Title: When the End Justifies the Means
Author: Jessica
Fandom: The Vampire Diaires
Pairing: Bonnie Bennett & Klaus Mikaelson
Timeline: Takes place after the events of 3x15.
Rating: M for mature content.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: Bonnie Bennett makes a deal with the devil to ensure that no one is in a position to hurt her again.

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chapter two: terms & conditions

"Come again, love?"

He placed the glass of brandy down on the wooden stand beside his chair. Obviously, he'd drank too much because he knew he couldn't have heard her correctly.

"You'd like me to do what?"

Bonnie was standing in front of him now. Her weight shifted on one leg as she stood in a bravado stance, arms folded across her chest. To anyone else such an approach would appear intimidating; a clear indication of a woman not to be trifled with—which Bonnie Bennett was given their past encounters—but Klaus merely smirked as he often did when those who opposed him tried to make a stand. Because although Bonnie put up a brave front before him now, her heart was beating a mile a minute, betraying her every move.

Glancing toward the foyer entrance, the young witch spotted more hybrids edging into the room. Their canines were extended and backs hunched over, prepared to pounce on her if Klaus gave them the order to do so. Her shoulders squared as she watched him shake his head once, signaling them to stand down. Obviously, he at least wanted to hear what she had to say so she braced herself.

She knew without a doubt that he wasn't going to make this easy on her, but she refused to cower to him. She'd never done so before and she had no intentions of starting now, despite what she was about to propose.

"I need your help with my powers," she said.

He looked confused as ever. "And why exactly would I be doing this?" he shrugged. "Helping someone who's shown her disdain for me time and time again. Not to mention, trying repeatedly to end my life?"

Bonnie answered truthfully.

"Because when I am stronger—and I will get stronger, just without your help it'll take longer—would you rather have me in your path or by your side?"

That had him intrigued. "I'm listening."

"Look, Esther's gone," Bonnie sighed, pacing in front of him. "Aside from Rebekah, the rest of your family up and left you." She wasn't trying to goat him or be hurtful; she was simply stating the facts. "All you have are your precious little hybrids who I can drop without any help. But I need more power. And if you help me, in exchange, I'll give you mine."

Klaus indulged her. "Go on," he urged.

"As far as I'm concerned, your reign of terror on this town has long become a moot point. You have no intention of killing Elena because you need her to make your playmates. You have some weird infatuation with Caroline—I'm not even gonna comment on that—and you've even built this gigantic mansion," she gestured around them at the lavish digs, "so it's obvious that you plan on sticking around for a while. As of late, your only problem is the Salvatore brothers and their desire to see you dead. I can help with that."

"How so?"

He leaned forward, letting his curiosity get the better of him.

"You get me in contact with someone with who can help me with my magic…and I'm yours."

"Come again?"

"You heard me," Bonnie said with a nod. "If you can find me someone to help improve my magic, I'll be your resident witch. With a few terms and conditions, of course."

"Of course," Klaus sneered as he leaned back into his chair. He knew that even in her most desperate state to get what she needed, she would never give herself over to him so willingly. "And what, pray tell, would be the conditions of this little arrangement?"

"I won't kill anyone for you," she stated, shaking her head. "No innocents can be harmed, and no more hybrid making."

"Well if that's your best offer, I have to ask what exactly would be the point of you becoming mine given all the restrictions you intend to place on me once you are?"

"Because whatever new enemy that comes to oppose you will have to deal with me. The way I see it, this gives you incentive to make sure I become all I can be, sort of speak. This includes your mother. You want that binding spell off of you and your siblings? I got the juice. I just need the knowhow."

"Anything else?"

At this point, Bonnie could sense that his patience was growing short even though he seemed interested in her proposal.

"Yes," she nodded. "I won't be harming the Salvatore brothers for you either."

He scoffed before smirking in amusement. She had to be joking.

"You'd still protect them?" he asked, incredulously. "After everything they've done to you? After what they did to your mother?"

Bonnie tried her best to show little emotion regarding that subject. He was using her mother to get a response out of her and it wasn't going to happen. What happened to her mother was why she was here; it wouldn't be how he'd manipulate her to get what he wanted.

"It's not about protecting them," she said. " It's about protecting the people that I care about. And hurting Stefan or Damon would hurt Elena and that's not what I want."

His face gave away nothing as he stared at her. "And what exactly do you want? Why come now in search of more power?"

"Because I'm tired of watching the people I can care about fall victim to creatures like you," she said. "Supernatural beings that have all the power, yet insist on terrorizing, torturing, and murdering innocents all for the sake of doing so."

"Fair enough," he nodded, though not thoroughly convinced. "Well, say that I was interested. And there was a way to get you what you seek. What would stop you from using your newfound power against me?"

"You know that any witch who makes an oath is bound to it, Klaus. If I swear to you that I am yours, such an oath cannot be broken unless you break the terms of our agreement," she explained. "Now do we have a deal or not?"

"I'll have to get back to you," he said with a nonchalant shrug.

"You have until tomorrow," she countered.

Bonnie was no fool. She knew her worth and she had no doubt that Klaus did as well. But this was a onetime offer. She had come to him knowing only that she needed a means to an end. It was half-cocked and logically, no good could come from teaming up with him, but she was sure he had what she needed and that trumped everything else.

Besides, she'd tried to play it straight and what good did that do her? She put her chips in with the "good guys" in an attempt to preserve the balance of nature and had been kicked in the teeth for it. Things had to change; she had to change. Adapt to the circumstances when this town threw her for a loop. This was her… adapting. She wouldn't beg him to take her on because as far as she was concerned he was getting one hell of a deal.

So she waited for him to speak. To protest in some way that only he could with threats or counter offers. But when he said nothing, Bonnie smiled and straightening her jacket with a curt tug on the hem. If she didn't know any better, she would think that he was actually impressed with her boldness. And seeing as how she said all she needed to say, she prepared to leave.

"I'll let you think it over," she said already walking towards the door. With sly smirk, she shot him a backwards glance. "I'll just let myself out."

As Klaus watched her exit, he admitted to himself that the need to think over her proposition was merely a ruse to rattle her chains more than anything else. The Bennett line was an exceptionally powerful one after all. This much was evident by the fact that his own mother spent years siphoning their magic just to carry out her plan to destroy him and his siblings. It would be foolish of him to not take advantage of such a grand opportunity to have Bonnie on his side for once.

He smiled at the sudden change of events.

The Salvatores' betrayal could not have come at a more opportune time and he relished at the fact that it was their actions that drove her directly to him. Admittedly, he was shocked to see Bonnie land on his doorstep. Yet, it wasn't much of leap to understand why she'd come to him. The enemy of my enemy and all that. Not to mention, Bonnie was also one of Caroline Forbes' oldest and closest friends. So far, all his efforts to woo the baby vampire had been met with fruitlessness, but perhaps with a few kind words whispered by the Bennett witch, his luck would finally turn around.

Klaus found himself toasting with the forgotten brandy.

The night had proved to be full of surprises.


Bonnie didn't go home.

Though she put on a brave face, her meeting with both Klaus and Stefan all in one night had drained her. All she wanted to do now was fall into her own bed, at her own house, but she'd made a promise to Abby that she would stay over so they could work in the garden first thing tomorrow morning. It was actually something that Bonnie was looking forward to; just another way in which to learn more about her craft.

So she drove all the way back to Abby's place which was roughly an hour's drive with a heavy foot. When she arrived, the porch light was still on, as well as, the light in the den. As Bonnie reached the walk and went up the porch steps, she absently checked the time on her cellphone. It read: 2 A.M.

Using the key that Abby had given her, she quietly slipped inside. As she closed the door behind, it was Caroline who emerged from the den. She was already dressed for bed, wearing an oversized grey t-shirt; cow print pajama bottoms, and an anxious expression on her face. Truthfully, with everything that had gone down tonight, she'd forgotten that she'd left Caroline to tend to Abby. As she shrugged off her jacket, she started to worry. Had something happened while she was gone? Was Abby okay? Jamie?

"What's wrong?"

"I was going to ask you the same question," Caroline huffed. "Where have you been all day? I tried calling, but you weren't answering your phone."

"Did something happen?" Bonnie tossed her keys onto the stand by the door before walking towards the stairs. Caroline was kind enough to turn off the lights as they headed up to guest rooms. Naturally, the blonde vampire followed Bonnie into hers.

"Nothing happened," she said, flopping down on the bed. "I was just worried. Abby was asking about you and I didn't know what to tell her because of your very vague, 'I'll be back in a few,' which turned out to be hours instead of minutes."

Bonnie leaned against the old dresser drawer removing her flats. She placed them near the door before going over to her suitcase at the foot of the bed. "I'm sorry, Care. I didn't mean to leave you here with her for so long."

"It's not a problem," Caroline smiled, shaking her head. "You know I'm happy to help any way I can."

Bonnie smiled.

She did know that. Caroline could be conceited, selfish, and extremely bossy, but she was also the best person that Bonnie knew. She could understand why Klaus would be interested in her. She was light personified. Able to see the bright side of anything and an absolute godsend on the darkest of days. There was no one like Caroline, but what made Klaus' infatuation so unacceptable was that he didn't know all of this about her; what truly made her so beautiful and an amazing catch for any guy. All he knew was that he wanted her. A trophy on his arm; a prize to be won from Tyler and that wasn't gonna cut it.

"If I haven't said it enough, thank you. You're been so great throughout all of this. I couldn't have done it without you," Bonnie said.

"Anytime."

Bonnie peeled off her shirt before reaching into her suitcase for something to wear to bed. "But aside from her asking where I was, was everything okay?"

"As good as can be expected," Caroline answered. "One day at a time, right?"

Bonnie nodded. That was good to hear. The first couple of days had been rough, but with Caroline helping out, things had gone smoother than she initially anticipated. Grabbing a sports bra and a pair of cotton, hipster panties, she made her way to the adjoining bathroom.

"Bonnie," Caroline called from her place on the bed and the young witch paused at the bathroom door. "I know you said that you were just running errands, but it's not like you to not pick up your phone," she stated. "What were you doing tonight?"

It was a reasonable question. She and Caroline had been best friends since they were five years old. The vampire knew her better than anyone. Bonnie didn't want to lie to her, yet she also didn't want to tell her that she'd basically sold her soul to the devil either. So she settled for being as honest as she could without blatantly lying to one of her best friends.

"I was trying to find a way to make me stronger," she answered. "To make it so that what happened to Abby will never happen to anyone else I care about."

"What was it?" Caroline asked. "Some kind of spell or something?"

Bonnie smiled, "Or something…"

She left Caroline with that. Walking into the bathroom, she closed the door behind her and proceeded to shower for bed.


When Stefan came back to the boarding house, Damon was seated on the couch, nursing his usual bourbon. Quietly, he peeled off his jacket and headed to the wet bar himself. He needed something to take the edge off.

"What's the matter with you?" Damon asked. "You look more scowl-y than usual," he observed with a smirk.

"Nothing's wrong." Stefan's tone was short. He didn't want to talk about his encounter with Bonnie—especially not with him—but Damon being Damon wouldn't leave well enough alone.

"Oh, come Stef," his older brother probed. "I know the difference between your 'something's wrong' face and 'this is Tuesday' face. There are subtleties, though slight. What's going on?"

Stefan poured himself a shot of whiskey and downed it in one gulp. He then poured another.

"If you must know, I went to see Bonnie tonight."

Damon nodded, understanding. "So... what appendage did she magically spell off?"

Stefan sighed as he slammed the glass down on wet bar. "Could you not joke about this? She doesn't anything to do with us," he sadly admitted.

Damon rose from the couch.

"And you're surprised by this?"His voice was incredulous. "We murdered, then turned her mother into a vampire. She is never going to forgive or forget that."

"Yeah, well…" Stefan shrugged. "That's basically what she told me tonight. Along with a few other choice words."

"Then why bother, Stefan?"

"Because I have to, Damon. Because I hurt her," he said. "She was friend; she trusted me and I hurt her. And I've gotta make it right."

His older brother shook his head with drink in hand. "Well, good luck with that," he shrugged. "But it's over little brother. You are no longer 'Saint Stefan' in Bonnie Bennett's eyes. No more running over when you call. No more favors or witchy spells. Welcome to the shit list my friend." He toasted, taking a long celebratory drink. "You're in stellar company."

As much as Stefan hated to admit it, Damon was right.

What they had done, was not something she was going to get over even if they were to make themselves scarce for a while. There was no forgiving what he had done and he was at a lost as to how to get her to trust him again when she had every right not to. Sure, he could follow Damon's advice and leave it alone, but that's wasn't a viable option. Leaving it alone meant that he was ready to give up Bonnie as a friend and that wasn't the case. He'd wronged her. She had every right to feel the way she felt about him and Damon, but that didn't mean that she wouldn't know how much he regretted what he'd done; how much he wanted her forgiveness. And one of the perks of being a vampire was that he had nothing but time to prove how sorry he was for his actions.


Bonnie lightly moaned into her pillow as rays of lights filtered in through the curtains of her room. She heard the distant crowing of a roaster and had to remind herself that she wasn't in Mystic Falls. She pulled a pillow over her head in an effort to shut out the world for few more minutes, but as it turns out, lady luck was not her side.

"Good morning, love."

Immediately, Bonnie's heart lurched in her chest and she nearly screamed put. Whatever inclination she had to be lulled back into a dreamless sleep was instantly drained from her body at the sound of his voice.

It can't be, she thought rolling over, onto her back.

But there was no denying it.

Bonnie hugged the sheets closer to her body, sitting up so quickly that her head began to spin. She dragged a hand over her face and into her tousled hair. She even blinked a few times to ensure that her eyes were not playing tricks on her.

If only that were the case.

Klaus was seated by her bedside, straddling a chair that usually rested over by the dresser on the adjacent wall. It wasn't a surprise how he'd gotten into the house. Abby was a vampire now and technically, Jamie didn't live here, but out back. There were no human owners.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked through gritted teeth. With two other vampires occupying the house, she anxiously looked from him to her bedroom door, half expecting Caroline or Abby to walk in at any moment.

"Oh relax, "he said obviously reading her mind. "Abby's downstairs making breakfast and Caroline's in the shower down the hall. She has such a lovely singing voice."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "What do you want?"

"Now is that any way to talk to your new partner in crime?" He placed a hand over his heart as if wounded. "You wanted an answer as soon as possible, did you not?"

Bonnie shrugged. "And it couldn't have waited until I got back to Mystic Falls? Or was up and fully dressed," she muttered under her breath. She readjusted the sheets and duvet covers once more in attempt to retain some modesty. It wasn't as she was naked, but the hot nights made bra and panties the only viable option for her.

She watched as Klaus' eyes traveled up the length of her figure, becoming even more self-conscious when his eyes finally reached hers.

"Some things are just too important to leave to chance," he breathed. "Besides, you gave me a deadline and I knew you'd want to hear my answer as soon as possible."

"And calling never even crossed your mind?"

"That reminds me." He snapped his fingers before reaching into his jacket pocket. He tossed something to her. .

She frowned as she picked it up, "A cell phone?"

"Well if we're going to be working together, I need to know that I can reach you at all times."

"Why can't you just call me on my cell phone?" Bonnie wondered.

"Because I want to call you on this one," he replied as if it should have been obvious. "This way I don't have to worry about your attention being divided should your supposed friends need your help."

"I don't have any plans on—"

"Oh Bonnie," Klaus smirked, leaning forward. "Let's not kid ourselves here, love. So far I think we've been rather good a being honest with the arrangement we've struck up. So I'll simply tell you that if the Salvatores come to you for some sort of magic spell or incantation and what not, you're going to help because they know what I know," he smiled. "Your weakness is her. It always has been and it always will be and they will use it to bend you to their will. You do understand that this will have to change if you're going to be working for me?"

"Well good thing I won't be working for you," Bonnie sneered, eyes narrowed. "Let's get that out of your head right now. This is not one of the deals you've made with all the other witches you've screwed over. I'm not subservient to you. We are partners," she reminded him.

Klaus smiled. "That's what I meant."

She rolled her eyes. She was pretty sure he meant what he'd originally said.

"Is that it?" In the span of five minutes, he's already managed to piss her off. She wanted him gone. She sure as hell didn't want Abby or Caroline to find him here.

Klaus scoffed. "Yes. I traveled all the way to the Carolina sticks to give you a cell phone," he said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Bonnie wondered if this was how it was going to be with him; a snarky remark for everything?

"I figured, as a sign of good faith, that I'd give you something," he said. "A token of our newfound partnership." Klaus reached over the side of his chair and placed a big, leather bound book down on the edge of the bed.

Bonnie's eyes narrowed as she leaned in for a closer look. "Is that what I think it is?"

Forgetting herself, she rose onto her knees allowing the duvet to fall from her body. Adorning the same sports bra and panties from last night, she crawled toward the edge of the bed, pulling the book toward her.

The look on Klaus' face did not go unnoticed to Bonnie, but that had been the whole point of him putting it so far out of reach. He was over a thousand years old. She was sure he'd seen more than a chick or two in their underwear.

At the moment, his eyed glued on her body didn't even matter because lying in her lap was a grimore.

A beautiful grimore full of aged pages with countless spells. Her excitement got the best of her and as far as she was concerned, Klaus could ogle her as she went through every spell. There was so much to learn; so many spells that she'd never even heard of.

"Where did you get this?" She felt through some of the pages.

Klaus shrugged as if it was no big deal, but he was pleased at her fevered interest. "It belonged to Maddox—one of dozens. Actually, I've been taken to collecting them over the centuries so there are many more where that came from. It's why I'm here. If you're going to start working on my little sibling bond, I figured you'd need more notes to study."

"And what about my tutor?" she asked.

"Still on the lookout," he said. "As it turns out, I'm not as popular as we both thought I was."

"I never would have guessed," she laughed despite herself.

Bonnie was so excited about her new study aid that she didn't hear Caroline coming down the hall until the blonde vampire was knocking on her door. She didn't wait for Bonnie to invite her in so it took the residual strength of being a cheerleader for the last two years for her to reach the door in time to block her entrance. Her heart had dropped to her stomach. Her face was flushed with panic, but as she looked over her shoulder at Klaus, who remained seated, he merely looked amused.

"Bonnie?" Caroline called from hallway.

She cleared her voice looking back at Klaus as he finally stood up. He took his sweet time putting the chair back against the wall, but she expected him to leave. However, what would be the fun in that? She looked confused as he took a place dangerously close behind her. Bonnie's eyes narrowed in annoyance at his blatant attempt to get a rise out of her, but Caroline's presence on the other side of the door took precedence over his close proximity. He wanted to know her threshold; how far he could go before she lost her cool. Bonnie wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

She watched as he placed an index finger to his full lips, signaling her not to make any noise. It wasn't as if she was going to tell Caroline that he was here. So that action alone was merely another attempt to put her on edge. In that moment, all she wanted to do was give him an aneurysm that would make him buckle to his knees. But that wouldn't really help matters.

So she toughed it out.

Begrudgingly, she turned around, cracking the bedroom door just an inch. She could feel Klaus's hand resting on the bare flesh at the small of her back and his breath against her hair.

"What's up Care?" She tried her best to keep her face neutral.

Caroline frowned, noting her odd behavior. "I just wanted to let you know that Abby wants you to come downstairs for breakfast."

"I'll be down in a minute," she nodded, attempting to close the door. Caroline blocked her way.

"Bonnie wasn't going on with you?" She smiled somewhat awkwardly. She knew something was wrong.

Bonnie grinned, staring at her friend as if she's grown a second head. "What are you talking about?" She didn't wait for an answer as she once again moved to close the door. "I'll be down in a little bit," she said with finality, closing the door rather harshly. Both of Klaus' hands now rested firmly on either side of her hips, his fingers toying gingerly with the elastic seam of her panties.

She waited to hear Caroline's reluctant footsteps heading down the hall, then the stairs before she turned to Klaus pushing him away with all the force she could muster.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

In haste, she went over to her suitcase and grabbed the first t-shirt she could find. Sliding in on, she stood in front of him, arms folded.

Klaus held on his hands, laughing. "I was just having a little fun, love."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm not laughing."

Seeing that she was serious, Klaus quickly sobered up. He moved to close the space them but Bonnie backed away until her back was pressed against the door and there was nowhere to escape his towering.

"I'm sorry," he said, but she wasn't buying it. "Bonnie, I apologize." His voice was soft as dipped down to look her in the eye. "I know that this agreement is contingent upon me being on my best behavior." He placed a finger just under her chin to get her to look at him. "In the future, if ever I put my hands on you so intimately it will be because you've asked me to."

"There's no way in hell that's happing," she assured him eyes narrowed.

He smirked, eyes once again trailed down her petite frame. "Well, one can dream." He backed away, heading toward the window. "I'll look forward to seeing you when you return to Mystic Falls." He climbed onto the windowsill. "Be safe."

And then he was gone.

Despite herself, Bonnie rushed toward the open window, sticking her head outside. All she saw was the Abby's garden and chickens. She sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"Bonnie, what the hell were you thinking?"


A/N: This is long overdue. I'd written the second part of this so long ago and then when my hard drive crashed losing everything, I lost some of my excitement for it. But the thing is I found myself still writing the story (mostly on paper when I was at work). I loved the idea too much to just let it go so here we are. That ending could have been stronger, but it is what it is. Reviews, favs, and constructive criticism are welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for reading.