The Wrong Direction
Damon Salvatore
I've heard a lot of things I was never meant to hear. I've heard whispered secrets between friends and lovers, the first cries of new life, and the tears fall of the broken hearted. I've heard stories of the unthinkable things that live among us all (not just including myself). However, something I've never heard of before is a human losing his soul. Yes, they sell their souls every day. For anything and everything they let go of the one thing that is truly theirs to give. But they lose it when they die. They don't just become empty shells. I've never heard of a man walking around this world without a soul in his body.
It intrigues me. I wonder how this hunter is doing it.
But I don't feel too inclined to learn firsthand. There's something about these two that's making me want to rip their throats out. It's because of Bonnie. The way they're talking about her, as if she's a meal ticket, is what's really pissing me off about them. One thing I really can't stand is people thinking it's alright for them to use my witch.
"As much as I enjoy hearing your little melodrama about your soul and hearing you idiots talk about my girl, I think it's time for me to interrupt you. How exactly do you plan on getting Bonnie?" I ask loudly as I walk towards them. They both turn to me with wannabe menacing looks on their faces. The smaller one looks like he's itching to start a fight when Bonnie comes around.
"By asking," she says.
"What?" All three of us say in unison.
"Just ask for my help, and I'll give it to you" she says looking each of them dead in the eyes.
"Bonnie, are you crazy? You don't even know what they want from you" I say in a reprimanding tone.
"Damon" she says with pleading eyes, "just trust me." And again she turns her gaze to the men before her. "Do you want me to help you?"
"Well if you're just going to volunteer yourself, that's great. It makes our job a lot easier" the tall one says.
Bonnie turns to him and glares. It's not often that she'll let any anger show but the rare times it does it's something to be remembered.
"I said 'ask.' That means I'll help you when you ask me to. I'm not volunteering my service to you nor am I going to agree with no conditions. I'm saying ask me and we'll work out the terms after I say yes" she says and continues to shoot daggers at him with her eyes. That's my girl.
"Alright, Bonnie, I'm asking. Will you help us?" the short one says at last.
The instant Bonnie turns to him her glare fades and her eyes soften. "Yes, Dean, I will."
She glances up at me and I can already hear the silent question. She smiles softly when she knows I'm saying yes.
"Well boys, this is not the place to discuss what you need or what we want in return so I suggest we go somewhere—safer" I say.
"Excuse me, who the hell are you?" The one named Dean exclaims.
"He's with me" Bonnie says forcefully. Dean looks back at Bonnie like he doesn't trust what's happening. "You can't honestly expect me to go off and help you on my own?" Bonnie says after a minute passes.
"For a hunter you'd think you'd be better at deducing that" I say with a laugh. "Come on, Dean and the tall one, follow me."
We leave the Grill and head for home, each in our own separate vehicles. When we get to the boarding house I pull Bonnie aside for a second before the boys get out of their car.
"What are you doing, Bonnie?"
"I'm doing what I always do. I'm doing what I need to do."
"You don't know what they want from you. What if what they really want is your death? These are the 'kill anything supernatural' kind of hunters and sweetheart as much as you'd like to be, you're not normal. You're not really human" I say to her with a fear for her life in my eyes that hers are missing.
"Damon, trust me. I can handle this and get them out of our town so that everyone can be safe" she says. "I know I'm not normal but I can use that to our advantage like I always do. This is just another day in Mystic Falls." Her eyes are waiting for me to test her resolve but that's a battle I know I'll lose so instead of saying anything else I just open the door.
"Come on in and take a seat everyone" I say to no one specifically.
It takes them a minute but eventually the two hunters take a seat on the couch with Bonnie and me standing across from them. Bonnie looks to me as if to say 'take a seat' and I'm quick to follow orders. When she gets in command mode the only thing to do is whatever she says. She stands firm in front of them on her own and begins.
"Why are you here?" she asks the hunters.
"Well, we were at the bar and then you and your minion decided we needed to come here to be safe" the tall jackass says.
"That's cute. I see that you're trying to be funny but I don't think either of us have the time for that. Why are you in Mystic Falls?" she asks more specifically.
"We're here for you" he says.
She takes a look at him for a second too long and rolls her eyes. "Let me change my question. Let's all put our cards on the table okay? I'll start. I'll say who I am, what I am, and what I know so far. You do the same in return." She says and looks at all of us. She's sexy when she takes control.
"My name is Bonnie Bennett. I'm a witch. When I met you this morning, Sam, and you touched me, I got a glimpse of your life and the feeling of hollowness in you. Translation: I know that your soul is missing. I know that you came here looking for vampires. Why, I'm not sure, but when you spoke of finding a new species it was definitely vampires on your mind. I know that you two are hunters and brothers. You think I'm the key in finding your soul but I don't know how. However, I'm willing to help you once I know exactly what it is you need from me."
There's a pause while they process what she's said.
"Is it our turn now?" Sam asks sarcastically with his hand raised. If he keeps up with that tone I might just kill him for the fun of it. Without a soul I wonder if he'd even die. Bonnie just nods her head and keeps quiet.
"Well Bonnie, I'm Sam and that's my brother Dean. As you know, we're hunters. We hunt every kind of supernatural being there is, from ghosts, to vampires, and even witches, but the most prominent creatures we hunt are demons."
I take a look up at Bonnie after this. No one has mentioned demons around here in a while. Not since Silas and Qetsiyah were a problem. On the outside Bonnie looks unfazed by the mention of them but I can hear her heart beat just a bit faster at the sound.
"To make a long story very short, my soul is in Hell right now. My body was pulled out by a demon named Crowley and we're working with him to find Purgatory so that he can get my soul back."
"You're helping a demon and that brought you here, to Bonnie, because?" I ask incredulously. We've worked hard to make sure this town stays demon free for years and if this fool brings them here and puts Bonnie in danger I will personally make sure his body never has a chance to get pulled from anything.
"Well originally we came here to look for this other species of vampire, which I'm assuming you are" he says and looks at me pointedly, "to see what they knew about Purgatory and do our job. But then some research led me to something better. I'll give you a hint: Purgatory is the place where all supernatural souls go after they die."
"You're looking for the Other Side." Bonnie says at last.
"Exactly" Sam says with satisfaction.
"I still don't understand what you want from me."
"You're ancestor created it right, so you should have the ability to open the door."
"That's really not how it works" Bonnie says back.
"Listen, chick, all we need from you is to show us how to get into Purgatory or 'the Other Side' or whatever the hell you want to call it so that we can get that red-eyed bastard in there and get Sammy's soul back. You want to help? Do that." Dean yells. Please, yell at her again and see what I do to you.
"You can't just open the door to the Other Side. It's not like Heaven or Hell, it exists onthis world but there's a veil that keeps it separate."
"So what can you do?" Sam asks impatiently.
"I can get you there—on the Other Side—and get you out" she says. "It'll take me some time to get everything I need but I'll get it done."
"What do you want from us?" Dean asks.
"Here's the deal: I get you into the Other Side, and you leave this town and never come back. I can handle what happens in this town so if you want my help, you have to guarantee me that you won't come near here again and you won't lead other hunters here either."
"That's it?"
"Yes, Dean, that's it."
"How are we supposed to believe you? We met all of an hour ago and yet you've been so open and willing to help us. What's your angle?"
"As much as you're willing to do to protect your brother, I'm willing to do to keep the people in this town protected" she says with conviction. "So what do you say?"
"Deal" they say together.
Bonnie's done a lot of dumb stuff in her life but I have to say this one takes the cake. How can she just willingly choose to help these guys she doesn't even know she can trust? As much as she's grown over the course of the last few years she's still so much of the same person. To pair herself with hunters that are working with a demon is the dumbest decision she's ever made. All anyone ever has to do is appear to be a threat to something she loves and she rolls over. It's that loyalty and devotion that kills me sometimes but also what makes me love her.
The hunters are long gone when I try to talk to Bonnie again.
"Are you sure you want to do this? What if the demon they're helping is the same one Qetsiyah and Silas tried to warn us about?"
"That's a risk I'm taking then."
"Dammit Bonnie, if you're going to be putting yourself at risk can't it at least be against something we've fought before? Something we can we can beat."
"It's fine. This is what I do" she says. "It's been years anyway. We don't even know if that demon's still around."
"All I'm saying is that it seems like you're going in the wrong direction. If you're trying to avoid the chance of being found by this demon, you might want to stay away from the dangerous duo that deals with them daily."
"Nice, the alliteration was a nice touch," she says with a smirk.
"Bonnie I'm being serious."
"I know, but it's going to be fine" she says confidently.
But everything in me knows you're wrong.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story!
A/N: There's a lot in here that alludes to what happened with Silas and Qetsiyah so the next chapter is just going to be a flashback regarding everything that happened there.
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