All in all, I'd say this mission was a success. Bonnie thought to herself.

Mostly everyone was back at the Boarding House now. Elijah, Finn, Rebekah and Kol had taken Klaus' desiccated body and locked him up somewhere private that only they knew about. The witches were resting after the powerful spells they had done in various rooms of the Boarding House and most of Alaric's group had taken to other rooms. Matt, Elena and Alaric had all been revived at this point and were resting; dying was no walk in the park after all. Andie, Vaughn, Connor and some of the other hunters were dealing with the bodies left behind after the fight. They were also letting Tyler and Mason out of the tomb and helping them deal with their pack members' body.

I should probably apologize to them. Send them a consolatory fruit basket or something. Bonnie thought fleetingly.

Caroline and Stefan were probably canoodling together in the kitchen or Stefan's room and here she was sitting in a chair in Damon's room while the warlock laid in bed healed but still unconscious. She was equal parts excited and apprehensive about him waking up and seeing her sitting there. Maybe he wouldn't want her there at all. She looked up as there was a knock on the room door and saw Caroline standing almost awkwardly at the door in her regular clothes. She threw the red dress Klaus forced her to wear into the fireplace and burnt it.

"What?" Bonnie asked with irritation in her voice as Caroline just stared. The blonde flinched a bit at Bonnie's tone causing the green-eyed woman to quirk an eyebrow.

"Since when are you this wilting wallflower? I taught you better than that, little sister. If you have something to say bloody well say it." Bonnie said in a softer tone, but she was still annoyed with Caroline's behavior.

"Those things you said to Klaus about how you felt about me, did you mean them?" Caroline asked with clear vulnerability in her tone. Bonnie was a little confused at the question as she barely remembered what she said. Probably something about her hatred being a bottomless pit or some other melodramatic bullshit Klaus would eat up.

"Of course, I meant it Caroline. Isn't my hatred for you obvious?" Bonnie answered as if they were discussing the weather. Caroline's face fell in response.

"I mean, I hate you so much that I dragged myself away from my gorgeous plaything, who was marvelous in bed, and ran to Mystic Falls at the drop of a hat when Stefan said you were in trouble. And that was without knowing Damon was in same boat as you." Bonnie deadpanned. Caroline looked up at Bonnie with surprise and then embarrassment as the implications in her words set in.

"Oh..."

"Yeah, 'oh'." Bonnie repeated, rolling her eyes.

"I suppose your idiocy can't be helped, you are blonde after all." Bonnie commented flippantly.

"I take offense to that." Caroline replied indignantly.

"I knew you would, that's why I said it'." Caroline shook her head with a smile. Bonnie wasn't going to say 'I love you' even if Caroline did. If she did Bonnie would look ridiculously uncomfortable, like she was ready to bolt out the room, so Caroline refrained from saying the words that were on the tip of her tongue and opted for the next best thing.

"Thank you for saving me... and for finding a way to save Elena and get rid of Klaus. I know you don't like her and letting her die so she and Damon were nowhere near each other would have easy but-"

"But if Damon knew that I knew a way to save her and didn't do it because of my petty jealousy, he would hate me which is the exact opposite of what I want." Bonnie finished.

"You really love Damon, don't you? I haven't seen this part of you in a while."

"Hold your horses, alright? We might be sisters, but we've exceeded the time limit on our little heart to heart." Caroline rolled her eyes before looking to Damon.

"Is he alright? Stefan's worried but he doesn't want to hover."

"Kol fed him his blood. He'll be awake any minute now." Just then Damon began to groan in discomfort.

"Speak of the devil. I'll leave you two alone." Caroline said with a slight smile.

Bonnie watched Caroline walk out and panic seized her heart as she looked back to the bed to see Damon's eyes moving beneath his eyelids. She stood up and looked to the door and then back at him and to the door again. She could run out, she had vampire speed after all. If she wanted she could be nothing but a ghost and a part of her mind urged her to run just like she did before. It told her to do what she did best and just leave before things got deeper than they already were but by the time she looked back at him his eyes were open and they were flitting around the room before landing on her. They stared at each other for a few moments, neither talking, neither really knowing what to say. Damon opened his mouth to talk but he began to cough instead. She snapped herself out of her stupor and walked to the side table and grabbed the glass of water that was left there by Stefan earlier and walked back over to him.

She sat almost gingerly next to him on the bed and helped him sit up. With one hand supporting his back, the other brought the glass up to his lips and tipped it gently so he could drink without choking. Damon didn't protest at her help and cooperated with her. He didn't make any note of her hand patting his back and rubbing soothing circles there. Just feeling her hand against him, actual physical contact with her, was igniting a fire in him that hadn't seen any kindling since she had left. He couldn't even bring himself to look at her because he feared what he would see in her eyes. He feared what he would do once she trapped him in her gaze. He would probably acquiesce to whatever she said, which he didn't want to do because he should be angry at her, and he was, but he also felt hurt and happy to see her and in pain and overjoyed. Way too much was going on inside of him to rationally think straight, especially with her right there next to him. He couldn't stand to be sitting so close to her with the vampire wordlessly comforting him after his latest near-death experience. As a result, he sprung up off the bed like a bat out of hell, edging himself by his wardrobe as she looked up at him with surprise and what he thought was a flash of hurt before it disappeared to give way to amusement.

"I'm not going to bite, not if you don't want me to." She said in a sarcastic and flirtatious voice, but she didn't rise from the bed.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, disregarding her words. Sarcasm was her safety blanket, her go to defense mechanism, and he wasn't going to get sucked into the banter in that moment because he needed her to go away before his will broke and he did something stupid that was only going to lead to her hurting him even more… like kissing her.

No, I'm not going to. I'm not putting myself on the line with her again. She'll just trample all over me again.

"Klaus was a problem you guys needed my help fixing, remember?" Bonnie said in answer to the question he had asked her.

"I don't mean Mystic Falls, I mean here: in my room. What are you doing here?"

"Watching over you. Waiting for you to wake up. Deciding whether I should kick your ass for making yourself vulnerable enough for Klaus to capture you. No doubt Elena had something to do with it." Bonnie answered. She might have saved the girl, but she still had such an intense dislike towards Damon and Elena's relationship that when they finally got back to the house and Elena woke up, Bonnie had intentionally gravitated towards her to act as a buffer between the doppelganger and Damon until the recently resurrected girl went to a room to rest completely.

"Why though? I would have thought you would jump in your car and bolt the second this was all said and done with." Damon reasoned in a calm, steady voice. He disregarded her little barb at him concerning his capture and Elena. The truth was that Klaus had used Stefan to lure Damon into his trap, but he didn't share the information, he didn't think he owed Bonnie anything, definitely not explanations. Besides that, he needed to keep his composure and his wits about him to finish this conversation as soon as possible.

"I could've done, but I just… didn't."

"Yeah, that's not vague at all." He replied sarcastically. Bonnie sighed before standing up from the bed and crossing over to the other side, causing Damon to tense up, however she stayed a good five feet away from him.

"Look, I stayed okay? Let's not question why and just accept that I'm here now. I can… I don't know… help you or something." Bonnie said in an uncharacteristically timid tone. Her words went through him like a hot poker stoking a fire that had nothing to do with his passion for her but everything to do with his anger.

"Help me? Help me?! Help me do what exactly?! I told you I loved you and your response was to run away! I wouldn't have cared if you didn't say it back and stayed, I needed you here! My brother was turned into a vampire and there was nothing I could do to save him! Stefan literally lost his mind Bonnie, and I could only stand aside and watch. Then just when he gets better and I think everything can be okay, Klaus kills my mother and my cousin, and I needed you! I needed you here with me just so you could be here and support me and help me feel like I wasn't alone and like the world wasn't crashing down around me… but you left! And you didn't say word to me or anyone else, so forgive me if I was a little distracted when Klaus came knocking at our door. I had some pretty big things on my mind, Bonnie!"

"I… I maybe should have thought more about it before I just left." Bonnie acquiesced in a tone much quieter than Damon's incensed shouting.

"Yeah, maybe that would have been a good idea." Damon spat back at her angrily.

"I was…" Bonnie started but felt like she was going to be sick. She didn't want to appear vulnerable to him but really if there was ever a time to swallow her pride now would be it.

"Damon, I-"

"Please leave." Damon said in a defeated tone. Bonnie's eyes snapped up at him, but he was looking at the ground away from her. His entire stance screamed that he was bone weary and completely drained.

"I can't do this with you right now, so just go." Bonnie looked at him regretfully before she nodded and started towards the door. At the last minute she stopped and took a deep breath before turning back to face Damon.

"I made a mistake."

" Bonnie-"

"Hear me out." Bonnie said with a hint of pleading in her voice. Damon remained quiet then.

"I made a mistake. I ran, it's what I've always done. If things get too complicated or too emotionally charged I leave, and I don't take so much as a second glance back. I did it with Kol and I did it with you too. I have loved before but there was always this stigma, this question in the back of my mind. How do they compare to Klaus? And I used to let that question control me. I didn't know whether I wanted someone like him or not like him at all. I just wanted to have someone who could replace him and that was all I wanted… until I met you." Damon looked up at Bonnie with a somber face.

"I never thought I'd love in this way again, especially not a warlock. You're not a Klaus replacement to me. You're so much more in my heart than he ever was. I'm so sorry for not telling you that before and any pain that I caused you or put you through because of my own cowardice. If I could turn back time and never make the decision to leave I would. Believe me Damon, I would." Damon bit his lip as it began to tremble. He was stronger than this and he would not let her see him cry, not let her see him as the pathetic human especially when she had just said she loved him in her own way even if she didn't out rightly say it. She strutted over to him and placed her hands to his cheeks affectionately and lovingly.

"I wish I was here for you when Stefan was going through his rough time and when your mom and Lexi died like I was there for you when Giuseppe and Zach did. I… got scared. Running was easy and familiar as opposed to admitting that I was actually in love with you."

"What's so wrong about me that you'd rather run than admit you have feelings for me?" He couldn't help but ask.

"Nothing! Nothing is wrong with you, Damon. It was me. It is me. I'm the one that's wrong. I'm…" Bonnie paused to laugh bitterly.

"I'm not a good person, Damon. The truth is despite my jealousy of her, Elena is the better choice than me. I have lied, stolen and murdered throughout my life. I'm not even... most of the time I'm holding myself together with tape and glue. It would be so easy to just flip the switch on my humanity and leave it at that. I'd be free to do whatever I want to do minus any guilt or pain or regret. It'd be a way simpler existence. I've done it before, I could do it again."

"Then why don't you?" Damon was getting apprehensive about where their conversation was going.

"Simple: because of you. I could do all the horrible, terrible things I was doing before I found you all over again. I could go out right now and kill Elena because of your feelings for her. I could go get drunk and bring a guy back to my house who would inevitably end up dead or I could just go lay in the middle of the street and wait for someone to make the mistake of stopping but I won't because I know that if I did I would only make you think that I was no better than I was when we first met. The truth is that you made me better. You made me want to be a better person. You challenged me to make the right decisions. Even though I still messed up at times you were always right there, whether it was to lecture me or not, you were there and then I wasn't there for you. I… I'm sorry for that Damon. I wish I could have done the right thing then. I wish I had turned right back around or come back sooner, but I'm here now and I mean to fight for you however hard I must if it means getting you back because I love you too. I'm in love with you too." Damon stared at her with tears welling up in his eyes. Bonnie rubbed her hand against his cheek, brushing away a tear before leaning up to kiss his cheek gently.

"So, I'll wait however long you need me to wait." She whispered in his ear. Damon felt his breathing stop as Bonnie kissed his cheek again painfully slowly and stepped away from him before she made her way to the door. She turned around and gave him a small smile and then walked out. He felt his back hit the wall behind him and he slid down until he was sitting. He rubbed his hands over his face and tried to keep his tears at bay. It wouldn't have been so hard if he hadn't just gone through such a traumatic experience with Klaus. He felt taut, like he was stretched dangerously thin and he was close to snapping. Just then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Stefan staring at him with concern.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm—honestly, no. I don't know if I'm going to be okay for a very long time." Damon answered his brother tearfully. Stefan looked at Damon with understanding. Klaus had taken something fundamental from them both: their innocence.

"Caroline decided to follow Bonnie home and so I wanted to come and stay with you."

"I'm tired, I'm just… I just want to sleep." Stefan nodded knowingly at Damon.

"We'll go to bed then." Damon raised his eyebrows at that.

"'We' as in you and me?"

"Come on, it'll be like old times when I had nightmares and we slept in same bed. Like a sleepover." Stefan said with a smile. Damon rolled his eyes at his brother's enthusiasm and watched the younger man stand up before he was offered a hand. He stared at it for a second before taking it and letting Stefan lead him back to bed. He laid down on the right side as Stefan flicked off the lamp and laid on the left side. Damon already felt his eyes drooping. He was drained physically and emotionally.

"Brother?"

"Hmm?" Damon mumbled drowsily.

"I'm really glad you're okay. I still need you." Stefan said softly. Damon barely caught any of what he said, sleep was making his mind hazy and the words barely penetrated the clouding in his mind.

"…alright." He mumbled in a garbled voice. Stefan smiled to himself as Damon dozed off.

It's just you and me now, Brother. I promise from now on I'm going to do whatever I need to do to protect you. Stefan vowed in his head before settling into a light sleep.

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Damon sat in the Grill two weeks later. The Boarding House was mostly clear of their visitors and it was now only him, Stefan, Elena and Jeremy (who wanted to be close to his sister) living there. Elena was there simply because she was still recovering from dying. Her Aunt Jenna was out of town and they didn't want her alone. He hadn't really talked to Elena or Jeremy or anyone besides Stefan. When Caroline visited he barely said two sentences to her. He had been taking his time to think. He thought plenty of his situation with Bonnie. He felt he got most of his feelings out during their conversation; his anger came out more so than his hurt but that was still present as well. He had only gotten glimpses of her since then at the park, at the grill, in store parking lots. It was almost like she was watching over him. He was also sure that someone was in his room while he slept. He'd be willing to bet his grimoire that it was her. He asked Stefan, but he just shrugged flippantly and changed the subject. Damon was also getting his powers back. They were janky ever since Greta channeled him. She had used a lot of his mojo and they were finally returning to their full capacity slowly but surely so he could sense her even in his sleep.

Then there was the fact that he hadn't been doing so well mentally that pushed him to isolate himself from everyone else. Klaus had kept him in a cage in the dark for he didn't know how long. He didn't want to know how long he was there. He feared the dark now more than ever did as a child. He didn't particularly like anyone other than Stefan touching him without his permission at that point. It had led to some awkward moments with Elena. She tried to reach out to him, to get him to talk to her, and he'd flinched violently away from her touch. The memories of Klaus beating him and then force feeding him blood to make sure he didn't die were too vivid. His withdrawal hurt Elena, he knew, but he couldn't really help it. He knew Stefan suspected something was wrong, but Damon didn't really want him to worry about it. Bonnie would probably say that his selflessness was annoying and go about what he had dubbed 'Bonnie Selfishness Courses 101'.

He looked up as someone sat across from him. He was surprised to see Kol there.

"Hello mate." Kol said with a smirk. Damon raised an eyebrow at his presence.

"Didn't know you were still in town." Damon commented.

"Well Finn, Sage, Elijah and Katherine left for Europe after we got rid of Niklaus. Rebekah decided to stay behind for her quarterback and what kind of big brother would I be if I didn't stay behind to ensure my little sister's welfare?" Kol asked before reaching over and plucking some of Damon's fries from his plate. Damon snorted at Kol's words.

"As if Rebekah needs any protecting."

"You'd be surprised. Speaking of women I actually like, Bonnie is in love with you."

"So that's why you're here. I had a feeling you weren't here to idly chat with me." Damon mumbled.

"You're an alright person, Salvatore... for a warlock, but Bonnie is very special to me. It's important to me that I ensure her happiness even if the key to said happiness lays with you." Damon just stared at Kol.

"You know she loves you?" Kol asked.

"That's what she said." Damon answered in a clipped tone.

"That's what I've seen. I have known Bonnie for some time, the real Bonnie, which is a luxury not many people get. Truth be told the only people who have known the real her is me, her sister and now you. I know her modus operandi. She'd usually have run by now with the feelings she seems to have for you and she did run. It's what she's always done. She ran from me when I implied I might love her and I was upset for a while but those feelings for her faded, they were never on the level that yours for her obviously is or hers for you."

"How do you know how I feel about Bonnie?" Damon asked doubtfully.

"She's not the only one watching over you, though my presence has been for more observational purposes than for your protection. It's obvious you still care for her, but she hurt you and you're weary which is understandable but you're also human. Even worse, you're a warlock. You magical folk don't tend to live very long, especially not around these parts. You shouldn't let this opportunity pass you by. Your life is dreadfully short, don't waste your time here." Kol advised before abruptly getting up and leaving.

Damon stared after him, that was the most genuine he had ever seen Kol. He obviously stilled cared for Bonnie even if he said he wasn't in love with her anymore. Damon hardly believed the pep talk was for his benefit and more so for Bonnie's, but he acknowledged that Kol was right. Already his family was dead, his brother now a vampire, his kind didn't really tend to survive in Mystic Falls. He was going to be in constant danger his whole life, he had nearly died on more than one occasion and he wanted to at least be able to say that he did something he was proud of, even if it was just something as common as being in love and happy with someone who loved him back. He got up and emptied his plate before leaving the Grill through the back entrance. Little did he know that someone with rather unsavory intentions was following him.