Hello. This is... something. An idea, a teaser perhaps, a prologue; something wide open and I'm not sure it's going anywhere yet. But here it is anyways.

Also: this is probably going to be Bamon and Carenzo, if it's going to be anything.

As always, thanks to anyone reading, and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

…

As a startled deer runs straight into Bonnie Bennett's car, her head smacks hard against the steering wheel, the car beginning to swerve, finding a way off the paved road and straight toward a cliff, the oblivious ocean looming below, and with a big leap it jumps right in.

It's a small silver car, the color of a fish, its occupants hanging lifelessly in their seats, not even stirring when the loud splash of the water shakes the vehicle, sending it swimming, then sinking.

…

It has been a calm day up until this point. The two men have been working with their small knives, scraping away at the rocks near the tide pools. Their fingers are numb from the cold water, their bare feet sore from hours and hours of walking across the rough surface to get to the treasure they're out here to collect: mussels.

The explosive sound erupting not far behind them is an almost welcome distraction and they exchange a glance, bright eyes meeting dark, before they turn around again, springing into action. Scrambling to their feet, one roughly nudges his companion.

"We gotta get them out of the water."

"What?"

"Whoever's been driving the car - we have to get them out."

Damon Salvatore doesn't wait for a reply, doesn't see the answering nod, because he's already turning toward the water, his feet carrying him across the rocks until he's closer to the open ocean. Behind him, he can hear his friend following along, Enzo's feet making the same harsh noise as his own against the too rough ground. They'll pay for this. The next few days they'll be in awful pain, their feet getting ripped to shreds on the rocks, but what does it matter when there's someone fighting for their life out there?

So, with one determined leap, Damon goes into the water, looking up as if to follow the trajectory the car must have taken on its way down.

Okay, he thinks, the car is somewhere out there, and its driver doesn't have much time. Because these people, whoever they are, they're almost certainly not like him, or Enzo, or any of their kind. Whoever is down there needs to get out of the water, and fast.

With only a vague idea, he swims out toward the depth of the sea, letting the water swallow him as he begins his dive, confident that Enzo is somewhere behind him, doing the same. His arms are parting the water, creating whirls that propel him forward, ever deeper, where the water grows colder, the light dimmer.

Then he sees her, a sleeping figure lolling in the water that has entered her silvery cage, brown tresses like seaweed swaying around her head, obscuring her face with every other whoosh of water, yet it's enough for him to get a glimpse of soft features, colored like the earth he usually stays away from.

Not now.

This woman needs his help, and he's not so heartless as to let her die, no matter what his father has ingrained in him over the years. Not everything coming from the land is bad.

A touch against his shoulder makes him whirl around just as he's begun busying himself with trying to find a way inside the car, and Enzo's face appears before him, features hard as he signs to Damon.

~ Guiseppe won't like this. ~

~ Sucks for him. ~

~ Damon… ~

~ Since when do you care what my father will or won't like? He didn't like Lily's decision concerning you either, sailor. I'm sure I don't have to remind you… ~

Damon can't help a small smile crossing his features at the grim glare Enzo shoots him. Then he turns away again to focus back on the stranger. Her time is running out.

And she's not alone. There's another girl in there with her, her hair a halo around her face, her eyelids fluttering as she struggles against unconsciousness.

When the door won't budge, he swims over to the back, using his knife to hack against the window until it breaks. There is no time to wait for the glittery fragments to settle so he pushes himself into the space beside the girls, fumbling with their seatbelts before using his trusty knife yet again to cut the band apart.

Now to get them out of here…

An ominous squeaking sound makes him brace himself, and he motions for Enzo to take one girl while he takes the other. He wraps his arms around her waist, and for the first time feels her skin against his, her bare midriff grazing his arm and it's as if a bolt of electricity goes through him, which of course is a silly thought.

~ Hurry, mate, that thing is going down the trench. ~

Enzo is there now, holding the other girl in his arm while Damon is still busy getting the earthen creature out of her wet almost-grave. He's pushing a way out from inside, never letting go of the girl.

His mind is awhirl, not unlike the growing pull of water around them as the car's descent accelerates. Enzo is right, it's headed for the depth of the trench, and not even he could survive down there. No one can. They need to hurry before the vortex grows too strong for them.

Shit, he curses as he feels the water tug on his legs, his body, feels the temperature sink dramatically. It's too cold, too dark, the pressure of the water growing as the car pulls them down. Maybe if he'd let go of the girl... She's probably dead already anyways.

~ Damon! ~

He doesn't realize it until it's almost too late, how he is drifting down further and further, just letting it happen, his legs, his arms so tired, his head so empty.

Enzo's sudden grip on his left arm pulls him back, literally and figuratively, but he stares at his friend with wonder for another few seconds, watching bubbles spiral out from where the other man is trying to get both him and the girls up toward the surface now, before he finally shakes himself out of his strange stupor and uses his legs again, fast strokes to help get them all up, up, up - until they finally break through the surface, where he takes a big heaving breath, then checks on the lifeless girl still in his arm, treading water as he does.

She's not breathing.

His hair is plastered to his face, he can barely see. They're further out now, the shoreline smaller in the distance.

"We gotta get her out of here, do CPR," he half wheezes out toward Enzo, who shakes wet hair out of his face and nods before they drag both girls toward land.

"Bonnie," the stranger hanging off of Enzo's arm chokes out, sputtering as the water sloshes around them, and somewhere Damon stores that information for later use.

Bonnie. So that's her name.

The ocean is cold this time of year, too cold, and he's more exhausted than he realized before, his muscles seizing up as he pushes himself to keep going. He risks a glance at the girl's soft face. The halfmoons of her dark long lashes are so still, her eyebrows almost chiseled, her lips, her cheeks too pale, and an ache spreads inside of him at watching the salty water wash over her face, wanting to claim her.

Such a beautiful face.

This girl, she can't die now, can't be dead. Please.