The three hours Bonnie and Tyler spent at the Falls turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. The nervous energy that threatened to make her climb the walls had dissipated almost as soon as she started running. However, Bonnie had been in need of something else that she could not find the words to describe. Fortunately, Tyler understood what his mate needed even if she did not at the time. The couple had shed their clothes to go for a swim in the lake but it had not been an overtly sexual activity. Tyler and Bonnie had wrestled in the chilly water and even played Marco Polo. The game was more interesting when played by individuals that possessed enhanced senses. They had even spent time testing the limits of Bonnie's swimming acumen. She had been an avid swimmer since childhood. Grams had actually taught her to swim in that very lake.

Despite years of swimming under her belt, Bonnie had never been able to swim from the shore to the waterfall. She always grew tired near the halfway point and had to return to the shore. However, Tyler thought it would be a good idea to explore Bonnie's new abilities. The girl saw the wisdom in that because she was faster and stronger than she had ever been. Tyler explained that strength and endurance weren't the only abilities a wolf possessed that would prove useful. Regular wolves were natural swimmers, as was the case for many canines, but werewolves could travel at least a dozen miles across water without tiring.

Bonnie had been wary about swimming that far away from the shore, but the confidence she felt through the bond reassured her. Even if she was not capable of making it to the waterfall, she trusted Tyler to help her. He had skillfully guided her through all the unfamiliar changes she had encountered since Saturday morning. However, she hadn't been in need of rescue. Bonnie swam across the lake as if it were the most natural thing in the world—because it was. She had been exhilarated by her accomplishment but it was amplified by the pride she felt radiating from Tyler.

Bonnie wanted to explore a system of caves only accessible through the waterfall, but Tyler vetoed that idea. Their shoes and clothes were tucked safely on the other side of the lake. The hybrid was concerned about the risk of Bonnie suffering a serious injury on their little adventure. He had no problem feeding his blood to her—it always made him hard for reasons he didn't quite understand. Bonnie had only fed from him in the safety of her home where the probability of someone killing her was very low. However, being out in the real world changed the stakes exponentially. Bonnie had been disappointed at first, but ultimately understood his concern. She had no interest in being a vampire. Frankly, they didn't even know if she would survive the change without the benefit of doppelganger blood. Tyler promised that they would return to the Falls the next day if her heat cooperated.

Afterwards they swam back to the shore, dressed, and walked back to Bonnie's house. When they arrived, Russell Crow was perched on the highest branch of the mature Rowan tree in her front yard. The crow had cawed loudly to draw her attention upward. However, Bonnie had felt the creature's presence as soon as they approached the house. She had told Tyler that she could not put off calling Damon any longer or he would show up. The vampire wasn't exactly known for his patience. Tyler had gone upstairs to shower and to give Bonnie some privacy. He figured with the running water and a floor separating them he wouldn't be able to accidentally eavesdrop.

Damon spent the first ten minutes complaining about her being out of touch. He pointed out that there could have been an emergency. They were in Mystic Falls where things had a way of devolving into chaos at the worst possible time with absolutely no warning. However, Bonnie knew that he was using that as a way to mask his concern for her. Damon had made himself her unofficial guardian since Qetsiyah resurrected her. Sometimes Bonnie liked to give the vampire a hard time because it was the nature of their friendship. Yet she was grateful to have someone care if she was alive or dead because that hadn't always been the case.

Damon spent the rest of the conversation railing about Elena showing up at the boarding house that morning unannounced and uninvited. Of course, she was not allowed into the house but Stefan had talked to her outside. Apparently, the Augustine group located at Whitmore College wasn't an isolated group. The secret society had chapters at three other North American universities. A few members had shown up on campus' investigating the deaths of their counterparts. Elena feared it would not be long before the trail led back to Enzo—and them by association. She thought that they should 'do something' about the black sheep of their little group.

Bonnie felt guilty for not returning his calls that morning. The girl knew that he was still stung by the break up. She promised to call him back after talking to Tyler. Elena wanted everyone to meet at Mystic Grille after closing to discuss their next move. However, Bonnie didn't know if that was possible for her and Tyler. There was no rhyme or reason for when a heat phase began or ended. It wouldn't be a good idea to be in such a public place with no quick escape. Tyler was territorial but it was more intense once the pheromones began affecting him. Moreover, she got the distinct feeling that the talk about the Augustine group would be derailed once their vampire friends got one whiff of them.

After talking to Damon, she took a hot shower and then dressed in shorts and a tank top. Bonnie grabbed her phone and walked downstairs to find Tyler. However, she stopped on the stairs when she smelled someone else in the house and oddly enough some sort of cooked beef. Bonnie sniffed audibly and identified that person as another wolf. She finished descending the stairs and walked into the kitchen where the scent originated. Bonnie lifted an eyebrow when she saw a brunette man fussing with a large foil covered aluminum pan. He was trying to put it into the oven without success. Bonnie cleared her throat. "Hello?"

His head popped up and his eyes went wide when he saw Bonnie. "Hi. I'm not an intruder."

She chuckled and said, "I didn't think that you were." She sniffed the air and said, "Burglars don't usually bring roast beef with them."

"Brisket," he corrected.

Bonnie's stomach audibly growled in response. She asked, "Where's Ty?"

"Oh, he is out on the deck talking to my aunt. He will be back in a few minutes. I'm Jonas."

"It's nice to meet you, Jonas. I'm Bonnie," she replied.

"I know," he replied. "I mean…I don't know you but I have heard all about you."

"Yeah?" she asked. Bonnie walked over to the cupboard and pulled out a roasting pan. She rinsed it in the sink and then said, "That pan won't fit in the oven. We should transfer the brisket into this."

He nodded and started to walk towards Bonnie but then stopped as if he thought better of it. Jonas looked toward the back door in contemplation.

Bonnie slowly began to understand his apprehension. Tyler had reacted poorly when Damon had touched her. That was before her first heat had started and Damon had no longer been present. Bonnie shuddered to think how Tyler would react to another wolf touching her. She moved out of the way and smiled at Jonas. "You can just place it on the counter. I'll take care of it."

He gave her a grateful look and then followed her instructions. "I'll just…"

The girl raised an eyebrow as he beat a quick retreat to the back door. Bonnie pulled the foil off the pan and inhaled deeply. The brisket smelled mouth watering. It was a particularly timely delivery since they had missed lunch and dinnertime was approaching quickly. Bonnie washed her hands and proceeded to cut the eight-pound brisket in half. She transferred one-half to the roasting pan and then put it into the oven to warm up. Bonnie moved over to the island and inspected two other aluminum pans. She found that one contained macaroni and cheese. Meanwhile, the other pan contained honey glazed baby carrots. Those pans were smaller so she was able to fit them into one of the double ovens after stealing a few carrots to sample. It would have been too much food for two humans with average appetites. However, average went out the window when talking about werewolves.

Tyler stepped into the kitchen and smirked when he saw Bonnie eating the honey glazed baby carrots with her fingers. "Good, right?"

Bonnie laughed at herself for being caught. She nodded. "Yes. What is all this?"

He locked the door and walked over to her. "I texted Ruby before we went for our run. I asked her to send something over for dinner. I figured neither of us would be in the mood to cook anything and we would be hungry from the run."

"So hungry," she agreed. "That was so sweet of you, Ty. Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied as he wrapped his arms around Bonnie's waist. He opened his mouth and said, "Ahhhh…"

Bonnie chuckled and placed a carrot into his open mouth.

Tyler grabbed her hand and sucked the honey off her fingers before letting her go. He kissed the side of her neck. "Thank you."

She giggled and gently elbowed him in the stomach. "I am guessing the really nervous guy I just met is gone."

He chuckled and said, "Yeah, Jonas left a few minutes ago. He's pack. He is also my cousin. Ruby thought I would be less likely to wolf out on someone that is family. Having another male in the house, for any length of time, during the mating cycle is tempting fate."

Bonnie turned around so that she was facing Tyler. "He seemed nice."

"He is one of the first friends I made when I became alpha of the pack. Jonas is a couple years older than I am."

She wrapped her arms around Tyler's neck. "He said he knew all about me."

Tyler scowled playfully. "I might have mentioned you in passing."

"Only in passing, huh?" she asked.

He lifted Bonnie off her feet and asked, "Are you questioning my honesty?"

Bonnie wrapped her legs around Tyler's waist and nodded. "Uh huh. I think you have been infatuated with me. I think you were writing my name in your notebook and drawing little hearts around it."

"Drawing hearts is passé. I might have spent my time drawing you," he replied with a cheeky smile.

"Are you joking?" she asked.

Tyler shook his head and asked, "Is that creepy? It feels like it might be creepy now that I've said it aloud."

She quickly shook her head. "No, I don't think it is creepy. I always liked seeing your drawings. Even that seriously obscene picture book you drew in eighth grade. I learned about oral sex because of that book."

His cheeks colored at that. Tyler had spent the summer before eighth grade hanging out with Mason. He might have picked up some (re: too much) information about sex. He turned his uncle's bawdy stories into a highly inappropriate comic book that his friends passed around for a week before a teacher discovered it. The school wanted to suspend Tyler for two weeks. Carol had been mortified. However, Richard made a hefty donation to make it all go away. "The girls weren't supposed to see that. It said 'Boys Only' right on the cover."

Bonnie shrugged and grinned at him. "I know but I stole it from Matt. Are you going to let me see the drawings you made of me?"

"Sure. I brought my sketchbook with me. I have one or two in there," he explained.

"Cool."

Tyler set Bonnie on her feet and asked, "How did your call to Damon go? Will Russell Crow stop stalking us?"

Bonnie bit her lip because she didn't feel like ruining the happy atmosphere. However, the Augustine group operating around Whitmore again concerned Tyler, too. "It was very not good. Elena dropped by the boarding house this morning."

Tyler had never been particularly close to Elena, but even he thought that she had been behaving strange lately. It seemed as if she was trying to hide this uncharacteristic edge to her personality. Sometimes she said rude or sarcastic things and immediately fumbled for an insincere apology. "What did she want?"

She frowned.

He lifted an eyebrow at Bonnie. "Is it that bad?"

"I dunno. It involves Enzo and the Augustine group," she replied with distaste.

"I thought Enzo killed all of them."

Bonnie said, "Elena thinks that there are different chapters. The people she spotted on campus poking around the old building were all in town for some lecture. She spied their visitors' badges and saw that they were from other colleges."

Tyler tensed. "What are we doing about this?"

"Elena suggested that we all meet up at Mystic Grille after it closes tonight. I mean you don't have to go since everyone thinks you are still out of town. But they're going to know something is up if I don't show."

He nuzzled her neck and said, "Or you could have Damon tell everyone you are too sick to show up. Then he can stop by to update us."

Bonnie pantomimed making her hands into claws. "Are you going to go all grrrrrrr on him?"

Tyler chuckled at her attempt at a growl. "That was cute."

She rolled her eyes and lightly slapped his arm. "I'm being serious. Damon is like my best friend. You biting him is not an option."

"I will control myself as long as he doesn't touch you," he swore.

"This sounds like a disaster waiting to happen but I'll text him. He'll probably cover for me just so that he has a reason to come over later. He is so nosey."

Tyler grinned. "Problem solved. I am going to check on the food. It should be hot enough now."

Bonnie said, "I'll grab the plates."

The couple moved around the kitchen with the urgency of two werewolves that hadn't eaten in over eight hours. A few minutes later, they were seated in the kitchen's breakfast nook. They piled their plates high with the delicious smelling foods and began eating.

Tyler asked, "Has Elena seemed off to you lately?"

Bonnie frowned as she drank some water. "I haven't really spent much time with her since she broke up with Damon. It was one of those situations where I had to choose a side even though no one directly asked me to."

"And you chose Damon?" he asked without judgment.

She bit her lip. "I know that Elena and I have been friends our whole lives but I wouldn't be alive without Damon. And she really did a number on him, Ty. The things that Elena said when she broke up with Damon were just cruel and unfeeling. I thought that maybe she had turned off her humanity. Why did you ask about Elena?"

Tyler stopped chewing mid bite and shook his head. "I don't really have a reason to see Elena often. When I do see her, she seems different to me. At first, I thought I had just been away from Mystic Falls for too long. People have been known to change. I mean she has lost most of her family and she became a vampire. Anyone might be a little screwed up after that. I know that becoming a hybrid changed me."

Bonnie asked, "What are you saying?"

Tyler's wolf was warning him away from the situation for some reason. He wasn't sure if the wolf was just eager to keep Bonnie safe or if it was something more. "I am saying that I don't trust Elena. I think we need more information before we go off on a wild goose chase on her say so. How did she even sniff out these other Augustine members? I doubt their name tags said that they were part of a secret society that kidnapped and tortured vampires."

She frowned because Tyler had raised a good question. "I don't know. Damon only gave me a brief overview. He didn't know all the details. I guess Elena is planning to fill in the blanks tonight at the meeting. I am interested in why Enzo has suddenly disappeared. Damon hasn't heard from him in awhile. He thought Enzo was just pouting because Damon didn't join in on his killing spree but maybe it is something different."

"I don't like any of it," he muttered.

Bonnie didn't need for Tyler to tell her that. She detected a feeling of overwhelming dread leaking through their bond. She could tell Tyler was trying to block the feeling but his emotions were so strong that he couldn't contain it. She reached across the table and took his hand. "What's wrong, Ty?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. Have you ever felt like you've missed out on something that has been right in front of your face?"

She asked, "You mean like the fact that we've been trying to ignore our feelings for each other for months?"

"No, I was paying attention to that…a lot. Having enhanced senses means ignoring things all day. I have to filter the things I think are important or relevant to me. I discard everything else or it can be staggering. Sometimes it is just an invasion of privacy. Like Matt is dating someone but he hasn't told anyone."

She perked up. "Matt is dating someone?"

He nodded. "A couple nights a week he comes home smelling like French vanilla body wash. I figure it is none of my business so I haven't said anything to him."

"Let's put a pin in the whole Matt is secretly dating someone. What does this have to do with Elena?"

"Just because I disregard certain things…it doesn't mean that I forget them. Something is off about Elena and I intend to find out what it is before we blindly follow her," he said.

Bonnie smiled at him.

"What he asked?"

"I don't know…I like when your eyes go all flinty like that. It's sexy," she muttered in embarrassment.

"Oh yeah?" he asked with a cocky smirk.

She rolled her eyes and went back to eating. "You killed the mood."

He winked at Bonnie. "No, I didn't."

Tyler grabbed his phone and sent a message to Gabe. If anyone could dig up information on the Augustine group it would be him.