"Path of Thorns"
AN: So after watching the last episode of vampire diaries where Bonnie and Damon had their reunion, I was finally given the inspiration that I was so cruelly denied...yeah, that sounded a bit more dramatic than I intended, but anyhoo...this story is definitely a must read for fans of BonKai and Bamon. I am forced to do the editing myself, so please, pardon the mistakes. Feel free to review tho...
"Where'd you go, Elena?" Damon inquired concerned, "Call me back."
The dark haired vampire barely had the time to hang up the phone before the smell of freshly made pancakes caught his attention. Walking deeper into the kitchen, he felt a lump form in his throat as his gaze was drawn to the counter where a carton of eggs, a mixing bowl of batter and a plate of pancakes was sitting unaccompanied. As his eyes moved from the ingredients to the woman standing at the far end of the kitchen, he felt his lips part slightly from shock as he realized that his late night visitor was Bonnie Bennett. As he stared at her speechless, he wanted to greet her and welcome her back, but he couldn't bring himself to move from the spot that he suddenly found himself rooted in.
"Bonnie?" he managed to say as he stared at her in disbelief.
The Bennett witch smiled at him with tears shining in her olive green eyes. Standing in the Salvador's kitchen, she felt at home, but seeing Damon made her feel like as if she had finally come back to life. Gazing at his handsome pale face filled with astonishment, she felt felt the anxiety that she had been suffering from earlier slowly reclaim her. She had thought that making out of the hellish prison world and back to the present where all her friends resided would provide her a sense of relief and happiness, but she was confused to find that she still felt anxious and traumatized. Despite the fact that she had found Damon's aged Bourbon and tossed back two healthy servings to soothe her nerves, the uncontrollable tremors and the moisture in her palms had returned.
"The one and only," she managed to say as she cracked a smile trying to hide her uneasiness.
Hearing Bonnie's voice suddenly made it real to Damon that she was really back and in fact, standing in his kitchen very much alive and in one piece. She had done the nearly impossible and survived the unimaginable and while he wanted to express his relief and joy, all he could do was stand before her feeling awe and amazement. She had made it and not only had been strong enough and proved to him that she had what it took, she had proved it to herself. As a huge grin slowly stretched from ear to ear, his pale blue eyes widened and beckoned her to come into his awaiting arms, and in that moment, all of the emotion that they both had been holding back suddenly exploded.
A combination of a half giggle and half sob escaped her lips as she raced across the room and flung herself into his inviting arms. A deep and throaty chuckled escaped his lips as she wrapped her legs around his waist while he held her tightly. Closing his eyes, he momentarily allowed all of his senses to take her in. He inhaled the familiar smell of sandalwood radiating in her hair, felt the warmth of her cheek pressed against his, and listened to the sound of her heart pounding rapidly against his chest. He couldn't remember the last time he had held a living woman in his arms, and he deep down he admit that it felt good. A part of him felt like the embrace was quickly becoming awkward, but the bigger part of him quietly feared that if he let her go too soon, she would immediately disappear into thin air never to be seen again.
Eventually, he released her and returned to a vertical standing position, he found himself staring down at her pretty mocha face feeling emotional. He had spent the entire day mourning Liv Forbes and thinking about the death of his own mother. He didn't think that anything could make this day any better, but the unexpected arrival of Bonnie had proved him wrong. Seeing her was not exhilarating, but it caused a strange sense of peace to settle over him. He knew that Caroline would be facing some tough times ahead, but maybe Stefan's declaration of love and Bonnie's presence would help her get through the darkest days that was ahead.
Taking several steps away from him, Bonnie walked over to the kitchen counter and picked up a glass half filled with Bourbon and began sipping it slowly before shoving the plate of pancakes in his his direction with a sly smile on his face.
"You should try them. They taste way better than any of the crap you ever made," she taunted dryly.
Damn snorted amused.
"Careful, Bon Bon. You can get away with a lot of things, but insulting man's cooking in his own kitchen isn't one of those things. I might just have to put you out," he warned playfully as he moved closer to her.
"Yeah, I would like to see you try," she retorted grinning before draining the cup and going for a second glass.
Damon quickly intervened and pried the glass bottle out of her hand feeling slightly worried. He never knew the Bennett witch to be a drinker, but judging from the amount missing from the crystal tumbler, he could tell that she was well on her way from being tipsy judgey to full on drunk Bon Bon. He decided that he would allow her one last drink before he cut her off for her own good.
"Here, allow me," he offered quietly. He slowly and reluctantly poured the amber tinted liquor into the glass before handing it to her.
As she gulped it down, his pale blue eyes searched her face closely and he felt his throat tightened as he saw the pain and the emptiness lurking behind the curtain of happiness she was forcing. While he knew that she was relieved to be back, her surviving that hell hole had definitely come with a price and he could see it as clear as day. He felt the urge to do something, anything to take away the pain and trauma of her experience, but he knew that it was impossible. Unlike vampire, witches didn't come wit a humanity switch that they could turn on or off whenever it was convenient. The only thing that could heal her wounds was time, and it would be a lot of that before things ever returned to normal for her.
"There was a time where I didn't think that I would make it out of that place alive," she slurred softly as she stared at him with her olive green eyes shining bright with tears, "I wouldn't have if it hadn't been for you."
Damon shrugged nonchalantly as leaned over the counter and tore off a piece of pancake before stuffing it in his mouth.
"No big deal, Bon Bon. I was just repaying the favor," he admitted honestly before arching a dark eyebrow curiously, "Tasty...did you use honey in the batter?"
"Damn it," she whispered harshly as brushed the wetness from her cheeks, "I said I wouldn't cry."
He stared at her taken aback.
"It was a compliment. There's no need to get emotional," he protested uncomfortably as he slowly backed away from the pancakes.
She opened her mouth fully prepared to make a snarky remark when she abruptly burst into tears. As her sobs echoed off the kitchen walls, Damon could only stare at her feeling a rare emotion settle over him. Compassion. While Damon didn't deal well with crying women, he knew that Bonnie had suffered and sacrificed a lot and if she needed him to lend her a shoulder, he would do it without a single gripe or complaint. After all, she had sacrificed everything to send him back. The least that he could do was be there for her.
Moving closer to her, he reached out to brush away the tears when she jerked back away from him suddenly, her toffee colored face darkening noticeably.
"Don't," she pleaded quietly, stepping back away from him with a dead look on the surface of her dull olive green eyes.
As glad as she was to see Damon and be back in the present, the last thing she felt that she needed or wanted was Damon's sympathy. She didn't want him to see her when she was weak and vulnerable and while she had been trying her best to disguise her pain. However, the more he stared at her with the unveiled sympathy in his piercing blue eyes, the more she felt her strength and resolve fade away and suddenly she felt that at any given moment she would collapse beneath the weight of her emotions.
Picking up her half filled glass, she drained it wincing as tears continued to flow from her eyes. Damon reached down and attempted to brush away the tears again and she flinched before glaring at him angrilly.
"I said...," she trailed off as he glared at her dangerously.
"I know what you said," he growled frustrated as he backed away from her, "I just don't know what you need from me, Bonnie!'
She laughed hysterically as tears continued to flow down her face.
"I need to forget the past two hundred and sixty eights of my life. I need my grams and my father not to be dead. I need my mother not to be a vampire. I need my best friend and my boyfriend. I need not to feel like Alcohol Anonymous is in my future, and I need...you," she admitted weakly.
He stared at her blankly.
"Really?" he asked feigning astonishment, "After killing most of my Bourbon, you honestly think that Alcohol Anonymous is in your future?"
Bonnie stared at him stupidly before bursting out laughter.
Using his thumbs, he stroked the tears off her high cheek bones, and he was pleasantly surprised when this time, she didn't try pulling away. For a moment, he forgot that she was judgmental, self righteous witch that he had grown to reluctantly like and respect over the year. Right now, she was a girl who was deeply hurt and needing comfort and he was the guy who was determined to be there for her. He opened his mouth to speak when she suddenly pressed her index finger against his lips with a unreadable expression on her face. Standing on her toes, she wrapped her arms around his neck and did something that shocked and surprised them both. She planted a brief and chaste kiss on his forehead before staring into his wide blue eyes with an amused smile.
"Thanks for never giving up on me, Damon," she murmured softly.
Damon forced a smile, but deep down he was very uncomfortable. He had been close to Bonnie before, but this was different. His lips were inches away from hers, her olive green eyes were starring up at him filled with naked gratitude and the softness of her fingertips were grazing the nape of his neck ever so slightly and innocently, yet he felt a reaction was beginning to take place below his waist.
"Yeah...what are friends for?" he joked with a sly smile
Despite the fact that her head was spinning, her mouth was bone dry and her vision was blurred, this was the first time in a long time where she felt genuine happiness and she was determined to revel in it.
Smiling sweetly, she leaned forward and kissed him again, this time on the cheek before embracing him tightly. Burying her face in his chest, she breathed deeply as she enjoyed how great he smelled. Never in a million years did she think that she would ever feel anything that resembled gratitude or appreciation towards the brooding dark haired vampire, but yet here she was and for some strange reason, it didn't feel as strange as she thought it should feel. In fact, this rare moment where they weren't bickering and at each other's throat actually felt...nice.
"I would like to think that after everything that we have been through, we are just more than friends," she drawled as stumbled slightly as she backed away from him, "You saved me Damon and I...I owe you."
Damon arched an dark eyebrow as he realized that the inevitable had happened.
She was drunk and if she kept looking at him like that he could think of a few ways for her to pay off her debt and all of the ways involved her being naked and on her back...
Suddenly she was back in his face again with a drunken smile on her lips and her body pressed against his.
Swallowing nervously, Damon realized that things was going to take a very dangerous turn for the worse if he didn't put a stop to this playful banter and innocent flirtation. He wasn't suppose to be having impure thoughts about Bonnie. Not only was Elena's best friend, but she was his witch. No matter how much pain and sexual tension there was between them, he refused to take advantage of of her.
"Bonnie, maybe we should get you to bed," he started, but only after the words left his mouth did he realize that it came out sounding more crass and inviting than he intended.
She giggled uncontrollably before pressing closer to him.
"You tried that once before, and we only ended up sleeping," she slurred leaning dangerously against the stove as she pawed playfully at the light fixtures.
He tensed as he recalled the memory all too clearly.
"I thought we agreed that night never happened," he said quietly.
She grinned before turning and starring at him amused. Obviously, she was taking great pleasure in watching him squirm beneath her drunken confessions. The night in question, they had both been trapped in the prison world together and Damon had been having a particularly bad day. After he had deliberately went out of his way to make her miserable, he had eventually sought her out to talk and had found her crying in the guest bedroom where she had been residing. In a rare moment of sensitivity, he had crawled in bed next to her and comfort her. They had spent the rest of the night talking and confiding in each other, and while Damon would never admit it aloud, that was the moment he had felt the closest to the Bennett witch.
"You are right. My bad," she apologized, appearing someone remorseful, "I was out of line. What happened in hell, stays in hell, right?"
'I think you had enough," he warned quietly.
"You know what I had enough of?" she asked slurring as she ignored him and poured herself another drink, "Being alone. You would think that two hundred and sixty eight days away from all the crazy supernatural crap of people dying and murderous vampires running rampant, I would have enjoyed the vacation, but surprisingly, I was wrong."
"Surprisingly," he grumbled.
Without any warning, she slammed her glass on the counter, before grabbing his face and placing a brutal kiss on his mouth. His first instinct was to pull away away, but surprisingly, an inebriated out of control Bonnie was a very strong Bonnie, and she held him in place firmly as her lips molded against is. He raised his hands in the air slowly away from her body so that he wouldn't encourage her to go any further, despite the fact the fact her hands were dangerously roaming down his chest towards his manhood that was having a reaction that he didn't particularly care for. As he felt the seams of his pants tightened, he groaned helplessly as their tongues clashed and his desire reluctantly began to surface. Having Bonnie force herself him wasn't exactly the worst thing in the world, but he knew he had to put a stop to it before the situation spiraled out of control.
Fortunately for them both, seconds later she pulled away and the moment of passion that had fell over her and had faded as inexplicably as it had appeared. Starring at each other, their breathing was heavy and labored as she felt her mouth swollen from the bruising kiss that they had exchanged and while it had been intoxicating and delicious, she knew that above all...it was something that she was going to live to regret.
"Bonnie, you have to stop this," he warned as strictly as he could, "Trust me on this. Whatever this is that is happening is not something that either of us wants. I know that you are feeling like I am being an asshole right now, but believe me, you will thank me later."
"That was not suppose to happen..." she started, but she trailed off looking a bit green around the gills.
This was not going to end nicely...
"Listen, Bonnie. Let's chalk this to the bad side effects of Bourbon and move pass this," he suggested quickly.
"I am more than happy to be pretended that this didn't happen," she managed to say before a look of horror flashed across her face, "Oh god...I think I am going to be sick."
Damon quickly stepped aside before Bonnie bolted from the kitchen leaving him staring after her stunned and amused.
Well this night couldn't possibly get any more eventful, he thought to himself as he poured himself a drink. Moments later, he heard the sound of the front door closing and opening and he grinned broadly as he realized Elena had finally made it back. While he knew that she would be happy to have her bestie back, he figured it was best to leave out the drunken kisses in order to preserve the girl's tightly knit friendship. The last thing Bonnie needed was to have any kind of discord with the one person that meant the most to her in the world.
"You will never guess who's back," Damon started but he trailed off in horror as he noticed his motionless girlfriend in his brother's arms.
Judging from the way her head was hanging lazy and weak to the side, it wasn't hard to tell that her neck had been broken. He opened his mouth to demand an explanation, but judging from the look on his brother's face, it was all too clear. The last time he had spoken to his brother, he had been on his way to confess his love to vampire barbie, and given the fact that Elena neck had been snapped and the blonde was nowhere in sight, Damon could see that Stefan's night hadn't gone exactly as planned, and he definitely didn't find what he was looking for.
"I got there too late, Damon," Stefan said quietly with a look of dread etched deep into his pale handsome face, "Caroline is gone and... so is her humanity."
Endnote: Damon rejects a drunken and broken Bonnie who is in pain while Caroline is missing in action along with her humanity...can't get much worse than this, right?