Witchcraft and Shadows

Pancakes and Ultimatums

"Witchcraft is the shadow of our collective fears, a mirror reflecting the darkness we wish to deny."

— Anonymous

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Bonnie was resolute as she addressed the group. "We're not letting Kai out of here, okay? He just said he's a serial killer."

Damon, clearly frustrated, shot back, "I don't care! I wanna get out of here."

Bonnie's eyes narrowed, her voice sharp. "How can you not care? Maybe because of the horrible things you've done? Maybe killing a bunch of kids isn't a big deal to someone who's murdered a pregnant woman?"

Damon's face fell, and he looked genuinely hurt. "Am I wrong?"

In a FLASHBACK, Stefan and Zach heard screams and the crash of breaking glass from the next room. They rushed in to find a scene of chaos—multiple bodies scattered, and Damon holding a terrified Gail in a headlock. Damon, almost casually, commented, "This eclipse party blows. I didn't see the sun at all when I crossed the yard!" Stefan and Zach's horror was palpable as Damon added, "I forgot how much stronger we are when we drink human blood."

Gail, trembling, pleaded, "Zach."

Zach begged, "Damon, please don't hurt her."

Damon demanded his ring back from Stefan, who threw it to him. Damon's cold voice cut through the tension. "Atta boy." Stefan's despair was clear as he said, "I'm never gonna be rid of you, am I?"

Damon's response was chilling. "No, you're not. 'Cause in 1912, I showed you who you were, Stefan. In 1942, I gave you your freedom, and in 1977 I almost killed your best friend because it should have been you there to help me, Stefan. You owe me, and it'll take you an eternity to pay me back."

As Damon fed on Gail until she died, he added, "An eternity of misery, brother. Just like I promised." He sped out of the room, leaving Zach to mourn Gail's lifeless body.

In the PRESENT DAY, Kai's tone was almost mocking as he said, "Ouch. Poor nephew-uncle Zach."

Damon explained with a hint of regret, "Stefan compelled Uncle Zach to forget about the girlfriend and the baby. But, he couldn't cover up all those murders. Founder's Council was restarted, and Stefan took off. Left Mystic Falls for about fifteen years. We both did. And when I saw Uncle Zach again, I couldn't look at him without remembering that I ruined everything. So it was a nice relief when I got to kill him. Okay, can we go back now?"

Kai's smirk was almost smug. "Oh, come on, Bonnie. You wanna go home to your friends, I wanna go back and give the rest of the Gemini Coven an excruciating death. Win-win."

Damon was desperate. "Look, Bonnie, I know this guy's not a model citizen, okay, but I gotta get back. Not just for Elena, but for my brother."

Bonnie's guilt was evident as she said, "I'm sorry, Damon."

Kai, unmoved, said, "Sorry doesn't work for me."

Just as Kai reached for Bonnie, Damon intervened, grabbing Kai. "We may be having a bit of a disagreement, but don't ever lay a hand on her."

Kai smirked, "Kind of a non-issue now. We missed the day's eclipse. Rain check for tomorrow?"

Bonnie was firm. "No."

In the KITCHEN, Damon found Bonnie eating alone at the table. "Shame-eating?"

Bonnie sighed, "Thinking about that pregnant lady. She had a thing for pancakes."

Damon was puzzled. "That's what you remember?"

Bonnie nodded. "You remember it, don't you? You make pancakes every day."

Damon shrugged it off. "'Cause I'm bored."

Bonnie shot back, "No. 'Cause you're punishing yourself. You call this place your hell, and it means you feel remorse. That makes you different from Kai. Maybe there is hope for you."

Damon sighed, "Look, we can still get outta here, Bonnie. We can steal that 'Descendant' contraption, find out what Kai knows, and ditch him, because he doesn't have any powers anyway."

Suddenly, Kai appeared at the door. "Actually, it's not that simple."

Damon, irritated, said, "You gotta stop doing that. It's creepy."

Kai continued, "Here's the thing: I have a killer effect on magic. I can't generate it myself. But, I can consume it from others temporarily. My family called me an abomination. That hurt my feelings."

He grabbed Bonnie's wrist, causing both her and Damon to moan in pain as the stove caught fire. Damon shouted, "Okay, we get it!"

Kai stopped his spell and said, "You can see why my coven and I didn't get along."

Damon sensed the ultimatum. "I smell an ultimatum."

Kai elaborated, "If I consume all of Bonnie's magic, I'm just gonna end up killing her. But if we work together, we can all go home as friends. Or I can devour her magic, kill you both, and go home alone. What's it gonna be?"

He sat down at the table and began eating the pancakes.

Cassidy entered the kitchen, her eyes flicking between Damon and Kai. With a smirk, she said, "Oh great, another dinner party. Damon, it's really rich of you to act all high and mighty about Kai when you've got your own serial killer status."

Damon shot her an annoyed look. "Seriously, Cassidy? You're going to side with the guy who wants to kill us all?"

Cassidy raised an eyebrow, her sarcasm evident. "Not siding with anyone. Just pointing out that you're in no position to judge. Your past isn't exactly squeaky clean."

Kai chuckled, clearly enjoying the tension. "I like her. She's got a point."

Cassidy turned to Kai, her tone more playful. "I get it. Being an outcast, like you mentioned, isn't a cakewalk. My mom kept me from learning about my magic until it was too late. It's nice to meet someone who actually understands what that's like."

Kai's grin widened. "Well, it seems we have more in common than I thought. I appreciate your candor."

Cassidy leaned in slightly, her eyes locking with Kai's. "And you're not too bad yourself. For a serial killer, that is."

Kai's gaze lingered on Cassidy. "Flattery will get you everywhere. Besides, you're quite the charmer yourself."

Damon, exasperated, muttered, "I should've known this would turn into another circus."

Cassidy smirked at Damon. "Welcome to the show, Damon."

Bonnie, trying to bring focus back, said, "We need to figure this out."

Damon grumbled, "Yeah, yeah. Let's just get out of here."

Kai, still munching on pancakes, said, "Well, I'm in no rush. It's not every day I get to enjoy pancakes with such... intriguing company."

Cassidy gave Kai a playful look. "As long as the plan includes keeping Damon from turning into a brooding mess."

Kai nodded with a grin. "I'll do my best."

Damon muttered, "I should've known this would turn into another circus."

Cassidy smirked. "Welcome to the show, Damon."

Bonnie sighed. "We'll deal with this later. For now, let's try to stay alive."