In Another Life • The Vampire Diaries

Chapter Five

Bonnie woke up groggily to the sound of her name, and was surprised when she saw Elena running a wet towel across her forehead. It didn't do much to soothe the pain that rang through her head. They were in a small bathroom, Bonnie lying in a bathtub. Elena explained that they were here, probably because of the tomb and Emily's spell book. That just added fuel to her confusion, but Elena told her everything that she'd gone through the past few days. Fake promising Damon that they'd help him find the items he needed to open the tomb. Then no one other than Ben Mckittrick - who apparently was a vampire now - barged into the room and forced them out into what looked like a motel room.

Anna stood, casually leaned against a desk in front of a curtained window, Bonnie crossed her arms. "Well well, Elena Gilbert. You really are Katherine's Doppelganger." She smiled, patronisingly. "You must have the Salvatore boys reeling."

"Who are you?" Elena asked.

"I'm Anna." She looked at Bonnie for the first time. "Bonnie didn't mention me? Can't say I'm not a little hurt by that."

"I think we're even considering you bashed my head against my car."

"I didn't want to hurt you." Anna said. If it wasn't for the fact that she'd been lying to her for weeks and that she was a vampire Bonnie would of believed her.

"But you will if I don't give you what you want, right?" Bonnie said, and when Anna didn't respond, she took her silence as a yes. Elena looked at Bonnie with a worry, that Bonnie was sure she could see in her own eyes.

Some time passed, and Anna lost her talking mood. She moved to the window, peering past the curtain every once in a while. Elena held Bonnie's hand, and together they nervously sat down at the foot of the bed. This couldn't be happening. How could she have been so stupid and not seen who, what Anna really was? Was she like Damon, with no regard for human life, or was she like Stefan, who tried to be better than what his nature demanded? Kidnapping her and using her best friend as leverage to get what she wanted didn't do much to prove the latter, but maybe, just maybe.

"I can't open the tomb Anna." Bonnie said, her tone cautious.

Anna turned around. "You mean you won't."

"If all those vampires are released into Mystic Falls, they'd be a bloodbath, I won't let that happen."

"Then I won't let all of them out, just one."

"Do you really want Katherine out that bad?" Elena asked.

"Trust me. No one I know wants to see that girl again." Anna said. "Except Damon, the love-struck idiot."

"Then what is it. Or who is it?" Elena asked.

"My mother's in there." Anna said, slowly walking towards them. Her mother, who was supposed to be in the military, who she hadn't seen in a while. One hundred and fifty years to be exact, everything was starting to make so much more sense. "Katherine couldn't help herself. She just had to toy around with both of the Salvatore brothers. And when she got caught, so did my mother. I watched Johnathan Gilbert take her away."

"I'm sorry." Elena said, sincerely.

Anna paused for a moment, and then she looked at Bonnie. "Now you see why I had to do this."

Bonnie wanted to hold on to her anger, she really did, but imagining everything Anna had to go through over the last century or so. Having to live without a mother who didn't leave her by choice, having to find a way to get her out of an impossible situation, she couldn't.

"Do what exactly?" Elena asked, and Anna picked up a phone from the table, Elena's phone.

"This belongs to you." Anna said, and Elena immediately tried to grab her phone, but Anna quickly pulled it away from her reach. "Ah-ah." She walked back to her spot by the window as she dialled a number. Bonnie assumed she was probably talking to Stefan. Anna told him Elena was fine and would be, if she got Emily's grimoire. She wanted either Damon or Stefan to meet her at the town square in thirty minutes to discuss working together. Then she hung up and moved to the bathroom door, she knocked. "I'm leaving." Ben came out.