part 7/7: epilogue

She picks her way through broken glass and toppled furniture until she reaches the kitchen. Scorch marks adorn the walls of Dr Wilkes' restored Victorian house, marring the hardwood floors and making ghostly ruins of the curtains. Like someone took a flamethrower to the inside of the professor's home while a herd of animals trampled the floor. Her sense of foreboding deepens the further she walks into the ruined space. The kitchen is as cluttered and empty as the rest, the refrigerator door ajar, cat food scattered on the floor. There's no sign of life. And the longer she stands there, the more an oppressive feeling begins to clamp around her head. The aftermath of dark magic, thick enough to suffocate.

Feeling slightly faint, Bonnie braces herself against a counter for support when a warm softness nudges her hand, steadying her.

She looks down at the wolf that's followed her into the kitchen. Klaus presses his snout into her palm with a low growl.

"You were right," she says by way of reply. "Dr Wilkes definitely messed around with my Grimoire."

The question remains: what exactly had the professor unleashed?

They survey the kitchen together one last time, Bonnie absently stroking the wolf's ears as he stands beside her. The uneasy sense that something dark had taken place in the house increases steadily, until she feels Klaus nudge her leg in a gesture that mirrors her own restlessness. The wolf tended to be even more forthright than the man. He'd taken to shifting easier and more often, and while her magic draws on all aspects of his nature, it resonates most strongly with the animal.

She nods down at him. "Let's get out of here."

Dr Wilkes' trail takes them deep into Louisiana. Lying in the motel bed watching the sky purple and blacken like irises, Bonnie doesn't want to think about what they'll find, what the professor has used her Grimoire to conjure.

She tamps down the guilt and fear and reaches for determination instead. Some days are easier than others. Some days, the girl who wandered in the shadow of gravestones feels ever present, clinging to her ankles. But there's other days.

She hears Klaus step out of the bath. He liked to take those no matter where he was. A few moments later he's peeling back the covers and slipping into bed beside her.

"You will have it back," he murmurs along her nape, discerning her thoughts.

She huddles closer to him as his naked body curls around hers, sinking gratefully into the circle of the monster's safety.

There are other days.

A/N: I can't ever seem to give these two an "ending" that isn't just a segue into another story. I guess I see Klaus and Bonnie as two characters who never run out of stories to tell. For this AU I sort of picture them in this quiet miscreant bond, hunting down her Grimoire, stealing nights at rundown motels, sharing baths. And channeling, naturally ;)

I hope you enjoyed this weird little AU. I'm going to try my best to not start any new projects until I wrap up a few I still have going, so pray for me lol! And, as always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the reviews xoxoxo.