#lucy bennett

        𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐍'𝐓 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒.

        Between grappling with her witch heritage, vampires wreaking havoc on Mystic Falls, werewolves hunting vampires, saving Elena who might be Katherine in disguise, protecting the town, Damon, risking her connection to consecrated witches to save her boyfriend who was seeing his dead girlfriends, the original’s drama, watching people die around her including Grams, college, and handling endless supernatural bullshit—peace was a luxury that was hard to come by. 

        To assume it would all disappear once graduating from Mystic Falls High to attend Whitmore College—now a sophomore—was foolish on her end. An understatement. 

        The bullshit followed her there. 

        And being the loyal friend Bonnie was, she learned to accept whatever faith had in store because a world without her best friends wasn’t the world she wanted to live in.

        …But there has been lingering exhaustion, upholding certain expectations beyond where Bonnie felt secure in her magic and in herself. Especially as a late-bloomer witch. She’d been practicing magic with her distant cousin, Lucy, and learning how to express herself without pushing her body too far. She’d also been trying to heal after losing Grams, but even then, focusing was rendered useless because when someone needed Bonnie, she was there—whether she had a choice or not.

        She was grateful though to Lucy for reaching out shortly after the Lockwoods' masquerade ball. With her father always on the road as a truck driver, and other secrets she refused to accept, left Bonnie not only to grieve by herself but to fend for herself too. It was too much responsibility as a minor, on top of what her friends needed from her and what she needed from herself. That’s when everything started to fall apart. 

        Nothing mattered anymore. 

        Death was worth the experience more than living.

        Then Lucy showed up at Grams’ doorstep with a grieving cake coated in black icing with raspberry filling, her bags nearly covering the entire creeky porch. That was the day she chose to become Bonnie’s legal guardian. The day when each room brightened in ways Bonnie thought would forever dull. 

        Though waking up to a new seasonal fling parading naked around the house, or to small social events taking up space in the living room wasn’t in the cards, Bonnie wouldn’t change a thing. She needed her company. Someone. Family. Anyone who cared enough. And as time went by, she learned that Lucy needed hers too. She became the big sister Bonnie never had. 

        She reminded Bonnie to loosen up. To not grow up too fast as she had and to enjoy life as it unfolded. Even got her back into cheerleading and eventually joined the school’s dance team. Her positive influence actually had her excited to attend cringy school events she once thought useless even as a popular girl, like school dances and extracurriculars…Even if they were ruined in the end.

        But it wasn’t just her who got Bonnie back on track, Jeremy did too. He helped for a while and advocated for her when no one else did.

        They had something she was sure would last forever or for as long as the supernatural world didn’t come to claim their lives. But she was wrong. Dating her best friend’s boyfriend was so not in anymore and another lesson learned.

        Bonnie’s phone buzzed for the hundredth time. Seeing it was Jeremy continuing his daily routine which became a habit now, she rolled her eyes with a groan and tossed her phone to the ground. She had better things to focus on than whatever bullshit excuse he’d pull out of his ass.

        She grabbed the basket of colorful lanterns and climbed the ladder to complete the trees. Caroline, nosy as expected, caught Jeremy’s name flashing across the screen now covered in dirt. She frowned.

        “So when you did the spell to send Vicki away, did that get rid of Anna too?” Caroline asked, while using her vampire strength to hold down the shaky ladder.

        If Bonnie had it her way, she would’ve been rotting in bed binging romantic comedies and tragic movies with tragic endings just to give her a reason to cry. But Lucy opened the blinds, turned off the TV, and pushed her out of bed. It was important to show face and prove no boy was worth the tears, as she preached. And by showing face, meant signing her up to volunteer at the Night of Illuminations festival.

        As a ‘volunteer’ but also a wing woman to help her cousin lure some hot guy she met at the Mystic Grill to her bed. Her cousin…who was somewhere around here. A sign of luck she supposed. Not so much on her end.

        “I wish, but all I did was block the magic that was helping Vicki get a physical foothold here.” Caroline moved aside as Bonnie climbed down. She still held the ladder. “Jeremy’s still got a direct line to the other side, and as long as he wants to see Anna and she wants to see him…she’s still here.”

        “Okay, you don’t think I can actually resist commenting on that?”

        “There. You commented.”

        Bonnie walked away, stepping over her phone without sparing it a glance. An ache took hold of her chest, just where her heart struggled to keep her alive. It grew sharper the more she withheld her tears. Her frustration. Her problem that she created once again for someone unworthy of her saving. 

        Caroline’s shoulders sank with a heavy sigh. “Bonnie…”

        A frustrated groan tickled her chest as she spun around. “What do you want me to say, Caroline? I went against the balance of nature when I brought Jeremy back to life, and now I’m paying for the consequences.”

        She snatched the colorful lanterns from her hands as if holding them hostage for a better answer. When Bonnie tried snatching them back, Caroline held them high and far back over her head. 

        Bonnie glared at her friend’s playful nature. “Are you fucking with me? I’m not in the mood to be fucked with.”

        “Good. Be in a mood, anything other than this sunshine-and-rainbows bullshit act you’re forcing.” Caroline said. Her blue eyes softened, catching the flicker of something raw Bonnie failed to conceal. “I see it, Bon. I’m here for you. I just want you to say you’re not okay with it.”

        “I’m a thousand times not okay with it. I just,” Bonnie choked, resisting the urge to cry. “I just don’t know what to do about it. It hurts, Care. So fucking much it’s like I’m screaming out to the void.”

        Caroline reached out a hand and rubbed Bonnie’s shoulder, some reddish brown curls tangled around her fingers, down to her arm before pulling her into a hug. “Let’s scream together.” Her breath tickled her neck, squeezing tighter. “I got some shit to scream about too and could use a screaming buddy. How’s tonight?”

        Bonnie desperately needed a screaming buddy and was grateful for the offer. “I guess I’m free.” She managed to say without choking again.

        “‘Course you’re free. It’s holiday weekend. One more day until we’re back on campus, slaving for our degree. And me, compelling Anthony Green not to steal my segment for extra credit before I can present it first.”

        That got a chuckle out of Bonnie.

        Over Caroline’s shoulder, a blue Chevrolet was speeding down the street with no care for civilians or the speed limit. Its tires screeched as the driver parked recklessly along the side of the road. To no one’s surprise, it’s Damon. Dressed in his usual long-sleeved V-neck shirts and dark jeans, looking gloomy as ever which was more common than his murderous face.

        Bonnie rolled her eyes with a curse under her breath.

        “Greetings, Blondie.” Damon greeted, but was more cautious than teasing-like when greeting Bonnie. Almost as if he knew what kind of mood she was in. “Witchy.”

        Caroline pulled away first from the hug with a heavy sigh. She flipped her blonde curls, not happy with her nickname. “Great. The town’s most hated is here to prove why he’s the town’s most hated.” She said with fake enthusiasm which Bonnie laughed at.

        His lips pressed into a tight smile before turning his attention to Bonnie. “I think you got your voodoo wires all crossed when you got rid of Vicki Donovan.”

        Across the road, Matt looked back at the mentions of his sister’s name. He was currently unloading decorations from his truck, now straining a vein to focus in on their conversation. 

        “What do you mean? Why?” Bonnie questioned in a lower voice not to alarm Matt.

        “‘Cause I’m pretty sure I just got spit-roasted by Mason Lockwood’s ghost.”

        “What?” Bonnie exclaimed. 

        Caroline crossed her arms, nowhere near convinced as Bonnie was though she found his story ridiculous too. “Why would you think that?” She didn’t hide the bite in her tone, offended that someone would even question her ability.

        “Maybe because he chained me to a chair and shoved a hot poker in my chest.” He explained as if almost getting killed was a normal day for him and it was. The longer everyone stared at each other, the more Damon rethought his day. “Let’s just say I’m having Deja vu.”

        Caroline turned to Bonnie with knitted brows. “I thought you said ghosts can’t physically interact with people?” 

        “They can’t.”

        “Yeah, well, I don’t have time for a vengeful Lockwood,” Damon said frustratingly. “When I kill someone, they're supposed to stay dead. Whatever you screwed up, fix it.”

        Smoke burned their nose as he sped off. 

        Bonnie bit the inside of her cheek until it bled, her nails pinching deep into the palms of her hands until it bled. Caroline’s gaze snapped down. Her nostrils flared at the scent, a concerned look flashing. Yet again, Bonnie was expected to save the day. Not even given the time to grieve her broken heart before she was to suppress her emotions until Mystic Falls benefited first. 

        But she’ll help. Of course, she would when it involved her friends. Those they have killed could return as Mason Lockwood had to get their revenge, and the outcome would fall on her. She started this the moment she sent Vicki away. 

        A hand wrapped itself around Bonnie’s clenched fist and she saw it was Caroline seeking to comfort her silent rage. “What can I do to help?”

        She somehow managed to unravel Bonnie’s fist, now holding her bloody hand to squeeze lightly without hurting her. Even with blood also on her hand she remained in control of her thirst. Moments like this reminded Bonnie that not all vampires were monsters and her friends were still themselves.

        “I’m no good with spells but I’m fantastic at holding books, compelling people—oh, and I can take out your competition…as long as it’s not a ghost.” Then she perked with a twisted grin. “Unless the cross can condemn Anna to hell! My mom has a huge fugly cross hanging in the kitchen like some deep Texas cultist. I’m sure we can get it done and have her burning in hell in no time, saving the spot for Damon and everyone else who’s crossed us.”

        A small smile cracked along Bonnie’s lips and she shook her head in disbelief, after considering it. “I’m gonna talk to Matt,” she slipped her hand free and wiped the small smear of blood along her dark jeans. “See if he actually kept his word and sent Vicki back.”

        She nodded. “I’ll come too for moral support.”

        They crossed the street toward Matt struggling to move on with life in a way he should’ve the first time around. It’s obvious he hadn’t gotten a good night’s rest. Working himself to the bone was his way of not dealing with grief, but everyone saw through the facade. The lingering stench from skipped showers, a growing stubble beard, alcohol strong on his breath, the bags under his eyes was another sign too.

        This town thrived on misery. It was also a death sentence to those who couldn’t afford to leave.

        Matt had fallen victim due to his poor upbringing and couldn’t just up and leave as everyone else could. He barely got accepted into college for Human Services if it wasn’t for Caroline’s compulsion. The only way he could make peace with this hellhole was to put one foot in front of the other even if it killed him in the end.

        He reassured multiple times that Vicki was gone for good. He’d know if she came back and expressed deeply that he wanted nothing to do with this ghost bullshit. Bonnie believed him. This wasn’t a man who was surrounded by the love and comfort of family, something she also could relate to in a way. He had no reason to lie. Certainly wouldn’t be able to hide it well in the state he was in. 

        But one thing was certain, Damon was right. Something went wrong removing the foothold Vicki had in this realm and the witch who helped. Bonnie needed to get to the bottom of it before it escalated. The quicker it’s solved, the quicker she could sulk in her broken heart. 

        Caroline bounced on the heels of her feet as they watched Matt walk away. A mischief look on her face as she ‘innocently’ expressed, “If only someone we knew was strong enough to leave the past in the past.”

        Bonnie sighed heavily, pushing back her ginger curls. “I’ve got a ghost problem to deal with, Caroline. Save the Jeremy-lecture for later.”

        Even if she wasn’t wrong, it just wasn’t something she could get into without blaming herself. She’s done it enough already.

        As Bonnie knelt to pick up her bag, one of the straps broke which caused everything to fall out. Including her Gram’s gifted grimoire she never let out of her sight. She cursed under her breath with a huff. It’s like the universe knew she was having a shitty day and decided to add to it. 

        Just as she reached for her grimoire, the book magically opened with a strong gust of wind. Bonnie startled with a gasp.

        Caroline’s eyes widened with shock. “Okay, did your grimoire just—”

        “I-I think so.”

        Bonnie picked up the heavy book to inspect the spell her ancestors or an intuition wanted her to see. The crease between her brows deepened as she tried to understand and translate pages she’d never seen before or thought twice about reading. Whatever it was had to be important. It usually was.

        “Please tell me that’s a recipe for witch cookies.” Said Caroline, trying to be funny to make up for the fact that she couldn’t understand ancient language.

        “It’s a manifestation spell.” Bonnie read. She was even considerate enough to follow her finger along the words so her friend felt included as confused as she was. “It’s used to reveal veiled matter.”

        Still confused, “what’s veiled matter?”

        “Ghosts.”

━━━━━━ ━━━━━━

        𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐃 at the abandoned witch burn site house located on the outskirts of Mystic Falls. A sacred place once used for generations of witches to practice magic was the same place that carried out their execution. Now just an empty place as their presence lingered, which was the perfect private spot to do the spell. 

        The witches here might’ve turned their backs but Bonnie would honor their legacy by practicing magic here. Should death find its place here to claim her, she welcomed it with a choice they weren’t given. 

        The basement was the perfect spot to set up. The smoky smell lingered off the burnt walls, threatening to suffocate her. This house had gone through many seasons and inhabited many rodents and insects it was literally a death hazard. Yet, its history here couldn’t be ignored. 

        “You ready?” Caroline asked after lighting the last candle. She likely turned around to find Bonnie already casting the spell. “Right. Okay.”

        On her knees with her hands stretched, she focused on the spell and the intention behind it to guarantee its success. The presence of magic surrounded her like drugs in her veins and she inhaled deeply to live off its high. Moments later, light wind picked up. Then it grew stronger, and stronger, and much stronger. 

        “Bonnie, I don’t like this.” Caroline panicked. 

        The spell required more channeling. More intention. More of her than she could handle, and Bonnie was determined. She refused to accept failure as her only choice even if it took everything from her. It was equally her greatest strength and her biggest flaw. 

        Dust filled her lungs the stronger the wind, but Bonnie didn’t stop. Spiderwebs tickled her and likely housed themselves tangled in her curls—Bonnie never stopped. She couldn’t once magic got involved. It was always hard to stop once started. 

        The floor creaked as footsteps struggled to find stable ground. “Bonnie!” Caroline screamed out. A warning that the environment was growing dangerously, and worried for her friend.

        The wind stopped abruptly and the emptiness of her hands was replaced by the unexpected comfort of hands holding hers. Bonnie opened her eyes and stilled. Tears blurred her vision no matter how many times she blinked them away. Even then, her familiar features were prominent. Her smell was homey. Her short curls were still fresh. Her brown skin was still warm. Her gentle smile tugged at the strings of Bonnie’s heart, remembering her last offered smile seconds before death came for her. 

        Caroline gawked with her mouth hung wide. “Oh my god. Is that your—”

        “Grams?” Bonnie choked out into a sob that felt like a mixture of emotions lightening the weight of her heart. “I can’t believe you’re here. I thought…I thought I lost you for good. Grams, I’m so, so, so—I. When it—I should’ve—I didn’t—fuck, I’m s-s-so…” Words refused to form properly, all fighting to make sense of her jumbled thoughts. Too afraid there wasn’t enough time in the world to express how deeply regretful she felt for not listening the first time. For not taking extra precautions. She should’ve seen through Katherine’s tricks. She shouldn’t have ever trusted the Salvatores. She should’ve let Elena figure it out.

        Grams caressed her cheek, wiping her tears. “I know, baby, I know.” She cooed, the soft tang in her accent warm and cozy. “Now stop your crying. We don’t have time for tears.”

        Bonnie nodded. Tears continued to unravel no matter how hard she tried to stop. She still mourned her grandmother, her death fresh on her heart like it was yesterday she found her dead in bed. 

        She missed the smell of hard liquor on her breath. Her endless drink babbling. School nights when Bonnie would receive calls from the Mystic Grill to take her Grams home as embarrassing as it was. She missed the food she cooked. The music she played while cleaning every Sunday morning. The bright mornings she’d be forced to attend early service, hoping some God would answer her prayers while holding no close relationship to religion. She missed her laughter. The effort put into showing up to school functions when her father couldn’t, even if she was passed out drunk or getting over a hangover she’d always make it. Late or over with. And most of all, she missed the bad days when nothing but endless shouting and curses and broken glass filled the house. 

        Those were days when Bonnie could confirm her Grams was alive and well as opposed to when she’s knocked out drunk. Too many days were spent just standing in the corner of her bedroom, waiting for her chest to inflate, or hovering her two fingers under her nose every hour.

        “Nice to see you again, Caroline.”

        Caroline gave a small wave. “Hi, Ms. Shelia.”

        “A fine mess you’ve made, honey.” Grams mentioned as if Bonnie needed another reminder of the shit she’s stirred. “The witches told you there’d be consequences to bringing Jeremy back and you did it anyway.”

        “I didn’t have a choice.” Bonnie wallowed in her guilt. “I love him and I…I couldn’t just let him go.”

        Her lips pressed thin, and if she was frustrated with Bonnie for putting a boy before her legacy she didn’t hide it well. “I understand, but you’ve cracked open the door to the other side. There’s an old witch over there. She took advantage of it. She took advantage of you, honey. When you did that spell to send Vicki Donovan away, she wedged the door wide open, giving a free pass to anybody with unfinished business.”

        “How do you know this?” Bonnie asked, and Grams gave a look that was quickly recognized. Of course, she’d know as nosy as she was. She’d gossip about anyone if it wasn’t about herself. 

        “Witches talk even on the other side.” She said with pursed lips. “Who do you think makes all the rules?”

        Rules Bonnie continued to question. Life started and ended with witches. They were the true Gods on earth, the definition of judgment and justice, the bridge between good and evil, and life and death. They were the most disrespected yet sought out when the world’s gone to shit, expected to take the fall for their demise. 

        “What does the witch want?” She asked.

        Grams shook her head as if her question was a sin to ask. “That’s original vampire business. Not yours.” She shut down immediately. “I don’t want you getting in the middle of that. I’m here because you upset the balance of magic and it’s your duty to set it right. You need to close that door.”

        More tears threatened her face. “I’m only one person, Grams! This duty comes with too much burden that’s already taken your life. I just want it to end.”

        “You’re not just a person, you’re a Bennett witch. A powerful one at that. But you made that choice once you got yourself tangled with vampires. You don’t get to run away from your problems until you’ve fixed them all. That’s the only way it ends.” Her arms pulled Bonnie into a warm embrace, and she snuggled into the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent to keep forever. “It’s a lot, I know. But you’re not alone anymore. Caroline is here. I’m here. And I see Miss Lucy done returned and got you back on track, but you tell her to stay out my damn liquor cabinet.”

        Bonnie laughed through her tears. “It’s not like you can drink any of it.”

        Grams hummed. “I see you have your favorites too.” 

        Bonnie merely glanced at Caroline who was watching the exchange, now trying to make sense of what Grams whispered in her ear. Her face warmed with embarrassment. 

        “Don’t follow in my footsteps you hear,” Grams said. “Drinking has ruined my life in every way possible. I lost my husband, too many jobs to count, my daughter, myself, and my ambition. It’s even tainted the memories you have of me, it’s a miracle you didn’t up and leave. I wouldn't blame you if you did.”

        “I could never leave you, Grams.” Bonnie hugged tighter. “You’re the best and worst part of my life.”

        “Heavy on the worst.”

        They laughed at this and the memories that came to mind, but it didn’t last long when Caroline started asking the real questions which they came here for. “Not to ruin a beautiful moment, but how exactly do we close the door? Is there a lever or key of some sort?”

        Grams pulled away from the hug first despite Bonnie’s lingering, never wanting to break away. Her face was wet with salted tears and she didn’t want to think about her makeup, especially her mascara. She was careful wiping around her eyes for that reason. 

        Bonnie was helped to her feet after Grams stood to get down to business. Once that door was closed, could she leave behind this town and its infestation of vampires and drama behind. 

━━━━━━ ━━━━━━ ━━━━━━

𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔

𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆

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Her phone buzzed against the floorboards beside her. Elena.

hey are you coming tonight? we're doing the bonfire thing, everyone's asking about you

Bonnie stared at it for a long moment, then set the phone face-down without answering. It wasn't that she didn't want to see them. It was that she didn't have it in her to perform being fine for three hours by a fire while Caroline watched her with that soft, worried look and Elena tried to loop her back into whatever crisis was currently eating Mystic Falls alive. There was always a crisis. There was rarely room in it for Bonnie to just be sad.

A knock at the door pulled her out of it, not urgent, just two soft raps, and she knew before she opened it who it'd be.

"You didn't answer your phone," Jeremy said, holding up a paper bag that was already translucent with grease at the bottom. "So I brought bribery."

"It's not bribery if I already like you."

"Sure it is. Bribery just means I brought food. The liking you was optional." He stepped past her without waiting for an invitation, which she found she didn't mind from him the way she minded it from almost anyone else. He dropped onto the old couch in the study like he'd done it a hundred times, because he had. "Onion rings. Extra ones because I know you steal mine."

"I do not steal your onion rings."

"You have literally never once let me finish a serving of onion rings in your presence."

Bonnie huffed something that was almost a laugh, rusty, like she hadn't used the muscle in a while, and folded herself back down onto the floor next to him instead of the couch, close enough to reach the bag.

For a while neither of them said anything. That was the thing about Jeremy that she'd come to rely on more than she probably should admit out loud. He didn't fill silence just to fill it. He ate his fries and looked at the bookshelf, at the rows of dusty spines with Grams' careful labels on some of them, and didn't ask her if she was okay in that voice everyone else used now, the one that made okay sound like a foregone conclusion she was supposed to confirm.

"She used to yell at me for putting my feet on that couch," Bonnie said finally, nodding at it. "Every single time."

"Did you stop?"

"No."

Jeremy smiled, small and real. "Good."

It was easier with him. She'd tried to name why, exactly. Maybe it was that he'd buried people too, had sat in the exact particular quiet that comes after a funeral when everyone else has gone back to their lives and you're the only one still holding the weight of it. Elena grieved out loud, needed to talk it through, needed everyone in the room to feel the same size of sad she did. Caroline grieved by fixing things, by showing up with plans and playlists and well-meaning schedules designed to keep Bonnie too busy to spiral. Jeremy just sat with it. Let it be shapeless and heavy and didn't ask her to organize it into something presentable.

Her phone buzzed again. Then again. She didn't check it.

"That's gonna be Elena," Jeremy said, not quite a question.

"Probably."

"You gonna go?"

"Probably not."

He didn't push, which was, again, the entire point of him. "She means well," he said instead, like he could hear the guilt creeping in around the edges of Bonnie's silence. "She's just... Elena. Everything's a five-alarm fire with her, even the stuff that isn't."

"I know." Bonnie pulled the grimoire back into her lap, thumb tracing the edge of a page without opening it further. "I just don't have five-alarm energy left over right now. For anyone's fire but my own."

"Yeah." Jeremy stretched his legs out, bumping his sock foot against her knee, easy and familiar. "That's allowed, you know. Not having it."

She looked at him sideways. "Since when'd you get so wise."

"Since I buried more people than anyone our age should have to and had a lot of time to think about it." He said it lightly, no self-pity in it, just fact, the kind of thing you could only say flat like that once you'd actually made peace with it. "Turns out you learn things. Not fun things. But things."

Bonnie leaned her head against his shoulder, just for a second, and he let her, didn't make it weird, didn't ask what it meant. The grimoire sat closed in her lap. Outside, the sun was starting to go down, orange light catching the dust in the air, and for the first time in longer than she wanted to admit, the quiet in the house didn't feel quite so much like an accusation.

Her phone buzzed a third time. This one she checked, mostly out of guilt.

Elena: ok well if you change your mind. love you. miss you

She typed back a short love you too, not feeling it tonight and left it at that, ignoring the small twist of guilt in her chest, the sense that she was going to have to actually deal with Elena eventually, that avoidance had a shelf life.

But not tonight.

Tonight there were onion rings, and Jeremy's shoulder, and a house that still smelled like Grams, and that, for now, was enough.

She didn't know yet that three states away, a woman with her own name and her own blood in her veins had just crossed the Mystic Falls town line, an Original vampire trailing after her with his hands in his pockets and absolutely no idea, yet, what he was about to walk into.