7

Bonnie swallowed roughly, standing and walking to him. She stood in front of him. "That's fine," she said softly, taking his hands and putting them around her waist. He clasped them together, resting them on the small of her back. "But there is the subject of my homecoming that still has not been approached fully."

Damon sighed and leaned down to place his clasped hands under her behind, pulling her up to straddle him. She had his shirt unbuttoned and on the floor in minutes, and began to work on his jeans. When he reached the bed he put her down on her back, barely moving the bed at all. He took one leg and lifted it to rest her foot on his shoulder. Slowly he removed her tennis shoe, then her sock, and then kissed her ankle. He looked down at her, smiling and marveling in her beauty. He placed that leg on the bed slowly, and then went for the other, doing the same thing, and then reaching for hands as he pulled her to stand on the bed in front of him.

Bonnie was so small that though she stood on the bed, she was barely a head taller than him, making it easy for him to nuzzle her neck while he shimmied her pants over her hips and let them fall to her ankles. His hands came back up to her back and unfastened her bra, letting that fall in front of her. He picked it up putting it to the tip of his nose. "The next time you decide to leave me for so long, can you wear something around the house and then leave it so part of you stays with me?"

Bonnie giggled, taking a handful of his hair, and kissing him fervently. "I could, but I didn't really plan on leaving you for an extended period of time again."

Damon laughed and put his hands on her back, pulling her to him, kissing her softly. "You spoil me, y'know that?"

Bonnie laughed now. "I don't see how someone who has everything he's ever wanted can ever be spoiled."

Damon growled deeply and picked her up to straddle him again. He turned to walk into the bathroom with her still firmly attached to him, and turned the shower on, steam filling the room. He opened the glass door, setting her on her feet, and quickly disrobing before he nearly vaulted himself in after her. He picked her up again, setting her back against the wall and proceeded to show her what he meant by the ways she was spoiling him. She put her hands above her head as he loved her passionately, kissing and nibbling everything from her forehead to the top of her chest. Damon kissed her passionately when her breathing had slowed and simply grinned from ear to ear.

The look meant that this night was far from over. And Bonnie was extremely pleased with that.

* * * * * * *

The sun shone through the blinds and Bonnie felt her hand come up to shield her eyes. How strange, the sun never bothered me much before. She turned to Damon, still sleeping peacefully beside her. She had watched him sleep before, but looking at him now was mesmerizing. She could see the details of his face in a finer light now, as if someone had turned her vision up a notch. She shook her head and got up, going to the kitchen.

It was Saturday morning. A week had passed since their discussion of Bonnie's Changing and it seemed like a very distant memory. She jumped when she heard her cell phone ring in her purse. She finally found it in the bottom of her purse across the room. Wow, she said mentally, that thing sounded like it was right next to me. She frowned when she realized she'd missed the call, and the caller I.D. showed 'Matt Honeycutt'. She still hadn't told him about her and Damon. He would be the least pleased with this news out of all of her friends.

Meredith had been more accepting than Bonnie had thought she would. Truthfully, Bonnie was a grown woman now, and as protective as her friends were of her, they couldn't shelter her forever. Matt hated Damon with his entire being. He had good reason, at least in his mind. Possession or not, Damon had almost let them all die, and Matt wasn't likely to forgive that anytime soon.

Bonnie flipped her cell open, dialing Matt's number, hoping Damon was still sleeping. She knew he would never forbid her from talking to Matt, but she had no inclination to tangle with Damon, unless it was in bed…

"Hello?" Matt's voice sounded louder than usual. She pulled the phone away and turned the volume down almost all the way.

"Hey Matt, it's Bonnie."

"Hey Red! How's it goin'? Merry Christmas!"

Damn, she thought. She had totally forgotten about Christmas, and the dinner she would be cooking for everyone tonight. Well, for her and Elena, anyway. "Yeah, same to you. How's Baltimore?"

Matt chuckled. "Cold," he said laughing. "And I thought Fell's Church was bad! So what've you been up to?"

Oh, y'know, giving my virginity to the vampire you loath more than anything in this world. And I'll be joining him soon, just so you're aware. "Studies. European History is a tough major." Bonnie rolled her eyes at her thoughts. Matt would jump through the phone if she ever said that.

"Yeah, I can see that. I'm actually taking a class or two in my down time. I'm failing miserably, though. I don't have all that much free time."

"That's great, Matt." She hit herself on her forehead. "Not that you're failing, I mean that you don't have too much free time. That means you're playing a lot, right?"

Matt laughed again. "Yeah, my rookie season's going great. Have you caught any of the games?"

"Oh yeah," Bonnie lied. She didn't have too much free time these days either. "You look great out there."

"Thanks Bon. Hey, I gotta jam, my coach is callin' me. Can I call you later? I'd love to catch up some more."

She scrunched her nose up and put her hand on her forehead. "Sure. Stefan and Elena will be here later. They can't exactly show up at Aunt Judith's place, right?"

Matt laughed again. "Yeah, that'd just be creepy. Kinda like Damon showing up at yours." He huffed loudly. Yeah, no love lost there.

Bonnie hung up and turned toward the bedroom, jumping when she came face to face with Damon. She smacked his bare chest, hurting her fingers, which he promptly took into his mouth and began to suck on. "I thought you were sleeping."

Damon smiled, two fingers still in his mouth. He released her to grab her wrist and pull her into him. "I was. I woke up when I heard your phone ring."

So he had heard her. "Yeah, that was Matt, wishing us a Merry Christmas."

Damon laughed and gave her a smirk. "No rossa, he wished you a Merry Christmas. He wants me dead."

Bonnie shivered at his words. She put her arms firmly around his waist, kissing his chest and then laying her head on him. "Well, then, I guess you should be glad I don't share his sentiments."

Damon turned her face up to look at him. "I am very glad." He kissed her nose then, and then kissed her lips, pulling her into his arms and lifting her so that they were face to face. "Don't you wonder what's gonna happen when you tire of me always trying to seduce you every minute of the day?"

"Not likely," she said, and began where their night left off.

* * * * * * *

Dinner went surprisingly well. Stefan and Damon behaved themselves for the most part. When things got tense, Damon excused himself to the bedroom for a few moments. He came back with a smug smile on his face, no doubt recounting his morning and afternoon with Bonnie, which would make Bonnie blush a scarlet red, and Damon would have to excuse himself again. Elena looked at Bonnie when Stefan had walked down to her Jaguar to get something and Damon was busy trying to calm himself in the bedroom. "Bonnie, you really do look happy."

Bonnie nodded, smiling brightly. "I am. I can't explain it, though I'm sure you probably remember how it was in the beginning. He's so different when it's just the two of us. He's attentive, and romantic. I totally should've seen it, but back then I was just so scared of him."

Damon walked into the room, over to Bonnie and Elena just as Stefan walked back in. He caught Damon's eye, and saying something silently, he reached for Elena's hand. "Here? Matt's here?" Bonnie shrieked.

Damon eyed her warily, and Stefan glared at Damon, but spoke to Bonnie. "How did you-?"

"Never mind how I heard that Stefan, you've gotta stop him from coming up here!" Bonnie grabbed at Stefan's shirt trying to get him to the door to stop Matt, but she wasn't quick enough. She could hear the elevator bell ring, could hear his footsteps on the hardwood floor just outside.

All eyes turned to Damon, who stood casually by the bedroom door, leaning against the frame. "Don't look at me. I'll behave as long as Mutt does."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Damon, please." He shrugged and a very nonchalant look came onto his face. The doorbell rang and Bonnie sucked in a deep breath. "Here goes."

She opened the door, feigning surprise as Matt threw his arms around her, yelling "Surprise!" Bonnie heard a sharp growl from where Damon stood, but she was sure only she and Stefan caught it. She wasn't sure exactly how she was able to hear it with him being so far away. She would make a mental note of it and ask Damon about it when everyone left.

"Matt! Wow! What are you doing here?' She stood blocking his way into the small flat, which suddenly felt very crowded.

"They gave us a couple of days for Christmas, and my parents are in Ft. Lauderdale, and I remembered you saying Stefan and Elena were coming up here. I figured you wouldn't mind one more for dinner." Matt looked at her as if to ask for permission to enter.

"How stupid of me!" Bonnie said, noting his expression. "Come in, come in." Bonnie said a prayer under her breath and closed the door behind him.

She knew the exact moment he saw Damon. She heard Matt's breathing stop before she turned around. "What the hell…?"

Damon stepped forward. "My sentiments exactly, Mutt."

Bonnie darted into the open space between them and saw Stefan inch closer, ready to grab Matt if there was a need. "Matt, before you say anything-"

Matt's look cut her off. "I don't know what's going on here, but somebody better start explaining, and fast."

Damon laughed low in his throat and Bonnie could see he was about to speak when Elena spoke first. "He came with us."

All eyes went to her and she felt very self-conscious. "Why the hell would you bring him here? And what idiot invited him in?" He looked down at Bonnie. "He'll never leave you alone now. You know that right?"

Bonnie felt her chin snap up reflexively. "I invited him in, Matt. This is my place, remember?"

Matt's eyes narrowed. Realization dawned on him and he put his hands up as if to stop her from touching him with dirty hands. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait…Why would you invite him in? There's no supernatural danger that you need him to protect you from. Unless there's something you're not telling me."

Bonnie looked down at her feet and shook her head like a chastised schoolgirl. "No, it's nothing like that."

Matt put his hand to his chest looking like he was trying to slow his heart rate down. "Then there's only one reason you'd invite him in, Bonnie."

Damon made a sound from where he stood in the corner. "Are you done, Mutt? Have you figured it out yet? Or do you need someone to spell it out for you?"

Matt's head snapped up to look at him. "How dare you take advantage of her, you sick bastard? Haven't you done enough to her?"

Damon growled and took a step toward Matt, both clenching their fists. "Bonnie invited me in because she wanted me here. And she still does. Seems to me like the only one here unwanted…would be you."

Matt took a step forward now, and Stefan came to grab his arm, holding him where he stood and scooting Bonnie out of the way. "Damon, that's enough. There's no reason to go over this now."

Damon laughed wickedly. "What's wrong little brother? You afraid Mutt won't approve of Bonnie's choice?" Matt blanched at Damon's words. "That's right, Mutt. She chose me." Damon's eyes narrowed, and Matt sucked in a breath as though he was drowning and couldn't get enough air.

Matt turned to Bonnie then, a wild look in his eyes, a thought occurring to him. He lunged at Damon, barely missing him before Stefan grabbed a hold of his waist. Damon didn't even flinch. "You'll never touch her! I'll kill you before I let you touch her!"

Damon smiled impishly. "Oh I think you're a little late for that one, Mutt."

Damon's words sent Matt over the edge and he struggled to get free from Stefan's grip. Elena and Bonnie both gave him pleading looks, and he picked Matt up and dragged him out the door as if he weighed no more than a paper doll. Elena ran after them, leaving Bonnie and Damon alone in the room.

Bonnie whirled on Damon, glaring at him. "Why? Why would you goad him like that?"

Damon's eyebrows came down in a fierce scowl. "You wanted him to know, now he knows."

Bonnie pulled back and looked at him. His face was hard. Still beautiful, but there was a slight edge there now. She closed her eyes.

The Damon she feared had returned.

* * * * * * *

Bonnie sat on the fire escape, shivering violently from the cold, but not wanting to face anyone inside. Damon had stormed out through the open window, immediately transforming into a massive crow. Matt had finally calmed down, but he had refused to come back in, and had left with Stefan and Elena trailing after him for a few blocks, then returning after they were sure he and Damon would not run into each other. Elena came to the window, wrenching it open and reaching for her. "Bonnie, you had to know Matt wouldn't like the situation."

Bonnie looked at her hands, clasped together in her lap. "That's not my concern right now."

Elena nodded. "Damon," she said, and knew she was right.

Bonnie began to sob quietly, and Elena tried to comfort her, but Bonnie put a hand up to block her. "I just really wanna be alone right now."

Elena nodded again and turned to Stefan. He got up from where he sat on the couch, giving Bonnie an apologetic look and walked out behind Elena.

She was alone. For the first time since she'd come to New York she was alone. She knew she'd be sleeping alone, too, and that sickened her most of all. She felt the bile rise in her throat and jumped through the open window, barely making it to the bathroom before she was violently ill.

No, she hadn't expected Matt to be overjoyed at all, but she definitely hadn't expected that. While Damon hadn't exactly said anything that made her look any different, it was the fact that Matt now knew she had been intimate with someone. Matt, who was like a very hot older brother to her, saw her differently. The tremors rocked her body as she vomited again.

When she was sure the room would stay still once she got up, she rinsed her mouth and walked into the living room. She jumped when she saw Damon standing by the open window. His eyes widened at the sight of her holding her stomach and he was at her side instantly. He clutched her to him, one hand on her back, one hand in her hair, coddling her in Italian. "Oh rossa," he said into her hair. "I'm so sorry I upset you."

Bonnie took his hand from her hair, holding it to her nose, taking in his scent. It was still his scent, but the cold had made it more prominent. "I thought I'd lost you for good."

Damon took his other hand from her back and pulled her face up by her chin. "Never. In all his stupid words, Mutt got one thing right. I will never leave you alone."

Bonnie smiled. Damon lifted her into his arms, cradling her to his chest the way he did that first night they were together, and carried her to the bed. He pulled her close, her head fitting snuggly in the space between his shoulder and his neck, and she fell asleep.