"You are not in your uniform. Caroline's going to kill you!" Bonnie pointed out to Elena who was clearly quitting.
"Let's hope she's too busy to want to murder me."
"Hey you," Stefan walked up to them.
"Hi Stefan," she waved to the guy who clearly had his eyes for Elena only.
"Hey, I didn't see you there," he told her.
"Look at you, you look hot in your jersey," Elena greeted her boyfriend. Bonnie just rolled her eyes at the couple, she just waved at them and went to take her place with the squad.
She half-heartedly heard Tanner's high and mighty speech about the Timberwolves and not letting people walk over them. He called out on Stefan particularly, which she knew would have Tyler and Matt pissed off. The guy didn't even have to try, it's like he could be the most annoying person without even trying.
Less than five minutes later she saw a fight break out and crowd gathering. They moved closer to see Tyler plummeting Jeremy to the ground. Elena stepped forward and pushed Tyler away without a second thought. Stefan moved to block Elena and Jeremy taking Tyler's reflexive punch by accident.
"Calm down, man!" Stefan raised his hands forward signaling that it was enough.
Bonnie gasped as Jeremy shot ahead of Elena and Stefan attempting to stab Tyler. She closed her eyes in dread before the crowds started jeering, Stefan stopped the fight, she had no idea how. Elena tried to take care of Jeremy and drive him home, but he took off without a word to his sister.
"Stefan, my dear brother, I hear you've been quite a hero these days. Getting the girl, football team, macho man, well on your way to being popular."
"What do you want, Damon?" Stefan sighed heavily. It wasn't always like this, every few decades, the brothers actually did get along well and reconnect before they split their ways and not see each other again. This is clearly not one of those times. No, this was the other extreme, when Damon did everything in his power to antagonize and ruin things for him, to remind him of their curse, immortal lives without hope or sunshine. That Damon was dangerous, unpredictable, and was capable of the absolute worst. The Damon he would stake sooner than he'd talk.
He wished with all his heart that wasn't one of those times. Cassie, whoever she was and whatever she meant to his brother, gave him that hope. Damon was not a people person. Their bonding a few years decades apart was the closest Damon ever had to healthy connection. As healthy as partying their way through notorious pubs and sororities could be.
The fact that it had been a few weeks and the girl was around and alive had him hoping more than a few good years. He felt like he could find his brother of the simpler times, his human brother, the Damon who was protective of his own, loyal to a fault and loved without limits.
He wasn't a fool, he knew his brother wasn't in love with Cassie, but they were all living in the same house, and his brother was yet to feed on or take advantage of his so-called fiancé. He didn't know what they had but he wanted in. He wanted to stand by his brother and have each others backs, trust each other. He was loathe to admit it, but Cassie brought out a version of Damon he never thought possible after their transition.
But like everything else that Damon did, he turned his brother's attempts to reconnect into a game. Stefan would get his hopes up only to be stamped on by Damon mercilessly. Still, he didn't think he could give up on his brother, not now, not ever.
"I saw your perky, no-longer cheerleader girlfriend looking quite low, not doing a good job at keeping her satisfied, are you Stefan?" Damon taunted. "Maybe I should pay her a visit, now that I've been invited in."
Stefan refused to rise to the bait, "I don't know, Damon, I actually don't think you have it in you to hurt her," he levelled, "That you keep saying this to keep tormenting me, but I don't think you will actually follow through."
Damon's eyes widened for a second before a mask of cold fury took over, "That's where you are wrong dear brother, I want nothing more than to torment you and there's nothing I wouldn't do if I think it'll work. Maybe Elena has some more time, I wouldn't hurt her yet, I didn't even start playing with her. But looks like you need a reminder of what I'm actually capable of."
His senses already alerted him to a human in the vicinity, he looked in the direction to see the coach coming their way. "Salvatore, it's time, you're needed on the field," the man shouted unaware of the situation he walked into.
"Well, he's as good a corpse as any," Damon smirked before flitting to the place Tanner was. Before Stefan could react, Tanner's head hit the ground and Damon was seen nowhere.
Caroline Forbes was officially worried. The entire school had seen Tanner's body, a gruesome sight that wouldn't leave any of their heads any time soon. But Bonnie was shook beyond words, she was almost unresponsive.
Elena and Caroline tried to shake their friend from her stupor but nothing they tried seemed to be working. Bonnie's dad was away on business as usual, and it was a school night so she'd stay alone at home than with her Grams who lived slightly further away.
The girl in question was shaking, murmuring numbers over and over, and then going back to being silent and lost again. They couldn't leave her alone.
"I'll take her home, go find Jeremy and leave too, Elena," she told her friend who just nodded in her her concern for her friend and her brother conflicting.
She wished her mom got to be around to help her deal with her friend, but they just found a body mauled to death, the sheriff was going to be a long night. She hesitated for a second before she dialed Cassie, she didn't want to be alone and she just hoped the older girl didn't mind the trouble.
Cassie was there at Caroline's house before they reached.
"I'm so sorry you had to go through that, are you okay?" she reached out to the blonde, holding her arm in comfort.
"I am, I don't think Bonnie's taking it well," Caroline gestured to the girl who was still in the car, shaking.
"I'll get her, unlock and set up a fire."
Fifteen minutes later, they were all huddled around the fireplace with a mug of steaming hot chocolate each. Bonnie stopped shaking but she was yet to talk. Cassie sighed loud enough to get the girl's attention.
"What happened, Bonnie?"
A drop of calming drought in her hot chocolate made Bonnie languid. She could have tried to make the girl calm down without that, but she didn't want to risk an outburst with Caroline around.
"I was seeing these numbers, it was connected to Tanner's death. I know how that sounds, but I swear something is happening to me... I'm losing my mind."
"Bonnie, have you considered that you could be having visions?" Caroline asked kindly before she could.
"But how's that possible?"
"A lot of what we consider possible is just probable. Dreams, deja vu, gut feeling, there's a whole range of possibilities that all know of and experience. It could be a one-off, or you really could have amazing instincts."
"What if I'm a witch, like my Grams says I am?"
"Then you are a witch, you will be just as good at it as you are at everything else. Caroline tells me you're more focused than her and Elena together when you set your sights on something."
"But-"
"No buts, Bonnie. Imagine all the things we could be doing if you were a witch! You could fly us, you could make Tiki less annoying, you could compel teachers to give us less homework, oh my god, you could even get us into nightclubs!"
"That doesn't sound too bad," Bonnie sighed resigned but not fully convinced.
"Why are you afraid?"
"I... After mom left, it was just my dad and I. He's always travelling and he's rarely at home, but he's still here for me. Dad doesn't like the witchy business. He doesn't even like me spending a lot of time with Grams. I love Grams, but she's never actually here, you know, always in her own world. I don't want to become like that. I don't want to lose my dad."
Caroline had the young witch in her arms, she settled against the arm of the chair, just rocking the other girl slowly. "Bonnie, you always have us, Elena and I. We promised to be there for each other forever, remember. Cassie's here too. You're not alone. And you're not going to become like your Grams either. She's old and slightly loopy and the drinking isn't helping. Of course, you won't become like her. Not until you're eighty."
Bonnie managed a smile at that, Cassie chuckled.
"You are family, Bonnie. You were there when my dad left, you're there when Mom doesn't bother about me. I know it feels alone and scary to have no one to turn to. Maybe that's how we found each other. I'll always be there for you." Caroline added softly.
It tugged Cassie's heart. "Sometimes the family you make it better than the family you get."
She was just making her way out after the girls slept when Sheriff Forbes reached home.
"Sheriff," she greeted. "The girls just slept."
"Thank you, for being there today."
"You're taking care of the town, two teenagers is the least I can do, we've become friends," she smiled softly, looking at the house.
"That's good to hear. They can use some influence and support. Especially, Caroline. I don't think I'm someone she wants to look up to."
"I might have to disagree, she's just as strong as you. No one wants to admit they look up to adults when they're in their teens."
"But the skipping classes to go shopping will not repeat."
"Of course," Cassie rolled her eyes and waved.
Cassie came home late at night to find Stefan in her room, she just sighed and gestured for him to get on with it.
"Damon killed someone today," He informed her seriously.
"Yes, Tanner. Anything else?"
"He's dangerous, Cassie. I thought he wasn't, I hoped he wasn't. But you don't know Damon is like when he's in these phases."
"If that's all, I'd like to sleep."
"Cassie-" he strode to her, pulled her face, "You have to leave," he tried to compel her.
That was the last thread for Cassie, she pulled the stake from her jacket she kept handy and stabbed him before he could defend.
Damon came into the view clapping.
"She knows," Stefan gasped.
"Of course, she does, brother. Here you are, still blind to what is right in front of you."
"She's a vampire too?" his face lost color.
Damon burst out laughing. "Wow," Cassie just shook her head. "Leave, Stefan," she pointed to the door.
"Must you antagonize him at every turn!" she yelled at Damon.
"He's too weak and I need to know he won't snap to being the monster he's hiding with high efforts."
She just shook her head. "I don't really care about some teacher's death. But if you lay a finger on any of the girls, you're in for a rude awakening. I will stake you. That's a promise. Now leave!"
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