The Hunger Games

By: Tracy Cook

Disclaimer: I own nothing. These characters belong to the creators of Vampire Diaries.

Couple: Bonnie/Damon

Rating: M

Chapter Thirteen

All The Things I'll Never Be

'Boarded Up All The Doors, And I Swallowed All The Keys.

I'm Still Haunted By, All The Things I'll Never Be.'

Tyler's face contorted in pain as he gently traced his fingers along the bandages wrapped around his arm. No matter how many times he replayed what had happened in his mind, he couldn't understand it. The young woman from District 11 had not only saved his life, she had used her water to clean his wounds, and her bandages to wrap them up. Her actions had been completely selfless.

He wanted to believe that she had some ulterior motive.

He wanted to believe that this was all some sort of plan to kill him. That would be easier for him. But, as he cast his brown eyes in her direction, he knew that it wasn't a plan.

Bonnie was curled up in his blanket, leaning back against the tree trunk with her eyes closed. She didn't have her knife in her hand. She didn't have her guards up. She was trusting Tyler with her life. What she had done for him, she had done out of the kindness of her heart. She was genuinely a good person. And that was what he couldn't comprehend. His father had always told him that people in the games were ruthless and heartless. That they couldn't be trusted.

She started to stir when she felt eyes on her back again.

He kept looking at her. It was making it impossible to get any rest. As much as Bonnie wanted to believe that he wouldn't try anything, she didn't. Lifting her head, she stared over her shoulder at him, "Why do you keep staring at me like that?"

"I'm just trying to understand why you did it." He admitted.

She knit her brows together and pulled her body up so that she was sitting right beside him, her shoulder pressed against his. "Why I did what?"

"Why you saved my life." Tyler stared down into emerald depths, searching them for answers.

"Because, it was the right thing to do." Bonnie stated in a matter-of-fact tone, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders. "I couldn't just let you die."

"I would have."

His blatant disregard for her life terrified her. She couldn't comprehend that mentality. Her mind had been screaming at her to be selfish and just let him die in the fog, but her conscience wouldn't allow it. She had to save him.

"I would have let you die if you were the one trapped in the fog." As the words passed his lips, they made him feel sick to his stomach.

Bonnie was bewildered by what he said. She shook her head at him and leant it back against the tree trunk, staring up at the stars above. Tyler was the same as the other tributes in Districts 1, 2, and 4. 'The same as Damon...' "That's because you're from District 2, they have you all brainwashed or something."

Silence filled the air between them.

Tyler glanced up at the stars and thought about what she had said. He thought about his childhood and how his father had always drilled it into him that he was his only son and he needed to win the games. He thought about all of the movies his father made him watch of previous hunger games. He thought about the intense training sessions.

'Maybe she's right... Maybe I am brainwashed.'

"Yeah..." He breathed out. "Maybe..."

'Wait, did he just agree with me?' Bonnie's eyes widened in shock and she turned to look at him again. She could see the internal conflict written in the lines above his brow. He was doubting his entire existence. He was doubting everything he had been taught. Everything he had believed to be true.

Tyler chewed on his cheeks and his muscles tensed as he thought about his father. "Since I was like two years old, my dad drilled, and beat into me, that I wasn't supposed to trust ANYONE in the games." Her heart broke when he said that his father had beat him. She was disgusted by it. "He always told me that I had to win it. That I was his only son and if I didn't win, I'd shame my family and my entire district."

He sighed and lifted his hands in the air as he spoke, "This is what I lived my entire life to do." Tears were shimmering in his dark eyes and threatening to fall, he held them back though. He refused to cry. "This is all we ever talked about."

Turning, he looked her in the eyes and said, "This was the only thing my father would ever talk to me about. He didn't care about my education, my job, my girlfriends. He only cared about the games." Tyler shrugged his shoulders sadly. "I guess I just wanted to make him proud of me."

"I'm sure he's proud of you."

"I'm not." He laughed.

She could see that he was fighting back the tears and she couldn't help but start to compare his situation with Damon's. She wondered if he felt the same pressure. If his father had forced him into his mindset, both verbally and physically, like Tyler's father had.

"Before I left he told me, if I don't win then I'm better off dead."

"That's horrible."

"Nah." Tyler shook his head. "That's just my dad for ya." He laughed and leant his head back against the tree, staring up at the sky. "He's kind of a dick."

Bonnie's full lips twisted up into a smile. The truth was, she couldn't even put herself in his shoes, because her family and upbringing was so different from his. Everyone in District 11 was devastated when they got called to be in the games. They didn't look at it as an honor, they looked at it as a punishment. When her little sister died, everyone in her district was so angry. They had rebelled. And it wasn't because she lost the games. They weren't angry at her. They didn't look at Rue as a disgrace. They hated the games and the Capitol.

Tyler and her were both from Panem, but they were from two entirely separate worlds.

'Just like Damon and I...'

"What about your mom?" She wondered curiously.

"I never knew my mom." He said, pain saturating his voice. "She died in the games the year after I was born. I have a few pictures left, but my dad got rid of most of them after she lost." Tyler choked on the words. They were difficult to say. He could remember hating his father in that moment. He could remember screaming at him only to have his father slap him hard across the face. "He said she had disgraced the family by losing and he didn't wanna see her face."

Bonnie's heart ached for him. His father had destroyed any memories Tyler could have had about his mother by putting these thoughts into his head about her being a disgrace. He had taken away that bond. "That doesn't sound like love to me..."

He laughed again when she mentioned love. "People in our district don't marry for love, Bonnie. They marry for wealth and entitlement."

"I'm sorry about your mom." She said, leaning her head back against the tree and watching the stars twinkle above. She could relate to his situation. She knew what it felt like to lose someone that you love. She had lost so many people in her life, her grams, her little sister, and her father. There was no way to fill that void in your heart where they were. "I lost my dad when I was really young too..."

"What happened?"

She ran her tongue over her lips and held back the tears. She had lost so much in her short lifetime. "He got caught stealing from the Capitol and they-" Her voice broke. Her heart was racing in her chest as she recalled that day. That day had changed her entire life. "They executed him to make an example."

The day that her father died, her mother died with him. That was the day she gave up on wanting to be alive.

Tyler was drawn out of their conversation when he heard something out in the forest. He hastily sat up and furrowed his brow. His heart pounding loudly in his ears. He had finally let his guard down and that was the one thing his father had always told him not to do. He had told him that would get him killed.

"Did you hear that?"

"Yeah." Bonnie said, dropping the blanket and reaching for her knife.

He grabbed for his spear and stood to his feet, preparing to kill whoever was sneaking up on them. His skin was burning where the fog had touched him and it was making it difficult to concentrate, but he ignored the pain and focused on listening. Suddenly, he felt a sharp jab in the back of his neck and he knew that the person was standing behind him and holding a sword to his throat.

"Step away from her."

Bonnie immediately recognized his voice. 'Damon?'

"Wait, Damon! Don't hurt him!" She hurried toward him and she saw that he was holding his sword to Tyler's neck and he looked ready to slice his head clean off his shoulders. His brow was furrowed, his jaw clenched tight, and his eyes serious.

Damon only dug the blade deeper into the skin of the District 2 tribute's neck. He didn't trust him and he wasn't going to allow him to get close to the woman he cared about. He knew how people from his district were. They were manipulative. He himself was manipulative. 'I'm not gonna let him kill Bonnie...'

Tyler hissed out in pain when the blade broke through his skin. It hurt a lot, especially with the sores. He was looking to Bonnie to save him. His brown eyes filled with fear. He didn't want to die.

She took another step toward Damon and she stared up at him, pleading with her eyes for him to stop what he was doing. After everything he had shared with her, she knew that Tyler wasn't a threat. He wasn't going to try and hurt them. He could be a good ally and he deserved to live. "Please, Damon. Don't do this. He is on our side. He gave me his blanket so I wouldn't freeze to death."

"He can't be trusted, Bonnie. He's just trying to trick you."

"No. He's not." Bonnie placed a gentle hand on his arm, urging him to lower the sword.

Damon tugged his bottom lip between his teeth and knit his brows together as he stared over at the beautiful young woman. Her green eyes were filled with worry and anguish and he just wanted to do what would make her happy. That wasn't like him. He never cared about other people's happiness. But, he cared about her happiness.

"If you can't trust him, trust me." She said with a small smile.

He returned his attention to Tyler and he slowly started to lower the sword from his neck. He didn't trust him, but he knew that Bonnie did and she would never forgive him if he killed him.

With his sword at his side, he took a step toward Bonnie and his lips curled up into a sarcastic smile. He was agitated. He was jealous. He had abandoned his allies and went out into the forest in order to make sure she was safe and warm, and some other guy was already doing that for him. It caused his stomach to lurch back and forth and his heart to pound painfully in his chest.

"Okay, well, I was worried about you and I didn't know you already had THIS guy protecting you." Damon shot a glare in Tyler's direction. "So, I brought you a few things I thought you might need." He pulled the bag off of his shoulder and he held it out to her. He was feeling stupid. He was feeling like he had made the wrong decision.

'She was doing fine without me...' He thought to himself.

"Sorry buddy, I didn't bring anything for you." He teased the District 2 tribute as he held out the throwing knives to Bonnie. That was when he realized that Tyler wasn't saying anything or moving. He was just standing and staring off into the distance with wide brown eyes. His skin pale and sickly. "Your friend doesn't look so good, Bon-Bon."

"Tyler...?" Bonnie's heart sunk and her stomach tangled into knots as she approached him. His lips were parted and his eyes were wide open. "Oh my god." She gasped when she realized that he had an arrow in his chest, going straight through his heart. Blood was pouring from his lips and he couldn't breathe. He was dying. She moved toward him and caught him as he stumbled to his knees.

As she cradled him in her arms, Damon started to search the trees for the person who killed him.

He spotted him, preparing his bow for another shot, and he gripped the throwing knife firmly in his hand before throwing it at the man. The knife pierced the tribute through the skull and he instantly died. Crumbling to the ground.

Two cannons sounded above. Signalling that two more had died.

It was only the first day and they had almost made it halfway. Damon knew that the games weren't even close to over though. This was when things got hard. This was when it was narrowed down to the strongest players. Plus, they were adding 24 new tributes into the arena once they reached the halfway point.

Tears were rolling down Bonnie's cheeks as she held Tyler's body close to her. She could feel his skin going cold. His brown eyes were focused on her and he was gasping for air. He looked like he was in immense pain. Her body was shaking and she was sobbing loudly as she muttered, "No. You're gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay. Just stay with me." Her voice cracked with the weight of emotions she was feeling.

She was overwhelmed.

Tyler tried his hardest to keep breathing, but he couldn't. His lungs were burning and blood was covering his face now. Finally, his heart gave out and his body convulsed before going limp in her arms.

"No!" Bonnie cried loudly. "No! Come back! Come back!" She shook him.

She thought about his father getting rid of all of Tyler's pictures and possessions because he felt dishonored. It made her cry even harder.

Damon knew that Bonnie was devastated by the young man's death, but he also knew that they couldn't stay there. They were vulnerable. And there was a good chance that the man he just killed had allies lurking around nearby. He leant down and placed a hand on her arm, causing her to stare into his eyes. "Come on, we have to get out of here. That guy could have allies nearby."

"We can't just leave him here." She said through sniffles. "What if he can be saved?"

"He can't be saved... He's gone."

'I Had A Conversation With A Dying Man,

He Said, "Life Passes Us By, In The Blink Of An Eye.'

He was torn.

He had told himself that he was only going to take the supplies to Bonnie and then he was going to return to the Cornucopia. That way he didn't destroy the alliance he had built. But, he didn't want to go back. He didn't want to leave her side. Especially not now.

Damon ran his fingers through dark curls and he stared down at the fragile woman laying on top of him. His arms were wrapped protectively around her body as she cried into his chest. His shirt was stained with her tears. Her compassion was breathtaking. She had hardly even known Tyler and yet his death had caused her so much pain. She truly was a beautiful and rare specimen.

He wanted to help her feel better, he just didn't know how.

This wasn't his area of expertise.

Damon Salvatore didn't do compassionate. He didn't do comforting. He did, when the going gets tough he gets the hell outta there.

Bonnie curled her fingers hard against his chest through the fabric of his shirt. Just the feeling of his fingers running through her hair and dancing along her spine was enough to help sooth her. She felt safe in his embrace. She loved the warmth of his body pressed against hers. She loved that he had come to find her and he had brought her supplies. It showed that he truly cared for her.

She just wished that Tyler was still alive. She wished that he was still with them. She wished that they could all survive the games.

Death was so difficult for her to wrap her mind around.

One second, Tyler was talking and laughing and the next he was gone. He would never smile again. He would never make his father proud. He would never find love or start a family. He would never do anything ever again.

Bonnie's crying had subsided, but she was still breathing heavily as she held onto Damon's shirt, pulling his body even closer to hers. "He didn't deserve to die." She breathed out shakily against his chest.

He furrowed his brow when she said the words. Honestly, he didn't know how to respond. His father had told him over and over all of his life that the weak deserved to die and only the strong survived. And going into the games he had believed that he was the strongest and he was the only one who would survive to the end.

The cave was still and the silence was suffocating.

It made her wonder if he believed Tyler deserved to die. It made her wonder about his upbringing and what had turned him into the man he was.

"Tell me about your parents." Bonnie spoke softly. She instantly felt Damon's muscles tense beneath her fingers when she brought up his parents.

"You don't wanna know about them." He insisted, glancing down at her and smirking playfully.

She knew he didn't want to talk about them, but she wanted to know. She wanted to know about his life. About his childhood. About his family. "Please?" She asked, green eyes landing on blue and a small smile tugging at her full lips.

Damon groaned out theatrically and threw back his head. He hated talking about his parents. "If you insist." He stated sarcastically with bitterness on his tongue. "There is my father, Giuseppe-coulda-woulda-shoulda-won the games-Salvatore. And then there is my mother dearest, Mary-Mary-quite-so-boozy-Salvatore, his wife."

Bonnie was shocked by how he talked about his parents. She couldn't imagine talking about her family in such a manner. Perplexity filled her eyes and she asked, "Your dad was in the games?"

He rolled his eyes and groaned again, "No. But, IF HE WAS he would have won, and IF HE WAS he would have scored a 12." Sometimes his father could be such a hypocrite. He always said that he would have done amazing in the games, but he had never made it in. Yet, he expected Stefan and Damon to make it into the games and win. "If we're gonna talk about our families I'm gonna need some booze." He teased with a waggle of his brow.

"Oh come on, don't be like that." She said. "I was just curious."

"I'm curious too." Damon's lips curled up mischievously. "Why don't you tell me about papa and mama Bennett?"

"I'd rather not." Bonnie said hesitantly. She knew that if she started talking about what happened with her father again, she would break down.

"See." He stretched. "It's not so fun to talk about sore subjects."

"Point made." She laughed a little and rested her head back on his chest.

Silence filled the air between them and Bonnie started to think. She started to think about losing Tyler. Losing her father. Losing Rue. She was terrified that she was going to lose everyone she cared about before the games were over. She could lose Marcel, Kol, Damon, or she herself could die. "We're going to die out here, aren't we?"

"Bonnie Bennett." Damon sang playfully. "You are quite the conversationalist."

She knew he was teasing her for being so negative, but she was having a hard time finding the positive. "I'm serious." She muttered. "We're all going to die just like Tyler did. All of us are. Marcel, Kol-" Bonnie paused mid-sentence when she felt his body go rigid the minute she mentioned Kol's name. He was jealous.

"Speaking of which." He said. "How's your "boyfriend" doing?" Damon said the word "boyfriend" with so much spite.

Bonnie was surprised that he hadn't heard about them "breaking up" already. "We broke up." She told him, feeling the weight of guilt on her shoulders. She knew that she needed to tell him the truth. She couldn't start any kind of relationship with him if it was based on lies.

"You should have started with that." His tone was suggestive. "We could have been doing FAR more entertaining things than talking about dying."

She sighed and shook her head at him, giving up on having a serious conversation. It was impossible to talk to Damon Salvatore about anything serious. She just wanted to break through his walls and see something real from him. "Can't you be serious for five minutes?"

He pursed his lips and looked like he was thinking about it, then he smirked at her and said, "Probably not."

Bonnie groaned out and she started to sit up. She just wanted to have Damon give her a serious answer for once.

As she sat up, Damon sat up with her and gently held onto her arms, holding her in place. He didn't want her to move. He didn't want her to let go of him. He loved the way that her body felt against his. She took in a sharp breath as he pulled her body closer to his. Their faces only a few inches apart and his blue eyes staring directly into green. Bonnie saw sincerity and concern shimmering in his eyes.

"Do you really think I woulda come all the way out here with all of this stuff if I was gonna let you die?"

She shivered when she felt Damon's breath rush against her face. His words caused her heart to swell and a wide smile to stretch across her face. She couldn't believe that he had actually said them. That he had actually admitted to wanting to keep her alive. That was a HUGE step.

Bonnie could feel her heart pounding rapidly in her chest as she lost herself in Damon's beautiful eyes. She couldn't even remember how to breathe. Slowly, he reached up and his fingertips delicately danced along her jawline, leaving behind a trail of fire everywhere they touched. He tangled his fingers in her dark curls and he pulled her closer to him.

This time she didn't pull away.

She didn't have a "boyfriend."

She didn't want to stop.

Damon captured Bonnie's lips in a passionate kiss. She moaned out into his lips and she instantly felt her body react to the contact. Running her fingers against his toned chest, she gripped onto his shirt and pulled him even closer to her. Desperately needing more contact.

She had kissed many people in her life, but none of them compared to kissing him. He ignited a fire in her that she had never felt before. When Damon ran his tongue along her full bottom lip she gasped and opened her lips, allowing him to invade her mouth with his tongue. "Mm." Bonnie moaned out when she felt his tongue start a dance with her own. Her arousal was building between her thighs and she knew she wanted more. But, they were currently being watched by thousands of people.

Bonnie pulled out of the kiss, her chest heaving and her breathing ragged.

Damon's lips twisted up into a smirk after she pulled out of the kiss. He examined her face and he saw that her green eyes were dark with desire and her lips were swollen and covered in a mix of saliva. She looked like she wanted more, and he DEFINITELY wanted more. He leant forward and whispered hotly against her lips, "Why'd ya stop, little bird?"

"Everyone is watching us."

"Let em' watch." He captured her lips again. Only this time, the kiss was slow and meaningful. He wanted to show her that he cared about her. That he felt things for her that he hadn't felt in a really long time.

'I've Seen The Storms She's Met, I've Seen The Tears In Secret Shed.

She Sees Me As An Eagle, Though I Am Just a Crow.

Author's Note :

Thank you all so much for reading! This chapter is longer than the last and filled with a lot of twists and turns! I really hope that y'all like it and y'all tell me what you think! :)) How do y'all feel about what happened with Tyler? It was very difficult for me to write. :( What about the conversation with Tyler and Bonnie before he died? And of course how did y'all like the Bamon!? Do you like where it's headed? Do you think they should have sex or stop?

Thank you guys again so much for reading this chapter and fic and all of your support! Y'all keep me writing and are SO wonderful!

I love you guys!

-Tracy Cook-