Title: Selfish Butler
Chapter: Prologue
Rating: M for later Chapters
"And how is school, Bonnie? The testing season is soon, right?" Mr. Bennett asked his only daughter, Bonnie Bennett.
"Don't expect too much from me.", was the only response Bonnie gave. She shielded her eyes as her butler drew the curtains further apart. Nevertheless, Mr. Bennett continued the conversation;
"Well, I am not too worried. You have a really talented tutor, your butler."
Mr. Bennett's nearly empty cup was refilled with steaming kettle of Earl Grey before it was finished. "You speak too highly of me, Sir." The butler responded quietly.
"Damon is doing very well. Please commend him when my grade goes up." she said.
Mr. Bennett gave a hearty chuckle, removing himself from his seat, he stood and said, "We shall see. I'm heading off to work now."
The Bennett house was bigger than most, because Mr. Bennett had struck gold in finical investment many years ago. But the financial world will always be fierce, so he works with his advisors and partners to negotiate his assets, Bonnie included. But this was normal for Bonnie, she was never one much for 'family' time. Considering she never knew her mother and her father was always away. So Mr. Bennett surrounded Bonnie with the house help, hoping that some maternal bond would form.
"Damon, please give me another cup of tea." Bonnie asked, noticing her cup was nearly at its end as well. As if Damon hadn't heard her, he continued to clear the table of its dishes.
"Damon, I said I want another cup of tea.." Bonnie repeated, trying to keep an even tone.
"You're almost late for school. Please, prepare right now." Damon interjected, never looking into her eyes.
Bonnie slammed her fists on the table. She normally wasn't this childish at all, but she had always been nice to the help, always. And for Damon to treat her like this was uncalled for. "Why do you act so differently in front of my father?"
He set the stack of plates on the trolley next to the dining table, "I wasn't hired by you, I was hired by your father."
Bonnie quickly stood from the table, startling the other maids assisting Damon. "That's all you ever say! I've done nothing to offend you!" Turning swiftly, she considered snagging the tablecloth to make a bigger mess for Damon, but decided against it remembering other people were helping. "I'm going to school, so get the car ready."
This had always been the case, Damon had only followed Mr. Bennett's rule and tolerated Bonnie in his presence. He had always given her the cold shoulder, and only spoke to her when necessary. But with all this, Bonnie couldn't bring herself to hate Damon. Although she'd never admit to it, Damon saved her.
She had run into the woods when she two years ago on a rainy night. She had begged her father for information on her Grandmother, Sheila Bennett. Mr. Bennett went into a fit, screaming that even in her death she was cursing him. Bonnie didn't understand, and she was rightfully upset. Was she never to know of her family? Because her father wasn't doing a good job of providing her with one. She ran and ran and ran, blinded by her tears and frustrations, she landed at the bottom of a waterfall.
Standing on the opposite side was a man, or maybe two. Her mind was tired, and her eyes were blurry. She froze, not sure where she could go. If she ran back, the man might notice her and god knows what type of mass-murdering, homicidal, dangerous killers hide in the woods. Considering the factors of running away, she hung her head in shape. There was never any real benefit in running away. When your parent finally finds you, they're either extremely worried or never let you leave their sight again, or lock the door the second you run away. Her father was a little a both.
Bonnie's hair and clothes were sopping wet, and she could feel herself getting a fever. She clung to the closest tree, praying to a god she never believed in to save her. Her breaths were coming out ragged, she was shivering, and her head was throbbing beyond belief. Her eyes were closing when a figure appeared in front of her, she grasped for anything around her and jabbed the intruder with a stick before falling flat on her back.
He flinched slightly as he removed the stick from his calf. Bending down, he took in the young lady's appearance. Her chest heaved with every ragged breath she took, the white lace gown slipping to her bare shoulders. "Would you like me to give you a family that you've always desired?" the man said.
At this point, Bonnie thought she was dead, but she still felt so weak. So she raised her hand to meet his crouched knee. The man smiled, taking her hand in his and piercing it with his fang. Her ragged breaths increased slightly from the sudden pain.
"Leave her, Klaus." The other man said. Bonnie smiled, she knew she wasn't crazy. She had seen another man, but the smile quickly faded because that didn't mean much for her.
"And how would either of us benefit from it if I did so? Please, inform me Damon." Klaus said, dropping the girl's hand.
"I will give you my soul in exchange for her."
"But you are of no use to me.." Klaus frowned. But his eyes quickly lit back up, "Actually, I've had a change of heart. I will accept your plea. I've got better things in mind." And he vanished.
Damon slicked his wet hair out of his face, picking Bonnie up her returned her to her home. Klaus had been watching her, and Damon was instructed to help so he knew where she lived. Klaus thought that inside Bonnie lay extremely powerful dormant powers, and he wanted to be the one to take those. But Damon knew what would happen if that was done. So he took her place instead. It wouldn't amount to much in the end, and he knew Klaus would probably still take her afterwards, but it would buy Damon a little time.
Bonnie awoke on her front lawn the next morning. And when she made it inside her room, her father had called her down to introduce her to her new butler, Damon Salvatore. Mr. Bennett hadn't noticed Bonnie's absence.