Thanks to Crashnburn and Askani for reviewing. Your enthusiasm makes writing worthwhile. Cheers!

Chapter Two

Bonnie dug in her heals as soon as Matt closed the front door behind him. He tried to grab her arm but she pulled away.

"Back off Matt," she cried.

"What is your problem?"

It was like he didn't believe anything could be wrong. Can one person actually be that disillusioned? Did he actually believe she would accept being second best? Someone who he had settled with because the prize was already taken?

"None of your concern," she replied. At least, not any longer."

"What do you mean?" he said softly.

"Figure it out."

Bonnie ripped off a thin chain of gold front her neck and threw it at him. Matt slowly bent down to pick it up. He stared at it for a moment longer and clenched it in his hand. She turned around, weaving a little while as she wrenched open the door.

Bonnie was aiming for her car, a hand pressed against her abdomen. She tried to ignore the fact that her joins were screaming in pain and her legs begged her to stop moving and she sit down.

When she reached her door, she braced a hand on the hood and tried to catch her breath. "Not here," she muttered. "Not here."

She could feel Matt approach and with all her strength she spun around and yelled, "Back off."

He abruptly stopped. Then a blast of energy left her body, exploding in a wave that lifted him off his feet and into his own rusty car. Matt stared at her with wide, frightened eyes.

Bonnie knew the others would have seen but she just couldn't deal with them right now.

Ignoring the shout of her name, she turned on the car engine and drove home, feeling a desperate need for a cold shower.

********

Bonnie emerged from the shower in a light, silk bathrobe. Before she entered the room, she knew who was waiting for her.

Meredith and Elena sat on her bed. Elena was fidgeting with her flattened, stuffed bear lovingly called Jeremo. Meredith looked more than concerned. Bonnie then noticed the rumpled folder on her lap.

Bonnie sighed and sat down on her small vanity chair. "So, you know."

Elena wouldn't meet her eyes.

Bonnie smiled tiredly and reached out, capturing her friend's hand. Elena's dark blue eyes met hers and realized that Bonnie didn't blame her.

Bonnie said, "What is the expression? Boys come and go but friends are forever?"

"Bonnie, you know I would never-"

"Of course. Don't you?"

Elena smiled softly, but it died. "When did you find out?"

"Today. Before the party."

"I'm surprised you came, considering everything."

"Well, I wanted to see you and Stefan. It's been quite some time since I've seen you both. And Meredith, I saw you last on Christmas Eve with Alaric and my family. I missed you," Bonnie finished simply.

"How bad are you?" Meredith asked.

"Dr. Wakefield wants to start me on chemo as soon as possible. But, I know there is no point. I can feel it."

"Bonnie you have to try," Elena said. The light of her soul shone through her eyes.

Bonnie stared at Elena and said flatly, "I know there is no point. Don't you remember what my grandmother told me?"

"So what are you going to do?" Meredith asked, sounding tired.

"I don't know."

********

Bonnie sat on her bed, staring out at the night sky. Elena and Meredith had left an hour ago, promising to come see her in the morning.

The thought of tomorrow scared her. It was simply another day closer to death. Elena's word kept bouncing back and forth in her mind. You have to try. In her soul, Bonnie knew that there was hope for her with the cancer treatments. It might prolong her life for another few months, but that wasn't enough. And there was another choice, one that had been on the verge of her mind for two years, one that had been there long before the sudden weight loss and weakness.

Bonnie carefully stood up and shoved her legs into her hipster khakis. She took off her long nightshift and put on a black sleeveless v-neck shirt. And over top a dark-denim jacket. She silently climbed down the stairs, grabbed supplies from the kitchen and shoved them into her backpack, put on her healed black leather boots, and carefully opened the front door.

Stepping outside into the night air, Bonnie started her car and drove towards the old cemetery, hopeful that nothing had been cleaned in the old church since last time she, Meredith, Elena and Matt had climbed down into it to summon Stefan. It was different to go down alone but this time she didn't fear it as much. She was going to die anyways, even if it was sooner due to some creature with long teeth that had a taste for Scottish blood.

She parked her car along the road and pulled out her backpack from the passenger seat. She walked along the path that would take her towards the old church, the detail of the place that would be forever forged in her memory.

After climbing down the rungs, Bonnie removed the flashlight from her teeth and shone it towards the metal doors that had held her friends captive. She was relieved that it still hadn't been cleaned but the blood had been sitting for two years was almost gone. She scraped it off as best she could, taking dirt with it and started to search through the damp litter on the ground. After a half-hour of searching, Bonnie still couldn't find any hair. A little frustrated, she sent out a huff of breath.

Her released of breath stirred a wave of dust and illuminated. The unnatural light shone towards the back of the tomb. Bonnie climbed to her feet and hesitantly approached it. She tentatively bent down to examine the area and saw it, one piece of fine, straight black hair. Bonnie picked it up and carried it over to her backpack.

Unwilling to be interrupted, she had already decided to perform the ritual inside the tomb itself. Careful not to choose the area where Katherine had been killed, Bonnie sat down and started to flip through her witchcraft book given to her by her grandmother for her nineteenth birthday. She didn't have enough hair to use the summoning spell but had just enough for something else. She could use his blood and hair to ask him one simple question, under ten words. It didn't guarantee anything and it would be left up to him.

She constructed a simple circle using white chalk, large enough for her to place herself within. She placed seven white candles along the circle at the same distance. She pulled out a lighter and was careful to light them in proper sequence and with the same flame.

Bonnie had his blood in one hand and hair in another. Burnt the hair in the candle directly in front of her and placed the dried blood and dirt on her tongue. She gathered her power and closed her eyes. The whiff of burnt hair entered her nostrils and she could feel her spirit erupt out of her body and head upwards, through the top of the tomb and high into the night sky.

Faster than thought, her spirit headed south and only seconds later she found herself hovering over him. Damon was smiling brilliantly at a young woman with brown hair and green eyes. She watched him run a long, elegant finger down the face of the young woman.

And then he looked upwards and saw her. Or else simply sensed her presence. She watched him frown and use his powers to probe whatever was above him.

Finally, Bonnie steeled her resolve and said, *I need you. Will you help me?*

Then before he could reply, she was pulled back to her body. She found herself curled into a ball within the circle. The candles were out. Unable as of yet to move, Bonnie closed her eyes and surrendered to exhaustion.