A/N: Idea's been steadily gaining detail inside my head for months now. Might as well write it out. Got a few chapters, but may or may not continue it long term.

Laurels – Chapter One

She has a laurel wreath in her hair, twined together with her curls like cuddling serpents. The only other thing she wears is a Greek chiton, colored a shade of white stark enough to make her skin all the darker and richer in comparison. Behind her stands a throne, carved into the base of a great, black tree atop a hill. Before her lies a field of bodies.

Not just bodies; corpses – carelessly arranged, as though some capricious god has dropped them from above the clouds to land where they may. They were once her enemies, she knows. From their broken skin, dark, viscous blood oozes out – tributaries, adding to the ever-growing pool congealing at the tips of her bare toes.

She watches this red ocean seep forward, as though to wash over her feet in a perverted mandatum. It splits before it can touch her skin, crawling up the hill in twin rivers for the consumption of the tree's giant roots. She turns from the field of broken enemies to gaze at the tree. As it drinks, its barren limbs sprout new leaves – all the same sanguine shade.

She goes to the throne and places herself in it. It is hers – she belongs there. A crow lands on her shoulder, talons staining her white clothes with red and pricking at the skin beneath. A snake writhes its way around her forearm, tongue flickering against her pulse point. Something trickles down her brow, and she finds that her wreath has begun to bleed.

Rue woke slowly from her latest dream, lying in bed with her eyes closed for a moment or two.

'Okay… so I just dreamed about victory and glory via the broken, bleeding corpses of enemies that I don't even have,' she mused. 'I get the feeling that things are going to get interesting in the near future.'

She sighed, more miffed about having to get up than upset at her gory dream – it wasn't the first disturbing dream she'd ever had, not by a longshot. She rolled out of bed to traipse her way to the bathroom for her morning ablutions.

A quick shower later she was dressed in a pair of high-waisted jeans and a butter-yellow ruffle front blouse with short puff sleeves, with a dove-grey knit cardigan over the top to combat against the early autumn chill. She gave herself a brief once-over in the mirror, put on some of her favorite plum purple lipstick, and gathered up her bag that she had packed the night before for the first day of school. With an affectionate trail of her fingers over the leaves of the bay laurel tree in the corner of her room, she shut her bedroom door behind her and headed down the stairs.

"You're up early, Sassafras," Sheila Bennett told her youngest granddaughter, smirking behind her large cup of tea.

Rue could smell it from across the room – Grams' personal blend of herbs, mixed with a not-so-reasonable shot of something a little stronger. It was the only real evidence that she was getting somewhat fed up, for lack of a better description, with Bonnie's consistent refusal to listen to her. Of course, her consumption of alcohol only made her seem that much more unreliable, but Grams likely knew that and was past the point of caring – or had acknowledged that it would take something other than just her word to get Bonnie to believe.

"Good morning to you too, Grams," Rue said, pulling out a box of Pop-Tarts from the cupboard next to the fridge.

"You weren't hoping to avoid anyone, were you," Sheila stated more than asked.

Rue withheld a sigh and an eye roll and tucked away two foil packets of breakfast pastry into the huge pockets of her cardigan. "We both know that if anyone has a problem with the other, it's Bonnie – not me, Grams."

"I'd say the one with the real issues is your father."

The mild bite in her grandma's tone had Rue cracking a reluctant smile, though in the back of her mind, she wondered whether the dig was her grandmother's subtle way to avoid putting any sort of blame on Bonnie. "Well, I'm making all of it a non-issue, at least for this morning. Besides, I told Jeremy I'd pick him up; he's the one with an older sister he probably wants to avoid."

Sheila lifted her free arm in invitation, and Rue scooted beneath it for a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"You stay safe now! I've been feeling a big change coming 'round for a while now," Sheila gave her a serious stare. "Especially with that comet coming back soon."

"I'll make the attempt," Rue said, matching up her grandmother's warnings with the dream she'd had.

After all, the defeat of her enemies would obviously have to be preceded by the appearance of said enemies. She decided to contemplate later.

"I wouldn't say the same to Bonnie, though," she teased instead, tone deliberately mild. "She'd just brush you off – especially after an entire weekend of you trying to get through to her."

Sheila tsked. "That girl is so stubborn. I don't know where she gets it."

Rue snorted. "Yes you do."

Sheila smirked. "Yes I do."

Her face turned serious once more. "Do me a favor and keep an eye out for her, though? There's little worse for a witch than being ignorant when big things are comin'."

Rue felt the familiar flash of bitterness that came with evidence of Bonnie being the preferred Bennett sister. Their father did it, if only because he shunned magic after their mom had left because of it – and while Rue had willingly accepted magic into her life, Bonnie consistently rejected all signs. But Sheila did it too, despite the fact that Rue was the one living with her. It was likely because Grams was a traditionalist witch, and firstborns and their birthright were important to that belief system – or perhaps it was because Bonnie was in part named after her through her middle name, and names were also pretty important when it came to magic.

Whatever the explanation, it didn't really soften the blow of knowing the truth – that Sheila was more disappointed about Bonnie's willful ignorance than she was proud of her other granddaughter's progress and willingness to learn.

But Rue had long ago learned that there was no changing it, and there was no use in stewing in bitterness and making herself miserable about it all. And she was trying to bring that intellectual understanding into her feelings and actions. Besides, given that it looked like something was indeed coming, Bonnie's ignorance combined with her latent powers would make her an easy target. It was only common sense that she'd be asked to be on the lookout.

Even if it did grate that she was having to look after her older sister – the same sister who she knew thought of her as apathetic and irresponsible, and disdained her for "egging on" their Grams' "delusions" about the supernatural and would likely never thank her for protecting her from said supernatural things. And that wasn't even mentioning the fact that Bonnie also felt betrayed that Rue had left their father's house to live with Sheila – no matter that Rudy had been the one to "encourage" the move after Rue had refused to give up magic.

It was a worn thought process, travelling its beaten path through her mind in the time that it took her to summon up a reassuring smile for the grandmother who would never love her as much as Bonnie.

"Of course I'll keep an eye out, Grams. Bonnie's my sister."

Then she was out the door, before said sister could come down the stairs and be in the same room as her.

Rue had barely pulled into the Gilbert's driveway before Jeremy was out the door – she'd been right about him wanting to avoid his sister, then.

He looked tired. She eyed him for a split second as she pulled back out, but turned her attention back to the road. He wouldn't appreciate any well-meaning words, given his mood lately.

"You probably already had coffee, but I picked up some drinks on the way. That one's yours."

He muttered a quiet word of thanks.

"Who's the extra for?" he asked after he'd taken a sip.

"Dunno yet. Had the feeling to get another. It's the first day back – someone will need it," she shrugged.

He huffed slightly, a smile on his face. "You and your 'feelings'," he teased lightly.

Rue knew that he didn't exactly believe that she had oracular powers, but he was at least nicer about it than Bonnie would be. Plus, if he was feeling good enough to tease her, then that was an improvement in and of itself.

Speaking of good moods. "I've got an extra package of Pop-Tarts too – cardigan pocket."

"Hot fudge sundae?"

"Duh."

He smiled again and slipped his hand in the pocket that was currently hanging by her knee.

"Thanks," he said again.

"No problem," she replied.

They rode in comfortable silence the rest of the way. It was the usual state of affairs when they were hanging out, given that they were both naturally loners. Honestly, the only reason they had become friends in the first place is because their older sisters' friendship often resulted in them – the little siblings – being lumped together during Bonnie-and-Elena playdates.

Ironically enough, that loner nature is what had brought them closer over the summer. Rue had taken advantage of the vacation time to visit with a friendly witch coven in New York, but had cut her trip short when one of her premonitions had shown how Jeremy would spiral after his parents' deaths. She'd figured he would need someone there for him, in a way that his remaining family wouldn't be, so Rue had come back to Mystic Falls to do that – to give him space without judgment, to be there for him without being overbearing or invasive. For all that Elena seemed to think he was completely off the rails, it could have been a lot worse.

And now she and Jeremy had become closer friends than Rue had ever expected to make in Mystic Falls. She was just glad that he seemed to share her goal of leaving their quaint little town as soon as possible – one less thing to hold her back once the time came.

She parked, gave Jeremy a brief side-hug and grabbed the extra drink from its holder. They went their separate ways – him presumably off to the stoner hangout at the back of the building, and Rue to make sure her schedule adjustment had been dealt with (she'd skipped a grade in Psychology and History); and maybe to see if she could catch sight of the vampire she had sensed the moment they'd arrived on school property.

She arrived at the office and thankfully found out that the paperwork had gone through smoothly. Bidding the secretary a good morning, she turned to leave, and nearly bumped into the other person who had just stepped into the office. As she glanced up at him, she caught a glimpse of the gaudy, blue-stoned ring on his hand that reeked of another witch's magic.

This was the vampire then.

She prepared herself for a moment, and then flicked her eyes upward. Black veins branched out from beneath his sunglasses, behind which were eyes with the whites dyed a bloody red. As he opened his mouth to speak, she caught a glimpse of his pale fangs. And there was something else about him that just seemed... strange. And strangely familiar. But she couldn't quite summon it to the forefront of her mind just then.

Truth could be a strange gift at times.

Honestly, it wasn't that bad-looking. Just inhuman. And depending on your definition of human, she wasn't exactly one either, what with the whole magical powers thing.

"Sorry about that," he said, his brow furrowing in what looked like a habitual expression.

"It's fine, nothing spilled," she said, briefly lifting the two drinks – hers and the extra – that she was still carrying.

A flash of intuition hit her.

"You're new here, right?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

His face turned rueful. "Small towns, huh? Actually, I'm a returnee. Stefan Salvatore. I'd offer you my hand, but uh…"

She smiled. "That's a familiar name around here. I'm Bethany Bennett. Everyone calls me Rue, though, short for Ruth – one of my middle names."

She caught a flash of recognition in the more human parts of his eyes – his hazel green irises. He'd likely heard of the Bennett Witches. Maybe even encountered them if he was a "returnee."

"I'll spare you the list of gossipy questions – well, from me at least. Someone nosier will probably ask them later."

Rue held out the spare drink.

"I got an extra drink when I went through the drive through this morning. Had a feeling someone might need a pick-me-up. You look thirsty enough," she said, not unkindly.

He gave her a searching look, and she wondered if he'd noticed her glance at his ring earlier – that could have sent off a few warning signals, particularly in conjunction with someone of her family name telling him he looked thirsty. Though, the fact that she wasn't treating him with disgust like a typical Bennett witch might have thrown him off.

"C'mon, free up a hand for me?" she smiled at him. "It's a double-shot Americano – you look like a strong coffee kinda guy."

The corner of his mouth twitched up. "I suppose I could do you a favor," he said, faux seriously.

She grinned and handed over the drink, glad to see he wasn't as complete a bore as he might first appear with his perpetual eyebrow contraction. His decision to go to a high school of all places hadn't boded well either, as far as fun levels went.

"Now I have to visit my locker before class, and you presumably have some business here," she led, stepping around him. "So, Stefan, I will likely see you later – small towns, and all."

He nodded in farewell, and out of the corner of her eye she saw him take a deep whiff of the coffee before sipping at it. Smart, she supposed, to check a drink from a witch – most of them would have probably spiked it with vervain or something. And again, Bennett. Her family didn't exactly have a reputation for tolerance of vampires.

She took one step out the door and another down the hall, only to come face-to-face with her sister and Elena.

"Hi Bonnie, Elena," she said, stepping quickly around them.

"I didn't see you this morning, Bethy," Bonnie said, her tone ambiguous as only a teenage girl could make it.

Rue refrained from rolling her eyes at the nickname that their father had used when he was still talking to her. She'd never liked it, and Bonnie knew that.

"I thought that would be a plus in your eyes," she responded. She walked off before she could be sucked into one of Bonnie's lectures.

"Little siblings, huh?" she heard Bonnie sigh.

"Yeah, at least yours isn't high half the time," Elena mumbled back.

This time, she didn't bother holding back the eye roll. They sounded so long-suffering. It was a standing trend of self-righteousness that she didn't see waning anytime soon. As the thought crossed her mind, a tremor of yes, that is true shuddered up her spine.

She felt the urge to knock her skull against the nearest locker.

History class was something of an experience – unfortunately, it was one that included her sister, and Elena, and eyes being made at Elena from two different sources. One of the soppy stares was understandable, what with Matt still not over the breakup. The other gave her pause. She really hoped that Stefan the vampire hadn't really come to Mystic Falls just to send besotted looks at Elena Gilbert.

She knew from some tests that she'd done years ago that Elena literally had something supernaturally attractive about her, but really? Really?

Mostly, Rue attempted to ignore it. Stefan didn't seem malignant, though she supposed that could change pretty quickly given how mercurial vampires were. Instead of working herself up, though, she doodled abstract swirls and shapes in the margins of her notebook.

Tanner held her back after class to make a sharp remark about how if she couldn't keep up with a higher level class he'd have her sent back down to be with her own age group.

Rue wondered why he had bothered to get a job teaching teenagers when he clearly hated them. Maybe so he'd have the chance to live vicariously through young, in-their-prime football players as he coached the school's team.

Whatever. Not her problem. Unless he made himself a problem.

The rest of the day, she spent writing in her poetry book, tending to her laurel tree and the small box of herbs she grew on her window sill – and looking over the various materials she'd collected over the years for mentions of a Salvatore vampire.

She found more than a mention in the magical copy of one of Jonathan Gilbert's journals. (Grayson Gilbert may have been hiding something that twigged her witchy senses enough to give her the chills – she still didn't know what it was, and didn't really care to search – but he'd been generous enough help out a young witch who was friends with his son and interested in learning to protect herself from vampires. He'd likely not known about the copies she'd magically made, though.)

Apparently Stefan had once killed the ancestor of the girl he was apparently attempting to get with. Not that it took, what with the magical resurrective ring and all. Still, could be an awkward conversation one day. Assuming they got far enough to broach the whole vampire topic in the first place.

That evening, she ended up at the Grill – as all the teenagers of Mystic Falls tended to do, given the lack of other hangouts. Jeremy wanted someone to vent at while he made puppy eyes at Vicki Donovan, and Rue was the only candidate. It was a wonderfully tedious way to spend an evening, but she wanted to be a good friend.

At least they had nice fries.

She pasted a sympathetic grimace on her face when Jeremy flopped onto the bar stool beside hers. She didn't really care for Vicki, but the girl made Jeremy happy – usually. That didn't seem to be the case tonight.

"D'you know what she called me? 'Elena's kid brother'," he said, reaching over to her basket of French fries and stealing one. "That's the second time she's done it today."

"Rough. But we both know by now that your sister's unnaturally popular. And, well, you're a loner. Most everyone probably knows you as that."

He snorted. "Yeah. But you think she'd know me as more."

"Considering she's known you, biblically speaking?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Not just that!" Jeremy's voice raised for a moment. "It's more than that. That's the point. But she can't see it."

Rue heaved a sigh, glancing over at Vicki, who was currently leaning over Tyler's table more than was warranted for bringing a refill. Jeremy followed her gaze and a pained expression crossed his face.

"Look, Jeremy, you're a good guy, and it's obvious that you'd be better for her than Tyler Lockwood. You'd definitely treat her better, at least," she leaned in close, making sure to catch Jeremy's eyes with her own. "The thing is, if Vicki doesn't see that… it's because she doesn't want to. Maybe she thinks Tyler can give her something – respectability, maybe, because of his family. But someday she'll realize that something like that can only come from herself. And when she learns some respect for herself, she'll realize that Tyler doesn't treat her with any."

"Yeah, Miss Shrink?" Jeremy asked, tone somewhere between habitual sarcasm and genuine hope. "How long's that gonna take?"

"Probably whenever Lockwood screws up big time," she stated seriously. Then she smirked. "So, not too long now."

Jeremy cracked a smile, and Rue considered the talk a success.

Of course, that was when Elena walked into the Grill accompanied by Stefan the vampire, drawing attention as she was wont to do.

"Yeah, that's my cue to get outta here," Jeremy said. He took another few French fries for good measure.

"Yeah, yeah. You still going to the party tomorrow?"

"Probably. You?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. Depends how the day goes."

"Uhuh," Jeremy rolled his eyes. "If it were up to you, you'd spend forever in your room with your books."

Rue gave him a placid smile. "And yet – exploring this sphere beyond the confines of my domicile is indeed an integral part of life on Earth. Besides, I find the arbitrary constructs of social interaction amusing to observe," she said as snootily as possible, tilting her head back with faux haughtiness.

He snorted and walked off with a wave.

"Particularly when there's drinking and impaired decision-making involved!" she called after him with a grin she couldn't suppress.

As she turned to face the rest of the room, the grin faded. Her sister was sitting at a table with Caroline and Elena – not an atypical sight. The vampire sitting with them, gazing intently into Elena's face, was new.

Though perhaps it wasn't much of a surprise. Elena was practically vampire bait. Particularly after her parents' death, which was around the time she'd started wearing understated melancholy like a designer coat. It made her look more vulnerable than her doe eyes ever had on their own.

A wash of curiosity swept through Rue. She was an intensely private person who also happened to be somewhat nosy. Usually, she tried to curtail her curiosity about others' private lives, given her intense dislike for hypocrites… but in this case, she reasoned that knowing the plans of the new vampire in town (even if he seemed to be in control of himself, as of yet) could very much be relevant to her own safety – and the safety of those under her protection.

So yeah. In this case, eavesdropping technically fell under doing that favor for her grandmother, right?

She muttered a short phrase under her breath, and suddenly was able to hear the conversation at the table, half a crowded, noisy room away.

"Any siblings?" Elena asked.

"None that I talk to. I – uh, I live with my uncle," Stefan replied.

A smile lingered behind his stare, which was still fixed on Elena's eyes. She didn't seem uncomfortable with it.

Elena always had lacked the usual self-preservation instincts. Especially when it came to pretty boys.

She was totally vampire bait.

Caroline seemed to sense the budding connection, because she quickly interrupted their shared gaze with a perky interjection. "So Stefan, if you're new then you don't know about the party tomorrow!"

"It's a back-to-school thing at the Falls," Bonnie explained.

Caroline's intentions were thwarted in the face of Stefan's single-minded attentions in another direction. "Are you going?" he asked, deliberately leaning closer toward Elena, making it obvious the question was for her alone.

"Of course she is," Bonnie replied for her with a meddlesome smile.

Elena paused for a moment, glancing from Bonnie to Stefan. Then she smiled, half amused, half coy, ducking her head, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, and glancing back at Stefan from beneath her eyelashes.

Rue cancelled the spell with an eye roll. Typical Elena; of course she'd not only attract the supernatural, but be attracted to it. Rue had heard and seen enough to know that the amount of eye rolls she'd made or suppressed today would only increase in frequency.

Wasn't high school vampire romance a bit cliché at this point?

Even worse, it meant that she had to go to the party tomorrow to keep an eye on Jeremy and her sister. While Stefan seemed benign, parties weren't exactly good for a vampire's control, what with the crowds and pumping blood and intoxication. It'd be like walking into a pizza buffet. After not eating for a day or two. Even if that weren't the case, trouble tended to hover around anything supernatural – she'd have to be on guard as long as Stefan planned to stick around.

The same feeling of Yes, that is true that she had felt earlier tingled across her spine, and she shoved a handful of fries in her mouth to keep herself from letting out an unsettlingly loud groan of dismay.