I apologize for the wait, but this chapter took me longer than I expected to write, not to mention, I've had a lot on my mind the past month. Anyway, not to bore you...
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The light around them seemed to fade as Damon hung onto Bonnie's hand, making sure she stayed where he was. He felt a warm feeling encase him as the area around them seemed to be full of peace and serenity.
"Welcome, young ones."
They slowly turned their bodies around to find a dark skinned woman in an off white antebellum dress and a tan bonnet. Bonnie narrowed her eyes as she looked closer at the woman, and felt a feeling of recognition fill her soul.
"Emily?" She whispered, as a name entered her mind, though she didn't know why.
Emily smiled, and stepped toward them, glancing at them both. "Oh, my dear niece, it has been too long." She whispered, coming even closer.
Bonnie glanced up at Damon, and saw his face fill with confusion. "What's going on?" Bonnie asked, looking around them once more.
Emily smiled, and followed Bonnie's gaze before focusing on the young couple before her. "There was a decision made long ago, before our time, that two people with a powerful bond be the ones to defeat an ancient evil, stronger than Silas, and even more deadly." She replied, stepping closer.
"What are you talking about?" Bonnie asked, shaking her head, her hand still within Damon's grasp.
Emily smiled, and looked over at Damon with kind eyes. "The Spirits discovered the couple over a century ago, and, with my help, put one to sleep and caused the other to forget." She continued, not answering the question.
Bonnie glanced up at Damon, and caught his eyes for a brief moment before focusing once more on Emily.
Emily reached out her hand, and glanced down at it before lifting her eyes to Bonnie. "Take my hand." She whispered, softly. "It'll be explained." She added, when Bonnie became hesitant.
Damon narrowed his eyes, as Emily held out her other hand towards him. "I don't bite, Damon." Emily replied, with a smirk.
Damon and Bonnie slowly reached out their hands, and as they touched Emily's images began to flood their minds.
Emily smiled as the images began to fill around them. "Remember." She whispered, lowly, but enough for the word to take effect.
The couple gasped in unison as the images came alive with remembrance, and filled them to their souls.
Emily released their hands, and stepped back. Knowing they needed a moment, she slowly disappeared, though neither realized she had gone.
Damon swallowed as the feeling of something being returned filled his soul. Slowly turning his head, he looked at the woman who had stood by him in the past and present. His love, his witch, his Bonnie.
"Bonnie," He whispered, barely making a sound.
Bonnie swallowed as tears filled her eyes, and she slowly turned her head to meet his, and the image of the very first time she met him flooded her mind. "Blue eyes," She returned, tentatively touching his face, feeling the tears escape her eyes, down her face.
Damon's eyes watered and he choked back a sob as he gathered her in his arms. "Oh God." He cried, holding her close to him, scared that something was going to take her from his arms once again.
Bonnie sobbed, as she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding onto him in the same fashion. "It's true. Oh, God, it's true." She whispered, tears falling freely down her face.
Damon nodded, pulling back to look into her green eyes. "All these years, and you were in right front of me." He whispered, touching her face, gently. "I never knew." He whispered, shaking his head, words choking in his throat. "All this time, and I didn't remember." He shook his head in disbelief.
"Neither did I." She whispered, shaking her head. "Neither did I." She whispered, once again.
Damon searched her face, with eyes that seemed starved for the sight of her. "Almost two hundred years" He whispered, shaking his head. "Two hundred years away from the woman who got me through the transition, and loved me despite it all." He added, touching her face with his right hand.
Bonnie smiled and placed her right hand on his chest. "I still do." She whispered, searching his eyes.
Damon smiled, and stroked her face, gently. "Oh, green eyes," He whispered, tears filling his eyes.
No words were spoken, nor did they need to be spoken at that moment, as Damon lowered his head, and placed his lips delicately on hers as if they were touching for the first time. As their lips touched, a wave of love swept over them, a newfound love, a stronger love than before.
Damon deepened the kiss just for a split second before pulling back, and smiled with new recognition at his love before him. "I should have known when I started falling for you, again." He replied, stroking her lips with the pad of his thumb.
She smiled, and felt her face fill with heat at his words. "You fell for me again?" She asked in a low tone, quirking a brow at him.
He smiled, and nodded. "Without my memories, I didn't know, only that something kept drawing me back to you." He answered, swallowing hard.
Bonnie nodded, knowing what he meant, for she had felt the same pull towards him time and time again, though she never understood why, until now.
"But how are you alive?" Damon asked, grasping her upper arms.
Bonnie looked down, and her brow furrowed in semi deep thought. "All I remember was waking up in Grams house, and having semi-new memories of a life that never existed." She answered, absently.
"You were asleep for almost two centuries?" Damon asked, his brow furrowing, trying to understand.
Bonnie nodded, slowly, as if that was the only answer that explained it all. "I suppose." She whispered, distantly.
Damon sighed, and touched her face, gently. "You waited for me." He whispered, choking slightly on the words.
Bonnie smiled, and touched his face. "Oh, Damon, don't you know that I always will." She whispered, cocking her head to the side.
Damon felt his heart fill with joy at her words, and at that moment nothing else mattered, not the Other Side coming down, or the fact that they had been separated for nearly two centuries. The only thing that mattered at that moment was standing in front of him, and he was not going to lose her again.
Bonnie read the joy on his face, and his determination, and knew exactly what he was thinking. Her heart pounded in her chest with renewed hope, and she knew that none of this mattered, only him. As her mind replayed the events over the last three years, she began to understand what Damon meant a few moments ago. "Everything you did," She began, catching his blue eyes with her green ones. "Everything was for me, wasn't it?" She asked, watching the mischievous glimmer appear in his eyes. A gleam he had obtained over the years of being alone.
He stroked her face, and smiled as she leaned into his hand, just as she did nearly two hundred years ago. "Yes," He answered, simply, watching her smile brighter.
"And everything with Elena?" She asked, wanting to know the truth.
He shook his head. "I never loved her, Bonnie, and she knows it." He answered, dipping his head. "I love you, always have, and always will." He whispered, dropping his voice down an octave, making her shiver at the love and seductive way he spoke.
"I love you." She whispered, clutching his black shirt with her hands. "Oh, my love." She whispered, shaking her head, as tears fell down her face.
Damon knew what she was trying to say, and he knew the only way he could express what he was feeling was to hold her. Taking her in his arms, he did just that.
"Congratulations, you passed the second test."
They turned their heads to find Emily standing beside them with a smile on her face. Damon pulled back slightly, a look of curiosity on his face. "What test?" He asked, glancing down at Bonnie, whose arms were still wrapped around his waist.
Emily glanced at her niece, and then back at Damon. "The test of gallantry" She answered, calmly. "You sacrificed so much to ensure the safety of the one you love without even knowing about your past." She explained, with a kind smile.
Damon lifted his left hand, while his right hand remained around Bonnie's waist. "So let me get this straight, you wiped our memories, and took away our lives and love for a damn test." He stated, roughly.
Bonnie placed her right hand on his chest, in some effort to calm him.
Emily smiled at her niece's actions. "Yes," She stated, simply.
Damon growled, and moved to take a step towards the woman who caused all of his heartache. "I spent the past two hundred years, alone, and empty with no one in my life." He stated, tears forming in his blue eyes. "No one!" He shouted, tears becoming more visible by the second. "You took away the woman I love more than anything, the one woman who understood me, all for some damn test!" He shouted, veins forming underneath his eyes.
Bonnie's heart tugged in her chest, and she did her best to let him know that she was there now, by stepping forward, and grasping his hand, sighing when he returned her grasp.
Emily sighed, and closed her eyes at the pain in Damon's voice. "I'm sorry for that, Damon, I really am." She began, clasping her hands in front of her. "But it was not my idea to separate the two of you for so long." She added, glancing around them.
Damon scoffed, and shook his head. "Well, forgive me if I don't believe you." He replied, roughly.
"Damon," Bonnie whispered, watching her Aunt with a hurtful expression on her face.
"When you passed the first test, the Spirits felt it was time for the second test." Emily stated, trying to remain calm.
"What was the first test?" Bonnie asked, after a moment.
"Acceptance."
Bonnie moved her eyes to find Damon glaring at Emily, and lowered her eyes as she remembered the moment after he turned. "I accepted him." She whispered, as Emily smiled and nodded.
Damon turned his head, and looked at her as the words drifted to his ears. He caught her eyes as she lifted hers to his, and for a moment they began to understand what Emily meant.
"The first test was for Bonnie, specifically, and the second was for Damon." Emily continued, breaking the moment between the two. "The third and final test will be for both of you." She added, calmly.
Bonnie felt her heart tug in her chest as something told her that this last test will not be easy. "What is the third test?" She asked in a low tone.
Emily smiled, sadly. "I'm afraid it's a test that I can't reveal." She replied, shaking her head.
Damon's hold on Bonnie tightened at the answer, and tried to control his temper. "What about the Other Side?" He asked, struggling with the words.
Emily sighed, and glanced at Bonnie. "The Other Side is stabilized, for the moment, though I don't know for how long." She answered, without emotion. "The Spirits have taken a few of the ones from the Other Side, and delivered them to their proper judgment." She explained thoroughly.
Bonnie nodded in understanding, and still held onto Damon as she spoke the next question. "What about us?" She asked, nervously.
Emily smiled, and stepped closer to them, sure that Damon was no longer a threat. "That is what the third test will determine, little one." She replied, moving her eyes from Bonnie to Damon. "If you succeed, then your reward will be a gift, if you fail," She paused, her eyes becoming solemn. "If you fail, you will be taken to face judgment, and never see each other again." She finished, sorrowfully.
Bonnie covered her mouth in shock as Emily faded from their sight, leaving them alone in the small void.
~X~
Damon watched as Bonnie wrapped her arms around her person, and closed her eyes. He wanted so much to comfort her, and tell her everything was going to be alright, but he wasn't going to lie to her. He didn't know if it was going to work. He didn't know if they would survive this.
All he had was the memory of what used to be, and even now, he wasn't sure if it would be the same as before.
"We've changed."
His eyes widened as her words hit him. Slowly, Bonnie turned around to face him, and sighed. "We've changed, Damon." She repeated, watching him swallow.
He sighed, and bowed his head. She was right. They had changed. He was a killer, and she was a strong independent woman.
Bonnie shook her head, and seemed to read his thoughts. "I don't care, Damon." She whispered, though he heard her just the same.
He lifted his head, and caught her eyes. She approached him, and placed her hands on his shoulders. "I don't care what you've done." She replied, shaking her head.
Damon sighed, and lowered his head. "You're right, green eyes." He whispered, keeping his head down. "We have changed." He added with regret.
Bonnie smiled, and ran her right hand down his face, lightly brushing his skin. "I didn't mean it in that way, Damon." She whispered, causing him to lift his face to look at her. "I meant we have changed in by getting stronger." She continued, stroking his face, lightly. "I fell in love with you, Damon, since I met you the second time, even after I knew about the two hundred years as an emotionless vampire." She added, trying to get through to him. "All that mattered and still matters is who you are now, and that is the man who sacrificed so much for me, something nobody has ever done before." She whispered, stroking his hair, smiling when he lifted his eyes to hers. "I still love you, and I don't think I'll ever stop." She added, softly, watching his eyes fill with tears.
Damon swallowed down the emotion he was feeling, and closed his eyes. Lifting his arms, he wrapped them around her waist, and buried his face on her stomach. "The second time I saw you, I couldn't figure out why your blood called to me." He whispered, in a quiet sob, pulling back, slightly to lift his eyes to hers. "Then I realized it wasn't just your blood," He continued, shaking his head. "It was you." He sniffed, and moved his hands to her waist, slowly bringing her down to sit on his lap. "You called to me every time I saw you, and I never understood why." He lifted his left hand and brushed it across her face. "Somewhere deep inside, I remembered you." He added, holding her eyes with his.
"That's why you said my name by the lake that day." She whispered, with a small smile.
He smiled in return, but kept his eyes focused on hers. "I didn't know why, but your name stayed in my soul, Bonnie." He whispered, threading his fingers through hers.
"So did yours, Damon." She whispered, glancing down at their joined hands. "Your name continued to play with my thoughts and my heart." She added, rubbing her thumb over his hand.
Damon smiled, and placed his head on her shoulder, while she placed hers on his head. They remained silent for a long time, both knowing that it was enough they were together.
"Emily said she had no choice." Bonnie whispered, after a few moments, lifting her head.
Damon lifted his head, and lifted his eyes to gaze into hers. He saw the look on her face, and he knew something was on her mind. "Bonnie?"
She sighed and moved her eyes away from his. "She said there was an evil that was stronger than Silas, and even more deadly, and that we were the ones who had to stop it." She replied, in a distant voice.
Damon sighed, and dipped his head a fraction. "What are you getting at, Bonnie?" He asked, his heart beginning to tug in his chest.
Bonnie turned her head, and dipped her head, placing her forehead on his. "What I'm getting at, Damon, is there is always something trying to tear us apart." She whispered, tears stinging her eyes.
His forehead crinkled against hers, and his breathe touched her face as he exhaled. "I promise you, Bonnie, nothing will ever tear us apart again, not as long as I draw breathe." He vowed, strongly.
Bonnie smiled, and tilted her head to the side. "I promise you the same." She whispered, strongly, pulling her head back, to gaze down into his eyes. With a smile on her face, she leaned forward, and placed her lips on his.
Damon shivered at the contact, and realized he had truly missed this, and they had so much to catch up on, after two hundred years.
Opening her mouth, slightly, Bonnie began to explore his mouth with her tongue, and sighed as his lips became fueled with passion and love. She shivered against him, and pressed her body as close as she could in the position she was in.
She pulled up, needing air, and moaned as his lips grazed her neck, sending waves of pleasure coursing through her veins.
"Damon," She whispered, breathlessly.
"Bonnie," He returned, moaning her name against her skin like a man thirsty for water. "Two hundred years, away from you, I thought I would go insane, and I didn't know why." He muttered, spreading kisses along her neck and up to her lips once more.
She smiled against his lips, and nodded. "So did I." She whispered, opening her mouth to allow him access, her body shivering at the contact.
Her fingers threaded through his raven hair, and his right hand trailed up to her brown hair, while his left lifted her flowing top to graze the skin of her back.
They pulled back, panting as they took in each other's presence. They wanted to continue, to strip down, and possess each other after two hundred years, but they knew Emily was going to return soon, and even though they hated the notion, they knew it was for the best.
"I want you." Bonnie whispered, searching his dazed eyes.
"And I want you." He returned, smiling at the shiver of her body against his.
"Well, it's a good thing you are going back, then."
They turned their heads, and found a smiling Emily standing a few feet away from them.
"Aunt?" Bonnie asked, tilting her head to the side, still panting from the kiss.
Emily smiled brighter, and nodded to the young couple. "The Spirits are sending you back to the world of the living, my dear niece." She replied, stepping closer.
"What's the catch?" Damon asked, narrowing his blue eyes.
Emily's brow furrowed slightly, but it only lasted for a moment before she continued. "The only catch, Damon, is when you return, you will face uncertainty from your friends, and even though, upon your return, Stefan will remember, there will be others who will not understand, and try to come between you." She explained, watching Damon's face, carefully. "I warn you; the road ahead is full of many trials, but nothing will compare to the test you face when the Spirits deem it so." She replied, in a small riddle.
Bonnie lowered her eyes, and her mind began to fill with many questions. "What about the evil you said we had to battle?" She asked, lowly, but firmly.
Emily frowned, and a look of sadness flittered across her face. "I do not know when the evil will arise, but I do know the test and this evil will walk hand-in-hand." She replied, sadly.
Damon rolled his eyes. "For once, can you give a straight answer?" He asked, nearly shouting.
Bonnie sighed, and turned her gaze to her aunt, who only smiled at Damon. "That is the only answer I can give you, Damon. I wish it could be more." She replied, lifting her head to gaze above her. "The time has come." She whispered, lowering her head, and smiled at her niece. "Remember, little one, stay true to your heart, and everything will turn out just fine." She paused, tears forming in her eyes. "I love you both." She added, as another white light began to encompass them once again.
Damon groaned, and shook his head. "It sounds like a damned Disney song." He muttered before light encompassed them once more.
Please be kind!
I had mixed feelings about how their memories returned, and this was final result. I hope you enjoyed it.
I won't say when the next chapter will be ready to be uploaded, because I have a lot on my plate right now. All I ask is that you please be patient with me.
Next Chapter: Their return will have consequences, and not just for them, but for their friends as well.
Until Next Time...
