Humanity 3 "The Renewal"

Chapter 4

ASHLEY'S POV

"I just don't know why you want to bring chili to a potluck. Everybody brings chili." Damon antagonizes me as I stir the chili on my stove.

I giggle and I hear the front door open as Ric walks into my kitchen.

"Hey, Ric." Damon smiles at him.

"What's up?" Ric asks.

"What time is Elena going to the Lockwood party?" I ask him as he takes a seat at the counter.

"Ah. Those founder's parties aren't really my thing."

"Show up. There's going to be nine other people that brought chili." Damon teases and I roll my eyes.

"I think Elena's making chili too." Ric says and Damon gives me a look that says 'I told you so.' "She said it's an old family recipe." Ric adds.

"Yeah. I knew her family. They made sucky chili." Damon jokes and I laugh for a second but my smile fades.

"Are you okay?" Ric asks me.

"No." Damon answers for me and I shake my head at him before looking at Ric.

"Damon thinks I'm going to break. I'm not going to break. I am just going to keep making chili and pretend like I didn't spend the entire summer looking for someone who didn't want to be found." I spill.

"She's in denial." Damon says to Ric.

"I'm not in denial."

"Don't worry, Ashley. Elena's in the same boat. We all are." Ric tells me and I know that he is exactly right.

Someone knocks on the door and I leave Damon to stir the chili while I go to answer it. I pull the door back to reveal Caroline, Elena, and Jeremy.

"I come bearing gifts!" Caroline exclaims as she holds up a pot.

"Please say that's not chili." I smile and I look behind them to see Bonnie walking up my front steps.

"Bonnie!" I squeal and everyone turns to see her.

"I'm back!" She cheers before hugging everyone. "I leave town for the summer and everything goes to hell for all of you." She says as we all look at each other.

"Hey Bonnie."Jeremy says shyly and we all decide to give them a moment.

DAMON'S POV

"So Mayor Lockwood called your gay ex-husband to torture your vampire daughter?" I ask Liz as we walk down the street together. She just explained Caroline's latest struggles to me.

Apparently, Carol Lockwood was suspicious about Caroline so she vervained her and locked her up. She then proceeded to call Bill Forbes, notorious vampire hater and Caroline's father. The fact that he was her father meant nothing to him so while Ashley, Elena, and I were in Chicago, he was torturing her to try to undo what she's become...which is impossible but I give him points for effort.

"Yes. I've been keeping him detained to make sure the vervain's out of system. So you could, you know..." She trails off and I know she wants me to compel him.

"Can't we just kill him?" I ask.

"No, Damon!" She exclaims. "He's Caroline's father.

"He sounds like a douche-bag to me."

"Yeah, well just because you and I are on okay terms doesn't meant that I'm suddenly a big advocate for your 'lifestyle.'" She says and my lips turn up in a smile.

"Is that what you told him when you two got divorced?" I tease and she rolls her eyes. I just couldn't pass up that opportunity.

We enter the cellar that Liz is keeping Bill in and we walk down the steps to a big metal door.