This one is a longgggg one and it's very jumpy because I decided to leave some parts out not wanting to revisit everything in previous chapters but considering that this is a Bonnie centric I thought that it would only be fitting to finish the story off with Bonnie.

And this is my first attempt at writing a sex scene so please go easy on me.

Bonnie

She had to save herself.

A failed rescue mission in which the more thought she gives it, it only serves to make her more angry and resentful. Sure they came for her but couldn't they have tried to meet her halfway? If she had doe eyes and pretty long brown hair she has no doubt that all she would have had to do was sit pretty and wait for them to come to her.

The more she thinks about how she got back from the Prison World she grows even more angry and withdrawn. Not that anyone would know―she hasn't stepped foot out of her home and she hasn't let anyone aside from Damon inside―and even if they did notice how distant she was she doubts that any of them would understand and she has neither the patience or energy to explain. There's a part of her that doubts that they would even care enough to ask. After so many times of suffering in silence and pushing her sorrow to the side to help everyone else, she's used to dealing with her problems and pain on her own.

Except now the person that she least expected won't let her.

"Keep pushing Bonnie," the pained look in his eyes mixed with restrained anger engraved in her mind from when she lashed out at him about not doing anything but wait for her at the boarding house along with Elena doing only God knows what "I'm not going anywhere."

Did it make her a bad person that she was happy that someone was stuck on the Other Side with her?

She often wondered that while she was in the Prison World. Even more when she got back. The fact that it was Damon was as good as it was bad. However if it was Elena she has no doubt that they would have been resurrected within a week...at the most.

Well at least the doppelganger would have, she might have been stuck for at least another month or two until she and Damon finally collapsed from exhaustion.

Bonnie watches from her bedroom window as Damon talks to Elena and Jeremy on her front lawn. Like clockwork the two Gilberts show up everyday trying to convince him to let them inside and to her surprise he turns them away every single time.

It was funny to Bonnie, the people that were the quickest to get over her death were the ones that were practically kicking down her door now that she's back. Taking whatever crumbs that are thrown their way. So quick to forget her but can't handle it when she decides to return the favor.

A year ago she would've given anything for it to be this way but now she just wishes that they would leave her alone. Afterall it's not like they had a problem doing so when they were the center of her world.

Bonnie felt different.

Ever since she got back from the Prison World she felt a different energy commingling with her own. Her powers had grown, if she wanted something all she had to do was think of it. Starting fires―which had always come easy for her once she fully tapped into her magick―she could start without saying a word. Spells that took a toll on her before now came with ease. She even dipped into Expression a few times and found the darkness that she felt slowly creeping into her veins when she first ventured into it was noticeably absent. Spells that had left her feeling drained or with a nose bleed afterwards only served to give her the magickal high or rush. And even those moments were fleeting.

The only people that she knew would be able to give her an answer for sure were her Grams and Abby, the latter of which she couldn't really bring herself to call. Despite having a reason to do so, she just couldn't do it. So instead she takes the next best thing. Forcing herself to bring her Grams' Grimoire out of it's hiding place and stares at it for a good ten minutes with tears in her eyes before finally being able to bring herself to open it and frowns when she sees an envelope with her name scribbled on the front. Her heart dropping to her stomach when she opens the envelope and finds out that she's immortal.

The first thought that came to mind was that she was trapped.

She knew that the minute that she started talking to her friends again that they would expect her to fall back into her old life, that the minute they found their lives on the line she would be expected to rush in and save the day. Leaving her to deal with the consequences all on her own.

All she knows is that that is not how she wants to spend her immortality.

So she makes a vow to herself that the Bonnie that would do just that, died in 1994. If she was going to be forced to live for an eternity then she would follow everyone else's around here lead and live for herself. Putting her needs and wants first.

After living for everyone but herself for so many years she thinks that she at least deserves to try it out.

When she hears that Damon doesn't think that Elena was worth it, it's a shock to her system. Not because of the answer in itself but because he actually admitted it. When she first asked the question he looked at her and told her if Elena wasn't then he would have left a long time ago. To which she laughed and told him to let her know when he was ready to give her his honest answer. Damon and Elena seemed happy...but only superficially. When it came down to it they just didn't seem to work, they wanted different things, they were on two completely different pages to when it came to what they wanted in life. The most noteworthy being that Damon embraced his vampirism while Elena never wanted it in the first place.

Damon claimed that Elena made him a better person but every time Bonnie heard him say that all she could find herself thinking was "Where?". He might have been a better boyfriend to Elena than he was to whoever came before her but as a person he was still the same. He only cared about himself, Elena, their relationship status and occasionally Stefan. Anyone and anything else didn't seem to matter to him.

And Elena…

Bonnie didn't think she had to say anything about how Elena's relationship with Damon changed the doppelganger.

"I'm immortal." Bonnie says putting a stop to the comfortable silence she and Damon had fell into, turning to look at him when he doesn't respond, going on to explain how she found out.

"Good, it saves me the trouble of slipping you my blood in my Bourbon." he says with a smile that drops when he looks up to see the look on her face "Bon, I was just kidding. I wouldn't actually do that to you."

"Okay maybe I would," he admits when she gives him a look "but I wouldn't just-"

"Maybe you should stop talking." Bonnie cuts him off, a small smile on her face showing that she's more amused than anything else. She looks away when she sees that he's thrown off by her reaction and if she were honest, so was she. Vampirism was something she was sure she never wanted. Having immortality while still being able to practice was just something she never gave thought to because she didn't know it was an option.

"You don't seem happy about it."

"Why not?" He asks when she finally brings herself to admit that she isn't.

"I was looking forward to living, I wanted to find someone to grow old with. I wanted kids."

"Well I haven't seen you sucking down a blood bag and you can still do magick. I'm not seeing the issue here Bon."

"Who's going to put up with me for an eternity?"

"Me." He answers without the slightest bit of hesitation, surprising himself at how easy the answer came to him.

Bonnie rolls her eyes though she can't help but smile "You don't count."

"Excuse me?" He frowns.

"You don't really have a choice. You're stuck with me whether you like it or not. So you do not count. Besides you know exactly what I'm talking about. There's a difference between fifty years...give or take and centuries possibly an eternity. And in case you haven't noticed the guys that I attract are sent to me by someone else or I'm just not enough."

"Okay well first of all you were to good for Baby Gilbert from the start so you missed me with that excuse. And as any man knows, whoever they decide is "the one" are way too good for them."

"Then I'm never going to be the one for anyone." Bonnie replies after a brief pause, taken back by the sadness she sees in his eyes at her response.

"Caroline thinks that you hate her."

She knew it was just Damon deflecting her accusation, not wanting to admit that she was right but it still got to her. If Caroline thought she hated her, how did everyone else feel?

She knew for sure that she didn't want Caroline or Matt to feel that way. She's never really talked to Tyler. Elena...bitterness and slight hostility still flooded her when she spared her a thought. And Jeremy...she wasn't sure where to start. She knew that she couldn't avoid him for forever but she was tempted to try. Especially after Damon told her how he coped with her death. Even with that in mind she knew that it wouldn't be right to lead him on or to leave their relationship in limbo. Despite knowing where they stood in her mind, she had a feeling that they weren't on the same page.

A few days later Bonnie decides that it's time to stop hiding, from the way Damon has been acting lately she can tell he's tired of being hounded and she's tired of dodging.

So she goes deep into the woods, performing the clear of heart and mind spell she came across in Emily's Grimoire, letting all of her anger and hurt from the past couple of years seep into the soil watching as everything around her dies. Afterwards murmuring a spell repairing the damage that her inner turmoil had caused.

Once she gets back to her home she pulls out her phone figuring that it was only right to start with the person that was probably living in suspense the most.

When she hears the doorbell ring she takes a deep breath before going over to answer it. Despite knowing that she's doing the right thing on both parts she still finds herself wanting to feel some kind of spark but when she opens the door, greeted with that all too familiar boyish grin while his eyes light up at the sight of her, she gets nothing.

The only emotion that she feels is anger at his constant begging for a reason which turns into rage at his implication that she has to be with Damon if she doesn't want to be with him anymore. It could never be that she realized that she wanted or deserved better. That it wasn't because she finally decided that she should have someone that gives as much as she does instead of just taking. That she should be in a relationship where she is happy and wondering how she got so lucky instead of just settling. Not even because she didn't think she should be okay with being with someone who was sleeping with every girl within a ten mile radius in between mourning her.

However when he finally leaves she does feel a wave of sadness flood her since this was probably the only time that she could say that this was a resemblance of him―or anyone really―fighting for her.

A party.

She can't say she's surprised but she can't say that she isn't disappointed either. Having visitors was one thing and she could see why they thought that she was better but she couldn't understand why they thought that she was ready to be in a house full of people.

But when she sees the look on Caroline's face she knows that this wasn't her doing at all. Which leaves her shocked, Caroline never passed up on a reason to have one.

At least one of them knew that this wasn't what she wanted.

But despite this she agrees, knowing that it would be the only way that the brunette would back off long enough until she was actually ready to be around crowds. The boarding house had plenty of places to hide and she could always slink off and go lock herself inside of the room she claimed as her own if it got to be too much.

When Bonnie wakes up the first thing she feels is confusion. She could have sworn she went to her room last night but instead of feeling the feeling a pillow beneath her head she feels as if she's lying on top of a cool marble countertop. But when she opens her eyes she finds herself staring at a sea of white until her eyes land on a dark pink circle with something slightly protruding upwards, after blinking several times she sees that it's…

Her thoughts trail off when she sees something moving towards her body in her peripheral and finally finds control of her body fully preparing herself to see a complete stranger staring back at her only to feel completely mortified when she looks up to see Stefan instead with a flash of amusement in his eyes.

"Good morning." He smiles at her.

She feels her breath catch in her throat as her face goes hot when he tucks a stray hair behind her ear.

"Oh God." she groans letting her head drop back to his chest, "Did we…" She trails off trying to convince herself if she doesn't say it outloud it didn't happen.

"No you just passed out in here."

Bonnie can't help the sigh of relief passing her lips when his answer sends their exchange from last night resurfacing to her mind, finally being able to bring herself to look at him again "I didn't know this was your room. This is where I slept in the Prison World. I'm sorry, it won't happen again." She rambles.

"No, it's fine. I don't mind."

"Just like you didn't mind me breaking your hand last night?" She teases raising an eyebrow. She's faintly aware of his voice but she's unable to comprehend what he's saying once she feels him take her hand in his, watching as her body takes it upon itself to interlace her fingers through his. Feeling even more thrown off when he doesn't seem to mind, going as far as to rub the back of her hand with his thumb after doing the same.

"...hell bent on invading your personal space."

Bonnie gives him a small smile hoping he's not aware of her brief mental lapse pulling a response right out of her ass hoping that the latter of whatever he was saying matched up. Nearly letting out of a sigh of relief when it apparently worked. Finding her gaze going back to their hands wondering why the simple action managed to completely dull her senses.

As the conversation goes on she finds herself wondering why it was so easy to talk to him. This was a subject that she hadn't even tackled with Damon, she always found herself deflecting whenever he asked her why she kept her death a secret. Mentally kicking herself when she overshares on the whole Jeremy topic. Going as far as attempting to leave only to frown when he tightens his hold, wondering what that was all about but doesn't give herself the chance to question it and quickly changes the subject before he can comment, not wanting to dwell on her past with the hunter.

When she lets her newfound immortality slip she hopes for an interruption knowing at this rate Stefan will have managed to learn everything there is to know about her if someone doesn't step in. Feeling equally grateful and frustrated when her phone starts to ring before she can get him to answer why he felt so angry when it was something that even she expected from Damon.

But once she sees Caroline's name on the screen she can't help the curse that falls from her lips, quickly looking back to Stefan after her slip up to apologize but it dies on her lips when she sees that he's slipped into his vampire visage.

"I was with Stefan this one time, I grazed the inside of his thigh and he growled so I jumped and looked up and saw that he had completely lost it. I thought that it was because he hadn't fed so I started to get up to give him space so he could calm down but he smiled and told me that it was just something that happens when vampires get a little...excited."

Elena's words ring in her ears and she feels a tiny thrill run through her but remembers that they had just woken up and chalks it up to hunger, nearly dropping her phone when it starts to ring again.

"Hey Care." Bonnie greets after the blonde doesn't immediately dominate the conversation.

"Did you forget that you were supposed to meet me at the lake?"

"No, I did not forget that we were supposed to be meeting at the lake." She runs her hand over her face remembering Caroline telling her that she knows that she's lying when she repeats something back.

"Are you lying?"

"Yes, I am lying." she admits reluctantly, knowing by the tone of Caroline's voice that she's smirking "I'll be there in thirty minutes."

"Are you with Stefan right now?" Caroline asks after a brief pause.

Bonnie frowns trying to pick up the blonde's presence closing her eyes when she hears a gasp on the other end when she doesn't answer.

"You are!"

Bonnie attempts to deny it but before she can even get a word out Caroline interrupts her,

"Let the witch come out to play with the ripper. I can wait." She says in a suggestive tone as if her words didn't already make it clear what she was hinting at.

Bonnie feels the heat rise to her cheeks and looks back to Stefan trying to figure out if he heard Caroline but feels the tension leave her body when he looks confused as she stares down at him.

"Goodbye Caroline." She takes the phone away from her ear, completely forgetting where she is until she feels a pair of strong hands on her hips looking up from her phone to see Stefan nearly closing the space between them, finally becoming aware that she's straddling him.

"I have to go." She says practically jumping off of him when Caroline's words bounce around in her mind. Forcing herself to remain calm as she leans over him to grab her phone. She's just about to reach for the door when it swings open.

"The Ripper and the Witch." Damon says looking back and forth from Bonnie and Stefan, a smirk on his face once he settles on the former "Interesting development."

"Don't start Damon." Bonnie warns as soon as he looks back to her, narrowing her eyes at him as she walks past him, a curse falling from her lips when she opens the door remembering that she didn't drive here.

"Just drive me home." she mutters when she turns around to see Damon standing behind her, a smirk on his face "And don't talk."

Bonnie sits cross legged on her bed as she flips through the pages of her yearbook, feeling a stab of envy at how happy her classmates look. Wishing that she could have been as blissfully ignorant of the dark secrets of this town as they were. If they only knew the beings that they had in their presence acting as if they were just another one of them. She wonders if any of them did. But the thought is fleeting as she doubts that they would have willingly gone anywhere near Rebekah if they knew the threat she posed...or maybe they would so they would be in her good graces. It certainly would explain why the members of the decorating committee and the cheerleaders followed Caroline's every command without question.

When she reaches the group pictures of various clubs and committees she comes across herself a few times but only one really stands out. So without giving it another thought she gets up and goes over to her desk pulling out her camera, before grabbing the remainder of the potion she made for when she went to the party. Casting the spell Tyler came across to lower her anxiety for extra measure, not wanting to cause any accidents or storms.

…

An hour later she's at Georgetown Waterfront Park. Taking a moment to watch as kids run through the walk through water fountains with big smiles on their faces while concerned mothers and amused fathers look back and forth between the children and their mothers not sure which is more entertaining to them. Moving on to the waterfront, admiring the view before taking a few shots and that's when she feels a familiar presence.

After she's done she starts to go through the pictures she's taken then turns to look in their direction seeing that he's started to walk away and before she loses her nerve she opens her mouth to stop him,

"Thank you." she smiles when she sees the surprise on his face once he turns back around "But you can stay if you'll let me take your picture." She teases expecting him to smile and walk away only to raise an eyebrow when he looks as if he's actually considering it. Feeling a mixture of pride and surprise run through her when he starts to walk over to her.

…

"I used to come here a lot with Matt, Caroline and Elena." she says as they walk along the pathway "Especially in the winter, we would convince Elena's mom to drive us out here and we'd spend the day ice skating. Well Caroline and I would. Eventually Elena got tired of falling and failing to keep up with us, and Matt would go to keep her company because Care forbade me to coddle Elena over her 'inability' to skate."

Stefan smiles at the imagery of Caroline feigning sympathy for Elena but quickly turning into a pitbull as soon as Bonnie tried to leave.

"So what are you doing out here?"

"I needed a break," he answers through a sigh "Damon has suddenly decided that my room is the place that he wants to drink while I read in what used to be peace."

Bonnie feels a small tug at the corner of her lips, deciding that maybe she should try to extend an olive branch to Elena since Damon has finally started to make an effort on repairing his relationship.

"He says it's good real estate."

"Maybe he wants to be close to you." Bonnie offers.

"Or he's plotting my demise." Stefan mutters.

"Damon's not exactly the subtle type when it comes to wanting to kill someone."

"That's true." He agrees.

"Will you need a break tomorrow?" Bonnie asks after silence falls over them, biting the inside of her cheek when he doesn't answer.

"I always need a break from Damon," he says quietly "but if that's your way of asking me if I want to see you again then the answer is yes." Inwardly he cringes at the way that came out but before he can even attempt to rectify it he sees Bonnie staring up at him with a teasing glint in her eyes as she nods her head before looking away.

They avoid all things Mystic Falls related, talking about everything from books to music to movies. Leaving Stefan surprised at the things they have in common. Taking their age difference into consideration he thought that they'd be polar opposites. As it turns out that Bonnie prefers to listen to music ranging from the fifties to the seventies rather than what pops up on the radio today, though she figures that that has to do with being around her Grams than anything else. She always wanted to get a Motorcycle license but her Dad was firm in never letting that happen. She loves baseball and her father use to take her to games when she was little but they stopped when he started to gain more responsibility at his job and had to travel all of the time.

But it all comes to a stop when Bonnie finally notices how tense he gets whenever she talks about her family and she reaches out to grab his hand assuring him that she doesn't blame him for anything. Going on to tell him that she forgave him for what happened to her Grams, having let her anger towards the situation go after spending time with her Grams and the Spirits while she was on the Other Side. But when they approach the Abby debacle she pauses before saying that she came to peace with that a long time ago.

Abby had actually reached out to her a few days ago to check on her, and told Bonnie that she had come to terms with her vampirism. That Abby even went as looking at it as her punishment for abandoning her. Going as far as to tell Bonnie that she could now take over Damon's job as the protector of the Bennett line.

"Have you talked to her?" Stefan asks bringing her out of her thoughts.

"She called," Bonnie says as they walk through the Constitution Gardens "apparently Lucy told her everything. She sounded pissed, but I pointed out that she didn't really have the right to act like that when it was something that she had to find out from someone else in the first place. Needless to say that she wasn't happy with my attitude but ended up agreeing that I had a point...without saying the words. Afterwards she asked me if she could come and visit, I said yes, so she's coming here in a week. I guess she wants to get to know me now."

"Damon wanted to riot. Matt and Caroline seemed more receptive to it, but it was clear that they shared Damon's feelings." She adds when he doesn't respond.

"If you want to get know your mother that's between you and her." he says when she looks at him expectantly "If you think she should have a chance to get to know you then it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks."

"Now that the diplomatic answer is out in the open," Bonnie grins when Stefan smiles and nods his head "do you want to give me your honest opinion?"

"Abby screwed up when she abandoned you, but you're friends with Damon and are giving everyone another chance even though we don't deserve it." he pauses "I can't really speak on whether or not you should give Abby another chance when I've done the same thing." He says thinking of his relationship with his brother.

"Slightly less diplomatic," Bonnie states "but I'll take it."

"Caroline and Damon think I have a crush on you." Bonnie says as she and Stefan walk over the bridge of Rock Creek Park, looking away to hide the smile on her face when he abruptly stops walking, a look of surprise flashing across his features.

They've seen each other pretty much everyday since they made plans to go to the Constitution Gardens in D.C. and on the days they haven't , they touch base with either a text or a phone call. She's not sure where they are or what they're doing but going by the look on his face she's not really sure if he does either. Either way she figures that this would be the easiest way to find out. And if it didn't go well then she could always play it off as a joke considering the name dropping.

"Do you?" He calls after her when she doesn't follow his lead, swallowing when she turns to look at him over her shoulder, a hint of a smile on her lips.

"I'm not sure yet." She replies with a lift of her shoulders as she continues to walk without him.

She doesn't really know what possessed her to do this. One second she and Stefan were laughing about something as they sat side by side on the couch in the den of the boarding house, the next he was wiping ice cream from the corner of her mouth off with his finger before sucking it clean and now here she was with her lips pressed against his before she pulls away after becoming aware of her actions.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I...I'm sorry." She apologizes with her eyes closed not being able to bring herself to look at him. Completely missing the dazed look on his face until he becomes aware of her apologizing to which he frowns wondering why she felt the need to do so.

"I-"

Stefan's lips quirk upwards when Bonnie stops talking as soon as he takes her chin between his index finger and his thumb, placing a slow kiss to her lips. Moving his hands from her face to wrap his hands around her waist pulling her until she's in his lap when she traces the seam of his lips with her tongue. Growling into her mouth when he feels her hands slide from his chest to the back of his neck pulling him closer as she moves her tongue against his.

Bonnie frowns in confusion when she feels him pull away, nearly rolling her eyes when she sees the smug look on his face as she finds herself trying to catch her breath. She starts to lean back into him when she hears a throat clear and tenses only to relax slightly when she sees Tyler staring back at them with an amused look on his face and she immediately climbs off of Stefan's lap knowing that she's either going to see Caroline or Jeremy considering he tends to avoid coming here unless he has to. Waving her hand to make Stefan and herself presentable just in time when Caroline waltzes into the room a bright smile on her face that turns into a look of suspicion when she sees Bonnie and Stefan sitting side by side their eyes locked on the tv while Tyler has a smile on his face that disappears when Jeremy walks into the room. A frown settling on the younger Gilbert's face when he sees Stefan in the midst of putting his arm on the back of the couch while Bonnie briefly spares Stefan a glance. His frown deepening at the look on her face, he knew that look, having been on the receiving end of it a few times whenever they were interrupted by someone and he wanted to let them know.

"Bon,"

Bonnie swallows then glances at Caroline.

"That's your guilty face, what did you do?"

"Nothing." She answers returning her attention to the television.

"You're lying." Caroline states without missing a beat.

"Why are you here? None of you live…" Damon trails off when he spots Bonnie and Stefan sitting on the couch making a point of not looking at anyone "What did she do?"

"I didn't do anything."

"You're lying." Damon accuses, narrowing his eyes at Stefan when he sees the small smile on his face. A smiling Stefan was a rare sight.

"Stefan, can you give me a ride home?"

"Your car is in the driveway." Damon steps in before Stefan can answer.

"I have a flat, remember?" she reminds him "Unless you changed it on your way in."

"It can be arranged."

"I'd rather get a ride home then wait for you to change my tire." Bonnie frowns when Damon turns his back to her telling her to let him grab his keys.

"Damon?" A voice calls out cutting him off before he can even start to leave to do so.

Bonnie smiles making a mental note of thanking the doppelganger "Stefan?" Blinking in surprise when she turns around to see him standing right behind her, feeling her breath catch in her throat when she sees his eyes darken before turning away murmuring a "Goodbye" to everyone ignoring the smirk on Tyler's face while everyone else burns a hole into the back of her head.

…

"That was a little...intense." Bonnie says when they're a good distance from the boarding house.

"As weird as this is to say, I'm glad it was Tyler than anybody else."

Bonnie nods in agreement knowing that had it been anyone else they would have gotten a reaction that was far away from a smirk. Caroline would have been practically planning a wedding, Damon would have probably ripped her from Stefan's arms, Jeremy probably would have had a conniption. She doesn't know what Elena would have done but based on her reaction when she just heard about his hookups with Rebekah and Katherine...she's not sure how she would react to actually seeing it, even if it only was them making out.

"Do you regret it?"

"No." Bonnie answers, embarrassed by how fast she responded "Do you?" She questions feeling her heart speed up when he doesn't answer. Immediately trying to get out of his car when they come to a stop in her driveway only to yelp when she's pulled back inside. Finding herself being hauled into Stefan's lap, clutching at his shoulders before swatting at his chest when she regains awareness. Debating on giving him an aneurysm when he only grins in response.

"Does it feel like I regret it?"

Bonnie shakes her head not being able to find her voice.

Bonnie pulls the door open stopping dead in her tracks when she sees Elena standing there with her fist in the air a surprised look on the doppelganger's face, Caroline and Damon standing behind her with mirroring the same looks.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you but," Bonnie starts "what are you guys doing here?"

"We thought we should have a girls night out." Caroline answers "Damon invited himself, because you've been "neglecting him". Are you on your way to meet Stefan?" She questions after taking in Bonnie's appearance consisting of light makeup, a maroon skater dress and black ankle boots.

"No," Bonnie replies bracing herself for their reaction "I'm about to go meet Abby for dinner."

"Oh," Caroline is the one to speak up after discretely elbowing Damon so he won't say anything "Well, we'll let you go and we'll just go out tomorrow. Right Damon?" She asks through a smile though her eyes dare him to disagree, already knowing that Elena won't say anything.

"Right," He agrees though a grimace after she snaps his wrist when he doesn't respond.

Bonnie stares at them all strangely taking in the way Elena has a guilty look on her face, Caroline with a fake smile while Damon looks as if it were taking everything in him to not say anything at all.

…

Bonnie walks into the restaurant where she agreed to meet Abby, following the host to the table where her mother was sitting, feeling the worry mixed with anxiousness radiating off the vampire. Until Abby spots her, a small smile appearing on the former witch's face.

"Thank you." Bonnie smiles at the host when he pulls her chair out, oblivious of the heated look in his eyes as she turns to greet Abby who replies in kind.

They spend the next few minutes distracting themselves from the awkward silence by flipping through the menu until the waiter comes and introduces themselves before telling him their orders.

"So, how are you?" Abby asks breaking the silence. She knew that things would be tense considering the last time they saw each other. Having conversations over the phone were different from being face to face. From the way Bonnie walked, Abby could tell that she was dealing with a different person. When Bonnie was high on Expression she radiated power to the point where Abby wanted to cower in a corner but the power she sensed coming from her daughter now had a sense of light. She almost felt as if she were in the presence of royalty with the way she carried herself. "This one is going to be one to watch out for." Her mother's words ring in her ears.

"I'm getting better," Bonnie answers "How have you been?"

"I've been good." Abby replies.

Bonnie nods, giving a grateful smile to the waiter when he places a glass of water in front of her, taking a long drink wishing she had been bold enough to order a drink.

"I almost didn't think you were coming." Abby remarks when Bonnie finally sets her glass down.

"I got a little held up." Bonnie gives her an apologetic look.

"You mean Damon tried to stop you." Abby says through a sigh watching the surprise flash across her daughter's face "Lucy told me that he's pretty much took it upon himself to be your bodyguard. She thought that he was just doing it to be an ass but she said that it seems that he genuinely cares about you." she pauses and reaches for her own glass of water "He must if he didn't let Elena come to see you until you were ready." She states raising the glass to her lips.

"It's not like that," Bonnie shakes her head.

"So how are things with Stefan?" Abby smiles watching Bonnie's eyes bulge.

"How did you know about..." Bonnie frowns "Have you been watching me?"

"I got into town a few days early, and I saw the two of you" she stops when she sees the mortified look on Bonnie's face "saying goodnight." Abby finishes.

"You're not mad…" Bonnie stares at her mother skeptically, she's not sure of the reaction she was expecting but she didn't think that Abby would be even remotely okay with her relationship with either of the Salvatores.

"I don't like him," Abby says bluntly "but you seem happy. As for Damon, I really don't like him but he's been there for you when you needed someone, and that's more than I can say for myself."

"So how was your dinner with Abby?" Caroline asks crawling into Bonnie's bed.

"It was nice, we caught got caught up. Apparently she's a R.N. now and she knows about me and Stefan and she seems to be okay with me being friends with Damon."

"Well don't hold back now." Bonnie says dryly when Caroline doesn't say anything.

"I just...we've been here before."

"I know," Bonnie sighs.

"And I know that she's your mother and you want to give her another chance, get to know her. That's your choice, no one should take that away from you, so I'm stepping out of this one. If you need someone to talk to or vent about anything when it comes to her then I'll be here. But other than that, this will be the one thing where I'll keep my opinion to myself."

"Hell must be freezing over." Bonnie mutters.

"Hell froze over when you stopped dressing like my Grandmother." Caroline retorts.

"Checkmate." Bonnie grins triumphantly at the look of pure disbelief on the vampire's face sitting directly across from her. It's the first time she's seen him since she asked Stefan to go to the movies with her and that was about three weeks ago.

"You…" Damon trails off not being able to come up with a valid defense to losing to her "No,"

"No?" Bonnie repeats through a laugh "That's how you respond to losing at a fair game?" She makes sure to stress the word fair ever since he always ended up 'accidentally' hitting the board to the point the pieces fell over whenever he was about to lose back when they were in the Prison World.

"It was not a fair game because you cheated." Damon accuses finally looking away from the chess board separating them.

"You said it yourself, the king" she says pointing to his king "is nothing without his queen. It looks like you were finally right about something." She shrugs, her eyebrows knitting together as soon as she sees a grin spreading across his lips.

"I'll take that as my win." He grins, rising from his seat when realization dawns on Bonnie.

Loud moans and pants fall from Bonnie's lips as she works through her orgasm, her nails digging into Stefan's shoulders as he continues to slide in and out of her, planting kisses along her jaw line, before he suddenly drops his head into the crook of her neck as she feels him start to quake above her. A shiver running down her spine at the growl he makes as he empties himself into her. Once she catches her breath she becomes aware of how tense he is and starts to stroke the back of his neck in an attempt to calm him down before threading her fingers through his hair, gently pulling him away from her neck. A frown settling across her features when she sees that he's making a point of avoiding her eyes until the veins sprawled under his eyes melt back into his skin.

After a moment of studying him she inches her legs higher until they're around Stefan's waist before flipping them over so she's on top, fighting back the urge to smirk when she sees the surprise on his face. Placing her hand on his chest to push him back down when he attempts to sit up, watching as his eyes suddenly clear until he's frowning up at her as if he were trying to figure out what he did to upset her.

"Bon?"

"You're holding back." giving him a look when she sees his lips part "Why?"

"I don't want to hurt you, or scare you."

"You do know that I'm a witch, right?" Bonnie grins when he looks at her "You're not going to hurt me and I'm not afraid of you. Besides, if there's anyone between the two of us that should be afraid of the other it's you. I don't want you to feel like you have to hold back with me, okay?" she holds his gaze until he nods, "I know how personal blood sharing is so if you don't want to go there then I-"

"It's not that," he quickly steps in not wanting her to think that he doesn't want to "It's like I said, I don't want to hurt you. I'm a-"

"Ripper, yes. I'm fully aware of that. But I'm a witch that has taken you down over and over again and that was when you were high on blood and before I knew what I was actually capable of. You have control of your intake now. If I ever feel like you're about to go off of the deep end, you'll know. But I know that it'll never come to that." She adds playing with the hair on the nape of his neck.

"Did you threaten all your boyfriends like this or is it just me?"

"Boyfriend?" Bonnie raises an eyebrow, smiling when he looks flustered, leaning in to kiss him delighting in the smile she's greeted with when she pulls away "You should smile more."

"I slept with Stefan." Bonnie blurts, frowning when seconds turn into minutes and she still gets no reaction whatsoever.

"Is this the part where I'm supposed to act shocked?" Caroline raises an eyebrow as she looks over to the witch while they lie side by side on the blonde's bed.

"How-"

"Well I picked up his scent in your room and it's been reeking of sex for the past week." she starts" It doesn't take a genius to figure out why Stefan has been walking around with a goofy grin on his face and the glow you've been sporting hasn't exactly hurt either. Stefan never smiles and girls typically glow when they're pregnant or they've been getting it good. I've heard from multiple sources that Stefan's not the worst bed partner. And then there's that bite mark on your neck that you've been claiming is a 'scar'. As for why I didn't say anything, I figured I'd be able to get details if I waited until you said something."

Bonnie turns away from Caroline feeling as if her face is on fire, closing her eyes at the question even though she should have seen it coming.

"So, how was it?"

"And "nice" or "good" are not acceptable answers." She quickly adds when Bonnie finally parts her lips, laughing when she closes her mouth after her interruption.

"How do you guys feel about a girl's trip?" Caroline asks putting a stop to the comfortable silence between herself, Bonnie and Elena. Watching as they both look up from their textbooks and glance at each other from their places on their beds before turning to look at her, their shoulders lifting at the same time as they agree. Missing the brief flash of hurt in Caroline's eyes, their exchange managing to send her back to how the two were in High School.

"Stefan." Bonnie smiles when she feels him wrap his arms around her from behind "What are you doing here?" she asks, getting her answer when he slides his hands up her body to cup her breasts "Stefan, no." She breathes, her eyes widening when in the next instant she's pressed against the wall.

"No?" He grinds his hips into hers, smirking when she moans.

"I have-"

"To finish packing so you can go meet Caroline and Elena for your girl's trip." he cuts her off "I know."

"Then why" Bonnie feels her breath catch in her throat when he starts to kiss her neck "why did you come here?"

"I thought it would be nice if I gave you a ride." He grins when Bonnie picks up on the double meaning and moves her hands to his chest attempting to push him away "I'll be quick." he whispers into her ear as he pushes the straps to her sundress down her shoulders "Promise."

"Five minutes." Bonnie agrees lowly, gasping when she's stripped of her dress and underwear and finds herself flat on her back in the next breath. Looking down to find Stefan staring up at her from between her legs, feeling her eyes fluttering shut when he nuzzles his nose against her clit before taking a brief lick at her lower lips.

"Attentive."

"That's the word you're looking for."

Bonnie isn't sure what's she more embarrassed about, that she couldn't come up with the word herself, or that Elena is reminding her that she had him first. And probably could have him again if she wanted to. At the thought she looks down and excuses herself going into the kitchen rummaging through the cabinets until she finds a bottle of wine, setting it on the countertop. Waltzing over to the cabinet to grab a shot glass and a bottle of vodka pouring herself a shot in an attempt to quiet those thoughts. Which in hindsight she finds it to be a bad idea.

Elena was a constant cloud hanging over her, her past with Stefan always in the back of her mind, she didn't need to actually be reminded of it outloud. Knowing that he fought compulsion for her, wanted to have his memories of their relationship erased from his mind just so he wouldn't feel the pain of their breakup, his willingness to drop his morals just to save her was enough. Her own relationship with Stefan was still new and despite knowing that he could be loyal to a fault she couldn't help the part of her that thought that he would drop her without a second thought if Elena ever decided that she wanted him back. And she was done with ghosts of girlfriend's past. She had enough of that to last a lifetime.

She allows herself a few more seconds of wallowing before pulling herself together walking back out into the living room with a small smile on her face that drops when she senses the tension between the two vampires.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Elena's just throwing a hissy fit because I stopped her from texting Damon back."

"I never actually agreed to the whole no phone pact."

Despite their explanation actually being believable Bonnie didn't believe either of them for a second but decides to play along saying that they were probably going to get in trouble for the pact without telling letting them know based on the way Elena's, Caroline's and even her own phones going off so much that Caroline decided that they had to turn them off.

Bonnie smiles and waves at Elena when she reaches her door but before she can open it swings open, startling her to the point where she gasps, only to relax when she sees Stefan on the other side. At least until he pulls her inside, having her pressed against the door as soon as it's closed with a smile on his face that sends a shiver running down her spine. Every time Stefan smiled at her she always ended up naked.

"I missed you." He says softly after planting a hungry kiss to her mouth pulling away just when she was getting into it.

"I've only been gone for a couple of days."

"Three." he smirks at the tone her voice has taken "And that's too long for me to go without this." He says cupping her through her dress, feeling his visage flicker when she moans.

Bonnie walks through the doors of the Grill looking around until she spots Caroline and Elena sitting down towards the back and goes to join them. Feeling uneasy when she sees the teasing looks on their faces.

"Hey Bon," Caroline smiles as she takes the seat next to her "I haven't seen you in a few days."

"Yeah," Bonnie looks down trying not to blush "I've been busy."

"I bet." Caroline smirks taking a sip from the glass in front of her.

"Judging by how Stefan showed up at the boarding house, I'm guessing that he finally made you promise that the whole no phone pact would never happen again." Elena grins when Bonnie looks back up at her.

"How did you…"

"We're weak." Caroline says glancing over to the pool table watching as a smirk appears on Tyler's face making it clear that he's eavesdropping on their conversation "It was a stupid pact anyway." She adds.

Elena nods her agreement, not being able to help herself she looks over to the bar spotting Damon and Stefan. Wishing she hadn't when the former of the two turns towards their table raising his drink towards them before turning back to Stefan who chuckles as he keeps his back to them pretending as if he were respecting their privacy.

Bonnie stands in front of the floor length mirror taking in her appearance wondering if she has enough time to redo her makeup or change her dress. From the smokey eye to the dark purple lipstick, she looks good but she can't help but feel as if she went overboard with the black lace long sleeve floor length dress that shows off her body without showing skin. Twisting her lips when she sees that her shoes aren't visible, wondering if she could get away with flats but disregards it knowing that her dress would end up getting stepped on all night. She's just about to go sit down at her vanity when she hears her doorbell ring and grabs her clutch dropping her compact and lipstick inside along with her phone before making her way to her door.

"It's too, much isn't it?" Bonnie questions when Stefan just stares at her "I can go and try to-"

Stefan snaps out of his haze when he picks up on her thinking that his momentary lapse was a bad thing and takes advantage of her being in mid sentence, slipping his tongue into her mouth. Inwardly smiling when she doesn't protest when he starts to walk forward, closing the door with his heel before continuing to back her into a wall. Growling into her mouth when she threads her fingers through his hair.

"Stefan, we can't." Bonnie states after managing to break the kiss, keeping her eyes closed knowing the look she'll be greeted with if she meets his gaze "You have to go to-"

"A ball with entitled snobs? I'd rather spend time with you."

"I don't want to be that couple."

"I don't want a bunch of guys to drool over my girlfriend." He replies, a frown settling on his face when she looks at him as if she doesn't believe that that will happen.

"I can change." She offers when she sees his eyes darken, regretting her words at his response.

"If you take that dress off you won't get a chance to put another one on."

Bonnie is just about to give in, only to sigh in relief when someone knocks on the door. While Stefan has to close his eyes and take a deep breath to reel in his irritation at the interruption. Figuring he failed when he sees his driver flinch under his stare at least until the man's eyes practically glaze over when Bonnie steps around him apologizing for holding them up. Seemingly unaware of the look in his eyes, which leaves Stefan equally frustrated and happy knowing that this will be a long night of trying to keep the ripper at bay despite knowing that Bonnie is really only aware of her affect on him.

"Harold." Stefan calls the driver through clenched teeth after seeing that his eyes are locked on the sway of Bonnie's hips.

"Sorry Mr. Salvatore." He apologizes making a point of looking away though avoiding Stefan's gaze as Bonnie climbs into the car.

Bonnie frowns noticing the way Stefan is glaring at the man and interlaces her fingers through his, nipping at his jawline watching the surprise cloud his features at her actions.

…

Stefan feels his jaw clench when he spots several men stop what they were doing when he and Bonnie step past the threshold, their eyes on her as they make their way further into the room. Feeling the urge to growl at the coat check when he swallows as Bonnie gives him a small smile, her eyes narrowing at Stefan when she notices that he was able to walk in without having to wait for an invite. Getting the answer to her unvocalized question when she senses several vampires in the room, remembering his warning about them not being the only supernaturals that would be present.

Bonnie stares at the flute Stefan offers before taking it, usually she waited for at least twenty minutes before accepting one, but relents once he tells her to get ready for a long boring night before turning to greet a man and a woman with a fake smile on his face acting as if he were as happy to see them as they were to see him. When she sees the brief looks of shock on their faces when he introduces her as his girlfriend she forces herself to smile and doesn't hesitate to take a long drink as soon as they turn to walk away. Remembering Stefan calling the guests entitled snobs.

"By entitled, did you mean elitist?" Bonnie murmers, watching as he nearly chokes.

...

Faces were starting to blur and Bonnie could feel the muscles in her face protesting to make anything close to a smile. She had to have met at least fifty people by now and they had only been here for an hour. Though she could admit that the first two were the only ones that left a bad taste in her mouth, everyone else was fairly tolerable.

"Have you had enough yet?" Stefan whispers into her ear.

"I'm getting there." Bonnie answers seeing no point in lying.

"Stefan Salvatore, is that you?"

Bonnie frowns when she sees him tense and close his eyes. It didn't really take a genius to know what would garner that response so she takes a deep breath and braces herself before she turns to face the source. Taking in the woman's long ice blonde wavy hair, hazel eyes, fair complexion, she was...beautiful. The dark sensual makeup she was wearing only served to accentuate her features. Letting her eyes drop down to the simple black dress that hugs her figure then to the sky high red heels encasing her feet.

"Nyssa," Stefan sends a polite smile to the woman who is beaming at him, and has her arms wrapped around him in the next instant, pressing her lips to his cheek after pulling away.

"What did they do to get you to come here? I haven't seen you since…" she trails off when she hears a suppressed laugh and her eyes go to her left to see Bonnie with her lips folded, amusement flashing in her green eyes.

"Oh, no." Bonnie rushes to get out "Please don't mind me, it's not like I haven't been standing here this whole time. By all means, continue your...reunion." Bonnie smiles turning to walk away, missing the looks of surprise from the group of women who were snickering at her expense not to long ago. Not surprised in the least when her path is suddenly blocked by the blonde who frowns when she sees that Bonnie hasn't even batted an eyelash.

"Yeah," Bonnie sighs growing tired of whatever the woman is trying to accomplish when she only stands there "I don't have time for this catty passive bullshit that you're trying to do. If there's something you want to say to me just say it."

Nyssa frowns, making a point of making her eyes flicker, her frown deepening when Bonnie doesn't even flinch.

"As I'm sure you know, Stefan is a vampire, and if you know him in the way you're trying to imply then you know his history as well as I do. And while you are well past his age, I've dealt with a whole family of one thousand year old vampires who consider themselves the royalty of their species. One of which that considers himself the most powerful being in the world, all because he's half werewolf." Bonnie rolls her eyes "Yet you expect me to be afraid of you? Try again." Bonnie says tiredly, moving the woman to the side with a flick of her wrist before walking away, ignoring the looks she's getting from the guest that bore witness to her show of her abilities only glancing to her left when she feels an arm suddenly wrap around her guiding her down one of the corridors.

"What?" Bonnie snaps when he does nothing but look at her.

"You're jealous." Stefan smiles.

"I have nothing to be jealous of." Bonnie replies defensively.

"No, you don't." Stefan agrees as he steps closer "But it's cute that you are." He smirks eliminating the space between them when she opens her mouth to reply.

Bonnie scowls at him when he pulls away "Just take me home."

Bonnie smiles when she sees the shock clear on Stefan's face when she opens the door with a baby on her hip. Watching on with raised eyebrows when the little girl loosens her grip in favor of extending her arms leaning towards Stefan in an attempt to get him to take her. An expression of pure joy on her face when he acquiesces, while Stefan looks taken back when she leans onto his shoulder as she looks back at Bonnie who narrows her eyes at the scene before her.

"Looks like you have some competition Bon." Damon comments once he sees the way the latest Bennett is clinging onto his brother.

Bonnie closes her eyes letting out a sigh before looking back up to Stefan who has a look on his face making it clear that he's not happy though he quickly recovers, greeting his brother with a forced smile.

"Lucy and Marcel came to visit and I took pity on them, so I'm babysitting for the weekend." She explains when Stefan returns his gaze to her "Damon never passes up the opportunity to antagonize Lucy but he missed her and knew that this was the only chance he would have to be anywhere near her child. And it turns out that little Izzy here has a crush on him."

"Or a thing for Salvatores in general." Bonnie adds seeing the big smile her baby cousin is sporting as she plays with Stefan's face, seeming especially fixed on his jawline. She turns to look back at Damon flitting her eyes towards the door to her backyard after she notices the flash of embarrassment on Stefan's face. Narrowing her eyes at the elder Salvatore when he looks at her incredulously before making a show of going outside.

Bonnie frowns when she hears her doorbell ring and slips around Stefan pulling the door open to see Caroline along with Elena on the other side.

"So, I was thinking that we could…" Caroline trails off blinking several times when she sees a mocha hued baby in Stefan's arms, turning back to Bonnie a questioning look on her face "Okay, I know I was out of town for a while but..."

Bonnie grins and rolls her eyes "Lucy and Marcel."

"Oh," Caroline relaxes remembering Bonnie telling her about her cousin coming down to visit her "right."

"I thought Marcel was a vampire." Elena frowns as she steps inside closing the door behind her.

"He is."

"Then how…"

"There's a spell, it's rarely used because most witches are actually firm on the "No vampires." thing but I guess the creator decided that they wanted to be with a vampire but still have somewhat of a normal life or have a child just to continue their line before turning and created the spell." Bonnie answers with a shrug.

"And how exactly does this spell work?" Caroline questions dropping her bag onto Bonnie's couch.

"The witch turns the vampire into a human for a period of time that's determined by how powerful the witch is and the couple just goes from there."

"Does the witch have to drink blood?"

"Yes, but they can sharefeed if they…" Bonnie stops talking "Care why are you asking about this?"

"Just curious." She answers ignoring the looks she's receiving from Bonnie and Stefan at her answer, introducing herself as "Auntie Caroline" as she coaxes the little girl into her arms with the promise of a bottle.

Leaving Elena, Bonnie and Stefan to stare after her as she makes her way into the kitchen.

"Subtlety never has been her strong suit." Elena comments slightly amused by the blonde, quickly following after Caroline when they turn their gaze to her.

"It's nice to be on the other side for once, isn't it?" Bonnie says taking the seat next to Matt when Penny excuses herself from the table to go to the bathroom, looping her arm through Matt's as she rests her head on his shoulder.

"It is," he agrees keeping his eyes on the brunette weaving through the crowd "but I can't say that I miss being forced to watch hgtv."

"Oh, whatever." Bonnie rolls her eyes.

"Thank you for not threatening him." She says after a moment.

"I wanted too," he admits "but between Caroline and Damon...I didn't think mine would seem as threatening. He could snap my gun before I could even aim it at him." Adding that he was serious when Bonnie laughs in response.

...

Bonnie stares up at Stefan curiously as they sway side to side on the dancefloor among the other guests gathered for Alaric and Jo's wedding "You hate dancing."

"I do," Stefan nods "but you don't." A slow, easy smile spreading across his lips when he sees that he's thrown her off.

Bonnie walks into the living room of the boarding house staring at Damon as he lounges on the couch, literally jumping up from his seat when he sees her.

"Bonnie, what are you doing here?"

"You promised that you would go herb gathering with me today, remember?" She reminds him of the plans they made two weeks ago.

"Oh, right." Damon says acting as if he forgot "About that...I can't."

"You can't?" Bonnie narrows her eyes.

"No."

"Why not?"

Damon averts his gaze before opening his mouth only to be cut off by Bonnie.

"Damon, what is with you? You've been acting weird since the wedding."

"No I haven't." He denies quickly.

"Yes you have and you've been avoiding me."

"No I-"

"You stay in every Sunday to read and I come over to study spells and you agree to be my test dummy when I want to try something out." she talks over him, smiling when he rolls his eyes "Now you make excuses as to why you can't hang out with me and all of a sudden Sundays are your date night with Elena."

Damon sighs, his eyes going to the ceiling when he hears the shower being turned off on the second floor.

"What? Did Elena finally say something and you're trying to prove something to her?" Bonnie frowns remembering the strange look she got from the doppelganger when she danced with him at the wedding.

"No."

"Then what is it?" She inquires walking towards him holding his stare as if she were daring him to lie to her.

Damon stares at her for a moment, inwardly letting out a sigh of relief when the door opens and laughter fills the air until Caroline and Elena come to a stop at the doorway looking confused when they see Damon and Bonnie standing with looks of relief and frustration respectively.

"Did we interrupt something?" Caroline questions her voice containing an undertone of suspicion looking back and forth between Bonnie and Damon narrowing her eyes when she looks at the latter of the two.

"Bonnie is just angry that I forgot about our plans."

"Plans?" Elena speaks up.

"He promised me that he would go herb gathering with me but apparently he has to do something else." Bonnie answers "It's fine, I'll just go by myself."

"No!"

Bonnie along with Caroline and Elena turn to face Damon visibly taken aback by his outburst.

"You are not going by yourself."

"You're not my father."

Damon opens his mouth but closes it.

"See!" Bonnie screams "You never pass up the opportunity to say something inappropriate to piss me off."

"Excuse me for not wanting to be set on fire, how childish of me." He says sarcastically.

"Better," Bonnie smiles feeling as if she was around Damon again, instead of someone with his face "Well, call me when you're over whatever this is." she waves her hand around him "I'll see you guys tomorrow." Bonnie says as she passes Caroline and Elena missing the looks of slight guilt and confusion respectively. She's just about to reach for the door when Damon suddenly blocks her path. Watching him curiously as he opens the door motioning for her to go first.

"But I'm driving." He states feeling his lip quirk upwards when her face lights up. Making the mistake of looking at the staircase to find Stefan staring back at him, an unreadable look on his face while Caroline opts for narrowed eyes.

He starts to say something but stops when he hears Elena call Caroline from the kitchen settling on giving them looks that he hopes quell their suspicion before leaving.

Damon's been here before, but unlike the last time he knows for sure that this will not end in his favor. Between Bonnie's loyalty to Elena and now Stefan, Elena's wavering confidence, Caroline's not so subtle warning―that unlike with Stefan held weight, she wouldn't hesitate to maim him―and his relationship with Stefan hanging on by a thread. He'd cut his relationships with everyone in one clean swoop. Even with all that considered, a year ago he wouldn't have hesitated. But a year ago his relationship with Bonnie consisted of eyerolls, dirty looks, ridiculously repressed sexual tension and the occasional Bonnie and Clyde. At this point he'll take what he has with her now than nothing at all.

"So, how was your herb gathering?" Stefan asks from his spot on Bonnie's bed watching as she places them in containers.

"It was nice. Damon and I finally talked, he told me that he was just afraid that you were getting the wrong idea about how close we are and he doesn't blame you for it. If he were you he would have probably insisted on coming with us or snapped his neck and told me that he had something to do." she pauses "Just him being...him." Bonnie shrugs then looks up at Stefan "Are you okay with us? I've never really asked you about how you felt about me and Damon hanging out."

"It's not like I'm expecting you to ask for my permission to hang out with him."

Bonnie stares at him for a moment waiting for him to go on.

"I just don't know if he would go there again."

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you."

Bonnie grins when he sounds as if the mere thought of her thinking otherwise offended him "Then you have nothing to worry about."

"If there's anyone between the two of us that should be worried it's me. Izzy was getting a little fresh with you."

Stefan cracks a smile remembering Bonnie's baby cousin making herself comfortable in his lap after pushing Bonnie away from him.

Bonnie wakes up to the sound of her phone ringing. She thinks of ignoring it but it just seems to get louder and louder, so she reluctantly reaches over to her nightstand and grabs it hitting answer without looking at the name.

"Hello?" She answers through a yawn.

"Bonnie, hey." Elena's voice comes from the other end "Is Stefan with you?"

Bonnie frowns at the question then jumps when she hears the sound of thunder along with a downpour and she suddenly feels wide awake. Understanding the urgency to know the whereabouts of her boyfriend.

"He's not here. It started raining so I went to check on him but his room was empty and he's not anywhere in the boarding house. He never goes outside when it rains so I just need to know…"

Bonnie tunes out when she sees a figure standing with their back turned towards her as they stare out of the window, completely soaked from head to toe. For a moment she stares wondering why she didn't wake up sooner, between them and the storm raging outside she should have woken up as soon as the storm started or when they came inside of her house but then again she doesn't exactly remember how she even got in her bed either. The last visual she can gather was her agreeing to strip Caroline's tolerance so the vampire could actually get drunk along with Matt and herself.

"Elena calm down." Bonnie directs when she hears the brunette sound as if she's on the verge of hysterics "He's here."

"He's...he's with you."

"Yeah," Bonnie frowns picking up on the hurt mixed with confusion in her voice "I'll call you later, okay?" Bonnie only waits until she hears the first word out of Elena's mouth before taking it away from her ear and ending the call.

"Okay, just tell him-"

Bonnie groans as she leans up turning on the lamp feeling a headache approaching and her body protesting against the sudden movements but she forces herself to push through it and manages to get out of bed heading to the bathroom grabbing a couple of towels.

"Stefan," She calls gently feeling her heart clench when he turns around seeing the fear in his eyes. She opens her mouth to say something but stops not wanting to make it worse and starts to close the space between them when he nods. Taking a breath before starting to remove the clothes clinging to his skin, using one of the towels to dry him off, using the other to soak up excess water from his hair. Going over to her dresser to get the sweatpants she had to wear home after him getting a little too eager and ripping her dress clean down the middle. Wordlessly guiding him to her bed after coaxing him to put them on.

"Where are you going?"

Bonnie jumps surprised by his voice "I let Caroline and Damon keep a couple of blood bags here, I thought that you might…"

Stefan shakes his head, gently tugging Bonnie down onto the bed, watching as she snuggles into his side resting one arm over his stomach, tentatively taking his hand interlacing her fingers between his.

"Just…listen to the sound of my heartbeat." Bonnie says gently rubbing the back of his hand feeling the tension slowly start to leave his body. Smiling when she feels him start to run his fingers through her hair.

"I love you." A voice says into the darkness of the room when they hear the other's breath even out. Thinking that it was too soon to say the words, not wanting to scare them off.

Bonnie never thought she'd see the day where she was actually happy, she always pictured herself going through the motions, smiling when everyone else did, being content with living in the shadows of her two best friends.

She's a little bitter and angry at herself that it took her dying two times to get a grip, but if she had came to her senses sooner, she knows that she wouldn't be the woman that she is today. She wouldn't say that she was happy with all of the things that she had to go through or would gladly go through them again but she can't say that she is mad at the result.

Her friends were her friends again. She had a boyfriend that actually made her happy. She was getting to be in a good place with her mother. She knew her Grams had found peace. Her dreams no longer trumped her reality.

"I never thought that this day would actually come." Bonnie says as she Elena, Caroline, Tyler, Stefan and Damon stand off to the side of the road staring at the sign signaling the exit of Mystic Falls.

"Yeah," Caroline breathes finally being faced with the downside of immortality "but we'll come back one day."

I did think about doing a chapter from Alaric's P.O.V. but I don't really remember them having scenes to imply that they were anything other than allies, and while the same could be said for Tyler, I just thought it was ridiculous that they've known each other for at least a decade and had little to no interaction within the duration of the show.

To everyone that added this story to your follows and or favorites, left a review or just giving this story a chance, I'd like to say thank you.