A/N: Sorry for the delay. Hope you're all enjoying the new year so far. I'll be posting another update soon. Until then, I hope enjoy this update. Thanks so much for the love for this story so far! And I'm sorry to the ones that didn't like the Bonnie/Stefan/Elena saga, I tried to give as much warning as I could without spoiling it.

On to part 2 of this story!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or its characters. This is intended for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement intended.

Part 2

*The Secret & The Rebel*

Chapter 8 - New Crush

The rest of the school year went by in a blur. Volleyball now a thing of the past, Bonnie had nothing to do but pour herself into her studies, sometimes with Matt who didn't make anymore moves on her but rather pretended that had never happened. She aced all of her finals, and after much pressure from friends, attended an end-of-year beer pong celebration on the Lockwood property by the woods.

She kicked off the summer with a job lifeguarding at the local pool, alongside Matt, just like they'd done the last two years. She still wasn't dating, there wasn't even any potentials, but for the time being she was okay with it.

The town was rocked when a fire broke out at the town square the night of the Founder's Day parade. Tyler's father, the mayor of Mystic Falls, was one of the lives lost, along with Jeremy Gilbert's girlfriend, Annabelle. As Bonnie was listening to the list of names of people who'd been caught in the fire, her heart stopped at the mention of Damon Salvatore. This was followed by a huge sigh of relief when it was announced he was one of just a few who'd made it out with minor injuries.

On a whim, she purchased a small batch of sugar cookies she knew to be his guilty pleasure. Damon didn't allow himself too many sugary or fattening foods, wanting to keep his tight physique and good health to better maintain his sexual conquests, but she'd caught him with cookies a time or two.

She headed to the boardinghouse and was relieved to see Stefan's convertible wasn't on the property when she pulled up. She wouldn't have gone in if it had been, just to avoid any awkward run-ins. She knocked but there was no answer, however Damon's Camaro was in the driveway so she knew he was home. Remembering the Salvatores never locked their doors, despite their many valuables, she tried the knob and it opened. Calling out, she entered the home and instantly felt comfortability. She had spent so much time in this house when she and Stefan were together it was more of a first home than a second home. Navigating the halls with familiarity, she called out Damon's name again.

"Is that a judgmental Bennett I hear calling my name?" She turned and smirked at Damon as he hit the bottom step of the grand staircase. He looked no worse for the wear. He looked pretty good in fact, although Bonnie would never tell him this.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in," he said, approaching her. "Long time, no see."

"Yeah, well, can't say that's entirely circumstance."

"I'm sure. Sorry you came all this way, Judgy, but Stefan's not here."

"I'm not here for Stefan." She held up the container. "I got you a I'm-a-little-glad-you-weren't-burned-alive-and-I-hope-you-feel-better-and-thank-you-for-making-me-feel-better-at-my-worst present."

"Wow," he took the container. "I play nice for one day and you try to fatten me up. Even trade."

"Shut up," she said playfully, following him to the wet bar where she already knew he was going for the bourbon. "Really, I just wanted to check on you."

"I'm fine," he said, pouring himself a drink. "I got out. Feel bad for the ones who didn't." He took a long gulp and his face grew stony. "It was hard. I had to watch them die, the mayor, Anna, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it. My lungs were so filled with smoke I thought for sure I would die of inhalation first then my body would burn, and I had accepted the fact I was going to die. Next thing I knew, arms were pulling at me, trying to get me to stand. I had collapsed right by the door trying to escape. That was the only reason they could get me out." He finished off the bourbon. "I'm telling you, seeing someone go like that, it stays with you forever."

"Wow...I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

"You should be sorry. Now you're stuck with me for at least another fifty years."

"Are you going to the Lockwoods to pay your respects?" She questioned. "I was just about to head over there."

"I'm going to show my face but that's not really where I want to spend the better part of my day."

"Same here. Come on, I'll drive you," she declared marching to the door.

"What?"

"You're already drinking and it's barely noon and I think it's safe to assume it isn't your first drink of the day," she lectured. "There will definitely be alcohol at the memorial so you need a DD. Let's go."

Damon's face scrunched. "Since when did you become my mother?"

Before Bonnie could clap back with a snarky response, the front door was being opened and she had to quickly step away from it. The younger Salvatore was entering and he spotted his brother first.

"Hey, what are you..." He stopped short at the sight of his ex-girlfriend. "Bonnie?" He looked back and forth between she and Damon. "What are you doing here?"

"She brought me glad-you're-not dead snacks," Damon spoke up. "Which is more than you've done for me since my near-death experience, brother."

"I was just leaving," Bonnie said, quickly. "We're heading to the Lockwoods."

"Together?" Stefan's infamous brooding forehead was back.

"He's already drinking so we both know what's coming," Bonnie revealed.

"I drink, but I don't get drunk," Damon argued. "Tell her, Stefan. I'm always my most charming self at these things."

"I'll make sure he gets home in one piece."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that," Stefan said. "I'll bring him home. I just left the gym, so I'm going to run upstairs and shower then I'll be headed there myself. Damon, you can even ride with me there."

"Stop talking about me like I'm a child," Damon snapped. "I'm the adult here. Let's go, Judgy." He marched past the both of them and went outside, his choice made. Bonnie shrugged at Stefan and followed him out, laughing internally at Stefan's clear discomfort at she and Damon doing anything without him present. He had nothing to worry about, Bonnie wouldn't do something as cruel as mess with her ex's brother, despite what he'd done to her. And more importantly, she and Damon could only tolerate each other's presence for so long, before the bickering started. It was most likely they would go their own ways and wouldn't see each other again until it was time to go.

This theory was proven true once they arrived. Tyler stood outside of the home, greeting the mourners. His brow furrowed at the sight of Bonnie arriving with Damon, but the question in his eyes was quickly smothered by the tight hug she gave him. She and Damon lingered at the hors' deurves table for awhile then he said something that pissed her off and she told him to go to hell and left him there alone. It never took long with the two of them.

She found Matt and Caroline and mingled with them, after expressing her sorrow to Mrs. Lockwood. They spotted Stefan coming in alone and Matt questioned the whereabouts of Elena. "She's running late," Caroline informed. "She'll be coming with Jenna and Jeremy soon."

Stefan spotted their little group and headed over to them. Matt noticeably stiffened as he neared. "Hey guys," he said as if they were all old friends, when Caroline was the only who still hung with him. "How's everyone doing?" Matt and Bonnie exchanged a look but didn't respond.

"Considering the circumstances of why we're all here, I'll say we're only okay," Caroline piped up, attempting to quell the awkward tension. "How are you?"

"Same," he said with a nod. "Summer's been all right."

"There's Tyler, I'm going to go talk to him," Matt said and dismissed himself. Sheriff Forbes called Caroline who dismissed herself as well and went to see to her mother. Bonnie expected Stefan to do the same and started to walked toward the drink table but Stefan followed her.

"Hey, Bon, That was really nice of you to visit Damon and make sure he was okay," he said.

"No big deal," she said, pouring herself some lemonade. "Your house is on the way here."

"How have you been?" He asked. "We haven't spoken since..." Since her Grams died.

"I've been good. Thanks."

"Since Damon's riding home with you, I was thinking maybe you could stay for dinner."

"I've changed my mind about that, feel free to take him home yourself."

"Pissed you off already, huh?"

"He's Damon, he couldn't get through the day without pissing someone off."

"Well, regardless, the invitation still stands."

Bonnie shook her head. "That's really not a good idea, Stefan," she said and looked past him. "And your girlfriend just walked in, I'm sure you don't want her to see you talking to me."

"It's really not a big - " But she was already gone.

Bonnie wanted a drink. Not sissy lemonade, something hard. She was almost positive Tyler would have the goods and she was on the hunt for him. She was cursing herself. Stefan was clearly trying to wedge his way back into her life again, and for a split second she had considered letting him. She spotted Matt emerging from the library and hurried over to him.

"Where's Tyler?" She inquired.

"In there with Jeremy," he answered and she quickly made her way into the library.

Just as she entered Tyler was handing Jeremy a tumbler of brown liquor. "Sharing?" She asked, announcing her presence.

"Hey Bonnie," Jeremy said with a smile. It was a known fact that he'd had a crush on her for years and he'd grown into quite the hunk himself. If it wasn't for him being a sophomore, a pothead, Elena's younger brother, and having just lost his girlfriend in the fire, she might have gone for it.

"Hey Bon," Tyler said somberly. "I would say after the year you've had, you need this drink just as much as I do." He handed her his own glass, keeping the bottle for himself.

"You're really doing me a service," she said, taking the glass. Jeremy, Tyler, and herself had just lost loved ones. It was fitting they shared this drink together. Unfortunately, before she could even take a sip, a man she'd never seen before entered the room. He was tall, and wide like the gym was a regular part of his routine, possessed handsome features almost reminiscent of Tyler's, and an even tan that suggested a lot of time in the sun was spent..

"Hey, what's going on in here, Tyler?"

"Nothing...nothing," Tyler said quickly as the man surveyed the scene. He looked to Bonnie who was guiltily holding the glass Tyler had just handed her.

"Should you be having that?" He asked, plucking it from her small hands before she could object. His hazel eyes lingered on her moment, seemingly taking her in.

"Uh...let's go Bonnie," Jeremy spoke up, holding out his arm to guide her out. She started out with him and looked back at the guy who'd stopped the party, who was looking back at her as well.

"Who is that guy?" Bonnie asked Jeremy.

"I think Tyler's uncle, just came into town for his brother's funeral."

They entered the living area where Elena spotted them. "Hey," she said. "What are you two doing?"

"Oh, I was just catching up with my old friend, Jeremy," Bonnie offered.

"Cool," Elena nodded. "Hey Bon-" But she was walking away heading over to Matt. She only stayed for about another thirty minutes, mostly listening to Caroline jabber on about her plans for the upcoming carnival. She was one of the event planners and had wasted no time assigning everyone jobs, including Bonnie.

Before Bonnie left she noticed the man who'd taken her dark liquor talking with Mrs. Lockwood. Caroline noticed Bonnie's eyes locked on someone from across the room. "Who are you staring at?" She asked.

"That guy that Ms. Lockwood is talking to, that's the mayor's brother?" Bonnie inquired. Caroline followed her eye line then spotted him herself.

"Yes, that would be Mason," Caroline replied. "He just came into town this morning for the memorial, Tyler hadn't seen him in years." Mason started to turn his head so Bonnie quickly looked away as to not be caught gaping. "Why are you asking about Tyler's hot uncle?"

"What? Who said I thought he was hot," Bonnie flustered and Caroline gave her a smug, knowing smile. "Ugh, whatever Caroline. I'm leaving."

The day the carnival arrived was a hectic one. Most notable was the absence of Caroline Forbes. Bonnie felt so bad, as she knew how much work Caroline had been putting into this over the past few weeks and how much she was looking forward to experiencing the pay off. She'd suddenly gotten extremely sick the day before, and her mother would not allow her out of bed no matter how much she begged. Bonnie and Tyler assured her that the carnival was a three day event and she would make it by Sunday, and to relax and get as much rest as possible so she won't have to waste another day in bed recovering. She could only argue with this logic for so long.

Unfortunately, this meant the grunt of the work fell to Elena, and Caroline had made Bonnie promise no less than twenty times that she would put her personal feelings aside for the day and help Elena to make sure this event went off without a hitch.

Elena was overworked and stressed and she looked every bit of it. Caroline was the queen of handling a million things on her plate at once but when it fell to her friends things didn't go as smoothly. "There's just so much to do," Elena was saying. "The booths need more tees, the games need more prizes, we need to get enough food trucks to fill all the slots and - "

"Elena, relax," Bonnie said. "I'm here to help."

"You...are?"

"Of course," she confirmed. "Poor Caroline is stuck in bed on the day she's been planning for months, this is a long standing promise I made to her. The only way tonight is going to go smoothly is if we work together."

Elena breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll be eternally grateful to you after tonight."

Bonnie was right. The girls managed to remain cordial and gets things done, and that night the carnival was bustling with happy people, teens with friends, and married couples with small children. The sound of laughter and rides, the smell of classic carnival food filled the air. One look around showed everyone was having a great time. Bonnie and Elena took it in proudly.

At some point Elena got a call on her walkie and informed Bonnie the karaoke machine was down. "Hey Carter!" Elena called to the cute, brown-skinned carnival worker that was nailing a sign to a booth. "You're with the carnival, right?"

He confirmed this as he approached the pair then his eyes fell on Bonnie. "Wow...and what do you need, beautiful?" Bonnie couldn't help but blush as Elena looked amused.

"Yeah, Bonnie, tell him what you need," she encouraged.

"Do you know anything about karaoke?" She questioned, then she and the handsome Carter were trekking to the other side of the field to the karaoke stand, sans Elena. Bonnie tried to describe the issue to him but he quickly brushed it off, stating he could fix it no problem, and insisted on flirting with her instead. Bonnie didn't bother lying to herself about enjoying the attention, Carter was cute, why not hang with him after work duties were completed, or give him her number?

Bonnie was distracted from her own thoughts and the question Carter was asking her by one of the stuffed animals displayed as a prize for the ring toss game. "Oh wow," she said aloud.

"What?" Carter asked curiously.

"That bear," she pointed to it. "It looks exactly like a bear I had as a kid, Ms. Cuddles. I was super attached to it, was devastated when I lost her years ago."

"Oh," Carter said with a nod. "You want it?"

"What?"

"I can get it for you," he said, stepping up to the booth. "I'll win you the bear, your prize for being so beautiful."

Bonnie smiled but shook her head. "No, you don't have to do that. I know you have a lot of work to do."

"I think I've earned myself a break," he gave her a flirtatious smile. "Now watch me work for you." And Bonnie did watch. She watched him miss every single bottle he aimed for. He was growing agitated and a little embarrassed.

"This next one and it's yours."

"No Carter, it's really not important."

Someone said his name on the walkie talkie clipped to his belt. He picked it up and responded.

"We have a 15 at the ferris wheel. We need you over here, ASAP."

"I'll be right there," he said then looked to Bonnie. "I'll meet you at the karaoke stand in ten minutes. Then we're coming back here and I'm getting you that bear." Then he was off. Bonnie could only laugh, she couldn't knock the boy's determination.

"I haven't witnessed a struggle that bad since I tried to ask Angela Delvecchio to the dance in junior high," said a voice from behind her. She turned to see Mason Lockwood walking up.

"Hey," she said in surprise. "Don't be too hard to him. It's a lot tougher than it looks."

"We'll see." He pulled out a bill and handed it to the game operator who promptly handed him a ring. Bonnie watched as he swiftly tossed the ring and it circled around the neck of one of the bottles and landed.

"Are you serious?" Bonnie asked in awe. "These games are literally designed for you to lose."

Mason shrugged. "I'm not built to lose," he said nonchalantly, then to the game operator, "I'll take the bear."

The teen pulled the Ms. Cuddles impostor and handed it to Mason who passed it off to Bonnie. "How did you know?"

"I just had a feeling," and he started away. "Have a good night, all right. Try to stay away from the alcohol until you're 21, okay?" And he walked away without looking back, leaving Bonnie hugging the bear and wondering how Tyler would feel about her marrying into the family.

Carter was noticeably disappointed when he met Bonnie at the karaoke machine and she already had the bear. It was made worse by the fact that she was clearly much less interested in him. Her mind seemed to be somewhere else. He asked for her number at the end of the night, and she offered to take his instead. He gave it up, but he know when they parted ways that night, he wouldn't be hearing from her again.

It was time for the Annual Masquerade Ball held at the Lockwood property, the second biggest property in Mystic Falls, after the Salvatores'. Mrs. Lockwood, now acting mayor since her husband's untimely death, called on everyone to help set up for the party. As they had the last two years, Bonnie, Matt, Elena, and Caroline were doing whatever they could to assist in getting things together, Elena and Caroline were on the massive lawn at one of the tables, helping put together decorations. Bonnie was by the house, helping the boys put out chairs. Stefan and Damon showed up as well but Bonnie didn't say much to either of them.

There was some really heavy objects on the truck that needed to be moved inside. One minute, Tyler and Jeremy were by her side doing most of the heavy lifting, the next second she was alone and struggling to move a large, rounded table.

She heard someone running up behind her. "Hey, how did you get stuck doing that by yourself?" It was Mason Lockwood, now rescuing her for the second time.

"All the guys bailed," Bonnie explained. "Something about draft picks, I don't know. I don't speak that language."

"Here, let me give you a hand," he offered and was pulling the heavy table out with ease. "Show me the way."

Bonnie nodded and walked in front of him, heading into the house to lead him to the place where the table had to go. When her back was to him a smile crept it's way onto her lips. She hadn't seen him since the carnival two weeks prior, and she had been secretly hoping to run into him here. She didn't know him well, there hadn't even been an official introduction, just random encounters. He was more than ten years her senior, and surfer dudes weren't really her type, but despite all this working against Mason, Bonnie was intrigued.

"There," she pointed to a space in the den.

He placed the table down. "Like that?"

"Just like that."

He smirked as he released the table then eyed her. "How's the bear been treating you?" He questioned, teasingly. "Throw it away yet?"

"No, of course I didn't throw it away," she said with a chuckle. "I love the bear, she reminds me of a bear I had as a child. Thanks for that, by the way, and this. You always seem to appear when help is needed. I'm starting to think you're a show-off."

Mason laughed. "No, I'm just a right place right time kind of guy." He joked. "I don't think there's been a proper introduction. My name is Mason, I'm Tyler's uncle."

His hand was so large it swallowed hers when she shook it.

"Bonnie Bennett, Tyler's friend."

"You mean memorial drinking buddy?"

Bonnie huffed as he smiled. "You're never going to let that go, are you?" She asked. "It's not like I even got a sip. You snatched it from my hands before I could."

"Hey, I'm just trying to help the youth, keep them on the right path."

"I'm not a child, I'm a responsible young woman," Bonnie stated, confidently. "I know how to handle myself."

"Okay," he held his hands up in defeat. "Need help with anything else, young woman?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," she stated, and he promptly followed her back out to the trunk. He proceeded to move all of the heavy stuff as she instructed him on where to place it. He managed to keep a smile on her face the entire time. Eventually the boys came back and she was called away for assistance elsewhere. Throughout the day, they didn't stray too far from each other, stepping up to help the other even when it was not necessary. Some people started to take notice.

"Ms. Lockwood said the masks were over here?" Bonnie asked Stefan who was standing behind the bar outside.

"Yeah, right over there." He pointed to a box on a table behind her. "Want me to grab it?"

"No, I got it." As she turned to head over to it she bumped into Mason.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said. He smiled at her.

"As much as I've helped you today, you thank me by trying to knock me over?" He teased.

"Watch where you're going. I'm small but I can take you down," she joked. He laughed and stopped at the sight of Stefan watching their interaction with a tight expression.

"Mind passing me the wine glasses?" He asked Stefan. He nodded and handed him the box over the bar. "Want me to take that too?" He asked Bonnie.

"That's okay, I've got it."

"Don't worry about it," he slid the box out of her hands and continued on. Bonnie watched him go.

"Do you guys know each other?" Stefan was suddenly right behind her.

"Uh...not really," she replied. "We met at the memorial. He's Tyler's uncle. Really nice guy."

"Seems like it, especially to you."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"He just seems a little...off. That's all."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "He does not."

"I wouldn't hang around that guy too much if I was you, is all I'm saying."

"Too bad I don't care what you think anymore." She stalked away and when she looked back she saw Damon had approached Stefan. Stefan said something to him and they both looked her way. She shook her head in annoyance and walked to the table where Elena and Caroline were piecing together bead necklaces.

"You've been a busy bee today," Caroline observed.

"Yeah, I've been trying to help as much as possible," Bonnie replied, now putting together a necklace herself. I'm actually kind of excited for the party tonight."

"Hm, I wonder why?" Caroline said. Bonnie narrowed her eyes at her, catching the implication in her tone.

"So...Tyler's uncle is pretty cute," Elena said.

"Is he? Hadn't noticed," Bonnie attempted nonchalance. Elena and Caroline shot a look to each other and both giggled.

"You know what, I'm going back inside to set up the tables," Bonnie quickly dismissed herself from the incoming teasing.

"Bon, wait!" Care called after her but she didn't return. "She's totally crushing on him."

"Definitely," Elena agreed.

About twenty minutes later they were all gathered in the foyer of the Lockwood mansion. Mason approached as they discussed if they wanted to go the Grill now to eat or after the party. "One last thing," Mason declared. "My sister-in-law is out of beads. She's insistent on having more. Can anyone tell me the closest place I can get some?"

"The party store in the square has them," Bonnie offered. "It's only about six minutes away."

"Perfect. You know exactly where it is?"

"Yeah, I can go with you."

"No," Damon suddenly spoke up, loud and firm. "I know where it is, I'll go." Mason looked a little taken aback by Damon's sudden interference but let it go.

"Cool, then I think we're all done here," Mason said, coolly.

"Bon, ride with me to the store?" Damon asked in a tone that suggested it wasn't really a question.

"Thought you knew where it was," Bonnie challenged with a raised brow.

"You can help me carry the beads," Damon responded, lamely. Deciding she didn't have the energy to go back and forth with him, she followed him to the Camaro. The last thing she wanted was any lectures during this ride so she wasn't going to ask, but Bonnie had a strong suspicion Damon was trying to keep her from being alone with Mason, and she had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time.

A/N: No, Bonnie and Elena are not friends again, I know how much you all hate her in this fic (as you should). Bonnie was temporarily being the bigger person for the sake of Caroline, but really she has other things on her mind aside from worrying about Elena. Hope you enjoyed this update. Reviews are love!