A/N: so, we've reached the fourth chapter :) hope everyone's still on board. Your reviews, as always, light up my day:)

This chapter will be less about the smut and more about the talk, although there are some steamy parts. Don't worry, these two can't stay off each other for too long. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks again to Brittany for the lovely words, you summed it up perfectly :)

Please tell me what you think!

"The most important thing right now is that you play along."

Klaus pulled the lapels of the over-sized coat over Bonnie's lithe figure.

She was wearing next to nothing underneath.

Her blouse had been destroyed. It lay somewhere on his living room floor. Same for her jeans which were practically unwearable now. She was only wearing her panties and a bra, which, thankfully, had survived.

The coat had been his idea, but he regretted having to cover up that beautiful skin.

It gave him a thrill to know how exposed she was underneath. How easily he could drop this flimsy layer. How easily he could let his hands roam over her curves.

"Silas must not know you're onto him."

"I don't know if I can act like I don't remember anything. I don't know how to act under compulsion," she confessed, nervous at the thought of incurring Silas' wrath.

"It's not a stretch of the imagination, love. Silas already thinks he has you under his control. Let him indulge in that notion. Men will believe what they want to believe."

"But he is no man."

"True," he acquiesced reluctantly, "but he has a man's ego."

"And you think the most dangerous immortal on Earth won't catch on?"

"If we play our cards right, he won't."

"Our cards?"

Klaus smirked. "We both want the same thing, Bonnie."

"I highly doubt that."

"But I am helping you, am I not?"

Bonnie sighed. "I am grateful to you for pulling me out of his spell -"

"And you will have other reasons for gratitude, once we're finished with him."

Bonnie eyed him warily.

"I know what you gain out of this, Klaus. I know he's a threat to you. And I know you need my help. That's why you're doing all of this."

"Whatever can you mean?" he asked, blinking innocently, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"This. The sudden attention, the admiration you profess to have for me, the seduction -"

"You came to me."

"Like you didn't know what you were doing. I was in a vulnerable place, I needed to feel in control, I needed to feel something-"

She remembered how desperately she had wanted to shed her inhibitions and offer herself to him.

"And you think I took advantage of you? You came to me willingly, darling. Don't forget that. You enjoyed me as much as I enjoyed you."

She grimaced, trying to appear more disgusted than she really felt.

"Or are you trying to tell me my performance was...unsatisfactory?" he teased.

"It was... not unpleasant," she admitted, completely mortified.

"I have been inside you like no man has ever been or will be. I believe it was more than just pleasant."

Bonnie couldn't help blushing deeply at his words.

"You weren't the first."

"I may not have been your first, but I was the first to make you scream like that," he muttered, backing her into the entrance door. "I was the first who made you cry out in ecstasy."

She almost leaned into him.

Snap out of it!

Bonnie cursed her body for betraying her so easily.

She raised her chin defiantly.

"Don't be so sure."

"Come now, you cannot tell me the Gilbert boy knew what he was doing."

"Don't speak about him."

"Oh, it's no dishonor to the dead, love. It would be hard for anyone, dead or alive, to compete against me."

"And what about you?" she asked boldly. "Was this your first time - with a witch?"

Klaus laughed out loud. "Oh, Bonnie, I forget how naive you are sometimes. When I told you I knew many witches, many Bennett witches, I meant that I knew them intimately."

Bonnie wanted to kick herself. She had no idea why she'd asked. She knew he had been around the world many times; he had told her he'd had many years of practice. And she hadn't cared. She hadn't cared when those women were only human.

The thought of him seducing her ancestors made her gag and revolt. History repeating itself ad nauseam.

But, as much as she hated to admit, there was no nausea.

Her body still felt raw and sore after their intense copulation, but there was also the feeling of being completely sated and rested. As if she had discarded a burden off her shoulders. Despite her embarrassment, she felt no shame or regret. Those would come later.

To him, it must have been simple routine. To her, it would be a defining experience.

It didn't seem real now; everything about him seemed otherworldly, actually.

And maybe, tomorrow, or next week, or in the coming months, she would look back on it and wonder whether it hadn't been a dream.

Except, there had been a real moment, a moment she couldn't neglect, something that would always remind her it had really happened.

"I may not have been your first," she replied, echoing his previous words, "but I was the first whose name you said out loud."

His eyes narrowed dangerously. His arms pinned her to the door. He was ready to attack.

But when he opened his mouth to contradict her, he came up with nothing but air.

Bonnie hid a victorious smile. Her heart hammered madly against her chest. She had been right. It had only been a wild guess, but she had uncovered something she was not meant to uncover. She never thought he -

"You know, you're quite the devious little thing," he suddenly said, capturing her attention once more. "And I'm not only referring to your bedroom manners. You claim high moral ground and you act very righteous in the company of vampires, but you are more twisted than the rest of us."

Bonnie scoffed.

"Excuse me?"

"You play the hero when it suits you. You call yourself the savior of this town and all its inhabitants. Not just a savior, but the savior. You feel possessive of them, as if they were your children to protect, correct?"

"That's not how -"

"And, should someone hurt them, you hurt back. In return, the children must never disobey you. They must always entrust you, and only you, with their problems."

Bonnie felt the indentation of the wooden carving press against her back like a blade. She was being interrogated. She was being questioned, she was being doubted, she the savi-

"When you think of it like that, it's not very different from my relationship with my hybrids, is it?"

"It's nothing like that," Bonnie spat, her voice shaking. "You forced those people to respect you, to serve you. The people in this town choose to respect me."

"No one chooses to respect someone, love. It is always a question of fear and power. Never of free will."

"You're wrong. Nothing can come out of fear. True respect is earned."

"Hmm, yes, I suppose they don't fear you, after all. It's why they'll never serve you."

"I don't want -"

"No, of course not. You don't want that kind of power. Matter of fact, dark magic must be such a burden to your pious soul."

"Don't mock me."

"Then don't lie. When you discovered you were a witch, what was the very first thing you wanted to do?"

Bonnie scrunched her eyebrows in thought.

"I wanted proof."

Klaus smiled. "Indeed. You wanted to test your powers, to see their limit. You wanted to find out how much more powerful you could be as a witch. Not consciously, mind you. But it was there. It was always there."

"What are you saying? That all witches must crave power?"

"No, Bonnie, what I'm saying is that you, in particular, crave power. The girl who was awkward and lonely as a child, the girl who was abandoned by her parents - who was gifted in strange ways she could not explain. The girl who was always the best friend, the helper, the shoulder to cry on, who felt inferior even though she knew that deep down she held a power unknown to others. The girl who was afraid of herself."

Bonnie tried to hide the impact his words had on her. She tried to conjure a facade of nonchalance.

"That could be said about anyone in this town. We've all lost lives around us. We're all afraid. It's not a very happy place."

"Yes, maybe everyone in Mystic Falls is a victim. But you played at being one. In fact, you kept up the act until it became a reality. It's a good thing the Salvatores arrived just in time to shake you out of your self-pity. Without a vampire, you would have never known how truly lethal you are."

Her mind was swimming in foreign notions she had never considered before. She was drinking from a tainted cup, but she liked the taste too much to withdraw it from her lips.

Without a vampire, you would have never known how truly lethal you are.

Lethal.

The thought made her squirm with pleasure. She knew she was naked underneath that heavy coat and she did not feel shame. In fact...

"You dance with death. You enjoy death. Death becomes you."

"Me? I take my powers from the earth, the giver of life."

"And that which giveth life also taketh," he quoted, smiling victoriously.

"You tempted death so many times, love. You brought back people from the dead. You were willing to die on several occasions for your loved ones. But was it really for them? Or did you want to test your powers? Maybe you wanted proof."

Hearing her own words thrown back at her with such precision made her resolve weaken. Why was he turning all her principles upside down?

"Tell me something. When I had my hand around your neck like this," he said, his fingers circling her throat in similar fashion, "and you felt your pulse waning under my fingers, why did you not stop me? Why did you encourage me to go on?"

"I - I wasn't thinking straight," she stammered, feeling the warmth of his hand on her skin. "It was just...the heat of the moment. I felt I couldn't stop. You weren't going to kill me, anyways."

"Wasn't I?"

"No." Her voice lacked conviction.

He raised an eyebrow.

"You need me. You need me to kill Silas."

"Well, you would help a great deal...but you're not essential. Maybe I wasn't "thinking straight" either. Maybe in the throes of passion, I would have ended your life. And you would have let me. Why?"

Bonnie stared into his eyes for what felt like an eternity.

It was so easy to get lost in those dark pools. She felt she was being dragged down into deep, muddy waters. There was no light, only warmth and darkness.

She felt no pain, no regrets, only a prickling caress, an itch, a soft bite, a light peck, a butterfly kiss on her shoulder, a tickling sensation under her breasts where his tongue made delicate marks on her skin, a stickiness between her fingers as she moved her hands across her body and a feverish pulsation between her legs that could never be extinguished no matter how deep she traveled.

And you would have let me.

Yes, she could have died just to feel that eternal second before her last breath. The fullest second of her life. The second that encompassed all the rest.

She was alive in that one second, truly alive.

There were no second-thoughts. When she felt the danger, she pushed herself further into the unknown.

Maybe she was ill. Maybe she was insane.

Maybe you wanted proof.

She reached the surface once more and woke from her trance.

"But I am essential. And you know that."

Klaus grinned wickedly. The girl was sharp.

"Yes, Bonnie. Yes, you are."

And Bonnie smiled, her first genuine smile.

"If I help you defeat Silas, you leave town. You leave this town forever and never come back."

Klaus blinked in surprise.

"Come again?"

"Those are my terms. I help you and you leave town."

"Are you trying to strike a deal with me?"

Bonnie knew what he meant. She was striking a deal with the devil.

So be it.

"Will you take it or not?"

"You seem to forget, love, that I am essential too. What do I get out of this?"

"Your life," she answered simply.

Klaus stepped away from her. He felt the balance had been shifted. Bonnie Bennett had turned the tables on him in half a second.

She was not as easy to manipulate as he had initially thought.

"So, I am supposed to give and you are supposed to take, nothing more, nothing less," he concluded, his expression growing stern.

Bonnie steeled herself against his temper.

"You took a lot more from me. You took my mother. You took Jeremy. You took Tyler. Even Elena."

Klaus chuckled.

"That's rich. You blame me for everything that has gone wrong with your life? Oh, darling, you need only look at Saint Stefan and his half-wit brother to find the real culprits."

"I thought they shook me out of my so-called self-pity," she quoted spitefully.

"I never said there wouldn't be a price to pay. Sacrifice is unavoidable. Power without sacrifice is not worth having."

"And what have you sacrificed?" she glowered angrily.

He shook his head, his expression unreadable. "You don't want to know, love."

Her eyes searched his face for a hidden meaning, but there was none. He had done many terrible things for power and that was all she needed to know.

He caught her staring and smiled.

"If only I'd been the one to awaken you," he said, wistfully. "Had I been here earlier, you would have lost no one. You would have needed no one. You would have been a marvel."

She opened her mouth to protest, but she found her words lacking.

How many other witches had he turned into a "marvel"? How many of her own family had succumbed to his charms?

No, she needed to keep her head clear and convince him to accept her terms.

"It's too late for what could have been. You can't undo what you've already done. You're poison to this town. The only thing you can do now is leave, for good."

Klaus glared at her.

"This was my town long before it was yours."

"Then for its sake and yours, give it up! Isn't it enough that I'm letting you start somewhere new? Away from Mystic Falls? I know you'll hurt others, I know you'll try to make hybrids again and I know you deserve to die for all the pain you've caused, but I am willing to let you go on with your miserable life anyway," Bonnie spat bitterly, as if she was already regretting her decision.

"If you help me, I am willing to let you live."

"You think me so easy to kill?" he snickered in derision. "Silas himself would find it hard to finish an Original hybrid."

"Hard, but not impossible," she countered. "And I will do it, unless you leave town."

"And I suppose you expect me to consider it a reasonable demand."

"I expect you to see that there's no other way."

Klaus narrowed her eyes at her. The girl had no idea what he could do.

"Oh, there is another way. If I go, I'm taking you with me."

The air between them changed instantly.

"You can't be serious."

"And you couldn't be more naive if you think I'm letting you escape me."

"You - you can't," she mumbled, eyes wide. "You won't."

"Who's there to stop me? Your friends? I've seen how much they treasure your well-being. Your father? He does not even know where you are. Your mother? I could rip her heart out before she had time to blink. You? No, you love this town and these insipid people too much. You would do anything for them. It's in your perverse nature. You will go with me if it means this place is safe."

"What are you saying?" she asked in a small voice, even though she understood his meaning perfectly.

"I'm saying that the deal has changed, love. Either you come with me, or I stay and wreak havoc on the unsuspecting people of Mystic Falls."

"No -"

"Either we both leave, or no one does," he repeated, finally. And there was something in his voice that allowed no argument.

If she had felt trapped before, Bonnie felt downright imprisoned now. How did he do it? How did he take her own words and use them against her? How did he insinuate himself so easily into others' lives? He had a talent for twisting words. He had a talent for twisting people.

"Why?"

Klaus blinked innocently. "Why, if there is no villain, surely there's no need for a savior, either."

"Besides," he added lightly, "once we are done with Silas, there are other friends I'd like to visit. There are many creatures on this Earth awaiting my punishment. And who better to join me?"

Bonnie felt her throat going dry. This couldn't be happening. He was bluffing.

"How did you put it? Ah, yes, "starting somewhere new". I suppose that's one way of putting it. It will certainly feel new to you."

"You are insane."

"Then again, there are many sides to you," he teased, alluding to their previous conversation. "So many that you keep hidden but they come undone at a single touch."

"You're full-blown crazy."

"And I've seen it, the side that wants to join me," he continued undeterred, " the side that wants to skip town, the side that wants to feel danger and bend people to her will and dance with death."

Her mind was racing. She couldn't keep up with his words. It was all a haze. And she couldn't make out any of it.

"Give into it, Bonnie. Only then would you be honoring the Bennett line." His voice seemed to whisper in her ear. It was laced with honey and venom.

She forced it out of her head. I'm not like them. I'm not like them, she told herself.

"No. No, I wouldn't."

"Yes, you would. You know you would. You're just afraid."

There it was again, that hateful word. A girl who was afraid of herself.

"I'm not."

"You're afraid you'd like it too much."

"No."

"You're afraid you like it already."

"Stop."

"Make me."

"I can't - I won't do your bidding."

Klaus grinned, as if she'd already said yes.

"You won't have to, love. We'll do it together."

With that, he grabbed her arm and pulled her to him roughly, nails digging into her skin. The flimsy fabric between them couldn't be much of a barrier. He felt her breasts against his marble chest, her delicious curves waiting for his touch.

He pressed his mouth on hers hungrily. He parted her lips easily - she gasped - and bit into her tongue, making her moan in pain. Soon enough, their tongues were clashing madly. She was trying to breathe, but he wouldn't let her. He invaded her mouth completely.

But she did not pull away. She resisted his kiss, but molded into it at the same time. It was so intoxicating, being kissed by him. She couldn't stand it, but she couldn't let go either. Dark magic coursed through her in waves. He brought it out faster than anyone else. He made it seem normal. He made it seem easy. Dark magic became an elixir, a drug that only took them higher. She was doomed, but she liked the prospect of being doomed with him.

Klaus hadn't meant to offer her this ultimatum. And he felt angry with himself and her for forcing his hand. It showed. He kissed her mercilessly, his mouth attacking hers without hesitation, without control, his teeth gnawing at her lips, his tongue melting away her denial. She let herself be overwhelmed by him, over and over again. Because this was that side of her, that side that came to life whenever he touched her.

Her back hit the door once more and she relished the feeling of complete surrender, all the while knowing at the back of her head that they were fighting a battle for dominance. And even though she might lose a battle, she couldn't afford to lose the war.

His fingers opened her coat and glided down her stomach quickly into her folds, without any warning, as if there was no time for anything else. He needed to feel her heat. The rest would have to wait. She was already wet. He grinned into the kiss.

Her legs instantly closed themselves around his hand, almost without her accord. He paused over the sparse soft curls. Trailing the tip of his fingers over their buds garnered an immediate reaction. He played with them for a while, ignoring her groans, enjoying her obvious frustration.

When he felt she had been toyed with enough, he began moving his fingers in and out, slowly, in circles that became wider and wider as he gathered speed. But he never gathered too much speed. He always slacked and waited for her body to crave more.

She was never too far behind. She writhed desperately under him, but not once did she break the kiss. She was too proud to look him in the eye. She couldn't face defeat. She couldn't understand she had been defeated.

The foolish girl probably thought she wouldn't have to do it, after all. She thought she could escape him.

How had he taken so long to find her, he wondered?

His fingers were coated in her juices, but he kept pinching and delving in and out because he hadn't heard her scream yet.

He needed to hear her scream.

She will prove useful. She will be my witch. And only mine. If I can't have Caroline, she'll have to do. And I will have this one, he thought, his other hand gripping her waist possessively.

I will have Bonnie Bennett.