Bonnie Bennett is in trouble.

Not 'run for your life - there are five million supernaturals after you' trouble, although she certainly was a magnet to death-resulting predicaments. Not that. She's in unquestionable 'boy trouble' as her Grams would say it with a pointed look.

On cue, his phone vibrated and he saw Damon's contact name.

It had frustrated and amused Matt at the same time, how Bonnie seemed to be oblivious of the men she attracted. She seemed to think that she blended in the crowd and was easily overlooked as long as she's in between Elena and Caroline. Matt blamed it to being an only child to a mother who failed to pacify her young daughter that she was enough for her to stay or at the least keep in touch, and to a father who threw himself to his work to cover the pain instead of having a meaningful relationship with his only child.

Regardless, Bonnie couldn't be more wrong.

First of all, Mystic Falls High School has a predominantly white population. Try as she might to be a wallflower, it was a futile attempt, like missing the lone painting on a white wall. Second, she was gorgeous. She was beautiful in a way that it lingered, making you look a second or a third time. Some even had a hard time looking away. Third, she was the most down to earth girl Matt knew and the easiest person to talk to, which in turn made her so likeable. Some guys he knew who didn't initially turn their heads at first glance, ended up chasing after her within a couple of minutes of conversation.

One of those guys was Jeremy. He was the annoying younger brother that the girls picked on while growing up. Then he grew up and Bonnie was around the Gilberts home all the time so they had frequent back and forth talks. It wasn't much of a surprise that Jeremy fell head over heels. Despite being a year younger, he was straight-forward, cringe-worthy sweet, and most of all, relentless. Even after the daggered looks he got from half of the football team, who Matt knew all too well, had a thing for Bonnie. Even after Matt and Tyler cornered him at The Grille like Bonnie's adopted brothers asking him directly what his deal was.

What was surprising to their circle of friends (and the indignant shock of the football team), was Bonnie gave in. They became official. Apparently, tenacity worked for Bonnie.

His phone buzzed once again and he continued to ignore it. "Get in line, bud." he muttered at Damon's name. He got up when he heard the doorbell, leaving the phone vibrating precariously at the edge of his countertop like an ignored strip dancer debuting her novice skills on the pole.

He should've answered the phone before he opened the door. It revealed a very worried Caroline, a frowning Stefan, and front and center was a livid Damon.

If persistence was the key to Bonnie Bennett, she was in deep trouble.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They were at The Grille for about twenty minues now, trying to force out information from Matt. Not that he had a lot to tell. Matt suspected that Caroline was making noise more because Bonnie hadn't trusted her 'sister' enough about what she planned to do. Stefan's worry seemed to have only heightened because Caroline and Damon were taking turns describing the situation as worse than Matt thought it was. Damon was...

Matt was going to have a long talk with Bonnie once this was over. He had never seen the older Salvatore look this angry that he had himself reaching for the vervain at his back pocket every time Damon would start to bite his head off.

"I swear Donovan, if I see a scratch on her-"

"Yes, Damon. Like you've said ten different times, you'll kill me." Matt cut him off, already tired of Damon's several graphic depictions of his death.

"And I'll say it ten more times until you give me something I can work with to find Bonnie." Damon's voice was deadly.

Matt passed a hand over his face, trying not to give in to everone's frustration. "Look, I'm sorry. Bonnie didn't really say much when she left. Just that she had a lead on unlinking her bond with Elena."

Everyone visibly tensed at that. Caroline looked like she was have a panic attack and Matt felt the dread creep slowly up his spine.

"And I still don't understand how you thought that wasn't reason enough to stop her!" The chair made a sharp screech when Damon got up to leave. If he stayed any longer, he might not be able to keep himself from hurting Bonnie's so-called close friend. It would be so easy. Not even a second and his head would be in an awkward angle.

Matt carefully watched him stomp away. He understood the anger, but there was something else wrapped in that fury that was driving the panic that Damon was barely containing. He narrowed his eyes, trying to fit the puzzle that started when Bonnie came to him.

"What happened?" he called out to Damon before he could go any farther. Stefan and Caroline simultaneously turned their attention from the retreating vampire to their remaining human friend. Matt saw Damon hesitate and it was enough confirmation that something did happen. For twenty minutes, he endured the sheer disappointment he felt from these people and Damon all but shoving in his face that he was again the dumb human, so he had no qualms lashing back and bluntly pointing out what he now knows was most likely Damon's fault.

"Why was it suddenly important for Bonnie to do this?" he inquired accusingly.

Matt saw Damon's hands ball to a fist and then they all watched him continue past The Grille's swinging doors.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Stefan was already bracing himself in the dreaded task of trying to find his brother, who was desperately trying to find Bonnie, so he was momentarily out of sorts when he just found him leaning against his beloved Camaro just at The Grille's parking lot. Damon's frame was rigid, his arms and legs crossed while his eyes bore down the asphalt in front of him. Stefan slowly walked over towards his brother, trying to figure out how best to talk to him. With Bonnie's life possibly in danger, Damon was predictably acting like the asshole that he is. When he reached him, he settled to mimicking his posture at his right.

"Are you okay?" was not exactly either one of them expected him to ask after Matt's outburst. Damon didn't answer immediately and all Stefan can do is wait. This is Damon, he may or may not give an overly sarcastic answer.

Damon pushed away from the car and ran a restless hand over his hair in frustration. "I just need to find Bonnie."

Not 'we.' 'I.' Like this was his problem alone. It's safe for Stefan to assume that there was some merit to what Matt said earlier and Damon was taking Bonnie's disappearance personally. He wondered if Bonnie was running from his brother.

Then he watched as Damon swiftly changed from being uncharacteristically fidgety to stone still, his head cocked a little. Stefan followed his lead and listened.

'Bonnie?'

'No, I'm sorry. I'm Ruby Wood and Bonnie Bennett said to call you if something happened?'

Stefan felt the hair at the back of his neck raise. When he looked at his brother, he was already gone. He followed suit and went back inside The Grille.

Stefan found Matt standing up with his hand gripped tight against his ear. Damon was practically on top of him.

"Is she alright?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Danvers, Massachusetts

Ruby exhaled. "She seems to be alright now, but she's unconscious."

"I'm sorry, but what do you mean by 'now'? What happened?" Ruby could tell that the man on the other line was trying not to panic. Someone cursed loudly in the background. There was some static and shuffling, then a different voice boomed from the earpiece.

"What the fuck happened to her?" Ruby almost dropped her phone from the sheer volume of another man's voice.

"Excuse me? Who the hell are you?" She shouted back, not appreciating the implied accusation.

"Someone who wants to know why Bonnie is barely breathing, thanks to you." And despite Ruby's exhaustion, blood rushed back so fast and so hot that one might be able to see smoke come out of her ears.

"Listen asshole. I'm your only link to Bonnie who came for my help. So if you'll excuse me but Bonnie had specific instructions to call a 'Matt Donovan,' so unless you're named 'Matt,' I'm not saying anything else about this Bennett witch."

There was some background noise which Ruby was sure was due to some arguing and wrestling for the phone.

"I'm sorry about that, Ruby. We're very worried about Bonnie." Said the initial voice that answered the phone. Matt. "Where can we find you?" he asked.

"Danvers, Massachussetts." Facts. If she stuck to facts, she may be able to get past this hurdle. The pounding in her head had subsided a little but still lingered while she tried to figure out how to get Bonnie home and debated if allowing this 'Matt' to her home would be a good idea. She didn't doubt that he'll be bringing his cavalry. She rattled off her address.

"Thank you. I don't know who you are, but Bonnie seemed to have trusted you if you're calling me. Please, please take care of her until we get there."

Her headache didn't keep her from hearing the sincerity in Matt's plea and she was relieved that the Bennett witch wasn't trekking this supernatural life alone. "I'll try." she answered.

"Thank you." Matt reiterated and the line went off.

Ruby heaved a heavy sigh and closed her eyes. It would take a bit more of her strength to bring Bonnie home. Well, it would still take Bonnie's 'Matt' some time to get there. Right now, she wanted to sink into her bed and rest. She looked at the girl beside her and for some reason, she could imagine her mother's nagging voice, telling her to take care of family. Take care of Bonnie.

She closed her eyes and sifted through her small catalogue of spells in her head.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

2 days later

Mystic Falls, Virginia

Damon glared at the swirling bourbon he was holding in a glass that was one small pressure away from cracking. It was half empty and he had yet to take a sip. Despite being his go-to drink, the gallon he consumed for the past couple of days did nothing to tamp down the dread that was taking its slow, deliberate invasion that started at the pit of his stomach, stretching upward, reaching for his dead lungs. It felt like he had a working, cancer-infected one and it was getting just a little bit harder to breathe every passing minute.

He swallowed spit like it was bourbon and moved to the kitchen. He placed the glass on the island table and braced his hands at the edge. He stepped back to stretch and tried to rein in the beast that wanted to wreak havoc, drain the town dry, and corrupt the female population of Mystic Falls. He felt like a toy being slowly wound up, squeezing his head and chest by increments, waiting for the spring to snap.

2 days earlier

Danvers, Massachusetts

There had been nothing but hurdles from the time they left for Danvers to finally getting Bonnie settled at the Boarding house. There was the fact that Ruby Wood said 'hell no' to any vampire entering her home. Since three out of four of the cavalry to get Bonnie had fangs, this obviously didn't go over well. All three had raised their objections at the same time, even Stefan, who was usually the more diplomatic one compared to his unpredictable brother and easily frazzled Caroline. Damon, who always had to be the loudest and most arrogant, was the one who thought it best to flex his vampire muscle to 'encourage' Ruby. In turn, it took a couple of minutes for Caroline and Stefan to put out the flames on Damon's leather jacket and even longer for the burns to heal.

Eventually, Matt had been allowed in and the three undead were left waiting anxiously, trying not to think of the worst state Bonnie could possibly be in. It didn't help when they had heard Matt's gasp, 'Bonnie!' And just as suddenly, Damon had rushed to the invisible barrier and punched it like a lunatic, demanding that Matt bring Bonnie out. In all fairness, Caroline would've done the same thing if Damon hadn't beaten her to it. All she could do then was jockey for a better position at the door's threshold.

Inside Ruby Wood's guest bedroom, Matt had been having a difficult time not to be affected by the dried blood that was all over Bonnie's clothes and just get to Bonnie. Seeing her unconscious, the guilt hit him immediately and all Matt had thought was to just bring her home so that she can be taken care of. He had carefully picked her up, arranging her in his arms so that she's comfortable. With her head resting at the crook or his neck, it had surprised him that there was a bit of warmth coming from her head, confirming she was still among the living. Out of reflex, he had kissed Bonnie's forehead, savoring the small relief that maybe it's not yet too late. When he had opened his eyes, Ruby was giving him a relieved smile of her own.

"I'm glad to know that she, at the least, has you." she had said. Matt wasn't sure how to respond to that and had just stared back until he heard Damon's voice, shouting "Donovan" for the third time. He had been startled, quickly regretting jostling Bonnie, nodded at Ruby's disapproving look at the yelling, and left the room.

All the vampires waiting outside zeroed in at the sight of the witch and had immediately smelled the blood. Lots of dried blood. "Oh my god! Bonnie!" Caroline had cried out, her eyes instantly watering.

As shocked as Stefan was at seeing Bonnie's state, he had immediately stood at Damon's other side, more concerned of how his brother would take this.

Matt had stopped at the threshold, just within the barrier. At any other time, he might have enjoyed the fact that Damon wouldn't be able to get his hands on Bonnie regardless if he meant well or not. But Bonnie felt like dead weight and the little warmth that pacified him earlier was easily dissipating.

"Give her here, Donovan." Damon said in an eerily calm voice which made all the other three tense up even further. Damon could feel Ruby Wood's magic prickling his skin, ready to attack if he did anything to Bonnie. He could care less as his eyes never left the witch's body, his fist still up against the barrier.

It wasn't probably the best time to have a dick-measuring contest at the moment, but Matt had no intention of letting Bonnie go. Feeling her breathing and semi-warm is the only thing that was keeping him from losing it.

"Damon, would you mind getting the rental?" Matt had asked just as calmly.

"What?" Damon growled. Matt just stared back.

"Really guys? We don't have time for this right now!" Caroline exclaimed. She forced her way in front of Damon. "Damon, can you just go get the car so that we can get Bonnie home as soon as possible?" Damon had been on the verge of showing his fangs but Stefan jostled him to move. "Come on, Damon. We're wasting time."

Caroline had turned back around as soon as the Salvatore brothers left the porch to narrow her eyes at Matt. Matt had given her the same determined look, not giving an inch. Caroline's shoulders dropped. She couldn't really blame him. Matt has been Bonnie's oldest friend and has always been protective of her. She could also tell that he was beyond scared, enough not to care about Damon's psychopathic tendencies. This only heightened her worry.

While Caroline had let the first pissing contest at Ruby Wood's door pass, she had wanted to wring both Damon's and Matt's necks in the succeeding arm-wrestling moments that she was sure Bonnie would've raged about if she only knew. Damon and Matt elbowed their way in every significant move on the way home. There had been an embarrassing argument on who's going to sit with Bonnie in the rental which Caroline was able to solve by insisting she'd ride with Bonnie and Stefan at the back which had left the dark-haired bloodsucker driving and the blond cop riding shotgun. Suffice it to say, it was a silent ride to the airport.

When they had reached the airport, compelling had been complicated as apart from procuring their tickets, they had to convince practically everyone within twenty yards radius distance that Bonnie was 'just sick.' It was quite a tedious process, that took all three vampires to impose their will from the parking lot, to check in, to the gate, then finally boarding the plane. When Caroline, Stefan, and Matt settled to their business class seats, they had watched in confusion when the flight attendant led Damon, who was carrying Bonnie this time, past them to first class. Stefan had pinched his nose, Caroline had raised her eyes heavenward accompanied by an exasperated 'Oh my God,' while Matt had clenched both his fists and teeth. Caroline shot him a look to not make a scene. Thankfully, Matt just looked away albeit suppressing the urge to punch the seat in front of him.

And when they had finally reached Virginia, Caroline was just ready to snap the necks of the older Salvatore and her ex-boyfriend when another argument ensued on where to take Bonnie home. Matt had argued that she should stay at her grams' house while Damon of course felt that there's no other place better than the boarding house. Unfortunately for Damon, they left the Camaro in overnight parking at the airport so Matt took that opportunity to take Bonnie from Damon and had settled himself and the witch in the backseat. Caroline and Stefan just shared an exasperated look and got inside the car to avoid an earful from Damon. It was a moot point since the squabble that ensued on the way home could rival the most infuriating clashes in middle school.

"She needs to be where she's comfortable." Matt had pointed out from the backseat.

"Which would be the boarding house since she's been living there the past month." Damon had countered, rolling his eyes. Duh.

"So comfortable that she decided to move to her grams' house?" Matt had shot back.

"She needs to be where she can be well taken care of." Damon had replied, ignoring Matt's question.

"And she will be." Because he'll be there. The implication didn't need to be said.

"So what, you'll leave the residents of Mystic Falls to fend for themselves? You must have a very understanding boss." Damon had sneered like Matt being a cop was a total joke.

"I can -"

"Enough! Really? This is not helping anyone, least of all, Bonnie!" Caroline interjected, her ears ringing from all the arguing. She turned to Matt. "Admitting this is like eating horseshit, but I have to say that I agree on Damon on this one. We can all get to tend to her at the boarding house, including you."

Both Matt and Damon was about to give a piece of their mind on what she said but Caroline put her foot down. "No! I've had enough of your bullshit." She could see Damon ready to bulldoze her words with a few of his own but Caroline was not having any of it.

"Shut up, Damon. Or would you like us to pry and pick on the interesting fact that Matt brought up that you may be the reason Bonnie went to Danvers in the first place?" Damon had stiffened at that, knuckles stretched tense around the wheel. Matt had snorted then, absolutely enjoying the sight of Damon trying not to shrink in the driver's seat. This had caused Caroline to swing her pissed off gaze to him.

"Oh you're no better! For someone who always looked out for Bonnie, you still let her leave. As far as I'm concerned, both of you are the reason Bonnie's life is hanging by a thread. Again!" The last word was loud and shrill inside the car and the other three occupants had to wince at the volume. No one said a word after that. The way she delivered that last word, echoed everyone's sentiments, the 'how can we be in this predicament again?'

After a few minutes, Caroline's phone vibrated. It was a text message from Stefan.

She looked up to see if he was looking at her but he was staring straight ahead.

'Are you alright now?'

'I'm calm now, if that's what you're really asking.'

It took another couple of minutes before she got a reply.

'Not the most appropriate thing to tell you but' Caroline frowned at the broken message.

'That was hot.'

Caroline had just pursed her lips and tried to keep the smile that was trying to break out. She looked at her right and watched Matt cradle Bonnie's slumped body as gently as he could. And just like that, the small pleasure of receiving a compliment had been snuffed out.

'Oh Bonnie. What were you thinking?' This question has been on loop in her head since she found out what happened.

2 days later

Mystic Falls, Virginia

Most people thought that Stefan was the 'good' brother. Responsible, compassionate, and earnest. For a former Ripper, he strived to do what he thought was right and would accept the repercussions if those decisions stabbed him at the back. He was the one who listened, the advice you considered before you made an important decision. Traits that rarely applied when it came to dealing with his brother. Meaningful communication with his brother had always been spotty as they were few and far between. Yes, it has been a vast improvement compared to the time Damon followed him back to Mystic Falls. Now, there is at least an understanding that no matter what, they were family and will forever be. But the long stretch of resentment on both sides over the years had made deep, brotherly discussions between them somewhat difficult and almost always painfully awkward.

He watched Damon cross the hall from the kitchen to the bar, still holding the bourbon he knew he hasn't touched for the last hour. His brother was wound up so tight that Stefan felt like grabbing his own shirt's collar to loosen it. He can at least admit that he admired Damon's restraint despite recent events. Everybody was on edge. Not only because of Bonnie's state, but they were expecting him to go postal any moment. So far, he hasn't. He would like to think it's not so much as it's because the one in danger isn't Elena, but more so because of Bonnie's huge impact on him. If in any case Damon would paint the town red with innocent blood, Bonnie would be livid. And if there's anything he learned from their relationship, Damon would do anything not to disappoint her.

"Are you just going to watch me, or are you going to join me?" Stefan was suddenly pulled from his thoughts. He eyed Damon and wished he knew how to make it easy for him.

"I'll have the same drink." he answered, settling with just answering Damon's question.

Stefan sat down stiffly, mildly distracted by Caroline and Matt having a high school reunion at Bonnie's room where they settled the unconscious witch. Damon gritted his teeth, more than distracted as he listened to Caroline trying to appease her ex-boyfriend who hasn't left Bonnie's side.

"You've got to stop that." Stefan said as he observed his brother.

"Got to be clear, Stefan." Damon replied absentmindedly, still listening in on the exes.

"Thinking like they don't have the right to worry."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Damon handed Stefan his glass of bourbon but looked like he wanted to chuck it to his head instead.

"You know that you don't have exclusive rights to Bonnie, right? We were all her friends first."

Stefan could practically hear Damon's molars shaving an inch off his fangs. He sighed after taking a sip from his glass before his brother decides to swipe it off his hand and empty the fine alcohol on his head. He's acutely reminded how he's most likely going about this wrong. It took him a couple of seconds before he thought, fuck it, and just go ahead and possibly fumble this further.

"But that's not why you're one annoying gesture away from going on a rampage, is it?"

For the first time since Damon poured his drink, he took a long sip.

"Is this anger, worry..." Stefan paused. "Or guilt?"

Damon stood up suddenly, the rustle of shifting clothes was annoyingly loud in the empty room. The movement was the only indication that Stefan was getting close to the truth. All he could think of is that goddamn mutt was smarter than he thought for piecing things together and his brother was more than curious. He strode defiantly towards the bar to pour himself another glass. His drink was halfway to his parched mouth when another irritating voice interrupted the uncomfortable silence.

"I'm not sure if you're drinking to calm your nerves or if you're celebrating your girlfriend's possible return."

Lucy Bennett stood at the entrance of the room, her eyes levelled at the older Salvatore for a couple of seconds before sweeping to Stefan, cocking an eyebrow. Caroline must've filled her in already.

On the way home, everybody was in favor of contacting Lucy to help, out of desperation, crossing their fingers that blood connection would convince her to go to Mystic Falls. With Matt and Damon bickering like middle schoolers and Stefan playing referee, Caroline took the reins in talking to the only other Bennett witch. It didn't appear that she held back with the details.

"As always Lucy, it's so refreshing to hear another judgemental Bennett." Damon said in greeting.

"And as much as I'd like to share the amusement, I can't say it's a pleasure knowing one of my kin is in danger once again because of you."

Damon stared her down with a look that would've frozen hell. "Watch it witch, you're in my house."

"Watch it vampire, you asked for my help."

Stefan stood up then and played mediator. It seems like it was all he's been doing for the past few days.

"Come on guys, enough of this. This isn't helping Bonnie any." He turned to face Lucy fully. "And thank you Lucy for coming in such short notice. We need all the help we can get."

Lucy and Damon glared at each other over Stefan's shoulder, neither one backing down. Stefan's effort to diffuse the tension didn't seem to work but the shrill voice of Caroline at the top of the stairs effectively interrupted the stare down.

"Something's happening to Bonnie!" Her eyes widened further when she saw Lucy, feeling a bit of relief seeing her there. "Lucy, come quick."

Damon was already gone before Lucy could respond and Stefan was left ushering the newcomer upstairs, resisting the urge to follow his brother's speed.

When Lucy entered the room, Bonnie was flanked by Damon on one side, hovering dangerously over her. The first thought Lucy had was if he toppled over her distant cousin, she'd have an excuse to fling him to a wall. Another man was on Bonnie's other side, holding her hand for dear life, while the other wiped some blood near her mouth. His hold didn't seem tight but his hand shook involuntarily. When he finally acknowledged Lucy, all she could see was the raw fear he couldn't hide in his eyes, and Lucy was suddenly more than concerned at what dire state her cousin was in now.

Stefan was right beside a distraught Caroline who had a hand over her mouth, trying to contain her cries. "She wouldn't take the blood." Caroline said, her head shaking. "It just spilled right out. She wouldn't swallow it."

Bonnie was lying on the bed, very still. She appeared to be breathing. Lucy frowned when she saw a couple of very visible bruises on her body - one on her arm and another one on her neck. However, it wasn't just the glaring, painful looking marks on her that was shocking but she didn't expect the tear tracks on her face. At first glance, she looked like an abused victim, suffering silently right after a beating.

Then she whimpered, eyes still closed. Another tear rolled down the side of her face.

"Bonnie!" Caroline gasped, rushing over beside Matt. Matt had a handkerchief out and desperately wiping on her tears, knowing how uselesss his efforts are in trying to relieve any pain Bonnie may be feeling.

Of course, Damon had to up the ante and do something even more futile by cursing in three different languages and punching a hole in the wall. Then he was right in front of Lucy. "Do something, now!" he bellowed, his eyes black and his veins protruding angrily around his eyes.

Lucy would've told him off for talking to her in such a manner but she restrained herself, understanding the urgency. She quickly went to Bonnie and put her hands over her body, trying to sense any internal injury. Her aura was murky and that wasn't a good sign. She moved her hands over her head, her frown deepening. Everybody held their breath. Lucy gritted her teeth, her hands starting to shake.

"Is she not healing?" Caroline asked in a whisper, trying not to lose Lucy's concentration.

"No." Lucy answered.

She wanted to explain further but she didn't expect having difficulty immediately. Magic was pushing back hard and she wasn't prepared to handle such power just by getting into Bonnie's mind. She dropped her hands and stepped back, a sheen of perspiration dotting her forehead.

"What's going on, witch?" Damon practically growled. Lucy glared at the ingrate, contemplating on using her reserve energy just to burn the asshole alive.

"Lucy?" Stefan gently asked, immediately slipping back to his mediating duties.

Since he was the polite one to ask, Lucy addressed him. She might not resist the urge to bitchslap the older Salvatore if her eyes strayed to Damon. "I was trying to get into her subconsciousness because her physical injuries seem to be a result of an inner battle. Something I'm sure this Gemini psychopath used as as a precaution if Bonnie tried to break the link."

"You can't break through?" Stefan asked.

Lucy shook her head. "It's like a double barrier. It takes so much just trying to get through, once I find a way in and I make my way towards it, the barrier clamps down and I lose the path." She looked at Bonnie. "Call him crazy but he knows his magic and used it well to mess with Bonnie."

Everybody digested that for a couple of seconds, no one saying anything. Then they heard Bonnie take a quick gasp of air. Everyone turned to her immediately. Damon went back to hovering in a blink of an eye. They watched helplessly as Bonnie gritted her teeth, as if trying to hold back a sob. They watched in horror as a red scar cut straight from the left side of her neck all the way to the other side, like someone held a knife and enjoyed the way it slid horizontally on her skin. Tears slid down both sides of her face and Caroline couldn't help crying with her. Matt patted the fresh wave of tears furiously, his eyes red, trying to hold in his own. The usually calm Stefan had a deer caught in the headlights look as his mind scrambled for other possible ways to figure a way out for Bonnie. He turned to Damon who was now standing too still, his hands balled into a fist so tight that they shook.

"What if we get inside her head together?" he said suddenly, his eyes not leaving Bonnie.

"Unless you have magic, I'm not sure how that will help." Lucy said.

When he turned to Lucy, she frowned at dead serious blue eyes. "I can get into her subconsciousness, her dreams or nightmare, whatever's going on inside her head. You can lead the way and I'll go through, that way you don't have to expend that much energy. Give me a timeline and I'll pull Bonnie back from -" he gestured towards Bonnie's body, "whatever this is."

Lucy eyed him suspiciously. "What's my assurance that you won't push her to the edge. That if for some reason she held a knife, you won't use it on her." As soon as she finished her sentence, Lucy felt her back hit a wall and she was having difficulty breathing as a hand tried to squeeze the life out of her.

Just as suddenly, Lucy could breathe, her body slumping sideways as the hand that held her released her throat. Stefan had Damon pinned at the adjacent wall, restraining his vamped out brother. "Both of you, stop it!" Stefan shouted, addressing the two.

Caroline was beside Lucy in an instant. "Are you okay?"

"Can it be done?" Matt asked, still crouched over the bed beside Bonnie. "Do you have a better chance if you and Damon go into Bonnie's mind together?" He didn't care if it was Damon who thought of it and he would be the one to save Bonnie. He didn't care if this was a long shot. He just cared that it was at least a chance, slim as it may be.

Lucy was tempted to say no because she wasn't falling for this great concern coming from Damon for Bonnie and she wanted his face to show its true colors up close. Yet the the other three, especially the only non-supernatural in the room, was looking at her so desperately that she hesitated. That look, she couldn't dismiss outright and she groaned inwardly once she knew she's going to need Damon's help to get Bonnie back.

"It's worth a try." she relented.

Before she knew it, she was at the foot of the bed. Damon stood beside her, holding her hand like she would attempt to escape. His look brooked no argument while everyone else in the room looked at them expectantly. She sighed and said a silent offering to her ancestors and the Bennett line. She needed their strength for Bonnie. Lucy closed her eyes and raised her hand over her relative.

At first, Damon didn't understand what was going on, just that he knew that they were travelling and he could sense Lucy's general presence. It seemed that there was nothing in their midst but for some reason could feel that it was not an absolute emptiness. Then things seemed to become clearer. Jumbled thoughts became slowly coherent. Dense surroundings became distant silhoettes.

'Go!' was a command he heard from Lucy that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere and a forceful push propelled him...somewhere. It wasn't exactly a forward motion, just being directed to a particular destination. Then it felt like a windshield clearing on a weakening rain.

For a couple of seconds, he was dumbfounded. He had prepared himself to come to the middle of a tense battle between Bonnie and Kai for some reason. He had readied himself to attack whoever Bonnie's enemy might be. He didn't expect being in front of the small waterfalls he had shown Bonnie just a few days go, where things took an aggravating turn. His bestfriend was standing calmly on the same spot facing the water, her face unreadable. He walked towards her and had already thought of a snarky remark as an introduction, but she surprised him first by acknowledging his presence with a nod. He couldn't tell if she expected his presence but he didn't like the indifferent stare she had as she watched him approach.

"What are you doing here, Damon?" she asked, her apathetic eyes staring dead on to his determined blues.

The question was ridiculous to Damon's ears, as if he would hesitate for a chance to save her life. "What do you think, Bon-Bon?"

"I think you're trying to be a hero again." She gave him a sad smile. "Stefan would be beside himself with you trying to steal his thunder."

Damon snorted. "I'm not stealing anything from him. Just you." He looked around him. "From here."

He didn't think her face could even get any sadder, but it did. Her lip made an involuntary quirk down and he could see something glistening under her eyes that she seemed to be trying very hard to restrain. Damon couldn't help reaching out his hand to cup her face. He wanted to make sure that she was real. "Why did you do it, Bon?"

Her eyes strayed away from him, resting on something behind him. He didn't feel the need to check because he genuinely felt Bonnie just didn't want to look at him when she answered. Then her eyes roamed around like she was trying to read a message in the skies.

"I think it won't be long now." she said, her eyes still scanning the heavens.

Dread bloomed at the pit of Damon's stomach at her words. "What do you mean?"

Green eyes returned to him but she didn't answer. "Bon, come on. Come back with me. Everyone has been worried sick."

Bonnie didn't waver. The words didn't seem to have any effect on her. Her small hand held to his wrist and pulled down his hand from her cheek. Damon panicked, not liking her trying to distance herself and he grabbed her hand.

"Come back to what?" Bonnie asked so softly that he almost didn't hear it and Damon had a difficult time processing the resigned note in her voice.

"Come back to us." Desperate, agitated hands reached for her, smoothing her hair, cupping her face, skimming down her shoulders and arms. Damon had never been so scared in his almost 200 year life. His hands reached down to her hands and held tight with vampire strength and they trembled when he pulled them up to his lips.

"Bonnie, you need to come back." To me. His words begged on cold, limp hands. What he couldn't say out loud, he tried to convey through anguished pecks over her delicate knuckles.

He looked up with her hands cocooned in his and gripped them against his chest. Bonnie's expression only changed from indifference to confusion, not reacting predictably to his actions. "Damon, it's okay."

"How is this okay?!" he shouted to her face. He expected her to reciprocate, to bicker with him. He knew how to do that. He would at least have a chance to win the argument and if he felt he was losing, he would resort to cheating and bribing. Fuck the rules. Fuck being nicely convincing.

Yet Bonnie didn't respond in kind, just watched him with sympathy. If he hated her detachedness, he absolutely hated her pity.

"Damon, this is your chance. You and Elena will at least have an opportunity to move forward after all this shit we've all been subjected to."

The vampire looked at her incredulously. "How the fuck do you think I would be happy if my bestfriend is dead?"

"You'll move on, Damon. Elena would be there with you every step of the way."

"No, no, no no! Those are your duties. Don't you start shirking from them."

"They won't be anymore when-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" He felt her stumble back when he pushed away suddenly, his outburst screaming frustration and anger that he's bottled inside since they found her in Danvers.

He wanted to curse every single deity out there who allowed this. He wanted to see Kai in full psychotic glory and decapitate his head over and over and over. He felt like the Hulk and he was ready to go on a rampage regardless of the consequences.

He was quite possibly be losing his mind, inside his bestfriend's head. His shoulders shook with pained laughter.

He wanted a do-over of Bonnie's life where he could stroll back into sleepy Mystic Falls and actually fulfill his promise of protecting the Bennett line. He could be there in every significant event in her life and actually help her become the powerful witch she could be. He could show her then that she was not someone to be overlooked, that she was incomparable and her life could not be sacrificed in a whim or a coin toss.

His bestfriend didn't deserve to believe that she was insignificant. She didn't deserve to think that his chances are better than hers. And she certainly didn't deserve to feel that his contentment didn't not include her. For some unfathomable reason, she has found this acceptable. Inevitable. Even fucking appropriate.

Before he knew it, he was right in front of her, his hands cradling her small face that could bewitch a thousand supernaturals. His eyes begged her to see what she truly was in his own insignificant, more than a hundred years' existence. But all her murky, green eyes conveyed was resigned fate.

"Is it so easy for you to leave me behind?" he asked, his hands gently but firmly keeping her facing him lest she tried to avoid his question.

"No." she said simply.

"Then don't."

When he thought all the reaction he could get from her is her distant pity, he didn't expect her trying to fight the tears that were a whisper away from spilling. He never felt anything more painful than seeing her hang on to her dignity.

"I'm just so tired, Damon."

And those words were uttered so brokenly. Something lanced in his chest and he reacted the only natural way he knew how, what he'd been wanting to do since he saw her. It didn't matter that it affected him more than it might impact her and he savored that she allowed his tight embrace.

"I know." he whispered in her ear.

It was a second or a day, but she slowly pulled away from him and for some reason he couldn't keep his firm hold. Something was wrong and she was pulling away so easily while he was busting a vessel trying to keep her from moving.

"I think I'm ready to go."

"No!" Damon almost vamped out and gave it all he's got to hold on to her. He didn't care if he somehow hurt her. He wasn't letting go.

"Damon-"

"No, Bonnie! Don't you dare!" All composure and focus left him and he was hysterical. He watched her helplessly as she looked around her once again and he felt cold dread creep up from his spine.

"Bonnie, you're not ready! If you can look me in the eye and tell me that you have lived a full life, a life that you can say you have been truly satisfied, then I won't stop you. But if you think you'd like to do more, see more, and it has absolutely nothing to do with saving our asses, then for godsakes, come with me."

"But Elena -"

"- is not fighting for her life right now, you are!"

"I'm tired of fighting, Damon!" Her hands were slipping away from Damon's. "Aren't you?"

Damon gritted his teeth trying to keep his hands on hers like he was hanging on a slippery cliff in a thunderstorm. "Not for you."

Then her hands broke away and he felt like he was falling to a black hole. He screamed so hard without a sound for so long.

He came to screaming Bonnie's name, the haze slowly clearing. Eventually, he saw Lucy staring wide eyed at the bed, Stefan pounding angrily at the same wall he abused, Caroline crying frantically beside Matt who had Bonnie on his lap, rocking their bodies as he held on to her body.

Damon zeroed in and tried to listen for a distinctive rhythm. It was missing the perfect heartbeat of one powerful witch.

Hmm. So...it's been a while and after the long wait, are you going to kill me for ending the chapter like this? Let me know.