I wrote this chapter, having completely forgotten about a particular piece of canon from S8, so there's a bit of deviation. Sorry, hope it's not too annoying.


"Today," Caroline announced dramatically as she excited the bathroom. "Today is the first day of the rest of my eternity." A huge smile broke across her face.

"And here was I worrying that you quitting the station was all a terrible mistake!" Stefan smiled back as he towelled off his hair.

Caroline looked thoughtful. "Do you think we should give the girls the day off nursery? We could go to the park, feed the ducks."

Stefan had been hoping to catch Caroline alone as he had something important he needed to discuss with her; he had tried the night before, but somehow, she had persuaded him into an early night and well... "I don't know. Didn't we agree to carry on as normal? As normal as anything ever is around here."

"They're four years old. Surely a little break from routine won't hurt them? I mean it's not like we can do anything anyway."

"I know, we should be helping find Alaric, but…"

"What can we do? We have nothing to go on, until Bonnie and Damon come up with something." She sighed, a worried look tracing across her face. "Do you ever feel like we aren't working to our strengths?"

Stefan gave a 'what can you do?' shrug. He didn't have an answer, he was trying to help in whatever clandestine way he possibly could. He gently slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her close until their foreheads touched. Energy surged through his fingertips as he gently touched the golden strands of her hair; he had never felt so powerful and so helpless at the same. "Let's check with Matt again, maybe something new has come up overnight."

"Maybe." She replied, equally doubtfully.


Damon had spent a lot of time with Bonnie over the last few weeks. He had got used to having her to himself and although, he would never admit it, he enjoyed her company more than anyone else's. So now sat in the Armory, pouring over dusty books, he resented Dorian's presence particularly as the boy seemed to take any opportunity to flirt with her. Admittedly, his game was weak and when Bonnie gently rebuffed him, he backed off, but still the two of them had an easy friendship untainted by years of magical favours and his murderous brother.

He didn't see Bonnie ever getting past that and by extension, never fully trusting him again.

The irony that his brother's actions could reflect so badly on him.

Damon rose from his seat. "I'm going to get a drink. Do either of you want one?"

Both his companions shook their heads. Bonnie's curly hair fell away from her shoulders exposing her smooth, graceful neck. Damon squashed down the myriad of erotic thoughts that flooded his brain. Why was Bonnie suddenly having this effect on him? Maybe he needed some blood rather than a coffee.

Downing the fridge's last remaining blood bag as fast as possible, Damon mulled over his history with Bonnie. The prison world had been a turning point in their relationship, his premature return to the land of the living having thrown a spanner in the works. After spending that time with Bonnie, Elena's hold on him had waned whether he admitted it at the time or not. When Kai locked her away under the sleeping beauty curse, there had never been a choice, he was always going to save Bonnie because he realised he couldn't live without her. That had surprised him, the depth of feelings that he had for his best friend. Maybe his brother's annoying best friend, Lexi, had a point: maybe there were multiple 'ones' particularly for a vampire.

And therein, for Damon, lay the rub: it didn't matter how he felt, he was a vampire and Bonnie would never love a vampire, knowing how it would all end.

Only in a fit of Stockholm syndrome, Bonnie had fallen for Enzo, murderous, slippery, vampire Enzo. Damon had been jealous, that ugly emotion he seemed to be prone to, that emotion that had almost cost him his relationship with his brother. At first, he had dismissed his feelings as typical Damon, doomed to repeat the past, to fall head over heels for an unattainable woman. Only this time, it was more than that.

He shook his head and checked his phone hoping that Stefan had got back to him with the latest transcription he had sent him. They had agreed that none of the documents were to physically leave the Armory, not knowing exactly what they were and as Bonnie didn't want Stefan anywhere near her, it meant that he was effectively frozen out of the whole search. Only this stuff was his brother's forte, his meticulous, patient and downright boring, in Damon's eyes, personality was meant for this. Through the miracle of modern technology, Damon had cheated a little and his brother had produced something that made sense unlike his own efforts. Too bad it was just some tedious genealogy of the St. John family. Suddenly, the Armory felt stifling, he could use a little fresh air. Grabbing the lunch Stefan had made the two of them earlier, he sauntered back into the main room. "I think it's time for a break, Bon Bon."

She looked up, trying to scowl, but just looking like a hot, serious librarian instead. "I'm not hungry. We have too much to do." Her rebellious stomach gurgled.

Damon raised an eyebrow at that. "Come on, you know Barbie will stake me if you don't eat properly. Plus, the break will refresh those brain cells of yours."

Bonnie looked down at the passage she was about read for the fourth time and relented. "Dorian, do you want to join us?"

Even if the poor intern had wanted to join them, the 'over my undead body' look Damon threw at him would have put anyone off. "Erm, I was thinking of leaving a little early tonight. I have a date."

"Oh wow, " Bonnie replied, eyes lighting up at this nugget of gossip. "Who is she?"

Not wanting to get drawn into a long dull discussion about Dorian's love life, Damon butted in. "Leave the poor lad alone, I'm sure he doesn't want to tell us the sordid details. Come on, Bon-Bon, let's go." He slipped a hand under her elbow and manoeuvred her outside, to a shady spot, perfect for picnics.

"Damon, what is up with you? I was only trying to be friendly, make him feel like one of the gang. The guy's doing us a massive favour even being here."

"I don't want to hear the pre-date details, I want to hear about the actual action." He quipped, lamely.

"Could you be anymore gross?" Bonnie punched him on the arm.

"Yeah, well it's a sad day when Dorian has a better love life than me." He was about to make a glib joke about getting his brood on like Stefan, but for once, he kept his big mouth shut.

"You jealous?"

"Nah, I bet she's a 6, 7 at most. I'm all about the 10s."

Bonnie grinned "Don't set your sights too high!"

Damon smiled back a little sadly, the girl he liked was an 11 on a bad day, definitely out of his league. "Here." He passed her a sandwich, hoping to change the subject.

Biting into her lunch, Bonnie winced at the sour taste. "Why has this sandwich got so many pickles in it?" She started to pick the offending articles out, as her brain processed the situation, the realisation hitting just as Damon cut across her thoughts.

"Alright, Stefan made lunch. He always makes lunch… and dinner… and breakfast. He just pretends that he doesn't and lets me or Caroline take the credit so you don't end up living on pop tarts and cereal! The amazing coffee you're always swooning over. 100% Stefan. These home-made brownies, you love." He gestured at the container of yummy baked goods. "All Stefan."

"I'm never going to forgive him, Damon."

"Jeez, Bon, I know that. I don't think he expects you ever will, but my stupid, do-gooding, martyr of a brother isn't going to stop trying, like ever." He looked down, playing with his ring.

Bonnie stopped fiddling with her pickles and glanced over at him. He looked... well guilty, not like a kid caught stealing candy, upset they got caught, but profoundly guilty like it was eating away at his soul. "Damon?" She queried.

"What makes me so easy to forgive? There was a time when Stefan being the enfant terrible would have been the highlight of my day, but now..." He tailed off as she winced. "You should also know that I've been getting Stefan to help with the transcriptions. He always was the scholar out of the two of us."

"I know, Damon." Bonnie replied gently. "I'm not mad at you."

"Well, you should be." His voice was high, tight and slightly strangled. "I lied. End of." He shot her an angry, pissed off look. What the hell is wrong with you? He thought. Are you trying to pick a fight? Just pull her pigtails and be done with it.

Bonnie was confused as hell as to what was up with him, but her instinct told her to let this go for the moment. "Let's concentrate on Alaric for the moment. He needs our help."

Damon, grateful that Bonnie hadn't blown up in his face or gone down the overly placatory route, decided she was right. "Look, even with Stefan's help, we're not getting anywhere here."

"You're right. I just feel like we're looking for a needle in a haystack. This has to be something to do with Alaric's Armory involvement."

"Well, yeah, but... maybe we need to speak to the person that actually owns this place. It's probably that chick in the mental institute, Victoria?"

"Virginia. Like the state you were born in and spent half your existence terrorising. And it was a rehab centre."

"What addiction were you getting over? Booze? Pills? Devilishly handsome bffs?"

"I was undercover, but yeah, I did talk about you. Therapy made me realise what a terrible friend you actually are." After Damon's earlier outburst, this wasn't the right time. The look of acknowledgment on his face surprised her somewhat.

"Yeah, yeah, you're right. Maybe my brother's not the only one who needs to actually earn your forgiveness. I think we need to go and speak to Virginia, but I know that place could remind you of things, of people... I don't want you upset."

Bonnie was touched at his consideration. Normally, she was dragged head long into a scheme without any thought. "She's opened up to me before so maybe... I will be fine, you know I'm tough."

"The most resilient person I know! Doesn't mean you have to be."

"Thanks, Damon, but I think we should go. Even if she doesn't know anything, at least we can cross it off our list."

They lapsed in comfortable silence, eating their lunch. Bonnie enjoyed the ease of their companionship that echoed so many shared moments in the prison world. There they sat, both technically single, yet both tethered to a ghost. That's how she saw it. She knew Damon, she knew when he was pining and Elena was obviously the one he was pining for. Caroline had known; she had shoved Elena down his throat and, lo and behold, triggered his humanity. Whether she liked to admit it or not, that had dented her ego. She thought she understood Damon, she thought his feelings for Elena were less than they had been, that Stefan's spectacular fall from grace would be the wake-up call Damon's humanity needed, but no Elena's golden vagina won through again.

Wow, that sounded bitter, jealous and kind of weird given that Enzo had been her boyfriend at that moment. All too late, she was being to realise that maybe their relationship might have been a little unhealthy. She had told Caroline she was suicidal with loneliness when he was gone and, well, no one person should have that much effect on you. Looking back now, the loss of her renewed friendship with Damon had also hit her hard. She had tried to blame Damon when things went wrong, but Enzo was equally at fault. It made her feel uneasy, that everyone she knew including Matt was a murderer. How long would it be before Lizzie and Josie killed someone? She shuddered at the thought.

"Do you want the last brownie, Bon?"

Internally, she struggled for all of thirty seconds before she replied. "Can I take it for later?"

"Sure thing, little bird." He started to pack everything away, carefully wrapping up her chocolate treat separately.

"Damon?" She whispered, avoiding eye contact. "Could you thank him for me?"

"Will do." He replied simply.


"Care, you mustn't worry. I'm going to be fine." Bonnie had dreaded explaining her and Damon's scheme to Caroline and sure enough, mother hen mode had kicked in with vengeance.

"I can't help it." The blonde fretted. "I mean that place has so many associations and..." She tailed off.

Bonnie sighed. Everyone was treating her like she was a fragile flower about to fall apart if she left the hot house. Truth was she felt a little stifled by all the concern. Caroline meant well, but that girl could be smothering. "I was supposed to be travelling the world right now. A 5-hour trip to Asheville, North Carolina is not going to kill me. Besides Damon will be with me."

"That's what I'm worried about." Caroline's lips twitched with distain, but she pulled Bonnie into a tight hug. "Besides, that trip is going to take so much longer, maybe you should stay overnight."

"Yeah, we might just do that." Bonnie murmured back, appreciating just how much Caroline cared. "Do you fancy some tea?" She pulled away from her friend, hoping to stem her concern.

"Thanks, that would be nice."


Stefan was in the kitchen as always, well there or in the library desperately trying to help Damon as much as he could. His brother had told him about his trip and knew that Caroline would be about to fly off the handle, so he decided to make some camomile tea to soothe her. As the electric kettle had dramatically stopped working just the other day, he placed a saucepan under the tap to fill and he turned his attention to lighting the gas. He clicked the gas on and fired the ignition; the blue flame flickered and went out. He frowned, annoyed. The flame burst alight again and flared up to a height of six inches. Mesmerised, he froze.

"Stefan!" The voice from the doorway, failed to pull him from his stupor. The flames flared, doubling in height. "Stefan?" Bonnie bustled in, pushing him out of the way and clicking off the gas, before turning to him, hands on hips with a glare on her face. "What was that?"

Stefan blinked owlishly, barely able to focus. The water in the pan was now spilling over the sides into the sink, but neither he nor Bonnie went to shut the tap off, knowing vampire ears were listening. He just stared at her, silently, not wanting to verbalise all the weird shit that had happened to him recently. Because once that cat was out the bag, it made it all real and he wasn't prepared to face that just yet.

Bonnie was having none of it. "When did it start? Does Caroline know?" Yeah, she went there. Stefan's weak point was her best friend and Bonnie was prepared to get dirty to find out the truth.

Stefan was caught and he knew it. "Honestly, since I turned human and no, Caroline doesn't know. I'm trying to find a way to tell her."

"And Damon?"

"No. I... " He trailed off. "Look, I didn't wake up suddenly being able to do magic." He kept his voice low, despite the water thundering into the sink. "It started in Argentina, at first I thought the electricity was problem, then that Caroline had bought the wrong adapters."

"As if." Bonnie scoffed. "Magic is dangerous. You, of all people, should know better than to screw around with it."

Stefan ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I'm trying to get it under control, but it's not like I have an abundance of help, I mean who could I turn to? Freya Mikaelson? Valerie?"

Newbie witches were Bonnie's kryptonite. Stefan could have murdered a dozen puppies in front of her and it wouldn't stop her feeling bad for him. She remembered just how terrifying it had been to come into her own powers nearly a decade previously. She also remembered how Stefan had been a quiet, supportive presence in the background, probably because of Elena or his relationship with her forebears, but there none the less. She couldn't help him directly, things were still too raw, but she had an idea. "Look, about the control thing. Think of it as similar to controlling your bloodlust." She disappeared for a second, only to return with a small notebook which she handed to him.

"What's this?" Stefan looked a little confused.

"It's a witch primer. I put it together for Josie and Lizzie. Admittedly, it's a touch babyish, but it should keep you going for a couple of days."

"Thanks, Bonnie, this is amazing."

"You're welcome, none of the spells are dangerous." She went to leave. "The candle trick, Caroline thinks it's hot FYI." She gave him a serious look. "Just tell her, no good comes of keeping secrets. Now, can you make some tea without burning the house down?"

"I think I can manage that." He turned back to the cooker and put the pan on to boil.


AN: I'm not really that happy with this chapter. I totally thought it was Alex St John that died in 8x02 not Veronica so that's how I plan to continue. In my mind, Damon's feelings for Bonnie have grown steadily since the prison world, him desiccating made no sense unless he was already partly in love with her. Speaking of Bonnie, she hasn't forgiven Stefan, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have some compassion for his plight. And Stefan is still working hard behind the scenes at earning her forgiveness, but at the same time, he's not going to self-flagellate about killing Enzo – his life is finite now. Thanks for the reviews – they are really useful.