A/N: Here is the next story! I will keep writing this as long as people like. I'm excited to get past the mourning and sad parts, to the joy and wedding and kids!

Stefan might still pop up in the stories off and on just so you know. I brought him back the same way that Ric was brought back when he just wanted to say goodbye to Jeremy before he died in season 3.

Enjoy this installment of the ONB series. This chapter is primarily Bonnie and Damon, leading up to waking Elena. It ended up being really long so I split it up and Elena wakes up in the next one.

Rated M for Language

Bonnie awoke and looked around her. There was smoke and charred walls in front of her. She could hardly believe that she and her ancestors had kept the hellfire back. She lifted herself up, leaning on her arms as she scanned the room. Most of the artifacts seemed to be still safely enclosed in their glass cases. The damage was all along the walls and the even the floor near her was blackened by the blazing heat.

She thought back to what had all happened. She had determined that she would save the world. She had said goodbye to Ric and the girls and Caroline and then it had been just her left in silence in the large room. When the fire raced toward her she felt the power of it and its desire to consume her. She could feel the blood slip out of her nose and she knew she was pushing the limits of her power. But suddenly something in her snapped and she just refused to give up. She wanted to live.

That night she had nearly died after helping Lizzie and Josie out of the burning house. She had been overjoyed to see Elena and she was ready to go; ready to be with Enzo. She wanted it to be her time right then. But now standing there with the fire seconds away from wiping her off the earth she wanted to stay. She wanted to live!

She remembered crying out that she wasn't strong enough but telling herself over and over that she could do this.

"You can't have me," she screamed back at the flames. It's not my time!" Where had that come from?

"Now you are finally ready to live," she heard the most amazing voice call through the rage of the fire. She looked over and saw her love standing there smiling at her; like he had succeeded in his goals for her since he had been forced to leave her.

"Hi," she mumbled to him looking him up and down, wishing he was real.

"Keep fighting love." He was so calm and he looked like he had all the confidence in the world in her. She felt so weak.

She shook her head at him, wishing she had the faith in herself like he did. "It's too strong," She stared back at the fire in front of her seeing it coming closer. "I can't do it alone," she cried out.

All she wanted was him there for real, alive with her. That she knew would have given her the strength to fight harder. To fight to be with him. But now there was no storybook ending for them. She could save Mystic Falls and Elena but she would still be alone.

"Nonsense," Enzo interrupted her thoughts, staring right in her eyes. "You are strong enough to do anything you put your mind to." He put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. She could feel him touch her and in that moment she wanted to dive into his arms and just be holding him as the fire claimed her. She just wanted to die in his embrace. He gave her his amazing half smile and looked on her like he had a secret he could not wait to share with her.

Then she felt a hand in hers, not his hand but another hand and she turned to her right. She could hardly believe her eyes! Her Grams was right there holding her hand! She was taking some of the weight of the spell off her.

Grams smiled at her, her face tight in concentration and yet full of love for her before she focused back on the fire. Bonnie felt the tears at her lashes as she felt more weight release and more power flood her body. The connection to Grams was giving her strength! She could do this.

A tear slipped down her cheek as they began chanting together and then she felt another hand in hers. Another Bennett witch was there supporting her, taking her burden. And then another and another as the weight of the fire felt less and less and the power they all had as one family, one force for good grew at an exponential rate. Until with a powerful scream they pushed forward and the fire retreated! They had beaten hell.

She shook her head and stood up, it had all felt like a nightmare. How was she even alive? She had felt the blood dripping from her nose as she had been screaming the spell to hold back the fire. It had been hard enough to redirect it and suck it back into the clock tower and bring it down into the tunnels. Her hand flexed slightly remembering the tight grip that her Grams had on her as they chanted together. She had just about given up by then. The hellfire was too strong and too powerful and she was just one witch. But then seeing so many Bennett's standing with her, behind her and all focused on one goal, she had never felt more powerful in her life.

"Enzo," she called out looking around for him as she stumbled toward the window. It was already nearing sunrise she could see and she had no idea what had happened to anyone else. She looked around frantically once more for her love. He had been her rock when she felt so weak. He had known how much she would regret missing her best friend's wedding day despite her anger for Stefan. Enzo himself had already forgiven him, he had said. She wished she was as strong as he was. She had no idea if she would ever forgive him for taking the love of her life from her.

"Enzo, please are you here?" she begged again. Her head spun as she scanned the wide expanse of the main display room in the Armory.

He was staring at her, his eyes so sad that she could not see him. He had watched her as she and her family fought the hellfire. He had seen the strength in her stance, in her eyes and in her scream as together as one, they forced back the flames. He saw her relief and the joy in her face as the fire raced back down the tunnels.

He wanted to catch her in his arms as he saw her falter and slip to the floor. She had used every single ounce of strength she had to fight. He had leaned over her and watched her as she lay so peacefully in sleep. He had been so afraid that she was gone but he had seen the slight rise and fall of her chest and he knew she would be okay.

"Please baby, I need to know I have not lost you." She felt the tears pooling in her eyes. She needed him so much now.

"I'm right here love," Enzo called out to her. He was standing right in front of her and had moved his hand to brush a lock of her hair behind her ear, but he could not touch her. She could not see him or hear him, at least not now. Maybe using so much of her magic had affected her ability to see and feel him.

But she could feel something, a sense of him near. She felt so scared that she might never see him again, that the connection she had with him was gone. But she knew she needed to find out if Damon was okay. Needed to know if Katherine was indeed destroyed in the fire.

She grabbed her phone and quickly dialed Damon's number. She held it up to her ear as she shrugged her jacket on. But the phone was buzzing like there was no connection. She pulled open the door, scooping up her purse and ran out and got in her car. It was a 30 minute drive to Mystic Falls, and she made it in 15, hoping Matt had better things to do than give her a speeding ticket when she had just saved every person in that town.

That part she knew she had done; saved Mystic Falls. She had felt the fire fighting her to race out of the clock tower but she had stopped it. So at least that part of the things she knew went right. She ran into the mansion, slamming the door closed behind her.

"Damon! Are you here?" She ran through the hall and down to the parlor, swinging her head around for any sign of anyone around. Was he gone? Where was Stefan? She saw a broken glass on the floor and an empty bottle of bourbon tipped over. Maybe he had been there. She stepped slowly down into the room and walked over to the empty bottle. She lifted it up in her hands and placed it back on the table. Someone must have been here.

"If you want some Bon, just say the word. There's plenty more. My tolerance is not what it used to be."

She whirled around, a smile spreading across her face. "Damon?" She could see him standing there in the doorway to the room, still dressed in his shirt and dress pants from the wedding. "Are you really here? You didn't die in the fire? I had this horrible feeling just as I was doing the spell that you were in those tunnels!"

Damon reached his arms out and she threw herself in his embrace. He smiled broadly and shook his head as it was against her shoulder. "No, Bonnie, I'm okay. I'm here. You are not imagining me." He pulled back to look in her eyes. "I'm so glad you are okay too. What you attempted was suicide. How did you survive the hellfire?"

He was so torn. The part of him that loved Elena wanted her to come back to him especially now that he was human, but part of him was so glad Bonnie was okay too.

She was gasping with relief that he was okay, while clinging to him. She did not think after all she had lost that she could bear to lose him, her best friend too. She gripped his shoulders, moved back to look at him. "Wait, what about Katherine? Is she dead?"

Damon nodded, grinning broadly at her. "Yes finally ding dong, the bitch is dead," he sing-songed to her almost laughing.

But then was overcome with his feelings for the loss of his brother, knowing what he had lost to finally be rid of Katherine. He grabbed her hands and pulled her toward the couch. "I was going to do it. I was ready to die to save Elena; to make sure Katherine was finally gone. But Stefan would not let me. I compelled him to go back to Caroline and let me go. I thought he had when he walked away, but my idiot brother wanted to be the martyr one last time and was on vervain."

Bonnie was studying him intently as he spoke. She could see he was trying to hide how he much everything had hurt him. She put her arm around his and leaned on his shoulder. He put his hand on top of hers too. She had no idea what to say. She knew what he was telling her. She knew someone had to have died for Katherine to really be gone forever.

Damon nodded, sniffled and half laughed at her. "I've cried so much today already, Bon. I miss him. I can't believe I will never see him again. I got Elena out of the school and brought her home and to my bed and cried like a fucking baby last night." He nodded to her seeing in her eyes that she too knew he was gone. He put his head down on hers and sighed.

"My brother is dead and he saved me from dying to stop Katherine. He told me he wanted me to live, to take the life in front of me and go on. That I deserved it." He squeezed Bonnie's hand in his as their heads were still leaned together as he stared into the fire. "He gave me the cure. I'm human now."

She jumped back at that and looked in his sad blue eyes. That was the last thing she expected would come out his mouth. He was human?! "Wow, uh oh." Stefan had given him the cure. "I can't believe it Damon. You... as a human."

Damon smiled at her and sniffled. "I know right? But yeah. That is why I couldn't just blur down here when you were calling for me when you came in. Hell, I barely heard you with my weak, little human ears. And I actually had to walk down here from my room, holding the railings to not fall over. I'm still a little tipsy from too much bourbon," he smirked, holding up two fingers separated a bit like he felt a little dizzy. Yeah right, a little my ass.

Now it was Bonnie's turn to laugh. "Yeah, well us little people are at such a disadvantage to vampires." She eyed him amused at his whole new reality. "I don't think I have ever seen you hungover. And you definitely look it now."

He made a face at her and gave her his iconic half smirk. "Mm hmm, I know. Being one of the little people will sure take some getting used to."

"Hard to believe that Caroline is the only vampire now." Bonnie's face fell as she thought of her friend. She had just been a part of her wedding and watched her exchange her vows with the man she loved and now he was just gone. "How is Caroline?"

Damon cleared his throat and stood up poking at the fire with the poker. He flinched a bit at the heat and the knowledge that he would not heal easily ever again. "She's a mess. Who wouldn't be. She is upstairs now in baby bros' room and wanted to be left alone. I checked on her late at night when I could not sleep and came down here and did the damage to that bottle."

He turned back to her, his eyes wide and he put his hands on either side of his head. "Damn, my head is pounding and you know what? I actually almost threw up on my bed last night! And Elena is laying there. Can you imagine?!"

Bonnie was quiet, her eyes equally wide but she could not hide how funny it was that Damon was mad at getting drunk.

"Uh huh, I know it does not sound like me at all. I barely made it off the bed and to my bathroom before everything I ate at that lovely wedding and even blood came up." He could hear the smallest giggle from his best friends lips. "It is not funny Bon!" he snapped at her.

She calmed her face instantly, biting the inside of her lips to not burst out laughing. He was glaring at her.

"I'm serious. You know how long it has been since I have been hungover?" She shook her head still not making a sound. "Since during the war! Partying with the guys there and getting wasted in the fucking 1860's!"

The laugh burst from her lips and she slammed them closed fast, hoping he hadn't heard her. But it was too late and he whirled around nearly snarling. But now it was just a human snarl so even that was funny! "I'm sorry Damon. But that is hilarious. Even your big, bad vampire snarl when you usually have yellow eyes is so cute now. You being a human is cute." She laughed again.

Damon raised his eyebrows. "Cute, oh no hell no. Nothing I do will ever be called cute. Are you serious right now?!"

She continued laughing at him and he had to admit with all the crying and pain he had seen her in lately, it felt so great to see her happy, even if it was at his expense.

But then she moved to stand beside him and leaned into his side. "I really am sorry Damon. I'm sure it will take a while to get used to everything. But just think that now you can have a human life with Elena. You guys can have kids together and raise a family. Don't knock us humans too quickly. There are some perks." She saw him smile at that and nod at her.

"Yeah, you are right. I could only dream of something that amazing before. That all got crushed when Stefan tried to kill Elena and you gave him the cure. Then I thought I would never get the chance to be human with her. It feels so surreal."

Bonnie smiled at him trying to avoid the pain that memory caused her but she saw that he had seen it in her face right away. He always seemed to know how she was feeling. There was little they could hide from each other.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up. It's not fair that I have the only chance for the happily ever after and you don't." He pulled her into his arms and just held her. He meant that with all his heart. His brother had also lost his future with Caroline, human or not and Bonnie had lost hers with Enzo.

"If I could change things I would. You deserve to be happy, honestly more than any of us. And here all we do is ask you to give up more and more for the greater good or to defeat the latest monster in our lives. I'm so sorry." He stroked her head and he could feel her sniffling into his chest.

"Thank you for saying that Damon. It means a lot, even if we can't go back and change things. I never regretted the things I've done for you, Elena, Stefan or anyone. But it just hurts so much that I can't have him in my arms. My heart literally aches for him Damon."

She was determined not to cry and stay strong but Damon had said he had cried a lot already too. But no matter how hard she tried, the tears just kept slipping down her cheeks and started to soak into his dress shirt. She relaxed into his strength and just sobbed for everything; her future with Enzo, Caroline's pain, Damon's pain, and the emptiness she was feeling.

A/N: I don't know about you I felt like it was so unfair that Bonnie again lost everything. She had such a great love with Enzo. I miss her relationship with Damon too and the best friends that they were. I tried to capture that here in what kind of conversations could have come up in him trying to comfort her and her doing the same for his loss of Stefan.

What did you think? Could you have pictured this kind of scene. Or did you like seeing Enzo's POV a bit as he watched everything unfold when the hellfire came and afterwards. I want to find a way to bring him back somehow within this series of stories but I have no ideas yet of how. Do you have any ideas?

Next chapter is the day of Stefan's memorial and Elena and Damon's long awaited reunion!