Author's Note: As always, I appreciate your lovely replies! Feel free to keep them coming. ;)

Part Eight: it was catharsis

"You should let me carry it," Bonnie says as they pass through the exit. The air is cleaner now (she can still practically taste copper) and she breathes deeply. "Given that it can affect animals."

Klaus stops in his tracks and it is clear from the way his body hums that adrenaline is still racing through every part of him. She should be careful in this moment and choose her words more wisely. She braces to defend herself (she has just seen what he is capable of) and is knocked off kilter when his face splits into a wide grin instead.

"That one was a dog joke," he tells her. He dutifully extends his hand to toss her the dark object before he begins to wander away. It is strange to see him weave across the pavement, almost as if he is drunk.

She is left in the middle of the street clutching a rather gnarled looking rooster claw (the power radiating from it leaves no question to its ability to cause pain). Glancing over her shoulder towards the bar, she contemplates the mess inside and wonders if the dark object has had any say in what occurred. Klaus has made sure that Ambrose will never take from a witch again - and despite his brutal methodology, Bonnie finds that knowledge sits well with her.

(besides she needs the violence in him when it comes to Lavinia, doesn't she?)

Bonnie moves to catch up with him, carefully placing the claw in the pocket of her jacket. He appears more sober, more the Klaus she knows. But still, there is something about the way his features are set that tells her he has enjoyed himself. "You have a strange take on amusement," she says before she can stop herself.

Klaus barely casts a glance in her direction. "That wasn't fun. It was catharsis."

She has no idea what to say to that. Instead she leaves the statement hanging in the air long enough that it has no choice but to crash onto the street below. Knowing that she has effectively killed one line of conversation, she struggles to find another (perhaps part of her is still standing in that bar, watching him give into his true nature with abandoned glee). "This someone who is the rightful owner - are we returning it to them now?"

"No." His answer is curt, an absolute dismissal of the idea.

Of course.

She feels something strain in her, pulling taunt until it nearly snaps. Guilt, she realizes. Born from the knowledge that she has chained herself to someone who would readily take from witches. He is no better than Ambrose, than Lavinia (although in that case he does not hide who he is behind the guise of kindness). "You can't for the life of you imagine a world where witches are given the respect they deserve, can you?" she spits.

Klaus stops in his tracks before swinging his body so that he is directly in her path. "I think you'll find that it is hard to return something to someone when they are dead."

Now he has effectively (and rightfully) killed the conversation.

Bonnie takes a deep breath. She will not apologize for jumping to conclusions when it comes to him. He has proven on more than one occasion that the worst case scenario is often his first choice. However, she can't help but let some of her guilt twist in a new direction.

"You met Lavinia in Bucharest?" he asks after the silence has dragged on for a moment too long. She nods. He knows this. She had detailed their first meeting when she first introduced him to the concept of kirarik. "You might tell me how you ended up in Romania in the first place. Digging for the fabled count?" He snorts and she takes it as a sign that he has already disregarded her outburst.

She makes a face. "Why do I suddenly think that Dracula is just some distraction the Mikaelson family created? Have you compelled any Irish authors in your lifetime?"

"Many," he confirms.

It is easy enough to banter with him. Far easier, in fact, than attempting to touch any unsaid element of the conversation between them. She clings to it, deciding that she deserves to take the simpler route.

"As for Bucharest," she begins, picking through her memories to decide what to tell him and what to hold back. "I officially decided Mystic Falls was no longer worth it…"

"I wager that decision was years overdue," he interrupts and she does her best not to react (he seems capable of easily reading her after all).

"Maybe," she answers, trying to sound non-committal when the truth of the matter is much more painful. She had once loved the town she grew up in - it had represented a sense of peace she had not felt since before she had discovered who she really was. "Either way, small town life, college...it just wasn't for me anymore. So I left. Actually, what I did was pretty par for the course for people my age."

"Backpacking across Europe," Klaus fills in.

"I started in Africa actually," she corrects. "I had this grand plan of standing on top of Table Mountain, swimming near Victoria Falls, getting sand from the Sahara in my shoes. I did those things and a hell of a lot more. I think others…" Caroline especially. "...thought I would come home after that but I hadn't quite found it yet." Not that she had even understood what it was at that point. If she had had an inkling of how easily she would throw herself over the cliff, she would have retreated to Mystic Falls. Reconfigured her thoughts. Then set out again.

"Europe was next."

Bonnie nods. "Mostly because it was just right there. A stepping stone away from Morocco. I didn't really like it as much. Especially the cities. But I kept going. Eventually made it to Burachest and you know what happened there."

"You saw a witch dazzling the tourists," Klaus concludes.

"She got me too. Lavinia looks so harmless…"

"Most monsters do."

She can't help but cast a glance in his direction. He has a point (actually he is a case in point). She wouldn't describe him as harmless but if you take away the history associated with the man and concentrate solely on his features, there is something almost boyish about him - the curve of his nose perhaps, the way his eyes seem to widen when he smiles. She understands how easy it has been for him to lure his victims in. At one point, most probably never saw him coming but now, now death seems to weigh on his shoulders and strips him of some of that innocence that could so readily be used to deceive in the past.

Klaus shrugs his shoulders. "You wouldn't be the first to fall so swiftly, little witch."

"Maybe I just needed something so badly I was willing to overlook the obvious." She has said this in hopes of deflecting the idea that she so easily fell for a facade. However, she quickly realizes in doing so, she has given away something more precious. She immediately turns her head, concentrating on the path in front of her. They have drifted back to the historic French Quarter district, leaving behind the grime (and the blood). She can feel Klaus looking at her and knows he is dissecting her comment down to the bone. She can't do this now. She can't let him cut too deeply into her grief. He will use it as a weapon against her someday.

So she throws herself towards the first distraction she sees.

"I want beignets," she announces, her eyes glued to the sign further down the street. Sensing he might protest she carefully amends her statement. "We're waiting around for Lavinia, right? We've got time to kill."

X

Elijah is there to greet them when they return late in the afternoon.

Klaus wonders what they must look like to his brother. He had been more careful with Ambrose, not wanting to come home in the light of day covered in blood in case Hope should catch sight of him. Still, he knows he is far from clean. And Bonnie? Well, the powdered sugar still resting at the corner of her mouth speaks to the sheer volume of pastries she had been able to eat in one sitting (he had sat there, almost horrified).

"I trust you found it," Elijah says carefully.

"We would not have returned otherwise," Klaus tells him, irritated at the mere idea that he would leave it in the wind. He holds out his hand to Bonnie. She is still too far gone in her sugar induced stupor to react quickly enough. "The object, Bonnie."

As Bonnie digs in her pocket, Elijah gives him a look. He knows what his brother is thinking - given his single minded pursuit of these objects, it seems strange that he would just hand one over to her of all people. In fact, as he had done it, he questioned himself. But there is something about this one. Maybe there is some truth to it influencing the animal in him. Even as she slaps the claw onto his open palm, he feels a twinge - just a hint of what it could do to him if it is wielded properly.

Klaus will be much happier when it is placed in its rightful spot.

Elijah turns on his heels and begins moving away from the courtyard. Klaus follows with purpose. He knows that Bonnie is on his heels, partly because she has spent the day hip to hip with him and partly because she is far too curious to hold back. It is Elijah who unlocks the door (although Klaus has a key as well).

Klaus wonders if Bonnie can feel the sheer amount of power radiating from within (a quick glance tells him that yes, yes she can).

"What is this?" she breathes, practically pushing past him so that she can be a step behind Elijah.

Elijah, already all business, reaches for the notebook. He spares Bonnie a glance before flipping to the page in question. "A holding place for things that are better locked away."

No doubt she is inwardly cursing Elijah for his use of poetic speech (a thought that amuses Klaus greatly). She is already moving around the room, attempting to take it all in but failing miserably. When she looks at him, her eyes are wide. "Klaus."

He knows from that look that she wants to pin some crime on him once more. He contemplates letting her. After all, he owes her no explanation, no profession of his innocence. She is preprogrammed to think the worst of him and given their current circumstances, that probably works in his favor. They may be on the same side but the truce is temporary. After Lavinia is dead and she evens the score, they can go their separate ways.

(the next time they cross paths, however, he will be ready to exact that revenge he craves)

"This is a collection." Despite his train of thought pushing him towards allowing her to hold tight to the image of the villain, he finds himself laboring to clear his name. "It belonged to…" He can't quite bring his tongue to form the words. Elijah's head tilts up and he can feel sympathy wafting off his brother in waves (he has no use for it anymore). "...someone who's sole mission was to ensure that it did not fall into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, she died." He prides himself on being able to say the truth without the immediate bitter aftertaste in his mouth. "And the collection was scattered in the aftermath. Elijah and I have worked to bring it back under one roof. To see to it that her goal is met."

Klaus can see so much in the way she looks at him now. No doubt she is playing his words over in her mind, weighing whether or not he classifies as the wrong hands. He stares back, almost daring her to call him out once more. Just being in this room, reflecting on why it exists in the first place rubs against a raw nerve in him.

Maybe he needs a good fight (the morning's scuffle seems so far away now).

In the end, she turns away from him (he can't decide if he is disappointed or not). She moves around the room once more, this time giving each shelf the time it deserves. Her hand extends, fingers stretching towards an object or two but each time she pulls back. She must feel things differently than him. Many of the dark objects are designed to do him harm but she can weld them as if they are made for her. Maybe they are luring her in.

(or maybe she has finally learned her lesson when it comes to dark magic)

Elijah runs a finger down a page in the notebook and then taps it. "Hexed Rooster Claw, possessing the ability to sicken livestock."

Klaus notes the way Bonnie glances at him with the corners of her mouth turned upwards. Then she is once again enthralled with the magic in the room. He carefully places the claw in its rightful place and then backs towards the entrance.

The less time spent here the better, he thinks.

X

It's been a strange day.

She doesn't know how else to describe it. She has witnessed a murder, ate her weight in beignets and been surrounded by a whole host of dark objects. She still hums from the last stop on her weird tour. The amount of power in one room - how had she not picked up on it before?

She can't decide if Klaus is being genuine when it comes to the collection or if it is just some further power play on his part. She knows she shouldn't overthink it either. When it comes to Klaus she can chase herself in circles. She has other things to worry about.

Bonnie sits on the edge of the bed, not quite ready for sleep but maxed out on her ability to deal with anyone else for the night. She takes a deep breath, her hand unconsciously moving to wrap around the stone at her neck. Her fingers tighten when she thinks how close she came to losing it.

(she would have never let Ambrose take it; but still, it had been far too close for comfort)

It has been a few days, she thinks. Since she used it. The realization creates a strange hollow in a part of her. She has never gone this long. What if he thinks I have abandoned him? That hollow fills with guilt that quickly reinvents itself into panic. Her chest begins to rise and fall rapidly and her heart bounces erratically against her ribcage. She finds that she can no longer see the pattern in the wallpaper correctly; instead the shapes blur together.

She has to fix this. She has to let him know that she would never do that.

Bonnie slides to the floor bonelessly. She can't let him see her like this. He will worry (more than he already does). She leans forward, pressing her forehead against the hard planks. For a moment, she remains like this, locked in a battle for control of her body. She closes her eyes, concentrating on how happy she can be. How happy they can be (she never thinks of it as could; she can't bring herself to even try).

In the end, she wins out. Her breathing slows. The room around her becomes more real. She pushes herself up on her knees and places her palms on her thighs. For a moment, she sits there and lets herself recalibrate.

Then she sets to work.

Bonnie can't very well leave a mark on Rebekah's floor. But she knows the symbols well enough. She traces them through the air, the tip of her finger barely brushing against the smooth wood. She surrounds herself soon enough and her hand goes back to the stone. When her eyes close once more, she whispers a prayer and thinks of him.

"Bonnie, what have you gotten yourself into?"

Even though he is alarmed, Enzo's voice washes warmly over her.

X

Klaus jolts awake, his limbs jerking in various directions. It takes him a moment to fully understand why this has happened. But then the sound washes over him, shrill and cutting painfully to the bone. He turns his head to find that Hope is sitting up in her bed. Her mouth is slack and she is screaming.

He moves immediately, scrambling from his seated position so that he is kneeling in front of her. His hands first land on her arms and then cup her face. She cannot see him, her eyes are lifeless (his blood runs cold). She continues to wail even as his fingers turn inward a little and tighten on their own accord.

"Hope," he says, quietly at first. A gentle nudge to bring her out of this. But then he quickly loses control. His voice fills the room. "Hope!"

Hayley comes next, moving towards Hope with purpose. Klaus finds himself nearly shoved aside but he is able to wrap a hand around her tiny wrist, able to maintain some contact with his daughter. He can feel the fear in her body, every muscle beneath his fingertips is taunt and she twists herself, as if she is desperate to break free from him (he shouldn't read into this but of course, he does). He nearly slinks back to his place on the floor but instead holds firm as Hayley brings her back properly.

The room descends into silence once more and for a moment everyone in it holds still.

Now that she is awake, Hope bursts into tears. Both he and Hayley surge forward but Hayley is closer. She is able to pull Hope away from him and into her lap. Her arms encircle Hope and her head dips to rest against her daughter's forehead.

Klaus tries not to feel like an interloper. Tries and, of course, fails.

"They're coming," Hope whispers after she manages to swallow back her sobs.

Hayley tenses and looks at Klaus.

Feeling a sense of purpose once more, he shifts closer to the pair. "Who?"

"They're so close." It is like she is still not fully aware of where she is and that she is safe. Her eyes are impossibly wide and filled with unshed tears (a sight that nearly breaks him).

"Who, Hope? Who?" He repeats. He places a hand on her once more, letting it gently land on her upper arm. He feels her muscles react and almost withdraws. But then she is looking right at him. Truly. That alone helps battle back against the stark fear inside of him.

"I don't know who they are. There are so many of them. You won't let them hurt me, will you?"

Hayley grips Hope tighter. Klaus can practically feel the way she is staring at him but he keeps his eyes solely on his daughter.

"Of course not," he tells her and he means it with everything he has. "No one will ever touch you."

Hope appears to consider this for a moment. Then she nods. "Okay. Because they are here." The words are said in such a straightforward tone that he is not sure he has heard her correctly. When they do sink his confusion returns and he takes a moment to consider his daughter's face. She is completely serious. He wants to tell her that dreams have a way of confusing one's reality. What she has seen while sleeping has no bearing on reality.

(but the past has proven him wrong in this regard, hasn't it?)

He opens his mouth to once more promise her that she is safe. No words make it out. Instead, his attention is snatched away by the sound of footsteps. He looks at Hayley. "Stay here with her."

Hayley's eyes have already taken on a yellowish hue (the wolf in him is eager to follow suit). "As if I would go anywhere else."

There is reluctance to leave Hope behind but that is quickly overshadowed by the need to protect her from whatever is coming. His sharp hearing tells him that he is about to play host to a multitude of unwelcome guests. He moves towards the balcony and finds that Elijah is already in the courtyard. The brothers make eye contact - a silent acknowledgement that they will do what is necessary to end this quickly.

Klaus places a hand on the railing to propel himself over it. He lands a few feet from Elijah, his entire body buzzing. He knows that here, in his own home, he will have to walk that fine line between wild abandonment and doing what is necessary. It will not be the first time in its long history that the Abattoir has seen bloodshed but it can be tainted now if he is not careful.

"Elijah, Klaus…"

Both turn their head to see Freya standing outside her door. She is tying the belt of her robe and eyeing the pair with frank curiosity. No doubt she can feel the frisson of tension circling the place. And now, now she should be able to hear the footsteps pounding on the pavement outside their home.

"Go back to your room, sister," Klaus says automatically. "And bolt the door."

"I will not," she answers immediately.

Klaus no longer has time for her (and in truth, he knows that she can handle herself). Instead he moves forward, determined to cut them down before they have a chance to fully get into the courtyard.

He expects Lavinia's disciples and is bewildered when it is vampires who come through his doors instead.

The split second he is off balance costs him his immediate high ground. They barrel over him; the young and old vampires of the Quarter. He feels the hard stone of the wall grind into his back and it is all the reminder he needs. He blindly grabs for the first he can get his hands on and ensures that she does not step further.

Elijah too looks baffled as to why the vampire community has shown up on their doorstep with malicious intent but he is in better control of his emotions (because he has to be; the walls will be painted red otherwise).

Klaus snatches another from the fray, shoving the vampire against the wall. There is some vague sense of recognition in him but he cannot quite pluck a name from his memory. It only serves to further confuse and enrage him. "What is the meaning of this?" He hisses, his temper already stretched to its capacity.

There is no answer. Instead the vampire growls, showing his teeth. He reaches for Klaus, flailing his limbs with little care to the fact that he has no power in his current situation. Klaus responds with the same level of care, ending him before he can even so much as land a blow.

Before he can even let the body slide to the floor, another has his hands on the back of Klaus' shirt, pulling him down. Klaus rounds on him, using his hand to separate the vampire's head from his shoulders. Even though she has just witnessed an easy death, still another launches herself at him.

And joins her comrade on the ground.

He realizes there is a certain frenzy in the crowd. There are no calls for his head, no speeches of how they have spent too long under his boot. They are simply attempting to destroy everything they put their hands on.

Since there appears to be no reasoning with them, he lets go of reason altogether and throws himself completely into the fray. There is something liberating in moments like this. He can forget who he is. Forget everything that has come before (the pain, he can forget all the pain). He can give himself wholly over to instinct.

However, that doesn't mean he does not have enough consciousness left in him to note how one of their would be attackers has reached the steps.

(Hope)

"Sister!"

Freya turns her head to the side, seeing the stray. She moves with purpose, casting him back into the crowd and causing him to remain on the ground writhing in agony.

Klaus bounds right for him, determined to punish him for getting anywhere near his daughter.

After he has viciously robbed the man of his throat, he turns to face the next. This is a face he knows; this is a name he can easily pluck from his memory. Because of that, some reason creeps back in.

"Desmond." He spits the copper from his mouth as his furious mind puts together the pieces. "This is your doing is it? Repayment for the loyalty I have shown you? Did I not give you your reward soon enough?" There is a different reward waiting in the wings now but first he has to hear Desmond say it. He has to admit that Klaus has wronged him somehow (and once again Klaus will have been right to withhold his affection; they all turn on him in the end).

Desmond does not give Klaus any satisfaction. Like the rest, he simply moves with destruction as his purpose. Klaus waits until the final second before engaging. But he does not kill immediately (nor will any part of him take the time to consider why that is). Instead the pair tumble to the ground. Klaus uses his fists to bloody Desmond's face.

"I gave you more than I have given a vampire your age in a long time," he says. He knows deep down he is still determined to get the confession of betrayal from him. He will beat it from him if that is what it takes. He sets about attaining his goal with vigor, pummeling his so called protege. Desmond fights back but he is clearly no match for Klaus' strength.

But he still remains silent.

Finally, Klaus' restraint snaps, and with a growl, he buries his fangs in Desmond's neck.

X

Bonnie has explained her current situation (and its reasoning) to him as many ways as she can. He has fallen silent but it is not an easy peace. She rests her chin on his shoulder, her arms tightly around him. She desperately wants him to understand but she knows it is out of her reach (like so many things when it comes to him).

"You must hear that, Bonnie," Enzo whispers.

She stills before she pulls back to look at him with confusion. She shakes her head. "I just hear you."

"You need to listen," he tells her as his hands move to cup her face. "Truly listen."

She forces herself to do just that. At first her original answer remains true. She can only hear Enzo's breathing, perhaps the breeze playing in the curtains at the window. But slowly, it seeps in - the sound of brutality.

Bonnie's body jerks hard enough for it all to fall away. One moment he is in front of her and the next she is alone on the hard floor. She has no idea how long she has been sitting there. Nor does she take a moment to find out. Instead she is scrambling to her feet and throwing open the door to take in the chaos below.

It all looks so strange to her: Klaus and Elijah fighting their way through a crowd of vampires while Freya picks off any that get past them. She wonders for a brief moment if she is dreaming but in the end, she knows this is because of her.

Lavinia is being creative.

She uses her suspicions to propel herself forward. She reaches Freya in record time. "This is her, I know it," she says before tossing her magic at a vampire who had been about to leap on Klaus' back. She barely feels the twinge at her hip; her focus is elsewhere.

"It would explain a thing or two," Freya counters. "Most of all, how mindless they are. Like they are…"

"...being controlled," Bonnie finishes. That means that somewhere close by is another witch. She doesn't think (nor does she listen to Freya's protest) She just moves, descending the stairs and staying as best she can to the edges of the fight. A vampire tries to pull her in but ends up on his knees, hands clutching at his temples as the blood vessels in his brain burst and then mend themselves only to break once more.

Bonnie finds no obvious sign of Lavinia's influence in the courtyard (then again, it is hard to make sense of anything with how quickly the vampires move to try and take down the Mikaelson brothers). She steps over one of the fallen and it hits her.

The unmistakable hint of magic.

Like a moth to a flame, she follows the heat of it and is led right out the front door of the Abattoir. Even in the middle of the night, there are some that stumble down the sidewalks laughing. She ignores them, just as they ignore her (or perhaps they can't see her or the woman she stares at), stepping into the street to face her foe. Her heart twists.

"Sasha…"

Only this is not Sasha anymore. Her hair, which Bonnie had once said reminded her of a wildfire, has dulled and her skin has taken on a greyish tone. And her eyes - gone is the bright blue, replaced by Lavinia's signature white. Her friend has been hollowed out and filled with malicious intent.

"You should have come peacefully," Sasha chastises (even her voice sounds different somehow, an echo of its former self). "All this bloodshed is on your head, Bonnie."

She knows there is some truth to that statement but the reality of it all is far more complicated than that. Besides, right now, she has no time for guilt. There is a war raging on behind her and while she does not doubt the outcome, she is worried as to what it may do to her tentative alliance. She needs Klaus after all.

"I am sorry for what she did to you, Sasha," Bonnie says even though she knows that Sasha can no longer hear her. "I wish I could have saved you."

"You didn't," Sasha (Lavinia) taunts in return. "You left me to her. You left me to be drained dry. Did you even think of me after you ran like the coward you proved yourself to be? Or once I was out of sight did you not think of me until this very moment?"

The former of course. Bonnie has thought of Sasha and Eve often and hoped against everything that they managed to slip away as she had.

(she has always known their fate and although this moment surprises her, it has been coming for some time now)

"You won't make me feel bad for leaving, Lavinia." She speaks to the woman behind the mask now. There is little sense in trying to plead for forgiveness from someone who will only throw her words back at her.

What is left of Sasha jerks forward. The time for talking is over.

Perhaps Lavinia has sent Sasha in hopes that Bonnie will hesitate to use magic against her friend. She has no such qualms. In fact, she hopes that her actions will free Sasha instead. She takes a deep breath as her magic pools in her stomach. She decides she will send it forth in one large burst. Her previous encounter has taught her that Lavinia will use Sasha until the bitter end. If Bonnie can just end it quickly, she will spare Sasha's body some of the respect it deserves.

In her arrogance, Lavinia must read her body language as the hesitation she so badly wants. She uses Sasha to laugh at Bonnie. "You can't do it can you? You can't use your magic against your friend. You cared for her, didn't you? The sisterhood of witches. I gave you that. My price is steep but never forget that I gave you that."

Bonnie will never forget. Despite everything, she did have that sisterhood she had always craved. She will not let Lavinia taint it for her any further. Which is why she sends everything she has towards Sasha.

When she is drained, Sasha is at her feet. She immediately kneels down beside her fallen friend. She can't help but move Sasha's hair away from her face. Features that had just been marred with hate now appear more familiar, more peaceful. She is free from Lavinia's curse.

At least Bonnie has been able to do that for her.