Bonnie's stilettos echoed throughout the apartment courtesy of the high ceilings. It was a studio apartment in a pre-war building that came with a doorman. She liked the exposed brick and the hardwood floors because it was classic Upper East Side.

The place was two blocks away from her apartment and she wasn't interested in buying it but the agent didn't need to know that. She liked touring open houses on Sundays. Her eyes feasted on the little details like spiral chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings, mosaic glass doors on the bathroom cabinet and the green tufted sofa adorned with pinwheel pillows. She preferred the furnished places because she could still touch the memories, they were still raw but sometimes the bare bones of a vacant space were more haunting.

"It's a stone's throw away from Central Park" the realtor was telling her as Bonnie shielded her eyes from the sunlight spilling into the room with her hand.

"And its pet friendly" the redhead said again, walking in stride with Bonnie who was anxious to take in the view from the wrought iron balcony. Her eyes scanned the tree lined streets below before glancing up to the sky where rays of golden light streamed down between thick clouds.

"I bet." Bonnie smiled and for a brief moment, all was right with the world. Her phone vibrated inside her messenger bag, jolting her from the moment. Pulling it out, she quickly glanced at the screen before answering.

"Hi, dad. You still at work?" she asked, raking her fingers through her pin-straight hair. Rudy Hopkins was a chief of staff at a hospital in London and worked recklessly long hours, so much so that he practically lived in the hospital.

"How's the new job?" he asked and Bonnie could hear the muffled sounds of the hospital intercom before he shut the door to his office. She'd spent plenty of time in that office, slurping up sweet and sour pork noodles while they either worked on her dissertation or discussed the appeal of doctor McDreamy on Grey's Anatomy.

"I think it's a good fit" she nodded, biting her bottom lip as she leaned against the rose-fringed balcony. The realtor was pacing inside the apartment, checking her watch and stealing an occasional glance at Bonnie.

"A former attendee of mine is moving to Manhattan in a few days and I thought that you could take him out and show him around"

"I'm not letting my father set me up on a blind date"

"It's not a date. You'll be sort of his…tour guide"

"No, dad" Bonnie held her index finger up to the agent to signal that she was going to be a minute.

"I already gave him your number so you can accept a call from him" her father continued much to her chagrin.

"I really wish you hadn't" she sighed, rolling her eyes. When she shot a glance inside the apartment again, a young professional couple was walking inside, arms wrapped around each other's waists.

"What are dads for?" he chuckled and Bonnie clicked her tongue. Seeing the couple's arrival as her opportunity to exit, she rushed back into the apartment and nodded to the agent who was now showing the apartment to the young lovers.

"Have you spoken to mom?" she asked her father, knowing that it was the last thing he wanted to discuss.

"Stop trying to get your mom and me back together, sweetheart"

"Dad, it's not like I'm masterminding the parent trap. You're in London and she's currently in London. I just thought the two of you would get together for a spot of tea or something, you know… discuss her book."

"I'll think about it"

"You do that." she smiled as she coasted past the doorman.

"Gotta run, love you" Rudy said with a resigned chuckle.

"Love you too" Bonnie's lips curved into a smile, she checked her watch as she hung up. She weighed her options about the open house in Brooklyn but decided to call it a day on real estate. Hailing down a cab, she made her way to the rooftop café at the Whitney Museum for a salad and a glass of chardonnay.

..

Damon liked to lie in on Sundays. He liked planning the day in his head from his breakfast of left over pizza to the first cold beer just as the first NFL game kicked-off. When he cracked his eyes open, the first thing he noticed was an arm wrapped around his waist. Blinking, he kicked the sheets off his legs and groaned. The girl from the previous night was still in his bed, dark hair splayed across his chest, one leg draped over his leg. When he shifted, she didn't move and so he cleared his throat and drummed his fingers on her upper arm.

"Morning" she mumbled, removing her arm and blinking up at him with bloodshot eyes.

"Hey" propping himself on his elbow, Damon untangled himself from her and ran a hand through his dishevelled hair. He noticed the mascara streaked pillow where she had rested her head.

"You want some coffee, uhm…?" he glanced at her as she rose from the bed, a sheet draped around her naked body.

Looking at him over her freckled shoulder, she replied "Gia, and no I'm good"

Damon searched his floor for his jeans and slipped on the pair while she slinked back into her dress from the previous evening. He remembered meeting her at some bar in Tribeca after his dinner with Stefan. She seemed fun, free and he'd needed the release.

"Thanks for last night." he smiled at the threshold, swinging the door open for her.

"Don't mention it." Gia grinned as she walked out, leaving her whisky and cigarette scent wafting in the room. Shutting the door behind her, he leaned against it and closed his eyes. He liked one night stands because there were no complications and there was no drama. Padding into his kitchen, he grabbed a beer from the fridge and padded back to the lounge to stretch out on the couch with his faithful remote.

It was going to be a beautiful day.

..

"Grab a seat," Ric told Damon as he shuffled into his expansive office. He winced as he stole a glance at Bonnie who was already seated in front of Alaric like the teacher's pet she was. With a groan, he collapsed into the chair. It was going to be a long Monday and his morning coffee hadn't kicked in.

"The column is out and the numbers are looking good. It's not as punchy as I would have liked but we can work on that. The two of you gave really good points which made for a riveting debate but I would have liked something more cohesive, something that said that you fed off each other but I didn't get that. It felt disconnected." Alaric said, tapping a pen lightly on his desk. Damon could feel a tension headache climbing up the back of his neck and wondered how long the meeting was going to last. He needed a crate of red bull, stat.

"It wasn't a complete misfire so we can still salvage it." Alaric continued, quite oblivious to Damon's discomfort, "You need to work as a team in order to make this work."

Bonnie cleared her throat and when Damon dared to steal a glance in her direction, he found her stiletto tapping nervously on the floor. Clearly he wasn't the only one annoyed by Ric's early morning zeal today but one would never know from looking at Thatcher's stony glare.

"Which brings me to my next point; in order to work cohesively together I thought it would be a great idea to share office space."

That sentence alone jolted Damon from his foggy thoughts. He opened his mouth to say something but Thatcher bit him to it.

"You mean we're gonna be sharing a cubicle?" she spat; apparently the thought alone left a bad taste in her mouth. Damon rolled his eyes because he clearly felt the same way.

"Yup, pretty much" Ric responded with nonchalance and took a slow sip from his coffee mug.

"Ric, you should know that I have a serious problem with sharing" Damon mumbled and raked a hand through his messy locks.

"And I'd rather nail my head to the wall, sir" Bonnie chimed in, jaw clenched.

Ric glanced up, his face unaffected, "So neither of you wants to share a cubicle?"

"You just hit the nail on the head there, buddy…uhm I mean, sir" Damon's lips curved at the corners as his gaze slid down Bonnie's body in a high-collared white shirt and black pencil skirt.

"Tough luck" Alaric shrugged his shoulders and rose from his chair. It was the end of the meeting and he wanted them out of his office. Receiving the message loud and clear, they scrambled to their feet and shuffled toward the door.

"And the giant hammer of authority strikes; love it when you wield that hammer…sir" Damon raised two fingers to his forehead for a salute.

"Why don't the two of you bounce ideas off each other?" Alaric asked, his eyes darting back and forth between them. With a slap to his back, Alaric sent Damon off with Bonnie following shortly behind him.

"Oh and Bonnie, I need your autograph" he motioned her back with his hand as an afterthought and Damon also stopped in his tracks in comradery.

"My autograph?" she cocked an eyebrow, her eyes darting from Ric to Damon.

"A little matter of your employment contract." he grinned and opened his door wider. With that Bonnie stepped inside and Damon was left out of the loop. He hated being left out in the cold or out of the loop because it seemed like the two were going to be discussing something pertinent to the column and he wouldn't be there to give his opinion.

As Damon lumbered down the hallway, a paper plane flew over one of the cubicles, striking his head.

"A merry morning to you too!" he yelled, slapping his hand against one of the cubicle walls as he walked past.

"You look as fucked as I feel" Vicky stepped out of Jeremy's cubicle, a stack of folders against her chest.

"Good morning, beautiful" he smiled, tracing his finger along the edge of one of her folders.

"Not too close, I haven't had my giant douche vaccination today."

"You're angry about something and frankly I'm-"

"Am I?" Vicky's brows shot up, "You text me on Saturday and tell me to meet you at our place in Tribeca. Only to find you sucking face with some bimbo!"

"Actually I think she has a BA in psychology so she's definitely no bimbo"

"Fuck you, Don Draper" she spat and blew right past him. Damon was about to yell back and defend himself when his mobile phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled the phone from his pocket and looked at the screen before scrolling down to read the text message from Stefan. He was reminding him about a dinner party for Rebekah's brother. Damon had never met the guy but he was sure that he wouldn't like him; after all he was a district attorney. After sitting through many bland dinner dates with Rebekah and Stefan and their lawyer antidotes, he knew that lawyers were as boring as dirt.

..

"What's that all about?" Bonnie asked, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. She was leaning against a desk in the coffee area where a few employees were loitering around drinking bad coffee from the coffee machine.

Anna followed Bonnie's gaze to Damon and Vicky then shrugged, "The End of the affair?"

"Are they seeing each other?" Bonnie took another sip of steaming coffee, fighting the urge to spit it out.

"It's complicated"

"Right" Bonnie nodded and wrapped both hands around the paper cup. She couldn't be sure but something told her not to pursue the matter.

"Hi, baby" Jeremy greeted, draping his arms around Anna's shoulders and nodding at Bonnie. Lifting her paper cup in salute, Bonnie offered him a smile.

"I read your piece on Syria's humanitarian crisis" he murmured against her cheek and squeezed her closer to him, "Great stuff"

"Thanks babe" with a smile, she raised a hand and stroked his chin before he dipped his head to give her a peck on her nose.

"We still on for movie night?" he asked as he unravelled himself from her. Picking up her hand, he held it to his lips and held her gaze.

"I have Netflix, a bottle of wine and you. You could say my night is made" Anna laughed as he brushed his lips against her hand. With a wink and a wave, he left the girls and Bonnie immediately shot Anna a quizzical look.

"So you and Jeremy are a thing?" she asked and she was pleasantly surprised. Anna seemed like one of those ambitious CNN news reporters who got a raw deal by getting a spot at Whitmore magazine. Jeremy just seemed like a lost little puppy looking to prove himself. She wondered if his balls were big enough to handle the job.

"He keeps a toothbrush at my place" Anna smiled and picked up a paper cup so she could pour herself a fresh cup of bitter coffee.

"Ah, relationship goals" Bonnie smirked, staring into her cup.

Shooting her a look over her shoulder, Anna asked "What about you?"

"What about me?" Bonnie squared her shoulders, using every ounce in her to school her features into nonchalance. Anna raised an eyebrow, undeterred.

"No, I have no stranded toothbrushes seeking shelter in my apartment." One corner of Bonnie's mouth lifted as her eyes strayed back to Damon who was disappearing behind the walls of his own cubicle.

"You're cute" Anna blew into her coffee with a chuckle and Bonnie's eyes shifted back to the brunette.

"I'm hilarious" she smiled, "Just curious, does he use an electric toothbrush?"

"Why do you ask?" Anna's eyes flashed a hint of curiosity, her cup poised over her painted lips.

"I don't know, maybe because I look at him and think fully charged electric tool"

With a smile, Anna shook her head and warned "Hey watch it. That's my man you're talking about."

Davina rushed toward them, waving a phone in her hand "Technology has ruined romance." She announced, cheeks flushed red as she looked from Anna to Bonnie then back to Anna.

"I'm seeing this guy from Brooklyn and he never calls, I mean never. He sends these noncommittal texts with bad grammar and I have to fight the urge to correct him"

"Hate those"

"And the fact that he lives in Brooklyn makes it seem like a long distance relationship, ya know?"

"You gotta love boroughs and dating deal breakers" Bonnie smiled over the rim of her plastic cup.

"I miss the era of long detailed love letters"

"Or long walks in Central Park"

"Hi, my name is Liam Davis. I like tennis, long walks in snowy Central Park and smoking the occasional hooka after work" he sneaked up on the girls, sliding up behind Davina.

"Shut up" she laughed and jabbed him lightly in his stomach.

"Gotta run, thanks for the chat" Bonnie patted Anna's elbow and raised her glass to silently toast Davina and Liam. She made her way to the vending machine and cocked her head to the side to study its mechanics before slipping a coin inside. She punched a button to select a health bar and waited for the bar to drop so that she could retrieve it. When nothing happened, she started to panic slightly and looked around the buzzing newsroom to see if someone could assist her. She hated looking so helpless and hated it even more when she looked stupid and right down the stupid machine was winning.

"There's an art to it" a voice announced from her right and as Bonnie spun around to identify the source. A brunette with tousled dark hair winked at her before taking her position in front of the machine.

"You gotta rock it, just a little bit to the…left" she said and demonstrated by standing feet wide apart and she rocked the machine. After a loud clank, the bar dropped and the woman fished it out.

"Eureka, a trail mix bar. Someone's living on the edge" she said, handing it to Bonnie.

"I think voila is a more befitting term but thank you" Bonnie held out her hand and took it from her.

"I see Damon was right about you"

"And what has Salvatore been saying about me?"

"That you're an aggressive pariah with a great ass"

"And you are?" Bonnie narrowed her eyes at her.

"Katherine, Katherine Pierce" she held out her hand.

"Bonnie Bennett" she smiled, accepting the handshake.

"The new girl" Katherine grinned and held on to her hand for a while longer before releasing it.

"Thank you for…" Bonnie lifted her hand to signal the health bar.

"Just trying to avoid another vending machine fatality" Katherine called as Bonnie walked away.

Shouting over her shoulder, Bonnie waved the bar in air, "Well I owe you one"

..

"You know what you are?"

"Is this the part where you tell me?" Bonnie lifted her eyes, widening them when she saw the box in his hands. This was really happening, Salvatore was moving in-moving into her office space-to be more precise.

"You're trouble" he sighed and strolled into the cubicle. He set the box down on her desk, completely dismissing the available desk on his right.

"What's the matter, you dreamed about me?" she asked, schooling her features to hide her irritation.

"What's your take on our new conundrum, us sharing an office space?" Damon asked and moved aside a few things on her desk before taking a seat on the edge.

"I have a strong tolerance for pain and discipline" she shot back with a faint smile.

"Stop the presses; Thatcher has a sense of humour" he smiled, a flicker of amusement in his blue eyes.

"I'll take the left side of the cubicle" he announced after a bit.

"I'm in the left side of the cubicle" Bonnie narrowed her eyes at him, drumming her nails on the desk.

"Well I sleep on the left side of the bed; I'd appreciate it if you would move to the right side of the cubicle"

"How did this suddenly become about sleeping positions?" she asked picking up her cup and smiling at him over the rim.

Taking the cup from her hands, he placed it down on the desk and wiggled his eyebrows, "Which side does your cat normally take?" he asked.

"I'm not moving, Salvatore"

"I see you're a creature of habit. This is the beginning of a wonderfully loathsome friendship" with a heavy sigh; he resigned back to the right side of the cubicle and placed his desk on the empty desk before collapsing in the chair.

"You know what would make for a riveting debate, the ban on happy hour" he said slowly, studying her profile. She was unnerved with him being in such close proximity to her.

"How about a drink tonight?"

"It's Monday" she said, striking the keys of her laptop.

"Exactly so you definitely need one" he lifted his cup to his lips, legs propped on his desk.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm sure its Friday somewhere in the world"

"I don't know…" Bonnie pursed her lips, considering the idea of a dirty martini and maybe a bite to eat. She needed food in her system because that big salad she'd ordered from the corner deli had burned a hole right through her stomach.

"Just as colleagues" he declared as if reading her mind.

"I don't think I could afford to be seen with you" she said casting him a glance.

Damon smiled slowly and said, "Why don't you let me do the thinking?"

"You're doing more talking than thinking. Here's a dumb idea, why don't you put that megamind of yours to work and produce a brilliant article." she smiled before resuming with her work.

..

When Damon got home, he had a hankering desire to find out more about her. He cruised into his kitchen and pulled out a box of cereal from the cupboard. Pouring cereal into a bowl, he topped it with milk and added a spoon to the bowl before padding back to the couch. He stretched out in front of the big screen TV and picked up the remote control. Switching on the plasma, he coasted through the channels and settled on news about the bombing of an abortion clinic in Iowa. He listened to the reporter and the comments from a crowd of overzealous protestors before opening his laptop. He waited for it to reboot as he silently chewed his cereal then clicked to a search engine. Rubbing his hands together, he rolled his shoulders and typed in Bonnie Bennett and waited for the results. He clicked through a number of websites where she was interviewed about her political blog and stumbled into an Oxford alumni website with her bio. He read about her tennis championships, her debate trophies and her career aspirations but there was nothing personal about her. When he tried to search for her on Facebook and twitter, he found nothing. Clearly she wasn't comfortable putting her personal life out there for the world to see. His phone vibrated and he grabbed it from the edge of the table.

"This better be good," Damon said into the phone, his eyes still fixed on a picture of Bonnie in a tiny white tennis skirt.

"What are you doing, watching porn?" Enzo teased with a chuckle.

Dropping his gaze to Bonnie's bare legs, Damon cleared his throat "What do you want?" he asked as he closed his laptop.

"Just checking to see if we're still on for tomorrow night's game of pool"

"Shit, I have this thing with my brother"

"No worries, mate" Enzo sighed and Damon heard a peal of laughter and music in the background.

"Where are you?"

"I'm at cupcake's place. We're playing a little Game of Thrones. I'm Jaime Lannister and she's Cersei Lannister"

"Nothing like a little incest to get that libido going," Damon smirked and tried to shake the image of Katherine and his friend engaging in a steamy session of sex role play out of his mind.

"Why are you there on a work night anyway, you guys doing midweek sleepovers now?"

"Okay gonna run, mate" Enzo swiftly replied before the phone died. He stared at the dead phone for a while, somewhat amused by their antics before he dropped it back onto the table. He wasted a few more minutes flicking through channels before crawling into bed.

..

"Hope has this habit of eating her toothpaste" Caroline announced as she sliced some cucumbers for a table salad. Bonnie was sitting across from her on the black counter top island in Klaus's massive kitchen, her finger circling the rim of her wine glass. She had just managed to sprint home after work to change into a pair of jeans and a white oxford shirt. She was wearing her hair down today, toffee-coloured waves that tumbled just past her shoulders. She thought it made her seem casual and approachable, something she needed to be during a dinner party.

"Klaus bought her the new Star Wars toothpaste-it changes colours and lets you know when you're done brushing-anyway, she does the most adorable thing with-" her friend rambled, the crystal beaded chandelier over the island illuminating her flaxen hair. She paused midsentence, disrupted by the entrance of a bubbly little boy pulling his dad's hand.

"Louis!" Caroline exclaimed and dropped her knife so she could hunch down and smother the little boy in a tight hug.

"Hi, guys" she grinned and extended the same courtesy to the grown-ups.

"Hey, I brought wine and patron. I wasn't sure what the vibe was" the woman said, handing Caroline two bottles of alcohol.

"Guys, this is Bonnie. Bon, meet Sophie and Marcel" Caroline introduced them, gesturing between the trio with her hand.

"How're you doing?" Bonnie stuck her hand out for a firm handshake, a broad smile on her face.

"You work with Care?" Sophie asked after shaking hands, looking from Caroline and back to Bonnie.

"No, I don't have a face for TV" she teased and stole a glance at their son. He looked to be about six years old and had his father's bright smile with his mother's inquisitive eyes.

"You know what they call the hood in Italy?" Louis asked Bonnie who shook her head.

"Uhm…I'm stumped" she chuckled as she picked up her glass to take a sip.

"The spaghetto!" Louis laughed and slapped the table as Marcel ruffled his short hair. Sophie swung a glass from a top cabinet and helped herself to the bottle of wine that was sitting on the counter next to Bonnie.

"Where's Klaus?" Marcel asked Caroline and looked at the salad that the blonde was assembling.

"Upstairs setting up the kids' playroom for the evening" she replied over her shoulder as she opened the refrigerator to pull out a couple of blood oranges and a bottle of balsamic vinegar.

Marcel placed his hands on Louis' shoulders and ushered him out of the kitchen "Come on, sport. Let's leave the girls so they can hang out"

Sophie groaned with delight at the first sip of wine. After another long and hearty sip that left her glowing with joy, she smiled across at Bonnie and gestured to her naked left finger.

"You single?"

"Yeah"

"Lucky cow" she cocked her brow and gave Bonnie a once over.

"Bonnie's only single because she's too picky" Caroline offered as she placed a pair of green lemons on the chopping board.

"Not picky, just judicious" Bonnie countered, taking another sip of wine and letting it sit on her tongue for a moment before swallowing.

"Look who's here!" Caroline shrieked, interrupting Bonnie's thought process. Spinning around in her chair, Bonnie's mouth flew wide open and all the colour drained from her face. Her throat tightened at the sight of him because behind the couple that Caroline was obviously quite excited to see was none other than Damon Salvatore. People greeted and laughed around her and Caroline introduced the couple as Rebekah and Stefan but all she could see was the wicked glimmer in Damon's blue eyes.

"Damon this is-"

"Thatcher" his lips turned up at the corners as his gaze swept over her.

"Oh god, just tag my toe because I'm dead" Bonnie muttered, seizing the bottle of wine for a refill.

"You two know each other?" Stefan's thick brows shot up, his eyes flickering back and forth between them.

"You could say that" Damon replied, his eyes not leaving Bonnie. Her chest felt tight, and her mouth had dried up. Looking up, she glared at him and took a long sip before she replied.

"This is Damon Salvatore, the demon spawn" she announced, burning a hole through Damon with her eyes.

Studying her intently with eyes that seemed bluer against his denim shirt, he smiled faintly and said "And this is Thatcher; passive, unresponsive and dull with vacant eyes"

..

Klaus transferred the wine into an oblong glass decanter so that it could breathe and Sophie was busy kneading Marcel's shoulders, pressing her thumbs into the back of his neck. Bonnie couldn't remember what the guests around the table were talking about because she couldn't deal with the fact that Damon was now in her social group. Not only did she have to share an office with him and deal with his Charlie Brown posters but now he was here infiltrating her circle friends.

"Did anyone see the picture of the little Syrian boy who drowned at sea?" Rebekah asked, picking at her Cobb salad.

"Oh god, that was horrible" Sophie glanced up from her plate as Marcel refilled her wine glass.

"I don't know why they would even publish that. It was shocking, tragic and just downright disrespectful" Caroline offered her own words of wisdom, her cheeks flushed red.

Reclaiming his seat next to his wife, Marcel added "What makes it worse is that people are busy tweeting photos of the little boy and trading them like baseball cards."

"It's disgusting" Caroline said taking a glass of wine from Klaus.

"It's yellow press" Damon mumbled between mouthfuls of grilled salmon.

"As tragic as this is, it does help highlight the plight of all refugees is Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Somali to name a few" Bonnie chipped in and set her glass of wine down in order to pick up her fork.

Lifting a brow at Bonnie, Damon said "And all it took was a sensationalist picture"

"As a mother I can't even imagine what that mother must've gone through with her sons at sea" Sophie cast a glance at Marcel and squeezed his hand.

"Pray that you never have to find out" Damon lamented with a sobering voice before Marcel broke in with a more spirited tone.

"I hear there's a possible Uber IPO" he said cheerfully and raised his glass at Elijah who had been seating quietly chewing his food. He'd been looking miles away and Bonnie suspected it was because of the absence of his wife, Camille but at the mere mention of a stock listing, he looked up.

"Uber's about to go public?" Rebekah's eyebrows shot up and she exchanged a swift glance with Stefan.

"Marcel…" Elijah warned.

With a shrug, Marcel smiled "Hey, it's not insider trading if you're no longer a Wall Street rat"

"What are you saying, is it safe to break out the piggy bank stash?" Klaus arched an eyebrow over the rim of his wine glass.

"Uber China will probably IPO first in Shanghai's stock market then they'll list on Wall Street" Marcel explained, twirling the wine in his glass.

"Isn't the Chinese stock market imploding?" Bonnie asked, cutting into her fish.

"Hey, no more investor talk, I don't want to be cited in an insider trading scheme" Elijah's voice sliced through the conversation and after much rumbling Damon came to the rescue.

"I hate Uber cabs" he moaned, eyes focused on Bonnie and she dabbed the corner of her mouth with a napkin.

"Why? I mean Uber's very convenient, it's like a dial-a-cab" Stefan asked, plucking out bits of salad from Rebekah's plate and planting them onto his plate.

"Isn't the magic of New York City standing out on that dirty sidewalk, wet from a pounding rain and trying to hail down a cab? If you merely punch a button on your app to find a cab, doesn't that take away some of the magic?" Damon leaned back in his chair and seized his glass.

Nodding at his brother, Damon asked "Didn't you guys meet while hailing a cab?"

"Yup, my rain hero" Rebekah replied cupping Stefan cheek and kissing him softly on the lips.

"What is New York without its iconic yellow cabs?" Damon continued, seemingly fired up and Bonnie adjusted her collar.

"It's like Gene Kelly without his tap, Bogie and Bacall without their banter or Sinatra without his tribute to New York. It makes no sense" Damon said, his eyes darting around the table before locking back with Bonnie's.

She froze, a frown marring her face before she found her voice, "Didn't figure you for the romantic sort, Mr old blue eyes"

"I'm all about romance, Thatcher" his voice softened as he met her gaze head on. She was compelled to brush a stray strand of hair from her face but did not want to appear affected by him.

"Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away" Damon suddenly broke into a song, tapping his fork against the rim of his wine glass.

"Well, this calls for old scotch and some scene music" Klaus announced, rising from his chair.

"Honey, what are you doing?" Caroline laughed and grabbed his hand, "Not too loud, the kids are sleeping" she cried, tilting her head up as he leaned over her. Caroline puckered her lips so he could kiss her and the corners of her mouth curled up after the kiss. With a nod, he wiped the edge of her bottom lip with his thumb before moving away towards the lounge.

..

As the dinner party began to clear, Marcel and Sophie loaded up their sleeping son into a waiting cab and Elijah crawled into the back of his town car. Damon found himself outside on the stone terrace with a glass of bourbon and Bonnie for company. The evening air smelled sweet and felt cool against his face.

"What a silly little outfit you have on" she snorted, a breeze brushing her face and lifting strands of hair from her forehead. He fought the urge to tuck it back behind her ear.

"All the better to seduce you with, Thatcher" he smirked, his gaze sweeping over the stresses again; he liked her hair like this. She looked free and happy for once.

"Then you should know that I'm doing a slow hand clap…in my pants…right now" she teased, licking the after taste of sherry from her bottom lip. Damon could tell that she was slightly drunk but not nearly inebriated enough to be considered fun.

"As long as you refrain from any standing ovation" he told her and clanked his glass of bourbon against her sherry glass.

"Would you like to share a cab?"

"I thought you didn't share, Salvatore" she raised one trimmed eyebrow, a bemused smile on her face.

"I could be persuaded"

..