Indebted
A suspicious deal that makes Bonnie indebted to Klaus (also Klaus being a annoying as hell about it).
"Your blood is the only thing that can heal a Vampire with Werewolf venom in their system," Klaus rolled the glass of scotch in his hand. His body was relaxed and expression composed after inviting the little witch to listen to her appeal. The lack of emotion on his face made it hard to decipher his true thoughts. Bonnie couldn't help but wring her hands in repetition. "I know you don't owe Elena or any of us, but I wouldn't have come to you if it wasn't important."
Klaus made an unimpressed sound and took a sip of his beverage. He spread his arms along the sofa's length, and a faint arch stretched his lips. His eyes slowly moved along Bonnie's new appearance. Klaus found that her curled hairstyle flattered her features more than the previous one. Kissing the back of his teeth, he wondered, "I thought you wouldn't put yourself at risk for your little friends anymore." Klaus sized Bonnie up and down with mock condescension before his trademark smirk set over his lips. "Yet, here you are saving Elena yet again."
"Just because I set my boundaries in not being the fix-it witch anymore doesn't mean I'm going to let my friends die." Bonnie replied with the same cutting wit, "I know you have trouble understanding the concept of real friendship, but Elena would do the same for me."
Hiding his amusement, Klaus snarkily commented, "oh, I'm sure your best friend in the world would gladly give her life. She's done so for my ritual. The Salvatore brothers, however, would be less inclined to allow it, I reckon. If they had to choose between you and their precious Elena, who do you think means more to them?" Klaus his tone was bragging, full of bluster. He had the face of someone who knew all the gossip and secrets in town. Bonnie would be more surprised if Klaus didn't make it his business to know simply to be petty, no matter how menial.
Bonnie squeezed her hands before sighing. "You're the only one that can heal her, Klaus." He still didn't budge like he was waiting for something. Bonnie added for good measure, hoping it would thaw the Original's cold, vindictive heart, "Elena is Caroline's best friend too." The edge of Klaus's mouth twitched and fell. His glassy stare narrowed, visibly displeased by her remark. It was too subtle a response, and Bonnie couldn't quite place the emotions. However, she relaxed her hands and tapped her fingers together.
"Well, I don't see Caroline anywhere," Klaus noted, looking around the room blankly, proving his point. He set his glass on the table between them and leaned forward, "instead, you, Bonnie, came here rather than her or Damon or Stefan. The only reason you're truly back in Mystic Falls is to learn more about your family lineage." Klaus watched Bonnie lower her head and study him, lips pressed flat, and openly expressed her annoyance. Kissing the back of his teeth, amused, Klaus leaned back into the sofa. "If I'm going to do this good deed, I want something in return."
Bonnie's viridian eyes darted back to his face, hesitating, but it wasn't as if she expected otherwise. Feeling flustered by her less-than-ideal circumstances, the tenseness in Bonnie's stomach clamped together. Pulling back in her seat slightly, she opened her mouth to argue, then stopped and sighed, conceding. "Fine," she scowled at the failed grin Klaus tried to contain and said, "but I'm not doing anything that will put anyone in danger. No magic."
Elated, Klaus ran his tongue along the inside of his lower lip before adding in a silky soft manner, "it's nothing too excessive or unreasonable, love. I simply want to reserve some of your time to discuss something that will benefit the both of us."
♧
The tension left Stefan's body when he witnessed Elena sinking her teeth into Klaus's wrist and greedily gulping down his blood. The latter willingly fed her, which Stefan distrustfully pushed to the back of his mind. After discovering Elena ingested werewolf venom at Rebecca's party, he called Klaus. The hybrid didn't pick up. Stefan left several voicemails and called the others. However, he couldn't reach Caroline or Tyler. Damon wasn't picking up either. Even Jeremy went off the grid. The last person on his list was Bonnie. Luckily, she was in Mystic Falls and staying at her dad's. Stefan knew Bonnie wanted nothing to do with him or Damon. Stefan texted her regardless. It was an emergency; this was about Elena's life. If Bonnie wouldn't do this for him, then at least for her best friend. So imagine Stefan's surprise when Bonnie walked in tow with Klaus on her heels.
Klaus ignored Stefan when he entered and went straight to check on Elena. He stood by the bedside and gave her a scrutinizing look. Stefan couldn't help but shift on his feet, casting a veiled glance at Bonnie. He was worried about Klaus's atypical behavior. He was neither demanding nor snarky with his comments that, like it or not, if they did kill Klaus, there would be no way to deal with werewolf venom. Leaving out the sire bond, they needed Klaus, a bitter pill to swallow. However, Stefan caught the calculated and predatory glint in the Hybrid's eyes, amplified by the secretive smirk on his face.
Klaus was plotting.
When she arrived, Bonnie didn't acknowledge Stefan and stared at her best friend-turned-vampire with a puckered forehead. No one deserved this fate, and an overall weighted feeling set in her chest. Bonnie thought of what Lucy would say once she found out about asking Klaus Mikaelson for a favor. "Way to stay out of vampire business, Bon. You're barely back in Mystic Falls and already fixing things. Lucy is going to chew on my head for this." Bonnie drew a deep breath through her nose, but it didn't do much to lessen her apprehension that she agreed to Klaus's favor.
"Thank you for this, Bonnie," Stefan said after carefully watching the shorter witch. She'd been staring at Elena with concern. Stefan picked out the fine distinctions in her stiff expression, the clamping of her hands on top of each crossed arm and rigid body. When he voiced his gratitude, Bonnie looked at him before quickly looking back at Elena and raising her chin, showing her alertness.
"I didn't do this for you," Bonnie responded calmly. There was no malice or hatred in her voice, but Stefan knew her words, once again, set a line between them as individuals and maybe even species. Except for those she cared for, like her mother, Caroline, and Elena.
"I know," Stefan acknowledged and looked forward again. "But, I'm still thanking you, even if you didn't." Elena's reddened, swollen veins faded when she unhooked her fangs from Klaus's wrist. Stefan glanced at the ancient vampire, silently inspecting Elena like an examiner, before nodding, satisfied to that effect. Klaus was plotting, and Stefan would find out what it was.
After coming down from her delirium, Elena looked confused at the blur coming into focus. When she saw her savior, she almost jumped from the bed and searched the room for Stefan. Her relief was brief and became joy when she smiled excitedly at the person in the room and nearly cried, "Bonnie!"
"Hi Elena, how are you feeling?" Bonnie smiled genuinely. The first emotion didn't make her feel like she needed to keep her guard up, even if she was still wary.
"All... better, uh, actually," Elena was hesitant to feel relieved, though, and cast a glance at the source of her unease, then away. Klaus was present, arms behind his back and gazing down at her with that familiar shrewd curiosity. Elena looked at Stefan, and Bonnie pushed herself halfway up and wiped the sweat from her flushed skin.
"Well, it seems my work here is done." Klaus turned away from Elena to watch Bonnie expectantly before commenting, "come along, love. We have much to discuss."
"What?" Elena suddenly perked up in her position, and even Stefan took a moment for the words to register. The couple looked at Bonnie, who glowered at a smiling Klaus in silent accusation. Elena hesitantly opened her mouth, asking nervously, "Bonnie, what's Klaus talking about?"
Clearing her throat, Bonnie brought her arms over her chest. The desire to flee sounded better than explaining she owed Klaus. Bonnie didn't want to worry her or mess things up. Besides, Klaus wouldn't hurt her, of that she was sure. "It's fine, Elena."
"You saying that makes me worry more." Elena jerked her head in Klaus's direction and glowered at the Hybrid. He pointedly ignored her and saw how he stared at her best friend. "I swear if you hurt Bonnie-"
"You'll what, Elena?" Klaus raised a brow and offered her a questioning gaze. "I saved your life because your best friend knocked at my door with the request to do so. If I were you, I would be more grateful for the mercy offered. If you all managed to rid the world of me, what do you think would have happened, hm? Let's play that game for a moment." Klaus pointedly glanced in Stefan's direction and called attention to why they would always need him. Their lives were literally bound together.
"Listen, Klaus, whatever you want from me, leave Elena-"
"I don't want anything from you. Your lover is cured, and I have what I need." Klaus's glower sharpened as he sized Stefan up and down indifferently. Whatever friendship they once had in the past was strained. Turning on his feet, Klaus focused on the witch and gestured towards the door. "Bonnie."
♧
"What happened to you leaving Mystic Falls for good?" Bonnie asked as she and Klaus left the Salvatore house. With Elena healed, the dread nestling in her gut intensified. She wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. There were more important things than being around Klaus and doing illogical favors. Bonnie wanted to go through the Mystic Falls archives to see if she could discover more about her ancestry. So far, the longest line her family could trace back was Ayana, who arrived in the New World 1000 years ago. Everything in between that, where Ayana could've migrated, was a mystery. They only had records of the Bennetts in Salem before their return to Mystic Falls in 1692.
"I was halfway to Chicago when dear friend Tyler was attacked. I'm sure you've heard. Carol Lockwood called me for protection." Klaus answered. "Duty called."
Bonnie snorted. It was no secret that Klaus hated Tyler with a passion and rather kill him after he broke his sire bond. "Or, you're protecting a valuable asset. You can't use her blood to create hybrids now that Elena is a vampire, so they're pretty scarce." When Klaus stopped midstride, Bonnie almost hit him, and she quickly took a few steps back when he turned around to look at her. Meeting his striking blue eyes with a flinty gaze, Bonnie balled both hands at her sides and pushed her chest out. Klaus's eyes swept back and forth, her face undeterred by her bravado. "What?" Bonnie sharply demanded, her lips flattening as her wariness increased tenfold and a tingle at the base of her fingers heated at Klaus' proximity.
"How much have you uncovered about your lineage?" Klaus asked. Unworried by Bonnie's focused antipathy. When he saw the crease between her brows deepen, Klaus pulled down the urge to rub his thumb between the knitted space and tell her to stop pouting. "When the descendants of one of the oldest bloodlines of the Supernatural community are asking around, it draws the attention, love." Klaus flashed Bonnie a secretive grin.
"Why do you care?" Bonnie carefully asked, keeping the voice in the back of her head at bay as it screamed at her not to trust Klaus or fall for his tricks.
"Well, given that I knew Ayana and grew up with her and her children, I wondered how long it would take you to come to me for answers. I have the resources and vast knowledge. "
"You're not helping out of the goodness of your heart, Klaus. So I think we'll do things the old-fashioned way. Besides, my mom and cousin have connections in the Witch community, and witches always help their own over the Original Hybrid." It was Bonnie's turn to reveal a sugary sweet smile.
"But you're beholden to me for saving Elena. As I said, I only want some of your time Bonnie." The way Klaus said it didn't alleviate Bonnie's worries, let alone the voice of reason warning her not to follow Klaus by herself. "It'll be worth both our time. Have you heard of the Brotherhood of the Five?"
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