Guess who's back? I know I said I wasn't gonna update with my exams starting on May 3rd, but after watching the new Vampire Diaries episode today, I just had to re-write the ending, so this is a special one-off. Because it just would have worked so perfectly with the episode and been exactly the springboard for a DamonxBonnie relationship. So, even though the writers just can't get it right, I think I have here. This is the result I was hoping for, hope you guys enjoy. Killerkaiser xx

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries, but the amount of ideas I come up with for it, I may as well. But don't worry, exams finish on May 23rd and then I'll be able to devote more time to a hostile takeover...

Summary: So yes, they lied. But there was only one real way to save Bonnie's life

"Knock knock."

At the sound of Damon's voice, Bonnie turned from the candles she had been tending to and looked towards the entrance of her new home. Damon was half-leaning into the room, one hand curled around the wooden door, eyes catching the glint of the fire that burned from the many candles within the chamber.

In an unfamiliar reaction to Damon's presence, Bonnie smiled.

"Hey."

Damon took this as permission to enter and moved into the room, closing the door behind him. From his shoulder he shrugged off the black duffel bag he had been carrying, allowing it to drop to the floor as he carelessly asked Bonnie "How are you feeling?"

Bonnie, who had grown used to the increasingly frequent displays of caring Damon had been showing that night, shrugged.

"Considering I just died, I feel okay."

Damon, who had been looking around the room, let out of slight chuckle before asking "Is it weird that I can say I know how you feel?"

Despite herself, her situation and her company, Bonnie laughed too. "Yeah, not exactly something you should be able to relate to."

But at least Bonnie was okay. Earlier that night, Bonnie had taken on Klaus. While the rest of the school enjoyed the 60's dance, Bonnie had used her magic to try and kill Alaric, who was being possessed by the Original. Klaus had vanished, injured thanks to Bonnie, but she had collapsed due to the exertion from her powers. Elena and Stefan, who she had locked outside so that they didn't interfere, came charging in, desperately searching for a pulse. Upon finding no signs of life, despite Elena's hysterics, Damon had managed to pull Bonnie away from her and carry her out. With Elena back at the Boarding House, believing her best friend to be dead, Damon had brought Bonnie back to their hiding place and left her to awaken. After revealing to Elena that Bonnie was in fact alive, and now their secret weapon that Klaus believed to be dead, Damon had returned to make sure that she had woken from the dead, as the two of them had planned.

The two faded into silence as the moment between them passed, before Damon kicked the duffel bag at his feet and said "I uh, stopped by your house on the way over. Picked you up some stuff, since you're gonna be stuck here until we're ready to let Klaus in on our little secret."

This act did surprise Bonnie, who would have pegged Damon as the last person on Earth to do something that could be considered kind for her. She could only look at him for a moment, but instead of questioning him, she simply gave a curious smile and told him "Thanks."

Damon shrugged it off as he told her "I just grabbed you some clothes, make-up, all that crap. Your underwear draw is fascinating by the way."

Despite Damon's smirk and suggestive eyes, Bonnie did not respond. It was few moments later that she finally said what she'd been waiting to.

"Did they believe you?"

Bonnie wasn't looking at Damon; she was flicking her fingers through the flame of the candle before her, as if she could catch it. Despite her lack of attention, Damon's response was cheerful, knowing that she was referring to the story that Damon had told Elena and Stefan about Bonnie casting a spell to protect herself from the effects of the witches' powers.

"Yep. As far as everyone else is concerned, you are absolutely fine."

Bonnie turned, and found Damon right in front of her, eyes piercing.

"This little secret is just between you and me."

Bonnie's head dropped down slightly, but she was unable to hold back the slight chuckle that escaped her. Damon, who was watching curiously, met her gaze when her head rose so she could look at him and say "Who would have thought I'd be living a double life with Damon Salvatore?"

Damon grinned.

"Least of all me, I can tell you."

Their eyes held for a moment, cerulean blue and emerald green, and then Bonnie was moving past him to retrieve the bag from the floor. Damon turned towards her as she shrugged the bag onto her shoulder and asked "So how are they?"

Damon, not needing an explanation, asked lightly as Bonnie threw the bag onto a nearby chair "You mean Elena?" He shrugged carelessly. "She's okay. Mad at me, and you, for not telling her. But as long as you're okay, she'll get over it."

If Bonnie was surprised by the totally uncaring way in which he spoke about the Gilbert girl, she didn't say anything. Instead she asked Damon, folding her arms across her chest, "And you're sure they won't be able to tell?"

Another shrug, one shoulder, pulling a face. "I don't see how." Damon was standing in front of her again. "So long as you and I can keep it under wraps, we'll have at least until Klaus is out of the way. If they've found out by that point, we'll just have to deal with it then."

Bonnie nodded absentmindedly, before Damon caught her attention again by asking "How are your powers?"

It was Bonnie's turn to shrug as she turned and walked over to take a seat on the edge of the wooden platform they were on. "Coming back, bit by bit. I think they're still adjusting to the change."

There was a slight movement, and then Damon was settling down next to her on the edge of the platform.

"So long as they're coming back."

There was a moment's silence before Bonnie looked sideways at the vampire next to her and asked "Do you think they'll be stronger now?"

"I don't know," Damon answered truthfully. "This has never happened to a witch so I don't know what the side effects are."

Bonnie looked thoughtful for a moment, nodding, before sighing and saying "Well… I guess we'll find out soon enough."

"And in the meantime, we'll just have to keep this quiet."

Despite her agreement, Bonnie didn't look up at Damon. In fact, her eyes stayed decidedly on the floor, which was why Damon was surprised when she spoke again.

"Thank you Damon."

Even Damon, ever the master of duplicity, was unable to hide his surprise. He gave the witch a look as she continued, seemingly not noticing (or not caring).

"For what you're doing." Incredibly, the witch looked slightly embarrassed. "I can't help but feel sorta like a burden."

In response to her honest sentiment, Damon snorted. "Hey, I've been a burden on all of you long enough, someone was bound to return the favor eventually. Besides, I guess it's about time I took responsibility for someone other than myself."

Regardless of his careless attitude, Bonnie still shrugged slightly and, meeting his gaze, told him "Well, still. Thanks."

It was now that Damon looked at her. Really looked at her. And it was now that Damon realized that the woman before him was nothing like the pathetic girl he'd almost killed all those months ago on the night Emily destroyed the crystal. Bonnie was truly a part of the supernatural world now, strong and determined, and ready to make the ultimate sacrifice for the person she cared about more than anyone. Even more than herself.

His eyes, held by hers for some reason he couldn't understand, bound perhaps by a new understanding and respect for the witch, pulled away from her gaze, which he suddenly couldn't meet. He said "No problem" and rose swiftly to his feet. Suddenly, his feeling of admiration for the Bennett witch and whatever sense of connection was pulling him towards her felt wrong. Strange. Different. And wonderful.

Damon started towards the door.

However, he only got halfway there before he remembered something and drew to a halt. Bonnie had already risen from her place on the step, but turned at the sound of his voice.

"Before I forget… you'll be wanting this."

Bonnie caught the bag easily, and at the sight of the label ripped it open. Leaning her head back she tipped the contents greedily down her throat. As her eyes opened again, meeting Damon's who were carefully on her, Bonnie wiped away the traces around her mouth with the back of her hand. This time, Damon didn't look away from her eyes, but held them instead. The eyes that showed how he had really brought her back after she had died in her battle against Klaus. The eyes no spell could create. Because no spell would have saved her.

Bonnie's black eyes, ringed with black veins.

Eyes that complimented her extended fangs.

There's nothing like a bag of O-Negative to give you an entirely different perspective on the Simply Complicated Art of Enjoying Enjoyment.

And there you have it. How I think the episode should have ended. But hey, at least that dance between Bonnie and Damon in the episode was hot as hell right?