Author's Note: I'm loving a lot of your predictions! You guys are great. I'm so sorry that I took so long to update, but college has been kicking my butt. But, enough of my excuses, here's the third chapter of Decisions.
Damon angrily threw open the door of the fridge as he tore up the house in search of his Bourbon stash. It was a little past 11 a.m. and he was anxious for his routinely breakfast of Bourbon shots and pistachios. He had been looking for his bottle for well over an hour, and he was livid.
"Stefan!" he shouted, slamming the door shut. Seconds later, Stefan appeared at the entrance of the kitchen. He leaned against the wall as he bit into an apple.
"You called for me?" he asked pleasantly. Damon glared coldly as he swiped a knife out of the drawer. The grin disappeared from Stefan's face as he dropped the apple to the ground and straightened up worriedly.
"Stop with the childish games," Damon declared as he inched closer to his shaken brother.
"Damon… lower the knife," Stefan whispered.
"Bring me my bottle and then we can talk about lowering things," he spat as he inched closer.
"I think we should talk now. While you're sober," Stefan told him, watching the flicker of hatred that flashed Damon's face.
"Oh, be careful what you wish for, brother. With the way sober Damon is feeling right now, things aren't looking too great for your future," he threatened.
"I wanted to ask you why you've been sleeping with weapons next to you," he asked, ignoring Damon's threat. He continued to near him.
"For times like this when you pull stupid shit," he responded.
"I'm just looking out for you," he whispered.
"Well, don't! Just fuck off and pretend like you don't care about me. I promise you, I'll appreciate that way more," he declared. The hurt on Stefan's face was undeniable as he slowly backed out of the kitchen. Seconds later, he returned with a box full of Bourbon glasses. Damon dropped the knife to the ground and snatched up the box, brushing roughly past Stefan.
"You're really a mess over her, aren't you?" Stefan muttered, watching as Damon instantly halted his movements. He snapped around and locked eyes with his brother.
"Don't," he warned.
"Maybe we should talk about that. Maybe we should talk about the comment that you made about loving Bonnie," Stefan pressed. Damon tossed the box behind his head as he sped to stand directly in front of his brother. Stefan's alerted form returned as he watched the several glasses burst to the ground, spewing Bourbon all over the wooden floor. Damon pinned him up against the wall as he gritted his teeth.
"I'm fucking warning you, Stefan. Stop provoking me," he growled.
"What has she done to you, brother?" Stefan whispered painfully. Damon opened his mouth to respond, but was silenced by the entrance of a tall, hot blonde. The shrieks came seconds later.
"What's happening? Damon, put him down!" she demanded. She was frozen in her spot because of the mess of Bourbon and glass shards that decorated the floor. Damon slowly registered what he was doing as he looked between Stefan and Caroline. He brought him back down to eye level before releasing him roughly.
"Clean this shit up," he barked as he flew to the door.
"Where are you going?" Stefan questioned.
"To the liquor store," he grumbled before exiting swiftly.
"There's a damaged liquor store currently on the floor," Caroline muttered as she slowly made her way around the glass shards. She walked up to Stefan and pecked him quickly. "Is everything alright?"
"Damon's just… depressed, I think," Stefan responded lowly. After Damon's prior confession about his love for Bonnie, Stefan couldn't deny that the thought lingered in his mind. He didn't want to believe that Damon and Bonnie could be capable of going behind Elena's back with each other, but it was all beginning to make sense. He was a little too affected by her absence.
"Do you think it's because of Bonnie? He's been wild since she's been gone," she wondered. Stefan cleared his throat nervously.
"Possibly," he admitted.
"Why do you think it's hitting him so hard?" Caroline asked as she trailed her fingers down the side of his face. While she missed her best friend dearly, she found a way to move on from it. She couldn't understand why Damon wasn't able to do the same.
"Um… I think he's just missing Elena a lot more than usual," he lied. While he believed that it was partly true, he knew that most of his sorrows derived from the fact that Bonnie was missing. He couldn't admit it aloud, though.
"That's true," Caroline agreed. She sighed heavily and walked over to the supply closet, pulling out a mop. "I suppose we should clean this up before it gets sticky."
"I honestly can't wait for us to get our place together. I'm so ready to move in," he admitted, even though he knew that he would be worried about his brother being so far away from him.
"Only one more week," she chirped. He smiled in response, cringing at the bittersweet ache that rested in his chest.
…
Enzo walked up the cobble-stoned steps of Vega Manor with a determined look on his face. For the past year, he had been in desperate pursuit of a witch that could lead him in the direction of Bonnie. His findings landed him in an isolated city with a vastly minimal population.
He hesitantly knocked on the doubled doors as he awaited a response. He couldn't deny how terrified he was of the possibilities as his mind roamed chaotically. He hadn't really had the best of luck with witches in his past time, and he knew how hard it would be to physically locate Bonnie, but he had to try. He refused to end up like Damon.
The door eased open, revealing a marvelously beautiful young woman. She looked to be in her early twenties. Tanned skin, green eyes, and dark waves that cascaded down her shoulders. She smiled slightly as her eyes trekked Enzo's form.
"My, my, my. Look who we have here," she hummed as she tugged on her lip. Enzo smiled cautiously as he cleared his throat shortly afterward.
"I'm looking for Angelina Vega," he remarked, watching as her eyes widened slightly.
"You've found her," she responded, tilting her head. He let out a breath, as he looked her over.
"You're the witch that located the darkest warlock in all of history and defeated him?" he asked curiously. She looked taken back, studying him thoroughly.
"Looks like someone's been doing some research," she said, opening the door wider. "Come in."
"Didn't your mother warn you against letting strangers into your home?" he joked as he stepped into her large house.
"Strangers? Yes. Ridiculously charming vampires? No," she responded. He turned to her, eyeing her suspiciously.
"How did you—
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist, my friend. I've had several different versions of you appear at my door in the past few years. None of them slightly as handsome, but they all had that same terrified look on their faces. They needed my help, and I already know that you're about to ask me to do you a tremendously huge favor," she told him. He sighed heavily as he took a seat on her leathered sofa.
"So I guess this is when I present you with my proposal," he responded.
"And after, you'll tell me exactly why I should help you," she justified. He toyed with his ring as he nodded slowly.
"My girlfriend has been missing for about a year now. I know she's alive, and I need to find her," he spoke. She was quiet for a moment as she allowed his words to sink in.
"How do you know she's alive?" she wondered.
"It's a funny story," he began.
"Enlighten me," she retorted as she claimed a spot across from him.
"Her life is linked to the life of another one of my associates, named Elena. She was put into a sleeping coma for as long as Bonnie, my girlfriend, is alive. Once she wakes up, then that'll confirm her… death," he said, choking out the last part. Angelina nodded slowly as she crossed her arms across her chest.
"Now, this Bonnie that you speak of… how do you know that she wants to be found? It seems quite odd that she's been missing for over a year, yet she still happens to be alive," she speculated. Enzo grimaced to himself as he looked away from her.
"Listen, I know how this sounds… but it isn't like Bonnie to run away. Something happened to her, and I'm not going to stop until I find out where she is. Angelina, can you help me?" he pleaded. She was quiet for a long while before she smiled cunningly.
"I might be able to. But… there's something that I need you to do for me first," she said, watching as his eyebrows rose warily.
…
Eliza awoke from her brief slumber as Bonnie finished the dinner that she had prepared for herself. She took advantage of her loneliness to utilize the kitchen and teach herself to cook. It wasn't as hard as it seemed to be.
She sat her plate down on the counter as she lifted her baby out of her crib. She rocked the crying child on her shoulder as she looked around the empty house. Her heart longed for the comfort of her loved ones, but she refused to go back. Being able to have a child of her own meant a great deal to her, especially considering the circumstances of Mystic Falls and the life that she was doomed to lead. It made her sick to her stomach at the possibility that Eliza would follow in her footsteps if she allowed herself to go home.
"I love you," she whispered as she trailed light kisses along Eliza's forehead. Her crying let up slowly as she drew her tiny head back to examine her mother. Bonnie couldn't get over how beautiful she was.
She slowly set her down in the crib and reclaimed her spot at the dinner table. She had a daily routine of preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner, and tending to Eliza in all the moments in between. She was surprised that she hadn't gained 400 pounds since her move to the island.
She was also surprised that she had managed to meet only one person during her lengthy stay, and that person was her landlord.
She was a middle aged, quiet woman with four cats and a prosthetic leg. No husband, no kids, no family. She stumbled upon a neighborhood of houses on the island that hadn't been touched for centuries, and she was granted ownership of all of them. She resided on the island because she had been doing research there for several years. She was incredibly shocked to see that someone else had decided to move there.
Bonnie told the woman that she moved there because she was in hiding from an abusive relationship. The woman understood completely, and she allowed Bonnie to reside in one of the homes for an incredible cost.
She wrapped up a plate of food and stuffed it into a tiny picnic basket. Another routine that was a part of her schedule was to bring over a meal for the woman every other day.
She placed the baby carrier onto her torso and placed Eliza inside of it, and exited the house. She walked the short distance over to the woman's home and knocked on the door. The woman opened the door and smiled warmly at her presence.
"Bonnie," she greeted happily. "I was wondering where you were. My tummy's been rumbling all afternoon."
"Good evening, Tawny. Eliza's been fussing all day and I just got her to calm down," Bonnie said, stepping into the woman's home. It was set up almost identical to her own.
"It's all good, dear. What's on the menu for today?" she wondered as she limped over to the dining table. Bonnie smiled cheekily as she removed the contents from the basket.
"Ravioli with herbed walnut sauce," she responded. Tawny licked her lips as she cheered silently.
"One of my favorites," she cooed, sitting down to the table. Bonnie sat across from her as she removed Eliza from the carrier. Tawny's eyes found hers as she eagerly dug into the food.
"You know, before you got here, I thought I was going to starve myself to death," she admitted. "It was always so hard getting food shipped all of the way out here. You've managed to work wonders."
"I try," Bonnie laughed, swallowing thickly. She used her powers to provide her with the resources that she needed to survive, acquiring food and items that you'd see around the stores. Being that there wasn't a source for any of that around where they lived, she had to use her powers to make those things available to her in a convenient manner.
"Your daughter is such a beauty," Tawny acknowledged. "She looks practically identical to you."
"Thank you," Bonnie responded. "She hasn't exactly grown into her fathers looks yet."
"Well that's a good thing, right?" Tawny barked. Bonnie narrowed her eyes.
"Excuse me?" she asked softly.
"Well, her father was an abusive bastard, right? There's no need to have to look at your child and be reminded of his face on a daily basis," she said back. Bonnie slowly remembered the lie that she had told and nodded her head quickly.
"You're right," she said, looking away. Tawny noticed.
"I'm sorry… was that out of line?" she apologized.
"No, it's okay. It's… true. I'd rather not be reminded of him," she said lowly. She looked down at Eliza and sighed heavily as her emotions slowly crept up on her.
"I'm really sorry that I brought it up," Tawny said as she noticed the sad glint in Bonnie's eyes.
"Really, it's okay," she reassured. She stood to her feet and looked at the time. "Well, it's about time that I get a little bath going for Eliza. I'll see you around, Tawny."
"I'll walk you to the door," Tawny said sadly as she slowly led Bonnie to the door. She felt terrible about her loose lips. "I'll see you later."
"Bye, Tawny. Enjoy the food," she said as she forced out a smile. She quickly cascaded down the steps and hurried to her house.
As soon as she was in the privacy of her own home, she broke down. She clutched Eliza to her chest as she wailed helplessly, reminiscing on the life that she had left behind. Eliza's cries picked up as well as they both clung to each other, desperately trying to find comfort in the other. Bonnie anxiously waited for the day that she'd be able to move on, but a huge part of her knew that that day would never come.
Author's Note: So, Damon has completely lost his mind and Enzo has found a possible connection… please leave me a review and let me know what you guys are thinking! Xoxo.