Title: Unfinished

Rating: M

Genre: AU/Supernatural/Romance

Pairing(s): Bonnie/Klaus, Stefan/Rebekah, Bonnie/Stefan (minor), Klaus/Stefan (minor), Bonnie/Rebekah (minor), Caroline/Tyler, Matt/Katherine, Rudy/Gloria, Abby/Elijah, etc.

Summary: Bonnie uncovers memories of a previous life that she spent with Klaus, Stefan, and Rebekah….

Warnings: Violence, Sexual Content, Racial Tension (Slurs, Racially Motivated Crimes and the Like), Character Death, Bad use of 1920's slang, ect.

Part Six: Patience

Stefan Salvatore loved watching Bonnie Bennett sleep. He loved it in fact, more than he liked riling Bonnie up, and he really loved riling Bonnie up. Even still, more than he loved watching Bonnie sleep he loved the moment that she awoke and smiled at him, for she always smiled.

He was watching the rise and fall of her chest, its bareness covered by Nik's sheets. Nik had left a while ago with Rebekah. He had been acting odd all night, a story that Bonnie had told about meeting some creep with an accent and an interest in Bonnie that none of them liked, had gotten his panties in a twist.

With the others gone and Bonnie garnering interest Stefan felt the urge to kill. It was a quiet sort of urge that was just beneath the surface. One that was born when he realized that they were all he had. Everyone else in his life was interchangeable. They could come and go and Stefan would be fine, he would live, he would go on. Even his brother was in that category as much as Stefan loved him, he could keep living with his brother popping in and out, he didn't have a need to have him constantly by his side. The others were different. Rebekah. Nik. Bonnie. All of them were now tied to him, rooted to him, essential to his existence. But they wouldn't always be there, he was beginning to understand that and it scared him.

There was a chance that whoever this man was he had scared Nik and Rebekah, a chance that when Nik had left Bonnie in bed and Rebekah had done the same to Stefan that they wouldn't return. There was a chance that whoever this man was, he would appeal to Bonnie more than they did. A chance that he would take her away. After all that was how they had started, a chance meeting at the club and persistent showing of interest. They could all leave Stefan and then it would be back to death, and blood, and darkness, and nothingness.

"What are you thinking so hard about?"Bonnie asked upon waking.

Stefan met her eyes and for the first time she wasn't smiling at him when she woke up. "You're not smiling," he said simply before looking away again.

"Of course not," Bonnie said sitting up, the frown on her face deepening, "I'm worried about you." The sheet that had been covering Bonnie had fallen leaving her top half bare to him. She didn't seem to mind. She had stopped minding the first time Stefan had kissed her and hadn't really been very modest around him since then.

"You're not going anywhere are you?" Stefan asked. Bonnie's frown deepened, but still she was quick to assure him, shaking her head. "Then I'm perfectly fine," he said.

"You're doing it again aren't you?" Bonnie asked. Stefan's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and she decided to elaborate. "You're thinking about one of us leaving you for whatever reason and it won't happen," she said seriously, "It'll always be the four us."

"You don't know that," Stefan said, "If someone comes along and decides to take you away-"

"It won't happen," Bonnie said before he could completely finish the thought.

"Fine," Stefan said pushing the thought of whatever threat that Klaus and Rebekah were hiding from them aside, "What if one day one of us does something that you can't forgive us for?"
"I do a lot of talking and there are things that I believe and I feel are right that none of you will ever live up to," Bonnie said looking away for a moment, "But I've learned that, there isn't anything I believe or feel is right that outweighs the feelings I have for you…any of you. What I'm trying to say is…there's nothing that you can do that I wouldn't be able to forgive you for. If I have to choose between the three of you and holding on to some grudge because one of you has done something that has made me want to end your life…again…then I'll always choose the former."

Stefan smiled slightly. "Then I guess I'll just have to make it easy on you and be a good boy so you'll never have to choose," he said.

Finally Bonnie was smiling as she threw a pillow at Stefan's head. "I'll believe that when I see it."

Stefan stood in the doorway of the kitchen and watched as Bonnie stirred her tea absently as she sat at the kitchen table. He wondered if what she had said before still held true, if she could really forgive him of anything. Perhaps being possessed by David Wilkes wasn't entirely Stefan's fault, but there was still fault to be had. After all he had killed the bastard, and would happily do so again, and in killing him Stefan had caused the asshole to come after not only him but as well Bonnie in search of revenge.

Rebekah had admonished Stefan for thinking that he was to blame but Stefan couldn't help it. He had always been a martyr, a brooder, and married to guilt. He couldn't help but think that if he had just fought just a bit harder, or been more prepared, that even if he couldn't have stopped the possession then as least he could have held onto some degree of control over his body and stopped Wilkes from touching Bonnie. Still there was nothing left for him but regret for now. He couldn't change things he could only merely hope that Bonnie wouldn't hold what happened against him.

"Would you stop standing there brooding in the doorway," Bonnie said breaking him out of his thoughts, "You're giving me a headache. You always think so much."

Stefan let out a little laugh as he stood straight and walked over to join her at the kitchen table. "After what you've been through I would think that you'd be complaining of more than just a headache," he said as he sat down across from her.

Bonnie smirked. "Nope just the headache," she said, "Okay maybe not just the headache, but I'm choosing not to dwell on anything else. I don't think I can deal with the rest right now." She stared down into her mug and chewed on her bottom lip. No, she didn't want to think about losing her Grams again, or the fact that Gloria seemed to think that she should find her mother, or the fact that she still even after being groped by a possessed Stefan had some sort of feelings for un-possessed Stefan, or the fact that she now had more respect for Rebekah that her supposed best friend Elena because the blonde had somehow managed to do the impossible by thinking about Bonnie first and Stefan later, or the fact that for some reason she was obscenely jealous of this mystery woman that Klaus had been and still was in love with, or the fact that the only time that she wasn't thinking about all the things that bothered her was when she was with Klaus. No, Bonnie didn't want to think about any of that, ever.

"About what happened with Wilkes-" Stefan began, but stopped when Bonnie cut him off with a shake of her head.

"You're not blaming yourself for this one," Bonnie said firmly. Stefan opened his mouth to object but Bonnie held up her hand. "I mean it," she said seriously, "This isn't your fault. It's not like every day the ghost of someone that you killed just happens to pop up and try and molest me. You were possessed. You couldn't control what happened any more than I could."

Stefan shook his head. "That's just it Bonnie," he said, "If I hadn't have killed Wilkes he would have had no reason to possess me and go after you." That wasn't entirely true as Wilkes had a grudge against Bonnie that went way back but Bonnie didn't know that, or rather she didn't remember that.

Bonnie sighed. "Fine," she said, "It's obvious that you're not going to let this go until you apologize even though I don't think that you have a reason to, so go ahead."

Stefan's eyes met hers and he went with a sincere apology even if she didn't think that he owed her one. "I sorry Bonnie," he said, "This shouldn't have happened to you. None of this should be happening to you."

Bonnie gave Stefan a tired sort of smile that made her look a lot older than her years as she stood. She walked around the table and stopped as she stood just at his side. "I forgive you, Stefan," she said quietly, "Not just for this but for anything else that you could've or should've apologized for and didn't."

Stefan frowned. It wasn't like before, a time when she knew him and loved him. A time when he would drop everything in a second if she needed something no matter how small. They weren't in their world anymore, their world where only they, Rebekah, and Klaus existed. It didn't make sense. "Just like that," he said, "One apology and suddenly I'm absolved? Bonnie it's okay to be mad at me; I know that you care about me but-"

"Stefan," Bonnie said her eyes sad as she looked down at him; "You carry enough guilt and regret without me piling it on. So yes, I forgive you, just like that. There isn't much of anything that you could do that I wouldn't forgive you for." Bonnie leaned down and kissed Stefan's cheek before she stood upright and began to make her way out of the kitchen.

"Thank you, Bonnie," he whispered as he listened to her footsteps. He had an understanding of something that he had never understood before. What he felt for Bonnie came to him with such clarity and it floored him that without even trying the witch had manage to gain Stefan's loyalty not once but twice, but more than that she had manage to gain Stefan's love. A new sense of guilt washed over Stefan because even though he knew that he loved her he still couldn't bring himself to tell her who she had truly been, who somewhere deep inside she still was.

:::

Tyler Lockwood was pretty sure that if Matt Donovan didn't stop pacing he was going to wear a hole into his floor. Not that he particularly cared as he was spending most of his nights with Caroline, and hadn't seen his own bedroom in a while. However, he was pretty sure that his mother wouldn't be too happy with him or Matt if she fell through the floor the next time she came into Tyler's room; Mayor Lockwood was a little prickly at the best of times so something like that would probably end in death. "Look Matt I get that you're worried but can you please stop pacing," Tyler sighed, "You're making me dizzy." Matt stopped long enough to give him a skeptical look. "And before you say it," Tyler huffed, "Yes, hybrids can get dizzy. Now can you please stop acting like a psycho and tell me what is going on in that messed up little head of yours."

"I can't stop thinking about what Mason said," Matt said.

Tyler winced. He had just said good-bye, a real good bye, to his uncle and he didn't need a reminder. "What?" he asked quickly hoping to change the subject, "About the Originals and those creepy ass caves?"

Matt shook his head. "No you idiot," he growled in frustration, "About Bonnie. Please tell me that I'm not the only one who caught that cryptic comment about reincarnation."

Tyler blinked. What was with him and the whole Bonnie thing lately? Yes, she was their friend and she had saved his life and Tyler could kind of see where the concern for her was coming from but he had to ask, mostly because he knew first hand that Bonnie had some weird thing with Stefan and now that Klaus and possibly Rebekah were in the picture he was pretty sure that if Matt was deciding to go for the trifecta and ask Bonnie out that he was going to get hurt. "Can I ask you something without you decapitating me?" Tyler asked his tone completely serious.

Matt nodded. "Sure," he said, though he was annoyed that Tyler was getting him away from the issue at hand, namely Bonnie, "But I can't promise I won't rip your heart out of your chest."

"Fair enough," Tyler said not bothering to mention that it was highly unlikely that Matt would ever be able to manage it unless he decided to join him and the growing majority of their friends in eternal damnation. Tyler frowned at the thought, as much as he loved Matt; he didn't want this life for him. "About this whole Bonnie thing," Tyler began carefully, "This sudden concern for her is completely in a platonic sort of way right? I mean you're not…you don't have feelings for her do you?"

Matt laughed until he realized that Tyler was serious. "No you jackass," he said resisting the urge to throw something at Tyler's head, "I know this may seem like a foreign concept to you but you can actually be friends with someone of the opposite sex without secretly or not so secretly wanting to fuck them."

"Dude how many times do I have to say I'm sorry," Tyler started, but stopped when Matt rolled his eyes.

"I told you," Matt sighed, "I'm over it." And he was, but Tyler was pissing him off now for a different reason altogether. "Look man," he said, "Just listen okay." Tyler nodded. Matt let out a sigh of relief. "I've been thinking," he said, "About what Mason said and all the crazy shit that has been going on around here lately."

"What do you mean lately?" Tyler asked, "Isn't there always crazy shit going on around here?" Matt looked like he was going to break his promise and decapitate Tyler and so Tyler decided to shut the hell up. "Alright," he said defensively, "I'm listening."

"What if Mason wasn't just making some stupid joke?" Matt asked, "What if he was serious? What if our Bonnie is a reincarnation of a Bonnie from the past?"

"Please explain to me how that would make any kind of sense at all?" Tyler asked clearly skeptical.

Matt tugged at his hair. "Something has been off with her lately," he said, "She's been acting so weird, but it's like she doesn't even realize it or its natural to her or something. But it isn't natural. Our Bonnie wouldn't touch a vampire with a ten foot pole and now all of sudden she's dumping Jeremy who she loved so much that she brought him back from the fucking dead, and hanging out with Stefan, Klaus, and Rebekah. Not to mention the fact that she is staying at Stefan's house when he's acting even worse than he did when he was trying to be good and she didn't even trust him then. Not only that but those three are welcoming her with open arms."

"Okay," Tyler conceded, "All of those things are admittedly weird but come on Matt, reincarnation really?"

"I'm not done," Matt said, "Our Bonnie hates history yet if you ask her anything about the twenties she will answer you, with the right answer, without even having to think about it. Oh and who happens to have been one big happy family in the twenties; Klaus, Rebekah, and Stefan, the same three who are suddenly all about Bonnie."

"Okay I've seen Rebekah for myself," Tyler nodded, "But Klaus? I may be sired to him but I'm not an idiot. Klaus is all about Klaus."

"He saved her life Tyler," Matt pointed out, "Why would he do that when a) she tried to kill him more than once and b) as far as we know he has no reason to care about what happens to her? You didn't see what I saw. The look in his eyes, Ty. He was vulnerable and lost and he looked like if Bonnie died then he would die along with her. Not only that, but Vicki said that Klaus did the sacrifice for Bonnie's sake. If that is true then the only way that it would make sense is if they had some sort of past together."

"Okay," Tyler sighed, "Fine. Whatever. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt on the Klaus thing."

"Thank you," Matt said, continuing with his theory, "I've thought about this a lot." Tyler gave him a look that clearly said, "Obviously." Matt was about to comment but decided to bite his tongue. "Stefan decided to drop Elena and start acting all flirty with Bonnie after they came back from Chicago," Matt said, "The same time Bonnie started acting all weird. Chicago is where Klaus and the others were in the twenties; Elena said that's why Klaus brought Stefan there before he made him remember what he forced him to forget. If Bonnie had been with them then, or rather the first Bonnie, ours being the second, it's possible that going there could've triggered something in our Bonnie to make her act the way she's acting now. Maybe she was with them then and that's why she doesn't see anything wrong with being around them now and why they're all so willing to embrace her."

Tyler had to admit it made sense. "Stranger things have definitely happened here before," Tyler hedged. Elena had a doppelganger, why couldn't Bonnie be a reincarnation. "There's only one thing I can't wrap my head around," he said, "Even if Bonnie is a reincarnation, if the first Bonnie was anything like our Bonnie then there is no way in hell she would be cool with a bunch of crazy ass vampires, especially if they were really pulling the kind of shit that Elena said Klaus, Stefan, and Rebekah were pulling."

"True," Matt said with a frown, "But think about the way Bonnie was before she found out she was a witch, hell before what happened to Miss Sheila even. She was one of those people even though she was cautious she saw the good in someone before she saw the bad. Besides she's always had a soft spot for Stefan and even more than that even if past Bonnie was the same person she didn't have the same life. She didn't have us and maybe she didn't even have Bonnie's grandmother. I mean we don't know how she lived or what things were like for her….who knows in another life it could've made perfect sense that she decided to get close to Klaus and the others in whatever way she did." Close enough for Klaus to fall in love with her, Matt thought but didn't dare say so out loud. The more he thought about it the more he felt that it was the only way to explain Klaus' behavior.

"The only way we can find that out is to either ask Klaus, Stefan, or Rebekah; and we know that none of them would be very forthcoming with information because if they were then they would have told Bonnie already and she would've at the very least gone to Caroline about it," Tyler said, "Or we could infiltrate the Salvatore Boarding house and try to find some evidence that there was a Bonnie in the past and hope that it also tells us what she was like so we can find out more about her and try and figure what this means in terms of what Klaus wants."

"I'm voting for idea number two," Matt said, "And since you're the one with vampire hearing and speed you're going to be the one snooping around the house because you can hear if someone is coming and you can make a quicker exit."

"And just what are you going to be doing while I am dodging Klaus?" Tyler asked. He knew if Klaus asked him what he was doing then he would likely be forced to tell him.

"First of all Bonnie will be there so Klaus likely won't be paying any attention to anything else," Matt said ignoring Tyler's skeptical look at his sentiment, "Secondly, I will be distracting them. And before you ask how, I'll just call Elena and tell her that I figured out why Stefan's so in to Bonnie and Rebekah and tell her that I will go with her to check out the situation you know for 'moral support'; and if she asks then we'll just say that you will be there to protect us lowly humans just in case something goes wrong. You go it?"

"You do realize that in doing this that you'll be manipulating Elena and using her feelings for Stefan against her, right?"

Matt shrugged. "Everything's not about Elena," he said, "And considering how many times that one of us has been sacrificed for her sake I think she can take us hurting her feelings. I mean we both know she'll just cry on Damon's shoulder, and we'll have our information so who cares? Besides she'll get over it once she gets her head out her own ass long enough to realize that her best friend is going to need her."

Matt wasn't saying what he was saying to be bitter, Tyler could tell, he was simply stating the facts as he saw them. "I guess you're over that too," Tyler said referring to Matt's pining after Elena.

"I guess so," Matt said.

"So when is this lovely little plan going to take place because we still have to ask Alaric about the cave thing," he reminded Matt.

"We can ask Ric at school," he said, "As for the rest, we can do it in the morning before school starts, that way if we find anything we can approach Bonnie with it without having Klaus in the way to stop us."

"What about Stefan and Rebekah?" Tyler asked.

"They don't have lunch with us now do they?" Matt said by way of an answer, "And if not at lunch we'll have to find a way to corner Bonnie before school ends."

Tyler nodded. He wasn't exactly looking forward to, "Operation Reincarnation" (which was what he was going to call it in his head), but he had to admit he liked being trusted enough to actually be involved in things and well since Matt was actually talking to him again then he supposed he didn't really have a choice.

:::

Bonnie frowned as she looked at the picture that her Grams had sent her. Her mother and her new husband, she had wondered how long it would take after the divorce. Rolling her eyes Bonnie tossed the picture onto Nik's coffee table before sitting down on the couch and curling up beside him.

"My mother got remarried," Bonnie sighed, "I wasn't even invited to the wedding." She laid her head on Nik's shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. "It doesn't matter," she said quietly, "I wouldn't have gone anyway."

"It does matter," Nik said firmly, "She should have invited you. Whether you wanted to go or not should have been your choice. She shouldn't have excluded you."

"She never gives me a choice," Bonnie said, "That was always a part of the problem. She just does what she thinks is best for me and ignores my feelings on the matter and my father….he just let her." Nik stayed silent as this was the most she had ever revealed to him about her family outside of her grandmother. "I…when I left they were on the verge of a divorce," she said, "Too busy fighting with each other to even notice I was gone. My Grams had to tell them…she was the only one I bothered saying goodbye to. Now she's the only one I bother to stay in contact with."

"Doesn't that bother you?" Nik asked, "Your grandmother being the only part of your family you have left? When I accepted the fact that my father had never been a father to me in more ways than one and that my mother hated me because I reminded her of all of her sins…I had my siblings at least."

"And I have my Grams," Bonnie said, "And Gloria, and Stefan, and Rebekah, and you. That's my family. You're my family." None of them would ever leave her and if she tried to run then they wouldn't let her go.

"You can trust that we always will be," Nik said quietly. She didn't answer him but he knew it was because she had already known that.

Klaus watched as Bonnie glared at a picture that she had found of her and her mother before she tossed down onto the night stand next to the bed in Stefan's guest room. She was sitting on the bed, her back against the head board, her arms crossed, and her eyes staring forward unseeing as he walked into the room. Silently Klaus sat down next to her and waited for her to speak, it didn't take very long.

"Gloria thinks that I should contact my mother," Bonnie said quietly. She began to pick at the threads on the comforter spread across the bed, but stopped as Klaus took her hand and laced their fingers together.

"And what do you think?" He asked his eyes on their joined hands as if he were waiting for her to pull away.

"I don't know," Bonnie stated sounding more than a little lost. She stared straight ahead again. "When I watched Grams disappear today I realized that in a lot of ways that she was the last family I had left. My dad's always gone and my mom left me. I…I wonder if she even knows Grams is dead. If she would care if she found out…" Klaus stayed silent as Bonnie collected her thoughts. "When my parents got divorced I thought that Abby was just leaving my dad, I didn't think that she was leaving us both. But there were no calls, no letters, no birthday cards, and no Christmas gifts. I don't even know where she lives, if she cares that I'm alive, or if she's still alive."

Bonnie's mouth had pinched into a thin line as she spoke and Klaus wanted to kiss her lips until they softened but settled on kissing her cheek instead. Bonnie jumped in surprise her face reddening slightly. "From my experience," he said, "Even mother's who hate their children, love their children in some way."

"Did your mother hate you?" Bonnie asked.

"Yes," Klaus said his voice void of emotion, "She's always hated me. She made me what I am and still she hates me. Even in death she hates me. She's the one who attacked you by the pool. She was using her magic to drown you from the grave. To punish me by taking you away."

Bonnie frowned, not understanding what he was saying, and not thinking he had even realized what had just left his mouth. "But that would mean that your mother is…," Bonnie trailed.

"The Original witch, yes," Klaus sighed, "Not the first of her kind but the creator of the first of our kind. She was friends with a witch in your family, though I much preferred Ayanna's company to my mother's."
Bonnie blinked. Her head had been doing enough spinning with thoughts of her mother and now Klaus was telling her his secrets seemingly without thought. His mother had been friends with a witch in her family? Bennett witches were well known even that far back? And Bonnie had been impressed with Emily. "I…um…," Bonnie said not sure what to ask next.

"I am an odd creature I know," Klaus said, "My father once said that I fell in love with a witch because I was trying to replace my mother. But she was better than my mother. She was someone who could never be replaced."

Bonnie's frown deepened and she felt the jealousy creeping up on her again. She didn't know why but she was saddened at the thought that he had loved another woman, not just another woman but another witch. "You said before that you'd only ever loved one woman," Bonnie said softly. Klaus nodded. "Was it Ayanna then?"

Klaus laughed softly shaking his head. "I loved and respected Ayanna but never in that way," Klaus said, "The witch I fell in love with, the one that I love still, she was more…like you."

"Is that why Rebekah said I was important to you?" Bonnie asked, "Why your mother thought that my death would somehow punish you?" She was elated and angry all at once. She had hoped somewhere deep inside that Klaus had cared for her in her own right, not because she reminded him of someone else. But if she reminded him of the witch he loved, then maybe he could love her, which wouldn't be so bad, to be loved by someone who seemed so incapable of it. Still that wouldn't be fair, it wasn't as if Bonnie could say that she loved him, then again she was becoming more afraid with each day that one day she possibly could. Already she cared about him much more than she should, she cared more for Stefan and Rebekah than she should as well. How much more would it take to love him or Stefan or Rebekah, really? Even if that love came in different forms for all of them.

"It is the reason for both," Klaus said hesitantly, "But I don't want you to think that I don't care about you for yourself….I just….there's something I should tell you. Something you should know that I should've told you a long time ago."

His tone had become solemn and serious and as Bonnie looked at him he looked as if he were about to sign his life over to the devil. "What is it?" Bonnie asked. Whatever it was it couldn't have been as bad as he was making it seem.

"It's about the woman I love…," he said carefully not knowing how to tell her or if she would believe him once he did, "She was…it was…she is y-" Bonnie jumped as Rebekah sped into the room and pounced onto the bed. Klaus glared at his sister. "What the hell are you doing?" Out of all the times he had to deal with Rebekah's nonsense this was the most inopportune.

Rebekah looked up at him unaffected by his tone. "Stefan and I are crashing your bed," she said sweetly, "We wanted to have a sleepover."
Klaus looked from Rebekah to where Stefan was standing in the doorway. It was obvious that they had been listening to his conversation with Bonnie and had realized that he was about to tell her the truth. He also realized that they didn't approve. "Get out," he said.

"Actually," Bonnie said letting go of Klaus' hand, "I want them to stay." She forced out a laugh when Rebekah gave a delighted squeal. In truth Bonnie just didn't want to hear more about this woman that Klaus had loved. She had already been a stand in for Jeremy when he had lost Anna, even if he had cared about her, they obviously hadn't felt about each other the way that Bonnie had thought they had and she didn't want that again. She wanted to be someone's first and only choice, but she wasn't aware that for Klaus that was exactly what she was.

:::

The next morning Gloria arose early. She wanted to cook Bonnie breakfast before she made the trip to go and see the girl's mother. Gloria put Bonnie's journal from her rebirth back into her nightstand, along with Bonnie's original journal from the twenties, the pages mentioning her that had been torn out of Stefan's journal, and the photos that Klaus had given her. She had talked to Klaus the day before and they had agreed that she was to get Abby Bennett-Wilson to Mystic Falls by any means necessary.

Gloria thought that perhaps the woman would be keener to reverse the spell she had used if she was confronted with Bonnie's love for them all and the life she had taken from her daughter, but she would save that for when she got the woman back into town. She closed the drawer and locked it, before lifting the lamp that sat on the nightstand and hiding the key beneath it. Just as she placed the lamp back where it was she heard a knock coming from the door downstairs.

Gloria waited for either Stefan or Damon to answer it but the knocking just kept continuing. She rolled her eyes heavenward. "Idiots can't even answer their own damn door," she muttered as she walked out of the room leaving the door open as she walked toward the stairs, "Think I'm some kind of damn servant…" They were lucky that she was about to go downstairs anyway to fix Bonnie's breakfast or one of those jack asses would've gotten woken up in rather painful manner so that they could answer the door themselves.

Gloria took the stairs two at a time and headed for the front door to the Boarding House. She was surprised to see three of Bonnie's friends standing on the other side. She smiled at the blonde boy, Matt she thought his name was, and nodded to the wolf, Tyler was it? She raised a brow when her eyes landed on the doppelganger. The other two she liked just fine, Matt in particular because Bonnie had told her about his aid of her as of late, but she also knew from Bonnie that she and the Gilbert girl were not on speaking terms, and Gloria knew that if a dame would stop speaking to a lifelong friend over a pair of pretty eyes and a hot back that she wasn't worth Bonnie's time, but that wasn't her decision. "Can I help you?" Gloria asked eyeing Elena.

Elena was about to ask the witch why she was even there and why she was answering Stefan's door but Matt cleared his throat. She sighed. She had only come because Matt had told her that he had thought of a way to get Bonnie away from Stefan. She didn't want to deal with some witch who she didn't know that was yet another member of Klaus' harem.

"We came to check on Bon," Matt said quickly before Elena could ruin their plan, "Can we come in?"

Matt notice d the woman's demeanor immediately softened when she looked at him. "Of course sweetie," she said, "You're just in time for breakfast. I'm making strawberry pancakes."

"Sounds good," Matt said as Gloria stepped aside and he walked in. Tyler and Elena followed.

"Actually," Elena said, "I prefer blueberry pancakes." Matt glared at her and she glared back. What was his problem lately?

"Bonnie likes strawberry pancakes," Matt said, "Their her favorite so I'm sure that's why Miss Gloria here is making them."

"Exactly," Gloria said smiling at Matt, "And you can call me Gloria, Miss Gloria just makes me feel old."

Elena rolled her eyes. Everything just kept coming back to Bonnie lately and worse everyone was acting like Elena didn't have a reason to be upset by the fact that Bonnie and Klaus' sister had basically been responsible for the continued distance between her and Stefan, even if it was him that ended their relationship. "Stefan usually keeps some fresh blueberries in the fridge for when I come over," Elena said, "I'm sure Gloria can make both."

Both Matt and Tyler sighed. Why the hell couldn't she just let it go? "Miss Gloria," Gloria corrected with a roll of her eyes. Elena opened her mouth to object but stopped when Gloria gave her a look. "Now that you mention it there were some blueberries in there yesterday but Stefan threw them out to make room for the strawberries that he and Rebekah bought for Bonnie. Isn't that just a shame?" Gloria knew that she was being juvenile but she couldn't help it. She had watched Bonnie cry over this girl's friendship and it was all she could do not to shake her and force her to go upstairs and kiss the ground at Bonnie's feet. Bonnie had lost her grandmother coming to this girl's aid, Bonnie had died for her and was still willing to die for her, and the dame wanted to cry over spilled milk, which was all a relationship with Stefan was in Gloria's eyes. As if it was Bonnie's fault the idiot had been goofy over Rebekah since he laid eyes on her. Maybe if the girl had Bonnie's charm she could manage to do what her girl did and make the ripper look twice.

"I'll take mine plain then," Elena said, realizing that she had lost.

"Plain," Gloria nodded, "For you that won't be a problem." It took all of her energy to leave it at that. However, from the look on her face Matt and Tyler knew that she thought that Elena was as about as plain as the pancakes that she had requested.

"So Gloria," Matt said trying to diffuse the situation, "Bonnie tells us that you used to be a jazz singer."

Gloria laughed and began to tell them a tale about the time she had gotten Klaus kicked out of the speak easy she had sung in the first time that he had showed up, thinking they would find the tale amusing. She didn't notice when Matt motioned to Tyler and the hybrid slipped upstairs.

:::

Damon Salvatore walked out of his room to the sight of Tyler Lockwood leaving the guest room that Gloria had occupied since the beginning of her stay. He looked an odd mixture of bewildered, disbelieving, overwhelmed, and excited. Damon frowned. He hoped that he hadn't walked into what he it looked like he was walking into. "What are you doing here?" Damon asked.

Tyler jumped, not having realized that Damon was there. He shifted his backpack on his back hoping that he wasn't calling any attention to it because he knew that nothing good could come of Damon seeing what was inside. "Matt, Elena, and I came to see Bonnie but I must've wandered into the wrong room," he said quickly.

Damon looked skeptical but he didn't really care enough to press the issue. "Right, well," Damon said, "The room she's in is actually in the opposite direction if you want me to show you."

Tyler shook his head. He had to get out of there before anyone became too suspicious. "Actually I just remembered I have to go meet Caroline for the homecoming planning committee," Tyler said, "The meeting was supposed to be after school but some of the people who volunteered have practice on Tuesdays so we had to move it to before school." Tyler smiled, he was getting a lot better at the whole lying thing.

"Had I asked for the details I'm sure I would've found that bit of information rather interesting," Damon commented.

Tyler rolled his eyes. "Look," he said, "Just tell Bonnie that I was here alright."

Before Damon could answer, Tyler disappeared. "Idiot," Damon muttered under his breath. He shook his head. He had more important things to worry about. He needed to test his theory about Klaus having feelings for Bonnie and he knew exactly how he wanted to do it.

"Klaus' witch hates me," a voice said from behind him.

Damon turned to face Elena. When had she come upstairs? Hell, when had she gotten there? He was usually so aware of her. "Maybe because you're calling her Klaus' witch instead of her name," Damon shrugged.

"You're one to talk," Elena said, "You call Bonnie, 'judgy' and 'witchy' all the time." Elena hated to admit it, even in her head, but seeing Damon was a relief. He was the only person left who didn't suddenly seem to be all about Bonnie.

Damon shrugged. "Those are pet names," he said, "So they don't count." Damon watched as Elena glanced longingly at Stefan's room, just beyond the one that Gloria occupied. "Speaking of judgy isn't that who you're here to see?" Damon asked, even though it was obvious that in Elena's case at least, Stefan was the intended target, "That's what Lockwood said anyway."

"Who else would I be here to see?" Elena asked. She didn't want to provoke Stefan by having Damon show her to his room. Besides he had told her to stay away. If he thought she was here to see him then he would likely disappear rather quickly.

"Well then," Damon said smiling at her winningly, "I'll show you to her room." In the back of his mind however, he was wondering how his plan was going to go over with Elena in the room.

:::

Bonnie was hot. She could feel the damp sheen of sweat on her skin and she didn't understand why everything felt so cramped. Frowning Bonnie attempted to move her hand, but instead of sheets, Bonnie encountered warm flesh. Bonnie's eyes shot open and she looked around. Realizing what she had done Bonnie groaned. Why was it that every time she got close to Klaus, Stefan, Rebekah, or any combination of the three her brain ceased functioning?

Bonnie couldn't believe the four of them had even managed to fit in the guest bed and sleep comfortably. Though, she had to admit in spite of her awkward position she was rather comfortable. She and Klaus were both lying on their sides facing each other and Klaus had somehow managed to wedge one of his legs in between her own so that one of her legs were thrown over his body and her arms were wrapped around his middle. Stefan had somehow managed to wedge his way underneath Bonnie so that her head as pillowed on his chest, his arms around a sleeping Rebekah who was practically laying on top of him with one arm around Stefan's neck and the other someone managing to wrap around Bonnie's waist. The whole thing was a mess and Bonnie knew that she should try harder to get out of it, but she couldn't help feel like she was where she was supposed to be.

"Stop thinking and go back to sleep," Stefan mumbled tiredly, and Bonnie felt his lips kiss the top of her head.

"But we have to go to school," she said, "And I can smell pancakes." In all honesty she simply wanted someone else to be the first to move, as she was hesitantly contemplating staying where she was all day.

"We can skip school and eat the pancakes later," Stefan said.

"Mmmm," Bonnie nodded, closing her eyes, "Okay." She didn't feel like going to school anyway. Bonnie began to relax once more but her eyes shot open again when she felt lips kiss her cheek. "Stop it, Nik," she frowned, "I want to sleep."

Klaus ignored her placing kisses on her face and then trailing them down her neck. Perhaps it was waking up with all four of them in bed, perhaps it was the fact that Bonnie had called him Nik, or perhaps he was still trapped in the dream of the past that he had been having before he awoke, but whatever the reason Klaus allowed himself to forget that Bonnie didn't remember. "That's too bad because I want you awake," he whispered.

Bonnie was completely awake by the time Klaus decided to pull her out of Rebekah's grip and into his own. With the way their legs were tangled the position was rather intimate. Bonnie could feel herself blushing, as the heat she felt upon waking only increased. "Nik," Bonnie tried again, as she felt his tongue against the skin of her shoulder. She didn't know what was happening. She was certain that he was still asleep, dreaming perhaps, why else would he be touching her. "Klaus," Bonnie said her hands gripping his shirt tightly, and he froze.

Klaus felt as if someone he dumped a bucket of ice water on his head. What the hell had he been thinking? She didn't remember him, she was just beginning to tolerate his presence, and he had to go and pull a stunt like this. He pulled away from her slightly, daring to look into her eyes. She looked embarrassed but thankfully not upset. Klaus cleared his throat. "I apologize," Klaus muttered quickly, feeling strange in doing so as he had never had to apologize for touching her before.

"It's fine," Bonnie said. She was surprised that she wasn't angry. Bonnie decided the best thing to do given the situation was get out of the bed, but his hands were still on her and she couldn't bring herself to tell him to let go. She was going insane.

"Really," Klaus said quickly, "I shouldn't have…I don't know what I was thinking."

Rebekah giggled, her eyes opening, her attempt to feign sleep given up. "I know what you were thinking, brother," she said.

Klaus sighed, though he was secretly grateful to his sister when he heard Bonnie laugh. "Shut up, Rebekah," he said, anyway for good measure.

"She's right you know," Bonnie said, "We all know what you were thinking." Klaus froze, frowning until he realized from the grin on her face that she was teasing him. "I think I'll be safer on the other side of the bed."

Bonnie found herself pulled out of Klaus' grasp. She yelped as in one fast motion she found herself on her back, Stefan looming over her. "You wouldn't have said that if you knew what I was thinking," Stefan said, his face inching closer to hers.

"Rebekah," Bonnie said, her hand reaching out blindly, "Help." Bonnie regretted the words a moment later when she found herself in the throng of limbs and laughter as they all playfully wrestled on the bed, their hands not exactly staying in areas that wouldn't me considered inappropriate much of the time.

Bonnie frowned when suddenly they all froze. "What is it?" She asked.

"Stefan," Rebekah said instead of giving Bonnie an answer, "Your buzz kill is coming." She rolled over onto her side and looked as if she were abandoning their wrestling match in favor of sleep.

"Which one?" Stefan asked as he laid back down and wrapped himself around Rebekah, "The male one or the female one?"

"Both," Klaus answered as he lay down on his back. Bonnie had no idea what they were talking about, but as Klaus pulled her down next to him she chose to curl up into his side instead of asking questions. Bonnie closed her eyes just as the door opened.

"Stefan what the hell?" Bonnie heard Elena say. She couldn't help the small bit of laughter that escaped as she peeked an eye open to see Elena and Damon standing in the doorway, and finally understood Rebekah's buzz kill joke.

"Yes, yes," Klaus muttered, "We know. Stefan is an unfaithful tart and your heart in irrevocably broken. Now can you please go away so we can go back to sleep?" Bonnie supposed at another time she would have checked Klaus' tone and defended Elena, or at the very least jumped out of the bed as not to upset her but at the moment she found she didn't really care about Elena's hurt feelings.

Damon spoke before Elena could respond, ignoring the others completely as his eyes landed on Bonnie. "Hey witchy," he said, "Gloria made strawberry pancakes."

Bonnie's stomach growled and as much as she wanted to stay where she was she really was hungry. Bonnie popped up and much to Klaus' disappointment she climbed out of bed.

Damon ignored her raised eyebrow as he smiled at Bonnie. Damon walked over to her and took her hand. "Good morning, beautiful," he said smiling, "Heard you had a rough day yesterday. You must me hungry. Let's get you fed."

Bonnie frowned at him attempting to pull her hand away as he tugged her out of room. "Are you drunk?" She asked rather seriously. She ignored the feeling of Elena's eyes glaring at her on her back.

Damon pulled her into his side. "No," he said, "But I do find you to be a little intoxicating." Just as Damon thought Bonnie was about to be set him on fire he felt her being pulled away from him. He wasn't surprised to see to that it was Klaus.

"Keep your hands and your comments to yourself, Salvatore," Klaus said, "Or I'll have to assume that you would like me to kill you."

"Doesn't everyone assume that when they first meet him?" Bonnie asked jokingly, attempting to diffuse the situation, "I mean he is always asking for it."

Damon looked at Klaus, before he sidled up close to Bonnie again. "Are you going to give it to me, witchy?" He asked suggestively.

Bonnie was about to answer when Rebekah suddenly sat up in bed. "I am about to give you something and I can guarantee that you're not going to like it," she hissed.

Stefan sighed, sitting up as well. "Calm down Bekah," he said, "It's not like Damon could take Bonnie away from us…I mean it's Damon he can't even take a woman away from me."

Rebekah smirked but Damon ignored it and Stefan's snide remark. "Us?" he asked, "What? Is Bonnie communal property now?"

Stefan shrugged. "That sounds about right," he said. It was better than telling everyone in the room what had went on in their shared little haunt all those years ago, especially as Bonnie didn't remember. He climbed out of bed and pulled Rebekah up with him.

"I didn't know that Klaus was so big on sharing," Damon said. He waited for anyone to deny Bonnie belonging to Klaus, and when no one did then Damon had his answer. Now that he knew how to get to Klaus he would just have to bide his time.

"No one here is opposed to sharing," Rebekah said, "The only opposition lies with sharing with you." Rebekah glanced at Elena who still stood fuming and glaring at Stefan. "And her," she said, "But that kind of goes without saying."

Bonnie sighed knowing that if she didn't stop their back and forth soon that it could easily go on all day. "Doesn't anyone care that I'm hungry?" She said.

Klaus immediately began to drag her from the room. "I do," he said, "I'd rather you not starve to death."

"Because you want to be the one that kills me instead," Bonnie quipped. She was surprised when Klaus frowned, not even attempting to share in her humor.

"No," he sighed. He leaned forward and everyone in the room had to listen closely to hear his next words. "Because your death is likely the only thing that could ever kill me," he whispered. It had almost destroyed him the first time, and if it ever happened again he wouldn't stop until he found a way to end his own existence.

"Oh," Bonnie said, a tad overwhelmed by the seriousness of his tone. She bit her lip and looked away from him, unable to hold eye contact with the intensity of his stare. "I don't want you to die either," she said quietly after a moment.

Damon raised an eyebrow at her words. That was news to him. Something was definitely off with the entire situation.

:::

As Elena was avoiding everyone and for whatever reason, Stefan and Rebekah, had decided to skip school (though given the tension between the three at breakfast Matt suspected it had something to do with Klaus), they were able to meet in the gymnasium well before lunch during second period though Matt and Tyler had to skip class in order to do so, not that Matt minded all that much as they had done so before for reasons that were a lot less important.

They sat on the bleachers Caroline and Tyler sitting next to each other, and Matt and Bonnie next to each other on the step below them. The gym was empty, but Matt still looked around to make sure they weren't being watched before he spoke. "Did you find anything Tyler?" He asked, looking up at his friend.

Tyler nodded. "I found plenty," he said taking off his backpack and handed it over to Matt, "You guys really aren't going to believe all of this."

Bonnie frowned as she looked in between them. They had been acting weird all morning, things were worse than ever between her and Elena, and Rebekah and Stefan being absent just made Bonnie's day seem as if it would be that much longer. "What's going on you guys?" she asked, "What is this little meeting about?" Their faces suddenly became very serious and Bonnie suddenly thought that it would be preferable to sit and listen to Klaus talk about his long lost witch even if she considered the subject to be torture.

"I had been thinking about this whole thing with you, Klaus, Stefan, and Rebekah," Matt said, "About what Vicki had said about you being Klaus' motivation. It didn't really make sense to me until Mason said something to me and Tyler when all the ghosts were hanging around."

"What did he say?" Bonnie asked apprehensively.

"He mentioned you," Matt said carefully, "And then he mentioned reincarnation." Matt swallowed, considering Bonnie's reaction before he continued. "Before you came down for breakfast Gloria was telling us all these stories about Klaus in the twenties," he said, "What she said was that he was in love with a witch. She didn't mean to say it but once it was out it just convinced me that what I have been theorizing is true. That witch that Klaus was in love with, we think that it was you."

Bonnie blinked at him and before she could even process the information Tyler shook his head. "No," he said, "We know that it was you." Matt gave him a questioning look and Tyler sighed. "Open the backpack man," he said.

Matt unzipped the backpack and then thinking better of it he handed it to Bonnie before pulling any of the contents out. Bonnie's hands shook as she reached into the backpack, the first thing that she pulled out were the missing pages to Stefan's journal. She scanned the first page her eyes unseeing at first until she found her name.

Nik decided that he would teach Bonnie to drive today. It was of course a disaster, though as far as disasters went it was the most entertaining one that I ever witnessed. They were arguing before they even had the car out of park and by the end of the lesson Bonnie had set Nik on fire twice and had given up on driving all together.

She still isn't talking to Nik. She shut herself in his guest room with Rebekah and locked the door about two hours ago. Nik has been pouting but he remains where he is, sitting on the couch and staring at the wall.

I asked him about an hour ago why he wasn't in front of the door on his knees groveling. He said that the best thing to do when Bonnie is acting like this is to wait it out. He's right of course but that didn't really stop me from trying to get him to approach her just so I could see them go at it again.

"How long you willing to wait?" I asked.

"It takes a patient man to love any woman, Stefan," he said, "At least that is what I am told." At first I didn't really know what he was getting at but when he continued I understood. "When it comes to Bonnie," he said, "I have all the patience in the world."

The sad thing is, even though we all already know how he feels, I am pretty sure that that is the closest that he'll ever get to saying that he loves her out loud.

Bonnie set the pages aside. She couldn't quite believe what she had just read. Still she was beginning to understand why they had ripped the pages out. "Just because whoever she was she had the same name doesn't mean-"

"Keep looking, Bonnie," Tyler said cutting her off, nodding toward the backpack.

She pulled out an old book that brought Stefan's journal to mind. She opened up the cover and in scrawled black letters was her name, Bonnie Bennett. She closed the cover again and looked at the others. They were all looking somewhere between apprehensive and supportive. Still none of them seemed to be judging her or pushing her to act in any way in particular. "If you want to know Bon then keep looking," Matt said softly, "If you don't then stop and we can forget that we ever brought this up. Whatever you want, it's your choice."

Bonnie nodded. She needed an explanation for how she had been feeling and how she had been acting and if this was it, then she had to know. Forging ahead Bonnie opened the journal in to one of the later entries and read.

I wanted to write Nik a song today but I didn't know where to start. It wasn't that I couldn't focus on him, he's all that I think about most of the time. The trouble of the thing was putting everything I feel for him down on paper. Putting all that love and hate into one song just seemed impossible, but that isn't really new, our whole relationship has been one impossible event after another. Sometimes I think that maybe I will wake up and it will be some odd sort of dream, but I don't know if I would be devastated or relieved if that ever happened.

Anyway once I crumbled up my fifth piece of paper filled with notes and words that seemed inadequate and threw it at the waste basket that sits next to Lolita and missed, of course superhero had to laugh at me, he does that a lot these days.

"You missed…again," he commented. I wanted to hit him or maybe set him on fire but I didn't want to catch mouth from Rebekah if I ruined her precious couch. So I settled on glaring at him even though he ignored me because he was reading some book Blondie got him about the value of poetry of all things. That girl needs a new hobby.

"I suppose you think this is funny," I said to him.

He didn't even look up at me when he responded, "I find your situation right now to be highly amusing, yes." The idiot. "You're taking this way too seriously and thinking about things way too much as usual," he had said, "You are writing a song for Nik not the pope." It was easy for him to say. He had only ever written music, not lyrics.

"Writing a song for the pope would be a hell of a lot easier than putting a violent hybrid to music and lyrics," I told him. Which was true, I mean what kind of song do you write about a slightly but not actually reformed sociopath? I may love the man but I still think that he's insane.

Stefan had to agree with me even though he always tries hard not to when I am all ridiculous and pouty. "Green eyes," he said, "Yesterday on the way home it started to rain and me and Rebekah got caught in it." I of course knew as much as Nik had yelled at them for tracking mud all over his stupid Egyptian rug. I thought the mud actually made the thing look better, but that's just me. "Well," Stefan said, "The reason that we were so late wasn't the rain but the fact that Rebekah being Rebekah decided that it would be a lovely idea to dance in it. I didn't think about how idiotic we would look, or the fact that she would be ruining the dress I had just bought her, or the fact that Nik would probably grumble at us about dripping mud and water on his precious hand woven carpet. I didn't really think at all, I felt. I felt the rain on my skin, I felt Rebekah in my arms, I felt whole for the first time since I became what I was. And that's what I will always remember. I might not remember the day or even the color of the damn dress I bought Rebekah in the first place but I'll remember how I felt. So you little Bonnie girl, need to stop thinking and feel. Then write what you feel and your problem will be solved."

I hate to admit it, but of course he was right.

"You'll always remember how you felt," Bonnie said to herself as she closed the journal. She had no memories of these events. She couldn't be sure that this had really been her or some form of herself rather, not when she couldn't remember any of this actually happening. But the feelings, the feelings had been what started it all, from her odd behavior to her friends being suspicious enough about how she was acting to find out the reason behind it. Her feelings were what had been guiding her in so many ways now. First her feelings for Stefan, then Klaus, and then Rebekah, it all made so much sense.

Bonnie picked up the journal again and this time when she opened it pictures fell into her lap. Setting the journal aside once more, Bonnie looked down at one of the photos and saw her own face smiling back at her. Bonnie's hand flew over her mouth as she picked up the photo, it was of her and a much younger but still familiar Gloria standing on stage next to a black baby grand piano. Bonnie looked at the next photo and found that it was a picture of her and Stefan, she seemed to be singing as Stefan played a guitar. Yet another photo of her and Rebekah in front of what looked like an apartment building, smiling at the camera and wearing matching dresses. Bonnie didn't feel the tears sting her eyes until she came to the last photo, a picture of her and Klaus sitting cuddled together on an expensive looking couch, while Bonnie was smiling at the camera, Klaus didn't really seem to notice that the camera was there because he was too busy looking down at her.

Bonnie placed the pictures back into the journal and added the missing pages to Stefan's inside as well. She handed Tyler his backpack back. "Can I keep these?" She asked.

Tyler shrugged as he dug through his backpack and pulled out the last item, Bonnie's childhood journal and handed it to her. "They're yours so I don't see why not," he said.

Bonnie took the small book and nodded before stuffing both books into her own bag. "Are you okay?" Caroline asked, warily, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Bonnie shook her head though she didn't really look like she had even heard Caroline speak. "He was trying to tell me," she said to herself thinking of her conversation with Klaus the night before, "I have to go home."

Matt stood then, it was clear that Bonnie was still distracted and in no condition to drive. "I'll take you," he said, "You can look through the rest of the stuff while I drive." Bonnie nodded, though Matt doubted she even knew what she was agreeing to.

"Go on," Tyler said, "We'll cover for you guys." He wasn't sure what reaction he had expected from Bonnie but it was pretty sure that her shock was a valid one. He doubted he would be dealing with the situation any better were it him.

"Take care of her, Matt," Caroline said, even though with the way that Matt had been acting as of late she was sure that she really didn't need to tell him that.

Matt nodded anyway as he guided Bonnie down the bleachers. He wondered what all of this would mean in the long run. It seemed Bonnie didn't remember her past life and he wondered silently to himself if she would still want them around once she did.

:::

"We can't keep hiding this from her forever," Klaus said, "We have to tell her. I need to tell her. I can't lie to her anymore."

He had been begging with Stefan and Rebekah for hours and it seemed that though Stefan looked ready to budge, that Rebekah didn't want to take the risk. "It's too early," Rebekah said, "What if she doesn't believe us? Or worse, what if she reacts badly? We could lose her all over again."

Klaus glared at his sister. She was acting as if she was the only one who had something to lose. It was him that would lose everything if Bonnie didn't react the way they hoped. Yes, they loved her but in the end she belonged to Klaus and in the end if she left them then Stefan and Rebekah would still have each other. "You don't think I know that," he snarled. When Rebekah looked even more resolved he sighed. "I didn't want to tell you this," he said, "But Bonnie's belongings from that time have gone missing. Who knows who has them now, but even if they were still here that doesn't change the fact that Gloria has contacted Bonnie's mother a woman who Gloria claims was responsible for Bonnie not remembering this time around. If Bonnie has to hear about this from her mother or someone else instead of us how do you think that she will feel? We have worked so hard to regain her trust and now you both want to do something that could lose it. We would be back at square one."

Rebekah shook her head stubbornly. "You don't know that," she said.

Klaus sighed. Appealing to them was useless, besides that he didn't really need their permission. "I will tell her whether you want me to or not," he said seriously, "And if either of you know what's good for you then you won't try to stop me." Klaus turned to leave but stopped himself and turned back to face them. "Rebekah," he said, "I suggest while I am gone that you tell Stefan some truths of your own before it's too late."

They watched Klaus leave before Stefan turned to Rebekah raising an eyebrow in question. "What is he talking about Rebekah?" Stefan asked.

Rebekah sighed. "He thinks that it is time that you know exactly who Mikael is and why we fear him," she said, "In this case, I believe that he is right."

:::

When Gloria had discovered that Bonnie's belongings were missing she had had no choice but to contact Abby by phone and search for them herself, or if it was as she suspected she would have to figure out who exactly had taken them. However, her search was cut short when she had received a call from Abby stating that the woman was already in town, she figured either Abby was closer than she had thought or the woman had already been on her way when she called.

The two women had decided to meet at Sheila Bennett's house as they both were familiar with the location and as Bonnie was in school and neither woman suspected that they would be interrupted.

Gloria had tried to reserve judgment when it came to the woman but once Abby had told her that not only was she was responsible for Bonnie's memory loss but that she still wasn't strong enough to perform the spell that would get Bonnie's memories back, Gloria's anger toward the woman began to surface.

"She was going to give herself over to Mikael," Abby said by way explanation as she sat down next to Gloria on her mother's old couch, "I didn't have any other choice. None of you were there to protect her so you don't have the right to judge my decision as her mother."

Gloria gritted her teeth, but she kept her opinion on the matter to herself. She had already called Klaus with the news and the man was not happy. "And now?" Gloria asked.

"Now," Abby sighed, "If you would be willing to work with me on redeveloping my powers I will do anything I can to get Bonnie her memories back. I don't regret my choice but at the same time I realize now what I took from her."

Gloria gave a stiff nod. "And since you are the only one that can perform the spell," Gloria stated, "I don't really have a choice. But I have to ask, if you can't regain your power, is there no other way for her to remember?"

"One," Abby nodded, "But it isn't an option."

"What is it?" Gloria asked not wanting to rule anything out.

"Death," she said, "She would be able to remember everything in death. Like I said before, it isn't an option."

Gloria opened her mouth to speak but stopped when she heard the sound of keys and a moment later the door opened and then shut again. She and Abby exchanged a look as they heard footsteps heading toward the living room. They stood from the couch in time to see Bonnie and Matt enter.

Bonnie had wanted to go to her Grams' house because it was her sanctuary, it was somewhere she would be able to think. The last thing that she expected to find was Gloria with the woman she knew was her mother without being told. But her reunion with her mother wasn't a happy one, she could had barely realized who the woman was before she took her childhood journal and shook in the woman's face.

"Is this true?" Bonnie hissed. Her mind was full of information that hadn't been there the day before. She was still crying over what she had read, her own words as a child remembering a life that she could no longer even fathom. When she was met with silence her powers flared. "Is it true?" Bonnie shouted.

Abby nodded, not able to form the words that she wanted to say all those years of her absence. The explanations that she wanted to give escaping her mind entirely in the face of the hurt look on her daughter's face.

"I remembered before," Bonnie said, ignoring Matt as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "Why can't I remember now?" Matt could vaguely recognize Bonnie's mother from his childhood. He knew he would have to keep Bonnie calm because he was sure if Bonnie hurt the woman in the state that she was in that she would end up regretting it later.

"You were going to give yourself over to Mikael for their sake," Abby said, "I did a spell that made you forget."

Bonnie let out a hollow, humorless laugh that made the other occupants in the room flinch. "Of course you did," she said, shaking her head and feeling surprisingly bitter about the whole thing, "And let me guess, you can't reverse it?"

"I can't right now but-"

Before Abby could finish Bonnie turned to Gloria. She didn't look too pleased with Gloria as well but Gloria could understand that. "Where's Nik?"

"I don't know," Gloria said and it was the truth. All she knew was that he was somewhere looking for Bonnie. She didn't know how Bonnie had gotten a hold of her journal but as the girl's belongings were in her room this morning and gone when Bonnie and her friends left for school she suspected the visit from her friends wasn't so coincidental.

"Bon," Matt said calmly, "Look, just let me take you home okay. Gloria can call Klaus and tell him where you are and I'm sure he will be more than happy to come to you. You don't need to be hunting through town trying to find him. You need to calm down and think about what you just found out."

Bonnie turned to Matt, tears filling her eyes again. "What if he won't come once he knows I know?" she said, "What if he thinks I'll reject him and stays away?"

Matt could tell by her words that she wasn't planning on rejecting Klaus. Matt wasn't sure how he felt about that but at the same time he understood. Klaus had loved her for a long time, even if Bonnie still couldn't remember, she could feel it and he showed it to her even now. "He loves you, Bon," Matt said, even knowing later that he might regret the words, "He'll come."

:::

Klaus knocked on Bonnie's door even without knowing what waited for him on the other side of it. He had been right about them telling her, then again he was always right about things when it came to Bonnie. Even in this time he knew her, that's the way it was when one loved another as much as he loved Bonnie.

He hadn't wanted her to find out like she had, and he hadn't wanted her reunion with her mother to be tainted by the things that they all had kept from her, but it was too late now. Now, he would have to face her and deal with the consequences. If she wanted him out of her life because of what she now knew then he would simply have to beg, it was beneath him, but that didn't really matter, Bonnie mattered.

When the door opened Bonnie didn't say anything as she stood on the other side of it. Klaus could tell she had been crying and he hated himself even more. She motioned for him to step inside and so he did. When she closed the door behind him and locked it, she walked pass him and into the living room and so he followed.

Bonnie sat down on the edge of her couch and after a moment Klaus sat down next to her. She began to fiddle with her hands and Klaus had the urge to run out and buy her a pack of cigarettes. "I'm the one that forgot you," Bonnie said softly breaking into his thoughts.

"Yes," he said, turning toward her slightly.

"I can't remember," she said, carefully, "I did before but there was a spell and now I won't remember until Abby get's her powers back."

"I know," Klaus said.

Bonnie looked at him then not bothering to hide her surprise. "You knew I couldn't remember and you came anyway when Gloria called you?" She asked.

Klaus shrugged. "She said that you asked for me," he said, "Though, I would have come anyway even if you hadn't."

"Because you still love her," Bonnie said. Even after reading the journals, seeing the pictures, she couldn't integrate herself with the Bonnie before without the memories, even if she had her feelings.

"Because I love you," Klaus said seriously, "I always will. Even if you never remember and even if you forget me again."

Bonnie couldn't say it back, even with how she felt about him and so she didn't. She wondered a moment if not hearing her say it hurt him. "You never told her that," she said, speaking of her former self, "She knew anyway, but you never told her out loud."

Klaus sighed wondering how much of her old journal that she had read and wishing she wasn't separating herself from who she had been in that time. "I was afraid," he said honestly.

Bonnie studied him even though he wasn't looking at her. "You're not afraid anymore?" She asked.

Klaus looked at her then, his blue eyes seeming almost haunted. "I am," he said, "But the fear is different this time. Before I was afraid of losing you, and now that I have, now that I know what that feels like…my only fear is that I will lose you again without you knowing how much I love you."

Bonnie didn't know how he could manage being this honest with her, and saying those words without them meaning to her what they would were she able to remember just how badly she had wanted to hear them. "I care about you," she said, biting her lip, "I have feelings for you but I'm not there yet…even knowing how you feel I can't say that I feel the same way." She placed her hand over his and took a deep breath. "But I do want to try with you," she whispered, "'I'm not completely detached from all of this even though that might be how I sound. I'm a little overwhelmed and I just need you to be patient with me."

Klaus smiled a little, before he wrapped his arms around her. "For you," he said, "I have all the patience in the world."