[episode 1.14]

December 12, 2009

"YOU POOR GIRL," Grams said as soon as she opened the door to find me, Enzo, and Stefan on her porch that evening. It would have made sense — given all the tears dried to my cheeks — but the hint of contempt in her voice made me think she wasn't talking about how I was crying.

"We need your help," Stefan cut in when I froze in confusion. 

"You don't need my anything." She sneered down her nose at Stefan and Enzo, and my spine straightened at the sight of it.

"Grams, Bonnie and Elena are in danger," I said in a hard tone. "So, being mean is just wasting time we don't have to lose." 

She turned back to me with narrowed eyes. She didn't like that I was defending them, I could tell, but Grams had known me my whole life. So, when her lips pressed together, I knew she could see that I wouldn't be swayed by anything she said about Stefan or Enzo. If she'd wanted me to fear them or run away from Enzo, she was a year too late.

Although, truthfully, would it have even mattered? Could anything have kept me from Enzo in the end?

"You two stay on the porch," she finally sighed, cutting her eyes over Enzo and Stefan. She reached out and wrapped her slender fingers around my wrist. "You, come help me with the spell."

Before either of the guys could react, she dragged me inside and slammed the door before I'd even caught my footing. She didn't pay me much attention as she breezed through the house into a study full of dusty, well-worn books covering the shelves and plain white soy candles littering the floor. I scurried after her, desperate to keep up. With a snap of her fingers, all of the candles lit at once.

"Do you have anything of your sister's with you?"

At her words, I broke out of my trance and pulled off the sweatshirt I was wearing. It was Elena's, and I'd been wearing it since I found out she went missing as a form of self-comfort. I shoved the thick material into Grams' hands without a second thought. "This is hers. Stefan said she left it at his house yesterday."

"What do you know about the girls?"

"They were kidnapped by vampires," I said. "And Bonnie is a witch, so they might have targeted her because of that."

Grams scowled but dropped the sweatshirt into the center of the cluttered candles and grabbed a map of Mystic Falls from the old, dark wood desk in the corner of the room.

I stood there, watching her with rapt fascination, up until the point when she dragged me into the middle of all the candles and pressed the tip of a blade into the padded tip of my finger. I gasped and went to yank my hand away, but she seemed to expect this and tightened her grip on my hand.

"Grams, what are you—?"

She tipped my hand over and squeezed the injured finger until a single drop of blood fell from my hand onto the waiting map below us. I stared hard at the paper when the blood started to move of its own accord once she started mumbling to herself.

Still, I tried to remain quiet and not disturb her. I didn't want to risk losing her reluctant aid. We needed her help if we were to find them before it was too late.

Grams worked quietly as she chanted under her breath. Chills rippled over my skin when the flames suddenly all flared up another half foot without warning. Her incantations grew louder.

I glanced worriedly toward the front of the house, wishing Enzo could hold my hand through this. Sure, I'd seen Bonnie do some witchy things before — like when Emily possessed her a couple months ago — but it felt different with Grams. Part of me worried that Grams might not have any qualms about hurting me if she decided she should, and that terrified me.

"It's going to be all right, darling," Enzo's voice suddenly came to me. I tensed and glanced toward the window with its curtains drawn shut. How was I hearing him again?

"How can I hear you?" I tried to reply.

"My ability to speak to you has not gone away, but we've been together enough that I haven't needed to use it."

I bit my lip to hide my smile. "Can you still see me too?"

"Unfortunately, no," he sighed. My shoulders deflated slightly. "But I'll see you again in only another moment."

"Quiet down," Grams grumbled. "Your treachery is distracting."

I flinched and looked down at the older woman in surprise. She was leveling me with a cold glare.

"Can you...hear what we're saying to each other?"

"Only when I'm channeling," she huffed. "You clutter the system when you do that."

I slowly sunk to my knees and stared at her in wonder. "Is that how Emily cut off Enzo's ability to talk to me when she possessed Bonnie? She cut off our channel?"

Grams' pressed her lips into a thin line. "I would presume so."

"Wow." I sat back on my heels in wonder. "That's—"

"They're at the hotel off the six," she interrupted, pointing down at the map and where the blood had stilled.

I furrowed my eyebrows. If she had already known their location, why would she say—?

"Hurry up and find my granddaughter."

I stumbled to my feet and nodded firmly. "Thank you, Grams."

I raced to the door, only to see that Stefan was already gone. At my questioning eyes, Enzo offered, "Stefan could hear what Grams said and left on foot. We need to hurry."

**********

BY THE TIME WE made it to the dingy motel, Stefan already had already saved the girls. My shoulders slumped, mostly with relief to see Elena safely wrapped up in his arms but also a little disappointment that I hadn't been there too.

As soon as I flung open the driver's door and rushed toward them, Bonnie stopped her frantic scan of the parking lot, and Elena ripped herself away from Stefan.

"Oh, thank God," I murmured, tears flooded my cheeks for an entirely new reason now. "I'm so glad you're both safe."

"It was Ben," Bonnie blurted out.

"The boy you were talking about all week?" I clarified, heart already sinking for Bonnie.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she gave the slightest nod. I stepped forward and wrapped her up in my arms. Bonnie shook in my embrace, and I held onto her right up until Elena broke the silence.

"He was working with Jeremy's new girlfriend," she added, eyes heavy.

I blinked at her, my eyebrows furrowing. "Jeremy has a new girlfriend?"

Elena grimaced. "He didn't tell you?"

Enzo's hand captured mine before the frown even fell on my face. I smiled at him, trying to shake it off. It didn't matter much in the head scheme of things, but the self-pitying feeling of being left out wallowed up in my chest regardless.

I squeezed Enzo's hand once but refocused on my sister and Bonnie. I asked Stefan, "Are they both dead now?"

"Only Ben," Stefan said, glancing over his shoulder at the motel room they must have come from. "Anna wasn't here when I arrived."

My shoulders tensed. "Then let's get out of here before she comes back."

Bonnie didn't waste any more time to jump into the backseat of my car behind Enzo's seat, and Enzo and I quickly resettled in the front. When Elena and Stefan also slid into the cramped backseat of my blue Honda CR-V, Bonnie pressed her lips together.

There were dark circles under her eyes and a bedraggled look to her clothes and hair. When she glanced at Stefan holding onto Elena like she'd crumple at any moment and Enzo's hand resting on my knee, her lips twisted down hard on the corners.

I caught her eye in the rear view mirror and watched as she jumped, a sheepish expression on her face now. Are you okay? I mouthed.

She stared back at me for a long moment until she finally shrugged and opted to stare out the window instead. Once I realized I wouldn't be able to capture her eyes again, I put the car in reverse, taking my newly rescued friends back home.

//

a/n: the song title i chose for this chapter was mostly ironic, but also, you can't tell me "savior complex" by Phoebe Bridgers isn't Elena and Stefan coded.

sorry for the filler chapter, but does anyone else just feel so heartbroken over the outrage of Bonnie's love life in the TVDU? she definitely needs a soulmate in this AU. do we think i should pair her with a certain existing character or create an OC for her?

hope you're all having a nice week <3