After being saved from servitude for the devil, Kai is determined to have one thing go right – an epic Christmas with Bonnie and their friends. However, when Damon and Sybil crash Stefan's farewell Christmas dinner, things quickly take a dark and twisted turn. Somehow, Bonnie and Kai find themselves on a holiday treasure hunt to find the only weapon that can be used against the sirens.

It was nearly noon on Christmas morning, and Kai was lounging across the bed in his boxer shorts. There was a pile of wrapping paper on the ground beneath him. Bonnie opened all of her gifts from Lucy, Enzo, and surprisingly Caroline, who sent something for the both of them. A photo album of Lizzie and Josie, showcasing the girls growing up over the past four years, which almost made Kai weep at how much the girls looked like his mother and Jo.

Bonnie crawled back into bed with Kai and kissed his lips. "Took you long enough."

"Sorry, I was trying to usher Lucy and Enzo out for some alone time." She whispered, laying her head on his shoulders.

Kai rolled his eyes before a soft smile settled on his face. "I have one more gift for you."

"The Grimoire was enough." Bonnie's steely gaze focused on him. Kai had given her an old Gemini Coven spellbook. He hoped it would somehow help Bonnie recover her magic back. Valerie had promised to help them both regain their powers to full strength. Though it's been weeks without Sybil and Kai had a block on his magic. He could no longer perform even the simplest spells, safe to say he lost his magic too.

"Are you actually saying no to a gift?" Kai teased, now kneeling on the bed. "Because I'm fine with re-gifting and giving it to Lucy and Enzo." He stuck out a brightly colored envelope. Bonnie laughed and gently pushed her boyfriend to make him lose his balance.

"You're lucky I like you."

"Open your gift, Bonster." Kai said, poking her thighs with two fingers.

Bonnie took the red envelope. When she tore it up to see what he sealed inside, she gasped. Kai could hear her heartbeat racing. In her hands were two tickets and a passport.

"First-class seats to Paris," Bonnie just smiled and rushed to him, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Merry Christmas, Bonnie." Kai simply said, grinning. "I thought you deserved something special."

"I take it back, I don't like you…" Bonnie's heart missed a beat and her hand shook. "I love you." Kai placed his own hand on her jaw. "This is the most tremendous gift anyone has ever gotten me. Thank you."

Bonnie sent him the most beautiful and earnest smile he'd ever seen. Bringing her towards him, until their foreheads touch.

"Let's skip Stefan's farewell dinner. I want to try some new positions with you." Kai's face breaks into a maniacal grin. He must have looked unhinged.

"Valerie needs moral support, remember." Bonnie raises her eyebrows, but sounds calm. "Hey, you were the one who promised her."

Kai's phone rang, and he reached over to answer it. "Chill, Val, we're on our way."

"Don't come," Valerie snaps into the phone. "Damon is here, and he brought Sybil as his plus one." Kai put his phone on speaker. "And according to Damon, Matt and Alaric tried to kill him last night."

That grin turns dangerous. Now he looks like a goddamn serial killer. "What the fuck is wrong with those two idiots?"

Bonnie turned to look at Kai, a frown forming on her lips. "Do you have any idea why they showed up?" she asked, aghast.

"To ruin our last day with Stefan," Valerie said easily. "And to make matters worse, we no longer have the tuning fork. That wretched tart and her sister must have stolen it."

The one weapon that could hurt a siren. "We're just going to have to steal it back."

"How do you propose we do that?" Bonnie gave him a sharp look. "For all we know, she disposed of it."

"I can try to use a locator spell…"

"So you can get more nosebleeds and headaches, Kai, your powers are…"

His expression was positively murderous. "Don't say it, Bon…" Yes. Kai was in denial about his magical situation.

Valerie cleared her throat. "I tried that already. The map only shows that the weapon is still in Virginia. I can't get anything more specific."

"Look, Val, we're going to need you to get some intel from Sybil. Anything that can lead us to where she's hiding it."

"Fine," Valerie replied, her tone slightly frosty. "Oh shit, Enzo and Lucy arrived. Let me call you back." Without another word, she hung up on them.

Kai stared at his mobile phone for a few moments before flinging it onto the bed.

Bonnie was very still. "And just like that, Christmas is ruined."

"Just think of this as a little holiday scavenger hunt." Kai purred as he gently nuzzled his girlfriend's neck. "And since we've been uninvited to dinner, I say we have a little fun." He breathed, reaching out to caress Bonnie's cheek.

Bonnie let out a sigh of relief. Smiling, she allowed herself to relax once more, snuggling up close to Kai. She hesitated a moment before giving him a chaste kiss. Kai made sure the sirens would not ruin their Christmas.

"You!"

Her heart dropped at the sight of the sultry siren. Valerie gave her a warning look and Lucy felt Enzo's grip on her hand tighten.

"Lucy, Enzo." Sybil was practically unreadable to the untrained eye. "Damon and I thought we would stop by for Christmas dinner with the family."

"Eggnog." Valerie offered, trying to steer the conversation.

"Where's Stefan and Damon?" Enzo asks, pointing upwards as his head twitches.

"Upstairs, getting some old family ornaments for the tree," Sybil glanced at him briefly. "I think they wanted to have a little privacy away from us."

For some reason, Lucy couldn't shake the awful feeling that something wrong was going to happen here.

"Lucy, why don't you help me out in the kitchen with dinner?" Valerie requested, trying to keep her annoyance out of her voice. By Sybil's raising her brow, she failed.

"Can I help too?" Sybil drawled, "I'm fantastic at carving."

Lucy raises one eyebrow, lips pursed and wide as she takes in the siren. Valerie sighs heavily before agreeing. And the three ladies left Enzo in the front room, looking confused.

Lucy pokes her head around the corner. "What are we making?"

Valerie threw on her best shit-eating grin. "I'm working on the turkey. I could use some help with the vegetables." She laid out everyone on the counter.

Sybil went ahead and picked up a knife, turning her full force of attention to both women. "Lucy, what a gigantic ring on that finger," Lucy looked down at her ring finger. "When is the wedding?"

Lucy thought carefully before she replied. "We're pushing for early spring, probably April." Lucy bites out. She could feel the annoyance buzzing around her.

"Too bad Damon won't be there to be Enzo's best man," Sybil waves the knife. "I know he was Enzo's only friend."

Valerie grins with all of her teeth. "Enzo has plenty of other mates. Damon wasn't exactly a good friend to him. I actually agreed to be his best man, or better yet, woman." The heretic waves dismissively at the siren.

Sybil didn't move. And Lucy focused on washing the vegetables, her back turned to both women.

"Sucks that you won't have Stefan there as your date." Valerie's nose twisted almost comically. "Don't worry, a vampire like Stefan, he could probably kill 12 people in two seconds… and still be home in time to draw you a bath."

Lucy huffs and moves towards the cutting board. She falls into a steady rhythm of chopping easily enough, cutting through three heads of cabbage, a cup of carrot, celery, and broccoli.

"How are you liking Mystic Falls, Sybil?" Lucy asks plaintively.

A thought flashes across Sybil's face, quick and mischievous. "I love the enormous homes here, and the massive pools. I'm a swimmer, as you know."

Lucy cocks her head to the side. "Not a lot of houses with pools out in Mystic Falls, though."

Sybil smirked before she let her face go neutral. "I know. That's why I found the perfect little neighborhood outside of Grove Hill, called Pond Eastes. All I have to do is sing a little song, and some creep is willing to give me his entire house."

Valerie's face had turned white at the siren's words. Lucy put down the knife quickly. "I need to use the restroom, I'll be back."

Lucy called in a very infuriated fit.

"Why didn't anyone tell me Sybil and Damon were coming?"

"I'm pretty sure they crashed the party right before you two showed up," Bonnie answered, settled in the passenger seat next to Kai. "Any clues where the fork is?"

"Check out the Pond Estates somewhere outside of Grove Hill."

Kai remains utterly impassive. "Isn't that where all those new mansions are being built?"

"Yeah, Enzo and I were looking into purchasing something out there."

Bonnie shifted in her seat so her arm was resting on the center console of the car. "Wait, you're moving out?" Kai could sense her displeasure as she gritted her teeth.

"Bonnie, you burned down our cabin, and I don't exactly plan on living with you and Kai, especially with all the noises you two keep making at three in the morning."

Her silence must have been a little unnerving because when Lucy laughs, she sounds a little nervous. "You know what. I kept my mouth closed for months when you and Enzo kept walking around half-naked all the time. Once I walked in on him grooming himself down there."

Lucy laughs, big and booming. "He likes to keep his package looking neat."

Bonnie spotted Kai smirking, and she refused to look at him. "Gross, Luce."

"Check the neighborhood out. I'm going to make sure Sybil and Valerie don't kill each other." As her cousin hung up, Bonnie sighed.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Bonnie says, fingers moving across the GPS system.

"We just need to grab the weapon and lock it back up." Kai reminds her with some weariness.

Bonnie tore her gaze from the window and looked at her boyfriend. "I never thought I would miss Elena this much. If she was here, Damon would be doing none of this."

"You have way too much faith in that girl," Kai hissed, channeling his irritation by stepping on the gas. "Damon makes his own choices. Right or wrong. Elena had the worst hold on Damon."

"You don't think we'll be able to save him, do you?"

Kai rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I think Damon might have romantic feelings for Sybil, which is clouding his judgment."

Bonnie rolled her eyes playfully. "I know Damon is a bit of a manwhore, but he'd never stop loving Elena."

"He stopped loving Katherine for Elena, who's to say he won't fall for Sybil's games." Kai chuckled. "She's a hot baddie that allows him to do whatever he wants with no guilt."

Without taking her eyes off the road ahead of them. Bonnie pushed Kai's shoulder. "You think she's hot."

His smirk turned into a full-fledged grin. His blue eyes twinkled with mischief. "Don't you? Come on Bonster, you've been with girls before. Would you turn down Sybil?"

Bonnie cocks an eyebrow. "Fuck off Parker."

Kai watched her with a smirk on his face. She glanced at the GPS. Just twenty more minutes until they reached their destination. Time always seems to slow down when you need to get somewhere quickly.

Valerie's heart falters when she finds the corpse of lifeless Stefan in the attic. Someone completely desiccated him. She stumbled from the room, hands desperately clutching at her mouth as she fought from screaming.

The heretic ran downstairs to see that Matt and his father had arrived. Matt glared at both Sybil and Damon. Meanwhile, Enzo and Lucy awkwardly stood by the Christmas tree.

"Matthew, I thought you said you couldn't come." Valerie makes her voice work again, holding Matt's gaze.

"Peter wanted to meet my friends, and with Jeremy in New Orleans we decided to come over." Matt hisses, with another furtive glance backward. "How is he alive?"

"Let's just say I worked my magic," Sybil smiles, full and bright. "Besides, who wants to be alone on Christmas."

"That's what I've been trying to tell Matt," Peter Maxwell looks impressed. "With so much loss that's happened, it's important to spend the holidays with the people you love."

Damon bares his teeth in a grin. He looks like a goddamn shark. "Wise words coming from you, Peter Maxwell."

"Well, Bonnie called and said she'll be running late. She and Kai are getting some last-minute stuff."

"Probably plowing her in every room at Sheila's house," Damon gives a faint laugh. "Can't say I wouldn't do the same."

Valerie sees Sybil wince. "Please, Bonnie is too vanilla for you." The siren says matter-of-factly.

"Nothing I couldn't break-in."

For the first time, Valerie wrinkled her nose while Enzo held Lucy back from killing Damon for talking nastily about her cousin.

"If Stefan was here right now, he'd say…"

"Wait, where is Stefan?" Enzo asks wryly, but inwardly he slumps.

"He's having a little chat with our boss. He should be back later." Damon answers with another smirk.

"Anyway, Stefan would say, let's make sure we all get back to the spirit of Christmas." Valerie's eyes were on Damon. "At the heart of it is forgiveness." She reached over the tree to retrieve a gift. "This is for Matt. We all know you've been going through some trying times. Stefan thought you could use a little pick me up."

Damon raises an eyebrow but doesn't comment on it.

"Lucy and Enzo, congrats on your engagement." Valerie continued to speak with a rueful smile. "Stefan and I were going to wait until the wedding, but since Stefan might not make it, we thought we'd give it to you earlier."

Valerie reached down for a small gift bag.

Lucy peaked inside the bag, a blush spread across her cheeks, before she handed it over to her fiance.

Enzo outright chuckles as he nods. "Thank you, we'll definitely find a use for… these."

"What's in there, dildos and lube?" Damon smirked, squeezing Sybil. "I guess Stefan isn't a square anymore. Who would have thought Moody Valerie would turn my brother out."

"That's where you're wrong, Damon," Valerie hoped her tone comes across as icy and leaves no room for argument. "It's pretty obvious why Katherine was so obsessed with Stefan. She chose him over you, after all. Stefan has special talents. He's superb with his hands."

Everyone else gulped while Damon's temper was rising at Valerie's comments about his brother and their ex.

"Well, I have a gift for all of you." Damon beams, springing to his feet. "Unfortunately, I'm only going to give it to the most despicable person in this room." Damon's eyes scanned the living area. "One of you lucky bastards is getting an all-expense paid one-way trip to hell. Meaning I'm going to kill one of you after dinner." The last part was spoken through gritted teeth.

Every single mouth in that room dropped except Damon and Sybil, who were cackling.

"Welcome, and Merry Christmas. I've been waiting for someone from this shithole town to show up."

Kai stared right into the younger siren's face and she extended an invitation into her home.

"I was getting lonely without some guests. But I had a feeling someone would show up today. Thankfully, it's not my snotty sister." Seline gave them the barest hint of a smile.

"So you know why we're here?" Bonnie snarled, sounding a bit annoyed.

"For the fork, of course." Seline sat back in her chair. "But before we get to that, take a load off, have some eggnog." She slurred, reaching for a pitcher that was sitting on the table between herself and the couple.

"Haven't you had enough?" Kai asked as he watched Seline pour herself another glass.

"You two need to loosen up, and it's rude to say no to the hostess."

Bonnie rolled her eyes as she watched Seline down the entire glass back. The siren offered them both a glass.

Kai sniffed at it and took a small sip, his lip curled up with disgust at the taste. While Bonnie took her cup and chugged down all the contents, slamming down the cup.

Seline laughed. "I like you," she too grabbed her own cup and swallowed down the eggnog in it.

Bonnie raises her eyebrows, and Kai gives a low whistle. "The fork, Seline. We need it back."

Seline snatched Bonnie's cup and refilled it. "I'll need something in return."

"What?" Bonnie asks with polite interest.

"The twins. They need my help."

"Over my dead body," Kai said, his voice trying to hide any emotion from it. "You are never going anywhere near them again."

"I need to fix what I started," Seline answered truthfully, looking up at Kai and Bonnie. "My plan was to give them training and prepare them to serve Cade. I left a psychic imprint on them, so if I don't remove that imprint. Those girls will always be linked to me."

Kai thought for a moment. The last thing he wanted was for his nieces to be psychically linked to the sirens, putting them in more danger.

"Alaric would never allow it," Bonnie replied respectfully.

Seline troubles her bottom lip between her teeth, "Can't you talk to him."

"I won't allow it," Kai answered through clenched teeth. "They were your get out of jail free card. You were going to force them to serve the devil. A life you were trying to get out of, you knew the damage it would do and you were willing to serve them up."

With a tilt of her head, she simply stared at him for a long moment before saying. "I know what I did was awful, but I've exhausted all my options to get away from Cade. I've been trying to repent since 1871, when I met a man in Monterey that showed me his mind. It was filled with anguish, not evil."

"Let me guess, you fell in love," Kai mumbled to himself, running his fingers through his hair.

"No, my intention was to eat him alive, but I spared him," Seline said in a reassuring voice. "Stefan Salvatore showed me his heart was full of love, even though he was a monster."

Kai sighed, unable to contain his irritation anymore. "Who hasn't met the legendary Salvatores brothers?"

"Stefan showed me there's another way for people like us. We don't deserve Cade's wrath. My life is worth more than this and I deserve a second chance to change."

Bonnie remained silent for a moment, green eyes studying the siren's face. "Change doesn't work like that. You have to be proactive every single day, and you haven't even begun to put in the effort. You just want to be free from Cade."

Seline looked between Bonnie and Kai curiously. "You're right, all I want is a way out, to be a mortal again. But what's stopping me from being saved, like you. Sybil told me all about how you went from a sociopath to a saint, all because of the love of a girl."

Kai held up a hand, stopping her from saying anything further. "That's not how it happened." He immediately dropped his gaze, shifting uncomfortably. "My change was inevitable after I merged powers with my brother. I tried to fight against it. I tried to keep being this monster my father built me up to be. But I couldn't keep going, I couldn't stop hearing the screams of my family, my coven." His tone was firm. "When I found out the twins were still alive, I knew I didn't want to be that person anymore. It's lonely."

A genuine smile appeared on her face. "That it is."

Silence hung between them for a few long moments before Seline pushed back her chair and rose to her feet. She went into the kitchen to grab the fork she hid in the cabinet.

"The path to forgiveness begins with one step," Seline said, holding out a hand with the fork clutched between her fingers.

Kai's eyes darted from Bonnie's face and down to the fork, then back up. "Yeah, it does." His gaze softened a little, and he strode over to Seline and took the fork out of her hands. "I'll tell Alaric about the imprint, but I can't promise you results."

"Thank you, Seline." Bonnie unconsciously rested her hand on Kai's forearm as he led her out of the house.

The atmosphere of the dinner table turned from awkward to tense in a matter of seconds. Everyone was still unsure about Damon and Sybil's. No one had any clue what either of them was up to. Enzo had wondered what Damon's motivates were for showing up and crashing dinner. After announcing he was going to kill one of them.

"My job is to assess the evil in people," Damon exclaimed, practically crushing his champagne glass in his forceful grip. "If they are wicked, immoral, or corrupt. It's my duty to kill them, for the boss."

Enzo sent Valerie a look. "What sort of potatoes are these?"

"Au gratin potatoes, Stefan made them, these were Lily's old secret recipe."

Damon rolled his eyes and chuckled, "Lily was always finding new ways to connect with Stefan, leaving me to fend for myself with Giuseppe."

"Please tell me you're not going to bore us with your mommy and daddy issues," Valerie asked, raising a single eyebrow. "Not while Stefan isn't here to defend himself from your lies."

"Well, no one wants that." Sybil comforted Damon, sending him a soft smile. "Besides, we have more pressing matters, right dear."

"Like trying to murder innocent people," Matt exclaimed angrily.

"That's rich coming from the guy who killed his own girl."

Matt's anger flared. Enzo could see it in his eyes and his father, Peter, slightly scooted away from him, and Matt quickly stood up.

"Don't you ever mention Penny," Matt yelled, his nostrils flaring, furiously. "It's no one else's fault that you're a worthless scum that even your own mother never loved you." He finished, before going back to sit beside his father.

Damon shifted uncomfortably, not liking the way everyone was staring at him. Lucy grasped Enzo's hand underneath the table. He sent her a grateful look, to which she smiled softly at.

"We shouldn't be fighting, not on Christmas," Lucy twinkled, kindly. "We've had a really tough year and I'm grateful to be alive, immortal but alive. I'm grateful that I've found love despite being hunted down by an evil organization. And I'm getting married next year, to the man of my dreams." The former witch smiled, playing with Enzo's fingers that sat on her leg.

"That was a touching speech, Lucy," Sybil said in friendly annoyance. "Interesting, since it was Enzo who gave you poison pills that almost killed you. But I know how forgiving you Bennett women are. I mean Bonnie is dating a man who tortured her multiple times." She smiled innocently, but Enzo swore there was some smirk there.

Enzo growled more to himself as he cut the meat, then ate it immediately. "No one here is perfect, Sybil. I made many mistakes in my life. I've atoned for my sins. Lucy has made me a better man today. I won't ever fall back into old habits. Not with her by my side."

The small smile that had graced Sybil's lips slipped into a frown. "Everyone thinks atonement is that simple." She said with a straight face. "All the reparations in the world can't undo the harm that's been caused. The punishment must be eternal."

"Is that why you're here? To punish us?" Valerie asked, with a disgusted look on her face.

Sybil shook her head, almost in shock. "Not me, Cade. He doesn't care if your sins are insignificant or even an accident. He's not a man of mercy."

Enzo kept checking his phone under the table for any text from Bonnie that she retrieved the fork back.

"You guys are still my friends. I honestly don't want to kill you." Damon spoke up after picking at some of his leftover turkey. "I don't get any pleasure out of this."

"You didn't have that attitude for Tyler," the blond snarled, his tone somewhat impatient as he crossed his arms.

Damon's gaze lowers, and a little muscle twitches at the corner of his mouth. "I made a mistake, one that I might regret later. That's why I'm trying to make things up to you all."

"How?" Enzo pipes up. "How can you possibly make things right after everything you've done to every single one of us?"

Damon blinks, but then he's smiling softly, which does something funny to Enzo's stomach. "I'm here to kill Peter."

"That's it, I've had it with you, Damon."

"Do you even know why your father abandoned you, Matt?" Damon shot back gently, if a little evasively. "You've been quiet the entire dinner, Peter. How about you confess to your son why you left your family?"

Matt's upper lip curls in a sneer. "You don't have to answer this, dad."

"He doesn't, but don't you want to know the truth?" Sybil raised her hands slightly. "Either way, your father is dying tonight."

"I've had enough of your shit," Valerie stated forcefully. "It's bad enough you got Stefan unconscious upstairs, ruining our last day together. Now you're in our house making threats."

Damon narrows his eyes. "Slow down, blondie, this is still my house."

"I don't give a fuck." Valerie says once again, keeping her voice flat. "Both of you need to get the hell out."

"Peter, you have ten seconds to explain yourself, or I'm going to have Damon cut out your son's tongue and feed it to Valerie," Sybil said in a calm, measured voice. "Speak now."

"I didn't want another kid," Peter Maxwell whispered sadly, hanging his head in shame, confessing the truthful rendition of his past. "We were trapped in that old house. Kelly's grandmother left her. Barely making it with Vicki. Then she told me she was pregnant again, so I ran. I wasn't going to be a toilet scrubber like my old man. I want more out of this life."

Enzo was able to look straight into his eyes. They were full of sadness and despair.

"He's a low rate mechanic, which is quite an upgrade."

Sybil laughed at Damon's words, and a huge grin spread across her face. "Nothing like a deadbeat dad." Jumping up out of her seat, grabbing Peter's hands and pulling him with her. "Mr. Maxwell, if you don't mind joining me in the kitchen, I need help to get the pies."

Everyone around the table stared at both Sybil and Damon.

"We'll all be patiently waiting," Damon said, saluting Sybil. "Where the hell are Bonnie and Kai? How many rounds can he plow into her small body?" Damon says because he's a dick. "They are missing all the fun."

"Careful Damon, I might actually think you missed me."

The vampire shrugs and cracks his knuckles. "We don't want to make loverboy, jealous." Damon whipped his head around. "Where is Kai?"

"Outside," she answered, neutrally. "He needs a hand out by the car, Enzo. Please."

Time to bail. Enzo took this as his exit out of dinner, while Bonnie joined in his place. She was clearly the distraction for the dinner. When he joined Kai outside the house, the man held the weapon before his eyes.

"Where is Sybil?" Kai's voice is dangerously soft.

"In the kitchen with Matt's father."

"You'll have to activate this. Whatever this weapon is made from, it affects witches," Kai said nervously. He probably doesn't want to die, either.

Enzo wanted to protest, but before his mouth opened, he could hear a pitiful scream coming from the kitchen.

The vampire dashed back inside the house, Kai right behind him, who rushed towards the dining room. When Enzo got to the kitchen, he could see Sybil physically trying to probe inside Peter's mind. Enzo made a loud tap with the fork against the kitchen counter.

"Ahh!" Sybil shouted as she moved away from Peter and grabbed a hold of her temples. The tuning fork affected her ten times more.

Not hearing the footsteps behind him, Damon knocked Enzo across the room before snatching Sybil and darting out of the house. Not too long after, Matt, Valerie, and Lucy waltz in.

"Dad!"

"Enzo, are you okay?" Lucy knelt down, looking her fiance in the eye. Enzo felt like he was in a goddamn dream. It's unreal.

Valerie sank down onto the kitchen bench. "Dammit, they escaped."

"Best Christmas Ever," Kai announced, holding Bonnie in his arms.

After closing the trunk, Kai climbs into the passenger seat and leans over to give Bonnie a kiss. It wasn't their usual steamy or heat-filled kisses, but that love and desire were still present. Kai pulled back an inch, drinking in his girlfriend's scent.

"About what Seline said, about you being a saint because you fell in love with me," she was forcing the words to come out of her mouth. "Is that true? Are you really doing all of this because of me, being a martyr and all."

There was something in Bonnie's eyes—and it took him a moment to put a name on it, because it was the last thing he'd expected to see there—it was concern. Open, unconcealed concern—and he didn't get it.

"Not just you," Kai opened his mouth and closed it. He settled down low in the passenger seat, letting his thoughts sink in. "I wasn't always a bad person. I wasn't born with hatred or anger. It's something that grew with me as I got older, and once my mom died, Joshua's abuse got worse. He blamed me for everything. I wanted revenge. I wanted to hurt them like they hurt me. My siblings, my father, the coven. But what did that get me? I was alone twice until you and Damon showed up. And when you forgave me, and give me a second chance, I just knew I couldn't blow it."

Kai sees her green eyes, sees the warmth and the pain in them.

"You're a better man than your father. I'm sorry you went your whole life thinking you were an abomination. No parent should treat their child as such." Bonnie mutters and when he glances up at her, she's staring on the road.

"I plan on doing things differently, for people like me. Siphoners will no longer live in fear. I want to make things better for Josie and Lizzie, for Valerie, for me. After we return from Paris, I want to meet the twins." He said, Bonnie, turns to him with surprise, just for a moment.

"Think you're ready for that?" she asked disbelievingly, following his gaze.

"It's time. Besides, we probably need to check out this imprint Seline left on them. Alaric's not cut out to deal with most of this witchcraft stuff." Kai mumbled sourly, like the fact irritated him more than it should.

"Should we really be leaving town with everything that's going on?" Her brows were tense, the steering wheel still gripped tight.

"All the more reasons for us to go." He tells her flatly. "There's always going to be a supernatural crisis in Mystic Falls, but we still need to live our lives. I won't let you waste away here, sacrificing yourself for this cruel world."

She offered a nervous laugh. "That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me," Bonnie remarked, eyebrow raised with a smirk on her lips.

His eyes softened. "For once in your life, let someone else take care of you, Bonnie."

AN: Sorry this took forever to post. Work has left me so tired and I'm still in training. However, I'm working on the endgames and final plot-points for the last half of this fic. Next chapter is Bonnie and Kai's return from Paris, lots of talk about their future, mortality, and magic. Caroline Forbes also returns. She and Bonnie have an interesting talk. Damon makes an unsettling confession to Kai, as well.