(act one, chapter nine: history repeating)

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

"Hey are you sure you're okay to be here?" Caroline asked for the thousand time.

"Yes Care, I rather go to school than sit in a hospital. I don't like it. There's nothing to do." Buffy answered, stepping out of the car. It had been a week since Damon stabbed her and she should be at home resting, but she was done, sitting around and doing absolutely nothing.

She did catch up with her sleeping that she had missed over the past weeks, so that's a good thing. Everyone came visiting her. Her mom stayed over with her in the night, afraid that Buffy was going to get lonely. Caroline was also with them, all the time she didn't have to at school.

Liz also had visited her a couple times, every time apologizing for what happened and Buffy always telling her the same thing. That it wasn't her fault.

Elena visited her because she was worried but also because she wanted to set her mind off Stefan. And Tyler. Even Tyler visited her everyday after school. But James didn't even show up. Not one text she got from him.

"Well, if you don't feel well or your shoulders starts to hurt again, just text me and I'll come pick you up from your classroom and bring you straight home."

"And what if the teacher doesn't like that?"

"I don't care. I have to take care of my girl." Caroline said.

I love Caroline.

"Hey, what class do you have anyway?"

"History. Ugh."

"Well, there is a new teacher apparently. He's starting today." Caroline told her.

"Let's hope he's not as bad as Tanner was, because then I rather be stabbed again. What do you've got?"

"English."

"Well, good luck, I have to be in here." Buffy spoke as she stopped in front of the history classroom and hugged Caroline goodbye.

"Hey, where's Bonnie?" Buffy asked, sitting down on the next seat to Elena.

"Haven't seen her. Amy and her are still fighting over that necklace. Weren't you supposed to be at home?"

"Nah. Have you spoken to Stefan yet?"

Elena shook her head.

"Bon is here." Buffy said to Elena as Bonnie walked in quickly, followed by the new teacher, at least that was what Buffy supposed.

"Good morning everyone." He spoke as he walked over to the board. "Alrighty. Let's see." He picked up the chalk and started to write.

"Hey, you okay?" Buffy whispered softly as Bonnie had chosen the seat next to her, well not that there was anymore room anymore.

Bonnie shrugged.

"Tell me after class, alright? If you want to. Anything you need."

Bonnie smiled lightly at her before focusing on her empty paper.

"Alaric Saltzman. It's a mouthful, I know. It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue."

"Alaric Saltzman, that's easy enough." Buffy tried

"Saltzman is of German origins. My family immigrated here in 1755 to Texas. I, however, was born and raised in Boston. Now, the name Alaric belongs to a very dead great-grandfather I wil never be able to thank enough. You'll probably wanna pronounce it Alaric, but it's 'Alaric,' okay? So you can call me Ric. I'm your new history teacher."

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

"Then I ended up at the remains of old Fell's Church before I woke up back in the woods." Bonnie explained all about her little night trip to the woods.

"And you always see your ancestor Emily?" Elena asked Bonnie, who nodded.

"Do you two believe in ghosts?"

"Yes." Buffy answered immediately. If vampires and witches are real who not ghosts?

"Two weeks ago, I'd say no, but now-"

"I think I'm being haunted."

Could be, honestely, wouldn't surprise me.

"I don't get it. Why Emily?"

Emily is a pretty name.

"Grams said she was a powerful witch in the Civil War days and that this medallion was hers. It's a witch's talisman."

"And it all started when you got the necklace?" Buffy asked.

"I think she's using it to communicate with me."

COOL, no not cool. You can't say that. You're best friend is being hunted by her great-great-great- how many greats do I have to say. I'm just gonna say grandma from the 19th century.

"What does Grams say about it?"

"I can't call her. She's gonna tell me to embrace it. I don't wanna embrace it. I want it to stop."

"You don't have to do anything you don't wanna do. We'll stop your creepy stalker great-grandma."

"Buffy can I talk to you?" Jeremy asked, appearing out of nowhere.

"What happened?" She asked raising her eye brown at him.

"I didn't do anything. The new history teacher wants to talk to us."

Now Elena and Bonnie looked towards Buffy with their eye brows raised. Buffy's hands shot in the air.

"I didn't do anything. Tanner has probably just send him a note from hell, because he definitely isn't at heaven, that I talk to much with Caroline and that he hates me and the the new one should do too.  Oh, he probably has some jackass files labeld with 'bad students'." Buffy rammembeld, making quoting marks at bad students, but they all agreed at the point of hell.

"Come on, Jere." Buffy said as she dragged him away from the table, waving at the girls. As they were far enough, she spoke again. "We're fucked. I have the feeling that we're fucked. By the way if he needs to talk to use, why not Elena. I mean come on take all three siblings then."

Jeremy just laughed at her as he knocked on the door. Buffy looked inside the classroom, to find Mr. Saltzman eating a sandwich.

I want a sandwich.

"Hey, Mr. Saltzman, I'm, uh, Jeremy Gilbert. And this is Buffy Sommers. You wanted to see us?"

"Ahem, you know that your old teacher had a jackass files." He said, as the two sat down. "No joke, it's, um, typed on a label. It has all the trouble makers in it."

HEY I SAID THE EXACT SAME THING. THAT'S CREEPY. I TOLD YOU. WAIT I'M NOT THAT BAD. JEREMY IS DEFINITELY WORSE. I NEVER DID DRUGS. I'M INNOCENT OFF ALL CRIME.

Except talking...

"But it's really an opus to you two."

The Gilbert-Sommers duo looked at each other, but looked back at the teacher who started to laugh. "Don't worry about it." He spoke as he threw the folder in the bin. "I'm not him. Clean slate."

The two gave each other a fist bump as Alaric sat down in front of them again. "Now, let's talk about grades."

"I know, it's been a rough couple months but I've been trying to turn them around."

"That's true. He has really been trying. Really he studies now. My mom and I think he's some sort of Alien sent from Mars." Buffy said.

Alaric let out a laugh. "I saw that, but the problem is we're halfway through a semester and half of fail is still pretty bleak. This is the part where you say, 'What can I do to change that?'" He asked Jeremy.

Yes Jeremy.

"Well, I'm glad you asked. How do you feel about extra credit?"

"Yeah, yeah, totally. Whatever."

"Good. Write me a paper then."

"Okay, about what?"

"Pick a topic. Keep it local. No Wikipedia regurgita. These old towns have a lot of rich history so just get your hands dirty, make it sing and you're back on track."

"Deal?"

"Deal." Jeremy said as he shook hand with Alaric.

"That's a cool ring."

"Oh, thanks. It was my father's. Heh. A little garish but family, you know. You've got a week." He said as the two walked out.

WAIT!

She turned back, leaving a confused Jeremy. "Do I have to it as well?" Buffy asked. She couldn't remember a bad grade in history, well maybe the first weeks after Miranda and Grayson. Despite Tanner hating her guts, he always gave her good grades. It wouldn't surprise her if Tanner changed her grades to a lower one.

"No, you're grades are fine Buffy. You're file was basically just papers off how you pass notes in class like no one else. And seeing the grades, I think you have one of the highest scores in history class of the school."

"Oh, thanks."

I am just gonna be Blair Waldorf 2.0. Oh my God. Yale. Rory Gilmore. 'Why did you drop out off Yale?" Aye.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

"I like a man who can dine alone. Quiet strength." Jenna said, as she looked over to the table where Mr. Saltzman was sitting with his back towards them.

"I thought you were still in that whole Logan-depression thing."

"I've sworn off men forever. Doesn't mean I can't observe them from a safe distance."

"Well, we can introduce you." Buffy offered but Jenna shook her head.

"Have you picked a topic?" Her mom asked Jeremy.

"No, not yet. It's gotta be local and non-Internet research, so." Jeremy said.

"I'll help you find something." Buffy spoke, sipping of her coke.

"It's easy. You got all your dad's stuff."

"What stuff?" Jeremy asked confused.

"How-the-Gilberts-came-over-on-the-Mayflower stuff. All that family lineage from way back. Your dad really loved all that family-history stuff. It's all boxed up in the closet."

"Mr. Saltzman." Jeremy said as the history teacher walked over to the table.

Buffy saw her mom's eyes widen a bit as she looked at Alaric.

What's up with her?

Buffy gave her mom questioning eyes, but Jenna just shook her head.

"Jeremy, what's up, man?" The two made a handshake.

"Buffy, good to see you as well."

She smiled at him before speaking. "This is my mom, Jenna."

As Alaric's gaze fell on Jenna, his eyes also widened a bit. Remembering that night all those years ago.

"Jenna Sommers." She spoke, not wanting it to become obvious.

"Alaric Saltzman, nice to meet you." He spoke, going along with it. But then his coin fell as he looked from Buffy to Jenna. And back again.

Seriously what's wrong with them?

"Jeremy was just telling me about his paper. Thanks for giving him another chance."

"Oh, you know, it was my first day. I wanted to make a good impression. Ha." He said, as he looked back again from Buffy to Jenna.

Jeremy looked at Buffy, who just shrugged her shoulders as she picked out her phone from her pocket.

"Hey, I'm gonna get another one." Buffy said, as she showed her empty glass.

"I'll come with you." Jeremy said, picking up his bag as the two teenagers left the two adults alone.

"You going home?" Buffy asked, as she walked over to the bar, along side with Jeremy.

"Yes."

"Need a ride?" Buffy asked.

"Buffy, you don't even have a drivers license."

Buffy groaned. "In a few days I do. I just have to do the test and I'm ready to drive. I even have a car in sight in wanna have."

"Well, good luck with that." Jeremy said as the two hugged goodbye.

As Jeremy left the Grill quickly, hoping not to get caught by Jenna, Buffy saw the Salvatores and decided to entertain herself with them.

"Lucky shot." Is the first thing she heard Damon say as he walked over to the dart board to pull the darts out.

"More like a carefully honed skill over many decades." Stefan answered, as he saw Buffy passing him.

Damon wrote something down on the board, the score Buffy amused. "You're beating me."

"Yeah, because I'm better than you."

Damon turned around and the first thing he was meet with was Buffy's hand as she slapped him. The two heard Stefan trying to cover his laughter but failed miserably.

Buffy, of course, had looked around first, seeing if she knew anyone personally before actually slapping him.

Can't have this ruining my reputation.

"What was that for?"

"What was that for, he asks. One, trying to kill Lexi, two, actually stabbing me with a fucking stake. Which hurts really badly by the way. And three, for never coming to apologize for it." She said as she turned back around.

"Well, I'm sorry."

Stefan looked confused between the two. Did Buffy just really made Damon say 'I'm sorry'?

"Mmh. Oh, and four, threatening Bonnie."

"I'm onto you. Reverse psychology? It's a little transparent but I admire the effort." Damon said to Stefan as he laid his arms around Buffy's shoulder, who pushed them off.

"You prefer the brooding forehead?"

"Seriously, what game do you think you're playing?"

"That's a funny question considering the fact that I have been asking you that for months. It's frustrating, isn't it?"

"Touche."

"Yeah, I'm just gonna leave you two to sort things out. Have fun with that."

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

"Jeremy totally ditched me." Jenna spoke as she saw Jeremy walking out of the Grill.

"Where'd he go?"

"Home. It's not far. He can walk it. Luckily Buffy's still here." She said as she looked over to her daughter and the two Salvatore brothers, making also Alaric look over.

"So are you from here? Are you a townie? Because the last time I saw you, we were in New Orleans."

Jenna sighed. "A townie. When we met I left for a while."

"Why'd you leave?"

"School." Alaric raised his eyebrow at her. "And then there's the real reason."

Alaric let out a laugh. "Okay."

Jenna took a sip from her beer, before answering. "I was wronged. Guy named Logan."

"What'd he do?" Alaric asked.

"The basics. Lied, cheated, lured me back in, left me again. Your turn. Any sad relationship stories?"

"The basics. Ahem. I fell in love, married young, wife died." Alaric sighed.

"Oh, wow."

"Yeah, that's always a good conversation stopper."

"What happened?" Jenna asked, curiously.

"Well, you, me and the North Carolina Police Department are all wondering the same thing. It's what's known as a cold case."

"So why did you move here?" She asked, trying to change the conversation.

"A change of pace, new scenery. I like it here. It's got a rich history."

Jenna hummed.

"So what's the whole deal with you having a child?"

"You know don't you?" Jenna asked, not even trying to play dumb.

"Me no? What would I know?"

"She's yours. I found out I was pregnant a few days after we had that night. I didn't have your number, other side I would've told you." Jenna confessed.

"What does she know about her father?"

Jenna hesitated.

"Jenna." Alaric said.

"She thinks he abandoned us."

"What? Why would you do that?" Alaric asked, eyes wide.

"Because if I told her she was born from a one night stand she will think she's a mistake. Which she is not. She's the best thing that ever happened to me and I know what she would think if I told her the truth and it would destroy her."

"We need to tell her."

"Alaric."

"No, Jenna, I get you're her mother and you took care of her for all these years. But I didn't know I was a father. If I had know I would've never left that morning. So just please give me the chance to be her father."

"Fine. But we need to work out what we're going to say. She's more sensitive then she lets on."

"That's reasonable. Thank you."

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

"You found the boxes." Jenna said to Jeremy and Buffy as she made her way through the front door after saying goodbye to Alaric. The two of them had made a plan on when exactly to tell Buffy.

"And I found this too." Jeremy said, handing the picture to her.

"Me and Logan."

"Oh, that's cruel." Buffy said, pinching him.

"No, cruel is dating our history teacher."

"Yeah, can't say anything about that. It's a bit gross, mom."

"I'm not dating him." She denied.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Words: 2524

Posted: February 7, 2024

Be sure to comment. I love reading them and it keeps me motivated!

x Kat