Bonnie POV

The day sure went by fast. Stefan and I were in his room waiting for Elena and Damon to come in so we could go get breakfast and we were both shocked when Damon bounced into the room and picked me up and swung me around before planting a kiss right on my lips. Damon gave us all a detailed tour of Gettysburg before we began the drive back into DC. It was interesting to hear the personal stories about what the war had actually been like from someone who was there. He never mentioned what it was that he did during the battle though. Nothing personal and yet him even talking about things he saw going on around him seemed painful for him to talk about.

We stopped at the Air and Space Museum in Virginia and explored the planes, the space shuttle and overall had a great time. Damon was a lot more hands on and touchy feely with me which was nice but it somehow felt forced...maybe it was just that it was such a character change I was not used to it. He also kept putting his arm around Stefan's shoulder and sneaking up behind Elena and grabbing her hand and swinging her arm back and forth much like a young child would do. It was amazing the difference I had seen in him in such a short amount of time.

I was afraid it wouldn't last though; so was Stefan, I could see it in his eyes. Neither of us knew what had caused the change in Damon because he still did not allow us into his personal thoughts. Whatever the change was though it was a step in the direction of happiness. Somehow the connection between him and Elena was amazing. It was stronger than the connection I saw between Stefan and Elena but it was such a totally different relationship. I hoped that eventually the four of us would all have equally strong bonds to one another.

It only took a half hour to get from the museum back to the hotel we had been staying at in DC and we threw all our bags into the room and set off to explore the city. When we went to the Holocaust museum Damon began to close off again and he stuck close to Elena. He took my hand a couple times when Elena had stepped away to look at something with Stefan. He held it so hard that it hurt when we walked through the show exhibit; Elena and Stefan had stayed back looking at one of the photographs along one of the walls. He didn't rush me through the exhibit but I could see it was difficult for him to be in there. The entire left side of the exhibit was an enormous pile of shoes that were taken off the victims before they were killed. The smell of the leather of the shoes was one I wouldn't forget and I could see that it was a smell he had smelled before.

When we got through there was a long hallway with cubicle benches to sit and watch a short video or whatever on small computer screens. I led Damon to one of the benches and had him sit down. He leaned his head back against the wall in the corner and I saw tears in his eyes. I put my hand over his and held it tight but did not say anything.

At first he held onto my hand and searched my eyes for the connection he felt with Elena, the trust he shared with her...he for some reason did not feel that with me yet. After a few minutes he had composed himself but had completely shut himself off from me. It was as if he could not look into my eyes anymore. "Laney." He whispered after another couple of minutes.

Elena POV

As Stefan and I walked through the museum we studied the photographs. Right at the end of the death camp photos our jaws dropped as we saw a photograph of Damon holding two small children in his arms as he carried them to a medical jeep. We both stared at the picture and out of the corner of my eye I saw Bonnie and Damon move quickly into the next room.

"Did you know that he...?" Stefan asked me.

"He has been in every US war since the Civil War." I answered. "I just didn't know he had to actually see this..."

"Why didn't he ever tell me he was fighting in all these wars?" Stefan asked frustrated.

"He has always tried to protect you."

"But who gets to protect him?"

I took his hand and led him through the door into a room full of shoes. The smell was indescribable and definitely unforgettable. It was the first place in the museum that made it all seem real. I started to panic knowing that the smell would have brought something back for him and I did not see him in the room.

"Damon..." Stefan said grabbing my hand and rushing through the room. "He needs you...not Bonnie right now."

As we walked out of the room we entered a hallway with little cubicles. I saw Bonnie's shoe sticking out of one and rushed inside. Damon was frozen with his arms crossed over his chest and his back so straight into the wall that it looked painful. Bonnie was stroking his hand and doing the best she could to sooth him.

"He needs you." Bonnie whispered letting go of Damon's hand and going to stand next to Stefan.

I sat down next to Damon on the bench and immediately wrapped my arms around him and he buried his face in my shoulder. I could feel him shaking when I turned my head to face Bonnie and Stefan. "I will call if I need anything but I want you guys to see everything and do everything you want to before we go home tomorrow."

"Call if you need us to meet up with you." Stefan whispered before taking Bonnie's hand and leading her down the hall.

"Who were the two kids Damon?" I asked him, pulling myself back from him enough to look into his eyes.

"Lawrence and Abigail." He whispered with tears in his eyes.

"What happened to them?"

"Their parents were killed. I brought them to America and raised them. They lived in Oregon, their grand kids still do."

"You raised them?" I asked.

"Yes. I saved them and I raised them." He answered as he sat up and rubbed his hands over his eyes.

"Do you want to leave?" I asked when he stood up.

"No. I want you to see the rest of the museum." he answered as he slowly stood up. Holding my hand tightly we went through the rest of the museum stopping again only to light seven candles in the memorial room. "Four for their parents, one for Lawrence's older brother and two for Abigail's two younger sisters." He explained as he lit the candles.

Upon exiting the Museum we walked a couple blocks to the Hard Rock Cafe where Damon ordered a drink to help him relax as we shared a giant ice cream sundae. "Is there anything else you want to you while we are in DC?" He asked me while we were eating.

"We should go buy shirts or something totally touristy for the four of us and then just walk around The Mall and people watch." I answered.

"No more museums?"

"Nope."

"Are you sick Laney?" He asked me.

"No I am not sick." I said as I rolled my eyes. "I just want to hang out with you before we go back to real life."

"You mean you want me to spill my guts until I am okay to go home and be able to function normally?"

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked him.

"Its nice to have someone who loves me." He mumbled.

Damon POV

This has been the most draining week of my entire life. Sure I have had to do and see a bunch of really crappy things in my life but I have never dealt with any of it until now... until her... she is...I dunno she is just different and for some reason I trust her with my life.

It is messed up though that I feel towards her how I felt towards my mother. Or at least that is the closest comparison I have to how I feel about her. No one, other than my parents when I was a baby, had ever seen me cry and here with her... I fell apart like a freaking baby.

"Laney I want to take you somewhere." I said grabbing her hand and pulling her hand.

"How long does it take to get there?" Was all she asked me. We walked down to the car and she got in the passenger seat and just stared out the window as I drove giving us both a chance to think.

I took her to the ocean and out to a light house that was built in 1825. "Why here Damon?" She asked me as we climbed off the boat and up the steps to the lighthouse.

"I always thought it was the best sunrise here." He said shrugging his shoulders.

"So we are staying here tonight?"

"One last break from reality before going home. I thought you might enjoy it out here." I told her.

"Did you tell Stefan and Bonnie where we were going?"

"I texted him telling him we would meet them for breakfast."

"What did he have to say about that?" She asked me turning to face me.

"He just said good luck and when we get home he hopes that I will be able to talk to him too."

"Is there anything you wanted to do tonight?" Elena asked me sitting down on one of the chairs in the small living area of the lighthouse.

"Sleep a little and then get up to see the sunrise and then we can go back to DC to have breakfast and then go home."

"When did you want to go to bed?" She asked me yawning. I forgot that she had barely slept all week since she had been staying up with me every night.

"Laney you go to bed now and I will come lay down with you in a little bit."

She crossed her arms and gave me one of those looks she is famous for that always made her get her way. "I promise I will come in in a couple minutes." I said as I pushed her towards the tiny bedroom.

She went in and laid down on the bed but did not go to sleep. She instead listened to every move I made ready to jump up and run to me if she thought I needed her. I opened up the windows so we could hear the waves crash onto the rocks as we slept and then went into the bedroom and crawled into the bed with Elena.

"You ready for sleep Love?" She asked me after a few seconds of silence.

"I'm still scared." I told her.

"I will still be here." She assured me. I wrapped my arm around her and held her close to me as I drifted off to sleep next to the only person I felt one hundred percent safe with.

Stefan POV

"They aren't coming back tonight." I said to no one in particular.

"I hope she can help him." Bonnie said as she wrapped her arm around my waist and pulled me into a hug.

"So I guess it is just you and I for the night...what did you want to do?" I asked her as we walked through the National Mall.

"Lets go on a date." She answered as she rolled her eyes.

"Dinner and a movie?" I asked smiling.

"Sure...where do you want to eat and what movie did you want to see?"

"How about Mexican food and Green Zone?" She asked.

And that is exactly what we did. We found a little hole in the wall Mexican food joint and then went to the theater just a few miles from the hotel. We got back close to midnight and were both so exhausted we just wanted to lay down and sleep.

"Is it weird if we share a bed?" She asked me as she crawled under the covers.

"We have done it every other night of this trip. Is tonight different?"

"No but Elena and Damon aren't here." She answered as if I were completely clueless.

"I can sleep on the couch if you want me to." I answered.

"No that isn't what I meant it is just that...well...Grams I am sure meant for the four of us to be like a family and you and Elena are like a couple but Elena is the only one that Damon trusts so...and then me..."

"So you think you are meant to spend the rest of your life with Damon or I?" I asked confused. "Is that why you have been flirting with Damon?"

"Is that bad?" She asked me looking incredibly vulnerable.

"No...I have been thinking along those same lines. Things are just changing so fast it is all a little overwhelming."

"I have had fun with you this week and it makes me wonder if it is suppose to be me and you together instead of me and Damon but you are with Elena and..."

"Its all a little confusing...and I really don't know what all is going to happen between me and Elena or me and you or you and Damon or even Elena and Damon..." I said frustrated.

"I wish there was some spell that would tell me what would happen in the future." Bonnie whispered sadly.

"Do you think everything will be all screwed up once we go back to Mystic Falls tomorrow?" I asked.

"I hope not but they will be different than they were at the start of the school year that is for sure." She answered.

"Haha no...I bet you never imagined at the beginning of the year that you would be such close friends with two vampires." I said smiling as I laid down in bed to go to sleep.

"Good night Stefan." She said as she closed her eyes to sleep.

Bonnie POV

Two hours until we head back to Mystic Falls. Damon called a few minutes prior saying they had one more stop and then they would pick us up to head home. Home is a new concept for me though, my home before was with Grams and my parents. Now it is just me and my parents in a house I am scared to return to.

Stefan had gone off to get a small supply of blood before heading back home. I had gone out onto the balcony and was people watching. Everyone looked so relaxed, so happy. Most were on vacations exploring the Nations Capitol without a care in the world... we had come to get away... and in turn we had faced some of our fears together as well as grow closer as a family.

Now we will be returning home together to try and figure out what the rest of our lives will entail. It will be a difficult transition knowing that Elena and I have to return to school and try to be normal teenagers. I didn't even know how that would be possible.

"Hey Stranger" Elena said appearing out of no where and sitting down next to me on the balcony. "You ready to play normal tomorrow?" She asked me.

"Scared that I wont be able to is more like it." I told her. "How is Damon?" I asked.

"Same as the rest of us I imagine. Did you and Stefan have a good time last night?"

"Uh...it was kinda weird actually. Him and I have gotten closer and you and Damon had gotten closer and so it was weird and I didn't know if thinking that you and Stefan and me and Damon would somehow get flipped and...I dunno my head is just so flipped around I am thinking crazy things." I blurted out...worried about what Elena would think.

"I have wondered the same thing and I guess only time will tell." She said as she leaned her head over and rested her head on my shoulder.

Elena POV

The drive home was the longest couple hours I had ever experienced. No one said a word or even made eye contact once we got onto the highway out of DC. I was scared. Had we been living in an alternate reality these past few days on 'vacation'?

Were we going to get back home and everything be different again? Was I destined to be with Stefan? Or Damon? What about Bonnie? Everything was just screwed up again. That is why when we drove into Mystic Falls I turned and looked at the scared faces of my best friends in the car and whispered, "Go to the bridge."

Damon of course turned and drove straight to the bridge and pulled the car off to the side of the road. I got out and walked slowly over to the bridge and sat down dangling my feet over the edge. It took a couple minutes but one by one the three of them joined me.

"Everything started here." I whispered.

"This bridge has some meaning for each of us...something that has somehow connected us all to each other and I don't know what will happen in the days, weeks, months or even years but before we go home I want to know that no matter what we will remain close."

"Laney of all people I have met you are the oddest. There is no way I can live my life without you in it." Damon told me.

"I don't mean just you each connected to me...I mean all of us all connected to each other." I said again.

"I think that is going to be the hardest on me and I promise that if you guys can be patient with me I wont stop trying." Damon said looking directly at Bonnie.

"What does normal look like?" Stefan asked.

"For Elena and I it means going back to high school, doing our homework and spending time with our friends."

"It means that we have to not only go to school and do the normal high school senior stuff it means we have to balance family and friends and our time with just the four of us." I said looking between Damon and Stefan.

"Elena I don't want you to worry about whether or not you spend enough time with me and Damon because we will figure it out with time...its not like Damon and I are lacking that in our lives..." Stefan said quietly.

"About that....Did you want to do the spell to make it so you age like a normal human?" Bonnie asked.

What do you think?? The more comments I get the quicker I update...