BONUS STORY

Day Twenty: Bonnie POV

You had too much of that wine again. You admitted you were deliciously delirious, but didn't care, your head falling backwards with laughter as Damon crumpled onto the quilt in a fit of his own hysterics. This was the second time since the seventh day in the Other Side that you both decided on another picnic dinner. The food had long been consumed, plates empty. The lantern had died to a faint flickering glow. You opted for more casual attire this time, choosing overalls and a plain top. Damon had on a rust colored t-shirt, and his plaid long sleeved shirt with blue jeans. Both your feet were bare. A breeze snuck up on you, grazing your skin as gooseflesh rose on your arms. You tilted the wine glass to your lips, savoring every last drop of the glorious liquid. You hummed with satisfaction. Damon surveyed you with a soft gaze, his fingers absentmindedly running tracks through his hair.

"I think I'll just sleep out here tonight," you mused, clacking the empty glass with your nails. "I don't think I can move another muscle."

Damon snorted. "At the rate you consumed the last two bottles I'm surprised your muscles haven't turned to jello!"

"Hey!" you retorted, tossing your napkin at him. "You helped!"

"Barely," he smirked. "Why is it that you get to steam roll through my entire reserve and I get like, two sips?"

"Uh, first of all, huge over exaggeration. Secondly, then either bring an extra bottle of wine or stick to your bourbon!" You were shaking your head, face lit up in a smile. You had been doing that a lot lately, for some reason. Whatever the reason could be. Wait, was Damon the reason?

"It's getting late," he chuckled, changing the subject, eyes turned upward toward the moon. "We should clean this up and debate who the bigger alcoholic is tomorrow."

"What's to debate?" you answered, eyes playful. "I'll make you a trophy myself!" you felt your back hit the quilt with a soft thud, a quiet sigh escaping your lips.

"Wow, that's truly touching of you Bon, thanks," he replied with a quirk of his mouth, sitting up to stack dirty utensils on top of plates.

You didn't respond. You felt your eyelids growing heavier and heavier by the second, the feeling of pure contentment covering you like a weighted blanket. You could faintly hear plates clanking against each other, and the click of Damon turning off the stereo.

Then, after a few heartbeats, you could feel the vibration of Damon's footsteps coming nearer to your body as he made his way across the quilt.

"Mhm, just as I thought," he chided. "Jello."

"Cut it out, Damon," you replied, a large yawn escaping your mouth. "I'm just going to hang out here for a while and chill. Feel free to head on up to bed."

"Wait a minute, you seriously think I'm just gonna leave you out here? All by yourself?"

"Yes?" you chuckled, his notion confusing the hell out of you. You turned your head and met his eyes. "Who's going to get me? The boogeyman?"

"Ha-ha," he huffed, raising an eyebrow. "So, you're a comedian now, huh? Well, jokes on you Bon Bon. You already sleep under a roof with another creature from one of those whacked out bedtime stories."

"Exactly!" you reiterated, arms flying. "What's the harm of a little nap on the front lawn while my beastly vampire roommate sleeps in the vacant mansion with a king sized bed?"

"California king sized," he nodded, correcting you. "And I'm not beastly!"

"Sure, whatever, I'm sorry," you mumbled, eyelids unable to stand the strain of being open. "Please just go to bed," you whispered, the leftover effects of the wine buzzing in your ears.

You didn't hear a response from Damon, which pleased you. The breeze was tickling your hair across your forehead. Though, your moment of bliss was swiftly interrupted, your eyes snapping open as you felt your body being hoisted in the air. You gasped, arms reflexively looping around the neck of Damon Salvatore, who now had a tight grip around your waist and knees.

"What the hell!" you swore, squirming in his grasp. "What do you think you're doing?"

You heard him snickering, his hot breath occasionally hitting your neck. You shivered.

"I'm being responsible and taking you to your room," he said, matter-of-factly.

He crossed the entrance to the Salvatore Boarding House and shut the door behind him with his foot, ascending the staircase to the upper floor.

"Why do you ruin everything when we're having fun?" you pouted, head plopping on his shoulder. "You're such a grandpa."

"Ouch," he hissed, a look of faux disappointment crossing his features as a smirked pulled at the corner of lip.

He kicked open the door to Stefan's room and made sure to leave it ajar, the light from the living room softly spilling in just enough to see the bed.

You thought he was just going to throw you down like a hunk of wood and leave, but to your surprise, he gently pulled back the covers with one hand while he cradled your body in his other. With his vampiric strength, doing this action didn't faze him, you studied the methodical expression on his face. In an instant, you were out of his arms and under the covers of your bed. With your skin coming into contact with the coolness of your sheets, you felt a shiver overtake your spine, and your teeth chattered. You heard Damon let out a long sigh, and though your vision was clouded, you saw blackish blue colors of movement.

"Here," he whispered.

You felt the warmth of his heavy cotton plaid shirt overtake your chest as he tucked it in around you. He was tucking me in?

"Now behave yourself and be a good little witch and go to sleep," he instructed, his fingers ghosting over your hair, softly touching your temple before they pulled away.

"Damon?" you called, your breath caught in your throat.

He was already to the door, his large figure blocking the light, his back to you. You saw the silhouette of his face as he turned to respond.

"Mhm?"

"Uh…thank you," you whispered, scarlet rushing over your cheeks. Why are you blushing? Hopefully just because you're embarrassed, right?

"Don't mention it," he shrugged, voice light. "Good night, Bonnie."

The door closed behind him and the room went dark, your eyes blinkingly trying to bring anything into focus with no avail. You took a ragged breath. Against your will you felt your muscles begin to unwind, cord by cord, and your back finally lay flat into the mattress. Your breathing was now slow and steady, your chest rising and falling in perfect rhythm. Eyes closing for a final time, you let your mind wander, pulling you into slumber you no longer fought. Once you were there, in the safe valley of your mind where you were alone, you heard a noise in the distance. A laugh. Your heart squeezed in your chest. Who is that? You suddenly saw ravens, dozens of them, pass over you in a dark smoky sky. You shuddered, confused. Then, a puddle of water formed at your feet. Head cocking sideways, you inspected it. A gasp left your lips as intense, ocean blue eyes met yours. Yet, they were tender and inviting. You automatically inched closer, unable to break the gaze you held with the phantom pupils. Do I know you? The water rippled and they were gone. You barely had a second to examine the situation as a strong scent of musk hit your noise. You closed your eyes and inhaled. Delightedly you groaned, mind stilling slightly. Mint, pine, musk… who are you? The sensation of strong hands gripped your shoulders, after that, fingers laced through your smooth brown hair. A chest pressed against yours. Cold skin, hot breath. A man? Then a muffled voice caught your attention. Another laugh. Your nerve endings began to tingle. Please tell me who you are. Though you were in a place in your mind that you regarded as your sanctuary, your safe place, it didn't bother you this mystery person was there with you. Nothing was being inappropriately breached or invaded. You were spinning in circles, waiting for another sign of a presence. I'm not leaving until I know who you are. See your face. Know your name. In shock, you felt thick liquid pour down your throat. Sticky, sweet. You hummed, licking your lips. Wine. Flash images suddenly overtook you- grass, quilt, jeans, shirt, stereo, hands… whose hands? Were they the same ones gripping you earlier? You focused on the picture in your mind's eye, pulling in every detail of the silky white skin. They were familiar to you, almost a comfort. Warmth overtook your soul and you stood on air, suspended, piecing everything together bit by bit. How can a person feel like home? And then you froze. Air sucked from your lungs. Mouth going dry, the walls around you began to quake, and your sanctuary was crumbling. No, no. You squeezed your eyes shut and begged for it all to cease, but instead, you heard that laugh again. You saw the phantom stare behind your eyelids. Musk, mint, and pine burned your nostrils. Strong hands cradled you close. A song on the stereo rang in your eardrum. No, it can't be you. It can't. Those infernal flash images flew through your mind all at once, like a deck of cards exploding in your face. Ravens flapped their wings in the endless sky above you. Your feet could have run, but they didn't. Instead you fell to your knees, realization sending shockwaves through your core. Almost as if snapping out of a trance, your physical body jerked, shooting you upwards in bed. With the room still dark, you gaped into the blackness, your chest heaving. A single bead of sweat rolled down your temple and tickled your cheek. You saw the man clearly now. You saw the man in the back of your mind. You've said his name a hundred times. Maybe even a thousand. The words were more familiar with your tongue than most. With your lip quivering, your voice finally left your throat, sounding alien to your own ears.

"Damon."