream. There was no way-

The form spun around quickly, a dazzling white smile adorning his lips. He was wearing an apron that had a figure of a pig on it with the caption "I like my butt rubbed and my pork pulled".

Placing the plate of bacon he was holding onto the island counter, he lifted a lone, crispy piece to her mouth, willing her to bite into it. When she distractedly obliged, eyes never leaving his face, his smile became impossibly wide.

"Glad you're finally up, Bonster. I made breakfast."