After a blessedly uneventful walk to her hotel, Bonnie greeted the pretty lady at the reception desk and made her way to her room. Even as she walked down the hallway, the tight nervous feeling stayed with her. Perhaps she was losing her battle with paranoia, but she took the stairs and not the elevator. You can't get trapped in stairs the same way you can be trapped in an elevator. The walk a few floors up wasn't bad, anyway. It gave her a chance to work off some of her nervous energy and question herself.

What am I doing? That tiny question has the potential to consume the better part of her week, so it's probably better to table it. The hallway was empty, she didn't hear any signs she'd been followed. Maybe it's fine? Is it ever fine? The trouble with vampires is how quickly and silently they can move. Once you're in the crosshairs of one, it's hard to really feel safe until you kill them. If Damon were still a vampire, he would have killed him for what he tried earlier, and she would have chided him for hauling off and murdering people. Because she was fine. With a distracted mind, it felt sudden to find herself confronted with the door to her hotel room. Would he say the same thing as a human? She took a deep breath, collected herself, and let herself into her charming little hotel room.

With the door closed and chained behind her, she took a deep breath to settle her nerves, but her chest was still tight. There were a dozen things she could have done, but what ultimately happened was she dashed to her laptop and bought the soonest one-way ticket to Virginia she could manage. Apparently, that was the thing. As soon as she confirmed her purchase, inflated-price for the haste and all, she could breathe again. She'd been doing so well, and all it took was hearing his voice on a tough day to lose her senses. It has been a long time since I was home. Perhaps one day her home won't be where he is, but not yet.

Bonnie hadn't taken a lot of things with her, so packing was a quick affair. She debated calling or texting someone to say she was coming home, but ultimately decided against it. She was in the mood for a pleasant surprise, and if one wasn't coming her way then she'd be the surprise. Her mind involuntarily turned back to that moment in the boarding house when she returned from the Prison World. I'd do anything to see that look on his face again. As the excitement of homecoming started to sink into her veins, Bonnie turned on some of her favorite music. Classic rock made her miss Stefan a little, but it still brightened her mood. It made her feel a bit like he was still around trying to drive her and Damon out of their minds with Bon Jovi. She never could have guessed how much she'd miss him when he was gone for good. She took a shot in his honor as she finished packing. An ounce of prevention was the best cure for jet lag, and staying up all night so she could sleep on the plane was the best way to ensure she wasn't a dead person when she finally made it home.

It was a bit of a blur when she finally arrived at the airport. She made her way through bag checks, customs, and all manner of nonsense and elected to take an Uber home. Sometimes this small town could feel like a prison, but after being away for a long time it felt wonderful to see the familiar sights again. Even the "Welcome to Mystic Falls" sign made her a little misty. I must have really been gone a long time to miss this. The ride to the Salvatore Boarding House might have felt long if she hadn't just spent over a dozen hours in a plane, but unfortunately she had, so in no time flat she was in front of the last place that had felt like home. Damon's baby blue Camaro was there, so that meant he was home, and so was Stefan's cherry-red Mustang—technically, her Mustang.

Dear Bonnie,

I don't have much time left, but I wanted to leave something to you. Although we shared some good times, I'm afraid I won't leave you with enough good to remember me by. I loved his car almost as much as my brother loved his, and I want you to have it, so you have a piece of my love. I didn't always get the chance to show my gratitude, but you did more for me than most people I ever met. Thank you for being my friend, and thank you for watching over my brother, Bonnie. Please forgive me, and remember me fondly.

Stefan

Perhaps he got his wish, because she did remember him fondly. Bonnie snapped herself out of her reverie and started to remove her bags from the trunk when the Uber driver stepped out to do it for her. Southern hospitality. That's how you know you're really back. She took a deep breath, unlocked the door, and made her way in.

The sight that greeted her upon entry was not what she was expecting. The place was, in short, a bit of a disaster. Not quite bachelor pad disgusting, but certainly messier than she'd ever seen it. Damon hadn't sounded like he was doing well, and one look around this house spoke volumes about that. He's normally such a clean freak. What is going on? Before embarking on that disaster, Bonnie decided she should probably make her way directly to the king of this depressing castle. Tidying, cooking, whatever else could wait. She wanted to see him.

Luggage forgotten, Bonnie bounded up the stairs. When she made her way to his door, she found it open. Peering in, she found him. Dead to the world, even though it was a weekday and already well past noon. As soon as she laid eyes on him, it was like a magnet was pulling her towards him and her body was moving on its own. He was always handsome, but he was never as beautiful as he was in this moment. The face of the person she'd missed more than she thought she could ever miss anyone was finally in reach, angelic in repose, like he was waiting for her. She approached his giant bed, and perched on the edge of it and watched him over her shoulder for just a bit. He looked so peaceful, it would be a shame to wake him up, but she was too impatient to wait him out.

"Damon," she called. "It's well into the afternoon, I think it's time to wake up."

His dark lashes fluttered in confusion, and then his gaze was sharply focused on her. Her heart rate sped to such a gallop, she wondered if he could hear it with his human senses. They were both silent and breathless for a moment, too trapped in one another's gaze to move or speak. For long moments, they stayed like that, until a sudden flurry of movement on his part found Bonnie firmly ensconced in half-naked man.

The inky waves that had been splayed across her pillow moments ago were now falling in her face, and his strong arms were wrapped tightly around her from behind. He smelled like his favorite bubble bath still, and his unshaven cheek was pressed against hers. Although this wasn't the first time he'd hugged her since he'd become human, she still wasn't used to how warm he was. The combination of new and familiar sensations was nice. She officially felt like she'd come home, and the thought filled her with such joy, she started to laugh. Soon enough, she could feel laughter rumbling through his broad chest.

Once the silent laughter between them settled, he finally spoke. "Welcome home, Bon Bon. God…I missed you." Wrapped around her like this, she could feel his words rumble in his chest as he spoke, and his breath tickled her neck with each word. He threaded his fingers through hers, and squeezed her hand. She squeezed his hand back.

"I missed you too," she admitted. "Speaking to you yesterday gave me the sudden desire to see you again, so I came right home. Sorry for not calling before coming here."

He chuckled a little and hummed before responding. "Visitors need to call ahead before they come to see me; this is your home. If I'd known all I had to do is call to get you to come, I would have done it a lot sooner." She didn't need to see his face to know what expression he was making as he said that. I walked right into that one.

Having hit her daily quota for being hit on by half-naked hunks, she took possession of her hands and wriggled in a way that suggested she wanted to be let go. Unfortunately, he took that as a very loose suggestion, because he made no move to let her go, instead opting to run his hands up and down her arms in a way that gave her shivers, and twirl her long hair around his fingers. Giving up on that mission, she leaned back and relaxed into him. Reverse psychology it is.

"I'm glad to know humanity hasn't killed your sense of humor," she quipped tiredly.

"I'm no sure how you could tell that if I haven't told a joke," he demurred as he yawned and stretched behind her.

"I'm a bit jet-lagged," Bonnie complained. "I could probably use a nap."

"Well climb up and take one. I'm still tired too," Damon offered while moving further back into the bed with her hand in tow. She should certainly turn down this offer, but she was so tired and the bed was so soft and inviting. Sleeping is harmless. I'm just going to take a nap. Later, she would blame her jet-lagged brain for her poor judgment, but right now she let him pull her on top of his strong chest and fell asleep wrapped in his arms.

It was a matter of only a few minutes spent marveling at the predicament he got himself into that preceded Damon falling asleep beneath her.