Bonnie lied. And although she thought she should, and she wanted to, she felt no remorse.
She wanted to kill Stefan and she couldn't care less about helping Elena because for the first time, she really saw it the way it was: Elena was the beginning and the end of all her problems and all her pain. She didn't care for her anymore.
Having pondered for a few hours in isolation, she came to a conclusion - very surprising one - that Damon was also a victim. A victim of his brother. A victim of Elena, who had been manipulating him (and everyone else) with her seeming fragility.
It was bitter knowing that no one had ever thought about why Elena was worth saving, why everything revolved around her and her safety. The only answer was: it's Elena! But was it really that? Wasn't that Katherine in the first place? Bonnie was convinced that if Katherine had been alive now and chosen Damon as her genuinely true love (as much as Katherine Pierce had been capable of love), he wouldn't have thought twice about Elena. Not because Damon was spineless, but because Elena was literally the ultimate filler for where Katherine was missing. But without a spark.
Bonnie hated thinking like that, she really did. When had she become so vengeful? So evil? She kept repeating to herself that Elena was her best friend. However, it couldn't erase the thoughts that were creeping up in her mind, thoughts that were convincing her that Elena was her enemy. Maybe if she saw Elena, she would forgive her... No, even that idea made her sick, she couldn't help it. Forgive what, anyway? Her existence?
She reconciled the fact she was never going to speak to Elena again, she would live her life and the moment she'd die, Elena would wake up and live hers.
It had taken five years. Five years of up and downs, but without Elena, Bonnie'd felt more alive than ever. And once again, Elena was the reason it had been taken away from her. She'd had to die for her. Enzo as well. How foolish it had been wanting to protect her. And at the end, if it hadn't been for Elena, Stefan would have never killed Enzo.
"This isn't me," she whispered with tears in her eyes, "she's my best friend. I don't want my best friend to die, no, no... Someone must be messing with my head. No!"
She punched the wall. "This isn't me," she cried. "This isn't me!"
If vampyrism causes feelings to magnify, she thought, I must've hated her already as a human.
A scream ran through the whole Boarding House like a thunder.
"That was very strong," a voice behind her said with a hint of noblesy and authority. "I'm truly impressed."
Bonnie stared at him, stiffened and pale.
"Oh, did I startle you? My manners, I beg your pardon."
"Cade," Bonnie uttered. "So you came yourself."
"I understand you actually asked for me, didn't you?" he replied.
"I did, for a fact," she nodded, still not quite convinced whether it was a phantasm or whether he was really here. She subconciously retreated as far as she could from Cade, so now she hit the wall with her back, prevented from escaping.
"I can read the confusion and fear in your mind," he told her, "but I think that my actions will prove my honesty to you easier."
The door's lock broke and it opened. "Now, go, you're free," Cade said.
Bonnie watched it suspiciously and she didn't move an inch from where she was sitting. She looked up to Cade and asked: "What's the catch?"
Cade smiled. "You're very smart and interesting woman, Bonnie. We have so much in common."
"We do?" she repeated mockingly.
"First things first. If I'm correct, and I'm always correct, you want me to give you back your dead boyfriend. I suppose you understand that nothing's for free."
"I know that," Bonnie said, "I'm willing to do anything it takes."
The Devil started walking across the small cell, laughing. Suddenly he stopped.
"Even if it means someone can die? You've always been such a caring person, willing to sacrifice yourself for your friends..."
Bonnie clenched her jaw and bit her lip. After supressing the anger and emotions that bubbled inside her, she sighed and nodded.
"Anything it takes," she said.
Cade burst into laugh again. "Oh Bonnie! I'm really starting to like the vampire version of yourself! The hell is made for those like you."
Her eyes lighted up in realization.
"Do you want me to become your servant? Like the Salvatores? Like the Sirens?"
Cade shook his head: "No, not in the sense you mean. But I want you to bring a few people down there for me."
"That's it? Just a few people?"
"I won't make it that easy for you, my fellow psychic. Or should I say ex-psychic by now. Really sorry about that, though."
Psychic? My Grams called me that, years ago when I began realizing about my powers. What does this mean?
"Did I do it again? I'm really sorry to confuse you. Anyway, back to our deal," he ordered.
"What do you want from me?" she asked.
"To demonstrate how generous I really am, I'll give you three options. The first, you will have to temporarily become my servant and kill as many people as the Salvatores failed to bring to me. The second, kill Damon Salvatore -"
"I'm never killing Damon, ever!"
"That's why," he said warmly, still smiling and showing his teeth, "that's why there's the third option: kill Elena Gilbert."
Bonnie held her breath. Elena was dying anyway - how would it make any difference if she killed her? To have her blood on her hands?
"Damon would never forgive me if I did that," she noted blankly.
"Well, there are still two more options. But seeing you categorically refused the second one, I suggest you go with the first," Cade shrugged.
"But that is impossible! I would be stuck with you for eternity! I would never get Enzo out," she said breathlessly.
"That is also true, I admit. The choice is yours, Bonnie Bennett," Cade replied, "however, I suggest you don't waste your time. My offer is time-limited."
Bonnie closed her eyes and covered her face. She couldn't cry, but she was desperate to hide. The person who she needed to hide from the most, was herself - any decision she'd make, it'd hurt someone.
"I'm waiting, Bonnie. Unless, of course, you don't want to see your boyfriend ever again. That'd be shame, wouldn't it?"
She clenched her fists tightly, convincing herself to be brave and strong.
"I will do it," she said after a while. "I will kill Elena."
Cade nodded and said: "If this is what you choose, there's one more thing for you to do, but I suppose that it'll come off as a gift for you. Kill Stefan."
"What?" Bonnie wondered. "So if I don't kill Damon myself, you want me to do things that will make him wanna kill himself?"
"Well," Cade raised his eyes as if considering it, "you could put it that way."
"Why do you even want him so much?" she asked.
"Because he resists me. And I tolerate no disobedience," he explained. "If Damon fails to be a sincere servant, he shall suffer. And whether he dies or sees his loved ones die, both are equally satisfying for me."
"I don't want to be a tool in your evil plan." Bonnie crossed her arms.
"But Bonnie, we're making a deal here. You are no tool, it's your choice," Cade exclaimed. He made her nervous, because despite everything, he remained calm and kept sort of dignity.
"Hurting my best friend is no deal to me!" she said.
"I won't take this momentary irritation literally," he replied. "I suggest you leave before Damon comes back. I'll give you some time to think about this. But I know already what decision you'll make. I'll be there when it happens."
Bonnie stared at him in disgust, fear and with respect all at the same time. The fact she hated the most (and she knew he could read it in her mind) was that he actually nourished the seeds that had already been in her mind, all the things she wished to supress because that was the right thing to do. She didn't have a weak mind: he just told her things she secretly wanted to hear.
"See you soon, Bonnie," Cade said.
He vanished in a blink of an eye. Bonnie wasn't even sure if he'd really been there, if she'd spoken to him. The door was still open. Then it had to be true.
Bonnie focused her hearing to find out whether there was anyone in the house to beware of. She heard nothing, no conversation, no noises. If anyone were upstairs, they would be no harm to her alone. She ran away from the cell, intending to disappear before any person in the house would even get to notice her.
But the house was in fact empty.
Elena's state was critical. This time, there was no supernatural cause nor solution; the devices ensured each basic function. If they were turned off, she'd die within moments. Damon, otherwise refusing to give up, became hopeless. He couldn't accept that in the world of countless supernatural threats Elena would die of being a fragile human, being at the wrong place at the worst possible time. That was it: the "spell" and Bonnie's vampyrism were all nothing but speculation.
He began to feel he was actually the only one who cared about Elena. People had gone on their seperate ways. Caroline cared about Stefan, Stefan hid from Bonnie, Bonnie wanted vengeance. Elena had disappeared from their lives unless she was a trouble. Damon was bitter to admit it, and angry for needing to remind them of who Elena was to them.
All the research was leading towards a single conclusion: there was nothing supernatural linking Bonnie and Elena anymore. The rest was more or less an occurance that had never happened before and therefore could not have been recorded in grimoires. Damon was sceptical to leave Elena's fate in hands of medicine, which itself failed to make her heal. But it was the first time in his entire life that it was more powerful than anything supernatural, since Elena was immune to the one thing that could save her even after death: becoming a vampire. He held onto the hope that there was a link between Bonnie and Elena, because it'd mean that it was something that could be fixed. What the supernatural couldn't reach was a lost cause for him; he felt utterly powerless despite being one of the most powerful creatures on Earth. But Elena wasn't lost, never had he ever cared for anyone as he cared for her - it was instinctive obligation to fight for her anyhow.
Running out of options, Damon decided to do the scariest, but most logical thing. Give Bonnie the cure. Obviously, Damon counted with the possibility she would become suspicious by such a sudden change of course, but even if she decided to stay a vampire, he would cram it down her throat just as he had done with the blood to finish the transition. He assumed it wouldn't be necessary. He weighed the pros and cons, in fact, and concluded that, speaking of Bonnie, appeasing her with the cure was better than if he'd had to make a deal with Cade about Enzo. Rather keep the devil out of the business.
When he walked down the stairs to the cellar the morning after speaking to Bonnie, Damon wasn't surprised by the silence. She was very peaceful prisoner, especially for a hungry vampire. He smiled imagining her reaction to the cure, expecting he would win her back that way, get her to help him with Elena. He was convincing himself he did it for Bonnie, but under all that there hid the real reason: the hope that it would solve his problems and heal Elena, the hope that it was supernatural.
The plan fell into pieces when he saw the door broken and the cell empty.
"What the hell," he cursed silently. Damon didn't think twice about who could've let her out - it must have been Caroline. Who else? No one knew she had been down here. Meaning he had two more problems to his name, two vampires with a temper: a captive who escaped and a control freak wanting explanation. But first...
He dialed Bonnie's number, just to make sure she didn't do anything stupid. It was pointless, it jumped immediately into the voicemail.
Dialing Caroline led to unpleasantly surprising discovery:
"What do you mean 'where's Bonnie' - I'm asking you all the time!" she replied raising her voice. "Just tell me what happened already!"
"Wait - so you didn't..."
"Didn't what, Damon?"
"Where are you?"
"In the boarding house, where are you?"
"Downstairs."
Caroline was there in a second, standing in front of Damon. It was not a friendly conversation, he sensed, she did confront him.
"How long have you been here?" he asked as she arrived.
"Came a while ago, why?"
Damon went to pour himself a glass, leaving Caroline without an answer.
"Look, I'm tired of being left out," she said. "Stefan's gone, Bonnie's gone, Elena's sick and you're all cryptic. Just spill it, ok?"
Damon looked at her distrustfully. However, he figured with displeasure that now he needed her help.
"Stefan didn't kill just Enzo, he killed Bonnie as well."
Caroline opened her mouth slightly, but no sound came out. Damon, having pourred himself a glass of bourbon, gazed up on her to see she had a hard time processing.
"Bonnie's dead?" she whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Technically," Damon replied, "practically not really."
"Are you saying -"
"That we have a newbie vampire running in the streets, who I had locked up, down in the cell, absolutely fool-proof. Until someone let her out," he smiled without humor at Caroline.
"Are you serious?" Caroline yelled. "Why would you lock her up?"
"Because," Damon spread his arms and took time to answer, "safety reasons."
"That is no answer!"
"Alright, blondie, alright! If you want to know, be prepared to be hurt."
"Why would I be hurt?" she wondered. "You make no sense."
Damon briefly explained everything that had happened and what he'd been about to do. Caroline's reactions were mixed, but none of them was confusion. The only thing she questioned now, though, was how to look Stefan in the eyes again, knowing what he had done to her best friend. On one hand, she knew she should stand by her, but on the other hand, she was inclined to stand by Stefan, especially if Bonnie was about to kill him despite her promises.
"So if everything's clear now," Damon said, "we should get out and find her."
There weren't many ways for Bonnie to find out where Stefan was, and it was even more difficult for them to search for her. Even though now, in the morning, she couldn't have got far without a daylight ring.
In the car, Damon began once again demanding his answers about Sybil.
"I told you already I'd taken care of it," Caroline sighed.
"What was the deal?"
"There was no deal. I mean, she just wanted some kind of a dagger in the Armory, so I just told Ric to dig," she shrugged.
"What? And you don't even care what kind of dagger it is?" Damon was shocked.
Caroline grinned. "Of course I care! I'm on it, but as long as Ric doesn't find anything, there's not much to worry about."
"So she gave you no deadline?"
Caroline thought for a moment, then said: "Yeah, she did, but that's not important now. What's important is to find Bonnie, give her the cure and bring Stefan back. And keep Elena alive."
Damon geared up, thinking to himself that he didn't believe for a second that Caroline had the things under control. His intuition told him it was completely the other way and he only wished it didn't threaten Elena's safety.
However, there were only so many problems Damon could handle at once and he thought that whatever Caroline screwed up is for her to fix. The goal for now was one and only: to find Bonnie.
Killing Elena was simple to agree with, but hard to realize. Seeing all those machines and knowing that pushing a single button would kill her made Bonnie panic. She hoped that Elena would fight back somehow but lying here like this, she was totallly defenseless. Bonnie wasn't able to kill her like that - Elena did her no harm.
Bonnie asked herself whether sacrificing two lives of people she would have once died for was a suitable price to pay to bring her love back to life. She figured that even then, she would be paying for her wish for a long time. It was now obvious to her that Cade had manipulated her; she would never do that to Elena. And there she stood, beside her bed, obliged to end her life.
The possible solution to make the fear go away and mercilessly kill her, was to turn off her humanity. But then, she thought, what will make me care about bringing Enzo back? What if Cade will not stand to the deal? The killer in her was screaming with excitement. She wanted to kill Elena only for the thrill, not by pushing a button, but by draining her of blood - and it was this part of her that whispered to her to turn it off. Why hold on to the pain, after all?
She moved closer to Elena, focusing on her artery and the sound of blood pumping through. Her fangs aggrandized, making her jaw hurt a bit; she felt her face changing. Now there was nothing but the blood.
Bonnie springed to her and her teeth pierced Elena's skin on the neck. The warmth and metallic taste of the blood spilled on Bonnie's tongue. The craving was growing and growing. There was no way to stop: the basic instinct was to drink. So she did.
