The Blue
Bonnie knew Klaus would be keeping a closer eye on her, but she still didn't expect Elijah to turn up at her door in all his lofty arrogance and hosting the same attitude he'd had the last time they'd met. She let him in because not allowing it would probably add another something to Klaus' Bonnie Can't Be Trusted column.
"What do you want?" Bonnie asked as Elijah stepped into the apartment, going to stand near the windows where they filtered in bright, midday sun. She expected him to say something about checking in, making sure she wasn't spending her free time with Marcel and helping him defeat Klaus.
Elijah peered thoughtfully out the window for a moment. "I have an assignment for you."
Oh, goodie, Bonnie thought. "What?" she asked.
Elijah turned to face her. "I need you to find someone."
"Who?"
"Katerina Petrova."
"Katherine," Bonnie said, raising a curious eyebrow. She knew Elijah and Katherine had their thing not too long ago, but she was under the impression - as was Klaus - that they'd called it quits with Elijah's decision to come to New Orleans. "What for?"
Elijah stepped closer to her, looking down at her with stern eyes. "That's none of your concern," he said certainly, effectively crushing that line of questioning, "but you'll find her?"
"I don't think Klaus would want me to," Bonnie said, folding her arms across her chest. "And as you know, we're already on shaky ground."
Elijah's stare hardened, and he pressed his lips together into a firm line. "I do know," he said, "which is why you'll do this or I will encourage him to end your arrangement."
Sometimes Bonnie thought Klaus was the more likable brother. At least you knew what you were getting with him. And she wondered what Klaus would do - what Elijah would do - if Bonnie told him about his brother's search for his doppelganger ex-girlfriend. She decided she didn't really need to know, and she didn't want to test Klaus' affection for Elijah now, when his opinion on Bonnie was so uncertain.
"I'll need something of hers," Bonnie said. "For the spell. Something personal."
"I thought as much," Elijah said as he withdrew something from his pocket, a gilded string that he held up for Bonnie to take. It was a necklace, old and expensive and very, very pretty. It fell into Bonnie's hand in a glittering heap. "Call me when you have her," he said simply before sweeping from the apartment, slamming the door behind him.
Bonnie stared down at the necklace in her hand, poking it around with the tips of her fingers. A simple locater spell was all she needed. She'd have Katherine's location within the hour, and maybe Elijah would pass this on to Klaus as an indication of Bonnie's trustworthiness.
Or maybe he wouldn't.
"Bonnie."
Bonnie turned to the voice - her voice. Bonnie 2.0 sat on her sofa in a purple dress and tights, her hair neatly braided and falling over her shoulder. She inclined her head in greeting, smiling as Bonnie walked toward her. Bonnie kept the necklace in hand as she sat on the sofa, putting as much space as she could between herself and Bonnie 2.0.
"What do you want?" Bonnie asked, taking in a breath.
"You're not happy to see me," 2.0 said slowly.
"Can't think of a time when I ever was," Bonnie countered tersely. "What do you want?"
Bonnie 2.0 didn't look offended. She didn't even look angry. "Don't find Katherine," she said.
"Why not?"
"Because she'll ruin everything," Bonnie 2.0 said. "Elijah will want to know why she left."
"Left?" Bonnie said. "So she was here?"
"At one point," Bonnie 2.0 confirmed. "She was with Elijah. He was hiding her, protecting her after she was turned human. Then she left again. He doesn't know why, but when he finds her - when you tell him where she is - he'll demand answers. And she will tell him."
"What's there to tell?" Bonnie questioned.
Bonnie 2.0 considered it for a moment. Then, "Katherine gave Tyler her blood in exchange for being turned into a vampire again. Tyler's making hybrids."
There were so many things going on in that explanation that Bonnie didn't even know where to begin. With Tyler? With Katherine? With hybrids?
All Bonnie managed was, "What?"
Bonnie 2.0 rolled her eyes. "I told Tyler what to do, and he did it. He's building an army of hybrids. He already has two. And more are coming. If Katherine tells Elijah, it's over. Klaus will know everything, including that Tyler's here. And I know you don't want that."
No, Bonnie didn't want that.
"You told Tyler to do this?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"To help them win."
Bonnie didn't know why that made her angry, maybe because she shared a face with this person, this woman, this thing - whatever it was - and it wanted Marcel win. "Why are you helping them? Help me."
Bonnie 2.0 cocked her head to the side and smiled. "I already helped you," she said. "I got you away from Mystic Falls, didn't I? I gave you the push you needed."
"So now your work is done?" Bonnie said snidely.
"No," 2.0 answered serenely. "My work with you will never be done. I'm part of you. You're part of me."
"What are you?"
"I'm you," Bonnie 2.0 said simply. Then she smiled coyly. "Kind of." She reached forward and rested a hand on Bonnie's knee. There was a warmth that pooled on the surface of Bonnie's skin and a coolness that radiated in every direction. Bonnie didn't know what to make of it. This was different from the last time they'd met face-to-face, from the last time they'd really spoken. Bonnie 2.0 had been a bundle of rage then, so very angry, so very disappointed. Now she looked almost...kind. Bonnie didn't know if she liked this new 2.0.
"I know I was hard on you before," Bonnie 2.0 said, "but I had to be. You were broken, and you weren't even trying to fix yourself. But I'm on your side. You don't need to doubt that."
"Did you want me to come here?" Bonnie asked. "To New Orleans? To Klaus?"
Bonnie 2.0 withdrew, and her smile returned. "It was what I would have done."
"You want me to be like you?"
"I want you to be like you," Bonnie 2.0 corrected. "And who you could be, who you're meant to be. You needed a push in the right direction, and I gave you one. I did the same for Tyler."
A knock on Bonnie's door drew her attention. "Rebekah," Bonnie said, sensing her right away.
"Then I should go," Bonnie 2.0 said. "Don't find Katherine. I want you to win, too, Bonnie. Trust me."
When Bonnie 2.0 disappeared, blinking out of sight right before Bonnie's eyes, she went to answer the door. Rebekah waited on the other side with her hair pulled back into the sleekest of sleek ponytails and pale pink lipgloss smeared across her lips.
"Hayley and I are going out tonight," she said. "Care to join us?"
Rebekah must have seen Bonnie's hesitation because she rolled her eyes indignantly. "Don't be a spoil sport, Bonnie," she said. "You can't mope around here just because Nik's in a mood. It's not right."
"I can't go tonight," Bonnie said. "I have something to do. But some other time."
"Tomorrow," Rebekah said sternly. "You ditched us once already."
"I know," Bonnie agreed. "Tomorrow."
Bonnie jumped straight from the apartment to the Garden District. It took more out of her than she was comfortable with, and she was unsteady on her feet as soon as she reached the house. She'd never gone that far before. But it was better than the alternative of Klaus having her followed, finding her headed straight to Marcel's house.
In the foyer Bonnie walked slowly through the house, calling for Tyler. Maybe he wasn't home, but then again she didn't know where he'd be. Maybe out with his hybrids. She went up the stairs and found her way to Tyler's bedroom. She hadn't got a good look at it the last time she was here, and it didn't look like much.
It was incredibly impersonal, looking more like a hotel room than one of Tyler's own. The bed was an elegant four poster, the sheets rumpled and messy. She perched on the edge of it, leaning against one of the posters, and waited.
"So slow," she muttered as she fell back onto the bed, wondering if Tyler would totally hate her for making herself comfortable on his bed. She still didn't move. It was a more comfortable mattress than she would have thought. Bonnie let her gaze roam throughout the room, taking in the oak dresser and the desk in the corner. It was an old kind of room, just like the rest of the house. But it was comfortable. Tyler probably liked it.
When Tyler came in he wasn't alone. There were two others with him, a man and a woman.
"Nice place," the man commented. "Is it yours?"
"Definitely not," Tyler said. "It's Marcel's. I'm just staying here."
"When do we meet Marcel?" the woman asked next.
"He's busy tonight," Tyler said, "so you won't meet him until tomorrow. He's looking forward to it."
"I bet," the man grumbled.
Bonnie thought about getting up and going down there to make her presence known, but she stayed. Tyler would find her eventually, and she didn't know if she wanted to meet his guests. She felt them out, her magical fingers brushing up against them.
Neither vampire nor wolf.
Hybrid.
Bonnie 2.0 was a lot of things but a liar wasn't one of them. Still, Bonnie was surprised by it, to know that it was possible. She wondered what Marcel and Tyler were going to do with the hybrids now, what the plan was for using them. Her thoughts were interrupted by slow footsteps on the stairs then Tyler's wary venture into the room.
Bonnie remained sprawled on the bed, blinking up at the ceiling even once he was in the doorway. "Bonnie?" he said.
She sat up slowly, smiling a little. "Hey."
Tyler's suspicious look remained. "I can't tell if you're you or her."
"I'm me," Bonnie answered. "The original."
Tyler's face relaxed into a smile. It was nice, that he didn't hate finding her here. "So what are you doing?" he asked.
"I was waiting for you," she said. "We have to talk."
"About?"
"Those are hybrids downstairs," Bonnie said. "You made them, right? With your blood?"
"How did you find out?"
"How do you think?"
Tyler pointed his eyes up at the ceiling. "She can't keep a secret, huh?"
"It's good she didn't," Bonnie said. "Elijah asked me to find Katherine for him. He's looking for her, and if he finds her, you're screwed. She'll tell him everything, and he'll know exactly what you're doing."
"Do you think he'll be able to find her?" Tyler asked.
"Not through me," Bonnie said. "I'm the only witch left in the city so if he wants a witch, he's going to have to go a little further."
Tyler nodded his head slowly, thinking. "Is this gonna mess you up? With Klaus?"
"I don't know yet," Bonnie answered. Things were already tense with Klaus, but she couldn't imagine them getting much worse because Bonnie couldn't find Elijah's ex-girlfriend. But Klaus was too temperamental to know for sure.
"We can win now," Tyler said.
"Good for you."
"If we win, it doesn't mean you lose," Tyler said. "It means Klaus loses. But you don't have to. I know you and Marcel aren't on good terms, but...if we win I can talk to him. I can convince him to leave you alone, and you can stay here. You won't have to leave unless you want to."
Bonnie smiled weakly. She didn't know if she was flattered or annoyed by Tyler always looking for ways to keep her around. At the moment she was leaning toward flattered. "I have to go," she said finally. "I can't stay gone too long."
"Do you want to meet them?" Tyler asked, nodding to the door. "Adam and Mia? I don't think they've ever met a witch before."
Bonnie shook her head. "No," she said. Tyler looked a little disappointed, and Bonnie wondered if he just wanted to show them off. She smiled. "I'll meet them some other time," she said. "And..."
"And?" Tyler prompted.
"Whatever you're going to do with the hybrids," Bonnie said, "you should do it fast. If Elijah wants to find Katherine, he'll do it with or without me. It's just a matter of time. Okay?"
She didn't know what she was doing anymore. If she wanted Tyler to succeed or fail, if she wanted Klaus to win or lose. She didn't even know what side she was on.
Tyler nodded. "Got it. Thanks."
"Bye," Bonnie said, raising her hand in a small wave before magicking herself away.
Bonnie wasn't sure she was hearing something tapping against her window, not at first. But she was. She definitely was. She opened her eyes and listened for a moment. More tapping, really gentle. A moment later her phone vibrated near her ear, the bright light of its screen shining upward in her dark bedroom. She snatched up her phone to read the text message she'd just received.
It was from Tyler.
On the fire escape. Let me in. Emergency.
Bonnie distinctly recalled a time she told Tyler never to come to her apartment. It was off limits. Very off limits. So off limits that she was enraged as she rolled out of bed and padded into the living room and to the fire escape where she pushed aside the curtains and saw Tyler perched on the metal structure smiling a weak smile.
Bonnie swallowed down a frustrated sigh and went into the kitchen where she started up the incredibly loud dishwasher despite there being no dishes in it. If Rebekah decided she wanted to eavesdrop, she'd have a hard time of it.
When she returned to the window Tyler hadn't moved. Bonnie shoved it open. "You have got to be kidding me," she hissed.
"Invite me in," Tyler said, and Bonnie looked at him incredulously. "Bonnie," he said imploringly. "Please."
Why he couldn't just tell her from outside she didn't know.
"Fine," she sighed. "Come in."
With a smile Tyler climbed in through the window, and Bonnie stepped away to make room, wrapping her arms around herself and waiting for him to explain this so-called emergency. Maybe Marcel had spontaneously dropped dead. Maybe Elijah had come knocking at Tyler's door. Maybe Katherine had returned. Maybe the hybrids had died after all. The possibilities were endless, and Tyler wasn't in any hurry to tell her what the issue was.
"Well?" Bonnie said impatiently.
Tyler made an annoyed face and reached into his back pocket. Then he held a card up to her face.
The Lovers.
It was identical to the card Marian had given her with the same handholding, faceless pair and painted in the same rich jewel tones.
"What does this mean?" Tyler asked.
Bonnie blinked at the card. "This is your emergency?"
"Bonnie," Tyler said, sounding ancient and annoying, inclining his head toward her in a "please" way.
"I don't know," Bonnie sighed. "A partnership. Divinely blessed. Choices must be made, yadda yadda."
"Well, yeah," Tyler said, "but what does it mean?"
She really hated him right now.
"Do you realize that it's the middle of the night and you're at my apartment even though I specifically told you to never come to my apartment? Rebekah is next door, and you're here when you really shouldn't be because you want to ask me about a stupid card?"
Tyler sighed as he replaced the card in his pocket. "I didn't want to ask you about the card. Well, I did, but mostly I just wanted to see you."
Bonnie raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
Tyler didn't share her confusion. He reached out and touched her hand, just a gentle brush of his fingers against hers before his touch became more purposeful, entwining their fingers. "I like seeing you."
Bonnie saw him coming closer to her, saw his face getting nearer and nearer to hers, and she knew what was coming. She wasn't stupid, or maybe she was because she didn't make any move to stop it, or to avoid it. And it would have been easy because Tyler seemed to be moving in slow motion, but she couldn't stop staring at him, wondering how far he was going to take this. Her gaze flitted down to his lips, which looked soft, almost pillowy. Inviting. He angled his head, and his lips brushed across hers so softly she wasn't positive she being kissed until Tyler's tongue glided along her bottom lip.
When he kissed her harder, she didn't know where to put her hands. she didn't know if she should touch him or not. He was touching her, but she felt like she'd forgotten how to do this. And she didn't know why it was so hard to recall. She'd been kissed before. She'd kissed Klaus not too long ago. But she felt like she had no idea.
"It's me and you, Bonnie," Tyler said, and she was glad he'd stopped kissing her because she felt dizzyingly - very dizzyingly - unsteady. He touched her cheek, pulling her gaze from where it was stuck on his mouth, up to his eyes. "It's us. You know it is."
He smiled as he leaned to kiss her again, and Bonnie felt herself leaning as well, lifting her lips to accept his.
And she was back in her bedroom, swaddled in her blankets and listening to the persistent ringing of her phone. It took her a moment to realize the whole thing had been a dream, that her lips weren't actually tingling in the aftermath of a kiss with Tyler.
Her phone was still ringing, and Bonnie answered it without looking at the ID. "Yeah?"
"Did you find her?" Elijah asked. No pleasantries, no good morning, nothing. So much for being polite.
"I thought you wanted me to call you," Bonnie said, eyeing the necklace that she'd left on her nightstand.
"Did you find her?" Elijah repeated.
"No," Bonnie answered, fiddling with a loose thread of her blankets. "I can't. The necklace - I don't think it's strong enough. I'm-"
Elijah hung up abruptly without another word, and Bonnie replaced her phone on the nightstand. She climbed out of bed and went to the closet where she dug through until she found a shoebox she'd tossed in there. There wasn't much in it, various little things she'd collected around the city. Ticket stubs, brochures, cheap trinkets from street vendors. She had to dig through for a while before she found the tarot card she wanted.
The Lovers.
Divinely blessed.
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