CHAPTER NINETEEN | MAN ON FIRE

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EVELYN WAS AT THE SKULL BAR, HAVING COFFEE WITH STEFAN WHILE HAD AGREED TO TUTOR ELENA AND BONNIE. Since the Other Side about to be extinct and Bonnie's life was quite literally hanging in the balance, the Austin vampire was surprised that Bonnie had time to study. Every time that someone brought up the Other Side going away, Bonnie seemed to clam up.

As Elena flipped through her notes, Bonnie dropped down onto the couch beside her. Evelyn awkwardly cleared her throat. "So, I'm surprised you're actually up for studying, all things considered."

"What'd you mean?" Bonnie answered back with a raised eyebrow toward the girl.

"The Other Side falling apart?" The doppelganger continued on with a look of confusion on her face, then she turned to Evelyn and Stefan. "She's in denial."

The Salvatore and Austin vampire both nodded. "So I see."

"I'm not in denial. The Other Side is disintegrating. As the Anchor to the Other side, I'm only alive as long as there is an Other Side. I'm perfectly aware of the threat of my impending death. There is nothing I can do about it. It's called acceptance— fifth stage of grief. "Look it up, tutor guy." Bonnie turned her gaze toward Stefan with a pointed look, while Evelyn chuckled.

"Definitely in denial." Stefan continued on as he watched Evelyn take a sip of her coffee.

"Yeah, Look. Bonnie, we've already lost you once. We're not doing this again. It's not an option, okay? Not to mention what's gonna happen to Alaric, and your Grams, and everyone else over there." Elena continued to list the dozens of people they had lost. "So, what are we gonna do?"

"Fine. If you guys promise to stop hovering, I'll ask Liv if she has any witchy ideas." Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Besides, don't we have bigger problems with those Travelers trying to take over Mystic Falls?"

"Oh, no. Apparently, that's Damon's task for today." Evelyn chuckled softly as she watched Bonnie and Elena exchange worried looks. "He said he can handle it, so I'm gonna let him do it. Once he screws it up, he'll call and I'll have to go fix it."

The Bennett girl immediately caught sight of Liv, who was working behind the bar. She thought that right now was the best opportunity she would get to talk to Liv about the Other Side. "Hey, I'm gonna go speak to Liv. I'll be back."

Not long after Bonnie lifted herself from the couch, Enzo wandered over. Upon noticing his arrival, Stefan closed the textbook and narrowed his eyes toward Enzo. "What're you doing here?"

"I can't join my friends for a cup of tea?" Enzo feigned innocence.

"Damon, your friend, uh, singular, isn't here. And, we're a little busy right now." Stefan rolled his eyes irritably as he watched Enzo take Bonnie's seat on the couch. "But by all means, have a seat."

"No need to be rude. I've come here for a chat." Enzo's gaze flickered between Evelyn and Elena. "Evelyn, Elena, perhaps Caroline told you both I've been searching for someone I once knew— a woman named Maggie."

"Of course she did," Evelyn stated bluntly as she rolled her eyes while Elena nodded, silently. "The girlfriend that you managed to get yourself while you were trapped in a cage during the Augustine days."

"Maggie worked there as an observer, taking notes of my behavior. She never got too close, never took off her vervain bracelet. But, we spent hours and hours talking, and we developed an attachment. Now she left in 1950. I imagined her one-day teaching at one of these fancy universities, starting a family, living her life to the fullest. I'm sure you three can appreciate that."

"What's going on?" Elena spoke in a hushed voice toward Evelyn and Stefan.

"That traveler girl, Sloan, gave me this yesterday, making good on a promise. From the Augustine files left behind by our good Dr. Wes." Enzo handed Elena a photo, she glanced at it for a moment, then handed it to Stefan.

The picture was of a woman's corpse, and her head was torn from her body. It was common knowledge, that once Stefan fed, he had a tendency to rip heads from bodies, so Enzo obviously assumed Stefan had killed her.

"Yes." Enzo hummed as he watched three sets of eyes widen in fear. "Imagine how I felt when I saw it. Turns out Maggie died in 1960 in Mystic Falls. Someone tore her head right off her body."

Evelyn shifted uncomfortably, then looked up at the Salvatore. "Stefan, in 1960, were you—"

"A Ripper?" Enzo echoed, making it known that he could hear her despite the hushed tone. "Clearly."

"I wasn't a Ripper then." A heavy sigh escaped Stefan's lips as he dropped the photograph back onto the table in front of them. "I'm really sorry about your friend, but I had nothing to do with it."

"I thought you might say that." Enzo jumped up to his feet with a venomous look on his face, while his eyes darted over to the Parker girl that was working behind the bar. "Liv! A little service here, please."

Without hesitation, Liv walked straight over to them with her hands extended in front of her while she chanted something underneath her breath that caused the three vampires to clutch their heads in complete and utter agony.

"Liv, what are you doing?!" Bonnie yelled out in a panicked tone. "Stop."

"I can't stop. Sorry."

"That's my fault, really. Where's Luke?" Enzo called and suddenly a few guys wearing rugby shirts yanked Luke inside the bar. "See, I compelled a few blokes from the rugby team to keep her brother's life in jeopardy so that should the witch disobey, he will die. There's a good soldier." Enzo smirked, then suddenly Liv lifted the spell and the vampires gasped in relief. "Okay, Stefan. Are you ready to talk about what you did to the love of my life?"

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"That vervain water is going to hurt even worse if you struggle against those knots. Chap's in the sailing club." Enzo rolled his eyes as he wandered back over to Stefan, Elena and, Evelyn. He had compelled another student to bind the vampires to chairs with vervain rope.

"How did you compel everyone here?" The doppelganger breathlessly asked as she glanced around to the dozens of students who hadn't batted an eyelid at what was taking place in front of them.

"Place opens at eight, you got here at nine. Do the math, college girl." Enzo shrugged. "I will gladly release them once Stefan admits that he called Maggie."

"I would love to, except I have absolutely no idea who she is." The Salvatore stated again, in a more stern voice.

"That's what this is for. Police found it on her body at the crime scene." Enzo lifted up a small book that was presumably Maggie's journal. "June 10, 1951. I found a job at a preschool. I love the kids but still, I feel lost, listless. March 1953, while my girlfriends have all found love, for some reason, I can't seem to connect with anyone, as if a part of my soul is missing or dead. My sister said there are more men in the city. Maybe I'll move. Now it turns out she did move to the city in 1958, and in the move, she uncovered a box that she hadn't touched in years— Medical journals from 1950, covered in notes about a special vampire patient named 12144. Of course, when she came back, Whitmore house had burned and it was concluded that I had perished in the fire." Enzo's eyes then turned to Stefan. "You're a journal man, aren't you, Stefan?"

"This is ridiculous." Stefan rolled his eyes with a weak and exasperated sigh. "In 1960, I was cleaned up. I was barely feeding on people, let alone killing them."

Enzo heard Bonnie typing on her phone and immediately sped right over to her and yanked the phone from her hand. "Good idea. Let's call Damon."

As Enzo pressed dial, Evelyn's eyes widened the moment she heard Damon's voice through the phone. "How is it travelers are everywhere until you actually need to find one."

"Hunt going poorly, then?" The British vampire asked with a pout.

"That's what I get for working with the hardy boys."

"I take it you don't have Stefan's diaries handy," Enzo asked, his eyes fixed on his hostages. "I need you to check his journal for an entry on November 8, 1960."

"Stefan burned his journals a while ago. He was in a mood." Damon raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well, just trying to settle a little debate. No matter, I'm right." Enzo's eyes then fell to Evelyn. "Have you spoken to your fiancé today? She looks gorgeous, by the way."

"Evelyn, she's with Stefan and Elena. Wha— Are you with them right now?"

"Not for long. I reckon one of them will be dead soon—eye for an eye and all that."

Damon's heart began to pound at the thought of Enzo killing anyone he loved. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Enzo. You have your murder voice on. I need you to speak very slowly, and calmly, and tell me what the hell the problem is."

"The problem, if you must know, is that my girl Maggie, the one who got away, it turns out she didn't get away for long. Your Ripper of a brother took a big bite out of her neck membrane in the sixties."

"Sixties? Stefan wasn't even—"

"Got to jet, mate. Nothing personal, just a bit of revenge, you understand?" Enzo ended the call and slid Bonnie's phone into his pocket before he glanced around the room. "Any history majors in the house?"

"Don't be a dick, Enzo, just get to the point. They obviously aren't going to respond since they're compelled." Evelyn weakly rolled her eyes.

"We'll use this." He pulled Bonnie's phone from his pocket and began to type. "1960— Let's see. Ford Thunderbird. Lincoln continentals. Unseasonably cold that year. Tuesday, November 8, John F. Kennedy was running for president."

"Election night." Stefan slowly trailed off with a fearful look in his eyes. "I didn't kill her. I was just trying to scare her into leaving town."

"So, it was the other Ripper in Mystic Falls then?" Enzo scoffed, then rolled his eyes in disbelief.

"I have no reason to lie to you, Enzo."

"Are your lies worth Bonnie's life?" Enzo grabbed hold of Bonnie and slipped his hand around her neck while he began to squeeze. "What exactly happens if you die, anyway? Aren't you technically already dead? Should we find out?"

"Enzo, let her go!" Evelyn struggled against the vervain ropes as she heard the skin on her wrists begin to sizzle and burn.

"Stop!" At the risk of Enzo hurting Bonnie, Stefan caved. "You're right. I killed Maggie. I tore out her throat, and I ripped her head off. I completely forgot about her until now. That's the truth. Now let her go." Enzo nodded slowly, then released the Anchor. Once Bonnie was away from him, he snapped a piece of chair and thrust it into Stefan's abdomen which caused him to yelp in pain.

"Well, this is depressing." Damon's voice echoed as he wandered into the bar. Enzo locked eyes with his friend, while Evelyn's heartbeat began to race. "Stadium seating really necessary? These people are starting to creep me out."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that was a veiled attempt to get me to release the damn hostages." Enzo spat back.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Was that veiled? Release the damn hostages!"

"Who's side are you two on?" Enzo headed toward Damon. "You were there with me in Augustine. Look, don't tell me that you've forgotten what it was like to cling onto the one thing that kept you from feeling pain!"

"Enzo, I get it. The prospect of seeing Maggie again was your safety line to the outside world— the one thing that kept you from shutting it off. But, she's gone. There's probably a chapter in Elena's psych book about it." He sighed heavily. "The thing is, I didn't know she was your Maggie."

Fearfully, the British vampire's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

"Damon—" Evelyn trailed off fearfully. She had no idea what Damon was doing, but she knew that if he confessed to killing Maggie, Enzo would surely kill him.

"No, Eve, it's true." Damon nodded, then turned back to the vampire. "She didn't tell me her name when we met."

"And when exactly was that?"

"November 8, 1960," Damon revealed. "She tried to stake me with a needle. Had she got me with that Vervain Injection, things would've been very different. She didn't stand a chance against me."

A look of confusion and disgust swept across Stefan's face. "And you made it look like I did it?"

"Maggie was the hope Enzo clung to— you were mine. And, when you didn't notice that I was missing for five years, let's just say I held a grudge."

Enzo's face hardened as the reality of the situation dawned on him. "You killed Maggie."

"I didn't even bat an eye. My switch was off, Enzo. I did a lot of terrible things. But, I didn't do it to make your life miserable from every angle, I did it because I didn't care. Just do whatever it is you gotta do. You wanna kill me? You wanna hate me? Do it. But, this is between us." Damon.

"That's the problem, Damon. I don't wanna hate you. Because if I hate you then I have nothing left. There is another option." Enzo took a few shaky steps backward and closed his eyes.

Upon realizing that Enzo was attempting to turn his humanity off, Damon rushed forward and shook him. "Don't you dare. Hey, Enzo!"

"There we are! You were right. Not a care in the world." Enzo's eyes flickered back open, and all that was left was nothing. A blackness. "This is fun— not caring." He tossed a bottle in the air and let it smash on the ground.

"Yup. Emotion-free. Bye, bye humanity."

"Damon, do something," Evelyn muttered underneath her breath, in the direction of Damon.

He sped straight for Enzo and attacked him, but Enzo managed to use one of the broken bottle pieces to stab into Damon's neck. Stefan broke free from the restraints, but Enzo tossed a jug of vervain water at him. With both Salvatore's injured, Enzo grabbed hold of Evelyn and disappeared.

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"I know that you don't want to do this, Enzo." Evelyn breathlessly spoke as Enzo dragged her across Whitmore College campus. "You don't have to do this. I know you're hurting, but—

"That's the point. I feel nothing." Enzo shrugged in return.

"Turning it off isn't the way forward. I know that you wanna punish Damon by hurting me but, come on, this isn't gonna bring Maggie back and you know it. You'll just end up losing another person you care about if you hurt me."

Enzo shoved the vampire down onto the floor with a vicious look in his eyes. "I pity the poor bastard for getting engaged to you. You don't shut up, do you?" He growled out, then headed over to a Whitmore sign.

He broke off a piece of wood, but as he did so, Evelyn sped right up behind him and threw her arms around his neck in an attempt to choke him. But, after a few seconds, he threw her over his shoulder and snapped her neck with ease.

"Evelyn!" Damon called out as he ran over his fiancé, who laid unconscious on the ground. Enzo was nowhere in sight, it was just Evelyn. "Come on beautiful. Let's get you home."

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