I DO NOT OWN VAMPIRE DIARIES OR THE CHARACTERS.
Music Credit: "Counting Stars" – OneRepublic

~*.*~
'Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep – dreaming about the things that we could be.
But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard – said, 'No more counting dollars.
We'll be counting stars.'
Yeah, we'll be counting stars.

I see this life like a swinging vine – swing my heart out across the line.
And my face is flashing signs, seek it out and you shall find.
Old – but I'm not that old…
Young – but I'm not that bold…
I don't think the world is sold; I'm just doing what we're told.
I feel something so right, about doing the wrong thing.
I feel something so wrong, doing the right thing.
I could lie; couldn't I?
Could lie…
Everything that kills me makes me feel alive.'
~*.*~

I smoothed out my shirt and buttoned my vest. I glanced at my appearance. I look hot. But, then again, I have to – it's my lively hood. I bartend at one of the nicest resorts around. I've been with the company for a few years. The money is good, but I'd be lying if I said that's all that kept me there. The resort is a family business, run by the Salvatore brothers. Let's just say I might have a little something for the eldest brother, Damon.

There aren't a lot of main attractions in this small town. This resort has brought in a lot more tourist attraction than Mystic Falls has ever seen before.

Honestly, I'm amazed that the Salvatores were even able to pull it off. Mystic Falls is old-fashioned and before the resort, we didn't even have a McDonalds. In the end, the town council gave in and the tourists started flooding in.

I can't say that I mind, too much. New faces are a welcome distraction. When my Grams passed away, it was rough.

Most of my friends have migrated out of state and we don't really keep in touch. Caroline left for bigger and better things with broadcast journalism. Elena and Jeremy moved away with Jenna. Tyler left with a football scholarship to escape following in his father's footsteps. Matt stayed local and is going to community college. He wanted to stay close by to keep an eye on Vicki.

My father is always away on business and mom hasn't been around in years. It's a lonely life, so I fill it with work.

I don't want to work at the casino forever, but it works for now. I would love to open a bookstore and there's a vacant shop in town, but I don't have the funds for it. Despite the tourists, most of the townspeople are still born and bred in Mystic. Some things will never change. I know that if I was able to get my shop open, it would be a success. It wouldn't just be a bookstore. It could be a little coffeehouse, too. The idea of opening it one day is all that keeps me going, sometimes. Well, that and none other than Damon Salvatore.

We're coworkers and casual acquaintances that divulge in flirty banter. It's nothing more than that and I doubt that it'll ever turn into anything other to that. I'm okay with that. Who needs romance when you have a good novel? Okay, that sounded like bullshit, even to my ears.

I sighed and forced myself to focus on work. It's Friday night and we're in the full swing of things. Even the people who don't stay at our resort tend to migrate at the bar. It's definitely a step-up from the Grill.

When Matt isn't at school, or at the Grill working, he's working here with me. He's as much of a workaholic as I am. He has bills and school to pay for. I try not to give him too much smack about it.

"Can I get a screwdriver?" Some redhead asked me, playing money down in front of me. I flashed her a quick smile and nodded.

"Sure thing," I told her, as I pulled her glass out and started measuring the vodka.

"Make a double." She added. I nodded and did what she asked. I popped open a little can of orange juice and filled her glass the rest of the way. I set it down on napkin and set a short straw into her glass and placed the drink down in front of her. I took the cash and started to count out change, but she held up a hand to stop me. "The rest is yours, sugar." She told me, before she slid off her bar stool and sauntered off to a table full of people. I put the change in my tip jar and deposited the rest in our money box.

Right after she left, the happy hour rush hit. Basically, Matt and I were scrambling to get everyone drinks and trying to keep up with all the orders. It's hectic, but it's also good money. I'm not about to complain.

"You survive?" Matt asked me, grinning. I laughed and nodded.

"Hell, I need a drink after that." I joked, fanning myself with my hand.

"I'll buy you a drink." Damon offered, walking up to the bar. I smirked and shook my head.

"I'm fine without one." I declined his ridiculously tempting offer.

"Oh, trust me. I know just how fine you are." He smirked. I rolled my eyes. "And I have it on pretty good authority that the owners would be okay with you having a drink on the job. Loosen up, Judgy." Damon tried to coax me.

"What can I get you?" I asked him, trying to change the subject. Damon turned his attention onto Matt.

"She's no fun, Donovan. How can you stand her?" Damon asked Matt. He laughed and shrugged.

"Years of practice," he admitted. I swatted his arm with the towel that I was using to wipe the bar with.

"Hey!" I scoffed. "Just remember, I've known you since before we could walk. I have baby pictures of you." I reminded him. He mulled it over and seemed to realize that I wasn't bluffing, because he paled.

"Feisty," Damon mused.

"You want your usual?" I asked Damon. He nodded.

"You gonna take one with me? I'll even share mine with you. I'd pay to see you drunk, Bennett." Damon tried. I shook my head as I poured him a tumbler of bourbon.

"It's not gonna happen, D. You do realize that I'm working and people are supposed to work while they're sober."

"You're a buzz kill." He complained as I handed him his drink. I tried to ignore the way his touch affected me, as his fingers brushed mine. God, I want him.

"Don't you have someone else to go check on and try to feed alcohol to?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"Probably, but bothering you is so much fun." He smirked.

"You're a nuisance."

"You love it."

"You can't prove that."

"Can't I?" He retorted. Mischief sparkled in his eyes. He's planning something. "We'll see about that – won't we? You should know better than to try and challenge me, Judgy." He smirked as he walked away. I sighed.

"Calm your lady boner." Matt quipped. I whipped around and glared at him.

"Baby. Pictures." I threatened him. He laughed, but stopped teasing me. "That's what I thought."

I grabbed my jacket from the break-room and my purse. I slipped on my leather jacket and smoothed my skirt, before putting my purse on my shoulder. I'm exhausted. If I could teleport home, you bet your ass I would. I poured myself a to-go cup full of coffee from the kitchen. One of the perks of being an employee is that we eat and drink for free, unless it's alcoholic, and then it's half-price.

I stifled a yawn and took a big sip of my hot, caffeinated beverage. I jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Hot coffee spilled over my hand and onto the floor. I hissed in pain and set it down on the corner. I turned and saw a smirking Salvatore looking back at me.

"Really Damon?" I quipped. He looked almost apologetic, almost.

"I wasn't trying to scare you. I didn't realize that you were holding coffee." He apologized, well, his version of an apology.

"Right, because heaven forbid you actually use your eyes." I huffed. I set down my purse on the counter and ran my hands under lukewarm water in a nearby sink.

"I was hoping to catch you before you left." He admitted.

"Why?" I asked him, too tired to dance around the point. I yawned, again and dried my hands. He didn't answer, instead he stared at my hands and then the rest of me. I crossed my arms, starting to feel uncomfortable. "What do you want? I'm tired."

"You can't spare ten minutes?" He finally responded. I shrugged.

"Can we sit down? I've been on my feet all night." I gave him. He nodded.

"Come on. We can talk back here." He agreed. I followed him to his office. He gestured the couch and I sat down. He leaned against his desk and just watched me.

"That's creepy – you know." I pointed out. He smirked and seemed to snap out of it.

"You know what I think, Bonnie?" Damon asked me. I shook my head, wishing desperately that I had thought to bring my coffee with me. "I think that I make you nervous." He concluded. I looked at him with new-found interest, trying to figure out where he was going with this.

"What makes you think that?" I asked him, evenly.

"I see the way that your face heats up when I talk to you. We have so much sexual tension. I know how to read a woman's body. Don't deny it." He answered me. I sighed.

"Do you have a point you're trying to make?" I asked him, yawning, again. "At this point, I'm not going to be able to drive myself. I really don't want to sleep in my car."

He moved from the desk and couched in front of me. He traced my cheek with his fingertips. He leaned closer and I didn't stop him. He's going to kiss me and just like that, everything is going to be different. I've wanted this for so long. I don't want him to stop.

"Bonnie," he breathed. My heart fluttered when my name rolled off of his tongue. It sounds so much better when he says it. I was too mesmerized by his lips to say anything. He cupped my face and touched his lips to mine. I melted into the kiss and gasped against his lips. He pulled away, smirking. "Would you call this 'bothering you?'?" He asked me, softly.

What he was doing finally dawned on me. Of course, he's just doing this to prove a point. Wow. Heartless mother fucker. How could I be so stupid?!

"Okay, Damon. You've made your point. I have to go." I told him, pushing him away.

I got off of the couch and back into the kitchen with record speed. I didn't waste any time grabbing my bag.

I wasn't awake before, but I'm definitely awake now. There is no way in hell that I'll fall asleep driving home, now. I can't believe he would pull something like that. I mean, I should have seen it coming. I really should have.

I dumped my coffee and threw away the cup, before heading to the entrance of the resort. I almost kicked myself when I saw Damon waiting for me by the front doors.

"Go away, Damon." I told him, as I brushed past him and out of the doors. He followed me to my car.

"Judgy, will you slow the fuck down for two seconds?!" He asked, obviously irritated. What right does he have?!

"What do you want?!" I demanded, equally agitated with him. He huffed and pushed me against my car. He pinned me with his body and then his lips were on mine. My body betrayed me. My hands fastened themselves securely under his shirt and in his hair. He gripped my waist and his felt his growing arousal grind against my pelvis. I groaned and pulled away. "Will you stop doing that?!" I fumed. He looked at me, confused.

"Why?"

"Because you've made your point, so you don't need to keep tormenting me."

"Am I really that bad of a kisser?"

"No, that's the point."

"What?"

"I like you bothering me. There. I said it. Are you happy, now?!"

"Judgy, that's not all this was about. I. Want. You." He confessed, as he pushed his hips against mine, with every word. My resolve was crumbing, fast.

"This is a bad idea. We can't. You're my boss." I tried to reason with him. He leaned down to start sucking on my neck. "Damon," I gasped.

"I've wanted you for so long. I can't fight it anymore. Don't make me beg, Judgy. I'll do it." He breathed. I stopped talking. "Your place," he murmured. I nodded, but neither of us made any move to leave or get into my car.

We ended up at my place and I definitely didn't get any sleep last night. We explored each other, again and again and again. I lost track of how many times we went at it. Eventually, after the sun came up, I fell asleep.

"Bonnie," Damon's voice roused me from my slumber. I became vaguely aware that his lips were covering my neck. I whimpered and opened my eyes. I tried to let everything that happened the night before process. I slept with my boss, my very hot boss, but my boss nonetheless. I basked in the satisfying ache in between my legs that he helped cause.

"Last night…" I whispered. Damon smirked at me. I wrapped the sheet closer around my body and sat up. "

"Was long overdue," he tried to finish for me. I sighed.

"You're my boss."

"You keep saying that. Maybe I should just fire you and be done with it." He teased. I glared at him and hit his arm with the back of my hand.

"Don't you dare."

"Then, stop using it as an excuse. What do you think is going to happen? Everyone is going to automatically know that we like sleeping together and they'll look at you differently?" He guessed. I nodded.

"That pretty much sums it up in a nutshell." I admitted. He laughed, full-blown, belly-aching laughed.

"We can keep things professional outside of work." He assured me. I looked at him, skeptically. "It's not like we'd be the first ones to do it." He added, offhandedly.

"Was last night just because we wanted to sleep together?" I asked him, quietly. He looked at me, like he was choosing his words carefully.

"Bonnie, I've wanted you since I hired you."

"That was a couple years ago."

"I know."

"Help me out here. Was I just a conquest?" I asked him, trying to get him to answer the question that I so desperately needed the answer to.

"No," he answered. "When I obtain something I want, I don't let it go. I don't want to let you go." He explained.

"What does that make us, then?"

"We can date outside of work." He replied, decidedly. I nodded, trying to ignore the way my heart was swelling with joy. This can't be real. I've wanted this for so long. I can't believe this. "Since you're so worried about your precious reputation." He smirked. I rolled my eyes and laid back down.

"You just couldn't resist. Could you?"

"I never can with you." He mused, covering my body with his. I shook my head.

"I need a shower and I'm sore from last night."

"Then let me take care of that." He whispered, as his hands trailed down my torso, until they found their target.

"When you say, 'dating,' would that be monogamously?" I asked. I need to know that we're on the same page before anything else happens. I'd rather know now, before I get any further invested. I'll be crushed if I found later that he can't give the kind of relationship that I'm looking for. I really don't want that to be the case.

"Yes, Judgy. You're over-thinking things. I can see it. Stop."

"Then give me something else to think about."

"Gladly."

We made it through six months without anyone finding out about us. Lexi and Stefan walked in on a weak moment in Damon's office. He pulled me onto his lap to kiss me and had forgotten to lock the door.

"I knew it!" Lexi exclaimed. "I can't believe you didn't tell me!" She said, pointedly.

"You're only working here, because you're friends with my baby brother. I don't even like you." Damon retorted, coolly, still looking at me.

"I know that, asshat. I was talking to Bonnie." She corrected him.

"We were trying to keep it outside of work." I sighed.

"Yeah, because that worked out so well." She snorted.

"Well, I'm happy for you." Stefan spoke up. I got off of Damon's lap and answered the twenty-million questions that they had.

After that, it seemed pointless to sneak around outside of work. To my surprise, no one really cared. Plenty of the women on staff still flirted with Damon, shamelessly. The only difference was he really didn't flirt back.

He never made me regret my decision to give whatever we have a chance.

A few years later, I finally saved enough money to rent the vacant shop in town. I was able to remodel it into a bookshop/coffeehouse and still cover rent for a while.

I quit my job at the resort, but Stefan and Damon both promised that I could come back whenever I wanted to. As much as I appreciated their offer, I don't see it happening.

The bookstore really took off. Who turns down coffee? No one in Mystic Falls. The council and townsfolk thought that it helped with the historic feel of the town. I had no problems bringing in business. Lexi even started working with me. She still works one or two nights with the Salvatores, but she was thrilled to work away from Damon.

"I'm proud of you, Judgy." Damon told me, as I stripped out of my clothes and sat down on our bed.

"For what?" I asked him, as I laid on my side, facing him.

"You achieved your dream. How many people can say that?"

"Not many, I suppose."

"Maybe you can help me achieve mine." He suggested. My eyebrows rose.

"How?"

"Marry me." He breathed. My breath caught.

"Wh-what?"

"Be my wife. I don't want anyone else, Bonnie. God knows it took us long enough to get here. I've been the perpetual playboy and the man that pines after his exes for way too long. I'm not that guy anymore and I don't want to be that guy again. I like what we have here. Even if I tried, I couldn't stop loving you. You challenge me and make me better. You hold me accountable and I love that. There is something about you that is so good and pure and self-righteous and I'm addicted to it. Make an honest man out of me and be my bride." He proposed.

I looked at him, trying to process everything. I can't think of words right now. He grabbed a small velvet box out of his pajama bottoms and opened it. A beautiful ring glistened inside of it. He took the ring and slid it onto my left ring finger.

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes." I cried, my voice finally cooperating with me.

"Yes?"

"Yes!"

We were already living together in the house my Grams left me. Not much changed. Even though we were engaged, we weren't in a hurry to run down the aisle. I agreed to let Lexi do the planning. She's planning a fall wedding and told me not to worry about anything.

It's a weird, but satisfying feeling when you realize that you've gotten everything you wanted. I'm so grateful, but I still miss my family. Even though they're not related by blood, the Salvatores, Matt and Lexi have become my extended family. I wouldn't change that for the world.

~*.*~
'I feel the love and I feel it burn.
Down this river, every turn – hope is a four-letter word.
Make that money; watch it burn.
Old – but I'm not that old…
Young – but I'm not that bold…
I don't think the world is sold; I'm just doing what we're told.
I feel something so wrong, doing the right thing.
I could lie – could lie – could lie…
Everything that drowns me makes me wanna fly.

Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep – dreaming about the things that we could be.
But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard – said, 'No more counting dollars.
We'll be counting stars.''
~*.*~

A/N: Some Bamon love for you all. This was another unfinished fic that was just collecting space on my laptop. SO, it's finally finished.

Review?
-Anneryn