Chapter I

Arrangements

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." – Robert Frost

It has been One hundred and sixty six years since I have known Stefan and one hundred and forty nine years since I haven't cared about his existence, but maybe that was all a lie and I was just telling myself that to sleep at night. The fact of the matter was that I was supposed to be happy; I got the girl I had been fighting for. Three years of my life I had spent chasing after Elena and now finally she was mine, but yet something was still unsettling to me.

I hadn't asked Stefan to leave, he had decided that all on his own and I was wary about his decision at first but realized it was for the better anyway. Stefan, the hero packing his bags and leaving to sustain his brother's relationship with his ex-girlfriend, it was a very selfless act as I for one, if in his position would never even think of doing what he had done. I would never give up, I would fight till the death to get what I want, but I was happy. Stefan was the good guy and I the bad, with a touch of good. He had left, but alas Stefan returned.

Upon his arrival a mere two days since he had left, he just wanted to go to his room and do what he did best, what I assumed to be brooding and writing in that ancient diary of his. This was the twenty-first century, diaries now came with dates in them, but that never worked for him. He needed to take his time and write the dates in as he reminisced about his past, even about the time he had spent in England milking cows like a little farm boy and earning a wage for his keep and maybe an odd newspaper. (Yes I did read that.) It was a whole pathetic ordeal to me, but I never complained. If Stefan wanted to brood that was his problem, and I wasn't going to make any changes to my lifestyle to change that, but of course there was someone who did. Elena.

Elena, now back to her good old self was spending much needed time with little boy wonder, Jeremy to make up the time she had lost with him during his… absence. The whole thought of his absence was very strange. Jeremy was alive and kicking, but yet Bonnie had disappeared. She was supposedly spending some time with her family up country although Jeremy hadn't specified where she had gone. He was the last to see her after she lifted the veil again, yet he never knew her whereabouts but there was one small gift that I had… intuition, especially when lied to.

The Boarding House seemed to be quiet as I walked down the stairs, the only sound the old wood creaking beneath my feet after each step I took. Usually there would always be someone around whether it be Blondie and her loud ear drum shattering voice or even our dear Mutt—or Matt or whatever his name was. Nevertheless, I was on a mission to find Jeremy, that boy had some explaining to do. The sound of the fridge opening caught my attention and I found myself swiftly making my way over to where the sound came from. Lo and behold, there stood little Gilbert with his face stuffed with food.

"Damophh," said Jeremy, the unintelligible words escaping from his lips making me cringe in disgust.

"Firstly, Gilbert, swallow your food before you choke and secondly, that's just disgusting," I said pulling a face as I leaned against the door frame, my head resting back against the ancient oak in thought.

"What do you want Damon?"

Jeremy's words causing me to stand up straight once again, I flashed him a wry smile. Right down to business it was and I wasn't complaining, the sooner I asked the sooner I could find out what the hell was going on. The thought of not knowing had always eaten me from the inside out; it was a disease I could just not shake. I needed to be in control, and who better to permit me that control other than young Jeremy Gilbert?

"Well… I want a lot of things, like a whole dorm of sorority girls to feed on and… the whereabouts of our dead witch Bonnie Bennett.

The look on Jeremy's face definitely proved my assumptions had to be correct.

"Ah so I don't stray too far from the truth, huh Gilbert?"

"I told you, Bonnie is with some of her family-"

"Up country, yes I heard that one. I don't believe it," I said cutting him off and pushed myself away from the wooden door frame allowing my eyes to move over Jeremy's form, observing his every move. He knew I had hit the nail on the head; his features displayed it in full affect.

"You don't know that, Damon. She said she needed some time away from all this supernatural stuff."

"Well there's a thought, all she has to do is look in the mirror and her supernatural self will be staring right back at her," I said smirking and folding my arms across my chest as I observed Jeremy's body language. He was in distress, like he could crack at any second. The suspense was tongue-wagging, and this was the sort of thing I lived for, or existed for rather.

"Don't believe me if you don't want to," said Jeremy as he tried to move passed me, but I stopped him with my hand on his shoulder, squeezing the tender spot between his neck and shoulder.

"Hold on a second there, beefcake. Look I'm going to make this simple, you either tell me the truth or I snap your collar bone, your choice."

"There's nothing you can do about it, Damon."

"Last chance, Jeremy. Hurry up," I said putting emphasis on the last word before squeezing Jeremy's shoulder harder, his body now bending to the side accordingly.

"Fine, she's dead. Are you happy?"

The truth was I wasn't happy, when I first came to Mystic Falls all I wanted to do was destroy Stefan's happiness as I had promised him back in 1864, yet as my stay in Mystic Falls prolonged I found myself wanting to protect the town along with the close circle of friends I had made during my stay. Well, to me they were more acquaintances rather than friends, but nevertheless we helped each other. In the beginning I resented Bonnie, maybe even hated her a little bit, but ever since she helped me take down that Lockwood sucker I found myself wanting to protect her.

"No, but you should be, because I'm going to help get her back."

"You can't, she's dead. The spell to bring me back was too much for her. It worked but she died," said Jeremy.

I could see in his face that this wasn't the easiest thing for him to express with words, but I didn't care. I always said I was stupid that time for wanting to save Bonnie, but yet she was even more stupid than I had been. She sacrificed herself to save little Gilbert. My thoughts kept running through my mind at vampire speed, ironic as that seemed it was true. How I would explain this to Elena was undecided, the last time I had told her Bonnie was dead she slapped me through the face. I could only imagine what her best friend's death would do to her, but I was sure of one thing.

"We're not telling Elena, understand?"

"But she—she's goi-"

"Not today," I said tapping Jeremy's shoulder, finally releasing him from the hold I had him in. "Last time I checked her acceptance of death wasn't so high."

"So what are you going to do? Lie to her until she eventually finds out herself?" "You know they're all going off to Whitmore soon, and Bonnie won't be there to join them."

"So? I'm not stupid, Gilbert. You keep rattling about her being up country while I sort out the finer details, got it?" I stated more than asked as I whipped around and headed for the doorway, turning swiftly towards the younger Gilbert. "You'll see who can really perform the impossible."

Helping Bonnie out of the goodness of my heart was only one reason why I had decided on doing all this, the second was that bringing Bonnie back would certainly reserve my spot in the un-beating heart of Elena Gilbert, even though now I had her, who knew how long it would be before she decided that Stefan was the man for her again? That was the way the world worked, when you think you have won, fight on, for there are only more obstacles to come. Paranoia was one of Stefan's downfalls, not mine. I was merely reserving my rightful place. My third and most accurate reason for wanting to bring back dear Ms Bennett was merely that I knew I was going to be bored. Elena along with Barbie and Ken were off to Whitmore College which left me behind with nothing to do. I could spring clean the whole Boarding House in a matter of a day, but then I would be left with nothing to do again, which was out of the question. This needed to be done.

The news was that Boston was the place I needed to be. I had compelled some silly little Mystic Falls High student to do the research I needed to be done, which was all the information on Lucy Bennett I could find. What I found was that she was a traveler, and never stayed too long in one place, she kept moving, but from the looks of things, Boston was the place she always returned to. It was her hometown, although I could be wrong, I could be on a wild goose chase, who knew?

All I knew was that I had to try, and if feeling had to do with anything, I felt as though Lucy Bennett was my answer. She was strong that much I was positive about. Katherine had used her as a pawn in finding the moonstone, leverage, that's what Katherine used to her advantage and it worked no matter how I or anyone else tried to deny it. She was clever and known well for her taste in power, first Emily and then Lucy; therefore I knew this would work out for me, all I had to do was tell Elena that I would be gone a while, which was a small impossibility in itself.

A/N: Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it. Please be so kind as to leave a review.

Constructive criticism is welcome.