SEASON ONE — EPISODE ELEVEN
"𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞'𝙙 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚"

‧˚꒰🍷꒱༘‧—

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'✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ WAKING UP TO FIND YOURSELF NOT ONLY IN THE BED OF YOUR CO—WORKER'S, but also finding out your cousin has been abducted by your worst enemy was one of the most traumatic ways to awaken on a morning. Not to mention the fact that she'd slipped out of his empty apartment like a coward, too scared to face him.

Stefan had called her just as she got home, asking to meet up at school and she obliged, walking through the courtyard with him side—by—side with her hands stuffed in the pockets of her dark red leather jacket. They were supposedly looking for Bonnie to help find Elena and Brooke quickly spotted her heading out of the school entrance with her books hugged to her chest.

Brooke ran forwards, leaving Stefan trailing behind, "BonBon." The older brunette let out a sigh of relief, immediately taking her books from her hands to wrap her in a tight embrace.

"Brooke." Bonnie sighed in happiness, holding Brooke closer and she noticed Stefan approaching them from over the Elliot's shoulder, her smiled widening, "Hi, Stefan." Brooke pulled away at this, Bonnie's books still held in her arms as Stefan joined the straight—haired girl's side.

"Hey, Bonnie. I, uh, haven't seen you lately. How are you doing with everything?" Stefan asked, his head leaning forwards ever so slightly to look at Bonnie over Brooke. Bonnie moved to take her books from her friend, who shook her head in response, refusing to give up the opportunity to hold her books for her and Bonnie could only smile wider in response.

"Well, I'm fine. All's fine." Bonnie nodded and while Stefan replied with a quick 'good', Brooke wasn't convinced. She didn't comment on it, though, "Are you back in school?"

"No, actually we came here to find you." Stefan pointed his finger to Brooke, who nodded in agreement.

"We were hoping you could help us with something... a spell?" Brooke's expression was hopeful, a reassuring smile on her face as they continued to stroll through the courtyard full of wandering students. Bonnie sighed, turning around to look at them both and they came to a stop.

"Brooke... I know you and Elena are both okay with all of this and Stefan, I appreciate what you did to help me, but I'm not really ready to dive into it with you just yet." She sent her best—friend a wince, clearly apologetic and Brooke understood completely, nodding, though Stefan pressed further.

"I understand that, but we really need your help. It's Elena. She's with Damon." Stefan's voice lowered, his eyes flickering over to Brooke and Bonnie immediately looked over at the Elliot girl as well, her eyes narrowed with anger.

"And that is literally all the information you need." Brooke ran a hand through her hair, the other hand still clutching Bonnie's textbooks and the three found a picnic table nearby. Bonnie sat beside Brooke, Stefan opposite the aforementioned brunette.

"I have Elena's necklace." Stefan told the witch, holding out the red necklace to show her, "I was hoping you could use this to make some sort of a connection. I just need to know if she's okay."

"How do you know I can do this?" Bonnie now turned to Brooke, a worried, unsure expression on her face and Brooke reached her hand out, placing it on her shoulder in hopes of soothing some of the nerves.

"I've known a few witches. I've seen what they can do." Stefan pulled both girls' attentions away from each other and to him, a determined look on his face.

"I'm still new at it."

"It's okay, BonBon. I believe in you, we both do. You're strong." Brooke reassured with a gentle tone in her voice, a tight—lipped smile on her face as she rubbed Bonnie's arm. The Bennett hesitantly took the necklace from Stefan, placing it in between her hands, putting pressure on the pendant.

"All right." Bonnie muttered to herself, nodding as she closed her eyes. Brooke and Stefan watched intently, glancing at each other once or twice as Bonnie sighed, trying to relax herself but it seemed impossible. After a few moments, Bonnie's eyes snapped open and she let out a defeated sigh, immediately looking over at Brooke guiltily, "There's nothing. Nothing's happening. Usually, there's an image or... Tell me if anyone's looking." She told them, and they both nodded, watching as she leaned down, picking up a leaf from the grass.

Brooke furrowed her brows as Bonnie placed her hand over the leaf, attempting to levitate the inanimate object but nothing seemed to happen, disappointing Bonnie all the more. Now, she let out a pained sigh, her eyebrows scrunched just like Brooke's.

"What's happening?" Brooke asked, her voice still gentle yet worried.

"Something's wrong." Bonnie answered, her eyes on the Elliot girl, whose eyes widened slightly with concern.

"With Elena?" Stefan perked up, his eyes also widened.

"No, Stefan, with her." Brooke rolled her eyes at his obliviousness and plain stupidity, her hand moving to Bonnie's shoulder once again. Stefan seemed to ignore the response he received, but there was a hint of vulnerability in his eyes which only lasted a moment.

"I don't know what's wrong with me. I have to go. I'm sorry, Brooke, I can't help you." Bonnie looked scared almost as she grabbed her books and her bag, standing up from the picnic table. Brooke looked up at her, a sympathetic expression on her face.

Before Brooke could reply, Bonnie had ran off through the courtyard, leaving both Brooke and Stefan sat alone with a leaf and Elena's necklace, "I wonder what's stopping her witchy stuff." Brooke spoke up, her eyes locked on Bonnie's frame as she ran out of the school's courtyard.

"You think that's what's wrong? Something's blocking her?" Stefan leaned forwards, intrigued and Brooke turned her head, locking eyes with his.

"Yeah... I'm gonna kill Damon." Brooke swung her legs over the bench and stood up from the table, grabbing Elena's necklace. Stefan followed suit, joining her side as they exited the courtyard the same way they entered, heading towards Stefan's car.

"I'm sure you will." Stefan muttered with a small smile, but the smile only lasted a moment before his eyebrows knitted together, his eyes trailing back over to his best—friend, "Your phone's ringing?" Brooke turned to look at him just before they reached the car and she came to a halt beside him, pulling her cell from the back pocket of her jeans, which was indeed ringing.

The caller was unknown, her face scrunching up as she pressed accept, pressing the phone to her ear, "Hello?" She greeted, her tone confused.

"Brooke?" A male voice sounded on the other line, he sounded familiar but she couldn't quite make out who it was.

"Who's this?" Brooke locked eyes with Stefan, who looked just as confused as she did considering he could hear the entire conversation.

"It's Ben, you ran out on me this morning." She could hear his chuckle on the other line and her heart began to pound in her chest, her mind filling with different excuses she could use to justify why she rushed out that morning. Stefan realised what had happened, and he excused himself, giving her a moment to speak to Ben and he climbed into his car, though he was secretly still listening.

"Hey, Ben. Sorry about that, I had school." Brooke lied, hoping it was enough to convince Ben and stop further questions. She heard Ben's chuckle on the other line once again, and that sent her a sense of relief, a small smile spreading across her lips as she placed one of her hands in the back pocket of her jeans.

"It's alright. Oh, and if you're wondering, I got your number from the phonebook at the Grill." Ben informed her, causing her to let out a small laugh of her own, her eyes scanning the parking lot filled with cars and a few students.

"I figured. I've actually got to go, Ben, my cousin's gone missing." She told him, an apologetic look on her face though only Stefan could see.

"Oh shit, I hope you find her. I just wanted to ask if you wanted to go on a date in a few days, we could just do it during one of our breaks at work, if you're up for that?" Ben suggested, and she could practically hear the huge grin on his lips through the cell phone. She smiled softly, nodding instinctively, how could she say no?

"Of course, we can talk at work tomorrow." Brooke told him, glancing over at Stefan, who was watching from inside the car but when she locked eyes with him, he quickly looked away, pretending to not be listening into the conversation... though, she knew he was.

"That'll be great. I hope you find your cousin, I'll see you tomorrow!" Ben's over—enthusiastic manner caused Brooke to let out a giggle and she smiled from ear—to—ear, happy about the plans she'd made.

"Thanks, bye!" Brooke pulled the phone from her ear and pressed the end call button, a huge smile on her face as she climbed into the passenger seat of Stefan's car. He looked over at her, watching as she clicked her seatbelt in and once she got comfortable, she felt eyes on her. The Elliot girl turned her head, locking eyes with him, noticing the cheeky smile he held on his lips, "Don't say a word."

"I wasn't gonna say anything." He defended, a chuckle escaping his lips as he turned on the engine, starting up the vehicle.

"Whatever, you totally were." She rolled her eyes, fiddling with his bracelets as she turned to look out the window. He rolled out of the parking lot, a huge grin on his lips.

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A FEW HOURS LATER, or at least one hour, Brooke was stood in her kitchen, messaging her brother whilst she waited for her cup of noodles to cook. They were talking about his job, about how he'd thankfully received a raise which would help them both heavily with finances and they were talking about which movie to watch later that night.

As she turned, moving across the kitchen to stir her cup of noodles, her eyes widened with realisation. Despite the feeling of extreme hunger in her stomach, causing nauseousness, she grabbed her jacket and slipped her shoes on, exiting the trailer. Luckily, the forest of Mystic Falls was just a few minutes away, so she arrived at her destination quickly.

Bonnie Bennett was struggling with her powers, with magic in general, and what better place to go than where it all came to an end? The remains of Fell's Church, where Emily Bennett possessed her great—great—great—great—granddaughter to destroy a necklace that was going to be used to release twenty—six vampires from the tomb below the Church.

"Bonnie? BonBon?" Brooke called out, her eyes searching the opening in the dark woods, noticing the burnt grass that was yet to grow out. She shook her head and continued to search around, calling out for her friend when she heard shuffling and a muffled voice.

"Brooke! Don't move!" Bonnie's voice sounded out, but Brooke couldn't quite make out what she was trying to say. She took a few steps forwards, approaching the remains of Fell's Church when she heard crumbling beneath her, causing her brows to furrow.

She looked down, only to see grass, "Bonnie?" Her voice became quieter, yet still concerned and just a moment later, the brunette let out a scream of fear. She fell through the ground into a hidden hole, falling onto the muddy pit with a thud.

"Brooke! I told you not to move." Arms flung around Brooke's shoulders and she stiffened, her eyes scanning her surroundings. Bonnie sobbed quietly into Brooke's shoulder, clearly terrified considering she was on her own in that pit for a long while, "What are you doing here?" Bonnie pulled away, sending Brooke a concerned look.

"Uh..." Brooke blinked a few times, regaining her composure, looking over at the Bennett, "Looking for you. I knew you'd be here." She smiled softly before pushing herself up off the mud, wiping down her jeans which were unfixable without a washing machine. She huffed, twisting her body to attempt to look at the mud smeared all over her butt, thankfully flexible enough due to the fact she was a cheerleader.

"How did you know I'd be here?" Bonnie asked, standing up herself.

"It's where you lost your magic, right? It all stopped after that?" Brooke raised a brow, her eyes still scanning over the pit when she saw a large stone door with a pentagram engraved on the front. She took a step back, her eyes wide, "Wait... Is that?"

"I don't know! I just want to get out of here. I'm scared, Brooke." Bonnie whimpered, wrapping her arm around Brooke's, getting as close as possible in the dark cave looking pit, "I can hear things in there."

"What? What do you mean?" Brooke turned to look at her, her face scrunched up in confusion.

"I can hear voices." Bonnie's voice was now as quiet as a whisper, fear evident in her expression and Brooke shook her head in disbelief. The Elliot girl walked over to the stone door with bravery, causing Bonnie's eyes to widen, "What are you doing?"

"I wanna hear." Brooke shushed her, stepping closer to the stone door and pressing herself ear to the wall, listening in. It was silent for a moment, the only sound being Bonnie's loud breathing when footsteps sounding in Brooke's ear. Her brows only knitted together further with curiosity and she leaned in further, the footsteps becoming louder until a loud thud surrounded the pit and Bonnie's scream filled Brooke's ears.

The aforementioned girl spun around in shock and terror, her eyes widened as she checked to see if Bonnie was all right, the girl still screaming, "Ah! Get away from me!" The darker—skinned girl rushed over to her best—friend, unable to see.

"Bonnie. Bonnie, it's me. It's Stefan." Stefan's voice filled their ears, trying to quieten Bonnie's screams when Brooke's scoff surrounded the pit.

"Stefan? Are you kidding? You almost gave BonBon a heart attack." Brooke snapped, rubbing Bonnie's arm comfortingly and Stefan rushed over to them, moving the two girls away from the pentagram—engraved door.

"I'm sorry I scared you, Bonnie. How did you both get down here?" Stefan asked, his hand casually on Brooke's back as he looked the two over, specifically his best—friend, brushing a strand of her hair away from her cheek to reveal a graze on her cheekbone, "You're hurt."

"I am?" Brooke raised a brow, reaching her free hand up to her face, a small amount of fresh blood smearing across her fingertips, "Sorry." She apologised, knowing blood had quite an effect on Stefan but he shook his head, smiling softly. It was as if her blood didn't affect him, as if he was immune, she was confused but that was a discussion for a later time.

"The ground gave way and I fell, then Brooke fell into it trying to find me." Bonnie explained, pulling Stefan's eyes from Brooke.

"It's okay. Come on, let's get you both out of here." Stefan told them, nodding reassuringly but Bonnie still wasn't convinced.

"How?" She asked, her eyes still wide with slight fear. Stefan moved over to stand in front of Bonnie, his hands on her forearms as he stared into her eyes in attempt to help her trust him.

"Just close your eyes. Trust me." Stefan muttered quietly and Bonnie glanced over at Brooke, who sent her an assuring smile, to which Bonnie smiled back before obeying Stefan's wishes, closing her eyes, "Come here." He turned her body so her back was to his chest and held her close before he bent them both down, jumping into the air at an extreme speed.

Brooke placed her hands on her hips, looking up into the opening, Stefan and Bonnie nowhere in sight. She heard some murmuring up there and she began to chew on her bottom lip, her hands moving back down to her jeans to occupy herself.

She definitely couldn't hear what Bonnie could, the whispering, but the fact that Bonnie could hear it gave her the creeps. She shuddered, her eyes scanning around the stone pit again when a gush of wind sounded behind her. Brooke spun around, coming face to face with a smiling Stefan.

"Which position do you prefer?" Stefan asked, a joking grin on his lips and Brooke sent him a playful look, her eyes squinted.

"That's a weird question..." She replied, her arms now crossed over her chest and Stefan chuckled, glancing down at his shoes.

"Well, I guess I'll choose for you, then." Stefan spoke, and before Brooke could even comprehend what he'd said, she was scooped up in his arms bridal style. Her arms flew to his neck, her eyes wide with shock as she stared at the muddy ground below them, "You ready?"

"What if I said no?" Brooke looked over at him, to see he was already looking at her with a smile on his face.

"Then you'll just have to stay down here forever."

"No, thanks. Just do it." She squeezed her eyes shut, holding tightly onto his neck as he chuckled once more. He bent down just like he did with Bonnie and zoomed into the air, and before she knew it, she was back on the ground.

Her eyes snapped open and Bonnie's arms flung around her for the second time — or third — that night. She hugged Bonnie back and Stefan led the two towards his car, smiling to himself with a sense of success.

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STEFAN HAD DROPPED BONNIE OFF AT HOME, and then Brooke was after. She climbed out of the passenger seat and walked up to her trailer without so little as a glance back at Stefan. Though, he was watching her the entire time, just waiting for her to get safely inside before he drove off.

She entered the trailer and smiled when she saw Nate sat on the couch, a bunch of snacks laid around with the movie paused on the small TV. He looked up when the door opened, a grin spreading across his lips, "With your boyfriend? What was his name? Tyler?"

Brooke's eyes narrowed as she pulled off her jacket and shoes, the mention of Tyler Lockwood ruining her perfectly good mood, "Actually, it was Stefan and I don't have a boyfriend." She told him proudly, walking over to the couch and slouching down on the opposite end. She reached over, grabbing a bag of m&ms, immediately opening them up.

"Well, I do. A girlfriend, I mean." Nate confessed with a nervous tone, a tone he'd never used with Brooke before and her eyes widened as she placed a few m&ms in her mouth.

"Wait, really? Care to spill the tea?" Brooke asked, side—eyeing him and she quickly noticed his trembling hands, his awkward expression and his bouncing knee, "If not, that's okay too."

"No, I just want to keep it a secret for a while." Nate told her, attempting to be nonchalant and he leaned over, picking up his bottle of water from the coffee table along with the TV remote, pressing play on the movie.

Brooke nodded in reply, one of her eyebrows raised as she studied him but she didn't press further. One thing she was unsure about was why he told her in the first place if he wanted to keep it a secret, but of course, she stayed silent, distracting herself with the movie for the rest of the night.

@amxliewrites — starring role
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