Author's Note: Thank you again for your continued support. I appreciate every little comment that is left. It means the world of difference to authors. Threads of my tale are starting to come together as we head into the final stretch!

Part Ten: an extraordinary weapon

Klaus supposes that for a war council this will have to do.

The two of them are sitting at a table that might collapse beneath them. He no longer is covered in the remnants of his night well spent (and he is honestly saddened by this). More importantly, he has spoken with Hope. Although he had kept the conversation light, he heard the gravity in her voice. She knows far too much and he has no idea how to shield her from it anymore. But still, even the smallest exchange of words between them is enough to ground him in some sense.

Bonnie is eating and Klaus realizes that he has never truly considered just how much food she can pack away in that tiny body of hers. Her table manners leave something to be desired but he doesn't correct her. Instead he watches, fascinated.

"If you want, you can tuck some away in your cheek. For later," he comments dryly.

She stops, mid chew, and tries her best to give him a menacing look. With her cheeks slightly puffed out she looks absolutely ridiculous. He knows that if he laughs he is risking injury. On any other occasion, he would gladly indulge himself but the peace they have is tenuous at best. One wrong move, one careless word and they will be back to where they were the night before.

Hardly conducive to winning.

With that in mind, he swallows back the quip on his tongue and concentrates on their battle plan. She has freed her magic completely. He sees the minor shifts in the cabin (suddenly that broken window is no longer a problem). But more importantly, he can feel it. It is as if she is humming now and the vibrations are not subtle as they bounce off of him. He can't help but want to shift uncomfortably. That raw power - he knows the sting of it all too personally. But at the same, no matter what the risk may be, he also is drawn in by it. Like a moth to the flame.

"You've decided to become a homing beacon," he concludes when she finally pushes away her empty plate.

Bonnie brushes crumbs from the corner of her mouth. He thinks that she looks pleased with herself. As if she knows he can feel her magic reaching out to give him a teasing slap. "Well, we want Lavinia to come straight here, right? I figure if I am glowing in the dark, she won't lose her way anymore."

"And when she gets here?"

She frowns, pushing her eyebrows together as she does so. "You kill her."

"Just like that?" he questions, leaning forward (invading her space just a little as he does). He folds his hands on the table top, ignoring how it wobbles slightly at the added weight. "It sounds simple enough."

"Shouldn't it be?" Bonnie asks. "I mean - that's why I came to you in the first place. I needed someone bigger than her to take her head off. You're bigger than her. In fact, you often brag that you're the biggest." She leans back in her chair and crosses her arm. "Are you telling me now that you don't think you are up to the task? Because if so, why the hell am I wasting my time in some backwater cabin?"

Klaus bristles just a little bit under the implication of her words. He knows he is prone to grandiose gestures to prove he is the biggest (and therefore the baddest) but he has to be practical here. If they want to achieve her endgame, they have to consider all possibilities. They have to be prepared. To do anything less would be foolish.

"I am capable of the task, little witch," he says evenly.

"Then what is the problem?" She counters and he thinks that she slaps him again with a wave of power (just because she can).

Klaus waits a beat (his temper demands it) and then sighs. He realizes as he does so that he sounds very much like Elijah in those moments his brother is trying to epouse wisdom to him. He is infinitely glad that Elijah has already left. He has no desire to be on the receiving end of one of Elijah's patent knowing looks. "I sometimes forget that no one has bothered to teach you proper battle strategy. You are an extraordinary weapon but you have no idea how to take advantage of that fact."

Bonnie looks as if she does not know whether he has just paid her an insult or a compliment. "Probably because I don't fight wars."

He does laugh now, heartedly. "Oh come now, Bonnie. You told me you traveled the world on an exploration of self discovery. Lying to one's self is considered a backwards step now isn't it?" He raises a brow to punctuate the question. He doesn't need her answer (nor does he particularly care if she wants to protest). "You've been fighting a war since you were a teenager - all full of fire and reckless courage. Admirable but you would be better off if you thought like a warrior."

"You mean if I thought like you," she concludes and the look on her face tells just what she thinks of that.

"Not necessarily," he corrects and even smiles because he catches her off guard. It would be easy to assume that his ego demands everyone fall into line as carbon copies of himself. He loathes the idea, especially when it comes to creatures like her. There is only one her in this world and although she needs a firm hand (his hand) to guide her through what is coming, he prefers it that way.

(maybe because he will one day relish in defeating the only her there is)

For a moment, Klaus forgets that they are supposed to be talking specifically about Lavinia and not their dueling philosophies. He resets the conversation. "Look, I know you came here expecting me to do all the heavy lifting…"

"I am giving you one hell of a spell in return," she reminds him.

He holds up a hand to wave off her outburst. "But we need to be smart about this. Lavinia has proven at this point that she is not one who likes to get her hands dirty. When she shows up here, she is not liable to be alone. Last night…" And he watches her still at the mention of it, obviously guilty. He can work with that. "...you were not able to contribute fully to the events that unfolded. You may have played a role in ending it but there was some measure of luck in that. That won't happen again. Lavinia has escalated to where only a full on assault will do. So, with that in mind, we need to make sure that you are ready to do your part."

She looks ready to argue but instead she sighs (and it sounds nothing like Elijah and more like a petulant child instead). "What do you have in mind?"

X

Bonnie stands in the warm sun and wonders why the hell she would agree to anything like this.

He is directly across from her, standing tall with his facial features passive. He truly is embracing his role as her teacher, isn't he? She supposes he has centuries of knowledge floating around in his head and he is struggling to know just what to 'gift' her. She would very much like to save him the trouble but she knows that this (whatever this is) is necessary to placate him. After last night, if he has to wax poetic about the virtues of becoming a warrior, she will listen.

Well, to a point. She is only human in some respects.

"We're not seriously going to fight, are we?" she asks after he is quiet for too long. "I think we have enough practice in that regard. It doesn't always end well for you." Whoops, there is that human part of her, goading him when she really should just keep her mouth shut. Somehow she doesn't think mocking him will help them in the long run. He obviously takes pride in his ability to destroy his enemy. Reminding him that it hasn't always worked might provoke him into trying again.

This whole being on the same side thing is confusing enough as it is.

Klaus doesn't react like she thinks he will. He grins, before inclining his head as if he is awarding her a point. "You are correct in that. Of all the beings I have ever encountered, you have come the closest to killing me."

Bonnie can't help but stand just a little bit taller herself.

"Which means you have the potential to be truly lethal. We just have to tap into it properly." He has the audacity to cross his arms and move to circle her as if he is inspecting her for those glaring flaws he has pinned on her. "What is your greatest strength?"

Bonnie turns her head to catch a glimpse of him over her shoulder. She throws him a look at the same time. This is an obvious question and she resents him for asking it. "Well, it certainly isn't my size."

"True. Your diminutive stature is not something that will win you a fight on its own…" He is right behind her, his laugh bouncing off her back in a way that makes her bristle with the kind of anger that will more than fill her so-called tiny frame. "...but it can be used to your advantage if you are smart about it. In this case though, we are talking about your magic."

"Obviously," she quips and she does her best to rein in her sarcasm. Take this more seriously, Bonnie. You agreed to this after all. "I may not have the power of a hundred witches anymore but I still know what I am doing. I mean this as no offense…" Okay, maybe a little offense. "...but I don't know what you think you can teach me about magic, Klaus."

"True, I do not possess any but I have known many that have…"

"Your mother," she concludes.

"You're not the first witch who has willingly fought by my side," he says and he is lobbying back that little barb she had sent in his direction in the first place.

"Our definitions of willingly are very much dependent on circumstance." She finally turns so she can catch him behind her. "Stop prowling." She has it in mind to reach out to grab his arm to still him but she holds back.

He seems oblivious to annoyance (or more likely, he is fueling it). He simply continues along his train of thought as if she hasn't been actively trying to derail it. "One thing I do understand about magic is that it is finite."

He's got her there. She presses her lips together, annoyed that he has gone straight to the fatal flaw of having the kind of power that she does. She can take down so many things, bringing them to their knees and make them beg. But she has let herself come back to nature, to rest her magic and let it rebuild itself. When she was young, she had used her magic with little regard to this idea but now she chooses her spells more wisely. She has to. She is strong but she is not immortal.

"Don't look so wounded, little witch," he chides and then for good measure clucks his tongue. "It is not through any fault of your own. Every species has its limitations."

"Even yours," she shoots back, wanting to dig into his side just a little.

"Even mine," he agrees, keeping her on her toes. "So with that in mind, let us talk about other ways to defend yourself so that you can save your magic for those who truly deserve it." He pauses and then grins. "Like me." He has stolen the words right off the tip of her tongue.

Bonnie steadies herself with another deep breath and then nods her head. "I know how to throw a punch," she tells him. "So don't start there. I've had plenty of practice in my travels."

For a moment, he finally looks knocked off whatever center he has set himself on for this exchange. "Some day, you will tell me a story that ends with you throwing a perfect punch," he says and she realizes from the tone of his voice that it is not a request. "But for now, let's think about our potential enemies."

"Witches - although they won't be in control of themselves," Bonnie concludes, her voice drops off. She finally truly thinks about what she had done the previous night. She has finally put Sasha to rest. Although she knows it was the right thing to do, it still hurts. She can't help but think of the sisterhood she had with her. And with Eve. She may have to do the same to Eve before this is all said and done. In a way, she looks forward to it because no one should have to become what Lavinia has made them. It is a mockery of the powerful witches they were meant to be.

But still, she will mourn (just a few more names to add to the list of those she has lost).

Klaus' voice brings her back to the present. "Yes, which unfortunately makes them unpredictable," he concedes. "I am assuming you will have to fight magic with magic."

Bonnie nods her head. "There goes a part of my reserve."

If he senses that she is not taking this as seriously as he means it, he doesn't call her on it. Instead he changes his focus. "Which leaves vampires," he points out. "She proved last night that she has no qualms against throwing them onto the fire as a distraction."

"Again, magic."

"Not necessarily," Klaus counters and she gives him a curious look. "Here is where you can pick and choose to use your magic more carefully. Especially if she has placed them in the same frenzy as before. They will be little more than rabid beasts only after one thing."

"My blood," she finishes. This is not a pretty picture that he is painting. But he has a point. If Lavinia decides to throw everything at them for their final showdown (because that is what they have built themselves towards; even now she feels as if there is a timer counting down until the inevitable), she has to pick and choose how she defends herself. She can't find herself standing in front of Lavinia with nothing left to give.

Klaus nods his head. "A witch's blood is especially enticing. A siren call…" His eyes close slightly as if he is remembering something she doesn't want to be any part of. She almost snaps her fingers to bring him back to attention but thankfully he does it on his own. Still, the look in his eyes causes her to shift her weight from one foot to the other, the move unconscious and no doubt analyzed by him.

"In this state, they will be much easier to defeat using more artless methods - but I am afraid that a straight forward punch won't cut it," he admits. "Although it might knock them off kilter long enough to land a more decisive blow."

"Let's practice and find out," she suggests, her smile wide and stance shifting as if she is really going to bury her fist in the side of his face.

Klaus lifts his brows as if he is considering the idea and then suddenly he is moving towards her, impossibly fast. Her sly mood slips away, replaced by a burst of adrenaline that manifests as fear. Before he can slam into her, she does what comes natural. She sends out a burst of energy and watches as he skids across the ground, landing in a seated position. Her eyes are impossibly wide and her chest heaves.

"What the hell was that?"

Klaus leans back on his elbows, looking only slightly worse for wear. "Do you think we sit around and wait for a fight to begin?"

She manages to bring herself back down enough to roll her eyes. "I am not sorry."

"I didn't expect you to be," he answers. "You did what came natural and protected yourself. Now, let's try it again and this time, let's leave magic out of the equation." He hops to his feet with an agility that must lend itself to his kind.

This time she notes how his head dips and she steels herself, consciously pushing her magic back to think of some other way to get around what is about to happen. Unfortunately, she is putting far too much effort into ignoring who she is to actually concentrate on the problem at hand. Those precious seconds give him just enough time to slam into her. She lets all the air out of her lungs in one big whoosh and stumbles. Before she can fall back, his arms band around her and she is lifted off her feet. She is left blinking and staring down at his (thankfully human) face.

"Put me down," she says evenly. Klaus holds for one second more and then lets go. She holds her balance and finally says what she has been thinking all along. "This is pointless, Klaus! I am a witch. When it comes to things like you, magic is my only solution!"

There is a flash of victory on his face and she thinks this is not about teaching her anything. This is about getting a fully sanctioned chance to terrorize her. To attack her. She feels her temper raise and that magic she had just ignored springs back to life. She can feel it in every part of her and he has the good sense to set his face into something more passive.

"You think that because it is how you have done things all along. Calling on your magic is second nature at this point. Maybe you do not need to use it to the extent that you have." She must look confused (because she certainly feels that way). He continues, "Think of your gift. Think of all the wonderful things it has given you. Instead of the output of power, lean another one of those gifts."

Bonnie thinks he is talking himself in circles. She thinks of her magic and all she can see is him sitting on the ground, with grass stains on his pants from where she has forced him to slide through the dirt. As a result, she finds herself picked up not once, not twice, but three more times. When he places her back on the ground once more, she is angry. But surprisingly, it is not with him. It is with herself. He is challenging her to prove herself to him and she hates that she is falling short. She can't lose to him. It isn't who she is. She has never conceded to Klaus Mikaelson - she will not start now.

"One more time," she commands when she notices the look on his face. He wants to move on. Not yet. Give her one more chance.

She takes a deep breath and allows just a hint of magic to come to the surface. Instead of casting it in his direction, it flows to the area around them. She sees the way the trees bend in the winds, how each blade of grass moves in time. An intricate dance of nature. She is so focused on it that she doesn't see him move. At the last second, she falls to her knees to touch the ground and his arm goes over top of her. He gets air and she gets her freedom. She has a smile on her face as she looks over her shoulder to see him standing over her. "That was better."

He returns her smile.

When they square off again, she is looking to perfect the technique she has just discovered. She once again allows nature to come to her but instead of moving at her, he moves around her. Instead of simply lifting her feet from the earth, he bands an arm around her waist, tilts her head to the side and buries his face in her neck.

Bonnie sucks in a breath.

"What if one were to come from behind?" He whispers, his breath damp against her skin.

When she jerks her body in both directions, a very human action to free herself, he simply clamps down his hold. Her eyes are on water in front of them, lapping against the rotten dock. She doesn't see the same subtle shifts in nature. She is too distracted by how close he is.

(how close he is to something intimate)

"I could sink my teeth into your neck," he continues. "Right here and now. I can practically feel the warmth of your blood on my lips, taste it…"

She is not really listening. Nor is she thinking of some modified way to slip out of this. Instead she is caught in a memory. A time when she trusted someone enough (loved him enough) to invite him into a moment like this. He had been more gentle of course. His fingers had played with her hair instead of tugging at it. He had pressed a kiss to the soft skin of her neck in a gesture of love and gratitude where as Klaus drags his teeth over her vein to show her just what a precarious position she is in. The move does serve to pull her back to the surface, leaving that moment and how much it had meant to the both of them in her past.

"Klaus…" she begins and her voice is sharp, teetering on the edge of far too many emotions. She hopes he takes it for what it is - a warning. She doesn't want to learn anymore. She can't. Not now.

"I can only imagine what one such as yourself would taste like."

He isn't listening. Not in the way she needs him to. So she does what she does best. She summons everything she has and gives it to him. This time when he flies across the space, there is real purpose behind it. She hears the sickening crack of his body hitting something (a tree perhaps) but she does not look back. Nor does she think about what she has just done.

She simply retreats into the relative safety of the cabin.

X

Surprisingly, he had none gone after her.

Instead of moving to rip her throat out, Klaus had lain on the ground where she had deposited him while the pain subsided. He knows now that he had been too close to giving into temptation. He had not lied to her about the potency of witch blood. In those few moments, he had thought of nothing else than how she would taste. He had imagined it as his eyes turned a yellowish hue and his teeth dragged across her skin. He had been so focused on what he could not have that he missed the signs - he had crossed the line.

Worst of all, he couldn't even enjoy that fact.

A few weeks ago, Klaus would have gladly invaded every single boundary with glee. Now they are trapped in some kind of mutually beneficial standoff that is hard to wrap his vengeful mind around. He cannot wait until the relationship settles into what it is meant to be and he can repeat the moment that has just occurred without any ounce of remorse.

He does not see her for the rest of the afternoon. He does not try to either. He refuses to apologize for who he is (and he had been only trying to teach her to use her magic more wisely after all). When she does not appear, not even for food, by the time the sun has gone down, he finds himself in the strange position of sitting at the table listening. It is not hard to hone in on her heartbeat. It is strong and steady. She would not like him eavesdropping in his own way but he is curious as to why she is taking this so personally. After all, she had handed him a defeat in the end (his ego demands the reminder that it is only temporary).

Finally he decides he has better things to worry about.

When he calls Hope once more, she is in her bedroom. Her mother is just about to put her to bed. "I am really tired," she tells him after describing every minute detail of her day. "I bet I'll sleep and dream about stars tonight."

"That sounds peaceful," Klaus tells her quietly. He knows there will be no peace for him tonight. No sleep either. In this moment, with his daughter's voice sounding so far away, he wishes that he could be there. That he could see the smile on her face as she predicts the image that will dance through her mind. He could sleep too. He could lay at her altar and find the peace that he needs.

When he hears her yawn, he knows he has to let her go. "I will be home soon."

"I know," Hope says and the confidence in her voice has him immediately believing that it will be so. There is a span of silence and then instead of saying goodnight, Hope takes a turn Klaus is not expecting. "You should go find Bonnie. She is on the beach and she is not alone. It's not safe there."

Klaus blinks.

Then his daughter is cheerfully wishing him goodnight and hanging up before he has a chance to even question what she means. Klaus stares at the phone. Then he listens once again - the heartbeat is right where he left it. Still, he can't help but wonder what the hell his daughter has been trying to say. He glances at the ceiling and then decides that her privacy is less important than the curiosity he feels right now.

As soon as he places a foot on the first step, he feels it. A wave of magic that only grows stronger the higher he climbs. He almost retreats by the time he comes to stand at her door. The air is thick with power and it does not want him around.

He knocks at first, deciding that one crossed line is enough for one day. When he is met with silence, Klaus once again fills it with her heartbeat. The sound is loud in his ears and stays there as he knocks again, calling her name first softly and then with an air of authority. Finally, he does away with his manners, driven by just a tiny sliver of panic (Hope has never been wrong before).

He finds her sitting on the floor. She doesn't budge even as he opens it with enough force to have it slap against the wall. He stands there for a moment, confused as to what he is seeing. Her head is bowed, her eyes are closed, her hands are pressed together.

"A spot of meditation, love?" he quips as he finally steps over the barrier and fully into her territory. She does not react, not even the slightest. If it had not been for the heartbeat, Klaus would swear he is looking at death.

He has to kneel down in front of her. He has to reach out and touch her. She is warm, she is breathing but she is not there. At least not properly. His eyes search the room for any clue and finally find it in the dust that surrounds them. Symbols. They are faint but deliberate enough for him to know that the marks have meaning.

He reaches out again, taking his shoulders and giving her a good shake. "Bonnie!" His voice has taken on an angry tone. Whatever she has done to herself - it does not sit well with him. He tells himself the worry he feels comes from the idea of losing the magic she has promised him.

She remains almost catatonic and his hands slip from her shoulders. He notices how she clutches her necklaces between her fingers, gripping it as if it is some sort of lifeline. Feeling like he has nothing to lose, Klaus reaches for it, intending to rip it away in hopes of pulling her back with it.

Instead he finds himself on a beach.

X

Bonnie rests her head on Enzo's chest, her eyes closed and her mouth slack. Despite turmoil curling in her stomach, she believes she can relax and be happy. She just has to try a little harder. The water laps at the shore next to them and there is a faint breeze. She feels him stir and she tightens her grip, wanting to push back at any negativity that she is feeling. "Do you remember?" she begins. "Do you remember when I finally let you bite me?"

Enzo's head dips and his chin comes to rest on the crown of her head. His hands move up the length of her arms and back down again, causing her to shiver in just the right way. "Of course I do," he answers. "You trusted me completely."

"I did." The moment had been about that trust and had been nothing like what Klaus had tried to do hours earlier. Enzo's fingers now dance over the very same skin that Klaus' teeth had nearly marred. It is like he knows. With him, she can let go of everything that the world continues to throw at her.

"You still trust me?" Enzo asks.

"I do," she confirms.

"Then you know what I am going to say."

Bonnie takes a deep breath and tips her head back, her eyes opening so she can meet his. "You can't ask me to do that. It's not fair."

"I know, I know." He moves to soothe her. "But sooner or later, you have to. You have to let me go."

Before she can answer, another voice cuts through the night, bringing with it a sickening feeling in her stomach.

"What the hell is going on?"

She has her fingers curled in Enzo's shirt as she turns to look at the source.

Klaus.