Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

The Charade

* PART ONE *

CHAPTER ONE

Having friends could be hard on a girl.

"I know it's risky, but it's the only way." Tyler's brown eyes were full of plea.

"And we can't do it without you," added the blonde woman sitting beside him. "Please, Bonnie?"

In unison, she and Tyler exchanged a glance, before they both turned and threw Bonnie what she suspected was a well-timed, well-planned look of despair.

"Why don't you guys just elope?" Bonnie asked.

"My family won't accept that. My father will just track us down." Liv bit her lip. "It won't work."

Bonnie sighed, thinking regretfully of her vacation brochures, resting in a hopeful stack on her desk in her bedroom. She had planned the trip months back, thinking to use the time to reconnect with nature by hiking, camping, and generally enjoying quiet time away from the escapades that life in Mystic Falls constantly threw her.

Of course, it had to be the exact same week as Tyler and Liv's wedding.

She could feel their anxious eyes on her face, and felt smothered. Bonnie stood and walked to the bay window overlooking the street. Frowning at the sunny day outside, in direct contrast to her own plummeting mood, she blew out a puff of breath.

"We leave as soon as the reception's over." She needed that vacation, dammit.

The air in the room lightened as Tyler and Liv both laughed in delight. Their sighs of relief reached her ears, involuntarily drawing a smile from her, although she could feel her internal worry starting to grow.

One of her oldest friends, marrying into a coven of witches. Not really a groundbreaking event, for Mystic Falls. Despite the obvious baggage that Liv carried about her family and whatever history that her coven had over in Oregon, it felt far removed. Bonnie was sure, if she and Tyler regularly compared scorecards, that they were dead even as far as tallying the supernatural dramatics in their lives. They were a well-suited match, Bonnie realized, her smile growing.

Or would have been, if Liv's family had looked favorably on all supernatural creatures alike.

Tyler being a werewolf complicated things. The pair had been successful in avoiding having the family meet Tyler thus far. And they planned to keep it that way all the way through their engagement. Bonnie wasn't sure how they would manage that because, according to Liv, the customary events that witch covens imposed on newly engaged members, seemed to need the groom-to-be's involvement.

"How, exactly, are you going to keep your family and Tyler apart until your wedding day?"

Tyler and Liv gave her matching uncomfortable smiles. "We have a couple of ideas," Tyler said, looking away.

Bonnie raised a brow at Liv.

"My twin, Luke, he's been helping, too. He's the only one who knows about Tyler."

"I think I like his plan better than yours," Tyler muttered. "Luke's a whiz with faking appearances. And his husband looks sort of like me, so we're thinking to use him as my stand-in for some of the pre-wedding stuff."

"A glamour transfer," Bonnie said, impressed. "Not a bad idea. That kind of spell is pretty simple and would fly under everyone's radar."

Liv shook her head. "It would only work for a few hours. Eventually the essence of the person standing in breaks through."

Bonnie's curiosity piqued. "What's your approach, Liv?"

But the other girl couldn't seem to look Bonnie, and it was Tyler who answered, his face red, "Um, we're working on that." He gave Bonnie what looked like an almost pained smile. "Let's-let's, uh, think about back up."

Bonnie looked at him, surprised that he'd even have to ask. She knew exactly who back up would be.

"Are you insane?" Caroline demanded.

"On a list of bad ideas, this is up there," added Matt.

It was the following day, and the three sat huddled in a corner booth at the Grill. Bonnie continued chewing on her sandwich, but Caroline and Matt in tandem had stopped sipping their drinks, their mouths almost hanging open as they stared at her.

"Bonnie, you can't hide Tyler's aura from, what, a hundred witches in one room." Caroline scoffed, looking at Matt. "That's like trying to put a band aid over a gaping cut and hoping vampires won't notice."

Bonnie leaned back, exhaling. "Liv and I found a spell-"

Caroline snorted.

Matt cleared his throat. "At least we have two witches working on it."

"As far as I'm concerned, Bonnie's clearly the only witch worth her salt in that pair. I mean, hello, she does get paid for her services now. She's a pro."

After college, Bonnie had spent a few years drifting from job to job, trying to find her fit. Her latest work, as a research assistant for a non-profit, allowed her to clock in odd hours and log in time from home. So far, it was a good fit for her, since she occasionally moonlighted and offered her supernatural abilities for a fee, when the case was right.

Even though most of her friends remained in Mystic Falls and were as close as ever, it was Caroline and Matt that she saw on a regular basis, due in part to the line of work they had all followed. Matt had gone on to become a police officer, while Caroline had abandoned her drama and musical theater background to work as a paralegal. Every once in a while, Bonnie's side jobs brought her to one or the other, and occasionally all three had to put their heads together to puzzle out a common denominator in their individual cases.

"We have some time to practice," Bonnie said. "Don't underestimate Liv. She grew up in a witch family. She's got great technique."

"Whatever."

Matt couldn't hide back a grin. "Care, Ty already explained why they couldn't invite you to the wedding. Unless you feel like being anuerysmed to death, or burned-no vampires. Don't hold it against Liv, otherwise, you come across like a jealous ex-girlfriend."

The blonde vampire sniffed. "Please. Tyler and I were friends long before we dated. And I'm not that petty. Right, Bon?"

Bonnie stayed silent, but scrunched up one side of her face in semi agreement with Matt.

"Bonnie!" Then Caroline's shoulders slumped. "It's just been so long since I've been to a real wedding."

"What about Elena and Damon's-"

"Ugh, don't get me started. Those two didn't even give us proper warning, and there was really no one else there, and it was...boring!" Caroline threw her hands up in aggravation. "All those years of drama with the will they or won't they, and finally more years waiting for Damon to get his ass in gear with a proposal, and then...I mean...all that money Damon's got...all for nothing! Elena didn't even let me order her a proper dress," she finished in a small, aggrieved voice.

Matt's face had started taking on a look of indigestion as Caroline appeared to be on the verge of an emotional breakdown.

He threw Bonnie a "do something" glance, prompting her to say, "Hey, you know, how about you take Liv up on her invitation to help her pick out dresses and all that other jazz brides do."

"She didn't mean it."

"Of course she did! She says she's terrible at it, I'm not really a party planner, and if you don't do it, then we'll end up leaving everything to her oldest brother." Bonnie frowned, trying to remember which one that was from the family picture Liv had shown her. "I think he's the one who wears a lot of black. And the occasional reindeer sweater." She shrugged. "Maybe he'll go with a Goth or moose hunt theme."

Caroline shuddered. "Fine, I'll do it!" she said tightly, then turned sideways, adding, "Matt, as best man, you should do something other than plan the bachelor party. And since Elena's off on her never ending trip with Damon, and Stefan and Alaric are helping Jeremy with that nest of ripper vampires...I think you should volunteer to be my assistant."

"Riiight." His face not quite thrilled, Matt nonetheless gave a small, reluctant nod at the insistent grin she threw his way.

Caroline then picked up her phone to dial someone, her eyes perking up brightly when the other line picked up. "Hi, Liv..." she began in a singsong voice.

Matt dropped his elbows on the table, his head in his hands. "Not again," he mumbled.

Bonnie smiled in sympathy.

The weeks flew by. While Caroline's careful behind the scenes planning was shaping up to be the best decision they'd made, allowing Liv to pass all the finished details over to her family without any hiccups, the free time gave the two witches opportunities to perfect the spell. They were becoming adept at veiling their auras, and had started practicing on Tyler.

The natural fibers of werewolf magic that clung to him ran stronger during periods of a full moon. Liv had had to change her wedding date as a result, after she and Bonnie had consulted several almanacs to pinpoint when the exact night was for a new moon during the month of her wedding. Her family had grumbled quite a bit about the change, most notably her father and a few of what Liv called her high strung sisters.

Joshua Parker didn't come across as a decent man. The few times Bonnie had walked in on Liv in a heated discussion on the phone, it had been with her father, and it had always ended in a shouting match.

The last time it happened, Liv had broken down into tears.

Her own Grams had kept Bonnie in the dark about magic until her powers had naturally manifested. Liv's father appeared to have force fed all things witch-related to his children, immersing them from a young age in traditions and sacrifices that most modern covens no longer adhered to. His children had been nothing more than a means to an end, that being the position of leadership among his family, garnering fear and respect from the other clans.

"He wants Tyler to take up the oath," Liv said, tears on her face as Bonnie sat beside her, offering a tissue. "To show loyalty to the covenant above everything else. It's something we do when an outsider-someone who's not a witch-marries into the family."

"Your brother in law can't take Tyler's place?"

"No, he's already gone through the ritual. It strips everyone down, reveals your true nature. Everyone would know him immediately. And if Tyler goes through it..." Liv's face crumpled again. "My father would kill him on the spot."

Bonnie shook her head, frowning. "It doesn't sound like something you should have to do, though. What if you married someone who's devout to their faith? You would be asking them to renounce it for the sake of your family's covenant."

Liv's eyes gleamed with hope. "Right. Okay. Tyler's Catholic. I don't know how devout he is, but sometimes after we visit his parents' graves, he takes me to church. That counts, right?"

"I think so."

Liv hugged her. "Thank you, Bonnie."

"Do you think your father will accept it?"

"He has no choice. I can talk to my brother, the one next in line. Sometimes, he can get through to my father."

Liv sat lost in thought for a moment, then added in a whisper, "It will be so much better when my brother kills him finally."

Taken aback, Bonnie blinked, unsure of how to respond.

Liv wiped her face. "It's not as bad as it sounds. Going by Parker family lore, five of the last eight leaders had to be taken down by force, when they got too old to lead. So it's almost expected." She laughed without any humor. "It's like they don't know how to let go of their power."

"It's all so...Mafioso," Bonnie admitted. "Why not just elect people?"

Her friend shrugged. "My grandfather had plans to overhaul a lot of the traditions, but then he had a heart attack. Left him weak. He stepped down peacefully, but when my father took over, things sort of-went backwards. He thinks our coven always needs more power, he's so paranoid about everything. He introduced ancient rituals-a lot of them gruesome..."

Bonnie eyed her with unease. "Sounds like after you marry, you and Tyler would be spending the rest of your lives together hiding from your family."

Liv set her chin resolutely. "Only for a little while. When Kai becomes coven head, we won't have to hide."

Bonnie raised her brows in question. "You're so sure he won't follow in your father's steps?"

"Once upon a time, I would've told you he'd be worse. I was really young, but I remember he used to scare the crap out of me and Luke all the time. For fun, he'd pretend to be stalking us around the house, and basically just terrorize us."

Bonnie's eyes widened. And this was the same person Liv hoped would replace their father? "Doesn't sound like the apple fell far from the tree."

Liv shook her head sadly. "You don't understand. Out of all of us, my brother got it the worst. My father and the rest of the coven elders-they locked him up, away from the rest of us, for weeks on end. They called him a monster, because he can steal another witch's magic." Liv's face was lost in troubled memories. "When he was seventeen, my mom finally snapped. She hexed my father. He was in a coma for a month. When he woke up, my mom and Kai were both gone. Eventually she came back. But I didn't see my brother again, until a couple years ago."

Bonnie frowned. "What happened to him?"

"He got lucky," Liv replied, her laugh bitter. "The time away changed him. Not only that, but somehow, he looks closer to mine and Luke's age than he does to Jo, his own twin. Don't ask me how or why, though. He never talks about it."

"How do you know he'll have yours and Tyler's back then, when the time comes?"

"When he came back, he could've easily killed my father and ripped everyone else in the coven to shreds. But he didn't." Liv's hand balled the tissue in a fist. "My father was going to force me and Luke to merge when we turned twenty-two."

"Merge?"

"It's the Gemini twin ceremony, it determines leadership among our coven. Whoever wins permanently gains the other's magic."

"What happens to the loser?"

"Usually the weaker twin dies."

"Your family traditions could really use improvement," Bonnie muttered.

"Kai showed up before the ceremony. He found a way around it that left my sister alive and well." She turned to Bonnie. "He was supposed to take over then, but instead he named himself heir."

"Isn't it a sign of progress that at least one ceremony didn't end in bloodshed?"

She shook her head. "He's the most powerful member of the coven by far, Bonnie. My father might officially be the leader, but he's terrified of Kai. And in order for our coven practices to improve? Kai needs to take him out of the picture."

While Liv looked satisfied saying those words, for all appearances happily plotting her father's demise, the dread that had sparked in Bonnie's chest only grew.

NOTES:

I've been quietly following the Bonkai craze for the past month and was really sad this week, learning we won't get to see it unfold the way it should on screen. Been about three years not following the show after Kevin Williamson left and it went downhill. I tuned in randomly earlier this season and was pleasantly surprised with Bonnie and Kai, and started watching again. Then came the showrunner's rampage, to deflate our hopes for these characters. TBH, since season 1, it was obvious that Bonnie is a character that will never get explored properly within the confines of the show. Double that for Kai, since he's new 6 seasons in, not a vampire, and just way too f'd up in the head for a CW series anyway. In an ideal world, Bonnie/Kai would have their own show on HOB or Showtime.

I was all ready to go back to forgetting about the show, and this ship. But...I just couldn't. This idea popped up, and I can't function until this story's purged from my busy brain. I hope this fic does them a little justice. Enjoy. :)