So I've been getting really great feedback from you guys and I really appreciate it. This is actually a Bamon story I started a while ago which I why I was able to get it up so fast. I hope you like this one. It focuses more on the relationship between Bonnie and Damon and how it gets stronger. I started it from the middle but I'm going to work my way back to the beginning before I hit the end. I really want to make it as good as possible so I'm sorry if it takes a little while for me to update. Enjoy!
After finding out the red headed woman was back in town searching for Bonnie, it was decided by Stefan and Elena that she was to stay at the Salvatore mansion with the brothers, in case she tried to hurt Bonnie. After a little protesting from Bonnie, encouragement from Stefan , pleading from Elena and demanding from Damon, Bonnie finally landed herself at the mansion, where she and Stefan were in the living room bolting all the doors and windows.
As Bonnie was handing Stefan nails for the 2x4 covers for the window, she decided to ask him something that had been on her mind, since Damon wasn't around.
"Hey Stefan," she began, nervously.
"Yeah?" he answered, hammering in a nail.
"Do you think I should keep my guard up around Damon?"
Stefan looked at her, confused. "Of course. Why wouldn't you?"
"Well, I mean I know who he is and what he's done," she began. "But sometimes it seems as though he's changing and he really doesn't mean me harm. I just wondered if I should believe this about him."
"Bonnie," said Stefan, furrowing his eyebrows. "I've spent years and years trying to find something in Damon that isn't pure evil and while I've always almost gotten there, I've never actually seen it. I want you to trust Damon but at the same time, don't trust him with your life."
"I know," Bonnie murmured, looking at the floor.
A part of her wanted to believe Stefan was wrong about his brother. He hadn't exactly been sweet or kind the way Stefan always was, but she got the feeling he was definitely trying and that was a lot for someone like Damon.
"So the front doors are locked even though I don't see the point in doing that since they can still get in," called out Damon, who was walking into the living room.
"It will at least spare us some time," replied Stefan, signaling to Bonnie to hand him another nail.
"Where's Elena?" asked Damon, smirking. "I thought for sure she'd want to spend the night too."
Please don't start, Bonnie told him telepathically, this isn't the time.
"Don't start Damon," said Stefan, mirroring Bonnie's thoughts.
Damon smiled cockily, Well, well looks like you're two of a kind.
If you think I take that as an insult than clearly you don't know me very well, replied Bonnie.
I really don't know why you think Stefan is such a saint, he's done some pretty bad things too, thought Damon.
At least he's sorry about it, said Bonnie, scowling.
Who said I wasn't sorry?
Bonnie rolled her eyes and didn't respond. Stefan sensed this silence and looked up just in time to see Damon and Bonnie staring at each other.
"What are you doing?" he asked, his eyes darting from Bonnie to Damon.
"Nothing," said Damon, quickly.
"I just figured out recently I can communicate with people telepathically," said Bonnie, widening her eyes with confusion as Damon threw her an annoyed glance. "That's how I was able to find you and Elena. Your subconscious was letting me know where you were."
Stefan straightened up. "Really. That's interesting."
"Yeah," said Bonnie, trying to figure out why Damon didn't want her to tell Stefan. "Do you want to see?"
"Sure," said Stefan, intrigued.
Bonnie nodded and thought of something to say.
Damon forgot to bolt the window in the attic, I just heard him think it.
That's amazing, replied Stefan, I've never met anyone who can do that.
I figured it out when I was practicing with Damon one night, said Bonnie. He hates it.
"Damon," said Stefan, turning towards his brother. "Go bolt the window in the attic."
"Damn it Bonnie," muttered Damon, sighing.
Part 2
Bonnie, Damon and Stefan sat quietly in the living room, listening for any sounds while Bonnie watched out for anyone's presence. The three of them had been sitting in complete silence with an occasional snarky remark from Damon, who was quickly becoming bored and restless.
"Can't we at least do something other than stare at each other?" he whined, throwing himself on a nearby couch.
"Like what Damon?" asked Stefan, sarcastically. "Play truth or dare?"
"Please," said Damon, rolling his eyes. "I was thinking more along the lines of Bonnie showing us a little of what she can do."
Bonnie threw a sideway glance at Stefan, unsure if Damon was being completely serious.
"I don't think that's a good idea," said Stefan, shaking his head.
"Of course you don't," said Damon, rolling his eyes.
Bonnie was uncertain as to why Stefan had shot down Damon's suggestion so quickly and defiantly. He noticed the confusion on witch's face.
He might use it against you one day, thought Stefan, making sure to avoid looking at Bonnie. You never want to let Damon know how powerful you are.
Bonnie nodded. It's okay. There's something I've been wanting to try on Damon for a while.
Stefan sighed and nodded, reluctantly agreeing to allow Bonnie to do whatever it was she wanted to do.
"Hey Damon," said Bonnie, turning to face the elder Salvatore brother. "Can I try something on you?"
Damon furrowed his eyebrows suspiciously. "You're not going to do another painful mind trick are you?"
"No," said Bonnie, smiling. "It's just something I've been practicing on that I want to try."
"Why don't you do it on Stefan?" he asked, nodding towards his brother.
"Because I need someone I don't know that well," she replied. "I know too much about Stefan and it won't work with him."
"Are you saying we're not friends?" asked Damon, feigning offense.
"Damon," sighed Bonnie, rolling her eyes while Stefan just looked on as if they weren't there.
"Fine, whatever," said Damon, taking a drink of vodka he had in his hand.
Bonnie jumped up from the couch she was sitting on and went over to Damon, who was sitting with his legs on the arm his chair. He straightened up as Bonnie came toward him.
"What exactly are you going to do?"asked Stefan, curious about what it was Bonnie couldn't do on him.
"You'll see," replied Bonnie, kneeling down in front of Damon. "Just relax Damon."
He glanced unsurely at Stefan, all of a sudden nervous. Bonnie placed her hands on Damon's face, which caused him to flinch.
"I'm not going to hurt you Damon," assured Bonnie. "Just trust me."
She put her hands back on his face and closed her eyes, concentrating deeply. Nothing happened for a few seconds and then suddenly, Bonnie felt the room shaking and suddenly she wasn't there anymore. Hundreds of images and scenarios filled her mind; images of Damon and Stefan playing as children, images of Katherine seducing him, images of Damon attacking innocent people, images of Damon's father berating him, images of Damon watching Stefan dance with Katherine, images of Damon getting drunk in hostels in Amsterdam with fellow vampires. More so than the images, Bonnie felt things, emotions. She felt anger, passion, jealousy, violence, lust, and most of all, she felt the most intense, mind blowing sense of sorrow, a sorrow that hit her so hard that when she opened her eyes and found herself staring into Damon's deep blue eyes, a tear was coming down her cheek.
"What?" asked Damon. "What happened? What did you do?"
Bonnie only continued to stare at Damon, suddenly pitying this person she'd considered a monster for so long. This person who she thought had no soul or feelings or heart. Suddenly, she felt as if she understood him down to his very core and he was no longer this terrifying murderer. He was just, Damon.
"Bonnie what happened?" asked Stefan, worried. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," said Bonnie, still staring at Damon, wide eyed.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Damon, becoming more and more uncomfortable.
"Stefan can you get me a water please?" asked Bonnie, turning towards him. "That took a lot out of me."
Stefan looked at Damon unsurely but nodded his head and complied.
As soon as he was out of the room, Bonnie, forgetting Stefan had vampire hearing, blurted out everything she had been holding back.
"Damon, I never knew you felt all those things," she began, shaking her head. "It was amazing, it was the most intense thing I've ever felt."
"What are you talking about?" asked Damon, sitting up. "What did you feel?"
"I saw all these images in my head, things from your past and then suddenly I felt all these emotions that I'm assuming were yours. They were so powerful and passionate, I've never felt anything like it."
Damon didn't know what to think. This witch had been in the most intimate, private part of him. She had invaded him and taken everything he worked so hard to keep confined.
"So that's what you were trying to do," said Damon, annoyed. "You were invading my privacy."
"I had to Damon," said Bonnie, sitting on the couch. "It was the only way I could get rid of my fears of you."
"And why did you have to do that?" he asked, clenching his jaw.
"How am I ever supposed to be okay with Stefan if I'm not okay with you?"
Damon took in this last statement.
"You're not supposed to be okay with me," he replied, his jaw clenching. "I don't want you to be okay with me."
"Damon, I…" began Bonnie, before Stefan walked in.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Nothing," said Damon, breaking his eye contact with Bonnie. "I'm out of here. I'll be upstairs."
"Damon," called Stefan.
Damon didn't answer and simply walked out, leaving Stefan confused and Bonnie hurt.
Part 3
"Bonnie what happened," asked Stefan, sitting down next to her on the couch.
"I…I just touched him and I saw all these images of his past and I felt all these feelings. It was like I was Damon for a few seconds; its felt so real."
Stefan furrowed his eyebrows, intrigued by Bonnie's ability.
"What did you feel?" he asked.
"So many things," Bonnie replied, shaking her head. "I felt anger and hate and passion and jealousy and sadness and regret. I've never felt anything so strong or intense. Why did it feel so strong?"
"Vampires feel everything at a greater magnitude," he explained. "Everything you've ever felt, multiply it by ten and that's how we feel it."
"Stefan, it was so intense," she continued. "After it was over I felt so, connected to him."
"I've never seen anyone get inside Damon's head," said Stefan. "He just doesn't allow it."
"Well he didn't really know that's what I was going to do," she said, shrugging.
"Why did you do it?" asked Stefan, leaning forward.
Bonnie shook her head. "I don't know. I mean, I guess my biggest reason was so I could understand him better you know? I don't want to be scared of him or hate him anymore. I want to be okay with him and trust him the way I trust you."
"You can't ever place that must trust in a vampire Bonnie, especially one like Damon," said Stefan, shaking his head. "I would never intentionally hurt you or Elena but that doesn't mean you shouldn't keep your guard up around me."
"I know," said Bonnie, putting a hand to her forehead. "I was stupid and now he's probably angry at me."
Stefan didn't say anything and simply went over what had happened in the past few minutes.
Part 4
Damon didn't come back down for a few hours, leaving Stefan and Bonnie to sit in silence, something the two of them were perfectly comfortable doing. Stefan wondered what it was that Bonnie had felt that had shaken her so much. He knew she'd felt everyday emotions magnified but other than that, he didn't understand what could have scared or surprised her so much.
If only I could get into Damon's head that way, thought Stefan.
That probably wouldn't be the best idea, replied Bonnie, quick to rid Stefan of the thought.
Stefan nodded, having completely forgotten that Bonnie could hear this thoughts as well as communicate with him without saying a word.
Suddenly, they heard the sound of someone attempting to get through the front door. There was pounding and kicking, but it was calm and focused and not hurried or panicked.
"What was that?" asked Bonnie, quickly standing up and looking to the door fearfully.
"I don't know," replied Stefan, putting an arm up in front of Bonnie, as if at any moment someone would come flying in to take her away.
"Damon!" called Bonnie, fearfully.
"I heard," snarled Damon, getting downstairs at the speed of light. "I'm going to literally tear whoever this is into a million shreds."
"Damon, calm," said Stefan, not wanting to kill for no reason.
Stefan got to the door in a matter of seconds and tried to listen for the breathing of the person on the other side.
"Can't you hear this person's thoughts or something?" asked Damon, scowling.
"I didn't think of that," said Bonnie, too afraid to be annoyed with Damon's tone.
Bonnie came closer to the door while Stefan and Damon watched her attempt to hear something, anything. She closed her eyes and listened carefully, only to open them up again in surprise.
"It's Elena," she said, taking the nails out of the boards with her mind. "I'm letting her in."
Stefan helped take down the boards while Damon crossed his arms and watched them.
Finally, they got the door open and saw Elena standing before them, sheepish and a bit confused.
"Sorry," she said, smiling slightly. "I didn't know you would have the place on lockdown."
"We needed to make sure no one could get in," said Stefan, taking Elena by the hand.
Bonnie closed the door and locked it and then followed Elena, Damon and Stefan into the living room.
"What are you doing here Elena?" asked Bonnie, afraid that her friend would be in danger now that she was at the Salvatore mansion.
"I couldn't be at home doing nothing," she replied, running a hand through her dark hair. "I felt like I needed to be here with you."
"That's touching and all," said Damon, rolling his eyes, "but how are we supposed to take care of both of you if something happens?"
"You don't need to take care of me," replied Bonnie, looking up at him from her place on the couch. "I can take care of myself."
"So you think you're all powerful now huh?" scoffed Damon.
"No," said Bonnie, narrowing her eyes. "I just don't need you or anyone else to protect me."
Damon glared at Bonnie, annoyed with her confidence and Bonnie glared back at Damon, angered at his arrogance and lack of belief in her abilities. The glow of the fireplace seemed to burn brighter as the defiant witch and the angry vampire stared one another down. Stefan sensed tension and as an attempt to settle things, began speaking.
"Elena I'm glad you're here," he said, rubbing her shoulder gently. "Bonnie could use you right now. Damon and I aren't exactly comforting to most people when they know what we are."
"Stefan," said Bonnie, shaking her head. "You know I think of you as more than a vampire."
"I know," said Stefan, smiling. "But Elena is your best friend."
Elena smiled and kissed Stefan on the cheek. "Exactly, and as your best friend Bonnie, I'm going to stay right here with you."
"Thanks," replied Bonnie, relieved that the awkward tension that had been filling the mansion would be tempered by Elena's presence.
Part 5
It wasn't long before Stefan left Bonnie and Elena to themselves and it was even less long before Damon vanished completely.
"What's wrong with him?" asked Elena, nodding towards the direction Damon had gone in. "He's even more unpleasant than usual."
Bonnie sighed, unsure of how she would say this to Elena, the girl Damon was in love with.
"I might have tapped into Damon's subconscious and in the process, I might have seen some things I wasn't supposed to see and felt some things I wasn't supposed to feel."
Confusion and surprise passed over Elena's face. "Wait, what does that mean exactly?"
"It just means that…" Bonnie stopped, unsure of how to continue. "It just means that I saw some of his memories and felt some of his emotions and basically, I found out everything I would ever need to know about him. Well, I mean, I'm sure there's more but I don't know, I felt some kind of connection to him."
"Wow," said Elena, her eyes wide. "That's amazing Bonnie, I mean, really it is."
"Damon doesn't seem to think so," she replied, sighing. "He got so upset that he stormed off and hasn't talked to me since."
"Well, I mean Damon doesn't really like to let people in," said Elena, shaking her head. "So of course he's upset that he unwillingly allowed someone to be that close to him. But, this is huge Bonnie and if you can, you should try getting him to actually open up."
"Why would he open up to me Elena?" asked Bonnie, rolling her eyes. "I mean, up until a few weeks ago he hated me. He tried to kill me and he caused my grams death. Plus, he still holds it against me that I unintentionally destroyed Katherine's necklace."
"I don't know," shrugged Elena. "Look Bonnie, Damon seems like this really awful, malicious person on the surface but there's so much more beneath that. You've always been the one to see the good in people and I think now is the time to do that."
"He doesn't deserve it," muttered Bonnie.
"I know," laughed Elena. "But you and I both know that you're curious to get to know him now."
Bonnie sighed. "I just want to know what it is he's so sad about. I mean Elena, I've never felt anything like it. Not even when Grams died."
Elena nodded. "Damon and Stefan have both had really long, really difficult lives. They've both got so much to tell, you'd be surprised what they've gone through."
"Well, I still don't think Damon deserves to be pitied," said Bonnie, crossing her arms. "Lost love or not, some of the things he's done are unforgivable."
Elena nodded, hoping some of what she'd said had gotten through to her best friend.
Part 6
That night, as she slept, Bonnie found herself having a nightmare that felt as if she was inside Damon's head again. She watched as Damon lay on a bed half naked, Elena's look alike relative Katherine on top of him and kissing him passionately. Suddenly everything grew dark and silent and all Bonnie could see were Katherine's red eyes and sharp fangs. She looked just as evil as Damon had looked when he first bit her, nearly killing her. She saw for a moment a look of fear and confusion cross Damon's face and for the first time, Bonnie felt as though he wasn't an evil murderer but a regular human being with fears.
Bonnie woke up suddenly, cold and shaking. Thankfully, she had her own room so no one heard her as she breathed heavily in and out until she was able to gain her composure. She looked out the large, ornate window in her room and started at the moon, which seemed more bright than she'd ever seen it. The urge to get up came to her so she pulled off the heavy covers and tiptoed to her door. She opened the door slightly, remembering that Stefan and Elena were in the next room. When there were no sounds coming from their room, she moved out into the hall and looked both ways. Although it was one o clock in the morning, Bonnie could still make her way through the hall since there were candles lit everywhere. She sneaked past Stefan's room and kept searching, curious to see the mansion since she'd never been inside before. She found herself nearing Damon's door and attempted to quietly pass by unnoticed. Unfortunately, Damon's hearing was better than Stefan's and he heard her swift movement.
"You should know better than to walk around alone in a house full of vampires," he called out from his room.
Bonnie sighed and debated whether or not she should ignore him or respond. She decided on the latter.
"Well, you're not exactly strangers," she replied, peering into his room.
All she could see was the flicker of a candle from where she was standing. She decided to open the door slightly where she could finally see Damon, reading what looked like letters.
"Still," he said, looking up at her, "you never know when we'll just snap."
Bonnie felt a shiver run down her body as she took in the sight of Damon, his dark hair a bit disheveled and his normally bright blue eyes dark and menacing. She decided she no longer wanted to fear Damon and instead of backing out like he expected her to, she only came closer and began to look around his room with her eyes. He was surprised by this move and it showed in the way he looked at Bonnie, like she had transformed right before his eyes.
"I'm sorry about earlier," she said, as she ran her graceful fingers over a stack of books lying nearby. "I didn't mean to invade your privacy or your mind. I just wanted to try it out on someone."
Damon shook his head. "You wanted to see if you could try to figure me out. That's why you did it."
Bonnie didn't argue with this.
"You're right," she said, nodding her head. "That's exactly what I wanted. But I'm still sorry that it upset you."
"So you're not sorry about the fact that you did it but you're sorry about the fact that it upset me."
"Exactly," she replied. "I will never be sorry for learning new tricks Damon. I'm just sorry I didn't warn you ahead of time. I knew you would never have agreed to it."
"You're right I wouldn't have," he said, leaning back on his chair. "Especially if it's a Bennett witch doing it."
Bonnie glared at Damon, anger rising up inside of her. The light of the candles flickered erratically as Bonnie attempted to control her emotions. Damon watch her try to get herself together and he was fascinated. This witch had a temper like his and he wasn't used to someone challenging him so often. Bonnie's green eyes seemed to grow lighter and more intense in the darkness. She broke eye contact with him and continued looking around his room.
She spotted a picture of Katherine lying on a table nearby and picked it up. Damon was by her side in a second and snatched the photo from her hand.
"Is there something in particular that you need?" he asked, his face only inches from hers.
"I just came to apologize," she said, eying the picture in his hand with disdain.
Damon saw the direction of her gaze and narrowed his eyebrows.
"What?" he asked, walking back towards his chair.
"What is it about her you can't seem to get over?" she asked, not moving from where she was.
Damon looked down at her, ready to tell her to get out but something stopped him. There was something seemingly sincere about the way she asked and something innocent in her eyes. He took in a deep breath and looked at her for a few quiet moments.
"Well," he began, lifting an eyebrow, "she was sexy and impulsive and strong. Those kinds of girls have always been a bit of a weakness for me."
"What else?" asked Bonnie.
Damon looked startled at this question.
"What do you mean what else?"
Bonnie made a face as if the answer was obvious. "I mean what else did you love so much about her?"
Damon was caught off guard and he didn't know what to say.
"I don't…I thought I'd already told you."
Bonnie shook her head. "You told me a few things, three things to be exact. You can't love someone and only like one or two qualities about them. Tell me why you loved her so much Damon. Was there a certain way she made you feel? Was there something she did when she kissed you that made you feel different? Did she ever say anything to you that set her apart from everyone else?"
Damon took time to ponder this and came up blank. No one had ever made him think about this before and he suddenly felt as if he didn't know why he ever loved Katherine in the first place.
"Well it doesn't matter anymore anyway," said Damon, pushing the thought aside. "We all know she doesn't give a crap about me so it's no use talking about it."
Bonnie shrugged and sat down on the couch across from the desk he was sitting at. Damon was surprised at how easy it was for her to be around him now that she'd been inside his head. He felt she no longer feared him and that made him uneasy since she did in fact, pose a threat. She had the potential to become stronger than he was and that made him uncomfortable. At that point, fear was all he had on his side.
"Don't worry Damon," she said, hearing his thoughts, "unlike you, I would never attack someone unless it was provoked. You have nothing to worry about as long as you don't start anything."
Damon cursed under his breath and sat back in his chair again, staring at Bonnie. She looked even more beautiful in that lighting. Her chocolate brown hair went just below her shoulders in cascading waves and her necklace lay just over her collarbone. Her green eyes sparkled brightly and her caramel skin seemed smoother than ever. Damon traced her lips with his eyes, wondering why he'd never really looked at her before. He'd seen from the beginning that she was a beautiful girl but he was always so intent on finding Katherine, annoying Stefan and pursuing Elena that he'd never really took notice of Bonnie. He had however, been more and more attracted to her since that day they went looking for Stefan and Elena together. There was something about her abilities and the fact that he no longer posed a threat to her that got him excited. He felt as though he'd finally met an equal other than his brother and the challenge sparked something inside of him.
"What exactly did you see earlier?" he asked, tracing the picture of Katherine with his finger.
Bonnie was taken aback by this question. She hadn't expected him to ask it.
"Well," she began, shifting in her seat, "I saw mostly memories of yours. I saw you and Stefan as kids and I saw Katherine when she bit you for the first time and I saw the first time you ever fed. I saw a lot of your father and every time I came across a memory of his, I felt this sudden burst of anger and longing inside of me and I have no idea why. Then after that it was just a series of emotions; lust, jealousy, anger, passion, sadness, regret."
Damon looked at Bonnie in shock. He hadn't expected that she'd felt and seen so much of him. He felt vulnerable again and defensive.
Bonnie felt him turn cold and felt the walls coming back up.
"You don't have to be ashamed or anything Damon," she said, shaking her head. "This is a good thing. It makes your more human."
Suddenly, Damon was at her side, his face once again only inches from hers. There was something burning in his eyes, something Bonnie would have feared just recently.
"I don't want to be more human," he said, his jaw clenched. "Please leave before I do something I won't regret."
"I'm not scared of you Damon," said Bonnie, standing up.
Damon grabbed Bonnie by her delicate shoulders and pushed her up against a wall, his breathing heavy and ragged.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" he spat, anger in his eyes. "You think because you can do a few mind tricks that I can't tear you limb by limb?"
Bonnie set her jaw. Suddenly, Damon's head was throbbing and a familiar pain invaded his mind and body. He put his fingers to his temple and fell to his knees. Before he even had time to recover, Bonnie threw him to the wall next to the fireplace where the flames seemed to go crazy. With her mind, she lifted a piece of wood from the fireplace just thin enough to pierce Damon's heart and held it to his chest.
A look of panic flashed across his normally composed face. He looked down at the piece of wood that could go through him at any moment and then looked back to Bonnie.
"I thought we'd already gone over this," she said, her tone angry. "You can't just threaten me whenever you want Damon, I won't put up with it. You have no right to be angry with me and if you ever threaten me again, I won't think twice about tearing you apart limb by limb."
Damon nodded but seemed to have given up. He suddenly looked tired and his face was full of anguish. Bonnie felt something shift in her heart and she felt sympathy for him, she pitied him. The piece of wood fell to the floor and Damon was able to control his own movements once again.
"I'm sorry," said Bonnie, shaking her head. "For everything you've been through."
Damon looked up quickly, surprised by her apology. He saw her sit back down on the couch and he felt as if someone had knocked down a huge barrier deep inside of him, as if someone had taken a heavy weight off his tired shoulders. He had no idea why this girl had that effect on him, he barely even knew her. Even Elena had never made him feel this way.
He sat down on the floor and lifted his knees so that he could rest his arms on them. They sat there in silence for a while before anyone said anything.
Damon was the first to speak.
"Everything always came easier for Stefan," he said, shrugging as if he didn't care. "Our father always loved him more because he was the good son and he was the loyal son. Katherine could never let him go even though I always wanted her more. I spent years thinking Stefan was the better person when we were alive and I spent a century afterward thinking he was the better person because he didn't feed on people. And now, even Elena wants him more and everyone we've met so far that knows what we are seems to think Stefan is this good, honorable vampire. I don't know, sometimes I guess it just gets frustrating, forever being the disappointment."
Bonnie was shocked to hear this revelation. She had no idea Damon was capable of wanting to be liked; she had been certain he didn't care. She was careful about what she said, not wanting to scare him off as if he was a delicate hummingbird who had finally trusted her enough to get close to her.
"Stefan is a good person," she said, quietly. "But I've seen who he can become and he's not perfect either. Sometimes, it's just easier for some people to get lost than others. That's all you are Damon, you're lost. You're not evil or soulless, and I think Stefan and Elena know that."
Damon looked up at Bonnie, a genuine look of concern on her face. Very few people had ever been concerned about him in the time he'd been a vampire. He recognized that look as one Stefan often had whenever Damon behaved erratically.
"Well I've been lost for a very long time then Bonnie," he replied, laughing bitterly. "And after a 145 years, I don't think I'll ever be found."
Bonnie shook her head and smiled warmly.
"You've already been found Damon," she assured him. "Elena and Stefan have so much faith in you. You've messed up so many times and still they love you, still they believe there's something good in you. How can you say no one has found you?"
"And what about you?" he asked, smirking. "You still hate me don't you?"
"No," she said, sincerity dripping from her words. "I don't hate you. You confuse me and you anger me and you make me sick to my stomach sometimes; yet I don't hate you. Today, I saw something so real and so human and I now I know there's something good in you Damon."
Damon simply took this all in. He never thought he'd be having this conversation with Bonnie Bennett of all people. Witches had never been to understanding of vampires and this was a first for Damon. He hadn't had a civil conversation with a witch since Emily and even then it was simply cordiality.
Damon nodded, acknowledging what Bonnie had just said. He leaned his head on the marble wall behind him. After having stared at the ceiling for twenty minutes, Damon looked over to see Bonnie sleeping on the couch, her arms closed tightly around herself. He got up and took off his leather jacket and placed it gently over the witch. He then lay down on the floor next to the couch, looking up at Bonnie's beautiful face the whole night.