AN: Hey guys, thanks to all my regulars for their reviews on both - Pixiegrl1976, Ningyo-kijo, IntrovertedxxMusings, DamnGina17, SteVie'SGirL and AO3 – DayDreamer70, Jerkchickenz, Bre, Rixx1998. I always appreciate your reviews and hearing your opinions and thank you for your well wishes for my mom. Y'all are the best!

I know that Damon seems completely irredeemable right now, and I do want to make clear that he's not meant to be perfect. He has his own demons and has been influenced in a way that has affected his judgement. I also want you all to know that Damon and Katherine have NOT been sleeping together since Damon and Bonnie's first kiss. He and Katherine are married, legally, but Damon is not in love with her or living with her. Katherine is not ready to let him go, even though she can't fully give him all of her either. It's very toxic, and that is the only kind of relationship Damon is familiar with. So, in walks Bonnie, someone who is the complete opposite and he's now faced with a battle of his own moral compass; a power struggle between who he is and who he wants to be…for Bonnie. Which I feel like is Damon's MO.

Anyways, I hope that gives you a better idea of Damon's character in this and have a bit of sympathy for him. He's wrong for doing what he's doing, no doubt, but so is Bonnie for that matter, and they are both making very poor choices right now.

I made this a nice long chapter for you, and I do still hope I have my readers. I really put a lot of time and energy into writing so I hope someone out there is enjoying it. I think after this, we'll have one or two more chapters to wrap it up. Thanks – Vanessa

I Had to Know You – Part VII

We should leave our lovers, we should, we should leave our lovers
But you'll never leave your lover, no you'll never leave your lover
No

…

Bonnie jammed to the music as she washed the dishes one Sunday morning, an unusually giddy smile on her face. Her relationship with Damon was evolving, and just thinking about him brought a school of butterflies to her belly. For the most part, her and Jeremy were passing ships; he was working security at a club downtown, and half the time she was walking out the door while he was walking in. It worked for her, because she barely had to face him, but she knew something had to be done; she couldn't maintain this forever, and eventually a decision had to be made. In her heart of hearts, she knew what that was, but there was this underlying fear that held her back. What if she ended things with Jeremy and they didn't work out with Damon? What if she told him how she felt and he didn't feel the same way? What if she throws away nearly fifteen years for a man that could potentially shatter her to pieces? Would it be worth it?

She was ripped from her thoughts when thick arms snaked around her waist. "Oh…hi." She squirmed uncomfortably, feeling suffocated by his embrace. She barely heard him come in.

"Morning…" he plastered a sloppy kiss on her cheek, before whispering in her ear. "Guess what today is." Obviously, he had a drink or two before leaving work as the alcohol was evident on his breath.

"Uuh…Succession?" Watching a show was basically all the did together lately.

He chuckled, dropping his forehead to her shoulder before placing kisses along the exposed skin there. It nearly made her skin crawl. "Yes, but no…it's our anniversary."

Her heart stopped. Her eyes shot up as she did the math in her head. Had she totally forgotten? What month was it? Oh…oh no. "Really?" She knew what that meant, and now suddenly Bonnie was panicked.

He was still laughing, clearly amused that she had forgotten for once. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure. I had it noted down in my calendar. I wasn't going to make that mistake again. So I was thinking…I'll go take a shower and get cleaned up, and you can meet me in the bedroom?"

She winced. "Um, I can't. I have my period." She rolled her shoulders to shake him off, but he didn't seem to take the hint.

"Wasn't that last week?" When in the hell did he become so observant?

"I'm just not really in the mood, Jer." She grumbled drying her hands on the towel.

Jeremy turned her around to face him, staring down at her curiously. "Hey…you okay? You've been acting weird lately."

Bonnie shrugged nonchalantly, eyes bouncing around to avoid his stare. "What do you mean, I'm fine."

He sighed, dropping his hands to his side, and leaned against the island across from her. "Look, I know things have been tense between us. We barely see each other, and I know I have this tendency to let you down sometimes, but I'm really trying to be better for you, Bonnie; better for us. I've got steady work now, and after everything that happened, I swear to you, I'm done with those guys, okay?" His brows slanted pleadingly.

Bonnie rubbed her temple as she remembered that night. He'd been partying with the boys and got himself into a fight. Instead of backing him up, they ditched him for the after party leaving him to be taken to the drunk tank. When Bonnie got the call from the police station, she had to go and pick him up forcing her to leave Damon's bed in a whirlwind. It was incredibly embarrassing, considering she was very familiar with the staff and officers at the station.

"You'll pulling away, Bonnie. And I don't want to lose you…" he continued, and it pulled on her heart strings.

She forced a smile. "We're fine Jeremy. Everything's fine." She repeated more to herself, giving him a gentle pat on the chest before moving to the fridge. "Why don't you wash up, and I'll make us some breakfast, okay?" She forced that smile again, so much so that it hurt and it was enough to ease his worry for the time being.

…

"Hey." Katherine snapped her fingers in front of Damon's face. "Can we focus please. We have a lot to cover." She went back to flipping through all the documents on the table between them.

Damon looked away from the memories that haunted these walls. He didn't even want to be here. You shouldn't be here. He berated himself. You could have done this anywhere else. Somehow, you let her lead you right into the lion's den. Or more accurately, the black widow's web. "Why are we here, Katherine?" he turned his deadpanned stare to her.

She dropped her palms to the surface. "You wanna do this in a Starbucks?" she snapped back in a sarcastic drawl. She smirked. "Or better yet…your place?" Her brow quirked. Damon scoffed with a roll of his eyes and she turned back to filling out the paperwork. "You know, Damon, I'm getting a little tired of the cold shoulder." Her eyes darted up briefly. "You're hardly in a position to be getting on my bad side." She uttered in a detached tone.

He laughed darkly. "You're joking, right? I think you have that backwards Kitty-kat." He smirked at the confused frown on her face. "You need this. Sure, I benefit from it, but there's something you want…badly, and you need me to do it." He shrugged coolly. "I don't have to be District Attorney…the money, the power, the lifestyle…I could care less."

She huffed a laugh, her tongue poking at her cheek. "Is that right?" She was almost amused by how nonchalant he was being. "You want to forget about all this?" she gestured to the pile in front of her. "Okay." She tossed her pen on the table and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "Let's pretend for a second that I believe you. What's your next move, Damon? The ball is already rolling; I can't imagine Wilkins will be forgiving once he finds out you were prepared to run against him." She mocked a gasp. "And colluding with public officials to buy your support…scandalous." Damon's jaw clenched. "And you can say goodbye to your job; hell, you'd be lucky if you didn't get disbarred." Katherine held his gaze with an unflinching and calculating stare. "And what would Bon-Bon think?" she drawled threateningly, her lips slowly turning into a smirk when he blinked, averting his eyes. It was like a game of chicken, and she just found his weak spot. "You've been awfully quiet about her lately…what's been going on with you two?" she asked conversationally, a hint of jealousy in her tone. "Did she let you down slowly? Break your jaded little heart?"

"Yeah, I'm sure you'd love that, wouldn't you?" he carefully skirted around her question. "Then you could have me all to yourself, right?" he glared, his upper lip curling in a sneer.

She shrugged innocently. "We're perfect for each other, Damon…and you know it. Because deep down, you are just as screwed up as I am. People like us…" she got serious for once, a somber look in her eyes. "We don't get the luxury of earning the love of the Bonnie's of the world. We take everything good about them and flip it on its head." She eyed him for a long moment. "All we do is twist them up and spit them out…trust me, I know." She mumbled regretfully.

It was the first time Katherine ever acknowledged the way she corrupted him over the years. He was once innocent and impressionable and she took that and molded him into someone that was just like her. Bonnie was different; she had good intentions, and a heart of gold. Even through the heartaches she'd been through in her life, it never jaded her, and it only made her stronger. He admired that about her. Damon's eyes dropped to the surface of the table pensively. She deserved better than him…

"There's nothing going on with Bonnie and I." he lied convincingly, meeting her gaze again. "We're just friends." Relief shone in Katherine's eyes, but she was quick to mask it. "But it doesn't mean we can start up whatever was going on before. I meant what I said. And the second the election is over; I'm signing those papers."

That didn't seem to shut her down, and a secret smirk pulled on her lips. "Whatever you say, handsome." She knew for the moment she'd won.

…

It was almost dawn, and she knew she should leave, make it back before Jeremy got home, but Bonnie couldn't bring herself to leave the comfort of his embrace. The view was beautiful from up here on the roof of Damon's apartment, and she felt so content laying between his legs on the lounge chair, her back pressed against his chest.

Damon's fingers traced patterns on her toned stomach under the blanket, her head tucked under his chin as the sun started to paint the sky with pinks and oranges. This was always the hardest part for him; that moment when they knew the night was over and reality was only hours away, but they both refused to address it. Last night was special, mostly because it had nothing to do with sex.

She showed up after 8pm, like she always did, but he surprised her by leading her directly up to the roof, instead of inside the apartment. There was a beautiful set up awaiting her; a large blanket arranged with a picnic of her favorite snacks, red wine, and music. It was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her, and it nearly stole her breath away. They spent the whole night dancing, laughing, and talking about anything that came to mind and for the first time, Bonnie got a feel of what a real relationship with Damon would be like…and she wanted more.

Her hands linked with his, and he held her tighter. "I don't want to go…" she whispered sadly.

He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. "Then stay." His words were so soft, gentle in a way she realized was just for her.

Nervousness took over her, and she trembled in his arms. "What if…" she sucked in a deep breath before continuing. "What if I didn't have to go all the time?" His head shot down to look at her, and she tilted her face up to meet his gaze.

"What are you saying?"

Bonnie turned in his arms. "I can't keep doing this, Damon. Lying to Jeremy, pretending like everything is fine when it's not. I can't keep living with one foot there and the other here." Damon's large hand caressed her face, and she nuzzled into it. "I want to be with you...just you. I guess I just want to make sure that's still what you want." She questioned, bowing her head and avoiding his gaze.

Damon lit up, a brilliant smile pulling on his face. "As if you even have to ask." He tipped her chin up, cradling her face in both his hands and staring right into her eyes. "I'm crazy about you, if that's not already obvious."

She relaxed, dropping her head back to his chest. "Oh thank God." They chuckled, the tension breaking. When her green eyes met his again, her smile dropped. "This isn't going to be easy; you know. It's going to take time, and it's going to be hard. You can't unwind fifteen years together overnight." She warned gently. "For him, this is all coming out of left field. I don't even know how he's going to react."

He nodded understandingly. "I know, and I'm still gonna be here." He swallowed. "What are you going to tell him?"

She sighed. "I have no idea. Telling him about you means having to explain everything and then having to justify it, which is-" Damon stopped her ramble.

"Hey, you don't have to justify your actions to him, Bon. You deserve to be happy."

"I know…" she deflated. "But I didn't have to…I could have gone about it differently." She reiterated. "I just need you to be patient with me, okay? Then I'm all yours." She finished with a reassuring smile.

He captured her lips in a slow and tender kiss. "I could get used to hearing that." He stared at her, eyes darting between hers as he felt the guilt weigh on him. Tell her…tell her now before it's too late. It was a lot easier said than done. He didn't even know where to begin. Where would he start?

"Everything okay?" she asked him.

He snapped out of his thoughts, pushing it done and reassuring her with a grin. "Yeah, yeah…everything is perfect. I'm happy." He'd tell her…just not right now.

She graced him with a beautiful smile, that had him forgetting all his troubles. "I'm happy too."

…

He'd been complaining the whole way over, and there were several times during the drive that Bonnie wished it was Damon she was sitting shotgun next to. But while asking him to be her escort tonight had certainly crossed her mind, it wasn't an option; especially when her boss was expecting her long-term boyfriend, not the tall, dark and sexy side piece. First it was that he was missing the fights, then it was the suit, now…the nearly 2 hour drive. It was grating on her last nerve.

"Jeremy." Bonnie snapped. "It's one night, okay. These are very important people and it's an honor that they even invited me. Can you please just…support me." She ground out with a frustrated sigh, trying hard to keep her tone level. It was moments like this that solidified her decision.

"Okay, okay…I'm sorry." He apologized, but it came out more defensive, like she was getting mad for no reason. "I support you." He placed his hand on her knee and shot her a smile. It was meant to be comforting, but it did everything but.

"Thank you." She grumbled, trying not to pull away from him. It was the strangest feeling…like she was cheating on Damon. "This is the Mikaelson family estate. All the senior partners will be there and also a few of our more VIP investors. If this all goes well, I could make partner someday. I just don't want anything to screw this up."

Jeremy's brows furrowed, glancing at her briefly. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked in a clipped response.

She squeezed her eyes shut, knowing they were headed right for a fight. "I just mean…these people have high standards. They aren't like the party crowd you're used to." She mumbled the last part under her breath.

He scoffed. "So you're worried I'll embarrass you, is that it?"

Her head snapped to him. "Yeah. Kinda." She exclaimed boldly. "I mean, it wasn't that long ago I had to bail you out of jail, Jeremy, and let me tell you…that was embarrassing. So please…just stay sober, and act like you actually want to be there, okay?" She finished with a huff, turning her gaze back out the window.

"Pretty hard to do that if I'm sober." He joked back, earning a glare in his direction. "Fine." He eyed her out of the corner of his eye. She had been anxious lately; like something was weighing on her but every time he questioned her on it, she brushed it off. They fought almost daily now, whether it was something he did or didn't do, it all seemed to set her off. They were drifting apart, and if he wanted to bring them back together, he needed to prove to her that he could make the effort.

They were both blown away by the estate when they pulled up the roundabout driveway. The lot was filled with luxury vehicles of various makes and models; presumably belonging to the other guests. It was nothing in comparison to her Kia forte. The driveway was a polished cobblestone with a grand fountain in the center of what Bonnie had come to know as the Mikaelson family crest. They were led into the impressive foyer, and Jeremy's hand rested on the small of her back, gently guiding her. It wasn't long before they were mingling with some of the other guests and Bonnie was able to relax when Jeremy lived up to his promise. He was engaging in adult conversations, taking things seriously for once, and being the best damn supporting boyfriend, he could be. He pulled out her chair for her, he brought her champagne, he hit her and everyone else with his boyish charms that got her in the first place, and she wondered where this guy was the last few years. Bonnie was actually starting to enjoy herself.

"You're really taking this seriously, huh." Bonnie chuckled as he came back from the dance floor. Mrs. Grace Newton, a very wealthy widow, had really left him with no choice, but he grinned and bared it, to Bonnie's amusement. It reminded her of what they were like before they were ever a couple. When they were just friends.

He got so close he towered over her. "Well, I wanna make you happy Bonnie. You have supported me through everything…and I took that for granted." For the first time in a long time, he looked at her; like really looked at her. "You know, I think this is the first time I've heard you laugh in months…" he caressed her bare shoulders affectionately. "What happened to us Bonnie?" he whispered confused.

She averted her eyes. "Can we talk about this later?" There was a slight wobble in her voice that she tried to cover by clearing her throat.

"But there is something to talk about, right? Because I'm starting to feel like there's something you're not telling me." He pressed, but kept his voice low.

"Jeremy, please…" Bonnie insisted. "Later, okay?"

"Bonnie!" Her eyes were drawn just passed him to see Katherine sauntering over in the most stunning red dress she'd ever seen. Of course, Katherine Pierce was dressed to the nines, putting most other women here to shame. "There you are, I've been looking all over for you."

Bonnie let out a breath of relief; both for the interruption and to finally see a familiar face. "Hey, thank God, I was starting to think you weren't coming."

"Are you kidding, I wouldn't miss this for the world." She raked her eyes up and down Jeremy. "Well don't you look handsome; I guess all you need is a cheap suit to look like Prince Charming these days." She complimented in a back-handed way.

He clenched his jaw, forcing a smile. "Hi Katherine…good to see you again." He bit out tersely.

She shot him a plastic smile. "Likewise." She turned to Bonnie. "Anyways, there's someone I'd like you to meet." She linked arms with her, leading her through to the other side of the room through the mingling guests. "You'll want to get in good with Aurora; you can fit her in the palm of your hand, but she has her husband by the balls. You become friends with her…next thing you know, you're jetting off to Paris for the weekend because she felt like Coq au vin. Klaus can't say no to her." People nodded and smiled in her direction and she responded in kind. Jeremy trailed behind them both uncomfortably. They approached a woman and two men with their backs to them and another she recognized as Elijah Mikaelson with his wife Hayley. "Niklaus…" he turned, removing himself from the conversation between his brother and the other man. "This is the woman I was telling you about."

"Klaus Mikaelson." He extended his hand for her to shake. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Bonnie was star struck for a moment, before shaking his hand and responding. "It's nice to meet you too."

"You sure have been making waves around town with that last win." He teased good naturedly. It had been a controversial case, and everyone seemed to have an opinion on it. "Sort of a wild card, aren't you? That's the kind of asset I like to have around."

She ducked her head to hide the flush at the compliment. "Thank you, sir, that truly means a lot. And thank you for the invitation tonight, it's an honor to be here."

He nodded, bringing his glass to his lips. "You're most welcome. Please meet my wife, Aurora." He gestured to the tiny little redhead beside him, who smiled prettily and shook her hand. Kat was right, she was tiny, but Bonnie could tell she was a firecracker. "And I'm sure you know Katherine's husband…" He clapped the man beside him on the shoulder, pulling him from his exchange with Elijah. "Damon Salvatore."

He turned at the sound of his name, his eyes immediately landing on Bonnie. She stood stunned for a moment, hurt flashing in her eyes before she pushed it down and forced a smile. "Yes, we've met."

He seemed just as shocked as she was, his gaze darting between the amusement in Katherine's eyes and the disappointment in Bonnie's. How was he supposed to explain himself like this? Backed into a corner, surrounded by people, and their 'significant others' standing by. Now was not the time. "Bonnie. Good to see you." He smiled tightly, before his eyes landed on the man beside her. He felt jealousy rise up in his chest at the protective hand resting on the small of her back. "You must be Jeremy." He held out his hand. "Damon Salvatore." He squeezed tightly and with dominance earning a small wince from the other man.

Jeremy withdrew his hand, shoving it back in his pants pocket. "Funny, I didn't know you were married." He directed to Katherine.

Neither did I. Bonnie thought to herself bitterly. Her thoughts were running wild right now, and she didn't know whether it was Damon she was mad at, or herself. Here she was, investing all this time into a man that was already married…and to her boss!? How did she miss this? Where were the signs? She been to his apartment dozens of times and not once did she see any indication that he was married. No pictures, no feminine touch to the décor, he didn't even have a tan line where the platinum gold band on his ring finger sat now. He must have seen the wheels turning because when she glanced over, he was watching her intently.

"I decided to keep my name for the sake of the firm. Hard to be Pierce & Mikaelson without the Pierce." She fit herself into Damon's side, resting a hand on his chest. "We also like to keep our personal life private, don't we sweetheart?" She added with a purr of innuendo.

Bonnie averted her eyes from the display of affection, and distracted herself by talking to Klaus. "So I hear this house has been in your family for generations. I'm sure the walls have some stories to tell."

Klaus, lit up, eager to share his family history and show off his prized possessions. "Well, why don't Aurora and I give you two the grand tour."

Bonnie sighed in relief; that was just the escape she needed right now. "That would be great." She slipped her hand into Jeremy's catching the tension in Damon's jaw and the jealousy in his glare. "Excuse us." She aimed for polite, but to Damon it sounded like a dismissal.

When the were alone, Damon pulled himself away from Katherine's touch. "That went well." She joked. "I hope you learned your lesson…" his brows furrowed as he watched Bonnie walk out of sight, before turning a cold glare to Katherine.

"You knew she'd be here…this is your fault." He accused hatefully.

She laughed sarcastically. "No, Damon it's your fault. Don't you get it yet? You are the one that could have avoided all of this. All you had to do was tell the truth, but you're terrified that if you let her see who you really are…she'd drop you like a bad habit, and you know why?" He blinked, knowing she was right, but refused to let it show. "Because she's too good for you, and you know it." She stated gently, almost sympathetically. He bowed his head in resignation. "Aw…my poor scared puppy. You really fucked up the best thing you've ever had, didn't you? I'm not stupid; I know Bonnie isn't just a friend. I know you care about her…but you don't deserve her." She let out a laugh of amusement. "I mean, you had months to tell her the truth, but you didn't. Instead, you lied…now she'll never forgive you. You can't make her happy. All you'll do is steal her light." She pressed against him, her hands caressing his chest. "That's why you belong in the dark…with me."

He removed her hands from him. "No…" he ground out, putting space between them. "You're wrong. And I'll prove it." He vowed; brushing passed her.

…

They ended their tour, and the night continued on with Bonnie doing her best to avoid both Damon and Katherine, fairly successfully. It was easy to get lost in this house and she clung to Jeremy; like a security blanket? She added internally with cynicism, knowing that this was a terribly unhealthy way to deal with this new information. There were more than a few times when he would catch her gaze from across the room, or she could feel his eyes burning into her back begging her silently to talk to him. She ignored him.

All she could do was act as if everything was normal; smiles and laughs, business as usual. On the outside anyways. Inside she was a mess. The timing couldn't have been better when Elijah pulled Jeremy away for a cigar in the parlor room and she was finally afforded a moment to herself. She slipped out the terrace doors, walking down to a secluded little area; a secret little garden. Bonnie sucked in a deep breath of fresh air as she sat on the bench overlooking the acres of land; grateful for the solitude. Everyone was inside the house, and from where she was, not even the chatter of people could be heard. It took everything in her not to cry as she watched the wind blow the branches on the willow tree in the distance. It looked like a well choreographed dance, locking her into a trance.

"Bonnie…?"

Her head snapped to the voice in surprise, but her glance turned cold when she saw who it was. "I have nothing to say to you." Her voice cracked, and she forced herself to keep it together.

"I can explain all of this." He pleaded, desperately stepping forward cautiously. "Trust me, it's not what you think."

"Katherine is your wife?" she asked in a whisper, not daring to lift her gaze to meet his. He had a way of making her melt with one look and she was not going to let him get away with it.

He sighed, closing his eyes. "Bonnie-"

"Yes or no, Damon." She demanded.

"Yes…technically." he admitted reluctantly. "But-"

She finally turned tear filled eyes to him, and his heart broke. "And you knew…you knew when you met me that she was my boss, and you didn't say anything?" She asked in disbelief. "Why?"

"Because I didn't-" He tunneled his hand through his hair. "Because I didn't think it would matter. When I met you, I had no idea that I'd feel this way, that I'd care about you this much." He expressed passionately.

She scoffed, pushing to her feet to face him. "So that makes it okay?! To lie to me, to cheat on your wife?" she lowered her voice.

He got on the defensive. "Hey, you're not innocent either, okay!" He instantly regretted saying it the second he saw the hurt cross her face. "I'm sorry…"

A tear fell down her cheek, and the fire left her, leaving only sadness in its wake. "I never lied to you, Damon. I was honest about everything. About whoI was, what I wanted, my plans…yet, I feel like I don't even know you right now."

"It's still me." He came closer, breathing a sigh of relief when she didn't back away. "Everything I've told you is true. I may have omitted some things, but how I feel about you, what you mean to me…I never lied about that." He told her earnestly, the words pouring out of him in defense.

After what she'd heard tonight, the man in front of her looked entirely different from the man she watched the sun come up with a few days ago. She had no idea what to believe. There was only one way to find out. "Are you running for DA?" Damon deflated, dropping his head guiltily, confirming what she already knew. "Just full for surprises tonight, aren't you? Why wouldn't you tell me that? Like I wouldn't be happy for you?" She asked dejectedly. "I had to hear it from Aurora; apparently, she's close with Carol Lockwood…whose friends with your wife." The last word rolled off her tongue bitterly. Mrs. Mikaelson was quite the gossip, and she cavalierly spilt the tea on the whole dinner meeting; right down to the restaurant. The same one he took her to. She felt like all the air was being sucked out of her lungs. "How could you do this to me?"

It felt like his heart was in a vice, knowing that he was the reason behind the pain on her face, and the hurt in her voice. "I was going to tell you. I was scared…scared that if you knew about Katherine and what we were doing, that you wouldn't understand." He stepped closer, until she was within arms reach. "I didn't want to lose you." His hand came up to brush a lock of hair from her face, but she reeled back. "Bonnie…please let me explain." He whispered.

She shook her head, willing herself to be strong. "I don't want to hear it. God…I was going to leave Jeremy for you." She stated, more to herself than him. When her eyes met his again, she could see the fear on his face, and hardened her resolve. "It's over, Damon. Whatever we were, whatever this was…it's over." She finished brokenly.

"No, Bon please…" he begged. "I know what you must be thinking, but I promise I can make this right. Katherine and I…it's not real!" he exclaimed.

"You can't fix this." She told him with determination, before turning her gaze to the sky as if it had the answers. "I don't know why I thought that this could work…you can't build anything off of a lie." She swiped the tears from her cheeks, trying to compose herself. "Whatever explanation or excuse you have…as far as I'm concerned, I've heard all I needed to hear. Goodbye Damon." She walked away, her face crumbling when she was finally able to turn her back on him.

She let the tears fall freely and quietly to herself in the bathroom, giving herself a moment to feel the loss before collecting herself and fixing her face. When she was satisfied that the traces of her tears were gone, she found Jeremy, feigning a headache and giving a quick goodbye to the Mikaelsons before quickly leaving the party.

He pulled the door of the car open for her, noticing the weary look on her face. "Hey, are you sure you're alright? You look upset." He asked concerned.

Bonnie's gaze pulled to a spot over his shoulder and noticed Damon sitting on a bench in the garden around the side of the house, right where she left him, head buried in his hands. She focused back on Jeremy. "Yeah. I'm good, just tired. Take me home?"

He smiled, kissing the top of her head before moving around to the driver's side.

…

AN: And the cat is finally out of the bag…sort of. Will Bonnie give Damon a chance to explain? Will she stay with Jeremy? I'm curious to know what y'all think! Thank you for reading, and I'll be back soon. - Vanessa