YOU OWE ME DINNER

Buffy was sitting in her room staring at a book, but not really reading the words on the pages in front of her. She was thinking about Damon. She knew she should still be mad at him for what he'd done to Lexi, and a part of her was, but there was something about him…. She felt drawn to him.

And damn if he wasn't a good kisser!

Buffy shook her head, but the thought of Damon kissage led to thoughts of that night after the raffle. That had been explosive! He had known exactly what to do when to do it and how….

"Ugh!" Buffy tossed the book across the room and stood up.

Her love life was already complicated enough. The last time she'd talked to Angel, they'd started to venture into the future discussion. And then Spike had come up and it had gotten touchy, so they'd dropped the conversation. Now here Damon came all dark hair and sexy eyes and confident swagger….

Speaking of Damon…. "Good afternoon." He said, standing in her doorway.

"Hey."

"Going somewhere?"

"Nope."

"You're just standing in your room, then?"

"Uh…." Buffy looked around and realized how silly she looked just standing next to her bed. She hadn't even been pacing. "Yeah."

Damon leaned down and picked up the book she'd thrown. "Did it look at you funny?"

"I wasn't reading it. I was thinking."

He smirked. "And what were you thinking about?"

"You owe me dinner." She blurted. "And drinks."

Damon swaggered over to stand right in front of her, looking down at her with his smoldering eyes. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"No." Buffy's mouth was suddenly dry. "Just reminding you that you owe me dinner and drinks. Pay up."

"Fine."

"Fine?"

"I'll meet you downstairs later this evening and we'll go out for dinner and drinks. Wear something pretty." He turned and swaggered out. She was pretty sure he moved his backside just right so he'd draw more attention to it.

Buffy walked over and shut her door. She looked around the room and then headed for her bathroom. She showered, taking the time to shave her legs, and added some extra deep conditioner to her hair to make sure it was silky. After she got out, she lathered up some scented lotion on her skin and made sure she smelled even better. Two could play the sexy-attention-grabber game.

While her hair air dried, she went through her closet and picked out a pair of black leggings, a burgundy halter mini dress with the entire back exposed, and a pair of high heeled, black suede, slouch boots. Lexi had spoiled her when it came to clothes. Buffy now understood what all the fuss Cordelia had made was about now that she wasn't worried about ruining her clothes every night. She grabbed her knee length leather jacket and tossed it on the bed. Picking out some silver bar earrings and two long silver chains, one with a matching silver bar, she went back into the bathroom to finish her hair.

Down the hall, Damon was tearing up his closet trying to find something to wear. He didn't know what it was about Buffy, but she was the most alluring being he'd ever encountered. When he kissed her, he swore he could see sparks. He didn't know if it was because she was dangerous to his kind…. After all, she was supposed to kill him, not kiss him…. Or if it was because of something else…. Something that he wasn't ready to even acknowledge. Whatever it was, he wanted to know more about her. Not just the little tidbits he'd picked up about her from some acquaintances in the underground.

Once he'd settled on some black jeans and a dark blue button up shirt with his motorcycle boots and black leather jacket, he headed downstairs to wait for Buffy. He poured himself and drink and downed it before pouring another. This one he paced himself.

"Where are you going?" Stefan asked.

"Out." Damon said.

"Damon…."

"Don't worry, no one will be harmed. I'm paying up on a debt that I owe."

"Will you be out late?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Why?"

"Just asking."

"You never 'just ask' anything, Stefan. But you know what? I'm in a good mood. I'm going to choose to ignore your sour self and not ruin my evening." Stefan shook his head and walked out of the living room.

A few minutes later, Buffy made her way into the room and Damon almost dropped his drink. Her long blonde hair was in messy waves down her back and her makeup was barely there with the exception of the deep burgundy lipstick that matched her dress. The boots and the black leggings made her legs look longer and leaner than they actually were. She already had her leather jacket on.

Buffy looked down at herself. "It was Lexi's outfit. Well…. Except for the coat. It's mine."

"It looks amazing on you." Damon said, setting his glass down before he dropped it.

"Oh. Thanks."

"You ready to go?"

"Yeah."

Damon walked up to her and slipped his hand into hers. She smiled slightly and let him lead her out the door to his car. He held the door open for her like a gentleman, then was suddenly getting into the driver's seat after using his superspeed to get around the car.

"So…." He started the car up and started to drive. "You promised to tell me stories."

"What stories do you want to hear? I've got a lot."

"Hmm…. What's your favorite?"

"Oh, I don't know."

"You've got to have a favorite."

"I don't know. I haven't really thought about it. If I have to pick one off the cuff…. I got a special award at my senior prom."

"Like Prom Empress?"

Buffy laughed. "No. Class Protector."

"Your entire senior class knew about you being the Slayer? You really don't know the meaning of secret identity, do you?"

Buffy laughed. "They didn't know, but they knew I helped them in some way. Apparently because of me, my class had the lowest mortality rate of any graduating class. They gave me a little umbrella with a plaque."

Damon smiled. "I'm sure it was nice."

"Was being the operative word. When I went to college, some vampire bully bitch broke it."

"Vampire bully bitch?"

"Yeah. She and her little gang went around eating freshmen and then stealing their stuff out of their dorms. They left notes saying that the student had dropped out. They tried it on me, but…."

"They messed with the wrong girl."

"Yeah."

"You went to college?"

"For a little while. Till my mom got sick. Then I dropped out to take care of her and my sister."

"What happened to your mom?"
"Brain tumor. The doctors managed to get all of it out, but…. There was an aneurism. I came home one day and she was just lying on the couch…. Gone. The doctors assured me it was painless and there's nothing I could've done."

"I'm sorry."

Buffy shrugged. "I miss her every day. People say time heals all wounds, but that one…. That one hasn't healed." She looked up. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bring the mood down."

"No. I like hearing about you." He glanced over at her before saying, "I was close to my mother."

"Really?"

"Yes. She was kind and gentle…. And she was beautiful. I have her eyes."

"What happened to her?"

"Consumption. My father sent her away to a hospital and she died there."

"What about your dad?"

Damon snorted. "My father expected so much from both of his sons that there was no way we couldn't disappoint him. I really frustrated him when I dropped out of the army."

"You were in the army?"

"Yes. I fought for the Confederacy. It wasn't for me, though." Buffy giggled slightly and then pressed her lips together. "What?"

"The thought of you in uniform…. I can't see it."

Damon smirked. "Neither could I." He parked in front of the Mystic Grill and got out to open Buffy's door and help her out. They walked in and sat down in a corner with some relative privacy. The waitress came up and got their drink orders and handed them menus. As they perused the menus, Damon said, "What about your father?"

Buffy glanced up at him. "What father?"

"Ouch. Daddy issues."

"He was barely there growing up. Nothing's changed. His secretaries are more important to him than his daughters."

"Seems like we have more in common than we thought."

"Seems like." Buffy looked up and met Damon's eyes. He smiled and she felt the butterflies start to flutter in her stomach. Thankfully the waitress came back with their drinks and to take their orders. They both ordered cheeseburgers and fries and Buffy ordered a side of honey mustard.

"What's the honey mustard for?" Damon asked.

"My French fries." Buffy answered. Damon wrinkled his nose. "Hey, don't knock it till you try it."

"Touché. Ok, so what other stories? You mentioned that the mayor of Sunnydale tried to eat your graduating class…."

"Yeah. He spent 100 years turning himself into a demon…. A big icky snake/dragon demon thing…. And he ascended at our graduation ceremony."

"How did you defeat him?"

"The entire class was loaded up with weapons. I had my own little army to fight back."

"He didn't see that coming."

Buffy shook her head. "He'd enlisted the help of a small army of vampires and the students took them on mostly while I took on the Mayor." She smiled. "I lured him through the school into the library and then blew up the school."

"You blew up the high school?"

"Yup. Best graduation ceremony I've ever been to."

Damon reached across the table and lifted her hair from her neck. "What about that?"

Buffy looked down at the table, moving her hair back across her neck. "That…. Actually ties in with the graduation story. Faith…. The other Slayer at the time…. She was evil then…. She shot Angel with an arrow that was dipped in the Killer of the Dead poison. The only cure is Slayer's blood."

"You let Angel feed from you?"

"I tried bringing him Faith…. I fought her and stuck her own knife in her gut, but she managed to get away. I was the only one left and losing Angel…. That wasn't an option."

"I thought he broke up with you?"

"He did, but that never stopped me from loving him."

"You still love him?"

Buffy looked away. "I'll always love him. He was my first…. Everything."

"What happened on your 17th birthday?"

"Huh?"

"You said you accidentally released Angelus on your 17th birthday."

"Oh. Uh…. Angel's curse…. The one that gives him his soul…. There's a loophole. Perfect happiness." She looked at Damon to see him patiently waiting for the explanation. "Uh…. My first time was with Angel on my 17th birthday."

Damon smirked, understanding what she was getting at. "Well, that's no surprise. Our one night together was…. What was the word you used…. Explosive."

"Damon!" Buffy's eyes widened in embarrassment.

"What? It's the truth."

"It's not just sex. It's me. He can't be with me because I make him happy."

"I don't have a curse."

"Are you asking me to have sex with you…. Again?"

"I'm not. I was just saying…. If every time is like that, I can see why he lost his soul. You can throw me down anytime you want and…."

"Ok. I get your point." She smirked slightly. "I'll remember that."

He smiled. "So, tell me about your mother. What was she like?"

Damon liked seeing the gentle smile that crept across Buffy's face at the thought of her mother. "She was amazing. Though I don't think I ever appreciated her until I lost her. I feel like I always took advantage of the fact that she was always there and she seemed to always understand. She was so strong. I wish I could be as strong as she was."

"I'd say you've done her proud. I know we haven't known each other very long, but from what I've seen…. You're one hell of a woman."

Buffy blushed. "Thanks." She shook her head. "How is it that I can tell you these things?"

"I can be a very good listener."

"I meant…."

"I know. You hate me."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Hate…. It's such a strong word now. I meant it, Damon, when I said that I consider you a friend."

"Just a friend?"

Before Buffy could answer, the waitress came back and refreshed their drinks. She promised the food would be out shortly and walked away. Buffy looked at Damon. "Tell me about your mother. What was she like?"

Damon sighed and leaned back in his seat, blowing out a breath. "She was…. A lot like your mother. She was very supportive of everything I did."

"What was her name?"

"Lily."

Buffy smiled. "Simple. I like it."

"What was your mother's name?"

"Joyce."

"Pretty. However did she come up with Buffy?"

She laughed and shrugged. "It was the 80s."

Damon smiled. "The 80s."

"What were you like in the 80s?"

"Not too much different than I am now."

"Oh, come on! You had to have rocked some bad fashion!"

"Well…. I did own a Member's Only jacket."

Buffy laughed so hard she almost snorted. "I can't imagine you in one of those."

"You'll never have to. I burned it once I came to my senses." Damon watched her get her laugher under control and smiled. "Your fashion choices must have some questionable articles."

"Well…. If you asked Giles, he would say all of them, but I felt I was doing the best that I could on a budget…. And that's adding in the fact that most of my clothing got ruined with a mixture of demon blood, my blood, sewer grime, graveyard grass and dirt, and vampire dust."

"How did you become the longest living Slayer?"

"Why? Are you planning to sell my secret to my army of Slayers?"

"I could make a killing."

"It's not much of a secret." He waited expectantly. "Dumb luck."

"I don't believe that."

"It's true. I mean…. Well, I have died twice…."

"It's not just dumb luck that you're sitting here…. Breathing and talking…. Right now."

"Well, no…. I mean…. My friends…."

"Slayers aren't supposed to have those."

"And maybe that's why Slayers before me never lived that long. I'm sorry, but I like living. If that's a crime, then those who oppose my lifestyle can go fly a kite."

"And there's another reason."

"What?"

"You have a fire in you that's hard to extinguish. No wonder I'm intrigued by you. I'm like a moth to a flame that burns incredibly bright and incredibly hot."

"You're not the first person to say that."

"I imagine I'm not." Damon glanced up and noticed the waitress headed for them with their food. She put their plates in front of them and quickly walked back to get Buffy's honey mustard she'd forgotten. Damon and Buffy ate in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying sneaking looks at each other. Finally, Damon broke the silence. "Tell me about when you made the Slayer army."

"What do you want me to tell?"

"How did you do it? Why did you do it?"

"The First Evil was attacking the Slayer line…. Killing potential Slayers and their Watchers. Giles brought it to my attention along with three girls who were potentials. After that, they kept showing up at my house."

"Sounds like fun."

"Not hardly. Then Caleb came to town."

"Who's Caleb?"

"The First was incorporeal and Caleb was its physical hand."

"I take it you beat him."

Buffy nodded. "That scythe of mine? He and the First were trying to hide it from me. I took it and found out that it belonged to me…. Or rather, it belonged to the active Slayer. We fought and I split him in two."

"Nice!"

"But he wasn't the worst of it. The First had an army of Neanderthal vamps."

"'Neanderthal vamps'?"

"Ancient vampires…. As old as the original demons that owned the Earth before humans kicked them out. They were almost impossible to kill."

"And there was an army of them gunning for you?"

"Yes. Down in the Hellmouth in Sunnydale. Willow did some digging on my scythe after I told her there was power in it that only myself and Faith could feel. The essence of my scythe is the essence of the Slayer line."

"You used the scythe to make Slayers."

"We went down into the Hellmouth and Willow performed a serious magic trick. All the girls I had with me…. About 30 including Faith and myself…. Turned into Slayers and we took on thousands of Neanderthal vamps in a really big cave."

"How did you win?"

"Spike had a medallion that Angel gave to me that I gave to him. It used Spike's soul to destroy the Hellmouth."

"Spike is…?"

Buffy sighed. "Oh…. Next question."

Damon nodded knowingly. "William the Bloody aka Spike. Made by one of Angelus' vampires?" Buffy nodded. "I heard about him."

"He's pretty famous."

Damon cocked an eyebrow at her, understanding dawning on him. "And he's another of your vampire lovers."

"Yes."

"You're twisted. A Slayer who loves vampires."

"I'm not conventional."

"Not in the least! I like it so much."

Buffy smirked. "I'm sure you do." She eyed him for a second. "Ok…. What about Katherine?"

"What about her?"

"How did she come into your life?"

"My father sponsored her." Damon noticed Buffy's confused look. "He took her in. She claimed to be an orphan of the war from Atlanta and my father invited her to stay with us. Stefan saw her first, but when I got home…. I was completely in love with her from the first look."

"When did you find out she was a vampire?"

"When she showed me one day."

"Oh."

Damon shrugged. "Let's get back to you." He leaned forward, pushing his plate out of the way. "How did you meet Lexi?"

"Why?"

"Because that's the beginning of our story."

Buffy nodded. "I met her in an alley behind a nightclub in Rome. Lexi hated vampires…. Uh…. The bumpy forehead variety…. And these three had been harassing this woman most of the night. I followed them out to go take care of them and so did Lexi. I thought she was a Slayer I'd missed because she moved so fast and she was strong." Buffy smirked. "After we'd turned them to ashes, Lexi looked at me and said 'Good to know you can still do your job.'"

The waitress came up and brought them more drinks, stopping their flow of conversation for a moment. Damon waited till she was out of earshot before asking, "What did that mean?"

"She knew who I was. There were stories about me in Rome…. That I was making nice with the Immortal and shirking my calling. That was Xander's doing, though. He placed copy Slayers of me in different cities to throw off demons who were out to kill me. I could move about freely and still do my job. It was pretty useful for a while, but I got bored. Moved back to Rome and kicked my lazy little clone girl out of the city. Lexi didn't like the Immortal and she wanted to warn me away from him. Once I figured out she wasn't a Slayer, but a different kind of vampire…. I wouldn't leave her alone. I kept pestering her with questions about her kind of vampire. I drug her to England to show her to Giles. She was a good sport about it."

"How long ago was this?"

"About two years ago. Lexi and I became fast friends. I'm surprised I didn't meet Stefan before this year."

"How did she convince you to go globetrotting with her?"

"I had expressed multiple times how fun it would be to see this place or that and she kept saying 'Well do it! I'll go with you!' And then I randomly mentioned my thoughts on retiring from the Slayer thing since everything was going so smooth and she took it and ran with it. Every time I'd mentioned it to Giles, he'd come up with some excuse as to why 'now just isn't the right time, Buffy'." She mimicked Giles's voice and shook her head. "He and Lexi got into an argument about it and Lexi won. I think there may have been some compulsion involved…. But Lexi got her way. I came home from a meeting with my friends…. They were the head of the Council…. And Lexi had everything I owned packed away. I sold my apartment and we started off on our adventure."

"Which eventually led you here."

"Yes. And Lexi to her death…."

"I said I was sorry."

"It's still a sore spot."

"Ok, new story, then."

"Ok. Did you choose to become a vampire?"

"Yes. Next question. How did you beat Angelus?"

"What?"

"You have no idea the stories I've heard about him, Buffy. He's a scary guy. He didn't kill to survive…. He killed for pleasure and he was good at it. I heard about what he did to a nun once that he'd become obsessed with."

"Drusilla."

"What?"

"That was her name. Drusilla. I met her. She was crazy."

"So how did you beat him?"

"I didn't."

"Well, obviously you…."

"Willow put Angel's soul back. Technically, I didn't beat Angelus. I was about to kill him, but Willow put his soul back and he was Angel again."

"And you almost lived happily ever after."

"Except for the part where I had to send Angel to hell for what Angelus had done." Damon looked at her questioningly. "Angelus had opened a portal to hell and the only way to close it was his blood. I was planning to send Angelus to hell to stop the world from being sucked into it, but he became Angel again."

"No wonder he broke up with you."

"Damon!"

"I'm joking. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I was joking. I was trying to lighten the mood." He held up his hands with a sexy smirk and Buffy shook her head. "Let's move on to something else since that's a sensitive subject. What's your favorite kill?"

"My favorite kill?"

"You fight demons and vampires and I know that you enjoy it. I saw it that night you tortured that vampire in the high school cafeteria. So, I figure you have to have a favorite kill. What is it?"

Buffy smirked, remembering exactly what her favorite kill was. "The Judge."

"Demon?"

"Big, scary, end the world demon. I killed him with a rocket launcher."

Damon's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

Buffy laughed slightly. "It was a birthday gift from Xander. They once said that no weapon forged could kill the Judge, but I proved him wrong. I can also officially say that that was the best birthday present I ever received."

"Note to self: She likes military grade scary toys for presents."

"Sometimes it's fun to find new ways to kill things."

"I knew I liked you for a reason." Damon glanced at their empty plates and finished drinks. "Let's head back home and continue our conversation there."

"Good idea. This booth is starting to get uncomfortable."

Damon summoned the waitress and paid the bill, leaving a generous tip. He and Buffy made their way back to his car. Before she slid into the passenger's seat, Damon pulled her to him and kissed her. It was gentle but deep and passionate. And it made the butterflies in both of their stomachs go into overdrive. Buffy actually felt a little weak in the knees. He smirked and shut her door before climbing into the driver's seat. She reached over and took his hand as they drove back to the Salvatore Boarding House that they both called home. They listened to the radio station instead of talking on the way back.

At the front door, Damon said, "I'm going to check on Stefan."

"Ok. I'll meet you upstairs in my room?" Buffy said.

"Planning to seduce me?"

"Not at the moment, no. I'm just planning on getting comfortable." She walked past him and trotted up the stairs to her room. While she waited for Damon, she threw on a pair of pink velour Juicy Couture shorts and a plain black tank top. Her hair went up into a messy bun and the dark lipstick was wiped away.

When Damon showed up in her doorway, he couldn't help but admire her bare, sunkissed legs. "Nice."

She turned around. "How is he?"

"The same. Acts like there's nothing wrong with him."

"Maybe he's back to normal."

"And maybe pigs can fly."

"Should we talk to him?"

"No. He'll be fine." Buffy looked at him skeptically. "He will. This is just how Stefan does. Come on." He took her hand and led her over to the bed. "Tell me more about you."

"Why are you so interested in me?" Buffy asked as she climbed up onto the bed and curled up against the headboard.

Damon laid down on her bed next to her and stretched out on his back, resting his head on his hands. "You're an enigma. I can't quite figure you out."

"Do you think you will?"

He looked over at her. "I hope I don't, actually."
"I'm good at surprising people."

"That I can believe." Damon rolled over onto his side, propping himself up on his hand. "What's the scariest bad guy you've ever faced?"

Buffy glanced at the pictures on her nightstand. There was one there of her and Willow smiling outside the Tower of London. "Willow."

"Your best friend?"

She looked back at Damon. "Yes."

"Was she evil before she met you?"

"No. Circumstances turned her into the bad guy for a little while." Damon waited expectantly. "Willow's girlfriend Tara was killed accidentally by this stupid guy who was trying to kill me. They'd just made up after being broken up for a while. Willow had become addicted to the magics and eventually it had been too much for Tara to take. She'd left and it had been the kick that Willow had needed. She recovered from her addiction and Tara came back." Buffy looked back at the picture. "The stray bullet went through the upstairs window and shot Tara straight through the heart while she was talking to Willow. Willow lost it. She was so angry. She went to the Magic Box…. The magic shop that Giles owned…. And she sucked up all the magic from the books there. She turned scary…. Black hair, black eyes, black clothes, black veins…. And she went after the guy that had killed Tara."

"Did you stop her?"

"Not in time. She flayed him alive before deciding that the world needed to be destroyed. She went to unearth some satanic temple that had been buried by an earthquake."

"How did you stop her?"

"I didn't. She trapped me down in an underground cavern fighting dirt demons. Xander is the one that stopped her. He got through to her because he's known her since they were little. Willow couldn't take what she'd done and all the magic that she'd sucked up was still inside her…. So Giles took her to England to study with a coven over there. It took her a long time to come to grips with what she'd done and what she'd lost."

"Wait…. Willow's a lesbian?"

"Yes."

"That's hot."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Why do guys insist that lesbians are the epitome of hot?"

"They're not 'the epitome of hot' but they're pretty damn sexy."
"Women don't think that way."

"Lesbians do."

That made Buffy laugh and Damon smiled. "I'm jealous."

"Of lesbians?"

"No. You look comfortable. I want to get comfortable."

"I thought you were."

"Leather and jeans are not comfortable. I'm going to go change." He stood up off the bed and turned to her. "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"My room. Why put such a good conversation on such a long hold when all you have to do is follow me?" He held out his hand and Buffy took it, standing up off the bed and following Damon to his room. He shut the door behind them and Buffy went to inspect his beautiful four poster bed.

"The last time I was in here, I didn't realize what a pretty bed this is."

"We were kind of busy."

She looked around the room, admiring the colors of the room and the open bathroom. "Or how tasteful your decorating is." Her eyes came back around to rest on a now shirtless Damon.

He smirked. "I know that you noticed this."

"Yeah. Hard not to." She walked over to the bathroom mirror and inspected herself while Damon changed into a pair of loose pajama bottoms. "How do you know about Angelus and Spike?"

"I spent a lot of time over in Europe not long after I was turned, which was right around their heyday. I heard stories about them from other vampires of my kind. How evil they were. How sadistic Angelus and Darla were."

Buffy snorted. "Darla."

"Not a fan?"

She turned around and walked over to where Damon was now sitting on the edge of his bed. "Not in the least. She tried to kill me once. Angel staked her."

"He killed his sire for you? He really did love you."

"Yeah." Buffy looked at Damon. "How did you die?"

"Random question."

"I told you I surprise people."

Damon smirked. "My father shot me."

"You win! Your daddy issues trump mine."

"Stefan and I were trying to save Katherine. My father shot us to stop us. He didn't know that Katherine had fed us her blood not too long before that." He pulled her onto the bed and rolled them so he was on top for a few seconds. He smirked and rolled off her, settling on his side next to her. She rolled to her side and looked up at him. "How about you, Little-Miss-Died-Twice? How did you die?"

"Which time?"

"Both."

"I drowned the first time. I went down to fight the Master and he bit me before dropping my unconscious self into a large pool of water. Xander and Angel came to my rescue and Xander brought me back."

"The second time?"

"I swan dived off a very high tower built by crazy people into a portal that led to hundreds of different hell dimensions to save my sister. Our blood was the key to closing it, so I jumped and the portal killed me."

"Who saved you that time?"

"No one. I was dead and buried for three months."

"You're here now. And I'm pretty sure you're not a ghost." He squeezed her hand to prove his point.

Buffy rolled over onto her back, letting go of his hand, and looked away. "My friends figured that since the portal that killed me led to hell, then that's where I was…. So they brought me back."

Damon stared at Buffy for a long moment. "But they brought you to hell."

Buffy looked over at Damon, surprised that he had understood so quickly without her spelling it out. "Yes. I had found peace. I had been in heaven. And then I woke up in my coffin six feet under."

"You had to crawl out of your own grave?" Buffy nodded, unconsciously rubbing her knuckles. It was a habit of hers whenever she thought about that night. Damon moved her hair gently off her shoulder, his fingers lingering against her skin for a moment. "I'm sorry."

"I don't remember too many specifics of it anymore…. Those started fading as soon as I came back…. Just that I was happy and I knew that everyone I loved was going to be ok."

"I can't imagine being ripped away from that by those loved ones. I probably wouldn't love them anymore. You must be a saint or an angel or something."

"I hated my friends for a while, but I had never planned on telling them what they'd done."

"But you did?"

"In a song. Xander summoned a demon that turned the entire town into a bad Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. We sang everything and couldn't stop ourselves. My big number revealed my big secret to my friends." She looked back up at him. "Can we change topics? I don't like this one anymore."

"Ok." Damon thought for a second, scooting closer to her and lying down on his back. He reached out and threaded his fingers through hers. "Why did you decide to stay in Mystic Falls?"

"I don't know. I was so upset after you killed Lexi and then Stefan wouldn't let me kill you…. I felt kinda lost. When Stefan offered me a room…. I don't know. It just felt right to accept it."

"Why didn't you try to kill me again after that night?"

"I promised Stefan I wouldn't."

"Didn't I tell you that if you got to know me, you would like me?"

"You did say that at one point."

"You know that Lexi was a big believer in 'everything happens for a reason', right? Maybe you were meant to come to Mystic Falls and stay. You and Elena have really hit it off and you seem to be really good friends with Jenna…."

"I actually think that Jenna and I are related."

"Really?"

"Distant cousins, but we had a discussion and I think the family tree needs to be checked."

"Fate."

"Figures. I've always been fate's bitch one way or another." Buffy sighed. "What time is it?"

Damon glanced at the clock on his nightstand. "A little after one in the morning."

"Have we really been talking that long?"

"Yes."

Buffy looked up at Damon. "I've had a really great time."

"I have to." He reached down and pulled her closer, pressing his lips against hers. The kiss lasted for a few moments before Buffy pulled away. Damon smiled slightly and laid her head against his chest, holding her to him as she intertwined her legs in his. "Tell me more about you."

"Sometimes I wish I could go back to the days before I was a Slayer."

He smiled to himself. "Sometimes I wish I could go back to the days before I met Katherine."

Buffy yawned. "Everything happens for a reason."