Chapter 9

Dedication: babekitt, for asking some amazing questions in her review. So happy to know you're interested.

Note: "I would like to know if this woman truly is a witch. if so, is the thing that took over Damon some type of spell or is it a possession of an evil spirit. Can it be done away with for good? Will Bonnie get her powers back?" babekitt asked these questions so I thought I'd answer them. I will confirm that the woman is a witch, but her powers have been enhanced (the reason will be explained soon). The thing that took over Damon isn't a spell, but a spirit that was kept inside the vault of the armoury. As for if it can be destroyed, you will just have to wait and see ;) Bonnie... see, that's where it gets a little more complicated ;)) keep reading 3 ALSO, THANK YOUUUU FOR 24 REVIEWS AND 1000+ VIEWS! THIS MADE MY DAY!

No.

No, no, no, no.

She was lying.

Damon repeated the same thoughts over and over again, hoping one would stick and he would start to truly believe it. How could she be dead? After everything he'd done to her, everything he'd done to fix the damage, everything he'd done to save her, how could she be gone now? His mind flew into disarray. He couldn't seem to leave the dream world. It was as if what was keeping him awake was gone. But Damon refused to believe it. He refused to beliieve that she was truly… dead.

He was at the salvatore mansion again. This time, though, he could not care less about his surroundings. She was gone. Not just Dream Bonnie, Real Bonnie. The one he… loved.

He felt guilt run through him. This is why he'd left her without saying goodbye. He was too afraid to face the fact that he was in love with someone that wasn't Elena. Even worse, one of her best friends.

No matter what happened, even if Bonnie had lived, even if Damon escaped the Dream world, even if she felt the same way, they could never be together and he knew it. She was kind, brave and selfless; all the things Damon was not. He didn't deserve her. In a million years, he never would.

He was a monster. An impulsive coward of a monster and above all things, at this moment, Damon wished Bonnie never bothered boarding the plane to London.

Bonnie had died in London. She was coming to save him. Little did she know he was unsavable.

Suddenly a thought occurred to him.

If Bonnie truly was dead, Elena was awake.

He felt yet another surge of guilt. Everything was his fault. If only he'd accepted how he felt earlier, he may be out of here already. Bonnie would be fine, and he could go live out the rest of his miserable life, leaving Bonnie and Stefan and every other unfortunate soul that cared about him, alone to live their own lives.

What had he done?

There was no time to feel sorry for himself anymore. He needed to get out of this Dream World. He forced himself to think about Bonnie.

Bonnie tilts her head to the side like a puppy when she's curious.

Bonnie raises one eyebrow when she's confused.

When she smiles, her whole face lights up like a lantern (something he used to find annoying but now he could seldom find something more beautiful).

And when she cries… when she cries, it's never just for her.

Damon clenched his eyes tightly, remembering everything from the small freckle on her arm to her voice when she said his name.

Damon.

Damon.

"Damon," Bonnie said.

Damon's eyes opened with a jerk. He'd hoped he was awake and with Real Bonnie. Sadly, he wasn't awake yet. He was with his good old friend, Dream Bonnie.

An involuntary smile appeared on his face as he looked at her. She smiled back.

"Let's get you back to Bonnie, shall we?" Dream Bonnie said, crossing her arms.

Damon's smile faded. "I – I don't think that's going to happen."

Bonnie frowned. "Why?"

Damon took a deep breath. "Bonnie's dead."

She already knew that. I mean come on, she was a part of his imagination!

"Do you really believe that?"

No, he didn't. Something in his soul kept him from believing it. Maybe it was dilusion or denial. But something told Damon to keep fighting. That she'd be there when he woke up.

"Think about it," she said. Damon rolled his eyes. She wasn't very helpful, but then again, that was probably because she was just repeating what was already in his mind.

Just before Damon closed his eyes to try again, he heard a voice.

"She's alive,"

Stefan.

"Wha-?"

"Wake up, she's alive. This is really me." And then he was gone.

Damon looked at Bonnie, grinning wildly.

"It's been fun," she said, kissing him on the cheek and waving goodbye as she walked out of the mansion.

This was it.

He was getting out of there.

Bonnie's alive.

That was all he needed. He didn't need to know if she missed him. He didn't need to know if she was looking for him. He didn't need to know if she felt the same way. She was alive.

Damon laughed. In that moment, nothing else mattered.

He watched as the image of the mansion faded into that of a room. A different room to the one he'd previously woken up in. He frowned, but then his smile reappeared when he saw Stefan staring down at him with a small smile on his face.
"That took less time than expected," Stefan said, surprised.

"Yeah, well, it would have taken a lot more time if it weren't for you," Damon said, grinning. "I missed you, brother."

Stefan's eyes looked weary, despite the smile on his face. Damon could tell that something had happened.

"Where's Bon –" Damon began, but he trailed off as he saw Bonnie open the door softly and smile at him.

"He's awake!" Bonnie said, tears streaming down her face. He smiled. This was her.

Damon tried to speak, but for the first time in his life, he was truly rendered speechless. She had the same glow, though her eyes were more tired. She was still as beautiful as the last day he'd seen her. She rushed towards him and hugged him.

"I'm so sorry," she said through her tears.

"About what?" Damon asked, although he knew her answer.

"I should have… I should've forgiven you."

"Bonnie," Damon croaked, finding a lump in his throat. "If you did, I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

Stefan smiled at them. "Sorry, guys. We've got to leave. Now. Before someone finds us."

Damon assumed he was talking about the witch lady.

Damon and Bonnie both jumped to their feet and followed Stefan out of the room.