Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or its characters. #thebookswerebetter

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6

Godless

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"Why are you helping me?"

The witch and vampire sat parked in a dark cluster of trees just outside the gate.

"Without me and definitely without Stefan, you couldn't even join the Council. It's one of those situations that you can't fix from the outside, that's was the plan right?" She was his golden ticket out of there.

His eyes focused on the empty space in front of him, he was tired of being stuffed into a coffin and dropped underwater where he drowned over and over. It happened every time Julian got word of someone abandoning the Council or any immortal trying to leave the community. They defanged werewolves. Witches were stripped of their magic. Lily let him do it. Claiming it built character and discipline. Very few needed to be made an example of because when they were, everyone was forced to watch.

He gave up running away the third time he got caught. For four months Damon clawed at a sealed lid with no avail as he died repeatedly. The only way he could avoid trouble was spending most of his time in his room getting high and fucking his not-girlfriend. With heaping pints of martyr goody-two-shoes blood in his system, he couldn't even do that. Seeing his girl in his shower it still took ten minutes and some 'encouragement' to get a hard-on. It was dampening his style. If she joined the Council, the new bond made during the ceremony would break the old one.

"It is a better chance of figuring something out with a power position than without..." Bonnie rubbed at her forehead and leaned forward in her seat fighting an oncoming headache. "What does that have to do with you helping me?"

"I can't ditch this place as long as it exists. No one can. And yea, sure, saving lives for the greater good or whatever." Damon fixed his hair as he looked at himself in the rearview mirror oblivious to Bonnie's eyes bulging at his statement.

"You mean Jo and Caroline are stuck? And if she tries to leave? If Lily found out I tried to leave?" It started to make sense why Lily kept giving her things to make her more comfortable. Luxuries that were no longer accessible on the outside. From a stranger's viewpoint, everyone looked happy and worked together in harmony. It was too good to be true.

"If she found out you really left she'd have sent for someone to drag you back. If you didn't comply, the punishment depends on if Lily needs you around or not. The rest is...," his eyelids became heavy realizing the fist-full of pills he took with Katherine was kicking in, " just know no one ever really leaves unless they get shipped out."

During Damon's last trip to New Orleans, he saw the tiny boxes the stuck newly arrived witches and warlocks. So small they couldn't even stand. It was where they slept, ate and defecated. Blindfolded, chained and gagged making it impossible to cast spells. They were tortured but kept alive until they broke. Until they became willing slaves. Each one always broke, it just took some longer than others. Jo was lucky Lily liked her so much, she could have had her sanity stripped instead of her magic.

Bonnie started to grind her teeth nervously, the lack of details meant it got worse. Much worse. Her confidence was dwindling rapidly.

"Just a heads up. There's a whole... ceremony. We all swap blood. It gets pretty weird and a little hot." The artificial rush of endorphins made a euphoric and fuzzy Damon with lowered inhibitions. "Jus' don't discuss any of this. EVER. Inside the community. Now let's go party!" He clapped his hands and gyrated in his seat before starting the car.

Bonnie's hand instinctively went to her throat. "Ceremony? What do you mean we all swap blood?!"

"Oh yeah, we undress you. Lay you naked on a table. Dig right on in. After that, we swap fluids. For new members the orgy is mandatory-"

"What?!"

Damon laughed with a hand pressed against his abdomen. His mood was shifting quickly to one of careless bliss. "Nah, I'm just kidding. We get a little cut on the hand. Drip the blood in a goblet. We all drink from the said goblet. There's a pact. Yadda-yadda." He waved his hand dismissively after having attended six in the past two and a half years. "It's not that bad."

"You're not funny, this isn't a laughing matter. But really? That's it? No blood sacrifice?" Bonnie wouldn't put it past some establishments going as far as the first option. She had come across an array of lost faith and strange behavior people picked up over the last couple of years.

Damon shrugged waiting for the gate to open. "It's quick and virtually painless. The bad news is, Lily can track you once the blood pact is made. The good news is if she likes you she'll put you on a long leash. Better than the alternative. Trust me."

Stefan felt his stomach drop the moment Bonnie burst into the ballroom with Damon following closely behind. He fought the oncoming resentment of his brother's impulsiveness and motor mouth. They briefly exchanged a glance. Damon's pupils were saucers and his step had a little more swagger. He was definitely high. Caroline, to his left, stopped inspecting the classical paintings when she noticed Lily and Bonnie leave the ballroom as soon as she caught sight of her coming.

"What's going on? Why is she dressed in that?" Caroline whispered in fitting formal wear along with other attendees as suggested. Her voice was barely above the swell of the string quartet playing in the corner of the ballroom. Bonnie had been gone most of the day only to arrive fashionably late with her frienemy in her regular 'survival' clothes. She made a move to follow them until Stefan carefully grabbed her arm. He was still working on establishing a level of trust with her. Short sentences and small talk was small steps but a victory none the less.

"Hey, it's probably a walker problem. A necessary emergency run. Can't be anything serious." He offered a reassuring smile pretending not to see his approaching sibling prancing their way.

Caroline gave him a skeptical look picking up her champagne. "I hope it isn't." Before she could drink it, the glass was plucked from her hands and chugged by none other than Damon. "Hey!"

"Hello to you too Blondie." He eyed her up and down.

"What the hell did you just do?" Stefan moved between them blocking his brother's view of Caroline.

"Everything awesome as usual jeeze," Damon exaggerated offense. "Just got a little birdie to reconsider on what would be and what could've been. AKA, we got a new girl scout for... the scouts. You could say I scouted the scout. Speaking of scouts, girl scout cookies sound really good right now." Damon trailed off sticking the empty glass in his brother's hand and wandering off to find Katherine.

"What the hell was that?" The number of questions Caroline had that weren't being answered skyrocketed.

"I don't know but I'm about to find out." Stefan walked towards his brother grabbing him by the arm and dragging him out of the mansion.

With the council busy and distracted, Stefan and Damon began to find differences between what Bonnie should have done as they argued by the gate.

"This is what I'm talking about! Ever since you spent the summer in that coffin, it's like you're itching to bring everyone under! Some of us could be approaching shit differently instead of acting like a super fucking badass!" Stefan hissed shoving his brother's shoulder. He couldn't believe he would bring the witch into the middle of the shit-is-fucked-pie.

Damon sneered and tossed his head back as he emptied the glass of scotch he took with him on his way out. "You don't get it! You're the one who's sitting around! You do nothing! It's not even worth an argument! Don't you think I'm not sticking my neck out or putting in any fucking effort? She is in! She is on our side!" The elder grew more and more pissed as his brother blew his high. Those pills were hard to come by and even harder to find someone who could press them.

"I get it, Damon. You wanna put in your own flavor or way of thinking down when you do what you think you need to do but I'm coming from a place of seeing what you've done. Look at Jo! Look at what Lily did to Jo! She's got no fight left in her!"

"Well, dear brother, I'm coming from a place where I feel like you give me shit you don't give anyone else shit about. Where was this energy when Lily brought us into the Council? Or when everyone agreed to work with the Originals? Or even when Katherine was all aboard because we both know you're her favorite! She'll listen to you more than she'd listen to me!"

"Because you and I have already discussed this! A million times! It's like you refuse to just agree that this will take years, hard work, proper planning. Not some balls to the wall idea of just guns blazing. Emily didn't give us these rings when Kat turned for us to act stupid! She did it out of the kindness of her heart!"

Damon tossed his empty glass onto the pavement shattering it. "Stop bringing her up! Should we be thankful? Yea but Emily is dead! Sheila is dead! And if I didn't do what I did Bonnie would have been as good as dead too Stefan!"

It had been a few days since she had joined the Council. Bonnie had been avoiding Caroline and her questioning since they moved her into the mansion. There was so much she couldn't say for Caroline's sake and safety.

Her living arrangements were modest by request. She had a small common room, private study, and a full bathroom joined to her bedroom. Bonnie sat in her favorite place, reclining in an empty bathtub wearing running pants and a thin tank top reading a book about war tactics and gains to power. Looking up at the small window above her, she could see it was almost sunset and time to work.

Dropping her chin, she sighed not wanting to exit the bathroom she locked herself in. She started struggling to leave behind the cocoon more and more every day. It was safe, quiet, and felt like an embrace without having to be touched. A knock on her common room door made her pout. Setting her book on her bed, she poked her head out of the door.

"Yes?"

"Hey, it's Stefan. Can I come in?"

The talk. She asked to have 'the talk' with him.

"Come in." She opened her door wider and sat down on a sofa Lily picked out. The heretic did a good job at matching Bonnie's personal tastes, she liked things whimsical, earthy, and a pinch of mystery. Veils instead of curtains, round backless couches, bamboo and stone decorations placed in a few corners.

They both sat at the edge of the couch and Bonnie pulled her knees up to her chest.

"So, how are you feeling?"

The witch shrugged. "I don't feel any different."

Stefan nodded. "The blood of multiple persons does cancel out any distinct personalities. Just wondered because a witch never joined the Council before. If you ever need to talk to someone, I'm here. There's nothing you can't ask me. I promise."

The witched looked at him. It was a wonder how someone so pure and kind could be apart of something so malicious. Damon was right, there was the Council's way or no way.

A beat passed.

"Stefan, could you do me a favor? It's a big one but I wouldn't ask it if I didn't trust you..." Her arms wrapped around her legs.

"What is it?"

"I need you to make Caroline think everything is okay. I can't keep lying to her. I don't want her in any danger."

Stefan let out a sigh and stood, placing his hands on his hips. "I figured. It's getting harder to dodge her questions. What do you want her to know?"

"That I love her. That I would never betray her. That she is safe as long as trusts me." Another pause passed. "And as long as she trusts you too." She looked up at him, a small quirk at her lips.

Blushing, Stefan stammered. "I'm flattered. It's an honor really." Crouching, he met her eye level. "If you feel that is the right thing to do then I'll see to it."

Bonnie had decided to let her hair down for the first time, she began to unbraid her plait feeling the cool air caress her face. Looking around, the passing trees were all an array of golden yellow, fire orange, and brick red. Summer used to be her favorite time of year until there were no more pool parties, trips to the beach, or running water. Now Fall had become the new favorite. The cooling weather made it easier to run for her life without the heat exhausting her.

"So, you didn't say anything. Right?" Damon glanced at her while he drove, eyes shifting to her fingers fidgeting with her curls.

"...yea." Pulling the hairband down her wrist, she rested her arm on the door of the car. "So how does this all work? Who does what in all of this?"

"You already know Lily calls all the shots so." He wound a finger in a circle to point at himself. "I 'clear'. Buildings, houses, anything that can sustain life in our vicinity. Usually, that's grunt work but I like to bash heads in and it's the only work I'll ever do."

"Of course that's the only work you'd ever do." She rubbed her palms together and pushed her hands into her brown jacket pockets that were worn over a black turtleneck and jeans. Her hat was off that day but she still wore her bandana covering half of her face.

"Do you want to know or not judgy?"

"Without the useless information? Yes." She opened her thermos of tomato soup Jo made specifically for her and took a sip.

"Don't fight that you find my voice irresistible. It's totally normal." He turned to give a cocky smirk that grew when she rolled her eyes. The peacock was back in full force.

"Stefan is one of the few that 'grabs'. He picks up people that wander within the two-mile radius. Nora and Mary Louise are 'charmers'. They distract and use compulsion on those that start to question anything. Julius and Klaus are transporters. Bo sends the keepers to the Farmlands-"

"The Farmlands? What is that?" She closed the lid to the now empty thermos feeling energized.

"Something only Stefan, Lily, and I know about. Well, not anymore." He tilted his head and raised his brows slightly. "It's a place where we keep the best of the best. Away from being harvested. Doctors, scientists, chefs, extremely athletic people, intelligent children, you know... people for the ideal society."

"Why create a safe space?"

"If Klaus found out, he'd let the other Originals who farm them for consumption know. It's how we keep our numbers in the community low. If the number increased, they'd take more people. It's a whole thing." Damon felt he was already saying too much.

"What does she plan on doing with all of these people? Turning them? Farming them?"

"I don't know, I don't ask! I'm just trying to survive so I do what I'm told!" He snapped thinking about his first trip to the Coffin.

"You told this to me! You didn't have to but you did! I guess you didn't think that through either. You don't seem like the type." Her hand gripped the handle of the car door as it screeched to a stop.

Leaning over the center console to get uncomfortably close, he put his hand behind her headrest as he licked his lips. "What type do I seem like?" His brows wiggled at the joy of hearing her teeth grind.

Bonnie was tempted to give him an aneurysm but knew she would need the energy for clearing. Something she avoided doing unless there were no other options. She couldn't have him getting used to the pain. Instead, she squinted at him with her back pressed against the passenger door.

"You're no fun." Damon sang, getting out of the car. He remembered to hook his keys to his belt loop and wandered into the woods. "C'mon, let's go."

Bonnie followed him a few feet behind, "Is there a shed or something out here?" She looked around her, everything was hills of orange with flecks of gold and red from the ground to the tops of the thick plush trees.

"There's nothing out here." His voice quieted. Approaching a large tree, he gave it a few hard kicks until it cracked and split. "You gotta practice your magic. There's a bunker I sniffed out weeks ago. So many weapons. I'm talking supreme shit. Ak-47's, M-16's, shotguns, rifles, anything you'd need, and don't get me started on the armor."

"Aren't you and Stefan bulletproof?"

"Mostly, but not steak proof, werewolf proof, or fireproof." Tossing a chunk of wood into the air he shouted. "Light it!"

Bonnie mouthed words and the wood burst into flames.

"Again." He tossed a larger piece followed by another and another.

Bonnie squinted as she concentrated. It was easy as pie. After the third dozen of pieces, the fires took slower to appear. A small branch popped her on the head before she could take it out, making her throw her hands in the air.

"Why am I here burning wood?!"

"You are nowhere near ready to go to that bunker. These dead fucks are jacked and protected. Ever tried to quietly kill a starving a swat team? I could barely take out two down there. There's so many of them. So many rooms full of them. It'll take days to clear it out and that's if I can get us in top shape. Peak performance." He winked.

Bonnie furrowed her brows, dusting the top of her hair to make sure there weren't any remaining bits of wood. "You already have super strength, speed, hearing-"

"Just because it's amplified doesn't mean it can't be further improved. I can lift the side of a car now, maybe I could lift a tank one day. The right blood or the wrong blood I'm on can make a big difference. Whatever changes happen if you ever want to take out these Original and raise the Council's defense, we need to wear shit that's going to be able to take some abuse." His eyebrows wiggled. "Wear and tear."

Bonnie groaned and sat on the ground, her drained energy coming back slowly. She realized they were about to go big. There was so much to prepare that she didn't think about. It ran deeper and much bigger than the community, the Council, as big as an entire population of supernaturals. It was getting difficult to wrap her head around but she was determined.

"Give me five minutes. We'll go again.

Thank you for reading. Yes, I decided to bring back Nora and Mary. (I was going to have Bonnie turn them from boyfriends into girlfriends but decided not to write that as Bonnie is rough around the edges, not malicious.)