The Ties That Bind

"I've been having these dreams for days now. It's like the witches are trying to send me a message," Bonnie told us.

"And Damon knew?" Bonnie nodded slowly. "I can't believe you guys kept this from us."

"Stefan thought, if you two knew where the coffins were, Klaus could threaten people to get the information out of you."

"So, these are the rest of his family?" Elena asked.

"Yeah. Elijah and two others," she answered. "This one... is the one we can't open. We don't know who is in it, or what's in it, only that I think my dream's telling me it'll help us kill Klaus."

Stefan barged into the room "What the hell are you doing?"

"I needed them to know about the coffin," Bonnie told him.

"And I needed you to keep them out of it, Bonnie," Stefan snapped.

"So what are you gonna do, Stefan? Are you gonna kidnap me, so that I won't tell anyone?" Elena asked angrily.

"Don't tempt me," he spat.

"I think I know who can open the coffin, Stefan. And I need Elena and Louise to help me find her," Bonnie said.

"Find who? What are you talking about?"

"I couldn't place her face at first. Then I realised..."

She showed us a photo of her mom. "Oh my God," I muttered.

Stefan looked at the photo. "Who is this?

"It's my mom."

"Los Alamitos?"

"Too old."

"Honolulu?"

Bonnie scoffed. "I wish. How many of these are there?"

"A lot. I asked the sheriff's office to pull up every single Abby Bennett in the country," Elena said.

"I know we haven't been able to really... that things had been weird, because of Jeremy, so, thank you guys for helping me with this. I know you have a lot to deal with," Bonnie said.

"There's nothing more important, Bonnie," Elena assured her.

"It's surreal. Having to track down a woman who bailed on her own kid."

"You don't have to, Bonnie," I said. "Just because Stefan has this obsession with opening the coffin, doesn't mean it has to fall on you."

"The coffin is spell shut. That makes it a witch problem. And you can't use magic as much anymore... so it does fall on me. I was bound to see my mother again sooner or later."

Damon entered the kitchen, a paper in his hand. "Sooner. Abby Bennett Wilson, Monroe, North Carolina. Born in Mystic Falls Hospital, graduated at Mystic Falls High... blah blah blah." He handed Bonnie a piece of paper. "A little compulsion helps sped up the research process."

Bonnie was staring at the paper. "This is her."

"Yep. Roadtrip. I call shotgun."

"Yea... no," I said.

"Want me to hang out in the back with you?" Damon wiggled his eyebrows.

I was so angry and frustrated with him. He ignored me for a whole week and then suddenly we're best buds again?

"You're not coming, Damon," Elena told him firmly.

"Why? I'm the one who found her."

"Bonnie hasn't seen her mother in fifteen years," I said. "We don't need that commentary of yours narrating the experience."

We didn't speak and there was silence. "What's going on with you two?" Bonnie asked.

"We professed our love for reach other. Now it's weird. Have a great trip."

He left and went out to the porch. "Excuse me," I said to Elena and Bonnie before chasing after him.

"Damon!" I called.

He whipped around. We were standing on the porch. "Yes, Lou?"

I threw my hands in the air, frustrated. "What's up with you?"

He shrugged. "What's up with what?"

"Don't play innocent," I snapped. "You've been ignoring me. One minute it's 'I'm in love with you' and the next you're not even returning my phone calls? What the hell?"

"I thought you'd like some time to spend with your new wolfy love interest," he snarled.

"What?" I exclaimed in a high tone.

"Klaus." I gave him an 'are you freakin' serious' look. "I heard your conversation last night."

"He only came over to tell me that he healed Caroline!" I insisted. "How did you get 'love interest' from that?"

"He's interested in you, Louise!" he said.

I shook my head. "No, he's not, Damon. You're acting like a child." I edged to the front door. "And if you're going to play the jealous boyfriend, at least pick someone worth while to be jealous of. Call me when you get your sense back."

"I just can't belive that I'm actually going to see her. Or meet her. Sort of... Since I don't really remember her," Bonnie said as we drove to her mom's house.

"You don't really talk about her," I said.

"What's to say? She left, never wrote, never called," Bonnie replied. "Not even when my Grams died. Could we talk about you and Damon instead?"

I shrugged. "He told me he loved me, then he didn't answer my calls for a couple days and now he just pops up and decides to play the jealous boyfriend. Nothing to talk about, really."

Bonnie frowned. "Who's he jealous of?"

"Bonnie, I-"

"Come on!" Bonnie said, grinning. "If he's making Damon jealous, then he has to be something."

"Oh, he's something," I told her. "Not that I'm interested. And neither is he... Damon's just insecure."

"So... who is it?" Elena pried from the back.

I sighed heavily. "Klaus."

"Klaus?" they both exclaimed.

"Like I said, so not interested," I assured them. "He just came over to say that Caroline was healed up..."

"...and gave you a thousand dollar necklace," Bonnie finished.

"...which means nothing but that he's playing games."

Bonnie scoffed. "Sure. Uh-huh. Whatever you say."

"I'm done with this conversation," I said. "No more Damon or Klaus talk. Okay?"

She rolled her eyes. "Right." Her phone rang. "Oh... It's Stefan. I told him I'd call him as soon as I got the address."

"Ignore him. Bonnie, your about to see your mom for the first time in fifteen years. I'm not letting anyone ruin that moment," Elena stated.

"Yeah, but he's gonna keep at it until I pick up."

"Fine." I picked up the phone and answered it. "Hey, ripper bestie. How are you doing?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks," I said sarcastically.

He groaned. "I don't have time for this, Louise."

"Right, I forgot you sceduled your next kill at sundown. Bonnie, Elena and I are going to spend the night at the lake house while we wait for Sheriff Forbes to give us more addresses. No look as of late, I'm afraid."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"Wish I was, Stef, but I'm not. We need a night off from your ripper insanity. Threatening to drive Elena off the cliff where our parents' died? Low blow. Low blow."

He ignored my scolding. "Klaus is getting antsy. He knows that I'm stalling. We need to move faster."

"We're doing everything we can. You calling every five minutes kind of slows us down, maybe you can... uh... not?"

"Sure, Louise. Whatever you say."

"I don't think ripper!Stefan likes me very much," I said, walking up to Abby's house.

"Ripper!Stefan doesn't like anyone much," Elena replied, looking around. "Cute house."

"Yeah, in the middle of nowhere," Bonnie commented.

"You ready?" I asked the Bennett witch.

She nodded and rang the doorbell, slightly shaking. A boy answered the door to us with a kind smile. "Hey, there."

"Hey, we're looking for Abby Wilson," Elena told him.

"She's not home. Something I can do for you?" the boy answered.

Bonnie looked slightly relieved that she didn't have to face her mom. "It's okay, we can come back."

She made to leave, but the boy continued to speak. "I'm sorry, but you look so familiar."

"Em... Abby is my mom."

His eyes widened. "Oh... I'm Jamie. You guys wanna come inside?" We nodded. "Right this way."

"You guys sure, you don't want anything? We got fresh OJ, coconut water, some mango guava something," Jamie offered.

"Water is fine," Bonnie said.

He nodded. "Cool."

"So, are we... like related?" Bonnie asked him.

He shook his head. "Oh, no. Abby is not my mom."

"Oh?" I questioned, signalling for him to continue.

"Yeah, she dated my old man back in the day. He's kind of a deadbeat, so when they broke up she took me in. Put me through school. Didn't freak out when I totalled her car. Twice."

Bonnie laughed, smiling dreamily. "She sounds... great."

A woman I barely recognised as Abby Bennett-Wilson entered the house. "Jamie? Who's car is out front?"

"That's mine. I'm Bonnie. Your daughter."

Abby gaped slightly, I saw the guilt in her face. She recovered quickly. "Hello, Bonnie."

Bonnie held a photo of Jamie in her hands. "How are you holding up?" Elena asked.

She shrugged. "I'll be fine. I'm not here to get my mom back, I'm just here to get her help."

Abby came in into the living room. "So, I hope you guys are hungry, cause food has always been my go to ice-breaker."

"You have a really beautiful home," Elena complimented.

"You're so sweet. Just like your mom."

I shot up. "You knew our mom?"

She nodded. "Miranda was my best friend."

"So, you had a daughter and a best friend and you still left?" Bonnie questioned.

"My best friend is why I left. Fifteen years ago a vampire came to town. Looking for you two. Looking for the doppelgänger and a lunar witch. No one could manage to kill him. So I lured him out of town and cast a spell to desiccate him in a crypt in Charlotte."

Mikael, I realised. But why would he want me? "What's a lunar witch?"

"You don't know?" I shook my head. "It's rare. A lunar witch usually pops up in a line of witches-turned-humans, after witch magic dies out in the family. But there's a cost. They're weaker than most witches except for nights and full moons, where the power becomes uncontrollable. I'm sorry, I don't know much except for the basics. That vampire wanted to raise you and use you to kill Klaus."

"Mikael. He was an original vampire," I said.

"It took every ounce of power I had. Almost killed me. I recovered. But my magic didn't. My powers never came back."

"And neither did you," Bonnie said.

"It wasn't that simple."

"It wasn't? You cast a spell, put Mikael down and then... what? You had to teach Jamie how to drive?"

"Bonnie..." Elena warned.

"This was a mistake. She has no magic. She can't help us."

Bonnie was about to leave, but her mom ran after her. "Bonnie, wait, please. Don't go. Talk to me... Please?"

I looked between them and said, "We'll wait outside."

We went out to the barn. "Uncontrollable power? I already knew all that!" I complained.

"Well, at least we found out what you are. We can look for it in the grimoires," Elena said. We stopped walking when we saw our very ripper friend. "Stefan."

"Hey, Louise. Nice lake house." He looked between us. "So, what did you guys think, I wouldn't find it out?"

"Honestly, I didn't care," Elena stated, shrugging.

"This is exactly why I didn't want you guys in the loop," Stefan said.

"Yeah, because now you can't do whatever the hell you want," I said.

He kicked a chair angrily. "Damn it!" he roared.

"Quit the tantrum!" I yelled back. "You're acting like a child!"

Jamie came into the barn. "Hey! Everything alright out here?"

"Just go back inside, Jamie," I said. "It's better off you go, trust me."

He shook his head defiantly. "I don't think so."

"I'd listen to her," Stefan said, agreeing with me. "Get back upstairs, man."

"I said 'I don't think so'," he repeated.

In one sudden move, he grabbed Abby's adoptive son by the throat and compelled him. "Go back upstairs, before I tear your damn throat out. Do you understand me?"

He let go of poor Jamie and the boy left. "I don't think you've realised how bad you've gotten!" Elena exclaimed.

"It's the way it has to be, Elena," Stefan insisted, almost sadly.

Elena scoffed. "Oh, yeah, right. 'Out villain the villain.' I get it."

Jamie came back into the barn with a gun. "You're not supposed to be here," Jamie said.

"Jamie, what are you doing?" Elena asked.

"What I was told. He's not supposed to be here," he repeated robotically.

"Elena... he's compelled," Stefan told us.

Jamie shot Stefan with one pull and he fell to the ground. You'd think a witch would have her human son drink vervain...

Klaus, I realised. So much for not hurting the people I care about...

He walked towards us like a mindless zombie. I clenched my fist, trying to give him an aneurysm... it didn't work. "What the hell?"

That stupid herb!

The last thing I saw was the barn. Jamie put his hand over my mouth, ignoring my muffled screams, and some weird dust-like herb was between my lips.

Then everything went black.

I couldn't open my eyes. I heard Elena and Jamie... a boy I met today talking. I could barely make out anything that they were saying.

Chains bound my wrists against a post. I wasn't strong enough, that herb really did a number on me.

Jamie: A man came by earlier today, he gave me a wooden buckshot and told me if anyone got in our way, I'm supposed to shoot him.

"What else did he say?" I heard Elena ask.

"If Abby didn't find the location of some coffins, I'm supposed to shoot myself."

"What about me? What did he say about me?"

"I'm not supposed to hurt you."

"Are you sure? Because these ropes are so tight, that it is hurting me."

There was sound of a struggle and then a thump. I groaned, a sharp pang in my head. "Louise!" Footsteps marched over to where I was and lightly patted my cheeks, shaking me. "Come on, Louise, wake up." I grunted and opened my eyes. Elena sighed in relief. "Thank God."

Jamie was knocked out on the floor. I straightened up against the post. "Could you untie me?"

"Sure." She moved behind me and undid the rope. "There."

Elena helped me up before rushing over to her boy... ex-boyfriend, maybe? I didn't know anymore. Sometimes he'd show some humanity, but then he'd act like there was no one home. I kind of wish he'd just stick to one, because when I saw the light flash in his eyes, the desire to save him rushed back.

"What can I do to help?" Elena asked.

"Everytime I move, the wood shifts inside of me. I can feel it scraping against my heart. You need to get the pieces out."

Elena nodded and took the pieces out. "Louise, Abby kidnapped Bonnie."

"Why would she do that?"

"I think his life was threatened. Look, you need to do a locator spell. I know it's difficult for you, but we have to try. Bonnie's in danger!"

"But I don't..." My gaze drifted towards the house. "Abby's probably with Bonnie. I'll use something of hers."

I muttered the locator spell in the garden while Elena took the bullets out of Stefan.

Luckily, Abby kept a map. I used her hairbrush to try and get some connection. The end of the hairbrush pointed to the NC3. I marked the position with a pen and grabbed the map.

"Come on, I found them."

"We're on our way, Bonnie. I did a locator spell."

"I thought you weren't going to practice magic anymore?"

"The whole full moon business might have given me a fright, but this is who I am. Maybe I'm taking a huge risk, but I can't not use magic for the rest of my life."

"Abby didn't want to hurt me. She just wanted to protect Jamie."

She sounded hurt. "It's alright, Bon. She doesn't deserve you as a daughter. Especially if she's going to choose some kid who isn't hers over you."

"You're right. I see the car."

She hung up. I saw her through the front mirror. I shot her a small smile, but she didn't smile back. There were tears in her eyes. Understandable. Having Abby Bennett-Wilson as a mom must really be horrible.

Bonnie got into her car. "You wanna drive?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "No, you can drive. Where's Elena?"

"Stefan drove her home," I told her. I watched her worringly. "Do you want to talk about it?"

A tear slid down her cheek. "No."

Dear diary,

It's me again. I've written more in this diary in the past few weeks than I have in four years. My life, as usual, is hectic. My best friend's mom chose her adoptive son over her real one. Bonnie was heart-broken and who could blame her?

But she promised that she'd help with the coffins to get Bonnie's forgiveness, at least that was something. Abby didn't seem like the smartest person. Who knows about vampires and doesn't force their very-human 'children' to drink vervain? Witch-adoptive-parenting 101 here!

Damon and I... we're not as close. Maybe I'm paranoid, but I think he's somehow blaming me for Klaus being nice (or playing games)... which is really horrible of him to do. He says Klaus is interested in me, I say he's bonkers. I'm not gorgeous like Elena, Bonnie or Caroline. I don't look like I've just come out of the salon every damn day and I don't have a supermodel's body.

And Klaus is... Klaus. He's insane, sociopathic and homicidal. Why would he be interested in me?

"Hey."

I looked up from my diary and at my sister. "What's up?"

She smiled widely. "I just saw Ric kissing Dr. Fell."

I giggled. "Meredith Fell?" She nodded, excitement etched on her face. "I guess we'll be having a new step-stepmother anytime soon."

Ric was technically our stepfather since he married Isobel... and that was weird.

"Hopefully, it's good to see him happy." She paused for a moment, as if debating something. Finally, she said, "So, what's the deal with you and Damon?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "He's being a jealous dick without any reason to be jealous and I'm not going to entertain it."

"Are you breaking up with him?"

I bit my lip. "I don't know."

"You want my opinion on you and him?" I didn't reply, so she continued. "I think he turns you into someone you're not. You have to bend all of your morals just to be with him. I know he loves you and I know you love him, but you've changed. And not for the better."

She shot me a sad smile before shutting the door, leaving me with only my thoughts for company.

A/N: Trouble in paradise, huh? Keep those reviews coming! I love to read them and they really make my day!