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Bonnie made her way down the wide corridor, carefully balancing the tray in her hands. The cellar walls were built of solid brick, but she'd sealed the door at the top of the stairs anyway. She couldn't risk any of the vampires spying on her. Mrs Gerhardt would probably tattle on her, but better that than Klaus finding out what she was about to do.

She followed the dull yellow bulbs hanging from the ceiling, pausing only once to eye the coffins housed in a room to her right. Halfway down the hall, a doorway on her left opened up into a large chamber that was completely bare except for the cells lining two of the walls. And in the cell opposite the door...

"Well, if it isn't the vampire lover."

The raw hatred in his eyes stopped her in her tracks. She stood for a moment, wishing she could just turn around and leave, but that wasn't an option. Not if she wanted his help. Not if she wanted to help him. Forcing herself to look the werewolf in the eye, she gave him a tight smile.

"Actually, most people call me Bonnie."

"Whatever. I got nothing to say to you."

"Then how about you just listen?"

Bonnie walked up to the cell and looked him over. He was a bit grubby, but his t-shirt and trackpants were clean, and he appeared to be uninjured. He'd also managed to acquire a scruffy beard which somehow made him look younger than the stubble had.

She slid the lunch tray through the slot in the door. Without taking his eyes off her, he yanked at the tray, letting it drop to the ground. She jumped at the clatter of plastic meeting concrete. Gripping the bars of his cell, the werewolf pressed his face close to the steel and glared down at her.

"You're not hearing me, sweetheart. I ain't interested in anything you've got to say."

She stared at him in disbelief. "Do you have any idea what he's going to do to you? Do you even know what he is?"

"Yeah, I know. Some kind of half-breed...so he said."

"Yeah. Some kind." Bonnie stepped up, aware that she was putting herself within arm's length of the werewolf. But someone had to make the first move. Given his understandable trust issues, it looked like that someone was going to be her. "Do you know why you're here?"

Uneasiness touched his eyes. "I don't...I mean, he just kept babbling something about family, me and him being brothers, and a whole lotta babble about creating a new world. Sounded like crazy talk to me."

"Oh, he's crazy all right. But he's also deadly serious."

"About what?"

"About making more...hybrids. Like him."

He gave her a sharp look. "So it's true, then? He can actually do it."

She bit her lip. "I don't know."

"He said I wouldn't have to turn on the full moon anymore, that I'd have full control."

The look on his face was almost wistful and Bonnie felt her blood chill. She knew how manipulative Klaus could be. Was she was already too late?

"Is that...do you want him to turn you?"

He jerked as if she'd hit him. "No!" Shaking his head, he turned away from her. "Just leave me alone."

"Look, I'm trying to help you here."

"Yeah?" He glanced over his shoulder. "You gonna let me out?"

"I can't. I'm sorry."

He snorted. "This is you helping me, is it?"

"Believe me, you wouldn't make it out of the house."

"I'd rather die trying than stay here."

"I don't want you to die at all."

He swung around to face her, studying her for a moment. "If you care so much, then why are you with him?"

"It's not by choice."

"Yeah? Cause you two looked pretty cosy back at the bar."

Bonnie felt her cheeks burn, but she held his gaze. "I know it doesn't look it, but I'm just as much a prisoner as you are." When he didn't look convinced, she reluctantly added, "He knows where I live. He knows my family, who my friends are."

He ambled up to the bars and looked her up and down. "Why you?"

"I'm a witch." She hesitated, but this wasn't going to work if she started lying to him. "He wants me to make sure that the hybrids he makes are loyal to him." She saw him stiffen and raised her hands. "Which I'm totally not gonna do, honest."

"Then why are you still here? Why not make with the voodoo and get your ass outta here?"

"Because I want to kill him."

"Well, what's stopping you?"

"He's kinda hard to kill. Believe me, I've tried. He's the freakin' energiser bunny."

The werewolf crossed his arms. "All right. Say I believe you. What do you want from me? I mean, I think it's pretty obvious that one werewolf isn't gonna get the job done."

"I'm not sure yet. I guess I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. If I get a chance to help you, then I will, and if you get a chance to help me..." Bonnie gave him a hopeful look.

He stared at her. "I'll think about it," he said at last.

She was disappointed, but it was probably the best she could hope for. At least he wasn't calling her names anymore. That was progress. Speaking of names...

"Thank you..." Bonnie waited expectantly.

"Tom."

She nodded. "Thank you, Tom." Shifting her feet, she said, "I should get going."

"Busy day?" he said dryly.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. But I'll come visit you again...if that's okay?"

"Sure. It beats staring at the walls."

"Gee, thanks."

He gave her a brief smile, but then he turned serious. "Bonnie, there's something I need to know. There was a woman with us...back in Pensacola. Did she..."

Bonnie froze, the screams from the alley echoing in her ears. For a moment, all she could smell was blood. She'd assumed that Tom knew what had happened to his friends. She never imagined that she would have to be the one to deliver the bad news.

"Klaus didn't tell you?" she said, buying time to figure out what to say.

"I didn't wanna ask him for anything. Didn't wanna give him the satisfaction." Tom searched her face with an unnerving intensity. "Bonnie?"

She swallowed and shook her head. "I'm sorry. She didn't make it."

He paled. "All of them?"

"No. Two of them survived, but I couldn't tell you who."

He spun away, scrubbing his head with one hand. "Damn it," he said, his voice so low that she barely heard him.

"Tom?"

Without looking at her, he waved her away. She took the hint and headed for the doorway. Just as she reached it, his voice stopped her.

"I'm in."

Bonnie glanced back at him.

Tom's yellow eyes were fixed on her. "Killing Klaus? I'm in."

"Good."

On her way back to the stairs, Bonnie ducked into the coffin room. She couldn't begin to fathom what was going on in Klaus's head, carting his family around the country in coffins.

She closed the door behind her and inched further into the room. The single bulb hanging from the ceiling wasn't especially bright, but she could see that there were no markings on the coffins, nothing to indicate what or who they contained. Grimacing, she moved to the nearest coffin. She hesitated for just a second before unlatching the lid and slowly lifting it.

A young, blonde woman lay inside, dressed in a faded, flapper style gown. Her skin was grey and dessicated, but what drew Bonnie's gaze was the dagger embedded in her chest. Bonnie touched the hilt thoughtfully, but there was no way to predict if the woman would be an ally or an enemy. At least Elijah was a devil she already knew. With a regretful look, Bonnie closed the lid.

When she tried the next coffin, she discovered that the lid was stuck. Try as she might, she couldn't lift it at all. Puzzled, she ran her hands along the polished wood. Her palms tingled and she realised that the coffin was sealed with magic. She was tempted to try to break the spell, but she had no idea what she might be unleashing. Shaking her head in confusion, she moved on to the next coffin. Fortunately, this one contained the corpse she was seeking.

Elijah lay nestled in white satin. She studied his grey, veiny face, the dishevelled suit. She had never seen him look less than immaculate, even when he was shoving his fist inside Klaus's chest. And now here he was, literally stabbed in the back, or rather, the front, by his own brother. Despite herself, she felt a twinge of pity.

Taking a deep breath, she grasped the hilt of the dagger, ready to pull it out. But then, gripped by an attack of nerves, she let it go with a gasp. When it came right down to it, she barely knew Elijah. And most of what she did know came secondhand. The Martins had trusted him. So much so that they'd lost their lives trying to free him. And Elena had told her that, notwithstanding his failure to kill Klaus, she believed Elijah to be an honourable man.

Bonnie stared at his face, waiting for inspiration to save her from having to do this. But so far she'd found nothing in the grimoires and it would take months to go through all of them. She was pretty sure Klaus's patience wasn't going to stretch that far. It was in the early hours of the morning, lying in bed unable to sleep, that it had come to her. She knew, she felt, that vampires were creatures born not of nature, but of magic. And there was no spell in the world that couldn't be reversed, if she could only find out how it was done. But to do that, she needed an Original.

Resting her forearms on the edge of the coffin, Bonnie let her head drop. What she needed was someone to tell her that this wasn't a completely insane plan. In other words, not Damon. But she hadn't had a single moment alone with Stefan in days and all her attempts to contact Grams had failed. She was starting to believe she'd only imagined Grams's voice the other night.

Lifting her head, Bonnie studied Elijah anew. This was a decision she was going to have to make on her own. She thought back to the days before the ritual. Elijah had been around but they'd barely interacted. Only once had he spoken more than a few words to her...

She was in the basement of the witches' house, memorising the spell that would take down Klaus. The candlelight flickered, disturbing her meditations. Sighing, she looked up, expecting to see Damon, who had taken to popping in at odd times to check that she was hard at work. Instead she spotted Elijah hovering just inside the doorway. Startled, she said nothing, waiting for him to make the first move.

"Bonnie," he said with a nod.

Without taking her eyes off him, she set the grimoire aside and got to her feet. "Something you need?"

"I thought perhaps we could talk."

"Okay," she said warily. She strained her ears, but couldn't hear anyone else in the house. Jeremy was probably still at school, and naturally Damon was nowhere to be found when she actually needed him. Her heart beat faster.

Elijah raised his hands. "There's no need to be afraid."

"I'm not." She raised her chin, though it was little more than bravado. She wasn't ready to fight an Original. Not yet.

He gave her a tolerant smile that set her teeth on edge. "Good."

Holding her breath, Bonnie stood watching him. She believed that he had no intention of harming her - the witches never would've let him get this close otherwise - but what could he possibly have to discuss with her? As far as she knew, the plan was all set.

He took a few paces towards her. She tensed, but he merely dusted off a wooden crate and sat down, somehow managing to look perfectly at home in the dingy basement. She felt a sudden urge to crush the crate with her magic, to shatter that impenetrable mask he used as a shield, if only for a moment.

Elijah looked up at her, scrutinising her, and she had to force herself not to fidget under his gaze.

"The witches have granted you a great deal of power," he said at last. "And Elena has assured me that you're a very capable witch." His doubts hung in the air between them, unspoken, but as obvious to Bonnie as a neon sign.

"You don't believe her."

"She's your friend. Naturally her first instinct is to defend you. My view is, shall we say, more objective."

Bonnie crossed her arms. "I have the power of a hundred witches. You don't think that's enough to take down Klaus?"

"It's not about the power you possess. It's about your ability to channel it, control it." He lifted his hands. "I'm sure you can understand. Jonas Martin was older, stronger, more experienced. You, on the other hand, are-"

"Just a girl?"

His mouth twitched. "Inexperienced, in comparison."

"That experience didn't save him." She looked down, eyes prickling. "Or his son."

"Jonas allowed his emotions to overwhelm him. That is what led to his death," he said, as calmly as if he was discussing the weather.

Bonnie's face flushed. "Well, I guess that's not a problem you'll ever have." She searched his face for some sign of regret, the tiniest hint that he actually gave a damn. "Do you even care about what happened to them?"

"Of course I care."

All the unlit candles in the basement flared to life as she stalked towards him. The flames leapt high, feeding off her anger, and casting a golden glow over the entire room.

"No, I don't mean in a 'Gosh, darn it, my plan's ruined' kind of way. I meant, did you care about them as people, people who trusted you." She stopped to glare down at him.

Elijah rose from the crate. "I care, Bonnie."

"You could have fooled me," she said, trembling.

"I understand that you're angry."

"Do you? You and your brother have turned my life upside down. You've turned my friends' lives upside down."

"Which is why we're going to stop him," he said soothingly. "You and I, together."

"Are we?"

Surprise flitted across his face. "But...that is what we've agreed to, is it not?"

Bonnie stepped right up to him, ignoring the chill that seemed to emanate from his body. She wanted to see the truth in his eyes.

"Klaus is your brother, and you're going to kill him, just like that?"

His confusion vanished and the mask slid back into place. Damn, he was good.

"I've given Elena my word," he said coolly.

"Your brother, Elijah."

"He stopped being my brother the moment he destroyed our family."

"So this is about revenge?"

"What is it that you want to hear, Bonnie?" he said, with a small huff that betrayed his impatience. "Tell me, what would set your mind at ease?"

"I...I don't know."

That was the whole problem. She didn't know him at all, so how could she judge what his word was worth. All she knew was that, no matter what Stefan or Elena said, she felt an underlying sense of dread permeating her every waking thought. She didn't know exactly what was going to happen, but she knew in her bones that the ritual was going to end badly.

Elijah made a small, offhand gesture. "As I see it, you don't really have a choice. If you don't accept my help, you'll die."

Like she didn't already know that. Bonnie was fully aware that her survival depended on Elijah. He had to deliver the final blow to Klaus or she would be forced to channel all the witches' power. Klaus would be dead, but so would she, and that was a fate she'd prefer to avoid.

"Well?" he said.

She narrowed her eyes. "I want you to make me understand. I mean, this can't be the first time you've been at odds, so why now? Why are you so eager to kill him?"

After a moment, Elijah lowered himself onto the crate and looked up at her. "Are you close to your family, Bonnie?"

"I...why do you ask?" she said cautiously. She didn't know if Elijah was simply curious or if he was probing for a weakness.

"Because my family meant everything to me. They gave me purpose."

She frowned. "I don't quite-"

"Despite its many advantages, a vampire's life is not a charmed existence, the moreso when you've lived as long as I have. Everything is so...ephemeral. Temporary. Humans, empires, even other supernaturals. Sooner or later, they all turn to dust. Only my family was truly immortal, until Klaus killed them."

"And, er, how exactly did he do that?" she said, as casually as she could manage. It couldn't hurt to have the inside track on killing an Original, just in case Elijah became a problem later.

He gave her a thin smile. "That doesn't matter. What does matter is that they're lost to me, and with them went any shred of humanity Klaus had left." Something dark stirred in his eyes. "He's nothing more than a monster now, a monster that needs to be put down."

Bonnie shivered. Elijah's tale was plausible, even convincing, although good intentions didn't guarantee that he'd follow through. But something about the stoop of his shoulders and the weariness in his eyes made her believe him. She nodded.

"Okay."

A glimmer of amusement lightened his expression. "Have I passed your test?"

"Have I passed yours?"

With a playful tilt of his head, Elijah said, "I asked you first."

Bonnie huffed in surprise. She'd never seen any evidence that he even possessed a sense of humour, let alone knew how to use it. Lifting her chin, she took her time answering.

"I believe you want to kill Klaus...right now. I'm still not sure if you'll do it when the moment comes."

Elijah stood. "You have my word, Bonnie. I will kill him."

Her gaze didn't waver. "Just so you know, if you don't, I will."

She spoke with more confidence than she felt. Memorising the spell was one thing, wielding the witches' power was another. She wouldn't really know until she was face to face with Klaus. By the look in his eye, Elijah knew it too, though he was polite enough not to call her on it. Instead he inclined his head.

"And what of my concerns?" he said.

"Well, the way I see it, you don't really have a choice," Bonnie said, smiling as she echoed his earlier words back to him. "It's not like you can kill Klaus without me, so...I guess you're just gonna have to trust that I know what I'm doing."

Unexpectedly, he returned her smile. "An act of faith, then."

They shared a moment of understanding, and she finally got what Elena had seen in him. Right then, she believed that he would do as he'd promised, and that maybe, just maybe, everything would work out.

How wrong she'd been...

Acting on impulse, Bonnie reached into the coffin and traced his jaw with her fingers, as if she could sense his thoughts through touch alone. His skin felt like old leather. She shuddered and withdrew her hand.

"Why couldn't you just keep your promise?" she murmured.

But she wasn't here for recriminations. Before she could change her mind again, she grasped the hilt of the dagger and yanked it out of Elijah's chest. She held it above his body, heart pounding. Though Elena had told her that it had taken him hours to revive the last time, she was wary nonetheless.

When he didn't come lunging out of the coffin to snap her neck, she exhaled an audible sigh. Dropping the dagger in the coffin, she retrieved a small pouch from her pocket. Quickly, with trembling hands, she scattered thyme leaves over his body.

The spell was a risk. If it didn't work, then she would have no hold over Elijah, no way to stop him from leaving. But if she succeeded and if he agreed to help her, then she would gain a powerful ally.

Holding her hands above his body, she closed her eyes and focused her magic. In a low voice, she uttered the words that would keep Elijah imprisoned in his own body. Once he awoke, he wouldn't be able to move so much as a muscle. It wasn't going to be too pleasant for him, but given that he was the reason she was here, she figured a little payback wasn't out of line.

When the spell was completed, she spent a minute looking down at him. Then she closed the coffin lid.

Bonnie shut the library door with a sigh of relief and made her way towards the fireplace. She felt exhausted, and a catnap in a comfortable armchair was just what she needed. But she wasn't even halfway across the room before the door opened again. She turned, glimpsed the black pants and white shirt of the cleaning staff, and opened her mouth to dismiss the woman only to realise that her blonde hair looked awfully familiar.

"Caro-"

There was a blur and then Caroline was right in front of her, clamping her hand over Bonnie's mouth. Tears sprang to her eyes as she realised that she wasn't hallucinating, that her best friend was actually here, in the room with her. Overcome with emotion, Bonnie threw herself at Caroline, hugging her with all her strength. She felt Caroline squeezing her back just as hard. Actually, maybe a little harder, because it was getting difficult to breathe.

She pulled away, staring at Caroline in wonder.

Caroline started to mouth some words, but Bonnie raised her hand to stop her. She rushed over to the desk and flipped through her grimoire, hunting for the spell she'd hidden between the pages. Her hands trembled as she tried to light the bundle of sage, and she was grateful When Caroline came over and, with a reassuring smile, took the lighter from her.

Once the sage was smouldering, Bonnie recited the spell under her breath. She felt the familiar tingle of magic moving through her.

"Did it work?" Caroline whispered.

"I think so." Bonnie stared at her. "I can't believe you're here."

Caroline beamed. "I know, right? Of course, Damon said there was no way I'd get in, but I think he was just being his usual ass-"

"No, Caroline, you can't be here. It's too dangerous."

"Well, duh. Come on, let's get out of here." She made to take Bonnie's hand, but Bonnie stepped back, snatching her hand out of reach.

"No. I can't leave."

"Excuse me?"

"I can't leave yet."

Taking her by the shoulders, Caroline peered into her eyes. "Bon, did Klaus compel you?"

"He couldn't even if he tried."

Caroline narrowed her eyes. "Well, you would say that, wouldn't you?"

Bonnie gripped Caroline's wrists. "Caroline, I'm me, I promise. But I can't go with you."

"If this is about Stefan..."

"It's not. I mean, it is, but it's not just him."

"The werewolf?"

"It's something else." Bonnie started to explain, but thought better of it. If she revealed that she'd undaggered Elijah now, Caroline would probably take her on a one way trip to the sanitarium. "Look, I am really, really close to finding a way to stop Klaus."

Caroline glanced round the library, taking in the grimoires. "Okay. Well, whatever you need, we'll just take it with us."

A snort escaped Bonnie as she pictured Caroline man-handling Elijah's body out of the cellar. Somehow, she didn't think that would end well. She pulled Caroline's hands from her shoulders and turned away. "It's not that simple."

Caroline moved so that she was facing her. "Bonnie, what's going on? You sound like you wanna stay here."

"I don't...but I have to."

"Oh God. You're not...falling for Klaus, are you?"

"Hell, no!" But she blushed in spite of herself.

"Bon-"

"Caroline, it's not that, okay. It's..." Bonnie took a deep breath. "Look, Damon filled you in, right?"

"Sure. He also said to do whatever it took to get you out." Caroline stared at her. "Told me I might have to drag you out by the hair. I thought he was exaggerating, but-"

Bonnie grabbed Caroline's hands. "Listen, if I leave now, you'll still be in danger. You, and my dad, Jeremy...basically everyone that I care about. I can't kill Klaus right now, but the answer is somewhere in this house. I know it is, and I'm not leaving until I find it."

"Bonnie, seriously, you've gotta stop with this martyr crap. This isn't just on you. We all wanna stop Klaus, and the best chance we have is working together."

"Except that we tried that already...and Jenna still died."

They stared at each other in silence for a minute. Caroline's eyes softened with sympathy.

"That wasn't your fault. That was all Klaus."

"I know, which is why I won't give him a reason to hurt anyone else." She gazed at Caroline, silently pleading with her.

After a long moment, Caroline sighed. "Damon and Elena are gonna kill me."

Bonnie exhaled in relief. "No, they won't. They'll understand."

"How can they? I don't understand."

"You will. I'll explain everything tomorrow, I promise."

"Tomorrow?" Caroline swallowed. "You want me to come back here? Into the lion's den."

"No, no. I just need some of your hair. And tomorrow night, make sure you're asleep after midnight."

Caroline brightened. "Oh, you're gonna crash my dreamscape, like you did with Damon."

"That's the plan."

"Okay." Caroline grabbed a couple strands of her hair and yanked them out. She coiled them loosely around her finger and then handed the little blonde lock to Bonnie, who carefully tucked it into the pocket of her jeans.

"Before you go, I just need to know, is my dad okay?"

"Oh, yeah, he's fine." Caroline gave her a sheepish look. "Damon told me to handle it so I, ah, got my mom to talk to him."

"It's okay, Caroline," Bonnie said, smiling.

"He took it pretty well. Course, he wanted to come down here straight away, but she managed to talk him off the ledge."

Bonnie snorted. That was all she needed; her very human and all too killable dad storming to her rescue. "Tell your mom I said thanks."

Caroline nodded. "And Tom? He's okay?"

Surprised, Bonnie stared at her.

"Bonnie?" Caroline's tone sharpened. "The werewolf? Is he okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. They haven't hurt him, just locked him up in the basement. He's mad as hell, but he's okay." She tilted her head. "You know about him?"

"Yeah, it's how we knew you were in L.A. We met up with the alpha wolf or scoutmaster general, whatever he is, in Florida."

"Oh."

Caroline touched Bonnie's shoulder. "Are you sure about this?"

Her throat ached with affection for her sweet, brave friend. "I can't tell you how much it means that you came for me, but this is something that I have to do. You get that, right?"

"I do, Bonnie, but I don't like-"

A knock sounded at the door. In the blink of an eye, Caroline was standing behind the door, her back flat to the wall, leaving Bonnie frozen in the middle of the library. The door opened and Dave leaned in.

"Hey, Bonnie, Mrs G. wants to know if-" He broke off as Bonnie rushed across the room to stop him from coming any further. Frowning, he looked her up and down. "Hey, you okay? Your heart's racing."

She forced herself not to look at Caroline. "Yeah, I was, er, practising a spell, that's all. It kinda went bad on me."

Dave sniffed the air and glanced over at the smouldering sage on the desk. "Oh, okay. So, you want pasta or fish for dinner?"

"Chicken!" she blurted.

"Say what?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Caroline straighten up with a determined look on her face. Uh oh. Bonnie stepped close to Dave, putting her hand on the doorknob.

"I mean, pasta would be great. Thanks, Dave." She started closing the door on his confused face. "And I should probably get back to work now, so, bye, Dave." The door was shut before he could respond. She heard him muttering something and held her breath, not relaxing until she heard his footsteps fade away.

She turned to find Caroline grinning at her. "Chicken?" the blonde mouthed.

Bonnie shrugged wearily. "You should go," she mouthed back. The spell had undoubtedly been broken by Dave's intrusion, and Caroline had already stayed too long.

They came together in a tight hug. Bonnie wrapped her arms around Caroline, taking refuge in her friend's strength and wishing that she didn't have to let her go.

"Tomorrow," Caroline whispered in her ear.

Bonnie pulled back and nodded. Caroline cracked open the door and peeked into the hall. She looked back and waved before quietly slipping out of the room. Feeling more than a little unsteady, Bonnie shuffled over to the fireplace and collapsed into the armchair.

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