Distraction

Bonnie hadn't spared much thought for home in months, but on the cab ride home that was what she thought about.

Caroline devastated because she dead. That was probably true. But it didn't take much to devastate Caroline. Out of all of them, Caroline was the easiest to move to tears. Her crying didn't affect Bonnie like it used to. She'd told Tyler she didn't care. That was true, too. Nothing about home, nothing about the people there, affected her anymore. She had a new home.

But she was currently thinking too much about the old one. She told herself she was allowed to think about until she arrived at her apartment, and then no more. After paying for the cab, she stopped thinking. She got up to her front door and got inside without thinking of it. She thought about the party, Tyler's anxiety about the empty attic, Klaus and Elijah and the next time they'd call her up, Marcel and the next time he'd annoy the crap out of her.

Bonnie got to her bedroom and hadn't thought of anyone from Mystic Falls.

"How was the party?" Klaus asked as Bonnie flicked on the overhead light. He was back in her bed, leaning against the pillows, flipping through one of Bonnie's grimoires. It was one she hadn't gotten much of a chance to look through yet, not since she'd found it in a tiny store not too far from here. There was a small black bag sitting next to him on the bed with tissue paper sticking out of it.

"Uneventful," she answered, stopping in the doorway. "Just the usual players, nothing out of the ordinary." Bonnie hadn't told Klaus many lies since she'd been here - or any lies really. She'd kept her big secret, the one about why she'd decided to do this, but that wasn't relevant anyway, and Klaus hadn't asked about it either so there was no need to lie. But it was still very easy to lie to him. She'd managed to avoid Tyler for the rest of the night, and she hadn't seen him when she'd left.

"And get out of my bed."

Klaus rolled his eyes and dropped the grimoire down at his side. "I brought something for you." He picked up the bag to show her.

"I'll let you keep it if you get off my bed."

With an expression half annoyed and half amused, Klaus swung his legs over the bed's side, but that was as good as it got. He patted the space next to him before reaching his hand into the bag and withdrawing a long, thin, black box.

Bonnie sat next to him. Next to him may have been an exaggeration since there were nearly two feet left between them, but Klaus didn't seem to mind. He opened the box, showing her the delicate looking necklace it held, the round ruby and its surrounding diamonds hanging from a sterling silver chain.

"Your advance," he said, lifting it from the box to hold it between his fingers.

Bonnie stared at it without reaching for it. Klaus didn't just give anything. His generosity so far was to ensure hers later, and she'd definitely delivered. This was something more.

"Are you trying to get me to have sex with you?" Bonnie asked.

She could have sex with Klaus, she supposed. It wouldn't be the most questionable decision she'd made since she'd gotten here, not by her old standards at least. By her new ones it was perfectly acceptable. It would be a grand departure from the Bonnie she used to be. The older, lesser Bonnie model would have been repulsed by the very thought. This one kind of quirked her head and wondered why it would be that big of a deal. She probably wouldn't hate it, though she probably wouldn't love it either. It would just be...what it was, something she did, another something to add to the list of things that made this Bonnie different from the old one.

Klaus laughed. "If I wanted to sleep with you, you'd know it."

"I do know it." Klaus liked to stare at her. She knew she was attractive, even if she wasn't as tall or as blond as his last obsession, and he knew it, too.

"I always knew you were bright," Klaus said, with a shameless smirk, "but this is because I have a task for you. Remember when I told you I had something for you to do ?"

"Yes."

"It doesn't involve sexual favors though it's a bit different than anything I've asked of you before."

Bonnie raised her eyebrows. "What is it?"

"I've been working with a group of witches," Klaus said. "Though not entirely by choice. They have something of mine, and I want it back. Don't worry," he added quickly. "This won't break our agreement. It's highly unlikely that you'll be in any real danger during this endeavor."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Positive," he said. "These witches can't practice their magic without Marcel getting involved and exacting capital punishment. They won't want that."

"I'll ask again. Are you sure about that?"

Klaus rolled his eyes. "I'll admit that they've been known to make certain sacrifices for what they believe to be important. And they've already sacrificed one witch for this particular something."

Bonnie stared at him. "Why don't you go in there and do it yourself?"

Klaus sighed heavily. "You wanted to work for me, didn't you? They're holding someone captive, someone very important. You'll need to retrieve her. Her safety should be your first priority."

"My safety is my first priority."

"Yes, of course," Klaus sighed. "Your very-close-second priority is her safety. Understood?"

Bonnie stood, ran her hands along the bottom of her dress. She crossed the room to sit down at her vanity, made up of shining silver and spotless glass, strewn with beauty products. She looked at her reflection, pulling the elastic band from her hair. "How many?"

"There are three who watch her during the night. Sisters."

"Where?"

"A little house off the interstate."

"And who would I be retrieving?"

Klaus pulled something from his back pocket and came forward to place it in front of her. A photo. The girl in it wasn't smiling. It looked like it had been taken at the DMV (it was shitty that way). Her hair looked a bit like a raven colored mop and her pale eyes were heavily lidded and her mouth was in an annoyed pout. Bonnie had seen her before, briefly but certainly. She'd been in Mystic Falls then she hadn't been. A friend of Tyler's. Well, the kind of friend that got lots of people killed including Tyler's mom.

What was her name? Heather? Holly? Hannah? Maybe the old Bonnie had a better memory. "What's her name?" she asked.

"Hayley."

Hayley. That was it.

"Yeah, I remember her."

"Do you have any more questions?"

"None that you'll answer." Like why was Hayley here? Why was she being held captive by witches, and why did Klaus find her important enough rescue? But that was Klaus' business, and anything he'd wanted her to know he would have told her. She'd learned not to inquire too much with him. "I'll do it."

"Tonight?"

"Yes."

With a smile, Klaus held up the necklace again, meeting her gaze in the mirror. "May I?" he asked as he undid the clasp and stood.

Bonnie moved her hair over her shoulder in response. Klaus stepped forward and hooked it around her neck. When it was done, he reached to adjust it so it laid perfectly against her chest. "Beautiful," he said approvingly, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Don't you agree?"

"I do," Bonnie said, reaching up to run a finger over the stones.

"I'll text you the address. When you have her," Klaus said, all business again, "send me a text message. I'll give you further instructions then." He gave her shoulders a quick pat that was probably supposed to be reassuring then turned for the door. He was halfway out when he paused. "Don't kill them. Tell them to tell Sophie that the deal still stands, but I'm in charge now."

And as he left, Bonnie smiled to herself because at the very least, Klaus was an excellent distraction.

Three Months Ago

Bonnie scrubbed her face so hard her skin felt hot and raw. The towel was streaked with the brown of her foundation, the shimmering lavender of her eyeshadow and the inky black of her mascara. She threw the towel to the floor in a damp heap and turned back to the mirror. She looked terrible. It was a far cry from when she'd left her apartment in her newly washed jeans and a sequined top she found in a store down the street, wearing makeup she bought at the drugstore around the corner.

Turbulence was supposed to be fun, according to the posters hung up around town. If she'd been anyone else, it would have been. It was packed with people, the strobe lights flickered and cast everyone in pink and blue glows, and the bar was lit up and glowed bright enough to be seen from all the way across the club. She had a drink. She even tried to dance.

And now she was home, in her very nice bathroom with its black and purple linens and spotless tiles, crying.

Pull it together, Bonnie 2.0 said. You didn't shed this many tears when you died. What's the issue now?

"I tried," Bonnie said, angry with herself for the break in her voice and the tears rolling down her face. "I really tried."

But she kept thinking about home. She never would have gone out like that alone back in Mystic Falls. Elena and Caroline would have been with her. Bonnie was one of those people who didn't find clubbing all that entertaining without an entourage. Strangers were intimidating and confusing and...strange. If Elena or Caroline had been there, she'd be out there with them, drinking with them, dancing with them, laughing at the guys who hit on them from a table in the corner.

But Elena and Caroline were back in Mystic Falls, and they both thought Bonnie was dead.

"I have to go back," she said to her reflection. "They all think I'm dead. Elena and Caroline. Jeremy. My parents. How could I do that? I have to go back."

Then go, Bonnie 2.0 said. Go back and die. It's what you're good for. It's all Elena and Caroline think you're good for. You can give them your magic and your life, and no one will care.

"Maybe it won't be that way," Bonnie said. "Things are different now. I'm different now."

You're not different, Bonnie 2.0 sighed in annoyance. You're exactly the same. That's why you're standing here crying over people who never cry over you. You'll never change. You'll die again, and you won't get taken out by some supernatural Big Bad entity either. No, it'll be your own doing. You'll do it to yourself. You'll die, and you'll have no one to blame but yourself.

A new wave of tears came.

Bonnie 2.0 tried a different strategy. She was more gentle. It's just the first night. That's all it is. It's just the first night.

Bonnie nodded her head, gripping the edge of the sink with both hands. "Yeah." She turned away from the mirror and looked at the shower instead with its frosted glass door then to the tub, huge and deep and incredibly wonderful as she'd given it a test run in preparation for her night. "I'm staying," she said. "It's just the first night. I only decided to do this last night. I'm gonna stay."

After splashing cool water on her face, Bonnie padded out into her bedroom and turned off the lights. In her bed, she stared up into the darkness. It was a quiet apartment. No sounds from overhead or from the unit next door. Nothing.

It helped a little bit.

She stopped crying.

Last night she'd been certain. Bonnie 2.0 had been right in front of her, and the answer had come to her so quickly. Every fiber of her being had screamed to get out of Mystic Falls. Now she was. She was in her beautiful, brand new apartment and it was dark outside and she was alone for the very first time since she'd come back to life in the boiler room. She didn't even have Klaus to keep her company now.

In the morning she'd go shopping with Klaus' money, drown her sorrows in heaps of merchandise, and by the time she had to go to Marcel's house for dinner she'd have forgotten all about this. She would throw herself into whatever it was Klaus found for her to do, would do it without thought, without reservation and without concern. Tomorrow nothing would matter but her, her decision would be set in stone, and she wouldn't regret it.

She was going to be a brand new Bonnie. This one was going to go out to Turbulence weekly, and she was going to drink and dance. And eventually she wouldn't think of Elena and Caroline - or anyone else - at all. All she needed was time. It was her first night. If there was any night that was allowed to be bad, it was the first one.

Present Day

Face free of makeup, hair hanging loose around her face and wearing a new pair of jeans, Bonnie stood outside the house. It was cuter than she'd expected with its pink clapboard siding and white curtains in the windows. There were potted plants on the porch and a swing, even a nice little welcome mat.

She double checked the address on her phone. Definitely the right place.

A quick sweep revealed four people inside. Three were asleep, one was still awake. And one of them was Hayley.

Bonnie murmured a spell. She felt it glide over her, warm and tingly. When she mounted the porch steps, no one could see her. She stood outside the front door, finding it locked before she tapped the knob with the tip of her finger and heard the quiet clicking of the lock.

There was no protection here. The way things had turned out, witches were supposed to help one another. They were all suffering together, underneath the thumb of an oppressive vampire who was so afraid of witches and their power that he made it his mission to keep them weak. These witches were only worried about vampires, not one of their own.

The house was just as cutesy on the inside as it was on the outside. It was done up in warm shades of pink and orange with patterned wallpaper. There were stakes on the coffee table, whittled to perfection. On the walls were framed photos of three pretty, dark-haired girls alongside an older woman.

Bonnie stepped quietly, nothing more than a ripple of movement in the house. She heard music that crackled over a radio, and when she peeked into the living room where there was a dark green sofa and chairs, one of the girls was draped across the sofa fast asleep, a knit blanket thrown over her body. She didn't stir as Bonnie approached and pressed two fingers to her forehead to make sure she didn't wake up. One down, two to go, one to leave with.

Bonnie checked the kitchen finding it empty except for a sink holding a few dirty dishes, an opened bottle of vodka and the playing radio. She started down the hall, past more pictures and smelled herbs. Sage.

Behind the first door she came to was a bathroom. It was still warm, slightly steamy. Someone had just showered. Probably still awake. Bonnie closed the door as quietly as she could and went to the next door. Behind it she sensed someone moving. Softly, she knocked twice.

The door opened to a girl with wide eyes and arched eyebrows, her hair wet and dripping onto the towel around her shoulders. If Bonnie had to guess she'd say she was the oldest sister, first one up, last one down. She was already dressed in her pajamas, silk pants and a tank top. Her pale eyes narrowed in confusion, she glanced up and down the hall, looking straight through Bonnie.

Bonnie reached for her, gripped her arm suddenly. The girl's eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to cry out. There was no time before she pitched forward into Bonnie's invisible arms, asleep. As gently as she could, Bonnie placed her on the floor and closed the door.

The next door was an empty bedroom, maybe the one that belonged to the girl sleeping on the couch. The next one was at the back of the house, and Bonnie touched the knob and pushed the door open. There was a girl asleep in a chair by the window and another huddled on the bed, covers over her head. That had to be Hayley. As she stepped over the threshold, Bonnie felt something warm and tingly scraping across her body like a brush on canvas. Something came loose inside her. When the girl in the chair jolted awake, as if something had touched her, she was staring right at Bonnie, and she could see her.

A ward. There was no time to wonder how there was one when these witches couldn't practice because the witch was reaching for the crossbow leaning against her chair. She hauled it into her arms, aiming it at Bonnie's chest. It was a stake instead of an arrow that came zooming toward her. Bonnie stalled it where it was, watched it break apart into pieces and fall to the floor. Her magic folded around the witch, clapping around her like steel girders and locking her into place. Unable to move, unable to speak.

"Tell Sophie the deal still stands," Bonnie told her, "but Klaus is in charge now."

The witch's eyes were wide in anger, her fists clenched so hard there was blood dripping onto her hands.

Bonnie stepped toward her and touched her wrist lightly, watching as her eyes closed and her body went limp. When she turned to Hayley, she was sitting up in bed, her arms wrapped around her body protectively. "Klaus sent you?" she asked.

"Yeah," Bonnie said stiffly. "Let's go."

Bonnie led Hayley down the street, keeping her close at her side. No one was following them. Those witches wouldn't wake until sunrise, but Hayley kept looking over her shoulder. As Bonnie had been told, she'd texted Klaus to let him know Hayley was with her, and he'd sent more instructions. Which was why they were walking.

"You're one of Tyler's friends, right?" Hayley asked. She'd been quiet until now.

"You got those hybrids and his mom killed," Bonnie said. "Right?"

Hayley looked at her warily. Bonnie could practically see the thoughts running through her head. She could try to escape her, but that would be futile. Bonnie had just taken on three witches and that had been easy. A werewolf wouldn't be an issue. But Klaus had sent her, and for some reason that meant they were on the same side so Hayley remained tense at Bonnie's side.

They reached the diner (a 24 hour, greasy spoon kind of establishment), and Bonnie held open the door for Hayley. "Don't worry," she said as Hayley walked past her. "I know Tyler, but I'm not his friend." Bonnie wasn't about to try and avenge Carol Lockwood and a pack of hybrids so Hayley could relax.

Inside it was mostly empty, but Elijah stuck out like a sore thumb, overdressed and ridiculous looking in one of the red plastic booths. Strangely enough Hayley actually looked happy to see him. She walked faster, and Elijah rose to his feet to embrace her. Neither of them noticed the disturbed look that crossed Bonnie's face.

"How do you feel?" Elijah asked when he pulled away from her.

"I'm okay," Hayley answered as Elijah placed a hand on her shoulder to guide her into his side of the booth. "The-"

"Not here," Elijah said curtly. By that he meant not in front of Bonnie. When he looked to her, he smiled. "Thank you. How are the witches?"

"Sleeping soundly," Bonnie answered. "When they wake up, I'm sure you'll be hearing from them."

"Well done," Elijah said. "Enjoy the rest of your night."

"I will."

On the way home, Bonnie toyed with her necklace while she looked out the window, pondering the ward in place back at that house. It was a strong one, capable of alerting the witch guarding Hayley and stripping Bonnie of her magical defense. And it had been well shielded. She hadn't even felt it until she walked through it. But how had they gotten it in place?

She didn't think of Mystic Falls or any of the people there.