Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

Note: Alright folks. Ready to read?

Chapter 41

"Stupid Bennett…" Klaus said as Jeremy twitched a few times and then fell. Obviously he was no longer possessed. "Well," Klaus added as he walked over to Damon. "She believes you can all be happy on the other side together, let's see how she likes it when none of you join her on the other side" and with that he forced his blood into Damon's mouth, though Damon tried with what little energy he had to fight. He wanted to be with Bonnie, he couldn't leave her. Not again, for real, not forever. "It's a pity really, the good always die young" Klaus said as Damon attempted to spit up the blood but it was too late, he already knew he was feeling better, he already knew he was no longer dying.

"Bonnie, no, hey, c'mon, Bon" he said as he crawled over to her, shaking her and pushing aside her hair but she remained still. "Don't die, not again, please not again Bonnie, I need you, please" he pleaded, but nothing happened.

"Wha…?" Elena started as she rubbed her head and sat up, looking around, finally catching Damon and Bonnie. "Oh my god, not Bonnie" she said as she started over but Caroline grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. "No, she did something, some kind of trick, something." Elena was saying but Damon could vaguely hear her, his attention still on Bonnie.

Damon thought he heard Klaus leave but when he looked up Klaus was still there. He looked, surprised. "She will sacrifice anything to save her friends" Damon said as he pulled Bonnie closer, his voice shaking. "Damn witch" he whispered pulling her into a hug.

"Klaus, leave" Caroline said as Rudy stood up, his vampire self emerging. "It's in our best interest that you leave" she told him giving him a hard look.

"My cure—"

"Forget your cure, my daughter is dead because of you" he said as he took a step closer. Damon merely watched on, he knew he should've been telling Rudy to calm down, anything, but he didn't care, he didn't care what happened to Rudy or Klaus or even the cure. He just wanted Bonnie back. "Get out of this house" Rudy said as he now stood in front of Klaus.

"You think it's that easy mate? I'm a hybrid," Klaus said. Damon felt himself stand up, even if he killed Klaus for a few hours it would make him feel better, right? But before he could move Klaus flinched, a piece of what looked like a stake sticking out of his chest.

"You're also an original" Stefan said as Klaus fell to his knees. "I'll take him to the basement, Rudy, help me. Caroline and Elena, make sure Jeremey is okay. Damon…" he paused to look at his brother. "Bring Bonnie upstairs," he said gently. He didn't wait, instead he hurried and dragged Klaus off, Rudy close behind him. Elena and Caroline were quick to help Jeremy into the kitchen, they both knew what would happen if he saw Bonnie.

Slowly and carefully Damon picked Bonnie up, he always joked to himself he did this too many times, but lately it seemed more and more serious. She was more and more dangerously close to being dead for real. And now. He carried her up the stairs, his feet heavy and loud, he really lost Bonnie. She was gone. He thought as he laid her on his bed. But she couldn't be gone. Maybe some spirit was protecting her, maybe Shelia had put some curse on her, maybe Abby gave her some blood. No, she wouldn't take Abby's blood; he heard what Klaus said, Bonnie didn't want to be a vampire, she would never give up her powers. She wanted to die helping, die sacrificing her life for her friends. She did, again, repeatedly. What did she get for it? Nothing, absolutely fucking nothing.

Bonnie didn't get a fairy tale ending, none of them did. But if anyone, she deserved it the most, she deserved to be happy, just once. But she also deserved peace. Well-earned peace. Damon swallowed hard at the thought. Peace meant letting her go. It meant the possibility of never seeing her ghost again, which meant no way to bring her back. And for once it meant guilt. They all had to watch her die, Jeremy was going to feel like it was his fault the whole time. Rudy would too. They all would. They all pushed for the cure, none of them told her stop, they all wanted the cure. And this was the price they paid. A lost life. No, a lost friend.

"Damon, Bonnie's phone is ringing" Stefan said from the doorway. Damon wiped his eyes, he didn't know when the tears had started but he wasn't sure they would stop. Suddenly the idea of turning off his humanity just seemed so, difficult. Too much energy and the thought of never turning them back on sort of terrified him. "Damon…it's Abby, it's Bonnie's mom" Stefan said quietly as he clicked the answer button and put it on speaker. "Abby, it's Stefan and Damon, what's going on?" Stefan asked.

"What happened?" she asked eagerly.

"Shelia snapped Bonnie's neck" Stefan told her. There was a long pause, a long wait. Damon could tell that wasn't something that was predicted. That wasn't supposed to happen.

"But…I thought…Shelia said….are you sure?" Abby said, her voice low and strained, she was holding back tears, holding off crying.

"Bonnie's dead Abby" Damon heard himself say. Again, silence, this one a little more deafening, a little more heartbreaking. Damon clenched his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut. He was hoping beyond hope Abby would disagree, Abby would say something, Abby would tell them she was really okay. But Abby wasn't saying anything.

"And the cure…?" she asked, her voice uneven, breaking.

"Elena is still alive, but, technically Klaus could use Bonnie's blood but he still needs Elena's heart" Stefan explained. "We have Katherine's, but, it won't work, we need Elena's" Stefan added. "And we'd need a witch to perform the spell" he concluded.

"I know" Abby said and then let out a heavy sigh. "We can bury her tomorrow, somewhere Klaus can't touch her" Abby said as Damon bit his tongue, the words piercing his heart, his brain, his chest.

"Okay, thank you Abby, we'll see you tomorrow" Stefan said and then ended the call. "I'll let you stay with her as long as you want" he said but Damon was shaking his head.

"I can't, I can't say goodbye to her, I won't say goodbye" he told Stefan, his eyes thick with tears as he squeezed Bonnie's wrist. "Not again," he was still shaking his head as Stefan moved forward to hug him.

"Damon, you have to say goodbye, this is the end" Stefan whispered as Damon pulled away. Stefan nodded and left the room. Damon remained standing for a few seconds though he didn't look back at Bonnie. Finally, he sucked in air and moved to the door, flicking off the light as he did and started out. "I love you Bonnie Bennett, rest in peace" he said quietly and then closed the door, his body shattering as it clicked shut.