It had been three days since Kai vanquished Joshua Parker and assumed leadership of the Gemini Coven. Strange how he hated getting everything he'd ever wanted. Guilt warred with grief as Kai remained ever vigilant at Bonnie's bedside. He'd eaten only what Jo force fed him. He struggled against the exhaustion in his body until he could fight no longer and passed out for hours at a time. Kai breathed because he had to…because he had to live to make this up to the woman he loved more than life itself.

Sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating Bonnie as she lay there, still as the grave. Although Kai would never admit it, he was drowning in emotions he'd never experienced before: fear, grief, sadness, despair. Kai knew it was the linking of their souls that caused it. Bonnie's influence over him was strong and to lose her—or their children—would be the death of him. Given his current state of guilt, the great beyond did not seem such a terrible fate…

Jo was practically living in the doctor's lounge and monitoring Bonnie's condition on an hourly basis. Luke stopped by every day and filled the barren hospital suite with flowers. Liv spent her days trying to figure out the cause for Bonnie's magically induced coma; she'd taken to stopping by after her Occult Studies class and reading quietly in the corner. Elena and Caroline took shifts, keeping constant vigil. Sometimes Stefan joined them. Damon, though, had been suspiciously absent. Kai had to admit, he never expected to have such frequent visitors.

The pale blue door to Bonnie's hospital room was thrown open with excessive force and smashed against the wall so hard that the plexiglass rattled. Kai was wrenched out of his trance-like state as he turned to stare blankly at the dark-haired man standing in the doorway. The newcomer was taller than Kai and his body was taut with muscles. Upon further inspection, Kai realized that he wasn't really a man at all…he was more of a boy.

Without warning, the intruder darted toward the bed. Kai rocketed from the chair, putting himself between the man-child and his pregnant wife. "Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?"

"I'm Jeremy Gilbert," He replied curtly, brushing past Kai as he went. "That's my girlfriend…" Dark hair hung shaggily in Jeremy's eyes as he circumvented the bed and dropped into the chair Kai had just vacated.

Well, Bonnie certainly had a type, Kai thought grimly. The muscle in Kai's cheek began to tick menacingly as Jeremy grabbed Bonnie's hand and kissed it gently. Kai cleared his throat several times, "I'm sorry. I don't think we've been properly introduced…I'm Malachi Parker, Bonnie's husband."

Jeremy's head snapped up and his eyebrows flew up, "Husband?" He inhaled shakily, "How is that even possible?"

"They've really been keeping you in the dark, huh, Jer?" Kai pursed his lips. "Let me tell you a little story…" Kai proceeded to regale Jeremy with the full, no-details-spared saga of his relationship with Bonnie. By the end of the story, Jeremy looked like he was going to be ill. It was sickly satisfying. "So you see, Captain America," Kai lowered his voice and leaned over Bonnie's prone form, "You're barking up the wrong tree." Black eyes glittered with malice as he reached for the dagger he always kept at his side now. "Run along now, I promised Bonnie I wouldn't murder my family…but I've been itching to stab someone for days now."

"Don't even think about it," Damon leaned in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. His features were tight with annoyance. "Jeremy, get out of here." For a moment, it looked like Jeremy was going to protest, but then he visibly deflated. Jeremy headed for the exit, giving Damon a wide berth as he went.

Kai wasted no time in turning his attention to his former cellmate. "Damon Salvatore…" He clucked his tongue, "To what do I owe the pleasure?" Silence hung thick in the air as they faced each other. Damon wasn't talking and Kai got the impression this was going to be one of those dramatic showdowns that only happened on television programs. "Let me guess? You are Inigo Montoya, I killed your father, yada yada yada?"

Damon's lip curled into a sneer as he stepped over the threshold. "Something like that," He growled low in his throat. "I don't give a crap about most things. Global warming? Gas prices? Unrest in the Middle East? Please…" He snorted, "I've seen it all. Twice." Rolling his shoulders, there was a loud pop as Damon cracked his neck. "Honestly, Parker, there aren't many things—or people—I actually care about." A derisive laugh emanated from his throat as he took a step closer to Bonnie's hospital bed. "If you'd asked me six months ago if Bonnie Bennet was one of those people, I'd have laughed in your face. I'd sooner snap her neck than blink at her…but then something changed. She changed me…"

"Say no more. I'll ring the nurse's station to see if anyone can lend you a tampon." A shit eating grin crossed Kai's features. Damon advanced and Kai raised his palm. He took little pleasure in the vampire's agonizing grunts as the blood boiled within Damon's veins. "Did you miss the memo? I'm the all-powerful leader of the Gemini coven now. You're going to have to do a little bit better than flashing your fangs…if I die, I take my entire coven with me. Including her…" Kai settled himself back at Bonnie's bedside. Kai's expression remained blank as he released Damon from the spell.

"You son of a bitch…"

Kai nodded, "Oh, I wholeheartedly agree." Grasping Bonnie's hand, he leaned his head against the bed. "I'm a terrible husband. I'll be a lousy father." His throat tightened painfully, "And I'd be happy to let you kill me, if I thought it'd solve anything."

Damon hauled himself off the floor, brushing invisible dust from his clothing. "You're a worthless weasel but I won't risk Bonnie's life. So, since I can't kill you…maybe I can help." He exhaled sharply. "Have you tried vampire blood?"

"Oh gee, why didn't I think of that?" Sarcasm dripped from Kai's pores. He shook his head. "Every last one of my wife's friends happens to be a vampire. Of course we tried vampire blood! Honestly, did you think you were going to change the game with that suggestion?" Kai sighed, "This is a magical problem, not a medical one…"

Damon rocked back on his heels. This was the very reason he'd waited three days to visit. Five minutes with Kai and already Damon's patience had worn thin. "Well, if there's something I can do…let me know." Dragging a hand through his hair, he sighed, "I owe her everything and I hate being in debt."

Kai nodded curtly, "Thanks." It was perhaps the first civil thing he'd ever said to Damon…and it left both of them feeling uncomfortable. A rush of movement blurred through the halls as Damon vacated the premises, leaving Kai alone with Bonnie once more.

An hour passed, then half a dozen more. Luke stopped by with Liv in tow. Jo dragged Kai to the doctor's lounge and forced him to shower. According to his sister, the stench would certainly not help Bonnie wake up any faster; for the good of the entire hospital, Kai needed to keep up on personal hygiene. After he bathed, Jo badgered him into eating under the threat of putting him on an IV if he didn't oblige.

Jo didn't like playing guard dog but Kai was adrift. Now that he and Bonnie were bound, he'd absorbed some of her characteristics; that meant that Kai had all sorts of new insight into the human experience. But Bonnie was not conscious to help him navigate this uncharted emotional territory. With the added power of being leader of the Gemini coven, Kai was stronger than ever before. The whole situation was an accident waiting to happen…and something had to be done.

Kai moved to stand but Jo blocked him. "Hey, you're not leaving here until you've finished your entire meal. I wasn't kidding about that IV!"

"You can't stop me from leaving this room, Jo. I could throw you down the hospital corridor like a rag doll, if I wanted to." Exhaustion was written all over Kai's features. Jo gave him that look that made his skin crawl; it was the same one she'd used as children when she wanted him to do what she said. And Jo always got what she wanted in the end. Plopping back down on the couch in the doctor's lounge, he picked up the other half of the sandwich and took a defiant bite. A smile slid over his face as Kai spoke through a large mouthful of sandwich, "I can't believe you remembered this was my favorite. For someone who claims to hate me so much—"

"I hated what you did to me and our siblings," Jo interrupted. "Besides, peanut butter, banana and pretzel sandwiches are weird, even for you. I wouldn't forget something like that." She folded her arms over her chest, "Make sure you drink your water too. You're going to end up dehydrated and delirious…and with your newfound power, you could do some serious damage, Kai."

Kai glared but he still grabbed the water bottle and took a long slug. Swallowing hard, he slowed. His eyes narrowed into slits. "Jo…what did you do?"

There was a long beat of silence as Kai's grasp on the bottle began to loosen. Jo caught it before it splashed all over the floor. "I did what I had to." Jo barely caught Kai before he slid. Tugging his legs onto the couch, she peered down at him. "Shhh, don't fight it."

"You're going to pay for this you…you…" Kai's eyelids were fluttering closed. He tried to fight the effects of the tranquilizers but it was far too late. A heavy breath emanated from him as Kai descended into a deep, dark sleep. For the first time in days, his features were not taut and drawn with worry, his posture was relaxed, and his breathing was even.

Jo gathered a blanket from the linen closet and settled it over Kai to keep him warm. Jo paused briefly in the doorway before she stalked into Bonnie's room and closed it behind her. Liv and Luke looked up, the relief was palpable. "I've dosed Kai with enough anxiolytics to keep him down for about four hours…beyond that, I'm not confident he'll stay down. We have to move quickly," Jo urged.

Liv rocketed up from her chair, holding the grimoire close to her chest. "Four hours? That's it?" She huffed. "What kind of doctor are you?"

"The kind that doesn't want to kill her patient," Jo replied curtly. "You're cutting into your time, Olivia. I hope you know what you're doing…"

"Waking up Sleeping Beauty isn't exactly in my normal witchy repertoire," Liv snarked. Luke narrowed his eyes and Liv huffed at him, "Okay, fine! Just give me the knife…"

Jo kept a lookout while Luke pulled the ancient blade from his bag. Jo's eyes widened when she found the 'knife' looked more like a medieval machete. "Please tell me this isn't one some blood ritual and—" A gasp tore from her throat, "That is a snake!"

Luke removed the glass jar from his bag with infinite care as the creature twisted and hissed angrily. Liv unscrewed the lid and dumped the snake into a large bowl. "I really hope you didn't name the sacrifice this time…" The guilty look on Luke's face made Liv sigh, "I keep telling you not to get attached!" With a flick of her wrist, she brutally beheaded the snake and slit it collecting blood and venom within the basin. Rolling her eyes at the tremble of Luke's lip, she held out her hand. "Luke! What part of four hours did you not understand?"

"Fine!" The next jar he produced had a small lizard in it, "I don't understand why it had to be fresh eye of newt. I mean really, that's so cliché!" Liv's expression bordered on murderous when she wrung the poor little guy's neck and then gouged his eye out. Luke really hoped this worked…it'd all be worth it if they could get Bonnie back and put their family back together.

Chicory root, mistletoe, and willow bark were far less nefarious ingredients than the two commingling in the basin already. "Okay…" Liv licked her lips, "Are you ready?"

Luke took a step toward her, his face screwed up as she dipped her fingers into the goo. "Explain to me again why it has to be me?"

Jo rested her head against the door, "Luke, we've been over this a dozen times. Like it or not, you're more in touch with your feminine side than your sister. You knew the moment you saw Bonnie that she was pregnant. You're about to go barreling into a woman's unconscious mind. She's in a very delicate state and we all want to make sure that those babies are okay. So, it has to be you."

"Fine," Luke grumbled. "Do it then." Liv quickly and effectively painted the symbols over his face and chest. Once she was finished, she placed the grimoire within his reach. Slowly, deliberately he chanted while keeping his hands wrapped tightly in Bonnie's limp ones. Minutes passed and he let out an exasperated cry, "This isn't working…" He muttered.

"Oh, I'd say it's working just fine…" Bonnie replied. She was leaning against the wall, unperturbed by the goings-on around her.

Luke startled, his head snapping to her and then back down at the comatose woman at the bed. His own body was now slumped over, dumped unceremoniously on the floor. "I guess it did," He replied sheepishly. "It's been three days, Bonnie. It's time to come back."

"Don't you think I've been trying?" Bonnie snapped, folding her arms over her chest. "I have to sit here and watch Kai wither away. Jo is running herself ragged trying to fix me. Even Liv seems concerned! And that doesn't sit well with me…" Moving toward the bed, she demonstrated her frustration as she tried to touch the body on the bed; her hand kept going through as if it were made of water. "I've tried everything, Luke. I don't understand."

There was a long beat of silence. "Bonnie, how old are you?"

"Twenty-two…why?"

Luke let out a heavy sigh, "I don't know how we missed this before!" He cried, "I know how to bring you back!"

Bonnie closed the distance between them, "Well? Would you care to share with the class?"

"It started when Liv did the spell to bind our coven. You became a Gemini," Luke explained. "When Kai leeched some of your magic, he inadvertently initiated the merging spell." He leaned over the bed, peeking beneath her eyelid and finding nothing but milky paleness. "To survive…you will need to merge."

"But I'm not a twin," Bonnie argued. "I can't merge with Kai…won't he die?"

There was a long beat of silence. "There's a chance, if your power overtakes him during the process. But if you don't do this…you will die and your children will perish with you. That would kill Kai anyway." Luke reached out, grasping Bonnie's shoulder gently. "I've got to tell him, Bonnie."

Bonnie knew that…but she also knew that Kai would do anything to protect her and his children, even at the cost of his own life. He'd said it before. But now he was going to get the chance to prove it. "I know…" She murmured. "No matter what mistakes were made, no matter what happens, I'll always love him. If something happens, I need you to tell him that, Luke. Please, promise me!"

"I will, I promise…" Luke had been under long enough. Settling himself over his body, he was hurtled back to the present realm to find Kai standing over him. Jo and Liv were both passed out in the corner and Liv was bleeding from a nasty gash on her forehead. Scrambling to sit up, he gasped when Kai gripped him by the throat.

"You have two seconds to tell me what the hell you're doing…" Kai ground out. His eyelids was still droopy from the drugs and his speech slightly slurred, but the anger that boiled within him was not tempered at all. "One…"

Luke sputtered, "You triggered the merging spell!" Shock coursed through Kai and he loosened his grip long enough for Luke to skitter away. The fair-haired witch hurried to where his sisters were dumped and he glared over at Kai. "We were only trying to help you and heal Bonnie!"

Kai's voice shook painfully, "You could have killed her…"

"But I didn't. And now we know how to wake her up…" Luke knew Liv was fine. Their twin sense was strong; although they'd both have massive headaches later, she would survive. He checked Jo's pulse and was glad to find it thudding along normally. Standing again, Luke motioned to where Bonnie lay, "It's been three days, Kai. Every minute you wait puts us all in jeopardy. You know what you need to do…and you can either do it with the support of your family and your coven, or you can be a dick and do it alone."

A slow smile slid over Kai's features and he stepped forward. Luke winced when Kai clapped him on the shoulder, "I think I actually like you for the first time in my life." Luke's expression soured slightly, but it was definitely an improvement over trying to stab him. "I am going to need all of you. So, we start the spell when the girls wake up from their naps." Turning back toward the bed, Kai settled beside Bonnie and rested his head against her hand again, "It'll all be over soon, Bon Bon. I swear it on my life…"

Sorry for the wait, Crazy on You fans! My muse has really been suffering on this one...but I hope this extra long chapter helps to make up for it!

Read and review! Your reviews help me get through those times when my muse suffers. I want to hear how you're liking this! It means a lot to me!

Happy Saturday!

Marina