i'm leaving you my last curse

[bravebartender]

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lawrence

[vampireboulevard]

[Dean, Mary, Bobby, Elena, Jeremy, Grayson, Miranda, Caroline, Ryan, Jack, Castiel, Irina, Ezra]

[vampireboulevard]

Hello!

[Caroline’s chipper greeting echoes through the bunker as she and Ryan make their way in from the road. They had spent the night at a hotel in town the night before—from what Elena was saying the bunker has been getting way too crowded—but overcrowding was not going to stop Caroline from coming in as the bestie support system.

Also, because while she knows that Dean is okay in the kitchen, she probably shouldn’t leave him and Grayson alone to handle a full Thanksgiving dinner for ten plus people.]

We come bearing pie!

[Somewhere in the distance she hears Elena’s familiar: “Oh, thank god.”]

[founderscouncil]

( She probably expects Elena, Jeremy, or even a Winchester who might recognize her, but she gets Elena's father.

Grayson intends to help in the kitchen, but between Dean and Miranda, and fewer tasks to be assigned (and the size of their small kitchen), he's politely turned away after his chops are deemed fine. Miranda lovingly tells him to find someone else to help, and then she says that maybe he can take people's coats. She probably didn't mean it. It was Jeremy's job when he was growing up. Taking coats upstairs, but you know what, screw it, he will take some coats.

His kids are busying themselves with setting the table, so, Caroline gets a Grayson she remembers from her sophomore year of high school. She probably last saw him at a pep rally or one of Elena's hangs. She probably remembers the funeral. He's only heard about it.

This is somehow more awkward than complete strangers' ire at a witch in a cave. )

Wow. ( Looking older but (4) something is off, like something doesn't quite make sense, but what does since he came back. He remembers words. ) Elena's setting the table with Jeremy and Miranda's in the kitchen with, with Dean. I'm getting. ( he holds his arm out.) Your coats?

( Never mind, where... are they all going to lay? This is not his bunker. And then he offers a hand to

"Ryan, sir," he says, shaking Grayson's hand. )

Grayson. I assume you know about me and my wife or else you wouldn't be invited.

[vampireboulevard]

[She can't help but clock the moment he realizes something is a little off, but she's not sure she's ready to go down that rabbit hole. Elena put that information in her hands - said it was her story to share if and when she was ready, but she didn't want to put Caroline in the position that her father had put her in.

Her mom got over it, and so did Carol Lockwood, but it's still TBD if the Gilberts will do the same.]

It's good to see you, Dr. Gilbert.

[And she means that. He had always been kind to her as Elena's friend, and it was so tragic the way they died. As they pass off their coats:]

Ryan is my boyfriend, and yes, he is in the loop.

[Caroline does not keep secrets from boyfriends. This hasn't changed since she was seventeen.]

How have you been adjusting?

[founderscouncil]

( He'll take one coat and then the other, draping them over his right arm. )

We're keeping a handle on things.

( But, his expression and tone suggests that every time they find even ground, something new trips them up, be it someone's death, a piece of news, technology that's unrecognizable. It's a constant adjustment. )

We're still not used to their being such a wide network of people in the know. It's like the town council on steroids. But, we're happy Elena has friends and family of her own.

( And that's as far as they tend to get before things short circuit or parenting instincts override. )

I'm going to take these - somewhere - make yourselves at home.

[vampireboulevard]

[Caroline nods as she takes a breath and watches him go. She knows she probably shouldn't drag it out, but she doesn't want to do it right now. Instead she'll keep wandering until she's intercepted by Miranda for a similar conversation, but she'll be much more blatant about it.

"I can't believe it, Caroline. It's like you hardly changed at all."

Caroline offers a thin smile before nodding.]

Guess I got lucky. Have you met Ryan?

[Sorry boyfriend, she's using you as a shield.]

[widenecked]

Hi, Mrs. Gilbert. It's nice to meet you.

( Under the strangest circumstances. Caroline had to explain them twice on the car ride out. He's a little on edge, being a newer vampire and knowing the Gilbert's aren't... pro. But, he was Cohen-raised.

And he presents: )

We brought pie.

[happiness_elude]

A wise choice. I'm still getting to know Dean, but I've been given the impression we will need a great deal of it.

[She smiles, taking the pie from him as she turns to head towards the kitchen.]

How was your drive out?

["Not too terrible, at least not traffic-wise. I think the fact that we drove instead of flew worked in our favor."]

[widenecked]

From what I hear.

( The guy apparently has the table manners of a razorback.

Oh, hey, he's doing this boyfriend thing well as he hangs back, but keeps in pace. )

Yeah, there's talk of flight delays and packed airports.

( Seth and Summer nearly missed the Cohen Thanksgiving. He owes them a face time today, too. And, maybe -- Caroline meeting them. The Cohens. His life after has been so separated from his life before. He fields nonsense emails with his former colleagues and check-in voicemails from his ex-girlfriend.

He actually thinks Caroline would love Taylor. Who knew a holiday would get him thinking about anything, especially one where they're anchoring Elena's experience.

Dean Winchester, night and day from where his day ends up, closes the oven and sets the timer sitting on top as Miranda leads them into the kitchen.

"Bird's in," he says, letting Miranda know. "Caroline," he addresses politely, then Ryan. "Hey man." Ryan nods.

The moment stretches.

"Anyone want a beer?"

Probably should've asked about coffee... )

[happiness_elude]

Or wine. We also have wine.

["I will take wine," Caroline nods, before she starts to head forward, before glancing back to Ryan. "Do you want anything?"]

I can get it for both of you. Please, sit and get comfortable.

[widenecked]

Whatever. ( But... ) A beer, sure. Maybe wine with dinner.

( Or, beer. Either way, Dean opens two beers and hands Ryan one before he leans behind the chair Caroline sits in. It's a spacious kitchen for their outfit, but it's not really: everyone can fit in here and be comfortable space.

It's good for now, though. )

Do you guys have people in and out the bunker like this ... always?

( "Bunker hasn't been getting this much action since the great crossover from Apocalypse World," Dean says, like that's just what happens here. "We have the space. Family. Our people. Men of Letters wanted all this to themselves, but if we can lend a hand or a room. Why the hell not?"

And, all the rooms that should be locked. Are. )

[braveandstupid]

["It feels like it's goes on for miles," Miranda admits. "I just wander around to explore and I still feel like I haven't seen everything."]

I don't think you're supposed to find everything.

[Elena sighs as she emerges from one of the back rooms, and moves to give hugs of greeting, first for Caroline, then for Ryan.]

I personally think this is a nicer use of the war room.

[founderscouncil]

Still getting used to having a "War Room."

( He has deposited the coats! He thinks on Dean's bed. He doesn't think about Dean's bed being his daughter's bed. He's just being a good cohost who's recently returned from the dead. Oh - is that wine? He'd like wine. Where's the wine?

"It's nice, right," Dean says.

Ryan one-arm-hugs Elena and then moves out of the way so Miranda can hand off a glass of wine to Caroline.

"Wait til you see the Dean-cave." )

[braveandstupid]

Anyway. I think I heard Jer on the phone, so he'll probably be out in a bit but please. Make yourselves at home.

[She will venture over to get her own glass of wine. Meanwhile, Miranda will turn her attention on Ryan, since he's the person she doesn't know, sorry Ryan.

"So, Ryan, how did you and Caroline meet?"]

[widenecked]

( She catches him pre-sip, with the bottle in both hands. If only he had an excuse. His mouth drops open, attempts a squiggly smile before answering. )

We work together. She found me in California. The situation wasn't... I was poached.

( She recruited him, but he does take a nice sip to cover whatever else he could say. Not that he ever says much. ...Does that work? )

[ooglyboogleys]

["Oh!" Miranda nods, because for some reason that's not what she expected. "I see. Well, it's good to have someone you get along well with."

Caroline flashes him a grateful look. She will have the vampire conversation with them at one point. But for now they will go back to lighter chatting and we will slide over to Jeremy with his morning call from Scotland.]

Please apologize to your sister for me? I didn't realize that the Salvatores didn't know and they seem like kind of a lot.

[barely]

( Miranda will find that most of what is true is pretty unexpected.

Jeremy lays back on one of the beds. )

They would've found out somehow, you have nothing to apologize about. ( Elena would've come around to saying something on her terms. ) The Salvatore's do have a way of making everything about them, Damon's really never gotten over my sister. And Stefan's the one who saved her. It probably hit close to home. We're still... figuring everything out over here.

[ooglyboogleys]

I can imagine. It's a complicated thing to work through.

[And because they opened the door:]

How are your parents doing with everything?

[barely]

Putting up a good front. Just riding the overly self-righteous line. They're skeptical, but it works in our favor that we're both in one piece. Polite to everyone else. Helping around here...

( But, silently reeling and seething, he assumes. )

[ooglyboogleys]

These things take time. But at least they're going through the motions.

[She can understand Jeremy being worried about when that seething turns into an explosion.]

Are we still good for me to come after I'm done here, or would you rather I head back to Portland?

[She can change her ticket, there's still time. But she doesn't want to crowd into a situation she may do more harm than good in.]

[barely]

( They're keeping busy, making themselves useful and not asking too, too too many questions. He thinks all parties involved wouldn't be able to take it yet. )

I can't go anywhere. As much as I want to stick Elena with the fallout, they're my parents, too. They survived the big a-word discussion, maybe they'll survive all the others.

( Which isn't him ... he's bad at this. He sits up. )

Dean and Sam say more the merrier. Apparently, this bunker has, like, more than ten rooms. And I got one further away from people. So, it's quiet. Just the way I like it.

[ooglyboogleys]

Okay. It'll probably be a couple more days after today but I'll ...

[Dawn's voice trails off and there's the scuff of shoes against rock. Something muffles against the speaker, like she's pulled the phone away from her ear and he hears, just barely:]

Hey. What are you doing?

[But before she gets any kind of response, there's a loud, resounding roar.


... and then the line goes dead.]

[barely]

( He blinks. )

Me? Dawn? Dawn?

( The line goes dead as he pushes himself forward to the edge of the bed and redials her number. his (16) had him hear every part of that call. Her trailing. Scuffling against some sort of stone. Her being pulled away from the speaker. Did the phone drop?

And the - )

Elena!

( He yells from down the hall, but flings his door open. Right, he took a bedroom further away. )

Come on, answer. Answer.

[braveandstupid]

[Sorry, Jeremy. Dawn will not be answering.

Both Elena and Caroline's heads snap up at the sound of Elena's name, worry crossing both their faces. Jeremy is usually fairly solid. Jeremy doesn't panic, not unless there's something really wrong.

It's what brings both of them to the hallway, looking to Jeremy to find out what, exactly, is wrong. Whether or not Miranda and Grayson notice that Caroline got there a little faster than maybe she should have is up to them. (Miranda definitely tracks something being up, unfortunately for them (15), but the sound of her son's voice has her tabling it for later.]

Jer?

[barely]

( Grayson clocks it at the same rate (15), because he's always been read in on vampires. Caroline moves just a little too fast and beats them all there, with Elena, and their parents right behind. What he'd give to not have his parents involved in this. With everyone dispersing, Dean has the stereo blasting in the kitchen, he doesn't hear anything, including anyone in the kitchen having left and running to anywhere else (1).

A (16) has Ezra looking up from playing with Irina and then to Dean and Sam's mom, Mary. That's a panicked yell.

The call goes to voice mail and he brings the phone down. )

I thought - ( He plays it back in his head, pointing back behind him. ) I was talking to Dawn on the phone. She's in Scotland - for Thanksgiving - with ( the slayers ) Buffy - and Bonnie.