disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They belong to the CW and are based upon characters created by L.J. Smith and film written by J.S. Cardone.

Chapter Three

Evelyn had never met Rudy Hopkins. She had heard of him though, and from what Shelia had always told her, he was against magic and neglected his daughter for moments on end. As she stared down the man who was her late best friend's son in law, he could only be described as one word: trying. Not in a bad way, she had to remind herself. He was a father, and she knew he loved Bonnie. But he was trying to accept the supernatural elements of her life, and he was failing miserably.

What kind of a father left his sixteen-year-old daughter in a town littered with vampires?

The chill of the undead had been the first thing she felt when the car had crossed the town line. It had happed suddenly and without warning; not even the leylines could have comforted her. No, the horrible chill of vampires that been the first thing. Her magic had reacted, reaching deep into the ground, and connecting with the magic there. Caleb's wouldn't connect yet. Without the other Sons, he was working with only his own magic and it wasn't looking for his brothers.

His magic was calling out for Bonnie's. His eyes were also looking for her, although he was looking for her in any and everything around the living room. The cheerleading trophies, the honor awards, even the photos that Shelia had lined along the mantle. There were pictures of Bonnie in various ages; the six-year-old he remembered meeting, the scrawny preteen who had confessed to a crush.

But his eyes always came back to a photo of Bonnie, a wide smile on her lips. She was dressed in a Christmas sweater, a big red nose slapped on the chest of the fabric and reindeer antlers on her head. Her arms were slung around a blonde boy. He had soft blonde hair, the bluest eyes he had ever seen and a humbled smile, the polar opposite of Reid.

His stomach tightened.

"I can't thank you enough for coming to pay your respects," Rudy said, trying to fidget under the looks of the mother and son. Evelyn looked like she would eat him alive. Caleb looked like he wanted to set the photo he was staring at on fire. He cleared his throat, gathering his nerves. "But you didn't have to drive down here. A phone call could have been fine."

Evelyn scoffed. "Shelia didn't just give me a phone call when my husband died. I will not disrespect her memory an insincere gesture."

Rudy looked like he wanted to swallow his tongue. Good, she thought.

The elder witch looked around. "Where is Bonnie?"

Rudy nodded his head towards the stairs. "She hadn't come out of her room,"

Evelyn turned to her son. "Caleb, can you go and get her?"

Caleb met his mother's gaze. "Mom, I don't think that's a good idea."

"I'm not having some boy go into my daughter's room!" Rudy barked.

"Caleb," her voice left no room for argument. The elder Son was up and headed for the stairs, ignoring Rudy's protests. Once he was far enough out of earshot, Evelyn spoke again. "Mr. Hopkins, you're well aware that your daughter is a witch."

He didn't hold back his recoil. "Yes,"

"Good, then you know Shelia had contacts with other covens. Other witches will come to pay their respects to her. The Bennett line is well respected in the magical community. My son and I will not be last either. Caleb is going to be a recurring fixture in Bonnie's life."

Rudy did not like how that sounded. She spoke as if they were in-laws. "Recurring?"

Evelyn nodded. "Do you have any tea, Rudy?"

He nodded and arose to head into the kitchen. "We have black and green tea,"

"Shelia mentioned having a lavender Earl grey. I'll take that," she told him.

Bonnie looked up from her phone at the sound of the knock.

"Go away Dad," she sighed. There was a pause before the knocking sounded again. This time, it was a quick rasp of knocks.

Knock-knock.

Knock-knock-knock-knock.

Knock.

She knew that knock. It was how the boys had always announced themselves. Bonnie's heart began to race, and she was up and off the bed before she knew it. Her fingers curled around the knob and twisted.

A part of her knew that it wasn't going to be Tyler or Reid. The younger sons had said they wouldn't come. But she had hoped Pogue had tagged along with Caleb, if only to get a buffer between them. He was always there to keep Caleb from putting his foot in his mouth. Plus he always gave Bonnie lessons on his motorcycle or other cars.

But none of the other sons stood before her. Instead, she was staring into the deepest brown eyes she had the displeasure of finding handsome. It wasn't the only thing that was handsome about him. Caleb Danvers was a sweetheart. Even now, he was looking down at her with a look of concern on his face.

"Hi Bonnie," he greeted, his voice low. She offered him a nod in return.

"Hi there Caleb," she said and then gasped when he stepped into her room, wrapped his arms around her. Her cheek pressed against his chest. What was happening?

Caleb hadn't seen her in years, and here he was, hugging her. "Um, thank you for coming,"

He said nothing, just tightened his hold on her.

They stayed there in silence, Bonnie wondering what to do and Caleb with his eyes staring ahead. After a few minutes, Bonnie wiggled and brought her arms up around his middle and shut her eyes.