Three Years Ago
Whittmore College:
Bonnie just arrived at her dorm, looking depressed about everything that has happened, she walks up the stairs to the room she shared with Caroline and her brother, where she begins to pack up her things. She pulls photos of herself, Chris, Elena, and the others from the corkboard on the wall before putting Ms.Cuddles, which she wanted to give to Chris for Alex, and her other belongings into a cardboard box
She's in the middle of carrying one of the boxes toward the door when she sees the letter Damon left for her prior to his desiccation sitting on the dresser against the nearby wall. She sees her name written on the front in Damon's handwriting and flips it over to find the Salvatore wax stamp sealing it shut and pauses for a moment before unceremoniously shoving it into the box without opening it
She then heads toward the door, where she sees E.G., B.B., C.B., and C.F. carved into the door frame for Elena Gilbert, Bonnie Bennett, Christopher Bennett and Caroline Forbes and smiles sadly at the reminder of her best friends and how far away they are
She walks out the door and down the hallway to take the box to her car, but freezes in her tracks when she sees the shadows of several people entering the dorm.
They're clad in the typical black clothing of the Armory agents, and one pulled a tranquilizer pistol out of thigh holster. Terrified, Bonnie ducks around the staircase, shoving the box on a nearby table as the agents start to walk up the stairs.
Bonnie's breathing becomes rapid until suddenly, Chris appeared behind her and places his hand over her mouth, muffling her scream of fear
Bonnie and Chris watched as the agents continue to flood up the stairs for a moment before Chris vamp sped them away and hid himself and Bonnie on the floor behind a couch away from the Amoury people "Shh" Chris put his finger over his mouth signaling to Bonnie
The agents slowly make their way down the stairs and start to search the dorm. When they hear the characteristic whooshing noise that indicates a vampire super-speeding away, the agents become alarmed and head toward the couch, but when they look behind it, Bonnie and Chris had vanished
Chris vamp sped Bonnie away from the Amoury soldiers and let her go. Bonnie looked at him with wide eyes "What are you doing here? I thought you were in Dallas! What's going on!"
"Enzo warned me that the Armory wanted to bring us in. And I'm not going to let them" Chris informed her
Bonnie looked at him with appreciation of his efforts to save her "Thank you. What do we do n-"
Before she could ask questions, Chris quickly pulled out a syringe and jams it into Bonnie's arm, injecting her with the anti-magic sedative made from Rayna's blood. Bonnie gasps in surprise "Oh..."
Bonnie passed out and went limp in his arms "You should've just took my offer. This is the only other thing we could think of"
~~~~
Present day
Dallas Home:
Chris heard a knock on his houses front door, when he opened it, to his surprise he saw Stefan standing on his doorstep. Stefan looked awkward and uncomfortable about coming here "Hi"
Chris sighed a little "Look, whatevers wrong. I'm busy"
He was about to close the door on Stefan "No. No, no unbusying things, no scar, no running from Rayna. And thank you for your help with that, by the way"
"Not like I had a choice, but you're welcome anyway. As usual, Bennett to the rescue" Chris smiled sarcastically
Stefan looked awkward "So, anyway, I was actually hoping to, uh, speak to Caroline"
"She's not here right now" Chris told him, since she wasn't
Stefan is visibly disappointed by this answer, but tries his best not to show it "Ah...." He hesitates for a moment before pointing behind Chris into the house "Do you think I could...? Oh wait you can't invite me in can you?"
Chris sighs and looks around for a moment before reluctantly nodding and stepping aside "Yeah. Yeah, sure. Come on in"
Stefan looked at him confusingly and smiled politely as he steps over the threshold and into the house "How?"
Alaric frowns as he closes the door behind them "Don't even ask. Took me a week and 2 hours of signatures to loophole so I can get people in my own house. Not that vampires should really be here"
Chris then led Stefan into the kitchen of his house as Stefan around at the place, which looks very lived-in
"Ric, Care and the kids left in a hurry. Trying to stay under the radar 'til this Rayna thing blows over. Rather not have them here in danger"
"No, no, it's, uh...it's nice"
Chris hummed "Yeah, thanks. You'd be amazed what you can accomplish when you have a friend like Caroline. Compel an interior designers and making me compel an entire homeowners' association"
Stefan hummed in confusion" Mm. Thought you were, uh, out of the game?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, the...'supernatural' world?" He put up finger quotes
"Oh, yeah, we are. But have you ever dealt with a homeowners' association?"
Stefan shook his head "No"
"Have you ever delt with an annoyed Chris" He spoke in the third person
"Actually, I have"
"Well then you should half understand"
Stefan seemed to be becoming more uncomfortable by the moment and chuckles politely
"Uh, look, uh, I'd offer you something but 2/6 people here need blood to eat and three of the others are children so, unless you want string cheese with a side of red blood cells, then I suggest we go somewhere else"
Stefan hesitates for a moment before nodding in agreement "I could probably use something stronger" Stefan gets up and heads toward the front door, and Chris nervously bites his lip
~~~~
Dallas Diner:
Stefan and Chris are at a bar and grill diner near Chris' house, where they're seated at a table and drinking beers together
Just then, Chris' phone rings, but when he sees it's Damon, he ignores it, which doesn't escape Stefans attention "You're not gonna answer that?"
"I still don't wanna talk to him"
"Really? Even after trailing a psychopath together?"
"I tolerated that because you were in trouble if you forget. And even then I wasn't entirely happy"
Chris's phone rings again, and he dramatically lifts up his phone and silences it before setting it back on the table.
Stefan sighs in exasperation before he responded to him "What did I do?"
"What do you mean 'what did I do' Three years ago, you told Caroline you'd be with her when things were safe. Rayna got locked up....and you never showed"
"Well, that's not exactly how it went down-" He tried to explain himself
"Well, that's how it went down for Caroline" Chris interupted him
"There's more to the story"
Chris laughed sarcastically "Nothing you felt like sharing then"
"Not at the time, no"
'What an ass' Chris thought to himself. It's clear to Stefan that Chris is not at all pleased by this conversation and the aggravation is clear in his voice "But now....now you're ready. Right. That's why you're here. I mean, forget you couldn't manage even a postcard these last three years, but now that she's built a new life for herself, you're just popping in to share your side of the story"
"Look, I made a choice back then, and I think that she deserves to know what and why"
Chris' phone starts to ring again, but Stefan doesn't pay any attention to it]
"Wow, that's... really nice of you, Stefan, you know? You always do this, when you do wrong you have to always explain yourself. It broke her heart.
Stefan snapped a little at Chris as his phone starts to ring again "Will you just answer the phone, please?"
Chris is now frustrated, and he snaps at Damon as he answers the phone "What the bloody hell do you want now!?"
Damon was in his car following Bonnie and Enzo since Bonnie refused to let him in the car "Where are you? You need to come"
"I thought I already told you to leave me alone. You just don't stop do you?"
"Gold-star guess, Chris. You know me so well. But I need you to come to where I'm going right now"
Chris sighed and throws his free hand out in exasperation, as if to say, 'Really? Now?'
"And tell me. Why would I do that?"
"Long story. It involves Rayna and some pretty nasty phoenix stone vamps and, uh..." Damon takes a deep breath and tries to get Chris to realize how serious the situation is "I'm trying to save someone who hates me. You can relate, right"
Stefan overheard what he was saying and decided to chime in with a sarcastic "Which one? There are so many. Your talking to one right now"
Damon sighs in frustration before he replies "It's Bonnie whose in trouble, Chris"
"Seriously in trouble, or are you tryna get me to come to you for no reason?"
"I know you have no reason to trust me, but I really need the help. Other wise I'm gonna have to do this while watching Bonnie and Enzo being all smooshy and-" He made a fake gagging noise at the end
Chris looks horrified by this revelation as he looks over at Stefan, who looks worried as well as Damon quietly continues "So, you coming or what? We don't have all day you know?"
Chris licks his lips anxiously and sighs before he reluctantly agrees to help "Yeah, obviously I'm coming" Damon then ended the call on him before telling him where he even had to go
"I thought you were mad at him?" Stefan asked "And yet you wanted me to leave when I turned up but go straight to him...."
"What are you insinuating? I'm going to help my sister? Not because Damon asked me to" Chris walked off a little mad at what he was saying
~~~~
Enzos Safehouse:
Enzo laughs at one of Bonnie's remarks as they pull down an old dirt road, which leads to a secluded cabin in the middle of the woods. Damon and Chris pull in behind them in separate vehicles and get out of their cars to join them
"Well, this is....quaint" Damon remarked as he looked at the small cabin in the middle of no where
Enzo grabs Bonnie's bag out of the back of his car before heading toward the cabin "We'll be safe here for a few hours"
"Wherever here is? Damon left me to locate my own way since you didn't tell me where we were surpose to be going" Chris complained with a whinny tone
"If I don't know where we're going, then how can I tell you? Your a witch, your fine" Damon responded as they headed to the cabin which he kept making remarks on "Lonely, cramped, like a prison cell. I can see why you like it"
Bonnie, who was just about to walk in the front door, stops on the doorstep and turns to Damon to give him a dirty look, though she purposely speaks to Enzo instead of him "You know what? He's welcome to go back to his musty old mansion far away from here"
"And miss the chance to see this den of iniquity? No" The four of them walk inside, Damon and Chris each take a look around as Bonnie and Enzo set their belongings down
"Oh. Cozy. It's a big step, moving in with someone" Bonnie rolls her eyes at Damon and gets started on lighting the fireplace. Damon turns to face Enzo, rubbing his hands together in anticipation "All right, let's do this. Where are you hiding that pesky little huntress?"
"Storm cellar. You two, follow me" Enzo turns and walks back out the front door to head to the side cellar door while Damon and Chris follow close behind him
When they left, Bonnie picked up a fireplace poker and looks at it, causing her to be reminded of the first time she ever came to the cabin
~~~~
Flashback, 3 years ago
Enzos Safehouse:
Bonnie after being knocked out by her own brother woke up on a couch next to a warm fire in a wooden cabin. She stood up and walked over to the fireplace when the door then opened. Without looking to see who it was Bonnie looked down and grabbed the fireplace poker and turned around to smack the person
Enzo blocked it with his arm and jumped back as Bonnie went to stab him. Bonnie jumped at him but Enzo grabbed the poker and stopped her
Bonnie then let go and ran to the door to escape but Enzo used his vamp speed to block her. Bonnie panted as she threw her hands out "Motus!!" Her magic wasn't working. She then tried to push past Enzo but he grabbed her
"Look. Hey. Hey!" Enzo shouted while letting go of her "Your not a prisoner, Bonnie. I'm trying to keep you safe"
Bonnie then started to yell at him "Yeah? You got a funny way of showing it! Secluded cabin! Having my brother kidnap me with Anti-magic sedatives!!"
"Well maybe If you listened to, said brother, then he wouldn't have to inject you with magical sedatives. They're to help keep you hidden. Even Chris doesn't know where this place is. I brought you here" Enzo explained to her and Bonnie scoffed at him with an eye roll
Bonnie was still skeptical of his intentions, but when she realizes that she is not in immediate danger, she calmed down slightly, which seems to relieve Enzo as he further explained "Look, I don't know why they want a Bennett, but they want one of you, and in my experience when they're being dodgy then it's best to not let them have it"
"I thought you worked for them" Bonnie said a little angry and confused
"No, my allegiance is to myself. Simpler that way"
"And yet you helped my brother kidnap me" Bonnie said
Enzo, who was still holding the poker in his hands, walked over to the nearby table, which is covered in books and journals, and gestures toward them "Well your an importance to Alex, so I helped. Now, in exchange for protection, plus complimentary room and board, you're gonna do some research for me, college girl. Sift through these and figure out why the Armory is so desperate to get their hands on you Bennetts"
Bonnie gives him a look before replying in a mocking, patronizing tone of voice while tilting her head a little at him "Awe, can Enzo not read?"
Enzo rolled his eyes, but it's obvious he's enjoying their banter as he sits on the edge of the table and pulled a bottle of anti-magic pills out of his hoodie pocket "While I'm away, keeping up appearances with them. If you take one of these every day, you'll be safe. Hidden from locator spells"
"And if I don't?" Bonnie challenged him with her arms crossed across her chest
Enzo shrugged at her "I'm sure Alex has a cozy little cell for you and your family"
"Why are you doing this?" Bonnie asked him suspiciously
"Maybe I'd rather see you alive than dead? Maybe I'm curious about the Armourys plans? Maybe your brother threatened me? Or maybe I'm just showing you common decency. You decide which you want to believe" He told her
Bonnie then sighed at him and closes her eyes for a moment, considering her options and her current situation, before groaning defeatedly "Okay. Say I take you up on this protection, for now. If I stay here. I set the ground rules!" She demanded not taking no for an answer
Enzo seemed quite pleased that she's agreeing to the plan "I expect nothing less"
~~~~
Present Day
Enzos Safehouse:
Meanwhile, Enzo has just brought Damon and Chris downstairs into the storm cellar, where Rayna is frantically scribbling with a black marker like mad on pages of various books that have been torn out of their bindings
Some of what she'd been writing were words, and others are sketches of various shapes, but she'd been writing too quickly to be able to discern what exactly it says or illustrates
She paused for a moment and winced, her face screwed up in pain as a result of all the visions were slowly overwhelming her
Damon looks confused and slightly unnerved by her behavior as he, Chris and Enzo watch from the doorway "What the hell's wrong with her?" Damon asked
Enzo explained to them "Her brain is full of visions. She's still got a mystical connection to all those vampires who escaped the phoenix stone. It's made her a little.....loony"
Rayna grumbled in annoyance as she was kneeled on the ground "I'm right in front of you. You don't have to talk about me in the third person"
"All right, Crazy Pants" Chris said walking over to Rayna and crouches down behind her so they're at eye level "We're here to broker a deal"
"I already told Enzo I don't know how to help your friend" Rayna groaned in more annoyance
"Yeah well, Enzo would take no for an answer. Me, on the other hand? I'm stubborn and that's my sister, so I'm not giving up until we come up with something. Like what if you had some help with those run away prisoners of yours" Rayna stopped writing, clearly intrigued by this proposal, which Damon takes as a good sign "A hit squad, if you will?"
Rayna sighed "I'm listening"
"Well, me, Enzo and...him-" Damon rolled his eyes at Chris "- here would be happy to wipe out anyone off your list in exchange for a teeny favour"
"And what that might be?" Rayna asked
"Oh basically-" Damon said "-we want you to die"
Rayna made a face before rolling her eyes and returning to her writing "That's not really my definition of favour"
"Enzo, tell the lady why this is such an amazing trade" Damon asked
"You're on your last mortal life-" Enzo started to explain
"I'm aware..." Rayna inrerupted
Enzo carried on his explanation "-now, what we'd like to do is to take that shamanic life and transfer it to Bonnie. We think it will heal her"
"What if you're wrong?" Rayna asked
Chris chimed in "I'm a good warlock. I think it will work"
Rayna carried on with her thoughts "If I give up my link to the Everlasting, I'll die"
"Yep. But if you don't, I'll kill the Everlasting, and you'll die anyway" Damon threatened her lightly which made Chris roll his eyes and gives Damon a look that says, 'Really? Not helping', before Damon sighs and tried again "Look, at least this way you get to be a good Samaritan"
Rayna scoffed exasperatedly "Is this really your best sales pitch?"
Chris made a face at Damon and sighed "Alright, ignore him. We're good cop and he's stupid cop"
Damon rolled his eyes and muttered mockingly under his breath as he turns and starts to pace around "Okay...."
Enzo crouched down, ignoring Chris and Damons pettiness, so he can look Rayna in the eyes "You've been chasing vampires every day of your eight lives. Every day. Then a couple of renegade Heretics went and blew up the phoenix stone, and now a bunch of its prisoners are out in the wind again"
Rayna frowned when he realized where Enzo was going with this, and started to consider the implications of what he's talking about "So, for the rest of your remaining days, you will have to chase those vampires to the ends of the Earth until you're too old and too weak. You'll probably die before you can finish the task you've been compelled by destiny to complete"
Damon then decided to help sway her thoughts over "Or, you can let us do your dirty work over the next few days, and you can die with quiet in your mind, peace, and a smile on your face. Hmm?"
Rayna seems annoyed that this is her best option, and grimaces before she finally responds "Prove it"
Damon looked at her confused "Prove what?"
"Prove that you can kill the ones on my list in progress. Clear them from my head"
Enzo sighs dramatically as he stands to his feet and walks over to join Damon and Chris, who makes a face as if to say, 'Hey, it's a start'
"When I can think better I'll consider your deal" Rayna said
"Great! Give me the list" Chris told her as Rayna scooped up the dozens of torn out pages of books that contain her scribbles, and Chris looked alarmed as she shoved them into his hands before turning and sitting back down on the floor so she can continue working on the list
"You couldn't, uh, maybe use one of those psychic connections to conjure up a Google map or anything, huh?" Damon asked her slightly laughing
"The way I see it, those pills you've been using on Bonnie will wear off in the next 48 hours, and the Armory will come calling for her. That's if the withdrawal doesn't escalate her illness. And those vampires could be anywhere. You'd better get started"
Chris made a face at all the pages in his hand that he started to rifle through
~~~~
Two and A Half Years Ago
Enzos Safehouse:
Bonnie just returned to the safe house to find Enzo waiting for her in the cabin "Hey" Enzo greeted her
"Hey. Look!" Bonnie smiled excitedly and walked over to him as she holds out her phone to show him a picture of months old Alex, Josie and Lizzie in their Halloween costumes "Awe. They're growing up so fast"
Enzo makes a face as he looks at the photo and laughed "They look like footballs in pumpkin costumes"
Bonnie laughed at this as she set down her phone and a book with blue pages that she begins to flip through at the breakfast table
"What have you got there?" Enzo asked her curiously
"Blueprints of the Armory's underground levels. You ever been down there?" Bonnie responded
Enzo sits down at the table with Bonnie, a mug of coffee in his hands, as Bonnie starts to strip off her scarf and winter coat to hang up "No, actually. Uh, Alex said they were all sealed off."
"I wonder what's down there? The Armory collects things, right? Every museum has an archive where they keep the really good stuff"
"What sort of good stuff?" Enzo asked her
"I don't know. Unique things. One of a kind things. The outliers of a collection"
"Outliers?"
"Uh-huh. I mean, maybe that's why they wanted Elena" Bonnie said
"A doppelgänger"
"-And Rayna Cruz" Bonnie started to list
"A shamanic huntress with multiple lives"
"My brother"
"A hybrid warlock with powers I still don't understand"
"And me"
"A terrible guitar player" Enzo laughed which made Bonnie give him a look, which turns to a frown when Enzo sees the letter from Damon on the table, still unopened
"You still haven't burned this bloody letter?" He asked
"Every day I mean to, and every day I decide not to"
"You know, he left me, too. Damon. We were best mates, side by side in Augustine cells for five years, each other's only friend. We gave each other hope. And then, one day, instead of implementing an escape plan we formulated together, he left me in a burning cage to die"
Bonnie listened to him speak with interest as he chuckles bitterly "So believe me when I tell you that I know how you feel. And, look, let me just spare you the fifty years of mental anguish. It's not you, it's him, It's just who Damon is. So, stop wasting your time trying to figure out if it's something you did. Someone like you, with all that fire and passion and...loyalty, you deserve much, much better than that"
Bonnie seemed genuinely touched by his words and the fact that Enzo had just opened up to her, and so she smiled at him