Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries, nor am I making any profit from this

"Meredith!" Her name spilled from Bonnie's mouth in one syllable, entangling itself in the static reception of her cell phone. It wasn't the same excited voice Meredith had grown so accustomed to, though. The voice on the other end of the phone was panicked and high-pitched, cracking whenever Bonnie's tone got high-pitched.

Looking at a passed out Alaric hesitantly Meredith slipped off her bed. She reached for some clothing trying to talk to her friend at the same time. "Bonnie, calm down," she whispered keeping her collected self as she shoved one arm through a green bathrobe. She tried to stay quiet, hoping not to wake Alaric up, but she knew that Bonnie's cries of distress were only the beginning and they were only going to get louder.

"I'm so sorry," Bonnie blubbered as Meredith stepped out onto her deck, the wind whipping at her hair. "I know it's late there, and you probably have work tomorrow. My roommate said it was stupid to call you and you probably wouldn't pick up-"

"Bonnie," Meredith's voice was stern and commanding, but her whole body was shaking – and not from the wild winds turning her cheeks pink. It was hard to hear anything. Between the winds, static, and the motor on Bonnie's mouth blending together Meredith was sure she would go deaf.

She could almost hear Bonnie quiver from the other end of the phone. "It was him."

It wasn't much help. There were a lot of him's in Meredith's life. She breathed in deeply, focusing on relaxing her buzzing brain. Bonnie usually wasn't too clear the first time she babbled out her visions. "Who?" Meredith requested. "Who is him?"

For a terrifying moment she thought her red-headed friend was going to say Klaus. Instead, she spat out, "Damon." Meredith let out a sigh of relief, but Bonnie wasn't done. "It was Damon, I think. I only saw the back of his head, but there was a girl with him and they were talking about Elena, about killing her. And you, you were on the ground, just lying there. All limp and lifeless and bloody, and Damon was just laughing," Bonnie shuddered, making that small noise she always did when she was terrified or sick. "He looked like one of those serial killers."

"You saw his face then?" Meredith asked. Her stomach felt like it was in a knot with snakes slithering around the bended corners.

Bonnie hesitated. "Well, no. I was more focused on you and the blood."

Meredith squeezed her eyes shut in annoyance. "So you didn't see the guy's face?"

"No," Bonnie replied, her voice full of exasperation. "I didn't see Damon's face. I know it was him!"

"You can't be sure, Bonnie," Meredith replied, softly. "You haven't exactly always been right on the dot when it comes to people. You thought Katherine was Elena, remember?"

Angry static hissed through the phone. "Well I'm not the only one who got them mixed up! Stefan couldn't tell them apart at first either," Bonnie paused. "Who else could be?"

Meredith drew in a shaky breath. "Well, Stefan and Damon could practically pass for twins – I mean, its really obvious their related –"

"So you're saying Stefan wants to kill you?"

"No, Bonnie, I just – It could have been anyone. You only saw the back of his head," Meredith said shaking her head. She could hear Bonnie pacing on the other end of the phone.

Meredith could picture Bonnie's red hair in a tangled knot and her hands thrown up in the air as she shouted, "I've seen Damon's head before. Three-hundred sixty degrees. It's kind of hard to forget."

Meredith's upper lip twitched into a small smile. It was an inappropriate time, but it was just so Bonnie. It almost felt like Fell's Church again.

Still, both of them were frustrated. "What about their father?" Meredith asked quietly, looking around the dark deck. She shifted the phone into her other hand.

"He's dead," Bonnie said impartial.

"They never clarified," Meredith corrected. "They aren't the type to talk too much about their family."

Bonnie groaned. "Are we going anywhere with this, Meredith?" She clicked her fingernails on the phone. "I thought we were going to be done with all this."

Meredith let out a sigh and turned around. Alaric had turned the light on, looking out the window at the deck a worried look on his face. "We'll talk about this tomorrow," she promised. "Maybe we can get in touch with Elena, too."

Bonnie gave a mute bye and hung up. Alaric motioned for her to come in looking through the window wearing a tired smile. She struggled back to the house; her body numb and her mind buzzing.

Damon pressed the hotel's phone to his ear, squinting his eyes against the sunlight that seeped through the curtains. "What do you want?" He growled into the receiver angry at being woken up. Last night he had left Gudren in the streets, speeding away in his Ferrari until he came across a group of young women at a club. They were all drunk and had teased him like playful kittens, but it still hadn't helped to completely erase his previous conversation with the German maid.

The clerk on the other end of the phone stuttered. He was probably one of those acne covered teenagers whose daddy was head honcho. "There's a young woman down in the lobby. She wants to see you."

"Who is she?" Damon asked, although he was positive he knew exactly who it was.

The clerk asked for a moment and a dusty cackle erupted from the receiver as the teenager dropped it on the counter. "She said her name's Katherine," the clerk responded his voice cracking at the K.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Well, tell Katherine I'll be right down," he drawled, his voice dripping sarcasm. And with that he slammed the phone down hard and pulled the crimson covers over his head. As far as he was concerned, he wasn't going anywhere.

Of course, his visitor had other plans for him. He had barely closed his eyes when a rough shove to his shoulder shook his body frame. "Get up," the voice snapped. He tried to ignore the bubble of annoyance in his chest. Another punch to his blanket covered torso. "Don't anger me, boy."

When the stillness of the air was broken once again from the swift movement of the violent arm Damon shot out and gripped the wrist. "Get out," he snarled looking irately at Gudren's hawk-like features.

Gudren pursed her lips as if she might actually listen to him. Instead, the maid stood her ground. "We made a deal. You need to honor it."

Damon shook his head, contemplating calling the police. He was already narrating a story in his head. There he was, minding his own business when some old hag broke into his room and repeatedly beat him in the shoulder. "Get out," he said again, more fiercely.

"Your father would be rolling in his grave right now, Salvatore," she said mockingly. "He was a good man. Always kept his promises."

Damon's fury bubbled up in his throat. It felt like thick lava wanting to escape. "Well, I guess I don't take much after my father, then." Gudren wanted to make his fur bristle, and he wasn't going to let her get the satisfaction.

Gudren smiled. Not her normal little smug smile, but his smile. The self-confident, mocking smile of a predator. "You would be surprised. You're more like your father every day." She smiled, watching the muscles in Damon's arms flex. "You're Giuseppe's son, Damon. It shows in your face… and your temper."

Damon lunged. It wasn't as graceful as he had calculated; the covers twisted around his legs tying him to the bed, and the soft cushiony mattress didn't help with his push off. He barely swiped Gudren's left shoulder.

As he struggled to collect himself, Gudren let out a laugh. "I'll see you at eight, Damon." He tried to grab her, but his fingers only scrapped against fur as Gudren was replaced by a leather-winged bat.

Damon drew in a deep breath. He wasn't going to let this get to him. Besides, Gudren was right. He had a promise that he needed to keep, and it was only right for him to honor it. He flashed a smile in the mirror as he shrugged his jacket over his shoulders. His little promise was going to have a slight change of plans.

A/N: Huh, everyone was on a phone this chapter. I guess I'm not too original in that aspect. ;) Yes, Gudren can turn into a bat. I thought it would be cool, and I wanted her to be a little batty. Aha ha ha! What? It wasn't funny? Well, no reason to be a killjoy. Thursdays are now my favorite day of the week, since the Vampire Diaries is now a T.V. show (and a pretty good one at that). Is it just me, or does it seem like they fused Meredith and Bonnie together into one character? But, that's fine with me. It's good that they're not making the show too much like the books so people like me won't compare the two so closely. And have I mentioned how much I love Ian as Damon? He plays the role to perfection! ;) Updates will be some time this year (hopefully!) I'm trying to get a new chapter out every Thursday, but I now have swimming everyday under my belt. I try to respond to reviews, but sometimes the only thing I can think of is 'Thanks for the review!' Which seems so generic. But, I do appreciate all of my reviews! They make me very happy.

-Nightmare