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.

Prologue

Did girls like toy cars?

Caleb pondered that thought as he rummaged through his toybox. He had an important job to do and his parents were counting on him. An old family friend was coming to see them for the next three weeks and she was bringing her granddaughter with her. Her six-year-old granddaughter, who would be following behind Caleb like a shadow. His mother had taken him aside and told him that it was important that she stay with him and the other boys.

He wasn't so sure why it was so important, but if it was something his mother wanted him to do, he'd do it. If it would make her happy, he had no problem doing what he was told. Evelyn's happiness, that warm light he always saw in her eyes, was worth it. She hadn't been so happy since his dad got sick.

Caleb frowned at the thought of his dad. He had gotten sick earlier in the year and had shown little signs of recovery. He knew it was because of the magic they wielded. He wasn't stupid. He paid attention when his mom got that look in her eye. It was always because of the magic.

He only hoped his dad was well enough to come down to say hello to their guests. That would be bad manners, said a voice in his head that sounded a lot like his mom. Maybe he shouldn't hang around her so much.

He wondered what the little girl's name was. He knew a woman named Shelia was coming. He had also heard his mom talk about some lady named Abigail. But she always used a mean tone of voice when she talked about her. That was her disappointed voice. Always sharp and to the point and it stung when she used it. Caleb had rarely been on the other end of that tone, but Pogue and Reid always were.

"Caleb, what are you doing?"

Speak of the devil, he supposed. Or rather, the devils. He turned to see his three friends. Pogue was standing at the front, his brown hair was messy and his lips curled up into a frown. Reid looked bored, but his eyes were narrowed in on the red car in Caleb's hand. Tyler rounded at the three of them, hiding behind Reid.

"What do girls like?" Caleb asked, figuring if he didn't know, maybe the others would. Well, maybe Pogue would. He did like this girl in from class named Kate.

The boys had expected reactions. Pogue was curious, Reid looked like he had swallowed a lemon and Tyler looked like he was going to pass out.

"Girly shit," Reid answered him, like it the universal answer.

"Well yeah girly shit, but what else genius?" Caleb let out a huff when Reid shrugged.

"Well how old is the girl?" Pogue asked, and followed with. "And just who is she?"

"Is she in our class?"

"She's six, and she's going to be staying with me and my family," Caleb answered.

"So, she isn't in our class then." Reid nodded. He scrunched up his nose, "Ew, she's six? Caleb, you're gonna be babysitting a kid."

"We're kids, Reid," Pogue told him, punching his shoulder.

"Older kids!" The blonde protested.

Tyler spoke up, "She doesn't have any other friends?"

Shaking his head, Caleb turned back to his toybox. He searched its contents for a few seconds. All he really had were cars, a few action figures, and books. Maybe a book? No, that was stupid. He sighed and closed the trunk, turned, and hopped onto the lid. He lobbed his head back and then glanced over at his friends.

The boys stepped into the room and headed over to him. Pogue and Tyler plopped themselves down next to him while Reid sat on the floor in between his legs. "Girls are hard," murmured the ten-year-old. Snickering at his declaration, the younger boys agreed.

They sat there for a few minutes before the doorbell rang. A sizzle of magic ran up all four of their spines and the boys shared a knowing look. A witch was here, a powerful one. She wasn't apart of the coven. Ipswich's coven didn't accept outsiders. It was a precaution so that no one could betray the families or their laws. Reid bolted for the door first. It wasn't long before Tyler hopped off the toy chest and rushed after Reid.

"Baby boy, no running!" Pogue called for the youngest before hopping off the chest. Caleb did the same and they headed out of the room. They walked down the hallway and found the two younger boys at the top of the stairs. They knelt at the banister, four eyes watching as Evelyn Danvers walked to the door.

Caleb moved past his friends while Pogue settled down next to Reid and Tyler. Bounding the stairs, he stepped off the last step just as Evelyn had shut the door and taken the woman's coat. Her brown eyes swept past her son and up to the three on the stairs.

"Boys, come down here and greet our guests," Evelyn stated. The three boys followed her orders without complaint. Upsetting their coven leader's wife wasn't a good idea and not one of them wanted to be grounded for the summer. As they made their way down, Caleb took a good look at the woman before him.

She was older than his mother by a few years. He had not guessed she was in her early forties, maybe her late thirties. He'd put her at least ten years his mother's senior. She had long curly hair, light brown in color. Her skin was a medium brown, while her eyes were almond-shaped and a warm brown. She smiled at the four boys and he noticed that she had her hand on the shoulder of a little girl.

"Shelia dear, please allow me to introduce my son. This is Caleb," Evelyn beamed at her son as she ushered him forward.

Caleb nodded to her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," he said.

Shelia's lips curled into a smile. "He seems polite,"

"He's a good boy," Evelyn assured.

She hummed and looked at the boy again. Her eyes moved to the little girl who was hiding behind her. She smiled, this time all teeth, as she petted the girl's hair.

"Bonnie, say hello."

Caleb stared at the little girl. She was so small, he mused. She was peering out at the boy from behind her grandmother's hip. He gave her a small wave and she went back to hiding behind her grandmother. He frowned and glanced up at Shelia, scared he had messed up. The older witch shook her head.

"She's shy," the woman told him.

From the base of the stairs, Tyler moved forward. He walked up to tap on Caleb's shoulder. "Can I try?" he asked.

His friend nodded and watched as Tyler introduced himself to Shelia and then walked closer to her. He peered at Bonnie, blue eyes bright, and his smile friendly. He offered her a small wave.

"Hi," he greeted.

Bonnie glanced at this other boy. He didn't look at old at the others. Miss Evelyn's son couldn't be older than ten, and the other two boys looked to be either a year or a few months younger. This one looked like he was eight. He had brown hair and his eyes were blue. She smiled weakly, his eyes were the same color as Caroline's.

"Hi," she replied, her voice meek.

Tyler sized her up. She was tiny, but he liked her shirt. It was a Mickey Mouse shirt. "I liked your shirt," he told her. She smiled at her shirt and then looked at him with another smile.

"Mickey's my favorite."

"I like him too," he told. He held his hand out for her to take. "I'm Tyler,"

She beamed with a brightness in her eyes. Caleb found himself blushing at the sight of it. But he was also beaming at his friend. Way to go Baby Boy, he thought.

"I have a friend back home named Tyler," Bonnie told him and then frowned. Her Tyler was a meanie who had taken her juice box at the last town picnic. "He's mean though. You're not mean, are you?"

Tyler shook his head. "I'm not, but watch out for Reid."

The blonde glared at him. "That's not funny, Ty!"

Caleb snickered at that. He watched as Bonnie made her way out from behind her grandmother. She offered a small smile to him. "Hello," she greeted.

"Nice to meet you, Bonnie."

Reid was still upset Tyler was ignoring him and focused on the youngest boy. Before he could do anything though, he caught the glare Evelyn was shooting his way. Pogue reinforced that look by shoving him forward. The blonde glared at him and was about to say something when Evelyn spoke.

"Abigal couldn't make it?" she asked Shelia. The boys winced at her tone.

"She couldn't get any vacation days," Shelia answered dryly. She didn't add that Abby had purposely ignored it every time she brought it up. Rudy knew of it, had even had a talk with Shelia about not wanting any weird witchcraft happening in front of Bonnie. But her daughter clamped up and acted like she wasn't aware of the trips Shelia took almost every other year.

"Such a shame," Evelyn sighed. It wasn't a shame and she was glad she wouldn't have to deal with Abby's constant ignorance of magic. The woman was from one of the most powerful lines out there and treated it like it was a curse. She turned back to the boys, "Boys why don't you help me with these bags?"

"Yes ma'am!" they chorused and rushed over to taking Shelia and Bonnie's bags. They weren't much, just two duffle bags and a suit bag for any summer dresses. Evelyn took the suit bag while Pogue and Reid took Sheila's bag. Tyler squeezed Bonnie's hand before taking her bag. The four left Shelia, Bonnie, and Caleb in the parlor.

Shelia glanced around the manor. It hadn't changed much she noticed before she glanced down at the boy. It had been some years since she had seen Caleb. The boy was growing up nicely. He would be a heartbreaker in the years to come. His hair was an inky black color and styled short. He smiled up at the woman before he let his eyes fall on the little girl.

Something about her was drawing him in. He wasn't sure what it was, but there was a buzzing feeling under his skin. He took in the dark brown hair that was braided into two puffy pigtails, the curiousness on her face as she looked at each portrait on the walls. He watched as she let her eyes zero in on the dying roses his mother hadn't tended to yet.

Shelia must have noticed her look. "Evelyn has a rose garden out back, baby. Do you want to see it?"

Green eyes peered up at her grandmother. "Can I, Grams?"

Caleb blinked. He would have gotten a swat on the wrist if he ever called his grandmother anything so informal. Shelia turned to the younger boy, "Can you show her? I'll let your mother know."

Caleb nodded and held out his hand for her to take. "Sure," he answered.

Bonnie grinned and slipped her hand into his. "Yay!" she cried, her eyes brightening. The buzzing that he felt sparked the moment their fingers interlocked. He felt a warmth spread through him, running through his veins and towards his chest.

Was that her magic?

He could barely hear the hurried footsteps of his mother as she came back down the stairs. He didn't even hear her voice as she spoke to Bonnie, who had let go of his hand and was being led to the gardens by Pogue and the others. He did notice that she was holding Tyler's hand and his magic seemed to snap at the sight.

Tyler tripped as they crossed the doorway and had to straighten himself before he brought Bonnie with him.

"Are you okay?" Bonnie asked. She never noticed how the older boys were frozen in shock. She never noticed how Tyler had to hide the fear in his eyes as he felt Caleb's magic, felt the anger behind them. The jealousy.

"I...I'm okay Bonnie," he assured her and let go of her hand. He briefly glanced back at the foyer before the four continued their journey to the gardens.

"Come on," Evelyn called to her son, her hands on his shoulders as she led him and Shelia into a room. He barely noticed that the room they were in was his father's study.

Shelia looked at Evelyn as the woman sat her son down on the couch. She smoothed his hair before she planted a kiss on his forehead. She watched as the boy slumped into his mother's arms and she laid him down. Once he was situated, Evelyn waltzed to the desk, pulled open the first drawer, and pulled a bottle of whiskey from its contents. She also grabbed the two glasses her husband kept in there.

She was still silent as she poured more than the suggested serving amount in the glasses. She handed hers to Shelia, clinked the glasses, and down hers in a few gulps.

"Shelia," she began and set the glass down onto the desk. "I...I'm sure I don't have to tell you that this will not leave this room. What I'm about to tell you is...well the coven will know. The adults of course, not the children."

"What?" Shelia asked, her finger traced along the rim of the glass.

Evelyn sighed and reached for the bottle again. "Our coven has a rule: we never allow insiders into the coven."

"But?" Shelia said, sensing there was more. Her reaction to the whole thing was setting her magic on alert.

"But, as you can see, there are three boys out there and one in here. Witches are allowed in for the means of longevity. Our coven has to survive," Evelyn sighed and poured herself another class. "Of course, that isn't needed right now. The boys are young and should be able to find their own mates when they are older."

"Should?"

"Did you sense anything?" Evelyn asked. "Feel something snapping into place?"

Shelia furrowed her brow. She had felt like a new connection was opened up to Caleb. She was sure that if she hugged the boy her magic would react. Not hostile of course, not but like...her eyes widened. Her magic recognized the boy as apart of her family.

"Evelyn," Shelia began but the other witch continued on as if Shelia hadn't spoken.

"Our coven do have laws. If one's magic were to recognize another's as their own, they would never be an outsider. They would always be family. They would always know our secret." Evelyn snorted as she took a big gulp of her whiskey. She found it ironic that her son would be the one to follow in his father's footsteps.

She could remember how William Danvers had found her one Beltane, almost twelve years ago now, and during a night that supposed to be a celebration, their magic had connected. Their courtship had begun a few months after that and they married before the year was out. She knew how tight-knit the Ipswich coven was, knew that they rarely allowed other witches in unless it was for procreation or temporary guardianship. They never allowed another family inside, not after the Putnam family betrayed them. They had almost lost their coven because of them.

"Evelyn,"

"By coven law, your granddaughter is to assume my place as the wife of the coven leader, when Caleb turns eighteen," Evelyn spoke as if she was far off. But she sobered and then looked at her son. "If he even accepts the bond, that is. But if Mother Magic is kind, perhaps it won't happen."

"You're telling me my grandbaby is basically being offered up as a wife because their magic connected." Shelia huffed and down her drink. "Bonnie doesn't even know she has magic,"

Evelyn frowned, ready to ask a question of how, but stopped. Abby came to mind. The woman had married a human, and if her daughter didn't know of her right as a witch it was because neither parent wanted to tell her. The two witches raised their glasses to each other.

"Well, you best hope Caleb doesn't accept the bond," Evelyn told her somberly.

Shelia said nothing, she just drank.

Yes, I started a new story. Don't worry, I plan on working on other works as well. For right now, this story is rated T, but it may change later on. I chose season one because Elena is still more tolerable and Caroline hasn't been turned yet. But she will be, just a bit later on.

I'm considering pairing her with Pogue or Reid. If I do Tyler, it will be Baby boy, not Lockwood. Please let me know in the reviews who you feel would be a good match. This story will probably cover seasons two and three, but that's it. I'm still debating.

Also, I have started school again, so the updates may come even less. Or more, depending on my workload. But please, do give this and my other works a look.

Don't forget to read, review, follow, and favorite. Happy New Year to you all, and please stay safe.