So I'm trying to wrap this up in this chapter, but I think I'm enjoying this storyline WAY too much! Hopefully I will tie up all loose ends before I actually finish this. And if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I want to make sure everything is clarified for you all.

With that note…I'm sure you all know I don't own any of these characters but I sure do have fun playing with them!

Enjoy!

10

Bonnie

6 months…

It had been 6 months since we had left Fell's Church. Elena and Meredith had called everyday for a while, but their calls had become fewer and more infrequent in the last few weeks.

I sat across from Damon in our new Sebring convertible, the salty coastal air whipping my hair around my face. We had fled to California, Malibu to be exact, where we were sure no one knew us. It was Damon's choice, of course. I had never been this far out West. I talked to my parents weekly, telling them about my new college courses. Somehow, Damon had gotten me into Pepperdine University. My mind still reeled at how much money he probably had to throw their way to get me in.

We were living as a young couple, me getting my degree in medicine, and him living as a rich Italian heir. Our house was phenomenal, up in the hills of Malibu. This was exactly what I had always wanted as a little girl, all without the vampire aspect. Beautiful home, fabulous and gorgeous man, and all the money I knew what to do with.

The only thing missing was me.

None of this was me. Not the Bonnie McCullough from Fell's Church, Virginia, whose parents were one of the only couples that had stood the test of time. Most of my friends had parents who had divorced and remarried, and some were even living with other relatives. There was no sign of the Bonnie I had been, just the Bonnie I saw every morning in the mirror now. I didn't know her, and though I didn't exactly hold any ill feelings toward her, I had to admit I didn't really dislike her.

She was beautiful, but because Damon had made her. I could see parts of me in there, like when I laughed or when we were together at home alone. But when we were in public, I was her. The gorgeous woman who deserved to be on Damon Salvatore's arm at the posh restaurants.

Damon cleared his throat, pulling through the huge wrought iron gate and up to our front door. "Cara," he said, reaching over and taking my hand. "I think we should talk about something."

"Hmm..?" I said, finally listening to him.

"Your friends." He looked out the windshield and then back at me. I could tell he was trying to find a way to say whatever it was he was thinking, but since we had been together, his demeanor had totally changed. He was no longer quick to jump into his angry mode. His most prominent desire was making me happy. "You miss them."

I noticed it wasn't a question, but more of a statement. "Yes," I whispered.

I felt his cool fingers touch my chin, bringing my face up to look at him. His fingers brushed my bottom lip that I hadn't noticed had jutted out in a pout. "You need to see them. And I'm willing to do what I can to make that happen."

My eyes widened at him, and I knew he meant all but one. He would never allow Matt to see me. I had to be ok with that if I wanted to keep things pleasant between us. "Really? You would do that?"

Damon chuckled lightly. "Yes, but I have some…requests…Is that ok?" He took my hand and turned it over, kissing the inside of my wrist and sending chills up my spine.

I had to blink a few times before it sunk in. What's the catch? But I didn't lower my block to let him hear it. I knew there would be stipulations to his 'gift'. One I automatically knew, but he did say requests, meaning there had to be more than one. "Um, ok? I know of one. But I'm not sure what else you could possibly-"

"Marry me."

* * * * * * *

I felt myself on the couch, Damon holding my hand, willing me to open my eyes.

I couldn't possibly have heard him right. There was no way he wanted to be my…

Husband…

I giggled softly at the word and opened my eyes to his deep black ones. He was so close and I could feel his breath coming in shallow spurts. He took one deep one and pulled me into his arms, breathing in my hair. "Did I scare you?" He laughed lightly.

"Scare me? No. But you did take me by total surprise." I sat up slowly, with his help. He sat next to me placing his hand lightly on my knee.

"So is that a yes?" His eyes twinkled and I tried to read his thoughts. I was finding it easier and easier with every blood exchange, but this time he was blocking me.

Ah, ah, ah. Trying to read my thoughts now? I finally heard from him, and I blushed, looking away from him.

"I just don't understand why you would want to marry me, Damon. It's not like I…"

Damon pulled me onto his lap, cupping my face in his hands. "Apparently I need to remind you what you do to me." He kissed me, slowly at first and then deepening the kiss. Normally he would stop at a certain point, but he kept going, his hand snaking up the back of my polo shirt and resting on the back strap of my bra. I felt my pulse quicken and when he broke the kiss, he traveled down to my neck, chuckling. "I can't resist you anymore, rossa. I know you hold your gift very close to your heart, and are not willing to give it to just anyone. I want to be the one to receive that gift."

I didn't have to ask what he meant. He knew I took my virginity very seriously, and for him to ask to be the one to receive that gift…It blew my mind. I had no idea what to say. But I knew deep down that he was the only one I wanted to give that gift to.

He brought his head up to look at me. His eyebrow raised in question.

"Yes."

* * * * * * *

Damon

I had to laugh.

I had never asked a woman to marry me before, but I was pretty positive most women wouldn't faint at the question, and much less when asked in the car. But Bonnie wasn't like most women. And it was the only way…

I wanted her. Her mind, her spirit, her body. We had already exchanged enough blood that she was becoming more like me every day, so much that if she were to…die…tomorrow. I stopped myself. I knew exactly what would happen. But the thought of anything harming her was stifling.

That was when I knew I wouldn't be without her. And the sooner we made it official, the sooner we could have her friends come out to see her. I used the term loosely. Not once since we had left Fell's Church had they wanted to come out to see her. There were nights while she slept that I would take the form of the crow and fly back to see what they were all doing, and where their thoughts were. Many times they spoke of Bonnie, but Mutt would leave the room. His thoughts were the easiest to follow.

Some nights he would wander around the city, sulking that he lost two women to my kind. I found myself chuckling most of those nights. I didn't recall him ever letting Bonnie know he saw her as more than a friend before I came back. And I only knew of the one time that he had ever put his lips on her. I cringed with the memory every time it invaded my thoughts.

On one night in particular, I followed Mutt listening to him and stopped in mid-flight. He had planned on asking my Bonnie to come home…to him. He planned on making her his…wife. He had everything planned out exactly. From what he would wear to how he would give her the ring his father had given his mother, before he upgraded her to a larger diamond. I swallowed back the bile that had risen in my throat listening to his plans. He wanted her…in his bed, and that was how he had intended to propose.

That night was my deciding factor. I would beat him to it. And my advantage was that I knew she'd say yes. What I wasn't sure of was why Mutt decided he wanted my Bonnie. I suppose since Elena had already been taken by my brother, and Meredith was dating the teacher who pretended to be a 'vampire hunter' of sorts… I was disgusted with the thought that Bonnie was his second best. She would always be more than that to me. I could see her as nothing less.

Another night I heard Stefan's irritating voice calling to me. I hadn't intended to stop, but my curiosity got the better of me. I landed quietly on the roof of the boarding house as Stefan walked out of the shadows. "You rang?"

Stefan heard the sarcasm in my voice and waved it off. "This ends tonight."

I chuckled, feigning surprise and pointing to my chest. "Why brother, I'm not sure what you mean." I cocked my head to the side, daring him to speak further.

"You know exactly what I mean, Damon. I've let this go on long enough. You can't do this to her. You cannot change her." Stefan's fists clenched and I raised my eyebrow at him, a slow smile spreading across my lips.

"How do you know I haven't already?" There was no way to tell if he did or not, not unless I probed his mind. And though I still had most of my strength, I hadn't fed in a couple of days. So I didn't try to push through. Amazingly enough, though, his guard was down.

You haven't. I would know. He said in my head. I still exchange blood with Elena, and I can reach all the way out to you.

I laughed aloud, and felt a snap in my head. Stefan had pulled me back to him mentally. What the hell?

He nodded. Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way. It's your choice.

And what would you know of choices, brother? I threw at him. You think I forced Bonnie into loving me. His face faltered and I saw his thoughts about my relationship with my rossa. I chuckled again. Oh, you have no idea. You see, I said in my head, walking over to him, she called for me. I came back because she wanted me. And now she will be like me.

Stefan settled into a crouch and I held back another laugh. "Do you really want to do this, brother?" I crossed my arms over my chest. "You do realize what hurting me will do to Bonnie, don't you?"

Stefan stood straight then, and yelled at me in his mind. Her ties are too strong! You have no idea what our blood is doing to her! And what may happen if she becomes one of us!

I nodded. I see…You're worried about her Power. Stefan nodded this time. You're right, as much as I hate to admit it. I began to pace on the roof, looking down at my steps. She has Druid blood. Combined with our own that could be very powerful-

Or deadly, Stefan finished in my head. Did you ever stop to think that it could kill her?

In actuality, I hadn't. There of course were no known cases of anything like that ever happening. No one had ever written stories about vampires and witches coming together. Well, not non-fiction anyway. So of course there would be speculation on the matter, but nothing concrete. Hm…I guess I'll have to look into that…

I heard Stefan's growl and my head snapped as he lunged at me. I turned just in time to see him fly past me and off the roof, and in another instant he was back in front of me, his hands coming to my throat. It caught me off guard and I grabbed his wrists as he squeezed harder, attempting to cut off my air supply. Damnit Damon! When will you think of someone other than yourself?

I pulled his hands from my neck, narrowing my eyes at him as he screamed in my head. I threw him to the side as my chest started heaving. You have no idea, brother, what my thoughts are! Do not ever mistake your place as Bonnie savior again. Do I make myself clear?!

Stefan stood then, looking just over my shoulder and I turned to see Elena standing there on the roof, a frightened look on her face. "Damon…" she began, walking toward me with her hands outstretched. "Please understand that we love Bonnie so very much. None of us can bear the thought of anything happening to her."

This time it was her I narrowed my eyes at, and I flinched when she touched my arm. I felt the purity of her words, and it was as if the angel Elena was back, standing before me. The memories of their childhood together flooded my eyes as I saw them as clear as day, like they were playing out on a screen over my vision. I saw their early school days, the first crushes they each had and how Bonnie's heart had been broken when the imbecille chose Caroline Forbes over her. It had been that way for years, and the next memory shocked even Elena.

The first time Matt had kissed Elena, and Bonnie watched, heartbroken again, in the shadows.

I heard Stefan's breath catch behind me as he watched, stunned into silence.

Bonnie felt she always came second to Elena.

From day one Bonnie had felt inadequate next to this golden haired goddess that everyone else adored. I will never allow anyone to make her feel that way again.

Elena's sobs broke through my thoughts and I looked at her, but this time I really saw her. And she saw me. We could still communicate effectively in our minds and the look in her eyes beseeched me. You love her. Not a question.

Yes.

And you will protect her at all cost.

With my very life.

Then you have my blessing.

I nodded, and immediately began my flight back to my vita.

* * * * * * *

Bonnie

The sun was bright in our bedroom window, and I felt the breeze coming in through the French doors that led to our balcony. My eyes opened to the most glorious sight I remembered ever seeing.

Damon stood, leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed across his chest with his head down, looking up at me through his coal black lashes. The smile on his lips was infectious, and I felt myself being drawn to him before I knew what was happening.

I stood, letting the button down shirt of his I had worn to bed the night before fall to rest on my thighs. "I promise you, cara," he whispered without moving, "that is quite possibly the most beautiful sight I have ever seen."

I felt the blush creep into my cheeks, making me warm from the inside. "What?" I stuttered. "Me?"

He nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. I reached him, slipping my arms around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss. I heard a low growl from deep in his chest, and I smiled against his lips. "You smell like the ocean. Did you sleep at all?"

He pulled back and chuckled into my hair, pulling my hair around over my shoulder and kissing me behind my ear. "Of course I did, rossa. What would make you ask that?"

I shrugged with my head resting against his chest. "I dunno, I just get the feeling you haven't been sleeping much."

I knew his moods better than my own lately, and when he wasn't sleeping he was more irritable. Of course, not feeding would make him just as irritable, but I knew he had fed last night. My sore neck was proof of that. So no sleep was more than likely the case. I pulled back to look at him and raked my nails over his chest through his shirt, eliciting a moan from him as he bent down to kiss me again.

Kissing Damon was something I never saw myself tiring of. Between the sounds we made, and the way he felt against me as we kissed, everything had a strangely erotic feel to it, no matter where we were or who was around.

I also didn't see myself staying a virgin for long if we kept this up.

Damon chuckled, and I knew he had heard what I was thinking. "We can easily remedy that, cara. You just say the word."

I pulled back to look into his eyes. "I already did."

He looked down at me with an inquisitive look. "I don't think I heard you then. Please," he raised an eyebrow at me, "tell me again."

I took his hands in mine, walking us back to the bed and biting my lips. "I told you I'd marry you."

Damon nodded, smiling slowly. "Ah, that you did." He looked down and when he looked back up at me, the expression in his eyes could be taken as deadly or intensely sexual. Knowing Damon, I assumed the latter. "Rossa…cara…" he said, taking my face in his hands. "I think there's something you're looking for."

"Um, what?" I had a beautiful house overlooking the beach, the best clothes, a beautiful flashy car, and best of all, Damon. I couldn't think of anything else I could want more.

Damon smiled, virtually illuminating the room even more, and dropped his hands. He turned away from me, walking back to where he was when I had first seen him this morning, but he didn't turn back to face me. "What would you say if I could promise you your friends' blessing for us to be together?" He turned to me slowly, gauging my reaction.

I grinned, knowing that he would only bring it up if it were at all possible. "I'd say there was a good chance I would love you forever."

Damon's eyes widened for just a moment before he regained his composure. "I don't think I've ever heard you say anything like that before." He walked back over to me and took my hands in his again. "So, that's something that would make you happy then?"

"Of course!" I squealed, my excitement getting the better of me. "But," my face fell with the thought, "what if you… can't?"

Damon smiled wickedly. "You have to know that I have my ways of persuasion, amore."

I shook my head, looking down at where our fingers were joined. "No," I whispered, feeling the tears start to form and threaten to spill. "I don't want you to use your Power. I want them to want us to be happy together. Either they're happy of their own accord, or they have nothing to do with us ever again. I don't want to keep looking for a blessing that may never come."

I felt his fingers under my chin, urging me to look at him. "Bonnie," he whispered against my temple. I closed my eyes, breathing in the scent that was all Damon. It reminded me of a crisp winter day in Fell's Church. "I've heard their thoughts, Elena's in particular. She's fiercely protective of you, but she wants you to be happy." He was barely whispering, and normally I would have to strain to hear him, but there was no need now. "I spoke with her a few months ago." I opened my eyes and looked up at him. "My brother brought up a point, actually. And in the conversation, Elena…gave us…her blessing."

I saw him looking down at me and I could feel the hope start to build within me. I tried to force it down so that it wouldn't hurt when the rug was pulled out from under me, shattering the life I was trying to build with Damon. But in looking in his eyes, I saw nothing but truth. He nodded while he looked into my eyes, answering my question before it was even asked. "She…she did?"

"Yes. But not before my brother had something to say."

"Yeah, I heard you mention something about that. You said he had a point. What was it?"

Damon's eyes went blank for a second and then he smiled at me. "Nothing." He kissed the top of my head. "It's nothing, cara. We can talk later." He lifted me into his arms, and my legs wrapped around his waist. "Do we have to wait until the wedding night?"

We both laughed and I hit him on the arm. "Damon! You do want to make me an honest woman, don't you?"

He growled low, and threw me onto the bed, following directly behind.

Yeah, this wedding would have to take place quickly.

* * * * * * *

Elena

Because Bonnie was like a sister to me, I had to do my research. Damon told me he loved her, and more importantly, he showed me through his thoughts how intense that love was. Part of me had been jealous, for only a second. No woman had affected Damon this way in a very long time, and the vain part of me had wanted to credit myself, but I had everything I wanted in Stefan Salvatore, not Damon. And Damon had found his love in our Bonnie.

I had paced the boarding house foyer like a mad woman. Stefan had been to the library, looking things up in Honoria Fell's diary, and still nothing came up about vampires changing witches. We had a theory about it, of course, but neither of us wanted to put it to the test.

His Power, once she was dead and changed into what he was, could kill her.

None of us wanted to think about it, and we wanted to test that theory even less. I hadn't spoken to Bonnie about it, but we would eventually have to broach the subject. I looked out the small window of the airplane as we headed to Los Angeles. Stefan was asleep next to me, and Meredith was across the aisle with Alaric. The only one missing was Matt. He had faked finals or something to get out of the trip, but if Meredith was done, so was Matt. I knew there was something behind this for him, but I didn't press him. He and Stefan both had told me about the kiss he had shared with Bonnie before she left, and though normally it would sting, the whole 'best-friends-don't-date-each-other's-exes' rule still firmly in place, I had Stefan for the rest of my life. I had no reason to be angry with either Bonnie or Matt, and I wasn't.

But everything would be much easier if Matt conceded to Bonnie's choice.

The plane landed, and we all stepped into the baggage claim, everyone silent. I heard Alaric clear his throat and we all looked at him expectantly. He shook his head, and we all looked back down at our baggage.

Everyone climbed into the taxi, and Stefan sat in the front with the driver, leaning over to give him the address to where we were going. The driver's eyebrows went up in surprise, and Stefan merely nodded. We all knew where Damon had bought the house, and though it was extravagant in location, we imagined that Bonnie's taste had been incorporated into the décor. She was bubbly, but homey, and it was sure to show in the rooms.

No one spoke. I assumed everyone was too afraid of what might happen when we got to the house. I could feel the tension Stefan was trying to hold in. It's ok, everything will be fine, I projected his way, and I saw him smile over his shoulder at me. He was dreading this most of all. We all knew how easily this could turn ugly, and no one wanted anything to happen to Bonnie. She was in the middle, no matter how you looked at it.

The gate was beautiful…and big. But it was nothing compared to the house. It looked like something you would see only in movies, and I was almost positive I had. Some movie shot in the hills of Hollywood or something… I shook my head to clear my thoughts and we all took a breath. This was going to be a big day.

* * * * * * *

Damon

Damn!

I heard my brother's thoughts as soon as he stepped off the plane. He was angry. Ha, and he's coming here to convince Bonnie to leave with them.

I tried my best to block my thoughts from Bonnie. There was no reason to upset her, and clearly this was meant to be an ambush. There was no way I could get Bonnie to leave today, though. She was dead set on making out these wedding plans. We would be getting married in less than a week. The blessing Elena had given gave her the incentive to do things right away, and I was in no mood to stop her. The passion and lust emanating off of her overwhelmed me, and I knew that once she was mine in the legal sense, she wouldn't hesitate to be mine in the physical sense. I welcomed her advances, and she was beginning to make it very difficult to resist her.

They're close now… I tried to make myself busy with something, but everything had been done already. The house was spotless, thanks to our housekeepers. Wedding plans were all but solidified with Bonnie's touch. There was nothing left to do but…

Damn! The knock at the door resonated throughout the house. I heard Bonnie suck a breath in, and her thoughts were everywhere. I wonder who that could be? Damon didn't say we were expecting any visitors today…

I saw her small frame appear at the top of the stairs and she caught my attention immediately. Her eyebrows raised and she thought to me, Well? Are you gonna answer the door? She chuckled lightly and started coming down the stairs.

I didn't look as I opened the large double doors, my eyes still trained on her feet as she walked, and I heard her gasp.

Mutt stood on the step, glaring at me.

"Game over, Salvatore. You lose."