— — — — — —
"I think we should dress up as vampires. Don't you think it'd be hilarious for an actual vampire to show up at a party dressed as one?" Sarah said playfully to Jack.
"Sounds pretty good to me," he replied with a grin. "Then I'll get us two costumes."
"You stay here and be careful. Keep the curtains closed—no sunlight, okay?" Jack stood, ready to head out, but made sure to warn her first.
"Don't worry, I got it." Sarah flashed him an OK sign.
Jack went out, first to order their costumes—ready for pickup later that afternoon—then called Bonnie to arrange a meeting about the necklace.
"Hey, sorry to keep you waiting," Jack greeted as he spotted Bonnie at their agreed meeting spot.
"It's fine, I just got here too," Bonnie replied.
"Bonnie, take a look at this necklace for me. Stefan said it's some kind of magical item, probably made by a witch like you." Jack handed her the necklace.
"Stefan said that?" Bonnie frowned, a little confused. She knew Jack had powers and knew her secret as a witch, but Stefan being involved raised questions.
"Oh, I thought Elena and Caroline already filled you in," Jack explained. Then he went over everything—how Stefan and Damon were vampires, how Elena and Caroline had only found out yesterday, how Sarah became a vampire because of Damon, and how this necklace had been stolen from him. Most likely, it was tied to one of Damon's plans.
"I've been with my grandma all weekend, so I haven't talked to them," Bonnie admitted. She turned the necklace over in her hands. "It doesn't feel unusual to me… but maybe my power just isn't strong enough yet." She started to hand it back.
Before Jack could take it, the necklace zapped him with a sudden shock. It didn't hurt him, but it was clearly no ordinary trinket.
"Guess it's really not normal," Bonnie said, a bit uneasy.
"Then maybe take it to your grandmother. She might recognize it," Jack suggested.
"Yeah, I'll show her when I go home tonight," Bonnie agreed.
"By the way, you got your costume ready for tonight's Halloween party?" Jack asked.
"Caroline's picking something for me. No clue what it'll be. What about you two? Last year Elena and Matt went as a psycho doctor and nurse—it actually worked." Bonnie smirked, well aware of Caroline's control-freak tendencies. Odds were, Caroline had already decided everyone's costumes.
"About Caroline…" Jack hesitated. "We broke up last night."
Bonnie blinked. "Oh. Can I ask why?"
"You know I'm not just a healer—I can't die. I told her everything. She couldn't handle it, worried what it would mean decades from now if I never change. She thought it over for days and gave me her answer last night."
"I see…" Bonnie's voice softened. She didn't know what else to say.
"Don't worry about me. We ended things peacefully. Honestly, I'm still planning to pick her up for the party later. With Damon running around, I'd rather she not be alone."
"That makes sense. You're both my friends—I just want you two to be okay," Bonnie said.
Jack smiled faintly. "We'll see how it goes. Anyway, show the necklace to your grandma and let me know if she finds anything."
"No problem," Bonnie nodded.
...
That night, Jack drove to pick up Caroline with Sarah by his side—both dressed as vampires.
The night went smoothly: Damon didn't cause trouble, Sarah practiced her power, and everything seemed fine. Caroline, however, wasn't thrilled about seeing Jack and Sarah in matching costumes. By the time the party wound down, she'd already announced another one for tomorrow at the Grill, almost like she wanted to flaunt moving on.
Jack, oblivious as always, didn't pick up on the jab. To him, it was just Caroline being her usual party-loving self.
"Are you going tomorrow too?" he asked Sarah on the drive home.
"Can I?" she asked hopefully. Being a vampire meant being stuck indoors all day. Getting to go out at night, especially to a party, was a rare treat.
"You behaved yourself tonight, so yeah, I'll take you," Jack said with a smile.
"Yes! You're the best!" Sarah nearly bounced with excitement.
"Alright, calm down. It's late—get some rest." Jack wished her goodnight before heading upstairs.
---
The next evening came faster than expected. At the Grill, Jack and Sarah walked into the crowded party. That's when he saw the last person he wanted to deal with—Damon.
"You've got some nerve showing up here," Jack muttered. He told Sarah to go enjoy herself; she was full and wouldn't lose control tonight. Then he stepped straight toward Damon.
"The necklace," Damon said flatly. "Stefan told me you didn't give it to him."
"It's not with me right now. And honestly? I don't see a reason to hand it back to you," Jack said coolly.
"I'll be watching you tonight," he added in warning.
Damon just smirked, then turned away to greet a woman who'd just walked in. "Hey, Lexi."
Lexi Branson ignored him and went straight to the dance floor. Damon followed, muttering something about meeting Stefan there.
Soon Stefan arrived, joining Lexi for dancing and even a game of pool. Jack barely paid them any attention; his eyes stayed locked on Damon. At one point, Damon slipped out, and Jack nearly went after him—but Damon returned quickly, so Jack didn't let him out of his sight again.
Then things turned bad. The town sheriff, Liz Forbes—Caroline's mother—walked in with deputies, heading straight toward Sarah.
Shit.
Jack pushed through the crowd, but the bar was too packed. By the time he reached her, Sarah was already being dragged out. He fought his way to the door, but someone blocked him. Frustrated, he tried to slip around using a rabbit talisman for speed, only to arrive just in time to see Damon drive a wooden stake straight through Sarah's heart.
.
.
.