"Yes, of course," Bonnie was saying over the phone, very annoyed with Meredith. "What ever you say." She was getting sick of being babied now that she'd helped out Stefan and Elena. She nearly died this summer for them, doesn't that help them realize she's not a helpless girl anymore?

"So you'll let Alaric help you with your, uh, abilities?" Meredith asked, sounding more than a little distracted. She'd called while Bonnie was in the shower, startling Bonnie, because it had been more than a month since any of them had spoken, ever since that night they'd all tried to get on with their lives. She was still a little wet from rushing out to get the phone, and had since gotten into a button up shirt and panties, her hair still up in the towel. Her shirt just barely covered up everything, considering the fact that it stuck to her body slightly where the towel hadn't completely dried her off. It was old, but her favorite night shirt.

"Sure, if you think he can help control them, then I'll let… him" she said slowly, staring at the figure in the window. It looked familiar, but she couldn't place it since it was in shadows. She walked over to the window to look at it and realized who it was with a smile.

"Bonnie?" a voice broke through, startling her back to the phone and Meredith who sounded as if she were having some real feelings. "Bonnie are you OK?" Meredith was asking with concern in her voice, for once, when Bonnie didn't answer her next question. "Bonnie, who's there, what are you doing?"

"Yea… Yea I'm fine." She said softly, not having heard the girls' last questions. She opened the window and let him in. "Something at the window surprised me is all. A silly little crow that hit it." She finished lamely, and saw that the boy had smiled at what she said.

He didn't look that bad, he'd dressed differently since the last time she'd seen him, he actually looked sort of human, wearing dark blue jeans and a T-shirt that had the sleeves cut off. It reminded her of the guys on the football team. And he actually had a pair of Adidas sneakers on.

"I didn't hear any sounds of a hit and you know crows are bad things, but OK, I gotta go. I'll see you at school Thursday, gosh can you believe summers gone?" she asked, sounding as if she were talking about going to the dentist. "And that were in College together?!"

"I know what you mean, it's gone by so fast." She said as the boy seated himself on her bed. Running a hand through his dark rumpled, windblown hair, she noticed that his eyes seemed to sparkle a little with laughter as he looked around her room and at her.

Bonnie and Meredith exchanged their byes and hung up. Then Bonnie went down stairs to hang up the phone and say good night to her parents, returning to her room with a bottle of water, locking the door behind her, not sure if her parents would like seeing a guy in her room this late at night.

Bottle of water in hand she turned to him. "What are you doing here?" She asked him wondering why he was staring at her so intently. His eyes kept roaming over her, from her wet hair that was now out of the towel to her legs, and then her face.

"I heard you were having troubles with your 'powers' or 'abilities', whatever you want to call them." Damon started his voice calm and self assured. A smile playing softly on his lips. "And since I have so much time on my hands, and know how to control them I figured I could help you a little."

"Why?" she asked, looking down at herself and realizing why he was staring. "Pervert." She muttered, walking over to her closet to find a pair of shorts

"Can't I be nice for once?" he asked innocently, looking her up and down suddenly grinning. And not a happy grin that came with a corny joke, more of the hungry wolf type.

"Damon, you've never been nice before, and particularly not to me. Why should I think you want to be nice now? Do you want a free meal or something?" Bonnie asked the dark haired vampire, surprised at how natural she was acting, almost like flirting. Only it was trading shots at each other's egos, and he had an ego big enough to make Tyler proud. She noticed that he was a little surprised at her behavior too.

"Maybe, but that would only be as a… payment… for my services." He said smiling wolfishly. "Besides, when have I not been nice to you?" he asked, throwing her off guard.

"I don't think you have yet…" she said softly, wondering what he was getting at. Then she remembered something that happened not long ago. "Except trying to seduce my blood from me." she told him quietly.

"I didn't really have to try hard now did I?" he asked, and as she turned back to him in surprise she realized that he'd caused her to blush a little. "Exactly. Well if you don't want my help, I'll be on my way…" he started to get up but she quickly stopped him, pushing him back on the bed and standing in front of him, still in just her shirt and panties and not caring very much.

She needed help, not matter who it was from. "I want it," she cut in. "I'm just taking the proper precautions is all. Does Stefan know you're here?" she asked.

"No, and I don't want him to know that I'm here either." He told her tightly. "I'm here to help you so you don't drive yourself crazy and turn yourself into a psychopathic killer." He explained, smiling slightly when she giggled. "Besides, I figure if anyone's brave enough to stand up to Klaus, trying to protect my brother, of all people, that they're a friend and I help my friends." He told her.

"So you'll really help me? Because this is really bothering me. I know I said I wanted to keep my powers and all, but it feel like a lot of minds are trying to use me to make contact to this realm the way Honoria Fells did. And I don't know why they want to use me of all people, or even why they want to take over me." She explained as she moved over to a dresser and found a pair of shorts to slip on. As she passed her mirror she pulled out a brush to brush her hair since the mirror seemed to think she looked just a little freaky after her shower.

"Because you're new at it." he told her. "You're so beautiful…"

When he saw the look she was giving him, he quickly realized that he'd slipped up on something, and quickly found something to make up."They think that beauty will attract people that they'll be able to talk to, possibly the people they want to talk to. Maybe so that they can finish something." He finished. It was so lame that she didn't stop staring at him.

Well it's true, he thought helplessly. But instead of saying that he said, "Could you stop staring at me, it's beginning to unnerve me."

"Unnerve?" Bonnie said in surprise. "Damon Salvatore is unnerved?" She asked, one eyebrow arched in amusement. That's when he realized that he really was becoming unnerved. He was the one guy who knew how to unnerve other people the best, and he was being unnerved himself.

"No... but…" he faltered. Then he saw her grin.

"What's wrong Damon?" he could tell she liked this. "Afraid little ol' me is gonna hurt you?" she asked teasingly in a little girls voice. He saw how it surprised her a little, saw how her eyes widened just a hair. But she went on regardless, "Afraid little ol' me is gonna get past that shield you got up and figure you out. Or are you just afraid I'm not as childish as I used to be?" she stated clearly. Smiling at him as he looked into her eyes, reflecting her surprise back at her.

"No," he told her, and then used her surprise against her to tease back. "Afraid Big ol' me is gonna get you?" he said getting up and stepping closer to her.

To his surprise she didn't back away, but stared up into his eyes in a way he'd never seen before: Trust, she actually trusted him. There was no fear in her eyes as he came closer, he'd never seen someone fearless of him before, and something else was behind the nervousness that was seeping through it seemed like respect…

"Afraid I'm not gonna get your mind on the right track? That I'm gonna break you back down to the child you still are? Afraid that I'm going to hurt you?" he said calmly as death as he came to a stop right in front of her. And as he realized she was still looking up at him with trust shinning in her eyes he was completely surprised by the fact that she still hadn't backed away. But was still looking up at him, the nervousness was gone now that he'd stopped talking. But he watched as she still tried to hide that one thing he could now see…

Love.

Oh god, he thought. She wasn't as good at shielding her thoughts and feelings, he could see as well as feel her love for him. But then to keep him surprised she looked away and said quite steadily, "No, you've not hurt me yet, why would you now?" She said it as innocently as a five year old. She looked like a five year old, a drowned five year old, but cuter somehow…

He started to feel the ice around him melt to a degree. But he stopped thinking about her that way and turned back to business. "If you want the help we start tonight, if you don't then I should be on my way." He stated, feeling slightly dizzy. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

"Fine," she said, turning to put her hair up. He tried to catch her eye in the mirror, but she was busy finding a hair bow or something. Feeling slightly let down, he turned to leave when she said, "What do we do first?" putting the brush up and sitting on her bed.

He turned back to her slowly and smiled, she was braver then he'd thought. "We start by teaching you how to shield yourself. We can work on mind control and other stuff later, but if you can't shield your mind anyone can read you and the voices will start to drive you crazy. Trust me on this, I know." He finished quietly.

When he looked at her she was looking at him funnily again. But she still asked, "OK, how do I do that?"

"Easy, just imagine a wall around you." He said, smiling lazily. Then on a second thought he added, "Actually, I shouldn't say easy, it's hard, but you get used to it and it doesn't tire you out that bad after a while." She looked nervously at him.

"Do you think I can have this down by Thursday? Because schools going to start and I don't think I can handle all those minds…" she trailed off. "Gosh I sound like you and Stefan." She said with a soft short laugh that made his heart beat just one beat faster.

Then she closed her eyes to start trying to build her walls, and he thought it was the sweetest looking thing in the world. This was a big step because he didn't see a lot of things that were sweet, cute, or adorable. He'd seen too much of the world to think that way.

He could feel her imagination spring up and begin making a wall around her. It was impressive for a beginner, he couldn't feel anything of her except for a soft glimmer that she was beside him. But just to prove how easily its broken he pushed it with his own stronger mind and broke it. She opened her eyes in anger while he laughed, grinning wickedly at her.

"Hey! I almost had it!" she cried, angry enough to throw a thought bomb at him. They were both startled by her outburst, but only half of it got through, he's not completely stupid and kept his shields up.

But now they both looked at each other in surprise. Wow, he thought, she's that powerful. "How'd I do that?" she asked shakily. Looking up into his eyes unashamedly pleading for an answer. He noticed they were slightly bigger than normal.

"I'll tell you later," he said quietly, still puzzling over how her raw power was so strong. "Now though you back to your little wall." He said, almost laughing as he realized he sounded like a house maid, but it got a laugh out of her, and she seemed to loosen up again. He felt weird being there, and he felt even weirder feeling so… normal… around her.

So human.

"Aye, Aye Captain." she said childishly and started up again after a short, mocking salute. He watched her intently as she closed her eyes and tried again. He was very impressed with how well she was doing, he'd never been told these things, he had to learn them himself. But still, even he wasn't this strong at first, he had to try repeatedly before he got anything close to what she had.

She had it up and was working on making it sturdier when he realized she couldn't walk around with her eyes closed. At least without being hurt badly. "No, no, eyes open, you can't keep your eyes closed at school." He said and sat next to her. She opened her eyes questioningly and started again.

Feeling her wall begin was incredible to him; like a dark cloth being pulled over her thoughts, she even seemed calmer with it on. Her breathing slowed slightly and she looked more peaceful. The more she went at it the thicker her cloak was around her. Her eyes even darkened slightly, to a shade that wasn't like Bonnie, and more like his and Stefan's own dark eyes. She was still beautiful looking, only more exotic looking, like something out of place beside him.

Thinking about someone being out of place with him made him think about Angel again…

*~~*~~*

"Hi, you must be Damien." A cute little girl said, smiling easily at him and shaking him from deep inside. He could actually feel the power around her. It was a little unnerving, since he didn't like being around people who were as strong as he. They knew and thought too much like him for his own liking, he liked to be on his own.

"Yea, that's me. What would you like to do this morning?" he asked, he never liked picking places, he was a guy, and was trying to impress a girl. One that looked like she liked to stay indoors more often then out. Maybe this day wouldn't be a waste. He could sit inside and get cuddly, and fill himself up and plant the seed that they'd had a wonderful day in her mind.

"Do you like to ride horses?" she asked quietly, smiling evilly up at him. Startled that she wanted to be outside, he grinned. So she was a little of a rebel? He liked that in girls.

"Of course, can you ride?" he asked, putting on his most mischievous smile.

"Yes, but, do not let my Father find out we do this, he believes I should be a pampered little Princess." she said with obvious distaste. Damon couldn't help chuckling.

"Well, you are a Princess." Damon pointed out, taking her by the arm and leading her out toward the stables. "Unless there's something I need to know…" he trailed off and she hit him softly.

"You know what I am talking about." She said giggling softly. He smiled, this was going to be more fun then he thought it would, maybe not the way he would like it, but still a good day. This was one of the few girls who wanted to do something with him instead of watching him.

"All right then." He agreed…

*~~*~~*

as she snapped out of the trance she'd put herself in and held her wall around herself she noticed that Damon was staring at her in awe. Then she noticed that she could open her wall up a little. Happy that she was learning without having to be told and shown she started to tell Damon about her discovery when she found that his shield was down. He seemed to be daydreaming about something.

She got a little closer and watched in his eyes as he and some girl that looked a little like herself got on horses and rode around. She was distantly startled that she could see this, but didn't pay attention to the emotion as she then watched the girl's horse go out of control. It started running off very quickly, trying to throw her off, it seemed to be startled by something. Immediately he made his speed up and he jumped over to the other girl's horse and grabbed the reins and pulled hard.

She watched in horror as the horse stood up on its back legs. Then she could hear the girl stifle a scream. She obviously trusted him with the horse, but Bonnie could still tell that she was scared to death. And when the horse's feet landed he calmed down.

Suddenly she was looking through the eyes of the girl, she felt herself being dragged into his memory of what happened…

*~~*~~*

She slowly opened her eyes, checking her brain to see if she was in pain. 'OK, I'm not,' she thought. Then she realized someone's arms were wrapped tightly around her. And it didn't scare her to wonder who it was who was holding her so tightly, she knew who it was.

"Damien?" she whispered, turning to look into his eyes. When she saw them they were huge and dilated, like wild animal eyes got when it was scared after a fight, what animal she couldn't name at the moment. She could feel how tense his body was behind her. Tense, but he wasn't holding so tight that it hurt, more like he was holding her as a reassurance that she was still living. At the sound of her voice he relaxed a little.

"Are you OK?" he asked, his voice slightly husky, his eyes were darting around nervously but with a slight determination to them. "Something shot at the horse or it wouldn't have reacted that way." He said matter-a-factly.

"Yes, I'm all right." She said, and then she thought of the animal that he reminded her of, one of those mythical animals that no one believed in. She believed in them, and she thought that they were actually interesting.

There had been tales of vampires hunting some of the smaller towns around her castle. The survivors said that all they saw before being attacked was darkness. She remembered being afraid, vampire or not, that something was killing those people. And as she looked into his eyes she could tell that he was one of those creatures that were killing innocent people.

And he wasn't hurting her. She smiled, there was a good side to him, even though he's killed before, and he still has a little honor in him. Maybe he was from a noble family, to give him his honorable side, but she was still slightly scared of him, he had killed before after all. What's to stop him from killing her?

It was only then that they were alone.

She turned more and looked deeply into his eyes, trying to find answers to some of her questions. His eyes sparkled slightly as he turned to stare at her.

And then she thought that since she'd never kissed anything but her pillow she might as well do that with him. He was her last date, and she already felt he was the one that she wanted to marry, after all he let her pick the first activity today. And he wasn't pressuring her for a kiss either, like those other slobs that Father called men. They tried to kiss her as one of the first acts of the date, needless to say the date went very badly.

She planted a kiss directly on his lips. She was in awe at how soft his lips were and he hesitated for only a minute before kissing her back, so tenderly that it shook her insides.

She felt him trembling too, soft tremors that ran through his body, and could feel his fear, clearly, at what he was doing and how he was feeling. It wasn't wrong, but he was as scared as a little boy whose hands been caught in the cookie jar. As if falling for her was something that couldn't' be done, would break some sort of rule in nature.

Not even thinking about what she was doing she sent him a wave of comfort and happiness to him. She didn't want him to be scared, and she wouldn't force him into loving her. She only wanted him to relax, and she was relieved when he started to.

Soon after he gave into their kiss…