Hello lovelies! Now this chaper isn't as long as some of the others, but I have reasons for this ;)
Please enjoy, and I'll try to have the next past chapter posted soon!
Present Day
Elena was hiding in the locker room.
She didn't want to tell Caroline she was bailing on her, but time was ticking down, and Damon would be waiting.
Practice had finally ended, and there was about two hours left before the game.
The game she wouldn't be attending.
She shut her locker and sat on the bench in front of it.
Everything would change tonight.
What Damon had in mind...this could be the last day she'd ever have as a normal teenage girl.
The last day any of them would.
When he did the spell and returned her memories, would she still feel this guilt?
She thought of Caroline.
Sweet, sweet, bubbly Caroline.
And Matt, and Bonnie, and all her other friends.
She thought of Jenna, of Mr. Saltzman, the entire town.
What would become of it, once Damon rose Aurelia?
And after tonight, would she even care?
Elena sighed.
Whatever happened, she had to remember that it was what she wanted.
She'd wanted it enough to die for it, and she had to know why.
As she pondered these things, she heard her name being called from outside.
It grew louder, frantic, so she grabbed her bag, and left the lockers.
The doors opened to the gymnasium, where Stefan had just entered.
"Stefan?" She froze.
He sighed with relief as he spotted her, and jogged over.
Elena tried to shake off the image of him with fangs.
"What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you," he answered, "I need to talk to you. Now."
She tightened her grip on the bag, "Whatever it is, it can wait."
"No, actually, it can't."
She crossed her arms, "Stefan, I told you, my mind is made up. I'm getting my memories back and-"
"This isn't about that," he explained, "This is about Damon and whatever it is he's planning."
Elena eyed him, "Why do you care?"
"You don't have to believe me, Elena, but Damon isn't good. He's killed before, and he'll kill again to get what he wants!" He swallowed, holding her gaze, "And even if you love him, the girl I know wouldn't stand for that."
She bit her lip, "Stefan, you just have to trust me, alright? I know what Damon's done. And yes, I love him. But I also love my friends, my family. Damon knows that. He wouldn't-"
"Damon knows the girl that would kill her best friend if he told her to do so. And tonight, he is going to turn you back into her. Please, Elena. I have to stop him. Why does he have a map of Mystic lined up? What does he want with Aurelia's ruins, and what is he planning for the Night of the Comet? What does he want, besides you?"
Elena was torn again.
What did she tell him?
Should Damon be stopped?
Were the people she loved really in danger?
Was Damon?
She shook her head, "No one will die. I won't let that happen. But I'm not going to let you go after Damon either."
Stefan cursed.
"Elena, he's planning something big, I can feel it. Work with me here, please. I don't want to hurt him either."
"You want me to betray him, and I can't do that," she defended.
Stefan deliberated, "Fine. Can you at least tell me if he does have something lined up? Something with the comet?"
Elena considered that, then nodded, "Yes, a spell. He needs me to help him. That's why he wants me to get my memories back."
"Are you going to help him?"
"As long as no one gets hurts," she answered.
Stefan scoffed, "And the witch's blood that it'll require to do the spell? They don't count?"
She shrugged, "Damon says he already has the blood he needs-"
"Damon has the blood he needs to bring your memories back, Elena. But if he's planning something else, something bigger that's tied to the comet..." he trailed off, an odd look crossing his features.
"He's going to need a fresh source," Stefan mused, eyes unfocused as he followed the train of thought, "Powerful, like before..."
Elena's eyebrows furrowed, "What are you saying, Stefan?"
He swallowed, his gaze lifting to meet hers, "Have you seen Bonnie today?"
Now she was really confused, "No, she blew off practice. Why?"
Stefan set his jaw, "Emily Bennett's blood sealed the spell to the comet five hundred years ago. Damon's going to need Bennett blood for his spell. You might want to call your friend again."
Bonnie's throat was raw from screaming.
It had felt like hours, but no one had come to save her.
Eventually exhaustion gave way, and she stopped fighting her binds.
The table she laid on was cold, and the temperature around her was dropping.
It must be getting late out.
The blindfold around her eyes was already damp from her tears, but she couldn't stop the flow of fresh ones.
She was supposed to be cheering at a football game tonight, not possibly facing her imminent death!
"Why?!" She screamed out, to nothing in particular, "What do you want? Why am I here?!"
"One question at a time, please," a smooth, male voice answered.
She was so stunned at the presence of another, she almost couldn't speak.
Almost.
"Who are you?"
The voice was accompanied this time with the sound of metal clanking.
She shivered.
"That's not important," he told her, "What is important is who you are."
"Me?" She gasped,trying to stay calm, "I'm nobody."
"Oh, au contraire, Bon Bon. You are very much a somebody. A somebody with something I need."
Another tear fell, "Whatever you want, you can take it. Please, just let me go."
He released a weary sigh.
"I wish I could, but I'm afraid that's not quite an option yet."
"Why not?" She challenged.
Silence followed, and for a moment she feared he'd left, but then her blindfold was pulled away, a blinding overhead light replacing it.
She winced, and blinked a few times to adjust.
Then she could see him.
"You look like her, you know," the man stated, walking closer.
He was beautiful, staring at her with ice blue eyes.
"What?" She couldn't follow his reason.
"Your ancestor," he told her, "Emily Bennett. You favor her."
"Who are you?" She repeated.
He ignored the question, "Be still, like a good girl."
Her breath hitched when he pulled out a knife.
"What are you-" he placed it to her wrist and cut.
The sting wasn't much, but her panic flew.
"Let me go! Please! What do you want?!"
"It's complicated," he told her, placing a jar under her bleeding wrist, letting it fill.
She began to feel light headed after a moment.
"Are you going to kill me?" She whispered.
The man sighed again.
"No. That would be counterproductive. It's not you that I need. It's your grandmother. You are simply means to an end."
Her heart was pounding, but the mention of her grandmother focused her, "What do you need with her?"
"Well, not her per say. Just her blood...and her heart."
Bonnie swallowed, "You took my blood..."
"I did," he held up the now full jar, "And I should keep you from bleeding out."
He placed his hand over the cut then.
She jolted at the contact, but he'd pulled away before she could fight it.
The mark was gone.
She blinked a few times to be sure she wasn't hallucinating, then looked up at him.
"What are you?"
"Ah, ah," he shook his finger, then dipped it into the jar of her blood, like one would their coffee, "One explanation at a time."
He placed the finger in his mouth, a moan escaping his throat as he sucked her blood down, "Now, that is good."
He sat the jar aside, turning to her, "You have nothing to fear from me, Bonnie Bennett."
She wasn't so sure, "How did you do that?"
"Stop the bleeding?" He waved it off, "That was nothing. Just a little magic. A thing your family should be very familiar with."
"I don't understand," she swallowed.
"I know," he actually sounded sympathetic, "It's a shame they chose not to raise you in the craft. Your blood is quite powerful."
"The craft?"
He rolled his eyes, "Oh come on now, Bon. You know your family's history. Magic runs in your veins."
"That stuff isn't real," she argued.
"Oh, it's real alright. That is how I got here, after all. With the help of Emily, of course. Now she was a powerful witch."
Bonnie's mind reeled.
Everything she'd ever been told, all the stories and lessons from her grandmother...they were true?
Grams.
"Why do you want my grandmother? If it's our bloodline...you have me."
She choked back more fearful tears.
"Yes, you would be simpler to use," the man acknowledged, "You are young, inexperienced, and laughably in the dark, where your grandmother...well, I dare say she will be a challenge. That's why you're here. To convince her to comply. I really hope she does. Elena would be angry if I had to kill you."
"Elena?" Bonnie shot, "You know Elena?"
For whatever reason, he found this humorous.
A delicious laugh escaped him, "Oh yes, I know Elena."
Bonnie wasn't sure why, but the way he said Elena's name bothered her.
He caressed it, as if it were of great importance.
"You stay away from her!" she demanded.
The man reached a hand out, brushing back her hair as she struggled against his touch.
"You are brave, I'll give you that. And you clearly love Elena...please, don't make me have to kill you."
His hand grasped something by her head, and before she could react, he had covered her eyes again.
She screamed out in the darkness, somehow knowing she was once again, alone.
Sooo leave a review and let me know what you think! :)