SEASON ONE — EPISODE SIXTEEN
"𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚"

‧˚꒰🍷꒱༘‧—

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'✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ ELENA AND STEFAN RAN OVER TO THE BODY, causing Brooke to grimace, rounding the front of Nate's car. Nathan approached as well, his eyebrows knitted together as he watched Elena pick up the man's cell phone, "I'm pretty sure you aren't allowed to touch that, Elena." Nathan cleared his throat as Elena looked over at him, still shocked by the recent events.

People gathered nearby, watching the scene as Brooke stood beside Stefan, who was crouched down by the wheels of the truck, looking at the body, "We need to go." Stefan quickly stood and glanced over at Nate, who was completely confused.

"Is that the guy from earlier?" Brooke questioned, her eyes on Elena and the aforementioned girl nodded, but before anybody could speak, Stefan placed his hand on Elena's lower back, guiding her away. But, as they made their way towards the vampire's car, his eyes were on her.

He sent her a warning look, a worried one at that. Brooke's brows scrunched together as she stared back at him, their eyes locked. Stefan curtly nodded his head towards Nathan's car and Brooke had received the memo, "Let's go." She told her brother, sending Stefan one last deep look before walking away with her brother in tow.

Ambulance sirens could be heard approaching from around the corner as they climbed into the car and Brooke quickly clicked her seatbelt on, frowning when she realised they weren't moving. She looked over at her brother, who seemed semi—shocked by the entire situation, his body still and his eyes on the dead body on the road.

"Nate. We need to go." She reached over, nudging her brother's shoulder lightly and it was if he snapped back to reality, glancing over at her.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. This is all so crazy." He blinked a few times, twisting his keys into the ignition and Brooke nodded in agreement, letting out a tired sigh. He drove off the pavement and onto the road, turning away from the scene where the ambulance crew approached.

Brooke watched the dark, yet lit up town fly by outside her window, her elbow resting on the door frame and her knuckles holding up her chin. Time flew by fast and before she knew it, she was in her bedroom, pulling her pyjama shirt over head.

She'd said goodnight to Nate, made sure the front door and all of the windows were locked except for her own and once she tied her hair up into a high ponytail, she moved towards her window, only to jump back.

Her eyes landed on Stefan stood outside her window and her hand slapped up to her mouth, muffling her loud yelp in hopes to not alert Nate. Brooke glared immediately, quickly opening her window but her body blocked the way as she poked her head through the rather large gap.

"There must be seriously something wrong with you. You creep up at Elena's window like this?" She snapped, her eyes squinted and Stefan let out a sigh, scratching the back of his neck, "What?" She raised a brow when she realised he was being serious...

Though, deep down, she was being stern as well.

"I'm not sure Elena finding her birth mother is a good idea." Stefan explained, leaning against the wall of the trailer beside the window and she rested her arms on the window frame, watching the side of his face as he stared up at the stars.

"Why's that?" She inquired, but she agreed. The whole interaction with 'Trudie' earlier that day had freaked her out, and now Brooke was put off of the entire plan.

"Isobel is Alaric Saltzman's wife." Stefan turned his head, his eyes meeting hers and she frowned, her thin brows causing a dip in a forehead.

"Alaric Saltzman? As in our new History teacher? As in the guy who has a dead wife?" She deadpanned, unsure.

"Yeah, him. Damon had apparently killed her, which is why Alaric's here to begin with. He knows about vampires and he tried to kill Damon tonight." He nodded, watching her expression turned to one of fear.

"Does that mean..." Brooke trailed off, her eyes slightly watering as she thought of the one teacher she had a liking to being dead. But, Stefan quickly shook his head, his hand zooming to her arm out of reassurance.

"No, no. He isn't dead. Damon killed him but... He came back to life." Stefan explained, but he wasn't making any sense at all. Brooke stared back at him, scrunching up her face.

"What? So, he's a vampire?" She questioned, but before he could respond, her mouth opened again, "But he isn't dead, so he isn't a vampire. I don't get it."

He chuckled dryly before responding, his eyes locked onto her face as she stared down at the grass in thought, "Neither did I. Apparently he has this ring which brought him back to life, or somehow prevented his death... I'm not entirely sure myself."

Brooke's eyes trailed from the grass to his face, her brows still knitted together, "That's quite literally impossible, Stefan."

"I know it is, but there's no other explanation." He shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest and she let out a hum of agreement, looking back up at the bright moon hanging high in the dark sky surrounded by glittering stars.

It was silent for a few moments, she watched the moon, her chin rested on her arms and he watched her, almost in a trance—like state. Feeling eyes on her, Brooke slowly turned her head towards him, their eyes glued together as if they couldn't look away.

The moon shone down on the side of her face, only enhancing her already beautiful green eyes and he felt himself falling deep into the sage spirals. But, before he could fall too far, he blinked, finding himself back in reality.

Though, not entirely, and a smile appeared on his lips...

He hadn't looked away yet, she was too precious to.

Stefan's lips parted as if he was going to speak, and Brooke waited patiently, expectantly. But, his lips quickly clamped back closed and her brows furrowed as she watched him push himself off of the side of her trailer, standing up straight.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice gentle. After that small interaction, all of her anger towards him had vanished... and while she wasn't sure why, she wasn't going to question it. Even with her anger, she still cared for Stefan more than most things.

"Uh, yeah. I've gotta go." And with that, Stefan rushed through the trailer park, leaving Brooke stood at her window, her brows furrowed together in confusion.

But, one odd moment wasn't going to ruin her night. So, she smiled and looked back up at the stars, her eyes glued onto the moon as she admired the beauty of it all.

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A FEW DAYS LATER, Brooke watched the marble flooring as she walked on the other side of Caroline, Matt on the blonde's right. She held her books to her chest as she brushed a strand of her hair away from her glossed lips, trying to tune out the driest conversation she'd ever heard.

"We can watch a movie at my place." Matt suggested, glancing over at Caroline, who was skeptical.

"Uh, with your Mom and a six—pack?" Caroline teased, though she had a hint of seriousness in her tone and Brooke snorted, her eyes on her black Uggs. Her outfits were always drastically different, but always had the same vibe to them. That day she decided to wear a black, long—sleeved, tight—fitting top with stopped just above her dark—blue skinny jeans, paired with her infamous red leather jacket

"You know, you don't really help the situation. You could at least try to be nice." Matt's words caused Brooke's ears to perk up, and once he locked eyes with her, he knew he wouldn't hear the end of it.

"You have got to be kidding. Have you not seen how much Caroline sucks up to her?" Brooke raised a brow, sending Matt a look and the aforementioned boy rolled his eyes, avoiding her piercing gaze, "And, why would she show kindness to someone who hates her? What world are you living in, Matt Donovan?"

"Matt Donovan's world." Matt shrugged, and Brooke scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief as they came to a halt in the middle of the hallway.

"Well, this isn't just Matt Donovan's world. There are other people with feelings." She leaned against Caroline slightly, clearly finished with her rant but the silence between the three of them became too loud. She looked over at her best—friends, quickly realising they were distracted by something down the corridor, so Brooke followed their gaze, her eyes landing on Stefan and Elena sharing a kiss before the Gilbert headed towards her class.

"So a movie tonight?" Caroline brought their attention back to her, though Brooke wasn't as interested as Matt. Her eyes stayed on Stefan, who began to walk in her direction, his eyes on the ground.

He didn't notice her until she let out a small sigh, for some reason, he immediately recognised the sigh and knew it was Brooke. But, when he looked over at her, she was already walking away with her arm hooked in Caroline's.

"Matt can be a dick sometimes. Don't let it get to you, CareBear." Brooke grinned towards the blonde as they made their way down the corridor, unaware of the pair of vampire eyes watching them.

"I won't, I'm not." Caroline shook her head in denial, her eyes on the ground and Brooke let out a sigh, shaking her head. She knew it did, she knew that Matt still wasn't over Elena, she knew a lot of things... But she had zero clue what to do about it.

History class was ten times weirder knowing that Mr. Saltzman's wife was her cousin's birth mother, not that it was any of her business. And the fact that he practically died and then came back to live using a magical ring the night prior, not that it was anything surprising after learning about the existence of vampires.

At the end of the class, she approached the man's desk, her History textbook tucked under her arm and a warm smile on her face, "Hey, Ricky." Brooke greeted, stopping right in front of his desk and he looked up from the papers before him, an instant smile appearing upon his features.

"Hi, Brookey." He crossed his arms on the tabletop, waiting patiently for her to continue and she let out a sigh, biting down on her bottom lip to hopefully suppress what she was going to say. But, her self—control just wasn't strong enough.

She quickly glanced around the room before rounding the desk, causing his brows to furrow but as soon as he opened his mouth, no words escaped. Brooke leaned down and pressed her lips close to his ear, whispering something to him.

And when she pulled back, her eyes on him as she stood up straight, his own eyes were wide with shock, his body frozen, "You know?" He raised a brow, and she nodded with a shrug.

"Yep. For a while." Brooke let out a sigh as Alaric leaned back in his seat, "It was a really stupid move to go to the Boarding House last night, you should've known you were going to die, you're an idiot."

"Wouldn't anybody be if their wife was murdered?" He almost snapped, clearly frustrated for being called out and she shrugged again, completely understanding where he was coming from.

"I know what it feels like to lose somebody you love, but it's really not worth being reckless and risking your life for something impossible. Damon has hurt me as well, but there is nothing we can do unless you're willing to turn. Which, I'm guessing you're not?" She raised a brow, the grip on her book tightening at the mention of transitioning into her worst nightmare.

"No." He hesitated, fiddling with the ring on his finger and she nodded, though she was slightly unsure.

"I'm honestly not gonna question the hesitation in your reply, I've gotta get to my next class." Brooke scratched the back of her hand and he nodded, waving his hands, gesturing for her to leave.

"Yeah, yeah. You should go." Alaric nodded, watching as she quickly made her way out of the room without another word. Brooke knew Stefan would be upset with her for telling Alaric Saltzman that she knew about the existence of vampires, but as much as she hardly knew Alaric, she knew him enough to know she didn't want him to die.

Being reckless, especially around almost two—hundred year old vampires, gets you killed. She knew that. And she needed Alaric to know that as well.

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BROOKE CLIMBED OFF OF THE BUS, her black boots hitting the concrete without a sound and she adjusted her backpack strap on her shoulder after muttering a quick 'thanks' to the driver. She headed down the local park's pathway towards The Mystic Grill, which was just across the street.

She had another shift, which she was dreading more than anything. She wasn't even supposed to be working that night, she had a break but Matt decided he wanted to attend a double date with Caroline, Elena and Stefan. So, of course, she had no other choice but to step in and take his place.

Her green eyes were fixated on the ground, her feet moving at a stressed pace. Any passer—byers would be able to tell how many nerves she had, except for one specific boy who had his mind too deep in to Bon Jovi to realise who he was bumping into.

Brooke let out a yelp when she collided with a chest, and two hands flew to her waist, keeping her stood up straight. When she looked up at the culprit, though she was just as much at fault, she locked eyes with her little cousin, Jeremy.

"Jer!" Brooke scoffed, rolling her eyes, though she knew it was also her fault. But, she wasn't going to let him know that.

"Hey, you weren't looking where you were going either." Jeremy stated, shaking his head in disbelief as he pulled his earphones out of his ears. Brooke avoided his gaze, adjusting her bag strap again when Jeremy's brows furrowed, "You're working again?"

"Yep. Matt wanted to go on a double date, so I have to suffer." She sent the taller teenager a tight—lipped smile and Jeremy scoffed, letting out an annoyed sigh. She noticed his distress and tilted her head, her smile softening, "Hey, it's all right. I'll live." She patted his chest lightly and once she saw his expression soften, too, she grinned.

"You better promise. We still have to do game night, Nate's cancelled like a million times." Jeremy rolled his eyes playfully, a smile still tugging at his lips and Brooke let out a laugh, nodding as her eyes flickered over to the Grill.

"Totally, and if Nate can't make it again, I'll just come alone. We can play those dumb card games you like." She offered, watching as his eyes lit up and that was enough to make her entire day a whole lot better. Brooke had always been close to Jeremy, always there to be the shoulder for him to lean on, always available to give him advice. She just wished she could've been there more.

"They aren't dumb." Jeremy defended with a scrunched face, turning as Brooke walked backwards towards the Grill.

"Yes, they are!" She called back, letting out a laugh as she spun around, rushing towards the restaurant before she was late. Jeremy chuckled, watching her enter the Grill safely before he stuck his earphones back into his ears, continuing down the path.

She pulled open the door to the Grill and walked inside, brushing past a few people who were exiting and the sound of multiple conversations filled her ears. She knew it'd be busy, but not that busy.

Her eyes scanned the restaurant, Matt, Caroline, Elena and Stefan hadn't arrived yet and she let out a sigh, allowing her eyes to trail across to the bar. But, as her eyes stopped on two people sat at the bar, she felt her eyes beginning to water.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." And with her snappy words she muttered under her breath, Damon Salvatore looked over his shoulder from beside Kelly Donovan and smirked towards her, an evil glint in his eyes.

Reluctantly, she approached, sending Damon a glare as she rounded the bar, making a beeline for the kitchen/storage room. Tony was stood where he usually was, building burgers at one of the counters and they both locked eyes.

"Oh, my God. I'm so glad you're here, Brooke." Tony wiped his hands on one of the towels and quickly rushed over to her, brushing the back of his hand over his sweaty forehead. She had to admit, the kitchen was boiling hot.

"Why?" She furrowed her brows as she grabbed an apron from one of the racks, tying it around her waist as he explained.

"Kelly Donovan applied for the bartender job." Tony watched as Brooke paused, a wince on his lips. He waited a few moments until she slowly turned her head towards him, an angered expression now sat upon her features.

"Did she get it?" She raised a brow.

"Nada!" Tony let out a scoff, "She dated Robert, remember? And then cheated on him, la puta."

Brooke nodded as she remembered what had happened all those years ago, her mother was always a gossiper, "Right. Well, good for us." She grinned, gently pushing Tony's shoulder back towards the grill where one of the burgers were burning.

"Oh, maldito!"

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