Stefan gives her a wry smile, before his expression turns serious. "I got your message en route back, so I figured it would be better if we spoke in person."
"And, where do you want to begin?"
He shifts in his seat, hunching forward slight before speaking, "Let's begin with what Elena's told you happened."
"Straight for the jugular," Bonnie remarked, her turn to shift in her seat before tucking back some loose strands of her behind her ears. "Well she didn't tell me much really and I didn't want to push." She began. "From what she said I got the impression there was a third pregnancy? Only well there's just Gemma and Johnathan." Finally getting her suspicions of her chest, was surprisingly freeing.
Stefan didn't speak immediately, sitting quietly in his seat for several long seconds. "You're right," he eventually confirmed and Bonnie's chest tightened uncomfortable. "Six months ago, Elena found out she was pregnant. I was of course over the moon about the whole thing, but not surprising Elena not so much. In fact I think fear of going through that emotional rollercoaster she went through after Gemma turned into anger."
"She blamed you," Bonnie stated.
He nodded. "Among other things, things got bad Bonnie," he continued. "Worse than the time I came back from my first semester in university to find she'd decided she was in love with Damon."
Bonnie didn't know much about that time, mostly because she hadn't been around and also because personally she had not wanted to know about Elena and Damon being a thing. "But no matter how bad things got... Elena wouldn't- she wouldn't get rid of the baby. At least not the Elena I know," she said, because Elena was still her best friend and Bonnie refused to believe she'd do something so cruel.
Stefan heaved a sigh before giving her an unconvincing smile. "You know for a time, I actually wished she'd had an abortion... I know it seems cruel but it would have been easier." He said.
"What happened?"
He shrugged. "It just happened you know... there was no warning... nothing. She just lost the baby just like that," he sounded so lost right than that Bonnie grabbed his clenched hands.
She didn't even know where to start. "Stefan, I'm so sorry-"
"I kept thinking that if I hadn't been pressuring her to make a choice, all but telling her that if she harmed that baby I'd walk, that maybe she wouldn't have been under all that stress."
"Don't you dare blame yourself," Bonnie all but ground out. "This was nobody's fault. Not yours, not Elena's - no one. You hear me Stefan?"
He glance dup at her. "I know now... that's what I was working out. That and well where it leaves me and Elena," he said softly.
Bonnie's brows furrowed. "You aren't thinking of ending your marriage?" she asked, somewhat panicked. Elena and Stefan where like the North on a compass, a constant and she needed constant right now with everything else unravelling.
"No," Stefan responded as he shook his head. "I may not have always been the love of Elena's life, but she has always been mine. I just couldn't walk away from all that."
Bonnie could understand. She'd tried running away from Damon only to find that unbeknownst to her, she kept running until she was back in his arms. Full circle.
Stefan cleared his throat, sitting up and giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "I really didn't imagine our reunion would be so heavy," he joked, only half teasing.
She could see he was trying to lift the oppressive mood over them, so she gave him one of her best smiles. "Me neither, but let's face it -where angst is concerned, we've always been right up there," she even made a gesture in the air of their standing in the angst pyramid.
Stefan gave an easy chuckle before he stole a fry from her forgotten plate. "So my relationship aside, I was quite the call centre," he said, his eyes shining.
Bonnie munched on a cold fry. "How so?" she asked.
"I also got a voice message from Damon," he explained "Which is completely shocking, because Damon never calls unless he is in trouble, about to get himself in trouble... or if it's about you."
"About me?" Bonnie asked innocently. Inwardly she wondered to what happened to keeping things between them until she got the chance to talk to Elena. Caroline was already covered, she'd figured it out on her own.
"Specifically you and him," Stefan elaborated. "Wanted advice."
"Damon called you for relationship advice?" Bonnie asked dumbly. "How did the world not come to an end?" she added incredulous.
Stefan smiled. "My same sentiments, but he sounded really serious and sober so I got the feeling it was serious," he paused to give her a meaningful look. "And is it serious, Bonnie?"
Bonnie worked her lower lip as she pondered the very straightforward question. "It's a bit complicated. Damon and I don't really do simple," she finally replied.
Stefan seemed to accept her reply. "I'm glad you finally addressed the elephant in the room."
"Why are you guys acting like it was this big unresolved situation?" Bonnie asked with an eye roll.
"Because it was," he answered before stealing another fry. Bonnie let him, she figured cross country trips could be ravenous without contemplation being your constant nourishment.
/
Desperately like a drowning man, Bonnie tried to cling onto her reasoning, but her body, that traitor, refused to work in tandem with her- rejoicing at the almost sinful sensations travelling through her body. But eventually she somehow managed to pull away from the intoxicating drug that was Damon's shamefully soft lips. "Damon, this is wrong," she panted out.
His eyes were glazed over with lust. "You're right, we have far too many clothes on," he agreed, capturing her lips while simultaneously rolling up her top.
"Damon, I'm serious," Bonnie all but whined. He was not making this easy for her; she hated being the voice of reason.
"So am I," Damon said, his hands on her skin momentarily distracting her.
She moved away, it felt almost painful. "We can't do this in Elena's house," she protested. "Anyone could just walk in on us."
"Hence the locked door," Damon said as if explaining something to a slow person.
Bonnie heaved a sigh. "It just feels wrong, okay," she said. "Besides we are supposed to be taking things slow."
He got a mischievous glint in his eyes as he leaned over her body, pressing her onto the bed. "I can do slow," he said in a husky whisper. "Real slow."
Damn the gods that decided Damon Salvatore should be so fucking sexy just so as to torment her. She covered her face with her hands, groaning inwardly as she fought against the urge to practically jump him.
"Bonnie?"
"Hmmm?"
"Look at me, Beautiful," he prompted, keeping silent until she withdrew her hands and met his gaze. "It's okay."
She gave him a doubtful gaze. "It is?"
Damon nodded. "I don't want you to think it's just about the sex... even though the sex is truly amazing," he said. "This," he traced her face. "This is real and until you feel it like I do, I'm willing to be patient."
Her heart did that flip it always got when he said something so incredibly un-Damon-like. "You're willing to give up sex until we sort everything out?" she asked, awed.
"What?" Damon blinked. "I never said that."
"But you just said you would be patient and-"
"And I was patient all of three minutes," he interrupted tugging at her jeans. "Seriously Bonnie, I'm only human how am I supposed to not want to screw you all the way to next Tuesday and every Tuesday after that? It should be obvious by now that I'm a Bonnie-holic."
"You think you're so smooth," she teased, fisting his hair in her hand.
He gave her a cocky look. "Believe me, Bons, I know it," he said, pressing a kiss on her jugular. "And you obviously need your memory refreshed."
Bonnie laughed and was already caving in when her cell phone started ringing, interrupting the moment.
"Ignore that," Damon all but growled into her skin. "It's probably some sexually deprived person with an agenda against me."
"Or an emergency," Bonnie said practically.
Damon groaned but he reached over to her nightstand and retrieved her phone. "And I stand uncorrected," he muttered offering her the phone after glancing at the screen.
Bonnie glanced at caller ID: Caroline.
/
"So good ol' Stefan has returned on his white steed," Damon drawled as he entered the kitchen.
Elena glanced at him over her shoulder. "Hello to you too Damon,' she said dryly before pouring coffee into a cup. "Would you like a cup?" she asked him.
He sauntered further into the room. "I find it insulting that you'd think I could drink coffee at 11am," he said.
"Beer it is," Elena quipped as she made her way to the fridge, pulling out a beer. She unscrewed the cap before pouring the contents in a glass. Because nobody was allowed to drink straight from the bottle in Elena's presence.
Sometimes Damon couldn't help wondering when Elena became such a Martha Stewart, minus the rap sheet. "Thanks," he said accepting the glass. He gave Elena a pointed look. "So how are you feeling?" he asked.
She shrugged. "Good, he's back so that's what is important," she said.
Damon wondered if Elena really believed that or was saying it for everyone's benefit. Had he been the sympathetic type he might have prodded deeper, but he wasn't so... "Great, so are looking for a babysitter?" he asked casually. "I know Penny is going to be off in a few days."
"It's Paula," Elena automatically corrected.
"Penny is just so much easier to pronounce."
She gave him an exasperated look, before eying him suspiciously. "Why are you asking if I need a babysitter... I've always worked from home, so I'm capable of taking care of Gem and Johnathan."
"Yes, yes but you're also married," Damon said. "And unless those kids popped out from the sky, you and Stefan need to remember how to shag like bunnies eventually. "
"Oh and since when have you been so concerned about my sex life?" Elena asked with amusement.
Since Elena's sex life, or rather her sex life on hiatus was hindering his own sex life. He loved Bonnie like crazy, but she was taking this whole taking things slow think a bit too far. Add that to her not wanting to offend Elena by having sex in her house and little Damon was not a happy camper.
"You know me, always putting other people's needs before my own," he answered with a dismissive wave.
Elena snorted, not buying it for a second. "And I'm the tooth fairy," she drawled, before sipping her cup. "Does this have anything to do with you and Bonnie's not so secret relationship?"
"What are you, stalking my Facebook relationship status?" He asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"I'm not blind, Damon."
Even though Elena had come to the conclusion all on her own, Bonnie would think he somehow let it sleep. He never won.
"That obvious, huh?"
"Like a lighthouse," Elena agreed. She tucked her hands in the pockets of her jeans. "Don't fret... I have a feeling Bonnie and I are going to end up talking about it tonight."
"Right, you have that thing with what's her face," Damon remembered. "Caroline does realise that only single, desperate people initiate these sorts of get-togethers?"
"You're just jealous because you can't come and have eye sex with Bonnie," Elena said.
Damon smirked roguishly, "There's always this evening during dinner."
/
"So what's the special occasion?" Bonnie quipped. Her and Elena occupied seats around Caroline's kitchen. The blonde having invited them over for an overdue reunion- just between them girls. Under no uncertain terms were either of them allowed to bring their plus one and further remind her of her currently single status.
Caroline returned, holding up a bottle of tequila. "Nothing," she replied. "Just celebrating our friendship and all the shit we have overcome," she said placing the bottle in the middle.
Bonnie eyed the bottle warily. "And we do this buy drowning our livers?" she asked dryly.
"If we are going to do this right, then there's no other way," Caroline declared as she gathered three shot glasses, placing one before each of them before retaking her seat.
"I can't even remember the last time I drank anything other than that lone single glass of wine on occasion," Elena mused aloud.
Caroline gave her a sympathetic pat on the hand. "I could tell you were dying of thirst." She admitted as she began to pour the contents into each glass. "All I know it's been far too long and none of you bitches are leaving until you can't walk straight."
They laughed, lifting their drinks.
"Tradition dictates we have to say what we drinking for before we do," the blonde continued. "As our returned sister, Bonnie you get to go first."
"Just my luck," Bonnie teased rolling her eyes. She eyed the drink than glanced at each face around her. "Well this one is for finally gaining the strength to leave Troy's cheating ass."
Elena and Caroline sounded their agreements before they all threw their drinks back. It went straight to Bonnie's head, making her shudder involuntarily.
Once all of them had finished their drinks, Caroline refilled their glasses. "Okay I drink to myself," she began with a wry grin. "And finally doing what I love which is bringing this town to 21st century style with my extremely stylish advice."
Peals of laughter echoed around the kitchen before they dispatched the contents of their second shots. Bonnie could swear she was beginning to feel the effects, the strain she'd been feeling since Stephen's revelations earlier were beginning to ebb away. She was certain that before the night's end she'd finally have the courage to initiate The Talk with Elena.
"You're turn, Elena," Caroline said after refilling the glasses once more.
Elena hesitated before picking up her drink. "Well, I have so much to be thankful for, I don't even know where to start..." she admitted with a slight grin.
"How about the short version?" Caroline suggested. "It's ladies night out, Elena... not Thanksgiving."
"Okay... I guess I drink to my family... which FYI includes both of you," she said.
"Five more drinks and you'll forget saint Elena and start thanking God for the amazing sex you've had in your life," Caroline quipped just as they were all throwing back their drinks.
Bonnie's laughter bubbled upwards and she ended up snorting and coughing the bulk of her drink. She'd really missed this. She couldn't help realising.
It was so strange, when she'd planned on coming back, it was about running away and finding refuge from the storm that had become her life. Instead her return felt like therapy, forcing her to slowly but surely deal with all the problems she often wore like a badge.
"Oh dear, what's with that look?" Caroline asked.
"What look?" Bonnie asked innocently.
"The 'I'm busy reflecting on the awesomeness of this moment' look," Elena supplied.
Caroline squealed. "God, I've missed this Elena!"
Elena laughed while rolling her eyes. "You say that like I've become boring or something,' she scoffed.
"I'm glad you brought it up, but that's a conversation for another time," Caroline said before turning to Bonnie. "So Bonnie?"
"You guys aren't going to give me a free pass?" she asked unnecessarily, for which she received two shakings of the head. Heaving out a sigh, she picked up the tequila bottle before taking a long swing.
"Woah, save some for the rest of the legion," Elena joked.
Bonnie smiled as she whipped her mouth with the back of her hand, placing the bottle down. "I was just thinking how good it is to be back," she confessed with a slight shrug.
"Not as awkward as you thought it would be?" Elena asked.
"Much less..." she admitted. "It feels like since I returned it's been my birthday." Elena and Caroline silently prompted her to continue. "There are surprises but there is also elation... like the start of a new chapter."
"Your birthday," Elena echoed. "The start of something wondrous and unknown... I like that."
Bonnie hadn't thought she was being all that poetic, but she liked Elena's interpretation.
"But it's not your actual birthday... so don't be expecting any gifts," Caroline stated.
"Caroline!" Elena and Bonnie exclaimed simultaneously.
"It's not her birthday!" the blonde exclaimed defensively.
Author's note: And we continue with the half ass editing, but it's only because I'm trying to finish this off between having a life and drowning in real work. Forgive me. Thank you so much for the reviews! To be honest I was expecting a somewhat cool reception, what with having dropped off the face of the earth for almost a year. Personally I feel like I too deserve a tequila shot, for updating so soon.
Maybe I'm dragging all the emotions Bonnie is going through? But I feel like coming back home after a while is always a process, seeing old faces, meeting up and catching up with friends and family. It just doesn't happen in a chapter so hence why Bonnie is still feeling it out.
If there's anyone wondering about 'About Last Night' it hasn't been abandoned and eventually I will update it. Someday... Somehow chapter 4 will be updated.
