12

After the service Tyler's ashes are sprinkled in the lake. Klaus meets Bonnie there. When the ceremony is over, the group stays around, silently reflecting on Tyler's passing. As everyone disburses Bonnie, Caroline, and Stefan head towards the road to get into the car to leave. Damon follows slowly behind.

Bonnie is caught up in showing Caroline pictures of the kids on her phone and doesn't notice Klaus isn't following behind her. Elena is the last to leave the lake, giving Klaus the perfect opportunity to corner her. "Ms. Gilbert, so sad we had to meet again on this very sad occasion" Klaus says softly.

Elena is automatically nervous, there is no way to Klaus Mikaelson would come personally wish her condolences. Elena's curiosity doesn't have to wonder for too long because Klaus brandishes the letters and places them in her hand, he has chosen a select few to place on top in order for Elena to get the whole picture.

"I don't care for too many pleasantries. It's time for you to know about your precious Damon's past and present deeds." Elena reads the letters; she recognizes Damon's handwriting.

"What is this? I don't understand" Elena says confused as she reads the first letter where Damon discusses how he wished that he'd saved Bonnie during the Silas fight, then Damon's confession about the wolves, and how he felt when she told him she didn't love him. Elena didn't realize the tears were running down her eyes until drops fall on the paper. "I don't understand" she whispers.

"Time for the main treat" Klaus sneers as he pulls the last letter that has Damon's confession of killing Tyler. "Let me connect all the pieces for you; Damon has been in love with Bonnie for who knows how long, he compelled wolves to attack the city and frame me in an attempt to turn Bonnie against me 15 years ago, and his latest act, seems to be Tyler's murder to protect all his secrets, when I'm assuming Tyler found out."

Elena is hurt, angry, and the feeling of betrayal weighs heavy on her. For years Damon has lied. Her whole world is crashing and she doesn't understand how to stop it. Elena storms off pushing past Klaus. He assumed she was on her way to confront Damon, when instead she goes straight for Bonnie. Bonnie and Caroline are in mid conversation when she pulls her by the wrist and flings the letters at her chest.

"Is this why you've stopped talking to me? Is this why you were so distant before you left Mystic Falls? All the guilt of knowing Damon had feelings for you?" Elena screams at her.

Klaus is on Elena in a flash, miscalculating the girl's reaction. He pushes Elena away, as Bonnie scrambles to keep up with what is happening. She scans the letters, the last one talking about Damon spilling blood to protect his secret. "Oh my...Elena...you can't possibly blame me for this" Bonnie says confused. She'd thought Damon had moved on, she had no idea he still felt this way after all these years.

Damon sees the letters in Bonnie's hands and Elena's frantic face. He doesn't panic, a sense of relief washes over him. He's tired of hiding in the dark and wants his secrets to come to light.

"Damon?" Elena yells accusingly as Klaus releases her, Damon's face is neutral, and he makes no movement to comfort Elena or explain his actions.

"Are you in love with Bonnie?" She asks, her eyes clouding with tears again.

"Yes" Damon answers, and everyone including Stefan and Caroline gasp, except Bonnie and Klaus.

"Somebody better start from the beginning" Caroline says looking from Elena to Damon to Bonnie.

When they arrive back at the hotel, Elijah, Rebekah, and Kol go inside, while Klaus and Bonnie sit outside staring at the hotel's large water fountains in the front lobby.

They're holding hands, and they can't seem to separate.

"Are you really going to go along with Rebekah and this ridiculous tradition?" Klaus huffs and Bonnie nods smiling sadly.

"It's tradition for the bride and groom to sleep apart before the wedding." Bonnie says, tangling their fingers together.

"Why?" Klaus says, pulling a curl behind Bonnie's ear.

Bonnie shrugs. "I'll see you tomorrow, I promise"

Klaus smiles, "I'll be the handsome one in the black tux" he whispers, still playing with her curls

"I'll be the lady in the white dress" Bonnie whispers back

"You? In white?" Klaus playfully teases, quirking his eye brow at her, causing Bonnie to swat him on the shoulder and they both laugh.

The morning of the wedding arrives and Bonnie's suite is active. Rebekah runs around making last minute arrangements, while Caroline, Elena, and Bonnie have their hair curled and primp in the living room.

"Bonnie, I can't believe you guys are going to a private island in Fiji for your honeymoon, sounds fun" Caroline says as a hair stylist tweezes her curls.

"Yea I'm excited, you know I love the water, so having a private island to swim all day..."Bonnie says happily.

"When you get back I want all the details" Caroline says smiling.

Bonnie's smile falters. She'd been so busy with everything she hadn't had an opportunity to tell them the Mikaelson's were leaving Mystic Falls for good and Bonnie was of course going with them.

"Well you know after that, Klaus and I are going to travel, because I'm taking a year before I take my graduate entrance exams and apply for schools." Bonnie says slowly.

Caroline nods, but Elena caught the hesitation in Bonnie's voice. "When are you coming back then?" Elena asked.

"I'm not sure when I will be back to visit" Bonnie says hesitantly.

Both girls turned their heads towards Bonnie. "Visit? What do you mean? Bonnie are you leaving leaving Mystic Falls?" Caroline exclaims.

Bonnie hesitates. "Listen...Caroline" but she is interrupted by Elena. "Is Klaus forcing you to leave Bonnie?" Elena tries to justify Bonnie's decision to leave Mystic Falls and leave them all behind. She assumes Klaus finally wants to be rid of all Bonnie's friends, in order to keep her close to him.

"Of course not. We decided to leave together, I want to travel and explore the world and that means leaving Mystic Falls" Bonnie says heatedly.

Caroline and Elena sit in shock. "Bonnie, I can't believe your leaving us, how could you not even tell us until now! I can't believe you Bonnie!" Elaine shrieks.

The tension is interrupted by Rebekah entering the suite with Lucy in tow. "Look who's here!" Rebekah says excitedly. Her face drops when she notices the expression the girls wear.

"Oh boy, what did we miss?" Lucy says as her and Rebekah take a seat on the couch. The hair stylist that were previously working on the girls, now excused, left the suite.

"Bonnie just now informed us that she has no plans on returning to Mystic Falls after her wedding" Caroline says upset.

Lucy nodded her head and went to sit beside Bonnie, who was still quietly staring at her friends. Lucy already knew of Bonnie's plans not to return to Mystic Falls. She thought it was a good idea for Bonnie to get a fresh start, and go and experience new things, Bonnie deserved that.

"I think it's a good idea, and it will be good for Bonnie to get away." Lucy added confidently supporting Bonnie.

Elena scoffs "No offense Lucy, but you're her distant cousin what would you know about what's good for Bonnie."

"What the hell would you know Elena?" Rebekah argues.

Everyone begins to argue except Bonnie.

Bonnie stands and yells at her quarreling wedding party.

"That's enough! The decision to leave Mystic Falls was my idea. I've always had plans and dreams that went beyond Mystic Falls, but when all this vampire drama happened, I just got caught up in everything, and before I knew it, I was attending college in Mystic Falls, talking to you guys about having a career in the town. I was settling!" Bonnie takes a deep breath to control her emotions and continues.

"Settling until I fell in love with Klaus and realized I wanted more! I deserved more! I'm sorry that I'm just telling you guys this, but don't get upset for me deciding to choose myself." Bonnie wipes the tears from her eyes, the confession being lifted from her soul makes her feel lighter and freer, Bonnie is being selfish and choosing herself.

Caroline and Elena stared at Bonnie sadly. "Why didn't you say anything Bonnie?" Caroline asked. The news of her permanently leaving was a shock Caroline was not prepared for. She doesn't understand why Bonnie never confided in her about this.

"I'm sorry Care, I just got used to keeping everything inside, and not really talking about my feelings. At some point it just became easier to keep the hurt and disappointment to myself." Bonnie knows it isn't the best explanation, but it's all she has to offer.

"I just feel like your choosing Klaus and his family over us Bonnie" Elena says sadly.

Bonnie sighs. "There are no sides anymore Elena. I am choosing myself"

Caroline cries, "you promise to write and call" causing the rest of the girls to give sad laughs,

"Caroline, I'll call, and we can even FaceTime, but I see no need for me to write..." Bonnie explains going over to hug her friend.

"No Bonnie Bennett, I want hand written letters from you!" Caroline cries against Bonnie's shoulder, happy she hadn't done her make up yet.

"If this makes you happy Bonnie, then I'll support it" Elena says joining them in the hug.

Bonnie just nodded and accepted Elena's hug, instead of telling her that with or without her support she was leaving, and she would be just fine.

"Alright, I just got here and last time I checked this was a happy occasion, so dry those tears and let's drink and get ready for this wedding" Lucy said pouring herself champagne.

Later on that day, the bridesmaids are getting dressed and Bonnie is sitting in her room getting her make up done before she puts on her dress.

There's a knock on the door and Lucy enters, wearing her salmon pink chiffon bridesmaid dress. Bonnie smiles. "Hey gorgeous. I thought before things got a little chaotic, I'd give you something." Lucy, hands Bonnie a small silver bracelet. "It was my mother's, she gave it to me before she passed away, she told me it was a good luck charm for all the bride's in our family. I never got to use it, but now you can." Lucy fastened the bracelet around Bonnie's wrist and hugged her.

Bonnie was grateful for Lucy being in her wedding, and agreeing to walk her down the aisle. Lucy was the closest living family she had left. With her Grams and father dead, and her mother who knows where, Lucy's presence was a comfort.

Damon and Stefan enter the ballroom and find seats. Damon has drunk enough bourbon to numb himself to the whole event.

Damon looked around at the elaborately decorated ballroom. The pink and white flower decorations that littered the aisles and candle holders at the front of the room, all makes the moment come full circle, Bonnie is getting married today, to Klaus Mikaelson.

His eyes became fixated on the white chiffon curtains that wrapped around the wedding gazebo. Perhaps Kol was correct and he was a glutton for punishment, because surely if he raised any objection, Klaus would have his head.

Stefan sat and adjusted his tie, also looking around and seeing familiar faces from Mystic Falls and Whitmore College. He could also feel the power in the ballroom. Stefan could sense a lot of supernaturals in attendance, most likely most of them friends of the Mikaelson's, while most of the humans were friends of Bonnie's.

Stefan saw Tyler approaching them.

"Can you believe this is happening?" Tyler said fixing the cuff on his suit.

Stefan nodded wide eyed, "yea Bonnie is marrying Klaus today, by choice"

Tyler shook his head laughing and took a seat a few rows from the Salvatores with his date.

In the suite, the groomsmen arrive to escort the bridesmaids down. Rebekah and Lucy help Bonnie put on her wedding dress and Caroline fusses over putting the finishing touches to her hair.

Bonnie looks at herself in the full length mirror, she remembers all the times she imagined her wedding day when she was a girl, and how beautiful she would look, she never imagined that she would be looking in the mirror, with this beautiful queen staring back at her.

Lucy helped to place her crowned veil around her hair.

"Absolutely perfect Bonnie" Lucy said with tears in her eyes.

When the bridesmaids and the bride join the grooms in the living room compliments on everyone's appearance are exchanged.

"Bonnie, you look absolutely gorgeous" Elijah said kissing her cheeks. Bonnie smiled, "thank you Elijah."

Elijah looked from Elena and then to Rebekah and Bonnie, "have you all warned Elena that Kol will be at the altar, but obviously very behaved."

Elena nervously nodded, "I assumed he would be a groomsman" Rebekah and Elijah both made awkward faces while Bonnie made a slightly annoyed one.

"Well actually...Kol and Nik had a running bet that if either them were to get married, the other would perform the ceremony. So since Klaus is getting married..." Elijah said letting the rest of the room connect the dots.

"Wait? Are you saying Kol is performing the ceremony?" Caroline said shocked. She assumed they had found a minister in Atlanta to perform the ceremony...not Kol Mikaelson.

"Bonnie did you know?" Elena says a little shocked.

"Of course, I was upset at first, but I made Kol promise to be serious and stick to the script" Bonnie answered simply.

"Way to drop the ball again Bennett" Caroline playfully chides, this news is more strange than disconcerting, they'd already prepared themselves to see Kol at the wedding, just not as officiator.

"I actually just wanted to see your face when you got to the end of the aisle and there was Kol doing a reading about love" Bonnie says playfully.

She then looks to Elena, "trust me" and Elena nods, she does trust Bonnie.

Damon sighs as the string quartet begins to play Thousand Years, signaling the ceremony is beginning.

Klaus is the first to walk down the aisle with all the confidence of a king on his coronation day, walking by his side is Kol, holding a black leather portfolio.

When Kol stands directly under the gazebo Stefan's eyes blanch out. He turns to Damon, "I think Kol is performing the ceremony" Stefan whispers, "just when you thought it couldn't get any better" Damon mumbles.

Then the bridesmaid escorted by the groomsmen; Caroline as the maid of honor escorted by Elijah as the best man, and then Elena with Hudson.

Then everyone stands as Bonnie walks down the aisle, escorted by Lucy.

Klaus can't contain the joy in his eyes at seeing Bonnie's beautiful face, and as she gets closer, he becomes emotional at seeing that she is wearing the dress he sketched for her.

He didn't even know she had seen the sketch. He'd forgotten to show it to her, and thought her and Rebekah had found a design she liked.

When Bonnie reaches the end of the aisle, Lucy places Bonnie's hands in Klaus'.

Kol begins the service with both Bonnie and Klaus narrowing their eyes at him, warning him to behave. Kol smiles at them, and it's a genuine one, and not a sneaky Kol smile he has become notorious for.

Kol actually performs a nice service, and his readings are nice and simple. The couple performs the ring exchange and the ceremony is over, and Kol tells Klaus he may kiss his bride. The kiss is loving and slow and the guests clap.

Stefan claps, and he glances to Damon who has tears in his eyes. He knew Damon cared about Bonnie and he is touched that his brother is finally showing his emotions as a friend.

"I think she's really happy" Damon whispers to himself but Stefan clearly hears him.

"Yep I think she really is" Stefan said.

The guests are then ushered into the ballroom next door for the reception. The ballroom is elaborately decorated in the same salmon pink and white decorations and flowers, and equipped with a stage and bar.

Light food is served at different cocktail tables and the guests take advantage of the full open bar.

Soon the bride and groom join the reception as they are introduced as a married couple for the first time.

When it's time for their first dance, the couple heads out to the middle of the dance floor.

The crowd gasped at seeing Leela James appear on the stage, the music started and her sweet voice greeted the crowd "Hi everyone, this song is dedicated to our new lovely couple Bonnie and Nik, congratulations you two." She begins to sing Fall for You, and Klaus twirls Bonnie around the ballroom.

"Your wearing my dress...Mrs. Mikaelson" Klaus says in Bonnie's ears

She smiles at the use of her name. "Do you like it? Mr. Mikaelson"

"I love it. You look gorgeous and it's a shame that, that beautiful creation will be littered on the floor of my jet in a matter of an hour or so" Klaus says confidently.

Bonnie feels butterflies in her belly at Klaus' promise.

Damon sits in the back of the ballroom while he watches Bonnie and Klaus finish their dance, then go and greet their guests. He spots Elena walking towards him.

"Let's dance" she says happily. Damon relents and lets her drag him on the dance floor, he has to play the role of good boyfriend for appearances.

As the couple slow danced, Elena leaned on Damon's chest. "You know she's not coming back" Elena says softly to Damon. His grip tightened on Elena, but she didn't seem to notice.

"What do you mean?" Damon asks, keeping his voice neutral.

"After the honeymoon, they're traveling. Then she's applying for graduate schools, Bonnie isn't coming back to Mystic Falls." Elena says sadly.

Damon continues to sway Elena to the music. Bonnie was leaving. Klaus was finally getting her out of Mystic Falls for good.

In that moment Damon wants to turn off his emotions and stop caring, but he's come so far as an evolved being, and he thinks not only of himself for once, but of Stefan, and to a lesser extent Elena. They need him, and an emotionless Damon is help to no one and a threat to everyone. He also believes that if he turned off his emotions, he would also disappoint Bonnie in a way, she always wanted to see the best in him.

He plasters a smile and consoles Elena. "It'll be fine, I'm sure she'll visit, and you can visit her, I don't think I'm welcomed on Klaus' door step. But it'll be fine Elena. People change and grow." Damon says smoothly, surprising himself with the little pep talk he was able to give Elena.

On the other side of the dance floor Matt dances with Rebekah. "I suppose I should be glad Todd couldn't make it" he says, kind of teasingly but also kind of jealous.

Rebekah places her hands on Matt's face, "aww don't be jealous darling, I didn't invite Todd, just you." Matt tries to hide his smile.

Lucy dances with Elijah, "you've got some smooth moves" Lucy teases as Elijah impresses her with a dip. Elijah laughs and twirls the witch around on the floor.

Davina intertwines her fingers with Kol's as they sway to the music. "Today made me think that perhaps I could put in a bigger effort for us, travel to New Orleans more to see you." Kol said as held Davina closer. "Then after I graduate college, I can move with you" she says confidently. They would try again, hoping that this time would be better.

Towards the end of the reception the couple said their goodbyes.

Caroline embraced Bonnie for a while and the two had silent tears. Then Bonnie gave Stefan a quick hug, "take care of her" she firmly told Stefan referring to Caroline, "I plan on it" he says, giving her a friendly smile.

Then Bonnie says goodbye to Elena. Elena's eyes are wide and sad and for the first time Bonnie can see all the years of fighting evils and all the drama that came with it has taken a toll on her.

Elena pulls Bonnie into a tight hug and whispers into her ear "sometimes I'm happy about everything, because I got Damon, but then sometimes I'm sad because we lost so much, how do you calculate the difference between happiness and sadness?"

Bonnie contemplates Elena's words and she understands their meanings. She got Klaus, but she also lost her Grams, her dad, and her mother.

Bonnie smiles and holds Elena. Through all the pain, jealousy, and madness that have been between the two girls, they are still friends. They were tossed into this supernatural world with no warning and all they had was each other.

Bonnie will never regret Elena's friendship; she will just hold regrets on the lengths she was willing to go to in order to keep that friendship.

Bonnie now understands that she held on for so long to Elena, because she felt like she had nothing else, but now she had Klaus and the rest of the Mikaelsons.

"We don't measure it. We just gather whatever happiness we can and move forward" Bonnie says softly. Elena nods and wipes her tears from her face.

Then lastly is Damon. Klaus stood watchfully behind Bonnie as Damon after Elena came to say his goodbyes. "You look happy" he says softly. "I am Damon. You should go be happy too, and take care of Elena." She gives him a quick hug and Klaus softly pulls her away, ushering her to another guest before Damon can respond to Bonnie's request. He would take care of Elena, just for Bonnie.

When their goodbyes are finished, Klaus and Bonnie slip out of the ballroom while the guests continue to party.

Klaus leads Bonnie into the car and they drive to the plane that would take them to Fiji.

As the plane ascends into the air, Klaus holds Bonnie by the waist, "I got you love" and Bonnie smiled, she knew he would have her, forever and always.