The words stayed in Damon's head all night, haunting him, but he couldn't quite figure out why. He felt compelled to stay and find out.

Damon fell asleep that night and dreamt of her. He dreamt of the way the candle had cast shadows over her pretty face and he dreamt of taking her with him on his adventure, he even dreamt of taking her back to Mystic Falls. In his dreams, he was happy - something he hadn't felt in a while.

When he awoke the next morning, he had this nagging feeling in the back of his mind, like he shouldn't be leaving so soon.

The feeling grew stronger when he returned to the front desk to check out.

"Leaving so soon?" Her accented voice called out from across the lobby.

"Like I said, I was only staying for the night," Damon shrugged, shoving his hands into the front pockets on his dark jeans.

She looked different from the previous night. She had breathtaking, but even more so now that she was dressed in a dress that hugged her figure and heels that elongated her legs.

"That's a real shame," Penelope wrapped some of her curled blonde locks around her finger. "I was looking forward to getting to know you."

"I'd love to, really, but I have to get going." Her icy blue eyes locked with his, challenging him to stay, even if it were only for a little while. He let out a sigh, pointing to the exit with his thumb. "But if I'm ever passing through I'll be sure to drop by."

"Let me walk you to your car, at least."

Penelope smiled, and Damon assumed she was just being polite, he didn't think for a moment that she was silently laughing at him.

She of all people knew that it wasn't that easy to leave the Hotel California.

"Okay."