Stefan growled and his eyes turned lethal.

Bonnie awkwardly got off the counter and shuffled to the door with Stefan maintaining only an inch of distance between them. His presence was overwhelming. When she opened the door, she groaned. Elena stood on her front porch with a steel gaze. Her eyes went to Bonnie then Stefan.

"You can come back home. I'm not mad at you."

"So I can hear you two fucking?"

"I know you are angry—"

"I'm not coming back home. You have no right to demand me to go back."

Elena crossed her arms. "So you get back at me by screwing my best friend?"

They were both thrown off by Elena's directness. Bonnie frowned. The venom in her words and stare reminded her more and more of Katherine. Her prior behavior had pointed at it, but not to this extent. The mean spirit that was the other bitch doppelganger was comparable to Elena's new demeanor.

"My relationship to Bonnie has nothing to do with you."

"Would Sheila be happy about this?"

Anger flared in her stomach. She brought up her grandmother to spite them? Bonnie felt her magic tingling at her fingertips.

"Don't you dare invoke her name," he hissed.

"Bonnie," Elena paused. "He's my ex. "

Her stomach dropped when Elena's demeanor morphed before her very eyes. When Elena noticed her pushiness got her nowhere, she changed. Instead, she was back to a coy, soft demeanor. The manipulation made her sick.

Though to be honest the whole situation made her feel gross. She had given up Stefan for Damon, but here she was at 5 am begging for him to go back home. Back home to what exactly? Either Elena still wanted to hold the same control she once did over Stefan while he was in love with her or she wanted Stefan in pain over the fact she had left him. Both sadistic and worthy of being called Katherine's mirror image.

Bonne retorted, "and you're with my abuser. Let's not forget how many times Damon has treated me like dirt. He physically assaulted me and Stefan had to give me blood, remember that?"

"He's changed."

"For you, maybe."

"What happened to you?"

"You should be asking yourself that."

"—Hate to interrupt but..." Tyler walked onto the front porch much to everyone's dismay.

"Why are you here?" Elena snapped.

Tyler raised an eyebrow at her. "On official business. Caroline is awake if you want to speak to someone."

Elena gazed at them before turning.

Bonnie watched as she walked away and got into her car. Elena met her eyes for a moment. She winced when she felt a pain ripple through her head. Elena looked at her bewildered before driving off.

Stefan placed a hand on her shoulder but she simply nodded. Whatever happened was odd. An anomaly.

Tyler spoke, "I'm here because Klaus ordered me yesterday to start patrolling this area."

"This early?"

"I wake up this early to do some workouts. Caroline started doing some workouts to learn self-defense as well. We train together sometimes. I just came from her place actually."

"You know Elena will be going straight to Care, right?"

"I know I will be yelled at plenty later." Tyler gave a sheepish smile. "Anyways, Klaus also asked me to give you a message. If you want to see some grimoires, you can come over this afternoon. I'll escort you there."

"Alright."

Tyler nodded before walking off. She closed the door and took in a much needed breath.

She turned around to face Stefan. He leaned down so that his face rested on the crook of her neck. She let her hand raise and gently stroked his hair.

"We need to take this slow."

"Slow," he repeated. "Sounds too healthy and sane."

She smiled, but she felt sorrow enter her.

Elena would try again. Something in her must felt that Stefan was hers. She had to have some resemblance of control over him whether it be his love or his pain. Bonnie couldn't help but think back to the night she had merged Stefan and freed him. The chains may have represented more than Klaus' compulsion, but also Elena's pull.

History. It kept repeating like they were trapped in a loop... Like some force kept bringing them all back to each other. Stefan and Damon's love struggle with Katherine then Elena. Emily and Lucy had been loyal to a doppelganger. Ayanna had been loyal to the Originals. Sheila had put trust in Stefan. Four families with history. After all this time, had much changed? She had been loyal to Elena and now the tides were turning toward Stefan and the Originals.

"I want you." Stefan buried his face deeper. "I don't want to share you."

"I could just drain my magic right?"

"If you were weak, yes. But considering how powerful you are..."

Just letting her power out into the open would be dangerous. It could hurt anything and anyone around her. She began to wonder why there were even these side effects. They seemed so odd. Why did dark magic cost something when light magic did not? It wasn't like one couldn't murder with light magic.

"We'll figure it out when we get there." She yawned.

"You should try and sleep some more."

He picked her up. She leaned into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her and carried her up the stairs.

She didn't want to think about how fast their relationship was skyrocketing since that night. She wanted to brush away the eerie hold Elena and Katherine had had over the Salvatores for no apparent reason. She just wanted to enjoy this short moment of joy.

-X-

The time had finally come and she was nervous. It didn't help that Tyler hadn't talked the whole car ride, but understood things couldn't be the same between them. Maybe they never will be. Not with the new path she was forging ahead. However, she did wish she would hear an apology or something from him, Caroline, or Matt. She wouldn't accept them as easily, but she could see a possible future where their friendship existed. One where they respected her boundaries and cared for her. A mutual, beneficial relationship.

But if this was the end of the line, she would not shed a tear. She had to move forward. She promised herself the old Bonnie was dead. She had to die so she could live.

When she had arrived at the manor, he drove away leaving her at the footsteps of it. The afternoon sun shined on her. As she took in the vastness of the manor and its landscape, she could barely believe it existed in Mystic Falls. It was beautiful like she was staring at a painting or a movie scene. The large driveway with a water fountain in the middle. Flowers decorated around the manor. The landscape around was well-maintained grass that looked newly mowed. Pristine. Her eyes went back to the overwhelming white manor.

She smoothed her green dress before she began walking. When she reached the door, it opened.

"Hello," Klaus greeted. "I see you have taken up my offer."

They were only a foot apart. She had once gotten this close to him but it was to kill him. The closeness unnerved her and didn't help when Klaus leaned down so that he was eye level. His sapphire eyes a contrast to Stefan's emerald eyes. Calculating and cold.

"Before I step in, I think we need boundaries."

"What kind of boundaries, love?"

"You and your family can't order or threaten me to do something. You can request something and I can consider it. This works vice versa." She stood straighter. "Also, I may need help with the grimoires, but I prefer to be alone while I study them. I won't leave the manor with one unless necessary."

"Reasonable."

"I demand respect."

"Is that all?"

"For now," she mumbled.

"May I go over mine?"

She nodded.

"I want an honest answer. Why did you agree to it?"

"Mine for yours?"

"A Bennett witch is valuable as an ally. Considering your recent turn, it would be stupid to not at least extend an offer to be allies."

"I guess even the big bad wolf deserves to sleep easy."

He smirked at the response. "As for you?"

"I need your family's help for what I want to accomplish."

"It must be a feat if you would tolerate me."

Is this where she tells the truth? She needed their support and by being honest, she could get to the answers she needed easier. But she knew what she wanted was no small request.

"I want to destroy the Other Side."

Klaus' eyes widened. "Is this why you use dark magic now?"

She sighed. "I woke up a dark witch. I hadn't even used it but one night I felt like I was dying. Burned alive is the best way to describe the feeling. I still don't understand what happened but that night I changed and then I woke up with black eyes."

"An anomaly," Klaus paused. "I have never heard such a thing."

She would have to keep searching for that answer. No other witch... An anomaly. She was always an anomaly.

"Will you help me?"

"Get rid of ghostly witches trying to constantly order living witches to try to kill me and my family? Not a hard choice, I assure you."

"Will the others agree to it?"

"I am quite sure."

"Then... the grimoires?"

He extended his arm out. For a moment, one could believe Klaus Mikaelson had the manners of a gentleman. Bonnie took his arm and he pulled her closer before shutting the door behind her.

It was all the glitz and glam Elena had said it was. A grand staircase, chandelier, marble ground, white walls and ceiling. Clean and shiny. She felt like she was in a Beverly Hills estate where the cost made one roll their eyes. The paintings that lined the walls were worth more than her house.

"I do wish to warn you about the grimoires since witches love to journal in them. There may be some pages you may wish to skip."

"Scared I'll find a way to kill you?"

"Not at all." Klaus dismissed with a wave of a hand. A smirk crept onto his mouth. "However, I don't think you'd be interested in reading about how thoroughly I, Kol, or Stefan fucked a witch."

She coughed. "What?"

Klaus tilted his head. "Am I ruining Stefan's image for you?"

"Shouldn't you be more concerned with how I view you?"

"That I fuck witches senseless?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure I'll find the opposite in the grimoires."

"You'll hear only glowing reviews, love."

She felt her heart flutter when Klaus walked her toward the stairs. He leaned close enough to her face she could feel his cool breath. His blue eyes set on her.

"Scared, love?"

"You wish."

He leaned away and grinned.

-X-

Elena was at the local diner. She hadn't wanted anything after her talk with Caroline, but when she got back to the Salvatore boardinghouse, Damon had suggested it. Though Damon wasn't able to force her out of the house until the afternoon. She had emotionally been through the ringer and couldn't get enough energy to leave until a few hours after her confrontation. Her chat with Caroline hadn't helped put her in a better mood either.

They had chatted as their food was being brought to them, but Elena was paying half attention to their conversation. The morning had left her furious. Stefan had made her seem like the bad guy from their conversation last night. She had only gone to Bonnie's house at 5 am when it seemed he wasn't coming back home. She hadn't wanted to go there, but she went to check up on him.

The Stefan that would once apologize at the slightest mistake had died. She was sure of it now. She knew he was angry at her, but she hadn't chosen to fall in love with Damon. She had tried to get to Stefan all summer and he had warned her to stay away for her own safety. She had stayed loyal at the beginning, but slowly it had wavered.

She winced. Her head still ached from Bonnie's stare. Had she done something to her? Who knew what she was capable of doing now. She winced again and then stiffened when she saw a woman with curly brunette hair come to the table with a chair. She sat down at the end of their booth and smiled.

Elena's jaw tightened when she saw Damon look at her. He loves me, she reminded herself. She sent a glare at her.

"What do you want, Katherine?"

"Has any new plans come up to get rid of the Originals? I knew Stefan was working on something, but I haven't heard from him."

"Stefan and Bonnie aren't helping us anymore."

"I understand that Stefan may be a bit saddened by this new development but Bonnie should be good to go."

Elena frowned. Katherine had used every opportunity to goad her at the fact she had chosen Damon. She wouldn't let her words hurt her. Katherine had been left by both Salvatores and had manipulated them into loving her. They were not the same.

"She meant it. She even made Elena do a vow so she can't request things from her." Damon shook his head. "Stefan has taken Bonnie's side. He's living with her now."

Elena added, "I think they're together."

Elena almost smiled at Katherine's glower. She wanted to shove it in her face, but couldn't help but also be hurt by her own words.

"Can't you talk to her?"

"Already tried. She refuses. And Klaus has Tyler on patrol around her place."

"Why?"

"I think she is allying herself with the Originals. She's a dark witch now."

"A Bennett witch a dark witch?" Katherine leaned back into her chair. "...I supposed we could persuade her with more extreme means."