Author's Note: Well, this is it. This is the last chapter of this fic. I feel like it has been quite a journey - two years of writing on and off and then finally starting to publish in August of this year. I want to thank you for all the support and love. I appreciate it. There is a little post fic note at the end. I didn't want to put it here because it references the story. But once again, thank you for the bottom of my heart.

Part Fifteen: strongest of us all

It takes a few days for him to feel completely normal again.

Freya says that is to be expected. On his first night back, after Hope had fallen asleep (with him wanting to go right after her but forced to play brother instead), Klaus had explained to Freya just what had happened in the bayou.

"You know this means we will have to change how we deal with Hope's magic," Freya had told him quietly, her hand coming up to play with her necklace. She had appeared to be deep in thought. "She is going to be the strongest of us all one day."

Klaus had not argued.

He is rested now, having spent nearly eleven hours curled on the side of Hope's bed. He knows he has to start sleeping in his own bed once again but he figures that no one will begrudge him that first night. He had earned that right.

Bonnie too, has slept a great deal. In fact, as he sips his breakfast, she is still fast asleep on Rebekah's bed. They still haven't fully discussed payment for his good deed. Yes, they skirted around the issue while standing at Camille's grave but they did not make a new deal. He is still owed some kind of payment. Part of him wants to go shake her awake, slide a mimosa in her directions and demand that they talk terms. But he doesn't. He can't.

He realizes that things have changed. Neither of them want to acknowledge it aloud but he knows she senses it too.

It would be so easy to blame it on the power transfer. For a short period of time, he and Bonnie had been linked, sharing power, memories, emotions. He is willing to bet that he has left a piece of him in her somewhere and in turn, she has in him. It is a good excuse, something that neither of them have planned or can avoid. It removes them from being at fault for softening towards one another.

And maybe, it does play a bit of a role. But he is smarter than that. There is plenty more to unpack to fully understand why he is letting Bonnie sleep unharmed in his sister's bed.

He sees the way the others interact with her too. Yes, she and Elijah are frosty at best, having their own issues to climb over and Hayley is still the overprotective mother but in some ways, it feels as if Bonnie is slipping into a space that has been vacant for a long time. She and Freya discuss witch related things and he truly believes that if he leaves them to their own devices they will be thick as thieves before long (a dangerous prospect and one that he wonders if he should curb before it is too late). Add to that, Hope admires Bonnie. He doesn't know if it is her power or the way that she carries herself - he supposes it doesn't matter. All he knows is that Hope has a little bit of hero worshipping going on. He could be jealous (in fact, sometimes he is) but understands that she needs more people like Bonnie in her life. She needs the guidance of witches, ones that can help her understand just who she is. Finding those that he trusts enough to be around Hope is a difficult task. Thankfully, he has Freya to guide him.

He smiles into the rim of his glass just as Elijah enters.

"You are chipper this morning, brother." There is a hint of sarcasm in Elijah's voice, not uncommon for a greeting between the two of them.

"I am enjoying an exceptionally good vintage," Klaus counters. "It is hard to be grumpy while imbibing the essence of a young harpist."

Elijah screws his face up in a mixture of disgust and acceptance. "Yes, I suppose." He slides into a seat across from his brother and waits a beat. "But I suspect it is more than that." He tilts his head slightly and Klaus can practically feel his brother trying to pick him apart. He is used to such treatment and simply sighs.

"She's at peace, Elijah," he finally says and when Elijah furrows his brows he continues. "Camille - she's at peace. I felt it." That sensation is only a memory now but is a strong one and one he hopes he can hold onto as time continues to pass. "I never knew I needed that bit of information until it was told to me."

Elijah remains silent but he stretches out a hand, his fingers brushing over Klaus' knuckles in a gesture of support.

"Even if I could, bringing her back would only tear her away from that," Klaus says, voicing aloud a conclusion that he has come to over the last day or so. He shakes his head. "I would never want that for her. So instead, I have to learn to mourn her. Properly." He turns his palm upwards so that he can grip Elijah's hand. "Will you help me?"

"Always, brother."

X

"I need your help."

When Elijah turns, Bonnie has no idea that this is the second time that day he has been asked such a thing. She notes that he looks at her in an odd sort of way but she writes it off as being a consequence of their current relationship (as in, there really isn't one). She forces herself to remain neutral, friendly even, giving him a hint of a smile. "The dark object collection…"

"I promise you, Bonnie, that my brother has no grand schemes to unleash them on innocent people," Elijah immediately says as if he senses where she is going with this.

He is wrong.

Bonnie shakes her head. "I need to add something to it," she tells him. She holds up the conduit, the stone limply hanging on the braided rope. "It may look harmless…"

"But appearances are often deceiving," he finishes and gives her a pointed look.

She tilts her chin back just a little. "I think placing it with the rest…" She presses her lips together and then pushes on. "...well, I think that is for the best." It hasn't been an easy decision. In fact, while others think she has been sleeping, she really has laid on that bed, clutching the stone in her hand, deciding what to do. She thinks over every conversation that she has had with Enzo and how he has led her to this moment. She has to give it up. For her own good. It is time to live in the present. Fully. She had considered using it one more time, to say goodbye to Enzo in some proper fashion but in the end, she suspects much like Camille, Enzo is still here in some way and he knows.

Elijah nods his head and together they cross the courtyard. "One moment," he tells her once they reach the door - and it is truly one moment, she blinks and he is gone only to return just as quickly, a key in hand. He slides into the lock and pushes the door open. He gestures for her to enter first.

Like before, Bonnie is hit with the overwhelming power that exists in this room. It calls out to her. Or more accurately, it calls out to the magic in her, teasing it with promises she knows better than to indulge herself in. She can feel Elijah looking at her curiously and she wishes she could fully explain just what it is like to be in this room. She knows Freya understands and that is probably why she gives it a wide berth.

She moves around the room, resisting the urge to reach out and touch anything that lay on the shelves (no matter how loudly they yell for her to do otherwise). She finally finds an empty space and carefully sets the conduit down. It will no longer be a temptation for her. She knows that she is healing but there will still be low moments, moments in which her mind clouds over. If the conduit is here, it won't tempt her to backslide. She won't disappoint Enzo; more importantly, she won't disappoint herself.

"I am curious as to why you would leave it in our care," Elijah asks. He has barely entered the room, giving her the space he believes she requires (he has always been the smart one; a vengeful witch among these kinds of toys might be tempted to do something he won't like).

"This is Camille's collection," Bonnie says simply, her fingers tracing across the stone one last time. She can feel its power hum under her touch. "Klaus loved her. Despite thinking about a dozen awful things about him at any given moment, I do know that. And because he loved her, he'll do right by her. Everything in this room - it's staying locked up."

Bonnie turns, leaving the conduit behind.

Out of sight and soon, hopefully, out of mind.

X

Klaus leans against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest. This is Rebekah's room. It still very much feels like Rebekah's room (he hopes it always will because maybe one day, his sister will see fit to inhabit it again). But he can't deny that Bonnie has left her mark on it. Whether it is permanent or not, remains to be seen.

Especially since she is leaving.

He has wondered when this moment would come. As much as some would like her stay, Klaus has always known that she would leave New Orleans. He watches as she stuffs her clothing into a tote bag, hardly stopping to fold them properly. "You are breaking my sister's heart," Klaus states and smiles when her body jolts in surprise. She had been so engrossed in her task that she hadn't felt his presence. He likes that. Despite their newfound connection (or whatever you want to call it), he still can keep her on her toes.

"I told her I will keep in touch," Bonnie reasons as she finishes and zips the tote up. "It's not like I am sneaking away in the middle of the night. I said goodbye. To Hope too. She's a great kid by the way."

"No thanks to me," Klaus finishes.

Bonnie narrows her eyes a little. "You're going to make me say it," she concludes with a heavy sigh. She turns slightly so she is fully facing him. "You're a great dad, Klaus. You can quote me on that. Just don't go adding any extra words in."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

She slings the strap of the bag over her neck so that all her possessions rest against her side. She gives the room one final glance and he can't help but wonder if she is searching for any items she may have overlooked or if she is doing so because she will miss this space. Either way, she appears satisfied. She moves towards the door.

He steps in her way.

Bonnie has to crane her neck to look up at him. He sees a hint of a warning in her eyes and knows that he is playing with fire. It has been nearly a week since he last did so and quite frankly, he finds that he wants to. But alas, this is all business. "You still owe me, you know."

"And you're wondering if I am trying to skip out without paying the tab," Bonnie says, and her shoulders slump. He knows she has seen his conversation coming. He has no idea why he waited until the last minute.

(maybe, just maybe there is a little part of him that has wanted her to stay too)

"Look, I've thought about it and you're right. I owe you. I am not going to deny that or try to play it off like I did all the heavy lifting in the end. It wasn't just that night that you helped me avoid something awful…" She closes her eyes and he knows she is thinking of how wrong all of this could have gone. "So here it is, Klaus. I owe you. And that means that one day, when you want to call that in, I will come here. No questions asked. You just have to let me know."

Klaus eyes her warily. It almost sounds as if she is giving him carte blanche. "And how do I know that your word is good?"

"I can certainly see why you wouldn't trust me. I haven't exactly earned that with my actions," Bonnie admits. Her face softens just a little. "But see, I think that favor of yours - I think it will have to do with Hope. I am not like her; I don't have as much ability to see like she does. But I just have this feeling. Trust me when I say that I will come when you ask."

He believes her (because in the pit of his stomach he knows that is where this leads too). He nods his head. "Accepted." For good measure, he extends his hand. She takes it. Instead of a handshake, the two stand there hand in hand while a current of power dances between them. He wonders if that is some permanent reminder of what they have shared. Finally, he lets her hand fall away. "Where will you go?"

"I don't know yet," Bonnie admits. "But for the first time, I am really excited about that. When I left Mystic Falls, I did it with grief nipping at my heels. I was running away, not running to - I am going to try something different this time." She falls silent for a moment, her mouth turning downward. "And I am going to try to find Eve. I don't know what happened to her or if she would have survived Lavinia's death. I don't even know if Lavinia was telling me the truth in the first place. But either way, I am going to find out."

Klaus nods his head in understanding. He finally steps out her path. She gives him one last smile, which he returns. Then she is moving past him, along the balcony, down the stairs and across the courtyard. He traces her as she goes and doesn't look away until she is fully out of sight. His gaze shifts to where he sees Hope looking at him. She is pouting just a little.

"It is okay, Hope," he tells her. "I think maybe she will be back one day."

Hope nods her head. "I know."

Klaus isn't sure that he should be comforted by that thought. If Bonnie does come back, it means that Hope is in danger. He doesn't want to entertain right now. He wants some time to just rest. He doesn't realize that he is caught up in that thought until Hope tugs at his pant leg. He looks down, a bit incredulous that she has been able to sneak up on him.

"Can we paint together?" she asks.

Klaus smiles. "Of course."

A little note at the end: So I did warn from the outset that this wasn't exactly a romantic tale. This was more about them grieving and coming to terms with that loss while having Lavinia breathing down their neck. However, as you can see I have left it open. Bonnie will one day return to New Orleans to help Klaus protect Hope. It is a given. I cannot tell you if I will actually write that story because this was a long process and in the time that it took me to do, I have realized that I have moved a bit beyond the TVD fandom. That is not to say that I won't still do little drabbles and one shots every now and then, especially on my tumblr but I don't know if at this point I will ever sit down and write a sequel to this story. I won't say never but at this point I have no plans. Just know that in the end, Klaus and Bonnie will be reunited and I think when they are they will be in a better place to actually fall in love.

Thank you again. You have given me so much love over the years and I am so proud of this story. So having you guys embrace it has made me happy.