(1) The Phoenix (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Eighty-Six

Bonnie and Abby are asking Daphne about trying to figure out what happened to Abby's magic. They are confused because Bonnie still has hers and surely if it was Esther's fault, if her spell failed, then it would have affected both of them. Daphne is trying so hard not to just blurt out the truth here. Damon was right in that they are not looking to blame anyone. Just a faulty, centuries-old spell. She is not on the hook for this. But that doesn't stop her from feeling terrible. She feels terrible. In her gut terrible. All twisted up and knotted. She can feel it in her throat. It's going to happen.

"I did it" Daphne blurts out. Abby and Bonnie look at her. Daphne lets out a breath before taking in a deep one. She could have done that better. "I cut off your magic...I was trying to stop Esther from channelling you and there was this spell to severe magical lines..."

"You took my magic?" Abby asks, Daphne nods.

"They were going to turn you into a vampire, or kill you, I thought this was the better option..." Daphne explains. "And I am sorry....but they were going to kill my sister...I didn't know what else to do...." Bonnie steps towards Daphne, anger and disappointment in her eyes.

"How could you do that?" Bonnie scolds Daphne. But she expected the fallout from this. She knew that Bonnie would be upset about this. Even if it was the best thing to do. Even if that outcome was the best one. She feels guilty for what she did.

"What would you have done in my place" Daphne argues. "None of the other options were....agreeable" Bonnie shakes her head.

"You took away..." Bonnie starts, but Abby shakes her head.

"Bonnie" Abby stops her. "She's right, I may have lost my magic, but I am still alive, and I am still human" Bonnie looks down. "A few days ago I had no magic anyway" Abby looks at Daphne. "But...Is there a way to get it back?"

"I don't know" Daphne admits. "But I have a friend at the Ministry, she's ridiculously smart, I can talk to her, see what she says"

"We don't need your help" Bonnie argues, firmly.

"Bonnie" Daphne tries. Bonnie just shakes her head back. Not ready to talk to her.

"Get out," Bonnie tells her, Daphne sighs a little and nods. She can give Bonnie her space. She can let her be mad and angry at her. For as long as she needs to be angry at her. Daphne swallows and then backs up, turning slightly to Abby.

"I am really sorry" Daphne whispers to her and Abby nods back.

"I know" Abby touches her arm. Daphne was put in an impossible situation. The threat to her sister's life. Abby knows that her friends would have pushed for more extreme choices. Daphne made a choice. And it was the best outcome. Daphne then leaves them alone. Leaving the Witches House. Abby moves closer to Bonnie. "She didn't have to say a word" Abby offers. "We weren't looking to blame anyone other than Esther, and a misjudged spell...." Bonnie closes her eyes. "Daphne told you because you are her friend and because she wanted to be honest about what happened, she could have kept quiet, she could have never said anything about her part in it...but she chose to come here and tell us, knowing full well the consequences"

"But you lost your magic" Bonnie argues.

"And I'm okay" Abby assures her. "But you won't be if you lose her as your friend..." Bonnie shrugs a little. Not wanting to admit that she has loved having Daphne around, another witch she can lean on and ask questions. Losing Daphne would hurt. "I am alive and human and I have lived without magic before so if her friend at the Ministry can't help, then it is not the end of the world"

........

At the Salvatore house, in the study, Daphne sits on the couch, legs tucked under herself as she tries to concentrate on the journal in her hand but she keeps getting upset all over again about what happened with Bonnie. She should have just kept her mouth shut. Let them continue to blame Esther. A figure looms out of the corner of her eyes and she turns. She jumps a little before she blinks, and realises that it is Damon. She lets out a breath and shakes her head at how ridiculous that jump scare was. She's in his house, finding him here shouldn't be all that surprising.

"You okay, Red?" He asks her.

"Yeah, I'm fine" She assures him, he tilts his head in question, and it doesn't take a genius to realise what's wrong with her. He can see the guilt and pain in her eyes that only comes from admitting a wrong.

"You told Bonnie"

"I had to" She defends herself. She hates secrets and lies. Her whole life has been about keeping things from the people around her and she swore to herself that she wouldn't do this anymore. She wouldn't keep things from those most important to her. It's not going to help anyone. Not with everything else going on. It's why she keeps trying to talk herself into just telling Elena and Jeremy. Just to tell them everything about herself, though that one she is putting off until she can tell them both together. "My whole life was a lie" She reminds him. "From my heritage, to my magic, to...my curse...I don't want to be stuck in a cycle..." He can understand that. Even if he doesn't exactly agree with her. Sometimes secrets and lies could be a way to protect people. But he can understand why she doesn't want to be a part of that cycle.

"What are you reading?" He decides it might be best to just change the subject. To take her mind off of Bonnie for now.

"Urm.." She looks down at the journal. "It's a Gilbert journal from 1912" She answers. He raises an eyebrow and drops onto the couch at her side. "I remember reading something in one of the later journals" She offers. "About the murders, I thought nothing of it, because...who would" He nods in agreement. "But after talking to you, I thought I would check out if we had any journals from around that time...."

"Anything?"

"No" She answers. "Not yet"

"Whose journal is it anyway?" He leans over her, trying to get a look at the book, she teasingly pulls it out of his view. "Whose is it?" He repeats, brushing his nose against her cheek with a smirk. She turns her head slightly and he captures her lips. She sinks into it, the journal is forgotten in her lap as she reaches up to grip her fingers into his shirt. He hums and licks his lips as he pulls back. The two of them share a rather heated look. His lip twitches up into a side smirk before he shifts closer to her. He pushes the book from her lap as he pushes her back against the leather of the couch, her arms wrapping around his neck. It definitely takes her mind off of her falling out with Bonnie. His fingers skim along her leg and up under her skirt.