#imagine them going to paris. then italy. then scotland. then australia. anywhere they want to go

[doyelikehaggis]

Rowing the Rarepair Rowboat: Bonnie Bennett x Lexi Branson (The Vampire Diaries)

Requested by anonymous

There's a quiet thunk from the other side of the room. Bonnie startles and spins around in her chair, only to sigh in relief when she realizes it's not a traveller or any other enemy coming to bother her. Just a ghost.

Lexi appears just as startled. She stares down at the book now on the floor by Bonnie's bed, then lifts her wide eyes to meet Bonnie's frown.

'It's getting worse,' Lexi says with a note of urgency. She steps closer as Bonnie turns back around with another sigh. 'I can touch things now, Bonnie. Move things. How much worse is this going to get?'

She doesn't want to answer that. Her mind gets stuck on part of what she said. That she can touch things now. It takes all of her self-restraint to bite her tongue and not ask the thing she wants to ask.

'I know,' she says in response to the first part. 'I'm trying to fix it.'

There's silence. It's deafening. Suffocating. It smothers Bonnie, getting into her lungs and her head, and she feels like she's about to explode with the hopeless statement full of false promises and lies.

When she glances back at Lexi to see if she's gone, she finds her hesitating with an outstretched hand. Bonnie's breath catches but she nods shakily for her to try.

The fear of it not working radiates off of both of them, filling the air with a pulsing beat. Bonnie wants to grab her hand herself.

Closing her eyes, Lexi exhales with a breathless smile as Bonnie deflates with further relief. She swallows, then places her hand on top of Lexi's and carefully takes it between both of her own.

Lexi looks down at her with wide eyes once more. 'I've wanted to be able to touch someone... to feel another person for... so long.'

Bonnie holds her tighter. Assuring her with a steady nod.

The longer that they both stare, the more their smiles slip. The realization sinks in and it's harder to find the sliver of joy in the collision between their planes.

'That's not... good, is it?' Lexi says quietly.

Bonnie smiles sadly at her. 'No. I don't think it is.' Then she takes a deep breath. 'But for now, it's okay to be happy about it. I would too if I hadn't had any physical contact for as long as you have.'

Bonnie smiles sadly at her. 'No. I don't think it is.' Then she takes a deep breath. 'But for now, it's okay to be happy about it. I would too if I hadn't had any physical contact for as long as you have.'

Lexi nods jerkily. She sits on the empty space on Bonnie's desk, keeping hold of one of her hands. Bonnie doesn't mind, just goes back to what she was doing, which happened to be trying to find any way to stop the collapse of the Other Side.

They stay like that for a while. Neither of them speaks. When Bonnie glances up at Lexi, she finds her with her head resting again the wall but her eyes open, watching her in silence. They share a small smile, then Bonnie lowers her gaze again, gently rubbing the back of Lexi's hand with her other, reminding her that it's real.

**

There is nothing. They are all alone.

It's an overwhelmingly lonely thought and it makes Bonnie's breath catch and her eyes sting. She buries her face in her hands with a deep noise like a whimper, then buries them in her knees as she pulls them close to her body.

For the first time since they got to this... prison. This Other World. She feels hopeless. She had staved off the feeling for as long as possible with unshakeable optimism, clinging desperately to hope and all of the ways in which the universe has turned around for her before.

Not right now. It's maybe three in the morning and she's tired. Exhausted, actually. Of being hopeful. Of repeating this stupid day over and over again. Of only seeing two other people. Of being here.

She wants to just cry it all out until she falls asleep, and then maybe, maybe, she'll wake up and she'll be home. Back in her own world by some miraculous intervention.

There's a soft knock on the door. Bonnie doesn't respond, expecting them to go away. Instead, she hears the click of it opening, followed by a gentle sigh. The old Salvatore House floorboards creak lightly.

It's definitely not Damon. If it were, he would've said something snarky by now. He would've probably flung the door open and waltzed in.

Lexi sits beside her on the bed. Her hand sits on Bonnie's knee, and another strokes the back of her head.

'It's okay to cry,' she tells her softly. 'This sucks, right?'

For some reason, a laugh bubbles in Bonnie's throat.

'Trust me, I definitely would not have chosen to get stuck with Damon Salvatore. I would've let the Other Side drag me to hell if I'd known I'd be stuck with him for all of eternity.'

Bonnie hums her agreement, sniffles, and turns her head to look up at her. She attempts to smile back at Lexi, who tilts her head with a sympathetic sort of look.

'It doesn't have to suck, though,' she continues, shaking her head. 'We can make the best of it. Think about it, Bonnie. We have a whole world to ourselves. No barriers. No borders. We could go literally anywhere without it costing a single dollar. You ever wanted to travel?'

Truth be told, she has. She nods.

'Where have you always wanted to go?' Lexi asks.

Bonnie sniffs again, wiping away a stray tear before resting her cheek in her hand. 'Don't judge me, but... Paris.'

Lexi grins. 'Great choice. It's beautiful. So, let's go.'

Bonnie's smile slips away and she shakes her head. 'It's not that simple. We need to find a way back. And what if we leave here, then someone on the other side finds a way to get us out, but they can't find us?'

A fragile silence falls between them as they look at each other. They both know that it's a quickly crumbling hope built on already broken ground. They're not getting out. No one is looking for them. No one will find them.

Tears threaten to fall again but she blinks quickly, refusing to let them win. Rubbing her eyes roughly, she looks away as Lexi sighs softly.

'Bonnie... I don't think we're ever getting out of here. Maybe there is a way, I don't know, but I don't think we're going to find it just... waiting here miserably.'

'And we would in Paris?' Bonnie says, half-bitter, half-joking.

Lexi shrugs. 'Maybe. Maybe not. But at least we'd have fun. And, bright side, we'd be away from our third musketeer. God, wouldn't you love a week without hearing him singing in the morning? Without his constant complaining? You could even get a full night's sleep without his snoring.'

Bonnie laughs again. Why is she actually tempted? Maybe Lexi has a point. Maybe this is her chance to just... give in to what the universe has thrown at her and she might actually get something out of it for once. A little bit of fun. Like dancing in the rain. Find the good in the bad.

She takes a deep breath, then says, 'Can I think about it?'

Lexi smiles softly and nods. She pats his knee. 'Of course. Think of Paris. And French pastries.' She gets off of the bed to leave. 'Think about whatever will make you happy, Bonnie.'