After an excruciating night, Kai decides to turn over a new leaf once again, moving forward to do right by Jo and Bonnie. Meanwhile, Bonnie learns some disturbing information involving the Phoenix stone, and she is forced to confront Kai with more bad news. Elsewhere, Enzo stands by not sure what to expect when Bonnie comes by the house looking for Oscar.
Kai breathed out a long sigh of serene. He offered Bonnie a place to rest for the night, after she cried about how she couldn't go back to her dorm room because of Caroline and Stefan possibly fucking. Kai took her to his hideout, which was his sister's former apartment. He was still paying the rent for the place, mostly to be closer to her since it still packed all her possessions away here.
He told Bonnie to settle in Jo's old room and that he and Jo would stay out in the living room for the night. He even offered her some of Jo's old clothes that he found in the back of the closet. The clothes were dated from when Jo was a college student back in 1994. But they could fit Bonnie's slim body. She took the clothes and thanked him. She was very worn out and quiet when they got to Jo's apartment. He watched her go off to the single bedroom and closed the door behind her.
Meanwhile, Jo was fast asleep in the living room.
Kai had another sleepless night. He sat up on the sofa chair, watching reruns of Saved by the Bell. His mind dosed off for a moment, and when his eyes opened again, a bright and cheery Bonnie Bennett greeted him.
He sat up with his thick, long arms folded. He noticed Bonnie held a cardboard box in her hands. Looking over to the compact frame laying down on the pullout sofa bed, his sister was still sleeping away.
Bonnie turned around to look at Jo. "She's been like this for twelve hours. I'm not sure if that's normal."
He breathed out slowly. "Should we be concerned?"
"Yesterday she was dead. Today she's alive. Nothing about her situation is normal." Bonnie glanced at him nervously.
Kai's eyes were still focused on the box in Bonnie's hand. "What's in the box?" He enquired airily.
"This is actually your sister's. Old Gemini spell books. I wanted to ask if I could borrow them." She swallowed back her doubt and worry, but he sensed it on her face because he frowned curiously. "For research, I'll bring them back."
Finally, Kai got up from his seat. Pulling his t-shirt down over his jeans, covering up his suntanned stomach that Bonnie only saw for half a second. "Sure. Are you sticking around for breakfast? We could talk about last night."
"No." She shook her head, wildly reaching out and taking his hands. "Thank you for everything, the shoulder to cry on, letting me stay at your sister's place."
Moving closer to her side, Kai said, "Bonnie, you gave me Jo back. It's the least I can do. I'm here if you need to talk to someone."
"I know that. I'll get over it. Right now I need to figure out what that spell was, because I've never felt power like that before."
Kai smiled and dropped her hands. He knew she was referring to the sensual feelings they felt when they cast the revival spell. Kai couldn't shake those feelings. He hated how sexually attractive she was, and how much he wanted her. "You think there's a chance we might have opened Pandora's Box."
"I hope not. Damon and Stefan are still dealing with the heretic problem in Mystic Falls. The last thing we need is more supernatural drama." Before Kai could ask about the Heretic issue, Bonnie changed the subject. "Just monitor Jo. I left my phone number on the kitchen fridge, so call me if there's a problem."
Kai just nods and watches her slender form as she walks gracefully to the edge of the room and through the doorway.
Once Bonnie exited out, Jo stirred, and Kai made his way to her side on the bed. Seeing her confused face looking up at him, Kai pulls her into a companionable side hug.
"Morning, Josie. How are you?"
Jo's stomach rumbles with hunger. "Starved, is there anything to eat?" She asked lightly when she had found her voice.
Kai just beams at her. He was happy to have her back. This time nothing was going to keep them apart ever again. No more Gemini Coven. No more Joshua Parker. Not even the prison world.
Mid-morning at the Salvatore Boarding House, Enzo was in the parlor with Oscar, who was sucking down another blood bag. The man was like a barbaric animal and had the worst manners. Frowning, Enzo handed Oscar one last bag.
"Mate, that's the last one." He growled unhappily.
As he was ready to turn away, Lily entered the room. "Good morning, Oscar." Wrapping her arms around Oscar, she welcomed him with a kiss on the cheek, to which Enzo looked away. "Thank you for helping with Oscar. I know it's chaotic around here."
"Love helping a fellow brother out." Enzo said, rubbing his eyes groggily, "I've had a few dreadful nights myself over the years."
The family's new maid, Lucelle, walks in with a large vase of flowers, and Lily points to the nearby table. "Over there Lucelle, be careful."
Enzo looked around concernedly. "Flowers? What's the special occasion?"
"My mother taught me the importance of keeping fresh flowers when expecting guests…" she announced cheerfully. Enzo could tell she was considering her last few words as she pushed out a bitter look on her face.
"All this for Julian?" asked Enzo, almost jealousy. "Valerie informed me of your former lover, how you plan on bringing him home."
"Yes, well, he's arriving home today." Lily said, in a dreamy state, as if she was a love-struck teenager. "I really think you and Julian will get along, smashingly. He's very much like you." She admitted with a smile.
Turning his back to her and seeing Oscar finish his final blood bag. Enzo just huffs. "Can't wait to meet him."
That's when Mary Louise stomped her way into the parlor. Following behind her was Nora. The two girls pouted and whined to Oscar.
"Lily, should we really be leaving Oscar like this?" Nora asked.
Oscar, who was just sitting on the couch, his shirt covered in blood, was just staring at everyone with a blank expression.
Lily nodded her head slowly and whispered. "Lorenzo, could you please monitor him? We won't be too long."
"Happy to help." He said in a harsher tone.
Lily clearly ignored his rudeness. She just smiled and spoke. "Thank you. Also, if you hear from Valerie, please tell her to call me."
Lily motioned for the girls to follow her out of the house. They bid goodbye to Oscar only and walked past Enzo to leave with Lily.
Enzo wasn't pleased that he'd turned into a babysitter for a grown ass man. He immediately pulled his cell phone from his back pocket and walked into the hallways.
After a few rings, he got an answer. "Where the hell are you?" He asked angrily.
"On my way to find Julian. But this GPS on Oscar's phone is so damn complex." Valerie fussed.
"Well, I suggest you hurry it up, because Lily and the girls are right behind you." Enzo remarked matter-of-factly.
"That's impossible. You were supposed to keep him quiet." An incredulous Valerie whispered under her breath.
Enzo tried to stay as calm as he could and not lash out. "Oscar is keeping quiet. The poor bastard's memories are gone. I don't know how they've found Julian, but it wasn't through Oscar."
"Hold on. What does it mean when the little bar goes red? I…" Enzo heard a loud beep before the phone went dead. Valerie clearly didn't charge her phone.
Enzo threw his hands up in the air with frustration. He hated the way this whole situation was turning out for him. Lily was going to win, Valerie alone couldn't stop her and the other Heretics. Enzo was going to be pushed out of this house and out of Mystic Falls. He knew he had nowhere else to run. Turning on his heel and marching into his bedchamber, slamming the door fast as it heavily shut behind him.
Seething, he collapsed onto his bed, staring up at the empty ceiling with uninhabited sigh. Better get one last good snooze before shit hits the fan.
Bonnie figured it was safe to head back to her dorm room. It was noon now, Stefan hopefully was gone, and Caroline was probably in class. When she peeked into her room, she saw Caroline fully dressed, sitting on her bed with flashcards in her hands, playing music on her phone.
"No naked boyfriend." She inquired.
"Bonnie," she squirmed as she spoke, "I'm the worse aren't I?"
Bonnie stumbled in, looking hollow-eyed and smiling. She made her way forward and sat down on her own bed. "At least you're getting some action, I'm only seeing naked men in my dreams sadly." Her lopsided smile grew more hesitant as she cast her glance down on the bed and pulled her stuff bear towards her. "Even Ms. Cuddles thinks I'm a moping loser."
"Ladies drink free at Scull Bar tonight, I'm free to be your wing-woman." Caroline grinned, turning back to the flashcards with glazed eyes.
"What about Stefan?"
"With Valerie, and Damon, who's babysitting them."
"Valerie and Stefan, are you okay with this?" asked Bonnie, now approaching the blonde with discretion and glancing towards her with bright emerald eyes.
Caroline assured her best friend with the illuminating flame of a smile. "I'm fine. I want him to work things out with her. They just need to clear away all the 19th-century drama so they can get on with their lives. For everyone's sake."
Bonnie brushed her hand comfortingly against her shoulder, meeting her eye. "This is a tremendous step for you." Old Caroline would have freaked out. Bonnie remembered how Caroline behaved when she first dated Matt, how jealous she was of Elena. Yet here she was, slowly becoming the most secure woman. It was inspiring to see.
Moving away from her friend to pick up her bag and get ready to leave back out. Caroline stopped her. "Wait, you want to meet up tonight?"
"Sorry I can't. I have a thing."
Caroline's grin widened, unperturbed. "A thing? Bonnie Bennett, don't keep secrets from me."
Feeling a piercing stab of sting, knife her heart as she thought back on last night's troubles, wanting nothing but to be consoled again, she let her guards down. "The other night we brought Kai back with us. Damon and I found him in Myrtle Beach with Lily's missing heretic." Bonnie spoke in a whisper. The room was completely quiet. "He has this Phoenix Stone. It can bring people back from the dead as long as they haven't found peace or have been cremated. The plan was to bring Jo back and my Grams." She continued while Caroline's eyes looked into hers. She could feel her friend's anxiety at that moment. "We got Jo back."
The vampire laughed a little, happy for the relief, but Bonnie didn't smile with her.
"I called Abby. She told me she had Grams and my dad cremated." Her voice had sounded like a frozen wind.
Caroline sighed with longing. "Bonnie, I'm so sorry."
Putting on a false smile to cover up her hurt, she leer at the blue-eyed girl with a pleasant air. "Grams died years ago, and she's in a better place. Most important is that Jo is alive. She and Ric can have their happy ending."
"What are you going to do? Now that you found Kai."
Bonnie exhaled a sigh of ease and stood there awkwardly. "Forgive him. Last time I didn't, and things turned out badly. Kai is like Katherine, you know. He's a survivor." Caroline seemed startled by her words, but nodded in agreement. "He has humanity in him, he deserves a chance. Plus, we've forgiven Stefan, Damon, Tyler and the Originals."
"But you won't make the same mistakes I did with Klaus and Tyler, right?" She murmured softly, with a hint of quiet malice in her voice.
Caroline and Tyler were a great couple until they weren't, and it was only drama fueling them. Bonnie never understood Caroline's draw to Klaus, but Klaus was obsessed with her best friend.
Bonnie shifted uncomfortably in the heavy silence. "No, I've learned from you and Elena. Strictly into nice boys with big muscles." Bonnie shoots an incredulous glance before letting a little laugh escape her mouth. "I'll be back later, don't wait up."
Caroline giggled a little too and started playing her music again. Meanwhile, Bonnie turned on her heels to leave out, ready to return to Mystic Falls. She hoped Oscar had answers for her this time.
Kai ordered lunch for both himself and Jo. He ordered her favorite dishes from the local Thai restaurant. The twins both sat together on her small sofa, eating from food containers that were now covering her coffee table.
Jo's smile grew with every bite she took. Her eyes quickly glanced at her fireplace. She noticed photos of herself and others.
"Who's that guy and girl?"
He frowned in ridicule. How bad was her memory loss? "Luke and Liv, our younger siblings."
She flashed a smile. "They're twins like us. Where are they?"
He pretended to think for a while, knowing he couldn't tell her the truth. "They were murdered. Crazy guy broke into our home and killed them both." A wave of memories rolled through Kai, and all at once he became very anxious.
The color drained slightly from Jo's face, and she frowned a little before speaking again. "What happened to the killer, was he caught?"
"Yeah, they caught him, serving a lifetime sentence in prison." He answered dryly.
She turned her face from his and looked back at the fireplace with eyebrows high on her forehead and mouth hanging open. She pursed her lips and then bit into the bottom one, apparently debating her next question. "The man in the photo with me, who is that?"
There were a few photos around with Alaric. Kai was waiting for this question. "He's your husband, Alaric."
"Oh, my god." She whispered. "What an odd name." He laughed, to which she poked him hard in the ribs and responded, "I want to meet him."
Kai wasn't prepared for that request. Of course he knew they'd have to tell Alaric that his wife was alive, eventually. Kai wasn't ready to give up Jo yet. With her memory loss, it was so much easier to talk to her. There was no judgement or problematic family history keeping them apart. Once Alaric sees her, he'd keep her away from Kai and tell her the truth about his past. She'd react the same as Bonnie had when she found out he murdered his siblings.
"Are you sure? Maybe we should let your memories come back first."
Kai watched out of the corner of his eye as Jo twisted her long hair skillfully into a knot on the base of her neck. "Or, I might regain my memories. Come on Kai, this is the love of my life. How would you feel if you were in my shoes?"
He was grateful he wasn't. Kai knew it was better to deal with the situation sooner than wait later. Now that his relationship with Bonnie was on better terms, he stood a better chance against the Mystic Fall gang, not trying to kill him. As long as he doesn't screw up this time around.
Kai agreed, but didn't look at her. "Yeah, he's a professor at the college. We can head over there now if you'd like."
Soon enough, he found Jo in his arms. She giggled and snuggled her head into his neck. "Thank you." She murmured into his ear before sitting back down and eating her food.
Kai bit his lip. He felt his chest tightened familiarly. This day could end on an unpleasant note for him. Probably best to make sure he saves Bonnie's number in his phone before he heads out. He might need her later on.
Bonnie broke into the Salvatore Boarding House. Well, she didn't really have to because the heretics left their front door open. Perfect for her. She snuck right inside. Snooping around, peeking into the parlor, trying to be quiet and failing to do so.
Enzo caught her red-handed, and she turned to see him. "Bonnie, pleasant surprise. But we don't allow riff-raff in this house anymore." He wore a smug face.
Bonnie didn't stop her snooping, "Yet here you are, like an unwanted guest." She snorted a grin.
"Alright, let's catch up. How was your holiday? Please tell me you weren't chasing Damon around with bottles of bourbon and wiping his sobbing tears away." Enzo's counter questions did not impress Bonnie. "Oh god, you did, didn't you? A summer in Europe, you could be knee deep in men and yet you followed Damon around." Enzo teased.
Bonnie's cheeks reddened, but ignored the comment. "It's so sweet of you to pretend you care about my love life."
Enzo became serious immediately. "I've always admired your powerful will. But you make the worst choices, knowing that Damon would kill for Elena, and you being alive is keeping him from truly being happy. I knew you liked him but I didn't take you for a fool."
''See, now I think you're projecting." Bonnie replied angrily, "You're the one sleeping at Mama Salvatore's feet, hoping she takes pity on you."
Enzo was no longer amused by her and their game. Rolling his head on his neck, and it cracked several times before grabbing Bonnie by her shoulders and leading her toward the front door. "It's time for you to leave."
Bonnie just yawns and stretches out her arms as she pulls out of his loose grip. "Wait, I'm here to talk to Oscar."
"What for?" he asked loudly.
She let out a small cough. "Witch business, nothing exciting."
"Maybe I could be of help." Enzo sighed heavily and looked around the room. "Oscar isn't feeling so well..."
Enzo stopped speaking once he and Bonnie heard a murderous scream coming from upstairs. Bonnie didn't waste time. She rushed up to Stefan's old room, leaving Enzo behind. When she arrived, she spotted a blonde being fed on by Oscar.
The woman was crying out in pain. Bonnie was raising her hand to stop him, but Enzo quickly stepped in. He pushed Oscar away from the blonde, tossing her in Bonnie's direction.
"Bollocks, mate, we are not supposed to feed on Lucelle." Enzo retorted, giving Oscar a stern glare.
Lucelle, who looked like she was on the verge of tears, gripped tightly on Bonnie. "Enzo, blood please."
Enzo made his way over to Lucelle to feed her some of his blood. Then he took his chance to compel her. "Forget about this whole thing. You left after breakfast and took a spa day," he said as he looked deeply into her eyes.
Oscar was on the side of them, covered in blood, staring at the scene playing out in front of him. Lucelle left the room, and now Bonnie was alone with Oscar and Enzo. She moves closer in. "Hello Oscar, do you remember me?" She chose her words. "We found you with Kai in Myrtle Beach."
"Who the hell is Kai, and I've never been to any beaches." He replied, foully through gritted teeth. Oscar grabbed his mouth and his eyes popped wide open. "You. You're the witch that got me out."
Bonnie could feel Enzo's eyes on her. "What do you mean, out of what?"
Oscar threw himself backwards. "I need more food."
"I can get you more blood, but Oscar I need to ask you about the Phoenix Stone." She replied smartly.
"What the hell is a Phoenix Stone?" Anger flickered in his eyes.
Bonnie pulled the stone out, hoping it would jog back to his memories. Enzo's head whipped over at her. "This stone, remember?"
He shrugged his thoughts off and focused on the stone in her hands. "I was in there. They trapped me in that stone. You got me out."
Bonnie was confused. She realized there were missing facts about this stone, Kai clearly didn't tell her. Things he didn't know. Lucy Bennett was probably right to warn them about the danger of this stone. Question is, what the fuck did they do.
They approach Alaric's classroom. Kai opens the door and enters, followed by Jo. The classroom was empty except for Professor Saltzman sitting at his desk, grading papers. Once the door shut behind them, Alaric raised his head.
"My office hours are..." Alaric pauses, dropping his pen and staring up at the twins. "Oh, no..." He said to himself.
"Alaric, hey, buddy." Kai started slowly. "This is going to blow your mind." He half-barked, half-laughed, trying to ease everyone.
The hunter clearly didn't want to hear what he had to say. The other man shot up out of his seat, grabbing his nearest weapon, which was a letter knife, and held it up. "How is she here?" Alaric fired off, his eyes glinting menacingly.
"Bonnie and I worked together to bring her back."
Alaric's mouth dropped with disbelief. "Bonnie would never work with the likes of you."
"She and Damon came to Myrtle Beach to find me. I told them my plan to bring my sister back." Kai squirmed as he spoke. "In exchange for Sheila Bennett's life, Bonnie granted my safety back to Whitmore." He explained. "Of course we couldn't bring Shelia back, but Bonnie and I are on better terms."
The vampire hunter's eyes hardened with displeasure, refusing to look toward his wife. "I don't believe you. Bonnie would never work with a killer like you." Alaric said in a voice that barely ranged in emphasis.
Jo was surprised; indeed, she couldn't conceal her surprise at all. "Killer?" She glanced from one man to the other.
Suddenly Alaric's eyes turned and looked at her, a cold silver steeliness that bore straight into her. She was growing red and quickly averted her gaze to her husband, her body growing hot and flustered. "Keeping secrets already." The older man grinned.
"She lost her memories. We thought you could help." Kai growled dangerously. "But if you want to be an ass, I can take her back." He threaten as he shuffled over to his sister.
"Can someone tell me what the fuck is going on? Who are you really then?" Jo snapped, trembling slightly as she moved closer to the exit. "Did you kill them? Did you kill those people in the photo?" Kai knew who she was referring to.
Both Jo and Alaric watched his frown and the way his face puzzled for an answer. "Yes. I killed them, and our other siblings, not to mention our witch coven. I killed you too Jo, you were pregnant at your wedding and I stabbed you… right in the back!" Kai released all his anger towards his sister, though he wanted to unleash it at Alaric.
Jo stared at him in shock and simply gasped. While Kai rolled his eyes at her. "He's a monster Jo. And I'm sorry I didn't protect you from this sociopath." Those words provoked him more than anything. He could see the pain on Alaric's face, though.
"It must feel really nice for you to stand here and judge me." Kai sneered into Alaric's face. "I lost her too. I know what I did. I screwed up. But I brought her back, and I'm going to make things right with her."
Jo strutted over to Alaric, looking at him, face contorted with annoyance. "I don't know what's going on. I'm scared, I just know I feel close to him, like a mystical connection." She protested, grabbing his arm and pulling on his sleeves. "Can we just go somewhere else, grab a bite, and talk?"
Alaric's cheeks tinged pink with frustration.
He and Kai both glowered at each other furiously. "Fine, let me finish up here and I'll meet you guys at Scull Bar."
Jo was satisfied. Her heart beat faster with happiness.
Kai's nostrils flared, and his lips twisted into a sneer of loathing. His eyes produced only hate and discomfit anger. "Let's go, Josie."
Enzo took Oscar to go search for more blood bags in Lily's room. Bonnie was left to her own devices upstairs in the boarding house. She was concerned with the information she got from a memory loss Oscar. She knew it was probably best to inform Kai about what was happening.
As she grabbed her phone from her back pocket, it vibrated, and she saw an incoming call from Damon.
"Bonnie, thank god. I have terrible news."
She suddenly felt frightened, not because of what the new was, but because of what she might have to do once she receives it. "How bad?"
"You guys didn't bring back Jo." Bonnie shifted slightly, wearing an intolerable facial. "According to Valerie, the stone is a supernatural holding cell for vampire souls. You and Kai randomly put some vampire in Jo's body." He said hurriedly.
Her heart was hammering. Thinking back on last night with Kai. How joyful he was to have his sister back, "So that means Oscar isn't…"
"Nope, that's not him."
"Damon, I'm at your house, talking to him about the stone." Bonnie promptly closed her mouth and breathed again.
With a loud gulp, Damon spoke. "Bad idea! Cut the conversation short. Call Kai and warn him, his sister is gone for good."
Bonnie was afraid of this.
"He's finally turned the page and might become a better person. Now I have to crush his spirit. Jo is his humanity, Damon."
If anyone could understand this, it's Damon Salvatore, the way he leeches onto Elena to remain good. "I get it, really I do. Also kudos to you for making peace with the little sociopath. But Bon-Bon, he's going to have to find someone else to keep him afloat."
She sighed quietly to herself in a barely detectable whisper of a voice. "You're right. Let me get out of here."
The two hung up their phones, respective.
Enzo entered the room again, mouth wide opened. "Just finishing cleaning up after Oscar."
He stared over at Bonnie, who had walked toward the door. "I'm heading back home."
As Bonnie turned and continued to walk backwards, Enzo grabs her by the arm, stopping her from leaving. "Not until you answer my questions."
She glared up angrily, trying to move away. "Let go."
"First, tell me where you got that stone?"
"Rocks 'R' Us." She assured him, straining a smile.
Bonnie pushed Enzo away from her. He stumbled and peered at her with an innocent look. "You know Lily was looking for that stone."
Then she turned back to continue walking front ways. Enzo moved in close. "Sucks for her." As she said that, Oscar appears looking wild and drenched in more blood.
His crazy eyes gazed at the ruby stone she was clenching.
"I'm ain't going back." She wasn't expecting to be grabbed by the former Heretic. Faux Oscar showed his fangs and went directly for her neck. She quickly cast a pain infliction spell on him, solemnly. This caused Oscar to fall back, "I won't go back." He shouted, scrambling to get himself together.
Before Bonnie could make another move, Enzo used his vampire speed to take Oscar down. Flinging him into the coffee table, shattering the glass all over the floor. He whipped his head to Bonnie. "What the bloody hell is he on about?"
Oscar was recovering quickly. He started getting back on his feet. "Who the fuck is Oscar? Why do you people keep calling me that?" He growled.
Bonnie opened her mouth to speak, but before words could form. Oscar triggered his magic somehow. The lights over his head exploded in sparks.
She turned to Enzo. "Run!"
A confused Enzo followed Bonnie out into the hallways. Preceding behind her, he noticed she dropped the stone on the ground. He picks it up and continues to follow her downstairs.
Bonnie and Enzo kept running from Oscar, until they found themselves in another hidden room, which Bonnie quickly shut the door behind them and muttered a spell under her breath to magically seal it closed.
"Vis porta," she quickly chats, sealing the door.
"That's your big plan, spelling the door? Don't you know any secret passages in this house?"
This time Bonnie stopped. Giving a bored sigh, and flipped her hair back to look at Enzo sideways.
"You've been watching way too many cartoons."
On the outside, Oscar was slamming something against the door, trying to get it open.
"We need a way out."
After walking towards the window, Enzo then faced her with incredulity written all over his features. "I might have to just jump. You can fend for yourself, right?"
Bonnie glanced over at him. She noticed the stone in his palm. "That's fine, but I need that stone."
"Hold on," Enzo said with an amused and nasty face. "What do you know about this little gem?"
Her hands shaking with fury. " It's some kind of trap for a bunch of souls. If Lily wants it, someone she cares about must be inside."
A vein throbbed in Enzo's temple. "Her boyfriend, Julian. He must be trapped in it." He hissed.
"All the more reason you shouldn't have it." She spat. "Bringing back her dead vampire boyfriend. You need to have some dignity. This isn't the way to get what you want." She added.
Meanwhile, Oscar was getting closer to breaking down that door.
"I don't need advice from you. And I don't care for what you are inferring."
Enzo watches her intently. "You love Lily, you want her to pick you. Trust me, I understand that feeling." Bonnie ran a hand uneasily through the brown strands of hair. "You deserve better, better than being second choice."
She glanced up at him. He looked almost as tired as she did–it strained his face with exhaustion and grief. His hair for once was out of place, hanging un-brushed over his harsh eyes. She thought it made him look more real, more human. His appearance was more alluring than ever.
Before Enzo could come up with a reply to this reflection, they heard a thrumming noise from outside the door, and Enzo's eyes widen in alarm. "Dammit, Oscar just learned how to siphon."
Suddenly, Oscar bursts into the room and sped toward Bonnie, pinning her against the wall in a choke-hold. "Give me the goddamn stone, witch."
She gaped at Enzo. "He has it."
Oscar releases Bonnie and rushes over to Enzo. Backing him in a corner.
Before leaving the room, Bonnie heard Enzo say something under his breath, "Bloody wretched witch."
An edge of a smile curved Bonnie's mouth as she left Enzo to fend for himself. Poor, unfortunate bastard.
As he strolled through the grounds, Kai looked ahead of him to see Jo and Alaric talking in front of the Scull Bar. After they left Alaric's classroom, Kai tried to explain himself to her. She refused to speak to him. He could tell she was afraid, she was scared he'd hurt her again.
Watching how comfortable she was getting with Alaric made his head swivel. He was going to lose her again.
As he walked around the college campus, his phone rang, and he quickly answered it. "Bonster, what's up?"
"Hi, umm, is Jo with you?"
Kai took slow steps forward, forcing himself to place one heavy foot in front of the other. "Yeah, I need to tell you something." He turned away from the couple, his back facing the bar. "I took Jo to see Alaric."
Hearing a clap of thunder rumble through the air after he spoke. "KAI! That's not Jo. Get her away from Ric."
The heretic went cold. Nausea swam in his stomach and his heart stabbed at his flesh; he felt as if he would faint. "Bonnie, what are you talking about?"
"Your information was wrong. What Lucy saw in that stone were dead souls, vampire souls, Kai. We didn't bring back Jo or Oscar, we just stuffed someone else inside of them."
Automatically, Kai felt a hot, searing pain coursing through him.
"What am I supposed to tell Alaric?"
Bonnie sighed, "Just break his heart gently." A lump formed in his throat. "Me and Damon will be at Mystic Falls Grill. Come by and we can figure something out." She offered.
Spinning around and surprised by the scene in front of him. Jo and Alaric kissing each other tenderly.
"I have to go." Instead of hearing her out, Kai hung up the phone.
Before Kai could make another move, he saw Alaric jogging over to him. He wore a flushed expression. Once the professor stood tall in front of him. Kai paused, abashed suddenly.
"That's not my wife." Alaric whispered through clenched teeth.
Drawing a breath and studying the concrete ground. "How did you know?"
Alaric grew red and his eyes darted to Kai. "When I kissed her. I know Jo's kisses. That woman you brought back isn't her."
Kai frowned and looked increasingly uncomfortable at Ric's statement. "Bonnie just called. She said we made a mistake. There's a vampire's soul in her body."
His former brother-in-law scowled, making it obvious how pissed off he was.
"You two need to fix it. That woman in there is afraid and confused. I can't help her."
He gulped and swallowed audibly. "I'll fix it."
It was getting close to midnight. Bonnie and Damon were drinking bourbon at the Mystic Grill. Damon was rehashing his entire day with Stefan and Valerie. How Lily showed up and took her boyfriend back. They lost this fight.
"Valerie told me something, she said Lily told Kai to link Elena's life to you."
She breathed in gasps, tears of hopelessness threading her eyes.
"Lily is the reason, she's the reason for all of this." A rich deep red color swallowed Damon, and she thought he was going to burst. The swelling of blood coated him like a mask and his eyes burned with self-consciousness. "Apparently, she has a thing for emotional torture."
Bonnie nodded slowly and looked away. "So Kai didn't completely screw us."
"Not entirely, no." Called an anxious voice entering the grill. Both friends whipped around to see who came in.
Kai Parker made his way over to the bar, taking a seat next to Bonnie. He glanced up, his blue-grey eyes catching hers and causing Bonnie to blush briefly.
Damon slides a bottle of bourbon over to Kai. "So then tell me what really happened."
"Lily was feeling vengeful. She wanted to make you pay for refusing to help rescue her kids from the prison world." He shrugged, trying to look honest. "She gave me the sleeping beauty spell. Of course I didn't tell her about your friendship with Bonnie. I knew you'd make the right choice. She didn't." He said, sounding ominous.
Damon's upper lip curled and his eyes took on a flat, gritty expression.
"What are we going to do with all of this, Lily, her boyfriend, Oscar and Jo?" Bonnie's brow creased suddenly with frustration.
Both men, daggers'd increasingly, and Damon turned to look at Bonnie. "I'll handle Julian and Lily. They're my problem now."
Kai hardly seemed to hear what Damon said. He was so absorbed in his own self-pity. Bonnie placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You and I can deal with Jo. How bad did Ric take it."
There was a flash of uncertainty and guilt in his eyes. She didn't miss it. "He knew it wasn't Jo. He knows my sister better than I do."
Guilt rose, intimidating to consume Bonnie, but she pushed it back with savage irritation.
"Look, we can do this. No more pity parties. We're going to break Lily, destroy her spirit, get rid of these heretics, and save Jo."
Kai nodded, but said nothing.
Damon's face cut into a grin. "Look more excited, man. Bonnie Bennett has now boarded the train to Crazytown. We've been on these rides before. This is her first time, she's like a virgin."
Kai burst out laughing. "Is that so?"
Bonnie wrinkled her nose disdainfully. "Don't start ganging up on me."
"Oh yeah, all those motel nights with baby Gilbert." Beamed Damon, a sly look on his face. "I remember how loud you were."
Bonnie blushed and Damon had the courtesy to glance away, looking over the bar for another bottle of bourbon. Kai, however, ogled her.
Punching her best friend in the arm with a wicked grin and then pushing her empty glass towards him. Damon refilled everyone's beer mugs, and the three of them drank up more bourbon, toasting to new allies and friends.
For the first time, Bonnie felt safe.
AN: Damon, Bonnie and Kai are on board together to fuck up Lily Salvatore's life. Next chapter will include a dinner party, faux dating, flirty moments, and more supernatural bullshit.