A/N So this is the missing scene that we didn't get from last week's episode of Damon and Bonnie getting along. Let me know what you think!
We Could have been Heroes {One Shot}
Playlist: Find a Way by: Safetysuit
She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. Her hands hovered above the recently lit candle. The scent of Jasmine and vanilla filtered through the room as she chanted the words from the Grimoire. The lights in the front room flickered once, twice and then for a third time before going out completely. She could feel the soft vibrations of energy as they circled the room, danced across her exposed forearms and up to her cheeks. Warm light flushed her face and her heart rate sped up as she tightened her body against its natural reflex to resist. She was pushing too hard… the drops of blood on her upper lip was a sure sign of it. Still she persevered… Stefan needed her…needed her because she hadn't been strong enough the first time around…hadn't been strong enough to get Jeremy out…not strong enough…
Her words came in a fervent rush even as her hands began to shake almost violently. She felt the energy building, her breaths rapid. Her chest moved back and forth as something cracked and sizzled next to her ear…
It was getting harder to breathe and there was more blood now… slipping past her lips and down her chin. She could taste the metallic flavor on her tongue and fought the need to swallow. She felt a force in her mind as though it were bending… about to break… so she pushed just a bit harder… the shaking in her hands had now spread through her entire body…to the outsider she probably looked as if she were having some kind of epileptic fit. The scent of something burning invaded her nose and she had the sickening feeling that it might be her… her brain…her nerves…something inside her was burning up…burning out…
Knock…knock…knock
She squeezed her eyes tight, desperately trying to block out the noise. She just had to go a bit further… she could practically feel the breaking point right at her fingertips… it was just on the horizon…
KNOCK… KNOCK…KNOCK
She steeled her mind as it set off a rainbow of bright flashing lights warning her to stop… to cease and desist. But she could almost taste the barrier giving away… even as the blood coated her tongue.
"Bonnie open the damn door! I know you're in there. I can smell that magic ju-ju from the porch!"
And all at once everything stopped… just like that! Her entire body snapped to an almost backbreaking halt and then sagged under its own weight as all her pent up energy uncoiled and released itself into thin air. She blinked hard as her eyes scanned the lamps that illuminated themselves back to life.
All her work…all her energy…gone! Just like that! She exhaled a deep breath as her head fell forward into upturned palms. She groaned and swallowed the blood that was in her mouth.
"Bonnie…" He called out again drawing out the two syllables.
Looking up at the ceiling she shook her head from side to side… it just had to be him!
Taking a stand she ignored the wobbling of her legs as she trekked across the room for the door ready to blow a few of his blood vessels into oblivion. She stopped as she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Strands of tousled locks stared back at her. She ran her hand roughly through them finger combing out the tangles. The blood smeared onto the sleeve of her black sweater as she wiped her nose. She stopped short at the faint burn mark on her wrist. With one finger she trialed the ring that seared her skin…it was faint… barely there but she could see it… and there was a tingle beneath her flesh…
She fought the nervous energy that swelled in the pit of her stomach…perhaps it wasn't the barrier at all that was about to break…perhaps it was her mind! The thought had a chill running up her spine even as Damon knocked again… the wood of the door vibrating with the force.
She grabbed the handle and pulled it open with a bit more force than necessary and stared him down. A black duffel bag hung over his left shoulder as he graced her with a wide grin that grated on her nerves.
"What do you want Damon?" She asked not bothering to hide her frustration.
He shook his head. "Did I catch you at a bad time?" She responded by folding her arms across her chest and arching an eyebrow. "Well then… you're obviously not in good spirits…not that I care." He added as an afterthought.
She exhaled a deep breath. "I'm closing the door now." She stepped back when he reached out and stopped her.
"Not so fast..." He stopped and inhaled deeply. "Are you bleeding?" He asked looking her over from head to toe furrowing his brow when he didn't spot any open wounds.
She fought the urge to touch her nose and instead simply shrugged. "Was there a point to this visit at all?" She asked instead.
He arched an eyebrow as though not ready to leave the previous topic before nodding. "Obviously I'm here for your endearing presence… oh and there's also that little thing about you getting Stefan released from the tomb!" He didn't even bother to pull the sarcasm from his tone.
"I'm working on it."
"Well work harder…" He smirked.
She shook her head in frustrated disbelief. "What the hell do you think I'm doing right now?"
"I'm not sure because my brother is still in the tomb with that psycho bitch we all know and hate." He shot back.
"Whatever… thanks for the pep talk. If you'll excuse me…" She raised her hand to the door once again and once again he put his hand up and stopped her. "What… what now?"
"I need a favor." It was her turn to smirk.
"You're kidding me right? You insult me and then in the next breath ask me for a favor? There is something fundamentally wrong with you!"
He shrugged. "Yes so I've been told! Doesn't mean you won't hear me out… or help me."
Leaning her body into the doorframe she exhaled a tired breath. "And why would I do that?"
He smiled as his pupils glinted with dark humor. "Because I know the magic word… 'Elena'."
She hated him! That was all there was to it. She absolutely hated him and everything that he stood for! She hated everything about him and one of these days she would rid the world of his very existence…perhaps not today…but someday...definitely someday.
"I'm listening."
"Of course you are!" He stated as if it were obvious. Taking a step in her direction he cocked his head to the side and peered down into her green eyes. Flecks of gold shimmered around her pupils when hit by the sunlight. He had never noticed that about her before. "You know perhaps we should have this conversation inside…" He offered.
She felt the laughter build in her chest before it passed her lips. Her head falling forward she shook it back and forth. "That's funny…I needed a good laugh today." She replied, inhaling deeply and getting a good whiff of Damon's scent. A mixture of sandalwood and Irish spring that caught her off guard; it was strong and overpowered the smell of her own blood that lingered in her nostrils. She wanted to take a step back but knew that he would see it as a sign of weakness. "So this favor for Elena…" She prodded.
He smiled. "Right…your best friend is bent on sacrificing herself for that boyfriend of hers… or should I call him her ex-boyfriend?" He asked and then waved his hand as if dismissing the thought. "Either way she wants to go and give the moonstone to Klaus in hopes of freeing Stefan from the tomb."
"Well we can't let her do that."
He nodded. "You see…I knew there was something that we could agree on."
She rolled her eyes. "Well I have the moonstone so her plan won't work." She remarked with a nonchalant shrug.
"But that won't stop her from trying to go off and be a martyr by sacrificing herself instead." He stated. "We need to make sure that she doesn't get the chance to make herself a pawn in this whole thing."
"What do you suggest we do?" A little bit of her pride died with that question. Asking for Damon's advice went against everything she stood for and by the condescending smile that he gave her he knew it.
"Well obviously we have to keep her away from imminent danger…that danger being Elijah..." He remarked. "By any means necessary… if you get my drift." He stated watching her mind going to work. Bracing his freehand right above her head as he took another step in her direction, he noticed at the last moment that his fingers were just barely brushing the mess of curls on top of her head. Soft tendrils that he didn't expect made the tips of his fingers itch with a need to run them through her locks; feel the thick tresses fisted in his palm. It was such a foreign thought that he had to blink several times to make the urge go away.
"What if I put a barrier on the house… to keep her from leaving? I think I saw something in the Grimoire… it could probably work." She offered going back into the house briefly to grab the book.
It gave him an opportunity to peer inside. An inviting home decorated in hues of ivory and cream stared back at him. Walls lined with dark wooden bookcases and picture frames in a spacious living room. A living room that was in slight disarray with furniture haphazardly moved to create space for Bonnie and her magic. In the middle of the floor were several candles, small open vials and charred remains of what smelled like jasmine were positioned around the open Grimoire. So he had caught her in the middle of working a spell!
She came back, her head bowed as she flipped through the pages. She didn't even look up as she ducked under his arm and out onto the porch. He turned to her watching as she stopped and pointed to a spell. "Here it is. A Boundary Spell… it seems relatively easy."
She looked up and stared at him and for the first time he got a good look at her. Bathed in the afternoon sunlight he noticed… she looked tired… worn and beaten down. Her shoulders slightly hunched under her own weight, the weariness around her eyes, and the paleness in her cheeks…
"You sure you're up for it?" He asked.
She straightened at his question which clued him in that he was right. She was pushing too hard.
"I said I would do it."
"I know what you said… I'm asking if you're up for it." He repeated somewhat annoyed by her defensiveness. "You look tired…"
She shrugged. "I'm fine."
"And worn out… Look if you're pushing too hard we can find someone else… try something else." He stated.
She shook her head. "I'm not leaving Elena's safety in the hands of a stranger."
Rolling his eyes he sighed. "Have you heard the saying 'A weak witch is a dead witch'?" He asked. He closed the distance between them even as she tried to retreat. Her back hit the railing of the porch effectively trapping her. Crouching down he took a long hard look into her face. The caramel skin tone was void of the natural gold shimmer that usually dusted her cheeks, dark circles rimmed her eyes and if he wasn't mistaken there was definitely the distinct smell of blood in the air…and not just any blood…her blood! It made his mouth water and created an ache in pit of his stomach…
His eyes roamed her petite body. All those curves and tantalizing flesh hidden beneath hippy styled dresses and cardigans that always seemed just a bit too large. And for just a moment he was reminded that Bonnie was a far cry from Emily Bennett… she was only sixteen…only a young woman dabbling in things she didn't truly understand. Messing with forces that were as old as time and just as deadly; but that never stopped her… never made her shrink back in fear… she was loyal, fiercely so… and feisty as all hell. She had a temper that he thought might rival Katherine's given the right circumstances… and had this been a different time…different place…
If he didn't love Elena…
If she didn't hate his guts…
He furrowed his brow unable to stop the words that tumbled from his lips.
"Do you ever wonder how it might have been like if we had met differently? If I was still me… and you were still…you… but the circumstances were different…do you ever think about what we could have been?" He asked softly. His watched her steady breaths, the way her eyebrows drew together over almond shaped green pupils. The slim line of her nose that tapered off into a smooth curve positioned right above full lips. He placed a hand on either side of the railing and took another step in her direction. She still wouldn't look at him even when he was bold enough to reach out and grasp a lock of her hair between his fingers. It smelled of strawberries and waterfalls. Running the tendrils between his thumb and index finger, he could feel each strand slip through his fingers like lines of silk.
She grabbed his hand in her own to halt his ministrations yet she didn't push him away. Her hand simply wrapped itself around his wrist, her warm flesh a sharp contrast to the cool skin beneath her own. They were such opposites… and yet…
"All that heat…all that passion… you and I could have been amazing… we would have set the world on fire…" He licked his lips at the thought… "We could have been…" He stopped midsentence as he stared her down because he could suddenly see exactly what they could have been… they could have been great…they could have been lovers…confidants… the very best of friends… a force to be reckoned with…
They could have been the stuff that legends were made of...
"The things we would have shared…no secrets…no lies…" He inhaled and drew closer to her like a moth to an undeniable flame… God help him he wanted to get burned.
His eyes danced inside their sockets as he suddenly realized their possible potential. "I would have been so good to you." And it's more than just a statement…it's a promise… an assurance of how he might have loved her…
She looked up and met his piercing gaze head on and for just the briefest of moments she thought about being honest… about telling him the truth…
That she wasn't strong enough to break the spell. That even with all her pushing and all her reading it just wasn't enough…she wasn't enough. She wanted to confess that she was completely out of her element… and lost. She wanted to let him know that she had no idea how to save Stefan, or how to protect Elena… and that she was steadily barreling down a path with no way to put on the brakes.
She wanted desperately to confide in him that she was scared… scared that when it came down to it none of what she learned would be enough to save her best friend, or help anyone with anything. That she would fall short and let everyone down.
But…that wasn't them… that wasn't who they were.
So instead she raised her head just a bit higher and narrowed her eyes at him. "But we didn't meet differently… you are you and I'm me and the reality we are in remains the same. You and I both know you don't give a damn about me… you're only here to stick it to your brother and I'm only helping you to save my best friend… So do you want my help or not?" She asked trying to push down the feelings that he had created in the pit of her stomach.
He held her stare for just a moment longer...his eyes searched her face looking for the woman that might have loved him back before finally giving up and taking a grand step away from her. "Well you wouldn't measure up anyway." He threw out just to spite her.
Her smile was acerbic. "Good to know." She shot back walking around him and heading for her door. He called out to her as she was midway over the threshold.
"Hey Judgy… get some sleep." He threw out and then he was walking away. She watched him go and felt a lost for something she never got the chance to have. Perhaps if things were different... if the fates had allowed…
They could have been lovers…
They could have been friends…
They could have been heroes…
Fin!