Chasing The Sun

Chapter 3- Damon Issues

I stared at my face in the mirror as I glided my red toothbrush through my mouth, gently scrubbing my teeth. I spat out the toothpaste into the sink and was about to start scrubbing my teeth again when I heard a deep voice behind me.

"Are you done, Bonnita?" I recognized the voice as Damon's. It was strange how we'd hardly known each-other a day yet his voice was already engraved into my mind like it was written in stone.

"5 more minutes," I replied, not even looking his way. I continued brushing my teeth and jumped about 5 feet into the air when I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. "Damon!" I exclaimed, "I said 5 more minutes not 5 more seconds… and there's a bathroom next to Luka's room," I realized, a moment later as I rinsed my mouth out.

Damon got an irritating smirk on his face, "But I want to use this one," He said, firmly, his voice tinged with his slightly Italian accent.

I shot him a weird look, "Why?" I asked as I began to apply some moisturizer to my face. Damon watched me, transfixed for a few seconds before he grinned.

"Because I like annoying you, that's why," He responded, crisply.

I turned around to face him, massaging the last of my moisturizer into my skin. I glared at him, "Are you going to keep annoying me all summer then?" I asked him, shooting him an exasperated look.

A slow smirk spread across Damon's face, "That's the plan, Bonnita," He replied, as he edged past me into the bathroom.

"Don't call me that," I snapped back immediately and I didn't even hear Damon's sure-to-be-smug reply because in that second, the bathroom door slammed in my face. "HEY! I wasn't done yet!" I screamed, pounding on the door. I could hear the sound of Damon's laughter echoing inside.

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I was standing in some dark, eerie corridor in an unknown house. I didn't know where I was but I knew that somewhere inside me told me that I needed to know and that I did in fact know deep in my heart. I looked down at my clothes, noticing that I was dressed in a little black dress that reached halfway down my thighs and I had silver sandals on my feet. I couldn't remember when I'd put that on or how I'd even gotten here which confused me to no end. I heard footsteps behind me, the heavy tap of leather shoes getting closer and I followed the instinct that told me to run. I took off bolting down the corridor, my breathing getting heavier the faster I went. I ran down a winding staircase, leaning forward precariously to move at the quickest velocity I could and taking care not to trip and fall to my untimely death. At the bottom of the staircase, I found a giant brown door. I ran towards it, still hearing the footsteps behind me and the morbid sound of panting. I flung the door open and ran down the steps and towards something that looked like some woods.

I took off, twisting and turning between trees and then creeping under branches to get into the best hiding place I could. I kept on moving and found myself in the middle of the woods and thankfully, I couldn't hear the footsteps anymore. I'd lost whoever it was. I wiped my sweaty forehead and rested my body against a tree, heaving and panting, trying to catch my breath again. I was filled with a sense of utter relief that I'd gotten away from my pursuer but I was also bewildered.

What was I supposed to do now? I didn't know. I didn't even know how I got to this place or where on earth I was and I felt the fear slowly building up inside me, pervading all my senses and making me numb. I felt lost and perplexed and scared and I hated that.

"Bonnie," I heard the whisper behind me and I whipped my head around to see Damon standing there, dressed in some black jeans and a black shirt, his cerulean eyes glinting brightly in the moonlight that the almost nonexistent gaps in the trees let seep through. Reprieve washed automatically over me and I walked towards him.

"Damon, what are you doing here? What am I doing here? Where are we?" I asked, my mind a jumble of questions that I was trying to word as coherently as I could.

Damon put a hand to my mouth, in a gesture that was almost sensual, "Hush, we're hiding out," He muttered, leaning towards me so that our faces were almost touching. I felt my breath catch as his light baby blue eyes stared into my own. I felt his hand linger at my bare shoulder and my skin tingled there.

"Why are we hiding out?" I added in a whisper, shivering as his hand trailed down my back and he pulled me close.

"Because I want to keep you safe," He whispered back, as he held me close to his body. It was so weird but it felt so right. Like I was exactly where I needed to be.

"Safe from whom? The person who was running after me?" I questioned, a moment later.

Damon froze, his eyes widening. "Someone was running after you?" His blue eyes burned with anger and possessiveness and I didn't know how I felt about that.

I nodded, gulping at his expression. "Who could it be?" I murmured.

"I don't know," Damon said, "Wait here," He muttered, before he let go of me. "Promise me you'll stay here?"

I nodded, "I promise, Damon," I responded, still feeling his touch on my body and wanting him to come back and envelop me into his safe embrace one more time.

Damon looked into my eyes once more, "I love you, Bonnie. I'll do whatever I can to keep you safe," He spoke surely and boldly and then I was spiraled into a darkness that consumed everything and left me with nothing.

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I woke up from a strange dream, pounding and sweating. I didn't remember much about the dream except the bluish glint of Damon's eyes and the pounding of the footsteps that had almost caught up to me. The rest had been an eerie darkness that had sent a shiver down my spine and try as I could, I couldn't recall anything else about the weird dream.

I climbed up off of my bed, wondering what time it was. I picked my cell phone up and jumped as I saw it was 10:35 AM. I was way too late. Caroline had called me up last night before I went to sleep saying that she wanted me to come to her house at noon so that I could help her get some stuff ready for her party and so that we could later get ready together. Rebekah was supposedly coming too. I quickly hurried into the bathroom and did what I needed to do in there before I hurried back into my room, heading straight for my wardrobe.

I picked out some white shorts and a light green v-neck shirt before I put on my favorite silver necklace with a green and silver-plated 'B' on it. My mother had given it to me on one of my birthdays and it was my favorite of all the things she'd sent me so far. I fingered it with a smile then pulled out my brush and tugged it through my hair until it fell in soft, silky waves down my back. I was glad I was having a pretty good hair day, especially considering I was going to a party.

I picked out the bag I'd filled with my party clothes for Caroline's bash from under my bed and snatched up my cell phone from on my beside table and slipped it into my black diamante purse. I sighed and started out of the room, flicking the light off. I rushed down the stairs to the kitchen, in need of a shot of caffeine to kick start my system.

I placed my things on the kitchen table and went over to grab my favorite blue and white stripy mug from on the rack beside the sink. When I couldn't find it, I opted for a plain brown one instead, wondering where it was. I was sure I'd washed it yesterday after Rebekah and I'd had our morning coffees. I made a mental note to search for it when I got back from the party if I still had some energy left. I hated my things going missing.

I grabbed the coffee pitcher, getting ready to heat it up but was shocked to find it already warm which was weird because Dad always left early. Damon, I remembered with a slightly sardonic smile. I'd almost forgotten that he was here. I poured some coffee into my mug and reached into the fridge to grab some milk to add onto it because black coffee had never been my thing.

"Good morning," I heard Damon's voice behind me and I straightened up, pouring the milk into my mug.

"Morning," I responded, returning the milk to the fridge and turning to face him.

Damon was dressed in some faded jeans and a gray shirt and I couldn't help but notice how good he looked. I got a flashback of him, standing in front of me in my dream with his cerulean eyes glittering in the dim light, and shivered as I remembered how he'd wrapped his arms around me and made me feel so safe, like nothing at all could hurt me.

Damon broke into my thoughts, "So finally sleeping beauty woke up," He smirked, ruining the moment, and I noticed with a roll of my eyes that he had my favorite blue and white mug in his hands. Typical. I took a sip of my own drink and shot him my own smirk, trying to push away the aggravation that was already building up in my system because of him.

"When did you wake up?" I asked, curiously, to change the subject.

Damon studied my face before he started speaking, "I've been up since 7 o'clock. I was out and about looking around Mystic Falls; quaint little town you have here…" He trailed off, putting the mug into the sink and starting to wash it.

"7 o'clock? On summer vacation? That's practically illegal here," I joked, drinking more coffee and leaning against the counter to stare at his back. He had a hot back.

I pushed that crazy thought away as Damon began to speak again: "Well, you know what they say about the early bird catching the worm," He commented, breezily, as he dried his hands on the towel and turned to stare at me with a strange gaze in his eyes. I couldn't interpret the emotion in them as anything other than mystery.

"And did you?" I raised my eyebrows and sipped some more of my drink.

"Did I what?" Damon's eyebrows furrowed, as if he was deep in thought and I wondered what he was thinking of. I had a feeling he hid a million and one secrets inside him and I was curious to unveil some of them.

"Catch the worm?" I commented as Damon took a few steps towards me, seeming almost predator-like in his stance. I didn't back away even though something about him screamed dangerous.

He shrugged, "I might've," His voice was still pensive and I just watched his intense blue eyes with interest. His eyes were so deep, it was incredible. They weren't just cerulean: they were baby blue with tiny swirls of silver and dark blue swiveling around like a kaleidoscope. Damon stared back at me, a curious, attentive look still evident in his eyes.

"So what are you doing today except for Caroline's party?" He asked gruffly, a moment later.

"I'm going over to her house now to help with some stuff and then we'll get ready… I'll assume you're coming to the party," I responded, gulping the last of my coffee and dumping it into the sink.

Damon nodded, "Yeah…see you there, Bonnita?" He asked, as I gathered up my stuff, ready to head to Caroline's. I turned back to fix him with an unfaltering gaze.

"Don't call me that weird nickname," I responded, picking my stuff up. "What are you doing today?" I tried to appear nonchalant but I truly wanted to know.

"Doing some things," Damon said vaguely, turning his eyes sneakily away from mine and taking a few steps away.

"What things?" I pressed, suddenly incredibly nosy because of his actions. He was just so mysterious and odd and I was a curious person.

Damon avoided my eyes, "You're not my keeper. I don't need to tell you everything, Bonnie," He said, with a hint of acidity to his voice.

I frowned deeply, "I never said I was your keeper," I responded, "I guess I'll see you at Care's party then,"

"Yeah, see you then," Damon responded, before he slipped out of the room and I was filled with annoyance and a bit of hurt that he hadn't told me where he was going. I knew he was free to do what he wanted but it was kind of like a slap in the face that he wouldn't tell me. Not that we were friends, but still…

I rolled my eyes at my own attitude. I shouldn't care about Damon especially when he had mood swings like a pregnant woman. One minute he was all sweet and caring, the next he was cold and distant and the next he was an annoying jerk. I hastily held my stuff to my chest staring at the space he'd just been standing and trying to suppress the curiosity inside me about him that was threatening to spill over. Thankfully, my phone buzzed that moment with Caroline's number.

I picked up quickly, pushing my thoughts about Damon away briskly. "Hi-,"

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, BONNIE? I MEAN ELENA'S HERE AND SHE'S ALWAYS LATE!" I heard my bubbly blonde friend's voice rise in volume on the other side and sighed.

"I'm on my way," I spoke into the phone, "I just had some Damon issues,"

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"So we're making s'mores there and Elena brought some cookies that Jenna baked and we've made some other snacks and stuff," Caroline rambled on to us as we sat at her kitchen table with the party food in front of us. We'd been baking for a couple of hours: sausage rolls, cupcakes, cheese cake bars, brownies and more… We'd prepared the chips and dips and we had the pizza ready and Tyler, Kol and Matt were setting up the decorations at the clearing in the woods where we would be holding the party.

Elena and I watched Caroline frantically type something into her phone, looking as stressed as hell. "Calm down, Caroline… everything's going to be fine," Elena promised from beside me, placing a chip from the overflowing bowl in front of her into her mouth.

Caroline looked up from her phone and glared up at Elena like she'd committed a crime. "This party has to be perfect in order for this summer to be perfect! And you did not just eat that…" She looked at her horrified, and Elena and I burst out laughing at Caroline's over the top attitude.

"She just did," I cried, causing Caroline to scowl and roll her eyes as she typed something else into her giant new Samsung phone. Elena and I shared a look and erupted into some more giggles.

"What's so funny?" Rebekah exclaimed, coming into the room with a giant bag which was filled with cosmetics that Caroline had told her to bring along for us to get ready. Because her mother was an editor for Seventeen Magazine, Rebekah always got the hot, new samples. She had her hair irons and my hairbrush in her other hand.

"Caroline's not letting us eat from the party food," Elena elucidated with a slight grin in Caroline's direction.

"I see," Rebekah smirked, "Well, when are we going to do hair and make-up? There's not long left until the party… just a mere 2 hours," She exclaimed.

Caroline looked up, "Yeah," She looked tired, "I think we're done here… Who wants to go first?" She asked, a grin coming to her lips.

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An hour and a bit later, we were all dressed and with our hair and make-up ready. My hair was sleek and straight down my back and my eyes were bold, all outlined in kohl and with tons of mascara and eyeliner while the rest of my make-up was simple. I had a bold half red half black dress on and some red high heels and I personally thought I looked great, no cockiness intended.

"So how was Jenna's engagement dinner thing?" I asked Elena who was standing the nearest to me, smacking her lips together after she applied some peachy colored lipstick. She was dressed in a peach figure hugging dress that reached a little above her knees and her sleek chocolate brown hair was tied in a high ponytail.

"It was good… She's really happy with Alaric. She's so sure he's the one for her…" Elena smiled as she turned to look at me, "They act like lovesick teenagers… I'm so jealous…" A wistful look crossed her olive colored face.

I smiled at her, "You'll find your Romeo sooner or later… you're beautiful inside and out," I promised her with a sure look.

Elena sighed and reached forward to hug me, "I'm not really but thanks," She responded, and I could feel her sigh once more as she straightened up. "I put on a few pounds this year…"

"Don't be silly… you look nice," I told her, stepping back to look at her. "Right, girls?" I called over to Rebekah and Caroline who were still finishing up on their make-up.

They both turned to give us thumbs up and I shot Elena a look that said 'see'. Elena smiled at me, kindly, "You look amazing though… stunning… Kol will be pleased," She winked at me and I blushed involuntarily.

"There's nothing between me and Kol… Just some shameless flirting," I clarified as I stuffed my cell phone and brush into my purse. I took a final look at my face, noting how flawless the make-up was, accomplished by the adroit hands of Caroline Forbes, the resident make-up expert.

Elena looked like she didn't believe me, "I think there's more than that between you…" She lowered her voice, "I see the way he looks at you… he'd do anything for you…"

I sighed, "I know… and I would too… but I don't have those kinds of feelings for him," I responded, in a whisper.

"Have you ever tried liking him as more than a friend?" Elena whispered just as Rebekah yelled out:

"What are you guys whispering about over there?"

I shook my head at Elena, signaling to her that we should keep this private because I didn't want Rebekah and Caroline to go on about me and Kol as well. It was enough that Elena constantly felt the need to question what was between us. It wasn't her fault: I knew she was a hopeless romantic but it got annoying sometimes.

"About the party and how we're going to be late," Elena supplied, winking subtly at me.

The girls scrambled to their feet, Caroline muttering about how awful it would be to go to her own party late and I was glad that they hadn't pressed any further about what we'd been talking about.

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"Bonnie, for the 50th time today, you look spectacular," Kol commented as he handed me a cup of diet Pepsi which was my favorite soda.

"Thanks, Kol. You don't look half bad either," I responded, cheekily, checking out his black jeans that fit in all the right places and red shirt which brought out the spark in his warm brown eyes.

Kol chuckled, muttering something under his breath as I took a sip of my Pepsi. He took a sip of his own drink and I noticed his eyes fixed on the side of my face, studying my every look and I shot him a tiny smile to which he beamed back with a caring look in his eyes. I remembered what Elena had said about him willing to do anything for me and thought she was probably right.

"Do you want to dance?" I asked, suddenly, putting my drink down.

Kol looked surprised at my words and nodded, eagerly, "Sure, Bonnie… I thought you'd never ask," He placed his own cup on the table and reached his hand out.

I took it with a smile, "You could have asked me," I commented as we moved towards the dance floor, hand in hand.

"I didn't think you'd say yes," He replied, a slightly hurt look in his chocolate brown eyes.

I didn't comment as I brought my hands to his shoulder and he started to sway me to the beat of Conor Maynard's 'Vegas Girl'. I actually had to struggle to keep up with Kol's dancing; he was an adept dancer, a fact of which I hadn't been aware. "Wow, you're good," I looked into his brown eyes as he twirled me around once more. "I didn't know that,"

Kol smirked, "There are loads of things you don't know about me, Bon," He commented, before a hurt look crossed his face. I reached forward and touched his cheek gently, surprising him.

"I want to know more about you," I spoke softly, and Kol pulled me in closer to him.

"Yeah?" He asked, his eyes lighting up.

"Yes," I responded, smiling at him just as I saw Damon appear behind Kol.

"May I interrupt?" Damon asked, and I noted that he was dressed in some freaking leather trousers that looked amazing on him and a navy shirt that made him look as sexy as hell and a whole lot dangerous. I couldn't stop staring at him and he looked back at me, an appreciative look on his face.

A frown crossed Kol's face, "No, you may not," He responded, shooting him a glare.

"I asked her not you, "Damon said, a cold tone to his voice, his ice blue eyes flitting to my own. "Bonnie?"

I hesitated, looking at Kol and then back at Damon who was now extending his hand to me. I couldn't resist, "Just one dance," I shot Kol a look that said I'd be back, "Wait for me near the snacks table?" I asked him and Kol shrugged, letting go of my hand and looking annoyed. I leaned forward and placed a kiss to his cheek, making him freeze in place. Kol nodded and winked at me before he hurried off and I smirked as I took Damon's hand.

Damon had an irritated look on his face, "Finally, he left," He commented, as he pulled me close to him without any respect to my personal space. I couldn't say I minded though; Damon was hot.

"That's rude, okay?" I responded, "He's been my friend for years…"

"Do you kiss all your friends on the cheek?" Damon questioned casually as he started to sway me to the beat.

I faltered, my cheeks warming slightly. "That's none of your business. Why do you want to dance with me anyway? To annoy the hell out of me as usual?" I asked, the irritation I felt clear in my voice.

Damon paused for a second, checking me out. "You look… okay," He commented with a gulp.

I glared at him, "What a compliment," I responded, brazenly, "Please, go on."

Damon smirked then got a serious look on his face, "You look beautiful, Bonnita," He murmured, his Italian accent enunciating his words in a way that made me melt.

I felt my cheeks warm slightly, "Thank you, Damon. You look good too," I responded and for a few moments, we remained in comfortable silence, each one of us eyeing the other with admiration. We stopped trying to keep up with the upbeat music and instead Damon swayed me to our own special beat and in that moment, I felt enclosed in a world of our own. I gazed into Damon's blue stunners as the song faded out and another one began and our song was over.

"This was nice," I commented, a moment later, a slight smile on my lips. "You can be pretty sweet when you want to,"

Damon smiled, actually smiled at me, looking honestly a bit shy. "Thanks, Bonnie. And it was nice," He gazed back at me intensely, a mysterious look in his placid azure orbs and I was about to ask him for another dance when a pretty blonde girl approached us; I recognized her as one of the girls from the drama club at school: Amber something or the other. Was Damon here with her? She didn't seem like his type at all. He was mysterious, bold and sarcastic while she was blonde, fake and girlishly annoying.

"Damon, you said one dance," She whimpered in a way that made me want to slap her silly. She looked up at him under her eyelashes through murky green eyes and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

Damon stared at me, not even looking in her direction. I nodded so that it wouldn't be awkward. "I need to get back to Kol anyway. Have fun with your date, Damon," I told him, pulling away and already taking a few steps back.

"Bonnie," Damon started and I shook my head, offering him a bright-albeit fake- smile.

"I'll see you at home… Later, Amber," I said, as pleasantly as I could, before I walked off from the duo, feeling incredibly angry for a reason I couldn't comprehend. No, it wasn't anger, I realized, it was jealousy which was totally weird because I didn't even like Damon that way. I hardly knew him so why did I care that he'd asked Amber to be his date to Caroline's party. I didn't know. All that I knew was that when I looked back at the couple and watched Amber rest her blonde head on Damon's navy blue shirt as he started to sway her to the beat, I felt numerous knife stabs into my stomach.

"Bonnie," Kol shook me out of my trance and I realized that I'd reached the drinks table. He offered me a smile, "Finally, you're back,"

I pasted a smile on my face, "I am," I responded simply, "Thankfully," I added, though I felt the complete opposite.

Kol's face lit up like a boy on Christmas Eve. "Stefan was looking for you…I don't know if you've seen him…" He seemed to be trying to pick him out from the crowd and nodded when he spotted Rebekah, Caroline, Tyler, Matt and Stefan all standing in a circle next to the DJ, talking and laughing. "There they are,"

"Where's Elena then?" I asked, straining my eyes to notice my brunette friend who I'd only seen at the start of the party.

"She's dancing with Klaus. She was hanging around with me for a bit while you were with Damon and then he asked her to dance," Kol explained, his eyes locked on mine.

I nodded as I spotted Elena with her arms wrapped around Klaus's neck, her brown eyes glittering and an intense smile on her lips. "She looks happy…" I trailed off.

Kol nodded, "Yeah…I was honestly a bit surprised when my brother asked her to dance… She's been such a loner since Duke broke up with her when he left for college," He spoke and I sighed.

"The break up was hard on her but she's obviously bounced back," I responded with a smile as I watched Elena looking happy while she danced with Klaus.

"Who has?" I heard an American-Italian accent and looked up to see Stefan standing there, his leaf-green eyes glinting in the moonlight.

"Elena," I smiled, "Stefan, hi… Kol says you were looking for me before," I added, kindly.

Stefan nodded, "I wanted to say 'Hello'…. You look, lovely, Bonnie… Doesn't she, Kol?" He turned to Kol who was watching us both with a guarded look on his face.

He nodded fervently, "Stunning," He corrected, leaning forward and wrapping his arm around my waist. Anyone could see that it was a possessive move and I saw Stefan smirk a bit before his expression turned neutral once more.

"Caroline really goes all out, doesn't he?" He looked around with a dazzled look on his face.

"We all helped," Kol put in, "Ty and Matt and I set up all the decorations…"

Stefan nodded, "So it was team work… nice," He commented, "I haven't been to a party in a while actually,"

"Are there no parties in Italy?" I asked, a little surprised at the possibility.

Stefan chuckled, "No there are but I was never the party type… Damon is, obviously," His eyes strayed to Damon who I noticed was now dancing with a couple of girls at once; they were all grinding their hips against his body and I felt a surge of annoyance rattle through me. I tore my eyes away quickly and nodded.

"Yeah, he seems like quite the party animal," I commented jokily and Stefan looked like he was measuring my reaction.

Suddenly, Caroline, Rebekah, Matt and Tyler started towards us and Caroline grinned widely, "Photo time!" She exclaimed and then she ushered us all towards a somewhat empty area of the clearing and started barking orders at us to get in place. She called Klaus and Elena over and we all got into position.

I found myself between Kol and Stefan and I noticed that Kol still had his arm around my waist. I grinned as Caroline snapped a photo and then handed Klaus the camera and ran into the next one. I spotted Damon and Amber together by the woods and as I watched closer, I saw her place a kiss to his cheek. I tried to focus on the camera and smile but I couldn't tear my eyes away from Damon and Amber. I didn't know why I was feeling this but them being here at Caroline's party bothered me greatly.

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"It was a great party, Care," I assured her, a few hours later, in my house as we were washing up the dishes from the party. I'd offered to make my house the cleaning up venue because I knew my Dad was always out late and that meant that Caroline and I were on clean-up duty. We'd been at it for about an hour and we were almost done.

Caroline was so happy, she was glowing. I watched as she soaped up a serving platter and smiled broadly, "I know… it was a success! The best way to kick off our summer…" She sighed, "Bon, I can tell this is going to be a summer to remember for all four of us and the boys,"

"I hope so," I smiled as well as I rinsed out the serving platter and started to dry it. "Did you ever suspect Elena and Klaus?" I added, a moment later.

Caroline shook her head violently, "Not at all… but they're not together, together…" She reasoned, as she placed the serving platter into the plastic bag filled with her utensils that we'd used at the party.

"Klaus took Elena home," I reminded her, turning the water off and drying my hands on the dishrag.

"That doesn't mean they're together," Caroline responded, but she had a mischievous look in her eyes.

I smirked, "I didn't say they were together… just that there was something between them," I added, turning involuntarily to look at the clock. It was 12:30 and Damon still wasn't back. The last time I'd seen him was when he'd snuck off with Amber into the woods and I thought he'd be back before the end of the party but he was still a no-show. And now I'd been home for a good hour and he still hadn't shown up.

Caroline's eyes strayed to my own as I ripped them away from the clock, feeling a bit worried about Damon. "He's fine, Bonnie… He's probably at Amber's house or something," She commented, reading my mind.

I bit my lip, "I know that but I can't help but be worried… it's only his second night in America…" I trailed off.

Caroline chuckled, "It's Damon we're talking about… He's a serious badass, for god's sake," She reminded me and I had to admit she was right. She was about to go on when her phone rang with 'Lights' by Ellie Goulding. She checked the caller ID. "Urgh, it's mother…" She trailed off, reaching forward to pick up her stuff. "I'd better get going or else she'll ground me and I can't be grounded in summer,"

I nodded, "I understand," I smiled, as she leaned forward to give me a one-armed hug. "I'll call you?"

Caroline nodded, "See you soon," She responded, before I watched her walk to the front door. She waved once more before she exited, slamming the door behind her and leaving me to the peace of my own thoughts.

It was late, yet I wasn't tired because I'd woken up so late this morning. I put some water into the boiler, deciding to have a cup of caffeine and then maybe a Video Talk with Luka. I didn't know what time it was in Italy right now but I missed my twin brother and I needed to talk to him. I made my coffee and trudged upstairs before I changed out of my dress and washed my face of party make-up and put on some gray sweats instead before I tied my hair back into a comfortable pony tail.

I sat in front of my laptop and loaded up my Skype before I waited to check if Luka was online. I sent him a text message on his phone to notify him that I was online in case he wasn't at his computer which would probably be the case. I heard the door opening downstairs and I rushed down, expecting to find Damon but instead, I found my Dad at the door.

"Daddy," I greeted, running forward to hug him. He hugged me back, holding me close to his body.

"Bon, how are you? I thought you'd be asleep… it's late," He commented, locking the door behind him and placing his keys on the table by the door.

"I was at Caroline's party and I woke up late today," I explained, following my Dad into the living room. He took his jacket off and sat down onto the couch.

"I see," Dad smiled then, "I'm glad I saw you though… I'm travelling early tomorrow morning at 5, remember?" He asked.

I nodded, "I remember. It was Dubai if I remember rightly…" I trailed off.

"Yeah, kitten. It's Dubai… I want to take you there someday… it's beautiful like my baby," He reached forward to pull me into his arms and I hugged him back.

"How many times have you been there before?" I asked, resting my head on his shoulder with a sigh.

"A couple," Dad admitted, "It's got some of the best shopping centers in the world… is there anything specific you want me to bring back for you?"

I shook my head, "No, I'm good… I'll miss you though…. Especially with Luka being gone," I muttered, looking up into my Dad's brown eyes with a sigh.

"I'll be back in a month… and you have Damon… he's a great guy," Dad reminded me, "I talked to him yesterday… I didn't trust him at first but now I do… where is he anyway?" He looked around, as if expecting Damon to waltz into the room at any second.

"He's out…. He didn't come home after the party," I explained, tucking a stray strand of my hair behind my ear.

Dad shot me a reassuring look, "He'll be home soon….I'm sure," He assured me before he yawned, hoisting me onto the couch and off of his knee, "I have to go get some sleep before my flight… but stay safe while I'm gone, okay, Kitten?" He asked, a tender look coming into his eyes suddenly, a one full of regret for all the times he'd left me alone. I knew he was only doing this to support our family though and while another kid might be angry, I understood. It saddened me that he left every so often on business, but I knew why he was doing it.

I grinned at him, "I will…I love you, Daddy…" I leaned forward to give him a hug, inhaling the scent of his cologne which smelled so much of my childhood, it sent a spiral of nostalgia rushing through my body, and he just held me there for a while. I felt my tear ducts fill with water but I held the tears in so that it wouldn't be hard on either of us.

"I love you too, Bonnie," He responded, before he pulled out of our hug. I heard his footsteps pad out of the room and up the stairs towards his bedroom. I watched the ground for a couple of seconds, keeping myself from launching into fervent tears, before I too started up the stairs towards my bedroom. I felt a sudden burst of sadness at my Dad's departure and I slammed the door to my room behind me, feeling the tears building up like a volcano about to erupt. I noticed that my phone was ringing and rushed to pick it up, noting it was Luka's number.

"Luka," I mumbled into the phone, the tears already starting to make their way out of my eyes; I was unable to hold the dam any longer.

"Bonnie?" My brother's voice sounded alarmed, "Are you okay?"

"Can we video ch-ch-chat?" I asked, my voice whimpering slightly at the end.

"Of course," Luka said and then I hung up and rushed over to my laptop, turning on Skype, ready to talk to my brother about everything that was happening. I needed a shoulder to cry on and someone to listen and Luka was exactly that.

A/N: I'm not very pleased with that but I owe you guys anything. Sorry I've been AWOL but senior year of High School is horrible so far! I thought I'd have free time and everything but I don't …. Not yet at least… hopefully, things will get better!

So leave me what you thought of that… It isn't as good as the other ones but let me know in a review your opinions!

Peace, Love, Vampire Diaries.

Lily

Disclaimer: I don't own TVD.