The Balance

Chapter 35

"How's operation get your brother to remember you?" Klaus asks me through the phone.

I sigh, "Damon is in charge of that, which based of the text I've gotten from him. It's not going." I blob down onto the couch, "How's your brother operation going?"

"Rebekah found where Elijah's body is being held, but he refuses to leave until he learns more about the powerful witch." Klaus sounds annoyed, "on top of that, the witches tried to kill Hayley last night in the bayou."

I gasp, "is she okay?" My heart races at the thought of the baby getting hurt.

"Yeah," Klaus reassures me, "She is fine love, I've got to go. Off to find more information from Marcel."

Jeremy walks in the house right as I hang up.

"Hey Jer," I stand up, "I thought you were with Matt trying to get ahold of Bonnie."

He frowns, "Uh yeah," He rubs the back of his neck, "I'm waiting for Damon to get here."

"Why?" I ask him.

"I figured it would be easier to tell him first." Jeremy sighs.

"Tell him what?" I ask again.

Jermey frowns and sits down. We both wait for Damon to walk in. Okay. Where is she? Call her. Get her here."

Jeremy stands up, "That's the problem. I can't actually call her. No one can."

Damon and I both look confused at each-other.

Jermey hesitates, "I've been lying to everyone for months, and I can't keep lying knowing that everyone's waiting for her to swoop in and save the day."

Damon cocks an eyebrow, "I don't speak "crazy-person," Jer. You're gonna have to translate that for me."

Jeremy throws his hands up. "Think about it, Damon. I was dead. I wasn't supposed to come back."

"Yes, exactly." I say to him, "The beauty of Bonnie magic, which is what we need right now."

Jeremy shakes his head, "You're not hearing me. Magic finds a balance. I'm not supposed to be here."

I slowly start to register what he is saying, I sit down and feel my stomach drop. "No.."

"You can't just bring sombody back from the dead. There is always a price to pay for it." Jeremy continues.

Damon shakes his head, "Don't say it, Jeremy. Don't you dare."

Jermey ignores him, "She didn't show up to her dad's funeral, Damon. Nobody has spoken to her all summer."

"You say it, and everything in Elena's life goes to crap, do you understand me? Everything changes." Damon pleads. "Don't."

Jeremy looks down at his feet, "Bonnie's dead."

"No," A sob rips out of my chest and tears start to roll down my face.

"Damn it, Jeremy! You realize what you just did?!" Damon starts walking away from Jeremy. "Why would you say that?!"

"I'm sorry. People need to know." Damon looks very upset. He starts walking towards Jeremy and it looks like he's going to punch him, but he gives him a hug. Damon exhales and he looks very sad.

Damon pulls away and grabs me, "shhh it's okay," He kiss my head, "it's going to be okay."

•••

After the news of Bonnie, Stefan ran away from Elena last night. Luckily Caroline found him just in time before he kill an innocent person. I'm standing in the crypt, wearing a black dress with black heels, I turn to see Stefan walk in.

"Hey. How you feeling?" I ask him.

Stefan shrugs, "Hmm. I'm feeling better, which in my world means I haven't committed a homicide. I've been doing a lot of thinking today, a lot of wandering around, and this seemed like the most appropriate place to come." He looks at me. "What's wrong?"

"It's Bonnie. My friend, our friend. She's dead." I bite my lip.

"Uh...What—what happened?" Stefan hesitates.

"Please don't ask because then I'm going to have to try to come up with an answer, which means I'm gonna have to actually think about it, and then I'll start crying, and I'm afraid that I might not ever be able to stop." I say.

"Hmm."  I sit on a stone bench. Stefan sits beside me. "I'm sorry. I...I wish that I could remember her."

"I don't know." I whisper, "Part of me just wishes that I could trade places with you because without all the memories, maybe it wouldn't hurt so damn much."

"It's okay." Stefan squeezes my hand.

"It's not. I'm never gonna see her again, and I have no idea where Tyler is,  Klaus is having a baby with another woman and I just got so used to them being there all the time, and now what? I'm supposed to just learn to move on without them? How do I do that when all I have is this sadness and this anger and.." I cry out.

"Me. You have me. Look. According to all those diaries you are my little sister and it sounds like you're always there for me." He places his hand on mine, "So let me be there for you, okay?"

•••

I exit the crypt and seeing Damon holding Elena. Everyone is dressed in funeral attire, I walk up to Matt.

"Hey," I whisper, "how you holding up?"

He blinks, "I just don't understand how she is gone."

I blink back tears, "I know. Me either."

"Have you heard from Tyler? Do you know if he is going to come?" He asks me.

I shake my head, "He won't return my calls."

Jeremy appears. "It's time."

We walk towards a stump of a tree, where Jeremy, wearing a black suit, places a picture frame on top. Caroline approaches the stump and places black and red cheerleading pom poms on top. Matt, who's wearing a bandage around his cut hand, then places a his lifeguard whistle on the stump. I step forward and place a burnt candle down, the same candle she used for the spell to keep me trapped when Damon kidnapped me from Klaus before I knew he was my brother.  Elena scatters white feathers over the stump and all the other items, then she backs out crying and Caroline hugs her. Damon places Bonnie's grimoire on the stump.

Matt squeeze my hand. I look up at him as a tear rolls down my face.

Jeremy grabs a bell that was sitting on the stump. "We ring this bell in honor of Bonnie, in remembrance for her." He rings the bell and places it back on the stump. "I'm not sure what else to say."

He pauses, "She says that she's not going anywhere, that she has been here all along. Bonnie has watched you have the summer of your life." Jeremy looks at Elena, "And I saw you happy, and I know you think now that you can't have a normal life.. that you have to be there for everyone, but you don't. Everyone will find their way, so you are gonna repack your things, you're gonna go back to college, and you're gonna live it up."

Jeremy turns towards Matt, "You didn't do anything wrong, Matt. You know I would have sent you three hundred e-mails back if I could. I miss you."

Jeremy turns to Caroline, "Caroline...I watched you decorate that dorm room like your life depended on it. We laugh. "And I know that college isn't everything you expected but you'll enjoy it.

Jeremy turns towards me, "Allison, I know you're hurt because that wolf girl is giving Klaus something you wish you could give him and that you feel like something's missing, but...Tyler..." I turn and see Tyler walking through the woods behind all of us, he is holding a single white rose. My mouth drops, I quickly runs to hug him. He embraces me, giving me a tight squeeze. Tyler places the rose among the other items. He comes back and holds me close to his side as I cry softly into his chest.

I see Matt's jaw tense up and I can't help but feel guilty for showing this affection infant of him. Tyler kisses my forehead and runs his fingers through my hair. "I'm sorry I'm late," He whispers, "I'm here now."