Disney owns all, I am insignificant! OK folks, this was the hardest chapter I've had to write! This one did not flow whatsoever, not till the end, so I hope it works out well! I think I fell out of the zone!
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Bonnie's Curse – Chapter 16
Ron was now on his way to Bonnie's house, after a quick stop at home for some food. The day had been so weird for him, seeming so natural and yet so disturbing at the same time. Everything had felt so familiar, like an ordinary day. All except the part where Bonnie liked him liked him. It felt so strange, trying to wrap his head around that. And who would have thought her idea of a perfect life was so… normal! He felt guilty, having to bring her out of this place, but he knew he had to. It wasn't real, and by staying here, she was only hurting herself and those around her!
He knocked, and set a smile on his face as he saw Bonnie open the door. The smile on her face could have lit up the room, and he realized he had never seen that look on her before. It only added to the guilt of taking her away from this place. Grabbing him by the arm, she dragged him into the house.
"Mom, Dad, Ron and me are going to be watching movies in the den!"
Bonnie's mom smiled back at the pair. "All right, you two have fun!"
Her dad looked up from the book he was reading. "But not too much fun!"
Her mom laughed, "Oh Harold, be nice to the boy!"
He grunted, and went back to the book he was reading.
The two entered the den, and Ron saw the popcorn already sitting on the table. Sitting on the couch, Bonnie started the first movie before grabbing a hold of Ron's arm, leaning her head on his shoulder. It was a romantic comedy, though Ron couldn't remember the title of it. He let the movie run about thirty minutes before he made his move.
"I have to go to the washroom for a sec, I'll be right back!"
She just nodded, and turned back to the movie. As Ron left the den, he came to the realization that the house was very big, and he had no idea where to start. He avoided the living room, where Bonnie's parents were, but tried all the doors on the first floor, but nothing seemed to strike him as providing the answers he needed. If he didn't hurry, Bonnie would start to wonder where he had gotten to, and might not get another chance at this.
He headed upstairs quickly, trying to make as little noise as he could, checking each of the doors as he went. By the time he reached the end of the hallway, he knew Bonnie would be checking on him by now. Just one more door to check though, and if the answers weren't here, he didn't know where to begin looking. He started to open the door…
"What are you doing there?"
Ron whirled around to face a very angry looking Mr. Rockwaller. "I'm sorry sir. I didn't…"
"You are never to go into the library!"
This now had Ron's full attention. He started to push open the door when he saw the fist flying towards him. He ducked, but Mr. Rockwaller kept attacking. Ron continued blocking and dodging, when he came to a realization. Mr. Rockwaller wasn't real! He was like an antibody, trying to prevent anything that interfered! Oh cool, I remembered something from biology! When Bonnie's father gave him an opening, he struck, driving the adult back. It didn't slow him down though. Ron began throwing more attacks, hoping finish this quickly, but the man wouldn't fall. Finally, Ron put everything into one punch! It drove the man back. For a moment, he thought the fight would continue, butMr. Rockwallercollapsed to the floor. Ron decided to see what he had been protecting, opening the door to the library and stepping inside.
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It wasn't quite what he had been expecting. Actually, it was, but he had been expecting a bit more. There were a number of shelves, laden with books of varying sizes. In the center of the room was a large oak table. It looked like a normal library! All except for one detail, in the ceiling above the table was a trap door, and every so often a book would fall through the open doorway, with a very large pile gathered on the table and floor below the door. He watched as another book fell through the opening. Entering the room, he took one of the books off the top of the pile and looked at it. It had no title, but it did have a date, set about two days from now.
So, these are the premonitions! Then that door must represent when she has a vision. Could it be that simple? If I can close that door, she should wake up, and the visions will be gone, right?
Ron stood on the table, trying to reach the door, but it was just out of reach. He didn't see any chairs he could put up on the table to give him the reach he needed, so he began stacking books. Standing on the mini tower, he tried to push the door closed, but it refused to budge. He tried again, using more force, and he felt it shift slightly. Breathing heavy, he took another shot at it, pushing with all his strength. Unfortunately, the stack of books below him couldn't take it anymore, and slipped under him. He fell towards the one shelf, trying to brace himself. He hit the shelf, and a number of books fell, tumbling open…
it hurts…it hurts… I'm sorry… I don't see anything any more… stop hurting me…
home schooled… all alone… no friends…
slicing my wrist… end the pain… can't keep going…
Ron is so cute… I know it would never work… he'll end up with Kim…
FIRE… it happened… I saw it…
Brick is so sweet… wish he wasn't so jealous… then he'd be more like Ron…
Oh God… Kim's hurt… I just wanted to help…
Daddy… I wanna go higher… higher…
Stupid doctors… no one listens to me… the girl is gonna get hurt…
Daddy's always gone… doesn't love me anymore… why doesn't he love me…
The images flashed before Ron, feeling every single one of them as if they were his own; the pain, the anguish, the fear, the joy, all of it. Ron lay there, trying to absorb what he had felt, fighting back the tears he felt rising.
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Bonnie had been trying to find Ron when she felt the images flash over her, instantly remembering all the old pains. Knowing exactly where he was, she raced up the stairs, hoping she was in time to stop him!
She found him kneeling on the floor, closing the books that had fallen open. "Ron, please stop!" He turned to face her, the pain and sympathy evident on his face.
"Bonnie… I'm just trying to help you!"
She felt the tears running down her face. "I know you are… but I can't leave here… I can't go back."
"But what about your family and your friends? They're worried about you! They want to help you too!"
"I know! But it's so hard out there, it hurts so much! Here, I can happy for once!"
"But it's not real, Bonnie!" He moved closer to her, reaching up and gripping her shoulders in his hands. "Out there, there are people that love you, and need you! Your mother is afraid she's going to lose you! And what about Tara?"
Bonnie lowered her head, afraid to look him in the eyes. She wanted to yell at him, but she could only whisper. "You don't know what I've been through!"
"Tell me, please! Let me help you!"
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So she told him. Told him things she had never told another living soul.
About how the visions started when she was just six years old, and only got stronger from then on.
When her parents took her to a mental hospital at the age of eight because the visions kept interfering with her life. About the doctor, who without her parent's permission had strapped her down and tried electro-shock therapy to attempt to cure her "delusions".
Being home schooled until middle school, because her parents weren't sure how she would react out in public.
The torment her sisters put her through because she wasn't perfect like they were, teasing her, hurting her.
The time when she was just eleven years old, after numerous attempts, she finally cut her wrist trying to end the pain she was feeling, and then the time back in the hospital.
Having to take drugs every night before bed just so that she could try to get some sleep, to try and control the visions in some way.
How her parents, her family, seemed to drift apart from each other because of all the troubles she had brought into their lives.
Having to keep her problems to herself, never letting anyone in, just to try and keep her family together, trying to prove she was all right when the pain was getting worse.
Finally, she told him how, just when she thought she was going to try and end it all again, just a couple of years ago, something changed about the visions. Before, where the visions were random and chaotic, now they began to show one person in particular with much greater frequency, and how the strength and courage she saw every night from that person to keep fighting kept her from going over the edge, gave her the strength to carry on, to keep fighting herself. The only thing that hurt was knowing that he could never love her like he loved another, even before he realized it for himself!
When she finished, he just held her while she cried. Whispering softly in her in her ear, he told her, "Your stronger than I could ever be, I just loaned you a little of mine along the way when you needed it!"
They stayed like that for a long time, time becoming irrelevant, as they held each other close.
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Bonnie awoke to feel the sun on her face, the light streaming in the window at the other side of the room. It felt good. She looked over at Ron, still holding her, sleeping peacefully, a smile on his face. She leaned up, kissing him lightly on the forehead, and whispered a quiet thank you. He gently stirred at that, opening his eyes slowly, looking at her with that openness that she knew was there for everyone to share in if they only gave him a chance. She returned the smile he shared with her. "I think I'm ready to leave here now."
Ron didn't say a word, just smiled at her, helping her to her feet. They began stacking books again, and when it was ready, stood on top of them. It wasn't easy, but soon they got the door to start moving. Slowly, they pushed together, until the door finally closed.
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Ron opened his eyes to see Sensei and Mrs. Dr. Possible standing over him smiling. He looked over at Bonnie, and saw her eyes open as well.
"Well done, Stoppable-san. Welcome back Rockwaller-san. I trust all is good?"
Bonnie looked up at the two adults, then over at Ron. She smiled. "I think so, maybe for the first time ever!"
She took Ron's hand in her own, and he felt him squeeze in return. For the first time in a long time, she thought that maybe, just maybe, things might be good for her from now on!
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Author's Notes – I'm going to start on the epilogue tonight, but it probably won't be up till tomorrow.
I'd like to thank the following;
The Metal One – I don't know if jaded would be the right word to use, but I guess it could come across that way. It wasn't what I intended.
GargoyleSama - You have to love the Ron/Bon goodness! I was planning on a bit more (quite a bit more actually) in the second story of the series, force Ron to make a choice when Kim does awaken, but in the last couple days, I realized it just wouldn't work well after what I had written. Now, Ron and Bonnie are closer than ever, but it's now apparent, despite my best intentions to the contrary, that Ron's heart belongs solely to Kim! Too bad she's staying in a coma for a while, eh?
MrDrP – Nope, I haven't been storing it up, just had a lot of free time on my hands, and the story just kept writing itself. So much so that I pooched myself on the possible B/R/K triangle I had been planning! As I put in the thanks above to GargoyleSama, it was my intention, but that changed as the story did. So no need to whip out the Lotus to put me in my place! As well, the next story will be both much lighter and also darker, though in a different way, not so much angst as action involving darkness. I'll explain better after the Epilogue!
And thanks also to mattb3671 and Darkcloud1!
Next Chapter – Epilogue! Life must go on, and advice from an unusual source!