"So when you said you were going to be avoiding Kai like the Plague I didn't expect you to take it so literally," Bonnie's bubbly blonde companion teased from the passenger seat, "I mean seriously, not even a pop in with a coffee and good morning kiss before we set off on the road? You can't dodge him all weekend, Bon. And maybe if you did we would know why they hit us with an impromptu change of location."

"I know," she grumbled curling her fingers around the wheel tighter, "and I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize to me, I'm not the one you're ghosting."

"No, I mean because you and Stefan are involved in this too," she sighed fighting off the tears threatening to arise, "and that I can't just make it go away or pretend I don't know anything about it."

"You know you haven't told me much about how you've felt during all of this and it's not good to keep it bottled up. Have you been sharing anything with Elena?"

"No."

"Well you got to talk to one of us; this is what we're here for."

"You're going through the same thing as me right now I don't think it would be fair to burden you with what I'm feeling on top of everything else."

"The Salvatore's might have the same initial consequences from the Gemini's hanging over their heads but you and Kai are dealing with so much more. You're in the heart of it. You have every right to want to talk about it."

"I just can't believe this is happening. Kai must be freaking out over his Coven-"

"Okay wait," Caroline cut her off pointing the blood bag in her direction, "you know how much I like Kai but I'm not interested in hearing about what he's going through. I want to know about you."

"Like what?"

"Like everything; what were you feeling when you found this all out? What are you feeling now, has anything changed? What is your best case scenario for an outcome? Are you heartbroken, indifferent, or ready to take on this thing and kick its magical butt? Or are you happier now that some time has passed?"

"I'm not happy," slipped from her lips pursing them at the unwanted candor, "but I'm not crawling into a hole of my own sorrow, either. I can't. There are too many other factors and people's lives and wellbeing involved in this that I can't let myself be selfish and get wrapped up in my head. That wouldn't be fair to you, or Stefan and Damon, or Kai or any of the Gemini's for that matter. I've just been telling myself over and over that I'm making the right choice, that this is the only way to ensure the least irreparable damage against all of us and we can still move forward in our lives."

"And you want to move forward without Kai?" Care pressed, turning with a glare to meet her friend's sincere expression. "He's not here and no one else can hear you, just say it."

"Say…"

"Whatever you've been keeping buried inside. I promise none of it no matter how juicy and mentally explosive will leave this vehicle. I'm being serious when I ask you this though; do you really want to move forward without Kai and just forget about Sheila's book and everything revolved around it?"

"I don't have a choice."

"You always have a choice, and that's not an answer. I'm looking for a 'yes' or 'no' response here and survey says…"

"It doesn't matter."

Letting out something that sounded like a bark more than a laugh Caroline shook her head and switched the radio completely off, turning to face her head on. "You must drive Kai crazy with that."

"With what?"

"Going so far out of your way to avoid answering a simple question that spoiler alert we probably already know the answer to. We just want to hear you openly admit to it too. I'm your best friend Bonnie, just talk to me."

"I'm scared, okay!" she erupted huffing through the tightness in her chest feeling like she was breathing through a straw and let out in a whisper, "I'm scared."

"Of what?"

"All of it," Bonnie chuckled dryly feeling a tear stain her cheek, "of staying with Kai and being the cause of him losing everything he's worked for. Or staying with him only for him to cut his losses and run like his Uncle did to Gram's. What if things are going smoothly for us and we don't try to break the curse and you and Stefan end up suffering because of my selfishness instead? Or we do try and break it and something goes wrong? What if…"

"Keep going," her friend softly urged, a piece of her heart chipping off the side and falling into the black hole that resonates in her stomach.

"What if Kai dies? If Joshua figures all of this out and comes up with a scheme of his own on how to handle all of this."

"Kai can't die, Bon-Bon, every single Gemini would be killed with him."

"I think… no, I know what his dad is capable of. And I know how much he hates his son. He would never let Kai risk destroying the Coven; Joshua would kill him without hesitation. No matter what path I take I feel like fate is going to be right alongside me tempting me with what decision to make and making us suffer no matter what the outcome may be. Don't you see it? Even if I do get Kai in the end of all of this, I would still be losing him."

"Shouldn't this be something that you two discuss and agree on together?"

"I can't ask him to choose between me and the rest of his life, Care. And I can't be the one that causes him any more pain and so far being oblivious to what's been going on made no difference because I've still been draining the magic out of him."

"Do you miss him?"

"What?" Bonnie's brows knit together thrown off by the question.

"Everything you're saying is very well thought out and makes sense and sounds like you're reading it off a piece of paper and not letting your emotions get near it. I was just curious to see if you're letting yourself feel any of the grief that's bubbling inside. So, do you miss him?"

"Yes."

"What do you miss about him?"

"Caroline."

"Come on just humor me you know I can't ask these things when he's around. This is therapeutic."

"For me or you?" she lightly joked, the hole in her stomach growing wider as the silence stretched on. "I miss… his smile. And the way he laughs. I miss feeling him beside me so I could actually sleep through the night."

"That's sweet."

"I miss the feeling I get whenever he's around. I can't even explain it, it's just warm, and… safe. Like when you first curl up in a blanket and let out that sound of content. Not like he could somehow protect me from a fraction of what the Universe has thrown at me, but still."

"Anything else?"

"I miss him," Bonnie exhaled, glancing down at the ring on her right hand and squeezing it into a fist, "the good and the bad."

"You know if you need to get a little graphic I promise it will be our little secret," Caroline offered and the crudeness rolled her into a fit of laughter. "I'm just saying!"

"You just want to hear how good he is in bed."

"You guys destroyed a hotel room; of course I want to hear how good he is in bed!" Another wave of laughter crashed over them lifting the weight off of her chest with it when it dissipated. "Well listen you know you are a part of my soul and I only want the best for you. I totally get how much you're dealing with but, maybe you don't have to go through it all on your own. You know Elena and I will be here for you through this life into the next but Kai's kind of alone in this. He doesn't have anyone to talk to and I'm willing to bet he's missing you even more than he's letting on. Who knows if he's even experienced feeling that towards someone before he got a sexy Coven leader upgrade? Maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to spend time with him this weekend to see if you can come to some kind of an understanding."

"Mm, I guess I've been in tougher situations before, once or twice," Bonnie teased.

And even if you can't, there's no harm in getting some one-on-one time with him again. Whether it's friendly, or for comfort, or closure… whatever your reasoning may be. But one way or another you're stuck with him for the next few days so instead of stressing over something that's out of your control you might as well enjoy the time you can still have together – together."

"When did you get so wise?"

"I believe that was right around when my heart stopped, but I can't be sure, maybe I was just born this way."

The two continued on in light conversation for the remainder of the trip until a large wooden sign in front of an entrance caught the girl's attention.

"Winchester Creek?" they read watching the Gemini's RV turn into the Campground, mystified reading the black cursive font underneath.

"The Cooper Brother's Campground."

"Well isn't that nice, apparently we're in the presence of Royalty. Elena seems to have really lucked out with this one. I'm starting to wander if they have any brother's or who else is tucked away in this mystery cult."

Snickering at her friend's dismay they pulled into the Campground behind the RV watching Cody jump out gesturing for them to stay in the car and ran inside the main lodge. Within two minutes he was back and they were off, driving at least another ten minutes passing by tents that she had never seen before. Instead of a basic camping tent you'd pack on a trip these were something that took time and effort to put together and certainly were able to weather a storm. Instead of poles and rocks to bolt these down they were as sturdy as a house looking like giant Hobbit holes with their own personal wooden porches wrapped around half of it.

They were starting to think they had gone too far, minutes passing since they had seen a colorful Hobbit hole when they reached a clearing with almost a dozen all white cabin-like tents stretched out across a massive clearing of land overlooking the lake. Even with the big RV driving straight into the scenic location it didn't appear to take up any space, pulling up beside it.

"We made it!" One of the girls' giggled fumbling out of what could pass as a party bus and spinning in circles with their arms outstretched, "I can't believe we're here with no parents!"

The rest of the Gemini's filed out scanning the perimeter taking in the scene along with the two of them. The land must have been a few acres wide stretched across with slightly varying sizes of circular cabins scattered all around with plenty of space in between, each lifted off the ground with wraparound porches and a small staircase. There were huge trees all around the perimeter of the camp encasing them in and tucking them out of reach from the rest of the world but the inside was so open and welcoming. The seclusion away from the rest of the campground also gave them their own private watering hole; the lake opening up and wrapping into what looked like their own personal pond to cause havoc in.

The spot was sheltered from view from the public by a marshy island splitting the two but still accessible to swim or paddle past on either side. Even though they were a bit of a drive away from anyone else the grass still appeared to be freshly cut, the color so vibrant and clear of any fallen leaves or twigs it looked like it could pass for the cover of a picturesque vacation getaway. Gazing forward out at the lake Bonnie spotted a large boat house off to the left and a wooden dock off forming an uppercase 'T' in the water. Farther off in the distance she could see two square floating docks spaced out, one with a giant plastic slide bolted onto the edge. Off to the right there was a volley ball net breaking the surface and Bonnie could make out a rope swing tied to a nearby tree.

"Man it feels spectacular to be back at 'camp creek lake'.

"We've got the whole place to ourselves, this is so sick."

"Cody did I read that sign correctly? Does your family own this campground?"

"Sort of, yeah," he shrugged glancing down with a small smile, humbled. "My dad and Uncle invested in this place when they were our age as just a hangout spot to go camping and mess around with magic away from everyone and the 'campground' aspect of it kind of just took on a life of its own. And then once my mom got involved with it and the rest was, as my dad put it, 'a distant kick-ass boy's clubhouse memory'. And now, we have yurts."

"Yurts?"

"Yeah, the tents, they're from the Nomadic time or used in Central Asia or something like that. I don't know but my mom's like obsessed with them. They're round instead of a normal tee-pee and covered with skins or felts and it's built with wood or bamboo for the walls and they have actual doors. Oh and they all have glass domes in the top so you can see the stars and have a clearer access point to help tap into your magic. There's central AC and a heating furnace, fridge, and a bathroom in just about all of them but the layouts are different. We've got the kitchen yurt over there; main bathroom with a few showers, tubs, there's even a sauna room in there is the one farthest off to the right. That one in the middle is the 'community center' which is just kind of like a chill spot indoors if it's shitty weather to eat and watch TV on the big projector and hang. Uh the bed situation is whatever you want, really. We've got singles, lofts to share, the 'master-yurt' as my dad likes to refer to it because it's a whole ass house crammed into that hut. That's where my parents used to take refuge when they brought us all up here when we were kids."

"Yeah and this place was like a nature-filled version of our own personal Disneyland, fully equipped with witchcraft and all."

"Yo so if you knew you were bringing us to this nature lover's wet dream why did you rent that clunker?" Evan jabbed scooping up his friend's head by the neck giving him a noogie.

"Dude!" he chuckled shoving him off pushing him into Michael. "Well I thought we were going to that Grizzly RV place until this morning when my dad called and said my mom was swayed over to letting us spend the weekend here after a conversation with the leader of the Gemini Coven."

Heads turned to a lazy grin leaning against the side of the RV, the baseball cap blocking out the sun and the top half of his face. It was the first time Bonnie let herself fully take in her male counterpart and as always, he did not disappoint. His 80's outfit still shined through with the cargo pants but at least these ones went all the way down to his boots and were a deep shade of navy blue, the same color of his hat. The light grey wife beater clung to his every muscle and even from this distance the stubble scattered across his jaw made him look rugged, dangerous.

"I almost forgot how funny Danni was. The whole 'I'll tear your spine out of your body if you let anything happen to my sons' playful threats, she's so quirky. I was sure to let her know you were all under my protection and she knows how much I love rules and staying safe."

"Still no clue how you got the okay from the Warden," Evan shook his head in disbelief.

"I may have told her she can make up one of the new Gemini Sacred Rules we all have to abide by too."

"Ahhh there it is," a few of the Gemini's cooed in agreement.

"Which that reminds me; another mom-demand was that I had to invite my little bro to chill for the weekend too. I hope that's cool. He's only eight months younger he just missed the cutoff for school so he's going to be graduating this Spring and was floored when I said we were doing this."

"Yeah he was so hyped he told Mase about it too," Michael added as he unloaded stuff they brought from the vehicle.

"Mason's coming?!" Emma squealed hopping around clapping, "okay, officially the best Mother Nature weekend getaway ever."

"My girl is in love with Turners baby brother," Evan snickered tossing a football in the air and catching it, "but lucky for him I am secure with my masculinity and my relationship so I am not threatened in the least."

"Mhm and the fact that he has a boyfriend makes no difference at all, I'm sure?"

"None, whatsoever," he remarked casually, a vast contrast against his shit-eating-grin.

"Right. So when are they getting here?"

"Dylan's got his semifinal tonight so they'll be here in the morning. But depending how the game goes will dictate which version of him you'll be getting a first impression of."

"Shit, we're missing the game?"

"It's cool I told him I'd fly back if he achieved the impossible and led his team to the Championship."

"What does he play?" Bonnie wondered intrigued hearing more about the Gemini families, never thinking to ask if they had other siblings around their age.

"Lacrosse," Cody surprised her with the answer, not the typical high school sport most try out for or even have as an option, "and he's pretty damn good. One of the firsts to make Captain his Junior year."

"Mommy and Daddy must have been so proud, their star athlete sons," AnnaLynne cooed hanging off of his shoulder in a playful love-struck gesture.

"Sons, as in plural? What, were you a lacrosse MVP too?" Caroline teased and Cody's cheeks flared red, his sheepish smile attempting to mask his modesty.

"Football was more of my thing."

"And he led the Buccaneers on a valiant voyage stealing all of the booty from those bastard Monarchs. It was one for the record books. I can still see that last play like I'm watching the highlight reels."

"Don't do it."

"Seven seconds left on the clock," Michael raises his hands silently asking for Evan to throw the football to him which he obliges. "Superstar wide receiver breaks through a clearing and the QB spots him, launches it. Coop catches this baby with his fingertips one handed – almost takes a tumble, recovers, and books it. He's closing in within the five yard line as the countdown ticks down to two seconds. Split shot to a gargantuan mongoloid coming up about to side-swipe him but twinkle-toes here did a quick one-two and faked him out dancing his way into the end zone."

"Literally, dancing," AnnaLynne backed him up in agreement, she and Emma both doing the same moves that must have been mimicking Cody that night.

For their welcomed entertainment Michael and Evan played out the entire scene for them to experience it firsthand. First the initial throw followed by a few quick moves and dodges to outmaneuver his opponent, slo-mo running for added effect with exaggerated movements all the way to the dance party at the end.

"Great, I'm happy you guys got that out of your systems before Elena saw or heard any of that, thank you. Feel free to knock that off as soon as she gets here."

"And not let her know who she's shacking up with? Now that's just not being a good friend Cody Cooper and I am indeed a best friend. It's actually one of my duties."

"'Doody'," Evan repeated, waiting a beat for anyone else to react before he began cracking up.

"So anyways," Cody cut him off steering the conversation back, "ergo that's how we ended up with the mini party bus. Plus it's more convenient; we have an extra bathroom with a shower, a kitchen, and like four more beds. And we can grill up some burgs and dogs under the awning and have a place in the shade to sit over here. Besides I didn't hear you complaining about it on the way up."

"Naw, that was good shit. Just seems like overkill when we've got King Coop-topia here but hey, I get it. You want the extra privacy for a little alone time with a pretty brunette. What happened, by the way, no luck tempting her to hang out with you for an extra day?"

"Too scared to spend that much time alone with your face?"

"Must be it," Cody nodded along at his friend's banter, "alright so everyone pan out, claim whatever yurts or beds you want and we'll all meet up in fifteen in the lounge."

Retreating back with the rest of the group Bonnie blew out an overdrawn breath shaking off the wave of nerves watching Kai walk away and took her time clearing out each item they packed from the backseat and trunk, counting through the inventory once or twice just for good measure. After making their rounds the yurt closest to the cars on the left was deemed her and Kai's temporary home for the weekend after Caroline was stern in her insisting that she wanted to bunk with the magical-people. Climbing the steps of the personal half-wraparound porch she turned the knob hip-checking the door open and stumbled through, bags slipping from her shoulders as she took in the view.

Off to the left was a king-sized bed looking as untouched and pristine as the rest of the room next to a bedside table with a small lamp. Scanning along the perimeter there was a small table and two chairs between two windows, a full-length mirror, a computer desk with a shoe-rack type bookcase with trinkets in each slot. A loveseat, the heating furnace, a dresser, another window, and a mini fridge wrapped around back to a door directly on her right with plants scattered all about. Peeking inside she nodded impressed that the second half of the yurt that wasn't covered by the porch stretched into a long bathroom equipped with a toilet, sink, and stand-in glass shower. The wooden planks of Pioneer latticework crisscrossed looking like diamonds all around the walls and long beams stretched up to the center where an open dome was visible to see the sky through.

Kai had given her a few minutes to herself to unpack and get settled, scanning her reflection in the full-length mirror of flip flops, light jeans, salmon spaghetti strap tank, and hunter green half-jacket. Her hair hung in loose waves thanks to Care wanting to spice up her dull morning bed-head and had just enough time to put on mascara before they were out the door. With one more panoramic view of their own little slice of paradise Bonnie left the room passing by five or six other yurts along with tiki torches, surround-sound speakers, picnic tables, and various sporting activities before she found one three times the size of the rest. The doors were wide open and voices trickled out to where she stood, unable to decipher one conversation from another as she ascended the steps.

"Yo I'm ready to get lit. Ya'll feel me?"

Michael sauntered from one side of the tent to the back settling in behind a mini island, first messing with a stereo system waiting for the music to trickle in before filling up the fridge with the cooler by his side. Bonnie made her way over to Caroline and Cody curled up in a pile of big white fuzzy cushions and rugs.

"Littie titty, fam, and per usual I'm one step ahead of you. Let's just see what's hiding in my bag of tricks."

Evan pulled a Himalayan Hemp backpack up from beside his stretched out legs and took its contents out one at a time. If Bonnie had to pack a bag purely based on smoking essentials, he had it. There were rolling papers, glass and water pipes, lighters, a pocket knife, jars of candy and trail mix, gum and mints, and even a rectangular rolling tray. And then came the main event."

"I can smell that before you even pull it out of the bag, Hayes."

"For real I'm going to have to air out that RV all weekend."

"The price of potency, Monsieur. So what we've got here is a Fiesta."

"A fiesta?" Caroline quirked leaning in closer to see for herself.

"Yeah I got a little bit of this, little bit of that; badda-bing badda-boom. We've got your Indica, Sativa, and Hybrids for whatever high you're looking for. If edibles tickle your fancy I've got a trail mix of THC infused chocolate, nuts, and berries, and some candy because, well, I love sour gummy bears," he explained, tossing a couple in his mouth. "But the game changer in here is what Coop and I conjured up. I've got about twenty different herbs and a dozen mixed concoctions that can be smoked, inhaled through incense, salves, or essential oils, brewed in tea, or ingested in tinctures and capsules that are all totally safe, don't come up on any drug tests, 100% natural and used for medicinal and mystical purposes with both the paranormal and the average humans. No offense, Caroline."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"And don't even get me going on all of the spells and tricks we've gathered up over the years too. We've even put together our own little Book of Spells if you catch my heavy drift. All in all what I'm trying to say is that we are all going to take a nice clean ride into the Enchanted Forest that is Camp Creek Lake this weekend and you two lovely dames are more than welcome to partake, I insist really. I grew the strains myself and everything Cody and I made we test and they're all natural with no negative side effects. Actually most of the herbs help with anxiety, stress, insomnia, and a ton of healing properties."

"It's true, I'm not even into the smoking scene or any of that and it's all pretty legit," Emma chimed in standing on the opposite side beside Kai and AnnaLynne, "plus we're in a place where we can openly practice and it's totally safe and legal now."

"Cheers to that," Michael hollered thrusting kettle pot into the air before sticking it on a burner, "and now we don't have to worry about that tyrant checking in on the regular and stalking our every move."

"Seriously that guy needed a hobby."

Bonnie's gaze flickered to the man that everyone else seemed to shift their attention to as well, knowing Kai was fully aware of everyone staring at him but made no indication as he casually took a sip from his water bottle.

"What a creep," he quirked lightly breaking the tension from the rest of the Coven who appeared as if they were all holding their breath, still unsure how to act around the current Gemini Leader in regards to the former.

"And now we have this Parker gent as our Master in Command and I just got to say what a time to be alive," Evan kicked back with the rolling tray and contents resting on his stomach, beginning his process. "This is better than it's ever been. And the Elders were all gung-ho to start a riot and ambush you as soon as your dad told us you were going to bust out of that prison world."

"Which by the way can we all just take a moment to reflect on that holy shit factor, I mean guys," Cody looked from Kai to Bonnie, "the two of you were able to succeed together where so many others have failed. I mean damn, the almighty evil-sadistic-magic-siphoner couldn't even break out of there on his own you two needed each other to get the job done."

"That's what I was referred to as?" Kai questioned seeming to mull over the nickname looking to each member.

"It was… one of them," AnnaLynne offered seeming to cushion what must have been a slew of hatred aimed at him for nearly two full decades. "Among others but for most of our lives you weren't referred to as anything for years and years."

"Yeah you were our very own Voldemort."

"Yo remember when we were kids and our parents told us the reason the next set of twins didn't merge was because he sent them on a vacation to train harder? We tried so many fake spells to try and open up a door to get you to come back."

Kai's brows raised, the information seeming to catch him by surprise but said nothing, another filling in the silence.

"We were fine until we got our hands on that Ouiji board."

"What a superstitious bunch."

"Ah, when we first discovered the rift between our five families and our sixth twin counterparts. But to be fair they did survive a gruesome massacre, so," Evan's words were cut off by a quick whack to the back of his head by Cody shaking his steady arms on the task at hand. "Bruh! Don't make me spill this I put in a little extra something to kick off the trip. I got the batch for the tea too whenever that's done brewing."

Emma made her way from one side of the tent to the other swiping up the bag at his side and continuing over to Michael.

"Liv and Luke didn't even know who you were back then and everything about that night was kept in secrecy amongst the Elders and whoever knew you from back then, but everyone our age was kept in the dark."

"Besides the selective few parents who have loose lips, as do their offspring. Hence how we all know far too much, about everything. "

"My parents and Uncle stuck their neck out for you a few times to the Big Bad over the years though. Didn't get them far, actually in set them back significantly with the community but my dad didn't care. Said the whole thing was a giant conspiracy scheme led by a Dictator that would kill his own son rather than lose his powers while simultaneously putting a lock on our own abilities, so to Hell with him."

"My sister told me the same thing and on top of what I had already remembered about you it was hard to picture the monster Mr. Parker and Mr. Walsh described you as once they caught wind of you breaking out."

"A modern-day sociopath."

"An abomination."

"A crazed lunatic."

"Parasite."

"A curse," Emma finished their round of 'who can come up with the most destructive adjective', and she seemed to have won that round, Kai's head snapping in her direction with a firm line set in his jaw. Bonnie knew the term had to be from the twisted mind of his father or Emma's Uncle, a man she was becoming increasingly more suspicious and worrisome over with each new crumb of information she discovers about him.

"Well that was fun," Caroline broke through the awkwardness with an added clap of her hands getting up and standing on the opposite side of the island. "So what do we have here?

Emma had enough mugs lined up for each of them along the island, "Well what we have here is a calming herbal remedy with a few key ingredients like lavender, dandelion, cinnamon, bergamot, rose water, and a few other unique choices like hyssop, damiana leaf and valerian root with just a splash of the blue lotus concentrate."

"Awh babe blue lotus is what I just ground up to throw in the blunt with the weed," Evan whined already onto rolling a second, "that was my extra little pizazz to smoke."

"Well I guess great minds think alike, then. Or like-minded individuals who know how each and every one of these herbs, roots, and berries react to the human body and agree that this is one of the best for the job."

"And what is blue lotus, exactly? What do you use it for?" Caroline questioned picking up a mug and eyeing its contents with skepticism.

"It alters your state of awareness just slightly with a mild sense of tranquility and euphoria. It provokes deep meditation and opens up your root chakra at the base of your spine enhancing full enlightenment and spiritual awakening. And those are all of the herbs I put in there with a pinch of sugar to sweeten it up so please, drink up. Caroline I brewed one for you too I know you don't technically have the magical touch but it's supposed to tap into anyone's supernatural abilities so it will still have the same effect opening up your mind and chakra too."

"And it's just the ingredients you said, nothing else?"

"Nothing else," the redhead smiled picking up a mug for herself, the others gathering around to do the same. "Well, besides-"

"Rosemary?" Kai inquired stepping up and accepting the cup from Cody, swirling it around.

"Yeah, wait how…"

"Well you stole this elixir from your dad, who came up with it with me," he reasoned and paused seeming to put two thoughts together. "So Hayes when you referred to your Magic Spell Book -"

"It's our own adapted version of Mr. Coop's Book of Shadows, verbatim, yeah," he nodded shamelessly only half paying attention to his surroundings spreading the herbs in a tobacco leaf. "You guys came up with some epic incantations, no lie. Did you really try out all of them?"

"Yep."

"But there are so many different categories. Love, protection, combative, healing, wealth, luck…"

"Inner magic vs. outer magic."

"Séances."

"Divination, alchemy, astrology."

"White and black magic."

"Bro you have necromancy in there get out of here like you really dabbled in that shit," Michael scoffed, amusement turning to fear in an instant. "You dabbled?"

"We wanted to scare Sammy," Kai shrugged like it was no big deal but the glimmer of delight reflecting back in his pupils showed it was anything but a noncommittal gesture.

"And?"

"Oh it worked," he laughed lightly seeming to look back on the memory, "he didn't talk to us for the rest of the Summer."

"What did you do, bring a corpse back from the dead and chase him?"

"No I'm not an animal, that's just cruel," he teased behind a smirk rolling the ceramic mug between his palms. "But the Addams Family had just come out that Winter and Dean and I thought that the 'hand servant' disembodied hand running around on its fingers was just the most comical thing."

"Shit."

"Was my dad actually cool when he was younger?" Cody exasperated seeming to not understand the concept. "I mean I know he thinks he's the coolest person that's ever been dropped onto this Planet but even in my short life I know with certainty that is in fact not the case."

"He was great," Kai concurred lifting his glass in AnnaLynne's direction, "tied for first with Ash on my favorite friend."

"You can't pick favorites!" Care protested on his side with a huff causing the first genuine flicker of life in his pale irises.

"Maybe you can't. But pressure's already off cause Bon told me way back in '94 Elena was her BFF."

"WHAT."

"No I didn't!"

"Woah," Kai burst into laughter taking two steps back bumping into AnnaLynne, "ooh, sorry. That was such a bigger reaction than I was expecting. It's okay Caroline I bet you're someone's favorite. I mean not mine, Elena is quite the catch. But maybe Damon, oh wait…"

The uproars of amusement drowned out the yelps and playful cries as Care batted at his arm and ribs making him nearly drop his cup as he stumbled out of the war zone.

"Okay! Okay! Let's drink these before they're cold and nasty. Cheers, to…"

"One hell of a weekend," Michael finished her thought clinking his glass off of hers. "Bottoms up!"

As if they had timed it perfect each Gemini member tilted their head back emptying the contents in the liquid down their throat, Kai naturally leading the pack. With a quizzical look between she and her blonde companion the two finished off their drinks pleasantly surprised at the pleasant mixed blend of flavors on her palette.

"Mm, delicious."

"You're telling me," Evan smiled lazily shutting his eyes as the ember at the end of the cigar lit a bright purple. "Coop didn't let me smoke the whole way up here."

"How did you survive," Emma jabbed with a roll of her eyes but still accepting it when he offered, a thick cloud escaping through her open mouth before she sucked it back in. "So what do we want to do first? This place has everything you can think of for the perfect nature getaway. There's even a trail we can hike that leads to the most breathtaking view of the lake."

"No, I can't, my legs," her boyfriend cried dropping where he stood dramatically, "I can't feel my legs! Ow!"

AnnaLynne snorted pulling her foot back and stepping over him. "Seems like you felt that, drama queen."

"Phantom pains," he brushed off reaching up to take another puff and handing it off to Cody. "I think the only thing that could potentially save my life is floating around in the water."

"Do you realize how wrong you would be if you really were paralyzed? You would drown – instantly."

"And then Little Red would be free to fly off into Paradise with my bro."

"Hey if you're paralyzed from the waist down doesn't that mean something else vital would no longer work anymore either?"

It took less than four seconds for the comment to sink deep into Evan's mind and sprang him off the floor like he was strapped to a pogo stick.

"Baby, look! It's a miracle!"

"That I'm still with you? I know, I think the same thing some days."

Bonnie's insides warmed at the playful banter that resonates on a constant revolving door within this mixed bag of a mega-family. Even though they were not all blood, some such a contrast that they were able to be in a committed relationship with the other they grew up together experiencing a life not many others were privy too and never had to feel like an outcast or unaccepted for what they are. They were all surrounded by people just like them with no expectations or ultimatums to face alone and she would be lying to herself if she didn't admit to be a little jealous that her experience was so dissimilar.

"Fine anyone who wants to go for a dip throw on your bathing suits and meet us down by the dock but this isn't like Summer Camp or anything. If you want to go off and do your own thing, break into groups, go for that hike Emma's so desperate for, have at it. We've got enough stuff in this place to keep us all entertained for at least one weekend."

"I could stay here year round."

"For sure."

As a few of them retreated out of the yurt Kai hung back at the entrance for the two of them, a smile spreading when they closed in but it didn't meet his eyes.

"So what would you ladies like to do first? Go for a swim? Go for a hike? Go for some food off the grill? I'm game for whatever."

"If you two want some alone time I'm fine with tagging along with one of them," Caroline offered and Bonnie felt her heard thud heavy and drop to her stomach, sinking farther with each passing moment of silence.

"And miss out on your first magic-infused experience? Not a chance. Although I do suggest brewing yourself another cup first since your own supernatural quirks bump up your tolerance. I can whip you up another one right now if you want while, Bon, do you feel like hitting the water?"

"Sure."

"Okay why don't you get changed while, Care, you want an extra dose or are you good?"

"I mean I do want to know what the elixir's powers really feel like," she countered and they both retreated back into the yurt leaving Bonnie to her own demise making her own walk back to their living quarters.

Knowing what they were doing this weekend the girl's had treated themselves to a few new bathing suits to bring along with them including the black bikini she wore to the party at the lake. Also among the options was a yellow high-waisted bandeau, a soft pink monokini, a black one-piece with square rhinestones trailing down the center, and the classic red bikini that she was currently changing into. Tying the strings on her hips to secure it in place Bonnie made her way down to the water.

"I'm getting it out of my system before Parker's within ear shot," Michael remarked lazily swimming around followed by a long, low whistle, "damn you look good, Bonnie. If you ever get sick of that strapping Kingpin on your hip I too am from a very lucrative crowd and know a few magic tricks you might enjoy too."

"Very tempting offer, Michael," Bonnie teased hearing him groan and fall backwards sinking under the water.

"He's so dead ass it's embarrassing," Evan said under his breath off to her side, unable to hide her merriment when he realized she could hear him. It was only then that she noticed his shirt was off and the forearm closest to her was sporting a fresh tattoo of the comedy and tragedy theater masks.

"Evan that tattoo is incredible," she complimented going in for a closer look as he moved his arm to show her the details.

"Thanks! I've had kind of crap luck when it comes to these but I had to make sure this one was pristine being the official Gemini tattoo and all."

"Gem – oh, did you all get one together? I don't remember seeing this on you at the lake party."

"Nah we just got these the other day. Kai didn't tell you?"

"Why –"the rest of the question fizzled back down her throat at the realization. "He got one too?"

"Babe someone must have robbed you of your eyesight not to see the piece of artwork that dude chose to sport for the rest of his life."

A rustle on the ground behind them brought her attention over her shoulder to two familiar faces closing the distance. Kai had ditched the hat and wife beater and switched to swim trunks, a hombre effect beginning with a deep shade of plum at his waist down to a charcoal grey at his knees with an outline of a palm tree on one leg and Caroline beside him in a pink leopard print small bust. From what she could see with the naked eye which was at least 65% of his body, not a drop of ink stood out. Watching the two Bonnie observed Kai's posture straighten before turning his head to lock in on her gaze, slowly raking down her body feeling her skin prickle under the intensity. By the time his eye line made its way back up his irises was a deep, murky shade, closing in with such severity she swayed at the abrupt invasion.

"Bon."

The simple term was like a command shot straight to her groin, the need to squeeze her thighs closed to alleviate some of the tension pulsing with each beat of her heart. Going out of her way to not be home or in the vicinity of wherever Kai is for more than five minutes first started because she was so overwhelmed by the overload of life-altering documents she came across and couldn't think straight when he was around. But then Bonnie couldn't think straight when he wasn't around, and what's worse, the more she thought about him the deeper the need in her stomach grew, gnawing at her insides as it spread like a scorched Earth depraved of water. And this forest fire has been raging for over two weeks now.

It also wasn't until he was mere feet from her face to take in Kai's more scruffy disheveled appearance, his tired features hardened and the bags under his eyes were noticeable for the first time since knowing him. His light dusting of facial hair was now a dark five o'clock shadow brushed across his entire jaw and chin with a light mustache. Even in the short time they've spent not with each other 24/7 Bonnie can see the physical change in his body as well taking note of his bulkier frame and taught muscles begging to be touched as they glistened from the freshly applied sunblock.

"Hi."

The sound of Bonnie's voice seemed to ease something inside him; his shoulder's relaxing and blowing out a breath washing away the worry line between his brows. Lifting her hand from her side Kai brushed his lips against her skin feeling the electric charge at the contact, lids flicking up displaying the fervency swirling inside.

"Definitely your shade, Scarlet."

Hearing the name of her sexy alter-ego enticed the femme fatale to bubble up the surface, her posture straightening involuntarily pushing her chest into his face. The wolfish grin that spread had Bonnie yanking her hand out of his grasp and all but fleeing the scene headed straight for the water.

"Well that was entertaining to witness," Care poked fun at floating over to her in a neon tube.

"Yeah I don't know what that was about. I just haven't been around him much lately, I guess."

"I bet your lady parts are just in an absolute frenzy right about now, then. He is not messing around with that physique, huh? It's a little intense. He looks a lot different than when he first got here."

"You are not wrong," Bonnie concurred watching him and Evan go over to the boathouse going inside. "Oh speaking of his body looking different Evan just told me that all of them including Kai got Gemini tattoo's the other night."

"'Gemini tattoo's' what does that mean?"

"I don't know, probably just referring to all six families getting one together but he just walked out here shirtless and I don't see anything on him. So it's either tiny, on his backside, or-"

"Hidden somewhere extra special just for you to see," she winked spinning circles in the plastic tube.

"Are you telling me you think Kai is the type to get a thigh tattoo?"

The question stopped the blonde mid-spin and squawked out a cackle of a sound followed by a long sigh. "Ah, that would be the best."

The small grin that spread across Bonnie's own face brought forth a mild wave of blissfulness with it and hummed, sinking below her chest and leaning back slightly letting the back of her head float with the lull of the water. Fingers danced along the surface by her sides feeling the connection she was experiencing with the element, absorbing the energy like the rays of sunshine breaking through to penetrate her skin. Time seemed to slow down with her ears under the water distorting one of her main senses and closed her eyes, breath catching on a sharp inhale feeling the magic coursing within her freer flowing and vividly in-tune with her surroundings channeling its energy.

The sound of multiple motors revving to life brought her back into the present and sat up just in time to watch Kai and Evan fly out of the boathouse on two jet skis cutting across the choppy waves at warp speed. A moment later a speedboat was hot on their tale captained by Cody towing Emma and AnnaLynne attached by a rope and handles. Instead of sitting in a tube or even using ski's or some form of board to stay afloat the two were barefoot seemingly suspended slightly above the waves and clear of wipeouts with ease. One hour blended into the next as they all experienced the same euphoria connecting with the element and possibly could have stayed there all day if a familiar voice didn't ring out drawing in her attention.

"So when I think 'camping' I imagined trekking through the woods with bugs and sleeping bags, not a luxurious campground all to ourselves."

"Elena!"

"What are you doing here?!"

The two friends raced to hug their third companion wondering how she was able to get here a day early, and what her form of transportation was.

"Apparently my boss got a phone call from a very distraught family member saying our beloved Count Sparky had passed and I needed to be with my loved ones and grieve ASAP."

"What?"

"Yeah…" she trailed off looking towards the lake, "Kai, did you really think your own sister wouldn't recognize your voice?"

"I counted on it!" he hollered with a chuckle doing a front flip off of the floating dock and swimming towards the shore. Bonnie held her breath surveying every inch of him as the water cascaded off of his muscles as he made his way over to the three of them. "I made sure you got here safe though, didn't I?"

"Which had to be the most shocking part about all of this," Elena said with a shake of her head, extending her arm and dropping a set of keys into Kai's palm.

"Wait, did you-"Bonnie started to say and looked off 50 feet away to the expensive sports car that's been residing in Gram's driveway.

"You let Elena drive your car all the way here? Seriously! You wouldn't even let me drive it to pick up Chinese food!"

"I told ya, my first choice," Kai brushed off with a shrug blatantly provoking his friendly-foe's wrath which she fell into without hesitation.

"Okay no offense Elena you know how much I love you but that better not be true. I am a delight to be around!"

"Well let's get a poll from the rest of the campground, shall we?" Kai edged her farther pivoting to yell out where the Gemini's swam around minus Cody and Michael who had just run back to the communal yurt for food. "Hey guys some random stray just wandered into our Camp, should we keep it?"

"Oh, hey! You made it!"

"Coop's going to flip. Hey Cooper!"

Bonnie could vaguely hear their responses but her soul focus had zoned into Kai's upper back when he had turned away from her, instinctively reaching out to brush her fingertips against the ink.

"What's this?"

"Oh yeah, I haven't had the chance to show you! What do you think?"

The decayed Ram's skull didn't even look it was tattooed on his skin, closer in similarity to a Rorschach inkblot complete with the stray wisps looking like dripping ink used in psychological tests which she couldn't help but find very fitting for his psyche. Unconsciously tracing over the lines her head tilted seeing the Gemini carved into the center of its forehead, continuing across each shoulder blade to the horns and paused seeing the whip slash scar stopping just below the tip. It didn't take a genius to put together why Kai chose this to brand himself for.

The Ram symbolizes strength, virility, and courage; a leader among mere sheep. The Gemini way of life has been burned into his skull since birth. He opted for the Ram's skull instead of its face signifying how long this has had a hold on him and implies it will even after death. The aura it gave off screamed menacing and to proceed with caution but upon closer examination shows how much time and detailing went into the piece of art, appreciating its raw beauty. The symbol of the Ram wasn't just because it was his Zodiac sign or a cool design to find… it was Kai, and it was breathtaking.

"It's beautiful."

Turning back to her his features turned boy'ish sporting a lopsided grin and twisted Bonnie's inside catching a glimpse into his vulnerability.

"Elena," Cody's deep husky tone rang out turning all of their attention in his direction dragging the grill behind him with Michael in tow, hands filled with food. The instant the pretty brunette locked eyes on him his expression softened, eyes glossed, and smile spread. "You're here."

"Can't keep me away," she gleamed wrapping her arms around his bare shoulders. "But can I ask you something? That sign back there-"

"Yeah your boy comes from some serious wealth," Care finished what would be the rest of the question. "We've only been here for a couple hours and I never want to leave. He has those crazy teardrop hanging chairs and a tire swing, who even knows what those are anymore? Crazy."

"It's my parents and Uncle's place, I'm not the rich one blame them," Cody deflected keeping an arm curled around Elena's waist. "Are you hungry? We were just about to grill up some grub. We've got burgers, dogs, chicken, ribs, corn on the cob, sausage and peppers, and a bunch of sides to go with them."

"You're making all of that now?" the blonde pepped looking around them. "There aren't that many of us here."

"AnnaLynne and Hayes would wreck all of this in one sitting if they had the option," Michael commented waving a hand in front of the grill sparking it to life."

"Anna?"

"Oh yeah."

"It's savage," the boys agreed in unison, "she can out-eat the both of us, straight up. We've had competitions."

"I totally would have guessed that looking at her supermodel physique."

"Yeah she's like one of those Amazonians. As a matter of fact," Michael began chuckling to himself, "I gave her a nickname in grade school having to do with that."

"Dude she'll be pissed, come on."

"Aye yo Skyscraper, you want cheese on your burger?"

The roaring of hysterics coming from Evan was quickly silenced by AnnaLynne thrusting her hands forward pushing out a supernatural-sized wave to crash over him.

"Mikey you swore you would never call me that again. We made a pact Graduation night, remember? Unless you want me to tell everyone that on Prank Night…"

"Okay alright don't get your long legs in a twist," he punned earning another round of his friend being drowned because of his incapability to control his laughter. "No cheese for you, then."

"Extra cheese for me, please and thank you. And just to clarify you Evan and Kai are all at least six feet which is taller than me."

"Not by much."

"It still counts. I just look taller next to Emma because she stopped growing in the 4th grade."

"She's the cutest little thing; I could just stick her in my pocket." Evan gushed scooping up water seeing it transform into a perfect ball and heaved it AnnaLynne's way followed by a handful more as they went back and forth turning into a water war.

Time seemed to pass by at a particularly strange pattern throughout the course of the day. The tea had blended with Bonnie's magic in such a way that it felt so natural. There were no side effects or even the rush feeling of being high that she had come to expect from tapping into her abilities with too much force when the situation called for it. If anything this herbal elixir had invoked the opposite effect cleansing her body of toxins and purging out the pessimism. Most of the evening was spent in the water, half the reasoning being to practice with the most influential element while the other was good ol' fashioned fun and games in the water. Still through it all Bonnie wasn't able to take her eyes off of the dominant compelling force of a man as the magic flowed through his fingertips with ease, and she was not the only one.

It was very apparent that Kai was well in-tune with the knowledge and understanding of the demand and patience that goes into this craft although Bonnie would never guess he grew up in a world where he was unable to harness his own magic. It wasn't until the sun was beginning to set and they were lounging around in fresh clothes of white cotton shorts and an oversized tie-dye sweatshirt, eating the food from earlier in the communal hut that the conversation took a turn. Bonnie had let it be known that she only discovered her supernatural side Freshman Year and within that time has never had the opportunity to dabble in magic tricks just for amusement, ever.

"But how, and why? What were you doing the last few years with all of these shiny new superhuman abilities - ending world hunger?"

"Saving the world," Care spoke up tearing into a rack of smoked barbeque ribs, their third tribute chiming in too.

"Saving our world of Mystic Falls and all of us trapped in its borders."

"Getting herself killed." Kai's back was facing the group as he rummaged around in a cabinet, the tattoo hidden from view underneath his black long sleeve and hair tucked away under a dark beanie. The silence stretched on for a few more seconds, long enough for him to catch on and pivot quick to face them, honing in on her gaze. "I never would have met you otherwise if it weren't for your selfless need to save the beggars and commoners, I'm just saying. I'm also starting to believe you were a cat in another life."

"Bonnie you've died?!"

"As in… like… the full monty? Lights out? That's all she wrote?"

Feeling the spotlight close in on her on this subject matter was the last thing Bonnie felt like discussing, especially while she was really enjoying this magical buzz in the 'Enchanted Forest' today and didn't feel like tainting it. Scanning the room she surveyed Emma and AnnaLynne stretched out on a rug and pillows taking turns dripping tincture drops on their tongue surrounded by stray snacks. Michael was stretched out on a loveseat popping pieces of the trail mix in his mouth as Evan walked passed her line of view to hand off the joint to Cody, who was grabbing two beers from the fridge. Kai hadn't moved from when he'd turned to face her, the intensity in his stare spooking Bonnie enough to shift her gaze to her fidgeting hands in her lap.

"Pretty much."

"Holy shit."

"What happened? When was this?"

"Did it hurt?"

It was the strangest thing but the tears welled in her eyes from the unexpectedness of the last question in an instant, the shock of letting her emotions bubble to the surface so easily snapping her into clarity. The memories of indescribable pain and suffering filtered through Bonnie's mind still feeling the lingering ache of every tortured soul that passed through her to get to The Other Side. Each and every individual's crossing was like experiencing their death firsthand, some so excruciating she lost consciousness. In addition to those horrific experiences Bonnie's also had her own close personal relationship with Death and has arrived on his doorstep more times than she's sure he's generally accustomed to per customer.

"Our Bon-Bon has gone to Hell and back literally half a dozen times, and I might be underselling that number."

"I do too," Elena agreed accepting the beer from Cody who sat down beside the three of them. "I know I would have died fifty times over if it weren't for you. I will never forget what you did for me with Klaus the night of the Decade's Dance. That was the first time I thought I had lost you forever, Bon. Seeing you fall and not move… and knowing it was my fault…"

"Elena, it's okay," Bonnie soothed with a small smile reaching out to squeeze her free hand. "I'm okay, I'm here now."

"And we had to experience it all over again for months until we found out you were thankfully safe in an alternate dimension."

"Locked away with some 'deranged 90's man-child' as Damon first referred to you as." Kai made a subtle shrug with one shoulder and a 'that's fair' brow-raised expression but remained silent, listening. "And I will never be able to repay you for bringing Jeremy back."

"Wait wait wait," Evan ran over to where they sat and crouched down inches from Bonnie's face, speaking slowly, "can you bring people back from the dead?"

"Anyone can, numb-nuts, it's called CPR," Cody chuckled kicking his foot out and booting Evan's hip sending him over.

"Oh yeah, tough guy? You want to go for a swim and put it to the test, see if I'm qualified?"

Cody's deep laugh heightened in volume, an infectious sound that seemed to ease some of the tension Bonnie has built up in her chest. "I don't even trust you enough to do the laundry."

"ONE TIME, dude. Relax. You pulled off that pink attire like a true paladin and the ladies loved it. So you really should be thanking me for that but it's cool I'll let it slide I know you feel it on the inside. Anyway we're not even talking about you and your ego I was trying to have a nice discussion with Bonnie and learn about her history with necromancy and resurrection."

"You're kind of like Jesus!" Emma pepped from the other side and AnnaLynne let out a loud snort choking on what she was eating as she laughed.

"'Jesus' ? That's who just popped into your head?"

"Well maybe not the necromancy part I didn't know the guy personally or have any idea of what he liked to do during his Carpentry days but I do know he was crucified and then resurrected three days later so uh I think I hit the nail right on the – oh no, no, wait –"

"No you said it we all heard it you can't take back that gem of a pun now," Michael snickered finishing the rest of his beer and heading to the fridge for another, lifting one in offering to the girl's.

"Oh don't drink that garbage," AnnaLynne shooed Michael's attempts off and hopped up speeding over to Michael and Kai. "I will make you a real drink. What's your flavor profile? What kind of things do you usually go for?"

"I like fruity drinks," Caroline voiced with gumption, "and hard liquor."

"I second that," Elena giggled tucked into Cody's side with her bottle already halfway gone.

"Whatever you feel like making is fine."

Bonnie took note of her darting around Kai who kept trying to move out of her way which inevitably was putting him directly in it. It would have been more amusing if he would just stop staring at her from across the room for two seconds. What was more infuriating was she could not decipher the expression he was giving her, warily picking up on vibes of anger of all things which couldn't be directed at her. At least not for anything new. Bonnie never found it imperative to fill Kai in on all of the near-and-actual-death-experiences she's faced over the last few years because, why would she? He was obviously well aware she would have had to have perished to find her way into his eternal damnation and she told him she'd risked her life for Jer before so it's not like it was unknown information. And yet the heat he was exuding was palpable.

"Okay you beautiful sexy women come up and pick your poison, so-to-speak. It's a simple gin and club soda with a smack of hard booze and the fruity cranberry juice with a lime wedge; I give you Forever Young."

"Fitting," Kai smirked leaning against the counter, the joke going over everyone's head besides the three irritable females shooting him daggers through a squinted glare. "Those two would kill to stay forever young."

"Oh, oh! Go Mini Cooper, go! Leave 'em in the dust!" Michael jumped off the couch looking down at his phone as he cheered saddling up beside Cody to show him too.

"Pass it, let's go, alright get open. Go! Yes! Launch it – Hell yeah!"

The boys whooped and high-fived on what Bonnie was assuming was the game-winning shot. Pulling his phone out Cody walked over to where they all stood and replayed the same video, pinpointing one guy in a maroon and white 09 jersey, helmet, and Lacrosse stick dodging and weaving through the other team. The crowd was rallying him on chanting his last name as he caught the pass from his teammate and spun just missing getting hit. Winding up the athlete whipped the stick forward sending a ball cutting through the air and right over the goalie's shoulder. The video shook showing quick blurs of movement and then the cameraman was on the field with what looked to be everyone else on their side of the bleachers lifting number 9 off the ground and tossing him in the air. Pulling off his helmet a sweaty, spikey-haired kid with one of the biggest and brightest smiles Bonnie had ever seen thrust his arms into the air joining in on the merriment.

"Oh my God! Is that your brother?!"

"That's our boy," Evan said fondly, slapping the counter with his palm. "And he is just too fast, he can't be caught! Celebration! All arise!"

Everyone gathered around the island where Bonnie already stood and they all rose their variety of beverages in the air. "Fine, hit me with the huzzah."

"Let us all toast to the one and only, Dil Pickles. He may not ever live up to his all-star older brother Big Tommy P, but he sure does make a damn good lower grade carbon-copy."

"You are such a prick," Emma shot his way but couldn't help the smiling from spreading, shoulders shaking as she silently giggled.

"You realize baby Dil could kick your ass any day of the week if it sparked his interest, right?"

"Uh I don't know what show you watched as a kid but Dill was too gullible and dopey to hurt anyone. And then he grew up and was a definite stoner in that random episode where all the Rugrats are grown up, remember that?"

"Tommy finally grew hair," AnnaLynne nodded in a satisfying tone as she mixed up the next round.

"And got hot," Emma finished off like it was common knowledge, eyes darting around frantically when no one else spoke up. "What? It wasn't just an episode they made an entire spin-off for a couple seasons. I see you judging me Turner but we all know it's because you're still bitter that you're Chucky Finster."

"I am not a scaredy cat!" Michael huffed lifting the corners of Bonnie's mouth, the whiny child-like response triggering what must have been a frequent argument. Tossing the rest of his drink back a look crossed his face and shrugged spinning the empty glass in his hand. "And I am not going to entertain a conversation lead by someone who sleeps with her brother."

"I am not Lil!"

"You really are."

"Yeah sorry girl but he's not wrong."

"Phil and Lil sitting in a tree…" A pillow flew up from the ground across the room ricocheting off Michael's head.

"I will castrate you if you finish that sentence, Finster. Why can't I be Suzie? I'm kind of like her."

"Maybe, if you weren't exactly like Lil," Cody remarked as he looked down at his phone typing away, "but at least you aren't Angelica."

"Nope, there's only one Queen Bee fit for that role," AnnaLynne declared with a lift of her chin and Superwoman pose, "and I am just that bitch."

"I can't believe I'm finally catching the reference of something you're saying and it's from some Nickelodeon show in 1990," Kai commented with a shake of his head, tilting back to finish a shot AnnaLynne set aside for him.

"It's a classic, my guy."

Accepting the next fruity cocktail Cody sniggering to himself tuned in the others attention and he turned his phone so Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline could see. "This is my brother Dylan and that's Mason."

The two teenagers were still standing on the field, Mason on the left in jeans, a grey sweatshirt and black beanie and Dylan beside him in his jersey and now sporting sweatpants – and both were straight faced, flipping off the camera. Bonnie could not believe how similar both boys looked to their older sibling, Michael so close in looks to Mason he could pass off as his more mature looking twin. Dylan looked crazy alike to his brother too with a bit more exaggerated features. His hair was a lighter shade of brown and styled in disarray, his square face larger than Cody's slim sharp features, and both were blessed with blue eyes but Dylan's were so bright and crystal clear they shone straight through the lens and peered into her soul.

"Awh, aren't they such sweet boys," Elena cooed leaning in closer to Cody's side to get a better look.

"Yeah, after I saw Mase's snap I texted him and said if he dishonored the family name tonight he was shunned from the campground," he grinned proudly at the picture snickering once more, "oh, this kid is going to be a star athlete."

"Yeah he's not the only Cooper that could have been playing a sport professionally," Evan pointed out wrapping an arm around his shoulders much to his friend's chagrin if the noticeable cringe was any indication. "But yours was just an itty bit more popular."

"Cody…"

"Thanks, bro."

"Sorry, man, is the horseshoe that's been lodged up your ass since birth acting up again? You need an ice pack for that?"

"But you're at Whitmore studying music," Elena added in looking to the man on her side with Evan still flanked on his other.

"I am, Majoring in Performance and Minoring in Recording Arts."

"And mommy and daddy were ready to cut him off over that foolish choice."

"I listened to this all Senior year I'm not doing it again this weekend."

"You could have been the next Brady!"

"Not when we're two entirely different positions."

"You know what I'm talking about! The fame, the fortune-"

"He doesn't need any more fortune, please, I can't take much more of it," Emma cried falling dramatically onto the pile of pillows.

"So then, what happened?"

"I want to be a musician, not a football player," Cody stated like it should have been obvious, "it's a cool sport to play in high school but I wasn't looking to make a career out of it. But with music… I love it, every aspect of it. That's why I minored in Recording Arts so I could study the fundamentals and learn the behind the scenes to be a music producer or recording engineer if my first plan doesn't work out."

"Can your stage name be something epic like, I don't know, Thor, if you make it out of this alive?"

"Pretty sure that one's taken, bud," AnnaLynne teased her redheaded comrade clinking their glasses together.

Hours passed by in that yurt like minutes and had to seriously question if the Gemini's had put some type of spell on slowing down or speeding up time because Bonnie could not comprehend how it was already two in the morning. The drinks, conversation, and good times were flowing so naturally she caught herself momentarily forgetting about the minefield that is she and Kai's relationship. Glancing over she expected he had fallen under the same hoodoo, sitting between Evan and Michael with a beer resting against his bent knee, eyes closed and head slung back in laughter. The silver necklace hanging in the center of his chest stood out against the dark clothing and the rings clanked against the bottle as he tapped it. Bonnie hadn't even realized she was smiling until he brought his head forward and opened his eyes snapping her out of the daydream and averted her gaze to the budding couple off to her left. Before she knew it, another hour had passed.

"Well I'm not sure when our broski's are showing up so I'm going to head to bed," Cody's eyes shifted with a slight head tilt silently asking what she was sure they had talked about extensively. "I have room for one more if you want to come too. Or I can see you in the morning if you wanted to sleep in Caroline's yurt."

"No that sounds great, I'm pretty beat too."

Everyone else is the tent was a silent onlooker to the two trying to be normal and casual about how desperately they wanted to sprint out of here for some much-needed alone time. But the two had never spent a night together, nor was Bonnie certain if they'd had sex yet and in a secluded woodsy area with powerful sorcerer's surrounding you, that is not where a vampire wants to find herself making simple and life-threatening mistakes.

"Coop's getting laid tonight, son," Evan hooted pulling Emma down onto his lap. "Finally."

"Dude. Shut up. Her friends are right there."

"Oh, sorry. Woo! Elena is getting laid tonig- ow!"

Rubbing vigorously at the back of his head Emma rolled her eyes and turned to them mouthing out a 'sorry'. "Once it gets past his bedtime this boy has zero filter. What do you say we follow Cody's lead?"

"Well if you insist," Evan sprang up so fast Emma tumbled off of his lap to the ground sprawling across Kai's legs and feet.

"I meant by going to sleep," she puffed as Kai leaned forward to help her gain her balance back. "I'm honestly still skeeved out over the Phil and Lil innuendos so there will be none of… that, tonight. Not that anyone else needed to know that but here we are so, let's get a move on."

"I'm crashing too guys, Mase had the energy of a spry eight year old so I need to prepare myself for all of that. G'night, see you all in the morning."

Bonnie took note of AnnaLynne looking off to the right at Kai, gaze shifting making eye contact with her, and then back to him and she could see the wheels turning as she was sure they had been all day. If there was nothing out of the ordinary between the two of them and the rumors AnnaLynne heard were false, why had they not sat or stood within the vicinity of the other for most of the night? Why wasn't she now?

"You want to head to bed?"

Kai's brows rose just enough for Bonnie to notice and quickly gained his composure stretching a lazy grin across his face and stretching out his arms before standing. "You read my mind, Bonita."

Leaving the two lone blondes alone in the yurt to chat amongst each other the two crossed the vast spacious land until they reached their room. The first thing she did when entering the premises was make a sharp turn into the bathroom where she stood for the next five minutes, gathering her thoughts. Bonnie hasn't let herself be alone with Kai for more than limited windows of time and has not slept with him or been in the same bed as him since before this whole Gemini-Bennett catastrophe came to fruition. It wasn't because she didn't want to or couldn't stomach the thought of being around him, it was quite the opposite. The longer she starved herself of Kai's touch and the feeling that consumes her when he's within her reach the worse her cravings became, gnawing at her insides as the hunger grew. However giving into her urges meant willingly participating in something that could have tragic repercussions against her and others that she loves, essentially spitting in the curses face. And she didn't know if she was selfish enough to do that, but the contemplation did spark another thought and vacated the bathroom.

"Kai-" Bonnie began and turned her head to the left, pausing to appraise the tattoo and scanned down Kai's naked backside as he faced the other way bending down to take off his pants leaving him in just boxers.

Standing straight Kai's muscles flexed from the movements and turned to face her head on still wearing the beanie. "Yeah?"

"Did you know? The last time we were together, the night of the St. Patty's party… did you know about the curse?"

"'Curse'," he repeated under his breath with a quick shake of his head and blew out a breath, swiping the hat off as he roughly ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, I knew."

"Kai… what the hell?"

"What do you want me to say, Bon? It didn't change anything for me like it did for you."

"But you still risked it, even after?" she asked already knowing the answer, his response a simple one-shoulder shrug and brow raise. "I would love to be able to crawl into your mind just for five minutes to see things how you do because sometimes it is like we are on the same page, and other's we are reading entirely different books."

"If it got you to believe me and see my side of the story that it's not all 'curses and ultimate doom' I would say go for it. Just sorry in advance for all of the skeletons that jump out of the closets to spook you," he smirked and pulled back the covers climbing in and looking back to her, the silent question reflected back on his features.

Against her better judgement Bonnie gritted her teeth and walked over to the dresser, grabbing a tank top and shorts for bed heading back to the bathroom to brush her teeth and get changed. Turning off the switch on the lamp beside the bed she eased under the blankets on Kai's right side, flat on her back staring up at the dome in the center of the ceiling giving her a beautiful view of the stars and black night sky. Staying as far to the side as she could manage Bonnie couldn't help but to think all the way to the first couple of times they were together in the same bed in the prison world. How terrified and nervous and confused she was, not knowing a single positive thing about him and yet, even then, felt an odd sense of comfort and safety around him. Even after knowing everything Kai had done and was willing to do if he ever made it out of that Hell, something deep inside her believed he was never a threat to her – ironically.

"Can I ask you something else?"

Feeling the mattress shift Bonnie turned her dad watching as he flipped onto his side to face her. "You can always ask me anything."

"Why did you look mad earlier?" The instant the question left her lips she watched Kai's pupils dilate and irises darken, his expression going blank. "Yeah, kind of like that."

"I don't like hearing about all of the times you've let yourself die or be killed to help your vampire friends and cheating ex. I think you have a martyr complex. I hate it."

"Excuse me? You hate that I would do anything to help and protect my friends?"

"That's what I said," he declared candidly, not breaking eye contact. "It scares me, Bonnie. You seem to have no concept of how important you are. More important than everyone you have surrounded yourself with but you're willing to throw it all away for them, and you actually have. If something were to ever happen to you because of them, I would kill them all."

Bonnie's eyes sprung open from her dreary state at the conviction in his words, his gaze burning into hers. She didn't know what was more terrifying, what Kai was saying or that she wholeheartedly believed he meant what he was saying.

"Well in case you haven't noticed I have a knack for coming back from the dead and if I ever made my way back just to find out you murdered everyone I loved, I'm sorry to say you'd be next on that list."

"Another person you love dying?" Kai smiled, the heat lifting from him momentarily seeing the sweet gentleness hidden in the expression. "You mean you wouldn't try to run in and rescue me or put your life on the line if I needed it?"

"Well…" the pause made his smirk start to slide into until she finished her thought, "I would still consider it."

The smile evaporated and Kai leaned up on his elbow leaning over and in slightly to hover close. The atmosphere around them shifted to an intensity that was almost tangible and cleared her throat pushing her upper body away just a bit.

"I am not someone that needs saving. Or a person you need to make decisions for, whether you think you're doing it for my benefit or not. I can never repay you for helping me break free from the prison world and telling my dad to screw as a cherry on top was sweet but that's the most selfless I want you to be with me. I don't want you ever putting your life at risk for me like you do with your friends, Bon. I'm serious. You won't like my reaction. I've been telling you since we were still trapped in '94; put yourself first, every time, I can't be any more adamant on that. I'm living proof that it's a necessity if you want to live, and from what I heard tonight you're a pretty prime candidate as an example too."

Bonnie knew she should say something – anything, she wanted to defend herself or justify her actions but the words wouldn't come. She just laid there, frozen, not blinking for what felt like an Eternity as the time she's lived out her last moments from putting her life on the line for others played through – up until and including the moment it clicked in her brain that Kai was someone in her life important enough to fight for. And that wasn't something she could just turn off.

"Yeah we'll see," Bonnie brushed off trying her best to keep her voice light and steady, Kai's reaction a mixed bag of shock, piqued, and then the dark cloud lifted letting out a perplexed sound of amusement and dropped down pulling her in to press her backside flat against his front.

"Bonnie Bennett, you are an enigma."

Clamping her hand around his forearm she was about to pull him off when she heard a deep inhale and a long, smooth exhale feeling Kai's body physically relax and sink farther into the mattress. Feeling a yawn bubbling up the same exhaustion overcame her and lulled off to sleep before Bonnie could pull her hand away.