chapter four,

Instead of being at the Bennett home for their weekly sleepovers—Friday nights were Carrie's date night with her mystery boyfriend—the two best friends trudged through the forest that surrounded one half of the town. Marian could see Stefan ahead.

"This is not how I planned to spend my Friday night," she complained loudly. She had hoped that she wouldn't be dragged into this mess, not wanting to be anywhere near her uncle when he finally arrived. In fact, after she'd left the Salvatore Boarding House that afternoon, she'd made a plan to leave Mystic Falls with her mother before that hime came.

"Yeah, well this is serious," Stefan called out to her.

"Why am I here?" she called out to him.

"Because last time I did this spell, I needed my Grams," Bonnie said. "And now I need you."

"What if it doesn't work, Bon?" Marian said worriedly as they reached the Fell Church tomb. Witches had tried to channel her magic before; it had never worked.

"That's not an option—" Bonnie said, her hands reaching outward. She frowned, a glimmer of light catching her eye.

"What the hell?" Stefan muttered, walking towards it.

"Is that the moonstone?" Bonnie asked. The vampire took it in his hands, lifting it so the three of them could see. He looked up at Marian in worry, hearing her heart beating faster than a heart should. "Marrie, are you okay?" he asked.

"I hate to interrupt." The three looked inside the tomb, seeing Katherine with blood dripping down her face and neck standing in the entrance. "But today has just been full of surprises." She pulled on something. Marian gasped as she saw Jeremy appear, his eyelids fluttering and a bloodied bite mark on his neck. Katherine smirked at her. "Well, well, well. If it isn't my favourite witch," she mused. "Little Marian Mi—"

Stefan rushed forward.

"I'm sorry," said the boy. "I took some powder."

Katherine smirked at the horrified girl standing beside Bonnie. "Don't worry, I know that he's wearing his ring, so no matter how many times I kill him, he'll just keep coming back for more. So, I'm going to be in the back playing with my new little toy." She pushed Jeremy back into the cave. "And you guys just give me a holler when you've got the tomb open."

"No!" Marian protested. She could hear the vampire laughing as she walked away.

Bonnie tugged on her arm. "Come on," she said. "The quicker we get the barrier down, the quicker he'll be safe." She knew how much Jeremy meant to her.

Marian nodded weakly, helping Bonnie set up a circle of torches in the antechamber of the tomb. Stefan paced around as they stood in the middle of the circle, chanting to ignite them. He'd been trying to call his brother.

"Where the hell is Damon?" he grumbled.

"We can't wait," Bonnie said. "We have to get him out of there." She nodded towards the cave.

"She's fed, she has her strength back," Stefan argued.

"We still have what's left of the ash," Marian said. Bonnie nodded, reaching into her bag and handing Stefan an envelope with the leftover ashes of Katherine's portrait.

"Do you think you can get close enough?" Bonnie asked him.

"I don't have a choice," sighed Stefan as he took it.

"It's gonna take me some time," said the witch.

"How long?"

Bonnie shook her head. "I don't know, a while." Suddenly, Marian felt a fearful shiver run down her spine, her head filling with doubts. What if they didn't make it?

Stefan gulped. "Just get me in there as soon as you can."

Bonnie looked toward Marian. "Okay, give me your hands," she said. Marian did as she was told. "Chant with me." The witch began chanting an incantation which Marian tried her best to copy. The flames immediately flared.

"Ohhh, something's happening," said a voice from inside the tomb.

"Bonnie, no!" Jeremy cried, alarm clear on his face. Katherine pulled on his hair, annoyed that he'd cut her off. The sight of his blood staining his neck made her feel sick; he was an innocent bystander who got caught in the crossfire. Stefan looked from the boy to Bonnie, worry creasing on his forehead. "You have to stop her, she's not strong enough!"

Softly, Marian began chanting with her, calling out to her ancestors to give her the strength she needed. She had to try. For Jeremy.

"Maybe she is," Katherine said, impressed. She didn't think that either of the witches had it in them, knowing well that Marian's magic was weak. Bonnie looked at Marian's hands which were clasped around her arms, pain shooting through them. Their noses began to bleed—Bonnie's more than Marian's—though neither of the boys seemed to notice the younger girl's blood. Stefan rushed over with worry.

"Bonnie," he tried. "Bonnie."

"You gotta stop her!" Jeremy yelled. "Annie, she's not strong enough!" Katherine elbowed him in the face, pushing him to fall to the floor. Marian scoffed; no matter how true it could be, no one should ever tell a girl she isn't strong. Stefan's head snapped in their direction, making sure the girl was okay before looking back to Bonnie and grasping her arm.

"You need to stop. Bonnie!" he said. The witch continued to chant, ignoring him.

"It'll be worse for the both of us if she stops," Marian spoke up. She could feel her strength leaving her, her eyes closing with exhaustion. "Come on, please," she muttered desperately. "Please, grandmother. I need your help. He's my friend."

Stefan didn't listen, still trying to gain Bonnie's attention. "Bonnie! Bonnie!" Suddenly as if something had pushed them, both girls fell back onto the ground, unconscious. Shocked, Stefan knelt down and shook each of them.

"Bonnie. Bonnie, wake up, please. Marrie, wake up. Marian!"

"Yes, please because I'm still in here!" Katherine said impatiently, pacing around inside the tomb. She tried to hide her slight worry for the young girl she'd known once several centuries ago.

...

Bonnie's eyes opened with a loud gasp. She coughed.

"Are you okay?" Stefan asked. "You all right?" The girl sat up with his help, using his arm to stand herself up.

"No, no." She looked down at Marian. "Annie? God, no. It didn't work," she muttered. She looked into the tomb, upset. She had been so hopeful, and now her friend was suffering because of her weakness. Stefan held onto her arms to keep her from falling.

"I'm not strong enough. Even with help, I can't do it."

"Ahhh, that's too bad, I'm still hungry." Katherine grabbed Jeremy's shirt and pushed him up against the wall. As she prepared to bite into Jeremy's neck once again, Stefan sped into the tomb and pushed the boy out, restraining Katherine against the wall.

"Go!" he yelled.

Jeremy fell onto the ground and Bonnie knelt down and wrapped her arms around him. He looked toward Marian, both leaning down and lifting her up despite the two of them being weak themselves. They didn't want to leave their friend there.

Bonnie was scared for the girl she thought of as her own sister. She was now the only family she had left, blood related or not, and she didn't know what would happen if she died too. And it would've been her fault, too, because she had been the one to ask for help.

"Go!" Stefan repeated.

They didn't hesitate, trudging through the woods and to Jeremy's house as fast as they could. They weren't sure what was wrong with Marian. Jeremy was scared; this was the second time a witch had fallen unconscious in front of him. Bonnie feared as all families do that Marian wouldn't wake up, and if she died, she would never be able to forgive herself.

When they got to the Gilbert home, the pair laid Marian on Jeremy's bed and sighed. She looked peaceful in her sleep, though in reality she was haunted by the dreams of the first time she'd met Katerina Petrova, the girl who looked exactly like the woman her two uncles had fought for the attention of when they were still human.

After an hour of Jeremy persuading Bonnie to go home and get some sleep, the witch had finally listened, letting go of Marian's hand and hesitantly leaving his room. Neither of the two had expected that a few minutes later—right in front of the girl who loved Jeremy Gilbert—they would kiss.

part i:

tvd s2, e10, ""

wc: