~ Shards of Sapphire ~

Damon had been back from the prison world for nearly a week before anyone (anyone in this case being Alaric) had thought to tell him that Rose was one of the people who had returned from the Other Side just before its collapse.

Upon learning that, Damon's first question was, of course, "Why didn't anyone tell me this sooner?"

"She's been avoiding you because she didn't want to make things awkward between you and Elena."

"Kinda hard to get any more awkward than 'I never want to see your face or hear your voice ever again'," Damon said.

Alaric patted him on the shoulder sympathetically.

"Damon!" Rose called out, and immediately threw herself into his arms.

"Hi," Damon said awkwardly as he tentatively wrapped his arms around her in return.

"I'm glad you're okay," she said. "No one knew what happened to you when the Other Side collapsed."

"Bonnie's still trapped in the prison world. We're trying to figure out a way to get her out."

"I know. Caroline told me about it."

God, this was so much more awkward than he'd even expected. They used to talk like old friends back when they'd barely known each other, and now they were old friends talking as if they barely knew each other.

Rose was still hugging him and showed no sign of letting go anytime soon. Damon pulled her closer, running one hand up her back to tangle in her hair.

"So, uh. How have you been?" he asked.

Rose sighed and said, "Being alive again has been an adjustment, to say the least... I've been letting Caroline micromanage my life because I don't know what to do with myself." She sighed again, then was silent for a few long moments before reluctantly admitting, "I hate college. I never had a formal education before, and I'm failing most of my classes."

Damon fought not to laugh. Yes, the idea of a vampire who was over five hundred years old flunking out of college was hilarious, but laughing at Rose's misery when their reunion was already off to a rocky start would be bad.

"Well, what do you want to do with your life?" he asked.

"I don't know."

Damon put forth some suggestions: "Travel the world without worrying about being hunted down by the Originals? Find a place to call home?"

Silence stretched between them for so long that he assumed she wasn't going to answer.

Then finally, Rose said so softly that Damon almost didn't catch it, "A horse."

"What?"

"I want a horse."

Bittersweet memories of the last moments before her death flooded his mind.

"Okay, we're gonna get you a horse."

~oOo~