The Hell Out of Dodge, Part 1 A/N: Please comment and let me know what you think! Bonnie drove as fast as her car would take her. She trudged through the rain, through the mass of people, straight to the bar, collapsing on a bar stool beside a tall man. She couldn't make out much of his features. Her eyes were still blurry from the tears. "You look like you've had a rough night," the man beside her commented. He looked as if he were numb to the world; as if nothing was shocking anymore, nothing was exciting, "What's your excuse?" he asked, still staring at her from over his broad shoulder. Bonnie thought carefully, considering her words cautiously, before speaking, "My mother, she's um, she's very sick. We don't know if she'll make it." It was true for the most part, she thought to herself. Her mother had had her neck snapped. And she was in transition and most new vampires in Mystic Falls barely made it over a month without being daggered, "What's your excuse?" she asked back, as the man took a deep breath and considered his words. She contemplated taking a look at his mind herself, with a bit of magick, but then quickly shot down that idea. That was just wrong at many, many levels. "My family crumbled. Mum and Dad died and us children sort of went our separate ways. And my way just happened to lead me to The Mystic Grill." He chuckled without humor, accepting another round from the bartender. Suddenly a chill went up Bonnie's spine and she realized how freezing she had become. She was literally shaking on her barstool. She had been drenched due to the hike from the parking lot. Rain water dripped down her face and ruined her clothing, "Oh, my apologies," he quickly stood, removing his jacket and placing it around her shoulders, "Better?" She nodded dramatically and managed to crack her best attempt at a smile, "Better."After making small talk and pounding back drinks for a good hour and a half, Bonnie finally managed to put her glass down and face the tall, oddly polite, and very not-drunk man who still sat beside her, "How the hell are you not drunk? You've had triple what I've had." Bonnie cackled, over the blare of the suddenly raging music that was being pumped through speakers. The man couldn't help but chuckle as she collapsed from the barstool and into his chest, where he caught her nonchalantly and righted her again, "Well, I've got a rather high tolerance. You on the other hand, seem to be a bit too drunk." Before he even gave himself time to think, he asked, "Where do you live? I'll drive you home." "Dad taught me never to get into cars with strangers." She laughed at a joke that was clearly only funny to her, "Of course, if you weren't a stranger…" it wasn't until that very second that he realized how close her lips were to his. "On a normal day, I would definitely take you up on that," he chuckled, sliding back a few inches to keep space between them, "but seeing how as this is by no means a normal day, I could settle for your name." "Bonnie Bennett." "Kol Michaelson." They stood there in silence for a mere second, letting this new information sink in, before Kol started nudging her toward the door once more, "Let's get you home." Once they were on the front step of the Mystic Grill, "Give me your keys." He commanded, outstretching his hand, secretly praying that observing all of what Rebekah had taught him about driving would pay "Why should I give you my keys? I am perfectly capable of driving myself hdome." "I beg to differ," Kol chuckled, watching her wobble aimlessly down the steps and very nearly directly into oncoming traffic, had it not been for him yanking her out of the way at the last moment, "Bonnie, give me your keys. Let me drive you home." He commanded, staring her straight in the eye. Bonnie's eyes did not dilate. She couldn't even tell that he was trying to compel her. Chances are, she was so completely wasted she couldn't even tell she was talking to a vampire in her current state. "Fine." She barked, yanking the keys out of her purse and tossing them to Kol. He opened the door for her and made sure she was buckled in tightly before taking his place his front of the driver's seat and adjusting the seat belt. They took the short ride in silence. When they finally arrived back at Bonnie's humble abode, Kol carried her threw the front door. After a short pause in the doorway, Bonnie complained, "What are you waiting for? Go on in." He was careful to keep her out of the sight of any parents who may have been lurking, "This is me." She whispered, pointing to the room that was practically a giant explosion of purple and black. Kol quickly took care of Bonnie, placing her on her own bed and helping her out of her shoes, before retreating to the window, "Wait," she called, managing to grab hold of the cusp of his sleeve to stop him, "I know I don't know you, but- would you mind staying? Just until I fall asleep. It's been a rough week and I don't like being alone." Considering for a long moment, he nodded and took a seat on the purple futon that was placed at the edge of the bed, "Believe me, I think you know me far better than you think you do." "Really, how do you mean?" Bonnie asked, as she began to doze off. "Well, for one thing you could say that my family and yours have had a lasting feud for years, Bonnie Bennett. And that feud is the reason I am leaving this town. There is nothing here for me anymore." "So, if there isn't anything for you in Mystic Falls anymore, where do you plan on going? Living with a relative; you don't look that old. Are you going to go live with your grandparents?" "No, I have ways of my own. I suppose I'll travel the world a bit. Get a feel for what I've been missing out on." "I know exactly what you mean," Bonnie murmured, trying to bury herself as far under her covers as possible, "You want to get as far away from this town as possible. Get the hell out of dodge before the small-town mentality does its number on you." "I suppose you could say that." Kol knew he had already said to much, and after that, he settled for watching her slowly drift off into sleep and after he was sure that she was out completely, he cracked the window and made his escape. Bonnie awoke the next morning to a blinding headache and Elena at her bedside, "You were sleeping like the dead," Elena quipped, "How long do you think it'll take you to be ready?" "Ready, ready for what?" Bonnie asked in confusion, trying to sit up, but being knocked back down by the force of the pounding in her skull. "We promised Caroline we'd go see that movie. The Vow, or something like that. Yeah, it looks totally hokey, but I think she's officially reserved the right to choose this week, seeing as the most powerful vampire in the history of time just confessed to 'fancying' her." "Alright," she groaned, rolling out of bed, and wobbling over to her closet, "What time are we meeting her?" "Twenty minutes ago." Elena laughed, "So, I suggest we hurry." Bonnie flew around the room, collecting any and all things that she may have needed to survive the day, including a load of Aspirin, "By the way, this was laying on your step when I came in." Elena handed a small, velvet box over to Bonnie. She cranked open the small box and found a bracelet, nearly identical to the one that Caroline had taken to wearing; only instead of diamonds, it displayed hundreds of tiny sapphires. Below the beautiful trinket, there was a note: Bonnie, We all have a choice. If you mean what you say, about small-town mentality, meet me on Wickery Bridge when the#moonis full, and we'll get the hell out of dodge. -Kol "Did it say who it's from?" Elena asked, admiring the large piece of jewelry, "It's pretty." She added, as Bonnie fastened the piece around her wrist. Suddenly, realization hit her like a ton of bricks, "Elena, how many Originals are there in Mystic Falls?" "Well, there's Klaus, Rebekah, and Elijah, and then there were two others, but I can't-" "Kol Michaelson!" Bonnie shrieked, dropping the note to the floor, "Oh my God." "What is it, Bonnie?" Elena asked, collecting the small letter off of the floor, and giving it a once over, "What are you going to do?" Elena asked worriedly, "Where did you even meet him to begin with?" "I met him at the Grill, last night, when I went out for a drink." And so commenced the helpless rambling, "I can't believe I couldn't put two and two together. Of course he's getting out of dodge. The only people who hold the key to killing Original Vampires live in this town. And how the hell-"another thought hit her hit her and her eyes grew dark, "Elena, I invited him in." "I invited him into my house. I got really drunk at the Grill and he drove me home, and I invited him in." Elena's eyes grew huge, "Oh, my God; you didn't sleep with him, did you?" "No!" Bonnie almost laughed at the thought. Drunkenly sleeping with an Original Vampire. It seemed like something she would've done a few years back, when she was young, and naïve, and ignorant to all of the goings on of the supernatural world around her, "He just carried me in, and talked with me while I fell asleep." "And you never had the slightest clue that this was the guy that spear-headed an attempt to kill Matt? For God's sake Bonnie; Damon snapped his neck AND daggered him, and you really couldn't put two and two together on this one?" Bonnie's eyes conveyed nothing but hurt at Elena's explosion, "I'm sorry. It's been a long week. I'm just a little worked up." "Yeah, I know how you feel. It must be hard to sit there and watch as me and Damon, Jeremy, Caroline, Ric- hell, even Elijah, work furiously to save your #life, day after day. It was my mother who was just turned into a vampire because of a stupid mistake you made, Elena. It just seems like anyone who comes within a ten mile radius of you ends up dead or hurting, and somehow, you always end up coming out squeaky clean." Bonnie threw her hands up in exasperation, "Tell Caroline that you all can go on without me. I'll talk to her later." Bonnie made her way to the door, grabbing her purse on the way out. "Where are you going?" Elena asked, following Bonnie down the stairs. "Getting the hell out of dodge." Bonnie murmured, slamming the door and taking off at a dead sprint down the street. Bonnie had been walking aimlessly for a good four hours flat when she decided that she was in need of some clothing that didn't involve the pajamas which she currently wore. After storming out of her own home she realized what she would be leaving behind. There was Abby. She was going to be a new vampire, confused, a bit skittish, with only Damon and Stefan Salvatore as her training wheels. Besides that, she thought, there really isn't a downside. And right she was. Bonnie carefully weighed her options. She could stay in Mystic Falls, put up with friends that only liked her because she possessed the magick that was needed to protect them all. If she stayed in Mystic Falls, she could protect her dead beat, vampire mother. She could continue dealing with Damon's suggestive comments. Then, if she left with this Original, there really wasn't any guarantee that he wouldn't do the exact same thing. He could be just as manipulative, maybe even torturous. After all, he was one of the most feared beasts of all time. Then again, if he had wanted to kill her, or kidnap her, wouldn't he have done it last night, when she was high off her nut. She probably would've even gone willingly last night. That was one of the things that made Bonnie trust Kol. He could've taken her when she was drunken and confused, tied her up in some dingy motel, had his way with her, and forced her to do whatever magick he needed done, but he didn't. Instead, he sent her a bracelet and a thoughtfully written note. She figured she'd give him the benefit of the doubt. Of course, she wouldn't be going without backup. Bonnie pulled out her phone and dialed a number that she knew all-to-well. The girl on the other end picked up on the first ring, "Oh, my God, Bonnie. You missed the best movie ever. You can still catch me and Elena if you wanna meet us at the Grill. Of course if you don't because of the whole fallout thing this morning-" "Good to hear your voice too, Caroline," Bonnie laughed. Unlike when Elena jumped down her throat that morning, she knew that Caroline wasn't doing it maliciously. It was just in her nature to be a little bit too chatty, "Listen, I'm not really in the mood to chat about Elena right now, but I need your help. When's the soonest you can meet me?" "I can be out of here in twenty minutes," her tone suddenly changed to that of concern, "Do you want to talk about this now, Bonnie?" "No, I can't take the risk of Elena overhearing this. I need you to meet me at Wickery Bridge as soon as possible." "I'll be right over." She finished, and Bonnie disconnected the line before any further questioning could take place. Realizing that she was further from her destination than she had expected, Bonnie had to book it all the way to the Bridge, where Caroline had already arrived, and was sitting her car; completely and utterly alone, "What is going on with you?" Caroline asked, as she slammed the door to her car shut, "I know your mother is in transition and that really sucks, but you really didn't act this strange when that Luka kid and Dr. Martin were conspiring against us. You didn't act like this when you figured out Jeremy was seeing the ghosts of his ex girlfriends. Something else is going on and I really wish you'd tell me-" I silenced her, by holding up my wrist, displaying the sapphire bracelet I had been wearing since the early morning, and she suddenly understood, looking down to her own wrist, which displayed an incredibly similar trinket, "How…?" "I met Kol Michaelson-" "Klaus's brother?" Caroline asked, her eyes going huge. "Yes, Klaus's brother. I met him at the Grill last night, and I found this on my doorstep this morning, with this note attached to it," I handed her the note, and her blond pin curls fell into her face, as she bent to read it. "What are you going to do?" she asked, reading the note over several times for good measure, "Do you want to leave Mystic Falls?" "Of course I want to leave Mystic Falls. I've never wanted anything more than to get away from all of this, but with an Original…" "You don't know if you can trust him." Caroline concluded. "Exactly. Which is where you come in. That is, if you'd be willing to help me. I know that I'm asking a lot, so just say the word, and I'll leave you alone." "Bonnie," Caroline almost scolded, taking the shorter girl by her shoulders, smiling an apologetic smile down at her, "You are one of my best friends. I would do anything for you. Just tell me what you need me to do." "I want you to watch from a few meters back. Just to make sure this isn't a setup. I need someone who will be there to help me, if he really is just going to try to kill me." "And why would he try to kill you? If he wanted to kill you, wouldn't he have done that last night. You know, when you were all drunk and vulnerable?" "Maybe he likes the thrill of the kill. Maybe he's more like Klaus than we think. Klaus would never go after someone when they were drunk. There's no fun in that. Maybe Kol is the same way." Bonnie ranted, the shock of her plans finally setting in. "Or maybe," Caroline finished, pulling Bonnie from her rant once more, "he really does fancy you. I mean, come on. You're smoking hot. You're a Bennett witch, arguably one of the most powerful people in the world. And besides, he's been locked in a coffin for nearly a thousand years. He's got to be pretty @#$%-" "Oh, Caroline!" Bonnie shrieked, subconsciously plugging her ears, "Okay, I don't want to hear about the @#$% Original. I just, need to know if you can do this for me." "Bonnie, of course I can. I would do anything for you." Caroline crooned, taking Bonnie in for a tight hug, "Right now, thought, we need to go shopping." She said, a devilish grin on her face. After a short drive to the mall, they got out and Caroline directed Bonnie to one of the trendier spots, before grabbing what seemed to be a random selection off of the racks and shoving Bonnie into a changing room. Only about five minutes after having locked the door, Bonnie called out, "There is no way I'm wearing this, Caroline." "Don't be ridiculous. Come out. Let me see you!" Caroline called, excitedly. When Bonnie peeked out from behind the door, before clearing the doorway completely to show the outfit off to her friend. She looked like something from a magazine. She wore corduroy shorts that came up waist high with a white tank top with a gray knee-length cardigan and black high tops. Caroline almost cringed. Bonnie shook her head, nearly laughing, as she added, "I feel like a hooker." "Yeah, not even a high end hooker," Caroline observed, and Bonnie's eyes flew open in disbelief, "Go try the other one on." She shooed. "Okay, this is better." Caroline chuckled, admiring Bonnie as she walked out in a tight, metallic, blue mini skirt and a black tank top, which matched well with the black high tops she still wore. "Yeah, now at least I look like a high end prostitute." Bonnie yelped. "Well, we've got about an hour before we need to make our way back to the bridge. Do you want to go get something to eat. Somehow, I have the feeling that the only thing Kol is going to have on his agenda is a whole lot of blood." "Yeah, I guess you're right. Wanna hit the Grill?" Bonnie had learned quickly that the main reason Caroline had wanted to 'hit the Grill' was to apply that massive amount of makeup. Bonnie could not remember a time when she had ever worn that much makeup before and she had to struggle to remind Caroline that however attractive Kol may have been, she was using him to get out of Mystic Falls, and that was where it would end. They would be allies; a means to an end. "But you have to admit, if he tried to seduce you, you'd take a snap at it." Caroline bargained and Bonnie merely shrugged, "Say what you may, but just remember. I am always right." Caroline giggle, waggling her brow. "Is it weird that I'm nervous?" Bonnie asked, washing her sweaty hands in the rusting sink for good measure. "Uh, not really," Caroline chuckled, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "You're about to walk in to what most people would consider certain death, and you seem to be as cool a cucumber. If anything, I'd say the way you're acting now is a bit strange." "I'm not even 'scared for my #life' nervous," Bonnie continued, as if Caroline had never spoken, "It's more like the first date jitters." She barreled on, raking her fingers through her hair. "Look," Caroline began, forcing her friend to stare her directly in the eye, "When you go with this guy, there's going to be a good chance that me, and Elena and Jeremy, and Matt- we're never going to see you again. It's just the nerves that come with leaving home. I've never felt it, but unfortunately, now it looks like I'll have to eventually." Caroline's eye suddenly flooded over in sorrow. Suddenly, she wasn't the one giving the pep talk, but she was in need of one. "Car, you could come with us." Bonnie began hopefully, as if the revelation just hit her, "We could leave Mystic Falls together." "You know I can't do that," Caroline almost laughed at the hope that Bonnie's tone eluded to, "If I were a different person, I would leave this town in a heartbeat, but I'm not. I'm not strong enough, or brave enough. I'm not you, Bonnie." Bonnie had to admit, through everything that had happened over the last couple of years, she and Caroline had definitely grown closer as friends. They used to only be friends because of Elena, but that sure as hell wasn't the case anymore. Bonnie knew that threw everything, Caroline was definitely the one that knew what she was going through. She knew what it was like to have a dead beat boyfriend and parents that were never around. She understood what it was like to take the backseat in the All-Elena-All-The-Time scenario. If anyone ever had an excuse to leave Mystic Falls, it was Caroline Forbes, but still, as always, she persevered and continued on. "I am really going to miss you, Car." Bonnie belted, bringing her newfound comrade in for a hug, "Take care of Abby for me?" "Always." After sharing a brief moment of sisterhood like the good ol' days, Caroline finally asked, "Are you ready to go? The moon's almost full. We should go now if we want to make it to Wickery Bridge on time." With that, the two girl made their way back into Caroline's car and back down the road to the bridge. When they arrived, a thinly built, yet masculine silhouette stood out, standing in the middle of the bridge. Bonnie looked over at Caroline, who unlocked the car door and gave her friend a nod of reassurance. Bonnie cranked open the door and took a step out, closing the door firmly behind her. 'No turning back now.' She told herself, but it wasn't as if she was going to leave the only opportunity that would ever come for her to leave Mystic Falls. She conjured up all of the bravery she could muster and marched in the direction of the man who was still only a silhouette. She had yet to see his face. She knew it was him by the sound of his voice though, once he finally spoke, "Hello, Love." He greeted in a way that seemed almost menacing, "Glad to see you've recovered since last night's escapade." "It's good to see you, too, Kol." She said in reply, watching his features finally come into view, "I got your bracelet." She said dumbly, "You really do know how to charm a girl." "Well, I must be doing something right," he chuckled, "You're here and that's what matters. Now we have to get a move on, before my brother discovers that I'm smuggling his Bennett witch." He threw an arm nonchalantly over Bonnie's shoulders, and she gave one fleeting look back in the direction of Caroline's car, as it slowly pulled away from the bridge and out onto the main road, destined for a home, to which Bonnie never planned to return. With that, the two fled into the woods. "So, where exactly are we going?" Bonnie asked, gaining herself a fair bit of nervousness after the glare of Caroline's head lights had abandoned her completely. She wasn't completely immune to the fact that Kol hadn't said a word since their arrival on the bridge nearly an hour prior. "Arlington." He answered, never letting his eyes waiver from the spot on the ground direictly in front of his feet. Bonnie suddenly felt the need to laugh, "Seriously; I thought you said we were getting out of dodge. And we're not even going to leave Virginia?" "All in good time. There is something that I wish to show you, though. In order to do so, we have to be there before the sun comes up, and we'll have to run, so you should probably hop on." Kol suggested, pausing for a second, crouching a fraction of an inch. "What? " Bonnie backed up a few paces, "You think I'm really just going to hop on. Hate to burst your bubble, but I barely trust you as it is. I'm not just going to get on your back!" "I was afraid you might say that." His emotions were impossible to read in the pitch black woods, but something had changed in his voice, so she really was only caught slightly off guard when he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her on to his back and almost before her brain could process what was happening, they were running at vampire speed through the woods, and her arms were wrapped tightly around his shoulders. Nearly an hour later, Bonnie heard a whisper of, "We're here." As she was set back on the ground, to the dismay of her own let, which were shaking underneath of her, after having not supported her weight for that amount of time. After getting a grip about herself, she noticed exactly where they were, "Arlington Cemetery." She gasped, as she took a look around. They were already inside the gates, which were locked with a heavy duty, rustic-looking lock and key. Bonnie would only assume that Kol had jumped the fence, "Why are we here?" she asked, nervously, "The guards will see us, Kol." "They've been compelled for a long while now. They won't even notice we're here. It'll be fine. I want to show you something." Bonnie and Kol walked for a long while among the tiny head stones, until Kol came to a screeching halt. Bonnie could have swore she nearly saw a tear in his eye. He knelt before one of the small head stones, wiping some of the debris away from it, "Who is this?" she asked, kneeling on the ground beside him. Kol remained silent for a while, until he got his grips about him. When he finally spoke, Bonnie could hear his voice cracking, "This is my weakness." He whispered, "My grandson. Well, not really my grandson, but there are an innumerable amount of 'greats' in front of it, that I've chosen to abandon." "You had a child." Bonnie whispered in disbelief. "And a wife, Corinne." Kol added, his eyes glazing over, as if trying to recall some long-forgotten memory, "but when our mother changed us, I had to leave it all behind. I had to give up my family for a #life of running." He looked regretfully down at the stone once more; a dingy reminder of a #life that once was, "You know it's funny," his voice suddenly turned dark, "I remember how humiliated I was when I learned that my wife had bore me a daughter. We had been planning for a son. I told her, when the girl was born, I had no desire to know her. Now, I'd give anything to go back in time, take that child in my arms, and hold on for dear #life. The last time I saw them was the week of my transition. Corinne was at the market place, and she had her tiny child in one arm against her chest. It was just a fleeting glance, but I remembered it well. That was the last time I saw either of them. "Elijah knew of my remorse. He was the one person I went to, to talk. He is a very righteous man, as you well know. He keeps secrets well. Without my brother, I wouldn't have learned my daughter's name." "What was her name?" Bonnie asked, subconsciously imagining a girl with Kol's eyes and her hair running wild. She quickly shook the thought away, not entirely sure where it had even come from in the first place. "Her name was Emry." He took a moment to pause and compose himself before continuing, "I tried to forget my family. After several centuries, I had come to the conclusion that my bloodline had died out and my family had been exterminated. I was certain it had to be by Niklaus's hand. He has ways of finding weaknesses and manipulating them. "I never knew Gregory." He croaked, motioning to the stone in front of him, "He was born long after my brother had locked me in that coffin. Some of the Bennett witches kept an eye on him, though. They let Elijah know of him and Elijah told me. That's how I learned of this place to begin with." Without giving her actions a second thought, Bonnie asked, "Why are you showing me this?" granted, it was very touching to see one of the scariest beings to walk the planet crumble, but on another hand, it just made him that much more confusing and difficult for her to figure out. "I am telling you this, because in the bar I told that our families knew each other, and they did. Your ancestor, Ayanna, followed my daughter for nearly five decades, ensuring that my bloodline continued. The Bennett witches have a long history of protecting our secrets and I feel as if I should finally pay them back." "So, that's what you're doing by smuggling me out of Mystic Falls. You're doing Ayanna a favor?" "Well, yes, that, and there is always the fact that I'd like to get to know you. You fascinate me. You seem so strong, but every now and again, you seem to falter. It's intriguing." "My weaknesses intrigue you?" she asked in a half-hearted tone. "Well,...