Caroline climbed in her window and locked it. She rubbed her eyes again and looked around her room. She stepped from her shoes and slid her sweatpants off. She took off her shirt and grabbed her robe. She went into her bathroom and ran the water in her Jacuzzi tub. She poured oil and bubbles in and pulled her hair out from its ponytail. She looked in the mirror at herself. Pity. Her once feline green eyes seemed dull and less conniving. Her tan faded and her hair lifeless and dull. Her mouth had lost that trademark arrogant smirk she was famous for. In the end they had won. Elena, Bonnie, and Stefan...they had beaten her and it was killing her on the inside. The shadow of her former glory ate away at her soul like a parasitic worm. She was alone. Truly alone. They couldn't possibly understand what she was going through. Being in constant fear at every moment. She was attacked and sucked on. Treated like food. Held for ransom by some psychotic monster not knowing whether they'd just leave her for dead as revenge for her behavior. She hated more than being victimized, the fact that she had to depend on those she despised to save her life.

Caroline dipped into her tub and dunked her head under the hot water. She then leaned back and felt the jets shoot the water and bubbles around her. Her eyes drooped and snapped open. Klaus was sitting on the edge of her tub. His eyes electric blue and his hair white and spiky. He wore a black t- shirt and jeans that looked painted on. He smiled at her. She sunk down into the bubbles so that only her head peeked out. "What are doing here?"

"I told you. I'm part of your mind. You are asleep right now and dreaming. You can only see me in your dreams."

"What is this? Some lamo horror movie? Are you supposed to be Freddy Krueger or something?"

"Nope. Although the blades would be beneficial. Just little ole pesky Me." he splashed is hand in the water. "Nice. Vanilla?"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "So?"

"Awww...seriously. It's very nice. I never expected less from a princess like you. Spoiled one." Klaus chuckled and stood up. He stared down at her. He leaned down slightly. "Better wake up sweetheart. Before you drown."

Caroline shot up in her tub. Water had gotten into her nose and she coughed. Alone. Thankfully. I'm going insane. She thought to herself.

Bonnie closed her eyes and as the memory of his lips hers her heart skipped a beat. She could feel his faint heart beat against her chest. 'Oh god I'm in trouble. I like this god help me but I liked it then and I still do now.' "Damon." his name was a whisper but she knew he heard her, he heard everything. Her breath quickened as she tilted her face up to his and looked into his obsidian eyes. 'Beautiful is to weak of a word to describe him.' she thought in awe as she reached up with her free hand to touch his cheek. Thoughts of Matt and the others flew out of her mind. All she could think of was how she wanted to feel those lips of his again. 'Maybe I do like leftovers.' she thought with a smile. 'And maybe a little danger is just what I need.' Feeling bold and completely unlike her former high school self she stood up on tiptoes and pressed her lips against his. 'Make me feel wanted Damon.' she begged him with her mind.

And that Damon did. He kissed Bonnie with surprising tenderness. He kissed her as if searching for something inside her. A way to let go of Elena, to move on. Deep inside Damon's heart he knew that Elena was meant for Stefan. What she felt for Damon was just sheer animal attraction. Basically the same thing Bonnie was experiencing right now.

Damon was danger; there was no denying that. Stefan, he would care for you, protect you, love you. Damon would hurt you, hunt you, over power you. But isn't that what they said. That danger and passion were synonymous with each other.

The passion was rising between Damon and Bonnie. He kissed her harder, deeper. The kiss was like fire. For once, Damon let himself get lost in it. The fingers of one hand running through her hair. The other holding her tightly around the waist.

You always kissed with your eyes open, that way you could see the victim. Watch as they fell under your spell. He felt his eyelids falling shut, but he stopped them. Damon realized what he was doing. He hadn't let himself become lost over a girl since Elena. He wouldn't let that happen again. He wouldn't admit that Elena had hurt him, but either way, he wouldn't allow himself to hurt again.

Then, only as Damon could do, he switched the wild kiss to one of sweet tenderness. His lips barely brushing hers. Women of countless eras had become transfixed by one of Damon's kisses. That's when he tossed them to the curb. Who needed a woman who could be so easily swooned by a simple gesture?

He pulled back slowly, letting this kiss linger as long as possible. When their lips were apart, he looked down at her, and said nothing.

Bonnie slowly opened her eyes and stared into his. Cold dread went through. 'Oh god what have I done. I sooo feel at his feet. This is wrong, this can only end in pain.' She looked away quickly to keep him from seeing her eyes that were filling up with tears. 'I won't show him I how I'm feeling at this moment, he'll think I'm a weak little girl.'

She turned her face back to him and in attempt to cover up how much she liked that kiss she said what she hoped would go over as impassive. "That was um nice." 'Better him be mad at me than feel pity.' She shrugged out of his arms and turned toward the door. "I'm going to get my jacket." She took a shaky step toward the door. 'I will not faint!' she yelled at her self in her mind. 'I'm stronger than that now.' Bonnie headed up the stairs and into Stefan's room, retrieved her jacket, gave Stefan and Elena a shaky smile "I think I'm going to go home, suddenly I don't feel so well."

She walked back down the stairs and out the door. She glanced at Damon briefly before she headed to her car, shoulders straight head high. 'I am not the same boy crazy little girl anymore. Just because he shows interest doesn't mean he's actually interested. This is Damon for Christ sakes. Who, when it comes to women, other than Elena has an attention span of like 5 seconds. Woo them bleed them then leave them.' she added the last part bitterly. "You're a fool McCullough," she said softly under her breath.

Matt lifted his grief stricken face to the sky closing his eyes as a wave of anguish passed through him. 'I should be happy. Elena's back, college is starting but everythings so different. I thought I had everything set last year. Finish high school go to college, with the help of a scholarship ofcourse, find a job after college marry Elena and settle down. Things never go the way you want plan.' He was elated to have Elena back in the world of the living but life just seemed empty for some reason. Even thought Elena wasn't a vampire anymore she was still with Stefan and there would always be that temptation to become one again. He could understand Stefan wanting Elena arround for ever but at what cost next time. 'I wonder if Damon is going to leave them two alone. It was his lust for Elena and Stefan's love for her that had made her a vampire. If it hadn't been for the two of them Katherine would have never had a reason to kill Elena that night of Founder's Day. Just the thought of Katherine left a bitter taste in his mouth. She was the cause of Stefan and Damon being vampires. Sure they had hated each other before she showed up on the scene but it was somewhat of a healthy hate but obsession had turned to murder. 'I'm only fooling myself if I think that Elena would still be mine if Stefan hadn't shown up. Someone else would have shown up, someone better.' he thought bitterly. 'There was always someone better.' Matt shook his head to drive away the angry thoughts away. "That's it feel sorry for yourself." he said and laughed at himself. He stood up, brushed off his jeans and decided to walk around some more. He made his way to the old church. The past few months he would be out walking and would always find himself at the door to the old church. He stopped in the doorway and looked around. 'This is where it all started and where it all ended for Katherine and Elena.' he thought sadly leaning against the stone doorway. Bonnie was suddenly mad. 'Who does he think he is. He's not the only one that can make someone weak at the knee.' Tossing her jacket and bag down on the ground she did an about face and stalked toward him. Taking his face in her hands she kissed him, long and hard biting on his lip. The kiss was over almost as quickly as it began. She gave him a challenging look, turned back around and walked to her car grabbing her stuff on the way. Remembering the button on the key chain this time she unlocked the Cherokee and got in. She tossed Damon a look that clearly said 'Ha!' started the car and pulled away.

About 5 minutes later she pulled up to her house got out the car and started toward the front door. She tried to push away thoughts of Damon and his soft lips. Bonnie gave a small growl and stamped her foot. "Men!" she shouted at the night and opened the front door. Her parents and sister were having dinner but she didn't feel very hungry. When her mom asked her if she was she replied, "No mom... I'm just going to go lay down 'k?" and made her way up the stairs to her room.

Once in her room Bonnie stripped off the pantsuit that got so many raised eyebrows that night and pulled a green t-shirt and green/white checked flannel pajama bottoms. Pulling her hair up in a ponytail she looked in the mirror and stuck at her tongue out at her reflection in a silly gesture. She needed a little silly after Damon. Bonnie walked over to her bay window, sat down on the bench and grabbed the remote for her CD player. She turned the CD player on and pushed play on the remote.

Leaning back on the frame as Kelly Clarkson's A Moment Like This played through the speakers. She silently gave her thanks to Mary for the CD burner she got for Christmas and closed her eyes, singing with the song. "What if I told you it was all meant to be, would you believe me would believe. It's almost that feeling that we've met before...." She stopped singing as tears began to slip down her face. 'Maybe I need to check myself into a mental hospital.' She laughed out loud at the thought as she imagined the doctor asking her why she felt she needed to be there. 'Well it all started when my best friend fell in love with two vampires....' Bonnie pushed the thought away and pushed skip on the remote. 'Ha...Just like a pill. That's fitting.'

Matt looked inside the dark remnants of the church and resisted the urge to go inside, instead he decided to leave. Turning around he made his way back to his truck. He had replaced his other truck; the one Elena had dumped in the river shortly after her first funeral. This one was a bit newer but still not all that great. "It's not a Porsche," he said to himself as he got in and buckled up. "But it's all I can afford." Matt started the car up and started in the direction of his house.

Damon put his hands in his pockets and chuckled slightly as Bonnie looked back at him. He shook his head as she drove off, nodding his head in a goodbye. He turned to face the inside of the boarding house. So Stefan and Elena were now in there together. Alone. How sweet.

Damon started to go inside but thought the better of it. No, if decided to make a move to get Elena back he wouldn't do it now, not yet. It was too soon. She had just returned to the living, and her joy to be reunited with Stefan was too much to overcome right now.

He reached out and touched the doorknob but let his hand drop before he reached it. He took a step backwards, then another, then turned. He had rented a hotel room in Heron, not too far away, where Caroline herself had gone to try and escape Klaus.

He got his car out of the barn like building, and pulled away from the boarding house, Fell's Church, and Elena with a squeal of tires and cloud of dust.

Bonnie pushed the off button and opened her eyes when the music stopped. Setting the remote down she stood up and stretched. With a yawn she started toward the bed. 'Sleep... sleeps a good thing. People should do it more often.' she thought with a lazy smile as she crashed down on the bed. She wondered how it had gone at Elena's aunts. Rolling over she looked at the phone and debated on calling the boarding house. 'Nah. I'm to tired.' she thought as her eyes started drooping. The memory of Damon's kiss played with the edges of her mind as she drifted off to sleep.

Matt pulled into his driveway and cut the lights off along with the engine. Resting his head against the seat he closed his eyes. He was tired, he needed to go to bed but he was just too tired to move. 'Maybe I'll just nap in the truck.' he thought sleepily but then a thought struck him. 'Yeah like it's safe to sleep in a truck alone in this town. Not anymore.' Matt opened the door and headed toward the front door of his house. Turning the knob he walked in. It was dark and nobody was home. Once in his room he pulled his shirt and jeans off and lay on the bed.

He really felt comfortable leaving Bonnie alone with Damon but he was sure that Stefan would stop Damon from doing anything to Bonnie, wouldn't he? A memory flashed before his eyes of Damon kissing Bonnie and with a small growl he pushed it away. 'Bonnie's a big girl now, she can take care of herself.' he thought then added sadly, 'I hope.' Relaxing into the bed he closed his eyes. He was dead tired and felt like he hadn't slept in ages.

Bonnie tossed and turned in a fitful sleep. She kept seeing visions of blood and Klaus standing over her laughing at her. She woke with a start, her face covered in a cold sheen of sweat. Throwing her legs over the side of the bed she wiped her forehead with the back of her shaky hand. 'It's got to get better than this.' she hoped silently and stood up on somewhat steady feet then walked to the window and sat down on the bench. The street outside was deserted. No stray cats, no cars, nothing. She looked at the tree outside her window and saw a barn owl sitting on one of the branched. She was relieved to see that it was just an ordinary barn owl and that it had no particular interest in her. 'Before you know it I'll be afraid to enter a pet shop.' If someone had told her that people could turn into animals a year ago she would have giggled and called them silly but now everything was different.

There were such things as vampires, werewolves, and the boogey man. Klaus came as close to the boogey man as Bonnie could imagine. He had enjoyed messing with people's dreams and being a sadistic bastard that killed just because he thought it was fun. She was glad he was gone. She had contemplated going away for college, away from Fell's Church but her friends and family were here not to mention that she felt the town had a hold on her. "I'll never leave here... this town won't let me." she said softly in a sad voice. "There will always be something, or someone to fight." Bonnie stood up, turned away from the window and walked to the bed, lying back down. She didn't think she was going to get much more sleep tonight, not if the dream came back.

As Stefan and Elena were heading out of the boarding house they had seen what had transpired between Bonnie and Damon. 'I must keep a closer eye on him', Stefan thought to himself as he squeezed Elena's hand.

They walked swiftly towards Elena's old house, keeping to the shadows as cars drove past them. They did not speak all the way there; lost in their own thoughts. Stefan wondered of this was a good idea at all.

He looked up at the street sign, 'Maple Street'. Stefan noticed that Elena quickened her pace as they neared the house and let go of his hand as they approached the quince tree just under her old bedroom window. He heard her sigh.

"Do you want me to help you up?" he said.

Caroline was walking on the normal beach she usually did. Only this time she knew she wasn't alone and it wasn't a shark there with her. Exactly. As she approached a fallen tree resting in the sand. Klaus popped up from behind it holding a sand shovel. His wicked smile bright in the moonlight.

"wanna help? I'm building a sand castle."

Caroline looked around her and then back at him. "Not really."

Klaus frowned mockingly. "awww...come on girlie. It might actually be fun."

"I don't wanna have fun with you. Go away." she shifted from one foot to the other and crossed her arms defiantly. Klaus only laughed and it was like a sting at Caroline. He won't leave. He's never gone. He was like a parasitic mind raper. At least there was no actual shark this time and no drowning. No screaming awake. A full nights sleep. She slumped onto the sand and just stared at the spiky-haired blonde man. He looked at her and then began shoveling sand. He looked like some deranged little kid. A little kid that could suck you dry. Innocence and evil at the same time.

he looked at her. "I already told you...you are fun. You have my ideal personality. Why don't you start acting your true nature?"

"what do you mean?"

"I'm guessing. That your entire life you have been ass-kissing that simpering Elena. Drowning in her shadow. Having your beauty and vibrance sucked out of you every time you were in her nauseating presence. You almost got what you wanted didn't you? But someone up there loves that girl waay to much."

Caroline was tempted to agree with vampire. But she listened as he droned on. He hated Elena more than she did.

"you got to be snow queen. You could've been prom queen. You should have been homecoming queen. Elena." He said her name like an obscenity. "Took that from you. She couldn't let you or any of her friends have a shining moment. How selfish of her. And now look. She comes back and continues to put herself as the center of everyone's lives."

"what does it matter now? High school's over. She won. What can I do now?" Caroline asked solemnly.

Klaus turned his lips up in a deviant smirk. "Take back the town Caroline. Take what rightfully belongs to you. Continue on your family's name of power. If Elena doesn't like it, she can leave. And take the witch, the cynic, the drippy boy, and Salvatore with her."

"Riiigghhhtt...take back the town? Look at me...I couldn't take a candy bar from a store." she was recalling how she physically looked. Not as stunning and modelesque as she used to be.

"Fix yourself. Drop the brown-nosing, it isn't becoming of you. Make it sink in. that your so-called friends don't give a lick about you. Especially Elena. All she cares about is number one and Stefan. She stole him from you. Remember? What kind of friend steals her alleged friends man? My vote would be to go back to Tyler."

"Crawl back to a guy I helped beat up?"

"don't ever crawl back. Tempt him back. Seduce him back..."

Klaus's voice drifted off and Caroline's eyes opened in the early morning light.

Elena shook her head at Stefan. "I don't want to go in, not yet." She said softly. She just stood there staring at the house. There were no cars out that time of night. Everyone in the town still knew better.

"It still looks the same." She noted turning away from the house, making sure she was still in the shadows. "Let's go back now." She said taking Stefan's hand back in hers. "After we get some sleep we need to really figure out how to tell Aunt Judith I'm alive."

Mary stepped into Bonnie's doorway and set down her suitcase with a sigh. She had just gotten home from visiting an old friend in North Carolina. She was only gone for a week, but she could sense that in some way her sister had changed greatly. She crossed her slender arms over her chest. Leaning on the doorframe she watched as her sister slept.

"What have you been up to sis?" Her chocolate brown eyes played about Bonnie's room. She smiled warmly at her sister's silent form before heading down the hall to her room, forgetting her suitcase.

Mary pulled her curtains closed as she began to undress. She tossed her clothes into the empty hampers next to her dresser. She pulled her almost crimson hair into a tight ponytail after slipping into a nightshirt. She stepped into her tiny bathroom, washed her face, and brushed her teeth.

A rustling sound caught her attention. "Bonnie? You up?" When she did not get a response she shrugged and turned out the bathroom light.

"Huh?!" Her bedroom window was open and her purple taffeta curtains were billowing in the breeze. "Maybe mom had it open and I didn't notice, but the fresh air does feel nice."

She turned out the light and climbed into bed. With a wide yawn she began to doze quietly.

Eyes... She dreamed of eyes, watchful eyes...