AN: I was going to make this a one shot but it'd be way longer than I'm comfortable with. So I decided to make it at least 5 chapters. It's Damon/Bonnie/Elena btw and this is just a prologue.

Thanks loads to jbezzy2easy who helped with dialogue and such and my beta bluemagicrose who is a heaven sent .

Enjoy and review please. xx

Disclaimer Thingy: I do not own TVD or any of the characters. If I did it'd be a hell of a lot better.

Prologue

"Stop using Elena to get me to do what you want!" She seethed from where she was, blinking rapidly to keep back the tears.

"I don't have to use Elena to get you to do anything," Damon says and the knowing way he says it sends her off.

"Of course I'd do anything to for her! She's my sister and I love her," Bonnie was practically shouting now, "But don't just go about assuming that I abandon all sense of self-preservation where she's concerned!"

"It's not an assumption because I've seen you put your life on the line time and time again for her, you little idiot!" Damon matches her tone, a sense of exasperation comes over him that has him rubbing his face in frustration and he doesn't see her expression.

Her voice is soft when she speaks again, "I don't know why I'm arguing with you Damon... you're right I can't think straight when it comes to Elena ..." She trails off, her hand unconsciously reaches up and clutches the place above her heart. She's not sure why she's saying so much to Damon of all people.

"Because you're in love with her," Damon supplies, again matching her tone.

Bonnie chuckled humorlessly and shook her head, making the wisps of hair that escaped her high bun hit her in the face. "Seriously? I told you that I loved her not that I was in love with her. And why are we even discussing this? You wouldn't get the relationship that we have. That we share. You wouldn't understand."

"Who says I don't understand?" He challenges and the room falls silent.
Tense.
It's as if Bonnie doesn't remember that she's supposed to retort right now or better yet set his sleeve on fire and storm out of the boarding house. Her shoulders are sagged and she's hugging herself like if the truth that has been put out in the open is sharp, tearing at her and she needs to stop herself from falling apart.

"Remember when you were 8," Damon begins his eyes cast down and the tumbler of hard liquor in his right hand, momentarily forgotten," and you and Elena where playing in the park near her house and you left her from a second so you could gather flowers to braid in her hair because she was getting so frustrated with her long hair being out,"

It takes Bonnie a moment to process his words and then she's staring at him like he's crazy and maybe just maybe he is.

She lets him continue his tale none the less.

"When you were picking the flowers some older boys came over and were teasing her and pulling her hair and you ran back over," Damon chuckled at the memory that he's begun to take Bonnie back into and a smile tugs at her lips for some reason.

"You pushed one of the boys down and there you were brandishing a finger, your voice stern. You said 'Don't you ever pick on my best friend again or you'll have to deal with me!' And of course the boys weren't just gonna leave but I came out of where I was hiding and when they saw an adult watching them they left. And then you turned to Elena and asked her if she was alright and she just smiled at you and both of you hugged,"

"You're such a creep," Bonnie says trying to turn the conversation back to their usual snarky banter because they had well passed into the uncomfortable territory. This wasn't them; they didn't have heart to hearts. "So you've been stalking her since she was a kid?"

Damon blue eyes snap up to Bonnie and he smirks, a familiar gesture that has her relaxing a bit.

"I didn't know she'd grow up to have Katherine's face,"

A shiver runs down her spine. She didn't know that Damon had actually tried keeping his promise to Emily and protect her line. That's what his words suggest, that he's a stand-up guy besides for that little 'trying to kill Emily again while she was in Bonnie's body and almost killing Bonnie in return,'

Bonnie's face turns hard and she turns away from him, watching the unlit fireplace with sudden interest. "So I defended my best friend from bullies when I was 8. That's all you have to base your ridiculous conclusion that I'm in love with Elena on? You're not only creep, but you're also asinine. Instead of looking for competition where there is none, just be happy that you won the girl."

Damon shrugs, not caring if Bonnie's watching or not and takes a swing of his bourbon "Well of course I win the girl, stupid,"

Bonnie swings around to glare at Damon "You really need to work on your pet names," Jerk

Damon continues as if he was never interrupted "You were never in the running to get the girl since she's never even considered you,"

Bonnie starts at his words and she frowns "What are you getting at Damon?"

"I'm saying," He draws the end syllables on his words out, waves his glass around and rolls his eyes as if he's annoyed "It's simple. You say you're not the competition. I know you are. You're secretly pining over her. Probably letting your gaze linger just a little too long when you speak to her. Maybe even watching her sleep during your pajama parties. The point is that I know you want her. I have her, but it doesn't feel real. Authentic, because not every player suited up for the game. "

Bonnie settles it in her head, the asshole is definitely crazy.

"This isn't a game. I'm not the competition. Stop being paranoid about my friendship with Elena, its unattractive. "

"This is a game. One for Elena's heart. Since I'm an eternal stud and all and I have a leg up on the competition. How about I'll give you a running head start? Just to make things fair."

The fear she feels at professing her heartfelt feelings not just in passing 'Love yous' and pecks on the cheek makes her knees shake and she sinks into the leather ottoman and presses her open palm against her forehead.

"I'll help you,' He says but then opts to elaborate when she begins to look angry, a divot forming in the middle of her furrowed brows and a sneer tugging at her lips. She thinks he's taking her feelings lightly, like they don't matter. "Express your feeling that is not win her over," He scoffs the last part.

Her face smooths out and Damon tries not to grimace because he secretly hopes she'll say No flat out because he knows her feelings are not unrequited. There are times when he catches Elena looking at Bonnie as if she's god's gift to man and even if she hasn't realized her feelings for the little witch; Bonnie's confession will lead to some serious introspection that Damon will not be looking forward to. But- Damon needs to do this, possibly out of some kind of twisted need to be 'even' with her and repay the kindness that is her not killing him on sight every time she sees him.

"No offense Damon but you come on a bit strong," She says somewhat flippantly. "Snapping her brother's neck isn't exactly what I'd call the most romantic declaration of feelings ever. Actually I'd rate it in the 'Never attempt' list,"

Damon sneers at her sarcasm and goes to take another swing from his glass when he realizes it's empty. He turns to the bar. "Do you want my help or not?"

There's a silence in which he assumes Bonnie is chewing on her lip thoughtfully, a habit of hers.

"And why would you help me?"

Damon shrugs "I've told you my reason witchy; it hardly matters if you believe me,"

What can he say? That he was sick? That he secretly wanted her to fail? Or that this was actually a ploy to get both of them?

He starts at his thoughts because he had never thought of that before. Having them both. He'd had fantasies of both girls but separately and in very different aspects. But together?

Was he being selfish? Probably but now that the thought was planted in his mind there was no letting go of it.

Damn