Bonnie woke up early, got dressed and went for a run. It was her usual morning ritual, run and then breakfast with Elena, who wasn't really a sporty type, although she did enjoy swimming on occasion. Now Bonnie extended her usual track and ended up going down the track up to the woods.

She stopped at the edge of the woods as she saw a man stand in the track appearing out of thin air.

"So healthy"-he said to her.

Bonnie turned to leave and head back into town, but then she felt something unusal about him, so she turned to face him.

"Not many really like walking in these woods"

"Why is that?...don't tell me they still scare kids with the story of 12 dead witches haunting the place?!"-Damon said.

"You lived here? You know the story?- Bonnie questioned.

"Oh yes, although it was hundred years ago."- he said smiling enchantingly- "but you don't seem to be scared to get in?"

"No. I don't-"- and then she stopped. The town was known for it's myths, legends and horror stories, and she had believed it was all folklore till last night. Till she read the book and then the Grimoire. 

Then she felt again a very strange feeling and now she saw Damon's face shift into the face she saw in the picture and as he wanted to charge at her and bite, she stopped him clear with just a few words pinning him down on the ground surprised that she had done it. Was it her or some other person?! She quickly looked around and there was only him and her. He was still on the ground and she now stood over him.

"You are... a vampire?!"- she said.

"And you are a witch?! How did I miss that? You don't smell like one"- Damon uttered- "this place...should have known"- he puffed and then cleverly tried to charm his way back to her good graces- "I am not into witches. Their blood is vile, so, you're safe."

"Really?"- Bonnie said trying to remain cool.

"We started on a wrong foot. Shall we start from the beginning? I am Damon... Salvatore, nice to meet you."

"Salvatore?! Now tell me that you are...were related to Zach Salvatore?!"-Bonnie looked in amazement at the vampire.

"Yep. His great-great- grandfather was my uncle."-Damon said.
Bonnie was quiet for a moment. Her mind was racing. She remembered her mother and grandmother arguing about Jack Salvatore, who was Zach's father, who her mother was seeing at the time.
"Look"- Damon then said -"seriously- let's forget about this crazy misunderstanding. How about I tell you a very dark secret? I actually could use a badass witch on my side"

"Oh, yeah- what secret is that? You want me to let you go? Who knows who you will kill next?"

"I don't kill"-he said slyly-"I just have a pint of blood and go about my business."

Bonnie sighed. "Dark secret, ha?"- Bonnie continued, but she was intrigued.

"There is a reason why I am here. And it is not a good one.."-Damon said-"A very badass vampire will be in town soon, and trust me he is not to be messed with."

"And I should just believe you?!"

"Believe it or not...it is so. It involves a curse that is put on this vampire some thousand years ago. He needs a heart of a particular girl. There are other ingredients. Don't know all the details... one thing you should know that it is not just an ordinary vampire like me. He is the Old one. He calls himself the Original. Maybe you have read somewhere something about a vampire called Klaus Mikaelson?!"

Bonnie now remembered the chapter in the book where a vampire of that name was mentioned. Damon could see that the name rang a bell.

"So, I help you, you help me. Plus you release me"- Damon now urged her to undo the spell that had him stuck on the ground.

Bonnie's phone then rang and she looked at the display. It was Elena.

"Lena ?! Sorry I am late"- Bonnie replied the call- "I'll be with you in a minute"

"Lena?"- Damon then shouted- "we will be with you in a little while. Sorry to have kept your friend"

"Who is that with you?"- Elena now said with a chuckle in her voice- "ok, I will see you later. You should have told me you're not alone- don't forget about Caroline"

"Yeah, later."- Bonnie hang up and put the phone back in her jacket.

"Lena must be a very good friend?"- Damon was fishing to find out more.  He now heard Stefan arriving and just before the vampire got to them and Bonnie reacted in the same instinctively, Damon shouted- " I'm fine, Stefan. It's a witch."

Stefan stopped in a safe distance.

"It's Bonnie Bennett"- Stefan now said nearing them slowly.

Bonnie's heart beat wild and as she was now startled that Stefan knew who she was.

"Bennett?"- Damon said now- "we are in luck."

"What is going on here?"- she wanted to know.

"It's to do with that dark secret of ours."- Damon then said- "if you are a Bennett witch, then you are the one who the vampire will want to undo the curse."

"My brother is telling the truth"- Stefan said- "it looks like the Secret Council has not told you a thing. "

"Secret Council?"- Bonnie said.

"Jenna Gilbert, Liz Forbes, Eloise Fell, Richard Loockwood, Carol Lockwood, and so on, to name but a few. They know about vampires, even your friend Elena."

"Lena or Elena?"- Damon now said.

Stefan said- "we will be stupid to harm you. We need you. To stop Klaus Mikaelson."

But in truth, Stefan needed Bonnie as leverage.

Bonnie didn't kow what to think. For the first time in her life her mind was telling her to try and kill them, and then some strange voice from somewhere was telling her not to.

She now dialled Jenna's number and she wanted confirmation about what Stefan had said.

Jenna and Elena arrived at the place not long after the call.

Elena and Jenna confirmed to Bonnie all that they had said and who they were, and about their ancestry.

Jenna wanted to know all they knew about Klaus Mikaelson and about their secret.

Bonnie finally released Damon.

"We will tell you all, but we want to do us a favour as well"-  Stefan said- "we want to stay in the house"

"I very rarely negotiate with vampires...but in this case you have a deal"- Jenna said.

"Staying in that woman's house really was not my kind of thing...now I can sleep in my room."- Damon muttered.

Elena looked at them as if they were ghost. She felt slightly uncomfortable as both Stefan and Damon looked at her as if they had seen a ghost.

Now five of them departed to the Boarding House.

*********

Some eight miles away from Mystic Falls was a Mansion, that was uninhabitted for at least a hundred years. Same as the woods, this place was also deemed as haunted and noone really dared to enter it. 

Elijah and Rose had arrived in the place early in the morning and the female vampire went immediately to gather update on Elena Gilbert's whereabouts. As she returned to the Mansion she reported.

"I am listening"- Elijah said.

"She is staying with her aunt in her parent's house. Here is the address. It appears that today there is a birthday event for her friend at a local Grill house- at 7 p.m."

"Excellent. What else?"-the vampire asked.

"I overheard them talking with a witch about the doppelgangers."- Rose said.

"Right"- Elijah said- "thank you.  it looks like they know. Who is the witch? Do we know her?"

"Sophie Deveraux."- Rose said.

"Really?"- Elijah was surprised that they knew a witch from New Orleans, from one of the most powerful covens. "They are expecting Klaus,  so they know about the curse."

"It seems to be so."- Rose said.

"Nevertheless, they probably don't know all, plus, they can't beat him. He will take the woman. And I can't have that."- Elijah then said. He now retreated to his room.

Rose left to run some errands.

********

Caoline Forbes tried to call her friends, but none of them were answering their phones. She got a vague message from Elena that they will meet soon at her house.

She then called her best friend.

"Matt...now seriously...everyone is so weird. You have all planned something crazy I guess for my 25th? Now spill!"- Caroline demanded to know.

"There is cake and a buffet food- all your favourite stuff. And that's it."- Matt said.

"Where are you now?"

"I am left coordinating the food and decorations."- he explained.

"Really? Oh God-it's going to look so"- she didn't dare finish the sentence so she wouldn't offend him- "I am coming over. It is my birthday and at least the deco should be appropriate."

"I am under strict orders not to let you in. So, you can come to the Grill, but you will not enter."- Matt said.

"Huh"-she puffed- "anyway,  I've arrived an hour ago. so, I need beautification time. I will see you tonight.  You owe me everything about Nadia, and no holding back."

"I have nothing particular to tell. Just took her out to dinner and that's all."- Matt replied.

"Oh- and I didn't ask how is Tommy doing"- Caroline asked about Matt's three year old son.

"He is fine. He is at Vicki's for the weekend."- he explained.

"Invite Nadia to my party"- Caroline said.

"I kinda already did."- he said.

"Good. I want everyone to have a good time. See you later."

She then went off to town for coffee, sending now messages to her friends to meet her in their favourite coffee shop.

*******

Elena, Bonnie and Jenna now left the Boarding House, reeling with the new developments. Also about finding out that Bonnie, not only was a witch but that she also comes from a witch line that was very powerful. 

"Mum and Grams were always strange and they always kept things to themselves. And my mum sort of left cos of work to New York, but even when I was visiting her, she neve ever told me anything, till she sent me this box. It came yesterday."-Bonnie explained to Elena.

"What a welcome back."- Elena said- "what else can happen?!"

"Whatever happens we will deal"- Jenna said- "but, now go and be with Caroline. And just think about the party."

"Talking of that"- Bonnie said- "who is doing the party stuff?"

"We recruited Matt. But he is only dealing with some of it-and keeping Caroline away."- Elena said.

"The rest is my concern"- Jenna said-."shall I drop you off at Bonnie's!?"

"Yeah, I need to change"- Bonnie said and then told Elena to send Caroline a message to tell her to come to her house.

Bonnie and Elena agreed to tell Caroline all about the new events in their life after the party.

"Vampires, witches, secret Council- tomorrow!"- Elena said to Bonnie as they got into the house.

"She will flip."

"Cos she is neither of those things? Trust me, I'd like to trade places."- Elena said-

Bonnie went to take a shower. 

Caroline soon arrived and the three friends went to discuss the party. 

*****

Jenna informed Liz about the Salvatore vampires. Sophie then met her friend at the Grill, where she was now talking to the lead singer of Caroline's favourite band.

"We are in the luck"- Sophie told Jenna when she got to her.

Jenna now told her to follow her into the staff room.

"What is it?"- Jenna said to her friend.

"I put a spell on a ring. That would render Elena sort of untouchable"- the witch said.

"Sort of?"

"She would be a repellent to any vampire who would want to take her. You know how vampires work-they have minions to do their dirty job."- Sophie said.

"Good! At least something."- Jenna was somewhat relieved.

"Where is she now?"

"With her friends. She will be home to change before the party, so you'll give it to her then. St least I can enjoy the party a bit."- Jenna said.

The hours to the party flew by like a wind and as always it was a great elaborate friendly bash. Caroline was gobsmacked to see that they managed to get her favourite band there.

"You guys"- Caroline nearly started crying- "are the best!"

"Thank Jenna! And her crazy connections."-Elena said.

"I will thank her, oh, look Tyler...with a new girlfriend"- Caroline said.

"Please don't tell me you are still got a thing for him."- Bonnie muttered.

"No, that's so done and dusted. Just curious.  Who are they?"- she now looked at Stefan and Damon who entered the party.

"Trouble"- Elena wanted to say, but she kept it to herself.

"You said to invite friends."- Bonnie uttered- "so, I am going to say hi"-

And Bonnie went to the two vampires.

Jenna now came up to Elena and asked her to come with her. She wanted her to help with the cake. The party was in full swing.

"We forgot about the candles. We have some at home"- Jenna said to Elena- "can you get them? I will stall them with something."

"Ok"- Elena agreed and got out of the place at the back. She got to her car and as she was about to get in, a man approached her.

"Elena Gilbert?"- he said.

"Yes"- she looked at the man.

"Elijah Mikaelson."- he said politely.

"What!?"- Elena said as hearing the last name now felt like a gunshot to her ears.