Chapter 2

Caroline walked slowly up to her room in the bed and breakfast she had chosen, a small box nestled in her arms. The building was an old one, having been built in the mid-1990s and still boasting much of the same 'charm' as the period it had been new in. Caro found the irony sadly amusing and had decided to try it. The owners were in there mid-60s, having retired early from tech careers and decided to do something else in their golden years. Caroline thought they seemed well suited to the arena they had chosen, both being friendly and hospitable types.

As she entered the door, she heard Mrs. Bell bustling in the kitchen. Mr. Bell was snoring softly in the couples living quarters. She heard Laura, Mrs. Bell, call out.

"Coming!"

She could have vamp sped up the stairs to her room but didn't wish to be rude. Laura (as she had insisted upon being called, something that Caroline's deeply ingrained Southern manners continually found awkward) bounced into the room. She was a small, but still athletic, woman whose daily uniform seemed to consist of various shades of Lycra pants and t-shirts with sayings. Today's combo was neon pink pants with a neon pink and white tye-dye shirt proclaiming "I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!" Caroline couldn't help but crack a grin, even in the midst of her sorrow.

"Caroline! You're back," she bustled up to her and stopped abruptly, taking in Caroline's expression. "Oh, honey, has it happened then?" Caroline had told the kindly woman why she was in Portland the second day she was there. Caroline simply nodded, feeling suddenly too choked up to speak. Laura's expression crumpled at the look on Caroline's face and she hustled the "younger" woman into the kitchen, seating her at the small dinette table and ordering her a cup of cappuccino from her multi-pot. She set it down in front of Caroline along with a box of tissues and hugged her shoulders. Caroline laughed as she cried at this very motherly show of concern.

Laura couldn't explain why if asked but, the young woman who had checked in a few days ago made her think of her youngest daughter. They looked absolutely nothing alike but both had that same aura of being older than their years. She used to tease Manda that she was born a 40year old woman and had only kept getting older since. Caroline was the same way. For all she looked as college-age as Manda, her eyes spoke of an old soul, someone who had endured much more in their life than most had at her age.

She sat down across from the pretty blonde and reached out to pat her arm. Caroline had told her she was there to be with a friend who she had recently found out was dying. Poor things. Neither had family that she could gather. She thought it was wonderfully kind of Caroline to be there for her friend.

"How are you holding up?"

Caroline smiled at her thru her tears, "I'm fine, Laura," at the perfect doubting mother look Laura gave her, Caroline laughed and amended, "Well, I'm as good as can be expected."

Laura reached out, grabbing one of Caroline's free hand as her other was laying on top of the box she had brought in with her. "Do you need to talk?"

Caroline sighed, gently squeezing Laura's hand, careful not to hurt her with her supernatural strength.

"Maybe later. Right now, it's just…too fresh."

"I understand, sweetie. You know if there's anything we can do, you just let me know, ok?"

Caroline offered her a wobbly smile, "Ok."

Laura patted her hand once more and got up to go back to her baking. She was valiantly reigning in her curiosity over the ornate carved box that Caroline had brought in with her. Probably a memento or something that had been special to her friend that they left to her. Poor girl.

Shaking her head, the older lady put it out of her mind.

Caroline sat at the table, slowly sipping the hot drink Ms. Bell had gotten her as she listened to that lady moving quietly about in her kitchen. She ran the fingers of her free hand over the box, idly stroking the dips and whorls the carving made on it as she thought over the past few hours.

Bonnie was gone.

After she had made her startling announcement to her, Bonnie had explained the details of what Shelia had told her. It seemed as far fetched and crazy to Caroline as any sci-fi movie premise at first but as Bonnie had continued, laying out how and where and when each step should happen, Caroline, as much as she didn't wish to, began to think it just might be possible. It would take years, but there was more than just Bonnie and Shelia behind it. If Bonnie was to be believed (and Caroline had always trusted her friend's integrity and intelligence) then there were several powerful groups invested in the outcome of this, both in the living realm and the Afterworld. Things, apparently, had not just gone off kilter for Bonnie but, like the proverbial house of cards, the rise of Silas and much that came after it had not just affected Mystic Falls and its denizens. A ripple effect had happened from that epicenter that had affected, and was still affecting, the supernatural world all around both the living and dead world. As Bonnie explained it, Caroline, being a vampire and also, apparently, one who had shown herself as intelligent and trustworthy enough, was the only one who could live long enough to both spearhead the effort and manage it. It would require utmost secrecy, even with the amount of invested parties, as one word in the wrong direction could have disastrous effects. Caroline knew this only too well as past history had taught her.

While she had not been perfectly convinced, she could see that Bonnie needed this from her to be easy in her passing. She had told Bonnie she would do whatever she needed her to do and could see the relief in her friend's eyes as she did. It was then that Bonnie had asked her to get the box which she now had in her possession from the bag in her closet. When Caroline had pulled it out she had looked at it a moment. It was small, about the size of an old 8x10 picture and made of a shiny, lacquered looking ebony wood and covered with intricate carving. She had thought it beautiful and had said so as she brought it over to her bed-bound friend. Bonnie's eyes had lit up like flames and she had reached for it, stroking the wooden carvings like a mother would caress her newborn child.

"Caroline, I want you to have this. When you leave here, take it with you and put it away until after the rites have been carried out for me. There are some instructions inside for what to do with it, as well as a few other things I need for you to do. You are the only one I can trust with this Care."

Bonnie had looked at her then, with that wide, puppy dog eye look that had never, in all the years they had known each other, failed to make Caroline cave. She caved now too.

She had promised and Bonnie had handed her the box as carefully as if she were handing over a baby, then relaxed back into the bed as Caroline had put it carefully next to her handbag.

Bonnie had smiled and thanked her, reaching out to take Caroline's hand as she returned to her bedside. It seemed that this last thing was what Bonnie had been hanging on for as, within the hour, she had fallen into a sleep from which she did not awaken. As Caroline had sat there beside her, holding her hand and listening to the slowly waning sound of heartbeat and breath, she talked quietly, reminiscing about things they had done and places they had gone, asked her to please hug everybody for her and tell them how much she missed them and tried not to cry until the silence after Bonnie's last breath had gotten so deep she realized she had stopped breathing at the same time. Her first breath after became a sob as she leaned forward and poured out all the grief she had tried, for Bonnie's sake, to rein in the last few hours.

Terra, the real version this time, had come in about 30 minutes later, turning of the monitoring devices and helping Caroline to a chair so that she could do what was needful to prepare to move Bonnie. She had kindly suggested she could leave and let her take care of everything from here but Caroline had been unwilling to leave her until it was necessary. Terra had smiled, patted Caroline's shoulder and told her to tap the chair button if she needed her.

As per Bonnie's request, she would not be having a traditional funeral but was to be taken care of by one of the local covens. That meant she would be interred at dusk today according to their traditions, since, as Bonnie had told her, if the Bennett's had any traditions of their own, she had never known. Within the hour, a group of 3 had arrived to receive Bonnie's body. Caroline figured she must have warned them about what she was as they all took great care to stay as far away from her as possible but were otherwise cordial enough. They had informed her where to come this evening and what she would need to bring and wear. Caroline had thanked them quietly and watched as they took her best friend's covered form onto a hover capsule and pushed it out before them.

Then she had gathered her bag and the box and the few items of Bonnie's that were still in the room and left.

Caroline gave a deep sigh, realizing that she had finished her drink as she had been musing and, taking her cup to the sink, rinsed it and left it for Laura before gathering her items off the table and heading up to her room. She needed to at least try and rest for a bit.

She had a rough next few hours to get through.