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"Bourbon, neat."
Klaus's eyebrows drew together in a quick fit of mischievous confusion.
"Is Saint Bennet coming down the mountain to drink with us sinners?" Klaus turned around and with one look at her drenched appearance regretted his teasing jab immediately.
Although Bonnie's tears could easily hide on her rain-struck face, her light pink eyes gave her away.
Even Joe could see it as he poured her two ounces of well-bourbon with concern. He slid it into her cold fingers and she tipped her head back to finish in two gulps. Rainwater dropped on the barstool she was hovering over - Klaus rose from his.
"Another one, please, Joe."
Joe gave Klaus a slightly panicked look and poured another.
"What happened? Tell me," Klaus leaned into her, bristling.
Bonnie rolled the rocks glass in between her hands, a habit she no doubt picked up in her tenure at McScruffies.
"Bonnie-"
"Tell me it wasn't you." She asked, barely above a whisper, staring down into her glass.
"What are you going on about?" Klaus asked slowly.
"He- it -attacked Elena in broad daylight. Nearly snapped Damon's head from his shoulder," Bonnie pauses and throws back her bourbon and nods at Joe for another, "She could have died."
Klaus' large hand clasps over the top of her glass, "Love," he said venomously through gritted teeth, "Although I would revel in Damon's humbling demise - I haven't the slightest idea of what you're talking about."
Bonnie's mirthless chuckle reverberated through her shoulders, "I'm such an idiot. Sitting in this bar with you week after week, while you continue to plot and plan-"
Klaus grasped her by the nape of her neck with one hand and lifted her chin with the other, "If I wanted your selfish, brainless friends dead, why would I deny myself the satisfaction of doing it myself?"
Bonnie's chin tilted up in defiance even within Klaus' grasp.
He let go of her face and leaned into her ear, "We've had our fair share of stand-offs in the past but please extend me the professional courtesy of believing me to be a competent villain as opposed to a bloody hack."
Bonnie blinked a few times then sat down in the bar seat in defeat. She pushed her wet hair back off her face and looked at Joe who made no effort at concealing his eavesdropping.
"Can I get another bourbon shot Joe?" she asked quietly as she pushed her glass towards him, "And heat the kettle up, I'll follow it with Valerian tea."
Klaus remained standing and looked down at the side of her face.
"I didn't act fast enough. I couldn't find a spell fast enough to disable him. My head was too far in the damn clouds."
Klaus sighed and sat back down. The sound of the electric kettle beginning to boil filled the tense silence between them.
"Why must you be their warrior, savior, and sage?"
"Because they're my family."
"I'm certainly no barometer on functioning family dynamics. However, I do know from experience that your family shouldn't willingly turn you into a sword or shield."
Bonnie turned and looked at him then tilted her head up to avoid gravity's pull on her tears.
"They need to learn to defend themselves. Maybe they need to let you live amongst the clouds."
Bonnie quickly wiped a sneaky run away tear from her left cheek and finished her bourbon shot with a grimace, "How do you drink this stuff?"
Klaus dropped double the amount of necessary cash down on the bar for Joe then draped his jacket over Bonnie's damp shoulders.
"Come on love. If Mystic Falls' Pious Battle Axe is to be tempted to drink it might as well be with quality liquor."
Klaus was not one for blithe sentimentality. He was born to a world of hardship and conquered centuries of chaos.
However, Bonnie's mid-sentence hiccup was enough to make him long for a life he never had access to. A life of comfort and frivolity where he would not hesitate to take out his mostly neglected smartphone and record a tipsy Bonnie Bennet for prosperity's sake.
Klaus had a good memory but he was not confident that he would remember the exact way the light hit her eyes when they widened in surprise at her hiccups.
Her hand moved from its spot as an impromptu pillow (despite the numerous ones on Klaus bed)and covered her mouth.
She peeled into giggles only to be interrupted by another hiccup.
Klaus grinned like a Cheshire Cat, "No one would even believe me if I said Bonnie Bennet was giggling in my bed."
"Oh hush," she said as she put her hand back under her cheek.
Klaus reclined deeper into his bed and faced Bonnie, "It was only two hours ago you were accusing me of attempting to assassinate you and your friends."
Bonnie merely hiccuped into a shrug, "You plotting to kill me and my friends is more on-brand than whatever this is."
Klaus scoffed at the use of the term 'on brand' and 'whatever'.
"Or you asking me to go with you to New Orleans," Bonnie whispered.
Klaus mimicked her position on his bed. He could still smell the rain on her skin despite her wardrobe change into his warm clothes.
"Life can be stranger than fiction," Klaus answered quietly using his other hand to push her hair behind her ear. His knuckles lingered by her jawline momentarily before returning to his side.
"I found this photo of Grams," Bonnie paused to make way for a pending hiccup, it never came.
Klaus chuckled despite Bonnie's semi piercing, semi playful look.
"I found this picture of Grams from the 40s. She looked so young and radiant and happy. The photo was taken in New Orleans. She was there Klaus. I think she may have lived there."
"What are you getting at, love?" Klaus asked gently.
"Nothing really. I just felt like that photo found me at the right time," Bonnie rolled on her back and sighed before whispering, "Maybe she wanted me to see it."
The look Klaus gave her could burn through metal, "Are you saying-"
"I'm not saying anything," Bonnie said quickly, "My life is here, and that thing is still on the loose."
Klaus rolled his eyes and rolled to his back. They laid there staring up at the ceiling both too stubborn for their own good.
"Tell me about it?" Bonnie asked tentatively, "In as much detail as you can gather. Tell me again why you love it."
Klaus closed his eyes and found comfort in the combination of Bonnie's magic and body heat lapping at his shoulder.
"Now, you have to understand, New Orleans was built on magic. It's in its foundation, it's core."
Bonnie wakes up around 3 am in the crook of Klaus' arms. She realizes that the rain has finally stopped. She's more than certain that he's not asleep but still drifts back to sleep to the sound of Klaus' steady breaths.
This spell will break - Klaus is sure of it. She will wake and deny him thrice for her "friends." However, the knowledge of that doesn't stop him from tracing Bonnie's lips with the lightest touch of his index finger.
Having a Bennet witch as an ace up his sleeve was a no brainer. With her by his side, solely setting his sights on ruling New Orleans would be considered unambitious. Bonnie was the key to Budapest, Sao Paulo, and Milan.
But now after hours of watching her, tucked to his side, her ever-present hand resting under her cheek - he is determined to be selfish. He won't share her.
She nuzzles closer to him and his oversized shirt shifts to reveal a bare shoulder. He immediately begins to plot on how to keep her there. And he knows exactly where to start.
One more chapter. Please review - Cheers x