Bonnie and Damon died holding hands. The moment she realized the spell was broken and she and Damon had lost all hope, something inside of her was actually terrified. Not only was she dying again, but now she was also toting Damon Salvatore into impending doom. Selfishly, for a brief moment, she was glad she didn't have to face death alone as a sea of brilliant light overtook them both in one great swoop.

Day One

"So you're telling me we both died, got literally sucked up by the lights of Heaven, but somehow managed to get stuck in Mystic Falls?" Damon ranted as he and Bonnie strode through the dark, clearly empty town of Mystic Falls. "And what was up with that eclipse earlier?"

Bonnie quickly turned on her heel and held out her palm in which Damon's firm chest slammed into. His body heat radiated through his thin T-Shirt giving Bonnie a clear idea of his current agitations. She took a breath with narrowed eyes.

"For the twentieth time, yes. We are somehow stuck in a Mystic Falls Other Side realm, and for the hundredth time, I truly have no idea why!" she then gracefully let her hand drop and flipped back around to continue in the direction they've been walking since they let go of each other's hands in the woods. "That eclipse was strange, I'll give you that. But honestly, I don't have any answers to offer you." Bonnie could hear an audible huff from Damon as he picked up his pace, in the blink of an eye he was clutching onto her elbow.

"Where is everyone though? When you were dead you could see everyone, right? Does this mean we're actually like- dead, dead?" he persisted, fear creeping its way into his words. Bonnie sighed, gently removing her arm from his grasp. Having gotten used to death so many times made her a bit more resilient than her newly dead vampire friend.

"Yes I could see everyone. This time is different, though. The Other Side collapsed, Damon," she explained, "We got stuck here because of that! And maybe that's a good thing," Bonnie turned her head to meet his gaze, "If it hadn't collapsed we would probably have crossed over." Damon sucked in his breath and ran his hands through his thick mussed, black hair.

"Do you think there's a way to go home? Or are we here for good?"

Bonnie couldn't bring herself to look in his direction. She didn't want to give him any false hope but she also didn't want to crush his spirit.

"I don't know," she simply replied. Finally, after what seemed hours, he silenced himself but kept close to Bonnie's side as they trekked towards the only thing that felt right- the Salvatore Boarding House.

A few minutes later they prepared to take their first steps up the lawn and to the front door. The house was entirely dark and appeared externally the same as it always had, almost as if time had simply frozen. Damon hesitantly pushed the door open, flipping on the lights. The pair stood there in complete fascination as they recognized nothing had been too terribly altered. The Boarding House was unlocked, appropriately furnished, and completely okay. Though, Bonnie couldn't help but notice a different feel in the air. Damon suddenly flew to the left with vampire speed, flipping on lights as he went.

"Stefan!" he yelled, "Stefan! Elena! Hello?"

Bonnie's stomach dropped as her arms automatically wrapped around herself. She closed her eyes, tears threatening to prick behind her eyelids. She could hear Damon crashing around in Stefan's room, throwing objects and cursing- calling hopelessly to his brother. With a gust of wind she could feel him zoom past her going in the direction of his own bedroom. Bonnie couldn't believe he still had his vampire powers even though they were technically dead. Did this mean she still had her powers as well?

"Elena! Say something! Anyone?" she could hear Damon hollering, once again throwing things and banging into the walls. Why is he calling to them? Bonnie wondered, rigidly moving to the cold fireplace, He knows it's only us.

After ten minutes or so, Damon appeared across from her by fireplace, eyes gloomy and defeated. Bonnie gingerly reached for his arm and gripped it, wordlessly letting him know that he had her support. He finally let out a sad chuckle as Bonnie released his arm.

"I know that no one was home," he foolishly whispered, "I just couldn't walk into this house without at least trying to see them." Bonnie silently nodded with an understanding expression. Out of anyone in the world, she surely knew what it was like to not be heard, to feel alone. Damon then brought his sad, blue sparkling eyes to meet her chocolate brown ones.

"We're really dead aren't we?"

Bonnie's vision became blurred, tears escaping down her cheeks.

"Yeah, I guess we are."

Day Two

Damon was genuinely appalled when Bonnie suggest she stay in the neighbor's house across the street. "Seriously, Bonnie? There are six other rooms in this house!" he had yelled at her, but Bonnie refused. She told him it was because she needed space to work on her magic, but the real reason she left was because of Damon himself. She couldn't recall another time she had seen him this emotional and she knew, even if he didn't, that he needed alone time and rest. You do too, she reminded herself. So there she was, hurrying across the street and making her way up to the deserted houses' doorstep. Not surprisingly the door was unlocked so she stepped inside to take a look.

"Well, it isn't the Boarding House but it'll do," she mumbled, appraising the living space. The house was small but had two floors. The furniture looked old and outdated, but she had to admit the décor was cute. Velvet drapery, checkered tile in the kitchen, porcelain trinkets. Bonnie wandered over to a small clock on the mantel piece that read 1:00 AM. What time had they arrived here anyway? She didn't know. Bonnie couldn't believe time even existed here. She was hungry too,but wasn't she supposed to be dead? Why was she desperately craving a cheese burger?

The kitchen unfortunately only made matters worse. The only thing there to consume was water. Pouring herself a cold glass, Bonnie decided to have a seat in the middle of the living room and try out her powers.

She attempted spell after spell to no avail- she even ashamedly, as a last ditch effort, ripped open a pillow to make the feathers float. Nothing worked. Bonnie stared down at her trembling hands.

"My powers are off?" she whispered in disbelief. Damon will just be thrilled.

By the time Bonnie was done yelling and throwing things around just as her companion previously had, she slumped up the stairs to the nearest bedroom she could locate. It appeared to be a guest room composed of a twin bed, dresser, and night table. Bonnie flopped down belly first across the flower patterned comforter. With a groan, she kicked off her shoes and curled into a ball, burying her face in the sheets. Being dead really, really sucks. Suddenly her eyes began to feel heavy and in the next instant she was fast asleep.

There was a knock at her door. It's just your imagination, go back to sleep, she firmly directed herself. A pleasant silence followed in which Bonnie concluded that the sound was in fact, nonexistent. After a brief moment, the knock sounded again. This time even more intense. It was practically pounding. In a flash Bonnie leapt to her feet and reached for a heavy looking bookend off her dresser. Without her powers she was basically defenseless against whoever she came across. Even though they were sure they were alone in this world, anything is possible- Bonnie had to defend herself.

"Please be Damon, please be Damon," she chanted underneath her breath as she crept downstairs to answer the door. With a surge of courage, Bonnie flung the door open and was about to swing the bookend when she saw who unexpectedly decided to grace her presence.

Damon stood on her doorstep in nothing except black sweats and a plaid un-buttoned long sleeved shirt that exposed his creamy white chest and perfectly chiseled abs. In one hand he held bottle of bourbon, and in the other a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Bonnie's eyes nearly popped out of her head and she wasn't sure if it was because of the ice cream or his abs.

"Your house has food?!" she exclaimed, lunging for the container. In one quick swoop, Bonnie held the ice cream close to her breast while taking a big spoonful into her mouth. She slowly exhaled in contented bliss. Damon sent her an amused smirk as he threw back a swig of his bourbon.

"Why, yes, Bonnie. As a matter of fact, my fridge came completely stocked as well as the pantry. The ghost maids even left artfully crafted towel swans on all of the beds. They even managed to slip those decadent little chocolates under my pillows too!" Damon was gesturing wildly with the bottle, his eyes growing bigger by the second. Bonnie scowled at him but also felt the edge of her mouth quirk into a smile. Damon was either in a much better mood now or he was drunk. She guessed the latter. He then brushed past her and entered her makeshift home, assessing the surroundings with distaste.

"We're not on vacation, Bonnie. We're dead." Damon strolled around the living room running his fingers over the wallpaper. "I went to the grocery store," he continued, "You know, the place that has food?"

Bonnie shook her head. So why do dead people need to eat, then? She jammed another big bite of ice cream in her mouth. Honestly, she didn't really care where it came from, she would eat anything at this point.

"I hope you weren't drinking bourbon with this. That would be disgusting," she mumbled through mouthfuls of deliciousness. Damon shrugged with indifference as he plopped down onto the couch, stretching out the entire length of his body.

"I can't believe you ditched me for this dusty old people home," he frowned, "Do you even know who this house belonged to? Gross."

Bonnie disbelievingly sat her ice cream down to stare at the idiot before her.

"It's not gross, don't be an insolent little child. How should I know anyway, why don't you for God's sake? They were your neighbors after all," she pointed the spoon at him accusingly.

"Oh please, it's not like Stefan or I got invited to neighborhood barbeques or open houses. Doesn't matter though," he mused, arms cradling his head, "It all ends in bloodshed." Bonnie popped the spoon into the container and placed herself in the lounge chair next to him, fist propped beneath her chin. She intently studied his face with a long pause.

"What are you going to do about blood here anyway? There aren't blood bags at your house I'm assuming." Damon pursed his lips, slowly shaking his head.

"No, there's not. For some reason though, my blood lust doesn't feel as urgent here. It still exists- but it's not as bad as usual…" A mischievous look spread across his face before Bonnie had a chance to discern the reason why. "Are you offering your assistance?" he gloated, rolling up his sleeves with his eyebrows wiggling. Bonnie cursed under her breath.

"No, I'mabsolutely not!" she then got up from her seat and stole the bottle of bourbon away from him, sitting it next to her ice cream, "I would only do that if you couldn't manage to locate any yummy woodland creatures." Bonnie received a look of disgust in reply and she didn't stop herself from giggling. Damon mouthed "Rude" and covered his face with hands, massaging his temples.

"I'm gonna have to pull a "Stefan Salvatore", aren't I?" he complained, "Eating little squirrels to get me by." Damon rolled off the couch and paced in front of the door.

"Well, not exactly. You could technically just eat human food with me and take a sip of blood every few weeks to survive," Bonnie offered as she walked over to stand with him, "It won't be so bad." Damon's eyelids flew open as he took her by the shoulders, nearly scaring her out of her skin.

"Weeks? You think we will be stuck here for weeks?" his eyes desperately scanned her face for answers. Bonnie's mouth hung open as words couldn't escape her lips. The look on his face was terrifying. Bonnie knew he was depending on her to get them out of there, but without her magic- they were doomed. She didn't know what to say.

"How did your witchy voodoo practice go, huh?" he continued with his hands abruptly running up and down her arms, "Is everything in tip top shape?"

Bonnie drew away from him with a sigh, she decided sitting back down in the lounge chair would be best for what she had to tell him next.

"Damon," she began, "My powers aren't working." For a moment he just stood there and didn't say anything at all. A minute later, he was nodding and taking a long drink of his bourbon.

"That's okay, Bon. Everyone knows your powers go poof! when you're emotionally compromised," he reflected, "You just need a few days to chill and regroup." Yeah right, Bonnie thought to herself, if we're lucky. Damon coaxed Bonnie out of her thoughts by gesturing to her bare feet.

"Put your shoes on, we're getting out of here." Bonnie didn't have the energy or desire to argue so she quickly ran upstairs, put on her shoes, and walked out the front door with him. The night air was cold and crisp enough to make a shiver run down her spine. She was only wearing jeans and a blouse which didn't do much for her naked arms. Damon, being perceptive to her needs, took off his long sleeved shirt and draped it over her shoulders. Bonnie gasped, being both surprised by his sudden choice of action but also because he was shirtless.

"Damon, what the hell! Won't you be cold?"

He smiled, throwing back another swig of his drink, "What, Bonnie? Can I not help relieve my friend of her chills?" the moonlight poured across his sleek figure as he swaggered across the Boarding House lawn. "No, I'm not cold," he added, "The liquor keeps me warm." His skin was creamy as milk and his outward appearance seemed content and somewhat at peace for the moment. She gave a little grin.

"Where did you get this old shirt anyway?"

Damon swung the door open and held it for her to pass by, "I grabbed it out of the Thrift Shop on Main Street," he shut the door behind himself. "It's not old, Bonnie. It's sexy."

Bonnie scoffed as she sauntered over to the kitchen, secretly hoping he would go to bed so she could sneak a few more snacks into her mouth. Before she could even reach into the cabinet, Damon slid up beside her and tossed a sandwich on the kitchen island. Bonnie excitedly took a seat in one of the bar stools and tore the wrapping off. Damon was smirking, flipping through a newspaper while leaning against the counter. She nearly choked.

"You found a newspaper?"

"Yep. It was at the grocery store. It looks like we're stuck in the 1990's, Bon Bon." Bonnie hastily dropped her sandwich and yanked the paper away from him. She flipped back to the front page of the paper and searched for the date- May 10, 1994. She scrunched her nose in confusion. Turning to Damon, she noticed his expression was downcast and somewhat concerning.

"Damon, does this date mean anything to you?"

His eyes slowly met hers in the darkness and he shrugged. What was he keeping from her?

"It's okay, we can figure out what's going on after a good night's sleep," she softly whispered, sensing his uneasiness. Damon's demeanor began to shift back to normal as he sent her a smile.

"Well, you enjoy that sandwich, Witchy," he stepped behind her and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "I did happen to wrap it with all the love in my heart." The pace of Bonnie's heart rapidly increased due to his close proximity and the fact that he was half naked. With a deep breath, Bonnie decided to collect herself and swiveled around to meet him face to face. His torso challengingly pressed into her knees. Bonnie defiantly crossed her arms.

"No you didn't. It was pre-packaged." Damon pushed through her knees and came very close to her face, playful eyes dancing.

"You're right, I didn't." With a wink, he swiftly removed himself from in-between her legs and headed out of the kitchen- bourbon in hand. Bonnie realized she had been holding her breath ever since she faced him. Damon stopped just before he left her range of vision, sticking his free hand into his pocket.

"Hey, uh…I just wanted to apologize for going into hysterics earlier," he mumbled, "That was kind of embarrassing." Bonnie was shocked to hear of all the things to come out of Damon Salvatore's mouth- an apology? She quickly nodded before he became worried at her silence.

"Don't worry about it. We did just die, after all," she gave a soothing smile, "Hysterics are appropriate." Damon seemed to lighten at her words which made Bonnie swell with pride.

"I'm going to bed," he announced, "You can have any of the other rooms, the choice is yours," he informed her, looking over his shoulder. "Unless you get nightmares. In that case, I'm not afraid to cuddle!"

Bonnie over exaggeratingly rolled her eyes into her skull and shooed him away.

"I'll be fine. I'm pretty sure cuddling with you would give me nightmares." Damon clutched his heart as if she'd wounded him and laughed.

"Nonetheless, you know where to find me if you need me. Did you lock the door, Bon Bon?" he was already a foot out of the kitchen and aimlessly calling behind himself. Bonnie felt an oncoming migraine. This is why I was going to live across the street.

"Good night, Damon!" she shouted, stuffing the rest of the sandwich in her mouth. She could hear him snickering all the way in his room. Bonnie decided that should would have to hide all the alcohol in the house until he fully regains his senses. He enjoyed driving her crazy a little too much and it was only the second day in.

Later in the early morning, Bonnie was well-fed and ready to get some more sleep. Out of all the other rooms she couldn't think of better one than Stefan's. Part of her felt a bit awkward as she climbed the stairs and walked through his door to find it relatively the same even being the 90's version. She had only been in Stefan's room a couple other times by accident, and way back when he was with Elena. It made her sad to think she may never see them again. Now imagine how Damon feels.

Bonnie relaxed onto his comfy bed and regarded the room with all its pictures and antiques. Being in Stefan's room somehow made her feel closer to home and helped keep her hope at bay. It was comforting. Unlike the rest of the guest rooms, Stefan's had character and lots of things to look at to keep her occupied. Maybe later she would start combing through books on his desk, or take a nice hot shower and meditate. More importantly, she had to work on her spells. Like Damon said, they were not here on vacation. Bonnie took off her shoes once again and slipped out of her jeans. She discarded Damon's shirt from her shoulders and laid it across her new dresser. She smiled, running her hand over the smooth flannel material. 90's fashion is something she would have to get used to. Sliding beneath the comforter, she felt calm and serene for the first time in this new world. All problems and other confusing matters would be dealt with another day- including Damon.