Author's Note: Thank you all for your lovely response to the last chapter. It was a rough journey to get Klaus and Bonnie to that position but I was so happy that you loved the idea of them working together in the manner that they did. We are down to the last two chapters. Hopefully you enjoy how things weave together for the end.

Part Fourteen: how strong you are

Klaus can hear the trickle of water behind him and feel the cold stone beneath him. But that is not what he focuses on. Instead, he hones in on her shallow attempts to breathe and feels how she is slumped against him. It won't be long now.

He dips his head, brushing his nose across the crown of her hair. He feels something inside of him twist so tightly that he is forced to suck in the stale air around them to keep from crying. He can't let himself go. He has a reputation to maintain (in truth, he wants to be strong for her). She has told him that she will be immortal and he hopes she is right. He hopes that he carries her with him wherever he goes.

Fingers trace over his cheeks and his head jerks down. Although her eyes are closed, Camille's hand has reached up to brush over his skin. He relishes in the touch even if he doesn't fully understand how it is possible.

(because it isn't)

Klaus' eyes shoot open and instead of the sky above Jackson Square he finds himself looking up at a canopy of trees. It is such a vivid change that he nearly bolts straight up but there is something so soothing about the way her hand cups his face that he settles, pressing his back against the ground once more.

"Camille…" Her name slips out before he can stop it. Even though he knows it is not possible. Even though he knows she is dead and he is very much alive. He gives himself a moment to feel that and then finally looks at Bonnie.

She actually looks relieved.

It is such a strange sight, her features knitted tightly together with concern as her fingers dance across his face. He can't help but laugh just a little, the action provoking an ache in his side. He is still recovering it seems. Whatever's just happened has taken quite a toll on him. The missing time comes back to him in bits and pieces - Bonnie latching onto him, pulling his strength (and everything else with it) to add to her own. In the end, Lavinia had been simply short circuited. It is not glorious death and he feels robbed in some manner.

And used.

His arm lashes out and he wraps his fingers around the back of Bonnie's neck to pull her close to him. They are eye to eye now, noses practically touching. He hopes she can see the rage in his eyes. "You nearly killed me," he spits and this close up he can smell the sweat that clings to her skin. The blood too. He aches to taste it all. Maybe Bonnie Bennett doesn't need a glorious death either. Or maybe he just needs revenge more. He can drain here and now and leave her next to her twisted mentor.

Bonnie's hands have slipped down, bracing on his chest to keep her from tumbling over on top of him. "It was Hope," she blurts quickly.

The mere mention of his daughter's name stills him and he hates that she knows him well enough to understand that throwing Hope's name out is akin to throwing cold water on the flames. He forces himself to take a deep breath and speak in a measured manner (but he does not let her go). "Explain."

Bonnie relaxes just a little; he can feel how her head shifts under his hand. He tightens his grip to ensure that she is not trying to wriggle her way free. She doesn't move any further and instead begins to explain. He finds himself on the receiving end of an incredulous tale involving her moving from the cabin to Hope's bedroom in a blink of an eye, cryptic messages and Hope whispering in her ear. "I thought maybe I was just replaying what she told me as my mind tried to work it out," Bonnie says, her voice hinting at her continued confusion. "But now I am not so sure. Maybe she was here. Trying to tell me that the only way we could beat her was to give her a dose of the two of us. Lavinia couldn't handle it."

Klaus lets her go.

Bonnie leans back as he sits up. They are still on the ground but he is paying no mind to his surroundings. He is thinking over what Bonnie has just told him. He has always known his daughter is special. One of a kind. Powerful - that last part has scared him from the very moment he held her. Even as tiny as she had been, he had sensed it: her magic. Since that day, he has tried his best to nurture it while at the same time not letting it overwhelm him. Hayley and Freya have helped but it seems that their efforts are not as effective as they had believed. Hope is beyond what they have imagined.

Therefore he does not doubt Bonnie's story one bit.

He finally pulls himself to his feet. After a beat or two, he thrusts his hand in her direction. She looks up at him with a healthy bit of skepticism (he is secretly amused by this) but in the end, she allows him to help her up. They are silent as they survey the scene around them. It is littered with the body of witches that were not as lucky as Bonnie. In the center is their tormentor. Lavinia's features are screwed up in a lasting look of confusion and pain.

Klaus has fulfilled his end of the bargain. Now he looks to Bonnie, wondering what a proper price is for all this. It seems supremely wrong to take her life now - after all, he has expelled a great deal of himself to avoid that ending. But still, he is owed something. It is on the tip of his tongue to demand something outrageous, something that will take decades for her to repay.

Instead, he turns on his heels and begins to walk back towards the cabin.

X

Bonnie stands on the docks, a cup of coffee in her hand. It is early morning and considering how little sleep she has had in the last twenty four hours, she is going to need all the caffeine she can get.

After he had left her in the woods, she had looked back to those witches - the ones who should have never been there in the first place. It had been an easy decision not to leave them like that but a hard task to remedy it. In the end, he had helped her, a move that surprised her. They had not said more than a few words to each other at a time, seemingly preferring the task to actually touching on all the unspoken things between them. Together they had laid all of Lavinia's wraiths to rest properly, with Bonnie standing over each of them to wish them well on their way.

They had given Lavinia's body to the alligators. She had felt a perverse sort of satisfaction as they walked her slip under the murky greenish waters. A few moments later there had been a series of ripples and splashes that should have turned her stomach. Instead, she felt a sense of peace.

She still feels it now as she sips her coffee. Her eyes move across the water, quiet and still now. She may be utterly exhausted but she doesn't truly care about that right now. She would rather embrace all that is going on inside of her. For the first time in a long time, she is free. She can feel it, as if Lavinia's death had severed some tether that kept her leashed to pain, fear and death. Despite the discomfort her body is still working through, she feels light. Like she wants to throw her magic into the air in a brilliant display because she can. She truly can. Her magic is hers once more.

Of course, she doesn't give into that urge. She is still recharging sort to speak. She had given Lavinia more power than she had intended to and it will be a day or two before she is doing anything beyond lighting a candle. Being here, surrounded by nature, breathing in the air (heavy as it is), is helping her along. She can't stay here forever. It is not realistic. Not just this cabin in this moment but New Orleans overall. This is not her home, not even close. She needs to figure out which path to take and where it will lead her. Knowing that the options are nearly limitless, it is a daunting task.

The dock bobs slightly, adjusting to Klaus' weight as he moves to stand next to her. Like her, he looks for any sign that Lavinia has been rejected by the creatures of the bayou (she would not have blamed them, honestly). There is a slight smile on his lips before he turns to face her. "We need to go back to New Orleans."

She figures he is itching to get out of here and back to Hope. She is not quite in the same hurry. Here is one of those paths. She can tell him to leave her here. But she holds back on fully embracing that idea. He hasn't spoken about their botched deal or the angry words he had flung had her before Lavinia interrupted them. He hasn't spoken about the memories that had flooded into her mind when they were connected. She wants to ask about both but she also knows that there is a benefit to her in leaving sleeping dogs to lie. She has a feeling that if she tries to stay here she will be taking a very big stick and slapping that dog over the head.

So she simply nods her head and finishes her coffee.

X

He reasons that he will feel more like himself when he is home.

They are close.

Klaus' body hums in anticipation. He feels a surge of emotion as he pictures Hope, the happiness sweeping over any residual sense of weakness that had plagued him since last night. He knows it will not last forever. He just needs to give it time. It is not something he is used to and therefore a part of him can't help but be frightened (not that anyone, especially the passenger next to him, will never know that).

He spares Bonnie a glance to find that she is resting her head against the window, mirroring their escape from New Orleans. He can tell that she wants to sleep but there is no way she is going to let her guard down around him. Especially given the strange place they are in this moment. He is not the only one who senses it. The looks she has given him since he had returned to find her trying to give the unnamed witches he had slaughtered a proper resting place had been nothing short of quizzical.

Thankfully they aren't talking about it.

Klaus would have a hard time truly trying to work through it. He had been so angry with her before Lavinia showed up. Truthfully, it had been the closest he had come to killing her since they crossed paths in the Gilbert home as Kol's body lay nearby. He could taste her death on his tongue. Yet right now, she is fighting exhaustion within arms reach. He is loathed to think that somehow their brief connection has softened him (he will never be soft, at least not the eyes of those who are his enemies).

Perhaps he can brood over it with a bourbon later. Now, he is killing the engine and opening the door at the same time. He can hear Bonnie exit the vehicle behind him but does not wait. He can't anymore. Not when he hears life within the walls of the Abattoir. He quickens his steps and when he reaches the courtyard, he feels perfectly strong again.

Freya is the first to notice. She is walking around the balcony above when she spots Klaus. Her face breaks into a grin and she somehow manages to take multiple steps at once without falling at his feet. Her arms are warm around him and she gives him a quick (but tight) squeeze. Her eyes glitter with excitement as she stands in front of Klaus and Bonnie. "You did it."

Klaus nods his head.

"I knew you would," Freya adds, looking from him to Bonnie. She reaches out her hands and Bonnie automatically takes them. The two seem to speak without saying anything at all and once again Klaus is reminded of the bond between witches. For a moment he is standing on the outside looking in.

Then he is shutting everyone else out. Everyone but one. He can hear her feet stomp across the courtyard and he turns just in time to catch her. Hope fits perfectly into his arms, her head burying itself into the crook of her neck. He cannot resist dipping his head so that his face is in her hair. He holds on as if she is his lifeline (she is).

"You're okay," Hope whispers, the gratitude evident in her voice.

"Thanks to you," Klaus counters immediately. "Thanks to how strong you are."

Hope pulls back, her hands resting on his shoulders. She gives him a strange look. "I am not strong like you. Like you and Bonnie together."

"I disagree," Klaus says with a small laugh, even as that familiar paternal fear stirs in his belly. There is so much about his daughter that he still does not understand (he doesn't know if he will ever fully understand her). He is only sure of one thing - he will do anything to protect her. Bonnie moves closer and he has to stifle a growl. Not because he thinks she is a threat to Hope but because he wants to claim this moment for himself. He wants to take Hope, walk up the stairs and shut them away in her bedroom so they can paint. Sort of like making up for lost time (and in the end, he will finally get some proper sleep, the first he has had in days).

"I got your message," Bonnie tells Hope, and there is awe in her voice. Klaus' anger at the intrusion quickly shifts to pride. "Thank you, Hope. I don't know what I would have done without it."

"I didn't say it like I should have," Hope says and her face falters.

"Hey, hey," Klaus chides, using a free hand to tip his daughter's chin so that they are once more looking one another in the eye. "You did something few other people can do. Now is not the time to get picky about particulars."

Bonnie nods her head. "Your father's right."

Hope seems placated and Klaus is reluctant to let her go, even when she squirms until he sets her on her feet. Thankfully, she takes his hand in hers. Elijah is the next to emerge, moving with the same noble air that he has clung to for centuries. While the sight of him in such a state usually causes Klaus to sneer (and then say something that very well could ignite a war of the words), he finds himself smiling instead. It is hardly as wide as the one he has given Hope but it is a smile nonetheless. The brothers lock eyes and then nod their heads, one at a time.

Freya rolls her eyes. "One of these days I am going to knock both your heads together."

He thinks he catches Bonnie biting her lip to keep from laughing. He takes a deep breath, knowing that he needs to do something before he fully can immesh himself back in his family. As much as he wants to paint (to sleep) he feels he must do this first - and it is a task that he cannot achieve alone.

"Bonnie," he says and turns his body towards her. She sobers up, the amusement falling from her face. "I need to talk to walk - and you need to come with me." His tone leaves no room for arguing. He feels Hope tighten her grip on his fingers and he kneels down in front of her, his smile returning. "I won't be gone long, Hope, I promise." He stands, and reluctantly pulls his hand free.

Klaus knows that Bonnie would rather stay here (with the relative safely his siblings provide) but one look from him and she is falling into step beside her. He moves with purpose, knowing exactly where he is going and how easily it is to get there. He has traveled this way often.

Just not in a long while.

X

"Her name was Camille."

Bonnie knows this already. It is the name he called when she had pulled him out his stupor the night before. More than that, she knows it is the face she had seen in her mind, the voice that had told her love would make her strong. She doesn't mention this. She has a feeling that he just wants her to listen. So she stands silently next to him, looking down at the stone face of the crypt.

"She was…" He shakes his head, his shuttering close and a small smile spreading across his mouth. "...there is no one else like her. She was filled with so much compassion. Too much maybe. Even when I pushed back at her, did things that she should not have forgiven me for...she always found it in her to see through the monster. She saw a better me; one I am still not certain I can ever believe in. She gave me so much to live up to." He pauses and glances at her, a hint of fear playing on his features. Bonnie wonders if he is afraid that she will mock him for being so open. Not a chance. She knows this pain, knows it intimately. It has been her constant companion for the past few years.

"I wanted to live up to all of it too," Klaus admits and then shakes his head. "I still do. I still try. It's not just for Camille anymore but for Hope too." His hand reaches out to trace along the letters that make up Camille's name. "I've been miserable at it lately."

"Because you miss her too much," Bonnie says quickly. There is that guilt again. She will never be fully rid of it and she supposes that is a good thing. It helps ground her. She will never go back to being that person who throws herself onto the fire automatically to save everyone else but she will still do what she can to help.

Klaus turns to look at her again. He waits a beat or two, his eyes tracing across the contours of her face to read her emotions. "You would have liked her, little witch," he decides. "Like you, she was too brave for her own good. She never once hesitated to tell me what she thought, even if it was the last thing I wanted to hear."

Bonnie grins. "You're right. Anyone who gives you a hard time is a-okay in my books." Her tone is light, teasing. Another strange moment between them but again she is not questioning it. When he had first pulled her away from his family reunion, she had assumed he was leading her to her execution. Even the sight of the cemetery had caused her stomach to flip inside out. Now, now, she is back to feeling peace - and a great deal of sympathy for Klaus' current state.

He leans over, brushing his hand over flowers that had been placed at Camille's altar long enough ago to leave them brown and dried out. He frowns. "I should have visited before today. I didn't feel like I could - she may be dead but there is a part of me that feels like she is still here, and she would be judging me for my choices as of late." He presses his mouth into a thin line. "Deservedly so."

She too leans down to the flowers, only when she touches them she closes her eyes. Her magic is still not fully itself yet but she stirs enough to finish the task. It takes a moment or two, but soon the flowers are back in full bloom, brightly and colored and cheerful at their feet. She stands back to her full height and pushes ahead. Time to address one of those unsaid things between them. "I am sorry, Klaus," she begins. It is such a strange sentence to utter but she knows she has to say it (if not for him, but her). "I knew when you asked me to bring her back that I couldn't. I just agreed to do it because I needed your help. I was tired of running, tired of looking over my shoulder. I wanted it to stop so I think I would have agreed to just about anything in that moment." She wonders if he has ever truly felt desperation but then she realizes she knows that answer. She had felt it when she saw him holding Camille in his arms as she slipped away. He would have done anything in that moment to change what was about to happen.

Still…

"I am not trying to excuse my behavior, Klaus," Bonnie continues. He has fallen uncharacteristically silent and she wonders if he is taking in what she is saying or plotting how to ruin her. "I can say that I didn't know your connection to her when you asked but I think I knew deep down. Because I've lost someone too and that kind of pain recognizes itself in another. So this is me, telling you I am truly sorry for not being able to give her back to you."

Klaus tears his gaze away, once again looking at the flowers. She can tell that her words have gotten through to him. He is hurting and wants to hide it from her. That's fair. They aren't at all in a position in each other's lives to be that open with something as delicate with grief. But she takes some solace in the fact that he actually listened.

"I know this doesn't help at all but I think you are right. I think she is still here in some way…" Those that leave have to be, otherwise she would have never been able to push herself into that little bubble she has with Enzo (another thing that she has to tackle, but not today, she is not ready to do that today). "And…" This time she reaches forward and places her hand against Camille's name. She sees Klaus tense and she wonders how badly he wants to rip her away from Camille's resting place. Once again, she lets her eyes flutter close and she wills her magic to give her this one last thing before she lets it rest for a good long while. It takes a moment or two but she feels it. The sensation fills her up and she can't help but smile. "And she's at peace, Klaus. I know it. I can feel it." She is tentative when she moves, taking her hand away from the stone to place it on her arm. He still has every muscle in his body tightly wound but she doesn't hold back. She takes the feeling that she has been given and she in turn gives it to him. She watches his face as he takes him what she has said and realizes that she is right.

"Okay," he says, his voice so quiet she wonders if she has heard him correctly in the first place. There is a deep breath and he nods his head. "Okay."