ALMOST IS NEVER ENOUGH | TVD [1]

XI • BLOODLINES

Jeremy, the underaged sophomore, sees him, "Hey, Mister Saltzman!"

"Hey, Jeremy. I, uh...can't find my ring. I took it off for the gym, and thought I put it...there it is! Losing family heirlooms...bad. How's your extra credit coming? You pick a topic yet?" Mister Saltzman, the AP History teacher, brought up kindly as he wears his family ring back on his right ring finger.

"Mystic Falls, the Civil War era." Jeremy informed him, smiling.

"What's the angle?" Alaric questioned, genuinely curious and determined.

"My family. I found a journal of an ancestor who lived in the 1800s. And the Gilberts were one of the original Founding Families of Mystic Falls. So..."

The friendly teacher nods, smiling in return, "That sounds good."

Stefan sees Bonnie and Rosie/Minerva walking side by side as they are talking about the latter's banshee nature and he walks over to them both.

"Hey." Stefan mentioned them, smiling kindly at the friendly duo.

"Stefan..." Bonnie uttered awkwardly and glances at her best friend.

Rosie/Minerva smiles, genuinely friendly, at his unexpected presence, "Hi."

"I haven't seen you lately, Bonnie. How are you doing with everything?" Stefan asked her after he darts his genuinely curious gaze over to the witch.

"I'm fine. It's all fine." Bonnie claimed with a fake, uneasy smile for him.

Rosie/Minerva scoffs, "Yeah, if you're actually a normal junior student."

"What?" Stefan asked as he darts his truly puzzled gaze back to his ex.

"Nothing. Everything's good. Yeah." Rosie/Minerva nods a little, smiling.

"Are you back in school?" Bonnie asked him, expecting a no.

"No. Actually, I came here to find you. I was hoping you could help me with something. A spell." Stefan asked the young, naïve Bennett witch.

"Stefan, look, I know Minerva and Elena are okay with all of this, and I appreciate what you did to help me. But I'm not really ready to dive into it with you just yet. I hope you understand." Bonnie told him, nodding a little.

Rosie/Minerva nods in pursuit of her own understanding. How can her best friend be ready when the last time she saw him was the night when his brother attacked her, almost drained her of her own blood, after she was possessed by her own deceased maternal ancestor. He understands that.

"I understand. But I need your help. It's Elena. She's with Damon. I have Elena's necklace. I was just hoping you could use this to make some sort of a connection. I just need to know that she's okay." Stefan requested.

"Hmm. How do you know she can do this?" Rosie/Minerva asked, worried.

"Because I've known a few witches over the years. I've seen what they can do." Stefan assured them, nodding a little in the process of his admittance.

Bonnie spoke up in returned honest admittance, "I'm still new at it."

"It's okay. Give it a shot." Stefan encouraged her, believing her own abilities.