So, this is it. The chapter you've all been waiting for. I think. There's some serious Bamon here, as well as some serious angst. I know you people have no interest in reading my notes so I'll just say this, for those who didn't notice last chapter, this fic has fanart, in my homepage, just one for now but more will come.
I considered ranting about the end of the TVshow, but decided just to say this: I mostly hated it. With the exception of Elena's attitude regarding her love for Stefan and Damon's more humane attitude, I hate it all. So, this just reinforces my previous decision to ignore it all! Everything that happens from the end of chapter fourteen on is to be ignored where my fic is concerned.
Oh, one last thing. If anyone has good pics of Emily, and especially of Emily and Damon talking, can you send them to me, or direct me to them, I need them for a fanart.
So yeah, that's it. Now, on with the chapter!
Chapter 11. Blood and Power
Ever so slowly Bonnie stepped out of the Old Wood and into the clearing where Fell's Church had once stood, nearly a century and a half ago. Forgotten, her shoes lay next to some tree, while she kept walking barefoot, with no care that the train of her white lace dress was getting dirty; nothing was on her mind but her mission.
Finally, the full moon coming out from behind thick clouds revealed to her she'd reached her destination; she stood right before the hole where the entrance to the cursed tomb laid. She could smell the blood inside the tomb, both dried and fresh.
'They're being fed already…' Bonnie thought. 'I cannot allow them to get out, they need to still be inside for this to work.'
With that decision she jumped into the hole and rushed to the half-opened stone entrance. Using her own blood she quickly drew a set of symbols on the archway, ending with a short incantation; a second later a translucent film seemed to cover the opening to the tomb, it was a ward; not a very powerful one, but Bonnie only needed it to stand while she readied the spell.
With that she moved to the center, where she cleared a spot and then used a long stick to draw a pentagram in the ground, she then added a representation of each element and chanted a small blessing to help gather power.
She was done with the preparations pretty quickly, and all that was left was the spell in itself. The one that would take care of the two dozen vampires left in the tomb once and forever, the one that would end her life.
She was about to begin, but first a part of her decided it wanted to call upon one last memory before leaving the mortal world:
***Flashback***
A beautiful song was playing softly in the background, it was "The Promise" by Tracy Chapman, but perhaps what made it all the more beautiful was the gorgeous man whispering the lyrics in her ear as they swayed to the rhythm of the music.
This day had begun in such an awful way for Bonnie Bennett; after the nightmare she'd just gone through, one she'd nearly not survived, learning that the love of her life was going to leave her had very nearly crushed her. She knew it had to be done, for both hers and his own good, but that didn't really make it any easier. In fact, the only reason she hadn't completely lost it was because of the hope she still held onto, hope that one day they would meet again, and it was that same hope that the song transmitted to her.
Yes, that night the Little Witch only cared about two things: the Dark Angel that held her in his arms, and the Promise the lyrics of the song they were dancing carried.
They danced the night away, continuing their little date with a walk through the woods, they finally reached their meadow late at night, less than an hour before dawn. There they just laid down in the grass, with Damon holding her tightly to his chest, while she prayed for there to be a way for him to never let go.
The sky was ever so slowly changing from the raven-wing black to a mix of dark blue and deep purple; Bonnie straightened up, turning to Damon, eyes shining with self-assurance.
"Little Witch…" He began, slowly, as he straightened up too.
In swift movements she shrugged off her jacket and swung her hair to one side of her neck, showing smooth caramel skin on the other.
"Drink me." She declared, calmly, confidently.
"What?" He was obviously not expecting that.
"You heard me." She told him, lowering the strap of her dress and tilting her head to a side.
"I will not do that." He refused.
"You've given me so much this past twelve years, more than I thought I would have in a whole lifetime; and now you deny me the chance to give you one minuscule thing?" She questioned, hurt evident in her eyes.
"This is no minuscule thing." He hissed. "This is your blood we're talking about!"
"And that, like the rest of me, belongs to no one but you, everything I am belongs to you, I thought we were clear on that." She declared in a soft yet serious tone.
"You cannot be serious." She refused. "You're not a possession but a person; one too valuable to belong to anyone, no matter who the person is."
"Have you forgotten that, weren't it for you I would have died four weeks ago?" She asked. "The only reason I still breathe, still exist, is you; it's because you chose to save me."
"How could I not?" He asked her in return. "You mean everything to me Little Witch, everything there's good in me, it's because of you. You're all that matters."
"If that is so, does that include my opinion? My own decisions?" She questioned. "This is my choice, Dark Angel. I know how…enjoyable, the blood of a witch is for a vampire, and I also know that with us it's even more so; even if we've only exchanged blood once. I want to do this, not just for you but for me too. One last exchange…"
"You have to believe this won't be the last time we meet."
"I do believe that. But it'll be the last time, at least for a while. Please, allow me this…"
Yes, he would never be able to deny her anything, and so, silently, he scooped her into his arms, so she could rest against his chest, while he settled against the trunk of a nearby tree. With no further argument he bit into her neck and began drinking, slowly, carefully, taking care to connect their minds, to share the feelings the blood exchange gave them.
Bonnie waited until he swallowed once and then called on the wind to make a slight cut on Damon's own neck, the moment it was done she latched herself onto that cut, drinking deeply; then opened her mind to his.
The connection was breathtaking, nothing existed in that moment but the two of them, the feelings that kept moving from one to the other over and over again, talking of the love they shared better than any words could.
Eventually they stopped, when it became obvious that sharing anymore would begin her change, and that wasn't something they wanted.
Still, it had been enough, and with that she laid her head on his chest, content. She was nearly lost to the land of dreams when one last phrase reached her mind, a phrase she didn't manage to reply to, and yet she would never be able to forget…
"I love you, my Little Witch…"
***End of Flashback***
That was the first, and only time, that her Dark Angel had told her he loved her. Yes, it was definitely a good 'last memory' to recall.
And with that Bonnie stepped into the center of the pentagram and with a shout called on all five elements to yield to her at the same time.
.-.
Stefan broke into a halt just a few feet away from the ruins of Fell's Church; in his arms was his girlfriend Elena, eyes tightly shut while she held onto Stefan's neck for dear life. They were in that position on agreement that it was the fastest way to get there.
"We're here, lovely love." He whispered into her ear.
Elena took a deep breath before opening her eyes and slowly letting go and getting on her feet. She focused all her energies in not being sick or dizzy, they didn't have time for those things; even if they didn't have all the details, they knew Bonnie was in a complicated situation and needed their help, there was no time for anything.
The couple hurried to the limits of the hole in time to see a flash of lighting, a spiral of water, a fistful of dirt, a line of fire and a gust of wind rise from the points of the pentagram, moving diagonally until they all connected over Bonnie's head in a bright, soundless explosion, an instant before creating something akin to a tornado, with Bonnie standing in its center.
"Oh my Lord…" Elena could hardly believe what she was seeing.
Even Stefan, who'd known and seen witches using spells before, could have never imagined something like what they were witnessing in that moment, all five elements were combined, the Power so strong even a plain human would be able to sense it.
Stefan made to get closer, trying to at least get a better look at his young witch-friend, when suddenly the gust of wind seemed to get too close to him, slashing the sleeve of his silk shirt and making him bleed slightly.
"Stefan!" Elena cried out worried as she pulled his arm to her.
"I'm fine." Stefan assured her, his cut had healed already. "I think I just got too close."
"Or because she's losing control…" Elena whispered, half-afraid.
And she was right, the twister was unstable, the elements no longer following its form in parallel routes, sometimes clashing slightly, sometimes moving out of the form. In the center, Bonnie kept her hands clasped together as she chanted, evidently trying to reign in the Power she herself had unleashed but, judging for the beads of sweat running down her face and the way her brow furrowed, and how hurriedly she was chanting, it was obviously not easy.
"What do we do?" Elena asked.
She was so worried, she was human, and pretty much powerless; she knew that, and hated it. But Bonnie was her best friend, she just wanted there to be something she could do, anything; in that moment she was willing to do anything just to help her friend.
"I don't think there's anything we can do." Stefan admitted in a whisper.
There it was, that phrase they both hated, so harsh, and so true.
Bonnie wasn't only Elena's friend, but Stefan's too, he hated their current situation as much as his girlfriend. But there was nothing they could do, the spell had been started already; Stefan knew enough about magic to know it would be catastrophic if they tried to interrupt it now.
All they could do now was wait, and it was an excruciating wait…
.-.
Not very far from there a crow was flying at speeds that defied the laws of normalcy, but of course it wasn't a normal crow: the stormy blue of his eyes, the flash deep inside, showed a creature much more intelligent than an animal, and far from human.
'You better not die, Little Witch…' the thoughts were racing through his mind. 'You cannot die…I won't let you.'
Even in midflight, a memory assaulted him, a new one:
***Flashback***
He shifted from crow to human form with the speed and ease of experience; he was about to greet his little friend, when he noticed exactly what was going on in the riverside.
Bonnie was sitting on a flat rock, feet in the water, she had shrugged off her half-sleeved blouse, leaving her in a simple cream colored top and denim shorts; that wasn't the problem however, the problem was the silver dagger she held carefully on her hands.
Damon watched with a mix of sick-fascinating and horror how the girl unsheathed the dagger before holding it gingerly, tip pointing to her chest.
"And what exactly is it that you think you're doing, Little Witch?" He asked out loud.
She flinched, nearly dropping the dagger into the water current; that worried him more than anything else could have. She hadn't noticed his approach, never since her Power had awoken had he been able to get closer than ten feet without being noticed by her.
She whispered something under her breath, so low not even he heard her.
"You haven't answered me Little Witch." He kept walking towards her.
"I'm making sure everyone is safe." She whispered, a little louder this time.
"And what makes you think that what you're doing right now will achieve that?" He asked.
He was trying, really trying, not to let his emotions control him; but he was just so terrified… The last time he'd felt this bad his mother had died…
"You heard my Grams, I'm a walking time bomb." She told him inexpressively. "Since I'm gonna die anyway, I would rather not risk someone else's life in the process." She sighed. "Don't try to give me false hopes, saying we'll find a way, we both know there's none. I used to be so proud of my Power, but now we know I just have too much."
"Little…" he began.
"No, please. I already have accepted this. It was hard but I did. However, I refuse to just wait for death to come, to risk the chance for someone to be near me when that happens, some innocent to end up hurt, or worse, dead. I won't allow anyone to be in risk because of me."
"So you think it would be better if you were to die alone? What about your Grams? What about me Little Witch?"
"I especially don't want either of you around! If I don't want to risk strangers, you think I would want to risk one of you? I love you both too much to risk you in any way!"
"Do you?"
He was suddenly before her, not caring that his expensive clothes were getting all wet; she blinked in confusion, whether at his words or his abrupt appearance, he didn't know.
"Do you love me, Little Witch?" He asked her, very seriously.
"What kind of question is that?" She asked, never letting go of the dagger.
"The only there is." He replied, very serious. "So answer me, do you love me?"
"With all my body, mind, heart and soul." She answered softly.
"Very well." He nodded.
Before she could say anything else he was holding her tightly to his chest; she felt a quick flash of pain on her neck, before the flow of the blood changed, he was drinking her blood.
The mix of shock and sudden weakness made her fingers slacken, the dagger falling into the river; her mind was quickly becoming fuzzy but she didn't fight it, instead she just let go.
Connected to her as he was, he could suddenly hear her thoughts as if they were his own, and what he found there displeased him:
*So this is his last mercy for me, taking my life so I won't have to do it myself…Thank you Spirits…Thank you, my Dark Angel…*
*You're wrong if you believe I'm letting you go. Especially now that I know you love me. No, Little Witch, you aren't going anywhere, I won't allow it.*
Before she could find the strength to say anything he retrieved the dagger from the riverbank and used it to cut himself at the base of her neck, pulling then her head to his own neck.
And maybe she wasn't fully conscious of what she was doing anymore, or she just didn't want to actually die, she drank.
He felt the moment the connection was sealed, and was so overjoyed he nearly forgot what he had to do. As he held her hands in his, head still buried in the side of her neck, he chanted:
"Do fuil…Mo fuil…Ár fuil…Anois agús i dtólamh*…"
***End of Flashback***
In his mind, Damon smiled, that was exactly what he needed…hope.
.-.
Elena was seriously considering the possibility of trying her own luck with the crazy magic; she wasn't even sure what she would be doing, but she just needed to do something.
"Elena…" Stefan whispered, holding her tighter.
He didn't need to read his girlfriend's mind to know what she was thinking, and he also knew how useless anything would be.
"We need to do something Stefan…" She whispered, afraid like she'd never before been.
"I'm afraid there's nothing we can do, my love." He whispered, grieved.
"But we cannot just let her die!" Elena cried out.
Stefan shook his head and hugged his beloved tighter, barely being careful enough not to hurt her; she wasn't the only who wished there were something they could do, but there wasn't.
They were still in the same position when a rush of air from a side called their attention. For a moment Stefan feared Bonnie might have lost what little control she still had over her magic, but Elena soon corrected him.
"Damon?" She called, in a mix of shock and unexplained relief.
Stefan didn't know why either, but he too felt it was a good thing his brother was there.
"So, you're here…doing nothing." Damon half stated half admonished the couple.
"There's nothing we can do." Elena whispered in a half-sob.
"Bonnie is progressively losing control of her magic." Stefan informed him. "Any closer than we are now and we get hurt.
Damon seemed to notice the slash on his brother's shirt right then and shook his head.
Still confused over his intentions, the two young lovers watched as Damon shrugged off his leather jacket, handing it to a silent Elena.
"I'm not loosing another jacket to the Little Witch's crazy power." Damon explained.
However, that only raised more questions: when had he ever lost a jacket? And when had he been around Bonnie as she used magic, other than the night of the possession?
Right as Damon got closer to the edge Stefan stopped him.
"If you get any closer you'll get hurt." He warned the older vampire. "Or even killed."
"Oh…" Damon cooed. "Is St. Stefan worried about his big brother?"
"Yes."
That certainly wasn't what Damon was expecting, which became obvious when he turned away from his brother, and focused on the woman standing below.
"Damon…" Elena called, it was obvious in her voice she was worried too.
"Do not come any closer." He warned the couple, and then he turned over his shoulder and smirked. "And don't worry, little brother, I have an ace under my sleeve."
And without further explanation, he jumped right into the magic.
.-.
Bonnie was standing in the center of the pentagram, hands clasped tightly in front of her chest and mouth moving as she kept chanting a spell over and over; she was struggling with her own Power, barely capable of holding it together, she knew she would be fully losing control soon.
'I just have to make sure once I do this spell will destroy this place, and nothing else.' She thought, furrowing her brow even more as she concentrated as hard as she could.
She knew her best friend was right outside the hole, she could sense her, and Stefan too. Two bright auras standing on the edge of disaster. Bonnie wished they would move back, it was dangerous for them to stay there; but she couldn't move her focus from her own spell or things would be catastrophic.
She was able to notice when Stefan's brother arrived too and while a part of her hated the idea of him watching her die, another felt content she could at least sense him one last time.
And then, something she defiantly hadn't been expecting: he stood on the edge, and jumped.
Bonnie very nearly screamed, as Damon went through all five layers of her magic before finally landing right in front of her; his clothes were half shredded and dirty, hair damp and traces of burns and shocks in the bare parts of his body.
So shocked the hazel-eyed witch was at his arrival that for a moment her magic became even more erratic, very nearly sending them all to the Other Side, right then and there, it was a miracle Bonnie managed to stabilize it again.
A few seconds passed before Bonnie finally stopped chanting, holding the spell up with just her hands and half of her mind; while the other half tried to deal with the unexpected arrival.
"What are you doing here?" She asked.
"What do you think…Little Witch?" He asked, a morose smirk on his face.
She was about to retort at him with as much sarcasm as she could muster, until suddenly she realized the connotation of his own words.
"Dark Angel…" She couldn't help but whisper.
She flinched, still remembering his reaction the last time those words had left her lips.
This time it was different, this time he caressed her cheek, an almost pained look on his eyes.
"Why are you doing this?" He questioned.
"To save Mystic Falls." She answered simply.
"Do you honestly believe the stupid mortals in this town deserve your sacrifice?" He asked.
"Maybe not." She admitted. "But I'm not selfless, I'm not actually doing this for everyone. My wish is for those I love to be kept safe: Caroline, Matt, Grams, Elena, Stefan, you…"
"And what about you?" He questioned.
"I'm lost…" She began.
"No, you're not!" He interrupted her. "I refused to let you go three years ago and…"
"You said it yourself: three years ago, that's a long time, things change with time…" She sounded so understanding, yet so sad at the same time.
"Not this." He refused fervently. "Never this."
Before she could say anything at all she felt the well known brief sting on the side of her neck as her blood was drawn; she was already in a half-daze when her own head was pushed against Damon's own bleeding neck. She tried briefly to resist, but it was useless, she was too far gone already, barely holding onto her magic.
"It's okay, everything will be alright." He assured her. "Trust me. I'm here for you, I'll always be here for you, my Little Witch…"
"My Dark Angel…" Bonnie whispered, before finally surrendering to the blood exchange.
Connection.
Of bodies, minds, hearts and souls.
Two individuals connected…
…and the magic submitted.
Nothing would ever be the same again after that night…
And say you'll hold
A place for me
In your heart.
So, was this what you'd been waiting for, I hope.
*Anyway, for those interested, the words Damon pronounces in the second flashback are gaelic for: "Your blood...My blood...Our blood...Now and forever..." Grammar might not be exactly right, I used an online dictionary and got it word by word.