"In sorrow we must go, but not in despair.
Behold!
We are not bound for ever to the circles of the world, and beyond them is more than memory."
~J.R.R. Tolkien
"I go seek a Great Perhaps."
~Alaska Yong, "Looking for Alaska"
"I'm in a foreign state
My thoughts they slip away
My words are leaving me
They caught an aeroplane
Because I thought of you
Just from the thought of you."
"I lost them both. Two people I've known longest in this world, both gone." Stefan whispers staring out into nothingness, after being dead for a day feeling the air around him the coldness of the bench beneath him feels foreign.
As if his body got use to the idea of being dead.
Caroline looks over, "Lexi?" she guesses. "She never came out…neither did Markos that's not a coincidence. It was her unfinished business."
Stefan sighs raising his head, his eyes become cloudy making it harder to see. "And Damon," he slowly continues intertwining his fingers. "Damon finally had everything he wanted. He was happy." The remaining Salvatore bows his head burying in his hands, "He should be here." Caroline wraps her arms around him, biting her lip.
She never had a good relationship with the older Salvatore but she will miss him, that annoying thorn in her world but that sharp important figure in Stefan's.
~0~0~0~
A choking sob escapes Elena Gilbert's mouth, trying to release the tremendous pain in her chest. As if she's downing all over again. "You lied to me."
Damon smiles slightly, he should've never promised. "Even if I wanted to apologize," he says stepping closer. "You couldn't hear me…so I won't."
Elena bits her lips, tears pour down one after another. "Please don't leave me." There's no one physical in front of her though Bonnie said he's here. But he's not here.
This was never part of the plan.
"I don't have a choice, baby." Damon carelessly removes a strand of hair from her face, Elena freezes feeling the presence but not seeing a thing.
"You are by far the greatest thing that ever happened to me in my 173 years on this earth." He smiles, looking into her eyes trying to memorize every possible detail.
"The fact," he continues slowly. "That I get to die knowing that I was loved after being heartbroken over and over again. And I was loved by you; Elena Gilbert is the epitome of a fulfilled life."
Elena whimpers sinking down into the ground, the pain is becoming unbearable. Damon kneels before her, "It's never gonna get any better than this. I peaked."
He touches her face again but the feeling of her skin is different, not smooth as he remembers it but a plastic feeling, maybe because he's dead.
Dead.
"I love you, Elena." He struggles not to break; he is unfairly leaving the most important thing in his life. And him in her life.
Elena hiccups curling herself into a ball making her look younger as a small innocent child who seen too much grief. "Please, please come back to me."
Damon smiles, if only he could.
"Bye."
~0~0~0~
Jeremy clutches his phone, "You told me you can come back."
"If I would have told you the truth it would have changed out last days together," Bonnie replies keeping her voice in check. "And I didn't want to change. We were happy." Jeremy blinks, "So none of it was true?"
"I died Jer," Bonnie says trying to make him understand. "I died the day before our graduation and the rest of this has been a gift."
Bonnie looks into the woodland surrounding her. "And I choose to be thankful that I didn't waste a second of it."
The Anchor bits her lip, keeping the cry inside. "So…take care of Elena."
Jeremy's eyes go wide, "No! No. Don't you dare hang up on me. Bonnie!"
"I love you."
"Bonnie, Bonnie don't you dare."
Click.
~0~0~0~
It has been 100-plus years since Damon seen his brother cry (not counting the time Elena broke up with him.) The day he left to join the Confederates, Stefan cried for days. All Damon wanted to do is run back and embrace his brother, telling him he'll be fine that he wasn't going to leave him alone.
And that's exactly what he just did.
Damon's heart sank even further seeing his baby brother this way. Thank God, if there is one, that he has a friend like Caroline, that'll make everything simpler. He steps closer ignoring the furious wind whipping his raven locks all over the place and kneels in front of him.
He can hear Stefan's small cries from behind his hands.
"I'm proud of you, brother." Damon says staring at him. "I know I never said it out loud, not even when we were humans, but I am. I'm so very proud of the man you become."
Damon licks his lips, "I've never been a good brother to you but believe me when I say that I tried. I really did but I suck big time. We've had our fights but never doubt that whatever it was that I did or said that I love you…I always will."
He leans in gently kissing his forehead. Stefan's head shoots up, he looks over to Caroline; "You felt that?"
"Felt what?"
Damon chuckles, "You'll be fine."
~0~0~0~
"Bonnie!" screams Elena's brother startling everyone from their thoughts. "Bonnie! Bonnie!" Elena snaps her head up from Alaric's shoulder making her way to Jeremy. She recognizes the rest of her friends that pass from the Other Side, "What's going on?" asks Tyler helplessly looking at everyone only to be interrupted by another shout.
"Bonnie!"
Finally Jeremy appears racing toward them; Elena can see the desperate look on his young face. He glances at her quickly then stops looking out at something behind them.
Everyone; Elena, Alaric, Tyler, Caroline, and Stefan turn around seeing Bonnie a few feet from them.
She looks over at them but her stare is distant, she is not really seeing them. She turns her head to the side invisible wind blowing her hair on her delicate features. Bonnie can sense him even before he spoke.
"This place is going down, isn't it?" It wasn't a question, more like a statement. Bonnie nods, "It is." She looks over to him; the wind is blowing his raven hair all over the place making him look even younger.
"I'm sure there are a million people we both rather be with but…" she intertwines her hand in his clutching it tightly. Damon looks down for a second unsure of what to do but then squeezes her hand firmly looking back to her with a smile,
"Couple of thousands at most."
Bonnie could help but smile slightly feeling his desperate clutch feeling the same fear she has. For the first time Bonnie sees this powerful immortal as a mere human. A human who finally found love only to die for it. A human fearing the unknown.
She didn't care that she doesn't particularly like Damon but right now, facing the end Bonnie is glad at least she's not going alone. They both turn back seeing a bright light consuming their way. They both know the group is in front of them too but they can no longer see the land of the living for they are dead.
The brilliant light comes closer, "Do you think it will hurt?"
The light comes down on them; Damon can feel his whole being tingle. He no longer feels fear but wonder. "I don't kn—"
Everyone watches sorrowfully Bonnie suddenly disappearing; in her last moments she was smirking, her eyes tingling with new wonder and hope clutching the air around her hand that everyone was sure it was Damon.
"Bonnie!" Jeremy cries out sinking to the ground, Elena runs to him clutching him desperately with tears of her own.
Caroline sinks down next to them too and soon everyone was clutching one another desperately, joyfully that they survive this but sorrowful for they lost two important being that made everything lighter in their dark world.
"Ending are not always bad. Most times they're just beginnings in disguise."
~Kim Harrison
"Oh light go down
In the moment we're lost and found
I just wanna be by your side
If these wings could fly
Oh damn these walls
In the moment we're ten feet tall
And how you told me after it all
We'd remember tonight,
For the rest of our lives."
~"Wings" by Birdy
Wow the season finale was absolutely shocking and beautifully well written, well at least the ending. I'm upset that the writers did not give Damon and Stefan a scene so I did my own intake of how that could have been. Please comment your thoughts of the episode 5x22 "Home" and also review for this one-shot.
Disclamer: Most of the dialogue was copied from the episode minus the Damon and Stefan scene, all credit goes to the writers of Vampire Diaries.
And the song "Wings" by Birdy is the song played in the last goodbye scene.
RIP Bonnie Bennett and Damon Salvatore
For now….