AN: Okay, so we're completely changing gears here. Now you all get to see how it went down between Elena and Bonnie. The scene that spawned the inspiration for this fic. I hope you're ready.
The world was a cascade of song and dance - teenagers all grouped together and enjoying the time of their lives. After all, it was Senior Prom. What wasn't there to celebrate?
But in a world where all inhibitions were released, none of it mattered. It seemed so insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Especially for a person who had seemingly lost everything.
For a person like me.
Strolling through the crowd, her heels clicked to a stop and standing in front of her was Matt Donovan - poster boy and golden child of Mystic Falls.
Beside him? Bonnie Bennett.
Best friend, supposedly, and a powerful witch. Or maybe not so powerful because she couldn't really stop calamity. She was only successful in bringing chaos and destruction. Just looking at her exasperated Elena. Her gums itched and the desire for her fangs to drop and sink into her flesh was almost overwhelming.
I can't make a move with all of those people watching. With Matt watching me.
"Uh-oh," she said, her fingers curling into her clutch, "friend patrol."
Bonnie smiled at her and it took everything Elena had not to lash out.
"Hey. I know we haven't really talked since...everything. But I just...I want to say that I miss you."
"Me too," chimed in Matt, "and we wanna help you."
Elena barely held back a snicker. "What're you gonna do, get me a job at The Grill?"
She saw the hurt flash across Matt's eyes. But she'd been hurting for a long time. Why should their pain even matter?
"I just don't want you to look back and realize you missed out on the best part of Senior year."
"Spare me, Matt," Elena sighed, rolling her eyes, "If you had the choice, you would have turned off your emotions the second that Vicki died."
"Hey," Bonnie cut in, bringing her attention back to her. "You shut it off because all you could feel were the horrible things happening to you." Again, she smiled. "You still have friends who love you."
She looked like she cared but it wasn't true. It was all lies and Elena had no room for that in her life anymore. No more time made for disappointments.
"I thought you were going to bring Jeremy back, but it turned out you were just a brainwashed crazy person." The smile fell from Bonnie's face, replacing it with hurt and shock. Oh well, what did it matter? "So technically, you're a walking reminder of all the horrible things that have happened to me."
Maybe it was because Elena had turned it off, but there was something that shined in Bonnie's eyes. Something she'd never seen in her before. Sure, her magic was out of control and she was doing the bidding of some freak magic user, but even so…
She smirked. There was no way.
No matter what I say and no matter what I do, Bonnie will always care about me. Maybe that's why it won't be that hard for me to kill her.
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"
Elena could hear the faint sound of car horns and the howl of the wind. That was Bonnie's voice. She couldn't let her get the jump on her a second time. If she saw Elena attack from the front, she wouldn't be able to overcome Bonnie's power.
No. A sneak attack was the best option.
There was absolute silence as she watched the scene unfold from across the field. Bonnie wasn't aware of her presence. I could end this all tonight. One less problem in a list of inconveniences in my life.
In a flash, Elena flanked Bonnie - her fangs sinking into her neck and her lovely, sweet blood descended her throat. She tried to fight her off, her body staggering forward. Elena would grant her a quick death, at least. She deserved that much.
Pain exploded in her throat and gut - searing her tonsils as she watched Bonnie collapse to the ground. Wh-What was happening? Why wasn't she dead and why couldn't she…?!
This wasn't how it was supposed to happen!
Her legs took a shaking few steps backwards, a red mist spraying from her mouth. Bonnie's blood… Why can't I hold it down? What did she do?!
This wasn't even vervain. This was...this was something different!
Bonnie rose to her feet and slowly turned around to face her. The look in her eyes halted Elena's breath. She'd never seen her look that way to her in her entire life. Not once. It wasn't outrage or sorrow.
No. The look in her eyes was cold and malicious - the sort of look that a predator would have before striking the killing blow.
Her green eyes darkened and her features screwed up in anger. A pulse of magic blasted through Elena, snapping her leg below the knee. She screamed, falling to the ground in a heap but she wasn't sure if the pain from her being poisoned or from a limb breaking was what was causing her to feel the desperation clawing at the surface of her skin. Bonnie took a step toward her and she watched as the witch twisted her hand, Elena's left arm snapping and bowing backwards.
Another scream ripped through her, but not before Bonnie caused the blood vessels to explode repeatedly in her brain. Every muscle in her body felt like it was aflame. Elena barely even took notice that Damon and Stefan were approaching. All she could focus on was the vengeful fire dancing in Bonnie's eyes.
She...she's going to kill me!
"Bonnie, stop!" Stefan's voice was soft as Elena felt Damon pulling her against him. "Bonnie…"
Elena knew she had to use every tool available to her. The pain wouldn't stop. Bonnie's power was going to snuff her out from existence. "Damon, help me!" She could barely think and she could feel the blood starting to trail down her nose.
"Bonnie, you're killing her."
"I know what I'm doing." Her voice sent a chill down Elena's back.
"That's the magic talking. This is your best friend."
She managed to push through the pain and looked into Bonnie's eyes. But instead of the typical fight that always happened with her - torn between doing the right thing and doing what she wanted? It wasn't there. She had resolved herself to kill.
"Bonnie!" Damon snapped, hoping to get the witch's attention. But Elena knew better.
It was like Bonnie had switched off her own humanity.
"No," she seethed, turning around to face Stefan, "she was my best friend. That all changed when you both showed up. When you came into this town and brought your bullshit baggage with you."
Stefan blinked in surprise. "B-Bonnie…"
"But instead of growing up a little and taking some responsibility, the blame gets shifted to me." Bonnie cut her eyes at Elena and she flinched as she increased the pain exploding in her head. An agonizing wail was all she could muster. "Like always."
Elena watched her take a step forward. Stefan tried to grab her but Bonnie threw up a hand and knocked him back - his body smashing into one of the cars in the parking lot. Before Damon could even think to shield her, Bonnie twisted her wrist and snapped his neck with a sickening crack.
She knelt down in front of her and the vampire tried to scoot back on her one good arm. Whatever was in Bonnie's blood was slowing down her vampire healing. Bonnie tilted her head slightly, the ruffles of her dress bunching up in the grass as she sneered down at her. Like she was just some bug...
"What was that you said earlier, Elena? That I'm a walking reminder of all the horrible things that have happened in your life?"
She couldn't breathe, but Elena still tried to speak. "B-Bonnie...Bonnie, please…"
"You all were responsible for my Grams dying. My mother is a vampire because of the Salvatore brothers. I loved Jeremy and have risked my life, my life, more than a dozen times for every single last one of you!"
Elena screamed as the witch's hands slammed onto either side of her head, unable to shake her fear as Bonnie's nails bore into her skin. Her skin sizzled from magic and she did all she could to fight Bonnie back but instead, the witch was pulling her closer.
"You've got some nerve, Elena Gilbert, talking to me like that. You ditched your friends and turned our worlds upside down because you couldn't decide which dick you wanted to fuck more."
She couldn't stop the gasp that spilled out of her even if she wanted to. Bonnie's lips formed into a smirk, but the smile never reached her eyes. Not once. Elena wondered if she should have been feeling anything akin to fear when her humanity was off. There was just no way that was possible, was it?
Desperate to rid herself of the fear, Elena tried to pierce Bonnie's shoulder in a death grip. Her eyes flashed a bright green and another chilling snap cut through the night. Now both of her limbs were useless. Bonnie gripped her chin, forcing her to look at her as the blood started to seep out of Elena's ears.
"If anyone is a walking reminder of pain and suffering, it's you, Elena. You and those blood sucking Salvatores…" Elena tried to pull her face free, but Bonnie's nails cut into her skin and caused them to sizzle even more. She could only whimper as she was forced to look up at the witch; her best friend. "But that's okay. I'm going to kill two birds with one stone…"
Bonnie thrust her hand out just as Stefan and Damon tried to rush her from both sides. They were rooted to the spot and then lifted into the air as her fingers curled toward the moon. The two vampires struggled until Bonnie's hand curled into a fist. Both Damon and Stefan's spines snapped - their bodies twisting in unnatural angles. A sound like a whip crack caused Elena to jump and she saw their necks twisted in opposite directions. Bonnie then dropped their bodies onto the ground and they landed with a sickening thud noise in the grass.
"You want to be with them so badly? You want us to screw off and stay the hell out of your life?" The cold smile on the witch's face melted away completely. "Fine by me."
Elena wasn't sure if she was more beautiful, terrifying, or terrifyingly beautiful in that instant. It was like she was staring at the face of God and being judged.
The last thing she saw was her best friend twisting her wrist and the world plunging to darkness.
Everything was a haze. There was a distinct rattling of chains that brought her out of her stupor. Elena blinked slowly, her vision coming into focus. When she looked up, she saw Bonnie dressed casually - her boots scuffling along the dirt and stone at their feet.
Elena tried to move but found it impossible, her legs shackled to the cold stone behind her. A look of triumph painted itself across Bonnie's face and it was then that she realized what was happening.
"Bonnie…" Elena's voice was dry and she barely managed to feel her tongue touching the roof of her mouth.
"You're finally awake." Bonnie folded her arms across her chest and laughed. "I mean, I know I did a number on you but come on. Figured you were made of tougher stuff than that."
Again, the chains rattled in protest when Elena tried to take a step forward. She noticed she was still in her prom dress and winter coat. Her hands were free. Only her legs had been chained.
"Are you comfortable? I didn't want to restrain you all the way. Didn't think it was necessary."
"Bonnie! Let us out!"
"Come on, Bonnie, you don't have to do this!"
Though they were muffled, it was clearly Damon and Stefan's voices.
Elena looked at the large stone wall that was at Bonnie's back. Just over her shoulder, she noticed that there were intricate runes and symbols carved into the surface. The markings trailed all the way down to the ground and continued down along a path that stopped at Elena's feet. She had a feeling that those same markings were on the wall behind her.
"What did you do?"
Bonnie's hand slid up the surface of the wall. "Do you like it? I made it myself. Took me a minute - had to do a bit of digging through some Bennett literature but I was able to figure it out." She knocked on the stone gently.
Elena attempted to swallow the lump that was forming in her throat. "Why are you doing this?"
"What are you talking about? I'm only giving you what you want." Bonnie took a few steps toward her as she clasped her hands behind her back. "I'm letting you be with the Salvatores like you want. I'm writing ourselves out of your life, just like you want."
Suddenly, she clapped her hands and spun on her heels - lighting an array of candles that had been placed everywhere in the chamber. "Well, it's more like I'm writing you out of our lives, but what's the difference?"
She tried to rush at Bonnie but was stopped short just three feet from the witch. The chains had magical properties to them. Otherwise Elena could have broken them easily. As sweat broke out across her forehead, she could only continue to blink in shock at the calmness that washed over Bonnie's entire being.
"You can't seriously be thinking of locking us up in this place. Bonnie, come on!"
Her laugh rang out, echoing against the stone walls. "And why not?"
"Because that's not who you are!"
"See, that's where you're wrong, Elena. Because that's exactly who I am." Her eyes narrowed harshly. "The one thing I've learned about wielding Expression? It's opened my eyes to how much you all need me. How much you needed witches, period. And yet we're treated as less than bloodsuckers like you?" Bonnie scoffed. "Without us, vampires would have become extinct a long time ago. Because you gave up your right to stand in the sun when you decided to embrace darkness forever. That is your curse and your burden to bear, not mine."
Reaching out with one hand, Bonnie's palm hovered in front of Elena's face and she crumbled to the ground - writhing in agony. She could hear Stefan and Damon yelling on the other side of the stone wall, but it was an incoherent jumble of sounds to her ears. Her nails dug into the dirt, scraping at the stone and cracking her nails.
"B-Bonnie, stop! Please!"
"I won't be blamed for the choices you make. I won't be responsible for cleaning up anymore messes. For the first time in my life, I'm putting myself first." Just as quickly as the pain came, it disappeared and Elena looked up at Bonnie. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some scum to chase out of town and an immortal being to banish. You can stay here and think about all the misery you've caused and when I feel like you've learned your lesson, then I'll let you all out."
The witch pivoted on her heel and started heading toward a darker part of the cave - an exit of some kind. Elena fought against her bindings and screamed out for Bonnie to come back. She wasn't sure if she was enraged or truly hurt, but something inside of Elena snapped. Like a switch had been turned on.
And then the tears came full force, her screaming apologies lost forever as she heard a stone roll slowly - sealing her and the Salvatores inside.