HISTORY REPEATING

Ariana POV:

I was hurt. I was sad. I was frustrated. Angry. Annoyed. Despondent... I could go on for ages. But, I had school today. So, I just had to suck it up, and get ready for school.

I felt like Stefan was breaking up with me. Killing his brother would be unbearable for him, and I didn't want him to be stuck with that grief. I felt responsible for my parent's deaths, and I wasn't even the one to directly kill them.

Groaning and sighing, I wore a dark blue halter top, black shorts, black high-heeled shoes, and silver jewelry. I kept my hair loose, and out of the way with the clip Bonnie gave me.

Caroline and I were walking to school together. Jenna had drove Elena and Jeremy to school earlier, because Jeremy had to catch up on his studies. I simply wanted to walk. And with Caroline, there is never a time where there's no talking.

I was worried about Bonnie. I tried calling her, but she wouldn't pick up. None of my texts were returned. "Have you talked to Bonnie?" I asked Caroline.

Her face scrunched up, "No, I'm mad at her. She needs to make the first move." Apparently, Bonnie and Caroline were arguing over a necklace. My first thought was, really, a necklace? But, there may be a deeper meaning to it.

"Come on," I told Caroline, "She's your best friend."

"Yeah, well, she sure doesn't act like it." Caroline said annoyed.

"Why are you so pissed at her anyway?" I asked Caroline. It was a necklace, for God's sake, not a billion dollars... unless it was worth that much.

"She's a thief. That's why." Caroline seethed, "I gave her my necklace, and she refuses to give it back. It's a matter of principle."

Yeah, but, usually when you give someone something, it's for them to keep, not give back. "All right." I said, giving up, "I'll leave it to you two to sort it out."

"Good," Caroline brightened, "Your turn. Where's Stefan?"

I groaned, and gave her a look.

"Have you talked to him?" She asked.

"He's avoiding me." I tried to call Stefan too, but it always went straight to voicemail.

"Why?" Caroline asked. Well, where do I begin? How could I tell her it was because he was a vampire, and that his vampire brother had killed his vampire 350 year old best friend, and that the last time I saw him, he was about to kill Damon. Yeah, that wouldn't go well.

"Um... it's complicated," I avoided her question, then, the bell rang."I'll see you later."

"Bye," Caroline's puzzled face disappeared through the emerging crowd as we separated, walking to our own classes.

When I got to History, I quickened my pace, and hurried to my seat. I saw Bonnie fast-walk in, head down, with a look of fear on her face. Her books were up to her chin.

She took a seat near the back, and I craned my neck as I mouthed to her, Are you okay?

She gave a slight shrug that I almost missed. I wondered what had gotten her so scared, perhaps it was the whole new "witch" thing she's been learning from her Grams. Either way, I hoped that she'd get better.

I looked to the empty seat beside me, and my heart sunk. Stefan didn't show up.

I turned back around in my chair, to face the front, when a guy walked in. It was obvious he wasn't a student, since he looked to be in his late twenties. He had sandy colored hair and blue-grey eyes. In his hands was a briefcase, and it all finally added up once I saw him place it next to the teacher's desk. Damn, he was pretty hot for a teacher. He briskly took a white piece of chalk, and wrote on the blackboard;

Alaric Saltzman

Hmm, strange name.

"Alaric Saltzman," The man spoke, his voice was friendly, "It's a mouthful. I know. Doesn't exactly roll off the tounge. Saltzman is of German origins. My family emigrated here in 1755 to Texas. I, however, was born and raised in Boston. Now the name 'Alaric' belongs to a very dead great-grandfather I will never be able to thank enough. You'll probably want to pronounce it 'Al-ler-ric' but it's... "A-lar-ric", okay. So you can call me Rick. I'm your new History teacher." He smiled.

I smiled. He seemed nice enough, he definitely had a better attitude than Tanner. Though, I probably shouldn't think that because... the guy was dead, killed by Damon, actually. As long as Rick wasn't like either of the other men, I think we'd get along fine.

At lunch, I was finally able to talk to Bonnie. As I thought, her stress was about her becoming a new witch, but it wasn't exactly the story I though it would be. One of her ancestors, Emily, was stalking her - as she'd put it - giving her nightmares and such.

"And then I ended up at the remains of the old Fell's church before I woke up back in the woods." Bonnie explained, looking frightened. I'd be too, if i suddenly had a nightmare, and then woke up in the cemetery.

"And you always see your ancestor, Emily?" I asked her, concerned. Whoever Emily was, she was scaring Bonnie, and I didn't find it very appealing.

"Mhm." Bonnie bobbed her head, "Do you believe in ghosts?"

That was a hard question. Did I? I mean, I didn't ever believe in vampires and witches, yet here they were, right in front of me. So I gave Bonnie a truthful answer, "I don't know,"

Bonnie sighed and stated, "I think I'm being haunted."

"Why are you being haunted by Emily?" I asked Bonnie. What was Emily's connection, besides being Bonnie's ancestor?

"Grams says she was a powerful witch back in the civil war days and that this medallion was hers, a witch's talisman." She fiddled with her necklace. The necklace had a bronze iron setting with a diamond shaped topaz crystal. It was huge, and it looked really old. I personally thought it was pretty, even though Bonnie thought it was ugly. It suited her well too. Did Bonnie say "civil war days"? Wasn't that when Stefan and Damon were turned into vampires?

"So, it all started when you got this necklace?" I asked Bonnie. This subject was seriously getting creepy.

"Yeah," Bonnie confirmed, "I think she's using it to communicate with me."

God, this horror story is getting out of control. Eventually, we're all gonna end up dead. "What does Grams say about it?" I asked her. Surely, Grams could help out Bonnie with her situation, since she was a powerful witch too.

"I can't call her," Bonnie protested, "She's gonna tell me to embrace it, I want it to stop."

I gave Bonnie a sad smile. "You'll figure it out, I'm sure of it." If anybody could do it, it was Bonnie. After all, she was the witch, not me.

I walked across the grass after school, just looking around at the kids who were hanging out. Some were talking to friends, some were getting into cars, and others were simply sleeping. I giggled. But, I stopped, once I saw who was sitting on the table not too far away from me.

When I got closer to him, Stefan said, "Hi,"

"Hey," I said, "I was worried about you. You weren't in class." For a moment, I thought that he had really killed Damon.

"Yeah, sorry I didn't get back to you, but... what I wanted to say shouldn't be said over the phone," Stefan told me. I got nervous as I processed what he was saying. He was breaking up with me, wasn't he? I knew that he thought this was his way of protecting me, but... I wanted to be with him.

I nodded slowly, "I'm guessing Damon's okay then." Stefan had sadness surrounding him, but it wasn't the profuse guilt that would've been his aura if he were to have killed Damon.

"I didn't kill my brother," Stefan confirmed, and I was instantly filled with relief. "As much as he deserved it. He has you to thank for that."

I was glad, Damon was okay, because I was able to convince Stefan not to kill him. Or, at least, that's what Stefan was saying. He probably changed his mind because, well, Damon was his brother. I took a deep breath, and asked, "What did you want to tell me?"

I braced myself, "I won't be coming to school anymore," he said, and I frowned, "I'm gonna back off and keep my distance. It's the right thing to do. You deserve a better life, than what I can give you."

My throat tightened. Was he serious? Why? "Stefan." I said, "Please..." I trailed off.

"It's better this way, Ariana." He said sadly.

I've never met anyone like Stefan, so how could he be doing this to me? After the way we bonded, and how I've known we were perfect for each other. It just wasn't right. The universe was breaking me all over again. I turned my head away from him, unable to look into his eyes.

"Your upset." He stated, "It's easier if you hate me."

"I could never hate you..." I whispered, but I knew he could hear me.

After the very depressing "visit" from Stefan, Bonnie agreed to drive me home. I'm not sure if I could've handled walking at the moment.

Bonnie was telling me about her encounter with Damon, and how he wanted the necklace she was wearing. What would Damon want the necklace. Oh, yeah, didn't Bonnie say something about it being filled with magic, or something? Damn it, what was that guy up to.

"He's bad new, Ariana." Bonnie glanced at me, trying to keep her eyes on the road, "He really scared me."

"Be careful around him, Bonnie," I said to her, concerned. Damon had killed Stefan's best friend, Lexi, just a couple of days ago. If he had the audacity to do that, he wouldn't think twice about killing Bonnie.

"I'm trying," Bonnie defended, "He just keeps showing up."

"I don't want you to be alone," I told her, "Why don't you come sleep at my place tonight. I could invite Caroline, and then you guys can make up."

Before I'd barely even finished my sentence, Bonnie swiveled the car off the road, giving me bad memories. "Woah!" I said, "Bonnie!"

Bonnie ignored me. Stopping the car, she hopped out, and angrily walked over to the field we had landed in. I saw her rip the "witch" necklace off, and throw it into the field. It disappeared, blending in with the yellow and green tall grass. She looked really pissed off and annoyed as she got back into the driver's seat.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

"Now I am." She answered, "All my problems were because of that thing. Can't believe I didn't do it sooner."

Her Grams was gonna kill her. "Well, hopefully things will just go back to normal. Emily and Damon will no longer bug you." I said to her, and then sighed. As if things could ever be normal.

"Good," Bonnie replied, as she started the car again. "'Cause being stalked by a creepy guy, and a 150-year-old ghost, can be a lot for a seventeen-year-old teenager."

I laughed. Hopefully, she'll be okay. Throwing away the necklace though, was probably a mistake. Whatever Emily wants from Bonnie, it's something dangerous. Add that to the fact that Damon wants the mystical necklace too, and it just becomes an unpredictable moving labyrinth.

After talking and spending a few hours with Bonnie at my house, night descended upon us. As weird as I felt for doing it, I had called Stefan. I needed to talk to him about his brother. My heart jumped when I felt a knock on the door. Stefan, as expected, stood on the other side when I opened the door. He looked concerned, as usual. "Hey, thanks for coming. I wouldn't have bothered you unless it was important." I said.

"It was no bother," He said. I smiled a bit, and shut the door behind me, so we both stood on the porch.

After telling Stefan about the story of "Damon stalking Bonnie", he asked, "What would Damon want with Bonnie?"

"She has a necklace that Caroline had gotten from Damon," I explained, "She gave it to Bonnie, but now, Damon wants it back."

"And all this is over a necklace?" Stefan questioned. I've been asking myself that question all day, but, the necklace was special.

"The necklace has to do with Bonnie's heritage, back in the 'civil war days'... around when you and Damon were turned." I said, a bit unsure, "It belonged to her ancestors during that time."

"Her name was Emily," he said, "She was Katherine's handmaid and a witch." I wasn't entirely surprised that Stefan knew Bonnie was a witch. After all, he did see her set a car on fire using her mind. But, he had known Emily, who was Katherine's handmaid. So what was the connection between Emily, Katherine, and the Salvatore brothers?

"Damon must know too," I said, meaning that Damon knew Bonnie was a witch, and the descendent of Emily. "And now, he wants that necklace." But why did Damon want it? What was Damon's real plan.

"What does it look like?" Stefan asked me.

"It's an antique iron setting... with a ..."

Stefan cut me off, finishing my description, "With an amber crystal. I know it, it belonged to Katherine. Emily gave it to her, which means..." He didn't finish. What? What did it mean? I wanted to scream at him, but he then said to me, "You said that Damon was looking for someone." I nodded. He looked thoughtful, as he said, "Let me talk to Damon. I'll get it out of him."

I nodded, even though I hadn't liked what he said. Get it out of him? What did that mean? Please, don't let this give the brothers another chance to kill each other.

Stefan left after that, to pursue his "mission". Caroline arrived, and Bonnie pretended to ignore her as we started making dinner. The awkwardness while we made food in silence left me to my thoughts. And really, I didn't want to think right now. I had invited my friends over to try and take my mind off the whole "vampire and witch" situation, not create more problems. I gave Caroline a "look". She finally sighed, and turned to Bonnie.

"I'm sorry," Caroline said. She didn't exactly say it in a sincere way, but the message was clear, "There. I said it. If you want the ugly-ass necklace, keep it. It's yours." She smiled. Bonnie and I shared a "oh-oh" look.

Bonnie hesitated, "Will you hate me if I told you I threw it away?"

"You threw it away?" Caroline asked in disbelief.

"I know it sounds crazy," Bonnie said, "But the necklace was giving me nightmares. I had to get rid of it." It would have sounded crazy, if anyone but me were to have heard it. It was more than just nightmares, though. Bonnie was scared, and it had shown.

"You could have just given it back to me." Caroline said angrily.

"Why?" Bonnie asked, speaking my thoughts, "So you could give it back to Damon?"

Caroline stood silent for a moment. She looked at me, and bit out, "Screw Damon." She changed the subject, "Are we doing manicures or what? Who had their kit?" I smiled at how easily Caroline could change attitude.

"Mine's in my bag." Bonnie said, smiling.

Caroline sauntered over to Bonnie's purse, and asked me, "So Ariana. How long do you think this fight with Stefan's gonna last." I almost groaned. Was she seriously asking me this? It wasn't exactly a fight either, more like a very sad disagreement. "Is it... like a permanent thing?"

I rolled my eyes. Caroline was practically asking me whether or not Stefan and I were over for good, so that she could move in on him. "I don't know." I simply said. Then, I asked her a question, "What about you and Elena? You guys still talking?"

"God, no." Caroline answered, and I frowned. "I barely ever even see her anymore. By the way, where is she?"

"She's with Jenna and Jeremy at the Grill," I replied. Jenna had texted me right after school, telling me that she was taking my siblings out to dinner. She wanted me to come, but, I told her that my friends needed me.

"Why are you such a little liar, Bonnie?" Caroline suddenly said, her words laced with venom.

My mouth popped open. I had no idea what Caroline's reaction was from. "Caroline!" I scolded. In the corner of my eye, I saw Bonnie look a bit hurt.

"What?" Bonnie asked, surprised. Caroline pulled something out of Bonnie's bad, and held it up. I froze. The necklace. The one Bonnie had threw in a field, was right in front of us, dangling from Caroline's fingers.

Caroline place the crystal necklace on the table, as Bonnie said, "I'm not lying to you, Caroline. I swear." I was shocked, and my eyes were still wide. I was so freaked out that I could barely even stay on my two feet.

"It's true," I confirmed Bonnie's claim, "I watched her throw the necklace into a field."

"Then explain it." Caroline ordered haughtily. Bonnie looked at me, and I nodded understanding.

"Emily," Bonnie spoke.

"Who's Emily?" Caroline asked.

"The ghost." Bonnie said, still looking at me.

"The ghost has a name now?" Caroline mocked rudely. I sighed while Bonnie just ignored her. We had to tell Caroline about Bonnie being a witch, she was our best friend. But, could she keep a secret?

"I wonder why she won't leave me alone." Bonnie said to me.

"What's going on?" Caroline interrupted, "Why am I not a part of this conversation? You guys do this to me all the time."

I didn't know what to say to that. I knew the answer, but it wasn't exactly easy to break the answer to your best friend without offending them.

"I can't talk to you," Bonnie argued, "You don't listen."

"That's not true," Caroline said, believing in herself. She wasn't lying, but Caroline was a person who only listened to the part that she wanted to hear.

"I'm a witch," Bonnie said, putting it out there. I was surprised. I thought that Bonnie wouldn't tell her. But, once Caroline started talking again, I realized what Bonnie was aiming at.

"And don't we all know it." Caroline said, rolling her eyes. She was taking it as a joke, because she didn't realize that Bonnie really was a witch.

"See?" Bonnie said, pointing her palms towards Caroline, "That's what I'm talking about. I'm trying to tell you something." She shook her head, "You don't even here it."

I watched sadly as Bonnie walked out of the room angry. I looked back towards Caroline whose mouth was opening and closing like a fish. "I- I listen," she looked towards me, "When do I not listen?"

I blew out a long breath. I loved Caroline and all, but sometimes she could be utterly clueless.

I finally convinced Caroline to apologize. When I came back into the living room, I gladly saw that my two best friends were smiling at me and each other. Caroline then spoke up again, "There is just way too much drama in this room. So what do you guys want to do?" Bonnie and I shrugged. "I have an idea. Why don't we have a seance?"

Bonnie and I looked at each other surprised. Really Caroline? Just a while ago she didn't even believe in witches... and I still think that she doesn't.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Bonnie opinionated.

"Come on," Caroline begged, "Let's summon some spirits. This Emily chick has some serious explaining to do." Bonnie sighed, and I giggled.

Oh, well, what could possibly go wrong? Considering I'd been asking myself that question every time someone was about to do something bad, this would probably turn up with the same results. Most of the time, it wasn't a good thing.

Darkness surrounded us, encaged us. The only light came from the candles in the middle of our circle, illuminating only our faces. I held Bonnie's hand with my left, and Caroline's with my right. I won't lie, it was creepy. "What are we doing?" Bonnie asked, half-bored, half-scared.

I shrugged at her. "Be quiet and concentrate." Caroline commanded, "Close your eyes." I closed my eyes. There wasn't much of a difference in light, whether open or closed. "Now take a deep breath." Mine was exaggerated, "Bonnie. Call to her."

With my eyes still closed, I heard Bonnie speak as if she were having a boring conversation, "Emily, you there?"

Caroline and I both opened our eyes to look at her. I smiled. "Really?" Caroline mocked, "'Emily, you there?' That's all you got?"

"Fine." Bonnie groaned, "Geez." We closed out eyes again. "Emily. I call on you." Her voice was strong. "I know you have a message. I'm here to listen." An eerie feeling entered me, as the cold air felt alert. I felt heat flare up in front of me, and opened my eyes to see the flames three times as big as they were before. I instantly freaked.

"Did that-"

Caroline cut me off. "Yeah. That just happened. Caroline suddenly sucked in a breath through her teeth, and wrapped her arms around herself, as if she felt a chill.

"It's just the air conditioning." Bonnie said, but she didn't sound so sure. Was Emily really here? She was good, right, so why was I so terrified?

"Ask her to show you a sign." Caroline said to Bonnie, who didn't say anything. "Ask her." She said more urgently. Bonnie continued to just stare at us. Caroline sighed. "Emily, if you're among us, show us another sign."

We waited a few seconds, but nothing happened. The candles were still strangely lit, but nothing else was changed. "See?" Bonnie said, looking for an excuse, "It's not working." I wasn't so sure about that.

My thoughts were confirmed once I heard a loud banging sound, and the cold air hit us. My windows suddenly opened! How?

"I can't. I'm done." Bonnie stood up scared, and ripped the necklace off from around her neck, then threw it on the ground beside the candles. The candles went out, and light ceased to exist. "Get the light!" Bonnie was still freaking out, but so were Caroline and I. "Please, get the light on!"

"Hold on." I said, as I scurried over to the light switch by the open door. "I got it." Flipping on the light, it blinded the three of us for a few seconds.

When the white spots finally faded from my vision, I saw Bonnie looking wide-eyed at the candles. "You guys, the necklace, it's gone," she said, tightly. Caroline and I followed her gaze, to see the hardening of the wax on the candles, and nothing more. No necklace.

"Where is it?" Caroline asked, then she turned to me, "Did you take it."

Really? She thought I took it. "No, I didn't." I said, but Caroline wasn't paying attention to me. Her eyes locked on something behind me, outside my bedroom, door to the hallway. From the corner of my eye, I saw it too. A shadow darker than the black of night.

"Jeremy? Elena? Are you guys home?" I questioned into the dark hallway. I tiptoed into the darkness, but it was empty. Not another person in sight.

Suddenly, I heard the door to my bathroom slam shut. Whipping my head around, I ran back into my room, and heard Bonnie banging on the door from the other side. "You guys, open the door!" Bonnie shouted, panicking, "Help me!"

"Bonnie!" I shouted too. Caroline and I tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. Bonnie kept on screaming, as if something terrible was happening. "What's going on? Bonnie!" Was Emily doing this?

"Bonnie!" Caroline shouted.

"Try the other door," I told Bonnie, who was still screaming hysterically, "I'll check the hallway." I told Caroline. She nodded, and I ran out to the other entrance of the bathroom. But the door handle there wouldn't either.

"Bonnie!" Caroline screamed, "Bonnie! Unlock the door!"

My heart was beating like a hummingbird's wings. How am I supposed to get Bonnie out? What the hell was happening? The light started flickering, and that only added to my fear. "Bonnie!" I choked, on the brink of bursting into tears. I ran back to Caroline, and that's when the door finally opened.

"Bonnie!" I said, this time happily as she stood in the center of the bathroom, unharmed. She looked so collected though. A moment ago, she was screaming. Now, it was as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. "Are you okay." I asked concerned.

"Unbelievable." Caroline stated in disbelief, and shook her head, "You were totally faking it."

"Caroline." I said. Obviously, Bonnie did not fake it. The terror I had heard in her voice was real.

"No, you scared the hell out of me." Caroline glared at Bonnie, huffed, and walked away.

I frowned, and looked back to Bonnie. Her face was expressionless. "Bonnie? You okay?" I asked her, tentatively.

"I'm fine." She said, unemotionally, "Everything's fine." Her voice was Bonnie's, but it was as if someone else were speaking the words. Scary. Bonnie walked past me, and followed Caroline out of my room. What the...? Was she really okay?

Bonnie walked down the stairs, with me and Caroline in tow. "I can't believe I fell for it." Caroline kept complaining. But I worried more on how Bonnie was so... calm? I didn't even know if that could be the right word.

"Bonnie, are you sure you're okay?" I asked her for the millionth time, yet she gave me a very "not okay" answer.

"I must go," she simply said, not turning back around to face me.

"She's leaving, I'm leaving," Caroline stated, following Bonnie. "I've had enough freaky fake witch stuff for one night." Wow, what a strong supportive person, I thought sarcastically. Did she really just say "fake"? Has she not been witnessing what had happened for the past half hour?

"Thank you for having me. I'll take it from here." Bonnie's monotone voice said.
I'm going back to where it all began."

Something in me clicked, and I had a gut feeling that it wasn't Bonnie. Emily. "Oh my God. Emily!" I called out to Bonnie... or Emily... or Emily possessing Bonnie...whatever.

She stopped, and turned her glassy gaze on me, "I won't let him have it, it must be destroyed."

I shook my head. What? Bonnie/Emily started walking out the door again, so I called out to her, "Wait!" But she disappeared out the door, slamming it shut. I made my way down the stairs quickly, and tried turning the handle on the wooden door. Just like the bathroom earlier, it wouldn't budge.

"What's happening?" Caroline asked frantically, as she appeared beside me, trying to tug the door open as well. Were we locked in? Was some ghost about to take our bodies as well?

But then, the door opened. Caroline and I shrieked as we saw two other figures on the other side. Relief rushed through me as I realized it was just Jeremy and Elena.

"What the hell?" Elena asked, glaring at us.

"Now I'm definitely outta here." Caroline said, stalking past our three shocked faces. Elena and Jeremy walked into the house, heading upstairs. I sighed, and took out my phone.

Dialing the number, I waited until I heard his familiar voice. "What's wrong?" Stefan asked me, as if he knew I was only calling because of a problem.

Pushing my thoughts to the back of my head, I brought forth the more important matter, "It's Bonnie. Emily possessing her body, or said, 'I won't let him have it, it must be destroyed.' Now, she's gone."

"Where do you think she went?"

"I don't know," I replied honestly. Then I thought about it hard. 1864...Mystic Falls...Stefan and Damon...Katherine...Bonnie's dreams...the church... "Fells church, by the old cemetery, that's where she took Bonnie in her dreams. I have to go find her."

"No," Stefan objected, "Stay there, I'll find her."

"You sure?" I asked him, annoyed at myself. If I didn't want his help, why the hell did I call him in the first place?

"I'm sure. Just stay home, I can find her. Bye."

"Bye."

I sucked at listening to other people. Or at least, I did now. I drove my car over to Fells church, as the night continued to grow uneasy. I parked my car near the woods, and hugged myself as I started jogging the familiar path through the trees. I tried navigating my way through the trees, but it was dark, and the forest looked completely different. But this was for Bonnie, my best friend. And no matter what Stefan said, I would always try to help her.

When I got close enough, I could see it. In front of Fells Church... was fire. But no, it wasn't wild, it circled around a girl. Bonnie. Wait no, Emily. Emily was using her powers to create a veil of fire around her, blocking out Stefan, Damon, and I. The brothers were looking at the fire shocked. Well, Damon looked at Bonnie as if he wanted to kill her. Then, I realized why.

"Incendia!" Emily called, throwing the necklace up into the air.

"No!" Damon cried in anguish, as the necklace broke into a million pieces, like sparks off a rock. When the fire ceased, Damon rushed in.

"No!" I cried, but I was too late. Damon's fangs sinked into Bonnie's neck, and she screamed as he fed off her blood. I guess Emily no longer had possession of Bonnie's body.

I took a stance, ready to bolt to Bonnie, when Stefan beat me to it. He ripped Damon away from Bonnie, flinging him across the soil and grass. Damon's face was a mixture of anger, frustration, and hopelessness. He hurt Bonnie! After giving Damon a look of pity, I sprinted and joined Stefan, whose hands were searching for a pulse on Bonnie's neck.

I sighed in relief when Stefan said, "She's alive, but barely. I can save her." He bit into his own wrist, and lowered his blood onto Bonnie's mouth. She resisted, but not enough for the blood to not make it into her system. Her neck wound closed, leaving behind blood. Stefan pulled his arm back towards his body, as I touched Bonnie's forearm. Looking behind me, I saw Damon give Bonnie a look of disgust.

What was in the necklace that made Damon try to kill Bonnie for destroying it? Whatever the answer was, it seemed to crush Damon. His eyes were tearing up, and I swear that I've never seen him cry before. I could never have imagined it.

"I don't understand, Ariana." Bonnie was crying to me as we stood by my car. I assumed that Stefan was talking to Damon, since he wasn't in sight. "What happened to me? He attacked me, and... his face was like..."

I knew how she felt. Explaining the features of a vampire filled with bloodlust was kinda like explaining what an invisible cloak looked like. Not really, but the idea's still there.

"How do you feel? Are you okay?" I asked Bonnie. That was a stupid question. Of course she wasn't okay, she just got attacked by a vampire!

"I'm fine," Bonnie sniffled, teary eyed. "It's just this blood." She reached up to touch her neck tenderly, the blood already drying. "I don't..."

She trailed off as her eyes caught something behind me. Turning around, I heard Stefan say to Bonnie, "I'm not gonna hurt you."

Beside me, Bonnie whispered, "What's going on, Ariana?"

I knew what my answer was gonna be, I couldn't lie to her, my best friend, anymore. "I'll explain everything later. Okay? Let's just make sure you're okay first." I looked into her eyes, and she gave a slight nod. Carefully, I led her to my car, making sure she didn't collapse as she sat down in the front seat. After closing the car door, I turned back to Stefan.

I took a deep breath, and said, "I need to tell her the truth."

"You sure?" he asked.

I nodded. "She's my best friend, and we could never keep secrets from each other. I can trust her, it isn't fair to her either. I'm sorry..." I trailed off, not knowing what else I should say.

He nodded understandably, "Don't be. You shouldn't have to live in secret."

I bit my lip. I felt the electricity radiating off him, but it was faint, very faint. I wanted so bad just to hug him, and tell him how much I loved him, but... I wasn't so sure it would end well. I wanted to be with him though, and something inside me knew, that if that was to happen, this would be my last chance. So, pushing away my doubts, I practically jumped to him, and wrapped my arms around his torso.

The electricity ignited, and he hugged me back instantly. We stayed like that for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's presence. But, I remembered Bonnie, and I knew, that it was now or never. "Stefan," I pleaded softly, pulling away slightly to look into his green eyes. "Please..."

Without any further communication, Stefan seemed to know what I was referring to, "I can't, Ariana. I have to leave. Too many people have died. Too much had happened."

I shook my head, and closed my eyes. Tears from before were threatening to break out again. He was trying to protect me, for which I was grateful, but... if it meant losing him...then I'd never want to be alive.

Stefan continued, "I shouldn't be a part of your life. I've brought danger with me, wherever I go. You deserve a better life."

It wasn't his fault that there was danger everywhere. Damon brought the danger, well actually, he was the danger. But, that wasn't Stefan's fault, and what was a life, without him in it? It sounded all cheesy, but I didn't care, because it was the truth.

I saw tears come out of his eyes, as he said, "Good-bye, Ariana." He kissed my hand once, sending reverberating tingles up my arm, caressed my face, and left.

Coldness replaced his touch. Never in all my life had I felt such crushing pain. The kind of pain you feel when you lose someone. But, my parents were permanently dead, Stefan wasn't, he was undead, but still somewhat alive. As I started sobbing into the empty forest, I realized that I would never be the same. Hopefully, I could heal. But for now, I let it all out. Everything that was keeping me together poured out like a tipped over bucket of water. I felt sad, knowing that I already missed Stefan.

Collecting myself as best as I could, I walked back towards the car. Bonnie slouched in the front seat, in a peaceful, deep sleep.

I knew that what I was about to do next was stupid and reckless, but I didn't care. Hopefully, Bonnie would still be asleep by the time I came back, or else, she could accidentally hurt herself by either freaking out, or searching for me.

I turned back around, to face the woods, and started to walk. I took steps past thin trees, thick trees, hanging vines, rocks, plant-life, leaves, and just kept walking. I had no idea what I was doing. The night usually scared me, with the pitch-black sky, and shadows impersonating "ghosts" or "demons". But I felt no fear. I heard no sound, no rustle, no cricket. It was silent, as if the forest was dead.

But then, I did hear something. It was the sound of water swishing in a bottle. Looking to my right, I saw Damon sitting on a log, staring blankly ahead of him, as he brought the bottle of bourbon to his lips, letting the liquid slide smoothly into his mouth.

"Come to join the party?" He asked, startling me, even though it shouldn't have. He was a vampire, after all, he could hear my every movement.

But again, I felt no fear, only hurt and rejection. "Sure," I replied gloomily. Surprising him, I took a seat right next to where he was sitting, not caring that I was probably scratching up my new jeans.

"What's got you so upset?" He asked me.

"I could ask you the same thing." I said back. I had no idea why he seemed so sad, and helpless. All I knew, was that it had something to do with the necklace. He tried to kill Bonnie, but no matter how hard I tried to hate him, I couldn't. I could never hate someone, not even my worst enemy.

"I asked you first." Damon pointed out after a few seconds.

I sighed, not wishing to argue, I didn't think I had it in me. "Got dumped by your brother." I said nonchalantly.

His eyebrows raised, and I thought I saw him smile a bit, before he grimaced. "Aw...hell..." he muttered.

"What..?" I asked him. He turned to look at me, his gaze piercing into me eyes. We locked our gazes for a few more seconds, before he quickly looked away.

"Nothing." He said gruffly, "Don't worry about it. It's almost dawn. You should probably go home."

I studied him for a few moments longer, trying to get a read on him. He was showing nothing, except restraint. But, from what? Shaking my head, I stood up, and said, "You're probably right. Bonnie's gonna wake up soon. Bye."

I walked away from him, back into the woods, and following the familiar path back to my car. I needed to tell Bonnie.

3rd person POV:

Stefan felt pain. There was nothing that was more painful than telling Ariana that they couldn't be together. It was unbearable and excruciating. He threw his diary across his room in rage and frustration. Tears ran steadily down his cheeks, as he sobbed.

Damon still sat there, gazing at the forest where Ariana had just left. So, his brother had ended it with her. He was guessing it was because Stefan was trying to "protect" her, and truthfully, Stefan being with her was the only reason Damon hadn't yet per sued her.

That's why he had wanted his love Katherine back. Katherine ha a lot in common with Damon. They were both selfish, funny, sarcastic, and fun people. And though Damon had thought she was the only one he would ever want, Ariana's existence proved him wrong. The light within that one girl was unbelievable. She carried it with her, the inextinguishable flame always burning, and spreading to others around her. It affected Damon.

That is why, Damon knew he could never be with her. Darkness could never be equal to light, they couldn't mix. That's why he needed Katherine, the only one whose darkness was greater than his.

Damn wanted Ariana, more than anyone could ever imagine. But, he did not deserve her. And Ariana's life didn't need to be tainted with his presence. So, he would leave, and hope that someday, he could learn, to be light.