(act one, chapter twelve: unpleasantville)

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"It's so pretty. Thank you. God, it'll go with, like, everything. What's the occasion?" Buffy had gifted Caroline a necklace Stefan had made for all their friends. She herself had gotten one too.

It was a gold chain with a rectangular form with a little flower burned on the outside, inside was of course the Vervain.

Buffy's was a blue stone, with the Vervain inside.

"No occasion. Just giving a gift to my most amazing best friend in the world."

"A lesbian-friend necklace, because we're freaky like that?" Caroline gave her a phony wink.

"You're friendship is important to me." 

The most actually.

"Why are you being so mushy?"

"Cause I wanna hear about everything going on with you and Matt." Buffy smirked.

Let it coming, my friend.

"There's not much to say." Caroline shrugged. "We've hung out a couple times. That's it. But I just feel like we've peaked as friends."

"You know where he is?"

"No, why?" Caroline looked around confused.

"So I can give him the talk: hurt her, I'll hurt you."

"Did you gave him the same speech when he and Elena were dating?"

"Yep."

"Do you think she's okay with whatever is going on with me and Matt."

"I think it's a little weird talking to her about it but I'm sure if it's what you and Matt want, then it's not about Lena. Besides she's over him and she's dating Stefan. "

"But it's all about her."

Buffy looked at her confused.

"Matt's not over her and we all know it."

Oh, that. Even more reason to talk to him now.

"She's with Stefan now, Care. Matt should understand that. He knows he has to move on." Buffy reassured her.

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"Matthew Gregory Donovan." Buffy said as she sat down at the stool next to him at the grill. She looked up at him. "That is you're middle name right?"

"Hmm. Elizabeth Mira Sommers."

"I'm here to have a little chat, Gregory."

Who the hell names their kid Gregory?

"I see what you're doing. You're here to tell me that you will beat me into the hospital with a bat if I ever hurt Caroline. And I remember something about hiding my body where the police could never find me."

"I'm so glad you always understand what I'm talking about." She saw Elena and Bonnie walk into the Grill, ordering fries. "Shoot. Gotta go. Lovely chat, Gregory."

"I can't believe you're adopted. I never saw that coming." That was the first thing Buffy heard Bonnie say as she walked over to their table. They quickly greeted her as she sat down.

"Want some fries, Buf?" Elena asked but Buffy shook her head and Elena was focused on her conversation with Bonnie again.

"And it gets weirder. I looked at my birth certificate it lists Miranda and Grayson Gilbert as my birth parents. None of it makes any sense."

"Which is why you should ask Jenna. Has you're mom never told you anything about it, Buf?" Bonnie asked the blonde.

"If she would've, Elena would've already know."

Bonnie nodded. "First of all, the Elena I know would always want the real truth, good or bad."

"And second of all?"

"You just found out your boyfriend is a vampire." Bonnie finished.

"Right, so unless your birth parents are aliens or You-Know-Who, how bad could it be?" Buffy asked, making them both laugh.

Suddenly somebody walked over to the bar, skipping by their table.  "James?" Buffy asked confused, but he did not stop walking.

Well hello to you too, boyfriend I haven't seen in days. 

Asshole.

I think will slap him with a spatula.

"Ah, okay, look, I have to go to the store. My outfit for the dance is severely lacking accessories."

"Yeah me too. I need a dress."

"I thought you already had one." Bonnie said to her. She clearly remembered Buffy buying one not even a week ago.

"I don't like it anymore."

And I want to get out of here.

If he can ignore me, I can ignore him.

"Okay, I'll pay the bill." Bonnie said.

"Okay. Bye." Elena and Buffy said at the same time.

"Bye."

As the two walked out of the door of the Mystic Grill, making their way over to Elena's car, Elena's cell phone rang.

"Hello." She greeted.

"Hello, Elena." A man spoke from the other side of the line, not being heard by Buffy, who was already stepping in the car.

"Hey, who's this?" She asked, confused.

"You hit me with your car. Is that a new one?" The man asked her and Elena looked around, alarmed. How? When she looked behind her, she saw someone coming towards her with a black hoodie, hiding his face.

"You got away from me. You won't next time." The man caught her attention again, but she just ended the phone call and quickly sat down in her car, driving away as fast as she can.

"Can we go shopping tomorrow?" Elena asked her sister.

"Sure, but why?"

Why does she look like she just ran a marathon?

Is she scared of something?

Because the walk from the Grill wasn't that far.

She looks like me when I need to get to the highest floor in school.

Stupid floor.

"Nothing." Elena lied. "Let's just go home."

"Okay." Buffy replied, not wanting to upset her sister.

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"So you finally told Elena the truth?" Buffy asked her mom as the were driving together to the party at school. Buffy was wearing a long skirt, which was similar to Bonnie's and Caroline's with a light blue shirt.

"You know I didn't want to lie to her."

"I know but I kinda get it that's she mad. I mean she spend her whole life thinking aunt Miranda and uncle Grayson were her parents. And then out of the sudden you find out that they're not."

"Yeah. I always wanted Miranda to tell her. That's why I didn't tell Elena. Thought it was better if my sister told her." Her mother told her, turning left.

Parents. Buffy was glad Elena had had such loving parents. She wished she had both of her parents. She wouldn't want anyone else to be her mother. 

Her mother was like her second half and Buffy would die if it meant keeping Jenna safe and happy.

Before she realized that she was talking aloud, she had already said it.

"Do you think life would've been different if dad had stayed?" 

She had always wondered that part. Would it have been different?

Would she have made gifts for her dad on Father's Day instead of always giving them to her mom?

Would she have been gone to the father-daughter dance with her real father instead of Mason?

She just wanted answers.

She just wanted to know what she did wrong to make him leave her and her mother.

Jenna had almost stopped driving. Although this would've been the perfect moment to tell Buffy about her dad since she asked.

It was not like she wanted to keep it from Buffy anymore, now that she knew Alaric wanted to be her dad.

But she was afraid for her daughter's reaction.

She would hate her from keeping her father's identity from her for all these years.

But Jenna kept it hidden from her just so she wouldn't hurt herself.

She knew that if Buffy knew she would ask Liz where he lived and would've actually gone there. And Jenna didn't want Alaric to say that he didn't want anything to do with her when Buffy was still so young.

"I suppose. But we ended up alright."

"Yeah, I suppose." Buffy replied. They had finally arrived at the high school. "I'm gonna look for my friends. See you in inside." She kissed her mother's cheek before unclicking her belt and stepping out of the car.

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"Having fun?" Elena asked as Caroline, Bonnie and Buffy joined her.

"No, but this took about 2 hours, so I'm at least staying half of that." Caroline said, pointing out her outfit.

"Relatable." Once again, no James in sight.

"What's Damon doing here?" Bonnie asked, alarmed. She still hadn't forgotten how he had almost killed her.

"He wanted to come." Elena sighed, turning around to see Damon saying something to Stefan. "I promise. He'll behave." She said more to Bonnie than to Caroline and Buffy.

"So what is this, like, a threesome now, you and the Salvatore brothers?"

"No, but if I'm gonna be with Stefan, then I have to learn to tolerate Damon. It's not like I can kill him."

"There's a thought." Bonnie said, seriously considering it.

"Mhm. I'll help." Caroline said and the two clinked their glasses.

Elena and Buffy let out a laugh at the two.

But not much time after that Stefan had taken away Elena to talk.

And Damon walked over to the three remaining girls, standing somberly around the table. "Hi Bonnie," Damon greeted. "Wanna dance?" He asked.

"I'm out of here." Bonnie said, annoyed, wanting to walk away but Damon held her back.

"Please give me another chance."

Bonnie just rolled her eyes at him, now really leaving.

"Back off, Damon." Caroline said, grabbing Buffy and following their friend.

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"Yeah, I don't recognize you. How'd you get roped into chaperoning?" Alaric asked as he joined Damon, who was leaning against a table. "Alaric Saltzman. I'm the new history teacher." Alaric introduced himself as Damon looked at him confused.

"Ah, the, uh, cursed faculty position." Damon replied as they shook hands.

"So I've been told."

"Damon Salvatore." Damon introduced himself this time.

"Salvatore, as in Stefan?"

"He's my little brother. I'm his legal guardian, hence the chaperoning." 

"I hear he's very bright, not that I've had a chance to see for myself." Alaric said, as he looked over to the younger Salvatore and Jenna's niece.

"Well, his attendance record's a little spotty. Family drama."

"Parents?" Alaric asked.

"Mm, it's just the two of us now."

"You live here your whole life?" 

"On and off." Damon shrugged. "Travel a bit."

"Really? Where? Around the States?" Alaric asked, but as he saw Damon's suspicious look, he let out a laugh. "Heh. I'm sorry. I'm nosy. I don't mean to pry."

But before the history teacher could say anything else, Buffy came walking.

"Hello, Mr.Saltzman." She greeted the man cheerfully before turning to Damon.

"Dance with me?"

"Sure. Nice meeting you."

"You too." Alaric said as he watched the two walk away with worry. He didn't want the same thing happening to his daughter as what happened with his wife.

"I knew you couldn't resist my good looks, Buffy." Damon said as they started dancing together.

"I think you got a big ego."

No, I know that.

"Thought you were going with Bonnie and blondie?"

"I was, but then I remembered that I promised my mom I would drive home with her and I want to know what is going on with you, Elena and Stefan. What happened?"

"Smart and pretty I like it." Damon smirked at her.

"Thanks, now tell me."

"A vampire got into your house and attacked your sister."

"How did he get in? You have to be invited in." Buffy asked.

"He pretended to be a pizza delivery guy according to your sister."

"HAH!" Buffy let out a laugh.

"What's so funny?" Damon asked confused.

"Nothing."

How would Damon look working in a pizzaria?

PIZZARIA SALVATORE!!!

OMG DAMON WITH A HAT, WHAT'S THAT NAMED, THE THING ON THEIR HEAD?

"Damon? What do you call that thingy that chefs set on their head?"

"A chef's hat?" Damon answered, confused. Why did Buffy always have to ask the most random things

"Yes, do you have one?" She asked.

"Why?"

"No reason." Buffy answered. 

I HAVE TO TAKE A PICTURE OF DAMON WITH THAT THING ON!

Suddenly Damon looked behind him, hearing Elena yell through his vampire hearing.

"What is it?" Buffy asked.

"Come on." The two of them made their way out of the gym, and Damon vamped them over to the cafeteria as soon as no one was in sight.

As Damon pulled the door open, Buffy saw a guy flying to the other side of the room.

ARE THERE FAIRIES NOW??

Then she noticed Stefan holding Elena behind him.

OH

"Hey, dickhead." Damon said, catching the attention of the vampire. "Nobody wants to kill you. Just wanna talk."

But the vampire clearly didn't want to talk, as he tried to make a run for it.

He failed.

Stefan impaled him with a stick.

"Oh, that's gotta hurt." Buffy said.

"Now you feel like talking?"

"This is aggressive." Buffy whispered to Elena, who nodded her head.

"Screw you." The vampire muttered.

Stefan shoved the stick further.

"Oh my God, I'm gonna be sick." Buffy said, holding her stomach.

Real life is different than Buffy the show.

I like the show more, tho.

I'm gonna puke.

"Wrong answer. Why are you doing this?" Stefan asked;

"Cause it's fun."

ew

"What do you want with Elena?"

"She looks like Katherine." The guy replied with a smirk as he looked over to Damon.

"You knew Katherine?" The older Salvatore asked.

"Oh. You thought you were the only ones. You don't even remember me."

"Tell me how to get in the tomb. Hmm?" Damon said, crouching down so he was almost face to face.

"No." The vampire replied and Stefan moved the stick once again.

The headmaster would put your ass in detention for months, dude.

Well there goes the no violence on school rule.

Does this mean I get to punch James now?

"The grimoire." The vampire grunted out.

"Where is it?" Damon asked, sounding mad.

Stefan moved the stick once again as the vampire in front of them didn't answer.

STOP FUCKING DOING THAT MY EYES. 

MY INNOCENT EYES.

"Check the journal. The journal. Jonathan Gilbert's."

"Who else is working with you?" Stefan asked.

"Who else is there?" 

"No. You're gonna have to kill me." 

Stefan removed the stick and stabbed it in the vampire's heart.

OKAY THAT MAN IS DEFINITELY DEAD. 

"What do we- how are you gonna find the others now?"

"He had to die." Damon said.

"But-" Elena said, but was cut off by Stefan.

"Elena, he's been invited in."

Alaric arrived outside the door but he was only heard by Stefan and Damon.

"Go. I got this." Stefan said to Damon, who quickly left, followed by Buffy, who went looking for her mom.

What a night.

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Words: 2282

Posted: March 17, 2024

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

x Kat