Phew. Passed the (touchscreen) driving test and got my learner's permit, you guys! Now I'll have to get some practice in before doing the actual behind-the-wheel test. Now that scares me. lol

Anyways.

Thanks so much for all the kind reviews and for sticking with this for a little while longer. Since I don't want to let you guys wait for too long, I'll post this now. It's a little less thoroughly edited, so if you find any glaring mistakes - or even just normal mistakes - let me know and I'll fix it.

Juno: lol. Right? I felt like it was high time... :)

Anyone ready for more?

...

"Damon."

The voice sounded so close, yet he was far away, and unwilling to emerge.

"Damon."

They had found him soon after Bonnie and her partner had left on their track into the unknown. He had been sitting in one of the pews, munching on a bird he'd managed to kill earlier that day, the chewing being tough and tedious. He'd already been so over this meat based diet that part of him had almost been relieved they'd gotten to him so fast.

At some point before that, he had briefly wondered whether he should try and run, too. But there was no place for him to hide, nothing to be gained. He wasn't free in his head anyways, fleeing wouldn't have changed that.

So he had waited patiently.

"Come one Damon."

It wasn't Elena. Slowly, he let his eyelids flutter open and blinked a couple of times until his vision cleared enough to see

"Stefan?"

The man in front of him, sitting on a small stool, smiled at him sadly.

"Brother…"

Damon moved to get up, slowly, and they hugged each other, just a moment. It was so good to feel him near, to be able to touch his younger brother after so much time had passed. He hadn't seen him in the last three years, ever since Stefan had left on some random press related trip, proclaiming to everyone who would listen that the war was wrong and there was another truth out there.

Damon had urged him to keep quiet. He hadn't wanted Stefan to get in trouble with the military, with command. But the younger one had refused.

Until the day Damon had come to the Pond of No Return for his tryouts and had come back from there with an established link.

"It's fucked up, Damon," he'd said. "It's sick. What they make you do. Just look at Elena. And there's many more out there that don't have a choice but to be forced into a link."

"She is thrilled about it!" he'd exclaimed, angry then with Stefan, but his brother had shaken his head sadly. He had known.

"Neither of you had a choice in the matter. But having someone force their thoughts on you? And then being forced to join the military? She wanted to be a doctor, Damon."

"She can still become one! The military-"

"Exactly. The military," Stefan had interjected, rolling his eyes and pressing his mouth together in frustration. "They control everything. People need doctors that are on neither side. Have you noticed how almost all the important positions these days get filled by people in the military? And almost every hospital, every administrative bureau has a link-partner working for them."

"Stefan…"

They had both sighed. Stefan had ruffled his hair absently, then looked directly at his older brother.

"I'm not here to argue. I know you don't see it, Damon. I'm… just here to say goodbye I guess."

"You're leaving." It hadn't been a question. He'd always seen in coming.

"With a group of friends. We are headed to a settlement of neutrals. They are building a news central there. And I want to be a part of that."

And he'd done it. He'd left. Damon had thought he'd never see him again. He'd been worried Elena would tattle in him, on them, and Stefan would get caught and put under arrest. But she hadn't.

Their bond had still been new, their love stronger than any military influence could be. But even back then he had already started to doubt.

"Are you really here?" He was now asking, and both of them chuckled. It wasn't a very happy sound.

"I am."

"I guess that means I'm fucked."

"You really are, brother, you really are."

"When?"

Stefan sighed. He knew what Damon meant, of course… The reprogramming, the reason he was here. So that he could see his brother one last time before Damon might not recognize him anymore. He gave his brother a long look, his mouth working as he tried to make himself say it. "Tomorrow."

Damon's eyes flickered as he inhaled sharply. "And they let you visit?" he asked.

Stefan smiled. "Elena contacted me, actually."

That was a surprise. I still love you. Even if we don't agree anymore… she piped up somewhere in the back of his mind, and he sent her his heartfelt gratitude.

"So this is goodbye again then, huh?"

Stefan nodded, and Damon felt his heart grow heavy, a lump in his throat.

"I'm proud of you, brother."

"Proud?" Damon grinned incredulously.

"You stood up for Bonnie. In the end, you chose the right side. That takes more guts than I ever had."

Damon's grin grew wistful. He shook his head. "No. You've always been the stronger one. Fighting for the right side since day one. I… had to slowly open my eyes and see… But you, you knew. I'm sorry this has to be goodbye, Stef. I wish I could come to your settlement with you, inform the masses about how fucked up both factions in the war really are. And how much beauty they're missing out on."

"I'll tell your story," Stefan suddenly whispered, leaning in, giving Damon another hug. Then, louder, he said. "I gotta go, brother. I'm sorry."

Damon nodded, waving without enthusiasm. "Love you, brother."

"I love you, too. I always will, Damon."

"I'll probably come back as a heartless empty shell, though, standing only for the cause you're fighting so hard."

They both sighed, then Stefan nodded. "You'll always be my brother. I know you'll still find it in you, the things you truly believe in. When it'll come down to it, you'll know."

With that he left, leaving Damon alone, shackled by his feet to the bed he was laying on, alone, already empty. He hoped Stefan was right, but he doubted it.

Tabula rasa. He'd be a clean slate, a wild card. Would he really know it deep down, what he'd believed in? Friends above military? The war being wrong?

Probably not...

But at least Stefan was free.

And Bonnie.

There was still hope, even though the world would go on without Damon Salvatore as he now was.

…

Cold had crept into their bones where they lay on the floor, but they were still sleeping. Enzo's body was starting to send out a warning, forcing him awake. But he fought the feeling, he was so exhausted. He wanted to escape the world out there for a little while longer.

And then he saw the images again. Foreign, rough. Horrifying.

It was Bonnie; she was dreaming that dream again. He saw her younger self hiding again. Blood dripping from her hand where she'd bitten herself. This time, he also saw them hit the woman that must have been her mom. Over and over, she was laying on the ground, arms outstretched, begging for them to stop, but they went on. Until her head was mush, teeth breaking off. Until she was quiet.

They'd killed her husband before, or, the Eternal had, a garish happy grin on his face as he lashed at the man not once, but multiple times, leaving a handful of gleaming oozing wounds on the man's body.

And he knew. He knew what that felt like. How every cut with the weapon sent an involuntary surge of endorphins, of serotonin through your brain, making you the perfect killing machine. Because only when you hurt others, did the pain leave completely, did you finally feel yourself again.

The weapon came at a huge cost. It made you its bitch. Some Eternals lived for the kill, loving every bit of it, like it was a sick game.

The Eternal in Bonnie's dream - Bonnie's memory - was one of those, except, when he looked again, the man suddenly had his face, and as he looked at it in horror, Bonnie started screaming in the real world and he told her to wake up!

…

She came to, shaking and crying, and completely out of it. The dream…

"You're alright, love, it was just a nightmare…"

His voice was calm and soothing, low. He had his arms around her, her head had come to rest on his chest and he was holding her there, just holding her, and despite the fact that she had just seen his face in her dream in such a gruesome distortion of the truth, she felt safe with him.

She was safe.

"It's over now…"

She was sobbing. A hand against her mouth, she was suddenly self conscious and worried she'd get spit all over him, but he didn't seem to notice or care. All she could feel was his firm hand against her head, and his slow heartbeat in her ear.

And eventually, she was calm enough again to slowly disentangle herself from him and she slowly got up to get dressed.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, wiping her eyes and trying to smile, but he still looked at her concerned when he pushed himself up on his arms, grimacing a little as he did. She looked at him, his face, his eyes, and suddenly she knew that he had seen it. Again.

Her dream.

"I'm sorry, I didn't," she stammered, unsure of what to say or how best to word it. How did you explain your dreams to someone? This was exactly what she'd never wanted to have to do. What she had feared. "I don't actually see you like… that. It's… a memory, actually. The Eternal…"

"I know," he allowed as her own voice trailed off. She watched him stand up slowly, noticed that he was shivering in the relative cold, and she realized that she, too, was cold now that she wasn't lying pressed against him anymore.

Bodyheat really was a great way to keep warm…

With jittery movements, she started looking for the rest of his and her clothes, and shily handed him his shirt when she found it by her things. He gave her a blank look that made her feel like she had to explain, "You're cold."

Suddenly, he smirked, taking the shirt and putting it on quickly. She stared at his arms as he did, the muscles moving, the sheen on his left side, and she shook her head to make herself stop before he'd notice.

But she was too late, and she saw him retreat internally, it was a flicker in his eyes, a darkness, before he looked away, and she felt the need to take his hand, touch his cheek.

"Look at me," she said. "Please."

When he did, she smiled up at him warmly, a foreign boldness taking over, as she told him, "I don't see you like that."

"It's what I am, Bonnie. I'm sorry my people did that to your parents, to you. I'm so sorry for what you had to endure because of someone like me. How could you ever not see that when looking at me. I'll be your constant reminder-"

"Stop!" she said a little too harshly and he pulled away yet again, grimacing. Softer, she added, "Please." Geez, she smiled to herself, he really was incredibly vulnerable. That was certainly new to her. "I don't need a constant reminder. It's all in here already," she tapped her temple, seeing him clench his jaw as she did. "You have shown me that the Silveren are people, too. You've reminded me of that. It's only been a few weeks, but when we first… connected, I thought this was the worst that could have happened. I thought my life was completely over. But then… I don't know, you slowly stole your way into my heart…"

She bit her lip, worried that she'd regret having been so open about it. She wasn't even sure why she'd told him that point blank. She barely knew him. He was still a stranger, still an enemy soldier.

But her heart had made a decision for her and there was no going back.

She heard him breathe, saw brightness in his eyes again, though it was probably just a trick of the light.

"I think I may be falling in love with you, Bonnie Bennett," he quietly rasped, his hand in her hair now, playing with a strand before swiping it to the side. She took another step toward him, holding onto his chest, pulling herself up to her tiptoes, and kissed his cold lips. She pushed herself against him, wanted to feel him once more, and all words, all thoughts were put on hold once more as she fumbled with his pants, wanting more, wanting him, when suddenly, they heard a loud clatter and they stopped what they were doing, alert and wary, listening into the quiet of the tall building.

She stared at him, wide eyed and worried, as he gave her a sign to stay put, making his way toward the other end of their aisle, poking his head out briefly, then hiding pressed against the shelf, motioning for her to stay completely still.

Bonnie's heart was beating too fast, she felt a panic approach. After all these years, she still had trouble dealing with situations that seemed even the slightest bit too similar to that day her parents had died, too unpredictable, too scary.

She was breathing too fast. She couldn't think anymore. Were they really already here? Had they really caught them this quickly?

What would happen now?

She kept her eyes trained on Enzo who was holding her gaze as if trying to calm her over the distance. Dogs, he informed her, a pack of them. I freaking hate those things.

She watched as he crept toward her, inch by inch, almost in slow motion, while she tried to get her breathing under control. Dogs… she had heard about that. How cities got deserted because of the war - just like this one - and how the pets were left behind; how some of them formed packs, growing wild again, sometimes, when food was scarce, desperate and rabid. Dangerous.

But at least no people. They hadn't been found by either faction.

Enzo got to her finally, putting an arm in front of her as she tried to move. He put a finger to his lips, motioning for her to stay quiet.

You okay?

I thought we had been found. I freaked out for a moment.

These beasts are a freaking pest. Honestly, I'd have preferred people.

She raised an eyebrow at his words, her rate of breathing involuntarily picking up again. If he was freaked out, so was she. Bonnie closed her eyes.

Didn't mean to scare you. He gave her a concerned look, then gently touched her cheek when she wouldn't look at him. She forced herself to return the gaze and knew she was an open book, that he could see right through to her core.

She was not meant for a life on the run, she was not meant for escaping and hiding and wild animals. She had no formal training of any sort.

Unless you counted basic nurse training that she had only half heartedly gotten into because of Elena persuading her it would be a decent job to have.

You stay here. I'll try to get them to leave. They've already picked up our scent.

She gave him a panicked look and quickly grabbed his arm.

Listen to me, Bonnie. It's going to be okay. I'll lead them away from you. From here. I'll be right back.

He gave her one last imploring look, waiting until she had nodded at him, then he broke into a sprint and was out of her sight before she could even think another coherent thought. She tried to blend into her surroundings, holding onto the shelf behind her for support, and waited with bated breath for any noise, any sign of him.

At first, there was only the sound of his steps and a low growling. Sniffing. She felt her heart in her throat when the animal noises grew nearer. The panic was coming back.

What if they found her before Enzo got to them. What was he even going to do? What if they bit her, tore her apart? Too much imagination, too much fear. She felt herself crumple, fought hard to keep herself from sobbing, and failed. Then suddenly, she saw the head of one of the dogs poke around the corner and saw him stare straight at her, amber eyes gleaming dangerously. He growled, showing long teeth, then he suddenly ran…

…

She wasn't entirely sure what happened next. It all went so fast. She was sure the beast would get her, for a second she thought it had already bitten her, but then she saw Enzo coming from out of nowhere, yelling something, just racing toward them, the dog and her, and the animal turned its attention to him, away from her.

His mates soon followed, suddenly appearing from everywhere. She heard - or felt - Enzo say something, but she couldn't comprehend a word. Everything was whirling around her. The dogs, Enzo, her thoughts. They're just stupid dogs, she thought, incredulously.

She was watching as if she wasn't involved, as if this was a movie and not her life.

And she realized with sudden clarity that until that moment, she hadn't seen Enzo fight, hadn't seen him be what he was: a soldier. A formidable one.

Even without his Eternal Weapon...

He held something in his hands, shiny, like a pipe, and he was fighting the dogs off with it, whirling around as he did, with lithe movements, like a cat, while she was shrinking into the shelf more and more, in a mixture of fascination and horror.

Then, finally, it all was over, the tumult abruptly died down, the last dogs fleeing, and except for hers and Enzo's labored breathing and a dying dog's yowling whelps, the building returned to its previous quietness, almost eerily so.

Bonnie shot a glance in his direction. He was leaning against the shelf, right next to her, still holding a large pipe from a clothing rack he'd just used to - what? Get the dogs away from her. Beat them, kill them. The unlucky ones lay in the aisle with them, dead and broken, and she shot a glance at them, too, almost feeling sorry for them for a moment.

"You okay, love?" He was staring at her, eyes wide, a strange worry in his features, and she nodded slowly. "Guess I should apologize. Didn't quite go as I had hoped," he admitted, "They got way too close to you. I really need to step up my game." He looked at her, a sad frown appearing on his face. "It's not the dogs you're still scared off, is it?"

She bit the inside of her cheek, swallowing before she was able to try and answer. She didn't want to hurt him, but yes, he had scared her. His movements, his force. He'd resembled the other Eternal so much right then.

He smiled a small smile, then slowly got to his feet, rubbing his face as he did. "I'm sorry, Bonnie. For everything. I'll… give you some space."

He looked so lost that it pained her. "No, that's not it," she quickly blurted, forcing herself up. She walked up to him before he could go anywhere, and as he saw her approach, he cocked his head warily, gauging her.

I can feel it, you know? He told her, smiling sadly as she hung her head.

That's not fair.

Maybe not. But it is how it is…

He turned to leave when she did something she hadn't done in a while. She extended her mind power and attacked his barriers, making him flinch away as she did.

Don't, he said, why…

But she didn't want to hurt him, she just wanted him to see. To know. You're not him. I know that. You're still an Eternal. And yes, that does scare me. It terrifies me. But what terrifies me more was the sudden panic I felt at the thought of losing you.

"To a pack of rabid dogs to boot. How rather unpoetic," he stated out loud, drily, rolling his eyes at himself, and she had to chuckle.

"Well, yeah. Would have totally been no problem for me if it had been something a little more grandiose," she joked and was ridiculously excited when that got a laugh out of him.

Quickly, her smile grew a little more wistful. "We'll be okay, won't we?" she whispered, and he gave her a small smile and a half sideways hug.

"I hope so, love."

He leaned in and briefly kissed her forehead, before making his way over to the restroom area to pick some of their newfound things up.

"Let's get our stuff together," he said over his shoulder, "and find somewhere else to stay…"

She nodded, then, with a sigh, followed him.

…