"Bonnie?"

His voice is so quiet she doesn't think she's heard him correctly. But then he's looking straight at her and she knows she hasn't misplaced his voice. It's him. And he can see her.

She crouches down next to him and he's staring at her through his dazed eyes.

"Damon, how can you see me?"

He laughs but it comes out as a horrid sound and she sees his eyes roll back into his head for a split second. His skin is caked in sweat and it looks paler than usual.

"You'd think swallowing an entire bottle of poison would help some more."

Bonnie looks over at the bottle of bourbon by his side. She knows she can't lift it so she bends down and she can smell it.

Vervain.

"Damon? Damon did you just drink an entire bottle of vervain laced alcohol?!"

She's furious and she's glowing, but she's here and he can see her. He feels light headed and she's starting to fade and he knows his immortality is kicking in again. He takes another swing of the bourbon, downing the last quarter of the bottle.

"Damon stop it!"

"No," his tired voice chokes out.

Unbelievable. He has the nerve to smile at her as he's dying from blood poisoning.

"God you're really here aren't you?"

He sounds like a child on Christmas morning and Bonnie finds she can't look him straight in the eye.

"No don't do that. Look at me, god little bird. Please look at me."

His voice is raw and scratched from the poison that traveled down his throat. He looks at her like she is light personified, as though her being here is curing him of all demons.

So she lifts her tear stained eyes and he smiles softly at her. He doesn't touch her. Knows that he can't, but seeing her is enough. Knowing that she is here, with him even if he can't always see her, is so much more than he could ever ask for.

"May I ask why the suicide attempt?"

She sounds sad and he doesn't want her to be sad.

"To see you. It was the only way for me to know."

She shakes her head and then whispers, "You knew I was here, you just wanted to prove yourself right you prick."

"I'm going to bring you back."

Bonnie laughs and then feels the overwhelming urge to lay her head on his chest. To feel the unnecessary rise of it, and to hear the silence of his heart.

"You're going to leave me dead if you know what's good for you."

No. What's good for me has always been you.

He laughs sardonically and musters a small shake of his head.

"Stupid vampire."

"Stubborn witch."

"Promise me you won't nearly kill yourself again."

"No can do judgy. You're my latest fix. And you know what they say about addicts," he trailed off.

"Damon this isn't a joke!"

"I'm not going to stop, because I can't die of this pathetic shit. But I need to see you and you can't rob me of that do you understand?"

Bonnie's throat clenches up and she looks away.

"Why can't you just leave me here?! Everyone else has."

Damon snorts and Bonnie wishes she could give him a brain aneurysm.

"You and I both know that I am not like everyone else."

There is silence as Bonnie takes in his words.

"What do you need me for anyway?"

"Everyone in this stupid town needs you. I don't. I want you here."

Bonnie can see him slipping away into unconsciousness and she feels her heart soar from his words.

"Stay with me," he whispers.

And she finds, that more than anything, she wants too.

When he wakes up the next afternoon Damon's eyes search for her ghost, and then just as he's leaving the room he feels the coldest brush on his arm.

His smile, Bonnie thinks, could make the sun cry from envy.