Crimson Fate (R-M)
Chapter 9 - Fire Meet Gasoline (Sia)
BAMON CHAP *possible triggers*
Damon had to endure an entire Saturday night, knowing Bonnie had left for the weekend. After pulling Caroline to the side and trying to get as much out of her as he could, which wasn't much. But he determined Bonnie had left for the weekend to possibly make money. Which was a lie, but she couldn't very well tell him, she'd started becoming acquainted with her forty-year-old client.
All he knew is she went away to make some money, and promised Caroline to keep quiet about it, to keep anyone from worrying about her.
Part of Damon thought to text her. But, the way he'd focused his attention on studying this little trouble maker he knew it would scare her from coming home. He had to plan how to catch her in a trap, forcing Caroline to think he'd be quiet about it. But, it didn't stop her from warning Bonnie.
Care : Please don't be mad at me, but Damon knows
Bon : What?! Girl, wtf?
Care: He caught me off guard. I knew he didn't deal with Tyler's family. So, I stayed there this weekend to keep from running into anyone. But he was there, and saw me, w/out you
Bon : Fuck! I need a lie
Care : Told him you were on a job, didn't want to worry anyone
Bon : But, money, I have no money to show for it
Care : He won't ask for proof
Bon : Fuck. I'll be at your place soon, just landed
Care : I'm w/ my mom so I won't be there. Left window and gate open though
Bon : Fuck. K. See you 2mrow
Bonnie wanted to get in and out, once she made it to Caroline's. She had no doubt Damon would be at her house tonight waiting for her. They'd played this game before. She wanted to go home, and not leave all day to avoid him seeing her in public or following her.
James didn't drop her off. He had her chauffeured. When she got to Caroline's house, she wanted to move quickly. She put her hoodie on, got into her car, and looked everywhere at every corner she turned until she made it home, she ducked and dodged every motorcycle she saw every Classic Chevy, and everybody she saw wearing leather. When she made it home, she hurried, grabbed her bag, and ran in the house, while she knew her mother was out until later tonight. There was no sign of anyone parked on her block. She needed to be inside with everything locked immediately.
As she walked in the house, she put her back against the door, took a deep breath and sighed. She was annoyed she allowed Damon to frighten her into fearing being caught from living her own life which didn't involve him two months ago. After the weekend she'd had, she didn't want to come down from this high. She was happy and it was a foreign feeling to her.
Who was he to make her question every move she made wondering if she'd be reprimanded like a child each time he caught her? She walked up stairs with her two bags and headed straight for her room. She returned her mother's call, who called for the first time a couple hours ago. "Mom, I'm back from Caroline's. I'll see you when you get off." She hung up the phone quickly. The moment she made it inside her bedroom, she stare at her feet until the door was closed, and locked. Bonnie leaned her elbows on the door and took deep breaths from holding her breath all the way upstairs. "Whew. Thank God." After a few seconds of regulating her breathing she turned to see one pissed off biker smiling condescendingly at her sitting on her bed.
"Bon Bon."
"Hooo fuck!" She actually looked afraid, for once, clutching her chest. For such a fearless girl, DAMON was starting to put the fear of God in her. The only person who made her question her own choices. "God, why!?" She started to shake.
"Look who just came from a fun weekend with Blondie."
"Save it, blue eyes. I know you know."
"Of course she couldn't keep her mouth shut."
"She's my best friend. Her allegiance, is to me. Not you."
"No wonder you came in here shaking in your panties."
"You don't fuckin scare me." She forced out with her troublesome ego. He stood up from her bed quickly, walked to her and cornered her. One arms on either side of her face palms to the wall She closed her eyes, and turned her face to the side, pretending he was a nightmare, that she wanted to wake up from.
"Don't I though... scare you? The problem is, you're a bad little girl. And reasoning with you, clearly doesn't work." He used his fingers to turn her chin towards him. "Look at me, Judgy. Open those pretty eyes, and look at me." She slowly opened her eyes, when he told her to. "Surprised I'm so calm?"
"Don't get inside of my head, playing fuckin head games with me."
"Why? Does what I think, matter to you? Huh? Or you going to keep pretending to be that tough girl?"
"Your opinion doesn't matter. You literally sicken me. And I don't appreciate the mind games."
"Mind games?"
"I may be young, but I'm not stupid. You say things, and you look at me in ways that tell me you want me. Or some shit! But, then, you play up the whole protecting me thing? Just stop okay. Because the minute I let you inside of my head, you're going to call me a kid again. I'm old enough to understand when someone's fucking with my head. And honestly, I just want you out of my life, Sal. I hate you and want you so far away from me."
"Don't call me by my street name." He said hitting the door behind her, forcing her to jump in fear.
"Why? You're just a dumb biker to me." She yelled in his face until his eyes narrowed in on her showing his fury.
"Where the fuck were you?" He yelled.
"Working, as if it's your business."
"Should'a known blondie would call you to cook up some stupid story." He kept trained on her face, nearly nose to nose, with her blocked in between his body and the door. He had both of his arms on each side of her head, straining to hold his body up, but far enough away from hers to keep her prisoner. "Where's the money?"
"Go to hell!"
"Your pimp didn't pay you, or what?" At this point she'd had enough of his insinuative name calling. She kneed him in the lower abdomen, and pushed him down. "Ow fuck!" She tried to turn and open the door, but he jumped up, grabbed her by the body held tight, and pulled her backwards, trying to catch his own breath after that blow. "I get it. Your used to being roughed up. Fine, have it your way!" Damon grabbed her and threw her on the bed. When her body hit the mattress, Bonnie flipped out. Her natural defenses kicked in, to run or fight back. But the look in his eyes ate at her insides relentlessly. Bonnie flipped her body over and went for the opposite end of the bed, to pull herself off, but, it just made her pants easy to access, as he yanked them off of her body. Her heart raced and her hands began shaking while she tried to keep herself out of his predatory grasp.
"Damnit." She fought him off, swinging her leg at him, until he caught her by the ankle. Feeling the pressure of him squeezing, he yanked her body back towards his.
"This is what you want?"
"Fuck you Sal. You son-of-a-bitch. Fuck you!" She yelled, fearing he was about to take full on advantage of her while no one could hear her screams. But it wouldn't stop her from challenging him, yelling at him as if he was a menacing predator.
"No one can fucking hear you!" He yelled.
"You piece of shit." Then she spit at him. That spit challenged him as he wiped it off, glaring at her.
"That's what you want, B! Isn't it? To be treated like a hoe?" He yelled, and she didn't even cry, nor did she seem scared of him at first. Which bothered him, because what kind of double life was she leading? Then the moment he turned her body back to facing his, forced her legs opened, and crawled between them, her tune changed and she screamed with real tears in her eyes.
"Don't. Please!" He still crawled towards her, pinning her arms above her head, moving his hand towards his pants buckle, to scare her. "Oh my God. Please don't. Don't do this to me. Please." She screamed. "Stop!" She continued screaming, listening to him pretend to tamper with his large belt buckle, feeling his jeans scratch her inner thighs. Realizing one of his arms was strong enough to hold two of hers, rendering her immobile.
"I thought you like this type of shit! Don't you? Acting big and bad, like you won't get some!"
"Sal! I'm Sorry."
"Are you? Are you fuckin sorry for acting stupid? Lying!" Tears stream down her cheeks for the first time since he's come back in contact with her again. "I should teach you a fucking lesson. You wanna act grown, rip and run these streets with no concern? Pretend your making money? Huh? Where's the fuckin money?" He yelled watching her cry and try to fight him but not being strong enough to. "Fine. I'll show you how a motha fuckin pimp does his work."
He locked her in place with his legs, and held her body still. Refusing to speak anymore, all he wanted to do was frighten her to her core.
"Please don't do this." She begged, losing the fight to him, as he man handled her with no problem. "I'm begging you!" He refuses to speak, just stares at her menacingly, and slowly let's his fingers touch the very rim of her panties watching the fear rise inside of her. "Im sorry. I'm fucking sorry. I didn't mean to. Don't do this to me please. I'm a virgin. I'm a fucking virgin, Damon! I swear to God. Please don't do this."
He stopped. He never had the intention to rape her. He just wanted to scare her into the reality, that the way she was sneaking around, it could happen to her.
"Oh Fuck." He whispered.
"I'm not fucking for money. I'm a virgin, and I've never even kissed a guy." It was true. James didn't try one sexual attempt on her the whole weekend. The most he did was kiss her hand. It's part of the reason Bonnie liked him.
Damon caught himself. "I was never going to force you. I swear to God." He hovered on top of her watching her cry, in fear. Her petite body shaking under him. "B, I'm sorry. It was just a tactic to show you it could happen. I swear to fucking God, I never would've hurt you." He quickly let her hands go and jumped off of her. She lay on the bed, in her panties, and hoodie, and he felt like shit. He'd never allowed himself to get rough with a woman. But, every time she disappeared, it's what he was afraid had happened to her. He thought the worst about the Mongrels finding her and hurting her. Or even a client of this bizarre job he had no specific details about.
Bonnie sat up, and moved to the corner of her bed, away from him. She saw the pain in his face, as the remorse hit him. "How could you do that to me? I trusted you Damon."
"Listen to me." He said, in near tears. "I worry about you. Believe it or not. It was fucking horrible of me to do that. But, I wanted to scare you, Bonnie. These guys in these streets don't give a fuck. These Mongrels, rape you, beat your ass, and rape you again. In the name of delivering a message. Okay. I mean my brother just got stabbed. You are a jewel to this club. You have no idea. To the point I've had to guard you because of your own brother's actions. Imagine some thug snatched you. And what if none of us know, because you're too busy lying about where you are all weekend? I was fuckin' worried this weekend. Thinking the worst Bonnie! I thought someone raped you. I thought someone beat the shit out of you. I was scared to death!"
It shocked her that he worried about her. "I'm sorry. I just wanted privacy. And to be away from here." She cried balled into a corner on her bed.
"You can't do this ever again. You can't leave like this. Privacy or not. You're a fucking minor." He yelled.
"God. That's all you see, when you see me, isn't it? A kid? Maybe I make stupid decisions sometimes, but I've earned it. I pay my mom's mortgage, and most of the utilities. Our cell phone bills. My car! I'm out here, making a better life for me and my momma. I'm not a child, as much as I'd love to have gotten to be one, I haven't been for a long time. I'm a grown woman. Age is a got damn technicality."
"You pay this house? Why? That's what the club is for!"
"No! We don't need that dirty money. I told Vin the house was paid for, so he'd stop sending money last year."
"Why the fuck would you do that?"
"I don't want the money from that fucking club. That money killed my father."
"Stop it, will you? The holier than thou bullshit. You're out here leaving for entire weekends making money and deceiving everyone. How would Marcel like it, if I told-"
"NO!" She jumped off the bed and yelled in fear astonishing Damon. "Don't tell Cello, please." Her face began begging, along with her body when she leapt at him, and grabbed his body, as he pulled out his phone. "Damon, please. Don't call him! I'll do anything, anything. Just... leave him out of it."
"What do you expect? You don't listen to me. You never fucking listen to me. You lie to me. You hide and run away. You say you're not a kid, but you act like it. You make childish decisions. Maybe you'll listen to him!"
"If you call my brother, I will disappear, and never come back. I swear to God!"
He furrowed his brows and turned one side of his lip up. "Why? What the hell happened between you and Cel, that has you two acting like virtually enemies."
"Just, leave it alone. He and I are complicated."
"Why can't you tell me?"
"Because, like Caroline's allegiance is to me, yours is to Cello. And I can't."
"What the fuck happened? I'm asking you to trust me."
"No. I can't. This is deeper than the club, Damon. It's my family. My blood! I have to keep somethings private."
Slowly he moved towards her defenselessly. "Did he hurt you?" He reaches for her, but her body turns against him.
"Don't okay. Please."
"Bonnie, you are my priority. Against anyone! Thy includes your brother. I promised your father."
"Then where the fuck were you when Marcel disappeared huh? Who was your priority then? I was here alone! Raising myself. Worried scared."
"I searched for him for a while. Then I had to help him take care of some business. Part of you being a priority is making sure to keep your pigheaded brother out of trouble. What's it with you two?"
"Damon, you can't, I repeat, CAN'T protect us BOTH the same. One of us gets the full treatment and the other has always been me. So, keep watching over Cello's shoulder. I'll be fine looking after myself like I've been doing."
"No!" He demanded. "You're Not Fine. Am I the only one who can see that?"
"If you want me to disappear, then call him. Otherwise, I said, I'll do whatever you want from here on out." She stood there waiting for a reply. Suddenly, he was worried for her; even more than before. He looked down, at her pants on the floor, that he'd pulled off of her body, he picked them up, and tossed them at her.
"Get dressed. We're leaving."
"Why, where we going?"
"I'm going to teach you how to shoot a gun."
"What? Are you serious?"
"Yeah. You need to learn how to protect yourself. Go in the bathroom, and do what you gotta do, I'll be here waiting. We need to go, while there's good light outside. The best gun range is a little over an hour away." He sat on her bed, when she went to change. His entire life almost flashed in front of his eyes, when he remembered what transpired, even if he never had the intention to hurt her, he couldn't believe she was a virgin and he'd been accusing her of hoeing. Most girls her age had been having sex two or three years ago by now. He knew Elena and Stefan had sex. He could tell Caroline and Tyler were definitely active.
He realized how many times he offended her, asking if she was selling her body, because of how she disappeared, and became secretive. If word got out about the founding members, daughter being a virgin, she would become a huge target.
He was going to teach Bonnie how to defend and protect herself. While he never planned to disappear. He planned to make sure, if anything ever happened, she could handle herself in case he wasn't around. And maybe, instead of fighting every time they saw each other, they could be productive and he could help her to become a bad ass, with both her fists and a gun. She came out of the bathroom, with her jeans on, and her hoodie still on. They looked at each other in a moment of awkwardness.
Her being a virgin would come up again, because she needed to understand how that information needed to stay between them. Surely virgins didn't walk around talking about sex, but the less people knew about her sex life, the better.
They left the house quietly as Damon looked around to make sure there were no eyes on him. They walked down the street to a secret location he had his bike. He handed her his dome and put on his cut. Then he took her to his house, let her wait outside in his car, and grabbed a couple of pieces. She kept her hoodie on so no one would recognize her affiliation with the club and they drove his car. Riding his bike, while he wore his cut would out the two of them.
As they drove off, he looked at her, and made her promise. "This stays between me and you. Okay? No Blondie, no doe-eyes, can know I'm teaching you how to handle yourself. If Cel, or the club finds out, It will be bad. Very fuckin bad. You understand? You and me spending any time together, that the MC doesn't know about is bad. I need to know I can trust you. Because you're NOT the only one in this car, that is in need of someone who's loyal."
She nodded. "Okay. I won't tell a soul." She said. She was just relieved he was treating her like a woman, and not like a child. Taking her to teach her how to shoot, and how to defend herself, meant a lot to her. Bonnie held her pinky out to him. "Pinky promise."
He looked down at her hand. "No. No, I'm not- I'm a fucking thug. I don't do that, kids do that."
"Come on, between us two. You want me to keep a secret? This is how we do it." She shot a small, but rare, and equally beautiful smirk. She was his. He realized that in this moment, she belonged to him. Whether he wanted to believe it or not, she was his responsibility, even more so than Marcel's. Because somehow, he felt like he had to protect her from everyone. Including Marcel.
Including himself.
He looked at her pinky again, and held his rough, rugged hand out to her small, delicate one, and put his pinky out. She wrapped their pinkies around one another. Then she kissed her thumb. "Kiss yours too." He rolled his eyes, and kissed his too. "Now we touch thumbs, and clasp hands, like we're gonna play thumb war."
"You do this with everyone?"
"No, just my daddy when I was little. We seal it with a kiss on the cheek. But... I mean, we don't have to, if you don't want to."
"No it's fine. If Laz could do it, I guess I could. Let's, seal it. What kind of promise is it, if we don't seal it, with a kiss?" He looked her in the eye, with a serious face. His serious face which she both liked and disliked brought upon question after question of herself, and her own sanity.
"Okay." She said nervously to him. After a brief pause, she leaned towards him in the car, and put her lips gently, to the side of his face, then kissed his cheek. In the midst, she smelled his skin, and it smelled like aftershave. He smelled like the sweetest candy she couldn't have. He then returned the favor, slowly, with a kiss to her cheek, pausing, and realizing he'd never done anything so reckless in his life. Bonnie shut her eyes feeling something found, inside of his lip's touch, that she was unaware she'd lost.
Both pulled away and stare at one another still locking hands. "Okay. We can't break this promise."
"Okay."
"Okay." She reassured him. "We can let go, hands now." He looked down and quickly pulled away.
"Oh." He smiled, quickly, then ceased. Who was this man, being soft? He didn't recognize himself. She made him feel this softness he wasn't used to. And he made her feel a dependance she wasn't used to. He reached around her body and pulled the seatbelt beginning to fasten it. "Uh, you forgot to put your seat belt on. The road we are taking is whindy and kind of narrow. We'll be driving up the hillside, beyond it into the mountains." He snapped her belt in place, and secured it, in a protective way.
Before either of them could blink, they were leaving town together, and headed for the mountains, with guns.
Bonnie agreed to go with Damon, for some reason trusting him blindly as she trusted James. The only difference was, James gave Bonnie her way and Damon didn't. So, why was it that she still trusted Damon, even though he was proving to more of a challenge than James?
...
As they drove, Bonnie looked out the window watching the awful neighborhood disappear, and turn into the boujiee unaffordable hills, then turn into the beautiful natural obstruction of trees, which lead to a summit in a quiet part of the world.
The entire time he drove, Damon had a serious look on his face. And once in a while he bit his lip nervously. Bonnie wondered if it was the same face he made on his bike. She could never see because he was always in front of her. One of his hands was on the steering wheel and the other down from his lap, to his gear shift when he put his car in manual, to his hair as he continued to rub the sweat off his hairline.
Periodically he looked in the rear view mirror to see if they'd been tailed. Bonnie watched all of his mannerisms as he drove silently. Not even the radio was on as a distraction. When it became nerve wrecking, Bonnie pulled out her phone to play with it.
Damon began to grow more and more curious as to what Bonnie did when she disappeared, and how she spent her time on her cell phone. He worried about these clients and what she believed their intentions were. He knew though, that he couldn't push her into trusting him and he couldn't make her answer him. But he'd figure her out, and he'd earn her trust so he could handle the situation when the time came. But until then he had to keep utterly close eyes on her. Because, as hard-headed as she was, he understood her too. She just needed someone to dig deeper into her mind, and understand her.
Before they hit their destination, he campaigned to her.
"Ya know how the MC deals with the Battered Women's Shelter?"
She looked up from her phone, shocked he was speaking calmly to her. "Yeah."
"We've been doing that for years. We give them our burner phones and donate all type of shit including money. When we do our cookouts or fundraisers, often we donate to them."
"Okay." Bonnie was quiet and interested. He was actually talking to her.
"So, years ago the MC started working with the BWS because a girl we all knew came from there. Alisha. Cleaned her life up, and left that place. They helped her get job placement and shit." He paused. "She was a girl who grew up here, and had all the potential to waste her life. She was a good girl, like you. Then she started dating a guy, who started her on some bad habits and got physical with her." Bonnie noticed Damon start biting his lower lip nervously. "Over and over again, she'd clean up and he'd find her and try and take her back down that road. You listening?" He asked when he saw her kept looking at his hands as she saw them tighten.
"I am." She answered quietly.
"Okay, well, the finale time, he was arrested, she got cleaned up, the shelter helped get her set up with a job and affordable living. She was finally good. She got out of rehab and was clean for a year."
"Okay. That's amazing she escaped him finally.."
"It was. We were so proud of her. She made it. Got her GED and then, started working. She even started dating again. She was dating one of our Prospects at the time. A good kid. He was troublesome, reminded me of Stefan. Ya know, hard headed. But, a good kid who had potential beyond this club, but... he just knew he wanted to be a King. And he, was really good at fixing cars."
"Like Stefan?"
"Yeah. We called him, Hot Rod."
"Anthony Rodriquez!" Suddenly Bonnie remembered the news appear articles and stories about him.
"Yeah. Him. He went to school with me. We even had shop together. But he was older than me by a couple years."
"You went to class?" She laughed.
"When I was a freshman I think I tried a little." He smiled. "Anyways, Alisha and Rodriquez, we called them A-Rod, when they were together. They were both about twenty-one. Anyway, Alisha couldn't be happier. Her life was finally on track and she was clean, and she had Rodriquez. One night, Rod took her home after a date I guess, and it was the last time they'd seen each other alive."
Suddenly Bonnie felt a shift in his tone. "What happened?"
"Alisha's ex got out of jail. No one knew. Rodriquez kissed his girl goodnight, came to the clubhouse, and got himself ready to patch in. He couldn't tell her. It was a surprise. While we went through with his initiation celebration, she was at home, being beaten, raped, and beaten some more."
Bonnie's hands flung to her mouth. "Oh my god. Stop."
"You have to listen." He pleaded. "She was ambushed by her ex. And, he was ruthless. The details of what happened to her were, horrendous. Rod patched in, he went back to her house to tell her, show her his patch "HOT-ROD" and he found her body..."
"No... no. No... stop."
"B, listen to me," he sighed, sadly, "Rod went for revenge. But- he did it without telling the club, which is very dangerous. The club needs to know this shit. But he was too heated to think straight. He was killed."
Bonnie covered her face and cried. "Stop telling me please."
"I'll stop. But the moral of that story was, her ex, was a Mongrel. He's back in prison now. He... left his mark. That fucking logo with the backwards R. I never knew what he looked like much. I was kind of young. He was older than me. But he had a voice I'll never forget. From the video recording. His face was covered."
"Why couldn't he let her live? Why, did he have to hurt her, just because she was happy?" Bonnie's watery eyes affected Damon in the worst way.
"Shit." He said as he pulled off to the side of the road. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry. I'm sorry. And why couldn't he let her live? And to answer your question. Because in these streets, some mutha fuckers don't give a fuck. And some men, not all, but some men in this life don't know what it means to let a woman move on."
"D, Where's Alisha?"
"She didn't make it."
"Fuck." Bonnies heart sank.
"Right."
"And you remind me of Alisha and Stefan reminds me of Rod. And the two of you are making moves and making mistakes. Stefan could've ended up like Rod. And before you know it, you'll end up like Alisha. Is that what you want?"
"No. I don't."
"And this is why when it comes to women I don't usually let any one get to close to me. I have enemies. And they will come for people I love. So, I have to love this club more than I love anyone or anything. Those guys joke about it for years with me, but that's just it, if I ever fell in love with a woman, she and I could never be happy. Because I'd be constantly looking over her back. And it would slow me down."
Bonnie shook her head realizing he wasn't just a dumb biker.
"Suddenly you, make so much more sense to me. I guess you're not as awful as I thought you were. I mean you're still an asshole, but I guess I get it now. You don't want to let anyone in. You're afraid to be close to people." Damon sat quietly, feeling a little less like a robot. "And with me, Marcel, and Stefan, it's harder for you."
"You three are a fucking headache. Gonna put me an in early grave."
Bonnie didn't realize what a mature twenty-four year old Damon was. He really wasn't who she thought, he was busy protecting and maintaining, she realized he's never been able to let himself find true happiness buried in this dark world. A world that was thrust upon him since childhood like her. Only he became the man. To the point, he became Sal. There was no more Damon. And Damon, was the one, she was seeing in front of her right now.
"D, I... I'm not perfect. And just like the club expects this KING from you at all times, Everyone is expecting me to be this sheltered angel. It's not me. I can't be the nerd forever who only cares about school and cheer. And you can't be a heartless asshole all the time."
Damon sat still looking out the window. He and Bonnie were fire and ice and he realized it. But he knew, he owed her an apology for scaring her.
"The problem is, back there, at your house, I was NEVER going to rape you. Bonnie I couldn't take advantage of you, if I tried. But, I remember Alisha when I see you. Constantly going back and fourth trying to find herself. This weekend, I thought someone did to you what was done to Alisha. I was the so angry and I had to contain it for the sake of the club finding out. I had to believe you were safe. Or I'd probably been in jail already. You wonder why I'm fucking crazy sitting outside of your house? Getting angry. Being demanding of your common sense... because this shit isn't a game."
"Damon I'm not running around with some thugs and I'm nowhere near this god awful life when I'm gone."
"The problem is you think thugs have a certain look. And we don't. We can be anybody. Thugs wear suits too, and uniforms, and even live lavishly. Look at the Lockwood's. I see you, and I'm like, wow... Cel's fucking sister just hit womanhood, like nobody's business and she's making my job harder than it has to be with her attitude. I can't have you lying to me about where you are. You can't take weekend trips away. I don't give a fuck what you thought. Never again. I made a promise to Laz years ago I would always look out for you and Cel. It's just... you were always this little nerd that didn't care about adolescent shit. You stayed on the books and stayed home. Things were easy then. Now... Pft. You're all grown up." He looked her up and down. "I mean look at you."
"Yeah well I can't stay a flat chested nerd for ever."
"It's not just that. You don't listen worth a damn. You and your brother fight like crazy and it makes it harder to watch over you. Both of you are hot-headed and emotional."
"What do you mean harder? How long have you been watching me?"
"I've always watched you. But when you started high school I literally had to watch you, watch you. From afar, but still. You were always at home or with Lexi. It was easy. You had Stefan who gave me the 411, and when Cell was home I just saw you then. No biggie. But he graduated a few years ago. And since then I come every couple weeks and watch your routine. See what you're up to, who you hang out with. And every two or three weeks it was the same. You didn't change up much. Then Cel come home to check on you and that was that."
"You w always watched me? I'm in shock." She whispered to herself as he gathered his thought to speak again.
"Then a few months back, close to a year ago, Lexi left and he disappeared and I went for him and I came back and you were no longer you. Fuck! You were someone else. Grown up and smart mouthed, and that sweet nerd was... gone. Which is why when I saw you for the first time in months at that football game, I was fucked up in the head over how quickly you just changed."
"We all have to grow up sometime." She said wiping her tears. "I can't believe you've watched me for so long."
"Not just me. I have other eyes on you. I can't always be there. And your brother, he's definitely changed. The two of you stretch me thin. Top it off with Stefan."
"D, I had no idea it was so much on you." He pulled back onto the road and started back up the mountain.
"No. Because I don't tell you. I'm only twenty-four. This club is my life. So, when you talk shit and try to berate me... you have no idea what goes into this shit."
"I'm sorry."
"I mean I get it, you hate this shit. It's not a dream life. It's dangerous. It's not glorified. It's what it is. But it's my life, and I don't slack. I need your cooperation."
Bonnie nodded her head. "Okay."
"This, thing I'm doing with you, out here... doesn't get to a soul. I'm gonna help you. It won't happen over night. It'll take some time and we will have to be spending a lot of time together. But eventually, I want you to be able to defend yourself."
"With a gun?"
"Not just a gun. I'm going to teach you how to fight and defend yourself. Maybe, I'm not the best listener, but I'm trying. YOU, are new to me. You're hard to handle." He pulled off the road headed to a secretive location. "We are almost there."
"Why do you want to do this? Because of Alisha and Rodney, or because of my Papi?"
"Because, I care about you. And if something happened to you, I'd probably lose my mind. I've been watching you for so long Bonnie. But I can't keep as close an eye on you now that Cel and Stefan are acting out too. Which is why I can't pinpoint exactly what the fuck you been up to. You're routines for years were ingrained in my head and now... you're all over the place."
"How can you care about me?"
"Bonnie, I've been watching over you since I was sixteen. Since I patched in. Eight fucking years. Only two people know how long I've been watching you. Maybe three, but he's a knucklehead and into his own shit so, he may not have paid attention. But two people definitely know."
"Who?"
"I can't tell you."
"Why?"
"Because it keeps my watching you, easier on me." Bonnie was quiet. She had no idea how much of a fixture she was to him. Or even he was to her without realizing he was always there.
"Eight years watching you. The first four years were easy. The next three a little more challenging. But the most recent year has been a night mare. And you're the reason I was at that first football game that night. Why do you think I was able to get you the fuck out of there before anyone else? You don't realize the moment I heard guns those gunshots, I calculated how far my bike was from me, how many people were running between us and how quickly I could get to you, and to my bike without you getting hurt, and still have you out of there before people realized you were gone."
A lot made more sense now. "I'm shocked." She whispered.
"My eyes are trained to find you in a crowd. Trust me. I'm a lion when it comes to you."
Bonnie had never felt so important and valuable in all her life since her father died. Who was Damon Salvatore? There was more to him than she ever thought.
Damon got out of the car, looked at her "Wait." He warned. He walked to the trunk and pulled out his heavy duty bag full of some basic artillery. Then he walked to her door and opened it. He grabbed her hand and helped her out. "Come on now." She looked up at him like he was her shield.
Bonnie was silently walking behind him astonished at the way he'd opened up and talked to her today. Before today she and Damon hadn't had any deep conversations.
When they came to a creek of water, Damon guided her.
"You are going to walk along that log to keep from getting your feet wet. I'm wearing boots."
"I'm going to fall."
"No. You won't."
"How can you be sure?"
"I'm gonna guide you. Give me your hand." When they reached the log, Bonnie stepped up and Damon held his hand out, when she reached for it, without question he interlocked their fingers and gripped her hand like she was a child in a store.
Immediately Bonnie felt something in his hand hold. It was protective. She didn't once question it. And his fingers between hers covered her hand like a coat on a cold body in the winter. She felt that immediate, protection and genuine concern. And he walked slowly along side her until she had to hop down, and it was then he put both hands on her waist and slowly brought her down. He was ever so careful.
Both looked into each others eyes and paused. "Thanks." She whispered to which he replied with a smirk. He then grabbed her hand again, subconsciously and lead her all the way to the secret area, fingers still interlocked. Bonnie kept feeling his hand grip hers throughout. He held her hand as if she belonged to him. Something happened to her heart at that moment. A feeling she couldn't describe.
His hand held onto hers, until they were at the spot. His hand hold told her a couple things. One, he was protective of her. And two, he was right, he cared about her. Damon gave her a another speech to ensure she was on the same page. "So, this is the spot. My spot. But now our spot. Get familiar with it." He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it.
"Okay."
It was probably the weirdest moment to have a cigarette. Considering he only smoked in stressful moments. But there was no telling what he was feeling after he opened up to her the way he did. It was the way he did things. For eight years, she was his job. And for three years, she was quickly changing. And for a year, he tried to remain distant. But the universe wouldn't let them stay distant. He pulled away, she pulled away. But they were unable to be remain apart. Bonnie could feel it now.
"So, when do I get to see Stefan?"
"When shit calms down. He can't move and I don't want you at our apartment."
"But Elena's there. What's the difference?"
"Elena is Stefan's responsibility. Not mine. You're my only concern. I know that's your friend, but she isn't my priority."
"What's the worse that can happen?"
"The worse that can happen? Alisha. That's the worst. And I'll be got damned Bonnie. Over my dead body."
Bonnie took a brief pause and watched her feet dig underneath loose leaves. She felt him watching her and trying not to. Just as she tried not to notice him watching. She couldn't handle the tension. So she broke it with a few words.
"D?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
He nodded his head, "Don't thank me yet. We have a ways to go. But we have to be on the same team."
"Okay."
"Trust building starts now. Remember the whole pinky promise you made us do."
"Yup." She grinned.
"Alright, I take promises seriously."
"So do I. But it doesn't just happen over night. It's hard for me to trust people."
"Me too. But we have to try. Will you at least try?"
"I'll try. That's all I can do."
"Good."
"Good."
Neither could control the bumpy road of this relationship they were building, but one thing was for certain, they were being pulled together over and over again, no matter how much they pushed each other away.
I figured with all the great feedback last chap I could upload another chapter. The next chapter won't come as quickly as this one because it has to be edited. But some of you may want to reread this one before the next upload anyway in case you missed somethings. But I hope you enjoyed this "All bamon" chapter. A lot transpired from beginning to end. This chapter really delved into the deep deep affects these two have on each other. Including Damon's emissions in the end. Why he's so protective of her and how long he's been actually looking after her. The story of A-Rod. He admitted its one of his main priorities but in the past year since she's grown up basically overnight and between her, Stefan, and Marcel he's having a hard time watching them all. He's not a complete robot. But this is just the beginning of Damon. There's SO MUCH MORE TO HIM, And I can't wait for you guys to read it as Bonnie gets to know him. Those wondering when he will find out about Bonnie's Job... it's gonna be a while. Thanks so much for reading. Thoughts?
