Look, an update! As always, thank you for reading and reviewing. I forgot to mention last time that some awesome fanart was made by Gitan312. There's also an AU meme, done by Dixongirl. I've posted a links (to Tumblr) on my profile.

The Unknown

For two days, Bonnie says nothing to Tyler. Not about what Caroline told her anyway. They make small talk and discuss Stefan's continued absence. She's getting concerned now, too. If they have to seek Stefan out to kill him, they can do that but Stefan's not getting away. She spells April's keychain, one with a photo of both of April's parents inside of it. She links it to herself, to the pendant she wears. If April's in trouble, she'll know. At this point, April Young may be the safest person in town.

For those two days, Caroline doesn't speak to Bonnie. One the third day of her silent treatment, she tries to ask Caroline when she's going to stop being like this but she slips away before Bonnie can try.

"What's going on with you two?" Elena asks when they have yet another lunch without Caroline.

"I don't know," Bonnie lies. She doesn't understand it herself and explaining it to Elena will be even harder. And she doesn't want to risk Jeremy finding out, not yet. At least not until Bonnie talks to Tyler, whenever she works up the nerve to do that.

Sometimes she catches Tyler looking at her. Where his stare wouldn't have meant anything before, it means everything now. She tries to decipher what he's thinking, if he's thinking anything at all. It still seems harmless from where she stands. He's just looking. Noting her presence. There's nothing behind it. Or maybe there is because even after Tyler's done all the noting of her presence that's necessary, she catches his gaze lingering on her from time to time. Like when she took out the trash this morning, padding out the front door in furry boots and her robe or when they were sitting in the living room helping Jeremy study for his Geography test.

And she looks at Tyler more.

At lunch, while Elena is trying to come up with a way to get Caroline and Bonnie back on speaking terms, Bonnie looks at Tyler. He's at his usual table with the team. Sometimes he's facing her and sometimes he's not. When he is, they make eye contact and he'll wiggle his eyebrows in her direction. She wonders if it means more than the common greeting and she never speaks into his head, not anymore. And she doesn't try to go into his either, worried about what she might hear. When he isn't looking at her, she looks at him. She rests her chin in her hand and just...looks. His shoulders are broad and she can his muscles moving beneath his shirt. Sometimes he raises a hand to rub the back of his neck and the bottom of his shirt may raise up a little so she can see the top of his boxers, peeking out over the waistband of his jeans.

When her face gets hot, she looks away.

Bonnie's distracted, by so many things, when she visits Shane. He's talking and she's barely listening. Her head is back at home with Tyler and Jeremy and somewhere with Stefan. And at Caroline's house with her. And at April's house with her. Her mind keeps coming back to Tyler who has wishes.

"Bonnie," Shane says, in his scholarly voice. "You're not listening."

"Sorry," she says, without really meaning it. "There's a lot going on right now."

"Is this about your dream?"

She shakes her head. "No. Just...boy stuff."

April she's got figured out. Tyler is another matter.

Shane looks surprised. Maybe he didn't expect her to have "boy stuff" to deal with. She's quiet about her personal life, for the most part. He knows some things, about her parents not being around and her relationship with her Grams, but telling him about Jeremy and Tyler seems like it would be crossing a line. But he leans back in his chair and folds his arms. "Wanna talk about it?"

Bonnie can't suppress her laugh. "No."

"Come on," Shane says, smiling. "I may be able to help. Believe it or not, I've dated before."

"Just because you read about ancient witches doesn't mean you're dating them," Bonnie jokes. Shane laughs and she leans forward to rest her elbows on the desk. "This guy likes me. I think."

"You think?"

"I was told he does. By his ex-girlfriend. Who is also my best friend."

Shane's eyes widen. "Interesting."

"Any wisdom to pass along?"

"Maybe. What do you think about the boy?"

"He's a friend," Bonnie says. "You met him. Tyler."

Shane nods. "I remember. You don't return his feelings?"

She lifts her shoulders. "I don't know. I've known him my entire life and recently we've gotten closer but I didn't know he was...interested. I didn't even know that was a possibility."

The Tyler Lockwood she's always known hasn't seemed the type to go for a girl like Bonnie. She's actually not sure if Tyler has a type. If he ever had one, Bonnie wouldn't think she'd fit it. Vicki, then Caroline, then Bonnie. Where exactly does she fit into that lineup? Her and Tyler are friends now, real friends. He's as important to her as Elena or Caroline or Jeremy. She'd do for him what she does for them. And she knows Tyler would do the same for her. But it's leap, from friendship to whatever it is Tyler feels. She doesn't know when he made it.

"And I'm kind of seeing someone," she says. "He's friends with Tyler, too."

"Have you considered branching out? Meeting people who don't all know each other?" Shane says.

Bonnie laughs a little. "I haven't actually."

"So you don't know if you feel the same way?"

"I didn't think I did."

"But now?"

"I still don't know."

It changes things, knowing someone feels that way about her. With Jeremy it was the same way. She didn't even look at him until he started looking at her. It was easy to miss those other qualities, the ones she'd find attractive in a boyfriend, when she's occupied with staying alive, still holding onto memories of them when they were all barely friends. Jeremy was Elena's weird little brother with a penchant for doing drugs and a thing for grunge until he suddenly wasn't. And Tyler was an asshole for most of high school and she barely knew him anyway, only through Matt and later, Caroline. And now they go through no one to know each other.

A few days ago Tyler was just Tyler. Her roommate, partner-in-crime and friend. Now he's Tyler, a boy. One who is kind and generous and makes her laugh and came to her to set this thing into motion. Tyler, who gave her a grimoire of her own. Tyler, who's a good hugger and who wants to keep her safe, who would hurt anyone who hurt her, who's glad she picked him and would pick her. Tyler, who hugged her so hard when they finally killed Damon. Tyler, who wiped blood from her nose after they went teleporting around town.

Tyler.

"What happens if you do?" Shane asks. "Feel the same way, I mean."

She gets stuck on a memory of her and Tyler in her room, after she brought him back from death and after they got done arguing about her methods. "I don't know," she says. Tyler's gently pulling leaves from her hair.

Bonnie ends up at Caroline's house. She doesn't know why she goes. There's nothing she can say to Caroline she hasn't already said. And she feels dumb, being there when she was just telling Shane she didn't know how she felt about Tyler anymore. But she wants to see Caroline. It's been four days since she's spoken to her and they've never gone this long without talking. The thought of Caroline being mad at her and Bonnie not trying to see her makes this rift seem potentially permanent.

It's the weekend and Bonnie and Caroline should be wandering around town, eating lunch at the Grill and doing some shopping while avoiding homework. Bonnie shouldn't be at Whitmore, talking about Tyler with Shane. In a perfect world - where Caroline and Tyler were never together - she'd be able to talk about it with Caroline. She was so excited when Bonnie told her about Jeremy and having good sex. Caroline will never be that happy about her and Tyler.

Not that there is a Bonnie and Tyler for her to have an opinion on anyway.

Caroline comes to the door, walking slowly, leisurely. She's going to make Bonnie wait. "Yes?" she says, when she finally opens the door.

"Stop not talking to me," Bonnie snaps. "It's not my fault Tyler likes me or whatever."

"Or whatever?"

Bonnie rolls her eyes. There was a time she kind of missed this Caroline - ridiculous in her resentment but also right, just a little bit right, in her reasoning. Now Bonnie doesn't remember why. "You know what I mean. This is dumb. I'm your friend. I'd never hurt you on purpose."

Caroline leans against the doorframe. "Is he still at your house?"

"I'm not gonna kick him out, Caroline," Bonnie says. "He doesn't have anywhere to go, and I'm not going to make him go back to that empty house if he doesn't want to just because you're throwing a temper tantrum."

"It's not a temper tantrum, Bonnie. I'm hurt. He broke up with me and now he's into you!"

"And I didn't ask him to be!"

Caroline looks at the space above Bonnie's head instead of her.

"Caroline," Bonnie says, "please."

She's been to Caroline's a bunch of times but she's never stayed this long at Caroline's front door. She's never been denied entry this way. And even though Caroline's always been good at holding a grudge, she's never been this good at holding one against Bonnie.

"Can you tell me with absolute, one hundred million percent certainty that nothing is ever going to happen with you and Tyler? That you don't want anything to happen with Tyler?"

I don't know.

Bonnie must be taking too long to answer because Caroline lets out an exaggerated groan and goes back into the house. She slams the door behind her.

Welcome to Mystic Falls, where even with the best intentions, you still manage to make things worse.

Jeremy's off for a run around town when Tyler gets back to Bonnie's. And Bonnie's not back from Whitmore yet either. He's developed a good system for dealing. It revolves mainly around not being alone with Bonnie. Jeremy's usually around and is an able buffer, mostly because his presence is a constant reminder of what Tyler will never have with her, can never have, and is one of the big reasons he should stop wanting it.

It works well when Jeremy's actually around. Not so much when he's not.

As seems to be the situation today.

Bonnie comes in a few minutes after Tyler and she seems to barely notice him as she closes the door and starts up the stairs. She only acknowledges his presence when he calls to her. "Hey."

"Hi." She's looking at him weirdly.

"How'd it go with Shane?"

She pauses at the bottom of the stairs, one hand on the railing.

"Fine."

"You okay?" She isn't the same. There's an ease that doesn't reach her bones today. Where she usually walks like she's on air, quietly content, she looks weighed down. "Something happen with Shane?"

"No," she says. She doesn't try to explain what did happen. Instead, she turns and goes up the stairs.

Tyler can hear her in her room. She's banging around up there but she's usually pretty quiet. Something happened.

It directly contradicts his coping mechanism to go up there and see what's wrong. But he goes anyway. Bonnie's door is closed. It's rare to see it shut during the day. If she's in there, the door's open and she allows Tyler and Jeremy to come in as they please. Maybe she's just changing clothes or something. But it's very quiet on the other side of the door when he knocks.

"Bonnie?"

"Yeah?" She doesn't even yell, just talks at her normal volume.

"Can I come in?"

The door opens and Bonnie stands there. He didn't realize how close he was to the door until she's only a couple inches away from him. He can see clean over the top of her head, she's so short. And when he looks down at her, he's looking directly into her eyes.

Why do they have to be so fucking green?

Clearing his throat, he takes a couple of steps back. Standing this close to her in an empty house isn't conducive to coping. He trains his gaze on the spot between her eyes. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. I was just going downstairs anyway." She brushes past him and he follows her down the stairs.

He watches her grab a bottle of water from the refrigerator. When she turns around, their eyes meet. They stand there for awhile, looking at each other and he doesn't know what they're doing or why they're doing it but he could do it all day. There's nothing he'd rather stare at than Bonnie, staring at him. She's the first to look away. "I'm gonna do some homework," she says.

"Okay."

Jeremy comes back not long after and Tyler goes back to coping. He wishes Stefan would hurry up and come back. If only to give him something to focus on that isn't Bonnie.

Jeremy sits down at the edge of Bonnie's bed, looking at her and waiting for her to speak. Tyler's sure something's bothering her but either Bonnie wouldn't tell him or Tyler doesn't know how to ask. He insisted Jeremy try.

"What?" Bonnie says finally, pulling her legs beneath her body. She's been examining her grimoire, the one Tyler gave her, running her fingers over the inked pages and reading silently to herself. He can see the tip of the drawing he gave her at the back of it.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"Tyler thinks something's wrong," Jeremy confesses.

"I told him I was fine."

First Tyler, now Bonnie, in this weird little mood. Jeremy wonders when his turn will come. Whatever's bothering her, she's not looking keen on sharing with him either.

"Bonnie," he says, grazing the tips of her fingers with his, "if you need to talk, I'm here."

He wonders if she's just tired. Even though Stefan's still wherever he is, she's working. They all need a break. They'll get it when Stefan's gone, if he ever comes back. Whenever they manage to finish it, Jeremy's going to insist they go on some kind of vacation. Or at least sleep for days with the knowledge this town is officially devoid of Salvatores.

"It's this thing with Caroline," she sighs.

"Still not talking to you?"

"Yeah."

Sounds like typical Elena, Bonnie, Caroline drama to him.

"Why?"

"I don't know."

The communication in this town needs work.

"Did you ask Elena? Maybe Caroline told her."

"She didn't," Bonnie says with certainty. "I'll work it out somehow."

"I can help," he says. "Maybe." He doesn't know how.

He's surprised when she takes his hand in both of hers.

"You're cute," she sighs.

Jeremy grins. "You used to think I was hot."

That first kiss in Caroline's house is a memory that has yet to fade. It never will, not if he keeps thinking about it as much as he does. All of his memories of Bonnie are clear that way. He'll add this one to the list.

"That, too," she adds. They smile at the same time and Bonnie runs her fingers over his Hunter's mark. He loves when she touches him.

"Well, the feeling's mutual."

Bonnie's smile fades and he thinks he's said something wrong. "Jeremy."

"Yeah?" He braces himself for it.

"Do you...?" Her voice trails off but she doesn't pick it up again. She shakes her head slightly and plays with his fingers instead.

"Do I...?"

"Nothing," she says.

He arches an eyebrow and looks down at their hands. Her fingers - long, thin and delicate looking - tangle with his. They look small but there's power in those hands. Power of earth, over the world, over him. He's made delirious by her touch. "Do I what?"

"Nothing," she repeats. "Nothing."

Jeremy doesn't believe her but she's not going to finish her question, whatever it may have been.

"It doesn't help that Stefan's not back yet," she says. He feels like she may be trying to change the subject but he goes along anyway. "He has to come back soon, right?"

Stefan doesn't have to do anything. He's a centuries old vampire so he can do whatever he wants, wherever he wants. But they need him back. It's been almost two weeks since Stefan's departure. The longer he's gone the more certain Jeremy becomes he's not coming back, despite Bonnie's dream that says otherwise.

"I can talk to Elena," he says," and see if she's heard from him. Or we can try to make it seem like she needs him back here. He'll come if she calls."

Elena's still trying to convince Jeremy to come back to their house. She thinks she can entice him with the promise of takeout and the hopeful domesticity she's been promoting lately.

"We don't have to," Bonnie says, "not yet. Let's give it another few days. If he's not back, we'll go looking."

Jeremy agrees. Her hands are still holding his. When she leans forward to kiss him, he smiles right before her mouth meets his. He likes this kissing, possibly more than the sex (even though he loves the sex). But it's the way she leans into him, wanting him. It's the way her lips slide against his own and her tongue flicks across his bottom lip. It's the way she doesn't let go of his hands. His hands, her hand. His mouth, her mouth. Their hands, their mouths. They're singular.

She lets him go, mouth and hands both.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asks, just in case.

Bonnie smiles again. He can't tell if she's making fun of him a little bit. "I'm fine, Jeremy. Promise."

Before he goes he kisses her cheek.

"Well?" Tyler says when Jeremy comes back downstairs. For some reason, he was standing on the back porch, headphones in, but Jeremy doesn't ask why.

"It's the Caroline thing," Jeremy explains, "and she's worried about Stefan. She's just stressed out."

Tyler looks toward the stairs like he expects Bonnie to be coming down. Then he turns and goes to the kitchen table to read some book for his English class.

Another day passes before Bonnie gets sick of herself and her room and Caroline and Tyler. She still doesn't know what she's going to say to him when she finds him downstairs. She hasn't figured anything out. She only knows that she keeps thinking about it, about Tyler. And also about Jeremy. And about Caroline. And then back to Tyler who she's always known is attractive but now seems extra attractive. She used to think there was no one else who could look at her and make her feel as present as Jeremy does but Tyler looks at her the same way. Has he always looked at her like that? When did he start? Why didn't she notice it sooner?

She exists and takes up a whole room when Jeremy and Tyler look at her. Her stomach has started doing flippy things whenever she sees one of them and because they share a house, her stomach only ever does flippy things. And she let's Jeremy kiss her. He always goes for the cheek. If she wants to kiss him on the lips she has to initiate it because she thinks he's worried she'll suddenly reject his advances or something. They haven't slept together since she found out about Tyler, now that he's sitting downstairs and has to deal with it. Jeremy doesn't seem to mind the break though. He doesn't even question it.

Kissing Jeremy doesn't confuse her. It's the only thing that doesn't. Jeremy is normal and natural. After all this time, he makes sense. She's used to the familiar joyous feeling whenever he touches her and she likes knowing he feels it, too. But Tyler is still strange and her feelings for him are unwieldy and complicated and she hasn't come up with a definition for them yet. She doesn't even know if they're really there. Besides some looks here and there, Tyler doesn't behave any differently toward her. And he used to seem more invested in Bonnie and Jeremy than even they were. When did that change?

Bonnie likes Tyler, loves him even. He's her friend.

But he could be more, if she let him. If it was possible.

But Caroline's continued silence and Jeremy's incredible kisses remind her that it's not.

She almost wishes she'd never found out. Now she's tiptoeing around her own house, trying not to be too obvious while she examines Tyler and questions everything she's ever thought about him. Everything she noticed pre-revelation takes on new meaning. Lucy asking if he was her boyfriend, Tyler proudly announcing Bonnie saving his life, his lingering touches of Qestiyah's pendant, drinking in her living room together over ice cream, him telling her she looked pretty at the dance, and saying her she deserves better than Elena. Was he trying to tell her she deserves him?

Why didn't she realize it sooner?

Outside of Caroline's detailed stories, Bonnie's never thought about kissing Tyler. But now she glances toward his lips from time to time and she can't deny she likes the shape of them. She can't deny she's curious about what it would feel like.

Jeremy's at Elena's. He politely accepted her request for movies and pizza with April (even though he really didn't want to go) but he stops short of calling it a pity hangout, even though that's what Tyler called it and Bonnie kind of agrees.

Bonnie still doesn't know what she's going to say when she sits down next to Tyler at the table. He's still trying to get through his book for class and it's taking him forever. He glances up when she sits down. "Hi," he says. "I'm actually close to being done now. I'm just rereading this chapter because I have no idea what it was about but I think something important happened."

"Tyler," Bonnie says, "we have to talk."

He sets the book down after sliding a torn piece of paper inside to hold his place. "Something wrong? Is it about Stefan?"

"No," she answers. "It's about us."