Bonnie Bennett Pov

*Eight Days Later*

Comfty, in an old rocking chair I pulled from the closet near the bookshelf. I flipped the page of 'Forever This Summer' by Leslie Youngblood. The story reminded me of Emmalynn Bennett's diary, which was below the front of the coffee table.

Four more days, and it would be a month since France. The days have gone by faster than a shooting star.

When there was a knock on the door.

I stood up to place the children's book on the side table near the sofa and cautiously looked out the cabin door window, hoping it was Naysa- back in peace.

On the other side of the door stood Abby, dressed in a light blue denim outfit and Jamie in a brown shirt, brown leather jacket with black jeans.

Eyes widened in joy and shock, with a hint of mystification standing beside them was Angelo, wearing an orange plaid button up -with a white-t-shirt and dark blue jeans.

I ran to swing the door open. "Mom?"

"Oh my goodness, Bonnie." Abby rushes into me hard wrapping her arms around me. "I thought something terrible had happened." She leaned back to look at me. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." I spoke, then eyeing Angelo who seemed relieved.

"Good, because it wasn't easy to find you." Jamie says and I couldn't believe he was here. He clearly hasn't slept, and I knew it was from wonder of what happened in Paris.

Abby stepped back as Jamie gave me a hug so tight it was as if he had superhuman-strength.

It was nice to see them. "I can't believe you're here. How did you find me?" I asked with a huge smile.

They came all the way to Normal, Illinois, while I assumed they would think I'd go radio silent like usual.

"The coven in New Orleans." Angelo says, slowly coming to stand right in front of me. "When the light went at the Gala… That second I knew something was wrong… I knew I had to find help. I went to your hotel to phone Jamie. He was the last number on your call log." He says, hugging me quickly like I was a distant cousin. "I'm glad you're safe, Bonnie. I .. I thought the worst." He whispered, his limbs pained with guilt. Yet smelt so auring.. It was like lemon and ginger tea I suddenly wanted.

I frowned with expanded pity.

"I promise you, I'm okay. Thank you for calling them." I say giving him a reassuring smile.

I awkwardly took a step back, to turn to Jamie who wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we all made our way into the cabin.

Once inside, Abby shut the door and I sat down beside Jamie.

"Alright. What happened, Bonnie? Who took you?" Abby asked.

I exhaled with a shrug, looking at all of them. "This …is going to sound crazy…" I warned her.

"Crazier than me running to New Orleans for the help from Freya Mikaelson?" She said sitting on the coffee table in front of me.

My eyes narrowed with shock. "The only remaining Original witch? That's very unlike you. Thought you vowed to never get involved with an Original after everything that has happened?"

"She's not a vampire Bonnie, She's a witch. The past doesn't matter when it comes to your wellbeing. We needed to find you. So, yes since I no longer can use magic due to vampirism we need Fraya's help." She said and I glanced over at Angelo who nodded in agreement.

"You flew from Paris to New Orleans?" I asked him.

"Once I knew you were no longer in France,.. Yes." He responded calmly.

I wondered if he was worried The Armory took me hostaged. Which wouldn't have been the first time sickos from an Armory wanted me.

"Freya has a witch coven with Vincent Griffith, and Davina Claire. Their two understudies Cleo Sowande and Amy helped us locate you. We knew you were alive but had no idea where?" Jamie stated.

I snorted. "Naysa Bennett had a very powerful cloaking spell. Before she left she said she was protecting me. A part of me actually believes her."

"Naysa? Naysa Bennett? That name is in your Grams grimoire." Abby says.

"Yeah, she's one of the most powerful witches of our Bennett bloodline and not some deceased ancestor."

"How is it that she's alive?" Abby questioned.

"Ah, a good 'Longevity Spell." I responded.

"Wow!" Jamie exclaimed beside me.

"I better grab us some drinks for the rest of this conversation," Abby stated, then used her vampire speed to reach up above the sink and my eyes widened.

In that cabinet were many Amulets that I have not touched.

"What's this?" Abby asked as Anglo sat beside me. His left leg brushed mine, and it took me back to use dancing at the charity gala.

With him and Jamie on each side of me, I would like to know how they introduce themselves to each other. Abby must have briefed Jamie on the face to face introduction once Angelo landed. Jamie must have assumed once he got the call from Angelo -that he was speaking to a vampire. Speaking to another Enzo, whom he never met.

With Jamie on my left and Angelo on my right, I suddenly remembered that Abby had asked me a question.

"Oh. I ah… I found it days ago. It must be Naysa's."

Angelo's eyes looked directly into mine as I looked at his hair.

His hair was slicked back and his aftershave still inviting.

"I know… it's.. Different." He whispers with a shy smile.

"What do you think happened to Dalton St. John journals?" I asked him.

Angelo narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps the same thing that has happened to Enzo's, someone made sure they weren't found again." He shrugs and I instantly think of Naysa.

Just the way Naysa said that she was aware that I read Emmalynn's diary because she made it so Angelo could find it.

She said the closer he got to the truth, the more they would try to hide it from him. She clearly knows way more than I do about him. The only warning she led was to be careful of his family and not of him.

"This doesn't look familiar." She says speaking of the trinkets in the cabinet. "Did you also know there's an Athame behind it?" Abby asked.

"I saw. Did not touch." I stated, Naysa may have given me her house but not all that is in it is mine at the moment.

"What's an Athame?" Angelo asked, not taking his eyes from me.

"It's a ceremonial dagger with a double-edged blade to direct energy." Jamie answered and I glanced at him.

"Someone's been reading Abby's grimoire." I smirked.

Jamie laughed. "When you hold a baby all night long you tend to do some light reading." He smirks.

I nodded. "How is James adjusting?"

"He's perfect." He smiled. "Let me show you a picture." He says proudly, pulling his cell phone from his brown jacket pocket and on the screensaver and wallpaper were two different photos of James' beautiful light bright skin.

His son was wearing an adorable basketball uniform outfit in one photo, and a sky blue Winnie-the-Pooh onesie as his wallpaper.

"He's a light bulb now, but I can tell by his ears he's going to get darker." Jamie says and I wondered what happened to James' biological parents.

Abby puts down four glasses on the center table and faces me.

"If Naysa Bennett says you need to stay here, then here is where you need to be Bonnie." She said and I narrowed my eyes confused.

"I agree, I'm sure she wants to keep you safe. As we all do." Jamie added.

Which reminded me of what Naysa spoke of Angelo.

"Angelo?" I noticed he wandered over by the bookshelf. "Naysa, mentioned you. Your family. That… I was in danger and to be careful of them. I assumed she meant the St. John's."

Angelo only glanced in my direction, never fully turning to face me.

"I've been searching for my biological family…." He says, then picks up a brown book on the shelf. It was the one that Naysa gave me on the boat. "I found her in New Orleans. I was soon to leave for New York. She knew me… why I was there.. Where I came from… though I had no clue of her. Never met her before, yet she spoke like she knew my past." Angelo spoke.

"What did she say to you?" Abby asked him.

He cleared his throat placing the book back in its place then turned to face us. "Just that she could help me find what I was looking for, and that it was in my blood to stop The Armory. To be honest… that's all I remember. I had no idea what her name was then… I had no idea she was a Bennett Witch." Angelo says. "Guess I'm putting the pieces together just as well as you all are."

"Well, What do you remember besides her leading you to Bonnie?" Jamie asked him.

"I'm- I.. don't know.. I remember …traveling. Then suddenly I was in New Orleans. I casually bumped into her on the street. She led me to her shop. She mentioned she was an old friend of Lucy Bennett years ago. She told me about Bonnie… and Enzo's Journal…I had read it so long ago that I knew he had a connection to my biological family and The . She knew that I wanted to find the truth. That's it." Angelo replied and none of it made any sense.

Clearly, Naysa very much knows who Angelo is and what the answers to his unanswered questions are. So Why doesn't she tell him who his biological parents are?

"Well, If she's on a mission to get rid of any evil people responsible behind the Armory then we should help her by staying out of the way." Jamie says, as he places his cell phone back in his jacket pocket.

"I agree." Abby stated.

I sighed. Thinking back to the time Klaus Mikaelson first arrived in Mystic Falls, months after Katerine seeked out Stefan and Damon to get her hands on the Moonstone.

Naysa went to great lengths to center Angelo here. What is she hiding?

Surprised Damon hasn't gotten back to me yet. He usually returns my calls. "All witches are family. We're all bonded together by a code of loyalty to help each other. Naysa must have loyalty elsewhere as much as to me." I stated.

"Now that we know you're safe, I should be on my way." Angelo says, turning to face me. "I know I'm a few days behind, though something tells me that Naysa is going to need assistance."

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"Wait!" Abby says, looking at Angelo. "Your memory, Bonnie can help you." She then looks at me. "I know a ritual you can do to help his memory return, then we can find out the truth. About everything." She says looking directly at Angelo.

I nod. Slowly looking at Angelo who pulled at the back of his neck nervously. "Ritual? Will it hurt?"

"Possibly, however, it won't last. Jamie and I will return once we gather what Bonnie will need." She says, curiously waiting for Angelo to object.

"You're leaving." I say fast, not wanting any of them to go. "Can't you just look for the stuff here?" I ask, glancing around the wooden home.

"It's best if we go into town and buy everything fresh. Who knows what-else Naysa spelled in this house." She said, grabbing a miniature version of her grimoire from her pocket. "Here, true to page twenty-four. Memorize the spell and help him mentally prepare. His aftershave is giving me a headache." She said handing me the book and I watched as Jamie gave me a reassuring nod, then followed Abby towards the front door.

I stood up holding onto Abby's second grimoire as Angelo looked at me.

"Is there any way you can find my mother? If she's alive or dead?" He asked and I sighed.

"I honestly don't know." I answered. He slowly took a few steps towards me.

"When I was on the plane, I was so exhausted that I dreamed about her. About you." He says.

"What happened? In the dream?" I asked.

"I think… She was channing. You were there with me, waiting. Then she started reading… I believe she was a witch.,. Then I started seeing myself… ill…a dying child. With a spell she linked her life force to mine. She restored my life, then she was gone and all I wanted to do was find you."

I tilted my head as he paused right in front of me.

It was like ginger lemon tea around me. "She sacrificed her life to save yours?" I ask.

"Yes. I believe so."

We both lowered ourselves to the sofa at the same time, a little too close and we paused inching away.

He smirked. "My aftershave doesn't bother you does it?"

I snorted. "No."

He nodded. "That's good."

I sat back getting comfortable on the sofa.

"Well there's two extra rooms back there. Small but cozy." I stated.

"Thank you." He smiles with a nod.

"Guess I should start reading." I noted with a sigh.

Opening the grimoire and flipped to the twenty-fourth page.

"What did your mother mean by getting me mentally prepared?" Angelo asks.

"Um.. she meant to warn you that the truth could be awful." I assumed.

"I've imagined that much."

"Even if the people you call family are responsible for her death?" I pointed out.

"They are responsible for so much… it would not be surprising."

"What will you do once you find out the truth?" I asked curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… you can't run around following me to the ends of the earth. There has to be something else out there for you."

He laughed. "What if I enjoy following you around?"

I rolled my eyes. "You don't, and you won't."

"I disagree." He smirked. "What about you? What are your plans for the future? Ever consider taking your boss up on his old offer and try for a second date?"

I laughed. "I think things now with Moses are what they should have always been."

"What's that?" He asked.

"No exciting romance, just friendly office banter." I smirked.

"Your… ah.. Jamie was extremely worried when I called him. Face to face his love for you is admirable. Even with his family, he's still very loyal to you." He said and I nodded.

"He's… my family. I'd always care for him the same." I admitted.

Angelo glanced down at his untouch wine glass that Abby poured with a nod.

I was silent as he reached over to grab the glass. "Let's toast to the future." He says, then grabs the other. "I toast my biological mother.. Who I hope is free, alive and has no memory of my birth and welcomes me with open arms, because nothing is more tragic than a 'sexy intelligent man with a shady past." He mocked.

I smirked, giving him the side eye as he laughed.

Letting out an awkward cough, I bit my bottom lip trying my best not to blush in embarrassment. "I don't remember calling you that." I lied.

I sorta did call him sexy in Paris, Didn't I?

Though I gently took the glass out of his hand, and exhaled.

"Well, I toast that once I return to Egypt my sponsor generously gives me all shares to run my own urgent rescue organization, shelter and possibly going back to school for nursing." I smiled hopefully.

With a nod we both clanked our glasses then knocked back the wine.

The ting was rich berry fruit taste but of course not too sweet.

Angelo lightly touched the bottom and top of his lip with his tongue, he shrugged not completely impressed.

"Arbor Mist - Strawberry White Zinfandel." I say not disappointed as I had the wine before.

"Hmm, I took Naysa more of a Pinot Noir type of woman."

I gave a small laugh. "Yes, almost all types of Pinot Noir are great. One thing about across the water that I miss is my mornings in the city of love alone in my favorite cafe."

"Have you ever tried 'Nebbiolo?" Angelo asked standing up from the sofa to head for the kitchen.

"No. What's that?" I shifted my body, lifting my knees to fold them underneath me.

"It's a red wine from Piedmont, Nebbiolo. It has high levels of polyphenols like procyanidin." He opened the kitchen cabinet and grabbed something then walked back into the room.

"Procyanidin protects the heart and cardiovascular system, right?" I asked.

"Yes. The wine also contains melatonin. Meaning on very hard work nights.. It came in handy for my trouble with sleep."

To my surprise Angelo not only held Naysa's wine strawberry bottle but a brown matchbox and four big candles.

I narrowed my eyes up at him. "Candles?"

"I remember when I was thirteen years old and I had a dream of this woman on a bus talking to me. It was like I already knew her." He mentioned. "I always felt good being around friends or work colleagues because they were my chosen family. When I was fourteen I started applying for odd jobs to make cash. It's mostly how I spent my long summer away."

"What type of odd jobs did you do?" I asked curiously.

"Mainly Pizza delivery, bus boy, yard worker." He slowly moved to take his seat back beside me.

"Wow, who knew 'clean cut guy' once got his hands dirty." I mocked.

He smirked. "I'm a square now, though I wasn't far from a drape's lifestyle."

I nodded comprehending what he meant. "So, Did the piano playing take a backseat?"

Angelo turned his head to place the four candles in a line. "Ah, honestly I had stopped playing for a bit back then. I only started to reteach myself when I moved to China."

"Why did you decide to pick it back up?" I asked.

He shrugs, taking a match from its small brown box and lighting it in one scratch motion.

"My brother Gideon had visited me in class. He didn't expect to see me in one piece. We talked a lot about him spending time in New orleans. He had wanted me to visit him.

His brother is a medium. It's strange wondering if he was a good influence or not on Angelo.

"Tell me again about Gideon, and your other brother. Do you speak to them often?" I asked as he reached for my wine glass and I handed it to him.

"Not like I would want. Gideon's the oldest and Jeremiah is in the middle. Now that I think about it … Raviv is the man that raised us… but Dalton St. John Jr. step-brother David ..could be our kidnapper. None of us look alike. Like the Sanderson sisters- except we're guys." He joked. I laughed at his 'Hocus Pocus' movie reference. "Though… that is just a hunch which tells me so." He added.

After the candles were lit, Angelo poured us another glass of wine.

"I'm starting to believe that Gideon, Jeremiah and myself are captured orphans to hunt." He says lifting my glass for me to take.

"To hunt what?" I ask, already knowing.

Touching his fingertips with mine I paused as the sudden warmth caused the hairs on my skin to rise.

"Vampires… witches… and werewolves." He said looking at me with a shrug, then lifted his glass. "Perhaps this is what your mother was wanting me to mentally prepare for."

I cleared my throat, not saying a word. I see why Emmalynn's diary was important to read.

"My biological parents could all be slaughtered to dirt and gravel. Grace was married to St. John home. She knew that I would be at your gala that night in France, she was there when Moses called and notified the authorities of you being taken. She knew I've been withholding the truth from her. I left without a word to rush to your hotel room. I didn't care what she thought, I just knew I had to find you." He admits.

Taking a sip of my wine, I couldn't help to think that this Grace person could be the common enemy of Naysa's who she had to end things with.

"So, are you ready to bring me pain?" He asked with too much humor.

I snorted with a head shake. "No. Not at all."

"Well, that would be the first. Most brilliant witches love infecting pain."

"Not this one." I admitted, picturing Luka Martin's face in my mind.

"Then… What's the plan?" He asked curiously.

I sighed, glancing around the sofa and table for the small remote to the T.v.

I spotted it on the armrest and quickly grabbed it.

"Let's watch trash T.v. and allow me to think it over." I started leaning back against the sofa more comfortably.

Angelo nodded then stood to his feet.

"Alright. You watch T.v. while I read 'The Photo of Dorian Gray." He said walking over to take the book from the shelf, then slowly came back to sit down.

I smirked, shaking my head looking at the T.V. screen. "You mean "The Picture of Dorian Gray." I corrected him.

He gave me a knowing smile, with no comeback.