Chapter Text
ADDICTED TO LOVE
Disclaimer: I do not own TVD.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
THIRD DEGREE
A soft knock roused Bonnie from her sleep. “Hello?” she mumbled, her voice thick with grogginess as she fumbled for her desk phone. Her hand slipped, and she jolted upright, eyes darting around. It took her a second to realize that she was sprawled out on her couch, half-awake and confused. She had never fallen asleep at the office before.
Another knock sounded through her office. This time, much louder. Bonnie scrambled to her feet and sped to her office door. Clearing her throat quietly, she stealthily unlocked her door and opened it. “Yes,” she said upon opening the door.
Her mother stood silently in front of her. Nodding forward, she motioned to come inside. Bonnie stepped aside almost immediately. “Finally done?”
Bonnie’s eyes narrowed at the ground as she stood still facing away from her mother. “Anna tells me you’ve been busy?” Abby eggs on.
Looking up, Bonnie’s eyes connected with Anna’s. Anna gave her a nod. Seemingly telling her to go along with it. Spinning on her heels, Bonnie finally faced her mother. She reached her hand behind her body and shut the door. “Oh, yeah. Sorry, I was just going over those contracts for you from last week.” Abby nodded, wanting Bonnie to continue but that was as far as her lie could go.
It wasn’t like Abby would take too kindly if Bonnie were to be honest, and it wouldn’t do Bonnie any favors to try and continue the lie.. She was a shit liar, that much she knew, so she’d save everyone the trouble if she just kept her mouth shut. “Took me a minute, but uh…” Turning on her heels, she reached behind her and picked up a manila folder practically filled to its capacity. “…here, all done.”
Abby accepted the folder and hummed. “This can wait. Sit,” she said calmly, as she led herself to Bonnie’s couch. “please?” It wasn’t funny, but Bonnie laughed a little bit anyway. Could you blame her? She was nervous.
Upon investigating her mother’s face further, was when she realized just how serious she was. And if that didn’t make Bonnie want to cower and hide before, it sure as hell makes her want to do it now.
Unfortunately, Abby wasn’t like Leo. She never really knew how to comfort her daughter in a time of need. It didn’t come natural to Abby like it did to Leo, it was weird and unheard of from Abby and from a young age, Bonnie was forced to become accustomed to it.
Bonnie was ignorant to the fact of the matter. And the fact of the matter was just how much Abby was concerned for her daughter. She pulled away slightly when Abby’s hand tried to hold hers. “We don’t have to..” she said, motioning down to their hands. Abby’s Oh okay was quiet, but Bonnie heard it. “But we can… if you want.”
This wasn’t just hard and awkward for Bonnie, it was for Abby as well.
“What’s wrong? You’re kind of freaking me out.”
Despite wanting nothing more than to let go, she held onto her mom’s hand anyway. “It’s just.. I don’t want you to take this the wrong way.”
She held back the urge to roll her eyes and kept them trained on her mother. “What? J..Just say it.”
“Ithinkmaybeyoushouldcomehome.” It came out rushed and almost incoherent.
“What?”
“I think you should come home.” Bonnie scoffed. “No, Bonnie. Please, listen to me! I’m worried about you. I can barely sleep at night when I don’t know if my daughter is safe enough in her own home. And you look sick!”
Bonnie wanted to roll her eyes so far into the back of her head, until she could see her brain. “Everytime I see you, it’s like you’ve gotten smaller… bags under your eyes, do you even sleep? I am scared, Bonnie. Who is supposed to keep you safe?!”
“Be serious, mom. I am fine! I’m 26 years old, I can keep myself safe.” LIAR. Bonnie released herself from her mothers’ grasp and stood up.
“Between you getting hurt and with Henry’s shit, I can’t… It just- I can’t!”
“I told you, I fell. It was nothing.” Nothing as in getting strangled by a masked assailant and then nearly breaking your wrist clean in half while plotting your getaway… but that was beyond the point… Right? “I know you’re wigging out about Henry, so I'm beginning to think that whatever this is,” she motioned around her, “Is not all about me. I’m wigged out too. I can’t help but think, what if it wasn’t suicide like the police said, and I-”
She clamped her mouth shut. Her inner thoughts were beginning to come to life. She had only talked to herself and Tyler (well kinda) about what she thinks happened. Which was that someone else killed Henry. And about what she was told happened. That he killed himself. Which would be the easier case. Then she could actually forget about it, right?
Right?
“-What? The police? Please tell me you didn’t talk to them.”
Her mouth was agape and she shrugged. “Well, y-yeah, I-I thought that’s what you were alluding to.. they didn’t… they didn’t talk to you?”
Bonnie watched as her mother turned almost irate right before her eyes. “Have you heard nothing I said? Bonnie, after he was… found, your father and I have been advised not to talk to the police. Why? Maybe because of the fact that Henry tried to bury this fucking company like nobody’s fucking business!”
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”
“Of course you weren’t.”
Bonnie scoffed again. “I thought you were concerned for me, yet this suddenly feels like a lecture? There is something seriously wrong here. Are we forgetting that somebody is dead?!”
“No, we’re not. You made it impossible to do so, for god’s sake!”
“I didn’t ask to be the one that found him.” she muttered. Her eyes were stuck on her mother. “I wish I never did.”
Abby shook her head, and sighed. “I can’t do this again, Bonnie. I just need you to be safe.”
“From what? Who?!” she asked, incredulously. Her frustration grew quicker with each passing second. It was like nobody was listening to her and she was about to freak out.
“From yourself.” The words hit her like a freight train, freezing her in place. Bonnie felt a chill run down her spine. The words were a reminder of the battles she’d fought alone, the nights spent trying to escape her own mind. She didn’t know why Abby had said that, but the truth hung between them. It was heavy, uncomfortable and impossible to ignore.
The silence between the two was deafening.
Bonnie’s eyes were wide and deceiving. They flickered between her mother and to the wall behind her. Just then a sharp knock pierced through the room, like a needle through an ear. Leo’s head popped in and he could almost taste the tension. “Everything okay?” Abby nodded, “You coming? We have to go, Abigail.” He urged.
Bonnie refused to look at Leo. Her eyes were welling with tears and she was pissed. Not the best combination. “I think you should think about it. About what I said.”
Her eyes darted right back at her mother. “And I think you should visit him.” she snapped back. Him? Henry. A smile wanted to form so badly on Bonnie’s face as her mothers’ eyes widened. Abby narrowed her just widened eyes at her daughter and almost scowled. “You should think about it… about what I said.”
It was clear what Bonnie’s answer would be. There was no way in hell she would ever move back in with her mother, especially not under the guise of her false concern. Bonnie wasn’t convinced by the well-meaning words; words that were shortly followed by insults. She refused to see herself as a danger to anyone, least of all herself.
Does a mother truly always know best?
DINNER had yet to start and Bonnie was growing impatient as each minute, no, second passed. Why did she agree to this again? The moment she had in her office earlier in the day with her mother, replayed over and over in her head.
Bonnie leaned against the kitchen island, nervously nibbling on her fingernails like a squirrel looking for a nut. She could hear the faint and distant chatter of her mother and Vicki echoed through the hall. What were they talking about? She had practically begged Vicki to come with her —there was no way she was facing dinner with her parents alone.
She was two glasses of wine in, and her wrist throbbed. Bonnie was convinced that stress makes it hurt more. Did she forget to take medicine? Of course she did. But, luckily for her, the medicine cabinet at her mothers’ house was accessible and always full.
Standing from her position and turning around, Bonnie walked two steps to the cabinet behind her and opened it. Immediately, her eyes caught the top shelf. There was no way she was going to reach it, but she was going to try. On the tippiest of her toes, she reached up, but then an arm reached over hers. “Which one?”
Bonnie’s eyes widened and slightly twitched. Her breath hitched, “What are-” her voice rose in sound, she hushed quickly. “What are you doing here?”
Damon smiled lightly and nodded towards the cabinet. “Which one?” He asked again, this time more singy-songy. For some reason that pissed her off, she just wasn’t in the mood. Bonnie nodded toward the Tylenol that sat on the top shelf.
Damon’s hand barely made it halfway before Bonnie ripped the pill bottle from him. She opened the bottle, took two out and downed them before she could even utter a thank you. “You’re welcome?” Damon thanked himself. He watched Bonnie carefully, yet he was confused himself. Something was off about her and he couldn’t quite figure it out.
“What are you doing here?” she asked once more, her interest piqued, with her arms crossed at her chest.
His eyebrows furrowed as he matched her pose, crossing his arms out in front of him. “I was invited.”
“By who?”
He chuckled. “Your mother? I… I’m sorry, but are you okay? Seriously? I hadn’t seen you since this morning and when I tried to call, it went straight to voicemail.”
“My phone’s been dead.”
“All day?”
“Yep.” Bonnie went to move away from Damon, but he stood firm in his place. Which blocked her from leaving, period. “Listen, I don’t have time for the third degree, so if you’d excuse me..” she tried.
Damon remained silent, his gaze fixated on her—not just at her, but through her, as if he was trying to analyze her. She sensed his eagerness, an energy he always carried around her, but that didn’t deter her. He wasn’t going to move, yet Bonnie was not going to force herself to stay. Determined, she attempted to slip past him. Quickly, he reached out, but she was faster. Bonnie darted out of the kitchen, wine glass clutched tightly in her hand, with Damon hot on her heels.
Vicki and Bonnie almost clashed, which caused Damon to stand still. “Are you… good?” She asked, her eyes going from Bonnie to Damon. Taking it as a chance to leave, he slipped past the tension between the two girls. “What was that about?”
“Can you just drop it?” Bonnie snapped, her voice ringing with annoyance. Vicki crossed her arms defiantly and was preparing a response when the sharp toll of the front doorbell interrupted them. With one last challenging stare at her friend, Bonnie strode past Vicki, her resolve hardening as she reached the door.
Her hand stopped, resting ever so slightly on the doorknob. Whoever was behind that door couldn’t possibly be worse than the cards Bonnie had already been dealt with today…
Ugh. Right?
*gasp* guess who’s coming for dinner
um… hello? are you there? can anybody hear me? lol, hi!!! i missed u guys and writing ATL. not going to go into anymote detail but i’m back and just about as toxic as klaus is to tyler! i can’t wait to write more. 17 chapters in, yet we’re only just beginning ;)
i’m sorry it’s a little shorter than usual, but nonetheless i can’t wait to read your thoughts and as always, i hope you enjoyed!
see u soon <3