Hello! Sorry its been a little since I've last updated. My job is extremely short staffed and I've been putting in extra hours. That, on top of other obligations hasn't left much free time, but I finally got a minute, so here it is! Hope you guys like it :)


"All of your spots are back." Dr. Gill announced, his tone a professional concern, but there was a hint of heartbreak there, too.

Bonnie on the other hand, quietly listened, almost unfazed. It was as she expected. When she returned from Israel just before she came back to Mystic Falls, she felt the familiar pains and symptoms of her tumors from 2010.

"Bonnie, did you hear me?" She looked up at the man's pale, crestfallen face and nodded.

"What do we do?"

"Well, theres more…" He hesitated and Bonnie stubbornly lifted her eyebrows for him to continue. "These are worse." He placed her CT scan on the bright light board and pointed to a bigger spot where one of her old ones had been, it was surrounded by several new ones that went beyond just her frontal lobe. Denial seemed to be her default as she sat up straighter in the chair. It would be fine. She's faced this once, she could do it again.

"They also carry cancer cells." She was unfazed no more. Tears slowly filled Bonnie's eyes as she closed them against the images. She didn't know why she was so shocked because deep down she knew it. The images seemed to have already burned itself in her memory as they replayed in her mind.

"I don't understand. Seven months ago you said I was all clear. That the spot that returned was benign and with the intake of medication we could get rid of it." Bonnie opened her eyes to look at the man before her. "You said the single spot wasn't anything to worry about, but now you're telling me I have many more? In the span of that short amount of time?!" Bonnie's voice was growing shrill, hysteria laced deeply in her tone.

"Bonnie, please listen, that spot is still dormant, its the new tumors that are dangerous. I never would have predicted they'd all return. I shouldn't have said you were clear the last time we met, because if its anything we've learned its that your condition is very... sporadic. Its completely unpredictable-" Bonnie scoffed.

"Yet you predicted-"

"Wrongly, and I am so sorry for that. Its just your tests showed one thing, and now these responses were unforeseen. Even with the best of our analyzing. I've had the consult of the other neurologists here they all agreed. I'm sorry, Bonnie."

"So, what do we do now? Surgery again?" He was already shaking his head. "The pills?"

"Bonnie, you need chemotherapy. I mean, we could do surgery, but where its placed on your lobe here-" He used his pen as a pointer to circle a portion of one of the new spots "Is pressed on the part of your brain that controls your motor skills…and then theres one thats pressed here between your frontal and temporal lobe, relates to your memories and speech..." His voice was drowned out by the hard thump of her heart. Before long, her vision was becoming spotty, heavy. A sheen of sweat covered her forehead, and after fighting the dark cloud of unconsciousness, she allowed the darkness to swallow her whole.


Bonnie sat up from the bed and gripped her head. The room around her was spinning slightly and she cursed. She hoped the fainting had something to do with her anxiety and nothing to do with the things she actually had anxiety about.

"Are you alright, Bonnie?" The nurse asked as she held out a cup of water.

"I suppose so."

"Your grandmother is on the way. Dr. Gill took the liberty of calling her himself." Bonnie nodded.

Sooner than she imagined possible, Bonnie heard Sheila calling her name softly as she walked to the back of the practice into the little room she'd been laying in for the last twenty minutes.

"Oh, sweetheart, are you okay?" Bonnie nodded then offered a tiny smile. "Are you lying?" Her granddaughter responded with a 'so-so' motion of her hands.

"I'm sure Dr. Gill told you… about my condition."

"Yes, he did." They sat in silence. That was the good thing about Grams, she never pressured anyone to talk when they didn't want to.

A few minutes later Dr. Gill returned and after checking her vitals, filled Sheila in on Bonnie's health status. Bonnie, on the other hand, tried to ignore her grandmother's gasps and mouth covers as he explained how they could've came back. She looked out the window to the busy street below and thought back to the open fields of Ireland. Then she moved her eyes to the left and envisioned the characteristically blue waters of Kawasan Falls, the secluded beaches of Cebu, then she looked up and remembered her being breathless at the northern lights as she stood near the Mendenhall ice caves. She closed her eyes and smiled as she took herself back to a dance studio in New York, creating moves with one of Selena Gomez's back up dancers. Bonnie thought of her romantic conquests and self discovery over the last six years and never regretted a minute of it. Not the late nights hulling her luggage around the thin roads of London, or the stink looks she received in France when she spoke english. Not the Italian man who escorted her to Teatro dell'Opera Di Roma to watch her very first symphony, or the woman she caught herself kissing one winter night in Amsterdam on New Year's. She smiled softly to herself, at least she got to see things she never thought possible.

Leaving town was simultaneously the best and worse thing she'd ever done.


Damon stared back at his reflection in the mirror as he buttoned the cerulean blue shirt. The color seemed to make his eyes pop even more than they already did. He could hear Elena and Stefan in the living area, discussing some strategy to bring down the current big bad in their lives. He was glad to have his brother back. A few weeks ago Stefan's attitude had been progressively sporadic, a telltale sign that he'd been drinking human blood. He couldn't indulge in human blood the way Damon could and the detoxing process was excruciating to watch. Long story short, after he drained the blood thirsty vamp, and with some help of bloodtherapy-Damon smiled at his cleverness of the name-Stefan was soon the hero again and all was right in the world. Shrugging on his long sleeve shirt to make it fall better he reached for his car keys on the night stand and zoomed down the stairs where the lovers were cuddled closely together. He tried not to gag.

"I'm out."

"Where are you going?" Elena asked, and Damon couldn't help the salacious smile that crossed his lips. Maybe it was them working together to pull Stefan off the rackers, but their relationship had-how would he put it?-blossomed.

"Headed to town to have a little chat with Caroline." Both Stefan and Elena looked a little thrown by his announcement.

"Caroline, what for?" Stefan inquired and Damon raised his eyebrows.

"Ah, that is for me to know and for you to," He raised a finger, "dot dot dot." With another smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, he turned on his heel before either one could say anything and walked to his most prized possession, a blue '67 Camaro.

Damon's thoughts were wrapped on the impending danger that surrounded his little hometown that he nearly missed the figure walking on the side of the road. Glancing to his left he did a double take and saw the hunched figure of Bonnie Bennett. Before he could think better of it, he was calling out for her. She must've not expected it as she jumped slightly in alarm. Damon laughed quietly on the inside, it was the second time he'd managed to scare her like that. The first time, she was in that lovely Nike getup. Her abs so well defined and complimented by the slight healthy pop of her hips. He couldn't help but note she had a body of a dancer, with her toned arms and thick thighs.

"What do you want?" She barked. Looked like she wasn't in the mood for any banter. He supposed he could relate.

He internally chuckled, nah he couldn't. He liked getting under her skin.

"Nothing, miss." He taunted and took in her baggy clothes. He tried not to pout at the sight. Where were the tights? The midriff… the cleavage?

She didn't reply, only opting for an eye roll.

"Where ya headed?"

"None-ya." She spat back. He sped his car to park on the shoulder in the space just before her. He used just enough vamp speed to startle her. "What the hell, Damon?!" He heard her heart racing as she stared angrily up at him. The sound was delicious. Quieting the monster within, he focused on her teeth peeking from behind slightly parted lips. Now it was his turn to roll his eyes.

"Relax. I wasn't going to run you over. If I wanted to, I would've done it already." He shrugged with such a callous nonchalant manner, it seemed to have irked Bonnie more. It took a minute of their glaring for him to see that her eyes were a bit puffy.

"I was joking." Something in Bonnie stood still, he could see it as well as he could quite literally feel her stiffen.

"Life isn't a joke." She retorted and the force of her tone made him stagger.

"Jeez, tightly wound or what?"

Bonnie crossed her arms as she pushed passed him. Damon knew, deep down that he should just drop it, she clearly was not in the mood. Stubbornness and pride though, had a different agenda.

"What is your deal with me anyway?"

"Not now, Damon." She threw over her shoulder. The sun was just about setting and it casted long shadows along the trees. The golden hue of the rays reflected brightly across their skin and Damon, not for the first time, recognized how beautiful Bonnie really was.

"Why not? You seemed to not miss any opportunity to burn me when we're around Elena and Stefan. So c'mon Bennett, hit me with your best shot."

Finally, fury seemed to flash through her features as she considered the challenge he so eagerly wanted her to accept. Then, just like that, she crumpled to the ground and cried out in pain or despair… he couldn't tell. Damon looked around himself to see if anyone else was witnessing this, but the road was as empty now as it had been before.

"Bonnie?" His voice was gentle, even to himself. "Bonnie?" He spoke louder as he crouched down beside her. Her tiny frame shook from the reverberations of her crying. He laid a hand on her shoulder but she immediately pulled away.

She sniffed. "Go away."

"No-"

"Leave!" Her voice boomed freakishly, and the trees surrounding them shook at a vicious rate. He looked around himself and tried to reach out for her again but this time when he touched her, an electric shock zapped him and he yanked his hand back toward his chest.

"Bonnie?" Concern was rising as the sky suddenly turned dark. It was both frightening and beautiful. He didn't know why he wasn't leaving, even when he knew she was causing the disaster around them, it loomed over the town, threatening to pounce at any moment. He firmly believed she wasn't a practicing witch like her grandmother. It might seem he was wrong. "Please, let me help you."

She finally removed her face from behind the curtain of hair that had been blocking it. Her eyes were well red, and the puffiness was even more pronounced. They spoke of defiance hinting at maybe a little… vulnerability.

"Let me at least take you home." His eyebrows drew together in concern as she bit her lip. "Please. Then I'll leave you alone, I promise." Those seemed to be the magic words because she eventually agreed.

"Fine."

It took a whole minute to get her off the ground, another seven to drive to Sheila's and then two more for her to actually climb out.

She'd been wringing her fingers as they rode in silence, he thought she would jump out as soon as he stopped, but that apparently wasn't the case.

Neither said anything as they sat there. He peeked inconspicuously at her from the corner of his eye. Did he want to know what was going on? Probably not. Chances were even if he did, she wouldn't share. Besides, he was already 20 minutes late in meeting the very prompt Caroline Forbes.

"I don't mean to rush you but-"

"I get it. Thanks for the ride."


Bonnie sank on her bed. That little walk didn't prove as successful in clearing her head as she hoped it would. Then Damon showed up, being as infuriating as ever.

Her cheeks fumed red as she tried to fight off the embarrassment from her little show an hour ago. Grams was downstairs cooking dinner, she could smell something sweet wafting from the kitchen.

She wondered if she had suffered from seizures, or black outs yet, but it was hard to tell. Bonnie sighed as she threw herself back on the pillows. Deep down she had already known she was sick again. Somewhere rooted in her bones screamed that her migraines and aches weren't an accident.

No tears came this time. Her eyes felt like it could offer no more.

Not that she should cry. Or be surprised. Because she suspected. Really, she knew.

She's known for months that she was sick again. She didn't know why she kept repeating the fact that she knew to herself over and over again. It was getting irritating.

Bonnie forced her eyes shut as she pushed the negative thoughts to the side and tried to think of positive things. Caroline was slowly talking to her again and on her on volition, Elena was ever so welcoming with open arms, Bonnie and Tyler went horseback riding in the county last week. Things were looking up.

But then her thoughts turned to Matt and how much she missed him. Sure, a tiny part was romantically, but she wouldn't have him open his heart only for her break it again. A bigger part of her just missed his grin. His goofiness, and friendship, and just his company.

Throwing a pillow over her face, she used it as a feeble attempt to smother her thoughts away. With her eyes closed she forced herself to relax enough to fall asleep and eventually exhaustion took over and she did.

...

Bonnie nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of her call tone blaring. She looked about herself and found that the sun had already set. What time was it? Grabbing her head to console the growing pain there, she reached for the phone without checking the caller I.D.

"Hello?" She answered. Her voice was coarse from disuse and she quickly cleared it before speaking again. "Hello?"

"Bonnie?" Her eyes widened slightly at the familiar voice from the other end.

"What do you want?" It was Damon! "How did you get my number?"

"Hey, now. Is that how you're planning on thanking your knight in shining armor for this afternoon?" Pause. "Because if so, your manners are a lot worse than I initially thought and needs immediate improving, Bonnie."

"I'm tired Damon."

"Don't hang up!" His voice shouted so suddenly Bonnie had to pull her ear away from the receiver. "I thought we could go get a drink. You up for it?"

Bonnie bit her lip as she thought it over. "I thought you said you were gonna leave me alone."

"I lied. Its what I do." Came his immediate reply.

"Fine. I'll meet you at The Grill."

"Perfect."


Bonnie had no idea why she agreed, or even why Damon had wanted to hang out with her to begin with. On the rare times they saw each other they were either spewing venom at each other or playing at passive aggressiveness. There was no knowing when this dynamic picked up between them, but alas, here they were.

She pulled her hoodie closer around herself to fight off the breeze as she opened the door to enter The Grill. He was already there. Sitting in the same seat she's seen him in a hundred times before.

Without saying anything Bonnie called for the bartender and ordered her drink as soon as she took a seat beside him. She took a chance to glance over at Damon but he was watching the basketball game on the small T.V."

"I never understood the appeal of basketball." He announced suddenly, then drained his glass of its contents. He looked at her and offered a crooked smirk. "Never took you for the bourbon type."

"The magic of not knowing someone. There really is no telling." His smirk grew to a full grin.

"Ah, there she is." Bonnie rolled her eyes as she thanked the young woman for her drink.

"Cheers!" Damon exclaimed as he held up his new glass between them. Bonnie narrowed her eyes at him before clinking their glasses together. He took a sip and she opted to make it a straight shooter, trying not to contort her face too drastically at the burn seeping down her throat.

"Another please!" She shouted to the bartender as Damon stared at her like she grew two heads. "What?"

"Nothing." He muttered into his glass.

Bonnie didn't make an effort to respond as she silently watched him. He was gorgeous, no doubt. Unfortunately, the bad boy act was a huge turn off to her. Yet, there was something in him this afternoon that was actually humane and in that fraction of a second, she allowed him to help her that she would've, in another setting, rejected.

"You didn't call me here because you felt bad for me, did you?"

"No, I was lonely." Came his retort. Her face twisted on one side as she bit back her scoff. It was an unsuccessful attempt.

"Oh? And you thought I would keep you company, how, exactly?" She raised her eyebrows by the end of her accusation.

"Something tells me you've already figured it out. That my grand plan, Bonnie, was to buy you Shirley Temples, eventually whisper you sweet nothings, then take you back to mine and we can bang out this hate between us." He eyed her third glass of bourbon, "But seeing as you picked something stronger than what I had expected, I guess things would move a lot faster than I hoped. Oh my hopes and dreams!" He sang the last part, his voice five octaves high than normal. "You never fail to surprise me, Bennett." Bonnie's eyes grew infinitesimally wider as she watched his teasing smirk steady on his lips. Then suddenly, her eyes narrowed to slits.

"Fuck off." He laughed. It was a loud, unexpected thing. Bonnie didn't think she ever heard him laugh that way. Not even when he was trying to charm Elena.

"Why do you gotta be like that, Bon? I was paying you a compliment. You never cease to amaze. How is that?" Asked Damon, his blue eyes dancing with amusement.

"You tell me." Bonnie countered. She straightened up as she leaned over the adjacent bar that separated them. He looked down and frowned, she guessed at her attire. Bonnie was covered completely from shoulders to toes. "Not finding any luck chasing Elena's tail, so now you wanna try kill some time with me? Pay me compliments, get me to loosen up with you like the other bilbos in this town? I don't think so." His eyes snapped back up at her, all mirth gone. He quickly recovered as he smiled impudently at her.

"What do you know, Bennett? Least of all about me and Elena's tail?"

"I know she's in love with your brother, so you need to quit it." She stated boldly, an odd sense of entitlement and sass flowed through her. He narrowed an eye with incredulity.

"Whatever, Bonnie." She smiled triumphantly at his seemingly crossed expression.

"What, am I lying?" She quoted his remark from the first time they met. He eyed her from the corner of his eye.

"Why did I bother to invite you here?" He muttered feebly. Bonnie couldn't find any sympathy toward him by her harsh words. He needed to hear it. Everyone else danced around the subject, she wasn't going to.

Life's too short. The phrase hit home so much harder now. Her smile slowly fell as she scrutinized the cup before her.

They worked on their next glass in silence, both lost in their own thoughts, yet still completely aware of the other's presence. Her head swooned, headache practically gone as she swiftly flashed him a smile. Safe to say, she was feeling tipsy. Reluctantly, he finally met her gaze and his frown was bonafide as she began wiggling out of her chair. The room swarmed around her for a second, once it settled she grabbed his hand and pulled him away toward the exit.

"What're you doing, Bonnie?"

"We're ditching this bitch. I need to get out of here."


"I think I quite like you intoxicated." Damon declared. They were loitering on an elementary school playground. It was a stupid place, really. But there weren't many places they could go. There was the lake but Bonnie claimed she wanted to climb and demanded they came here instead. After about an hour the place grew on Damon as he listened to Bonnie tell stories about how she and Tyler went to the same school they were now loitering, and thats how she met the others. Matt, Caroline, Elena, and Jeremy. He couldn't help himself from asking Bonnie about her relationship with Matt. To his disappointment she said nothing aside from that he was a really thoughtful boyfriend.

"Well, I take it the break up was rough. Seems like Donovan can't even look at you."

"We had a talk about it. I don't blame him though. A girl you loved leaves with little to no explanation, how do you handle that?" Damon saw her point, hadn't he felt the same way about Katherine recently?

"Why did you leave?" Bonnie stared at him for a long moment, her eyes unfocused from the influence of the alcohol.

"I already told you." Damon had tried to pry more out of her, but she was adamant on not answering. The mood was serious, but Bonnie being Bonnie couldn't have that so they went into a game of never-have-I-ever. He was thoroughly surprised at all she's experienced and all she's done. Mostly, he was surprised at how open she had been tonight. She was awfully chatty.

She was currently hanging by her knees on the monkey bar. It never ceased to amaze Damon how strong she was as she laughed at his remark.

"Well, I think even intoxicated, I still can't seem to like you." She spoke with her eyes closed so it gave Damon the opportunity to catch a glimpse at the generous amount of skin her camisole didn't cover. Her hoodie was hanging somewhere on one of the bars.

"Ouch."

"Sorry, I only care to speak truth."

Damon grimaced. "I take that back, drunk you is still as annoying as sober you." His eyes widened in the weird way it did sometimes. She laughed again.

"Eh, well." Damon could hear the blood rushing to her head and he would be lying if he said he wasn't growing concerned.

"I don't think you should be hanging upside down for so long." He tried for indifference and was quite pleased it sounded that way.

"Careful, Damon. I might start to think you actually care." She smirked at him from her perch.

"We wouldn't want that." His reply sounding sarcastic and salacious at the same time. Bonnie barked another genuine laugh and Damon couldn't help the triumphant smirk that grew on his face at making her laugh yet again.

Finally though, she sighed and sat up. Her abdominals flexing as she did. If it were possible, she had a nicer body than Elena's.

She jumped down from the bar and Damon practically caught her as she tried to steady the floppy earth beneath her feet. Bonnie's green eyes slipped shut, that pained expression from earlier crossed her face again.

"You know, just because everyone likes to compare your abilities to Wonder Woman, doesn't mean you actually are." Said Damon as he eyed her. She was clutching onto his arms trying to find balance.

"Shut up, no one calls me that." Bonnie's mutter was soft.

"Well, thats not what I heard." She looked at him with exasperation.

"What're you talking about?"

"People were well bragging about your keg stand skills and how you out drank the rest of the adolescences at Tyler's party back in the day." Damon smirked at her wide eyes.

"Its not my fault they all sucked at it." There was a bit of modesty in her tone but he wasn't having it.

"Thats exactly what I said when I heard!" He chuckled at her eyes rolling annoyingly. "But, its okay to brag every now and again." He shrugged. "I do."

"Too often, really." She deadpanned. After some time she finally found her balance then looked up at him. The moon was full and he was caught in how her eyes still seemed bright even with the late night surrounding them.

"Aw, don't tell me your little motion sickness sucked the fun out of you." Damon frowned and she shook her head.

"What time is it, anyway?" She inquired and he glanced at his watch.

"1:15."

"1:15?! Are you shitting me?"

"Why, past your bedtime?" Her glower was real but that didn't stop his guffaw.

"I have an appointment tomorrow."

"Oh?"

"Yes."

"For what?" She scrunched her nose in distaste as she stared up at him.

"Whats it to you?"

"Nothing."

"Great, then take me home. I'm too drunk to drive."

"What about your car?!"

"Its already at the Grill, may as well keep it there."

"How will you get it?" Damon didn't know what was up with the sudden inquisitions and Bonnie seemed over it too as she gripped the side of her head.

"Its not the end of the world, Damon. I'll figure it out." He looked at her dubiously and she frowned.

"If you're that concerned, leave me in the car and I'll just sleep there." Damon thought she was crazy. She obviously didn't know what lurked in the small town of Mystic Falls.

"Not a chance."

"Honestly, at this point, I really don't care what you do, I just really need to sleep." Her voice was so tired and Damon was extremely confused as to where it came from. She was perfectly fine two minutes ago. Laughing and joking, and answering his naughty never-have-i-ever questions by putting down a finger.

"Fine, I'll take you home."


Bonnie woke up the next day with a really bad hangover. Dr. Gill was not going to be pleased about this. She stretched then glanced around herself. Where was she?! The antique furniture decorating the room confused her all the more as it screamed uncharted territory to her.

She didn't recognize anything. Did Damon kidnap her?! She rushed to the window and found it overlooked the front lawn. Her car sitting in the driveway.

She didn't drive last night, did she? Because Bonnie had been plenty drunk last night. Maybe she blacked out?

Just as panic was starting to fill her, she heard a whistle as someone entered the room jovially exclaiming "Goooood Morning!"

"Damon, where am I?!" She took in his shirtless body and tried to still her beating heart.

"My house."

She groaned. They didn't hook up did they?