The two children were cruising in Dylan's boat in silence. Zoe kept looking back. She couldn't see the dock or the other boats anymore. "This is far enough. We should turn around Dylan."
Dylan just looked straight ahead of him. Ignoring his sister.
"Dylan? Turn around. Now. What the hell is wrong with you!" she yelled.
When he looked at his sister he had tears in his eyes.
Zoe looked away. Feeling ashamed for yelling at him. The sight of Dylan like this hurts deeply. Her always lively jolly brother who loved to tease her sitting there with tears in his eyes.
He cleared his throat and said. "Walter's parents are divorced. He said we will get use to it. We will stand in court and the judge will ask us who we want to live with. Mom or dad." Dylan said and wiped his tears away.
"Is that what happened to Walter?" Zoe asked softly.
Dylan nodded his head yes and said. "Yeah that's what he said will happen to us. Who are you going to pick?" He asked and looked away when Zoe looked at him wide eye.
"Dylan Salvatore I forbid you to talk such things. Mom and dad will never divorce. Look, I'm feeling sorry for Walter, he is a good kid, but you shouldn't listen to him." Zoe said softly.
"Walters mom said its because dad is seeing other women." Dylan said.
Zoe gasps. "That woman is a venomous snake Dylan. No wonder Walter's dad walked out on her." Zoe covered her mouth quickly with her hand. Feeling guilty for what just came out of her mouth but she's feeling so angry at that woman right now.
"I will have to move with dad to New York. Start a new life. New friends. I want you to look after Heidi (The name of Dylan's boat) for me. She's my pride." Dylan said wit a sad voice.
"Stop it Dylan. Please. Dad loves mom. They love each other and you know that Dylan Salvatore. So take your words back." Zoe said as tears welled up in her eyes.
"Mom was flirting with a guy in our kitchen yesterday. So wake up princess the writing is on the wall." Dylan said. He felt like a worm for taking out his fear and sadness on Zoe, but he could not stop himself . Its her own fault that she came with him when he wanted to be alone.
Zoe's green eyes fumed. "Liar!" she yelled and smacked him on the cheek.
Dylan touched his stinging cheek and said. "Better get out of that bubble your living in Zoe and face reality."
Zoe snapped inside. "I said stop it! Stop it!" Zoe yelled. Suddenly a strong wind swept over them and the boat tilted dangerously.
With fast beating hearts and wide eyes the two stare at each other in silence. "Did you do that?" Dylan asked his sister. Foolishly hoping she said yes.
Zoe shook her head no and looked up. Dark clouds forming in the sky. The first raindrop hitting her hard on the forehead. "Turn around Dylan now." She said softly in an urgent voice.
Dylan had trouble turning the small dinghy boat around. The wind that came up suddenly tilted the boat dangerously from side to side knocking Zoe almost over board.
"Take out the life jackets Zoe." Dylan said hard over the sound of the rain falling down hard on them. Quickly the two kids put the life jackets on.
Mystique Lake was no small Lake. It is a wide winding Lake stretching miles and miles of clear blue water.
The sky now tar-black with large black clouds moving towards them. How can this be? The weather was just fine moments ago. Dylan thought franticly. "Come now Heidi! Take us home!" Dylan pleaded. The small boat fought against the wind. The motor of the boat protesting loudly under pressure from the elements of nature.
Zoe screamed as a small bolt of electricity hit the water not far from them. "Dylan we need to get on land!" Zoe screamed. Zoe knew how dangerous lightning can be when it hits water. If that bolt was any closer they would have been electrocuted.
"I'm trying!" Dylan said. He was having great difficulty in steering the small dinghy boat back to the docks. Wet hair clinging to his head. His hands trembled from the cold.
"Let me help." Zoe said. Slowly she got up and moved carefully towards him in the moving boat.
"No Zoe! Stay where you are!" Dylan screamed but it was too late. With a scream Zoe was knocked off the boat. Hitting the cold Lake water face first.
...
The storm hit the town of ML hard. Shops closed early and no one dared to leave the safety of their homes. Wind blowing furiously in the streets knocking out car windows. Lightning flash across the sky and thunder rumble hard. An avalanche of hailstones fell from the sky.
The Salvatore Home
Bonnie was busy in the kitchen when Damon came in with a small bag.
"I should get going. I forgot to pack my shaving kit." He said to her.
"You don't have to go Damon. I ... I don't want you to go out there now." Bonnie said softly and looked away from the intensity in his eyes.
Damon walked to his wife. "Bon, I don't want him coming to my house. I'm afraid of what I will do to him if he ever comes near you again. I respect your decision for us to have time out but don't expect me to sit and do nothing while he takes you away from me." Damon put his forehead against hers. His arms going around her waist.
Bonnie swallowed hard.
Damon cupped her face gently with his hands. "I love you Bonnie. Please let me come home. I miss having you in my arms. I miss waking up next to you."
Their cordless phone ring hard and Bonnie jumped a little from the sound. She quickly walked to it. "Halo? Halo? Oh Mrs Thornburg. I .. I. can hear you properly? What about Zoe and Dylan? What? Halo? Halo?" the line went dead. With a shaky hand Bonnie put the phone down. Damon was next to her. A worried look on his handsome features.
"Bonnie what's wrong? What did old Mrs Thornburg say?" Damon asked his wife.
"She asked if Zoe and Dylan was back. She saw them walking to the Lake earlier today." Bonnie said in a trembling voice.
Damon immediately rushed upstairs with Bonnie behind him. Bonnie went to Zoe's room. She found it empty. When she came out of the room she saw Damon closing Dylan's bedroom behind him. He looked paler then ever.
"No." Bonnie whispered.
"Stay here. I'm going down to the Lake." Damon said to her.
"No! I'm coming with you."
Kenzie came out of her room hearing her mom and dads voices in the hall.
"What's the matter?" She asked
"I need to get their raincoats and warm clothes Damon." Bonnie said and ran to the kids rooms.
"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?" Kenzie asked with a fast beating heart.
Alex and Justin came out of their rooms. "Dad? What's going on? " He asked.
"Zoe and Dylan might be down at the Lake. I'm going there now. Stay here and hold the fort."
"Dad no! I'm coming with you." Alex said.
"I cant explain now! Just do as I say please. I promise I'll bring them home safely."
Bonnie came back with Zoe and Dylan's raincoats and warm jackets. Socks and warm boots in a black small traveling bag. She nodded her head to Damon and together the two left.
Outside Damon helped his wife against the wind to his car. Like a mad man he drove to the Lake. The car almost rolled over when he suddenly swerved the car to avoid an electric cable in the street.
The Lake
"I want you to stay in the car Bonnie where its safe." Damon said and pushed his door open.
He was a few steps away from the docks when he heard his wife behind him. Damon rushed to Bonnie and helped her up to her feet. "Didnt I tell you to stay in the god damn car!" He yelled over the wind.
Together they stumble against the wind and rain. There was a few boards missing from the dock. The water in the Lake were raging furiously.
"No. Damon." Bonnie sobbed. There was no sight of Dylan's boat or the kids.
"Babe, look at me. I have to go out there and look for them. Go back to the car and wait for us there." Damon said softly. His tears mixing with the rain.
"No. No please Damon. I'm coming with you." Bonnie sobbed against his chest. They both knew that coming back alive or finding the kids alive will be a miracle, but Damon will do anything for his kids. Even if the odds were against him.
"Bonnie we're wasting precious time." He kissed her on her mouth and whispered softly. "I love you. Always." Bonnie tried to pull him back but Damon ran down the docks. To the only boat still anchored. With a heavy heart Bonnie watched him disappear on the stormy Lake.
Bonnie stumbled back weakly. The Lake house was closer so she decided to go there and wait for Damon and the kids and call for help if the radio is still there or working. Bonnie crawled to the Lake house. Wet and muddy she stumbled through the door. With great difficulty closing it behind her. Bonnie rested against the door with eyes closed. "Damon, Zoe, Dylan. Please Lord keep them safe and guide them safely back to us." Bonnie said breathlessly.
"Mom?" Bonnie heard a soft voice say in the dark.
Bonnie's heart froze. "Dylan? Dylan is that you?" Bonnie asked in a weak voice.
With weak cold hands Bonnie fumbled for a flash light on the table. She flashed the light on the crates on the left corner of the room. There, behind the crates was Zoe and Dylan sitting close to each other. Wet. Cold and clearly in shock from their ordeal earlier on the Lake.
Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. Damon Is out there alone. Bonnie's eyes welled up with tears. "Zoe? Dylan?" she whispered. Bonnie rushed to her kids. It took a few minutes for the kids to register that their mom is actually really there.
"Mom!" Zoe sobbed uncontrollably.
"Its okay Princess. Mommy is here. Everything's going to be fine."
"I'm sorry mom. I'm so sorry." Dylan sobbed.
Bonnie hugged her kids tightly. "Kids I need to go find your dad. He .. He is ... .. just stay here and keep the flashlight on. I promise I'm coming back." Bonnie said as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"No mom! No! Please don't leave us. Take us with you." The shock kids reacted franticly. Clinging to her.
"Kids please. Stay here. Okay. Dee keep your sister calm. I need you to be the man now." She said and kissed them before going out again. With driven will power Bonnie stumbled down to the Lake. It was still raining hard but the wind had calm down a bit.
"Damon! Damon! Damon!" Bonnie screamed. There was no sight of him or the boat he left in.
On tired legs she made her way back to Damon's car. She took out the bag with the kids warm stuff in it and struggled back to the Lake house.
The kids rushed to their mom when she came back. "We need to get you out of those wet clothes.
Warmly dressed. The kids rested in their mother's arms. Bonnie could not stop her tears from falling. Every time the thunder rumble in the sky and lightning lit the dark room she bit her lip. Trying hard not to break down and cry.
"Is dad coming to get us mom?" Dylan whispered.
Bonnie swallowed hard and in a shaky voice she said. "Dad will be here soon."
...