Chapter 9: No Beggars Allowed

Bonnie was just downright furious after her phonecall with Caroline. She didn't want to waste any more time wondering what happened that night. She made a beeline out of her bedroom. Even her grandmother was taken aback by the whirlwind descending her steps. Grams was holding a clothes basket with her face contorted in confusion at her granddaughter in a navy blue jogging suit. It was humid from all the unstoppable raining earlier in the day.

"Uh, baby you sure you want to walk out the house? You're sure to burn up in that outfit."

Bonnie was inches from the door and made a sharp turn. "Grams, the only time you comment on my wardrobe is when I'm hardly wearing any clothes."

"Fine," The older woman sighed and set the clean clothes down on the first step and looked towards a vanished Bonnie.

Grams didn't know how to tap into Bonnie these days. She was an entirely different person most days, other times she was back to her assiduous self but then she would distance herself once again.

"That girl is a mystery," Grams hummed to herself.

Bonnie kept her foot firmly on the pedal. Her heart was racing even more so than the engine itself when she heard the thunder. Her destination was coming up on the left soon and she hoped Mother Nature wouldn't send a lightning bolt her way. Her tires made a screeching noise as she hit the brake and promptly put the car in park in Stefan's driveway

She was certain she was going to give him no, not a piece of it but her entire mind.

After three hard knocks, he opened the door to see Bonnie before him with her arms crossed.

"You could have told me," Bonnie said, her tone was stern.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Stefan replied from the partially closed door then his eyes followed the moving palm trees and the dark clouds. "It's about to storm, I don't think-"

"I don't give a fuck," Bonnie cut him off, shocking the both of them at the harsh delivery of her words. Truthfully, she was wary of the booming weather today.

"You kept this from me, that awful shit Matt said about me and everyone else heard it!"

"It's handled, you just need to let it go," He spoke carefully from behind the threshold. "He won't say anything about you again in life as long as I'm alive."

Bonnie sighed and put her hands overhead, pondering the finality of his sentence and circled, came back to face him so she could express her point. The only problem is that she can't look him in the eye. Those damned green eyes that had a way of seeing through her. It's been like that since that day in the kitchen. She was just being self-denying at this point.

"I don't need you protecting me, at least not anymore."

"Why?" Stefan challenged, closing the door and walking closer to Bonnie.

"Because you're not my boyfriend or anything of that nature, you're someone else's and I just have to find someone else to have for myself too."

"You don't mean that."

Bonnie crossed her arms and avoided all eye contact.

"I do and I have a date this week." She hasn't even replied to Kol's text yet.

"Is it-You know what? Have fun on your date." He stopped trying with her and retreated to his house. Then he turned around and looked at Bonnie by her car.

"You came all the way here just to say that you're moving on. You still care."

"I wish you and her the best."

Her words come out tearily and she does a short sprint to her car and it pained her to look back at him but she did anyway. She hopped in her car and rode with her windows down like there was no tomorrow. She only had enough gas to get home but on the way, she stopped in some alleyway and sulked. The whole interaction felt like a breakup when it shouldn't be.

But everything was so wrong and she just needed to rip the band-aid off; it was finally over and she had a chance at normalcy.

She went through her contacts on her device and found Kol's number.

"Hey, this is Bonnie," She sighed as she looked at her wheel. "Look, I know I'm getting back to your sort of late but I just needed to clear up some things..."

"Hm, I suppose I can extend my grace period for you."

"I was hoping you would."

"So, you're agreeing to spend a whole day with someone as fanatic as me?" He let out a hoarse laugh. "Prepare for the oddest date you've been on in your entire life."

"I didn't agree to any-" Bonnie heard a ding that signaled that Kol ended the call. This was it, her first step on moving on.

Grams couldn't stop gushing about Bonnie's date which made the young woman regret telling her at all. It wasn't long before Abby found out and she shared the same excitement as her mother. This was the closest they were getting to grandchildren in years. That's how long Bonnie was single and no, they would never let her forget it.

Right now the trio of Bennett women was in the mirror. Bonnie sat in the red plush chair that was centered in front of the vanity. Grams was on her left and her mother, Abby was on her right. They had just got finished putting cornrows in her hair.

"You were wearing your hair so much at one point that I was wondering if my Bonnie was kidnapped," Grams commented, examining the length of her braids.

"I only did it because this guy said he liked my hair out-it doesn't matter, you're right I hate my hair out it gets all humid and frizzy in this weather."

"Is this the guy you're going on your date with?" Abby asked while brushing her cheeks with a pink blush. She knew she wasn't going to get a complete or even incomplete answer but it didn't hurt to question it.

"Ah, this brush is pointy!" Bonnie exclaimed, holding her cheek and then moving closer to take a better look at her face. "I don't wear that much makeup."

"And that's a problem," Abby finished. "You avoided my question."

"You just stabbed her in the face with a brush," Grams said, coming to her granddaughter's aid.

"Ma, the bristles aren't even that hard she's just a baby," Abby replied and gave Bonnie a pinch on her cheek. "See, my makeup is good, won't swear off or nothing even when-"

Bonnie closed her eyes shut. "Please don't finish that sentence."

Abby put her hands up with a comical face and Sheila just looked at her unshamed daughter's demeanor.

"And, the guy I mentioned before was, I mean is not who I'm going on a date with tonight." Bonnie glanced at her lap. "He's not even mines, which is a shame because he's magical."

"Well, in your young life you'll meet many single people," Grams consoled her and touched her cheek causing Bonnie to smile to hold back her tears.

"Well, the first thing you are going to do is delete baby boy's contact out of your phone. Bennett women are not homewreckers."

Grams made a sound in agreement.

"What's his name? I'll handle the first step for you," Abby pestered, reaching for Bonnie's phone only for her to grab it.

"Thanks, but I'm a big girl. I handled it and we're probably never speaking again."

Grams and Abby shared a bemused look at the high pitch in Bonnie's voice and the discomfort clear in her face. This would be the most information they were getting - and they had to beautify her to get it. At least a key puzzle of her sour days was revealed even though getting the full picture was getting more and more unobtainable.

..

Kol and Bonnie are stuck in traffic and all his big talks of an adventure date are ruined by congested streets. All the invading car smoke was enough to make a person sick. Since they did have free time it gave them more opportunity to talk without the guise of trying to entertain each other. Not that Bonnie was a snob in any way, a simple kind gesture would impress her and humor couldn't hurt either. She sat in her seat, small as she was and pointed at the road repeatedly at an opening.

"There was opening right there, why isn't this lady moving?"

Kol laughed and said, "I take it you don't drive much, traffic in London is insane." He rolled his eyes. "They drive so slow over there I begged my Pops for my first sports car it was as useless as-" He pressed his lips and thought about how privileged and spoilt he sounded.

"I drive," Bonnie confirmed. "It isn't a Lamborghini ripping down Ocean Drive but I have it for about 4 years now."

"Ah, I didn't mean to-"

"I know," Bonnie started seriously but in a funny dramatic way said, "We come from different socio-economic backgrounds like the rest of my friends do, how could this ever work?"

He looked at her and smiled which transformed to small chuckle and Bonnie is cheesing right back at him like an amazed schoolgirl when he says something cheesy to her. The vibe isn't forced at all and it feels reminiscent to the one at the party. Except for that night, she looked like an absolute goddess, her vanity was unmatched. It didn't matter though, she was still drop-dead gorgeous and he made note of that.

"You know you're a real show stopper, Bonnie," Kol said, taking his eyes off the road to glance at her.

"Hey! Keep your eyes on the road, I'm not pretty enough for us to die."

They share another laugh and she nods off to the side to gaze out the window before dozing off.

...

Bonnie was in the center of an unknown room and she says something to see if someone is in the house with her. The floors were hardwood and bare with next to no furniture frightened when she hears the sound of her echo. The room is spinning, she's not moving but everything feels like it is. The loneliness was deafening literally - it was so quiet that she could hear a tack drop.

"Bonnie?" Elena calls out her name and they hugged each other tightly. Tears were coming from her eyes, preferably of joy.

"I thought I lost you," The young dancer tells her as they pull away and suddenly Elena puts her mouth on hers and initiates a kiss. Bonnie shakes her head and looks away when the woman tries to kiss her again. This time with a little more spice.

"Hey," Elena caressed her face. "You don't have to do that, it's just us, I promise."

Bonnie looked convinced enough and nodded looking at her longtime friend's face and then more specifically her lips.

"Don't think, just do," Elena told her with a smile resulting Bonnie to use her tiptoes to kiss her with a much more charging force.

They break away and connect their foreheads, heaving from the previous lip-locking.

"I love you,"

Green eyes flicker up, way higher than she would have to look up at Elena. It isn't her voice and certainly not her face. She knows the person before he shouldn't be there, it's Stefan and he has torpedoed every thought and wish about Elena away. All she wanted was to be able to hold, kiss and caress her. The only problem is he wants to do the same with Bonnie and she'd let him if she wasn't so damn righteous. So, instead of giving in Bonnie gets angry and pushes him away.

...

"Bonnie," Kol called out waking her up. She shakes at his touch and talks recklessly and unstoppably in her self.

"No, it's too much...him, you it's wrong just so wrong! I just want to go home!"

"Bonnie!" The London native called out making her jump out of her alternate reality.

She opened her eyes coughing and begging for water since her throat was dry. Kol decided not to ask Bonnie about her strange and sporadic yelling. The traffic put enough damper on their date, the girl falling asleep during it was inevitable. His confusion was put on the back burner when he saw her eyes light up in joy at the place they're at - her old arcade she used to go to as a child.

Playfully, Bonnie hits him on the shoulder.

"What kind of deep level digging you had to do to know about this place?"

The younger Mikaelson brother puts his hands up, a nonverbal sign that showed his defeat.

"A certain blonde after one too many bottomless mimosas might have told me what would win you over."

Of course, Caroline would help him advance his way into her heart, everything she said or did for Bonnie was out of being a good friend. The woman would use that excuse if the consequences were negative or positive. They have to both buy game cards in order to engage in the arcade activities. Kol only had to offer to buy her individual card about 3 or 10 times until the line started complaining about their bickering. He shook his head at her resilience and independence not wavering for a simple $40 game card. The currency wasn't going to be valid anywhere else.

"I know we just talked about this but I am going to pay you back," She said as she took the card from Kol and wrapped the card around her fingers, eager to win some tickets. They're in-between the lobby and the flashing lights that shade all the games.

They share a smile and Bonnie runs back into the place like the gun went off to start a race.

"What are you doing?" Kol asked aloud causing her to turn on toes with a curved, joyous smile.

"Getting a head start, I guess Caroline didn't mention my competitiveness."

"Oh, so not fair!" Kol replied with a laugh but looked up to see his date already working with a game screen. He too began scrambling to find a machine to play on. Bonnie was already looking at the number of tickets she received.

"No this was fair from the second we walked in here," The caramel brunette said in a sing-song voice.

There was no other way to say this but this was the only way Kol could say it: Bonnie Bennett handed his ass to him in that place. She ran around there like it was her personal playground and shot devious smiles at him all throughout the date. Caroline did not prepare him for this firecracker of a woman. Bonnie won her own damn over-huge teddy bear as seen in the TV or films with her earnings. All he had enough was a whoopee cushion.

Afterward, they go to a drive-in restaurant and eat in the parking. Again, Kol paid for their respective meals and shocker, (not) Bonnie wasn't having it. She did enjoy her combo cheeseburger meal with a large peanut butter chocolate shake though.

Bonnie had just finished the last bite of her burger and looked over to see Kol staring at her, just smiling openly.

"What?" She mouthed.

Kol stared at his sandwich that was partially eaten.

"You completely demolished that Angus beef and I can hardly take another bite of this right here."

Bonnie looked at him again, drank her milkshake while doing so and popped her lips loudly. She went from cute to coy in a matter of seconds and the sun had barely darkened to set up the hue of the night. Kol's dark eyes kept his gaze on her.

"I may be small but I can eat a whole table full worth of food."

Kol laughed tirelessly. "I can see."

Her eyes glinted with mischief.

"Take me home?"

He revved the engine.

"Give me the address and we'll be there 15 minutes flat."

..

They park a block from her house because Kol was worried about her grandmother peeking from her window. It was Bonnie's idea to have them be a block far from the house since he seemed to be frightened by a little old lady. Shortness was probably a handed down trait that skipped every Bennett generation since Abby seemed to not have it.

Kol let the windows down and allowed the fresh

but stormy air in the car.

"So..." He began smoothly. "Why are we here?"

"Well, so I can do this." She grabbed his face and kissed him.

After the kiss, Kol opened his eyes slowly as if her lips had been enchanted.

"Damn, you really a goddess."

Bonnie laughed, placing a hand over her chest and swallowed to seriously answer back. "Thank you."

The Brit touched her face causing her to jump slightly and her skin to light up even more so than it did while they kissed.

"I'm begging you not to apologize for being such a damn looker."

She blushed, looking down at her painted nails.

"I had a really fun time today."

"I bet."

Their eyes never broke contact as he licked his lips while taking her beauty in. She got out of the car and leaned in the window so she could say goodbye but he grabbed her face softly and pecked her lips. The green-eyed woman blinked twice and slow as she released her mouth from his.

"Send me a text before you go to sleep."

"I will, I promise." He nodded and winked at her before riding off. She straightened up and ran her fingers through her hair watching him zoom off. Then she looked forward realizing that she had to walk home during the beginning of a storm. She was left alone with her thoughts of the date as she strolled down the street with a goofy smile upon her face.

..

Bonnie opened her door with her same expression but it soon vanished away once she saw who was in her kitchen. Her breathing quickened and she softly shut the door so she wouldn't alert the people of the house. She didn't want them to know she was here at least not yet, it gave her a minute or two to mentally prepare herself. There sat Elena in the kitchen, no her kitchen just chatting it up with her grandmother. She had her usual kind disposition and said her gratitudes as the older woman poured her a tall glass of lemonade. It seemed like she rushed to her house straight after work but Bonnie had to admit she loved seeing her in her scrubs. They were dark pink.

"It's almost 7 and that girl isn't back yet," Grams said, shaking her head as she put the pitcher back in the cooler.

"Oh, that's alright, I'm leaving soon anyway, the storm is coming." Grams nodded and stood by the sink. "Miss Sheila, you did mention that Bonnie had a date tonight?"

Before Grams could answer, Bonnie walked in the kitchen and made her presence known. "Hey," She greets.

"Hey, baby, how are you? Feels like I haven't seen you the whole day."

She kept her hands to her sides. "I'm doing good, tonight was great and hopefully I have a better tomorrow."

Elena smiled and put her cheek in her hand looking up at her friend. "So, what did you do tonight?"

"I must have forgotten to tell you. This girl finally has done got her a date," Grams cut in while washing her hands and then drying them. There was a pause, no silence because neither of them spoke any words. Her talking unknowingly resulted in a rift between the two. She turned around to see with her eyes of the two best friends sharing a wrangling glare. She excused herself from the kitchen, picking up the tension.

Bonnie took a breath and folded her arms. She shortly led their duo upstairs to her bedroom. They were silent on the way up because whatever words that needed to be spoken would be uttered behind a familiar closed door. It took Bonnie back to a time where it was simpler to be just one-sided.

..

"Okay, basics we got chapstick and then lipgloss down, breath mints, but I prefer pink bubblegum."

"Why bubblegum?" Bonnie asked.

"I just like to pop out, unpop it and then get rid of it. Plus, the sugar makes it tastes really sweet."

Bonnie fiddled her thumbs and spoke with her head down. "We've done everything but the actual, y' know kissing part."

Elena smiled and sat down next to Bonnie. "Alright, K.I.T aka kisser in training, you're about to finish the final step, any last words?"

Bonnie nodded eagerly and leaned in, following Elena's cue.

..

The woman is brought back to the present day when Elena speaks up again.

"You had a date and you didn't even tell me. What the hell?"

There was thunder from the outside right after her statement, the weather just emphasized her anger at the moment.

"It just one date, Elena. You're acting like I started being exclusive with him."

The nurse scoffed. "The difference between me and you is that you were actively trying to keep this from me."

"So, what if I was?" Bonnie looked away and faced the window. "It's pouring really bad out."

"I just thought after everything that you wouldn't do this."

Bonnie felt a strange feeling of triumph because that was what she felt but even more intensified when she found out about Stefan.

"You know, that's how I felt."

Elena stood in front of her longtime friend, stroking her thumb and kneeled in front of her. She kissed her hand.

"I like you now and it's in the way that you like me."

Bonnie's eyes double-crossed her words of disapproval. "Please, there's a storm brewing and you need-"

"Do you want me to go?'

Her green eyes flickered at Elena's dark brown ones almost dangerously. "No..." And just like that she stays and all of the memories from her date are irrelevant.

Elena smiled and stood up and walked towards Bonnie's dresser and got some items out. It was a shirt, shorts, and some panties. The frizzy-haired woman looked baffled. There was no way Elena felt confident enough to think she was sleeping anywhere but her room. Her mouth dropped when she started to take off her shirt. Bonnie looked away.

"What. Are. You. Doing."

The hospital worker's pink shirt was halfway rolled up and underneath was a white tee.

"Changing, what else would I be doing?" Her tone was sarcastic but her voice was like honey.

"No, I'm serious what are you doing?"

"You haven't seen me naked, have you?" Elena grinned in satisfaction knowing that she got up under Bonnie's skin.

The night of the party, Bonnie felt and groped very supple parts of her body but the room had been dark. No hookup was ever in good lighting, not for her atleast. She hadn't seen a goddamn thing. If that was the only and last moment with her, she would be completely satisfied with not seeing anything. She slowly turned her head to Elena who was now in her bra and underwear.

"No," Bonnie trembled while looking over the woman's dark blue undergarments. "No, I haven't." She coughed.

"Okay. I would have worn something sexier underneath my scrubs if I known I had an important audience tonight."

She started to unhook her bra and let her breast breathe. Bonnie studied them briefly as Elena stood and then walked to the dresser to grab the shirt and shorts she assembled. She put the shirt on but it was way too small for her tall and slender body, so it showed off her flat stomach.

Elena then hooked one thumb and then another around her panties. "Do you want my right or left thumb to take these off or both?"

"It doesn't matter."

She pouted, "But I value your opinion so much."

"Do it the way your boyfriend likes it," Bonnie gritted, getting angry all over again. She should have sent her home the second she spotted her.

The brunette sighed and walked towards her and placed her very own hands on the sides of her frustrated friend's head.

"Bonnie," She kissed her forehead. "Just think about us."

The shorter half of the duo ran her hands up Elena's leg's and returned them to where she started-her waistband. Her lips parted in want and curiosity. She didn't know where this would take them. Usually, if a girl is willingly putting her privates in her face she'd be ready to chow down. it was a charged moment, to say the least.

"Go ahead, do it," Elena ordered in a whisper.

Bonnie took a long breath before obliging and hooking both thumbs down her olive-skinned thighs. The cloth was drenched in her fluids so she could only imagine how warm and wet she actually was. Bonnie didn't test it though, she kept her eyes on Elena's the entire time while she looked down and kicked them underneath the bed.

"Go get your new pair and shorts," Bonnie said.

Elena slipped the two items with ease and crawled into Bonnie's bed.

"Okay, it's your turn now."

Bonnie narrowed her eyes. "I'm not stripping in front of you, you're insane."

"And you're insane for not fucking me."

There was a thunderbolt afterward that came from outside and roared inside the room.

"We had a moment of weakness at the party, this can't keep happening."

"You want to move on with this new guy and I don't even get a fucking say so. My boyfriend falls in love with you and me just-"

"What?"

"It's sort of obvious from the way he looks and talks about you. We broke up anyway last Tuesday."

Bonnie wished she could say sorry but it wouldn't be genuine or appropriate to do so. So, she rests her head on Elena's shoulder prepared for her to lament over another breakup. She remembered all the other names of the others and always thought that her pretty eyes shouldn't be producing any tears for them. This had to be the only exception of that rule.

"I know you really loved him."

Elena sniffled. "I did, I mean I still do. Apparently, he's taken a new job in Jersey."

Bonnie shook her head in disbelief. "He wouldn't leave without saying goodbye." No call, no text?

"His flight left yesterday morning, he wanted to catch it before the storm I guess."

This time around when Bonnie held Elena while she cried over another boyfriend she too was on the other end weeping away.