Questions and Answers

A/N: Just a short little one-shot that takes place sometime after War of Roses, where Damon's feeling for Bonnie have become more open. I hope people like it :)

Also, for anyone who might be wondering, I AM in the process of updating Arranging Love. I'm hoping to finally get chapter 24 up soon. Thank you for your patience.

Damon felt the first signs that his little redbird was on her way to his apartment while she was still miles away.

He took another sip of the bottle of Black Magic wine he had in his hand, his mine racing. He wasn't quite sure why he had lashed out the way he had. One moment, he had been harmlessly watching the 'date' that was transpiring between his little redbird and that mongrel and the next, he was barging into the restaurant and causing a massive disturbance...which eventually resulted in the mongrel's shirt getting drenched with spaghetti sauce and the three of the getting asked to leave the premise.

It had been an hour since that event had happened and frankly, Damon was surprised he hadn't sensed her arriving sooner.

The minutes flew by and soon enough, he heard a hard knock sounding from the front door...a knock that was uncharacteristically harsh for someone as sweet as his little redbird.

"Damon, open the door!"

And an uncharacteristically harsh tone of voice to go along with it.

After taking a moment to morph his face into a cool and expressionless mask, he got up to answer the door, flinging it open in order to allow the furious redhead inside.

She wasted no time in taking his silent offer. In a matter of seconds, Bonnie stepped inside the apartment, all but slamming the door shut behind her as she glowered at him.

Damon took a few moments to really look at her. She was still wearing the red, velvety dress that she had been wearing on her date with the werewolf...the one that hugged her curves in a way that made Damon both intrigued and furious. Furious because he knew that Bastian had more than likely had the same thoughts running through his mind that he had.

Bonnie's face was flushed red with anger, her brown hues that normally held nothing but warmth towards him were now almost steely with fury. "Damon...why?"

Damon took a drink of his Black Magic wine, trying to feign nonchalance. "Why what? You have to be more specific, redbird."

There seemed to be a small explosion in her as his words enraged her even further.

"You know what i'm taking about Damon! Why did you ruin my date with Bastian? The whole evening was ruined because of you!"

He couldn't help but cringe lightly at the cold and harsh tone of tone she was continuing to use against him...even though he secretly knew he fully deserved it. He wasn't used to hearing it from her of all people.

"Well...that was my intention," he eventually answered with a casual shrug. "As for why? That answer is simple. It's because he isn't worthy of you."

And that was the truth, at least partially. His little redbird deserved far better than someone who had a personality as dull as dishwater. But then again, he wasn't entirely sure he deserved her either, especially lately.

Bonnie's heated expression melted into one of sadness and pleading. "Don't do this, Damon...please." To his slight surprise, tears began to prickle from her eyes.

This was enough of a reaction to completely crumble the walls Damon was trying to keep up. He hated to see her cry...especially when it was his fault. "Don't do what?" He asked in a softer tone.

"Don't try to prevent me from moving on. I...I remember our conversation from a few weeks ago. You told me to move on and i'm trying to. So...stop trying to ruin it just because you might be a little jealous."

Damon knew full well what she was talking about. The exchange of words they shared together on that fateful day a few weeks prior. The exchange that had ended with her confessing her love for him and him letting her down gently, encouraging her to move on and find happiness elsewhere. But he hadn't exactly realized what exactly that meant until she started to do just that.

The vampire could feel his own frustrations shoot up now. "So does that mean we can't be around each other at all? Are you cutting me out of your life completely?"

He couldn't deny the fact that her very obvious distance from him over the last few weeks had bothered him...more than he would ever easily admit. And, if he was being completely honest with himself, it had been at least one of the factors that had pushed him into ruining her date tonight.

Bonnie's pleading expression turned into one of astonishment, as if she hadn't been expecting him to grow angry towards her. "I...I wasn't trying to avoid you, Damon," she began but then trailed off. "Okay, maybe I was, but only because I need to in order to get over my feelings for you. But...but it isn't permanent, I promise! I'll be your friend eventually. I just...need time. So I can move on."

Damon had been expecting to hear an answer like that from her, but that didn't mean he disliked hearing it any less. In fact, he'd been contemplating the ramifications of him telling her to move on for the past week now...and it wasn't just because her avoidance of him bothered him.

"Perhaps I don't want you to move on," he said in reply. It was spoken in a whisper but he had a feeling she had heard it.

His suspicions were confirmed when she let out a light gasp. "Damon...what? But you said..."

"I know what I said," he murmured, his jaw rigged. He was trying hard to keep his frustration at himself in check, not wanting her to believe that it was her he was frustrated at. It wasn't his little redbird's fault that he was a fool when it came to his own feelings. "But it was a mistake."

And there it was. Out in the open. He had finally said it. It was just a shame that it had taken seeing his little redbird taking interest in another man for him to finally realize how foolish he's been. But he knew now that the reason he didn't like seeing her with Bastian was because he didn't want her with anyone else but him. Ever.

"I love you redbird," he said. Surprisingly, he hadn't had to force himself to say the words at all. It almost felt natural to say them to her. "It's always been you. I just didn't realize it until recently. I was wrong when I told you I wanted to see you move on."

He only hoped that he wasn't too late. She and the werewolf hadn't been dating for very long...her feelings for him couldn't be that strong, right? Besides, she had said that she was trying to move on just moments before, not that she already had...

Damon had been so lost in his own internal crisis that he barely registered the fact that his little redbird had practically pounced on him, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, her soft lips pressing earnestly against his.

Despite his initial surprise, Damon was quick to return the kiss, their lips moving together in perfect harmony as he wrapped his own arms tenderly around her petite frame.

When the kiss eventually broke, Bonnie smiled at him, her soft brown eyes shining with an excited happiness. "I love you too, Damon. And I always will."

Warmth spread throughout the vampire's chest at her words, feeling a vast amount of relief and happiness of his own. But, he knew there were things that they needed to clear up.

"And what about Brandon?"

"Bastian," she corrected in a helpful tone before replying. "We only went on a couple dates and there's nothing official between us. I'll just tell him that I have a boyfriend now." She then blushed lightly. "That is, as long as that's what you are now...my boyfriend I mean."

Damon shot her a charming smile and leaned down to plant a chaste kiss on her forehead. "I would be honored to be your boyfriend, redbird."

The words 'boyfriend' and 'girlfriend' seemed far too simple to describe their relationship in Damon's honest opinion but for the sake of human labels, he would use them.

Bonnie let out a sigh of what Damon assumed to be relief before a giggle sounded from her lips. "Okay, good. And I...I would love to be your girlfriend."

And when she leaned up to press her lips to his again, Damon felt as though he was finally coming home.

The End