A/N: Wow this took forever. I even started thinking I was spelling 'much' wrong.

Thanks to everyone for reviewing! It's an absolute joy reading them. To Gauri92, you're definitely on the right track. I love how you noticed these details, because they will come later, trust me.

I hope you enjoy this chapter. Again, if you notice something wrong (even a spelling error- I'm pretty crazy about that) please let me know. I may even republish this chapter because I'm so unsure about it. I feel like I crammed too much.

Disclaimer: I don't own TVD.

Shock to my system

When Bonnie woke the next morning, it was to find herself almost falling off the right side of the bed. Caroline had taken upon dominating the entire bed with all of her limbs spread out in disarray. This left Bonnie with only a tiny section of the bed left for herself. She lightly pushed her friend but then stopped. What was she thinking? I have magic again, she thought mirthfully. Now that Bonnie didn't feel like a feeble invalid, she could feel how concentrated her magic was. It was incredible. She didn't know how it was possible, but she felt more energetic than ever.

Here goes nothing.

The familiar hum of magic pulsating through her was invigorating. Bonnie concentrated on drawing out her powers. She only had to put a slight bit of effort into nudging Caroline on the other side of the bed. She didn't bat an eyelash.

Once Bonnie had an adequate amount of room, she looked up at the ceiling in thought. She sometimes thought that she should pinch herself, just to be sure that this was real. With the exception of the sudden appearance of Kazima, everything had gone relatively smooth. She was back. Seeing Jeremy and Caroline again had brought back so many fond memories. The first dance she planned with Caroline. Her first movie night with her best friends. Her first kiss with Jeremy. Jeremy. Thinking about Jeremy brought an array of conflicting emotions. They had gotten so close the last few months before she died, and now that she was back, she had no idea where they stood with each other. At one point, she had thought she would never forgive him when he had betrayed her, but then she had moved on and then somehow, they had started something else. It hadn't really been defined because they had spent so much time on other things- him training, finishing the hunter's mark, her working on expression with Shane. And then Nova Scotia happened- and he was gone. And then her memory was erased. It was pretty messed up, when she thought back on it. When she finally learned of his death and tried to deal with it, Silas had started popping back up in Jeremy's form and all those old emotions had resurfaced. And then she herself had died not long after. Everything had ended with that emotional goodbye when the veil had gone back up. Bonnie wondered how Jeremy felt. She didn't know what she felt about him. So much had happened since then; she had a lot more to worry about than her complicated relationship with Jeremy.

Pushing aside thoughts of Jeremy, Bonnie started to think of that tattoo. What did it mean? It was so random- maybe it was just a side effect of returning to earth. Maybe Kol had one as well. If that was the case, then it probably wasn't that big of a deal. Maybe it was a result of Kazima's magic inside her. If so, then she could live with it, she supposed.

"You look deep in thought."

So lost in her thoughts, Bonnie hadn't noticed Caroline awaken.

Bonnie stretched her arms and yawned."Yeah. I guess I had a lot on my mind."

Caroline laughed lightly. "I don't doubt it."

"Dying does that to you, huh?"

"Well, I wouldn't know since I'm undead."

They smirked at each other.

Caroline's eyes turned concerned. "How are you feeling now? Better?"

Bonnie nodded. "Yeah." She was slightly startled at the change. "A lot better actually. I was so exhausted yesterday. Now I feel fine." She looked around the room in wonder. "I can see so clearly too."

Caroline cocked her head. "What's so great about that?"

Bonnie's eyes met her. "I wore contacts before Caroline."

Caroline grinned. "Well don't complain missy! That's not a bad thing. Just a perk of resurrection!"

She sat up and continued, "Now, how about pancakes? You need sustenance woman! You've gotten too scrawny in the afterlife."

Bonnie laughed.

It felt good to be back.

Caroline ultimately decided on waffles instead when she found a waffle maker while rifling through the kitchen.

Caroline was humming and making the waffle mix while Bonnie took it upon herself to read the local paper.

The date read July 23.

Seeing the date right there was a harsh reminder of the time she had missed out on. She had even missed her birthday. It was on June 21, which meant she was now eighteen. Or was she? Since she had been dead for that time, did that make her body almost two months younger? Bonnie shook her head. Too much thinking, Bonnie wasn't about to switch her birthday. That was just absurd.

Jeremy strolled in wearing pajamas and raised his eyebrows at Caroline's back. She had moved on from humming into fully-formed words. She kept repeating 'Is it reeeaal now, when two people become one, I can feeeel it, when two people become one.'

Bonnie shrugged helplessly at him. She looked back down at the paper.

"Hey, um, does the whole town know I died? Did I have a funeral?"

Jeremy shook his head. "We were still trying to figure out how to explain that, so everyone just thought you went away with your mom."

"Oh good." She sighed. "I would hate having to explain that. What about my parents?"

Jeremy nodded. "They know. Your dad's still here if you wanna go see him."

"Yeah. That's a good idea." She could just imagine his reaction at seeing his newly alive daughter.

Caroline was now scooping the batter into the waffle maker. When she was done, she turned around.

"Hey, do you mind if I invite Tyler over? He'll be stoked to see a friendly face."

Bonnie grinned in surprise. "Tyler's back?!"

Caroline nodded excitedly. "He came back about a month ago."

"But I thought Klaus was hunting him to the 'ends of the earth' as he put it. "

At the mention of Klaus' name, Caroline's eyes flickered. It was only an instant but Bonnie caught it. Caroline lifted her shoulders. "He changed his mind I guess. He hasn't been in Mystic Falls since graduation."

"That's great Caroline. I can't believe it."

"I know right?! I never thought I'd see him again."

Imagine that. Klaus was a big old softy at heart. I wouldn't go that far. He's just not a vengeful bastard as much as he would have people believe. She suspected his decision was 99 percent related to the high-spirited blonde standing a few feet away.

"So what else has gone on?"

Caroline thought about it. "Well, you're not gonna believe this! Matt left to travel Europe and guess who he went with?" Caroline didn't wait for Bonnie's response before she cried "Rebekah! That's who. Why he would want to go with that psycho is beyond me. I swear I'll never understand what goes through that guy's mind."

Bonnie had to wonder. She hadn't really known what was going on in Matt's life before she died, being all expression-zonked at the time. She had vaguely remembered hearing them talk about it in that final goodbye at the Mystic Grill although Bonnie had been so distressed she hadn't paid much attention. It was kind of shocking hearing they were friends. But then again, if Rebekah was friends with anyone it made sense that it was Matt. He was the most warm-hearted guy she knew and would accept her friendship, even with all her flaws. Bonnie could only speculate if it was more than friendship. Because that would be a real shocker.

"So when is he coming back?"

Caroline said over her shoulder, "I think at the end of August. Just in time for school."

"Matt's going to college?"

"Yeah, all that studying paid off I guess. In part thanks to moi."

Bonnie had completely forgot. That's right, I can go to college now. She'd probably have to wait a year though, since she hadn't gone through the acceptance and registration process.

Caroline had turned around and was gazing at her intently. "Don't you dare get all mopey on me Bonnie Bennett! You're going to Whitmore with us. Even if I have to compel every dean of admissions or whatever to let you get in."

"I'd rather you didn't." Bonnie frowned.

Caroline sighed. "Well, we'll see. Only if there are no other options. Although you're probably gonna get the last pick of the draw when it comes to classes."

Bonnie could live with that. School was the last thing on her mind right now.

"So, what else have I missed out on?"

"Oh it I forgot! Stefan's gone. I guess he was pretty heartbroken that Elena chose Damon."

Bonnie was surprised. He let his own brother drive him out of town? "You mean he moved? Where did he go?"

Caroline had a perturbed expression. "That's the thing. No one knows. He didn't even say good bye, the jerk." She huffed. "He just dropped Silas' body somewhere and left. I really thought we were better friends than that-"

"Are you serious? You haven't heard from him at all?"

Caroline shook her head. "I didn't think he would take it this hard."

Bonnie furrowed her brows in thought.

"Something weird is going on. I really don't think Stefan would have left without at least saying goodbye to everyone. Especially the night that Silas was unbound-"

"Uhhh, what? Can you repeat that please?" Caroline did not look impressed.

"The night I died-," Bonnie said gravely, "-Silas was no longer bound by my spell."

"So you're saying he could be stalking us right now?!" Caroline's tone grew hysterical. "Oh great, wonderful!"

"Listen I don't think it's that bad. Kol and I are pretty sure we saw him when we were in Greece. He was after the crystal-"

"What crystal?" Caroline asked curiously.

"The one that brought us back, which reminds me-" she turned to Jeremy. "Where is it anyway?"

"I put it in my room. It's in that box you found it in."

"Good. There's no telling who else might be after it, considering its abilities."

"Do you think he can trace it back here?" Jeremy asked.

Bonnie frowned in thought. "It's possible. I wouldn't put anything past Silas."

"Bonnie you better get explaining what's going on! I am totally lost."

The first bite of the waffle was heaven. Bonnie sighed loudly. It was so rich, with so much flavour. It was practically melting in her mouth. So immersed in her waffle, Bonnie didn't notice Caroline and Jeremy sharing weird looks.

"Uh, Bonnie?"

Bonnie's eyes were closed. "Hm?" she said amongst her chewing.

"Are you okay?" Jeremy asked lightly.

Bonnie finally decided to swallow the morsel. She immediately opened her eyes and directed her attention to him.

"Of course Jer, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well," he started awkwardly but Caroline cut him off.

"You were like, moaning from a waffle Bonnie."

"Really?!" her cheeks reddened. "I guess I just miss waffles. You must have outdone yourself Care." She said, a little flustered.

And Bonnie proceeded to eat more bites. Jeremy shrugged at Caroline. He admitted that they were good, but that good? Maybe it was just because Bonnie had been dead, and everything suddenly tasted amazing after so long.

While Bonnie and Jeremy stuffed themselves with waffles, Caroline sipped on a mug full of warm blood. Bonnie tried to hide her reaction from the food but it was really difficult. She could practically taste every ingredient in the waffle; discern every flavour in her juice. She tried not to dwell on the weirdness of it all and focused on something else through conversation.

Bonnie finally recanted everything that had happened since she had bit the big one, with a few omissions of course. She didn't really go into much detail about Kol, only that they ended up working together for a mutual goal. She also didn't want to rehash any of the emotions that she had felt, including the worry that no one would care if she was dead. She realized now that was definitely not the case. Caroline would have given her hell for it if she admitted even thinking any feelings like that.

Caroline grimaced in distaste whenever she mentioned Kol. "I can't believe you could actually tolerate his presence, Bonnie. And to think he's staying here." She shuddered

"He's not all bad," Bonnie said hastily. "Wait, he's here?! When did he come back?"

"You seem surprised." Caroline's face was unreadable.

"Yeah, I thought he'd be back in like a week or something. Not a few hours. Vampires seem to have a different gage of time, being immortal and all."

"Hey! I'm a vampire and I don't think I've changed that much."

"Yeah but you're still a baby vamp Caroline."

"Oh." She seemed to accept that. "Point taken."

"So when he did get back?"

It was Jeremy who answered. "Around dawn. He's staying in the guest room." And he did not look happy about it. Bonnie knew the only reason he was agreeing to this was because of her.

She smiled at him in appreciation. He was still sulking.

She said quickly, "Look, sometimes he can be a jerk but most of the time he's okay-"

"Really?" Caroline stared at Bonnie, puzzled. "You've changed you know."

Bonnie tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Well," she said slowly, "You're more open minded. More soft-." She grinned. "-If that makes any sense at all."

"You mean I'm not a bitch basically."

Caroline gave a short laugh. "No! I guess the word is fair-minded. You don't judge as harshly."

"That's good I'm guessing?" She smiled, uncertain.

Caroline said dryly, "Yeah, it's good."

There was an awkward silence before Bonnie changed the subject.

She cleared her throat. "Anyways, that's why I thought something might be wrong. Because Silas was Stefan, and since you guys haven't actually seen or heard from him since that night..." she trailed off, letting the answer speak for itself.

"What? Do you think Silas hurt Stefan?"Caroline was a bit dubious.

"Well, why else hasn't he contacted anyone? You're right, I seriously doubt he's that depressed. It just doesn't seem like him."

Caroline nodded slowly in agreement. "It's been almost two months; he wouldn't isolate himself like this, at least not without telling anyone."

She added, "He may have said goodbye to Elena and Damon, but I know he wouldn't have left without at least checking up on me. It's just his way."

Jeremy asked, "So what do we do now then?"

Caroline said, "We-" She stopped when the doorbell rang.

Caroline smiled widely. "Guess who that is," she was singing that comment as she stood up to answer it.

When Caroline brought Tyler in, he swooped Bonnie up in a large bear hug.

When he let her go, he murmured, "I don't know how we got on without you."

Bonnie cracked a smile. She could feel her eyes start to water. Not again. She was going to need a year's supply of Kleenex at this rate.

"I missed you too Lockwood."

He flashed a wide grin at that.

"So what have I missed?"

After Tyler was updated on the situation, they all moved to the living room.

Bonnie couldn't help but notice the high quality furniture and the lavish ornaments that adorned the walls and tables. The place wasn't that big, but it was still inviting.

Jeremy was watching her closely. As if he could read her thoughts, he murmured, "It's a bit much isn't it? We got some money from the insurance company, but personally I think Damon compelled someone to give us all this. Elena wouldn't tell me anything though."

Bonnie rolled her eyes at that. Of course Damon would do that. He didn't exactly have the best set of morals.

Tyler asked, "So what are we gonna do now?"

Bonnie was the first one to answer.

"I think we should find Stefan and go from there."

"What, with a locator spell?" Jeremy asked.

Bonnie nodded.

It was at this moment that whistling could be heard in the direction of the stairs. Not long after, Kol's tall lean form strolled in the doorway. He smirked at them. "Oh well, isn't this just lovely? The whole gang is back together again." He clucked his chin. "Oh wait! We're missing a few, aren't we?" He feigned deep contemplation. "Let's see, there's the doppelganger, those miserable Salvatores and the blonde boy, the one Rebekah fancies."

Caroline grit her teeth. "His name is Matt."

"Ah, yes. Dear old Matt."

Tyler had stood up at this point. "Isn't this Klaus' brother? Why the hell is this guy here?! Didn't he try to kill a bunch of you?" He asked incredulously.

Kol rolled his eyes and leaned against the doorjamb. "This is really getting old. Bonnie would you please explain for the millionth time? How I'm practically a saint now?"

Bonnie glared at him. Her look basically said shut up.

Her expression softened when she looked at the others. "You guys can trust him. And if you guys can't do that, at least trust me, and my judgment. He is on our side." Her look was pleading. She really didn't want some stupid fight to break out. It would just be a waste of everyone's time and energy when they could be using it to defeat the real enemy, who had the potential to do a lot more damage.

Slowly, Tyler's stance lessened its tension and he sat back down, although it was very grudgingly. Once he did, Kol strode further into the room and took a seat next to Bonnie on one of the sofas. Jeremy glared at him as he did this.

When Bonnie snuck a glance at Kol, she noticed that he had new clothes on. She reprimanded herself for even noticing such a trivial detail. Even so, she couldn't help wondering where he got them. Had he gone to his house last night? She knew Klaus wasn't there, but what about Elijah? Or Rebekah?

She looked him over slowly. The black t-shirt hugged his wiry form, she couldn't help observing. Bonnie instantly pushed aside these thoughts. What was wrong with her?

"So what's the topic for today?" he asked jovially.

"We're going to find Stefan," Bonnie answered quickly. "I think a locator spell is best."

"Why don't you just use the magic Kazima gave you?" Kol asked easily.

Bonnie was taken aback. She hadn't thought of that. Although she had been trying to ignore it, she was still uncomfortably aware of the pervasive magic residing within her. Part of her thought it would be gone when she was brought back to life, but that was definitely not the case. It was here to stay.

"I don't even know if I can use it for that purpose," she said with a twinge of unease.

"Well you may as well try, that bitch tried using us in the end. We may as well reap the benefits."

Bonnie considered that. "I guess." She said hesitantly.

Everyone was staring at her in question.

"You didn't mention that the witch transferred magic in you," Caroline murmured.

Bonnie nodded. "Well I didn't want to make a big deal out of it or anything. Plus, I thought its only use was to harvest energy to the crystal."

Caroline jumped in excitement and pointed at Bonnie. "Ooh! Maybe that's why you have that tattoo! Because of that witch."

Bonnie groaned inwardly. Four sets of eyes were now trained on her.

"What tattoo, Bonnie?" Jeremy asked.

Bonnie tried to play it off nonchalantly. "Oh, just this tattoo on my back. It looks like an eye or something." She waved her hand. "No big deal."

"No big deal?" Caroline asked disbelievingly. "You were sure freaking out about it last night."

Bonnie ground her teeth. She did not want to draw attention to the stupid thing. "That's because it was a surprise. It's not as if it's hurting me."

"Right now." Caroline said in annoyance. "You have no idea whether it's harmless-"

"And you have no idea if it's harmful," Bonnie shouted.

"Oh great, let's just-"

"Oi!" Kol interrupted. "Instead of continuing this very productive conversation, Bonnie-" he looked meaningfully at her, "-why don't you let us all have a look? See what all the fuss is about."

Although he was grinning, the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. A serious glint revealed that he wasn't taking the issue lightly.

Bonnie looked at the others. They all seemed to be in agreement.

Luckily, Bonnie was wearing a strappy shirt underneath her cardigan. She took off the cardigan and turned her back to the group. With the exception of Kol-who was still sitting next to her- everyone stood up to have a look.

There was a long silence before anyone spoke.

"Uhh, what-" Tyler mumbled.

"Yeah, that's weird-" Jeremy said.

"See? I told you guys-" Caroline was uttering loudly.

"It's the eye of Horus," Kol said clearly. "No doubt about it."

Everyone said, "What?" immediately after his statement.

Kol looked at them derisively. "You don't know? Pathetic."

Caroline snorted. "Oh sorry mister thousand-year old vampire! We haven't had as much time to learn all of your infinite wisdom."

Kol glared at her. "This is a very common tattoo darling. And if you knew anything at all about Ancient Egypt you'd know-"

Bonnie cut him off and held up her hand."Wait a second you're telling me this is Egyptian?!"

Kol rolled his eyes. "Of course, it's obvious. The style is very distinct."

"So what does it mean then?" Jeremy asked.

Kol sighed and muttered something like bloody amateurs under his breath. Bonnie was the only one that caught it. "The eye of Horus refers to a battle between Horus, the sky god, and Set, the god of desert. Set gouged out one of Horus' eyes but it was restored magically by Thoth, a healer."

"Why would Bonnie have a tattoo like that?" Caroline asked, confused.

Kol looked deep in thought. "Well, the story follows that Horus offered his eye to his father, Osiris, in the hopes of resurrecting him. The eye over time became a symbol of resurrection and life in general. So, perhaps, as a result of being resurrected, Bonnie was branded with this tattoo."

"Well, wouldn't that mean that Kol has one as well?" Tyler asked quickly.

Everyone stared at Kol.

"Have you looked at your back lately Kol?" Bonnie asked.

"I think I would know if I had a tattoo," he muttered.

"Well let's see then." Caroline was beaming. Tyler was frowning at Caroline's enthusiasm.

"If you wanted to see me naked darling all you need is ask." Kol's white teeth flashed in a grin as he stood up and took off his shirt.

Caroline scowled and crossed her arms. "Hardly, only your shirt will be necessary." Bonnie would have scolded Kol but her mouth had gone dry. Whoa. His torso was the same ivory hue as his face and possessed the kind of lean, wiry build seen on athletes. His wide, muscled shoulders tapered off to a narrow waist before his jeans covered the rest. Bonnie stared in mild fascination.

When he turned his back to her she almost gasped. His entire left back was covered in black ink. She hadn't expected this. Amongst the dark swirls, she made out an exotic-looking bird flying over an ocean backdrop. There were some words written as well, but the language was foreign and unfamiliar. She looked closely. It was stunning. She couldn't take her eyes off it.

"What does that mean?" she murmured. Kol turned to look at her face. Realization dawned on his face.

He asked bluntly, "Do you see the eye anywhere?"

"No but-"

"Good." He said harshly. "Then we're done?" His expression was stony, but a vulnerable glimmer remained in his eyes.

Bonnie started, "What-" then she hesitated. She mumbled slowly, "Yeah. We're done." Kol hadn't waited for her response before he put his shirt back on. What did that tattoo mean? And why had he forgotten about it? Not to mention his instant change in mood when he realized she had seen it.

Caroline stared intently at them. "So he didn't have it?"

Bonnie shook her head. "No, I guess it's just on me."

Caroline exhaled in frustration. "Well, we're gonna have to find out more about this Horus thing. Not right now, because it's clearly not harming you. But we should figure out why you even have it in the first place."

"Caroline's right." Jeremy said. "Tattoos can have a lot of significance. Just because it's not hurting you doesn't mean it's harmless."

Bonnie thought they were taking this way too seriously. She knew they were being cautious, probably because firstly, she had just come back to life and were being reasonably protective and secondly, because of their experience with the hunter's mark- but it's not as if that caused him harm, it just made him have the urge to kill vampires. On that note, however, Bonnie had an awful thought. What if this mark changes me as well? It could make her go crazy for all she knew. It was clearly of magical origin so its effects could be infinite. Bonnie quickly realized she was only worrying herself with her theories. She pushed aside any more dark thoughts.

Bonnie said, "You're right. But we have a lot more to worry about. Including Stefan."

Tyler exclaimed loudly, "He's probably just gone off to some big city you guys. The guy was heartbroken. We should give him some space. We can't automatically assume something's wrong just because he hasn't talked to us since."

Caroline whined, "He wouldn't need this much space. He's our friend." She blew a piece of hair out of her eyes. "Besides, he knows how worried we'd be."

Kol jumped up from the couch. "Well this has been fun, but I'm getting tired of all this melodrama. Talking about Stefan has brought a tinge of nausea, I'm afraid." He headed towards the hallway. "As always, lovely to see you Caroline. I'm sure my brother sends his regards." Tyler shot daggers at Kol when he said this. He nodded at Bonnie and completely ignored the two males. There was a strained silence at his departure.

Bonnie stood up and followed him out the front door. The sun was bright. It was high in the sky and she could feel its radiant heat touch her skin in little prickles. The feeling was so acute, it was startling. It was just the sun for crying out loud. Bonnie strode forward and grabbed his right arm when they were on the pathway. His skin was cool to the touch.

"Wait."

"What, little witch?" he asked impatiently. She let go of his arm. His whole body was tense, which was a shock considering his derisive and mocking demeanor towards her friends.

"Could you at least try to be tolerable?"

"Hmm, define tolerable."

"Someone who isn't an ass every five minutes." She was scowling.

Kol put on a thinking posture. "I don't know darling, they make it awfully difficult. My digestion is up in sorts just being around them."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "This is what I mean. You don't even try to understand them. Just because they're different from you-"

Kol snorted. "Different is an understatement. They're a nuisance-"

"They're my friends-"

"Yes and that's the only reason I tolerate them."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well I'm not about to break my word, am I?"

For just a second, she had thought he was referring to her own feelings. Then he had clarified. I'm not disappointed. Forcing that thought to the side, part of Bonnie was still surprised that he would still honor that promise. Mostly because he was no longer a ghost and could do what he wanted and also because Kazima had almost screwed everything up by appearing out of the blue. She would have thought he felt he owed them nothing now. Bonnie ignored the very slight trace of pleasure she felt at knowing that he was sticking around. For now anyways.

A part of her realized though, that he didn't actually have to stick around. He could go off and try to kill Silas on his own if he really wanted. It's not as if he had promised to kill him with Bonnie. She concluded that he probably realized he wouldn't be able to send him to the Other Side on his own- that he would need help, even if he didn't necessarily want it.

Bonnie said, "But don't you think you could try to get along?"

Kol replied crisply, "That would require more effort than I'm willing to put in." His voice lowered in volume. "Do you really want me to be like them? A naive young soul looking to save the day? You forget sometimes, I'm not an adolescent or hell, even some young adult finding his way in the world. I've seen everything there is to see and believe me, it's not sunshine and rainbows. The world is never gonna live up to anyone's expectations, so you best get used to it." At some point during Kol's ranting, he had brought his face down so it was level with hers.

Bonnie could feel her annoyance rising. "You think we don't know that?! You really believe that we think everything's gonna be okay? Newsflash: Everyone in that house has lost someone they loved. Every time we think life is finally taking a turn for the better, the shit hits the fan once again. I think we're all beyond the sunshine and rainbows bullshit-" she practically spat the word, "-but at least we try and make the best of it. Not start killing people for sport-"

Kol's mouth was clenched when he cut her off. "You haven't a clue what made me the way I am little girl. Vampires kill, it's a part of nature, just like anything else. Humans haven't been at the top of the food chain in a long time darling, you place them on some kind of pedestal, it's ridiculous, as if their intelligence allows them free reign to kill but not be killed."

Bonnie retorted, "That's not what I meant-"

Kol straightened to his full height and crossed his arms. "Oh? Do share then."

Bonnie's eyes pierced Kol's. "What I meant is- you killed that Mary vampire without even a second thought. You didn't even hesitate, for even a moment, even after knowing her for so long. You may not have been attached to her, but the fact is, you were human at one point, and so you have humanity in you. You haven't shut it off, and that's what makes this so weird. You have intelligence, and you have empathy, you don't have to reduce yourself to some primitive monster that can't think for himself. You don't even need to kill to survive, you can just drink your fill-"

"Ah but that's where you're wrong little witch. If you really believe that, you don't know us at all."

She watched him closely. "But I do believe it, you're the one who's ignorant, ignorant of your potential as a something good-"

Kol raised his hands to stop her. "Stop right there. Now you're just talking rubbish."

Bonnie was about to respond until he took a step closer to her. Bonnie resisted the urge to take a step backwards. He swiftly put his right arm around her waist and used his left hand to part her hair from her neck. Bonnie shivered.

"Humans don't have the urge to kill all the time Bonnie, unless their adrenaline kicks in or-" he paused, "they're a psychopath."

He lowered his mouth to her neck. "That's the difference between human and vampire." His words were whispered calmly, as if he was completely detached. Bonnie was trying to lessen the tremor of her heart. She could use magic to stop him, but she waited to see what he would do. He won't hurt me. She kept rehearsing that thought in her mind. I can trust him.

"The instinct to kill, to spill blood, is always there. Some are just better at hiding it."

"Kol let me go," she breathed out.

"In a moment," he murmured. His cold breath on her neck was making her skin break out in goose bumps.

He continued softly, "Your blood is calling to me right now. You may have forgotten about vampires on the Other Side my dear, but here's a little reminder: I could drink you dry right now and nothing would stop me, nothing except the knowledge that I feel I owe you for bringing me back." His voice turned gruff. "I can feel your heart racing."

Her whole body was racing. A course of emotions was running through her; fear mostly, but also a streak of trust and empathy. She knew he was trying to prove that he was a monster. But a part of her didn't believe it. She had to know. And so she resisted the urge to push him away magically.

He slowly released her. When she looked up at his face, she gaped. His pupils had dilated and dark veins surrounded the skin around his eyes. She caught a quick glimpse of his protruding fangs.

"Never forget. This-," he said pointing to his face, "-is always itching to be released."

He seemed to be satisfied by her expression because without another word he turned his back to her and started walking away.

"You're wrong you know."

He stopped and whirled to face her. His eyes were normal again. And his fangs were gone. His shoulders and arms remained tense however. A flash of something had appeared in his glance for just a moment. She hadn't had time to decipher it before it was gone. "Believe what you will little witch. I don't have the time or the patience for trivialities."

He resumed walking and headed in the direction of a bright red, classic muscle car parked on the street.

"Hey!" she said, "Where did you get that?"

"Where do you think?" he asked dryly.

She didn't need to ask anything else, she thought ruefully. He had obviously compelled someone.

"Can't you do anything honestly?"

He slid into the driver's seat and started the car.

"Where would be the fun in that?"

He didn't wait for a response and drove off down the street without a backwards glance.

She supposed in a way, he had passed her test. Not for the reasons she hoped though.

When Bonnie went back inside it was to see the three of her friends in a quiet discussion. They were all frowning. As soon as Caroline saw Bonnie she instantly smiled sheepishly. "Hey Bonnie!" she said loudly.

Jeremy and Tyler stopped whispering and turned to Bonnie's figure standing a few feet away. Geez, they were way too obvious. It was clear to everyone in the room that they had been talking about her.

"Uh, hey Caroline" she said staring at her friend.

"So, uh, did he leave then?"

Bonnie smirked. "Yeah, he left."

Caroline seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Bonnie glowered at when she did this. Caroline shrugged. "What? It's not like everyone's not a little bit more relaxed now that he's gone." I'm not, Bonnie thought inwardly. In fact, the room seemed oddly dull without Kol's unsettling presence. Which was ridiculous, Bonnie thought. He did not make for fascinating company, she drilled inwardly.

Bonnie looked to the others. "Give him a break okay? He's trying." Bonnie was already irritable from her talk with Kol. She really didn't any flak from her friends.

Caroline said abruptly, "Can I talk to you outside?"

Bonnie scowled. "Fine."

She followed Caroline to the front porch. She crossed her arms. "What is it?"

"Listen, I get that you have this whole 'connection' with Kol after bonding on the Other Side and whatnot, but don't you think it's a bit weird that he's in on this? The guy is unpredictable, we don't know him at all-"

"I know him." Bonnie said strongly. When did she get so defensive of Kol? Bonnie blamed it on her crabby mood. She didn't really know him at all. She felt that he had changed though. How much, was the real question. She took a deep breath. "I know where you're coming from, Caroline but you have to trust me. Maybe this is a bit weird right now, but he's probably only gonna stick around a couple more days to find out more about Silas if he can and then he'll be gone and we'll never see him again."

Caroline had a perplexed expression on her face. "He's really taking hunting down Silas this seriously?" She looked almost impressed.

Bonnie tilted her head slightly and gave a small grin. "Yeah, I guess so."

"You think it's just his love of killing?"

Bonnie laughed. "Mostly." She made a pinch motion with her hand. "But there might be a really tiny portion that just wants to honor his word. I guess these Originals have to have something to hold onto, right?"

At the last comment, Caroline's expression changed. She looked deep in thought, almost solemn. Bonnie suspected it all had to do with one hybrid Original. Part of Bonnie hated Klaus for the conflicted feelings he stirred in Caroline. Caroline had a nice, steady relationship with Tyler and Bonnie didn't want to it ruined over Klaus' infatuation of the week. That was harsh, Bonnie knew it was more than that on some level. Klaus had given subtle hints over the last few months that he was fascinated by Caroline. If they were even in the same vicinity, he watched her like a hawk. That still didn't change things though. Even if everyone, including Caroline herself, was ready to forgive Klaus for all of the shitty things he had done- it would be a long haul for them to get anywhere near what was construed as a healthy relationship, even just a friendly one.

"So do you think you can tolerate him for just this small amount of time?"

"Ugh! I don't know how you managed to convince me to stand that jerk. He seems to get off on pissing us off."

"I think he's just used to it. He's the baby brother of the family so he probably loved causing trouble."

"I can't imagine having him as a brother." She looked revolted. "Maybe that explains why Klaus wanted hybrids instead of his siblings."

Bonnie laughed. "Maybe."

Caroline changed the subject. "How does he even plan on killing him?"

"I have no idea. With the cure gone, your guess is as good as mine. Speaking of which, what happened to Katherine?"

Caroline had a cat-got-the-cream grin. "Oh she hightailed it out of here. You should have seen it. She went to the boarding house and the door was slammed in her face." Caroline sighed. "I've never been so satisfied. I almost wanted to feed on her but Damon said it would taste like spoiled milk." She shrugged. "He was probably right."

That almost made it worth it, Bonnie thought. Even though the only known thing to help kill Silas was gone, it was still satisfying knowing it was given to someone else who had made all their lives hell.

"What are we gonna do, Caroline?"

"What do you mean, I thought you said-"

"No, I mean about Silas. He's gonna come back. I can feel it."

Caroline gave her a grim look. "I don't know. I was kind of hoping he would just disappear off the face of the earth."

Bonnie's laugh was bitter. "That's what he wanted before. I get the impression he's got other plans now."

A/N: Yeah it ended kind of abruptly, but if I went any further it would end up being twice as long. Not a lot happened when you look at it, just a lot of talking. Anyways, I changed Bonnie's birthday. Supposedly it's in february, I thought it would be more appropriate if it was on a potential summer solstice date. It just seems more Bonnie-like. I hope it doesn't feel like I'm rushing anything, especially when it pertains to Kol and Bonnie. Right now, her feelings are mostly platonic and intuitive. He's kind of a mystery for her. As for him, well he's pretty good at concealing pretty much everything. As for the waffles, there's a reason for that as well. Although, that will come later.