XXX
Bonnie flattened out a map of the French Quarter on the table in front of her. She picked up the knife Klaus had placed next to it and held it up, looking at the three Originals expectantly. "I need blood to find Elijah so who's offering?"
She couldn't help her smile when Kol got up and knelt down on the other side of the table and offered her his hand. She was hoping it'd be him. She took his hand with one of hers and with the other she dragged the tip of the blade across his palm, a little deeper and harder than necessary judging by the sound of his sharp hiss.
She could feel his intense gaze on her when she turned his hand over to let a few drops of his blood drip down onto the map while placing the knife back on the table and let go of Kol's already healing hand.
Closing her eyes, she began to chant.
"Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras Sequita Saguines Ementas Asten Mihan Ega Petous." Her chanting continued as she opened her eyes and she watched with the others as the blood trailed across the map. "There," she said and pointed to the spot on the map where the blood had stopped. "Is there something there you know of where Marcel could be keeping Elijah?"
"All I remember is an attic of some kind, and shutters," Rebekah told them as she stepped forward to peer down at the map with Klaus doing the same. "Some sort of old building perhaps?"
"There is a church there," Kol said. "St. Anne's or something, and from what I've seen of it, it appears to be abandoned."
"Right then," Rebekah said and pushed herself out of her chair. "I'm off to bring back our brother."
"And I need to meet with Marcel," Klaus added, following his sister's path. "Perhaps he'll still be willing to hand Elijah over himself."
"Doubt it," Kol said and wiped the remaining blood off his palm and onto his jeans. "The little weasel will welch on his side of the deal, hence why we have Bonnie," he turned to her and sent her a wink, "doing the locator spell in the first place."
He was ignored as his siblings left the room, the front door opening and closing.
"Well, then," Kol said and turned to Bonnie with a grin that told her he was up to no good. "Looks like it's just you and me, Beautiful."
She gave no reply.
"Still cross I take it?" Kol asked her. There was no accusation in his tone, he sounded more amused if anything.
"Don't know what you're talking about," she responded nonchalantly and carefully scrunched up the map to prevent any blood from dripping onto the table or the floor.
He followed her when she got up and made her way to the kitchen. "I think that knife nearly went through my hand," he pouted and held his hand up like it hurt.
"You'll live," she said and dropped the map in the trash.
He stepped in front of her before she could leave the kitchen. "And here I was thinking that we were starting to get along again," he said and Bonnie avoided looking into his eyes.
She was still reeling from last night's kiss and it probably wouldn't take much for her to throw herself at him and pick up right where they left off. If she was to avoid that, she'd need to put distance between them. Now that she thought about it, she probably should have gone with Rebekah to find Elijah instead of staying here alone with Kol.
"We are," she said and side stepped him to escape the kitchen but he stretched his arm out to block her path, his hand flat on the counter top next to her.
"Are we?" he questioned her, his voice full of doubt. "I find that hard to believe when you can't even look me in the eye."
To prove him wrong she turned and looked him dead in the eye. "We're fine, Kol, really," she told him again but she could still see the doubt he felt in his eyes.
"You've always been a terrible liar," he said and a faint smile played at his lips. "Glad to see some things haven't changed."
Bonnie sighed and looked away from him. He had dropped his arm but she didn't make a move to leave the kitchen. "Okay, we're not fine," she admitted and met his gaze again. "I'm still pissed at you and whenever I look at you I'm not sure whether I want to kiss you or run away."
He closed the distance between them with a single step and grabbed for her hand. He raised their hands to his chest, holding hers over his heart. "If sticking a dagger in my heart will make you feel better, then do it." He held her hand tighter to him.
"That wouldn't make me feel better," she said softly and concentrated on the feel of his heart beating beneath her hand. The steady beating coupled with the warmth of his hand covering hers was almost enough to make her lean into him, to close that measly gap between them. "Hurting you won't make me feel better."
"Then tell me what will," he replied and she could hear the desperation in his tone. "Having you so close and not being able to do anything about it or even not knowing where I stand with you is going to drive me crazy," he said and squeezed her hand. "It already is."
She silently agreed. She could barely be in the same room as him without wanting to jump him.
Kol's other hand cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing softly against her cheek bone. Her eyes closed and she leant into his touch.
"I need to kiss you," he said, voice low and husky and completely irresistible. "Can I?"
She only nodded her head once before she felt his lips on hers.
He kissed her softly and slowly, less urgent than their one last night but somehow more passionate. His hand left hers and wrapped around her waist to pull her closer to him and Bonnie looped her arms around his neck, getting on her tip toes.
Kol tightened his hold around her waist before he hoisted her up on to the counter and stood between her parted legs.
One of her hands tangled in his soft hair and she wrapped her legs around his waist, holding him tightly against her.
"We need to stop," Bonnie murmured against his lips. "This can't keep happening."
She felt him nod his head but neither of them made a move to break it, in fact, the opposite happened. Bonnie didn't hesitate to part her lips after Kol gently nipped at and swiped his tongue across her bottom lip.
His hands trailed up and down her torso before he gripped tight to her hips. Bonnie felt a gush of wind before her back landed on something soft and cushiony.
The little voice in her head telling her that this was a bad idea and to stop was getting quieter and quieter when Kol's mouth left hers and began to place kisses to her jaw then down her neck. She tossed her head back into the pillow underneath her head with a soft whimper and unconsciously tightened her legs around his hips when sunk his teeth into the bit of skin between her neck and her shoulder hard enough to cause a flush of heat to spread over her, muting that little voice even more.
His name escaped her lips in a breathy sigh and she bit down on her bottom lip to hold back her moan when one of his hands slid underneath her to her lower back and lifted her off the couch and started to move his hips in a circular motion against hers.
She heard him growl when she pushed back against him. He shifted all he weight onto one hand as he let the other drag torturously slow across her shoulder, down her chest, between her breasts and down her stomach, and coming to rest at the button on her jeans.
He nipped at her jaw, his pleading gaze meeting hers as he let his finger fiddle with the button of her jeans in a silent question, all the while his slow grinding working her to insanity.
It was an incessant buzzing from the coffee table a few feet away that started to pull her from the lusty haze of her mind and back into reality, a reality where they should not be doing this right now.
Kol's movements were slow and reluctant when Bonnie started to disentangle herself from him and pushed herself up to a sitting position. She avoided his piercing stare as she reached for her phone buzzing away on the coffee table, the screen flashing with Kendra's name and face.
"I need to get this," Bonnie said, her voice nothing more than a murmur as she picked up her phone and swiped her finger over the screen to accept the call. "Hey, Ken," she greeted her cousin and tried to ignore Kol's hand resting on her thigh, his fingers gently kneading the flesh.
She tried to repress the shiver when he leant in and touched his lips to the spot just below her ear. She tried to focus on her cousin's voice and not the feel of Kol's lips moving along her neck, his hand slowly moving up her thigh.
"You busy?" Kendra asked and Kol caught the lobe of her ear between his teeth and tugged before swirling his tongue around it.
"You're busy," he rasped quietly in her ear before he nipped at her jaw.
Bonnie closed her eyes and willed away the desire the throw her phone to the side and pull him down and pick up where they left off but she knew they couldn't keep going like this, ripping each other's clothes off and pawing at each other like teenagers whenever they were alone.
"No," she said, speaking to both her cousin and Kol, and opened her eyes. "I'm not busy."
She felt Kol freeze, lips still at her jaw and hand still on her thigh. She gave him an apologetic smile before pulling herself away from him and standing up.
She couldn't bring herself to look back as she left the room and headed back to the kitchen, listening half-heartedly as Kendra chatted away on the other line.
XXX
"What, you gonna keep me in suspense all day?" Marcel pushed Klaus while pouring them both another shot. "I want to know more about that girl you brought to the fundraiser last night. The pretty little thing that had your brother acting all civilised."
Klaus chuckled and folded his arms atop the bar. "Kol met her a little over a year ago, back during my time in Mystic Falls" he told Marcel, and watched the younger vampire out of the corner of his eye. "She's a witch with a stubborn moral conscience." He held back his smirk at Marcel's reaction.
"A witch?" Marcel questioned lowly. "You brought an outside witch to town?"
"Calm down, Marcellus," Klaus said, and his lips curved up in a smirk as he picked up his shot. "This witch wouldn't do a spell for me if I got down on my knees and begged her. She's still a tad bitter about the time I tried to kill her and almost everyone else that she cares about."
A look of doubt crossed Marcel's face. "But she's got a thing for your brother who is worse than you?"
Klaus shrugged and poured himself another shot. "If you want to know about my brother's relationship with Bonnie then you'll have to ask him yourself. Just know that Kol will burn this city to the ground if you lay a hand, eye or thought on her."
"She's that important, huh?" Marcel asked and downed his shot. "I didn't know your brother was capable of that kind of emotion."
"Like I said last night, Marcel, you don't know Kol half as well as you think you do, so believe me when I tell you, stay away from her."
"So long as she doesn't cause any problems for me, my guys, and what we're doing here, we'll leave her be."
"She's only here to prevent my brother from ending up in a box for another century. He behaves when she's around."
XXX
Kol clutched the neck of the bottle he was using to take the edge off as he listened intently to Bonnie chatting away to who he gathered was one of her cousin. He reclined back on the couch with his feet on the coffee table, bottle resting on his thigh as he imagined crushing her phone in his hands and picking up right where they left off.
He wanted her back underneath him, head thrown back, neck exposed and lips swollen from his kisses. He wanted her legs wrapped tight around his waist, wanted to hear the way her breath hitched when he started moving against her, his hips moving against hers in a slow grind.
He rubbed his hand down his face before he brought the bottle to his lips and took another long sip.
"A little early for day drinking, isn't it?" Bonnie said when she came back into the room and noticed the bourbon in his hand.
He just shrugged in response causing Bonnie to let out a frustrated sigh. She walked over to him and placed her phone on the coffee table before taking the bottle from him which he gave up with little struggle.
"Please don't be a baby about this," she said and put the bottle back with the rest of the alcohol.
He was silent as she walked back and kicked his feet off the coffee table on her way past. He couldn't help but crack a smile at that.
"That shouldn't have happened anyway," she continued, her tone a little softer this time, and took a seat on the couch opposite him, wanting (and needing) to put some distance between the two of them. "We need to slow down a bit." She hadn't even been there twenty-four hours and already jumped him twice.
"Yeah, you're right," Kol agreed reluctantly. "I should at least ask how you've been these last few months."
Bonnie felt a small smile begin to form. "I've been okay. Lucy got me out of Mystic Falls and introduced me to more of my family, more witches."
"You met more of your family?" he asked and leaned forward with interest.
Bonnie nodded and her smile grew. "I never knew I had that much family left. It was great meeting them all and it's amazing to be around so many other witches."
"The girl that rang you earlier?"
"That was Kendra, my younger cousin. She and her sister are only sixteen," she let out a small laugh. "She's a bit pissed that I didn't bring her with me. A little too interested in magic and vampires, that one. Got her mother worried."
Kol smiled at the way Bonnie spoke of her family, the way her eyes lit up and sparkled. He was glad that she had found some happiness after how he had hurt her that night.
"Have you been back to Mystic Falls since?"
Bonnie shook her head. "No, but Elena and Caroline came by to visit and so did my dad. My dad especially thought it was for the best that I not be in Mystic Falls for a bit…even though he's not thrilled that I'm surrounded with more witches but them being family gives him some peace of mind."
There was a long minute of silence between the two of them.
"What about you?" Bonnie asked carefully, remembering Rebekah and Klaus' vague statements about what he's been up to. "Causing any trouble?"
Kol smirked. "Always."
Bonnie smiled to cover up the fact that she was disappointed that he didn't go on but she assumed he didn't want her to know exactly what he's been up to. Whatever it was, though, was enough for Klaus to contemplate locking him away for the next how many years.
….Although, with Klaus, that could mean just about anything.
XXX
It was well into the evening by the time Rebekah returned. She walked into the main room and found Bonnie reclined comfortably on the couch with a laptop resting on her thighs.
"No luck finding Elijah?" Bonnie asked the Original after she sat up and peered behind her for any sign of the older Mikaelson but saw no one.
Rebekah shook her head and poured herself a drink, offering one to Bonnie who declined with a shake of her head but she did pour an extra one for Kol who joined them in the room once hearing Rebekah return. "I did find him," she said and handed Kol a glass. "But I wasn't able to get into the attic. Davina had invited me in the first time I was there so she must have put up a barrier spell of some sort so no one can enter while she's not there."
Kol looked mildly frustrated. "Do you think you could undo her spell?" he asked Bonnie but Rebekah spoke before she could answer.
"There won't be a need for that," she told them, a faint smile playing on her lips. She was glad to finally be able to deliver some good news. "While I was there Elijah and I had nice little chat. Davina had taken the dagger out of him but she's unaware that the dagger is ineffective without the ash. He's not back to his full strength but he was able to get inside my head."
"So he's awake?" Bonnie asked with some confusion. Her knowledge of the daggers was pretty limited. She knew the dagger had to be coated in the ash of the White Oak tree and left in the heart for it to properly neutralise an Original but that was about it. She didn't know about the waking up process.
"His mind is awake," Rebekah said. "But because he's been without blood for a while it'll take a little longer for his body to recover." She turned to Kol. "And he wishes to remain in that attic," she said. "For a short time at least, he wants to talk to Davina. Establish some trust; see if he can get her out from under Marcel's influence."
"Get out from under the thumb of one vampire only to put under another's," Bonnie muttered under her breath as she thought back to what Klaus had said about Davina and his plans for her the previous night.
Rebekah shrugged and crossed one leg over the other. "Better she be with us than against us I suppose."
"And if she doesn't want to side with Klaus, then what?" She asked but part of her already knew the answer.
She wouldn't put it past Klaus to kill a sixteen year old girl.
"Then she better hope that she really is as strong as they have been claiming her to be," Rebekah said and swirled her drink around in the glass absentmindedly. "Not even Marcel will be able to protect her from a Niklaus who hasn't gotten his way."
"And I don't fancy getting stuck in a box again for standing in the way of Nik and what he wants," Kol added and downed his drink in one gulp. "So, she's on her own."
XXX
Bonnie dialled Lucy's number and reclined back on one of the chairs that were placed around the glowing blue pool. She frowned when the call rang out and she got her cousin's voicemail.
"Hey, just letting you know that I'm still alive and thought you might like to know that Elijah is fine and should be back soon but there is something that I need to talk to you about so call me when you get this."
"I hope what you need to talk to her about is your plans to stay a little longer," she heard Rebekah say just as she ended her message to Lucy. The blonde took a sat down in the chair closest to Bonnie. "And I'm not the only one who hopes for that even though he probably won't say it to your face."
Bonnie smiled and put her phone down next to her thigh. "I haven't decided just yet."
"Well, I hope you decide to stay," she said. "We haven't had much time to catch up since you've arrived and it's been nice having you here."
With Bonnie here, Rebekah didn't have to worry so much about Kol which meant she could focus on brining Elijah home and then get the hell out of this God forsaken city. She was sure that after that incident, Niklaus wouldn't get the upper hand on Elijah again.
"Where are you heading off to after you leave here?" Bonnie asked Rebekah with curious eyes. "I know you said coming back here was only temporary for you so what are your plans for afterwards?"
The blonde took in a deep breath and stared out over the pool, the water sparkling under the light of the moon. "Truthfully, I have no idea," she answered. "Mystic Falls holds no appeal to me anymore and I'm too tired to deal with anymore of my family's infinite issues…" she trailed off. "Maybe I could settle down somewhere quiet and peaceful. That'd be a nice change."
Bonnie nodded and hummed in agreement. "I've forgotten what it's like to live a normal life."
Every time she tried something else came up, someone needed her magical assistance, or someone died from a supernatural death. But compared to Rebekah's situation, Bonnie knew she had it easy. Rebekah had confided in Bonnie one drunken night in back in London about how she longed for a normal existence and a family of her own, two things she can never have and the two things she wanted more than anything.
"So, how was being left alone with Kol all day?" Rebekah asked suddenly with a twinkle in her blue eyes.
Bonnie groaned and let her head fall back against the chair and Rebekah let out a chuckle.
"That bad, huh?"
"Not bad, just confusing," she said and stared up at the stars sparkling in the night sky. "I don't know what I want when I'm around him."
"He'll wait until you do know," Rebekah said and Bonnie rolled her head to the side to look at her. "Whatever you decide to do, he'll accept it. If you want to leave, he won't stop you. You could leave right now if you wanted to. Elijah will be back by tomorrow night."
"I don't think I'm ready to leave just yet," Bonnie replied with a teasing smile. "I still haven't been taken through the French Quarter yet," she added with playful accusation. "You've all kept me cooped up here all day."
Rebekah sent Bonnie a wicked curve of her lips. "You and I should go out tomorrow night. Bit of a girl's night out."
"Sounds dangerous," Bonnie joked. "But so long as you're compelling me drinks, I'm in."
As much as it ashamed Bonnie to admit it, having a friend that was able to compel bartenders to give you drinks while you were still underage (and for free) was a bit of a perk.
Rebekah let out a light laugh and nodded her head. "Done."
XXX
Bonnie made sure to knock on his door this time before she walked in. "Hey," she said quietly. "Can we talk?" she asked and stood tensely in her spot as she watched Kol sit down on the edge of the bed and he nodded at her. "I've decided to stay a bit longer," she told him.
He smiled and looked relieved. It made feel regretful for what she was about to say.
She sighed and her eyes found the floor. "But it's not for us," she finished and looked back up from the floor to see the look of relief had vanished from his face.
He just stared at her for a long moment before looking away and staring bitterly at the wall across from him. "You're staying because of what Nik has planned for the witches, aren't you?" Bonnie didn't answer him and Kol ran his hand over his face frustrated. "I'd rather you just leave."
He didn't want her to get into yet another battle with his brother, one she was guaranteed to lose. New Orleans brought out a different side of Klaus and if Bonnie became too much of a hassle to him and his plans, Kol had no doubt that his brother would kill her without a single thought.
"Well, I'll be out of here tomorrow," Bonnie said and shifted nervously on the spot. "My cousin told me the Palace Royale is pretty nice."
Kol shot up from the bed and Bonnie's stomach twisted with nerves when he stalked over to her. He stopped only inches away from her and she folded her arms over her chest to avoid a repeat of last night and earlier today.
"No," was all he said and stared at her with an intensity that seared her to her core, so much so that she had to look away for the sake of her own sanity.
It was getting harder and harder to control herself around him.
His hands took her arms and unfolded them and he wasn't unaware of how her heart was pounding in her chest. He held back a smile, he was pleased that the affect he had on her hadn't gone anywhere.
"I'm not going to let you go up against my brother," he said and was grateful that said brother wasn't here. "That little feud you had with him back in Mystic Falls is done now."
"I don't plan on fighting Klaus," she said and let him see the truth in her eyes. "I just don't want him to get control over this girl and all the other witches here."
"She is not your concern," he tried to tell her. "And she's certainly not worth pissing my brother off over."
"Kol…" she started but he cut her off.
"You know I'll stop you, right?" he gave her a look that told her he wasn't joking. "Nik and I may have a rocky relationship but he's still my brother."
"I told you I don't plan on going up against Klaus," she repeated herself, her voice raised. "I just want to help the witches out. They need help, they need magic."
"Not yours! It's too dangerous, Bonnie."
Bonnie narrowed her eyes defiantly at him. "So I can use my magic to help you find Elijah and whatever else your brother will no doubt ask for but when I want to help someone who needs it, it's suddenly a problem for you?"
"Davina has all the French Quarter witches looking for her, she is their problem not yours," he tried to tell her. "There is no reason for you to fight, Bonnie, so stop looking for one. You don't need to grab at the first reason you think is plausible for you to stay, you wanting to stay is enough."
"I'm not grabbing at reasons to stay. I want to do this, Kol," she looked him right in the eye. "I spent so much time in Mystic Falls helping vampires and now I finally see an opportunity to help my own kind for once and I want to take it."
Kol wore a scowl but he eventually and reluctantly nodded his head. "Fine," he caved. "But one condition," he said and held up his index finger and Bonnie nodded for him to go on. "Doing this is going to piss off not only my brother but Marcel as well, and all the vampires here are under his control so don't go anywhere or do anything without telling me or Rebekah first, just so we can keep an eye on you, keep you safe."
No way in hell was Kol going to trust Bonnie's safety in the hands of these witches but he did trust Rebekah. Bonnie was the first true friend that his sister has had in a long time, he knew Rebekah would look after her.
"Okay," Bonnie nodded her head, accepting his condition. "But don't dictate what I can and can't do."
"Like you'd listen to me anyway," the corner of his mouth tugged upwards with a smile. "I just want to keep you safe from Marcel. How I feel about you is reason enough for him to target you and I don't want to give him another reason to come after you."
Bonnie smiled and stretched up on her toes and wrapped her arms around Kol's neck.
"I love you," it slipped out before her brain could tell her mouth to stay shut. She groaned inwardly and felt him tense up against her, the hands that were barely touching her hips now held her tightly.
Nerves erupted and settled in the pit of her stomach, making her feel sick. She hadn't meant to say it, but she still meant it and he knew it. She was about to drop her arms from around his neck when she felt his lips brush against her temple.
She wanting nothing more than to go back five minutes and stop herself from saying it, not because she didn't mean it -God knows nothing about her love for him has changed- but because of their earlier conversation and the understand that they had finally reached. She didn't want to ruin their progress with a careless slip of the tongue, no matter how true it was.
Bonnie opened her mouth, ready with an apology but spoke before she could get her first syllable out.
"Don't," he said, his voice barely above a whisper and he pulled back just enough that he could meet her eyes. "Don't apologise, don't take it back." One of his hands left her hip and he brought it up to her face, tracing his fingers over the soft skin of her cheek. "I can't stand the thought of you ever regretting telling me you love me," he said with a sad smile.
Bonnie stayed silent and stared into his eyes for a moment as she worked up the courage for her reply. He hands were on his chest and returned the joyless smile.
"It's not that I regret what I said," she started and unconsciously leaned into his touch. "I don't. I still love you, Kol… so much, and nothing over the last three months have changed how I feel about you," she paused for a moment before continuing. "But they have changed me and I'm not ready just yet to let go and be with you again. There is a lot that we both need to work through before we could go back to what we were."
She wrapped her hand around his wrist and tried to decipher any kind of emotion on his face but he was keeping them hidden.
"We wouldn't go back to what we were," he said and placed two fingers under her chin and tilted her up a bit so their eyes met. "We'd be so much better," he said with a faint smile, one she couldn't help but return.
"I believe that," she replied softly and trailed her fingers along his wrist. "I really do, but it doesn't change the fact that I still need time, Kol…"
"Whatever you need," he said and leant forward to press his lips to hers in a gentle and chaste kiss that meant everything.
XXX
PLEASE READ!
Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry it took longer than I said (like, way, way, way longer), I just had a few personal things going on, got sick, started (and finished) a pastry course that kept me so busy and it was exhausting and full on (and now I'm starting another course that'll be even more full one), and annoyed that quite a few things that I had come up with for this fic appeared in season 2 of The Originals (seriously, it was so annoying, I thought I was being all creative and shit coming up with these ideas and then my ideas pop up on the show!) so I spent some time deciding if I wanted to keep what I had or get rid of it and I've decided that I will keep them since my version had some differences and honestly, I like my versions better anyway.
Plus, this chapter was tedious to write and bored me and I changed it so many times and I'm still not happy with it so I really hope it wasn't boring for you to read, and if you're annoyed with what Bonnie wants to do, I'm with you but I can't imagine her going to New Orleans and ignoring what's happening to Davina and the witches, she sees a chance to help her own kind and wants to take it but next chapter may change her mind!
Any mistakes in this I apologise for (I cannot be bothered with this chapter anymore) and please leave a review with your thoughts.
Next chapter, Bonnie and Sophie meet for the first time! Also, Elijah returns and Kol tries to keep Bonnie out of the witch drama but she's so incredibly stubborn.
XXX