Hello! I'm so sorry. Writing this is a struggle. I don't understand why it is so hard to write this story. This chapter is probably way sub-par and doesn't flow very well either, but I wanted to at least try and get something out there. If anyone is still interested...

I do have a question,.too. Since I'm not sure how and when updates are going to come, I'm debating putting a kind of "idea sheet" or rough outline of things to come in a next chapter. I would probably just push that back with every new update. But maybe it would be nice to have that in case it takes me forever again to update.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

And stay safe out there, guys!

Oh, and for those of you who also like Bonenzo, keep an eye out. There should be a one-shot or so coming soon.

But now,.this:

…

23 Years ago…

The pull of the water is strong. It lies before her, so deceptively calm, and she hugs herself as she looks out on it, watching the smallest ripple wash ashore.

The ocean. It's so vast, so beautiful, and she doesn't understand why she can't go in like her friends.

"Come on, Abby!" one of them yells back now, giggling and laughing, and she waved a hand, shaking her head.

"You guys go."

"Aw, Abbs! It's really not that cold."

"My mom said-"

"Screw your mom! She's overly worried. You're almost 18, girl. You can make your own decisions. It's not gonna kill you to take a quick dip! Come on!"

It's battling inside of her. The urge to just go with them… Pressing her lips together, she stands and watches them walk closer toward the water, they're almost there, and then…

"Eeekh!"

They giggle, pull their feet away. They look so happy. She wants that too, but her mom said… With a sigh, Abby shakes her head. Sheila has always been so adamant about this. Don't go near the water, child, she'd say, over and over and over. Stay away. It's dangerous. And when she'd protest, when she'd say it's what everyone does, learning how to swim, playing in the water, her mother would get so awfully angry, so… changed, that she'd always back off. People like us cannot, under any circumstances, go in the water! Understand that. You are not like the others, Abby Bennett. You stay away if you want to live.

"Water is waiting, Abbs!"

Her friends splash at her, racing in and out of the water now, always a little further, and their good mood begins to take hold of her, too. What if she puts her foot in there? Just the foot. She's not gonna drown with only her toes getting wet.

Sheila Bennett is just a bit peculiar with her fears. It's understandable. Her mother lost a brother to drowning when she was still little, that would traumatize anyone. But Sheila doesn't need to know about this…

So she finally bends down, pushing her pant-legs up a bit, then races toward her friends, joining in the fun.

It's minutes later, maybe half an hour, she isn't sure, but her clothes are soaked, enveloping her shivering body like a second skin, her cheeks glowing with a strange internal heat, and she laughs with her friend, enjoying herself, when she sees him.

She's not sure where he emerged from, but suddenly he is there, with a group of his own friends in tow, and they're coming over, all smiles and swagger, though she has only eyes for him - and he for her.

"Hello, love. I don't think I've seen you here before…"

Love? Who talks like that? Going by his accent, he must be British, or something. So the real question is, what is he doing here. Because, she lives here.

"Just a girls trip with my friends…" She waves a hand, coquettishly sweeping a strand of hair back as she bats her lashes at him. Part of her wants to cringe. She's not that kind of girl, so what the hell has gotten into her? But his eyes, his swagger, his stance, his whole… aura, get to her. It's like he's the ocean, pulling her in.

Stay away from the water, child, it echoes in her mind and she has to shake her head to get rid of that cautioning voice.

"And you?" she asks.

"Oh, I'm here every day. You could say I live here."

"Oh yuh? What, right here in the water?" She giggles, twirling her hair as she sees his eyes spark and twinkle, a ripple of goosebumps crossing her body as he holds her gaze.

He raises an eyebrow, winking.

"Would you believe it?"

"Sure. If you were a merman."

"Maybe I am…"

A loud laugh breaks out of her, deep, from the belly, and she sees his smirk widen in answer, before he suddenly holds out a hand for hers, doing a strangely old-fashioned now.

"I'm Niklaus, by the way. And you are?"

"Abby," she says, sobering quickly, her breath hitching as he places a soft kiss a half inch away from the back of her hand. "Abby Bennett."

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Abby Bennett. I hope to see you again soon…"

"That would be…" The words are trailing off her lips, then stopping. And as she blinks, suddenly feeling a bit dazed and… sleepy, his hand leaves hers and he's… gone.

...

…

Now...

Eyes closed, Damon listens into his mind, his inner senses growing more acute. He can smell the sea down here, the corals and wet limestone. He can hear the light rustle of his father's clothes as Guiseppe does his slow rounds in front of him, surely all boasting confidence and hubris.

~ We'll find a way ~, Bonnie reminds him again, a calm coming from her that finally seems to take root in him, too.

And suddenly, he has an idea.

~ Thanks, BonBon ~, he says, then, with a jolt, opens his eyes to face the king again.

"Fine," he says out loud, knowing that talking like regular people always irks his father a bit. To make sure his father believes him, a good dose of acting his necessary, and he slunoa his shoulders, barely meeting the other man's gaze. Swallowing, he runs a hand over his face. "You win. I'll bring her over here now. But I'll only give her over to you in exchange for Stef."

Guiseppe's eyes light up, even though he still squints at his oldest son with a hint of suspicion. The old man has learned to be cautious around Damon after all these years.

~ Alright. But you won't go alone, or you'll trick me. Conrad will accompany you. - And you'll have to bring both girls, because I don't trust you to clean up your own mess. ~

"You need to promise not to kill them."

Scoffing, Guiseppe stares at him, something working behind his amused facade. Then he says, ~ As you wish. Now go. ~

And Damon leaves without another word.

~You don't believe him, do you? ~

He has to smile at her presence in his mind, glad that his father can no longer see his face. Already, he's reached the small pool that connects the throne room with the ocean, and with a splash, he dives right in.

~ Don't worry, Bon. I don't trust a word he says. Which is why I'm going to lead his men away from you as far as possible, while Enzo gets you girls up top again. ~

~ What about your brother? ~

He makes a face, aware now of dark shadowy figures coming toward him - his father's men, here to accompany him to Bonnie - or so they think... Waving at them, he points toward the east, then leads the way. He doesn't know where yet, just away.

~ Don't worry, ~ he tells her now. ~ I'll figure it out. ~

Which hopefully will be true...

...

Caroline is worried.

She's worried about being stuck in a cave under millions of gallons of water, about having no clue anymore what is real and what is not (this freaking fairytale surely can't be her new reality). She's worried about having lost the ground under her feet and the sky above. And she's worried about Bonnie, who just jumped up all of a sudden, her mood changed to something dark and foreboding out of the blue, and Caroline has no idea how she can help her poor friend.

It's not everyday you learn you're a fairy...

"She's talking to him."

Whirling around at the soft voice against her ear, she jolts back out of her racing thoughts to face Enzo, who shoots her a knowing look.

"Quite impressive, actually," he continues, his arms crossed casually, his shoulders too broad as he leans away from her again. "Especially for a faerie."

She presses her lips together, trying to process his words, trying also to not let her annoyance with him show. His tone is so… flippant. He's way too calm and cool about this, and she just doesn't like it. Rolling her eyes to herself, she finally meets his gaze.

"What?" For the life of her, she can't seem to follow him, and that stupid half-smirk on his face doesn't help. Then he raises an eyebrow, inclining his head to take her in, and it makes the hairs on her arms stand on end.

"You do know that she is talking to him telepathically right now, don't you?"

"I…" What? "Of course I do." She shoots him her best offended "duh-look", then searches for Bonnie, finding her gesticulating as if she's deep in conversation. With a wry expression, Caroline bites down on the inside of her lip, annoyed with herself now, because Enzo picked up so easily what she didn't.

"It's okay, gorgeous. Threw me off at first too, the whole mind-acrobatics." His hands do a little whirl next to his temple as she peeks up at him from under her lashes. "You'll get used to it."

To her surprise, his expression seems genuinely understanding, without a trace of condescension, killing her half-prepared sassy retort before it can make its way out of her.

"Anyway." He takes a step forward until he's right in front of her, blocking her view of Bonnie, and she has to fight the urge to push him away.

What the hell is Bon talking about? Why does she seem so agitated. That can't mean anything good.

"Can you… do you know what they're talking about?"

His smirk is back, softening his harsh jawline.

"You're a nosy one, aren't you?"

"Excuse me? I'm just worried about my friend. Did you see how worked up she seems?"

He clicks his tongue, probably getting ready for another aloof remark, but she doesn't let him.

"Ever heard of friends being concerned for each other?" she asks. "Because that's what friends do. They worry about each other. But you," she pokes his chest, "might not know this, since you don't strike me as the type to even have many friends."

"Ouch." He grins, mock hurt written across his face. "Maybe you're right." He raises his arms half way, stepping away with too fluid movements, like he's swimming even on dry land. The bastard is too freaking smooth. "You got some fire in you, Caroline Forbes."

"I got- ?"

"But no. I don't know what they're talking about."

She forgets to be angry, forgets her cutting reply, merely sighing wearily, when he continues, "I do, however, know what Damon just told me. And if you're already in a tizzy over your little friend, you should get worried now."

"I'm not in a 'tizzy'! I'm-"

"Whatever you say, gorgeous. I'm just telling you that soon you'll have a real reason to be concerned because, turns out that getting you girls back to land won't be as easy as we hoped."

"Why? What are you really trying to say?"

Her mouth is too dry. She crosses her arms, staring hard at him.

"Just that I hope you enjoy it down here, because you'll probably have to stay a little longer than anticipated."

"What the hell does that even mean? Can you be a bit more specific instead of me having to draw everything out of you so painfully slowly?"

His chuckle makes her puff up her chest in anger, even though she knows it won't impress him much.

"What I'm saying, Caroline..." He says her name like a damn caress, like something someone else should say to her - in a completely different context. "... is that Damon ran into some trouble. His bloody father seems to think your friend Bonnie is special in more ways than one, and he's not going to give up on his claim on her so easily. So he got Damon's brother in trouble to draw us out, and I'm afraid this will change the plan."

Caroline's brain soaks up this new bit of information, Enzo's pointed stare underscoring something she is only slowly picking up on. Once she finally does, she gasps, looking from him to where Bonnie is still pacing, then back at Enzo.

"You're going to give us up!"

His mask slips into a scrunched up grin for a moment, he almost looks surprised before the half-smirk is back.

"I don't know, gorgeous. To be honest, Damon's father is the kind of person that shouldn't get what they want. Ever. On the other hand... if it's really going to be a decision between me or you, I'd be inclined to choose myself."

Caroline huffs, nostrils flaring as she takes a few steps back from him, scanning the cave to gauge the distance to her friend.

"You got us in this mess!" she throws at him, walking backwards as she does. "This is on you! So you will have to get us out of here and back! I don't care what the issue is with Damon's family, but Bonnie and I are getting out of here."

His lips are curled up into a real smile, almost as if to counteract her tone, and it only makes her angrier. The nerve this man has.

"I'm gonna get Bonnie, and then I don't care how you do it, but you'll get us both out of this damn cave and back to the top."

"I will do no such thing. Certainly not before Damon isn't back."

"You can't do anything without your precious friend? Need to ask him for permission first? What are you? His lap dog?"

He's before her in the blink of an eye, grabbing her arm hard to pull her even closer, shuttered stare boring into her as she tries to wiggle away. The smile is wiped off his face, making room for something… feral, and she freezes.

"Let go."

The dark flicker in his eyes is increased by the reflections of the blue light of the bioluminescence coming from above as he traps her gaze with his, and she fidgets under his scrutiny, trying her best to raise her chin and not back down.

"I said, let go."

The corners of his mouth briefly curl up. She's ready to get angry, anticipating another snarky remark from him, when his expression suddenly changes, almost as if he turns his focus… inward.

Maybe he is talking telepathically, like Bonnie. There's something about the way they both stare into nothing that is oddly similar.

Caroline frowns, half-forgetting the uncomfortable clamp of his fingers around her arm, when he abruptly unfreezes and lets go. He seems to be battling with himself for a moment before he rolls his eyes to himself, then shoots her one last look and turns away.

"Get ready," he mumbles. "We're leaving in five minutes."

"What?!"

…

It takes a moment for it all to sink in, the things Damon's father said, but when Bonnie is just about to think she's calm enough to function, to talk to Caroline about what is going to happen next, then it hits her.

What Guiseppe insinuated about her mother - about her.

~ It can't be true. It… just can't...

Bonnie is trying to comprehend the news, and failing. Minutes ago, she was so strong, trying to convince Damon that they'd get Stefan out of harm's way, that they'd be able to stand up to Guiseppe. But now this darkness is taking over, confusion digging into her until there's a rift threatening to tear her apart.

~ It can't be true… I know my dad. He's… he's just a normal man, I'm not the child of a- ~

~ Bonnie, hey….~

Damon is back, his tone soothing and calm, but still she can't seem to focus. He's on his way to get his dad off her back so she can leave the water for the safety of the land, but… Nothing seems safe anymore. She doesn't even know who she is - what she is.

~ Easy now. The old man is probably lying to draw you out, and it's working. ~

~ What if he's right?! He pretty much insinuated that I'm half mermaid - or whatever the hell you people call yourselves, and… this is all so ridiculous! ~

~ Of the sea. ~

~ What?! ~

~ What we call ourselves: "of the sea". - BonBon, you might just be the first faerie of the sea anyone has ever heard of... ~

She feels his amusement, a wave of annoyance emanating from her, and while he seems to pick up on it, she can almost see his smile widen.

~ Seriously, though. BonBon, don't worry. I have a plan now. - I'll have Enzo get you and Blondie back topside, like I said, and I- ~

~ Your father- ~

~ Screw my father. He thinks he has me in his hands with his threats. But you were right. He doesn't. ~

~ What about your brother? ~

She can almost see him scoff, can almost feel the air caress her cheek, see the gleam in his eyes.

~ Stefan can take care of himself. But just to make sure, I'll get on my way to find him soon - while you, Ms. Bennett, will be going back to your folks. They'll be able to protect you. ~

~ Damon. ~

~ I'm not gonna let him use this. Something tells me that if he's this desperate to get to you, it's better to keep you very far away from him. ~

~ He'll know you're not doing as you were told. ~

~ Of course he will. But by then you'll already safely be back to land. - Enzo? ~

She can't hear the other one, can't follow this side-conversation of theirs, but when she turns her head, she can see the merprince's friend standing right next to Caroline, his eyes staring off, like he's hearing someone speak - and going by Caroline's face, with her lips pressed together into a very thin and unhappy line, it's not her he's listening to. He's talking to Damon.

~ Alright. Chatted with my sailor friend. He will get you back up. It'll be your job to tell your dear Grams to be there for when he does. And be ready for my father's guards. ~

~ Damon, I really don't think- ~

~ Crap. I gotta go. Bonnie? ~

~ I'd rather wait with all this until you're back here. We can discuss it then. We can come up with a way to get your brother, too. ~

~ Aw. You're worried about me! ~

~ I'm… not. ~

~ That's sweet. I'll be fine, though. But if you wait, chances are you won't be. You need to get the hell out of there and back to your folks. I'll find you, Bonnie Bennett. When this is done. ~

~ Damon. - Damon! ~

There's a sudden emptiness in her head and she hits the warm rocky wall beside her with her flat hand. "Dammit!"

Why does she even care? He's a stranger, she doesn't know him, and yet…

He feels like he belongs, and now that he's gone again - her mind conjuring up that image of him being pulled away, bubbles coming out of his mouth as he yells soundlessly - and she doesn't know what to think about that...

…

His hands are tied up tight. Grunting, Stefan is trying to wiggle free, but it is hopeless. The rope won't budge. The fishermen got him good. Closing his eyes, he allows himself to just give in for a moment, hanging off his binds, trying to think.

His father did this, he knows it. The question is, why? What could he gain from betraying his own flesh and blood like that? The fishermen turning against them is not in their interest at all. It'll have to be something to do with...

Damon.

~ On my way, brother. ~

~ What is going on? It's the girl, isn't it? ~

He can feel Damon's reluctant admittance.

~ What are you not telling me? It must be bad if father is trying to lure you out by using me in this way… ~

~ Bonnie is fae, Stefan. ~

What?! Abruptly, he feels alert again, his body tensing up. Curling his hands into fists, he stands up again as best as he can - which still means tiptoes, then he strains against the rope again, ready again to fight.

~ We have to make sure he doesn't get her… ~

Damon doesn't even know how true that is, does he?

~ You better get her out of the sea then. I'll find my own way back. ~

~ And how are you gonna do that, huh? Brother? ~

That's a good question, of course. And one he doesn't have an answer for just yet...