Jade: oh, ya, I'd like to see him in concert. From what I saw other people post on YouTube, he's pretty fun to watch… (I mean, duh. lol)

Not sure I realized you're in Australia! How cool! My other current fanfic obsession (hush, it's "Home & Away". lol) will probably lead me back there once I'm done with this fic here…

I'll keep my fingers crossed MM'll make it over there.

As for Damon: I'm glad you "get it". I know he's sometimes rather self-centered in this fic, but honestly, he was like that on the show and this is one way of showing that while he's overcome some of his selfishness, he's still only human, and has faults, and how could he not be jealous in this situation. Right?

Guest: Aw, thank you so much! I'm really hoping for more inspiration for these two because I'd love to give you more. :) Thanks so much for your kind words regarding the tension and unspoken things, too. It's something I work hard on but can never be sure it actually translates well onto the page. So your words are very encouraging. :)

And yeah, Damon and Enzo… that could still escalate for sure.

But let's see how things are going in this new chapter…

To be honest I'm not quite sure about this chapter. It doesn't quite flow too well yet, does it? But I'll post it anyways. Something for you to read on this lovely weekend. :)

…

"You sure that press conference is a good idea?" Caroline had flopped down next to Klaus, cuddling up with him on the couch for a rare moment, and the way his heartbeat picked up under her head told her there was something more to it all, something she had no idea of.

If only it wasn't so difficult to get this man to talk and open up. Sighing softly, she listened now as he did what he always did, evading her questions.

"Maybe not a good idea, but necessary."

"Bonnie is not happy," Caroline let him know, "at all. She says it's still too early for Enzo. Poor guy has been through hell."

"Caroline. Your friend does not need to approve of my business related decisions-"

Her loud huff interrupted him and he shot her a bemused glance.

"Business related decisions?! Really? I thought Enzo was your friend, too, on some weird level… Don't you care that this could mess with him? - Besides, Bonnie is not just saying this because she is his girlfriend. She's worried about his health, mental and physical. I don't really know what all happened, just that it was bad-"

"It was." Abruptly, he pushed her away, getting up, and she felt hurt by his rough dismissal. "I'm not going to discuss this further. Suffice it to say I have my reasons, good reasons, and that is all I'm going to say about it."

"Okay…" Caroline rolled her eyes, crossing her arms in a defensive gesture, not looking at Klaus anymore as she pouted. Why had she even brought this up? She was an idiot. What she had with Klaus - while exciting - wasn't exactly what Bonnie had with Enzo. Sure, both their guys could have a hard time communicating, both had a temper, an accent… But Klaus was on a whole other level of refusing to let her in and it was tiring at times. She knew somewhere in there was a deeply hurt soul, someone with his own fair share of heartache. If only he'd let her see…

Before she had time to think about it more, he came over again, leaning over her, his face coming closer until she could feel his breath against her skin.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, cocking his head as he took her in, and a prickle coursed through her body as he did. "Lorenzo and I have a history. Tell your friend that all I'm doing is look out for him. It may not seem like it, but I'd never willingly make him suffer more. I've been where he was."

"You've been…" Frowning, she looked up at him, trying to make sense of him. With a hand pressed against his chest she kept him at a distance before his whispered words could make more goosebumps erupt on her skin. "You mean, literally? You've been at that Augustine hospital, or you and Lily Salvatore-"

"Augustine," he interrupted her with a strange disgusted flicker in his eyes. "That woman…" He shook his head, not continuing.

"You were at Augustine."

"Their school, not the hospital. It's where I first met Lorenzo…"

She was ready for the full story, but then he fell silent and didn't make any attempt at continuing at all.

"You wanna tell me about-"

Before she could finish her question, his lips were on hers, kissing their way down, and she felt herself come undone before she had a chance to pull away, pull herself together.

Sighing, she told herself she'd just have to remind him of this conversation later. If she remembered…

…

Damon was nervous. The vampire was freaking nervous and it was not a feeling he was used to or liked very much. Here he was, ready to play his first game after breaking his damn leg - and he was still sitting on the bench, just watching from the freaking sidelines well into the first quarter.

Then the second quarter came around and he finally got his chance as Coach Ric took Enzo out of the game to rest.

The reaction from the audience was imminent. A cheer went through the crowd as he entered the court, and it felt so damn good that he almost forgot to be upset about the wait, or the fact that he only got to play when Coach took Enzo out...

Damon was back, finally. After months and months of pain and crap and drama.

It didn't even matter all that much anymore that Alaric took him out again after he had barely played 15 minutes in total. All that mattered was that he still got it, he was still good, not rusty at all, maybe a little more careful. There was a certain remnant of fear of another injury left that he knew he'd have to tackle. But overall, he had had a blast on the court.

When he exited the game again and Enzo gave him a high five before sprinting back on the court, Damon had a smile for his friend, for the first time able to appreciate how good the kid was.

Because they were all moving forward, weren't they? Life went on, and maybe the worst was over. Stefan had moved in for a while and they were trying to repair their relationship. Rose was becoming a constant in his life. Enzo was doing okay with Bon by his side. Lily was dead. Guiseppe hadn't tried to contact any of them, and Damon suspected it was thanks to Klaus, but he wasn't going to ask the man. He didn't care. As long as Guiseppe continued to stay out of their lives, all was well.

And Damon? Damon was back in the freaking game.

.

But for how long when Enzo was this freaking good? The thought kept nagging at him now as he was watching the remainder of the game, putting a damper on his mood even though he didn't want it to. He'd have to figure this out… For now, though, he just wanted to focus on the happiness about being back.

…

The Hybrids had made it to the playoffs, had even made it to the fifth seed, and while that wasn't too exceptional, it was more than anyone had ever thought possible for this young team.

Bonnie still couldn't quite believe where the road had taken them, had taken her since she had started this job. Her first struggles as a medical staff member, her first encounter with Enzo, Damon's injury and subsequent therapy, Enzo's health - and life - struggles that had become hers… So much had happened. And through all of it she had fallen in love with a man: Bonnie Bennett loved Enzo St. John. The doctor and the baller, a team now, trying to come out on top.

And while things were looking up these days, especially in the four walls of their apartment, today they'd have to get past yet another hurdle: Klaus's press conference, that awful confessional he had planned. Caroline had told her what Klaus had said, about having gone to the Augustine boarding school himself, so Bonnie knew he had at least some kind of first hand experience with it. Still, it didn't really help her feel any better about this.

"You sure you want to do this?" she asked Enzo again as they were getting ready after the game, and his tense expression made her tighten the hold on his hand. "You can back out of it, you know? Emily said so, too. - We can tell Klaus that he'll either have to do it without you there or… I don't know, wait-"

"Bonnie, it's fine."

She raised an eyebrow at him, and he smiled a small smile at her.

"Thanks for having my back, though," he muttered.

"Of course." She tugged at him, unwilling to let go, but she'd have to. Soon.

"Will you still be here when I'm done?"

She scoffed at his question, the genuine glimpse of worry in his face, and she leaned into him. "Of course I'll be here." Wrapping her arms around him briefly, she quickly let go when they both saw Klaus coming by, ready to take Enzo with him to the conference, Damon already in tow.

"It's time," the man said, and Enzo sighed, his hand still holding Bonnie's.

"Got your inhaler?" she asked, and when he nodded, they finally pulled away from each other completely, Bonnie catching herself gnawing on her lip too much. She was just so nervous.

As Enzo began walking, Damon came up behind her, whispering in her ear. "I'll keep an eye on homeboy for you, BonBon," he said, winking at her, and she forced a smile onto her face.

"I'm worried about him, Damon…"

"I know."

Sighing, she allowed herself to close her eyes for a moment as he patted her shoulder lightly, then he walked away, too, and she was left to wait for them all, feeling awfully anxious, and awfully alone.

… Until she suddenly saw Caroline appear walking down the hallway, like a bright apparition in her cute yellow dress and with a big frowny smile creasing her brow.

"Care, what are you doing here?" Bonnie asked just as her friend embraced her, both of them clinging to each other for a moment before eventually disentangling.

"I couldn't possibly let you wait alone. I know how tough this is for you…"

"Aw, Caroline, you are the sweetest," Bonnie's eyes welled with tears, and her friend quickly wrapped an arm around her again.

"Hey… It'll be okay, alright? You guys will be okay…"

Sniffling, Bonnie wiped her nose, nodding at the other girl, hoping she was right.

Then Caroline looked around the hallway, finally pointing toward the locker rooms. "You think we could sit down in there? Come on, let's go do what everyone else is doing and just watch this live." She wiggled her phone. "It'll be better to know what's going on…"

…

Stupid press conference. Damon had to force himself to keep a neutral expression and not scowl too much as he walked into the room with Klaus and Enzo, the faces of a bunch of reporters already trained on them.

They'd ask questions about his bench stint, he knew it, would ask for how long that would continue and whether it meant Enzo was the new star of the team. He didn't want to answer those questions because he didn't have a freaking answer yet.

Coughing into his arm briefly to clear his throat, his gaze fell on Enzo beside him, who suddenly looked almost paralyzed. Frowning, he patted the kid's back.

"This is gonna be fun, my friend. Watching Klaus try to keep his cool while dealing with the media? Always entertaining." He grinned at Enzo, who shot him a blank stare that made Damon begin to honestly worry. Nudging Klaus to get the man's attention, he raised an eyebrow, indicating the problem he could already see unfolding.

"Lorenzo," Klaus said, frowning at his fellow Brit.

Not surprisingly the kid wasn't really reacting. At least he was still walking, if rather hesitantly.

Klaus's expression briefly faltered, then he put an arm around Enzo's shoulders, pulling him in to whisper something in his ear, but Damon heard him so well that he was worried for a moment that someone else in the room would overhear him too.

"You only have this one choice, Lorenzo. There are people out there currently making connections between you, your health issues and Lily - her death… They could unearth the whole truth any day now. Your age when the presumed 'affair' started, the rape…" His pointed look made Enzo's expression harden even more, his jaw muscles twitching, and Klaus continued, "If you want to go that route, fine, I'll support you. But it would probably become very public, more so than this here, and I'm not sure you're ready for that. - Are you?"

Enzo didn't say anything, clenching his teeth even harder if that was possible, and Damon grimaced, bumping Klaus's shoulder.

"This whole thing is just a freaking Hail Mary, isn't it? How about we-"

Speaking over Damon without even so much as a glance in his direction, Klaus continued, solely focusing on Enzo as he did.

"You are not ready," he concluded, scoffing, "So let's stick to the plan. Give them Augustine. You'll be the center of attention for a bit, sure, but then they'll focus on the Society, drag them all down where they belong. And you'll come out on top. By then no one will remember Lily." Gripping Enzo's neck a bit harder, he made the kid look at him. "I'll do most of the talking. You'll just have to sit there. Alright? Alright?"

And finally Enzo nodded, his hands in tight fists.

Damon felt an uncomfortable prickle crawl up his back. This was surely going to be interesting… Bumping Enzo's shoulder encouragingly, he then accelerated his step a bit, getting into the room before the other two, grinning at the crowd, engaging in some chitter chatter, hoping it'd distract the reporters for a while longer so his friend would have an extra minute to compose himself, prepare himself...

...

Enzo was listening to Nik talk to the media as if he was somewhere far away rather than standing right next to him. The man was effortlessly answering questions concerning the playoffs, the roster, Damon's injury, and then…

Fidgeting with the inhaler in the pocket of his hoodie, Enzo stared stoically ahead as Nik brought up what they had talked about.

Augustine.

His breath did a weird little thing, hitching a little with every other beat of his heart, and he had to focus on the far side of the room to keep the urge to run at bay.

"I know there have been questions about Lorenzo's repeated health issues. Rumors… A worry that something like it could happen during the playoffs. - We would like to address those issues once and for all. - As you know, Lorenzo suffers from asthma. That's never been a secret… And it's true that that was the main reason behind the complications we were dealing with following a case of influenza. He went back to play too quickly after the initial sickness and relapsed, and had to be hospitalized. - Now here lies our problem…"

He zoned out, unable to listen, hearing Nik's voice without quite understanding the words, watching the faces of the reporters without really seeing them. Pressing his lips together, he swayed slightly on his feet, a little dazed, jolting out of it only when he heard Nik clear his throat, saying his name, then repeating it.

"Lorenzo."

A light nudge of Damon's hand to his arm made him stiffen, forcing himself to pull it together before he made a complete fool of himself. If it wasn't too late for that…

Swallowing, he raised his chin a bit, needing something, a cue, anything to clue him in on what exactly he was supposed to do or say…

Only then did his brain process what he had heard. Klaus had explained the connection between his reluctance to go to the hospital, the relapse, Augustine - the school and the clinic… He had given an account of what had happened there: the restraints, the doctors, Whitmore, the experimental treatments, so many details of his ordeal that these people didn't need to know. They didn't need to know…

…

Caroline shot Bonnie worried sideways glances as she listened to Klaus, watching him in the light of the camera, flashes clicking here and there, microphones in front of him. And poor Bonnie looked so anxious, so worried, that Caroline just had to pull her toward her a little.

"Klaus's got this," she assured the other girl, but Bonnie didn't look very convinced. Hugging herself, she leaned against Care briefly, then sat up straighter again to stare at the little phone screen, gnawing on her fingers as she did, and Caroline sighed. She only hoped Klaus's decision to go through with this wouldn't end up hurting her friend.

Focusing back on the live stream, she kept listening to Klaus's words, feeling a lump lodge in her throat.

"They waterboarded him?" she gasped at some point, exchanging a glance with Bonnie, shaken when her girlfriend merely nodded.

"Not the worst they did…"

Caroline wasn't sure she wanted to hear any more, but for Bonnie, she stayed put, kept watching.

On screen Klaus looked like he always did when he was talking business: collected, in control, and a bit threatening - even though he was just talking. Well… He sounded angry now, really angry, and cold.

"A court case is currently being prepared," he was saying, "As far as we know, Lorenzo's experiences are certainly among the worst - maybe the worst - in relation to the Augustine Society, but they're not the only bad ones we know about. I can even add a few stories of myself from my time as a boarding school student…" Klaus almost snarled, and for a moment Caroline thought he was going to talk about himself now, that she'd learn a bit more about him, too. But then he reined himself in, looking straight into the camera.

"For now the important thing is that they are finally held accountable for what they did, for abusing and torturing those in their care. Therefore we are supporting a court case that's currently being put together. - We realized the importance of that after these latest incidents. Athletes like Lorenzo still suffer because of the torture they endured under the guise of medical treatment. With his underlying condition, his - understandable - refusal to seek medical help at a hospital could have easily killed him. We got lucky that he had great support in Dr. Bonnie Bennett, who made sure he got the treatment he needed."

Caroline nudged Bonnie. "He mentioned you," she said, eyes wide, a bit giddy, but Bonnie was too focused on the screen.

"Oh gosh," her friend muttered, gnawing on her thumb until Caroline gently pulled her hand away and Bonnie finally acknowledged her.

"You are gonna make yourself bleed," she said, and Bonnie pulled her sleeves over her hands, muttering, "I'm sorry. It's just… Look at him. He wants to be anywhere but there. I should have stopped this. He's not ready, just like I said. I knew this was too early for something like this. He's just… not ready…"

"It'll be over soon, Klaus will make sure they'll leave him alone…" Caroline trailed off at seeing Bonnie's sad smile. It didn't matter that it was over soon when the damage was already done…

With a sigh, she focused back on the screen, unsure of what to do or say anymore. This was bad; and once it was done she'd have to ask Klaus whether he still thought it had been worth it…

...

"We'll answer a few questions now. But I'll have to ask you to understand that we might not be able to answer all of them - and to please be respectful - and mindful of the impact all this has on Lorenzo."

Questions? Had he heard that right? Enzo clenched his jaw, trying to keep breathing as he forced himself to not shoot a glare in Nik's direction. What was this? It certainly wasn't the quick and painless statement Nik had said it would be. Now he was supposed to answer bloody questions? As if these people hadn't gotten enough from him already? He should have never agreed to this… What kind of questions did they expect him to answer for them?

"Lorenzo!" someone hollered, others called him by his last name, and he had no idea what to do, with who to start, until Nik picked someone for him.

"The relationship between you and Dr. Bennett, how rocky did it start with your past experiences with medical personnel?"

Enzo pressed his lips together, smiling a disbelieving smile, actually a bit amused - which was more than could be said about Nik beside him apparently. Before Enzo had a chance to even attempt to reply, he was on the reporter, staring the man down.

"Is that really the way you want to handle this? Are you that desperate for a new career?"

"Klaus," Damon beside them mumbled out of the corner of his mouth, and the man calmed down a bit again.

"The personal relationship of Lorenzo and Dr. Bennett is not up for discussion here. If there are any other questions more on topic…?"

Arms were raised again as if this was school, people started asking their questions, overlapping each other, and Enzo had the weird feeling of a wave of words coming at him, ready to crush him.

If only he could remember to breathe…

"Why did you not come forward earlier?" someone then asked, and most everyone else quieted down. "Why now?"

What a great question. Was it really because of Lily? People digging for the truth? He had no bloody clue. What did it even mean, anyway? Was Nik trying to protect Enzo? Or just himself? If anyone found out about Lily… What had Enzo done? Nothing. Finally, he truly understood what Bonnie had said to him before, Dr. Emily Rosen, too. That it had been on Lily. He had nothing to be ashamed of, had done nothing wrong.

Lily had.

Looking to Nik briefly, feeling more and more annoyed, he then turned to the man who had asked.

"Because it hurt too much," he allowed, the raw truth of his statement making the room fall completely silent. "Maybe that was selfish, or weak…" He scoffed, shrugging, not caring what these people thought of him. "But I couldn't speak out. Not until now that I have someone supporting me."

"Bonnie Bennett?" someone asked, maybe the same person from the beginning, and Enzo had to genuinely smile. "Klaus?" someone else asked, and Enzo replied to both of them combined with a mere, "Yuh."

There was a storm of more questions, and he braved it as best as he could, answering them, some of them almost too tough, taking his breath away, but he kept on going, kept on answering until Klaus rather abruptly told them all to leave him alone, told them it was over, and with a light pat on Enzo's shoulder he muttered a quiet, "You did good. Now get your girl, and Damon and I'll keep this horde in here for a few more minutes so you two can leave undisturbed."

"I got this," Damon said with a wink at Enzo before turning to the sea of reporters and getting on the task.

"Anyone got any questions for me, too? Or should I be jealous of poor Enzo's rough past?" he said, and instantly the media representatives were on him...

Giving Enzo space to just walk away, pulling up his hood as he did, a few security guards making sure he was left alone when he finally made his way out, past the reporters, out the door and into the cool hallway outside, where he tried to take a deep breath, not quite successful.

Closing his eyes, he forced himself to keep calm, keep breathing, absently fidgeting with his inhaler until he felt someone's light touch over his hand - her touch - and when he looked, he saw her standing right before him, and he had to smile.

"Bonnie…"

Her hand found the way into his pocket where she fished out the inhaler for him, handing it over. "Use it," she said, her voice soft but insistent and with a wry expression he did as he was told.

"I'm proud of you, " she said, her arm coming around him as she lightly pushed him to keep walking with her, and he slowly followed, waiting for more air to reach his lungs. "Now let's get the hell out of here."

"I'll go anywhere with you, love."

...

They went home quickly. Bonnie shot a glance at Caroline, who was waving at her from where she stood waiting for Klaus, mouthing a question. He okay?

Bonnie nodded, hoping it was really true, because she could tell that Enzo was definitely shaken even though he was trying not to show it.

Then they kept going, out, until they got to the car, and the ride home went by in a blur. Neither of them was speaking much as a driver took them all the way to their apartment, and by the time they were facing the 86 stairs again, Bonnie took Enzo's hand in hers, holding it in a tight grip as they both ascended, taking it slowly tonight, slower than the last few weeks, and when they had finally made it all the way up and could open the door, a tension fell off of both of them.

They dropped all their things, the door banging shut behind them as they faced each other briefly, before the urge, the force to be with each other grew so strong that Bonnie half rushed toward Enzo, pulling at his hoodie until he took it off with a few quick movements while she was already busy taking her own jacket off, her shirt, her bra, then shimmying out of her skirt and panties without further ado.

A need had taken ahold of her, something strong and primal that she could see reflected in his eyes, and when she flung herself at him and he lifted her up, she straddled him naturally, pushing herself into him, needing him, everywhere.

Her mouth on his, she danced an intimate dance with him, her tongue exploring the rows of his teeth, her hand gripping him, guiding him where she needed him while she felt him hold her, carry her over toward the living room.

But they never made it.

He pushed her up against the wall by the kitchen instead, something cluttering as it shook a little with the movement, and she chuckled briefly, her features going slack as his fingers briefly touched her where the tingle was strongest before moving on, so slowly, drawing circles, lines, writing some secret message she couldn't decipher, and she was so close now, on the verge, and just when she came, gripping him hard, staring right at him, their gazes locking, he pushed into her, filling her right where she wanted it, needed it, where she had been too empty before, and he kept going, her fingers digging into his shoulders, his back, urging him on…

"Harder."

She needed this so bad, needed him, needed to be one with him.

Then, when he, too, came with a shudder, burying his face against her neck, she just clung to him, holding on as if for dear life, and she knew she never wanted to let this man go again.

They were finally home. They were together, and whatever had happened today and would happen now, she would see it through with him..

.

Afterward, they took another shower, then Bonnie went over to the bed, flopping down with her legs crossed, waiting for him as he put a fresh shirt on.

He gave her a look, a half smile, and she smiled right back.

"You coming?"

He pressed his lips together, running his hands through his hair, and she followed the movement with her eyes, marveling at how nice his hands were, his fingers, his arms, too…

"Mind if I go play my guitar for a bit?" he then asked, his voice a low whisper, and she shook her head.

"Of course not… Can I come, or do you need a moment?"

She was worried about him, still. They hadn't really talked much about the stupid press conference, but she could tell that it had been a lot for him to deal with. His wish to play the guitar was of course a way for him to procrastinate on going to bed, and she knew she'd probably have to make sure he wasn't just going to stay up all night.

But that was okay, too. She could do that, could look out for him. Because she loved him.

When he replied with a soft, "I'd love your company," she smiled and quickly got up, intertwining her arm with his as they went over to the living room, where he grabbed his guitar, strumming a few chords just to test as she cuddled up with him. Soon, he began playing for real, and she felt herself growing drowsy, his song pulling her with it, and then, when he actually began to sing - rather soft and quiet - she shot him a surprised look that he answered with a brief smile and a kiss on her forehead before he continued on, and she closed her eyes, just listening.

This… was beautiful.