It came as a surprise to no one that Mystic Falls had gained several formerly dead supernatural residents. Some of those former ghosts were more welcome than others. Alaric and Lexi were among the ghosts that the Scooby Doo Gang welcomed back with open arms. Stefan and Damon were both ecstatic to have their best friends alive and well again. However, there were concerns about the original brothers: Finn and Kol. Fortunately, Drusilla had implored Klaus to keep his brothers in line. He knew that his sister wouldn't bat an eyelash about sending both vampires back to the Other Side if they caused trouble.
However, there were other ghosts that had escaped that could not be allowed to stay among the living. They were either deemed too dangerous or too controllable. Unfortunately, those former ghosts had not stayed within the confines of Mystic Falls. They had fled as soon as they escaped the Other Side. Search parties were already being formed to locate these former ghosts for execution. However, Bonnie had left all the details in Drusilla's capable hands. The young witch decided that she had earned a few days of rest following the ordeal with Dahlia. Bonnie and the baby hadn't suffered any ill effects from using so much magic, but she was tired.
The Bennett witches took the not-so-subtle hint and found accomodations elsewhere in Mystic Falls. They were all still on rocky terms with Bonnie. Despite working together to stop Dahlia and the travelers, she had not forgotten or forgiven the unkindness shown to her. It would take some time for everyone to mend fences with each other. Unfortunately, they didn't have unlimited time. Soon enough the Bennett witches would need to return to their homes. Moreover, there was still the matter of forming the hybrid coven/pack. The young witch was still reluctant to undertake such a massive responsibility.
It wasn't as if she didn't already have enough to consider. What had at one point been a mere suggestion by Klaus, had grown into a sure thing. Joshua Parker had agreed to support her as the head of the supernatural council. Bonnie didn't know if he was impressed by the power she displayed or cowed by the quality of her other supporters. Klaus had managed to convince his siblings to support his hare-brained scheme. The Bennett witches were firmly behind her. They were also expecting the North East Atlantic Pack to support her because of Ansel. The ancient werewolf had already began to make overtures on her behalf through Cary.
Tyler was pleased that Bonnie planned to take it easy for a couple of days. His heart had been in his throat for much of yesterday's chaos. He was grateful to get his mate home safely and in relatively good health. He promptly turned off their phones and locked the house down as if it were Fort Knox. Lucy and Mari were the only Bennett witches still welcomed by Bonnie. However, Lucy had decided to spend the night at the Mikaelson Mansion. She claimed that it was about spending more time with Drusilla, but Tyler thought it was more likely that she craved closeness with her mate.
No matter Lucy's reasoning, Tyler was glad the house was empty. He ordered take out from Ruby's place and convinced Bonnie to soak in a bath without him. Her invitation to join had been tempting, but she needed rest more than sex. Tyler knew he wouldn't be able to keep his hands to himself if they bathed together. After Bonnie's bath they ate dinner and then spent the rest of he night watching movies in her bed. He wasn't surprised that she fell asleep well before midnight. Tyler wasn't exactly tired and spent several hours studying the information Gabe had been able to find on the unification ritual. The trials caused some concern for him. They would need to consult someone to learn if Bonnie could even complete the trials in her condition.
The next morning, Bonnie stirred when she felt Tyler's fingers tracing light circles on her bare stomach. Her lips curled up into a small smile as the magic steadily growing within her womb reacted to the action. She sighed happily and asked, "How long have you been awake?"
Tyler looked up with a guilty expression when he realized she was a awake. He planted a kiss on her stomach and then moved up to lie beside her. He said, "Probably a couple of hours…"
She blinked a few times and glanced at the clock. She groaned softly and lightly slapped his arm. It was already 11 o'clock. She couldn't believe how long she had slept. "Why did you let me sleep so late?"
He chuckled softly and pecked her lips. "I figured that you should sleep until you woke up. You were exhausted, Bon. My blood helped mask some of it but you overexerted yourself yesterday."
"You're right but I didn't really have much of a choice. Dahlia would have gotten free if I didn't lend my help," she argued.
"I know and you did the right thing. I just...I was worried about you," he confessed.
Bonnie rested her head on his chest and said, "I noticed. You weren't exactly hiding it."
"How could I? Watching you bleed from your nose was bad enough. But then I started feeling how weak you were through our bond. It scared the shit out of me," he muttered.
She tensed for a moment and then snuggled closer to him. "I'm sorry. It didn't occur to me that you would be able to feel that through our bond. I was just focused on Dahlia…"
He said, "I am just glad that it is over. Qetsiyah doesn't seem like the type to lose track of her shiny new toys."
"And the anchor is fortified with ancient blood magic now. It'll take more than a coven of displeased travelers to sabotage it in the future. But I will feel better when we have a permanent anchor in place."
Tyler lifted an eyebrow and asked, "Any idea where we find one of those?"
Bonnie huffed out a laugh and discreetly inhaled his scent. He smelled so good to her. She shook her head. "Not a clue. Lucy was supposed to talk to Drusilla about it. I mean Ansel is her father. I can't believe that she wants him to be the gateway between life and death forever. It is not an easy job."
His jaw clenched at the memory of Bonnie suffering as anchor. He could vividly remember finding her hunched over in excruciating pain. He would never be able to comprehend how she was able to hide the side effects for so long. Tyler had decided then that Bonnie possessed some level of inner strength that he couldn't begin to understand.
Tyler carded his fingers through Bonnie's hair and pressed a kiss to her temple.
She frowned and asked, "Where'd you go just now?"
He smiled a little and said, "Nowhere important. What do you want to do on your day off from all things mayhem and chaos?"
"I'd love to spend some time at the falls later if you're up for it," she suggested.
Tyler chuckled softly. He should have known that Bonnie would want to spend time communing with nature. He had rarely seen her as happy as she was in the woods. He asked, "Are you going to try to befriend more woodland creatures?"
She lifted her chin defiantly. "Probably…"
"Is Russell coming along?" he asked with a smirk.
"Keep making fun of me and I am going to dump you for Russell. He appreciates my love for nature," she said with a pout.
Tyler kissed her softly and said, "I appreciate your love for nature, too. Should I start bringing you twigs and dead things, too?"
Bonnie laughed softly against his lips. "Only if the dead things are a rack of baby back ribs."
"Now you are in my wheelhouse. I am maestro when it comes to the grill. If my girlfriend wants baby back ribs, then she will have them," he said.
She grinned and said, "With sweet barbecue sauce. I don't like tangy or spicy."
"I'll keep that in mind," he chuckled softly. "What else do you want to do? So far we've settled on time at the falls and sweet baby back ribs."
Bonnie stretched a little and said, "Honestly, I'd like to fit a nap somewhere in there. God, I'm turning into a cat. Oh! I need to feed Nyx. I am like the worst pet/familiar owner ever."
He said, "Don't worry about her highness. I fed Nyx when I woke up this morning. Last time I saw her she was curled up in a window soaking up the early morning sun."
She laughed in amusement. Bonnie was acquainted with Nyx's imperious attitude. However, she adored her new furry friend. "I should spend some time with her. Maybe she can come to the falls with us."
He looked skeptical. "What if she gets lost? I don't want to spend the rest of my night searching the woods for her. I would do that for you but I wouldn't want to do it."
"Well, Nyx isn't a regular house cat. She's a familiar which means that she is fairly intelligent. I doubt that she would run away from me. But maybe you are right. I don't want to spend the evening looking for her either. Besides, something bigger might decide to eat her. Maybe I'll just take her out in the backyard while you're grilling dinner."
"At least until we get her microchipped at the vet," he said.
Bonnie frowned and said, "Oh, that's a good idea. I should probably take her to the vet to get a check up. She's a familiar but she's still a cat. I don't want her to get worms or some other weird cat disease. I'll do that sometime next week. I've never had a pet before."
"Really?" he asked. "Not even a goldfish?"
She shook her head. "Not even a goldfish. I know that you had Kermit the dog."
He frowned when Bonnie giggled at his dog's name. "It was a good name."
"He was a 70lb boxer," she joked.
Tyler laughed and said, "I was four when I named Kermit. Cut me some slack."
Bonnie's expression sobered as she asked, "Did you ever get another pet after Kermit passed?"
He shook his head. "I had Kermit for 11 really great years. It didn't feel right replacing him with another dog."
Bonnie nodded in understanding. She said, "You can share Nyx with me. I'm sure she'd like another servant."
Tyler chuckled and said, "You're probably right about that. When I filled her food and water dishes this morning she had this look like she had expected nothing less."
She giggled softly and sat up in the bed. "Why don't we pack a lunch and have a picnic at the falls?"
"We need to take the car instead of just walking over there. We'll have to stop at the store to buy ribs for dinner."
Bonnie shrugged and said, "That's fine. I can run around the woods and burn off any excess energy."
Tyler pecked her lips and climbed out the bed. He frowned when he heard someone knocking at the door.
She poked out her lip in response. "We told everyone I needed a couple days off."
"If it's Damon, I'm snapping his neck," Tyler groused as he pulled on his pants.
She rolled her eyes. "He's probably still somewhere getting drunk with Alaric. He has his drinking buddy back."
Tyler marched down the stairs and ripped open the door. However, the tirade on his lips died when he saw Abby standing at the door. He noted the duffel bag in her hand.
She said, "Uh, hi. Is Bonnie here?"
He walked over to the staircase and called up, "Bonnie, your mother is here."
Bonnie walked down the stairs in Tyler's shirt and a hastily acquired pair of shorts. She said, "Abby…"
Abby smiled hesitantly. "I spoke with Aunt Joanna. I know that you're taking the day to rest. I was hoping that we could talk. I won't take too much of your time."
She felt somewhat guilty for ignoring her mother the last couple days. Abby had just shown up at a really bad time. Bonnie had just finished having an argument with Della when Abby turned up on her doorstep. She was too angry and hurt to have said anything civil to her mother. It was bad enough that they had unsettled conflict between them. Bonnie hadn't want to make it worse.
"Okay. Come in," Bonnie said.
Tyler said, "I'll go see if the grill needs to be cleaned before I use it tonight."
Bonnie made a face and said, "I can't remember the last time I used the grill or cleaned it."
He nodded and kissed her cheek. "Call me if you need me."
She smiled at him and said, "I will."
Abby closed the front door with a quiet click.
Bonnie said, "Let's go sit in the living room."
Abby nodded and followed her daughter into the living room. Being in the house was like a blast from the past. Bonnie had made some changes but it still felt like the house where Abby grew up. She kept expecting Sheila to walk down the stairs to greet her. She took a seat on the couch and waited Bonnie to join her.
The girl sat on the opposite end of the couch. She prepared to say something but stopped short when Nyx bounded across the room. She smiled and scooped up the black kitten. She scratched under her chin and cooed happily.
Abby cleared her throat. "I wanted to apologize for dropping by unannounced the other day. I should have known that things would be hectic here."
"What made you come to Mystic Falls? I was under the impression that you hated it here," she said.
"I don't hate Mystic Falls. This place will always be my home but sometimes...it feels stifling. Anyway, I came here for the same reason that the other Bennett witches did. The call to arms didn't skip me simply because I'm a vampire now. It just took me longer to get here. I was at a spiritual retreat out in Ojai."
"Ojai, California?" Bonnie asked for clarification.
Abby nodded. "I needed...I've been looking for something since I was turned. I guess if I am being truthful, I've been looking for something a lot longer than that."
"And did you find this 'something?"
She laughed bitterly. "No. I did find some excellent peyote."
The teen lifted her eyebrow at that.
"Don't do drugs because they're bad. But I'm a vampire so it's not like it can do me any harm," she joked in a quiet voice.
Bonnie laughed a little. "I don't think peyote would be my speed. That sort of loss of control is terrifying."
Abby said, "And that is why you are the right person to lead us. You're just like your grams in that way. She was always certain about everything. She could take control of any situation. I have never felt that way in the entirety of my life. I pretended for awhile but it ended up causing me and everyone else a lot of pain in the end. Anyway, I am getting way off track here. I came here to say that I can't keep waiting until I've got stuff figured out to connect with you. Because maybe I'll never get things figured out. In the meantime, you're growing up and starting a family. I don't want to keep missing out."
She blinked in surprise. "I...I don't know what to say here. This isn't exactly what I expected."
"I'm not expecting us to become close immediately...or even in the next few months. I can't begin to make up for the time we've lost. But I would like to have some small part in your life...in your baby's life."
Bonnie said, "I don't trust you not to run off again."
"That is a completely reasonable concern. And I will not lie and promise you anything. We both know my word means little. And I can't promise that I will be traditional mother or grandmother."
She huffed out a laugh. "I'd imagine not since you were just off doing peyote."
Abby smiled wryly. "I just...treat me like any other relative that you're meeting for the first time."
Bonnie glanced at Nyx and wondered what her familiar thought about it. She said, "I need some time to think about this."
"I understand. I know that I am asking for a lot and offering very few assurances. Anyway, I should let you get back to your day of leisure. I have some errands to run before having lunch with Aunt Joanna."
"Okay…"
"I'll show myself out," Abby said quietly.
Bonnie remained seated on the couch. She had a big heart, but Qetsiyah had taught her that it was a liability. She needed to figure out if a relationship with Abby was worth the risk.