She didn't want to be here. She had came here to be with her friends to hang out with them after spending such a long time away from them. Agreeing to come to this rave with her friends because she thought that it would be a good idea even if she had to deal with the whole Caroline with her humanity off drama. She figured that maybe if she had come to the party that it would be easier to adjust to being back in the real world now. To get use to being around people again. After spending so much time alone she thought that being around a lot of people would be of some relief to her.
But now Bonnie saw that it wasn't the case. She was very much on edge and it seemed that the more time that she spent at the rave the more on edge that she got. And part of her wished that she had never came to the rave because she was having a hard time dealing with all of her surroundings. She had burned some asshole who had gotten way too close to her for comfort because she just couldn't deal with him touching her and getting in her space when she was uncomfortable. And the old Bonnie wouldn't have used her powers on a random human but this Bonnie was completely new and she was not going to take the shit from anyone who crossed the line or who pushed her to far. She hoped that the asshole learned his lesson about crossing the line and getting too close for comfort in a woman's space.
Spending months alone in the prison world without a human presence one might think that being around a bunch of other humans who be a positive thing. But for Bonnie it was not like that and she found herself wishing that she could find somewhere to escape from the crowd. They overwhelmed her and suddenly it felt like they were all closing in on her. At every little noise or movement on anything that seemed out of place she found herself jumping like that thing and person that she feared the most could come after her at any second and place her back in that hell hole that she was in.
Becoming so overwhelmed Bonnie tried to tell herself to remain calm but it wasn't working. Her heart rate started to pick up as she felt like everything and everyone was closing in on her. Anxiety and panic started to fill her as she backed against the wall and she fought with the need to bolt for the exit. Because she just didn't know how to handle the stress that she was feelings. Stress that was growing with each passing second.
Then she turned and spotted him in her line of vision and suddenly it was like the weight that she was feeling crushing down on her was lifted. And that everything in her world for that moment was made better and he was like a life saver pulling her out of her on coming panic attack and calming her just by his presence.
There he was Damon Salvatore her one and only beacon of hope and she had never been so grateful to see anyone in her entire life.
Damon spotted her leaning against the wall and grinned from ear to ear. "Hey." He greeted like she was the best thing that he had ever seen.
Bonnie smiled back at him with so much joy, happiness and warmth that an outside observer might assume that she was in love with him. But it was obvious that she was very close to him now and that she was attached to him and that he was of a a great importance to her life.
She was so happy to see Damon Salvatore standing there. Which was kind of funny because over a year ago if anyone would have told her that the simple sight and presence of Damon Salvatore would have made her feel so joyous she would have rolled her eyes and told that person that they were nuts.
But they had grown this unbreakable bond with their time in 1994 and he had grown into her most important relationship. She had picked seeing Damon first upon her return because she had grown closer to him even closer than she was with Caroline and Elena. And every since she had came back from the prison world his presence and being around him was one of the few times that she had found joy and comfort in. Because adjusting to everything else seem to overwhelm her.
She would never go back to the way that it was before her and for the rest of her life Damon would have a big place in her heart.
So with that big smile on her face Bonnie greeted him with a "Hey" back.
Approaching her Damon studied her presence he had come to the rave to check on her because when they talked over the phone something in the tone of her voice told him that something was bothering her and that she wasn't as okay as she made herself out to be.
He knew how difficult it must have been for her to adjust back to the real world after being stuck in the prison world for so long. He also figured that Kai must have done some awful things to her by her reaction over the phone earlier that she didn't want to see Kai.
So for her he put aside his need to find out answers about his Mom. When Kai said that he needed to see her Damon refused and warned Kai to stay the hell away from Bonnie. When Kai tried to insist on seeing Bonnie Damon pretty much told him to screw off and that he would attempt to rip of his head if he got any where near Bonnie. He didn't give a damn whether Kai was suppose to be reformed or not he wasn't going to bring him around the witch before she was ready to see him.
Even though he didn't know the details of what Kai had done to her he knew that whatever Kai did was damaging. Damon was very worried and concerned about her state of mind and how she was handling things.
That was way he had come to the rave to check on her and see if she was okay. But also because he had missed her and wanted to see her.
"Thought that I would come over since you miss me and all." Damon said with a grin.
"Yeah, well I'm glad that you did!" Bonnie exclaimed.
Damon gave her his signature smirk. "Like a fever that you can't shake huh Bon-Bon."
Bonnie playfully rolled her eyes. "Yeah more like a disease."
The blue eyed vampire chuckled.
Because she needed to and wanted to. But also because she had missed him Bonnie wrapped her arms around him in a close, tight, warming hug.
Instantly he hugged her back and briefly closed his eyes at the comfort and enjoyment of having her in his arms again.
And for a moment they stood there in that warm and close embrace. Ignoring everyone and everything that went on around them and just focused on each other. Neither of them noticed the pair of brown eyes from a certain doppelganger observing them in their hugging embrace from across the room.
Releasing her Damon stepped back so that his eyes could scan across the witches face. He could see the joy and warm in them that had been there for him every since he arrived at the rave but he could also see stress and sadness as if there was something that was bothering her.
"Are you okay?" He asked her with true concern in his voice.
Bonnie thought about shrugging it off and telling him that she was fine but decided that it there Was anyone that she could trust that it would be him. So she shook her head. "Not really."
"What can I do for you?" Damon furrowed his brow.
"I…" Bonnie drew a deep breath. "I think that I was just like to get out of here."
"Okay." Damon nodded. "We can leave. Is there any place that you would like to go?"
Bonnie told him. "Well if you wouldn't mind I would just like for us to go back to the boarding house and you know hang out."
Damon told her. "You know that I wouldn't mind that Bon-Bon. We can go back and hang out all night if you'd like."
"I would like that." Bonnie said with a smile.
"Then let's get the hell out of here." Damon gestured and let lead her out by placing his hand on the small of her back.
BREAK BREAK BREAK
Back at the boarding house Bonnie was sitting in front of the fireplace when Damon approached her with two glasses of bourbon one for her and one for herself. He handed her the one for her.
Bonnie told him "Thank you" and immediately took a sip from the glass.
Joining her Damon sat next to her. "Feel better?"
"A little." Bonnie replied "I just needed to get out of there. I guess that being around all of those people…"
"Overwhelmed you." Damon finished understanding.
"Yes." Bonnie admitted with a head nod. "After being alone all of that time I would have thought that perhaps being around so many people would be a relief. Because I would just be happy to have other humans around me. But in the end I just end up feeling crowded."
Damon took a sip from his glass. "Well you were away and trapped all alone in a 1994 prison world. And being back all of a sudden it's going to take you time to get used to the real world again and you should allow yourself plenty of time to adjust, Bonnie there is no need to rush yourself through this process."
Bonnie sighed. "You're right and I should know that. I'm just trying to find a way to deal with it all."
Damon told her. "I here to help you deal in anyway that I can."
"And I appreciate you for that." Bonnie said looking at me. "Your presence helps a lot."
"So now that we are here." Damon commented. "What would you like to do?"
"Uh I would love it if we could watch The Bodyguard together." Bonnie suggested.
"Oh." Damon wrinkled up his nose. "That movie again."
Bonnie chuckled. "I know that we watched it together a lot."
Damon returned. "More than a lot. Like we watched it a billion times more than anyone else has watched that movie in history."
Bonnie said "Maybe but I really love that movie."
Damon gave a dramatic sigh. "Alright I guess for you since we are now best friends and all I can watch that movie again for you."
Bonnie returned. "Thanks you really are a true friend watching The Bodyguard over and over and over again with me."
"Anything to make the witch happy." Damon said in a sincere tone.
"Do you have it here?" Bonnie questioned. "I mean I know that we had it on VHS back in 1994 but in this world."
"Actually I do have The Bodyguard with me here in this world." Damon confirmed
Bonnie arched a brow. "Really you have that movie."
Damon let her know. "I just bought it recently on DVD."
Bonnie questioned. "Why buy it? Besides watching it with me you are beyond tired of that movie."
"To be honest…" Damon paused.
"Yeah.." Bonnie pushed.
"I bought the DVD with the hope that when you returned home that we could watch it together." Damon gave her a shy smile. "I guess it was my way of holding onto you returning one day back from the prison world and that we could watch that movie in the present day as much as you wanted to."
Bonnie eyed him extremely touched. Buying a simple DVD of a movie that was over a decade old may not have been a big deal to a lot of people. But to her it meant the world because The Bodyguard was one of their special things and their special moments that they had in 1994. It was a symbol of their bond.
So the fact that Damon had brought the DVD for hope for her return meant so much. Because it was a sign that their bond was still intact outside of 1994 and that he had been thinking about her and cared so very much for her.
"Wow, Damon." Bonnie said softly. "That means a ton to me."
"I'm was hoping that it would." Damon returned.
"How about I fix us some popcorn and then we can watch The Bodyguard." Bonnie suggested. "With this the two of us."
Once more Damon smiled at her. "Judgey that sounds like a lovely idea."
BREAK BREAK BREAK
After they finished watching The Bodyguard they ended up playing a couple of board games together in which Damon being Damon ended up cheating on. But this time Bonnie didn't mind his cheating at all as a matter of fact it helped her be at more ease because anything that she did with Damon that reminded her of how they bonded in 1994 gave her great comfort.
By the time that they had finished the board games it was a little after midnight and the two of them still had the boarding house to themselves. Mostly because Damon found out from a phone call with Elena earlier that Stefan had joined Elena in turning off his humanity and that Stefan was off with Caroline somewhere doing who knows what.
And Elena was out trying to find Stefan and Caroline to deal with two vampires who had turned off their humanity. Damon would have gone out to try to find a way to deal with his brother not having his humanity. But Stefan had done that before and Damon figured that since Bonnie was here that Stefan could wait until the next day. Because he had Bonnie to look after and didn't want to leave her alone in the search for his brother.
Damon ended up convincing Bonnie to spend the night at the boarding house until of traveling back to her dorm so late at night and of course Bonnie didn't mind at all and quickly took Damon up on his offer.
So Bonnie picked out the same guest room that she had stayed in during 1994 and went to sleep. Right down the hall in his own room Damon had also settled down in his bed for sleep thinking that he would deal with his brother the next morning once he made sure that Bonnie was safe and taken care off.
A time later he heard loud screams that jolted him from his sleep. Quickly shaking the cobwebs of sleep from his head Damon realized that it was Bonnie who was screaming and it sounded like the horrified screams of someone who was going through some kind of emotional pain or fear. The way that people screamed when something or someone dangerous and terrifying was chasing them.
He looked at the clock beside his bed and saw that it was two twenty a.m. in the morning. Her screams intensified and really started to wreck him emotionally because he hated to hear her scream like that.
Damon got out of the bed and using vampire speed rushed out of his room and down the hall to where Bonnie's guest room was. He opened the door and his eyes fell to the bed where he saw her tangled in the sheets twisting and turning in a frantic manner. Her eyes closed and her skin covered in a cold sweat and he knew that she was having a nightmare.
Damon stepped into the room. "Bonnie?" He called out.
But Bonnie was trapped in her sleep and couldn't hear him as she was twisting and turning and making a motion like she was fighting someone and something in her sleep.
"Bonnie." Damon called out her name louder and stepped closer to the bed.
"NO." Bonnie yelled out in fear.
Seeing that just calling her name wasn't going to wake her up Damon approached the bed watching her with great concern and worry as she struggled through her nightmare. Reaching down he placed his hands on her shoulders and began gently shaking her.
Bonnie swung out with her hand as if she were hitting someone to get away. "Get away from me."
Heartbroken by the fear and the terror he heard in his witches voice Damon gathered her into his arms and cradled her sitting down on the bed even as she continued to struggle through her nightmare.
He rocked her back and forth and whispered words of comfort to her willing her to wake up.
Finally the witch wake up with a gasp. Her green eyes wide and unfocused at first. She frantically looked around as the nightmare in her mind faded away enough to know that she was awake now and that what she had just experienced was not real.
She also realized that Damon was cradling her in his arms.
With a great relief Damon saw that she had woken up from her nightmare. "Hey, Hey it's just me." He assured her.
Bonnie blinked her eyes several times to clear her head. "Damon?"
Damon returned. "Yeah that's me. Whatever you dreamed about just now it wasn't real."
Bonnie swallowed hard as if there was a lump in her throat. "He was chasing me saying that he was going to kill me."
Damon felt her body shaking in his arms and frowned. "Kai?"
"Yes." Bonnie answered in a trembling breath. "But no matter how fast I ran he kept catching up with me trying to kill me and stabbing me over and over again with that evil, twisted look in his eyes."
"He's not here right now." Damon rubbed her back trying to comfort and reassure her. "And I'm not letting him near you."
"You won't?" Bonnie asked looking at him with a lost expression on her face.
"No I won't." Damon told her softly. "I'll keep him away from you even if I have to fight him to the death."
The witch briefly closed her eyes to try and stop herself from shaking. "Okay."
The blue eyed vampire eyed her she still seemed a bit shaky. "Do you want to talk about it what ever happened over there with you and him."
Bonnie pressed her lips together in silence at first.
"I mean if you think that it would help to let it all out then I'm here to listen." Damon went on. "You know maybe it's better to get it out then to keep it all inside of you."
He was right Bonnie realized with all of the things that she had felt since she had been back it was better to talk to someone about it instead of letting it linger inside of her with no one to talk to. And at this point Damon was the only one who she felt close enough to and safe enough with to open up to him about everything that had happened.
Bonnie let him know. "I tell you."
Damon returned. "Alright."
Bonnie added. "But first could you get me some water."
"Sure." Damon replied he placed her down on the bed and stood up. "I'll be right back."
To acknowledge him Bonnie just nodded. While he was going to get her some water Bonnie rubbed at her arms as her heart beat that had been speeding in her nightmare returned to it's normal pace.
Damon came in with a bottle of water and handed it to her. "Here you go."
"Thanks." Bonnie uncapped the water and took a few long gulps letting the cold liquid smooth over her dry throat. She put the cap back on and placed it on the night table.
"Whenever you are ready to start." Damon let her know.
Pausing a moment Bonnie gathered herself because she knew that what she was about to reveal to Damon would be emotionally difficult for her to tell. With one more shaky breath she started, "You were there with me when he shot me with the arrow but you weren't there for what he did to me after you left."
Damon stood in silence waiting for her to go on and embracing himself because from the expression on her face he knew that whatever Bonnie was about to reveal of what Kai did to her was terrible.
"He stalked me, chased me around the hospital, choked me. put me in the trunk of his car and drove for hours and hours with me locked up in there. Then he stabbed me again and left me for dead like I was nothing." Bonnie's voice cracked with emotion. "But the worst part was that he left me all alone. Not because I valued his presence or anything but he left me without a way to get back to the real world and all alone to fend for myself and as a result I became hopeless and almost killed myself. That bastard put me through hell."
Hearing her reveal this awful terrifying things that Kai had did to her Damon was filled with a number one emoticons. He was filled with anger and rage directed at Kai. And the overwhelming sense of heartbreak for her so much that it was like he could feel her pain because he cared about her that much and because he was close to her.
Damon was completely distraught for her and his eyes watered up like he wanted to cry for her. "I'm so sorry Bonnie." He told her voice filled with emotion.
Bonnie looked at him as her eyes were almost brimming with tears. "It's not your fault really."
"I just should have been there to stop him from doing all of that to you." Damon directed at her. "I hate that he put you through all of that hell."
"I hate it too." Bonnie said "Going back I wish that there was a way where we could have just gotten rid of him from the start and we would have just escaped together and none of the shit that he did to me would have happened."
"I would kill him if I could. I would make him suffer a slow painful death for every moment of pain that he caused you." Damon admitted with a tone of rage. "But I can't because if I do then his whole fucking coven dies including an unborn child. Ric's child."
Bonnie sighed. "No I wouldn't want you to kill Kai if it meant innocent people dying especially not a unborn child. But I hate, Damon I hate him. And I can't stand to see his face. Even the sound of his name makes my skin crawl." Bonnie snapped out the words in anger. "I hate Kai Parker and I wish that there was a way that he could die so that I could be free of him. Because him being dead won't get rid of my ptsd but at least I could go on knowing that I wouldn't have to see him again. But he's here in Mystic Falls and everyday I have to go on worrying about running into him and seeing him is the last thing that I want to do."
Damon told her. "If there was a way to get him out of your life so that you wouldn't have to worry about all of that. Then you could know that he is gone and is never coming back to bother you again….We can't kill him but if there was a way that we could trap him back into the prison world."
Bonnie's eyes widened. "That's it we find a way to lock that bastard in the prison world forever."
"Then that's what we will do if it would help you." Damon shifted on his feet.
"Oh it would help me a ton." Bonnie said quickly.
"So." Damon gestured "How do we go about making sure that Kai Parker is out of your life forever. How would we lock Kai up in the prison world?"
"I could do it." Bonnie suggested.
Damon frowned. "You wouldn't have to. If I went back with Kai in 1903 with the use of your blood I could ask for the assistance of Liv or another witch to help trap the bastard there."
Bonnie stated. "I want to do it. I need to do it."
Damon pointed out. "You just got out of the prison world I don't like the idea of you having to to go back. And seeing Kai's face might trigger your ptsd."
"I'll just have to endure that even if I don't want to. I'll endure Kai one day to trap him in the prison world." Bonnie told him. "Over having to go on for the rest of my life looking over my shoulder wondering when he is going to pop up again."
"I need to do this Damon for me. I need to see this done." Bonnie went on "And I want to be there to see the look in his eyes when he realizes that I have trapped him and left him behind like he did to me."
"Alright, Alright. If that is what you need and if that is what will help bring you peace then I support you being the one to trap him." Damon mumbled "But I'm going with you just to make sure that he won't try to pull the same shit that he did on you in 1994."
Bonnie returned. "That's fine I want you to be there by my side when I do this."
Damon commented. "Then I can be there to watch you take him down and I'm going to be so damn proud of you when you do it."
Bonnie mentioned. "And while we are there I can help you get your Mother back."
At the mention of Lily and getting her back Damon was filled with a hopeful sense of warmth at the thought of seeing his Mother again. But he said to Bonnie. "You don't have to do that if this trip is going to be about you getting your rightful justice on Kai you don't have to focus on me and my Mom."
"We know that your Mom might still be trapped in 1903. And If we are going over there to trap Kai then we might as well see if we can look for her too." Bonnie shrugged. "Then we can do something for the both of us. I can get my revenge on Kai and you'll get to see your Mother again."
"I appreciate you doing that for me." Damon sincerely stated "So Thank you."
Bonnie gave him a nod. "You're welcome."
Damon took a seat next to her on the bed. "We are going to have to get Kai to agree to go with us to 1903 if this is going to work. Every since the merge he claims to have new feelings and that he is a better man now."
"Please. He is a sociopath they know how to play the nice guy when they want to. But underneath he is still the same sick psychopath who tortured me in 1994." Bonnie scoffed "And even if his so called new feelings were real. I don't give a damn. It does not change what he did to me. If he's nice now that's not going to cure my ptsd all of a sudden just because he decided to play nice. He decides to play nice after the damage has already been done to me because of him."
"You are one hundred percent right. Whatever he feels now it does not change what he did to you and it won't make it go away overnight." Damon muttered. "But if we are going to trick him into going into 1994 he has to believe that you believe that he has changed."
Bonnie understood. "I play on his new feelings."
Damon said "He claimed to me that not only is he changed. But that he felt sorry for all of the things that he did to hurt you and wanted to apologize to you."
The witch rolled her eyes at the thought of Kai claiming that he wanted to apologize because his apology would have meant nothing to her.
"He demanded that I let him see you to apologize." Damon added "And of course I refuse. But if he wants to use the I'm a good guy card now then we might as well use it against him."
"I'll make him believe that I have accepted his apology and that I believe that he has changed and that I'm ready to start over with him." Bonnie explained even as the thought of being around Kai disgusted her. "Then I will tell him that if he is really sorry that he'll help me, help you get your Mom back and off to 1903 we go."
Damon stated "And you will be rid of him."
Bonnie swallowed. "I really need for this plan to work. Because if it somehow backfires and he is still in my life."
"It will work." Damon reassured her "And soon he will be out of your life forever where you never have to worry about him again."
Bonnie felt herself overcome with emotion. "Everything is just so overwhelming to me you know. I've been back for a short time and yet so many emotions have surrounded me since I have been back. Every little noise makes me want to jump out of my skin. I've been having these flashbacks of all of the awful things that he did to me. And sometimes I just feel like I'm going to lose myself."
Damon told her in a comforting tone. "You are going to get through this Bonnie Bennett. Whether it takes you months or years to recover you'll get through this because you are strong and I know that you have the ability to fight through because I have seen you do it time and time again."
"It's just so hard and overwhelming." Bonnie's voice cracked.
"I know that it is." Damon told her softly. "But I'm going to be right here with you to help you. Whenever you need a shoulder to cry on or feel the need to open up to someone I'll be here. I'm going to do everything in my power to help you heal and stand by you no matter what. Anything that you need and I'm here for you. I'm standing by your side no matter what. And I'm never going to leave it. We will find a way to get you through this even if that means we have to seek out the help of a professional doctor to see you through your ptsd I'm going to find you the best damn psychiatrist in the world."
A few years spilled over Bonnie's cheeks. "Then that gives me some hope. Because above anyone else I need you right now Damon."
"Hey you are stuck with me for life Bonnie Bennett. And I'll have the answer to all of your prayers." He wiped away her tears with his thumb. "And that's a promise."
In response and to show her appreciation for his support of her she wrapped her arms around him in a brief embrace.
Damon studied her once more. "Do you think that you could fall back to sleep?"
Bonnie replied. "Maybe if you wouldn't mind staying. I don't want to sleep alone tonight."
Damon reassured her. "Then go ahead and you sleep. I'll stay with you and I'm not going anywhere and that an promise."
"Thank you, Damon." Bonnie whispered.
"You're welcome little witch." Damon returned with a slight curve of his lips.
Slowly she settled down into the bed and eventually fell back to sleep. And he stayed watching over her to keep the nightmares away and if they came back he would be there to chase them away again
BREAK BREAK BREAK
About an hour and a half later Elena came home exhausted and at her wits end. After failing to try to deal with Stefan and Caroline both having their humanity off. Elena thought that she was going to need Damon's help if they were going to get Stefan and Caroline back. And she needed to talk to Damon about that.
She went into the bedroom that she shared with Damon but saw that Damon wasn't there which was odd because she knew that his car was parked in the driveway. So she went off in search of him and found him in the guest room where Bonnie was.
She spotted Bonnie in bed sound asleep and next to the bed now sitting in a chair was Damon who was also sound asleep. He leaned back in the chair with that peaceful, relaxed sleep look on his face and one hand was out holding Bonnie's hand as they both slept.
The scene seemed so innocent and yet so intimate at the same time and Elena remembered how they had been hugging at the rave earlier. It was obvious to her that Bonnie and Damon had gotten close. Perhaps too close for her comfort,
She had the urge to wake up Damon but decided against it. Elena backed out of the room without waking either Damon or Bonnie whatever was going on between the two she was going to ask Damon sometime when Bonnie wasn't around to hear the answer.
So I wanted to write this as a response to what happened in 6x16. This is based off of 6x16 and the webclip from 6x17 with Bamon. I plan on adding one more part to this story. But it's not going to be an extended long story because I have other stories that I need to work on. Thanks for reading!