A/N: I have no idea where this came from. I just had this strong urge to write it. I had to get it out of my head so that I can finish writing the next update for Crimson Peak. Please let me know what you think and if you are interested in reading more.

This basically follows canon until 4x01 of TVD.

Disclaimer: These characters are the property of LJ smith and the CW.

Blood on the Rails

Bonnie finds the strange object among her grandmother's things.

She has been thinking about her Grams a lot lately. Since the night she put Klaus back into his original body. The spirits had punished her grandmother for it and Bonnie feels guilty. So guilty that she has spent the past few days locked up in her house and she hasn't done a single spell. She had tried once, only to see her grandmother being tortured by the spirits once more.

Her father is out of town on a business trip and Elena is adapting to her new life as a vampire with the help of Damon and Stefan. Bonnie hasn't even bothered to answer Jeremy's calls. All she can think about is her Grams. Are they hurting her now?

Why is it always me? She wonders as she looks through her grandmother's things. There are about five boxes filled with journals, objects, jewelry, and even some of her Gram's clothing. After her grandmother's death Bonnie put them in the basement of her home and forgot about them. But today, she felt compelled to look through them. Maybe she wants to feel closer to her Grams or exonerate her guilty conscience.

A lump forms on her throat and tears cloud her vision as she finds a photo album. As Bonnie flips through it, she recalls her favorite memories with her grandmother and she can't help but feel angry and hurt.

How many times has she gotten the short end of the stick for helping her friends? How many times have the spirits punish her for it?

The worst thing is that no one has bothered to check on her. Everybody is helping Elena through her transition. Bonnie can't really blame them, Elena never wanted to be a vampire and it must be really difficult for her to adapt. But still, a single phone call can go a long way. The only one that has bothered to call a few times is Jeremy. And while Bonnie appreciates the fact that he's trying, he can't understand what she's going through. The guilt that is eating away at her. So Bonnie has been ignoring his calls for the past few days.

She has been thinking a lot about her life, about the things she has lost since vampires came to town. Bonnie doesn't want to spend the rest of her life like this, constantly putting herself in danger and suffering the consequences for helping her friends. She's tired of it.

Bonnie can't help but wonder how different her life would be if she had never met Damon and Stefan Salvatore. If she had never learned that she was a witch. Would Grams be a live now?

As she thinks and reflects on the craziness of her life she moves towards the last box. It's smaller than the rest. Bonnie finds a leather journal first, neatly covered with a white cloth. The moment her hand touches the cover she feels the spark. There is magic in there.

Bonnie carefully picks it up and flips through the pages. She can't understand anything. It's written in a foreign language and it's definitely not Latin.

Next to the journal she finds a rectangular wooden box. She tries to open it but it's sealed shut. Bonnie brings it close to her ear and shakes it, trying to determine what's inside but she can't. Whatever it is, it doesn't weight much. There is magic inside the box too she can feel it.

You must open it, a strange voice echoes in her head. Open it.

Bonnie shivers as a chill runs down her back. She shakes her head trying to clear her mind. Locking herself in her home with no one to talk to is making her hear things.

The last thing she finds inside the box is a pendant in the shape of a feather. Bonnie smiles, perhaps it was something Grams wore in her youth.

She takes takes the objects with her and makes her way up the stairs, a morbid curiosity filling her veins.

Two days.

For the past two days, Bonnie has been trying to translate the journal, but it has all been in vain. The grimoires she possesses are not helpful and the only information she has, comes from Google. It seems that the journal is written in an ancient language, Aramaic to be exact.

Bonnie sighs in frustration as she is unable to translate the journal. Is there such thing as a Rosetta stone for Aramaic? She wonders. Google translation has not helped at all.

She's sitting at the kitchen table, the wooden box and the journal in front of her. The silver pendant now hangs around her neck and she absently twirls it with one hand. She should just put the things back on the basement and forget about them, but she can't. Curiosity killed the cat, her grandmother used to say. But Bonnie is far too curious and too stubborn to let it go.

A soft knock on the door interrupts her thoughts.

Bonnie silently makes her way out of the kitchen and into the living room. The last person she expects to see when she opens her front door is Stefan Salvatore.

"Hey," he greets her as he stands with his hands inside the pockets of his leather jacket.

"Hi." It's been days since the last time she saw him.

Stefan tries to step inside but he has never been invited. The invisible barrier prevents him from entering her home. "May I come in please?"

Bonnie nods.

The first thing Stefan does as he steps inside her home is hug her. Bonnie didn't know how much she needed that until she felt his strong arms around her. "Are you okay?" he asks.

Bonnie pulls away from him, tears already forming in her eyes. They move to the living room.

"The spirits hurt my Grams," Bonnie tells him. "I used dark magic and they punished her for it."

"They're messing with your head." Stefan says quietly.

"Well, it worked." Bonnie sniffles. "I tried to use a nature spell but I saw it all over again…my Grams…it was like she was dying all over." Because of her, her grandmother is suffering because of her. Stefan remains quiet and Bonnie studies his face. "You came here because you need something right?" She and Stefan are not exactly best friends. Deep down, Bonnie knows he only came to visit her because he needs something from her.

Stefan has the decency to look guilty at least. "It can wait, until you feel better."

"I have stayed inside here for days. I've even been ignoring Jeremy. I will only feel better when I know the spirits are not hurting my Grams anymore." Bonnie tells him. "What's going on?"

"Elena has been having trouble keeping the blood down." Stefan tells her. "I have never heard of a vampire not able to keep the blood down. We don't know what's wrong or why is this happening."

"Not even animal blood?" Bonnie asks.

"No," Stefan replies. "Damon thinks that maybe she's been cursed, I don't know."

"I'll look into it." Bonnie promises. Maybe the spirits were also punishing Elena since Bonnie had used dark magic to try and stop Elena's transition into a vampire. It would be something they would do.

"Thank-you," Stefan says. "Let me know as soon as you find anything." He begins walking towards the door.

"Stefan," Bonnie stops the vampire from leaving. "Do you by any chance speak Aramaic?" Her hand automatically moves to touch the pendant around her neck.

Stefan gives her a curious look before shaking his head. "No. Why?" he asks.

Bonnie shrugs. "I just wanted to translate some of my grandmother's things." She can't help but feel disappointed.

Stefan nods and turns to leave, he opens the door before turning to face her once more. "Klaus," he tells her suddenly. "Klaus can speak Aramaic." He offers Bonnie a small smile. "I don't think he'll help you but he's the only I know that is familiar with that language."

"Thanks." Bonnie tells him with a sad smile. Just great! she thinks bitterly as she watches Stefan go.

The last thing she wants is to see the hybrid. It's his fault. Bonnie thinks angrily. If Klaus hadn't forced her to put him back into his body the spirits wouldn't have punished her Grams. And it's not like Klaus would be willing to help her either. He has a cold dead heart after all. She might as well forget about translating the journal.

That night Bonnie puts the journal and the wooden box back in the basement of her home, determined to forget about the whole thing. She's only wasting her time and Elena needs her help.

She's going to look through her grimoires and see if she can find anything useful that might help Elena with her problem.

The seed has been planted and no matter how hard she tries she can't let it go. Bonnie should be concerned about Elena, her best friend is having a difficult time drinking blood-which she needs in order to survive and yet, Bonnie barely even looks into a way to help her. Instead the morning after Stefan's visit she takes the journal and the wooden box out of the basement and is once again trying to figure out how to open it.

There is a strange need, a desire she can't shake out her system. She needs to know what's inside her Gram's wooden box. She needs to know what the journal says. It's important, she can feel it.

What if it's dangerous? What if it's cursed or something?

There is a part of her mind that tries to talk her out of it. That warns her not to mess with things she doesn't understand. But there is another strange voice in her head that is urging her to find out.

Whatever it's inside that box is important. You need to open it.

Bonnie is still at war with herself when the door to the Mikaelson mansion opens.

The moment Stefan told her that Klaus can speak Aramaic, Bonnie had been toying with the idea of seeking the hybrid out. She didn't like him. He had terrorized her friends and much as she feels guilty, she also blames Klaus for what the spirits had done to her Grams. She knows she can't trust the hybrid but she also needs his help in order to translate the journal. In her desire to learn what is written inside the journal she hand't stop to think about the consequences. She had made her way to the Mikaelson mansion almost in a trance.

But now that she is standing at the front door, she feels anxious about the whole thing.

"I need to talk to Klaus." Bonnie says quickly before she loses her nerve. She's carrying the journal and the wooden box in her arms.

The servant lets her inside the mansion-the woman has clearly been compelled.

Bonnie ends up in the living room where she did the spell to unlink Klaus and his siblings. The moment she thinks about that, the anxiousness increases. Her heart is pounding in her ears and her palms starts to sweat as she is suddenly overcome with nervousness.

What the hell am I doing? She panics all of a sudden. She has literally come into the wolf's den. This is stupid. Who knows what price Klaus is going to demand in order to translate the journal? I should go.

Bonnie is mumbling to herself as she hurries out of the living room, having changed her mind. She collides with a solid brick wall. She stumbles back, the journal and the wooden box fall to the ground with a loud thud and Bonnie lands on her butt.

"Damn it." She hisses angrily. There is a chuckle coming from above her and Bonnie angrily looks up into the hybrid's amused face.

"Now this is quite the surprise." Klaus says with his typical devil may care smirk.

Bonnie already regrets coming here. She scrambles to pick up her things and stands up nervously. This was a bad idea. She needs to get out here fast.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" he tilts his head to the side staring curiously at her face before his gaze moves to her arms where she clutches the journal and the box tightly to her chest.

"Forget it." Bonnie mumbles as she runs out of the living room. She makes it into foyer-the front door is just a few paces in front of her, so close to her reach- when Klaus suddenly appears in front of her. Stupid vampires and their superior speed, Bonnie thinks as she looks up into his face.

"What do you want?" Klaus asks as he crosses his arms over his chest and leans against the door. If she wants to get out, she's going to have to move him.

Bonnie chews on her lip nervously. Her mind racing with the possible scenarios on how this encounter can end up. A sudden thought comes to her mind like a flash of lighting, jolting her out of her skin. Something she hadn't thought of before. Something she hadn't realized until now. "You owe me," she blurts out.

"Pardon me?" Klaus raises an amused eyebrow. He clearly hadn't expected her words.

"I saved your life." Bonnie reminds him. A boost of confidence suddenly fills her veins as she lifts her chin and stares directly into his blue eyes. "If I hadn't put you in Tyler's body, you would be dead. Alaric would've killed you. You are alive because of me. You owe me." She tells him with conviction.

Something resonates in the air with her words. It's almost like she has utter an ancient incantation for the air around them vibrates with magic. Klaus is in her debt. He owes her his life and magic demands that he pays her back.

Judging by the furious look on his face he knows that she is right.

Klaus takes a menacing step forward, studying her face with a strange kind of hunger. Bonnie knows he's angry, she can see it in the hard set of his jaw and his cold calculating blue eyes. Maybe calling in his debt was not such a good idea after all. But she won't back down now. She has come this far, she might as well finish this.

"What do you want?" He asks leaning his face dangerously close to hers. Too close for her comfort.

For a moment Bonnie is struck dumb. Dear lord, his eyes are so blue, why hadn't she noticed that before? And his eyelashes are criminally long and his lips…no man should have such red and plump lips.

Said lips curve into a knowing smirk when he notices that she's staring at his mouth like a sick teenager with a crush.

Bonnie flinches when his fingers suddenly lift her chin and tilt her face forward, until she meets his mischievous eyes. She has openly been staring at his lips and he knows it.

"My eyes are up here love," he purrs.

Bonnie pulls away from his grasp almost like she has been burned. Her treacherous heart is beating wildly against her chest while her cheeks turn pink in embarrassment. "I need you to translate something for me," she says rapidly before he can say anything else to embarrass her further.

They end up back in the living room. Bonnie hates how familiar she's starting to become with this place.

Bonnie sits on the couch, Klaus sits across from her, her grandmother's journal on his hands while the wooden box is on the coffee table in between them.

She shifts nervously in her seat and waits patiently for Klaus to say anything. He had taken the journal from her hands and began reading it before Bonnie could finish telling him what she needed.

"Interesting," the hybrid murmurs before flipping the page. He reads at a surprising speed, his eyes scanning the pages in seconds. It takes him less than five minutes to get through half, if not all of the journal.

"What does it say?" Bonnie asks with exasperation.

Klaus looks up from the journal before throwing it on the coffee table in between them. "While the crazy ramblings of your ancestor are very interesting indeed, there is nothing valuable in there."

Bonnie frowns, "what do you mean?"

Klaus stands up and makes his way toward the liquor cabinet. "The witch who wrote the journal seemed to be convinced that she could travel through different dimensions."

"Wait…what?" Bonnie stands up while trying to process his words.

Klaus takes a sip of his bourbon enjoying the burning sensation down his throat before he turns to face Bonnie. "She talks about an object, an ascendant that apparently allowed her to travel through different dimensions," he explains.

"An ascendant?" Bonnie repeats. She has never heard of such a thing before. She looks down at the table and stares at the wooden box. That's what's inside the box, she realizes.

"It's a mystical relic," Klaus informs her. "According to the journal it can harness the power of a celestial event which creates a portal that allows you to travel to a different dimension." He rolls his eyes. "It's all rubbish," he mutters.

"You don't think it's true?"

"If such a thing existed, I would have heard of it." Klaus pours himself another drink. He has been alive for one thousand years after all. He would have known. He would've heard whispers of a witch who could travel through different dimensions. It was not something that could be kept hidden.

"The journal is written by my ancestor?" Bonnie questions. "I thought it belonged to my grandmother."

"Ernestine Bennett," Klaus tells her. "She created the thing." He shrugs. "She clearly had nothing better to do or was probably too insane to care." Klaus says dismissively. "She wrote about visiting a couple of mental hospitals. Insane that one, it must run in your family." He finishes with a mocking smirk.

Bonnie glares at him before picking up the wooden box. "I think it's in here," she mutters while studying the box. "I can't open it." She doesn't understand where this urge is coming from. It's all she can think about. "I have to open it," she says suddenly. "I must…she needs it."

Blood…you need blood, a voice whispers inside her mind. Your blood is the key.

Klaus has turned back to the liquor cabinet and doesn't see as Bonnie's body shivers and contorts. She's in a trance of some sort. Her green eyes have turn glassy and her hands move on their own accord.

Bonnie rips the silver feather pendant dangling from her neck. She had been wearing it since the day she found it. She had assumed it had been her grandmother's like the journal and the box. Now she knows it belonged to Ernestine.

Bonnie uses the tip of the feather to cut her palm, it hurts but soon blood is pouring out of the wound.

Klaus wrinkles his nose as the powerful scent of her blood hits his nostrils. He turns around just in time to see Bonnie opening the box. "What the bloody hell-" Klaus doesn't get to finish as a blinding white light suddenly hits his eyes.

The ascendant is round and made of solid gold. It's big enough that it fits in her palm perfectly but it doesn't weight anything. There are different symbols carved into it, the largest one is in the shape of the sun, carved right at the center.

The moment Bonnie places the object in her bloody palm there is a blast of light that emanates from it. A gasp escapes her lips as she feels the magic inside the ascendant come to life.

Klaus is screaming something at her but Bonnie doesn't pay him any mind. She's under a thrall, completely seduced by the object in her hands. She holds it carefully in her hands and watches as the light begins to surround her.

The strange voice in her head whispers an incantation and Bonnie repeats it, her voice loud and clear.

The whole room begins to spin or maybe is Bonnie that is spinning, she's not sure. The sparkling white light swirls around her and Bonnie smiles like a child inside a candy store. It's happening. She can feel it.

"Have you lost your fucking mind?" Klaus appears right next to her. He tries to grab the ascendant from her hands but it's too late, Bonnie has chanted the spell. His eyes go wide at the same time Bonnie snaps from her trance.

Green eyes meet blue with a mixture of fear and confusion before a scream escapes both of their lips. Everything hurts as their bodies are tightly compressed together by the powerful magic coming out of the ascendant. The light that had been surrounding Bonnie now engulfs Klaus too, wrapping itself around the both of them.

The hybrid is faster than the witch and tries to pull his hand away in order to escape the white trap, but it's too late. His hand is glued to hers by an invisible force. The ascendant pulls them both inside the hurricane of powerful magic.

It happens so fast, in a matter of seconds really.

When the blast of power disappears from the living room, everything looks normal. Nothing is out of the ordinary. The only clue as to what happened is the empty wooden box that remains behind on top of the coffee table.

Klaus and Bonnie are gone.