Disclaimer: The Vampire Diaries is copyright © L.J. Smith and all others associated with legal rights.

Author's note: Here I go again, getting myself distracted from my main stories. I like to believe this fic is more on the lighter side compared to my previous VD works. I hope I didn't go too OOC with the characters.


"Going the Distance"


"Bonnie? No way!"

Upon hearing the sound of her ex-boyfriend's voice, Bonnie paused from her walk to the campus parking lot and offered a small smile.

"Hi, Raymond," she greeted as the young man jogged over to her. "I didn't know you were going to the same community college as me. I thought you wanted to go backpacking through Europe for the summer."

Raymon's face glowed with excitement. "You remembered! Well…" He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck as he explained, "Things kind of didn't work out between me and my folks. They were supposed to put up half the money, and they did, but at the last minute they took their money back and decided to invest in a second home in Florida."

"Ouch." Bonnie winced and hugged the books she was carrying against her chest. "That's too bad."

"Yeah."

"Uh-huh."

"Yuuup."

"Sooooo…"

"Wanna go out again?"

"I'd better get… um… eh?"

Raymond shrugged. "Why not? It's not like we hate each other. The breakup was mutual. The last time I saw you was at that party I threw in my home. We can go dancing. You still like dancing, don't you?"

Bonnie giggled and tossed her strawberry colored locks over her shoulders. "Well, the thing is…"

A looming presence was suddenly felt behind Raymond. Turning around, he was startled to find a dark haired stranger with piercing black eyes, donning all black clothing, and an arrogant smirk across his face.

"Hey man, I'm busy," Raymond retorted as he returned his focus on Bonnie. "So how about it, Bon? You and me can pick up where we left off? Are you busy tonight?"

Turn around.

Raymond's breath was caught in his throat. He had heard another voice inside his head, a voice that dripped with authority and power, and the look of utter shock was more than apparent to Bonnie.

"Raymond! Are you all right?" she frantically asked. "What's wrong?"

When he didn't answer her, she peered past his shoulder, at the person behind him and mouthed, "What are you doing?"

As if under a spell, Raymond mechanically shuffled his feet in place and faced the dark haired stranger.

"Damon!" Bonnie cried as she hurried past her mesmerized ex and up to the centuries-old vampire. "He wasn't going to hurt me. He just wanted to ask me out."

Damon lifted a hand and playfully tapped Bonnie's nose with his fingertip. "The thing is, my Little Redbird, is that I don't like sharing what is mine. Especially when it involves someone who used to have you."

"He isn't that bad," Bonnie insisted as she threw a look over at poor Raymond. He was standing so awkwardly still, like a robot waiting for the mad scientist to input a command to be executed. "We had some fun times but it wasn't anything serious."

"So you're saying you would actually miss him if I compelled him to go walk into a busy intersection?"

"Yeeeees I would." Bonnie raised herself on the tips of her toes, attempting be at eye-level with her undead boyfriend. She took one of Damon's hands and planted a soft, dainty kiss on the inside of his palm. "Let me handle this, okay? It will be quick."

Damon sighed dramatically as Bonnie fell back on her heels. "Very well. It won't be as exciting, I'm sure, but I just can't say 'no' to you in times like this."

"Nope." Bonnie grinned and released him as she turned to Raymond. "Can you hear me, Ray?"

It took a few moments to him to register her voice but once he did, he snapped out of his trance. Blinking in rapid successions, he squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Whoa," he breathed as he at last saw Bonnie before him. Once again he dismissed Damon's presence. "Sorry, I just kind of spaced out there, I guess. Uh, oh yeah! About you and me?"

Bonnie shook her head. "Sorry but I'm taken."

Disappointment was shown on his face but it was just as soon wiped clean. "Fair enough. How about when things cool down?"

"Actually, I'm in this for the long run."

"Huh, really?" He was taken aback by the admission. "You weren't like that in high school. If I remember, you were kind of flighty when it came to boyfriends. I'm actually surprised we lasted as long as we…"

His voice trailed off as his eyes took on a distant, glazed look. Bonnie watched with bewilderment as the young man hastily departed for the cafeteria across campus without even saying good-bye.

"Ray? Hey, Raymond? Where are you going?"

Damon, who had been standing in the same spot the entire time, merely shrugged his shoulders. "He was suddenly wanting a pizza. Don't ever deny a man his pizza."

"You told him to leave, didn't you?"

"What?" Damon feigned shock. "I did not."

"You did so!"

With a little too much enthusiasm he replied, "Fine. I did."

Bonnie's shoulder sagged. "I told you to let me handle it."

"Now, now, my precious red maiden," Damon began soothingly as he went over and slid an arm across her shoulders, hugging her close. "I didn't tell him to completely forget about you. I merely planted the suggestion inside his feeble little mind. It's his prerogative to listen to it or not… but I have a feeling he will."

Bonnie unexpectedly snickered behind her fist. Damon looked her peculiarly and asked, "What?"

She pointed an accusing finger at him. "You were jealous!"

"I was not." The vampire scowled for a second before showing off his brilliant smile. "I do not get jealous of anyone. If anything, people get jealous of me."

"What about with Elena? Even when she devoted herself to Stefan? Back way back when…?"

"Entirely difference circumstances and you know that."

"Nooo, I don't think so." She used both of her arms to secure the hold over her almost forgotten textbooks. "At least I can admit I was jealous of the relationship you shared with one of my very best friends despite the fact that she was in love with someone else."

"There is no little brother or Elena to come between us," Damon remarked as he kissed the top of her head and ran his fingers along her lower jaw, tickling her into meeting his deep stare. "All I want is you and I refuse to let anyone else into what we share."

"Awww, Damon…"

"HEY BONNIE!"

The mood was immediately ruined by Raymond's hollers. It was like someone crashed the party and the annoying scratch from the record player needle was heard.

The young man hurried over to the obvious couple, armed with two slices of pizzas on paper plates. "I was wondering if you wanted some…"

His skin turned white as a ghost and his eyes enlarged twice their normal size when he saw the absolute look of loathing reflect from Damon's death glare. Meanwhile Bonnie was just standing there, completely oblivious to the predatory appearance her boyfriend was radiating.

Backing away step by step, Raymond stammered, "U-Ummm… Y-You know what? On second thought… I-I'm going to… Ummm… HERE!"

Dropping the pizzas on the ground, Raymond took off sprinting for his life and vanished from sight.

Bonnie was somewhat remorseful as she watched her ex-boyfriend's dust trail gather in the winds. "Bye, Raymond," she said with a weak hand wave.

"Indeed," Damon added disdainfully, "it has been a real pleasure."