Bonnie and Damon died holding hands…

They entered into a new realm with their fingers intertwined, only familiar with each other as distant friends, practically acquaintances. When Bonnie held her breath and gazed into Damon's eyes, she didn't have time to weigh the pros and cons. She felt more exposed than she ever had before, and her vulnerability shook her. When the skin of their palms connected, she was just relieved to not be alone. There was another presence beside her in a vast abyss of darkness.

Then, as a sea of brilliant white light overtook them and carried them both to the Other Side, they found themselves inextricably bound. In the real world, having only been connected by Elena, their relationship was two dimensional and hadn't contained any depth. The prospect of spending an eternity side by side was overwhelming.

They had no problem exchanging witty banter or sharing a meal together, but the fact remained- they had no foundation. Vaguely any trust to speak of. There was no cohesive piece of the puzzle to fit Damon Salvatore and Bonnie Bennett together. He was an egotistical, homicidal vampire with a dark sense of humor. She was an upbeat, independent, empathetic witch. The pair was the furthest thing from a match. More likely, they could have been classified as a catastrophe. They didn't fit the bill for a healthy friendship in the making. The first week they spent alone together, they nearly tore each other apart, until they realized they needed each other to survive. They needed to be a team to make it work. They had to look each other in the eye and make a compromise. To agree to be civil. The sunshine, and thunderstorm, agreeing to live under the same roof indefinitely. A contract.

However, along the way, it seemed that the terms of the contract began to change. It did it on its own accord, in an organic way. It ebbed and flowed into something new, all the while, without either of them quite catching on when it was happening. Until it was finally re-written, signed, and sealed with a fateful kiss.

Bonnie and Damon fell in love…

Alone With You: The Final Chapter

Part 1

"Sometimes, the sound of your voice in my head is the only thing that makes sense…"

Bonnie staggered backwards, gasping, as her fingers reached out and dug into the leather jacket-clad body in front of her. His arms formed a rigid protective fence around her body, his shoulders so tight they could have been set in stone. Bonnie attempted to steady her breathing as she lifted her eyes to gaze up at the back of his head. Damon was silent as he turned his head to the left, his jawline sharp as a knife. She studied his expression, one she hadn't seen in quite a long time, but was familiar with. In fact, she hadn't seen it once since they set foot in the Other Side.

Black strands of his hair danced around his sparkling blue eyes, which had now turned to a murky shade of charcoal. His pupils dilated to a pinpoint. The muscles in his jaw appeared to be working on overtime, clenching and unclenching ferociously, nearly making Bonnie wince at the thought of the pain that would ensue. His breathing had also slowed so deftly that his chest barely moved. All senses were on alert.

Like a predator hunting its prey.

Bonnie didn't know how their date night had ended up so wrong…and why?

"D-Damon," she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. "What's going on?"

Instead of immediately answering, he swiftly lowered his arms and took hold of her wrist, yanking her body in front of him. Once sandwiched together, he looped one arm completely around her, while the other was left free, his hand balling into a fist.

Bonnie glanced at the face next to hers, her eyebrows arching.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her voice trembling. The more this carried on, the more frightened she was becoming.

"Do you sense anything?" came his soft answer, his eyes darting around Main Street of Mystic Falls.

"What?"

"Like, a person?"

"A person?" Bonnie responded. She was shocked at the answer she was given, but nonetheless felt compelled to reach out with her magic, searching for any signs of life around them.

After mere moments, she came back empty.

"No," she said. "I can't sense anyone. Just you and me."

The energy that she carried versus Damon's was so starkly different, yet second-nature to her, and she could have picked it out of a crowd of thousands. If there was anyone else there with them, she would know.

"I don't understand," he mumbled, not relinquishing the tight grip on her. "I could have sworn I felt someone while we were talking a walk past the Mystic Grill." His eyes narrowed at the sidewalk ahead of them. "Then I felt it again a few minutes ago. That's why I grabbed you."

"Oh…"

Bonnie sighed, turning in his arms until she was facing him, as she took him into a warm embrace.

"Clearly something put you on edge," she continued, her cheek pressed firmly into his chest. "If it wasn't an uninvited guest, I can't say I know what it was."

Damon went silent again, yet, Bonnie felt the tension in his muscles begin to melt. He sucked in a deep breath of air and as he released it, wrapped one arm around her while his other hand nestled in her hair. He laid his head on hers. The predator inside of him had decided to rest.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, his lips brushing the crown of her head. "I'm really sorry, Bon. I must have scared you."

She scoffed, emitting a laugh. Though Bonnie had been frightened, she never would want him to dwell on it when he had good intentions. Nowadays, Damon seemed to be apologizing frequently even if he wasn't in the wrong, and that didn't sit right with her.

"And what exactly are you supposed to be sorry for?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" he replied, his forehead wrinkling. "I just ruined a perfectly good date night."

"Of course you didn't. You can't ever be sorry for protecting me," she hummed, squeezing him harder. "We're a team, you know? We protect each other no matter what. No apologies."

Damon's eyes snapped shut as he gathered the woman in his arms impossibly closer.

"Oh," she mumbled, surprised at the strength in which he was hugging her.

"I know we're a team," he replied, his voice muffled in her hair. "It's just… I can't stand the thought of losing you, Bonnie." he sniffled. "I can't live without you."

"Shh, Damon, it's okay," she soothed. "I'm not going anywhere." Her hand lightly caressed his back.

She smiled inwardly. Damon's sentimental confessions always made her stomach erupt in butterflies.

"You're stuck with me, Damon Salvatore," Bonnie grinned. "I promise you'll never have to live without me."

After a few minutes of silence, as they held on to each other, the seriousness seemed to fade from Damon's demeanor.

He cleared his throat. "Well, speaking about us being a team…"

"Mhm?"

"What if one of the people on this team is mentally disturbed?"

She could feel his frame slightly shaking with laughter.

Bonnie pinched his side. "Seriously?" she laughed. "You're just gonna crack a joke like that all of a sudden?"

"Isn't that what I do best?"

She tilted her head all the way back to look up at him, a smile tugging at her lips.

He indulged her, knowing she wanted eye contact, as he examined every corner of her face.

Bonnie couldn't help but brighten when she saw that the storm had left his gaze, as a sea of blue shined through as its replacement. His jaw had relaxed, his mouth was in a smirk.

Yet, she could tell he had a question lingering on his lips.

"Something on your mind?" she grinned, quickly kissing his chin.

Damon laughed as he shook his head, until the smile fell from his mouth.

"I don't know…" he began, his voice low. "I just don't know how to make this easier for you…"

Bonnie puzzled. "Make what easier for me?"

"Well," he responded, shrugging. "Me."

"Huh?" she spoke, her eyebrows knitting together. "Damon, what-"

"I'm a basket case, Bonnie," he sighed. "I'm a loose cannon. I can't expect you to put up with that for the rest of your life just because I don't wanna lose you…what happened tonight is living proof."

Ah-ha, so that's what's really bothering him, Bonnie thought to herself.

"You think I'm unaware you're a basket case?" she laughed, her hand patting his back.

Damon's eyes widened.

"Hey-"

"Calm down, I'm joking," she giggled, giving him a wink. "I can joke, too, you know? But, I won't deny that you're a handful."

"Exactly," he sighed, absentmindedly combing through the loose curls of her hair. "One second I'm your boyfriend, the next I turn into a murdery lunatic! You don't deserve that."

"Damon, you're a vampire," she replied, smirking. "Those primal reactions are a part of who you are. If you were human we would have some problems. But you're not. You're fine. I know what I signed up for."

"I'm a liability." His eyes went downcast. "Bonnie, I could be a danger to you. What happens if I do something like this again, when you least expect it? What if I go off the rails and hurt someone…or you?"

Instead of responding, Bonnie leaned up and kissed him, her hands gripping his leather jacket.

When their lips parted, she spoke softly. "Okay then. We'll make a plan, like we always do."

"Alright." he nodded. "What's the plan?"

"It's a simple one," she smiled, their mouths nearly touching. "No matter where you are or who you're with, when you feel like you're losing control- you'll hear my voice calling you from somewhere in the chaos. And once you find me and everything calms down, I'll take you by the hand and we'll walk out of there together. I'll show you the way home."

…

Part 2

Bonnie couldn't pinpoint the exact moment she knew she fell in love with Damon.

But- she could readily recall the tightness in her throat at the thought of it being unrequited, accompanied with the fear of rejection which had intensely seared itself upon her heart- and the sense of overwhelming guilt knowing she could betray Elena in the worst possible way.

Now, for some reason, it felt like a lifetime ago. A faded memory. Like it was a story she had read out of a book off of one of Stefan's shelves in his bedroom.

It didn't feel like their story anymore. It didn't sound like who Bonnie and Damon turned out to be.

"Hey." A soft voice called to her.

She felt skin, cold to the touch, brush against her bottom lip.

Bonnie blinked, realizing she had zoned out mid conversation. She cleared her throat as Damon's icy, aqua-blue eyes intently searched her face for clues. He smirked as soon as he picked up on her heartrate increasing.

"Am I boring you?" he mused, tracing that same cool thumb across her skin as it trailed from her chin, to her jaw, and then to her neck. He played with the ends of her hair.

Bonnie shivered, goosebumps racing down her arms.

"Have you ever?" she replied, her tone lighthearted.

By now, Bonnie was a pro at masking how Damon could unravel her at just a brief look or touch, much less the deep tenor of his voice. She broke into a smile, deciding to switch topics.

"I'm glad we decided to do this so soon after our last date."

Bonnie reached her arms high in the air and stretched, before releasing a sigh as she laid back, resting her head in Damon's lap.

The pair were sprawled out on the front lawn of the boarding house, laying on a familiar Technicolor quilt with leftover food, plates and silverware thrown about. A stereo was close by playing their favorite song.

Damon shook his head with a laugh, the wind ruffling his hair across his forehead.

"I'm glad you're happy. It was the least I could do to make up for what happened."

He looked down at the witch in his lap and smiled at her giddy expression.

"Nothing to make up for at all." Bonnie reached up and touched his cheek. "It was the perfect way to end the day. Going on a picnic with you is my favorite thing in the whole world."

"Really?" he clasped a hand over hers that lay on his cheek, leaning into her touch.

"Yeah. Really."

Damon couldn't suppress a grin, his chest tightening as he gazed at her.

Bonnie laughed, rolling her eyes. She used her available hand to adjust the straps on her dress as she sat up. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

He let go of the palm against his cheek and opened up his arms in invitation.

"Come here," he motioned. "Get over here."

Bonnie gave him a faux skeptical stare, and obliged him, as she gathered the hem of her dress as she scooted closer to him. Damon met her halfway and opened his legs to make room for her body, his arms instantly wrapping themselves around her shoulders. Bonnie laid her head on his chest, looping her arms around his torso.

She let out a long breath as her cheek nuzzled the cotton fabric of his shirt.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, unsure of his actions.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You promise?"

"I promise," he smiled. "Don't be too worried about me. This is right where I wanna be."

"Alright," she nodded, accepting his answer. "Then we'll stay like this until we clean up and go inside."

"We could," he agreed, kissing the top of her head. "Or, I can give you a present."

He heard Bonnie gasp.

"A present? Damon, what are you talking about?"

He shrugged. "Just a little something I picked up while you were practicing spells this morning."

Bonnie was mumbling something under her breath as she lifted her head, completely tilting it back to meet his eyes. Damon fought the urge to learn down and kiss her lips.

"It isn't my birthday," she contemplated. "Oh my God, did I miss an anniversary? Or is it your birthday?"

Damon laughed loudly.

"No, you didn't miss anything," he smiled. "You never do."

"Then what?"

Damon squeezed her lovingly before holding her arms as he stood up and away from her.

"Just stay here and I'll go get it! It's for the both of us."

Bonnie scratched her head in disbelief and wasn't left alone long, as Damon used his vampire speed to retrieve the item as she had barely made it to her feet.

He proudly held out a box with a satin ribbon for her to take.

She raised a brow. "This present is for both of us? For no reason?"

Damon sat the box in her hands.

"No, no. There is a reason," he smiled. "It's a parting gift. We're going to leave something behind in the Other Side."

Bonnie was confused only for a moment, until she removed the lid from the box and peered inside.

"No way!" she grinned.

"Once we go home, this is a way that we can leave our mark here. It can be our way to let the universe know we survived this."

Bonnie dropped the box as she held up and revealed a Polaroid camera.

"You want to take pictures and leave them here?" she smiled, inspecting the camera. "What made you think of that?"

He gazed at her with a soft expression.

"I don't know." He ran a hand though his hair. "I think it was after one day I came home and you weren't here. You were off doing errands or something," he explained. "I was just standing in the doorway and staring at an empty house. But that's the thing, it just felt so empty. It wasn't a home without you."

Bonnie's mouth parted as she watched him, his hands going in his pockets.

"I didn't want us to leave here and not leave something behind to tell our story. Whether it's the universe, or a person, I just need someone to know we made a life here. We made a home." He smiled. "You and me."

Bonnie blinked several times before she responded.

"You're right," she nodded. A smile grew on her face. "This is too good of a story to not tell anyone."

Damon gestured to the boarding house. "It's too dark out here to take pictures. Should we head inside?"

"Yeah. Let's do that."

Bonnie reached out and took his hand, giggling as he placed a quick kiss on her cheek as they crossed the threshold into the home.

Before the front door was even closed, Bonnie was practically lifted off her feet as Damon took her by the waist and half-carried her to the kitchen.

"Let's start in the best spot in the house," he smirked almost mischievously.

The rest of the night was spent taking over twenty pictures in various carefully selected poses, including locations they frequented often that held a special place in their heart. The pair also decided they would take pictures of the picnic in the morning, and some of their favorite date spots around town.

Ultimately, after much deliberation, the witch and the vampire decided on placing four snapshots in an ornate wooden jewelry box. The rest of the photos would be placed all around Mystic Falls like a treasure hunt.

Bonnie caught a glimpse of Damon roughly chewing on the end of a pen as his back was towards her. She curiously approached him and poked him in the side.

"Hm?" she prodded. "What are you up to?"

She heard him audibly grumble.

"I don't know what to write…"

She stood on her tiptoes to lay her chin on his shoulder to observe exactly what he was holding.

"What are you trying to write?" she asked.

Damon shook the blank piece of paper in his hands and sighed.

"I'm trying to write our story. An actual written story to put with the pictures."

Bonnie smiled. "Our story, huh. And what makes you think we're not gonna write it together?"

Damon ceased chewing on the pen and turned his head to glance at her, his lip curling up.

"Yeah, you have a point. Besides, I'll probably get all the details wrong anyway."

Damon flipped around to take a seat on the couch in the living room and quickly grabbed her wrist to pull her down with him.

Bonnie lost her footing and awkwardly fell into his lap, busting up with laughter as he caught her.

Damon couldn't contain his smile as he retrieved a hardback book from the coffee table and slid it under the paper in his hand.

"Okay," he nodded, placing the pen in her grasp as his own hand covered hers. "You start writing. I'll give my two cents every now and then."

Bonnie sighed as the tip of the pen touched the paper.

"Alright. Where should I begin?"

To whom it may concern,

If you find this letter, that means you've somehow become stuck in this world, called the Other Side. But don't worry. You're safe in our home. In this box and around town you will find pictures of us in all of our favorite places. If you keep reading now, we will tell you a little bit of our story.

It all started a long time ago, when we died holding hands…

When the letter was complete, Bonnie released a long breath as she folded it up and tucked it inside the jewelry box.

Damon held her close as they wordlessly gazed at the box in front of them, wondering if or who would ever find it. It felt surreal to tell a faceless entity their story, when it hadn't even met its conclusion. In fact, it was truly their beginning. Their time in the Other Side would catapult them into the next phase of their lives. A life they now shared together.

Bonnie contentedly reflected on the last line of the letter she wrote, a simple phrase, yet one that summed up everything perfectly.

"Bonnie and Damon were here".

…

POST A/N:

Thank you all for taking the time to read the story of 1994 Bamon! All your reviews were so encouraging. I didn't include an antagonist in this series (such as Kai) so I was thrilled to write a little protective boyfriend Damon moments in this final installment! Again, I hope you all enjoyed the character development of two of the best characters of all time. I will miss them dearly. In future, I hope this is a story I continue to re-read. As for Bonnie and Damon, this story is dedicated to you. Thank you for being my hope and comfort.

Forever yours,

Katie

THE END