the truth


.

.

.

'cuz you are the piece of me
i wish i didn't need
chasing relentlessly, still fight
and i don't know why
if our love is tragedy
why are you my remedy?
if our love's insanity
why are you my clarity?'

-'clarity', zedd

.

.

.

Weeks went by and she told no one.

She watched Damon from afar, trying to get up the nerve to just pull him aside and tell him. He had a right to know, she knew that.

How in the living hell was she supposed to tell a vampire, one who had just returned from the dead with her, that he was going to be a father?

Maybe she'd write it on a cake and have that cake delivered to his house?

Nah, Elena could wind up seeing it first.

Singing telegram?

Oh God...

Skywriting?

Send her to the insane asylum right now.


"What's on your mind, lass?"

She was still trying to figure out how in the living hell Enzo got a job at the Grille. Compulsion had to be involved. Just had to be. He was one of the most untrustworthy men she had ever met.

But his face, that face and that voice who had pretty much spilled his guts to her during those hellish few weeks, that face was almost comforting. Because he got it. He understood what it was like to be stuck somewhere where no one could see you or hear you. To watch the people that you care about move about their daily lives and you can't be a part of it.

"The world, pretty much," she responds to that accented voice. Her green eyes dart up to meet his dark ones and they share the tiniest of smiles. "Why do you ask?"

"Because that is fifth ginger ale you have knocked back in the last twenty minutes," Enzo says as he wipes down a series of glasses that are lined up in front of him on the counter.

Bonnie peers down at her drink and sighs. Normally she would have requested something a little bit harder but alas, no booze for another seven months.

Oh god, she just had a horrible thought. Suppose this baby was like Renesmee Cullen and it grew extremely fast while she was carrying her? Suppose the baby winds up breaking her bones? Suppose -

"Bonnie!"

Bonnie comes out of it with a jolt, glaring up at Enzo's amused face with a scowl.

"What?!"

"You need to tell Damon."

Tell Damon? Tell Damon?!

"Tell Damon what?" Her voice comes out in a squeak that sounds like a dying mouse. She's so pathetic.

Enzo just smiles at her. "Tell him about that little life that is growing in your belly," he says with an unusual gentleness that was normally reserved for Caroline.

Instinctively, Bonnie's hand circles her belly protectively.

"H-How did you kn-know?" Really? She had to sound like a moron now?

"I can hear her little heart beating right alongside yours," Enzo says as he lets the last now clean glass go back to rest on the counter.

Bonnie glances over her shoulder and realizes they are alone in the Grille. Oh, thank God.

Wait a minute - her?

"And Damon showed up at my apartment right after he did his walk of shame. I could smell you all over him."

"He showered at your place?" Bonnie says softly. That explains why Elena didn't come rip her face off the morning after.

Enzo nods. He leans forward, his handsome face serene and those midnight eyes filled with a peace that Bonnie couldn't remember feeling herself in quite awhile.

"Stranger things have happened, little lass," he says softly. "But you need to tell Damon. He does have a right to know."


Enzo was right.

Oh, God, Enzo, the murderous vampire who had been her ghostly shadow for weeks, was giving her advice. Advice about Damon!

Ugh, what the hell has her life gone too?

Bonnie walks slowly up the front walk to the Boarding house. She can see Stefan's car in the driveway, parked right next to Damon's.

Her hand reaches up, locked in a fist preparing to knock on the heavy wooden door.

And the door flies open, revealing Caroline.

"Hey!" Caroline chirps happily. "I was just about to call you!"

"Really?" Bonnie says, trying to keep her voice as casual as she can and failing miserably. "Why?"

Caroline grabs her arm, pulling her none too gently over the threshold. "Because, I wanted us to try to get back to normal by having a game night!"

When Bonnie hit's the living room floor, she sees everyone gathered there. Elena, Damon, Stefan, Matt, and Tyler. None of them look too happy or even vaguely interested in being there.

Bonnie knows that Caroline is just trying to help. Just trying to get things back to the way they were.

But since when did a group full of vampires, witches, werewolves, and one lone human ever sit around and play board games?

She catches Stefan's eye when Caroline's back is turned and he just rolls his eyes with the slight twinkle of a smile.

Man, he must really love her.

Within minutes, Caroline has a game of Pictionary organized. Bonnie finds herself seated on the sofa, wedged in between Damon and Matt. Elena is seated on the other side of Damon, her hand clasped around his almost possessively.

Bonnie can't help but eye those joined hands out of the corner of her eye. She notices something peculiar though.

Damon isn't holding Elena's hand. His hand hangs slack in her grip.

Oh, God, why the hell does she care about all of this?

"Bonnie, it's your turn."

Elena's gentle voice pulls her out of her stupor and Bonnie is suddenly on her feet like someone had shocked her.

Anything, absolutely anything to get away from Damon.

Caroline hands her the hat full of tiny pieces of paper bearing clues to which she plunges her hand into. Her finger close around one at the very bottom, yanking it out and unfolding it none too gently.

Two words glare back at her almost like they are openly mocking her.

Rosemary's Baby.

Seriously? Was the universe really against her that much?

"Bonnie? You okay?"

She can hear Enzo's voice in her head, telling her that she needs to tell Damon. She needs to tell Damon.

She needs to tell Damon right now.

"Um...I can't do this," she whispers, placing the slip of paper back into the hat.

"What's the matter?" Caroline asks, rising to her feet.

Bonnie's eyes swivel around the room, all those upturned faces watching her like she is the bearded lady at some circus.

"Damon, can I talk to you? In private?"


She can feel his presence behind her as they walk. She walks a pace ahead, one hand resting on her stomach. Damon stays back just a bit, giving her the space that she needs and she is grateful.

They keep walking until they reach the outskirts of the property, well out of the vampire hearing range.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Damon asks her once she stops, her back still to him. "Why you're acting all Linda Blair-ish?"

"I need to tell you something," Bonnie says softly. Her eyes gaze out to the rolling green hills.

"What, your undying love?" Damon smirks as Bonnie finally turns around. She catches that soft gaze that was so unusual on his own face and she almost chickens out.

"Damon -"

"Bonnie, I'm sorry that I was avoiding you since that night. You were right. It was a mistake and I -"

He's freaking babbling like a nervous twelve year old! What the hell -?

"Damon -"

"I do care about what we have managed to put together. You're not frying my brain every other minute and -"

"Damon, I will fry your brain if you don't shut up!"

He shuts up.

And Bonnie just says it.

"I'm pregnant."

Damon gets that wild bug-eyed look on his face for just a few seconds before he pulls himself together and slaps that familiar half smirk back on.

"Well congratulations, little witch. Have you told Boy Wonder yet?"

"It's not Jeremy's."

Damon raises a brow. "Boy Wonder number two?"

"It's not Matt's!" Her voice is becoming slightly shrill.

"Then what hot hook up did you have, judgy? Who's baby mama are you?"

"Yours."

Is it possible for vampires to go into shock?

Bonnie waves a hand in front of Damon's glassy eyes, snapping her fingers.

"Hello? Anybody home?"

Now she's starting to get worried. It's like Damon had turned into a statue.

She presses a fingertip into Statue-Damon's shoulder. "Hey!"

Still nothing.

"Okay. Sorry about this."

Power buzzes in the air and Damon is suddenly clutching at his forehead, wincing as the tiny aneurism thuds away.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"I'm sorry," Bonnie says sincerely. "You had checked out. Are you okay?"

"I'll tell you when I can see straight again," Damon says with a grunt. He glances over the top of Bonnie's head for a moment before she reaches out and catches his chin in her fingertips. He delicately pushes her hand away. "Are you sure? Vampires can't -"

"- procreate, I know." Bonnie says. "I'm going on a month and a half along and - it's yours. You are the only option. All right, that didn't sound right but you know what I mean. Stranger things have happened, Damon. So why not a witchy-vampire baby?"

"You seem to be okay with this," Damon says.

"Granted, it took me awhile to get used to it," Bonnie replies. She pauses for a moment. "Damon, I don't want anything from you. I am perfectly okay with raising her on my own. I just -"

"Just what?" Damon asks.

"I just thought you had a right to know."

And with that, Bonnie gently pushes past the vampire and begins walking back to the house. But once she gets there, she gets into her Prius. There is absolutely no way she can face everyone inside. Especially with the off chance that one of them overheard her.

When Bonnie gets into her car, she glances in her rearview mirror. Damon is still standing where she left him, watching her with a look on his face that she can't quite read.

She's not going to do this.

Damon's going to have to come to her if he wants to be involved.

Yeah, she's being selfish, but you know what? It's about time.


"You must be out of your mind?!"

"Yes I am."

Matt stops, staring at her for a moment before turning on his heel and stomping across the room.

Caroline sighs from her perch beside the dresser. "So I was right."

Matt turns to glare the blonde's way. "You knew about this?!" His normally deep voice is rapidly approaching some height that only dogs could hear.

"I didn't know that she slept with Damon but I had a sense that something was up. I even asked her if she was pregnant and she denied it."

"Bonnie must be out of her mind to have slept with him," Matt says. He runs a hand through his unruly tresses, looking just like her own father during those few times that he would reprimand her for something.

"Well Bonnie is a grown woman," Bonnie cuts in, stepping in between Matt and Caroline. "And yes, she fucked up but she would also appreciate that you two stop talking about her like she isn't even here."

Matt sighs. "Sorry, Bon."

"Me too," Caroline says, getting to her feet. She takes Bonnie's hands in her own. "Have you figured out what you are going to do?"

"You mean, am I going to keep the baby?" Bonnie asks. When Matt and Caroline both nod, she smiles. "Yes."

Matt and Caroline exchange another uneasy look that just downright pisses Bonnie off.

"What? What's that look for?"

"Damon?" Caroline says. "I'm sorry but he is just not father material. Hell, he's barely even human being material."

Bonnie can't help the little flare of irritation at Caroline's words, even though she is absolutely right. She and Damon had bonded while being stuck in the other world together and most of that had come from the need to keep each other safe. She had learned to count on him and he her.

But she never forgot the things he had done before then. She never would.

"It's Damon's choice now," Bonnie says softly. She squeezes Caroline's hand and then releases it, stepping back to sit on her bed. Her own hand flops on her belly and then she feels it.

It's almost like a rush of butterflies in her stomach. That cute fluttery feeling that she used to get whenever she had a crush or a new love.

This feeling though, this feeling is a life.

A little innocent life that she had helped create.

Her baby.

"Bonnie? You all right?"

She barely hears Matt's voice, somehow managing an answer.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm good."


Another week goes by and she doesn't hear a word from Damon.

Stefan shows up at her house and congratulates her almost like he is a Jehovah's witness coming to share his faith. He stands awkwardly on her front step, reminding her of a baby giraffe that isn't really used to his long legs yet. He doesn't relax until Bonnie yanks him into her home and pours hot coffee into him.

She can't help but wonder if Damon had told Elena yet. It seemed like everyone knew now except her. Or maybe he had told her and then she killed him. Yeah, that could be it. Definitely explains why she hadn't heard from him in a week.

She schedules her first ultrasound for that Friday. When she pulls up to the doctor's office, a very familiar and very restored blue Camaro is parked in front of the doors.

Bonnie gets out of her car, slowly walking towards the electric doors while keeping one eye on that Camaro. Could be someone else's car. Definitely could be someone else's car.

No such luck.

A long legged, raven haired vampire steps out of the car, lightly shutting the door after him before veering around to face her.

She stops, staring. For a brief moment, she feels like she has just walked into one of those Nicholas Sparks chick flick films.

"How did you know?" she asks.

"Caroline texted me. She told me that if I didn't get my act together, she would rip off my head and use it for batting practice."

Bonnie chuckles lightly. That sounds like Caroline.

"You don't have to do this, you know."

Damon nods. "I know."

"What about Elena?"

For the first time in a long time, Bonnie feels distaste at the sound of the name on her own lips. Almost like -

Damon shrugs a shoulder. "She still doesn't know. For a vampire, she is quite clueless."

"Or you're just a good liar," Bonnie cuts across.

Damon shoves his hands deep into the pockets of his leather jacket, shuffling his boot clad feet underneath him before those diamond eyes meet hers.

"I'd really like to be here, Bonnie," he murmurs. "Please."

And for the second time ever, Bonnie Bennett finds she can't say no to him.


"Bonnie Bennett?"

The receptionist's voice brings Bonnie back to the real world. She looks up from her phone to see the receptionist gazing at her from behind her desk.

"Yeah?"

"The doctor will see you now."

Bonnie nods and slowly rises to her feet. It takes her a brief moment to realize that Damon isn't following her. She glances over her shoulder to see Damon still in his very uncomfortable plastic chair, twiddling his thumbs.

"Would you like to come with me?" she asks.

Their eyes lock for a brief moment and he rises to his feet, following her to the exam room.

They arrive within a matter of moments, the nurse already waiting for them.

"Hello, Ms. Bennett," the nurse greets her with a smile. She hands her one of those horrible thin nightgowns that she had to wear once when she was in the hospital overnight for surgery on her ankle. "I'll let you get into this and then I'll be back to get your vitals." She looks over at Damon. "Are you the husband?"

Bonnie almost chokes.

"Uh, no. He's Damon."

Damon rolls his eyes. "And the father."

The nurse begins to look increasingly uncomfortable and quickly excuses herself.

Once she is gone, Bonnie walks over to the privacy screens that are bunched in the corner of the tiny room.

"Oh, come on, Bonnie," Damon says with his familiar and annoying lilt. "I've seen you naked."

"And I'd rather you didn't see me naked again," Bonnie responds with her own eye roll. She pulls the screens around her. "Now turn your back and stare at the wall."

Damon grumbles but obeys, shifting around on his heel and crossing his arms in front of his chest. Bonnie waits for a small moment before quickly undressing and pulling that stupid gown on over her small body. She glances down at her stomach and smiles, unable to hide her tiny laugh.

She's got a baby bump. Kind of.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing," Bonnie says. "Nothing at all."


After another agonizing ten minutes with the nurse checking every single vital of hers and constantly telling a fidgety Damon to settle down and stop pacing, they are alone once again, waiting for the doctor.

"When is Doc going to get here?" Damon moans.

"Hey, Damon, I didn't ask for you to be here," Bonnie reminds him. "So either you stop whining and pacing or you can go wait in the waiting room."

Damon doesn't argue back, flopping his long body down onto the metal stool that the doctor usually occupies, kicking his feet up to rest on the long examining table by Bonnie's side. She groans and shoves his booted feet off.

That's when the doctor chooses to walk in.

Damon quickly bolts from the stool and takes his place beside Bonnie, almost looking like he is trying to pretend he is part of the woodwork behind them.

"Hi, Bonnie," the doctor greets her. "I'm Dr. Reller."

"Hello," Bonnie says.

Dr. Reller turns to Damon, holding out a hand. "Are you the father?" she asks.

Damon takes her hand and shakes it. "Why, yes I am."

"Nice to meet you," she says warmly before turning back to Bonnie and glancing at her charts. "Okay, so everything looks good with you. Heart rate and blood pressure are lovely. How about we get a look at that baby?"

Bonnie nods, feeling her heart starting to hammer in her chest.

"All right."

Within minutes, she is hooked up to the oddest machine she has ever seen and a sheet is spread over her legs. Her nightgown is pulled up just slightly to reveal her stomach and that's when Damon sees it. Her baby bump.

Their eyes lock for just a second and she can see it. She can see all of it in those diamond eyes.

Bonnie starts when freezing cold goo is slopped onto her stomach. The doctor smiles her apology as she places the wand on her stomach, gently pressing down hard enough to get a reading to show up on the screen.

And then…

Oh, God, and then—

The heartbeat is probably the most beautiful thing she has ever heard in her whole entire life.

"There is your baby," Dr. Reller says, pointing with a manicured finger to the screen.

Bonnie peers closer, seeing the small shape that mildly reminds her of a peanut, shifting and wriggling on the television screen.

"Oh, my god…"

Dr. Reller grins, hitting a button on the screen so the image is captured.

"The baby seems to be perfectly healthy. You are just approaching your tenth week, correct?"

Bonnie nods, not really hearing the words.

"I'll give you two a minute."

And then she's gone, almost like the wind carried her away.

Hot tears burn behind Bonnie's eyes. She reaches up and brushing an escaping one away, shifting in her seat towards Damon.

For just a moment, she is afraid. She has never seen Damon like this before. So –

So – human.

He gazes at the screen, neither of them actually noticing that he's got her hand held between both of his.

"That's –" Damon swallows. "That's our baby."

Bonnie smiles. "That's our baby."

Damon tightens his grip on her hand and she laces their fingers together.

"Wow."

.

.

.


I can't help it. AWWWW!

Elena shall find out next chapter and then buh-bye 'Lena! Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, my babies. How about some more?

Thanks guys. Have a great and safe weekend.