The Gift

Chapter 2

The Gift

Chapter Two

Bonnie glared up at him, hoping that her magic would at least bless him with an aneurism or something potentially more fatal. Then she remembered that, for all intents and purposes, they were both dead and stuck in some afterlife from which there appeared to be no escape.

"Why the hell are you here, Kai?" she demanded, angered that she had once again been placed in alternate world him.

"Apparently your family likes sticking me supernatural holding cells," he stated, "Or they have a sick sense of humor – probably both."

She backed away from him a few more feet, ready to attack if necessary.

He frowned at her gesture.

"How the Hell can I hurt you now?" he asked, looking offended by her actions.

"I'm sure you'll figure something out," Bonnie added.

Kai appeared wounded by her words. He behaved as if he wanted to fight, then quickly turned his back on her and ran his hands through his hair.

"Why do you think I'm here?" Kai asked her, the frustration radiating off of him.

"I'm ... I think I'm supposed to forgive you," she answered, looking down at the box in her hand, "If I do, they say I will finally be able to open this 'gift' as a reward. It's supposed to be something no other Bennett witch has ever deserved."

Kai looked at the box, nodding his head slowly.

"Forgive me? They actually said that," he asked.

"My Grams told me that I had to forgive. Since you're here, I figure that meant you," Bonnie answered.

"So, do you see yourself ever forgiving me, or does your hate spring eternal?" Kai said, appraising her from head to toe.

"Well, you did try to kill me several times," she noted, "So that's probably going to be pretty damned hard to do."

Kai chuckled, looking away from her briefly, then turning back to bore through her soul with his blue-grey eyes.

"You're smart, so tell me something: was I really trying to kill you? I had plenty of chances. Did I ever try to kill you – really try it – when I was certain you could die," he asked thoughtfully.

Bonnie nearly answered immediately, but forced herself to stop. Her family obviously wanted her to hear him out.

The first time he shot her with an arrow, he knew she couldn't die because he'd attempted suicide before – he was aware that no one could die in his prison world as long as he was there. The same truth could be applied to when he stabbed her and took the car. Why bother sending her a message on his beeper if he really thought she was dead? When she returned from 1994, why did he bother apologizing? Why didn't he just kill her in the Salvatore basement; or at the wedding?

Why bother unless...unless he never wanted to be the one responsible for her death.

It didn't make any sense.

"Why?" she asked him.

"Why what?" Kai responded, losing his patience a little.

"Why bother doing all that just to let me live?" she asked.

Kai tilted his head in what, under normal circumstances, would have been an adorable expression.

"Did you ever think that I wanted to challenge you? Did you ever think that when I looked at you, I saw more than a pretty face? I saw a fighter that had lost her fight after spending too many fucking years running back to douchebags like Damon. All of your other so-called friends pretend to be good to you. They play at being your friend so they can use you, get things from you, then have you suffer for it," Kai stood up and approached her slowly, "I wanted to test you. I wanted to get more than your magic back. I wanted you to get your fight back."