A/N: Here is the next chapter. And thank you again to all who reviewed and/ or added my story or me to their alerts or favorites. You're what keeps me writing – honestly, without you I hadn't even started this sequel. I appreciate all of your support dearly.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries or any part, character or location of it. Furthermore, I don't own anything else you might recognize and neither do I own the other movies referred to.

Though, all remaining mistakes are mine.

Now, enough of me and on with the story. Enjoy reading!

Chapter 5:

He did f*ck it up, didn't he? He knew he'd been in the wrong about the things he'd said to her, however, she'd pissed him off and when he's pissed he lashes out. It didn't matter who was standing in the line of fire and who was going down. As long as it wasn't him.

After wandering through the mall for another hour, however, he came to one conclusion: He needed Caroline's help. Damn it. Now there wasn't just a witch to win over anymore but to convince a stubborn, pissed and miffed former play toy to help him out. His life sucked!

Where would a girl like Caroline seek refuge in a mall? Being a man and well off Damon had no clue. When he wanted new clothes he went into boutiques – in New York or LA or when he wanted something special he went overseas to cities like London, Milan or Paris. Virginia wasn't his first place to look for designers.

Thanks to his vampire speed he didn't need to ponder long about her whereabouts. In seconds the vampire had checked the whole mall for his blonde companion. However, she wasn't to be found.

For once it was Damon's turn to admit defeat. (Even though he'd never admit that out loud.) Still not having a gift in mind for his little witch he decided to head back home. Walking out on the parking lot he a saw a familiar face sitting in his car. What is she doing here? I though she was gone. Doesn't she know that she's a vampire and she can run home faster than we'll ever be in a car?

"Caroline? What are you still doing here?" The older vampire couldn't completely hide his disbelieve.

With arms crossed and a strange mixed look of pouting and trying to stop crying sat the girl in the passenger seat of Damon's blue Camaro. If he hadn't regretted his words the moment they'd left his mouth, he would regret them now.

Just a few hours ago Damon wished for the old, human Caroline because she'd been insecure and therefore had tried almost everything to please everyone around her and to up them – especially Elena. However, seeing the young girl sitting in his passenger seat trying to look strong, to be strong, it reminded him too much of the girl he'd used the first few weeks back in town. And to his own astonishment – at least that was what he tried to convince himself of – he didn't like the sight and the feeling he got seeing the aftermath of her breakdown.

"Look at me. Would you like for someone you know to see you like this? My mascara is smeared all over my face. Just pronouncing the tear streaks. My eyes are red and puffy. My hair is distorted. I'm a crying mess. At least here, no one knows me. Just let me have this small ounce of dignity."

Some habits, it seemed, you can't let go off. He knew that all to well. And for Caroline to fret over such petty things and not remembering her vampire speed was fast enough that most humans didn't even see a blur was a dead give away of her emotional state.

Damon sighed. He knew he did f*ck up. Apologizing, however, wasn't one of his forte (damn, in the last few days he had to admit more weaknesses than he'd ever done in his whole life. Damn that witch! Everything because of her.).

Using his vampire speed, Damon had the top of his car down and secured in the blink of an eye and sat himself in the driver seat. The coming talk was nothing for the public and they needed a bit of privacy.

Where should I begin? Damon was completely lost. After another sigh, he begun. "Look Caroline, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Wow, it hadn't been as bad as he thought it to be.

Caroline, however, wasn't impressed. His accusations had brought all the contempt and hurt back to the forefront.

"So what? You expect me to say 'Oh, it wasn't that bad. I overreacted. I'm sorry, too. Please forgive me like I have forgiven you'. What do you expect me to say after you threw it in my face that it was my own doing which got me short-circuited! Acting like a marionette hanging on your strings! What do you expect? That everything is fine? That it wasn't as terrible as everyone is making it out to be. I mean, it was after all my fault that you almost killed me because you didn't stop sucking my blood few times a day and took too damn much. You want to say that?"

When she put it like that it really sounded bad. It didn't just sound that way, he knew on his own that what he'd been doing had been wrong – was wrong. And that whole thing about switching off your feelings? All crap.

Sure, most vampires tried to pretend that it was possible. He even had a talk about the switching off with Rose. However, it wasn't like she claimed it to be. It didn't become more difficult as time went by. The switch wasn't there in the first place.

Most newly turned vampires were ruthless – so far it was true. But that was nothing more than their own coping and survival mode kicking in. When suddenly everything is still the same but so much more at the same time, you're dead for everyone you'd ever cared for, everyone you loved and everyone who loved you, you're driven by this animalistic thirst for blood – something you found disgusting until a few minutes ago and now you can't concentrate yourself on anything else than to drink the appetizing warm liquid –, you try to comprehend what's going on, you try to regain a small part of control about something, anything, you do what you have to do to come to terms with the fact that YOU ARE DEAD.

It didn't matter that they still walked the face of the earth, their former selves, their lives were lost forever.

Some, like Damon, chose their ultimate death over an undead life.

Life, however, doesn't always play out as planned. Damon's way of dealing with the unfairness of it all, had been anger. The anger had kept him moving, kept him alive without noticing that his aggressiveness made him lose even more of his former self – including his baby brother.

His anger issues didn't mean he was blind to the chaos and misery he was leaving in his wake. What he'd done to Caroline had all been the reaction of what had been going on. Impulse. Afterward he'd felt kind of bad for it – not bad per se but he'd gotten a strange feeling in his guts. He'd known what he'd been doing had been wrong but conscious thoughts had come back when the damage had been done.

Again, Damon sighed. He needed to tell her all of that. Damn it, damn it, damn it! What had his live come to?

"Caroline, listen. I'm …. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I said all that stuff in there and I'm sorry I did all that to you. It was wrong." Hopefully, he was done with lowering himself. Though, the unimpressed look on the blonde's face told him, he'd still had a lot of crawling to do.

"I know my words probably don't mean a lot to you. But sometimes I do things I don't have to do." And then he did his creepy/ endearing eye thing which always got him what he wanted.

The girl on his passenger seat still didn't look convinced. He needed to pull out all the stops. With his left hand he reached over to Caroline. Softly, he put his hand on Caroline's cheek and with a gentle but certain grip he turned her face so that she was looking at him. Streaking the tears away he murmured "I'm sorry."

Caroline just stared at him. "Do you really think this is working on me again? You have another thing coming." However, she couldn't quite hide the smile. She knew his small act or even his words shouldn't make her forgive him. But he was Damon Salvatore and if she knew one thing about him for sure, he never apologized. And this one even sounded sincere.

Taking a deep breath, the high school girl just wanted to forget everything – her past actions and the last hour. "Damon, it isn't as easy as that. It isn't alright and it'll never be. But I guess enough time has passed for us to move on. Don't bring it up ever again!"

Damon was relieved. He could live with that.

"Okay, and I mean it."

After a few minutes of pure silence in the Camaro Damon got restless. First, he tried to ignore it and give Caroline a few more moments to collect herself. The peace didn't last long.

"How about some shopping?"

"So, do you have now any idea what you want to get Bonnie? You know, something personal? Something that has a hidden meaning?", Caroline inquired curious.

Oh shit! Had he been this obvious?

The blonde couldn't help but laugh at the deer-in-the-headlight- look Damon was currently showing. If she hadn't thought that his explanations that morning had been a load of crap, she'd now have known that they all had been silly excuses.

"Don't look like that. It's pretty obvious. You're only kind to people when you want something in return. All of your 'thanking Bonnie' stuff seemed fishy. I just went along 'cause I wanted to know what's going on. And then, just outside in that car of yours, you being all nice and gentle – to me no less – that was a dead give-away. There's more behind your chivalrous way than just a thank you to a person you barely tolerate." A superior smile brightened Caroline's face.

"You like her, don't you?"

His silence was answer enough for the girl and the smile on her face brightened even more.

Suddenly, she was half walking, half dancing backwards in front of him and started to singsong. "You think she's gorgeous, You want to kiss her, You want to hug her … You want to love her … You want to hug her … You want to smooch her … You want to …"

"That's enough!" Damon didn't know if he was supposed to be embarrassed for her or if he was pissed. What was she doing in the middle of the mall? Was she completely insane? "What are you doing?" If she started to sing and dance like those stupid kids in their stupid High School in those stupid Disney movies, he would probably end up killing her – it wasn't as if she'd stayed dead.

"Nothing, just enjoying my victory. That must be the first time the Damon Salvatore admitted defeat. I got you. Oh, and I'm happy for Bonnie. I know she's my best friend and I shouldn't say that but she needs to get laid. She isn't herself anymore. The funny, happy, flirtatious and lively girl you met first back in town – that girl is Bonnie. The last months changed everyone, I know. But nowadays Bonnie is sarcastic, frowning and mean to most people. She's just unhappy and lonely. And don't get me started on that relationship with Jeremy. What did she think getting together with Elena's little brother. Whose girlfriend died as consequence of one of her new antics. She needs a real relationship. Someone who knows her and who knows what she wants and needs. And though I hate to say it, your arguing seems to excite both of you. You banter, you insult each other, never missing a beat. You're a good match. If you hurt her, I'll kill you."

Neither Caroline nor Damon could believe she just gave him the okay to pursuit Bonnie.

"So,we're at the beginning again. What do you want to get her?" This time the cheerleader asked with an honest smile on her lips.

Damon was nervous. He'd never thought he would be nervous again about a girl – not after his transformation.

But here he was, standing in front of Bonnie's house. All he needed to do was knock. Or ring the bell. Or do anything to make her aware of his presence.

That was his problem. She didn't like his presence most of the time. But how was he supposed to convince her when he didn't know what to say to her, how to react or how to behave when she was close?

What if she didn't like his presents? What if she refused them? What if she'd laughed at him? What if …

There was no time for what ifs. He needed to act his age – his visible age – and be a man. His father would have beaten him up for behaving like a little girl.

With a last sigh, he squared his shoulders and knocked at Bonnie's door.

A/N: I'm sorry for the lack of Bamon in the last chapters. I did ponder if I should include Damon/ Caroline or just to let them shop and end it there. However, I thought that Bonnie would have great apprehension against a relationship with Damon if his past wrong-doings (the ones concerning her friends and acquaintances) weren't dealt with. That's why I thought I'd let them sort it out. In the next chapter we'll be back on track.