Chapter Four. Happy Raving
There was a rave on campus, and in a few hours, the casualties of alcohol poisoning, drug-and-alcohol cocktail abuse, fights, and even the occasional rape would be pouring into the Emergency Room.
So Jo smirked as she stepped through the main doors of her apartment building. Thank goodness, she wasn't the one on call this night. If they were lucky, they'd lose a few of the losers too, and that would thin out the imbecile half of the gene pool.
She was halfway up the elevator, when she started. What kind of sadistic thought was that?
Kai.
She pushed the thought out of her head as soon as it entered. Kai was gone. Yes, Jo had expected to feel some sign of her twin's presence within her after the Merge. Had, of course, known all about the soul-merging myth and how she and Kai would become a new being, united in her own body.
But that was what it had turned out to be – a myth. Something to sweeten the conscience when their society brainwashed children into wanting to murder their flesh and blood.
Or maybe it was true but her heartless brother had been soulless too, and there was nothing of him left behind. Whatever the reason, Jo felt no new presence in her being, no change in her personality. If she was a bit brasher since the Merge, it was due to the self-confidence that winning had given her.
Apparently, forty years of being told that she was not good enough had affected her more than she realized.
She pictured Damon Salvatore flying through her window and smirked again. What an adrenaline rush. It would have been even better if it had happening an hour earlier while there was still daylight to burn the vampire. It would be a while before she saw him again. Certainly not during her office hours. She pushed her hand through her coat jacket and felt the lapus lazuli daylight ring.
He'd probably send his buddy, dear Alaric, to come begging for it tomorrow. Thank goodness she had already cried off their standard dinner date. For this night at least, she'd have some peace and quiet.
When she stepped into her apartment and found Joshua Parker waiting for her, she felt like kicking her shoes off and into his face.
"Josette!" He gasped and reached to embrace her.
It was the first time she had seen her father in almost twenty years. It was the first time she had heard from him since he tried to kill her on Thanksgiving.
She side-stepped his embrace, and walked straight to the bar, stepping out of her shoes, and dropping her bag as she did.
"If we're going to have this conversation, I need a stiff drink."
He dropped his arms, bowed his head. "I guess I'll start by apologizing for what happened last year."
Jo poured herself a drink from the first bottle she grabbed. "You mean the time when you tried to melt my brain through my eyes? I'd forgotten all about it." She downed the glass, then shuddered. "Why does Alaric bring this disgusting bourborn stuff to my house?" she muttered, and reached for another bottle.
Joshua sighed. "You're the leader now, the Gemini Praetor. You'll soon realize the stakes involved in running this coven. You can't hate me for what I've only ever done to protect all of us."
Jo snorted into her glass. "To protect the coven, Dad. My father, the great coven leader, who would sacrifice his own daughter. Did any of your children ever matter to you, Dad?"
"I was wrong about you, Jo, I can see that now. You are stronger than I ever gave you credit for. You're going to have to be even stronger to move past our previous differences if you want this coven to move on seamlessly."
She didn't say anything, just eyed him as she poured yet another glass. She hadn't offered him one, or even offered him a seat after he had stood up to greet her, so he just stood awkwardly in the middle of her room, talking across to her.
"I've run the coven since before you were born. You should have been trained for it, but with Malachi…" He shrugged, looking down for a while and missing the flash in Jo's eyes. "I can guide you for the first year, teaching you all you need to know to lead. When are you returning to Portland?"
"Who said anything about going to Portland?"
Her father eyed her in surprise. "It's the seat of the coven. You can't rule without a physical presence there."
Jo hopped on a bar stool, swung in a half-circle. "Here bar stool is now the seat of the Gemini coven. Wherever I place my fucking ass is where the fucking seat of the fucking coven is."
Her father blanched. "Watch your language, Josette."
"My fucking house, my fucking language. You don't like the way I talk then get the fuck out."
His lips tightened. "Don't be unreasonable."
"You know what? Get the fuck out right now."
Her father's face turned red and he took a step forward.
Jo was on her feet at once, her hands clenched and crackling with power.
Joshua Parker halted.
Jo grinned dangerously. "We're not little kids, anymore, Dad. You don't get to push us around."
He started, anger moving quickly to confusion. "Us?"
Jo stared at him, and a look of puzzlement passed across her face. Then she sat down, heavily. "Just leave, Dad. I'll give you a call. I've had a long day and too much to drink to handle this right now."
"Jo-"
"Please," she said, desperately.
He heaved an impatient sigh. "Fine. But this conversation isn't over, Josette."
"Hip hip hurray," she muttered, and went back to her drink.
His hand was at the knob, when he turned back. "Why did you take the 1903 Ascendant?"
She froze for a long moment. Then she shrugged, without turning. "Why not? I don't owe you an explanation."
His temper flared, his voice rising. "Do you have any idea-" He broke off, when she turned to glare at him, and then swallowed his anger. "Are you aware of the prisoners who are in there?"
Her brows raised. "Prisoners? I thought there was only one? Lily Salvatore?"
He frowned at her. "Why would we build a prison world for just one vampire? You're smarter than that, Jo."
It was apparently a wrong thing to say because a dark cloud passed over her eyes. "Yeah, Jo was always the smart one, right?"
"What-?"
"You can get out of my house, Dad, and we can have this conversation tomorrow when we're both less likely to try to murder each other or I can join the long line of Gemini leaders who've had to commit patricide."
His lips tightened. "I will be expecting your call then."
She crossed her heart. "Hope to die if I tell a lie."
He frowned at her. She frowned back. He turned on his heel and left.
The moment he left, she abandoned the bar and her half-empty glass and went straight to her bedroom. The Ascendant was still where she had hidden it, buried under a triple layer of cloaking spells. She felt the device hum softly in her hands, and her mind started chasing multiple schemes…
The lights and the music rammed against Bonnie's skull, stabbing through her still sore ear, and not for the first time, she wished she knew some healing spells. Her heart was still pounding from the exertion of frying that handsy upperclassman.
This was a bad idea. She had to get out of here, Caroline or no Caroline.
She looked across the hall. She had a clear view of said Caroline at the bar, sipping a drink and eyeing the bartender like if he was her next meal. Which he probably was. A little away, but still within view, were Elena and Stefan, their eyes also trained on Caroline.
Caroline was fine. Bonnie was not. She staggered to the fringes of the rave, found a relatively quiet corner and sank to the floor.
She had no idea how much time had passed, minutes, hours. The music echoed from the ground through her bones, but a muted, dulled sound, not like the pounding of before. It almost lured her to a sense of calm.
Her phone was buzzing, and she pulled it out of her jacket, then broke into smile at the sight of Damon's face.
Damon, Bonnie thought gladly. Her dear friend. Who had saved her from 1994. It would be wonderful to hear his voice.
She was about to tap the screen when her haunches went up and she felt it – that cold void that meant only one thing…
A vampire about to strike.
And her eyes went up just in time to see Caroline flying at her, teeth bared.
The aneurysm hit mid-flight and Caroline fell to the ground.
"What the hell?" Bonnie shouted.
"Ow-ow-ow!" Caroline raised a hand. "Quit it, Bonnie!"
Bonnie reduced the intensity, but left it at a dull ache.
"Pretty good reflexes," Caroline said, gasping from where she knelt.
"Were you trying to eat me?" Bonnie asked, still shaking.
"Seriously, Bonnie?" Caroline almost sounded like her normal self. "Which part of 'wanting to keep a low profile and not have any regrets one year from now' don't you understand? Don't you think that eating my best friend and everyone's resident go-to witch is the opposite of both?"
"You attacked me."
"I was just having a bit of fun. It was either that or let Stefan 'Wet Blanket' Salvatore corner me at the bar. Lighten up, will you? And talking about lightening up, my head is about to implode."
Bonnie took a deep breath, exhaled and the aneurysm lifted. Caroline straightened slowly to her feet.
The tall blonde girl looked at the darker petite girl with an unsettling smile on her face.
"What do you want, Caroline?" Bonnie asked nervously, not liking that smile one bit. "I thought you wanted us to leave you alone."
"And yet here you are. Less than 24 hours after 9 months of complete isolation, stalking me," Caroline drawled.
Bonnie looked away, muttering, "It was 5 months of complete isolation. I spent 4 months with Damon. And you invited me, remember?"
"Didn't expect you to come. I'd have thought loud music, an unruly crowd and sweaty bodies would be the last place you'd want to be."
Bonnie bit her lip and said nothing.
Caroline sneered. "So which one roped you in? Elena's big brown egocentric eyes or Damon's manipulative eyebrows of crazy?"
Despite… everything… that almost made Bonnie snicker. "Neither. I was – am worried about you. You are my best friend, after all."
"I'm also an anal-retentive OCD bitch – and that was when I was human. Left on your own, you'd probably have sat this one out but one of the Dreaded Duo made you think you had to come babysit me."
Bonnie glared at her. "If you're trying to tell me that I don't have to watch you-"
Caroline threw back her head and laughed. It was a grating sound that made Bonnie itch to either slap her or set her on fire.
"Look at you," the vampire said at last, her mouth wide and wicked, "going all defensive on them. I just wish they gave half a damn about you. Lemme see if I remember, 'Bonnie's death makes me sad but Damon's makes me wanna die'." Her eyes grew overly large. Then she narrowed them and laughed again. "Yeah, that was Elena. Then Damon … Well, we'd probably have got you out the moment he got back but he went around telling everyone that you had died and gone to Witch-heaven. Then when Kai got out, he was too busy keeping Alaric's new squeeze safe to give a damn about you." Caroline's face settled into a smug grin.
Bonnie shot out an aneurysm at her, then sent her flying into the wall.
Then she ran out of the rave, and told herself that it was sweat, not tears that were soaking her face.
Thanks to everyone that reviewed! In a rush so I can't do replies this time but I will the next time I update. Cheers!
Next: Annual Physical.
Please this fic is unbeta'd so if you see any typos, etc, please let me know. And, of course, just let me know in general if you like it by reviewing. :)