Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries nor am I making any profit from this whatsoever. Characters, etc. all belong to their respective owners.
A/N: So if you follow me on Tumblr, you know I've been planning this fic for about a month. It's loosely based on season 6 of Charmed (and if you've seen that show, then you'll recognize what plotline from that season I'm using…or if you follow me on Tumblr you already know what this fic is about).
Anywho, just to let you know more about the timeline in this fic in case you get a tad confused: In this fic, Bonnie and Damon spent four years on the other side and this fic takes place three years after they return to Mystic Falls (so basically this takes place seven years after the season 5 finale).
Oh, and also, a huge thank you to all my buddies here and on Tumblr who helped me out in various ways when I was planning this fic. The people in the Bamon fandom are seriously the best!
Enjoy!
Bonnie sighed, as she cliped her up to keep it out of her sweat-damp face. It was summer nights like these that made her regret ever letting it grow back. It was late at night and she was currently pouring over registration information for medical school.
After spending four years on where they had been sent to when the Other Side collapsed, Bonnie and Damon had finally made it back to Mystic Falls.
The first surprise they got when they returned was that the same amount of time that had passed on the Other Side had also passed in Mystic Falls. Bonnie had assumed that there would have been a difference because they had literally been zapped into a different dimension, but she was grateful to have been proven wrong.
Other surprises came in the form of how much things had changed in Mystic Falls. Stefan and Caroline had started a steady relationship not long after Bonnie and Damon disappeared. Elena somehow had a fling with Tyler that turned into a steady relationship (and, boy, did no one see that coming) and they both had decided to move to Denver about a year later. They were still happily together and Elena was getting ready to begin her residency to become a pediatric doctor. Jeremy had apparently refused to leave with Elena at first, but after about two years of Bonnie being gone, he had moved to Denver with Elena and Tyler.
Being on the Other Side had been a different experience, too. Her and Damon had literally been zapped to some alternate universe where no supernatural things existed and neither one of them had had any powers (although, Bonnie had lost her powers long before getting sucked into the whole other dimension). They had spent four years in a nice, sleepy town that was somewhat similar to Mystic Falls (minus all the ridiculous pomp and pageantry that had always permeated Mystic Falls).
Yet, one morning, Bonnie and Damon had woken up in the woods and they knew they had been returned to Mystic Falls. They never did figure out how or why that happened. Still, though, they had come back, Bonnie with her witch powers fully intact and Damon with his vampire powers, and after three years, there was no sign of them getting sucked back into whatever dimension they had landed in.
When Tyler, Elena, and Jeremy caught wind of Bonnie and Damon's return, they drove all the way back to Mystic Falls to see for themselves.
Bonnie could still remember the awkwardness of having that whole conversation with Jeremy.
"I don't know what to say," he had admitted. "I didn't want to give up on you, but…"
"It's okay," Bonnie had assured him. Caroline had already broken the news to her Jeremy had been in a relationship with a girl he met at college in Denver for two years and Bonnie had been okay with that. "I didn't expect you to wait at all. I mean, me and Damon were literally blinked out of existence, so it's not like we ever expected to return. And you know I'd never want to put your life on hold for me ever." Pause. "Besides, it's four years since I've been gone. Things change, people change."
They had parted amicably with a hug and then he, Tyler, and Elena had returned to Denver to continue with their lives. And Bonnie was genuinely all happy for them.
Damon had taken Elena being with someone else surprisingly well. He didn't go on a rampage, or turn off his emotions, or anything. Instead, he reconnected with Alaric and Enzo they had formed the bromance trio from hell. And he had even managed to repair his relationship with Stefan.
He still drank his weight in liquor every day (sometimes even more), still womanized, and could still be the world's biggest jackass. However, the time on the Other Side had changed him (it changed both of them) and it seemed like after spending over a hundred and sixty years on this earth, Damon was finally getting himself together.
"So what are you gonna do now?" Caroline had asked Bonnie when she returned and the dust had mostly settled.
"I don't know…I guess it's time I finally got my life on track, give it the old college try or whatever."
And that was exactly what she did. Okay, so going straight back to college hadn't exactly been the most glamorous or exciting thing to do, but it was normal.
At first she hadn't been sure what she even wanted to do with her life. She knew she enjoyed nature and creating different potions and herbal remedies.
That's when she discovered naturopathy. It wasn't a large field, but it still required a medical degree. Plus, it allowed her to use her homeopathic skills and still help people.
She could still remember Elena to beware of organic chemistry when she told the pretty brunette that she was going to pursue pre-med and then med school. Elena hadn't been lying when she said it wasn't easy, but she had made it through, done well on her MCAT, and got accepted to some decent medical schools.
She had decided on a medical school only about an hour from Mystic Falls. However, Bonnie hadn't quite decided whether she wanted to make the hour commute back and forth almost every day or if she should go find an apartment that was closer.
A sudden pounding on her front door almost made her jump a foot in the air.
Who the hell would be knocking at this time of night? Bonnie wondered.
There was no way it was Stefan, Damon, or Caroline; Stefan would have called before coming over and Damon and Caroline would have just walked right through the door without even bothering to knock.
Frowning, Bonnie got up from the kitchen table and slowly made her way towards the front door. The insistent pounding continued.
There may not have been any threat in Mystic Falls for years now, but that didn't make Bonnie any less paranoid.
Thank God I got my magic back when we returned from the Other Side. It's nice being able to defend myself again.
Bonnie carefully twisted the doorknob, slowly opening the door. The boy standing on her front porch looked like he couldn't have been more than eighteen, if even that.
"Oh, thank God you're home," he said in obvious relief. "I really need your help."
"What happened? Did your car breakdown?" Bonnie asked, still tense. She was concerned for the boy, but the second vampires and other creatures became a part of her life, she was automatically more wary of any stranger that supposedly came looking for help.
"Huh?" The boy replied, clearly confused. "Oh, no, I didn't mean that kind of help," he replied quickly. "I meant magical help. See…I'm…ah, damn, how do I put this? Uh…I'm from the future and I'm in a lot of trouble."
A/N: So there you have the first chapter. I know it's short, but it's just to lay the groundwork so I could give a lot of background info, but obviously there's still a lot that will get told throughout the fic.
Oh, and about Bonnie seeking a Naturopathic degree: Yes, it's a real medical degree you can get. However, I'm going to be taking some liberties with getting into med-school, etc. partially because I only know the basics behind that stuff and partially because that's the only way it'll work in this fic (not to mention licensing and degree requirements differ so much between each state that it's totally mind-boggling).
I know it's also a cheap copout to pretty much write Elena and Jeremy and Tyler out of this fic, but I just couldn't find a decent place for them to fit in this fic. But I still tried to give some closure and a happy ending for their characters.
If you're curious to know more about Tyler and Elena's background story in this fic, check out my one-shot, "A Fresh Start." It shows how Tyler and Elena became a thing and everything…obviously, it's not imperative that you read it since it can stand on its own, but it's there if you want it. I think one day I'll probably tell Stefan and Caroline's story as well.
Anyway, what's up next? Well, you'll be learning more about the boy (yes, including his name) and why he's he came back from the future.
Thanks for reading and, as always, reviews are very much appreciated!