Chapter Three
After a sleepless night filled with horror film worthy dreams, Jane was not feeling all that well. And she wasn't having a good morning either. First, she had awoken to find the news channel talking about Bradley Talbot, whose body had been found right where Jane had seen him die. Then, her bike had gotten a flat tire, and she hadn't have time to get a spare one before school. Now, she was forced to jog to school. There was no way she was going to risk having another meltdown in front of her friends; she still felt bad about how she had acted last night.
"One, two, three…" Jane counted to herself, pausing in her jog to kick her foot up. Gwen Stefani's Hollaback Girl could be heard playing from Jane's ancient Walkman that stuck awkwardly from her side. A large backpack bounced against her back making it near impossible for her to do her kicks.
With a sigh, she stopped for a moment to catch her breath. From where she was, she could see the edges school parking lot. She needed to stay awake and she needed to practice. Being on the cheerleading squad with Caroline Forbes meant you better be good, or she'll make you suffer for it. Jane had worked hard all summer to make sure she remembered each routine, and she wanted to prove that she could do them.
Jane paused when she saw a car pull up next to her and a familiar guy rolled his window down.
It was Stefan.
She suddenly felt embarrassed for looking so ragged and sweaty. "Morning, Stefan," she greeted
He frowned. She looked exhausted, and he could see the dark circles under her eyes. "Jane, are you all right?"
She smiled and took the ear buds out of her ears. "I'm fine."
"Aren't you going to school?"
"I'm heading there right now," she told him, pushing back some hair that had gotten loose from the ponytail.
He frowned in concern.
"Sorry, I must look like a mess. I had to get some running in though. Cheer practice this afternoon."
"Want a ride? You've still got a way to go and you look tired." He thought she was going to say no at first and then she suddenly nodded.
"Thank you," she said, and got into the car.
He smiled. "You're welcome."
She sat down and sighed with relief.
"Don't you think you might be over doing it with the practicing?" he asked when she leaned against the passenger seat in exhaustion. He turned the AC, and she shut her eyes a moment before looking at him.
"Yeah, I know," she murmured, worrying her bottom lip, "but I have to do good today. I have to make sure that I can do this right—even if I'm tired."
"No one expects you to be perfect, do they?"
"I don't want to be perfect." She shook her head. "And I'm not. I just don't want to make a fool out of myself. I want to show that I know the routine."
"I don't think anyone would think that," Stefan said seriously, a calmness settling onto him, like a thin blanket. It startled him for a second.
She laughed humorlessly, and he looked at her in shock. He had never heard that tone from her before. "I… I kind of freaked my friends out yesterday. I have to make it up to them, so I need this to work."
"But isn't hurting yourself the wrong way to go?" he asked softly. "You look tired, and judging by the distance that you just jogged from your house, I'd say you got a little earlier than most people."
"I didn't sleep. You'd think with all the alcohol problems last night I would have. But I couldn't..."
His brows furrowed. "Jane?"
She was silent for a moment as a hint of fear crept over her. "I kept having nightmares," she admitted finally. "So many, I couldn't even close my eyes." She rubbed her face and then sighed. "I'm sorry. I know you don't want to hear my problems, but I supposed Elena mentioned something."
He put a hand on hers. "She told me about what happened when you were talking to her yesterday. You can tell me, Jane. We're friends aren't we?" He gave her a small smile, and she returned it with a nod. "So… what happened?"
"Okay, but don't freak out…"
She launched into her explanation. To her relief, Stefan remained looking out the window while she told him about her visions.
"So now you can tell me I'm crazy," she had said after finishing her story.
Stefan glanced at her. "You're not crazy. What do you remember about last night?"
"Not much, but… they found Bradley's body this morning. I could have done something."
Stefan shook his head. "You didn't know that—"
"But, Stefan, I did know. I just feel so awful. I mean, I didn't particularly like him, but he's dead…." She blew out a breath and leaned back in the seat again. "I guess I can't do anything about it now," she whispered.
Stefan smiled at her sadly. "I know it seems awful, but it happened, and there really wasn't anything you could have done."
She nodded and then looked over at him. "Well, enough about me. How are things with you and Elena?"
A smile slid across his face at the very mention of her name.
She squealed. "Are you two together? Oh, I'm so happy for you both!"
Stefan smiled.
"My vision was right?"
Stefan nodded. "Yeah."
"Well I guess one good thing came out of last night." She bit her lip. "I'd appreciate if you didn't tell Elena and Bonnie about my visions. I don't want to scare them, and Bonnie has enough on her plate."
"I won't. It'll just be between us."
"And Damon—I think I told him. I don't know what I was thinking. I mean, he saved me in the woods that night at the fall, and then I saw him again last night. I had no idea he was your brother." She was rambling, a pink flush to her cheeks. "I guess I was just wanting to tell someone, and he acted like he wanted to know."
Stefan tried not to grimace at her. Of course, he knew it wasn't her fault; she had no idea how Damon was manipulating her.
They parked, and Stefan looked to see Jane retying her ponytail.
She flashed him a smile before getting out of the car. "Thanks for the ride. I guess I shouldn't have tried to jog to school."
"No, problem. I meant to ask about that. What happened to your car?"
"My car is parked at the hospital. I want to keep it there for when my mother gets better and can come home. So I just use my bike. On top of everything that happened this morning, my bike got a flat."
"No, problem," he said, and then spotted Elena.
Jane followed his gaze and smiled to herself. She walked with him over to Elena and Bonnie, just wanting to say hello.
"Morning, Elena. Morning, Bonnie," Stefan greeted them when they looked over.
Jane hugged Elena. "I'm so glad for you!"
Elena laughed, looking at Stefan who was snickering too.
"And I'm sorry about yesterday."
"It's not your fault."
Jane gave her a warm smile.
Elena looked at between Jane and Stefan with a raised brow and a barely restrained smirk.
"Oh, haha," Jane drawled when she saw the expression on her face. "Long story, but Stefan rescued me from a total pass out on the sidewalk."
Stefan shrugged. "Well, I wouldn't exactly put it that way."
Jane giggled. "That's what happened. Don't let it fool you." She waved at Bonnie. "Hey, Bonnie."
Bonnie smiled at her, before looking serious. "Hey, um, I gotta find Caroline. She's not answering her phone, so see you guys." She then made a hasty exit.
"Bonnie, wait," Elena called, but Bonnie kept walking.
Jane looked concerned and watched Bonnie as she left. Was Bonnie still feeling that weird vibe from when Stefan had touched her hand? That prompted Jane into remembering the feeling that she had gotten from Damon. She turned back around to ask about him, when she changed her mind. Elena and Stefan needed to be alone.
"I'll see you both later," she told them, and turned to walk away. She waved at Stefan. "Thank you again."
"You don't have to thank me," he murmured. "I was glad to do it."
Jane smiled sincerely before heading off to where Matt and Tyler were standing. "Hey, Matt! Hey, Tyler!" she called out.
They turned to her.
Tyler arched an eyebrow. "What happened to you?"
"Do I look that bad?" she asked.
He shook his head. "No, just tired."
"I didn't sleep last night."
"Where's your bike?" Matt asked.
She sighed. "It got a flat, so I walked/jogged whatever. Then Stefan gave me a ride."
"I bet," Tyler snorted, and Jane hit him with her backpack.
"Nobody asked you."
"Damn," he hissed, rubbing his arm, "what's in that? Bricks?"
She rolled her eyes. "Don't be a baby, football player."
Matt frowned. "Why didn't you call me or Ty?"
"Tyler's brain doesn't function in the morning," Jane retorted, and Tyler childishly stuck his tongue out at her. "I'm sorry, Matty. I would have called you, but I didn't want to bother you."
He sighed. "I'll give you a ride home after school."
She nodded. "Thanks, Matt."
"Look, there's Elena's new boyfriend now," Tyler said.
Matt frowned.
"And what are they doing? Oh, they're walking, walking, walking. Yep. Right into the sunset."
"You're a dick," Matt muttered.
"While you just stand there looking like one of those yard trolls."
Jane giggled. "They're called gnomes, Ty, and it isn't if anyone would walk into a sunset with you."
At her teasing, Tyler shot her a look. "Oh, shut up."
Matt rolled his eyes at the both of them. "And what am I supposed to do, Ty? She made her choice."
"Let her know she made the wrong one." Tyler threw his backpack off and snatched the football that Matt had been tossing to Jordan, a guy on their football team.
"What are you doing, Ty?"
Jane frowned at Tyler. "You think throwing a football proves that Stefan's the wrong choice?"
"Ty, don't," Matt hissed as the ball sailed right for Stefan's unsuspecting head.
Jane hid her face. "I can't look." However, she peeked through her fingers.
The ball was inches from Stefan's head when he suddenly whirled around and caught it. She let out a sigh of relief before looking at Tyler's stunned face.
"Oh yeah," Jane said, "that theory of yours sure does work." She then started giggling when Tyler almost fell over from the impact of catching the football that Stefan threw back at him. "Maybe he should be on the football team."
"No," snapped Tyler and Matt, though their upset was not toward her.
She held up her hands. "Okay, okay," she said, before walking away. "And you said girls were drama queens."
"Miss Evans."
Jane lifted her head from her desk and stared at her teacher, Mr. Tanner. "Sir?"
"Did someone forget that this class is not for sleeping?"
She bit her lip. "I'm sorry," she murmured, a pink tinge to her cheeks.
Tanner shifted over to loom above her. "As I was saying before you fell asleep: when was D-day?"
Jane sighed. "June 6, 1944."
"Very good. I'd appreciate it if you could try and keep awake. I'm sorry if my class bores you."
The embarrassed flush in her cheeks deepened, and she ducked her head. "Yes, sir," she whispered.
Tanner noticed that Elena was no longer paying attention. "Miss Gilbert? Would you like to pay attention?"
She nodded, though absentmindedly.
"Pearl Harbor?"
"December 7th, 1941," was what Stefan had said.
Tanner looked at him. "Thank you, Miss Gilbert."
He nodded. "Any time."
Tanner arched an eyebrow. "Very well. The fall of the Berlin Wall."
"1989. I'm good with dates, sir."
"Are you? How good? Keep it to the year. Civil Rights Act."
"1964."
"John F. Kennedy's assassination."
"1963."
"Martin Luther King."
"`68."
"Lincoln."
"1865."
"Roe vs. Wade"
"1973."
"Brown vs. Board."
"1954."
"The Battle of Gettysburg."
"1863."
"Korean War."
"1950-1953."
"Ha!" Tanner shouted, which made Jane jump. "It ended in `52."
"Uh, actually sir, it was `53."
"Look it up, somebody."
Jane grinned and brought it up on her phone, eager to get the man back for embarrassing her. "Mr. Tanner, Stefan is right. 1953."
All around there came the sound of scattered clapping. Stefan had out Tannered Mr. Tanner.
"Hey, Jane," Bonnie greeted the girl as she came into the locker room to change for cheer practice.
"Oh. Hey."
"You okay?"
"No, not really." Jane heaved sighed and looked up at Bonnie. "Did you really see something bad in Stefan?"
"I— Yeah."
Jane pursed her lips. "Bonnie," she said seriously, "there's something I have to tell you, but you can't tell Elena."
"What is it?"
"I— Never mind."
"Jane?" Bonnie said, sitting beside her on the bench.
Jane shook her head. "It's stupid."
"Come on. Tell me," Bonnie insisted, seeing her friend's plain distress. She took her hands, and gasped silently as a cool sensation overwhelmed. She let go quickly and put a hand to her forehead. It wasn't a bad sensation, just… odd.
"Bonnie? Are you okay?" Jane murmured.
Bonnie looked at her with wide eyes.
"Bonnie?"
"I'll meet you outside," Bonnie said quickly, and she left.
Jane gazed at the door of the locker room with glassy eyes. What was going on?
"Oh my god, you came!" Bonnie exclaimed, jumping up from where she had been stretching for practice.
Elena smiled. "Yep. I can't be sad girl forever. The only way to get things back to the way they were, are to do things that were. Oh, and you're coming to dinner tonight."
"I am?"
Elena nodded, getting on the ground to start stretching her legs. "You, me, and Stefan. Oh, and Jane if I can find her." Elena started looking around, while Bonnie began to grimace. "Where is she?"
"Dunno."
Elena turned to her. "You have to give him a chance."
"Tonight's no good."
Elena gave her a look.
"Have you seen Caroline? I texted her a hundred times."
"Don't change the subject, Bonnie Bennett." Elena reprimanded. "You are going to be there."
Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Fine," she muttered. "I'll go."
"Good."
"Seriously, where is Caroline?" Bonnie asked after a few minutes.
"I don't know. It's not like her."
"I'll try her again." Bonnie reached for her phone, and Elena spotted a light blue Camaro pulling up.
"Uh…." She pointed.
Bonnie turned around, and gaped. "Oh my god."
Caroline was in the car with a dark haired young man.
"That must be the mystery guy from the Grill," Bonnie murmured as they watched Caroline kissed the guy.
"That's no mystery guy," Elena said. "That's—"
"That's Damon Salvatore," Jane's voice said from behind the two, and they both jumped.
Bonnie and Elena turned to look at Jane, but the girl wouldn't meeting their eyes.
"Salvatore," Bonnie murmured. "As in Stefan?"
"He's Stefan's older brother," Jane said. She smiled as Caroline walked up to them. "Hi, Damon!" she said with a wave.
Damon smirked at her before eyeing Elena.
"I got the older brother," said a smug Caroline as she flounced by them. "Hope you don't mind."
Jane walked after her. "Sorry about all the texts, Care. I was just worried that you weren't coming."
Caroline gave her an understanding grin. "It's okay, Jane." She turned to the other girls. "Sorry, I'm late girls. I, uh, was busy."
Some of the girls giggled.
Caroline nodded. "Okay, let's start with the double-pike herkie hurdler. What do you say?"
"Was it, okay?" Jane questioned as soon as practice was over.
Caroline shook her head, laughing a little at the unnecessary panic in her friend's tone. "It was fine. You have this routine down pat. Now get home and rest. You look tired."
"I just had to be sure. I mean, I practiced all summer. I didn't want to get left behind."
"Janey," Caroline said, taking her friend firmly by the shoulders. "I love you, but you need to relax. You have nothing to worry about. The routine was perfect."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." Caroline made a shooing motion. "Now, go."
"Jane!" Matt called, coming out of the football locker room, and she turned to him. "If you still want a ride, let's go!"
Jane waved at him before bending down to get her bag.
"Oh, Jane, by the way," Elena began, coming to stand over the girl. "I am having a dinner party at my house. You are invited."
"Thanks, Elena. That sounds nice."
"So you'll come? It'll be me, Bonnie, and Stefan."
Jane wasn't sure she wanted to be around Bonnie or that Bonnie wanted to be around her. "Oh, well, I—"
"You don't trust Stefan either?"
Jane blinked. "Of course I trust him. He's a great guy."
"Well, I'm having this get-together because Bonnie doesn't seem to like him. I'm hoping that they can get along. So please come. It would mean a lot."
Jane couldn't seem to make herself disappoint her, so she nodded, despite her wanting to say no. "Okay, I'll be there."
"I'm not late am I?" Jane asked as Elena let her inside.
Elena shook her head with a smile. "Nope, you're just in time."
Jane smiled and smoothed down her black skirt before stepping into the house. Her hair was back to its curly tresses, bouncing against her back as she walked. She took off her shoes, much to Elena's amusement, and tossed them in the corner.
"Sorry, my feet are killing me."
"It's fine," Elena said with a laugh. "I know the feeling. Trust me."
"I wanted those shoes even though they hurt most of the time."
"Bonnie has some like that, but I don't think she wears them."
At the mention of her name, Bonnie looked up from the kitchen counter. She spotted the shoes and nodded. "Yep, mine are silver and black."
Jane nodded. "Those sound cute." Then she waved at Bonnie. "Um, hey," she greeted a bit nervously.
Bonnie smiled at her warmly. "Hey, Jane." She waited until Elena was out of earshot and came to her. "Look, I'm sorry about this afternoon. I get these weird feelings all the time, and I didn't mean to freak out on you."
Jane felt ten times better, and she smiled. "That's okay. Let's just forget it. As long as you forget about my freak out."
Bonnie laughed. "Freaks stick together."
Jane sat at the counter with her.
"So apparently, Bonnie is having a witchy break down," Elena told Jane as she came back into the kitchen.
Bonnie rolled her eyes with a slight scowl.
Jane looked at her. "Really? Why is that?"
"I'm obsessed with numbers, and I knew when the commercial was coming on. That, on top of everything else that's been happening lately." Bonnie groaned and then she looked at Jane. "Do you want to be a witch? Because I don't."
Jane giggled. "No, thank you."
Bonnie smirked at Elena. "Putting that in a nice bowl isn't fooling anyone."
Elena only smirked back at her. "Okay, serving spoons," she said, looking around. "Where are the serving spoons?"
"Middle drawer on your left," Bonnie said without much forethought.
Surprised, Jane looked at Elena.
Elena glanced at Bonnie once before opening the drawer.
There sat the spoons.
"Oh my god," Jane gaped
Elena waved it off. "It's just because she's been in this kitchen, like, a thousand times."
Bonnie nodded. "Yeah that's it," she murmured, and Elena sighed.
Jane jumped when the doorbell rang, and she giggled, making the other girls giggle too.
"Okay, he's here," Elena said. "Don't be nervous. Just be your normal loving self." She pointed a spoon at Jane. "You too."
Jane gave a short snicker and saluted. "Aye, Captain."
Elena, with a playful eye roll, gave the spoons to Jane before going to answer the door.
"Witchy feeling?" Jane whispered to Bonnie as she slid the spoons into each appropriate bowl. "Like when you touched me?"
"Yeah."
"I know you're afraid, but maybe talking to him will make things a little better. I mean, look at me. I'm perfectly fine."
"You mean other than the bags under your eyes."
Jane gasped. "Are they that noticeable?" She went over and looked at her reflection on the toaster.
Bonnie pulled her away. "Just up close. What were you going to say earlier?"
Jane glanced at Elena. "Can I tell you later?"
Bonnie nodded. "Of course."
They sat in an awkward silence. Stefan at the head of the table, Elena and Bonnie on either side of him, and Jane sat next to Bonnie.
Elena had enough of the silence and glances that her guests were giving each other and finally spoke up. "Did Tanner give you a hard time today?"
Jane jumped at the sudden sound of her voice.
"Well, he let me on the team," Stefan murmured, "so I must have done something right."
"You made the team?" Jane said. "That's great."
Elena smiled. "Bonnie, you should have seen Stefan today. Tyler threw a ball right at him, and—"
"Yeah, I heard," Bonnie interjected.
Jane blinked before talking quickly to cover up the awkwardness. "Well, I, for one, thought it was totally awesome," she said, smiling at Stefan.
He returned it, and a grateful Elena gave her a nod.
"And that stuff with Tanner was amazing," Jane added.
Elena turned to Bonnie. "Why don't you tell Stefan about your family?"
"Um, divorced," Bonnie said curtly. "No mom, live with my dad."
Elena rolled her eyes. "No, about the witches."
Stefan looked up in interest.
"Bonnie's family has a lineage of witches," Elena added. "It's really cool."
Bonnie didn't seem too happy to be the center of attention. "Cool isn't the word I'd use."
Stefan looked at her. "Well, it's certainly interesting. I'm not too versed, but I do know that there's history of Celtic druids that migrated here in the late 1800s."
Bonnie raised a brow at him. "My family came here by way of Salem."
"Really? Salem witches."
Bonnie nodded. "Yeah."
"Well, I'd say that was pretty cool." Stefan smiled at Elena, who smiled back.
"Really? Why?"
"Salem witches are heroic examples of individualism and nonconformity."
Bonnie thought for a moment, before she nodded. "Yeah, they are."
Elena and Jane could see that Stefan won her over. They shared a smile and suddenly the doorbell rang.
"Did you invite others?" Jane asked.
Elena shook her head. "No."
"Want me to get the door?"
"That's okay." Elena got up from her chair. "I wonder who that could be."
"Surprise," Caroline's voice came from the doorway as Elena pulled open the door. "Bonnie said you were doing dinner, so we brought dessert."
"We?" Jane murmured, and then she saw who was behind the tall blonde. She waved. "Hi, Care. Hi, Damon."
Damon flashed her a smile. "Jane. It's good to see you."
Caroline looked from Damon to Jane, a flicker of jealousy in her eyes.
"What did you bring?" Jane asked, coming over to see what Caroline had and smiled. "You brought cake!"
"Yep!" The blonde smiled tightly. "Shortcake."
"What are you doing here?" Stefan hissed at Damon while the girls were busy looking at Caroline's cake.
"Waiting for Elena to invite me in."
At the mention of her name, Elena looked over at them. "Oh, yeah, you can—"
"No, no, no," Stefan interjected.
Elena blinked at him, as did Jane and Caroline.
"He can't, can't stay." Stefan turned and glared at his brother. "Can you, Damon?"
"Get in here," demanded an impatient Caroline.
"We're just finishing up." Stefan tried to get Elena to go along with it, but she only turned to Damon.
"It's fine. Just come on in."
"You have a beautiful home, Elena," Damon commented as he smirked at his brother, stepping over the threshold with no resistance.
Elena smiled. "Thank you."
"Here, Damon," Jane said, gesturing to the empty seats. "You and Caroline can sit here if you're hungry."
"Thank you, Jane," Damon said with a smile, "but I'm not particularly hungry at the moment."
Stefan frowned at the hidden meaning.
"I cannot believe that Mr. Tanner let you on the team," Caroline gushed to Stefan. "Tyler must be seething. But good for you. Go for it."
They were sitting in the living room now. Stefan and Elena were sitting side by side on the couch. Damon and Caroline occupied the red lounge chair, and Jane sat on the armrest of Bonnie's leather armchair, which was across from them.
Damon smirked. "That's what I always say to him. You can't just sit there and wait for life to come. You have to go out and get it."
"That's a very encouraging thing to say," Jane said pleasantly.
"Yeah, Elena wasn't so lucky today," Caroline piped, wanting to stop Jane and Damon from speaking. "It's only because you missed summer camp. I don't know how you're ever going to learn the routines."
"I'll work with her," Bonnie interjected. "She'll get it."
"I guess we could put her in the back…. Behind Jane."
Jane's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and she paused, her lips on her coffee mug. "What? But that would put me on front."
"Just keep doing what you did today." As an afterthought, Caroline added, "Maybe wear some more makeup so you don't look like a plain Jane."
Jane touched her face when Caroline looked away.
Bonnie and Elena frowned at Caroline.
"You know, you don't seem like the cheerleader type, Elena," Damon wondered, and Elena glanced at him.
Caroline turned back around. "It's just because her parents died. Yeah, I mean, she's just totally going through a blah phase. She used to be way more fun."
Bonnie gave her a stern stare, as Jane gaped at the blonde.
"And I say that with complete sensitivity."
"I'm sorry, Elena," Damon said, trying to continue over Caroline's blunder. "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."
"We don't need to get into that right now, Damon," Stefan warned.
"Oh, you're right, Stef. I'm sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was bring her up."
Damon walked into the kitchen. "One more." He held up a glass.
Elena made to take it, but it slipped from her fingers, and she gasped. Damon caught it before it touched the ground with his inhuman ability.
She laughed with relief. "Nice save," she said, and plucked the glass from his hands.
"I like you," Damon told her. "You know how to laugh, and you make Stefan smile, which is something I haven't seen in a very long time." That was true, but Damon tried not to dwell on that too much.
Jane came into the kitchen and handed Elena some more dishwasher liquid.
"And you," Damon said, startling the girl. "I like you too."
Jane giggled before shaking her head.
"And don't let what Caroline said get to you. You are most definitely not a plain jane."
She flushed. "You're just saying that," she mumbled, walking back into the living room.
"Earlier, did you mean Katherine?" Elena asked.
He nodded with a hum. He smiled and causally leaning against the countertop.
"How did she die?" she asked quietly.
He paused. "In a fire. Tragic fire."
"Recently?"
"It seems like it was yesterday."
"What was she like?"
"She was beautiful," he murmured. He turned to her. "A lot like you in that department. She was also very complicated and selfish, and at times not very kind, but very sexy and seductive."
"So which of you dated her first?"
"Nicely deduced. Ask Stefan. I'm sure his answer differs from mine." Damon looked back at the living room, watching as Jane looked from Stefan to Caroline.
Elena saw where he was looking. "So you know Jane?"
Damon looked back at her. "We've talked a bit. Sort of saved her from a real pain."
"Bradley died."
"Did he?" he asked causally. "Well, no offense, but maybe he deserved it."
Elena sighed. "Maybe, but Jane seemed a little upset about it."
"Did she?"
Jane came back into the kitchen with Bonnie. "Need help?"
Elena smiled. "Sure."
"Matt tries, but he's just having a really hard time," Caroline informed Stefan with a sad smile. "You have to understand they were each other's first. You know, like, from the sandbox."
"That's a really nice scarf," Stefan complimented
She smiled. "Thank you. It's new."
"Can I see it?" He shuffled nearer. "I mean, do you mind taking it off?"
"No, I can't," she said with a shake of her head.
"Why not?" Stefan asked, though he was pretty sure he knew the answer. "You okay?"
She paused, trying to think and find a way to tell him without breaking the compulsion rules that Damon had given her. "Um, all I know is that I can't take it off."
"What are you two kids talking about?" Damon asked, coming into the living room.
"I was just commenting on her scarf," Stefan replied, and Damon nodded.
"Hm." He looked down at Caroline. "Hey, you know, uh, Elena and the other girls are finishing up the dishes. Why don't you go see if you can help?"
Caroline snorted. "Does it look like I do dishes?"
"For me?" Damon asked, giving her a pleading look.
Caroline snootily shook her head. "I don't think so."
Damon grew angry, making her lock eyes with him. "Go see if Elena needs help in the kitchen."
"You know what?" Caroline asked a few seconds later. "I'm going to go see if Elena needs some help in the kitchen." She smiled at Damon, who smiled back.
"Great," he said as if she had come up with the sudden idea to go into the kitchen.
"They are people, Damon," Stefan growled. "She is not a puppet. She doesn't exist for your amusement, for you to feed on whenever you want to."
"Sure she does. They all do. They're whatever I want them to be. They're mine for the taking."
"All right, you've had your fun. You used Caroline, you got to me and Elena—good for you. You've even gotten to Jane. Now it's time for you to go."
"That's not a problem. Because I've been invited in, and I'll come back tomorrow night and the following night, and I'll do with your little cheerleader whatever I want to do." Damon leaned closer, a dark look on his face. "Because that is what is normal for me—and I'll do whatever I want to Janey too. She will be my puppet eventually."
"Hey, ready to go?" Caroline asked, and Damon stood abruptly.
"Yeah, don't want to overstay our welcome." Damon smirked at Stefan and then waved to Jane. "Goodbye, Jane."
"Bye," she said, and darted back into the kitchen.
Bonnie gaped. "You saw him die?"
Jane nodded. "Yes, and when I touched Damon's hand at the Grill the other night, I felt something strange."
Bonnie was about to ask what when she saw someone familiar. "Where have you been?" she suddenly asked.
Jane turned around. "Elena?"
Elena sighed. "Can I ask you a question? And give me a really serious no-joke response."
Bonnie nodded. "Of course, what is it?"
"The bad mojo. When you touched Stefan and you had that reaction—"
"You know what? Forget I said that. Your little dinner party plot totally won me over."
"Bonnie, seriously. What was it? Did you use something, or…"
Bonnie sighed. "It wasn't clear like a picture. Like today I kept seeing those same numbers I told you about: 8, 14, 22."
"Yeah?"
"When I touched Stefan, it was a feeling. And it vibrated through me, and it was cold, and..."
"And what?" Jane whispered.
"It was death. It was what I imagined death to be like."
Jane bit her lip. "And when you touched me?"
Elena looked at the younger girl. Jane looked worried.
Bonnie looked at her. "I can't explain it. It was… like feeling very… omnipresent."
Jane felt her stomach drop, and a hint of fear overtook her. "What does that mean?" she asked. Her voice was so soft that Bonnie hardly heard her.
Bonnie shook her head. "I don't know."
Jane bit her lip as the ambulance pulled away with Mr. Tanner, her eyes watching the moving vehicle with worry. Next to her was Bonnie.
"I'm scared, Bonnie. It came out of the woods and attacked someone here in town again. What if it comes back?" She looked to see why Bonnie hadn't responded. "Bon?"
"The numbers," Bonnie murmured.
Jane looked to see what she was looking at. Building eight, fourteen on the license plate of the car Tanner had been found next too, and twenty-two was the parking space number. She looked back at her. "Were your powers trying to warn you?"
Bonnie shook her head. "I don't—it's impossible." She began to back away, and Jane looked after her.
"Bonnie, wait. Please."
Her plea fell on deaf ears, and Bonnie had disappeared into the crowd.
Jane hugged her arms. She sighed and turned back around, only to find herself looking at a leather clad chest. "Oh!"
"I'm sorry," Damon said. "I didn't mean to startle you. We seem to bump into each other." He brushed hair from her eyes. "Are you okay?"
She sighed. "This is just so scary. I don't know what to do."
He smirked. "It'll be okay." He pulled her into a hug with a false look of concern. "Would you mind if I took you home?"
"Thank you. I'd definitely feel a lot better." She smiled and gave him a hug. Suddenly, she pulled away. "What about Caroline? I don't want her to get the wrong idea. She always jumps to conclusions."
"Leave her to me," he told her, and offered his arm. "Shall we, Miss Evans?"
She giggled. "Why certainly, Mr. Salvatore," she said, linking arms with him.
"Your mother sounds like an amazing woman," Damon said, standing on Jane's porch.
"She is." Jane bit her lip. "Would you— I mean, would you—"
He silenced her with a finger against her lips. "Not tonight. But I would love to come tomorrow. You seem to be the only person around here that likes me."
She smiled. "You don't seem as horrible as Stefan makes you out to be."
He hummed. "Yes, well…" He took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of her hand. "Tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow," she agreed, and Damon walked back to his car. She waved at him and went inside her house, feeling more at ease than she had all day.
Review? Beta'd by Shining Haos