Good Lord coming up with powers for an ancient witch is hard work, which is probably why you guys only get a glimpse of her powers at the end of this chapter. It is a work in progress that's liquefying my brains. Any suggestions would be helpful. This is definitely more of a filler but they move the plot along so they are needed. Also I have no idea how good or bad this is because I'm practically in a coma as we speak. Lol! So don't be too harsh with me.

Disclaimer: I don't own the vampire diaries, its characters, or its concept.

Chapter 6

"Maybe we should move her to her own bed….."

Elena stopped just short of turning the corner into the kitchen to listen to the conversation between Stefan and Damon. It was still early and she had assumed that everyone would still be asleep though she hadn't gotten a wink knowing that Damon was down the hall in bed with her best friend. But obviously the brothers had been up for some time and discussing the Bonnie issue.

"Why would we do that?"

"Damon," Stefan exhaled loudly, "I don't know if you noticed or not but your girlfriend isn't in a coma anymore."

"Yeah, I'm aware of that, Sherlock. What's your point?"

"Where did you sleep last night?"

Elena crept closer to the entrance of the kitchen and peeked around to catch a glimpse of the brothers. Stefan sat at the island, dressed in dark wash jeans and a gray button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow, while nursing a cup of coffee. Damon stood across from him, leaning his body against the sink in all black, and holding his own mug of coffee though she suspected his contained something harder mixed within the coffee.

Damon shrugged his shoulders and took a sip from his mug. "My bedroom…where else would I sleep?"

"In the bed?"

"No, in the tub…yes, Stefan, in the bed. Get to your point please."

Stefan placed his mug on the island softly and laced his fingers together before placing his chin on them, and locking eyes with Damon. "You slept in the bed with Bonnie last night and your girlfriend slept where exactly? You don't know and that's a problem. I don't think she's going to handle knowing she had to give up her side of the bed to her best friend, very well."

"Her best friend who is in a magically induced coma from having her neck snapped after being force fed vampire blood? Her best friend who is turning into some other worldly thing none of us have ever heard of? Her best friend who may never wake up? I would hope that Elena isn't so self-involved that she wouldn't understand why I chose to sleep with Bonnie last night."

"Maybe she's not but let's say that I am. Why did you choose to sleep with Bonnie last night?"

Damon turned his back on his brother and started adding more coffee and whiskey to his mug. "I didn't want her to wake up alone or to be alone in general. She shouldn't have to go through this without someone there to hold her hand." He turned back to Stefan while taking a healthy sip of whiskey soaked coffee.

"Is that the only reason?"

Damon's eyebrow hiked up and he stopped the cup just mere centimeters from his lips before lowering it and sitting it atop the island. He crossed his arms and gave Stefan a hard look. "And what other reason would there be? She's my best friend; I care if she survives this, Stef."

Stefan nodded enthusiastically. "I'm sure you do. But frankly I think your other feelings may be clouding your thoughts….."

Elena's face became hot and she felt like she was having to remind her lungs to breathe. She listened intently for Damon's reaction but before he could open his mouth, Caroline's voice came screaming down the stairs.

"Guys! Get up here! It's Bonnie!"

Elena felt a strong breeze whip past her as the brothers ran from the kitchen, up to Damon's bedroom. She ran up behind them, thankful that they had been too preoccupied to notice her eavesdropping.

She made it up the steps and to his bedroom only a few seconds after the boys. Stefan had his arm wrapped around Caroline's shoulders and Damon was standing just inside the entrance to the room. Elena pushed past him to see what everyone was looking at. Bonnie was lying on the bed and shaking slightly, a bright light was coming from her chest, her skin was glistening from the sweat and her back was bowed to the point of her forehead touching the mattress beneath her. Her mouth hung open though her eyes remained closed and she appeared to be in pain.

"What's wrong with her?"

Damon shook his head and looked helpless. Caroline stepped away from Stefan and approached Bonnie.

"She's going to hurt herself if we don't straighten her out." She touched a tentative hand to Bonnie's arm and jerked her hand back fast. She turned back to the group while nursing her injured, but quickly healing, fingers. "She's burning up…it took the skin off my fingers."

The words had barely left her mouth before they heard a sharp scream from the bed and everyone turned to look at Bonnie. She was tossing and turning and screaming but within seconds the movements ceased as did the screaming and she went stock still. Everyone was frozen in their places as they watched her intently. All of a sudden Bonnie's eyes snapped opened and she took in a deep intake of air before looking around confused. Her eyes took in every face with a wrinkled brow. Her skin still had a slight glow to it almost giving it a gold undertone and her hair was now pitch black and in long waves. Her eyes were greener than they had ever been but the pupil was black as night. She was beautiful but unsettling as she made eye contact with each individual.

She licked her dry lips and opened her mouth barely an inch to speak. "Hot…." She whispered and then swallowed hard.

Damon came out of his trance then and walked briskly to her. He laid the back of his hand against her forehead and hissed through the pain before turning his hand to look at the slightly burnt pink and raw skin.

"Elena?"

She practically ran to Damon's side. "Yes?"

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Of course."

"Turn my tub on. More cold water than warm, please." She looked at him confused before she realized that it was for Bonnie. Her mouth became tight from frustration but she reasoned that Bonnie was her friend too and she wanted her to be ok so she nodded and went to do what Damon told her. "Caroline can you get her some new clothes from her bedroom?"

"Yep." Care sped from the room. She was back in a flash. She laid the clothes on the end of the bed and stepped back to stand beside Stefan. Elena turned the handles onto the off position on the tub once it reached a good level and came back in the room to stand on the other side of Stefan.

Damon sat down on the edge of the bed and brushed the hair back from Bonnie's brow, careful to not touch her skin. He waited until her eyes focused completely and she looked at him. They stared at each other for several seconds, sizing each other up, before Damon spoke.

"Do you know who you are?"

Bonnie looked confused by his question. Her voice was raw and rough when she spoke. "Yes."

"What's your name?"

She swallowed thickly. "Bonnie Bennett."

He turned with a smile to the group and they all returned the smile even if one was a little tight. He barely noticed before turning back to Bonnie. "Good girl. A slightly harder question and one I'm hoping you get right. Who am I?"

Her brow creased and he was sure she didn't have an answer for him and that fear was something he couldn't describe. "Why are you asking me that?"

He had to strain to make out what she said but thankfully his supernatural hearing helped. "Bon, I need you to humor me. Who am I?"

"You're Damon."

His smile was crooked and full. "Yeah, yeah I am. Do you know everyone else in the room?"

He moved to the side so she could see around him. She nodded as best as she could though her eyes got large when she spotted Elena. "How?" She croaked out.

Everyone shared a worried look when they realized that Bonnie may not have remembered her untimely death.

Damon gave her a sweet smile. "How about we discuss that later, hmmm? You need to cool down some. You're too hot."

Bonnie shook her head. "No. I want to know now." Her voice was as stern as she could manage.

"You got hurt. Hurt badly and I wasn't there to protect you but I am now. And that's what I'm trying to do…protect you, so I need you to trust me when I say that we have to get you into that bath before you get hotter. Ok?"

"Ok….."

He nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. He stood from the bed. "I'm going to pick you up."

She nodded. He slipped his arms under her legs and his skin instantly began to burn but it wasn't as bad as before which meant that her temperature hadn't increased. He hissed before slipping his other arm under her shoulders and lifting her from the bed and walking pass the group of curious faces into the bathroom and shutting it behind him.

Stefan grabbed Caroline's hand. "We should wait downstairs until she's done."

"Ok." Caroline turned to Elena. "Lena, you coming?"

Elena was still staring at the bathroom door with a dumbfounded look. "No, I think I'll wait for Damon."

Stefan and Caroline shared a look before saying ok and leaving the room. Elena closed the bedroom door behind them and sat on the bed to wait for Damon.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

Damon closed the bathroom door behind him with a kick of his boot. He walked to his sink and sat Bonnie down on it. She teetered slightly but he kept her upright. When she looked up at him in confusion, he merely pointed at the mirror behind her. She placed her palm on the cool marble to steady herself and turned enough to see her reflection; she gasped when she finally saw herself. She turned back to Damon with a whip of her head and questions in her eyes. He just shook his head no and passed her a glass of water which she promptly downed in one gulp.

He smiled. "Better?"

"Much. Still hot…."

"Ok. Can you stand?"

She rested one of her feet on the floor and when it didn't give out she tried the other but her knees buckled instantly. He caught her and kept her on her feet with his assistance. She gripped his shoulders and shook slightly from the exertion of standing.

"I think you're going to need some help getting in that tub, especially if you plan on doing it sans clothing. I'm going to go get Elena or Caroline ok?"

She shook her head. "No…why can't you just help me?"

His eyes got large. "Because you would be naked….."

"I don't want anyone seeing me like this but you. Please, Damon….."

He exhaled loudly. "Ok but remember, when your brain isn't so foggy, that you asked me to do this."

He lifted her back up and sat her on the sink. He bent down and looked under the sink until he found a large hair clip and then he wound Bonnie's hair around before securing it to the back of her head with the clip. He reached for the hem of his shirt and took a deep breath. "Ok…let's get awkward."

Bonnie bit her lip and nodded. He lifted the shirt slowly so she wouldn't have to move too fast to keep up with him. He kept eye contact the whole time. Once the shirt made it over her head and onto the floor she leaned against the mirror behind her, appreciating the cold, and covered her breasts. "Can you lift me again and put me in the tub?"

"What about your…ummmm…." He waved his hand to indicate her underwear.

"I'll take them off in the tub."

He nodded and lifted her before carefully putting her in the bath. With a little difficulty she managed to get her underwear off while staying upright. Damon heard the wet plop as they hit the bathroom floor, since his back was to her the whole time she was fighting to get the offending garment off.

He kept his back to her as he talked. "That should bring down your temp a little. I'll send in Caroline to help you get dressed in about 20 minutes, ok?"

"Ok. And then answers?"

He smiled slowly. "Yes, ma'am, then answers." He walked to the door and turned the knob but didn't open it yet. "Don't fall asleep in there."

Bonnie chuckled. "Not likely."

He closed the door softly behind him and leaned his head against it while letting out a long, cleansing breath. Relieve flooded his body.

"How is she doing?"

His lids lifted lazily to find Elena sitting on the bed watching him. "She seems like Bonnie."

"Is that a bad thing?"

He shook his head and came to sit on the bed beside her. He leaned back against the headboard with a heaviness that only came from exhaustion. Elena watched him intently. "It's a shocking thing."

She placed her hand on his knee and squeezed. "Why?"

"She's supposed to be some witch creature that hasn't seen the light of day in centuries. I assumed that would mean a different personality and yet she's just Bonnie. I'm just wondering if Abbie and Lucy were wrong."

"You're worried she might just be a vampire?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes tightly for a couple of seconds before looking at Elena again. "She won't complete the transition if she is. I know that. Bonnie would rather die young than take someone else's life and I don't want to lose her again."

Elena nodded and looked down at her hands that were now interlocked. "You and Bonnie are really close now, hmmm?"

"She's my best friend. I honestly don't remember what it was like before she was."

She smiled tightly. "I never thought you two would ever be like this….."

"I don't think anyone did but Bonnie, she gets me. She understands all the mess swimming around in my head and she never judges me for it. She sees the human still in there and she always knows how to reach him no matter how far gone I am. Thinking that I would never see her again made me kind of homicidal…something I haven't been for a while."

Elena's mind started racing. She used to be the one who could reach Damon no matter how dark he could get and now Bonnie was doing it. What else was Bonnie providing him? Love?

"Damon?"

"Hmmm?"

"Are we ok?"

"What do you mean?"

Her fingers tightened around each other. "It's just since I've been back, I've felt like we're not the same. I know I shouldn't have to ask…but you do still love me, right?"

Damon look confused for a second. "Of course I do. I've always loved you. You have nothing to worry about."

She nodded slowly. "Ok….."

Someone knocked on the door. "Come in." Damon said.

Caroline opened the door and popped her head in. "Is she ok?"

"Yeah, she's fine. She's still in the bathtub though. Do you mind helping her out and getting her dressed. We'll be downstairs."

"Yeah, of course." Caroline grabbed Bonnie's clothes and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

"Do you want me to comb your hair?"

"Please." Bonnie sat on Damon's bed in a long sleeved overly sized white v-neck and stripped gray leggings, with soft fluffy white socks. Caroline kneeled behind her and began pulling the comb gently through the strands.

"How are you feeling?"

"Good. I'm not as hot anymore."

Caroline smiled sweetly and continued combing her hair.

"Caroline?"

"Yes, honey."

"Did I die?"

Caroline stopped combing all together and felt a tear slip down her right cheek. She bent down and kissed the crown of Bonnie's head. "Let's go downstairs and we'll talk."

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

Caroline had an arm wrapped around Bonnie's middle as she helped her walk down the stairs and then into the kitchen where Stefan, Elena, and Damon were already waiting. Bonnie carefully sat on the bar stool with a wince. Her body was still sore.

"Would you like some tea, Bonnie?"

Bonnie smiled up at Stefan. "Yes, please."

He turned to the canisters on the counter. "Orange zest, honey, pomegranate, mint…."

"Do we have any blackberry sage left?"

Stefan looked at the canisters but didn't see that one in particular. "I don't see that one….."

Damon opened a cabinet beside Stefan's head and reached behind several items and pulled a small box of tea out. He handed it to Stefan who just raised an eyebrow at the fact that Damon had hid tea just for Bonnie.

He made her tea and put the steaming mug in front of Bonnie and then leaned against the sink beside Elena. Caroline sat on the counter on the other side of Stefan. Damon squeezed Elena's hand and when she turned to him, he gave her a quick peck on the lips but before she could react he let go and walked around the island to sit on the bar stool beside Bonnie. Her right hand was holding the tea cup as she drink and her left hand was resting on the coolness of the marble. Damon slipped his hand into hers and intertwined their hands. She put her cup down softly and turned to him slightly and in turn he turned into her completely. Their seats were close together and their knees were touching. He pulled her hand from the island, keeping them intertwined, so he could get closer. He took his free hand and folded her hair behind her ear and swept his thumb down her cheek.

"Are you ready to talk?"

"Yes."

"Ok….." He lowered his eyes to the floor and took in shallow breaths. He stared at the floor for a full minute. He didn't know how to tell her. He didn't want her to blame him and walk out of his life for good. He could admit…he was scared. Scared of losing her and scared of her freaking out from the truth. He was also scared that if it turned out that she was in a slow grade transition, that she wouldn't complete it and he would have to lose her forever.

"Damon."

He looked to his left at Stefan with a questioning look.

"She's waiting." His brother was telling with his eyes just to be honest with her and he was going to trust him and do that.

He nodded and licked his lips before tightening his hold on Bonnie's hand and looking her in the eye.

"Do you remember the fight we got in? The fight about Lily?"

Bonnie's eyes darted back and forth as she tried to remember. She nodded slowly. "Yes. Um…we went to cut down a tree for Christmas and when we got back Enzo was here."

"Yeah, right. And you and I fought. You remember that?"

"Yes, I remember. You told me that you regretted saving me. You said you should have picked Elena instead." Her eyes were shiny with tears but she never broke the eye contact even when she heard Caroline gasp from the truth.

He hung his head in shame but nodded regardless. "I did but you need to know that I didn't mean that, which is something we'll discuss later. After the fight you left and when I tried to call you later it went straight to voicemail. It wasn't until the next morning that your car was found and we were told you were missing. I assumed my mother had something to do with it so I went to go see her."

"And?"

"And she did. It didn't take long for her to crack and she took us to you."

"Took you to me?" Her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

He took both of her hands and squeezed slightly. "When you left, after our fight, you went to the graveyard and while you were there Lily and Enzo took you. They wanted to convince you to join them but things got out of hand and you….you…..uh….."

"I died…"

He nodded slowly. "You did."

A tear slipped down her face and she swallowed hard. "But I'm alive now…how?"

"I don't know exactly. You were fed vampire blood before it happened….."

He looked lost as she took in a sharp breath before breaking down in a sob. "I'm in transition."

Stefan spoke up and Damon was more than grateful. "Possibly but you're Mother and Lucy suggested something else. They suggested that your body took the vampire blood and used it as a kick starter to change you into an ancient form of witch. They said it's happened before though they've never witnessed it for themselves."

"I don't understand."

"Yeah we don't either." Carolyn said. "But the point is, is that you're here…everything else we'll figure out later."

Bonnie nodded but it seemed out of reflex. She looked up at Damon with wet eyes and a trembling bottom lip. "What do I do if I'm transitioning?"

"Do you want the right answer or the Damon answer?"

"The Damon answer."

"You complete the transition and I teach you how to live as a vampire."

Tears slipped down her face. "I can't kill people, Damon. I can't do that and be ok with living. But I don't want to die again. I don't' want to have to make this choice again…me or the rest of the world. I don't want to do this!" She broke down completely and could barely breathe.

He stood and pulled her off the stool to stand in front of him. He pulled her in close and she buried her face in his chest and dug her fingers into the fabric of the back of his shirt. He laid his cheek on the top of her head as he spoke.

"Then don't. Let me make this choice for you. I will take care of you, Bonnie if you let me. I will protect you and lead you through this. All you have to do is let me."

She looked up with a tear stained face. "You know me, Damon. I have to make the right choice whether I want to or not. And the right choice is to go along with nature and die when it's my time." Her smile was weak but there all the same.

He put his hands on either side of her face and held her in place as he stared at her. "You can't leave me again, Bon. Losing you that first time was hell. Don't make me do it again….please Bonnie."

A throat cleared and they turned to the three curious faces. "We don't even know if you're transitioning into a vampire or not. Maybe we should wait to find out first before the big speeches of devotion." Elena spat before walking out of the kitchen.

Everyone followed Elena out with their eyes and hanging mouths.

"I should go talk to her." Damon said.

"No…let me." Bonnie walked out of the kitchen with a little difficulty in search of Elena. She found her in the back yard sitting on the hard ground staring ahead.

"Hi."

Elena didn't answer back so Bonnie sat down beside her. "Do you want to talk about what just happened?"

"I really don't Bonnie but I guess we'll have to eventually." She turned to her then. "I feel like I shouldn't have to say this but Damon is my boyfriend…something I think you've forgotten."

Bonnie's face was full of confusion and shame which made her lower her eyes. But when she lifted them again there was nothing but malice. She barely looked like herself. "Jealously is a bad color on you, Lena. I can't exactly change how much I mean to Damon. Only he can and clearly he doesn't want to. I am important. I dare say more important than you. I'm truly sorry if that hurts you." She whispered the last sentence while lying her hand on Elena's arm and smiling sharply.

She jerked back when they heard someone approaching and her eyes cleared like the whole conversation had never happened. Elena didn't know if she was fooling everyone or if she hadn't actually meant to say all those things. The Bonnie she had just spoken to seemed like a completely different person and it worried her.

"Did you guys make up?"

Bonnie nodded and smiled sweetly. "I believe so." She turned and smiled at Elena and Elena could see none of the mean Bonnie in her eyes. What the hell was going on?!

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The shaking could be felt throughout the entire boardinghouse. Everyone shot up in bed as the house rocked back and forth. Elena grabbed Damon's hand and looked worried.

"What is it?"

He shook his head. "I'm not exactly sure."

Stefan knocked quickly and then opened the door. Caroline was standing right behind him. "I don't know where it's coming from."

Before Damon could open his mouth to respond they heard a loud shrill scream coming from Bonnie's room. Damon was out of the bed and at her door in a second. The rest of the gang was right on his heel. He flung the door open and stopped in his tracks.

Bonnie was in the middle of the room floating just a few inches above the floor. Her eyes were bright blinding white and her hair was being whipped back and forth from the broken window behind her. Even more disturbing were the vines who looked like they had practically dragged and crawled towards her from every available window to wrap around her from head to toe in a small protective casing. She was speaking rapidly but seemed oblivious to the words leaving her tongue.

"What is she saying?" Caroline asked.

"I don't know. Do we even know what language that is?" Elena asked.

"Latin…but it sounds ancient. It could be Aramaic but I don't know how Bonnie would ever know it. It's not known by many still living."

She suddenly stopped speaking and the vines began to retreat at a rapid rate…ripping up flooring as it slithered out of the room and back into the ground below. Bonnie unceremoniously dropped to the floor. Damon rushed to her and everyone else encircled her. Her eyes were still white but she was looking right at them.

"Bonnie? Are you ok? What the hell just happened? Speak to me, damn it!" Damon demanded.

She grabbed his face and spoke slow and low, her voice almost unrecognizable. "A storm is coming." She took a deep breath afterward and her chest almost caved in from the act. She blinked slowly as her eye color returned and she looked around confused. "What's going on? Why is everyone in my room?"

Damon looked up to Stefan. "Well I guess that answers that question. She's definitely transitioning into something but it's clearly not a vampire."