A/N: Okay, ignore the episode All My Children if you want this fic to make sense. Starts at the beginning of my version All My Children. Abby dies opening the last coffin with her daughter, and the remaining magic in her body automatically went to Bonnie. Yay. With that being said,...onward.

Disclaimer: Once, there was a girl whose life was so pathetic that she actually had time to write a story about two characters from a t.v. show she did not own.

Chapter 1: From The First Glance

She loves you, but somehow

she's always the one who gets hurt

-Caroline to Elena

"I'm not going"

Elena looked at her best friend with a mixture of irritation and disappointment.

"Bonnie," she groaned in exhaustion. "We talked about this-"

"Yes" her caramel-skinned friend cut her off with a frustrated look. "We did talk about this, and you decided to ignore me. I'm not going. Period. I don't care if Esther has the cure for fucking cancer. I don't trust her."

"You haven't even heard her offer yet" Elena pointed out, wiggling into another dress.

"And I don't want to" Bonnie quirked a brow, watching as Elena zipped up the purple, slinky dress. "No, that one looks like you're trying to find a sugar daddy" she commented offhand.

"Bon, it's not like you to judge people before you even meet them" the pale, slender girl stared at her friend through the mirror and frowned.

On the bed, Bonnie snorted sarcastically.

"They're not people, Elena. The sooner you realize that, the sooner your boyfriends won't be driving you off of bridges."

Elena sucked in a breath. An awkward pause assaulted the two girls as Bonnie sat up slowly.

"...I'm sorry Elena. It's just. It's been a rough week" she bit her lip solemnly.

"I know." Elena nodded, slipping out of the tight, purple dress. "I'm sorry too.

You don't have to go if you don't want"

"Thanks" Bonnie mumbled, gathering her things from the bed. "I think I'm gonna run to the Grill for a second. Maybe grab a coffee. See what Matt's up to."

Elena simply nodded, watching her best friend leave with sympathetic eyes. Losing a mother was...excruciating. Elena knew from experience.

Bonnie stepped outside, inhaling the fresh summer air with closed eyes and a heavy sense relief. She loved Elena, but honestly, the girl was driving her crazy. It was like she couldn't go one day without interfering in the world of the supernatural. What if Esther ripped their bodies to shreds the minute they stepped through that door? What if she held Elena captive, or used her for yet another stupid Vampire/Doppelganger ritual? It was too risky. The woman had been locked in a coffin for a thousand years, for Chrissake. Obviously, she wasn't too stable.

Bonnie shook her head, pushing the worrisome thoughts from her mind with monumental effort. There she was, being all over-protective. Elena was an adult now, capable of making her own decisions.

But she's still your friend...

Ignoring her manic brain, Bonnie stepped through the Grill doors, smiling wide when she saw Matt. Honestly, in all of this, Matt had become her best friend too in some ways. He was so refreshingly...human. In truth, he offered a bit of an escape for Bonnie. An escape back to humanity for just a few moments.

"Hey Matty." she greeted the blond busboy cheerily. "What's up?" she asked when she noticed his confused face was on.

"Hey, Bon. Um...I got this on my front porch today" he pulled out a familiar beige card that made Bonnie's throat stick. Alarmed, she swiped the card from him. Rebekah had invited him, apparently.

"Listen, Matt" Bonnie was all business now, her green eyes hardening like jade chips. "Whatever you do, don't show up there. Please"

Those sick leeches had invited Matt. Dammit! What if he ended up being the appetizer or something?

"Huh? Why?" the muscled boy took the card back lightly. "I mean Rebekah's nice"

"Yeah? She's also undead!"

"Don't be so prejudiced, Bonnie" Matt scolded her. Bonnie threw up her hands. Did all of her friends plan on dying before they hit 20?

"Whatever. Fine. Go. I'm going to get a coffee" she muttered, stomping away from him.

"What's got you all riled up?" a lazy, playful, male voice asked, and Bonnie jumped, startled. Leaning on the bar, a lithe man stood in a cocky stance. With tousled, copper-colored hair and a chilling smirk, he had the bad-boy-look cornered.

"I'll save both of us the next five minutes, and just tell you" Bonnie spoke brusquely. "I'm not interested. Don't waste your time."

The idiot laughed. Really, he simply laughed at her words. Bonnie turned slowly, menacingly back to him, speaking with a clenched, angry jaw.

"This is the part where you walk away, because you have been rejected. I. Do not. Want. Your name. Or number."

"Come now, that's a little presumptuous of you, Little Witch" the man lowered his voice on the last two words, and Bonnie stepped back, alarmed.

"Who are you?"

"No darling. The question is, what do I want?" he responded, smirking even more when she narrowed her eyes at him. With his tawny eyes and handsome face, he looked almost devilish.

"You must be one of Klaus' lackeys. Honestly, the man can't go a day without trying to make me play Genie. Tell your master I'm done fulfilling wishes for him. He can't threaten me anymore. I have nothing to lose." Bonnie snarled, folding her arms.

Jeremy was gone. Elena was putting herself in danger on a daily basis no matter what anyone said. Caroline had gone all Vampirella, and could take care of herself. Technically, the only person Bonnie really needed to protect anymore was Matt.

The man turned angry, his brows furrowing in clear irritation.

"Watch your tone, little bird. I'm not here to do Niklaus' bidding. Actually, I highly doubt my brother would appreciate me spilling witch-blood at the local bar." A smile played upon his lips on the last part of his sentence, and the cocky gaze returned as he downed a shot.

Bonnie gasped internally. Klaus' brother? Shitshitshit. The short, determined girl didn't back down though, setting her purse on the bar ledge and stepping back even farther. If she cowered now, she'd have that entire family thinking she was an easy target. And that was not an option.

"Is that a threat?" she hissed.

"Oh sweetheart, you really don't want to fight me." he set down his glass then stepped closer to her, towering over her by at least a foot. "Or maybe you do. You. Me. The Wickery Bridge. That could be fun. It's been ages since i've killed one of your kind" he winked.

Bonnie saw red, and without thought, launched the equivalent of a vampire aneurysm at him.

"Aaaaah! AAAAAAAAH!" the 6 foot tall vampire fell, clutching his head with screams of intense pain and curses tumbling from his mouth.

"Sir?" another busboy was suddenly there, along with the bartender, and Bonnie shook herself, stopping his pain just as quickly. Karl, the bartender for three years now, helped the asshole up with a confused frown.

"Thank you. Sorry, just the tequila" he apologized smoothly. Quickly, he compelled both the waiter and Karl to forget about it and 'carry on'.

Bonnie was freaking out. She'd just attacked an Original, in broad fucking daylight! In a local bar!

"Wow." the pale, mischievous Original stood, and to Bonnie's surprise, he was...laughing. " As the kids say today, 'You have some serious balls.', my dear. I don't think I'll kill you just yet...In fact, what do you say to meeting me tomorrow night?"

"No" Bonnie spoke without hesitation. She'd had enough of vampires. Especially the ones related to Klaus.

"...or I could pay your friend-what was it, Matt?-a visit." he pointed to the ignorant quarterback collecting plates across the room.

"Or, you know, I could have a chat with all of the attending locals" he spread his hand to indicate everyone in the bar, smiling. From the psychotic gleam in his eyes, Bonnie guessed that he was entirely ready to back up his threat.

"Your choice" he finished.

Goddamnit. He'd plucked her only weak string. She contemplated it for a full two minutes, staring at him defiantly.

"Fine" she spat out the word. "The Wickery Bridge. Eight."

"Nononono Little Bird." he shook his finger at her. "We're doing this on my terms. My house tomorrow night. There's a little party going on. Seven o'clock. Wear something nice." he stepped closer to whisper in her ear, sweeping her long, curly hair behind her shoulder softly. "After all, you want to look your best in that casket, don't you?"

Bonnie's heart hammered behind her chest, spreading fear through her body like an unchecked disease. She barely registered his exit, running through scenarios in her mind. The eighteen-year-old witch pulled her phone out of her jacket with shaking hands, dialing the only number she could. The one person who would understand. It was quite possible, that tomorrow night, Bonnie Bennett would die.

"Hello, Damon?"