With the fate of Mystic Falls at stake, Bonnie and Kai must fight a noteworthy foe for one last battle.
Her amazed surprise was clearly warranted at what awaited her.
When Bonnie opened her eyes after closing them for the last time, it was to the clearest blue skies she'd ever seen and tall swaying grass. There was a breeze before her skin, more powerful than she ever felt it. It was literally impossible. It was almost a full minute before her situation sunk in.
"Bonnie?" a soft voice called.
"Who's there?" she asked, and only then did she turn to face the person who was calling to her. "Elena? Elena!"
There before her was her best friend, no longer sleeping in a coffin. Elena gave her a sad smile. "You look so beautiful." Her friend stared at her. Bonnie was still dressed in her wedding gown. "What's going on? Why are you here in a bridal gown?"
Bonnie moved a step towards her. "I think I died at my wedding reception."
"Oh my god, you were supposed to live until you're old and wrinkly," Elena's trembling, and her arms hang loosely at her sides. "And you just got married? Who's the lucky guy?"
"Kai, Kai Parker," Bonnie muttered lightly, allowing herself to feel the relief of seeing her friend again."Kai Parker? But how…" Elena's confusion was clear in her sharp tone and incensed expression.
"The summer you left us, Damon and I tried to track Kai down to undo the spell. We found him and he claimed he had a resurrection stone to bring Jo." She touched her chest, trying to remember the pain, the way her lungs failed her. "Kai didn't know how to undo the spell, but he thought if we could bring back my Grams, she'd have the power to do so. But the stone never worked. Soon after, we discovered that the Gemini Coven forced Jo's twins into Caroline. Kai was riddled with guilt for what he did to Jo, to his coven, to us. He really wanted his family back, so he vowed to protect his nieces. I mean, Kai's turned his entire life around. He's been my rock, Elena. I think I finally understand you and Damon." It was a stretch, but she knew those words would reach Elena.
"Oh wow, I never thought Kai could be redeemed. Maybe at first, after his merge with Luke, but…" Elena smiled, and offered Bonnie her hand. "It must have been hard to forgive him."
"At first, yeah, I didn't want to fall in love with a murderer. I mean, he hurt me back in the prison world." Bonnie explained, her face falling a bit. "But I was so sick of trying to take the high moral ground and having it blow up in my face. I gave him another chance, and he never let me down once." Bonnie smiled and blushed. "I've never been this happy before. We had a life together, friends and family."
Elena snorted and put her hands on her hips, tilting her head slightly to examine her. "I'm so happy for you, it's everything you deserve and more."
Bonnie made a humming noise. "It was, now I'm… I'm dead."
Her friend shakes her head, face smooth and illuminated in the sun-kissed light. "Bonnie, you are not giving up, you need to fight whatever this is and go back to Kai." Elena grasps her shoulders, resisting the urge to shake her, and spits out, "You have to live."
Elena's touch shakes her out of her apathy. "Elena, I can't…"
Her eyes widened and her mouth opened to scream, but something stopped her.
"Bonnie? Bonnie, wake up."
Bonnie choked back sobs as she realized this, but the tears still ran freely down her cheeks, dampening her hair. Her tears were of happiness and simultaneous sorrow, at all she had had and all that she had lost.
"Hey, it's okay, you're okay," a voice whispers, tongue rasping against teeth.
She was too tired to dispute this, her throat too dry. "I just saw, Elena…"
Hands brush her hair out of her eyes. "You're alive now, babe."
Bonnie leans into Kai's body, letting herself be enveloped in his scent. "She told me I had to live."
"She's right," Kai said, tucking Bonnie's hair behind her hair. "It's not your time yet."
"We cannot let that bitch win." Kai gazed around the large door frame pointedly, and Damon stepped aside silently to allow him through the entrance.
Kai crossed the threshold and shut the door softly behind him.
"We need to get searching for her, Damon…"
Whatever else he had been about to say was cut off by a raised palm from the vampire.
"You don't know Katherine," Damon drawled, shaking his head. "She can't be outwitted, I'm sorry man, but it looks like she played the long game and beat us."
Kai strolled along in the foyer, but stopped suddenly seeing Elena's coffin in the middle of the room, opened and emptied.
"Why is her coffin in here and empty? Did your father escape the armory?" Damon asks, his voice low but determined.
"I locked his ass up in a prison world this morning." Kai thought about what his wife told him an hour ago. "When Bonnie died earlier, she told me she saw Elena."
Damon grimaces sympathetically, "Does this mean…"
"Damon?" a bright voice interrupted him, and both of them turned to look at its source.
The vampire's gaze softened, and he whispered, "Oh my god, Elena."
Her appearance shocks them both – she was pale and thin and she's lost the vitality Kai once envied.
"How am I here? Is Bonnie alive?" she asked, completely flustered.
"Yeah, she's okay. You're here, you're awake." Damon said after a moment. He's progressed to clasping onto each of his fingers so tightly that both of his hands go white.
Elena was quiet for a little longer and looked up at Damon with a tiny smile. "God, I missed you so much, Damon."
Kai folds his arms over his chest and raises a skeptical eyebrow.
Elena approached Damon with arms outstretched and enveloped him in a hug that went on for far too long. It ends only after he stiffly pats her as high on her back as he can while she has his upper arms trapped. When she finally pulled away, Damon wobbled back, "You bitch."
The brunette's smile was a sharp, dangerous thing that she wielded like a weapon. "Hello, lover."
Damon looks at her uncomprehendingly. "Katherine, where is Elena?"
So this was Katherine Pierce. The dark-haired woman stood tall, with quiet confidence and a hushed aura of power that instantly drew Kai's attention. Because, unlike Elena Gilbert, Katherine was dark, dangerous, alluring. Almost beautiful.
Now it's her turn to look at him with the same incomprehension. "Why are you asking me? Your pal over there was the one who put her in a spiritual coma."
Damon scrubs his hands along his face, hoping to wipe away the fear and frustration. "You know what I mean. Where is her body?"
"Who knows, Joshua Parker stashed her somewhere after he helped swapped her out for me." Katherine relents, throwing her hands up. "Beautiful wedding, by the way, although I don't get what you men see in Bonnie Bennett. She's such a stuck-up bitch."
"Watch it," Kai felt curiously strange, numb almost. "How about you tell us what we want to know?"
Katherine's gaze flickered to Kai, but he made sure to keep his expression blank. "God, you are just too sexy, can't say Bonnie doesn't have taste."
Damon narrowed his eyes at his ex-lover. "Kat, for fuck's sake, where is Elena?"
"How can you stand hanging out with him? It's always Elena with him." Katherine continued quietly, ignoring Damon's question.
Kai tamps down the feeling of rage that washes over him at her; getting angry won't get him the answers that he needs. "I tune him out, he's like a white noise."
Katherine jerks in surprise, and then, to his amazement, starts laughing almost maniacally. "Well, I might as well share my game plan with you two. I'm getting my revenge around, oh, 10:00 p.m., You see Mystic Falls will be up in flames, and your precious Elena will burn to her death."
Damon snapped, speeding in front of Katherine and impaling her with the bone dagger in the center of her chest until she collapsed to the ground.
Kai glared at him, his lips pursed in annoyance. "We don't have much time, Damon. We need a plan now."
Damon gives him a look of utmost sympathy. "I know, call Stefan and Valerie."
Kai tightens his own into fists in his pockets while Damon frets over losing Elena again. He stares into the darkened room across the hall, at the empty coffin in its center. None of this was worth it.
"Thanks for coming here with me."
The blonde heretic watched as he led the way. "Malachai wanted to help find the girl. It's the least I can do while he deals with Katherine."
"Look Val," Stefan plows down the staircase, occasionally looking back to make sure she was right there.
The look on Valerie's face, so earnest and pained, quenched any deluded hope Stefan might have convinced himself to give into. "Stefan, we need to grab her and get out of here, in case you forgot, the town is being evacuated and about to be on fire."
Stefan exhales slowly and gave an executive sort of nod. "I know but…"
"She's in the boiler room, come on." Rolling her eyes, Valerie knocked elbows with him.
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, the two-faced grey halls lit by industrial fixtures.
"There she is." Stefan moved down to the cracked floors and pulled Elena's comatose body into his arms, pressing her against his warm chest, one hand pressing her back close to him, the other cradling her neck.
"Let's get the fuck out of here," Valerie grumbled, looking out towards the staircase instead of at Stefan holding his other ex-girlfriend.
Stefan lifts Elena's lifeless body to get her out of there. Once he reached the doorway, something prevented him and Elena from leaving.
Valerie continued staring ahead, but her demeanor changed slightly. "Stefan…"
"I can't leave."
Blood roared in his ears. Distantly, he could feel his heart racing and his hands shaking.
"It's a spell. This is quite powerful, a boundary spell." Her light eyes scanned his features.
Looking away from Valerie was the only way he was able to hurt less and not scream. "Can you break it?" The question fell from Stefan's lips in one soft breath.
Valerie froze, part embarrassed and part indignant. "This is some old magic, almost foreign."
He made a sound deep in his throat. "Fuck, Katherine was working with Kai's father."
Valerie had her arms crossed over her chest as she peered down at them. "Dammit, we need him to break the spell."
Struggling to move, a wave of dizziness hit him. "There's no time, and he'd never do it. He hates us and wants Katherine to win." Stefan murmured, sliding down to the floor and hoping that the room would stop spinning soon.
"We can't stay here," Valerie shouted in frustration.
Like clockwork, he let out a dramatic sigh and locked eyes with her. "I won't leave her."
"Fuck it," Valerie pulled her phone, and it rang for a few seconds before someone answer.
"Valerie, did you get Elena out?" Bonnie's voice comes through the phone, dark and tempered.
It brings a look of sullenness to Valerie's face. "We can't. Joshua used a spell to keep her here. Only he can undo the spell."
"Kai trapped his father in another prison world this morning before the wedding." Lucy's voice sounded gruffer and harsher than it usually did. "He didn't want him lingering around."
"Valerie, can't you do something?" Bonnie almost snarled, her patience wearing thin.
Valerie had to suppress a hysterical laugh. "I'm sorry, this magic is above what I can do. Joshua Parker wasn't an ordinary witch. His spells are much more advanced for someone like me to undo."
"Why can't we catch a fucking break?" Bonnie was on the edge of anger.
"We're on our way to the armory, Valerie. You need to get out of there." Lucy sounded agitated on the other end of the line.
She turned back to Stefan, eyebrows high on her forehead. "I can't just abandon everyone. There must be something I can do."
Stefan gave her a thin-lipped smile of sympathy.
"Any second now, that bell is going to ring." She could almost hear Lucy grind her teeth over the phone.
Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, and she trembled miserably. "Then I'll stop it. I'll go find Matt and his father, and stop them."
"Valerie don't…"
Valerie hung up and tucked the phone back into her jacket pocket.
"If I can help put an end to this, I will." Valerie's face was tilted upwards; her eyes were wide and round and under the faint light, her eyes were shining so hard they were practically sparkling. "I won't let my friends die here."
There was a lifeless feeling creeping through his veins, numbing his body into place. "I need to find Damon and Kai," his lips tugging into a slight frown. "Damon won't leave Elena, and I can't leave him here."
"This is it huh," Valerie said, wiping at her face.
Stefan felt his insides sinking, as though gravity had increased its hold on his organs and was dragging them painfully through his body. "You were way too good to me. I'm sorry I wasn't the man you deserved, but I want you to be happy, even if it's not with me. Because Valerie Tulle, you are an amazing woman. You've changed my life."
"I don't want to lose you like this." Valerie wrapped her arms around his waist until there was little room for air between them and nestled her face in his warm sternum.
"Shh, it's okay." Stefan kissed the top of her blonde head, taking in the delightful scent of her everything. "No tears, okay."
Valerie raised her head to look at him. She watched him set his gaze on her lips and a moment later; she was drawn into his desperate kiss. Every touch of his warm tongue against hers seemed to connect with a place much lower on her body.
They finally separated their mouths to draw breaths. Stefan threw his head back and chuckled while panting, but his hands didn't relinquish their hold on her.
The blonde moved her mouth and his ear and managed a ragged whisper. "Goodbye, Stefan."
At final her words, Stefan felt hysterical laughter threatening to spill from deep within his throat. This was it.
Swinging the door wide, the girls stepped inside and scanned the room for their friends. There, they see Alaric pacing, obviously angry with his future ex wife in tow with him.
"What's happening?" Alaric asked, his eyes gleaming. Bonnie felt so far out of her depth that she got that tight sensation in her chest.
"Elena's trapped in the boiler room of the high school." Bonnie drops her gaze, not sure what to say, not sure what to feel.
"Kai and Damon have Katherine in their custody. She plans on burning Mystic Falls down with the help of Vicki Donovan." Lucy said, no longer surprised by the truth of what Kai called and explained ten minutes ago.
The former couple gaze at one another for what seems to be a long time.
"Vicki's back." Caroline furrows her brow. "We are so fucked."
Alaric swallowed audibly and then, with obvious effort, choked out. "What's the plan to stop this?"
Lucy sighed, clicking her teeth together. "I don't know. Valerie went off to find Matt, to see if she can stop Vicki and Stefan…"
Caroline shakes his head in amazement. "He won't leave Elena or Damon, and Damon won't leave Elena."
"She's magically trapped there, via Joshua Parker," Bonnie said through clenched teeth. "Valerie can't undo the spell, and I doubt Joshua made it easy for even Kai to undo it."
"There's no time, we have maybe half an hour," Alaric replied, folding his arms over his chest.
Caroline wrings her hands unconsciously, the knuckles white with the pressure. "I need to find Stefan."
His pride is immediately pricked. "Are you crazy? We need to take the girls and get out of here."
"Ric, I can't do this anymore," Caroline looked away, and her gaze becomes distant for a moment, as if she's seeing something she'd forgotten and regrets that she'd done so.
The older man's lips twisted into a frown, and he shook his head. "You know what Caroline, I'm over it. If you want to run back to Stefan and die, don't let me not stop you. I can raise our daughters on my own. I don't need this drama with you anymore."
Caroline gave him a pitying look, and then shrugged. "I'm sorry, I tried, I tried so hard to love you, to love the girls as if they were my own but, they aren't and I just don't love you."
Alaric looked ready to burst a blood vessel.
"It's my fault for expecting more from you after you gave birth to them," Alaric said, his voice low and dangerous. "I should have done the smart thing and left the second they were born. I wanted to help you after Stefan abandoned you and ran off with Valerie. But if you can't see that he'll never love you like I have, then I guess it's your loss."
Bonnie just barely restrains herself from hitting her former best friend, slapping some sense into her. "Just get out of here Caroline, because even if Stefan survives this, he's just going to run off to Klaus."
Grimly, the blonde lifted her head higher. "Then I'll go with him. Klaus and I have history too."
Alaric sneers as he spits out, "Goodbye Caroline."
Caroline was biting her lip and twisting her hands together as if fighting simultaneous urges to both blurt out comforting platitudes. Moments later, the Armory door clicked shut behind her.
"What a piece of work that girl," Lucy bit her lip, tried to look sympathetic, but just looked fairly unabashed.
Bonnie ignored them and turned her attention to the notebook on the desk before flipping to the front and thumbing through the pages.
"Ric, what's this?" she asked, without any preamble.
He bit back the sarcastic rejoinder on his lips and as calmly as he could, replied, "This little project piece Dorian and I were working on this morning. Just an idea on how to destroy Cade's hell. Dorian suggested we'd need a few million volts of mystical energy to destroy hell."
Lucy's mouth froze, eyes wide. "Wait, would hellfire be powerful enough to do the trick?"
"Possibly," Alaric replied, far louder and more forcefully.
Lucy narrowed her eyes at him. "Ric, I need your phone to call Stefan, now."
Alaric scooped out his phone from his back pocket. "Umm, okay."
Lucy snatched the phone from him.
"Yeah, Ric." Stefan's voice was raspy and laced thickly with exhaustion.
Lucy's grip on the phone tightened. "Hey, it's me."
Shuffling echoed through the speaker of the phone. "Lucy?"
"I need a favor." Lucy completely changed her demeanor.
Stefan seemed taken aback, but undeterred. "Anything,"
"Be careful," Lucy said after some silence. "You sound way too eager for what I'm about to ask."
Stefan's tone was serious when he responded, leaving no room for misinterpretation. "I owe you."
"Okay then, I think I have an idea on how to get rid of Katherine and destroy hell. But I need you to get Kai out of Mystic Falls. You're the only one who can do this."
"I'm on my way there. Just text me the details." Stefan's voice is softer. It makes Lucy's plan for him easier.
"Alright." She hangs up.
The three of them turned to look at each other.
"Care to share with us?" Bonnie's voice was pitched oddly.
Alaric pulled a face, sucking air through his teeth. "No rush, but I need to get the girls out of here, and they've been in the car for a while now waiting."
Lucy glanced over at him, her lips tugged down in a frown. "It's cool, Ric. Get your girls out of here. I need to talk to Bonnie."
Alaric narrowed his eyes and pointed at her. "I can wait a couple of minutes longer. Just don't stay too long."
He shot them a worried look before disappearing abruptly out of the Armory.
Tilting her head, Bonnie bit her lip hard before deciding to speak. "What's the big plan?"
"When the gas leak happened, I saw Enzo."
Her face was perfectly blank.
"Lucy…" Bonnie started, but the ferocity of Lucy's gaze made her stop, made Bonnie actually think about her cousin's pain.
Something changes in Lucy's expression then, something desperate and sad was revealed. "I made my peace with him. I know one day far in the future, he and I will be together again. But I'm here and I need to live my life on earth with you."
Bonnie looked away from her; Lucy's face was painful to look at, all sharp angles and shadows… it hurts her somehow, somewhere inside. "I just want you to be happy again."
Lucy leaned back against the desk and closed her eyes for a few moments, trying to calm herself. "One day I will be. Right now we need to protect the town and our friends."
"What do you have in mind?"
She opens her eyes and pins Bonnie with her gaze; it's frightening in its intensity. "Kai and Damon are taking Katherine through the underground pathway. Kai just has to do a sealing spell to keep Katherine trapped. But I need someone to keep Katherine down there long enough for him to do the spell. Meanwhile, you need to call on the power of our ancestors and redirect that hellfire back through the tunnels and kill Katherine."
"I have no access to magic anymore."
Lucy pressed her lips together. For a moment, Bonnie thought she'd let the conversation die. Then Lucy shifted, turning her full attention to Bonnie.
"Bonnie Bennett, you are the last Bennett witch. I've seen what you can do. There is no one more powerful than you, not Shelia, not Abby, not even me. You are the descendant of Qetsiyah, and I'll be damned if I see our family home be destroyed. The Bennett women have been protecting this town for over a century, and it's time we step up and play a pivotal role. We deserve our time to shine, and when this is over you can take your rightful spot as the town's leader."
A chill goes down Bonnie's spine even as heat rises to her neck. "Without my magic, I'm not sure I can do this."
"Bonnie, all the magic you'll ever need is right inside of you. I know I'm asking a lot of you, but we need you."
"Alright," Bonnie said, a wide grin stretching her face. As Lucy's eyes glanced at her in amusement, "If you stop getting sappy with me, you can catch a ride with Alaric. Looks like I need to go save the world… again."
"I love you," Lucy uttered, her whole face gleaming with benevolence. "Make sure you come back to us."
Bonnie's lower lip trembled, and tears threatened at the corners of her eyes. "I just got married. Kai owes me a honeymoon in Bora Bora."
Fighting back a snort, Lucy turned on her heels to chase after Alaric. Her fingers cross that Sheila and the other witches come through for Bonnie. She should probably warn Kai about the new change of plan.
"Nothing like having two sexy beasts escort me back into the hovel."
In the distance, a wolf howls.
A flash of annoyance passes over Damon's face. "Do you ever get tired of hearing the sound of your own voice?"
Kai clears his throat, wishing at once that he hadn't come.
A reluctant laugh forced its way out of Katherine's mouth. "Do you ever get tired of falling all over some girl, one that isn't even noteworthy."
"Elena is a better woman than you ever were."
"Here we go again with this crap, remind me again how much of a monster I am." There was a growl in her voice when she spoke and she had to take a deep breath to contain her anger. "Not like any of what happened with us wasn't Klaus's fault."
Damon gave her a sharp look, mind focused at once on the moment, not the past rising up to throttle him like it often does.
"You were messed up long before he showed up in the picture."
"Can you two please shut the fuck up," Kai heaves a deep sigh, completely exhausted by the emotional roller coaster of the last couple of hours.
Katherine held up her hands. "Yes, daddy."
Damon scowled at her sarcasm. "Gross. He's a married man."
Kai ignored the urge to frown as he looked her over.
Katherine didn't look too guilty as she shrugged. "Shouldn't you be by Elena's side? I'm sure Stefan has figured out that Elena's trapped in that boiler room. Thanks to that spell Malachai's father did."
"Yeah, we got word from Lucy Bennett about that," Damon focused on Katherine, eyebrows furrowing, "You remember your old friend Lucy."
"She's still alive huh," Katherine let out a sound of amusement.
Damon nodded slightly before turning his head away from his former lover. "Lucy and Bonnie both figured out a way to save the day."
Katherine let out a quiet snort. "Those girls aren't strong enough to throw a wrench in my plan."
Kai eyes her warily. "You don't know my wife well enough, there's nothing she can't do."
Damon couldn't help the shiver that wracks him from Kai referring to Bonnie as his missus.
Her eyebrows rose in surprise. "So how does she plan on doing it? How is either one of them going to stop a hellfire so intense it could obliterate anything within miles?"
Kai gave a humorless laugh. Shifting away from where he leaned, and he began pacing the narrow core of the tunnel.
"You know the interesting thing about these tunnels is that they go from The Armory straight into the heart of downtown Mystic Falls."
Katherine cleared her throat, running a hand through her hair. "And what, you don't honestly think your wife can magically draw hellfire through the tunnels away from the town, do you?"
A rush of something hit Kai then, forcing away his unease and bringing a grin to his face.
"Not only that, she'll send that bitch straight back to hell with you."
Katherine gritted her teeth with a smile. "We'll all die if that's the case." She paused for a moment. "Wow, you're not the big scary monster your father made you out to be. You're quite a martyr, like my darling Stefan. Where is he?"
"You called?"
A new voice joined the conversation. Kai and Damon both looked over to the pathway and saw Stefan freakin' Salvatore standing there, smirking as his eyes met Katherine's.
The older vampire let out a cry of surprise before grinning. "I swear I died and went to heaven."
"Nope, but you will be going back downstairs where you belong."
His words were direct, but lacked any hostility.
"As long as I'm with you." Her hands ran over her exposed cleavage.
Damon's mouth thinned, turns down at the corners. "Stefan, what the hell are you even doing here?"
"Lucy called me with the plan. I here to handle Katherine."
"No, no, no. We already have a plan. I'll deal with Katherine. You need to leave." Damon's voice was gentle but heavy with warning.
"I need to make things right with her," Stefan explained, like they didn't all understand.
Damon clicked his tongue and shook his head, "No, you don't. I can do this alone."
Katherine was just flat-out grinning now. "Oh no, the girls are fighting."
"Stefan, you don't need to do this," Kai felt a knot forming in his stomach. "I can keep Katherine down here with the sealing spell."
"And I can make sure this goes off without anymore surprises. God only knows what sort of tricks she has up her sleeves. Katherine won't try anything with me down here with her. Besides, I owe it to all of you." Stefan said, noting the stricken look on his brother's face. "This is something I have to do. But not without giving you this."
Stefan held out a syringe.
"Is that…" Kai had moved past being appalled and onto being intrigued. "The cure."
Suddenly, Damon's expression turned to one of complete horror. "Stefan, how could you?"
"I've made my peace with Valerie. Let me do one last good thing. I can handle this bitch."
The girl scowled at his words and at his state of calm. "I'm still here." Katherine approached Stefan, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.
Damon's face shifts, turning stony, unreadable. "Stefan, you didn't have to do this."
"Bonnie and Kai deserve their happy ending, with the white picket fence, kids and a golden retriever."
For a second, the air trembles a little around Kai's eyes, and his stomach swoops and flips.
"You shouldn't have to die."
Stefan backed away from all of them. "I've lived over a century, on-and-off the wagon. I tried so hard to be good and I failed at it every time. My time is up now, and Kai, you were a far better man than I ever was as a vampire."
Kai's face softens a little. "I'll protect the town, make sure everything goes smoothly."
"You do that."
Damon's whole body seemed to be shaking with rage and sadness all at the same time. "Stefan, I'm not leaving you here to die."
"Yes. You are." Stefan started again, licking his suddenly dry lips. "I need to hold myself accountable for my actions. You need to do the same, but you have so much more to offer the world. My time has come. Getting rid of Katherine is my responsibility."
"What about Klaus? Didn't you plan to move to New Orleans to be with him?" Damon regained his composure. "I bet he doesn't even about this stupid plan."
"I have a feeling he'll be joining me sooner than later."
"You got that right," Katherine was biting her bottom lip again. "That psycho has done enough damage on earth."
Stefan heaved a sigh, "Shut up, Katherine."
"We need to get out of here, Damon." Kai reached out to him. "Stefan has already taken the cure out of his system. He doesn't have much longer to go. Respect his choice. Katherine can't stay here, and we need to find Bonnie."
It had been a hard truth to accept.
"I love you big brother."
Damon glanced up at him, his eyes a remarkably deep blue as he fought his sadness. "I… I love you too."
"How touching?" Katherine pressed her lips together to hide her amusement.
Kai noticed before anyone else did, Katherine had a wood stake in her head and she charged towards Damon.
"Phasmatos," The bone dagger flowed directly into Katherine's chest. She fell before Damon's feet.
"Thanks for that."
Kai shrugs one shoulder like he could just wish away the whole fucking mess. "Now, can we please get out of here before the Queen of Darkness gets back up."
"You're going to need to seal the several miles of this tunnel," Stefan informs him. "You up for it."
Kai's bark of laughter was unkind. "I'm the Gemini Leader. Of course I am." Then his face gets serious, and he gives Damon a look.
The older vampire seemed to deflate even more, his bottom lip more pronounced.
"Oh, and Damon. Make me proud."
Stefan raises an eyebrow and looks hard at his brother.
"I… I will."
Damon finally accepted his brother's fate. Kai wanted nothing more than to make sure Bonnie got through this safely. There wasn't enough time at the moment to grieve, only fight.
"Okay, so I got a lot riding on this." Bonnie said as she lit the last of the dozen candles that cover the two adjacent tables of the armory. She stood between them. "Grams, I need you to hear me. I've been struggling, I know my magic is within me, I know I've been suppressing them, but no more of that. I know who I am. The Granddaughter of Sheila Bennett, and descendant of Qetsiyah. I'll be damned if I let Katherine Pierce take our home from us."
Bonnie was finished preparing. She readied herself to begin the spell.
"Phasmatos incendia movet, phasmatos incendia moventur, ego ex vos, vos ex unos…"
As she chanted, a wisp of wind caught the pages of the open grimoire on the tabletop.
"Phasmatos incendia movet, phasmatos incendia moventur, ego ex vos, vos ex unos…"
The items around the room began to shake as Bonnie cast the spell.
Her magic was a lot, but too weak. Bonnie kept on chanting. She could feel the heat of the hellfire coming her way from the underground tunnels.
" ... phasmatos incendia moventur, ego ex vos, vos ex unos, phasmatos incendia entrare! Phasmatos incendia movet, phasmatos incendia moventur, ego ex vos, vos ex unos, phasmatos incendia entrare!"
Her body was shaking.
"Phasmatos incendia movet, phasmatos incendia moventur, ego ex vos, vos ex unos, phasmatos incendia entrare!"
Bonnie chanted as the fire burst through the door and into the Armory. Her spell held back the hellfire, but only a few feet away from her. She could see it getting closer, to the point of blood dripping from her nose onto her lips. It was all too much for her. It's been too long since she's used magic and this was the biggest spell she's ever used before. She needed help. Why hadn't Kai made it back here to her yet?
"No. I can do this. I won't be beaten by Katherine. I won't die again. It's not my time yet."
"I'm glad you believe that."
She felt as though her breath was being taken away from her.
"Enzo," she looked up into his eyes, "How am I seeing you?"
"You've been protecting me this whole time. Kept me out of hell."
She was confused, and tears began to well in her eyes. "Where are you?"
"I'm safe, and that's all that matters." Enzo's expression turned thoughtful for a moment. "You need to fight."
"It's too strong for me." Bonnie hung her head. "I don't think I can do it alone. I need Kai."
"He's on his way."
"He's okay?" Her lips turned into a dejected smile, and she looked away from him. "There's not much time. I won't make it back to him, to them. To Lucy."
Enzo smirked and shook his head, "Bonnie, you were never alone."
She felt a hand grab her own. When Bonnie turned around, she saw her Grams holding onto her hand, facing down the hellfire alongside her.
"Grams?"
Sheila turned and faced Bonnie, beaming. "I'm always here with you, baby."
Bonnie returned that smile, her hands shaking, tears streaming down her cheeks. Grams was always with her in spirit. They both turned and faced the hellfire once more and began chanting.
"Phasmatos incendia movet, phasmatos incendia moveo…"
Someone else took Bonnie's left hand, when she looked over, it was a busty black woman with thick curls under a bonnet, a Bennett from another era. The three witches continue the spell containing the hellfire.
"Phasmatos incendia movet, phasmatos incendia moveo. Phasmatos incendia movet, phasmatos incendia moveo."
A gust of wind followed from behind her. More Bennett spirits came to aid her, one who vaguely resembled Ayana, who helped the Mikaelsons. Then there was Emily Bennett, who stood behind her, along with the rest of her children.
"Phasmatos incendia movet, phasmatos incendia moveo. Phasmatos incendia movet, phasmatos incendia moveo. Phasmatos incendia movet, phasmatos incendia moveo!"
Together, the hellfire was pushed back through the tunnels and back to hell. One by one, each Bennett spirit disappears.
"We did it." Bonnie could feel her heart racing and her breathing was very rapid. "I'm still standing."
As she tried to breathe, a pain filled her chest… it was almost as if she had been submerged in water. Bonnie suddenly fell to the ground in fits of convulsions. She was writhing on the floor in such immense pain.
All of a sudden, the pain stopped and Bonnie just lay there unconscious.
Kai whirled around and took off, hard and fast, as he got out of Damon's car. He threw open the front door of the Armory, raced across the hallways, desperate to keep up with the colorful flash ahead of him.
"Bonnie," his eyes landed on the body laying only a couple feet away from him.
Kai was in complete agony as he walked over carefully to Bonnie. The room was alarmingly hot and as he loomed over her, he saw the blood and grime that covered her face. Her hair was all ruffled and sticking to her forehead. She looked durian and lifeless.
"Holy shit, she did it." In came Damon from the door, his face scrunched up.
Kai's head grew light, his legs buckling, and the shield in his hand toppled heavily to the ground.
"Is she..." Damon supplied, looking down quickly.
When Kai looked down at his wife's stony face, he bent down and kissed her one last time.
An electric shock speared through his body the second their lips touched. It was warmth not unlike the moment he turned into a vampire by Lily Salvatore, no, this was unlike anything he'd ever felt before—a fiery heat ripping through every cell of his body.
When he pulled back, he felt tired eyes soaking him in. "What just happened?" Bonnie asked with a gasping breath, reaching for him.
"You did it," Kai answered, his fingers weaving through Bonnie's sweaty hair. "We won." Bonnie ducked deeper into Kai's arms, and the intensity of the movement was enough to cripple any man.
"My magic," her voice came out in a rough whisper. "My magic came back. I saw my Grams and Enzo. They gave me the strength I needed."
"Babe, I'm proud of you," his voice was scary and calm.
"I can't be a vampire, Kai." She was crying now, though she tried desperately to hide it. "I want to be with you for as long as I can. But I can't give up my magic again."
"I don't want that either. In fact, there seems to be a change of plans." He pulled out the syringe from his jacket pocket. "A little gift from Stefan before he died."
"Is that…"
"The cure, yep." Kai dropped his eyes, fluttered his lashes against his cheek, looked down underneath her with innocence. "I'm taking it. I've been a heretic long enough. It's been a blast, Bon. But I'm ready to give it up, be a witch again, be your human partner, and the father of your kids."
She choked slightly at that. "Kai, are you sure?"
Kai gathered her close, feeling the tension in her body. "Bonnie, I love you… and I'll never stop loving you. This is what I want."
"God when did you become this sappy." Damon's smile slides into something else, something sorrowful.
"Shut up, Damon." Kai's scorn was heavily laced with weariness. They've all lost so much already. All he wanted to do was soak up Bonnie's warmth.
"Damon, Damon…" The door of the armory opened and in came a frenetic blonde. "Where is Stefan?" Caroline reappeared, rushing over to Damon and held on to his shoulder, not wasting a gaze on Bonnie or Kai. "Where is he?"
He narrows his eyes a little at her, alarmed at how scary she looked. "Caroline, I'm sorry, but Stefan's…"
The blonde's lower lip trembled slightly and said quietly, "Don't say that, don't say it."
Damon made a sympathetic face and then shakes her off. "He died, Caroline. He made sure Katherine went back to hell."
"You let him sacrifice himself. God, how completely selfish of you. Now you can sit around and wait for Elena to wake up, knowing you let your brother die." Caroline said, her voice taking a bit of hard tone, her eyes becoming cold.
"Stefan died a hero, just like he wanted."
Kai's words had no visible effect on the angry woman.
"I bet. Let me guess, he gave you the cure." Caroline drew a deep huff and fought to keep her voice dispassionate. "He was riddled with guilt about Enzo. He probably gave you the cure so that you and Bonnie could have abomination babies."
Kai jerks his chin, a muscle in his jaw ticking viciously.
"Caroline, what is with you? Stefan moved on years ago. He loved Valerie, not you. You're pining over a man who no longer cared for you and made yourself an enemy to everyone. You lost your husband, your kids, and your friends. For what?"
Caroline's hands shook, and she took a deep breath, trying to calm the tremors.
"It can't end like this," she said between her sobs. Caroline had started to cry. The tears rolled down her face like waterfalls, and her hiccups grew stronger. "I never got to tell him…"
They all watched Caroline in shock. Kai couldn't believe this was the woman he met years ago. Caroline Forbes, a person who seemed so overconfident, so headstrong, and above all, so righteous - being like this despicable and self-obsessed person.
"I'm sorry, I'm late." Valerie walked through those heavy doors, with a ray of early sunlight behind her. "I got caught up in the Donovan family drama."
Damon huffs out a shallow laugh. "Been there, sister, it's the worst."
"Is Matt okay?" Kai inquired curiously.
"He's fine, lost his sister again, but he's coping with his father." Valerie looked at the figure in Kai's arm. "Bonnie?"
"I'm alive." Bonnie finally said. Though her voice was soft, her words were loud in the Armory's front hall.
"Thank god," Valerie's face glowed with an inner light, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears, lips parted like she's just seen something miraculous. "Is Stefan gone?"
"Took Katherine down, you would have been proud of him." Kai said in a different, more patient voice.
Valerie wore a weak smile, while Caroline was still sniffling in the corner. And Damon couldn't help it. He started laughing, more loudly and recklessly.
"The town is still standing. We're alive. I think we're all due for a little vacation after this."
Kai watched as Bonnie curled into his chest. "I could use a break from all this."
He tucked her more firmly under his chin and brushed a kiss across her temple. "Let's go home, then."
The ceremony was lovely. The new official mayor made a speech about the sacrifice of Stefan Salvatore to save their little town. The townsfolk who all attended, applauded, cried, and were appreciative to still have their little town still standing after everything.
The whole thing lasted an hour. "I once was lost, but now am found." The grade school students stumbled over Amazing Grace.
When the ceremony ends, the crowd disperses quickly after they, one by one, offered their condolences.
Finally, the only ones left were the Mystic Falls gang and a newcomer who had just appeared beside them.
Damon was the first to say anything. "Didn't think you'd make it out here, Klaus."
They all looked at Klaus Mikaelson, but he was staring at the tombstone of Stefan's, his face unreadable. Bonnie squeezed Kai's hand a little tighter.
"I got Stefan's voicemail, that bloody idiot. I was waiting for him."
Damon nodded his head before he clapped Klaus on the shoulder. "Yeah, well, he's expecting you soon."
"I have no doubt, he and I will be reunited soon enough."
"What's going on in New Orleans, Klaus?" Caroline mustered up. "If you need help?"
Klaus avoided her gaze and continued staring at the tombstone. "Willing to abandon your family and friends for me, Caroline?"
The blonde's face softened, and she frowned at Klaus.
"I… yes, if you need me."
"I'm fighting a war. I won't make it out alive. I came to give a generous donation to Mr. Parker," Klaus turned his attention. "Stefan told me a lot about you."
Kai's eyes dim and his mouth sets in a grim line. "All good, I hope."
His gaze is perfectly sympathetic. "Spoke highly of you, and gave you the cure, so that you and Mrs. Bennett, I mean Mrs. Parker, could live a fruitful life."
Klaus moved over to Kai, handing the man a check. Kai's eyes bulge at the zeros on the check.
"Caroline, I'll be leaving before midnight, don't be late."
The blonde blushed with a nod of her head. With that, Klaus vanished before them.
"I'll be leaving tonight as well." Damon stated hollowly across from everyone. "Do some traveling, see if I can find some kids that need our help. I'll send them up here."
Kai ran a hand roughly through his hair, his lips pressed together.
"This is it?"
The wind rustled his jacket, and Damon looked into the distance briefly before looking back at the headstone.
"Stefan was right. I need to atone for my own mistake. He's not here to keep me on the straight and narrow. It falls on me. I'll be back in a few decades. A better man, one that Stefan would be proud of. I'll earn Elena the right way this time."
"I guess we're ready to start that school up." Valerie's eyes flickered from her former lover's grave to Kai, Bonnie, and Lucy.
"No time like the present." Bonnie blinked back tears and dabbed at the corners of her eyes with her fingers.
"For Enzo." Lucy nudged her and reached down to squeeze her hand, and Bonnie squeezed it back.
Dear Elena,
I've been appointed mayor. All thanks to Matt, he held a campaign for me, and everyone voted to elect me as the new mayor. Never thought I'd be a politician, I thought I was far more suited to be a teacher. It's been a smooth transition in office. I reinstated Matt as the sheriff. Lucy is the headmistress of St. John's School for Gifted Youngsters. Kai and Valerie are getting ready for opening day with the help of Alaric and Jeremy.
You would be so proud of them, Elena. Especially Jeremy. The Gilbert family will be growing in your absence. Apparently, during his time in New Orleans, Jeremy got close with Damon's niece, Sarah Salvatore, spoiler alert. He plans to propose at the Founder's parade this weekend.
Damon is doing his best. I'm glad he left town to figure himself out. I think it's what's best for everyone. I hope he'll change for the better. Caroline left her family, ran off to be with Klaus. I don't think there's much more hope for her, but I hope she finds what she's looking for one day.
I'm happy, Elena. Kai and I have everything we could ever dream of. I have my magic back. He's a witch again. We're even converting to the Gemini Coven with my own Bennett coven lineage. On another note, we're trying to get pregnant. I'll update you on that soon.
I wish you were here. So many great things are happening. I wish I could share my happiness with you. I know one day we'll be reunited again.
Love, Bonnie.
*fin*
AN: That's all, folks. This was mainly about giving Bonnie a decent ending where she's happy and gets everything that the other girls are allowed to have. However, this is not the end. I'll be posting before the new year another canon-compliant Bonkai fic. This will be set during season one, called The Witch Diaries, focusing on Bonnie, Kai, and Jo, mainly on the witch mythology rather than the vampires and the original love triangle. Follow me on Tumblr lornadanesummers for all my updates.
Thank you all for the love and support. I'll be back with another one soon.