Chapter Seventeen: What's Behind Door Number One?

1 Week Ago

It was two in the morning, and Dean was struggling to stay awake. The weight of their situation sat heavy on his shoulders and he felt physically and mentally exhausted but he knew Michael was just on the other side of the pillow. If he didn't sleep, Michael couldn't get in his head.

In the tiny motel bathroom, Dean turned on the tap and splashed cold water on his face. The shock of it was enough to give him a bit of a second wind but when he turned to walk back through the doorway, he was not expecting to run right into a solid body.

"Cas?" He hissed. "What the hell, man? We haven't seen you in weeks, and now is when you choose to show up?"

"We need to talk." He grumbled, unmoving and still an inch from Dean.

Dean hushed his tone, and pulled him into the bathroom, closing the sliding door behind him. "Dude, it's the middle of the night, can't it wait?"

"No. There isn't much time. Michael knows of my involvement, and I suspect is monitoring me closely."

Dean reeled back. "Then wouldn't he know you're here?"

Castiel gave a brisk shake of his head. "I carved a warding into my body." He yanked the opening of his button up to show the dried bloody scars.

"Jesus, Cas." Dean exclaimed in disbelief.

"It was very painful." He admitted flatly, straightening his collar. "There may be a way to be rid of Lucifer once and for all."

"Well, don't leave me hanging with the suspense; what is it?" Dean urged with hushed impatience.

"The cage. It's still sitting in hell unoccupied. I believe if we can find a way to open it, there's a chance we can trap him there. And Michael along with him." He explained determined.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, whatever we need to do. How do we open it?"

"I'm working on that." He answered evasively. He knew Sam and Dean would not agree with his plans to reach out to Crowley, but if this was the only way, he would risk it. "Just try to keep a low profile for now. I'll be in touch." He vanished before his eyes, leaving Dean alone in the bathroom again.

…

Castiel waited in the busy park for Crowley to show himself. He received a text, which he still was not sure how to respond to, saying to meet him here at 7:30pm. It was now 8:00pm and Castiel was growing impatient.

"I'd say I'm sorry for being late but…I'm not." The demon jested with a smirk, materializing beside the angel.

"What did you find?" Castiel questioned unamused.

Crowley handed him a folded newspaper from under his arm. The headline read:

TOWN IN CIVIL WAR: NEIGHBORS TURN ON EACH OTHER. MASS CASUALTIES

"What is this?" Cas asked.

"War. One of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. When Lucifer was freed, he began calling them to his side. War is showing himself here. The townspeople are hallucinating demons in those around them, turning them on each other." Crowley explained keeping his gaze on the busy throng of people around him.

"What does this have to do with the cage?"

"Each horsemen bears a ring; without them, they are powerless. Together, these rings were used to lock Lucifer in his cage." He tapped the newspaper. "Get the rings, and you'll have your key."

Cas frowned deeply. "How do you know this?"

"I have friends in low places." The demon smirked vaguely. "Better get on it. Time is of the essence." He was gone as quickly as he came, leaving Castiel sitting alone again on the park bench.

…

Bonnie glanced around her, detangling herself from Michael's grip. "Where the hell are we?" They were in a white, brightly lit hallway, with doors on either side. There didn't seem to be an end to the hallway no matter which way she looked.

"Heaven." He chuckled at the witch's terrified stare. "Don't worry, you aren't dead. This is just a little field trip. Tell me Bonnie…" He linked his hands behind his back as he began to stroll down the long hall. "Have you ever imagined what your life would be like, if you had followed a different path?" he questioned curiously.

Everything inside her was tell her to resist him, but she knew that the only way through this and to get back home to Dean was to play along. "Can't say I have." She lied. All she did was wonder if she made the right choices in her life; if things would have been better or worse. If the people she loved would have survived…or if fate truly did work in mysterious ways.

The slow quirk of his lips showed that he didn't believe her, but he indulged. "No? You never pictured a world where you never learned of witches and vampires? A world where your Grams survives the tomb spell…" he knew he had her attention now, her gaze firmly on him. "My father has created thousands of worlds, and in each and every one of them, Sam and Dean Winchester evade their fate in some way or another. But in this world…he was determined to change that."

Bonnie scoffed, rolling her eyes. "What ever happened to free will?"

He laughed condescendingly. "It is the will of God after all. You see, in each universe there has been a Sam and Dean Winchester, they have had no one but each other. No one else to fight for, no one else to love…to life for. Until you." He finished pointing at her.

Bonnie glanced at him sharply, stopping in her tracks. "What does that mean?"

"It means, you change his destiny, Bonnie Bennett. Time and time again, Dean dies fighting for his life – in a blaze of glory," he pronounced grandly. "And he wouldn't want it any other way…but you give him a reason to follow his true path. That's why you are so important." He gestured around them. "Each door holds a different path in your life. One where you let Jeremy die in the Grill…" he pointed to one door. "Another where you never return from the prison world." He gestured to another. "Every pivotal moment of your life is right here."

She pondered what he was saying, slowly resuming their walk down the hallway. "So you're saying there's a universe where I never meet Dean?" She shuddered at the thought. She didn't even want to imagine it.

"Many of them. He was never your destiny, Bonnie." He answered vaguely.

That made Bonnie reel back. Nothing felt more honest and truer to her than how she felt about Dean. How could that not be real? "Then what was?" she whispered. There was a huge part of her that didn't want to believe him, but there was a smaller part that believed every word and she couldn't quiet that voice in her head.

He stopped walking, looking over her shoulder at a door that simply had a name.

Damon Salvatore

She turned around, her brow creasing and a tremble in her throat. "What is this?"

"Your past…a version of it anyways." He nodded to the door. "After you."

Bonnie slowly put her hand on the knob, curiosity getting the best of her. With a flash of white light, she was transported in time. The school yard was bustling with students; some running to make their classes, others catching up with friends they hadn't seen all summer. She glanced around, taking in her surroundings. "Wait…I remember this day. It was the first day of freshman year." She glanced to the parking lot as her car pulled in, an upbeat pop song blasting through the speakers. "I picked Elena up. We ended up being late because a crow hit my windshield. I remember how freaked out she was…we sat in the car until she was ready."

Contradictory to her telling of the story, a young Bonnie and Elena hopped out of the car with smiles, tossing their bags over their shoulders and walking arm in arm to the entrance.

"No…this isn't what happened." She searched the grounds, walking with determination to a spot at the bottom of the stairs. "I met Dean right here. He bumped right into me." Not even a second later, a young Dean stormed out the doors and down the steps…walking right through her and Bonnie felt it. Her eyes widened as he stormed off into the parking lot, kicking an empty can several yards away in frustration.

"He would have, if that crow hit your windshield. Instead, you miss him by seconds and Dean ends up dropping out to help his father. You gave him a reason to stay, and without you…" He shrugged, trailing off ambiguously.

Bonnie swallowed thickly processing this new information. "Okay so, what exactly does this have to do with Damon? Why is his name on the door?"

There was a light that illuminated the glass windows of the school's double doors, drawing their attention. "Why don't you find out?" he nodded for her to walk through and hesitantly she stepped forward.

She'd be lying to herself if she said she wasn't curious. What would she see on the other side of this door? Did she even want to know? Before she knew it, her fingers were wrapping around the handles and pulling them open. Bonnie had to squint against the blinding white light that enveloped her.

When she opened them again, she was in the Salvatore boarding house. It was just as she remembered it; before the school took over, before all their friends were just the ghosts of a memory, adorning the walls in a painful tribute. It brought a smile to her face.

"You know…" She spun around to face the familiar voice walking up behind her. "If I were a traditional man, I'd say this would be bad luck." He teased, with that half-cocked smirk. "But I'm not so…" He leaned in smacking a kiss against her stunned lips. "I'm going to enjoy every moment." He whispered as he wrapped his arms around her. "Couldn't wait until tonight?"

Bonnie blinked, her breath hitching when his lips made contact down the column of her neck, brushing her hair back from her shoulder. "What's tonight?" she breathed, her eyes rolling closed. She never realized how much she missed this, how much she missed the way he made her feel.

He chuckled pulling back and pointing a finger at her. "Funny." He winked as he walked over to the wet bar, pouring them both a drink. He glanced up at her through thick lashes. "I'm surprised you were able to escape Caroline's strict itinerary. She's had your life planned down to the minute for the last two months. How'd you do it?" he questioned with amused suspicion, coming back around and handing her the glass.

"Magic?" she answered with a shrug and a mischievous smile, hoping it would be enough to suffice. She heard a clink hit the glass in her hand and the massive rock on her ring finger made her eyes widen, but she did her best to mask her shock as she pieced it all together. In this alternate world, she was engaged to Damon Salvatore.

"Baby, are you okay?" He asked in concern, squeezing her shoulder affectionately. "You look pale. Have you eaten today?"

She swallowed, forcing a smile to her face. "I'm fine…just nervous I guess." She admitted in with an awkward laugh.

Damon placed his glass down on the side table, and cradled her face in his hands looking at her with complete sincerity. "Look, you don't have to do this right now if you don't want to. I can wait as long as you want. It's not like I'm getting any older." He joked with a quirk of a smile. "It's a big step…it means giving up a part of who you are and I want to make sure you're ready for that. I love you Bonnie, and there's nothing I want more than spending an eternity with you. But only when you're ready." He vowed, brushing his thumb lovingly over her cheekbone.

Bonnie was stunned into silence. Was she…going to turn? For Damon? The thought of wanting to become a vampire for anyone seemed unfathomable; but here she was, with a diamond ring on her hand the day of her wedding, willing to give it all up for one Damon Salvatore. The moment seemed bittersweet to her; there was a time when she dreamt of a life with Damon, and in a moment of selfishness she embraced the opportunity to finally tell him how she felt. "I love you too." It was the first time she was able to admit it without the guilt that usually followed. It was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She knew now what Elena felt, being utterly and irrevocably in love with two completely different men; to have your heart pulled in two directions. And while saying it out loud healed a hole in her heart, it broke further all the same. She didn't even realize that she was crying until Damon brushed them away. Desperately needing the space to collect her thoughts, Bonnie carefully extracted herself from his arms to sip her bourbon, walking to the stained-glass window and placing the half-full glass on the ledge in front of her. "Do you ever think about how we got here?" she asked, fishing for the answers she needed.

Damon strolled up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on the top of her head, following her gaze. "All the time. Thank God for Emily Bennett. If it wasn't for that promise I made over a hundred years ago I never would have come looking for you." He mumbled reverently, kissing her temple almost absentmindedly.

Bonnie was glad he couldn't see the confused frown on her face. That's why he came back to Mystic Falls? "What about Katherine?"

Damon reeled back, looking down at her in confusion. "I haven't heard that name in a lifetime. Where did that come from?"

She glanced back at him over her shoulder. "And Elena? She didn't have anything to do with coming back?"

His face dropped as he turned her in his arms looking over at her with concern. "Sweetheart…you're scaring me a little bit. Are you sure you're alright?"

"It's just…it's Elena. I guess I just can't imagine a world where anyone else could mean more to you than her." She admitted dejectedly. Having his arms wrapped around her so familiarly almost made her forget where she was, and her true worries showed themselves. Coming second to Elena wasn't anything new where she came from, why would it be any different here?

He was baffled. "Bonnie… no one in my very long life has meant more to me than you do. And I liked Elena, she was a sweet girl, but to think she could ever hold a candle to you-"

"Was…" she confirmed trailing off sadly. She was gone here too. If this was her fate, maybe that was always Elena's too.

Damon was visibly worried now, a deep frown pulling on his brows. "I knew it would be difficult to go through this without her. Maybe all of this was too much too soon." He sighed heavily.

"No, no it's not." She rushed to reassure him, turning and snaking her arms around his waist. "I'll be okay. I promise." Bonnie smiled looking up at him. She committed this moment to her memory, knowing that it was fleeting and whatever chance they had at this life was long over. Tears pooled in her eyes but she blinked them away before they could fall, not wanting to worry him any more than she already had. "I should go before Caroline realizes I'm gone. I'll see you tonight?" she whispered, trying desperately to keep the painful knot out of her throat.

He brushed a loose strand from her face. "I'll be waiting patiently at the altar." He smiled happily, nothing but love and devotion in his bright blue eyes.

Slowly, Bonnie leaned up, savoring a long kiss on his lips. "Goodbye Damon." She whispered before slipping from his arms and heading for the door. She pushed through the front door, barely holding in the sob as she made it back to the white hallway to Michael. "What the hell was that?" She demanded tears streaming down her face as she pointed where she came from. "Why would you show me that? What was the point? To hurt me? What!" she yelled, practically shaking.

Michael averted his gaze the floor calmly. "Not to harm you, Bonnie."

"Why should I believe you, or any of this?" She countered angrily. "How do I know that any of what you just showed me is true?"

The angel stood proudly, offended by her questioning of his integrity. "I'm not the monster you think I am. My purpose is to cast evil back from whence it came. I am the champion of justice for all mankind; it was my father's plan for me. To be your protector. I only wish to fulfill the destiny laid out for me. I showed you this to help you understand the level of sacrifice required of you. It's necessary to do what needs to be done."

Bonnie narrowed a hateful glare in his direction. "Sacrifice? Don't tell me about sacrifice. That's all I've done is sacrifice for the people that I love. If God doesn't think that I know that by now, he's watching the wrong channel." She tunneled her hands through her hair, trying to make sense of everything. "What happens to him? In this reality, what happens to Dean without me?" She may have her happily ever after in this world, but it meant nothing if Dean didn't have his.

Michael looked at her with a stoic face, signifying his dire fate. He pressed his finger tips to the worried crease in her forehead and flashes crossed behind her closed eyes. A fight in a barn, an exchange of fists, vampires, Dean impaled on rebar, and finally the vacant look in his dead eyes. It made her drop to her knees. The image of him like that would stay with her forever. "I am his only hope, Bonnie. And you are my only hope to save him." He pleaded.

Bonnie swiped away at the fallen tears, having an internal battle of her own. Siding with Michael would be a huge betrayal to Dean, but if it meant saving his life would it be worth it? Did she even believe Michael? Could she trust the images she'd been shown? Trust the future he faced? She slowly dragged her head to look up at him from her crumpled pile at his feet. "What do I have to do?" She whispered helplessly.

Michael released a relieved sigh. "Take me to him."

…

Dean, Sam and Hope waited for Bonnie to return. It hadn't been more than a couple hours, but in light of their situation, Dean couldn't help but feel an inkling of dread at her lack of contact. "She should have come back by now." His knee bounced nervously.

Hope hung up the phone to her ear. "It's going straight to voicemail now."

Dean shot to his feet. "I'm going to look for her." He was doing his best to respect her wishes, but with each passing moment, he grew more concerned for her safety. He nearly made it to the door when Castiel appeared behind him.

"Dean." He greeted urgently, stopping the older Winchester in his tracks.

"Cas, where have you been?" Sam questioned, relieved to see the angel, although he noticed immediately the distress on his face. "What's wrong?"

"We have a problem. It requires immediate attention." He rushed out.

Dean was already grabbing his jacket and keys. "It's gonna have to wait, Cas."

"People are dying. This cannot wait, Dean." He pressed.

He rounded on the angel with a wild look in his eyes. "Bonnie is missing." He snapped, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Nothing is more important to me than that."

There was a flash of concern in his eyes, but he pressed on. "It's War. One of the four horsemen."

Hope brows shot up. "As in the four horsemen of the Apocalypse?"

Castiel nodded. "Each of them hold a ring and together they open the cage. If we have any chance at stopping Lucifer, we need to catch War while we still have the chance."

"I am not leaving without Bonnie, Castiel!" he yelled, vein bulging in his forehead.

Sam, in an effort to diffuse the situation stood between them. "We'll go." He turned to his brother, squeezing his shoulder. "You go look for Bonnie; Hope and I will go after War." He looked to his girlfriend who nodded in agreement before he turned back to the angel. "Can you take us there?"

"Yes. Dean…when you find her, call to me and I will come back for you." He placed a hand on Sam and Hope's shoulders, and then were gone.

With a heavy sigh, Dean b-lined for the door, and when he yanked it open, Bonnie stood on the other side, dried tears tracking her cheeks.

…

AN: Thank you so much for all your reviews! They mean so much to me and encouraged me t get this chapter done faster than usual. I hope you enjoyed our little step into the multiverse. It was kinda fun for me so I hope my Bamon fans liked a little Bamon fluff. Sorry to leave you guys on a cliffhanger, but we are getting into the juicy stuff now that I have been building up to for the last few chapters and I wanted to stop it here before I got too carried away.

As always, I love to know what you think! - Vanessa