Back to the Start

"Questions of science; science and progress do not speak as loud as my heart."

-Coldplay, "The Scientist"

She could hear nothing but the sound of a persistent beep, coupled with the tireless beating of her heart, as her eyes opened up to the incandescent lights cascading onto her.

She exhaled lightly as her eyes continued to focus in on the room and the machinery surrounding her; it wasn't familiar at all, actually, and that made her stomach drop when it suddenly dawned on her just where she was.

She was in a hospital.

She lifted her forearm, and choked a bit on the air she was breathing when she noticed that her skin had been injected with various I.V's. The girl swallowed hard, though it was a struggle to contain her emotions, as her fingers tapped against the edge of her hospital bed.

What the hell was she doing here? And why?

Her frantic thoughts were soon interrupted the minute her door opened, and a fresh—but friendly—face popped their head in with a smile, and her panic subsided for a second.

Perhaps she could get some answers.

"Bonnie, you're awake," the woman in the white lab coat said, and she gulped in a bout of air as she advanced towards her in a steady, but easy, motion.

Bonnie. Her name was Bonnie. She knew that.

The brunette proceeded to adjust her stethoscope, and within seconds, she was checking everything from Bonnie's pulse, to her blood pressure, to her vision and hearing. She wanted to talk; she wanted to scream, actually, and find out just what the hell was going on. But she couldn't get a word in edgewise as Doctor Meredith Fell—she read her name tag—continued to test her for everything under the sun, before sending her a gentle smile that scared and equalized her all at once.

She needed to get to the bottom of this.

"Where am I?" Bonnie asked, as she looked up into the eyes of the olive-skinned woman before her. "Well—I know where I am—but why? Why am I in a hospital? Strapped up to all of these things—"she asked, as she began to pull at the I.V's, and Dr. Fell stopped her.

"Bonnie—don't," the woman urged, and she blinked with question as the doctor readjusted the wires, before picking up her clipboard, and scribbling away for what seemed like hours, as Bonnie watched her. "You've been in a terrible accident, and these machines—they're going to help you, so we can get you back home, and to your normal life, okay?"

Bonnie's eyes widened as she stared up at the woman, and she shook her head furiously to suppress the anxiety that was building inside of her.

Why was this woman being so calm when it was obvious that everything was not okay? It agitated and aggravated her, immediately.

"Accident? What kind of an accident, Dr. Fell?"

"A car accident," she said, and Bonnie's stomach wrenched. "You were on your way home from work, when a truck driver fell asleep at the wheel… An eyewitness told us that you tried to swerve out of his way—and you did, fortunately—but your car flipped; about five times, and you were knocked unconscious. You suffered a concussion, as well as a decent amount of blood loss, and a few broken ribs, which since have been repaired in surgery... But other than that, just a few scrapes and bruises, but nothing too major that you won't convalesce from, in time. And the fact that you know where you are—a hospital—spells great things for your recovery. I'd say you were one of the lucky ones, Bonnie."

Bonnie's fingers trembled, as Dr. Fell continued to write, and she attempted to sit up, though her body felt like jelly, and she suddenly felt the bandages from her surgery wrapped around her ribs. Bonnie placed a hand to them, and smoothed her skin over the bandages before looking up again and exhaling a deep breath.

She'd survived a car accident that should have killed her, without any life-threatening or altering injuries? This just sounded way too good to be true.

"Was anybody else harmed?" she asked, and Dr. Fell sighed at that.

"The truck driver—Galen Vaughn—suffered a lot of head trauma, and is in spinal reconstructive surgery," she said, and Bonnie gasped. "But he's going to make it, Bonnie. But his family… they're upset. They came to talk to you, yesterday; to say they were sorry."

"I don't remember that," Bonnie said, and Dr. Fell nodded.

"I wouldn't expect you to. You were still knocked out from your injuries. You had… plenty of visitors, though. I was starting to think the entire town of Mystic Falls would show up. It is… a miracle that you escaped this, fully intact, Bonnie. I want you to realize that. Before you're discharged from the hospital, Bonnie, I would like for you to meet with our house psychologist. I know you may not think that you need help now, but many victims of accidents begin to feel this sense of… guilt after they've survived an accident, virtually unscathed. Talking to someone will help to not only ease those fears, but hopefully banish them… Help you to realize that you are alive because you deserve to be."

Bonnie shook her head in agreement, before taking in a deep breath.

She was lucky that she survived this accident with the minor injuries that she did. Compared to what could have happened, this was nothing, and she was very thankful just to be alive. It wouldn't be long before she was all healed, and she could get back to living her life, with a brand new perspective and sacred motto for it all.

The philosophers were right; life was way too short.

That didn't mean that she didn't feel incredibly guilty that the truck driver hadn't made it out so easily from their near collision. It would take time, and plenty of healing, but she'd eventually pay her respects to his family, as well.

No one could have predicted this would have happened. She wasn't into pointing fingers, either.

"I do… feel lucky," Bonnie said gently. "And thank you, Dr. Fell. Seriously… I… can only imagine all that you've done for me, since this happened, and I can't even begin to properly express what that means to me."

Dr. Fell placed a hand on Bonnie's shoulder reassuringly, and smiled gently.

"A lot of it is science, Bonnie; we… do X-rays, MRI's, surgeries, and CT scans to figure out the best way we can help you and keep you alive. But there's another part that many people don't believe in, but I do, and I think it's just as important… Love. The power of love, Bonnie is such a great thing that sometimes, it overrules science. Sometimes, there isn't a damn thing me or any of my colleagues can do, but your heart—your heart knows what it wants. And it fights; it doesn't stop fighting until it's satisfied. So… my 'science' may have fixed you, Bonnie, but it's the love that you know that kept you here in the first place. It's what made it sure that you didn't die the night of that accident."

Bonnie didn't say a word, as she took in Meredith's speech, and tried her best to figure out just how the hell this applied to her, at all.

Her love for who? And from who? Sure, she had friends and a family—an estranged one, at that—but what the hell did that have to do with her fighting? When that MACK truck threatened to squash her to pieces, she was sure that the very last thing on her mind was anything other than the fact that she was about to be dead.

She didn't even remember the accident at all; so how the hell was there anything in her thoughts—or in her heart—that saved her from it, anyway?

Before Bonnie could thank her for her hapless optimism, the door to her hospital room opened, and her heart was immediately filled with joy the second she saw the two faces advancing towards her.

Elena Gilbert and Caroline Forbes. Her best friends since High School; she remembered those faces.

"Bonnie!" Caroline shrieked, as the blonde quickly ran towards her, and wrapped her up into a painful—but promising—hug, that made her groan and smile brightly all at once.

Elena was much gentler when it came to her turn to hug the girl, as she eased her arms around her in such a soft manner, it quite literally made Bonnie sigh with relief.

Her best friends were here, and now, she didn't feel so alone. Maybe she had been fighting for them, all along. Though she was still kind of convinced this wasn't the "love" Dr. Fell had been referring to.

"We were so worried," Caroline said, as her blue eyes filled with tears, and she quickly wiped them away. "They said you would be okay, but Bonnie; you almost died," she added, with a sad shake of her head. "And I don't know what we would do without you."

Bonnie took their hands into each of her own, and squeezed them tightly, as she tried to fight back the tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks. She ultimately failed when she tasted them on her lips, but she smiled anyway, as she let out a deep sigh.

"I'm happy to be alive. You… honestly don't realize what you have until you almost lose it," she said, and Elena nodded her head as she squeezed her hand tighter.

"Trust us—we know. It's been so hard for all of us. Damon, especially. Contacting your family, trying to book a flight back into the country—he almost went crazy."

Damon?

Bonnie remained silent as she stared up into Elena's chestnut eyes and the girl immediately sensed the hesitation in her movement. Elena's eyes narrowed slightly, and just as she began to speak, the door was open again, and in walked one more visitor, with no words at all.

Bonnie sat up straighter and glanced around the room—she had nearly forgotten Meredith was still here, to be honest—and everyone was just giving her this look as if something completely monumental happened.

What the hell was going on? Why was everyone acting so weird, just because this guy interrupted the moment? Was he the psychologist Meredith had been talking about, or something?

"Mr. Salvatore," Dr. Fell said, as she immediately walked over towards him, and extended her hand. "I'm Dr. Meredith Fell. We spoke earlier, on the phone, about Bonnie."

"We did—I remember. Thank you," the man said, as he bit his bottom lip, and casted his oceanic blue eyes over towards the bed where Bonnie was stationed in and her two best friends were practically laying on, as they refused to let her go. "I know we have a lot to discuss—"

"It can wait," Meredith said, with a hopeful smile. "Go… get reacquainted. I'll be back with the paper work and lab results in a few minutes, okay?"

The man nodded, and Bonnie watched as Caroline and Elena finally rose to their feet, and walked up to him, as well. She didn't know why, but everyone just seemed so on edge around this guy, and it wasn't making any sense to her, at all. She'd concluded that he was quite possibly the most underdressed employee at this hospital, in his plain black t-shirt that hugged his biceps appropriately, his messy, raven hair, and his dark blue jeans, that he paired with gray combat boots.

Psychologist, definitely. She could just tell by the way they were all behaving around him—nobody wanted to fall victim to his psychoanalysis about them or their lives.

She couldn't blame them.

Bonnie studied the man as he spoke to her friends quietly, and she realized just how handsome he was, the longer she stared at him. His milky skin was much paler than her own, but it was perfectly contrasted against the dark colors he'd chosen to clothe himself in. His chiseled jaw, broad shoulders, and long torso—they were all drool-worthy, as he crossed his arms over his chest, and spoke evenly, though she had to struggle to even catch a shot of the sound of his voice.

The thing that intrigued her the most? His eyes, naturally.

They were easily his most noticeable feature, as they seemed to pierce through everything they glanced at, and sparkled in an almost surreal sort of way. She didn't know people even had eyes that shade of blue, and though she should have been admonishing herself for being this attracted to the guy who probably would be leading her therapy, she couldn't help it. He was ridiculously good-looking, and she felt no shame in admitting that.

So why the hell were Caroline and Elena staring at him like he was just so ordinary? If Bonnie didn't know any better, she'd say the two weren't even fazed at all by his charm and that baffled her. She hadn't even spoken to him, and she was enchanted.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she realized he was suddenly standing before her, and Elena and Caroline were waving and saying their temporary farewells. Bonnie shifted in her seat, as he sat down in the chair beside her, and looked into her eyes.

To say she felt like the Atlantic was crashing against her, repeatedly, would be an understatement, as Bonnie suddenly felt like her entire universe was drowning within in his gaze. There was just something about him—about this moment —that was completely mind blowing, and she couldn't peel herself away from it, even if she tried.

Literally; she couldn't move.

Much to her surprise, he took her hand into his own, and Bonnie inhaled as his fingers traced her skin softly, before gripping her tightly.

That was probably against the code of ethics at this hospital. If he turned out to be weird or creepy, she'd have to remember to report him for that. But only if she didn't end up dating him, first.

His thumb circled over hers for a few seconds before finally, he opened his mouth to speak.

"I'm sorry," were the words to come out of his mouth, and her brows furrowed as she continued to gaze into his eyes. "This is… all of my fault, Bonnie."

Bonnie remained quiet, as he exhaled and shook his head in disbelief.

Okay. Maybe this guy wasn't a psychologist, but who the hell was he? And why did he think that her car accident was his fault?

"I shouldn't have called you… and started that fight. You were… on the phone with me, when it happened. I heard your car flip, and the line go dead, and I just knew; I knew that I really screwed up, this time."

Bonnie ran her tongue over her lips, and her heart began pounding as this stranger was seemingly spilling his soul, and she could do nothing but listen.

She had been on the phone with him? She knew him? Her head ached with petulance as she realized she was trying to put a name to his face, but she couldn't.

She couldn't remember him at all; and that terrified her.

"I know… they said that the truck driver is the one who fell asleep at the wheel, but I don't think that I can just blame him. If you hadn't been on the phone, trying to calm me down, you would have seen him coming, before it was too late. Before you…" he stopped, and looked back into her eyes. "I didn't mean what I said, Bonnie; I didn't mean any of it. And I will do whatever it takes to fix this—to fix us; because I love you—and I'm not ready to throw this all away… Not yet."

Bonnie's heart positively stopped as the words flowed from his lips, onto her ears, and deep down into her soul.

He what?

In all her life, she had never been a stranger to crazy things happening to her, but this had to be the craziest. This gorgeous guy, who she had never met in her life, was convinced that he not only caused her car accident, but that he was in love with her? It didn't make sense any way that she sliced it, and her stomach was in knots the longer that he looked at her, this way—like he actually believed what he was saying.

Like he believed that he was in love with her.

Did this hospital double as a psychiatric ward, as well?

Her breath got caught in her throat when his hand smoothed up her neck, and rested on her caramel cheek. She had been unaware of it before, but now, she could definitely tell that he had been crying at some point, as his impeccable blue eyes were rimmed with red, and his forehead wrinkled with worry. Bonnie bit her lip and searched his stare for any answers, but she continuously came up empty the harder that she tried.

This was, without a doubt, the most nerve-wracking and awkward moment of her life. What was she supposed to say? Or do? And where the hell was Dr. Meredith Fell when she needed her?

"Bonnie," he said again, in that soft, velvety voice that captured her attention once more, as his thumb grazed her jaw. "Please say you'll give me another chance. I don't deserve it—I know that. But I need it… I need you."

Bonnie pursed her lips and blinked quietly as she saw the surefire desperation in her eyes, and she could feel her heart sink, the longer that they sat in silence.

She wanted to tell him, all of the things he wanted to hear; she wanted him to know that she was okay, and whatever happened over the phone couldn't have possibly mattered because you couldn't change fate, anyhow. She wanted to comfort this stranger—for reasons she could not quite understand—but the longer she stared at him, the harder it began to hit her.

The truth was all that he needed to know; and if she lied to him, she'd make things worse. She'd wound whoever this man was, even more than he was already damaged, and she just didn't have the heart to do that. She couldn't hurt him by pretending to be what he wanted her to be, right now.

Bonnie gently pulled her hands away, and the man sunk with despair, as his mind began to race a mile a minute.

This was it; the final straw—she had finally been done with him, just like she said she would be, and there was nothing he could do to stop or change her mind.

"Bonnie," he started. "I really am sorry—"

"I don't… know what you're apologizing about," she finally said, and he sent her a look of utter confusion, as she took in a deep breath and gulped down her fear.

"What? I—I know Dr. Fell said that your memory would be shaky concerning the accident and things after it, but… we were fighting before, Bonnie. I was… in Dubai on business, and drunk and I called you because you… sent me an email, saying that you wanted us to go our separate ways… I took the first flight I could back here when Caroline called me, and told me you were seriously hurt."

Bonnie shook her head, and he ran his hand over his slight five o'clock shadow, as she prepared herself to say the words that he didn't even realize he dreaded, until she finally said them.

"I—I don't remember any of that… I don't even remember you. I don't know who you are."

Bonnie watched as all of the color in his skin flushed from his face and his formally dejected eyes were now firm with incomprehension. He sat up straighter, and she felt like a blow just hit her square in the chest.

She could only imagine how he was feeling.

"Bonnie, that's impossible… Y-You have to know who I am," he said a bit frantically, and her brows scrunched. "I'm Damon, remember?"

Bonnie sighed as she shook her head, and his eyes widened.

"Nothing about you sounds familiar, Damon—and I'm sorry. I'm really sorry if we were… dating or something and I can't remember you, but with the accident, I just—"

Bonnie froze appropriately as Damon reached over, and grabbed her left hand and presented it to her. She shakily looked down, and it was only the first time she was noticing the huge rock on her ring finger, as it gleamed beneath the fluorescent lights of her hospital room. Bonnie could barely breathe as she stared at it, trying to revive herself of the memory of when that happened, but her mind continued to draw blanks.

She remembered Caroline, Elena, her family, and even her job, as the Senior Art Director at the top publishing company in Virginia. But this ring on her finger—the one that indicated that he was much closer to her than she had imagined—she didn't know a thing about it, at all.

"Are we—" Bonnie trailed off, as her mint green eyes studied the breathtaking stone that was so securely attached to the platinum band, and her mind spun.

She didn't even have the impudence to finish her sentence.

Damon's indigo eyes flashed to hers, as he seemed to be pretty breathless himself, before he nodded in confirmation; thoroughly striking each bit of flammable anguish that sat beneath her soul, as if he had a match right between his fingertips.

"We're… married, Bonnie," Damon said slowly, and her stomach flipped as he inhaled a deep breath, and examined her eyes, just as someone would look into their partners soul. "I'm your husband."

Bonnie opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Instead, she felt her world go dizzy and her mind completely numb, as the last thing she saw was his turbulent gaze before her vision completely faded to black.

A/N: Hello, all! So I REALLY shouldn't be starting another fic (screw that I do what I want LOL) but with Sweeter than Heaven, Hotter than Hell coming to a close very soon, and this idea being circulated in the Bamon tag on Tumblr at least twice, I decided to just go for it because I love writing, haha This fic is clearly AU as well as AH, and some of you may recognize the premise from a movie and book titled "The Vow." A lovely Bamon fan made a video on Youtube going along with this idea, and Bonnie and Damon as the main characters, and it was basically SCREAMING to be written into fanfiction. I haven't checked to see if it already exists (if so I apologize if it is. If not, yay!) but I thought it was an awesome idea so that's that. I haven't decided yet how much of the book/movie I will use for my inspiration or which other characters I will be introducing, however, it'll be fun to write this one! I hope you are all excited to read this because I am excited to write this! It'll be sad and tragic at some points, but hopefully funny and heartwarming at others, so I hope that'll be enough. Read and review with your thoughts! They are always greatly appreciated. Until next time! xo