I DO NOT OWN VAMPIRE DIARIES OR THE CHARACTERS.

Chapter Nineteen:

I sank to the ground in shock. I couldn't believe he's dead. I-I… He… He was just here. How can he be gone? I can't remember what happened. How did it happen? I can't remember. I can't.

"Bonnie," someone was trying to get my attention, but they sound so far away. Someone grabbed my shoulder and I screamed. As soon as it left my throat, everything came rushing back. Everything that just happened.

I remember now. Alaric shut off the power and broke into the Lockwood's place. We were all together in the living room. Jeremy was the only one who couldn't defend himself, but he had his ring. I froze. I couldn't cope with the fact that Ric was ballsy enough to actually break in and try something like this. He had to be getting desperate.

Logically, I know that we could take him. He was only human, after all. But, psychologically was a whole different story. I couldn't concentrate on anything other than my bone-crushing fear. It was pulsing through me with a vengeance.

"Bonnie, you need to focus. You can take Ric, not that you'll need to. We're here with you. You're not alone in this." Damon told me, putting his arms around me. The others were tensing around us and I knew that they were waiting to see or hear anything else. "If he puts a hand on you, I will kill him." Damon promised.

His threat to protect me just made things worse. I didn't want anyone to die because of me. There is a reason that people aren't supposed to walk around offing people. I don't want his blood on my hands or his death on my conscience. Ric might be vile, but I refuse to be the person to decide whether he should live or die. I can't take a life. I can't.

I remember all of that so clearly, but after that is still fuzzy. I was lifted up and being carried. I barely registered moving. I was trying to remember. How can I just forget something like that? I don't know why I have his blood all over me.

"You're shaking. Bonnie, you have to talk to me. You're scaring me." Caroline pleaded with me. Caroline? Maybe she knows what happened. My teeth clattered and I glanced over at her. I could make out her outline, but it's still so dark here.

She started to fade away and I was pulled into my memories, again.

I remember shouting. Everyone was yelling. It was so loud that it was deafening. I was blinking and I couldn't think straight.

"Bonnie… I know you're hiding. They can't protect you forever." A low growl made its way to my ears, despite everything else that going on. My emotions went into overload. I started to tremble and I looked around for Damon. Where did he go? Where did everyone go? I can hear them, but I can't see them. "Bonnie…" The voice was getting closer and I knew that Ric was closing in on me.

I smelled the smoke before I realized what was happening. I set the armchair behind me on fire and it was spreading. I knew that I had to calm down and try to get myself under control, but I couldn't. I couldn't stop and the fire was getting worse.

I whipped around when I felt something on the back of my neck. I came face to face with the monster that haunts my dreams. He looks even more demented with the dim glow of the flames dancing across his face. He almost looks demonic, almost.

He wrapped his hands around my wrists and squeezed. I gasped and he smirked. I jerked against him, trying to free myself. I knew I should try to run, but my feet wouldn't budge.

"Fancy meeting you here," Alaric mused. I gagged and had to repress the urge to empty the contents of my stomach all over him. I looked around for my friends and saw nothing. "Don't worry about them. They're a little preoccupied, at the moment."

"What did you do?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"I'm not the only one with something against the Salvatores. I simply invited some of their enemies to town."

"Vampires have to be invited in."

"Carol was so helpful earlier this week. She didn't even realize what she was agreeing to." His predatory smirk grew. My stomach plummeted. "Relax, she's fine. You should really be worrying about yourself right now." He taunted me.

Sweat started pouring down my face and my whole body felt twenty degrees hotter. Alaric yelped in pain and jumped away from me. It took me a minute to realize why. The fire was coming from me. It was pouring through my feet, leaving a trail that burned right past Ric. His shoes were toast. I could smell the burnt rubber and I knew that his feet had to be hurting. His hands were red and blistering. I glanced down at my hands and saw flames dancing on my fingertips. Serves him right.

"Bonnie, please, cough, barf, anything!" Caroline pleaded. I looked at her, again and coughed. She threw her arms around me and squeezed me tight.

Alaric was on top of me and his hands were tight around my neck. He was squeezing, trying to strangle me. I could feel his erection against me. I began to panic more and the fire roared. It was surrounding us and Ric was starting to get freaked out. I could see it in his eyes.

What if killing me doesn't get rid of the fire, but makes it worse. I could almost hear his thoughts – that's how hard he was weighing his options. His grip didn't loosen around me and everything was going dark.

"How is she?" Someone with a deeper voice asked. I couldn't dwell on it because I was in and out. Why can't I remember anything in order? How did I even get onto the ground? What did Alaric do?

I felt something click. He tackled me. As soon as he looked at his hands he roared with rage and ran at me. I remember, now. My head slammed into the hardwood and then he was there.

I gasped and choked in as much air as I could. I felt the pounding ache in my head, first. I remember. It was like being woken up after you started to drown. I was completely disoriented. I groaned and tried to move. That was my mistake. I realized that I was still pinned down. Ric was on top of me and my jeans were gone.

I looked all around us and saw charred furniture and walls. Everyone is still gone! I saw the tattered remains of denim strewn a few feet away. I cried and felt the stabbing feeling at my core.

"No!" I cried. Alaric looked up at me and grinned. He placed his forearm over my neck and started pressing down, making it hard for me to breathe, again. I could hear the sounds of our bodies smacking together and I felt sick.

I started fighting with new-found vengeance. I couldn't move much, but I did everything I could. I hit, kicked, bit, clawed. I tried to focus my powers enough to get him off of me, but everything was going haywire.

He moved faster and harder, chanting my name like a prayer. I sobbed and kept trying to fight. Fire sprang to life around us, again. He gripped me tighter and I felt him finish inside of me.

Objects started to levitate around us. I was a fucking wreck. Everything circled us, furniture, debris, fire, smoke. All of it started to come down on us.

I can't. I need him off of me. I can't. Oh, God. He r… He…

I felt the impact of everything falling on us and I didn't care. I couldn't care. I smelled the sizzle of his skin and still, he didn't move.

"He r-raped… He… C-Care… He… How c-could he?" I wept against my friend. I didn't hear her say anything. She just hugged me. "How? Is he really dead?" I can't. What ? What happened?

One minute, I knew I was going to die. I knew we both were. I knew that I didn't care. The next, he was gone. He was off of me and I could almost breathe again, almost.

I saw Damon and Tyler drag him away from me. Tyler's eyes were glowing and Damon was full on vampire.

He really is dead. He died. Alaric is dead. He died?

I can't see what happens next. I don't see. I felt the blood spray and I flinched when it landed on my face and torso. I crawled over to remnants of my pants and tried to pull them back on, but it was hopeless.

I noticed how close I was sitting to his body and I froze. Damon said something to Tyler that I couldn't hear and he ran off. I stared at Alaric's pale face and tried to make sense of things.

I don't know how long I sat there for, but Damon was setting me on my feet and took something out of Tyler's hands. Tyler turned away from us and Damon slipped my feet into the garment. I think they're bottoms of some kind. I don't know.

I couldn't look at Damon, not really. I couldn't stop staring at Ric.

"Should we try to get her cleaned up?" Someone asked.

"She's in shock. I don't know. I've never done this before." Caroline whispered.

I remember bending down to pick up my ripped clothes and my foot landing in something wet and warm. I remember falling to my knees and hitting his body. I remember screaming and that's all. I can't remember anything else.

"I got her. Stefan go turn on the power, then meet us back at home. Barbie, call your mom. Tell her what happened here. Tell her that vampires attacked and we had to fight back. Tell her that Bonnie was attacked by Ric and that one of the vampires got to him as soon as we got him off of her. Tell her to handle this discretely. If you guys don't want to stay here, then you can stay with us. I need to get her out of here." Damon gave them their orders and I barely heard him. I was lifted again and we were gone.

"He's dead." I whispered. "He's dead. He's really dead. Oh, God, he's dead."