"Okay, I'm eating," Bonnie snapped after she'd swallowed two large, angry bites. "Talk, Forbes. Why the hell am I sitting on the hood of your car, eating take-out in random ass North Carolina? We're supposed to be shopping in Richmond!"

Caroline ate a fry, considered her. "I went on a date with Stefan."

"Yes, I remember. The whole we're just friends rambling that happened in my ear for a hour," Bonnie grumped around her burger. "I thought the whole friends-date was an attempt for you to figure your shit out."

"Damon was there," Caroline murmured, brows tucked together. How to explain? "And look, I know you and Damon are friends, but..."

"But what?" Bonnie demanded, eyes wary.

"I don't trust him," Caroline said bluntly. "I've been stupid, and I'm sorry about that, but I'm not losing you again."

"Caroline, have you lost your mind? You think what, that Damon would kill me so he could get Elena back?"

"Yes."

Bonnie reared back, staring at her with wide eyes. "What?"

"And I believe it enough, that I have a suitcase with your clothes in my trunk, as well as your favorite grimoires." Caroline stared at her with hard eyes. "And don't give me that look. When has either of our lives measured up to Elena?"

"Do you think she'd forgive him?" Bonnie spluttered, expression rattled.

"Eventually, yes." Caroline sighed and tossed the rest of her fries to the birds, appetite gone. "And maybe it wouldn't be murder. He isn't subtle, but Stefan is and all it would take is a little encouragement to help you decide that extending your life wasn't in your cards. And accidents happen all the time."

"Maybe I want kids, maybe I want peace and quiet after everything that happened lately."

"Uh huh, sure," Caroline arched one eyebrow. "Then why haven't you tried to re-enroll in school? A vampire BFF would be very helpful in getting through the red tape."

"I can't believe you're actually thinking about this."

"Enzo agrees with me," Caroline shrugged at Bonnie's flat look. "Okay, fine, no I didn't tell him. But when I asked him to keep the brothers occupied so awe could have a girl's day, his face says he knew something was up."

"Are you sure this isn't some attempt to, I don't know, avoid Stefan?" Bonnie questioned, eyes narrowing.

"My life does not revolve around Stefan Salvatore, and it never will." Caroline said firmly, eyes sliding shut in an attempt to calm her temper. "He'd sell us both out for Elena, Bonnie. And I'm never going to be second best again."

Silence grew for a long moment before Bonnie broke it, her shoulders tight. "So what is the plan, oh abductor of friends?"

Caroline ignored her sarcasm. "So, the way I see it, we have two options. We can spend the rest of your life - however long or short you want it - skipping around the world. I'd suggest we head to Dallas, Damon would assume New York as a launching point. You use your witchy powers to keep us off the radar and we'll be smart."

Bonnie's wrapper fell from her nerveless fingers. "What?"

"I'd suggest somewhere warm, but not mainstream. Belise?"

Still staring at her, Bonnie swallowed hard. "Option two?"

Caroline set her phone down, let Bonnie see the open contact page. "Option two is New Orleans."

"Are you insane?" Bonnie demanded. "No. What's the third option?"

"That's it," Caroline said with a shrug. "Those are our options."

"Option Three, we go home," Bonnie suggested, wadding her hamburger wrapper. "Pretend this never happened."

"You might be willing to gamble with your life, Bonnie Bennett, but I'm not," Caroline shot back. "I'm not mourning you for a third time, not for at least a century. So put on your freaking big-girl panties on and let's deal with this."

Bonnie stared at her, brows drawn tightly together. "You think Klaus Mikaelson will what? Keep me safe?"

"Yes," Caroline admitted, dragging a hand through her bangs. "And so do you."

"The sex with Klaus went to your head."

Caroline caught Bonnie's gaze, held it. "Do you know what I finally figured out? I'm important. Me. Do you know what it took for me to claw that realization out of my life? My mom died and I wasn't there. I wasn't there, Bonnie."

"Care..."

"Elena, Stefan, Damon... I wanted a year. Just one." Caroline looked away, shuddered out a breath. "And I didn't get it."

"Klaus won't give you that," Bonnie warned, voice low.

"But he'll give you a lifetime," Caroline whispered, swallowing hard. "I don't regret flipping my switch."

"You killed people," Bonnie said bluntly. She held up her hand, stopping Caroline's response. "The Caroline I know would never okay with that."

"Which Caroline was that Bonnie? Human-Caroline, who died under a pillow? Caroline-the-vampire who killed twelve witches to protect you even as she clung desperately to her humanity? Caroline-who-fucked-Klaus, who flipped her switch and ate people, who toyed with her friends like they were puppets on her marionette strings? Which Caroline do you see when you look at me?"

"Stop it," Bonnie said fiercely. "We all make mistakes, we were kids and we still are."

Eyes dark, veins shimmering under her eyes, Caroline laughed. "Do you feel like a kid, Bonnie? Because I feel like dying twice, being trapped in a prison world and having all your choices taken away by the people you love, that means you get to freaking live."

Bonnie's chin wobbled and she visibly controlled herself. "Why Klaus? Why New Orleans?"

"Because New Orleans isn't just vampires," Caroline said softly. "There are witches too. I don't know what the situation in the city is right now, Tyler might know, but we don't talk. But you being able to learn magic - about magic - that isn't about Elena or the Salvatores might be good for you."

"You do realize Klaus will want it to be about him instead."

"Yeah, I don't think we can avoid that entirely, but I'll curb it where I can."

"Can you?" Bonnie asked flatly. "Can you really?"

Caroline drew her knees to her chest, hugged herself as she watched the cars go by. "I haven't had a blood bag in two weeks."

"What?"

"Flipping a switch isn't... I wasn't emotionless, not really. It's like having your safety catch turned off. You become the predator," Caroline sighed. "That doesn't just go back into the box."

"I don't understand," Bonnie murmured.

"When I saw Stefan talking to Damon... maybe I'm being paranoid, but I won't let anyone cage us. The only expectations I care about are ours. And Bonnie, playing someone, using someone the way I used Stefan, it can be intimate." Caroline shrugged uncomfortably, tightened her grip on her calves. "It is intimate. I wasn't just using him likes chesspiece, maneuvering a faceless person. I dug into his skin, I played on his fears and if I'd had longer than a few days, I could have destroyed him. And I know they're plotting something."

"This is what you don't regret?" Bonnie asked softly.

"I regret that I hurt him. I regret the people who died, but I can't regret what I learned about myself."

"Which is what?"

"I'm a monster, Bonnie," Caroline turned, met her dark eyes. "The predator under my skin isn't going to be boxed up forever, isn't going to let me live in my comfortable little world. I need to learn to live with that."

"You think Klaus will help with that?"

Caroline laughed. "Oh God, no. When has Klaus ever let me be? He's going to push. He'll prod at all my uncomfortable spots. He might be willing to wait until I say yes, but that ass will stack the deck in his favor."

"And you think he'll protect us?"

"Yes and no," Caroline murmured. She watched her friend, tried to find the words. This wasn't completely about protection, because being near Klaus was both safety and danger, but Caroline had stopped letting other people keep her safe when her mom died. Safety was a concept she'd found for herself. The predator under her skin was stretching, settling into her bones and she'd stopped fighting that so hard. But while Bonnie was fierce, a creature of magic and sacrifice, she wasn't vicious.

New Orleans was a chance for Bonnie to learn what it meant to be part of a community. Not the lone witch surrounded by vampires. She just hoped the recent silence meant the worst of the bloodshed was over, because slipping Klaus would be far more difficult than losing the Salvatore brothers in Mystic Falls.

Caroline knew down to her bones that Klays would see the changes in her the moment he saw her. Predators knew like, and weaker, younger she might be, but she'd never been prey. And the last year had taught her some hard lessons.

"Honestly, Bonnie? I want to live. I want to be happy. Damon and Stefan, in the end they're a small threat. I could give you list after list of why I've broken everything down into two options, but my reasons aren't important. What do you want?"

"What do I want?" Bonnie repeated. She stared at Caroline for a long moment. "I... I don't know."

"Okay," Caroline nodded. "Then let's fling ourselves into the world until you figure it out."

Bonnie opened her mouth, closed it. Stared at her. "You mean that?"

"Of course," Caroline shrugged. "New Orleans is an option, not the option. It's important to me that you have choices. I wasn't sure if you'd want people or space."

"And if I say, Russia?"

"I'd say it's cold there in the winter, but Russian is as good a place to start learning languages as any other."

Bonnie sat there for a long time, considering. Finally, she took a deep breath and nodded. "New Orleans."

Caroline started, staring at her. "Are you sure?"

"No," Bonnie admitted. "But you're not wrong that I need to find myself, figure out what's important to me. And if I learned anything from Kai, it was that there is a wealth of magic I don't know about. I... I think I'd like to make friends with other witches."

"We're going to get dragged into a shit storm of vampire politics," Caroline warned. "Klaus isn't going to play nice, not anymore."

"With me or you?" Bonnie asked. She gave Caroline a slow smile. "And as for the rest, how scary can it be when we have each other?"

"Right," Caroline muttered. "Nothing like your informative years spent fighting Originals, escaping Prison Worlds and killing the oldest immortal, to prepare you for college. We are going to college, right? I can get us into Tulane, and it's best we avoid depending on Klaus as much as possible."

Bonnie's eyes danced. "We're doomed, aren't we?"

"Might as well go out with a bang," Caroline grinned, picking up her phone. She stared at it before sliding off the car. "That conversation can wait. So, Bon Bon, you're the co-pilot on this jaunt. Where to?"

"Not a straight shot?" Bonnie jumped off the car and arched both brows. "Enzo can only distract for so long."

"Please, this is our first road trip. Let's make it interesting." Caroline shook her head. "You and me and the open road. We're not letting anyone determine what we want any longer, okay?"

Bonnie gave her a knowing look, but followed her back into the car. "Hey Care?"

"Yeah?

"Thanks."

"You're welcome," Caroline murmured. Then she smiled, letting her worries go, just for a moment. "Let's go be awesome."