Bonnie gets an unexpected surprise visit from an old friend, which allows her to hash out some personal feelings. Meanwhile, Kai and Damon are on a hunt to find someone from Damon's past. There, Bonnie takes drastic measures in an attempt to break Kai free of whatever has a hold over him.
Bonnie had just gotten out of the shower and wiped the mirror off of any fog clouding her view. She looked straight ahead at her reflection and just stared at herself. What happens now? She thought, how was she supposed to be feeling at this moment? She wished someone could just tell her how to feel. Then maybe her thoughts wouldn't overwhelm her so much.
After shaking her head clear of all thoughts and feelings, she changed into her black skinnies with a red off the shoulders buttoned top, pairing off with black platform boots. Bonnie glanced in the mirror at her outfit. She was taking extra care of her appearance after she had a little chat with Lucy about her lack of self-care these past few months.
Bonnie stalked into the kitchen to go fix herself some breakfast. That's when she heard someone tapping on the cabin door. The door swung slowly open, and she saw Caroline Forbes-Saltzman stick her head in.
"Bonnie Bennett."
The witch smiled towards her best friend. Who just let herself in. Caroline entered the threshold and took a moment to admire the living area of the cabin. Which had been renovated by Lucy, with a plump sofa, low light, stuffed with polished accessories, and sleek furniture.
"First off, Damon lied." Caroline tried to sound scandalized. "This place is not at all rundown. It has a rustic charm yet very sophisticated. Not bad on Enzo's part."
Bonnie shrugged and decided to be honest. "Actually, it was pretty basic. Lucy just did some recent renovations." Lucy wanted the place to be more livable for three people. So she spruced the place up to make Bonnie feel more welcomed.
Opening a cupboard to retrieve a couple of coffee mugs. Bonnie went and busied herself in the kitchen.
Shrugging off her coat and laid it over a dining chair. "Well, she did a great job," Caroline smiled. "You should see the place Ric bought us. A massive family home, twice the size of homes in Mystic Falls. We're even planning on building a sunroom. Oh, and I have to tell you how things are going at work…" Once Caroline took a seat at the dining table, she kept talking non-stop. About work, the twins, her new friends, overall how perfect her life has been.
"Bonnie, you must come and visit." Caroline finished, cheerfully. "The girls are just dying to meet you." Reaching out to take the offered coffee mug.
"Not before they meet Kai," she said, taking a sip of her coffee. Bonnie made a promise to herself she'd meet the girls once she rescued their Uncle Kai. Besides, they deserve to meet their only living relative before meeting his girlfriend.
Caroline looked skeptical but nodded and sighed. "Of course. Have you guys made progress with finding them?"
"Stefan and I found them at a slaughterhouse," Bonnie's voice was surprisingly strong. "Kai left us clues to find them there, and we have a hunch on what kind of monster we might be dealing with."
"Really, what is it?" Caroline asked sweetly, but there was concern written in her eyes.
"A siren." She said honestly. "Right now, Valerie is searching for them."
The blonde's nostrils flared. "Valerie? Why would Valerie be helping you guys?"
Bonnie raised a sleek eyebrow. "She and Kai are best friends," she said as lightly as though Caroline should know this already. "She and Stefan are together, so of course she'd help him find his brother."
"Together as in?" Caroline set her mug down before pushing her hair back.
"Stefan didn't tell you?" Bonnie cast her friend an apologetic look, which she didn't understand until Bonnie elaborated. "They're dating."
"That coward didn't have the balls to tell me," her friend's voice snapped, cutting through the silent room. Bonnie couldn't help but wince. "That explains why he was so perky when he showed up and gave Alaric his blessings."
Before she could calm Caroline down, her phone started buzzing. Speak of the devil. It was Valerie, with an update on her search for Kai and Damon. She needed her back at the Salvatore Boarding House. Bonnie looked back up at Caroline, trying to figure out how she was going to explain this to her.
His steady gaze was on the figure swimming down in the pool. Kai watched as Sybil, the seductress siren, was enjoying her newly found freedom, just swimming alone in the hotel pool. He winced as he heard her hypnotizing, humming. Sybil raised herself out of the water.
Wearing a black one-piece swimsuit, with the little spaghetti straps showing off all her soft curves in her new body. "Humans have made a lot of wonderful music since I've been gone." She said as she walked out of the pool towards him. "I just love jazz."
Kai's lazy gaze was moved from Sybil's wet body as she slowly staggered in his direction. "I'm more of a grunge and alternative rock guy."
She bit her lip in concentration as she slid closer to him. "I can see that, Nirvana and Pearl Jam." He rolled his eyes. What was he, a poser? "No, maybe Spin Doctors and The Smashing Pumpkins."
"I preferred Everclear and Hole." It surprised him to learn everything that happened to the music scene in Seattle after the death of Kurt Cobain. Regardless, the earlier 90s had the best music coming from his home state.
"Huh, I wouldn't have guessed that." Her eyes shifted to Damon, who was napping several feet away from them in a lounge chair. "It's hard to get a read on your sleepy friend over here."
Kai groaned, his hand going to his neck. His back cracked as he straightened, and he stretched his neck to both sides. "He's a selfish prick with no regard for humanity."
Sybil's finger twirled through her dark hair. "Yet you two are best friends," she persisted.
"That's pushing it. We work together from time to time." Kai explained in his usual grumbling tone, looking at her only through his peripheral vision. "Honestly, I hardly know the guy."
A laugh escaped her without her permission. "I find that hard to believe." She reached over, shoving him. The impact didn't affect his position much, only shifting him slightly. "In fact, I think you two are both hiding something from me. I have had no luck getting inside that pretty little head of yours."
His eyes raked over her. "No thoughts, just an empty head."
"Really, you must have a past, a family member, or a girlfriend." Sybil elaborated, eyebrows raising. "I just want a little peek?"
"Does it matter? You already took my free will." Kai pointed out. "I do almost anything you ask of me."
Sybil threw her head back in annoyance. "It's the almost part that irritates me. You're holding back from me, and I want to know why?"
Kai lifts his eyebrows at her. Then he suddenly leaned forward, so close she could feel the warmth of his breath on her upper lip. She stilled.
His thumbs momentarily slipped under the hem of her bikini, only to slip back out just as quickly. "It's time you give up. Because I'm never giving you access inside my head." He cleared his throat and took a step back. "Try your luck with a weaker man."
Annoyance crept up on her, hot and fast. She marched over to Damon, who was still sleeping his life away. Sybil placed the tips of her fingers on Damon's temples. And went digging inside his head.
Damon's eyes flashed open, rolled back. After a few seconds, Sybil pushed him off the lounge chair while the vampire laid out on the floor, panting.
"Who is Sarah Nelson?" Sybil asked, her tone of voice changing quickly from adult brat to temptress in a matter of seconds.
"Stefan Salvatore, come out, come out wherever you are?"
Bonnie tried her best to leave Caroline at the cabin. But her friend insisted on tagging along, claiming she wanted to spend the entire day with Bonnie. The former witch ushered the blonde into the kitchen area of the boarding house, where they were greeted by Valerie.
The heretic was marking up a map with red markers.
"Caroline, what a surprise?" Valerie's eyes glimmered with vague amusement.
"Not as surprised as I was to hear you offered yourself to my leftovers." Caroline scorned, stalking right up to Valerie and stopping only inches away from the other woman's face.
Bonnie frowned. This cannot end well.
"I wouldn't call Stefan your leftovers, since I had him first." Valerie gave a brief scowl at this sudden closeness, but quickly masked it with a professional smile. "Honestly, everything between us fell right into place. I'm grateful to have had my second chance and I'm sure you are better off with Alaric and those girls."
Despite everything, a small flame of anger flared up inside Caroline.
"Sweetheart, is that Bonnie…" Stefan's voice came from the doorway, patient with worry. The sight of Caroline shocked him. "Caroline, I did not know you were back in Mystic Falls." Stefan stood frozen in place, waiting for the reply.
"Just here to visit Bonnie," was Caroline's automatic mechanical response. "And she mentioned that you two have a lead on Kai and Damon."
"Yes, they've moved away from the slaughterhouse." Nausea settled into the back of his throat, and he tried to push it down. "Seems like they've been traveling again."
"The locator spells haven't been working. The siren's power cloaks her from being located." Valerie pinched at the bridge of her nose and willing away a spike of temper. "I just got a notice online." Bonnie moved to look over Valerie's shoulder to see the update on her laptop. "This is in North Carolina, two murders in two different towns just this morning."
Bonnie read the crime report off the screen. "Both women died of neck wounds."
There was a small fragment of silence between everyone before Caroline cocked her head to one side, asking curiously, "You think that's another clue from Kai?"
"Possibly." Bonnie looked a bit closer. "Was there anything strange found at the crime scene?"
Valerie opened another tab, searching. "Nothing," she says quietly, which is a vague response at best.
Bonnie scoffed bitterly, wishing she had her pain reliever. They were too close.
"Both victims' names were Sarah Nelson," Valerie says cryptically, folding her arms over her chest.
Stefan spun around in the kitchen in surprise, his eyebrows furrowed. "What?" his brows draw together as if he's confused.
"Sarah Nelson," Valerie repeated. "Do you know her?" she asks, sounding hopeful. Her expression is a little guarded, but Bonnie can see the glint in her eyes.
Alarmed at his thoughts, Stefan refocused on her. "Yes, how did Damon even find out about her?" there was silent fury in his eyes, bubbling violently.
"Stefan, who is this girl?" Bonnie asked weakly, trying to dissipate her anger with a pleading expression.
"Her real name is Sarah..." his voice trailed off as he struggled to find the right words. "Sarah Salvatore. She's my niece and the last living Salvatore." There was a hitch in his voice, a choke of emotion on the last word.
Bonnie didn't think today could get any weirder.
"Hold on, is Sarah, Zach's daughter?" Bonnie asked, remembering Damon's story a few years back in the prison world. "The worst thing Damon ever did in his life was killing a pregnant woman, Gail."
Caroline chuckled. "I doubt that."
"She survived, and I made sure a loving family adopted her," Stefan says louder, through gritted teeth, his mind and body finally coming out of their daze to properly respond. "She grew up to be Sarah Nelson."
"So how does Damon know she's alive?" The words were clipped, the way Valerie asked when she had time to process the situation first. Bonnie just felt ice run through her veins.
"Only person other than me that knows of her is..." Stefan breathed, closing his eyes briefly and letting out a contented sigh. "Enzo and Matt."
Bonnie swallowed, trying to maintain eye contact. "Wait, how?" her voice is soft, so soft it's almost a whisper.
Stefan seemed to read her face and huffed a laugh. "It's a long story. If Damon knows about her, then this must be a message from him."
"Guess we're heading to North Carolina." Caroline begins thoughtfully. "I call shotgun."
Bonnie wanted to scowl at her best friend. She was not trying to get in between another Mystic Falls love triangle featuring her friends. Her only concern was to bring Kai home today.
There's nothing worse than working for an obsessive crazy woman. After spending two years being dragged around South America with Rayna Cruz, Kai never thought this could be his life again. Yet here he was at Duke University, sitting around on a park bench with Damon.
Finally, a noise buzzed from deep within Damon's throat. "You're thinking too hard about this, Kai."
"What else am I supposed to do?" Kai tilted his chin up. "I'm sitting around here with you looking for unsuspected women when I could be with my girlfriend in Paris."
"Oh, please. You guys were a thing for an hour before you ruined it by chasing after me."
Kai frowns at this, becoming defensive. "I didn't think shit would get this bad," he muttered, more to himself than to Damon. "I thought Stefan and Bonnie could figure this out and save us by now."
"When are you going to get it, man?" Damon speaks as someone who knows and accepts the bitter truth, but still wishes it wasn't true. "They can't save us, not from this. Our futures are sealed."
The subtle offense returned in full force, Kai looking at Damon with a raised eyebrow. "What the hell are you talking about?" he questioned, his tone somewhat hardened.
"I'm sure Sybil showed you where you're going after this." Damon pauses and looks back at Kai, suspicious. "The afterlife? Perdition? Kai, I'm talking about hell. Our gloomy future is in the netherworld."
"That's what this is about. You're afraid of going to hell." Kai takes in a deep breath and wills himself to calm down. "Newsflash, the prison world was my hell, and I survived. I'm not afraid of what's next for me after this. I am afraid of losing Bonnie."
A long sigh shuddered through Damon's lips. "Elena will never take me back after she hears about this."
"You don't know that," Kai said, this time a bit more composed than before, even if what he said remained basically false.
The vampire hesitated, and then shrugged. "I'm not like you, Kai. I'm not like Stefan or Enzo. I keep fucking up every good thing that's happened to me. I've turned so many damn corners. I keep making promises to be better. And yet I'm worse than I've ever been. My fate is sealed. There's nothing left after this, not for me."
Kai couldn't afford to think like that. He had a family, and a coven to restore. He had Bonnie, who was trying her best to save him.
He took a deep, slightly shaky breath and squared his shoulders as best as he could. "Who's Sarah?"
Damon gulped. "Remember my story about the worst thing I've ever done." Kai nodded as he recalled Damon's tale from the prison world. "According to Enzo, Gail's baby survived. Stefan saved her and gave the baby up for adoption. Sarah is my niece." He admitted, his voice embarrassingly raspy.
"So why are we stalking her?" Kai blurted uneasily.
Hope seemed to spring within Damon. "Because I have a master plan."
Kai didn't trust Damon's plan. Right now, he was loyal to Sybil, and that meant Kai couldn't trust Damon at all.
Not long after, Damon sprung up out of his seat. A woman with long, silky black hair walked in their direction. Kai followed behind Damon as he approached the woman.
"Sarah Nelson?" Damon asked when she passed him. When the young woman whipped around and glared at them both, Kai wished, not for the first time, that Damon knew what he was doing. "Can we talk somewhere privately? It's an urgent family matter."
Sarah nodded and followed them behind the library, where it was deserted. Before one of them could speak. Kai noticed when Sarah took out a syringe and jammed it in Damon's neck. The vampire collapsed beside him. Kai moved to dodge Sarah's attempt to stab him with what looked like a silver knife.
His blue eyes were blazing with fury, his jaw hardened. "What the hell?"
Kai grabbed her wrist and pushed her into the wall.
"I only had one dose of vervain on me," Sarah huffed, willing her foot to stay still. "And don't even try to compel me, I take a dose of vervain every day."
"Good for you," Kai said, as he still struggled to keep her from attacking him. "Look, I'm not here to hurt you. I'm a friend of Enzo."
At once, Sarah stopped resisting, and she froze. "Enzo?"
"This is Damon," he pointed out, leaning forward. "Your other uncle, I'm friends with Stefan."
"Of course." Sarah's eyes rolled back. "I want nothing to do with any of them." She said primly and hugged her book bag to her chest.
"Understandable, however, you're in danger." Kai tried to explain. "Damon named dropped you to his evil boss and now she wants us to kill you." Sarah gasped, her amber eyes wide. "Look, I can help you, but you have to work with me."
Sarah gave him an untrusting look. "Why are you so willing to help me?" Her voice was flat. Her hands clenched into fists.
He went on autopilot. "I got a girl waiting for me, and I'm really trying my best not to screw it all up," Kai said, a bit weakly.
Sarah looked up and the little smile she gave him didn't even look all that fake—sympathetic even. "My apartment is just around the block."
Wasting no time, Kai escorted her back to her apartment complex. Once they entered the building, Kai had a weird feeling about all of this. His gut was turning, and when Sarah opened the door to her place, they were both greeted by the unfriendly faces of Stefan and Caroline.
"How the fuck did you get in here?" Sarah scowled in a slight throttle voice.
Kai wasn't even remotely surprised when Bonnie entered from another room. Although he was visibly shaking at the sight of her.
It's been a couple of weeks since she last saw him. But Kai looked as if he aged several years. His beard was unkempt and his eyes were sunken a bit. Whatever spell this creature had Kai under was draining him. Bonnie noticed he was avoiding direct eye contact with her.
Her heart was racing faster than she'd ever imagined it could, and she felt like it would jump right out of her chest. "Are you really going to stand there in silence?"
"What do you want me to say, Bonnie?" Kai snarled, his blue eyes wide and vulnerable. "I explained everything to you already."
She continued to watch him, concerned, furrowing her brow. "So that's it, the vault monster is a siren." Kai nodded, and Bonnie took a deep breath. "Why are you leaving cryptic messages? Why can't I get a straight answer from you?"
He rolled his eyes and blew a sigh. "If my thoughts are too specific, she can key in on me. The more obscure my thoughts and actions are, the less likely she is to invade my mind."
She bit her lip, and a minute ticked by as she stared at him. "What does she want with you guys?"
"We don't know. She hadn't exactly been open to sharing with us," Kai said quickly before Bonnie could question him again. "She's still pissed off that we're not letting her into our thoughts. I think Damon is forcing her on a wild goose chase with Sarah."
Sarah was packing her bags in the other room, arguing with Stefan about how she's in danger from her other uncle.
"Okay, so what's her weakness?" Bonnie paused, cursing herself mentally for letting her lip quiver in fear; she couldn't tell Kai that she'd been crying over him for months. "How do we stop her?"
"That's what I needed you guys to figure out." Kai glanced down, his eyes fluttering shut, and the tightness in his chest intensified. "I'm under her watch, and right now I can't have her finding out about you or anyone else I care about."
"I won't let anything happen to you." Bonnie felt her face heat up. Even her ears felt hot. She itched to cover her face. She gripped her hands into fists to keep from doing just that. "You're going back to her, aren't you?"
Outside, the wind whistled. The palm trees rustled and danced. "It's not safe, not until we figure out how to get rid of her, and right now Damon's in an alley and it's only a matter of time before he comes looking for me and Sarah." Kai ducked his head and went back to his silence.
Lost in her own world, she let her emotions show through, a world of sorrow and hurt, of anger and disappointment.
"I get you're trying to be a different person than the psycho murderer I first met in the prison world." His head instantly snapped up, and his eyes bore into hers as she stared into those vast blue eyes. "But being a martyr isn't the answer."
"You know, you're the one to talk," Kai growled, anger slipping into his eyes. "That day when I promised to take you to Paris, you said yes. Then Damon gets his ass captured by this siren and you went rushing to the armory to save him, so tell me, Bonnie, if I didn't go after him, would you have sacrificed our relationship to save Damon?"
She decided it best not to lie. "Probably, but only because he would have done the same for me, he has done the same for me." She admitted, and she saw a flash of Kai she'd never before witnessed. "Damon is the only real friend I have. He might be crappy most of the time, but aside from Matt, he's the only one that's risking his own life for me. Apart from you, that is. Despite that, I can't just throw him away."
His movements were fluid and soundless, and he walked over to her. He paused, staring right at her, and he seemed to bore into her eyes, to dissect her expression, before he finally sat down across from her.
The anger disappeared from his eyes. "You are important to me. I did this to protect you. Right now, the enemy can enter my mind and is trying to leverage my obedience. I don't want to have to do something I'll regret, and I don't want Damon to slip up either and give you up."
"So he gave up his niece instead." She said, staring at him incredulously.
"As much as I hate to admit this, Damon cares about you a lot, more than I'd like him to." He grabbed onto her sleeve, careful not to touch her skin, and held her there.
Interrupting them, Sarah and Stefan made their way into the living room.
"There's no way I'm going anywhere with a bunch of vampires." Sarah droned, unable to keep a sneer from her face, as she searched her bag for her keys.
"Lucky for you I'm human," Bonnie huffed, quickly getting off the couch. "You can stay with my cousin and Enzo at the cabin". At her blank expression, Sarah looked from her back to Stefan.
"You sure about this, Bonnie?" Stefan asked disbelievingly, following her gaze.
In which she expelled a deep breath. "It's fine."
Sarah looked a little sad. Then she dropped her voice to a near whisper. "I still need to pack my camera gear."
Stefan was very still for a second before saying. "I'll stay with her. You guys bring the car around."
Kai grabbed one of Sarah's bags and ushered Bonnie out into the parking garage. They walked in silence. Bonnie walked behind Kai watching how jittery he was becoming.
"Look, I need to hurry back and find Damon. Are you going to be okay?"
Bonnie felt a knot of tight anger begin to bubble in her gut. She bit her bottom lip, the only concession she made to showing any outward anger.
"Yes." With a burst of strength, Bonnie reached up and stabbed a vervain injection into his neck, knocking him out instantly. She looked around for her beat-up car and shoved his comatose body into the back seat as quickly as she could. She knew she had to get out of here before the others found out what she was doing.
"Isn't Caroline the same girlfriend that tried to murder me? You're still dating her?" Sarah asked him, eyes narrowing a little.
Stefan snapped his head up and blinked rapidly, turning to Sarah. "No, she's just a friend, and she's here to help." He started staying. "Look, my girlfriend, Valerie is a witch, she can find a safe haven for you."
"Great, more supernaturals." And then she took in a long breath, her mind tumbling. "The only person I trust is Enzo and I'm staying with him."
"You know he's a vampire, right? So is Bonnie's cousin Lucy, Enzo's girlfriend." Stefan snapped, frustration building.
"At least he told me the truth and gave me a choice." Sarah interrupted as she rolled her eyes. Stefan gritted his teeth and pushed down on the feeling of helpless stupidity that rose in him. "I trust Enzo, so get over it."
Stefan looked incredibly nervous at her words.
Before he could reply, Damon burst through the window and grabbed hold of Sarah.
"Well, well, well…" Damon turned his bright eyes on Stefan, and the determination to just leave faded in the face of such an imploring expression. "I almost missed our family reunion."
"Damon, don't do this," Stefan shouted, as Damon's grip on Sarah got tighter. "She's our family, the last living Salvatore."
Damon laughed at his brother's flabbergasted face. "I know. Imagine my surprise when Enzo told me at Ric's bachelor party five years ago."
Stefan looks towards Sarah, noticing how his niece visibly shakes with fear, how her arms curl over herself, how she struggles to gulp for air.
"So why do this, huh? You are not that person you once were." Stefan grits out as his chest pain, knowing that he could never overpower Damon.
"Aren't I Stefan? Do you have any idea what Kai and I have been up to? All the people we've murdered for her." Damon rattled the words out so fast that Stefan just stared up at him blankly.
"None of us are holding you accountable for those things, but if you do this, I know it would break Elena's heart." Stefan struggled to put his concerns into words. "Make the right choice. Do it for me, do it for Elena." He demanded with a melodramatic cry.
Damon stared at him before releasing Sarah, who was sobbing, her hands trembling, stomach heaving, chest tight, and skull fit to explode.
"Sarah, get out of here," Stefan screamed, looking around for her other bag so he could storm out of the apartment and be on their way.
Bordering on hysterics, Sarah's eyes darted around to the door, trying to escape out. When she rushed to the door to make her way out. There, standing tall, was a slim brunette woman. As quickly as a blink of an eye, the woman moved, and suddenly a knife was embedded in Sarah's abdomen.
Stefan watched as she fell over on the floor, bleeding out in a pool of her own blood.
"NO!"
That's when Stefan used his super speed to break Sybil's neck. When the siren fell to the floor, he kneeled beside his niece, biting into his wrist to give her some of his blood.
Before his wrist touched her lips, something stopped him.
"You'll have to try a lot harder than that, Stefan." He kept his eyes straight ahead and tried to ignore Damon. While Sybil sprung back up to recover. Placing her well-manicured nails on his temples, she entered Stefan's mind, stopping him from reaching over to his niece.
He stared down at Sarah, dying from that wound. "He's right. I'm a lot tougher to kill." Sybil responded. There were fingertips at his throat, skimming over his neck and down his collarbone. "So who's Elena?"
Cool, fresh, sharp.
The floral scent tickled his nose. He wanted to fan it away — the smell was overpowering — but he felt reluctant to move. It reminded him strongly of someone. Their faces popped up in his mind, but blurry. Thinking harder on their identity made his head hurt.
His stomach twisted from emotion, one that was deep and hot, that Kai tried to identify. Longing and anger and happiness and lust and… much more.
Kai's eyes burst open, and he jolted upright. His head roared the longer he struggled, and he paused, weak from the pain. Looking around, frowning, Kai lifted his hand to tenderly touch his neck.
"What the hell did you do?" Kai felt motion sickness as he noticed he was in the back of a moving car.
There was no hesitance to her response. "I'm doing what I should have four years ago." Bonnie openly snarled. "I'm getting you as far away as I can."
"Stop the car, Bonnie," he shrieked when she threw him a hefty glare. "I have to get out." Kai was desperate to catch his breath, to open his eyes, to figure out what was happening to him. But his head was pounding at the call of the siren.
Bonnie sat back by a single degree. With clear awkwardness to her tone, she replied, "What's wrong?"
"I can't be too far from her. She knows I'm running, and she's trying to pull me back in." He tried to ignore her call, but her hold on him was too strong. The further Bonnie drove, the more of a raging headache he got.
His head roared the longer she kept driving. Kai was in the back seat, struggling before Bonnie hit the brakes and stopped the car. He paused, weak from the pain. Kai pushed his way out. He squinted up at the bright sunlight above him through the blinding agony he felt.
"Kai, look at me." They exchanged a glance, and he begrudgingly shut his eyes again, waiting for her to continue. "You're going to be okay. I'll break you free from this."
The pointed look Kai gave her in response was not something Bonnie had been expecting. Looking at him curiously and questioning wordlessly why he wore the expression he did.
The heretic was heating up, straightening himself up before her. "It's not that simple." He looked over at her, and her green eyes opened to stare back at him. "Sybil bonded my mind to hers. And every second I'm with you, she can discover your identity. Bonnie, please let me go."
Offensive curls in her face, tears glistening in her eyes. And he hated himself. But he had to do this. "I won't lose you to this, not again. I lost you to Rayna for three years, I can't do this again." She cried, her tears falling.
He pulled her against him, and Bonnie froze. This was not something she had expected. His actions were instinctual, and he thought to stop himself far too late. His insides ignited. She was in his arms. He felt everything fall away from him, and he was okay in this moment, this soft embrace.
"I love you," he gasped, meshing one hand with her curls while the other remained on the small of her back, holding her as close as he could. "I'm in love with you, Bonnie Bennett."
Bonnie sighed into him, releasing all her fear. He was here. Everything was okay. "I love you too, Kai," she whispered, and a smile flickered onto his face right before he dipped his chin and kissed her, passionately, longingly, lovingly.
Kai moved and kissed the right spot behind her ears. "I need you to bring me back from this," he let out as they parted, and he let his forehead fall onto hers. "Whatever you do, please don't give up on me."
She pulled back from him, and she snaked her hands up to cup his face, and she watched him relax under her touch, and she smiled.
"I will never give up on you, I'll always fight for you." She murmured, and he laughed a soft, small laugh.
Bonnie stared at him, a mixture of fear and excitement coursing through her as he opened his mouth. "And I'll always come back to you," he promised, looking her in the eyes. "I'll never give up on us."
Her fingers skimming over his face and stopping at his jaw. "Neither will I."
When they parted, a small touch of blood had found its way into his cheeks, and warmth had crept into his eyes that only she could ignite. Kai wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms forever.
Making her way back to the apartment complex. She ran back up the stairs and made it to the fourth floor, before instantly stopping when she spotted Caroline at the end of the hall. She pushed forward, though Caroline stepped away from the corner, causing Bonnie to frown.
Falling into a pace, Caroline ran her fingers angrily through her hair and demanded, "Where the fuck were you?"
Crossing her arms over her chest, Bonnie watched Caroline for a moment. "I tried to run off with Kai."
"Are you insane? We needed you here?" Caroline hissed, and she pointed at her accusingly.
Bonnie's mouth falls a little open. "Is Sarah okay? Did Stefan get her out of town?"
Caroline did not take too long to respond. "Damon showed up and attacked me," the blonde snarled, stalking past Bonnie, but she spun back around quickly, her face empty, her eyes dead.
Recoiling sharply, as though she had just been slapped, Bonnie took a moment before speaking. "Oh, my god…" she whispered, and she instantly stopped, ten paces away from Caroline. "Is Sarah…"
"That siren showed up and stabbed her. Then she used her freaky mind control on Stefan to keep him from saving Sarah." Caroline spat over her shoulder. "If Valerie hadn't shown up seconds after Damon and that siren left, Sarah would have died."
Bonnie swallowed. "At least she's okay, I'll take her to the cabin."
"Valerie is taking her to the armory," Caroline went on, eyes narrowing. "It's safer there, and Enzo promised to watch her."
She took a sharp breath, slowly finding her voice again. "I screwed up. I shouldn't have taken off with Kai."
"At least you have your boyfriend back," Caroline stated with absolute certainty. With her hands on her hips.
Bonnie cleared her throat subtly. "No, I didn't… I couldn't break him free from the siren's mind control. He went back to her."
"So this was all for nothing." Angrily, Caroline slammed her fist into the wall, making her twitch slightly. "That innocent girl could have died, Bonnie."
"That's not my fault. Damon put her at risk, not Kai," Bonnie exclaimed defensively. "It's Stefan responsible to look after her. I needed to rescue my boyfriend." She stated matter-of-factly.
Huffing, Caroline barked, "We had a foolproof plan."
She narrowed her gaze at her best friend. "I had a plan, too. I planned on traveling the world with Kai. I planned that we'd come back, settle down, and get married. My plans were to build a happy ever after with the man I love." Bonnie snapped, practically gnashing her teeth.
Arching a sharp eyebrow, Caroline asked in return, "How is that plan going to work out for you? You're human, he's a heretic. You're going to be 70 and in diapers and he's still going to be smoking hot. You will never have his children, Bonnie!"
Now she had to stop herself from growling. "So then maybe I'll be a vampire for him," Bonnie shouted back, glaring at Caroline. "It's working out for Lucy and Enzo. Maybe it will work out for me."
The genuine anger in Bonnie's voice made Caroline jolt, blinking rapidly. "What if that backfires and Elena never wakes up? You'll probably just kill her and destroy Damon in the process."
The words had Bonnie stepping back in an attempt to distance herself from the truth. Tears welled in her eyes as she felt her throat pinch close.
"Screw Damon and Elena, okay? What about what I want? I mean, look at you and Alaric with your perfect life, moving on from the rest of us. I want the kind of life you two have. Kai is the first guy that's made me happy through all the bullshit. He understands me better than anyone. And he's changed his entire existence to become a better man for me. For us."
"No man is that perfect Bonnie," Caroline whispered, taking a breath. "And the grass isn't greener on the other side."
"What does that even mean?" Bonnie raised an eyebrow at her friend.
"I'm married to my high school history teacher, Bonnie." Very close to losing control, Caroline's volume had risen considerably. "Did you ever think I planned on marrying a man twice my age and raising children that aren't even mine? That I wanted to live in Texas of all places."
"You love the girls. You love your job. You…" She cut herself off. What was she supposed to say?
"Yes, but I don't love Alaric."
Caroline stood there, tense and silent, as seconds ticked by, and finally, Bonnie felt as though she might explode.
Bonnie swallowed hard. "You came back for Stefan." She retorted to her friend, nearly shaking because she was so mad.
"I love him, Bonnie."
Bonnie was now shaking with rage. She couldn't believe her ears — Caroline came back for Stefan.
"Why am I surprised, if I've learned anything in these past few years, that the only people I can depend on are Lucy, Enzo, and surprisingly Matt." She hissed angrily, "You have always been vile, arrogant, and selfish." Caroline winced at her words. "I've wasted years being your friend, caring about you and your feelings, and never once have you cared about mine. Not you nor Elena."
Here her voice broke, and she stopped, chest heaving. Bonnie could barely breathe.
"I'm over it now. I can't keep being friends with someone who doesn't have my best interest," Bonnie said, turning away from her. "Have a nice life, Forbes."
Caroline stood there, watching her walk away. Bonnie tried to swallow, but her tongue was thick. She tried to suck in a breath, but there was no oxygen.
She marched back down to the parking garage. Once she got down there, her knees gave out. She collapsed, and her vision went black. She felt cold like she was freezing from the inside out, like her blood was running still and her heart was slowly stuttering, slowly stopping, dead. The truth was out.
Not that he wanted to return to her. But this hold she has on him is strong. All Kai could do was hope Bonnie would come up with a foolproof plan to get him out of the siren's clutches.
When he returned to the lair, Sybil was laying out by the poolside with Damon feeding on an unconscious victim.
"Dinner without me, huh?" he asked, with no emotion in him, which Sybil tried to overlook.
"I figure you can catch your own meals." She elaborated, giving him a shrug. "Since you had no problems abandoning Damon today."
Damon paused from his feeding, glaring up at Kai. The vampire sprinted over to the other man, ripping into his chest, grabbing at his heart. Kai gasped as he felt Sybil enter his mind. She finally caught him off guard.
"I just need a little peek."
Sybil searches for his memories from early today with Bonnie. Kai couldn't fight her anymore, not with Damon gripping his heart from his chest.
"Whatever you do, please don't give up on me."
She pulled back from him, and she snaked her hands up to cup his face, and she watched him relax under her touch, and she smiled.
"I will never give up on you, I'll always fight for you." She murmured, and he laughed a soft, small laugh.
"And I'll always come back to you," he promised, looking her in the eyes. "I'll never give up on us."
Sybil finally releases him from her mind control and snaps her fingers at Damon, who also releases Kai. The heretic was barely holding it together. She knew about his secret.
"First, Elena, and now her," Sybil returned, regaining the derision to her voice. "You boys have some explaining to do."
AN: Baroline is dead. I had to do it. And honestly, their friendship was really ruined on TVD after a while. Caroline was never really there for Bonnie much, and she really failed as a friend. I wanted Bonnie to finally call Caroline out on being selfish and end their friendship. Also, Sarah Salvatore lives. I'm not killing off every black character like Plec did. Abby Bennett was enough for the fic. Next chapter Bonnie and Sybil meet. And Bonnie is forced to choose between Kai and Damon.