Caroline walked into the Mystic Grill, beaming. She'd just left school and Matt to his football practice. Things went well today. Bonnie didn't show up, but Elena and Stefan did. They acted weird and when she'd asked them what the problem was, they said it was nothing. She guessed that Klaus being somewhere in Mystic Falls had shaken them up. With that thought in mind, she looked up and around the Grill, looking for anyone she didn't recognize but saw nothing.
She ate her lunch and got ready to leave, but just as she did, her phone rang, an unfamiliar number on the screen.
"Hello?"
"She's dead," a voice said bluntly.
"What? Elena, what are you talking about? Who's dead? And whose number is this?" she questioned, lowering her voice as she hopped into her car and blasted down the street. She had a terrible feeling in her gut.
"It's not Elena," she replied in a weak, tired voice.
"Katherine, where are you? Who is dead?" she asked frantically.
"Hello, Ms. Forbes," a voice smooth like silk or velvet said in a European accent.
"Who is this?" she demanded.
Someone she knew was dead and she needed to know who, though in the back of her mind, a name flashed.
"I'm known by many names, but I believe you may know me as Klaus. Ring any bells?"
Caroline's eyes widened. She couldn't believe she was talking to the oldest vampire alive.
"Where's Katherine? You gonna kill her, and who else did you kill?"
"Me? Kill someone? No, not yet, but if you're this clueless, then obviously the Salvatore Brothers and dear Elena don't trust you very much."
"Just talk."
"So demanding. If you want it, you've got it. Your witch is dead."
"Who? What are you talking about?" She said, pulling into her driveway and going into her house.
The only witch she knew was…
"No," she whispered in horror.
"No, no, no, no. Please, no. Where is she? Where's Bonnie?"
"Well, if the Salvatores and Elena got a hold of her, I would say six feet under," he taunted.
"No," she sobbed out.
"You have a nice day now," he said in the same tone. She could practically hear the smile in his voice.
No, not Bonnie, I can't lose her, she thought.
As much as she loved Elena, she and Bonnie had a different bond. Whenever Elena was out partying or whatever else she did before her parents died, Caroline and Bonnie were having sleepovers and spending time together. Bonnie was her better half as a human. When Caroline turned, Bonnie became her humanity personified and now half of herself was gone.
She went to her room and cried long and deep. Longer than she had since her father had left. She lost herself in grief, gorged herself in pain for three days straight, crying and lamenting and remembering and grieving. Eventually, her mother returned home and beckoned her.
Matt and her mother were convened in the kitchen when she arrived. They looked towards her with serious expressions that made way for shock as they took in her state of disarray.
"Oh Caroline," her mother crooned. She seemed hesitant to approach her for a moment, but a sob escaped the younger blonde's lips and her mother flocked over to her, holding her tightly in her arms.
"Sweetie, what is it?"
"It's Bonnie," she blurted out before pausing.
What could she say? She couldn't tell her mother an ancient vampire killed her soul sister and Elena, Stefan and Damon kept her out of the loop like she meant nothing to Bonnie and vice versa.
"What? What happened?" she asked worriedly.
She quickly came up with a lie, crying all the while.
"She ran away, no note or anything. She just left and neither Elena nor Stefan told me a thing. Why do my friends all keep leaving or dying? Sarah, Amy, Tyler, now Bonnie. Mommy, I just can't take it anymore. It's like I'm cursed to never be happy," she ranted hysterically.
"Oh, honey, maybe she'll call or send a letter," she tried to reason, but she didn't know the real story. She never would.
"She won't. She's gone forever, and it's all Elena, Stefan and Damon's fault. I hate them, Mom. Oh goodness, I hate them so much. They made her leave me. She's gone," she sobbed, falling to the ground.
Matt hurried to her aid, holding her. She could barely breathe, not that she needed to, but she was getting uncomfortable.
"Shh, Shh. Breathe, Care, just breath."
She took shuddering breaths. She barely registered that the phone rang and her mom was on it, talking to someone about her. She was too lost in grief.
Minutes later, someone picked her up, put her in a car and sped away from her house. Somewhere within that time, she'd gotten her bearings about myself and turned to Damon. She stared at him for a little while and then turned to the window, stone-faced.
The car ride was a silent one, heavy with emotions and unspoken words. They pulled up to a gray, dilapidated house that looked like it had burned at one point.
"Get out," he ordered, stepping out of the car himself.
Suddenly, something clicked in her head. She bolted out of the car and immediately got in his face, her predatory instincts kicking in. As weird as it sounded, if Bonnie was dead, Caroline wanted her body. She was the only one who knew what Bonnie would've wanted. It was up to her to fulfill Bonnie's final wishes.
"Where is she?" she growled.
"I took care of it," he responded emotionlessly.
"It? It?! What do you mean it? She's a person, she was my person, and because of you and Stefan's "love" for Elena, she's gone, forever. I know it may be hard for you to realize, but she was a person with people who loved her. Or a person because you, Stefan and Elena found it so easy to bury her like a dirty little secret, but I loved her. She was my sister, my humanity and you killed her. You killed her!" She screamed, getting her anger out and repeating her last statement as she beat at his chest with her fists, crying.
He stood with a shocked expression on his face, not expecting her reaction. He soon gathered himself and when she went to punch his face, he caught her hand and brought her close so she was looking into his eyes.
"Calm down. I mean it. Now, you need to listen to what I'm about to say to you, because I'm only gonna tell you once, no interruptions, got it?"
She nodded reluctantly after a moment and a harder squeeze of her hand.
"Klaus was there at the school. He somehow possessed Alaric's body. He attacked Bonnie, but he told her he had a warlock put a protection spell over him. If she tried to break the spell, then go in for the kill, all that power would've killed her. Instead, we made a plan to cast a spell to resurrect her after she died expelling Klaus from Ric's body."
He stared at her with anticipation. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. After three days of feeling like her life was shattered, to hear it was all just a hoax was unbelievable. Bonnie did die, but now she was fine.
"You mean she's okay? There's nothing wrong with her?" She asked, not wanting to get her hopes up. Damon could just be playing a sick joke on her.
"She's doing surprisingly well for someone whose heart just exploded in their chest," he replied in his usual tone. She disregarded his quip and lack of seriousness.
"Where is she?"
"She's in the base—"
She didn't let him finish before she vamp sped into the house and looked around frantically,
"Bonnie! Bonnie, where are you?"
"Caroline? Care, is that you?"
Her voice was like the sweetest, most profound symphony of music she'd ever heard. She followed her voice, and all at once, they were standing face to face. She looked like she was perfectly at home in the dirt-filled basement, in sweats and socks, an air mattress behind her and surrounded by lit candles. They reflected off the moisture in her eyes. She didn't know how long they stood there, their eyes mesmerized with each other's face. At some point, she walked a step closer to the blonde.
"Care bear, I'm so sorry."
That was all it took to shake her from her daze. She ran to the witch's open arms, hugging her tightly and carefully. She reciprocated with just as much fervor and strength in her hug.
"I'm so, so, so sorry, Care. I thought you knew," she apologized tearfully.
"I thought you were gone. I was so lost."
"Bon, I love you. You're my best friend, my sister from another mister, one of my few reasons to carry on this life. I can't lose you. Not again, I want you to find another way to save Elena."
"Caroline—" she started in protest.
"No. You have to start being selfish, Bonnie. Put yourself and your health first. You weren't born to die for Elena. No one is born just so they can die for someone else. At least think about it?"
"Okay, I'll think about it. Well, welcome to my humble and very dusty abode. Would like to have a seat?" she said, smiling at her.
For the first time in forever, Caroline smiled.