AN: Enjoy. Review. Repeat.
Bonnie felt her heart hammer against her ribcage violently as she stared at the immortal standing in front of her. She felt like she was the leading lady in a B rated horror flick. Pretty girl gets lured into the woods, pretty girl runs into the king of all demons, pretty girl dies a horrible and gruesome death. She knew that she could try to make a run for it, but knowing her luck, she would probably end up stumbling over some invisible obstacle and Cade would send his hell hounds to drag her down to the fiery pits of hell. Swallowing the huge lump that had formed in her throat, it took great effort on her part to keep from passing out from sheer terror. Why did she let her curiosity get the best of her? Why couldn't she have access to her magic when she needed it the most? Even though Bonnie was a feminist and a proud independent woman, she wouldn't exactly complain if a knight in shining armor swooped down and saved her from this nightmare.
Sensing her intrepidation, Cade flashed a non threatning smile in an failed attempt to put the young woman at ease.
"What's the matter, Miss Bennet? Cat your tongue?" Cade asked amused.
Bonnie swallowed nervously. Great, the devil makes jokes. The truth was that Bonnie had no idea of what to say to the powerful deity. Throughout her short life, she had fantasized about having conversations with all sorts of people in her head. Johnny Depp, Usher, Idris, Scott Foley. Never in a million years did she ever think that she would be having a meet and greet with the original prince of darkness.
"I don't know what I am suppose to say. I didn't exactly plan on running in to you tonight," she mumbled nervously, "Or ever."
"That's perfectly understandable. I've been around long enough to know that I'm the last person any one ever hope to have a run in with," he said grinning.
"Is this the part where you lure me into a false sense of security before condemning my soul to hell?" she asked meekly.
"Relax. I'm not here to cause you any harm. I thought it was time for us to get accquainted with one another," he said casually as he shoved his hands in the deep pockets of his trousers.
"So instead of casually bumping me into a coffee shop where I could have enjoyed a nice mocha latte, you thought it was a great idea to lure me into the creepy dark woods?" she asked stiffly.
"My apologies. I kind of have a flare for the dramatic," he murmured with a smile.
Bonnie tilted her head slightly to the right as she observed him quiet. From the way that Damon had described him, she would have thought Cade would have appeared more dangerous, murderous and evil. Instead the man who was standing in front of her was soft spoken, pleasant and even charming.
"I'm well aware that you are close aquaintences with the Salavtore brothers," he said watching her face carefully, "I was very intrigued to learn that I wasn't the only psychic that they were associating with."
Bonnie shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she tried her best not to look intimidated by the powerful immortal studying her like she was a Chinese puzzle. Bonnie had discovered she was a psychic years ago shortly before she had learned that she was a witch. She had experienced divinization which was the ability that allowed her to connect psychically to events to come in the future seen before hand. She had also developed intuition. She had used that ability to find candles in Elena's kitchen. Later on she had been haunted by three sets of numbers which led her to a crime scene where Damon had brutally murdered Mr. Tanner, a horrid teacher and the high school's football coach. She had slowly begin to accept having these rare abilities, but it was when she begin to have premonitions that she begin to fear her psychic powers. One of the worst premonitions that she had was when she had dreamed that she was trapped inside one of Klaus's coffins and while banging to get out, her mother had opened it. That had led to her meeting her mother, Abby Bennett, for the first time.
"I imagine that you must think my ability is quite insiginificant compare to all the things you are capable of," she said coyly.
"Not at all. To be honest, I must say that I find accomplishments are quite impressive," he said as he circled her like a hawk measuring it's prey, "You first gained your abilities through divinization. Over time, you learned to wield powerful magic and even tapped into Expression briefly. You eventually died, but managed to come back as the Anchor to the Other side which is a rare feat of its own. You have been many things in the amount of time in your short life time. A witch, a human, a ghost, a corpse. I must say I was disappointed to learn that you went through all of that only to end up...ordinary."
Bonnie head snapped up and she stared at him sharply. Who did this guy think he was commenting on her life like he had any kind of clue? Obviously she knew was the devil, but that didn't give him a right to have such bold opinions about her when she barely knew anything about him.
Cade sighed softly.
"I can sense that I have angered you," he said apologetically, "I truly meant no offense."
"You may think that being a powerful being is something to aspire to, but I don't," she said narrowing her moss green eyes at Cade while planting her hands firmly on her hips, "Being ordinary is far more preferable than being in constant danger because your power is the only thing that stands between your friends and some supernatural disaster."
Cade studied her curiously. He could see why people were drawn into the little witch's orbit. She was fiery and passionate. When she spoke, her words were firm and her tone radiated her conviction. He could see how she had come to develop having a savior complex, but what he didn't understand was why.
"You were never obligated to protect this town or the people in it. In fact, your need to save everyone around you has caused you an immeasurable amount of loss," he pointed out shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his black trousers, "After you sacrificed as much as you did, no one could blame you for leaving this god forsaken town, so why didn't you?"
"I didn't really have a choice. If I didn't use my magic to help protect the people that I care about, they would have died. I couldn't let that happen," she explained defensively.
"You could have, but you couldn't bear the thought of turning your back on your beloved Elena and leaving her to fend for herself, so you took up the mantle and knighted yourself her savior.
"You don't know a damn thing about my relationship with Elena," she snapped angrily.
"Sadly, girl, I know more than you think I do. I know what it's like to govern people who are powerless and in desperate need of saving from themselves. I know what it's like to sacrifice everything you love just to put the needs of others ahead of your own. I know what's it feels like when you have that all thrown back in your face when someone beneath your station stabs you in the back and betray you," he said coldly, "I wasn't always a monster feared by the world, Miss Bennett. Once upon a time, I was someone who served at the pleasure of others and always did the right thing no matter the cost. I was once like you."
Bonnie lips parted as she stared at him in disbelief.
"You and I are nothing alike. You may think you know certain things about me, but you don't really know me and I sure as hell don't know you," she growled.
Cade's jaws clenched as he took a intimidating step towards the trembling Bennett witch.
"Well, then. Allow me to show you who I really am," he said ominously.
The second the last word left his mouth, a roaring orange ring of fire surrounded them.
"What the hell?" she yelped subconciously move closer to Cade in an attempt to avoid being burnt into a crisp.
"Fear not, Miss Bennett. I meant what I said earlier. I truly mean you no harm," he smiled taking a pleased glance at the ring of fire that had formed around them, "I am just showing you that I am capable of being very transparent."
"Your parlor tricks are neat, but I'm pretty sure you can make your point without giving me a taste of hell," Bonnie complained nervously as the flames flickered dangerously close to her.
"My psychic world, which you refer to as 'hell', is filled with with wicked people who have been taken from this world and punished for their deeds. As you may know, the wages of sin is death. Would you care to take a look at some of those who have earned their suffering?" he offered. "I believe you might be interested to see some familiar faces."
As Bonnie stared into the flames, she felt her blood run cold as the air was filled with wails of despair and agony. Looking closer, she could see some of the flames slowly began to morph into faces. She gasped loudly as she recognized one of the faces as a man she had once called a mentor. Atticus Shane. Half of his flesh was burned off his face and he was clawing at his remains while howling in despair. The image was so disturbing that Bonnie felt bile rise in the back of her throat and she forced herself to tear her gaze away from the flame before staring Cade, her moss green eyes wide with horror.
"So if Atticus is burning in hell, that means that he never found peace with his wife and his child," she breathed in disbelief . For some odd reason, the thought left Bonnie feeing sad and somber.
Cade narrowed his eyes and closed the distance between him and the empathetic witch.
"Atticus was wicked because he allowed his own selfish desires cause the death of countless of people and he unleashed a terrible plague on to this world. Atticus was the direct cause of Silas terrorizing you and the people you call friends," he reminded pointedly, "A man like that doesn't deserve to find peace. He deserved to be punished."
"I know that he did terrible things, but deep down, I don't think he was wicked. I just think that his grief blinded him and he lost sight of who he truly was," she protested.
Cade sighed and a look of annoyance and frustration flashed across his dark face.
"You have the potiential to be a very powerful woman, but it's your empathy and your inability to cut ties with the wicked that makes you weak," he said through clenched teeth, "It will be your downfall."
"Having faith in people is not a weakness. It's actually a strength. If people were to go through life thinking everyone who has ever made a mistake is not capable of redemption, this world would be a very cold and lonely place," she argued heatedly.
"Oh really? Is that why you lured Malachi Parker into that frozen tundra of a prison world under the false guise of needing his assistance only to literally and figuratively stab him in the back?" he asked curtly, "You can stand their feeling judgmental while you cling to your misplaced self righteousness, but the truth is that the only people that you grant redemption to are those who you are connected to through Elena."
Bonnie fell silent when she realized that she couldn't argue with him. Cade did have a point. Damon and Stefan had committed countless of wrongs against her and even though she would stay mad at them for a long period of time, she always found some reason to forgive them and allow them to draw her back into their orbit of craziness. Most people would have been chucked the deuces and walked away from the Salvatore vampires after they had indirectly caused the death of her grams, murdered countless of innocent people in Elena's name, turned her mother, threatened her with violence, desiccated for three years, but yet here she was standing in front of Satan himself struggling to find a reason why she refused to forsake the men who didn't really deserve her loyalty.
Not wanting to face her hypocrisy,Bonnie sighed wearily and shook her head before returning her gaze back to Cade. "What is it that you want from me?"
"I came to you tonight because I wanted to acquaint myself with you. In the upcoming days, you are going to need my assistance and I thought that maybe you would be more comfortable coming to me for aid if you and I were on speaking terms," he said quietly.
What did this powerful psychic know about her future? What was going to happen that was so awful that it would make her resort seeking out the devil for help?
Cade smiled briefly as he clearly heard the frantic questions racing through the young woman's mind.
"You will get an answer to all of your questions in due time, Miss Bennett. For now I will just leave you with this little piece of advice. I know that you think that the people who you surround yourself with you is loyal and devoted to you, but don't be fooled. History have shown that the most righteous of people are capable of being destroyed and betrayed by those closest to them," he warned, "When you discover this to be truth, you will seek me out and ask me for my help and I must warn you that the price of my aid requires great sacrifice."
His statement left Bonnie shivering despite the fact she was practically standing in the center of a raging inferno.
"Take care Miss Bennett. I look forward to seeing you again soon," he said cryptically as he nodded slightly in her direction.
Bonnie felt her mouth grow dry as she watched as he casually strolled through the roaring flames before disappearing.
#
Living easy, living free
Season ticket on a one-way ride
Asking nothing, leave me be
Taking everything in my stride
Don't need reason, don't need rhyme
Ain't nothing I would rather do
Going down, party time
My friends are gonna be there too
Stefan hummed the lyrics to AC/DC as Highway to Hell blared from his car radio. He drummed his fingertips on the steering wheel as he defied the speed limits and flew down the highway. The night air was blowing through his window and the moon was rising above the trees casting a haunting glow on the empty road ahead of him. The sound of metal rattling against plastic drew his attention and he looked down to see Caroline's engagement ring rolling around in the cup holder. Smirking, he reach down and grabbed the piece of jewelry and examined it briefly. After seeing Caroline earlier that day, he realized that whatever could have been between them was nothing more than a bitter sweet memory. Caroline wasn't going to come back to him until he became the man that she wanted him to be and Stefan simply wasn't interested in being that guy anymore. That guy was weak, a pushover, and a fool who was guided by the foolish notion of eternal love and happiness. Stefan had come to realize that men like himself who was prone to murder and chaos wasn't meant to have the white picket fence and the bright eyed happy wife. Men like him were meant for a life of solitude and loneliness.
Taking one last glance at the ring, he tossed it out of the window without giving it another thought.
I'm on the highway to hell
On the highway to hell
Highway to hell
I'm on the highway to hell
As he cruised around the curve in the road leading into Mystic Fall's suburbs, he arched an blonde eyebrow curiously as he spotted a familiar vehicle parked on the shoulder of the road. As he drew closer, he frowned as he recognized it as Bonnie's 2015 Black Prius. Curious, he decelerated before pulling his 1963 Porshe 356B Karmann Coupe behind her car and shifted into park. Killing the engine, he got out and closed the driver's door before moving slowly towards her vehicle. Looking inside, he was puzzled to find that the car was empty and Bonnie was nowhere to be seen. Several questions began to run through his head. Why was Bonnie's car abandoned and where the hell was she? His eyes traveled to a patch of disturbed grass of dirt leading into the woods and his eyes narrowed suspiciously.
What has Bonnie gotten herself into now, he wondered wryly as he moved closer to the side of the road to investigate futher. He recoiled as he detected scent of sulfur lingering in the air. Walking towards the back of her vehicle, he felt his eyes narrow as he noticed a scorched path leading deep into the woods. Sulfur and traces of fire only meant one thing.
Cade.
Without wasting another second, Stefan sped off into the woods keeping his eyes peeled and his ear perked for any clues that would lead him in her direction. Five minutes later, he came to a stop when he spotted an orangish glow a mile to the East. Rushing off in that direction, he slowed to a stun jog as he approached the incredible scene. There was a ring of fire in the middle of several large oak trees and he spotted deers, rabbit, owls and other wildlife frantically trying to get to safety. Moving cautiously towards the fire, his eyes widened as he realized Bonnie was stuck at the epicenter with a lost and petrified look on her face.
In that moment, Stefan was slammed with a sense of deju vu. The last time he had found her in this predicument had been when Emily had hijacked her body to destroy the necklace that Damon had been desperate to regain back into his possession. In order to protect herself, the novice witch had caged herself in the middle of a raging inferno in an attempt to keep Damon from trying to get to her. As he stared at the picture in front of him, Stefan was confused. Had she created the ring of fire as a defense mechanism to protect her from Cade? What the hell was she even doing in the middle of the woods in the first place and where was Cade? Despite all the questions running through the front of Stefan's mind, he knew he would have to find an answer to them later. Right now, Bonnie was in danger and he needed to find a way to help her.
As he slowly moved closer to the fire, Bonnie spotted him and her mouth flew open.
"Stefan," she cried out confused, "What are you doing here?"
"Call me crazy, but I don't think that is important right now," he growled as he snatched off his leather jacket, "You need to get out of there right now. If you don't the smoke will suffocate you and you will die."
She shook her head, her moss green eyes wide with terror.
"I can't. The fire...it's too hot. I won't make it," she wailed hysterically.
"Stop panicking and look at me," he commanded firmly.
Their eyes met through the roaring flames and Bonnie bit her lip to keep from bursting into sobs.
"Look at this spot. Look at where we are. Do you remember the last time you and I were here together?" he asked calmly.
Bonnie seemed to look confused before her eyes widened noticably. She had been too caught up with her conversation with Cade to notice that they were in the exact same spot where Emily had possessed her and destroyed the necklace Damon had wanted to use to free Katherine. That night was one she would never forget because it was the night when Damon had almost killed her.
"Yes," she stammered tearfully.
"I didn't let you die then and I'm not going to let you die now. I know that you don't want to trust me, but you only have two choices right now. You can stay there and burn to death, or you can walk through fire and trust that I won't let anything happen to you," he said sternly.
He could see that she was hesitating and the fire was quickly raging out of control. Suddenly a tree limb from a nearby burning tree fell into the circle of fire narrowly missing Bonnie's head and causing her to shriek in terror.
"Bonnie, move your ass!" Stefan roared loudly over the flames. Not needing to be told a third time, Bonnie squeezed her eyes shut before running full speed towards Stefan. As she passed through the wall of flames, Stefan wasted no time in wrapping her inside of his jacket and throwing her to the ground and roughly patting out the flames that had taken hold to her shirt and pants. Her flailing was so violent and unpredictable that Bonnie unintentionally threw Stefan off balance and their limbs tangled as they went rolling across the ground clumsily. Stefan did his best to try to shield her from being crushed against the ground and his hard body, but the several moans of discomfort that manage to escape Bonnie's lips revealed that Stefan's efforts weren't exactly successful. When they came to a stopping point, Bonnie was sprawled out awkwardly on top of him and he unfortunately was lying on top of a very sharp and jagged rock that felt like a knife to his lower back. He could feel her warm breath graze against his cheek and tickle his ear as she panted trying to catch her breath from having the wind knocked out of her. Moving gingerly, she pressed her hands against Stefan's taunt chest and slowly lifted herself into a sitting position on top of him .
As she examined the patches of her skin left exposed by the fabric that had been burnt off, her eyes went wide with surprise. There wasn't a single burn mark on her flesh or singed hair on her head. She had literally walked through fire and come out untouched. Either their was some hidden lesson in her trial by fire, or Cade was going out of his way to prove that he meant her no harm. Either way, the whole entire mess left Bonnie shaky and exhausted and she began to sway back and forth dangerously. Subconsciously, Stefan lifted his hands and found a resting place on her slender hips and steadied her.
"Are you alright?" he asked his voice rough and low pitch.
"Not really, but at least I'm not extra crispy," she mumbled causing Stefan to smirk.
Feeling her adrenaline began to crash, she dug the heels of her palms into her eye sockets and stifled the urge to scream in frustration. She didn't want to be at the epicenter of supernatural drama. She didn't want to be on speaking terms with Cade and she sure didn't want to be stuck in the woods alone with the infamous Ripper. Why was it so hard for the universe to cut her some slack and allow her to have a little piece of normal? Why?!
"Bonnie," Stefan mumbled breaking her train of thoughts.
"Yeah?" she replied shakily.
"You're still on top of me," he pointed out smirking.
Bonnie stared down at him owlishly. Looking down at the smug vampire who had dirt in his hair, and amusement in his forest green eyes, she suddenly became painfully aware of their closeness and the fact that she was straddling him. She didn't know if it was deliberate or not, but when he slowly licked his bottom lip while staring her dead in the eye, Bonnie felt a jolt shoot down her spine and she immediately became flustered. She knew how to deal with brooding Stefan, jerk Stefan and even murderous Stefan, but when it came to overly flirtatious Stefan, Bonnie felt like she couldn't cope.
Feeling flustered, she rolled off top of him and slowly made her way to her feet. Stefan chuckled deeply before returning to a vertical position next to the blushing witch.
"Why did you come out here by yourself in the first place? You do realize that tracking through dark uncharted woods alone is how a lot of people in this town end up dead, right?" he reminded frowning deeply.
Bonnie stared down at her feet feeling she was a child being scolded by a disappointed parent.
Would you believe me if I told you that I was just following a fire breathing horse?" she asked in a timid voice.
Stefan stared down at her trying to keep a serious face, but a brief smile touched his was one of the most formidable, smartest women that he knew, and yet deep down, there was still that young girl that couldn't resist chasing after a good mystery. It was something that he found both adorable and exasperating.
"Come on. Let's get you home before you get any bright ideas about chasing after rainbow unicorns," he said sarcastically earning him a dirty look from the blushing witch.
"You're making fun of me,"she said accusingly.
"No shit, Sherlock," he retorted grinning.
Determined to give the smirking vampire the silent treatment, she took a step back and felt her knees buckle as her ankle hit a root sticking out from a nearby tree. Using his supernatural reflexes, Stefan reached out and grabbed her by the hand and helped steady her so that she wouldn't fall.
She went to remove her hand from his and was annoyed when he wouldn't release her from his hold.
"What the hell do you think you are doing? Let go," she protested flustered.
"Relax, Bennett. I'm not offering you my hand because I want to take a romantic stroll with you. I am just trying to get you out of the woods without you twisting an ankle," he explained patiently.
She couldn't help but notice that despite Stefan having the tendency to look hard in all the right places, his hands were incredibly soft. She tried not to blush as she reluctantly let the smirking vampire lead her out of the woods and back to where she had recklessly abandoned her car on the side of the road.
My night went from having a terrifying encounter with Satan, to holding hands in the woods with Stefan Salvatore. It was safe to say that at that moment in time, Bonnie Bennett was not a happy camper."
"So you and Cade?" Stefan started innocently, "I didn't know you had a thing for the tall, dark and demonic."
Bonnie scowled deeply.
"It's not like that! He just wanted to meet me. Apparently, the universe thinks I have time to entertain Silas 2.0," she said with a faux sweet smile on her lips.
Stefan bit back a smile as he realize that Bonnie had a point. She did tend to be a magnet that attracted immortals who wound up being creepy and psychic.
"I know this should go without saying, but I'm going to say it anyways. You should stay away from Cade. If he is interested in you, it's because he wants something and that is never a good thing," he warned somberly.
"I can take care of myself, Stefan. You should just worry about not being a sociopathic serial killer, and I am going to focus on trying to get you and Damon out of this mess. The only reason why Cade is interested in me in the first place is because of you and Damon. Thanks for that by the way," she griped unhappily as she continued to make her way through the woods, unknowingly stomping out a trail of innocent flowers that had the misfortune of being in her path.
Stefan glanced over his shoulder and leveled her with a pointed glare.
"You know you wouldn't be in the mess if you didn't insist on trying to save everyone you cross paths with," he grumbled.
"I guess I'm just not the type to watch as my friends are being condemn to eternal damnation," she said dryly.
"I'm glad that you are finally coming around to seeing me as your friend," he said as he casually reclaimed her hand inside of his once more, "It really makes me feel so alive."
She knew that he was just being facetious and trying to get a reaction out of her and she had too much pride to give him the satisfaction.. Bonnie tensed, but didn't pull her hand away.
"Don't go throwing a parade or anything. Anyone who has been in my life the past ten years and haven't manage to die is someone I consider a friend," she said waspishly, "You aren't that special."
Stefan laughed sharply as he stopped walking and quietly looked around making sure that they were heading in the right direction. Bonnie sighed softly as she wiped the palm of her free hand on the side of her jeans. They were beginning to grow sweaty.
"So if I'm not that special and I'm just some distant friend, why do you insists on trying to save me?" he pressed.
Bonnie huffed annoyed as she rolled her eyes upwards towards the heavens. She was quickly growing tired of the vampire's incessant chatter. "I don't know, Stefan. Perhaps it's the same reason you insist on popping up out of the blue whenever I'm lost and alone in the woods."
"We do have history," he said huskilly as he slyly attempted to intertwined their fingers to make the hand holding more intimate.
"Yeah. History filled with death, blood and despair," she grumbled before snatching her hand away from his.
"God, it's always drama with you women," he muttered frustrated.
Bonnie grabbed him by the sleeve causing him to stop walking.
"I'm drama? You are the one who cornered me a week ago before shoving your blood down my throat and kissing me. You did all of that despite the fact that your girlfriend is one of my closest friends and I'm involved with someone. If anyone is about drama, it's you," she exploded as she jabbed her index finger into his muscular chest.
His eyes glittered dangerously and Bonnie cheeks puffed out defiantly.
"You weren't exactly complaining about the kiss when it happened," Stefan retorted defensively.
"Well I'm complaining now and I want an apology," she said folding her arms across her chest.
Stefan's eyebrows nearly shot up to his hairline. She was serious? He was a bad ass vampire. He kicked ass and took names later. He ended people's lives just for the sheer entertainment of it and this little witch expected him to apologize for something so trivial as a kiss?
"I'm waiting," she said tapping the toe of her ankle boot impatiently.
Stefan narrowed his eyes at her and exhaled sharply.
He was preparing to call her seven diffrent kinds of crazy when she moved closer to him pinning him down with a dangerous stare. He knew that look. If she had her magic she would have definitely took him down with a painful aneurysm. The fact that she was powerless and still demanding an apology from someone as dangerous as himself reminded him why he had always begrudgingly held respect for Bonnie Bennett. She was known to be a lot of things, and fearless was near the top of the list. Even though he didn't want to stoop so low and apologize to her, he knew that he kind of owed it to her so he reluctantly resigned himself to his fate.
"Fine. I'm sorry," he said softly,"I'm sorry for shoving my blood down your throat. That was a dick move."
Bonnie leveled him with a impatient glare as she folded her arms across her chest.
"And?" she pressed.
Stefan shrugged a shoulder unbothered.
"If you are waiting for me to apologize for that kiss, I won't. The only thing I regret is that you didn't kiss me back. You would have found out that I am an excellent kisser," he murmured as he wiggled his eyebrows wickedly.
Bonnie felt her mouth grow dry and suddenly she became painfully aware of her surroundings. Stuck in the middle of the woods with a hot vampire who was looking at her like she was a midnight snack was causing her to have a physical reaction that she wasn't exactly proud of.
Seeing that his bold statement had caused Bonnie a great deal of discomfort, Stefan decided to show her a bit of mercy and abruptly changed the topic of conversation.
"So what were you up to before your late night rendezvous with Cade?" he asked casually.
Bonnie rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth not appreciating the innuendo she heard lurking in his tone.
. "I was having dinner with Matt," she started but was interrupted by a scandalized gasp from the wide eyed vampire.
"You and Donovan?" he shook his head feigning sadness, "I knew it was only a matter of time before you handed Enzo his walking papers."
He yelped when he felt the petite woman dig her nails into his flesh causing little cresent moon marks to appear on his milky white flesh. If Stefan was going to insist on being obnoxious and douche-y, Bonnie was going to make sure he paid the price.
"If you actually behaved like a decent human being, you would know that friends are capable of having dinner together without it meaning anything," she huffed annoyed, "Besides, he gave me the heads up on some troubling information that affects everyone we know and care about."
Hearing this made Stefan's ears perked up and whatever snarky remarks he had loaded in the chamber died on his lips.
"Matt mentioned to me that there is a possibility that a new counsel will be popping up soon. You should probably keep a relatively low profile if you don't want to be outed," she informed uneasily as she scratched the back of her neck where a mosquito had graciously helped itself to some of her blood.
"Thanks for the heads up but I can take care of myself. If they become a serious threat, I'll handle them," he said ominously.
Bonnie frowned and stopped walking.
"If by "handling them", "Bonnie said using her fingers to do air quotes, "You mean that you are going to snuff them out, I'm going to have to stop you right there, Stefan. I'm not going to let you kill anyone."
Stefan slowly faced her and smirked as he shoved his hands inside of his pants pockets. The fact that Bonnie thought that she was in any position to tell him what he could and could not do was a little annoying but on the other side of the coin, he found her highly entertaining in that moment. She had no magic, she had no feasible way of shutting him down, so he couldn't help but wonder how she planned on backing up her empty threats? From what he could see, the tiny woman was all bark and no bite.
"Really?" he said amused, "How do you plan to stop me?"
Bonnie narrowed her eyes at him as she clenched her hands into a tight fist. "I'll get Damon to take you down."
Stefan flashed a dangerous smile and Bonnie swore she saw a hint of fang.
"Damon may be my big brother, but when it comes to being the superior Salvatore vampire, he doesn't hold a candle to me," he taunted softly as he bumped his shoulder against hers lightly, "Don't you agree?"
She could smell his cologne wafting off of him causing her to swallow deeply. She had always found trouble focusing when he stood that close to her. Whenever he would invade her space she would find herself tongue tied and flustered. It was already irritating that Stefan had the nerve to be extremely arrogant and conceited, but did he have to look so good while doing it?
"No. I wouldn't agree," she mumbled before putting space between them continuing thier trek out of the woods, "Unlike you, Damon has made the choice to be good and if he feels for any reason that you are crossing lines, he will stop you and I won't feel bad for having his back when he puts you in your place."
"Something tells me that deep down, you get turned on by pitting me and my brother against each other," he said flippantly, "You are a lot like Elena in that aspect."
Bonnie rolled her eyes and tried not to laugh in his face.
"You totally nailed me. I stay up late night just dreaming about all the ways I can becomethe next poor tragic girl caught in the cross hairs of two brothers who have an affinity for sharing women. The fantasy alone is just panty melting," she drawled sarcastically.
Stefan grinned and faced her with a mischevious smirk on his lips.
"You can mock me all you want, but you can't stand there and say that you aren't attracted to me," he said as he lazily folded his arm across his chest and leaned back against a tree, "In fact I distinctly remember you telling Elena that you thought I had a hot back."
Bonnie eyes wided and this time she actually did allow herself to laugh in his face.
"Hot back? Seriously? That was years ago when I was a kid. I once thought the members of N'Sync was hot. I had questionable taste back then," she snorted moving to walk past him, but was immediately annoyed when he blocked her path.
"Well, since only one of us is keen on being honest, can I tell you what I thought of you when I first saw you?" he inquired innocently.
Bonnie sighed wearily.
"Let me guess. You saw that I was some mousey little friend of Elena and that you could easily charm me into convincing her that you were worth taking a chance on? We both know how that was a complete fail," she snorted rudely.
Stefan tensed.
"Can you just stop talking for all of thirty seconds and listen to what I have to say?" he growled irritated.
Bonnie stopped walking and slowly turned and faced him as she studied him closely. Even though she was tired, annoyed and her feet hurt, she decide that it was better to just shut up and hear Stefan out rather than to bicker with him until they found their way out of the stupid woods. "I'm listening."
Stefan placed his hands behind his back before closing the distance between him and Bonnie. As he towered over her, he was amused as his vampire hearing detected her heart skip a couple of beats.
"The first time I saw you...really saw you was the night you gave me Elena's phone number," he recalled quietly, "I saw a girl who was sweet, kind, innocent. I saw a girl who cared a lot about her friends. When our fingers brushed together and you caught a glimpse of what I was, it felt like a kick to the gut. Watching your face transform from innocence to soul crushing fear...I felt ashamed. Ashamed that someone like you was forced to learn who I was. What I was. I thought that if someone as wholesome as you saw who I was that there wasn't a chance in hell that Elena could learn the truth and want to be with me."
Bonnie felt her breath catch in her throat as she watched his pale handsome face twist with remorse and anguish.
"Why are you telling me this now?" she asked dejectedly.
"Because you need to know that I respect the fact that you didn't just write me off in the beginning. Even when you had every reason to do so. The moment you saw me as a monster was the moment everything change. Elena, Caroline...hell not even Damon had ever saw what I truly was, but you did," he said hoarsely." You saw all the worst parts of me and it fucking terrified you but instead of running and screaming in the opposite direction, you decided to see the good in me. Instead of gaining your trust and your friendship, I was so blinded by my love for Elena that I sacrificed everything and everyone to keep her happy. Instead of being the good person you believed I could be, I turned my back on you and made you expendable more times than I can count and if I could take it all back, I would."
Bonnie finally lifted her eyes and saw that he was actually sincere and it made her heart twist in her chest. Beneath all of his bravado and snark, there was still a man who still felt guilt and remorse, and that meant something to Bonnie. That meant that there was still hope for Stefan and all wasn't lost. While she had a soft spot for repentant vampires who bore the Salvatore name , Bonnie wasn't going to let Stefan off the hook so easy.
"I'm sorry, Stefan. You had years to tell me that and we both know that if Damon and Caroline hadn't turned thier backs on you, you wouldn't be telling me this at all. Your words are so pretty and so nice, but there not good enough," she said curtly.
As Stefan watched the fuming witch march off, he felt his blood boil. His first instinct was to go after her and use physical force to make her acknowledge that he was attempting to be a decent person, but he realized that such barbaric tactics wouldn't work on her. Neither would his heartfelt and genuine apology. She wasn't Elena after all. She didn't easily succumb to his charm and wasn't manipulated by his pretty face and smooth words presented to her in a somewhat romantic yet haunting atmosphere. Bonnie Bennett was a woman who had high standards and he begrudgingly respect that. However, he wasn't going to let her just walk away from him without letting her know that he had no intentions of giving up on her so easily.
Using vampire speed, Stefan grabbed her by the elbow to keep her from walking away. His bushy eyebrows move towards each other and his lips were turned down into a disapproving frown.
"Bonnie, why can't you see that I am trying?" he huffed, his face twisted with anger and frustration.
For the second time that night, Bonnie found herself asking a diffrent supernatural being the same question. "What do you want from me?"
Stefan licked his lips nervously as he folded his arms across his chest. His forhead wrinkled up and Bonnie fought the urge to smile as he subconsciously began to brood. Whenever he made that particular face, it was more than likely that he was pensive and serious about the thoughts running through his mind so she knew that whatever was about to come out of his mouth would be something that was coming from a real and deep place. Suddenly Bonnie became nervous and her palms, that had been practically been rubbed raw on the back of her jeans, started to become sweaty again.
"I want you to give me a chance to earn your trust back," he said earnestly, "Let me show you that I meant every word that I said to you."
Bonnie stared at him warily.
"How do I know that this isn't just another one of your games?" she asked softly.
Stefan flashed a wolfish smile and Bonnie couldn't help but notice that he looked attractive but down right terrifying.
"If it turns out that I'm just playing games with you, you reserve the right to destroy me in whatever manner you see fit," he offered before lowering his eyes briefly to her lips, "I would hate for you to have to punish me with chains and whips. That would not turn me on at all."
Bonnie's olive green eyes widened and her mouth opened and closed for several seconds causing her to resemble a goldfish out of water. Stefan couldn't help but laugh. Her expression was truly priceless. Minutes later, they arrived back at their cars and Bonnie was surprised to find that she felt a twinge of disappointment that their conversation had come to an end. Unlike the last encounter that she had with Stefan Salvatore, this time around was actually pleasant although she would never admit that aloud to him.
Reaching towards the car door handle, Stefan opened the door wide enough for her to climb inside. Bonnie couldn't bite back the smile spreading across her face slowly. Murmuring a polite thank you, she slid into the driver's seat and slowly put on her seat belt. Leaning down, he braced his arms on the car door window.
"Go home and try not to take anymore impromptu walks through the woods," he smirked, his forest green eyes twinkling with mischief.
Bonnie laughed sheepishly. "Don't worry. I learned my lesson."
The witch and the vampire exchanged a smile before a comfortable silence settled over them.
"Stefan?"
"Yeah?"
"You didn't have to come looking for me tonight, but you did. I just wanted to say...thank you," Bonnie murmured awkwardly.
"You are very welcome, Bonnie," he said huskily.
The moment between them was broken when her phone on the passanger seat began to vibrate. Glancing over, she winced inwardly as she saw that she had ten missed phone calls from Enzo. She felt a pang of guilt as she realized that while she was taking her precious time exiting the woods with Stefan, Enzo was probably worried sick about her. She would have a lot of explaining to do when she got home. Clearing her throat, she looked over at him and smiled apologetically.
"It's really late and I should go," she said quietly,"Goodnight."
As she twisted the key into the ignition and started the car, Stefan reached over and gently brush a loose strand of her hair out of her face and tucked it securely behind her ear. He intentionally let his fingertips linger on her cheek longer than what was necessary. Bonnie swallowed deeply feeling slightly uneasy about the intense look of hunger that was lurking in the vampire's eyes. She realized that there was something shifting in her relationship with Stefan and while she knew that the vampire standing in front of her wasn't the person that she used to know, something about this version of him intrigued her. He was still dark, dangerous and unstable, but beneath the unattractive qualities, she saw a glimmer of a man who was still caring and protective. She knew that she had a long way to go before she could actually say she trusted him, but she felt tonight was a good start to take down that particular road.
"Good night Bonnie."
As she watched him walk back to his car in her rearview mirror, she felt a wave of dread and anxiety blanket over her. Subconciously she wrapped her arms around herself, and was startled to hear the squeak of leather. Looking down, she realized that she was still wearing Stefan's jacket. By the time she looked out of her window to call out to him, he was gone. Sighing heavilly, she slumped down into the driver's seat and closed her eyes trying to ignore Stefan scent that was clinging to the jacket wrapped around her and for a brief moment she allowed herself to imagine that it was his arms instead. As her mind begin to process the events that had taken place that night in the middle of the woods, one question remained at the frontline of her mind.
What the hell was she getting herself into?
End Note: I would really love to have some cover art for this story. If anyone is interested in hooking a sistah up, feel free to slide in my inbox ;)