I disclaim. I own nothing.
AN: This story would not leave me alone. I wanted to write a story that had Bonnie dealing with her depression over her Grams in a different way and addressed exactly what she was doing when she was avoiding her friends. And I thought Mason was perfect to help her. It starts right in the middle of 2x06. Obviously Mason doesn't die, he's way too pretty to die. The tittle is from a the Mumford and Sons song After the Storm, which is very pretty, and I think fits the relationship Mason and Bonnie could have had.
And after the storm,
I run and run as the rains come
And I look up, I look up,
on my knees and out of luck,
I look up-
"Damon, that's enough."
"Not until he coughs up that stone."
With a flick of her wrist Bonnie had the poker flying out of the vampire's hand and into her own. "I said that's enough."
"What the hell?"
"Ever heard the phrase 'more flies with honey'?"
Damon rolled his eyes. "I hate to break it to you witch, but those pretty green eyes kind of lose their effect after the first aneurism."
Glad for the reprieve, but not at all ready to admit defeat, Mason Lockwood lifted his head as best he could. "I'm going to have to agree with that."
Ignoring them both, Bonnie slowly kneeled before the man chained and helpless in the middle of the room. "This won't hurt the way you think."
Something in her tone immediately put Jeremy on alert. "Bonnie."
Afraid in a way he hadn't been before, Mason attempted to move away from her. But the chair moved barely a quarter of an inch when the witch framed his face in her hands. And it did hurt, like nothing he'd ever known before. She was showing him Katherine. The real Katherine, the one he lied to himself about, the one he couldn't have really known existed.
His stomach churned, bile rose in his throat, and before he could warn anyone the chains holding him were loosened so that he could grab hold the waste basket that was suddenly in his lap. And he was much too sick to be embarrassed by his actions.
"What did you do to him?" Caroline asked over the sounds of Mason's retching.
"I showed him the truth."
She showed him what a lie it had all been. What a fool he'd been. And left him a broken, crying, puking mess in the Salvatore's living room. He told them where the stone was. He wanted to be away from this place and these people. He wanted it all to be over.
"What do we do with him?"
"I'm taking him home."
There'd been an argument, Mason didn't really listen. The witch wanted to take him home. The vampires disagreed. They went around and around about it, but in the end Mason found himself in the passenger seat of little Bonnie Bennett's car. They drove in silence. So out of it, he couldn't decide if the ride was painfully quick or excruciatingly long. But as she slowed to a stop in the circular drive of the Lockwood mansion, Mason was no closer to deciding what it was he was going to do then he'd been before.
He didn't know how long they sat, but he made no move to leave, and she made no mention of him getting out.
"It's not over. Doesn't matter that I gave you the stone, Damon will never forget that I tried to have him killed."
"Damon has fucked with one too many people to get pissy every time one of them tries for a little payback."
"He comes after me-"
"I don't care." Bonnie cut him off quickly. "You and Damon want to fight, try to kill each other go ahead. But Stefan's going to step in, he won't be able to stop himself from trying to protect his brother." She finally turned her head to look at him. "I won't let you hurt him."
Mason nodded, somehow disappointed by her words. He'd just opened the door when she grabbed his wrist.
"You go after Elena or Caroline again, I will kill you."
Seeing the utter truth in every word she just spoke, he finally exited the car, and stumbled into the mansion.
GGGGGGG
"She was going to do it to Tyler. I tried to protect him." Dropping his head back, Mason fought the urge to bang it against the house until he lost consciousness. "I couldn't protect him."
"Not from changing, but you can protect him now. Let it go. Katherine's gone."
"Because of you. And them." Mason jerked his head toward the group of men standing in the drive. The masquerade ball had started off without a hitch and ended the way most parties in The Falls tended to-absolute chaos. Mason did his best to avoid Katherine, which wasn't too hard since she was all about Stefan and could give a fuck about anyone else. He'd watched as the witch, the Gilbert kid, and the Sheriff's daughter moved through the party; couldn't help but wander what they were up to. Never got the chance to find out as a commotion drew everyone's attention out to his brother's office where Tyler and a few others had decided to get drunk. No one was really sure what happened, one minute they were having fun the next…well a girl was dead.
"When I looked at her, she was smiling. Laughing." Mason ran his hands roughly through his hair, desperately fighting the urge to put his fist through something. "This was all a joke to her. We're toys."
"There's no making sense of it. You're better off not trying to."
"What am I suppose to do?"
Bonnie was quiet for a moment. "Whatever you can, I guess."
He looked back at the three men, Jeremy watching him carefully as Damon and Stefan appeared deep in conversation. "Will it be enough?"
"It's gonna have to be."
There was something in her voice, a resignation that made her sound years older then she should. "Why are you talking to me? After what I've done, why come see if I was okay."
"Because I know what it's like to lose the person who loves you best."
"She didn't love me." And even as it still hurt, it pissed him off.
"Doesn't make it any less real for you."
GGGGGGG
For days following the ball, Mason found himself oddly preoccupied with the little Bennett witch. He blamed her eyes, those lovely green eyes, that remained sad even when her lips curled in a smile. All the days following the ball, whenever he saw her, she was alone. Sitting in booth at the Grill, walking along main, or buying ice cream at the grocery store. And that was when she bothered leaving her house at all.
Once or twice he'd seen the Gilbert kid join her at the Grill, but Bonnie never stayed long after. Mason wasn't sure if she was fully aware of the kid's crush or not, but she sure as hell was doing everything she could to discourage it. It was the Gilbert kid's presence that had Mason realizing how much time Bonnie didn't spend with the people she called friends. Wondered how she could claim such tight bonds with people she only saw in a crisis.
GGGGGGG
"Hello?"
There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Where's Tyler?"
"Passed out in bed."
"Why are you answering his phone?"
"He's hung over." Which was true. "I came in to check on him." Also true. "When you called the first time I let it go, when you called back I figured there was an emergency of some sort." Not entirely a lie. He answered because he wanted to talk to her. "Thought maybe you were trying to reach Caroline." Was hoping she was trying to reach Caroline, or that by mentioning the baby vamp and alluding to the time she was spending with his nephew he'd thus discourage any feelings the witch might be having about Tyler in that way.
"I need to speak to him."
"He's pretty out of it. Is it something I can help you with?"
There was a long silence on the other end, Mason thought he could hear the gears in her head turning. Had no doubt Bonnie was going over all other available options.
"I need a ride." She said at length.
"Where's your car?"
"Obviously not with me. Listen if you can't come get me-"
"No, no." Mason quickly interjected. "I'll be right there, just give me the address."
"I'll text it to you."
He knew the area, you don't live a easy drive away from a college campus and not have crashed at least one Greek party. She said nothing as she climbed into his truck, not so much as a hello or an offer of an excuse. Mason considered himself a well traveled man, easy going, and more than willing to live and let live. But he also knew what it meant when a young woman called to be picked up from a Frat house at dawn.
"Bonnie,"
"I call Tyler because he doesn't judge."
God, she was so cold. He remembered a young girl, careless and fun, laughter in her eyes and a smile on her lips. Found himself desperate to know what happened to her, wanting to fix it for her. "I'm not judging."
"He doesn't ask questions either. Make a right at the corner."
They fell into silence again. Every once in a while she'd give him directions, but he stopped listening and she noticed so said nothing else. Mason knew where they were going. The little bar just off campus was a popular spot while he was still living in Mystic. He remembered several drunken nights with John Gilbert and Logan Fells, longed for those days again.
She said nothing when he pulled in besides her car, when she climbed out of the truck she stood in the open door for minute. Mason thought he saw tears in her eyes, but they were there and gone so fast he couldn't be sure. There was a slight inclination of her head that he interpreted well enough. "You're welcome."
He went back to the bar that night and for several after. Mason never considered himself a hero, thought the white knight thing was better left to guys like Alaric and Stefan. But something about Bonnie made him want to protect her. Four nights he went back to that bar and for four nights there'd been no sign of Bonnie. It was on the fifth night, when he was set to convince himself her phone call earlier in the week was a one time thing, that she walked in.
This was not the Bonnie Bennett he was use to. He swore the second she entered the bar, everyone and everything stopped. The jeans she wore may as well have been painted on, hanging low on her hips and hugging her pert little ass. The black shirt…blouse…top…whatever was made of some ridiculous clingy material, long sleeved, plunging neckline, and not quite meeting her jeans so just a hint of her toned belly was revealed. The heels of the black boots gave her some height, but considering where she started it wasn't much. She'd done something to her eyes so that they appeared more brown then green but no less alluring, her mouth was naked and all the more attractive for it.
When she walked to the bar it was with purpose, with authority, and an awareness that shouldn't have been appealing. She took in the room with one sweeping glance and her eyes seemed to dismiss everyone in it. And even that wasn't a turn off. She had deemed every man in the room unworthy. All it took was a quick look around for Mason to see they all agreed that they weren't worthy of even a second of her time. Yet they craved it all the same.
Mason watched as she exchanged a few words with the bartender and they appeared far more friendly than he was comfortable with. He wanted so much to snatch the little witch up, carry her out to his truck, and away from the demons that plagued her. He wanted to touch her. He wanted to see her smile and mean it.
He didn't approach her, didn't do anything to draw her attention to him. Just watched as the group of Frat guys came in, one immediately broke off from the pack to approach her. Watched as they talked and flirted and touched more then necessary. Fought against the urge to intervene when she and the guy headed for the door. It was clear that Bonnie was in charge of the situation. She was leading him and it seemed to be the consensus of every man left behind that she could be leading the poor bastard to his doom and he was still the luckiest son of a bitch alive.
Mason slept in his truck that night. It was no more comfortable than any other time he'd done it, but no less a necessity. He was up at dawn, a man who appreciated the sunrise even in the least appealing of situations. He wasn't sure what house Bonnie had gone to, but considered it a safe bet to head back to the same neighborhood. The sun was settled in the sky when he saw her, she moved with quick purposeful steps. Not a woman ashamed but one who wanted to avoid confrontation.
Hopping quickly out of his truck, Mason ran towards her.
"Hey," Bonnie's voice was low as she spoke into her cell. "It's early, but-" Hearing the footsteps approaching she turned, frowning at the sight of Mason Lockwood.
"You need a ride?"
Mason could hear the sleepy voice of his nephew on the other end of the line. Shaking his head he gave a nod towards his truck at the end of the block.
"Um, actually." Her eyes were full of suspicion as she seemed to consider the situation. "No, I have one. Sorry to wake you."
"Bonnie?" There seemed to be a bit of a panic in Tyler's voice that caused Mason's brow to crease in a frown. "Wait. Are you…do you want breakfast?"
It seemed an odd question. What was even odder was the way Bonnie carefully regarded him. The frown on her face much too serious for such a simple question.
"Boo Berries."
Tyler gave a relieved sigh. "Okay, Bon. Night."
The corners of Bonnie's mouth tilted slightly. "Night, Ty."
Mason was aware that he heard a completely different conversation than the one that had actually taken place.
GGGGG
There was no particular pattern to when Bonnie showed up at the bar; every third night, every other night, couple nights in a row. So Mason was there every night, nursing a single beer for a few hours before leaving when she didn't show. Watching intently when she did. Some nights she sat at the bar nursing her own drink, other nights she drank until she was just a bit tipsy and danced with her Frat boy or played pool and pretended to laugh at the jokes the idiot made. But they all ended the same; with Bonnie leading the little shit out of the bar and back to his Frat house. And every morning she'd step outside to find Mason waiting to drive her back to her car.
"I don't need to be saved."
Mason couldn't say what annoyed her more, his constant presence or the never ending vibrating of her phone. He had the feeling her boy was getting tired of waking up in bed alone. "You think that's what I'm doing?"
"I think that's what you think you're doing."
"Just don't like the idea of you wandering around waiting for Tyler to come drive you back to your car." He chanced a look at her, tried not to smile at the unhappy pout on her mouth. "You should have been clear with the guy from the beginning." He made a gesture towards her cell.
"I was."
He wanted to offer to talk to the guy for her, get him to back off. But considering what she'd said only moments ago, knew he would be flatly refused.
"I can handle him."
Expecting that, Mason nodded. And said nothing as she powered down her cell and shoved it into her purse.
She couldn't handle him. She'd underestimated him or herself, Mason couldn't be certain which it was. But it turned out the boy-Shea-was getting tired of being put off. Wanted more from Bonnie, wanted more then to feel like a convenient fuck. And it all came to a head one night.
Mason had watched as the boy pressed-breakfast in the morning, a movie the following night, a party for a friend on Saturday. Something. Anything. Bonnie had declined, refused, then simply dismissed. Mason had recognized the boy's growing desperation, was fully prepared to cross the bar and intervene, when his cell phone rang.
"Tyler. What's going on?"
"I'm not doing too good, Mason." There was a bit of a growl in the younger Lockwood's voice. "I thought you said it was only the night of the full moon. I thought…I feel like I could rip someone apart right now."
"It'll be alright." He'd promised to help his nephew through this, knew how hard it was going to be for Tyler to control himself during his first full moon. Fortunately, with the way things were going between them, Mason doubted Bonnie would be going back with Shea tonight. "Lock yourself in your room. Do not get within ten feet of Caroline. I'll be there as soon as I can." Slipping his cell into his pocket, Mason stood from his table. Looking at Bonnie, he heaved a pained sigh. "This won't be pleasant."
As he approached the couple at the bar, it became painfully obvious just how out of it the little witch was. Her body was leaning heavily against her ridiculous little fun buddy. Having only seen her with one lemon drop, and knowing her to be able to handle more, Mason was immediately suspicious.
"Bonnie," Shooting the boy a deadly glare, Mason hooked an arm around the witch's waist and yanked her to his side. "We're leaving."
"Hey," Shea glared darkly at the man who so easily maneuver his girl away. "You need to get off my girlfriend."
"Mason?" Bonnie had to tilt her head up to see him, but her ability to control her neck had gone a bit wonky. Dropping her head to his chest, she confirmed her question by scent instead. She didn't know how he managed to still smell of the ocean.
Cupping Bonnie's face in his hand, he gently guided her head back. When her eyes fluttered open they were bloodshot and the urge to kill pressed heavily at his chest. He didn't know, nor did he care, if his own eyes changed when they landed on the boy. "I see you near her again and I'll rip your throat out."
Because his brothers were watching and he was certain they wouldn't allow anything to happen to him, Shea squared his shoulders. "I don't know who the hell you think you are-"
"He's the man I'm with every morning when I leave you." Bonnie muttered as she fisted her hand in Mason's shirt. Hurting Shea in a way she didn't know she could.
Embarrassed, enraged, and somehow entitled, Shea's fist clenched at his sides. "You fucking slut, I-" The words were cut off by the hand that locked around his throat.
"She doesn't exist to you. You so much as breathe her name, I'll tear you to pieces." With a simple flick of his wrist, he tossed the boy into the group of friends that had started towards them.
Mason considered taking Bonnie home with him, letting her sleep off whatever was given to her. But what worried was that he didn't know what was given to her, didn't know how she would react. So he called Tyler, had his nephew meet him at the ER. Thinking Tyler might do better with his attention focused on Bonnie.
He reached the hospital in record time, Tyler still somehow beating him. The little witch was completely out of it, her body lifeless when he scooped her up into his arms.
"What the hell? What the hell?" Tyler demanded as he crossed the lot.
Mason, in a gesture he wasn't fully aware of, cradled Bonnie to his chest and stretched his neck over hers. "Son of a bitch drugged her." When Tyler moved closer, he'd moved Bonnie out of the other wolf's reach. "She needs a doctor."
Tyler ran ahead, shouting for a doctor before he even cleared the doors.
"Something was slipped into her drink." Mason explained as he laid Bonnie on the gurney that was placed in front of him. "One minute she was fine, the next she was like this."
There were a lot of shouted orders, a few more questions, before Mason and Tyler found themselves alone in the quiet waiting room.
"We're going to have to call her dad." Mason hated to admit it. Some part of him wanting to care for Bonnie himself. But she was a minor and her father was going to have to be called.
Tyler's face was the picture of confusion. "How?"
"What do you mean how? We call the house."
"Do you know the number to her house? Because I sure as hell don't. Besides, her dad's probably not even home."
The demand to know why the hell the man was never home to care for his daughter was on the tip of Mason tongue. But realizing this wasn't a conversation they had time to get into had him biting it back. "Well what are we going to do? A family member is going to have to be here. They're not going to tell us anything thing, or let us back there to see her."
"They could be forced-"
Knowing exactly where Tyler was going with that line of thought, Mason shook his head. "No."
"Caroline is her best friend."
"Who she was barely speaking to last I checked." But it was a half-hearted argument. Mason had no use for vampire's in general. And didn't view one as any better or worse than another. But Caroline was helping Tyler, that had to count for something. "Call her. Just her."
GGGGGG
"You son of a bitch."
Mason hadn't been paying attention, though he knew he wouldn't have seen the vampire move even if he had. But one minute he was pacing the empty waiting room waiting on word about Bonnie, the next he was dangling damn near a foot off the ground.
"Care," Tyler rushed in, eyes frantic as they scanned the room. "Put him down, someone might see."
Yeah, Mason thought as he was dropped unceremoniously to his feet, let's worry about that. "What the fuck is your problem?"
"You drugged Bonnie."
"Why would I drug her and then bring her into the hospital?"
"I thought Tyler brought her in." Caroline turned accusing eyes to the younger Lockwood.
"You took off before I could explain."
"Some guy was pushing up on her," Mason began to explain before Tyler could confuse things any further. "She wasn't interested, he wouldn't back off. By the time I went to intervene, she was already pretty out of it. She'd only had one drink, so I knew something was wrong. I called Tyler, brought her here. What I need you to do is compel the doctor or nurse or whoever to let me back to see her."
Caroline wanted to refuse, felt the need to refuse. And maybe there was a time, not so very long ago, where she would have on principle. But Bonnie had been a part of his kidnapping and torture, yet Mason still stepped in to help her. And if she wasn't mistaken, was nearly besides himself with concern. "I'm going back there, too."
He figured as much, but it was still a bitter pill to swallow. "Whatever."
GGGGGG
They pumped her stomach. The doctor explained it was best since they didn't know what she'd been given or even how much. It wasn't a procedure Mason was personally experienced with and after having it explained, he was glad of it. They were told she needed to be kept for observation. A minor argument broke out between himself and Caroline over who would stay with her. Tyler put an end to that by demanding they both shut up or get out.
So the three of them stayed, leaving only when the nurse came in. Apparently the charcoal they gave Bonnie to finish flushing her system would be working it's way out. And they were assured it was not a pretty sight.
"The guy who did this," Caroline began in a low voice. "Is he dead?"
Mason shifted his attention from the door of Bonnie's room to the blonde vampire. "Not yet."
It was worse when she woke up. To see the realization come over her face, another wound for her to cover. Her eyes landed on Caroline and the tears came immediately after. Mason motioned to Tyler to leave them alone. Yes, he recognized that she needed to be with another female, with a friend. More, he didn't think he could stand to see her cry.
Mason took her home the next day. The only reason Caroline didn't fight him was because she had to feed, he figured there was the added bonus of killing something as well. Didn't stop her from nagging all the way out to Mason's truck.
"Are you sure you don't want me to call Elena? You shouldn't be alone."
Bonnie glanced at Mason. "I won't be." Her voice was raw. The pain reflected there made Mason want to join Caroline on her hunt. "Besides, I'll probably just crash once I get home anyway."
"Oh," Caroline's entire face seemed to fall. "I was thinking… about, maybe, stopping by later."
Bonnie made a restless movement with her shoulders. "Well, if I'm sleep when you get there, just let yourself in."
Mason said nothing about the invite. Bonnie offered no explanation. But he knew there was no way the little witch missed the way Caroline seemed to light up from the inside out at her friend's words. Any more then he missed the way Bonnie seemed just a bit lighter as well.
He didn't take her straight home. She just looked so sweet, sitting in the passenger seat of his truck, eyes closed as the wind coming through the open windows fluttered her hair. When he passed the turn off for her house, he expected her to object, but she said nothing so he continued to drive.
"Wanna hear some music?" His hand was already reaching for his iPod when he pulled up at a stop light. Going through the menu he pulled up his favorite play list to drive to.
"What's the name of this song?" Bonnie asked softly
"Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap."
"Great driving song."
The fell into an easy silence, allowing the song to drift along. Mason wished he was taking her for this drive under different circumstances. That it had been just another Sunday, that he could see her with an easy smile. He wanted to hear her laugh. For now, maybe it was enough just to see her relax.
The song ended going immediately into Ray LaMontangue's For the Summer. A quick glance over he saw her rest her head back against the seat, a shuddering sigh escaping her. "Are you tired?" Of course she was tired, Mason cursed himself, hadn't she said as much to Caroline. He should have took her home, let her rest.
"Yeah, but, it's not exactly new." There was just a ghost of a smile on her lips. "I'm always tired. Just always, always so-" Her voice broke on a sob. "So, tired."
Not sure if he would be accepted, but unable to help himself, Mason reached over and took Bonnie's hand in his. He would have held her, was actually surprised by how much he wanted to hold her in that moment. But when her hand flexed in his and she threaded her fingers through his, it was enough. Because it was more than he thought she'd allow.
You gotta pay the troll toll if you wanna get in this boy's soul, You gotta pay the troll toll to get in.
Mason winced at the song that started to play, fully prepared to apologize when he heard her giggle. Sure he was imagining it, because in all the time he's known her she's barely smiled, let alone giggled.
"The fact that he's not trying to ruin the play, but that boy's soul sounds like boy's hole is even funnier."
At this comment there was nothing Mason could do about the grin that nearly split his face. "You're a Sunny fan?"
Raising the hand not in his to her cheeks, Bonnie gave a quick swipe to her tears. "Stan, may be more appropriate. Thursdays, ten o'clock are blocked out. I even turn off my phone."
"Yeah but do you have all the songs from The Nightman Cometh on your iPod."
"Don't insult me."
"Favorite episode?"
"Hundred Dollar Baby. You?"
"The Gang solves the Gas Crisis." A quick glance her way and he could see the way she relaxed.
"One day I'm going to find a way to work 'Wildcard, bitches' into a conversation."
"Yeehaw and all?"
The corners of Bonnie's lips twitched. "It's the yeehaw that's holding things up."
Somehow Mason's grin only got wider. "Favorite member of the gang."
"Charlie, but Sweet Dee runs a close second."
"Artemis, the Waitress, the McPoyle's, or Cricket?"
"Artemis."
"Bonnie," Flexing his fingers on the steering wheel, he brought their joined hands to his heart. "You answer this next question correctly and I may actually have to marry you. Nightman or Dayman song?"
"Nope, it would be like choosing between my children."
"Vegas here we come."
GGGGGGG
Mason figured it would be just his luck that the first face he saw upon entering the Grill was Damon Salvatore's. It wasn't a surprise, any more then it was to see Stefan there with him. The town wasn't all that big. It was just seeing the two of them, and Elena (because isn't that how it always worked) was something he could have gone with out. Refusing to cower, he acknowledged both brothers. Stefan frowned, Damon smirked, and Mason wasn't sure which one he hated more. It wasn't until Caroline, who he was learning didn't let much of anything get her down, gave him a small wave that his shoulders relaxed and he gave a nod in return.
Heading to the bar he ordered a beer while he waited on Tyler. His nephew had come through his first full moon, not unscathed. Not at all the same boy he was before, but he got through it. And a large part of that had to do with Caroline. Vampire or not Mason was grateful to her. Tyler needed someone, someone who wasn't him, but could relate to what was happening. Though it hurt, Mason accepted that some part of Tyler blamed him for what he became. It was nothing Tyler said, nothing Tyler had to say. He recognized the look his nephew would sometimes send his way, the things Tyler said when he was too tired to censor himself. Mason didn't say anything to Tyler about it, just hoped that one day he'd be forgiven.
Mason chalked up his watching the door on the fact that he was waiting on Tyler. It wasn't until he laid eyes on the witch that he realized he was waiting on her. It had been more than a week since he brought her home from the hospital, since they last spoke. But he hadn't stopped looking out for her. Parking himself in front of her house every night, except during full moon of course, watching over her in a way he couldn't seem to stop himself from doing.
She was staying home these days, a fact Mason couldn't be happier about. She was a time bomb, it was there in her eyes. All that anger, all that hate, and grief. It wouldn't be long, it wouldn't be some big event, but Bonnie was going to go off. She wouldn't be able to help herself. Not unless someone helped her.
When she looked his way, his lips curled in acknowledgement, and when she started towards him, Mason reminded himself that he was a grown man who shouldn't be nervous around teenage girls. But if the way she bit nervously into her bottom lip wasn't just the most adorable thing he'd ever seen, he didn't know what was.
"Hey."
"Bonnie, hi. How are you? How are you feeling?"
"I'm…" She appeared to be thinking about it a bit. And Mason hated that. Hated that she couldn't just smile, tell him she was great, and mean it. Hated all the things she had to sort through just to get an understanding of how she felt. "Okay. I wanted…do you have a second."
Placing his bottle on the bar, Mason turned on the stool so that he was facing her. Even sitting as he was he had to lean forward a bit to be level with her. "Yeah, sure. What's up?"
"I…I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"The way I treated you these pass few weeks. I was unnecessary, bitchy. Unnecessarily bitchy."
The smile that graced her lips was quick, but bright in a way he hadn't seen before.
"You were trying to help. You did help, when I gave you every reason to walk away. Which is why I also wanted to say thank you. The other night, if you hadn't been there-"
"But I was." And he didn't want her to think about what could have happened. He didn't want to think about what could have happened.
Bonnie nodded. "That night, the ones before. You called Caroline, you stayed with me. You made me laugh. You brought my car home. And you stayed out front of my house to make sure I was safe." The smile was back, though maybe just a bit sadder this time. "Thank you just doesn't seem sufficient."
Taking her wrist gently in his hand, he pulled her bit closer. "You saved my life, you don't owe me anything."
"Yes I do." Bonnie glanced over her shoulder. "I should-"
"Hey," Mason offered before she could walk away. He was aware that they had been watched the entire time they spoke, but he wasn't ready to end the conversation. "I'm suppose to be meeting Tyler, but you wanna hang out until he gets here. If your friends don't mind sharing you a bit longer."
"They probably-" She bit the words off, battling back something Mason thought he understood all to well. "I'm meeting Jeremy, actually. Who's probably with Tyler."
Mason smiled. "Then we'll wait together. Can I buy you a drink? Coke or something?"
"I'd prefer to have what you're having."
"And I'd prefer not to go to jail for contributing." Mason gestured to the bartender and in seconds a glass was placed in front of Bonnie. Moving away from the bar they found a table that put them in line with the door.
"You say that like there's something you'd rather go to jail for."
As he watched her lips wrap around the straw in her glass, Mason figured Bonnie was going to get him into trouble. One way or another.
GGGGGG
It wasn't until the following Saturday that he saw her again. It was early morning, there was a slight fog rising off the grass, and Mason was already three miles into his run. Bonnie was laying out on her front yard, eyes closed, arms spread, and the fog framing her in a way that made her seem like a dream.
"Hey," With a smile, it seemed he couldn't help it around her, he pulled the buds out of his ear.
One of her eyes cracked open, then the other, the green mossy and dreamy. "Morning."
Mason glanced around the empty quiet street. "Uh-"
"I need another way to blow off steam." Bonnie began as her eyes drifted shut again. "I thought about taking up running."
"How's that working out for you?"
"When I stepped out onto my front porch I remembered how much I hated running. So I've been out here pretending to stretch for forty-five minutes."
"It's not so bad," Mason lowered himself to the ground besides her. "Get one hell of a high."
"I got a high the other way to. I liked that I could lose myself. Didn't have to think about-" She waved it away. "I liked my old way. Would probably still be going back if Shea hadn't decided to try his hand at becoming a philanthropist."
"Not at the point where I can joke about that, yet."
"I have to."
Mason understood that, respected her for it. Didn't mean he had to like it. "How'd you meet him anyway?"
"Tyler and I decided to go on a pub crawl, stupid I know. But we were both feeling…or tired of feeling like we do. I think the plan was to get drunk enough to lose ourselves in each other."
The chunk of grass was in his fist before Mason was fully aware of his actions. Glad that Bonnie's attention was still focused upwards he replaced the patch.
"But I think we were too aware of how unhappy the other was. Tyler started hitting up some girl at the bar and I met Shea. So gorgeous, sweet, and simple. Everything else was so…messed up. I needed simple. I justified using him."
"Didn't give him the right to drug you, to try to keep you against your will."
They slipped into an easy silence. Mason realized that he should be finishing up his run, so he could head home and get ready for his job interview, but he couldn't make himself leave.
"Wanna see something?"
Not at all proud of the place his mind traveled Mason simply nodded.
Bonnie shifted until she was sitting in front of him. Mason watched as she gazed around the quiet neighborhood before holding her hands out on either side of her. He felt, what he could only describe, as a buzzing in the air. Like a static energy along his skin, and for a moment it seemed as if the world itself stopped, and then the dew on the grass was floating up around them. And something about the apologetic, yet shyly pleased smile on her lips affected him like nothing else.
"Wow, but why-"
"I've used my magic around you twice and both times caused you pain. I don't…I couldn't stand for that to be between us."
"Is this your way of saying you want us to be friends?"
That shy smile was back, he loved how it kind of tugged at the corners of her lips before forming.
"It's my way of saying I'm glad that we are."
And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears.
And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.
Get over your hill and see what you find there,
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.
The philanthropist joke is from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. One of the characters-Charlie-mispronounces the word so that it sounds like 'full on rapist.'