Insanity

May 10th 1994

Jerome stirred as Damon strode up the front steps of the house, unceremoniously dropping his body onto the creaky porch swing, Damon following suit and laying back to gaze at the roof of the porch. Bonnie sat on the front steps, trying to quell the tears from leaking out, trying to stay strong.

"I wonder if there's any booze in this empty retroville." Damon hummed swinging back and forth, jostling Jerome out of his forced slumber.

"It feels so weird to be back here. I practically grew up on this porch." She finally spoke, managing to stay strong and overcome it, leaning back and planting a fake smile on her face, slowing growing more real as memories of her childhood flashed before her eyes.

"Huh. What was it like having to grow up with him? Traumatic? Insane? Disturbing?"

"Jerome wasn't always like this...he always had issues but he never hurt anybody. I mean, sure, he would occasionally say something in a disturbing manner or laugh at something he shouldn't have laughed at but it wasn't until he started to distance himself more and more did we realise there was something not quite right about him. He was always alone, everyone bullied him psychically and mentally, including his parents. We followed him once, it was stupid and immature but Elena wanted to play a trick on him, it wasn't until we were in the middle of the woods did we realise our mistake. To our horror, he sliced a squirrels head off, and threw it at Elena. He knew we had followed him, he knew we were there. From then on we just kinda migrated as far away from his as possible. He snapped when he was 17, I guess he just reached his breaking point."

It was silent for a few seconds, Bonnie shivering at the memories and Damon reflecting on the new information, until a spine chilling laugh echoed the porch. Bonnie and Damon freezing and turning towards a now awake and laughing Jerome.

"Good times. I never knew you payed attention to me Bon-Bon, I'm touched. Hey! Didn't I burn this place down ages ago?" He tilted his head, slumped against the seat and laughing again whilst staring at the house.

"Try anything, I'm knocking you out again." Damon warned whilst turning his body so that he was angled towards Jerome, in place to stop him at any instance.

"Aright, alright, loosen up lover boy." Jerome began, mockingly raising his hands in a surrender motion, "I'm not gonna try anything until I get bored and you guys are soo entertaining it is hilarious! Where are we anyway?"

"1994. No idea how we got here." Damon breathed, clenching his jaw and hands turning into fists. "All right Bonnie, talk me through it, distract me from killing him."

"Before the Other Side collapsed my grams said she made a sacrifice so I could find peace." Bonnie began, rolling onto her side to face them.

"Ooo sacrifice. I like sacrifices, they're so funny." Jerome giddily stated as Damon rolled his eyes and ignored him, yet again.

"The part where you actually have a theory."

"Well, this clearly isn't peace. Otherwise, I wouldn't be stuck here with you. I highly doubt ginger snap over there would even be able to find 'peace'."

"Rude." Jerome and Damon said at the same time, both glaring at the other with murderous looks.

"She must have, I don't know...sent me somewhere. When I held your hand and he grabbed my shoulder, I took you both with me." She sighed, looking at their surroundings.

Jerome lazily stood up from the seat and bounced down the stairs on the wet grass, dancing as he reached the little red cart which lay untouched and dirty and he then glanced at the other toys littering the yard, pretty dolls and bouncy balls, all in perfect clean condition. Sighing as he started to snicker as he was consumed into a memory of his little red cart as Bonnie and Damon continued talking, however making sure they watched him like a hawk.

"Well, did she happen to whisper a safe word in her last breathes? A clue, maybe? A witchy path out of here?" Sarcastic as always he leaned forward and watched Jerome inspect the toy.

Crossing her arms, trying to decide what she is most frustrated at: Damon, Jerome or the situation. "No. But if we got here by magic, magic should be able to get us out."

"And that frown that is not upside down is telling me what?"

"Little witchy doesn't have her witchy powers anymore. Ha. A witch without witch powers. How dull." Jerome trailed off into thought as Bonnie narrowed her eyes at a nearby candle on the table and concentrated.

"Phesmatos incendia." Raising her arm slightly, she sighed and then dropped it disappointed as Damon's expression dropped as he realised Jerome was right, unsure if he was more upset that they were trapped there as they had no magic or that he admitted that Jerome was right.

"Still can't do magic. Perfect." He dropped back into his seat, Bonnie leaning against a pillar, not realising their mistake until it was too late.

Bonnie gasped for air, choking on the bitter sticky liquid that rose from her throat, stumbling forward in shock. Damon barely managed to catch her before she collapsed to the floor. Panicking at the small knife which stuck out of her back he yanked into out, biting into his wrist and forcing it to her mouth. He prayed his blood would work fast enough as Bonnies eyes fluttered closed, small gasps emitting from her mouth as the blood ran down her throat. As she slowly healed Damon gently placed her on the floor as he stood, blood covered, his eyes darkening. Spinning around using vampire speed he lifted Jerome, who continued to cry with laughter, into the air by his throat chocking him. Jerome just continued to laugh, unnerving Damon by how raspy and nefarious it sounded. "I-I'm sensing anger." Before he could say anything else Damon, once again that day, knocked him out and dropped him to the floor before rushing back to a now fine Bonnie.

"BONNIE?! Come on! Talk to me, are you ok?!" He grabbed her shoulders helping her to sit up and eventually stand.

"I..I..yeah thanks. Wh-what do we do with him?" She stuttered, looking fearfully at the crumpled Jerome.

"We lock him up. We can't kill him and we definitely can not let him wander free. So, we lock him up."