Silhouettes – Part VI
"Well, well, if it isn't Bonnie Bennett." The voice stopped her in tracks, and slowly, the witch turned to see the woman standing like a devil in sheep's clothing. Knee-high heel boots, skin-tight black jeans and a blood red blouse covered by a black leather jacket. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders in curls, pinning Bonnie with a predatory stare. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Katherine." She finished with a sickly-sweet smile.
Bonnie stayed guarded, keeping a safe distance. "I know who you are. What do you want with me?" She tipped her chin up with conviction.
Katherine linked her hands behind her back as she stepped one boot in front of the other. "Straight to business; I like that. Emily Bennett owes me a favor…and now I've come to collect."
The witch crossed her arms. "Then I guess it's too bad she's dead. Whatever it is, I can't help you. Sorry." She shot the brunette wearing her friend's face a plastic smile. She turned around to walk away but Katherine zipped in front of her.
"Ooh, sassy!" Katherine chuckled with a scrunch of her nose. "You know…Emily used to have that same look in her eyes. Must be a Bennett thing." She brushed it off with a careless shrug. "Look Bon-bon, we can do this the hard way if you want, but it won't be pretty – people will die; your family, your friends…Damon. And I'll make you watch while I do it. Or you can save us both the trouble and cooperate."
"How can I help you, if I don't even know what you want?" Bonnie exclaimed.
"It's just a teensy spell." She explained nonchalantly. "But first, you and I have to make a little pit stop." Katherine added cryptically.
…
Damon made his way back to the Grill after the council meeting feeling uneasy. Liz had unknowingly confirmed his suspicions; someone was turning people into vampires, and it didn't take him long to figure out who. Chet Wilder was one of the few that had gone missing, and he was pretty sure they wouldn't be finding his body unless they combed the bottom of the quarry. The list of names Liz provided of the missing persons were mostly students from the high school, and his first instinct was to warn Bonnie. He called, and she never answered, and his texts were left unread, so he headed back to the last place he saw her.
But when he got there, he was surprised to see it was just Caroline and Elena. He stalked over, a deep frown on his face. "Where's Bonnie?"
Caroline scoffed. "Well, hello to you too."
"She left about an hour and a half ago." Elena told him.
He blinked, suddenly feeling anger at the two girls. "You let her leave by herself? After what happened at the carnival?"
"Um, you try stopping Bonnie when she's storming off. It's nearly impossible!" The blonde said popping a French fry in her mouth. "Besides…I thought you took care of that."
Damon's jaw tensed. "I did." His voice lowered, as he glanced around cautiously. "But it's possible Chet wasn't the only recently-turned vampire. Looks like Katherine's making some friends in town."
Elena's eyes widened in alarm. "What? Wait, how do you know that?"
"Perks of being on the council. A bunch of students have got missing; I put two and two together. Look…" he turned to Elena. "Call Stefan, get him to pick you both up and go straight home. Don't invite anyone in, even if you know them. Got it?" He turned to leave but Elena jumped up and ran after him, Caroline not far behind.
"Damon...do you think Bonnie's in trouble?" Elena asked anxiously, looking to Caroline who shared her concern.
He swallowed, pushing down his fear at the thought. "I don't know…but I'm going to find her." Elena ran her hands through her hair. "'Lena…I'll find her." He reassured, with a nod, before pointing a stern finger at her. "Remember what I said."
The girls watched him stride out the door with determination, before Elena hastily called Stefan.
…
Damon climbed up the steps of her house, hoping that she had made it home. But there was no sign of life in the house. All the lights were out and he couldn't hear her heartbeat. Fuck. It was as he rushed back to his car that his phone rang.
"Yeah?" he snapped as he started the car, not recognizing the number.
"Hello Damon. I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time."
His face hardened into a scowl. "Katherine…of course this is a bad time. Which means you have everything to do with this. Where is she?" he demanded, ripping out of the driveway and down the street.
"Who, Bonnie? Well, she's right here. We're bonding."
"Where are you?" he growled.
She laughed. "Yeah, it doesn't work like that, sweetheart. Right now, I hold all the cards. I have what you want, and I know you'll do just about anything to get her back."
Damon grunted, his upper lip curling in a snarl. "Name your price."
Katherine's voice was satisfied, like she knew his answer before he gave it. "There's a coven of witches held up by the edge of town. They have been a thorn in my side for the last five years and it would be in both of our best interest if they just…disappeared."
"You want me to kill them for you? What, got sick of doing your own dirty work?" Damon weaved through the cars driving back to the boarding house, racking his brain for where she could be keeping Bonnie.
"Hardly…that's the best part. However, in this case, I can't be in two places at once. Your girl and I have some business to attend to."
"Whatever it is you want, you leave Bonnie out of it!" He yelled into the phone as he sped down the road to the boarding house.
"Aw, wish I could, but unfortunately for you, she is a key factor to all this. I think you'll be pleased to know if didn't take much convincing. The threat of killing you and her friends seemed to coax the correct answer out of her. Maybe you have a shot with her after all." There was a short pause, and her tone changed to a more sinister one. "You have 24 hours. If you fail to comply, Bonnie will die. Tick tock, Damon." The phone hung up and Damon threw it to the passenger seat with a growl.
Damon ripped into the driveway and parked the Camaro, slamming his hand repeatedly into the steering wheel. This was exactly what he was worried about, and he played right into her hands. This was what she did. She slipped in under the radar, let you get comfortable, learned your weaknesses, your patterns, and then she sunk her teeth in deep. A second later, the phone on the seat beside him dinged, and he saw the address in a text message from her.
She could be bluffing…but he wasn't going to take his chances. Not when it came to Bonnie.
…
"Where the hell are we going?" Bonnie grumbled, as Katherine pushed her forward, holding her by her bound hands behind her back. She had tried to give the older vampire an aneurysm, but it didn't even seem to phase her…and that was terrifying. She remembered waking up in a cellar after that, and by the darkened sky she faced when Katherine dragged her on this outing, nearly a full day had passed.
Katherine gave her a forceful shove, causing Bonnie to stagger, but she caught herself before she could fall. "So many questions. I liked it better when you were unconscious. We're almost there."
Bonnie looked around. They were in the middle of the forest…where the hell was she taking them? "And where is there? There is literally nothing out here."
Katherine rolled her eyes dramatically, before zipping them through the trees the rest of the way, causing Bonnie to stumble and fall to her knees, nearly faceplanting in the ground. "Here." The vampire announced with a plastic smile. Bonnie whimpered, lifting her body from the ground and sitting back on her hunches. "Ugh what is it about Bennett witches that make Damon so soft? You're all so whiny."
Bonnie laughed ironically, glaring up at her. "What's the matter, Katherine? Jealous?"
That made the brunette snap her head sharply. "You think I'm threatened by you? Please." She scoffed. "You're a child. Emily however…well she was a different story." She huffed, and with a side glance at the witch, she caught the confusion in her eyes. "Oh, did Damon not tell you? He and Emily were real close once upon a time." Katherine smirked noticing Bonnie's jaw tense and her lips purse tersely. "What's the matter, Bonnie? Jealous?" she fired back snidely. She pulled the old grimoire out of the satchel she had slung across her chest and flipped it open to s marked page, dropping it in front of her. She then untied the ropes from behind her back and aggressively dropped a heavy blood red stone in her hands. "Start chanting."
Bonnie looked at the words in front of her shaking her head. "I don't even know what this is. Where did you get this?" She rolled the stone over in her hand.
"Bed, Bath and Beyond. Now chant." She snapped.
"I've never seen this spell before! I don't even have anything to channel from." Bonnie insisted, trying to make sense of the spell.
Katherine grabbed her by the hair, yanking back and looking down at her. "Oh you will…you know, you should be thanking me, Bon-bon…if you manage to survive this, you might actually become a force to be reckoned with. And I'll be long gone by then." She said on a chuckle. Leaning down so she was eye to eye with Bonnie, she continued dauntingly. "Now start the damn spell before I use your eyeballs as the olives in my martini."
Bonnie began speaking the unfamiliar words hesitantly. Slowly, the clouds rolled over the full moon in the sky, and the wind picked up, blowing the leaves off the ground. She stopped, earning a glare from the vampire, and with a painful swallow, she continued, hearing the crack of thunder in the distance. Her chest heaved as the magic began to flow through her; it was a feeling she'd never felt before while doing magic. Usually, the longer she went on, the more energy she expelled, and her body punished her for extending its limits, but now…she only felt more power. Instinctively, buried her hands in the dirt, still gripping the stone in one hand as the energy from the Earth flowed through her body.
Katherine's phone pinged, and she let out a relieved sigh at the message from Damon. It's done. Where are you? She texted him back with a little smirk to herself. "Showtime."
Within seconds, Bonnie's head snapped up, and her eyes glazed over white. The words fell from her lips with confidence now, as if she wasn't the one in control anymore, and she finished her incantation by yelling up at the sky, the crackle of thunder resounding in response. She panted heavily, feeling the magic so deep within ever fiber of her being. The stone glowed in her hands, and suddenly it felt like the high she was on came crashing around her, and she collapsed.
Katherine canted her head, nudging her slightly with the toe of her heeled boot, making sure she wouldn't catch her by surprise. Leaning down, she carefully extracted the stone, slipping it into her pocket before stepping over Bonnie and zipping out of the woods.
…
"Bonnie!" The voice was distant and urgent, and it slowly roused her from her state of unconsciousness. "Bonnie!" It was louder this time.
"Damon…" She called back, pushing to her feet. Her voice was hoarse from overuse, but it was enough to have him vamping the rest of the way through the trees and to her side. He looked her over urgently, before pulling her into his chest, tucking her head under his chin. She clung to him like a lifeline, tears staining his shirt as she sobbed. The sky about continued to thunder, darkening around them
"It's okay…you're okay." He comforted her, and himself, stroking her hair affectionately.
"Where were you, Damon?" Her broken whisper came out muffled, and she pulled back to look up at him brokenly.
His mouth dropped open, at a lost for words. She was counting on him…and while his actions prevented her death, it didn't save her from whatever trauma Katherine had planned for her. "I'm sorry…" He didn't know what else to say. All he knew was that he hated how scared she looked.
Her head cocked as she felt the blood on his shirt, and the drops by his mouth. Her hand tentatively came up to wipe it away. "You're hurt…"
He grabbed her hand before it connected, squeezing gently in reassurance. "It's okay…it's not mine."
Bonnie's eyes furrowed, and she stepped back. "Then who's is it?" The guilt on his face was answer enough. "What did you do?" she demanded darkly.
He held up his hands, stepping towards her cautiously. "Bonnie…I can explain everything."
"What did you do, Damon?!" She yelled again, and the rain from the heavy dark clouds started to pour down on them.
…
Katherine sped passed the 'Leaving Mystic Falls' sign with a relieved sigh, clutching the stone to her chest. After 500 years of waiting, this day had finally come. All the manipulating and conniving had finally brought her to what she'd been waiting for her whole life.
…
Rain dripped down his face, and he licked his lips as he prepared himself for what was coming. She was pacing, nearly seething as she proceeded what he'd just told her. He knew when he did it that Bonnie may never forgive him, but… "I did what I had to, Bonnie." He called out over the loud downpour.
She spun around, her wet hair sticking to her face. "How could you do that!? You killed all those people they didn't deserve that!"
He stretched his arms out. "I didn't have a choice, Bonnie!"
"There is always a choice, Damon!"
"If I didn't kill them, Katherine would have killed you, and I wasn't about to call her bluff!" he bellowed back, his last words rising in volume.
"And what makes my life any more valuable than theirs!?"
"Because I love you!" Her eyes widened, as he continued passionately, unaffected by the rain pelting down on them. "I love you, Bonnie. And I'd do it again. I'd let a thousand people die, hell, I'd let this whole damn town burn to the ground with me in it, if it meant that you were safe!" he let out a sharp exhale, noticing her body relax and the sky begin to clear. He continued softer with a resigned but tender expression. "So be mad at me if you need to be, but at the end of the day, for me…the choice was already made." Damon stepped towards her, and was relieved that she didn't try to evade him. He brushed a wet lock of hair out of her face, and tucked it behind her ear. "I will always choose you." His eyes darted between hers before gently placing a soft kiss to her forehead. When he pulled back, her eyes were still locked on him, open and curious. He glanced up, watching the clouds recede, before soothingly running his hands up and down her arms. "Let's get you home, okay?"
She nodded, and let him guide her to his car.
…
Bonnie stared at herself in the mirror after her shower, feeling…different somehow; like she was electrically charged. She had no idea what spell Katherine had made her do, or why…but she knew it couldn't have been for anything good. She bit her lip as she opened the door from her bathroom and padded next door to her room where Damon sat at the foot of her bed, head hung, and fiddling with his phone between his hands.
His head shot up when he saw her, and he stood, suddenly feeling nervous. "How are you feeling?"
"Surprisingly…really good." She said in disbelief. "Usually after a big spell I feel drained but, I'm still kind of buzzing from it I think." She hugged her arms around herself and walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed, and he sat back down beside her. With a deep sigh, she raised her gaze to him. "Look, I'm not happy about what you did. In fact, I'm still pretty pissed about it, but I know that Katherine has a way of manipulating to get what she wants."
"That she does…" he confirmed.
She sucked on her lip, pondering her next words. "She said something today…and I don't know if she was just trying to get under my skin but I have to know…" Swallowing thickly, she flexed her trembling hands. "Did you and Emily…?" She couldn't even get the words out. "Did you love her too?"
His eyes slid shut. Of course, Katherine would bring this up to Bonnie. Anything to plant a seed of doubt when she could. She lied with the truth…it was a gift really. His eyes landed on her and he hated the hurt look on her face. "It was a long time ago, Bonnie. I was nineteen and human. I didn't even know what real love was…but I thought I did." He explained gently. "Katherine compelled me to forget I loved her, and when I turned and everything came rushing back, it all just seemed so insignificant to me. She died a year later, and I think a part of me felt obligated to protect her family."
Bonnie kept her eyes on her hands, unable to meet his gaze. "So…" her voice was quiet and mousy, full of insecurity. "Is that why you have feelings for me…because of Emily?"
"No." he stated firmly, tilting her chin up to look at him. "What I feel for you has nothing to do with Emily. I spent decades looking out for Bennett witches and I always stayed out of their lives; I never got involved. But with you…" he allowed himself a smile, a thumb tracing the plumpness of her bottom lip. "I couldn't stay away." Her lips pulled in a tiny smile in return and her eyes softened, melting him to his core. "I've never loved anyone more." He added helplessly, completely at her mercy.
Tears sprang to her eyes at his admission. It was a lot to take in the meaning behind his words. It was no secret how much Damon had loved Katherine – he waited 150 years for her. "Thank you." She said with a waver in her voice, grasping his hand in both of hers. "For being there…for…everything." For putting me first. She thought to herself. It ached her heart to know that others died tonight because he chose her…but it also eased her soul to know she was finally someone's first choice.
He brought her hands to his lips. "You don't have to thank me." He saw the tiredness in her eyes and nodded to the head of the bed. "You should get some sleep. It's been a long day."
She nodded, stifling a yawn as she scooted up the bed, and burrowing under the covers. But when Damon stood, and walked to the door, she sat up. "Wait…can you stay?" He turned back surprised, the blue in his eyes so electrifying she was raptured by them for a second. "Can you stay with me? Please?" Bonnie asked hopefully, pulling back the duvet for him.
"Sure." He promised softly, shedding his damp jacket and walking to the other side of the bed, toeing off his boots before slipping in beside her. He turned on his side, facing her and letting his eyes roam her face, committing this moment to memory. She was staring at him so openly; completing comfortable, as if having him in her bed was normal. With a soft smile, Bonnie, tucked herself into him, and instinctively Damon wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. She fell asleep within minutes, and he let himself drift off to the sound of her breathing.
…
AN: Can anyone figure out what Katherine was up to? There will be more revealed but I'm curious to hear your thoughts. Reminder that I'm taking liberties with the timeline of the original show's storyline and series of events, I'm also adding my own spin on things. I'm really loving how this relationship with Bonnie and Damon is building! It's coming together so organically that these moments just write themselves. I love your responses to this story too! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! It always means a lot - Vanessa