A/N: Hi everyone. I know it's taken a little longer than usual for an update but I'm back. Some wanted a Bamon flashback so the chapter begins with that. Hope you enjoy! Thank you so much for the reviews that have literally poured in for this story! Keep em coming.

Disclaimer: These characters (Christian Grey belongs to EL James, OC's are mine) are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.


Let me tell you a story…

No justice, no peace gotdamnit as my fingers flew over the keys of my phone before I jammed it in my pocket. This was some bullshit. Serving detention at the school dance was a freaking travesty. Travesty, I tell you! And even without this sentence hanging over my head my date, the emotionless toad, had the audacity to back out at the last second with the excuse he had a stomach virus and couldn't keep anything down, the lame ass. That was about as original as saying he had to wash his hair. Grrr…..

I told myself to inhale deeply, exhale, and whoosaw, and that these tragic turn of events would not land me as the butt of jokes come Monday morning. Oh, what was I saying? High school was overpopulated with cruel villains, and snaggletooth hags who slithered around on their bellies looking for that pound of flesh to humiliate with glee. I was okay, I repeatedly told myself because I was a cheerleader which granted me some power, and my best friends wouldn't leave me hanging. Yes, they would be in attendance with their showpieces draped on their arms and dressed in the best party regalia a small town like Mystic Falls had to offer, while me…

I would be attired in a black polo shirt and dreaded tan khaki pants with my hair pulled back in a respectable ponytail. I had no say in what I could wear. Can you believe that crap?

How did this particularly humiliating fate land on my shoulders? Glad you asked. It might have had something to do with the fact that I preferred to learn Geography, English, and Trig by osmosis rather than being awake, alert, and taking notes during class. I was going through an acute case of insomnia brought on by dreams—well nightmares I should say, so my school attendance and preparedness was suffering.

Ms. Crabtree, the loneliest woman to ever exist and who got off on making others miserable right along with her bitter ass, sauntered over to me with a box containing cups.

"Sort these out, and the second you're done, make sure there's plenty of toilet paper in the girls bathroom," she ordered in her phlegm-filled voice.

I grimaced on the inside and kept an impassive face on the outside. I had been fully prepared to retort wasn't it the janitorial staff's job to restock the bathroom, but I had been usurped of my Wonder Woman lasso and my invisible plane had been repossessed, so I quite literally had no authority around these parts.

Resigned to my fate, I slowly and methodically sorted Styrofoam cups on all the refreshment tables. There had been six total. Three on each side of the gymnasium. The nerds in audio were still working on hooking up the speakers while the DJ blew the dust of the vinyl records he used at the last dance.

Slowly, couples and individuals began to trickle in and gathered in groups on the confetti covered basketball court, or on the bleachers. I ducked my head, kept my eyes to the ground so I wouldn't be noticed. The only people who knew I would be working the dance were my best friends, and though they promised not to abandon me too much, I knew they would keep my company for all of five minutes before they dragged their dates out on the floor and live it up.

Since it was unavoidable, I loaded my arms with enough toilet paper to tee-pee someone's house, and filled the stalls. The second that was done I decided to loiter for a second, and study my reflection.

I was seventeen, a witch, the granddaughter of a witch, and there was something weird going on in my hometown. I didn't know what it was but I had a feeling that Elena's new boy toy and his brother were at the crux of everything. I thought back to a few nights ago…

I had been strolling through the woods on the night of a full moon, which in hindsight I know was not very smart, but Grams had been teaching me about our heritage, and said that a witch could channel the energy of a hot spot during a full moon. In reality, I had no idea what that meant, but in theory it sounded awfully cool. So I decided to test my burgeoning skills and see if I might be able to detect anything supernatural or unusual. I had a book bag full of candles, a little book I checked out from the library on Celtic myths and legends, and one of Grams spell books I later learned was called a grimoire. I had my flashlight and cell phone and felt pretty secure that I would be fine.

Besides, nothing bad ever happened in Mystic Falls.

So I had sat out on foot the minute I arrived at the park and disappeared into the woods. I was unsure of how far into the woods I had gotten when I heard the sound of two people grunting. I paused, listened, and quickly determined that someone was getting the snot beaten out of them. I chucked it up to being a couple of meatheads from the football team, or maybe two drunken men who came to blows over a dispute.

What I found was none of the above. I saw a body fly into a tree at a velocity that should have spelled certain death, but the person literally bounced back on his feet, charged, and then there was just a blur of movement my poor little eyes couldn't keep up with.

By the time the shapes stopped moving and I was able to get a more accurate picture of what was taking place, one man stood with his foot on the other man's neck, apparently adding pressure.

"She is mine," the aggressor said but then he stopped, sniffed like an animal, and his eyes zeroed in on me.

I didn't ask any questions. My plans for channeling a hot spot forgotten, I took off for my car.

I didn't get very far because I crashed into what felt like a brick wall and landed on my ass.

"Please…don't hurt me," I said feebly and curled and tucked my body into the fetal position and covered my head. I just knew I was going to die.

"Naughty girl…you shouldn't play out in the woods at night. It's dangerous."

I froze because I recognized the voice. I immediately dropped my hands and found myself glaring into a pair of appallingly blue eyes. But that wasn't nearly as disconcerting as the fact he had blocked my path faster than he should have.

He smiled charmingly at me, and his lips stretched until teeth were exposed. It was like looking into a drawer full of knives. My heart burst through my sternum like a horse at the Kentucky Derby.

"Get away from her, Damon!"

I recognized that voice, too. Stefan.

I couldn't comprehend what I had stumbled on. The way they moved, the fact Damon's teeth looked real sharp, the fact I was alone with both of them, and I was scared out of my freaking mind but I couldn't get my legs to cooperate and push myself to stand.

Stefan had reached out his hand to help me to my feet, and in a daze I accepted because I knew Stefan from school and he was seeing Elena. His brother on the other hand unnerved me.

"Bonnie, are you okay?" Stefan asked.

I was about to respond, but the second I touched Stefan's palm I felt something I never felt before and immediately recoiled from his touch. His hands had been like ice, but beyond that there had been a hollow feeling I could only imagine what death would feel like. I didn't know what that meant, and perhaps it meant nothing, but in that very second I didn't want to be around either Salvatore. I was going to scream.

Damon must have sensed it because he placed his index finger up against my lips, boring into my eyes with those glowing orbs of his. The same feeling I felt when I touched Stefan, tripled inside with Damon's finger pressed against my mouth. What the fuck?

"Don't scream. You didn't see anything tonight. You were walking, got lost, and we helped you find your way back. " He paused as if he were waiting for me to refute what he said. It didn't escape me that I saw his pupils dilate.

Numbly I nodded. For self-preservation reasons I knew it would serve in my best interest to play along.

"Go home," he ordered in the coldest voice I had ever heard. I shivered and then quickly darted around him, got in my car, and left. But my mind was buzzing with questions. Something was off about them. Something…I wanted to say inhuman, I mean, outside of their absurd good looks, but they were…something. Their speed, their strength…unexplainable.

Since then I kept a wide berth between both Salvatore's, but I knew they would be here tonight. Stefan with Elena and Damon with Caroline.

Leaving the safe confines of the bathroom, I returned to the gym to find that even more people had arrived. I sighed heavily and went over to my assigned table where my back-up, another prisoner of Ms. Crabtree, stood sullen with her arms folded over her chest, attitude written all of her face. I feel you, my sister, I feel you.

Music started blasting from the speakers which prompted several people to start dancing around the gym. I craned my neck looking for familiar faces and spotted Matt talking with Tyler and several other football players. I wanted to ask Matt how his sister Vicky was doing. A week ago she had been attacked by an animal out at the old cemetery. Vicky had lost a lot of blood. She stayed in the hospital for two days, but had to return because she, according to Matt, had a slight psychotic episode.

Vicky and I had never been particularly close. She was one of those people you grew up with but never became solid friends with because she had a wild streak your parents, in my case grandmother, thought would be a bad influence on you. Plus Vicky had a reputation for being more accessible than a revolving door, so there you go.

Not that I held that against her.

About an hour into the dance, my best friends arrived with their dates. I couldn't explain why my heart began to pound, but it tripled in beat the second Damon Salvatore scanned the crowd and his eyes landed on me like an arrow striking the ass of a deer. He grinned and there was something about that grin that translated into trouble in my rattled brain. He was with my best friend so he should have had his attention on her. Caroline looked beyond excited and giddy because admittedly, and I hated to say this, Damon was the best looking guy she had ever dated. I didn't know what the deal was between them because Caroline was being uncharacteristically hush-hush about the nature of their relationship. The girl couldn't hold water or trade secrets so whenever I tried to dig for some dirt on Damon, she'd clam up, and say like a well-trained parrot:

"Damon is very private and doesn't want me to talk about him to my friends."

Elena looked just as starry-eyed as Caroline as she clutched Stefan's arm and pulled him inside the gym. Dude looked like he was being led to his execution. The thought made me chuckle until I remembered that feeling which ran through me the minute our skin made contact.

I hadn't worked up the courage to tell Elena what I felt because in all honesty I didn't know how to explain it. Grams was away and wouldn't be returning for another week so until she got back, I was on my own in trying to figure out if something was wrong with Stefan and Damon, or if I was looking for something that wasn't there.

To my horror, Caroline spotted me and dragged the trio behind her over to my table. Ugh.

"Bonnie!" she said it loud enough for everyone in the immediate vicinity to stop their activity and look at me as if I were about to star ringing up groceries or something.

"Hey," I glowered at her slightly and avoided making eye contact with the two guys who hovered in the background. My skin started crawling, pebbling, and slightly quaking because I felt Damon's eyes on me like he was touching me.

"I'm so sorry you have to serve detention at the dance," Elena lamented. "This whole thing blows."

"You totally look cute though," Caroline said as if that would make the entire situation better.

I offered up a tiny smile and kept my eyes focused on my two friends. "Would you like some punch?" I was so being sarcastic.

"I wouldn't mind a cup," Damon announced.

"Make it yourself," I retorted rudely.

"Bonnie," Caroline admonished, "you can be nicer than that."

I didn't say anything.

Elena and Damon helped themselves to some punch whereas Caroline primped, mainly adjusting the scarf around her neck. Lately she had been wearing a lot of scarves. Stefan studied his shoes.

Just leave already, I was shouting in my mind, and as if they heard they moved along and started making rounds around the gym.

My back, feet, legs, and neck were screaming by hour three. My sentence should have ended and I should have been granted a dispensation to get the hell out of here, but Ms. Crabtree was determined to squeeze out every single drop of humiliation this night could garner.

In the grand scheme of things it wasn't terrible. I didn't have to turn down dance invitations from guys that knew better. I didn't have to make conversation with the Salvatore's.

However, the eldest one wouldn't exactly stay out of my line of vision. I told myself I only kept my eyes on him to make sure he behaved himself. I questioned plenty of times why he was dating a high school girl when clearly Damon was college aged though he wasn't enrolled in college, that I knew of, and dude didn't have a job. I assumed the Salvatore's were loaded and he was probably living off a trust fund, but to have not nary a goal in life other than to crash a high school dance, and make eyes at his brother's girlfriend when said brother wasn't looking…I didn't like or trust Damon Salvatore.

Thankfully the dance ended without much fan fair. I knew everyone would be heading over to The Grill because it was tradition so that meant I would be going home to rest my tired, aching feet.

Caroline and Elena tried to coax me to join them, but I declined, said I had to help clean the gym, and then finally I would get my release papers.

By the time my night was officially over, and I was walking to my car I got the sense that I was being followed. With what happened to Vicky, my encounter with the Salvatore's in the woods that neither one had mentioned nor coughed up any kind of explanation, I was feeling like that black person in scary movies who dies first.

I looked over my shoulder and didn't see anyone, but a cloud of fog covered the pavement and I found that extremely odd. Did someone leave a smoke machine on?

Ignoring it, I unlocked my car, threw my purse into the passenger seat and was prepared to climb behind the wheel when I heard someone whistle.

I jerked up and looked back towards the gym and I saw someone leaning up against the brick wall, arms folded over his chest. His face was hidden in shadows, but there was no way in the world I was going to ask those dumb questions, "Who are you?" "What do you want?"

Deciding it was best to move alone since I was so clearly being watched, I got behind the wheel and tried to slam my door shut when someone jerked it open. I was pulled out of the car, and I started screaming like a banshee, as my arms and legs flailed around and I tried to hit my attacker.

"Stay still," he grunted.

Like hell, I wanted to say and brought my knee up to crush his groin, but he must have sensed what I was about to do because I was abruptly spun around facing away from him, and then thrust into my car. My head was wrenched painfully backwards and to the side, and I felt that hollow, death-like feeling again that turned my blood cold. The man's teeth were aiming for my neck.

"HELP ME! SOMEONE HELP ME PLEASE!"

"You don't have to scream, naughty girl."

I stiffened and the thing that was holding me seemingly disappeared and then I heard what could only be described as a box of rocks hitting concrete.

My erratic breathing was the only sound around for miles. I didn't want to turn around to witness what just happened, but my feet grew a mind of their own, and I was turning around.

Damon was standing there looking smug, and then as my eyes lowered I realized there was a body crumbled on the ground.

"Ohmygod! You killed him!"

"Technically he's already dead, but he will be permanently dead soon enough."

I didn't understand what was going on. Damon shouldn't be here. He should be with Caroline at the Grill. They had left at least forty-five minutes ago. I could only go off the way the man's neck was twisted at an odd angle and come to the conclusion that Damon with his bare hands snapped my attacker's neck. How did he know I was in trouble? Why was he here?

I took a step back only to ram into my car. Was I an accessory to murder now?

"Aren't you going to say thank you?" Damon asked tersely.

I merely blinked at him. "I don't…"

Damon kicked the man's body away and approached me, and since I had nowhere to go I was trapped between him and my car. He was doing that weird thing with his eyes, and I shook my head.

"I don't know what you're doing but you need to stop."

Surprise flitted across his face and then he was smirking at some kind of inside joke. "You remember that night, don't you?"

This would be the perfect time to play dumb, but I wanted answers and he was going to give them to me.

"Yes, I do." Pause. "What are you?"

"I know what you are…a liability," he grumbled and effectively ignored my question, "but also exactly what I need. Stay out of trouble, naughty girl."

I watched as Damon easily tossed the man over his shoulder and then he walked away. I was stunned by what just happened, and by Damon's cryptic words. What had I just stumbled into?

If you're wondering that's the night I fell in love with Damon Salvatore, ha-ha think again. My name ain't Bella and last I checked I wasn't a special snowflake who could disregard a person's criminal past, overlook the fact my wannabe Romeo was a cold-blooded killer and love him anyways. No, after that night I trusted Damon even less, and watched him even more.

My questions: What are you? What do you want from me? went ignored every time I asked, and he had a knack for showing up. Not always when I was in trouble, but popping up at high school events, at The Grill, calling me naughty girl, and looking at me like he knew something about me. Inevitably he was always there when I needed him even if I never wanted to admit I needed him.

There had been the time I was out on a date and the guy got a little too frisky. Damon showed up and sent the guy packing…to a hospital, but later it was revealed the guy had assaulted two other girls before making his move on me.

However it was a culmination of unavoidable events that his secret was exposed. That he and Stefan were vampires. I didn't take the news so well. I actually…um…accidentally set him on fire. When he survived without a single burn that was pretty much all the proof I needed that Damon was what he said he was. And he finally confessed he knew I was witch and wanted me and my grandmother to open up a tomb to free his girlfriend slash maker Katherine Pierce.

By that time I was so aggravated and frightened by Damon I would have agreed to launch a nuclear missile to get him to leave Mystic Falls because wherever he went, death followed. But he never hurt me.

I don't know how many people Damon killed back then. The man's neck he snapped had been a vampire who may have been responsible for what happened to Vicky, and a few other people. Damon certainly hadn't gone out of his way to admit to anything. He only gave me scraps to go on back then because he had been hiding something. But the second the cards were laid out on the table, he finally broke down and told me why he hovered around was because he knew I was Emily Bennett's descendent and he was counting on me and Grams to be able to break the spell Emily cast to entomb twenty-seven vampires underneath Fell's Church.

I will say I had been a little conflicted because Damon had agreed to leave town the minute he got Katherine out. As much as I should have been kicking up my heels at his impending departure, I guess I had kind of gotten use to him being around and giving me grief. Damon had become that bully who pulled your hair, said you smelled, and called you names as his roundabout way of saying he liked you.

However, in a wicked twisted of events, Katherine had never been in the tomb and Damon came to the heart wrenching conclusion she had been out and alive all this time and not once tried to contact to him, reach out to him, come for him knowing that he loved her.

The night I fell in love with him was the night I watched his heart break as he sat in front of the fireplace at the boardinghouse after Grams and I opened the tomb and revealed the truth to Damon. But I wouldn't know it was love until months later.

I had been watching Damon since I was seventeen, and I was still watching him today. Mainly because he was sitting at the boardroom table at CGI wearing the hell out of his Dolce & Gabana business suit. That suit had been a Christmas gift from me two years ago. My boss was speaking and like a good little worker bee I should have been paying attention, but my attention was being thwarted by my ex who had yet to make any kind of eye contact with me.

"…with this new board in place Christian Gray Industries is about to embark on something that will revolutionize the world, and may in fact lead the next step in human potential and evolution…"

Now that definitely got my attention. Human potential? Evolution? Were we about to "embark" on some Jurassic Park shit?

This all reminded me of the fact I didn't Google Dr. Henry Gao like I had told myself that I would, and I would as soon as this introductory meeting was over and I could get back to my desk. Unfortunately that would take a minute since I would have to stay behind with Dakota in the off chance Mr. Grey needed something.

And speaking of my boss, things between us had, I guess you could say cooled off. He hadn't felt me up with his eyes since he told me he wanted me to accompany him to Copenhagen earlier this week, and the right way to feel about that was relief but I felt kind of slighted. Then I overheard Cheryl and Dakota whispering that our boss may have reunited with a prior flame. Some chick named Anastasia, Annabelle? Something. And if he did…that was fast.

"…so stand with me and welcome our newest board members to Christian Gray Industries," Mr. Grey's booming voice captured my attention and I rose out of the leather swivel chair and began clapping my hands. "Let's celebrate," Mr. Grey concluded.

I began passing around champagne flutes, while Danny Desai, the Chief Information Officer popped corks and filled the glasses with bubbly. I liked Mr. Desai because he never let his title and position with the company stop him from being "one of the guys", or I should say from being one of the laymen. He was personable and had a sarcastic wit only true cynics could appreciate.

Armed with two glasses of Dom Perignon, I approached Mr. Grey and Damon. The two of them were engaged in small-talk from what I could tell, and you know me I was itching to find out what they were discussing.

Two pairs of eyes fixed on me and I kept my smile in place though my knees were turning into jelly. So much male testosterone in one room shouldn't be allowed. I handed one glass over to my boss first and the other I gave to Damon. He made sure his fingers overlapped mine as he intercepted the glass.

"Thank you, Miss Bennett," Damon spoke officiously.

"You're welcome," I turned my attention to Mr. Grey who had already upturned his glass to his mouth. "Do you need anything else, Mr. Grey?"

"Yes, how are the preparations coming along for the Dinner on the Roof event next week? The invoices are pouring in and I think its giving the Accounts Payable department heart palpitations."

I don't understand why. It wasn't like it was their money to begin with. I kept my smile in place while I answered. "Trying to feed close to two hundred people a gourmet meal wouldn't necessarily entail being financially frugal, Mr. Grey. But I've worked out a couple of deals that have slashed prices significantly especially when it comes to entertainment. Catering is the make or break of any event so I couldn't cut any corners around that."

"Always resourceful and knowledgeable. You know I admire that…in you, Miss Bennett," Mr. Grey complimented. "You're not having any champagne? Here take my glass."

"Ah…" I stammered as Mr. Grey placed his glass into my hand. Out the corner of my eyes I saw Damon pull his lips back from his teeth.

"Yes, Missus Sal—I mean Miss Bennett handled all of our household finances when we were married," Damon interjected and I wanted to frown at him and his non-Freudian slip.

Maybe it was me but it seemed like as soon as he made that telling statement the noise level in the conference room lowered considerably.

Mr. Grey stared at my husband before smiling but I could tell it took some effort. "Right, I haven't forgotten that you two were husband and wife. Now that you're both here, and I've already discussed this with Bonnie," ooh, we're back to Bonnie. Progress. "I'm hoping there won't be any problems moving forward?"

Damon shook his head and shrugged. "Bonnie and I have been nothing but cordial to one another. We get along great in fact, better than most divorcees. I still consider her a very close friend."

I watched as Mr. Grey's eyes narrowed. Clearly he was astute enough to figure out the meaning behind Damon emphatically stressing the word—very.

Okay, the temperature was rising. Was I the only one hot and uncomfortable?

"I realize I'm here to do a specific job and that's not to interfere with Bonnie's work in anyway," Damon remarked amiably. "So you won't have any issues with me."

Mr. Grey measured Damon for a second before curtly nodding his head. "So long as all of us can be adult about this, this new partnership may in fact turn beneficial across the board. That's my goal after all."

And it was that goal I had no idea what it entailed and how Damon fit into this Rubik cube.

"I hope you won't take it personally if I steal Miss Bennett away from time to time. I'd like her to be at my side—often."

All right that made me choke and I hadn't even swallowed a sip of champagne. The glass in Damon's hand cracked but didn't shatter into pieces.

Christian continued speaking as if he didn't hear that and as if nothing were remiss. "I believe she's reached a plateau in her current responsibilities, and the more she proves herself the more I feel it necessary to challenge her," he turned those gray eyes on me which shrunk me in height by a good two feet but also lifted me up. "You are up for the challenge, Miss Bennett?"

I nodded and then remembered to use my words like a big girl. "Yes, Mr. Grey. Like I said before, in whatever capacity you need me I'm here. Ready. Willing. And able."

A slow smile, wicked enough to inspire a thousand wet dreams, spread across his face then. "Just what I like to hear."

Damon was probably blowing several gaskets right about now so I kept my eyes off him for that very reason. The tension radiating from his body was nearly suffocating, and I decided it would be best to back away and continue on with my administrative duties, and disengage from this pissing contest.

Luckily, two senior executives sauntered up to exchange pleasantries with Mr. Grey and to introduce themselves to Damon. I took that as my cue to leave. When I turned around to head back to my hideout corner The Blondes were glaring at me. Perhaps they had been timing how long I spoke with Damon and Mr. Grey. Mentally I rolled my eyes in exasperation as I approached them.

Cheryl pounced first. "You know it's unprofessional to take up so much of Mr. Grey's time when the board and senior executives are assembled."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Prescott," I spat contemptuously although I muttered that quietly, "but Mr. Grey asked me a question and I couldn't be rude and not answer. Wouldn't that have been construed as unprofessional?"

Cheryl pressed her lips into a thin line. "Just…try to avoid that in the future. He has a tight and commanding schedule as is and doesn't have time for…for foolishness of any kind."

Was this woman serious? From the hard look in her eyes and the way she held her shoulders back and rigid like she was leading a Roman army I would daresay she was serious. So it was foolish to answer one's boss' question? No, her ass was jealous and judging by the equally pinched look on Dakota's face she was too. Deal with it, hussies. Damon and Mr. Grey was all about the swirl.

Shaking my head at my own thoughts, I went about the rest of my duties, and then Mr. Grey dismissed all three of us assistants from his sight. Cheryl and Dakota engaged in conversation excluding me naturally, which was just fine and dandy with me. On the inside I was cackling like a witch (yeah I know) with a wart on the end of my nose the size of a skittle because their heads would explode the minute they found out I would be leaving the country with our boss to engage in even more "foolishness".

Once I made it back to my desk, I sighed heavily because there was a stack of binders nearly three feet in height that had to be reshelved in the law library. I grabbed a rolling cart, stacked the binders after checking to make sure I pulled the right documents out of them, and then headed over to the bank of elevators.

I traveled down to the eighteenth floor where the lawyers of CGI hibernated. I nodded towards the receptionist and was automatically freaked out by how quiet it was. For lawyers you'd imagine the place would be buzzing with activity, of phones ringing off the hook, and people screaming at other people, but it was as quiet as a graveyard. How the receptionist didn't lose her mind with all this silence as a true testament of her fortitude because I wouldn't have made it a solid eight hours without jumping up and screaming "Wake up!" like Lawrence Fishburn did at the end of School Daze.

I left the rolling cart of binders with the filing clerk, and then debated if I wanted to return to my desk or not. I checked the time on my watch and estimated I had about fifteen minutes of free time left before Mr. Grey returned to his office. I could always go outside and walk in the botanical garden, but it was much too hot for that. No, it was best to return to my desk and wait for my next set of orders while pretending to work.

Of course by the time I made it back to the 22nd floor, Damon would be there sitting on the edge of Cheryl's desk. Dakota was missing but then she barreled past me, nearly knocking me down as she rushed over with a cup of coffee. She handed the mug to Damon who thanked her in Italian and I swore that chick levitated.

My face turned to stone of its own volition. Damon only spoke Italian to me, but then I shook my head of that jealous and petty thought and sauntered past him making sure he caught a whiff of my perfume as I sat down in my seat, not saying a word to him.

It may have been rude and uncalled for but he had no business being here. According to Mr. Grey's calendar he had an off-site meeting and would be out of the office until tomorrow. Dakota was traveling with him, and I saw her throwing things in her bag, preparing to leave. So Damon's presence here wasn't needed.

Cheryl and Damon laughed and I flicked my eyes briefly in their direction. They were whispering to one another and I didn't care to know what was being said between them.

The ding of the elevator caught everyone's attention. Mr. Grey had returned and didn't appear to be the least bit surprised to see that Damon was still hanging around like smog.

"Miss Bennett could you step into my office for a moment? Dakota you may head to the car. Taylor is waiting."

"Yes, sir," Dakota and I spoke in harmony. Ugh, I hated when we did that.

"Mr. Salvatore," was all Christian said before pushing his office door open.

I glanced at Damon who waved me to walk in front of him.

"Ummm," I heard him say and well I may have smiled a tiny bit.

The both of us entered his office and I was burning with curiosity on what Christian was about to say next.

"Since Mr. Salvatore has an official position, and you want more responsibility, I thought you could help transition Mr. Salvatore to the company, Bonnie."

"What?" I blurted out impertinently. "You want me to be his assistant?"

"Only until one who meets his requirements is hired. Several candidates have been interviewed, but until a decision has been made, Mr. Salvatore needs someone who is already familiar with the procedures and practices of the company, and can answer any questions he may have."

Surely they could bring on a temp for that. How was I supposed to assist Damon and Mr. Grey? I didn't have a doppelganger or a twin. There was only one of me. Not only that, I'm supposed to be getting my shit together to go to Denmark!

"It will only be for approximately two weeks, Miss Bennett beginning in August," Mr. Grey probably heard me whining in my head. His tone suggested I get over it and deal with it.

But then wasn't there a clause in the company handbook that prohibited spouses from working in the same department? Oh sure Damon and I were divorced but shouldn't we still fall under that umbrella, technically speaking?

"I think this is good idea," Damon reaffirmed. "We already know each other and you've always anticipated my needs," he had to grin, "not to mention I feel comfortable with you, Miss Bennett."

Oh so this was all about his comfort level and not mine? Slowly I penetrated him with a glare.

Once again I felt like I should be frank about something, but Mr. Grey had retrieved his iPad and cell and began heading towards the door. It was done. There was no negotiating and I was right back in high school serving detention at a dance.

"You may show him to his office on the seventeenth floor. Pamela is expecting you. I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Bennett."

"Have a good evening, Mr. Grey," I mumbled petulantly.

The second he was gone, Damon turned to me, and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. I jerked away from him.

"Did you compel him?" I immediately accused.

"No, I didn't."

"Don't lie to me, Damon."

"I'm glad you still think I'm up to no good, Bonnie. It warms my cold, dead heart considerably. This was all his fucking idea."

I paused for a moment—thinking. "Does he know what you are?"

My ex-husband approached me leaving very little breathing room between us. "I think the better question to ask is: does he know what you are."

I blinked before frowning. "Are you suggesting that Mr. Grey knows I'm a witch," I may have whispered that last part vehemently.

A twinkle danced in Damon's eyes and that only happened when he knew something I didn't. "We should continue this conversation in my office."

I wasn't given the opportunity to object before I was hauled out of Mr. Grey's home away from home. Damon tossed out a good bye to Cheryl, and instead of waiting for the elevator, we took the stairs. Well, Damon threw me over his shoulder and rushed down to the 17th floor. He put me down reluctantly once we made it to the designated floor. We walked down a series of corridors until we reached the reception area where Pamela, a seasoned veteran, quickly ushered us to where Damon would be stationed.

He had a corner office that offered a view of Center City. It was a nice view but his space wasn't nearly as large as Christian's—well no one's office was as big as his, but there was enough room in Damon's office for a love seat and a couple of bookshelves. Right now there was only a desk and chair inside.

"Thank you, Pam," Damon smiled and then closed the door on her face. He made himself right at home behind the desk and kicked his feet up.

"Now back to our earlier conversation," I reminded the ex.

"Right," Damon snapped his fingers. "I'm trying to figure out exactly how much your boss knows about the supernatural world. The man has connections all over the place which unfortunately leaves him a little untouchable, much to my chagrin," there was a twinge of regret in Damon's voice because that meant he couldn't kill him.

"What is he planning? Those comments he made at the board meeting about human potential and the next step in evolution. What is he up to?"

"I imagine you're going to discover the answers to those questions, corpo provocante in Copenhagen. Now, take lots of notes for daddy so that when you return we can review them," Damon replied flippantly.

As you can guess, I stilled before growling, "How do you know about Copenhagen?"

Damon sighed theatrically, rose from his chair, and then pulled me over to the window. He stood behind me and I tried not to let his proximity deter me or distract me.

"How many times and in how many different languages do I need to tell you that when it concerns you I make it my business to know? You think I wasn't going to find out you're leaving the country with your boss that happens to be male?"

I turned around to glare up at him. "Damon you can't keep spying on me and trying to control my life. We're not together anymore which means I don't B-E-L-O-N-G to you. Get that through your thick skull. I don't want you in my business!"

"Tough titty," his nostrils flared angrily. "As long as we're alive you'll always be my number one concern whether you want to be or not. Your boss wants to fuck you and I'm not going to let that happen."

"Gah!" I screamed and pushed Damon away from me. I was literally vibrating with anger. "This is what I'm talking about. This is why you can't work here!"

Damon looked affronted. "You're mad at me because your boss is having explicit thoughts about you? The irony!"

I laughed dryly. "You're a mind reader now."

"I'm a fucking man and I know when another man wants to fuck a woman. And you're just dumb enough to fall for his shit."

My jaw dropped. "You asshole! Good to know you think so highly of me, and my intelligence, Damon. I'm glad you think I go around dropping my drawers for any prick that throws me a compliment or a smidgen of attention like I'm some country bumpkin that's never seen a dick before."

"Bonnie…"

"Don't you Bonnie me. I'm not working for you, with you, or anything! And I don't care if I get fired. There is no way in hell this will ever work. You don't respect me."

"Bonnie," Damon rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean what I said."

I stomped over to my ex and barely resisted poking him in the middle of his forehead. "And I'm just dumb enough to accept your apology, right?"

I left the office in a flourish, and decided to take the rest of the day off, go home, and get drunk.


Too many thoughts circulated around in my head. As I was riding the bus, my cell buzzed and I had every intention of ignoring it, but I caved, pulled it out and saw it was Erik Mauer calling. I sent his call to voice mail because I wasn't in the right frame of mind to be nice to anyone, not even to the little old lady who sat next to me and mistook my shoulder for a pillow. I nudged her the hell off of me, and then apologized when she almost fell out of the seat.

Once I was home, I stripped out of my business attire, threw on a pair of ripped jeans and an old T-shirt, but then slipped out of that and put on my workout gear. I have an in-home gym so I finally put that to use and pounded the punching bag for a solid hour before hunger pains nearly crippled me to my feet.

All throughout my workout I thought over my argument with Damon. Just like old times. And that situation back in his office could have ended another way. It was the type of situation where we could have thrown ourselves at one another, kissed, and then fucked right there on his desk. I'm sure the thought crossed his mind several times, but he was the last person on I earth I wanted to touch me right now.

Insulting me was right up there with physically harming me. Yes, I could admit to having inappropriate thoughts about Christian Grey. I was a hot-blooded female with needs after all so sue me for that, but to suggest I didn't have the proper brain cells to not be able to see my boss' ulterior motives…

Damon was lucky I did not throw his ass out the gotdamn window.

Was it really a crime for me to want to move on from him? To be with someone else even if that someone else turned out to be my boss? It would be tricky and I couldn't even say it would be worth the risk. If Christian Grey ever made a move on me, until it happened I didn't know what I would do. But knowing how much he valued his professional reputation, I knew my boss had enough scruples to never do anything or say anything alleging to inappropriate behavior between himself and an employee.

This wasn't going to work, this arrangement between me and Damon even if it lasted no more than the appointed two weeks. There was simply too much history between us and obviously when alone we either butted heads or bumped uglies. There really was no in between with us.

Stefan used to tease us and say the reason why we fought the way we did is because we were the same person. I was the female version of Damon while he was the male version of me. I disputed that claim because one, I wasn't a homicidal lunatic, two, I didn't manipulate things or people around me in order to get my way. Okay, so maybe I cheated and used magic to get me out of a couple of jams, but no one went home dead on my watch. Damon couldn't say that.

"You two love too hard," Stefan had said. "And because of that you're going to drive each other nuts. There have been very few people that Damon has loved, and once he finds someone he wants to share his life and heart with he clings to that person. There's just no escaping him."

Wasn't that the damned truth.

My doorbell rang and I halted all movement. I hadn't been expecting anyone, so I was immediately filled with suspicion.

Padding towards the front door, I checked the peephole and frowned. It was a deliveryman of some kind.

"Hi," I said after opening the door.

"I have a bouquet delivery for Mrs. Bonnie Bennett."

"That's me," I replied and was presented with two dozen vermilion, long stem roses in full bloom. "Oh, God," I was pleasantly taken aback, and then signed for the roses. "Thank you. Oh, wait let me get you a tip."

"It's been taken care of, ma'am. Have a good night."

"You, too."

Closing the door with my hip, I entered the dinning room where I placed the roses on the center of the table. Then I took a step back to admire them, before stepping forward to smell their fragrance. I checked for a card and finally located it. It was taped to the bottom of the vase and was the size of a greeting card.

I ripped it open and began reading.

Mi portafortuna—

I rolled my eyes yet continued.

Mi portafortuna—

You know me and my big mouth. It gets away from me sometimes. It's hard for me to accept that we aren't together anymore. I wake up every morning expecting to see you lying beside me, and you're not, and that kills me more than anything. I've driven you away, and I keep hurting you, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I said in the office. It was out of line and you didn't deserve it. What you deserve are these roses that cost me a mint, but above that, you deserve respect. You might not believe this, but I do respect you, and I always have, and I always will. Again, I'm sorry.

Yours forever,

Damon

"Great. Just perfect," I mumbled and may have read the card over four more times before placing it beside the vase.

Damon made it almost impossible to stay mad at him, but this was about the principle of everything. He couldn't be a dick, turn around and buy me roses, and try to weasel forgiveness out of me. I mean, he could, but that didn't mean I had to fall for it.

I retrieved my cell from my bag to place a call. I hesitated because I saw that Erik left me a voice mail message. I nibbled my bottom lip and debated. What to do?

Chapter end.

A/N: I've kind of been back and forth if I wanted to stick with the show's canon on Bamon's relationship (I should say lack thereof) and decided not to. So in this story, Damon never bit or tried to kill Bonnie, and Grams didn't die as a result from lifting the tomb spell. So just kind of erase what's canon from your mind when it comes to this story. I may borrow things that did happen on the show, if they fit, but I won't be following anything to the letter. And don't fret there will be more flashbacks peppered throughout the story. So what exactly is Mr. Grey up to in assigning Bonnie to help Damon at least for two weeks, and how much does he know about the supernatural world? Answers are coming soon. And Bonnie and Damon…will those two ever learn to get along? Thank you guys so much for reading! Until next time, love you!