"Practicing security means continually turning towards the best version of yourself."

Franklin Veaux, More Than Two: A Practical Guide to Ethical Polyamory


In true Salvatore fashion, the brothers had found a way to fuck up once again.

Bonnie was sitting at the bar of the Grille, a glass of rum and coke in her hands. A gift Matt had blessed her with since he had explained what has happened. Elena and Damon had roped him into helping kill Finn. Since Tyler and Hayley were out of town talking to a fellow werewolf pack, Bonnie hadn't been much help. After Elena and Caroline had told them their plan of killing off each of the Originals, she hasn't stood for it. Hell, she hadn't even had to link them. Ester had already done that. Bonnie had simply unlinked them, though she had done so while under Klaus's watch.

"Drinking alone?"

She craned her head to see Kol standing there. "Here to kill me?" she quipped.

"Not likely love, considering I fancy you." Kol winked at her and took a seat next to her. He waved the bartender down and ordered another rum and coke for Bonnie and a glass of aged scotch for himself. "Where is Tyler tonight? I was hoping to get to know him as well as yourself."

"He's out. Klaus is lurking about," Bonnie answered, trusting him with the truth.

Kol hummed and then thanked the bartender. He turned his eyes on Bonnie. "Tell me a bit about yourself, darling. I'm sure there's more to you than power."

Bonnie frowned. "You know my favorite flower but you don't know anything else?"

"To be fair, I compelled dear Elena to give me that bit of information." Kol smiled. "Now tell me, what is it that makes Bonnie Bennett tick? Aside from Tyler's tongue of course."

Bonnie flustered. "What do you want to know?"

Kol leaned over. "Tell me all that you wish to tell me."

:::

Caroline was waiting for him when he arrived home. Hayley had taken off to go and try and seduce Matt. Though Tyler could put two and two together. Seduce was Hayley's way of saying she was going to simply wait in Matt's room, in the skimpiest lingerie she found while they were in the next town over, and Matt was going to turn her into a puddle of werewolf goo. Tyler knew about his best friend's darker kinkier side. Matt was all sunshine to the outside eye, but give him some rope, a sex toy and utter submission and he turned into a better version of Christian Grey. Tyler shook his head and focused on his girlfriend.

If he could still call her that.

"Hey Care," he greeted. She greeted him back with a kiss. She was kissing him and he could taste her desperation, her need for him. He could taste the sweetness on her lips and the copper after taste of blood. He could smell her perfume, he could feel his hands burying in her silken gold hair. But he didn't do it out of passion. No, all of his reactions were automatic, like he was a robot.

She didn't taste of cinnamon and vanilla.

She didn't smell like lavender.

She wasn't teasing him the way Bonnie did. Bonnie teased him when they kissed. Bonnie licked his bottom lip and bit his tongue the moment he slipped it between her lips. Bonnie would pull him closer and the moment he let her get air, she continued to tease.

Caroline pulled away from the kiss. "Tyler?" she asked. She could feel how hard he was getting against her thigh. "Do you wanna take this upstairs?"

"No," he said. "I don't."

"Why?"

He sighed. "Caroline, we need to talk."

:::

Bonnie was walking with Hayley when it happened. The she-wolf was a ball of sunshine, the afterglow of her night with Matt showing clear as day. She hadn't said anything about it, but Bonnie could tell the brunette wanted more from her best friend.

"Bonnie Bennett!" Caroline cried out and the two turned as she stormed towards them. Bonnie blinked in confusion but when she saw the anger in her eyes, she knew Tyler had ended it. Which meant he told her about their affair. She was almost certain she would be losing a friend today.

"Caroline," she greeted. "Am I expecting a slap?"

Caroline growled. "You slept with my boyfriend."

"Currently, I believe he's your ex-boyfriend." Hayley said putting in her input.

"Hayley," Bonnie chastised. "I'll handle this,"

"She hits you, I'm going for her jugular." Hayley informed her and then backed off, giving the two some room.

Bonnie steeled herself. "You have words."

"Some pretty nasty ones."

"Go ahead," Bonnie said with a nod. "I deserve it."

Caroline let loose. She called her every word she could think of. Slut, homewrecker, boyfriend stealer. She was very tempted to claw out Bonnie's eyes. Tempted to spread vile rumors about her like any teenage girl would. She was tempted to shred open her neck for what she did. But Caroline couldn't. She couldn't because she could see how Bonnie was awaiting it.

Why was she awaiting it?

"You're not going to defend yourself?" Caroline asked.

"Care, I slept with your boyfriend. Not once, not twice but multiple times while he was in town; after he had sex with you. He didn't want to hurt you and neither did I. But we kept going at it. We couldn't stay away and each time I felt like I couldn't look you in the eyes." Bonnie said with a sigh. "I know you want to do vile things to me. I would too if I was in your shoes."

"Why?" Caroline asked. "Why did you sleep together in the first place?"

"The first time, it was to just to let out anger. He was angry at Klaus and I was just so angry at everything that was happening. The second time, we missed each other and needed each other. I'm sorry we never told you." Bonnie sighed and looked her in the eyes. She truly was sorry and even more sorry for the fact that she was feeling rather deeply for Tyler.

"Do you love him?" Caroline asked.

"No," she answered. "I do feel deeply for him but I don't love him."

Caroline nodded. "I...I can't talk to you right now. Not with all this happening, so...as of right now..."

"We aren't friends." Bonnie finished for her. She blinked back the tears she didn't know was coming. "I understand."

Caroline nodded. She paused before she reached out and slapped Bonnie across the face. Bonnie's only reaction was keeping Hayley at bay. She watched as Caroline turned around and left. Hayley came rushing up to her, talking about how she was going to kill her. But Bonnie silenced her.

"It was justified." Bonnie told her.

:::

Damon had not expected to find Katherine Pierce gracing his wet bar. She was pouring herself a drink like she had lived there for years and turned to him, a smirk on her face.

"Care to join me?" she asked.

"How about I just save us both the trouble and stake you?" he asked as he stepped forward. "What the hell do you want Katherine?"

She never lost her smirk, even after downing her drink. "What if I told you, I had some vital information?"

"Depends." Damon said and turned to leave.

Katherine licked her lips and then spoke. "Never pegged the witch to be into more than one lover."

Damon paused. "What?"

"Bonnie, you know crusader of the town? I never thought she'd be down for polyamory." Katherine pushed off the wet bar. "But," she paused for dramatic effect. "When I saw her sneaking out of Kol Mikaelson's bed, reeking of sex, I thought it was a one-time thing. That is, until I saw her walking around the forest with him, before watching her book it for the Lockwood boy. And my, my my, was that a sight to see. Three-way kissing is rather...hot."

She was lying through her teeth. She only observed Bonnie's conversation with Kol at the Grille. The Original was being rather patience with the witch. He wasn't doing anything sexual with Bonnie until she was ready. But he had watched her make out with Tyler more than once. Hell, even Katherine had to admit she got a bit hot from that. Who knew the little prude was such a sex kitten?

But while she was lying, she knew Damon had some twisted attraction to her. He got off with all the bickering and squabbling. He liked seeing the fire in her eyes. So to see the rage swirling in those icy blues was just to die for.

"Oops, did I strike a nerve?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Bonnie isn't like you." Damon snarled.

"Oh I never said she was. I said, I didn't know she liked having a network of lovers; not that she was sleeing with two brothers that knew and acted like big babies and trying to one up each other." Katherine said with a roll of her eyes. "Bonnie's got the fun way of things."

"Bonnie isn't screwing either of them. The mutt is with Caroline," Damon growled.

"Oh, those two were splitsville from the start," Katherine shrugged. "And before you say Kol hasn't touched a woman in over a century, he sure knows how to make Bonnie scream. How did she sounds?"

"You're lying through your-"

"Oh that's right. "More, please Daddy, please give me more."" Katherine mewled, getting Bonnie's moans down to a tee. Damon's eyes darkened. So, he knew about Bonnie's little Daddy kink. Katherine only knew because she had been following the witch for some time now. Bonnie intrigued her. She wasn't going to use her for anything, she simply wanted to know what made her tick. Damon, granted lacking in guardianship duties, knew about Bonnie's dark little secret. Granted Kol wasn't Daddy-Dom material, that was Elijah. But Katherine had snuck into the witch's house once and ended up heading more than she needed.

Her impersonation worked. She had her hooks in him. "Tell me everything you know."

Katherine gestured towards the couch. "Why don't you sit down?" she cooed and strolled over towards the couch. She needed Damon to fuck up, get Klaus angry. And what better way to get him angry than go after his brother? It was a risky move and a suicidal plan. But Katherine wanted to be rid of Niklaus Mikaelson for good. People dying was just collateral damage.