The first order of business in their plan to destroy the Hollow is to leave Florence. Neither Bonnie or Klaus want to risk running into Kol again and cause another supernatural freak storm.
"It wants to be whole again," Klaus tells her as they drive away from the villa. "If it senses another piece nearby it will try to do anything in its power to bring us together so it can be made whole once more."
Bonnie begins formulating a plan. She has seen and done incredible things back in Mystic Falls. She feels confident in her abilities, a confidence she didn't have before. Still, she knows better than to underestimate the enemy.
"We must wait a few days," Klaus says once they are in his private plane.
Bonnie sits across from him, studying his face carefully. "How do you feel?" She will never forget the way his eyes had shifted to empty black voids, the hunger she had seen reflected on his face, and the incredible way he fought the Hollow's commands to hurt her.
"The first couple of hours after it comes to the surface are the worst." He seems calm and in control now but that does not mean the darkness inside him is not whispering things, trying to bend him to its will.
"That's why you left," Bonnie murmurs. She now knows he wanted to protect her as the Hollow clearly wants her gone.
Klaus nods. "The Hollow's power always increases when in near proximity to another piece of it. It will go dormant again."
It always goes dormant eventually, even if it doesn't truly want to.
"That is the reason you and your siblings cannot be in the same room again." Bonnie thinks about everything she knows about the Hollow so far. "Why didn't the witches in New Orleans destroy the pieces of the Hollow rather than split them up and put them inside you and your siblings?"
"They couldn't," Klaus admits. "The hollow cannot be destroyed." He pauses gathering his thoughts. "It possessed Hope," his voice shakes slightly. Years later and he is still haunted. "We were desperate. We needed to save her and the best option was to put the Hollow inside each of us." He swallows hard, remembering how close he had been to losing his little girl. "The magic that made us vampires keep us safe from being corrupted by it's dark power unlike all the other supernaturals that fell prey to its darkness." And yet, sometimes the Hollow manages to get some control as Bonnie witnessed when they encountered Kol and later as it tried to get Klaus to hurt her.
"Even putting it inside one Original was not enough, Vincent-the Regent of the New Orleans witches had to split the Hollow in four." He stares into her eyes. "This is not going to be easy…I know you think that you can save me but-"
"I'm not afraid of the Hollow, Klaus." Now more than ever Bonnie is determined to find a way to save him and his siblings. "The things I can do now," Bonnie lifts her chin proudly. "I'm going to destroy the Hollow," she promises. "I'm going to help you and your siblings."
I want to save you, she told him.
Bonnie will save him. She will save his siblings too.
It takes time before Klaus feels in full control again.
Time that Bonnie uses to research and plan.
They don't talk about the plan however, for Klaus does not want to risk it.
"The less I know, the better." Klaus kisses Bonnie sweetly and makes love to her under the safety of their Parisian apartment. When they are in each other's arms, it's easy to forget the rest of the world and simply surrender to their pleasure. Bonnie wakes up every morning wrapped in his arms. The Eiffel Tower staring back at her through the open window.
It was in Paris where they first ran into each other. Now, they are back- for Paris is one of Klaus's favorite cities. He takes Bonnie to all his favorite spots. He does not let her get consumed by research, he always ensures that she takes a break, and that they are able to enjoy a couple of hours to themselves.
He wants to get rid of the darkness inside of him for good but he also wants to be with her. He wants to know her heart as well as he knows her body.
He feels like he has recently discovered the sun after years of living in darkness.
He loves the way she chews on her bottom lip as she writes down her spell. Sometimes she gets obsessive about figuring something out, to the point that she ignores everything else. Klaus is always there, pulling her away, taking her on a stroll through Paris, or to a museum, or the park. As much as he appreciates her dedication to saving him, he does not want it to be her sole purpose in life. He wants to make her laugh. He wants to see the joy on her face over the most trivial things. He wants her to be happy.
"Do not let it consume you," he whispers before pulling her close and making her forget even her own name with his lips and hands.
Bonnie is more than his savior.
Bonnie has come to mean the world to him.
This was supposed to be one night-or that's what he foolishly told himself when he encountered her in the club and gave her his room number. Now, he cannot imagine not having her in his life. He wants to wake up with her always. He wants her in his arms forever.
"When this is over, I will take you to New Orleans," he promises against the curve of neck. She smells like him. He likes it.
Bonnie traces invisible lines on his chest as they lay tangled in silk sheets, morning light casting a soft glow over their naked bodies.
"I've never been there."
Klaus grins. "You will love it." He feels sure of it. Whatever magic, or deity, or invisible force that managed to bring them together has given Klaus a world of possibilities; a path to a happiness he never though it could be within his reach. "I'm glad I ran into you," he confesses against her skin.
Bonnie giggles as he scatters kisses on her neck and shoulders and down the swell of her breasts. "I'm glad I kept running into you," she pulls his face back to hers and kisses him with all the adoration she feels. "I never thought it could be like this."
"Me either." The more time they spend together, the more they want this to last. They both know better than to get ahead of themselves. This precious thing between them is still very new and they have an evil to defeat but in quiet moments like this, they both allow themselves to dream and to hope.
When this is all over, they will have a future together. Of that, they have no doubt.
Bonnie is going to use the power of the full moon.
She has spent the better part of two months creating the spell. The tricky part is to bring all the pieces together without giving the Hollow the chance to escape. Which is why she needs to do the spell on consecrated ground.
They find the perfect spot in a small town about an hour away from Paris.
The place is nearly abandoned as few people remain in town. The church is rather small and nearly crumbling to the ground. There was a terrible fire at the turn of the century that destroyed most of the interior and it was never fully repaired again as another bigger church was built down the road.
It is the perfect location.
The plan is straight forward.
Bonnie is going to extract the piece of the Hollow contained inside Klaus and trapped it in a dimension of her own creation, a dimension that will serve as a prison.
The Hollow cannot be destroyed that is fine by Bonnie. She will trap it forever in a place where no other witch will be able to set it free. With the help of her psychic powers, Bonnie knows she can create four different dimensions. Four prison worlds for each of the parts of the Hollow the Mikaelson siblings carry.
When she is first working on her plan, Bonnie considers simply making one prison dimension for the Hollow. The risk of allowing the four pieces to unite is too great though. Their best option is to keep the parts of the Hollow separated, which is why she needs to create four different dimensions, in four different locations around the world-preferably in sperate continents.
She just needs a powerful mystical object to help bind and seal each of the dimensions.
"I'm going to need the moonstone," Bonnie tells Klaus one morning as she sits on their bed munching on a croissant. She woke up around midnight, put on his favorite henley, and began scribbling furiously in a notebook she has been carrying since they arrived in Paris. She keeps that notebook on her nightstand. Every day she scribbles new ideas in there.
Klaus was amused when he saw her leap from the bed, naked, and excited as she came up with the final touches of her plan.
He just came back with breakfast after Bonnie kicked him out of the room earlier when he questioned why she was still up. She likes to sleep in, his witch. But the idea she had was too good, so he left her to her mutterings and worked on a new painting before heading down to their favorite café for Bonnie's breakfast treat.
Bonnie looks up when he doesn't say anything. "Do you still have it?" she questions. "Please tell me you kept it after the sacrifice." The moonstone is incredibly rare and valuable and strong enough to hold the kind of power needed to seal the dimensions she is planning on creating.
"Yes. I have it." Klaus knows how valuable such object is. Even after breaking his curse, he kept it. He just never imagined he would ever need it again.
Bonnie looks relieved.
"Why do you need it?"
"It's the most powerful thing we can use to bind my spell." And as far as Bonnie's research shows, it's practically indestructible, making it the perfect binding object. It was the reason Esther had used it as well when she bound Klaus's wolf side.
"I will call my sister Freya and ask her to bring it to us." The prospect of seeing his sister again puts a smile on his face.
"I'm finally going to meet your long-lost sister." Bonnie has heard a lot about Freya and is curious to meet her. She knows Freya is an incredibly powerful witch. Bonnie has never really had a witch friend; she hopes that changes soon.
"I think you are going to like her," Klaus sits on the bed and takes her small hand, grazing her knuckles with his thumb. "Do you really think this plan of yours will work?" Before she can respond, he is quick to add, "is not that I don't trust you, or believe you can't do it…other witches have tried and-"
"None of those witches had psychic powers," Bonnie places a playful kiss on his hand.
"You're a psychic witch?" Klaus is amazed at the revelation.
"I've always been, I just never really tapped into that power until Enzo died…" she trails off. In the darkness of their bedroom, in the safety of his arms she has told him about Enzo, about his death, just like Klaus told her about Cami, and her death. They have shared a lot of secrets in the past two months they have lived together. Every night after making love, they share bits and pieces of themselves.
"I always knew you were extraordinary." Klaus cups her face and kisses her sweetly.
Bonnie melts against him. She loves kissing him.
The notebook is pushed to the floor as Bonnie falls against the pillows, Klaus's strong body caging her, his mouth hungrily trailing kisses down her neck and chest.
For the next couple of hours, they lose themselves in each other.
Bonnie takes to Freya like a duck to water.
From the moment they meet, a camaraderie of sorts is born between the two witches.
"So, you are the witch that plans to take on the Hollow," Freya says shortly after they pick her up from the airport.
"I am."
"I've heard all the great things you have accomplished in your short life, Bonnie Bennett." Freya regards her curiously. "It's not every day that a teenage witch brings an Original to the brink of death."
"You told her about that-" Bonnie glances at Klaus, wondering what else he has shared regarding their past in Mystic Falls.
The hybrid shrugs.
"He boasted about all of your accomplishments," Freya informs her with a mischievous grin, one that is familiar to Bonnie for she has seen it on Klaus's face countless of times now. They do look alike.
"What can I say, I made an impression."
"That you did," Klaus squeezes her hand.
Freya laughs. She has never seen her brother look at someone with so much adoration, nor has she ever seen him smile so much, except for Hope of course. The happiness Klaus has found in Bonnie is palpable.
As soon as Freya settles in, she and Bonnie go over the details of her plan. Klaus is out of the apartment, leaving them to discuss the plan without fear of the darkness in him acting out.
Freya shares the different plans, and ideas she and other witches forged to destroy the Hollow. She also shares their failures and the small victories they achieved along the way.
Bonnie for her part, spares no detail on what she plans to accomplish on the next full moon. The key to the success of this plan relies in Bonnie's psychic abilities- that is the one thing that has not been used against the Hollow before. That is her secret weapon.
"You know, psychic witches are incredibly rare." Freya sits crossed legged on the living room sofa a cup of tea in her hands.
"So, I heard." Bonnie sits across from her, holding her notebook in her lap.
"Have you created other dimensions before?"
"Once without meaning to." Bonnie thinks of the blast she released upon Enzo's death and the psychic dimension that came of it. Bonnie is going to need to release another psychic blast; and she will have to replicate those blasts three more times for Klaus's siblings.
"Are you prepared to do it again?" Freya wonders. "That kind of power being unleashed; it could be dangerous."
"I know." Bonnie has gone over all the different possibilities. She knows exactly what she needs to do and how she wishes to accomplish it. "That is why I have chosen consecrated ground. It will limit the blast to just inside the church. A small confined space that will make it easier for me control, especially since I need to extract the Hollow from Klaus and trap it inside." That is going to be the hardest part.
"What do you need me to do?" Freya is willing to help in whatever form she can to ensure the spell is successful.
Bonnie smiles.
"You look happy," Freya tells him a few days later as they wait for the sun to set.
Tonight is the full moon.
She has already helped Bonnie set the candles and gone over the spell with her on various occasions. Freya has also placed a barrier around the property to ensure they are not disturbed. There is hardly anyone living in the town anymore but one never knows.
Klaus waits outside the church. There is a stirring inside him- dark slithering thoughts trying to break free. The Hollow can no doubt sense the magic in the air. He is glad he told Bonnie to keep the plan to herself. He does not know the details of what she plans to accomplish and therefore, neither does the Hollow. Although, it still wants Bonnie's blood. The Hollow has always seen Bonnie as a threat.
Bonnie is inside the church, executing the finishing touches for her spell.
"I am happy," Klaus allows himself to admit. He didn't think it could be possible but here he is. "She is amazing, I-" his throat constricts with an emotion long thought dead.
"I'm glad." Freya gives his hand a reassuring squeeze before they walk inside the church with the last rays of the sun guiding their steps.
The moment he steps through the threshold, Klaus feels a sting on his skin. The wave of anger has his knees nearly buckling. The Hollow does not like the current of power greeting them.
Bonnie gives him a knowing look. She has just released a blast of psychic power inside the church in order to create a new dimension-the barrier and her spell containing it inside the decrepit building. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." No, he is not but Bonnie does not need to know the currents of anger lashing out at him. He feels his insides twisting.
Klaus takes his shirt off and lays on the ground, inside a circle of white candles just like Bonnie instructs him to do.
He shivers as Bonnie draws some symbols on his skin before placing the moonstone on his chest.
It feels hot.
Get up!
Attack her!
Kill her!
The Hollow's presence grows stronger.
Klaus shivers. He feels like he is getting stabbed by a thousand knifes.
"This is going to hurt," Bonnie warns him. "I have no doubt the Hollow is going to try and fight me when I pull it out of you."
"I can take it." He gives her a reassuring look. The Hollow has been lashing out from the moment he walked inside the church. Klaus knows this is just the beginning. He is grateful he is not a stranger to pain. And for the chance of getting the Hollow out of him and locking it forever so he can see his little girl again, Klaus would gladly be tortured.
Bonnie places a tender kiss on his lips. "Close your eyes."
He pulls her face down for a heated kiss. Bonnie's touch is always soothing, her kisses always make everything better. Bonnie pulls away, cheeks flushed. "I needed a proper kiss, love."
Bonnie shakes her head, a small laugh escaping her. She sobers quickly though and takes a deep breath, knowing that she is going to need to concentrate. Klaus has willingly surrendered to her and the magnitude of the moment is not lost on her. She leans down and kisses him sweetly once more, at the last second, before she pulls her lips away from his-she immobilizes him with her magic.
The time has come at last.
It feels as if a flaming sword is piercing his flesh, twisting painfully, and cutting through his organs.
He screams as Bonnie chants over him.
Freya has stepped inside the church. She continues to use her magic to block the screams and any other residual magic from any human eyes and ears. Should anything go wrong, she will ensure the Hollow remains trapped inside the church's holy grounds before putting it back inside Klaus.
They all hope it does not come to that.
The circle of candles and Bonnie's spell prevents Klaus from speeding out of there and it will also prevent the Hollow from fleeing once Bonnie manages to extract it out of him.
The Hollow fights to remain inside Klaus.
It knows that Bonnie is planning something against it and it would rather remain inside the Original Hybrid before allowing the Bennett witch to capture it.
Hours
Days
Klaus does not know how long he lays there on the dirty floor of the old church, his skin burning, tearing, and mending in the same heartbeat. He is almost grateful that Bonnie paralyzed him, for he has no doubt if she hadn't, all of his bones would be broken by now. He might have even lashed out at her or worst, he might have even escaped.
At one point, Freya stabs a needle into his arm and pumps his body with blood as the toll of the spell is causing his body to desiccate.
Klaus groans.
Bonnie keeps chanting.
The moonstone on his chest glows and sizzles as it melts the skin of his chest.
His healing abilities are in overdrive.
Sometime later, Freya feeds him her own blood.
Klaus's eyes open briefly when he feels the drops of warm, witch blood on his lips. Freya cuts her wrist without hesitation, and places it over his mouth-forcing his lips open with her other hand. She knows he needs it desperately.
The blood goes down his throat smoothly and he groans, grateful and relieved as his healing abilities expand.
The Hollow is strong and vicious and if he were not an original vampire, he would have been dead by now. Not even all the blood he has been given would be enough.
He thought that when his mother placed the curse on him it was the most excruciating pain-he had ever experienced- but this, this is ten times worst. He dies and comes back to life, again, and again.
"We are almost there, baby. Hold on." Bonnie's face and back is covered in sweat. She shivers hot and cold from time to time. She waves her hands over his body, sparks of light illuminating the church as she extracts the last bit of the Hollow stuck inside him.
The darkness inside of him, fights her to the very end.
When she finally claps her hands together there is a loud blast that nearly knocks Freya off her feet.
The candles surge up into intense flames.
The broken church's bell tolls once.
A strong wind sweeps inside.
The moonstone glows.
Bonnie cuts her palm with her own magic and touches the moonstone still on Klaus's chest. When her blood connects with the stone the fire intensifies until the candles burn out completely as Bonnie seals the new dimension world for good. She lets out a shaky breath and smiles down at Klaus. "It's done."
Klaus opens his eyes, a feeling of peace washing over him.
He blinks once, twice, he feels his fingers and toes, and exhales.
He waits for the current of dark power hissing in his ear, he waits for the vicious thoughts to invade him, to try and make him hurt Bonnie but there is nothing.
His head is clear, his emotions are in control, and his thoughts are fully his own.
How glorious it feels to feel like his old self.
The piece of the Hollow he possessed is completely gone.
Klaus is finally free.
Bonnie is beaming at him.
She is the most beautiful thing Klaus has ever seen.
Bonnie and Freya help him to his feet.
"You need to feed," Freya mutters as she and Bonnie help him walk out of the church.
Klaus feels like a newborn. Even though Freya pumped his body with blood and even gave him some of her own, Klaus's body was put through the wringer and his healing abilities need sustenance to complete repairing all the wounds inflicted by the Hollow's dark magic. His body looks as if he has been set on fire. Klaus's chest is littered with angry red marks while a hole is visible in the area where Bonnie placed the moonstone. The skin of his chest has melted to the bone. He also feels weak and lethargic.
Bonnie has the moonstone in her pocket. She is going to have to repeat this ritual three more times to free Klaus's siblings. But it worked, that is the most important thing. She did it. The piece of the Hollow inside Klaus is gone for good.
The drive to the apartment is spend in silence.
Klaus dozes off a couple of times but forces himself to remain alert. He is not going to rest until they make it to the apartment.
Bonnie helps him get in bed.
He drank three blood bags and while he is starting to feel better, Bonnie suggests sleeping it off.
"Rest," Bonnie whispers as she traces his cheek tenderly. "Your body still needs to heal."
"Stay with me," Klaus mumbles, refusing to surrender just yet. A lesser vampire would have drop unconscious after the onslaught of torture he endured.
Bonnie takes her shoes off and climbs into bed with him. She rests her head on his chest. It's almost fully healed now, the hole in his chest has mended itself and the burns have disappeared. He will be okay.
She yawns. She also feels tired. "Just a few minutes," she nuzzles his neck as he wraps an arm around her, pulling her close. His chest is her favorite pillow and he enjoys sleeping with her in his arms. It's always so peaceful.
Freya checks in on them an hour later, smiling at the sight of the two most powerful creatures in the world sleeping. She covers them with a wool blanket and closes the door.
Klaus sleeps for a few hours and wakes up re-energized and happy, so fucking happy. He wakes Bonnie up with kisses and gentle touches.
Bonnie responds to his kisses eagerly. Her eyelashes flutter open as he begins caressing her in earnest. Now that they rested and recovered from the taxing spell, the need to be skin to skin is overwhelming.
Bonnie helps him undress her and soon they are both naked and panting.
He makes love to her as night falls over Paris, soft rain falling on the roof.
It's almost as if nature itself has decided to cleanse the earth of the Hollow's presence.
When they finally emerge from the room, holding hands, and matching satisfied grins- Klaus twirls Freya around the kitchen. He is over the moon with happiness.
Freya laughs and kisses his cheek. "I made dinner as this is a cause for celebration." She also made a couple of calls and a few spells. She knows the location of each of her siblings. Her heart is also bursting with joy, they will all be reunited soon. She looks at the pretty witch her brother has chosen with immense gratitude. Bonnie has done what neither she or Vincent were capable of doing and Freya will be eternally grateful. Thanks to Bonnie, her family will be reunited once more.
As Freya fills their plates with food, Klaus turns to Bonnie "You did it!" He cups her face with both hands and kisses her again. He can't seem to stop kissing her.
"Did you ever doubt I could?" Bonnie teases.
"Never!" He proclaims. "You are magnificent, Bonnie Bennett." Klaus kisses her again and again, not caring that Freya is watching them with an amused smile on her lips. "Thank-you," he touches his forehead to hers and enjoys a moment of peace and solitude as he gathers her in his arms. He is finally free thanks to Bonnie's magic. Running into her was the best thing that could ever happen to him. A lifetime will not be enough for him to show her his gratitude but he will. He will spend the rest of his immortal life ensuring Bonnie's happiness. As for him, there is only one thing left for him to complete his happiness. "I need to see Hope," Klaus whispers against her lips. He wants to rescue his siblings of course but his daughter comes first. He also does not want Bonnie to be overwhelmed. He knows how difficult the spell was, Bonnie needs time to recuperate before attempting that ritual again.
"I know." Bonnie touches his cheek. The smile on his face is so soft and filled with so much tenderness for his child. She feels her heart swell.
"I can't wait for you to meet her." With Hope and Bonnie by his side, Klaus knows he will be truly happy.
"I can't wait to meet her either."
The time has come to go to New Orleans.
Who would have thought that running into each other would change the course of their lives and help them forge a new destiny.
Whatever happens from now on, Bonnie and Klaus will face it together.
AN: Not sure how I feel about this, there were a couple of things I cut off from this chapter because they seemed more fitted for an epilogue but I also think it can end like this. Let me know your thoughts. Thank-you!