New Orleans

Present Day

Nikolina furrowed her brows as she tried to concentrate on cleaning her room like she saw Matilda do in the motion picture. It never seemed to work out quite the same. While she could operate certain things one at a time, she could never make everything move simultaneously. What was the point of having magic if she had to do each chore one by one?

"This sucks," she growled. Her blue eyes flashed to gold as she kicked her Bratz doll across the room. Their dad was taking them out later on this afternoon but her mom was making them tidy up first. It had been a week since they came to New Orleans and the adjustment was a bit of a culture shock. Nikolina wasn't used to the stimulants that came with living in the heart of a city. There was noise surrounding them constantly and her advanced hearing wouldn't let her sleep at night.

The recipe for a very grumpy ten-year-old.

Bonnie was passing by her daughter's room when she heard the outburst. She stuck her head in the door frame and watched as Nikolina slammed things around.

"Why are we angry today, Lina?" Emphasis on 'today'—the little girl had been grumpy all week. Bonnie assumed it was sensory overload from being in a new environment. She watched as her daughter pouted and moved about the room. Her waist-length chestnut-colored hair flowed behind her and Bonnie smiled at her daughter's beauty; even if that scowl reminded her so much of Niklaus.

"I don't want to clean this stupid room in this stupid house in this stupid city," she growled. Bonnie bit back a chuckle and moved to sit at the edge of Lina's bed.

"I thought you were happy about moving," Bonnie inquired. "What changed? Talk to me." Bonnie gently patted the bed and Lina regarded her with a look that was eerily similar to one her father had given occasionally, before taking a seat.

"I was," Lina confessed. "But I can't sleep. Everything is so noisy and there are so many people and none of them will shut up," Bonnie cracked a smile and rubbed Lina's back.

"I can spell your room so you can't hear the city at night," Bonnie offered. Lina sighed.

"Okay," she muttered. Bonnie frowned again.

"What else is wrong?" At her mother's question, Lina ducked her head. "I won't get mad," Bonnie assured, praying that her daughter didn't send her into cardiac arrest with whatever she had to say. You never knew with children.

"If Uncle 'Lijah and dad are brothers then where is he? I thought he'd be here." Her question broke Bonnie's heart.

"Wherever Elijah is, he's with us in spirit." Bonnie chose her words carefully. She hated lying to them. "I'll do everything I can to find him and bring him back to us." Bonnie kissed the top of Lina's head and the young girl settled into her mother's embrace. She had no reason to doubt Bonnie. Their mother never made promises she couldn't keep.

-X-

Bonnie silently contemplated ways to get Klaus's blood and realized after hours of deep thought that nothing short of the Battle of Armageddon would get him to hand it over willingly. Maybe if she asked nicely…

As absurd as it sounded, that was the only option she had. Ultimately, he'd say no, but at the very least, she would attempt to do things the 'right' way before she resulted to plan B.

Klaus returned without Aurora as promised and Bonnie had to admit that she was relieved. She fully expected him to further antagonize her by rubbing his 'relationship' in her face. It was weird seeing him with someone else; anyone really.

A lot has changed.

She held up her end of the deal and both Nicky and Nikolina was ready, as he requested. Bonnie was curious about where he was taking them but, to ask would probably yield no results. She remained silentas she watched the three of them chat idly with one another. The way they moved in sync—as if they'd never been separated—made Bonnie smile.

"Is that what you plan to wear?" He said the words so casually, Bonnie didn't realize that he was speaking to her until three heads turned in her direction, regarding her with a look of expectation. Bonnie glanced down at her attire of jeans and a long-sleeved sweatshirt. Her hair was gathered in a messy bun atop her head and her glasses sat on the brim of her nose.

"Uh…" she was taken off guard. "I didn't realize I was invited?" The confusion in her voice almost brought a smile to Klaus's face but thoughts of her transgressions quickly chased it away.

"It's a family outing!" Nicky expressed happily. "You're family, Mom." Though his words were said matter of factly, they almost brought a tear to Bonnie's eyes. She didn't realize how much of a backseat she'd taken since Klaus's arrival. She simply wanted them to have their time together without her interference.

"Well, yeah, I just figured you guys…" Bonnie found that she didn't have an excuse. Her eyes met Klaus's. He was hard to read and she could tell he was keeping her out on purpose. "Give me a minute to get ready," Bonnie muttered, knowing the three of them could hear her perfectly fine. Klaus was silent as he watched her retreating figure. After a moment, he turned to the twins and smiled down at them.

"The last one to the car is a crummy human," he chuckled as the two of them took off at lightning speed.

-X-

It was weird to be out in public with her children and their father as a unit, but Bonnie found there was a natural rhythm they fell into. The twins laughed in unison as they danced ahead of her and Niklaus to the Jazz music playing all around. It was the French Quarter Festival and it seemed like everyone in the city was in attendance. Bonnie ate at her ice cream cone, racing against the Louisiana sun to finish it before it melted down her wrists. The occasional looks from Niklaus made her acutely aware that there was no innocent way to eat ice cream.

"If you stare any harder, I'm going to charge admission," Bonnie threatened. Klaus didn't fight the slow smile that graced his features. Bonnie ignored the way her chest twisted. His smile, when genuine, could launch a thousand ships.

"Name your price," Bonnie cut her eyes over to him and gave a threatening look. Klaus responded with a smile.

"Shut up," she muttered. Klaus watched as Bonnie struggled with her ice cream cone, seemingly forgetting that he was standing next to her.

"You named them after me," he spoke after a moment of silence. Bonnie was in the midst of throwing away the remainder of her sweet treat when his words halted her movements. She focused on wiping her fingers with a wet wipe and for a moment, Klaus wondered if he needed to repeat himself.

"I did," she paused, in deep thought. "Well, technically, I only named Lina. Elijah named Nicky." She studied his features and waited on bated breath for him to either rage or remain at ease. She visibly relaxed when he gently nodded his understanding. They slowed to a stop. Just ahead, the twins occupied themselves with a street performer. "Nikolina Hope and Niklaus Aleksander," Bonnie informed. "Though, he prefers when you pronounce it as Nicolas."

There was an expression on Klaus's face that Bonnie didn't recognize. The two of them stared at one another intensely. Under normal circumstances, Bonnie would always shy away first but she found herself waiting expectantly. She wondered throughout the years what he would think of the names she chose for them.

Klaus searched her eyes for what, he didn't know exactly. The longer they held one another's gaze, the more his thoughts raced until one rang out loudly against the others. Confusion and realization struck him as he tried to figure out the enigma that was Bonnie Bennett.

"You wanted me to find you." It didn't make any sense to him and he hoped that Bonnie would clarify. Her eyes lowered from his and confirmed his suspicions. He closed the gap between them and stared down at the top of her head.

Bonnie closed her eyes. Her heart thudded quickly as his breath tickled the flyaways at the top of her head. From where she stood, she could see nothing save from the cotton fibers of the navy blue Henley he wore. His necklaces rose and fell each time his chest expanded and Bonnie suddenly felt jailed between him and the brick wall behind her.

"Part of me hoped…" Her voice cascaded into a whisper as she recalled the highlights of her lowest moments. As insane as it was, part of her hoped throughout the years that he found them because she didn't have the courage to go to him on her own volition. With a deep breath, she forced herself to meet his eyes once more. His face was made of stone but, the iciness didn't reach his eyes this time.

"Why run in the first place, Love?" Bonnie Bennett was a lot of things, a runner was never one of them. In the moment of 'fight or flight' Bonnie always chose to fight—it was her nature. That she ran so easily was something Niklaus could never quite grasp.

"You didn't run because of them." Klaus was hit with a realization. "That wasn't the only reason." He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. He reached up to trace the outline of her lips with his thumb. The gentleness of his touch stirred something inside of her. "You ran because you thought I'd break you too," he finally surmised. It's what made sense to him. If Bonnie truly thought their children were in harm's way around him, she would have never boarded the plane to come back to the states. She would have fought to the death to keep them away from him.

Tears pricked at her eyes. As if sensing she was about to slide out from under him, Klaus barricaded her, using his left arm to block her in. Their eyes met and Klaus saw the fear she fought so hard to keep at bay slip through. In more ways than one, she was afraid of him; afraid of what he was capable of, afraid that he held her heart in his hands and afraid that he'd crush it.

A throat cleared breaking the two of them from their trance. Their heads turned in unison to find an angry looking Aurora staring daggers into the both of them. Bonnie scoffed and rolled her eyes, using that moment to slide out from under Nik. She purposely bumped shoulders with Aurora, surprising the older vampire with the amount of strength that came with her tiny frame. Aurora growled and took a step towards Bonnie's retreating figure but was halted by the sound of Nik's voice.

"I wouldn't try that," he warned. "Unless you're looking to get burned to a crisp," he added matter of factly. Bonnie could easily bring him to his knees in spite of how strong he was. There was no doubt in his mind that Aurora would crumble under Bonnie's magic like a sheet of paper. Aurora bared her fangs and turned her attention to him.

"You need to get rid of her," Aurora barked. Klaus lifted a bow at her order, smirking at her tenacity. He was amused.

"Or what?" He goaded. There was a crack in her confidence as she glared at Niklaus, trying hard to read the look on his face. She couldn't.

"Or I'll do it myself," Aurora threatened. His amused look was quickly replaced with a dark scowl. A growl shook his chest as he closed the space between them. A threat against his mate was a threat against him.

"Try it and I'll rip you to fucking pieces." Aurora nearly trembled as the black veins skittered across his cheekbones and his blue irises darkened with their famous golden hue. His wrath was never directed towards her until now. Strengthening her resolve, she stood tall and matched his glare. She was not to be intimidated easily. Seeing this as a blatant challenge, Klaus growled loudly and unsheathed his canines. Aurora backed away from him; the fear of being bitten overrode her arrogance. Klaus moved to close the space between them when a small hand closed around his wrist stopped him. Instantly, his face transformed to normal, save his eyes. He glanced down to find Bonnie staring up at him with concern in her pretty green eyes.

"Not now, Klaus," Bonnie chastised lightly. She allowed her eyes to drift over to the twins who were watching the trio from across the street. Bonnie knew by the tilt of their head that they were listening in on their conversation and tried her best to keep her tone light. Klaus glared at Aurora a few moments before training his features back to default.

He turned slightly to regard Bonnie who still held onto his wrist. "Give us a minute." Though gentle, his tone brokered no arguments. Bonnie nodded. Her eyes involuntarily met Aurora's and if looks could kill, Bonnie would be sliced to ribbons.

Aurora didn't know what to make of Bonnie's presence, nor Klaus's treatment towards her. A pang of jealousy twisted in her chest as she noted the differences in Klaus's body language whenever Bonnie was near. She wanted to scalp the young vixen but knew that she was off-limits. Whatever hold she had on Niklaus needed to be severed.

Once Bonnie was out of sight, Klaus focused his attention on Aurora. "I will call you later," he instructed. "Go home." Anger consumed Aurora.

"Absolutely not, Nik! You expect me to stand back and watch from the sidelines while she worms her little way back into your heart and destroy you again?!" Aurora was having none of it. An emotion that Aurora couldn't name flashed across his face but was gone as quickly as it came.

"I appreciate your concern," he began. He smoothed the top of her head and leaned in to place a kiss on her forehead. "But it isn't necessary." Aurora watched silently as Klaus turned and began to walk away from her. The rejection she felt festered as he joined Bonnie and the twins who waited patiently. She gritted her teeth as the two of them walked side by side, seemingly the picture-perfect couple with their picture-perfect children.

"This isn't over, bitch," Aurora vowed under her breath. She wouldn't allow Bonnie to swoop in and take Niklaus away from her. Not when she'd just gotten him back.

Like hell she would.

-X-

New Orleans

Currently…

"When I wake you, if I wake you, Bonnie's body will be scattered across your coffin."

The words echoed inside of Elijah's psyche for God knows how long. It was a mantra that repeated inside of his head. As the werewolf venom consumed his sanity, Elijah dreamed of waking. In his dreams, he returned to Bonnie and the twins, fully restored to his former glory. However, his dreams morphed into nightmares as the venom continued to eat away at him. Each day, he opened his eyes, each day his coffin opened, and each day he sobbed as he stared at the grizzly remains of Bonnie laid at his feet. Distinct body parts that he'd come to know as Bonnie was scattered, just as his brother promised, across the coffin. Her severed head in his lap, her torn ligaments tucked between the coffin walls, her torso resting at his feet—it became too much.

Each day he suffered, each day he mourned her until he was numbed with defeat. The defeat festered and grew to hate and anger and each day he prayed to a God he never believed in for revenge. His nightmares turned into missions for revenge. He dreamed of tearing his brother limb from limb and in each dream, he destroyed himself in the process. But Elijah didn't care. Klaus had taken everything from him and he would pay for it. In his dreams, no one was safe. Like clockwork, Elijah picked off Klaus's allies and the two people he seemed to care about. Marcel first, then Aurora. Each nightmare, he stood over his brother and watched as he choked on the hearts of those he held dear. Those dreams satisfied him until the nightmares began to take hold once again.

For during his quest for revenge, he ended up before the twins. The sounds of their screams tore at Elijah's heart. He would never hurt them, he knew this, but the dreams plagued him and drove him to insanity and each night he had to witness in an out of body experience as he slaughtered his beautiful niece and nephew. Back at square one, Elijah was once again broken. He quieted his thoughts and surrendered to the darkness that threatened to take hold. He could no longer fight. To fight against the toxicity of his brother's venom meant to become the monster that had inflicted this evil upon him.

So, Elijah began to let go. He released the memories he shared with Bonnie, he released the memories he shared with the twins. He released the memories with his sister Rebekah and he released the memories of the lovers he'd lost throughout the years.

He released it all and succumbed to darkness.

A/N: I can't thank you all enough for the reviews and the comments you've left! I appreciate it greatly. For the question of why she doesn't use her kid's blood, I thought about doing that but I feel as though Bonnie would do all she could not to involve them, and uh... you'll see the route I choose to go in the next chapter. Hehe. Speaking of the next chapter, it was originally meant to be a part of this one but at the last minute, I decided to split it. That said, I may post it sooner rather than later.

As always, thanks for reading! Have a wonderful day and stay safe!