A/N: Thank you again for all of your support, for adding the story or me to their follow or even favorite lists. And thank you for keeping the reviews coming – I love them.

Bella: There are some chapters left. Don't worry. (Never thought I'd say that). I'm glad you like the story that much.

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Disclaimer: I don't own he Vampire Diaries or anything related to it or its characters. Neither do I own other things you recognize. Other well-known movies and items are just used as pop-cultural references. I'm not making any money of it (damn it!)

Enjoy reading!

Chapter 12:

Fifteen minutes later, a powder-blue Camaro turned into the parking lot of a small diner just outside another small town south of Mystic Falls.

The drive was quiet, the atmosphere a strange mix of relaxed and tense. Both passengers knew each other and were comfortable with silence. However, there was a lot of unfinished business between them and neither of the two persons wanted to be the first to bring anything up to ruin their truce.

Damon was waiting for the little witch to say something, anything about his former behavior, or hers for that matter. Voicing the threats that had been left unsaid.

Bonnie, however, was still pondering about his sudden appearance and his insistence on speaking with her and ignoring Elena. One thing, the little witch did know, though. The dreaded feeling in her chest was gone ever since she got into the car with Damon and it never returned.

Parking the car and cutting of the motor, the vampire was opening Bonnie's door for her before she had a chance to unbuckle her seat belt. As of late, the little witch got to witness more and more the gentleman who was hiding underneath all the assholeness that was the exterior of one Damon Salvatore.

With a small smile, Bonnie took his hand and let him assist her getting out of the car. Her smile vanished fast. She should have known better than to think there was a gentlemanly side to Damon. All was great until Bonnie stood up. A mischievous smirk on his face told her all she needed to know: this stunt was planned. Instead of taking a step back and letting her step away, Damon stood his ground and had her body pressed against his.

Bonnie shot him a glare before Damon moved out of her way. He was glad he managed to get a rise out of her. Her compliance was just weird. He didn't know how to handle an amicable Bonnie. Not that he would ever tell her that.

After closing and locking the car, vampire and witch made their way to the diner. Only when they reached a booth at the window front of the restaurant and slid into opposite seats, Bonnie realized Damon hadn't let go of her hand until then.

The girl could hardly believe herself but it had felt so natural.

They barely sat when a young woman came bouncing to their table. Wow, all that's missing are roller blades. "Hello, my name is Katy, what can I get you both?", the girl asked happily while putting menu cards in front of them.

Deciding to play along the 50ies movie scene that had manifested itself in the witch's mind, Bonnie ordered her drink in the same joyful voice. "I'm getting a strawberry milkshake, thanks."

Damon raised an eyebrow at the scene in front of him. What was going on? She wasn't her normal self nor was she jealous or aggravated – those feelings he'd understand. But this over-gleeful like behavior? That wasn't his little witch, it was more like Caroline and all her (fake) smiles.

Their waitress stared at him. His irritation of her hitting on him when he was in female company soon evaporated when he realized she wasn't hitting on him but waiting for his order. "A coffee for me", he said giving her a panty-dropping smile. Who the hell does she think she is? Not hitting on me? What, she a lesbian? She'll never meet someone as hot as me again in all her life.

"Thank you, I'll be back", Katy answered.

Bonnie was impressed. Though the girl was blushing like crazy she didn't give into him.

"So, what was that about?" Damon wanted to know, the scene a minute ago not forgotten.

"Uh, nothing. It was just so … Pleasantville like. And I couldn't stop myself from picturing 'Katy' serving on roller blades", the witch admitted. Honestly, it was kind of embarrassing but oh why...

A small smile graced Damon's lips. Over the last year he came to see 'the Bennett witch' as a strong, independent, strong-willed and no-nonsense type of woman which made moments like this, moments when she not only embraced her only 17 years of age but acted a bit childish, pretty special.

The strong, mean male vampire in him hated to admit it but it elated his heart to see her acting so carefree. After all the doom they'd been confronted with, he knew they all needed moments like that from time to time.

Few minutes later, the young girl was bouncing back to their table, their drinks on her tablet. "One strawberry milkshake for you and one coffee for you. Can I get you anything else?", the young waitress asked, still addressing both occupants, only lingering a few seconds longer than necessary on Damon.

At that Damon and Bonnie realized they hadn't even picked up the menu cards. Telling the waitress so, the girl left and the table fell into silence.

"You were right", Damon said after a few minutes.

"Wow, I think hell just froze over. You agreed with me." Bonnie couldn't help herself. Moments when Damon agreed with someone, anyone, were rare and she had to make the best of it. Teasing him about it seemed like the right thing to do.

"Don't start. Our waitress is acting like a character out of a 50ies television show. Just because you're too young to remember those and only have seen a movie with Spiderman and that blonde chick doesn't mean you're completely wrong."

"Why am I here again? I can't remember."

"Because you feel it, don't you?" Damon asked, suddenly dead serious.

Was he talking about what she thought he was talking about? Did he feel that tug at his heart to? He couldn't, could he? He wasn't, was he? He's probably talking about his irresistibleness, he thinks he owns. Moron. What, am I suppose to jump him because he's hot? Jerk.

"Urgh! Don't make me say it, witch. You know exactly what I'm talking about. That … thing."

Don't tell me we're back in junior high. The word you're looking for is 'feeling'. Now, together. Say it with me 'feel

"That feeling. There, happy now?"

Wow, it really did work. How great it'd be if I could manipulate their minds...

Shaking her head, Bonnie returned to reality. "So, it's real. I tried to convince myself it was just my imagination or the uneasiness I feel when I meet vampires or other supernaturals who try to harm me", the witch revealed.

"I knew you felt a tug towards me since the first time we met. I mean who wouldn't." Damon smirked and Bonnie was ready to set him on fire and wipe that smug look off his face.

Leaning atop the table Damon whispered close to Bonnie's ear. "You can set me on fire anytime."

Shit, did I say that out loud? No, I'm sure I didn't. Don't tell me vampires can read minds? But than Caroline or Stefan would have said something? Or is it that connection between Damon and me? Shit!

"Don't worry. I can't read your mind. But the emotions on your face gave it away, witch. If I were you, I'd work on my poker face. You don't want your enemy to know what you're thinking", said Damon as he was sitting back down in his seat.

"Are you done? Can we come back to the original topic?" The witch was frustrated – with Damon or herself she didn't know, probably a bit of both.

Innocently, the vampire hold up his arms in the universal known sign of 'surrender'.

"So you feel it, too. That strange feeling of discomfort, uneasiness and a tug at your heart", Bonnie half asked, half stated.

A short nod was all the answer she got. Hmm, seems like I have to do this on my own.

"And a change with every mile we come closer to each other. And ... a ... a feeling of content?", the girl asked insecure, rubbing her neck in her discomfort.

The answering nod was smaller than before.

Bonnie rolled her eyes. He really is making me say it. Get all that 'feeling stuff' out of the way before he says anything.

"When I found the cure there were warnings all over it. I read them, of course I did. I had to know if someone else was going to die for your life or something like that. What they had all in common was the warning not to ignore the outcome of the spell because otherwise there'd only be pain and hurt.

"But it didn't sound too bad, too much of a prize to pay to save someone's life, you know. What was acknowledging feelings to a life?

"I think ... I think this bond we're feeling is what the warnings were about. Did you notice that the weird feeling intensified the longer we're separated? I mean I don't know if it's the same for you but the longer I'm gone the more squeamish I become.

"When I came home from the club I told you about, I was helpless to the tug. I had to go see you. I blamed it on Caroline but honestly, I was restless. The closer I got, the feeling weakened and was replaced by euphoria. Suddenly, I was calm.

"It had been the best night's sleep I had in some time.

"Last night, I was restless again. I couldn't sleep. I blamed it on our deal but I hardly could ignore the tug. And today in the mall? Don't ask me what Elena and Caroline were talking about, I drifted off all the time because of the uneasiness."

The witch paused. It was a lot to take in. For both of them. It wasn't only the first time Damon heard the complete story. It was the first time she was completely honest with herself, too.

Damon took it in straight. He knew there was more to his sudden healing than the witch had told him. Why did she have to hide such important things from him? He was part of the consequences as well – vampire or not.

What did that mean for them? Were they connected? For how long? Forever? And what would happen with him when she died?

What pain would come? And when she died had he to live with that pain for the rest of his unlife? Or if he died? Was she forced to live with that pain when there wasn't a cure for once to save him the next time?

Bonnie chanced a glance at him. Though he kept his poker face on, his eyes told her everything. The conflict she was feeling for the last week was apprehend in his eyes, too.

"Uhm ... I don't know anything about it but I guess the feeling will grow into pain for both of us", Bonnie sighed. Exhausted, she opened the menu card in front of her, turning the pages with one hand while the other lay on top of the other side of the card.

"Do you know what we can do? Is there something about it in one of the grimoires?" Damon asked.

"I don't know. I haven't looked yet. I tried to pretend that nothing of that was real", the witch answered sheepishly.

Absentmindedly, Damon grabbed for Bonnie's left hand trying to give her some comfort. His gesture told her what he couldn't put in words: they were in this together.

They were in this together and they'd find a way out of this mess together.

Bonnie smiled softly at Damon.

"Thank you."

Her words caught him off-guard. Why did she thank him? "For what?"

Before she responded, the girl took a deep breath. "For being here with me. For not freaking out. For not harming me or going off the deep-end. For showing me another side to you."

The vampire only shrugged with his shoulder, muttering a non-committing sound. "Huh."

Silence fell over the booth, witch and vampire looking into each other's eyes, Damon was still stroking Bonnie's hand with his thumb.

"Do you know what you want yet? Or shall I come later?", a happy voice brought the two supernaturals back to the here and now.

Blinking, Bonnie needed a moment to come back. "Uhm, I'll get a hamburger and some fries, please."

"You sir?" The young girl asked, still being professional.

"Nothing", he dismissed.

"I'll be back." Their waitress went to the kitchen.

Self-conscious, Bonnie retrieved her hand from Damon and tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ears.

"She has earned a big tip", Bonnie commented after a few moments.

"Why?" Sure, the girl was nice but she hadn't done anything special.

"When was the last time you met a waitress who didn't try to flirt with you? Katy didn't try anything", Bonnie smiled. It was nice to go somewhere where not every female between the age of 11 and 65 was trying to jump his bones right there in public.

"Ya, btw, what is wrong with her?"

Bonnie, once again, just rolled her eyes. He was Damon Salvatore and some things never changed.

As much as it irritated her, it gave her some kind of comfort in the stability of his behavior.

Few minutes later, the atmosphere in the diner changed. A few girls walked into the restaurant all the while loud chatting, giggling and laughing, making sure that every single guest noticed them, talking loud enough that the other patrons heard them gossiping about him and her, this and that and talking about how hot that actor or singer was and who they'd 'tap'.

There was (almost) nothing out there that agitated Bonnie more than girls like that – and it was saying a lot considering she was best friends with Caroline. And hearing them talk about that 'hot peace of a$$ over there with the, like, average looking mocha girl' infuriated her even more.

She wasn't jealous – at least she wouldn't admit to anything – but such a behavior was just a poor testimony for the female character these days. It was sad.

Damon had noticed the girls before they even came into the diner. As nice as it was to have people drooling over him and having girls and women alike at the ready wherever he went for both of his hungers, his vampire senses preferred girls a lot less gaudy. Their high-pitched voices made his ears bleed and their fragrances penetrated his sensitive sense of smell.

Hearing the gossip and not so subtle flirtations, Damon immediately felt better after being ignored by the waitress and seeing Bonnie becoming more and more irritated and pissed off did great things for his ego.

His little witch was jealous.

Opposed to the doubts that had plagued his thoughts ever since the morning of their first breakfast, he now knew that all of her talk was just that; she did like him and there was a real possibility for the 'more' to become reality.

"What is it? Something wrong?" Damon asked innocently.

Bonnie shot her companion a most incredible look. Was he for real? "I know you for too long to believe your ignorance."

The vampire smirked. "Get used to it. Looking like I do that's normal behavior. Everyone wants to get a piece of this", he gestured over his body, "and you'll see it every time you hang out with me."

Then it would be best if I didn't come along anymore? What about that? You shanghaied me! You stupid …

Before Bonnie could comment, however, one of the fake blondes came over to their booth. Breasts tugged up close to her neck, neckline close to her belly button and her short-sleeved blouse barely went to her ribcage. The skirt that was supposed to cover her butt and part of her legs didn't do a good job either and the high-heels looked acceptable for an exotic dancer.

Maybe it was possible that Bonnie exaggerated a bit but there was less outfit then in a Britney Spear's video.

Ignoring the girl in the booth, the wannabe-blonde puffed her chest out and gave Bonnie a shove into the corner of the seat as she sat down directly across from Damon. "Hey Sugar", the blonde purred.

Honestly, who in the freaking hell says 'sugar'? Even Katherine had more class and she was sleeping and playing with brothers. Bonnie just huffed.

"I'm Candy." She can't be serious, can she? What, was her father a pimp and her mother his employee?

"Hihihi, no, my name is Sophie. Pleasure to meet you ..."

For a split second Damon thought about his options and their consequences: One, he could play along with 'Sophie', but then Bonnie would be royally pissed off. His chances to get her would be non-existent. Two, he could talk to Bonnie and ignore the girl, but then 'Sophie' would huff and puff until she got the attention she so desperately wanted. Third, he could try to include Bonnie and pay her more attention until the blonde was so frustrated with the whole situation that she went back to her friends.

"Damon. I'm Damon and that's" Before he was able to utter another word, Sophie cut him off.

"Are you, like, a model or something?"

"What gave it away?"

"You just, like, so gorgeous. I noticed you, like, the moment I came here", Sophie flirted and grabbed for Damon's hand.

The girl was penetrative, Damon had a hard time to shake her and her advances off. But no matter how rude he resisted the girl and brushed her off, she didn't get the hint and Bonnie got more pissed with every second – knowing his luck, she got angry with him not the incident because he didn't defuse the situation. He needed a new tactic pretty fast.

"You noticed me the moment you got here? What else did you notice?" Damon asked.

I can't believe he's flirting with her. Flirting with her when I'm present. I should've known better. Big, bad Damon Salvatore preferred his girls naïve and loose – not necessarily in that order. The witch couldn't believe that she had done it again – she'd started to trust a man and that's what happened. Not even her father stuck around for her. That's what happens when you're acting like all the other silly girls and put your trust in Damon.

"I saw you sitting there, like bored and stuff. So, calling dibs, I come here, saving you from a … her, like asap", Sophie tried to flirt and dis Bonnie at the same time.

What? She called 'dibs' and now I belong to her? Like a puppy? Who taught her shit like that? Do I look like some Chihuahua ready to be carried around in a purse? What was wrong with girls nowadays seeing Paris Hilton as their Messiah?

Damon knew he was a hypocrite, just a few weeks ago he was glad for such kind of girls. They made it easy to satisfy him but after his enforced diet, he only was frustrated by them. Growing up in the time of Southern Courtesy and the mannerisms of the pre-civil war area he sometimes couldn't believe the direction it all went. As much as he hated his father, it was kind of amusing picturing him in this time period.

There'd be a lot more work for him ridding the world of evil and sin. He'd try and burn down the whole city. Mystic Falls is pretty similar to Vegas ...

"So, you saw I was with company?" It was too easy. The girl in front of him confirmed his pathetic view of blondes.

"Yeah, and I thought 'I save him' and stuff", the girl smiled at him, squeezing Bonnie out of her seat.

"Humph", Bonnie snorted. Because that's so believable. She only wanted to save him from his boring destiny. As if, cow!

"What did you just say?" Sophie demanded in her high-pitched voice. When she realized she wouldn't get anything more from Bonnie than the shaking of her head, the girl went on. "You know, it's your own fault. If you weren't, like, so boring ... Don't matter. You're, like, so ugly I wouldn't go out of my house like that. What's with your hair? All curly and stuff."

Did girls like that really exist? Bonnie had thought them to be an invention of silly teen movies. Just because someone on television acts like that you don't have to copy them!

Like Caroline Sophie was lucky that in all of her witchy reservoir there wasn't Superman's heat-vision included. Her eyebrows would be scorched otherwise.

After all this time defeating the evil, Damon was pretty much in tune with the smallest of Bonnie's reactions and muscle tensions. It was about time to intervene.

"First of all, you with all your knowledge of fashion", he shot a smirk at Bonnie sharing his joke at the expanse of the blonde, "you should know that her hair is not curly. Original Cindy had curly hair. Her hair is wavy and I like them this way", Damon informed the obnoxious girl highhandedly.

"Second, my companion here, the one you try to push off her seat, is way more interesting than all of your yap-yap-yapping. You sound like a cackling goose. Oh yeah. And you see that ring on my finger?" Damon went on.

"OMG! It's, like, awesome. Is this ...", Sophie tried to get back into the game.

"That's my wedding band and the beautiful woman you're insulting the whole time is my wife", the vampire stated boldly.

Bonnie's head shot up, staring incredibly at him. He didn't just say what she thought he did, did he?

The other teenage girl could only gasp. "But ... but ... To her?! You can't be."

Eloquent.

"See the ring on my finger?" The girl nodded. "See the ring on her finger?" The girl nodded again.

"There you go. And now shoo-shoo. Go back to your mass breeding over there and leave us alone."

Why had I had to put that ring on my finger today of all days? Bonnie couldn't believe it. Getting ready this morning she'd had a strong longing to put that ring on. It had been her Grams' and with all that's been going on she'd wanted to feel close to her again. Just a small platinum ring. Nothing extraordinary.

"Why did you have to do that?", the witch accused.

"What, did you like her? I can call her back you know. But honestly, her voice was getting on my last nerve. I was that close to killing her. Urgh, don't give me that look. You were close behind me in that regard and you know it, Judgey."

"You could have just compelled her." Bonnie shut up.

The moment the words left her mouth she wished she could take them back. She couldn't believe she'd said that to Damon. After telling him for the better time of one year that it was immoral and wrong to compel people she just gave him the okay to use it in uncomfortable situations.

Damon's head shot up. Did she just say that? So, his little witch started to welcome the perks of vampire abilities – not only when she had drunk some alcohol.

His last thought brought him to another topic.

"What were you thinking?" Damon wanted to know.

Startled, Bonnie looked at him with big eyes. "What are you talking about? Haven't you been the one for the easy way and compelling people?"

"Urgh! Not that. What were you thinking going out drinking and then driving your car? You could have crashed and died, you know that? There's a reason why it's illegal and it's not to piss people off. And someone with a slim stature as yours should even less do it! You're the voice of reason! What, just because Caroline can do it you think 'hey, it's okay, I can do it too'. You know she's a vampire! And you're the one who preaches that witches are still humans besides belonging to the supernaturals. What were you thinking? Were you?" Damon's tirade went on for some time more.

Bonnie was flabbergasted. Did he mean it? Did he mean all what he was saying? Somehow, to her own dismay, she was touched by Damon's concern and worries for her (even though another part of her mind wanted to shout 'hypocrite' at him because he was the last one to lecture about drinking and driving).

Ashamed, the girl looked down at her dish. Katy had brought it while 'Sophie' had still been there, vanishing as fast as she had appeared. "I wasn't thinking at all. I just felt that tug. That was the only thing that mattered. I had to do something about it and didn't think it through", the witch admitted.

Heavy silence fell over the booth. Damon was mad at Bonnie and her irresponsibility, elated that nothing had happened and glad she was still talking calmly and honestly with him after Sophie's little visit at their table. Bonnie was ashamed for acting like a clichéd high school student getting drunk (even though she wasn't more than a little tipsy the whole evening) and driving afterward.

Not saying a word to each other the supernaturals kept quiet. Bonnie ate her meal while Damon nursed his second cup of coffee the waitress had refilled when she'd brought Bonnie's dish. Only after finishing, the witch looked up again.

Staying in the diner wouldn't help their changed mood. It was time to go. Before Bonnie could say anything, Damon had gone to Katy and paid for their drinks and meal.

"I could have paid for myself", Bonnie told the vampire as soon as he was next to her.

"Yeah, but I didn't grow up like that. Besides, I'm the one who kidnapped you, so be quiet."

Still bickering, witch and vampire left the restaurant. As Damon held the door open for Bonnie to go through, Bonnie looked at Damon, still not used to such a behavior all the time, and bumped prompt into a guy.

"Oh, I'm sorry", Bonnie said still not looking at the man in front of her.

"Don't worry, someone as beautiful as you can bump into me anytime", the guy leered.

What is wrong today? First Sophie, now that guy. Do Damon or I have a bulls-eye on us that everyone is hitting on us? Why were it always douches that hit on her or some hussies on Damon? What was wrong with ordinary people flirting with them?

In the blink of an eye, Damon was in front of Bonnie, right between the witch and the stranger. On instinct, both men puffed out their chests and took a brighter stance trying to claim their territory and timid their opponent. However, all his buff muscles weren't of much use for the other man, the vampire in Damon enhanced all his emotions, possessiveness and territoriality included.

Before the stranger knew what was going on, the vampire had him pushed out of the entrance way of the diner. As the door closed behind Bonnie, it was just Damon and her, the douche and two friends of his on the parking lot.

Bonnie blinked. When she opened her eyes again, her vampire had grabbed the offender at his collar and was growling at him. His friends, luckily, never intervened.

"Listen to me and listen good, you piece of shit", Damon growled as he was staring into his opponent's eyes. "She belongs to me, so keep your f*cking hands off! You'll apologize to her, go into the diner with your 'buddies' there and you're going to be quiet. You'll leave Katy a big tip and when one of those blondes comes over to your table, you'll admit loud enough for the whole restaurant to hear that you're gay and you live in a happy three-way relationship with dumb and dumber here, understood? Go, have a nice day."

He'd love to see that play out. Homophobes made it just too easy to embarrass and harass them and that guy just fit that description.

After everything was said, Damon took Bonnie's hand in his and made his way over to his Camaro.

The girl was in a daze. What had just happened? One moment Damon was holding the door open for her and she ran into a brick wall and Damon was threatening the brick and suddenly, they were sauntering back to the car. It had happened all so fast, Bonnie could barely keep up.

"Did you just compel him?" Bonnie asked incredibly after a few moments driving peacefully in Damon's car.

'So what?' said the glance he gave her.

She couldn't believe it. How often had she told him that he couldn't go around and compel people just like that?! He was the one trying to prove that he had changed and wasn't any longer the (pretended) soulless creature he'd been a year before.

"Hey, don't go all judgey on me here. I did exactly what you told me to do a few minutes earlier. You told me that compelling would have been the better option."

He was right and they both knew it. Beaten with her own weapons.

Silently, the former fiends drove back to Mystic Falls.