Return To Mystic Falls

Less Like, More Like

With all of the business of tonight taken care of, Damon and I get a rare moment alone. We dance, chest-to-chest, Damon's arms curled around me. His dazzling blue eyes stay glued to me, watching as I twist and turn to the music playing over the speakers. We laugh and joke and kiss, just like when times were simpler. I have never been more in love with another creature. He is everything I've ever wanted and more.

As the music slows, Damon digs around in his pocket. Once he's retrieved whatever it is he's looking for, the vampire presses his forehead to mine. "Diana, you are the most infuriating woman I have ever met. You are also the smartest, bravest, most passionate woman I have ever met. You felt familiar from the moment I met you. When we spoke or laughed or danced I became overwhelmed by the powerful sensation of being home. And when we kiss, damn when we kiss. I felt the energies of a thousand lives on our lips like our souls had known each other all along. We always come back to each other, like there's some kind of string. When I met you, I didn't want to fall in love or need someone. I really didn't want anything, but to go back to war. But once I met you, I knew I couldn't live without you."

Damon slides a small diamond onto my ring finger, "I know now isn't the ideal time, but these past few months I've realized it's never going to be the right time. Diana, I need you in my life. I need you to breathe." Smoldering blue eyes capture mine. "Diana, be mine, for eternity."

"Damon," I can't help but laugh, breaking his gaze to stare at the ring on my finger. It's gorgeous, combining classic elements with a modern twist. The diamond sparkles under the color shifting lights, "Did you just purpose to me in the middle of a high school decades dance."

The vampire grins, falling into laughter, "Yes. I did. Because life is short and we might not have tomorrow."

Smiling, I press my lips to Damon's over and over. "Yes. Yes. Damon Salvatore. I will accept your high school gymnasium proposal. There is no one else I'd rather spend eternity with."

The euphoria is short lived. Stefan storms across the gym, halting before Damon and I. "Please tell me that you two didn't know that Bonnie was on a suicide mission."

"Oops," Damon answers, keeping his arms wrapped around me.

Giving Stefan an apologetic smile, I shrug, "Guilty."

Damon's brother is furious. The fire that has been increasingly present in his eyes has returned, as he tugs at his gelled hair. Stefan, at a loss for words, growls at his brother.

"Let me guess," Damon rolls his eyes. "You told Elena."

Stefan charges at Damon, getting in his face as he talks in a hiss, "Yeah, I told her. You promised her no more secrets."

"I changed my mind," Damon answers with a lazy shrug. Stefan had to be expecting this. No one was honestly going to let Elena blindly run the show. I'm not sure about the rest of them, but I'd like to go on living.

Taking a step away from Damon, I stand between him and Stefan. My ability to calm the monster brewing inside Stefan has seen me through tougher situations than this. Damon's brother will see reason, even if I have to hold him down and drown him in it. "We can't let a seventeen-year-old run the show, Stef. It doesn't make any sense. She has no idea what she needs to do to keep herself safe. Elena isn't prepared to make the hard decisions."

Commotion from the hallway prevents Stefan from disputing my claims. He turns his head towards the open gym doors. Shadows move across the linoleum floor.

"Let's go." Damon drags Stefan and I after him as we exit the gym into the hallway.

Two guys have Jeremy pinned against the lockers, throwing punches. Elena's younger brother sinks to the floor as the others continue their assault, kicking him in the ribs and stomach. The urge to rip their hearts out, to curl myself around Jeremy and take the assault fills me as my vision blots red. The touch of Damon's hand against mine pulls me back.