-Six months later

"Cause if you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it
If you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it
Don't be mad once you see that he want it
If you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh"

Bonnie stared in disbelief as Tyler managed to not only lip sync the words, but accurately mimic the dance steps to the song currently blaring from the jukebox.

"I am so not drunk enough for this." Bonnie made her way to the bar, hoping to flag down Liv or Matt for a refill. She was trying to decide if she wanted to stick with her normal amaretto sour, or try one of the fruity cocktail drinks that Caroline and Rebekah had been throwing back all night when she felt someone sidle up next to her.

"Well, well, well if it isn't little Bonnie Hopkins. Although not so little anymore, damn girl, being in a coma did your body good." It wasn't often that Bonnie wished she still had her magic, but moments like this, she desperately missed it. A quick jolt would have been enough to drive the drunken asshole away from her.

"Go away, Ben." She didn't even bother turning around.

"Oh come on, I bet you have a lot of pent up energy that you need to get rid of. We all know you haven't had any since Damon-" Ben made a choking sound as he was abruptly cut off. Bonnie turned to see him being held in what looked like a painful grip.

"He bothering you, Bon? Her savior asked, easily restraining the other man as if it were nothing at all. Then again, as the former captain of the wrestling team, it probably didn't faze him one bit.

"I'm good, Mason. Ben was just leaving, right?" Bonnie arched a brow, willing him to take the out that she offered. "Yeah, yeah. I was just leaving." Mason leaned down to whisper angrily in his ear before letting Ben go.

"You didn't have to do that, I can handle idiots like that." Bonnie had never spent any considerable time around Mason before (with the exception of the whole incapacitating and mind-reading in the other world) she had always just thought of him as Tyler's hot uncle. But apparently in this world, they were friends?

"I know you can, lil bitty." Bonnie scowled, apparently they were friendly enough that he gave her counterpart a nickname. He just flashed his lady-killer grin and gestured towards the bar, "Whatcha drinking?" Bonnie turned back to the bar, "Dunno, I was thinking of trying one of the night's specialty drinks. That is if anyone notices I'm standing here." Mason flagged down a bartender and placed their order.

"Unbelievable." Bonnie muttered. Mason laughed, "They probably didn't see you. You are kind of a munchkin."

"I got your munchkin, Lockwood."

Mason opened his mouth to reply when his gaze shifted a few inches to the left, right over Bonnie's shoulder. "Oh shit, incoming. Gotta go, enjoy the drinks, Bon!" He called out as he grabbed his drink and sped off. Bonnie snickered into her drink. Mason wanting to beat a hasty retreat only happens with one person in particular. "Hey, Kat."

"Oh no, did Mr. Alpha Wolf have to go?" The question dripped with faux innocence. Bonnie couldn't hold back her snort this time. Mason and Katherine apparently had a friends with benefits arrangement going on for some time. When Katherine broke it off to pursue one Elijah Mikealson, Mason made the grave mistake of not deleting the racy pictures and texts that he had accumulated during their "arrangement" needless to say some of the pictures got out, and Mason wasn't in a hurry to try and rectify his mistake.

But unbeknownst to him, he wasn't the only one with pictures and texts to share. Soon all of Mystic Falls (Bonnie honestly wouldn't be surprised if the whole state of Virginia didn't know) were informed that Mason Lockwood, brother of Mayor Richard Lockwood, not only liked to be called Alpha during sex, he also had a studded collar with that moniker engraved on it.

There was never so much as a whisper about Kat's pictures ever again.

"Katerina." Elijah sighed. It was half exasperation, half amusement.

"Yes Elijah?" Katherine purred, running her hands up his chest to clasp behind his neck, clearly enjoying his discomfort. Bonnie sipped her drink while unabashedly watching the duo. It seemed that no matter what world she was in, Elijah and his fondness for Katherine was a constant. It was nice to see it was reciprocated equally here too. Bonnie had always thought she and Elijah were a lot alike, just on opposite sides. Spending time with him in this world proved her intuition correct.

After she "woke up" in the hospital, and transitioned to home care, she had a stream of visitors. They all brought something to cheer her up. Elijah was very generous with his rare book collection. On one occasion, Bonnie slipped and was so engrossed in her reading, not even registering that the book had transitioned into Latin. She was unaware that Elijah was watching her read as if she had no problem understanding the language. When he casually mentioned it, Bonnie felt her heart start to pound, but forced herself to calm down. There was no way she'd be outed just because someone found out she could read Latin! Luckily, he seemed to attribute it to the "girl dumbing herself down to not stand out" cliché. Every now and then he'll casually switch into Latin just to keep her on her toes.

"Oh please, can you two behave? I'm sure Bonnie doesn't want to see that. Do you, love?" Klaus, er, Nik, was one of the biggest surprises. He had apparently designated himself as her big brother. Bonnie was sure there was something else under the surface that she was missing, but she just relished that he wasn't trying to kill her every five minutes.

Katherine broke from away from Elijah to link arms with Bonnie. "What are we drinking? Shots? Shots!" Bonnie shot her an incredulous look, "Didn't your drunk ass close this place yesterday? How are you even able to drink right now?"

Katherine laughed, tossing her curls back. "Oh my little Bon Bon, we have to get you back into drinking shape." She looked around for a bartender, "Hey Parker! Shots!" Liv somehow heard her over everything else and soon there was a tray filled with shots on the bar in front of them. "If you puke, that's on you." Liv made sure to address Bonnie specifically before taking off to the other end of the bar.

"Well, that was awfully nice of her." Katherine mused. Bonnie laughed, because actually, that was Liv's way of telling her to be careful. Bonnie wanted to tell her not to worry, she'd planned on switching to water after her last drink anyway.

She felt him a split second before she saw a hand adorned with a thumb ring reach past her to grab a shot. She let her gaze follow the shot glass as he lifted it in a mock salute and knocked it back. Bonnie watched his throat work for a split second before averting her gaze.

"Yes! That's what I'm talking about." Katherine cheered before knocking hers back as well, Elijah and Nik following suit.

"Not gonna have a shot with us, Bon?" If she thought Kai Parker was good looking in her old world, then he had nothing on this one. When she initially met him in the 1994 prison world, she can now admit she thought he was cute. When he escaped the 1903 prison world, the aging process had kick started again, and physically he looked more mature.

But this Kai? Constantly keeps Bonnie off kilter. He wasn't 22, nor his supposed age in the old world of almost 40. He was older, yes, but only a few years from hitting the big 3-0. This Kai had stubble that he kept groomed, along with laugh lines around his eyes that Bonnie kept wanting to smooth out. She had crept to the window to secretly observe him one morning while he cut her Grams' grass shirtless and yeah, it went without saying he must work out on a regular basis.

This Kai was extremely hazardous to Bonnie's health.

And of course he and Grams got along like a house on fire, so he was always in and out of the house doing odds and ends for Sheila. More than once, Bonnie had assumed she was alone in the house, only to have him pop up out of nowhere and scare the shit out of her.


"What the fuck Kai?" Bonnie willed her heart to slow down. It was a damn good thing she had no magic, otherwise something would be broken.

He just smiled at her, "Live right Bonster, and you won't have to be scared all the time."

Bonnie rolled her eyes, "Okay you have been hanging around Grams way too much. Speaking of, where is she? And why are you here?"

"First of all, rude much? I'm a guest here, shouldn't you be offering me something to eat or drink, where's the famous 'southern hospitality' I keep hearing so much about?" He teased.

"First of all, you're here as much as we are. You have your own coffee mug, and shelf in the fridge for Christ sake! Secondly, you're deflecting. What aren't you telling me?" She saw the flash of surprise on his face before he schooled his face into nonchalance. "You know, something is different about you."

"What?" That threw Bonnie off.

"You're different." He repeated, cocking his head to the left. "More direct, more assertive, the way you carry yourself. You even walk differently."

Bonnie willed herself not to react. She lifted her chin to look him in the eyes. "Of course I'm different. I survived a wreck that should have killed me, I was in a coma for a month straight!"

"Yeah that could explain some things, but there's something else…" He trailed off, then shrugged his shoulders. "Well, it's a mystery, and I love a good mystery."

"Then go play Clue or something, and stop trying to analyze me." Bonnie snapped. "This is my life that I'm trying to rebuild. I'd like to do it without someone second guessing me at every turn!" She turned to stomp up the stairs, she'd only made it up two steps before she was halted by his grip on her upper arm. "Hey, wait."

Slowly, ever so slowly, he let his hand trail down her arm, leaving a bevy of goosebumps in its wake, before tangling his fingers with hers, and gently tugging her down a step. With her standing on the stair, she was able to look him directly in the eyes.

"You're right, I can't imagine what you've been through. And here I am not making it easier." He squeezed her hand, "Sorry Bon."

In the quiet moments with this Kai, Bonnie sometimes felt a little sad for the Kai in her world. He was ostracized from his family pretty much his entire life, over something that he had no control over, so needless to say his coping skills were non-existent. Not to excuse what he did when he snapped, cause that was the most horrible thing anyone could have done to their family, in Bonnie's opinion. But being here with a Kai who didn't have that burden heaped on him, was a glimpse into the man he could have become.

He was still a smart ass, still had a wicked temper when provoked, but Bonnie had stopped fearing that he'd turn around and stab her in the stomach. He was outgoing and so damn charming that half the time, Bonnie found herself forgetting to stay on her guard while he was around. Which was dangerous, because this Kai was not only intelligent but observant too. Who the hell notices how someone walks for Christ sake?

Their moment was interrupted by Sheila clearing her throat. They both jumped, and Bonnie realized he still had a hold of her hand. She squeezed his hand once before withdrawing from his warm grasp. Her grandmother was standing in the entrance with one brow raised. "Can I have a minute of your time to help me unload the groceries Malachai?"

That was another thing Bonnie noticed, he only let certain people call him by his given name, and if someone did happen to say his whole name, it was easily shrugged off. Granted Bonnie never had the chance test that particular theory, but she would bet money that it would not have flown with the Kai that she knew.

Kai put on an easy smile, walking to the front door. "Of course you can, Shelia. My mother raised me to never leave a damsel in distress."

"Boy, if you don't get-" Sheila swung her purse in his direction, but he was already out the door. Bonnie watched them interact and wondered if it was like this back in her world. She knew her grandmother had gone to Portland many times, but had no idea what her relationship to Kai entailed. Jo was comfortable enough to come to her for help when she wanted to leave the Gemini Coven behind. If that fateful night hadn't happened, would Jo have still gone across the country for med school? Would Kai have followed? She pulled herself from her thoughts to see her grandmother watching her carefully. "You feeling okay, Bonnie?"

She pasted a bright smile on her face, "Yes Grams, I'm fine. Just gonna go upstairs and chill, let me know if you need any help cooking dinner." Bonnie retreated to the safety of her room, knowing all the while her grandmother was watching her leave.


"Earth to Bonnie!" Katherine was waving a perfectly manicured hand in front of her face. Bonnie snapped out of her musings and batted her hand away. "I'm good, just got lost in my thoughts for a bit.' She set her now empty glass down on the bar, "I'm through drinking for tonight though, think I'm gonna call it and head home. Can you let everyone know I left?" She had learned the hard way that announcing she was leaving would not correlate to actually leaving. There would be "one last drink" or "one last shot" and before she knew it, it would be hours later.

Katherine pouted, "But I just got here!" Bonnie smiled, "Exactly! They won't even notice I'm gone with you here. Goodnight all." Sometimes being small came in handy as she dipped and ducked around people to make her way towards the exit. She was putting on her coat when she heard, "You're not driving are you?" Bonnie rolled her eyes fondly as Matt stepped out a side door, "No Dad" she teased, "I walked here, I'm staying at my place tonight."

"Like hell you're walking alone? At this hour?" Before she could stop him, he turned and yelled inside that he was taking a break. Then grabbed his coat and joined her on the sidewalk. Bonnie had to smile softly, Matt Donovan was Matt Donovan in any world. Out of everyone, he was the one person that Bonnie never had to have her guard up around. He would be content to just hang out in silence if that's what she wanted.

On the short walk to her apartment, they bickered back and forth, "Matt, I'm not getting a dog."

"I'm just saying Bon, single woman living alone, it can't hurt." Matt persisted.

"It's Mystic Falls, what's the worst—you know what? I'm not even gonna finish that sentence, it would be like tempting fate."

"Smart thinking." Matt agreed. Before long they reached the row of brick apartments that the old Bonnie called home. She bid goodnight to Matt and went through her normal routine of going around to check that the windows were closed and locked before heading upstairs to get dressed for bed.

When she was released from the hospital, Bonnie made the no brainer choice to live with her grandmother until she could be on her own again. But as soon as she was able to get around with little difficulty she started spending more time in the cute 2 bedroom apartment that belonged to her other self. They had similar tastes, that was to be expected, but Bonnie still felt as if she were intruding every time she opened the closet, or used the products that were left behind.

So she made Caroline the happiest girl in the world, and turned her loose, giving her free reign to go through the closet and toss anything she deemed frumpy, out of season, or just plain awful. Caroline cackled with glee and immediately arranged a "New Bonnie" party. She and Liv tore through her apartment, with Luke coming in to handle her kitchen. She was now the proud owner of a top of the line cookware set, that while it looked very pretty, she wasn't sure she would get much use out of it. Having said as much to Luke, he just winked and said that maybe she should get someone to teach her.

Nothing was spared, not even Bonnie herself. Caroline physically pushed her into Katherine and Rebekah's arms and told them not to come back until she got rid of that mess on her head. 'I love you Bonnie, but that has got to go!'

Her hair had been long and she could tell that straightening it so often had pretty much fried it, so she went in for the big chop. She walked out with a pixie cut that nearly gave everyone around her a heart attack, apparently this Bonnie was very adamant about having long, straight hair.

Although the reason for that didn't make itself known until later.

She rocked her natural curls, and soon her hair was healthier and down to her shoulders. She often considered cutting it again, but hadn't settled on a style she liked just yet.

After making sure the downstairs was secure, she moved upstairs. Mentally already drawing herself a bath, she totally missed the shadow reclining on her bed. It wasn't until she had her dress off and was standing in just her bra and panties did it speak.

"Looking good Bon Bon."

"WHO THE FUCK…DAMON!?"

Bonnie damn near wet herself, what the hell was he doing in her house? In her bed? How did he even get in?

"How the hell did you even get in here?" She asked, while frantically trying to cover herself.

Damon said nothing, although his eyes followed her as she bounced from one part of the room to the other. Where the FUCK was her robe?

"Looking for this?" He held up the robe that Rebekah had bought for her, "Every girl needs a luxurious robe, Bonnie" she had said. Bonnie side eyed her, "Bitch your family is rich, I'm not paying 300 dollars for a damn robe!" Bonnie had left it in the store, but it somehow found its way into her newly decorated bathroom. She would never tell Rebekah, but there were times when she laid around in just the robe.

Sue her. It was comfy as hell.

So to see it dangling from Damon's traitorous finger was a bit traumatizing for her. 'Don't worry baby, momma will save you.' She mentally sent to the robe. Snatching up the first shirt and shorts she could get her hands on, she quickly re-dressed and turned to face her bed. The bastard hadn't moved an inch, oh wait, he had. He had laid the robe over his stretched out legs and was stroking the fabric.

'Great, now I have to burn it.' Was her only thought, before her mind resumed her earlier track. She marched over to grab her robe, but Damon held fast. "Dammit Damon, let go!" He relinquished his grip and she stumbled back a few steps before turning to place it on the hook behind her bathroom door. "Don't worry baby, momma will take you to the dry cleaners to get the feel of the dirty man's fingers off you." She whispered.

"You used to like my dirty fingers on you." Evidently she wasn't quiet enough.

"Ew. Seriously? Ew." Bonnie shuddered before facing him head on. "What are you doing here, Damon?" She asked wearily.

"I wanted to see how you were doing."

"Phones are a great way to accomplish that."

"You changed your number."

"Email works too."

"Would you have answered my emails?"

"Probably not."

"Okay then. Here we are." He paused, and peered at her closely. "Seriously, how are you Bonnie? I wanted to come when I heard but…." He trailed off uncertainly.

Bonnie cocked her head, "When did you hear about my accident?" It wasn't an accusation, she was genuinely curious as to how long it was kept from him. Damon hemmed and hawed before he confessed "Two months ago. Jenna slipped up while talking to Elena, and mentioned that Logan Fell was amazed that you were recovering so fast. Did some digging around and WOW can people keep a secret when they want to." He let out a strained chuckle.

He got up off the bed and approached her, "Bonnie I'm so sorry. I should have come back sooner."

"What for?" Bonnie asked. Damon had his 'cmon, really?' face on.

"Seriously, what for Damon? Are you a doctor? Or a physical therapist? There wasn't a damn thing you could have done to help me. I was in a car accident, I survived. Took a while, but I'm finally back on track. So you can put your guilty conscious to rest. That wasn't about you."

"You sure about that? Cause if the timing is right, it happened shortly after-"Damon stopped abruptly.

Bonnie sneered "No, go on Damon. Finish your sentence. It happened shortly after you and someone I thought was my best friend, no, my sister, ran off together and got married. And that was after you were both outed at my birthday party!" Bonnie had read her other half's journal entries and it broke her heart in two.

That poor girl was so in love with Damon. She completely remade herself into what she thought would keep him with her. She changed how she dressed, how she wore her hair, and even tried to slim down to mimic Elena's svelte frame. Of course all that did in the end was make her look sickly and gaunt.

Bonnie easily recognized the sadness and the constant fear of abandonment that was written down, because she felt it too. But this girl didn't have the supernatural to distract her from her feelings. No, she got up every single day and had to see the two people she had trusted most in the world find love with each other.

And it wasn't like they were discrete, there were pages and pages of journal entries with 'Delena' sightings and honestly, Bonnie thought she should have done what Stefan did and got the hell out of town.

But she didn't. She stayed.

Thus starting a never ending circle of misery. Bonnie was so afraid the last entry would be of her saying goodbye before she took her own life. She had received a copy of the police report from Liz Forbes and the official cause of the accident was listed as weather related. It had rained that night and a few lights were out along the road. But Bonnie would bet everything that alcohol was also a factor, as well as a broken heart.

Because what nobody ever uttered was the fact that the road she was on? Led straight to the Salvatore Manor. Bonnie had no idea what her other self was planning on doing once she reached the house. Mother Nature and fate were working in tandem that night apparently. Without ever knowing her other self, but knowing the feelings that she kept beneath the surface, brought out the protective side of Bonnie.

The other Bonnie may never have gotten the chance to tell Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert to go to hell, but she sure wouldn't waste the opportunity.

Bonnie exhaled in order to calm herself, "Are you done? It feels like you're done. You've seen me, I'm fine, in the best shape of my life. Now, kindly traipse your ass out of here, be sure to leave the key-actually never mind. I'll just have the locks changed." She made her way downstairs and headed to the front door.

"Bonnie, wait. There's something else I need to tell you." Damon was hot on her heels.

"Don't care. I would say it's been nice seeing you, but I'm trying to give up lying. Don't let the door hit you on your way out-" She opened her door and stopped short. Kai was standing there, fist raised to knock. "You've got great timing, Bon."