AN: Hey guys! I will be back with Part 2 for Keeping Love Alive, but while I work on it, I wanted to give you a little something else!

…

You Look Like a Movie, You Sound Like a Song

Summary: AH - Ten years ago, Damon shipped off with the Marines, leaving his high school girlfriend, Bonnie behind. They reunite at their ten-year reunion, and they are both reminded of the love long left behind.

Song Inspiration: When We Were Young – Adele

Everybody loves the things you do
From the way you talk
To the way you move
Everybody here is watching you
'Cause you feel like home
You're like a dream come true

But if by chance you're here alone
Can I have a moment?
Before I go?
'Cause I've been by myself all night long
Hoping you're someone I used to know

…

Bonnie smiled as she moved around, catching the candid moments of friends reuniting after years apart. When they hired her to be the photographer for the event, she agreed immediately. It was only fitting considering she was in the yearbook club. Every photo in that book had her name beside it, which meant she wasn't really featured. Bonnie wasn't one of the popular ones; she wasn't a cheerleader, or in any sports…she just hid behind her camera. If she was honest, she would have slipped under the radar if it wasn't for him. Somehow, he noticed her, and made it his goal to sweep her off her feet. And he did. For three years, Bonnie was the girlfriend of the most admired guy in school. Damon Salvatore wasn't just the starting quarterback, he was also valedictorian, and prom king. He was a friend to everyone, and there wasn't one person who had a bad thing to say against him.

The day he left had to be one of the hardest of her life.

.

"I'm not ready for you to go." She whispered, tears falling down her cheeks.

Damon wiped them away, his eyes slanted sadly. "I know, baby…but If I don't go now, I'm going to miss my flight." The weeks leading up to this moment were bittersweet. They had all summer together, but as the days closed in, it didn't seem to be enough. He never expected to fall so deeply in love with her. He never expected that it would be so hard to say goodbye. A part of him was willing to give it all up just to stay with her, but he'd made a promise to his father long ago and even though he'd passed away, Damon was still a man of his word. Giuseppe was a Marine, and so was his father before him…it was his legacy, and serving his country was as much a part of him as his flesh and blood.

Bonnie nodded, resting her hands on his chest, focusing on the intricate detail on the golden buttons adorning his uniform. "I love you."

Damon closed his eyes, resting his forehead on hers. "I love you too, Bonnie." He swallowed painfully as he pulled back. "But I need you to do me a favor. Don't sit around here waiting for me." Her shocked gaze shot up to look at him. "Take the internship." She started to protest, but he stopped her. "No, don't argue with me on this…not this time. You deserve this. Don't waste your talent here. Go to LA."

"But when you come back-" she started.

Damon cut her off. "I don't know when I'll be back. It could be more than a year before I can come home, and if I get deployed…" he sighed. "Bonnie, listen; I don't want you to worry about me okay. I need you to promise me that you'll live your life." It killed him to say it and he tried hard to keep the strain out of his voice.

Bonnie knew what he was saying. Live your life, move on. And she didn't know if she could even keep that promise. How could she, when she had thought that he was it? The last three years, Damon had been everything to her, and while she knew this day would come, she silently hoped it wouldn't. It was selfish of her to think that he'd stay, but she could see the excitement in his eyes as he meticulously packed his bags. "I promise." She lied through a hushed whisper.

He kissed her lips slow and softly, savoring the moment. "I'll see you at graduation, right?"

She nodded eagerly, swiping away a tear. They had discussed that she'd fly out with his brother and mother for the graduation ceremony in a few months. He took a deep breath, and pulled his hat from under his arm and placed it on his head. He looked like a vision in his army greens, and she smoothed down his lapel nervously. "Well, you better get going."

He reluctantly stepped off her front porch. "I'll see you in a few months." He called out.

.

But she didn't see him at graduation…

Her connecting flight from Denver to South Carolina was cancelled due to extreme weather conditions and she was stuck in an unknown city for the whole weekend waiting out the storm. And when he came home, she was in LA, and when he came to LA to surprise her, she was in Paris doing her first major photoshoot. They kept missing each other. It was like fate had other plans for them. A whole ten years passed and she'd be lying if she said she didn't hope to see him here.

Bonnie snapped photos of people dancing, and the different cliques huddled in groups. Some people looked the exact same, others had made complete transformations. Some were parents, others were married, some hadn't matured at all. Most people hated coming back home, but for Bonnie, it was comforting; all these people meant something to her in some way.

She heard laughter coming from the bar, and as she lifted her camera to her eye she stopped as the crowd parted. A thrilled smile pulled on her lips and she snapped several photos catching the glimmer in his azure eyes that once made her weak in the knees. He was telling a story, and everyone was giving him rapt attention; hanging on every word he said. She watched as they found her and then the dazzling lopsided smirk that followed. She snapped another.

He stood to his full height, his gaze only on her as he slipped through the group to stand in front of her, his eyes traveling over her in amazement. Her heart hammered in her chest as she let the camera hang from the strap around her neck and forced herself to stare up at him. "Bonnie Bennett…aren't you a sight for sore eyes." his words crooned lowly.

"Hi Damon." She blinked, forgetting where she was for a second as she got lost in the depth of pools of blue. Bonnie's eyes looked him over as she sucked in a deep breath. The smell of his cologne brought back memories long since passed. "You wear it well." Her fingers gently ghosted over the badges decorated on his chest. He looked more handsome than she'd ever seen him in his dress blues; like he walked right out of a movie.

He chuckled, bowing his head. "I just flew in from a recruitment event in Missouri. Haven't had the chance to change." He rolled his eyes. "It's a bit much."

"No." she shook her head, staring up at him through her lashes. "You look good."

"So do you…" his eyes raked over the emerald green silk dress; it was stunning and classic, just like she was, falling mid thigh, hugging every curve, with thin spaghetti straps and a swooping low back. Her hair fell in loose ringlets, well passed her shoulders and over her chest, Damon swallowed. "Ten years and you still take my breath away." He smiled nervously.

She rolled her eyes playfully with a little shake of her head. He always had a way of saying things that reduced her to a pile of mush, but she tried to keep it together. "I'm surprised to see you here. Last I heard you were stationed over seas." She cleared her throat as the words caught in them. She remembered that call from Stefan, saying that Damon was deployed to Afghanistan and the dread that followed. There wasn't a day that went by that she didn't think about him, or what he was doing, where in the world he was…if he was safe.

"I got back a few months ago." His hands itched to reach out and touch her but he refrained. His eyes scanned the room, and her left hand subtly. "So…are you here alone?" he asked slowly, anxious for her answer.

She chuckled. "Oh yeah…" Men didn't last too long in her life; she was too busy with work and flying around to her next shoot that there wasn't any time to build relationships. Not that she didn't try. "You?" she asked with bated breath.

Bonnie saw a glimmer in his eyes as he shot her a little smirk. "Yeah. You want a drink?"

When she nodded, he led her to the bar, resting his hand on the small of her back, and she felt tingles surge over her skin. They were swept away in conversation, catching up on the last ten years, filling each other in on their lives. She told him about how the internship in LA, led her to owning her own studio in New York; she'd seen the world because of her work and while her schedule was busy and all-consuming at times, she was happy. Damon travelled a lot too; he'd been on covert missions that put him in more danger than Bonnie was okay with, but he also helped and saved a lot of lives along the way; it was rewarding work for him, and he talked about it all with a smile on his face.

There was a brief silence between them before he nervously looked down into his nearly empty glass. "It was real, what we had, right?" he didn't risk looking up to see her expression. "I've been alone a long time, Bonnie…sometimes I feel like I built it up in my head, trying not to believe we were just two teenagers who thought they were in love." He glanced up to see the tears in her eyes. "But we were, right?"

Bonnie nodded, as the emotions rolled over her. Many nights lying alone in bed, she thought the same. "Yeah, we were. I've never…" she started hesitantly clearing her throat. "I mean I dated over the years, but…I've never loved anyone else. I know you told me not to wait for you, but I think I always will."

Damon smiled. "I waited for you too. I guess I always figured…I hoped that one day we'd get a second chance." He leaned in, resting his hand atop hers on the table. "I love my life. I love what I do…but something has always been missing. I didn't know what it was until I saw you tonight, and I don't think I can go home not knowing if I'll ever see you again. I know it's wrong of me to ask…but South Carolina is only a 2-hour flight from New York, and I know that you have this whole life that you've built, but-"

"Yes." She answered quickly, squeezing his hand back. "I want to make this work. Whatever we have to do to…I'm all in."

Damon grinned happily, rising to his feet and holding out a hand for her. She stood and for the first time since the day he left ten years ago, she melted into his arms…and it felt like coming home. He held her close, resting his chin on her head, inhaling her familiar scent of jasmine and coconut. He cradled her face and kissed her soundly, as the desire for her took over. It had been so long since he'd felt her against him. "Want to get out of here?" He whispered against her lips.

"Mhm." She nodded back breathlessly.

They gathered their belongings and rushed out of the hall, not noticing the amused glances they received on their exit. Both Damon and Bonnie knew that they had a tough road ahead of them; he would spend a lot of time away from home, and so would she, but as long as they were coming home to each other they knew the rest didn't matter. They wasted far too many years feeling incomplete, and now they were given a second chance.

…

AN: I know this one is a bit shorter, but every time I hear this song, I think of a high school reunion and I thought it would be a cute little vignette for our favorite couple. I don't think it came together on paper as well as I envisioned it, so I apologize if it's a little lack luster. Please review! – Vanessa