Author's note:

Here is the next installment of the series. I hope you all are enjoying it. Please leave a review if you do. Here Damon is a little OOC but it was important for the story. Also Elena will appear to make some selfish decisions but she is not a bad person it's just the situations. On a personal note, "What do you do when a loved one stands between you and your dreams?" Think about.

Disclaimer: Vampire Dairies belong to L J Smith.


The fast rays of the dawn peeked through the trees illuminating the cemetery, the leaves rustled with the wind, birds chirped as they rose from their slumber. A lone figure stood against the fading horizon. This sculpted Adonis was immersed in memories. Memories of a girl he knew and a woman he never got the chance of knowing. He had left too soon. The prophecy became true at last. Even after so much effort they failed and failed miserably. They had been wrong, so horrendously wrong. He looked up at the engraving again, it was hard to believe that his little Red Bird was gone. He had never associated death with her. She was so full of life with her lively face and that kind heart. The image of her lying lifeless in her coffin, those expressive eyes closed forever, was unsettling in so many different levels. Yet this was reality, his Red Bird was gone and never coming back. He sat down and traced the name once more, his heart refusing to believe the obvious. Sighing for the hundredth time in the previous hour he dialled 'His' number.

"Stefan…" He said in a rigid voice.

"What do want?" Stefan answered in a serious tone. Stefan had seen many sides of Damon, his I-am-better-than-you side, his I-am-going-to-kill-you side and his I-am-mocking-you side. But he had never sounded so disheveled.

"Ho…w how did she….did she…" Damon's voice wavered.

"..Die." Stefan offered. If the situation was different Stefan would had have a jolly good time mocking Damon but although he never understood what their relation was, Stefan knew Bonnie was special to Damon.

"I don't know the exact details….One day, two years after the incident Elena called Bonnie's cell. But Mary, Bonnie's sister picked it up." Stefan paused to see if Damon was listening. Hearing the sound of breathing coming from the other side satisfied him and he continued.

"Mary flew into a rage when Elena inquired about Bonnie….she cursed Elena that she would die alone and scared just like her sister did, who was found dead in the deserted Boarding House, lying in the pool of her own blood in eternal slumber."

"What did the authorities say?" Damon forced the words out of his mouth.

"Well Elena never asked she was in too much grief for that, after lots of crying and apologizing Mary grudgingly gave her Bonnie's plot number. Though we never had the courage to visit her." Stefan finished with a sigh.

"And you never thought about informing me?!" Damon barked into the phone.

"I thought you made it pretty clear that she was nothing more than a play thing to you." Stefan replied in a clam tone.

"Anyway Bonnie was a good person but she is gone now and nothing we do will bring her back, Elena had excepted it, you should too." Stefan said cutting off the line, hopping his neutrality and ignorance towards the subject would force Damon to seek out the truth by himself. For a moment the chocolaty orbs of his deceased friend flashed before his eyes and left a sad smile on his face.

Stefan had been visiting his kitsune friend who had helped him during his time in Shi-no-shi. He had finally settled down and was working in re-building the kitsune treasures. As someone who had seen the treasures, his advice was valuable to them. At least that was what he had said when he invited him. But the main point here was that he was not present on the day the events leading to the fateful day began.


The older vampire positioned his Raybans back on his sharp nose; the morning light was bothering him and drove back to the Boarding House. He needed to find answers and if there was anyone who knew Bonnie more than anyone else it was Mrs. Flowers. But the question was where was the older witch had vanished.

He checked the burial stones there was no Mrs. Flowers on any of them, he checked hospitals and the old age homes but nothing so far. His phone buzzed interfering his scavenger hunt. He was expecting information on the witch so he picked it up. But voice he heard was totally unexpected.

"Ciao vampiro." ("Hello vampire.") An alluring voice purred into the phone.

"Miss Ravens…" Damon replied curtly.

"So you did visit your Red Bird…how sweet of you." She said with a chuckle.

"If you are calling to mock me then I have to end…." "Wait….wait I have some good news for you about a witch called Theophilia Flowers." She cut him off.

"Listening…" Damon commanded.

"She lives in a small cottage near the center of the forest of Fell's Church. But be cautious an angry witch is very dangerous for a vampire." She replied with fake concern.

"Come dici tu la mia signora." ("As you say my lady.") Damon said smirking into the phone.

Damon didn't know why he believed her so easily but something in him wanted to believe her. Again all the things she said turned out as truths. But what confused him the most was as to how did Scarlet have information on him and why was she helping him. Mrs. Flowers as he remembered, was a very kind and humble woman. Her eccentric nature combined with her vast knowledge made her an unique entity. He remembered one day Stefan had said that Mrs. Flowers could easily be as old as them if not older. And if he was to believe Mutt she was powerful enough to fight against the Kitsune Goddess Inari all alone.


The cottage was much smaller than he imagined it to be. It was positioned at such an angle that a mere passerby would fail to notice its existence. The surrounding woods shrouded the entire house with very little light reaching the curtained windows. The walls were faded and crumbling in many places, the wooden door bolted shut. The place resembled an eerie setting from a horror movie. A suffocating silence prevailed all around.

Damon took a deep breath and knocked on the door, after a few minutes he heard the clicking of the bolt and it creaked open. The elder Salvatore proceeded inside the dim interior. The air was stale and stagnant. He navigated his path through the many things that were scattered on the floor. He took a whiff to locate any sign of life but to no avail. 'Was Scarlet trying to make fun of him?' He thought to himself. He scanned the nearby table; an ancient book resided on it taking most of the place. It was opened to a particular page and an incantation was marked. 'It seemed Mrs. Flowers left while she was in midst of a spell.' He thought.

Suddenly he heard the creaking of another door. "Who's there?" A frail voice barked at him.

"Damon Salvatore." Damon replied moving close to her.

"What is that you want Damon Salvatore?" Gone was the kindness from her voice. It was brittle with sadness. Bonnie had been a like daughter to her. Damon had often caught them sharing wisdom about the ways of a witch. Though it was her who imparted the wisdom but it was Bonnie's constant urge to merge the old and new traditions that fascinated the older witch.

"I need some…" "You already took away everything I had." She said cutting him off. Due to her immense powers and supernatural background people had often alienated her. It started with her family and spread around the whole town. Soon enough she was asked to go into hiding to protect the family's honor. While she was working as a governess to fend for herself that she met the Flowers. They were kind and charming people. She spent most of her time talking to Mrs. Alfia Flowers, who was bed ridden from an unidentified disease. Dr. Alexander Flowers worked day and night to find a cure for his wife. Then there was Celia and Joshua, one year old and three year old respectively. Besides being their governess she also took care of the Master of the house because her Mistress could not.

Then one day,"Theo if there is anyone I can trust with my family and house it has to be you." Her mistress had said on her deathbed. "Alex dear the children need a mother and you need someone to take care of you…so I want you to marry her." She had requested her husband with her last breath.

A few days after the funeral of her Mistress she was married off to Dr. Alexander Flowers in a courtroom, there was no bows said, not even a kiss was shared and she became his wife and the mother of his children. After a year or two Dr. Flowers killed himself in his study unable to live without his Alfia and she became solely responsible for the children and the family. But before she could even mourn his death an epidemic hit the town and consumed it whole leaving her behind with the corpse of the two children in whom her world once resided. Since then she secluded herself from the human world, living a life of animosity until she met Stefan. And soon the numbers increased Elena, Meredith, Bonnie, Damon and Matt. But Bonnie had always been special to her. She saw so much of herself in the red-haired witch. She saw the Theophilia that she could have been, a happy, passionate and loved Theophilia. That's why she had loved her more than any of her other adopted children. But now she was gone taking with her the last piece of her heart. Though some part of her wanted to believe the spell had worked but then again Bonnie would have contacted her if she was alive.

"I advise you to leave Damon." She said slowly moving towards the back of the cottage.

"I just wanted to know what happened….why did she kill her…..and why do everyone thinks its my fault?" Damon said following the older witch.

"Don't try to mock me Damon." She glared at him.

"I am not mocking….uhhh" He ran a hand through his head.

"Please tell me…I just…I….I promised myself if there is one person I am willing to protect with my life it will be…..it will be her." These words made Mrs. Flowers stop in her tracks and take a good look at his face. She had known Damon for a quite a while now, he was the master of hiding his emotions but his eyes always betrayed him. Just like now when face seemed stoic but eyes was showing his pain and inner turmoil.

"Do you remember the Prophecy Bonnie made?" Mrs Flowers said settling on her bed.

"Yes what about it?" Damon asked relived that she was finally talking back.


Flashback

It was one of those late morning breakfast that the residents of the boarding house were engaging in. It had become a ritual for all of them to hang around the kitchen table, eating and talking. Today was an extra special day, Stefan's birthday was coming up and Elena had asked everyone to gather here so they could plan a surprise for him. Stefan was gone for a few days, visiting someone in the Dark Dimension. Everyone had turned up including Damon. She sighed. She didn't think he would show up. They were constantly fighting since the next month. More importantly Damon seemed more focused in someone else lately. She had more than once seen Damon's eyes following her red haired best friend. Though they always remained at a considerable distance from each other, she had often caught them stealing glances and jealousy had reared its ugly head inside her.

She tried very hard to be happy for them but her heart still wanted to hold on to its love for Damon. "Elena…" Matt said coming inside the kitchen. He had spent last night at his house and she had been waiting for him to come back. "Lets begin the planning." Elena said turning towards her friends.

'The planning went better than she planned.' Elena thought to herself. She was still in the kitchen finishing her juice while she chatted with Bonnie. Damon stood by the door watching them in silence. Elena checked Damon through her peripheral vision while paying halfhearted attention to Bonnie's rants. Suddenly she saw Damon straightening up. "Bonnie…" He sounded worded. That's when Elena realized the room had become extremely silent and she quickly turned to her best friend. The toast that Bonnie was about to bite into dropped on the floor, her eyes dilated and her voice took a brittle texture.

"The blood of fair maiden shall be spilled,

Angel's spear her heart shall rip,

One awry choice will cost all three,

Beware Beautiful from the Witch's curse."

As the final word left Bonnie's lips she collapsed on the floor leaving behind the rest of the occupants to figure out the prophecy. Damon cautiously picked her up and took her upstairs making sure to avoid the other occupants of the house. What he heard had completely baffled his senses, even though he did not understand the full prophecy one line kept repeating in his head, 'Beware Beautiful from the Witch's curse.' He was very sure about two things….

One: Witch's curse referred to Bonnie cursing someone.

Two: Beautiful meant Elena because no one was more beautiful than her in Damon's opinion.

Elena kept checking on her sleeping friend, the prophecy kept spiraling in her head. According to it Bonnie, her kind little Bon Bon would be the reason for her death. Bonnie stirred in her sleep murmuring in some unknown language. Elena quickly wrote it down, it read Grian-stad an t-samhraidh. She rummaged through her brain in the hopes of finding a match but to no avail. She was unsure about telling the others, what if the meaning they had deciphered was wrong….what if the witch the prophecy was talking about was not Bonnie….there were too many questions and no answers.

"Elena…" Bonnie whispered in a hoarse voice. Prophecies always left a bitter taste in her mouth. She reached for the water that was on the side table. After taking a few sips she looked at her worried friend. Elena's beautiful face was marred with worry; she looked shaken up to say the least. Bonnie reached for hand that was that on the bed but Elena cringed from her touch. Bonnie froze. It was imminent that what ever she had said was enough to horrify the girl who had died became a vampire then an angel and came back from the land of the dead. Bonnie searched her face for an answer but finding none she looked at the notepad her best friend was holding. A single phrase was written: Grian-stad an t-samhraidh.

"Elena did she…." Damon paused seeing the situation.

"Ahh….so little Bonnie has woken up." He said while walking towards her. He gently placed his hand on Elena's shoulder who seemed to awaken from a trance. She looked up at Damon and something transpired between them. If Bonnie had not been observant towards Damon she could easily missed the action. The expressions he made, revealed that he was trying to comfort Elena about something. Bonnie let it pass; she had no right to interfere in anything between them even if it was about her after all.

"You did give Elena a scare though…look how pale she looks." Damon said holding her gaze.

"Bon Bon are you okay…did you remember anything you said?" Elena said rubbing her hand.

"I am fine Elena..." She cut Bonnie off by enveloping her in a tight hug.

"Elena really I am fine and as for the Prophecy I don't have any clue." Bonnie said sighing. The worst thing about prophecies was that she never seemed to remember them afterwards.

"Ohhh.." Bonnie saw her friend visibly relax at that.

"Is that all I said?" Bonnie said pointing to the notepad.

"Yes.." Damon stepped in taking the notepad and giving it to Bonnie. "Do you recognize this phrase?" He asked. Bonnie read and re-read the phrase in her mind. They looked familiar yet far from her grasp. Suddenly it clicked 'as t-samhradh' meant 'summer' in Scottish Gaelic a language of her ancestors. Her grandmother had once tried to teach her the seasons in it but the language had been to hard for three-year-old Bonnie. The only one she remembered was summer because it had been summer back then.

"As t-samhradh meant Summer in Scottish Gaelic but the rest….." She said to Damon and Elena.

"Do you know anyone who can decipher it?" Damon said taking the pad from her.

"Well…" Bonnie quickly typed the phrase in her phone and hit the translate button and read out the result, "Summer Solstice…..it means summer solstice."

"Its goanna happen at summer solstice…" She heard Damon murmuring to himself. 'Two weeks from now.' He added in his mind.

"What's goanna happen at Summer Solstice?" Bonnie said getting up from the bed.

"He meant something goanna happen at Summer Solstice because you had a trance about it." Elena said making her sit on the bed again.

"Did you tell the others?" Bonnie asked getting inside the sheets.

"Do you want us to tell them? You know Stefan's birthday is coming up….I thought it will make everyone worried." Elena asked playing with her fingers.

"You are right it's better this way." Bonnie yawned, feeling tired. For a moment she felt that Damon was compelling her but she was too sleepy to look into the matter. After double-checking that the witch was asleep Elena looked at Damon who seemed to be in deep thought.

"What do you think about the prophecy?" Elena said taking out the paper from her pocket where the actual prophecy was written.

"The last line is obvious isn't….. Beware Beautiful from the Witch's curse…Bonnie is going to curse you." Damon said with a sigh.

"You are so sure about it." Elena said fidgeting.

"And you are not…..Don't kid yourself Princess." Damon said with a smirk.

"And the rest…" Elena said viewing the prophecy.

"The Fair Maiden is you…it was often used by poets to identify a beautiful girl and the line tells about someone or someone hurting you." He said with a rigid face.

"What about Angel's spear?" Elena pointed to the second line.

"That's what confuses me….Angel could be referred to you….but the spear…."He started to pace again.

"Do you think it's the weapon with which…."Elena said.

"I think it symbolizes death rather than a actual weapon…..but when we read the whole sentence it can also mean treachery from a loved one 'Her heart shall reap'." Damon added.

"You mean like heartbreak?" Elena offered. Damon nodded. "It also speaks about a choice but whose?" Elena added.

"Well I am not sure about it but I am sure the three people affected will be me, you and Stefan….because something is to happen to you….." Damon trailed of. Elena saw Damon visibly shiver.

"Then there is the last line which is awfully clear." Elena added.

"Do you have any idea as to why Bonnie will want to curse you?" Damon asked.

"You." It slipped from her mouth before she could stop herself.

"Me?" Damon asked taken aback.

"She knows about us Damon….she often warned me that what I was doing was wrong…but she never understood what its to love two people at once….its hard to choose." Elena whispered.

"She likes you and I don't know how far that Like went….she may be in love with you but she know that you love me…." She added.

"Are you sur…" "Do you know how angry she was when I told her I knew you were not dead from the start? She stopped talking to me." Elena said explaining her fears.

"So lets get this straight before the Summer Solstice something goanna happen involving you and me that will force Bonnie to curse or rather kill you…..its that what you are saying?" Damon asked eyeing the red head sleeping on the bed. She looked so innocent and peaceful. But Damon knew Bonnie could be very powerful if she wanted to be. Not many witches could bring back people from the land of death.

"I don't know what I am saying." Elena sighed sitting beside her sleeping friend. They had been friends since they were children. Bonnie and Meredith were her two pillars of strength. They had shared so many things together, happiness, sorrow, heartbreaks, betrayal and even death. It was hard to digest the fact that Bonnie was capable of such a thing. But her prophecies had never been wrong. "What do you do now?" Elena said looking up at the elder Salvatore.

"We keep Bonnie happy….isn't it obvious Princess." Damon said sitting beside her. 'Keep Bonnie happy….stop her from becoming bitter towards her…..but how…..but how?' Elena kept repeating it inside her head. She was jolted back from her thoughts when she felt Damon's cool lips on her. One on his hands draped around her while the other was used to tilt her head to a favorable angle. Elena tired to resist but it's been a long time since they had been intimate. After she had promised her heart to Stefan, she made sure to avoid being alone with Damon. 'He is not here….let go Princess…' Damon voice echoed in her head. Damon was addictive and Elena wanted to taste that forbidden nectar. Stefan's kisses were always loving, calming and soulful but Damon's were destructive and sinful. In these little moments even if they were so wrong, she felt unbearably happy. 'Happy…..happy….Bonnie's happiness lies in Damon's acceptance.' Suddenly everything fell into place.

"I know how to change the future!" Elena exclaimed pushing Damon away.

"You do?" Damon replied licking his lips. Elena nodded.

"Damon if you pretended to like Bonnie back then she will have no reason to hate me and thus she will not Curse me." She said looking hopefully at Damon.

"Wait you want me pretend to be Bonnie's boyfriend….are you fucking kidding me….you want me betray your best friend….are you out of your senses?" Damon said standing up with shock.

"I know but this is the only option….don't you see?" Elena said pleadingly.

"Elena she is your best friend." Damon said tried to reason with her.

Elena eyed her best friend sleeping so soundly. It is not that she suddenly hated Bonnie because of the sudden events but if she was going to be the reason of her death then betrayal seemed a mere comparison. Also she was sure if they told the truth to Bonnie after Summer Solstice she would completely support their actions. After all dire situations call for dire decisions. Suddenly it clicked 'Decision'. The Decision in the prophecy meant Damon's decision.

"Oh my God! That's it, the decision in the prophecy its about you Damon….your decision could mean either life or death to me." Elena exclaimed.

"Fine I will do it." Damon whispered defeated. But his heart constricted with an uncanny emotion. He never let it out but he cared for his Red Bird, she was first human in centuries that he had helped without expecting something in return. Her vulnerability, her compassion, her innocent warm aura beckoned a goodness in him. They were poles apart, she was light and he was darkness, she represented faith and life while he reeked of death and despair. Yet he was her safe house, someone who knew her atrocious nightmares, her sleepless nights, her hidden sobs; he was her saviour The more he thought about it the more skeptical he grew. 'What was more important the life of his Princess, the woman he loves or the trust of his Red Bird, the maiden he had given his life for?'

"Damon…" Elena whispered.

"No one shall know." Damon said clearing his mind. 'Elena's life meant everything to him…yes Elena was everything….he had used Bonnie before to get to Elena before….it was no big deal…..nothing comes before his Princess of Darkness….not even Bonnie.'

"Every task has a fee Princess the question is what are you willing to give?" Damon said wrapping his hands around her waist.

"If I am going to become the boyfriend of this women-child you call friend I will need all my cravings to be satisfied." Damon whispered against her neck. Elena shivered with anticipation. 'This was the Damon I know.' She thought with a smile. She felt the sting of his fangs on her neck as her mind drifted into blissful oblivion. While two lovers enjoyed their forbidden moment the cruel fate of the other occupant of the room had already set in motion.

End of Flashback


To be continued…..

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