...

It was as if they just crumpled in on themselves. Bonnie let out a loud sigh as she leaned into her boyfriend, exhausted and relieved.

Only when Mr. Gilbert had finally let go of him, had he finally grimaced and thus acknowledged a form of pain or discomfort to Bonnie. Now he sat next to her, his arms resting on the table, his head hanging down almost as if in defeat.

She cuddled up more, gently wrapping an arm around him. She couldn't help it, she was so very concerned about him.

"Are you alright?" she whispered, and saw him raise himself up and fully look at her for the first time since Grayson Gilbert had ruined their evening.

He squared his shoulders, ignoring any pain, smiled at her, and said, "I will be again, love. You being here with me… it means everything to me, you…" He trailed off for a moment before he added, "I won't let this ruin our beautiful night. I distinctly remember where we left off and I'd love to continue, if you don't mind. But first," he raised a hand to wave over to the waiter, "let's order that bottle of wine."

He smiled at her, and she smiled right back, feeling her cheeks flush in anticipation.

Gosh, he looked so incredibly handsome in a black tuxedo.

And suddenly she remembered another incidence where he had worn one just like that - maybe even that very same one…

...

[Three years ago...]

...

It was Grams' birthday, and because it had become her little tradition, Bonnie had put down some fresh flowers on her grave and brought a box of fancy donuts to eat in her honor. Not because Grams had liked donuts particularly much. Rather, the opposite.

She had rolled her eyes whenever Bonnie had wanted one and had always told her, Maybe, maybe when I'm dead and gone you can finally get some and eat them. But as long as I'm still here, there'll be no donuts. That's not cake, Bonnie. That's a disaster!

And then she had whipped up cake batter in practically no time and there had been cake - the best cake - and they'd eaten it until their bellies were full and they were laughing.

Bonnie was no baker, she sucked pretty hard at anything kitchen related, and so she had decided to do the donuts instead. It had turned into her little inside joke.

On that day, however, she was just so terribly sad and upset, and Elena wasn't there, and Caroline was busy, and life just kind of sucked and the stupid donuts suddenly didn't seem so funny anymore.

So she had taken them and shoved them in her purse. She'd just go for a walk instead. A walk among the graves, visiting a few familiar names here and there…

She found herself drawn to the Salvatore's crypt. There was no real surprise there, but then, once she got there, there actually was a surprise waiting for her.

Lorenzo St. John was sitting right in the front, a dark man in a dark suit, his hair slicked back perfectly. He could have been a friggin' model! She huffed, annoyed. Whatever was he doing there?

For a second she wondered whether she could just swiftly turn around and leave without ever having to exchange any words. Seeing as he was a vampire, though, and he had probably already heard her approach from a mile away, she knew she was out of luck.

"Alright," she therefore called out, raising her purse as if in surrender, "dear cruel fate, please just get it over with already. Let the vampire do his spiel and let's get on with life."

Enzo looked at her briefly, arms resting on his knees, holding just the stem of a rose in his hands.

"Did you tear the poor flower's head off?" She asked, indicating the stem with a jerk of her head, and she saw his jaw muscles work as he made a face without really looking at her. "Is that, what, a new manifestation of your neck fetish?"

"Very funny, Bonnie Bennett."

She raised her head, her hair falling to her back. She squinted a little against the light. It was too bright for her bad mood. Something about his tone got to her, though, and she frowned. He sounded rather... sad.

"So," she began, a weird nervous urge to keep talking taking a hold of her. As if their usual banter was something that had to happen when they met. "Are you gonna try and knock me out again? Although," she looked around theatrically, "I doubt you'd wanna kidnap any of the present company."

"She died," he muttered, so quiet that she barely heard him. His head drooped. "She died and I wasn't even there to… I wasn't even there."

The non-sequitur caught her off guard. It took her a moment before she understood who he was talking about even though their location should have made it obvious. Bonnie felt a sudden pang of sympathy. Unwanted, but undeniable.

"Lily," she said and it came out a little too much like a scoff, a verbalized eye-roll. She was just so over that woman and the impact she had had on her sons - the people in her life in general. Including Enzo. (And why did she care about him?) It was a good thing that poor Elena didn't have to suffer through dancing around her future mother-in-law.

Bonnie's unwanted company still wasn't looking at her, but kept quietly rolling the thorny stem of the rose in his hands. Slowly, she walked over to him, she didn't really know why. It was not like he was a friend after all. Yet in some corner of her heart, she detected the tiniest spot for him. She was a bit annoyed with herself for it, but what could she do?

She walked close enough that she could finally see how bruised and broken his knuckles were. She raised her eyebrows, then her face scrunched up in sympathy.

"Do I need to check in there whether you broke anything of value?" She pointed behind him, into the crypt.

"I know. Dignity. It's free, I should get some… blah blah," he looked at her, then at his hands, before he slowly got to his feet. "Don't worry, love, I didn't break anything but my hands. You can check if it makes you feel better."

"Enzo…"

He sighed audibly as his face scrunched up a little, traitorously. He bit down hard, and turned away from her, his body tense and straight.

"I'm sorry," Bonnie whispered. "I'm really sorry." She stretched out a hand and lightly touched his arm. She half expected him to snap at her or act all cocky and aloof, but all he did was turn around and let her see the tears welling in his eyes.

For a minute or two they just stood there, her grip on his arm tightened, her other hand rising up to meet his cheek. When she touched it, it was so surprisingly warm, so… alive. She left her hand there for a moment, staring into his eyes, strangely mesmerized, before he gently took her hand in his, held it, then removed it.

"Thank you, Bonnie Bennett," he whispered, surprising her again. Then: "Looks like I just don't know what dignity is…"

And with that, he walked away from her.

She stood there for a little while longer, unsure of what to think or feel. Then she remembered the donuts and decided, this encounter was definitely sprinkles-worthy.

...

...

Outside the restaurant, Damon found Elena waiting. Her back pressed against the cool brick, she just stood there, waiting, her beautiful face hidden behind her hands. The wind had its way with her hair, blowing it in all directions, and Damon found himself just looking at her for a while, taking her in.

She was so beautiful.

When he finally walked over to her and murmured a "hello gorgeous" in her ear, she startled a bit.

"Damon."

She had cried. Her eyes were red and a little puffy. Damon frowned. That stupid father of hers. Bonnie's little magic trick had put quite the damper on his happily ever after with Elena.

Then again, that same magic trick was also the reason why he was even here with Elena already, and as a human to boot, rather than still biding his time until she woke up. Or worse, he could have still been busy trying to get rid of "Cadevil."

He pulled her into a sidehug and kissed the crown of her head. "Come on, babe. Let's go home. I'm sorry your dad is such a dick-"

"That's just the thing, though, Damon. He's not just a 'dick,' he's a horrible person. Yet I still love him. - The side of him I know anyway. And what does that make me?" She sniffled, but she started walking with him, clinging to him as they went.

"Well…" Damon couldn't help a grin, "it makes you a good person. It makes you you. Besides. I'm a horrible person, and you love me too. So there's that." He tried to keep it light, but he could tell that she wasn't really falling for it.

"No. This whole thing got me thinking. I mean, I've had to explain myself a lot to people. Why I am with you, after all that you've done and all that..."

Damon furrowed his brow. "Really?" He said. He wondered who she'd had to explain that to.

"I mean, you killed my brother. It doesn't get much worse than that-"

"To be fair-"

She didn't even let him finish. "But what I tell people is this: the things you do? The bad things? Usually they're results of your feelings being hurt and you lashing out in one way or another. Granted, you could definitely use some better coping mechanisms-"

"You are my coping mechanism."

"Damon," she chided, and bumped his chest with her fist, but lightly. "I'm serious. - Anyways. I know you're not without fault. I know you've done horrible things. But you were also a vampire, you had needs. My dad, though? He's been with the Augustine Society for years. Years! I don't even want to know for how long he tortured Enzo, or what he did to him-"

"Elena…"

"Just imagine you hadn't escaped back in the 1950s. It could have been you! My father could have tortured you! And not just as a spur of the moment type of thing, not because he was forced into it by family loyalty. No, he wanted it! And he still does! Did you hear what he said to Enzo? How he'd be so valuable now? - I… I mean, we are all vampires-turned-humans now. Does… does that mean he'd sell us all out to his 'friends' if the society was still around? - Not to mention that he made it sound like they were still active somewhere, somehow... The man I loved and that brought me up like I was his own? My dad?"

She was crying again, and Damon didn't really have any comfort for her other than his touch. So he held her, stopped in his tracks and just held her where they were, until her sobs subsided and she had composed herself a little again.

There was no denying that Grayson Gilbert seemed to be bad news. Damon had endured the Augustine torture for five long years. He knew that those people were worse than any vampire he had ever met. Worse than Ripper Stefan, worse than any supernatural being.

And he knew that while he'd always, always take Elena's side, he hoped that didn't mean he'd one day have to take Grayson Gilbert's side over Enzo's. Because he knew he wouldn't be able to do that.

...

Caroline was tired. So very tired, and so drunk. She had trouble opening the door - what a cliché - and it didn't help that her blonde hair kept obscuring her view.

"Oh come on!" She gave the door a kick and rested her throbbing head against the cool wood.

"Great, I don't think my life could get any more pathetic if I tried."

"Let me try…" Tyler shot her a glance and smiled.

She had almost forgotten that he was still there. A pang of regret entered her heart and she felt bad for that, too. He deserved better, but…

"I'm sorry, Ty, but I really think we should call it a night." She had turned around and held his jacket lapels in her fists like her balance depended on it.

"Okay," he said. "I could still help you with the door, though. No worries, I won't take advantage of you."

They both laughed. It was all a little awkward. Why had they even allowed that kissing back at the car to happen? At least they seemed to be on the same page about it all.

"Thanks, I think I'd really really like that." Caroline smiled and handed him the keys, relieved. But just as he was about to put the key in the lock, the door suddenly sprung open and there was Stefan.

And she felt like a teenager that had just been caught doing something bad.

"Stefan…"

"Caroline."

"You're… you're back? You…" she looked from him to Tyler, then back. Then she hid her face in her hands. "Oh gosh. I know this looks bad, but we…"

Unexpectedly, Stefan merely smiled. "It's okay, Care, I remember being drunk and careless."

"No. No! It was…"

"Nothing happened, man," Tyler chimed in a little awkwardly. "I think I'll… just go now. Caroline?"

"Ya. Uh, thanks Ty. See you later! Thanks for the, uh, ride. And the drinks."

"Anytime. - Stefan?"

"Tyler."

Once he was on his way to the car and she still stood in front of the door, she breathed out a stream of stale sour air. "Ugh, I think I might be-"

But she couldn't hold it in anymore and threw up right onto poor Stefan's sneakered feet.

He raised his eyebrows, then couldn't stifle a laugh. "The awkward kiss I saw you guys exchange in the car I'll forgive and forget, because I was away and a bit of a selfish asshole - but I don't think i can forgive you for ruining my favorite kicks like that."

"A bit?" She mumbled, wiping her mouth, before accepting his help by grabbing his proffered hand and crossing the puddle of gross between them.

"Okay, I was a big selfish asshole," he corrected as he pulled her close. Rank smell of vomit sticking to them both or not, he needed to hug her. He needed her.

Later, when she had cleaned herself up while he had taken care of her mess, they had both fallen asleep on the couch for a little bit. Long enough for her to wake up less drunk, but with a more fierce hangover headache.

"Let me make you a coffee," Stefan suggested and was already on his way to the kitchen. "Or do you rather want a Gatorade and some anchovies?"

Caroline almost gagged. "Ugh, geez, Stefan! I'm not a frat boy with a hangover, I'm a mothe- a woman with a pounding head. Coffee for me, please. No milk. And gimme all the sugar."

Only once her cup was almost empty and she had gotten really comfortable cuddling against her boyfriend, did she remember why she was so angry and what she had wanted to tell him.

"So, as if you leaving me here in order to travel around with Valerie - ex-girlfriend Valerie, might I add - wasn't enough already, why the hell did you think it was appropriate to ask Klaus friggin' Mikaelson to call me?"

She shoved Stefan a bit, and stared at him, pouting. "Was that your cruel idea of a joke?"

"Care… I thought he could help you."

"Help me? Klaus? You are supposed to be the one helping me, the one to be always there for me. - If you're not traveling around with any ex-girlfriends that is."

"I wasn't traveling with her for fun. You know that. She is a heretic and she was the only one who could help me take care of the mess I left behind when I turned human. If you were still a vampire, I'd have rather it had been you. Trust me."

"Right." She still pouted. She didn't want to let him off so easily. "That doesn't explain Klaus."

"Caroline. I know how upset you've been. How devastated. About Alaric and Jo. The twins. About losing your vampire strength. And while I can't really help with any of that, other than being there for you-"

"And you've failed miserably at that", she shot and was a tiny bit glad she saw the pain that crossed his face at her words.

"Well, ya. I'm so sorry, Caroline. I am sorry. I'll do better now. I promise." They exchanged a glance. She was such a sap, she chided herself, but she had already started to forgive him.

"Klaus?" She then prompted, not wanting to let him off the hook too easily.

"Klaus… I knew he'd be able to help with one thing, and I knew he'd be the only one I'd trust to be gentle and careful about it - because it is you. And we all know that he has a thing for you. Well, anyways. I asked him to turn you again."

"You- what?"

Before she could say anything else, the doorbell rang and she used that as an excuse to evade the conversation she didn't really want to have.

As it was, she now opened the door to a distraught looking Alaric with two little girls and a bunch of suitcases by his side.

"Mommy!" The girls yelled excitedly.

"Caroline." Alaric gave her an apologetic look.

All she could do was stand there, open mouthed, and then finally kneel down to embrace Josie and Lizzie. And then the tears came.

...

Bonnie woke up with a sudden sense of urgency. As if something had alerted her that she was needed. A strange feeling. Did it have anything to do with Grams watching over her?

Ever since she had talked to her grandma on that other plane of existence, she was constantly worrying about what the old woman could have meant. Bonnie was scared. Had her blast basically just made it so that they'd traded one menace - Cade - for another? And wasn't it worse now that they didn't know what or who that new menace was?

She felt so bad already about the heartache she had caused poor Caroline. Last time she tried, Caroline hadn't even wanted to talk to her, though at least Elena had informed her a few days ago that it seemed that there was a real chance the twins would be living with or at least close to her again. Apparently something was going on between Alaric and Jo. Another thing she felt responsible for. Ugh.

Her thoughts were going a mile a minute. She felt a headache start to form, when she noticed Enzo next to her toss and turn way more than was usual for him. She nudged him gently, with no reaction.

"Enzo?" She wanted to make sure he didn't have a nightmare or anything. He wasn't prone to them - at least as far as she could tell, but ever since he had first seen Grayson Gilbert back alive, something had changed there. To her, it almost seemed like he was suffering from some long suppressed, now slowly erupting PTSD. It was only understandable, and it worried her.

When he didn't wake up, she decided to watch over his sleep, just in case he woke up at some point and needed her. There was a light sheen of sweat on his forehead that she gently wiped away just as he suddenly opened his eyes and stared at her.

He took a gasping breath and sat up, his hand, his arms shielding his body as best as he could. She sat up right next to him, keeping her distance so as not to disturb him.

"Enzo. Enzo… you're alright. You're with me," she soothed, "you're alright."

He looked at her then and lowered his arms, defeated. Exhausted. He wiped over his face and rubbed his eyes. "Sorry, love. Did I wake you up?"

"No, babe. I was already up. - Bad dream?"

He grimaced, but didn't say anything. She decided to let it be; she didn't want to pry or make him relive any bad memories.

Just then he said, "I guess some things will always come back to haunt you, no matter how hard you try to forget. - At least now I have you to make good memories with to replace the bad ones, Bonnie Bennett."

With that, he pulled her down onto the blankets again and they just held each other very close for a long time before their gentle tender touches and kisses gradually turned into something more...

...

Thank you two for the nice reviews again! Anna: there'll definitely be an Elena - parent scene coming up. And shadowdancer: I love what you say about how children see their parents.

It will remain to be seen how Grayson and Elena deal with their situation. But ya, I definitely think it's often the humans that act worse than the vampires when you really look at it all.

Also, I heard about the proposal scene. But not that it's not even included in the DVD?! Aw, that sucks. They should have really given the finale double length, or at least 15 minutes more screen time. But oh well.