AN: I feel like I need to say this. I don't hate Enzo. I actually liked his character in season five before they jacked him up and used him for pointless plot fodder. I think people hate him because he was paired with Bonnie in a failed attempt to appease Bamon fans and to reassure Delena fans that Bamon would never happen. I don't believe Enzo deserves the hate that he gets. It's not the character's fault that the writers basically made him out to be a diet version of Damon. *shrugs* Anyhoo...on with the story.
Somewhere in the Mediterranean
750 B.C.
"Transit umbra, lux permanet. Transit umbra, lux permanet. Transit umbra, lux permanet."
Cade's dark eyes slowly opened as he removed his large hands from the face of the young girl lying peacefully on a bed of straw. The child, Bethany, had a head full of raven black curls and her porcelain face was the perfect picture of sweet innocence. However, it was her eyes that tugged at the psychic's heart strings. They were large and green, but they were also haunted and filled with so much pain and sadness. When Bethany's mother had come to him for help, she had been hysterical and overcome with desperation. At first, Cade had been confused as to what was ailing the child, but the moment that he entered her mind, it had all become very clear. Bethany had suffered a tremendous trauma after witnessing the tragic death of her older brother. The siblings had been swimming in a small creek outside of the village when her brother had slipped and hit his head on a rock which led to his drowning and death. Bethany had been so scarred by the incident that she had suffered a psychotic break which caused her to shut down verbally and emotionally.
"Those words that you are chanting...what do they mean?" she inquired, her voice shy but curious.
Cade smiled warmly as he turned to face her. "Shadow passes, light remains. It means that the darkness that has soiled your daughter's soul is gone, and the purity of her spirit remains."
The woman's face brightened noticeably.
"I don't know how to begin to thank you for helping my daughter," she said, her voice trembling dangerously as tears flowed down her cheeks. "I thought she was lost to me forever."
"Whatever you hold close to your heart can never be lost," he informed sagely.
The woman reached down into her pocket attempting to fish out several pieces of silver coins, but the psychic held his hand up stopping her.
"No payment is required," Cade said softly.
"You are God sent," she whispered before placing a kiss on his cheek before lifting her child from the bed and exiting the hut.
Cade followed her out and shielded his eyes from the beams of sunlight that assaulted his vision. It was always beautiful in the village and today was no exception. The sky was blue and cloud free and the temperature was a perfect seventy five degrees on that Summer afternoon. It was Cade's favorite time of the year. The air smelled of ocean and nature, the wind was nothing more than a gentle breeze caressing his slightly dampened skin and the sounds of horses naying happily and birds chirping cheerfully filled the air. Even if he could travel the world, he doubt there would be any other place where he would want to call home.
"Cade! Cade! I need your help!"
The smiling psychic looked up to see a young girl in her early teens making her way towards him with urgency in her every step she took. Her hazel brownish green eyes reflected like jewels in the sun and her goldish brown hair tumbled around her shoulders in thick and beautiful dreadlocks. As she drew closer to him, he noticed that she was gently cradling a white dove with a broken wing in her tiny hands. The wing was bandaged with a piece of cloth that she had torn from the sleeve on her dress. While it was frowned upon for the women in the village to walk around with any parts of her skin exposed, the young girl in front of him had never been the type to be constrained by the rules of society. She was a rebel in every sense of the word and she marched to the beat of her own drum. That was on of the very many reasons why Cade adored her. He couldn't have asked the gods for a more perfect sister.
"What happened, Akello?" he asked gently as he rests his hands on her shoulders.
She stares up at him sadly. "A couple of the other kids in the village found her by the well and was throwing rocks at her. They were going to kill her, but I stopped in before they could. Unfortunately I didn't get to her fast enough. I think her wing is broken."
Cade sighed and shook his head in disappointment. While he liked to believe that most people of the village were good people, there were a few who tended to worry him with their mischievous way and their lack of respect for all creatures great and small.
"I'm sorry, little one, but there is nothing you can do for this bird. You must allow nature to take it's course," he said quietly.
Akello frowned as she stared up at him confused.
"That is not true, Arcadius. We both know that I have the ability to save her. You just have to let me," she protested vehemently.
Arcadius eyes widened in surprise as he stared down at his sister's pleading face. He wasn't the only one in their family who had been gifted with extraordinary abilities. While he had psychic abilities, Akello had been gifted with the ability to restore life and the ability to take it away. They had discovered her incredible gift when she had been very young. They had been walking through a field similar to the one they were in now and had come across an expiring sunflower. Akello had felt saddened by the tragic state of the flower and had stroked the dead petals sadly. Second later, the sunflower sprung back to life as if it had never died. At the time, Akello was only four years old and Arcadius had been concerned that it was too much power for her to have at such a young age. For her protection, he had put her into a deep sleep before slipping into her mind and blocking the part of her brain that could access her powers.
Seeing the bewildered look on her brother's face, Akello laughed amused.
"What's the matter? Did you think that I wouldn't remember?" she teased lightly.
Arcadius swallowed with great difficulty as guilt flashed across his dark face. He had hoped that Akello would never learn the truth about how she came to lose the ability to create life and it saddened and amazed him that she had been aware of what he had done this entire time and he hadn't even been aware of it.
"You must harbor anger and resentment for what I have done. Please for give me, sister," he apologized as he bowed his head in shame.
Akello smiled before cupping her brother's face inside of her small hands forcing him to look at her.
"Why would I be angry with you, Cade? I know that you did what you had to do to protect me," she said softly, "I was too young to handle that much power and responsibility. Now that I am older, I think you should trust me."
"I do trust you, little one," he insisted.
"Then what are you so afraid of?" she asked confused.
"You are extremely powerful. You have the ability to give life and you have the ability to take it. The power that you wield is unlimited, but it is also very dangerous. If you are not careful, you could very well bring this world to it's knees," he warned gently.
"I do not wish to destroy the world," she pouted indignantly, "I want to help others the way you do. What can be so bad about that?"
"You have a good heart, Akello. I'm afraid that others would mistake your kindness for weakness and use your gift for their own selfish agenda," he protested.
"You once told me that to master others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power. I'm not naïve. I know that there are bad people in this world. It's not them you have to trust, Cade. You have to trust me and know that I will not allow myself to be manipulated by people who have ill intentions," she said passionately.
Cade stared down at her feeling his heart swell in his chest. When had the little girl he had raised on his own since she was two grow up and because so wise and strong?
Reaching inside of his shirt, he removed a small necklace that contained a small golden ring attached to it.
'I wanted to wait until your eighteenth birthday to give you this, but you have convince me that now is the right time," he murmured before placing the jewelry in the palm of her hands.
"What is this?" she asked curiously.
"It belonged to our mother," he smiled fondly as he watched her hold the trinket up to the sun and examine it closely. "Nosce Te Ipsum," she whispers, her pretty face twisted in confusion as she looked up at her brother, "What does that mean?"
"Nosce Te Ipsum, means know thy self. When you get older, you will understand," he smiled gently.
Her little nose twitched as she sneezed quietly. Rubbing her eyes, she stared up at him with wonder in her bright eyes.
"Where did mama get it from? " she asked curiously.
"It's been in our family for years," he begins, "Past on from generation to generation. It was created to protect and anchor us to our abilities. When I first came into my abilities, I was terrified of the things that I could do. I tried to hide from it, but I quickly learned a very important lesson. When it comes to destiny and fate, you simply cannot hide from it," he said softly, "This ring connects with the power inside of you and allows you to operate at your greatest potential."
She smiled as he slowly slid the piece of jewelry on her right ring finger. Almost immediately, she felt a rush of power surge through her stealing her breath.
Placing her hand on the winged creatures chest, she closed her eyes and her mouth parted slightly. Cade felt the wind pick up and the sky darken noticeably. As his eyes lowered to the bird trapped between his sister's finger, he saw they bird chest stopped moving. He was preparing to tell Akello that it was too late when suddenly the birds eyes flew opened and the bird wings surged open. Akello grins happily before tossing the dove into the air where it took flight and flew upwards towards the sky joining a flock that was soaring by.
"You think that he will find his old family?" she asks softly as she slipped her small hand inside of Arcadius large one.
"If she doesn't, I'm sure she will find another bird to make another one with," he reassured her giving her tiny fingers a gentle squeeze before leading her back towards the village.
As the walked past the locksmith shop, Arcadius spotted Henry, the owner, outside working on a metal horse shoe that he was wielding over an open fire. He noticed Henry eyes locked on Akello who was innocently humming a tune while smiling and waving at the other villagers who greeted her warmly. Releasing his sister's hand, he made his way over to the lock smith and tried to ignore the waves of anger he felt as he caught flashes of impure thoughts going through the other man's head. These images were of Akello crying and screaming while Henry held her down and pawed savagely at the skirts of her dress. Noticing the less than appealing glare that he was receiving from Arcadius, Henry's face turns a particular shade of pale as he instantly becomes nervous and defensive. Dropping his tool on the wooden bench, he wiped his hand on a dirty rag before making his way over to the psychic.
"Is there something that I can help you with?" Henry asked, his voice hard and cold.
Cade struggled to keep his uneasiness and discomfort at bay as he forced a smile. "Actually, I was about to ask you that very same question."
The Locksmith flinches noticeably as he realized that Cade was aware of the dirty and impure thoughts that had come across his mind. Immediately he forced his previous thoughts to the back of his mind hoping that the psychic wouldn't be able to have access to them, but unbeknownst to the short and unattractive man, Cade could still see them and it was making him quake with anger.
The tension between the two men was thick causing the other villagers who were passing by to stop and whisper curiously amongst one another.
"I don't need your help and I would advise that you move along now, boy," he said stiffly before turning and heading back into his shop. The hostility that he heard in the locksmith's voice made every muscle in the psychic's body coil. There was something about that man that wasn't just bad. Beneath the surface there was something wicked about him and it bothered him deeply. Cade was about to go after him when Akello grabbed his hand. While he knew that she was unaware of what suddenly had soured his mood, she could sense his anger and it frightened her and that made his heart twist inside of his chest. He hated when she was scared and he knew that in order to . Especially since she was use to him always being good natured and happy. Seeing the worry on her innocent little face made his anger slowly fade and he smiled down at her tenderly.
"Come on, little one. It's time for dinner."
#
"Thank you for dining at Bandiera. I hope you have enjoyed the experience."
The sound of a waitress soft sultry voice broke Cade out of the memory of his sister. Looking up, he watched her place a black leather check book next to his cup of hot Soumada. He is sitting a small Mediterranean restaurant outside of Richmond, Virginia. The interior was small and intimate and the ambience was warm and inviting. The sound of Zen like music filled the air and served as the soundtrack for the belly dancer who was moving and gyrating leaving her audience captive and hypnotize. Starring down at the meal in front of him, he couldn't help but feel nostalgic. While he has no need for food of nutrients, he takes comfort in dining on foods that reminds him of the home he had once shared with his sister in his past life. As he twists the ring on his hand, he feels a bittersweet wave of nostalgia wash over him. Thinking of Akello makes him miss her free spirit and her virtuous ways. She had been so innocent and had been the purest thing that he had ever known. He closes his eyes as he recalls the sounds of Akello's screams as they held her down and made her watch as he was burned to death. He would never forgive them for separating him from her.
When the treacherous villagers had murdered Cade, his death had triggered a psychic blasts that opened a dimension that was infamously known as hell. Before taking his last breath, he had used the last bit of psychic energy that he had to wrap Akello in a protective cocoon sparring her from the hellish fate that had befallen those who had betrayed him. After he had become reborn in hell, he had attempted to find her, but unfortunately, he had lost her in a dimension that was trapped between all worlds. Only a psychic that had the potential to be as powerful as he was could open the portal to Akello's world. That psychic would serve as the perfect vessel that would allow Akello to return back to the land of the living. After spending centuries searching for psychics who could fit the profile and help bring Akello back to him, he had began to lose hope that he would ever be reunited with his long lost sister again. That hope had been restored when he had come across a very special young woman. That woman was Bonnie Bennett.
Thinking of the little witch made a genuine smile creep across his full lips. When he had run into her in the woods, he had tapped into her psychic energy allowing him to see memories of her past, her character, the depth of her soul. It was that night in the woods when he had realized that Bonnie wasn't like most people that he came across. In fact, if he as to be honest with himself, there was something about her that reminded him of his precious Akello. Bonnie's willingness to help people who didn't deserve her assistance and her rare selflessness was what set her apart from the other psychics he had known in past lifetimes. Her willingness to sacrifice herself in order to protect her friends and innocent people from harm made her very virtuous and very admirable in his eyes. In the days to come, Bonnie would serve a very important purpose in gaining the one thing he wanted the most. That is why he wanted to keep her safe and protected at all cost.
"Cade?"
The brooding psychic looks up to see Sybil standing at his table with a uneasy look on her pretty face. Motioning towards the chair opposite of him, he silently invited her to join him. As she made herself comfortable, he took a sip of his hot almond drink as he observed her quietly. Every chocolate strand of hair on her head was in place, her outfit was sharp and sleek and her face was delicately touched with the bare minimum amount of make up and her mouth was touched with a sweet smile that revealed a slight bit of discomfort. While Sybil was the picture of exquisiteness, it was the odd looking broach on her white blouse that caught his attention.
"That's quite a beautiful pendant you have there," Cade murmurs with a knowing look in his dark cold eyes. "Did someone develop an appreciation for mystical jewelry or can I assume that you are wearing it because you don't trust me?"
"Both," the siren admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.
Cade smirks as he stirs his almond drink slowly with a silver spoon. "Fair enough."
The two sat in a tense silence as they watch a belly dancer perform on the small stage under a haunting purplish light surrounded by vanilla white candles.
"So you are probably wondering why I have summoned you here," he started.
"If it was to share a romantic candlelight meal with you, I would have dressed appropriately,"she smiles sweetly.
Her smile quickly fades as she realize that the look on her master's face shows that he is no mood for her playfulness.
"Why don't you just give me a progress report of what you have been up to," he says coldly.
"Well Kai succeeded in sending a message to Bonnie about his newly found lease on life. The girl that he sent in to do his bidding was suppose to expose Damon's secret like you wanted, but before she could, she went off the rails and attacked Bonnie which led to Damon snapping her neck."
Cade glowers at her frustrated.
"Bonnie was suppose to remain unharmed and Tiffany was suppose to remain alive," he whispers angrily slamming his fist on the table and causing several glances from the diners to be cast in thier direction.
The belly dancer stops gyrating and stares in his direction nervously, but after an apologetic smile and a slight nod from Cade, she continues dancing on beat to the music.
Sybil swallows nervously as she toys with the hem of the tablecloth hanging over her lap. The last thing she wanted to do was upset Cade. She knew from personal experience that he could be very spiteful when it came to punishing those who failed him.
"Technically she is. Damon's blood was in her system at the time of her death so she should be in the process of transitioning," she explains quickly.
Cade mulls this piece of information over for several moments before he hums approvingly. As he pulls Cuban cigar out of the inside pocket of his jacket, he silently mulls on the situation that Sybil briefed him on. While having Tiffany transition into a vampire hadn't been apart of his initial plan, he had to admit that if they played their cards right, they could turn this little mishap into a happy accident. He had wanted the Founder Counsel to become Bonnie's new adversary and had planned on using Ethan Sharp to reveal how intolerant and cruel that the average mortal men could be. Now that Tiffany was preparing to join the vampire population there was the very real possibility that he would be getting what he wanted sooner than he had expected. Perhaps Sybil wasn't as big of a disappoint as he originally thought.
"The girl being turned into a vampire could work to our advantage. Once the mayor learns that his daughter is the very thing that the Founder's Counsel is designed to get rid of, things are going to get very interesting," he says with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Watching the tension fade from Cade's face, Sybil found herself breathing much easier. The last thing she wanted to do was anger her master. She knew from past experience that Cade could be very vengeful when he was disappointed.
"May I asks you a personal question?" Sybil asks anxiously.
Cade removes the cigar from between his lips and places it in the crystal ash tray on the right side of the table.
"If you must," he concedes with a thinly veiled look of annoyance on his face.
"What is it that is so special about Bonnie Bennett?" she questions, her voice quiet and filled with traces of bitterness. "You insists on keeping her unharmed like she is some rare gem, Enzo is practically a blithering idiot when it comes to his feelings for her and Damon is irritatingly loyal to her."
"Why does that bother you, Sybil? I gave you the gift to have anything and everything that you could ever want. Instead of using your abilities to your advantage, you are too busy coveting a young woman who is harmless. I must say that petty jealousy is beneath you," he chuckles in amusement.
"I'm not jealous," she retorts indignantly, "I just don't see her appeal. She is just some washed up witch who surrounds herself with vampires so she can maintain a sense of self importance."
Cade smirks at Sybil's less than objective observation of Bonnie. He knew that the siren was powerful and arrogant, but beneath all of her bravado, he knew that she was deeply insecure. In the past, he had always considered her self esteem issues a mild annoyance, but now that he was dealing with Bonnie, Cade was beginning to suspect that Sybil was going to become a problem, and he did not like problems.
"All you need to know is that Bonnie is very special to me. She is unlike any woman that I have ever met," Cade admits with a look of fondness in his dark eyes. Seeing her scowl, he frowns warily. "You can feel whatever you want about Bonnie, but you will stay the course and follow through with our plan. She is to remain unharmed. Am I understood?"
"Yes," she whispers softly.
Leaning forward, he glares at her in a way that makes all the blood drain from her pretty face.
"I'm getting really tired of repeating myself, Sybil. Let me remind you that you are expendable, and if I don't feel like I have any use for you anymore, I will not hesitate to extinguish you," he warns softly, "Do you understand me?"
Sybil nods holding back tears of humiliation. She hated when Cade spoke to her as if she was just some insignificant bug that was beneath him. She had served him obediently and faithfully for many lifetimes and he still made it clear that she meant absolutely nothing to him. Sybil was never a woman to asks for much. She did what was asked of her while she kept her own desires in check. Now she found the one thing that would take away her loneliness and gave her a sense of purpose and that was Damon Salvatore. If Sybil couldn't have Cade's affection and respect, she was determined to get it from Damon by any means necessary.
"Is there something you wish to say to me?" Cade asks observing her curiously.
"After all of this is over, you promised me that I can have Damon all to myself. You promised me that you would make him love me and we can be free of you forever," she reminded, her voice small and shaky.
Cade stared at her unable to hide the contempt and disgust that he felt for the siren. She had the potential to be one of his most infamous disciples, but it was always her need for validation and affection that kept her from being someone he could genuinely respect.
"I know what I promised you," he bites out annoyed.
Sybil pushes her hair out of her face and forces a smile.
"I didn't mean to imply that you didn't," she mumbles, "I just want to make sure that when all of this is over, we both will get what we deserve."
"I assure you, Sybil," Cade promises, his cold black eyes filled with darkness, "You will get exactly what you deserve."
In the end, everyone will, he thinks to himself sinisterly.
#
"Rise and shine sleeping beauty," Kai drawls as he snaps his finger underneath the nose of the semi conscious vampire strapped down to the chair in front of him. "It's time for you and I to get acquainted."
Enzo eyes snaps open and he look around disoriented before his gaze finally lands on Kai. Immediately, fear and anger wash across his face as he bucks against his restraints. He hisses in pain as the vervained soaked rope burns into his skin causing his attempt to escape the binds to halt abruptly. As he struggled to push through the pain, several questions began to run through his mind. Where the hell was he? Why was Sybil and Kai working together? What did Sybil plan to do with Elena if she got her hands on her? Despite the questions swirling around his head, the most important question concerned the woman that he loved. Where was Bonnie and was she alright? He knew that if Kai was alive, the first thing the psychopath would want to do was to finish the sick game he had engaged Bonnie in before Damon had ripped his head off. The thought of Kai going anywhere near Bonnie made Enzo's gums itch and his eyes to darken murderously.
"Relax, Fonzo. I'm not going to kill you," Kai reassured as he leans against a nearby wall with his arms folded across his chest. "Murder isn't in my marching orders. I am just keeping you company while Sybil is away."
Enzo is tempted to lash out, but he reluctantly remains quiet. He continues to glare at the sciphoner thinking of the many different ways he would enjoy killing him. If Kai noticed Enzo's contempt, he seemed not to mind as observes the Augustine vampire curiously. Looking at Enzo, Kai couldn't help but feel disappointed. If he was to ever picture a man who was worthy of Bonnie, he would have imagined a someone who was vanilla. Someone who volunteered at rescue shelters for animals during the day while conducting youth Bible study in the basement of churches at night. He imagined someone who would give her a bunch of babies and drive a mini van while proudly sporting dad pants. Never in a million years did he think that Bonnie "Saint" Bennett, would have fallen for a blood sucker whose body count was higher than his.
"I bet you are wondering how is it possible that I'm alive when Damon had so eagerly separated my head from my body," Kai says with a pained expression on his face as he recalls the reason behind his death, "Let's just say that I have more luck than a bar full of red headed Irishmen. I think that it's funny how you and I run in the same circle, but we have never really interacted with each other up until now. Why is that?"
"I tend not to have a lot in common with monsters who murder their own family members just for sport," the dark eyed vampire says snippily.
Kai smirks before disappearing into the kitchen. Moment later, he returns with a kitchen chair identical to the one that Enzo was currently strapped down in.
"We may not have things in common, but we do share a mutual acquaintance," he says as he straddles the chair, "Does the name Bonnie Bennett ring a bell?"
Hearing Bonnie's name come out of Kai's mouth made Enzo's blood run cold. Bonnie had told him all about the trauma Kai had exposed her to when he had hunted her down, drugged her, tied her up and hauled her halfway across the country before stabbing her and leaving her to die alone in Prison World. Even though she had mentally recovered from that horrific time in her life and moved forward, there were times when he would find her touching her scar with a hollow face on her face. He never asked her what was on her mind because he already knew. He knew that she was reliving the nightmare Kai had put her through and after every relapse, her demeanor would change drastically. Her eyes would become cold and empty, her lips would curve down into a severe frown and whatever happiness she had been feeling that day would drain out of her. The only way he knew how to bring her back from that particular dark period of her life was for him to take her to their bed and make love to her until the moodiness passed and all thoughts of the man who had nearly broke her would fade back to the darkest corners of her mind.
"I want to know what it is about you that Bonnie finds so lovable?" Kai inquires, his brow furrowing as he scans Enzo from head to toe, " I mean you are a decent looking guy, and the accent is kinda hot, but beyond the physical attributes, I don't see why she abandoned her love for Damon and settled for you."
"Bonnie never loved Damon. You don't know what the hell you are talking about," Enzo growls quietly.
Kai sighs as he shrugs nonchalantly before resting his chin on the back of the chair he was straddling. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Let me tell you what I think. I think that going after her true desire was far too frightening for Bonnie and I get it. No one wants to be the act that follows Elena Gilbert. Too much pressure," he says sympathetically with a wicked gleam in his bluish gray eyes. "Oh, but the stories I could tell you about Damon and Bonnie's time together in the prison world. They had that whole, "Will they...won't they..." sexual thing going on. Watching them was better than any soap opera that I had ever seen."
Kai felt giddy as he watched a variety of different emotions flutter across the seething vampire's face. One of the emotions that was clear was jealousy.
"When they are together, Bonnie heart skips a beat. It's barely noticeable, but if you know when to listen for it, you will find it," Kai said softly, "Damon claims to love Elena, and that is true, but he looks at Bonnie in a way that he never looked at Elena. He looks at her and it's like, she is the answer to every question that he has ever had. She is the assurance that washes away all of his doubt. She is more than just his little witch and he is more than her best friend. They are two jagged puzzles that has been lost in some dirty toy chest called life and someone how they manage to not only find their way to each other, they fit. They complete each other."
Enzo felt his chest grow tight as he hung on to Kai's every word. According to Kai, Bonnie and Damon's affections for each other was mutual. He once called Bonnie a lovelorn witch. He knew that Bonnie had felt something for Damon, and he always believed it was one sided because Damon was hopelessly devoted to Elena. Now Kai is painting a picture in Enzo's head and what he was seeing wasn't pretty.
Was Kai right? Did Bonnie chose to be with him only because she believed that she couldn't have the man she really want and chose to settle for the only man who made the effort to stick around? The thought left him feeling insecure and heavy hearted.
Kai tilted his head slightly and gazed at the brooding vampire feeling something that suspiciously resembled sympathy. "When it comes to this thing that is between Damon and your precious girlfriend, nothing really compares to it. I know it and I think you know it too."
Enzo clears his throat uncomfortably.
"Why the hell do you even care about any of all this?" he snarls irked.
A long moment silence passes between them before Kai clears his throat and chews on his bottom lip blushing.
"The truth is that I...I care about her," he confesses softly with a irritated look on his face, "Despite the fact that Bonnie and I have always actively try to kill, maim and destroy each other, I feel like there is something special between us. You know that old saying that there is a thin line between love and hate? I think that if we erased the line completely and let the two merge, Bonnie and I would be electric."
"Not only are you crazy, but you are quite delusional as well," Enzo sneers viciously as he struggles against his binds while glowering at his captor.
Kai laughed mirthlessly.
"I'll tell you what's pathetic. You have been with Bonnie for all of three seconds and you think that your relationship with her is somehow irrelevant?" Kai teases with a mean spirited edge in his voice, "You may be warming Bonster's bed right now, but we both know that isn't going to last forever."
"Even if your insane ramblings are somehow true, at least I had the honor and the privilege of knowing what it's like to be loved by her," Enzo smiles coldly," The only feeling Bonnie will ever have towards you is hate."
Kai's smile faded as Enzo's harsh words cause his heart to twist tightly in his chest.
"You can fantasize about Bonnie all you want to. In fact, I don't blame you. However, we both know that she will always see you for the sadistic and cruel bastard who tortured her and left her to die. I remember her telling me how you once tried to corner her and pretend that you were actually repentant for all the foul things you done to her and how you acted like you gave a damn about her forgiveness," Enzo sighs amused, "Bonnie never believed you were sincere. In fact, the only thing she knew to be true about you is the fact that you are a very sad and pathetic little man."
Kai flew out of his chair so fast that it caught Enzo completely off guard. Gone was the look of whimsy that had previously been etched deeply in Kai Parker's handsome face. In it's place was a mixture of anger and pain.
"Bonnie was wrong about me," he explodes incensed as he towers menacingly over Enzo, "I meant everything I said to her that night at the rave and she refused to hear me out. I made another attempt and practically bared my soul to her in the prison world and she literally and figuratively stabbed me in the back. I tried to make her see that I have changed, but she refused to give me a second chance. She left me behind in that frozen tundra world to be violated in the worse way by Lily's heretics and by doing that, Bonnie sealed her fate. Everything that happened afterwards, all the blood that I shed...that's on her hands."
Kai takes a deep breath and combs his fingers through his hair frustrated. He hated Bonnie and despite his feelings of abhorrence towards her, there was a piece of him that wished that she would have granted him redemption when he had thrown himself at her alter for mercy. "All I ever wanted was for her to give me another chance."
Enzo fights back a smile as his gaze rests on Kai's face twisted with barely contained rage. He can tell by the slight twitch in Kai's right eye and the film of sweat developing over his upper lip that he was beginning to get under the sciphoner's skin. There was the possibility that Kai could have been telling the truth when he said that he felt remorse for the hell that he put Bonnie through, but the days of Bonnie giving forgiveness to a man who had caused her detrimental damage were long gone. Too much has happened and there was no way to rebuild bridges that had already been incinerated to the ground. He realized that Kai thought otherwise because beneath the fury and resentment, Enzo could see the hope and uncertainty lying beneath the surface of Kai's eyes. If the crazed Gemini warlock that there was even a chance Bonnie would come around and offer him them the possibility of redemption, Enzo was more than enthusiastic to crush his expectation.
"Does it eat at you?" Enzo prods quietly as he continues to pour sault in the heretics emotional wound, "Does it bother you that Damon was the one who convinced Bonnie to turn on you and abandon you in the prison world? Does it haunt you that if it hadn't been for Damon manipulating her hatred for you, that Bonnie may have eventually given you the redemption you were so desperately seeking?"
Hearing those words spill from Enzo's lips made Kai's hatred for Damon surge to new heights. When Bonnie had turned on him in the snowy prison world and attempted to use his body as a cutting board, he had known something was terribly wrong. There were a lot of qualities that he had admired about the Bennett witch. She was strong, loyal and brave, but he never thought she could be cold and calculating. Even when she had used her magic to drive a pick axe into his chest back in Kai's original prison world, he knew that she had attacked him because she thought that she was taking the moral high ground and preventing a murderous sociopath from being released back into the real world. While her actions were brutal, he knew that in her mind, they were just. When she stabbed him and left him for dead in Lily Salvatore's prison world, she wasn't acting on the principles of justice. She had been a vengeful woman acting out of spite. She had become a woman he didn't recognize. She had become a woman that he both feared and resented.
Knowing that Damon was responsible for pushing her to such a violent act of retribution made him sick, but knowing Enzo was manipulating that particular moment in Kai's past with Bonnie made him disgusted. Enzo would say anything to keep Kai away from his precious little girlfriend, and while Enzo thought he knew Bonnie more than anyone, Kai was more familiar with the Bonnie than anyone knew. Kai knew that when it came to choosing between her child hood bestie who happened to be a doppelganger magnet for all things dark, twisty and supernatural, and her beau, he knew exactly who Bonnie would save.
"You think that you are pretty clever, Fonzo," Kai murmurs as a demented grin stretched across his face, "Once Bonnie learns that you have been taken, do you really think she is going to hand Elena over to get you back? Think about it. The two people Bonnie loves more than anything in this world is Elena and Damon. Do you seriously believe that she will risk pissing Damon off by sacrificing her childhood bestie just to save someone who has a temporary place in her life?"
Enzo exhaled deeply as he rolled his pink wet tongue across his pearly white teeth.
"I am not just some fling to Bonnie. She loves me and I love her. When she learns that Sybil has me, she will come for me. I may not be sure of very many things, but her loyalty and devotion for me. I have never been more certain of anything in my life," Enzo said passionately.
"Are you willing to bet your life?" Kai asked curiously.
Enzo glared at the Gemini warlock with his lips pursed and his dark eyes narrowed. He knew Bonnie and he knew that she would do anything to save him. She had chosen him over Damon once, and he was certain that when it came down to choosing between him and Elena, she would chose the man she loved.
"Absolutely."
#
"I cannot wait for this night to be over," Bonnie complains as she makes her way up the walkway leading to her house.
"It could be worse," Stefan says lazily as he trails behind her, "You could be trapped in a creepy prison world living the same day over and over again."
Bonnie looks over her shoulder and shoots him a dirty look. He was standing there with his arms folded across his chest and a bored smile on his lips. The sound of cicadas screaming in the night and the taste of rain in the air caused the pounding in her skull to worsen. All she wanted to do was throw a lean cuisine meal into the microwave and chow down on it before taking a long hot shower and curling up in bed. Instead, she was stuck with a snarky vampire who insisted on baby sitting her and a headache that was growing increasingly worse by the moment.
Rolling her eyes, she turns the key in the lock and pushing the door open allowing her entry into he dark foyer. She could smell the apple crisp scent from the wax burner she had left on wafting through the air. The soft sound of Modern Family was coming from the television that was in the living room. Bonnie made it a habit of coming home to a warm house filled with things that appealed to her senses whenever she left her home from a long period of time. Stepping over the threshold, she made her way into the hallway where she turned on the light that illuminated her path to the living room. She was halfway there before she turns around and realizes that Stefan was still standing on the porch. Starring at him, she frowns confused
"You have been inside of this house before, Stefan. You don't need an invitation," she says wryly.
Stefan shoves his fists in his pockets as he stares at her slyly.
"I know, but it's considerate good manners if you say those magic words," he teases lightly.
Bonnie shakes her head feeling amused and exasperated.
"Come in, Stefan," she says with faux enthusiasm in her voice.
He pretends to consider her invitation for a brief moment before finally crossing over the threshold and stepping inside of her small and modest home. Closing the door behind him, he locks it securely before following Bonnie as she made her way through the house turning on light switches to illuminate the dark rooms. As she walks into the kitchen to grab herself a glass of water, Stefan continues his journey through the house making sure everything was in order and that there wasn't any unpleasant surprises or discoveries lurking around any corner.
Arriving in the living room, he stops as he comes across a small table filled with framed photographs. There were photo's of Bonnie with her grams, her dad, Elena, Enzo and Matt. The photo that caught his eye was the one of Bonnie, Enzo and Damon. Lifting the picture from its perched, he observed it closely. Bonnie was standing in front of her three tier birthday cake with a fuzzy pink tiara on her head. On her left side, Enzo was smirking at the camera with his arm wrapped around her waist, and on her right side, Damon stood with his arm draped around Bonnie's shoulder. Instead of Bonnie and Damon looking at the camera, they were gazing at each other with smiles on their faces. Most people who saw the photo knew that Damon and Bonnie were best friends and found nothing strange about their interaction, but Stefan saw something that drew his curiosity. The look on Damon's face was a look that he only reserved for women he wanted to fuck. Replacing the picture back on the table, he begins to think about the confrontation that had taken place between Bonnie and Damon back at the Boarding House. The fact that they were bickering wasn't that big of a surprise. It was a natural part of their relationship. What had been startling was the tension between them. Beneath the anger and hostility, he had sensed there was something brewing between them and he was determined to get to the bottom of what that something was.
Before he could think any further on the matter, Bonnie entered the room.
"Make yourself at home. I'm going to shower and hopefully feel less gross than I do now," she informs flashing him a weary smile before disappearing up the flights of stairs leading to her bedroom.
Walking into the kitchen, Stefan makes his way into the pantry and finds two bottles of red wine on the top shelf. He makes a face as he reads the labels. He wasn't exactly a sommelier, but if he had to guess, the bottle of wine in his hand was probably purchased from the discount aisle of the local grocery store and didn't cost more than fifteen dollars. He knew it was probably a bit snobbish of him to judge Bonnie's taste in wine, but when you live as long as he did and had experienced the finer things in life, it was hard to settle for anything less than what he was use to and Stefan was use to fine wine. He made a mental note to introduce Bonnie to a more expensive wine in the future. Grabbing two gasses from the cabinet, he free hand grabs the wine bottle and he heads into the living room. Twisting the caps off the bottle, he pours the crimson red liquid into the glasses before settling back down into the couch.
Twenty minutes later, Bonnie reappeared with her hair heavy and damp hanging limp around her shoulders. She was wearing Christmas styled pajamas that Abby had gotten her for a gift a year earlier and a graphic t-shirt of her favorite band the Gorillas. Spotting the wine, Bonnie moans appreciatively as she flops down in the cushion next to him.
"I didn't know that you were a wine drinker," Stefan mused as he lifted the two glasses of wine from the table and handed one to her.
She accepts his offer and mumbles her gratitude before taking a small sip.
Stefan takes a swallow and made a face of disgust as he coughed loudly.
"What?" Bonnie asks innocently as she tries to mask her amusement.
"Di pocco prezzo," he groans weakly.
Bonnie nose scrunch in confusion. "Di poocoo prez-wha?"
Stefan bursts out laughing at her horrible attempt to speak Italian. He barely has time to duck his head as she launches a throw pillow in his direction. He looks up expecting to see a pissed off Bonnie, but instead he is pleasantly surprised to find her gigging uncontrollably. The sound is actually quite pleasant to his ears and he can't stop starring as her face lights up with gaiety.
"Di pocco prezzo," he repeats amused when their laughter manages to die down, "It means dirt cheap."
"How do you say pretentious in Italian?" she inquires cheekily.
"Presuntuoso," he responds saucily rolling the word across his tongue dramatically.
Bonnie smiles as she stares down into her wine.
"My grams use to drink this brand of wine when I was a kid. When I find myself missing her, I have a glass and it makes me feel closer to her," she confesses with a bittersweet smile on her face.
Stefan eyes widened slightly.
"I'm sorry," he says flustered. "I wouldn't have opened it if I knew-"
Bonnie smiles reassuringly. "It's fine, Stefan. After the day that I had, a glass of wine is very much needed."
Not wanting to be rude, Stefan swallowed the contents of his glass before placing the glass back on the side table next to the couch. Bonnie rolled her eyes amused. "You didn't have to do that." He turned and smiled at her with a warm look in his forest green eyes. "Well Sheila Bennett is worth drinking to."
A comfortable silence fell over them and Bonnie turns her attention to pouring herself another glass of wine.
"May I ask you a question?" Stefan asks curiously.
Bonnie shrugs casually as she tucked her feet under her butt buttocks as she makes herself more comfortable on the couch. Stefan observes her quietly as he contemplates the right way to present his inquiry. He knows that what he wants to ask her is personal and after the day she already had, he didn't want to risk pissing her off. However there was something that was nagging at him and she was the only who could clear things up for him.
"When we were back at the Boarding House, there was a weird moment between you and my brother," he observes, "What was that about?"
Bonnie sighs softly as she combs her fingers through her wet locks. "Damon was just showing his ass because I am mad at him for killing Tiffany. He thinks that he can just bat his eyelashes and give a half hearted apology that I'm just going to forgive him and move forward like nothing happens. What you saw back at the Boarding House was Damon being bitchy because I refused to fall in line. He can be so infuriating sometimes."
Stefan fights back a low chuckle as Bonnie groans embarrassed. She hadn't meant for her protest to come out sounding so indignant and childish.
"Listen, Stefan. If you don't mind, I really don't want to talk about Damon right now," she mutters before taking a healthy gulp of her wine.
Stefan is preparing to drop it when he notices a strange look flash across her face. It was brief and gone seconds later, but he noticed it. Bonnie was clearly hiding something from him.
"You want to know what I think?" Stefan asks softly, "I think that little brush up between you and my brother is the result of the feelings that you have for one another."
Bonnie licks droplets of the wine off her bottom lip as she stares at Stefan owlishly.
"I think that wine may be laced with some kind of vervain, because you are seriously talking crazy right now," she teases lightly.
When Stefan fails to smile, Bonnie realizes that he is not joking. Suddenly she is uneasy with the direction that their conversation is going.
"Are you serious?" she manages to asks when she finds her voice again. She leans forward and places her wine glass on the coffee table. "What makes you think that I have feelings for Damon?"
Stefan shrugs innocently. "I see the way he looked at you back at the Boarding House. It got me to thinking about your unique friendship and I the more that I think about it, the more it makes sense. I have known Damon my entire life and for the most part, he has been nothing more than a selfish son of a bitch. When it comes to you, he is selfless. Most of the time, Damon will burn bridges and not give a damn about the destruction he leaves in his wake. You hold him accountable, and he respects you. You made many sacrifices to protect him which means you respect him too. I think that somewhere beneath all the respect, the friendship, the loyalty...perhaps their is feelings attached to all the sexual tension?"
Bonnie stared at him before loud giggles begin to spill from her lips. Seconds later those giggles evolved into uncontrollable cackles. Stefan watched with a straight face as Bonnie struggled to catch her breath as she wiped an faux tear from her eyes. He was surprised that she found the thought of Damon having feelings for her hilarious, but then again, Damon's head was stuck so far up Elena's unconscious ass that anyone would be pretty unbelievable to think that his brother may have affections for anyone else who posed female reproductive parts and a pretty face. When her laughter finally died down and she sobered up, she stared at him with a look of disbelief in her moss green eyes. "Damon may have feelings for Bourbon, co-eds with O positive blood, and the person he sees whenever he stared into a mirror, but he does not have feelings for me." She finished her statement by greedily polishing off the rest of the wine lingering in her wine glass.
"Let's just say for hypothetical reasons that he did have feelings for you. Would that change anything?" he inquires curiously.
"No," Bonnie says instantly, "It wouldn't change a single thing because I love Enzo. He is loyal, honest and devoted. He is the one man in my life who has never betrayed me. I would never betray him."
Stefan chuckles bitterly as he shakes his head in disappointment. "No matter how devoted you think someone may be, no matter how much they claim to love you, everyone is capable of betrayal."
"Weak and disloyal people are capable of betrayal. I'm neither weak or disloyal," she says confidently. "I'm not flighty. I'm not," she trails off abruptly.
Stefan propped his elbow on the back of the couch before resting his cheek against his fist. " "I get it," he said quietly. "You are not Elena."
Bonnie sighs in relief as Stefan decides to drop the subject.
"You look tense," he notices, his forest green eyes darkening noticeably. As he moves closer to her, Bonnie feels her heart flip flop in her chest. The vampire sitting next to her was practically smoldering sensuality and while Bonnie took pride in being a faithful woman, she was still a woman made of flesh and bone who was affected by the attractiveness of a man who was built like a Greek statue and had a face that had the abilities to melt panties.
"Yeah, it's been a long day," she concedes awkwardly as she reaches up and massages the back of her neck.
Not bothering to say another word, he makes his way behind the couch before standing directly behind her. When she feels his hands rest on her shoulders, she nearly jumps out of her skin. Looking over her shoulder, she stares up at him confused.
"What are you doing?" she demands nervously .
"I'm just trying to help you relax, Bonnie. There won't be any funny business," he assures the anxious witch before flashing her his most innocent smile. "I promise."
Bonnie stared at him warily before relenting. Turning her body away from him, she swallowed deeply as she felt the cool pads of his fingertips rest against the warm skin covering the nape of her neck. After applying slight pressure, he began to rotate his fingers in small circles drawing a soft moan from her lips. Enzo had given her plenty of massages throughout their relationship, but his hands had always been eager and his fingers always had ulterior motives that almost always led to them being intimate. Stefan's massage was different. It was like he knew exactly what parts of her body was filled with discomfort and his fingers were attacking the muscles that was bringing much needed relief to these problematic area. There was nothing sexual or seductive about the massage. It was purely technical and comforting.
"How does that feel?" Stefan probes, his voice soft yet intoxicating.
"That feels really amazing," Bonnie sighs as she leans deeper into his touched and closes her eyes. As he kneaded the tight muscles in her neck with his fingers, Bonnie felt the tension from the day melting away. For the first time since she had discovered Kai was alive, she felt calm, relax and stable. She wasn't thinking about her fight with Damon and she wasn't worried about the fact that she was going to have to help guide Tiffany through her transition. All she was focused on was that she was no longer a ball of coiled tension and she was finally able to breathe without having to worry about the next unfortunate event that was going to occur to make her already chaotic life even more complicated.
Slowly his hands drifted from her shoulders and down her back before finding a final resting place at her waist line.
"Would you like for me to continue?" he inquires as he presses his lips against the shell of her ear.
Bonnie can't help the shiver that dances down her spine.
She knew that if she allowed him to continue, they would be venturing into very dangerous territory. Stefan's intentions was innocents, but the way certain parts of her body was starting to react was giving her cause for concern.
I know you have feelings for them. You can lie to yourself, but you could never lie to me.
As Stefan began to increase his palpitations to her lower back, Elena's warning from her vision began to echo in the darkest corner of her mind. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open and the tension that Stefan had delicately extinguished through his rubdown returned. She had all but forgotten about the horrible vision that had robbed her of her sleep the previous night, but after Stefan questioned her about her feelings for Damon, and now that he was touching her and making her feel things that she shouldn't, Elena's haunting accusation was now hitting her full force.
"Where did you go just now?" Stefan whispers as he stopped the massage and stares down at her inquisitively, "What's on your mind?"
Bonnie rose from the couch and turned to face him apprehensively. "Trust me. You don't want to know."
"Whatever it is that is bothering you, you can tell me," Stefan said earnestly.
Bonnie lowers her eyes as she feels goosebumps pebble across her skin. As much as she wanted to keep her vision to herself, she knew that Stefan would continue to badger her until she came clean and Bonnie was too exhausted to play coy. Squaring her shoulders, she lifts her head and stares him straight in the eyes.
"After my run in with Cade last night, I came straight home and went to bed," she starts quietly, "I had this really weird dream that I originally thought was a nightmare, but I came to the conclusion that it was a vision." She pauses briefly before swallowing the lump in her throat. "The things I saw really terrified me."
Stefan saw the fear and apprehension on her face and realizes that whatever she saw was pretty serious. He cups her face inside of his large hands and moves closer to her.
"May I?" he inquires gently as he searches her face inquisitively.
Bonnie inhales sharply and closes her eyes causing tears to wet her thick long eyelashes. She knows that he is asking for her permission to enter her mind, and while she was hesitant to let him see the graphic and heinous images that the vision had burned into her brain, she wasn't exactly keen on the idea of carrying this particular burden on her own. With a sigh of resignation, she bows her head and nods her consent.
Stefan smiles warmly before shutting his eyes and gaining access to her clouded minds. He sees flashes of photographs of Elena, glimpses of Tyler, Anna and Pastor Young. His brow furrows noticeably as he witness the broken bodies of Alaric, Caroline and Matt lying on a floor slick with blood. When he stumbles across images of himself standing next to Elena and Damon with dead looks in their eyes, he feels his blood run cold. He watches as Elena commands them to force Bonnie on her knees before Elena spews a bunch of hateful crap while strangling Bonnie. The one consistent theme throughout the entire vision was that there was going to be a great awakening.
Stefan released her face from his hands and stares at her, his handsome face with shock, confusion and horror.
"Bonnie," he starts but she cuts him off abruptly.
"I know what you are going to say, Stefan," she sighs wearily, "I shouldn't have kept this to myself, but I had to. Between my run in with Cade and finding out that Kai is alive, I didn't have time to really process the vision."
"Well allow me to do it for you, Bonnie. People that you are close to are going to die and Elena is most likely going to be responsible for that," he informs coolly as he glowers down at her.
"I'm not going to let any of that happen. I will figure out a way to keep everyone alive and safe," she promises quietly as she lifts the empty wine glasses off the table and head into the kitchen.
"How exactly do you plan on doing that?" Stefan growls as he follows her and watches as she deposit the glasses into the sink. "Despite what you may believe, some things are actually out of your control."
"I can handle it," she insists turning away from the sink and starring at him with her green eyes filled with resolution.
Stefan walks over to her and stands in front of with a grave look on his handsome face.
He opens his mouth to protest, but Bonnie stops him by pressing her index finger against his lips. It was clear by the look on her face that she was determined not to debate the issue any further with him.
The caramel haired vampire's brow knitted together in frustration. In the past, he had admired Bonnie's savior complex and her ability to confront dangerous people and situations head on, but right now, he hated her for it. She was powerless and she was vulnerable, but she was too blinded by her need to keep Elena safe to see that she couldn't possibly handle this new threat alone. Elena was always going to be Bonnie's downfall. He knew that, the people who died because of Elena had known that, and on some deep level, Stefan suspected Damon knew it as well. Stefan feared that when the time came for Bonnie to realize that uncomfortable truth about her best friend, it would be too late. A small part of him considered telling Bonnie about Enzo situation with Sybil just to see if she would even pretend to consider turning the doppelganger over to secure Enzo's freedom, but the bigger part of him knew that Bonnie would never hand Elena over.
Lifting his hand, his fingers curled around her wrist slowly pulling her finger away from his lips. A look of embarrassment flash across her face as she smiled up at him sheepishly.
"Sorry," she mumbled. She moved to pull here hand out of his grip, but was surprised when he held it firmly.
"I saw every second of your vision, Bonnie," Stefan reveals quietly as he towers over her, " Elena warned you that your sacrifice and your loyalty meant nothing. As long as you cling to her, you will lose everything you care about and everyone you love."
"I can save her," Bonnie eyes glittered with steely determination.
"No you can't," Stefan snaps harshly, "If this dream of yours is truly a vision, you need to remove Elena from the equation."
Bonnie shoves him away with a look of vexation on her pretty face. "If Elena was here, she wouldn't ask me to give up on you. Don't you dare ask me to give up on her."
The pair stood in a heavy silence as they let the weight of Bonnie's plea linger in the air. Stefan knew that no matter how many times he attempted to convince her that Elena was undoing, Bonnie wasn't going to cut ties with her and while he was annoyed by her insistence to protect the doppelganger, he had to admit that he kinda respected her sense of loyalty.
"Listen. I had a rough night and I'm tired and I need to get some sleep," she says wearily as she turns down the light switch before exiting the kitchen, "You don't have to stay and keep watch over me, but if you decide you have nothing else better to do, you can stay on the couch. Just know that my bedroom door will be locked."
Stefan watches grimly as Bonnie turns and walks towards the stairs. "You know that a lock wouldn't stop me from walking through your bedroom door. If I really wanted to get to you while you were sleeping, I could."
Bonnie could hear the underlining threat in his words, and while most sane people would have had the good sense to be afraid, Bonnie was unbothered.
Stopping at the bottom of the stair case leading up to thee second level of the house, she leans over the railing and flash the green eyed vampire a knowing smile. "You are right. We both know that you could, but I know that you won't."
Stefan studies her quietly as he tries to keep his train of thoughts from straying into the gutter.
Stefan stares at her before he sighs in defeat. He would like nothing more than to walk up to her room and while she was sleeping, kick her door in and wait for her to inevitably invite him into her bed so he could fuck her brains out, but he knew that scenario would only play out in his fantasies instead of reality. His lust for the Bennett witch may have reached an all time high, but he respected her too much to go there with her. He didn't see the appeal in forcing his way on to her. If he was to ever cross that line, he wanted them to cross that line together where both parties were consenting and willing. He licks his lips briefly as he shoves his fist in his pockets. "You are right. I won't."
"Goodnight, Stefan."
Tossing him one last glance, she grabbed the railing before disappearing up the stairs.
Stefan watches as she disappears up the stairs before heading back into the living room. Flopping down on the couch, he folds his hands behind his head and exhales deeply. As he stares up at the ceiling, he crossed one ankle over the other before getting lost in his thoughts. The entire conversation that he had with Bonnie played in his mind and he realized that despite all of her bravado and her firm belief that she could save everyone, he could sense her fear and knew that she felt helpless. He knew that it was only a matter of time before her desperation to protect everyone would lead her to making a dangerous sacrifice that would either put her life in jeopardy or end it all together. A small part of him was telling him to let it go and leave. Walk out the house and let Bonnie Bennett deal with everything on her own. He didn't understand why he actually cared and felt the need to get involved in the first place.
You want to prove that you are worth saving, a nagging voice whispered in the back of his head. Stefan tried to block out the thoughts, but he couldn't deny it was a lie. Damon had given up on him, Elena had given up on him and now Caroline had followed in their path and decided to walk away from him. Bonnie was the only one who was determined to fight for him and while a small part of him wanted to abandon her and let her fend for herself, a bigger part of him wanted to save her just as much as she wanted to save him.
Staring down at Bonnie's keys lying on the coffee table, his gaze locked on the unique third key. He knew the first key belonged to the Prius and the second was to her house. Using the process of elimination, he determines that third key belonged to the container at the warehouse where Damon and Bonnie were secretly keeping Elena's coffin hidden from the world. The righteous side of Stefan wanted to make himself comfortable on the couch and keep watch over the sleeping witch, but his dark side was encouraging him to take the key to the warehouse and head to New York. Rising from the couch, he grabbed his jacket off of the coat rack and quietly come to terms with his decision. While Damon didn't have the balls to do what it took to secure Enzo's release, Stefan didn't have a crisis of conscience when it came to deciding whether or not he could meet the little siren's demands. Ignoring the nagging voice in the back of his head warning him of the consequences of his actions, he slipped the key to the container off of Bonnie's key ring before quietly easing out the front door and climbing into his car. Reaching into his pocket, he dug out his phone before scrolling through his contacts. Once he found the number he was looking for, he hit the green phone icon before placing the phone to his ear.
"Hey, Sybil it's Stefan," he barks into the phone as the engine to his Porshe roars to life. "We need to talk."
End Note: Cade is the puppet master and quite the manipulator, isn't he? Kai is planting seeds about Bonnie's true feelings for a certain vampire intentionally fanning the flames of Enzo's deep rooted insecurities, and Stefan decides to sell out Elena for Bonnie's benefit?