N.R
There was something different about Bonnie Elise Bennett-Hopkins.
Ever since she had emerged from her month long coma, Kai has been subtly (okay maybe not so subtly) cataloging the differences.
The most obvious is her insistence of making sure her grandmother is within her sights. Kai has been around when Sheila has had to leave the room, and he's watched as Bonnie keeps her head on a swivel awaiting her return, seeming to only relax when Sheila is back in her orbit.
It's strange, because for the last six months, maybe even year, he could tell their once close relationship had become strained. Kai wasn't privy to all that went on, but he knew Sheila worried about her granddaughter, and the choices she had been making of late.
But all that seems to have been forgotten once Bonnie woke up. The two were inseparable and you would hardly have known that a mere months ago, Bonnie had threatened to cut her grandmother out of her life if she didn't mind her own business.
Then there was her reaction to her friends. Some got a warm welcome, (Caroline, Matt, Tyler), and others were left wondering what they had done wrong to earn such a cold shoulder. Sure, that had all faded with time, but in the beginning, it was touch and go.
Her reaction to him was incredibly puzzling. He obviously never had the relationship he wanted with Bonnie, but they were friends at least. However, out of everyone, she kept him on ice the longest. It was long enough that others had taken notice and asked if he had done something to make her freeze him out. He swore up and down that he had been his normal self, but he did the noble thing and backed off a bit until she grew more comfortable around him.
And then she did, grow more comfortable around him, that was.
Kai thought he knew Bonnie. He would have sworn up and down that he knew all her smiles, all her nervous tics, what her face looked like when she was concentrating on opening a jar of pickles, how she preferred her sandwiches, what she liked to drink, and so on.
Not so much anymore, it seemed. The Bonnie that emerged was not the one that he knew. This Bonnie guarded her smiles and laughter like they were gold, handing them out sparingly. Her poker face was pretty damn perfect, no longer could he just look at her and tell how her day was going.
All of the little habits of hers that Kai had memorized over the years didn't seem to matter anymore, because she constantly threw him for a loop. Going left when she had always gone right, saying yes when it had always been a no. Sticking up for herself more, and not letting anyone run roughshod all over her.
He knew his jaw was damn near on the ground the first time he saw her get into an argument with someone. She didn't yell, but the steel in her voice was enough to make him turn around and have to adjust himself in his pants. Bonnie, the Bonnie that he had spent years lusting over, had never spoke to anyone in that tone. He didn't even know her voice could get that low and rumbly.
He made sure to store that little tidbit away for later.
It wasn't just her actions, physically, she was different too. Her walk was something entirely new to him, and not just how she walked. He'd noticed before that she had never wanted to be the leader, content to just follow along and put her trust in the person ahead of her to get her where she needed to be.
This new Bonnie, even though she was still barely over five feet, had strides as long as his sometimes. She moved to the front and if you didn't keep up, oh well. She wasn't afraid to cut a path to wherever she was headed, armed with a polite 'excuse me', but not afraid to shove someone aside if they were foolish enough not to move.
What he really liked though, was her eventual warming and acceptance of him. It took a few months, but he soon noticed that she stopped jumping up every time he sat next to her. She stopped watching him out the corner of her eye (and not in the good way) as if she expected him to spring into action and attack her any second. She stopped hiding her pleased reactions to whatever corny joke he would tell, or whatever nice gesture he'd do for her. She had a brand new tough shell that he had to fight to get through, he felt like he was starting from scratch all over again.
No, wait. That wasn't exactly right. He felt like he was competing with something or someone that he couldn't see. He got the feeling that sometimes when he was talking to Bonnie that she wasn't talking to him. He found he had the best responses when he could pull her out of whatever daydream she had drifted in to, and remind her that she was with him. On the rare times that happened, her smile would be so wide and open that he had to catch his breath.
The biggest indication something was different came when Katherine of all people, mentioned Damon and Elena.
"…so Elena was all like, "Well Damon said it was okay" or some shit like that. I told her she was the dumbest chick alive if she believed him-" She was cut short by Caroline elbowing her in the side, and tilting her head in Bonnie's direction. He swore everyone held their breath, waiting for her reaction.
Bonnie had been engrossed in playing Mario Kart with Tyler and Matt, but had been half-heartedly participating in the conversation happening around her. Her only reaction had been a chuckle of amusement.
Now Kai would be the first to admit he doesn't always know when to stop and leave well enough alone, but something in him told him to not let this go. So he decided to test a theory, he slid down to sit next to Bonnie on the floor, "Trusting anything Damon deems okay is just asking to be pissed off later on down the road." He studied her face for even a flicker of the starry eyed look she normally got when Damon's name was mentioned.
No such look appeared this time. Bonnie merely snorted, "Right? Like, if he says go left, I'm definitely going right." She suddenly dropped the controller and jumped up cheering in victory. "I won! I won!" She did a little dance then stopped abruptly, "I gotta go pee, don't touch anything. I'll be right back." She danced her way to the bathroom while everyone sat in shock in Tyler's living room.
"What the fuck?"
"I wasn't the only one that saw that, right?
"Do you think it's because of the accident?"
"What, like she's got brain damage?"
"Yes. NO. I mean…maybe?"
The questions swirled about over Kai's head, but he was lost in his own world. What he had begun to suspect was finally confirmed. She was finally over that asshole.
Suddenly Luke's face appeared in his line of sight, "Stop it. Right now." Although his voice was stern, his eyes were soft.
"Stop what, little brother?" Kai felt the weight of every gaze in the room.
"Oh man, now is so not the best time." Matt was shaking his head slowly. "Give her time."
"He's waited bloody years!" Rebekah whisper-screamed.
"So one more won't kill him then." Matt's voice was firm. "Look, I'm saying this not just for Bonnie, but for you too. None of us want to see you get hurt."
"Who's getting hurt?" Bonnie slid back into her place on the floor.
"Kai is if he doesn't get a move on to go help dad." Liv threw up a Hail Mary, and Kai was tempted to just ignore it, but he knew Matt was right, now was not the time.
Bonnie pouted, "But I'm on a winning streak! You can't go, you're my good luck charm." Kai reached out to pull at a curl before letting it go to spring back into place. When Bonnie had showed up with much shorter hair, he'd nearly had a heart attack. Gone was the limp, over straightened hair, and in its place was a bouncy nest of curls that he wanted to run his fingers through so badly, he physically had to stop himself sometimes.
"Sorry, bon. Duty calls. I have faith you'll still be able to kick some ass after I'm gone." She beamed at him before turning back to start a new game. He quickly retrieved his keys and beat a hasty retreat. He needed to call Jo, she wasn't a neurosurgeon, but she'd be able to tell him if all the changes he'd noted were likely caused by the accident, or if Bonnie truly was starting to get back to her old self.
For the first time in a long time, he had hope.
A/N: And that's a wrap! Hopefully you enjoyed that little dip into the past.
