Lost In You
A/N: This will be my first attempt at a Vampire Diaries story, and the idea didn't really come to me until after I started reading other stories. I've never a Damon and Bonnie pairing in the book, but reading some other fics kind of opened that pairing up to me. So in light of that, this is going to be my attempt at a story for the two of them. This does take place two years before The Awakening. As always, I do not take any claim to The Vampire Diaries or it's characters. And please feel free to R&R.
It's a boring drive. Bonnie took notice to this hours after it began, and even now, she's fairly convinced that won't change in the near future. She sighs softly, looking out the window for the umpteenth time. The scenery hasn't changed for the last three hours. Trees surround the car on either side, clouds hovering above the treetops with the sun beaming down on them periodically. She has to pull her sunglasses over her eyes again to ward off the sunlight, but it's been a regular routine in the last several hours. This isn't her first roadtrip though, and it probably won't be her last. Except, her parents are very convinced this will be the last move they ever make. "You'll love Fell's Church!" her mom chimes. "It's really beautiful. The people are nice and there's even a nice school within walking distance of our house you'll be going to!" every time this is uttered though, Bonnie just nods her head and rolls her eyes. It isn't the first time she's heard the words. It certainly won't be the last time.
She continues watching the trees pass them by as the car continues forward, until finally, the signs along the highway start mentioning a nearby town. Fell's Church 50 miles. The signs keep cropping up, more often as they approach the town. Within the five mile mark, the trees finally give away to landscape. Buildings slowly, but surely, start appearing. The town isn't much at first, a few houses here and a few houses there. There's a few low key stores along the way, but nothing that would make Bonnie feel any better about the move. If anything, she's learned to expect it throughout the years. They were always moving - at least once a year, sometimes even twice. While her parents might have been confident this would be the last time, Bonnie remains skeptical. It isn't the first time she's heard the words, and it probably won't be the last time. But still, it was probably better to think of it as some kind of positive experience. The start of school in a few days time would mark a new beginning. A chance to start over.
"We're almost there," her dad says, peering at Bonnie through the rearview mirror.
Bonnie flashes an excited smile, because her parents expect this of her. They expect that she'll be okay with the move. As long as she's happy, they're happy. She has no reason to be mad, because she should be used to this by now. Except, that's the one thing her parents don't get. Used to it or not, Bonnie hates the frequency in which they move. She pushes this thought to the back of her mind though, deciding she should enjoy the scenery and the building and houses as they appear. They pass what Bonnie only imagines is the town square. It's full of the usual people doing window shopping and sight seeing. They pass many shops - antique shops, CD and movie shops, clothes shops, and just about any other place she can imagine, but it's still not enough to make her excited. They even pass what Bonnie thinks is her new school. Robert E. Lee looks like a regular school. A bit bigger then the last school she went to, but that's nothing new.
It doesn't take long after they pass her new school before they're turning down a street that leads into a neighborhood of sorts. The houses all look decent judging by the outside, but looks can always be deceiving. They continue halfway down the street before pulling into the driveway of what Bonnie can only assume will be their new home. She peers out of her window, glancing up at the brick two story house in curiosity. It doesn't look too bad. About the same size of their last house, and the house before that. "And this," her mom was saying as they started unbuckling. "Is our new home. Welcome to Fell's Church."
"It's…Nice…" Bonnie remarks, because it's the only thing she can say. How could se tell her parents she hated the house and wished they could move back home? She couldn't.
"Why don't you go in ahead of us and start looking around? We'll start unpacking the car. Your rooms upstairs, the second door on the left." her dad comments as he dangles the keys in front of her.
Grabbing the keys, Bonnie pushes the car door open and slips out, welcoming the warm sunlight this time. Her dog, Yangtze is quick to hop out of the car with her, and he follows as Bonnie heads toward the house. Hopping up the porch steps, Bonnie unlocks the door and pushes into the house with her dog following close behind. She leaves the door open for her parents and steps further into what can only be called the living room. It looks like a living room at least. The movers had arrived a few days earlier, having dropped off boxes against the wall, so it doesn't look like much. The room just off the living room though leads to what Bonnie imagines is the dining room, with the spacious kitchen just off that. There's a bathroom somewhere on this floor as well, but she returns to the living room and climbs the stairs that takes her to the second floor and the bedrooms. The first door is the master bedroom and bathroom, and the second door is her bedroom with a bathroom across from it. The third room, Bonnie can only assume will become Mary's room.
She steps into her room, frowning slightly at the scenery. The walls are white and bear, in desperate need of pictures and the like to be hung up. Her bed frame is already set up, with the mattresses leaning against a wall. A stack of boxes await her on the next wall, and her desk is already put together against the wall with the only window in the room. It still looks empty, but that only means it needs to be properly put together, which will probably encompass the next few days.
"What do you think?" turning, Bonnie finds her mom standing in the doorway, and while she doesn't remember hearing them come in, she brushes this off. "It isn't much yet, but…after some remodeling and decorating, it'll be better."
"It's nice mom," Bonnie says reassuringly. "Really, I like it."
"Good," her mom smiles, probably relieved at the idea that Bonnie actually likes it. "Well…Why don't we start unpacking and in a little bit we'll go for a drive and give you a tour of the rest of the town?"
"Sure," Bonnie nods, already moving toward one of the boxes.
"We'll grab something to eat on our tour too. I hear there's a nice pizza place in town…" and with that, her mom leaves the room.
Unpacking is an easier job then anyone would expect, though it probably helps that she's used to moving around so much. After a while you fall in the routine of packing and unpacking things in a timely manner. It doesn't take long before Bonnie has the first of the boxes unpacked before her dad is calling her from the bottom of the stairs. It's time to go out to do some sight seeing, another common thing when they move to a new town. It's a family tradition of sorts, and while it's one Bonnie could do without, she's forced to endure it. It could prove helpful though. At least she'll know the lay of the land.
It takes an hour of driving around before hunger really sets in, and it's only then that the family stops at the pizzeria for a bite to eat. The waitress is quick to bring them their drinks, and the pizza arrives just shortly after that. Even still, Bonnie's attention is elsewhere. She's idly staring into space, the pizza only half eaten on her plate. Her parents are chattering across the table from her, with her dad talking about his new job and her mom practically gushing at the prospect of Bonnie's first day of school. It's not really her first day of any school. Actually this is probably the ninth or tenth school within the last eleven years, but she doesn't say this out loud to either of them. She's hardly listening to them actually, keeping her gaze on the window and watching people pass outside. There's kids her own age walking passed the pizzeria, laughing and joking with one another easily.
'If only it were that easy to have friends…' Bonnie thinks sadly. It's not as easily as it looks. With moving around so often, it's almost impossible to keep up with the few friends that she does make in school. Most years, she enters in the middle of the school year when friends are already made and cliques have already formed. Fortunately, this year will mark the first and probably only year that she'll be starting school on the first day of school. Maybe this time around, she'll acquire a set of friends who aren't already established. It's a definite possible, and one that Bonnie was greatly looking forward to.
"Sweetie?"
Her head lifts, meeting her mom's worried gaze.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah," Bonnie says automatically. "I'm fine. Just a little tired from the drive I guess…"
"Well why don't we finish eating and then head home? We could all do with a good nights sleep."
Bonnie is happy to agree with this.
Dear Diary,
It's another day, it's another move. We move around so much that I sometimes wonder if we'll ever settle down somewhere. Dad says this job is permanent though and that we won't be moving anymore. I hear that so much though that I don't think it's true. But, I'm not going to burst his bubble. They're at least happy about this move, and the house is nice enough that I don't want to ruin it for them. We're living in Fell's Church now, which might sound interesting, but it's not all that exciting. It reminds me of any other town we've lived in before. There's the regular places, and kids my own age. And I'll be going to a school just down the street. Can you believe I'll actually be able to have my 'first day of school' on the first day of school? I'm surprised too! It could be interesting though. Hopefully I'll like it.
Mom and me are going to have a mother/daughter day tomorrow. We'll probably go shopping for some school clothes and supplies and have lunch. Dad will start his new job in the morning. Mary flies in tomorrow evening too! She's on vacation from school for this week, so I guess she'll get to see our new house too. She says she's got some exciting new for us, and I haven't talked to her in days, so I'm dying to hear her news! And Yangtze's found good use for my closet. When I leave the door cracked, he nudges it open and curls up in one of the unpacked boxes. I guess all is as well as it should be. I just…don't know what to think of the place yet. Everyone else seems to like it though, so I guess I should too.
Anyways, not much else to talk about yet. I'm just starting to unpack my room. I'll probably finish it tomorrow night, and the day after that will be my first day of school. So I guess I'll have more to talk about tomorrow. Anyways, I'm getting tired. It's been a long day. I'll report more in the next few days. Good night!
It's a short entry tonight, but after skimming it for a minute, Bonnie seems satisfied with it. She closes the diary with a definite snap before tucking it under her pillow and turning off her bedside lamp. The room is cast into darkness, but the streetlamp just outside the window is just enough to illuminate the foot of her bed and give her something to concentrate on. It's a silly ritual, but one that she doesn't mind having now. With every new house comes a new room, and new things to grow used to. On nights like these, Bonnie doesn't mind the aid of a streetlight just outside to guide her to sleep. It's soothing, and helps her get used to the room before she can feel comfortable with the pressing darkness. In days to come, she's sure she'll get used to the darkness even without silly night lights, but for now, she doesn't mind it. And it doesn't take long before she falls into a deep sleep.
"What about this one?"
Pushing out of the dressing room for the tenth time now, Bonnie gives a slow pirouette to show off her new outfit. It's a pair of tight fitting jeans which show off just enough curves, but not enough to be deemed inappropriate by any schools standard. The emerald green blouse hangs just off her shoulders, sleeveless. It's a longer blouse, flowing a little further down her thighs then a regular blouse would, but Bonnie doesn't mind this. It's nothing frilly or decorative, but it might make for a good 'first day of school' outfit if she could find the right accessories to go with it. She's sure she has a matching necklace and earrings somewhere, probably packed away still.
"Now that's pretty!" her mom chimes with a smile. "Very you."
Bonnie gives a smile in return, and after a few more minutes of gushing, she disappears back into the fitting room to change back into her regular outfit.
"So are you excited about your first day of school?" her mom calls from outside the door.
Bonnie pauses in mid-motion of pulling her shirt over her head and has to think about the answer to this first. Truthfully? Not really. It wasn't really a big deal as it was already something she'd been through numerous times before. But…Her mom was looking for a different answer, and Bonnie was already used to giving it. "Yeah," she says as she pulls the shirt on.
"I know you've already been through it before, but…" her mom sighs before she can continue. "With your dads job-"
"I know…" Bonnie rolls her eyes just before she opens the door of the fitting room. "He has to travel a lot for his job. They keep shuffling him around to different places and we have to come with him. We're a family, and families stick together." what she doesn't say is that she really did wish they could just settle down somewhere. That's probably the one thing Bonnie could ever hope for. Still, she knew the likelihood of it wasn't that great. It was almost asking the impossible.
"They promised no more moving around though. So this is home from now on."
'Until they change their minds…' Bonnie adds to herself.
The day goes by remarkably fast, and by the time her dad gets home for the night, it's time to leave to get Mary. With Mary's arrival though, the family is quick to head over to a nearby restaurant, deciding it sure beat going home and digging out pots and pans to do any cooking. They'd probably start cooking regularly tomorrow, but for tonight, they get to celebrate. It's the first time in a few months that Mary's been home. With her taking summer classes, she's rarely ever home. It's one time of the year they get to enjoy her company and get caught up on things. And for the first time since they made it to Fell's Church, Bonnie can let herself forget about their new move and about everything she'll have to start over doing. She can focus on her sister and the fact that they'll be a complete family, home together for a few days at least. It's one thing Bonnie doesn't mind when Mary comes home. It's a nice feeling.
Somewhere between talking about school and eating dinner, Bonnie realizes they're pulling into the driveway of the house. She has to blink a little, as though startled by the idea that they're home. She follows suit though as everyone climbs out of the car and heads into the house, though stops at the porch. Mary stops next to her, eyebrow arched. "You okay, Bonnie?"
"Yeah," Bonnie replies, red curls bouncing as her head bobs up and down. "You go ahead, I think I left something in the car…"
Mary nods and moves toward the house, leaving Bonnie on the front porch. She turns though, frowning slightly. Really, she hadn't left anything in the car, but it was easier to use that as an excuse then it had been to explain the strange feeling she was getting. The feeling of being watched was almost too strong for her to ignore. While she'd felt it slightly before they'd left the house that evening, it hadn't occurred to Bonnie until now just how strong that feeling was. Call it intuition or a hunch, but Bonnie knew it was neither of those. It wasn't either of these so much as it was a feeling of sorts. Except, it probably had more to do with the psychic half of her then anything else. Psychics ran strong on her mom's side of the family with her grandma being another psychic in their family. It had skipped a generation though, so the trait had been passed down to Bonnie. And while it had taken years to hone this skill, it definitely came in handy in times like these.
Still, Bonnie searched the yard, and even stepped off the porch to explore the side of the house. There wasn't anyone that she could see nearby. It was a little feeling, just a small sensation that someone was there and watching them. 'Maybe it's just nerves. Or one of the neighbors…' both seemed like logical explanations for this. She could easily just be on edge because it was a new house in a new town. And it could also be neighbors peering out their windows to get a peek at the new people in town. Either way, Bonnie didn't see anyone in the area, and she was sure she would have seen someone if there was anyone there.
"Bonnie?" Mary poked her head out the door. "Mom wants to know if you want some pie."
"Yes please!" Bonnie replied, turning her back on the darkness and returning to the porch.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" Mary asked as Bonnie entered the house.
"No, but…I think I might have left it here by accident anyways." Bonnie gave a nonchalant shrug. "I'll find it later." and she continued toward the kitchen. "You never did tell me about the classes you were taking this summer."
"Oh…" Mary followed behind her sister, chatting away again as the pie was being served.
A shadow gave away to a silhouette, languidly sitting in the branch of the tree. Storm cloud gray eyes swept the area, watching the redhead enter the house with her sister. A smile swept his features as he watched the door shut with finality. So…That was the redheaded beauty that had arrived to Fell's Church. Very few knew of her yet, but Monday morning would change that. He just happened to be good at scouting the area and letting his Power travel, enough so that at the first wave of unfamiliar Power caught his attention. Enough so that it had warranted a trip this far out of the way to take a look. And he'd been glad he had.