Fell's Church, 10:05 AM
Aurora squinted into the bright sun. She could see a large wooden sign just off the side of the road. Her tires squealed as she slammed her sleek black Camaro to a halt on the pavement. She adjusted her sunglasses in order to get a better look at the sign.
"Welcome to Fell's Church, the city full of Southern Hospitality."
Aurora smiled bitterly to herself. Southern hospitality?
"This should be fun," she said merrily. "Next stop: Hell."
She was jolted out of her thoughts by the repeated sounding of a car horn and a driver's annoyed shout.
"Get out of the middle of the road!"
"Yes, here's some of that fine hospitality now," Aurora deadpanned. Hearing the stranger's voice made her strangely aware of her own accent. She wasn't going to be able to blend in if anyone heard her speak. God, she missed France.
While driving along Fell's Church's main street, Aurora sighed. "I could be on the Riviera right now. What the Hell is wrong with me?" she wondered aloud. She had no idea where the need to be in Fell's Church had come from--it certainly wasn't everyday that she got the urge to visit obscure towns in Virginia.
*Something is wrong here,* she decided while looking around. She could feel the evil vibes in the air itself. Fell's Church literally emanated negative energy.
"Evil or not," Aurora mused. "I need to find a place to stay."
She pulled her car into the first gas station she saw and decided to ask directions to the nearest motel. As she stepped out of the car, Aurora glanced up at the sky. It was cloudy, thankfully. The last thing she needed was bright and cheerful sunlight.
"I hope Fell's Church is ready for me." Aurora headed toward the station. She pulled off her sunglasses once inside, and quickly surveyed the area.
The place appeared to be empty except for a teenage boy at the cash register. *Good.* His eyes widened considerably as she approached the counter. He fumbled and dropped the magazine he'd been holding, and cleared his throat. Despite his efforts, his voice was a little squeaky when he spoke.
"Can I help you?"
Aurora put on her brightest smile and leaned against the counter. "I hope so," she said languidly, emphasizing her accent. "I am looking for a place to stay. I was hoping you could direct me to a motel?"
The boy blushed as she caught his eye and winked. "Well, there is a motel right down the street, but I'd recommend the boarding house just outside of town. The woman who runs it is really nice and. . .unobtrusive." He said the last part conspiratorily, as if sharing a great secret.
"Merci," Aurora replied as she gazed around the empty store.
"What's wrong?" the boy asked.
She looked back at him and waved her hand toward the ceiling. "I was just noticing your lack of surveillance cameras. Aren't you afraid of robberies?"
The boy shrugged and put on a tough face. "Oh, we don't have much commotion here in Fell's Church. No need for cameras."
Aurora's smile broadened. "How nice."
Suddenly, she was very hungry.
* * * * *
5:00 PM
"Damn it all to Hell!" Alaric swore as he and Meredith rushed into the lobby of Fell Memorial Hospital. "I'd forgotten how much I hate this place."
"I hate hospitals too," Meredith said distractedly as they made their way to the information desk.
"I wasn't talking about the hospital," Alaric replied. "Damn town," he muttered under his breath.
Meredith rolled her eyes, ignoring Alaric's bitter remarks. She'd been ignoring them ever since they'd left Duke University earlier that morning. Alaric had been furious when Bonnie had called. That fury died quickly two hours later, when Matt called to report that Caroline was dead, and Bonnie had collapsed.
*Jesus* Meredith said to herself as she thought about the details Matt had related to her over the phone. *Does it ever stop?*
She was just about to question the nurse at the information desk, when she heard a familiar voice calling. "Meredith! Alaric!"
They turned and Meredith broke into a sigh of relief when she saw Matt walking toward them. His face looked tired and older than it's 20 years.
"Matt," she said simply. He enfolded her in a warm, but brief hug. "How is she?" she asked as he shook hands with Alaric.
Matt shrugged. "I'm not sure. The doctor said she's going to be okay, she just needs to rest for a day or so. The shock of hearing about Caroline really got to her. They'd become really close."
Alaric nodded. "And if you add that to the nightmares--"
"What nightmares?" Matt frowned.
Meredith and Alaric exchanged puzzled glances. "She didn't tell you?" Alaric asked.
Matt's shoulders sagged as he ran a hand through his short blond hair. "Bonnie and I haven't exactly been on good terms lately. In fact, she's barely said two words to me since we broke up."
Meredith touched his shoulder comfortingly. "You know you have to give it time Matt. She--"
"I know, I know." Matt sounded impatient to change the subject. "So what about these nightmares?"
"Well," Alaric cleared his throat. "Apparently, Bonnie's been having a dream where some strange man is trying to seduce her. He seems to want to reap the benefits of her powers."
"She called us just this morning after having one," Meredith added. She noticed Matt's jaw tighten at the mention of Bonnie's abilities. *He never was comfortable with that* she thought to herself.
"She's had this dream more than once?"
"Three or four times." Meredith replied. "All within the last week."
Matt shut his eyes and rubbed his temples. "Well, I've got some more great news if you want to hear it."
Alaric snorted. "I'm not surprised. What else?"
"There was another murder this morning."
"What the Hell is wrong with this place!" Alaric exploded. Meredith cringed when she saw patients and relatives scurry away from the outburst. She grabbed Alaric's arm.
"Calm down," she ordered. He glared at her, but fell silent, stuffing his hands deep into his pockets. Meredith sighed and turned her attention back to Matt.
"Who--"
Matt interrupted brusquely. "Do you remember Chris Bentley? He was in our Algebra class. He was found this morning inside his uncle's gas station."
Meredith took a deep breath. She'd gone to Homecoming with Chris once. . .*Don't think about that now!* "Do the police have any idea what's going on?"
Matt's laugh was hollow and harsh sounding. "Since when have the police in Fell's Church ever known what goes on here?"
"Point well taken. But, was it, I mean--"
"He was drained of all the blood in his body. There wasn't a single drop left."
Alaric nodded fiercly, as if that was what he'd been waiting to hear all his life. "Vampires," he said simply. "I should have known."
Meanwhile. . .(wow, that sounds corny)
Bonnie was going stir-crazy. She'd been stuck in this damn bed for hours. She hated hospitals with a passion. To make matters worse, the little television on the wall didn't work.
"Of course," she muttered. "Why should I expect it to work?"
She looked around. The room was small with virtually no decoration. It was painted a very pale pink and one lone picture hung on the wall across from Bonnie's bed. It was a desert landscape, barren, with nothing but sand and the sunset. *I may as well be in the desert too* Bonnie thought sourly. *Maybe then I could at least walk around and be bored.*
There was nothing for her to do except sleep, which was what her doctor wanted, or think. . .which was dangerous. Sleep was out of the question because the thought of having that dream again scared the shit out of her. That left her with no choice but to think--and what was she thinking about? Her dream.
Bonnie frowned. The dream she'd had last night was more upsetting than the others. She wasn't sure why, but she suspected it was because it had brought up things she hadn't thought of in a very long time.
"Are you frightened of me? You don't need to be?"
*Okay McCullough, let's be honest. It brought up one thing. Damon.*
Visions of the sullen elder Salvatore entered her mind. Memories flooded around her. The hundreds of times she'd studied him. . .clutching his arm outside of Vickie's house. . .his quiet and brutal nature. . .the feel of his lips on hers. . .
Bonnie's fingers unconciously pressed themselves to her lips. Suddenly it felt like only yesterday that she and Damon had come head to head over Stefan's dying body--their stubborn spirits battling furiously for control over the situation.
*What exactly are you trying to accomplish by thinking about this?*
"Shut up." Bonnie told her brain firmly. What was wrong with indulging in a few harmless fantasies? Bonnie smiled when she remembered the thorough way Damon had kissed her.
*But what would have happened if Matt hadn't interrupted? You know what he would have done!*
Bonnie ignored the nagging voice. Whatever Damon's outward intentions, she honestly believed he'd kissed her because he wanted to. . .not just to get her blood. It was a small piece of hope that she clung to whenever she thought of that night. *Why? What difference does it make if Damon Salvatore wanted to kiss you or not?*
Bonnie sighed--frustrated with her own brain. She knew that she was concentrating on Damon partly to keep herself from thinking about Caroline. She felt a tear run down her face and she hastily brushed it aside. Caroline had grown so quiet and thoughtful over the past year. The ordeal with Elena and being kidnapped by Klaus completely turned her around. After that night in the woods, Caroline had worked hard to regain her friendship with Bonnie, Meredith, and most of all, Elena. In fact, Bonnie and Caroline had become increasingly closer as their freshman year in college wore on. Meredith went to Duke with Alaric, and Elena left town with Stefan, *God only knew where they went.*, so aside from Matt, Caroline was the only link Bonnie had left and--well, she clung to her.
Bonnie felt more tears start to fall as Matt entered her thoughts. The night Elena came back, that wonderful night of the summer solstice--Bonnie had felt the sparks fly between Matt and herself. *It was only a matter of time.* They began dating soon after that. *If you can call what we were doing "dating"* she thought grimly.
"C'est d'accord ma petite."
Bonnie opened her eyes and darted them around the room. "What the Hell?" she whispered. Where had that voice come from?
*I know I didn't make it up!* Hell, she didn't even know French!
She quickly pushed her thoughts away as she saw her door begin to open. She braced herself, but sighed when she heard Meredith's droll voice.
"Green Jello? See--this is why I hate hospitals."
