Sheila Bennett was sitting at her kitchen table , her hands wrapped around a mug of mint tea. She usually didn't drink the stuff. In fact, she wasn't overly fond of it but it calmed her. She wouldn't mind a shot or two of tequila but she needed to keep a clear head.
"Grams?" Bonnie Bennett called as she walked into her grandmother's home.
"In here, baby."
The younger witch kissed the older one on top of her head. "Mint tea?"
"It's been a day." Sheila wasn't sure where to begin.
"What happened?"
"Damon came to see me this morning." She finally began. "He and Lexie did. They needed to get the moon stone back but it was still in the tomb with Katherine."
"But we can't take down the barrier. Any vampire going in would be trapped." Bonnie interjected.
"A vampire can't enter but a human or a witch could." Sheila took a sip of her tea.
"They wanted you to just walk in there and get the stone? With Katherine walking around?" Bonnie was shocked that Damon would even suggest such a thing.
"Not exactly." Sheila shook her head. "Damon wanted to know if there was a way to knock out Katherine so she'd be unconscious and then I could go in and swipe the stone."
"And you were able to do that?"
"Yes. I needed something of Katherine's and both Damon and Stefan handed over pictures of her." Sheila remembered that the picture Damon used to keep in his wallet had to be pulled from a desk drawer. "I burned them to ash to create a powder that when blown onto Katherine, it would immobilize her."
"Did it work? Did you get the moon stone?"
"It should have but things did not go as planned."
"How so?"
"We were suppose to meet up at the tomb this afternoon. But Elena took off. She convinced that Rose woman to go with her to Richmond so that she could meet with that other vampire who knows how to contact Klaus."
Bonnie grimaced at Rose's name. She knew she shouldn't dislike the vampire. She'd done nothing wrong. It was just what she had the potential of doing. Bonnie thought back to the day before yesterday.
"Are you sure Damon's not home?" Bonnie asked Elena for the fourth time.
"Positive. Stef told me that Damon was complaining about being stuck in a Founders meeting all afternoon."
"Okay, I just want to get my sweater and then we can jet." Bonnie had brought several of her favorite wardrobe pieces to the boarding house and she'd missed wearing them since the breakup.
"Hey!" Lexie caught up with them in the hall outside Damon's suite. "What are you two up to?"
"I just wanted to get some things out of my dresser." the witch responded as she walked into the room.
Lexie stammered. "Ummmm...Your dresser isn't in there."
"What?" She stopped halfway into the room.
"After you threw him into the wall, Damon asked me to help him move your stuff into one of the other bedrooms."
"So it's in my old room?"
"No," Lexie looked pained. "Damon thought that would be awkward so we moved your things to one of the smaller guest rooms."
"Fine, lets me just grab what I need." Bonnie stomped down to hallway leading to the remaining bedrooms.
Ana was just coming out of her suite as Bonnie approached. "Hi Bonnie." she gave a brief waive.
"Hey Ana?"
Both Ana and Bonnie looked up to see Rose coming down the hall in a short silk robe.
"What can I do for you Rose?" Ana responded as Bonnie just stared.
"Where can I find some extra towels? I started a load of laundry but it's going to take a while."
"The linen closet is just at the end there." The petite brunette pointed.
"Thanks." Rose smiled. "How are you, Bonnie?"
Before Bonnie could answer, Ana spoke again. "Rose, everyone knows what a hedonist Damon is. If you're wanting to take a shower, or a bath, why don't you go use Damon's bathroom. He has a stack of Egyptian cotton towels like you wouldn't believe. I'm sure he won't mind."
"Thanks. I think I will."
Bonnie huffed and turned on her heel not wanting to stand there a moment more. Lexie was waiting for her at the doorway of the room her clothes were now stowed.
"He's not sleeping with her, if that's what you're thinking." Lexie rubbed the girl's shoulder. "She uses the room next to this one."
Shaking slightly, Bonnie walked to the dresser and pulled open drawers. She might as well take all her stuff.
"I'm surprised you left this behind." Lexie fingered the emerald velvet dress that she had personally hung on the closet door. "It's gorgeous."
"Damon bought it for me. I haven't even worn it outside the boarding house yet."
"He's got great taste."
"Yeah, he does. He even gave me the perfect necklace to go with it." She reached for the jewel box resting on the dresser top. Freezing, she saw what was resting on top of the box, a lapis and silver fidget ring.
Lexie followed her friend's eyes. "He's wearing his original ring again. He said that one made him think too much about what he lost."
"How could you offer her the use of Damon's bath tub?" The two ladies heard Elena screech at Ana.
"Oh come on, Damon won't mind. It's not like he's never offered up the use of his luxuries before." Ana countered.
"But what if he comes home and finds her before she's done?"
"Well maybe he'll take the initiative and join her."
"Bonnie is right down the hall and you're trying to hook him up?"
"I was there the other night. " Ana's voice becoming hard. "She told him to let her move on. Well then he needs to move on too. You've been around these past few weeks. He's a total bear to live with. Maybe if he got laid, he'd be in a better mood."
"Don't pay attention to her, Bon." Lexie tried to sooth her friend.
"She's right though." Bonnie picked up the ring and stuffed it in her pocket. "We both need to move on. I'm done here." She picked up the sweater and all but ran for the front door before she broke into tears.
"Anyway," Sheila continued, oblivious to her granddaughter's thoughts. "Rose called Damon and told him that she and Elena were in Richmond. Damon sent Stefan and Lexie to go retrieve Elena."
"Then what."
"We thought Jeremy was a no show to the tomb till we went down in and found the moonstone laying outside of the barrier."
"Huh? Did Katherine surrender it?"
"No. Jeremy had snitched some of the ash I spelled. He thought he could toss it at Katherine and grab the stone before she woke."
"Oh shit."
"Precisely. The spell needed all of the ash to be used in order to keep Katherine out. Jeremy only had a small amount. Katherine woke too soon and she grabbed him." Sheila went to the stove and turned on the kettle for another cuppa. "Jeremy tossed out the moon stone but he couldn't get away from Katherine."
"Why would he even think to do such a thing? Is he okay?"
"I think it had been bothering him about how he's the youngest of this little group of ours. And you know how Damon always calls him Baby Gilbert. He was trying to prove his worth. And Katherine was feeding off of the poor boy by the time we got there." Sheila said. "Ana was about to run in to get him but Damon beat her to it. He wrestled with Katherine and Jeremy was able to get past the barrier."
"And Damon?" Bonnie absently fingered a silver chain discretely tucked inside the collar of her shirt.
"I tried, baby, I was willing to let Katherine out of the tomb just to get Damon away from her but I'm not that strong." Sheila hung her head. She'd failed her dearest friend.
"It's okay Grams." Emily put a lot of oomph into that barrier." No wonder Sheila looked so tired. Bonnie dug her hands into her back pockets. Her eyes questioned what she felt inside the one till she pulled out the dog tag Luca had given her. "I think I know how to up my power." She kissed her grandmother's cheek and dashed out the door. "Wish me luck." she called back.
Damon was sitting on the stone floor so close to the barrier that he was practically using it for support as he leaned to the side. His arms were wrapped around his knees as his head rested upon them. To the casual eye, he looked as though he was sleeping be but he kept an ear to where Katherine was lurking in the shadows.
"Damon?" Bonnie's silhouette was framed by the last of the sunlight in the passage to the surface.
"Bonnie, what are you doing here?" He jumped to his feet.
"Whatever else, I can't leave you trapped with that bitch if I can help it."
"Now now Bon Bon, play nice." Katherine came into the light. "From the sounds of things, Damon's a free agent . The party's just about to start." She ran a hand down his leather covered arm.
"Don't even think it." Damon snarled at the other vampire grabbing her wrist hard enough that the bones cracked. He smiled at her flinch of pain. "You're not linked to Elena anymore so I have absolutely no reason not to hurt you."
"Oh, I missed you." Katherine smirked at him as she cradled her healing arm.
Ignoring the taunts, Damon turned back to Bonnie. "Sheila couldn't even get the barrier to flicker. Don't waste your energy, little witch."
"I can do this, Damon." Bonnie reached out toward the barrier with one hand as she tightly gripped Luca's token with the other. A breeze that should not have been below ground caught her hair.
Damon felt a change in the barrier and he pushed lightly against it. He couldn't push through it but it didn't feel as solid as it had. He was about to encourage Bonnie to keep going but saw a thin trickle of blood run down over her lips.
"Fuck!" Bonnie, stop now!" He yelled.
Bonnie wiped the blood away absently but did not relinquish her focus as Damon began slamming against the barrier wanting desperately to get to her and make her stop.
As Bonnie waivered and was about to collapse, a pair of arms caught her. Damon looked up to see his brother gently lowering the witch to the ground. Elena and Lexie, who were a few steps behind, ran to Bonnie's side.
"Stefan."
"Sheila texted us about what happened." The younger Salvatore stood opposite Damon. "You were right about this getting messy."
"You should join us Stef." Katherine cooed but was greeted by glares from both brothers.
"She's okay." Lexie called out as she helped Bonnie to her feet.
"Take her back to Sheila." Damon ordered. Lexie nodded and assisted the witch in walking. Too exhausted to speak, Bonnie gave one last look at Damon before she was lead to Elena's car. Damon bit his lip but said nothing as she disappeared from view. "Do me a favor, brother."
"Anything."
"Look after them."
"You didn't even need to ask." Stefan nodded to Elena who then followed her friends.
"Any problems in Richmond?"
"We ran into Elijah again and he was surprising helpful." Stefan explained. "Rose took off at his appearance."
"Damnit." Damon slammed a fist against the now solid barrier.
"We'll get you out of there." Stefan promised. "You don't want me having all the fun."
Damon grinned. "Go take your little trouble magnet home."
"I'll be back soon."
"Not going anywhere."
Damon watched as his brother left the tomb.
"I think Stefan's the one who'll be missing all the fun." Katherine purred from behind Damon.
He didn't respond but sat on the ground, resuming the position he'd assumed before Bonnie's arrival.