Dance Finals

Just have a quick question before you all read the chapter. I have been thinking about rebooting the Legacies series that I have written before. The powers of the character might be a little similar but I'm thinking of redoing the entire story. So let me know if you guys would want that.

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(Chubby Checker's "The Twist" plays in the background.)

Seeing Damon stroll into the gym with Elena and Stefan, the group froze mid-conversation. Shock rippled through the crowd like a ripple in still water. Tommy threw a sharp glance at Stefan, silently questioning what he was doing here. Stefan subtly gestured for him to follow. Tommy exhaled sharply, then turned to Bonnie.

"I'll be back in a minute," he said, leaning close. "Then I'll show you how to really twist."

Bonnie nodded, an uneasy smile tugging at her lips.

Tommy joined Stefan and Damon as they moved toward the far corner of the gym, away from the noise and curious stares.

"What are you doing here?" Tom asked, his voice laced with annoyance.

Damon grinned, leaning against the wall with casual arrogance. "I'm moonlighting as a teenager."

Tom's glare hardened, but Damon's smirk didn't waver.

Stefan sighed and cut in, "Elena was attacked at home tonight."

Tom's brows furrowed. "What?"

Stefan explained the situation in clipped sentences, his face grim. Tom listened in growing disbelief before finally shaking his head.

"And this—" Tom gestured around the crowded gym. "This is your plan? Bring her here? What if the guy's already here, blending in? You wouldn't even know."

Damon clapped a hand on Tom's shoulder, his grip firm and his expression almost amused. "Tough titty, brother. This is the plan we've got."

Tom closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Fine. Let's just… keep our eyes peeled."

Tom returned to Bonnie, plastering a smile on his face as he extended his hand. "Come on," he said, leading her to the dance floor.

The music swelled as they found their rhythm. Bonnie raised a brow, watching him with suspicion. "Okay, what's going on?"

He sighed, spinning her lazily. "You're not going to like it."

"I won't be able to relax unless you tell me," she pressed.

He glanced toward Elena, who was now dancing with Stefan. Lowering his voice, he admitted, "They're using her as bait."

Bonnie froze mid-step, her mouth falling open. She turned, ready to march straight to Elena and shake some sense into her, but Tom caught her wrist, pulling her close.

The song shifted. Paul Anka's "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" drifted through the speakers, wrapping around the moment like a spell.

"We have to look out for her," Tom said, his voice soft but firm. "If this works, we can catch the guy."

Bonnie's lips tightened, but she nodded, leaning into the sway of the music. Tom chuckled, surprising her.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"I was expecting more of a fight from you," he admitted.

She smirked. "I've seen you enough to know you can handle situations like this."

"That's some sharp observation," he teased.

"I'm more than just a pretty face, you know."

"Oh, I knew that from the moment I saw you…"

Bonnie laughed softly, her gaze steady on his. "Don't you ever feel nostalgic for this?"

He tilted his head, thoughtful. ""Dancing with you? Yes." She laughed, He sighed and said, "The music, sure. The people, maybe. But things get better with time. And right now, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

"Dancing with me, or just generally? " she teased.

He grinned. "Definitely with you."

"What about you?" Tom asked

"I don't know… there is so much going on and I don't know whats going to happen."

"Isn't that exciting? To live everyday not knowing what's going to happen?"

"Not really."

"I love it, to live everyday like it could be the last. Makes me feel… alive."

She chuckled and said, "That sounds dangerous."

He shrugged and said, "That's me… I guess."

Jerry Lee Lewis's "Great Balls of Fire" thundered through the gym, and Bonnie couldn't hold back her laugh.

"Come on, old man," she challenged. "Put some soul into it!"

Tom scoffed but took the challenge. He spun her around, dipped her low, and reeled her back in. "How's that for an old man?"

Bonnie clapped her hands. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

They danced until the sweat beaded on Bonnie's foreheads and the crowd around them thinned.

Later, as they returned to the table, Elena's eyes trailed Damon, who was now jiving wildly with a blonde.

"You can't take him anywhere, can you?" Elena quipped.

Tom rolled his eyes. "No, he needs his daily walks."

As Elena chuckled, her smile faltered. Her gaze shifted toward the corner of the room, catching sight of a hooded figure. Her breath hitched.

"That's him," she whispered, her voice trembling. "The guy in the corner."

Tom and Stefan immediately turned to look, their expressions sharpening. The hooded figure had started moving toward the exit.

Tom leaned toward Bonnie. "You know what to do."

She nodded as Tom and Stefan followed the figure out of the gym, weaving through the crowded hallway. The hooded man quickened his pace, glancing over his shoulder, and they picked up speed, his senses on high alert.

Walking past the crowded halls making combing their way through they reached the guy. Stefan threw the guy against the lockers and he clearly looked out of sorts and in that moment. Tom vanished before Stefan could ask the guy anything.

Tom went back to the gym and saw that Bonnie wasn't there and he looked around and saw the exit sign. He walked out of there and tried to listen for anything and thats when he heard footsteps. He pulled out his stake and followed the noise.

Near the cafeteria, the man stumbled, clutching his head as though in agony. Bonnie stood several feet away, her hand outstretched, her jaw set in concentration.

"Nice work," Tom murmured as he stepped forward, grabbing the man by his collar and dragging him into the cafeteria and slamming him onto a table. With a flick of his wrist, he drove a stake into the man's shoulder, pinning him in place.

The man writhed, blood seeping onto the table. Stefan arrived seconds later, snapping a mop handle in two and driving it into the man's stomach.

"Ask him questions first!" Elena called from the doorway, her face pale as she turned away from the sight of the blood.

"She's right," Tom said, crossing his arms. "Why'd you attack her?"

The man smirked, defiant even through his pain. "Because she looks like Katherine."

Damon's expression darkened. He leaned in, his voice low. "You knew Katherine?"

The man laughed, a hollow sound. "What did you think? That you were special?"

Damon growled, as he took out the mop handle and stabbed him again. "How were you going to open the tomb?"

The man's smile faltered. "Grimoire… You need Emily's grimoire."

At the mention of Emily, Bonnie stiffened. Her voice was sharp as she stepped forward. "Where is it?"

The man's eyes gleamed with amusement. "You'll need the Gilbert journals. That's where the answers are."

Tom's instincts prickled, a sudden awareness washing over him. He glanced toward the cafeteria doors, feeling as if someone were watching. But the hallway was empty.

"Who are you working for?" Tom demanded, his voice low and threatening.

The man's lips curled into a sneer. "Kill me if you want. I'm not giving you anything else."

Tom shrugged, stepping back. "Who wants the honors?"

Stefan exchanged a glance with Damon, then stepped forward. Gripping the stake firmly, he yanked it out of the man's shoulder and drove it straight into his heart. The man gasped once, his body going limp.

"We forgot to ask his name," Damon muttered, rolling his eyes. He turned and strode out of the room without another word.

Stefan looked at Tom, who shrugged. "Damon being Damon."

Once the mess was cleaned up, Tom offered to drive Bonnie home. Caroline had left earlier, leaving Bonnie stranded.

The car ride was quiet at first, the hum of the engine underscored by Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love" playing softly from the cassette deck.

Bonnie broke the silence with a laugh. "I still can't believe you use tapes."

Tom smiled, patting the dashboard. "This thing was revolutionary. Don't knock it."

"Caroline warned me you were protective of this car," she teased. "Didn't realize you were this intense about it."

"She's been with me a long time," Tom said as he patted the Dashboard. "She's special."

"She?" Bonnie asked, laughing.

Tom shot her an unimpressed look but quickly softened. "All right, I'll give you that one."

The laughter faded, and Tom's voice grew serious. "I'm sorry about tonight. It was supposed to be a calm night."

Bonnie tilted her head, studying him. "Didn't you say you love the danger?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, but usually it's just me. I don't know what I'd do if someone else got hurt. If you got hurt."

Her smile was warm as she teased, "Aww, you're such a softie."

He rolled his eyes. "I've always been a softie." A beat passed before he added, "That didn't come out right."

Bonnie burst out laughing. "That's what she said."

When they reached her house, Tom hurried to open her door. "Told you I'd be a gentleman," he said, extending his hand.

Bonnie accepted, stepping out of the car. "Safe to say you've fulfilled your promise," she said, her voice soft.

They stood close, the faint strains of Elvis filling the quiet night. Their breaths mingled in the cold air, neither moving away. Finally, Bonnie reached up, pulling him into a kiss.

Tom stiffened in surprise but quickly melted into it, his hands slipping around her waist.

When they pulled apart, both laughed softly.

"Hello, sailor," Tom murmured, earning another kiss from Bonnie.

The night stretched on, warm despite the chill, and for a moment, they let the world outside fade away.