Well, angels, this is it. The final installment. Thank you so much for reading.

Billi appreciate the encouragement and the nudging to bring the idea to life. Readers thank you for your reviews, alerts, and favorites. Stay tuned, you know I have a soft spot for these two, so there will always be more.

IV. The Resolution

Old habits die hard…

It was something Sheila Bennett always mumbled under her breath and at that moment Bonnie longed for the wisdom and strength she found in one of her Grams' hugs. At the end of the night someone's heart would be broken beyond repair and it very well could be her own.

Damon Salvatore wasn't a habit.

He could not be classified as an addiction.

He was a need.

With each day that passed, a piece of her died without his presence. Now in his arms, fingers tangled in the dark strands of his hair, she felt whole. Her body reanimated and her heart threatened to take flight. Things fell into place with one touch and each subsequent kiss. She knew when to graze her teeth along the bend of his ear, the exact moment brush her body against his to elicit that delicious moan that made her skin crawl with new lust and the secret words to whisper only for him to hear.

She had missed him…

She had missed this…

She had missed them…

Gently she teased his lips, opting for a quiet passion instead of the rage they had initially enjoyed. She didn't stop him when he tugged at the zipper on the side of her dress. She felt the heat rush to her cheeks when he gave her that look. The one that explained in totality what he planned to do to her. He took his time, letting his eyes fall at various locations, breasts that fit perfectly in the palm of his hand, the roundness of her behind covered in black lace, and legs that desperately needed to find their place wrapped around his waist.

She pushed the jacket from his shoulders and tugged at the shirt tucked into his pants. Feverishly she worked to remove every scrap of material that kept her from feeling the coolness of his skin next to hers. She closed her eyes, committing the moment to memory. New sensations filled her when his thumb brushed across her nipples. Her heart raced when a solitary digit trailed a line from her cleavage to her belly button and finally dipped inside the warmth between her thighs.

He kissed her again, filling her with an insatiable need, his insatiable need for more.

And then one name ruined it all.

Jeremy…

Bonnie's thoughts drifted to the man who had been patient, waiting for the day when she would get over Damon Salvatore. They both believed with clouded doubts that she had reached that point when she accepted his proposal. She wanted it to be true. She needed it to be true.

In spite of the temporary heartbreaks, what the witch felt for the future hunter was real. A part of her had fallen for him the day she bruised his shin with her foot. Their connection had grown deeper as he carried her secrets and supported her throughout her magical journey.

Bonnie loved Jeremy; she just wasn't in love with him. That fact made him bitter. She saw the light that once warmed his brown eyes dim. She knew he had sent the invitation, a final twist of the figurative stake in the vampire's heart. What Jeremy thought would end the war for the girl, only reignited the battle.

"What do you want Bonnie?"

The sound of Damon's voice trailing along the column of her neck pulled her from her internal musings. It was a baited question designed to hurry them to the next level in their reunion. Her body wanted it, but her heart and mind needed to make things right before she could have peace in any decisions made.

"Forgiveness."

His attention to her skin stopped and she felt him move away from her. She regretted the words and mourned the loss of contact. However, when their eyes met, she found sympathy and understanding.

"I'm sorry."

His brows lifted when she spoke those words. It was something he wasn't use to hearing. Usually the declaration was demanded of him.

"I made a mistake. I can admit that now. I know there's no excuse for the things I said and did that hurt you…"

She would never get use to the speed at which he moved. The lack of effort expended to go from point A to B and place a finger on her lips fully intent on silencing her plea.

"Little witch, it took me seven years to come back and fight for you, I'm sorry."

Damon's eyes were bluer when they were glazed over with tears. She brushed the drops away from his lashes and smoothed her fingertips along his cheeks.

"I have to talk to Jeremy."

He didn't move. He watched as she slipped her body back into her dress. He went when she asked for help with the zipper. He held her when she tried to move for the door.

"If I lose you again…"

Bonnie shook her head unwilling to hear what was on the other side of the pause. His grip tightened when she turned to the door.

"Seven years Bonnie Bennett," Her heart began to ache again and she felt the tears well at the corners of her eyes, "I saw you when I tried to feed, fuck, or kill. He's had you all this time and he doesn't deserve you."

She heard his desperation but still she pressed on.

"Damon…"

Only the increasing discomfort in the arm he refused to release silenced her debate.

"No, this time, you listen, fry my brain, set me on fire, stake me, but listen to the fucking words I have to say."

Bonnie nodded.

"I watched you grow from the insecure little cheerleader, to a woman filled with fiery passion," She shivered when his fingers brushed the inside of her palm, "You never let me settle for being anything less than Damon Salvatore. You loved the monster, the beast, and the little boy who only wanted to be loved."

She felt the first tears spill onto her cheeks.

"You hid your true self from everybody but me. The light and dark, you gave it all. Do you really want to spend the rest of your days pretending to be queen of suburbia when you can just be Bonnie with me?"

He let her go when he finished.

He didn't fight or reach for her again when she walked out the door.

Bonnie wasn't surprised to find Jeremy waiting in the hall. His face twisted in a combination of anger and hurt. He twirled his father's ring around his finger.

"Protects from supernatural death," He released a strained laugh, "But not the kind of death that comes from heart break."

She stepped closer and he raised his hand to stop her from speaking. His eyes were a muddy brown and rimmed in red. This was inevitable; the goodbye, the end of their time together. She hoped that one day they would be friends, but she couldn't keep living this lie.

"Jeremy, I can't do this to you."

"What fuck another man at our rehearsal dinner?" He raked his fingers through his hair, blowing out a frustrated sigh, "Shit, I did this. I thought it would be enough to keep him away; the idea of you being Bonnie Gilbert; the thought of the punk kid finally getting one up on the vampire."

She was growing more irritated with his entitled attitude by the minute.

"I'm not a piece of property."

Something in his face changed.

"I never said you were." His tone softened and his eyes closed, "I only wanted you to be happy and I thought I could give you that." He shook his head, "Selfish, I didn't want him to win. I didn't want to give you up. I needed you but not as much as he did." Even Jeremy understood the dependence she shared with Damon, "In the end your heart never stopped beating for him."

She slipped the ring from her finger, "I never meant to hurt you."

"Funny, I did mean to hurt you," Jeremy studied the cut of the diamond avoiding her gaze, "I just couldn't let go."

A soft smile graced her lips, "I know…been there…"

She brushed the messy strands from his forehead and allowed her hand to rest against his cheek, "I love you Jeremy Gilbert."

Jeremy kissed Bonnie's forehead, "I love you too Bonnie Bennett," and then he turned and walked away.

Bonnie was still crying when she felt the arm tighten around her waist. Willingly she allowed Damon to spin her around to face him.

"Hey."

Her voice shook as it echoed through the hall.

Damon lifted a lock of hair and tucked it behind her ear, "Ready to try this again, you're getting older by the minute and when you hit thirty I'll be too damn hot to stay with an hold lady."

The smirk returned to his lips and he waited, impatiently for answer.

Bonnie stood on the tips of her toes and kissed him. Yes she still wanted the life, the babies, the love, but she knew it would never be enough without Damon. They would find a way to have it all.