(1) The Phoenix (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Sixty-Two

Bonnie, Daphne, and Elena are searching through a pile of driver license records for Bonnie's mother Abby. They're looking through the records of everyone who is named Abby Bennett. Which is a lot. A lot, a lot, a lot of files to go through. Daphne knows that she said she would help, but this is not magical work, this is muggle work. And that's really boring.

"I don't get why you didn't just let me do a tracking spell" Daphne complains as she throws a file down. "I can do one that uses your blood....it would find her, no problem"

"Do you do anything without magic?" Bonnie asks her with a smirk. Daphne rolls her head to look at her.

"No, what's the point?" She answers. Bonnie looks at her amused before going back to her search.

"Los Alamitos?" Elena asks and gives Bonnie the record for a woman named Abby Bennett Wilson.

"Too old" Bonnie offers and then sets the file on the 'no' pile.

"Honolulu?" Daphne asks.

"I wish" Bonnie answers and sighs. "How many of these are there?" She asks them.

"A lot" Daphne mumbles as she flicks through the pile she has. "I asked the sheriff's office to pull up every single Abby Bennett in the country"

"I know we haven't been able to really.." Bonnie tells Elena and then pauses as she tries to think how to word it. "That things had been weird, because of Jeremy, so, thank you for helping me with this. I know you guys have a lot to deal with"

"There's nothing more important, Bonnie" Elena assures her.

"It's surreal. Having to track down a woman who bailed on her own kid" Bonnie points out as she lifts a file to look at it.

"You know, you don't have to, right?" Daphne asks. "Let me obsess over opening up the coffin"

"No" Bonnie stops her. "No, I'm not going to let you do this all by yourself. It's a witch problem and I'm a witch too. So it falls on both of us" Bonnie touches Daphne's arm and smiles at her. "Plus I was bound to see my mother again sooner or later" Damon enters the house holding a manilla folder in his hand.

"Sooner" He offers as he moves towards them. "Abby Bennett Wilson, Monroe, North Carolina. Born in Mystic Falls Hospital, graduated at Mystic Falls High...blah blah blah." Damon hands Bonnie the folder and she opens it and looks at the driver's license record. "A little compulsion helps speed up the research process" He offers Daphne a wink and she smirks a little.

"This is her," Bonnie tells them, a small victorious smile creeping onto her face.

"Yep. Road trip. I call shotgun" Damon cheers and then rubs his hands together.

"Damon" Daphne starts.

"Want me to hang out in the back with you?" He teases, she stands and grabs his arm, moving him into the next room.

"You're not coming, Damon" She points out, he frowns at her. "You are the only one that can get Stefan in that cell" He sighs.

"I know, but a road trip with you sounds so much more fun" He points out and touches her arm, pulling her closer to him. "Like the old days"

"Yeah, you say that like we've known one another for years" She counters. "And not like....5 months"

"It's been longer than that" He argues, she gives him a look.

"I came back from school in June...it is now October" He can't wrap his head around that. Less than 5 months was all she needed to worm her way into his life. Into his mind and his heart. He really does feel like he's known her longer than that. "It's been 5 months" She adds. But she gets it too. 5 months. That's all it took for him to completely overtake her.

"I'll deal with Stefan" He whispers and she nods and then watches as he leaves. She lets out a breath and turns to Elena and Bonnie who are both watching her. Elena smirks away.

"What's going on with you two?" Bonnie asks. "You're very..." She pauses as she tries to find the right word. "I don't know, it's like something changed with you both"

"They had sex" Elena answers, Daphne makes a noise and looks at her sister who just smiles at her.

"What? When?" Bonnie asks turning to Daphne who lets out a breath.

"After the whole homecoming mess" She answers. "And we're not talking about this..." She argues. "I'm going to get my coat and bag and then we're going to hit the road" She walks away. Not letting them ask her anything else. Bonnie leans closer to Elena once Daphne is out of earshot.

"You know it's October, right?" Bonnie asks Elena who nods.

"Yeah, I remember. It's the first time Daph's been home for her birthday since she turned eleven, believe me, I haven't forgotten; I just have no idea what to get her, I mean...with the witch stuff...what do I get someone with magic?"

"Don't get her anything to do with magic" Bonnie offers softly. "Get her something that means a lot to you and her. Elena, you two are crazy close for two people that literally only spent a couple of months together every year for the last seven years...." Elena smiles a little. "Get her something that means a lot to that relationship, get her something that shows her that you two will be crazy close forever. Just get her something that shows you love her...It's not about the magic..."

.........

In Bonnie's car, on the road, low volume music plays. Daphne sits in front with Bonnie, a spellbook open in her lap as she goes through it. Elena is in the back. It's been quiet between them so far. Bonnie needed the time to work through this in her head. To find her mother after being abandoned. It's a lot to process. Daphne's phone pings with a new message and she digs around in her pocket for it before she opens it up. It's from Damon. Just to let her know that he's dealt with Stefan. Daphne's lips twitch into a smirk. That's one less thing to worry about. If Damon manages to keep Stefan in the cell until they get back, then she can get started on him right away when they get back.

"I just can't believe that I'm actually going to see her" Bonnie admits, breaking the silence. "Or meet her. Sort of. Since I don't really remember her"

"You don't really talk about her" Elena offers.

"What's to say? She left, never wrote, never called. Not even when my Grams died" Bonnie then shakes her head and glances at Daphne who slides her phone away again. "Could we talk about you and Damon instead?"

"I'm not talking about it. We had sex. It's not gonna happen again" Daphne argues, not wanting to have this conversation with them. She finds it hard enough to explain to herself, and to Damon, why it's not a good idea without just blurting the truth out. She feels bad enough keeping it from them. But this is a her thing. It's personal. Private. It puts more people at risk. If bad people were to find out what's lying dormant inside of her, how many would try and wake it to control it?

"I mean...was it good?" Bonnie asks, Daphne lets out a breath.

"It doesn't matter"

"That means it was" Elena teases, Daphne lets out a breath and turns a look on Elena. "You teased me, it's only right that I get to do the same"

"I don't get it" Bonnie admits. Daphne frowns.

"What? Me and Damon?"

"No" Bonnie is quick to argue. "Why it won't happen again?"

"Don't bother, she won't tell me that" Elena points out. "Must be a witch thing"

"Right, so you could tell me" Bonnie offers Daphne who then shakes her head. "Is it because he's a vampire?"

"No" Daphne argues. "I don't care that he's a vampire"

"That's what I thought" Bonnie muses and then hums. "Is it because of what's going on with Stefan?"

"No" Daphne answers and then sighs. "We can play 21 questions but that doesn't mean I am going to answer them honestly" Bonnie and Elena give her a look. "I love you both like crazy, but this is a private and deeply personal issue, I am not going to tell you"