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When Bonnie opens her eyes next, she finds herself in Elena's room, on her best friend's bed with Damon sitting next to her.

"Hey Bonnie," he smiles cockily. "Long time no see."

In a split-second he's on top of her, pinning her underneath him. She tries to scream but he covers her mouth with his palm while restricting her arms with his free hand.

"Ssshhh..." he whispers in her ear. "You don't want to piss me off again, witch. I might not be as nice this time."

Panic and fear surges through her but once the initial wave of emotions subside, it's her anger that kicks in - the last thing she wants is to give Damon the satisfaction of seeing her helpless.

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now," he snarls, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief.

With her moment of clarity comes a sudden burst of courage. Bonnie knees him hard in the groin and when Damon, taken aback by surprise, yelps and releases his hold on her arms, she lays her hands on his chest intending to push him away. Suddenly an intense concentration of energy - one unlike she's ever experienced before – rushes through her body and into her hands resulting in a massive surge of power that strikes Damon's chest. He's flung against the wall in the opposite corner of the room and drops to the floor with a massive thud.

Immediately Bonnie sits up, and from the dazed look on his face, it's obvious she's not the only one stunned by what just happened. However, Damon is the first one to recover.

Standing up, he flashes a smug smile in her direction. "So the witch likes to play rough."

"Get out."

"Not your house," he sneers. "You don't get to play hostess."

"Don't make me regret not killing you."

"Getting cocky, are we?"

"I could have killed you very easily before," she replies, surprised by her own confidence.

"But you didn't. Stupid, stupid, stupid," he says, shaking his head. "And now it's my turn to have some fun."

"What are you going to do?"

"Don't worry. Foreplay's on the menu."

"As is vervain. Why don't you bite me again?"

His smile widens. "I'm going to enjoy sucking you dry."

"You're not very smart, Damon."

"Says the girl who's taunting a vampire."

Suddenly Elena barges into the room, surveying Bonnie with concern. "Are you okay?" Spotting Damon, she turns to confront him. "What are you doing here, Damon?"

"I was hungry so I thought I'd come by and help myself to some witch."

"You're not funny," Elena says in a reprimanding tone, taking a seat next to Bonnie.

Damon smirks. "Then it's a good thing I'm hot. Looks are so much more important than a sense of humour."

"Did he hurt you, Bonnie?" Elena asks, curving her arm around her best friend's shoulders.

"He can't. Not anymore," Bonnie replies, her gaze remaining focused on Damon.

"Don't tempt me, witch."

"Damon, leave!" Elena yells.

"Alright, alright, don't get your panties in a twist," he sighs. "Or maybe you're not wearing any?"

"Get the hell out of here!" Bonnie and Elena bark in unison.

"'night, Elena," he says with a mischievous smile. Just before he exits the room, he whirls around to look at Bonnie. "Till next time, witch." And then he's gone.

"How did I get here?" Bonnie asks.

"Stefan found you in his house. What were you doing there?"

"I went to kill Damon."

"Are you serious? Do you have any idea how easily he could have killed you?"

"I didn't care."

"Bonnie-"

"I'm tired. I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Turning away from Elena, Bonnie lies back on the bed.

"If you need to talk, I'm here."

Bonnie doesn't reply.

Eventually, Elena leaves and goes back downstairs.

*****

Biting into her sandwich, Elena watches after Bonnie as her best friend heads to the parking lot. Ever since her grandmother passed away, Bonnie has been distant with everyone. That in itself is not surprising considering that's exactly how Elena behaved after iher/i parents died but it concerns Elena that Bonnie's withdrawal has led to her skipping classes almost daily and spending most of her time practising her powers.

"Hey." Stefan kisses the top of her head before sitting down next to her. "What's wrong?"

"Bonnie's cutting class again."

"That's the third time this week."

"I know," she sighs. "I tried to talk to her about it but she wasn't in a mood to listen."

"Maybe her dad can get through to her."

"I think she's still mad at him for going out of town so soon after the funeral." Linking her fingers with Stefan's, Elena squeezes his hand. "I wish there was something I could do to help her."

"Just be there for her."

"Doesn't seem enough."

"It's all you can do."

Elena sends him a worried smile. "Is Damon back?"

Stefan shakes his head 'no'. "It's been nice not having him around."

"Where do you think he went?"

"He didn't say anything, but I suspect he went looking for Katherine."

"At least we don't have to worry about him going after Bonnie now."

"Or vice versa."

She looks at him quizzically. "You don't really believe Bonnie can hurt Damon, do you?"

"Witches can be very powerful."

"But Bonnie isn't... I mean... she just discovered her powers..."

"She's in a dark place right now. For some witches that's when they're at their strongest."

An uneasy feeling comes over Elena as she ponders the strange turn her and Bonnie's lives have taken. There was a time when everything was simple and uncomplicated and it seemed nothing bad would ever touch them. But now-

"Hey, don't worry," Stefan reassures her, grazing her temple with his lips. "We'll take care of her. No matter what."

"Why are you so good to me?" she murmurs, leaning in for a kiss.

"Because I love you," he smiles. "And you make it easy."

"Good answer."

Wrapping her arms around him, she closes her eyes and breathes in his scent. Her body sinks into his, and, for the time being at least, it feels like everything is right again.

*****

Focusing her energy on the branch sitting on the ground, Bonnie tries to strike it with the same intensity of power she did Damon. Instead it starts rotating quickly, rises up few inches in the air and quickly drops to the ground. Frustrated, Bonnie plops down on the dirt and contemplates her next move.

Since the night she attacked Damon, Bonnie has tried several times to reproduce her powers; her attempts, thus far, have proven to be fruitless. And even though her telekinetic abilities have improved significantly, it still doesn't feel like it's enough. After all, if Bonnie had the strength and ability to resolve her own problems, Damon would never have involved grams in his plot and she would still be alive today. Bonnie never wants to be in a position again where she can't protect the people she loves.

"Well, well, well. Look what I found: my very own Blair witch in the woods."

Bonnie doesn't need to turn around to know whose patronising voice it is.

Damon.