Liaison [Sequel to Captured Hearts]

VI

 Last Summer;

  "How do you find this so interesting?" 
  "Don't question me. Keep going."
Bonnie sighed, but she shook her hands out once again. She wasn't one to satisfy the wants of vampires, but tonight was an exception. She looked away from the man sitting opposite her on the old, wooden park bench, and focused on the pile of wet leaves that they had collected together. Bonnie could openly admit that she had wanted to tear him apart when she finally figured out that the vampire that she had run into at the library was none other than Kol Mikaelson, but she was having a harder time trying to admit that she actually enjoyed his company. The park was empty, and dark, and Bonnie shivered occasionally at the cool gusts of wind. If Kol took notice of it, he didn't bother to offer her his jacket. Although, why would he?
  "Is anyone around?" Bonnie asked, and she glanced up quickly as her hands hovered above the pile of green leaves. 
  Kol didn't even bother to look. "If anyone sees, I'll kill them."
  "Nice," she said cynically, but let out a breath and stretched out her fingers. There was nothing to it anymore; sometimes, she didn't even have to focus. She felt the magic course through her veins; bubbling, bouncing, and spreading throughout her body. The leaves lifted from the wood, one by one at first, until the rest of them followed all at the same time. Kol reached forwards, and he jabbed at the leaves with his forefinger. They budged, but they never fell; even when Bonnie dropped her hands.
  "It's not that fascinating," Bonnie said, but Kol was completely focused on the floating flora. "It's pretty simple magic, actually."
  "It's magic, nevertheless."
  "Why are you so interested in it?" 
  "I like witches," Kol stated, and he looked away from the leaves so he could fix his gaze on the Bennett Witch. "There's something about them that catches my attention."
  "Oh. So you're hanging out with me because my blood smells sweeter or something?" 
  "That's true," Kol grinned, and Bonnie rolled her eyes. "But I have always preferred the company of witches over any other species. It's always been that way." 
  "Is it because of your mother?" 
Kol's eyes narrowed, and it was then that Bonnie realized that he wasn't just any ordinary vampire. He was Kol Mikaelson; ruthless, evil. An Original Vampire. Her heartbeat picked up, and the leaves in front of her dropped back down onto the wooden table. 
  "I haven't killed you yet, Little Witch," Kol snapped. "But ask anymore questions like that, and I won't spare your life again."
 "You have mummy issues; I get it. So do I."
  "Mind your tongue before I tear it from your skull."
  "You're worse than Klaus."
  "Don't test me, witch. I am far worse than my brother."
  "No," Bonnie shook her head, and that got her a blank look from Kol. "You're not worse than him because I'm still alive. Klaus would have killed me the minute he saw me in that library. You knew who I was, and yet, you spared my life."
  "I was feeling gracious." 
  "Right," Bonnie rolled her eyes, and she looked back down at the messy collection of leaves. She could feel his eyes watching her, but she refused to buckle under his glare. "If you say so."

 

Present Day;

She woke up in cold sweat; jerking upright in her bed.
  "Bonnie? Bonnie!" Rudy hovered over her, pressing a cool hand to her head. She tried slapping his arm away, but he refused to move. "You're burning up."
  "I'm fine!" Bonnie snapped, and she felt a sharp pain in her temples. She struggled to pull herself up into a sitting position, and her dad refused to leave her side, as if he were afraid that she would collapse at any moment. He had moved his hand though, and for now, that was enough for Bonnie. She looked up at Rudy, squinting from the sudden brightness of the room, and swallowed a lump in her throat that tasted like metal.
  "You're not fine, Bonnie," Rudy ran a hand over his balding head, and he let out a heavy sigh. "Maybe I should call your mother."
  "I would rather kill myself."
  "That could be arranged."
Bonnie sighed, and she sunk back into her bed; pulling her sheets over her chin.
  "Caroline," the witch breathed. 
  "What the Hell, Bonnie?" Caroline exclaimed, and Rudy took that as his cue to leave. For once, Bonnie wished that he had stayed with her. "Kol Mikaelson, really?"
  "I'm not in the mood for this," Bonnie sighed, and she climbed out of the bed. Her ankles cracked as her toes touch the floor, and she winced slightly.
  “Too bad!”
  “Can’t we talk about this later? My head is –”
  “Then take some aspirin, Bonnie!” Caroline was blocking the door now, and Bonnie couldn’t help the glare she gave her friend. If it fazed Caroline at all, she didn’t show it. “A headache is the least of your problems right now.”
  “You don’t know how bad it is,” Bonnie said through gritted teeth, and she rubbed at her temples. She felt cold and sick and clammy, and each time she blinked; she could make out images on her eyelids. The pictures moved like a blur, and they all seemed like puzzle pieces. Bonnie couldn’t decipher which image came first, and which one went next. It was like a smear of colour, and Bonnie had to put it back in place. “I don’t need a lecture. I already know how you feel about Kol, alright?”
  “Then why are you seeing him? I don’t know what’s going on inside that head of yours, but he’s an original, Bonnie. He’s – He’s Kol!”
  “Can I confess something?” Bonnie blurted, and she turned to face Caroline. She stood up confidently, and she refused to falter beneath the vampire’s glare. “Yeah, I hung around with Kol, and I had no idea who he was. Yeah, I let him take me to New Orleans, and yeah. I enjoyed it. I don’t know why he likes me, Caroline, but he does. And I might even like him.”
  “He’s a Mikaelson, Bonnie.”
  “Don’t play that card. Matt and Rebekah have had a thing, and don’t even get me started on you and Klaus. You’re mad because I left town to spend time with him.”
  “That’s not true.”
  “Then why aren’t you pestering Elena about Damon? He’s killed so many people that we’ve all lost count.”
  “You know I don’t like him!”
  “But you don’t show up at Elena’s house and tell her that what she is choosing wrong every day!” Bonnie snapped, and she had to take a deliberate breath to calm herself down. “I died, Caroline. The Mikaelson’s were the only people that knew about it, and Kol fought to bring me back. If that’s not enough to prove to you that they’re not complete monsters, than I misjudged you all this time.”
  “Died?” Caroline stumbled over the word, but Bonnie was already walking towards the door. She shoved past the vampire and carelessly nudged open the bedroom door. “Bonnie, wait!
  “Surprise!” 
  The sudden screams almost gave Bonnie a heart attack, and she froze at the open doorway. The house was decorated with streamers and balloons and there could have been at least a dozen or more friends from school standing outside her bedroom door. They were wearing bright party hats, and some of them even held onto bottles of vodka or what Bonnie thought was beer. Bonnie suddenly felt the flush high in her cheeks, and her eyes immediately landed on Elena Gilbert. She was wearing a pink party hat, and beside her, Tyler and Matt had decided to add two hats to the sides of their heads, and one at the top. Elena’s eyes were wide, and she closed her mouth to stop herself from gaping. Bonnie didn’t even need to look down at herself. She was wearing pyjamas, that probably weren’t exactly mature looking, and she was rocking massive bedhead.
  “Oh,” Bonnie breathed, and she heard someone cough from in the background.
  “Pyjama party?” Tyler shouted loudly. He sounded outraged, and it t was obvious to her then that he was trying to make best of the situation. “Why didn’t I get the memo?”
  “Happy eighteenth birthday, Bonnie,” Caroline muttered beside Bonnie. The way she spoke was dark, and cold, and it didn’t sound sincere at all.
  Caroline Forbes was officially pissed off.