A/N: So I can't believe this story broke a 100 reviews already! This has never happened to me before and I'm humbled, overjoyed and overwhelmed in equal measure. Thank you thank you THANK YOU to everyone who's left reviews and continues to support this little story. This fic means a great deal to me, and so whenever I'm seized with anxiety about whether I'm doing it justice I think of all your kinds words and feel both comforted and reassured. Really, I can't thank you enough. Special shoutout as always to the Klonnie roadogs.
I know several people mentioned how sad the last chapter made them, so hopefully this one has a bit of the opposite effect! Fair warning though, as this story builds a found family it's inevitably gonna delve into familial trauma of which Bonnie and Klaus both have heaps. So...prep for some incoming mommy and daddy issues and some sibling issues too, lol. Enjoy loves! xoxox
Her name is Monique.
And that's all the information the little wolf volunteers. The three of them share a long and tense silence in the living room while morning light spills through the windows: Bonnie with her hands clasped, darting glances between Monique and Klaus, the former with her arms folded and a deadpan look on her face, the latter getting increasingly impatient.
"How old are you?" Bonnie asks in concern.
There's a slow blink followed by a nonchalant sigh. "Seventeen."
Klaus snorts. "Right. And I am Paul Cézanne."
Monique gives him a disdainful look. Bonnie frowns. "Who's Paul Cezanne?"
The hybrid pinches the bridge of his nose. "I see public education continues to prosper in this great country."
Monique snorts. "Where did you go to school? Hogwarts?"
"Ah, so you are capable of stringing more than two syllables together," Klaus snaps. "Excellent. Now answer the witch's questions and you can be on your merry way."
Monique's eyes widen in something like fear and admiration. "You're a witch?"
"I used a spell on you last night that stopped your trigger and helped you sleep," Bonnie explains gently.
The girl considers this for a moment before a gleam of excitement her eyes. "So...does this mean...did you stop my wolf trigger permanently?"
"No. Your wolf can't be stopped with a simple Energy spell. You'd need a Binding spell...," Bonnie trails off, aware of Klaus' stiffening posture.
"Can you do that? Bind my wolf?"
"I- I don't know how to-."
Hopes dies in Monique's face, replaced by the laconic mask from earlier. She just shrugs. "Figures."
"If you're afraid of your trigger, there's ways to control it. I can look at some-"
Klaus' head snaps in her direction. "Might I have a word in private, witch?"
Heaving a sigh, Bonnie rises to her feet. And instantly regrets her decision as a wave of nausea washes over her.
He grabs her by the elbow, trying to steer her into the dining room. "I thought I made myself clear last night -,"
"I was just asking her a question -," her stomach lurches, swallowing her words. Cold sweat appears on her skin.
"I am not running a charity home, love- " he frowns, peering down at her. "Are you-,"
"Gonna throw up? Yeah in like three seconds," she mumbles.
He releases her so swiftly she almost staggers before hurrying to the nearest bathroom. Bonnie wretches into the sink, head pounding and feeling absolutely miserable. When the spell is over and she's splashed some water on her face, she's immediately ravenous. Her stomach growls almost painfully. She sighs. God, she could eat a horse, a cow...that bar of lemon soap next to the faucet.
Arm clamped over her midsection, she opens the door and finds Klaus waiting with a glass of cold water. He hands it to her without a word.
She manages a quiet 'thank you' and waits for some kind of cutting remark or jibe, but Klaus merely leans against the wall with folded arms, scrutinizing her in a manner that makes her shift uncomfortably. Her mind's eye is suddenly full of the image of his bare back with its riverine scars. It's difficult to reconcile that with the perfectly indolent hybrid standing before her in a clean blue Henley and freshly wet hair, and a funny kind of flush creeps up her neck when she finally looks him in the face to ask a quiet question.
"I know she can't stay, but...can we at least feed her breakfast before she has to leave?"
He rolls his eyes, "And it begins."
"We can't just let her go without at least-,"
"You can, and you will. I have no desire to babysit an insolent pubescent wolf-,"
"I can hear everything you guys are saying by the way," Monique's voice rings out.
"Eavesdroppers are usually silent," Klaus snips back.
Bonnie notes his irritation and feels an idea take shape.
She lowers her voice. "Klaus, you need to figure out how to transform at will, right? Well, she's desperate to figure out how to control the transformation. I think you're in the same boat...sort of."
He scoffs as if the mere thought is distasteful.
"Just, hear me out -," her stomach rumbles and there's a dull throbbing at her temples. "I'm fine," she states when he raises an eyebrow. "Anyway, like I was saying-,"
Dizziness sweeps through her and she sways on her feet a little, steadying herself against the doorframe. Klaus covers the distance between them to slide a finger under her chin. "You need to eat," he states flatly.
"I'm fi-,"
"You are about to faint." His voice is laced with annoyance and exasperation. Ignoring her feeble protests, he puts an arm around her waist and ushers her down the hallway. Bonnie can't help but sag against him.
My turn to make breakfast next time.
Some of the last words her father had told her before she left Mystic Falls were actually a familiar refrain. Ever since she was old enough to use a stove, Bonnie would make breakfast for the two of them. Always Rudy would respond, "My turn next time," with a smile and a kiss to her cheek before heading out the door. She would wave him off and walk herself to the school bus. Unlike other kids her age, she was precociously responsible and independent. She took pride in making herself as little trouble as possible for her father, in braiding her own hair, starting the laundry, packing her lunch, taking on the duties her mother left behind. Being self sufficient in this way allowed her to believe that Abby's disappearance wasn't impassable, that she could hold her own life together. As the years passed and she grew into young womanhood and into magic, her desire to labor behind the scenes, her belief that she could and must carry the weight of everyone's lives on her shoulders, only grew stronger.
Self effacement became a kind of defining logic to her existence.
And that logic recoils in confusion as she sits in his simple, spacious kitchen while Klaus cooks her breakfast.
She knows he's irritated by the situation, that he just wants to get her fed so she can help him with his wolf issues and send Monique on her way without fainting from hunger. She knows all this and yet, Klaus is the first person in years to make her breakfast. The longer they are away from Mystic Falls, the more it seems there are two versions of the hybrid: the one who inspired such fear in them when he first arrived, and the one with hidden scars who built himself a home in the mountains where he could reclaim a birthright.
"Can you make things disappear?"
Monique's casual question nudges Bonnie out of reverie. The young wolf is seated across from her at the raised oak table, occasionally throwing suspicious glances at Klaus.
"Umm...I've never tried to-,"
"What about people? Can you like beam them to different places?"
"I'm a witch, sweetie, not the Starship Enterprise," Bonnie says gently. Then, sensing an opportunity, she decides to try a question."So, where are you from?"
"Louisiana."
"How'd you end up all the way in Montana?"
"Hitch hiking."
Bonnie frowns a little, "By yourself? Where's your family?"
"Louisiana."
"What about the scavenger wolves in the woods? Are they your friends?"
"No. I hate them."
Bonnie runs an exasperated hand through her hair. "You know, if you don't tell us more we can't really help you."
"I don't need help."
"Fantastic," Klaus sets two bowls of steaming porridge in front of them with flourish. "Now eat up and run along."
Monique looks down at her bowl, then back up at Klaus. "I'm supposed to eat this?"
Bonnie hastily interjects. "I think she means, this looks great, thanks Klaus. Right?"
"I didn't say that."
"Charming." Klaus leans his hands on the table, looking coolly down at the wolf, "Perhaps I should pay your family a visit and thank them personally for your lovely table manners."
"You don't even know anything about me," Monique retorts, though a hint of doubt creeps into her voice
"Nor do I care to. But the witch does, and the longer she probes you for answers, the longer she is distracted from her reason for being here. So," Klaus inclines his head and narrows his eyes, "while I could easily Compel you into politeness, I would much rather inform you that I am quite capable of not only locating your family but delivering you back to their doorstep. And something tells me you aren't exactly in a rush to see them."
Bonnie keeps her eye on Monique, noting the way she shrinks a little and tightens her jaw. There is a brittle quality to the girl that reminds her almost painfully of herself, makes her wonder if her own masks have always been so obvious to others.
She startles when Klaus clears his throat in her direction. He glances sternly at her untouched bowl of porridge.
She hastens to spoon some into her mouth and immediately freezes at the milky, slippery texture. It tastes quite literally like mush. She looks at Klaus' expectant face and manages a few more mouthfuls. "Mmm, delicious. Just...so good."
He narrows his eyes a little but is seemingly satisfied at seeing her eat.
"I lived with my sister and her asshole husband. When he found out I was a werewolf he kicked me out," Monique says quietly.
Klaus swivels his gaze to her, "Is your sister not also a werewolf?"
"We have different dads."
He digests this information in silence.
Bonnie ventures a question of her own. "How did you find out you were a wolf?"
Monique fiddles with her spoon. "Doesn't matter." She looks up at Bonnie, "There's really no way to make this thing go away? You said you could Bind it...does that work?"
Before Bonnie could reply, Klaus leans forward, his eyes focused intently on the young wolf. "To be born as we are is not a curse. The only curse lies in the hatred of those who would destroy what they don't understand."
"How would you know? Aren't you a vampire?"
Bonnie sees his face grow stony and intervenes.
"Klaus is a hybrid. He's...both."
Monique looks at him with new eyes, her brow furrowed and a hundred questions written in her gaze.
"Bonnie, I am sure you can send our guest on her way once you are finished with your meal."
He pushes away from the counter and out of the kitchen, his command hanging in the air.
"Someone's sensitive," Monique mumbles, digging into her own porridge.
Bonnie looks down at her half-empty bowl and takes another bite of the overcooked stuff.
"You know," she says thoughtfully, "Klaus is a lot of things, but he feels really strongly about being a wolf. He spent centuries trying to break the Binding Curse. I guess you almost have to admire that kind of determination." She'd once thought him driven solely by a desire for power at all costs, but sitting in his kitchen with the earnest if terrible breakfast he'd cooked, she feels old logics grow soft and blurry with new questions.
Monique however looks unimpressed. "Yeah well, vampire or werewolf your boyfriend's still a jerk."
"He is not my boyfriend-,"
"He like carried you into the kitchen and then cooked you this...weird slop."
"I-,"
" - which you totally pretended to like so you wouldn't hurt his feelings."
"It was nice of him to make breakf- ," Bonnie shakes her head at Monique's knowing look. "Anyway, the point is, Klaus is only being nice to me because he needs witchy help. But as long as I'm helping him, I don't see why I can't help you too."
The girl chews the inside of her cheek, but her face remains otherwise neutral. Finally her hazel eyes rise to Bonnie's face. "Don't you have your own kid to worry about?"
The witch stares in surprise, "How did you-,"
Monique rolls her eyes like it's the most obvious thing in the world, "Last night when I was at your window, you kept looking at your stomach in the mirror. And you just threw up like some character in a dumb Ashley Judd movie, so...,"
"Hey-,"
"Ashley Judd isn't as bad as Katherine Heigl. Her movies are so terrible I want to throw something at the TV." She adds by way of explanation, "My sister loves her stuff."
"She was pretty okay in 'Roswell'. Ever get into that show?"
"The one where all the aliens were white high school kids?"
They fall into an easy conversation about the current television and movie landscape. Monique's ruthless disdain for many popular shows causes Bonnie to erupt in laughter more than a few times. But something bittersweet tugs at her mirth, reminding her of a time when she'd wanted a sibling she could take care of and read stories to. You were resident mother hen to all, were you not? Klaus' words return to taunt her. And as she looks at Monique, with her curly brown hair and delicate features, probably no older than twelve, she's swept with a sudden longing to know what her own child would look like, sound like, have opinions about.
Her hand brushes over her belly as silence falls.
Monique pushes off her stool and heads to the backdoor, "I should get going before Grinch comes back. Thanks for the help last night."
"Monique...wait." Bonnie stands hurriedly. "Stay... let me work on Klaus, and I'll find a way to help you."
The faintest smile stirs Monique's face. "I...really appreciate what you're trying to do for me, Bonnie. But trust me, I'm not worth the trouble."
"But-,"
She pulls up her green hood and opens the door. A breeze full of the scent of rain sweeps in around them. Monique pauses a beat. "You're gonna be a great mom someday."
And she slips out the door faster than Bonnie can stop her, disappearing into the trees with wolfish speed.
Bonnie watches her go as the sky darkens and air rushes between her empty fingers. A raindrop falls across her cheek, and she wipes it quickly away.
As the morning rain continues well into the afternoon and evening, she closes herself up in her room and tries to peruse her Grimoire for further information about the Energy spell she'd used on Monique.
Whether it was taking care of herself after Abby disappeared, or formulating strategies to protect her friends, in times of doubt and worry Bonnie had always found solace in work.
But that solace proves more and more elusive as the day lengthens and turns into night. She finds herself crying intermittently, then feeling stupid. For wanting to help Monique. For wanting this baby.
She's just stupid, naive Bonnie wanting to mother everyone because she'd never been mothered herself.
You're gonna be a great mom someday.
She's ashamed of how much she wants to believe that.
Swollen-eyed and sniffling, she sneaks a few trips to the kitchen for snacks, but otherwise avoids the rest of the house. The last thing she needs is for Klaus to see her like this. Not because she thinks he'd be unkind, but because she's afraid he won't.
It's almost midnight when she decides to brave another trip to the kitchen. As she reaches the foot of the stairs, she notices the firelight emanating from the living room and catches a glimpse of a small figure on the settee.
She peers closer and, sure enough, huddled fast asleep under a blanket, is none other than Monique.
Surprise, joy and confusion rush her mind and she hurries towards the girl. She's so happy that Monique is safe and dry that she almost doesn't notice the hybrid watching her from across the room. As he approaches her she's seized with shyness at being caught, once again, with her heart squarely on her sleeve.
He brushes a finger under her chin and tilts up her face to his. And there's no hiding, not her puffy eyes, and certainly not the traces of joyful relief at Monique being here. At him having brought her back.
"It's absurd really," he says lightly, eyes travelling across her face. "All the offers I've made you, all the things you were promised, and this is the first I've seen you smile."
She's not quite sure what to do with the knowledge that he notices such things about her. So she steps away from him a little and changes the subject, gesturing at Monique. "Do you think she's telling us the whole story, about why she left home? I can't tell if she's just being a smartass kid or lying because she's afraid."
"In my admittedly limited experience with youth, it is usually both."
Bonnie reaches down and adjusts the blanket covering Monique's foot. When she straightens, Klaus is regarding her in a moody, focused kind of way that makes her blush and duck her head. "What?"
He shrugs. "I was simply musing on the fact that impudent as she is, the girl is right about one thing."
She blinks as the silent import of his words sink in.
There's a curious feeling between her ribs, something being sloughed off, breath rushing cool into her lungs.
You're gonna be a great mom someday.
Being a witch was never a choice for her but being a mother...maybe that's something she can choose.
With one last glance to ensure Monique is comfortably tucked in, she wishes Klaus goodnight and returns upstairs, the smile that he had remarked upon lingering like sunlight on her face.
A/N: So Monique is loosely based on the character of Monique Deveraux from 'The Originals' but I've aged her down quite a bit and given her a completely different backstory and personality, lol. Hope you enjoyed!
