A/N: I've been taking a break from my other story and wanted to start this one. I've had this idea for my favorite TVD character(s) for a long time so, enjoy. Please read and review.

Chapter 1: I Don't Like Him

Miami was hot and wet, so in relation so was Bonnie Bennett as she ran like hell out of her dance school after a lengthy lecture from her mentor. She wasn't rude but she was the first student to leave after hearing the woman's dismissal. The class had to stay an extra 5 minutes because of someone in the front row had been slow on the steps. Though she loved dancing and extra practice, she would only find it helpful if she was struggling with the routine, which rarely happened for her.

The small woman was already late to her lunch date with her girls and she promised she wouldn't be late this time. Since her class's late ending, she had missed the 3 o'clock bus which meant she had to wait another half an hour. She sighed, wiping off sweat from her forehead and pulled out her phone to send a quick text to her friend's group chat.

Really Bonnie? You couldn't get here any faster? Well, gee whiz, Caroline at least I let you all know.

Caroline, calm down. Don't worry, Bonnie, we'll order your food when you say you're 15 minutes away. Read 3:28.

Finally, the bus had arrived and she was able to send a text saying that she was 15 minutes away. She didn't even have to tell Elena what to order, she just knew what Bonnie liked and made her feel content. Bonnie's content state was disrupted quickly as she experienced how bumpy and slow the bus ride was. Then she groaned in annoyance to herself, cursing the driver and the weather and every other factor that was making a simple lunch date a gateway to hell.

Bonnie had really missed her cute little Jeep but it was in the shop because of an overheated engine. Thanks again, Miami. Maybe she could have gotten there on time even if her class went a little overtime. The three of them barely hung out anymore with Bonnie's pursuing dancing full time, Caroline switching her major every time she got a new boyfriend, and Elena had just gotten the job as a registered nurse. Time was not her friend in the slightest.

"Hi," Bonnie greeted, out of breath from running from the bus stop and took her seat across from her two best friends. Elena offered a warm smile and placed her hand over Bonnie's telling her she was just glad she was here. Caroline wasn't so forgiving and had her arms securely crossed.

"Caroline, are you really going to ice me out here?"

"Hell yes! You were supposed to get your car fixed weeks ago even before the semester started, I offered-"

Bonnie held her hand out, "I don't need your money. Besides, I just checked my account on the bus and there are exactly two hundred and 93 dollars and 47 cents." The blonde glared at her friend, she did not like the fact that Bonnie thought barely surviving was okay. Sighing and throwing her hands up in semi-defeat, "Okay maybe I can talk Jamie down a couple dollars."

"Talk?" Elena asked incredulously. "You mean to flirt, Miss Bonnie Bennett and you know it."

"No," Bonnie insisted, "Talk as in negotiation, he knows me and my family there's a platonic history between us, it shouldn't be that hard."

"Please, Bonnie that man is fine. Talk my ass, just imagine him underneath your car all muscle-y and oily," Caroline said, rubbing her shoulders suggestively.

"Caroline, her engine is broken that's the top of the car."

"I know, but in the movies, the hot guy is never over your car, he's always underneath it. Am I wrong?" She countered.

Elena and Bonnie stared at each other in confusion trying to find an argument to Caroline's oddly true statement. Deciding she had a point, the two shrugged and in the next instant their food had arrived. Bonnie's nose marveled at the steam coming from her potato skillet. She smiled at Elena and beamed, "You know me so well."

The brunette waved her hand off at Bonnie playfully. "That's the food talking for you, you're probably starving from class and that sprint you did here." Bonnie did just that and then Elena and Caroline followed suit by digging into their food as well. They all caught up with their day to day lives and jobs. What really stood out was them bringing up Caroline's studies which were now studying a weird language called Aramaic because her new boyfriend spoke it. Elena and Bonnie just couldn't help their boy-crazy friend and just opted for laughing while she struggled to curse them out in said language.

"So, you guys I need a huge favor next Saturday if you're free." Bonnie and Caroline nodded, knowing that they had a week to plan their schedule. They'd make it work for Elena, no doubt.

"Okay, I have to tour the hospital for these kids. I'm new so I guess they want to stick the trivial stuff on me."

"Oh, God, are they sick?" Caroline asked seriously. She may have had to bring her mask to be precarious.

"No, Caroline, of course not-"

Elena's phone started buzzing and she mouthed that she would be right back as she answered it. Bonnie sat with her hands in her lap, staring outside at her friend on the phone who seemed to be enjoying her conversation. It had been a talent of hers being able to observe Elena for all those years and pick up her body language. Whether she was sad, amused, or in discomfort, Bonnie would know and be there for Elena.

But right now she radiated happiness and Bonnie couldn't quite decipher who was the source of that and why it was driving her insane. Caroline leaned over, spooking Bonnie unknowingly, and informed the short woman that was Elena's boyfriend more than likely. Boyfriend? She was talking to some guy but I didn't think that it was that serious. Bonnie frowned, Elena had some explaining to do before convincing her to go to some freezing hospital as an activity on her Saturday.

When Elena came back her smile faltered when she saw her best friends serious faces.

"What's going on you guys?"

"Boyfriend, Elena really? You said this wasn't the time for long-term relationships and you didn't even tell me!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"Woah, do I have to narrate every living detail of my life to you?"

Bonnie laughed, and half-seriously said, "Yes, boyfriends are not to be kept to yourself."

"Well," Elena announced standing up dramatically, "I have a boyfriend and I really like him a lot and the sex is great if anyone, and by anyone I mean Caroline was wondering."

Elena bowed and sat back down while Bonnie and Caroline slowly clapped in response to her bold statement. The 3 of them laughed and talked about various other things. Bonnie still wasn't happy about it, but if Elena was happy she could put her own discomfort to the side and be a good friend.

If the outside of the hospital wasn't so damn hot, Bonnie would have run out with the quickness to embrace the air. There was nothing to do but huff and puff, she was there already. Elena was immune to the anti-warm environment and almost walked around the place freely. This was really her niche and Bonnie loved seeing her pursuing something that made her so happy. Caroline seemed to be unfazed by the everlasting breeze the building brought and that was just unrealistic for her high maintenance ass.

"How are you functioning in this place?" Bonnie asked the blonde while shivering. Caroline smirked and took off her large sunglasses. She waved around her soda bottle and whispered, "I may have some Jack in here." Bonnie tried to grab it from her and they began to do a petty brawl for the dark beverage. Elena rolled her eyes and intervened by taking the bottle and throwing it away. Bringing alcohol beverages in her place of work wasn't acceptable in any circumstance. No one else had cheat codes to navigating Antarctica's cousin, you just became accustomed to it over time.

Bonnie and Caroline let their immaturity get the best of them and had been distant towards each other during most of, if not all of the tour. All that walking made their little legs tired so they walked to the hospital's food court. Elena finally got a breather after 2 and a half hours, she pulled out her phone checking her notifications, it would be him. She smirked to herself and held her phone close to her chest.

"You're swooning," Bonnie commented blatantly.

"And what about it?" Elena asked, putting her phone back in her pocket.

"This isn't like you. I feel like I'm being catapulted back to high school where you went batshit crazy over Matt."

"Really Bonnie? This is nothing like that. I told you, both of you, about his busy schedule and how we talk whenever."

"Well, you're bending over backward for a guy! This is your time you should be unavailable just like he is."

Elena ran her fingers through her in pure frustration and yelled, "You don't even know him!"

"Okay, well I don't have to know him because I don't like him!"

Caroline's eyes went back and forth while she watched the two argue. That was the final blow, it seemed as the whole room went quiet. Even Bonnie looked down feeling as she did go too far in a hospital nonetheless. Elena just looked shocked and hurt, not believing or knowing why Bonnie reacted the way she did. In the midst of the silence, one of the children walked over to their table.

"Miss Elena, can we continue the tour now?" A young girl sweetly asked, feeling that she interrupted something.

Elena sniffled with a weak smile, "We sure can come on kids. Lunch break's over, my apologies I lost track of time." They all got up, with Bonnie trailing behind because she couldn't face Elena after what she said to her. Her best friend didn't like her boyfriend and those people were way too important in her life for there to be discrepancies between the two. While Bonnie had slugged behind the group. Elena held head high, she a made a promise to herself she was going to fix this. Her boyfriend and best-friend just couldn't be at odds.

Bonnie yawned as she walked in her home and was greeted by the smell of warm cooking. That was enough to brighten up the tumultuous day she just had. She plopped down on the couch and turned around to see her grandmother cooking. It was 6 pm, so it seemed like just about the time for her to start dinner. Grams was no one's late cook, the latest she wanted her house eating dinner was 8:30.

"Yams?" Bonnie was able to determine the smell by just letting her nose examine what was being cooked in the pot. She crinkled it in disgust, that dish only meant one thing. Grams smiled and responded, "Yes, child. Yams along with cornbread, collard greens and this iced tea to wash it down with. It's hot out there."

"Abby must be here," Bonnie stated, blankly.

Grams didn't say anything, she didn't want to call or text Bonnie while she was out and alert her to upset her in front of friends. That would only bring questions surrounding her only daughter's absence. Also, the relationship between Bonnie and Abby was severely strained and she knew one dinner wasn't going to fix that. She found a happy medium for the dinner, Abby liked yams and Bonnie liked cornbread, especially if it had butter sloped all over it. Her food could bring peace, she hoped.

"Well, she's coming to visit tonight, so yes I did want to make her favorite dish and that's your mother, please be respectful."

Bonnie sighed and said that she knew but that didn't make her frustration with the woman any less valid. Grams didn't reply directly and opted to hum to her self as she cut up onions to throw in her pot for flavor. Bonnie turned around from facing their spacious kitchen to put it on some show, it's not like anything was good on a Saturday. When Abby arrived, it was 7:59 pm. 31 minutes, early, Well at least she's trying this time. Bonnie thought.

She came in offering her hugs to the two women in the house. Her hug with Grams lasted longer, while Bonnie had to stand there with her arms crossed just watching their embrace. She wished she had the forgiveness her grandmother had with her mother, and she was really trying but Abby had always burned her in the end. The three Bennett women sat down at the small dining table. Grams only brought the much larger one if they had extra company, like on a Thanksgiving or Easter.

"Ma, yams? Those are my favorite!"

Grams just smiled and nodded, happy that her daughter was delighted. Bonnie was slightly annoyed, it's like Abby wanted everyone in the damn neighborhood to know that she was eating cooked yams. In a sense she gloating and Bonnie could have gone there right at her level and mentioned that she also had her cornbread on there too at the courtesy of Grams.

"Bonnie, sweetheart did you get your car fixed?" Abby asked, remembering that she saw a red Jeep in their driveway. The youngest Bennett nodded and confirmed that it was. "Jamie fixed it for just about half, we had to wait for his dad to leave so he can charge the discount," Bonnie added. Grams and Abby looked at each other sharing an all-knowing smile. Bonnie asked what was going on, she didn't like their wordless side conversations.

"Nothing," Abby said, putting her fork down, "It's just that we think that boy likes you and you're just sort of not obvious to it."

"You mean I'm oblivious to his feelings?"

"Yes," Abby fixed her choice of words, "You're very oblivious. But hey at least your car's fixed, I probably would have done way worse and got it done for free."

Grams gasped, wishing she never heard that. "Abby."

"What, mama? It's true but that's in the past now." She looked at Bonnie, deciding to talk about something else, "You smell like a hospital, did somebody have an emergency here?"

"No," Bonnie said firmly, wishing she'd taken a shower when she got home. "I helped Elena tour kids who visited the hospital today. Caroline was there too."

"Ew," Abby commented, "Imagine spending your Saturday at a cold ass hospital, y'all are really true friends."

"Just because you flake on people at every difficult time or when what they're doing doesn't go with your agenda." Bonnie shot back, the comment was unnecessary but she really couldn't let her mother say what she wanted. The tension had been bubbling since the moment that woman stepped in the door. Oh, Lord, my dinner is already gone to hell. Grams thought. She knew she had to step in before the remarks got any worse.

"Enough, you two," The older woman ordered. That didn't stop Bonnie and Abby's intense staredown. Grams sighed in semi-relief when she heard silence and the common sounds of chewing. If that's what it took to stop Chaos in her house then so be it. She stood up staking their empty plates, she would set the dishes in the sink but between the two of Bonnie and Abby had to finish the job.

Bonnie propped her elbows on the table and huffed, "Me and Elena got in a fight today."

"Oh, child why? Y'all have been friends since grade school." Grams mentioned.

"I know, but we fought because of her new boyfriend. Seems like she more interested in making time for him than with us."

Grams said, trying to offer her granddaughter some kind words, "Well, she has someone to call her own now. She's getting older maybe she does want to settle down. I hope you didn't bring up that empty-headed boy Matt Donovan."

Bonnie face-palmed, knowing that she did foolishly bring him up. "I did," she muttered. Abby pursed her lips, just observing her daughter's actions. It didn't take a Ph.D. to sense her daughter's unscathed jealousy. Elena was spending time with someone else who wasn't Bonnie and it had been driving her crazy. Abby could see it all over her face, but her daughter was no easy read she did guard her envy with her strong wellness.

"I see," Abby spoke up.

"Well, what do you see?" Bonnie asked leaning forward to shoot daggers with her eyes at her mother.

"You've always liked that girl in that way and she just doesn't swing that way," Abby sipped from her tea and said in a low voice, "Even after all these years."

"What the hell does that mean? She's my friend, and I'm worried about her mom, something you don't know how to do - worry about your loved ones."

"Oh, please, I've known since your little 'coming out' moment that you liked that girl."

Grams slammed her hand down on the table, making the two flip their heads to her. "I did not make this nice dinner for you two to snap at each other and bring disrespect to my home," She roared. Abby got up slowly, she wasn't leaving no. That would only prove her daughter right, she just walked towards the sink to wash the dishes. Bonnie said her sorry to Grams and walked outside on the patio.

She was hyperventilating while she leaned on the brick wall next to the double glass doors. Abby just made her that mad at times. Out of all things she could praise her for she picked on her for her unrequited love on her best friend. It took courage for Bonnie to come out as bisexual to her family and while Grams seemed to love her just the same, her birth mother scowled and didn't quite view her as the same. It was like she thought Bonnie was some reject, her own flesh, and blood.

Bonnie's phone began to ring so she straightened up and swallowed before even looking at the caller ID. She raised her eyebrow seeing Elena's name and number and she smiled when she saw the icon she chose for Elena. It was a picture she took of her at a music festival they went to earlier in the year, they had a competition on who could make the funniest faces on camera. It was a silly picture that Bonnie could have deleted but she kept it because the memory was so warm and happy to her.

"Hey, I know I haven't been spending time with you as much and I just wanted to fix that while keeping my relationship. Both you and Stefan are important to me."

Stefan? That's his name, huh.

"I'm listening, what's your plan, there can't be two of you."

"I know, which is why I'm arranging a dinner you two need to meet, you don't even know him and that can be fixed if you got to know him. He's a great guy and he makes me really happy, like more happy I've been in a long time."

"Well..."

"Please, Bonnie in a perfect world you two would absolutely adore each other, at least in my perfect world.

"Fine, I'll meet lover boy for you, but you don't know how to cook so I hope you're ordering takeout."

"Okay great! The dinner is Monday by the way, I have that day off and then Friday. And they love giving me weekends so there's that. Anyways, love ya, I and can't wait till Monday."

Bonnie hung up first and threw her head back, annoyed. She was going to have to be someone's third wheel in 48 hours.