Note: Back at it again with that new-new. You're welcome lovelies

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PT III

I'd rather you trust me than to love me

Tyler was either chewing pizza or the inside of his mouth over dinner.

Bonnie kept sneaking glances at him, wondering why she had to fuck up even more of her life, it being what it currently was. He didn't catch her looking, because he kept his eyes on her father, or mother, or the TV after.

"So we're in a fi-"

"I should get going-" He said, standing to his feet. It was just them, Abby had muttered something about deadlines and Rudy had been in his study since the pizza was delivered.

"You don't have to leave-"

"I know... I want to." Tyler said, levelling her with a strange gaze she couldn't place an emotion to. She didn't like the idea of him leaving, not to go home, not the room even, none of it. A long moment of silence trapped them in eachother's space, just staring, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"I'm sorry." Bonnie said, knowing she needed to say something. "I'm so fucking stressed right now, all I want to do is cry. I know it's not an excuse, but like, it's bleeding into the rest of my life...and unluckily for you, you're the only person I have so you're also the only sounding board I have."

"So you just decide what happens to us?" He asked without precedent, the same look on his face.

"What? No, I..I'm trying my best-"

"Is this about Matt?" Her head reared back.

"Nothing I feel for you has anything to do with him."

"You sure about that?" Tyler asked again.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Bonnie quipped in return. "So he's bitter and snarky and now I'm the one with baggage?"

"That's not what I'm saying."

"Are you saying you still have feelings for Caroline?" Bonnie asked, mirroring him.

"That's not the same as the question I asked."

"And that's not an answer." Bonnie returned.

"I told you we could be forever and you told me you didn't even want to try, remember? Like, a fucking hour ago up in your room when we almost kissed?" Tyler crossed his arms and huffed, and more than anything, she wanted to hold him, or fix it, without breaking anything else.

Bonnie hadn't exactly done a tally or anything, but Tyler, Lucy and Gush were the last things she had going for her in terms of unconditional love, and asking for anymore, when she knew there was next to nothing she could give either of them in return right now, just felt too selfish.

"I wanted to kiss you long before I even kissed Matt for the first time." Bonnie said, throwing her arms out, knowing trying to explain anything else was too convoluted and she only had so much time with him anyway-

"I've been in love with you this whole time. The night Matt kissed Caroline at the bonfire, I wanted to tell you actually; come up with a plan that wouldn't blow it all up in our faces, and then they went ahead and chose each other anyway."

"You were in love with me?" She swallowed the thud of her heart to answer his real question.

"Am." She corrected him. "And it's hard, and I'm confused, and I'm going to be without you when we leave-"

"Bonnie, breathe, come here." He held his arms open and a tiny sob shifted her breathing as she hurried into his embrace, nuzzling herself into the heat and smell of him. He waited until her breathing was smooth and even.

"If you don't want to kiss me because you'll miss me too much, that's fine," he said into the crown of her curls, "But if you think kissing me is going to ruin what we have, you're wrong," she lifted her head up to lock eyes with him. "I think lying about how we feel is the worst thing we can do to the people we feel for."

"You're always right and I hate you." Bonnie mumbled. He laughed, and then the warmth came back into his face, and suddenly he was looking at her the way he always did, the way she'd always want him to.

"Kiss m-" She pressed her mouth to his before he could finish his retort.

The soft separation of their mouths startled them both when she pulled away.

The colour of his eyes disappeared into the shadows as they stepped in and out of the rays of overhead light. Slowly, they made their way out of the back door of the kitchen, into the garden, their favourite place in the world.

Every step she took, he followed.

"Kiss me again." He said as her feet pressed into the soft grass. She pecked him, knowing her restraint was trickling away, just about as quickly as every urge she'd had for him bubbled up to the surface of her lips.

"Kiss me back." She whispered against his mouth.

So he did.

His hands, warm and wide, dug into her clothes, gripping for purchase, while wishing it was her skin. He ducked his head down to meet her mouth and pressed their lips together. And again, with more pressure, and then again, with more pressure.

Bonnie's hands slipped up and over his shoulders, her nails skimming his shirt, itching to tear it off and show her parents what love looked like, since they'd forgotten.

Opening her mouth, she let her tongue curl out, body stiffening under the fright of satisfaction when his tongue moved deflty against hers.

She lifted up onto the balls of her feet, and pressed her body against his, knowing she'd never forgive herself if she didn't do it at least once.

Tyler tugged on her bottom lip with his teeth, hands sliding down the side of her figure, knowing he'd never forgive himself if he didn't know the feeling.

"I'm going to miss the shit out of you." Bonnie breathed against his mouth.

"Good luck trying to get rid of me long enough to miss me." He countered, cupping her face and kissing her again.

The last days of school were always mere formalities.

Wednesday was the last game, Thursday was the decade dance, and Friday was the bonfire.

Bonnie intended to spend every second she could with Tyler, growling at her parent's unsubtle questioning with receipts of their bullshit instead.

Rolling her eyes, she fixed the hem of her cheer-leading skirt, tilting her head at her reflection.

It was the last game of the season, which meant, this was technically the last time she was going to wear the damn thing.

"You look hot." Bonnie turned to see Lucy, holding out her arms.

"Lucy!" Bonnie squeaked, running over to throw her arms around her aunt. "How are you here right now? No, don't tell me, I don't care. Thank you, I've missed you."

"I missed you too, baby." Lucy grinned, squeezing a little tighter, and holding on a little longer, just how Bonnie liked.

"Is mom here?" Bonnie wondered when they separated. Lucy shook her head, no. "...Dad?" Bonnie winced.

"Nope." Lucy beamed. "I told those grumpy shits to stay home so I could cheer you on in peace."

"An actual angel!" Bonnie laughed. "Can we go to the Grill after? Make it last?"

"Anything for you honey, you know that."

The game was a doozy. Tyler was on top form, and Matt had to haul ass to keep up with him, along with the rest of the team.

Bonnie knew her throat would be dried out and aching in the morning from all her screaming, but she couldn't help herself.

"So...it's official then?" Caroline asked, shaking her pom-poms halfheartedly beside Bonnie.

Kicking her leg up and wooping with joy when Tyler ducked passed another player to make a run for it, she rolled her eyes at the blonde and sighed.

"Not that it has anything to do with you, but this is my last week here." Caroline hadn't expected that. "And Tyler is the only thing that matters, not any of the other bullshit you and Matt are so caught up in."

"We're not caught up in anything," Caroline said with a shrug, "It was a mistake, like we both told you and Ty." Bonnie clenched her jaw, only just stopping herself from telling the other girl to keep Tyler's name out of her mouth. "Matty doesn't know you're leaving, does he?"

"I guess he will now." Bonnie sighed, with a bitter smile up at Caroline.

"We used to be friends, you know?" The blonde reminded her.

"Yeah, then Elena died and I started dating her boyfriend and you called me a cold-hearted slut, like I didn't already know."

"I liked him too." Caroline defended.

"Then you win." Bonnie growled, throwing her arms out. "See, this is why we didn't last." Bonnie gestured angrily between them, waving off the other dancers, "It's always a fucking competition with you. Well, guess what Caroline, you're not the only one who's dad had an affair, you're not the only one who lost Elena and you're not the only one who lost Matt...So...just fucking get over yourself already."

"I'm sorry you have to leave." The blonde said, as earnestly as Bonnie'd seen in years. Drawing in a breath, she looked back out to where Tyler was throwing his arms up and yelling out a celebratory cry after getting another touchdown.

"Me too."

At the Grille Bonnie was huddled up in a booth opposite Tyler and next to Lucy.

"It's good to see you." Tyler said after Bonnie's aunt had reached across the table to squeeze his hand with a grin.

"You too, Ty. You killed it tonight."

"Eh, played like it was my last game." He said with a small shrug. Lucy snuck a peak at Bonnie at that, and sighed inwardly.

"Look, I know as the adult here I have to maintain the illusion of decorum or some shit," Bonnie snorted, smiling when Lucy took her hand, "But this is a difficult situation and you're both allowed to feel however you want to feel about it."

"But," she went on, reaching out for Tyler's hand as well, quirking her mouth to the side when he took it, "What's more important is that you listen to those feelings, and figure out what they're trying to help you to decide. To feel is important, sure, but if it doesn't lead you somewhere, you're just being indulgent and ignorant, and there's enough of that in this situation already, you feel me?"

"Yup." Tyler said, nodding, feeling an ease slip over him at her words. She always managed to do that somehow.

"We feel you, Lucy-Bee." Bonnie swore, kissing her aunt's nuckles. "And we missed you."

Lucy freed their hands and took Bonnie's face in her hands and kissed her on the forehead, and again and again until the girl was in a fit of giggles, while Tyler beamed, looking on.

"I love you, and you're going to get through this." Lucy promised. "There's nothing we Bennett women can't do."

"Okay." Bonnie said, doing her best to believe her aunt's words.

"Believe that, Bon, believe that." Bonnie felt a flash of heat spark in her chest, but swallowed it, focusing on her aunt's speaking instead.

"I believe," Bonnie drawled, "That we're getting double burgers and sweet potato fries," she turned, having felt the waiter's presence, grinning when she was right. "Extra cheese for Ty, no fries for Lucy, and two strawberry milkshakes and a vanilla, please."

"Coming right up."

"I can't believe I still eat here." Lucy muttered, finally taking a look around the restaurant. "Do you know that wallpaper has been here since your grams was in high school?"

"I can't picture grams going to school here." Bonnie admitted.

"Neither could she, to be honest." Lucy shrugged, picking imaginary lint off of her cashmere sweater.

"How's the modelling going?" Bonnie asked, perking up.

"Ugh, it's so dramatic, everyone's worried about the Met." Lucy yawned. "Celebrities are so fucking predictable."

"What's the Met?" Tyler wondered innocently. Lucy inhaled drastically, hand to her chest and then remembered who she was talking to.

"Never change, Lockwood, never fucking change." She said, pointing a dainty, bejewelled finger at him, and he cackled.

"Sleepover!" Bonnie demanded, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she swung her aunt's hands to and fro with hers.

"Okay, but only because it'll piss your mom off."

"Excellent."

"I'll call you when I'm home." Tyler promised. "Lucy, as always, a pleasure." He covered his heart with his hands.

"Come here, kid," Lucy opened her arms, and as she hugged him, muttered low under her breath, "non ad praesidium."

Her magic wound around him, with the protection spell and she watched some of the colour return to his cheeks, and the bags under his eyes fade.

"Look after yourself, okay?" She quirked a brow at him.

"You got it."

"Good, now hug your girlfriend goodbye." Lucy said, with a cheeky grin.

Bonnie's cheeks warmed, but her alarm was short lived when he enveloped her into a tight hug.

"I love you." She said easily.

"Love you too. You two be good."

She watched him drive off before giving Lucy her attention again, and she knew then and there, she would never live a life she'd want, without Tyler in it.

When Abby came downstairs at witching hour, she found her sister and her daughter, wound together between blankets and snack packets, fast asleep while another episode of Sense8 played in the background.

A part of her wanted to be pleased that Bonnie still had someone parental-shaped, in and amongst all this. She just wished that she could've been that person for her child.

Then another part of her reared it's snarling head to remind her what happened the last time she tried to be the person her child needed. Her baby had died.

She'd made the wrong choice and her child had died.

And what had she done?

She'd lied about all of it. Everything known about her still-birth was a half-truth at best.

Not even Rudy knew the true extent of all of it, how inevitable it was. No, it was all something she'd have to live with.

"You could tell him." Lucy's voice startled her as she was turning the TV off.

Turning, Abby growled lowly, realising her sister was asleep, but even so, Lucy's head was turned towards her as she spoke.

"You could tell her, at the very least." Lucy offered, brow lifting in her sleep.

"You need to mind your own fucking business for once, and worry about your life and not mine." Abby hissed.

"My life is fine," Lucy said breezily, a smile pulling lazily at her sleeping face, "I know who I am, I know where my power lies and I'll be damned if I'm afraid of a witch who threw her heritage down the drain over a power trip."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Abby gasped, wondering how the hell she'd found out about any of it.

Abby could only watch as her sister's smile stretched and pulled, the witch baring her teeth now, a low rumbling sound bubbling up her throat.

"We have her, you know. We have all of them, because we have all of you." Lucy's voice was cut through with another's.

"I gave you what you wanted!" Abby screamed.

"No," Lucy said, rising to hover off of the ground, her blanket slipping off as she made her way to tower over Abby. "You gave what you could bare to lose...and what's the first rule of a witch's sacrifice?" Lucy tilted her head down at her sister.

"Quomodocunque exorcizari." Abby's clawed hand lifted and she watched her sister's body begin to writhe, "Quomodocunque exorcizari!"

"Baby wake up," Abby jerked awake at the feel of her husband's hands on her shoulders, shaking her gently.

"What," her eyes fluttered and she winced at the lamplight shining overhead. Was she in her office or his? Where was Bonnie? Lucy? "What the fuck?"

"I don't know, you were just like," she looked up at him and he stiffened and relaxed his body a few times to try and explain what ahd been happening before he'd come in to check in on her, "I don't know."

"Bad dream." She explained, wiping at her eyes. It was witching hour when she checked the time.

"No kidding, your neck is going to avenge itself for this one," Rudy joked, bringing a hand down onto the nape of her neck, beginning to smooth out the tension.

"Don't touch me." Abby said, annoyed and without much thought.

There was a thick silence.

"So I don't get to touch you anymore?"

"You do whatever you need to do to get that shit out of your system, as you always have, but I'm done with you bringing me down with you."

"I miss you, I want you." He insisted.

"Just now or while you were fucking one of your students?" Abby shot back hotly. "Touch me again and I'll fucking divorce you."

"You don't mean that." Rudy looked genuinely hurt, it made her happy, which immediately made her feel sick to her stomach. Standing upright from where she'd been crouched over her house plans, she rolled her neck and gave a wide berth as she walked around him to leave.

"Does Bonnie look happy to you? Is this the peace that you were so adamant on keeping?" Abby wondered. "Either way, you can go fuck yourself." She smiled a ghost of a smile and shut the door behind her.

She went downstairs, and found the two of them exactly as she'd expected to. Wound around one another, betwee blankets and snack packets. The only difference was, the TV was already off. So she turned around and went to bed.

Stefan had been having dreams lately.

This beautiful girl. With thick, dark curls and bright green eyes.

He dreamt of her smile, her magic and her warm skin.

He felt like he'd dredged her up and out of his deepest fantasies and created her for himself.

She was impossible.

And he was grateful for that.

"Stefan," she always says, "Are you going to be sad all of your life?"

"Probably." He always admits.

"I don't want that for you, that makes me so fucking sad. I don't want that for you."

"Then come to me." He says as he always does.

"Just a little while longer," she says, like she always does as she closes the space between them.

The soft kiss is coming again.

"Please don't kiss me," he says this time. "It doesn't feel right."

She looks sad, and he immediately regrets it, but he knows he'll regret having to live outside of this fantasy more.

"Do I make you sad too?" She wonders now.

"Not in a way that makes it your fault." He says honestly.

"I promise I am on my way." She says. "I can't explain any of it, and when I get here, I probably won't get it either-"

"But you are a witch?" He asks.

"I am." She says, nodding.

"How will I see you?" He wonders, "How will you find me?"

Like their magic, she turns and behind her, rises up a house Stefan would know anywhere.

His heart drops.

Jerking awake in a cold sweat, Stefan rips the bedding off of his skin that suddenly feels like it's on fire.

He pulls his shirt off as well, and then puts on his glasses.

Sighing when he realises all of his bedding is wet with sweat, he gets up, pulls all the linen off and chucks it in the washer, getting into the shower.

It's witching hour, which meant his father was out, probably his mother's grave.

It was the only time of day he had to himself.

And he wasted it now, fretting over the girl about to move in next door.

She couldn't know what she was getting into, if she did, she would put up a hell of a lot more of a fight.

Knowing there was no way he could find her just off of her face alone, he resigned himself to the stress of meeting her for the first time instead. The boy fell aslep chanting "non ad praesidium" under his breath, wishing he knew her name, so the protection spell could stick.

A/N: Reviews get me out of bed and upstairs to get myself something to eat.