The whole place was dressed to the 9s, but Bonnie Bennett garnered every eye upon her arrival. She wasn't sure if it was because the wine colored Vera Wang gown was as breathtaking to them as it was to her or if the 1,000 year old original vampire escorting her through the ballroom contributed to that. The top of the dress was covered in crystals, while the bottom had two high slits, that revealed more than enough leg with each step. Bonnie's hair was styled in an elegant bun and her eyes sparkled beneath the festoon of lights dangling from the ceiling. Klaus gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. The youthful faces were familiar to her, but they stared back as if she were the proverbial new girl.

Before they walked through the foyer, he'd placed a tiara on her head and adorned his own with a crown. He promised her this would be the best night of her life. Instead of a live atm for spells and a cold-hearted monster, they were Prince Klaus and Duchess Bonnie. Their only purpose was to dance until their feet hurt.

Even the coldest man in Mystic Falls could have a night off from being the villain.

It seemed a crying shame for a lovely witch to be at home alone on a night like this just because she didn't have a date. Since his pursuit of Caroline ended before it began, he had a suit he looked quite dapper in and a hand-beaded dress straight from Italy coffined inside of garment bags– and as it turned out the wine colored dress complemented green eyes.

It seemed like it would be fun after she put on the dress; to show her friends she didn't need their pity offers. Stefan offered to take her, but she didn't want to ruin their "Stebekah" groove. Elena offered Damon (while he objected in the background), but she couldn't think of anything more miserable than a pity date from the older Salvatore. Jeremy asked her as well, but their breakup was so fresh that it just wasn't a good idea to go picking at wounds before they healed. Rolling the trash can out to the curb in her pjs transformed into an offer from the Original who had been watching her house for twenty minutes. When a girl is presented with a beautiful gown and the promise of the best night she'd ever have in her life, it's pretty hard to turn the offer down. So after threatening to take him down if he got out of line, Bonnie accepted.

"Is that Bonnie?" That was Caroline. "That's Bonnie." She answered her own question.

"What the hell is she doing with Klaus?" Asked Damon, widening his steely blues.

"It appears that with a little persuasion your witch isn't as uptight as I thought she was." Rebekah raised her glass of punch. AnotherMickaelson infiltrating the Scooby Gang? "Now that's something i'lldrink to." She glanced at Stefan, who (by the appearance of two horizontal lines across his forehead) was monitoring the situation.

Before he could speak Elena stood from her seat. "He must've . . . compelled her or something."

Damon rolled his eyes, not bothering to look at the doppleganger who usually had no problem getting his attention. "Witches can't be compelled."

Elena pouted. "I know, but why would Bonnie come here with Klaus? There has to be a loop-hole or maybe Bonnie has a plan . . . but she didn't tell me anything."

"I'm going to kill him," said Caroline, shifting her weight from leg to leg. "He's trying to get my attention by dragging poor Bonnie into his sick little game."

"I guess delusional is your drug of choice for the evening?" said Rebekah. "Nik hasn't looked over here once."

"Duh. He wants me to think he isn't up to no good. If he thinks i'm going to let him get away with this-"

"I'll talk to him," said Stefan.

"Relax, little brother. Get that brooding forehead a drink," said Damon, patting Stefan's shoulder. "I'll find out what he's up to."

No one had a smile like Bonnie Bennett. No one. Damon had been around over over a century and he was certain that was all the time he needed to conclude. It was like she knew it too, because she didn't just hand them out to anyone. Yet there she was - her arms draped over Klaus' shoulders, her hips swaying to some cheesy pop song and . . .she was smiling at him. What was even more unorthodox to Damon was the fact that the maniac was staring back at her, his jaw clenched and the corners of his lips shifted to keep himself from smiling - like some pimply faced teen who was desperately trying to be cool for his insanely hot date.

After dancing for three songs straight, they lingered in front of a banquet table. Klaus was pouring them glasses of punch and humming along to a tune by Adrian Lux.

"Everyone is watching us."

"Because they're jealous," said Klaus with his signature sinister smirk. "You're the most exquisite thing in this room."

"No one is jealous. They're thinking i'm insane," she fidgeted with her necklace. "Maybe this was a mis-"

"-stake? No." Klaus shook his head, then handed her the cup. "On the contrary this is the best decision you've ever made."

"And by best he means insanely creepy," interrupted Damon, reaching for an hors d'oeuvre

"Bonnie-"

"Duchess Bonnie Bennett," corrected Klaus.

"What?"

Maybe Bonnie wasn't the one compelled. Was Klaus really at a highschool prom, trying to look cool in a doofy crown and calling the witch a duchess? He could understand flunking badass-original-vampire-101 over Caroline, but this was Bonnie. Uptight. Judgy. Witchy. Bitchy. He scratched his head.

The witch pointed to her crown, with a little smile (nothing like the smile he'd seen her give to Klaus). "I'm a duchess tonight."

"Well, how flipping inconsiderate of me," said Damon in a monotone as he bowed before her. He was used to marching right up to her, telling her the plan and hoping she didn't fry his brain – not begging her to talk to him. Who was he now? Jeremy Gilbert? He scoffed at that thought. Once he was upright again, he took one of her hands into his, then brought it to his mouth for a kiss. "Duchess Witchy, dance with me."

Before that skeptical glare could manifest into a 'no', he took the cup out of her other hand, placed it on the table and pulled her through the crowd of teenagers. The room was heavy with the sound 'Excuses' by Minus the Bear and random chattering. When he settled on a spot near a bay-style window, he pulled her and her vanilla orchid scent into his embrace. He led, and Bonnie followed his rhythm with ease.

"What did he do to get you on his side?" he asked.

She raised a brow. "His side? I didn't know we were playing a game."

"Forget semantics. Why are you here with Klaus?"

She spun away from him."Why does it matter?"

"Because I only have one witch on my team and i'm not letting you play Bonnie Benedict-Arnold," said Damon, pulling her against him so that her back was pressed against his chest. "So again, what did he offer you? "

"Putting your usual douche-baggage aside, he offered me this gown and the best night of my life. No catch. Just dancing, laughter and being young."

One of his arms was wrapped around her waist. The witch started to get fidgety so he closed the last bit of space between them by interlocking their fingers with his free hand.

Her heart thudded in her chest and she was a stiff as cardboard. Her fingertips felt weighed with brewing power. She felt flushed from her feet to the ends of her hair – the confusing part was that she wasn't sure if she was flushed with teenaged bashfulness or a witchy desire to reprimand her natural enemy.

"Relax. It's not like i'm going to bite you," he said, when she tried to dance her way out of the position they were in. "I need to keep an eye on Klaus. I can't do that if I'm leading you and your two left feet."

"You know, you could just end this pointless conversation."

He swayed her from side to side.

"You know he just wants to make blondie jealous, right? He's not here out of the kindness of his non-existent heart."

"We aren't together so I don't see what that has to do with me."

"So Jeremy buys you a stuffed animal the size of Mount Rushmore and asks to take you to prom a million times and you turn him down. Stefan offers. You turn him down too-although I don't blame you for that. I ask you and you turn me down-"

"Elena asked me – not you – and you said you'd rather swim in vervain on the hottest day in August without your ring than to be my 'pity date'."

He molded his features into a Grinch-like simper. "I guess if I would've known you cleaned up so well I would've disregarded your terrible personality."

"My terrible personality? Don't make me laugh."

"Isn't that what you wanted? To laugh and dance on the best night of your life?" he mocked.

"I'd prefer to laugh with someone not at them."

"So that's all it took? That was really all you wanted?"

"Yes, that's all I want. No surprises. No death threats. No spirits. I want to just . . . dance and laugh. I forgot what that feels like. "

"This may go against the laws of nature, but I'm feeling charitable tonight," said Damon. "You want the best night ever? I can give you that."

"Or maybe you're looking for me to give you that." She relaxed her shoulders a bit. "You don't look like you're having much fun."

How could he? Once you've attended one prom, you've attended them all. And it was no fun seeing her arrive with Klaus of all people. He could usually count on her to be rational for the most part. But this was unlike Bonnie. He was also feeling unlike himself.

"Do you remember that barrier you used to trap Katherine?" Of course she did, but she nodded instead of responding with snark. "Can you put one up now? One that keeps them from seeing or hearing us?"

"Why?"

"Because I need to ask you something and there are too many vampire ears tapping into our conversation," he said, tilting his head toward the Scooby Gang and Rebecca.

With a few quick incantations, the room became completely silent on their end.

Bonnie pulled away from the annoying vampire. "What is it?"

Damon was already kneeling in front of her. "Give me your foot."

When she extended her leg he used vamp speed to nudge her against the barrier and position himself between her thighs. She didn't realize what happened until her leg was wrapped around Damon's waist and she was stuck between the barrier and his torso. He shoved a hand beneath her skirt and groaned at his discovery.

"Bonnie . . ." He pressed his forehead against hers with closed eyes.

She was going to flatten him like a pancake for sure – but the feeling of her satin panties gliding against her arousal for him, was worth a thousand of her best spells. He drove his pelvis between her spread legs, letting her feel the effect she had on him.

"Damon, " she breathed – somehow he could sense the fear, anger and lust in her tone. "Stop before you make a huge mistake."

"How long have you wanted this?"

"I don't want anything from you."

"You're wet," he taunted."Which probably means you want me inside of you."

Her warm breath tickled his mouth when she moaned.

"I want you to stop being an asshole and move."

"I've wanted you ever since I saw you in your cheerleading uniform," he said, unashamed by his confession. "I can't tell you how many times i've imagined screwing you in that skirt- shutting up that judgy mouth of yours-"

"I'm going to hurt you," she warned.

"Have you thought about me?"

"Damon," she whimpered in a pleading voice that seemed so foreign coming from her.

"Answer me."

"Yes," she snapped.

"What was I doing to you?"

"I was giving you an aneurysm," she seethed. "Which i'm about to do right now."

"Bonnie." He reprimanded the witch in his own way, by rocking against her.

"You were . . . kissing me . . . and touching me."

"Did you like it?"

She frowned. "I don't know. It was a dream- a nightmare. I don't remember the specs."

"Show me how I touched you."

"I'm not gonna do that."

"Fine, show me how I kissed you."

"Not gonna do that either."

"Bonnie no one is watching," he said. "It's just us in here and I don't believe a word you're saying."

"That makes two of us. You've done some really low things in the past, but has to be the lowest. Atleast all the other times you were using me to protect Elena. Now you want to use me to hurt her?" she narrowed her eyes. "Or is this because you still think i've switched sides?"

"When you were with Jeremy, I wanted to snap his neck. When you were in the classroom making out with Jaime, I wanted to snap his neck. When you were gushing about Professor McCreepypants, I wanted to snap his neck and now that you're here with Klaus, I want to snap his neck. What does that tell you?"

"That you're crazy," she said.

The rest of her sentence was muffled between the weight of his lips. His teeth clashed against hers, and he abandoned her thigh to cup her face with both hands. He kissed her with the same fervor and demand that he'd imagined himself doing. He nibbled her lip, probed her tongue and tilted her head back so that he could taste every inch of her mouth. After the initial smugness of capturing Bonnie Bennett started to fade, he had enough time to realize that she wasn't kissing him back. When he opened his eyes, he was met with an incensed glare. He had enough sense to take a few steps back. The air felt heady; filled with bruised ego, fear, anger and lust.

"So you're taking a page out of my book? I'm supposed to believe you don't want me as much as I want you?" He was giving a lot more than he was receiving and he didn't like it one bit. "Next you're probably going to say you don't care. So predictable."

Bonnie smoothed her hands over her dress. Her earrings dangled freely when she shook her head at him. "I care about Elena and because Elena cares about you, I care. But that's where it stops. I don't want you."

He schooled his expression into what he hoped was indifference. He didn't love Bonnie, but still he felt cut down. Rejected. Sweet, sweet rejection. He smirked.

"My instincts are telling me to pretend I was just yanking your chain, but . . ." He put his hands in his pockets. "Ouch."

"It's prom," she smiled. "No one's trying to kill us tonight. We both look nice. Let's just forget this happened and have a good time. Capeesh ?"

"Capeesh," he agreed. Knowing by the end of the night he'd mentally twist this situation into something that didn't make him feel like such a loser. "And nice? Try 'amazing, gorgeous, stunning'."

"Do you have to take every opportunity to give yourself a compliment?"

"I was talking about you, Bonnie."

It caught her off guard, and one of those smiles that she seemed to give to everyone but him slipped.

She mumbled the incantation to shatter their barrier. They were back amongst the same silly teenagers Damon was hoping to whisk Elena away from before Bonnie walked in.

Elena was staring at him with scrunched brows. He expected her to be halfway across the room, but she was still standing in the same spot. Disappearing wasn't apart of the plan and neither was the dance – which she was still trying to debate on whether it was inappropriate boyfriend behavior or not. But Bonnie wouldn't behave in a way that was inappropriate. Bonnie was the last person that would take crap from Damon or hurt her.

Breakfast at Tiffany's blared through the speakers.

"I kinda like this song," Bonnie revealed.

"Well, that's one thing we have in common."

"One more dance?"

He responded by holding his hands out. The witch stepped out of her pumps, and kicked them to the side before pressing her palms against his. Damon scoffed.

"You can take down original vampires and every other thing that comes to Mystic Falls, but you can't dance through more than three songs in high heels?"

"I guess it's my Achilles heel . . . literally. I'm pretty sure I'll have a blister after tonight."

She met his fast past lead with as much ease as she did at the homecoming dance. He was still surprised that a stiff like Bonnie could dance so well- she looked alluring without being raunchy.

He wagged his brows at the Scooby Gang midway through the song after realizing they were still watching them. Elena's arms were folded over her chest, and Caroline whispered something that Damon didn't catch. Whatever it was, it made the Doppelganger unfold her arms and give him a grin. She winked at Bonnie. Caroline waved. Though she was obviously off her rocker by showing up with their enemy, they had to admit that their friend looked beautiful. "I should've accepted that dress," said Caroline.

Even Klaus was watching, and no sooner than the instrumental faded he strolled to the opposite side of the room with a knowing smirk. Both Salvatores were in quite the conundrum. Stefan was there with his dear sister, yet spent most of his time watching Elena. Damon was there with Elena, and happy to have one up on his brother, until his witch decided to show up with a date.

"Are you going to keep her for the entire night?" Klaus asked, a devious glint in his eyes.

"She's all yours." Damon shrugged out of mere habit, and when he pulled himself away from her there was definite longing that loomed over him. "Have the best night of your life, Witchy."

"You too."

He was pretty certain he already did.

Musical influences:

Taylor Swift "Starlight"

Deep Blue Something "Breakfast at Tiffany's"

Minus the Bear "Excuses"