A/N: Thank you everyone for reviewing. This picks up where last chapter left off. Enjoy.

Her black hair fell pin straight, blade sharp well past her shoulders bringing out the flecks of gold in her green eyes that were feathered by long, dark lashes. He never took more than a cursory look at the Bennett witch, and at the moment he was getting his fill. Her lips were nicely shaped, painted a deep crimson as they were like she had taken a literal bite out of a heart. Her attire matched the somber occasion of meeting with an old foe, dark and form-fitting. She used to smell like innocence and fire. Now he just smelled fire with a hint of rosewood. Wholly appealing and infuriatingly distracting.

"Can I offer to get you something to drink?"

Bonnie was inclined to say 'no', but her throat was dry. It wasn't easy sitting across from Klaus who could be predictable in his unpredictability. Yet she chose him like a chess piece, and the only way to see yourself through something was to go through it.

"Well, since you're offering I'll have a peach mango lemonade."

"Excellent choice," Klaus spoke casually over his shoulder at the person manning the counter. "A peach mango lemonade for the lady."

Bonnie darted her eyes to the man fixing drinks and frowned. He was a vampire?

She ditched her question the second Klaus was looking at her again.

"I must admit that receiving your call after believing you to be dead and gone with the other side…intrigued me. Your request not so much. You want me to put you in touch with a witch?"

"Yes."

Klaus made a steeple of his fingers. "And what do I get out if it?"

Bonnie leaned forward. "Nothing," she sat back. "This isn't about trading favors. I saved your life twice and that of your siblings. I don't owe you anything else. This is about you," she pointed at him, "doing something for me," revealed pointing at her chest.

Klaus' eyes hardened spitefully and stayed that way for long seconds, but Bonnie never flinched or wavered. She had beaten death more than once and if he killed her she would come back again. That's how it worked. She was the literal definition of reincarnation except she ended up in her original body that went through some alterations.

Before he could retort her drink was placed in front of her.

Klaus couldn't decimate the resolve in Bonnie's gaze. She was serious and wouldn't cower simply because he was seated across from her. This wasn't a game and she wasn't over promising on the gravitas.

"I have my ancestor's magic in me and I need to know how to use it. Effectively. I need grimoires that are as old as you and witches who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty. Can you arrange it?" Bonnie sipped her lemonade.

"Who wants the doppelgänger dead now?"

"This has nothing to do with Elena."

Intrigue brightened Klaus' demeanor. "Really? You want to become more powerful strictly for yourself?"

Klaus, Bonnie decided, didn't need to know specifics. He wasn't here to be a confidant but to be a connection, hooking her up with the right invaluable sources of knowledge.

She was a powerful witch but didn't know what to do with that power. Bonnie had seldom used it for herself. Any time she cast a spell had been at the behest of someone or someone(s) she didn't like very well or at all. The gross misappropriation of her magic cost her everything. It was time for it to stop. Time for her to ascend.

Bonnie stared unblinkingly at Klaus, "Power is power and I'm using the sources that exploited me in the past to get what I want and need for the future."

At that Klaus chuckled appreciatively.

The Bennett witch had quite changed from that desperate and frightened girl who threw out magic that ended up costing her big time. Who didn't understand she wasn't inferior to anyone because she had the advantage of being part of a legacy that expanded centuries; and if she so wished it could make slaves of the undead. Of course no one in her group would ever tell her that. Once a lion realized its own strength there'd be no controlling it.

Bonnie might be petitioning for his help to help her friends indirectly, but something scared her enough to seek him out for assistance. Klaus couldn't remember the last time he came across a witch who had the wherewithal to keep him on his toes and didn't outright annoy him. Of course the attempts Bonnie and friends made on his life pissed him off and was more than a nuisance, but any time they got the upper hand they quickly had to forfeit it. It became a game with no clear victor.

Finishing off his cafe, Klaus licked his lips and drew a measured eye over Bonnie. Yes indeed she had changed. Her brow wasn't wrinkled in disgust as he had come accustomed to her facial features reflecting how despicable she found him. Her posture was relaxed almost regale. She wasn't afraid at least not viscerally, Klaus amended

Bonnie wasn't fearful he'd hurt her. What she was afraid of was him telling her no, turning down her offer.

Of course he wouldn't have left New Orleans if he hadn't already considered Bonnie's proposal.

"I have terms you know," he spoke at length.

"And I already told you this isn't about trading favors."

Klaus waved her words away. "I don't mean you jump anytime I snap my fingers in exchange for help. You're right, I do owe you. As the Lannisters say they pay their debts…I'm learning to do the same," the hybrid leered wolfishly.

"So what are your terms, Klaus?"

"My terms are you keep your complaints to yourself; you do as instructed at all times with minimal resistance, and...you accompany me to the spring masquerade that's conveniently being held at my estate this weekend."

Bonnie blinked. "What?"

"I don't believe I stuttered."

"I can't be seen with you in public."

"Then we have no deal."

Bonnie almost threw the rest of her drink in his face. She bit her lips and looked away. He wanted her to be his date? That just sounded wrong. Didn't he have a thing for Caroline? She was a bit surprised he hadn't asked about her once. Vampire feelings could burn red hot for a long time or cool as if they never existed. Bonnie didn't want to be his date and have to suffer through multiple interrogations about why they were together. If you were going to break bread with an enemy, do it privately that way you could protect your integrity. At least that's how Bonnie saw it.

Klaus leaned forward. "What's your answer?"

Her hands were tied. She needed him.

"Fine. I'll be your date."

"Then you and I are in a partnership together."

That sounded far too permanent to Bonnie. "This ends when I say."

The hybrid smiled slyly, "Of course."

"How's your daughter?"

"She's beautiful and happy. She needs a godmother," he eyed her pointedly.

Bonnie snorted, grabbed her bag and got to her feet. "Good bye, Klaus."

Elena double checked to make sure she had everything she'd need before heading out. There were two more weeks left of school and she'd be on summer vacation, moving into the boardinghouse. A smile began to stretch across her face as she thought of what she and Damon might get into…well, once Caroline and Stefan were back to normal, for them, and his mother gave up her quest to bring her "family" into the twenty-first century. Elena doubted anything would be cut and dry because it never was. She knew in the lining of her stomach someone was going to die. That's how these situations invariably played out. Whenever they went up against an enemy, someone paid the price with their life.

She denounced those thoughts. She needed to think positively about this. The door burst open startling her and out of reflex her fangs lengthened and spidery red veins converged in her eyes. Seeing who it was her posture didn't relax as she appraised Caroline Forbes.

Blood caked on her bottom lip, the pocket on her dress was ripped. Her hair was wild and bluish-purple bruising stained the hollows underneath her eyes. This was the closest to a zombie Elena had ever seen Caroline.

"What happened to you?"

"Oh, grow a brain, Elena," the blonde snapped. "What do you think?"

Crossing her arms, Elena jutted out her hip, "You look like hell."

Caroline shrugged tiredly. The last twenty-four hours were a blur. All that ran through her mind was her mother's face and that damned little girl who watched her feed murderously on her father. This "no humanity" thing was beginning to suck. Majorly. Caroline wasn't supposed to care about anything, or second guess her actions. She was supposed to be an emotional void, and she was at times, but that in of itself was an oxymoron because vampires felt and experienced things more intensely; and those feelings were saying to the vexed vampire to hell with your expectations because we have our own. You don't want to feel? Get the fuck out of here. Just as you can't stop thinking, you can't stop feeling.

It was supposed to go away. All of it. Every single drop of feeling was supposed to have vanished. Residue. She was tangled in residue.

Caroline flounced backwards on her bed. The voices of remorse, guilt, shame, regret wouldn't stop screaming in her ear. Caroline ignored them as much as she could but they were cracking the glass wall she was hiding behind.

Elena studied her, questions itching to get out but she didn't desire to agitate her lost friend more than she was at present. "You'll have the room to yourself. I have some errands to run and then I'm having dinner with…"

"I'm sorry, but did I ask for your stupid itinerary? I could give a fuck less about what you're doing, Elena."

Heat and anger flushed through the doppelganger who pushed it aside, shoved it elsewhere. She knew she couldn't really take offense at Caroline's callousness since she had been a flaming bitch when her humanity was off. Still, the blonde's words and dismissal struck a nerve because Elena just wanted her to be okay. To deal with her grief properly and not make the same mistakes she made when she lost Jeremy, and when Damon died.

"I guess I'll see you later then," Elena relented.

"Bye."

Elena grabbed her purse and overnight bag, strode two steps towards the door. She paused and refaced Caroline. "Do you really think this is how your mom would want you to handle her death? By living up to all the stereotypes she was raised to believe about vampires?" the brunette shook her head. "You two fought through so much to have the kind of relationship you've always wanted where she was there for you, listened to you, took you seriously and now you're pissing on everything because she's dead? People lose someone they care about every day, and it doesn't make your loss any less important, but they don't…"

Elena couldn't get the rest of her sentence out because she was slammed against the wall, a hand wrapped tightly around her throat.

Caroline inhaled and exhaled loudly. "Are you done talking, super-twat because I'm done listening. God," she chuckled deprecatingly. "I'm surprised you didn't mention yourself once. Congratulations but I'm sure that probably killed you," Caroline's blue eyes darkened, turned menacing. "Make yourself really useful, Elena take a page out my mom and dad's book and disappear from my fucking life."

She held on to Elena a little longer, squeezing just a bit harder until a nice fat vein ruptured down the middle of the doppelganger's forehead. The blonde yelped when her throat was seized, tables were turned and it was her back smacking into the wall.

Caroline wheezed. "I'm stronger than you, Elena. Let go."

"I will as soon as you turn it on."

Caroline's knee came up and she rammed in into the doppelganger's crotch. Elena buckled but her hold on Caroline loosened just enough for the older vampire to maneuver her neck out of Elena's grasp. She stood behind the clone in an instant, twisting Elena's arm awkwardly and painfully behind her. There was an audible snap. Elena stifled her scream and bit viciously into her bottom lip.

"It would be so easy to rip you to shreds."

"So do it," Elena goaded.

"You'd love that, wouldn't you? You'd finally become the martyr you never were. But I rather kill someone actually worth my time. You're not," Caroline shoved Elena away. "Go fuck your boyfriend until your cunt falls off."

Holding on to her broken arm, Elena stared at Caroline beseechingly. "Just turn it back on. Please."

"OUT!"

Elena hesitated, but got into motion when Caroline's face morphed. She grabbed her bag, spared her friend one final, pitiable glance and walked out the door.

Playing dress up used to be her favorite game as a child. As she matured, grew older her childhood game became a reality. The plethora of dances, galas, balls the town held religiously meant she stayed in a boutique combing through racks of gaudy dresses looking for the one that made her jaw drop.

Those gowns had been a bit difficult to come by, and she hadn't liked to stand out. So she settled for what was cute, trendy, comfortable. She registered low on the bar of second glances and compliments, but she hadn't cared. Much. She couldn't be that way at the masquerade ball. Make a splash or putter alone in the kiddie pool were her choices.

Bonnie could lie to her friends but she tried not to lie to herself and admit the idea of showing up as Klaus' date made her…smile. It didn't make her giddy or fill her with dread, but it was one of those situations she preferred to see how it'd play out. Made her wonder how many quiet corners she'd be dragged off to while she was berated, her friends (what was left of them) tried to talk sense into her.

Bonnie couldn't remember the last time she thought so clearly and rationally.

She kicked aside another dress to the ever increasing reject pile. If she had the time Bonnie would have ordered a gown.

Wiggling back into her button down and jeans, Bonnie tore out of the fitting room to do another search.

She headed over to a rack but was instantly distracted by the woman standing in front of the trifold mirror. The tendons in Bonnie's neck stiffened, protruded through her delicate skin and she wondered if she had time to inch back to her fitting room to gather her purse, slip on her shoes, and beat it before she was spotted.

However, she didn't move. She observed as Lily Salvatore assessed the coral, floor length gown. Her lips were turned down at the corners, her brow crumbled in distaste. She didn't seem comfortable with the amount of skin the dress revealed. It had a sweetheart neckline and dipped low in the back. Bonnie thought she looked amazing.

Lily's eyes shifted ever so slowly toward Bonnie. At first she didn't seem to recognize her. That relieved Bonnie but only slightly.

A thought came to the witch. Kill with kindness.

She crossed over the boutique, grabbed a shawl off a revolving rack and held it out to Lily.

Damon's mother stared at her suspiciously.

"That's a beautiful dress," Bonnie complimented. "The color works well with your skin tone. If you're worried about exposing too much of it, you can use this for added coverage."

Lily turned, lowered her attention to the shawl, lifted her head back to Bonnie a heartbeat later. Hesitantly she took the garment from Bonnie, and wrapped it around her shoulders. She felt a little better but couldn't help feel she'd pop out of the top of the dress any moment.

"The fashions of this time…" Lily flashed a here and gone smile that was too much like Damon's, "it's a lot to get used to. I tried searching for something a bit more modest but they were all…"

"Hideous?" Bonnie filled in comically.

Lily stifled a laugh. "Yes. Are you shopping for a gown for the masquerade gala?"

"I am."

"Have you had better success than I?"

Bonnie shook her head. "I'm still searching."

Lily twirled to reface the mirror. "You're my son Damon's friend? Bonnie, yes?"

The young witch steeled herself. "Yep. We're buds."

"He's spoken fondly of you…had only good things to say."

"I doubt that," Bonnie snickered.

Lily hitched an eyebrow in the air. Bonnie killed her smile.

"If you knew our history you'd know I wasn't trying to be disingenuous. Damon and I…it's taken a lot of hard work for us to get to where we are."

"Most things in life worth having is worth the hard work that goes into it. I know my boy. I know how hard it can be to get through his tough skin. Bonnie?"

And Bonnie didn't need to be psychic to read Lily and what she was about to say next. Taking it as her cue to cut the pleasantries, Bonnie began inching back toward the fitting room.

"I'm running late for another appointment. It was nice seeing you again, Mrs. Salvatore."

"Please, call me Lily. Um…before you go," Lily faced Bonnie once more. "I do have a favor to ask."

"I have to—,"

"—I'm preparing a dinner for my son and his girlfriend, Elena tomorrow. All I've seen Damon consume is…" Lily lowered her voice, "blood and bourbon. I know what he preferred eating when he was…human…I'm curious if his palate has changed."

The alarm's in Bonnie's head dimmed but didn't stop blaring entirely. "He likes pancakes."

"Pancakes?"

The dubiousness was clear in Lily's query. Bonnie nodded and took a step backwards. "Yes, but…I've learned Damon isn't a picky eater. So long as it doesn't have feathers or fur, he's pretty easy to please."

"Hmm…do you really approve of this gown?"

Bonnie stopped moving, regarded Lily. "It's beautiful and looks even better on you. You're gonna break some hearts," she winked. Damon's mother became slightly flustered. "I'll see you later, Lily."

Five minutes later, Bonnie's eyes were darting in every which direction as she bolted from the boutique and clamored behind the wheel of her car. She pulled out her cell and sent Damon a text. Lily hadn't brought up her trapped family but Bonnie knew they were running out of time, knew she was running out of time. For now, Lily seemed willing to play house, be a good and docile vampire mother, but her other side, the side that led to her entrapment would be clawing for its freedom. Bonnie needed the ascendant and it she needed it now.

She kept her eyes forward, locked on Kai, who hobbled over to the raised platform, and plopped down.

Little fires burned here and there. Her heeled boots stepped through pools of blood, flower petals, broken glass, yet her attention remained steadfast on Kai.

Bonnie came to a stop in the middle of the aisle.

"You look angry," Kai remarked. "Look, I know this is a surprise but wholly not unexpected. Did you really think I wouldn't figure out how to claw my way out of hell and bring cargo with me? Did you really think you'd get rid of me that easily? I must say…I'm a little hurt you have so little faith in just how ruthless I am, Bonnie."

She heard the inflection in his voice. The voice of a true demon cloaked in human skin with a face plenty would find attractive and think incapable of brutally ending a life.

"You got what you wanted, Kai. You're out. You're head of a coven that would probably kill themselves than serve under you. What more could you possibly want?"

Kai ducked his head and peered at her under his lashes as if he were shy. "I thought it was rather obvious. You and I…we could have had something special."

Bonnie scoffed. "In what world would I ever be with a cold-hearted psychopathic bastard like you? You shot me with an arrow, drugged me, kidnapped me, stabbed me and left me for dead."

"Character flaw," Kai made a non-committal motion with his shoulder. "But let's not pretend you didn't start this, Bonnie."

"What?"

"Everything that's happening right now is your fault."

"This is all your doing! Don't twist the facts. You threatened to kill me. You siphoned my power from me, first. I wasn't going to let you out to murder innocent people. You abused me. Not the other way around."

"Regardless…this is still your fault. A psychopath can't be held accountable for his or her actions because we're clearly insane. We have a…ah…mental illness," he laughed. "That's what they say right? You should feel proud, Bonnie. You left me to be food for a bunch of desiccated vampires who oh—turned out to be witches," fury laced his words and lined his face.

Bonnie's eyes sprang open. She had fallen asleep after six hours of shopping and a carb saturated lunch. Her dry throat heaved as vestiges from her dream popped like bubbles. Let's not pretend you didn't start this, Bonnie. It wasn't her fault. Everything that's happening right now is your fault. What Kai did to her it wasn't her fault. Bonnie snapped the covers off and the lamp on the bedside table exploded. She was up and on her feet, tripping on her shoes while struggling to get them on.

Ripping out of the bed and breakfast, Bonnie drove like a wild woman to the hospital. At the first kiosk desk in the triage area she reached, she asked to speak with…

"Dr. Jo…" Bonnie drew a blank on her last name. She knew she knew it but couldn't think of it. "I need to speak to the engaged pregnant doctor!"

"Is this an emergency?"

"Yes!" Bonnie smacked the counter. She was losing it and told herself to get it together.

"Miss, you need to calm down."

"I'm sorry. It's important. Please, page her."

"Hold one second," the receptionist sniffed and paged Jo Parker.

Parker! Kai's last name was Parker and he was Jo's twin how could she forget a massive detail like that? Bonnie got over her folly the moment she saw the pregnant doctor making her way down one of the dimly lit corridors.

"Bonnie, hey. This is a surprise."

Bonnie lightly took Jo by the wrist and pulled her over to the waiting area and began hurling a bunch of information at Jo (omitting for now that she was viciously stabbed to death by her twin—it wasn't good to upset a pregnant woman) that with each piece revealed, Jo's eyebrows inched that much higher along her forehead.

"Come with me," Jo led the way to her office. She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed exhaustedly. "This is bad."

Bonnie concurred. "Please tell me what I dreamed was only a dream. That Lily's family… aren't vampire-witch hybrids? I've had enough of hybrids."

Jo gifted Bonnie with an apologetic look. "I'm afraid it's true." Bonnie cursed. "They're called Heretics. Lily's blood…it's unique," Jo snorted. "Witches who are turned and transition lose their powers, are completely cut off from nature. However, for whatever reason, when Lily Salvatore turns a witch they maintain their powers. That's why they were entrapped along with Lily after slaughtering over three thousand people."

Bonnie paled. "And there I was helping her pick out a gown to attend a ball."

Jo nibbled the inside of her cheek. "Maybe if we're lucky Lily's Heretics turned my brother into a meal and he's dead. Permanently."

Then how did that explain her dreams? Bonnie rose from the visitor chair. "This was my second dream about Kai. If I have another," she didn't need to explain further. Jo understood.

"We'll deal with him."

"Yeah," Bonnie muttered weakly. "I'm sorry to spring this on you."

"I needed to know." Pause. "Are you all right?"

No, she wasn't. "I'll be okay."

Bonnie showed herself out.

When you were summoned by a Bennett witch it was best not to delay. Damon knew he was in serious trouble. He had avoided her constant text messages and phones calls because he was supposed to deliver the ascendant and had yet to do it. That explained why Damon's unbeating heart crawled up his throat.

Golden light spilled into the empty Whitmore classroom Damon wandered into. Bonnie sat at a desk, swathed in light looking the pillar of untouchable. When she stood up he foolishly expected to see the shadow of wings spread from her back. Instead she wore an indiscernible expression that left him feeling like he stepped into a room filled with vervain incendiaries.

Shutting the door behind him, Damon made his way to Bonnie. "Hey."

"Your mom's family…they're called Heretics. They're witch-vampires hybrids. Witchpires," Bonnie began without preamble.

Damon frowned. "What? Explain that again. Slowly."

"I had another dream. Just as vivid as the first. Kai was going on and on and then he said those desiccated vampires also happened to be witches. I went to Jo and she pretty much confirmed what Dream Kai said. I need the ascendant, Damon."

The ascendant like Elena's necklace, and before that the moonstone was starting to become a pain in the ass to the vampire.

"Lily has it hidden somewhere. I've searched the whole house…haven't come across it."

Bonnie breathed harshly through her nostrils, severely displeased.

"Without Bennett blood, Kai can't go anywhere," Damon tried for optimism.

"Are you sure about that?"

Damon's automatic answer was 'yes', but he stopped, his mind configuring a series of events. His teeth gritted and he cursed. Bonnie eyed him pensively and suspiciously.

"What?"

"I never told you how Jeremy was sent back to 1994. Remember the atlas you found on the kitchen floor that had the coordinates written down that led to the headstone and the cure?" Bonnie nodded. "Kai…was the one who performed the spell. He was there in the kitchen…it's possible he saw the atlas."

Bonnie eyes went wide and her hands balled into fists. Color rose swiftly to her cheeks. She laughed bitterly. "This isn't happening," she groaned. "If he finds that headstone, siphons Qetsiyah's blood…"

"Hey, look," Damon attempted to draw Bonnie near, but she pulled away from him.

"DON'T TELL ME ITS GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT, DAMON!"

The floor under their feet began to rumble.

"Bonnie, calm down."

"AND DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!"

Damon dodged out of the way when one of the desks hurtled toward the dry erase board.

Bonnie inhaled. That's all she could do to stop from bringing this damn university to the ground. "He was right. It is my fault."

Damon frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Bonnie didn't answer. Damon scowled. He hated when she did this shit. Clammed up and expected him to read her mind.

With little care to his own well-being, Damon approached Bonnie and grabbed her shoulders. "What are you talking about, Bonnie? Who said it was your fault? Kai? Don't let that asshole get inside your head. He's the reason why you didn't make it home with me, why you were stranded alone for months. Nothing you did or didn't do was your fault."

"It doesn't matter," Bonnie said listlessly. "He doesn't get to win."

"That's my line," Damon smirked and massaged Bonnie's shoulders. "I can make an empty promise that I won't let Kai hurt you but I don't know the future. But what I can do is guarantee that whatever he tries to do to you, I'm doing to him and much worse."

Damon didn't move as Bonnie stared up at him. He saw her tears, noted the stiffness of her neck, shoulders, arms. He wanted to fix it, stop things from unraveling yet had enough humility to recognize he didn't have the power to do much of anything but provide muscle.

"Find the ascendant, Damon," Bonnie deadpanned. "I might not be able to stop Kai from getting out, but I can stop anyone else from going in."

"I'll try my best to get it to you."

"No, I don't need you to try your best. I need you to do it." Bonnie saw Damon's face pucker and that irritated her. "You've snapped your fingers at me expecting me to pull magic out of my ass at a moment's notice. I'm asking something simple of you. It's the least you can do."

Damon abruptly let Bonnie go. He glared at her. "If I can't find the ascendant or my mom decides not to give it to me after asking nicely…we need a contingency plan."

"I have one."

"And?"

Bonnie said nothing.

"Do you really think keeping secrets right now is smart?"

"I don't believe handing over an object that opens a door to a prison world containing witchpires is smart."

It would be so easy to shake her until sense fell into her head, Damon thought but that would be after he kicked his own ass. How was he to know that his mom's "family" was more than desiccated vampires? It's not like they came with a brochure, instructions, or a disclaimer.

"I fucked up, I can admit that. But I'm not going to jump through hoops to get you to trust me, Bonnie. Either you do or you don't. Either you have faith in me…or you don't."

Bonnie's innate anger simmered down. How many times had she placed her trust in the wrong person and it bit her savagely in the ass? Those hard lessons were the exact reason why she didn't want to trust Damon explicitly. Too many people had screwed her over and it always boiled down to her having to come and save the day.

Conversely, she knew what Damon was really saying. People trusted him to be a douche who stabbed you in the back. He made horrendous mistakes but did enough to be tentatively forgiven and welcomed back into the gang's good graces. It was an insidious cycle, a façade where he pretended he didn't care about public opinion, but secretly yearned to be seen as more than a lost cause.

Damon Salvatore was tired of being written off.

Bonnie Bennett was tired of being used and dying.

"I have faith," Bonnie began, "that you will do the right thing at the right time. That you will make the hard and fast decisions because that's what you excel in."

It wasn't exactly what Damon thought he'd hear, yet he found it perversely… satisfying.

Wrapping an arm around Bonnie, Damon led them out of the classroom. Elena, who had forgotten her economics book and doubled back to the dorm to get it, hoping Caroline was temporarily gone, froze when she saw them.

Damon was speaking. Bonnie was listening, staring at the ground.

Then…Bonnie's right hand inched up and her fingers sunk in between Damon's. With that one move it seemed they went from friends to something else. The hand hold was brief, last mere seconds, but Elena felt a jealous pang go through her regardless. She shucked it off and called herself ridiculous.

Bonnie and Damon were her two favorite people. She had absolutely nothing to worry about.

A/N: As always thanks for reading. Please be kind and review!