Author's Note: My muse really won't let go of exploring things from Damon's point of view but I do want to explore Bonnie's POV at some point. Thank you all for the insightful reviews. Happy Reading!

CHAPTER FOUR

The Plateau Stage: Prolonged time in this phase without progression may result in frustration…

"You seem to be in lighter spirits this week." Brikham observed.

Damon fiddled with his tie to give himself something to do with his hands. "Yeah. I mean, I feel okay." Damon acknowledged.

"That's good. I wanted to talk to you about perhaps getting your brother here for the next few sessions. I believe we have four left and I would like for Stefan to be present for the next two if that is okay with you?" Brikham inquired.

"Stefan would be ecstatic, I'm sure," Damon allowed. Stefan had been seeing his own therapist for a number of years.

"Great. Your sessions with Bonnie seem to be going well." Brikham left it at that. Open-ended. She didn't want Damon to feel pressure to respond.

"It's fine. It's good, I guess. We're communicating or whatever. She probably is doing this with like a billion guys right now." Damon moved around in his seat like he there are ants crawling over him. A shifty body to go along with his shifty language.

Brikham placed her pen against her lips, starting to respond but thought the better of it. She collected herself before asking, "Is that something that worries you?"

Damon barked out a noise that was a mixture of a laugh and a groan. He knew that Brikham was scrutinizing his every reaction and he couldn't bring himself to say anything that would look like the lie it was.

"I'm just really confused. You wanted me to do this. You wanted me to 'date' some stranger because it was supposed to fix whatever the hell you think is wrong with me. And how exactly am I supposed to be okay with Bonnie seeing these other guys?"

"So you feel that Bonnie is 'seeing' other people. You are upset by that."

Damon's eyes narrowed, "Is this what we are doing now? You're going to act like a damned parrot and repeat the same thing I've said already."

Brikham kept her voice calm, "Nothing like that. For my own clarification, I wanted to make sure that I understood what you were saying, and although you didn't verbalize a specific emotion, I wanted to make sure that the demeanor I was reading as angry, was in fact anger. This is about you, Damon. But I am also in the room with you. I want to make sure that what I am hearing and seeing is what you are intending for me to hear and see."

Damon balked under the chastisement. He stood up from the leather couch he was sitting on. He gazed out of the one tall window in the room. "Why don't we meet in the clinic?"

Brikham didn't do a double take at the change in conversation. "I and my partner have our own practice. We are close to the clinic though. And of course, you know that we are affiliated with them. I'd like for us to talk about your concern with Bonnie. "

Damon sighed. He didn't want to talk. He knew he brought it up. His big mouth was the reason he has to look out of a window instead looking at Brikham.

Brikham allowed Damon a reprieve. "Okay. You don't want to talk about that. Can we talk about your expectations regarding your sex surrogate? It is my understanding that you have been intimate."

Damon turned sharply from the window. He looked pained. There was no other way to describe it.

"Do we have to talk about this? Seriously, I just…I'm not very talkative today."

Brikham nodded as if in agreement. Her next comment, however, challenged Damon's previous statement, "You seemed to want to talk about something in particular earlier. And maybe you thought it was silly. Or you thought that I would disapprove somehow so you shut down and changed the subject."

Damon seemed flustered at Brikham's remarks. "No you don't get to do that." He advance from where he was standing and pointed a finger at a still sitting Brikham. "You don't get to make this my fault."

Brikham was more confused than intimidated. "If you could perhaps tell me why you are upset, I can stop adding to the fire." Brikham thought the better after making such a promise, and quickly tacked on, "Well, as much as I can manage anyway."

Damon adjusted his tie. He picked up his suit jacket and put it on, shrugging the material over his shoulders.

Without another word, or an even a glance, He left Brikham's office.

"Can you please pull up the sleeve of your shirt?" The nurse was greying at the temples. Her healthy girth was encased in Winnie the Poo scrubs. The rubber of her crocs squeaked, even as she stood still.

"Is this necessary? I'm clean. I gave a sample last week." Damon hated this part of Surrogate Partner Therapy. He didn't mind the idea of STDs/STIs testing all that much, but it wasn't like he and Bonnie were hitting the sack on a regular basis.

Besides the one session, which pretty much amounted to he and Bonnie jacking each other off, they hadn't done anything else remotely sexual.

All they did was talk about his feelings. But the clinic kept taking his blood regardless.

Assholes.

Damon rolled up his dress shirt, and managed not to grimace when the nurse stuck the needle in the skin of his arm. He tried to ignore the look of glee on the nurse's face.

"Can we just...I don't know. Can we just enjoy this? Damon knew he was whining.

Bonnie flipped her hair out of her eyes. She squinted a little, because as far as she was concerned, therapy wasn't always something to enjoy. Holding a microscope to a specific area of your life with the explicit command to 'fix it' was never easy.

Bonnie picked this cozy little Bar & Grill. 'Mystic' sign blazed on the front of the establishment. The 'Y' dull and grey with a blown bulb.

"You seemed restless. I thought it would be a good idea for our last meeting to be outside of the clinic. The last thing I want you to do is undo all that hard work."

Damon's face was a mask of incredulity, "What hard work? I'll I've done is hung out with you and talk to Brikham."

Bonnie pretended to think hard before answering, "Let me see. Hmmm. You were able to hold a romantic-focused connection with someone who didn't know your brother. Never knew him. Never had to meet him. Never needed that point of reference to get to know you. You were able to have sexual contact with someone without the guilt of having to explain to your brother how you ended up with his girlfriend or fiancé. With Brikham, you were able to take a look at your childhood and upbringing, including the relationship you had with friends and family members. I don't know. I would say that you are ready to find a woman to form a healthy relationship with."

If Bonnie could pat herself on the back for her concise review of Damon's growth, she would. She just might carry through with that once Damon left. It would be weird to do it in front on him.

"How many other guys are you seeing?" Damon blurts out. He breaks eye contact with Bonnie and hoped valiantly that those words didn't just tumble out of his mouth.

Bonnie sputtered, "W-what? What are you talking about?"

"Well for one, you're dumping me for your other 'clients'. Two: You're. Dumping. Me. In a horrible restaurant, I might add. They water down their drinks!"

Bonnie blinked slowly. "One: You and I aren't dating. I am your surrogate partner. It is conceivable that I am like a pretend girlfriend, but 'pretend' is the operative word here. Two: I don't date clients. I would never date a client. So even if I happen to have more than one person on my caseload, which I actually don't at this time, I wouldn't be 'seeing' them. "

Bonnie paused. She placed both hands on Damon's left hand, hoping to soften the blow that were her next words. "Damon, you are a wonderful guy. And I think you thought you had to compete with everyone, including your brother. And you don't have to. It is time for you to seek emotional and sexual satisfaction outside of what we've done. Okay?"

Damon swallowed. Hard. His Adam's apple bounced as he tried to force his saliva down.

Twelve.

He has seen her twelve times, including now. He only got three months of her smile, her lips, her eyes. That wasn't nearly long enough.

"But I'm in love with you." Damon protested.

Bonnie laughed long and loud, her nose scrunching and something suspiciously like a snort quiffing out.

"You are so not in love with me. But you will find someone to be in love with. "

ONE YEAR LATER

Matt Donovan kicked snow off of his Prada Deco Medallion cap toe Oxfords. He raised a cigarette to his mouth and pulled, the end lighting up bright orange.

He hated Virginia. He hated the town. He hated the people. Well, there were a few people he liked but everyone else could go to hell.

"Have you been waiting long?" Stefan stepped up behind Matt, his own expensive shoes shuffling in the snow.

"No not really." Matt flashed a bright smile. He wrapped a arm around Stefan's shoulder, patting his back in a half hug. Stefan used both of his arms to hug Matt, his hands reaching up to ruffle Matt's blonde hair.

"Where's Damon?" Matt inquired, squinting as the pull from his cigarette caused smoke to rise in his eyes.

"He's waiting at the restaurant already." Stefan replied.

The two began walking toward the direction of said restaurant. Their shoes squishing in the slush, the already fair hair on each of their heads dotted with spots of big white snowflakes. They refused to wear hats.

"How's the company?" Matt asked casually as they walked.

"You're going to pretend we weren't in Forbes again this year."

Matt laughed, a slick sound that boast new money. "And you're going to pretend that I wasn't featured either?"

Stefan smirked. "How is the gaming business anyway? Still playing with yourself?"

Matt nearly choked, "Asshole. I have a copy of Manifest Destiny 4. Tyler and I have finally worked out all the kinks. You and Damon get a taste before it hits the market."

Stefan grinned, elated at the prospect of getting his hands on the new game before anyone has gotten the chance. "Damon's gonna shit himself. "

"Don't pretend you don't want any of this," Matt replies.

Stefan stopped and stared at his friend. "I'm the chomping at the bit. But I can exercise patience – "

"Which is something Damon's never been able to do. "Matt finished for Stefan.

"No. He's great now. I'm mean, he has his flashes of impulse but who doesn't?"

Matt nodded, serious as they continued walking. "I'm going to need him to be. I got something really big to share with you guys."

When they got to the restaurant, Damon had already order a round of drinks. His tie was loosened, coat off and sleeves rolled up. Snow was melting in his hair.

He stood up when he saw Matt and Stefan enter the restaurant, starting toward the table behind the pretty hostess escorting them to their seats.

"Here's your table gentleman." A lock of black hair fell across her cheek. She had a delicate Australian accent and peachy skin. All three stared at her ass when she walked away from the table.

"Good Matthew!" Damon raised a drink and threw his arms open to his friend. Matt hugged Damon, getting fresh snow all over Damon's shirt.

"I hate February." Stefan declared as he took a seat.

"I love February." Damon countered with a shark-like grin.

"Damon, are you still doing that girlfriend for every season thing? What are we up to? Winter. So, who's your Winter girl, and please tell me Stefan didn't date her first."

The Salvatore brother's laughed good-naturedly at Matt's ribbing. "Nope. I've been a good boy. I've dated a few women but nothing serious and they are well aware of it. I make no promises. But I'm not seeing anyone.

Matt directed his attention to Stefan, "What about you. You still with Caroline?"

"No man, we were over a while ago. Remember Alaric Saltzman?"

"Yeah the former NFL player who is basically an alcoholic, and had like two wives go missing. I've watch the Dateline profile."

"Yeah well, he was cleared of any wrong doing." Stefan continued. "Caroline is expecting twins with him in September."

Matt whistled at the news. "Shit. She better watch her back. One wife? Okay things happen. Two wives? Nah, man. There's something not right with that dude."

"Stefan's been hovering over her. Visiting her and all," Damon added.

"I haven't been hovering. She's my ex. We happened to part on good terms. She's pregnant and I want to make sure she's good." Stefan defends.

Matt shook his head. "I don't blame you. But uh, I have some news of my own."

"You got a chick pregnant and you're having triplets." Damon guessed.

Stefan suggested, "Make her sign NDA, man."

"You make your women sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement?" Matt asked in disbelief.

"Yeah man. You gotta protect your money. And don't stick your dick in girls that look too hungry." Damon said before adding, "Or guys for that matter. You were a bit fluid in college if I recall."

Matt took a swallow of his drink before adding, "Yeah, you were pretty fluid yourself my friend. Remember that threesome you had with Rebecca and her twin Kluse, Klause, or some shit. If they couldn't touch each other than you had to touch them both."

Damon grinned like a maniac, "Damn right. You should try everything at least once."

"Wasn't it weird." Matt asked, having heard all the dirty details already but he didn't mind a refresher.

"Not at all. The key to a good threesome is organization. Everyone should know their positions, so to speak. Hey, Stefan you remember the time we took home that waitress. She sorta looked like Gabrielle Union – "

"He doesn't want to hear that." Stefan interjected.

Matt raised an eyebrow. "The hell if I don't."

Damon lead over as if to conspire with Matt, "Man she was gorgeous. And flexible. And totally down with DP, surprisingly."

"Can we focus gentleman. Matt has something to tell us, don't you Matt?" Stefan prompted.

"Yeah. Yeah." Matt responded sluggishly as if being pulled out of reverie. "Something big."

"How big?" Damon asked.

"Huge."

The corner of Damon's mouth quirked up "Huger than my – "

"Bigger than that."

"Well tell us already." Stefan chuckled.

"I'm getting married. And before you say anything, I can assure you she's perfect. She's like the most beautiful thing that ever existed. She's from here, crazily enough."

"What's her name?" Damon asked, giving Matt half of his attention as he perused the menu. He felt like having steak.

Matt plastered the most beatific smile on his face before answering, "Bonnie Bennett."

COMING UP: Flashback to Damon's last few sessions with Brikham.