This oneshot has mentions to L.J. Smith's side story "After Hours" which can be found on her website. Google L.J. Smith, then on her offical website it says "Stories" and you'll find it under that.

It's not necessary to read it, but since it's really good, I suggest you do anyway.

Bonnie bit her lip, her pen flicking from her left to her right hand while she contemplated what to write for her latest History homework essay. It can to a rest in her left hand and she went over the title of the essay for the eleventh time and the indent in the paper became stronger and more defined as the pen scratched across the paper of her notepad.

She scowled at the nearly blank page. She never got the do the parts of History that she enjoyed, now, if the Druids came up as a topic she might get her first effortless A. But that wasn't going to happen any time soon. So she was stuck with "Write about The Slave Trade in an original and creative way". Not fun. Writing about people forced into things they didn't want to do.

"Huh, I can guess a little how they feel. I'm being forced into this," Bonnie muttered. She sighed in annoyance and let the pad slid off her lap to the ground and she curled up on the arm chair she'd been sitting on and pulled a heavy blanket over her. She flicked the pencil off the arm of her chair annoyed, looking up when a sort of startled yelp occurred across the room.

Damon looked at her shocked, the pencil somehow embedded in the wall point first, just behind his shoulder. Bonnie's eyes widened and she automatically leaned back slightly in her chair to put as much distance between them.

"Any particular reason for trying to kill me?" Damon asked, anger in his tone, yet it was mild.

"I'm so sorry; I didn't mean too, I think it was my powers and, and I was cross at my homework and oh my God, I nearly killed you!" Bonnie said, starting to panic and it turned into hyperventilating as Damon stepped closer.

"It's alright, I wasn't expecting a hug and kiss anyway," he said.

Bonnie didn't seem to hear him. "Oh no, you're going to kill me or something and I'm gonna die young! I always knew that! I don't wanna die yet!" She wailed.

Damon frowned and went over to her and didn't something totally out of character – he hugged her.

"Don't bite me, please! Wait... You're hugging me, why are you hugging me?" Bonnie asked, her tone surprised but not disgusted.

"I'm not going to kill you, Bonnie." Damon assured her. "I was trying to make you see that."

"Oh," Bonnie mumbled and she slowly wrapped her small, slender arms around him. "This is kinda weird, you don't normally hug me."

Damon let go of her and stood there somewhat awkwardly. "Yeah, I guess I don't."

Bonnie nodded rapidly. "Are you feeling okay? You haven't smirked or been predatory yet."

Damon chuckled and flashed his signature smirk. "Better?"

Bonnie nodded. "Kinda," she said, then her eyes widened as if she'd just had a realisation.

Damon eyed her warily. "What?"

"What do you know about the Slave Trade?" Bonnie asked.

"It wasn't something I participated in, but I knew some who did. Why?" Damon asked, curiously.

"Oooooh, then you can help me!"

Damon frowned, wondering if the 'oooooh'-ing was going to continue like it had when he'd first seen her in the library that night all that time ago. That night he'd helped her also with homework, he'd also killed the history teacher who'd set it – not that he did that because he'd humiliated and hurt Bonnie. It was a night Bonnie wouldn't remember, he'd wiped her memory, he'd never expected to see his little redbird again but here she was.

"Oh... It's okay if you don't want to..." Bonnie mumbled her brown eyes big and sad and the bubbly smile falling off her lips and becoming a pout and it annoyed Damon because he could never deny her anything when she did that.

"No, it's fine, I'll help," Damon said and Bonnie's face lit with joy and he grinned slightly at it.

Bonnie stood up, hugging him again quickly before scurrying to pick up her pen and notepad and she fell back in the chair – or she thought she had. Except that chairs didn't have legs or were warm, neither did they chuckle.

Bonnie realised she was sitting on Damon's lap and squeaked, trying to get off but his arms encircled her waist, keeping her there. Bonnie eventually stopped struggling when she realised it was pointless.

"Okay, now you've finished wriggling," Damon said, chuckling. "I can help you, putting the pen in her hand and the pad on her lap.

"You put the pen in my left hand." Bonnie commented.

"That's because you're left handed." Damon replied.

"I know... Just normally people don't notice things like that."

Damon had noticed it; it was the left hand she'd reached for the steel ruler with on the same night that he'd removed her memory.

"I'm a vampire," he simply said. "Now, homework."

"Didn't know you cared so much about my grades." Bonnie said a teasing tone in her voice.

Damon chuckled. "I care about more than you think little red."

Bonnie smiled. "Really? Because I've always thought that you cared a lot underneath that cold, cynical cover of yours."

"You do?" Damon asked, surprised.

"I do," Bonnie replied.

"Then you might be right, but that has nothing to do with the Slave Trade." Damon said, reading over the title of the essay which was pressed hard into the paper.

"I already knew I wanted to write it as a short story, just not what to put in it because I seem to know barely anything about the Slave Trade." Bonnie said, trying to ignore the fact that she was oddly comfortable on his lap.

"I can help with facts; I'll be your history book." Damon said, ignoring the part of him that wanted to push the homework to the floor and kiss her soft lips.

"I... wanted to write about a slave who fell in love with her owner... But that would have never happened," Bonnie said, nervously.

"Au contraire, it did sometimes, I did know a vampire who fell in love with his human slave, but that was in the Dark Dimension, it provided the base for the human slave trade."

"I could write their story, you know, leaving the Dark Dimension and vampire part out?" Bonnie suggested.

"Of course, their names were... Jonathan and Marissa," Damon said.

"Okay, who was Jonathan?"

"A very successful slave owner, very rich with a reputation for being ruthless, didn't care for anyone – he killed his own wife for not giving him a son."

"Nice..." Bonnie murmured. "And who was Marissa in this?"

"An innocent girl, exotic beauty but a maiden who was incredibly strong and brave – she stood up for herself."

"Ah, this is very fairytale like."

"Where do you think the fairytales came from?"

"Good point, so what did they look like?" Bonnie asked, making notes in another small notebook.

"Marissa had dark hair and fair skin and... I believe she had blue eyes. She was tall and slender."

"And Jonathan?" Bonnie asked, writing it down as her mind came up more descriptive ways to write about Marissa.

"Dark blonde hair, tanned, tall, muscular and with dark green." Damon said.

"Now tell me their story," Bonnie said, turning sideways to face him, her notepad poised in her hand ready to take notes.

Damon smiled, and began.

-x-x-x-

Damon told the story, his eyes watching Bonnie as she reacted to the dangerous parts with scared, wide eyes and she clung to his shirt and he could see it in her eyes as she practically begged him to say that the slave and her owner were okay. During the moments the doomed couple shared, her face lit up and she radiated happiness which made Damon smile.

Damon turned solemn as it got towards the end, he hated to tell her that Marissa had be subjected to a cruel, tortured death and that Jonathan had to watch, he wanted to make it a happy ending for her, say they escaped but she wanted the real story.

"They fastened Jonathan to the chair; the canopy above him was his only protection from the sun which would cause him to burn up as he no longer had his ring." He paused, watching Bonnie who gave him an annoyed look and gestured for him to continue.

"Marissa was dragged by her hair into the arena along with a pack of wolves – hungry wolves – who eyed her as little more than a snack but since they were so hungry, they fought over her lithe body, tugging this way and that until her limbs were ripped from her body– "

He stopped as tears trailed down Bonnie's face and she buried her face in his shoulder. "She died, I can tell, but what happened to Jonathan?" She asked, not wanting to know but she had too.

"He was shunned, reduced to little more than a slave himself and eventually he killed himself." Damon said, hugging Bonnie close and rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"That's horrible," she whimpered.

"I know, but it still happens in the Dark Dimension." He said, and it was pain that actually tinged his voice.

The door opened, Matt had heard Bonnie crying through the door.

"What on Earth is going on here?" He asked, angrily. "Bonnie, why are you crying?"

Bonnie wiped her tears and looked at Matt, automatically clinging to Damon because of his anger. "Damon was helping me with my history homework, it was so sad."

Matt frowned, walking over and he stroked Bonnie's hair, glaring at Damon. "He made you cry?"

"No, no, no. I wanted to hear the story; I'm going to write it for my history homework, it just didn't have a happy ending." Bonnie said, quickly.

Damon subconsciously pulled Bonnie closer, Matt's hand slipping from her hair. She was his redbird. Matt frowned, pulling his hand back.

"As long you're okay, if he hurts you, just tell me, okay?" Matt said, standing up and shooting Damon a warning glare.

"Matt? Can you come and give me a hand?" Meredith called down the stairs and something lit up slightly in Matt's face and he left the room without a goodbye.

"He likes her, a lot." Bonnie said, watching Matt go.

"Obviously, what about her though?" Damon asked, using his power to make the door close again.

Bonnie shrugged. "It's hard to figure out what Meredith thinks."

Damon chuckled. "She's scary like that."

Bonnie giggled. "You just admitted you were scared of Meredith!"

Damon frowned. "No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

"I didn't."

"You did."

"Didn't."

"Did."

"Didn't.

"Did."

"Didn't."

"Did."

"Didn't," Damon said and to shut her up, he leaned forward and kissed her.

Bonnie stilled, stunned as she hadn't even realised that she was kissing him back till the notepad and pen fell to the floor with a quiet thud. Damon meant to stop, but she was way too addictive to stop kissing her now so instead he deepened it, holding her closer.

"Wow, Bonnie, that looks so much like homework," came a teasing voice from the doorway. The couple broke apart and Bonnie turned to look at Elena, her face as red as her hair from embarrassment.

"I... Um... Hi Elena," Bonnie stammered and Elena laughed.

"I came to see if you wanted any help, but I see you're doing just fine," Elena said, smirking. She knew Damon and Bonnie liked each other and now Damon would leave her and Stefan alone.

"Yes, you've discovered that, now can you leave us alone. We're busy." Damon muttered, kissing along Bonnie's collarbone. Bonnie giggled and Elena rolled her eyes.

"Have fun, lovebirds." Elena teased, closing the door.

Damon scowled at the closed door and pulled Bonnie close, kissing her again. Bonnie kissed him back passionately, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. Damon's hold tightened around her waist, his tongue pushing against her lips which parted at his request.

-x-x-x-

The news of Bonnie and Damon kissing travelled quickly around the people at the boarding house, well actually, only Stefan and Mrs. Flowers knew because Meredith and Matt seemed to be 'moving furniture' in Meredith's room.

"I knew it would happen," Mrs. Flowers said and Stefan and Elena smiled at her.

"I'm glad Damon's found someone, Bonnie's perfect for him." Stefan said, with a sigh of relief.

"It took them long enough," Elena muttered.

Stefan chuckled, leaning over and taking her hand. "But better late than never."

Elena entwined their fingers and nodded. "Uh-huh, they have each other now."

"Damon isn't ever going to let her go though." Stefan mused.

"Why not?" Elena asked.

"Because he loves her, he always has and that's why he constantly saves her but now he won't let anything touch her or harm her because he knows what he feels for her, he's possessive over those he loves, nothing takes them away." Stefan explained.

Elena fought back a spark of jealously, Damon had let Stefan have her, so obviously he wasn't in love with her like he was with Bonnie but she forced it out, she should be happy. Bonnie finally got a guy who loved her, and judging by the noise from Meredith's room, she had too – either that or they were really moving furniture.

"Bonnie's lucky then," Mrs. Flowers put in at Elena's silence.

Elena nodded. "She is, as am I." She said, giving Stefan a warm smile and squeezing his hand.

Stefan grinned. "I am the lucky one, as is Damon."

Elena smiled, leaning over and kissing him lightly.

-x-x-x-

Bonnie broke the kiss and cuddled closer to Damon. "I'm not a one night thing, am I?"

Damon looked at her shocked. "How can you even think that?" He said. "Of course you're not."

Bonnie sighed in relief. "Good, I was worried."

"Bonnie... My little redbird, I could never hurt you." Damon whispered, kissing her cheek.

Bonnie blushed but smiled, hugging him tightly. "Damon... Can I ask why me?"

"I think it's more of why not you, you're perfect." Damon replied.

Bonnie's blush deepened. "I'm really not, Elena's perfect."

Anger flashed in Damon's eyes. "No, Elena is not, she is selfish. You're perfect, you're selfless and sweet and fiery and good and brave and so goddamn beautiful it hurts."

Bonnie smiled; she couldn't not smile at his words. "I'm not as perfect as you."

Damon's eyes widened slightly. "You think I'm perfect? I'm a killer, Bonnie."

"Only on the surface, you have a heart Damon, and you care a great deal about most of us – possibly excluded Matt, though I never figured out why." Bonnie said. "You're a good person really."

"I'm only a good person because of you, you're my angel." Damon said, resting his forehead against hers. "As for Matt, he's annoying; I don't like annoying people, apart from Stefan who I have to care about because he's family."

Bonnie laughed. "I can see your point, but Matt's my friend so... I care about him."

Damon frowned. "But you care about me more, right?"

Bonnie smiled. "Yes, Damon, you're my... Boyfriend doesn't really sound right..."

"Mate, that's the vampire term," Damon said. "My best friend and... my lover, Bonnie I love you."

Bonnie's eyes widened and she stared at him. "I... I love you too, Damon, I always have done."

Damon smiled, a proper smile and crushed her too him. "I love you more," he whispered in her ear and Bonnie smiled brightly.

Thanks for reading.