Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries nor am I making any profit from this whatsoever. Characters, etc. all belong to their respective owners.
A/N: Thanks so much to all those who have been reading, reviewing, etc.! I'm really blown away by the response I've gotten to this fic so far, so thank you!
Enjoy!
Dominic's conditioned worsened through the day along with Bonnie's worry. He hadn't been able to keep anything solid or liquid down and he had broken out in a fever.
"Here, see if you can keep this down," Bonnie told Dominic, she pulled the cool, damp cloth from his forehead to freshen it up and handed him a mug of warm tea and helping him to sit up a bit. "It's peppermint, which should help to settle your stomach if you can keep it down."
"Thanks," he said weakly, reaching for the tea with a shaky hand.
Bonnie moved into the bathroom to run the cloth under cool water.
She still had half a mind to drag him off to Mystic Falls Memorial to be treated, but how exactly would she explain it to the staff?
They couldn't exactly say he was given some unknown, deadly witch poison. Not to mention, that he wouldn't have a valid ID or valid insurance since he technically exist yet.
Granted, they could compel the staff, but with their luck that would come back to bite them all in the ass. Still, though, Bonnie decided that if he didn't get better within the next few hours, she'd haul him in regardless of what he told her.
"You're worrying again," Damon told her as she draped the cool cloth around his neck this time.
"Well, some psycho witch from the future wants me dead for reasons that you refuse to tell me and just to complicate things even more, I actually know her in the present. Oh, and just to top things off, you're poisoned and you said you'd get better, but you only seem to be getting worse. So, yeah, I'm pretty damn worried right now."
"I told you it gets worse and then it gets better. It's not the first time this has happened to me."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Bonnie asked skeptically. "Because it really, really doesn't."
"Hey," Caroline interrupted, softly knocking on the doorframe. "How're things?"
"He's managed to keep the tea down so far, so hopefully that's a good sign," Bonnie replied, turning to face Caroline.
"Why don't you get some sleep?" Caroline suggested. "Although, I think you should stay here tonight. It'd make me feel a lot better to know you're not alone after everything that's happened today."
"I wasn't planning on leaving, anyway," Bonnie responded. "I want to be just in case Dominic takes a turn for the worse."
"I told you I'll be fine," Dominic groaned from his place on the bed.
"Yeah, well, I'll believe it when I actually see it because you're far from fine right now," Bonnie shot back, fixing Dominic with a pointed look. "I'll go crash in the empty room next door," she said to Caroline. "If he seems to get worse, come get me?"
"Of course," Caroline answered, ignoring Dominic's grumbled protest. "Oh, hey, by the way, where's Damon?"
"Out drinking with Enzo."
"You're kidding. After what happened today?"
"Yeah, well, you know them. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Alaric joined them to complete the bro-triangle from hell," Bonnie said dryly. "In fact, I'd bet that right about now Enzo and Alaric are drunkenly fighting for Damon's affection."
Caroline giggled and shook her head.
After Bonnie said goodnight to both her and Dominic, she moved to the other room. Once Bonnie was gone, the blonde informed Dominic that she'd be downstairs and would hear him if he needed her.
"So," Caroline said when she found Stefan brooding in the living room. "Bonnie went to sleep and Damon's out drinking and I'm about to die from curiosity."
"Just wait until Bonnie is asleep for sure."
"God, you're going to me explode," Caroline groaned, flopping on the couch next to Stefan. "And not in the fun way, either."
Stefan laughed and pressed a soft kiss to her temple.
"Wait, you want to kill Bonnie Bennett? Why?" The younger Jacqueline asked, confused. "She's a good person. And I mean, really good."
"It's not what she's done," the older Jacqueline explained. "It's what she will do."
"Okay, you're really confusing me right now and I'm getting a headache."
"In less than a year from now, Bonnie Bennett will be giving birth to an abomination."
"And by that you mean…?"
"A vampire-witch hybrid. Something that nature never intended to exist," the older Jacqueline clarified.
"But…even if that did possibly happen…why should we kill her over it? I get that as witches we're supposed to try and keep nature balanced, but imbalances happen all the time and nature finds a way to balance it out on its own."
Jacqueline found it difficult to look at this older version herself. Putting aside the fact that the whole concept of time travel, vampire-witch hybrids, and more was enough to make her go cross-eyed…it was a bit frightening to see how hardened and…cruel she'll become.
"And what if I told you that the life of your entire family depended on you stopping Bonnie Bennett before she can conceive this abomination?"
The younger Jacqueline could feel a lump forming in the back of her throat and she knew that somehow things were about to get even more complicated than they already were.
"You're looking better," Stefan observed as he entered Dominic's room with Caroline.
He really did. He was still a bit pale, but most of his color seemed to be coming back and he was actually sitting up instead of just slumping against the headboard.
"At least Bonnie can stop worrying now," Dominic replied with a strained smile.
"There's something I need to ask you and I need an honest answer," Stefan began, almost a bit hesitant.
Dominic looked at Stefan, clearly a bit wary about what his question could possibly be.
"You're not actually some distant cousin of Bonnie's from the future, are you?" Dominic opened his mouth to protest, but Stefan continued before he could get the chance, "You're actually her son, aren't you? You're Bonnie and Damon's son."
"Wait, what?" Caroline hissed, looking back and forth between Stefan and Dominic. "There's no way. I mean, Bonnie and Damon get along for the most part, but still…and vampires can't even procreate!"
"Think about it, though. I mean, really think about it," Stefan said. "He admitted that he's only half-witch, but he wouldn't tell us what the other half was. But he heals just as fast as a vampire does…well, the poison didn't, but the stab wound did. And he looks just like a Bennett, but haven't you noticed just how much like Damon he acts?"
Dominic looked a bit offended about being compared to Damon, but he didn't say anything.
"Oh my God," Caroline breathes. "Oh my God."
"Please," Dominic said, his voice coming out a bit strangled. "You can't either of them. If they know…it could really jeopardize my existence."
He paused, struggling to find the words.
"I meant to come here when she was already pregnant with me. But like I've been saying, time travel is extremely tricky. I think I already put my existence into a lot of jeopardy just by being here."
A/N: Writing the scenes with the two Jacquelines is a bit more difficult than a thought. It was so hard not to just label them 'Jacqueline 1' and 'Jacqueline 2' (although, I guess I kinda did that by calling them 'older Jacquline' and 'younger Jacqueline', lol)
Originally, I hadn't been planning on having Dominic's identity revealed to Caroline and Stefan for a few chapters, but like I mentioned in last chapter, things are working out in a faster pace than I originally imagined. Besides, I know like none of you were surprised by the reveal (I didn't exactly try to hide it, though, so…). Don't worry, though, I've got some twists and turns planned ahead.
Thanks so much for reading and, as always, reviews are very much appreciated!