Bonnie thoroughly washed her hair, scrubbing her scalp as if hoping to entirely erase the disastrous garage suicide from her head. She longed for the uncomplicated days, when things were easy, and her former birthday traditions. This was not one she was looking to repeat.
When Bonnie was younger, her grandmother took her to a flea market outside of Mystic Falls borders to hunt for new trinkets—or talismans, as she referred to them—or they spent the day baking cake, pigging out on numerous cookies while watching old movies. Bonnie missed those days and couldn't recall the last time she'd felt that safe.
She clambered out of the shower stall—having decided to make use of the one downstairs—and wrapped one towel around her body and another around her head. She strolled into the hallway and headed toward the archway interleading into the parlor. She stared at Kai's sprawled body, scrutinizing his motionless hands, his face still ashen.
What is taking so damned long?
She'd been waiting near on two hours and Kai still hadn't stirred. Nor had she even taken a second to contemplate what she might have to do if he didn't get up. She knew he seeded her his power for a reason and she could recall the mention of the ascendant. But where was it? Kai took it back to the present and returned without it—or at least it appeared that way—as she hadn't found it on the lawn during her brief search. There was nothing out there, no shattered ascendant, no Damon, and the eclipse had come and gone that day.
Bonnie continued past the parlor, heading for the stairs to the room she'd claimed several months ago. It had been a basic space filled with many old antiques—things the Salvatores collected over the years—and an old four-poster double bed. With Damon's permission, she changed the curtains, got herself a portable radio with a few cassette tapes and some CDs and steadily morphed the space into her own. She couldn't think to stay at her home—not alone—and the boardinghouse presented enough space for the two of them when they needed to go their separate ways for a while. It worked.
A jolt of energy went through Kai's chest, startling him into an abrupt gasp. It felt as though subtle warmth was seeping into his body, slowly, highlighting how stiff he felt. It was a familiar feeling, and not one he particularly enjoyed. He opened his eyes and squinted against the bright light beating from the right. Fire crackled in the hearth, so close he could feel the heat soaking all his right side – the jacket and jeans, but somehow failing to reach his body beneath them.
Grunting, he sat up, rubbing his upper arms for warmth and looking around. "You gotta be kidding me…" A spike of horrid desperation pierced through his chest as he realized it was the Boardinghouse, and, since the last thing he remembered was the hell dimension – that was it. Unless he had dreamt the whole thing with Liv, Jeremy, Bonnie and her—No, he didn't, as he saw all the front of his shirt was covered in dried blood. On the bright side, the wounds were gone.
Bonnie pulled on a fresh pairs of jeans, boots and a white wife beater, quickly towel drying her hair before bounding her way downstairs again. She intended check in on him in passing, not expecting to find anything and preparing to do another sweep of the large garden estate. She could have missed something. The sound of a voice made Bonnie's heart stop temporarily and her cheeks flush with undue gratitude and an inkling of what she recognized to be fear. She should have restrained him or something.
Kai let out a shaky breath, willing the thoughts away, and they just kept pushing: he was back in the very place he couldn't be any longer, and he couldn't die, and there was no way out – this time for sure. In the middle of his inner battle, as he finally got off the floor and wavered a bit, grabbing onto the chair's back for balance, he saw a movement from the corner of his eye and turned.
Bonnie stood frozen in the dining room doorway. Her eyes widened slightly as he met her overwhelmed gaze, a slight tremor racing up her spine, a free hand raised as if to ward him off.
He blinked, afraid for a moment that it was a mere illusion of his overstressed brain. But she was there. Still there. "Now, that's unexpected…" he muttered, stupefied. "I mean, I'm totally happy to see you, but how the hell are you still here? Didn't it work? You didn't get the magic? I was sure it worked."
Bonnie hadn't thought this through—not at all—and a part of her almost acknowledged that it would have been easier if he died. What other explanation was there? He stabbed her, left her to bleed out on his lawn and unexpectedly returned due to a change of heart? To save her? Maybe Damon forced him to do so? But then why could she feel magic humming in her veins?
Despite her having obviously dragged him into the house whereas she could have left him on the lawn where he died, Kai unmistakably read fear and defense all over her. She even raised a hand as though expecting him to lash out at her like a starved vampire probably would. And, despite himself, he felt a prick of hurt at these small details. He missed liking them. He missed it most badly now when he felt too vulnerable, not even sure how it could be possible.
"What are you talking about?" she stammered, unable to deal with his questions and her own racing through her head. She needed to slow things down. She stepped forward, lowering her hand as she did and slid them into her pockets. "You've been out of it for two and a half hours. I was starting to convince myself you might be dead."
"Well, I was," Kai swept a hand over the front of his shirt in indication, scowling at the time she mentioned. "But that's longer than it usually took… And…" He sighed and lowered himself into the chair he stood by, feeling a bit lightheaded, having a harder time getting his thoughts together. "It's weird that I came back at all. I didn't think I could anymore…"
Bonnie remained silent, unsure of what to make of that revelation or what to say. Why would Kai want to come back here willingly? And why did it suddenly feel as if this wasn't the first time he'd entertained that idea? It seemed an odd thing to say.
He glanced up at her, read even more bewilderment on her face and tiredly realized how much she had missed from his story that she now needed to know. Otherwise, her fear and hatred was all he would get. She didn't know any better yet. "I… There's a lot to tell you, since you've been out for even longer than I have now."
She flinched at the callus reminder, temporarily filled with fear, worry and anger. What did that mean? Were her friends okay? And, more importantly: why was he really here?
"I mean, sorry, that was, probably, a wrong thing to say. Just… wait." He took a deeper breath, not certain where to start with all of this, and then another question popped up on the top of the pile, blinking red and demanding attention, making him temporarily forget the rest as he stared at her inquiringly. "Why did you stay here? You could've been back with your friends by now. Not that I'll reprimand you for it – no way in hell since I'm happy as can be that you haven't left me here without checking if I'd come back as I expected you would – but… Why?"
Bonnie blinked, her mouth falling opening, a sound akin to a gasp slipping past her lips. What was he talking about? "I couldn't find the ascendant," she said honestly, anticipating his rage or a sardonic comment to wipe away the irregular earnest look on his face.
It made sense: he'd left her in front of his house, half-dead, and she had no idea where he teleported from. There was a bitter aftertaste of disappointment, as well. She would have left him here in a heartbeat had she had the tool for it. Kai expected nothing else, and yet it still stung.
"I—I don't think it travels back with you and you never explained how you got your hands on the previous one." She kept her distance even when his face didn't change, reflecting instead only a little disappointment and then acceptance. "Why are you here? Why would you come back to this place?" she asked, unable to accept his earlier declaration or the evidence running through her veins.
This was all a trick. All some hoax to buy her trust or set her up for something – it had to be.
"What happened to you? Where's Damon?" she continued, irrationally concerned Kai might have done something to him, and in desperate need of confirmation that she hadn't been forgotten.
Her questions – although all very much anticipated – suddenly overwhelmed him, and Kai felt the same weariness again when he didn't know where to start and how to begin. A shiver ran through him, then another, and he became aware of how cold he still was. He threw a glance at the couch where a folded plaid lay, then back at her. "There's just one ascendant here. And Damon's fine. Your friends are fine. Well, more or less…"
More or less? What the hell did that even mean? Bonnie pushed aside the terrifying thoughts flying around in her head and opened her mouth to make him explain.
He saw her eyes widen and winced, tired in advance to even think about all the explanations he would have to do. "They're fine, really. I just… I feel kinda odd. Like a hangover. It was never like that before."
Bonnie couldn't remember seeing him like that before, either, and she'd succeeded in killing him at least twice. Maybe, there was a problem with the spell he cast to get here? Maybe he'd used too much and it drained him? Or maybe, this was an attempt to weaken her resolve and make her feel something akin to sympathy. He'd done it in the past, plying her with stories of his daddy's neglectful abuse and how estranged from his family he'd felt. She wasn't going to fall for it again.
"I need to drink something hot… like coffee or tea… No, not coffee, should make it steaming black tea. With cognac. A lot of cognac."
Bonnie stared at him, battling her internal hysteria as he jumbled his words like a hyperactive child. Typical Kai. He was going off tangent!
"I need a hot shower and I need to change. Gotta wash that death off me – I see you did that yourself already. So, just… Look, I know how you feel. Your head busting with questions and anxiety – I get it, I really do. And I promise I'll answer anything, just give me a moment. Or two." He rubbed his arms again in an automatic attempt to warm up.
She took note of the soft shade of blue that tinted his lips and the look of genuine weariness written on his face. Where was the usual homicidal pep? Where were the tactless jokes at her expense?
Kai leaned forth in his chair, locking his eyes with hers, hoping she would perceive he was being sincere. "I'll get you back to your friends. I promise. Very soon. And I'll tell you what you wanna know." He got up and started towards the door. "I'll be with you in ten minutes."
Bonnie stiffened in response to his sincere understanding, uncertain of why Kai was making this promise but intrinsically hopeful that he might deliver. No, she chided herself. Stop. Kai is attempting to play you. ALL of this is a scheme. He wants something. He wants to make sure you never leave. When Kai stood—cutting short her troublesome thinking—and headed for the stairwell, she took an automatic step back to give him room. She watched him head upstairs without a word, then picked up her empty glass of water, glad that the pain in her lungs had subsided a while ago. Unfortunately, she couldn't say the same for her nausea, a byproduct of her stupidity she assumed would only be pacified with a good night's sleep.