Chapter 9
Stefan is met by Caroline's 'Are you kidding' face as he moves further from the cottage.
"Why'd you go in there?"
"I thought I could help mediate."
"You're not Bonnie's friend." Stefan was a casual interloper in Bonnie's life. Without explanation, apology or a thank you, she's left on wayside, mishaps after mishap. Routinely by the 'good' vampire. If he was going to help, his compassion for Bonnie needed to be genuine and consistent.
"You're right; I didn't treat her like a friend. I should have guided her because I knew better. But I let her take the mantle of Ms. Fix-It." he squeezes the bridge of his nose, "Shelia would've seared me to the bone for treating her granddaughter like this. I need to make up for the shit I put her through."
"I agree, but in the interest of keeping it real, I haven't been doing a good job myself of late."
"So we both suck. Well that was a good pity party. Now what?" Stefan wearily chuckles.
"Save Bonnie." She says with utter determination.
"Caroline, I'm…" Care interrupts him, as he tries to apologize.
"I don't want hear this speech again Stefan. I'm glad you're here to help, but you still..." tying to project a neutral exterior, she takes a quick breath in and out to restart. "Let's keep this polite and stick to saving Bonnie. All I ask is for you to manage Damon as best as you can."
"I'm still not sure why you got in contact with me in the first place." He knew he shouldn't push, but his foolish ass couldn't let her go.
"Ah, Bonnie. I thought that was obvious."
"You just finish telling me were not close, so-"
"You owe her. I owe her. We all owe her. She is doing it alone and it's not working. We need to do this together or she will pay for all of us, again." She is trying not to sound as exasperated as she feels.
"Well, that's why I woke Damon. He's her best option. I know he's an ass, but he's in love with Bonnie. I know that's why he left. He can't seem to admit it himself."
"Don't you dare ever repeat what I'm about to say… I think you're right. I think Bonnie feels it just as deep that's why she was so devastated when he ghosted. I detest Damon for many viable reasons and it kills me to say this, but Bonnie's better with him, and Damon with her. Damon's and Elena's relationship is typhoon; they're in the middle, happily going with it and we on the outside get demolished. I thought eventually Elena would go back to you."
"I won't lie; there was a time when Elena and I made sense. Not the case anymore. And I know I sound bias saying this; their relationship makes Damon worse. I think he's working it out slowly that the 'love of his life' pales in comparison to one green eyed witch."
"So, we believe the ex-besties are in love. How's this going to work?" Care would not reveal all of Bonnie's personal business, but she saw an opportunity to help her best friend be happier. Stefan noticed the twinkle in her eyes.
"All we can do is talk to them Care. I got Damon here. I'm hoping he goes the rest of the way."
"That's if she can forgive him and…"
"And what?"
"And if she can forgive herself. Bonnie holds herself to a higher standard than most. It's a lot for her to get her head around and deem herself entitled to have. Hell this a lot for me, but they are the best chance for all of us surviving this." Care hugs herself as she thinks about the girls and the upheaval that could get worse. Their carefree life dismantled.
"You are going to be fine Care. I promise. I couldn't forgive myself if anything happen to you or the girls. "
Thus commence the awkwardness with Stefan last statement. Caroline lets it go on for a few moments, making him twist in unease. After all, she's still mad at him for being a jerk. She finally starts a conversation for potential strategies for dealing with Rayna and the Armory. For the next hour they do this, waiting for anyone to join them. Their banter falls into an easy habitual pattern. Care is constantly reminding herself to resist. Her cell is receiving alerts but no actual texts from Ric. And Stefan has no further info or insights to share. When his gazes of stupid adoration starts, she pauses for a break and calls Matt to speak to the girls. Things are relatively calm till Enzo reappears, pulling into the parking lot and marching to the cottage door, like a man with a mission.
Enzo opens the door to witness an intimate standoff between Bonnie and Damon. Her arm is out stretched with a hand clutched onto his chest. She is muttering a low loop of 'no'. As he gets closer, Damon doesn't pay him any mind, staring directly into Bonnie's greens. She jumps at Enzo's touch. Bonnie's head snaps back and forth, realizing how long she's been standing there. As she gets flustered, she misses the men's initial exchange.
With a smirk from ear to ear Damon doesn't say a word and eyeballs Enzo. Enzo can't stand the look on his face, so he grabs Damon to throw him out. Bonnie implores him through their bond and it's the only reason he is out the door without bloodshed. Enzo feels the panic breaching whats left of his calm when he notices the ring is off her finger.
"What the fuck was that?" Enzo spits.
"Enzo,' Bonnie drawls out his name, "Don't speak to me like that. You have no idea what's going on."
"You don't let me in Bonnie. You let him in, but not me."
"That's not true. It's complicated and I'm doing my best to figure it out. Damon struck some deal with Rayna, so we have to meet up with her."
"Bonnie, listen to yourself. You're talking about taking on Rayna head on, at a set time, and place. That's foolish. Let's be smart about this."
"You know what? I've had enough of your doubts. What is your problem? Are you really that threatened by Damon?"
"Don't Bonnie, don't." As he gets right in her face, her magic throws him back.
"You can't be here right now." Bonnie murmurs.
"Bonnie love, this is hard for on me. Please understand." Enzo beseeches. He sees she's on the edge and he needs to change his tune to bring her back to his fold. "Forgive me baby. I don't know why I let Damon get to me like this." He spots the ring sitting on the coffee table and he picks it up. "I love you Bonnie. I want you safe. Believe me." He kneels before her, trying to sway her back to him and gently cups her hands. "I'm sorry for being so harsh. I saw you two staring into each other's eyes, he was so smug. I'm the fool. I know. I don't want him to hurt you." He slips the ring onto her index and kisses it. "Tell me what you want to do and I'll do it luv."
Bonnie is not sure about Enzo's sudden turn around. They didn't need any more infighting or disruptions. She also knew after this display of anger and jealousy, their time together was winding down. For now she would try to work with him for the greater good.
"I'm sure you can help Enzo, but I still need a moment to myself." With that she removes her hands from his and turns her back.
Enzo gives her some breathing space and leaves the cottage. Hopefully she will keep the ring on while he is gone. This has gotten so much worse than he could have foreseen, making him regret the decision to leave her earlier. He had to get some serious back up or lose Bonnie to Damon.
Damon feels the link get foggy; Bonnie is trying to block him, but he can feel a hint of her irritation. He knows without a doubt, Enzo is the cause of the new wave of irk. It took all his fortitude not to barge back into the room and tear Enzo into pieces. He didn't want to blow up her spot, even if they kissed. Despite it being in a vision, it felt as real as any kiss he's ever had. He had lost himself, until Bonnie ripped herself out of the kiss. Words needed to be spoken, certain acknowledgements made. He got more than he could ask for, but couldn't linger on that, but feel he does. He had felt her uncertainty multiply by the scales of her warped justice. She is drowning in doubt. And he can't let her stay there.
He needs to make Bonnie's survival absolute. He done some research on Rayna's cursed mark, years ago, and found the main ingredient in this was a Shaman. He was going to meet him, but circumstances had changed. He now hopes to get some insight into what was driving Rayna to kill Bonnie, and the means to reverse it. Once she was out of the way, hopefully, massacring the Armory would be on the agenda. They all needed to work together, with Bonnie and him leading the charge, so he decided to bring in Steffy and Blondie into his fold. He waves them over.
"Okay kids, we got a lot of work to do. Caroline you need to get in contact with Rick and get him here. Stefan, take her to higher ground and get it done. We need to find out what the Armory is hiding."
"I'm not leaving you here, half cocked. What about Rayna!" Caroline demanded. Damon sighs.
"Years ago, I did some research on the mark and it lead me to shamans. Their spirit world is more forgiving then that of witches. I gotta wait for a call."
Caroline looks to Stefan for confirmation or some input, but Damon speaks again.
"I won't kill anyone or harass my lil' Bonster. She needs some space. When she's ready, she'll talk to me. For now, I want to get everything ready for her. We need to be prepared."
Care is gobsmacked. She's wobbling between Damon was teasing or being serious. She's not sure about his new earnestness. He is correct about getting in contact with Ric. They shouldn't be blindsided by the Armory. She would call Matt and have him keep the girls a little longer. Ric wouldn't want to be pulled in this far, but they really have no choice. And Ric needed to know magic was part of their lives and it should be managed for the girls' benefit. War was coming.
Lucy is laughing harder as Esha tells their tale. A lost coven promised from 'The beginning'? Decimated in time of Cleopatra's death, Nori was a dazed slave girl lead away from invading Romans, the sole survivor of her sect. Esha was found in 1200 AD on a battlefield near Somnath Temple in India. Now they were looking for their final sister, who they believed to be Bonnie. And this is what they want Lucy to believe.
Esha tries to get Lucy to ease up on the giggling. Nori is not amused. This was going to take more than a chit chat to get Lucy to trust in their tale. Esha can't take the long route, so she grabs Lucy's hand and connects psychically. She shares images and feelings of her and her sister's long past, their losses and the long search till now. Esha gives an insight to their connection to Bonnie and the aspirations for a better future for all witches. Nori watches, hoping the exchange doesn't overload Lucy. Such an intense trsnsfer could harm most witches, but since they are quasi relate, maybe it won't do as much damage. Nori cast her own spell, infusing Lucy with more protection. This needs to go off without a hitch.
Being a witch, good or bad, meant a life of sacrifice, big or bigger, likely ending with pain, bad or worse. A witch's life guaranteed that suffering would be undertaken. It was never explained why the gifted protectors of nature suffered in this way, abused by vampires, wolves and even spirits from beyond. And the Bennett lineage, all the way back to Qetsiyah, suffered the most. Lucy could see her end coming, sooner than later. Esha shows her a way to mend the fragmentations that have cursed the witchhood since its beginning and give balance. The doubts, the trails and sabotage that plagues witches at an unparalleled rate, would be reset. How could Lucy resist begin part of something like this. Her reflex answer was she could and to run. Always running. But this was a true opportunity to stop running. It was such an odd concept to behold
Lucy knows the feel of her cousin's life force, so it's not a trick that Esha is trying to pull. Her cousin's essence is alongside Esha and Nori's. She can't explain everything she is feeling, but she knows they don't mean her or her cousin harm. She relents some of her magical guard to feel a health spell nourishing her. She turns to the stoic sister. Nori shrugs. Lucy figures if they had wanted her dead, this was as good as any time, not pump her up with extra health. When the vision quest ends, she picks up her cell and places a call to Bonnie. It rings and goes into voicemail. She leaves a short message to call her immediately, it's urgent and she would try her again.
Lucy hits end on her cell. "Well she's not answering, so we're not going anywhere for the time being."
"Fine," Nori leans forward in her seat, "What's going on with Bonnie?"
"Well, she is being chased by the Armory and some ancient huntress name Rayna."
"And..." Esha chimes. While sharing in the vision quest, she sussed out Lucy's mind and sees a blockage that haunts her.
Lucy doesn't want to hesitate, and forces herself to stop chewing her bottom lip. "I think I know what the Armory wants." Her shoulders sags with the weight of her secret.
"You think?" Nori questions.
"I mean I had an encounter with the Armory a couple of years back, but I can't seem to really remember it all. I know it was bad and it scares me. I've tried every spell I could think of to get my memory back, but I haven't had much luck so far. Can you guys help?" Lucy tries to control the coiling fear, digging into her gut.
"It will be okay Lucy. Before we do any spell, we must prepare." Esha senses the dread to come for Lucy. Nori notes her sister's apprehension. With no Otherside, it may be almost impossible for typical witch to reach the beyond, but for them it was just slower. Whatever is hidden in Lucy Bennett psychic, it tingles against their magic, warning them to be careful where they tread. "Hey, let's not worry. Why don't you tell us about more about Bonnie for now."
Lucy's laugh fills the air again. She gets up, leaves the room and returns with glasses. Lucy flicks opens a cupboard and floats a couple of bottles of liquor over to the coffee table. "Not without a drink or two." With the snap of her finger, drinks start to pour.