Author's Note: Caroline is back this chapter! Yay. Enjoy! :D

I DO NOT OWN VAMPIRE DIARIES OR THE CHARACTERS.
Music Credit: "The Reason" – Hoobastank, "Breath" – Breaking Benjamin

Chapter Twelve:

~*.*~
'I'm not a perfect person.
There's many things I wish I didn't do.
But I continue learning –
I never meant to do these things to you.
And so I have to say before I go,
That I just want you to know –

I've found a reason for me,
To change who I used to be.
A reason to start over new,
And the reason is you.'
~*.*~

I jerked awake to the sound of my phone going off. I scrambled around my bed in the dark trying to find it. Where did I leave it? It can't be any later than four in the morning. We didn't get back here until after two. My eyes feel like they weigh a million pounds. Why are phones always so much louder in the middle of the night?

'You take the breath right out of me.
You left a hole where my heart should be.
You've gotta fight just to make it through.
'Cause I will be the death of you.'

I found my purse on the floor and grabbed my phone. I fumbled with the buttons, still struggling to stay awake.

"Hello?" My voice is raspy with sleep deprivation.

"Bonnie, I miss you!" Caroline complained. She sounds way too chipper to be up this early.

"Caroline, it's like four in the morning. Couldn't this wait until later?" I asked her.

"No, I couldn't sleep. I kept wondering if you were alive. I miss you. You've been invisible lately." She complained.

"It wasn't completely unintentional. I just had to work some stuff out before I saw everyone. You know I love you." I told her.

"And I love you, bitch. I want to see you later." She told me. I chuckled.

"Okay. When and where?"

"The Grill around 1?" She asked.

"Sounds good, goodnight Care."

"Night Bon."

"Morning Beautiful," Stefan plopped down on my bed on top of me.

"Go-away-tryna-fucking-sleep-goodnight." I mumbled into my pillow. Stefan laughed.

"Just do it already. You're such a pussy, Stefan." Damon teased.

"Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep." I moaned.

"Guys, she's tired, leave her alone." Lexi cautioned. They laughed.

"Fuck that. I'm going to bounce my happy ass until Princess gets her ass up." Damon started jumping on my bed despite my protests. "Witchy, Witchy, Witch, Witchy, Judge, Judgy, Judge, Bonnie, Bon, Bon, Bonnie, Bon, Bonnie, Witchy!" Damon started whining. I groaned and sat up.

"What?!"

"Hi." He smirked and gave his best puppy-dog eyes.

"You are so not funny." I glared at him as I crawled out of bed. Why the fuck is it so bright in the morning? You should get an eye-adjustment period.

"Oh, but I know I am." He winked. I threw a pillow at him. He deflected it easily. Throwing things at vampires just isn't as satisfying as it should be. Damn.

"I don't wake you up in the mornings." I complained at Damon. He smirked.

"If you woke me up every morning, we all know I wouldn't complain about it." His smirk widened. I rolled my eyes.

"Do you need something?" I asked them. Lexi sighed.

"I just missed you." She put an arm around my shoulder. "Well, that and Damon was trying to drag me to go watch strippers with him. We needed someone to help us vote him off the island."

"If he wants to go watch strippers, it's fine with me." I told her. "I gotta shower. I can't be late. Caroline will murder me." I headed to the bathroom. I shut the door behind me and started pulling off my pajamas. I turned on the hot water and stepped into the shower.

"So… When am I gonna meet Caroline?" Lexi asked me from outside the shower. I jumped and started to fall. She opened the curtain and steadied me. "Didn't mean to scare you." She apologized and closed the curtain so I could shower in privacy.

"I didn't realize that you wanted to meet her."

"Hey, from what I've heard about her, she sounds great."

"She is. You remind me of her sometimes. You can definitely meet her. Maybe we can all do something tonight. I'll ask her if she has any plans when I meet her for lunch." I offered.

"Yay. No naked females for me. Suck it Damon!" She yelled, leaving the bathroom. I can just picture them duking it out now. I finished my shower and toweled off. I put on some lotion and grabbed some clothes out of my closet. I put on a pair of dark jeans and an off-white sweater. I found from socks and put on a pair of Chucks. I did a quick makeup and headed to the Grill.

"Oh my God, you're actually alive. I forgot what you looked like! Your face is so pretty! Have you always been this height?! I couldn't remember! Bonnie, I love you! Never leave me again! I'll attach myself to your leg. I swear I'll do it!" Caroline pulled me into an enthusiastic, hugging dance.

"It has only been a couple of weeks, Care. I am sorry. I missed you, too! There's someone I want you to meet later. She's been dying to meet you." I told her. She stopped dancing and looked at me funny.

"Who?" She asked, smiling.

"Lexi – she's one of Stefan's friends. She doesn't really know anyone in town. She's great. She reminds me a lot of you." I told her. She bounced around excitedly.

"I'm totally down for a girls' night. When am I not?" She beamed. We sat down and started eating. She filled me in on what I've been missing the past few weeks. She and Tyler got together. They're so cute together. I'm so happy for her. I didn't tell her what happened with Stefan because I'm not really sure what to think about it just yet. When I'm sure, she'll know. I don't wanna jinx anything.

I watched Damon from across the room. I was supposed to be talking with Zach about different possibilities for my future. I just can't decide what I want to do. I'm interested in so many things. I don't really have any subjects that I'm bad at or that I don't understand. I had to be perfect. My grades had to be perfect. I never had the luxury to be sub-par. In times like these, it definitely pays off.

Damon keeps giving me weird looks. He's been giving me weird looks since last night. He knows what went down with Stefan. It's like he's daring me to make a move with him. It's not a competition. I don't know if he thinks that it is or if he really has an interest in me.

He knows that last night was symbolic. He's always been just a little unpredictable. I can't help but wonder what he's going to do next. I know that he's planning something. After spending this much time with him, it's hard not to figure out how he ticks. Of course, that just means that I'm just as predictable for him. But, I've always been predictable.

"Bonnie, can I talk to you?" Stefan asked, interrupting my staring contest with Damon. Zach had excused himself to get a cup of coffee.

"Of course," I got up and followed him outside. We sat in the yard. It's nice out today – it's chilly but it's not too cold.

"I didn't make things weird last night, did I?" He asked me. I shook my head.

"No – I liked it." I told him, quietly. I don't know what it is about him. He makes me feel so shy, sometimes. I can feel a blush creeping into my cheeks.

"You're something else, you know that?" He whispered. I smiled and gave him a quick peck on his mouth. He chuckled.

"We should do that again."

"Kiss?"

"If it's okay with you," he moved closer. I nodded. It's getting harder to breathe. I can hear my heart pounding in my ears. I swear I have dinosaurs in my stomach. His lips touched mine and everything else faded into gray. I'm sucked into his gravitational pull.

He moved me onto his lap. I moved my face closer to his. I let him take control and lead the kiss. I feel so vulnerable with him but he makes me feel safe. I don't feel as exposed when it's him. He ran his tongue along my bottom lip. I froze. He must have felt me stiffen because he pulled back. He watched me for a minute.

It's okay. It's just Stefan. It's just Stefan. He wouldn't hurt me.

It's like he could read my thoughts and hear me repeating that to myself, over and over again. He traced my cheek with his fingers. I gave him a small smile. I'm being ridiculous. I know that I am and I can't stop it. I took a deep breath and covered his lips with my own. He smiled into the kiss. We stayed that way for what felt like hours. It started out sweet and slow and progressed into a completely different monster. My hands were wondering his body with a mind of their own. His hands were on my back and stomach underneath my sweater. We were clinging to each other and I wasn't losing my mind. I don't know what's different about it this time.

We finally pulled apart. I was trying to get my heart regulated. I stared at him and wondered what it must be like not having to breathe. I became painfully aware of the fact that I was straddling Stefan in the middle of this yard. Anyone could see us. What does he think of me? I started squirming and jumped when something rubbed against my lady-parts. I looked down and eyed his bulge, involuntarily. I looked up as quickly as I could. He smirked. He saw me. Oh, God. I'm so awkward. It'll be the death of me. I climbed off of his lap and sat down. He chuckled.

Lexi and I are supposed to be meeting Caroline soon for our ladies' night out. I haven't been able to stop thinking about Stefan or wondering if Damon saw us sucking face. I don't know why his opinion matters so much. I think that bothers me more than anything else does.

Caroline wanted to go dancing. Lexi decided we'd go back to the club we went to last night. I opted for jeans this time. I paired it with a green wrap top. It doesn't quiet meet the waistline of my jeans and I had to wrap it around my stomach a million times, but it's comfortable and doesn't make me look horrible. I let Lexi do my hair and makeup.

"Are you ready to get your dance on?!" Lexi asked, excitedly. I giggled and nodded. We left to pick up Caroline. They hit it off. As soon as she got into the car they were bonding. They're so much alike – I love it.

As soon as we got to the club Caroline and Lexi went to grab drinks. I found a table and took off my jacket, leaving my arms bare. I pulled out my chair and bumped into someone, again.

"We've really got to stop meeting like this." Klaus told me, smirking. I gave him a puzzled look. That's so weird, twice in two days. What are the odds?

"Do you come here often?" I asked him. He laughed.

"Only when there's someone worth seeing," he hinted. I rolled my eyes.

"And how many girls have you fed that line to?" I asked.

"Not many that have complained about it." He smiled. I laughed.

"Where are you from?" I asked.

"What makes you think I'm from around here?" He asked. I shrugged.

"I haven't seen you around here before and you have an accent." I pointed out.

"True, but I like yours better."

"Thank you, but you're avoiding the question." I pressed.

"You're a clever one, love. I'm from all over, really." He told me. I nodded. Lexi and Caroline walked up to the table. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your lovely friends?" He asked, eyeing Caroline. I can't quite put my finger on him.

"This is Caroline and Lexi – guys this is Klaus." I introduced. Caroline beamed, clearly enjoying the view. Lexi looked uncomfortable. I'm definitely missing something here.

"I'm feeling kind of sick ladies, I think we better go." Lexi said. I looked up at her, confused. Something's definitely wrong. I got up. Caroline was reluctant. Klaus kissed her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." He told her. "I'll see you around Bonnie." He told me. I nodded and gave him a forced smile. We rode back to Stefan's in a confused silence. Lexi told us that we'd have a girls' night in, manicures, pedicures, the whole shebang. I pulled Lexi aside while Caroline got everything ready.

"What's going on?" I asked her.

"It's nothing." She told me.

"Don't lie to me. Please, don't lie to me." I asked. She sighed.

"Look, if I'm right, which I normally am, Klaus is a dangerous guy. He's an old vampire, Bonnie. He's an original. He's seemed to have taken a liking to you. Stefan and Damon wanted to find out more before they told you, but after tonight, I think it's best that you know. Just be cautious when you're with him." Lexi closed her mouth. She looked like she wanted to say more but didn't want to say too much. Well, I didn't see that one coming. If he's in town, what does that mean? Something tells me I need to have more magic lessons with Grams. The guys are getting an earful tomorrow. Tonight is girls' night.

~*.*~
'I'm not a perfect person.
I never meant to do these things to you.
And so I have to say before I go,
That I just want you to know –

I've found a reason for me,
To change who I used to be.
A reason to start over new,
And the reason is you.

I've found a reason to show,
A side of me you didn't know.
A reason for all I do,
And the reason is you.'
~*.*~

Author's Note: ALRIGHT. SO, slowly but surely the plot is getting rolling. As always reviews are welcome. I'm so tired and half-asleep. Otherwise, I'm sure I'd have more to say.

Stay groovy!
Xo Xo
Anneryn