— — — — — —
The next day's sexy car-wash fundraiser was in full swing. Jack drove his car over and joined in, doing his bit for the cause.
"No discounts for friends. No freebies. No tabs. This isn't charity." He parked, walked up to the donation table and saw Caroline giving Elena a rundown of instructions.
"No, absolutely not." Elena answered Caroline clearly.
"Hello!" Stefan arrived just then and greeted them.
"Hi." At the sound of Stefan's voice, Elena stood up. They looked at each other in that slow, intimate way lovers do.
Caroline didn't react the same way. She rose more stiffly and took a step back. If she hadn't found out about Stefan being a vampire yesterday she probably would have teased the pair for dressing far too modestly for a "sexy" event.
"Hey, babe. Don't be scared. I'm here." Jack slid an arm around Caroline's shoulders and whispered into her ear when he saw she was tense.
"All right, you two know today's theme, right? Stefan, there's something I need to tell you." Jack patted Caroline's shoulder, then pulled Stefan aside.
"I'll be right back," Stefan told Elena reluctantly.
"What's up?" Stefan followed Jack to a quieter spot.
"Bad news. Caroline knows everything. I couldn't lie to her, and I don't want to control her." Jack glanced around to make sure they were alone and then confessed everything.
"I had her promise to keep it secret. For now she won't tell Elena. But I'm worried she'll slip up later. To be honest, after I told her yesterday her reaction affected me. They aren't immortal like us. Could we really keep this from them for five or ten years, much less longer?" Jack said, watching Stefan's face go blank.
"I think the sooner we're honest, the better. I'm trying to find a way to make them immortal. Turning them into vampires isn't a good solution." Jack kept talking. "Think about it. Caroline's considering whether to break up with me. I need to feel out the situation. If we leave this until they're actually planning marriage and then tell them, it'll hurt them even more."
Stefan frowned alone for a moment. Jack patted his shoulder and went back to Caroline, leaning in until they were annoyingly attached again.
"What did Stefan say?" Caroline, who knew she wasn't the most discreet, wanted to get a read on him. She needed someone to share her thoughts with about Jack—someone who was a witch and someone who was dating a vampire. Only problem was she couldn't tell them the secret yet. Keeping it all inside was making her boil.
"He's torn. He's not like us. Give him some time." Jack answered.
Jack's plan for the day was simple—cling to Caroline. They weren't officially broken up, and a little extra attention might smooth things over. But then he spotted a car on fire.
Bonnie stood nearby, a thin line of fire stretching from her straight to the vehicle.
"Told you Bonnie is a witch." Jack said to Caroline, then ran over.
"Bonnie, Bonnie, wake up." He shook her.
"What happened?" Bonnie blinked awake. The fire was out, but she looked lost.
"You went a bit out of it and almost burned that car to a crisp," Jack said, nodding toward the vehicle.
"Was that really me? Nobody saw, right?" Bonnie asked, afraid.
"Only us." Jack nodded.
"Please don't tell anyone. I beg you." Bonnie pleaded.
"It's fine. You forgot I do magic too, right? I told you before we should talk to your grandmother. This looks like an awakening. You've got power but no control yet." Jack patted her shoulder and tried to reassure her.
Bonnie nodded and hurried off, probably to find her grandmother.
"Don't worry. It's just a new power and no guidance," Jack told Caroline when he returned to her side.
They spent the day together and then went their separate ways. But as soon as Jack lay down in his room, Stefan's urgent call came through.
"Jack, Damon's run. Zack and Sarah are dead. Come over now." Stefan's voice was panicked the instant Jack answered.
"Okay, I'm on my way." With help from the rabbit talisman, Jack ran faster than a car and reached Stefan's house in no time.
"What happened?" He stepped into the living room and saw Zack and Sarah's bodies lying there.
"Well, it's like this…" Stefan began, telling Jack what had happened.
Five minutes later...
"Sigh." Jack felt guilty — he was the main reason Sarah was dead. He didn't have feelings for her or something, but it didn't matter. The guilt was enormous. He was the one who had started this whole mess with a stupid impulse to crash the scene and "have some fun."
Now there was only one thing he could think about: revenge. He would find Damon and kill him, no matter what it took.
Ring Ring
Stefan's phone rang. The caller ID showed an unknown number, and he put it on speaker.
"I told ya~ I'm stronger than you think."
Damon's voice came over the line. "Anyway, as the winner, I want my ring and necklace."
"Damon, where are you? Why are you doing all this?" Stefan demanded.
"In a safe place. I just had a buffet. Where are my things?" Damon sounded like he was drinking as he spoke.
"They're not with me. What did you do?" Stefan fired back.
"No, what did you do?" Damon snapped. "Where are my things, Stefan?
"Stop the bickering, Damon. Either disappear from Mystic Falls now while you can... or I'll find you and when that happens, no one will be able to protect you from me." Jack cut in.
"Oh, Jacky. You are a dumbass, like I said at the beginning."
"I knew you'd try to dry me out that night. If I hadn't left a contingency and taken control of Sarah to let me out, I'd probably be a dried husk now. So how do you like the present I brought?" Damon's voice had a hint of smugness.
He'd overheard Jack and the others before and countered by controlling Sarah to open the door for him five days later. He knew drying someone takes about a week, and with Sarah missing they only had him to hold.
"By the way, don't cremate Sarah yet. She's the real gift I left for you. Hand over my things, or my next stop is Elena's house," Damon threatened, stacking the blood-drained addicts and preparing to set them on fire.
"You turned Sarah? That's why you killed her?" Stefan guessed from Damon's words.
"You vampires still have to die first to be turned?" Jack was surprised.
"Stefan, clever as always. When Sarah wakes tomorrow, give her human blood and she'll complete the transformation. If she doesn't drink human blood by then, she'll die. That's the present I gave you. Happy now, Jack?" Damon taunted.
"Enough." Jack closed the call.
"Stefan, I'll go check on Caroline first. I'll come back tomorrow to see Sarah. Then we'll decide whether to let her become a vampire or… let her die peacefully."
Jack didn't want to waste time arguing with Damon. Caroline's place was dangerous tonight even if Damon hadn't shown up there before. Jack needed to check on her.
As for Sarah? He cared but mostly guilt and pity.
.
.
.