The next morning, Damon was displeased about a few things.

    One: he awoke to find Bonnie missing. And for some odd reason, he had not heard her leave.

    Two: Bonnie reappeared, just as he was about to brave the jungle looking for her.  

    And lastly, she had not returned alone. Hurley was with her carrying a bunch of fish.

    Damon folded his arms as Bonnie , who sensed his displeasure, eased over to his side.

    “Damon, look who’s here: it’s Hurley. The others and him have offered to share a catch of fish with us. Isn’t that nice?”

    Damon gave Bonnie a hard look, before focusing on Hurley.

    “I take it you all thought I would starve my own wife, hey?”

    Bonnie coughed! Damon looked at her.

    “What?”

    “Dude,” Hurley said, “Bonnie told me that you two aren’t married. I think the real story is cool.”

    Damon gave Bonnie another look of displeasure, before staring at Hurley.

    “So if you think the real story is ‘cool’, Hurley, then why are you here? Why didn’t you just give Bonnie the fish sans you?”

    “Damon!” Bonnie cried out. She then pulled Damon away from Hurley a bit.

    “He’s trying to be nice. They all are. I went back to the crash site and everyone is very concerned.”

    “About you, Bon-Bon, not me. And why didn’t you leave me a note? Or tell me you were going back there?” Damon asked. Bonnie licked her lips.

    “Could you not call me Bon-Bon?”

    “No. Now will you answer my question? You could’ve been killed by that smokey looking monster.” Damon scolded. Bonnie moved closer to him and whispered.

    “Yes, but I can protect myself...and anyone else. Damon, it isn’t fair that the others don’t know about that creature. They don’t even know about that polar bear.”

    “And I don’t think it’s fair that I have to smell Hurley.” Damon countered.

    “He does not smell.”
    
    “Hmmm. Well, that’s debatable. We’ll keep the fish but he leaves.”

    Bonnie was about to protest, when Damon turned away from her and back to Hurley.

    “Thanks for the fish! I’ll walk you back to the crash site.” he said. Hurley gave them both a wan smile.

    “I was kind of hoping to share a meal...you know...”

    “No, I don’t know,” Damon said in a droll voice, “because you can eat when you get back to YOUR part of the island. Don’t tell me you gave us ALL of the fish?”

    “No...but...”

    Bonnie put a hand on Damon’s arm.

    “Damon, please! You’re embarrassing me!”

    “And you’ve humiliated me. You don’t think I can find food for the both of us?”

    Hurley stepped in.

    “Look, if this is going to cause trouble...”

    “It already has. Let’s get going.” Damon replied. Bonnie glared at Damon, appalled at how rude he was! Damon ignored her dagger stare and began leaving the campsite with Hurley. Once out in the jungle, Damon had other ideas. They were halfway back to the original site, when Hurley stopped and faced Damon.

    “You know, the way you’re acting kind of sucks, dude.”

    Damon’s response was to compel Hurley.
    
    “Who told you to accompany Bonnie back to our camp?”

    “Rupert Giles.” was the answer.

    “Who is he?”

    “I don’t know.”

    “What does he know about Bonnie?”

    “He didn’t say.”

    “What did he say about me?”

    “He said you were a danger to Bonnie. He also believes you assaulted those two women that had their necks bitten.”

    “And what do YOU think, Hurley?”

    “I think Bonnie would better off with me.”

    “Aw,” Damon said, “isn’t that sweet?”

    Damon then snapped Hurley’s neck and began dragging him into a thicket, when he  spotted a small hill and rolled him down it! He then dusted off his hands, stepped back into the jungle path and looked around. The coast was clear. Damon realized he was running out of time if Rupert Giles knew this much, this fast, and was sharing his thoughts with the others.

    Damon began the trek back to his and Bonnie’s campsite.

                                                                    ****

    Bonnie had started a fire but stared at the fish. These things needed to be cleaned, didn’t they? She wasn’t sure how to do that...

    Damon found her staring at this fish in disgust, when he returned. He sat down next to her.

    “Now do you see why I was ticked off? You know nothing about cleaning fish.”

    “I guess I don’t,” Bonnie admitted, “I mean in my mind, I just figured you put them in a pan and roasted them over the fire. But yech! I guess their eyes should be taken out too, hey?”

    Damon smiled softly at her.

    “You’re too delicate for that type of work.”

    Bonnie smiled back at him.

    “I am, huh?”

    “Yes, you are. And luckily I know how to clean fish. So I will cook the meal.”

    Bonnie gave him a grateful kiss, before moving out of his way to let him get started.

    “So, did Hurley kind of understand why you didn’t want him around? Not that I do.”

    “Bonnie, let’s not talk about him, okay?”

    “Why?”

    “Because he had...has the hots for you. And his coming here with those fish was a way to get into your good graces. Don’t tell me you didn’t know that?”

    “Well....I did hear him think something, that made me wonder...”

    Damon smirked at her.

    “So you did know?”

    Bonnie kicked at some dirt.

    “Maybe. But Hurley is a good guy. Damon, everyone is just worried, that’s all. But I’m sure he will tell everyone that we’re both fine.” she said, moving to sit beside him as he cleaned the fish. Damon glanced at her.

    “Something else you want to talk about?” Damon asked.

    “How did we meet?”

    Damon eyed her.

    “What do you mean?”

    “I mean how did we meet? How come it doesn’t bother you that I’m a witch? How did you come to find out that I was one?” Bonnie asked, staring at him. Damon cleared his throat and set down a fish.

    “That will all come back to you in time.” Damon said, suddenly not in the mood to lie anymore.

    “Well it’s taking a long time for my memory to come back. Just tell me.” Bonnie prodded.

    “Well...we met through my brother. He dates one of your friends.”

    Bonnie looked confused.

    “So we were fixed up?”

    “No, not exactly. I was dating a friend of my brother’s girlfriend...the one that’s a friend of yours.”

    “So we were both seeing other people?” Bonnie asked.

    “Yeah.” Damon lied.

    “So who was I seeing?”

    “You know, Bon-Bon, I honestly don’t remember...”

    “You don’t really remember or you don’t want to tell me?”

    Damon sighed.

    “You were dating someone that was tragically killed by some animal. I comforted you through your grief and here we are.” he lied.

    “Oh.” Bonnie said, slightly horrified. Her boyfriend died? Or was murdered?

    “Okay, then your girlfriend at the time couldn’t have been too happy with me.”

    Damon snorted!

    “I dumped her. She had little choice.”

    “Oh.” Bonnie said again. Damon touched her chin.

    “It will all come back to you, okay? So let me clean this fish so that I can cook you something to eat, and then we can spend the rest of the day in our shelter.” he murmured, claiming her lips for a small kiss. Bonnie responded to his lips, but still felt something was off. Why wasn’t he scared of what she could do? Maybe she was overreacting? Maybe the others castaways wouldn’t care she was a witch, if Damon didn’t?

    And what had Damon meant when she read his mind the other day? Bonnie had heard him think something, that indicated that he had some sort of special abilities as well. She found herself really hoping that her memories came back soon. Damon wasn’t as forthcoming for some reason, and the not remembering was driving her crazy!

                                                                 ****

    Night was beginning to fall, as Rupert Giles had a private meeting with Matt, Hank, Julia and Lettie Mae.

    “Hurley has not returned. We shall have to assume he has perished.” Giles said. Matt rolled his eyes!

    “Maybe he decided to spend the day with Bonnie and Damon.” he suggested. But Lettie Mae stared at Giles hard.

    “You think Damon killed Hurley, don’t you?” she asked. Hank looked from Giles to Lettie Mae.

    “You’re serious about this, aren’t you? You really think that Damon Salvatore is a vampire? They don’t exist, Mr. Giles!”

    “Damon Salvatore is able to pose as human, because of a ring he wears. One of Bonnie’s ancestors made it for him.” Giles told him.

    Julia folded her arms.

    “So we need to get that ring from him, right?” Julia asked.

    “It would go a long way in saving all of our lives. He is taking advantage of Bonnie in her condition. She is not a practiced witch and yet....we could use her as protection against Salvatore.”

    Matt threw up his hands!

    “I can’t believe you all are buying this crap!”

    Giles folded his arms.

    “If Hurley is not back before morning, Mr. Parkman, then what will you think?”

    “I might think he died from the same thing that killed your friend, Mr. Harris.”

    “You buried Xander already. I have no real way of knowing that Damon Salvatore did not slay him as well.” Giles answered.

    Julia looked at everyone.

    “It’s a draw, okay? Hurley does have a crush on Bonnie. He could be with them, just to look out for her.”

    “And I’m telling you,” Giles said, “Damon would not allow that. He is dead.”

    “Well I’ll tell you what, Mr. Giles,” Julia countered, “let’s pay a visit to the camp tomorrow and get that ring off of Damon’s finger. If he burns to a crisp, then we’ll know that you didn’t suffer a brain injury.”

    Lettie Mae huffed!

    “I believe Mr. Giles 100% right, now! I’m telling you that Damon has evil in his face!”

    “Damon stole a book from me, that would prove that what I said about Bonnie’s part in this, is true.  But I like Mrs. McNamara’s idea. We’ll visit Bonnie and Damon’s camp tomorrow. We just need to think of a way to get that ring off of the vampire’s hand.” Giles said.