As the music stopped playing, Elena half turned, wanting to see Damon's face. He smiled at her and reached to take her hand, closing the bird back into its sphere. "Keep it," he said. Elena tried to protest - it was surely priceless - but Damon shrugged a little. "I want you to have it," he said. "Besides, I have a lot of treasures. You tend to accumulate things when you live several lifetimes." He ushered her into the dining room, where the table was set for one. "Are you hungry, princess?" he asked. "I had food brought in for you."
He served her an amazing soup - something she didn't recognize that was smooth and velvety on her tongue, with just a hint of spice - fol owed by a tiny roast bird, which Elena dissected careful y with her fork, its smal bones cracking. Damon didn't eat, he never ate, but he sipped a glass of wine and watched Elena, smiling as she told him about her classes, nodding seriously as she told him about the tol that patrol ing every night was taking on Meredith.
"This was wonderful," she said at last, stil picking at the rich flourless chocolate tart he'd brought out for dessert. "I think it's the best meal I've ever had." Damon smiled. "I want to give you the best of everything," he said. "You should have the world at your feet, you know."
Something in Elena stirred. She put her fork down and rose, walking over to the window to gaze out at the stars again. "You've been everywhere, haven't you, Damon?" she asked. She pressed her palm against the glass.
Damon came up close behind her and pul ed her to face him, gently stroking her hair. "Oh, Elena," he said. "I have been everywhere, but the thing about the world is that it keeps changing, so it's always new and exciting. There are so many places I want to show you, to see them through your eyes. There's so much out there, so much life to live." He kissed her neck, his canines pushing gently against the vein on the side of her throat, then put his hands on her hips, turning her back toward the window, where a spread of stars glowed against the night. "Most people never even see a tenth of what the human world holds," he murmured in her ear. "Be extraordinary with me, Elena." His breath was warm on her throat. "Be my dark princess." Elena leaned against him, trembling.
Dear Diary,
I don't know who I am anymore.
Tonight, with Damon, I could almost picture my life if I took what he offered me, became his "dark princess." The two of us, hand in hand, strong and beautiful and free. Everything I wanted without having to lift a finger, from jewels to clothes to wonderful food. A life above the concerns I used to have, somewhere far away. Experiencing and seeing wonders I can't even imagine.
It would have to be a world without Stefan, though. He's shut me out, utterly. But seeing me with Damon - not just kissing, but being who Damon wants me to be - would hurt him, I know.
And I can't stand to do that anymore.
It's like there are two paths in front of me. One goes into the daylight, and it's the ordinary girl I thought I wanted to be: parties and classes and eventually a job and a house and a normal life.
Stefan wants to give me that. The other is in the darkness, with Damon, and I'm just starting to realize how much that world has to offer, and how much I want to experience everything it holds.
I always thought Stefan would be with me on the daylit path. But now I've lost him, and that path seems so lonely. Maybe the dark path really is my future. Maybe Damon is right, and I belong with him, in the night.
"I can't wait to see my surprise." Bonnie giggled as she and Zander crossed the lawn of the science building hand in hand. "You're so romantic. Wait til I tel the guys." Zander brushed a feather-light kiss across her cheek, his lips warm. "They already know I've lost al my cool guy points for you. I sang karaoke with you last night." Bonnie snickered. "Well, after I introduced you to Dirty Dancing, we had to sing the big duet, right? I can't believe you'd never seen that movie before."
"It's because I used to be manly," Zander admitted. "But now I've seen the error of my ways." He gave her one of his slow smiles, and Bonnie's knees nearly buckled. "It was a cute movie."
They reached the bottom of the fire escape, and Zander boosted her up and then climbed after her. When they got to the roof, Zander gestured expansively at the scene before them. "For our six-week anniversary, Bonnie, a re-creation of our first date."
"Oh! That's so sweet!" Bonnie looked around. There was the ragged army blanket, covered with the pizza box and sodas. The stars shone overhead, just as they had six weeks ago. It was sweet; it was a romantic idea even if their first date hadn't been al that amazing. Then she corrected herself: it had actual y been a pretty amazing date, even though it had been simple.
She took a seat on the blanket, then peeked into the pizza box and involuntarily grinned. Olive, sausage, and mushroom. Her favorite. "At least one improvement in the re-creation, though, I see."
Zander sat next to her and slipped his arm around her shoulders. "Of course I know what you like on your pizza now," he said. "Got to pay attention to my girl." Bonnie snuggled up under his arm, and they shared the pizza, gazing at the stars and talking cozily about this and that. When the pizza was al gone, Zander wiped his greasy hands careful y with a napkin, then took both of Bonnie's hands in his. "I need to talk to you," he said seriously, his sky-blue eyes intent on hers.
"Okay," Bonnie said nervously, a flash of panic starting in her stomach. Surely Zander wouldn't have brought her al the way up here and re-created their first date if he was planning to dump her, would he? No, that was a ridiculous idea. But he looked so solemn and worried. "You're not sick, are you?" she asked, horrified by the idea.