The whole of Mystic Falls was in a buzz that night. Nearly every person gossipped about what to expect at the Mikaelson ball. Everyone that is, except Bonnie Bennett. She had made plans earlier to meet up with the girls to get ready, but both Caroline and Elena bailed at the last second.
Leave it up to her "friends" to pick boys over her. Honestly, Bonnie wasn't surprised in the least. Even though the thought of attending the ball made her want to hurl, she could at least show up looking stunning. What the hell, why not show up looking better than Caroline and Elena.
Bonnie smiled to herself. Who knows, maybe she'd meet someone hot there.
As Bonnie tied up her hair in a simple, but elegant updo, Abby knocked softly, entering the bedroom dressed in pajama pants and slippers.
"Are you not going?" Bonnie asked, one eyebrow raised incredulously.
Abby shook her head, "Not my scene. However, Esther did ask to meet with at least one of us tonight. I took the liberty of telling her that you'd be there."
Bonnie stiffened, "You know I don't trust her. She's only using us."
The older witch leaned tiredly against the door frame, her slipper playing with the frayed pink rug.
"It shouldn't take long. Just do what she says and hopefully when it's all over, she won't bother us."
Bonnie sighed, but nodded her head in agreement. It wasn't like she had a choice.
"You know, dances aren't exactly my thing either, but I'm still going." Bonnie said, reaching for her gown which hung behind the door.
Abby smiled and turned to leave, "You'll fit in just fine, I'll be waiting up for you."
Bonnie unzipped the bag and stared lovingly at the dress. It really was beautiful, and she would be lying if she said her girly side wasn't ecstatic to put it on.
"Let's do this shit."
XXXX
As the guests began to trickle in and the music played cheerfully in the background, Kol stood on the sidelines, a glass of champagne in one hand. Rebekah came to stand besides him, looking equally as discontent as him.
"See anyone you like?" She asked.
Kol shook his head and took a small sip from his drink.
He hadn't seen the Bennett witch since that night, but he knew his mother invited her.
"I don't see her yet."
Rebekah snorted loudly. "It didn't take long to find a new plaything did it."
"It's not like that. You forget toying with people is yours and Nik's thing." He retorted.
Rebekah looked like she was about to argue back, when her attention was distracted by a somewhat tall blonde guy.
She took a shaky breath and smoothed out her elegant sapphire dress, "Excuse me, I've got some toying to do."
"Really? The quarterback?" Kol called after her.
She didn't appear to hear him and he soon lost sight of her in the crowd.
"Bloody unbelievable." He muttered under his breath. This lousy champagne wasn't cutting it, he needed something stronger. As he turned to make his way to the cellar, a figure caught his eye. Kol's breath was stolen.
She looked utterly radiant. Her cream colored dress hugged her curves perfectly, with the end coming down with a flourish of lace. The bodice was adorned with snowflakes and her dark skin shone against the see through sleeves.
She was a goddamned princess, that's what she was.
Just then, her eyes met his and she abruptly halted in her tracks. Recognition flashed in her eyes.
"Oh god…" Her small voice whispered.
XXXX
Bonnie's world had come to a standstill. The music and the voices of people faded away. When her eyes met with his deep stare, everything hit her at once.
His hands gripping her waist. The music blaring loudly over them as the lights revealed her moving hips.
Their bodies plastered together as he knelt above her in the pouring rain.
His lips on hers.
Kol.
She raised a trembling hand to her mouth."Oh god…". Bonnie knew who he was. She inwardly cursed herself and her tolerance for not realizing it sooner. Being a witch, she was gifted with the ability to tell a vampire from a human. And the guy from the bar was clearly a vampire, a very old vampire at that.
In her drunken haze to forget, she had ignored those senses. Stupid, stupid girl.
Kol seemed to read her wariness, and slipped into the crowd. Bonnie clenched her fist and turned around with every intention of leaving when a hand tentatively wrapped around her own.
"Wait." He said, his touch sending shudders down her spine.
She wrenched her hand free and shot him a glare. "Coming here was a mistake. I need to go."
"Dance with me first, just one dance." His brown eyes pleaded.
"No thank you, Kol Mikaelson." She enunciated his last name sharply.
He shook his head lightly as if she misunderstood, "One dance is not going to kill you." His words were soft. "Besides, I think you and I should talk."
Bonnie looked away, before nodding once and letting him guide her away, again.
His arms wrapped around her slender waist and she placed her right hand atop his shoulder as they began to sway gracefully to the music. She secretly felt grateful he even knew how to dance.
Kol leaned close, closing any remaining space they had, the scent of cedar wood and fresh air overwhelming her, "I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot."
She snorted loudly, "That's an understatement."
He smirked, "It wasn't a bad night, at least for me."
Bonnie fought back every urge to wipe the cheeky smirk from his face. "I try not to think about it."
"Don't lie, we both know you enjoyed it, you let lose even." Kol tried again. She was about to argue back when the song abruptly ended and applause filled the air.
Bonnie immediately took a step away from the vampire, "Thank you for the dance."
Kol caught her arm again as she turned away, "I think the night could have gone a lot worse. You forget, that you would have been run over if I hadn't intervened. Not to mention any other vampire would have taken advantage of being invited into the home of a rather pretty woman alone."
She gulped loudly. Goddammit. He was right, so many things could have happened if it weren't for him. Judging by Kol's knowing stare, he knew he was right too.
Goddammit.
"Thank you." Was all she managed to say before biting her lip and leaving to spare what was left of her dignity. In all honesty, Bonnie should have known better. She was a witch, and witches did not mix with vampires. Oh god, the spirits were probably furious with her actions.
As Bonnie desperately searched for a friendly face, she felt a presence behind her.
"Kol I thought I made it clear that I-" Her words were cut short as she came face to face with a different vampire. He looked older than Kol, but the same boyish features were prominent.
"My name is Finn. Our Mother wishes to speak to you now." He spoke gruffly.
"Oh." Bonnie finished lamely as her heart flipped nervously.
"Shall we?" He motioned for her to follow.
And Bonnie followed him. She was following too many vampires these days.
XXXX
Finn led her through another hall and into a dark room, lit only by several candles. Esther sat seated by a large wooden table with a faded paper in front of her.
"Thank you for coming, please sit." Esther smiled warmly at her.
Bonnie took her seat awkwardly across from the older witch as Finn stood by the door. The room tingled with magic and herbs.
"In front of me is the bloodline of my children. Tonight, I aim to end it."
"You want to kill them now?" Bonnie asked, her hands fidgeting in her lap.
Esther shook her head, "Not quite. I wish to make them human first. Once they are to be returned to their normal state, then death will follow."
It was safe to say that Bonnie was freaking out now. She was going to help kill all of the Original vampires. She bit her lip, "And you want to channel my mother and I to do this?"
"Yes, I cannot do it without you. Tonight after the ball, I will meet you and your mother outside of the old tomb. It is there that we will finish it." Esther said while she began to pour blood onto the parchment.
"With the blood from the doppleganger, I will bind all my children together. That way, if one goes, they all go." She finished with such finality that Bonnie shuddered.
"Wait Elena helped you?"
Esther nodded, "There are many who despise vampires."
Elena's blood began to seep through the paper, creating a tree. With a sinking heart, Bonnie began to realize the gravity of the situation. Kol would die, and it would be because of her. He had done nothing wrong to her.
Hell, he had saved her life and taken her home safely- all without her asking. He was nothing like the stories she had heard.
So did Kol deserve to die?
Her friends had done worse. Damon and Stefan killed without a second glance, she had even killed when necessary.
In all honesty, what made her better than the Originals? She didn't know any of them well, but Caroline was convinced that there was good in Klaus.
And then there was Kol…
As Esther began her chanting, Bonnie began to second doubt her position in Esther's plan. Why had she agreed to it in the first place?
"There!" Esther announced. "It is finished."
Finn moved to stand by his mother, looking resolved as he took Esther's hand.
"I'll get everything ready." He said
Esther stood up and Bonnie hastily rose as well.
"Thank you Bonnie Bennett. I will call you when it is time."
"Alright." She replied mutely.
Finn opened the door and ushered her out quickly. Bonnie herself was anxious to leave and scrambled down the hallway and back into the main foyer.
Her heart beat rapidly.
She was so flustered that she almost ran over Matt in the process.
"Woah there." His arms came out to steady her. "Where have you been? I thought you weren't even gonna be here."
"So did I, and in hindsight I should have stayed home." Bonnie hugged herself anxiously. "Have you seen Caroline or Elena?"
"Yeah, they're over there." Matt pointed to both the girls standing with their dates. Caroline was looking up at Klaus sassily while Elena simply looked pained with both Salvatores at her side.
"Well at least someone is enjoying themselves." She bristled.
Matt gave her a puzzled look, "Rebekah Mikaelson has been following me all night. She's nice, I didn't expect that from her."
"You too huh?" Bonnie sighed. It seemed like almost everyone from her friend group was inexplicably tied to the Original family someway.
Just then, a hush fell over the crowd. Bonnie glanced up to see Esther striding down the staircase with Finn and Elijah in tow. Given the darkness in the room, Bonnie hadn't been able to really see Esther. The witch wore a simple, but elegant dark green gown that hung off her shoulders. Her appearance alone screamed intimidating.
"As a family, we'd like to thank you all for attending this very special night." Elijah boomed over the crowd. "Tonight, our family has finally come together as one."
A wave of applause ensued and Bonnie scanned the crowd for Kol. She needed to talk to him. As if on cue, waiters carrying trays with champagne began dispersing through the crowd, handing a glass to each person.
Bonnie took her glass gingerly and stopped dead in her tracks, almost dropping it entirely. The glass reeked of magic. She rimmed the top with her finger, studying the liquid carefully. Then it hit her. The liquid was Esther's plan to bind her children. This was the first step in killing them. She really needed to find Kol before it became too late.
She nearly tripped over her dress in her effort to wade through the throng of humanity. Matt called after her but she didn't care. "Kol?" She called softly in the hopes he would hear.
A hand touched her shoulder and she yelped in surprise. "What is it?" He asked, his eyes searching her.
"Something's wrong." She whispered. Turning him away from Esther, Bonnie took the glass from his hand and shook her head. "Esther's trying to kill you, she's casted a spell to link you and your siblings together."
Kol stiffened. "No, it can't be possible." It looked as if someone had hit him.
This time, it was Esther who spoke. "Please join us in a toast." The crowd began tipping back the liquid and Bonnie prayed nobody noticed that Kol wasn't drinking his. He stood close to her, with his shoulder grazing hers.
"Let's go." He murmured. He eyed his mother venomously before grasping her hand and leading her away.
As the guests around them began their conversations once more and a lighthearted melody played over, Bonnie and Kol slipped silently away from the bustle. The cold air felt refreshing and she involuntarily let out a sigh. Her whole body was shaking. Everything could go to shit now, she had messed up Esher's plan.
Bonnie stopped to lean against the railing, taking deep breaths to steady herself.
"Not here, we need to get out of earshot." Kol said, gently leading her away once more. She looked behind her shoulder warily as the mansion began to fade from sight.
They finally stopped once they reached a thick grove of trees, with the house blocked completely. Kol placed both hands on her shoulders, "Why did you stop me from drinking the champagne? And tell the truth, don't think your absence from the ball went missing."
Bonnie took a deep breath and stared at the ground, she couldn't meet his eyes, "Your mother is planning on turning you and your siblings human. She's using my mother and I to channel our power to kill you."
Kol released her abruptly and took a step back, he looked as if someone had punched him.
"What do you mean." He all but snarled.
"The champagne-it was in there. The binding spell." Bonnie stuttered. She didn't know how he would react. Maybe telling him wasn't such a great idea after all.
Kol turned around, giving Bonnie his back. "I knew the whole let's be a family was too good to be true."
"I'm sorry…"
He laughed sarcastically, "Don't be. You just saved my life, and probably the lives of my siblings."
Bonnie hugged herself again, the night air blew against her sharply causing a few locks of hair to come loose. The only sound between them was the crickets and her own heavy breathing. She really should have stayed home.
"You just put yourself in danger Bonnie. My mother will know it was you."
"I know." She said softly. "I just didn't think I could bear knowing I was the reason behind your death. You don't deserve it."
He flashed in front of her and she flinched. Taking her chin in his hand, he smiled sadly at her, "That my dear, is where you are wrong. My siblings and I have done so much wrong, it's quite sad."
Bonnie clenched her fist. "Well it's too late now, and your mother is gonna kill me. She knows where I live too."
"I won't let her. You're my saviour Bonnie Bennett." Kol whispered as he gently pushed her up against a tree. "I won't let anything happen to you. Do you understand?"
His breath fogged in the chilly air and Bonnie could only nod, the heat from his proximity making her dizzy.
She placed her hands against his chest, he was much too close. Nothing good could come from this, from her actions. Oh lord, what had she done?
Kol took her hands and kissed her cheek. "It's just us now."
"Kol." Bonnie said, her hands coming up to his wrists. He didn't seem to read her concern and his kisses soon fanned over her ear. "You're so fine Bonnie, so strong."
He was really invading her space now, his knee coming up between her legs and the other one pinning her against the tree.
And the worst part? She was doing nothing to stop him. Her legs began spreading on their own accord and her hands pulled him closer. A familiar warmth spread between her thighs as Kol bit down on her lip before full on kissing her.
Her hand was in his hair and she moaned, his tongue licking behind her teeth. It wasn't fair, nobody should be that irresistible. Damn him.
Their moment shattered the instant Kol removed himself from her, the cold air replacing his familiar heat.
"Hello brother." Finn spoke smoothly.
Kol fixed his suit. "I was wondering when you'd show up."
Bonnie froze. She was so screwed.
As always, thanks for reading and lemme know if you like it 3