there is a darkness
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries
Pairing: Bonnie/Klaus, Tyler, Stefan, Damon, one sided Bonnie/Jeremy, Caroline/Matt, Elena/Stefan, Damon
Warnings: spoilers for the finale, blood, some gore, sexual situations
Notes: All my Bonnie Bennett feelings have spilled into this one fic, bear with me.
Summary: It's a power thing, Bonnie realizes. And that changes everything.

-x-

Bonnie wonders if there's always been an appeal of the vampires—that want to take, to claim. To grow in power. Perhaps that is why she's tolerated them all along. It has to be. Because Bonnie understands it. At least, some of it. There is something so commanding about wanting power. She tastes it—it comes in bursts, running through her veins as she breathes in and out but feels so soft on her tongue as she speaks.

"You will not harm them."

Its sweetness caresses her and she straightens her shoulders, feeling that familiar warmth as a different color invades her irises. The chambers whisper with her magic, surrounding her, striking him. She loves it, every second of it. This is what it feels like to be in control. To know what is going on, to know that she is the reason this has happened and no one can stop it.

His eyes look into hers, nowhere else. When she raises an eyebrow, he bows his head slowly. The mere act makes him seem smaller. Submission. Bonnie doesn't smile but she knows somewhere in her features shows satisfaction.

"Darkness suits you, Bonnie," Tyler's voice scatters her thoughts. It's not Tyler, she tells herself. But the reminder of what she's done, what she's feeling, breaks some of that dominance off her. She breathes in deeply before backing away, realizing how close they are. Klaus glances back up at her with a smirk—it's so much more sinister than Tyler could ever muster and it doesn't look right on his face. "What's wrong, love?"

"Remember," she says in a low tone, warning him, "If you hurt my friends, your life could get so much more miserable than being in a teenage boy's body."

"Much better than a life in a coffin," cocking Tyler's head to the side, Klaus' smirk turns to a grin and she suppresses the urge to shiver. On Tyler, everything has changed. His expression changes when hers doesn't. "I wouldn't dream doing anything tragic now. Besides," Tyler's eyes flicker over her for a moment, "I am now indebted to a witch."

"Then you are indebted for life."

For there is nothing she will ever need from a vampire. No more.

-x-

Klaus hides himself from the rest of the world, something he easily did before. Bonnie can feel him. Sometimes, when he is close enough, she can't help but feel the brush of two souls trapped in one body, a consuming battle of power. She closes her eyes and reaches out with magic, touching Tyler and calms him. Klaus in regains control of the body. She wonders if Tyler could win the battle, if Klaus would give up. But he lives so that the rest may survive.

There are times when she knows he is standing close by, whether it's in a grocery store or in the back garden. She can hear his quiet breathing. Her magic fights him still, conflicted, for she cares more for one soul and not for the other. Sometimes, if she closes her eyes, she feels something like a hand brush the small of her back, like a reminder, letting her know he still exists.

-x-

Caroline tells her everything. Tells her she knows Tyler's alive but he hasn't contacted her yet. Bonnie nods sympathetically, feigning the shock at Caroline's news. The blonde quivers in her sorrow. Her love for the hybrid transcends most teenage love. Bonnie would pray to the spirits for the young vampire to have peace but the spirits are on her bad side.

"I don't know what to do," Caroline whispers because her voice trembles. The vampire embraces Bonnie tightly—almost too tightly—crying and asking incoherent questions. Bonnie wants to tell her everything. Caroline is closest to her heart in all of this. Caroline is the one who would stand guard. Caroline is the one who listened. Caroline is the one who loves her.

Bonnie kisses her atop the head and answers, "You're a survivor, Caroline."

It's true.

-x-

She's certain both Stefan and Damon suspect it's not over. Something is wrong but they don't ask her anything. She wonders if it's because they don't think she could do anything like it or if they don't believe she'd hide it from them.

A mistake, she realizes. Because maybe something has changed.

-x-

She has a dream that night. It's familiar and foreign all at once. Bonnie twists her hands in mid-spell, eyes aglow, and she breathes in deeply with a smile.

Power.

Tyler's there. She knew that for an unknown reason. He's behind her, watching her and she has a feeling he's mystified. It's dark and she's unsure if she's in a room or outside. When she glances up, two more figures appear. Klaus and Stefan. Confused, Bonnie looks around for anyone else, Carolina, Jeremy, Elena, anyone.

Her hands move on their own and something cooling and gleaming slithers around her fingers and she flicks it their way. Sparks fly through the air and she spies Stefan hold what he can to his chest.

Something touches her shoulder and she turns to Tyler. He's looking expectant, like she had forgotten him. She opens her mouth to say she hasn't.

But she wakes up and it doesn't matter anymore. Bonnie convinces herself it doesn't.

-x-

A vampire threatens Elena's existence once again. It soon didn't matter to Bonnie why he wanted her, however. He's sickly pale, blue veins show through his skin. He comes for Elena as Stefan drives her and Bonnie home. The car is thrown to the side of the road, knocking them into the ditch. Bonnie can feel her eyes flare as Stefan tears off the car doors to get them out. As he drags Elena out and moves to grab hold of Bonnie's hand, he's suddenly tackled.

Elena screams his name and Bonnie watches with wide eyes as Stefan is thrown into a tree trunk. The assailant runs his fist into Stefan's jaw and Bonnie hears a crack. There's another scream. Bonnie holds her breath when Elena runs towards them. Bonnie hurries to get out of the vehicle as the attacker drops Stefan and turns to Elena. In a blur, he has the brunette by her neck.

"Who are you?" Elena hisses, gritting her teeth.

Stefan struggles to get back up. The vampire sneers, opening his mouth to speak.

There's a sudden blast of light in the darkness. The energy hits him right in the head and he falls to the cold grass. He releases his hold on Elena and she scrambles to Stefan. Another blast. Fire. Everything is illuminated and Bonnie only has a moment to see the shocked faces of her friends as she walks towards the vampire.

This time, she allows a stream of fire curl over her arm, bending down and digging her nails into his throat. Before he can react to defend himself, Bonnie is giving him aneurisms. He screams; the painful, high-pitched sound fills the night. That dominance, the power, surges through her with each heartbeat and she chuckles.

"So petty," she says quietly, something dark and menacing lining her voice.

When she presses her hand to his chest, stopping his heart, something in his eyes dies and Bonnie is a little surprised she's not disturbed. Elena shrieks when she tears the heart out and throws it away. Bonnie looks back and Elena's quiet and Stefan moves towards the corpse. After Stefan rids them of the body, they begin walking home. Elena says something about a new group out to kill her again. While she speaks, Stefan catches Bonnie's eye and nods to her hand. She looks down at her fingers, blanketed in blood.

Bonnie cocks her head to the side and smiles. Red is a beautiful color.

-x-

Jeremy tries to rekindle whatever they can from their previous relationship. She smiles at his attempts. It's sweet, in a way. He shows up at her doorstep with flowers and she thinks it's so traditional. Something Jeremy would do. Something she would have appreciated a year ago. He offers them to her. Red and white roses. They're from the local Wal-Mart. She knows because she saw them on sale a day ago.

"I know…a lot has happened," he breathes out, nervously, "But is it possible we could…y'know…try again?"

Bonnie blinks slowly and sighs. It's not that she doesn't want to. Her love for him is there. It curls in a small corner of her heart, to stay, always. She looks at him and it swells but not a forcefully as before. He's right—a lot has happened. Perhaps too much. She remembers being cheated out of that love. She remembers some of that humiliation and being tied to someone who probably didn't love her as much she loved him.

Something in his features turns to some desperation and he looks directly into her eyes. His hands brush against her arms, as if he wants to hug her but stops short. "Bonnie…I—I need this, okay?"

Need.

Bonnie averts her eyes in thought. Need. Has she ever needed this? A relationship of the romantic sort? Or any relationship to begin with? She needed Grams. She needed Elena. And yet, she has survived without them. Grams is gone and Elena is hardly involved. Need. What does she need?

"Bonnie," Jeremy whispers, stepping closer and she feels his body warmth, "I love you."

She snaps her eyes to his and tilts her head to the side. He's searching her face for something but he won't find it, she knows. She smiles again, wider than before.

"Thank you."

-x-

Jeremy kisses her after that. When he pulls away, she simply asks if he'd like something to drink. There's a moment when something like disappointment passes through his features. He nods numbly and she lets him outside. Jeremy takes her hand in his and she lets him.

She feels a familiar presence and scans the front, looking for Tyler's form before closing the door.

-x-

The dreams that seem to matter stay in Bonnie's memory for most of the day.

This one allowed her to stay in the comfort of her bed, warm and secure. Someone was lying next to her, sleeping as she stared up at the ceiling. Bonnie remembers not wanting to know the identity of whoever it was. Part of her wished it to be Caroline—she always felt the most secure with her.

But she turns her head anyway and spies Tyler's form immediately. He's facing her, features contorted in trouble. She brings her hand to touch his brow, skimming her fingers across his skin. Almost instantly, he seems to calm down. It reminds her of reaching out with her magic, having to give him some peace whenever she feels him near.

Later in the day, Bonnie wonders why she would have to have a dream about him in the first place.

-x-

She doesn't want to admit it could be guilt.

-x-

Her father's business takes him away still. She doesn't care.

At least Abby is trying to be a parent. And she comes by at least five times a month, finding self-control and peace with her daughter. Bonnie's discovering appreciation in her mother. It doesn't change what's happened in the past. But she's trying. They both are.

-x-

Another vampire comes through Mystic Falls. This time, mistaking Bonnie for a hopeless victim. She had been walking from the bank that night, after visiting Elena and Stefan.

It slams her against a brick wall. She's yelling out a spell and the vampire's body violently rips apart. Flesh hits the ground with thuds. Blood rains over her.

When she looks up, Stefan's there (midnight walk? Bonnie wants to laugh; he probably had been following her). He looks tense, footing in position like he was about to attack. But she had taken care of it. And she didn't need him (she didn't need any vampire). When she looks into his eyes, she catches something intriguing.

"Goodnight, Stefan," her voice comes out in a half-hearted laugh.

-x-

Stefan never asked many questions. Never doubted her.

-x-

Elena expresses how doubtful Jeremy feels about their current relationship to Bonnie. "Are you two together now? He's not sure, you know."

Bonnie shrugs her shoulders, though she knows the answer. Never again. For some reason, she cannot go back to what was. It feels foreign now. Something weaker and unstable. A life of uncertainty. She wonders if this is what real change feels like. Perhaps this is what Caroline went through or Tyler and Stefan.

But she fakes a smile anyway. "We'll figure it out, Elena."

-x-

She doesn't care if Elena buys it or not anymore.

-x-

a/n

-x-

So if you like Beremy, probably not the fic for you. Just a fair warning.

Posted at livejournal as well.
Enjoy.