The reviews are coming soooooo slooooow. -siiiigh- ohwell.

ANYWAY one thing that people keep asking for...

MORE BAMON.

Sorry, I want the Bamon wonderfullness too, BUT Damon has been recovering for ten chapters! Romance is not easy when you're fighting for your life! -pats Damon- I gave you guys the forehead kissing bit... Eh, the Bamon will start in this chapter. Enjoy.

OH! PS, David Fishwick, this is a clarifying point, Ari is the oldest. She has no older brothers. LOL.


Stefan growled, low in his throat. Damon rolled his eyes. "Don't bother getting angry, she's been dead for almost a year and a half." The smug tone in his voice made everyone blink. He chuckled grimly at the wide-eyed stares. "She should have known it was coming, of course." His face turned serious suddenly. "No one threatens my family. I told her that too many times to count. She should have figured out that it would be her or me." He ran his fingers through his hair nervously.

"Wha-" Stefan looked absolutely baffled.

Damon sighed and hid his face with his hands. "I'm not going to say this again, so get the information into your thick skull." He lifted his head and met Stefan's eyes, his own blazing."I do not stand for anyone threatening you, little brother. Ever. And -believe me or not- that's how it's been your entire life. Surprised? Well deal with it." His features weren't set into the usual emotionless mask, so they all saw the exasperation. But they all saw the resignation as well, not an emotion anyone would expect from him. It made Stefan wince, though he was still plainly confused. Damon shook his head. "Whatever. I think I'm feeling alright, so I'm just going to get out of here." He stood up and started toward the door, only stumbling slightly. When Bonnie -the only one who didn't appear to be in shock- ventured a protest, he turned to her and flashed his 250-kilowat smile. "Relax, Redbird. Not as if I'm actually leaving for any length of time." Ari started at the nickname and raised her eyebrows at him. He ignored her and left, shutting the door behind him.

Everyone exchanged glances. "Oh. My. God." Elena eventually whispered. Then she sighed and moved to sit beside Stefan, who appeared to be thinking hard. Silence fell again.

"Um, still don't know names." Ari said softly. "This is beginning to be inconvenient." Her attempt at humor was met with blank looks from Meredith and Cristian, a snort from Bonnie, a chuckle from Stefan, and a startled "Oh!" from Elena.

"Sorry!" Elena continued. "I'm Elena, that's Bonnie over there, and that's Meredith and Cristian." She said, gesturing to everyone. She tilted her head to the side and looked Ari in the eye. "So, your name's Ari? What's that short for?"

Ari smiled widely, almost a duplicate of Damon's 250-kilowat grin, but softer. "Ariana." She said shortly, with a heavy Italian accent. Stefan chuckled again.

"Always with the dramatics. Honestly, mon sorella, you are entirely too over-the-top."

She rolled her eyes. "Drammatico? Me? Oh, si ferita me, fratellino." She teased. Stefan just rolled his eyes.

"For those of us who don't speak Italian as a native language?" Meredith said, amused.

Ari grinned again. "I said, 'Dramatic? Me? Oh, you wound me, little brother.'" She said this with expressive hand movements and a tormented expression, but then burst out laughing. They all laughed for a moment, but then Ari sighed. "Bonnie, can I talk to you?"

"Sure." Bonnie said immediately, standing and following Ari out the door. She took a moment to take in this mysterious young woman.

Ari was about Damon's height, and Bonnie instinctively knew that however thin she was, every pound of her was hard muscle. She wore a white tanktop with black straps, along with dark denim shorts, an "A"embroidered on one of the back pockets. As Ari turned to face her, she noticed the black eyes, but her's had stars, unlike Damon's eyes, which looked like the spaces between the stars. She had the regal features that both of her brothers shared, except an easy smile seemed her reflexive expression. She could have been straight out of a Davinci painting, except that she had each ear pierced three times -as well as a stud in her eyebrow- and a neon blue streak in her jet-black hair.

Bonnie couldn't help eyeing the streak and giggling. Ari started giggling as well, and then they were both convulsed with laughter, sitting on the kitchen floor. Ari recovered first, choking out the words, "What is so funny?"

Bonnie took a deep breath, stopping herself from laughing any more. "I just saw that streak you dyed in your hair, and, well, I had been thinking how much you seem to be like Damon... And then just random color. I'm surprised he didn't comment on that, earlier." Ari snorted.

"He wouldn't."

"Oh?"

Ari smiled. "Because I'm older than him. I don't press the authority often, but when I do, he usually just does the whole back-away-slowly thing." Bonnie tilted her head.

"Older? You don't look more than fifteen, and that would make you younger than Stefan, and you were changed around the same time they were."

Ari took a deep breath. "You said something about seeing Dai's memories. Think hard about me." Bonnie's eyebrows knitted together, and then she gasped.

"So that's why you two look so alike, you're twins!" She exclaimed. "And you're the first-born." She looked contented with the knowledge. "So, why did you want to talk to me? Ya know, before the blue-streak incident."

Ari smiled. "You're in love with Dai, right?" She said quietly. Bonnie stiffened.

"No, of course not." She said promptly. "A-and even if I weren't, he's in love with Elena." She whispered.

"He loves you too." Ari said firmly.

Bonnie sniffled, tears streaking down her cheeks. "No, he doesn't. Elena's his princess, and I'm just me, and I got him killed, and why would he love me? What makes you think so?" Her words came out in a broken, whispery voice.

"He called you Redbird." Ari said quietly.

"So? It's just a nickname, like Princess or Angel with Elena." She replied.

Ari shook her head slowly. "Silly Bonnie. 'Redbird' is probably the nicest and most significant nickname ever."

When Bonnie gave her a blank look, Ari sighed. "One time when we were little, about eight years old... well, this was about three months after our mother died. Dai was close to her, more than me or Stef were. He got really depressed... almost as much as our father did. Only Dai, of course, didn't have the luxury of drowning his sorrows, so everything just got worse for him." She bit her lip. "And then there was the fact that our father got angry when he was drunk. He would get home, and- well I assume you know." She waited for Bonnie to nod before continuing. "Well, one morning, it was especially bad. I was accustomed to tugging both him and Stef out of bed as soon as I woke up, but he just... wouldn't get up. I'd never been so scared before, and haven't been since. He just gave me this blank look and whispered that he wanted to go back to sleep, that he was tired." She took a deep, steadying breath. "Well, then there was a bird on the widowsill. A little red bird. It started singing... and after a minute he actually smiled... Everything -somehow- started getting better after that."

She sighed and reached up to tug on the lowest stud in her left ear. "I don't know what would have happened if not for the bird, Bonnie."

Bonnie didn't care if she had more to say.

She was already tearing out the door after Damon.


How did I not see that memory? Did Damon hide it from me? Did he not want me to know?

The thoughts raced through Bonnie's head as she sprinted towards the Old Wood. She saw a familiar black shape, sitting leaned up against a tree, relaxed. He stood as he saw her. "Redbird-?" He started to ask as she got close, but he was interrupted by her lips on his.

What? Came the thought in her mind, but he was happily surprised.

Ari told me, when you were little... about the bird. Bonnie replied, making the kiss deeper, her arms around his neck. It was absolutely sweet, even if you weren't thinking about it when you started calling me redbird, it was still amazingly sweet and just amazing. Her thoughts were rushed and completely soaked in her love for him.

Oh. He thought back, actually kissing her back, now that he had gotten over his surprise and confusion.

Damon I don't totally know if you feel the same way, I know you were in love with Elena for a while, and that its ridiculous to think I compare to her-

I love you Redbird. Forever. The thought was like a torpedo, a wave, an earthquake, a tornado. It tore through her mind and left her breathless and happier than she had ever been. It was so simple, five words. Five little words, but they made her think that nothing would ever make her this happy again. Because they were the words she only now realized she had needed her entire life.

I love you too Damon.

And she did. The knowledge wrapped around her like a blanket, and she didn't care if anything with psychic Power around could hear her clear as day. Because she knew what she wanted and needed.

Forever.


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