A/N: Decided to get this chapter up right away, since I wanted to get down to the good stuff already. Lol. So, just a note about our dear Bonnie; she's young, immature, and naïve; everything that's happening is kind of new to her, so any rash decisions that she makes, keep those characteristics of hers in mind. Just saying this because I know in my last fic, everyone loved that Bonnie didn't succumb to Damon's evil woes. For some reason, some people think this is a spin-off of Encounter, though. It's not. Different story, different characteristics. Just had to point that out. ;) Thanks to DiorNicole, Cassie Winchester, and Ori1 for the quick reviews on the last one!

I don't own anything; except the characters that are unfamiliar to you. Their ass is mine.


CHAPTER FOUR

Just as expected, Bonnie woke up with the biggest headache. She lay in bed and just stared at the ceiling. She wasn't in any rush, since her first class today didn't start until 12:00pm. Felicia would be going home today; her flight was booked for 10:30 at night. She felt a wave of relief rush over her. She was glad her friend wouldn't be in danger anymore – she hoped she wouldn't be… she could never be sure, right? California wasn't that far from Oregon. Stop it, Bonnie. She'll be fine. She remembered what she saw when she touched Felicia. She actually saw Felicia's attacker. The only time she ever got anything from touching anyone was when she grazed her hand against Stefan back in Mystic Falls when he was still new around town. Even that… it was nothing more than a feeling; cold and eerie… like death. With Felicia yesterday, it was worse. She saw it. She felt it. That's never happened before.

Bonnie got up, grumbling over her conversation with Elena last night. She wasn't mad at her best friend, but just a little upset that she didn't tell Bonnie about this whole other world, with vampires and stuff, sooner. She knew the whole time that I was different, too – that I could be a witch; did she actually think I would be surprised and scared that vampires existed? Bonnie frowned as she reached her kitchen. She stopped in the doorway, rolling her eyes at herself. Who wouldn't be freaked by vampires… stop lying to yourself, Bonnie. You're scared. She wasn't terrified, just a little caught off guard that vampires still existed. Grams had told her that vampires existed at the time of Bonnie's great-great-great-great-great-grandmother, who was also a witch. Or is there another 'great' in there...? No, that sounded about right. Regardless, if witches and vampires existed back then, she shouldn't be surprised that some form of them still did today.

She really needed to stop having conversations with herself. But who else did she have? No one could help her.

After finishing a bowl of cereal, she looked at the clock: 8:30. She decided to go to the library and study, something she hasn`t done in the last few days due to all the paranormal activity going on in her life. She'd be damned if she failed her exams because of this. What would I say? Please let me take a make-up; I've been dealing with being a witch lately. It was hardly a logical excuse. She got dressed, grabbed her bag, and decided to take her car today.

She found a spot in Reed's library parking lot and got out to meet the cool morning air. She had to walk through the quad again to get to that part of the college. She spotted a black crow situated atop a nearby tree, and she felt her body shudder, remembering the night before. Things were getting too crazy. She couldn't help but squint at the bird in confusion. Is that the same bird…? She was really beginning to feel like that Melanie girl in that Hitchcock movie; she and Elena watched it one day during one of their sleepovers when they were 11. Bonnie knew how this was going to end. That bird was going to swoop down and peck the hell out of her, all the while calling its other freaky crow friends to come and do the same thing. She was gonna be bird food. She clutched her bag tighter to her and sped up her pace towards the library.

"Dammit," she cursed as she dropped her keys. She bent to pick it up, dusting them off. When she was fully upright again, she almost jumped back ten feet. Damon was standing right in front of her. "Oh my god!"

"No, my name's Damon," he smiled.

"Are you following me?" Bonnie accused, annoyed.

"Excuse me, if I remember quite correctly, you're the one that came up to me yesterday," Damon grinned amusedly. "Barking at me about attacking your friend? I heard about that on the news, by the way. Pretty girl," he shrugged. Bonnie shot him a warning look. He laughed at her reaction.

"I know… I know it wasn't you that hurt her," Bonnie admitted, looking at her feet.

"Of course not, his work was sloppy; if it were me, I would've drained her and got rid of the body. Leaving her in front of a club? Idiot move," Damon said disapprovingly. "An amateur at best."

He sighed impartially and just stared at Bonnie. She felt herself getting uncomfortable under his gaze. How was he able to just say all of that like it was nothing? She shifted her feet and cleared her throat.

"What, are you looking for an apology or something?" Bonnie said dryly. "Because you're not gonna get one."

"Ouch," he said, clutching his chest.

"Don't you have someone else to bother around here?" Bonnie huffed.

Damon wrinkled his nose and shrugged. "Nah."

"Well, can you go find someone else to bother?"

Damon laughed; a laugh that showed his teeth. "You sure you want me to do that?"

Bonnie inwardly cursed at herself. "No. But vampire or not, people won't just talk to random strangers, anyway."

"You sure about that?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Sometimes danger could be right in front of your face. Things might not always look the way they really are." Bonnie looked at him blankly. He blinked back at her. "You have no idea, do you? You really need to work on those Powers of yours," he sighed, his voice laced with fake sympathy.

She looked at him questioningly. "What do you mean? When…" She thought back to last night, trying to remember what weird instances happened then. The hospital, jogging, the tree, the crow… the crow! She shot her eyes back up at him, widened. "You were the--"

His smile grew, nodding. "Knew you'd get there sooner or later," he winked.

"Ew," she muttered, letting it slip out accidentally. She pursed her lips a second later, thinking she'd offended him.

But instead, he just narrowed his eyes at her with that grin still plastered on his face. "It's not like I'm diseased or anything. You can check for physical symptoms, if you want," he smirked.

Bonnie found herself moving her eyes from his face, down until she was staring at his torso with slight interest…

She shook her head and glared at him. "Well that's gonna be the last time you get into my head like that. I'm not Caroline or some random person that you can just manipulate whenever you want."

"I wasn't manipulating you that time, you were staring at your own free will, don't even lie," Damon laughed. "And Caroline was too easy a target."

She shook her head, ignoring his first comment. "Caroline never knew what you were."

Damon held his hand up, shaking his index finger at her. "Uh-uh! She knew, trust me," he winked.

"Probably because you had her under some kind of mind control," Bonnie said angrily.

"And so what if I did? If I'm capable of doing it, then why not?"

"Why Caroline?" Bonnie asked, feeling sympathy for her friend.

"I told you, she was easy," Damon shrugged. Then he smirked. "In more ways than one."

Bonnie gritted her teeth.

"Anyway, I'm done going after regular high school kids," he sighed in boredom. His eyes glittered at her. "I prefer a challenge this time around."

"Why are you following me around? Why does it have to be a challenge; I thought you just attacked your victims right off the bat, I didn't know there was an interview," she said bitterly.

"Are you saying it's okay for me to do that to you?" Damon said, amused.

"I swear to god, if you don't leave me alone, I'll call Stefan over here to take care of you." She knew that was a lie. Nobody would be there to help her.

"Oh you got me," he said, holding his hands up in defense. "Stefan will absolutely murder me; please, don't send for him; anyone but him!"

She narrowed her eyes at him. She could hear the laughter in his voice.

"You want the truth?" He took a step towards her. "I'm hunting," he said simply. Bonnie shot him a look that told him she already knew that, and told him that she wasn't an idiot. Damon rolled his eyes. "Not for humans. For something more… satisfying."

Bonnie's lips parted in wonder. She thought humans were enough for vampires… There's something even more gratifying than human blood?

"Human blood… with Powers, Bonnie. Like I told you before, there was a strong calling of Power in this area," he said, as if reading her mind. His eyes were taking in the sights around them. Bonnie stood still in her spot, even though she was internally shaking like a leaf. Don't show him you're scared, Bennett... She heard him let out a chuckle. "The problem is, it seems I have some… competition. Another vampire… but apparently you already know that."

The one who attacked Felicia… Bonnie felt like she was going to faint. This was all too much, too soon. "You both want the same thing… You're gonna kill me?"

"Not quite yet…" he smirked. "See, I can't really concentrate on fulfilling my task if some ingrate is standing in my way. I sensed you and your growing Powers from the next state over… and apparently I wasn't the only one. I need to get rid of the little fucker before I kill you. That answer your question?" He smiled, leaning on the tree behind him.

Smug little bastard, Bonnie seethed.

Damon laughed. "You're a feisty one; I tell you I'm going to kill you and you just call me names like your life isn't in danger at all."

Her breathing was becoming irregular. What was she going to do? She had no one around who could help her; everyone that could help her was across the country. Stefan and Elena were in New York, Grams was back in Mystic Falls. She hadn't quite mastered calling out to them with her mind, so that was no use. The only other person who seemed to know how to control the Powers was standing right there, contemplating the best way to kill her. Seriously? Fuck my life, she huffed.

Damon suddenly laughed again in his spot. "Your one-liners are hysterical. You should venture into sitcoms or something." He pushed himself off of the tree he was leaning on and started pacing in front of it.

"Get out of my head," she warned, attempting her most vicious tone.

Damon stopped to smirk. "Cute."

"What is it going to take for you to just… not kill me?" Bonnie sighed.

"I love that question," he chuckled. "You know, it's so easy with these girls. They're pulled in by my charm, so easily influenced, and once we get down to it and I get my first hit – they're scared. And then they ask me that exact same question. But it's always too late for them to hear an answer back. What makes you think you're gonna be any different?"

"You know what, Damon," she hissed. "You talk way too much."

He grinned at her. "And here I thought we were getting to know each other."

"Just answer my question…"

He sighed and tilted his head towards the sky, thinking. Bonnie didn't buy it for a second. "I guess I can leave that decision up to you; what exactly can you do to avoid death, Bonnie?"

"You're sick," she said, a shiver running down her spine.

"I know."

"How about you don't even try killing me at all?" She asked quietly.

"I'm sorry, why the hell would I not want to?" He questioned.

She sighed. Here goes… "I've seen what you can do, Damon. Back in Mystic Falls, and here with the mind-reading and the… mind control. You got to me once, but if you… avoid killing me altogether, and… instead, just… help me, teach me how to control this – my… Powers, or whatever," she started slowly. Damon raised an eyebrow, listening intently. "I'll… I'll make everything easier for you. I'll… willingly let you take some of my blood. Every time you need it, just… come find me. But you have to help me." She avoided saying 'please'; she would not appear weak in front of him. Or… any more weak than she was already making herself out to be.

A smile grew on Damon's face. "Smart girl," he mused.

"Don't think this is some life-long deal or anything," Bonnie said, her voice shaking. "Once I'm in full control of my abilities, you're cut off."

He shrugged, picking at his nails. "I can live with that."

She closed her eyes, knowing that she just made a deal with the devil.


WHUT, yeah, sorry; Bonnie's desperate at this point. Starting next chapter, I'm going to be switching points of view between Damon and Bonnie, because this is where the actual story starts. :)