CHAPTER NINE

(act ii)

FOOTBALL and DINNER

'friday night bites'

"A lifetime of glory is worth a moment of pain" ~ 'Unbroken', Lauren Hillenbrand

I wake up to a stream of sunlight making its way into my room and lighting it up. I yawn as I roll over to the side, bringing the pillow I was hugging with me. I check the time on my digital clock, notice I have a few hours before school, and slowly make my way up. I got out of bed, walked to the shower next door, and did everything that needed to be done.

I walk out, rub the soft towel over my damp hair, and look up to see a figure sitting in my expensive and very old armchair, sipping a McDonald's drink.

The usual sight still makes me laugh. He looks up after hearing my laugh. He smiles and points to the bag on the table next to him. It makes me laugh again. I make my way over to the bag and inspect it.

My favourite; is a bacon and egg McMuffin and a salted caramel frappe

"Thank you, father, you got my favourite. How are you?" I ask as I sit in my newly made chair, sipping my frappe.

The perks of magic

He hums, looking at me with a smile, saying, "I'm fine dear, thank you. It's been a while since I last saw you so I thought I would come visit. See what's holding you up."

I finish eating my first bit of the goodness that is egg and bacon mixing together and answer, "There's no need to be worried. The plot started, so I've been busy. I don't want to bore you with mundane's. How is work?"

He hums at my answer. "Yes, well, it seems you'll be very busy. It's fine, boring as ever. The same thing over and over again. The Winchesters are... well, the Winchesters." He said with a sigh at the end.

I nod along with him. The Winchesters were tricky bastards. Hot but, nonetheless, tricky bastards.

Yes, I had watched Supernatural, I didn't finish it, but I knew the basics. Death had told me most series were universes, but we couldn't move between them. Well, only powerful people could; you needed much of it to travel between universes. That was how I winded up here. Death had used my death and placed me here.

"Hmm, their humans won't do too much damage. Don't worry, father." I told him, finishing my burger.

He shakes his head and tells me, "No, those Winchesters aren't just humans; they face many evils and live. It's beyond me."

"True, very true. But, How's your favorite? Dean. Is he still hot?" I ask with a cheeky grin

He chuckles and answers, "Yes, Dean is fine and yes he is."

I sigh, wistfully imaging Jensen Ackles. Another person crosses my mind.

"How is big daddy chuck," I ask with a massive grin knowing it annoyed him.

He sighed at my question but answered, "He's fine."

I nodded and stopped the questions. I didn't want to annoy him, considering I hadn't seen him for a while.

We sit in comfortable silence for a while and occasionally sip our drinks. He breaks the silence with an unexpected question.

"How is this boyfriend of yours? What's his name? Enzo or Jeremy? Something like that" he asks innocently.

I choke on my frappe, slap my chest several times, and get my breathing under control. I fiddle with my fingers and answer quietly, "Well Jeremy is fine. Enzo is also good, he's in New Orleans at the moment. Jeremy and I will be visiting him soon. They're both my boyfriends."

He nods, thinks about my answer, and says, "Well, they better treat you right. If not, I'll deal with my as Death does." he chuckles at the end.

I chuckle nervously and respond strongly, "Of course they will, and I'll deal with them if they even try to hurt me." My voice loses its strength when I ask, "You're not weried out that I have two boyfriends?"

Death flicked his eyes to me, held them, stood up, and walked over to me. He gently but firmly pulls me into a hug and begins to rub my back when I wrap my arms around him. He gently answers, "Of course not. It matters not to me as long as you love them and they love you. Your love interest does not matter to me. I will never judge you for it, my child. I love you."

I hug him tighter after his words and whisper, "Thank you, father. I love you too, so much."

We stand hugging for a while in silence and in warmth.

_______________________

After I chatted with my father, I went to pick up Bonnie and go to school. We had cheerleading practice today, so I packed my gym and school bag separately. I placed them in the back and drove to the Bennett Residence after I got Bonnie and her coffee and breakfast. We got into school before the bell went. 

_______________________

*I'm going to skip some scenes because they don't concern Caroline, or it's just Elena and Stefan. I don't want to write the whole episode. We've all seen the show. Bonnie hasn't said much about being a witch to Elena because Bonnie knows. Damon is using Tiki instead of Caroline.*

We were all throwing a football around and passing it around. Bonnie wasn't participating and standing next to Tyler as he threw the ball to me, and I passed it to Matt.

Tyler notices Elena and Stefan and says, "Look... there's Elena and her new boyfriend. Now, what are they doing? Oh, they're walking, walking, walking. Yep. Right into the sunset."

Matt scoffs, watching Elena and her doppelganger boyfriend. He tells Tyler, "You're a dick."

"He isn't a dick!" Bonnie defends Tyler getting a smile from him

Tyler returns to the couple, saying, "While you just stand there looking like one of those little yard trolls."

I let out a loud laugh surprising Mundie. Mundane quickly shakes his head and corrects Tyler's "Gnomes."

I stop laughing, go back to my normal state, look Matt dead in the eye, and say, "You're one mundane gnome."

This comment makes Bonnie roll her eyes. Tyler laughs and pats Matts back whilst Matt deflates and shrugs.

______

Elena walks with Stefan and says, "Here's what we're going to do. Are you free tonight?"

Stefan nods his head and says, "Yes."

Elena lights up and tells him, "Perfect. Dinner, my house. 8:00. You, me, and Bonnie. You two will spend some quality time, and she'll get to see what a great guy you are. Mission accomplished."

______

Matt looks at Tyler with sad eyes and asks him, "What am I supposed to do, Ty? She made her choice."

Tyler shakes his head in annoyance and imparts his wisdom "Let her know she made the wrong one."

Tyler catches the football I threw to him and shakes his head at my grin.

Tyler faces the direction Stefan and Elena are in and pulls his throwing arm, and Matt says frantically, "What are you doing? Ty, don't. Ty, don't! Ty!"

Tyler throws the ball at Stefan, who has his back towards him, talking to Elena. He quickly turns around and catches the ball.

He throws it back to Tyler, but I step forward in front of him and catch the ball with one hand, unaffected by his vampire strength. I nod at him with the ball in my hand and my face supporting a mocking smile.

It seems like he's just trying to get caught.

Matt looks at me, shocked, whilst Tyler and Bonnie shake their heads laughing. Elena and Stefan and confused and shocked.

_______________________

Timeskip ~ History Class

Bonnie was sitting next to me, and I noticed she was drawing the numbers that foreshadowed Tanner's death, and I couldn't help but smile. Tanner's expiration date was coming, and I was happy. But I was worried and confused. Why was Bonnie experiencing this? Her divination is quite high, so maybe it's natural. Even with the training of her divination skills, this was coming out. Does the plot have something to do with this?

Elena was trying to get Stefan to join the football team, and it wasn't working that well. Tanner was asking students for dates. It seems he forgot and is asking minors.

"They could use you", Elena whispers' leaning over her desk.

She literally couldn't whisper to save her life. It was so loud.

Stefan replied, "Can't. I'm a loner."

She huffs, shaking her head and is interrupted when Tanner asks, "Miss Gilbert?"

She looks at him like a deer in headlights, clearly not listening. Tanner repeats the question, "Pearl Harbor?"

That show boy Stefan cuts in before Elena could make a fool of herself, sadly. He answers Tanner's question, "December 7, 1941". Elena smugly smiled at Tanner.

Tanner looks at him and says, "Thank you", emphasizing the "Miss Gilbert."

Stefan replies, "Anyime."

Tanner, over students not listening, says, "Very well. The fall of the Berlin wall."

Stefan answers softly, "1989. I'm good with dates, sir."

I bloody hope so. You were there.

Tanner replies, "Are you? How good?" looking around the room like the class clown when they say a joke. He looks back to Stefan with those dark beady eyes of his and channels him, "Keep it to the year.

Stefan nods, and Tanner starts the lightning round. Winner takes all

"Civil Rights Act?"

"1964"

"John F. Kennedy assassination?"

"1963"

Tanner starts walking closer, trying to intimidate him.

"Martin Luther King?"

His question made some students look at Bonnie, and I scoffed at the response. How white are these privileged brats?

Stefan answers, "'68"

"Lincoln?"

"1865"

"Roe vs. Wade?"

"1973"

"Brown vs. Broad?"

"1954"

"The battle of Gettysburg?"

"1954"

"Korean War?"

"1950 to 1953"

Tanner lights up and says, "Ha! It ended in '52." He laughs and walks away

Stefan, clearly uncomfortable with getting laughed at, tells him, "Uh, actually, sir, it was '53"

Tanner looks at Stefan and sighs. He turns to yours truly and asks, "Miss Forbes?"

I answer sweetly, "It ended in 53, sir. You're teaching skills are admirable. I love how you are debating simple white dates. Why not discuss other important dates."

Stefan and Tanner look uncomfortable, and Tanner coughs.

He looks down at her and says, "Alright then, Miss Forbes, when was Julius Caesar assassinated?

"44BC, sir"

"When did the great plague start?"

"1665, sir"

"French Revolution?"

"1789"

"Chinese Revolution?"

"1911"

"The Dawes Act"

"1887"

"Australia Day?"

"Survival Day is January 26"

"I said Australia Day! Miss Forbes."

"Australia Day is Survival Day. Survival day emphasizes the survival of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their culture in the face of colonization and inequality. It reflects on the resilience and endurance of the First Nations people, whose cultures are one of the oldest continuing cultures in human history. It's survival day. "

I stood, packing my bag up.

"Instead of getting a student to know the answer, do it yourself, sir. Considering you have time now that class is over."

As soon as those words left my mouth, the bell rang. I left the class with cold eyes.

I heard the voice of Tanner as I walked off. "The bell doesn't dismiss you; I do!". Everyone started walking out, leaving him alone and had one thought on their minds – Caroline was smart and what a power move.

_______________________

Timeskip ~ Cheerleading Practice

I see Stefan sitting on the bleachers, watching the football team practice having the main character moment.

The cheerleaders were warming up on the other side of the field, and I made my way to start practice.

Bonnie was stretching, waiting for me. Elena walked over to her, and Bonnie cheered when she saw her. "Oh, my God! You're here!"

Elena smiles and says, "Yep. I can't be a sad girl forever. The only way to get things back to the way they we are is to do things that were. Oh, and you're coming to dinner tonight."

"I am?" Bonnie says, surprised. I can tell she's annoyed by the tension in her body.

Elena doesn't notice and says, "Mm-hmm. You, me and Stefan. You have to give him a chance."

Bonnie clearly didn't want to go and said, "Tonight's no good."

Elena says, "Don't lie, Bonnie Bennett! You're going to be there."

Bonnie sighed and said, "Fine. I'll go."

Elena smiles triumphantly and says, "Good "I walk up behind bonnie and Elena silently. "Well, where is my invitation? Surely you don't have manners and won't invite your brother's girlfriend for dinner." I smugly state.

Jenna told me that she told Elena about Jeremy and me. I wasn't mad because Elena was bound to find out somehow. The dopplewench's opinion on our relationship didn't matter.

Elena flinches at the comment and looks at her hotly with a glare.

Bonnie cuts in before Elena can say something. "I'll only go if Care does."

Elena rolls her eyes and nods her head in agreement. She would have to finish this conversation somewhere else. 

I walk off and Bonnie catches up to me to start training. She looks at my outfit and smiles, saying "You look cute, today."

I smile at her softly and reply "Thank you darling. You look radiant."

Bonnie nods with flushed cheeks. I walk in front of the other cheerleaders and start practice. "Let's start with the double pike herkey hurdler, what do you say? And 5, 6, 7, 8. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8."

Elena can't keep up because she didn't go to the cheerleading camp we all went to. She said she was going to come, but she didn't. I stop counting and tell her, "Elena, dearie drop to the back. You clearly need help. So just sit out and watch."

I move my eyes to the others and tell them, "Keep going! Ok. Do it again from the top. And 5, 6, 7, 8. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8."

After more rounds of other routines, I notice Elena's main character moment watching Stefan playing football. I roll my eyes but notice Tyler and can't help but think he looks fit. I shake the thoughts away before it can stay and go back to my job as Cheer Captain.

_______________________

Timeskip ~ Dinner at the Gilbert Residence

I arrived at the Gilbert with a massive dish of Italian food I made after school for dinner. I was dressed nicely and standing at the door, balancing the plate in one hand and a bottle of red in my other. Two of my own wine glass in my sitting in my purse. I rang the doorbell and waited to be invited in.

Bonnie opened the door, let me in, and started at the plate and wine. "You seriously always bring food. You brought wine?"

"Of course, darling. My mother raised me right," I tell her

Bonnie nods slowly and takes the plate while keeping the bottle in my hand. "Also, Elena can't cook and she's not fooling anyone. It's also good manners and you know how I feel about them."

Bonnie hums and agrees, and we walk into the kitchen and watch Elena place the pre-bought food containers into a bowl. My face turns into an unimpressed frown.

Bonnie looks at my expression and tells Elena, "Putting food in a nice bowl isn't fooling anybody", making her look at us.

I look at her with barely concealed disgust. "Have you no shame. Luckily I brought food and wine."

Elena smiles, ignoring my comment. She takes the dish of Italian and moves the go-to food aside, and uses the Italian as the dish. She gets her wine glasses out. I pull Bonnie, and I's glass out of my bag and pour an even amount in each glass.

"Okay, serving spoons. Where are the serving spoons" I hear Elena as I continue to pour wine? I roll my eyes; how does one not know their own kitchen?

Bonnie looks up from the wine and tells Elena, "Middle drawer on your left."

Elena huffs. "Okay, so you've been in this kitchen a thousand times." Referring to their previous witch conservation. I'm not sure when we will tell Elena about us being witches, probably when she founds out Stefan is a vampire.

Bonnie smiles and nods at Elena.

Bonnie and I cling to our wine glasses and make a toast and drink.

The doorbell rings, interrupting our toast.

Elena hurriedly tells us, "Okay, he's here. Don't be nervous. Just be your normal loving selves" looking at me when she said the last comment made me roll my eyes.

How rude

Elena leaves, and Bonnie and I finish setting the table and sit down. I take Stefan's seat and

sit at the head of the table like I always do. I have a thing where I need to be at the head of the table. It asserts dominance and allows me to watch everything.

Elena and Stefan enter and greet us. Stefan watches me sip my wine while raising his eyebrow at my seat placement. I raise one back at him with narrowed eyes saying I'm not moving.

It's such an old thing that only the man of the house or father sits at the head of the table. It's old-fashioned and sexist if you ask me.

Elena and Stefan sit on my left, with Stefan next to Bonnie and me sitting to my right.

Elena starts the conversation by asking Stefan, "Did Tanner give you a hard time today?"

Stefan smiles and responds "Well, he let me on the team, so I must have done something right."

Elena smiles at him, turns to Bonnie and tell her, "Bonnie, you should have seen Stefan today. Tyler threw a ball right at him, and..."

Bonnie cuts her off annoyed, and tells her, "Yeah, I was there."

Stefan senses the tension between Bonnie and Elena and says, "This dinner is amazing. Thank you"

Bonnie smiles and says, "yeah, of course, it is. Caroline made it. She's excellent in the kitchen."

Stefan smiled apologetic at me, thinking Elena cooked it and said, "Really? The ravioli is really well made. The best I've had in a long time."

I nod with a smile "Thank you, Stefan. I thought you would like it."

Stefan nods. "I love Italian."

I tell him "I would hope you love your home food."

Stefan blinks in surprise and asks, "How did you know."

"Salvatore", I explained. "It's an Italian surname, is it not?"

Stefan said softly, "Yes, it is. Thank you again."

I smiled and nodded again and went back to eating, and bonnie and Elena smiled at each other with the interaction.

No one talks, and we eat, and Elena talks again and says to Bonnie "Why don't you tell Stefan about your family?"

I scoff, making everyone look at me, and I'm just glaring at Elena. "It's none of Mr Salvatore's business. Bonnie's familial affairs are not the concern of anyone besides her"

Bonnie smiles at my protectiveness and says, "Care, it's fine." She looks at Stefan and says, "My parents are divorced. My mom left when I was young, I live with my Grams and my dad, but he's usually away on business."

Stefan nods awkwardly, and Elena says, "No, about the witches" Stefan becomes alert, and I glare harder at Elena, and Bonnie squeezes my hold in comfort. Elena keeps going on about Bonnie's business and turns to Stefan, telling him, "Bonnie's family has a lineage of witches. It's really cool."

I scoff again and tell her," Cool is not the word one should use. Bonnie's bloodline dates back over 2000 years. Her ancestors were powerful, just like her. Cool is a mundane word not used to describe goddesses and gods among mortals, as witches were described as"

Bonnie smiles warmly at me with my comment. I squeeze her hand, showing how proud I am of her progress.

Elena just awkwardly chuckles, looking at my stern face.

Stefan tries to lessen the tension and tells Bonnie, "It's certainly interesting. I'm not too versed, but I do know that there's a history of Celtic druids that migrated here in the 1800s."

Bonnie responds, "My family came by Salem."

Stefan, intrigued, replies, "Really? Salem witches"

"It'd say that it's really cool-" Stefan stops himself after my scoff and says, "Apologies, that's fascinating. Salem witches are heroic examples of individualism nonconformity."

"And power. Pure power. The Salem Witch Trails were disgusting. A mere ploy to get rid of women who were smarter and not submissive. Most victims were not witches, just humans who didn't want to conform." I tell her, smiling and sipping at my wine.

I love talking to Bonnie about her bloodline and heritage. She needed to understand her importance as a Bennett. She's been progressing immensely over the years of training and practice. She knew so much compared to season one Bonnie, even season 8 Bonnie. She was much more knowledgeable and ready for anything. She was proud of her bloodline, unlike in canon.

We were interrupted by the doorbell ringing.

Elena, the oblivious wench, says, "I wonder who that could be"

Elena leaves the table and goes to the door, and opens it. Damon and Tiki are standing outside. Tiki was sporting a scarf and holding a cheap pie.

Tiki smiles and says, "Surprise! We heard about the dinner, so we brought dessert."

Elena looks confused and says, "Oh, okay."

Damon grins and says, "Hope you don't mind."

Stefan appears behind Elena, stares at Damon and asks him, "What are you doing here?"

Damon smiles at Elena and Stefan's discomfort, looks at Elena, and says, "Waiting for Elena to invite me in."

Elena looks like a deer in headlights and says, "Oh, yeah, you can..."

Stefan cuts her before she can say the magic words and says, "No, no, no. He can't, uh...he can't stay. Can you, Damon?"

Tiki, who made her way in, says cheerfully, "Get in here."

Stefan says, "We're just...finishing up."

Elena ignores him, staring at Damon and says, "It's fine. Just come on in."

Damon shows stepping over the threshold, mocking Stefan and smiling at Elena like a predator. "You have a beautiful home, Elena."

Elena smiles widely and says, "Thank you."

We all make our way to the living room. I sit on the armchair, my refilled wine glass in my hand, as Bonnie sits on my lap, considering the filled sits. Stefan and Elena sit next to each other, and Damon and Tiki sit facing them together. I wrap a protective hand around her waist and glare at Damon, whose smile falls at my expression and hand placement, clearly getting the wrong idea.

Tiki sips a drink Elena made her and takes canon Caroline's lines and says "I cannot believe that Mr. Tanner let you on the team. Tyler must be seething. But good for you. Go for it."

Damon mockingly smiles and tells the group, "That's what I always tell him. You can't just sit there and wait for life to come to you. You have to engage. You have to go get it."

Tiki says, "Yeah, Elena wasn't so lucky today. It's only because you missed summer camp. I don't know how you'll ever learn the routines."

I cut in with a cold voice and said, "Since when were you captain, dearie."

Tiki looks down at my tone, and Bonnie cuts in and tells her, "I'll work with her. She'll get it."

I look up at Bonnie and tell her quietly "Elena will quit, don't worry."

Stefan raises a brow at my comment but keeps quiet, but Damon looks at Elena and says, "You know, you don't seem like the cheerleader type, Elena."

Tiki tells him, "Oh, it's just cause her parents died. Yeah, I mean, she's just totally going through a blah phase. She used to be way more fun" Everyone besides me looks at Tiki with surprised faces, and Elena raises a brow and hides her hurt behind an awkward smile. Tiki awkwardly says, "And I say that with complete sensitivity."

Damon says, "I'm sorry, Elena. I know what it's like to lose both your parents. In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we've ever cared about die."

Stefan, annoyed, says, "We don't need to get into that right now, Damon."

Damon smiles and says, "Oh, you know what, you're right Stef. I'm sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was bring her up. Mmm."

This was my moment to say something hurtful to Elena, and I wouldn't pass it. I love seeing Elena's sad face. It just does something to me, probably because of what she did in the show. I look at Damon, ignoring the hint about Katherine and tell him, "You know, Elena use to be slightly tolerable, now she just hides everything behind the fakest smile I've ever seen. She acts as though she's the only one who is grieving and the first one to ever grieve." I take a sip when I finish looking completely unbothered. Bonnie just sighs and gives Elena an apologetic smile again.

I hate how she always feels the need to apologize for my behavior. Elena needs to group up.

Elena frowns and says with a high voice, "That's because I am the only one grieving."

I roll my eyes and say, "Are Jeremy and Jenna that forgettable. They both lost the same people, Jenna; her sister and brother-in-law and Jeremy lost his parents. I also lost my father figure," I tell her with a cold voice and narrowed eyes. I put my empty glass on the table before I throw it at her.

She was always so full of grief that she forgot other people were grieving too. It was fine to grieve, but she acted like a bitch to Jeremy and acted like she was the only one allowed to grieve. Sure, Jeremy's way of dealing with grief was bad but it helped him through it and Elena thought of herself above everyone. No one cared or asked how Jenna was coping with it. Jenna was in college and still young; her sister died, and she had to become a guardian and look after two teens. It was hard on her, and no one thanked her.

"Father Figure? He was my father" she raises her anger-filled voice.

"I spent more time with him than you did. He helped me with my education, and he helped me get my medical degree. He was a father I never had. Your father wasn't the greatest man. Frankly, you never knew him. But I did. We were the same. We could be ourselves together," I tell her, a tear trailing down my cheek. I freeze and go rigid, my eyes widen, and my hand reaches to my cheek, and I touch the wet spot and pull back, starting at the clear tears. Bonnie looks down at me, stands up, and leans over to me, but before she reaches me, I put my hand in front of me like a stop motion, which she responds to.

I get up and breathe in. "My apologizes, I must leave", and I walk out the door whilst Bonnie lets me leave.

Elena, clearly angry and sad, walks off to clean the dishes and be alone.

Bonnie POV:

I can't help but sigh and sink into the chair Caroline was just in. Stefan and Damon are looking at each other, trying to silently communicate. Stefan looks at me, searching my face and asking a silent question. Damon just voices it, "What the hell just happened?"

I sigh again and explain, "The Gilberts and Forbes were pretty close when we were younger. Elena and Caroline were the worst of friends when we were young. It's kinda like now but way worse. Elena was a spoiled girl, and Caroline was full of anger and sadness when we were young. She still is, but it lessened with time. Caroline and Grayson, Elena's dad, were best friends. Grayson had a clinic in town, and Care helped out. She was absolutely fascinated with medicine, she glowed when she was dealing with blood. Grayson became a father figure for her since her father left when she was younger. They were always together, working and talking about science and medicine. Grayson didn't treat her like a kid. He treated her like a respected college. He helped her with her graduation and degrees. Elena always envied Caroline's knowledge and relationship with Grayson, even if she won't admit it."

Stefan looks surprised

"She graduated but she's still in school? She has degrees. She's so young."

"Yes, she graduated high school years ago. She has a degree in history, anatomy, dead languages, occult studies, mythology, astrology a bachelor's in medical science. I tell him with a proud smile. She was so bloody smart it was frightening at times. She's only staying in high school to keep an eye on me, be with our friends, and the drama."

"Just because she's a blonde cheerleader does not mean she's dumb, that is the furthest from the truth. Caroline was a child genius, an absolute prodigy." I explain further with a grin.

They both nod, and Damon asks, confused, "What was up with the tear reaction?"

I sigh again. "Caroline hardly ever cries. I've only seen her cry once before, and that was traumatic. She didn't even cry at the funeral. Caroline bottles everything up and rarely lets it explode, especially not in public."

"Is she a psychopath?" Damon asks confidently.

"She's both a sociopath and psychopath, she doesn't label herself, so I'm not sure."

Stefan nods and replies, "She feels really strongly about you. I commend her loyalty towards you. It's almost fanatical, one would say"

I flinch at the end, stand up, and tell them, "She's not fanatical or crazy, oaky! She has a big heart, and she loves very strong. She's my best friend. She's been there for me in every way for everything, her status as a psychopath makes her very, and I mean very, possessive and territorial over people. You should hear her talk about Alisha God. I wished someone loved me like that. You do not want to get in between one of her people; trust me, it's bad – you will regret it. Caroline doesn't care about morals or the law. She will kill for me and the others."

"Alisha, who is that," Stefan asks, intrigued.

"Are you Olay Bonnie?" Stefan asks me. I flinch at the question and quickly look around, waiting for Caroline to jump out of nowhere.

I shake out my daze. "I never should have mentioned her. If you want to live, never, and I mean never, bring up Alisha in her presence. No one can stop her from hurting you. Elena doesn't know about her. Alisha is a guarded secret. She is single handed the most important person in Caroline's life. Don't bring her up, and don't tell her I told you; she might kill me."

Stefan laughs awkwardly. "She won't kill you, Bonnie; she loves you. But who is it"

"She might. No one will ever be more important than Alisha. God, Caroline was so fucking in love with her it's scary. She says she moved on, but she hasn't, she never will." My tone turns sad, thinking I'll never compare even when she says I remind her of Alisha.

"Wait, so Caroline is Bi?" Damon asks

"Caroline is a lot of things, she doesn't label. She appreciates beauty in all forms."

_______________________

Timeskip ~ Night Outside of Mystic High ~ The Football Game

We were all standing outside the high school watching Coach Tanner doing the prep speech. I was standing next to Bonnie with the other cheerleaders. Elena quit the team earlier as predicted. She's always a quitter. I didn't need to watch the episode to know that. She always cried when things got tough.

I could hear Tyler talking to Matt "This blows. He can't start the guy. He just got here."

I felt bad for Tyler; it was seriously unfair. Tyler has been practising and training for years on the team, trying to keep his spot at the top. Football was one of the most important things in his life, and it gets ruined by some stranger.

Tanner finished the speech, "Your Timberwolves are hungry."

When Elena came over, Bonnie and I were standing near the balloon sign for the footballers. I wasn't sure why because Tyler and Jeremy never had the fight since they were best friends and didn't like Vicki.

Bonnie smiled slightly at Elena, still feeling awkward about the dinner party. Elena asked, "Can I ask you a question, and you give me a serious no-joke response?"

Bonnie nodded and told her, "Of course. What is it?"

Elena asked her, "The bad mojo. When you touched Stefan and you had that reaction..."

"I felt his aura. It was cold and what I imagined what death would feel like." Bonnie told her bluntly.

_______________________

Timeskip ~ Tanner's Death :)

Stefan clapped back. "No, you're not. You've had lifetimes to do it, yet here I am. I'm still alive. And there you are. You're still haunting me after 145 years. Katherine is dead. And you hate me because you loved her and torture me because you still do. And that, my brother, is your humanity."

Stefan was telling no lies.

Tanner interrupts them by yelling, "Salvatore! What the hell? We've got a game to play!"

Damon looks at Tanner with his thinking cap and says "If that's my humanity...then what's this?" he produces to drain Tanner, thus ending his life.

Stefan yells at Damon, "Noo!"

Damon drops Tanner's body to the floor like a bag of meat and says, "Anyone, anytime, any place."

_______________________

Later Matt finds Tanner's dead body and calls the police. The police arrive, and Bonnie and I are watching from the sidelines.

Bonnie connects the dots with 8, 14, and 22 and whimpers slowly, blaming herself. I noticed and hug her, rubbing her shoulders.

"It's alright. There was nothing you could do. It was meant to be." I told her softly patting her hair as she cried onto my shoulders.

_______________________

The ending of this episode is so funny.

Stefan: There's nothing human left in Damon.

Damon: rubbing Elena's cheek like a weird perv.

But seriously, thanks to everyone who is still reading this and commenting. It makes me so happy that people are reading this and being active. so keep it up!

The NOLA chapter is coming soon, it will probably happen before Chapter 6, and they'll be back before 182 candles. The show doesn't say how long the breaks in episodes are, so I'm guessing. I'm going to say a week or something has passed in between.

Again any suggestions or ideas are so fucking appreciated and help keep my mind on track, lol.

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