Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. They belong to L.J. Smith/The CW.
Summary: You don't know how you're coming across. You don't know what you're coming across. And I don't think you're aware of the cost. So you come undone.
A/N: As always thank you for all of the reviews, I really appreciate them. This tags episode 1.14: Fool Me Once. It's a bit more AU but I hope you guys like it anyway. Also summary lyrics by Placebo. Zozo42; I'll probably try to continue interweaving the show with my one shots when it's possible but if the Bamon continues to lack, expect more AU thrown in to sate the Bonnie/Damon bug. :)
Come Undone
"I hope Elena dies."
Damon knew he was a bastard for liking the look of despair on his brother's face, but he couldn't seem to care about that anymore. After being betrayed one too many times by his younger sibling, the dark blows he dealt were more second nature than thought about. Especially after last night and realizing that one again, Stefan had fucked him over. That once again Stefan couldn't seem to understand how much he loved Katherine and wanted her by his side. All he cared about was Elena and the other useless humans of Mystic Falls that he acted as if he was charged to protect. In reality he just liked pretending that he was a saint to make himself feel better.
Saint Stefan…that is who he wanted to be, but not who he was.
His harsh words stemmed from the fact that Anna aka Annabelle the vampire had kidnapped Elena and spirited her off to God knows where. It all dealt with getting into the tomb—everyone appeared to have their own reasons for wanting to get in and Anna's was her mother. Come to find out, she had been the one that turned Logan Fell and most likely sicced those other vampires after Bonnie. He would applaud her efforts if she hadn't fucked up things for him and just made them harder. But like with everything else, patience was not a vampire's strong suit and she had finally upped her game.
Well played except she didn't know where the grimoire was. Because I have it now. I love it when things go my way. Now all he needed was a witch and soon Katherine would be free. For a brief moment he thought about going to Bonnie's home and seeing her, but then decided against it. Of course he could always ask her grandmother to do the spell; however something told him she would give him the same answer everyone else had. A loud and resounding no.
Oh well…he'd make things work. He always did.
Damon should have been shocked that Stefan asked him for help where Elena was concerned, though he wasn't. That was Stefan's M.O.—being a dick and then expecting to be bailed out when the trouble hit. Before last night, even if his brother was a douche, he would have helped him because he wanted Elena to be safe. Now after her betrayal, he felt like he didn't owe her anything. He felt like she deserved whatever she got because payback was a bitch and so was he when he wanted to be.
So let Anna rip her throat out or do whatever she wanted to do. His mission was clear and almost within his reach; he didn't have time to deviate now. So what if it was wrong? Since when was Damon Salvatore known for doing the right thing?
There were plans to make and he figured the first would be convincing Bonnie to do the spell. He had no idea what he was going to say to her, and he couldn't force her so that put a crimp in his plot. I can't force her but I'm sure having someone she cares about in danger would do the trick. A desperate man was not above using threats to get what he wanted, and he was a desperate man. He was so close to getting Katherine out that he could taste it. There was no way he was going to stop or give up now.
If I have to intimidate her to get her to do what I want, then I will. I'm sure all will be forgiven once she, Katherine and I are able to turn this town upside down.
He was aware that in the past he'd fought against his feelings for Bonnie Bennett tooth and nail, but it was obvious that pulling her in tighter—especially when Katherine was free—would do more damage to the traitors than just letting her go. Elena would be very upset if he had her best friend in his pocket, and Stefan would be empathic to whatever his girlfriend was feeling. He'd knock out two birds with one thick stone, and that's what he wanted.
He wanted them to suffer for all of the pain and misfortune they had caused him. He wanted them to see what it was like to lose something—to see something slipping farther and farther away and not being able to do anything about it. He probably wouldn't turn Bonnie—yet—but there were other things he could do to make sure she never wanted to leave him.
Every good girl had a bad side just waiting to be unearthed, and he was totally prepared to do some digging.
A few minor setbacks that shook up old memories, perhaps in the end it'll turn out to be a good thing. A teaching lesson or whatever. Who am I kidding? I didn't learn anything except never, ever trust my stupid brother or his pixie girlfriend. And I knew that already knew.
Taking his feet off the sturdy desk, he stood and stretched his arms over his head, making his shirt ride up over his flat stomach. There was really no harm in going to see Bonnie, perhaps it would even cause something good to happen. Yes just earlier he thought it was a bad idea but he didn't have time to play it cool. It would be nightfall soon and he needed all of his ducks in a row. Besides he would be lying if he said he wasn't interested in how her date had gone. The whole jealously kick could actually get him extra points.
Smirking, he snapped the musty old spell book shut and arched a brow as he heard Stefan's cell phone ring. Curiosity got the best of him and he tilted his head to the side, listening to the conversation. It was Anna and naturally she was calling about Elena. He shook his head as his brother inquired as to the brunette's welfare, and migrated to the doorway so that he could watch him pace.
"She's fine, for now." Anna mused from the receiver. "Tell me you have the grimoire and she'll stay fine."
Stefan swallowed hard, putting his hand on the wooden banister. "I can get it."
She chuckled lowly. "Which means your brother has it. And I have the witch so…one of you had better meet me in the very public square in thirty minutes so we can safely discuss how fun it's going to be to work together." And then she hung up.
Damon twitched; "and I have the witch so…". Of course this was not going to be easy. Why should it start now when he was so close? How did she get her though? There is no way Bonnie would just run off with her. She must have gotten the jump on her like she did Elena.
Leaning against the threshold, he glanced to his little brother who looked positively broken. Good. "Go ahead and grovel again. Oh wait, no. I don't care." Before Stefan could reply, he snorted and walked away. "Do I have to do everything myself?"
Apparently, especially if he wanted it done right.
Being knocked out was so different from simply being asleep. It was like not existing for a while because you don't even realize you're in the world. You're just a body at the mercy of everyone around you. Some people said they dreamed but that wasn't the case for Bonnie. She was just out, laying in a dingy hotel bathtub until something cold and wet touched her forehead.
With a groan she slowly started to come around, the pain in her temple throbbing. A soft voice called her name and she blinked, the blurry images morphing into the face of her best friend. "Elena?"
"You're okay." The brunette said, obviously relieved. She continued to dab her with a cold compress.
Bonnie frowned. "Ah, my head." She struggled to sit up, fighting off the small wave of nausea. And then the previous night hit her like a ton of bricks. "Oh my God! Ben is a vampire!"
Elena pressed a finger to her lips and pointed to her ear. "They can hear." She whispered and turned the faucet on full blast.
The witch sighed deeply. "I was so stupid."
Her friend shook her head and smoothed the hair back from her eyes. "No he had all of us fooled."
Unfortunately that doesn't make me feel any better. "What's going on? Why are we here?"
Shaking her head, Elena gestured with her hands. "It must have something to do with the tomb and Emily's spell book."
"Spell book…"
"Damon said it could be used to open up the tomb."
Bonnie felt out of it and confused. There was a vague recollection of hearing about said spell book at the dance, but everything was crashing together in her brain at the moment and she couldn't pick out what was real and what she'd possibly made up. I'll just look upon this as new information for now. "Why didn't I know about any of this?"
Sitting down by the tub, the other girl shrugged. "I was trying to keep you out of it, hoping it would never come to this."
A frown. "Come to what?"
"They need a witch to break the spell and let the vampires out." Elena replied softly.
A jolt of fear shocked her system and she began to tremble, realizing that earlier fleeting thoughts on why those vampires had attacked her were right. In a way she knew it had something to do with the tomb, but for some reason she'd never let herself truly believe it was to get it open. However now she knew the complete truth and it scared her to death.
As Elena tried to comfort her the best she could, the door flew open, slamming back against the wall. Ben stalked into the small room and glared at them, then shifted his attention to the running water. He turned it off slowly, his hand lingering on the glass knob.
Bonnie fixed him with a defiant stare while still managing to be touched that Elena was trying to protect her. "You're wasting your time. I'm not gonna help you."
He chuckled slowly and yanked the brunette up. "That's why she's here. Motivation for you to behave." Leaning in closer, he smirked. "You shouldn't be so desperate. You made it too easy."
Tears filled the witch's eyes and she stood as he dragged Elena to the doorway, tossing her out into the bedroom. She tried to follow but he blocked her and slammed the door closed, leaning against it. "No no, my girlfriend needs a few words with your bestie."
She wet her lips. "If you hurt her I will kill you."
"Ooh I'm so scared." He snickered. "If you could do anything you would have done it already."
God I just wanna burn that smirk right off his stupid face. "You know this isn't going to end well for you, right? I'm sure Stefan is looking for Elena right now."
"Too bad no one isn't looking for you."
"I wouldn't be so sure."
"Oh I am. Your life revolves around your friends and their lives. We both know you were so starved for attention that you practically threw yourself at me."
"Shut up."
"I bet I could have screwed you last night if my master plan wasn't about getting into that tomb. You were just begging for it."
"I said shut up!"
"Or what?" He moved like a flash of lightning, pinning her against the tiled wall. "Face it Bonnie, maybe you are just not cut out for being a girlfriend. I'd consider turning slut—at least that way someone might notice you. We can start right now if you want."
Swallowing thickly, she curled her hands into fists. Where is my power when I need it? "I've been noticed, and I don't need some disgusting parasite to do me any favors either."
Ben smiled, leering at her. "You didn't think I was so disgusting when you were fawning all over me and kissing me."
A shrug. "I felt sorry for you, considering the fact that you're a washed up jock while your friends have all went off to actually make something of themselves."
Growling, he grabbed her upper arms and squeezed hard until she winced in pain. "If Anna didn't need you to get into the crypt, I'd make you regret you ever met me."
Knowing she would be bruised, she set her jaw against the ache. "I already do."
In fact she was starting to regret ever meeting any vampire, Stefan and Damon included. While Stefan was a good guy and Damon was the lesser of two evils in this situation, vampires had done nothing but bring pain and destruction to her life and the town. Maybe they all would be better off if the Salvatores had never returned to Mystic Falls. Surely Elena would have found another boyfriend, someone who cares about her as much as Stefan did.
And of course she wouldn't be linked to a psycho. Though the others would still be in the tomb and there would probably always be someone wanting to bust them out. Without Damon and Stefan around to somewhat police their actions, the town could possibly be in even worse shape by now.
I wanted to prove that I had it in me to be normal so badly and look what happens. I'd have been better off going with Damon that night. For all of his many, many faults—one of which includes trying to kill me—at least I would be relatively safe right now. But if I have to be here to make sure Elena is alright then so be it. We'll take care of each other.
"I'm leaving." A female knocked on the door, and Ben jerked her towards it as he opened it. "Keep 'em buttoned down. Compulsion won't work. Just use violence."
He nodded as she left. "Right. I got that." He shoved her onto the extra bed and removed his jacket. "Sit. Behave. So you're the key to this…the one who opens the door. Tell me…" He perched on a chair. "How long have you been a witch?"
Elena couldn't hold in her annoyance with his taunts. "Is there anything to drink around here?"
Ben moved towards her. "Are you offering?" Satisfied that he could rile her up when she flinched, he grinned. "There's water on the night stand."
Exhaling she reached for it slowly and brought it to her lips.
Light bulb! Bonnie met her gaze intensely. "Can I have a sip?" The brunette handed her the glass with uncertainty. God I hope this works. It'll be my first time trying it. Taking the liquid, she looked to Ben and threw it onto his arm.
"What the—" His sentence was cut off when out of nowhere, the material of his shirt burst into flames. He cried out and rubbed at it quickly, managing to grab Elena around the waist before she could reach the front door with the witch. "Shut the door!"
A wave of defeat rolled over Bonnie but she did as he requested. "Don't hurt her."
"Don't make me!" His eyes were alight with anger…and hunger. "Lock it!"
Slowly she pushed the chain into place, catching her best friend as he threw her into her arms. Together they moved back to the beds and sat down, most likely thinking the same thing. We are never getting out of here.
Checking his skin for damage, the vampire was happy when he saw none. "Witches don't have eternal life right? So you guys can die?"
"Yeah. We can die." Her voice was stoic.
He nodded almost thoughtfully. "That sucks, and not just for you. After this tomb shit is taken care of, I'm gonna ask Anna if I can have you. To be honest I'm just itching to play with you properly and it sucks knowing my toy could break before I'm done with my fun. Guess I'll just have to get a lot in before that happens, huh?"
"You won't touch her." Elena stated bravely. "I won't let you."
Laughing, he meandered back to his chair. "You and what army?"
The front door cracked open next with a loud thud, sending brilliant rays of sunlight flooding the room. Ben screamed and scrambled down behind the bed, his flesh blistering red and smoking. Both girls jumped in surprise and made a beeline for the outside, welcoming the feel of daylight on their skin.
Running both hands through her hair when they were a suitable enough distance away, the witch stared at her savior. "What are you doing here? How—how did you know we were here?"
Damon Salvatore strolled closer and lifted her arm, smoothing his pale fingers over the darkening bruise. "I always know where you are, remember?"
This is a dream. I'm still back in that tub and this is a dream. "I'm honestly glad to see you."
He smiled and caressed her cheek. "Good. Hang on to that feeling for a while."
"Stefan!" Elena's yell interrupted them as she launched herself into her boyfriend's arms.
He on the other hand looked confused to see brother. "What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here?" He mocked. "Oh Anna says hi by the way. She wants the grimoire tonight at sundown or she's gonna kill Elena."
Stefan stiffened. "Where is she?"
The female brunette shook her head. "I don't know. She left and her lackie Ben was keeping us prisoner."
"So Ben did this?" Damon remarked, gesturing to the bruise. "I should have pegged him for a vampire. Only someone who thought they could take me would stand up to me the way they did."
"I'll take care of him." His brother said, heading to the room.
"Come on." The older Salvatore took the witch's hand. "I need to borrow you for something."
She pulled away. "I'm not opening the crypt, Damon. I—I can't let Katherine out."
"Who said I wanna talk about that?"
"What else would you wanna talk about?"
"Maybe I just wanna make sure that you're okay. You've been through a traumatic experience…"
"I'm…shaken but I'll be fine. Eventually."
"I think you should work on that at my place. And then later we may take a field trip into the woods."
"You're unbelievable. All you care about is Katherine."
"She's not all I care about…"
Bonnie blinked, biting her bottom lip. Did he just…
Elena took hold of her shoulders. "Bonnie let's go. Your grandmother is probably worried about you." She didn't give her a chance to reply; that would be dangerous where Damon was concerned. Instead she steered her around him and towards the street.
After taking a nice shower and letting the hot water calm her nerves, Bonnie changed and flopped down at the dining room table in her grandmother's house. She sipped on the tea she was made and sighed when her Grams sat down across from her. Her mind was reeling with all of the information it had absorbed, and a part of her wanted to go to Damon just because when she was with him, everything else faded away.
A distraction is totally what she needed right now. Alas that would not be happening anytime soon. "How did you know where we were to tell Stefan?"
Tituba "Shelia" Bennett smiled at her. "Many things can fuel a witch's power. Worry…anger… After Stefan told me that they had taken you I had a lot of both. Simple locater spell was easy after that."
She nodded. "I'm sorry…about all of this."
The older woman shrugged nonchalantly. "Not as sorry as they are going to be."
Bonnie heard the door opened, and seconds later Stefan and Elena joined them holding hands. Elena tucked strands of hair behind her ear. "So what do we do now?"
Her boyfriend crossed his arms over his chest. "Well for now you need to stay here."
Grandma Bennett arched a sculpted brow at him. "A prisoner in my own home? I don't think so."
"I can't protect you if you leave the house." He said.
"We'll protect ourselves." She replied.
His expression became perturbed and there was silence for a minute until Elena spoke up. "We need to let him have Katherine back. He's not gonna stop until he gets her. If we help him maybe that ends it."
Frowning, Bonnie couldn't believe what she was hearing. She especially couldn't believe that her best friend was suggesting something so damn ridiculous. No one wanted Katherine to be less free more than they did, so why was she suddenly on team let out the crazy bitch? Obviously that would make their entire situation worse. "No. He doesn't deserve to get what he wants…"
The brunette shrugged. "What other choice do we have?" Pause. "I know it's not something you want Bonnie but now might be the time to let Damon go. He's never going to stop, and you're going to just keep getting hurt."
Maybe that's a chance I want to take.
"Witches being pulled down by vampire problems. No matter what we try to do to stay out of it." Grams remained unconcerned. "I'll open the tomb. You get your brother's girl and destroy the rest…with fire. Then this will all be over."
"Grams." Bonnie pulled at her gray sweater. "I—I don't think this is right. What if it causes more problems than good?"
"I know you feel something for him baby girl, but this has to be done so that no one in this town has to be in danger ever again. So that Damon and Katherine can both leave. Afterwords I'll look into a spell to remove your link to him."
Falling quiet, she played with her teacup. Being faced with never having those tingly feelings for Damon again should have her happy as a clam, but she wasn't. They were—they were scary and weird but also expected now, and they made her feel wanted. Could she really give up having Damon in her corner?
Stefan rubbed the back of his neck. "We still have to get Damon to agree."
"He already agreed once." His girlfriend responded.
A nod. "Yeah and then we double-crossed him. He's angry."
"He's hurt. There's a difference. I…think I know what I have to do."
Right because there is nothing no one else to can do. Nothing I can do. Irritated, Bonnie stood and left the room, going into the kitchen. She leaned against the counter and closed her big green eyes. I bet Elena could get Damon to do whatever she wanted him to do simply because of her face. I'm such a fool. I thought Ben actually liked me and look how that turned out. And now I'm sad that my blood connection with Damon will be severed and why? Not like it means anything. Not like it means anything to him.
"Once Katherine is free all bets are off anyway." She whispered to herself. "Everyone else is right. This is something we have to do. Besides it's not like I'll miss what I never had in the first place."
Dreams don't count.
"She knew where you were Damon. She didn't care."
The fire burned bright yellow before his melancholy eyes, throwing shadows about the room and across his pained face. He sat with his hands clasped on his lap, the crackling of the wood the only sound that he could focus on without breaking apart. Vaguely he realized that Stefan was sitting across from him, offering silent support, but he didn't dwell on it. The only thing that Damon could think about was the fact that his entire reason for existing—for becoming the creature that he was didn't matter at all. Katherine hadn't been in the tomb…she was never in the tomb.
Years and years he'd fought against everything to rescue her. To finally get to be the white knight in his fucked up version of a fairytale. Killing and torturing all seemed alright when he thought about why he was doing it. When he thought about her being locked in the cold and in the dark, wishing that someone would just care enough to get her out. He was going to be that person. He was going to show her that no matter what and through it all, he loved her the most.
More than Stefan ever could.
Yet the joke was on him because it was all a lie. It was all for nothing. All of the pain and heartache…senseless when he thought back on it. While he was setting up his master plan and killing anyone it took to get it underway, he could have been just surviving. Perhaps finding a small thread of happiness in something besides putting all of his energy into chasing a dream.
So it was never real? Was I compelled?
It was hard to tell the difference at the moment. Before he'd been so sure that free will brought him to Katherine, not her powerful mind control. Though that is probably why it hurt so badly…because it had been real. Well…at least real for him.
Once again he was the fool. Once again he came up short, even when he tried his best. Even when it was something he wanted more than life itself.
Thinking of all that he could have and all that he'd given up for her made him sick to his stomach. How could she do this to me! If he were anyone else he would most likely be in tears by now. They were there on the edges of the surface, brimming in his icy blue eyes but sheer will alone held them back. Crying wouldn't solve anything and he refused to give up his last shred of dignity and sense of self to her.
"You must think this is hilarious." He said lowly.
Stefan watched him quietly. "No. I don't. I'm sorry that she wasn't in the tomb."
"Yeah." He snorted. "I'll just bet you are."
"Damon, even with everything that we have put each other through, I am sorry." His brother replied. "This isn't what I wanted."
Isn't what I wanted either. "But it works out I suppose for all the little humans you care about."
A shrug. "They would have been safe either way. I was going to burn the others."
"Ah. You should do that anyway. Start with Anna and her mom."
"They are long gone by now, hopefully Ben is with them."
"I doubt it. I ran into him after—I put him out of his misery. Thought it would take me out of mine."
"How?"
"Nailed him to a tree with sticks before pushing one into his heart."
"I would have used fire."
"Creative. Maybe one day I'll hunt Anna down."
"Why?"
"Why not? It doesn't matter anymore."
"You're going to be okay."
"That is so easy for you to say. Elena is here. She risked her life to make sure you were safe. Where's Katherine? One hundred and forty five years, and she didn't so much as send me a fucken postcard."
"One day you'll see that you're better off without her. If this is how she is…you don't need her."
But he did. He needed her because without her, he wasn't sure who he was. "That still remains to be seen."
Stefan glanced down to his hands wishing he could help his brother. Yes they had their problems, but they were still family. "What will you do now?"
Damon tilted his head to the side. "Get drunk. Fuck the rest." Standing, he moved over to the table and grabbed a large decanter of whiskey, then trudged up the stairs to his room.
Once inside, he slammed the door shut and fell onto his bed, bringing the bottle to his lips. It was almost amusing how in the end, everyone else had been right about the tomb. Some things were better kept hidden away.
Bonnie rubbed the back of her neck as she took the old teapot off the stove, holding down the top and pouring the steaming water inside into a small mug. She reached into the cabinet and pulled down a box of teabags, taking one out and ripping open the packet. Dipping it into the liquid, she scrunched up a face at the smell and then smiled as a memory filtered across her subconscious. She glanced to where Elena paced in the dining room on the phone with her Aunt before taking the cup upstairs and into her grandmother's bedroom. "Here you go Grams." Her voice was soft as she noticed the older woman sleeping. Sitting the cup down, she picked up the red blanket at the end of the bed and slowly pulled it up over her to keep off the chill. Her brows twitched as she realized how still she was—her hand resting against her chest limply. It looked odd and way too static. "Grams?" Receiving no response, she moved closer and started to shake her. "Grams? Grams wake up." Leaning, Bonnie stared at her intensely, tears pricking her eyes as her calls went unheard. "Grams!" She held to the sides of her face,
The brunette barreled up the stairs and into view, confusion written over her pretty face. She took in the scene before her, hearing Bonnie when she exclaimed that her grandmother wasn't breathing. Something clicked and she hurried for the phone to dial 911. Bonnie was sobbing now, begging, pleading with the person she counted on the most to give her a sign that she was there. "Please wake up!" She shrieked in agony and leap off the bed, grabbing the ratty spell book from where it lay on the dresser. Hastily she flipped through it, muttering the same words over and over. "I can fix it! I can fix it!" Elena hung up with the operator even though he requested otherwise and threw her arms around her best friend. "Bonnie…" "No! I can fix it!" She cried, trying to pull away.
But it was too late and they both knew it. Sheila Bennett was gone—slipped away in her sleep after her body couldn't handle the strain that it had been put through earlier. In retrospect she had probably known all along what was happening to her, yet hidden it as to not worry her granddaughter. In the end her thoughts had once again been about protecting her own. The sounds of an ambulance grew closer and Bonnie gasped, her heart feeling like it was being squeezed tight. She broke away from her friend and sprinted downstairs, throwing open the front door with all of the strength she had. Red and blue flashing lights lit up the block and people stepped out onto their porches to see what was going on. Her vision was blurry but she didn't care; she couldn't stop. She She hurried down the steps and across the yard, running as fast as she could until she was in the woods. Branches caught on her clothes but she kept going, pushing herself until her lungs were shouting for air and her legs were aching from the pressure. She didn't stop until she was forced to, falling over a thick root and crashing to the ground. Pain reverberated up her body but it was Sitting up on her knees, she looked up to the sky. "Emily! Please! Yo—you have to help me! Please!" She implored, trembling. "Emily! Bring her back! I'll do whatever you want! Take me! Take me instead!" Fumbling around, she yanked up a stray piece of glass from the earlier Duke party and held it to her wrist. "Take me instead…"
Damon jerked so hard that he rolled and fell off the bed loudly, groaning. He pushed the empty whiskey bottle away and stood, stumbling into the bathroom to splash cold water onto his face. He gazed at his reflection for a minute and then cursed, making his way downstairs. He was blur of motion as he passed by the chair where Stefan sat, ignoring when his brother called his name.
He didn't know why he was going into the forest or why he should care but he was probably a little too leftover drunk to analyze things like he usually did. Instead he ran until he was near Fells Church—the place where dreams were broken and blood had been spilled. He rubbed his tired eyes and scanned the area, seeing a figure on the ground a few feet away.
She had the shard clasped within her fingers, her hand shaking so badly that she couldn't hold it steady. With an almost aggravated gait, he strode over to her and ripped it away, tossing it out of sight.
Bonnie glared at him. "What are you doing here?" She stood slowly. "This is all your fault!"
"And what is that?" He inquired.
"She did the spell to get rid of you!" She yelled. "To—to trap you so that—so that everyone else would be safe!"
He shook his head. "Opening the door didn't kill your Grams. Lifting the field did and I didn't ask for that."
"Was it worth it?" She asked through clench teeth. "All the pain and all the devastation that you caused. All the lives you ruined…"
"I guess it wasn't." He folded his arms over his chest. "But now you and all of the others can have a laugh at my expense and feel better about yourselves."
She blinked. "My grandmother is dead because of me! Because I—I asked her to lower the field for Stefan. For you." Pause. "I wasn't strong enough so she took on extra trauma and—and it killed her. I killed her."
Damon sighed deeply. "It wasn't your fault."
"Yes it was!"
"No it wasn't!"
"How do you know?" She poked him in the chest.
He didn't flinch. "Because I am a killer and I know the difference. You think she didn't know the cost? You think she went into any of this not knowing what could happen? Fuck no! She knew the risk and she took it anyway…for you."
Bonnie swallowed, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I take it all back."
The vampire tilted his head. "It doesn't work that way. Oh and slitting your wrists? I doubt that will make the situation better."
"Then you do it." Gathering up her long black curls, she showed him her neck. "Do it."
Damon's expression was unreadable. "Do what?"
"I—anything. T—take me instead so that Grams will be okay." She stammered softly. "A life for a life."
"No." What the hell am I saying? "Go home, Bonnie."
Wetting her lips, she stepped closer, taking hold of the sides of his jacket. "Damon please. If—if you ever felt anything for me you will do this." When he refused again, she beat her tiny fists against his chest over and over. "Do it! Do it, do it!"
The handsome vampire caught her easily after a moment, his blue orbs dangerously close to turning black. Growling, he buried everything that he was and everything that pining for Katherine had turned him into, and just hugged her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and embraced her, burying his face into her hair. His tiny bit of compassion was all it took for her to break down completely, her legs giving out soundlessly. Together they sunk to the cold ground, her fingers clutching at him as if he were the only thing keeping her from shattering into a million pieces.
Most times neither understood the other because they were from two very different worlds. But for once something more than lust or magic had brought them together. Linked them closer than they could ever hope to be or perhaps not be in Damon's case.
It was the only thing that struck without warning to human and vampire alike: grief. Of course Damon would never admit it, but obviously his only sense of solace would be in Bonnie's arms. While it didn't stop the turmoil rolling inside his body, it was a welcome change from sulking alone. By being here for her, he could forget all that he had turned himself into for Katherine Pierce.
And—if even for one fleeting moment—just be Damon Salvatore once again.
~Fin~