Above All Else

Chapter 30

"So I got your cryptic message to meet you here alone, what do you want Bonnie?" Elena asked as she stepped onto the mulch surrounding the swings at the old playground they had spent so much time together at as children wondering, even as a vampire who could protect herself who was meeting her powerful witch best friend, if the playground always looked this creepy just before dawn.

"Elena look," She sighed, "I know things are strained between everyone right now but I need you to listen to me; I don't know how much time I have for us to talk alone." Bonnie walked up to her grasping her hand and pulled her to the swings.

"What do you mean time for us to talk alone?" Elena asked her in confusion as she sat on the swing while Bonnie sat with a resigned sigh on the swing beside her, her green eyes starring off into the distance.

Elena turned her swing, the chains crossing as she dug her feet in to keep steady, "Bonnie this sounds serious, what's going on? Well, what else is going on?"

Bonnie mimicked her stance and faced Elena with a serious look in her eyes, "The night of the full moon, when I'm preforming the ritual I need you to do something."

"What do you need Bon?" Elena replied, even if she didn't like some of the things that had been going on lately these were still her friends and she understood just how serious this situation was. Elena had spent a lot of the past few days thinking everything over, everything everyone around her had lost or sacrificed to keep her safe over the past few years and she came to the conclusion that no matter what, she owed it to them to be there if they needed her.

"You need to find Jeremy and get him somewhere safe and make sure he stays there until the Other Side is destroyed." Bonnie's voice was quiet and calm but her eyes held a firm gaze.

Elena huffed thinking that what Bonnie had just told her was the silliest thing she had heard, "I already planned to see him before he passes back over so what's with this whole secrecy cloak and dagger routine?"

Bonnie used her feet as leverage to push herself closer to Elena, taking one of the chains of her friend's swing in her hand to pull her in so close their knees knocked together whispering passionately, "We can have Jeremy back Elena. Permanently."

Her mouth dropped open in shock as her heart skipped a beat before it began pounding frantically in her chest. "Wait, are you serious Bonnie? What about the consequences? Last time..." Elena let her voice drift off when Bonnie began rapidly shaking her head.

"This time won't be like last time 'Lena. Last time I did a spell to bring him back against what the witches on the Other Side said. This time," Bonnie continued with an excited grin, "everyone who died and returns will come back. And since I'm destroying the Other Side completely if they hide and stay safe during the battle, once the Other Side is gone, as long as they don't die again before that they can stay alive." She grasped Elena's hand tightly, "That means we can have Jeremy back, he can have another chance at a life Elena."

Elena's eye widened as it all hit her, her eyes flickering around their old childhood playground as she took it all in. Her gaze fell to the mulch and she noticed the stones placed at four points around them on the swings. "Is that what all this was about?" She asked pointing toward the stones.

"Yeah." She let go of Elena's hand and began using her feet to spin in a circle as she explained, "The rose quarts have protection properties so nothing can get through and nothing bad can break their boundary. I amplified it so that nothing living or dead could hear us or breach the circle. To everyone looking in, even those from the Other Side that could be watching, we are just swinging and chatting but they can't make out what we are saying. Meaning our time is running out. Anyone that could be watching is probably starting to get suspicious." Bonnie's arms looped through the twisted chains to grasp Elena's arm giving it a light shake asking almost frantically, "Promise me Elena. Promise me you'll make sure he's safe and hidden. I know he's your brother but I need to hear it so I can concentrate on the spell."