First and foremost, a MASSIVE thank you to everyone who reviewed and everyone who nagged and for all of you who are still interested in this story. You guys totally blow my mind with your constant creativity, humour and support. There are many reasons why this chapter took so long, but I'm not going to get into that 'cause I have a lot of other things to say.
1. Someone mentioned in a review that they found the last chapter a little boring because it was basically the episode written out. I thought that was a really good point, so this chapter I focused mainly on all the moments we didn't see between the scenes on the show, unless I'm changing the scene drastically. The story from this point on will become more AU as the chapters go on. Which leads me to...
2. I'm changing the mythology and purpose of the Moonstone for my story because I don't want to bring the Originals into it (otherwise this story may never end).
3. Lastly, the song for this chapter was recommended to me by one of you lovely reviewers. Unfortunately I can't remember their name to give them proper credit - I wrote it down and everything, I swear! But I can't find it anywhere - I apologize profusely, and thank you again for the recommendation. The song is Strange & Beautiful (I Put A Spell on You) by Aqualung (she recommended the version by Rebecca Ferguson, but Aqualung is a personal preference).
FFT - I saw that extremely poignant video that addressed rape culture in the media and used what Damon did to Caroline as an example. It made me re-write this entire chapter (one of the reasons it took so long). What Damon did to Caroline will not be ignored in this story. I think it's too big of an issue to pretend it didn't happen, but I don't want to make this story about that. I really struggled with how to handle the situation and, though it is addressed in this chapter, I don't consider the issue handled. I will be addressing it again in later chapters as well. I want to be respectful to the subject matter and not minimalize what happened to Caroline, and I don't know if I was successful in this. It's extremely difficult to navigate these waters, but hopefully you will be patient with me as I figure out how to do so.
Sorry for the long-ass AN. Now on to the story.
Bonnie watched from her perch in the corner of the room as Damon fiddled with a miniature crossbow, his brow furrowed as he studied it closely. Alaric pointed at some part of the weapon and Damon tilted it appropriately before nodding.
Rubbing a hand over her tired eyes, she brought her attention back to her grimoire.
What she wouldn't give to throw this book out a window.
The memory spell had been a bust, not that that came as a surprise. She hadn't actually expected it to work, but perhaps a small part of her had hoped regardless. She had barely slept, half expecting Damon to show up in the middle of the night, banging on her front door.
It was pathetic really.
She knew as soon as she'd opened her eyes in the morning that it hadn't worked.
And any lingering vestiges of optimism she may have had vanished when she entered the boarding house a few hours later and Damon greeted her with a simple nod before turning back to Alaric.
Flipping through the worn yellow pages of her book, she wondered briefly what her next move should be. The right spell was out there somewhere; she just had to find it. What she needed were more grimoires.
She glanced over to where Stefan stood, deep in conversation with Caroline and Jeremy. Maybe he'd know where she could find some.
"Working hard or hardly working? It's hard to tell with you," Damon's voice sounded above her and her head jerked in his direction. He stood in front of her spot on the couch, lifting his tumbler to take a slow drink as he observed her.
How...?
She glanced behind him to where Alaric was calling Jeremy over to get a closer look at the weapons.
"Whoa. Slow down there, tiger," he said derisively when she took too long to answer. "People have a hard time keeping up when you talk too much."
Bonnie stiffened as he plopped onto the couch beside her and rested his arm casually behind her head. If he noticed her discomfort, he made no comment and simply took another long sip from his glass.
"Is there a reason why you're here?" she asked, finally finding her voice.
"There is, in fact." He leaned into the space between them, his lips quirking and eyes lighting sinfully, before whispering, "I have something you might be interested in."
He was right about that. She was interested. She was interested in all of it.
Heat flushing her cheeks, she focused pointedly on her grimoire, ducking her head slightly so her hair curtained off her features. "I highly doubt that," she muttered.
He shifted beside her. She felt him lean further towards her, the arm resting behind her moving to her shoulder for an instant before he sat again. Seconds later a small, black, shiny, square piece of paper was being pushed across the page of her grimoire.
She stared at it blankly for a moment before recognizing what it actually was – a Polaroid. Curiosity being one of her greatest sins, she didn't hesitate to flip it over.
A startled laugh escaped her and she clasped a hand over her mouth to muffle it, shooting wide eyes towards the man beside her. His large, shit eating grin in response made her laugh harder.
"I feel this picture really sums up who Stefan is as a person," Damon said, gesturing to the aforementioned object. "Business in the front, party in the back."
She chortled loudly, her shoulders shaking with the effort of trying to temper her amusement. Aware of the room's attention shifting to her, she forced herself to take deep breaths.
"What's wrong with Bonnie?" Jeremy asked with a lifted brow, a clip full of wooden bullets held forgotten in his hands.
"Nothing," Damon responding casually, sending a pointed look at Jeremy's clip of bullets. "Why don't you pay attention to your lesson and never mind about Bonnie."
Jeremy glowered but turned back to Alaric.
Bonnie shook her head reproachfully, but was too distracted to do anything more. Feeling she had calmed enough, she allowed herself another look at the picture lying innocently on her grimoire.
Stefan stared back at her, a tiny smile on his face. He sported a sleeveless Jon Bon Jovi T-shirt with one hand stuffed in his black jean's pocket and the other lifted in the sign of rock and roll. And his hair... was a work of 80's perfection. He was rocking an actual mullet.
"Oh Stefan," she questioned the picture lightly as the final tendrils of her humour faded, "where did you go wrong?"
"My thoughts exactly."
"Why do I keep hearing my name?" Stefan enquired as he wandered over.
"Just having a bit of show and tell with Bonnie," Damon answered lightly.
"Oh." Stefan came to a stop a few feet in front of them, his interest piqued. His eyes widened dramatically as they landed on the photo still on her lap and Bonnie wondered belatedly if she should have made an effort to cover it. "What the hell, Damon?" he exclaimed in shock.
Damon chuckled. "Why anyone would keep photographic evidence of their time in the eighties just lying around is beyond me. It's like you're asking for public humiliation."
Bonnie bit her lip hard, but couldn't restrain her amusement.
Stefan glanced between her, Damon and the photo repeatedly, his brow wrinkling. "Why?" He sounded completely perplexed. "Why?"
She felt more than saw Damon shrug beside her. "Retribution, brother dearest. You send one of mine to the hospital; I send one of yours to the morgue."
Stefan's head cocked to one side as he regarded his brother. "What...?"
"The Untouchables," Damon answered like that explained everything.
Stefan turned slowly and walked away, looking utterly lost.
Damon settled further into the cushions, taking a short pull of his drink and Bonnie didn't realize she was staring until the vibration of her phone against her thigh startled her into looking away.
She reached for it quickly, finding a text from Caroline. Glancing at the blonde now situated on the opposite side of the room, she noticed her watching them with open curiosity. When their eyes caught Caroline made a gesture to her phone.
Bonnie grimaced before dragging her attention back to her cell and opening the text.
Am I hallucinating or was he purposely trying to make you laugh?
She shook her head and quickly typed back:
You're hallucinating. He was just trying to one up Stefan. Stop reading into things.
Instantaneously, Caroline responded:
Idk... He seems pretty focused on you. Could be a good sign.
Bonnie lifted her head and watched as Caroline sent her a tempered, yet encouraging smile.
Bonnie felt air fall past her lips in a heavy breath. The last thing she needed was someone giving her false hope. Maybe telling Caroline everything hadn't been such a good idea after all.
Caroline leant heavily against a yellow birch, her blonde hair snagging on one of its many branches, but for once in her life she didn't seem to care. She was too busy staring at Bonnie in wide-eyed disbelief.
"Holy shit, Bonnie. Are you being serious?"
"Cross my heart," Bonnie said. They stood there awkwardly for a while as Caroline digested everything.
Bonnie hadn't really planned on telling her, but they had been meandering all over the old Lockwood Estate, reminiscing and reconnecting all at once. Caroline had spoken to her about the last few days and how she was struggling with her new-found vampirism and it had really hit Bonnie – how suddenly her friend had been thrown into all of this. Waking up and finding yourself altered in such a fundamental way and not understanding what was happening or why you were suddenly different.
It was a terrifying thought.
It made Bonnie take a step back and really look at Caroline. She would have never imagined that her boy-crazy, popularity obsessed best friend could be so strong. To take everything in stride the way she had and fight to hold onto, not only her humanity, but her sunny disposition as well...
When Bonnie commented on it Caroline just waved her off and turned the conversation to her and, for a moment, Bonnie was frozen, not sure what to say. Then, completely unbidden, the truth spilled past her lips and once it started it was impossible to stop – like a dam, where she kept all of her thoughts and concerns, had been broken and she was helpless to do anything but watch as they raged forward.
Caroline had stumbled ungracefully to a stop as soon as the words time-travel and 1864 had left her lips, and they had yet to move since.
"I don't even know how to... I... I don't know what to say," Caroline now spoke haltingly.
"You don't have to say anything. It was a lot to unload on you, but I guess I just needed to get it off my chest," Bonnie responded before realizing, "This is probably the last thing you needed considering everything you already have to deal with."
"No, Bonnie," Caroline shook her head, "I hate it when you do that."
"Do what?"
"When you make it like everyone else's problems are more important than yours. It's so frustrating! And honestly, it makes me feel like a tool."
Bonnie winced. "Sorry."
"Don't apologize!" she exclaimed, an exasperated smile tugging at her lips for an instant before her expression sobered. "So... what are you going to do now?"
"I'm looking for a spell to reverse what Emily did –"
"Oh."
The sound was quiet, but it gripped Bonnie's attention like a magnet. Caroline shifted, playing with one of the low hanging branches beside her, and asked pseudo-casually, "So you're still interested in Damon?"
Bonnie's brow furrowed in confusion before she remembered and immediately felt like the worst human being on the planet. "Oh my God, Caroline. I'm so sorry. This isn't fair to you at all –"
"This isn't about me," she interrupted firmly.
"Isn't it, though? How could it not be? You're one of my best friends and what he did to you was inexcusable."
"Ugh," she groaned, putting too much pressure on the tree branch and snapping it from the trunk. She threw it away from herself in disgust and sank to the forest floor. "I feel so... I don't even know! You don't do this, Bonnie."
"Do what?"
"Put yourself out there! I can count on one hand, with two fingers, the number of boyfriends you've had. And why did they dump you?"
Bonnie really didn't want to have to answer that question, so she shrugged nonchalantly. She remembered the two guys in question. They had both been attractive and funny and sweet, but...
"They felt like they were putting more effort into the relationship than you were. You were too closed off," Care finished pointedly.
It was true. Even when she had been at her bubbliest and most carefree, she had always had problems opening up to new people.
Frowning, Bonnie deflected, "Are you going somewhere with this?"
"My point is that you're not Elena. You don't forgive people at the drop of a hat and you don't trust people enough to let them into your life that easily. Which must mean you're pretty serious about him," Caroline reasoned, before throwing her head back and exclaiming, "UGH! But why Damon? He's awful!"
Caroline's discarded tree branch snapped noisily underfoot as Bonnie made her way closer to her friend. When she reached her, Caroline scooted to one side, though the action was unnecessary considering she was sitting on the forest floor, and Bonnie sat down beside her.
"It's difficult to explain... I imagine it's the same way for Stefan – why he can't seem to give up on him," she began slowly, before taking a deep breath. "It's not that Damon is an inherently bad person. It's just that he makes all the wrong decisions all of the time – and it's so frustrating! Because you know he has the ability to be this incredible person, but he's so fucking self-destructive –"
She broke off suddenly, shaking her head to calm her rising temper. "I don't think there's a single person on this planet more frustrating than Damon Salvatore. And none of what I've learned about him excuses all the terrible things he's done, but I can't seem to bring myself to hate him. I'm just disappointed and sad. When I think of everything he's done, it's not him I hate, it's his actions."
A gusty sigh drudged its way up from her chest and past her lips. "In a perfect world he never would have made these mistakes to begin with, but we don't live in a perfect world. At this point, all any of us can really hope for is that someday he'll own up to his shit and start making better choices."
Turning her gaze to the surprisingly quiet blonde, Bonnie was startled by the sight that greeted her. Silent tears streaked Caroline's face, her lips pressed firmly together as she studied the witch.
"You're in love with him."
It wasn't a question, and that alone made Bonnie feel like she had committed the ultimate act of betrayal. Heart crushing painfully in her chest, she turned to face her fully.
"I'm so sorry, Care." She reached out, placing her hand carefully on top of Caroline's, unsure if her touch would be accepted. When Caroline didn't pull away, she continued, though her next words would be the most difficult to speak. "If you need me to walk away from him, I will."
And she would, or at least she'd try really fucking hard to. The issue was too large to disregard Caroline's feelings on the subject in favour of her own. It wouldn't be right.
Caroline flung herself forward, her arms circling around Bonnie as they both toppled to the ground with a thud and "Oof."
"Sorry," Caroline said, scrambling backwards onto her hands and towering over Bonnie's prostrate form. "I forgot how strong I am now. You okay?"
"Yeah," she responded somewhat breathlessly.
"And thank you," Caroline continued, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, "for saying you'll walk away from him."
Heart plummeting to her stomach, Bonnie prayed the overwhelming sense of sorrow wasn't visible on her face. "If that's what you need."
"I love you, Bonnie."
"I love you too, Care," she said, twisting her face into the semblance of a smile.
"But I can't ask you to do that."
Relief, sweet and sharp and almost painful, spread through Bonnie's veins and she prayed that wasn't visible either.
"As much as I disapprove of Damon's continued existence in general, and as much as it bothers me to think of you with him, because, let's face it, you could do a million times better... I just, I want you to be happy. And I don't want you to ever feel guilty about loving someone," she finished on a choked sob.
Bonnie's throat constricted unexpectedly and suddenly she was crying too. "I'm so sorry."
"Oh my God, Bonnie! Stop apologizing!" she exclaimed in exasperation. Then she tugged her up into a hug and squeezed her close, careful not to use too much strength. "I don't think I can ever forgive him," she confessed in a whisper after the tears had stemmed.
"I don't think you should."
"I want to help you though."
Bonnie pulled back far enough to look at Caroline. "Why would you want to do that?"
"Several reasons. The whole wanting you to be happy thing, for a start. And I have to admit, I'm kind of curious about old-timey Damon. He sounded decent and he must have been pretty special to make you like him."
Her brow crinkled. "Even if I do manage to get his memories back, he probably won't be the same guy he was then anymore."
"I know." Caroline shrugged. "But he might be less of a douche, so that's a win right?"
Bonnie's lip twitched in amusement and she shook her head fondly. "You're amazing."
"I know," she agreed with such conviction that Bonnie actually laughed. Standing up, Caroline dusted her pants off and offered a hand to Bonnie. "Come on. We have a well to find."
Allowing herself to be hoisted up, she linked an arm with Care's and began strolling forward.
"Do you still have those letters he wrote you?" Caroline asked suddenly.
"Yeah. Why?"
"You're totally showing me those later."
"Earth to Bonnie..."
Bonnie startled, coming back to the present.
"You know, you're going to need to get your head in the game if we're going to take down Katherine tonight," Damon commented.
She narrowed her gaze at him. "I'm aware of that."
"Are you?" He arched an unaffected brow. "You've been out of it all day. And all of yesterday too... and the day before that," he finished thoughtfully. "Something on your mind?"
Her back stiffened imperceptivity and she forced herself to meet him dead in the eye. "It's personal. Meaning none of your business."
He shrugged casually. "Not like I actually care anyways."
He was the picture of off-handed detachment. If it wasn't for the way his gaze shifted down to focus on his tumbler and lips pinched in one corner, she might have bought it. But she could see he was upset by her dismissal.
Sighing, she relented. "I know I've been distracted, but I'm working on it." His eyes lifted to catch hers and she promised, "I'm not going to be a liability."
He studied her for a long moment before nodding. "Noted."
Bonnie had been waiting for an opportunity to speak privately with Stefan for the better part of an hour, so when he disappeared in the direction of his bedroom she was quick to follow.
"Stefan," she called softly and he stopped a little further down the hallway from her.
"Bonnie," he said, waiting for her to catch up to him. When she reached his side he started forward again.
"I have to ask you something."
"If this is about that picture," he said quickly, "I'll have you know that was a very popular look at the time."
Bonnie chuckled lightly, shaking her head before sobering up. "No, it's not about the photo. I actually wanted to ask you about grimoires."
"About grimoires?" he repeated, his brows lifting.
"Do you know where I could get my hands on some more?"
"You having a sudden thirst for power that we should be concerned about?" he joked as they began to climb the staircase.
"Something like that." The corner of her lips pulled back in a tiny smirk.
Stefan's eyes drifted thoughtfully ahead of him. "To be honest, I don't know that much on the topic. Witches and magic are more Damon's forte. Ever since we turned he's had a bit of a... fascination with that world."
Bonnie's heart did an unexpected twist in her chest as she looked at Stefan. "What do you mean?"
"Damon has a long, complicated history with witches. Some of it good, most of it bad. But he can't seem to keep away from them."
Her stomach decided to join in on her heart's acrobatics, flipping pleasantly until Stefan added as an afterthought,
"He really wanted to get Katherine out of that tomb."
"Oh fucking Katherine." The words slipped so quickly from her she barely registered that she'd said them aloud. Stefan's wide-eyed look of astonishment at the venom in her voice let her know that she had.
How could she have forgotten the bane of her existence, Katherine Pierce? Of course Damon had only been interested in witches because he needed one to open the tomb.
Mood soured, she snapped unintentionally, "So you're saying you can't help me?"
Stefan paused in his stride to face her, arms crossing over his chest. "I'm saying, you might want to talk to Damon about this. He'll be able to help you better than I can."
Great.
She'd been hoping to avoid involving Damon in this. Knowing the inquisitive vampire, he would ask a million questions and she would have no way to answer any of them.
She'd have to come up with a foolproof alibi for why she wanted the grimoires before going to Damon or he'd see through her in a hot second.
Lips turning down in a deep frown, she focused on Stefan. "I'm sorry for snapping. With everything that's been happening recently, I just... I have a short fuse."
"Understandable."
"And... I'm not so sure about our plan for tonight," she confessed. "A lot of things could go wrong."
"Look, I know it's risky, but tonight's the perfect opportunity. Katherine knows me. She knows that I'm not going to try something in a crowd full of innocent people, so that gives me an edge so I can catch her by surprise."
"You're putting a lot of stake into her feelings for you."
"Am I?" His brow scrunched. "I'm betting more on her ego."
Bonnie smiled at that. "Well either way, we shouldn't do this without a plan B."
Like any town event before it, the masquerade had a large turn-out. On any other day, Bonnie might have appreciated the sense of community that came with the crowd, but today, as her eyes scanned the sea of quasi-familiar faces, all she saw were potential casualties.
Their small group came to a stop in the middle of the expansive anteroom and Stefan immediately started delegating.
"Alright, we should split up. Damon, Caroline and I will keep a look out for Katherine. Bonnie, Jeremy – you think you can get the room ready?"
Bonnie nodded, already thinking about what would need to get done when Caroline's voice interrupted her thoughts,
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why not?" Stefan asked, his brow creasing.
"Bonnie needs to be with someone who can protect her," she replied easily. "I mean, what if she's in the middle of casting a spell and Katherine finds them? Jeremy won't be able to do anything to stop her from attacking. No offense," she tagged on almost as an afterthought.
Jeremy's lips pinched. "I'm not a child. I can protect Bonnie just fine."
"No. Caroline makes a good point," Stefan conceded thoughtfully. "Katherine's a lot older and stronger than even me and Damon. It would be better if one of us went with her." He stepped forward to stand beside Bonnie. "I'll stay with you."
"No, it can't be you either Stefan," Caroline interjected, grabbing Stefan's arm and dragging him back. "Katherine likes you the most. You need to stay down here. She'll probably come looking for you anyway." The blonde vampire moved over to where Damon was standing and pushed him firmly towards Bonnie. "Damon should go with Bonnie."
Bonnie's eyes narrowed at Caroline. She was starting to get the sneaking suspicion she was being set up.
"Why can't you go?" Damon asked, though he allowed himself to be moved around.
"Uh, hello. I've been a vampire for like, three weeks. You think I'd be able to take Katherine?" She lifted a sceptic brow.
He rolled his eyes. "Fine. Whatever. Let's just get this started and finished."
"So, we all know what we're doing?" Stefan inquired, looking around the group for confirmation.
"I don't," Jeremy said.
"Basically, just don't get killed. Think you can manage that?" Damon answered dismissively, before turning around and walking towards the stairs, not even waiting for Bonnie to follow.
"I guess that's my cue," Bonnie noted sarcastically.
Pushing through the crowd to follow after him, a tall figure bumped her shoulder and Bonnie paused, feeling suddenly like she was trying to remember something, but for the life of her she couldn't imagine what.
She turned to look after the figure, but they had already disappeared into the crowd.
As soon as they entered the designated room, Damon threw himself carelessly onto the bed, not paying any mind to the condition his suit might end up in. He made himself comfy amidst the throw-pillows, lounging against the headboard and Bonnie marveled at his unfailing ability to make himself at home anywhere.
Blue eyes zeroed in on her suddenly and he lifted an eyebrow. "Are you just going to stand there all day or..." he cocked his head slightly, eyes slanting and a small smirk curling his lip. He patted the mattress beside him invitingly. "Are you going to come over here so we can get started?"
Was he asking her to do the spell or propositioning her? She couldn't tell.
Pinching her lips together, she turned away from the picture he made and placed herself resolutely on the nearby sofa. "I'm not crawling into bed with you, no matter the context," she scoffed derisively, "so you can let that dream snap, crackle and die."
At least not while you're memories are gone, she added silently.
He chuckled lightly before sighing, "Oh, Bonnie, always so abrasive."
Ignoring him, she focused on her grimoire, searching for the right page. A few moments passed in silence until she finally landed on the spell that she needed.
"Are you sure you're going to be able to do this?" His voice sounded behind her shoulder and she twisted to look at him.
He was close. Close enough that the spicy scent that always clung to him burned in her lungs with every breath she took. His dark lashes heightened the intense blue of his eyes and Bonnie dropped her gaze, only to have her attention latch onto his full lips.
Blood singing, she forced herself to focus back on his eyes.
"I don't see why not. The spell is only meant to last for a few hours at most, not a hundred years, so it shouldn't be too taxing."
His gaze was unnervingly penetrating as he studied her, looking for any crack in her image of bravado. Her back stiffened under the inspection and she turned away, gluing her attention to the grimoire. "It doesn't matter what you think, I'm your only chance at this," she stated, her tone flat.
"I didn't say anything," he responded lightly.
"You didn't have to." She stared sightlessly at the spell she'd be performing, her fingers playing with the edge of the page. "I'm not an idiot. I know you think I'm incompetent."
And she hated that it bothered her. It always had, even before her little trip into the past. It grated against her nerves like sandpaper.
"Not completely. Just... semi-incompetent. Which is semi-competent if you think about it," he corrected.
She narrowed her eyes at him over her shoulder and he shrugged unabashedly.
"It's not like you can help it. You're barely potty trained and you're being thrown into the deep end. Let's just say, you have the potential to be competent."
"Oh gee, thanks for clearing that up."
"Anytime, sport," he responded sardonically with a light tap of his fist to her cheek.
She rolled her eyes and slapped his hand away in irritation before turning back to her book. Even still, she was hyper aware of him hovering over her shoulder. Hyper aware of the moment he chose to lean further in and, breath ghosting along her neck, whisper,
"You know, vampire blood is reported to boost a witch's natural abilities..."
She bit her lip hard as she attempted to stave off the shiver working its way down her spine. "Do you have some kind of fetish?" she questioned abruptly.
Glancing over her shoulder, she caught his eyebrows rocketing towards his hairline. "I..." he floundered for a second before collecting himself and answering fluidly, "I have a lot of fetishes. Which one are you talking about?"
"You're really quick to offer people your blood. First Caroline, now me... Do you get off on it?"
He shrugged. "What can I say? I'm an exceedingly generous person. The purity of my soul –"
"Is blinding. Yeah, I'm aware," she interrupted and he cocked his head in surprise.
"Have I said that to you before?" he asked. Even though he was looking directly at her, his gaze was unfocused, like he was struggling to remember something.
Bonnie went very still, her breath halting in her chest – afraid that if she exhaled she'd shatter the moment – and waited.
Damon straightened suddenly, coming back to himself. He gave his head a little shake. "Not really important. You get working on the spell. We don't really have all day."
Bonnie watched him stroll back towards the bed, air rushing out of her in a long stretch, and she turned to her grimoire. A frown marred her features as she realized she was growing accustomed to the feeling of disappointment lingering in her chest.
Bonnie pushed roughly through the mass of people on the back patio, trying to get inside the mansion.
Everything had gone south so quickly, she felt like she could barely keep up. It was a blessing in disguise that Elena had decided to crash the party otherwise... Bonnie shuddered, not wanting to dwell on what would have happened.
It was time to put Plan B into action – give Katherine exactly what she wanted.
Slipping a hand into her purse, Bonnie felt the cool, smooth surface of the Moonstone glide against her palm.
Moving swiftly through the press of bodies, she reached the main staircase and halted.
There it was again.
That strange sensation at the back of her mind like she was trying to remember something; that odd feeling of familiarity. She tilted her head to one side as she tried to pin it down.
Rotating slowly, she let her eyes take in the faces around her. Her gaze flinted from person to person until landing on a tall figure at the other side of the expansive room.
As if knowing she was being watched, the figure, a woman in black – regal and wild looking, like an Amazonian Queen – turned and disappeared into the next room.
Not even thinking about it, Bonnie followed.
Reaching the threshold, she spotted the women slip further away and quickened her pace.
They played a game of cat and mouse from room to room, bobbing and weaving through crowd, and just when Bonnie finally felt her patience dissolving, the woman came to an abrupt stop inside a surprisingly deserted dining room.
Not wasting any more time, Bonnie skipped the preamble and asked, "Do I know you? I feel like I should."
The Amazonian Queen inclined her head. "Technically, no. But blood always tells."
Her brow scrunched in confusion. "I don't understand."
"We don't have time for this now. Do you have the Moonstone?"
Bonnie wasn't sure what surprised her more; the fact that this woman knew about the Moonstone or the fact that Bonnie's usual alarm bells weren't ringing.
"Are you working with Katherine?" she asked, eyeing her critically.
"I was."
"What changed?"
The woman leveled a dark look at her. "She failed to mention that Bennetts were involved." Then she lifted her hand, palm up, and waited.
Bonnie felt no sense of trepidation as she handed the Moonstone over, and when the smooth stone touched the woman's hand she knew, in her gut, that she had made the right decision.
The woman stared at the stone in her hand for a few seconds before blinking up at Bonnie in surprise. "This isn't it, is it?"
Bonnie's heart dropped into her stomach. She thought the illusion was perfect. "How can you tell?"
"I've never seen the thing before, but I know it's an object born of magic. And this," she held the pseudo-moonstone up to the light to better examine it, "though I'm sure it's an exact match physically, is missing a magical signature strong enough for an object like that. This probably wouldn't fool Katherine for too long."
Well, shit.
Bonnie had only spent ages perfecting the illusion, making sure it was an exact match to the original in every way. She hadn't even thought to try and copy the magical signature – she had no idea how to go about doing that. That had never been a part of her lessons with Emily.
"Can vampires sense magical signatures?" Bonnie asked.
"Not like we can. But Katherine's one wily bitch. She has her ways." The woman turned the stone over in her hands, taking in every detail Bonnie had painstakingly recreated, and whistled her appreciation. "Man, this is some piece of work. What is this anyway?"
Trying to keep the utter dejection from her voice, Bonnie answered plainly, "A bar of soap."
The woman gave a sudden, uninhibited laugh – completely unexpected and completely fitting to her person. "Girl, I like your style." She gave her head a little shake and smirked. "Alright then, I'll go give Katherine this bar of soap she's been wanting so badly."
"Wait," Bonnie called, reaching out when she turned to leave. "I thought you said she'd see through it."
"Well, I'mma make sure she's not awake long enough to do that," the woman said before throwing her a wink and sauntering off.
"Good thinking with the contingency plan."
Katherine was lying unconscious on the floor right in front of the threshold and Damon was, quite literally, standing over her prone form so he could lean on the door jamb.
"Thanks, but I can't take all the credit," Bonnie said as she scanned the scene in front of her. Damon was taking up most of the space in the doorway, but she could just make out Stefan sitting on the couch, staring at his watch, behind him.
"Meaning...?"
"Knocking Katherine out wasn't my idea, though I wish it was," she said, turning her attention back to Damon.
"Just the fake Moonstone?"
She nodded, and wondered how much energy it would take to bring the barrier down by herself.
Bonnie noticed Damon's lips quirk to one side and sighed. She knew that look. A smart-ass remark was on its way.
"Semi-competent. Almost even fully competent, but not quite," he practically sang.
"Go to hell," she snapped and he had the audacity to laugh.
"Is Elena still here?" Stefan questioned suddenly from his perch.
"No, she left with Jeremy a little while ago. They should be at the hospital by now."
"How was she?" This time it was Damon who asked.
"Hurt, but nothing too serious. She'll be okay," she answered, diverting her gaze towards the sounds of the party floating to them from downstairs.
Damon being concerned for Elena was a good thing, but why he was concerned for her... not so much.
"Was she knock –"
"If you guys want to get out of this room before Katherine wakes up," Bonnie interrupted firmly, "you'll need to stop asking me questions and let me cast the spell."
Damon lifted his hands in surrender and stepped back from the doorway while Stefan apologized, "Right, sorry. Do whatever you need."
A few minutes later and the Salvatore brothers were loading Katherine discretely into the trunk of Damon's Camaro.
Bonnie left them to it, hunting the Lockwood grounds for any sign of Caroline. She had already tried calling her twice, but she wasn't picking up. To say she was starting to get concerned would be an understatement.
Spotting a few people from her high school standing out on the front lawn, Bonnie interjected herself into their small group. "Hey guys," she greeted casually, "have any of you seen Caroline Forbes?"
"Nah man, sorry," a couple of them answered with a shake of their heads.
Anxiety bubbled in the centre of Bonnie's chest as she turned away.
"Oh, wait, no. I swore I saw her leave with Tyler earlier," one of them rectified and Bonnie spun back around.
"Tyler?"
"Yeah, but isn't she dating Donavon?"
Bonnie ignored that question in favour of her own. "How long ago was this?"
"I don't know." The guy shrugged. "Maybe like fifteen... twenty minutes."
"Thanks." She ambled slowly away, trying to make sense of this new information.
Why would Caroline leave with Tyler of all people? It's not like they weren't friends, but they certainly weren't close. It didn't make any sense.
Well, at the very least, I know I don't need to worry about her.
Feeling a little lighter, Bonnie walked aimlessly across the lawn for a few minutes before freezing in place.
How the hell was she supposed to get home?
"Hey," someone called and Bonnie's attention focused in front of her, landing on the Amazonian Queen. "You look a little lost."
"I feel a little lost," Bonnie confessed, filling in the space between them with a few small steps. "I should probably thank you for earlier."
The woman offered a lopsided shrug. "What else is family for?"
Something locked into place in the back of Bonnie's mind as she echoed, "Family?"
"Lucy Bennett," the woman greeted suddenly, sticking a hand unceremoniously in Bonnie's face. "Pleasure to meet you."
That would explain the strange sense of familiarity she'd been experiencing all night. She'd had a similar sensation whenever she was around Grams or Emily, but Bonnie had known them to be family from the very beginning. Probably why she couldn't place the feeling out of context.
"You okay?" Lucy asked, looking somewhat amused.
"Fine. Sorry," she said, coming back to herself. "Bonnie... I'm Bonnie." She took Lucy's outstretched hand and gave it a shake. "How are we...?"
"Distantly," Lucy answered succinctly. "It's kind of confusing. Let's just say we're cousins."
Bonnie's phone rang and she shot an apologetic look towards Lucy before digging it out of her purse. Not looking to see who it was, she answered, "Hello?"
"Where are you right now?" Damon's irritated voice filled her ear.
"I'm on the front lawn. Why?"
"We need to get going."
"Going where?"
He sighed so loudly she was forced to move the phone away from her ear. "We need to put Katherine in the tomb, or did you forget?"
Exhaustion sunk deep into her bones. God, this night was never-ending.
Eyeing the woman in front of her, she spoke into the phone, "Hold on a sec."
"What?" Damon exclaimed as she lowered the phone from her ear and addressed Lucy,
"Do you think you could help me set up a barrier? I'm not sure I can put up a strong enough one on my own."
"Sure," Lucy agreed. "Katherine's gonna want my head when she realizes that I've screwed her over anyways. But after that, I'm out of here."
"Why were you working for her anyways?"
"I owed the bitch a favour," she answered unapologetically.
Not really needing more of an explanation, Bonnie nodded and brought the phone back to her ear. "I'm bringing my cousin."
"Since when do you have a cousin?" Damon asked in confusion.
"Since today. She's the one who spelled the fake Moonstone to knock Katherine out."
There was a long pause as Damon thought it over. Finally he said, "Fine. Hurry up."
Not waiting for a response, he hung up.
"They seem charming," Lucy commented with a nod towards Bonnie's phone.
"That's one word for it," Bonnie agreed dryly as she put her cell away. "Come on. He's parked down the street."
Quietly, they began walking towards the Camaro. Bonnie glanced at her cousin from the corner of her eye. Sometimes she forgot that her family extended beyond what she had here in Mystic Falls. She had never been close to her cousins or Aunts and Uncles because her father had never really made an effort to keep in touch with them.
She felt kind of awkward when it came to the odd family gathering, like everyone seemed to know each other except for her. And that was on her father's side. Her mother's side, she never saw at all. Grams' funeral had been the only time and that had been beyond uncomfortable.
She didn't remember seeing Lucy there. It was surreal, looking at her cousin now and having a connection to that side of her family again. When Grams died, Bonnie had lost more than just a mentor and a loved one; she had lost the only tangible link she had to her mother. And with Emily...
Bonnie sighed.
Through Emily she had felt a link that went further than just her mother – it had encompassed all of her family. She had gained a deeper understanding of her heritage and what it meant to be a witch, both of which she valued more than words can say.
Pain lanced through Bonnie's heart as she remembered how that relationship ended. She'd been convinced she'd never be connected to that side of her family again, and now Lucy was here.
She wondered what Lucy's life was like; why did she owe Katherine a favour? What was the best spell she had ever done? What was the worst? Did she like being a witch? Was she ever scared about the way magic pushed back...?
She wondered if she'd ever get to ask her these questions.
Bonnie's brow knitted, an idea taking root in her mind.
"Hey," she began tentatively, "Do you know anything about memory spells?"
"Memory spells?" Lucy's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Not really, why?"
Bonnie ducked her head, studying the way light and shadow patterned across the lawn. "I'm interested in counter-spells." She paused, and then asked, "How about grimoires? Is there like a witch library I can go to and find more?"
Lucy laughed, "I wish! Grimoires are usually inherited, so unless you're a part of a coven it's hard to get your hands on more than one at a time."
Great.
Her face must have shown her disappointment because Lucy continued lightly, "I'll keep an ear out for any interesting memory spells though. Give you a call if I hear anything."
Bonnie twisted her head to offer her a small smile. "You don't have to do that."
Lucy made an unconcerned noise as she gave her shoulders a little shrug. "It's an excuse to stay in touch."
Bonnie's tiny smile spread wide. Lucy Bennett was officially her favourite cousin.