After finding out he had magic you could say that Linkin felt like his life was finally worth something. He felt as if he had found out that his life did have meaning.

Linkin and Grams spent most of the night talking about witch history and the process of magic. Shelia also told him how he was differnt because unlike normal witches he had to acquire magic by absorbing it from an outside source.

Grams made him vow to never let his Grimoire leave his side. After a little practice he used up the energy he had stored and Grams sent him off to bed.

Unbeknownst to her, Linkin had pulled an all nighter, going through some of the parts he could understand of his new spell book.

But now he was back at school after hitching a ride with Bonnie an Elena.

"I'm not saying don't date the guy." Bonnie said as we got out of the car.

"But you told me to jump right in." Elena rebutted.

"Now I'm saying take it slow." Bonnie repeated.

"How about we change topics." Linkin suggested. Both girls just looked at him befor walking on in silence.

"Why the "about" face?" Elena asked Bonnie not letting it go.

"Ahhh." Linkin mentally groaned.

"It's not an about face." The Bennett girl replied trying to brush off the question.

Elena just gave the girl a look that made Bonnie cave. "Look, your single for the first time in your entire high school career."

"It's the perfect time to experiment and make new experiences with different people." Linkin added.

"Oh, because I'm so that girl." Elena chuckled at her two friends statements. "Plus you've never dated anyone like ever Linkin. You don't know what it's like." She added.

"Harsh." Bonnie said noticing the now sour look on Link's face.

"No she's right." Linkin just agreed. It's not his fault he's never dated anyone. It's not that he's never found anyone attractive, there's been a few girls and some guys that he's had crushes on. But no one seemed to feel the same for him, an even if they did they've never told him.

But after seeing the unstable relationship between his father and Carol, how Tyler treats wemon and his recent run in with Drake. It's kinda scared him from looking for a relationship with anyone.

"Seriously, what are you not saying?" Elena asked now kinda anxious.

"It's stupid." Bonnie said trying to walk ahead only for Elena to geab her arm stopping her. "Bonnie.." she pleeded.

Bonnie just sighed. "I accidentally touched Stefan.. an got I git a really bad feeling." She said.

"Is that it." Elena asked with a disbelieved smile. Bonnie went to walk off again only to be yanked back again by the other aggressively.

"Don't grab her like that." Linkin said in a dark tone, almost like a growl. Elena visibility shocked by Linkins sudden emotional shift let go of the Bennett girl who sent him a slight worried look. She just shrugged it off before turning back to Elena.

"It was bad bad." Bonnie spoke bringing Elenas gaze back to her and away from the angry looking Lockwood boy.

"Is this the whole Witch mojo thing again?" Elena asked jokingly.

"Maby she's just concerned for her best friend." Linkin said mockingly. His voice riddeled with a hint of venom.

Bonnie gave him a quick once over slightly worried about Linkins strange behaviour. "Yair. It's just me showing concern for my best friends new boyfriend." She said to Elena with a small smile.

"And I love you for it, I do. But I feel good." Elena said honestly. "It's been a hard year and I'm starting to finally feel like things are getting back to normal. An Stefan is a big part of it." She admitted.

"Things are never gonna get back to normal." Linkin stated earning a glair from Elena and a shocked look from Bonnie. Linkin saw the approaching figure of Stefan walking over to them.

"Look im sorry for the outburst. I'm just gonna go get ready for class or whatever." He said walking off ignoring the girls calls.

...

"One of those books bust your lip again." Matt joked grining as he came up to Link seeing him aggressively shove books into his locker.

Linkin didn't even hear him as he started harshly bashing the books in harder and harder. His breathing got heavier as the thudding noises got louder drawing in looks from students around him.

Matt was quick to grab his shoulder and away from his books. "Hey man whats going on?" He asked worried as Linkins breathing got faster an heavier.

"I.. I.. don't.. know." He said between deep pants of air. Matt looked around at all the prying eyes before quickly closing Linkins locker and swifly ushering him into an empty class room.

"Link look at me okay. Matt said holding the brown eyes boy by the shoulders who just kept his gaze on the floor as he took large breaths. "Link look at me okay. Look in my eyes." Matt said using a hand to bring Linkins face up to him. "How many minutes are in an hour?" Matt asked.

"What?" Linkin ghasped out.

"How many minutes are in an hour?" He repeated.

"60." Link answerd.

"What day is it today?" He asked.

Linkins breathing started to slow. "Wednesday." He panted.

"The colour of my eyes?"

"Blue." He sighed as his breathing started to even out. He was taken in by Matts features, the small dimples, the tiny creases making his laugh lines, his even yet bushy blond brows, there was even small mole on his temple. He was so distracted he didn't even relise he was breathing properly.

"Now what's going on?" Matt asked now that Link was back to normal.

"How did you do that?" Hd asked the blonde.

"What?" Matt asked.

"Pull me out of.. that." He sighed meaning his little moment.

"You were having a panic attack. Mom use to get them when she was home and had drunk alot, Vik too." He said with a distant look.

"Thank you." Linkin said.

"Don't thank me." Matt said modestly. "Now what's going on?" He asked again.

Linkin stood there quietly, thinking if he could teel Matt anything. It's not that he didn't trust him, it's just that so much has happened in the past week. Only half of it even behing supernatural.

"Is it your dad? Is he hurting you again?" He asked gently.

Linkin looked up eyes wide.

Matt had a sorrowful look on his face. "You need to tell someone." Matt said.

"It wouldn't matter." Linkin said.

"Why wouldn't it matter?" He asked genuionly confused.

"Because he the Mayor of this town Matt. He has everyone in his poket. He's got nearly everyone in this town owing him a favour and they all respect him because they think he is some stand up guy." Linkin spat out. "He's not even the worst thing to happen to me." Linkin thought bitterly as tear slipped down his face.

"What do you mean he's not the worst thing to happen to you?" Matt asked.

"Oh god. Did I just say that outloud?" Linkin panicked.

"Did something else happen? Did someone touch you?" Matt asked reaching out fearing the worst.

Linkin saw his hand coming closer to his shoulder and he immediately saw a flash of a grining Drake making him flinch back from.

Matt seemed to get his answer from the action as anger started to burn in his chest. Ever since he was a kid he would always hang out with Tyler and Linkin, whenever link wasn't with Jeremy.

But as they got bigger he noticed how Linkin an Tyler always had a scrape, bump or bruise. Tyler would say that the boys were always just rough housing, but he knew better.

Whenever he was over at the Lockwood manner he would end up catching the lockwood father hitting Linkin and Tyler. So Matt started finding them and interrupting the mans 'discipline' before he could get violent. And because Mr Lockwood was all about keeping up appearances he wouldn't hit his sons whenever Matt was over at the risk of getting caught.

So Matt came over more and more so Linkin an Tyler got hit less an less. Or so he thought, Tyler began to drag Matt with him everywhere so he would just hang out with him instead. Matt thought that there father had finally stopped hitting them because tyler never seemed to have injurys as well as Linkin. So, he just ended up always running off with Tyler.

But now he knows that Linkin is behing hurt again. An not just by his own father, but by someone who hurt him in a much more horrifying way.

"Who was it?" Matt aaid with hate for whoever it was that hurt his family.

"Matt no please. You can't do anything." Links begged starting to panic again.

"Was it one if the people that pick on you? Was it Drake?" He growld as his hands curled into fist.

Linkins eyes widen in complete horror.

"He's dead." Matt spat, his voice seething with venom as went to charge for the door.

"No Matt, Matt!" Linkin yelled in fear jumping infront of him before he could get to the door.

"He hurt you!" Matt growled.

"You can't go out there." Linkin pleeded.

"Why are you protecting him?!" Matt said almoat shouting.

"Im not protecting him. I'm protecting you." Linkin argued back desperate to make him stop.

"How in the hell dose that work?" Matt asked completely confused in his anger.

"His dad is one of the best lawyer's in town Matt. You hurt him and he'll come after you." Linkin said.

"I don't care if he comes after me." Matt said trying to push past him an out the door.

Linkin was still pushing the muscular boy back struggling to block his path. "But hell go after everything you care about. That includes Viki, your mom. Even Elena." He said wich made Matt stand still and just look at him.

"Please Matt. Don't tell anyone and don't do anything, im begging you." Linkin spoke. His voice craked as he fought back tears.

Matt just let out a deep harsh breath before he uncurled his fists and left the empty class room in silence.

The sound of the warning bell going off brought Linkin back to reality. He wiped away stray tears from his face and promptly left the room, his heart racingas he trailed to his next class.

...

After Matt found out about what happend Linkin was worried that he would tell someone and all hell would break loose. But thankfully he managed to get through his day without hearing any news about Drake. He didn't even see him for the whole day. Even said persons goons were a no show at Mystic Falls High.

He even managed to smile when Stefan out Tannered Tanner in history class.

After school he had to wait for Bonnie to finish Cheer practice an so he opted to sit on the bleachers and draw. To say he was shocked when Caroline showed up late with Damon Salvatore would be an understatement. Stefan ended up joining the football team wich Linkin ended up watching as he was wiping the floor with the Timber Wolves. That was until Tyler managed to slam him to the ground.

He aslo found out he has been forcefully invited to have dinner at Elenas. Bonnie insisted that he come if she had to go wich Elena agreed. An not wanting to leave his friends alone in a house with a vampire, he decided to go.

...

"I don't wanna be a witch." Bonnie said. "Do you?" She asked Elena as she empty the take away past into a bowl.

"No thank you.' Elena said.

"Why not?" Linkin spoke up. "It'd definitely be cool to be able to set things on fire with a snap of the fingers." Linkin said. But what the girls didn't know was that he was speaking from experience.

Said girls just chuckled at the boy.

"You know putting it in a bowl dosn't make it look any less like take out." Bonnie chimed in.

"Hey I offered to cook." Link reminded the girls.

"Yair an remeber when you nearly burt down grams kitchen making dino nuggets." Bonnie rebutted earning a shocked look from Elena and an eye roll from Link.

"How did you manage that." Elena asked laughing.

"I may or may not have gotten distracted watching Supernatural." Linkin admitted making the three all laugh.

...

The table was set and I planted myself next to an uninterested looking Bonnie who kept picking at her food.

"So Stefan gor on the schools football team." Elena chimed trying to start a coverstaion.

"We heard." Bonnie immediately responded quickly ending the topic.

"Did you know that Linkin is just as good at history as Tanner is." Elena said.

"I'd say I was better." He huffed under his breath.

"No doubt." Bonnie said as they shared a quick grin.

Elena saw there reaction an rook the chance to hopefully make a real conversation. "He always gets in trouble because he corrects Tanner every time he's wrong." She said with praise.

Stefan cocked a brow at that. "I didn't pegg you as a history buff. "Stefan said to Linkin honestly suprised.

"Well it's not like I lived through it." He said absent-mindedly not picking up on the two girl confused looks.

Stefan nearly chocked on some pasta. He coughed it up, Elena asked if he was okay but he just politely brushed it off.

Everyone fell into a silence again before Elena made a last ditch attempt at get talking again.

"Bonnie's family comes from a lineage of witches." She ssid smiling.

"It's nothing." Bonnie said giving Elena a "really" look.

"Well its believed that Celtic druids migrated here in the early 18th century. But even before it's been proven that around the 900s Vikings also migrated here." Linkin spoke up earning a suprised look from Stefan.

"I thought that was just a rumour. That there was no actual definitive proof." Stefan said.

"There is you just gotta know where to look." He said. "I thought Bonnie might be a descendent from said Druids but." He paused looking to Bonnie who just sighed.

"My family came by why of Salem." The Bennett girl said anoyed she had ro speak.

"That actually cool." Stefan said smiling at Bonnie.

"Really, why?" Bonnie said disbelieving of Stefans intrest.

"Well Salem witches were heroic examples of individualism and nonconformity." Stefan spoke earnestly.

"Yair. They are." Bonnie said wearing a genuion smile as she began to rethink her opinion on Stefan.

Even thinking was starting to think Stefan may may not be as scary as he first judged. After all, he hasn't really done anything but help him.

...

Dinner ended up going really well and everyone was almost finished when a knock came from the front door.

"I'll see who it is." Elena said as she got out of her chair going to the door.

Stefan was about to speak before we heard Caroline's voice. "Suprise. Bonnie said that you were doing dinner so we brought desert." She said all peppy as Damon stood behind the blond who just let herself in.

"Damon?" Elena said confused.

Stefan an I shared a look of suprise immediately rising from out seats going to the door.

"Yair hi, sorry. Caroline told me about the dinner an I figured, hey why not." He said putting on a charming smile.

"Ahh." Elena spoke still kinda confusing.

"Well did you want to invite me in?" He asked in a joking mannor.

"Oh su-"

"Actually he can't can you Damon." Stafen more or less answered for his brother.

Linkin was beside Caroline noticing the scarf conveniently around the blondes neck. It was giving him a bad feeling an he was starting to realise why.

"No it's fine, Damon you can come in." Elena said kindly, unknowingly giving the dead man free rein to enter whenever he wants.

"You have a lovely home Elena." The blue eyed ravenette said. Only Stefan and Linkin picking up on the threat in his words.

...

Everyone had moved into the living room that ironically, now had two dead people in it.

Stefan and Elena were on the couch, Damon was on the arm chair of the recliner as Caroline had taken the seat while Bonnie an I shared the bean bag on the floor.

"I cannot belive Mr. Tanner let you on the team. Uh, Tyler must be seething." Caroline gigglede. "But good for you. o for it." The perky blonde said with a face splitting smile.

"That's what I always tell him." Damon started sounding all big brotherly. "You have to engage. You can't just sit there and wait for life to come to you, you have to go get it."

Maby I could try a coking spell. Linkin thought.

"Yair, Elena wasn't so lucky today. It's only because you missed summer camp. God, I don't know how you're ever gonna learn the routines." Carolin spoke up, sagging her shoulders with dissapointment.

"She'll get, I'll work it out with her." Bonnie chimed sending her friend a reasurring smile.

"I guess we could put her in the back." Caroline rebutted thinking out loud.

Maby I make can make Damon sneeze till his brain falls out. Link thought off in his own world half paying attention. Bonnie gave him a side glance seeing him looking off into nothing with a half grin making her quietly chuckle.

"Hey, you know, you don't seem like the cherrleader type, Elena." Damon said.

Elena just gave him a smile taking a sip of her drink.

"Oh it's just coz her parents died." Caroline informed Damon. "She's just behing totally going through a blah phaze. She use to be way more fun." Thhe girl chuckled befor quickly seeing the looks Bonnie an a now fully paying attention Linkin. "And I say taht with complete sensitivity. " She quickly added her smile now gone.

The whole room went akwardly silent. Until Damon opened his mouth. "I'm so sorry Elena. I know what it's like to both your parents. In fact, Stefan and I have watched every single person we've ever cared about die."

Yair, by out living them or eating them. Linkin thought with a scoff.

"We don't need to get into that right now, Damon." Stefan said trying to shut down the converstation while Bonnie elbowed Link in the shoulder causing him to look at her as she mouthed "w.h.a.t?".

He looked at her confused for a second, until he realised he might of used his brain voice. Oh shit.

"Don't worry." He wispered. The Bennet girl justv looked at him wierdly befor they went back to the conversation around them.

"No, your right Stef, I'm sorry, I.. the last tthing I wanted to do was bring her up." Damon replied to Stefan making the room fall silent.

...

Desert was over and the conversations had died in the living room. Elena decided to go clean up in the kitchen who was followed by Damon and later Bonnie. Right now I'm stuck listening to Caroline explain Matt and his feeling to Stefan.

"Matt tries, but he's just having a really hard time. Right Linkin?" Caroline said reaching for some confirmation.

Link just looked at her akwardly scrachting the back of his neck. "I mean yair, she's right. His mom isn't alway around alot and Viki's habbits don't help that much." He offered not really wanting to spout to much about his friend and his struggels. Especially to a vampire, even if said vamp dosn't seem like a bad guy. Stefan just gave him a soft smile.

"Thanks Link, but thats not what I meant." The blonde sighed befor turning back to Stefan an Linkin just rolled his eyes. "You have to understand that they were each other's first you know, like from the sandbox." She said with a remanicent smile from when things were easier. She tried tp readjust herself in her seast craining her neck but let out a groan of discomfort that both Stefan and Linkin picked up on.

"That's a really nice scarf." Stefan spoke.

"Mm. Thank you, it's new." Caronline said smilling appreciatively.

Linkin realised what Stefan was trying to do.