…
Mystic Falls, 2094.
...
She startled awake, a chill clinging to her and she hugged her arms around herself.
"It's time, BonBon. You know it, I do… Don't look at me like that."
She gaped. She couldn't help it. Before her, sitting in a reclining sofa chair, a blanket across his legs, sat Damon Salvatore, all gray hair and deep wrinkles, a smidgen of crow's feet around each eye. Eyes, cloudy with age, yet still bright.
It took her a moment to remember. Untethered from time, Bonnie Bennett was floating through the universe, as mind boggling as that thought alone was, she hadn't realized she'd be traveling to the future, too. See Damon like this, an old man.
Unbidden, tears welled in her eyes and she clutched his hands, making him cock his head and smirk.
"You're not leaving me, are you?" she muttered, sniffling as he shook his head lightly.
"You knew this day would come, Bon." His hand reached up to cup her cheek. "I've spent this last week without her, and I don't think I can do it much longer. She and I… we need to be together. I'll finally see her again. And I'll see my brother…"
She was sobbing. "Can you tell him I forgive him? Tell Elena I miss her."
He nodded. "They know." He didn't even really sound like his younger self anymore. He sounded… at peace.
"Tell Enzo I miss him and I'll be with him soon?"
He squinted at her, his grin widening. "Oh," he muttered. "This is time traveling you, isn't it?"
Eyes widening, she frowned at him. "You know?"
"Bonster, of course I know. And I know that you'll be fine. You'll be okay."
"How do you know?"
He sighed, his eyes clouding a bit more. He was close. On death's threshold.
"Because you're here now. In this 'future.' Where Enzo is still very much around. You, on the other hand, are literally quite dead." He patted her hand, chuckling at her stunned expression.
Grams' vision of the future… In which she was a vampire. She was so confused. How did Damon know about all this?
"You know. I've come to think of it all as 'Quantum Leap, the Bennett Sequel'. You've seen that show, right? You're Sam Beckett? Grams is Al?"
She scoffed. "And who are you?"
"I'm the addition that made this sequel come into its own. The cherry on top. The snark and banter to keep the sappy "Time travelers wife" undertones at bay."
"Right…" It was her turn to chuckle, and she rolled her eyes at the grin he showed her.
"You'll be okay, Bon. The thing you need to know, the thing that will save you is…" A sudden coughing fit kept him from continuing and worriedly, she leaned in to lightly pat his back.
"Don't do this, Damon. Don't die before giving me this piece of crucial information, like this is some stupid tv show after all, okay?"
His cough turned into more of a chuckle again, before he fell silent, taking a few deep if ragged breaths. "Wouldn't do that to my best friend."
"So? Crucial info? Big reveal?"
"Dear Sheila found out that you're tethered to… aw, speak of the devil. Enzo, my boy, Bonnie of the future is here again."
She followed the direction of his gaze, gasping as she saw Enzo standing in the door frame, smiling. Looking almost exactly as the last time she had seen him.
"Enzo," she breathed.
"Hello, love…"
As if reading her mind, Damon whispered conspiratorially, "You should know, the romantic idiot always insisted on wearing the same horribly outdated outfits. Just so you would feel at home, no matter at what times you jumped back into our lives…"
Her heart made a leap, and she returned Enzo's contagious smile before getting up to walk toward him. Arms reaching out for him, she cupped his face in both hands, looking up at him, her heart almost exploding, her tears brimming over, before she kissed him fiercely, feeling his hands against her neck, against her side. His touch felt so good. She didn't want to let go ever again.
He was really here.
"Is it true?" she eventually asked, slowly extricating herself a little bit to look at him again. "I'll make it out of this time debacle?"
He raised an eyebrow, exchanging a fleeting glimpse with Damon that she caught. That she didn't like.
"Enzo."
"It's complicated."
"How is it—"
She was cut off abruptly, a gust of wind ripping her away so quickly that she didn't have a chance to cling to him, to do anything. To get answers. No, she thought, no no no. This couldn't happen yet. She had just gotten him back. And Damon was on the verge of dying. She hadn't had a chance to catch up. Or say good bye.
She needed more time, more time with Enzo, with Damon. Time to figure this out.
Why didn't she get more time?
"Nooooooo!" she yelled against the wind, angry and frustrated, and starting to feel lost. Until she didn't feel anything anymore and the wind calmed again.
…