AN: Thanks for the reviews! Shout out to Chail and Nymeria and everyone for their kind PM's and words.
"Without rain, there is no life." -Jerry Yang
Damon Salvatore was slowly awakened from his vervain induced slumber by the sound of heavy rain falling heavily on the roof above his head. Even though had yet to open his eyes, he was painfully aware that the bed that he was currently lying in wasn't the California king size bed that he called his own. The bed he was in was very small, cramped, and the sheets he was lying on felt like they were bought from the local Walmart instead of the 1000 thread count Sateen sheet set that Damon purchased from an exclusive designer in Italy.
Opening his eyes, he sat up slowly and yawned deeply as he stretched his arms above his head. Lowering his arms, his icy blue eyes scanned the room looking for clues to help in orientation. Not only was the room smaller than his walk-in pantry back at the Boarding House, but there were cobwebs in every corner of the room, there was a thick layer of dust on every surface, and there were several holes in the wall where rodents had chewed through to gain access. As his senses became more acclimated with the atmosphere, his nose wrinkled as he caught the scent of mildew lingering in the air. He quickly found the source when he spotted a hole in the roof where small amounts of rainwater were trickling through and forming several puddles on the floor.
Making his way to his feet, he was preparing to continue his exploration when a familiar sound caught his attention and caused him to bolt out of the room. His feet carried him through a vaguely familiar hallway and once he reached the end, he barged into the residence and found the source that was responsible for the sound that had been like music to his ears.
Elena.
Making his way into the room, he felt a variety of emotions wash over him as he slowly made his way over to the queen size bed in the far-right corner of the room. That's where he found the love of his resting peacefully on a mattress that was far bigger and more comfortable than the one that he woke up in. The fact that Elena was safe caused all the tension to leave his body. As he moved closer to her, a large sterling silver picture frame sitting on the nightstand caught his eye. Lifting the photo, he took a closer glimpse at the picture and his blue eyes widened slightly. It was a photo of Miranda and Grayson Gilbert standing under a large oak tree with a young Elena and a baby Gilbert in their arms. Putting the picture back down its place, Damon walked over to the only window in the room and once he looked outside, he instantly realized where he was residing.
The Gilbert Lakehouse.
Groaning softly, he felt his eyes nearly float inside his skull when by a nagging pressure assaulted his bladder. Realizing that he needed to take care of some personal needs that couldn't wait any longer, he placed a kiss on the doppelganger's forehead before making his way into the bathroom. After he drained his one-eyed snake, he found some spare hygiene products under the sink which allowed him to brush his teeth and wash his face. While drying his hands on a brittle hand towel, he stared into the mirror at his exhausted reflection and flinched physically. He had crow lines around the corners of his eyes, his skin was a shade of pale that he was accustomed to, and his hair looked like he gotten into a fight with static electricity and lost. If Bonnie was around, she would have taken great pleasure in telling him that he looked a hot ass mess.
Thinking of Bonnie made Damon's smirk fade, and his undead heart twisted painfully inside of his chest.
Three days. Seventy Hours. Four thousand three hundred and twenty minutes. That's how long it's been since Damon had seen or spoken to his favorite green-eyed witch. Ever since she had skipped town to go on her quest, he had been trying his best not to worry about her, but it was hard. Bonnie was halfway across the world chasing down a weapon to defeat the devil, while Damon was stuck in Mystic Falls. If this would have been any other adventure, he would have been by Bonnie's side watching her back, but there were things that had happened between them that had prevented that from happening. Even though he and Bonnie managed to patch things up, he still mentally kicked himself for all the things he had done to piss his bestie off prior to her leaving the country. His list of crimes that he had committed included accidently turning the mayor's daughter one of the members of the walking dead, hiding the fact that Sybil had kidnapped Enzo and held him hostage in exchange for Elena, and saying disrespectful things to her during a heated argument that had taken place at the Boarding House. Out of all these crimes, the most treasonous one had been when he had broken every friend code in the book and kissed.
Sighing heavily, he stepped out of the bathroom and returned back to the bedroom where he sat on the edge of Elena's bed and folded his hands inside of his lap.
He felt guilt slam into him like a sledgehammer as his guilty conscience reminded him of the kiss. There were a million reasons why he should have never kissed Bonnie, and the main reason was sleeping soundly inches away from him. Kissing Bonnie had always been something that he had always believed would remain a fantasy locked away deep in the darkest corners of his mind, but his impulsivity had bought that fantasy to life. As he recalled the day of the incident, he remembered that everything had been so chaotic and confusing. Damon's intentions had been to show Bonnie that he truly cared about her despite everything that he done up to that moment to hurt her, but when it appeared that she wasn't taking his words to heart, he decided that actions spoke louder than words, so he had pressed his mouth against her passionately. Damon had been around for a long time and kissed his fair share of women, but kissing Bonnie definitely left an impression on him. The yearning, the connection, the affection that he had felt transpire between them had shook him to the core. Despite how much he tried to hide it and pretend otherwise, there was something special between them.
If he was honest with himself, he could admit that Bonnie's friendship was just as important to him as his relationship with Elena. Both women occupied a special space that they carved out just for themselves in his heart. One of the reasons why Damon respected Bonnie so much was because she was the first woman who he truly cared about that didn't have to go through Stefan first in order to find him worthy of love and loyalty. When he forged a friendship with Bonnie, Stefan had been a non-factor, but unfortunately, that was no longer the case. Thinking about his best friend and his brother left a sour taste in the back of Damon's mouth. Bonnie and his younger brother had never been particularly close, but that all changed the day of the Mystic Falls Pageant. Damon had been there to bear witness when Stefan (with his humanity handing dangerously in the balance) had pulled a shocking move by engaging in an impromptu make out session with Bonnie. While Damon was used to Stefan's shenanigans whenever he was in Ripper mode, the way his younger brother fixated on Bonnie had troubled him. Kissing Bonnie was one thing, feeding her his blood and ending up in her bed with her was another. While Damon knew nothing sexual had transpired between them, deep down he was concerned that it was only a matter of time before things escalated to a point where there was no coming back from, and he was determined to prevent that from happening.
"Look who decided to finally rise from the dead."
Damon eyes widened in surprise as he watched Enzo casually stroll into the room with a duffel bag clutched tightly in his right hand.
"What are you doing here?" he asked slowly rising from his seat on the mattress.
"Donovan thought that it would be beneficial for all parties involved if I served as a buffer, so here I am." Pause. "I bought you a care package."
Enzo handed the bag to Damon before walking over to the bed and staring curiously at Elena who was in the twin size bed resting peacefully.
Damon rummaged through the bag and found a pair of black jeans, a black shirt and black socks along with several blood bags and two bottles of "Brother's Bond" Burbon. Lifting the bottle of alcohol, he peered at it closely before throwing Enzo a bewildered look.
"What the hell is this?"
"I know that you are particular about your Burbon, but this was all they had at the package store that I came across a couple of miles out. The guy who sold it to me says it's really good quality."
Damon removed the top and took a deep swig before nodding appreciatively.
"It's no Pappy Van Winkle, but it will do. Thanks," he said taking another swig before plucking the blood bag out of the duffel bag and biting into it hungrily.
Enzo couldn't help but smirked as he watched his friend chow down with an expression of bliss on his face. Even though Damon had a habit of getting on his nerves most of the times, he was glad that he decided to go out of his way to snag Damon's favorite type of blood to feast on.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I could kiss you right now," Damon sighed slurring slightly from being high from the hit of blood he had flowing through his system.
"Save those bird lips of yours for your sleeping beauty," Enzo warned amused.
"Your loss," Damon grinned wiggling his eyebrows mischievously before placing the empty blood bag in the waste bin next to the closet.
"Do you have any updates concerning our favorite witch?" Damon asked as he rummaged through the bag.
Enzo shook his head sadly.
"Unfortunately, no. It's been radio silence. Donovan, Gilbert and I have all taken turns calling Stefan's phone, but it goes directly to voicemail. We can't call Bonnie because she destroyed her phone in a fit of anger before she left," he informed quietly.
Damon was about to respond when he was cut off the sound of lightning striking a tree somewhere close on the property.
"It's really coming down out there," Damon frowned as he walked over to the window and stared out at the torrential downpour taking place.
Enzo joined him at the window with a peculiar look on his face.
"Tell me about it," Enzo murmured folding his arms across his chest, "On my drive here, the weather was beautiful. Nothing but clear skies and sunshine, but the moment I pulled onto the property, the bottom of the sky fell out. All of Mystic Falls and the surrounding areas are warm, dry and sunny except for here."
Both vampire's eyes widened in confusion when they saw several feathers fall from the sky and incinerate as they hit the surface.
"That's something you don't see every day," Enzo said bemused.
Damon suddenly felt a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Bonnie," he whispered thickly.
"You think that this bizarre weather has something to do with Bonnie?" Enzo inquired concerned.
Damon's been around witches long enough to know that their moods often times had an effect on the weather. While Bonnie tended to have more control over her emotions and powers, she was prone to a slip up every now and then. He recalled the last time this happened, and it caused a bitter smile to creep across his face. It was the night Bonnie had gone to a rave after returning from the Prison World, and in a stupid act of thoughtlessness, Damon had basically dragged Kai into Bonnie's orbit even though she had specifically told him that she wanted nothing to do with the creepy Gemini or his sudden apology tour. After Bonnie had stormed off, Damon had followed her to her dorm room to explain why he had done what he did, but Bonnie hadn't been in the mood for excuses. She had unleashed a world of hurt on him and screamed for him to leave. He recalled that it had rained for an entire week after the confrontation.
"If Bonnie is responsible for this freak storm, does that mean she's return to Mystic Falls?" Enzo asked hopefully.
"Maybe, maybe not," Damon responded evasively.
"If she isn't home, then how in the hell can she be manipulating the weather halfway across the world?" he demanded.
Damon tilted his head slightly as he observed Elena closely.
"Bonnie and Elena are deeply connected. If Bonnie is the storm, Elena is serving as a conduit," he explained. "Or at least, that's my theory."
"Does this mean that something has happened to Bonnie?" Enzo asked worried.
"She's fine. As long as Elena doesn't open those big brown eyes of her and climb out of that bed, Bonnie is okay," he promised clapping Enzo gently on the shoulder.
As Damon disappeared into the bathroom to hit the shower, Enzo took one last glance at Elena before exiting the bedroom.
Walking outside the cabin, he narrowed his blue eyes when he found Jeremy sitting on the porch with a dismantled 9mm Berretta laid out on a grey wool blanket in front of him.
"Is Damon still sulking?" Jeremy asked amused.
"The only reason why Damon's not prying that ax out of your hands and lodging it in your skull is because of Elena. You know that, right?" Enzo grunted as he massaged the back of his neck.
"I'm aware," Jeremy responded sounding completely unbothered as he prayed some oil into the pistol and began scrubbing it with a used and battered toothbrush.
Enzo stared down at the younger man who didn't look a damn bit sorry for the part he played in subduing Salvatore. Even though he didn't particularly care for the hunter, Enzo couldn't help but to respect a man who not only got the jump on Damon, but didn't give a fuck about consequences or possible retribution.
The silence between the two men became awkward and Enzo walked over to the rocking chair on the far end of the wrap around porch and lowered himself into the seat. Leaning back, he crossed he stretched his legs in front of him and crossed his ankles as he proceeded to stare out into the rainstorm that showed no signs of letting up. He tried to get his mind to focus on how to keep Damon distracted while Matt and Jeremy handled the business with the mayor and the counsel, but his traitorous brain kept turning its thoughts back to his ex-girlfriend who was in a different time zone. Ever since Bonnie had blown town with Stefan, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He wished he had tried harder to fix things before she had left, but he knew that if he had continued to push, he would have only angered Bonnie, so he had reluctantly dropped the issue. A part of him knew that had been the right thing to do, but the other part of him wasn't so sure. What if Bonnie's heart had hardened during her time away and when she returned, she would refuse to entertain any notion of reconciliation? What if she and Stefan managed to get close and in a moment of weakness, she hooked up with him?
He knew that it was pointless to get himself worked up over something that was out of his control, but he couldn't help himself. Before Bonnie had left on her trip, he had learned that after Bonnie had discovered his affair with Sybil, she had found comfort in Stefan's arms when the two had crashed at Caroline Forbes house. He knew that she didn't sleep with him. Bonnie wasn't the type of girl to try to get over one man by getting under a new one, but an emotional connection with another man was just as dangerous a physical connection. He wouldn't be so worried if he was dealing with the actions of Stefan who was fully in touch with his humanity. It was the fact that Stefan was stuck between being the good guy and being the Ripper that had Enzo's mind going to very dark places.
"Listen, while I have you hear, there is something I need to say to you." Jeremy said suddenly as he stopped what he was doing and faced the brown eyed vampire, "This isn't going to be easy for me, so I would appreciate it if you let me get it all out before you respond."
Enzo eyebrows nearly rocketed off his face in surprise, but he nodded and gave Jeremy his full attention.
"The last time that the two of us were in the same space together, we wanted to kill each other. You were drunk and hurt after everything you had just gone through with Bonnie, and to be honest, I could have done a better job at not escalating the situation." Pause. "I apologize for the way I came at you. When Damon told me that you cheated on Bonnie, my first reaction was to be pissed because a part of me will always care about her, but I had no right to judge you. Especially when I hurt her in the same exact way that you did. I know that you feel bad for what happen. When you love someone like Bonnie, it's hard not to hate yourself for hurting her, but you have two choices. You can walk away and let her go, or you can fight for her and make things right. I didn't fight for her. I didn't try to make things work. Even after everything she had done for me, after she had bought me from the dead, I stuck around, but when she really needed me, when I needed to show up for her when it really mattered, I bailed. That's something I have to live with for the rest of my life, but you don't. You can be better than I was. You can do what I never did and that's fight for her. If you love her, show her that you will do whatever it takes to make it work."
Enzo took a long moment to process what Jeremy had said to him.
"Why are you telling me this?" he asked quietly.
"When Damon decided to climb into a coffin and wait for Elena to wake up, it devastated Bonnie. The few times I came to town to visit, I could see how broken she was and no matter how hard I tried, how hard Matt, Caroline or any of us tried, we couldn't fix it. You came along and you did what we couldn't. You helped her heal and become whole again. Despite everything that happened with the anti-magic pills and the cheating, I know that you love her, and she loves you very much. I never thought that I would say this about any other man, much less a vampire, but you belong with Bonnie, and she belongs with you," Jeremy said genuinely.
"I never thought I would see the day when Jer bear would join the ranks of Team Benzo."
Enzo and Jeremy looked up to see Damon emerge from the cabin, refreshed, clean and somewhat in a decent mood.
The corner of his lips turned upward in a knowing smirk as he watched Jeremy stiffen noticeably.
"Relax Jer bear," he said mockingly. "The urge to bitch smack you into next week has come and gone."
"That's good to hear. I would hate for you to have to put you down for another nap," he replied dryly.
Damon smirked despite feeling the urge to knock the other man's teeth out.
"Enzo tells me that you and Donovan haven't been able to get a hold of Bonnie," he stated flatly with his arms folded across his chest.
Jeremy sighed heavily as he reached up to wipe the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand.
"I know that Bonnie is more than capable of taking care of herself, but I can't help but get a bad feeling that something has happened to her. It's not like her to not communicate when she knows that people are worried about her," he said his lips forming a tight line.
"Bon Bon is fine. She's with Stefan and he's not going to let anything happen to her," Damon said with more confidence than he actually felt.
Jeremy holstered his newly cleaned weapon and stared at Damon with a mixture of curiosity and doubt in his deep brown eyes.
"Do you honestly believe that Bonnie is safe when it comes to your brother?" he asked seriously.
Damon frowned deeply.
"Why wouldn't she be? Out of all of us, Stefan is the only one that has never actually hurt her," Damon said defensively. "Tell me I'm wrong."
A silence fell over the group as each man became lost in their own thoughts. Jeremy knew that he had done his fair share of harm when it came to Bonnie when he had cheated on her with a ghost. Damon regretted being responsible for Bonnie's first brush with violence when he had viciously ripped into her throat after she had destroyed Emily's crystal and Enzo knew he was responsible for causing Bonnie pain when he had not only nearly gotten her killed when he inadvertently put her in the path of Tyler Lockwood and left her vulnerable and powerless. While they all managed to take personal accountable for their sins, they begrudgingly also acknowledge the fact that Stefan had never hurt Bonnie...at least physically.
"Stefan may not have lifted a finger to hurt her physically, but he isn't a saint," Jeremy pointed out, "After all, he did engage in a coin flipping contest to see whether to sacrifice Bonnie or her mom to save Elena's life."
Damon chuckled darkly causing Jeremy eyes to narrow.
"Care to share with the rest of us what it is that you find funny?" he asked stiffly.
"When we flipped the coin that fateful night," he started dramatically, "Stefan actually lost our little coin toss. He was supposed to be the one who forced his blood down Abby's throat and turned her, not me."
"What happened?" Jeremy asked intrigued.
Damon eyes darkened as he thought back to the seconds that led up to him and Stefan leaving the car and going into the witch house.
*Flashback*
The quarter seemed to flip gracefully through the air in slow motion before it landed between Damon's pale, tight knuckles.
"Looks like you can put the hero hair away, brother. Time for you to be the villain and introduce Mama Bennett to the dark side."
"No problem."
The two brothers got out of the car and headed towards the witch's house when they heard the sound of a frantic heartbeat and half sobs. Both vampires recognize the scent belonging to Bonnie Bennett. She was inside of the dark witch's house alone, confused and afraid. The closer they drew to the abandoned house, the clearer they heard the mumbled words coming from her mouth. She was talking out loud to her Grams and she was distraught. She was pleading with the spirits to help her and to protect her and mother. She was afraid that she would lose the one parent that she never truly known. She prayed for mercy and to spared whatever darkness would attempt to come for her and even though Damon didn't have any connections to the spirits, he knew that her prayers were falling on deaf ears.
He could see the hesitation in Stefan's eyes. The self-loathing and pain that he would feel if he was to go through with turning Abby and being the one responsible for the reason why another matriarch of the Bennett family tree was prematurely severed.
"She's hurting."
Stefan's voice had been quiet and full of remorse. It's the first glimpse of the old Stefan Damon had seen in weeks, and it surprised him that it wasn't Elena who manage to appeal the noble and empathetic part of his brother. It was the little witch.
"I'll do it," Damon said after a long moment had passed.
Confusion flashed across the younger Salvatore's face.
"What?"
"I'll do it. I'll walk right in there and force my blood down Abby's throat and turn her into one of us. Easy Peasy," he said as if it was the simplest thing in the world even though they both knew that it wasn't.
"We flipped a coin for a reason. Why the sudden change of heart?" Stefan asked warily.
"Because Bonnie already hates me. She blames me for being the reason for her Grams being dead. Hell, I'm pretty sure she blames me for every bad thing that has ever happened to her up to her point.
"You go and stay with Bonnie. Make sure that she is safe. I'll handle Abby."
Without waiting for Stefan's response, Damon disappeared into the darkness.
*Flashback Ends*
"Let's just say that even when Stefan's humanity is somewhat questionable and hanging in the balance, he still manages to have a soft spot for Bonnie," he said as a bittersweet smile flashed across his face.
It was in that moment that Damon realizes that he truth about Stefan had been in front of him this entire time, but Damon had been too invested and preoccupied with Elena to notice. Damon claimed to be the savior of the Bennett bloodline, but where he had dropped the ball, Stefan had picked it up and taken it into the endzone with a steady stride. When it came to showing up for her when she had needed it the most, Stefan had been constant and steadfast. When Bonnie had plotted with Damon to fake her own death to trick Klaus trapped in Alaric's body, Stefan had been furious and would have broken down the cafeteria door to get to Bonnie if her magic hadn't held him back.
"Shit," Damon whispered thickly.
Enzo spares Damon a curious look as he rises from the rocking chair and makes his way over to the troubled vampire.
"What's wrong?" he asked frowning.
Before Damon could find a way to put his realization into words that wouldn't choke the hell out of him, Jeremy's phone rang.
"Hey, dude. What's up?"
After a moment he pulls the phone away from his face and hits the speaker icon.
"Do you want the good news or the bad news?" Matt's voice came from the other end.
"Dealer's choice."
"The bad news is that Mayor Sharp knows that Damon was keeping his daughter prisoner in the basement at the Boarding House."
Damon ears perked up as he tuned in his hearing to listen in on the other end of the conversation.
"The good news is that he doesn't seem to know that Tiffany is a vampire that gives us a small window of time to give her the cure."
"Is your cover blown?" Damon asked injecting himself into the conversation.
"I don't think so but I'm still going to watch my back just to stay on the safe side."
"My shift is over in an hour. Want to meet me at the Grill and grab some dinner? I'm starved," Matt grumbled.
"Yeah. I could use a bite to eat. See you in an hour," Jeremy said before ending the phone call.
While Jeremy gathered his things and went inside to clean himself off, Damon pulled out his phone and dialed Stefan's number.
He forced himself to not get irritated once he was promptly directed to the voice mail.
"Hey, brother. Just checking in. Just want to make sure you and Bon Bon didn't do something ridiculously stupid like get yourself killed. On the off chance that you are still alive, I want you to hand Bonnie the phone so I can leave her a message." Pause. "Bon, you need to come home. I need you to come home. Listen, I know that this thing with Cade is important, but it's dangerous, and if I'm being perfectly honest this fight isn't your fight. Your soul isn't at risk, so technically you can tell us to kick rocks and ride off happily into the sunset. A sane person would do that, you know?" he chuckled as he gripped the railing on the porch and glared out at the tree line behind the lake. "A sane person would put all this crap behind them and move on, but you are so damn stubborn, and you are so damn selfless and loyal, that it hasn't once crossed your mind to let us handle this on our own." Sighs. "I'm rambling, and I have nothing left to say except, come home. Please. There. I asked nicely."
Click.
Damon hung up the phone and shoved it in his pocket before leaning against the railing feeling heavier than he had in days.
Enzo joined him mirroring his position with a sympathetic look on his handsome face.
"Don't worry, mate," he smiled gently, "Bonnie is the strongest person I know. Our little witch always comes home to the people she loves."
Damon's hardened expression softened as he realized that Enzo's words of reassurance were the same ones Damon had given him days earlier.
As their eyes met, a quiet understanding settled over them like a warm blanket.
They both loved Bonnie in their own way and they both respected one another which meant that there wouldn't be any resentment or fighting between them going forward. They were united to succeed in one goal, and that was doing everything in their power to keep Bonnie safe and protected.
As the two vampires made their way back into the cabin, they didn't notice the sudden change in weather.
The rain had finally stopped.
A loud piercing scream erupted in the upstairs room of an unassuming house located in west suburbia of Mystic Falls. A teenage girl had been in the middle of painting her toenails red while sitting on the phone when her best friend had revealed something that was downright shocking and scandalize.
"Are you serious?" Tiffany Sharp squealed as she blew on her nails trying to get the paint to dry, "There is no fucking way that is true."
"I swear on my baby's sister's life!" her best friend, Kendall, vowed vehemently. "Anthony told me that he saw it with his own eyes. He went to buy a gram of weed from Shawn, and he saw Ms. Kim, our English Lit teacher coming out of one of the trailers with Micheal from the Soccer team. He claims that he didn't see anything shady going on, but I would bet my trust fund that those two are banging it out."
"That's so screwed up. Micheal is like a junior," Tiffany said screwing her face up in disgust. "He's cute, but he is total jailbait."
"I wonder if we will see her on the next season of How to catch a predator," her friend mused aloud causing Tiffany to cackle.
"So, besides Ms. Kim living out her Mrs. Robison fantasy, what else is new?" she asked growing bored with the conversation.
While Kendal continued to spill the tea and rattled on about the scandal involving two lesbian cheerleaders, Tiffany's mind began to contemplate her current situation.
When she had started the school year as a senior, her most pressing concern was making sure she passed the rest of her final classes with flying colors while simultaneously having the time of her life. Homecoming, Prom, Senior Prank week, graduation had all been things she had been looking forward to as well as applying for colleges far away from Virginia. All of her hopes and dreams for the future had come crashing to a screeching halt the moment she had crossed path with a psychopath who called himself Kai Parker. He had compelled her and in return, she had been assaulted, blood forced down her throat, killed and bought back to life as a vampire all in the same day. Gone were her plans of spending the weekends hanging out with her friends and planning parties in the woods. Gone were the days where her period was the only blood that she had to worry about ruining her week.
Speaking of blood, the brooding teenager felt her gums itch and she reached over to the dresser where a Blue Yeti Tumbler was sitting half full of pig's blood.
"Hey, are you okay?" Kendall asked bringing Tiffany back to the present.
"Yeah. Sorry about the space cadet moment. I just have a lot on my mind," she apologized quietly.
"Why don't you come over later tonight and we can hang out and really catch up?" she suggested.
"I thought your parents didn't like for you to have company."
"Well fortunately for you, my parents are out of town visiting Memaw and I will have the whole place to myself," she suggested.
"I'm surprise that you aren't using this free time to slut it up with that dweeb boyfriend of yours," she teased.
She laughed deeply.
"You're just mad that he is the reason why I am getting an A in Chemistry," she drawled.
"I don't have to give out blow jobs to the untouchables in order to secure a 4.0. I'm just naturally smart," she grinned.
"Bitch."
"Whore."
A moment of silence passed before both girls burst out laughing.
"God, I miss you. Oh, when you do come by, don't forget to grab a bottle of Tequilla. All my dad has is Scotch and I rather drink paint thinner before touching that stuff."
"I gotcha babe. See you soon."
After hanging up, Tiffany tossed the phone on the bed before heading into her closet to find something to wear. While Kendall suggested an innocent sleepover, Tiff knew her friend well enough to know that her bestie would invite her boyfriend and a friend of his over to hangout, drink and get high, and if she was going to get felt up by someone who was a five on the attractive scale, the least she could do was look sexy while doing. After scouring the back of her closet and questioning some of her fashion choices, she decided on a pair of jeans that made her ass look fabulous and a black low v neck shirt with a skull made of rhyme stones on the chest.
"Tiff?"
The brunette frowned and walked out of the closet and opened the door to the bedroom to find her mom standing on the other side.
Tiffany had taken refuge in her home hoping and praying that her little secret of being a night walker wouldn't be discovered. Unfortunately, she had a little slip up and now her mother knew the truth about who and what she really was. While her mom had surprised her by not completely freaking out and screaming bloody murder when she learned that her one and only child was a vampire, she was acting strangely. Usually, her mother would spend her days doing yoga, shopping and taking advantage of happy hour at whatever bar would tickle her fantasy, but today her mom had decided to stay home. Ever since Tiffany had woken up, her mom only emerged from her bedroom to bring her bowls of cereals for breakfast, a turkey sandwich for lunch and small cups of pig's blood that she somehow manages to get from a meat market from the next town over. While drinking the blood of swine wasn't exactly appetizing, it was way better than the painful stabs of hunger she had spent the previous night battling
"Hey," she said softly.
"Hey honey. I'm heading to City Hall to take your daddy dinner. Did you need me to pick up anything while I'm out?" She asked softly.
"No, I'm good," Tiffany said a little too enthusiastically.
"If you need anything while I'm gone, there is a Hydro flask of pig blood behind the box of frozen waffles," she informed.
"Great. You can leave now," Tiffany said a little sharper than she intended.
Her mom flinched visibly as she took a step back.
"I'm sorry if I'm being too pushy. I just wanted to make sure you are okay," she tried to explain with a slight tremor in her voice.
"I'm sorry, mom. I didn't mean to snap. I am just tired," she lied quickly.
Her mom sighed with relief.
"It's okay. I thought it was something else."
"What else would it be?" she asked her brow furrowing in confusion.
"Never mind, dear. We can talk about it later," she murmured turning to leave.
Tiffany reached out and grabbed her mom's hand gently holding her in place.
"Or we can talk about it now," she urged gently.
She stared at her daughter with guilt and sadness reflecting in her eyes.
"I was afraid that you are angry with me because of what happened to you," she started.
"What happened to me wasn't your fault.'
Aubrey stared at her teenage daughter sadly.
"I am your mother. I was supposed to keep you safe and protect you from predators. If I wasn't so busy with other things, maybe I could have done a better job of making sure you weren't in danger." Her voice was raw and strained from the guilt she felt about her daughter's unexpected transition into something dark and unnatural.
"Listen to me. You may not have been around to prevent me being turned into a vampire, but you raised me to strong and to roll with the punches. I am going to survive this because of you. You have been so supportive and that means so much to me," she said sincerely.
"Oh baby." Aubrey half sobbed pulling Tiffany into her arms and hugging her tightly.
Even though she wasn't too big on displays of affection, she wrapped her arms around her mom and hugged her back.
"I should get going. Your father gets cranky if he doesn't get his dinner on time," she reminded her with a watery smile as she pulled away.
"Tell dad I said hi," she said smiling softly.
"Will do. Later baby."
As the two parted ways, neither mother nor daughter knew that this would be the last time they would see the other alive ever again.
Stefan observed Kol holding Bonnie's cold and broken body inside of his arms, one thing was painfully clear.
The Bennett witch was dying.
When confronted with the death of someone that they cared about, most people would do what's universally accepted and grieve. At first, they would deny that the unthinkable had happen and that the person that has passed on would wake up at any given moment. When that didn't work, they would result to bargaining. Offering to give up every vice they had if only God intervened on their behalf and restored life into the person that was no longer residing in the land of the living. After God's silence revealed that He wouldn't be pulling another Lazarus miracle anytime soon, the person would become angry and lash out at anything or anyone who was unlucky and unfortunate to be in their path. After the anger came the deep depression and finally acceptance. All that would be the normal way to process a friend's death, but Bonnie was more than just a friend and Stefan Salvatore was not normal.
Bonnie dying really shouldn't have come as surprise to Stefan given the fact that it wasn't her first spin around this particular block. She had flirted with death several times over the course of her young life. She had faked her death when Klaus had possessed Alaric's body in attempt to destroy them all, and she had actually died when she had used Expression to bring Jeremy Gilbert back from the dead. Her third death had come about when the Other Side had collapsed, and she found herself trapped in the Prison World. There was no way that she managed to survive the very worst things that life had thrown at her, only for her to die like this.
"Here. Take her," Kol ordered, his voice low and rough as he placed Bonnie's body inside of Stefan's arms.
Stefan was startled but recovered quickly as he held the petite young woman securely to his chest. His grayish green eyes locked onto Bonnie's face that was unusually pale for someone of her complexion.
"What are you doing?" Stefan asked confused.
"That bitch hurt Bonnie. It's only right that I return the favor," he spat his whiskey brown eyes filled with murder.
As Kol prepared to take on Celeste, Stefan carried Bonnie over to a large palm tree before settling down in the shade.
As he held her tightly, his mind was flooded with memories of past events that he had experienced with her. He thought about the first moment they had a physical connection. It was when he had approached Bonnie at The Grill, and she had eagerly offered up Elena's phone number so that he could make a connection with her doppelganger best friends. As she handed him the slip of paper with the number on it, their fingers had touched briefly and, in that moment, they had become highly aware of one of another. He had felt the light inside of her and she had seen the darkness inside of him. Not too long after that, Damon had lost control of his emotions and in a fit of rage and vengeance, he had attempted to rip Bonnie's throat out. Fortunately, Stefan had been present and immediately rushed to her side where he had fed her his blood to save her life. He found her trapped beneath Fell's church and saved her, she was kidnapped by Ben the vampire and he saved her, he was there when she experienced growing pains with her magic when she accidently lit a car on fire during a car wash for a fundraising event, she was almost murdered by a coven who were attempting to stop the completion of the Expression Triangle, he comforted her when she was distraught by the spirits tormenting her Grams. The last intimate interaction they had was when Stefan had died and had to pass through Bonnie who was the Anchor to the Other Side. Passing through her, he felt her pain and it had made him feel so helpless. He recalled how his heart had twisted in his chest when Silas, wearing Elena's face, had alluded to the fact that he was able to exist because Bonnie had died. Now here he was, and after everything that they had gone through together, he still couldn't manage to save her.
Burying her face in her hair he whispered, "I'm sorry I failed you."
"Turn around and face me, you decrepit bitch!"
Kol's booming voice caused Stefan's head to jerk upwards and his eyes widened as he saw the two powerful witches preparing to engage in combat.
"You should take your friend home and bury her with all of the pomp and circumstances that she deserves," she suggested softly. "That will be my one and only act of mercy and kindness."
"You are delusional if you think that you are capable of possessing such qualities. Was it mercy that led you to the act of butchery? Was it kindness that you left her discarded like roadkill?" he snarled.
Celeste's face darkened with fury.
"It gave me no pleasure to do what I have done, but the prophesy must be fulfill. A powerful witch shall wield the weapon to destroy the devil, and that witch is me," she declared proudly. "Step aside. You are standing in the way of my destiny."
"In order to get to your so-called destiny, you are going to have to go through me," he warned rolling his shoulders before turning to square off with the woman who had fatally injured the Bennett witch.
"My pleasure," she hissed before muttering a hex and throwing it his way.
Kol easily dodged out of the way and deflected with a simple flicker of his wrist.
"You are going to have to do a lot better than that," he taunted viciously.
Celeste responded by using a burst of energy tossing Kol's body between palm trees like a ping pong ball.
He winced inwardly when Celste stretched her hand towards the sky before abruptly dropping it to her side causing Kol to slam face first into the sand.
Kol was bleeding from every orifice of his body but still manage to have a shit eating grin on his face. Stefan had seen a lot of things in his life span, but Kol in that moment was absolutely terrifying.
Kol was preparing to go on attack when Celeste stomped her foot angrily causing the whole island to tremble violently.
"Enough," she shouted in a distorted voice.
What followed next was something Stefan could only describe as nightmare fuel. Celeste sent a blast of energy at Kol and froze him in the spot where he was crouching. His mouth open to scream but no sound came out as he slowly melted into a pile of goo, bones and hair. It took everything inside of Stefan not to drop Bonnie and empty the contents of his stomach. When the intense wave of nausea passed, he lifted his head slowly and found Celeste starring at him intently. He didn't know what her intentions were, but the look on her face showed that it wouldn't be good for him or Bonnie.
"She's suffering," Celeste said quietly as she moved closer to stare at the unconscious woman in his arms.
No shit, Stefan thought to himself as he glared at her trying not to show any traces of fear.
"I can put her out of her misery if you like," she offered with sincerity in her voice.
Stefan's arms tightened around Bonnie as he rose to his feet and glared at his adversary.
"You touch her, and I will finish what Kol started," he promised coldly.
Celeste tilted her head slightly as she studied him quietly.
"Does she know? Did you ever tell her the truth?" she asked with a sad and curious smile on her face, "It's sad that you will die never being free of such a beautiful secret."
Her words were filled with the promise of murder.
This was it. This was how Stefan's life was going to end. As he felt the cold touch of fear creep up his spine, in the back of his mind, he heard a little treacherous voice sigh with relief. A part of him was somber about his pending fate, but another part of him wasn't surprised. Ever since his first Ripper binge, there had been a small part of him that look forward to the day where he would be put out of his misery. Carrying around the burden of knowing how he had brutally murdered and ripped apart innocent people to get his fix of blood haunted him for years. During the day when he was around his brother, friends and the whatever woman his heart was yearning for at the time, he was warm, kind, brooding but engaging. At night when he was alone, he was haunted by his past sins, tormented by the faces of his victims and trapped in nightmares that always managed to leave him in cold sweats and tears of misery. As he waited to take his final breath, Stefan came to terms with what was about to happen. He deserved to die. He was okay with that. His only regret was that he hadn't been strong enough to protect Bonnie and ensure her survival. Maybe this was what their fates were meant to be. His only hope was that wherever Bonnie ended up at, she would find peace that alluded her here on earth.
Gritting his teeth, Stefan braced himself for the final blow that would deliver his death, but the moment never came.
"Stefan."
At first the brooding vampire thought he was hearing things, but when he looked down at the young woman in his arms, he felt his throat tighten.
Bonnie's eyes that had been previously closed were now open. Her usual moss green eyes were now the color of freshly cut emeralds and there were gold and amber flecks in her irises.
Without warning, Bonnie's body jerked out of his arms and began to levitate into the air. Feeling shocked and sheer disbelief, he watched wide eyed as a flock of birds came down from the sky and covered every single inch of Bonnie's body. Seconds later, there was a burst of light and feathers exploded everywhere. The magic is so strong and pure that Celeste and Stefan were temporary blinded by the light. The rain that had been coming down relentlessly had slowly eased up into a light trickle, and the wind that had been threatening to tear the island a part had downgrade into a soft and harmless breeze. The change between the weather going from chaotic and tranquility was jarring, but not as jarring as Bonnie's appearance.
When his vision finally returned to normal, what he saw left him completely breathless. She was slowly descending back towards the ground, and she was naked as the day she was born. As his gaze took in her current form and took in every mountain and valley on her curvaceous body, he felt the crotch area of his pants become uncomfortably tight. Her breast was round and supple, her belly flat and taunt, and her legs were long and shapely, and her hips were curvy. Her hair was wet and hung in natural curls around her face and shoulders. Even though Stefan was in a world of pain, he could appreciate that Bonnie was definitely a sight to behold. To say that she was beautiful would be the understatement of the year. She was something more. She was the very definition of ethereal.
Bonnie drops from the air and lands on one knee in a kneeling position like an avenging angel ready to fuck some shit up. When she lifts her head, her eyes are glowing a bright green eye, her brown skin shone like it had been kissed by the gods, and the power radiating from her is intense. She rises to her full height and Stefan feels like he is standing in the presence of someone who possessed a higher power than the ordinary witch or immortal.
"Are you alright?" he asked his voice rough with concern.
He reached out to touch her cheek and gasped when he felt changes take place inside of him after making physical contact. His body buzzed with an endlessly amount of energy and the blood thirst that had been threatening to overwhelm him now felt like a very minor inconvenience nagging him in the back of his head.
"What happened to you?" he whispered thickly as he quickly removed his fingers from the side of her face.
"I was reborn."
He watched as Bonnie moved away from him and walked over to the pile of bones that once been a snarky Original.
He watched as she extended both of her hands and murmured quietly in Latin. Moments later, Kol was reanimated minus his clothing. The Original vampire looked around confused before his eyes settled on Bonnie with a look on his face that Stefan could only describe as rapturous. Kol let out a laugh of disbelief before he gathered Bonnie into his arms and hugged her happily. While Bonnie didn't seem to mind the display of affection, Stefan was a bit annoyed. Kol and Bonnie were both naked and watching their bodies pressed together in a tight, albeit innocent hug, left a sour taste in his mouth. Deep down he knew his feeling of jealousy was unwarranted, but he still had the urge to rip Bonnie away from the eager vampire and force them to maintain a polite distance with one another.
While Kol and Stefan are more than relieved and happy that Bonnie is alive and breathing, Celeste doesn't exactly share their collective joy.
"You are supposed to be dead. How is this possible?" she cried in anguish.
"I am not as easy to kill as most people believe," Bonnie said with a small smile. "I believe that you have something that belongs to me."
Before Celeste could react, the dagger flew out of the clutches of the dead witch and flew towards Bonnie like Thor summoning Mjolnir.
Celeste face twisted into an ugly fury, and she was preparing to lunge at Bonnie when suddenly she froze in midair.
Stefan's head snapped towards Bonnie to find her standing with her arm stretched out towards Celeste and a ferocious look on her face.
"This ends now." Bonnie said tersely, "Incendia."
Stefan and Kol watched with wide eyes and Celste body immediately went up into flames. The air was filled with smoking, screaming and the smell of burning flesh.
After several long seconds, the screaming ended all that was left of Celeste was a pile of ashes that slowly scattered across the sand.
"Well, that was anti climatic," Kol stated dryly.
Bonnie stared at him amused.
"Were you expecting me to give her an honorable death?" she asked with a teasing smile on her lips.
"Given the fact that she sliced you up like a Thanksgiving Turkey, I figured you would return the favor," he huffed sounding more than a little disappointment.
"Making her suffering equal to mine would be petty. In taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy. In passing it over, he is superior," Bonnie replied sagely.
Kol nodded impressed.
"Wise words, little witch," he conceded as he stared at her with a hungry look on his face.
At first, Bonnie was confused by his expression, but when Stefan cleared his throat loudly purposely adverting his eyes, she realized that she was naked.
Feeling her cheeks burn hot, she uttered a quick glamor spell, and she was instantly wearing a knee length cotton white dress with tiny daises stitched across the fabric.
"Now that we got what we came here for, it's time to move on to the next phase," Bonnie informed, her face tight with determination.
"Which would be?" Kol asked curiously.
"We go home, and I prepare for war."
AN: So, in case there was any confusion, the reason why the rain and the feathers manifested on the Gilbert property was because of Bonnie's connection to Elena. Review and let me know what you guys think :)