I finished The Clearing, and had this floating around in my head. Let me know what you think.

oOoOoOo

The cool night air whipped Bonnie's hair around her face as she walked. Normally she wouldn't be alone, walking at night, but she had just come from a study group, and she was still on campus. Surely, nothing would happen to her on campus. This was one of the safest schools in California, after all.

UC Santa Barbara had been Bonnie's first choice in colleges since her sister, Mary, had come out here on Spring Break one year. She had brought home a ton of pictures of her and some friends on the beach, and Bonnie was in love. With the campus, not the guys.

No, her sights had always been set on one guy. And even though he had never given her another thought, she still pined away silently for him.

His name was Damon Salvatore, and he and his brother, Stefan, had just transferred to UCSB last year. A junior, and already well acquainted with most of the female population, Damon was more gorgeous than should be legal. Beautiful pale skin, smooth black hair, and eyes so deep she was sure they were as pitch black as his hair. Maybe even his clothes. While Stefan, with his brown curls and deep green eyes, always dressed to the nines, Damon wore black. All black, all the time.

She had seen them both on campus, always surrounded by ladies. Stefan was in some of her classes, being a sophomore like she was, and he had spoken to her. Okay, he had said hello, and hadn't even addressed her by name, but still. He had spoken, which was much more than his brother had ever done. Damon Salvatore had yet to notice her. So she watched, from afar, always admiring, but never bold enough to approach.

Bonnie tossed herself onto her bed and grabbed her cell phone, dialing the familiar number of her best friend, Elena Gilbert. Elena was beautiful. Long blond hair, jewel blue eyes, and a go-getter personality. She was the epitome of beauty. Their friend, Meredith Sulez, was no exception either. Meredith was olive skinned, dark eyes that held secrets only she, Elena, and Bonnie knew, and confident. Out of the three of them, Bonnie considered herself to be the plainest one. The only different thing Bonnie had was her flame red hair and freckles. She wasn't gorgeous, not to herself anyway, but she wasn't ugly.

"Hey gorgeous," Elena said as she answered after two rings. "We still on for that frat party tonight?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Well..."

"No! Don't you even think you're getting out of this one! We're going. I'm picking up Mere, and then you. Be ready." She hung up without allowing Bonnie to argue. Maybe it was for the best, since Elena knew she would never back out if she knew others were depending on her, whatever it was.

Twenty minutes later, Bonnie was dressed and ready as Elena and Meredith knocked on her door. She opened it, twirling for the girls as they cat-called and whistled. For the first time in her life, Bonnie looked like a grown-up. She had pulled her hair up into a messy bun with curls cascading and framing her face. Her tight t-shirt and denim mini with knee high boots made her feel sexy, and she couldn't wait to show off tonight.

She would talk to Damon tonight. If he was there.

Of course he would be there! He had never missed a party since he'd been there.

The girls drove in silence, all excited with the prospect of finding something tonight. Elena had seen Stefan and vowed she would have him tonight, come hell or high water.

Once they got to the party, Elena and Meredith walked a few steps ahead of Bonnie, both girls headed toward the bar to grab a drink. Bonnie looked down and noticed she had something on her boot so she stopped and bent as lady-like as she could in such a short skirt with her back to the wall. She rose, bumping into someone and spilling their drink, and began to apologize profusely. "It's okay," the voice said chuckling, and Bonnie stiffened.

She looked into the deepest, blackest eyes in existence, and cursed internally.

Damon Salvatore stood directly in front of her, holding her elbow and smiling. Well, at least he's smiling, she thought. "Uh...I...I'm..."

"Like I said, Bonnie, it's okay." He didn't release her and then Bonnie realized something.

He called me Bonnie.

"You...you know my name?" Smooth Bonnie, real smooth.

He smiled again. "Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"

Um, cause you've never spoken to me or even looked my way... ever. "Um..." She wanted to slap herself because she knew she sounded like an idiot. She shook her head, closed her eyes and smiled. "I'm sorry, you just caught me off guard is all. Damon, right?"

He nodded, never taking his eyes off hers. "It is." His hand began to caress her arm and she started to tremble slightly. Damon smiled, tugging her with him. "Why don't we go outside? It's a little loud in here," he said as he leaned down to her ear.

Bonnie couldn't believe her luck. The gods were definitely smiling down on her tonight. She let him lead her to the patio where there were less people and obviously less noise. When they reached the far corner, he released her arm and leaned back onto the railing, crossing his arms in front of him and bringing his beer bottle to his lips.

Those lips...she watched them intently as he took the liquid in and licked those perfect lips. He smiled then, and she cleared her throat, knowing she got caught eye-molesting his lips. "So what brings you here alone, Bonnie?"

Alone? "Oh, I'm not alone." Damon's face fell slightly and she realized what he must've thought she meant. "Oh no!" she said a little too enthusiastically. "I mean...my friends are here with me. They're just mingling."

"And you? You don't...mingle?" His head was cocked to one side and she noticed his eyes were roaming over her from head to toe.

Bonnie blushed, and noticed Damon's eyes light up. "Um, no. I don't mingle." Suddenly, Bonnie wasn't sure they were referring to her party behavior anymore. "What about you? Are you here alone?"

Damon smiled again, and if he didn't stop doing that Bonnie was sure she'd hop up and straddle him before she could stop herself. "No," he said smoothly, licking his lips again as he watched her. "My brother, Stefan, joined me tonight. I think you know each other." He raised an eyebrow at her in question.

Bonnie nodded. "Um yeah. He's in a few of my classes." Bonnie looked around and finally caught sight of Elena and Meredith. Elena had found Stefan and looked like she was talking his ear off. Still, Stefan looked like he was enjoying himself, smiling and laughing with the beautiful blonde in front of him. At one point, she saw him grab Elena's elbow and caress it, the same way Damon had held hers, and he smiled. It was a nice smile, although it didn't beat Damon's, and she marveled at how white their teeth were.

Damon cleared his throat this time and smiled brightly when she looked back at him. "Are you single, Bonnie?"

Bonnie knew her eyes had widened at his question but felt all her shyness slip away. "Yes. Yes, Damon, I am. You?"

Damon lowered his head but looked back up at Bonnie with just his eyes and shrugged. "I am for now. But when I see something I want, I tend to get it." He stood straight and walked to stand directly in front of Bonnie, looking deep into her eyes and running his fingertips up and down her arm. "Do you know what I mean, Bonnie?"

Bonnie nodded, feeling like she was in a trance. "I do."

"Do you wanna get outta here?"

"Yes."

Damon took her by the elbow again and walked her back inside. He stood her by the door, telling her to stay put for just a moment, and walked over to his brother. Elena turned as he approached and caught Bonnie's eye. "Oh my gosh, Bonnie, you didn't tell me Stefan had a brother!" she said as she walked over stood next to the shorter redhead.

"I did, you just didn't believe he was as gorgeous as I said he was," Bonnie said shrugging.

"Well, I think you and Meredith may be on your own tonight. Stefan asked me to go back to his place to get to know each other." Elena was practically glowing at her news.

"Good, cause I think Damon and I are leaving anyway." Bonnie's attempt at nonchalance did not go unnoticed, and Elena smacked her lightly on the arm. Bonnie grinned and Elena gave her a small high-five just as the Salvatore brothers approached them.

"Bonnie, this is my brother, Stefan. Stefan, this is Bonnie." Damon motioned with his hands between the two.

Stefan almost bowed and smiled at Bonnie. "We have a few classes, but we've not met yet, officially. It's nice to meet you, Bonnie."

Bonnie smiled. These guys were nicer than she thought they'd be with their reputations of being such ladies men. "You too, Stefan."

She felt Damon's hand at her lower back and almost purred at the sensation. "Are we ready then?" he whispered in her ear. Bonnie simply nodded and let him lead her out to his car. The sleek, black Lamborghini beeped softly and Bonnie gasped. "Do you like it?"

"Uh...yeah," she said sheepishly. "Can I touch it?"

Damon chuckled. "I don't think I've ever heard a woman say that about my car before, but yes...you can."

Bonnie ran her hand over the hood, stopping at the top and sighing softly. "What's she top out at?

Damon, who was leaned up against the back end, cocked his head and narrowed his eyebrows at her. "I know she can do well over a hundred, but I've only gone about ninety. You know cars?"

Bonnie nodded, still gazing at the glossy black paint. "My dad taught me and my sister when we were little. He wanted us to know what we were getting into in case we got stranded or something." She glanced at Damon, who was still watching her as she walked around the car. "It's a guilty pleasure of mine, I guess."

Damon nodded, smiling and watching. "You have no idea how sexy that is; to hear a woman say she knows about cars."

Bonnie stopped when she got to the driver's side of the car, and having noticed that Damon had followed her, leaned back on the door. "You have no idea how it sounds to hear you say that about me."

Damon leaned in slowly and put his hands on each side of her face. "I'm tired of watching and wanting, Bonnie. I have to have you. Now," he whispered against her lips just before he kissed her lightly. After his words registered, she grabbed onto the back of his head, pulling him closer and pressing her lips more firmly to his as he pulled her body tighter to his. He growled low in his throat and her insides seem to sizzle with excitement. "Bonnie," he said against her lips when they finally broke apart. "Since I imagine my brother is taking your friend back to our place, would you mind going back to yours?"

Bonnie shook her head slowly. "I wouldn't mind that at all...if you let me drive." She looked up at him and smiled.

Damon held out his car keys and dropped them into her waiting hand. "Since I know you're not going home with me just for my good looks..."

"Nope," Bonnie said, emphasizing the 'p'. "I just want your car."

She giggled as he opened the driver's side door and waited till she was safely inside to close the door and walk around to get in himself. Once both were seated and ready to go, Damon looked over at Bonnie. "I suppose it would be safe to say 'my life is in your hands'. But is that as cliché as it sounds?"

Bonnie giggled again, and smiled as she batted her eyes at him. "I think I'm actually dreaming, so when I wake up I may not care that you used a cliché in my presence."

Damon narrowed his eyebrows at her. "Why would you think you were dreaming?"

Bonnie shrugged as she maneuvered the streets to her dorm room. She was never so thankful that the only room she and her roommate shared was the common room where they studied. "Are you kidding me? Look at you," she said as she gestured to him. "And then there's...me." Her voice was merely a whisper toward the end of her sentence and she found herself staring at the road before her.

"Bonnie, I-" Damon started, but was cut off by Bonnie's hand as she lifted it.

"Hold that thought," she said turning to the guard at the gate. "Hi Gary." Bonnie leaned out the window, showing the guard her student ID. "Just me and a friend tonight."

"Thanks, Miss McCullough. You have a good night, now." Gary eyed Damon in the passenger seat, and Damon smiled at him, nodding.

"Thanks Gary, good night."

Bonnie pulled into her parking spot. She didn't have her car here yet, but she'd planned on going back to Virginia to get it and drive it back. While it wasn't a Lamborghini, it would get her from a to b, and that's all she needed now. "Well, this is me."

Damon leaned over and caressed her cheek. Bonnie leaned into his touch and closed her eyes, inhaling his scent. He smelled like fine Italian leather. But then, what did she expect him to smell like? He was rich, that was obvious. His leather jacket crinkled as he moved, and she could feel him lean in to kiss her. She whimpered, he growled and dove in to devour her. His hands roamed over every inch of her that he could get to, and when she stopped the kiss to catch her breath, Damon whispered in her ear. "Take me upstairs."

Oh, how could I resist? She nodded and turned to exit the car. He was out at the same time, and at her side quickly, taking her hand in his and walking up to the front door of the dorms. "You know this complex well?" Bonnie asked as she dug through the tiny purse she was carrying for her keys.

Damon chuckled. "Uh, not exactly." He ran his hand over the back of his neck nervously before he answered. "I've...uh...dropped some friends off here a few times."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow at him over her shoulder and turned back to unlock the door with her card key. The door opened and she waved him in, smiling and looking him over. He stepped in before her and waited for the door to shut before he grabbed her and shoved her lightly against the wall. "I think it's safe to say that this is the first time I've wanted to really be here."

Bonnie grabbed the back of his head and pulled him down to kiss her roughly. She felt his hand go down her side to the hem of her short skirt and she gasped at the sensations running through her body. Her girlie parts began to tingle and she took his bottom lip between her teeth.

Damon took in a sharp breath and reached for her leg, pulling it around his waist and smiling against her lips as her skirt began to rise even higher. "Why don't we take this inside your room before the entire building gets a show?"

Bonnie nodded absently, smoothing her skirt as she turned away from him. She took his hand and led him to her door, laughing softly when her hands began to shake so bad she couldn't get the key in. "Ha," she whispered, turning to him and shrugging, "would you believe I can't unlock my own door?"

Damon took the key from her and placed it into the lock. "Allow me," he said, and turned the knob smoothly as he turned back to her over his shoulder. The tables turned and now he waved her inside, following behind her after a quick glance down the hall.

As soon as the door closed, Damon had her back up against it, pulling Bonnie's legs up and around his waist again. Her skirt was now around her own waist and she moaned into his kiss. "Which way?" he asked against her lips, and she pointed him into the direction of her room.

They entered the room, tangled in each other, and Bonnie found herself giggling. "What's funny?' he asked as he backed his head away from her.

"This...you...me...I didn't even think you knew my name."

He chuckled low and licked her from the point of her chin to the lobe of her ear, and then he growled again, sending shivers all over Bonnie's body. "Bonnie...ragazza stupida..."

Bonnie leaned back sharply. "Did you just call me stupid?"

Damon's eyes widened. "Uh...no. The exact translation would be 'silly girl', but I guess I can see why you'd think that. Um...sorry." He shrugged and looked down at where his hands were attached to the thighs still wrapped around his waist.

Bonnie placed a finger under his chin and lifted his face back up to look at her. He cannot possibly be flustered by me. "Hey, it's cool. I don't know Italian. Maybe I should learn, huh?"

He smiled, and almost blinded her. She could feel the reaction they were causing with this closeness, and she smiled back. "Yes...to both that question and whether I knew your name or not. I watch you..." his voice trailed off to a whisper. "I've watched you for months. I kept trying to get close to you, but someone was always in the way."

Matt... She knew exactly who he was referring to. Ever since Matt had followed the girls out from Virginia, he hadn't left her alone. It was almost like he was 'blocking', even if Bonnie hadn't noticed till now. "Uh...yeah. That would be a friend of ours. He's harmless, really. Like a big brother."

"Mmm...yeah. Him..." he looked deep into her eyes and noticed her breathing had picked up. "Bonnie..." he whispered again and dove into her neck, licking and sucking while he groaned at the taste. He could feel the inner monster taking over and he vowed to beat it back. Not tonight. I will not lose myself tonight.

"Bonnie," he whispered again. "I need this...now..."

The shivers wracked Bonnie's body again and she let her head fall back into Damon's waiting hand. She moaned embarrassingly loudly and reveled in the feeling of his strong hands roaming over her entire lower half. Finally, after what seemed like hours, they reached the bed, and he lowered her slowly onto her back. She unhooked her ankles from behind his waist and let her arms fall. Damon caught them and gradually settled them onto the bed. His smile had returned and the force of his gaze was her undoing.

"Now...please..." her voice began to shake with the emotions running through her body, and though she knew she should feel self conscious that this beautiful man was undressing her and causing her to babble incoherently, she really couldn't bring herself to care. She closed her eyes and basked in his scent that had permeated throughout her room. She could feel him rise from the bed to retrieve the jeans he had shed during the last few minutes, and heard the wrapper. Was she really going to do this? As she felt his weight back on her she knew her answer.

Hell yes!

She let Damon ravage her through the night, and just before the sun rose, as she looked into his eyes, he whispered, "Are you ready?"

"Ready? There's more?" Bonnie felt as though she was in a haze, and wasn't sure she had heard him correctly.

He coaxed her onto her back and caressed her cheek softly as he gazed at her naked body beneath him. "You will be my queen, Bonnie McCullough. For now and throughout eternity."

The last thing she remembered was the sharp pain at her neck, and then falling into blackness.

oOoOoOo

Well? What did you think? Not really beta'd, but I don't think there were too many mistakes that I caught.