She was starting over. Bonnie Bennett was finally starting a new life. It has been a year since she saw her friends for the last time. It has been a year since they literally burnt down hell. It has been a year since her visited her the last time. It has been a year since she said goodbye. At the time no one – not even Bonnie – thought that this would be permanent. She wanted to keep her promise to him. Travel the world, live her life and never look back. He made her promise. Made her promise to let him go. She never intended to, but as time passed, she did let go. It hurt at first. So much that she wanted to die. But every time she would think of him, he wouldn't appear like he did back at Mystic Falls. At some point she realized that he let go of her. He was finally trying to come to peace. His life was long and hard and finally he found someone who loved him unconditionally. Someone who made him the happiest he has ever been. For the first time in his life he felt alive. So, he was fine to let everything go. He would watch her life her live and be happy. Have a family that he couldn't give her. But he didn't care. The only thing that mattered was her happiness. And to be happy she had to let go of him. Let go of her old life. Let go of her friends. So he did the only thing that was right. He left. Sometimes she would cry herself to sleep after calling for him for hours but he would never appear even though it hurt him just as much. But time went by and her cries would become less. And one day, she stopped crying. She stopped calling his name. But it was only a few weeks ago when she finally decided to live again.
It was their anniversary and she wanted to come back to Mystic Falls to visit his grave, to say goodbye. She had her things packed and was just about to get into the taxi that would drive her to the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport when someone grabbed her arm. Bonnie didn't know anyone in Paris even though she has lived here for the last couple of weeks. She rented a small apartment in the "Quartier Latin" – a largely student populated quarter of Paris. There she would go to same café everyday where she would drink a caffe latte and eat Éclairs or Madeleines. The she would visit the different bookstores, where she would by a book which she would read on a bench at the Jardin des Plantes. And in the evening, she would visit one of the many bars that are always full of students who go to the universities at the quarter. She would drink something. Talk to some stranger without even knowing their name and somewhere around three in the morning she would decide to go home. She never met someone twice, so of course she was surprised, when the person, who grabbed her arm, knew her name.
"Bonnie" – it was a feminine voice, that she recognized from somewhere, but she couldn't attach it to a face. "Bonnie what are you doing here?", the woman asked again. When Bonnie turned around, she was just as confused as before. She didn't know the elder woman, that was still holding her hand. But something about her was familiar. The woman was very tall and slim. She had dark brown hair and brown eyes that were surrounded by long dark lashes. She wore a brown dress which went to her knees and simple white half boots.
"Excuse me?", Bonnie didn't mean to sound as harsh as she did but clearly the woman wasn't human, which meant that she wanted something from her. "Who are you?"
"You don't remember me?", the woman sounded surprised, "I'm Luciana – a friend of your mother."
"You know Abby?", now Bonnie was surprised.
"Of course, I do. We have known each other since college. I still remember that day she told me, that she is pregnant. You were so little, Bonnie", Luciana was talking slowly, as if trying to calm herself down. Bonnie didn't know what to say. She didn't have the time to deal with people from Abby's past and if she was honest, she had a bad feeling about the brunette. "It was nice meeting you, but I really have to go. I have a plane to catch. Goodbye Luciana", Bonnie tried to get in the car but Luciana stopped her again.
"Bonnie, please don't go", she still didn't let go of her, "I haven't seen you or Abby in years. Not since she left… I want to just talk to you, to get to know you."
"Luciana, I really don't hav- ", "Bonnie please. Only one coffee and then I'll let you go."
"Okay, fine. But I really don't have that much time", she finally gave in. Something was still odd about this woman, but at this point Bonnie was kind of curious about what she had to say.
"I promise and then I'll drive you to the airport", Luciana smiled and grabbing Bonnies suitcase, she pulled her to the next coffee shop. "What do you want to drink, Bonnie?"
"A caffe latte, please". Luciana ordered a caffe latte for Bonnie and a cappuccino for herself.
"Merci", Bonnie smiled at the waitress, as she brought them their drinks. Her French started to get better and she was only to eager to show to the people that she knows their language.
"So what do you want to talk about?", Bonnie started the conversation.
"It's nothing specific. I was just visiting a friend here in Paris and I saw you a few times. At first I wasn't sure if it's really you but then I had the chance to observe you closer at a bar one night and – ", she stopped for a second, taking a deep breath, "You look so much like Abby. I just knew that it's you. I didn't know what to say to you, so I decided to wait a few days but then I saw you with your suitcase and I had to at least speak to you once."
"Oh wow", again, Bonnie was at a loss for words.
"Why are you leaving Paris so abruptly?"
Bonnie did not know what came into her, but suddenly she had a feeling that she could trust the woman. So, she told her that she wanted to visit the grave of her dead boyfriend, so she could somehow start to live again.
"You think that visiting his grave in the town where he died is a good idea? That it will help you to get over it?", Luciana was skeptical, "I mean, you left the country for a reason."
"I did, I promised to him to live my life before we said our goodbyes to each other", Bonnie tried to hide her tears, "And I travelled the world. I saw many countries, before I decided to stay in Paris for a while. But I think it's time to go back home." Luciana held Bonnies hand, trying to calm her. "Why Paris?"
"Excuse me?"
"Why did you choose Paris to stay in", asked Luciana again, "I mean Paris is pretty, but there are so many more beautiful places around the world, even in Europe."
"Because it reminds me of him", was the only thing Bonnie said. The elder woman nodded her head but did not ask any more questions."
They just sat there in silence, both sunken in their own thoughts. After a while Bonnie decided to break the silence.
"Have you ever talked to Abby since she left?"
Luciana didn't seem surprised that the younger woman asked this question. Of course, she would want to talk about her mother, who she hasn't seen since she was little.
"Only a few times. I tried to talk some sense into her. To come back. But she didn't want to. She was to afraid…", she took Bonnies hand again, "She loved you. She really did. And I know that she misses you."
"No, she doesn't", Bonnie's voice got a littler colder, "I mean, I know that she loves me. But she never missed me. She was happy, raising someone else's child."
"You found her? Bonnie I am so sorry. I didn't know…"
"No, it's fine. I am over it. We kind of have formed a relationship but we are not close. Most of the times I don't know where she is, and she doesn't know where I am."
And there was again a silence.