When Vicki Donovan goes missing, Kai has a suspicion that Damon is behind it. Meanwhile, Caroline gives Bonnie a necklace she took from Damon to wear with her Halloween costume, and when Damon tries to take it back, he is surprised by Bonnie's abilities. Finally, Jo decides to join Kai in his search for answers at the high school's haunted house, but the evening soon takes a terrifying turn.


"Tell me more." Bonnie came out of the kitchen with bottled water in one hand and a silver plate that held a couple of vanilla fudges in the other. "Was our family burned in the witch trials?"

"Of course not, baby. Those people who were persecuted in Salem weren't witches." Grams laughed shortly then and shook her head. "Ignorance isn't enough to trap an actual witch, especially a Bennett witch."

Bonnie sighed and took a sip of water. "Okay, then how did we end up in Mystic Falls, of all places? I mean, besides the witch trials, the north was far more progressive than the south. Why move here knowing this town was on the side of Confederacy?"

"Not entirely sure why," Grams sighed, watching as Bonnie walked over and collapsed onto the other end of the couch. "I'm sure they had good reasons to move here. Our ancestors have lived in secret for over a hundred years. It's important that we still do. It's why I haven't got up and left, even though…"

"Mom did. What about your sister, Aunt Shirley?" Bonnie asked before taking a bite of her fudge. "She left with her husband to live in Colorado."

Bonnie knew little about her grand-aunt, just bits and pieces. She was Grams' younger sister, who ran off with her high school sweetheart to follow him to Colorado State University. They had a family of two sons and one daughter. Grams never spoke of them, and for a while it seemed like Bonnie's mother was the only one in contact with her aunt. Bonnie sometimes wonders if her mother was up there in Colorado with the other half of the family.

Grams groaned irritably. "Shirley was a dizzy fool, who chased after a man, because he was potentially going pro with the NFL. Ha! He never made it past college football. Shattered his damn leg. Last I heard, he owned a convenience store."

Her grandmother detest her little sister, still to this day.

A shadow of a smirk crossed her face. "Okay, but I'm sure she had good reasons. Not everyone is as strong as you, Grams. Maybe she wanted better opportunities."

"You know, I was the first Bennett to go to college. And I was the only black woman at Whitmore in the 70s." Grams sighed, obviously exasperated at herself. "I worked my way up and got my degrees. Now look at me. A college professor of 30 years. My life turned out great, and I didn't have to leave my family behind."

"Except for the fact that everyone thinks you're the kooky old lady that teaches occult studies at the university." Bonnie sat up a little straighter. "And they think I'm slowly turning out like you. Even Caroline thinks I'm cuckoo bananas."

A bane look fell over Grams' face. "I never liked that girl."

"You hate all my friends, Grams." Bonnie pointed out witheringly.

Grams' mouth quirked a bit. "Not all, just most."

"Well, when are we gonna get into the witchcraft lessons? I've been cooped up in this house all weekend with you talking about wiccan history and ethics. Let's get to doing spells and potions." Bonnie's eyes lit with excitement. "I read about levitation. I can probably start off with a pencil."

"It's Monday. Don't you have school?" Grams asked as she leaned forward.

Bonnie rolled her eyes when Grams moved to grab her half eaten fudge. "Fine, but this isn't over. I plan on showing you how I light fires with my mind," she then grabbed her bag as she moved towards the door.

Her grandmother huffed a laugh at that. "Have a blessed day, dear."

Bonnie leaves without another word, and wouldn't let what Grams told her shake her up. There's got to be a way that she can have both worlds. Right?


Kai stepped inside the warm school building and Jo idled over, hovering a few paces away. "Did you hear about Vicki Donovan?"

He furrowed his brows. "I just got here, Josie. What could I have heard over the rumor mills already?"

Jo snorted next to him. "Aren't you with the in-crowd? I overheard that Bradley chick telling the other cheerleaders that there was a search party for her this morning. She's been missing all weekend. Jeremy Gilbert and some other kids are out in the woods looking for her."

"They think she might be dead?" Kai asked innocently as he looked at his sister.

"Who knows? You don't think it's you know who?" Jo questioned, and now she was frowning.

A small part of Kai had flinched away from Jo's question. "Salvatore. Probably, he loves underage girls anyway." It had to be him. Vicki believed a vampire attacked her. Kai was sure Damon was a vampire luring young girls into his domain.

"Should we go to the cops?" A voice broke his concentration, and he looked over to see Jo staring at him in concern.

A half weary, half-amused smile crept onto Kai's face. "Wait, do you wanna get involved and disobey Chris?"

"Obviously I don't wanna disobey Uncle Chris." Jo's throat worked as they strolled down the hall, shouldering through other students, her face burning. "But a girl could be hurt, and he isn't doing anything to help. Neither are the adults."

"Let's hold off on informing the cops until we have some solid proof." Kai told his sister while he trudged away from her. "See you at lunch, okay?"

He scanned the crowded hallways for the younger Donovan and found him opening his locker to pull some supplies out. Kai approached vigilantly from beside him, noting how tired the other boy looked, as if he'd been up all night.

"Donovan, I heard about your sister. I'm sorry." Kai greeted, not sure what else he could offer the guy.

Matt slammed his locker and turned around, halting when he saw Kai. His blue eyes widened and looked down quickly. "Don't worry about it. Vicki is just pulling some shit, getting people worried. She's fine."

There were a lot of things Kai wanted to ask, things he rehearsed in his head this morning, questions he wanted answers to. Questions Matt probably didn't have the answers to, anyway.

"Isn't Jeremy Gilbert running a search party in the woods for her?"

"She called this morning, said she's safe." Matt said quietly, shifting his heavy textbooks in his arms. "Vicki isn't much different from our mom. In fact, I heard some dude in the background calling out to her."

Kai couldn't help the slightly impish leer that tugged at his lips. "She was with someone."

"Probably ran off with the guy for the weekend. She'll pop back in acting like nothing happened by next week." Matt spat, and the anger had mutated into something darker.

Kai almost cringe at the hatred that came from Matt. Was this something that happened often? "Do you know who this guy is?"

Matt sighed, giving Kai a calculating look, as though trying to figure something out. Finally, he answered. "Nope, but I don't know if you've noticed. My sister has a type."

Yeah, dark-haired men with behavior issues. She's also the perfect victim for Damon Salvatore, now that Caroline Forbes was avoiding him.

The bell rang, and Matt turned to leave. "I've gotta get to class. Oh, there's gonna be a Halloween party tonight, you should come. Bonnie will be there." The blond smirked before walking off in the opposite direction.

Kai's heart was already beating ten times faster, extensively thrilled about seeing Bonnie again. Even though he kept screwing things up with her. Maybe he could be normal, fake his way through it. Make sure she was safe and be with her, not complicating things anymore.

But later that day, when he finally saw Bonnie again at school, she had paused and just looked at him for a moment. Kai ran a fleeting mental file of her. There by the lockers Bonnie sported shaded sunglasses, wearing high-waist pants and heeled boots. Her dark hair was set in loose curls, and she was wearing a low cut knitted top. Bonnie looked so… ravishing. Kai ran his tongue around his dry lips. In a lot of ways, she reminded him of his cariño. Though he couldn't even muster up the thoughts of the girl he once knew in Portland. Not anymore.


"Okay, what the hell is going on with you and Parker?" Caroline asked smugly, and Bonnie knew exactly what the big ditz was thinking.

"Nothing." Bonnie bobbed her head as they filed toward the school.

Caroline's lips press thin. "Nothing, Bonnie, I've never seen you look so fly in my life. I didn't even know you had boobs or owned anything that was low cut. And oh my god, your butt looks amazing in those pants."

"Caroline!"

Bonnie opted to wear a low cut purple knitted long sleeve bodysuit, showcasing some cleavage. Along with high-waist pants, highlighting her compact frame yet tight curves, pairing off with brown boots.

"Look, all I'm saying is, if you're over him for good. Then it's time to refocus on the prime real estate at this school." Caroline proclaimed, leaning in closer. "I heard Lockwood is back on the market now that Vicki has moved on to Jeremy."

"I am not interested in Tyler." Bonnie bit off as they walked to their lockers waiting for Elena.

The blonde's lips pursed, and her eyes narrowed slightly. "Okay, there are plenty of other players on the team."

"How about we focus more on Halloween," Bonnie said, and then amends a bit reluctantly. "Did you get a costume already?"

With a huff of a laugh, Caroline nodded. "Yep, the three of us are going as witches." Pushing a bag into Bonnie's arms.

"Seriously?" Bonnie examined the fabric that was in the bag.

Caroline was barely holding back her glee. "Yep, sexy witches. I figure the three of us could go as the Sanderson sisters from Hocus Pocus."

A grimace pulled at Bonnie's lips. She cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes at Caroline. "Let me guess, Elena and I are the ugly sisters, while you get to be Sarah Jessica Parker."

"Bonnie, it's like you don't know me at all." Caroline said with a huge smile. "I ordered the sluttiest version of those costumes I could find. Trust me, eyes will be on you."

"I'm noticing the lack of fabric in this dress. Wait, is this necklace from Damon?" Bonnie asked, seeing the necklace that Caroline threw at her head a couple of days ago.

Caroline's nose scrunched up. "Yep. Wear it. Toss it. I don't care. I just want it gone."

"Hey, guys." Elena fell to step alongside Bonnie, slightly behind Caroline.

"Elena, I did not forget about you." Caroline breathed in, a smile brightening. "Here's your costume."

"We're gonna be the Sanderson sisters." Bonnie drawled in a resigned monotone.

Arms crossed over her chest, Elena hummed. "We're gonna be the ugly sisters, aren't we?" she held out a hand.

Bonnie dipped her head, a smile going a bit more genuine and apologetic. "Yep."

Caroline made a face and shrugged primly. "What can I say? I was born to be Sarah Sanderson."

"Don't worry, we'll be showing off a lot of skin in these costumes. No one will notice." Bonnie mumbled, picking at her nails absently.

"I see," Elena interjected with a small nod of her head as she looked through her bag. "Are we witches or slutty pirates?"

"Who cares?" Caroline answered with very little commiseration. "We're going to get drunk and forget about all our boy troubles. Okay?"


Somehow, on Halloween night, the Parkers found themselves at the grungy Mystic Grill. The three were seated isolated in the back. Their server came pushing out three plates of food.

"Nothing like family dinner." Chris dug into his chicken salad sandwich with homemade fries.

"At the local diner?" Kai asked with a snort.

"I figure you two were sick of frozen tv dinners." Chris's lips twisted into a wry grin.

"Fried food from the diner, clearly a healthier option for us." Kai interjected. He stared longingly at the giant pile of fried onion rings on his sister's plate with his eyebrows raised skeptically.

Chris's eyes slid to the TV playing a spooky Halloween special. "I'm surprised you both didn't ditch me for the Halloween party at the school."

Jo simpered and shrugged casually. "Not my scene, not anymore."

The corners of Chris's lips tugged down into a frown. "Josette, you shouldn't close yourself off."

Jo popped one of the onion rings into her mouth. "I'm not. It's just hard to fit in around here."

"What about you, Kai?" Chris inquired, his lips twitching with cheeriness, like he needed to bond with his family. "How are things with football?"

"I don't know. The entire team hates me. Lockwood turned them all against me, Donovan the only reason I haven't gotten jumped in the locker room yet. Not to mention Coach Tanner was just murdered in the parking lot like a couple of weeks ago. Oh, and I think Damon was the one who killed him." He took a big bite of hamburger.

"Kai!" Jo griped, punching him in the shoulder.

Kai muttered and got the dodgy eyeball from Jo. He swallowed before he tried again. "It's the truth Jo. Look, I talked to Donovan today. He said his sister was with some guy. I think it's Damon. Vicki told me a vampire attacked her. It's Damon, he's…"

Chris interjected, holding up a single finger to cut him off. "Keep your voice down."

Jaw ticking, Kai bit the inside of his cheek and then took a drink.

"I talked to Zach Salvatore. He told me you two were friends." Kai shot back, "He also told me he knew about your little secret, about our family."

Jo's eyes, already quite round, widened, and she swallowed down her mouthful of food. "Wait, you told someone?"

"Zach is the only person in this town that isn't blind. He's the guy that supplies the town with vervain." Chris said, and Kai could see the surprise and confusion on Jo's face.

"What the hell is that?" Jo demanded sarcastically, a sneer on her face.

"Vervain is an herb, used to stop vampires from compelling humans. If a vampire makes physical contact with vervain in any form, it will burn them. The Founder's counsel uses it to protect the town from any vampire threats."

"There's a counsel for this?" Jo asked in a very enraged sort of voice. Kai felt his stomach twist with anxiety at what he was uncovering.

Chris gave her a passive stare. "The Founding Family's back created the Council in 1864 when they did a vampire round-up around the town. The Council's real purpose was to protect the town against any vampires who returned after their counteractive strike against their former vampire circle."

For a long minute, Jo just stared at him while Chris stared back. Slowly, she shook her head.

Kai raised a single eyebrow, fixing his uncle with a withering look. "Why are you now telling us this?"

"Because you won't drop it." Chris added, twisting to face him a bit better in his seat.

Kai frowned for a second and then exhaled. "How can I? A girl is missing and Damon might have her. What if he turns her? Then we have two unstable vampires running around. I don't see you doing anything to stop it, and Zach has zero control over his own nephew."

"Is that the mayor's wife?" Jo pointed out as she chewed her bottom lip. "Who's the guy with her?"

Kai looked across the room. "Salvatore," he confirmed, bracing himself for the explosion from Jo and Chris.

"That's him?" Jo asked, sounding both alarmed and baffled.

"I gotta go." Kai was halfway up out of his chair.

"Malachai!"

Kai had already turned and headed for the door, his coat in hand, before Jo and Chris could get up from the table. Sneaking out the back to avoid Damon and Mrs. Lockwood. Walking down the back alley, he also didn't notice someone following him.

"Kai, where are you going?" Jo was out of breath, trying to catch up with him.

He blinked for a second as his brain tried to reset. "To get some proof." Kai told her. "Feel like going to a party?"

"Why not? I'm tired of sitting out." Jo agreed quickly enough.


Bonnie regretted agreeing to coming to this Halloween party the moment she walked up to the school. Actually, she'd been regretting it ever since Caroline gave her the bag with her costume in it.

So here she was, wearing a cheap slutty witch-pirate costume that exposed her breasts and legs in this cold weather. With a red-haired wig on, and caked in cheap makeup and glitter.

"We should have stayed in and watched movies."

Caroline rolled her eyes at Bonnie. "Umm, we're cheerleaders. We're supposed to be at every school function."

"Damn, is that you Bennett, where have you been hiding?"

Enter a drunk Tyler Lockwood dressed as a Sparta warrior. Bonnie stared at the one guy in this entire town that she detest more than anything else.

Tyler moved around to Caroline, wrapping his arm around her. "You look hot in those fishnets, Forbes."

Caroline exhaled something between a sigh and a laugh. "Thanks, you don't look so bad yourself."

Bonnie narrowed her eyes and crinkled her up her nose. "Hey, Tyler, have you seen Elena?"

Tyler pointed over to the punch bowl area. Both Bonnie and Caroline turned their heads to the side and their jaws dropped to what they were seeing.

Matt pulled Elena closer to him by wrapping his arm around her waist. Their noses were touched and both of them looked at each other. Bonnie and Caroline were nervously watching and overwhelmed by this new discovery.

Elena wrapped an arm around Matt's neck and kissed him on the lips. Matt didn't hesitate to kiss her back. Bonnie and Caroline turned back to Tyler before looking at each other.

The huge smile on Caroline's face brightened rather ominously. "Finally, she's back."

"Looks like everyone is pairing off, Forbes. Wanna join me for a dance?" Tyler said, gesturing at her encouragingly.

"Love to," Caroline winked at Bonnie before taking off with the jock.

Typical. Once again, Bonnie was left alone. While her friends get to hook up with the gorgeous guys. It's like sophomore year all over again. So Bonnie played the wallflower. Standing in the corner, a red cup of coke and bourbon clutched in her hand.

"Little bird, where is your bestie?" Bonnie froze at the sound of that voice.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Arrogant face, leather jacket. Damon seemed even more out of place here than he had at Elena's house. And unfortunately, he was walking right in front of her.

"Looking for Caroline," he taunted as he came to a stop in front of her, the hostile edge in his voice matching his expression.

Bonnie opened and closed her mouth a few times, annoyed by his answer. "Damon, do yourself a favor and stay away from her."

Damon smirked back evilly. "So loyal, I bet she just ditched you to make out with one of the local meatheads around here."

"Whatever, stay away from us," she said, waving a finger at his face.

Damon took another vaguely threatening step forward, making her drop her hand. His jaw twitched at her apparent wariness, and he settled back on his heels.

"Hey, where'd you get that necklace from?"

Bonnie stood a little straighter and bristled. "A friend."

"Caroline, give that to you?" Damon could barely control his rage. "It's mine. Give it here."

"No," Bonnie let out a single, loud bark of laughter. "Caroline gave it to me to wear tonight. I'll give it back to her tomorrow. If she gives it back to you, then fine, but you won't be getting it back from me."

"You little bitch," Damon reached out to pull the necklace from around her neck. Yet somehow, as he almost touched her, he snarled, pulling his hand back. Bonnie could have sworn she heard a sizzle.

"No, no, no."

Oh, no. It's happening again. Damon gave her a strange look. Bonnie wasted no time and did a runner. The Bennetts lived in secret for a hundred of years. There was no way she was going to be the first to get caught.


"You didn't have to come."

The students decked the outside of the high school out in Halloween decorations. Cobwebs covering the front lawn. Fake bats and spiders in the trees and bushes. There were gravestones planted and life-size skeletons sitting up in lawn chairs. Carved pumpkins scattered around and people gathered around a black cauldron with red solo cups with what Kai could only guess had alcohol in it. They splattered the school window with fake blood and white frost.

Jo looked at him, concerned. "Are you kidding? No way I'm leaving you alone."

The first feeling to rise up in his throat was an ugly, twisted thing that makes him flush hot and cold for a dizzying minute. "Jo…"

Something in Jo's face changed slightly, and Kai could swear moisture was forming in the corners of his sister's eyes.

"Last year, the two of us grew apart. You had a secret life that I didn't know about, and when shit hit the fan, I couldn't protect you. I won't let it happen twice. If you think something dangerous is going on, I'm gonna have your back this time."

That meant a lot. Especially coming from Jo. His sister was a stickler for the rules. One thing you couldn't get Jo to do was defy their father, or the coven. It's the reason they grew apart the previous year. Kai found comfort and support from someone else, and Jo invested her time in the coven. Things have changed now. The two only had each other, and Chris.

"I'm gonna look around inside the school, see if I can find Donovan." Kai patted his sister's hand gently. "Go check the parking lot for Elena. She might know where he is. I need to speak with him again."

"Okay," Jo bellowed out over the loud music. "She's probably with her little clique." Clique, meaning Forbes and Bonnie. Kai hadn't seen her on his way on campus.

Right now, he was on a mission, trudging through the school hallway. Kai got about halfway back when he caught onto a sound. It was unmistakable, and he followed it, his stomach churning as it built in intensity.

Kai pulled himself into an empty classroom. There he found Vicki Donovan dressed as a vampire, sitting on the edge of the teacher's desk, her legs crossed and her foot bouncing in that way that suggested she was anxious.

"If it isn't the new kid," Vicki drawled out playfully. "Damon told you were nosy, but damn, I didn't think you were this stupid."

Kai winced in mock fear. "Your boyfriend talks about me."

"He's hardly my boyfriend." Vicki said in a newly determined voice. "He told me what you are?"

"And what's that?" Kai asked innocently, hands in his pockets.

"A witch." Kai felt frozen and hot, both at once. "Uncle Zach sang like a canary, finally fessing up about knowing your family history. In fact, I should call Damon and let him know you're here. He's been itching for a round two with you." Vicki said, a mischievous light in her eyes.

"If you know about me, I guess you know about him." Kai said and felt heat in his own face.

"Of course I do." Vicki let out a cruel laugh. "Damon's my maker, or I guess the term is sire. Whatever, don't even think about getting the drop on me."

Kai wasn't sure it could get worse. "You're a vampire?"

"Yep. I'm stronger and faster." Her eyes flashed as she leaned forward. "I won't think twice about ripping your little head off."

"Wow, you're a stone cold bitch, Vick." He bit his tongue to stop himself from insulting her even more. "Do you even know what your little sire is up to? What he's done to Caroline?"

"Screw that perky little bitch. She just ain't woman enough for Damon." Vicki hissed, and Kai almost flinched away from the red fury in her eyes. "I can get the job done way better than she ever could."

"He's using you." Kai said and was mentally trying to back up to what he knew. "Don't you get it. He'll kill you once he's finished with you."

The door opened, and there was dead silence for a moment. There stood Matt and Elena, both in the doorway.

"What's going on here?" It was the first thing out of Matt's mouth.

A confused expression crossed Kai's face, his eyebrows drawing together as Vicki rushed into her brother's arms.

"He's been stalking me. Ever since I was in the hospital, Matty. He came and visited me, asking me all sorts of questions." She wasn't supposed to remember that. "I told him to leave me alone, but he won't stop following me around."

"Kai, what are you doing?" Elena's voice was laced with disdain. It's clear she doesn't believe Vicki's tales. And she shouldn't.

"What does it look like, Elena? He won't take no for an answer." Vicki cried, though Kai saw her staring at him, a smile twitching her lips.

"You asshole. Tyler told me I shouldn't have trusted you." Matt snarled and charged at Kai, throwing a punch.

For a second, Kai almost miscalculated Matt's moves. Thinking quickly, Kai moved to dodge the other man's attack. Matt twisted his legs to trip him as Kai tried to shift. Leaping out of his grasp, Kai barely landed firmly on his feet.

Elena's eyes widened, and her mouth opened. "Guys, this isn't the time for your macho shit," she snarled out. "Vicki just dashed out of here."

Kai gave the room a once over, noticing that the other girl disappeared while he was fighting with Matt.

Someone stormed into the room, and Kai didn't have to guess. It was Jo stared directly at him. "What the hell is going on?"

"Your fucking brother is harassing my sister." Kai resisted the urge to smack Matt. "He's been stalking her."

Quirking a single eyebrow, Jo glowered at him. "Where did you get that bullshit? We're trying to help her."

Elena looked grim. "Wait what?"

"We know about Vicki's drug addition." That answer puzzled Kai as much as Matt and Elena. "That Salvatore guy, the who dated Caroline. He's been selling Vicki some hardcore stuff. Kai was just looking out."

"Really?" Matt asked, eyes cut significantly to Kai again.

All Kai could do was nod. He hated having Jo lie like this. She was good at it, though.

"Look, I know we all don't know each other well. You have no reason to trust us." Jo peeked over Matt's shoulder to watch Kai. "But we're just trying to help."

"Why?"

Matt asked the question Kai didn't really have the answer to, and the answer he did have was likely to land him in a world of trouble.

"We can relate. At least Kai can." And then Jo bit her lip, and her expression morphed into something – something guilty and a little panicked. "Last thing we all want is that Salvatore prick messing around with any more girls around here."

Matt made a slight movement with his head, denial. "Fuck, I'm an idiot, that who she was with this morning."

Kai hesitated, but it was pointless now. "I get your frustration. Damon threatened to hurt Jo a couple of weeks ago. That's the real reason I left your house that night. I was just looking out for my sister." He finally told the truth.

Elena's face twisted. "Jesus, we need to do something about him."

Jo nodded, her gaze slipping away from him, then back at Elena and Matt. "We will, but you two need to let Kai talk to Vicki. He's the only one who can get through to her."

Matt considered that. "Fine, make sure nothing happens to her," he said, holding out a firm hand.

Kai shook it, giving the guy a little more pressure than was severely necessary. "I'll try."


"Oh, my god. No! Stop! Vicki! No! Ah!"

Bonnie's head twisted behind her to look over her shoulder as something like a roar seemed to slash its way up towards her. The cry of distress was startling.

"Is that…." Bonnie craned her neck forward and froze. "Jeremy?"

She turned around, and it was like a redirect. Something made her muscles and her spine straighten and her feet move onwards.

When Bonnie made it out into the parking lot, there was a loud slam coming from the front of the bus, something heavy banging into it, followed by a long silence. By the time she made it around the yellow bus, she saw Vicki attacking Jeremy.

Bonnie didn't scream, just blinked and backed away quickly. When her back was against the bus, she wheezed quietly.

"Vicki, please, you're hurting me."

Bonnie clenched her fists as tightly as she could, stopping the scream that was threatening to tear through her lips.

Vicki got knocked back. A fist connected with her jaw. Bonnie watched as the other girl spins with the blow, allowing for Jeremy to drop from her grip. Looking across to see who threw the punch. Bonnie noticed it was Kai, who was hunched down dangerously and gesturing Vicki forward.

"Don't underestimate me, Vick." Kai warned, but the girl didn't take him seriously and rolled her eyes.

"I'm gonna do Damon a favor and get rid of you." Vicki flexed her hands and readied herself into a fighting position.

"Kai," a voice rang out through the growling, closing in, etched with fear.

"Josie… get him out of here."

Instantly, Jo was there, her hand on Jeremy's shoulder. "Calm down, Gilbert." Jeremy was crying, babbling about Vicki.

Vicki slammed her knee into Kai's crotch.

"Jo, hurry."

Bonnie watched as Jo grabbed Jeremy up, and the two of them bolted away from the bus area.

A thin smile formed at the corners of Vicki's lips. "You really think you can keep him from me?"

"I won't let you and Damon hurt people." Kai said carefully, never taking his eyes from Vicki.

She waved her hand scathingly at him. "Why the hell do you care? You have no idea what the people in this town are like. Whatever Damon is planning, they all deserve it."

Kai leaned in closer, as if he was revealing a secret. "I don't care. If you think I'm gonna let you attack innocent people, you're wrong."

Vicki tilted her head, as if she were actually thinking his answer over. "It's your funeral, Parker."

The flash of red eyes was undeniable. Vicki's long, dark hair covered the side of her face. Kai moved blindingly fast. His hand fisted at Vicki's top and Vicki's head cracked against the side of the yellow school bus as Kai shoved her violently.

Vicki looked up, the light from the bus' headlights gleaming on her tear-streaked face and the fangs that protrude from her upper teeth. She charged again, a growl in her throat that became a growling yell. Like an animal cry.

Kai strikes were quick. If not explicit; hasty, but with every ounce of his power behind them.

He pierced her chest with the pointed wooden plank and Vicki laughed through the blood oozing from her mouth. Kai shoved her in further to the wooden handle and she desiccated, crumbling to a corpse at his feet.

Bonnie wailed, the word no felt like it had grated through her throat but came out as a wordless screech.

Kai looked over at his witness, slightly disheartened. "Bonnie… oh my god."

Bonnie wanted to run. She needed to run, but she couldn't instruct her legs to move. No matter what she did now, she knew it wouldn't change what had happened.

"I can explain." Kai's voice was hoarse; it ran down Bonnie's spine like a sharp blade.

Before he could reach for her, Jo – who Bonnie forgot was previously here – returned.

"Kai, what happened… oh… Bonnie? What are you doing out here?" She glanced over at Bonnie, a bit scared.

She shut her eyes and took a deep exhalation to calm her racing heart.

"You killed her."

"Bonnie, it wasn't like that," Kai said, his voice tightly directed. "She was going to hurt Jeremy… she was going to kill me."

Her eyes opened, focusing on the corpse before them, and she suddenly had the urge to scream for help.

"How could you?"

"You saw her face, didn't you?" Kai asked as he leaned forward. His eyes flicked toward Jo for a quick second before returning to her. "Bonnie, it's not what you think, I promise."

Bonnie was in so far over her head she was a breath away from drowning. "I don't know what I saw."

Kai snorted and rolled his eyes. "I know what you are. What you can do, I know what you did to that car last week at the car wash. We're not so different, you and I."

Bonnie felt the bile rising in her throat.

"You're crazy if you really believe that."

"Don't be naïve, Bonnie," Kai snapped fiercely, and Bonnie came back to herself with a jolt. "Think about it, think about everything that's been happening for the past month. All these animal attacks. Damon Salvatore. Remember what happened to Forbes."

Jo stared at them both. She was genuinely confused, but she couldn't stay silence any longer. "Vicki Donovan was a threat. She was dangerous, and probably going to kill Jeremy and Kai. All I know for sure is that she wasn't human."

"Then what do you know?" Bonnie demanded in a whisper.

Kai stiffened, and Bonnie felt ice in the pit of her stomach. "Not much, but I know your grandmother knows a lot more than she lets on."

"Malachai," Jo looked at her brother worriedly. "What are we going to do about her?"

Kai's gaze was doing a tennis match thing, going from one girl to the other. "Bonnie, just go. Jo and I will take care of her. But you have to promise to keep quiet about this. You never saw Vicki tonight. Go to your grandmother's and stay put."

Bonnie's breath stopped, and her eyes widened. "I…"

She wasn't prepared for this. Grams never prepared her for any of this. Bonnie didn't want to know what Kai and Jo were planning to do with Vicki's corpse, so she ran.

Her lungs burned in the cold mist as she sprinted away from everything she knew, from the power that had coursed through her veins. What the hell was happening in Mystic Falls? And why did Kai Parker seem to know more than everyone else?


AN: That concludes Chapter I: The Vicki Chapter of the season. Chapter II will be the Tomb chapter, which is seven episodes long. There will be more focus on Grams and Chris getting involved (finally). Damon reveals his master plan to Kai. Introducing Emily Bennett. Bonnie learns to embrace her true nature with the help of Grams and her friends. Elena learns about her true ancestry. With no more secrets between them, Kai tries to repair his relationship with Bonnie, if she's willing to give him another shot.

Side note: With the truth being out, Bonkai will be entering a new stage of their courting, a lot more emotional scenes. Plus Protector Kai is coming. A small hint in the story about Kai's old flame, his cariño that's a little hint about her background. Chapter seven will have Grams and Chris coming clean, Bonnie tells Elena her secret, and Kai confess his truth to Bonnie.