Bonnie made an outstanding recovery. The wound in her side healed, revealing new tender skin in less than two days. By the first full week of January she was up walking the halls of the hospital and begging for her release papers. She was officially stir crazy and with her father's help the hospital sent her home before the first unseasonable blizzard of the new year. Constant visitors graced her doorstep. Tyler and his guilt filled eyes, Caroline and her endless stacks of Cosmo, Seventeen, Vogue, and Allure, Jeremy and Elena sometimes accompanied by Stefan; never the eldest Salvatore.

She'd refused to rescind the invitation granted to Damon; which was in total disparity with her father's wishes. She waited for a visit in daylight or one of his midnight Dracula tricks.

Nothing...

When Elena arrived bearing Jenna's rock hard chocolate chip cookies she wanted to ask about him, but it didn't seem like the right moment. Then there was the question of what they would do with Jenna's attempts at baking. She smiled when her bff offered sage words of advice, "I wouldn't eat those if I were you."

Elena handed over the glossy green Tupperware container and stepped across the door's threshold. Bonnie cringed, chastising her lack of faith as she swallowed her breath and held it during that moment, waiting to see if it were truly Elena or her hateful, vengeance addicted twin. Apprehension faded away, she took the bottomless pit of cookies with burnt edges and shoved one her mouth, so the next time she saw Aunt Jenna she could lie about how much she enjoyed her cookies.

The girls exchanged turns throwing unrecognizable batter and chips at the ancient freezer in the garage and watching the myriad of dents that suddenly appeared.

"I've missed you B."

She nearly cried listening to the unspoken sentiment in her friend's words.

"I've missed you too E."

When all the contents of the container were destroyed, swept, and trashed, the girls settled around the table and enjoyed the leftovers from the dinner Bonnie's father had cooked the day before.

"I forgot how much I loved your father's cooking." Elena's eyes rolled back in her head as she forked an entire spoonful of cheesy macaroni goodness into her mouth, "Can you get attacked more... minus the whole hospital stay part?"

Bonnie pulled the plate back to her side of the table, "That's a negative, although he promised that we would at least have one family dinner a week," She shoveled food into her mouth before resting her back against the chair, "Be good and you might get an invite."

She recognized the serious look that now graced her friend's features and she knew it either involved Jeremy or a certain Salvatore with blue eyes.

"Before you say it..."

Elena's eyes stretched as her fingers struggled to grasp the plate just beyond her reach.

"All I was going to say was that he misses you."

This conversation was the number one reason why she'd debated even getting involved with Jeremy; she didn't need the big sister speech. The please don't hurt my only brother or we'll never be friends again monologue.

"Therapy, doctors' visits to confirm what we all already know, hasn't left me feeling like Jeremy's sexy older girlfriend."

The air left her lungs when she heard Elena's next words.

"I wasn't talking about Jer."

The elephant in the room that constantly lingered, Damon Salvatore; the two had not spoken since that day in the hospital. Having him close confused every synapse that fired on the nerve endings in her body. They were friends and even admitting to that common bond was insane, how could she confess to him or anyone else that she cared.

Bonnie jumped up from the table and rushed to sink, busying herself with the dirty dishes from lunch and her friend's visit.

"The lies Damon Salvatore tells."

Elena grabbed a towel and positioned herself to dry, "Contrary to popular belief he's changed. I even saw wrinkles on his forehead. He's brooding Bon."

"Whatevs E, I'll believe it when I see it."

"That's just it Bonnie, you have seen it, and you're the reason." Elena's arms were folded across her chest and she was giving her that look, the one that always read through every excuse she tried to make. "He hasn't drained anyone or attempted the pickup of an under-aged school girl, since whatever this is started with you. Even now he's sitting at home drunk, but refusing to do anything that would put him on your bad side."

"Damon is a manipulator and sooner or later when he doesn't get what he wants he turns on you."

"Funny he said the same thing about you."

Bonnie's hand rested on her hips and she debated whether or not to share her thoughts and insecurities about her relationship with Jeremy and her denial about the way Damon made her heart beat faster and her mind wander.

"And I love Jeremy." That was end of the argument, still it sounded like Bonnie was trying to convince herself and not everyone else.

Damon wasn't mentioned again.

The conversation drifted to important senior year rites of passage, prom, graduation, and the final decision of where to attend college. Their futures were contingent on what happened with Katherine, Klaus, and what the Salvatores decided to do with the rest of their undead lives once all the threats ended.

Bonnie hugged Elena tightly at the end of her visit. She felt better, but she was still plagued by thoughts of the one person who had yet to stand at her door.

He's brooding Bon...

Elena's words replayed in her head as she climbed the steps of the manor. The ride over had been exhausting; the extent of her daily physical exertion involved going up and down the single flight of stairs at her home. She wasn't surprised when her knocks went unanswered. She twisted the knob and was met the usual darkness of the home.

Garlic, basil, and the sweet aroma of Vidalia onions met her nose. It brought her a fleeting feeling of comfort. She followed the scent of the food and the low hum of the television. She found him, curled on the leather sofa in the study, eyes glued to the plasma mounted on the wall. She watched as Chuck and Blair did her favorite dance of avoidance before they locked lips sealing what everyone watching already knew.

Who was she kidding?

"Stalking doesn't become you Bennett."

She slipped into the warmth of the room before taking the few steps that separated her from where he sat now half watching the screen and studying every move she made.

Damon cleared a spot for Bonnie next to him and she curled next to him; amazed at the balance achieved by the coolness of his body and the heat the fire burning before them. She wanted to remind him of her decision, it was unnecessary.

Bonnie wouldn't and she couldn't walk away from Jeremy, but she needed, Damon.