Sixth Evening

Most of the following school day was a blur for Bonnie, but this time her absentmindedness wasn't caused by the numbing grief over her grandmother's death. Not noticing Elena's wary looks at her, she dreamily stared out the window, her chin resting on her hand as her thoughts whirled around the kiss that still tingled on her lips and the memory of a pair of arms holding her in a strong embrace.

She didn't know if she would want to experience this feeling again and if the disturbing feeling she felt could be called hope.

Bonnie counted the minutes on each of the classrooms' clocks, until finally she was able to leave school and be alone with her thoughts. With her summer dress fluttering around her she hastened herself to the parking lot and stepped into her car.

Then she pulled out of the parking lot and drove away, not noticing that she was being stared at from the woods by beady, black eyes.

When she came home, Bonnie went to her room where she reluctantly forced herself to start writing on that photosynthesis essay for Biology that really needed to be finished and so she didn't notice when the sun started to set and the shady, half-light of dusk veiled the world outside. At that moment a sudden, croaking "Caw!" coming from outside cut through her concentration.

She flinched and spun around, her eyes widening in shock. There, outside on the windowsill, sat a familiar looking crow, watching her with beady black eyes.

Immediately, Bonnie rushed toward the window and threw it open. The crow hopped up and flapped its wings, but didn't fly away.

"Where have you been?!"

Blinking its eyes, the black bird backed off a bit at Bonnie's positively livid expression. "Don't you know how long I've waited for you to come back and you didn't! I thought I had done something wrong… At one point I even thought you were… dead." She choked the last word. It actually had been the ending of a particularly horrible nightmare, before she woke up covered in sweat, when she'd seen the inanimate body of a crow lying underneath the staircase of an old, stately house.

Staring at her, the crow croaked softly at her words. It almost sounded like an apology.

Carefully, he hipped closer and cocked his little head.

Bonnie looked down on the small creature and slowly she felt her features relax under his loveable appearance as the furious expression left her gaze. With a shaky smile she shook her head and a moment later, she sat down on the window seat with a crumbled biscuit in her hands. "Here, you don't deserve it, but you're the only one who eats them anyway."

She lowered her hands toward the windowsill and the crow immediately hopped into her palms, his nervousness gone.

Bonnie allowed herself a small smile at the sight and leaned her head against the window frame, looking at a point in the distance. "You know, I really missed you. You've been the only one I could talk to about... well, everything. And since you left, a lot of strange things have happened. Do you remember when I told you about Damon Salvatore?"

She looked down on the black bird in her hands and for a moment it seemed as if the bird stopped picking up crumbs.

"I think you do. Apart from my Grams he's been the person I talked about the most," she said softly. "And from the moment you disappeared, I keep bumping into him. At first he just showed up and looked like he wanted to talk to me. He never did though, until that day on the parking lot at school when I sort of... confronted him and something... happened."

Bonnie lowered her gaze, insecurity flashing over her face. "It seemed like there was some kind of connection formed between him and me, in which I could see all of his loneliness displayed for me and without even wanting it, I sort of reached out."

She didn't notice that the crow had now forgotten about the crumbs and looked up at her with an intense gaze. "I've never really thought about it before, but he protected Emily's entire lineage of witches. Including me. He still wants to protect me, even after Emily's betrayal. And it makes me wonder: what does he know about Emily and the agreement they had? What has he done to keep me safe? And where does that leave us? Have I ever met him, even before Elena met Stefan?"

The crow clicked its beak and cocked its head.

"And yesterday, he appeared again, when I was studying witching lessons in the front yard."

A delicate blush graced her cheeks and she suddenly looked away shyly. "He offered to help me with my witching lessons. He… kissed me." The last words she whispered as she lowered her gaze. The bird didn't move, he only watched her while she talked. His intense gaze somehow compelled her to confess softly, "It felt nice. In fact, it was the best kiss I have ever had, but I also don't understand why. Why does he keep showing up? What does he want with me? Doe he want to use me again? But somehow doesn't feel that way. It almost feels like... he wants to be with me, in spite of Elena. That doesn't make any sense though. Why me? Is it my blood? I know that he longs for my blood..." Her expression momentarily darkened, as if the possibility regretted her.

Then she shook off the bitter thought and a mock smile appeared on her lips. "I think that my powers spice it up a bit."

The croaks the crow let out now definitely sounded like human laughter and Bonnie's smile widened to a grin.

For a moment, she was silent as she absentmindedly cupped her hands round the bird. Shivers of pleasure went through its little body at her careful touch.

She sighed. "Is it possible to loathe and even hate somebody, while at the same time you feel a fluttering in your heart the moment that he lowers his guard for you - the only witch in town, the one person he's bound to protect…"

The bird in her hands had become completely still as her voice trailed away, his black gaze fixed on the young witch's lovely features. He opened his beak and croaked softly. Immediately, she looked down on her pet bird, one of her curls falling onto his equally dark feathers and she chuckled softly, brushing off her discomfort. "A nice pair we are. The witch and her crow. The only thing we'll be needing now is a black cat."

The crow cocked its head and called indignantly, causing Bonnie to grin. "I already thought so. But it was worth a try."

Ruffling his feathers, the crow settled down on her palms and looked up at her contently. For a few peaceful moments they sat there in silence, as a full moon rose in the east. Then Bonnie looked down and slowly withdrew one of her hands, lifting it up.

The crow had noticed her movement and nervously his beady eyes followed her hand hovering over him.

"Hush," Bonnie whispered calmingly. "Don't worry. I only want to touch you."

Gingerly, her fingers brushed his black feathers and when the crow didn't back away, they added some more pressure to her caresses of his small, lithe body, trailing down the little head and his back.

The crow had been sitting in her palms motionlessly until then, but now started to relax and pulled in its neck, basking in the witch's caresses.

Bonnie withdrew her hand when a pair of headlights slowly approached the house. Opening his almost closed little eyes, the crow slightly flapped his wings in her hand, in silent protest.

"It's time," she whispered regretfully, "but there's always tomorrow evening."

The crow hopped from her hands and onto the windowsill, ruffling his feathers. Then he suddenly flew up and landed on her shoulder. Bonnie stiffened in shock upon feeling the sharp claws grabbing a hold on her soft skin for stability and she gasped when he brushed his smooth beak against her earlobe, giving it an affectionate nibble.

Then he took off and disappeared into the darkness.

Seventh Evening

The following evenings the crow landed on the windowsill like before as Bonnie finished her studying and went to sit by the open window. He loved to nestle in her cupped hands and enjoy the feeling of her fingers caressing him. Sometimes though, he went to sit upon her shoulder as she leaned against the window frame and he made that alluring, purring sound whenever she lifted her hand to stroke his smooth, bluish black feathers.

Dusk once again had become the witch's favorite time of day.

It hadn't gone by unnoticed by Elena that Bonnie seemed to finally be recovering from the deep depression after her grandmother's death. The numbness had retreated, making way for the real, lively Bonnie to return. Elena felt grateful that Sheila's grimoire had such a positive effect on her granddaughter and often found herself astonished at the spells the young witch had learned. Her powers were growing rapidly.

The only thing that worried her, was the fact that lately a black crow was often seen in Bonnie's vicinity. Elena had noticed the bird watching her on several occasions, only to fly away when she or Stefan inconspicuously shooed him, the last often with a hard stare. Her friend didn't seem to notice the black bird following her though, so Elena kept quiet about it as to not burden her.

The next Wednesday however, Elena had said goodbye to Bonnie and walked toward her SUV, when she saw the crow openly perched on the roof of Bonnie's Prius. Her eyes widened and her gaze flashed toward Bonnie, whom, to her dismay, had seen the bird as well and let out a surprised gasp. Elena waited for Bonnie to shoo the crow, but to her utter astonishment, her friend lifted her hand and let the crow hop onto it, smiling as she even petted the bird.

For a moment, Elena wondered in bewilderment if Bonnie knew, as she watched Damon cock his head and croak softly at the witch. She took a few steps forward, when Damon saw her and with a slight ruffling of his feathers took off.

"You know, with you being a witch and all, I thought you'd be more careful around crows."

Bonnie turned around in surprise at hearing Elena's voice behind her. The initial joy of suddenly seeing her crow waiting for her on her car, had changed into disappointed when he unexpectedly flew away and now she met with a gaze she could only describe as disapproval. She didn't like it.

Bonnie frowned. "Were you watching me?"

"That's not the point, Bonnie," Elena replied, narrowing her eyes. "It seems that you're quite familiar with that crow and I strongly advise you to keep your distance from him."

Bonnie's eyes widened in disbelief. "You did not just tell me to stay away from a bird. You talk about it as if it's a person."

Elena turned a little red under her apparent sarcasm. "Look, I'm only saying this for your own good. I don't want you to get hurt even more after what happened..." To her surprise her voice sounded insincere to her own ears.

A pained expression for a moment passed over Bonnie's features, then she shook her head. "All this isn't making any sense to me, but to me it sounds awfully like you are jealous, Elena. Jealous of the attention a crow is giving me."

The color on Elena's cheeks brightened. "Oh, you think I am? Well, maybe you should know that..."

Her words were cut off, when her gaze crossed Stefan who had suddenly showed up next to her SUV and was staring at her with an intense expression on his face. Her eyes widened.

"I have to go," she said hastily and before Bonnie could comprehend her strange behavior, Elena had already turned around and headed for her own car.

That evening Bonnie sat down on the window seat after having finished her homework for both school and witching lessons and enjoyed the warm summer breeze caressing her skin, while the scent of the roses underneath her window filled the air. Her thoughts drifted back to the awkward conversation about the crow she'd had with Elena this afternoon. She'd never seen Elena acting this... strange. And the things she had said seemed utter nonsense. However, her words somehow had stirred a feeling of unrest in Bonnie, as if her friend had appealed to instincts she'd buried deep inside when she grew more and more attached to her crow. Her crow...

A soft croak pulled her from her thoughts and Bonnie looked down to see the crow sitting next to her hand, his head cocked as he ruffled his feathers.

"Oh," she sighed. "Birdie." But instead of cupping her hands for him to hop onto, she stayed still and merely stared at the bird on the windowsill.

He was a crow like every other crow, a bird of medium size, with gleaming black feathers and intelligent, beady eyes. She'd grown to love this bird and every evening when he alighted on the windowsill and would hop into her hands, she would like to think that he liked being with her, liked to be petted by her, for he had even come back when she'd run out of biscuits.

The crow seemed surprised by her withdrawn reaction, because he suddenly flew up and landed on her knee. This was as close to the window as he'd ever been. He croaked indignantly as what seemed to be a questioning gaze appeared in his black eyes.

But Bonnie simply looked back, then asked, "What is it about you I should be afraid of? Why did Elena wanted to warn me about you?"

The crow stilled, probably from the serious tone in her voice. He blinked.

For a long moment, Bonnie silently studied him, imagining that the bird was staring back at her with a reproachful gaze in his gleaming little eyes. Finally, she sighed and slowly reached out. With her index-finger she stroked his little head, eliciting a purring sound from the bird. A small smile lit up her tense features.

"I don't want to stay away from you," she whispered, as her thumb stroked his soft feathers. She shifted so she would cup her hands for him to jump into, which the bird immediately did. "You've helped me through the loss of my Grams, you're there when I need someone to talk to and it always seem like you actually... understand."

The crow cocked its head as if nodding and with a bit more decisiveness Bonnie added, "I won't let you be taken away from me. You're my crow."

"Caw!"

With a ruffling of its feathers, the crow called indignantly and Bonnie smiled as he cocked his little head. "I'll just pretend that you agree with me, Birdie."

The crow simply clicked its beak and peacefully nestled into her hands, as Bonnie relaxed against the windowsill, thoughtfully looking into the general direction of her grandmother's old house.

She hadn't been lying. The bird had helped build up the courage to face the world and to face life again and now that he was here to stay, she felt that she was finally ready to take the last step in the healing process.

"I've decided to visit Grams' house tomorrow after school," she said quietly and the crow looked up with a surprised gaze in his beady eyes. "I feel I'm ready now... thanks to you, Birdie."

The crow cocked its head and almost contently croaked at her words.

For a moment, Bonnie remained silent as she absentmindedly stroked the bird's feathers, enjoying the shivers of pleasure that coursed through his little body, as she watched the last rays of the sun disappearing behind the dense wood that loomed behind the front yard. Darkness had fallen over Mystic Falls.

The crow started to move in her hands and she knew that was almost time. The regretful moment for her bird to disappear into the woods. "It's almost time for you to go now, Birdie."

She cast a last glance on the dark trees across from the house. "I just wish..."

Her voice trailed away hesitantly as a blush colored her cheeks, but the crow looked up at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue.

Then Bonnie confessed quietly, "I just wish I was a crow and I could follow you wherever you're going when you leave at night..."

With a surprised sound the crow clicked his beak and completely stilled his movements at her longing words.

"Bonnie? Who are you talking to?" A voice came from the other side of her bedroom door. Bonnie's head snapped up. It was her father. She hadn't even noticed him coming home. And neither had the crow apparently.

"Ehm, just some bird, dad. He comes here sometimes for some biscuit," she replied hastily, hoping that her father wouldn't decide to come in. But after a moment of silence, her father replied absentmindedly, "Oh, ok, honey. Just don't let him soil the entire windowsill."

Bonnie's eyes widened and a nervous giggle escaped her as the crow flapped its wings in silent protest, utterly affronted.

"I'm sorry," the young witch mouthed at him as she lowered her hands to let him hop onto the windowsill.

The crow flapped its wings, understanding that it needed to be silent and clicked its beak as Bonnie made to go inside her room, a spot of black against her white windowsill, seemingly equally reluctant to leave. On an impulse, she bowed forward and brushed her lips against his little head in the smallest of caresses, making the bird go completely rigid as he stared at her with an unreadable look in his beady eyes. Then he suddenly took off and disappeared around the house.

"See you tomorrow, Birdie," she whispered regretfully and closed the window.

Eighth Evening

Apparently, the crow had understood that he would bring Bonnie into trouble if he approached her in public, so he refrained from doing so while she was at school and Bonnie thought it best to let Elena believe that she'd followed her advice. Instead, she and Elena talked about the spells she'd learned in the past few days. Witching lessons were far more interesting than math.

That afternoon Bonnie didn't go straight home, but true to her resolution, she let her hands turn the wheel and for the first time in what felt forever, follow the familiar road to her Grams' old home. Her heart hammered in her chest.

When the salmon colored house came into view, Bonnie subconsciously slowed down, her eyes filling with tears when she parked.

As the blood pounded in her ears, she gingerly got out of the car and turned toward the front door. She took a deep, shaking breath to calm herself, then tightened her grip around the keys and with a determined face, walked up the front porch.

Bonnie didn't know how long she had been inside, wandering through the empty, tastefully furnished rooms, here and there pulling open drawers and running her hands across the polished wooden side tables and heavy curtains. The spirit of her Grams was still very much present in her home, as if she could appear from the dining room every moment.

But it didn't hurt Bonnie anymore. The few tears she'd shed when she found herself in the vestibule had quickly dried and after she'd gotten over her hesitation, she deeply enjoyed being in her grandmother's house and a warm feeling glowed inside of her.

When the sun turned away from the windows in the living room, Bonnie stepped out of the house and allowed herself to sit down for a moment on the front porch steps, like she had done so often when she was a child.

She leaned her head against the smooth white pillar and her eyes wandered over the surroundings, as her sandaled foot absentmindedly drew circles in a heap of sand. It was the last thing she saw before she sunk away in an exhausted but peaceful sleep.

He shouldn't be here. He really shouldn't. But when she'd told him that she would be here the entire afternoon, he couldn't resist the urge to go see her. Maybe it was curiosity, maybe it was worry, it could even be the unnerving and quickly growing feeling of longing for her, but he didn't really mind. All of his doubts were forgotten as she stepped from the woodland shade and spotted her small frame resting against the pillar on her grandmother's front porch. She appeared to be asleep.

With vampire speed he rushed up to her and stopped right before her to look down on her as conflicted feelings passed over his face.

Not too long ago, Damon had been standing in another girl's bedroom, watching her sleep in his endless loneliness, but as the source of his love for the image of her, his addiction, had been proven false, he couldn't remember ever having felt this moved by the sight of a young woman sleeping. Contrarily to Elena, Bonnie wasn't the incarnation of her early nineteenth century ancestor, though Emily's strong, yet delicate features had survived through the generations and showed in her young descendant's charming face.

Emily had been the only person whom had always been able to unnerve him, whom he had actually feared and if it hadn't been for Katherine, he would have stayed away from her as far as possible. But in their need to save their loved ones, they had surprisingly found each other, though it had condemned him to watch over her offspring into eternity.

Damon knelt down and stretched out his hand to gently trail his finger along Bonnie's cheek and exposed neckline. To his surprise, she didn't wake up.

Bonnie Bennett. The last witch of Emily's line and the least experienced one at that too. True to his word, he had protected her like the other witches before her and Emily's betrayal hadn't made him rethink his side of the bargain. Unknowingly, even unbeknownst to himself either, she'd taken a special place in his heart which he thought had been broken after Katherine's betrayal. He wondered if Emily had ever foreseen for that to happen, or would approve of him caressing her descendant like a lover.

His expression softened as he gently brushed away a curl and his gaze trailed toward Bonnie's neck, seeing the vein that barely visibly pulsed underneath her caramel skin. He pulled back his hand.

A network of dark veins appeared around his suddenly blackening eyes as he deeply inhaled. His nostrils were filled with the sweet scent of Emily's powerful lineage that ran through Bonnie's veins. The memory of her taste had stayed with him ever since he'd sunken his teeth into her and had left him hungering for more. When he had kissed her on the front lawn he'd been able to contain himself, but on her grandmother's front porch, her intoxicating scent mixing with the scent of the roses surrounding the house, he fought a lost fight.

Slowly but determinedly he leaned in, his face only inches from hers as the crease between her eyebrows deepened. His nose then touched her soft cheek and drew a line toward her earlobe until his lips hovered above her exposed neck. He closed his eyes as he lightly grazed her incredibly soft skin and the tip of his tongue peeked through his slightly parted lips, tracing the place where the vampire was going to attack.

Then he suddenly sighed and drew back with supernatural speed, catching her hand before it was going to grab his arm.

She looked at him with wide eyes. For a moment, they were rooted to their spots, watching each other as Damon's eyes returned to normal.

"What made you stop?" The witch whispered, breaking the silence.

Damon shook his head and loosened his grip on Bonnie's arm.

"You." His conflicted tone betrayed the feelings of relief and regret that coursed through him as he looked down on her.

Bonnie processed this, then lifted her hand to her neck, hiding it from view. Her gaze met his. "Next time I will set you on fire," she stated simply, the danger behind her threatening announcement crystal clear without the use of rightful anger. Damon blinked and narrowed his eyes, before he sat down next to her, his arms loosely resting on his knees.

Bonnie shifted somewhat closer to her pillar. "What are you doing here?"

A bitter expression momentarily flashed through Damon's ice blue eyes. He looked at her from the corner of his eye, a serious yet wary expression in his ice blue eyes. "Next question please."

Bonnie carefully let go of her neck and rested her hands in her lap. The vampire next to her noticed how the soft yellow of the thin cotton dress complimented her skin. Imperceptibly to Bonnie, his eyes softened.

"How did you know I was here?" She finally asked. "I have told nobody."

Damon merely cocked his head. "I have my sources," he replied enigmatically, not explaining himself and Bonnie's eyes traveled over his sharp profile as he stared into the distance a little absentmindedly. Her gaze came to rest upon his lips which just now had grazed her neck but only yesterday had been pressed against hers, parting for her to taste their softness... A feeling she very much wanted to experience again. Her eyes widened at the direction her thoughts had taken and quickly she averted her gaze, focusing on the straps of her sandals instead.

"That was a brave thing to do, little witch."

Bonnie blinked at his unexpected remark. "What?"

"The visit." With a little jerk of his head he motioned to the house behind them. "How do you feel?"

"Oh, I..." She looked at the circles in the sand underneath her feet. How did she feel? Relieved, she guessed, that she had finally come to peace with her grandmother's passing. "Better than I had expected," she then answered honestly. "I only feel gladness for being back here where my Grams lived. The place still breathes her."

"Hmm," Damon cast a look over his shoulder and he frowned slightly as if he felt it too, the echoes of Sheila's presence here. It made him feel uncomfortable.

The young witch at his side noticed his reaction and it reminded her of the connection between the vampire and her family. "So," she spoke up quietly, the sound of her voice breaking the silence, "you protected every witch in Emily's line."

Damon grimaced slightly. "Yep, each and every one of them," he replied evenly, with a hint of self-mockery.

"Then you must really hate us by now," Bonnie stated matter-of-factly as only a hint of regret laced her voice.

At this Damon glanced at her from the corner of his eye, but then shook his head dismissively and a vague smile started to play around his lips. "Do you want me to?"

Bonnie sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. "I didn't say that," she said quietly. "... But I guess the correct answer would be - I don't care if you do."

Damon nodded. "You're a quick learner, little witch."

A thoughtful silence settled between the vampire and the witch sitting on the front porch, each divulged in their own thoughts, as they sometimes inconspicuously cast a glance at the other. The wind rustled through the high trees, playing with Bonnie's curls and Damon's sharp gaze followed her elegant movement as she pulled back the loose strands falling into her face. A crow called in the woods and she subconsciously straightened somewhat. The older Salvatore brother smiled.

"Do you like crows?"

A look of confusion passed over Bonnie's face and she blinked as she turned to face him. "What?"

Damon nodded toward the woods, where another crow responded to the first one. "Crows. I saw you reacting to their call. Do you like them?"

To her horror, Bonnie felt a deep blush creep to her cheeks. She didn't feel like telling him about her pet crow. Damon Salvatore for sure would be the one not to understand it.

She forced herself to shrug as she set an indifferent face. "Oh, not in particular. There's only one crow who sometimes visits my home and I give him some biscuits."

Damon frowned as a disbelieving expression flashed over his features, then he slightly narrowed his eyes and his gaze bore into hers. Bonnie couldn't move. "Didn't your grandmother tell you to be careful around crows?"

The ominous words lingered between them as Bonnie opened her mouth, then closed it again, captivated by his gaze.

"He makes me feel better," she then whispered. "Ever since my Grams' passing I was hurting so much. But the crow's visits somehow comforted me and I made me find the will to go on."

Damon's features hadn't changed while listening to her words, but something flickered in his eyes as her voice trailed away.

"That's quite an accomplishment for a bird," he finally said, but his voice held no trace of mockery. He even sounded a little bit jealous, Bonnie realized in astonishment until Damon turned his head to look at her, his indulgent smile distracting her.

"So, what do you talk about when he visits?" For some reason his gaze wandered toward her delicate, caramel hands and a longing expression momentarily passed over his face.

"I won't tell you that," Bonnie said, offended, thinking about all those times she'd mused about Damon himself and the confusing way she felt about him.

The vampire looked at her with an attentive gaze as his voice took on a velvety tone. "Really? You do know that you might only make me more curious about what my little witch talks about with the animals in the woods..."

Perhaps it had been his intention to persuade her into talking or to mock her, but his attempt failed as an amused smile formed on Bonnie's lips. "Well, your little witch is not planning on telling you, so you have to learn to live with it."

He grimaced at her choice of words. "Charming," he commented and Bonnie cast him a sweetly smile.

"So, how are things going with the witching lessons?"

Bonnie cocked her head and narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing his curious but rather innocent expression. Her heart sped up. She hated it when he looked at her that way. It made her heart leap up. "You seem pretty interested in them," she stated.

He smirked before the innocent look returned. "It's my duty to protect Emily's line of witches." His gaze held hers for a moment, then he continued on a softer tone, "... and if that means helping her last descendant to not give up on her magic..."

His voice trailed away and Bonnie blinked as she let the words sink in, then her eyes widened in realization. "The grimoire. Elena said it was Stefan who..."

"A little white lie. You wouldn't have accepted my help so easily."

Then his head suddenly snapped up. In the west the sun started to set. "It's time for me to go now, little witch." He quickly rose, then slightly leaned in to trail a finger along her caramel cheek.

"So soft," he whispered, before casting her one of his characteristic smirks.

On a human pace he strode toward the woods when the sound of Bonnie's voice made him stop and turn.

"Why do you keep showing up?" She had risen too and her hand lay on the wooden pillar as she watched him standing in the front yard, her heart racing in her chest.

For a moment, he didn't answer as he studied her and a melancholy expression passed over his face.

"Not everyone has a crow to turn to, little witch."

And with that he disappeared between the trees.

Half an hour later, Bonnie parked her car before her house and quickly went upstairs. She opened her window and leaned outside, thinking about the last words Damon had said before he had disappeared in the woods. His appearance at her grandmother's house had caught her completely off guard, but somehow it hadn't bothered her that he had been sitting there next to her on her grandmother's front porch. On the contrary, she couldn't deny the excited jolt of her heart she'd felt at seeing him, nor could she forget the fluttering of her heart when she discovered it had been him who had returned her grandmother's grimoire to her. A sigh escaped her as she massaged her temples while confusion about Damon's helpful behavior toward her absorbed her thoughts.

Finally, Bonnie turned away from the window and, ignoring her homework, she jumped onto her bed to start on that other, less ordinary homework. She hoped that she would be able to work up the concentration to do so.

Opening her grandmother's grimoire, she followed the instruction and leafed to the page Sheila's instructions sent her to. A spell for summoning animals.

Bonnie's eyes started to gleam in excitement as she read the words. This could get interesting. Her curls falling over her forehead, she started to read the directions. The spell was a difficult one to learn, so the grimoire instructed her to start with the focus on an animal she had a strong connection with.

Bonnie's slender finger rested on the elegantly written words as the young witch suddenly regretted not having all kinds of pets wandering around the house, though she had never really cared for them.

As Bonnie frowned in thought a gush of wind came in through the open window, making the net curtains billow. She shivered as she sat up, noticing the false light preceding twilight. A smile broke through her serious features.

Closing her eyes, Bonnie focused on the crow.

Stefan looked up from his book in shock, when he heard a startled cry and a loud thud, followed by a pained groan and muffled curses coming from the bathroom, where Damon had just shut off the water.

Lately, it had become a daily routine for his older brother to fresh himself up at sunset and disappear for a couple of hours, always in his crow form. He didn't bother to hide his actions for Stefan, who had some suspicions on where he went, but since he'd also noticed that Damon seemed to be recovering from the disaster at the tomb and nothing bad happened, he let things be.

In the blink of an eye, Stefan had appeared upstairs and opened the bathroom door. His eyes widened. Sprawled on the bathroom floor was his brother. Damon was clenching the bathtub as an invisible force violently tugged on his body.

Stefan raised his eyebrows. "What are you doing?"

Damon glared at him. "How would I know? One moment I'm taking a shower, the next moment I'm knocked out of the bathtub and smashed against the door."

A small smirk curled up Stefan's mouth as he leaned against the doorframe and watched his brother fight a lost fight to stay inside of the bathroom. Another pull peeled loose his fingers and with a painful bang against the doorpost Damon flew through the doorway, past his brother and through the hall. His body then fell down the banister and inevitably drew toward the front door. Stefan's smirk broadened as he heard Damon's distressed voice call, "Wipe that smirk from your face and at least throw me a towel!"

Only obeying the second command, Stefan flashed down the stairs and threw his brother the towel to cover himself.

"Looks like witchcraft to me. Made one angry with you again?" He commented amusedly, before he lazily strolled toward the front door as the other Salvatore struggled to put on the towel.

Damon's eyes widened. "You wouldn't…"

"Do what…?" Stefan asked innocently and opened the door wide. Then he watched his older brother disappear outside with a startled cry.

As Damon helplessly rushed through the darkening sky, Stefan's words and the direction he moved into made him widen his eyes in realization. Shit.

He tried to change into his crow form, but the foreign pull on his body interfered with his own powers and he could only watch as the familiar house inescapably drew near.

Bonnie's eyes shot open, her concentration breaking immediately when she heard a loud bang and a series of colorful curses coming from outside her window. Her head snapped into the direction of the window seat and she watched in horror as Damon Salvatore scrambled to stay on the small windowsill. He helplessly tried to grab a hold onto something, wearing... nothing but a towel.

"What are you doing here?" She shrieked in panic.

"You tell me." Damon glared at her as he tried to stabilize himself against the wall.

"I didn't call you! I was summoning…" Bonnie's eyes widened in shock.

"Yes…?" Maybe now was a good time to change into his crow form.

"Oh God," Bonnie whispered as she stepped back, her hand before her mouth as she looked about to faint. Ok, maybe not.

"You know, a little help here would be appreciated, little witch." Damon tried for a charming smile, but in his uncomfortable position it came out as a grimace.

"I can't let you in," she responded automatically and his face fell. "You summoned me!"

"I didn't!" Bonnie seemed genuinely panicked now and started to pace around in her room as she looked at him from the corner of her eye.

"Oh! And what would you have done when the crow would have slammed against the protection or even the wall next to your window? Do you honestly think he would've survived that?" Damon winced at the thought.

"I… I…" she looked up. "I hadn't really thought about that," she replied lamely. "I didn't know the power had such speed…"

"Well, now you do," Damon groaned and pushed himself against the wall. "So, can I come in now?"

"Can't you just… let yourself fall onto the lawn or something? I mean, you can't actually die." Bonnie came closer hesitantly, a begging look in her eyes, but Damon suddenly looked over his shoulder. Despite his awkward situation, he was distracted by something. Finally, he turned back, eyebrows raised in a mocking expression.

"And jump right before your father's car, naked?"

Bonnie gasped and rushed to the window, seeing the headlights of her father's car heading for the house. Oh no, he had come home early!

Her panicked look crossed Damon's and he cocked his head, smirking.

"Oh, for the love of… Come in!"

In whatever impossible way, Grams is gonna kill me.

"You can turn around now, little witch." Damon's mocking voice pulled her from the frantic thoughts whirling around in her head. "It's safe."

Hesitantly, she did as he said, immensely relieved to see his lean body decently covered by the jeans and the old, striped sweater she'd snatched from her father's closet before he'd entered the house. Thank God, it was his routine to go to the kitchen first.

She let her gaze travel over Damon's appearance. The conventional clothes, so different from his dark designer outfits, made him look strangely innocent. As her eyes lingered on the vampire standing in the middle of her room, hands lazily in his pockets, she tried to forget the image of his pale, sculptured body as he elegantly climbed through her window and straightened to his full length. She failed terribly.

"Like what you see?"

Bonnie's eyes widened in shock and to her horror she felt the blood rush to her cheeks as he looked at her with an indulgent half-smile. His hair, still moist from the shower he'd been taking, was falling playfully over his forehead.

"What?! No! I..." she immediately tore her gaze from him and continued her agitated pacing until Damon suddenly reached out, willing her to turn toward the vampire that blocked her view on the window.

For a long, painful moment they remained quiet, then Bonnie balled her fists and clenched her teeth. "So, you can change into a crow." It wasn't a question.

She cast a quick gaze at him, giving him a momentarily insight into the incredible hurt in her eyes. "You led me on. I told you... everything. You horrible, evil..." Her voice was low from anger and grief choked her words. The tears burned behind her eyes. She felt utterly betrayed. With a face contorted in fury she heaved her hand as if to slap him only for it to fall powerlessly alongside her body.

"Why?" She whispered brokenly. "Why does it always have to be me?"

Damon looked down on the devastated girl - his little witch as mixed feelings passed over his face. He was touched by her words. And she was right. Why did it always had to be her who had to suffer the consequences of his actions? Was it because she was Emily's descendant he couldn't leave her be?

Though she would never believe him now, the moment he'd landed on her windowsill for the first time, he'd really wanted to support her, to help her over her loss of her grandmother. At the same time he'd felt drawn to her because of the recognition he'd felt when seeing the emptiness in her eyes. If he were honest with himself, the scent of her blood had pulled him toward her, too.

He knew she would never have allowed him in her proximity, so he'd resolved to approach her in his crow form. It had worked. After a hesitant beginning, she'd opened up to him in a way which had surprised him, but which had also become balsam to his own, scarred soul. She had been blissfully ignorant of who he was and slowly he'd come to know this descendant of Emily's he'd been watching over ever since she was born - the little witch as he'd began to call her. He noticed that, although she seemed to suppress it in her teenage need to be normal, she had a wisdom that went beyond her years. A subconscious knowing that came with her dormant powers, which unnerved him but at the same time intrigued him to no extent.

During the long days of hanging around in the Salvatore Boarding House, he'd started to long for the moment when twilight set in and he would change into his crow form, before flying to the Bennetts' home. He couldn't believe how much he'd gotten attached to the little witch in such a short time. She had become a bright spot of light in the darkness following Katherine's betrayal. Even Stefan had noticed, but had refrained from asking.

He had been glad that she hadn't been able see the look of expectation on his face, eager for the moment when she would fold her hands around his feathered body and talk about the things that occupied her thoughts.

Surprisingly, he had taken a large part in that. She seemed horribly conflicted about his behavior. She hated him for his ruthlessness but at the same time she wasn't able to forget the moments when he'd been forced to lower his guard to her and had shown a glimpse of the hidden Damon, the human Damon.

Which was not a good thing. Either for her or for him.

As a witch she should be cursing the ground he walked on. But his true identity was safe behind the crow's black plumage and instead she showed him warmth and her blissful scent made him lower his guard even more each passing night. That was, until she unwittingly confronted him with the loss of Katherine. Hard. He had refrained from visiting the house during the evenings, but noticed that he couldn't bear to lose sight of her, after he'd already lost her loving embrace. Of course she'd noticed him popping up everywhere and he had received her glares with an impassive face as melancholy stung his cold heart at the memory of the moments when she would smile down on him. He'd actually felt glad when she finally had come up to him and broke through the impasse. And then it had happened. That moment in which he'd lost control of himself and was taken over completely by an alien force that freed him from the hurt his attachment to Katherine had brought him, until he'd belatedly responded to her question about the mate he missed. Only then he realized that she, descendant of the powerful witch posing as Katherine's hand maiden, actually might be worthy.

The next day he'd planned on returning to her window as a crow, but when he'd noticed her sitting on the front lawn, he'd decided on impulse not to land on the branch with view on her bedroom window, like he'd done before, but walk up to her in his human… well, vampire form. Suddenly, he had wanted her to get to know him, to smile up at the person he truly was. The memory of their kiss still burned on his lips. It had made him follow her to her grandmother's house the day afterwards.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, looking at the door with a troubled gaze. For once, he was at a loss for words, other than a sincere apology.

Bonnie froze. Here she was and in the moment of her greatest despair he… apologized. He actually apologized.

As a rule, Damon Salvatore didn't apologize to anyone, since apparently he didn't do regret either. But now she heard the words fall from his lips in a low tone and it felt sincere. She was suddenly reminded of the way the crow would softly croak, before he would nestle in her cupped hands and look up at her with its cocked head. Her breath hitched as she stared up at him and the pieces of the puzzle finally came together.

The black feathered animal she'd grown attached to had been revealed to be the one person of whom she'd rather see his back, but when she looked into Damon's ice blue eyes she recognized the proud but affectionate bird in him, watching her with an intent gaze.

Tears she had managed to bite back now freely started to flow down her cheeks and she bowed her head. "Was it real? Oh God, tell me that it was real," she choked with a raspy voice.

Damon looked down on Bonnie's bowed head, her face hidden by black curls.

"It is real," he said softly. "There's a reason the crow kept coming back, Bonnie."

Her breath hitched at his words. More than anything in the world she wanted to believe them but for obvious reasons she hesitated.

On impulse, Damon reached out and wrapped his arms around her. Bonnie froze when she suddenly found herself in his embrace but then she lifted her hands to his chest and her small hands grabbed a hold onto his sweater. Her fingers dug into the skin underneath as she seemed to struggle between the hurt demanding that she'd pull away and the longing to stay in his arms. The air around them began to tremble from the witch's fierce emotions.

As slight fear for her powers crept into his heart, Damon withstood the pain her surprisingly strong hands caused him and he knew that, though it would sadden him, he would let her go if she wanted to.

Bonnie then seemed to notice the force field building around them and took a deep, shaky breath to try and control herself. For a moment, they remained motionless, before Damon felt her magical hold on them loosen. Hesitantly, he put his hand on her head and laced his fingers through her smooth curls. In reaction, Bonnie rested her head against his chest.

"You piece of..." She whispered with muffled voice into his sweater.

Damon closed his eyes in regret, then drew back. With a speed imperceptible to the human eye he reappeared before the window, ready to leave.

"Wait."

The word had left her lips before Bonnie knew it and she took a step forward. "Is... is this goodbye, then?"

Damon turned back slightly and a contemplating look appeared on his face as he scrutinized her tense features that showed regret and resentment. "Only if you want to, little witch."

Bonnie's eyes widened and he knew he had reminded her of that strangely intimate moment on the parking lot. She watched him as he remained standing on his spot near the window. The vampire who had shared the same feelings of loss with her and in his crow form had helped her through the loss of her Grams. The vampire who now looked at her with a shimmer of hope in his eyes, wishing for his witch to accept his presence around her. And she knew it was too late to keep Damon Salvatore at a safe distance. She had already invited him in... and she didn't regret it.

A shaky but challenging smile broke through her tense expression. "I see you next evening then."

His features lit up in a barely imperceptible way and he took a few steps closer to reach out and trail his finger along her soft cheek. Then he pulled Bonnie in. Their faces merely inches separated, he admired the soft brown color of her eyes as she lost herself in the brilliant blue of his. He smiled.

"Thank you," Damon whispered, before he leaned in and once more savored the feeling of her lips on his. To his surprise, she immediately welcomed him, deepening the kiss as her arms slid around his waist and she pressed her body to his. He pulled her tightly against him and took in her sweet scent until the blood thirst got too much to bear. Drawing back he tenderly kissed her closing eyes.

"See you then," he whispered, his eyes softening ever so slightly as he gave her a last, light peck on the lips.

He stepped back and suddenly changed into the now so familiar black crow. Her brilliant gaze followed him as he circled around her, then momentarily sat down on her shoulder and gave her earlobe an affectionate nibble, before he disappeared into the woods.

Bonnie smiled as she watched him go - her pet crow, her protector, her vampire, her possible love, to return to his little witch as soon as possible, as the crow flies.

-THE END-

A/N: And it's done. I would like to thank everyone who have read, faved, alerted and loved this story. I hope the story lived up to your expectations.

I would especially like to thank all of you who have reviewed the story (and of course previous chapter) with such loving reviews. Kingdomfantasyanime453 perfectly worded my feelings when she said that she, like Bonnie, missed the crow too in previous chapter and I'm happy he came back in this chapter. I hope that the story showed the right emotion for Bonnie to have when she found out about the crow's identity, Lalaith Quetzalli. Thank you for your reviews. And once again I would like to thank RockerChick08 for her fabulous review. Those are the ones that really make me squeal in excitement. You were absolutely right girl, Damon had to show himself to make Bonnie really see him. I hope that this longer chapter saves you from not noticing the scroll bar. I find it an incredible compliment that you forgot. I agree with you on Monsters Inc. being fantastic.

Thanks again for reading!