Hey everyone! I'm so sorry that I took so long to post this chapter, but I was really busy over the holidays. I hope you understand! This chapter is pretty much foreshadowing what's to come later in the story (and Damon goes on an accidental ramble about Bonnie's beauty.) Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this. If I did, Damon would be my husband by now.

Damon

"I'm starting to feel a lot like Edward Cullen." Damon thought to himself, as he pried open the window of the guest bedroom where Bonnie was sleeping. "Climbing through a window to watch a girl sleep." But as much as Damon mentally lectured himself to go back to his house, he couldn't. He needed to make sure that the thing didn't come back. Whatever 'the thing' was that staked him. Even if it was just some stupid newborn playing a trick, any vampire would be easily lured in by her scent. With this in mind, Damon had walked around the side of the small house, climbed up to the window, and was now standing over the petit witch as she slept, protecting her from any danger.

"Damon."Bonnie sighed in her sleep.

She had said it so clearly that at first Damon thought that she had woken up, but her eyes were still closed peacefully. "My name." Damon thought, his eyelids snapping open in surprise. "She just said my name." He felt something that was unexplainable, and everything that he had been telling himself before about being a monster completely disappeared.

"My Damon" she cooed, and it was the most beautiful sound that Damon had ever heard.

If he wanted him to be hers, she could have him. She could have his blood, his body, and his soul; he didn't want any of it without her. His earlier realizations snapped back into place, but they were intensified, because instead of merely wanting her, he realized that he needed her. He needed someone that understood. He needed someone on his side. Damon leaned down and pressed his lips to her warm forehead.

And in one instant, he saw everything.


Bonnie

Bonnie was having a terrible nightmare, unlike anything she had ever experienced before. The worst part was the she couldn't do anything to stop it, because she wasn't actually in the room. It was if she was watching the scene in front of her on a TV. She could see and hear everything that was happening, but no one could see or hear her, even though she was screaming hysterically. The vision was foggy, and parts of it were cut out and distorted, but she could clearly see Elena laying on the ground, unconscious. Stefan had her in his arms, and he was crying. Everything began to slowly fade away then, and the blurred edges of the vision spread towards the middle until she couldn't see anymore.


Bonnie's head was still reeling after the strange dream. All throughout the day, she couldn't stop thinking about it and what it meant, even now, after cheerleading practice as she was waiting for Elena to pick her up. Everyone else had left already, and only her and Caroline were left.

"I saw you and Damon at the dance." Caroline said, shattering Bonnie's trail f of thought.

"Oh." Bonnie said lamely. But she knew Caroline wouldn't stop there, she would keep asking questions until she got what she wanted.

"So, are you two, like, a thing now?"

"No. We were just dancing, that's all."

"I see." Caroline said coyly. "Well, that's a relief." Bonnie turned toward her in curiosity.

"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked.

"Well, I went out with him a while ago, and—"

"Wait." Bonnie spun so she was facing Caroline. "You and Damon?"

"Yeah. I mean, if you want to go out with him, go ahead. I just wanted to warn you that—" but Caroline's warning was cut off by the sound of the roaring engine of a car, that was suddenly parked right in front of the two girls. They both turned their heads sharply as one of the dark windows rolled down, to reveal none other than Damon Salvatore.

"Need a ride?" He asked Bonnie smoothly.


Damon

Still wondering why he was able to see into Bonnie's dream when he kissed her head the previous night, Damon got out of the car, leaning coolly against the door of his black Ferrari, so that he was facing the two girls, but he was staring at Bonnie intently.

"Elena called and said she couldn't make it, so she told me to pick you up from cheerleading practice." He said. Slowly, and almost reluctantly, he switched his gaze from Bonnie to Caroline.

"Hello, Caroline." He said politely.

"Hi Damon." Caroline squeaked, and it took everything in his power not to roll his eyes. Instead, he focused back on Bonnie.

"So, would you like a ride?" Damon repeated. Bonnie's eyes were wide, and her cheeks were flushed with red, but she graciously accepted the offer.

"Y-yes. Absolutely. Thank you." She stammered. Damon held the door open for her, and she got inside the car.

"Nice seeing you again, Caroline." He said with false sincerity, as he rounded the car to the driver's side.

"Damon?" Caroline asked before he could open the door. He looked up at her in surprise.

"Yes?"

"Bonnie is not a toy. Be careful with her." Caroline hissed with narrowed eyes. This caught Damon off guard; he didn't know how much Caroline remembered about their 'relationship'.

"I'm just saying," Caroline continued, "it seems like you actually like her." Damon looked at Bonnie in the car nervously, trying to gauge if she was hearing any of this, but it didn't look like she was.

"Yes." Damon snapped. "I do actually like her. I'm not going to hurt her."

"You hurt me." Caroline pointed out.

"Like I said," Damon said coldly. "I actually like her." With that, Damon pulled open the car door furiously and got in, leaving Caroline, standing in front of the school, with her mouth hanging open indignantly as the car drove away.

There was a long silence in the car, before Damon finally asked what he had wanted to ask her since the moment he first saw her.

"Would you like to come out to dinner with me?" Damon asked casually. Bonnie turned sharply to face him.

"Me?" she asked incredulously.

She looked so surprised that Damon had to stifle a laugh. He knew that there was no definite answer; she probably had guys at her feet begging for her attention every day, so there was a chance that she could reject him. And if that happened, he had absolutely no intention on compelling her to say yes. He usually had no problem getting girls, but this was Bonnie. She wasn't a girl, she was an angel, and angels don't typically fall for demons.

"Oh, Damon. I'd love to, really, I would. It's just—" she paused, and had a reluctant look on her face, "I really don't think Elena would…let me."

"Well, Stefan and Elena obviously won't let us be together 'unsupervised'…but they are going out tonight."

"You mean you want to go out without telling them?"

"It seems to be the only option. Do you mind not telling them?"

"No, of course not! Elena's overreacting anyway. I mean, I really don't think your going to hurt me."

"Don't be so sure." He teased, but he was slightly bothered by how quick she was to assume he wasn't going to hurt her. Had she heard anything that she had said to Caroline?

"If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have accepted your offer, now would've I?"

"Well apparently your not afraid of anything." Damon said, but he was surprised when Bonnie's look suddenly became very serious and she looked away, out the window. There was a long pause.

"I am afraid, actually, of one thing." She admitted slowly.

"What's that?" Damon asked, being careful to not upset her.

"Getting my heart broken." Bonnie said softly. Damon whipped his head to the side to face her in alarm. What kind of stupid, selfish, inconsiderate fool would have the audacity to hurt Bonnie?

"Why do you say that?" he asked, concerned.

"Damon," She began, "If there's one thing that your story has taught me, it's to be careful who I fall for. It's too easy to get hurt." Damon looked into her eyes.

"I really wouldn't advise choosing me as a 'positive role model'. " Damon said. "And also, nobody is going to break your heart. Ever."

"How can you be so sure?" Bonnie asked.

"Well, if they do, I'm going to have to deal with them for you." He said, and was pleased when she laughed softly. "And you are absolutely beautiful. And that's coming from someone who has seen decades and decades of beautiful women. Yet somehow, you top them all." Damon finished, looking at the road for once. He couldn't believe he had just said that out loud, and even though it was true, he was worried about what she would say. He looked back at her, and saw that she wore a stunned expression.

"Do you really think that?" she asked timidly.

"Of course. As for being careful who you fall for," his , "Love is all about risks." He said simply and stopped the car. "We're here." He said, tearing his eyes away from hers.

"Thank you for picking me up, Damon." Bonnie said as she began to step out of the car.

"Oh, and Bonnie?" Damon called, flashing a charming smile. "I'll pick you up at seven." Bonnie just nodded dazedly and Damon drove off, satisfied.

I really really really really hope that you all liked this chapter! As a reward for your patience over the holidays, chapter 10 will be up very soon.

Oh, and who liked the 'accidental ramble'?