A/N: Thanks for reading - this chapter is a bit more action-filled.
Please R&R - thanks guys! Much love x
Chapter 2
Another couple of days had passed and Bonnie's strange feelings had not subsided, much to her annoyance. She'd managed to tuck them away in the corner of her mind, yet the still lingered on in her subconscious, leading to confusing dreams and thoughts.
Despite everything, she had decided to carry on with her plan to destroy the ascendant, after hearing that Kai Parker was not the only thing that would be escaping the prison world if she didn't…
Seven heretics (part vampire and siphoner witch) were also over there – Lily Salvatore's adopted family.
And Lily was intent upon freeing them, although no one really wanted seven all-powerful witch-vampires running around.
So, this, along with her own personal hatred of Kai and want for vengeance – is how Bonnie found herself rooting through Lily's belongings, searching the room high and low for the ascendant.
She turned over the room, knowing it was only a matter of time until the Salvatore brother's mother returned home. It didn't take her too long before she found the contraption and held it in her hands, not quite being able to believe her luck. She thought for sure the Lily would've kept the thing that was the key to her being reunited with her family lose by her, or at least protected it better.
It was a few moments before Bonnie realised that she was still hesitating. The ascendant had jolted her out of her reverie, it sent a pain through her body that she'd only felt once or twice before, when the psycho himself had siphoned her magic. She shivered at the memory.
Her instincts told her to get out of there, before Lily returned and she was caught, red-handed. But there was a small, small part of her that wanted to throw the ascendant back into the drawer, close it and walk away, as if nothing had happened, tell everyone that she couldn't find the ascendant and let Lily free the heretics... And possibly Kai.
But – surely, if Kai was free, he'd come straight after Bonnie? Not to apologise this time, but certainly for revenge.
After all, he was still a sociopathic murderer - true, he might have feelings now but Bonnie had definitely hurt them. And if he acted the way he had before with practically no feelings, goodness knows what he would do with them.
She clutched the ascendant to her chest, determined to push her stupid thoughts out and let her common sense take over, she rushed through the house, towards the front door, pausing briefly once she'd opened it, first checking outside was clear and then inside, to check no one had been watching.
Satisfied that the house was still empty she smiled, pleased with herself, and turned to leave, walking straight into someone.
"Oh, my bad."
Her blood ran cold at the sound of the voice. Her heart beating in her throat, she looked up at the face that belonged to the hands that had gripped tightly her wrists.
Kai grinned, delighting in the fear, shock and disbelief crossing Bonnie's face as she stared at him, unable to speak.
"No words? That's okay, I'll fill the silence." He dragged her back inside by the wrist, slamming the door behind them.
From the moment he'd made contact with her, she'd expected to feel that god-awful feeling of her magic being drained – but it didn't come.
Kai pulled her along the corridor and up a flight of stairs, he seemed to be looking for something...
"Just a quiet room," he sang cheerfully, answering Bonnie's unasked question, "Ah, this'll do."
He shoved her into a bedroom, one Bonnie hadn't been in before, a thick layer of dust covered most of the furniture in the room – clearly no one had stayed in this room for a long, long time. Kai let go of her arm and Bonnie backed far away from him, over the other side of the room, her mind not processing fast enough, too many questions flying round in her head… How? What was going on? Why? How would she escape?
Closing the door, he muttered a spell and the lock clicked. A wide smile spread across his face and he beamed at Bonnie, who was frowning – how had he got her magic without her realising?
"Oh, come on. I honestly thought you were sharper than that, Bonnie Bennett."
And it hit her, she closed her eyes, frustrated with herself. She should have been suspicious from the moment she felt that familiar draining feeling – Kai had been cloaked.
"Aaaaaand there we go," he smirked, "Saw you hesitate." He crossed the room towards her, cocking his head, his tone mocking, holding a hand to his heart.
"Were you debating… saving me? Giving me a chance?"
His voice was thick with emotion, although Bonnie could tell from the glint in his eye that he was acting. She didn't answer.
"How sweet. Shame, though, when I took your powers from you, you seemed to remember how much you hate me."
Still no answer from Bonnie, she watched him walk closer, her eyes wide.
"Funny, isn't it. You see, when I feel pain, I remember you, too. From that time you stabbed me –" he gave a chuckle, " – quite literally – in the back. Ouch. And then left me in that prison world, which I really didn't appreciate, by the way. And this was after I'd tried to apologise and make it up to you, saving Damon's precious mommy and all that... So thanks for that."
There was barely an inch between them, Bonnie was backed up against the wall. Her heart was beating ferociously in her chest, words caught in her throat, she couldn't seem to be able to take her eyes from Kai's.
He smirked.
"It's really weird, seeing you lost for words. A little unnerving, really…"
"How did you do it?" Bonnie heard the words but didn't realise she'd spoken them, her voice sounded a lot stronger than she felt. Kai grinned.
"She speaks! For a moment there, I was pretty sure I'd taken your voice along with your magic, like uh-oh, that would be totally disastrous –"
"Shut up and tell me how you did it, Kai." She gritted her teeth, hating him but hating herself for showing weakness.
Kai held his hands up in mock surrender.
"Whoa, okay, okay… I must admit, um," he looked down, as if embarrassed – but Bonnie knew better. "I used your little trick... The rock full of Bennett blood? Yeah, it was a trek and a half but, like, I had help." His grin widened.
Bonnie heart sunk.
"The heretics."
"Yeah! Well, I think so. That what they're called? Yeah, I think I do remember them mentioning something like that. Part vampire and part, well, partly like me – so that was cool."
Kai was still standing close to Bonnie, so close that she had no way of darting around him to attempt escape. She determinedly looked up, staring him straight in the eye, refusing to be intimidated.
Oh, but she was.
"What do you want with me? You've got your freedom." Kai raised his eyebrows.
"Oh, no, Bonnie. I already had my freedom. The only reason I had to seek it again was because of you. I mean, I even tried to apologise – more than once, if you remember. Even as you were setting up to lock me in that prison world – which was freezing, by the way, at least it was warm in 1994 – so, I guess… Huh… I haven't really decided what I want from you. But, I bet none of your friends know where you are, so… Looks like I've got all the time in the world." He finished his little monologue with a smile, looking quite pleased with himself.
"Until Damon or Stephan gets home and rip your head off. Or Lily."
"True, true… Although I don't think momma Salvatore would really be on your side, Bonnie. I mean, I dunno I'm new to all these high emotional states and all, but I don't think be best buddies with someone who'd just tried to rob me."
Bonnie let herself fall back against the wall. She was stuck. She was, if she knew Kai, probably going to die in this room. She was well aware of what he was capable of.
"You stabbed me."
"Um, are we forgetting you killed me first? That really hurt, by the way. And once I acquired these new, weird feeling-things, it hurt me emotionally."
He put a hand over his heart in mock-sadness, then frowned, as if a thought had crossed his mind…
"Although, then I killed you twice, I suppose. Although I knew you'd come back to life. Then you locked me in the prison world… So, I guess we would be even, but I'm gonna take a guess here and say that you thought both your decisions were final?"
He grinned at her, letting out another chuckle...
And then his face fell, any hint of humour gone, suddenly deadly serious. His hand gripped her arm with a vice-like hold. Bonnie winced slightly.
"You see, that hurt me, Bon. Like, really. I have feelings now. I told you I was a better person and I was. But, uh oh, did you hear that past tense?"
"Stop playing around Kai. Let me go. I got my revenge, you escaped. Why don't you show me that you are a good person and let. Me. Go."
Kai considered her for a moment.
"I don't think you're quite getting my point, Bonnie. I cared about you enough to sort of throw my pride away by apologising to you – and you tricked me and threw it back in my face."
Any hint of joking around was gone now, Kai had that look on his face that Bonnie had only seen once or twice before. He was seriously pissed off.
"And, as I said, your decisions were final, you really thought you'd never see me again –"
"You left me in 1994!" Bonnie burst out, causing Kai's eyebrows to travel up his forehead once again, "You thought that was final!"
Kai nodded, thinking for a moment.
"Yeah, but it's not like I wanted to. You gave me no choice."
Bonnie looked at him questioningly.
"You didn't!" he insisted, loosening his grip on her arm as he carried on. "You would never have brought me back to this world if I was a threat. I had to go alone."
He paused for a moment, as if unsure whether to say what he said next…
"It's not like I didn't want to see you again. I was, like, really happy when you came back. I even kinda regretted leaving you… Like, I could've brought you back unconscious… But it was one of those 'just-in-case' things... You know?"
Bonnie rolled her eyes.
"Whatever."
She tried to leave, but Kai's grip on her arm tightened and he pushed her back.
"No, don't. Just wait. Please. Hear me out. I just wanna let you know that I really am a different person –"
Bonnie looked at him, disbelief evident across her face.
"No, no, don't look at me like that, I mean it. I mean, yeah, you were right, the 'old me' is still in here but he – I – I've got real feelings now. And you kinda hurt them."
"Just leave me alone, Kai." Bonnie shook her head, pushing past him.
"Wait!" he sounded desperate now, Bonnie turned, half way across the room, looking at him. His expression had changed, much like his tone of voice, he looked like a lost puppy – sad, dejected, pathetic.
"You can't tell me you didn't think about me. I saw you hesitate."
"What?"
"With the ascendant. I saw you hesitate."
A thick silence filled the room, Bonnie was frozen to the spot, seemingly unable to move a muscle, afraid any movement would give her away.
Kai moved slowly towards her, until they were close enough for him to whisper in her ear.
"I couldn't stop thinking of revenge," his breath tickled her. She held her breath, still rigid. "Of all the things I would do to you. Horrible stuff, really. But then I saw you hesitate..."
She pushed him away, finding her strength.
"Leave me alone, Kai."
"You didn't let me finish, I –"
Bonnie exploded, her rage pouring out of her, suddenly finding her voice.
"I don't care, I don't think you get it. I hate you."
She squared up to him, meeting his gaze, their noses inches away from each other.
"Prove it."
And Kai leant forward, catching her lips in his own.