A/N: This small tale was inspired by the stills from 3x21. It will be Stefonnie. I have no Bamon planned for this fic. But thank you for stopping by and showing some love.

Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.

The Bluffs-Mystic Falls, Virginia 5:54 A.M.

Is it all that surprising? No. Did she want to bash someone's head into a tombstone? Yes, she did. Sigh.

Green eyes looked up towards the coming horizon as the sun's premature rays began to splinter across the sky marking it in slashes of dark purple, cobalt, red-orange, and a miniscule amount of yellow. The air was sharp, pure, and frigid and she felt it beat against her exposed skin. The last forty-eight hours didn't make a lick of sense to Bonnie and she stood on the edge of the highest cliff trying to sort it all out.

Jeremy was back. That was the first thought she could process easily enough. Her ex was back, having snuck his way into town during the dead of night. She had mixed feelings about his sudden, not so sudden arrival. She was happy that he was home again. It had never been her dream for him to crawl under a rock and die after he betrayed her with the ghost of Anna, or to put an entire continent between them. Out of sight, out of mind is what Caroline tried to tell her, but she just didn't get it. Jeremy was the first guy she took a chance on and it blew up in her face. It was yet another slight from someone she allowed herself to be vulnerable with and what did he do? Stabbed her in the back and made her feel she wasn't good enough yet again.

Taking a deep breath Bonnie then shifted her thoughts to Elena. Bitterness and resentment was still a strong, nasty taste in her mouth whenever she spared her best friend a thought. There had been a time she could say with absolute certainty that no matter what, Elena would have her back. Well, she had proven that was no longer applicable. Elena cared about people—sure, but her priorities were jacked! Okay fine, she couldn't decided which Salvatore she wanted to screw, but why did everyone else have to get dragged into their endless drama?

Upon Elena's return from Denver she had called an emergency meeting at her house. Bonnie, who really wasn't in the mood but was going through the motions showed up to offer her support. She figured it would be a nice reprieve from having to help psychos with family issues reverse spells, and stay one step ahead of permanent death. She and Caroline had arrived within seconds of each other and the two speculated on what the new drama was that was turning Elena's life into a big ball of hell.

The three girls sat down at the kitchen table hovering over steaming cups of coffee. In the center of the table was an untouched plate of pastries and brownies. Caroline and Bonnie listened intently as Elena poured her little doppelganger heart out on what went down between her and Damon.

Bonnie lost all interest in the conversation when that clown was brought into the conversation, yet she tactfully kept her mouth shut. She did, flick her eyes to Caroline, who she could tell was inwardly rolling her eyes. For months all they've listened to was: Damon did this, and Damon said that, and Damon, Damon, Damon.

Ummm, what about Stefan? Wasn't he the one she had been in a relationship with? The one she pledged her heart to? Hmmm.

Bonnie kept her comments to the bare minimum offering up an um-hmm, you don't say, oh, really, that's how you feel. She allowed Caroline to be the mouth piece and voice of reason, something she had gotten increasingly good at.

"We can't tell you how to feel about Damon," Caroline said. "But you need to examine all the facts and not act off your hormones. He's done more bad than good stemming way beyond just his time here." She began to check items off with her fingers. "He slept with and turned your birth mother. He used me for blood and a sex toy. He broke Jeremy's neck right in front of you, snapped Ric's neck right in front of you. Repeatedly stabbed your boyfriend. And to top it all off…" she took in a huge mountain of air. "HE'S STEFAN'S BROTHER!"

Elena bristled yet still looked conflicted as if she were willing to bush those "minor" offenses under the rug and just wing it. Bonnie had pinched the bridge of her nose, rose from the table to refill her mug. That's when the spotlight was turned on her.

"How do you feel about this, Bon?" Elena asked, her whiskey colored eyes begging for absolution.

Bonnie didn't respond until she returned to the table and took a sip of her coffee. "He's a disgusting maggot that's not fit to lick my boots. That's my opinion about Damon. You want to kiss him," she shrugged, "that's on you. They aren't my lips so in other words, I don't care. But I agree with Caroline. Examine all the facts because if you get with him you're pretty much saying eff everyone who's ever been hurt by Damon. He means more to me than any of you ever will."

Two sets of eyes stared at Bonnie. The silence that befell the room was deafening. Crushing. So much that Elena catapulted out of her seat and began to pace the room.

"I wish I could explain how I feel when I'm around him," Elena implored for understanding which she wasn't getting from the looks on her two best friends' faces. She sighed and dropped to her chair again. "I know it makes no logical sense and I know he's done terrible, horrible things to people, but when I'm with him I become a different person."

"That's all well and good," Caroline interrupted, "but what kind of person do you turn into? Does he make you want to build wells in Africa, or go help starving children in India? Does he challenge you to be a better student, sister, friend? Or does he simply set your ovaries on fire and you want him to put them out?"

Bonnie couldn't help it, she had to chuckle. God, she loved Caroline like she was her child.

Elena made a guttural noise in the back of her throat. "It's more than just wanting to sleep with him. If that's all it mounted down to, we would have done it already."

"Yeah, right," Bonnie said into her coffee cup.

Elena turned to regard her. "You don't believe me?"

Bonnie sat her cup down. "It's kind of hard to believe you when you don't believe yourself. Hey, I might be president of the Crucify Damon Salvatore fangirl club, but even I can admit he's hot. Does that mean I would put his butt out if it caught on fire to preserve his hotness," Bonnie shook her head in the negative, "does it cloud certain issues," she shrugged again, "maybe, but that's still no excuse.

"Look, I know you don't want to hurt Stefan but this back and forth, and indecisiveness is hurting him. In this situation if you're trying to be diplomatic without stepping on toes or crushing egos, Elena sad to say it but you're wasting time."

Caroline nodded her ascent. "I'm with Bonnie on this, Lena. The longer you drag things out, the harder it'll be to make a decision."

"I want you to answer these series of questions with the first answer to pop into your head. Ready?" Bonnie waited for Elena to nod before beginning. "Hot or cold?"

"Hot."

"Ice cream or cereal?"

"Ice cream."

"Monday or Tuesday?"

"Tuesday."

"Rihanna or Katy Perry."

"Katy Perry."

"Damon or Stefan?"

"Damon."

"Boom!" Bonnie tossed her hands in the air. Elena's eyes widened and her jaw dropped as well as Caroline's.

"Problem solved," Bonnie sighed happily and rose from her table. She reached for her purse and then patted her friend on the shoulder. "I'm so lucky I'm not in your shoes."

"W-wait," Elena sputtered and shot up from her seat. "That's not what I meant."

Bonnie turned to face Elena. "But it's what came out of your mouth."

"I only said Damon because we've been talking about him for the past hour."

"Yeah, un-hun. I'm not convinced," Bonnie said unsympathetically.

Elena looked at Caroline for some assistance but Caroline merely shook her head and speared her with a look that translated into: Don't look at me.

"No," Elena denied vehemently even as she trailed behind Bonnie who made her way to the front door. "I love Stefan."

Bonnie snatched the door open and stepped one foot out on the porch. "Yes, you've established that a long time ago that you love Stefan, but are you in love with him? He's not the same Stefan Salvatore we met last year. He's different, we're all different. People grow apart and during this you developed feelings for Damon. How hardcore they are, only you can answer that. I mean, Elena, why are you so afraid to really admit how you feel about Damon?"

Elena tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Because I know no one approves of my friendship with him. It's kind of hard to admit how you feel about someone that's pretty much hated across the board."

"Yeah, and Damon really has no one to blame for that but himself. You don't want his taint to rub off on you, I can understand that, but don't continue to drag out this tired song and dance. Either move on with or without him. But in my humble opinion, Damon doesn't deserve you. He treats you like you're a trophy to win. That's not love. That's control. And one of the things I used to admire about you was your independent spirit. You used to let nothing cage you in. Where's that girl? Where's the Elena I used to know? Maybe you should answer those questions first before making a decision on your romantic life."

Bonnie had walked away and went back to her side of town where she quickly discovered sleep was elusive. So hence she hopped in her car and drove around aimlessly for about an hour until she decided to head to the Bluffs.

The spray of water from the waterfall occasionally wet her face and arms. Bonnie closed her eyes and merely immersed herself in nature. When in the world did life get so dang complicated? Was it when Grams began to fill her head with tales of their family being composed of powerful Salem witches? Did it happen when she touched Stefan for the first time and felt death?

The snapping of a twig caught her attention and Bonnie spun around. At first she saw nothing but trees but then she caught sight of a silhouette drawing closer to her present location. Balling her hands into fists, Bonnie licked her lips ready to battle whoever might be approaching.

Finally after torturous moments passed, the person revealed themselves to her pea green eyes. She relaxed only infinitesimally when she realized it was Stefan.

Surprise and shock over finding her here was absent from his face. That was probably due to the fact he saw her car parked some quarter of a mile away, coupled with her smell. The two of them stared at one another not really sure what would be a proper opening.

"What are you doing here?" Bonnie finally asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," he responded flatly.

Bonnie's left eye squinted as she looked at Stefan, really looked at him. His shirt was wrinkled, so were his jeans which told Bonnie he probably hadn't changed in a few days. His usual, perfectly styled caramel hair was sticking out at wild, untamed angles more than likely the product of constantly running frustrated hands through his mane. Dark circles were prevalent under his leaf green eyes. And his skin appeared paler than usual. For as long as she knew Stefan she had never seen him unkempt before.

"What happened?" she demanded.

There was no change to the flatness of his eyes, yet Bonnie couldn't miss the tic going off in his jaw. "It's done. We're over."

So she chose, Bonnie thought and things didn't go in Stefan's favor.

The vampire snorted and crossed over to Bonnie. He put a noticeable amount of space between them as he looked out to the bluffs. Bonnie turned around to plant her eyes on the horizon again. She wanted to say she was sorry to hear about Elena's decision, but instinct or more to the matter, self-preservation told her that's not what Stefan wanted to hear right now. Besides it wouldn't change a doggone thing.

"I never should have come back because I knew if Damon followed me, he'd take her from me. I knew that. But I held on to the belief that she wasn't Katherine," he snorted again. "Why am I so weak? Ric's alter ego was right about me…I'm a hideous monster and I can't even get that right."

Well what was an appropriate response to that? No, Stefan you're an excellent, hideous monster? If that wasn't an oxymoron she didn't know what was. But something inside of Bonnie snapped.

"Get over yourself, Stefan."

His head snapped so sharply to look at her that Bonnie felt the bones in her neck protesting the movement. His eyes narrowed and he took a threatening step towards her, but stopped when he felt the burning sensation of a million needles going off in his head.

"Don't go there with me, dude," she warned. "I'm sorry that Elena broke your heart. You didn't deserve that."

Stefan swooned on his feet and blinked his eyes. His reserves were nearly depleted. He had gone three days without blood so far. Being malnourished and heartbroken while in the presence of a powerful witch was not a good or smart tactic on his part.

"I'm…sorry," he said and dropped to his knees. Bonnie's eyes widened in shock and she joined him out of habit. Bonnie hated to see anyone hurting; that was probably her Achilles Heel.

She remembered that night she spent at Klaus' working the spell to unbind his siblings lives and she saw Damon bloodied and near death. Instinct had overridden common sense to leave him hanging like a piece of rotisserie chicken. It wasn't until Klaus brutally reminded her that Damon ruthlessly killed her mother to save to Elena, and it was at that moment Bonnie recalled her hatred of him and walked out.

Blind do-gooderness was going to be her downfall, Bonnie was sure of it.

Tentatively she placed her hand on his shoulder and felt his body trembling. Silent tears coursed down his cheeks and something unfamiliar yet familiar lanced through Bonnie. She sighed and then tucked Stefan's head under her chin, resting his cheek next to her beating heart.

"I'm sorry, Stefan," she murmured quietly. "I really wanted her to be with you."

"Why? After all the stuff I've done? I'm partly responsible for your mother's death, Bonnie. Why would you feel bad for me?"

"You're right," Bonnie agreed. "I shouldn't feel bad for you. And yes the sting of my mother's death still attacks me but she left me again," Bonnie bit out through clenched teeth. "She made her choice, and I'm making mine. I can't just be mad at one person. I'm spreading my madness all around. Keeps you more balanced that way."

Stefan maneuvered out of her arms and stared into her eyes. "I'm sorry, Bonnie, deeply sorry. I hurt you and you were one of the few people I considered a friend. What I did wasn't right."

Bonnie didn't say a word to placate him.

"I know it's going to take more than me just saying I'm sorry for things to…get better."

"Yeah, it will." Pause. "But thank you for apologizing. I never thought you would."

"I've wanted to but I guess I was hesitant because I figured you'd kill me on sight."

Bonnie smirked. "The thought did pass my mind a time or two but then I realized if I just acted off my flesh and emotions how would that make me any better than you? I'd feel better—probably yet it wouldn't change the situation. I still don't trust you."

Stefan nodded his head. Trust would have been too much to ask for. He knew that.

"So what are you going to do? Elena told you that she wants to be with Damon?"

"It wasn't as cut and dry as that," Stefan confessed. "She wasted an hour of my life running through the course of our relationship making comparisons to how she feels about Damon, before finally admitting she did love him. I'd heard enough by then and finally gave her my…blessing," the word dripped with disdain, "and I walked out with what pride and dignity I had left."

"Okay, wait so you don't know if she really had chosen your brother?"

"I know a you're-about-to-be-dumped speech when I hear one. What would be the point in me sticking around for the fireworks? And if she wanted to be with me, she would have run out after me. She didn't do that."

They grew quiet again.

Bonnie adjusted her position on the ground so that her feet could dangle over the edge of the cliff. Stefan followed suit.

The sun had arisen engulfing them in light. She turned to regard him. "The pain?" she asked.

"Intense," he replied.

"Are you leaving?"

He shrugged. "What reason do I have to stay?"

"You're never going to get over her, are you?"

Quiet. "I kind of feel too paralyzed to answer that right now."

Bonnie sighed and then uncharacteristic for her, reached for Stefan's hand and entwined their fingers together. The cold metal of his day walking ring dug into her skin.

Stefan stared down at their combined hands—quizzically. It had been so long since anyone offered him any kind of emotional support, so long that he began to feel displaced within his own body. He stared at Bonnie's profile wondering what was going through her mind right now. Offering him, of all creatures support after he basically did what he was notorious for, ripping through her life and destroying the trust they used to have in one another.

He didn't deserve Bonnie's kindness or the olive branch she seemed to be extending. He had taken her for granted on more than one occasion, and instead of rebuking him because of the hurt and destruction he caused in her life, she remained by his side, not judging, but simply being what he had needed for so long.

A friend.

"Don't read too much into this, Stefan," Bonnie said as if reading his thoughts. "I'm doing this for me just as much as I'm doing it for you. I'm trying to prove to myself that I'm not that vindictive bitch I was when I first learned about your kind. Your actions are what make you monstrous; I can make that distinction now. And even I know humans can be just as soulless as vampires. So we can sit here like this for as long as it takes."

Stefan continued to stare at her. That was a slight problem of his, not knowing when to look away. Bonnie didn't seem to mind. Finally, after minutes passed he finally brought his eyes back to the horizon. Who knows, he very well may survive this.

Weeks later…

Bonnie stared up at her ceiling. Absently she brushed the column of her neck with her fingers as her thoughts raced. A pattern started from the morning she spent talking to Stefan on the bluffs. She'd find her thoughts trailing off to him whenever she woke up in the morning and then periodically throughout the day, and then at night as she crawled into bed. She hadn't told Caroline that she spoke with Stefan and Bonnie couldn't exactly pinpoint why she felt it necessary to keep that confidential.

Elena and Damon were together—kind of. They were careful about not being seen in public together so they were being cautionary and discreet in that sense. Bonnie already knew that wouldn't last long. She knew it would only be a matter of time before Damon demanded they go public. Then Elena would really discover if her blood was red or yellow and if she could withstand the public scrutiny and backlash that was sure to follow. Because lets be real, only one type of woman dated and screwed brothers.

Bonnie for her part hadn't really had any contact with Stefan since that morning. He remained in town but moved out of the boardinghouse into another Salvatore owned property. She didn't know of its location. Stefan had stopped coming to school a long time ago and it wasn't like he needed a diploma. But she did kind of miss seeing him around campus.

And luckily for Bonnie she only had one awkward encounter with Damon. She was leaving the drug store and ran into him-literally. She didn't say a word but he muttered excuse me and they kept it moving.

Yet none of this could explain why Stefan was constantly on her brain. Sighing Bonnie propped herself up against the headboard and reached for the novel she had been reading. It was good to keep her thoughts focused on things other than a certain vampire.

Stefan had survived another lonely night. He walked through his sparsely furnished living room, a glass of blood in his hand. Shirtless and sockless, mentally he began to tabulate the things he needed to get. The only completely furnished room in the house was his bedroom.

This house which was about a third the size of the boardinghouse was cozy and isolated. It lied on two acres of surrounding woods, and his nearest neighbor was five miles away. And the best part, the house was in Matt's name. No uninvited vampires allowed.

There had never been a question about Stefan remaining in the boardinghouse. He and Damon had come to an agreement that whoever Elena picked, the other would move out to keep things from being weird and complicated. Stefan lost and promptly moved his things out. He didn't tell Damon were he was lodging and had no desire to do so. In his mind he was now an only child and would live his life that way.

Many would probably question why he chose to remain in town. Well, Mystic Falls was his home, no matter what happened it would always be his home. And if Klaus couldn't scare him off, he refused to allow Delena to do the same. Stefan snorted and took a sip of his drink.

He sat down on an overstuffed chair and listened to the sounds of the house. Even he could admit to being a little lonely but loneliness was kind of a requirement living the vampire lifestyle.

The only place where he had company was in his thoughts. And as of late they had been consumed with Bonnie. He thought of her often yet never did anything about it. So what she held his hand for an entire morning? He had done more physical acts with women in his past yet they didn't have such a profound effect on him.

Stefan cleared his throat and wondered what this all meant. Did it mean anything? Did it mean he was transferring his feelings? Or was he simply clinging to the one person who showed him kindness in months?

It was probably the latter, he resolutely told himself. Before he even realized what he was doing, he was up and on his feet, heading upstairs to his room to change.

Bonnie chuckled at a passage she just finished reading about a character being so old they had an autographed copy of the Bible when she heard a car engine roaring outside. Placing the book down, she climbed out of bed and walked to the bay window. She discreetly pushed the curtains aside and her jaw hit the floor.

Stefan walked with that lazy swagger of his towards Bonnie's front door. He hadn't been to her house in months, and was taking a chance showing up unannounced. But he knew he had made the right decision when he saw her car parked in the driveway. Stomping up the stairs, he rung the door bell and waited.

Bonnie was frozen for a minute. She quickly looked down at herself and frowned. Did she really want to answer her door dressed in a tiny Timberwolves T-shirt and her Hello Kitty pajama shorts? Not the cutest or sexiest or most dignified outfit in the world, but whatever. It was only Stefan and he's seen her with blood pouring out of her nose for goodness sake.

However, that didn't mean she didn't take a detour to her bathroom to finger comb her hair and quickly brush her teeth. She coated her lips with gloss and made sure there was no crust in her eyes before she made her way downstairs.

Stefan was about to lay on the bell again when he heard the lock click and then the door opened.

He pulled his lips into a smile he hoped was believable. "Hi."

"Hi," Bonnie said with an edge of suspicion. "What are you doing here?"

Stefan cleared his throat. "I was in the neighborhood and well…okay wait that's a lie. I wanted to see you."

Bonnie's eyes blinked rapidly as she tried to process what he just said. The only times Stefan wanted to see her was to ask for her help to do a spell to save Elena's life. For him to show up at her doorstep out of the blue wanting to see her was completely out of character for him. Yet she couldn't deny that tiny shift of giddiness that infiltrated her belly, and inwardly she rolled her eyes. Getting excited by a visit from one half of the vampire duo responsible for Abby abandoning her again was not a good thing.

"For what?" Bonnie asked.

Rubbing the back of his neck Stefan wasn't really sure what he should have expected. Bonnie was not the sort of female to easily forgive someone for a past transgression like it was no big deal. He assisted in screwing up her life and for lack of a better phrase turning her into an indentured servant, she wouldn't exactly be happy to see him on a Saturday morning.

"Nothing," he stammered. "I just wanted…I just wanted to make sure you were doing all right. We haven't spoken or seen each other since…that morning."

Bonnie nodded her head. "I'm fine. How have you been?"

Stefan nodded. "Okay. Things could always be better." Pause. "Do you want to maybe go get something to eat?"

"No," was her automatic response and Bonnie ducked her eyes a bit when she saw the disappointment on Stefan's face. "I mean, no because I'm not dressed."

"I can wait," he responded quickly.

"Umm, okay. I'll be…back. Shortly," Bonnie shut the door in his face and wondered what in the hell was she doing. She quickly went back up to her room, selected an outfit that wouldn't require ironing or said she put in any effort, hopped in the shower, and went about the rest of her morning routine.

Stefan had remained on the porch waiting for her and put his phone away when the front door opened again almost half an hour later. He swiftly looked her over and felt his non-existent pulse race. Bonnie liked wearing super tight jeans and tops with deep necklines and booties, today was no exception.

"I'm ready," she stated the obvious.

Stefan offered up another smile and the two of them walked down the steps of her porch, to his car where he opened the door for her.

Again Bonnie questioned the intelligence of her decision to spend time with Stefan. Months ago this wouldn't have been an awkward situation, but he betrayed her in the worst way a friend could betray another, and here she was about to ride off into the sunset to go eat food. Sane people didn't consort with their enemies like this.

Stefan cranked the engine and pulled away from the curb. He had a decision to make on where to take them. Feasibly he could head back to his house but then he'd have to search through his boxes for cooking utensils that he did not have. If they went to the Grill where anyone they knew was liable to show up, that would only serve to make things more awkward than they presently were.

So Stefan headed out of Mystic Falls to another small town. He looked over the console at Bonnie. Her face was hard and her leg was jumping.

"Thank you," he said to break up the silence.

"For what?"

Stefan shrugged, "For being you, no matter what."

Bonnie turned to regard him. "Being me is all I can do."

Stefan took another chance. He reached over, clasped Bonnie's hand and laced their fingers together. He waited for her rebuke but it didn't follow. Instead she tightened her grip on his hand and looked out the window at the world passing by. For the first time in a long time, Stefan felt that void inside of him shrinking. This was merely the beginning.

Chapter end.

A/N: I've had to reload this chapter because I made some subtle changes. Thank you for giving this a shot, leaving me your thoughts, adding to your lists, etc. Love you!