"Thank you for the gifts," Elena said as she leaned up and gave Damon a kiss. "I'm sorry I got so mad with you," she added as she and Damon walked hand in hand through the Whitmore halls. "Bonnie told me that she thinks whatever was in that little boy and that music box it has now attached on to you two." Damon arched his brow a bit surprised that Bonnie had hinted at their possession, since she had been so vehement about keeping it a secret. He was also a bit disappointed for some reason he kind of didn't want anyone else to know about the possession, because it was theirs. "She said that such dark magic can make you say and do things you normally wouldn't say or do. I just wish we knew how to fix this." She spoke as she lifted her free hand to the back of her neck and rubbed it as she rolled her shoulders. "Stefan and I didn't find anything about that little boy or that music box, not even with the info Bonnie gave us."

"Don't worry Witchy and I have been tossing around an idea and we're gonna work on some…" Damon's words paused as his eyes seemed to be drawn to a spot where they landed on Bonnie. She stood further down the hall talking and giggling with some guy Damon didn't recognize.

"Damon?" Elena's voice drew back his attention. "You were saying something about you and Bonnie working on something, is it some kind of counter spell?"

"Yeah, something like that. She and I are going to work it later," He replied only half listening. "Who is that?" He asked as he continued to stare at the couple down the hall. Elena followed his gaze until her eyes landed on Bonnie.

"Bonnie," She answered with a teasing smile as Damon tossed her a playful glare. "…And a fellow student and classmate of ours, his name is Gerard. He's an exchange student from Scotland and I think he's got a major crush on Bon-Bon." Elena said with a pleased smile, genuinely happy at the idea of Bonnie dating again after how things ended between her and Jeremy a month back. As they made their way down to Bonnie and Gerard, Damon seemed to sneer at the young man who was making Bonnie smile and twirl her finger in her hair.

(Oh stop that, it makes you look desperate)

The sudden words made Bonnie jump slightly as she shot her head around fully expecting to see Damon standing right behind her, but only found empty space. Then she realized that he was speaking inside her head. She let her eyes dart about the corridor in search of him, as a few students bustled about trying to get to their next class.

(And now you look like a crazy person)

She could hear the laughter in his voice, and could imagine the smirk on his face just as her eyes finally landed on him as he and Elena were a few feet away. Bonnie cast a quick look at Gerard and was thankful that he was busy inputting her number into his phone that he hadn't noticed anything.

(God, don't do that Damon!)

She barked back at him telepathically giving him the evil eye as he and Elena stopped right before them.

"Hey Bonnie…Gerard," Elena greeted with a grin and quirk of her brow that told Bonnie her friend was going to try to play match maker. Normally Bonnie would have welcomed the assistance but given recent events she figured she had enough men wanting her body, though she knew neither men were hers nor truly loved her.

"Hey you two," Bonnie replied as she noted Damon and Elena's entwined hands and the sight hurt and angered her a bit, which she tried to brush off by plastering on a fake smile. As if sensing Bonnie's feelings, Damon pulled his hands from Elena's and quickly extended the hand out to Gerard.

"I'm Damon," He said to the other man.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Damon this is Gerard McLeod, Gerard this is my boyfriend Damon Salvatore." Elena introduced.

"It's nice to meet you," Gerard said with a thick Scottish accent. He eagerly grasped Damon's hand and shook it. Damon mustered a faux smile as he squeezed a little harder until he felt the popping of bones. Gerard grunted slightly in pain as he pulled from the handshake and then cradled his hand to his side, covertly flexing the fingers to make sure they weren't as broken as they felt. 'That's for touching what's mine, asshole' Damon thought and Bonnie snapped her eyes to him. She took him in for a second wondering if the 'other' had taken over again. She could just see in his eyes that it was still Damon and that he hadn't even realized that he was projecting, and so she averted her eyes and pretended she hadn't heard him. She shut down her own thoughts not wanting to somehow send him any indication that she had been thrilled by his possessive words.

"So, are you done for the day, Bon?" Elena asked Bonnie completely unaware of what was going on around her. Bonnie nodded her head and then cast concerned eyes to her friend as Elena reached up to her neck again and grimaced a bit as she rubbed it.

"Yeah I was just heading out, going to do some research on that…" She cut off the words when she remembered they were not alone, Gerard still stood next to her nervously fidgeting under Damon's hard stare. "Extra credit project I'm doing." She covered and Elena knowingly smiled and nodded a bit. "Hey, are you ok?" Bonnie asked her friend as worry filled her eyes.

"Hmm…Oh yea," Elena answer as she rolled her neck a bit and waved her free hand dismissively. "For the pass week my neck has been a bit stiff...sore, probably just stress. I've been doing a lot of overtime at the hospital. And that's why I am so happy to have tonight off to spend with my friends."

"Are you sure you want to go out, we can stay in you, me, and Care have a girl's night. I'm sure I have something I can give you to help with the pain in your neck." Bonnie offered the concern evident on her face.

"No, I want to go out and dance. Besides you know I'm a fast healer." Elena replied as she arched her brow a bit. "Hey Gerard why don't you come out with us, a few of us are meeting up at the Grill." She asked turning her attention to the boy across from her.

"Uhm, well I don't…" He began to speak. He intended to decline, thinking he'd only be a third wheel.

"It'll just be a couple of friends joining me and 'Bonnie'." Elena added and Gerard shot a quick glance at Bonnie who smiled back at him sweetly before he nodded.

"Sure, i…if you don't mind," He directed his words to Bonnie.

"Not at all, I'd like you to come," Bonnie stated as she bowed her head coyly and tucked a lock of hair behind her ears. Damon couldn't stop his eyes from rolling at her behavior. 'Oh stop it' he mentally chastised her, and she ignored him as she reached out and gently touched Gerard's forearm. "I still want you to tell me that Scottish story of the beautiful slave girl you said I reminded you of." Bonnie said with a kind smile.

"You compared her to a slave?" Damon asked as he frowned up a bit. "I seriously hope you're not trying to get laid with that line." He added callously as the other three stared at him with disbelieving eyes and gaping mouths.

"Damon!" Elena exclaimed as she elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

"Gerard, please ignore Damon, he has absolutely no manners or social skills," Bonnie spoke as she rolled her irritated eyes from Damon over to the taller man who had sandy blonde hair and bright blue eyes that rivaled Damon's. "You said she was beautiful and wasn't actually a slave but a lady aristocrat. So I am impressed and flattered, and I really want to hear her story," Gerard smiled glad to know that his words that had meant to be a compliment hadn't insulted her as Damon had suggested.

"Ok well what time should I be there?" Gerard asked.

"Here," Bonnie lifted the cell she had been holding and started typing. After a couple of seconds Gerard's phone dinged. "That's my address, why don't you pick me up around 8 and we'll head over together." With a huge pleased smile Gerard eagerly nodded. Damon's jaws clinched as he moved his steely glare from Gerard down to Bonnie, who could feel his eyes on her but purposely, avoided them. "OK well I'll see you guys later, I gotta go work on that project."

"Yeah, I'm going too, I promised Bon-Bon here I'd help with that 'project'," Damon spoke out as he swooped in to give Elena a quick peck on the lips. "I'll see you later," He said softly to Elena who nodded and then Damon grasped Bonnie's arm and hurriedly moved them to the exit before she could protest.

"Ok you can let go now," Bonnie said once they were outside making their way across the campus to the parking lot where Bonnie's car was.

"Why," Damon tossed out as he tightened his hold on her arm a bit instead of letting go. "Don't want your new boyfriend to get jealous?" He mimicked in a girly tone, and Bonnie couldn't help the smile that fell to her lips.

"He's not my boyfriend," Bonnie replied as she practically jogged to keep up the pace that Damon had set as he angrily stalked them forward. "And he's not the one acting like a jealous boyfriend." She said finally yanking her arm free of his grasp as they stood alone in the middle of the parking lot next to her car.

"Well technically a part of me 'is' your jealous boyfriend," Damon proclaimed as he stood right in her space and leered down at her. Bonnie swallowed down the nervous lump in her throat as she stared up at him.

"Yes but 'we' are in control of those parts right now remember?" She said softly.

"Are we?" He arched his brows high, chuckled humorlessly, and then sneered as he leaned in so close that someone watching them would probably think he was kissing her. Bonnie held her breath a bit at his closeness and the way his hot breath caused her face to tingle when he spoke. "If we're in control then why do I want to rip Gerard's head off just for talking to you? And why do I want to strip you naked right now and take you right on the hood of this car?" Bonnie tried to squash down the rush of lust that washed over her in that moment, but when she saw Damon's nose flare a little and then a carnal smile spread across his lips she knew it was too late, he'd scented her wantonness. He leaned in a bit closer intending to finally do what he had been thinking about since he last saw her. He was going to kiss her deep and long.

"Damon, please…" Her words in Damon's mind were like being doused with a bucket of iced water. "I thought we agreed that I deserve better than…whatever this is." Damon took in a deep breath as he closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers for a moment. In turn Bonnie closed her eyes too, and they both stood just drinking in the sensation of being so close. Damon broke the spell as he lifted his head and placed a soft kiss upon her forehead and then took a step back.

"Come along little bird," He called out as he moved to the passenger side of Bonnie's car. "Let's go work on that spell," He added before opening the passenger side door and getting in the car. He sincerely hoped that if they could make the spell work it would block their possessors as well as the feelings between he and Bonnie that were growing increasingly stronger. Bonnie stood a moment regarding his sudden change and about face as well as taking some deep breaths to calm herself before she got in the car.

A few hours later

"Are you sure this spell is going to work?" Damon asked from his prone position across Bonnie's bed, where he lay examining the small ring that was attached to a chain around his neck. It was Bonnie's class ring which was so tiny it barely fit Damon's pinky finger.

"Damon!" Bonnie half growled at him as she yanked her adjoining bathroom door open and stuck just her head out at him. She had just showered and was getting ready for her night out at the Grill. Her hair was still damp and her body still wrapped in a towel. "I told you not to come up here, to wait for me downstairs." She glared at the man draped so casually across her bed as if he were a frequent visitor there.

"You're not the boss of me 'Little Witch'," He tossed out with a smirk and then sat up some and rested on his side, propped up on his elbow. They both became locked in a stare down that ended the instant Damon let his head tilt more to the side and his eyes roamed downward in an attempt to see more of her body. Bonnie took notice and with a slight huff closed the bathroom door and locked it, thankful she had taken the outfit she had planned to wear into the bathroom with her. With a disappointed scowl Damon flopped back down flat against the bed and resumed his previous inspection of the ring Bonnie had given him, which house the cloaking spell. Bonnie had used a ring her Grams had given her, one she usually always wore anyway, as her spell gateway. "So do you think it will work?" He called out again.

"I don't know…it should…I think…" She mumbled out knowing he would be able to hear her. She then turned on her hairdryer and proceeded to get ready. Just 15 minutes later she was opening the bathroom door as she stepped out fully dressed. She wore a blood red satin, spaghetti strapped top that stopped just above her navel and had purposeful lengthwise cuts across the middle, which allowed glimpses of the flesh between her breasts. She accompanied the look with a pair of low riding, hip hugging skinny jeans and matching red flats. "I guess we won't know for sure until, I don't know…something happens…or doesn't happen." She added as she frowned a bit playing her own confusing words back inside her head. After a beat she noticed that Damon still sat upon her bed and was silently watching her with a cool expression that was very hard for her to read. After a moment she realized by the way his eyes traced her form from top to bottom that he was critiquing her outfit, and she grew self-conscious something she discovered she felt a lot recently when she was around him. "What?" She inquired and he shook his head but it looked as if he were doing so to clear it and not to actually acknowledge her question.

"Nothing," He answered. "You just look nice." He added and she threw him a cynical stare which he noticed and snorted with a frown. "Fine I take it back, you look horrible."

"Thank you, sorry I'm just not used to you giving me compliments, and sometimes I am not entirely sure it's not the 'other' guy warping your brain."

"Sometimes I wonder too but …but 'he' seems to only have eyes for his Lovely…I mean he takes obsession to a whole new level." Damon said. Bonnie stood a second watching Damon wondering if he even realized that she had just given him a way to excuse the seemingly growing feelings between them, and he had quickly rebuffed it. She shook her head not willing to think about those feelings and if they were somehow becoming sincere.

"I guess you would know best, what with the way you obsessed over Elena." Bonnie half mumbled out as she turned and checked herself in the full length mirror housed in the corner of her room. "Oh and that reminds me," She moved to the bureau and grabbed a vial she had placed there and tossed it to Damon who caught it easily. "Make sure Elena gets that, I made it to help her with her neck pains. Help relieve her stress."

"She's not stressed and this won't work," He responded as he tossed the vial back to Bonnie who caught it as she threw him back a confused expression.

"How do you know that?"

"Because her neck pain isn't due to stress, it's because I've been breaking her neck every night for the past week," He stated around a bored sigh.

"Oh my God…What!" Bonnie yelped anger filling her as magical power made her fisted hand glow a bit.

"Hey…hey," He quickly spoke out as he sat up and raised both hands in surrender while looking uneasily at her hands. "I'm not actually doing it. I told you already he's been taking over more looking for his girl, and he really does not like Elena. So when she falls asleep he…" He makes a crackling noise with his mouth and jerked his head to the side. "It relaxes him." Before she could speak again they heard a knock at the door. Bonnie knew it was probably Gerard and moved to her bedroom door to head downstairs. Damon flashed to her and grasped her arm just before she crossed the threshold.

"Maybe we should stay in until we've been able to test these things," He stated as he lifted the new ring around his neck.

"This is the test Damon we know that my house blocks 'them' so we have to go out to see if the cloaking spell will continue to work outside of this house." She replied as she slowly pulled from his grip and turned to walk out but he stopped her again with his words.

"Bonnie, don't touch him…and don't let him touch you." It was all that Damon said at first as he stared at the back of Bonnie's head, where she stood stunned by his words. "I don't know if the other guy inside of me is causing me to feel this way, whether he's projecting his feelings or if him being inside me has unlocked some feelings buried deep…deep…deep down that I may have harbored for you," He continued and Bonnie smiled a little at the last bit. "But I feel some kind of way Bon and if he touches you…I may kill him," He whispered as he leaned in and buried his nose in her hair. His right hand gripped her waist and then snaked up her middle and cupped her left breast. Bonnie immediately reacted to his touch, her head fell back, mouth fell open, her body arched more into his hand, and she moaned out her pleasure. She knew if he tried to take her in that moment she would have let him, Elena, Gerard, and the rest of the outside world be damned. She was disappointed yet kind of grateful when Damon came back to his senses and let her go but this time with no apology for his actions. Bonnie rushed down the stairs and to the door as Damon casually followed behind her. She plastered on a fake smile right before opening the door.

"Gerard, hi," She greeted.

"Hi," He replied as his eyes raked over her and a pleased smile graced his lips. "Wow you look great." He added.

"Thanks," She tossed him a kind genuine smile.

"So you kids ready to go?" Damon spoke out and Gerard noticed him for the first time.

"Oh hello…Damon right? Elena's boyfriend…" He spoke out as he looked from where Damon stood back to Bonnie. To Bonnie's ears his last words and the way he looked to her as he said them, made her think he was questioning her about her relationship with Damon. She simply nodded in reply. "Ok so we're taking your car then?"

"Yeah," Bonnie said and she then felt Damon brush by her as he headed out.

"I call shotgun," Damon announced as he paused at the door long enough to throw an almost taunting smile in Gerard's face. Bonnie sent out an apologetic smile to Gerard before he turned to follow Damon to her car. As she also followed she inwardly groaned fearing this would be a very not so fun night for her.

Later at the grill

"I am so glad you could make it Gerard," Elena spoke out as they all took a seat. "This is Bonnie and my other very best friend Caroline, and Damon's brother Stefan."

"Hi…Hello," Both Caroline and Stefan said respectively yet in unison.

"Hi and I'm glad you asked me to come," Gerard replied as he turned to Bonnie who sat to his right as Caroline sat at his left. To Caroline's left sat Stefan, then Elena, and Damon. Bonnie let a sweet smile spread across her lips.

"Technically," Damon interrupted as he lazily let his eyes, which had been locked onto Bonnie, drift menacingly to Gerard. "Elena asked you out, and should I be jealous?" He added as he smirked at Elena who rolled her eyes and nudged him playfully.

"Please ignore him," Elena said to Gerard.

"We've learned that that works best when it comes to my big brother." Stefan added as the rest nodded in agreement and Gerard chuckled a bit. Damon made no reply as he continued to glare at the Scotsman.

"Uhm, would you like to dance Bonnie?" Gerard invited with a look of hopefulness in his eyes. When Bonnie opened her mouth to accept his offer the sound of Damon humming the funeral march filled her head, though she made no outward indication she had heard anything.

"Uh…not my kind of music," She lied as both Elena and Caroline cast a questioning look but didn't call her out. She regretted her words when she saw the defeat in his eyes. "But we'll dance later. Besides I really want you to finish the story about the slave girl." He smiled as he nodded his head.

"I actually did a little research earlier," He spoke out as he grasped his cellphone and started clicking. "I wanted you to see for yourself that it wasn't some line…" He shot a quick look to Damon who rolled his eyes to the side at something uninteresting happening at the bar. Gerard held the phone out to Bonnie who took in the image of a painting, her eyes glazed over and flashed as they honed in on the portrait of a very handsome regal man with black wavy hair and almost translucent eyes. "See she looks a lot like you, don't you think?" He asked and Caroline leaned in to look.

"Wow, she really does," Caroline agreed as she grasped the phone and then passed it around to Elena.

"Whoa, I wouldn't be surprised if she were an ancestor of yours Bon-Bon," Elena stated as she handed the phone to Damon who seemed disinterested while he actually studied the portrait. He couldn't deny the strong resemblance and agreed with Elena's assessment. "Even the same green eyes," She added but Damon disagreed, the eyes of the lady in the picture had a more vibrant, electric hue.

"I suppose you are right, interesting. Maybe this is all fate. Oh but I hate that picture, I personally would have killed that artist," Bonnie said with a sigh as she pulled the phone from Damon's hand as if to study the portrait more closely. "Oh those times were so difficult. People had become so judgmental. Imagine gathering a lynch mob to kill a couple who were deeply in love simply because they had different skin colors." She added as her eyes shone with unshed tears.

"So you know the story," Gerard asked as he stared at Bonnie impressed. She simply nodded as she closed her eyes to try and calm her emotions. "They were a couple who came into one of the local villages. Everyone had assumed she was his slave but as it turns out she was his beloved and he was not ashamed of that fact and treated her like a queen, much to the shock and disdain of the other villagers. Scottish folk back then were not used to seeing blacks treated so. So as you say they gathered a lynch mob and went after them. The couple ran and no one knows what ever became of them, or where they had even come from. They had only arrived in the village a month prior. But she was very lovely wasn't she?"

"That is what Darius always said," Bonnie spoke out and Damon's head shot up and his eyes looked into the same electric green eyes staring at him that he had noted in the portrait. She sent him a knowing smile.

"Darius?" Elena questioned frowning up a bit in confusion.

"He's the handsome gentleman in the portrait." Bonnie answered never taking her eyes off of Damon. "God I have not seen 'his' face in so long…" She mumbled out the last part locking her eyes back to the portrait.

"Wait how did you know…" Gerard began to ask but Damon interrupted as he swiftly stood and tugged Bonnie up from the table.

"Let's dance Witchy," He spat out as he moved them to the dance floor leaving four very baffled people watching them. "How the hell did you get out?" Damon questioned as he wrapped Bonnie's body in his embrace and swayed them to the slow song that was playing. "Guess Bonnie's little cloaking spell didn't work." He said but was speaking to himself.

"No it works and impressively well. She has more skills than I originally gave her credit for, I cannot reach Darius." She replied as she let her eyes search his face for any trace of her beloved. "I can certainly sense him but it's like he's invisible to me."

"Then how the hell are 'you' here?"

"I suppose I have you to thank for that, in part. You distracted her earlier in her bedroom and the little witch forgot her charm." She stated as she reached out and tapped the spot where Damon's enchanted ring lay beneath his tee shirt. "But I think it was seeing Darius, and seeing him in his true and glorious body was the key to awakening me and allowing me to gain full control. Now all I need is Darius, so please remove the little charm and he will awaken. I would do it myself but 'she' enchanted it so that only you can remove it. She is a very clever witch." Lovely then twirled herself in his arms, and placed her backside flush against his front. "I know how much you and the little witch enjoy it when Darius and I are in control." She spoke out in a whisper as she purposely ground herself against him. Despite himself Damon's eyes rolled closed to the sensation, as his hold on her tightened and a groan escaped his lips.

"What the fuck?" Elena spoke out as an angry scowl crossed her face from where she and the others sat watching Damon and Bonnie virtually making out on the dance floor.

"Uh," Caroline spoke out in disbelief as a smile curled her lips. "I recall you telling about the blue mist that attacked them and that Bon says it was dark magic that latched on to them, and that it might make them act differently, but…" She then pointed to Damon and Bonnie who were still locked in a very intimate embrace on the dance floor. "That is some beyond crazy shit."

"Blue mist…dark magic…what…" Gerard who had been forgotten spoke out shock by what he was seeing and hearing. Caroline reached out in a comforting manner and placed her hand on his arm.

"Don't worry sweetie I'll compel you to forget everything later." She almost cooed out at him, and he looked even more confused.

"Oh I think your ladylove is starting to suspect something," Lovely sing-song as she continued to sway them sensually to the music, not bothered by the dark haired woman who had just stood from the table. "Fumée chaleur vicieux enfermé les vitres la bas." She chanted as she held her hand out when suddenly flames shot out from a lit candle decorating a nearby table, and surrounded just the space where Elena stood. Panic and screams suddenly filled the room and other patrons stampeded about trying to get to the nearest exit. Lovely turned back around to stare up at Damon whose panicked eyes were locked onto the inflamed circle that held Elena captive. "Remove the charm, free my beloved or I will burn yours." She hissed out and then clenched her hand into a fist which caused the flames to rise higher. Lovely frowned up in confusion as she noted the look of hesitation in Damon's eyes as he made no move to remove the ring from his neck. She had been sure that he would immediately comply if she endangered the woman he loved. She unclenched her fist, flicked her wrist, and the flames disappeared. "Not the right motivation? How about this body…this witch?" Lovely asked and the look Damon shot her said it all and she smiled. "I don't need her I could inhabit any 'body' I want, I just prefer a witch, preferably with great powers but... 'Lihednat Dolchitni'." She said and Bonnie's body instantly buckled and Damon shot his hands out and captured her before she crumbled to the floor. Bonnie looked at him with enlarged fright filled eyes as she struggled to breathe and Damon stared back with helpless fearful eyes. She grabbed her neck just as the others hurried over to them.

"Oh God what's happening?" Elena cried out her earlier anger forgotten and replaced with fear for Bonnie.

"She can't breathe, that bitch is restricting her airway." Damon hissed out as the others looked on in confusion. "It's ok Bon, it's gonna be ok," He spoke softly to her as he lovingly stroked her cheek a move that made Elena regard him suspiciously though she said nothing. He flashed and buried his fangs into Bonnie's neck before the others, but mainly Lovely, could react. He drained her to the point that she lost consciousness. He then easily scooped her up into his arms.

"Damon what the hell is going on?" Stefan questioned as his brow bunched up in confusion.

"I have to get her home," Damon stated. "Do something with him," He nodded at Gerard who stood just behind them looking shell shocked. "And then meet me at Bonnie's. I'll explain everything then." He added before flashing away with Bonnie's lethargic form.

TBC...

** Inferno Spell: Fumée chaleur vicieux enfermé les vitres la bas.

** Suffocation Spell: Lihednat Dolchitni.

(source: vampirediaries...wiki/Spells_And_Rituals)

Author's EndNote: Soooo things are getting a bit more interesting I hope. Gave a little more backstory to Lovely and Darius, but know that is not their origins, they are much older than that ;) Oh and are there ancestral ties between Lovely and Bonnie...hmmmm :D I appreciate all the awesome reviews guys (Over 100...Whaaaat!). I hope you will continue to read, enjoy, and review.