Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
"This is more like it!" Bonnie cried, jumping to the beat.
Caroline grinned back. "Told you I'd show you a good time." Her hands were on Bonnie's waist and she drew her closer, slowing down her tempo.
Bonnie didn't mind. The club was crowded, aged a little older than college students but with great music and lots of hot people. Sometimes the hot people got too hot – like the guy whose hands she'd had to 'singe' when he couldn't keep them to himself.
Caroline thought that was awesome.
"I was about to tear him one, literally, but that was much better."
Bonnie smiled smugly and downed a glass. They were taking a breather at the bar.
At least, they were trying to.
"Fancy meeting you two here," Stefan Salvatore said, sliding smoothly into the barstool on Caroline's other side.
Bonnie would definitely have enjoyed the club more if it had less hot and crazy people. "Are you kidding me?"
His gaze shifted from Caroline to her, a manic glee in it that she didn't like. "You two've been hanging out a lot these days, haven't you?"
Caroline, who until now had seemed mostly bored, stiffened. "Stefan, don't even-"
"Even what?" Stefan mimed, and fast as a bat, too fast for a scream, he was standing next to Bonnie. He put a finger on the tip of her ear, leaned close enough for her to see the dark micro-veins beneath his eyes. "What are you scared of?"
Bonnie stifled back a reflective scream, and pulled in her magic.
Stefan was on the floor, clutching his head in pain.
Bonnie stilled, sparks fizzling in her fingers. She hadn't had time… This wasn't her.
The crowd near the bar drew back, then surged forward in concern.
"Dude, are you OK?" someone asked.
"Wasted, more like it," another person snarked.
"Lightweight."
"This guy looks like he's in high school!"
"Let's go," Caroline whispered, grabbing Bonnie's arm, and tugging her through the crowd. "Next time, set him on fire."
"I didn't do that," Bonnie whispered, but she wasn't sure Caroline heard. Bonnie followed her blindly, looking back at the crowd gathering around Stefan. She could sense magic, and it was close and powerful and…
She bumped hard into someone tall in a sleek leather pantsuit.
"Sorry, I- Dr. Laughlin!"
The dark-haired woman was almost unrecognizable. Dressed in a form-fitting black outfit, a rhinestone-encrusted choker on her neck, and her makeup meticulously done with smoky glitter, she looked… well… hot.
Hot and slightly pissed off, as she glared at Bonnie. "Fancy bumping into you here," she said in a way that immediately reminded Bonnie of the club's age limit.
"Yeah," she said, awkwardly. Caroline tugged at her arm, still trying to push their way out, not realizing why they'd stopped moving, and Bonnie towed her back. Caroline turned, then narrowed her eyes at the other woman. "Caroline, meet Dr. Laughlin. Doctor, this is my friend, Caroline Forbes."
The doctor gave Caroline a narrow-eyed glance. "We've met."
"Oh. Right." Bonnie felt stupid. Of course.
"She's dating Alaric," Caroline said, in a voice that didn't even pretend to whisper. "Though she had to chase him around campus first."
"Care!" Bonnie gaped.
Jo Laughlin's eyes were positively flinty. "You'd know all about chasing people, wouldn't you, Caroline Forbes?"
For a moment, Bonnie tensed as something ugly flickered in Caroline's eyes, then the blonde's face melted into a syrupy smile. "Well, nice seeing you, Doc." She pulled at Bonnie's hand. "Bonnie, let's go."
"Odd seeing you," Dr. Laughlin said, turning her attention back to Bonnie. "Considering you're rather young for this place."
"I… um…"
Caroline cackled. "Are you kidding me? You might be old enough to be our moms but, in case you haven't noticed, we're not exactly looking for replacements. Bye."
With one final yank, she hauled Bonnie along with her. Bonnie looked back once to see Jo Laughlin still staring at them, an inscrutable expression on her face.
"What was with the rudeness?" Bonnie muttered, when they got to the car.
Caroline shrugged. "She gave me the creeps."
It didn't occur to Bonnie until much later, to connect Stefan's aneurysm and the presence of the Gemini Leader.
They were going clubbing again. Caroline made Bonnie wear a boob tube dress that she compelled out of a snotty store clerk, and that Caroline insisted had Bonnie's name written on it.
"I don't know," Bonnie said, tugging at her neckline. "It'll be pretty hard to let loose if I keep feeling I'm about to literally let loose."
Caroline slapped her hands away. "Oh please, these girls are too good to let you down." She smoothed the fabric over Bonnie's chest, which made Bonnie jump in surprise. Then she winked and Bonnie shoved her off, playfully.
"Stop practising your pickup lines on me."
"Who said I was practising?"
"What's going on here?" Elena said, strolling into the room with a book bag and a frown.
Caroline turned away abruptly. "Nothing that involves you. Bonnie, let's go."
"Is there a party? Can I come?"
"No," Caroline snapped.
Elena ignored her. "Bonnie?" Her voice went soft. "We haven't really had much time together since you got back."
Whose fault is that? Bonnie almost snipped, but reined herself in. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Caroline shaking her head frantically. She sighed. Being stuck in the middle of the cold war going on in their dorm room was exhausting.
"Don't make us late."
Caroline groaned.
So Elena tagged along, despite Caroline's vehement protesting. It was a different club tonight - Bonnie would not chance another run-in with Dr. Laughlin, thank you very much. But this place was just as hot with the good music and good-looking people. Elena cleaned up nicely, but not so nice that she drew too many stares away from Bonnie in her boob tube dress. Bonnie actually started thinking this wasn't a bad idea after all.
The moment Caroline left their table to get drinks, Elena made her change her mind.
"Why are you encouraging her?" Elena hissed.
Bonnie blinked. "What?"
"You should be trying to get her to turn it back on. Not egging her on in this."
"Maybe she's the one encouraging me," Bonnie snapped. This wasn't the first time Elena had tried to take her to task in the past few days.
A server dropped a drink in front of Bonnie. "Hey," she said, "this is a mistake, our friend is already-"
"Nope," the boy said. "That girl paid for it." Bonnie turned to see a curly-haired girl with a wide smile, blew her a kiss. Bonnie blushed in surprise and the server winked at her. "Go for it."
"Go where?" Caroline said, arriving with her hands full.
"Hottie checking Bonnie out," Elena said, sounding amused as she took her glass. "Didn't know she was your type."
"She's not," Bonnie said reflexively, staring back at the girl, then looking away quickly. She was still blushing. "At least… I don't think…"
"I'll take care of this," Caroline said quickly. Before Bonnie could reply, she had blurred away. Then back. She slid into the booth and picked up her drink.
Bonnie looked back. Curly-haired girl was gone.
"What did you do?" Elena snapped.
"I killed her and buried her body under the floor."
Elena's jaw dropped. Bonnie snickered.
Caroline rolled her eyes. "I made her remember she had a paper due tomorrow and no time to hit on people. Seriously, Elena."
"But why did you do it?" Elena demanded, her eyes narrowing.
Caroline shrugged. "I don't like to share."
Elena opened her mouth – then closed it. She looked uneasily from Caroline to Bonnie. She opened her mouth to finally speak when the music changed.
Caroline pulled Bonnie to her feet. "Come on, Bon. This is our song."
"Remind me again of our plan." Elena asked Damon later that night as he drove them to Mystic Falls.
"We get my mom out. She turns Stefan's humanity back on. Then he turns Caroline's humanity back on. It's simple."
"And how long will it take to get your mom out of the Prison World?"
"I'm working on it. The Gemini Leader isn't being very co-operative so I have to… use back channels. What is up with that, anyway?"
Elena scowled, remembering another so-called friend that had turned on her recently. "I don't know. Jo and I were so close before, and now she treats me like a stranger. A stranger she doesn't like very much."
Damon shrugged. "I can't exactly ask Bonnie for help, so I need to… recruit a witch."
Elena sighed heavily.
He looked away from the road, long enough to study her face. "What? Did Stefan kill anyone again?"
"It's not Stefan I'm worried about."
"Care? If you ask me, you should have just let her alone. Blondie seems to be handling this humanity-off thing pretty well."
"For now," Elena said ominously. "But she's not the only one I'm worried about."
There was a pensive pause, as Elena reflected on what happened at the bar. Caroline's proprietorial behavior. Recalled her own stint without humanity, and her incongruous friendship with Rebekah Mikaelson, of all people. It wasn't that different, was it?
Was it?
"Before what?"
It took Elena a moment to realize Damon was asking her a question. "What?"
"You said 'Jo and I were so close before'. Before what?"
Elena frowned, tried to think. "Before Caroline switched off, I guess. When Liz died. Maybe earlier."
"Earlier as in Bonnie's birthday earlier?"
"Maybe?"
"Mmm."
Elena glanced at him. "What is it? Why are you asking? What are you thinking?"
"Nothing." He threw her a dark grin. "For everyone's sake, nothing at all."
"I can't believe you did that!" Caroline crowed. She dragged hard at the blunt, then let it out in a perfect donut-shaped cloud. Trust Caroline Forbes to take to juju weed like a pro. "Damn, Bon. When you said set stuff on fire, you literally meant that!"
Bonnie smiled up at the stars. They were lying on top of Caroline's car in the deserted parking lot. It was a cool Spring evening, but the bonfire in front kept her warm. Even warmer when she remembered it used to be Stefan Salvatore's motorcycle. She felt wonderful.
Beside her, Caroline was still going on about something that Bonnie had apparently done. "Did you see the look on his face? Serves him right for ruining my audition."
"Pity about-" Bonnie frowned a little, trying to remember. There was a mundane in this story, right? A dead mundane?
"Yeah, shame," Caroline said quickly. She took another hit. "This stuff is good. But it shouldn't affect me. Why does this affect me?"
Bonnie took the drag from Caroline's lips to hers, and pulled in a heady breath.
Aaaah. Euphoria.
"It's magic weed, Care," she sing-sang, feeling as light as a feather. "Kinda defeats the purpose if it doesn't work on vamps."
The two girls smoked in silence, watching the motorcycle barbeque on the pavement. Bonnie couldn't exactly remember how that happened. She vaguely remembered Stefan showing up, and trying to start… something. She frowned, thinking. She hoped she hadn't killed him. That would be inconvenient.
"I set the Christmas tree on fire in the Prison World," Bonnie said.
Caroline turned her head to look at her. "I thought time there was frozen."
"It was Christmas in our time. I kept count."
"Huh." Pause. "Elena threw you a birthday party."
There was a long silence, then the two girls burst out laughing.
"What a bitch," Caroline muttered, taking the drag back from Bonnie.
Something like guilt niggled at Bonnie, but she kept quiet.
"You don't agree?" Caroline pressed. "Still taking her side even now."
"Care-"
"You know she and Damon could have met you halfway that day? If they hadn't stopped to talk about their toxic relationship for the one millionth time? You'd have been home months ago." When Bonnie still said nothing, she turned away. "I guess you're luckier than him. She didn't erase you."
Bonnie sat up. "OK, this isn't fun anymore."
Caroline's hand snatched out, vampire fast, to hold her. "Hey!" Bonnie cried.
"Sorry for being a bitch. It's the inhumanity in me," Caroline said.
"Why do you even care when your humanity is off, anyway?"
She shrugged. "My brain chemistry likes it when you're around." The completely indifferent way she said it, no inflection of affection or embarrassment in her voice, was oddly gratifying.
Slowly, Bonnie lay back down.
"You weren't alone in the Prison World the whole time, though."
Bonnie scoffed. "Damon wasn't exactly my preferred company."
Caroline made a disgusted sound. "Ugh, no. I mean Dr Laughlin's twin brother. Dr Laughlin's weirdly young, extraordinarily hot twin brother."
It had been a long time since she had thought of him. Or more accurately, let herself think of him outside the powerlessness of sleep and dreams. Icy fingers seemed to wrap around her ribs, and she felt her throat close.
The extra-perceptive vampire noticed. Caroline sat up a little to look at her friend. "Hit a nerve, did I?"
Bonnie tried to breathe. "I don't want to talk-"
"That guy was smoking hot. I'm talking call-911, this dude is on fire. You like fire, don't you, Bonnie? You were literally the only two people in the whole damn world. Tell me you hit that at least once."
"Before or after he stabbed me? Twice!"
"You're asking the girl who got bit by an Original Hybrid and still had sex with him."
Bonnie grimaced, and Caroline laughed. "Judge all you want, but I have a feeling that there would have been a lot less knife stabbing if you had let him stab you with other things?"
Despite herself, Bonnie snickered. "Oh god, you're horrible." Her chest loosened. She looked over at her friend who was still grinning. "And strangely you, in a slightly more manic way than usual."
Caroline leaned back, this time resting the side of her face on Bonnie's shoulder, so she could look at her. There was a smug look on her face. "I told you guys that I just needed a year. Just get off my back." Her gaze was strangely appraising and a secretive smile crossed her face. "Or not." She touched Bonnie's face gently, then brushed back her hair slowly.
Bonnie shifted back, a little uneasy, and Caroline frowned slightly, then let her hand fall. "Or yet again. Not," she said cryptically, turning her head so she was looking up at the sky.
What about Stefan? Bonnie wondered. Stefan had his humanity off, and none of Caroline's little tricks to keep himself in check. How did that factor into Caroline's 'Gap Year of Emotions'?
She didn't ask. She was enjoying this too much.
Of course, that was when Elena came to spoil their fun.
"What the hell are you two doing?!"
"I can't believe you, Bonnie!"
Caroline hadn't stuck around to be scolded. That left Bonnie who had followed Elena back to the dorm, more out of exhaustion than will.
"You set Stefan on fire! He would have died if Enzo hadn't been nearby and got him to safety."
Enzo was there? Just how out of it was I? Bonnie wondered, pressing her hand into her head as she reluctantly sipped, then gagged, at the disgusting brew that Elena had given her to 'snap out of it'. Bonnie didn't expect mundane hangover medicine to work on juju cannabis, but she was too exhausted to argue with Elena in this mood.
"You're literally high! You're supposed to be helping us keep her in line, not egging her on!"
"It was just a stupid bike," Bonnie groaned. And maybe some of stupid Stefan.
"You burnt the whole auditorium down!"
Bonnie blinked. What? "I don't remember any of that."
"Because. you. were. high!"
Oh. Good point.
"Do you even remember that Stefan killed someone? Caroline's teacher. She's out of control!"
Ah, the dead mundane, Bonnie remembered, writhing with guilt. But wait, hold up. She might have been out of things, mentally, but that was a whopper. "Stefan killed someone, but this is on Caroline?"
"Caroline made him turn off his humanity switch!"
Oh. That. "But still…"
"Bonnie, I really need your help on this! I can't deal with both of my friends running around the campus like lunatics."
Bonnie put her cup down. "I wasn't even here when Caroline switched off. That was on you."
"Are you blaming me for-"
"Gilbert, you managed fine without me for a year. 'Bonnie's death makes me sad, but Damon's makes me dangerous'? Remember saying that?"
Elena fell silent, her face paling with shock or guilt, Bonnie didn't care. It felt good to finally get this out.
"So I'm going to need you to fricking shut up and let me spiral for a half-life before guilting me into taking care of your messes!"
She flung the cup down and stomped to her side of the room.
"I can't believe you said that," Elena said after a long pause.
"Get used to it."
"Bonnie, I never-" Elena's phone chimed. "It's Jo. I… I have to text her back."
Bonnie didn't answer. She pulled out her own phone and started texting Caroline. EG Guilt Trip. Help.
"Jo wants to talk to you."
Bonnie blinked up at Elena, who was now standing in front of her, a pinched expression on her face.
"Dr. Laughlin," she said, like if Bonnie didn't know. "My mentor. Kai's-" Elena paused at whatever must have flashed across Bonnie's face, and finished carefully. "-sister."
Bonnie tried to tamper down on the involuntary flash of panic. "Why?"
Elena shrugged. "I don't know. Witchy business, maybe? She didn't say." She looked disgruntled. "She doesn't say anything to me these days. Bonnie, maybe you can talk to-"
"I don't want to see her," Bonnie said, her heart hammering hard. That woman… rubbed her the wrong way. Inexplicably, she flushed hard at her own choice of words. "Why do I have to see her?"
"Because you don't have a choice," Jo Laughlin said, striding into the dorm room.
After seeing Jo Laughlin in tight leather and a dog collar, the woman almost looked incongruous in her white doctor's coat, sensible jeans and shirt underneath.
Until she turned that steely gaze at Bonnie, and Bonnie's spine immediately straightened.
"Dr. Laughlin, I haven't-" done anything wrong, was what Bonnie almost said, but her words froze as the doctor walked up to her, making her stand up instinctively. Jo kept walking and Bonnie found herself being backed into the wall.
"Hey, personal space," she stammered. She felt hot and guilty and she mentally tallied everything she'd been up to for the past few days, and felt legitimately ill.
The doctor gave her an unimpressed look, then inclined her head in Elena's direction, not even bothering to look at her. "Leave."
"I want Elena to stay," Bonnie blurted.
"I think…" Elena started, and froze when the doctor turned to look at her. With a quick guilty glance at Bonnie, she fled.
Panic flared up in Bonnie. "Look, lady-" she blustered.
The doctor grabbed her chin and yanked her face up.
"Hey!"
She peered hard into Bonnie's eyes. "Did you help Damon and Alaric steal the Ascendant? Don't bother lying to me."
The coldly furious accusation was the last thing Bonnie expected to hear.
"What?"
Something softened in the doctor's face and her grip loosened. Until then, Bonnie hadn't realized just how angry the other woman was. "So that's a no," she said. She sounded relieved. "You're not that far gone."
"Of course, it's a no," Bonnie pushed her hand away, rubbed the phantom imprint off her chin. "Why would I help them?"
"Well, a witch helped them steal it last night. Alaric admitted as much. He just won't tell me who it was. I assumed it was you, being their regular Renfield," her lip curled. "But I guess I was wrong."
"What's a Renfield?" As soon as she asked, Bonnie realized she didn't want to know. "Never mind. Wait, are you telling me that Damon has the 1903 Ascendant?"
"He has the Ascendant. A witch to do the spell to take him into the Prison World. All he needs now is a celestial event. And Bennett blood."
Bonnie flinched.
Something soft passed over Jo's eyes and she put her hand on Bonnie's bare shoulder. Her fingers were cool, and Bonnie shivered. "I take it you're not willing to help," she said, her voice low.
Bonnie felt like if her breath was strangled. Jo was standing so close… "I don't want a ripper out. But Damon… He hates getting no for an answer."
Jo's smile was brittle. "Yes, I've noticed. But don't you worry. I have plans for Damon Salvatore." Her hand moved to Bonnie's chin again, but her touch was gentler this time as she tilted it up. She shivered all the same. "Dilated pupils." When Bonnie tried to pull away, she tightened her grip, not hard enough to hurt but firm, like a warning. Bonnie stilled. "Amplified capillaries." She swiped her thumb from the top of Bonnie's cheekbones to the corner of her mouth. "Warmer than normal temperature." Her thumb slid across Bonnie's lower lip. Bonnie was gasping in shallow breaths now. "Dry lips." Jo's lips twisted in a dark smile. "Someone's been indulging in non-medicinal and definitely magical marijuana."
"I-I haven't," Bonnie's mouth moved slowly, sluggishly, all too conscious of Jo's warm thumb still on her lip. She couldn't move away. She could barely breathe.
The doctor's eyes were locked into Bonnie's, and the dark grays seemed to darken into black. She leaned closer. For a staggering, mind-blowing moment, Bonnie was certain that the other woman was going to kiss her.
And knew she wasn't going to stop her.
"Am I interrupting something?!" Caroline's voice was like a crack of thunder.
Bonnie would have jumped back if there was anywhere to go. She jerked her face away from Jo's hand which fell. Feeling inexplicably guilty, she looked frantically over Jo's shoulder at Caroline glaring in the doorway, hands folded across her chest as she watched the scene before her with narrowed eyes.
"Care, I was just… Jo was just…"
"… playing doctor?"
Bonnie felt her face burn.
The doctor's face was cold and implacable once more as she stared at Caroline. "I don't need a license to know what you are on. Or more accurately, off. You seem to have misplaced your humanity."
"Give the witch slash doctor slash perv a prize." Caroline marched right up to Jo. Both women were the same height, and the vampire stared the Gemini leader right in the eye. "Am I supposed to be intimidated by you or something?"
Something dangerous flashed across Jo's face. Caroline's veins descended. The temperature in the room seemed to drop by several degrees.
"Hey!" Bonnie shouted in panic. What the hell? "Everybody calm down! Jo was just leaving."
Jo whirled at her, her face looking like if she wanted to argue that, then seemed to change her mind. "We're going to have a talk about present company. And certain little fires you've been setting around campus."
"Is that a request or an order?" Caroline snapped.
"OK," Bonnie said quickly.
Jo threw Caroline one last glare, then left.
Caroline slammed the door behind her. Then turned to Bonnie.
"What the hell?"
"What the hell?" Bonnie echoed. Caroline had stolen her line. "What's wrong with you? Were you actually trying to pick a fight with the Gemini leader?"
"Excuse me for not assuming that middle-aged and menopausal was your type."
Bonnie blinked. What?
Caroline rolled her eyes. "OK, fine. Maybe not menopausal. That usually comes with a smell. More specifically, lack of a smell. Like my mom had it-"
"Caroline-!"
"I'm just saying that objectively, the doctor's hot. I just didn't know you had a mommy complex. Or liked girls, for that matter."
"I… don't. At least I don't think so." Bonnie frowned, remembering a short time in middle school that she had a girl crush on Jenna Sommers. Wait. "Back up, you think I like Jo Laughlin?"
Caroline shrugged, she was staring hard at Bonnie as if she was trying to read her face. Which she could, Bonnie realized with a sinking feeling. Vampires could see micro-expressions. They could be extremely perceptive if they wanted to.
"I don't…" Bonnie hated that she was blushing. "I don't even know her. Or like her. She talks to me like an idiot. She's Kai's sister for goodness's sake!"
"Classic case of transference. Or perhaps you have a type. It's funny," Caroline said through gritted teeth. "How you didn't once mention that Jo has a boyfriend."
Bonnie's face felt like if it was on fire. "I… forgot?"
"Yes. Apparently so did Jo."
Bonnie took a break from the magical cannabis. Not because of Elena's guilt-tripping or Jo Laughlin's… anything. She just found endorphins elsewhere. Hard clubbing. Dancing through the night. Having Caroline compel her out of overdue assignments and poor grades, much to the vampire's disapproval.
"I'm just saying that this isn't sustainable. You're here for an education."
"This is an education," Bonnie yelled over the music. They were in the middle of some fraternity rave that Caroline had futilely tried to explain to Bonnie. "A few weeks ago, I couldn't be in crowds. Now I'm the life of the party."
Caroline didn't look pleased at that. Especially when a tall and rather hot redhead tried to slither his way between them, twisting through the arms she had around Bonnie's back, to block her out of her path. He put his hand on Bonnie's waist and his smile was so cute that she didn't even think of singeing him.
Caroline picked him up by the shoulder and threw him across the floor.
The party was going so hard that people just laughed and kept dancing.
"Hey!" Bonnie said, laughing in surprise. "He was alright."
The guy got to his feet - he hadn't fallen that hard - and made his way back.
Or tried to. Caroline turned to him, her back to Bonnie so she couldn't see the vampire's face - and he blanched and ran off.
What the -?
Caroline turned back to Bonnie, her face smug and smiling, as she pulled Bonnie back to her. "I really hate sharing."
Their days were a blur of bars, parties and the occasional run-in with Stefan Salvatore and Enzo who was apparently moon-lightning as Stefan's sidekick.
Or something.
"I thought you hated Stefan?" Caroline asked, sounding bored as Enzo tied her up in the Salvatore dungeon.
"I do," Enzo said, "and I'll get back to hating him when he has his humanity on and is actually Stefan, not this psychopath running around town." He tightened the ropes, and she hissed as the vervain oozed into her skin. "Sorry love, but in the meantime, I need to get you out of the way and that means ropes."
"I still don't see how tying me up turns Stefan's humanity back on."
"Well, he'll be too busy looking for you to look into what Damon is doing."
"You know what that sounds like?" Caroline flipped her hair. "It sounds like Damon has important things to do and he's sending you on dumb errands to get you out of the way."
Enzo scowled. "You won't provoke me, sweetheart."
"I'm just trying to figure out why you're wasting your time here."
"First, I care about you, blondie. I don't want you to get hurt and Damon will hurt you if you get in his way. Second, Stefan will be too busy looking for you to see what Goldilocks and the Bears are up to."
"Stefan is busy ripping through campus, he doesn't give a-"
"Stefan is a vampire without his humanity. No humanity means no emotions. No emotions means a deep, empty hole in his soul that he needs to fill up with something. Usually a murder spree, but the campus has been quiet, hasn't it?"
That was actually true. Caroline and Bonnie had talked about it. Stefan owed them a 'tag', and the hit hadn't come. Even Bonnie's skirmishes with fires had amounted to little more than a spurious fire alarm.
"So," Enzo went on, looking pleased at her silent agreement, "enter obsession. A humanity-free vampire fixates on something or someone and uses that to fill the hole. Stefan's current obsession is you."
Caroline rolled her eyes. "Lucky me."
Enzo smirked. "And your current obsession is…" When Caroline looked up, startled, his smirk broadened. "Apparently Kinsey was right."
Caroline glared. "What does that mean?" Her voice was a low growl, a wild creature's warning.
"Think no one's noticed all the time you're spending with the hot witch? Pretty territorial, aren't you?"
"You would think that."
"As a matter of fact, I do."
"Well, you'll be wrong. Bonnie's useful. It's nice to have an amoral witch at hand when you're humanity-free and your friends don't want you to be."
He cocked his head, eyed her speculatively. "You don't quite pull off pretending not to care. Which means… you do." He sounded almost surprised.
Caroline laughed. "Whatever, Enzo. Think what you like."
"I like what I'm thinking…" His voice trailed off, then he grinned maniacally. "I think I should pay the ex-Anchor a visit. I haven't properly welcomed her from the land of the dead. Pay my respects and all that." When Caroline said nothing, he shook his head. "You're fantastic at pretending not to be scared."
"Because she's not," Bonnie said, stepping out of the shadow magic that cloaked her in the corner. "Since you can pay your respects now."
Enzo barely had time to shout before he was downed by an aneurysm. A quick spell and Caroline's ropes were loose. She shrugged them off, squeezed a hard, fast kick to his head. He went down.
"Brutal," Bonnie muttered. "But effective."
"Maybe too effective." Caroline prodded Enzo with the toe of her boot. "We still don't know who the witch that's helping Damon is."
Bonnie looked around the dark crypt. "What's a dungeon without a little torture?"
Caroline's eyes danced with merriment. "Have I said how much I like this Bonnie?"
"So Damon and Alaric got Liv Parker to steal the 1903 Ascendant from the Gemini leader?" Caroline muttered, slurping on her blood-and-milkshake.
They were in an ice-cream shop outside campus, chosen because they didn't want to chance anyone overhearing what they were planning. After their kidnap-then-torture session with Enzo, they'd had made a quick and last call with Elena. After denying that she knew anything about Damon's plans, she'd vanished. She hadn't showed up in their dorm room and she'd missed all her classes. She was clearly involved, or at least aware of what Damon was up to, and was staying out of Bonnie's and Caroline's way on purpose.
Bonnie sipped on her latte. "Isn't that breaking Gemini law? Why would any of the twins help Damon do this?"
Caroline shrugged. "You know that I only give a damn about the part where he comes for your blood. The rest of this stuff is white noise as far as I care."
"As far as I care, Care?" Bonnie sing-sang. "That doesn't sound very humanity-free to me, you know."
Caroline made a face.
Bonnie went back to her musing. "Goldilocks and the bears. Liv is Goldie. Damon the bear must have some kind of hold over her, somehow. But… what?"
"Well, we can't ask her since she's hiding wherever Elena is, too."
"I should probably tell Jo." Before she could thumb it open, Caroline grabbed Bonnie's phone out of her hand. "Hey!"
"Jo?"
Bonnie fought back a blush. "It's her name, isn't it?" she said defensively.
"Stop encouraging Dr. Handsy," Caroline retorted.
"Can you drop it?" It wasn't the first time that Caroline had insinuated something about the doctor and Bonnie.
"No, I can't. Especially since they're other Parkers you can reach out to that won't try to feel you up." She scrolled through Bonnie's contacts and tossed the phone back at her.
Bonnie made a face. "Luke Parker? We're not exactly besties."
"And you're besties with Dr. Handsy?"
Bonnie blushed for real this time. "Whatever, Caroline." She made the call.
Exactly two minutes later, Luke Parker appeared. Literally out of thin air.
Caroline shrieked. "Woah, can you be a tad more discreet? Why is the humanity free vampire the only one trying to keep a low profile?"
"Sorry," he said quickly. At first glance, he looked his usual self - squarish-chic and unflappable. But when he sat down and leaned close to Bonnie, she saw the tension in his face, the way his hands jerked involuntarily. He was panicking. "Tell me everything."
"Bonnie, are you alone?"
"OMG, Elena Gilbert, where are you?"
The freckled guy sitting on the other side of the reading table glared at her. Bonnie glared right back until he turned back to his laptop, scowling throughout.
"Enzo told us what you and Caroline did," Elena said testily, instead of answering like a normal person, "and I didn't want to be next on your torture list."
"Oh come on," Bonnie hissed, getting to her feet to Freckles's relief. She could already tell that this was a conversation where she did not want to keep her voice down. "Damon sent Enzo after us."
"After Caroline," Elena corrected. "Because she's getting out of hand, no thanks to you. How many fires did you set this week?"
"They were just little fires."
"Only because you've got the Gemini running after you, putting them out."
"What?"
"You don't know? That Jo Laughlin's got Gemini witches all over Mystic Falls shadowing you? Cleaning up after you? Watching out for you? Who do you think's been keeping Stefan off your back?"
Bonnie halted in front of the library doors. The people behind her nearly walked into her. "Watch it," one muttered, but Bonnie wasn't listening.
She hurried through the doors to stand at the library steps. "You're telling me that the leader of the Gemini Coven, a woman I didn't know until a few weeks ago, is… baby-sitting me?"
She could practically see Elena shrug.
"But… that doesn't make any sense. So Grams was her mentor, but I hardly know this woman. Why is she doing this?"
"No idea," Elena said flatly. "And frankly, that's not important. The real question is how long are you going to continue this Thelma and Louis nonsense you're doing with Caroline?"
Bonnie straightened her spine. "How long did it take for you and Rebekah to burn through your own girls-gone-wild phase?"
"Oh no, you don't get to guilt trip me about that, Bonnie. You were there. You knew my brother died-"
"So did Caroline's mom."
"-and not peacefully in his sleep from cancer. He was murdered, Bonnie!"
"But he's alive and kicking all the same now."
"And I didn't choose to turn off my humanity switch. Damon made me do it!"
"The same Damon who you started dating 2 minutes after you turned it back on? If you got over it that quickly, why shouldn't we?"
Elena inhaled noisily. Yep, Bonnie said, with an almost cheerful grimace. Get mad, Elena. Let it all out. Because I'm not going to hold back.
To her disappointment, Elena's reply was modulated. "Blame me, call me a hypocrite, I don't care. I'm the one who's trying to help our friend."
"And I'm not?" Bonnie snapped.
"If you wanted to, you could get through to her."
"If I did it your way, then she'd think we've all turned against her. OK, so there've been fires. And a few other things," she ignored Elena's scoff, "but the only casualties so far are Stefan's. Why aren't you on his case to switch back on?"
"We're working on that."
"Yeah about that-"
"Don't change the subject. We're talking about you and Caroline."
"You want to talk about me and Caroline, Elena? OK, let's talk. Do you even know why I like hanging out with Caroline as she is now?"
Elena scoffed. "Because she lets you set things on fire?"
"Because when I'm with her, I feel like I'm in control. I use magic how I want. For the first time in months, years, even, I'm not doing magic to save you or Damon or Stefan from your shitty mistakes. When I'm with Caroline, when we're partying, I feel fricking free! I don't have panic attacks or anxiety. I don't feel like I'm the only one in the world, that if I close my eyes and open them, I'm back in the Prison World, alone and forgotten. So if I have to light a few fires to feel that way, then I will."
She took a deep breath, and blinked hard through her suddenly blurry gaze.
"Bonnie…" Elena's voice was small. "I didn't know."
Bonnie wiped at the corners of her eyes. "Because you never asked."
"Bonnie…" Elena sighed. She was quiet for a long time. "Help us get Caroline back and we'll both help you. I know you think you need her. I mean-" she corrected quickly, "I understand why you need her. But Caroline can't help you, not the way she is now. It's not safe."
Bonnie felt her brows raise. "Safe? That's a new one."
"It's not safe for you." Elena's voice went soft, hesitant. "Haven't you noticed that she…"
"She what?"
"That she," Bonnie could almost see the squint of discomfort on Elena's face, "that she likes you?"
Bonnie blinked. "Yes, I think I just explained that as humanity-off BFFs go, she and I have been getting along fine."
Elena hissed with exasperation. "Not friends-like, Bonnie. God. How can you be so oblivious? Caroline has feelings for you." When Bonnie didn't say anything, she repeated. "Fe-e-lings. Romantic feelings. Sexual-"
"Yes, I got it the first time! God!" Bonnie shrieked. The students passing by glanced at her, and Bonnie waved them off in irritation. "Elena," she said in a voice that was lower pitched but almost as loud because she was fighting against hysterical laughter, "that is literally the craziest thing I've ever heard you say."
"She's fixated on you, Bonnie, and not in a platonic, besties way. I mean," Elena cleared her throat, sounding embarrassed, "she has a crush on you."
Bonnie couldn't hold back. She burst out laughing. "You're delusional, Elena. Caroline doesn't have a crush on me. Caroline doesn't have crushes on girls."
"Are you sure? Kinsey was right, you know."
"Oh my god, stop talking to Enzo the idiot!"
"He noticed, Bonnie. So did I. And if what you told me is true, so has Stefan. Caroline spends all her time with you. All. her. time."
"Elena," Bonnie said patiently. "Caroline likes hanging with me because I'm the only one of her friends who's not judging her and forcing her to turn on her humanity switch. Hell, I'd turn off mine if I had one. That doesn't mean she's in love with me. Heck, it sounds ridiculous just saying it out loud! Her humanity is off, she can't have warm and fuzzy feelings for anyone!"
"She doesn't have warm and fuzzy feelings, but she has feelings. She's territorial and possessive, she hurts anyone who looks at you twice. Don't deny it," Elena said quickly, over Bonnie's sharp inhale. "Take it from someone who's been where Caroline is. Turning your switch off doesn't take away feelings, it takes away humanity. An animal can feel rage and hate. And obsession. And Caroline is obsessed with you."
There was a long silence. Bonnie shook her head. This was impossible, ridiculous even to consider it seriously. "Just because Enzo was running his mouth… Look, Caroline has never tried anything with me. Won't she do that? If she," she forced herself to chuckle, "had a crush on me?"
"Maybe she's waiting for the right time. Maybe she hasn't figured her headspace out." Beat. "Maybe she did, and it went over your head."
Bonnie was about to declare a round 'No', when a memory flickered through her head. Caroline's speculative gaze when Bonnie tried on an outfit before hitting the club. Her hands on Bonnie's waist as they danced. Fingers running through her hair a tad too slowly.
"Who said I was practising?"
No. This was ridiculous. Impossible.
"All I'm saying," Elena said into the silence, "is 'be careful'. Being the object of a humanity-off vampire's obsession is a dangerous place to be. Take it from someone who knows."
Bonnie scowled. "My goodness, you can't not make everything about yourself, can you?"
"Hey! I just-"
"Don't call me again about this nonsense. And tell your boyfriend that he'd better not come anywhere near me with that Ascendant if he knows what's good for him. Yes, I know all about that. And Liv Parker. Apparently, none of us are very good at keeping secrets."
Bonnie switched off the phone. Then abruptly sat down on the steps. She suddenly had a lot to think about.
A/N: Thank you to my dear beta madeunmexico!
A/N2: I'm really curious to know if you spotted the Long Shadows easter eggs in chapter 6, so let me know if you found any in the reviews. :D