Author's note: Chapter ten! I know it's been so long but here it is. Hope you enjoy!

Unblessed Love

X. Fourteen Days II

Go and cut all my wires.

…

Second Week

Nine

The cup filled with blood was comfortably placed between Damon's lips and Bonnie got distracted for a moment.

"Stop doing that."

The vampire was reading one of her ancient magic books Elena brought to her the night before and he seemed really absorb by it. He barely looked back at her.

"Doing what?"

"The blood. Stop savor it, it's disgusting."

Damon's eyebrow rose for a moment. Then, he emptied his cup at a single draught and put it back on the table, smiling. She groaned.

"Great. You make me want to puke now."

His smile widened.

"Think about it as if it was tomato juice."

Bonnie feigned retching but the vampire just shrugged, looking back at the book without really paying attention to her protest. After a moment of silence, she glanced at the empty cup once more.

"How can you do it?" Her heart was accelerating in her chest while facing Damon inquisitive eyes again. She hesitated before finished the question. "How can you… control the hunger?"

Genuinely amused at her curiosity, the vampire closed the book to focus all his attention on the witch for the first time in the whole morning.

"I can't." His finger was brushing the empty cup of blood as it was burning like fire. "I just deal with it."

Suddenly, Bonnie felt a little overwhelmed by the seriousness of his voice and her eyes lowered. She tried a soft smile.

"That sounds like what an addict would say in a therapy session…"

Damon burst a laugh and her cheeks blushed abruptly.

"Blood is the worst addiction, witch. Trust me, I have known them all."

Her tone was playful again but his eyes were still watching her inquiringly.

"I'm still powerless. You could kill me right now if you wanted."

It wasn't a provocation, just simple facts. Damon seemed to think about it for a second.

"Yes, I could. But where would be the fun in that?"

A deliberate glance to her neckline and a big smile and she felt exposed, but he wasn't trying to make her feel any fear, quite the contrary, and that was a change she couldn't have expected in a thousand years.

Witches and vampires were possibly the most antagonistic creatures in the whole supernatural word she had recently discovered. The Salvatore brothers and all of their kind represented the destruction of the things she loved, and that's why she had been determined to fight against them, or at least to not to help them with their purposes. It was the call of her lineage and she must respect the memory of her family. But Elena was her family too and things got really complicated the moment she felt in love with Stefan and all the darkness Bonnie wanted to protect her from started to threaten their lives.

The witch had been fighting side by side with her natural enemy for her friends' safety but she had never believed in any good intentions coming from their part and she had never understood Elena's feelings of compassion and love for the vampires.

"I think I can understand it now."

Damon leaned closer, he was visibly disconcerted.

"I think you can't."

He was talking about the blood, of course, but she wasn't. Bonnie had felt that taste in her mouth before: salty, ferrous. But, fortunately, it wasn't in her nature to be attracted by it, so the vampire's blood dependence was something really disturbing for her. However, she knew one thing for sure now.

"I felt the darkness, Damon. It was cold and it was lonely and I was falling in a deep black hole of hate and misery…I was…I was going to kill my friends just to satisfy my lust for power."

Bonnie shivered at the memory, but she was looking firmly at Damon. The vampire seemed as surprised as she was of her sincerity, but some things needed to be said.

"No one is blaming you for that, Bonnie."

She took a deep breath, her lips trembling a little.

"I know. But I did what I did and I couldn't fight against it."

He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

"Well, it's not that easy. Some of us have needed a hundred years just to want to learn how to do it."

"But you do it." Her thoughts just keep bursting forth from her mouth. "You, Stefan, Caroline... You fight against your dark instincts every day…"Her voice lowered a little. "I understand now how hard it must be."

Once Bonnie stopped talking, she felt weird and vulnerable but strangely relieved. Damon was still watching her closely, but his expression had changed again, and now he seemed pleased.

"Wait a second… Was that a compliment?"

The witch instantly flushed red. Words piled up in her throat as she felt like a child who had been caught stealing candy.

"No it wasn't."

Damon started to laugh.

"Hell yes. It was definitely a compliment."

"Oh, shut up."

He was smirking at her, raising her eyebrows high and the warm and friendly feeling of the moment was certainly disconcerting for Bonnie.

Witches and vampires were enemies by nature and the two of them had already tried to kill each other a couple of times as a proof of the antagonism that had been there for hundreds of years. That was exactly how it was supposed to be and she had always thought that a couple of good actions from his part weren't enough to change that.

"Bonnie Bennet paying a compliment to a vampire like me, huh?" She rolled her eyes before Damon pretentious smile. "What is this? The end of the world?

She looked at him in silence for a second. After all what had happened, how could she possibly forget their entire heritage of death and revenge just to be her friend?

"Maybe it is."

Ten

She didn't know how long she had been sat there with her eyes closed in front of her algebra homework but, when she opened them again, Damon was in front of her, leaning on the door frame of the room.

"Hello there."

Bonnie blinked heavily a couple of times and took a deep breath.

"How long have you been here?"

Her voice sounded quite sleepy and far away. She closed the boring book and settled herself in the armchair.

"Long enough to know that you need to get out of this room now." He pushed the door with one gentle touch to left it wide open. "Let's go."

The witch needed a couple of seconds to assimilate what he was proposing. She looked at the open door first, then she looked at Damon, and back to the door again. She felt a sudden shot of panic.

"I can't."

"Of course you can." Damon went straight to her and took her left arm to help her up from the chair. Protest not being allowed. "The treatment is almost over and you are still powerless. You are not going to hurt anyone."

But Bonnie was frozen. She had spent too many days inside the Salvatore Mansion's walls and she felt terrified of going outside all of a sudden. The witch was still founding it hard to trust herself again after all that had happened.

"Come on, I've got something you don't want to miss."

She frowned. His enigmatic smile appeared in front of her eyes and the way he said those words, that smile and the fact that she had been enclosed for too long, were making curiosity stronger than fear.

"What thing?"

Damon shrugged while turning around to walk his way out of the room.

"You better come and see it yourself, witch."

After a brief moment of more pondering, Bonnie finally let her doubts go and followed him. Her legs were shaking.

…

The medieval fair was placed on the outskirts of the town and Damon drove her there. A Journey to a time of kings, queen and knights in shining armor was it slogan and it seemed very appropriate at just one glance.

The streets were lined with stores and stalls where independent vendors were selling medieval and Renaissance themed handcrafts, clothing, books, and artworks; and between the stages, there were plenty of costumed entertainers performing here and there, musical and theatrical acts and festival food.

Bonnie thought it was a beautiful place but it wasn't the first time she had visit a medieval fair, so she wasn't as amazed of being there as the vampire had insinuated. The witch was going to show him her disappointment when Damon pointed out a small stall.

"It's right there. I asked the seller to keep it for me."

"To keep what?"

The vampire was leading her through the crowd, ignoring her questions. Once they got there, the seller recognized Damon instantly and, after an exchange of nice words, the old woman gave him a carefully wrapped box. When Bonnie opened it, she couldn't believe what she was holding in her hands.

"Oh my God."

Bonnie looked amazed at Damon and he started to talk hurriedly.

"It's one of the books Elena brought to you, isn't it? I found it by accident yesterday and I thought you needed a better copy."

It was Eliphas Levi's Dogma and Ritual of High Magic. Twenty two chapters devoted to the Major Arcana, the twenty two trump cards of the tarot. Bonnie loved that book. She had a copy inherited from her grandmother but it was badly damaged and some parts had been lost. Her heart was beating hard in her chest.

"I don't know what to say."

Damon shrugged, he seemed a little uncomfortable.

"You don't have to say anything… Just don't use those spells against me."

She nodded in agreement.

"Deal."

The witch found their way back home too short when Damon stopped the car outside the Salvatore Mansion and smiled her goodbye.

Her room felt like a prison more than ever.

Eleven

It was 3 a.m. when Bonnie woke up suddenly, her pulse racing, her entire body sweating. She put her hand over her chest, where a second before there were blood and pain.

"You have to fight now. He is waiting for you."

The mysterious woman that was saying those words night after night wasn't real either but her nightmare was becoming more realistic each time and she was having trouble sleeping.

Bonnie got out of bed and, after a cold shower; she decided to take a walk around the house. Since her friends no longer considered necessary to enclosed her, the door of her room was unlocked, so she put a denim jacket on over her pajamas and walked down.

Everyone else was sleeping and the house was in complete silence. Bonnie went to the kitchen first, searching for something sweet to calm her anxiety. She was about to take a couple of chocolate cookies and a glass of milk when she heard a noise coming from the living room. The witch felt helpless without her powers for a moment, while thinking about the possibility of a potential threat coming, but then she heard a clicking of glasses and a laugh and the curiosity caught her.

Tying not to make a sound, she left her midnight food in the kitchen and walked along the hallway. The living room light was off but she could hear voices whispering coming from there. Bonnie pressed herself against the wall on the other side of the door and carefully peeked out through the frame.

Damon was there, lying on the coach and he wasn´t alone. A young and pretty blonde girl was with him and they seemed to be having a great time together. Her heart started to beat painfully faster. They were drinking, and kissing and laughing, and Bonnie felt heat rising in her cheeks when the girl sat on Damon's lap and the vampire brushed his lips across her neck. Then, the sudden urge to get out of there immediately slapped her when they started to get undress. Unfortunately she wasn't as quiet as she should have been and Damon saw her leaving in a hurry.

"Bonnie?" The witch heard his voice right behind her but she just walked quicker. "Bonnie! Wait!"

He caught up with her as she was running up the stairs, blocking her way. He had his shirt off and lipstick marks on his neck.

"Let me pass, Damon!"

She yelled a bit too loud, barely looking at him. She was feeling angry and embarrassed at the same time and she didn't know why. Her hands were shaking.

"What's going on? Are you ok? You are not in the room…"

She was trying to move away from him, but Damon was grabbing her by the arms.

"I'm fine! Just let me go!"

The witch tried to look resolutely at him, and after a few seconds of intense gaze, the vampire finally released her. He was remaining close, though.

"What are you doing up so late and hanging around the house?" His tone wasn't accusatory but worried. "You sure you are ok?"

She took a deep breath, trying to sound calmer.

"I'm ok. I couldn't sleep, that's all." He was still too close, not really convinced. His piercing eyes, his bare chest and his dark hair disheveled were suffocating her. Bonnie was really confused by the feeling and she pulled back a little. "I'm going back to bed now. Sorry to interrupt you."

As Damon was momentarily taken aback by her last words, she could finally make her way through the stairs and move towards her room. After a moment, his voice sounded right behind her again.

"Listen, Bonnie. I don't know what you saw or what you think you saw but I just…"

"I didn't see anything, Damon." She cut him off quickly, turning around to look at him. "And I don't care."

The vampire took a moment to look deeply at her.

"You sound like you do."

She let out a nervous giggle. The whole situation was surpassing her.

"Oh, please. Don't make me laugh." He was moving toward her and she stepped back until her body found the door frame. She was trying not to shutter. "I just hope she isn't your midnight snack… Aside from that you can do anything you want."

"Can I?

His eyes were all around her and she felt trapped. The witch saw herself reflected in them. Her voice trembling, her hands shaking, her heavy breathing.

"Damon?" A shrill voice startled them. "What are you doing?"

Bonnie moved immediately apart. They had forgotten about the blonde girl, and now she was staring at them and shouting from downstairs. The vampire moved away as well, safety space recovered between them. He tried to say something but Bonnie talked first.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. He is all yours."

Avoiding Damon's gaze, she stepped into the room. He tried to follow her but she had regained the little common sense she had left.

"Bonnie…"

"Good night, Damon. My apologies to the blonde."

She shut the door under his nose, feeling like an idiot.

Twelve

It was an unexpected hot night and the windows in her room were open. Bonnie was sitting in front of the biggest one, her eyes closed while feeling the gentle breeze brushing on her face.

It had been a weird day. The incident with Damon was making her feel awkward, even if it had been just a silly encounter that the rest of the house wasn't even aware of. But the fact that the vampire hadn't show in the whole morning wasn't helping. Thankfully, she had only two vervain doses left and then the treatment will be over. In two days she could go home being completely sure of her recovered self and regain her powers at last.

She was wishing it more than ever.

Bonnie was finally relaxing with that thought when she noticed a ripple in the air and heard a flapping. She opened her eyes just in time to see how the crow slipped clumsily into the room. The witch jumped up from the chair.

Between one blink and the next, Damon appeared in front of her, rolling along the floor. He hit her body hard against the table.

"Damon! What the hell?"

It took him a couple of seconds to react. Then he stared to laugh feverishly. When Boonie approached to him, she caught a whiff of Bourbon and all the nerves in her body started working like an alarm system.

"Are you drunk?"

He stood up with difficulty, still laughing.

"Not drunk enough."

Bonnie was angry and confused.

"What are you doing here?"

He spread out his hands and shrugged.

"I don't know."

"Damon!"

"I don't know, Bonnie!" Words burst violently from his mouth, silencing her protest, and neither of them moved or talked for a few seconds. Finally, the vampire threw himself upon the bed, lowering his voice a little. "I just keep coming…" He seemed suddenly tired. "Why do I keep coming?"

The witch felt a shiver run down her spine. That question had been floating between them since she regained her sanity and his company was no longer necessary. She swallowed past the lump in her throat to give him and herself the easy answer.

"Elena asked for it and you would do anything for her. You told me."

Damon closed his eyes and sighed.

"I would do anything for her and she knows it."

Bonnie frowned for a moment.

"That should have sounded a little more comforting."

The vampire chucked. He stood up from the bed and looked at Bonnie with sleepy eyes.

"It's not always a good as it seems. To prove that you are trying to do the right thing all the time is very tired."

She raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"All the time?"

The vampire's sharp smile shined.

"Well…most of the time."He tousled his hair for a moment before continuing. "I want to apologize for last night."

"You don't have to."

"Yes, I have."

Her eyes narrowed.

"You really think Elena will love you if you prove her that you are a good guy, don't you?"

Damon took a couple of steps toward her, letting out a short laugh.

"I know it's a bit more complicated than just being a good guy…but I owe her the try." She looked at him intrigued and waited for a clearer answer. "You know, the whole chaos and bleeding and death…she thinks I'm capable of better things. No one has showed that faith in me in a long time. I owe her for that."

"Even if she never comes to love you as you expect?"

Bonnie thought the conversation was becoming too intimate but neither of them seemed to want to stop it, and she had always been curious about Damon's love obsession for her best friend. Damon smiled turned wistful and she wondered how much vulnerable a vampire could be.

"For a vampire like me love was never a blessing anyway, so it would be nothing new."

The sound of his rough voice was very distracting. She blinked a few times to force his eyes to focus.

"It shouldn't be complicated." She glanced down at her feet and took a breath. Words seemed to come out easily then. "To be loved by someone. It shouldn't be so complicated. Just...you know, it should come along naturally."

Her eyes meet his again.

"Maybe you are right."

"Then, why are you insisting?"

Damon took a few steps more towards her, his piercing eyes sparkled.

"Because I remember how it felt to be loved." She became even more aware of the vampire shameless proximity and her heart soared. He leaned over to whisper in her ear. "And it felt so damn good."

Bonnie was feeling his lips almost touching her skin and her world started spinning around. He looked deeply into her eyes once again and then he brushed her hair from her neck with a gentle touch.

"Damon…what are you doing?"

"Hell if I know..."

He waited a couple of second for some kind of rejection from her part but she didn't move. His hand was stroking her chin and her lips were trembling; all her body was shaking now. He leaned closer and when his lips touched hers, Bonnie realized with astonishment how much she had been waiting for that kiss since their last night encounter.

It was gentle and slow at first, then the pressure between their bodies grew as they hugged each other tightly closer. His fingers tangled in her hair, her arms urgently placed around his body. Their mouths wanting, searching, tasting. And setting the world on fire.

It may have been just a few seconds or all eternity of madness before Bonnie broke the kiss to breathe and to regain her sanity, her eyes still closed for a moment.

When she opened them again, he was gone.

Thirteen

She slumped to the floor, her chest bleeding profusely with a big cut on it. She thought she was about to die when a woman who couldn't see well but who seemed very familiar swept into the room and knelt next to her.

"Don't worry. I heard the call."

She tried to speak but her chest was hurting too much. The woman took her hand.

"You have to fight now. He is waiting for you."

She closed her eyes for a second, fighting for breath. When she opened them again, the woman and the blood were gone.

She was standing in the middle of an empty and dark room except for the faint glow of light she could see seeping under the door. She walked toward it and after a moment of hesitation, she opened it.

The light blinded her for a few seconds. She waited for her eyes to adjust to the light, and then she looked around.

She was in the middle of a forest now, the same place where she had been poisoned. She took a couple of steps back and glanced around to follow what seemed the sound of some water falling down. She walked for a while in that direction until a bathtub appeared in front of her.

She could see two silhouettes too. She gave a start when she got closer and saw that one of them was a young girl that was almost drowning inside the bathtub. She approached a little more to them to see the dark haired man that was holding the girl better but she couldn't watch either of their faces clearly.

She spoke to the man.

"What are you doing?"

He had beautiful blue eyes.

"Saving her life."

Bonnie woke up suddenly again. Her body was sweating, her mouth was dry. She got up to open the window and breathe some air, and her mind floated to the night before, with the memory of Damon kiss still burning in her lips.

Fourteen

Bonnie looked at her empty last vervain dose and sighed. The treatment was over. She will be at home soon and, in a few hours, her life would be the same as usual after such a long time. She felt a knot in her stomach at the thought, her body shaking a little.

Damon hasn't even appeared to see her since that night.

The witch took a deep breath. Her room was impregnated with his presence and she needed to get out of there. She opened the small suitcase Elena had brought to her and started to collect her things.

She would feel better once she regained her powers, she was sure of it. She could forget about Damon and the whole damn kiss that was giving her no rest. Bonnie had been thinking about it for the last two days and she was decided to do something with those feeling that were making her crazy.

She took a couple of her ancient books between her hands.

Leaving the Salvatore Mansion will help her to ride the memory of those feelings. That was the first step in her plan.

Her magic would do the rest.