Thanks for all the amazing reviews, once again. You readers are my muse right now, so thanks a lot for sticking with this story and me.

Vampire Diaries tomorrow, I hope to hell that Matt doesn't die. :( - Are you excited?

Noa x

Chapter Nine – I See You

Ava jumped up into the top bedroom of Claudia's house, an art studio of some sort and rushed to the door to press her ear against it, listening to Uri as he entered the house and reassured Claudia that Laila was okay.

She stepped away as he came up the stairs, and waited for him to enter the room. "Hey,"

Uri paused at the door and looked over his shoulder to make sure Claudia wasn't behind him, then he closed it. "Ava,"

Uri pulled off his grey, caked-in-blood t-shirt, revealing his pale but taut stomach to Ava as she waited for him to explain what she'd just seen, but Uri had no explanation, at least not one that was any of her business. He watched her for a moment, eye brows raising as she placed her hands on her hips, challenging him.

"Uri, tell me what I saw back there?"

"You saw me kill Greg for attacking a human,"

"I was well hidden, like you wanted, but I heard your conversation with the girl. You know her,"

"Eavesdropping, Ava," Uri sighed, pulling a clean black T shirt over his head. He pointed his finger at her. "If you were anyone else,"

"I know," Ava breathed, hands falling from her waist. She had known Uri for longer than either of them cared to admit, not because they didn't like each other but because they reminded each other of the brutal past they were both a part of. One couldn't look at the other without remembering.

Uri had eventually learned to shut everyone out and let go of all attachments to the world, except one, Lily.

"What are you up to?"

"You know,"

He picked up the sepia toned picture of him and Lily back in England, 1682. They were ignorant kids coming into their adult years, caught by a friend who'd found a camera they all thought was broken until it flashed, freezing a moment between the siblings that Uri would cherish forever. That friend was Ava, she'd been with them from the beginning of time, and would be there until the end. Little did they know the end was only days away, and Uri would never see Lily again.

"Uri, we searched in secret for over a hundred years. This girl has powers, we could use her, maybe St Clair could…"

Uri's head snapped towards her, his black hair whipping behind him as he rushed her into the wall with his calloused fingers wrapped tightly around her delicate neck. His fangs descended, and the blood rushed to his eyes as he growled at her.

"Uri," Ava choked out.

"You know better than suggest what St. Clair could do. There is history between us, Ava. But please, don't for a minute allow yourself to relax around me, I will squeeze your heart until it bursts if you overstep. St Clair is not to go near Bonnie, if he learns a Witch is here in Mystic Falls you know what will happen,"

Ava pushed her thumbs into his eyes, hissing with anger as he stumbled back giving her enough time to catch her breath. "Why must we always fight?"

"Because you provoke it," He ran back towards her, slamming her on the floor and pinning her beneath him as she wriggled away from the blood running from the corner of his eye, to drip on her face. "Isn't this what you want, Ava?"

She stilled, eyes settling on his opaque stare as he leaned closer tempting her, rushing her heart into the same old race she'd never win for his in return.

"Isn't this why you followed me to Mystic Falls? Because you want so desperately for me to love you back?"

Ava's eyes widened but she said nothing.

Uri's eyes wandered down her soft golden skin, a smirk curling his lips upwards as they fell upon her breasts. "You are beautiful," He brushed his lips against her soft pout slowly, softly, smiling as her eyes fell shut waiting for a kiss and then he jumped to his feet. "Tell St Clair about Bonnie and I will kill you," Uri warned, tying his hair into a band.

Ava joined him standing, the heat his touch imprinted on her skin moments ago cooling back to dead flesh. "What's so special about this Witch?"

"You know better than to ask me that, I trust no one."

"Have you found Lily, is that why we're here?"

"I haven't found Lily, that's something I would tell you," He looked her in the eyes as the lie slipped from his tongue, voice steady and cool. Uri had long time mastered the art of deception.

"I could help, you know…"

"Shut up a minute," Uri pushed his finger against Ava's lips, unable to resist physical contact with her just because he knew what it did to her skin, a mere touch would ignite her. "I have a visitor, a friend of sorts,"

"A friend?"

"Stay here," Uri pulled the door open and ran down the stairs just as Claudia called up. "Stefan, what brings you here at this time?"

"There's something I needed to run by you," Stefan smiled at Claudia. "It's private,"

Uri walked passed Stefan and pulled the door open, frowning as Stefan moved around him so that he was behind. He stepped out on to the porch, giving his back to Stefan. "So, what did you have to tell me?"

Stefan's grip tightened around the stake, he'd felt a connection with Uri when they first met but now he knew the history he understood why, for that, he wouldn't do as he suspected Uri thought and attack him from behind. "I know, why you're here,"

Bonnie shivered against Damon, fingers tightly grasping his leather jacket as she curled into his chest on the sofa, she hadn't moved more than an inch away from him since he'd brought her back to Elena's, her mind and body was in overdrive, fear, anger and hate clashing against empathy, passion and love. Since losing Grams the magic had been off kilter, mostly because her mind had been too.

She didn't let go of Damon through fear that if she let the moment go she'd go back to hating him and she didn't want to feel that way anymore.

"Bonnie," Damon said softly, cutting into her thoughts. "Bonnie, you're safe,"

She looked up at him as he stared down, their eyes locked and the glow the fireplace lent to his already shining eyes asked her to believe him, so she did. Slowly, she allowed him to pull away, his hand brushing against her gently before he stood up.

"You need to rest,"

"I don't know what's happening," Bonnie muttered as he stepped over her feet to leave.

Damon knew what she was talking about without her having to tell him, it was there between them both, lingering, pulling them towards each other like a magnet. He frowned. "No, neither do I,"

Elena walked in, eyes studying Damon for a minute before she passed to place a hot cup of chocolate in Bonnie's cold shaky hands, she pulled the blanket from the top of the sofa and flung it around Bonnie's shoulders. "I'll be right back,"

Without a word, Damon left the room and headed out of the door when Elena stepped out behind him. "Damon!"

He turned around slowly, eyes falling on the petite beauty that was Stefan's girlfriend but looked like the love of his life. "What happened tonight was my fault,"

"What?"

"That's what you're gonna say isn't it? Bad Damon, evil Damon," He smirked, though beneath the cockiness was him in all his miserable glory.

"No, actually…" Elena frowned. "I was gonna say thanks for bringing my best friend home, in one piece,"

Damon walked back up the porch steps. ""Yeah, well, it was my fault…" He muttered.

"But she's okay," Elena looked up at him. "Thank you, Damon,"

Damon saw her genuinity, heard it in her voice. "You're welcome," He smiled faintly in response to Elena's and watched her go back inside and close the door before he left.

VDVDVDVDVDVDVDVDVDVD

Elena joined Bonnie on the sofa and put her arm around her shoulder. "You okay?"

Bonnie nodded and rested her head against Elena. "I froze up, I forgot everything Grams told me, everything she showed me," Her vision blurred as the tears surfaced. "I wanted to make Grams proud, if she were here…what would she think?"

"I think she'd be proud of you Bonnie, for doing something that terrifies you so that the ones you care about are safe, that's what was most important to her and it's what's important to you,"

Bonnie lifted her head to face Elena. "What if I follow my instincts and they're wrong, and someone gets hurt?"

"I believe in you Bonnie," Elena wiped the stray tear from Bonnie's cheek and leaned back into the chair as her best friend fell back into her shoulder. "Just believe in yourself,"

Bonnie closed her eyes, allowing the light musky scent of Elena's neck to calm her. They'd been best friends since they could talk, they all had and Bonnie just wanted to protect that, she wanted to protect the only people she had left.

But she wasn't sure if her gut was telling her to trust Uri, she just knew that there was more to him and more to them, she felt it when they touched, it was as though they knew each other, maybe in another life. Bonnie fought away her doubts, fears and what would come tomorrow and focused on the words of her Grams.

"You listen to your heart and you follow your gut, they won't steer you wrong,"

What did Grams mean? Listen to what her heart told her about Damon and trust what her gut told her about Uri? She wanted to but Damon needed to show her something, anything, other than the vampire, something other than the monster inside the man.

Her breathing slowed and her eyes fell closed for the night.

"Yeah, you know why I'm here. I'm looking for my sister," Uri turned around, crossing his arms over his chest. "I told you that,"

"You told me Laila was your sister,"

"Actually," Uri pointed. "You told me the missing teen was my sister, I just agreed,"

"The Vervain? Alex?"

"I put a hint of them in my clothes, after a while it doesn't make me feel so nauseated. And Alex, well she had it coming don't you think? After all, she did go after your misses,"

"That whole conversation was a lie, you compelled Claudia…"

"I don't lie, I just don't admit the truth," Uri grinned. "Look, I'm not really a hunter. I've been far too focused on one particular target,"

"St. Clair," Stefan nodded.

"I wasn't lying when I said vampires had my sister,"

"Laila told me,"

Uri's face stilled, the smile fading from his fine features. "Laila, she's with you?"

"Not by choice," Stefan admitted, instincts telling him that Uri's feelings for Laila were genuine, whether she became the substitute sister for Lily or was just someone he felt sorry for, he cared.

"Then you should know, I never had to compel Claudia,"

"The deaths?"

"If you want the truth, I feed on humans, newsflash, Vampires kill. But you and I are different, you're a vegetarian, happens, not often but it happens." Ur sighed. "I feed on the ones who want to be fed on, those bodies weren't my doing, they were St. bloody Clairs little minions,"

"What are you are you planning for Bonnie?"

"Wow. Laila squealed like a pig," Uri shook his head. "My plans for Bonnie are, well, kind of between us but don't take it personally,"

Stefan smiled, taking a step closer to Uri. "You see, anything that involves people I care about is personal to me,"

"I just need her blood is all," Uri winked. "I'll be out of your hair before you know it,"

"I can't let you hurt her, Uri,"

"Let me? Stef, I don't ask for permission. How about this…seen as you come here to kill me an' all, we can just fight it out, you win, I leave Bonnie alone. I win, you stay out of my way,"

"I can't do that, and you not going anywhere near Bonnie. Do-you-understand?"

"No, not really but I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to kill everyone that I come into contact with until I get Bonnie."

"You know I'll have to stop you,"

"I know you'll have to try," Uri uncurled his hand, revealing a little bottle and popped it open before lurching forward to throw the liquid in Stefan's face. As Stefan stumbled back, face sizzling with Vervain eroding the flesh ferociously, Uri grabbed him by his scruff and spun, throwing Stefan off the porch on to the windshield of a car.

He rushed forward and lifted Stefan off of the car as the alarm sounded, falling backward as the vampires rock hard fist collided with his jaw and then one to the stomach forcing him to barrel over. They rolled into the street in the path of an oncoming car, and held each other by the scruff to move from harm's way onto the other side of the street.

"You know, Laila doesn't know the whole story," Uri panted, pushing Stefan away as they found their footing.

Stefan, also breathless looked over Uri's shoulder to see where the stake had fallen. Once he noted it, he ran for Uri, lifting him up and hauling him hard against the concrete paving before speeding over to the porch to get the stake.

When Stefan turned around Uri was nowhere to be seen. "It doesn't have to be this way, I could help you get Lily back,"

"There's just one problem," Uri's voice echoed in the night. "I don't trust anyone, kind of makes his hard to make friends let alone little helpers,"

Stefan looked up and down the empty streets, trying to pinpoint Uri's exact location but the distance of his voice changed meaning he was on the move. "Uri, don't do this," He walked down the steps, head snapping to the right as he saw a shadow, without a thought he raced to it and found Uri waiting?

Stefan slammed him down and brought the stake above his head, before plunging it into Uri with full force. The squelch of blood splattered up into Stefan's face as he pulled it back out. He watched as Uri writhed in pain, blood bubbling out of his mouth as he choked on it, with what little strength he had left, Uri lifted his head and looked down at the wound.

He hadn't turned grey, and his skin hadn't wrinkled, he was still alive because something had stopped Stefan from plunging him in the heart. Uri cast his eyes down at the gaping wound in his stomach before passing out.

Stefan waited for Uri's eyes to close and looked around before lifting Uri over his shoulder into a fireman carry and speeding off with him, he needed to get him to the house before he healed. Although the neighbours did their busy body part when noise ensued, the two vampires moved to fast for their eye to catch.

Ava watched from the window filled with awe as she saw the guy called Stefan kill Uri, without a second thought she sped out of the house, giving Claudia the frights as she caught the mere shadow and slam of her door.

Bonnie lay wide awake beside Elena, staring up at the ceiling mindlessly when Damon came into her head, his blue eyes were inescapable once you were captured by them, his pink lips were enchanting and everything else, well, Bonnie couldn't sleep.

She looked over at Elena and while a part of her wanted to know what it felt like to be with a vampire, another part of her didn't. Bonnie was a teenager, she was used to being conflicted, she was used to being hung up on boys but this was Damon, he was no boy…

Bonnie clenched her thighs together as thoughts of him climbing into bed with her naked invaded her thoughts, she sat up like a sharp spring and looked at Elena, flushed, as though her best friend would know what she was thinking of, even in her sleep.

Bonnie took a deep breath and fell back against the pillow. "One, two, Freddy's coming for you. Three four, better lock your door," She mumbled to herself.

Luckily for Bonnie, she didn't scare easy when it came to fiction, her real life however was another story, while Elena hid behind her shoulder, she was usually clued to the TV because she couldn't pull herself away from it. She knew that thinking about a horror just before bed would give her nightmares but in that moment she wanted that more than a wild sex dream about a vampire.

Damon lay wide awake in bed, biting his lip, blowing raspberries, turning on his back and then back on his front, he even hummed 'My girl wants to party all the time' but sleep wouldn't take him, frustrating was quickly turning into anger.

Bonnie hadn't crept into his thoughts because she'd been there since he'd dropped her back at Elena's, a freakin' witch, he couldn't sleep because of a freaking, judgemental, mightier than thou, tiny, cute, fragile little witch. What the hell? He thought about kissing her, and then he thought about her kissing him back and before he could say horny his blanket had risen to thoughts of how soft her naked body felt beneath his.

"Un-believable," Damon growled, climbing out of his bed for a very cold shower. He heard Stefan enter and call his name as he stripped down in front of the stall. "Son of a b-itch,"

"Damon, come quic…" Stefan turned his head away as he saw an overload of pale skin.

The older Salvatore rolled his eyes and pulled his shorts back up. "What? I've had a ridiculously active day, and I'd like to unwind is that too much to ask?"

"I have Laila's maker, Uri,"

Damon's face fell. "Well let's go," He said in all seriousness, ready to tear lumps out of the guy who made Bonnie his agenda.

"I wounded him pretty bad, but he's healing pretty quickly," Stefan breathed as they hurried down the stairs.

"We need to change that, this guy won't even remember Bonnie's name when I'm finished with him,"

Stefan paused on the step for a second but he daren't look at Damon and cause him to sober up and remember that he was supposed to be fooling everyone into thinking he was a horrible monster.

Blood soaked the rug where Stefan had placed Uri down but he was no longer laying in it, Stefan looked around the room and then behind him and caught the smallest movement of the door. He ran towards it and rushed out but there was no trace, only a smudged bloody hand-print on the door handle, he closed his eyes as Damon came behind him.

"You are off your game, little brother,"

"He was waiting for me," Stefan mused. "When I came at him, he was waiting for me, like he wanted me to stake him but knew I wouldn't kill him…"

Stefan turned around and for the first time, regretted being that vampire, the one who held on to his feelings and attachments to the world and people in it, he didn't want to kill Uri if he could help it but now that he was healed and free, Stefan realized he hadn't really helped anyone but Uri.

"He wanted to be brought to…"

"Laila," Damon sped down to the cell and was back in the blink of an eye. "Gone,"

"I didn't think, I should've…"

"Killed him? Yeah," Damon's lip curled into a snarl. "Bonnie!"

Stefan turned to face the empty space Damon stood in moments before and several seconds later he was coming back down the stairs fully dressed and heading out of the door. "Let's go,"

"What?"

"If you stuck me with buffy's toy, I'd be pissed. Do you know what I do when I'm pissed off?"

Stefan rushed out behind Damon kicking himself mentally for being sloppy, Uri was out cold and he thought he was safe but all it took was the 60 seconds he spent upstairs for Uri to get away. If Damon was right then Uri would be heading straight to Bonnie and Elena, Stefan remembered Uri's threat to kill everyone to get to Bonnie and his stomach somersaulted.

"Elena,"

Bonnie sat on the top step of the porch watching the dark ring around the moon, it was wider and further away from the moon then the day before. She wrapped her arms around herself and stood up to go back in, it was almost dawn and she hadn't slept a wink yet, wrapping her hand around the handle she froze and turned back.

"What happened to you?" She asked, eyes falling on Uri.

"Your friend," Uri replied, wiping his bloody hands on his top.

"Damon?"

"The other one," He stepped closer, pausing as she moved back against the door.

"He wouldn't hurt you unless he had a reason, not Stefan."

"I'm here to tell you, that I'm leaving,"

A frown creased Bonnie's forehead. "You're leaving?"

"I got what I came for, and I have Laila,"

"What do you mean? Laila's going with you,"

"She's not my sister by the way, but yeah, she wants to come with me,"

"You said you needed me,"

"I can't stay, Bonnie." Uri sped up to her, running his cold hand down her face as she shivered beneath his touch. "Be careful, I've only killed a few vampires, but there are more. Have your entourage see to them," He slowly backed away from her until he was just a shadow, then nothing. "Witches can see into the very soul of a man, human or not, you should try it."

His voice echoed and then it was gone, he was gone.

Elena and Bonnie were sat on the couch but both Salvatores remained standing, Stefan because he was wrapped up in his mistake and Damon, well because he was trying not to think about his almost sex dream with Bonnie.

"How'd he know where you lived?" Damon asked.

Bonnie cleared her throat. "Uh, Laila. I didn't see her but, he said she was going with him,"

Damon swallowed as Bonnie spoke up, his eyes hadn't met with hers since he and Stefan got there. "Pack a bag,"

"What?" Elena looked between the brothers.

"He knows where you live, Elena," Damon said on behalf of Stefan who stood lost in a brooding session.

Elena stood up. "Stefan,"

He looked up at his girlfriend. "It's my fault, Elena. He threatened Bonnie, he threatened everyone, we fought and I wounded him,"

"And then he got away," Damon added. "End of story, pack a bag the both of you,"

"He doesn't want me," Elena said. "Protect Bonnie,"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but I happen to know for a f-act, that Bonnie the teenage witch won't stay without you,"

Elena hesitantly reached her hand out to Bonnie and took her upstairs to pack them an overnight bag, Uri hadn't been invited him but knowing where Bonnie was and unprotected was not a good look, at least at the boarding house he knew it'd be a fight if he even thought he could get near her or Elena.

"Snap out of the 'I'm so saintly I can't make a mistake' crap," Damon spat, shoving Stefan in the shoulder.

"What?"

"You made a mistake,"

"And Alex,"

"Okay, two mistakes, get over it," Damon warned, eyes flashing wide as he enunciated the words. "They were already in danger, you were trying to protect them,"

"I know but,"

"Stefan, get your head in the game." He moved close so that his face was inches from Stefan's. "I don't have time to baby you," He whispered.

Elena came down with Bonnie behind her and left a note on the coffee table for her aunt Jenner, alerting her that they'd left early to collect Caroline who they'd promised to help get all her old attic stuff organized for a garage sale after school.

"We're ready," Elena sighed.

Damon opened the door offering a smile as Elena passed with Stefan, although he adopted a more pained expression when Bonnie passed with her head down, why wasn't she looking at him and why couldn't he look at her when she did? So he thought about her naked, he was always thinking about someone of the opposite naked.

He clenched his jaw and closed the door behind them.

At the boarding house sleeping arrangements were a bit of a problem as Bonnie wouldn't take a room on her own, Damon had joked about it being because her room was next to his but that hadn't gone down too well which quite frankly bothered him. He may have been a homicidal vampire with lewd tendencies but that didn't mean he was going to hurt Bonnie, not again.

Elena promised to stay with her but after seeing the way Stefan said goodnight to them, she convinced Elena to go stay with him and if she fell asleep then it was okay, he looked like he needed to be with Elena more than she did. Deep down Bonnie knew Damon wouldn't do anything, it was more about sleeping in a strange bed, in an even stranger room, the first night was always the hardest.

Elena disappeared up the stairs with Stefan after giving Damon a warning glare, leaving Bonnie and him in the living room alone.

"I'm going to bed, want me to walk you to your room?" He asked, smirking at her before he poured himself a drink for bed and headed towards the stairs.

Bonnie slouched into the sofa looking down at the rolled up rug. "No, I'm just gonna stay up,"

He turned towards her. "What'd you need scouts honour, I'm not gonna…"

"I'm not worried about that, I just, can't sleep,"

Damon brought the glass to his lips and chugged it down, blowing out the hot air as the liquid burned his throat on the way down, he walked back into the room and sat on the chair by the table.

"What are you doing?" Bonnie asked, sitting up.

"…I don't know, don't ask," He frowned, not at her, at himself. What was he doing?

Bonnie sat silently for a while. "Thanks,"

"For what? It's pointless going to bed now," Damon reasoned. "I like to be up at this time so I can watch the sun come up,"

Bonnie smiled, he'd more described Stefan than himself but she wasn't going to argue with him. "Ah," She said, resting her head on the arm of the chair. "I'm just…resting my eyes, they hurt,"

Damon waited until her eyes had been closed for a while and then he closed his own to listen to her steady heartbeat, he missed the feeling of it pounding against his own chest sometimes, when he remembered that he used to be human.

He got up, walking slowly towards where she now lay sleeping and pulled the blanket down over her petite body, fixing it under her chin before he returned to his chair, to watch, and to listen.

Beat.

…Beat.

…Beat

Damon groaned, arching his back until it cracked when he felt something light weighing down on him, when he opened his eyes he saw the blanket he'd put over Bonnie hours earlier draped over him, sitting up, he looked around the empty room.

"Hey," Stefan said.

Damon raised a brow. "Where's twitchy nose?"

"With Elena, upstairs. Did you sleep down here?"

"Course I didn't, unlike you, I don't get eternal wisdom by watching the sun come up," Damon slapped Stefan on the shoulder as he passed. "I need a shower,"

"Damon, you do know that's not it right? Uri wouldn't leave without his sister, and even if he did, there's a 400 hundred year old vampire in Mystic Falls, plucking locals for his little slave collection,"

"And here I was looking forward to an epic battle with Uri to the death, over a certain Bennett witch,"

"Damon, seriously,"

"I know, and we'll deal with it."

"We need to be vigilant, new faces, too friendly, too distant. We need to take them out one by one until they're all gone," Stefan spoke low and menacing.

Damon punched Stefan in the shoulder playfully. "That's what I'm talking about Stef, I like this you better." He pouted then. "As opposed to, I'd kill myself if I wasn't already dead,"

Stefan smiled at Damon's 'humour' or at least his interpretation of it. "Do we agree?"

"For once in over a century and a half, yes, I agree with you. And do we agree that infiltration can't be pulled off in a matter of weeks, and being the impatient man I am would probably…"

"Blow it," Stefan finished.

"I couldn't…get the words out,"

Stefan shook his head. "Yes, Damon. For once in over a century and a half, I agree with you,"

"We'll badass our way through the lot of em," He smiled, spinning on his heel.

"About that shower," Stefan teased.

"Shut up," Damon sung.

Elena and Bonnie came down the stairs with smiles on their faces, and it wasn't an innocent smile, it was one of those 'I know what you look like naked but you don't know that I know' smiles.

"Morning, Damon," Elena said, politely.

"Elena,"

Bonnie stepped off the last step. "Good Morning,"

"…Yeah, surprisingly," Damon flashed a grin and disappeared up the stairs, leaving Bonnie fighting a smile.

"We'd the EPIC lovebirds go?" Damon asked, coming down the stairs while Bonnie busied herself with their bookshelf.

"Elena's gone to school, Stefan took her so he could play detective." Bonnie turned to face him, slapping her hands against her thighs as she tried to find something to say. "So, it's over," She sighed.

"I have to admit, I'm hurt that you can't wait to get away from me," Damon gripped his chest theatrically, a smile he made no attempt to hide shining through. "And I thought we'd made progress,"

Bonnie put her head down, feeling flustered. "It's not that, I just figured, if Uri was gone there'd be no more need for us…"

Damon closed the distance between them in a blink of her eyes. "Uri's gone, the ones he came with…still here. But yeah, you're right. If you think there's no need to learn how to become half the Witch Emily was then, there's no need." Damon would rather take a stake to the heart in that moment than ask her to stay or tell her that maybe he'd gotten used to the company, he had no right to.

"You still wanna help me learn all those spells?"

"I'm a nice guy like that, no actually, I'm…hungry and we had a deal,"

Bonnie's lips parted slightly, and closed again. "You kept to your end of things," She rolled up her sleeve wondering what Elena would think if she walked in just as Damon wrapped his lips around her wrist, how would she explain that away?

Damon smirked. "Oh, well if you're offering,"

"You came for me last night, you wanted to protect me,"

"Actually, Stefan…" Damon stopped himself as Bonnie's big green dewy eyes looked into his, right through him to the other side, his stomach somersaulted when she smiled and moved closer so that she was almost standing on his toes.

"Here," Bonnie lifted her wrist to him, biting gently on her bottom lip as he took her hand. "I wanna see your face this time,"

"Because it's so good for those panic attacks,"

"I wanna feel, something else, when I see you,"

Damon felt her trembling against him, and slowly brought her wrist to his lips, closing his eyes as he kissed her butter-soft skin. He heard her heartbeat speed up, felt it beat against his lips and looked at her with his bloodshot crystal blue eyes, expecting horror on her face, fear, disgust; something he'd purposely avoided when he turned her away from him the first time.

Damon penetrated her skin and began to drink her blood, waiting for her to change her mind and run but she didn't, she looked in him the eyes, looking past the blood and veins to see right through the blue and past it, he knew because he could see too.

He looked past the soft outline of her face and the delicate features, looking straight into her forest green stare as her blood intoxicated him with a rush of her feelings, new feelings, for him. And to feel for what she felt lightened the heaviness of his heart while he fed, for those short moments with her he was who she thought he could be, he was a different person because he could see him through her eyes. What a sight he was.

Bonnie smiled through the intermittent burn and focused on his face and how it softened towards her without him even knowing it, the veins faded and so did the blood around the ocean of his eyes. Bonnie saw the human inside of the monster, she saw Damon before the fangs, she the soul of a man.

"I see you," She whispered.

~Fin~ I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading it.