~ Chapter Seven ~
The truth is rarely pure and never simple
-Oscar Wilde (The Importance of Being Earnest).
Saturday, 13th February 2010
Gathered around the table in a booked room at Haven's public library, Michael along with Marcus, Matt and Bonnie had been secretly collecting information about Derek. Marcus and Bonnie didn't want to believe that Derek was the mole, but they knew Michael would never lie. With Alexis and Derek have a date day and Robbie doing weapon training with Scott it gave them a whole day to put together the pieces.
With the silencing spell around the room, there was no way their words would be heard by a vampire or human ears.
From retracing Derek's step of his arrival to Light Haven, they discover that Derek was actually in Light Haven the day after the car crash of Marcus's parents. Knowing that would be too close for Marcus, Bonnie and Matt had taken on that lead while Michael and Marcus focused on the first day Derek arrived at school. The day that Derek saved Alexis from almost being sexually assaulted.
Bonnie pulled out her phone and searched up the CCTV video from the garage while Matt pulled out the accident report and the car report sliding it towards Marcus and Michael on the other side of the table.
"Thank God for your mom's friend being the sheriff here, she wants to know if she missed anything with her friend's death," Matt said to Marcus "This" he taps the stapled accident report on the left "is the accident report. It stated that a blown out tire caused the car to swerve off the bridge. This report was the second filed accident report on the computer."
"Wait, second?" Marcus questioned as Matt motioned with his hand for Marcus to turn the page over
"Because Sheriff Monica is very paranoid about reports being on computers she likes to keep the original reports. The third page" he says as Marcus turns to the page.
Skimming the report he reads out loud the notes below "No brake marks on the road. Brakes most likely tamper. Possible Cause of death: Murder."
Marcus stares hard at the word, Murder as his hold on the papers tighten and suddenly he feels a wash of calmness from Bonnie placing her hand over his outstretched hand.
Marcus looks to Bonnie then at Matt "Continue" he said as Bonnie runs her thumb over his knuckles.
Matt nods "Bonnie and I then decided to follow up on where the car was taken" he taps the car report. Michael picks up the file "the garage filed only one report, and that report was the cause to make changes for that second accident report" he looks to Bonnie "this one finally got the chance to compel a human for us to get our hands on the clip."
Bonnie lets go of Marcus's hand and unlock her phone and place the phone in front Marcus and Michael. Marcus presses play and watch Derek walking into the garage and with one hand on the mechanic's shoulder he speaks to the older man.
"We don't know what he said," she begins to explain "unless someone knows how to lip read, but I know for sure that the old man is being compelled-"
"Hence the changes in the report" Michael finishes in which Bonnie and Matt nod in agreement to Michael's statement.
Matt looks to Bonnie mouthing "Tell them."
Marcus looks to Bonnie laying the paper down "What?"
"After Matt and I had seen the clip, we went back to the mechanic. I was afraid that Derek might have had some trigger if I was able to break his compulsion on the mechanic so I decided to do a memory restoration spell. Shift through his memories and thoughts before Derek walked in."
Michael and Marcus looked at Bonnie impressed "Only my mom and Marcus's parents were able to perform such a spell."
"I think it was because I knew what I was looking for that made it easier for me to do the spell" she looks to Marcus "The brake line of the car was cut"
Michael pulled out his file reading dates on Derek's school admission "Then a week later he entered Haven's high" he stated.
Marcus sniffed back his tears and pulled out his phone and searched the video and handed it to Matt and Bonnie to watch.
He looked to Michael motioning for him to explain. Michael understood that Marcus was trying to keep his emotions intact for Bonnie right now was his anchor.
Bonnie pressed play while Michael told them "Thanks to your compulsion of getting all CCTV on Derek's first day we found this at the parking lot just before school started."
Matt looked confused at the clip as Bonnie explained to him "The jock's name is Ryan. That afternoon when school ended. Alexis was on her way to her lockers when this douche-bag cornered her into an empty classroom and attempted to assault her sexually, but Derek came in to save her the exact moment she had used her powers to get him away from her. Derek compelled Ryan to forget everything he saw and never to look at Alexis again. That day Alexis discovers that the new boy was a vampire. Fast forward a year later of friendship that has now become a relationship" she finished angrily that Alexis was the key for Derek to gain the coven's trust.
Matt stood up sharply "He used her," he said.
"Matt…" Bonnie started wrapping her hand around his wrists tugging him to sit back down. She had been noticing lately over the weeks of Matt staying with the coven that he had gotten close with Michael and Marcus, but it was his friendship with Alexis that surprised her. There was just something about those two that tethered towards each other, and it seemed that Derek was noticing since he had been taking her out a lot hence making their secret investigation a lot easier.
Matt sat back down looking across to Michael "What's the next step?" he asked.
"We present our findings to the leaders," Michael said pulling out his phone and pressing his father's contact.
"Hey, dad. We need to have a meeting with the leaders, today. Derek, Alexis, and Robbie can't be near the house" Marcus, Bonnie and Matt look at Michael monitoring all his facial expressions, but he had a poker face and hanged up the phone.
"We can have the meeting in an hour. Robbie's training will be ending in ten minutes, and he's going to meet up here with some classmates for a group assignment. Alexis and Derek's date is still going, and Eric and Amerie are on their way to the house."
"Should we be leaving Alexis with Derek?" Matt asked.
Michael nodded "We have to, or he's going to get suspicious on why we're suddenly separating Alexis from him."
"We better get out of here, before any of Robbie's classmates catches sight of us," Bonnie said grabbing her phone and handing Marcus's phone back to him.
"Yeah we better," Michael said giving the reports back to Matt then looked to Marcus "You okay?" he asked.
Marcus quietly stood up shaking his head. The trio understood Marcus's silence. He was angry. He was trying to control his anger right now. As long as they didn't see Derek right now, it will be okay. Hopefully, later on, Marcus will be able to control his temper.
Bonnie stood up and stepped towards him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and closed her eyes in relief when she felt his tense body relax and hug her back.
Looking up at him, "You're going to get answers" she said.
Marcus nodded "I know" was all he wanted to say but he just placed a chaste kiss on her forehead and hugged her back. He was thankful for Bonnie. He was grateful that she was in his life and for her friendship.
Looking to Michael and Matt with all the strength he could muster up he said: "Lets' go and tell them what we found."
Late in the evening, Matt looked around the coven meeting room that was underneath the training room. Stone walls with flame torches to illuminate the chamber. A stone table with Marcus and Bonnie's phone that contained the clips and the reports laid on the table with the five leaders reading. The silence was tense as the four teens waited for a response of the evidence they presented so far.
"I'm going to kill him" was all Eric said standing up straighter
"I'm with you on that, brother," Scott said, but both men got pulled back by Amerie and Rosario.
In the center, Gabriel looked to the teens "We're going to investigate this further" he looks to Marcus "This time we're going to be the ones to investigate your parent's death. We should have never left this to the cops, and I apologize for that."
Marcus nodded "What about Derek?"
"For tonight, everything stays as it is until we bring Derek on trial."
"What!" Michael exclaimed stepping out of line "Dad we just-" Michael stopped when his father glared at him for speaking out of place.
Gulping he said stared at his father angrily "How can everything just carry on after everything we know!"
Gabriel with a closed fist slammed the table frustrated and looked to his son "But you don't know everything yet, Michael! We need to find out who caused Jackson and Dahlia's car to crash. Was it Derek or was it somebody else working for Klaus? This vampire has too many people working for him, and we haven't even scratched the surface of who he is to cause these many people to die and why? Is this all for the moonstone? Is there a connection we're missing about the moonstone? Why did Jackson, Dahlia and my brother have to die by Klaus's hands?!"
Rosario placed a hand on Gabriel's arm. The older man ran his hand tiredly over his face.
Rosario spoke up for him "Besides we have a going away dinner to put on" looking to Matt who immediately shook his head.
"No, I rather you question Derek then have my going away dinner."
"No, you will leave us on good terms and not with the bloodsheds. That is going to happen" Rosario said then looked to Eric and Amerie "I promise you, we'll deal with Derek tomorrow" she looks to Scott besides her "Can you guys handle that?" looking briefly to Marcus "Can all of you?"
"Yes," they all replied.
Matt blew a breath of relief once the meeting ended.
"This dinner is not going to be awkward," he thought.
It was awkward. Okay not really, with Derek's attention on Alexis and Amerie trying to keep Eric calm from not attacking him across the room. Gabriel and Scott were in charge of the BBQ. Matt and Bonnie did their best distracting Marcus and Michael with chats and game playing with Robbie.
They successfully got through dinner, thanks to Rosario's great table seating arrangement and then everyone kind of scattered back to doing their things. Bonnie looked at her through the glass door to see into the dining area at the sight of Derek and Alexis laughing at the dining table. Bonnie had to laugh a little that every time Matt and Alexis spoke, Derek would put his arm around Alexis. Matt knew when to back off. While there was that dilemma, Bonnie had a dilemma of her own from an e-mail she had received from Elena this afternoon.
The slide glass door opened, and Gabriel stepped out "What's wrong?" he asked knowingly taking a seat beside her.
"Elena e-mailed me this afternoon. It seems Isobel is after something called the Gilbert device."
Gabriel laughed a little to the name "The device believed to be created by Johnathon Gilbert but was spelled by Emily."
Intrigued she turned to look at her uncle "To do what?"
"From what I understand it is said to take down a vampire within a radius range."
"So whoever controls the device can destroy vampires within their proximity."
Gabriel nodded "Is she asking the whereabouts of the device?"
Bonnie shook her "They have it. Technically Damon has it at the moment, but I'm worried."
"About how far Isobel would go to get the device."
Bonnie nodded.
Gabriel took a deep breath in and out not believing he was even considering to ask his niece this question "Do you trust them?"
She raised her eyebrow in confusion.
"Damon…Stefan. Do you trust them to keep the Gilbert device safe?"
Bonnie bit her bottom lip unsure of how to answer him. Did she trust them? Not with her life. With Elena's, yes. "I am confident that they wouldn't let the Gilbert device fall into the wrong hands. To protect Elena's life and of course their lives."
Gabriel nodded "Okay, we'll see if they can handle protecting such a powerful device."
Bonnie looked at him surprised "Considering what's going on, do you trust the Salvatore brothers?"
"I trust you," he said and leaned back "and I may be curious to see how it will all play out" he finished with a smirk.
AN: So a nice and short chapter for you guys. Hope you wonderful readers enjoyed it. Loving the comments/thoughts on the story. Thank you for the those following and favoriting this story.
I have created a character list (how I pictured the characters to look like) and character relationship chart on my Tumblr. The links are found on my fanfic profile.