Mystic Falls

What am I doing? Kol questioned himself as he looked at the Mikealson estate. For a month, he had been coming here everyday looking at it, gazing upon it and so far he had seen no one from his family. He was glad for it but he was quite cross with himself. He knew centuries of hurt couldn't be simply healed in a matter of months, and even though he had made a vast improvement, Kol wasn't completely healed, well not as much as Bonnie seemed to think.

He had grown that's for sure but he hadn't healed rather he'd chosen to cut them off with the promise to himself. The same lesson he had given Bonnie, whom he needed to check on. His phone rang signalling it was the end of the month and Kol disappeared from the view of the Mikealson estate and went to Bonnie's apartment. He wondered if the little witch had done as said and he got in her house to find her crying.

Had she opened the phone? He looked at the phone which was where he left it and had clearly not been moved. No, she hadn't. So why was she crying? Kol looked to see her paging her book and he was stunned to see the ghastly figure beside her who was nodding as Bonnie began to sob through her speech.

"...Caroline hated it and then..."

The spirit nodded gently and Kol assumed it was probably Bonnie's grandmother and when he looked at her closer, he confirmed it matched with the picture he had seen before and quietly went back to give them space. But he didn't get to, Bonnie noticed him and her face lit up like Christmas and my wasn't she just beautiful?

He stared at her for a brief moment in appreciation even though her eyes were full of tears and he smiled. "Missed me?" he said and Bonnie rolled her eyes, she grabbed his wrist and then brought him down to the carpet with her and then Kol realized she had been staring at a photo album of when she and her friends were quite young. No wonder her face was full of tears.

"Grams, I want you to meet Kol Mikealson" Bonnie said softly and Kol wondered what provoked her to do such a thing, witches did not like vampires and even though Bonnie knew this, she introduced him. Though gobsmacked, Kol merely bowed his head slightly in a manner of respect "it's a pleasure to meet you.."

"Grams"

Sheila Bennett finished and Kol's eyes widened only for a fraction but then he nodded wordlessly. Bonnie smiled and gave him a pleased smile and yet Kol did not even know what to say, Sheila Bennett didn't seem to dislike him but he couldn't say she liked him, he was a vampire after all and he was hanging around her granddaughter who was nostalgically paging the photo album.

"Bonnie could you give Kol and I a minute?" Bonnie nodded carelessly without concern and Kol had to wonder how much things had changed during this month. He looked at Bonnie's back wondering what was on her mind but then he re-focused his attention on Sheila Bennett or...grams.

"See Kol-"

"I'm not going to hurt your daughter" he interrupted hurriedly and grams frowned and looked at him as if he was insane but Kol didn't stop, "I know you know about my family and I know my word may not mean much but Bonnie..she, she has my respect so I'm not going to hurt her nor am I using her, I do not want any harm to befall on her" he said carefully making sure not use the word bonded because he wasn't sure if Bonnie had told her grandmother yet and he wanted her to know that this wasn't some sort of plan of his, even though he was sleeping with her granddaughter. And even though he didn't care what Sheila Bennett thought, he already knew that was what she wanted to say moreover he respected Bonnie as his bonded and in turn that respect extended to people who actually loved Bonnie the way she deserved.

In thinking so, Kol was showing his hand but he didn't realize how protective he had already become of her.

Sheila Bennett did and she smiled, "child, no one was questioning you, I simply wanted to thank you" she assured and Kol was stunned, what had he done? Sheila Bennett seemed to read his mind and she spoke, "you have made her aware" she stated and Kol blinked utterly lost but grams smiled, "Bonnie's very strong, stronger than she knows, but she's been quite idiotic and blinded by her own internal strife, you have given her the step to move forward and I wanted to say thank you"

Grams muttered gently and she made a gesture as if to touch his cheeks and then smiled, "tell Bonnie I'll see her in a while and Kol..it's okay to feel hurt and angry, to be hurt and angry" she assured and she disappeared whilst Kol stood there wondering what the painful throb in his heart was.

He stayed there stunned until a few minutes later when he heard Bonnie's voice.

"Are you guys done?" She casually asked coming in and Kol nodded, "your- grams said she'll see you in a little while" Bonnie nodded for a brief moment and then looked at him. She sat beside him and they both looked at the phone in the distance. He took out his old phone which had a few pings and notifications and he placed it next to hers. Bonnie's eyes widened.

"You didn't check?"

"Yeah...for six months" and that admission was so raw and honest, Kol couldn't help but feel utterly drained. His phone had only started to ping after four months and he guessed maybe for Bonnie it'd be earlier than that, for her sake, he hoped so. He removed her phone from flight mode and the notifications came pouring in and he watched Bonnie's face. She was itching, hurting, in agony and in her, Kol saw a shadow of his former self.

She didn't move to look and only looked at him with tears gathered in her eyes full of shared feeling. "Did you miss me?" she deflected and Kol played along because the vulnerability and intimacy shared in the moment was frightening. "No" he whispered, playing along and Bonnie smiled as he kissed her lips and she whispered in his ear, "thank you, for bringing me into reality" and Kol nodded mutely as her tears fell while he took her body in and they forged a connection through their need to escape reality.

..

A few days later Kol looked at his digital flight tickets and then he looked at the sleeping Bennett who had given herself to him time and time again. It was absolutely wonderful and it was quite blissful especially since something somewhere seemed to have changed. Maybe it had been that shared vulnerability or that shared moment when they had both come into a silent agreement that for once they would use sex as a deflection whilst pretending to be in reality.

Kol felt just a tad bit drained as they had went at it like rabbits and his interest on her body seemed to reach unlimited heights as the little witch matched his intensity and vigour. And Kol concluded that as long as he lived and would live none would ever match him so perfectly as Bonnie Bennett had. What a delightful little treasure. Kol mused as he touched her hair and hummed.

Their phones were still in place and Kol knew the next lesson would have to be finding a new way of life. Maybe not outside the supernatural but something away from Mystic Falls. There were thousands possibilities and Kol wanted her to experience them all so she could choose without bias and without anything holding her back. She deserved it.

Looking at her face which was peacefully and blissfully unaware, Kol had an even more delightful idea and then he smirked mischievously, his little witch was in for a delightful suprise when she woke up.