No pairing

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Mikaelson Mansion

Late Afternoon

Kol handled the Traveller knife with care. It had a curved blade and some unique symbols carved on the handle. Kol had never seen anything similar.

"And you are going to stab the blokes with this and then...?" Kol prompted.

"Do the spell. It will remove all hexes, former spells, and the passenger magic," Bonnie enthused.

"Passenger? Like possession?" Klaus asked, looking over the spell Bonnie was writing out.

"Yes," Bonnie said, concentrating. "My magic is back full force. But I will need to link with you, Klaus. And maybe Kol to draw enough power as there is no natural occurrence for me to draw from. Do you think that was really Greta?"
Klaus shook his head, "I don't know, Bonnie. Maybe she didn't cross over yet? Many New Orleans witches do protection spells, but without a head, that wouldn't really help."

"No, it wouldn't. But maybe she could still body jump?" Kol suggested. "We could see if this passenger spell could go both ways."

Klaus sighed and went over to Damon, still writhing.

"Aye, perhaps. Let's just get Damon and this other chap fixed up and we shall see," Klaus said.

"Shall I see to the doctor and end him, Brother?" Kol asked, pointing toward Wes' cell.

"No, I think the best punishment is to let him live. We could use a live donor or maybe even turn him?" Klaus grinned.

"Turn him? Are you serious? That prick kidnapped me," Kol raged. "Are you daft?"
Klaus' eyes narrowed, "Watch yourself, Brother. This is still my house and you will do well to show me some respect!"

Kol fumed, "You grow bloody soft! I'm sure your new son will be much impressed with your restraint. Or it is weakness?"

"Kol," Klaus growled. "Go see if Finn needs you. We will discuss this outburst later."

"Discuss it with yourself. I'm leaving," Kol said, stomping out.

"Um, is he always such a hothead?" Bonnie chuckled. "But thanks for not telling him the real reason we need him alive. I've never played around with dark magic before. It might not be pretty."

Bonnie recalled some of the sacrificial spells in the expression grimoire. If the Traveller knife failed, she planned to sacrifice Wes' life force to end the power of the serum. She didn't want that spreading around. It would also make her a killer.

"Few things ever are, Miss Bennett." Klaus smirked, "They used to say he was the wildest of us Mikaelsons. You should have seen him in Spain. He once destroyed an entire wedding party we stumbled upon in the forest. Or was that me? We had quite a few nights of drunken revelry."

"Murder fun. Nice." Bonnie rolled her eyes. "I will need some salt for the circle. Candles. Then, I think we'll be ready."

Bonnie had drawn the blood from Elena and had it in a chalice. The young witch ticked off items on her list, hoping to not overlook anything. This was the first big spell she was creating on her own, patching together ideas from the expression grimoire, Esther's notes, and the Traveller book she found in Greta's hidden closet.

Klaus mopped Damon's forehead again.
"This is agony," Klaus uttered, feeling helpless. Bonnie put down her list and went over to Enzo.

"Are you tending to him? He's hurting to," Bonnie said, pointing to Enzo.

"He's not my son. And he got Damon into this mess," Klaus fumed, casting a look of distain toward the other vampire.

"I feel like maybe Damon had a little to do with that," Bonnie added. She got a rag and wiped at Enzo's pale brow. "He's kinda handsome in an oldish way."

Klaus looked up. "I think you ought to leave that to me. Actually, Bonnie, I think it would be wise if you took some rest before the spell. You ought not to overtax yourself. I'm sure my brother saw to it that the sheets in Greta's room were laundered. He already dismissed my staff saying that were ill-trained."

Bonnie felt fine. She was ready to go and get this over with.

"I'm fine. Let's just do this," Bonnie insisted.

"You are sure?" Klaus pressed. He knew that Bonnie couldn't have gotten much sleep. "Have you even eaten?"

"Well, no, not really," Bonnie admitted. "But I'm too keyed up. Really, Klaus, I'm fine."

Klaus was dubious, but he himself lacked the will to argue with the teen. Was he doomed to be surrounded by stubborn fools for all of eternity?

"I shalln't fight with you, but after you must take it easy," Klaus conceded.

"Yeah, whatever," Bonnie said, stepping away from Enzo. "Um, can you move their chains so they can be in the center of the circle?"

"If you need me to," Klaus said. "I am at your service."

"In that case, I could also use a new car," Bonnie smirked.

"Then, you shall have it," Klaus determined.

"I like Damon's car," Bonnie pressed, feeling confident.

"Then, it is yours," Klaus said with a flourish. "I'll buy Damon a new car. I'm sure he won't mind."
"You don't know Damon too well, do you?" Bonnie laughed.

"We haven't had much time to get to know each other. And who cares about a bloody car so much?" Klaus replied.

Bonnie just shrugged and then asked Klaus to gather the troops. It was time.

Mystic Grill

Matt checked his phone again.

"Hey Leroy, I need to take off. I can't get a hold of my sister," Matt yelled into the busy kitchen.

"Now? We're kind of busy," Leroy answered, taking out a serving off fries and dumping them on a plate.

"Yeah, well, I'm working overtime. This isn't even my shift," Matt argued. "Look, I never leave early. I have to go," Matt said firmly.

"Alright, man. Don't get heated. We'll just busy is all," Leroy said. Matt took off his apron and trotted out to his beat up old truck. He had to borrow $50 off of Tyler to get some repairs done. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep it running.

Matt drove home, making sure to stay within the speed limit. He sure as hell couldn't afford a ticket. Not right now, not ever.

Matt only lived a street or two away from the Gilbert house, but his house was about 1/4 of the size. Matt parked in his regular spot and went to enter his key into the lock when he noticed the door was open.
"Vic, I told you to keep the door locked," Matt scolded, walking into the small, dirty kitchen.

To his surprise, his sister was not alone. Kelly, their mom, was sitting at the round kitchen table laughing. A bottle of nearly empty vodka was between them.

"Mom? What are you doing here?" Matt blurted out in surprise.

Kelly giggled and got up to hug her son.

"The last I checked, I still live her," Kelly said. Matt jerked his face away from his mom's breath. It smelled of cigarettes and cheap booze.

"It's been almost a month," Matt replied.

"Matty, don't be mad. Pete and I were close and he dropped me off," Kelly explained, going back to her smokes and drink.
"Yah, Matty, don't be an asshole," Vicki snarked, causing Kelly to laugh again.
"Oh, I'm the asshole? Where were you all day? Jeremy Gilbert was waiting on you at the Grill all morning," Matt said, going to grab a glass of water. He couldn't believe he was losing pay because of this.

"Hey, I called his house and left a message. I lost my cell phone last night in the graveyard," Vicki said, unapologetically.

"So how's it going with Mr. Lockwood? You know, hon, it's just as easy to marry a rich man as a poor one," Kelly lectured.

Matt was done. "Mom, stop. Tyler is with Caroline now. He was never into Vic, he was just using her for sex!"

Vicki stood up and slapped Matt across the face. She was drunk and the slap wasn't hard, but Matt was enraged. He grabbed her arm and pushed her back.

"It's the truth, Vic. I'm sorry. The two of you deserve each other. I'm out of here," Matt fumed, rubbing his face where she had struck him.

"Where are you going? I thought we'd have dinner tonight," Kelly moaned. "Your sister barely touched you."

"Fuck this," Matt said, wiping water from his shirt. "I'm going to Ty's."

"Why don't you screw him?" Vicki screamed. "Since he likes you better."
That struck Kelly as funny and the ladies dissolved into laughter as Matt slammed the door shut.

"He's so like your father, wherever the hell he is," Matt heard Kelly mumble as he stepped off the small porch.

Lockwood Mansion

Tyler stripped off his tie.

"Honey, what are you doing? We're supposed to be at the club soon. It should prove to be a boring dinner with those Fells," Carol Lockwood said as her heels clicked on the polished floors.

Carol frowned and moved Tyler's soda onto a nearby coaster.

Most of the furniture in the house had been there since the 1800s. Sometimes Tyler felt like he lived in a museum, it looked nice, but you couldn't touch it.

"Mom, Matt's having an issue. I'm not going to dinner. I was just going to grab something here," Tyler explained.

"Matt? Ugh, well, your father won't be happy, but I guess that is okay," Carol said.

"I'm sure Dad won't mind," Tyler said under his breath.

Charles and their son had been butting heads more and more. Carol couldn't stand the tension and had started taking medication to deal with it. Charles just harped on the boy non-stop about his friends, his performance on the football field, and anything else he could think about.

"Tyler, your dad loves you," Carol responded. "He just has trouble showing it. It's not easy to be mayor, you know, especially of this town. Here, take some money, just don't order pizza or you are going to start to look like a pizza. Love you."

Carol shoved a fifty dollar bill in Tyler's hand and air kissed him, not wanting to smudge her lipstick.

"Love you, too, Mom," Tyler said, but she was already gone. The only thing left was the lingering smell of her floral perfume, a very expensive one.

Gilbert Residence

"Yes? Really?" Ric asked in disbelief.
"I said 'yes' and I love this ring. It's perfect," Jenna said, as Ric picked her up and spun her.

"You knew, didn't you?" Ric pressed, seeing the look on her face.

"Um, I found the ring in your jacket last week. I was starting to think you were going to ask someone else to marry you," Jenna admitted sheepishly.

"I was going to take you to a nice place. You know, flowers, candles and all that," Ric said. "But I couldn't decide on a place then..."

Jenna kissed him. "This was perfect."

Ric kissed her back. "Wanna tell the kids?"

"No, I want to take a bath. Together. I'll start training you on how to wash my back and serve me champagne," Jenna joked.

"It would be my pleasure, future Mrs. Saltzman," Ric said. "I'll start the water."

"Oh, I thought you would change your name to Sommers," Jenna said lightly.

Ric smirked, "Sure, if you like. Or we could do the hyphenated thing. Saltzman-Sommers?"

"Or Sommers-Saltzman?" Jenna retorted.

"Whatever you want," Ric said. "But I should have a talk with Jer about the pot. I'm not gonna yell at him, just tell him he doesn't need to hide stuff in order to come clean."

"Go on. I can see it's eating away at you. You're a good man, Mr. Sommers-Saltzman. And grab the champagne!" Jenna yelled as Ric left. To herself, she muttered, "At least he never forgets the booze."

***
"Hey buddy, can I talk to you?" Ric asked, knocking on his doorframe.

"Yeah, Ric. I'm not busy," Jeremy said, pushing aside his sketchbook.

Ric sat on Jeremy's full-sized bed.

"Um, look, there was some stuff in Elena's purse this morning. You know, some grass and a pipe? Does that ring a bell?" Ric asked slowly.

Jeremy paled, getting anxious, "Ric, I didn't want you to find it and think I was still using. I didn't smoke it. I swear...and no one calls it 'grass' anymore."
Ric hid a smile, trying to be serious. "Okay, noted. But the point is that you could have just told me and I would have gotten rid of it. I know I was hard on you this morning, but I don't want you to be afraid to come to us about stuff. Okay?"

Jeremy nodded, "Sorry, I should have trusted you. I guess I just freaked and didn't want to make you mad."
Ric reached out and patted him on the shoulder.

"Hey, I wasn't mad," Ric explained. "Okay, I was a little miffed, but honestly, I was more worried about you and your behavior. I'm never angry with you."

Jeremy toyed with a charcoal pencil. "Got it."

"Now, I'm going to ask you something else. And I want you to be honest with me? Where did the drugs come from?" Ric inquired, holding his breath for the answer.

Jeremy fiddled with the pencil.

"Am I going to get in trouble if I don't answer?" Jeremy asked. "I already got Elena in trouble. I just am not sure if I can say."

"Buddy, Elena got Elena in trouble. Can you tell me if it was from Bonnie?" Ric prodded.

"Ric, I really can't answer that," Jeremy said slowly.

"It's okay, Jer. You just did," Ric said. "Don't worry. I won't say anything. Go back to your drawing. Jenna and I are going to take a nap."

Jeremy smirked, "Nap? Is that what they are calling it?"
Ric went to smack his upper thigh lightly.

"Watch it, mister. Or else!" Ric answered with a teasing grin.

"Yeah, yeah. I know," Jeremy said, exhaling. "Go take your 'nap!'"

"Oh, I need some bubbly first," Ric said, mostly to himself. "Love you, kid."
Jeremy smiled, "Me, too."

Mikaelson Mansion

Klaus, Kol, Stefan, and Elijah stood nearby as Bonnie conducted the spell. Kol and Klaus stepped forward, putting a hand on Bonnies shoulder when Bonnie needed their power. She drew out the knife, blessed it, dipped it into the chalice of Elena's blood. Then, Bonnie began to chant.

"Hasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Uenes Phasmatos Et Sonos. Ex Tutam Exum Lamia Matus."

Bonnie stabbed Enzo first in the heart. If this didn't work, she'd have them bring Wes to her. So much for being a guardian of nature, Bonnie thought wryly.

But Enzo writhed and his eyes popped open.
"Am I alive?" Enzo asked.

"Yeah, mate. For now," Kol quipped.

Elijah hushed him as Bonnie did the same to Damon. He moaned and snapped, "About time. They were trying to put someone in my head. God, I'm famished! A little blood?"

"Wait, Damon!" Bonnie scolded. She finished the spell and cleansed them of all other magical influences. Enzo seemed fine, but Damon twitched on the ground.

"Stop! What are you doing to me?" Damon howled in agony.

Klaus' eyes lit up, he comforted, "Be strong, my son. That is your hybrid side emerging. It will be over soon and you will be reborn."

Stefan whispered, "I'm here, Brother. Damon, you're going to be okay."

Damon's hands tore against the chains and he ripped them off as his blue eyes blazed first yellow and then a fiery orange. Damon's fang extended and his fingers and toes curled.

"It's working. Keep going, Bonnie," Klaus encouraged.
Bonnie sucked more magic from the Originals and her head rolled back. Her eyes rolled back white and her nose began to bleed.

"Bonnie, slow down. It's too much for her. Klaus, stop her," Stefan begged.

"Be still, Stefan," Klaus warned.

"Bonnie, stop!" Stefan said, ready to break the circle. "Klaus, this is killing her."
"She's stronger than you think," Klaus said. "As was Emily and those before her who hailed from Salem. Go on, Miss Bennett."

Bonnie incanted and then abruptly collapsed. Kol caught her before she hit the dirt cellar floor.

"Got ya, luv," Kol said.

Enzo looked at the beautiful witch with awe.

"She's just a kid," Enzo noted.

Damon roared, his fangs flashing in the dim light.

"I'm free now. I can feel it," Damon hissed. "You did it."
Klaus knelt down by his new son. "Nay, you did it. Ready to hunt? And not as a vampire, but as your true form! A wolf!"

Damon's smiled, "Very."

Damon howled and Klaus patted him on the back.

Elijah put a hand on Klaus, chiding, "It's too soon. He may lose control. Watch him closely, Brother."

"Of course," Klaus said, breaking the rest of the iron chains as if they were paper to free Damon completely.

Kol cradled Bonnie. "Elijah, help me get her upstairs. She is weak."

Stefan stood by helplessly as they exited. He extended a hand to help Enzo up.

"Hey, I'm Stefan. Enzo, I presume," Stefan said politely. Stefan used the nearby key to unlock Enzo's chains.

"Aye, I'm Enzo. I've heard a hell of a lot about you from your brother," Enzo said. "Know anywhere a man can get a drink?"

"Yeah, come on. They have a cooler of blood down here. I'll show you," Stefan said.

"No, I need fresh blood," Enzo said.

"That's off limits now in Mystic Falls. The town council is on alert and there are hunters, not to mention a new coven of crazy witches. Sorry, pal, you are stuck with blood bags," Stefan informed him.

"You are just as dull as your brother told me," Enzo snapped in his British accent. "Lead the way. Where did the pretty witch go?"

"Hands off, Bonnie. She's like 17," Stefan retorted.

"Oh, like you never had a 17 year old girlfriend!" Enzo laughed.

Stefan flushed hotly as he thought of Elena.

"Come on, and shut the hell up," Stefan said, irritably. "I can see now why you were friends with my brother."

"Ten years in hell together and you learn a lot about a man," Enzo said, but Stefan was wondering what Damon was doing. He had barely noticed Stefan in the room before running off with Klaus.

"Are you crying?" Enzo asked, getting into Stefan's face.

Stefan shoved him, "Piss off."

Enzo backed up. "Sorry, mate. Look, your brother is the closest thing I've ever had for a brother. He'll come 'round."

"Yeah, I know," Stefan said. He was craving human blood badly. Maybe one blood bag wouldn't hurt?

"Come on, let's go hunt in that forest," Enzo said. "A bit of rabbit doesn't sound so bad."

"Really?" Stefan asked in surprise.

"Yeah, and maybe we can see them transform. You know, I never knew werewolves were real until recently...," Enzo babbled.

Stefan stopped listening, but was grateful to have the former Augustine vampire around.

"What about that guy?" Stefan cut in, pointing at Wes.

"Oh, we should kill him first," Enzo directed, going to get the key off of the hanging ring on the wall.

"I don't think so, gentleman," Elijah said from the shadows. "I am having a little chat with the doctor, if you'll kindly excuse us."

"Yes, we'll going to hunt," Stefan said.

"Good," Elijah replied. "You should do so now. The property is large and mostly fenced in. No one should see you."

Elijah pulled out his notebook from his pocket as the other vampires left.

"Now, Dr. Maxfield, I want names of this Augustine Society, passwords, addresses, everything you know," Elijah said. "I imagine that pesky vervain is finally out of your system."

Wes sighed, "Fine. Then, kill me. I don't care anymore. I'm a dead man anyway."

Elijah sunk his fangs into Wes' neck and drank briefly.

"Oh yes, that blood is clean," Elijah said, wiping his mouth with one of his monogramed handkerchiefs. "Now, Doctor, start at the beginning..."

Lockwood Mansion

"Thanks for putting me up, man," Matt said again. "I just can't stand my mom. She's a terrible influence on Vic, you know?"

"Yeah, you know it's over between me and your sister, right?" Tyler asked, he put down the video game controller. The boys had already eaten a whole pizza and an order of wings.

"Yeah, she said as much," Matt said.

"It's not that I'm not into her," Tyler started, choosing his words carefully. "But, um, the drugs...She's getting into harder stuff, Matt. I think she needs help."

Matt paused the game. "I know. I talked to one of the waitresses at the Grill. You know, Sheila, she's been clean for years. She said the person has to hit rock bottom or it won't work. I mean, I tried to talk to Vicki about it and she almost clawed off my face."

Tyler took a drink from his soda and then crumpled up the can.

"What about having her compelled?" Tyler asked.

"Compelled? Are you serious? I would never do that to her. I can't believe you even brought that up," Matt said angrily.

"Matt, she asked me for cocaine! You know I would never touch that shit. Christ, my parents would fucking kill me or send me to military school for real. But Vicki is out of control. And those losers she is hanging out with! They are either drop outs or on the verge of getting expelled. Coke is really bad, man. Mix that with pills and booze and...," Tyler let his words hang.

"Sorry, you're right," Matt said. "But this is my sister we are talking about! I don't want vampires messing her up even worse. We have to do something before she overdoses, or worse. What about the Sheriff? Do you think she could help?"

"I can call Care and see," Tyler offered. "Maybe Sheriff Forbes can have her locked up until she dries out? It's worth a try."

"Call her. I can't lose my sister. She's not even the same person anymore," Matt complained. "My mom is just making it worse."

"What about your mom? Do you think she would stop drinking?" Tyler pressed, as he was dialing.

"She's too far gone. And that idiot boyfriend, Pete, would probably bust her out of jail or rehab. Fucking enabler," Matt griped.

"Care, hey, it's me," Tyler said. "What are you doing?"

"What? That's wild. It just happened? Are you serious?" Tyler exclaimed into the phone. Tyler said to Matt, "April Young's dad's house just exploded!"

"Paster Young? Is he okay?" Matt questioned.

"No, he'd dead," Tyler said. "Okay, we'll be there in thirty."

Tyler hung up.

"Caroline's heading out to the farm now. Her mom just got the call," Tyler said, shoving his feet into his shoes.

"Um, shouldn't we clean this up before your mom gets home?" Matt said, overlooking the mess in Tyler's room.

"Nah, she stays out of my room. Maids will get it tomorrow. Let's go," Tyler said excitedly. "We'll ask her about Vicki when we get there."

"Okay, man," Matt said. "I can't believe the pastor is dead. Isn't April at a boarding school?"

"Yeah, I think," Tyler said. "And now she's an orphan. Shit, that sucks. I should probably call my dad and see if he knows anything."

"Yeah, this is bad," Matt said. "Real bad."

Mystic Grill

Elena met her family at the Grill to celebrate Ric and Jenna's engagement. For once, Jeremy wasn't pouty and glum. He was telling Ric and Jenna about the diary he had found in the late Grayson Gilbert's office.

"It's by some guy named Jonathan Gilbert, he made all these inventions," Jeremy was saying.

"Yeah, I think he made our rings," Ric said, holding up his right hand. "But this is the more important finger," Ric said, holding up his left hand.

"You are so corny," Jenna laughed. "But Jeremy, there is a whole bunch of old stuff in the basement you should go through. I'm not sure what it was, but Carol Lockwood was interested in it for the Founder's Ball. I never did hand it over. Maybe you could see if there's anything interesting in it when we get home."

"Yeah, since I'm still grounded," Jeremy added. "Except from family stuff..."

"One more day and you're a free man. I think you can hack it. Hey, isn't that the girl you were with yesterday?" Ric asked, pointed to Anna. She was entering the Grill with a tall, stately Asian woman.

"Yeah, Anna," Jeremy said. "Um, I should go introduce myself to her mom."
Jenna raised her eyebrows. "That would be nice. Go on, honey. You can invite them to sit with us."

"No, that's too much. I just met her. I'm just going to say hi," Jeremy said, getting up.

Jenna turned to Elena, "So how's Damon? Back to normal?"

Elena bit her lip. "He wasn't even there when I got there. Stefan seemed down. I don't know what happened, but I guess he is fine."
Ric sighed, "I'll look in on him tomorrow. Actually, I should probably go pick up Bonnie tonight. Was she still there?"

"Yeah, but she was sleeping. I guess the spell took a lot out of her," Elena said. "Klaus' brother Kol was hanging around her and this other vampire, Enzo. Ric, maybe you should go get her now?"

"Elena, let him eat," Jenna directed. "And you eat, too. Come on, guys. We're supposed to be celebrating."

Elena took a bite of the salad they had ordered for her.

"At least Jeremy is happy. The girl looks nice. A little old-fashioned, but nice," Elena observed. Her phone rang. "It's Caroline."

"Honey, same rules as home. No phones at the table," Jenna reminded her.

"Maybe just tell her you'll call her back?" Ric suggested. Jenna gave him an annoyed look and he mouthed "sorry."

"Caroline, we're eating-. What? He's dead? Oh my God, does April know? Okay, yeah, got it. Be there in twenty," Elena said, dropping her fork.

"What happened?" Jenna pressed.

"The Young Farm blew up. Pastor Young is dead," Elena said, with tears running down her face. "And a bunch of other people are dead, too."

"Oh no, that's terrible. Was it a gas explosion?" Ric asked.

"They don't know. Um, I used to babysit April," Elena said. "Jenna, I need to go there. Caroline, Matt, and Tyler are there. Something is wrong. I can feel it."

"Okay," Jenna said, digging through her purse. "Jeremy and I will go with you. Ric, why don't you pick up Bonnie at the Mikaelsons?"

"Yeah, sounds good," Ric said. "Elena, you will drive your car?"
"Yes," Elena said, staring dully ahead of her. This was too close to home for her. She had known the Pastor her whole life.

Ric kissed Jenna on the lips and patted Elena on the shoulder. He felt it, too. Something was wrong.

Bennett-Wilson Residence

Ric had picked up Bonnie and then driven her home to pick up a change of clothes.

"Ric, I stay here alone all the time," Bonnie protested. "It's not a big deal."
"Bonnie, even Kol Mikaelson was concerned about you. He said you collapsed and your nose was bleeding. You overdid it with the spell," Ric shared.

"But I saved your drinking buddy, didn't I?" Bonnie snapped, throwing some clothes into a backpack.

"Watch it, missy," Ric fired back. "And he's my ex-drinking buddy."

"The point is that I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself," Bonnie said. "My magic is back and I could debilitate you right now with an aneurysm spell if I wanted to."

Ric leaned against the wall.
"Bonnie, no one is doubting your strength and courage. Hell, I can't imagine the pressure on you to be everyone's witch. 'Bonnie, can you do this spell?' 'Bonnie, can you help with this?' Constantly. But you are still young, you have your own life to live. You need someone looking out for you, too. There was an incident at Pastor Young's farm tonight. Some kind of explosion. He's dead. Elena and everyone are there now. Did you know him well?"

"No, but I knew April a little. Elena used to watch her. Oh Ric, I had a bad feeling after the spell. More people are dead, aren't they?"

Ric nodded in sympathy.

Bonnie plopped down on her bed and started to cry, with her head in her hands. Ric sat beside her and put a strong arm around her, pulling her close to him. He felt like she was upset over more than the explosion.

"Just let it out, honey. Let it all out," Ric said, letting the young witch sob into his dress shirt.

"Sorry, I'm messing up your shirt," Bonnie said.

"The shirt isn't important, you are," Ric stated.

"My dad can barely look at me, especially now that I'm a witch. I think I, r-remind him of m-my m-mom," Bonnie sobbed.

Ric pulled her in tighter.

"I'm so sorry. You shouldn't be here alone. I don't want you back here until he's home from his trip," Ric said firmly.

"T-That m-might not be for a m-month," Bonnie wailed.

"Then, pack another bag. You and Elena can have a long sleepover. Hell, you girls can invite Caroline, too," Ric suggested.

They looked at each other and both say, "Nah" at the same time.

Bonnie got up and grabbed a bigger suitcase.

"And we are going to have a little talk about rules. I know you and Elena are used to running wild around town, but that is done. From now on you will have a strict curfew, help around the house, and focus on school first. Yeah, Bonnie, I know your grades are slipping," Ric shared. "And I'm going to help you, okay?"

"So you and Jenna decide to be strict parents like the day I say I'll come stay with you?" Bonnie said incredulously.

"Yup, that's about right. Don't forget your toothbrush," Ric added.
"Okay, Dad, I won't," Bonnie quipped. "I'm still waiting for you to yell at me about the pot."
"Honey, I'm not going to yell. But no more drugs, even if it just pot. Not in the house, not at school, and not at parties," Ric advised. "Is that a deal?"

"Yeah, no problem, Ric. I was just trying to find a way to unblock myself. I realized it wasn't helping and then Jeremy asked me for it. I think he was trying to impress Vicki Donovan," Bonnie admitted.

"That makes sense. Jeremy's cleaning up his act, believe me. I find any more drugs, there are going to be serious consequences for all involved. Got it?" Ric said seriously.

"You sound like my dad. He thinks they should still be allowed to paddle at school. Do you believe that? He's so freaking weird," Bonnie giggled.

"Um, does your dad have a paddle?" Ric asked, looking around. He realized his woodworking idea was dumb.

"Ric, please, I haven't gotten paddled since I was like ten, okay, maybe 15, but that wasn't my fault. Freaking Caroline... That old thing is still on top of the fridge, though," Bonnie said, pointing towards the kitchen. "You can have it, but only if you promise to spank Tyler with it. You know he copies all of his homework from Caroline!"
Ric smiled mysteriously, "It's not for school."

Bonnie was confused, "Oh, well, then for who? Not Jeremy!"

"Maybe. I won't considering using it on you without your dad's permission," Ric assured her.

Bonnie gulped, "You know, on second thought...It's kind of a family heirloom."

She didn't like where they conversation was going. It wasn't that he dad stopped discipling her due to her age, he was just never around to do it.
"Bonnie," Ric said. "Can I have it or not?"
"Yeah, what the hell? Jeremy can be a little brat," Bonnie attested.

Ric found the kitchen, which looked like a teenager lived here.

"I'm going to start washing these dishes," Ric called out, going to the refrigerator. The paddle was an old game paddle, round and heavy. "And yeah, this paddle might work on a stubborn teenage boy. I know, 'cause I was one. Like a long time ago."

Ric tucked the wooden paddle in his leather bag and started bagging up the discarded take out containers. He didn't think he'd need to use it, but maybe the threat would just Jeremy on the straight and narrow a little longer.

"Ric, you don't have to do that," Bonnie said, a little embarrassed of the mess.

"Um, don't tell Jenna, but my place was ten times worse before we started going out. Then, I got an infestation of ant, those real little ones. And the rest is history, as they say. Um, hey, we did end up getting engaged tonight," Ric said casually.

Bonnie shrieked and hugged Ric.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Bonnie asked. "I need some good news about now."

"Um, it just happened. We didn't talk about anything more," Ric said, filling up the sink with soapy water.