Author's Note: Here is the next installment of my little tale. Thank you for sticking with me so far and I hope you enjoy where we are going!

Part Five: find your way back

As the sun sinks into the water, a cool breeze finally slides across her skin. She sighs happily, shifting just enough to allow her head to fall on his shoulder. She can feel his arms tighten around her.

"The Mediterranean," she says quietly as she watches pinks, purples, and vivid oranges bleed into the sea. "Who would have thought we would ever make it here?" Who would have thought we would ever make it out of Mystic Falls? Her second question goes unsaid but he knows. He is always so good at reading her mind, especially now.

She closes her eyes as his lips ghost across her temple. This moment belongs to them and she is quite content to block out everything else.

"It will be dark soon," he reminds her. "You should find your way back…'

"We should," she corrects fiercely.

Something rumbles deep in his throat but he does not say it. Perhaps he knows better than to waste this moment with an argument.

So they stay there, watching as the sun completely disappears. She is shivering now, that cool breeze no longer entirely welcome. When she turns her body into his for warmth, she finds that he has none to offer.

"You should go," he urges, more quiet this time.

Finally, she agrees, pulling herself free and standing. She brushes herself free of the sand and looks down at him. He is once more looking out at the ocean. "It doesn't feel right to leave you here," she tells him.

Enzo reaches out, catching her hand in his. "I won't be far." He presses his mouth to her open palm.

Still, it is hard not to feel utterly alone as she picks her away along the rocky path. By the time she reaches the top of the hill, she is once again too warm to be comfortable. She manages to smile when she sees Sasha waiting there.

"You didn't want to go with Lavania and Eve?" Bonnie asks.

Sasha shakes her head slowly before moving her arms across her chest. She too is looking at the ocean but her face contains none of the peace that Enzo's had. Bonnie can't help but move forward and place a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

There is a pause. Then Sasha turns to Bonnie, extending her arms. Even in the dim light, Bonnie can see it - dark lines snaking across pale skin. She closes her hands around Sasha's wrists to pull her arms closer. It is like an infection, inching up her arms.

"What is this?" Bonnie asks, a twinge of fear (because maybe, just maybe a part of her already knows).

Sasha roughly pulls her arms free. When she speaks her voice is full of bitterness.

"It's Lavinia."

X

For the second night in a row, Bonnie is thrown unceremoniously out of her dreams.

(for the second night in a row, she is under the roof of the Mikaelson family)

She takes a deep breath, at least better aware of her surroundings this time around. It feels strange to lay in the bed and not be filled with the urge to sneak out under the cover of darkness. In fact, she is contemplating rolling over and going back to sleep (she needs all the energy she can get).

When she finally does, Bonnie finds herself face to face with a small girl.

She nearly lets out a shriek but manages to swallow it down. As it is, her body still jerks towards the other side of the bed.

The child's eyes grow wide. "I'm sorry."

Bonnie blinks as her heart beats solidly against her ribs. "It's okay." The words just fall out of her mouth without a thought. There is nothing about the little girl that is threatening. It is her sudden appearance (the middle of the night, right by her bed) that has set Bonnie off.

"This is my Aunt Rebekah's room," she tells Bonnie.

"I know." Bonnie had lobbied for another room a few hours earlier, only to be turned down. She had gone as far as to point out what Rebekah would think if she returned and Klaus adamantly told her that would never happen (and thus Bonnie wonders if Rebekah is daggered somewhere in the depths of this place).

She turns her attention fully back to the situation at hand. The initial shock is wearing off and now she is faced with a child in her room in the middle of the night. It doesn't take any real leap of the imagination to know who this is. "You must be Hope." Klaus' daughter. Another bit of news that had filtered into Mystic Falls. She hadn't believed it at first. But then, she had realized in the grand scheme of things a supernatural baby is not that big of a stretch (and hadn't Caroline gone and proven that fact two times over a few years later?). Still, it feels strange to be looking at her. Bonnie doesn't know what she expected - but a girl with tangled brown hair, a smattering of freckles and wearing a My Little Pony nightgown is not it.

Hope furrows her brows, and takes a step back. "How do you know my name?"

She is afraid, Bonnie realizes. No doubt she has been taught about the danger of outsiders from a young age, not exactly ideal but when your father has as many enemies as Klaus does, it is a necessary evil. "I…" She struggles with how to answer. "...I know your father. He told me about you. I'm Bonnie." There, Hope knows her name. Hopefully she will feel like Bonnie has evened the playing field (because if truth be told there is something wholly unnerving about a child staring at you with impossibly big eyes).

"You knew him in another lifetime," Hope says and she does relax a little. "That's what he told me. A whole lifetime ago."

It does feel like that, Bonnie thinks. She finds it hard to connect with the image of the teenager she used to be. Too much has happened. She has changed in some fundamental way - that girl wouldn't even recognize her now (and she is ashamed of that fact).

She shifts in the bed again, pulling herself into a seated position. Hope is still standing there, obviously holding onto some expectation that Bonnie is clueless to. "Did you...need something?" It sounds awkward. Or maybe she just feels awkward; she has never considered herself good with small children.

"I had a bad dream," Hope announces.

"Oh," Bonnie replies immediately.

"You get them too."

Bonnie nods before she realizes that Hope's words aren't exactly a question. She takes a deep breath, and forces a smile. "Whenever I do I just remind myself that it was just a dream." Hope doesn't look very convinced. In fact, Bonnie is willing to bet this advice has been given many times over. "It's hard sometimes I know."

Hope nods. "Things seem so real. My head gets mixed up. Dad says that I will get better at telling the difference as I get bigger."

It is strange to hear Klaus Mikaelson referred to as Dad. It is also strange that Hope ended up here after her nightmare instead of with dear old Dad. Bonnie wants to ask, but she feels in doing so she will say more than she means to. "You know what else helps?" Bonnie says instead. "This is something my mother used to do when I was small like you…" Before Abby disappeared from her life, before she understood that sometimes real life was much worse than a bad dream. "She used to tuck me in really tight because bad dreams hate when little girls are tucked in. It makes it so much harder for them to get you."

Hope looks intrigued by the idea. "Will you help me?"

Bonnie should have realized that by filling Hope in on the 'cure', she would have to be the one to administer it. She nods, throwing back her covers. She is still in Freya's clothes, rumpled from her own tossing and turning. She looks to Hope to lead the way and is taken aback when the little girl reaches out for her hand. She can't very well refuse so she closes her hand around Hope's.

(and does not miss the undercurrent of power humming through those small fingers)

Hope's room, as it turns out, is directly opposite hers. It is a rather long walk around the edges of the Abattoir and with each step Bonnie fully expects a member of Hope's family to jump out of the shadows and demand to know what she is doing.

She stands in Hope's room, baffled by the toys, the soft colors, the twinkling fairy lights - the rather large stuffed teddy that takes up much of the bed. All appropriate for a little girl but it seems strange to Bonnie that they also share the same roof as Klaus. She finds herself looking closer, as if she is expecting to find just where he has tainted this space.

While she is staring, Hope is shoving the bear to one side so she can crawl under the covers. "I'm ready."

Bonnie turns her head, as if she had just remembered why she came here in the first place. She moves towards the bed, falling far back into her memories to conjure up an image of Abby Bennett leaning over her to pull the covers tightly around her. "The trick is..." she begins, directly echoing her mother's words as she reached for the peach colored sheets. "...to get as comfy as possible. Are you comfortable?" Hope wiggles her limbs before nodding solemnly. Bonnie began to tuck the blankets around her. "If you're comfortable and tucked in, bad dreams don't stand a chance. So you can close your eyes knowing you've already gotten them licked. How does that sound?"

"I can beat them," Hope echoes. There is no doubt in her voice. It is a statement of fact backed up by the sudden fierce look in the little girl's eyes.

Bonnie can't help but think of her own (living) nightmare. She nods.

"You can."

X

"You are at least twenty minutes late, brother," Klaus quips without bothering to glance over his shoulder. He smiles a little to himself when he hears Elijah's steps stutter over the stone. Considering he knows where this is going to go, he likes that he has knocked Elijah off kilter. He turns now. "I expected this conversation over coffee."

Elijah sucks in a breath, his back going ramrod straight. "She's back."

A simple start. "Yes, she's back," he agrees. His eyes shift towards Rebekah's room. "And apparently not a morning person."

"Your flippant attitude always rears its ugly head at the worst of moments, Niklaus," Elijah chides. He finally comes to stand next to his brother. He chooses silence as his weapon now, letting it fill the air around them until Klaus wants to swat it away.

Klaus breaks, just as he always does in moments like this (for a creature who spent centuries trying to unleash his wolf nature, he has little patience). "Just say it, Elijah."

"You are going to explain to me why we are housing a witch from a powerful line. One that nearly killed you, I might add. And you're going to do it in a way that makes sense to me," Elijah says. His tone implies there is no room for argument.

Klaus nearly rolls his eyes. "Your brand of logic is very different from mine but I shall give it my best shot. First of all, she is not the powerful witch she once was." Which, he realizes, is a sad thing. There are so few witches left that can trace their lineage back like she can. The fact that she currently cannot claim that fully seems like a crime somehow. "At least, not at the moment. You will be pleased to know that Bonnie Bennett has continued her tradition of getting in over her head. Only this time she needs a little help pulling herself out." Despite feeling a measure of sympathy over her being effectively cut off from a part of her (he understands all too well), he still relishes in the idea of her needing his help.

"And we are offering that help?" Elijah asks incredulously.

"No, Elijah, we are not," Klaus says and finds himself bristling at the idea of sharing this with his brother. "I am. Which means, you can walk around without a stain on your consciousness. I know how important that is to you."

Elijah's mouth tightens before he speaks again. "And why would you want to do that?"

There is an exaggerated sigh on Klaus' part. "For someone who prides himself in strategizing you really aren't seeing the bigger picture here. I am helping a witch and gaining a favor. I have never been benevolent…" They both know there is a lie in there somewhere but thankfully Elijah does not call him on it (or perhaps he is done trying to remind his brother of the good in him). "...I am not about to do her dirty work without expecting something in return. She and I hammered out a deal last night over a bottle of bourbon. I will clean up this little problem of hers…"

"Through violence and bloodshed no doubt."

Klaus ignores Elijah and continues. "...and she will perform a little spell for me."

Elijah's entire body seems to tense and he levels his brother with a look.

Freya appears, unknowingly interrupting the lecture that Elijah had intended to unload on Klaus. She has a rather thick book spread open in her arms. "So I did some digging," she begins and then looks up. Her eyes pop a little when she realizes that Klaus is no longer alone. "Good morning, Elijah."

Elijah appears reluctant to tear his eyes away from Klaus (who is busy looking straight at Freya). Finally, with a disappointed huff, he turns to his sister. "Good morning, Freya."

She may never know how grateful Klaus is to her at this moment. He knows exactly that Elijah would have said to him - a rehash of an old argument that he did not wish to hear. The looks she gives the pair tells him that she senses the tension between the brothers but wisely (or foolishly in Elijah's eyes) does not call them out on it. Instead she looks back to her book. "As I was saying, I found some information on kirarik. I wasn't sure where to look first if I am being honest. I may technically be a thousand years old but I slept for a good part of that so I missed a few things. I made a call." Given the pre-existing tension she seems reluctant to say more but pushes ahead in the end. "To Kol."

It is Klaus' turn to huff. Which he does so with great exaggeration. "Right, our resident witch expert. No doubt you interrupted him doing a little research of his own."

"Don't be crass, Klaus," Freya chides. "Our brother was very helpful. He has heard of kirarik and wondered why I would be looking into it."

"And what did you tell him?" Klaus asks, a bolt of panic spearing through his stomach. It feels as if something that is supposed to be solely his is slipping between his fingers.

"Don't worry. I didn't tell him you are harbouring a fugitive," Freya placates him. "After I had assured him that I was not attempting to bargain away my soul, he gave me the basics. Much in line with what Bonnie has told you. A witch binds others to him or her, allows them to grow in their potential and then steals it away. In its beginnings, those who practiced kirarik did so with full knowledge of what would happen. A willing sacrifice. But like most things, it became tainted."

Despite not knowing all the details, Elijah catches on enough. "And those involved, save for the witch at the center, have no idea what they are getting themselves into." He spares his brother a glance. "In over her head indeed."

"He told me something else, something that Bonnie failed to mention to you. Or you failed to mention it to me." There is something accusatory in Freya's voice. Klaus knows that he has withdrawn from everyone under this roof (save for one) so he lets her words brush over him with acceptance. "They don't die. Well, not wholly. After they lose everything, followers of kirarik become like puppets. They aren't themselves. Not even close. They are controlled by their former coven leader - mindless servants."

Klaus suddenly thinks of something Bonnie had said the night before. I won't become that. He had been too busy inwardly gloating to notice the hint of fear in her voice. "This is Bonnie's fate."

Freya nods. "If this Lavinia is able to complete the process, Bonnie will lose herself completely but not die. At least not until Lavinia is fully done with her."

The idea of Bonnie trapped inside of herself, no doubt fighting with what little she has left, as someone dictates her every move does not bring him any joy. Not even a little. He thinks that it should - on paper it sounds like the perfect punishment for someone who has been as big a thorn in his side as she has. However, the reality of it leaves a bad taste in his mouth.

"Fortunately, Kol pointed me towards this," Freya says as she holds up the book. "I think I have found a spell in here that we can use to mask Bonnie's magic signature. The bond between them allows Lavinia to track it. We can hide it…"

"No," Klaus says abruptly. His siblings look at him with frank curiosity. "Shielding her only prolongs the whole thing, doesn't it? My goal is to kill Lavinia. I don't want to hide her away." He thinks for a moment and then says the next sentence as if it is the most obvious thing in the world.

"I want to use her as bait."

X

Bonnie is holding up a rather questionable top (questionable only because she knows she does not have the breasts to properly fill it out) when there is a knock at the door. She freezes, feeling like she is being caught in the act of something and then braces herself for whatever is about to follow. "Come in."

Surprisingly it is Hayley that opens the door.

Bonnie stands there, still holding the top she has dug from the depths of Rebekah's abandoned wardrobe. She knows there is a confused look on her face and tries her best not to let it linger for long. " - hi, long time no see," she finishes lamely, letting her arms drop. The top flutters to the floor, joining a growing pile of things Bonnie can't bring herself to wear.

Hayley raises a brow. "Do I say not long enough? Or does that sound openly hostile?"

Bonnie finds herself shrugging. In truth, her interaction with Hayley Marshall had been limited during Hayley's stay in Mystic Falls but she did get to listen to an epic Caroline rant about how Hayley had broken her neck . "A little, but given your family situation, I can see why you'd choose to go that route," she says.

Hayley doesn't come into the room. Instead she leans against the door frame, arms crossed over her chest. Classic intimidation pose (Bonnie nearly sighs inwardly; she has too many battles going on as it is). "Whatever happened between you and Klaus is between you and Klaus. I don't tend to get involved in his messes," she states. "Unless it involves my daughter."

At that moment, Bonnie understands that Hayley knows about her late night conversation with Hope. Part of her wonders if the wolf in Hayley had smelled her presence in the room when she went to greet her daughter in the morning. She wrinkles her nose at the idea and then turns to fully face Hayley. "Look, I don't skulk around in children's rooms. She came here and scared me half to death. She said she had a bad dream…"

Something crosses Hayley's face. She straightens up a little. "What about?"

Bonnie shakes her head. "She didn't go into detail. I told her how my mom used to tuck me in to ward off nightmares and the next thing you know, I'm tucking her in. At her request by the way. I don't have any nefarious plans here. Nor am I trying to step on anyone's toes."

"Next time she has a nightmare, you get me," Hayley says with an air of finality before she spins and leaves Bonnie to consider her words.

Next time (like it is a foregone conclusion).

X

She stands in the middle of the courtyard, eyeing the siblings in front of her.

"You don't have to do this," Freya says, ignoring the glower Klaus sends her way. "The spell I spoke of will cloak you from Lavinia."

For a moment, she wants to leap towards that solution. It sounds almost warm. Comfortable. She hasn't had anything like that in so long. It makes sense that she would look at that and see it as her savior. However, it is temporary in the long run. She is tired of temporary.

"He's right," she says, ignoring the smug look that crosses Klaus' face. "Hiding doesn't really get rid of the problem, does it? Lavinia will still be out there looking for me. I want to be able to say I am free." Although, she does wonder how free she will be with a debt to Klaus lingering over her head. She may be trading one problem for another (but truthfully, given her current issue, that is something for future Bonnie to figure out - one step at a time). "She already is getting closer thanks to my little routine last night. So why not give her an exact address?"

Freya's mouth forms a thin line. "If you think it best."

Bonnie nods. "I do." She takes a deep breath. She knows what will come next. She will need to use her magic. She stirs it a little, almost as if she is poking it awake. It is not sleeping too deeply given that it hasn't been as long this time. In fact, the moment she calls on it, it slams against her bones as if it has been lurking just beneath the surface, just waiting to pounce.

Klaus takes a step back.

It is her turn to let a smug smile cross her face. She chalks it up to some sense memory he has, just a hint of her magic and he is backing down ever so slightly (he'll never admit of course but she knows).

"It has to be something...big enough to fill in whatever gaps she has in your location," Freya points out. She then eyes the room they are in. "...but preferably not destructive?"

Klaus shrugs his shoulders. "Wreck the furniture. I do not care."

Bonnie raises an eyebrow but ignores him. Another deep breath. This will be for her, and only her. It has been too long since she has had the chance to practice magic openly. Freely. She pulls her hands together, bows her head and whispers into her palms. She feels a familiar hum and almost sways to it. In the end, she opens her hands to reveal a ball of pure light. She thrusts it upwards, watching as it breaks into hundreds of pieces. They hang above the courtyard, blinking like an intricate constellation. She tips her head back at the sight, feeling a strange sort of peace settle over her.

It is short lived.

The pain comes next; a hot poker being driven into her side. Her hand moves to cover the scar, as her eyes screwed shut and her breath came out in one long whoosh. She is dimly aware of Freya calling her name but soon enough her voice is eclipsed by another. Bonnie freezes as she feels Lavinia's presence wrap around her, cloying and tight. She can practically feel Lavinia's glee before it retreats just as quickly as it had come.

She opens her eyes to find Freya's hands on her shoulders and Klaus eyeing the pair with an almost blank look on his face. She blinks as the small fractures of light above them begin to flicker and die out.

Bonnie hates that she feels so hollowed out now. But she knows one thing. Lavinia has finally figured it out.

And she's coming.