When Bonnie came to, she was lying in a field of grass. The sun was warm on her face and there was a gentle gust of wind that threatened to force her hair to tickle the skin beneath her nose. Her eyelids fluttered, malachite hues brightening to the sight of a washed-out blue tint that splayed itself across the canopy of trees. A low groan pushed itself up from her chest as she remembered the last twenty minutes and mentally kicked herself.

"Shit!"

"Language, young lady!"

For a moment, Bonnie had forgotten to breathe. Because she hadn't heard that voice in a very long time. The voice of the one person who had remained constant in her life for a very long time. Sitting up slowly, Bonnie craned her neck and saw the image of her Grams slowly approaching her from the edge of the forest nearby.

"G-Grams?"

Without even questioning it, the young witch scrambled to her feet and hurled herself into her grandmother's arms. Bonnie bit back a sob that was lodged in her throat - threatening to spill out of her as tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes. She took comfort in the warmth that exuded from her as Sheila stroked through her hair in soothing motions. The older witch's shushing had calmed the trembling of her shoulders and it calmed Bonnie long enough to pull back so her Grams could wipe her tears fo her face.

"What are you doing here, Grams?"

Her grandmother's lips formed into a thin line - brows furrowing in both concern and hesitation. Bonnie canted her head slightly.

"Did something happen?"

It was the only explanation that she could come up with. And it had to have been important, considering what had been happening not even ten minutes ago. Her grandmother wouldn't interrupt something like that unless it was important or…

And then it hit Bonnie. It was like a mountain had collapsed in her stomach and the world around her grew just a little bit darker despite the sun being out. Her grandmother continued to hold her by the shoulders and, despite her sudden revelation, Bonnie couldn't stop the bemused smirk from spreading across her lips.

"I'm dead..."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement of fact. Bonnie had died and she was now on The Other Side.

She suddenly sputtered into a tiny fit of laughter. "...well, damn."

It took about an hour for Bonnie to finally settle down. Her Grams led her out of the forest and toward a small cottage. Curious as to why they weren't heading to her home, Bonnie seemed to hesitate a margin. However, the knowing glance Grams gave her was enough to urge her steps forward again. She could only assume that her grandmother didn't want to keep repeating her days on The Other Side as she had in life and, as a result, opted to live in a place close to the forest.

Once inside, Bonnie drank in her surroundings and couldn't help but smile at the modest furnishings and decorations. It was minimalistic but functional. Her Grams had added in her personal touches, of course, but otherwise it felt different. But not in the bad way. Just...different.

Sinking onto a nearby couch, Bonnie faced her Grams when the older witch took her hands in hers. They drank in each other's presences a little longer before Bonnie sighed. May as well address the Elephant in Room.

"So," she started, almost surprised at how foreign her voice sounded in her ears, "how long have I been dead?"

"Not long." Sheila sighed. "A couple of hours, maybe?"

"Has anyone found my body yet?" Bonnie paused, biting back the urge to laugh. "Is there even a body to be found?"

The older Bennett witch shook her head. "No, Baby. No one has found you yet." A pained smile formed on her Grams' lips. "Though, I imagine it won't take long for Caroline to locate you."

"Good." She wasn't too keen on the idea of her body being food for the animals. "...and the other-"

"Dead." Sheila gave a wistful smile. "All of them."

Bonnie held a hand up in the air and patted the empty space above. "Praise."

"Did you want to talk to her?" Bonnie met her grandmother's expectant gaze. "Caroline, I mean."

She thought about saying something, but the words didn't come. She shook her head roughly back and forth. "No point. She's been to one of my funerals. No need to subject her to another one."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Bonnie said with a shrug. "Besides, I always told her that if I ever died to just burn my body. She knows the game plan."

There was another long stretch of silence that echoed between them. It was at this moment that Bonnie realized that there was a fire roaring in the hearth just a few feet from her. Her eyes seemed to linger there, watching the pale flames dance along the logs with no real purpose. It felt like some unknown force was pulling Bonnie toward it.

It wasn't until the muffled sound of her Grams rang in her ears did she blink and pull herself from the pull of the flames. "Huh?" She turned to face the older woman. "What was that, Grams?"

Sheila shook her head and sighed. "I said that you don't belong here, baby."

Bonnie blinked. "What do you mean?"

She felt her grandmother's fingers raking through her hair, the tips resting at the base of her neck. "I want you to find peace, Bonnie. You won't find it here."

The younger Bennett witch smiled but her brows furrowed in confusion. "Grams, I'm here with you. What more do I need?" Bonnie felt her eyes moving back toward the fireplace. "Besides, I'm tired."

Her grandmother laughed and the vibrations danced along Bonnie's skin. "You're far too young to be tired now, girl."

"But I am, Grams!" She stood up from the couch. "I've been tired ever since I locked Elena, Damon and Stefan up in that damn tomb." Her legs had her pacing back and forth. "Jeremy's dead. The Originals have gone back to New Orleans." Suddenly, she threw her hands up in the air. "And I've been cleaning up their messes back in Mystic Falls ever since." Casting a glance over her shoulder, she watched her Grams slowly rising to stand as tears pricked the corners of her eyes. "I'm tired, Grams."

Sheila reached her hands out to grasp Bonnie's shoulders. "Even more of a reason why you shouldn't be here, Child. There is still so much for you to do. So much for you to learn."

She pulled her against her, letting her head rest along her chest and Bonnie finally let loose a sob she'd been holding back. It was like she was a teenager all over again.

"But, in the meantime, you've earned a break."

Bonnie's arms circled her grandmother and she openly wept as the older witch stroked her hair.

The air changed.

She had barely noticed it at first. It had felt like a whisper along the nape of her neck. Bonnie almost thought it was just a trick of the mind. But the longer her grandmother continued to stroke her hair, the more prominent the whisper became. It caused goosebumps to pepper across her skin.

Taking a step back, Bonnie was about to ask if her grandmother was aware of the change in the air. But when she lifted her head up, she was alone. Completely. Standing in a void of black emptiness. Bonnie's heart lurched in her throat as she quickly looked around, her legs already eating up the vastness that surrounded her.

There was nothing.

Ting.

The sound of a single bell chime struck through the air, causing Bonnie to scream and cover her ears. It was loud as thunder and her entire body shivered from the rough vibrations running up the length of her - rattling her bones. Tears slid down her face as the ringing pounded through her brain and struck her lungs, making it difficult to breathe.

Darkness closed in all around her, swallowing her whole until there was nothing left. Not even the echoes of her screams.

Her shrieking gasp was the first thing Bonnie heard. It felt like a literal mountain had been lifted off her chest. Fingers clawed the air and her chest simultaneously. She had attempted to open her eyes, but the light from the sun quickly forced them shut. Her shrieks quickly spiraled into a horrible coughing fit that cut through her chest like a knife.

Forcing herself to roll over, her nose was swiftly buried in blades of freshly cut grass. It caused the pain in her chest to escalate - features screwing up in agony as fingers dug into the dirt. Her boots scraped across a hard surface and it felt like something hot was searing into her flesh.

And then, just as suddenly as it came, the pain vanished. The weight on Bonnie's chest disappeared and she could suddenly breathe again. Blinking wildly, she quickly scrambled to her feet. There were streaks of green left behind from grass stains, but she barely took notice of it. Her soiled palms further ruined her jeans as she stood and she could only imagine what her hair looked like.

The world was vibrant in color but the sun beat down on her heavily, making the weighted peacoat she was wearing feel uncomfortable. Her arms shrugged out of it and she slung it over one arm while attempting to fix her errant hair. Before she knew it, Bonnie's legs were walking down the hauntingly empty streets. It was like she already knew where she was, because she did.

As she walked, her body did semi-circles in every direction. Green eyes drank in the familiar landscape but something seemed...off.

"Grams," she mumbled, her legs forcing her to a halt in front of a house. A house she knew too well. Her grandmother's house. "...what did you do?"

She'd felt like she was being watched all day.

The feeling crept up her back two days after she'd arrived in what she had affectionately dubbed as "Apocalypse Falls". Because there was no other way to describe it. The town Bonnie had grown up in was a ghost town. There were no other people but it was like time had frozen in that place. The town was too quiet. The world felt too quiet.

It wasn't until the fifth day that she'd noticed the Eclipse. She wondered why the world kept getting dark at a certain period of time every single day. Honestly, it had been an afterthought for her. After all, she was still trying to wrap her head around being in that place - seemingly the only living soul there.

Well, except for that creepy stalker vibe she kept getting.

Bonnie went shopping at the end of the week to resupply and picked up her preferred brands of bathroom essentials. She left money on the counter. It was more of a comfort thing for her than anything else in that retro world reality she was currently in.

The stalker feeling remained present the following week but Bonnie didn't seem to mind. Maybe it was in her own head. If so, she took comfort in it. It helped her feel less lonely and allowed her to forget her fear that always threatened to take hold of her at night.

Was this the break that her Grams had been talking about?

It wasn't so bad - the solitude. The quiet helped her think and process - reflecting on all the things that had happened up till that very moment. It certainly wasn't the worst holiday retreat ever.

The fear returned at full force when she went shopping the next week. She froze after taking three steps into the store.

The money on the counter was gone.

AN: I cannot believe I wrote this in 3 weeks! This is ridiculous! Thank you everyone in Bonkamily for all of your support and love. Thank you Tomi for beta-reading through this shit. Now that I got this out of my system, I can get back onto The Gamble. I know you guys are ready. But in the meantime, please enjoy this. It's my gift to you, Bonkamily. I love you.