Bonnie stood outside the shady roadside motel with a frown on her face. Her hands were stuffed into pockets of her hooded sweatshirt to combat the suddenly frigid temperatures. The rain had finally slowed to a stop but the dark clouds still blocked the sun's warmth. It looked as if the storm might come roaring back at a moment's notice to add to the misery. Bonnie was just glad to be wearing dry clothes even if they belonged to Tyler. He had driven to his house so that they could change before going to the motel. Going to Tyler's house made the most sense because Klaus lived in the same neighborhood.
She watched as members of Cary's pack conversed with Tyler and members of his pack. The werewolves were trying to figure out the best way to approach and apprehend an ancient werewolf without taking any casualties. Thus far they had not come up with any brilliant solutions. Everyone was waiting for Elijah and Lucy to return with information. They had gone inside the office to find out if the man had checked into the motel as Bonnie suggested. She couldn't help but think of the scene from Beauty and the Beast when the villagers prepared to storm the castle. Everyone seemed ready to storm the room without having a shred of evidence that suggested this man meant them any harm. However, Bonnie's attempts to reason with them had fallen on deaf ears. The simple truth was everyone was on edge because of the threat posed by the travelers. They were jumping at every shadow because of how close the travelers had come to lowering the veil right under their noses.
Bonnie was about give another loud sigh when a tiny black kitten caught her attention. She watched it skitter underneath a parked car and then around the edge of the motel. Bonnie decided to see if she could find the kitten because it looked to be only a few months old. It was much too cold for a kitten that young to survive the elements. She hoped the little guy or girl was wearing a collar or at the very least was microchipped.
She considered telling Tyler that she would be right back but he was deep in conversation with Cary. Bonnie shook her head and walked around the edge of the motel in search of the deceptively fast kitten. She couldn't believe that the tiny creature was capable of covering so much ground.
When Bonnie rounded the corner, she saw the kitten cleaning its fur in front of a room's closed door. She approached carefully so that she didn't startle it. Bonnie was in no mood to get scratched by a skittish kitten.
The kitten stopped cleaning its fur when Bonnie approached it. It looked up at her curiously with one brown eye and one bluish green eye. The two stared at each other for a beat before the kitten marched over to Bonnie and promptly rubbed against her leg.
Bonnie scooped up the kitten and cooed, "You're friendly, huh? What are you doing out here all alone? Do you have humans or a mama cat looking for you?"
It purred happily in Bonnie's arms.
She frowned at the kitten's lack of collar. Bonnie would have to drop by the vet to check for a microchip. She tilted the cat up to get a peek at its undercarriage. She said, "Excuse the intrusion, Missy."
The kitten hissed a little but settled down when she was safely in Bonnie's arms again.
"What should I call you? What do you think of Mittens?"
The kitten stared back at Bonnie blankly.
"Okay. We're not a fan of Mittens. What about Nyx? You look regal enough to be a Greek goddess."
The kitten nuzzled against Bonnie's warm sweatshirt.
"Looks like we have a winner. It's nice to meet you, Nyx," she cooed softly. She frowned at a strange frisson of energy coming from the kitten.
Bonnie prepared to return to the parking lot with her new friend in tow but stopped short when a door opened just behind her. She turned around and caught sight of the man from the park. What were the odds of Bonnie stumbling across the mystery man? She gave the kitten a suspicious look. Bonnie knew that travelers weren't capable of possessing animals but there were other options.
The man smiled at Bonnie. "This is a pleasant surprise. Thank you again for your kindness. As you can see, I have put it to good use."
The kitten hopped out of Bonnie's arms and ran into the man's room.
"Nyx! Get back here." She looked up at him. "I'm really sorry."
The man chuckled as he watched the kitten make a beeline for the bed where his dinner was sitting. Fortunately, the kitten wasn't agile enough to leap onto the bed. "Looks like someone is hungry."
Bonnie was going to apologize again but the talisman around her neck started shining. She grabbed onto the talisman to hide it from the man. However, she was immediately bombarded by memories that did not belong to her.
The man looked at Bonnie with profound concern. He grasped her forearms to keep her steady. He asked, "Are you okay?"
Bonnie released the talisman and glanced up at him. She could hear Tyler calling her name from the parking lot. She said, "I know who you are now. You need to run. It isn't safe for you here."
"What do you mean?" he asked in confusion.
"You are Klaus' father and you need to run! There are werewolves here and...you should just go," Bonnie insisted.
Tyler sped into the room before Ansel had the chance to answer. He roared seeing the werewolf's hands on Bonnie. He grabbed Ansel by the throat and lifted him into the air.
"Stop!" Bonnie screamed.
Elijah was the next person to enter the room.
Bonnie realized that she had to a put a stop to this before it went too far. She waved her hand in Elijah's direction and sent him careening out the room. Bonnie then used her magic to close and seal the door. It wouldn't keep them out for long since Lucy could counter the spell she used. However, it might be enough time to talk Tyler down from the ledge.
Tyler was too focused on the wolf to pay any attention to what Bonnie was doing. He wanted to rip the bastard's throat out for daring to touch his mate. However, the wolf's strength was proving to be greater than Tyler anticipated. He still had the upper hand because he was a hybrid but this was a battle that he could easily lose.
Nyx sat on the floor watching the two wolves grappling with each other.
Bonnie's eyes bounced between the men. She didn't want to use magic on her mate, without his permission, but there weren't many good options. She began chanting, "Somnum."
Ansel's grip on Tyler's arms began to loosen as an overwhelming feeling of drowsiness weakened him.
Bonnie said, "He's not a threat anymore, Tyler. You can let him go. Please…"
When Tyler looked at Bonnie his eyes were gold and black. He finally noticed how upset she was by the fight. Tyler released the older man and allowed his body to fall to the floor. He walked over to Bonnie and took her face in his hands. "Are you okay?"
She released a nervous breath and nodded. Bonnie threw her arms around Tyler and hugged him. She breathed in his scent to help settle her frayed nerves. Bonnie was happy to have found an alternative to using magic on him.
Tyler wrapped his arms around Bonnie and hugged her close. He glanced at the unconscious man lying on the floor. He asked, "How did you find him?"
Lucy pounded on the door. "Bonnie?!"
"I didn't find him," she murmured.
He looked at her with a confused expression.
Bonnie explained, "I think magic was involved but that doesn't really matter now. I need your help protecting him from Klaus."
"Why would I do that?" he asked with a look of disapproval. His first instinct at the park had been to kill the bastard. He seriously regretted not listening to his wolf's desire for blood.
"This isn't just any wolf, Ty. This is Ansel. He is Klaus' father," she replied.
Tyler looked shocked. He glanced at the man again as if searching for some similarities he might share with Klaus.
The door crashed open to reveal Lucy standing outside the room. It had taken more time than she would have liked to break the seal Bonnie placed on the room. The seal had been uncomplicated but weaved with a great deal of energy. Lucy could sense the panic Bonnie must have felt during the creation. She stepped into the room. "Bonnie?"
"Just let me explain, Lucy…." the younger woman started.
Elijah strode into the room looking a bit disheveled and none too pleased with Bonnie.
Nyx hopped in front of Ansel and hissed angrily.
Elijah was prepared to ignore the cat but stopped after noticing its eyes. He could only remember one other time that he had encountered a pair of eyes that enthralling.
Lucy stared at the cat and frowned. Then her eyes shifted to Bonnie. "Care to explain why you went rogue?"
"I didn't go rogue. I never agreed with this ridiculous plan and I am glad that I didn't. This isn't some random wolf. He's our grandfather," Bonnie explained.
Elijah stopped staring at the kitten and directed his gaze to Bonnie. "Your grandfather?"
It took Lucy a moment to put the pieces together. Her eyes went wide when she finally understood Bonnie's meaning. Lucy moved closer to the unconscious man. She repeated, "Our grandfather?"
"I don't think this is some plot by the travelers. He must be here for a reason," Bonnie added.
Tyler asked, "Do you think Ansel knew who you were?"
"Maybe," she conceded. "It might be why he was interested in me."
Elijah cleared his throat. "We still need to take him back to the mansion. Klaus will want to see him."
"There's no way I am agreeing to that. No offense, but your brother has a pretty crappy track record with parents. Klaus isn't Ansel's only descendent. He doesn't get to decide what happens to him without input," Bonnie argued.
Lucy tore her gaze away from Ansel's face. "Bonnie is right, Elijah. We have no way of knowing how Nik will react to Ansel's presence."
"You agreed that the balance…"
Lucy said, "I still think we need to send Ansel back to the Other Side. I just want to talk to him first. We need to know why he is here and who helped him crossover. I don't care how old a werewolf is, he wouldn't have the power to cross into this world without help from a witch."
Bonnie said, "Just give us a couple hours. Please…"
Elijah was inclined to agree with Lucy and Bonnie. However, he was the one that would have to explain the situation to his brother. He said, "You have one hour. I will try to keep Niklaus calm until then."
Lucy said, "I will go with Elijah. Take Ansel with you, Bon."
Elijah looked uncertain. He didn't know if Bonnie could be trusted to follow through with their plan.
"Are you sure, Lucy?" she asked.
Lucy nodded. "I am positive. Most of our family are already back at your house. They will know what questions to ask him."
Bonnie said, "Okay. I'll call you the moment we know anything."
Lucy hugged Bonnie. There was so much that she wanted to say to her younger cousin but now was not the right time. She said, "Be safe…"
"I was going to say the same thing to you," the younger girl whispered.
Elijah and Lucy walked out of the hotel room.
Cary was waiting for them anxiously. He hadn't entered the room but he heard the entire conversation. He asked, "Is it really Ansel?"
Elijah nodded and said, "It is…"
Cary glanced into the room once more. He had to tell the rest of his pack about this. He agreed with Bonnie about Klaus deciding Ansel's fate.
Caroline carried several bags of groceries into the quiet boarding house. Someone needed to restock the mostly barren cupboards but she knew better than to wait for Stefan and Damon to do it. The brothers were focused on the traveler situation. They were also dealing with some fairly serious family drama. In fact, that 'family drama' was currently living in the boarding house. Everyone knew that Damon was the type of person to carry a grudge. She understood and supported Stefan's decision to protect Sarah from Damon. However, Damon felt wronged by his younger brother's actions. Caroline feared that he would decide to torment Stefan for the foreseeable future.
Stefan walked into the kitchen with a worried expression on his face. He said, "Oh, it's you."
Caroline's blue eyes widened at Stefan's unkind greeting. She asked. "Would you like to try that again?"
He winced and walked over to give Caroline a quick kiss. "I'm sorry. I've just searched the boarding house top to bottom. I thought Damon was just avoiding me but maybe he left."
"Damon is still here unless he left on foot. His car is still parked outside," she explained.
Stefan frowned in response. He said, "Damon has to be out back. I can't imagine what he would be doing out there."
"Hiding from you?" Caroline suggested.
He sighed, "Probably. What is all this?"
"Well, I figured you didn't plan to starve your niece."
Stefan shook his head and sighed again. "I didn't even think about that. Thank you for picking up my slack. I will make this up to you."
Caroline said, "I don't mind helping out, Stefan. Damon is annoying but he is right about one thing. I live here even if we have avoided calling it that. I think half of my wardrobe is hanging in your closet instead of in my dorm room."
"That's only half of your clothes?" he asked in genuine surprise.
She laughed and said, "That isn't counting the clothes and accessories that I still have at my mom's house."
Stefan wisely chose not to comment on Caroline's burgeoning hoarding problem. He said, "Well, we have plenty of room here…"
Caroline asked, "Are you asking me to move in?"
He cleared his throat. "This isn't how I imagined asking you."
The back door opened and Damon walked in with a crate of freshly chopped firewood. He set the crate down long enough to take off his muddy boots. He would be sure to complain to Elodie for failing to warn him about the torrential rain storm. He wouldn't have worn his favorite pair of boots.
"I have been looking everywhere for you, Damon," Stefan said.
He quipped, "All these years and you still suck at hide and seek. Perhaps I have failed you as an older brother."
"So you were hiding from me?' Stefan asked cautiously. He wondered if Damon planned to snap his neck again.
Damon picked up the crate and said, "No, I was chopping firewood for our possibly anemic niece. I figured that we could move her into 'Uncle' Zach's old bedroom. She can use the fireplace to keep warm.'
"Really?" Stefan asked in a surprised voice. He couldn't imagine his brother doing something so considerate for Sarah.
"I don't know if she is anemic but she's complained about the cold a few times," Damon replied.
Stefan said, "No, I meant...I guess I am just surprised that you care if she is warm enough."
The elder Salvatore brother shrugged his shoulders. "I don't care about her, but Bonnie will nag me if I let the kid get sick or something."
Stefan tried to stop himself from smiling. Perhaps it was too soon for them to be one big happy family, but he could see through Damon's facade. Stefan had been cautiously optimistic from the moment Damon brought Sarah to the boarding house. His brother could have killed the girl at the cabin and Stefan would have been none the wiser.
Caroline piped up, "Bonnie is really good at nagging."
Damon nodded in Caroline's direction. "Blondie knows what I am talking about. I am going to put the wood by the fireplace. It should be dry enough to use in a couple hours."
"Thanks, Damon," Stefan said.
"I didn't do this for you. Bonnie doesn't care about your comfort," Damon quipped.
"Do you think we could talk about this situation without you snapping my neck?" the younger vampire inquired.
Damon shrugged his shoulders. "Probably but I don't see much point in talking about it. You saved Sarah's life and hid her from me. I understand why you did it."
Stefan lifted an eyebrow at his brother because Damon was being entirely too reasonable.
He rolled his eyes dramatically. "I would like to point out that your secrets nearly got her killed. But you did the right thing not telling me about her once we were both in Mystic Falls again. I've been known to go off the deep end and I wouldn't have wanted Sarah to be collateral damage in one of our fights."
"Who are you and what have you done with my brother?" Stefan asked with a wry smile.
"Go back to brooding because your witty repartee sucks," he complained.
Damon's response just made Stefan smile wider. He wondered if he could get away with hugging his brother. Stefan decided the scowl on Damon's face was warning enough. "I am glad that you understand what I did, Damon. I just wanted to give Sarah her best shot at a safe life."
The older vampire frowned. "I understand what you were trying to do but it was a mistake."
"You just said…"
Damon cut him off, "I mean that shielding Sarah from the supernatural world was a mistake. You wanted protect her and still keep tabs on her. You can't have it both ways. You led Enzo right to her. Then he targeted Sarah and she had no idea what she was up against. She didn't even know that vampires existed."
Stefan was reluctant to admit that Damon was right. He had made their niece a sitting duck. He confessed, "My original plan was to never see Sarah again once I knew she had been placed with good adoptive parents. But I just couldn't do that. She's family, Damon."
He couldn't blame his younger brother's impulse. Being a vampire was a lonely prospect. Damon always counted himself as lucky that Stefan was a vampire, too. The brothers often went decades without speaking but Damon always knew he could search for his brother whenever he wanted to find him. Sarah was the last leaf on their family tree. It would be difficult to let her go.
Damon said, "Elodie said something to me that made a lot of sense, Stefan. Keeping Sarah safe means preparing her for the real world. The world with vampires, werewolves, doppelgangers, hybrids and the crazy Original siblings. The world where her only two blood relatives have amassed hundreds or perhaps thousands of enemies in their nearly two hundred years of life. The next time a crazed vampire decides to kidnap Sarah it might not be one that has a man crush on me."
Stefan swallowed thickly because Damon was right. His brother wasn't the only person that had enemies. He murmured, "She's a human and humans don't last long in our lives, Damon."
"Then you have to let her go for real this time, Stefan. You have to wipe her memory and drop her back with her family. Then you need to walk away and never try to find her again," Damon argued.
Caroline frowned. "Don't you think it might be a good idea to ask Sarah what she wants. I understand you had to make a difficult decision when she was a baby, but she's an adult now. She's older than you were when Katherine turned you, Stefan."
Stefan felt as if he had been put between a rock and a hard place. He didn't know which option made him more anxious. He rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly. "I guess I should talk to Sarah and present the options to her."
Damon frowned when he heard the front door open.
"Damon?"Bonnie called from the foyer.
Damon abandoned the conversation with Stefan and sought out his judgy witch. He asked, "What are you doing here? I figured you would be magically waterboarding the traveler I captured at the cemetery."
She said, "Well, I sort of need your dungeon."
"For what?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
Tyler walked into the house with Ansel over his shoulder
Gabe and Ruby were standing behind him.
Bonnie motioned to Ansel's unconscious body. "He escaped from the Other Side. We need to find out how and why. My house is a little crowded right now."
Damon lifted an eyebrow. "That feels like a half-truth but what the hell. Mi dungeon es su dungeon. You know the way, Teen Wolf."
Tyler grunted in Damon's direction but nodded for his pack members to follow him.
Bonnie said, "Thank you, Damon."
The vampire's eyes narrowed. "What's really going on, Bon-Bon?"
She bit her lip. "I might be hiding my great-great-great-grandwolf from the Originals and my own family."
Damon tilted his head to one side and asked, "What?"
"The wolf that Tyler carried into the house, he is the reason that my bloodline carries the werewolf gene. He is my grandfather times a couple hundred or something. Everyone is ready to kill him and send him back to the Other Side. I am not ready to do that yet. I want talk to him first," she explained.
"Who knows that you have Grandpappy Wolf?" he asked.
"Elijah and Lucy know the truth. They promised to hold Klaus off for an hour."
He said, "So we have an hour or more before they realize he isn't at your house. This will be the first place they will come looking for him."
Bonnie nodded. "I know but it is more time than I would have at my own house. My relatives despise being hybrids. I don't think they would be eager to meet the man that made it all possible. I am hoping that we won't need so much time. He might be willing to open up to other wolves."
"That's why you brought the other wolves with you. Just don't get me bit by an ancient werewolf, witchy," Damon said.
She argued, "Aunt Elodie can suck the werewolf venom right out of you. I wouldn't put you in danger, Damon."
Damon smirked. "I bet she could."
Bonnie's eyes went wide and she used both of her hands to repeatedly whack his chest. "Ew! Ew! Ew!"
He chuckled heartily at her reaction. "My work here is done. Give a shout if you need me for anything."
She asked, "Uh...do you have any milk or like soft food?"
He lifted an eyebrow. "Why?"
"I might have adopted a kitten. I don't know. There is like a 50% chance the spirit of a dead relative is inhabiting it."
Damon snorted, "I am not even going to ask you to explain that. Blondie just went shopping. I'll go see what she bought."
Bonnie grinned. "Great. I'll go get Nyx out the car."
Damon nodded said, "I'll warn Stefan not to eat her."
Bonnie gasped. "I will roast your brother's brain like a Christmas goose if he drains my kitten."
Damon practically cackled as he walked to the kitchen.