Bonnie informs Elena about the disturbing vibes she got from Kai. Elsewhere, Tyler Lockwood plots to embarrass Kai by throwing a football at him, but Kai effortlessly catches and passes the ball back, soon revealing his secret about his abilities. Elena finds herself meddling in Bonnie's romance with Kai by inviting him over for dinner, hoping to break the ice between the two, but the unexpected and unwelcome arrival of Damon and Caroline disrupts the evening. Finally, the Parker twins get surprised by an act of violence that leads Kai one step closer to figuring out the mystery of Mystic Falls.


Students were milling around the school campus, studying, and chatting with each other. Elena nudged Bonnie playfully with her arm, flashing her best friend a boastful smile as Bonnie came to greet her.

"You never told me what happened last night with you and Kai," Elena said, flashing the most charming grin.

"We just talked." Bonnie winced, shaking her head, and she crosses her arms tight across her chest. "Later on I ran into him again, walking home, so I gave him a ride."

"Alone? Because Jo was at the grill with us last night." Elena let out an overly dramatic harrumph. "So, you were alone in your car with a boy. I need deets Bon."

Bonnie let out a deflated sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Are we in middle school again, like what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is, you're squeamish with guys, especially guys you have a crush on." Elena deadpanned, both with more delight and less inherent regard than Bonnie would have liked.

"We kissed." Bonnie bit out reluctantly.

"Oh my god," Elena sputtered, pulling away, practically spitting, and Bonnie ducked away with a tight frown as the warning bell chimes overhead. "That's, oh my god. How was it?"

Panic clouded Bonnie's face. "It was…" A sharp laugh escaped her lips. "He has nice lips."

Elena's nose scrunches up. "That's it."

"It's not like I have a lot of experience with this sort of thing." Bonnie swallowed, almost choking on the word. "This is the perfect time for me to see my options,"

With a sigh, Elena seemed to have leveled up in her exasperation. "Bonnie Bennett, you are not that type of girl. You've been single your entire high school career. Kai is the first guy in this town to only have eyes for you, and you'd rather kiss other guys. Was it that bad?"

Bonnie doesn't even hesitate. "I saw something when we kissed."

"Saw what?" Elena asked quietly, glancing over at her with cautious concern.

"A man in a fog and a crow. It's the same visions I've been getting for the past week." Bonnie clutched at Elena's hands, panicked as if she had only just realized the enormity of what she had revealed.

"Oh, Bon." Elena narrowed her eyes and flicked her hair over her shoulder. "Are you sure this isn't some excuse?"

"No," Bonnie assured her, with a sinking feeling in her stomach. "I will admit, the kiss was amazing. I felt something, but it was mostly darkness."

At that, Elena's lip curled, and she looked at Bonnie like she was delirious. "Witch mojo thing aside, there were sparks, right?"

Bonnie struggled to put her concerns into words. "Yes. But sparks aside, I want to take things slow. Be safe."

"Hey, Bonnie." Kai jogged over to her and Elena. "Gilbert, what's up?" he asked, planting his hands on his hips, glancing directly at Bonnie with a special sort of jittery enthusiasm.

"Umm, nothing much." Elena flashed him a wide, calculating smile. "Just telling Bonnie here that your sister is an excellent pool player. She hustled the football team last night at the grill."

"That's Josie for you," Kai responded. His eyes stayed on Bonnie, who was silent. "Hey, can we talk?"

Something twisted inside her and she didn't like it, whatever it was. Before Bonnie could open her mouth, something flowed over their heads and charged in Kai's direction.

Kai was quick with his movements. When he raises his arms to catch the ball flying toward him, Bonnie didn't expect it to land perfectly. He twisted around, caught the ball, and threw it back to Tyler Lockwood, who stared back fuming, with Matt Donovan beside him, who was waving a hand awkwardly.

Elena let out a shrieking laugh at the two boys' expressions. Bonnie smothered her own glee, not willing to give Kai or Elena the satisfaction. Kai glanced at Bonnie over his shoulder and grinned at her.

Bonnie's stomach rolled, and she swallowed hard. "We have class." With that, she walked off from them.


Once history class started, Kai noticed Bonnie was giving him the cold shoulder. It was strange. He knew he impressed her last night. Their kiss was quite epic. He was up all night thinking about her soft lips, and gorgeous smile. Yet she refused to make eye contact with him. He was getting the same silent treatment from his own sister, who refused to even be in the same room as him at home or even sit near him in class.

"Anyone wanna tell me when World War II ended?" Mr. Tanner looked around the classroom. "Miss. Juan? No, nothing. 1945."

Kai keeps tapping his pencil against the old wood of his desk, definitely only half listening to whatever it is Mr. Tanner was snarling about.

"Hey," a voice, tinted with amusement, whispered. Kai looked over to find it was Elena Gilbert in the chair next to him. "That throw earlier was insane. Did you play at your old school?"

Turning back to face the front of the room. "Yeah, former jock, I was the wide receiver." Kai replied easily.

"Well, you don't have to be former anymore. The team could use you." Elena jabbed him in the arm.

Kai snorted and shook his head. "I kinda gave it up a while back. Not sure it's something I wanna get back into."

"Look, I understand that feeling. Bonnie and I cheer for the team." Elena's smile was a bitter little thing. "After everything that's happened to me over the summer, I wasn't so sure I wanted to go back to cheerleading, but Bonnie convinced me."

Kai considered her. "Bonnie's a cheerleader, huh?"

She returned the look, her eyebrows raised. "She's a brilliant dancer too," Elena said with a grin and winked at him.

"Miss. Gilbert, and Mr. Parker. Save the flirting for after class." Mr. Tanner barked. Everyone's eyes were on them, including Bonnie's.

Kai froze, and a wave of nausea rolled over him.

Elena's nose wrinkles up at the history teacher. "Mr. Tanner, we were just…"

"Pearl Harbor?" Mr. Tanner snarled, and everyone in the classroom looked too used to his aggressive behavior. Not a single student was phased at this point.

"Um…" Elena swallowed whatever she was about to say.

"December 7th, 1941." Kai answered in his most innocent voice possible, but he should have known better to even try to help the girl out.

The older man sighed heavily and scratched at his forehead. "Thank you, Miss. Gilbert." Mr. Tanner gritted, and Kai could sense his twin's annoyance from across the room. "Okay, Mr. Parker, since you're speaking up for your little girlfriend," Kai rolled his eyes at Mr. Tanner, not taking the bait. "Tell me when the fall of the Berlin Wall happened?"

He sat up from his slump, lips parting, and he cleared his throat as a few classmates twisted around to look at him as he answered the question.

"1989."

"Civil Rights Act?"

"1964."

"John F. Kennedy's assassination?"

"1963."

"Martin Luther King?"

"1968."

"Lincoln?"

"1865."

"The Korean War?"

"1950 to 1953."

There was relief on his teacher's face, a quick flash of it. "Ha! It ended in '52." Mr. Tanner shouted, probably bubbling with inner satisfaction.

A hand slowly rose from the crowd of seated students. "You're wrong Mr. Tanner, it was '53." Jo answered, with her back still turned to Kai, but he could sense her smugness.

Mr. Tanner was fuming, and switched the lesson onto a pop quiz, to everyone's dismay.

The classroom emptied out one by one as everyone left once they completed their quiz, Jo being the first one out the door, followed by Bonnie and a few others. Both Bonnie and his sister refused to give him notice. Finally, he was left alone with Elena, once Mr. Tanner went out for his cigarette break.

"Okay, so you're a jock and a nerd." Elena said lightly once the classroom was cleared out.

Kai felt his lips twitch, but sighed. "A geek too, if you ask my sister."

Her eyes went wide."Wow, how is that?"

"Living in Portland, I just fit in with different crowds." Kai rubbed his arm aggrievedly. "Plus, my mom was a history professor and my dad was a college football coach."

"That explains everything," Elena grinned, her glossy lips curved in a wicked smile.

Kai stared at her. "You and Bonnie are close, so I'm betting she told you what happened between us the other night." He had thought little of Bonnie's friendship with the other two girls, but it was so obvious that Elena was Bonnie's confidant.

"Yeah." Now Elena's brown eyes were sparkling. "Bonnie doesn't have much experience with boys, well she has no experience at all."

"See I get that," Kai paused, choosing his words carefully. "And it doesn't scare me off. Bonnie's a cool girl."

"Look, you just have to go slow with her. I'm not sure what it was like for you back in Portland, but Mystic Falls isn't that friendly to people like the Bennetts." Elena tried to hint, but it left Kai clueless. "Many of the guys here like girls like Caroline, or Vicki Donovan, hell after last night your sister has been getting some looks. Bonnie gets ignored for not being the town's typical southern belle aesthetic."

Jaw ticking, Kai bit the inside of his cheek. "She's unpopular because she's not white."

"Basically," Elena confirmed, and Kai's brows flew up. "I was hoping since you weren't from around here, you'd be more open. I guess you are."

"For sure." Kai's stomach churned at the thought of Bonnie being treated differently because she was black. He came from a more racially diverse town, so yeah, the Mystic Falls population of mainly white people threw him off a bit.

For a minute or two, neither of them said anything.

"Here's what we're going to do. Are you free tonight?" Elena asked finally.

He stared at her, confused and frustrated. "Yeah, what do you have in mind?"

Elena seemed to falter, and then brightened.

"Dinner at my place, let's say 8:00 p.m. You, me, and Bonnie. That way you can spend some quality time together, and she doesn't feel too much pressure. Mission accomplished."

It was a bit unusual to have a third wheel on a date. But if this gets him closer to Bonnie, he was willing to give it a shot.


To say today was a slow day was an understatement.

And this stupid headache Bonnie's having isn't making it any easier.

There was only one thing that could get her in a better mood at the end of the day. Cheerleading practice.

Bonnie started with the basic toe touches, back handsprings, round-offs, and liberties. But it wasn't long before she found her rhythm. Around her, the other girls were doing some basic stretches and lunges. When she finished up, she heard someone applauding her.

"Elena?" There was a flicker of a smile on her best friend's face. "You're here."

"Told you I would." Elena came wearing shorts and a tank top. "I wanna get back to normal. Cheerleading is normal."

They were sitting in a circle, stretching before their head captain showed.

"So, what were you and Kai talking about during class?" Bonnie snapped. Embarrassment burned in her cheeks.

Elena hesitated. "I was trying to convince him to join the football team."

Now it was Bonnie's turn to waver and frown. "Elena! Why?"

"He's good Bonnie. Apparently, he played at his old school."

Elena sounded so smug about it that Bonnie had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from responding negatively.

"Never took him for a jock type." Bonnie sighed heavily, her shoulders drooping.

Elena laughed, but not unkindly. "Right? He's so…"

"Emo." Bonnie said seriously, unable to resist. "He dresses like a punk rocker."

"Like a high school version of Pete Wentz. I wonder if he has any tattoos." Elena said cheerfully, and her voice turned light.

"Elena, please tell me you aren't into him?" Bonnie asked and Elena crinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out at her.

"What? No, I'm trying to get him and you together." Elena met her eyes and then ducked her head. "In fact, I invited him over for dinner at my house, which I will host a little thing for the three of us, so you can get to know him better."

Alarm bells began ringing in the back of Bonnie's mind. "So I'm having my first date with a guy, at your spot in which you will join us."

"It's not a date. We're just hanging out." Elena said cheerfully. She slung her arm around Bonnie's shoulder.

"This is bad."

Bonnie glared at her, and Elena laughed.

"You already kissed him. If it gets weird, I can step in. Come on Bon, give him a chance." Elena said carefully, and Bonnie's eyes flooded with consciousness.

"You're lucky he's a good kisser," Bonnie clarified. Her stomach twisted. "Can't believe I'm… Oh my god is that Caroline?"

A car came approaching them. They saw Caroline in the passenger seat of someone's blue Chevy Camaro Convertible. An older guy, way older. The dark-haired man stopped his car, and Caroline leaned in to kiss his mouth, before hopping out of his car.

Walking over to her friends and smiling cockily in Bonnie's direction. "I got me a local boy-toy, too. Hey, maybe we can have a double date this weekend."

Bonnie found herself exchanging glances with an equally gobsmacked Elena.

"Where did you find him? Grove Hill adult education center." Elena took the opportunity to stand on her feet. "He's way too old for you."

"God, you are such a prude Elena," Caroline was looking her up and down. "I'm surprised you even showed your face here."

Bonnie rolled her eyes as Elena and Caroline got into it behind her. Looking out on the football field, Bonnie gasps when she spotted Kai speaking to Mr. Tanner in full football gear. It seemed like Elena managed to convince him to join the team after all.

Bonnie then realized that she would be cheering for him at every game.


Moving around his room, clad in only a towel slung around his hips. Kai looked through his selection of clothes, trying to find something nice to wear. He knew he needed to impress both Bonnie and Elena. With a defeated sigh, Kai picked out his skinny black jeans and a soft-looking red sweater.

When he made his way through the living area, he caught that smug look on Chris's face. Around the dinner table, Jo frowned as the realization struck her.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Not even a month here, and you got yourself a date." Chris gave Kai a sharp look with his eyebrow cocked. "Who's the lucky gal?"

At that, Jo made a sound, half scorn, half exhaustion. "Let me guess, Elena Gilbert."

Chris gave a short laugh. "Miss. Gilbert, really?"

Kai took a deep breath, considering how to put things. "I'm just going over there to hang out. Not a date."

Jo looked alarmed. "Yeah, right," she protested.

Kai counted to ten silently. "You two will be happy to know that I joined the football team today."

"That's great…"

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Jo gave him a thwart look. "Are you really doing this again?"

"Josette…"

Jo held up her hand to cut Chris off. "No, we came here for a fresh start, not for him to fuck everything up again. First, you're using magic, now you're dating a cheerleader and playing football again. Didn't we learn our lesson in Portland?"

"It's my life, Jo," Kai's voice was carefully devoid of any genuine feeling. "If I wanna use my powers, I'm gonna do it. If I wanna play ball again, I'm gonna play. If I wanna fuck half the cheerleading squad, then I'll do that too. You don't get to decide how I'm gonna live my life out here."

"Now hold on," Chris, who had been following the argument with distress, looked at niece. "This could be good for your brother. Everyone heals and copes differently. For you, it's your studies. You got your mother's smarts and you're dedicated to your medical future. For Kai, it's being an athlete again, like his old man."

Jo peered over her shoulder. "After everything that's happened, I thought you'd make smart choices. Better ones," she huff, throwing up her hands. "We have a chance to be normal."

This time, it was Kai's face that was full of heat, eyes sharp with it. "I'm not giving up being a witch. I know something is going on in this town, something dark."

"Why won't you drop this shit?" Jo asked quietly, her eyebrows knitted together as she glanced between them.

"Look, Kai, I understand you wanna stick to your roots. I respect that. But Mystic Fall isn't the place to go looking for trouble. There's no coven to look after us here. We all have to keep a low profile,"

Kai took in his uncle's face, searched it for a second before deciding. "How are we gonna protect ourselves from whatever is out there if we don't know?"

Chris scrubbed a hand over his face. "It's my job to protect you guys. I think your sister is right. Just let this go."

Even Jo's lips twitched. It felt like a victory. Chris pats him on the shoulder as he exits the room to head upstairs.

"He's wrong, and I'm not letting this go." Kai made his way to the front door.

Jo lets out a chuff of breath. "Then we'll be joining mom and dad sooner than we think. Tell Elena I said hi." Jo looked at him blankly.

He felt a spark of anger, but Kai knew it was probably best not to correct her. He knew exactly what she'd say if she knew he was in pursuit of Bonnie Bennett.


It took her about half a day to realize her headache was not the normal variety. All Bonnie wanted to do was cancel on this dinner with Elena. However, her best friend wasn't hearing any of her excuses and forced Bonnie to come over after school and get ready for her date.

Bonnie had spent an hour picking out what to wear to the dinner. At first, she had picked out a sweet little floral print dress. Next, she tried on a tight black dress with a plunging V-line. It was far too sexy. In the end, she chose a white off-shoulder top and light blue skinny jeans for this casual get-together, and wore her hair in bouncy curls. She took a deep breath as she headed down the stairs.

Bonnie made her way into the kitchen and surveyed the damage. Elena was standing in front of the open pantry, hands on her hip frowning at the mess scattered on the floor at her feet.

She held back a chuckle at the sight. "I told you this wasn't a good idea."

"Hey, I'm doing this for you." Elena shot over her shoulder. "You look totally out of it again."

"These stupid visions," she told Elena, crossing her arms as she leaned against the counter. "I keep seeing some rabid animal and it's roaming the high school parking lot. I don't know what any of it means."

Normally, her headaches were mildly distracting. A dreary thud at the front, maybe a sharp twinge under her eyebrow. Worst case, subdued pressure all over the top of her head. But in the last couple of days, her visions have been the most painful thing a human being can ever experience.

"Not surprising, with everything that keeps happening." Elena's tone changed from exasperated fondness to concern. "Maybe you should talk to your Grams about this?"

Bonnie sighed. "So she can tell me I'm a witch," she said mournfully.

"Bon, you see things. And whether you like it, your Grams might be telling you the truth. Maybe you're clairvoyant," Elena smiled tightly, one hand reaching up to impatiently push her hair out of her face.

Bonnie looked past her to the cluttered shelves of food. "Never thought I'd see you so open-minded." Bonnie rubbed her hands together. "So, what are we having?"

Turning back to the pantry full of food. "Tonight we are having pasta. Jenna's old college recipe." Elena pulled out a box of dried Japanese udon noodles. "Fifteen minutes top."

They worked together side by side at the counter, Bonnie stepping away to search for the ingredients that Elena told her they needed: soy sauce, garlic cloves, sesame oil, shrimp, and sliced cabbage.

Cooking got her more relaxed than she'd been all day. The time she spent cooking with Elena in the kitchen did more to distract her from obsessing over Kai, Grams, and her weird visions.

"Something smells good."

Bonnie jerked in surprise at that husky voice, and Elena bounced around to see who entered her kitchen.

Kai leaned on the doorframe, wearing a crisp red sweater and black pants, his jacket draped over his arm.

Bonnie's jaw dropped. "You're here."

"Lil' Gilbert, just let me in before he left." His eyes shifted. "And may I say, you look lovely, Bonnie."

Bonnie's mouth felt dry and her tongue felt numb. They were all silent for a moment.

"Okay," Elena moved to grab the bottle of cider from the refrigerator, moving to fill the glass in front of her. "Go on, have a seat. Bonnie and I will be out."

"Alright," Kai saluted her, turning to leave the kitchen with a glass in hand.

"Please be your normal, loving self." Elena placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Remember, he already likes you."

Bonnie nodded her head, distracted.

The two girls work together carting out food and in a matter of minutes the table was covered with a basket of garlic breadsticks, a bowl of caesar salad, and a serving pan of garlic shrimp udon noodles.

"Oh wow, this looks amazing." Kai complimented them, inhaling deeply to savor the wafting scents.

"My aunt's college recipe," Elena chuckled as she took a seat at the head of the dinner table, "Bonnie did most of the cooking."

Bonnie rolled her eyes, smirking as she took her seat across from Kai. Shrugging her shoulders, she said, "I just stirred the shrimp and made the salad."

"What are you waiting for? Go ahead and eat!" That spurred everyone into action. They're ogling of the food turned into sounds of appreciation as they pass the dishes around, their plates filled with food before everyone ate.

"How was football practice?" Elena stopped halfway back to her seat, fork raised, her head tilted down, eyeing Kai slantwise. "Everyone is talking about the new wide receiver."

The corners of Kai's lips pulled down, which Bonnie found less indicative of a frown than Kai trying not to smile or laugh. "Tanner is a hardass, and I don't think the other guys like me much."

"They will once they get to know you." Elena shot him a wink and a salute with her wine glass.

Bonnie remained silent. She had no idea what to say. Elena was just better at conversations.

"Hey, has Bonnie told you about her family?" Elena asks rhetorically in an attempt to keep the mood light. "She comes from a lineage of witches. It's pretty cool."

Bonnie swallowed her food before she could spit it out in shock. "Elena, Kai doesn't want to hear about that."

"I really would." Kai's eyebrows shot up. He smiled without showing teeth.

Bonnie put down her fork. "Not that I believe any of it, but my grandmother's an Occult Professor," she paused, choosing her words carefully. "Let's just say she's deeply passionate about her work and slightly crazy."

Kai stared at her uncomprehendingly for a minute. "You know, back over on the Northwestern Pacific, there are some known witch covens, mainly in Portland. They're called the Gemini Coven, and they're the oldest witch coven dating back to over 2,000 years."

"Oh," Bonnie dipped her head for a moment, considering. "My mother's ancestors came through Salem."

Kai's grin stretched from ear to ear. "No way, mine too. My mom's family was originally settled in Massachusetts, right outside of Salem. Then they moved to Portland."

Bonnie felt a smile forming across her face.

Before anyone could say anything else, there was a soft rapping sound at the door.

Elena tried to look unimpressed, but after only a second or two, she broke into a grin. "I wonder who that could be."

The other girl got up to answer it, when she opened her front door and very nearly shut it again. Unfortunately, she didn't close it quite fast enough.

"Surprise. We brought dessert."

There stood Caroline and Bonnie, who could only guess that her mystery older man was with her.

"Umm," Elena looked like she wanted to protest, but she bit it down.

"I hope you don't mind. Caroline wanted to introduce me to her friends. She said you were probably home alone, in need of some company."

Elena looked back at Bonnie, who rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"Sure, come in." Elena moved aside. "Actually, we were just finishing up."

"Oh, guess the entire gang's here already, babe." Somehow, the voice didn't really seem to match the man. There was some kind of southern east coast twang to it, softer and mellower.

"Bonnie, Kai, I had no idea you guys were having dinner with Elena." Jesus, Caroline sounded angry. It shouldn't have surprised Bonnie, but it did. "No one invited me."

"It was a small thing," Bonnie pouted and then turned to Kai. "Sorry for how awkward this will get."

Kai made a choking noise that sounded suspiciously like laughter.


"Mr. Tanner is a complete jackass, but from what Tiki tells me, you have a really great arm. God, I know Tyler is seething. But good for you, we need some talent to cheer for."

Caroline babbled for the last ten minutes, sitting cozies up next to her beau in Elena's living room. Bonnie and Elena both have been giving Caroline's boyfriend, Damon Salvatore, the side-eye for the past several minutes.

"So, Kai, you're new to Mystic Falls huh, what brings you here?" Damon looked at him, raising one scintillating eyebrow.

Kai's mouth was dry. "Umm…"

"You don't have to answer him," Bonnie put in. Her voice was soft as ashes but had fire to it.

Kai's lips curled up, and he finished his cider. "It's cool. My parents are dead, so my sister and I are staying with our uncle."

"How did they die?" Damon asked, more curious than concerned.

Kai shot him a disbelieving look.

Caroline's eyes widened, and her mouth opened. "Damon!" the blonde smacked him. "Come on, that's personal."

"It really is." Elena snapped back at him, holding her ground.

Bonnie spread her hands wide. It would have been a sign of helplessness – a what can I do? gesture.

"I'm sorry," Damon apologized, but Kai could sense it was fake. "I know what it's like to lose both your parents. In fact, my little brother and I watched almost every single person we've cared about die."

"You have a brother?" Caroline looked uncomfortable and wary, folding her arms across her chest.

Damon grunted. It could have been a chuckle, but it sounded like a grunt. "Yeah, his name is Stefan. I think he's in Chicago or New York. His job has him traveling a lot."

Kai nodded slowly, considering this. "It's interesting that you've decided to return to Mystic Falls. Did you just recently graduate from college? Seems a bit too old to be dating a high school girl."

All three girls wore identical expressions of astonishment. The expression on Damon's face wasn't one Kai could stare at for long.

Damon's hands were curling and uncurling, and his jaw was tight. "Caroline is very mature for her age."

Blue eyes regarded him steadily for a long moment before scoffing. "Wow, that's such a typical scumbag response."

A frown emerged on Damon and Caroline's faces, and suddenly the tension in the room rose about a hundred notches.

"Kai, you're being rude." Caroline looked... almost nervous. That was not the slightest bit reassuring.

"Isn't your mom a cop?" Kai asked harshly. He shook a little as all three girls stared at him. "Clearly, your new boyfriend isn't smart."

Damon's brow furrowed. "Caroline and I aren't ashamed of our relationship, and I'm sure as hell not afraid of some small-town sheriff."

Both Bonnie and Elena looked at Damon like he had two heads.

The disdain look began to establish itself on Kai's face instantly. "Do you know what they do to perverts like you in prison?"

Elena huffed a small laugh. "Okay, Damon, come help me in the kitchen with the cake."

Damon stormed off with Elena, while Caroline sat there shell-shocked. Bonnie hopped up.

"I need to freshen up, be right back." Bonnie's voice was a little chiding, a little daunting.

"Fuck," Kai glanced over at Caroline. "Look, Forbes, I'm sorry about that. I have a sister, and if some guy did to her what this asshole is doing to you…"

"You don't know anything about Damon, or me." Caroline still looked angry, and without hesitation, she immediately started in on him. "In fact, we know nothing about you or your sister. There are rumors around the school that you two killed your family for your inheritance."

Whoa. That level of viciousness actually surprised Kai. Not that he supposed she didn't have some cause.

"And I sure as hell don't know why someone like you would even be interested in Bonnie. I mean, she's a meek virgin. If you think she'll be giving it up to you, you're out of luck."

Kai gave her a sour look and then looked around the room. "Wow, you are a classless bitch."

He noticed she was tugging at her scarf.

"It's pretty warm in here. You might wanna take that scarf off."

Caroline's eyes were shifty.

"Take the scarf off Forbes."

There was a look in her eyes. It was similar to the one Vicki Donovan gave him in the hospital. Fear.

"Babe, Elena needs you in the kitchen."

Damon re-entered the living room.

Caroline's eyes followed him, her mouth still set. "Hmm... I don't think so." She huffed out.

Kai stared at Damon, walking over to Caroline. The older man grabbed the blonde up out of her seat.

"Go see if Elena needs help in the kitchen." He said in a deep, alluring voice.

"You know what? I'm gonna go see if Elena needs some help in the kitchen."

Her tone also reminded him of Vicki's after he used the spell on her.

Caroline walked off to the kitchen.

Damon stared at him. His features were completely unreadable. "I'm only going to say this once kid, back off Caroline, or else."

The fierce brightness in Kai's chest flickered, dimming under that stare. "Don't try to threaten me. I'm not one of your underage girlfriends."

Damon gave him a sarcastic smile. "I've seen your pretty little sister around campus. I'd hate for something to happen to her." Kai twitched, his nose scrunching up. "I'll let the girls know you had to run off."

Having the last words, Damon stepped aside for him to leave. Kai felt sick, gut-punched, and stripped raw. He let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. The light in him flared. He had to make smarter choices here. No one threatens his family and gets away with it.


"We've got some great new talent tonight starting on the offense, and I'm gonna tell you right now, it has been a long time since I have seen a kid like this with hands like these. Let's give it up for Kai Parker."

The cheering was overwhelming.

Bonnie went along with it enthusiastically, her hands hurting from clapping after a few moments, but that didn't stop her in any way. She was playing her part as cheerleader for the team.

Kai was glowing, the smile almost splitting his face in half as he jogged over to where Matt was standing on the sideline.

"How long do you plan on being mad at me?" Elena whispered in her ears as she leaned down. Bonnie scowled and averted her eyes from Kai.

"I told you to stay out of it." Bonnie said, angry suddenly. "I mean, he left without a word, again. I came back and Damon told me he just walked out after harassing Caroline."

"Caroline said he wasn't bothering her. Damon was just jealous."

Arms crossed over her chest, Bonnie hummed. "Don't get me started on those two."

There was a long hesitation, and then Elena smiled, disingenuous, a bit eerie, but she nodded. "Maybe it was an emergency,"

Her anger fizzled out. She knew Elena was only trying to help her. She was being a good friend, supportive, and shit. Bonnie much preferred this version of Elena, then the selfish and self-centered one from last year.

"Then why hasn't he called? He has my number."

Elena's expression crumbled a bit, and she steps closer, her hand on Bonnie's arm, but she shrugged away from her friend's touch with a heavy sigh.

"I don't know…" Elena shrugged too, dragging a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry."

It took a minute to sink in, and Bonnie looked at her. "He got what he wanted from me. I just want to forget about…"

"Tyler, stop it! Tyler! Tyler, stop! Stop it! Stop, you're hurting him! Tyler! Tyler, stop! Tyler! Stop it! Tyler, stop!"

Bonnie and Elena both whipped their heads around. That was Vicki Donovan's voice.

"FIGHT!" Tiki proudly shouted the war cry at the top of her lungs. Every single student near the parking lot watched the chaos happening.

Bonnie spotted Kai stepping in to grab Tyler's wrist from landing a punch on Jeremy.

"Are you really going to start a fight with a fifteen-year-old Lockwood?"

A fist collided across Kai's jaw, knocking him off balance. Tyler had effectively managed to get Kai to drop his grip off his other wrist.

Behind them, Jeremy was grabbing a broken glass bottle and striking towards Tyler. But the older boy moved out of the way and Jeremy charged towards Kai.

"Kai, behind you." a voice called out. Bonnie was sure it was Amber Bradley.

She couldn't make sense of what she saw. Maybe Kai had quick reflexes, because he had unrealistically avoided Jeremy's attack. Bonnie watched as Kai grabbed Jeremy's wrist, driving his other palm into his elbow.

Tyler moved in to close the space between them. His foot collided with Kai's shin, but it wasn't enough to force to bring him down. Kai drove Tyler's head into his knee before discarding him on the floor.

"That's enough," Matt bellowed to all three boys. "We have a game to play. This isn't the place or time for your shit."

"What the hell, Jeremy?" Elena rushed over to her brother, who was bleeding out.

The Gilbert siblings were fighting again while Matt was trying to clear the crowd away from them.

Bonnie glanced over her shoulders, and their eyes locked.

Eye contact. Profound. Smoldering. Explosive.

Bubbling across her skin, setting her on fire as his eyes settled on her face, her shoulders, and then lower down to her exposed legs in this short skirt.

Bonnie was also ashamed at how she could barely keep herself from ogling Kai in his tight football uniform.

"Bonnie." There was a dark look in Kai's eyes when Bonnie stared at him, a warning, and she took it with a dry swallow.

A shiver raced along Bonnie's spine, and she sighed. Not again.

Bonnie looked away from Kai as she made her hasty escape. She could feel his eyes boring into her, burning her, and she wished she could return home, but it was almost kick-off time.


Tonight, the football game was a race the entire time. Most of the time, only two points separated the two teams' scores. Mr. Tanner was on the edge of his seat, and Kai had to smile snarky at his overly eager coach.

On the sideline was Bonnie. She cheered for Kai, well for the team, but didn't yell quite as much as some of the other spectators did.

At the last moment of the game, Kai had the ball, sprinting to make the last few points that would win them the game. A player from the opposite team was coming straight for him, but before his opponent could tackle him, a big blond streak tackled the other team's player.

It took Kai a moment before he registered that the tackler was Matt Donovan, his number 6 on the back of the red jersey.

The referee blew into his whistle, signaling the end of the game and the Timberwolves victory.

The crowd broke into a loud, long cheer. Everyone standing up.

Making his way off the field to join the rest of the team in the locker room.

"Tanner's M.I.A. I think he had a bit too much beer." Tyler Lockwood said with a knowing smirk.

"Ty, I'd prefer it if you didn't speak to me for the rest of the night," Matt demanded, glancing at his friend. Both of them had tensed up.

Lockwood's smirk didn't falter, his perfect white teeth showing under the fluorescent light. "Are you still pissed off?"

Matt leaned in slightly, his own voice dropping an octave. "You're a freakin' middle school bully. And I'm sick of your shit, between you screwing with my sister and trying to start a fight with my girlfriend's kid brother." Matt hissed, giving Tyler the dirtiest look he can muster; he'd been in such a good mood ten minutes ago.

Tyler let out a chuff of breath. "Girlfriend? Last I remember Elena dumped your ass at her parent's funeral."

Matt leveled him with a deadpan look. "You know what? Fuck you, Ty."

Kai snorted out a laugh as he fumbled with his combination until, finally, he heard the click of it unlocking.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the man of the hour, you think you're hot shit now. But your luck will run out. Everyone knows T-Dawg is the top-tier on the field. I'll remind them next time. "

Kai shifted slightly, a little off-balance, and his nose scrunched up as he goes to shake his head. "Good luck with that asshat. You're the one who gets off on picking fights with people. Face it, you're a pathetic washed-up."

"What did you just say to me?" Tyler demanded in a harsh whisper.

Matt grabbed his arm and switched in front of him. "Tyler, chill out," he said flatly, looking troubled and pissed off.

"I don't think so. I'm not letting this little smart-mouth shithead talk to me this way."

Tyler looked pained and annoyed, glaring at Kai, but Kai only smirked.

"Be real Lockwood, you couldn't beat me in a fight," Kai proclaimed, leaning in closer. "Plus, I'm not into whatever homoerotic affair you and Gilbert are having."

The shorter, by several inches, the Lockwood boy inched closer to Kai so that their chests were touching. Kai knew Lockwood wanted to rearrange his face for implying he was anything but straight.

"I swear to god, Ty if you try to fight him, I'll tell coach," The corners of Matt's lips tugged down into a frown. "Just drop it."

Tyler quickly distanced himself from both of them.

Kai took this as an opportunity to exit the locker room, forget about showering. When he made his way out the door, there greeting him was Jo.

"Uncle Chris had to work."

The misty sounds of a wild celebration grew wilder, filtering up through the closed locker room door. Outside it was bitterly cold, and they shivered in their jackets. A single light bulb illuminated the back of the school, leaving the rest of the empty area shrouded in darkness.

"You were here this whole time."

Kai pulled out his pack of Marlboros and offered one to Jo, who thanked him before tucking the cigarette between her lips.

Jo looked sheepish, watching him as Kai patted his pockets for his lighter. "I showed up for the last hour."

"Jo…" Kai flipped open his zippo and extended it, watching Jo intently as she bent towards the small flame.

"You were great out there," Jo exhaled, eyes going a bit glassy. "It was like nothing changed for you, everyone calling you the next MVP."

Kai inhaled deeply and blew a plume of smoke up into the black, star-speckled sky. "Jo…"

"This is my peace offering. I respect you for trying to get back to normal the best way you can. Like uncle Chris said, football is your thing, and academics is mine. It's our way of honoring mom and dad's legacies outside of the coven. And I'm sorry for being so harsh."

They stood there smoking in cordial silence for a few moments.

"Look, I know this has been hard on you."

Jo took a deep breath and looked up at Kai, her eyes shining blue in the hazy glow. "It's been hard on both of us. I haven't been a dutiful sister to you, not since we've lost everything."

Kai twitched his elbow, and Jo started walking. "You've been doing your best. That still counts for something."

"Hmm," Jo's head falls back when she laughed, but she's instantly crowding in closer to Kai's side, cuddling up under his arm and batting her lashes. "So I noticed Elena had a little extra pep in her step for a certain someone."

"Josie, not this…." Kai said simply, exhaling a plume of smoke. He kept his expression cool and unemotional, despite the hammering of his heart.

"Oh my god," Jo jumped, staggering back. "Is that, Mr. Tanner?" she asks, eyes big and voice tight.

Kai dropped the cigarette, crushing it under his foot.

Blood, bruises, gaping wounds- none of this should bother Kai. Yet his hands shook. As he reached out for Mr. Tanner's turtleneck sweater, which had a hole in the neck, ragged strips plastered to his skin with congealing blood. Kai moved it down, staring at the ragged puncture holes in the older man's neck.

Something had bit Mr. Tanner.

"Do you believe me now, Josie?" He doesn't mean to sound pissed off, but he was.

"I…" The panic was on her face, tears starting up anew, and she shook her head, refusing to answer.

Kai felt sick to his stomach. His fingers fluttered over the wound. He fought the urge to press his hand to it, an attempt to stem the flow of blood that had long ago ended. Mr. Tanner was beyond saving now.

"What sort of animal could do all this?" Jo finally said, and Kai actually felt a rush of relief. She was finally seeing it. "What the hell is going on around here?"

"I don't know, but we need to find out, and fast."

Jo chewed her lip before she took a hesitant step forward. Kai opened his arms, and she came close and hugged him hard. He looked up at the almost empty sky. What the hell is going on in Mystic Falls?


AN: Damon finally showed his face and has no shame. Damon and Caroline's relationship is non-consensual. I had to have Kai call Damon out on his creepiness. Stefan is around and will make his appearance later on. As of now, Kai doesn't fully suspect Bonnie to be a witch, he believes Bonnie when she says her grandmother is just a kooky occult studies teacher, it doesn't mean he's not asking questions soon about her ancestors from Salem. Next chapter, Kai search for clues on what killed Mr. Tanner, Bonnie attends to Founder Party, Damon reveals a little Salvatore Brother history, and Kai gets proof about what attacked Vicki Donovan.

Sidenote: The story will acknowledge Bonnie's race and family history realistically. First off having Elena admits to Kai how racist the townspeople are to the Bennetts, and that Bonnie doesn't get a lot of admirers because she is black, which honestly is exactly how Plec and the writers made it out to be. Let me know how you all feel about me calling out the racist undertone of Mystic Falls and Bonnie being the single one all the time.