Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Jeopardy

In many ways the Other Side was like the world she had lived in. Species tended to stick with their own kind. Although ghosts were fully formed just as they had been when the Veil was down, on the Other Side, they had a faint glow to them-Bonnie attributed that to the radiant, almost blinding atmosphere. It seemed to be the stereotypical Heaven, where everything was tinged with brightness. Definitely no darkness here, something she could appreciate. But the thought that Qetsiyah had wanted to spend eternity in here with Silas made her cringe. It did have its upsides, especially if you were with your loved ones, as she was lucky enough to, but the idea of simply existing here forever only brought gloomy acceptance on her part.

The one thing she was grateful for was the mild sense of touch that still permeated with other ghosts. She could still hug (however faint it might be)and for some reason that made it bearable. That, and the intuitive connection she had with ghosts. Although physically she wasn't close to them, she had gained a spiritual awareness that allowed an even deeper bond with those around her. She was closer than ever with Grams and some of the other spirits, although that had its drawbacks like everything else. It was a lot harder to disguise her feelings when she was like an open book.

She would have been bored but Grams wouldn't let her be. Losing magic had been a great hurdle to cross, not just because she couldn't do spells, but it no longer resonated within her. She felt empty without the power source that could always be drawn upon at a moment's notice. Instead Grams took her to the other witches to learn why her actions had repercussions, but mostly she suspected, to help her move on from her old life.

There wasn't really 'hanging out' for most ghosts. Many just tended to watch those still alive in the real world. She spent her days, or what could be construed as days (since there was no sun or moon on the Other Side) learning from the spirits. They gave words (lectures, in her opinion) on why the balance of life and death was so vital. If she chose to make unwise decisions, Nature could and would find a way to restore the balance, no matter how much the rest of the world didn't like it. That's the way it was. In her time on earth, Bonnie had definitely chosen to make some rash decisions but she didn't feel regret even after all they had told her. She loved her family and friends, even when they seriously screwed up her life. It was the only sense of normalcy she had known since becoming a witch. Because of that, she had held onto it too firmly, and now Nature had a bone to pick with her, Grams said.

There were times when she wanted to see her friends so badly, but she didn't think she could handle watching them all move on without her. Reminiscing could be dangerous, Grams said, because there are those who couldn't handle it and then their soul would never find peace.

Bonnie had finally found herself at a stage of acceptance, but something was still lingering at the back of her mind. She had forgotten something and Grams always seemed to push her to forget any doubts that something was amiss. She hadn't watched anyone in Mystic Falls. Finding a person who was still alive was much easier than finding a ghost. Luckily for her, she had Grams- who seemed to intuitively know where to find any of the ghosts she sought. However, if a ghost didn't want to be found, you had a better chance finding a needle in a haystack.

On a day just like any other, she had finally realized what she had forgotten so carelessly. She berated herself for not remembering the danger. Ghosts tended to do that, Grams would say, they only focus on the good they're leaving behind, not the bad.

Emily Bennett was the one who reminded her.

They had been telling her about nature's influence on spells.

"As you know Bonnie, a spell's permanency is dependent entirely on the witch's magic and the sources they draw on for to perform the actual spell."

Bonnie nodded wistfully, she knew only too well.

The witches were inclined to focus on her mistakes, and went over it with a fine tooth comb.

"When you tried to bring Elena back to prevent the transition, you were going against Nature's will. The consequences could have been dire. Although we consider vampires to be distinct from other supernatural species due to their undead status- bringing back their soul from the Other Side can still bring chaos in the cycle. Even though they are an abomination, because they cause a direct break in the chain, they still have energy flowing within them because they were living beings prior to turning. Nature can retaliate using whatever means necessary, even without the use of us to intercede and guide Her need to restore balance.

"Now that you are a spirit like us, you have to understand and respect Nature's laws. As a witch, you should have understood but instead you rebelled Her laws directly time and time again. Although we did not want Sheila to suffer, we had to follow Nature's will in that circumstance."

Internally, Bonnie's guilt came to the surface. She hated recalling her grandmother's screams while suffering and the thought brought a new wave of self-loathing. Nature was a bitch sometimes. While she understood their reasoning, the strength of their convictions was bit irritating. These witches were way too serious as it was but adjusting to their extreme attitudes would take a while. They never let her forget anything.

Bonnie was brought out of her musing by the next words Emily spoke, "-any spell you performed that required your ongoing magic to sustain any kind of permanence would have been brought to a halt when you died."

Bonnie reflected that the spell that brought back Jeremy didn't require any ongoing action on her part even after she died. She knew that, she had seen him as a live person. She had drawn on the power of expressionfor Silas- Silas! Expression magic had to be sustained by the witch employing it- namely her. Bonnie groaned internally. She had forgotten all about his change in status. If that spell she cast no longer applied, then he could be wreaking havoc everywhere. Although he had yet to demonstrate his real powers-only his illusions tended to freak her out- she had yet to see his full potential. As a warlock himself, he must know that she was no longer alive. Would he be looking for another Bennett to drop the veil? Or just take his anger out on her friends? He was manipulative, cold, and would do whatever it took to drop the Veil. She couldn't remember who had the cure, if someone hadn't taken it already. As far as she knew that was the only thing that could get rid of him.

Abruptly, Bonnie stood up. She had to warn them!

The other witches glanced up at her. They were all sitting in a clearing in a pinewood forest similar to the ones in Mystic Falls.

"Why didn't you tell me about Silas?! He could be hurting my friends right now!" Sheila's look of guilt was quickly masked by a face of indifference.

"You know you cannot help them anymore Bonnie. They wanted the cure and knew the repercussions. That Original vampire reminded them to stop but they refused. They will have to deal with him on their own."

Bonnie just looked at her. "But you know the kind of destruction he could wield! You have to do something."

"Nature already made a decision when he cast that immortality spell, Bonnie, "she uttered.

"What do you mean?" she prompted softly.

Sheila heaved a large sigh. "It means it is no longer your concern child. You are a spirit on the Other Side and your only responsibility is to serve Nature, not concern yourself with a life that has passed and a town that has moved on."

Bonnie wanted to agree with her, but she couldn't. One day she would move on but first she had to ensure that they were all okay, which meant dealing with Silas. Prying the information about his whereabouts looked to be impossible.

Bonnie did the first thing that came to mind. Trying to find him. She closed her eyes and concentrated on Silas' essence, his malevolent presence. Since she had no idea what he looked like (she had only ever seen his true form desiccating) she focused on his voice, that raspy tone that caused shivers down her spine. After pausing a moment, she opened her eyes.

Bonnie let out a frustrated sigh. She was still in the clearing.

Sheila looked at her with pity shining in her eyes. "Give up Bonnie, he's not going to let you find him just like that. Anyone else would be easy but he's not just any warlock." She paused, "He's going to do what he can to protect his secrets, even from the spirits."

"You're not telling me something important." Bonnie frowned.

"And I won't until I can guarantee you won't interfere."

Bonnie wanted to tear her hair out in frustration. "He could kill everyone though! Are you just going to sit by while that happens?!"

"We have no choice. This is our role and we must fulfill it," another witch murmured.

Bonnie scowled in concentration. There must be something she could do. Something useful. She wasn't about to sit idly by while her friends were hurt or suffered at the hands of that monster. Although his goal was to die, he had still shown great power by creating the immortality spell. Just being a pissed off vampire made him a threat.

And knowing Damon and Stefan, they weren't about to just hand over the cure. Idiots. What good were they when they were willing to risk the entire world for Elena? Yeah she might have hated being a vampire initially, but it was pretty obvious she had accepted it in time. In fact, she had vehemently refused the cure the last time Bonnie checked. In some ways, she had intensely disliked how they had thought they knew what was best for her. Elena was stronger than they thought.

Bonnie quickly realized the only help she would be was if she could find a way to stop him, which meant immobilizing him or killing him altogether. To do that, she had to find out more about him. And there was only one person she knew of that could give her answers.

Qetsiyah.