A/N: Ok…I think I have an idea of how to continue with this. Let's hope this pans out ok.

….

The terror in her caused her to flee into Jeremy's room. Hiding herself in the corner. She couldn't feel a pull from either Jeremy or Elena, something strong was keeping her here in this house and she had a pretty good idea of whom. Her mind jumped from theory to theory of who was really downstairs and why, and there was only one conclusion.

Magic, unknowingly to the ignorant, was a very fickle thing. Powerful and dangerous, yes, but it needed an anchor, something tangible and real. The magic of the daywalker attached itself to the jewelry, the magic of eternal life was attached to the blood of vampires, and sometimes when there was no other anchor then it connects to the source itself. Bonnie's spell to trap Silas broke the moment she died.

Stefan was not the one downstairs with Damon.

It was Silas.

The little ghost panicked, not knowing if leaving Damon alone with him was a good thing. Not that she could do anything, but…

She was suddenly sitting next to Damon on the couch, Silas lounging against the wall. He didn't look her way or give her any indication that he saw her there. For a brief and hope filled moment she thought that maybe she had imagined the whole thing. But instinct told her not to listen to the painful tug of hope. The vampire next to her scooted his leg near hers, as if angling himself around her.

If he knew she was really there, she would think that he was protecting her.

A thick silence enveloped the room. There was no talking between the brothers, real or not. They stared at one another, both looking like they didn't know where to start. Bonnie stared at Damon's face, noticing how his jaw ticked as he swallowed. He looked unsure. It was hard to tell if it was coming from his guilt or if it was doubt.

"Where have you been?"

"A bit of a road trip I suppose. I feel like it's been a while since I've been out on my own." Silas/Stefan smiled at this. "It was refreshing."

"I've been trying to reach you." A horrible thought suddenly occurred to Bonnie at that moment. Almost the entire time of her being dead, not once had she seen Stefan and now Silas shows up as him.

Where was Stefan? Was he even alive?

That single thought seemed to put a noticeable chill through out the room. Vampires didn't really need to worry about such things but it didn't mean they wouldn't notice a change in temperature. Damon looked away from his brother, sniffing at the room quietly. He suddenly stood, his eyes darting around.

"Are you ok brother?"

"Yeah…I just…I thought someone else was here." He continued to stay standing, staring at the empty space just behind Bonnie.

"Where is Bonnie by the way? I've been trying to get a hold of her."

"He's lying Damon." The little witch stood, standing in his line of sight. It looked as if he was staring straight at her. Stefan, the real Stefan, hadn't contacted her once since he's been gone. "Please Damon, you have to know that isn't Stefan. Please."

"We've been calling each other for most of my trip, even crossed paths once or twice, but when I got into town she hasn't returned any of my calls."

It was surprising to see how quickly anger flashed through Damon's eyes, he made sure to compose his features before turning to Stefan/Silas. He swallowed thickly, turning his back to Bonnie and it somehow felt more than just him turning away from her physically. Something clicked and released her from his pull on her.

"…Damon?"

"Who knows, she hasn't been around for a while. Good to know she's returning someone's calls. Speaking of which I should call Elena. Do you mind if I tell her your back?" The older brother began to move away from the couch, heading to the kitchen with his phone in hand.

"Please do. Tell her she doesn't need to worry about me anymore."

With Damon gone from the room, Bonnie immediately tried to focus on somewhere else but she was blocked. Trapped.

"Now now. There is no need to flee so quickly." Silas walked towards her in large strides, forcing her to sit back down. She gripped onto the cloth of her clothes, willing her hands to stop shaking. "It really is a pleasure to see you again. Especially trapped like this, a little bird in a cage. It really does suit you." He crouched to be eye level with her, reaching his hand towards her face.

"Don't." Bonnie was shocked at the sudden word to pop out of her mouth, she knew he couldn't touch her but her fear of him was stronger than logical thought. The immortal's hand stopped just before touching her cheek, and smiled at her gently.

"It's quite charming actually. A ghost being scared of the living." He finally placed his hand on her cheek, and for the first time in a long time Bonnie felt physical contact. After wanting it for so long, she felt that her wishes had been answered in the cruelest of ways. Instead of warmth there was cold as his thumb stroked her jaw, and his hand cupped her neck as a man would touch his lover. " 'The gods punish us by granting our wishes.' I have you all to myself now." His hand slid from her neck and into her hair, yanking it back roughly. Her head snapped back as he stood above her.

"Where is Stefan?!"

"Tsk tsk. I'm Stefan, and if you say otherwise I may have to kill a few people while you watch. Understood?"

Bonnie could only stare at him, eyes wide in horror. She felt pain sear its way across her scalp where he was pulling her hair back. The only person she could think of was Damon.

"Where you just talking to someone." As if on cue Damon walked back into the room, confused at the strange position of Stefan on the couch. The man in sheep's clothing began to laugh loudly, finally backing away from Bonnie. He rubbed his jaw as his laugh simmered down to a wide smile.

"You two are the most ridiculous beings I have ever come to know. Such hate, yet such trust. It's a shame really…being under such circumstances." Silas leaned forward and kissed Bonnie's cheek before walking over to a bewildered Damon.

"What are you going on about?"

"Nothing that matters, I wasn't talking to anyone but you were going to tell me about how happy Elena is to hear that I'm back." There was a moment of confusion on Damon's face with a flash of horrifying blankness, before he began to smile a tight uncomfortable smile.

"Elena was happy to hear that you're ok. She was hoping to get a chance to talk to you whenever you felt ready." Stefan clapped his hand on Damon's shoulder, showing a genuine smile of joy.

"Great! Everything is great. I'm going to get settled in my old room if you don't mind."

Bonnie watched as he left the room, feeling his pull suddenly vanish. She jumped away from the couch quickly, falling to her knees in a heap. There was nothing she could do. She couldn't even really cry if she wanted to. Silas was right, she was a bird trapped in a cage. A little, weak, trapped bird.

There was a sigh that caused her to look back at Damon. He was staring at his phone quietly. His pull was back, strong and insistent. Bonnie never imagined that the feeling of him thinking of her would be such a welcome idea to her. But she couldn't help relief wash over her.

"Of course you choose to call him."

The look on his face felt heavy on Bonnie. She could actually see him begin to fold in on himself, his carefully placed confidence fracturing ever so slightly. It was something that Bonnie didn't think she would ever be able to see. When she stood she was standing near to him, close enough to touch. Something gripped tightly within her, and she knew she had to help. In anyway she could.

She had to stand on her tiptoes to reach his ear. Whispering softly in hopes that Silas couldn't hear her. Otherwise she would realize how intimate this actually was.

"I'll fix this Damon."

His head suddenly snapped in her direction, startling her to stand still as he stared at her, but not really staring. Damon closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. The sent of chai tea in the air.

"I think I'm going crazy. I keep smelling you everywhere."

For an instant she felt a flutter stir inside, but she steeled herself to ignore it. She had to focus on the task at hand. Focus. Damon's pull made it almost impossible to really focus on Stefan. Bonnie turned away from the Vampire, hoping this would help, if only a little. She concentrated hard on Stefan, tried to remember the way it felt to be around him.

His warmth, his kindness, the undertone of bristling danger. And like a flicker of a flame in the dark, she felt the barest hint of a nudge. It was so light and weak, like a finger hovering just above the skin. Following it took longer than normal, but she finally found herself out in the open. The pull was coming from…a lake?

Suddenly the pull was gone, faded away, ever so slowly. Bonnie stared confused at the lake, walking around the edges until she found an area that had some strange gray stones. When she got closer she realized that they were broken pieces of statue. The pull came back in a violent shockwave that caused Bonnie to fall to the ground.

"S-Stefan?" It was without a doubt him, the pull of him uncharacteristically erratic. But it began to grow weaker, fainter, and then it faded away. Horror set in when she began to understand why this was happening. Stefan was dying, over and over again.

"Oh my god…Stefan!?" The little witch frantically stepped around the edge of the lake, somehow not being able to go in. She screamed in frustration. "Stefan! They'll come for you. I promise!….I'll find a way."

I'll find a way.

Bonnie sat next to Elena on the window seat of their dorm room. She was writing a E-mail to her, filling her in on the recent news of Stefan returning. With a pang Bonnie noticed that Elena's phone still had her name on the screen, obviously she had tried to call her first.

"Elena! Please, if there is any doubt in you about Stefan please focus on that! Please!" With no powers to focus on now, Bonnie focused on her emotions, hoping that she could somehow utilize them the same way she could use her powers. "He's alone and scared, trapped with no way out." Her terror and frustration were so powerful that Elena's laptop suddenly flew out of her lap, crashing to the floor a foot away. Caroline jumped in surprise, screaming at Elena in anger.

"What the hell was that!? Are you insane you could have broke…Elena?"

There were tears streaming down the girls face, suddenly looking broken. Elena touched her face carefully, confused as to why it was happening herself.

"I…I don't know why."

"All of you are in terrible danger!" Bonnie touched Elena's hand, and watched as her friend shivered from the contact.

"…but…something feels wrong."