A/N: Hi everyone, I'm baack! I'm so sorry it's been a long while but life has been really hectic with work and whatnot and I just couldn't quite get this chapter right. This chapter is a little longer than most updates and I promise that the next one won't take so long! One thing I did just want to remind everyone (since it's been forever haha) is that this fic takes in place of the current (season 7) storyline so will involve the consequences of using the Phoenix Stone. If you feel like you need to re-read the last chapter to refresh your memory by all means go ahead. Happy reading!

Ashes Remain - Right Here

I can see every tear you've cried like an ocean in your eyes

All the pain and the scars have left you cold

I can see all the fears you face through a storm that never goes away

Don't believe all the lies that you've been told

I'll be right here now, to hold you when the sky falls down

I will always be the one who took your place

When the rain falls

I won't let go

I'll be right here.

Bonnie paced her room anxiously, occasionally swearing under her breath at the throbbing pain in her hand. In what universe had she expected a good outcome to come out punching a vampire? She had done a lot of stupid things in the past, however this scored pretty high up on the list. Grumbling, she attempted to organise her scattered thoughts. Tonight had come the heart-breaking and soul shattering realisation that she well and truly had feelings for Damon. Damon Salvatore of all people in the entire world. Why? Because he looks at you in a way no-one else does. Because he has been there for you in the past few years more than anyone else has. Because he makes you laugh. Because despite all his faults, you know he'd pretty much do anything for you a small, annoying voice in her head explained. Uncertain whether she should laugh, cry or do both, she tried to consider all the options available to her in order to erase this entire situation. Perhaps she'd look into a memory spell? Perhaps she'd pack up and move to Antarctica with the penguins. Perhaps she would ask Stefan to compel Damon's entire existence out of her memories…not that the compulsion would work on her she realised bitterly. Screaming out in frustration, she threw the bag of peas Damon had dug out for her hand against the wall and dropped down onto her bed.

Remembering the way Damon had trapped her against the wall and how his rough hands had felt on her waist, she lay down so that she faced the ceiling and closed her eyes guiltily. Despite her anger towards him, she had wanted to kiss him. She felt as if she was trapped in a war between her head and her heart, and for the most part, she was able to reason with her heart and led with her head. Her body however was a separate entity in itself and betrayed her. It was as if every fibre in her body ached for his touch and there was nothing she could do to control it. One second longer tonight and they would have kissed she realised, the hollow pit in her stomach deepening. But you didn't the small voice in her mind reminded her pitifully. Sighing, she closed her eyes and tried to summon a memory from a time when everything was simpler. A time when all she was worried about was whether or not Caroline would notice that she hadn't memorised the choreography from last week's cheerleading practice.

Wallowing in self-pity, she failed to hear the door open and didn't notice the fact that she was no longer alone. It wasn't until she heard low voices that her eyes snapped open and she bolted upwards. Her eyes settled on three strangers; two women and a man who stood before her motionless, chanting in another language. A spell. Was that Sage she could smell burning? Privacy spell!

"What the he—" she began when an ear splitting scream filled the room. A scream so loud and filled with such anguish it brought a tear to her eyes. It wasn't until she dropped to her knees that she realised that the scream belonged to her. Withering on the floor she continued to scream, agony pulsating through her as she saw flashes of people being tortured before her eyes. As she saw an image of a woman being stabbed in the chest, she felt the stake pierce her own mediastinum the pain so intense it felt real.

"Please! Please make it stop!" she gasped clutching her chest in pure undiluted pain.

It wasn't long until Bonnie found herself wishing for death. Death would be better than this she thought. As her eyes blurred from the tears which burned out of her ducts, she found herself closing her eyes and succumbing to the torture. After everything you've been through, is this really how you want to go out? The voice cried out and it was in that moment that she felt a stir of emotions grumble beneath the surface of her defeat. Anger. She felt anger so strong it was almost palpable. Consumed by her blind rage, she felt the pain subside—or perhaps she was too distracted by the anger pulsating through her. Her hands trembled as she felt a new sense of strength and an overwhelming power course through her. Magic. That's what was fuelling her and yet, it was different. She felt…different. Gritting her teeth, she opened her eyes and slowly sat up her eyes focused entirely on the witches before her who were exchanging a look of panic. They began to chant louder but it was useless, their magic didn't seem to so much as touch her. All she could feel was anger so intense she could barely focus on anything else and all she wanted was to ensure that she made them feel the way she had just felt. Somewhere the small voice was screaming at her to stop but she barricaded it away as she raised her arms and snapped her fingers, causing all three perpetrators to drop to their knees before her. The overhead lights shattered and a gush of wind surrounded them, causing papers and clothing to be displaced around the room. Watching the three witches scream in agony just as she had done moment before, she grinned wickedly, feeling euphoric.

"What? I'm just getting started," she informed them darkly.

The journey to Bonnie's room was swift and quite the blur, the prevailing and yet almost paralyzing thought that he'd be too late fuelling him. Bonnie Bennett will die, Ebony had said and considering she was one of the very few witches he truly trusted, he didn't hesitate to act. They'd met back in 1987 after he saved her and her family from a group of rouge vampires; she'd felt indebted to him ever since. Although he didn't consider her to be one of his friends, she was certainly an ally which was why he had trusted her to search for a loophole in the sleeping curse Kai had cast. How ironic that just as he had lost hope and begun to heal from the loss, she'd arrived with the news that Bonnie was the key to undoing the spell. It didn't escape him that somehow all roads always led back to Bonnie Bennett.

He arrived outside the apartment building and immediately shot up the stairs, kicking the door open without hesitation and surging into the room. A rush of adrenaline sparked through him and for the first time in a long time, he found himself truly afraid. Afraid for her. A true gift, courtesy of vampirism was that he rarely worried for Stefan or himself; however Bonnie was a whole different ballgame and despite her magic, she was vulnerable to death. Entering the room, he took in the mess before him; his eyes wide and his breath catching as he scanned the room quickly. It looked as if a tornado had blew through the room; books, papers and clothes scattered on the floor and all surfaces. Spotting Bonnie standing in the middle of the room facing away from him, he released the breath he'd been holding until his eyes fell on the three unmoving bodies which lay at her feet. As a feeling of dread shot through his body, he rushed forwards and grabbed her petite frame, swivelling her around to face him.

"Hey! Bon!" he exclaimed taking in the large volume of blood that covered her neck, abdomen and arms. The copper, metallic smell of the blood served to make him nauseous with anxiety despite being ravenous. "Hey," he said, the tone of his voice soft and barely audible.

Bonnie who was so small she reminded him of a Little Bird stood before him; her face mirroring that of a blank canvas. It was almost impossible to believe that it had been merely an hour since she had looked at him with an expression so passionate it had nearly torn him apart not to kiss her. Now, her eyes were blank, unresponsive and vacant causing the feeling of terror to spike.

"Are you hurt?" he asked more firmly whilst simultaneously using his hands to graze at her skin and inspect her head to toe. Realising that the blood did not belong to her and that she'd somehow came away unscathed, he briefly closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers, a wave of relief passing through him. Once establishing that she was physically unharmed, he then turned to the three bodies and quickly checked for a pulse; all three were dead. Returning to Bonnie who was uncharacteristically silent, he took her face into his hands and forced her to look up at him. The green eyes which were typically alight with fire and mischief were unfocused and dull serving to unsettle and re-ignite the sense of dread.

"Damnit Bonnie!" he exclaimed shrugging his black leather jacket off and wrapping it around her small shoulders. "Listen, I'm going to get you out of here okay?" he coaxed his voice instructive but yet soft as he slipped an arm around her small frame and liftedher entire body up off the ground. Cradling her in his arms as he had many times before, he carried her out of the room.

Caroline stormed into the Salvatore house and made a bee-line to Damon who stood with a glass of Bourbon in his hands. Typical, she thought irritated. Anger, confusion and fear morphed together coursed through her all at once and the only thing she needed was to make sure Bonnie was okay.

"Where is she?" she snapped, her arms crossed across her chest defiantly.

It wasn't entirely his fault, she knew that and yet somehow she was unable to push away the powerful urge to rip his eyes out. Upon hearing the news from Stefan, her mind had automatically flown to the fact that it had been Damon who had coaxed her into using that damned stone in the first place. Furthermore, it irritated her that Damon hadn't informed them of the witch who'd approached him about Bonnie. Perhaps if they had known, she wouldn't be in this predicament. Conversely, she knew that Damon had asked Bonnie to use the stone in order to get Elena's coffin back from Lily; thus how could she blame him for protecting her other best friend?

"Upstairs," he retorted taking a long swig out of his glass. "…Sleeping. I wouldn't interrupt her," he called out after her as she began heading for the stairs.

Sighing in frustration she pushed her hair out of her face in exasperation and began to pace the room. All the variety of scenarios which could have taken place swarmed in her mind, driving her insane. How the hell did our lives get this complicated?

"Has she said anything?" she asked chewing on her lips, anxious at the thought of Bonnie having to kill not one, but three people in order to defend herself. Experience had taught Caroline that context was of little relevance; taking a life would haunt Bonnie for the rest of her life and that broke her heart.

"Nada," he retorted taking another swig.

Silence stretched out between them as she focused on quietening her rage.

Three, two…one.

"How did this happen?!" she finally spat out, unable to contain herself.

He looked at her coolly over the glass, his eyes widening as realisation dawned on him. Setting down the glass, his piercing blue eyes honed in on her daringly.

"Why don't you just say it, Blondie?" he challenged.

"Say what?" she bluffed, feigning innocence.

"The fact that you think this is all my fault," he said, the tone of his voice bitter and cold.

"Well, as long as you know," she smirked.

"You think I wanted this?" he roared, the anger evident in his demeanour and feral eyes.

"I don't know, Damon! All I know is that death and pain follows anyone who gets close to you. Stefan, Elena and now Bonnie!" she screamed back, spitting the words at him.

Damon blinked, surprised and caught off guard by her outburst; for the first time, she saw an expression of hurt flash through his usually arrogant eyes.

"That's enough," Stefan's firm voice came from the front door, breaking the palpable tension between them.

Damon stood rooted to the same spot, speechless. Taking a closer look at him, she knew she'd stabbed him where it hurt. Despite all of his faults, deep down even she knew that he would never intentionally do anything to hurt Bonnie. Surprised by the pang of guilt she felt, she sighed and pressed her face into the palm of her hands.

"I'm going to see Bonnie," she announced after a beat and left the room, leaving the two brothers alone.

Halfway up the stairs, the sound of shattering glass sounded from downstairs, startling her. She didn't need to be in the living room to know Damon had thrown his glass into the fireplace in anger. As a feeling of regret settled in the pit of her stomach, she continued up the stairs.

Bonnie sat cross legged in the Californian king bed, her back propped up against at least twenty pillows. It had been two hours and thirty minutes since Damon had found her in her dorm room. Which also meant it had been approximately a little over two hours since she had killed three people. Shivering at the thought, she wrapped her arms around herself tighter. It had all happened so quickly she could barely organise her thoughts. One moment she had been sitting alone, deliberating her life choices and the next, she had been on the floor screaming with such unbearable agony the mere thought of it made her toes curl. The witches had moved like thieves in the night, catching her off guard when she'd been at her most vulnerable. What none of them had anticipated, herself included was for her anger and pain to have the ability to fuel such powerful, dark magic. In the space of seconds; she had taken all three of them off guard and had overpowered them. If she was certain of one thing, it was that the magic she had used had been bad. Dark and dangerous; it certainly hadn't been from the earth and it terrified her to think what the source of that powerful had been. Her? Another shiver shot through her spine.

Swearing under her breath, she closed her eyes shut firmly and begged for sleep. Time had stretched endlessly and despite her every effort; sleep had become a stranger that refused to visit. Perhaps it was because she didn't deserve the peace and tranquillity it would bring. This is what she deserved; to be trapped in her own mind, endlessly circling over the events which had taken place. Hearing Damon and Caroline enter a screaming match downstairs; she released a shaky breath and closed her eyes, settling back on the pillows. She was too exhausted to intervene.

"Hey," she heard Caroline's gentle voice from the door, jolting her out of her mid-dream state.

Unsure how much time had passed since she'd closed her eyes, she bolted upright and wiped her eyes. Taking in the sight of her best friend who stood at the doorway with such concern and anxiety clear in her expression, the tears she'd fought so expertly before suddenly were no longer too far away from escaping.

"Hi," she managed quietly kneading her hands together in front of her.

"Oh Bonnie," Caroline breathed after a minute and surged forwards, shooting into her bed and throwing her arms around her. Bonnie felt the threatening prickling of tears behind her eyes and found herself unable to embrace her back.

"Are you okay?!" she asked pulling back slightly to look at her directly in the face, before she closed her eyes regrettably. "Stupid question, sorry."

"I'm fine," she nodded falsely.

"Bonnie Bennett," Caroline sighed softly taking her hands into her own. "I am your best friend. I can read you like a book and you are not fine. You don't have to do this alone. Your entire life, you've been here for all us—Bonnie you carry us, so please, let me be here for you now. Let me carry you," she finished sincerely, her blue eyes focused on hers.

"I don't know what's happening to me," she admitted.

"You may not feel like it now but you'll be okay. I promise," Caroline said, squeezing her hand tightly.

As a glimpse of sadness entered her eyes, Bonnie was immediately reminded of the time Caroline had made a similar choice. She had killed twelve witches in order to protect her and although Caroline never brought it up again or complained— Bonnie knew the guilt had eaten her up and had tried her best to comfort her. All of them had been touched by death in one way or another she realised gloomily.

"It won't happen in the blink of an eye. It will hurt, but you learn to live with it. You were protecting yourself, and when you realise that – you'll learn to forgive yourself," Caroline added, almost as if reading her thoughts.

A comforting silence stretched out between them as Bonnie settled against Caroline, comforted by her presence.

"You shouldn't be so hard on him you know," she said quietly after a while. "It wasn't his fault."

"I know," came Caroline's reply.

Waking from a terrible nightmare, Bonnie sat up in the bed with her heart racing in her mediastinum and sweat gleaming from her forehead. Glancing at the bedside clock, she was surprised to learn that it was only a little past midnight. Leaving the bedroom, she padded downstairs, the sound of her bare feet moving against the wooden floor filling the eerie silence. The Salvatore boarding house felt like home; more so than she felt in her college dorm. She suspected all the time she had spent here in 1994 had contributed to her sense of belonging. Tugging at her curls which had escaped her ponytail, she pondered silently heading into the living room where she was almost startled out of her body. Damon sat on the couch with a glass of bourbon in his hands, looking contemplative. Stopping in her tracks, she chewed on her lips absently whilst she debated whether or not she should join him. Deciding to leave him alone, she began turning to head back to her room when he looked up and locked eyes with her.

"Hey."

"Hi," she replied gawkily as she approached him.

"Nice outfit," he commented lightly with a raised brow.

Bonnie glanced down at his black hoodie and jogging bottoms she wore which were ridiculously oversized on her and felt her cheeks flush. Shortly after arriving at the Salvatore boarding house, Damon had brought her the only clothes of his he knew would fit her. It was the pair she had always stolen from him whilst stuck in 1994, ergo even when Caroline had brought her some clothes from the dorm, she'd chosen to stay in the hoodie. She liked how familiar and safe she felt in it, but of course he'd now shamelessly taunt her for it.

"Don't flatter yourself. It's not like I'm wearing these out of choice," she lied, settling a few spaces beside him with her leg crossed underneath her.

He merely smiled, apparently letting that blatant lie slide. He must be feeling charitable, she mused silently.

"Couldn't sleep?" he quizzed handing her the glass of liquor.

"Yup," she sighed, taking the glass and screwing her face as it burned its way down her oesophagus; earning an amused smile from him. "You?"

"Same."

When silence followed for a brief moment, she rested her left arm on the back of the couch and allowed her head to settle on her arm; her body still angled so that she faced him.

"Want to talk about it?"

She chewed on her bottom lip, the thoughts which had circulated in her mind for hours clawing at her and itching to be heard. The words she'd been too afraid to say now at the tip of her tongue.

"Something happened back there," she breathed, shivering as she unearthed the memory. "I channelled power that didn't feel quite right. Suddenly it was as if I wasn't in control anymore. I wanted to kill them for what they did to me," she admitted feeling both relieved to finally say the words out loud and also terrified by the truth.

"You can't blame yourself for—"

"No! You're not listening to me," she interrupted him, desperate to be heard. "I didn't have to kill them Damon but I did. I wanted to kill them and at some point, it isn't self-defence as much as it is murder."

Damon leaned forwards and gently took the glass out of her trembling grasp and set it on the table beside them. Turning to her with an earnest expression, his blue eyes held hers with such intensity she almost turned away.

"Bon, listen to me. There's nothing you can say to make me see you any differently. You're a good person," he said reaching over to tuck the strand of loose hair behind her ear. She froze and held her breath; the action so delicate and intimate she forced down a shudder. "I'll get you out of this. I promise," he murmured absently, his thumb now tracing a path on her cheek.

Fighting the instinct to close her eyes and lean into the touch, she turned her head slightly in order to move out of his grasp just as he blinked, realising what he was doing and dropped his hand.

"Bonnie?"

Jumping apart guiltily, her eyes snapped around to Caroline who was standing in the doorway wearing her dressing gown. The expression on her features was unreadable giving away nothing;thus she had no idea how much of the conversation she had seen or heard.

"You coming to sleep?"

"Sure," she said jumping off the couch. "Goodnight," she called to Damon before ducking out of the room and heading for the stairs..

Finding her way back into her room, she apprehensively climbed into the bed and wondered whether Caroline would confront her on what she'd seen—if she had seen anything at all. Besides, nothing really happened. Then why do you feel so guilty the incessant voice spoke in her mind.

"I've told Stefan that I'm staying with you tonight," Caroline explained climbing into bed after Bonnie.

Turning to lie on her side, so that she faced Caroline, she felt a rush of instant relief course through her.

"Good," Bonnie admitted scooting closer to her and settling in the nook under her neck as Caroline's arms went around her and encircled her, hugging her tighter.

With a deep pang in her chest, a memory resurfaced from a very long time ago. They were five years old and having a sleepover at the Gilbert household. Right before bedtime, they had watched a scary movie and as a result, Elena had been terrified to go to sleep. Caroline and Bonnie had therefore climbed out of their inflatable mattresses and snuck into bed with her. Ever since then, all three of them would choose to sleep together when one of them had a nightmare or if one of them was having a terrible day.

"I miss her," she admitted into the silent night, the pit in her chest deepening as she yearned for Elena.

"I miss her too," Caroline replied softly into her hair.

In that moment, Bonnie knew she had to put a stop to whatever was happening with Damon immediately. Although she couldn't control what she felt, she certainly could control what she did about it. It was wrong. Elena was her best friend and she refused to jeopardise and cheapen their friendship by such betrayal. With that decisive thought, she allowed herself to settle into the safety of Caroline's embrace and slept soundly.

A/N: That's all folks! I hope it was everything you expected. I don't usually write from so many different POVs in the same chapter so I hope it flowed smoothly. Please leave a review and let me know how you felt about the fic in general good or bad and where you think this is headed! I love reading everyone's thoughts and comments. Thanks for also sticking with me despite the fact that I'm a nuisance when it comes to updating sometimes.

I'd also like to thank the Bamon fandom in general, I saw some people sharing and discussing this fic on Twitter & Tumblr and I can't describe the feeling of pride I felt. It's the greatest compliment you could ever give me so thank you for spreading the word! Happy reading & until next time!