Disclaimer: I don't own anything-- not even the characters. *sigh* All belong to LJ Smith, the creator of the Vampire Diaries world.

Summary: It's been four years since the events in the clearing. Bonnie has just graduated from college and is getting ready to move back to Fell's Church. She "accidentally" summons someone her last night on campus... and well, you'll see. Bonnie/Damon centric. Rated M for sexual content.

A/N: I've been a huge Bonnie/Damon shipper since I started reading VD in 1994. This is my first story based on the books. I'm not sure where this story is going yet, but I'm hoping you'll join me for the ride!

Chapter 1

May 22, 8:30pm

Dear Diary,

Today was the day that I graduated from college. Bonnie McCullough, college graduate. To be honest, it feels kind of weird. These past four years have flown by in the blink of an eye. It's hard to put into words exactly how I'm feeling right now. I guess overwhelmed would be a good word. Overwhelmed and happy.

Tomorrow I'll be leaving for home. It'll be good to be there again. Though believe me when I say that I didn't miss the extra boost in Power that place gave me. I can't wait for our old gang to get together again.

Well, I've got to go for now. I've got more packing to do.

Bonnie

She sat back in her desk chair and let out an exasperated sigh. The past week was spent packing up all her things into boxes, ready to be shipped to Virginia via a U-Haul truck (which thankfully she wasn't driving). The on-campus apartment she shared with two other girls was empty now, since they had moved out a few days before graduation. She was the only one left, and she didn't mind it one bit.

Bonnie walked into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. Chamomile. It would help her relax and wind down as she continued to fiddle through her belongings. When she sat down in one of the (not-so-very-comfortable) chairs in the living room, she picked up the last box she was about to go through before she called it a night. Inside were a few candles, and a few pictures.

She picked up the pictures to quickly sift through them, when she noticed a postcard that fluttered through the floor. She picked it up and felt her lips curl into a small smile. There was a picture of somewhere in Italy on the front. Written on the back was:

Bonnie,

Oh my god! It's so beautiful here, just like Stefan said it would be. I will have no problem starting a new life here! But you've got to promise you'll visit us here Bonnie. You, and Meredith, and Matt… I miss you guys already. I promise to keep in touch!

Elena

That postcard came to her in the mail the second week after she started school in North Carolina at UNC. There were a few that came after that, apparently from various parts of the world because of the pictures. Elena was travelling the world with her love, Stefan. It was hard not to be jealous, but if you figure all the stuff they've been through, this was an award well worth having. Besides, Elena had to start over somewhere that no one knew her. After all, she did come back from the dead (again), but this time she was human.

After reading the postcard, Bonnie continued to shuffle though the pictures. There was a picture of herself, Meredith and Elena from their freshman year of high school. Bonnie couldn't help but bring out a full-on smile. They were so different then. Elena-- the carefree blonde, with not one worry in the world. Meredith—the dark-haired voice of reason, always ready to stand up for her friends. And herself—the fiery redheaded pixie, with the face of a child and naturally inherited Power. Except she didn't know she had that Power until a little later on.

Boy, did she feel like a completely different person now. Four years was a long time. Bonnie no longer had such fiery red hair, but a deep burgundy color that contrasted her fair complexion. Her hair definitely was no longer a mess of tight ringlets on her head either, but now flowed down in loose curls down her back. Unfortunately, her height had not changed, but her face had grown a bit more mature, no longer childlike in its appearance.

In a few days, the old gang would be back together in Fell's Church. Meredith would be getting back from Harvard, Matt from Virginia Tech, and Elena and Stefan from wherever they may have been. It would be a great reunion, Bonnie thought. It was definitely a while since all of them were together again.

But she couldn't help but wonder. Even though he wasn't exactly a part of the "gang," it would be good to see him.

Bonnie had not seen or heard from Damon since the night in the clearing. He left, and that was it. Sometimes she wondered where he went off to. She wondered if he even stayed in contact with his brother or Elena. She remembered trying to say something to him before he left, but couldn't remember what she had wanted to say. All Bonnie remembered was the feeling she got from him, the longing and fear. And she remembered those eyes, darker than the night sky, and how vulnerable they were for that one short moment that they looked into hers.

She removed a candle from the box with the pictures. She wasn't entirely sure what she was going to do with it. There was a lighter left by one of her roommates on the coffee table in front of her. She should have scolded herself for even thinking of what she was about to do.

But what could it hurt? she thought to herself. She put down the box she was holding and set the red pillar candle on the coffee table in front of her. The she picked up the lighter. For a moment, she fiddled with it with her fingers. There's no boost of Power here, she told herself reassuringly. So if there even was a chance to contact anyone, they would have to be pretty damn close.

With a flick of the lighter, the candle started burning. The flame was small as it danced on the wick. Bonnie began to stare at it intently. Trancing was somewhat of a forte with her, though her range wasn't far at all.

When the room went dark around her, and the only thing she saw was the flicker of the flame, she concentrated on reaching someone who quite frankly may not even want to be reached. She gathered all the power she could at the moment and sent out a single thought.

"Damon…" she whispered as the flame on the candle burnt out.

~ * ~ * ~

It wasn't a cold night where he was. North Carolina was decently warm in May. He was perched on a tree just outside a strip of clubs and bars, as a crow. Earlier today there were graduation ceremonies held at the nearby college campus. Now, tonight, there were a big bunch of college kids celebrating at one of the many bars or clubs along the strip. It was the perfect time to find his prey, preferably a pretty young lady. He saw many girls of all shapes and sizes, but none were peaking his interest at the moment.

Damon flew from tree to tree, scanning the bar patrons as they entered/left the bars. Just when he thought that he found the perfect prey, a tall brunette with long hair that he was sure he could charm with his devastating smile, something broke through the barrier of the night and instantaneously caught his attention.

Damon… he heard through the night air. It was a message only he could hear.

That voice… it was more like a whisper than a call, and he couldn't get over the familiarity of it. He expected there to be more than just his name. Instead after waiting a couple of seconds, anticipating more, there was nothing. But he could feel the faint pull of Power drawing him somewhere. He wasn't quite sure where that somewhere was, but it was definitely close by. The Power 's pull wasn't strong at all, but it was there.

He launched off of the tree branch supporting him, and flew towards the college campus.

It felt good flying through the warm night air. He loved doing this—though he much more preferred it if it was through the woods, and not a large college campus. So he flew, around the buildings, over sporting fields, and classrooms, to finally find the source of this mini surge of Power that called his name.

Damon hovered over an apartment. There was a single window with a dim light shining through. It seemed like this was the only apartment occupied at the moment, since there were no other lights from any of the other windows. Damon grinned to himself. This may just be the best snack ever, forget about the brunette girl from the bar.

He perched himself on a tree just outside the window and peered in.

There was nobody in view just yet. Then, he saw someone walk into the room, and an expression of surprise should have swept through his face, but as a crow, it could not. It was someone he hadn't seen since the night in the clearing, almost four years ago. But why was she calling him? And what were the chances that he would be close enough to hear that call?

It was his sweet little songbird, Bonnie. Though little, she was not anymore. He saw her silhouette standing in front of the source of light, which he assumed was coming from the bathroom. She stood there, gathering her long (wait—long?) curls into a ponytail. Wearing just a camisole and guessing she was getting ready for bed, he watched as the curves of her now mature body gracefully moved as her hands fumbled with her hair. Had he been in human form, his canines would have sharpened at the sight.

Damon continued to watch as she turned off the light in the bathroom and made her way into her bedroom. She sat on her bed which was conveniently right next to the window, and gave Damon a full view of her scrumptious ballerina-like neck. This little show was making his mouth water, among other things. How he would love to just come inside and pull her under his spell. He knew that Bonnie was never immune to his charms, and he had proven that once already.

He glided down to the ground and reappeared in his human form. He decided to make his way into the apartment complex and give her a little surprise. Besides, he was very curious as to why she had called his name in the first place, apparently out of nowhere.

Damon had no problem getting into the lobby of the complex and finding Bonnie's door. He knocked on it softly, hoping that she'd hear. Then there was the slight problem of getting into her apartment since he wasn't invited.

He heard he footsteps as she walked to the door. Damon had no idea how she would react when she saw him. Then again, she did call him so she may not be surprised at all. On the other hand, maybe she didn't think there was a chance he'd hear.

When Bonnie opened the door, her big brown eyes were wide with shock and surprise. She definitely didn't expect to see him at her door.

The first words out of her mouth were, "Oh… oh, hell."