Previously on We Persevere: Bonnie finally met the twins, only for the happy family moment to be broken by a lead on Damon and Enzo. They match the description of suspects responsible for bloody murder scenes in Atlanta. Many thanks to my beta bestie, Twilight016!


Though Atlanta was only a few hours away, Bonnie felt like she had been in the car for years. Caroline was the only one relaxed enough to drive, and even she vibrated with energy. Bonnie, sitting in the passenger seat, had to physically hold down the blonde's knee as it pounded rhythmically against the floorboard.

Stefan was no better in the backseat, his hands cradling his head most of the way. He checked his phone every so often, looking for any updates on the situation through local news outlets. With nothing new to report, he would sigh and throw his phone on the seat before assuming his worried position again.

Whipping down the highway, Caroline tried to fill the awkward silence with optimistic chatter. "So, I was thinking that the girls could meet up with you every day or so, practicing little skills to keep their magic fresh and make it more of a routine. Routine is so important for them, you know," she said, which brought a weak smile to Bonnie's face.

"That sounds nice," she replied. "I barely even met them, it'll be great to spend more time with them."

"That's true," Caroline realized with a furrowed brow. "Oh god, I haven't even thought about Damon and Enzo coming home. The changes just keep on coming."

Bonnie shrugged, her worries creeping up on her again. "They're young."

"Too young." Caroline bit her lip in thought. "I mean, should Damon and Enzo even be around them? We don't know what we're walking into, and they might be beyond help. Ric is still pissed at Damon, too. I doubt he even wants him to meet the girls."

Sounding tired, Stefan landed a hand onto Caroline's shoulder from behind. "Let's not worry about that until we have to," he urged softly. "We have no idea what's going on in Atlanta, and we still need a plan."

"We get them back, whatever it takes," Bonnie answered automatically. "Whatever happened to them, we can fix it. We have to." She pretended not to notice Caroline's concerned look to Stefan in the rearview mirror. "Even if you don't believe they're under the influence of whatever was in that vault, which they are, you have to admit that they wouldn't have left me behind. Enzo wouldn't have left me behind."

"I know." Caroline's voice was small, the tone a familiar sign that she was wrong. Bonnie was surprised; her friend was clearly trying to give Damon and Enzo the benefit of the doubt, despite everything they had done to ensure her bad opinion. "Something is wrong, but don't think for a second that I trust them in this state. I will vamp speed you out of there so fast if they even consider baring their fangs in your direction."

Bonnie wanted to respond, but Caroline pinned her with an iron glare. "I am not explaining to Josie and Lizzie why Aunt Bonnie is missing a chunk of her neck," she said, adamant.

Swallowing, Bonnie had to admit it was a possibility. As much as she wanted to be offended on their behalf, Enzo and Damon had too much bad history to defend their current killing spree. The terror that she might have lost them forever was growing, and she desperately needed to change the subject. "Well, I'm sure Uncle Stefan could take a crack at that explanation."

Stefan groaned from the backseat. "I'm never going to live that down," he pouted.

"Nope," Caroline smirked, winking in the mirror. "But I'm sure Damon will have plenty of wisecracks about the title."

Bonnie shook her head. "Enzo will have more fun with it," she insisted. She remembered his antagonism toward Stefan, all of which he poorly explained over their three years of isolation. While Bonnie used to think their mutual dislike was centered on Caroline, it quickly became apparent to her that it always went back to Damon.

"He's just jealous he doesn't get to be Uncle Enzo," Stefan prodded.

"Unless he makes an honest woman out of Aunt Bonnie," Caroline warned, "then over my dead body. Same goes for Damon."

Blushing, Bonnie slid down in her seat. "I'm not the one who's got weddings on the brain," she accused mulishly. She loved Enzo and wanted to be with him, but marriage came with its own set of difficulties. They still hadn't been given a chance to address the no-magic issue, and she was still human.

Caroline narrowed her eyes, but Stefan's hand had reappeared on her shoulder. "Whatever," she muttered, focusing back on the road. "We'll probably hit Atlanta in an hour."

Bonnie's heart beat faster. Finally, she would have her home back.


Every second they grew closer to finding Damon, the more nervous Stefan felt. While Caroline was a ball of barely contained energy in the driver's seat, he had to remind himself to move and get the blood flowing to his legs. Whatever the situation was, he was going to need his full strength to save his brother.

The few moments of peace he found came from watching Caroline, reminding him that she would be there with him the entire way. Even after everything he had done, the three years that were stolen from them, he could glance into the mirror and catch her smile. That inexplicable hope never seemed to leave her, and he would rather die than be the one to ruin that again.

Despite his aversion to being considered an uncle, Stefan liked that the girls didn't hesitate to consider him family. It meant Caroline considered him family. After losing Lexi, his mother, his child, and his brother several times over, Stefan still felt like a part of something better. He didn't waste away in despair over Damon this time; he had faith in Caroline's optimism and Bonnie's determination.

He had family to rely on.

Still, he wanted Damon back. Though he had no doubt he would give Caroline that June wedding someday, she wasn't a Salvatore yet. For better or worse, he needed Damon in his life, too. Following bloody news articles wasn't exactly new for them, but brothers had to stick together.

A phone rang, distracting Stefan from his thoughts. Bonnie pulled hers from her pocket, answering quickly once she saw the screen. "Matt," she breathed. "Did you find anything?"

She had called their friend while still at the boarding house. His police contacts were still useful after he left Mystic Falls, and Bonnie asked him to keep an ear to the Atlanta emergency scanners in case there were any leads on Damon and Enzo.

"There's a bar on the edge of town, Last Call," Matt answered through the line. "A 911 call just went through, someone screaming about all the blood."

Caroline's eyes met his through the mirror again, and he clenched his jaw.

"Thanks, Matt," Bonnie responded. "Send the address, and we'll take care of it."

"Take care of yourselves," he implored before hanging up. Bonnie's phone pinged with a text message, the promised address and a link to its coordinates.

Caroline gulped audibly with a desperate look in her eye. "At least a survivor managed to call?" she said, though it sounded more like a question. It was like she was searching for a bright side to his brother and Bonnie's boyfriend murdering people. "Maybe the blood is important, like how Silas had to drink so much."

"It's wasteful," Stefan answered, resigned. "The only vampires that feed like this—"

"Are Rippers," Bonnie finished. Her grim face spoke volumes, and Stefan saw the weight of his brother's actions actually droop her shoulders. "What the hell was in that vault?"

Worried, Caroline blindly reached a hand to Bonnie's knee. "Nothing we can't fight," she insisted. "Hell, even I think Damon and Enzo are strong enough to come to their senses. They made it through Augustine together, and this time they have you waiting for them. And you're not waiting, you're going to pull them back from the edge by their collars if you have to."

Stefan focused all his attention on Caroline's voice, her adamant strength the only thing keeping him sane. The Ripper was his worst self; his only consolation was that Damon never had to disassociate like he did. Damon was violent, terrible, and cruel as a vampire, but he understood his balance to humanity more than Stefan ever could. Stefan needed Caroline to help mind his balance, but Damon walked that edge all on his own.

So what pushed him over?

Terrified to find out, Stefan could only wait as Caroline pushed the pedal down, making the car inch along their trek faster.


Last Call was a depressing joint, one of those rundown bars that lost its sheen decades earlier. The entire place reeked of evil, the tang of blood thick in the air. They hadn't even gone in yet, and it just felt like death to Caroline. She idly wondered if Bonnie felt it, too; magic connected her to nature, but she wasn't sure if that connection still existed without her powers to fuel it.

She hoped not, for Bonnie's sake. There would be no turning back from this massacre, Caroline knew. If Enzo and Damon were really causing this much damage, she would tear the hearts from their chests herself. Bonnie would be strong enough to cope. Losing Bonnie and Stefan because of it would break Caroline, but it was nothing she hadn't dealt with before.

She persevered, like Scarlett O'Hara.

There was always tomorrow, and she had the girls to look after. There would be no running from her problems like she did after her mother passed, no hiding like she did with Ric. Caroline could face her fears and overcome them by herself if she needed to. Glancing back to Stefan, she knew it would be harder than before; it would be a problem of her own making, and she wouldn't be able to blame Stefan and Bonnie for hating her.

But she would manage. She had survived worse, and she had so much more to do with her life.

A sick part of her even hoped for that outcome, if only to rid herself of the inevitability that Josie and Lizzie really would consider them family. Uncle Enzo would be Aunt Bonnie's perfect love, the prince in all her fairy tales and happily ever afters. He wouldn't be the one kidnapping the princess's friend or betraying her trust. No, he'd be the hero. And Uncle Damon—

Caroline shivered unconsciously. While she knew Stefan was in this for the long haul, she resented him a bit for dragging Damon back into her life. All the love she felt for Stefan was more than worth the barbs, but she would never consider his brother to be family. Stefan could keep him. Bonnie wanted him.

Caroline didn't.

Still, she stretched her cramped hands as they clambered out of the SUV. Driving for hours was a bitch, though Stefan gently massaged the hand he had taken so they could walk into the bar together. His presence reminded her to be strong. As hard as this would be for her, it was going to be so much worse for Stefan and Bonnie.

They expected better of Damon and Enzo, against all reason and evidence to the depravity of which they were capable.

Bonnie was itching to run inside the bar, but Caroline hadn't been kidding about whooshing her away at the first sign of danger. She put an arm around her friend's waist, just in case the very human Bonnie made herself a target by barging in.

Reaching the door, Caroline hesitated before pushing it open. The overwhelming scent of blood triggered her fangs, Stefan's sudden absence of breath a sign he was trying to restrain himself from reacting the same way. She squeezed his hand and walked inside, pulling Bonnie to walk somewhat behind her.

"Come to join the party, gorgeous?"

She turned to find a dark-eyed Enzo cockily waiting on a bar stool amidst the wreckage of the room. Body parts were strewn about, a few heads sat on the pool table in the corner, and Damon was leaning over a jukebox, humming to himself. He turned at Enzo's greeting with a wicked grin.

Caroline used to think hell was accompanied by the sting of werewolf venom or the smell of sunflowers at her mother's funeral. Standing in the middle of humans broken apart like toys past their usefulness, though, she realized hell began and ended with Damon Salvatore's cold, blue eyes.

"Hello, brother."

the end


Many, many thanks to everyone who has favorited, followed, reviewed, liked, replied, reblogged, commented or left kudos on We Persevere. Unfortunately, I have reached the end of my originally planned outline, meant to cover the time jump and bring us to the events of the Season 8 premiere. This has been a blast to write, and I truly appreciate all the love and support from the fandom.

For those who are upset this is a rather abrupt and unfulfilling end (my beta included), I am sorry. This story was always meant to bridge the SC reunion in Season 7 to the final upcoming season, and I hope I've accomplished that.

However, I am very pleased to announce that I will be opening up the weperseverebyhonestgrins blog to canon prompts on any of the character dynamics. It can be as simple as a ship name + the situation you wish happened dropped in my Ask box, and I will do my best to fulfill it. I very rarely turn down prompts, but I will always explain right away if I can't do one justice. Please note that I am only asking for canon-related prompts, though I will accept any from the entire run of the show.

Any drabbles that come from these prompts will be published as part of a new collection, titled Until the Bitter End.

Again, thank you all so much for reading We Persevere. It's been an honor to share this with you.