Author's note: Happy birthday to Damon! :D
And Happy Father's Day to all you dads! And that includes all kinds of dads – new dads, old dads, moms playing the role of two, pet dads, plant dads! All kinds of caring. :) It's your day, proud papas! Your time to shine! :D
Enzo winced, winced, and winced again as Bonnie earnestly tried to play – but instead utterly butchered – Stairway to Heaven.
"Are you sure the song is supposed to sound like that? Is this what music sounds like now?" he asked, bewildered. Surely, even his imagination couldn't have come up with this cacophonous monstrosity. Maybe this is a new brand of torture designed by Wes – have an absolutely delightful creature be the originator of some of the worst combinations of sounds known to man – just to send his mind into two different directions.
Bonnie huffed in reply. "Look, I'll get it," she sighed impatiently. "But if you're really curious," she paused, taking out her iPod. She quickly scrolled through her music selection to find the song that she poorly failed to imitate and set it to play. "This is what it sounds like."
Enzo's eyes immediately widened at the soothing melody – the soulful vocals, the poignant lyrics. Perhaps this wasn't Wes' doing, after all. Wow, Enzo thought. His imagination must be sick indeed to come up with all those discordant notes.
What was he trying to punish himself so hard for, anyway?
"Do you like it?" Bonnie asked nervously.
Enzo nodded, having not listened to music – just listened to music, without the distraction of anything else, like the modern movies Bonnie showed him – in decades. "Why did you choose this song?"
"Honestly?" Bonnie laughed, feeling a little ridiculous. "It's a popular choice for beginners in guitar schools. Its basic tune is relatively easy to play, but it's also really pretty and melodic. I know this is the simplified version, and that it can get very difficult – but it's certainly better than learning Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."
"Now, that, I actually remember!" grinned Enzo.
Damon and Elena were on their way to Richmond, having figured that whoever was stalking them was likely based in Mystic Falls, and they would notice if a car were following them. They needed a break, honestly. Sometimes, the very best way to approach a problem and find its solution was to distance oneself from it completely.
To avoid being predictable, they decided to forgo their usual haunts when visiting the city and instead try something completely new.
Karaoke!
Okay, so maybe karaoke wasn't all that new, Elena reasoned, but it was for the two of them, since Damon usually scoffed at the musically disinclined trying to awkwardly gyrate onstage while butchering overplayed and altogether conventional melodies. And as for Elena – well, she was one of those musically disinclined who mercilessly destroyed timeless favorites with all the subtlety of a very tipsy sledgehammer.
But at least she could dance! What she lacked hopelessly in being able to carry a tune, she'd made up in stage presence – if only the bar's patrons could effectively shut off the auditory component of their senses.
Grudgingly, she had to admit, that Caroline was the vocalist of their girl trio, for sure – though she sometimes suspected that quiet and introverted Bonnie had some hidden talents in that area, as well. She knew for a fact that her not-quite-adept guitar playing was at least partially emphasized for effect.
When they finally entered the bar that Yelp claimed had excellent fruity cocktails but a really subpar whiskey collection – which Elena argued would normally be reason enough for Damon to stay away – and thus, the perfect place for their little clandestine excursion, they found that instead of the usual fare, it was open mic night.
On this November Saturday, The Crooning Canary of Richmond apparently invited musicians to come entertain the locals with impromptu live music. An electric guitar, bass, and drum set were already on the stage, waiting to be used – though some musicians came with their own instruments, or opted for an acoustic set instead.
"We should invite Bonnie and Enzo," Elena prompted, after taking a sip of her Aperol Spritz that Damon had compelled the bartender into serving her – having long decided that sparkling-based cocktails are her absolute favorites of all mixed drinks.
Damon grimaced both at the suggestion – since he'd been pointedly avoiding adding even more drama to their lives by having it out with Enzo – and at his drink. The only bourbon they carried was Wild Turkey. What kind of bar was this? "They're on a date. Bon-Bon's showing him all around Mystic Falls and trying to stir up some old feelings by playing on his aversion to bad music."
"Exactly!" Elena beamed. "And what better place do to that than here? You've got what I'm assuming is going to be some truly, epically terrible music, excellent drinks –"
"Horrible drinks. The worst," Damon disagreed vehemently, looking like he was seconds from detaching himself from the contents of his stomach. Maybe he could make a quick vampy run to a local liquor store and buy something … tolerable. Keep it in a flask and sneak it in. Yeah, that was probably the only viable solution to save his poor taste buds – enhanced by vampirism and subjected to this vomit-in-a-bottle. "Hold that thought," he whispered, pressing a soft and lingering kiss to her lips, then disappeared just as she was about to deepen it, only to reappear less than a minute later, with a suspiciously smug smirk on his handsome face.
"Where did you go?" Elena asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Self-care is important, Elena," he mock-admonished, wagging his finger at her, while subtly pouring the contents of a flask into his now mysteriously empty glass. "My body is my temple, and all that New Age-y nonsense."
"Yeah, I'm sure they were definitely referring to bourbon quality, and not a healthy lifestyle at all," Elena raised a skeptical eyebrow with a cross of her arms but let the smile that fought its way to her face through, nevertheless.
Damon just shrugged. "Mental health is health, too, E-le-na," he sang. "And sometimes mental health is just not subjecting yourself to bottled gasoline. Drinking Big Bird's bodily fluids is not my idea of self-care."
"And a big part of self-care is maintaining healthy relationships with the people in your life," Elena grinned, taking the opportunity to push her agenda, mentally patting herself on the back.
"I think they're plenty healthy. Don't you?" he all but purred, standing in front of Elena in such a way that she was covered by his back to the bar patrons behind him. He pressed her against the crowded bar's wall, taking her lips in a searing kiss as his hand found the small expanse of skin between her sweater and jeans, rising upward. To prove a point, of course, he mentally argued, with a growing smirk.
Elena laughed into the kiss, regretfully pushing him away after giving in for a few long seconds, while she fought against her escalating heart rate. "You're insatiable," she breathed. "But I actually meant with Enzo."
Damon's eyebrows ostentatiously rose as high as they could go, as he sardonically misinterpreted her point. "Elena, Enzo's a really attractive guy and all, but you should know that I don't ever intend to share – we didn't have pre-k when I was a kid, so I never really learned that lesson," he murmured, pressing a string of kisses into her neck, hoping to distract her.
"You know exactly what I meant, Damon," Elena gasped, making absolutely no move to dislodge him, and instead gripping Damon's jacket to pull him closer. "Stop trying to distract me."
"I don't think 'trying' is the term used for successful endeavors, Elena," he couldn't resist grinning into her neck. "Maybe you really should re-do high school, after all."
Affronted, she pushed him away finally, wagging her index finger to emphasize her point, though her face wore a grudging smile, nonetheless. "First of all, fail on the distracting, so not successful at all – many thanks to your ego and premature bragging. Secondly, text them. We need to have this out. The longer it goes on, the more it'll fester – and if that happens it could turn into an actual problem – and we really don't need any more of those."
Groaning, he took out his phone. He hated it when she was right and he had to concede that her logic was sound – and at that moment he also kind of resented that logic worked on him. Shooting a quick text to Bonnie with the bar's name and address, as well as information about open mic night, knowing that she wouldn't be able to resist pushing Enzo onto the stage, he put his phone away and decided instead to focus on his charming companion.
"Enzo, how are you doing with all this?" Bonnie asked hesitantly, reveling in the feeling of his arms around her as he settled her hands in their correct positions – ones she already knew from their previous lessons in what now felt like another life, but he certainly didn't need to know that.
"You mean being rescued by the most charming and beautiful witch in existence, who not only set my tormentor on fire with her mind, but also shows a marked interest in my favorite hobby in the whole world?" he winked in response.
"What, flirting?" Bonnie asked cheekily.
"Okay, second favorite," he amended, enjoying the serenity of her company – the way she had this unique ability to quiet his heart and mind. Was this also a part of her magic? Or was this something more? "I meant music."
"You don't seem to be questioning any of this," she pressed. "And this is definitely some … unusual… information."
"You mean about you lot being displaced in time?"
"Well, yeah."
"Mum's always said I have a vivid imagination," he shrugged, finding irony in the fact that it's entirely possible that she only said this in his imagination, given that his parents sold him to a workhouse so young in life. He liked to believe that at least she fought against it – that at least someone loved him, before he had the good fortune to run into Lily and her gang of witch-pires.
Bonnie's eyes widened instinctively, and suddenly everything clicked into place. Of course. Of course, he would think that all this is just a product of his PTSD-addled brain. She gingerly turned to face him, not entirely sure how to pursue, but chose to plunge ahead regardless. Placing a hand on his, she furrowed her brow. "Enzo, this is real."
"That's exactly what a gorgeous figment of my imagination would say!" he brightly exclaimed, grinning irreverently at her.
"No, Enzo," she shook her head, wondering how to form the words. "I know – I know this is a lot to take in. But we're really here. We came back to save a few people, including you. I know about your history with Damon," she treaded gently, "and I know you feel – justifiably – betrayed, but it was really important to all three of us that we saved you, the second we knew you were still alive. You don't really know us yet, but we know you – and you mean so much, to all of us," she emphasized, choosing to leave out the exact nature of their relationship so far.
She wanted this again – craved it – needed it. But it had to be real, and for that to happen, he had to fall in love again organically, not be pressured by the ghost of Enzo of yesteryear.
He began vehemently shaking his head, unable to accept the magnitude of her words, when Bonnie heard a chime, and took her phone out to read Damon's text message.
"I have an idea!" she grinned from ear to ear, positively beaming with the opportunity. This was perfect. "Damon just texted me about open mic night at a bar in Richmond." At his confused look, she elaborated, "it's when musicians can get on stage and just do an impromptu performance to wow the audience. We should go – let you get a chance to really dazzle everyone with your musical prowess. I know – firsthand – just how great you are with the guitar."
"I don't know," he retracted, suddenly shy to allow her inner performer out after hiding him for so long.
"Come on! I know how much you need this. Let's just take this as an opportunity to unwind, and take it from there, okay? Please?"
Not at all knowing why this witch had so much power over him, Enzo found himself reluctantly agreeing, even if it was going to put him in the same room as … him – a confrontation about which he wasn't feeling too optimistic. The rage and betrayal he felt at Damon threatened to overwhelm him, and he doubted he'd be able to keep it all inside around a bar full of humans, now that the walls of delusion were crumbling and he began to consider the idea that this was, indeed, real.
A little over an hour, two Aperol Spritzes and three quarters of Damon's bourbon flask later, Damon was spinning Elena to the sounds of the jazzy band that took the stage at the bar, laughing at his very tipsy girlfriend's beaming face. While normally much more graceful, anything sparkling had the distinct tendency to not only affect Elena's physical equilibrium, but also send her into the dizziest bouts of happiness.
When the music came to a natural halt, she panted her way over to their table, followed by a gloating Damon. "What, tired already?"
"I don't have supernatural stamina anymore, Damon, and you know it!" she wheezed, struggling to catch her breath while giggling with undisguised joy.
He took a seat next to her and pulled her close to press a slow kiss into her temple. "I know, I know. So much more work for me, then," he suggested, with a suggestive move of his eyebrows, earning a laugh, followed by a delayed blush from her.
"Should we talk about the Hunter symbolism on that stake?" she piped, trying to change the subject.
"Not tonight," he shook his head. "Tonight's about fun and distraction. We both need it. I think a night of keeping this light and fun will probably put our heads in the game to solve this puzzle better."
But light and fun were unlikely to be the only items on the menu for the night, as the bar's door opened to welcome Bonnie and Enzo, the latter of whom immediately noted the laughing couple sitting at a table in the dimly lit corner of the room, his eyes zeroing in on the subject of his ire for the last twenty years.
The night was about to take on a much more serious flavor, indeed – one of overdue conversations, confrontations, and long coming honesty.
I was going to have the confrontation between Damon and Enzo in this chapter, but it – again – got a bit overlong, so I guess you'll have to wait. :D But it's coming – and now you know that it's coming next chapter! YAY! :D They obviously need to have it out if they're going to have a healthy working partnership, so they best get to it! And with both Elena and Bonnie around to keep them in check, it's probably the best place for it – although maybe not in a crowded bar full of humans. Then again, it's open mic night, right? There are all kinds of performances out there. ;)
I figured that since Elena likes brut champagne (Dom Pérignon, according to S4), it stands to reason that her favorite base for cocktails would be a sparkling wine, and since Aperol Spritzes are so popular, she decided to have a few! ;) I don't know much about bourbon, but someone once told me that Wild Turkey is terrible, so I just decided to let it be the one to take the hit. :D If someone has a better 'bad bourbon' suggestion, I'll happily listen. :D TVD canon is that Caroline is a fantastic singer, and Kat Graham is a vocalist as well, so I might have that extend to Bonnie. This means that Elena has to be comically bad, for balance. :D
I wanted to thank all of you for giving this story love. It honestly means so very much. It's a lot of fun for me to write, since I get to unleash all my sci-fi love, and it just means a lot that it's so well-accepted by the delightful and beautiful and loving TVD fandom community.
The very talented scarlett2112 started a delightful new story called Witches' Dance. Anyone who knows me – and has read Serendipity – knows that I have an enormous soft spot for witch Elena, so this is right up my alley. :D Please check it out!
Please be sure to leave a review, because I love hearing your thoughts, and feelings, and wild speculations! Hugs and love to all! :D