Bonnie stayed in the meditative trance for nearly sixteen hours. She had to admit that it was the best rest she had gotten in a long time. Spending time with her grandmother, even a fictional version, was like a healing balm for her wounded soul. Unfortunately, Bonnie was confronted with utter nonsense from the moment she awakened. Her cousin, Lucy, had arrived sometime earlier telling tales of two thousand year old curses and soulmates. She had whipped everyone into a frenzy over the situation-including Damon and Stefan. Apparently, the brothers had a nasty fight that left Damon dead with a broken neck.
Lucy was talking again but Bonnie was more interested in consuming the dozen or so blood bags Stefan had dumped into her lap. Sleeping for sixteen hours had left the girl feeling as though she was starving. They wouldn't make the mistake of leaving Bonnie in a trance for so along again. Her body needed too much blood right now. At the very least, they would have to figure out some way to keep her sated while in the trance. Elena had 'helpfully' suggested a feeding tube as if they had that sort of equipment lying around the boarding house.
Damon was standing near the door with an unreadable expression on his face. His eyes had been focused on Bonnie while Lucy explained their peculiar situation.
Bonnie was still clad only in Stefan's t-shirt. The large v-neck t-shirt swallowed her slender body but she didn't mind it. Being wrapped in Stefan's scent was delightful. His scent had been ever present even while she was in the trance. It helped keep her calm even when the pain tried to infiltrate the serenity Stefan had built for her. Her gaze shifted to the vampire that was leaning against his bookcase. He had been staring at her unceasingly since she awakened. It almost seemed as if he was anticipating something. Bonnie lifted an eyebrow at Stefan and then languidly licked her lips.
He lifted an eyebrow at Bonnie and followed it up with a smirk. He hadn't known what to expect from her. Stefan was glad to see that her wickedness was still firmly in place.
Lucy frowned as she looked between the two of them. "Are you listening to me?"
Bonnie didn't even bother looking at her cousin. "Not really. I don't care about this stupid curse or some hypothetical soul mate. Stefan promised me plenty of delicious blood and even better sex. That's good enough for me."
Damon rolled his eyes at Bonnie and his brother. He didn't know what reaction he had been expecting but this wasn't it. He wondered how different it would be if she wasn't in transition. He figured that in this state that she would want Stefan. He was the only one willing to indulge her. However, a part of him hoped that she would feel differently once she was back to normal.
Stefan chuckled deeply. He planned to keep his promise just as soon as the snow melted. He and Bonnie were going to go on a little road trip. Some might call it a killing spree but he wasn't a big fan of labels. The point was to get Bonnie far away from everyone that would try to act as her conscience. Their friends would only make it harder for him to turn Bonnie into his perfect partner-in-crime. In hindsight, he could almost understand why Klaus had so badly wanted Stefan by his side. Killing people was fun but it was better if there was someone to share it with.
Lucy huffed, "Do not encourage her. This is serious, Bonnie. The curse isn't something that you can ignore...it will have its due. I know the transition is wreaking havoc on your emotions but try to take this seriously. The curse comes with consequences."
She shrugged and asked, "What do I care about the curse or its ominous consequences? It sounds more like a Stefan and Damon problem than a Bonnie problem. Stefan and I will fool around until he starts looking wistfully at Elena again. Then I will dump him faster than he can blink and find someone else to entertain me-easy peasy, lemon squeezy. My options are endless and my time is unlimited."
Stefan was across the room in a flash with his hand wrapped around Bonnie's throat. The sudden fit of rage shocked Stefan but he didn't care. "What was that? I don't think I understood you."
Bonnie fell backwards onto the bed and pulled Stefan with her. She grinned evilly at him and said, "I am done chasing guys that are in love with inferior girls. What are you 150 years old? Maybe I can find someone twice as old...twice as powerful. Now that could be fun. What could a man with so much experience teach me?"
Lucy was prepared to intervene on Bonnie's behalf before she realized the girl had baited Stefan into roughing her up. She was learning more about her younger cousin's sex life than she wanted to at the moment. In an exasperated voice, she said, "Bonnie…"
Damon looked mad enough to spit fire. His fists were clenched at his side to keep him from tackling Stefan to the ground.
Stefan moved his mouth to Bonnie's ear and growled, "Never. You're mine."
She laughed airily and easily tossed Stefan off her using magic. Bonnie said, "I could be yours...I haven't decided yet. We'll see if you're still interesting once we get Klaus' pesky commands out of your pretty little head. We all know that you have a serious hardon for Elena when your humanity switch is in the 'On' position."
Stefan slammed into the wall hard enough to make it tremble from the force. His eyes went black and the veins began to ripple violently. He prepared to leap across the room to get to Bonnie again but was knocked out of the air by Damon.
Damon growled at the both of them and said, "Enough!"
"Oh, someone is testy. Those blue balls must be getting to you," the girl taunted.
Lucy huffed, "I couldn't have said it better myself, Damon. I didn't travel to Mystic Falls in the middle of a blizzard to watch...whatever this is."
"Foreplay," Bonnie supplied with a grin.
Damon narrowed his eyes at Bonnie.
She shrugged and looked completely unruffled. "It is called foreplay."
Stefan got to his feet with a grin. He brushed off his clothes with exaggerated motions and agreed, "Yes, it is."
Lucy was tempted to put the girl back in the trance. She couldn't work with Bonnie when she was this difficult. She knew that dealing with a witch in transition wouldn't be easy but she hadn't expected this. She said, "There is a way to figure out which Salvatore brother is your soulmate. We should do that. You may be unable to feel the pull now but you will once the transition is complete."
Bonnie collapsed on the bed dramatically and said, "I just told you that I don't care about this soulmate bullshit. I am sorry that our dead relatives made you come all the way out here. That sucks for you but it's not my fault. I didn't call you for help. I didn't even know how to get in touch with you."
Lucy knew that Bonnie was being flippant but the words hit her like a guided missile. She had met her younger cousin only once at a masquerade ball. She had hightailed it out of Mystic Falls less than an hour later to avoid the hell she knew was coming. Making matters worse, she hadn't once reached out to the girl she knew to be completely alone. She had heard rumors about Rudy's business trips keeping him away from town often. Lucy wouldn't even be there now if she didn't know that their ancestors would keep hounding her.
She said, "I'm sorry that I haven't been in touch…"
The girl waved away her cousin's apology. "You don't owe me anything. Besides, I don't have a good track record with family members. You should probably run while you are still alive. Grams died trying to help me."
Lucy wanted to throw her hands up in defeat. However, she decided to take a different angle. Lucy was fluent in petulant teenage girl. She had been one well into her twenties much to the extreme regret of her poor mother. She said, "Just let me cast the spell that will tell us which brother is your soulmate. Imagine the chaos it will cause around here. Your little friend, Elena, will be beside herself. Oh, and that Jeremy boy is just looking for a reason to throw a punch at either vampire. Not to mention I am sure the brothers will be ready to tear each others' throats out."
Damon frowned at Lucy's ploy but he could see the merits. His judgy little witch had left the building and only a chaos seeking demon remained.
Bonnie tilted her head to the side as she considered Lucy's proposal. All of that anger and chaos did sound like fun. If she was going to be stuck in the boarding house for another couple days, she deserved some entertainment. What could be better than watching everyone twist themselves into knots over something that meant nothing to her? She shrugged carelessly and said, "Fine."
Lucy was relieved that Bonnie agreed. The girl wasn't in the right state of mind, but the transition would end soon enough. When it did, Bonnie would need to know the truth. The girl was wrong in believing that the curse would only affect the Salvatore brothers. There were tales of Bennett witches going mad because of trying to avoid their soulmate.
She said, "Good. It will only take me about 15 minutes to put everything together. Fortunately, I came prepared for about a dozen scenarios since I didn't know what I was walking into."
Bonnie asked, "What do I have to do?"
"Nothing," she promised. "I'll brew the potion and the three of you will drink it. The potion will cause the soul marks on you and your soulmate to glow."
"Twinkle twinkle little star,"she replied mockingly.
Lucy lifted an eyebrow and said, "I'll be back soon. Try to stay out of trouble in the meantime."
Bonnie feigned innocence. "Trouble? I have been in a trance for sixteen hours. What kind of trouble could I possibly cause?"
The older woman held back a sigh and left the room. The sooner she knew the truth, the sooner they could return Bonnie to the trance. The girl was a disaster waiting to happen. Frankly, they were fortunate that Bonnie hadn't thought to use her powers to cause mischief yet.
Stefan wasn't sure that he was on board with this idea. There were too many variable that he had no control over. Bonnie's reaction was at the top of his list. What if she suddenly decided that she wanted Damon? It seemed unlikely in this state but as Lucy said, things might change once the transition was complete.
He looked at Damon and asked, "Could I have a few moments alone with Bonnie, brother?"
The elder brother looked uncertain but the wicked grin on Bonnie's face was enough to force him out the room. He didn't want to know what she'd do to make him feel uncomfortable. He said, "I need a drink anyway."
"Good idea, Boozy," Bonnie said teasingly.
Damon shook his head and dropped a small pouch on the floor. He discreetly kicked it under the bed and proceeded to leave the room.
Stefan walked over to close and lock the bedroom door. Then he sat beside Bonnie on the bed. He cupped her cheek and whispered, "I think it's high time that we get the hell out of here."
Bonnie wasn't opposed to leaving. Damon was all broody and serious and Lucy was a complication she didn't need. Her cousin was an experienced witch and could pose a problem going forward. Lucy didn't seem enthused by Bonnie desire for fun. She chanced a glance out his window. "I'm going to assume the roads are blocked. How are we going to leave?"
"We'll leave on foot. I have a place not far from here where we can wait out the storm. Just you, me, and all the blood that you can drink. And if we get bored...we can go out to find something living to hunt," he promised.
Bonnie pulled Stefan into a bruising kiss and then let out a happy squeal. "I so picked the right brother! Let's go."
Stefan chuckled deeply and said, "You need to put on some clothes first. I brought your suitcase in here."
She sped across the room in the blink of an eye and started looking through her clothes. She groaned, "I didn't bring anything good to wear."
Stefan reclined against the headboard and said, "We'll put stealing a new wardrobe on our To-Do list."
Bonnie blew a kiss in Stefan's direction before choosing a paisley print peasant dress. She rummaged through the suitcase and asked, "Panties or no panties?"
"Definitely no panties…" he answered quickly.
She winked at him and then disappeared into the bathroom to change.
Stefan stuffed Bonnie's clothes back into the suitcase and opened his window. They would have to jump out the window to avoid running into anyone. Fortunately, he knew from experience that Bonnie was fearless.
The witch returned a few minutes later and put on her bloodstained boots. She grinned at Stefan and said, "Let's go."
He smirked and said, "Ladies first…"
"Don't mind if I do," Bonnie said. She walked over to the window and tried to climb out but was stopped by an invisible barrier. She growled and slammed her hand against it repeatedly. "No!"
"Fucking witches…" he muttered. "Not you, darling."
"I happen to agree at the moment," Bonnie snapped. "Where's the trust? I am a little offended."
Stefan chuckled and kissed her neck. "You're a witch...you can undo this, right?"
"Yes, but my guess is that they have someone acting as lookout downstairs. I don't actually want to murder our friends," Bonnie said with a pout.
He rolled his eyes but was inclined to agree with Bonnie. Murdering their friends was more trouble than it was worth. Besides, they might still be useful against Klaus. "I guess we're stuck here for now…"
Bonnie walked over to his bed and flopped down. "But I really wanted warm blood. I bet I could get Jeremy to let me feed from him. I'd have to play the wounded bird..."
Stefan snorted. "You probably could trick him…"
"Matt is pretty tender-hearted, too. I could definitely convince him to make a donation to the 'Feed Bonnie program."
"Elena was willing to open a vein, too," he suggested.
She rolled her eyes. "That's before I started screwing you. She's very unhappy with me right now. But I bet she'd let you have a taste."
He chuckled darkly. "Oh, I'm sure that she would. If only to keep me from falling between your legs again."
"Tyler's a hybrid but the one yesterday didn't taste too bad for me. Besides, beggars can't exactly be choosers. I wonder what Klaus tastes like…" she mused.
Stefan climbed onto the bed with Bonnie. "You're thinking about hunting down Klaus to feed from him."
"Why not? He's food as much as anyone else is to me right now...probably more so since this is his fault. I bet you can taste his inferiority complex in his blood."
"I wouldn't say that but it does have a certain tang to it. I figured it was his age. The older a vampire gets, the richer the blood tastes. Almost like an aged steak," he replied.
Bonnie lifted an eyebrow. "You've had his blood?"
"A few times," he replied vaguely.
She chuckled and asked, "Is it a sex thing?"
Stefan laughed and pulled her on top of him. "I was bitten by werewolves a couple times during the summer. Klaus was gracious enough to save me from a very painful death."
"And Klaus was right there to feed you blood from his wrist. Definitely a sex thing. There's nothing to be ashamed about. He does have pretty lips," she teased him.
He flipped them over and pinned Bonnie to the bed with a chuckle. "You are not funny. And you think he has pretty lips?"
She nodded and said, "Pretty pink lips and curly blond hair. It looks soft. Is his hair as soft as it looks?"
Stefan stared down into her mischievous eyes. "Softer…"
Bonnie tugged his shirt over his head. "This is officially foreplay, too."
"Yes, it is," he murmured as he started kissing her neck.
"What does he smell like?" Bonnie asked with a small moan.
"He smells like blood, oil paint, and Clive Christian cologne," he replied.
"That actually sounds really good."
He looked at the mark he left on Bonnie's neck and admitted, "It can be pleasant."
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation.
"Bonnie, the potion is ready," Lucy called through the door.
The girl gave an annoyed huff and said, "We're going to finish this as soon as we take this stupid potion."
Stefan rolled off her and said, "Yes, we are."
Bonnie climbed out the bed and opened the door. She scowled at Lucy and said, "Nice move putting an isolation spell on the boarding house so I can't leave."
Lucy smirked as she carried in a tray with three mugs. She said, "Damon and I figured the two of you might try to pull a disappearing act."
She walked over to the bed and sat down. "You can't keep us here forever. I can undo this spell and you know it."
Lucy had used an old-fashioned spell bag that Bonnie would have to find and destroy. She doubted the girl even knew anything about them since her magical knowledge was limited. She said, "I have no intention of keeping you here forever, Bonnie. You are old enough to make your own decisions once the transition is complete."
Damon entered the room quietly.
Lucy said, "Everyone drink up. I put it in my granny's hot toddy recipe so that it would go down easier."
Everyone took a mug and started drinking.
Stefan lifted an eyebrow and said, "There's a lot of bourbon in this."
"It is bourbon and rum, but you don't want to taste the actual potion. Trust me..." She looked at Damon and said, "You might want to ditch the shirt so we can see the mark."
Damon finished chugging the drink and then took off his shirt.
Bonnie asked, "How long does it take to work?"
Lucy glanced at Damon's chest as the crescent shaped mark began to glow a greenish color. "It looks like Damon is your soulmate."
Damon swallowed thickly and looked at Bonnie.
Stefan's eyes went dark. He wasn't going to let his brother take Bonnie from him.
The girl was about to reply but stopped short after looking at Stefan's shoulder. "Well, it looks like you messed up the potion because his birthmark is glowing, too."
"What?" the older witch asked. She walked around to get a look at Stefan's back. "Oh, that's not good. That's not...that's not supposed to happen!"
Stefan frowned and pulled back the top of Bonnie's dress to get a look at the mark below her breast. "Her mark is glowing, too."
Bonnie huffed, "You must have done something wrong."
"I wouldn't make a mistake on a potion that simple. It only has four ingredients. I need...I need to perform a seance. We need answers that I don't have," she muttered distractedly.
Damon asked, "And you're certain that it can't be both of us?"
"Of course I am sure. There is one soulmate for the Bennett witch. It's always the one that is in love with the doppelganger," Lucy explained.
Bonnie said, "Well, both of these idiots are in love with Elena. And they were both in love with Katherine before her. They have a type..."
Both brothers shot scathing glares at her.
She shrugged her shoulders. "The truth hurts, deal with it."