Still upset by the events at the Halloween haunted house, Bonnie confronts her grandmother, and learns about Emily Bennett's necklace. With all the kids uncovering the darkest of Mystic Falls, both Grams and Chris Parker must form an alliance to protect their families. Finally, Kai shares the truth to Bonnie about himself and his coven.
Hurling clothes and childhood toys in a bag, Bonnie was huffing loudly and furiously. She was shaking with tears threatening to spill from her eyes. She made a lot of noise while packing, which alerted her housemate.
"Bonnie? Child, what are you doing? " Grams asked, watching as her granddaughter threw her garments in a to-go bag on her bed.
"I've had enough," Bonnie flushed in frustration. "Enough of the lies, the secrets…"
A frown flickered across Grams' face. "What on earth are you talking about?"
"You've been keeping me in the dark my entire life." Bonnie took a deep breath. "I'm sick of it."
"Bonnie…" Grams paused as she stepped close, her hand finding Bonnie's shoulder where it usually rested, only this time Bonnie shrugged it off and moved back a step.
"I was at the Halloween party, and Caroline's boyfriend came up to me asking about this necklace." Bonnie pulled on jewelry given to her by her best friend. "When he touched me, it shocked him or something."
Grams shot her a disbelieving look. "Where did you get that?" she demanded.
Bonnie found her fingers curling around the gem. "Caroline gave it to me for my costume. I thought it was a piece of junk…"
"It's not. That necklace belongs to one of the most powerful witches of our family." Grams rushed over to grab an old book. "There she is. Emily Bennett, she's your great-great-great-great-grandmother."
Numbly, Bonnie looked down at the photo, which must have been taken in the late 1800s. There stood a classy, beautiful woman who had medium length black hair and brown eyes. She had a short stature and a slim build. There was something else that stood out in the photo.
"She's wearing this." Bonnie said with a meaningful look in Grams' direction.
"That necklace holds a powerful crystal." Grams said, with no more elaboration.
"Doesn't belong to us anymore."
That made Grams pause and study Bonnie. "Yes, it does. That was our ancestor's, it belongs to you, not that jezebel Forbes."
"Don't you get it? I don't want any part of this family heritage bullshit." Bonnie scrambled to say when her grandmother scowled at her. "It's too much, Grams, it's too damn much."
"I understand this is a lot for you. I wanted to introduce you to all of this when you were younger, but your mother wouldn't allow it." Grams admitted reluctantly. "A witch's talisman is a powerful tool. It can protect you, and right now, you might need it more than you think."
"What do you know about Chris Parker and his family?" Bonnie asked, her voice threatening to crack childishly.
"Chris Parker?" Grams was confused at the change in the conversation. "Mr. Parker moved out to Virginia in the 1990s, renting over in Grove Hill for a while, before he got his catering company in Mystic Falls. His only friend around here is Zach Salvatore. Other than that, I know little about him. He keeps to himself."
Bonnie didn't know how to respond. Kai knew about her and her family. He saw what she could do, what she did to that car. He wasn't afraid of her.
"Vicki Donovan…" Bonnie stopped and gasped for air, fighting the need to cry for a second. "I saw her last night. She was hurting Jeremy, Grams. She was hurting him…"
Grams froze. "Bonnie, what happened?" she whispered, her eyes gone wide.
Her mouth was dry. "I don't know. Chris's nephew, Kai… well, he showed up. He fought Vicki off, and his sister took Jeremy back to the party. I was hiding behind the buses, watching… I got scared." Bonnie stopped, her own emotions pressing to break in a way she'd been fighting against all night.
"What else happened?" Grams looked worried again.
"He killed her." Bonnie's shock was frightening, even to herself. Looking up, she saw pity in Grams' eyes. "Vicki's dead."
"Oh my god, Bonnie…" Grams said, and with that tone of voice Bonnie knew exactly what expression her grandmother had on her face—it was penitence and exasperation.
"I just don't understand. Her eyes were red." Her voice was officially calm, but Bonnie struggled to hold on to that calm. "I watched as Kai stabbed her with a piece of wood and her body just shriveled up."
Grams sighed and pushed her reading glasses up so she could rub her eyes.
"I don't know if I can handle anymore of this, Grams." Bonnie said, and then she bit her lip and closed her eyes to keep back the tears she could feel pricking her eyes. She would not cry. Just no.
"You can. Just remember what I taught you." Grams said, her mouth set in a firm line. "Remember your studies."
Grams gifted her a book of spells. Bonnie had been studying it, even levitating a pencil. She couldn't get the hang of the complex spells, she couldn't even levitate her spellbook yet. But it was a start. However, now she was concerned about the pandora's box she had opened once she accepted her heritage.
"Let's go over chapter one again. Maybe this time we can float more than one feather." Grams said as she put a hand on Bonnie's arm to calm her down.
"It's seven in the morning. Where the hell have you two been?"
Kai looked at his shoes covered in mud and blood. He felt astray and unconscious, very muddled about everything that's happened in the past few hours. He was not the only one who's suffered through the night.
Even Jo seemed feeble, diminished. Jo wasn't supposed to be delicate. She was supposed to be the strong, level-headed one, because what happens to Kai if Jo becomes mute? Who will defend him?
And there was this spot inside his chest that hurt, as if he had been the one who got staked earlier.
"Christ, what the hell happened last night?"
"Vicki Donovan." Kai spoke as he finally got himself under control. "She told me, Damon turned her. I found her by the bus lot. She tried to feed off Jeremy Gilbert, Jo and I got him away from her, but…" he paused. "I had to, I…"
Jo met Chris's gaze without blinking. "Vicki's gone now, we… we got rid of her."
"Got rid of her? How? How did you two get rid of her?" Chris asked in a voice that made it pretty clear that he thought his niece and nephew had just lost their mind.
"I killed her, okay?" Kai said quietly. "Although I guess she was already dead, now she's nothing more than a corpse."
Chris moved over to the window. He looked unease, suppressed, like a cat on hot bricks. "Jesus christ, this isn't good. The sheriff and half the town are going to be looking for her."
"We hid the body, down in the backwoods." Jo said as her mouth got a nasty twist.
Moonlight spilled through the windows and covered Chris thinly with a white glow. "Josette, you were supposed to be the smart one."
Jo looked at Chris sharply. "Excuse me?"
Chris sighed and crossed his arms. "Malachai has already pissed off the Gemini Coven with all the shit he pulled in Portland. Mystic Falls was your second chance, your last chance. Once the coven gets a whiff of this, it's over for all of us."
"They won't," Kai poked a finger in Chris's direction. "Like you said, the witches don't get involved in other supernatural problems. I'm sure Bonnie will keep quiet about this."
For a second, Chris just stared at Kai. "Bonnie? As in Bonnie Bennett, I told you to keep your distance from the Bennett girl."
"And why is that Chris?" Kai only just held back a snarl. "Why are you so afraid of the Bennetts?"
Jo opened her mouth – and then closed it again. She looked honestly baffled.
"Malachai," Chris paused. Kai tried to pretend his heart wasn't pounding, eager for an explanation. "This is a dangerous game you're playing."
"The Bennetts are originally from Salem, like mom was." Kai snapped. He ignored Jo's surprise and focused on Chris. "She's like us, the Bennetts. They're witches, aren't they?"
"You have got to be kidding me. You've been lying to us non-stop since we've gotten here." Jo gasped, her shoulders shaking, having an outburst.
"It wasn't my secret to tell." Chris sounded irritated, although with his face to the window, Kai couldn't see his expression. "The Bennetts keep to themselves, and for good reasons, it isn't safe for anyone to find out what we are."
Kai and Jo both hissed as one; Chris glanced at them, startled.
"Then why stay here? Let's go back to Portland. There aren't any vampires there." Beneath her impassive confidence, her voice shook a little, but Kai didn't call her on it.
Chris continued without apology. "It isn't safe anywhere, and I doubt the coven will welcome us back with arms. It's best if we sit still."
Jo looked from one to the other, and Kai could see a vulnerability in her, which he'd never seen in his sister before. "Matt and Jeremy know we were the last ones to see Vicki. The cops are gonna be asking questions."
Chris shook his head with perhaps fake dejection. "Let me handle that. I'll talk to the sheriff."
Jo walked backwards before scoffing. "We told Matt that his sister had a drug problem, and Damon Salvatore was her dealer. That's the cover story we're sticking with."
With that, Jo stormed off to her room, probably for a shower and sleep.
"You know he won't stop hurting people," Kai admitted. Saying it out loud it sounded rather daunting. "That night I went over to the Gilberts. Damon showed up with Caroline Forbes. He told me he'd been eyeing Jo if something happens to her…"
Chris put a hand on Kai's shoulder. The motion was unsettling. "Nothing will happen. I'll take care of this."
Kai stared at him incredulously. "Make sure you do. Because if anything happens to Jo, I'm holding you responsible." Chris flinched away, something like hurt flashing across his face. Kai didn't care.
With a knock at the bedroom door. "Come in," a voice allowed her to enter.
Pushing the door open, peaking in, and staring directly at her best friend. Yet her faux lifting mood faded as Bonnie entered the bedroom. Instead, it was replaced by a nervous stare.
"What happened to you last night?" Elena asked, and for one second, she actually looked skeptical.
Bonnie grimace. "I left early. I wasn't feeling good."
"Did you hear about Vicki?" Elena asked, manicured nails curling around the edge of her bedsheet. "Jeremy said she attacked him, and then Kai showed up with Jo and saved him. Vicki ran off… Matt is freaking out."
Bonnie sighed and pushed her way further in. And Elena allowed her to sit down on the bed with her.
"Does he have any idea what's going on with Vicki?"
Slowly Elena uncurled herself, sitting upright on her bed, feet planted on the floor. "According to Jo, Damon has been supplying Vicki with drugs. Matt texted me this morning, saying he was going to inform the sheriff about this."
Bonnie blinked, her brain not even able to process that comment. "Drugs, huh?"
"Not surprising, really. She's been so weird and distant. Jeremy even said Vicki has been getting high all the time." Elena offered as she chewed her bottom lip. "They broke up because of it. She's in a terrible place. Damon's taking advantage of her, like he did Caroline."
Bonnie wrapped an arm around her stomach and shut her eyes. She would not cry in front of Elena. If she did, who knows what secrets would be revealed.
Elena turned to her, shoulders hunched up, loose strands covering her face. "You know, Kai told us why he ran out the other night at dinner." Her big brown eyes were filled with concern. "Damon threatened to go after Jo. It's like he's targeting all of us. I mean, what sort of adult man goes around picking up high school girls?"
"A creep and pedophile," Bonnie admitted with a great deal of frustration.
"Yeah, I told Matt I'd talk to the sheriff. I'm kinda terrified myself. Damon tried to talk to me at the football game that night when Mr. Tanner died." Elena said softly, her hands picking at the edge of her shirt nervously.
Bonnie glanced over and she could see the tears gathering in the corners of Elena's eyes. "Wait, Damon was there?"
"Yeah, he kept asking me weird questions, and I think he was hitting on me." Elena said as she pulled her pillow to her chest. She looked absolutely lost. "Thank god Matt showed up. I got scared for a second."
Heavy silence in the room between the two girls. Guilt churned, thick in Bonnie's stomach. After a long moment, the guilt bubbled over and she blurted out, "Why didn't you say anything?"
"This town is so judgemental. Damon is part of the founding families, and he's older than me. No one would believe me if I said anything." Elena said with a shrug.
Bonnie's guts tightened at the nonchalant way Elena responded to something so horrific. "I believe you."
Elena hugged her pillow tighter. "Thanks Bon."
"I actually came here to tell you something." Bonnie got up to close the window. "It's better if I just showed you."
Grabbing one pillow off the bed, Bonnie took the scissors off the desk and cut open the pillow.
"Bonnie Bennett, what the hell?" Elena shouted, scandalized.
Her lips quirked up. "Be patient."
Elena's expression just sort of closed down. "Fine."
Bonnie crossed the room without thinking about it. Elena made room for her on the bed again. She emptied the feathers all over the bed.
"No air conditioning or fan on, right?"
Elena's eyebrows rose, an amused twist to her mouth. "No, what's up? What are you doing?"
"Just a little trick I learned from Grams." Bonnie said carefully. "You ready?"
Elena gave a nod.
Bonnie and Elena stared at each other for a moment, before Bonnie held her hand and lightly lift it up. A single feather floats up and Elena watched with awe. Bonnie laid it back down.
Elena cleared her throat and got a staggered expression on her face. "Holy crap."
Bonnie grinned as she rubbed her hands together and made more feathers float for a few seconds before setting them back down again. Elena had a smile on her face, then more feathers jumped out and floated in the air. Elena stood on her knee and chuckled.
"You were right about one thing, Grams was telling the truth. I know it seems impossible, but it's true. I'm a witch, Elena." Her voice emerged strangely even, far calmer than she thought was appropriate.
That shocked laughter gave light to Elena's empty eyes. "This is the most awesome thing that's ever happened to one of us."
"Really?" Bonnie whispered when she was done. Letting the feathers fall on the bed. "You don't think this is weird? That I'm some sort of freak."
"Bonnie, you are amazing in every way." Elena's eyes were too bright, and her voice too even. "I'm not surprised, honestly."
Bonnie felt an electric vibration pass through her. She shivered at her best friend's praises. "Kai knows." Her eyes skittered away from Elena. "I think he's alway known about me."
Elena flinched as she looked around quickly. "Wait how?" she asked, her eyebrows going up.
"I don't know. He knew about my Grams, about what I could do, before I could understand it myself." Bonnie said, her voice high and in danger of cracking.
"Do you think Kai, maybe he's like you?" Elena asked with a conspiratorial smile.
Bonnie closed her eyes and tried to remember how to breathe. "A witch?"
"He did say his mother's family was originally from the outskirts of Salem, Massachusetts. That's a cosmic coincidence, isn't it?" Elena's smile slipped, and she gave a bit of a grimace at that thought.
It was.
Bonnie didn't know what to say. Instead she hugged Elena, and felt her best friend hug back, as if she could keep Bonnie safe if she just held on tightly enough.
Chris Parker stood outside the police station, leaning against the wall, smoking nervously. Sheila watched him straighten up as soon as he spotted her.
"Surprise to see you here. How long has it been?" Chris asks, pushing his sunglasses onto his head. His voice was steady enough, but slightly higher than usual. Sheila notices his fingers tremble slightly as he put out the cigarette and threw it away.
"Few months, probably a year," Sheila swallowed hard. "Work keeps me busy enough. I should ask what you're doing here, but I can probably guess."
Chris glanced up wearily, his bleary eyes drenched with exhaustion. "The Donovan girl. I came down here to give the sheriff some helpful details about what's been going on."
A sigh of concession rumbled over Sheila's lips. "Bonnie told me what happened last night with your niece and nephew."
"Yeah, well, Vicki Donovan got tangled up with the Salvatore boy." Chris' face was impassive. "Sheriff Forbes said she's going over to the boarding house to ask Zach a few questions but…"
She hadn't thought it possible for Chris to look even more haunted, but he did. Sheila shrugged apathetically. "I'm sure Zach told you the truth about what happened to his fiancee Gail and her unborn baby."
Shelia stared at Chris, and he looked as uncomfortable as she felt. "He might have mentioned something about one of his nephews… damn, it was Damon."
When she leaned back, she studied him for a minute before her eyes fell to the space between them. "Right now, my granddaughter is scared to death. Damon tried to attack her at the Halloween dance."
Chris gave her a long, hard look. "Kai told me Damon tried to threaten to go after my niece Jo, too." There was no humor in his voice, though. It was sad and gaunt.
Sheila's eyes lit with fury. "Then you know we'll have to get involved now. He's threatening our families. And as much as I like Liz Forbes, she isn't equipped to handle this. I don't want innocent girls to get hurt."
Chris had a whole tragic face going. "The Gemini Coven won't like this."
"Screw the coven. They don't have to deal with all the darkness that comes with living in Mystic Falls." Sheila said as she crossed her own arms over her chest. "They sit up on their thrones and judge others. My family has lived here decades, and it's been peaceful for years. I won't let the likes of a Salvatore ruin things."
Chris looked at her with a frown and then shook his head. "Never thought I would see you so fired up for a fight."
"I'll do whatever it takes to protect my grandbaby, but I could use your help. I'm not as strong as I was before," Shelia admitted with a grimace. "Bonnie doesn't have anyone but me. And while her father doesn't approve of me, he knows I take good care of her when he's away on business. I can't leave this earth until I know she's capable and safe. There's too much I must teach her."
Chris tilted his head in acknowledgement. "I understand. The last thing I want is to get hurt. The coven won't take Jo and Kai back. I'm all they have."
Sheila pursed her lips, and she knew her eyes were fogging as she forced herself to nod in sympathy.
"Then it settles. We work together on this."
"Fine with me." Chris pushed off the wall and pulled out a cigarette. "It's been a while, but I'm game."
There was a beat of silence, and eventually, Shelia nodded her agreement.
The persistent knocking stirred Bonnie from her nap. Blearily, she looked at the clock in the living room, but it was still too blurry for her to make out the time.
"I'm coming," she called, her voice sounding fuzzy.
Bonnie walked hesitantly to the door, drying her eyes with the back of her hand. When she opened the door, her eyes widened when she saw who it was.
Losing her breath before him. "Kai?" she gasped.
Kai stood smiling at her holding a brown bag, a delicious smells drifting from it. He raised the bag at her. "Burgers, I just came from the grill." he softly closed the door behind him.
"Umm, thanks." She felt like she was going to self-combust right there in front of him.
Kai walked into her Gram's house and she followed behind him, wiping harder at her eyes, hoping he wouldn't notice she'd been crying earlier before her nap.
"Okay. Look, I have to ask something. What do you know about everything going on around here?" Bonnie asked, looking at him with sad eyes.
Kai had already found some plates and was dishing out the food. "The first night when Vicki was attacked I noticed the wounds on her neck. The news reported about that couple getting attacked by an animal with the same neck wound." Putting a plate down in front of her. "Then I overheard Donovan talking to Elena about Vicki saying a vampire attacked her. I went down to the hospital and asked her about it. She fessed up and told me the same thing. Next minute I knew Damon Salvatore kept popping up, then he told me he'd been watching Jo. I got scared that night and walked out. I didn't mean…"
"It's okay. I mean, Damon is dangerous, more dangerous than I expected. He's a blood sucking creep. I don't blame you for being concerned for your sister, hell after what he did to Caroline, to Vicki. I'm not mad anymore." Bonnie said, not looking at him anymore. "I can barely wrap my head around being a witch, and now there are vampires in Mystic Falls."
"I know the feeling. Growing up, I knew about witches and warlock, about magic and witch covens." Kai sat down next to her and squirted a considerable amount of ketchup onto his plate. "Never about other supernatural creatures. I've never killed anything before."
Bonnie took a deep breath and tried to keep her fingers from shaking.
"Are you like me? Are you a witch.. Umm warlock?"
Kai cleared his throat uncomfortably and concentrated on his burger. "I come from a line of witches. My family is part of the Gemini Coven, one of the oldest witch coven still functioning. All my siblings had their own magic, except me."
Bonnie glanced up at him, then down at her plate. She suddenly found she had no her appetite.
"Wait, what does that even mean?" Bonnie asked raggedly.
"I'm a siphoner." He offered with a shrug.
Bonnie paused and looked at him… really looked at him.
"A witch who doesn't have the ability to generate their own magic," he said matter-of-factly, "we only possess a rare power that allows us to siphon magic from other sources. The coven considers us abominations of witches."
Bonnie didn't say anything for a minute. "So is Jo a witch or is she like you?" she asked finally, quietly.
Kai's expression didn't flicker. "She's a witch, but she doesn't practice anymore, not after losing our entire family. She can barely wrap her head around all the weird shit happening here. Vicki's death has her shaken up. Chris went to tell the sheriff about Damon, lead her off our trail, and we had to dispose of Vicki's body."
Bonnie blew out a deep breath and pinched her nose. "Did you know about me, about my family? Is that why you sought me out?"
Kai's eyes were wide; he looked so stunned that Bonnie genuinely wondered if she'd been too hard on him these past few weeks.
"No, I had no idea. There's just something about you, Bonnie. I think it was just fate or luck that drew me to you. I was clueless to who you were. Had I known there were others like us in town... Freakin' Chris wouldn't tell us anything. Honestly, I think he's afraid of your grandmother."
Bonnie tried not to shiver. Tried, and failed utterly. "I'm glad you're telling the truth. So many things are making sense, but Kai, you have to know this is all too much for me. I just found out I'm a witch, now I'm learning about vampires. I just watched you stake my oldest friend's sister and now I have to pretend that I don't know what happened to her."
"Bonnie, I can't imagine what you're going through or even thinking. I'm sorry all this shit has been sprung on you. But I really still like you a lot. I kept you in the dark because I didn't think I could tell you the truth about myself." Kai whispered, and Bonnie's heart stuttered at the yearning in his voice, the almost painful ache in it.
"Part of me wishes I could forget the last couple months… Forget meeting you, finding out what you are, who I am. The truth about all the weird things happening."
Bonnie glanced at Kai and saw such wariness and sadness emanating from him. Kai stretched his hand across the counter and gently grasped her.
"Is that what you want?" Kai asked. His voice had gone husky.
And with that, her emotions overpowered her, and she broke, tears spilling from her eyes.
"Yes, it is. Because I don't like feeling like this. I don't want to be different. But I can't change any of this. With everything that's happened. I can't even lose the way I feel about you."
Kai stood and moved into her space. Still holding Bonnie's hand, he pulled her up and took her gently to the living room, where they sat side by side on the couch.
Bonnie tried to wipe away her tears, but Kai turned to her and slowly pulled her hand away from her face.
"I want you to know that I will always be here for you. You can come to me about anything, okay?"
Bonnie looked into his stormy blue eyes and realized that he got it… he really understood.
She pulled him into a deep hug.
"Thank you for coming by."
Wrapping his arms around her and holding her as close as he could. Pressed up against his chest, Bonnie fell apart again.
The music drew her attention first. It was definitely a live band playing. Bonnie pushed past the drunks at the door of the grill and into the crowd, looking for Elena.
Though she found Tyler by the bar, having exchanged his vacant expression for a thoughtful one holding a blue drink in a martini glass.
"Ty, are you okay?" Bonnie shouted to get his attention.
Tyler stared at her woodenly for a second. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Bonnie felt a strip of heat and guilt curl around her throat, remembering the night before –
"I'm sorry about…"
"Don't bother, Bennett. We're all celebrating." Tyler muttered, low enough that she was surprised it was audible over the music.
Bonnie stared at him blankly. "Celebrating what?"
Tyler's eyes gleamed, a flicker of earnestness. "I don't know. Caroline is the one throwing it. Something about her female independence."
"Have you seen Elena?" Bonnie asked absently, scanning the mob of dancing, sweaty bodies.
Tyler turned and raised an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, we've all seen her by now."
Confused, Bonnie followed Tyler's gaze into the crowd. "What are you talking about?"
"On the dance floor." He pointed.
Bonnie looked – and saw Elena. She was laughing, and for a second Bonnie's heart gave a brief pang, because her head was tipped close to Matt and the two of them were dancing so close.
Bonnie looked away sharply, her head spinning. "They're back on?"
Tyler shrugged. "He just lost his sister. Someone has to look after him."
A rush of guilty slammed into Bonnie. It's true, Vicki was all the family Matt had left. No one's seen his mother in months and his father ran off the second he was born. Matt was all alone now.
"Elena," Tyler waved Elena over, relief softening his face.
Elena swept upon them before Bonnie protested to leave the couple alone. Her face was splotchy and pink, and she smelled strongly of alcohol.
"Matt ditched you already."
Elena raised her eyebrows at both of them. "He had to help in the kitchen." She answered as she stood in front of them and gave Tyler a smile. "Oh, Dana is asking for you. She wants a dance."
Tyler hummed, clearly trying to look only mildly interested. "Can't keep the lady waiting."
He then spun on his heel and vanished into the crowd.
Bonnie gave her best friend a crooked smile. "We saw you drunk kissing Matt at the Halloween party. I thought it was a one-time thing. Clearly it isn't."
"Breaking up with Matt was one of the hardest decisions I've had to make. I was in a dark place, and he wanted to support me, but I pushed him away. That was my mistake. With everything going on with his sister, he's never once shut me out. We've grown close again. I missed him a lot, Bon."
Elena looked so pained that Bonnie braced herself and closed the gap between them, resting her hand on Elena's arm. "I'm happy for you." Bonnie admitted with a wince. "No, I really am. No one deserves this more than you."
"Bon, you'll find someone too." Elena agreed with a sigh.
Her stomach lurched. "Kai came over. We talked." She confessed, a little hoarse. Elena smirked at her.
"How did that go?"
"Lots of waterworks, all from me." Bonnie meant to sound gratified, but it came out kind of disgruntled. "He's a witch, or at least some subcategory of one."
Elena's eyes grew distant as she processed the new information. "Meaning what exactly?"
Bonnie shook her head, stumped for answers. "It's complicated, honestly I hardly understand it myself. His family comes from some old witch coven. His uncle knows about my family, and Grams probably knows about his. It's all so…"
"Complicated." Elena said as she straightened her shoulders. "At least you know the truth now. Maybe the two of you can start over again."
"How? After everything, how can I just start over with him? Things are supposed to be easy." Bonnie leaned back and pushed her hair back from her face with a frustrated sigh.
"Bonnie Bennett, if it's real, it's never easy. I dumped my boyfriend at my parents' funeral and avoided him all summer. Matt's given me a second chance to do better. Kai was only trying to protect the people he cared about. That included you."
For a second, it simply didn't process. The words ran round and round her head, uselessly. Kai has shown that he cares a great deal about her. Sure, he got secrets from her, but so did Grams.
"For fuck's sakes, what is Caroline doing with him?"
Bonnie watched Elena's face fall, not into surprised but into anger. Her eyes caught on a familiar outline, the leather jacket and thick boots she thought she recognised; lights flashed blue, red, and yellow over a scary man's face.
"Damon, I thought…" Bonnie paused with a long blink.
Caroline stood in the corner all dressed up, purple dress, high heels, let down blonde hair, caked on makeup. What was more pressing was her slumped shoulders, closed off body language and fearful eyes, while Damon seemed to yell at her.
Elena's lips pulled down into a frown. "That asshole. After everything he's done, Matt told the sheriff what he's been up to with both Caroline and Vicki. Why is he still around?"
Bonnie was shaking in fury. She watched as Caroline raised her arms in defense and Damon slapped her right across the face.
Elena snarled and sprinted over to them. Bonnie was right on her heels. Both girls came to a stop, and Elena launched herself at the older man.
"You asshole, get away from her." Elena threw a punch as hard as she could to Damon's jaw.
No one noticed anything around them, nothing but drunks grinding on each other. Bonnie wondered where Matt and Tyler were. Knowing both boys would love to kick Damon around for what he did to Vicki.
Blood trickled down Damon's lip, which left him smirking.
"Elena, stop it." Caroline yelled over the music. She pulled the brunette back. "Damon, get out of here before someone sees you."
Damon glared at all three girls, his eyes two blue bolts that nearly knocked Caroline back a pace. But Caroline held her ground this time.
"We'll talk later."
"Screw you," Caroline cried angrily. "Go, get out of here."
Damon jerked his head towards the exit. As he cut past Bonnie, his shoulder brushed the witch – not quite a shove, but it wasn't accidental.
"What the hell Caroline?" Elena snapped, a new flash of anger blazing in her eyes. Her voice was clipped with barely repressed resentment. "Do you even know what he's done to Vicki? Why would you invite him here?"
Caroline went absolutely rigid and backed away from Elena.
"I didn't invite him here. He wanted to apologize…"
Elena scowled at her but didn't immediately reply. "He just slapped you in your face."
The blonde exhaled deeply. "We were arguing. He told me he spoke to my mom, explained himself. Apparently, he had an alibi, he had nothing to do with Vicki, and he just broke up with me. It's over."
A dry chuckle resonated through Elena's body, and it was somewhere between skepticism and scorning. "And that makes it better. He's a creep."
"Screw you Elena." Caroline continued, still in that perfectly even tone. "Bon, I'm sorry to do this. I need my crystal back."
Bonnie's head spun. "Wait, why? You said you hated it."
"It's a priceless jewel, and it's worth way more than I thought. Plus, I've got three outfits I can coordinate with, so…" Her eyes flicked to the gemstone and back to Bonnie's face.
"You are so full of shit, you want to give this back to Damon." Bonnie said, dazed. Her mind was racing, angry thoughts running through her head. "Is that why he hit you? He wants his necklace back. Well, forget it, he'll never see it again."
Caroline was pale. "You bitch…" she hissed.
"Hey, don't take this out on her," Elena said with a firm voice, and actually shut Caroline down for a moment. "Damon has you wrapped around his finger. I don't give a damn if he had an alibi or not. He did something to Vicki. Look at what he's doing to you."
Swallowing thickly, Bonnie shook her head.
"Who's his alibi?"
A wan smile stretched over Caroline's lips. "His uncle Zach. He told the sheriff Damon was actually helping Vicki get clean, your little boyfriend tried to frame him."
The anger returned to her as quickly as it had left.
"Kai and Jo were helping Vicki." Bonnie told her, trying to keep the temper out of her own voice. "They're the good guys, not Damon. He screwed with her and got her all messed up."
Caroline stilled, her head tilting to the side. Bonnie half wondered if her words pierced Caroline's thick skull until she saw the blonde's lips were curling into a smile.
"Who cares? That junky whore ran off. We're all better off without her."
Caroline stormed off. There was a considerable pause before Elena turned back to meet Bonnie's gaze, determination marking her face.
"I'm worried about her."
Anger and frustration rushed through her veins with brief hesitation.
"Damon won't stop until he's hurt all of us."
Desperation colored her quiet words, and she hated it. Dammit, things were falling apart. Nothing would ever be the same. All Bonnie wanted to do was wake up from this nightmare. Everything had changed after that night at the Halloween party. She knew the truth. How can she go back to the way things were?
AN: It's been too damn long. I apologize everyone, love reading all the comments you guys send my way, it really motivates me to get these out. Finally, Grams and Chris talk. Damon gets physical with Caroline and tried it on Elena. How are we feeling about that Bonkai scene? Do you think Bonnie should just give in and let Kai have another chance?
Next chapter will be far more action packed, and it's my favorite for Kaimon 3 (Kai and Damon). Coming up; Emily Bennett appearance. Kai confronts Damon. Bonnie and Elena have an intervention for Caroline. Bonnie gets possess by a spirit. Kai comes to the rescue and saves the girl. Oh, there's a new history teacher in town. Stay tuned.
