The air crackled with the scent of lavender and burnt sage, a bittersweet farewell clinging to the peeling wallpaper of Bonnie Bennett's childhood home. Outside, the midday sun beat down mercilessly on Mystic Falls, painting the familiar streets in a harsh, unforgiving light. But for Bonnie, the town itself felt shrouded in permanent twilight. Memories of the previous year haunted her: the soul-crushing Anchor spell, Kai's twisted machinations, and the agonizing months spent tethered to Elena's slumber. In a way, Bonnie had been their guardian angel, sacrificing her own life force to keep Elena safe. But the cost was high.
Elena, wide awake and human thanks to Bonnie, was now completely enamored with Damon. The vampire, however, remained unmoved by the prospect of a human life with Elena, a constant internal battle raging between his loyalty to her and a flicker of something…else. Something that flared whenever he looked at Bonnie.
Elena and Damon were a predictable equation: a white picket fence, 2.5 kids, and the kind of domestic squabbles Bonnie could already hear echoing through the library. Stefan, resurrected after a little of Bonnie's magic and several sacrifices, had found his happily ever after with Caroline. It wasn't bitterness, exactly more like a suffocating emptiness. Her family, the Bennett witches, were lost in the war against the supernatural threats they swore to protect. Enzo, the only one who bothered themself to try to truly understand the weight she carried, was a ghost in her memories.
This dusty house, filled with remnants of a life long gone, was all she had left. Her grimoires, hidden within its walls, were a testament to a lineage she was the last of. Leaving them behind was the hardest part, a final severing of the ties that bound her to Mystic Falls. As she started the car, a low rumble echoed from the passenger seat.
"Going somewhere, Bennett?" Damon's voice, laced with his usual sardonic amusement, held an unexpected note of urgency.
"Leaving," Bonnie said, her voice flat.
"Leaving where? You can't just abandon us."
Bonnie scoffed. "Us? Do you mean Elena or maybe Stefan? You haven't really been around much lately, since you got your happy ending."
Damon flinched. "This isn't about any of that. It's about you running away."
"And what exactly am I supposed to do, Damon?" I'm tired of being sad and lonely, Damon. Sitting around and watching everyone else get their happy ending while I mourn everything I've lost feels like a slow death. I don't want pity, but I do want a chance to rebuild my life. A life that isn't defined by sacrifice and loss.
Silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken emotions. Damon, the master of snarky retorts, was at a loss. He saw the raw pain etched on Bonnie's face, the exhaustion that went beyond the months she'd spent tethered to Elena. He understood, to a degree, the cost of their victories. Elena was back. Stefan, Caroline, all of them…they had their happily ever afters. But they had all leaned on Bonnie, expecting her magic to fix their problems without ever truly seeing the toll it took.
"You deserve some peace, Bennett," Damon finally admitted, his voice uncharacteristically quiet.
"Peace isn't something Mystic Falls offers anymore," Bonnie replied, starting the car.
"Then let me help you find it somewhere else," Damon blurted. The words surprised even him.
Bonnie stared at him, a flicker of something akin to hope battling with the embers of resentment in her eyes. "What are you offering, Salvatore? A chaperone on a one-way ticket to nowhere?"
Damon crossed his arms, his face uncharacteristically serious. "A chance to start over," Damon said gently. "I'll help you find a place where you can feel safe and rebuild your life. Somewhere beautiful, with a fresh start, far away from all this." His voice softened, a rare sincerity breaking through his usual facade. "You deserve a chance to be happy, Bonnie."
A spark of curiosity flickered in Bonnie's eyes. Leaving Mystic Falls was one thing, leaving it with Damon Salvatore was another entirely. It was a proposition as reckless and unpredictable as Damon himself. But as she looked at the empty road ahead, a seed of doubt started to grow. Maybe, just maybe, a fresh start, even with the infuriatingly charming Damon Salvatore in tow, was exactly what she needed.