The ride to the hotel was quiet. Damon drove and Stefan sat in the front seat while the three women were in the back. Bonnie sat in the middle, unable to keep herself from smiling every time Damon would look in the rearview mirror to sneak a peek at her.

Caroline was on her phone, booking them all seats on a flight the next morning.

"Either we will have to compel ourselves out of paying or the Salvatore bank is going to have to fit this bill." She sighed into her phone as she pressed confirm on the order screen.

Stefan turned around to look at her. "Its not a problem."

Lily questioned her boys, "So you have money then?"

Damon spoke up first. "Yeah well, lots descendents leaving money to the family- which is us, plus we've had years to build up nice investment portfolios." He snickered.

"Or you stole it." Bonnie jumped in, her tone annoyed.

"There's that too." Damon added, giving her a wicked smile in the mirror.

Caroline watched the exchange and felt comforted that Bonnie hadn't stopped challenging Damon just because she had fallen for him. She wondered if maybe Bonnie was right, maybe they could be really good for each other.

"Hmm." Lily said, disapproval coating her voice.

"Oh they're kidding, Mrs. Salvatore. They wouldn't..."Caroline caught Stefan's eyes as he turned around again to face her. "Okay, maybe they would but...i'm sure it was when they didn't have their humanity. Stefan would never do that now. Right Stefan?" She tried to defend her boyfriend.

"Yeah- no bank robbing today." He gave his mother a weak smile and she returned it, nodding absently.

Damon pulled up to the hotel and everyone got out of the car.

"So do we all pile into one room? There's a couch so there is plenty of room for all of us to sleep..." Caroline asked the group.

She was willing to give Damon a second chance but that didn't mean she was going to push him and Bonnie into getting their own room. Caroline really wanted Bonnie to take this whole thing slowly.

Bonnie gave Caroline a look, avoiding Damon's gaze who was suddenly very interested in the little sport's car they had parked next to.

Stefan hid the smile he was wearing on the inside, finding Caroline's attempt at subtlety adorable. "I think we should just get a couple more rooms. I don't really love the idea of sharing a bathroom with four other people."

Lily nodded. "I would just like to sleep, for as long as possible."

"Alright then," Stefan started. "Damon?"

Damon drew himself back to the conversation, pretending to have not listened. "Huh?"

"I'm going to go get our mother a room, you want to get one for yourself?"

Damon blinked a few times before nodding and following Stefan into the hotel.

Caroline told herself to stay out of it, she crossed her arms and almost put her hand over her mouth before words came spilling out to Bonnie. "You can stay with us you know, you don't have to worry about us..." She trailed off as she looked to Lily, embarrassed to be talking about Stefan's sex life in front of his mother.

Bonnie smiled, appreciating the restraint Caroline was showing.

"Thanks Care, but i think i'd rather not have to wonder what sounds i was hearing in the middle of the night." Bonnie nudged her elbow as she passed Caroline and Lily, going inside e the hotel.

She found Damon at the check-in desk and went over to him.

The woman behind the counter was waiting for Damon to answer her. He wore a face of confusion and hesitation as Bonnie approached him.

"Sir?"

"Uh-"

"How many keys will you be needing sir?"

Damon swallowed hard. "Um.."

Bonnie jumped in. "Two please."

Damon's face smoothed out as he smiled at the woman behind the counter. "Yes, sorry. Two."

Bonnie appreciated Damon's hesitation. She liked that he didn't assume she would want to be in the same room with him. Part of her wanted to make sure they took things really slow. There was still so much they needed to discuss and jumping into something so quickly would be disrespectful to Elena. If they were going to do this, be together, Bonnie wanted to do it right.

But then there was the part of her that wanted to throw every reasonable thought away and fall into bed with Damon as soon as the hotel door closed. She wanted nothing more than to touch him in ways she had never been able to before. She wanted his hands on her, she wanted him so badly it was tearing away at her resolve to take things slow.

The woman handed the key cards to Damon and he thanked her and took them.

He handed one to Bonnie before looking down into her eyes.

He felt his stomach jump into his throat as she looked up at him through her lashes.

He cleared his throat awkwardly as he looked back down at the cards.

"715."

Bonnie smiled, enjoying Damon's nervousness. "Yep."

Damon looked back at her and let out a deep breath.

He was extremely conflicted in this moment. Of course he wanted to spend the night with Bonnie, he had wanted that for awhile now. But he also felt incredibly guilty about that. Because no matter how he looked at the situation, he still loved Elena, even if he didn't want to be with her.

Jumping into something with Bonnie so quickly made Damon worry that it would cause them to make a mistake. He really wanted this to go well, he wanted this relationship to be right. He didn't want the drama from his previous relationships, he didn't want a lifetime of guilt pulling at him knowing that he had disrespected his relationship with Elena.

But of course, looking down at her, Damon was still a man in love. He was still a man who wanted nothing more than to bury himself in the beautiful woman before him and never let her go.

Stefan came over to the pair then as Caroline and Lily made their way inside.

"She's right next to our room." Stefan said, waving his mother and Caroline over.

Damon nodded and held up his card. "One floor up.'

Caroline joined the group just as Stefan and Damon were exchanging looks she couldn't place. "Well...shall we?" She asked.

"Yeah- I'm beat." Bonnie said as she and Caroline led the group to the elevator.

They all got in the elevator car as Stefan hit the sixth and seventh floor buttons before putting his hands in his pockets.

The door closed and the elevator started to move.

Caroline could feel the tension in the air and had to cut it.

"So uh- the flights at 8...set your alarms."

Everyone nodded except Lily who looked startled by the experience of the elevator and the words Caroline had spoken.

Stefan caught on to his mothers confusion and put his hand on her arm. "I'll help you, get you settled into your room."

Lily smiled and nodded.

Caroline gave Stefan a wide grin, she loved seeing him be so sweet to his mother.

The elevator bell rang as it signaled its arrival at the sixth floor.

Stefan stepped out almost immediately as the doors opened and Lily followed him. Caroline hesitated a moment, turning to face Bonnie.

She leaned over and hugged her friend. She whispered in her ear.

"Be careful. I love you."

Bonnie smiled and nodded, wondering why Caroline bothered to whisper at all but realized it was her trying to be kinder to Damon.

Caroline began to walk out of the elevator but stopped again, turning to face Damon.

"Goodnight Damon." She gave him a small but genuine smile.

Damon didn't return the smile but kept his eyes soft. "Night Caroline."

Damon could hear Stefan telling Caroline he would meet her in the room after he got their mother settled. He heard Stefan kiss Caroline quickly before going inside their mother's hotel room.

Damon was suddenly acutely aware of their aloneness. He began to fidget with the keycard in his hand, dropping it on the ground.

Bonnie snickered as she bent down to pick it up. "Carry stuff much?"

"I just wanted to see you get it for me." Damon said, the words coming from his mouth before he had a chance to censor them.

Before today, before the trip, Damon would have carelessly flirted with her with out a second thought. It was innocent enough since they were strictly friends and he was with Elena. But now, things had changed so much and his flirtation embarrassed him. He couldn't help the color that rose to his cheeks.

Bonnie's eyebrows shot up for a moment before rolling her eyes and dismissing his comment.

The elevator stopped again and the doors opened.

"You're a pig." She hid her smile as she walked out of the elevator.

Damon's smile grew wider as he followed her out.

Bonnie stopped in front of their hotel room and put the key in the slot.

She took a deep breath as she turned the knob and opened the door, taking in the familiar scent of hotel room sheets and cleaning supplies.

She felt a cold gust of air as she entered completely and pulled her arms across her chest.

Damon watched as Bonnie crossed the room to the air conditioning unit and turned it down.

"It's freezing in here." She said as she turned back around to face Damon.

Damon was standing just inside the closed door, almost leaning against it. They had the entire room between them.

Damon knew that whatever happened next, it would define them. It would define their future relationship and he wanted to be sure it was right.

"Bonnie..." Her name came out soft as a whisper. He didn't intend for it to be, but her name sounded like a seductive song on his tongue.

Bonnie felt the pull of her name from his lips. She felt an unimaginable amount of desire for the man across the room from her.

Damon steeled himself against the assault of his hormones and began again.

"I think we should talk about...this." He stepped forward hesitantly.

Bonnie took in a deep breath as he moved closer. She feared his approach, terrified of what would happen if she could reach out and touch him.

She exhaled slowly and nodded. "Yeah, i think that's a good idea."

"But first." Damon stepped closer again, standing at the far edge of the king size bed their room had. "I need to make you understand something. I want you to know this, before...so that you don't misunderstand what I want to say."

Bonnie swallowed hard, her heart beginning to beat at an alarming rate as he moved closer again, this time moving past the bed.

She stayed silent but nodded, letting him know she wanted him to continue.

"Before- when you told me...what you told me." Damon couldn't summon the courage to say it again, just incase it was no longer true. "I didn't get to tell you."

Bonnie's breath hitched. She knew what he was about to say and yet, her fear didn't come from hearing him say those three little words. It came from what would happen after he said them. She was worried she wouldn't be able to restrain herself from jumping into his arms again as soon as the words left his mouth.

"Damon-" She started

"No. Just let me." He set his jaw, determined to finish.

"Its important i say it Bonnie...its important so that you don't question my feelings for you."

Bonnie let out a long breath again and waited.

Damon looked down at the floor for a moment before stepping closer to Bonnie again. This time he ended up right at the edge of the couch, in arms reach of Bonnie.

"Bonnie-"

Another step forward. Less than a foot away.

"I love you." Damon laughed softly as the words escaped him. He found himself unable to close his mouth again. "I'm in love with you. I don't know when it happened and I don't really care...i just know that its the most honest thing i've ever felt."

He smiled at her as he moved closer once again. His body inches from hers.

"I love you Bonnie."

Bonnie's chest fell in defeat as she jumped into his arms crashing her lips to his.

Damon wrapped his arms around her, forgetting his resolve.

He pulled her up so that her legs were wrapped around his waist and moved them so that she was against the wall by the window.

Bonnie's hands pulled at Damon's neck and ran through his hair. She kissed him with the fire that burned so deep with in her. Damon responded eagerly, using his hands to squeeze her hips and explore her thighs.

Bonnie opened her mouth slightly, letting Damon inside. The touch of his tongue to hers sent Bonnie soaring, the electricity of his kiss coursing through her body, making her skin hot and her center ache.

She could feel Damon pushing against her, the bulge in his pants a wake up call to what was about to happen.

Bonnie didn't want to stop but she knew they had to, they couldn't continue at this pace. He had just broken up with Elena, her best friend. It would be despicable for her to sleep with him right away. Just as Bonnie was about to pull Damon's face back from hers, Damon did it on his own.

"Bonnie- wait- we can't" He was breathing heavily and panting through his words.

Bonnie nodded. "I know, " Her breath uneven as well. "I know."

Damon set her down gently, and turned away, trying to regain his composure.

"I'm sorry- that is exactly what i didn't want to happen." He swallowed and took a deep breath before turning around to face her again.

"Me either- I- I shouldn't have kissed you like that."

Damon balked. "No- that kiss needs no apology." He looked down at the ground with his hands on his hips, still catching his breath. "that's for sure."

Bonnie giggled softly. "Yeah, i guess you're right."

"Well if everything else fails, as least we work in that department." Damon joked as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Bonnie laughed again as she walked over to the bed, sitting next to Damon.

"Damon- if we are going to do this..." Bonnie started, trailing off to find the right words.

"Let's do it right." Damon finished it for her.

She gave him a smile and nodded. "You and Elena, just broke up. And you and I- we haven't even been on a date...I don't think it would be smart of us to just jump. You know?"

Damon chuckled softly. "I do and I agree." He sighed. "I don't want this to be a repeat of the relationships i've had before. I want...us...to be different. Better."

"Me too." She smiled softly putting her hand on Damon's cheek.

He looked at her shyly, his smile widening. "So..a date, huh?"

Bonnie gave him a stern look at the sound of his teasing tone.

"Somewhere where you haven't eaten the wait staff before."

"Hmm..i guess that leaves out most of Mystic falls..." He pretended to think as she shoved his shoulder smiling.

"You're hilarious." She said as she stood up and grabbed her bag.

She walked over to the bathroom. "i'm going to get ready for bed."

Damon watched her enter the bathroom and shut the door behind her. His mind flipped to the image of her in the bathtub from the other day and closed his eyes, seeing it again in delight. He hoped they could revisit that again in the future.

Damon stood up and found his own bag which he had brought in from the car with them.

He heard Bonnie brushing her teeth and decided to just switch his jeans for his pajama pants while she was occupied in the bathroom. If it was anyone else he would have waited half naked for her to come out and then pretend to be embarrassed as she caught him undressing.

But not with Bonnie, he respected her too much for his usual tricks. He undressed and put his pajamas on quickly, sighing with relief when she didn't come out.

"Are you going to live in there? Should i send in dinner?"

Bonnie opened the door. "Ugh dinner- that reminds me I'm starving."

Damon pulled a flask of blood from his bag and gestured towards her.

"Very funny."

He snickered as he sucked down most of the flask, satisfying his own hunger.

He put the cap on his flask and walked over to the hotel's welcome book. He flipped a few pages then looked up.

"So..pizza?"

Bonnie's eye's lit up. "Yes! With like, every possible topping."

Damon nodded as he reached for the phone to order the food.

Bonnie watched him as he spoke into the receiver. His pajama pants clinging nicely to his bottom, his t-shirt showcasing his impeccable chest.

"Bonnie." Damon called to her.

"Huh?" Bonnie snapped out of her fixation to find Damon staring at her, a sly grin on his face. He had caught her checking him out and it both amused and excited him.

"Anchovies?" He asked, phone still pressed to his ear.

"Oh- uh no. Thanks." She ducked back into the bathroom, her cheeks red.

"Ten minutes." He called to her.

"Okay great. Thanks."

She ran a brush through her hair a few times before leaving the bathroom.

She found Damon laying on the bed, his hands behind his head. He stared up at the ceiling until Bonnie came out, then his eyes were on her.

She smiled at the sight.

She hesitantly crawled onto the bed and laid next to him, her hand supporting her head as she laid on her side.

Damon turned his head to face her, but stayed on his back.

Bonnie's voice was quiet. "Have you given any more thought to what i told you before the fight? About the cure?"

Damon sighed.

"Honestly. I think i have to give it to Elena."

Bonnie closed her eyes but nodded. "Why do you feel that way."

"I don't know...i guess part of me feels like she needs it more than i do."

"I guess in some ways she does..."Bonnie hesitated before she continued. "But. You've been putting her needs before your own for so long now, don't you think you should see what its like to live for yourself?"

Bonnie's words startled him. It was a truth he hadn't even thought of. The idea that he could start making decisions that didn't have anything to do with Elena.

Part of him hurt leaving that part of his life behind, but he knew it was for the best.

"I guess I never really thought about that."

"Well, " Bonnie took her hand and pushed Damon's hair back gently. "Its okay to think of yourself before her, I know you want the cure for yourself."

Damon sighed. "Yes, i really do."

There was a knock at the door then and Bonnie jumped up.

"That was fast!" She opened the door to receive the pizza, signing the bill and tipping well.

"You just helped send that woman's kid to college Damon." She brought the pizza to the bed. "You were so generous."

Damon rolled his eyes as he sat up. "You women are going to bankrupt us."

They both grabbed slice after slice of pizza, talking about the fight from earlier and keeping their minds off the thing they both wished they were doing in bed instead.

When the pizza was gone Bonnie and Damon climbed under the covers together.

They faced each other with both of their arms wrapped around the other.

Damon smiled softly at Bonnie as he leaned in to give her a chaste kiss goodnight.

He felt the passion ignite from deep inside himself but pushed it back down. He knew that when the time was right, he would unleash it, and they would spend an entire night making up for lost time.