there is a darkness (12/?)
there is a darkness
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries
Pairing: Bonnie/Klaus, Tyler, Stefan, Damon, one sided Bonnie/Jeremy, Caroline/Matt, Elena/Stefan, Damon, Elijah
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: spoilers for the finale, blood, some gore, sexual situations
Summary: It's a power thing, Bonnie realizes. And that changes everything.
There’s a huge spike of magic while she sleeps, striking her and she screams in agony. Stefan’s holding her shoulders too tightly and she’s trying to breathe and grasp what’s happened. Her eyes glow as she searches the house for anything other than her own magic and finds nothing.
Then another spike, piercing her chest and she’s doubling over, falling into Stefan and he’s demanding what’s going on, panicking but she can’t find words. Her lungs don’t seem to have air and there’s something stinging on her leg suddenly. As she throws the covers off the bed, there’s another person in the room and she looks up to see Klaus.
“What’s going on?” he demands, breathless. And it’s strange, because he looks like he’s in pain too. His gaze slowly turns to her leg and his frown deepens.
“Bonnie…” Stefan starts but he doesn’t have to continue because she’s already noticed the ripping wound suddenly forming on her calf. She grits her teeth as it grows, cutting into her flesh. “What’s happening? Bonnie!”
Bonnie’s nails dig into Stefan’s skin as the pain continues. Klaus grunts abruptly, holding his own leg and limping to her side of the bed. She watches as he pulls up his pant leg and reveals a matching wound. Bonnie’s heart stops for a moment. She searches the house once more, reaching out for anyone else and realizes with some horror, someone is missing.
She snaps her eyes to Klaus and they lock gazes. Bonnie doesn’t have to say it because she’s sure he’s already made the connection.
“Find Tyler.”
--
Stefan stays with her as she crumples in pain, more cuts and bruises appearing on her skin. His hands still grip her too tightly but she’s stopped caring. Stefan tries giving her blood but she refuses instantly. The night shouts something to her, something like a warning but she doesn’t really know what to do. When it stops and there’s a numb feeling. Bonnie doesn’t detangle herself from him. She relaxes her muscles just a little and he must’ve noticed because he does the same.
He mumbles something into her hair but she doesn’t catch it. She thinks of Tyler and why the connection affected both her and Klaus. The bond should have collapsed after the spell had run its purpose. Could it be there were still remnants binding Klaus and Tyler? And if that’s true, why was she bonded? All she did was perform the spell; Bonnie didn’t include herself. Leftover magic didn’t really exist this way, did it? Bonnie had used the spell, still unsure of the properties, and she thinks this may be a punishment for that.
Bonnie closes her eyes and considers praying to the spirits, asking them to guide her. But she changes her mind and performs a self-healing spell.
--
Klaus is nearly dragging Tyler back about fifteen minutes later. There’s some blood trickling down his forehead but the cut is already gone. Tyler looks as if he will pass out at any moment, blinking slowly and breathing is shallow. Klaus, clearly pissed, dumps Tyler off to Stefan and falls on the living room lazy boy as Tyler is laid on the couch. Bonnie falls on the floor by him to inspect Tyler.
His wounds are already healing, though the blood loss is getting to him. There are fading bruises and obvious broken ribs. His pant leg is soaked in red and she grimaces at the memory. That was the worst. Bonnie notes Tyler clearly suffered more than she and Klaus. She glances at Tyler and finds him staring at her. He looks as if he’s considering saying something to her but he closes his eyes and sighs out, almost with disappointment. She doesn’t push the envelope and probe him with any questions; instead, she offers a spell to numb the pain. His body will regenerate soon, she doesn’t see any need for anything else.
Finally, Klaus takes a breath to recount what happened, cooled off from whatever angered him from before. “They weren’t vampires.”
Stefan frowns and narrows his eyes. “Why would werewolves attack their own kind? Are you-?”
“It wasn’t werewolves,” Bonnie breathes out, already knowing and suppresses the chilling thought of how. She turns to look at Klaus as she says, “Witches.”
“And I thought my mother was unrelenting,” Klaus comments with some humor. The room stays silent and he sighs out, stuffing his hands within his pockets. “They were simply playing with Tyler when I got there. Goading him. He was broken when I arrived.”
Bonnie flickers her eyes over to Tyler, who refuses to meet anyone’s gaze.
“Tyler must have been out hunting or having a nice walk when they found him,” Klaus continues, “He was only bait.”
“Bait,” Bonnie repeats with question. “What do you mean? They were looking for…?”
“Me,” Klaus sets his jaw, “They made that clear when they stated it would be easy to kill the rest of my family.”
Stefan steps forward, shaking his head. “Wait…witches are looking for the Originals? Again?” Something disconcerting flickers over his face. “They knew about the bond-about you and Tyler. How would they know that?”
Bonnie runs a hand through her hair with frustration. “I don’t know yet. Either they have been watching us since the beginning or-”
“Someone told them.”
Everyone’s eyes turn to Tyler and the living room falls into a dead silence. The air feels thick. His voice was raspy, as if he hadn’t been able to talk for days. His chest rises and falls with breath and he looks to Bonnie, desperation lining his eyes. She doesn’t break the gaze.
“They said something-they had information from someone.”
Stefan looks visibly troubled. “What do they look like? We need to find them-”
“No need,” Klaus digs something out of his pockets and drops it on the coffee table. A gold-colored, small chain necklace clatters on the table, along with a blood-covered silver ring. “They wore too much jewelry.”
“You killed them before we could interrogate them?” Bonnie stands, glaring at him. “You really are foolish sometimes, Klaus.”
The Original shrugs his shoulders and begins to walk out of the room. Something about his complacency annoys her and she considers using the bond consciously. “It’s their possessions, I’m sure you could get something from it.”
Stefan and Bonnie share an annoyed look before she tends to Tyler once more.
--
There is a dreadful silence that comes over the house the next day. No one really talks and it’s uncomfortable.
Bonnie changes the sheets of the bed, her blood soaking the cloth. She throws it away in the dumpster down the street, near the children’s park. Something tells her Stefan would be uncomfortable with them around the house until the garbage man comes.
Tyler locks himself in his room, away from their questions and Bonnie figures she’s on her own in finding any more information. He’s angry with himself, she knows. He might have been out hunting when they attacked. And he was used to lure Klaus. Perhaps Tyler feels weaker than used. Or maybe both. Bonnie knows the feeling, though.
As if knowing the start of the day would be uneasy, Stefan says he’s going to Damon with the news of what happened. Their relationship is on slightly better terms and Stefan feels the need to consult his big brother in these things. Bonnie thinks Damon might mention it in the dreams and she wrinkles her nose at that.
Once again, Klaus disappears and she can only assume he’s doing his own investigating. Or maybe he’s simply pretending nothing has happened, as if he isn’t being hunted or threatened again. Bonnie wonders what is really happening with him-he’s quiet and withholds his usual snarky comments since the bond.
That’s another thing-the bond. Why was Bonnie able to feel it? Or even Klaus? Tyler shouldn’t have been a part of the bond at all at this point. Perhaps the bond is confused?
Bonnie decides that Abby might know what to do.
--
She calls Abby in the afternoon and stays in the kitchen, their favorite spot. Beginning to prepare tea, Bonnie waits for the water to boil. She sees something move in the corner of her eye and glances up to see Tyler.
His shoulders fall in some defeat and his eyes are dimmed with tiredness. He just seems drained overall. Bonnie thins her lips and waits for him to look at her in the eye. When he does, Tyler appears to attempt a smile but it comes off as more as a grimace.
“I’m a little hungry,” he explains, voice low.
Bonnie nods and watches as he opens the fridge. “Can we talk about it?”
“I don’t really want to, Bonnie.”
She sighs and looks away, crossing her arms. Fine. She won’t push him. But she’ll need some sort of information as to what was going through his mind during the attack. Something happened that caused all three of them to experience the same pain.
Tyler releases a breath and closes the fridge, leaning against the island counter. “It’s hard to explain, Bonnie,” he says, rubbing his eyes. “While they were using their powers-doing all these weird spells. My head hurt, I couldn’t see. I felt like my skin was being peeled off.” Tyler sighs and bows his head a little. “All I could think about was getting away and back to you.”
“Me?” the question slips before she can catch it. And he’s suddenly staring at her intensely, eyes boring into hers. Tyler’s dead serious and Bonnie can’t help but wonder why. Why not Matt? Or Caroline? Or even his mother? Her heart pounds loud in her chest and she recalls the time when Klaus told her Tyler had grown attached to her.
He steps closer and she eyes him warily. “Yeah…you.” He doesn’t remove his gaze from her and she shifts her weight. There’s a moment when she wishes she could reach out, assure him he doesn’t need to feel this burden. But it almost feels out of place and she doesn’t say anything. “I guess I wanted you to rescue me.”
Something cracks through her mask and Bonnie desperately tries to cover it up, turning around and tucking some hair behind her ear. She only wishes she could have. Shutting her eyes tightly, Bonnie wills the sudden heaviness away. Guilt is for innocent humans. People like her don’t have to feel that. She’s different. Bonnie grits her teeth.
But Tyler’s arms loop around her waist and his body is pressed against hers and she leans into him, banishing the thoughts away. He kisses her neck, lingering his lips there.
“I’ve never blamed you for anything, Bonnie,” he murmurs against her skin.
That’s never really stopped her from feeling like she should be blamed anyway.
--
Abby is worried more than Bonnie is. Bonnie pulls her curls into a pony tail and feels her skin flush with annoyance.
“If they’re coming for you, Bonnie…”
“They’re trying to kill the Originals,” Bonnie corrects her mother. Her mind briefly visits Klaus. He told her he’s already explained the situation to his siblings, who said they’d be careful but they aren’t taking it seriously enough. “And they’re stupid because that would kill off all the vampires. And some witches depend on them.”
“What if their initiative was just to scare Klaus?” Abby suggests. Bonnie cocks her head to the side. “What if they were testing him?”
“It doesn’t matter now because they are dead,” Bonnie pauses. “Unless…”
“They were pawns,” a voice says in the doorway and they turn to see Stefan. Abby looks somewhat disturbed by him cutting in. “They have to be pawns. The attack was only inflicting injury to draw out Klaus. When he got there, he took care of them.”
Bonnie nods in thought and crosses her arms. “Then we have to keep both Klaus and Tyler close. If anything happens to either one of them-”
“It won’t,” Stefan states and it’s like it’s been set in stone. Bonnie knows what he means. He won’t let it happen. And the protectiveness seeps from those two words. Her heart stops for one moment. She’s sure he noticed but he doesn’t show it.
“It won’t,” Bonnie repeats, affirming his statement.
Abby shifts and their attention is on her. She looks at her daughter and asks, “You said something about jewelry. Could I have a look at it?”
Bonnie nods, walking to her desk and pulling out a drawer. She hands the jewelry to her mother. “I couldn’t get much a read off it besides their deaths.”
“All right,” Abby pauses. “May I keep them for a day? I want to study them.”
It’s just jewelry, Bonnie wants to say but nods anyway. They’ve proven useless to her now. Abby turns to leave but her eyes search Bonnie’s for something. “We’ll be careful. Don’t worry.”
Abby nods mutely and leaves.
--
They had been talking about the bond over the phone. Abby states that maybe the spell had been done incorrectly, due to Bonnie having to do last minute. Bonnie understands that but at the same time she thinks something else is going on.
--
Caroline is over when she hears about it and she nearly crushes Bonnie with a hug. When she finally releases her, Caroline inspects her body for injuries frantically.
“It’s okay, Caroline! I’m fine, it’s over now,” she smiles at her friend’s attempts.
The blonde huffs and shakes her head. “I’m sorry, Bonnie. I’m just worried. How’s Tyler?”
Bonnie sighs out, “Maybe you should ask him yourself.”
Caroline’s eyes glint with hesitance but Bonnie watches as the vampire goes up the stairs to find the hybrid.
--
Stefan’s fingers drum on her desktop, staring out the window in thought. She’s been thumbing through pages of Emily’s grimoire. There have apparently been cases of witch versus witch but not enough for Bonnie to gather much of an upper hand. If these witches train and grow together, she doesn’t have much of a chance. She’s alone in this. When the drumming sound gets to her, she snaps her head in his direction, offering a glare when he glances at her.
He mumbles a sorry. Bonnie sighs and leans back on her bed. He’s grown both determined and depressed at the same time. Away from Elena, he has lost something important. And with Bonnie, he has found at least some purpose. He’s allowed to delve into darkness but with Elena there was a freedom to love. And Bonnie wonders what would be the best of both worlds for him. Is there an easy way for Stefan? For her? For Elena?
“We have to talk about who sent the witches.”
“No, Stefan, we don’t have to,” Bonnie answers softly.
--
“You love Elena, don’t you?”
Bonnie’s eyes flicker upwards to Klaus. She frowns at his question. He hardly says a word nowadays and she contributes that to the bond. However, Bonnie must have unconsciously permitted him to speak and she lets it stay the way. There’s not harm in his words for now.
They’re in the garden and she’s picking some calendulas and a variation of marigolds for the inside. Stefan likes the smell and she figures she’ll let them rest in the living room. Klaus hardly comes out of his den anymore and she’s a little surprised he’s outside with her. His relaxed shoulders and hands inside his pant pockets seem to say he’s comfortable. Bonnie’s mind goes to a time when he used to meet her in her garden, just a small touch to let her know he still exists.
“Of course I do,” Bonnie says offhandedly, throwing some marigolds to the side, near his feet. “Why?”
Klaus doesn’t answer right away and she can’t feel much from the bond. She would have panicked for a moment if she hadn’t been focusing for awhile now how to detect between her own feelings and the connection.
“Does she love you?”
A pause. Bonnie arches a brow and gives him another look before turning back to the flowers. “Yes.”
“You hesitated,” he says in a monotone but she hears the small bit of ridicule.
“I’m not Elena, I wouldn’t know how she feels,” Bonnie points out, not wishing to discuss Elena anymore. The topic of the doppelganger has only proved to be disheartening and Bonnie’s done with feeling discouraged. “Are you going to help?”
She watches as Klaus’ eyes fall upon the small patch of vervain near the marigolds and she rolls her eyes. Klaus shrugs and crouches beside her anyway and she stares at him questionably. He reaches and gathers the flowers she has so far and examines them. Their eyes meet and Bonnie feels a significant pull on the bond.
“You may want to cut ties with Elena, love,” Klaus advises casually.
Bonnie scoffs and turns back to what she’s doing. “Easy for you to say-the vampire who destroys lives without even blinking.”
“I only say this as a mere suggestion,” he returns. “You know yourself she is dealing with things that will only turn against you.”
Bonnie drops the clippers and flowers in her hands and snaps her gaze to him, glaring. “And why would you care? My well being shouldn’t matter to you.”
Klaus doesn’t answer but she feels a tug and she knows he wants to say something but won’t. Bonnie wishes he would but doesn’t compel him. This conversation is getting old anyway. Though Klaus does not leave and she wonders if she should just give the order.
Before she can, his hand is upon her wrist and she’s being pulled up to her feet gently. Bonnie blinks in some shock as he tilts his head to the side and studies her, eyes narrowing.
“Whatever has happened to me,” Klaus says, almost spitefully, “you have complete power over me. I may want it back but something else has happened. Elena may get in the way of you finding out what.”
“Ah, so it is all about you,” Bonnie replies with a laugh, “Again.”
“Do not be mistaken, love,” he tells her, stepping closer and she tenses a little. “This is about you as much as it is about me.”
He drops her wrist and turns to go. She purses her lips and returns to her flowers, ignoring the way her heart is pounding and how he can probably still hear it.
--
Lucy calls her the following day.
Everyone is out of the house and Bonnie’s a little grateful for some alone time. She’s on her bed, laying across it and a little disturbed how she can distinguish Stefan’s smell on the new sheets.
“I don’t know if you heard, but in the town over, there’s been a witch gathering,” Lucy sounds a little anxious and Bonnie tries to banish the sinking feeling in her stomach. “A few have invited me. I know you don’t dabble with other witches but I thought I’d see if you knew.”
“I didn’t…” Bonnie stands up and looks out her window. She nearly jumps as she spies someone walking in the backyard. It’s Damon and she sighs out.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she says quickly. “So…these witches…what do they want? Is it like a reunion or something?”
“No, these things don’t usually happen. And when they do happen, it’s because something is going on that will affect the rest of us,” Lucy explains. “The spirits haven’t said much. Have you heard anything?”
Bonnie’s eyes dim a little as she remembers the night she was cut off from the spirits. Even Emily seldom communicates with her. “No. I haven’t.”
“Okay,” Lucy sighs out, “Well, I’ll go to see what they want. Unless you want to go.”
“Something tells me I wouldn’t be wanted there,” Bonnie returns with some humor.
“You never know. If you’re talking about helping vampires, you know there are a hundred witches being controlled by them right now,” Lucy says in a low tone. “I was one of them.”
“I know…” Bonnie bites her lip and glances outside again. Damon’s on the swing, no doubt. Is that all he wants to do here? “Just tell me what happens, okay?”
“All right,” Lucy sounds disappointed. But that changes. “Oh, I forgot to tell you: I found another cousin of ours.”
“Really? Who?”
“He isn’t much of a talker but he’s great with defense spells. His name’s Jacob. I’ll introduce you two when I can.” There’s a pause. “Gotta go. There’s someone at the door.”
“Okay. Bye.”
--
It should make her feel better that vampires are using other witches. But it doesn’t. If anything, it only offers more bitterness for Bonnie.
And she feels alone because she had loved someone who had used her the most.
--
a.n.
--
omg, this story is finally picking up a speed (lol). anyhow, thanks for reading thus far! ♥
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries
Pairing: Bonnie/Klaus, Tyler, Stefan, Damon, one sided Bonnie/Jeremy, Caroline/Matt, Elena/Stefan, Damon, Elijah
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: spoilers for the finale, blood, some gore, sexual situations
Summary: It's a power thing, Bonnie realizes. And that changes everything.
There’s a huge spike of magic while she sleeps, striking her and she screams in agony. Stefan’s holding her shoulders too tightly and she’s trying to breathe and grasp what’s happened. Her eyes glow as she searches the house for anything other than her own magic and finds nothing.
Then another spike, piercing her chest and she’s doubling over, falling into Stefan and he’s demanding what’s going on, panicking but she can’t find words. Her lungs don’t seem to have air and there’s something stinging on her leg suddenly. As she throws the covers off the bed, there’s another person in the room and she looks up to see Klaus.
“What’s going on?” he demands, breathless. And it’s strange, because he looks like he’s in pain too. His gaze slowly turns to her leg and his frown deepens.
“Bonnie…” Stefan starts but he doesn’t have to continue because she’s already noticed the ripping wound suddenly forming on her calf. She grits her teeth as it grows, cutting into her flesh. “What’s happening? Bonnie!”
Bonnie’s nails dig into Stefan’s skin as the pain continues. Klaus grunts abruptly, holding his own leg and limping to her side of the bed. She watches as he pulls up his pant leg and reveals a matching wound. Bonnie’s heart stops for a moment. She searches the house once more, reaching out for anyone else and realizes with some horror, someone is missing.
She snaps her eyes to Klaus and they lock gazes. Bonnie doesn’t have to say it because she’s sure he’s already made the connection.
“Find Tyler.”
--
Stefan stays with her as she crumples in pain, more cuts and bruises appearing on her skin. His hands still grip her too tightly but she’s stopped caring. Stefan tries giving her blood but she refuses instantly. The night shouts something to her, something like a warning but she doesn’t really know what to do. When it stops and there’s a numb feeling. Bonnie doesn’t detangle herself from him. She relaxes her muscles just a little and he must’ve noticed because he does the same.
He mumbles something into her hair but she doesn’t catch it. She thinks of Tyler and why the connection affected both her and Klaus. The bond should have collapsed after the spell had run its purpose. Could it be there were still remnants binding Klaus and Tyler? And if that’s true, why was she bonded? All she did was perform the spell; Bonnie didn’t include herself. Leftover magic didn’t really exist this way, did it? Bonnie had used the spell, still unsure of the properties, and she thinks this may be a punishment for that.
Bonnie closes her eyes and considers praying to the spirits, asking them to guide her. But she changes her mind and performs a self-healing spell.
--
Klaus is nearly dragging Tyler back about fifteen minutes later. There’s some blood trickling down his forehead but the cut is already gone. Tyler looks as if he will pass out at any moment, blinking slowly and breathing is shallow. Klaus, clearly pissed, dumps Tyler off to Stefan and falls on the living room lazy boy as Tyler is laid on the couch. Bonnie falls on the floor by him to inspect Tyler.
His wounds are already healing, though the blood loss is getting to him. There are fading bruises and obvious broken ribs. His pant leg is soaked in red and she grimaces at the memory. That was the worst. Bonnie notes Tyler clearly suffered more than she and Klaus. She glances at Tyler and finds him staring at her. He looks as if he’s considering saying something to her but he closes his eyes and sighs out, almost with disappointment. She doesn’t push the envelope and probe him with any questions; instead, she offers a spell to numb the pain. His body will regenerate soon, she doesn’t see any need for anything else.
Finally, Klaus takes a breath to recount what happened, cooled off from whatever angered him from before. “They weren’t vampires.”
Stefan frowns and narrows his eyes. “Why would werewolves attack their own kind? Are you-?”
“It wasn’t werewolves,” Bonnie breathes out, already knowing and suppresses the chilling thought of how. She turns to look at Klaus as she says, “Witches.”
“And I thought my mother was unrelenting,” Klaus comments with some humor. The room stays silent and he sighs out, stuffing his hands within his pockets. “They were simply playing with Tyler when I got there. Goading him. He was broken when I arrived.”
Bonnie flickers her eyes over to Tyler, who refuses to meet anyone’s gaze.
“Tyler must have been out hunting or having a nice walk when they found him,” Klaus continues, “He was only bait.”
“Bait,” Bonnie repeats with question. “What do you mean? They were looking for…?”
“Me,” Klaus sets his jaw, “They made that clear when they stated it would be easy to kill the rest of my family.”
Stefan steps forward, shaking his head. “Wait…witches are looking for the Originals? Again?” Something disconcerting flickers over his face. “They knew about the bond-about you and Tyler. How would they know that?”
Bonnie runs a hand through her hair with frustration. “I don’t know yet. Either they have been watching us since the beginning or-”
“Someone told them.”
Everyone’s eyes turn to Tyler and the living room falls into a dead silence. The air feels thick. His voice was raspy, as if he hadn’t been able to talk for days. His chest rises and falls with breath and he looks to Bonnie, desperation lining his eyes. She doesn’t break the gaze.
“They said something-they had information from someone.”
Stefan looks visibly troubled. “What do they look like? We need to find them-”
“No need,” Klaus digs something out of his pockets and drops it on the coffee table. A gold-colored, small chain necklace clatters on the table, along with a blood-covered silver ring. “They wore too much jewelry.”
“You killed them before we could interrogate them?” Bonnie stands, glaring at him. “You really are foolish sometimes, Klaus.”
The Original shrugs his shoulders and begins to walk out of the room. Something about his complacency annoys her and she considers using the bond consciously. “It’s their possessions, I’m sure you could get something from it.”
Stefan and Bonnie share an annoyed look before she tends to Tyler once more.
--
There is a dreadful silence that comes over the house the next day. No one really talks and it’s uncomfortable.
Bonnie changes the sheets of the bed, her blood soaking the cloth. She throws it away in the dumpster down the street, near the children’s park. Something tells her Stefan would be uncomfortable with them around the house until the garbage man comes.
Tyler locks himself in his room, away from their questions and Bonnie figures she’s on her own in finding any more information. He’s angry with himself, she knows. He might have been out hunting when they attacked. And he was used to lure Klaus. Perhaps Tyler feels weaker than used. Or maybe both. Bonnie knows the feeling, though.
As if knowing the start of the day would be uneasy, Stefan says he’s going to Damon with the news of what happened. Their relationship is on slightly better terms and Stefan feels the need to consult his big brother in these things. Bonnie thinks Damon might mention it in the dreams and she wrinkles her nose at that.
Once again, Klaus disappears and she can only assume he’s doing his own investigating. Or maybe he’s simply pretending nothing has happened, as if he isn’t being hunted or threatened again. Bonnie wonders what is really happening with him-he’s quiet and withholds his usual snarky comments since the bond.
That’s another thing-the bond. Why was Bonnie able to feel it? Or even Klaus? Tyler shouldn’t have been a part of the bond at all at this point. Perhaps the bond is confused?
Bonnie decides that Abby might know what to do.
--
She calls Abby in the afternoon and stays in the kitchen, their favorite spot. Beginning to prepare tea, Bonnie waits for the water to boil. She sees something move in the corner of her eye and glances up to see Tyler.
His shoulders fall in some defeat and his eyes are dimmed with tiredness. He just seems drained overall. Bonnie thins her lips and waits for him to look at her in the eye. When he does, Tyler appears to attempt a smile but it comes off as more as a grimace.
“I’m a little hungry,” he explains, voice low.
Bonnie nods and watches as he opens the fridge. “Can we talk about it?”
“I don’t really want to, Bonnie.”
She sighs and looks away, crossing her arms. Fine. She won’t push him. But she’ll need some sort of information as to what was going through his mind during the attack. Something happened that caused all three of them to experience the same pain.
Tyler releases a breath and closes the fridge, leaning against the island counter. “It’s hard to explain, Bonnie,” he says, rubbing his eyes. “While they were using their powers-doing all these weird spells. My head hurt, I couldn’t see. I felt like my skin was being peeled off.” Tyler sighs and bows his head a little. “All I could think about was getting away and back to you.”
“Me?” the question slips before she can catch it. And he’s suddenly staring at her intensely, eyes boring into hers. Tyler’s dead serious and Bonnie can’t help but wonder why. Why not Matt? Or Caroline? Or even his mother? Her heart pounds loud in her chest and she recalls the time when Klaus told her Tyler had grown attached to her.
He steps closer and she eyes him warily. “Yeah…you.” He doesn’t remove his gaze from her and she shifts her weight. There’s a moment when she wishes she could reach out, assure him he doesn’t need to feel this burden. But it almost feels out of place and she doesn’t say anything. “I guess I wanted you to rescue me.”
Something cracks through her mask and Bonnie desperately tries to cover it up, turning around and tucking some hair behind her ear. She only wishes she could have. Shutting her eyes tightly, Bonnie wills the sudden heaviness away. Guilt is for innocent humans. People like her don’t have to feel that. She’s different. Bonnie grits her teeth.
But Tyler’s arms loop around her waist and his body is pressed against hers and she leans into him, banishing the thoughts away. He kisses her neck, lingering his lips there.
“I’ve never blamed you for anything, Bonnie,” he murmurs against her skin.
That’s never really stopped her from feeling like she should be blamed anyway.
--
Abby is worried more than Bonnie is. Bonnie pulls her curls into a pony tail and feels her skin flush with annoyance.
“If they’re coming for you, Bonnie…”
“They’re trying to kill the Originals,” Bonnie corrects her mother. Her mind briefly visits Klaus. He told her he’s already explained the situation to his siblings, who said they’d be careful but they aren’t taking it seriously enough. “And they’re stupid because that would kill off all the vampires. And some witches depend on them.”
“What if their initiative was just to scare Klaus?” Abby suggests. Bonnie cocks her head to the side. “What if they were testing him?”
“It doesn’t matter now because they are dead,” Bonnie pauses. “Unless…”
“They were pawns,” a voice says in the doorway and they turn to see Stefan. Abby looks somewhat disturbed by him cutting in. “They have to be pawns. The attack was only inflicting injury to draw out Klaus. When he got there, he took care of them.”
Bonnie nods in thought and crosses her arms. “Then we have to keep both Klaus and Tyler close. If anything happens to either one of them-”
“It won’t,” Stefan states and it’s like it’s been set in stone. Bonnie knows what he means. He won’t let it happen. And the protectiveness seeps from those two words. Her heart stops for one moment. She’s sure he noticed but he doesn’t show it.
“It won’t,” Bonnie repeats, affirming his statement.
Abby shifts and their attention is on her. She looks at her daughter and asks, “You said something about jewelry. Could I have a look at it?”
Bonnie nods, walking to her desk and pulling out a drawer. She hands the jewelry to her mother. “I couldn’t get much a read off it besides their deaths.”
“All right,” Abby pauses. “May I keep them for a day? I want to study them.”
It’s just jewelry, Bonnie wants to say but nods anyway. They’ve proven useless to her now. Abby turns to leave but her eyes search Bonnie’s for something. “We’ll be careful. Don’t worry.”
Abby nods mutely and leaves.
--
They had been talking about the bond over the phone. Abby states that maybe the spell had been done incorrectly, due to Bonnie having to do last minute. Bonnie understands that but at the same time she thinks something else is going on.
--
Caroline is over when she hears about it and she nearly crushes Bonnie with a hug. When she finally releases her, Caroline inspects her body for injuries frantically.
“It’s okay, Caroline! I’m fine, it’s over now,” she smiles at her friend’s attempts.
The blonde huffs and shakes her head. “I’m sorry, Bonnie. I’m just worried. How’s Tyler?”
Bonnie sighs out, “Maybe you should ask him yourself.”
Caroline’s eyes glint with hesitance but Bonnie watches as the vampire goes up the stairs to find the hybrid.
--
Stefan’s fingers drum on her desktop, staring out the window in thought. She’s been thumbing through pages of Emily’s grimoire. There have apparently been cases of witch versus witch but not enough for Bonnie to gather much of an upper hand. If these witches train and grow together, she doesn’t have much of a chance. She’s alone in this. When the drumming sound gets to her, she snaps her head in his direction, offering a glare when he glances at her.
He mumbles a sorry. Bonnie sighs and leans back on her bed. He’s grown both determined and depressed at the same time. Away from Elena, he has lost something important. And with Bonnie, he has found at least some purpose. He’s allowed to delve into darkness but with Elena there was a freedom to love. And Bonnie wonders what would be the best of both worlds for him. Is there an easy way for Stefan? For her? For Elena?
“We have to talk about who sent the witches.”
“No, Stefan, we don’t have to,” Bonnie answers softly.
--
“You love Elena, don’t you?”
Bonnie’s eyes flicker upwards to Klaus. She frowns at his question. He hardly says a word nowadays and she contributes that to the bond. However, Bonnie must have unconsciously permitted him to speak and she lets it stay the way. There’s not harm in his words for now.
They’re in the garden and she’s picking some calendulas and a variation of marigolds for the inside. Stefan likes the smell and she figures she’ll let them rest in the living room. Klaus hardly comes out of his den anymore and she’s a little surprised he’s outside with her. His relaxed shoulders and hands inside his pant pockets seem to say he’s comfortable. Bonnie’s mind goes to a time when he used to meet her in her garden, just a small touch to let her know he still exists.
“Of course I do,” Bonnie says offhandedly, throwing some marigolds to the side, near his feet. “Why?”
Klaus doesn’t answer right away and she can’t feel much from the bond. She would have panicked for a moment if she hadn’t been focusing for awhile now how to detect between her own feelings and the connection.
“Does she love you?”
A pause. Bonnie arches a brow and gives him another look before turning back to the flowers. “Yes.”
“You hesitated,” he says in a monotone but she hears the small bit of ridicule.
“I’m not Elena, I wouldn’t know how she feels,” Bonnie points out, not wishing to discuss Elena anymore. The topic of the doppelganger has only proved to be disheartening and Bonnie’s done with feeling discouraged. “Are you going to help?”
She watches as Klaus’ eyes fall upon the small patch of vervain near the marigolds and she rolls her eyes. Klaus shrugs and crouches beside her anyway and she stares at him questionably. He reaches and gathers the flowers she has so far and examines them. Their eyes meet and Bonnie feels a significant pull on the bond.
“You may want to cut ties with Elena, love,” Klaus advises casually.
Bonnie scoffs and turns back to what she’s doing. “Easy for you to say-the vampire who destroys lives without even blinking.”
“I only say this as a mere suggestion,” he returns. “You know yourself she is dealing with things that will only turn against you.”
Bonnie drops the clippers and flowers in her hands and snaps her gaze to him, glaring. “And why would you care? My well being shouldn’t matter to you.”
Klaus doesn’t answer but she feels a tug and she knows he wants to say something but won’t. Bonnie wishes he would but doesn’t compel him. This conversation is getting old anyway. Though Klaus does not leave and she wonders if she should just give the order.
Before she can, his hand is upon her wrist and she’s being pulled up to her feet gently. Bonnie blinks in some shock as he tilts his head to the side and studies her, eyes narrowing.
“Whatever has happened to me,” Klaus says, almost spitefully, “you have complete power over me. I may want it back but something else has happened. Elena may get in the way of you finding out what.”
“Ah, so it is all about you,” Bonnie replies with a laugh, “Again.”
“Do not be mistaken, love,” he tells her, stepping closer and she tenses a little. “This is about you as much as it is about me.”
He drops her wrist and turns to go. She purses her lips and returns to her flowers, ignoring the way her heart is pounding and how he can probably still hear it.
--
Lucy calls her the following day.
Everyone is out of the house and Bonnie’s a little grateful for some alone time. She’s on her bed, laying across it and a little disturbed how she can distinguish Stefan’s smell on the new sheets.
“I don’t know if you heard, but in the town over, there’s been a witch gathering,” Lucy sounds a little anxious and Bonnie tries to banish the sinking feeling in her stomach. “A few have invited me. I know you don’t dabble with other witches but I thought I’d see if you knew.”
“I didn’t…” Bonnie stands up and looks out her window. She nearly jumps as she spies someone walking in the backyard. It’s Damon and she sighs out.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she says quickly. “So…these witches…what do they want? Is it like a reunion or something?”
“No, these things don’t usually happen. And when they do happen, it’s because something is going on that will affect the rest of us,” Lucy explains. “The spirits haven’t said much. Have you heard anything?”
Bonnie’s eyes dim a little as she remembers the night she was cut off from the spirits. Even Emily seldom communicates with her. “No. I haven’t.”
“Okay,” Lucy sighs out, “Well, I’ll go to see what they want. Unless you want to go.”
“Something tells me I wouldn’t be wanted there,” Bonnie returns with some humor.
“You never know. If you’re talking about helping vampires, you know there are a hundred witches being controlled by them right now,” Lucy says in a low tone. “I was one of them.”
“I know…” Bonnie bites her lip and glances outside again. Damon’s on the swing, no doubt. Is that all he wants to do here? “Just tell me what happens, okay?”
“All right,” Lucy sounds disappointed. But that changes. “Oh, I forgot to tell you: I found another cousin of ours.”
“Really? Who?”
“He isn’t much of a talker but he’s great with defense spells. His name’s Jacob. I’ll introduce you two when I can.” There’s a pause. “Gotta go. There’s someone at the door.”
“Okay. Bye.”
--
It should make her feel better that vampires are using other witches. But it doesn’t. If anything, it only offers more bitterness for Bonnie.
And she feels alone because she had loved someone who had used her the most.
--
a.n.
--
omg, this story is finally picking up a speed (lol). anyhow, thanks for reading thus far! ♥