It took another day before all the roads were passable once again. Caroline tried to convince Bonnie to stay in Mystic Falls for a few days. She didn't believe there was a compelling reason to rush into the lion's den. Bonnie appreciated Caroline's concern because she knew that it was genuine. Nevertheless, she was eager to leave the boarding house and Mystic Falls behind for the foreseeable future. She loved her friends but she never wanted to be trapped in close quarters with them ever again. The next time a Nor'easter descended on Virginia, Bonnie was going to hop a flight to the nearest destination with sand, crystal blue water, and cocktails with umbrellas.

Stefan was committed to finding a way to make their perplexing soulmate situation work. He managed to convince Bonnie to accept that Damon's presence was a necessary evil. The curse would make a prolonged separation painful for both of them. Lucy bolstered Stefan's argument by explaining the pain was not merely the emotional kind. Prolonged separation from a soulmate could trigger severe physical pain. In fact, there were stories of it driving a previous Bennett witch mad. In the spirit of cooperation, Stefan booked three first class tickets to Las Vegas. They would be flying out of Richmond International Airport the following morning.

Bonnie and Stefan decided to leave for Richmond a day early. She wanted to go shopping before embarking on their cross-country trip. Unfortunately, Mystic Falls retail options were seriously lacking. Stefan assured her that there was no shortage of stores in downtown Richmond. She still wasn't in love with her current wardrobe and Stefan had promised to rectify that. Initially, Stefan had proposed stealing Bonnie's new wardrobe. However, his humanity was on again and his desire to break the law had been greatly diminished. She didn't care if they bought the new clothes or stole them. Bonnie just wanted a change of style to match her change in attitude.

Tyler had kept his word on paying Bonnie for removing the sire bond. He went to the bank first thing that morning and made a sizable withdrawal. He also ordered two pair of Christian Louboutin shoes, with Bonnie's input, to be picked up at the Saks Fifth Avenue in Richmond. Bonnie was glad that he truly appreciated her effort in removing the sire bond. The cash and shoes were really just icing on the cake. Tyler also gave her a few helpful tips about Klaus. He had learned a lot about the Original Hybrid while being sired to him. Tyler had learned things he was sure Klaus never intended for him to know. At the very least, Klaus never expected him to be able to use the information against him. Previously, the sire bond would have prevented Tyler from acting against him.

After checking into their hotel, Bonnie researched the local boutiques. She found one that seemed to offer the styles she thought were interesting. They would visit a larger chain store later in the day when Bonnie picked up her shoes from Saks. Stefan and Bonnie were fully prepared to leave Damon at the hotel for the day. However, the raven haired vampire insisted on joining them for the shopping excursion. Bonnie wanted to ditch Damon but Stefan convinced her that it wasn't worth the fight. Moreover, he reminded Bonnie that she had agreed to spending more time with Damon to satisfy the curse. She reluctantly invited Damon to join them but it left a foul taste in her mouth. Bonnie still hadn't forgiven him for the stunt he pulled during their fight.

Damon was sprawled out in a comfortable armchair while he waited for Bonnie. She had been shopping for well over two hours and showed no signs of slowing down. She frequently popped out of the dressing room demanding opinions about the outfit she was wearing. She had stopped scowling at Damon when he offered genuine opinions about each outfit. However, he was certain that she still didn't want him there. Damon couldn't say that he blamed her. Forcing Bonnie to acknowledge her feelings for him had been a low blow. In hindsight, he probably shouldn't have done that in such a public forum. Unfortunately, he had been getting his ass kicked by a baby vampire and it pissed him off. Damon didn't always make the best decisions when he was angry.

He tried not to be annoyed by the goofy smile on his brother's face. Stefan was obviously infatuated by Bonnie and the sentiment was eagerly returned by her. Being around them all day meant seeing them kiss and touch often. The infuriating part was that the couple weren't even trying to annoy him. They were just mired in the newlywed phase of the relationship. Damon was not looking forward to being a third-wheel for the entire trip. However, he was grateful to have an ally in Lucy Bennett. She wasn't with them now, but she planned to join them in Las Vegas in a few days. She was worried that Bonnie wasn't truly ready to face Klaus alone. Lucy also had her concerns about Stefan being able to pull the proverbial trigger. Their past relationship was worrisome. There was a chance that Stefan might chose Klaus at the last moment and leave Bonnie vulnerable. Damon didn't think that his brother would purposely put her in danger, but no one could control Klaus when he was angry. For now, Stefan and Bonnie didn't know that Lucy would be joining them in Vegas. Damon liked thinking of her as his secret weapon.

Damon had compelled the store clerks to ignore their presence unless they needed help. He didn't think that Bonnie would be interested in 'helpful' clerks lurking while she shopped. The girl seemed happy enough to roam around the boutique choosing clothes that piqued her interest. She had taken a large pile of clothes into the dressing room with her. Bonnie continued to add to it periodically.

Bonnie emerged from the dressing room wearing a red corset with lace side panels and a pair of ripped jeans. "What do you think of this combination?"

Damon's throat suddenly felt dry. He thought about something that wouldn't be downright lewd. However, he came up empty.

Stefan stopped looking at his phone and his eyes went wide. "I think...you look great. I really like the corset."

Damon nodded in agreement. He struggled to find his voice. "The lace panels on the sides are a nice detail but the satin cups mean you don't need to wear anything underneath it or over it. Good choice, witchy."

Bonnie beamed and said, "That's what I was thinking! What about the jeans?"

Damon twirled his finger around encouraging Bonnie to spin around for them.

She slowly turned around as Damon had asked.

Damon appreciated the way those jeans hugged her butt. He nodded. "You should definitely get those...a couple pairs actually."

Bonnie smiled happily and said, "Okay!"

Stefan watched as she walked back to the dressing room with a spring in her step.

A few minutes later, Bonnie called out, "Stefan I need you. I can't zip this thing up."

He stood up and walked to the dressing room. He raised an eyebrow when he stepped behind the frosted glass door. "I like this one, too."

She was wearing a sleeveless white romper. Bonnie grinned in response. "Me, too. I am tempted to get a romper that is similar to this one. It's this really regal plum color with spaghetti straps."

Stefan moved behind Bonnie and zipped up the romper for her. He allowed his hand to linger on her bare skin for just a moment. He confessed, "I like the sound of that one, too."

Once the romper was zipped she stood in front of the mirror. Bonnie shifted poses a couple times in attempt to get the full effect of the romper. Then she searched the stack of clothes for the other romper. Bonnie pulled it out and held it in front of her. "What do you think?"

"I think it will look beautiful on you, Bonnie," he replied.

Bonnie studied her reflection in the mirror and said, "I should try it on to be sure. Unzip me please?"

Stefan nodded and unzipped the romper.

She slid the material down her legs and then pulled on the plum option. This one didn't have a zipper and didn't require Stefan's help. She murmured, "I think I like this one even better…"

Stefan slid a hand onto her hip and nodded. "I agree."

"You have liked everything that I have tried on today," she complained with a playful expression.

"It's not my fault that you look good in everything that you wear. You should try being less stunning," he quipped.

"Stunning?" she asked with a roll of her eyes.

Stefan hummed in agreement. "Would I lie to you?"

"Maybe," she said with a small grin. "You aren't nearly as saintly as you like to pretend you are."

"Oh?" he asked with a raised brow.

Bonnie nodded. "You've been staring at me like a starving man since you walked in here."

"Before that," he admitted unashamed.

She bit her lip and whispered, "Damon compelled the boutique's employees to ignore our presence. Maybe you and I can take advantage of that privacy."

Stefan's jaw clenched as he considered Bonnie's suggestion. He said, "Damon is still sitting out there."

"I'll be quiet," she promised with wide innocent eyes.

Stefan knew this was a terrible idea but they hadn't been together since last night. He had become used to early morning sex with Bonnie. He had missed their morning routine a great deal today. Finally, he growled, "Take that thing off before I rip it off."

She gasped in shock but quickly complied because she really liked that romper. Bonnie watched in mild confusion as Stefan sank to his knees in front of her. Her confusion disappeared when he started kissing her inner thighs. This wasn't exactly what she had in mind but Bonnie wasn't going to complain.

Bonnie bit her lip hard enough to draw blood when Stefan easily ripped off her panties. A moment later, his mouth was on her core. She rested a hand on Stefan's shoulder to keep herself steady. Already her knees felt weak.

Stefan was pleased with the breathy moans coming from Bonnie. He increased his efforts curious to see just how quickly he could make her fall apart. Stefan replaced his mouth with his fingers and watched her entire body go tense.

Damon slammed his fist on the door. "Hurry it up! We have company."

Bonnie stifled a cry by biting her own hand.

Stefan glared toward the door. "What sort of company?"

"Katherine," he snapped through the door.

Stefan was frozen for a moment. He couldn't think of a good reason for Katherine to suddenly arrive. She had stayed well outside of sight since she helped Stefan steal Klaus' coffins. It had been her idea but she was perfectly content to let him take the blame. He figured she would continue to lay low while Klaus was on the rampage.

"We'll be out in a few minutes," he replied in an annoyed voice.

Damon said, "Faster than that. You know how well Katherine and I get along. It would be unfortunate if we destroyed this charming boutique."

Stefan growled, "I said a few minutes!"

Bonnie was still startled by the sudden interruption and more than a little off balance at the mention of Katherine. "You should go see what she wants. Maybe she found Klaus' father."

"Not yet," he murmured. "I don't like leaving things unfinished."

Her head fell back against the wall with a thud as Stefan dived back in more determined than ever. Bonnie sunk her fingers into Stefan's hair as she felt fire spread through her stomach. She saw stars behind her eyelids as she finally climaxed.

Stefan slowly rubbed Bonnie's thigh as she came back down to Earth. He asked, "Are you okay?"

She nodded numbly. "I don't think okay begins to explain how I feel right now. Euphoric feels closer to accurate."

He smirked as he got to his feet. He kissed her softly and said, "I should go see what Katherine wants. Damon was telling the truth when he said leaving them alone wasn't wise. Those two are a recipe for disaster. I am not sure who hates who more. Take as much time as you need to pull yourself together."

"What about you?" she nodded towards his crotch.

Stefan pecked her lips. "I can wait until later. There is something to be said for delayed gratification."

Stefan took a moment to wipe his mouth on the inside of his t-shirt. Then he quickly ducked out of the dressing room. Stefan was glad to find that Damon and Katherine were pointedly not speaking to each other. He really wasn't in the mood to referee one of their pointless arguments. "What are you doing here, Katherine?"

Katherine's expression was priceless. She glared at Stefan and said, "Damon greeted me the same way. I always thought you had better manners, Stefan."

"I am not in the mood for your games. How did you even know that we were in Richmond?" he asked. Suspicion colored his voice. Stefan knew it wouldn't take much for Katherine to turn on them. She believed in self-preservation above all else.

She sat down in the chair that he had occupied earlier. Katherine crossed her legs with a smoldering look at Stefan. "I have been following one of Klaus' mangy hybrids for the last week. He hasn't been doing much because of the blizzard. I was curious when he was suddenly spurred into action today. Then I realized that he was following the three of you. Why is the witch with you?"

Damon chuckled darkly. "You aren't so old that you've lost your sense of smell, Kitty Kat. You know exactly why Bonnie is here with Stefan."

He was irritated by Stefan and Bonnie fooling around in the dressing room. However, he would never pass up an opportunity to get under Katherine's skin. He couldn't think of a better way than rubbing Stefan and Bonnie's relationship in her smug face.

Katherine's nose wrinkled in disgust. She spat, "Stefan and the witch? Why?"

Stefan smiled and asked, "Why not? I was rather taken by Emily before you started compelling me."

She tensed at the mention of his affection for Emily. She said, "I did that for her protection. I wouldn't have been able to protect her if your father caught the two of you socializing."

"You've never been a benevolent soul, Katherine. Let's not rewrite history, hmm," he replied.

Katherine frowned as she studied him closely. She asked, "Klaus let you turn on your humanity?"

Damon snorted in response but otherwise remained silent. He went back to replying to Lucy's text message. She had been successful in securing backup for Bonnie's West Coast mission. He was starting to feel a little better about their chances of getting rid of Klaus.

"Bonnie was able to remove Klaus' compulsion," Stefan replied.

Katherine balked at the idea. She hadn't considered that the witch was quite that powerful. She scowled at him and said, "I found Klaus' father but there is a catch. He's been dessicated and left in a mausoleum. I have tried everything I can think of to wake him...nothing has worked."

Damon said, "That's probably for the best. We no longer want Klaus dead."

She snapped her head in Damon's direction. "Are you insane?"

Stefan intervened before they could start arguing. He replied, "Damon is right. We learned from a reliable source that killing an Original Vampire will be the death of every vampire in their sireline. We are going to have to neutralize Klaus in another way."

Bonnie emerged from the dressing room with a huge pile of clothes. "I've decided that I'm going to get all of this."

Stefan smiled at Bonnie. He walked over to take the clothes from her. "Well, let's go pay for these."

Katherine twisted in her chair to look at Damon. "What is happening?"

Damon looked up from his phone and said, "They're dating."

"Since when?!" Katherine questioned.

He chuckled at her annoyance. He said, "It's been just short of a week at this point but it has been a whirlwind."

"But how did it happen? I thought Stefan was in love with my less interesting doppelganger…"

"Turns out that Elena is more like you than Stefan really wanted," he taunted with a sly grin.

Katherine glared at him trying to figure out exactly what Damon meant. She had many traits that Stefan might find unsavory. She had never seen any of them from Elena. The girl was utterly uninteresting and saccharinely sweet. She looked toward the counter where the clerk was placing the witch's many purchases in bags. She frowned seeing how Stefan stood behind Bonnie the entire time with a hand resting on her waist.

Damon watched Katherine's expression shift between angry and befuddled. He chuckled to himself. He asked, "Where did you find Papa Original? We should probably get rid of him, too. Someone else could have more luck waking him up."

"He's in a cemetery in Charlotte," she replied.

He considered the distance for a moment. Damon said, "That's a four hour drive but it might be worth it. Loose ends can be bothersome."

Stefan and Bonnie walked over with over a dozen bags. She said, "We're going to Saks next. I need to pick up the shoes that Tyler ordered for me. Besides, I still need to pick up a few things."

Damon said, "As much fun as this shopping trip has been...we have work to do. Katherine found Mikael dessicated in Charlotte. We should probably kill him while we have a chance."

Bonnie frowned and said, "I don't know about killing him. We can't know if he turned any vampires before he started hunting down Klaus. We could inadvertently kill our own sireline."

"Okay, but we can't just leave him in Charlotte unattended," Damon said.

Stefan said, "The other coffins are already on their away to Las Vegas. It's too late to call the 18-wheeler back to pick up Mikael."

Bonnie mulled over their predicament. She suggested, "We could send Mikael back home and put him where we kept the other coffins. The witches will keep an eye on him while we're away."

Damon said, "Ric could drive out to Charlotte to pick him up. Maybe Wolf Boy and the Quarterback could help him. I'll call Ric and see what we can figure out."

She grinned and said, "Great. Now I'm going to Saks. I need shoes to go with my new clothes. There's another store I want to stop at, too. But we'll be going there without you, Damon."

Stefan's smile brightened at the mention of the last store Bonnie wanted to visit.

Katherine's eyes had been volleying between to the two of them. "What is happening here?!"

Bonnie chuckled at Katherine's reaction. "She screeches like Elena does…"

Damon laughed and shook his head.

Stefan glanced at his watch and frowned at the time. They had only planned to spend an hour at the bar. Somehow they were now well into hour three with no sign of slowing down. Initially, Stefan hadn't been interested in a night out on the town but Bonnie could be incredibly persuasive. She claimed that they deserved some form of entertainment after being snowed in for the better part of a week without murdering each other. Moreover, it wasn't as if any of them actually needed to sleep the way that humans did. Technically, they could party all night without too many repercussions. Although, Stefan had noticed that Bonnie still seemed to require more sleep than he did. He couldn't tell if it was because she was a baby vamp or hybrid witchpire.

A night out on the town was also a reward for Bonnie's good behavior. She had been tempted to kill Katherine from the moment they set eyes on each other. Stefan wasn't aware of any personal grudge she had against Katherine. Nevertheless, the two women had been like oil and water all day. The friction had mostly been limited to insults but Katherine had nearly lost a hand when she touched Stefan. Bonnie had used her magic swiftly and in a very public place. They were lucky that no one noticed the strange scene that played out on the streets of downtown Richmond.

Despite being told multiple times that her presence was unwanted, Katherine refused to leave them alone. That's when Damon came up with the idea of rewarding Bonnie if she managed to resist the urge to kill Katherine. His brother suggested a night of drinking and dancing as reward. Damon also reasoned that it would be a way to burn off some aggression. Bonnie seemed to have tons of pent up aggression just waiting for an appropriate target. Damon's idea had appealed to Bonnie almost immediately. She was only a little disappointed that they wouldn't allow her to kill Katherine. She still found a way to needle their sire. Bonnie refused to refer to Katherine as anything other than 'Granny Kathy'. Damon had laughed uproariously the first time and every time since.

Bonnie had been dancing like a madwoman all night. She rejected any man that asked her to dance that wasn't named Stefan Salvatore. Damon hadn't even tried to ask her to dance since they were still on shaky ground. However, she had let him help her feed from a waitress and then wipe her memory of the incident. Damon had offered to be her chaperone since Stefan was still limiting his human blood intake. He would return to drinking only human blood once they touched down in Las Vegas. Bonnie's first attempt at eating and erasing had gone off without a hitch. The only downside was that tasting fresh human blood from the tap made her want more. However, Damon had a solution for that, too.

Damon slapped his hand on the table and said, "Come on! Drink up, Stefan."

He rolled eyes but quickly downed his shot of tequila.

Bonnie kicked Damon under the table. "Stop peer pressing Stefan. He doesn't have to play this stupid drinking game with us."

"A stupid drinking game that you seem to be enjoying," he countered with a grin.

"I am only doing this for scientific purposes. I need to see what my new tolerance is for alcohol," Bonnie declared. Her glassy eyes revealed that she was already quite drunk.

Damon chuckled, "How very scholarly of you…"

She hiccuped and said, "I'll have you know I have a 3.8 GPA even with you and every other vampire trying to ruin my life."

Stefan tried not to laugh at her drunken hiccup.

"That's impressive," Damon conceded.

She nodded and said, "I am impressive. Are you sure I can't kill Granny Kathy?"

Damon chuckled deeply and refilled her shot glass. He said, "That just means you haven't had enough tequila."

Stefan looked toward the dancefloor where Katherine was dancing with her latest victim. She had been feeding from the man all night. He bore a mild resemblance to Stefan and that was lost on no one. He couldn't tell if Katherine was trying to get under Bonnie's skin or if the man was simply her preference. Stefan was just glad that Damon was keeping Bonnie somewhat occupied.

Bonnie squinted at the glass and then quickly drank its contents. She whined, "I mean she doesn't even really serve a purpose. She found Mikael already and he's safely tucked away in Mystic Falls. Why can't I kill her?"

Damon chuckled again and said, "Because she could be useful bait for Klaus at a later date. You have to look at the big picture, Witchy. We're hunting big game now."

Bonnie frowned as she drunkenly considered his point. Then she groaned in resignation. "Fine but if she tries touch Stefan again all bets are off! We can just use Klaus' mommy and daddy as bait."

Stefan rubbed Bonnie's thigh to settle her down.

"Someone's possessive," Damon said with a smirk. "I thought the two of you were planning for a threesome with Klaus. I would have assumed you would be more open-minded."

Bonnie huffed, "Not that it's any of your business but Stefan and I made a pact. We don't sleep with anyone without the other person present. And I wouldn't touch Katherine with a ten foot pole."

Damon wrinkled his nose at that inconvenient caveat. Sharing a woman with his brother was no issue to him. Sharing a woman at the same time stretched the limits of propriety too much even for him. However, he had serious doubts about Stefan's ability to keep to their pact. The more he learned about Stefan and Klaus, the more he predicted rough seas ahead. Klaus was a possessive bastard with everyone in his life. He liked being the center of attention even with his own siblings. He would certainly try to find a way to drive a wedge between Stefan and Bonnie. The easiest way would be getting Stefan into bed alone. Bonnie would be heartbroken and would assuredly pull away from Stefan. Damon planned to be there to pick up the pieces. In the meantime, he would cultivate a friendship. Stefan's humanity was on again and he'd lost his edge. It was obvious that Bonnie's edge was very much still present. She was unpredictably violent and too powerful for her own good.

Stefan smiled at Bonnie. "You don't need to worry about Katherine. I haven't been interested in her games for a very long time."

Bonnie leaned in and kissed him. Afterwards, she said, "That's because you're the smarter brother."

"I have been called that before. I'm not sure if it's always true," Stefan replied.

Damon snorted. "For the smart brother, he tends to get himself into the worst situations. He has a bit of a hero complex."

"I have to the balance the ledger out some way, brother."

Bonnie frowned at the seriousness in Stefan's tone. She said, "Stop being mean to him, Damon. There is nothing wrong with wanting to help people. And there is certainly nothing wrong with trying to make up for the bad things he's done in the past. We should all try to atone for the mistakes we've made."

"You're being very judgy. I think we need more shots...this time something stronger," he said. He grabbed a bottle of bourbon and lined up four glasses for Bonnie.

She pouted prettily. "Bourbon is gross. I don't want it."

He grinned at her. "I don't make the rules, Judgy."

"What? Yes, you do make the rules. This stupid drinking game was your idea," she huffed.

Stefan said, "Maybe Bonnie has had enough for the night."

"How much do you still want to kill Katherine?" Damon asked with a raised brow.

Bonnie glanced at Katherine and sighed deeply. "I want to rip off her head and drain her like a pouch of Capri Sun. We're still hovering around an 8 on the killing her scale."

Damon barked out a laugh at Bonnie's vivid explanation. He filled the glasses with bourbon and then motioned to her. "Then we keep drinking! And I'll order something fruity for you to chase it with."

She shrugged once he mentioned buying her a fruity cocktail, too. Bonnie drank all four shots of bourbon. She groaned and said, "That was awful. How do you drink this stuff?"

"You just have an underdeveloped palette," he said. He waved over a waitress and asked, "What's the girliest drink you have here?"

The woman said, "We have a strawberry and pomegranate mojito."

Bonnie's eyes lit up. "That sounds amazing. I want three."

Damon chuckled and said, "You heard the lady. She'll have three of those and I'll take another bottle of tequila, sweetheart."

The waitress gave Damon a smoldering look before walking away with an obvious sway of her hips.

He watched appreciatively as she headed back to the bar. He said, "Well, I know what I will be doing tonight."

Stefan rolled his eyes and said, "Just make sure you make our flight on time. We're leaving with or without you, brother."

"I'll be there," Damon said with a chuckle.

Bonnie gripped Stefan's hand. "Come dance with me."

Stefan couldn't say no to the bright smile on her face. He stood up and pulled Bonnie along with him. He found a space on the dance floor and smiled at Bonnie. "I am glad that you are having a good time."

"I wish you were having a better time," Bonnie replied.

"What makes you think I'm not having a good time?"

"Maybe it's the look on your face. I'm guessing bars and drinking aren't really your thing," she said.

Stefan shook his head. "That's not true. I'm just...Damon and I are opposite in a lot of ways. He uses drinking to control his bloodlust and sometimes it can trigger mine."

Bonnie stopped dancing and looked horrified. "Why didn't you say anything? You didn't have to drink with us tonight."

He chuckled. "You don't need to worry about me. I'm not even close to being drunk. My tolerance is...a lot higher than you would think."

"Promise?" Bonnie asked.

Stefan kissed her. "Yes."

They danced for a few songs before Katherine walked over to them.

Bonnie's eyes turned venomous. "Walk away or I will set you ablaze right here on the dancefloor."

Katherine grinned and said, "Stefan would never let you do that."

The girl giggled and said, "You are assuming that Stefan has the power to stop me."

Katherine stepped closer to Bonnie and said, "I think you are overestimating your strength. I can rip your heart out in seconds."

The humor drained from Bonnie's face. She looked at Katherine's leg and watched as it snapped like a twig. Then she looked at her arm and it snapped, too.

Katherine howled in pain and collapsed on the floor.

Bonnie leaned down so that no one else could overhear the exchange over the music. "That was strike two. I wouldn't recommend a strike three, Granny Kathy."

She turned around and wandered back to their table in search of her fruity cocktails.

Stefan groaned and helped Katherine up. He steered her to an empty chair and said, "You really should stop antagonizing Bonnie. She has a very short fuse these days."

She spat angrily. "I've noticed…"