"I know that I have told you this several times on the drive over here, but you look absolutely beautiful in that dress," Matt Donovan grinned as he led Bonnie Bennett over the threshold leading into the Salvatore's Boarding House. The Bennett witch smiled bashfully as a deep blush tinted her darkened cheeks. She was wearing a beautiful backless lacy black gown that clung to her petite figure and swept the floor around her feet. Her hair was combed neatly and held back by rhinestone comb. Her makeup consisted of light black eyeliner making her olive green eyes appear chic and intense and her slender mouth was painted with crimson red lipstick. While Bonnie wasn't particularly fond of wearing heels, Caroline had absolutely refused to let her leave the boutique until she bought shoes to go with the dress and the minimum requirement had been six inches.

"Thank you, Matt. You clean up nicely yourself," she murmured taking a moment to appreciate how handsome the former quarterback looked in the sharply tailored black suit with the silky skinny tie.

After the shopping trip, Bonnie had called Matt to accompany her to the event that evening and fortunately he had been every bit as date less as she had been. Seeing that it was both convenient and sensible, they had decided to go together for the sake of not having to bear the humiliation of showing up single and lonely. Making her way to the main room of the Boarding House, Bonnie's olive green eyes did a quick scan of the room. The room was filled with the soft sounds of classical music, delicious smells of various fancy appetizers, and warm conversation. Glancing around at the decor, Bonnie felt a smile stretch across her lips as she realized that once again, Caroline had managed to out do herself. There were small candles lit everywhere casting mysterious shadows across the four walls, crystal chandeliers hung elegantly and different exotic flower arrangements were placed strategically around the room. The atmosphere was warm and inviting and the set up was stunning.

Smiling brightly, she noticed that Alaric, Jo, Tyler, Liv, Kai and several other guests had already arrived and was mingling and socializing with each other from various corners of the room. Catching her gaze, Alaric smiled warmly in her direction before grabbing the dark haired woman's hand next to him, and leading her across the room towards her. The last time she had seen her former history teacher had been when she had freed him from the Other Side, and before that, it had been quite some time that had passed since they had last had a real conversation. Alaric Saltzman and Bonnie weren't very close, but he had been there for her when she had dealt with Jeremy's betrayal with his dead ex girlfriend, and she had bought him back from the brink of death despite the several different times he had tried killing her. Despite all of the good and bad things that they have gone through, they were connected and she considered him as not only her ally, but her friend.

Unable to contain her joy, she closed the distance between her and the couple and embraced the occult professor tightly. As he returned her affection fervently, she closed her eyes blinking back the tears that were forming at the corner of her eyes. The feeling of connecting with a long time friend was indescribable. Moments later when they had pulled apart, she was surprised to find her former history's teacher eyes clouded over with tears as well as he stared down at her tenderly.

"You have no idea how great is to see you again! I wanted to wait until the evening got well under way to do this, but I guess now is as good of a time as any," he said with an eager smile before guiding his fiance in front of him proudly, "Bonnie...I would like you to meet my fiance, Jo. Jo, this is Bonnie Bennett. She, as you know, is the reason why I was able to find the love of my life the love of my life and gain the family I never thought that I would ever have."

Jo smiled warmly as they exchange a friendly handshake.

"I must say that Elena and Ric has spoken very fondly of you and it is such a pleasure and honor to meet you. I have you thank for going above and beyond your role as the anchor to bring him back, we wouldn't be together preparing to tie the knot and start a family," she gushed happily.

Bonnie felt her breath catch in her throat as she spotted the loving and tender gaze exchanged between the former vampire hunter and the former witch. Holding hands, their fingers intertwined as Jo's blue eyes were shining with adoration and happiness. Alaric had never had the best of luck whenever it came to his love life. His first wife had broke his heart when he had thought she had been killed by a vampire, only to be devastated by the truth that the woman he had loved had voluntarily turned. It had also devastated him to know that the entire time that had been married, she had kept the secret that she had a daughter, Elena, when she was a teenager. Time after time, Alaric would find himself on the bad side of the Hunter spelled ring and supernatural agony, but now that he was with Jo, it seemed that he may have finally found his happily ever after and that made Bonnie's couldn't be happier for them.

"Listen, Bonnie. you have been through more than anyone your age should ever have to endure in a lifetime. You survived a lot of difficult situations that even the strongest people would have faltered under and you are a survivor. You have my respect, my loyalty and admiration for all the sacrifices you have made in keeping those around you safe and sound. I know words cannot do enough justice to express how appreciative I am for your countless sacrifice, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you," he said humbled before stepping forward and embracing her once again.

As a warm murmur of approval spread throughout the room, Bonnie pulled back from Alaric's strong arms and suddenly everyone's attention turned to Kai who had cleared his throat while making his way into the center of the room. Watching him warily, Bonnie felt herself moan involuntarily as she quietly appreciated how how handsome and dignified he looked in the casual black slacks and the crisp white shirt that was opened at the collar, exposing the smoothness of his tan and slender throat. Their eyes locked and when he smiled in her direction, she felt her heart beat quicken before tearing her gaze away as she felt a hot blush flood throughout her entire body.

"Following in the footsteps of my soon to be brother- in -law, I would also like to make a toast," Kai announced suddenly as he stepped forward and lifted the glass slightly in the air.

Bonnie arched in an dark eyebrow curiously as she focused all of her attention on the Gemini witch.

"First off, let me say that I am very humbled and honored to be among you celebrating the engagement of Alaric to my sister, Jo. I know that many of you know me as a person who have bought unimaginable pain in our families life, and as much as I want to prove that I am a different person than I was, I know that only time will reveal that truth. I have thought long and hard of what I can do to make amends, and I want you to know that I am relinquishing my position as the current leader of the Gemini coven to your children," he revealed causing several gasps to erupt across the room.

Jo's blue eyes widened with disbelief.

"Kai, are you serious?" she gasped stunned.

He nodded somberly.

"After everything I have done to you and this family, the best gift I could ever give you is peace and security in knowing that I will never harm your or your family...ever," he said honestly, his voice cracking lightly with emotion, "When your twins are born and when the coven holds the christening, I will give them my leadership over the coven as their natural birthright. I will no longer be able to hurt you or any of our coven again."

A quiet, and happy sob escaped Jo's lips as she handed her glass of water to her Alaric before rushing into Kai's arms.

Bonnie inhaled sharply, feeling a single tear escape the corner of her eye as she watched the twins embrace tearfully in the middle of the room. Bonnie knew that the only thing that had once mattered to Kai was being the leader of the coven and having nearly unlimited power. It had been the only thing that had driven his ambition and blood lust when he had murdered his siblings that had stood between him and what he had perceived to be his birthright, but watching him step down and give away his position caused something inside of Bonnie to crumble. She had been suspicious of Kai, but the fact that he had been willing to sacrifice his soul to save Lily along with the fact that he was now relinquishing his power to his twin, showed that he in fact was a very different person and she was beginning to like what she was seeing.

Grabbing a flute of champagne from a passing waiter cater, Bonnie felt herself grow tense and nervous as Kai locked eyes with her and slowly begin to make his way towards her. She wanted to turn and walk in the opposite direction, but she knew that by doing so, she would be giving him the satisfaction of knowing that he left her feeling unnerved and shaken by his mere presence due to the palpable sexual tension between them, so reluctantly, she decided to stay put.

As he stopped several inches away from her, she inhaled sharply and forced a smile.

"That was an incredible gesture that you made for your sister," she said softly.

"Thanks," he said sounding distracted as he stared at her with a appreciative smile on his slender lips, "I hope you don't mind me saying, but you look incredible. I mean...wow."

"Thank you," she mumbled suddenly feeling vulnerable and exposed.

"If your date doesn't mind, I would like it if we can have a moment alone?" he requested, his eyes never leaving Bonnie's face.

Matt opened hims mouth to protest, but the Bennett witch gave him a look that immediately silenced him. The last thing she wanted to do was have a public conversation with Kai, but she knew that if she refused she would continue to feel awkward and nervous and given the fact that Caroline didn't plan to let her leave until after desert had been served, Bonnie figured that it would be best to clear the air as soon as possible.

"Are you sure that you are going to be okay alone with him?" Matt murmured concerned.

"It's okay, Matt," she promised as she left her friend's side and took a step towards Kai, "I am surrounded by very strong vampires who won't hesitate to rip his heart out if he so much as makes a move against me, so you have nothing to worry about," she promised as she slipped her hand inside of his and squeezed it reassuringly.

Matt cast one last haughty glare in Kai's direction before reluctantly making his way across the room over to where Tyler and Liv was standing around snacking on appetizers they snagged from one of the passing waiters. Kai watched the former high school quarterback retreat with amusement etched deeply into his handsome face before he turned his attention and focus back on the beautiful woman standing in front of him.

"You have spent the past week avoiding me." It was more of a statement than a question.

Bonnie sighed softly as she tightly clutched the stem of her wine glass before forcing herself to meet his piercing gaze. Licking her lips nervously, she opened her mouth to explain, but she was surprised when he gently grabbed her hand and guided her into his arms to dance. She looked up to see Matt looking in her direction suspiciously, but she smiled nodding her consent before he reluctantly decided to stay put.

"I didn't know what to say to you, so I thought it was better if I just kept my distance," she confessed softly.

"Well maybe I should do all of the talking," he murmured as he stared down at her with an heavy look in his bluish gray eyes.

She swallowed nervously as she felt the heat of his touch as his hand lingered on her lower back.

"We can't have this conversation now," she growled nervously.

He smiled amused as he pulled her body close o his until they were touching.

"Why? Are you afraid of your little friends fighting out that sweet little Bonnie Bennett is attracted to the resident Gemini freak?" he inquired causing her blush to deepen, "FYI...I'm not talking about the one who is having twins."

"Can you keep your voice down? I don't need all the people who respects me to know that I allowed you to kiss me in a moment of weakness," she mumbled uncomfortably.

"Where was all of this concern for self respect when you practically shoved your tongue down my throat? he inquired innocently.

"Kai," she moaned wearily.

He chuckled huskily as he pressed closer to her with a dangerous and lustful look his eyes.

"I think it would be in both of our best interest if you refrained from saying my name like that in the nearby future. I can control a lot of things, but my reaction to you physically isn't one of them," he warned huskily causing the fine hairs on the back of her neck to stand up.

Starring into his eyes glazed over with desire, Bonnie felt herself being transported back to the moment in her dorm room where they had first kiss. He had been so gentle yet passionate that even if she had the desire to push him away, she wasn't so sure if she would have followed through. Despite everything that they had been through, she couldn't deny the intense and physical attraction that was smoldering between them. She could tell by the naked desire look in his deep eyes that he wanted to kiss her. The fact that she wasn't pulling away from him revealed that she wasn't opposed to the idea despite the fact that they were already drawing confused and perplexed glances from several of her friends lingering around the room.

"Kai," she started, but she was cut off the sudden feeling of someone's hand on her shoulder.

Suddenly the easy going expression and devil may care smile that Kai had been wearing earlier quickly faded and was replaced by an unpleasant scowl and he suddenly released her and took a step back away from her.

"I'm sorry I'm late," an all too familiar voice said from behind her.

Bonnie felt her heart flutter in her chest as she slowly turned around. Tears of happiness filled her eyes and a glorious smile stretched across her lips yu with the last person she had expected to see that night.

"Jeremy!"

88888

As Jeremy and Bonnie made their way to the balcony to talk privately, they were unaware that they were being watched discreetly by a teary eyed vampire who was cradling a glass of wine in her hand and a warm smile on her lips. When Elena Gilbert had extended an invitation to her brother to the party, he had seemed rather reluctant to come and after he revealed the rather cold voicemail that Bonnie had left him a few days ago, Elena understood his reluctance. Bonnie had wanted to put back the pieces of her life and move on her from her past and the last thing Jeremy had wanted was to come back into his former flame's life and risk unraveling the positive progress that she was making. However, he quickly changed his mind when Elena had informed him about Bonnie's cursed soul, and he made it clear that he owed it to her to at least reach out and that Elena could count on him showing up for her, and as she had expected, he had held true to his word.

Even though Elena was beyond thrilled that the couple seemed happy to see one another, she couldn't fight the guilt she felt at the fact that, secretly, she had an ulterior motive for bringing Jeremy back. After Bonnie made it clear that she had no longer wanted anything to do with Damon, it had been a particularly tense and difficult week to deal with her brooding boyfriend. Between the guilt over what had happened to Bonnie and the resentment that he held towards his mother's part in it, he had decided that it was far too tense and awkward to live under the roof with his mother so he had taken it upon himself to temporarily move out of the Boarding house and take residence at Alaric's old cabin in the woods several miles away. While the couple's relationship seemed fine and in calm waters, she couldn't help but notice that he was more distant than he normally was. It was clear from the way he had sulked and seethed over countless of bottles of Bourbon that he missed the Bennett witch, and Elena didn't know exactly what to make of that particular revelation. Her gut was telling her that there was obviously something unspoken going on between her boyfriend and best friend, but she was desperately trying to convince herself that it was completely innocent and that she had nothing to worry about.

Leaning into the mirror in the hall, the pretty, petite doppelganger checked her reflection closely. Her chocolate dark brown hair was pinned up in candy curls held by crystal bobby pins and she was wearing a sleeveless hunter green dress that clung tightly to her upper torso and flowed freely around her hips and swept the floor gracefully. She had spent the entire day getting ready because she was extremely nervous and determined to make a good impression whenever Damon finally introduced her to his mother. Correcting her makeup, she made her way towards the main room to greet the guests. Judging by the several new and familiar voices drifting from downstairs, she knew that a majority of the guests had already arrived which meant that it wouldn't be too much longer before Lily Salvatore made her grand entrance.

Walking into the foyer, a grin stretched across her face as she spotted Damon walking through the front door.

"Where have you been, Damon? I have been calling you all afternoon!" she exclaimed as she rushed over to where he was standing and embraced him.

He smiled apologetically.

"I didn't mean to make you worry. I had to meet with someone and it involved with me disappearing off the grid for a couple of hours," he explained hastily as he was desperate to get a drink.

Elena blocked his path with an confused look on her face.

"Not so fast. Who exactly were you meeting with?" she asked inquired.

Damon wanted to wait and tell Bonnie first that he had met with his mother earlier that evening, but he could tell by the confusion and inquiry in Elena's doe like brown eyes, that she wasn't going to let up on her interrogation until he told her everything, so he relented sighing heavily.

"I met with Abby," confessed quietly.

Elena's face lit up excited.

"Did you convince her to come?" she asked eagerly.

He shook his head somberly.

"No, unfortunately Mama Bennett is always going to be just another rolling stone. However, she did prove useful when she gave me Emily's personal grimoire that has been eyes only to the Bennett witches over the years. She assured me the answers to the questions I had was in here. I think it might help Bonnie to reconsider completely annihilating me from her life," he said opening his suit jacket slightly to reveal the grimoire that was tucked breast pocket.

"Well that's good, because you can tell her when you see her after dinner," she revealed smiling.

"Bonnie here?" he asked surprised, "I figured after she made her contempt for me clear and after inheriting my mother's curse she wouldn't show up."

Elena's big brown eyes shined excitedly as she pressed closer to her lover.

"Well it appears that Caroline is better at convincing people to do things they don't want to do then I am. As happy as I am that you want to mend your friendship with Bonnie, I think it can wait until this evening is over. Besides, I don't think she is going to be too concerned with hearing what you have to say when she mostly likely is going to be preoccupied with Jer," she said slyly.

Damon felt his stomach do small flip flops as he thought about Bonnie and Jeremy together and for some reason, it didn't sit right with him. While he knew that the Bennett witch had every right to rekindle things with her former flame, the thought of Jeremy touching her made him uncomfortable and he was confused and annoyed by his fleeting emotions of jealousy and resentment. Bonnie was not his to possess nor was she his to claim, but he spent four months with her. He cooked her breakfast, they spent countless of hours talking and confessing things that they had admittedly revealed that they had never told any other living soul. He was convinced that the time that he had spent with the Bennett witch had been the most intimate and vulnerable that she had been with anyone, baby Gilbert included.

"I didn't know Jeremy was coming," the handsome vampire managed to say, his voice soft and neutral.

Elena smiled, completely oblivious to her boyfriend's discomfort.

"Alaric was like a surrogate father to Jeremy, and at one point , Bonnie was the love of his life. I figured since we were having a party to celebrate her return and Alaric's engagement, it was only logical to invite the person who means a lot to both of them," she explained sweetly as she wrapped his arms around his waist and held him close.

The moment was interrupted when Caroline's voice ranged out from on top of the staircase formally introducing Lily Salvatore who was being escorted down the stairs by Stefan. Taking the brunette's hand in his, Damon led her into the foyer where the other guests had gathered to witness the introduction of their mother. He could barely contained a tortured moan as he heard the harpist fingers drag across the cords causing a heavenly sound to fill the atmosphere.

"I can't wait to officially meet your mother! I have been waiting for this night all week, and it's finally here!" she whispered with hushed excitement as she watched as Lily and Stefan slowly made their way down the staircase, "Do you have any idea how huge this is?"

Damon fought back the urge to roll his eyes and maintained a pleasant expression for Elena's sake. While he could think of a million things he would like to do with Elena, introducing her to his mother wasn't on that list. Despite the fact that he had learned the truth about her actions towards Emily in the past, it still didn't negate the fact that his mother had been capable of doing Katherine's evil bidding or did it take away from the fact that she had forced her curse on Bonnie.

"You should probably be careful of what you ask for, Elena. Meeting Lily Salvatore isn't all what you may think it's cracked up to be. Just ask Bon Bon. She is walking around with the proverbial scarlet letter on her soul marking her for eternal damnation," he mumbled unhappily.

Elena could see the guilt and self loathing in his handsome face and she sighed softly as she took his hands in hers and stared up at him, her doe like brown eyes all bright and wide with warmth and affection.

"Listen to me, Damon. What happened to Bonnie wasn't your fault. Nobody could have known that any of that would have happened, and you can't blame yourself. We both know that if you had been given the opportunity to stop her, you would have. I promise that we will find a way to make things right with Bonnie and the whole curse thing, but just for one night can you please just put on a smile and be the charming son and the supportive brother that I know that you can be?" she pleaded with a sugary sweet tone in her soft voice.

He smiled down at her reluctantly.

"Anything for you, Elena," he murmured as he captured her lips in a soft and an affectionate kiss.

Lily released the arm of her youngest son before stepping forward and addressing the room with a maternal smile and her blue eyes radiating with joy and happiness.

"I must say that is absolutely delightful to finally be united with my family and I very much look forward to making a new friend out of each and everyone of you," she smiled warmly.

"Mrs. Salvatore, I cannot began to tell you what an honor it is to meet you," Elena gushed as she approached her nervously.

Lily Salvatore smiled sweetly as she brushed past Caroline and embraced Elena warmly as if they were old friends. Pleasantly surprised, the brunette returned the older woman's hug eagerly. While she had been worried that Lily may not liked her, it was obvious that her concerns had been silly and Damon had been wrong. He made his mother out to be this evil and horrible person and Elena did have conflicted feelings due to the fact that she was the reason why her best friend's soul was cursed, but she was more enthralled by the fact that she was doing something that she never thought would be possible. She was meeting the woman responsible for giving birth to two of the only men that she had every truly loved in her life, and meeting her meant the world to her.

"Katherine, darling, it's lovely to see you after all of these years," she greeted warmly, "Time has been kind to you."

Damon winced and Elena's smile quickly faded. In a matter of seconds, the beautiful moment Elena thought she would treasure forever was ruined. The moment that the love of her life introduced her to his mother, was once again tainted by the fact that Katherine had once again beaten her to another milestone.

"Katherine met her proper demise awhile back. This is Katherine's doppelganger, Elena," Damon explained draining his glass of his Bourbon.

All the blood rushed from her face as she realized her mistake.

"I must apologize profusely. I did not realize," the older woman trailed off flustered.

Elena plastered on the most genuine looking smile that she could muster as Damon cleared his throat and made a move to clear up the misunderstanding.

"It's fine. It's an innocent mistake," she assured smiling a little too brightly.

As Lily and the party guests made their way into the dining room for dinner, Elena dug her nails into Damon's arms deeply causing him to yelp softly.

"Do you care to tell me why your mother happens to think that I'm literally the woman you first fell in love with?" she mumbled her breath so that no one else could hear her.

Damon smiled weakly and stared at her helplessly. As much as he wanted to tell her the truth, he knew that now wasn't the time nor the place.

As he laced his fingers through hers and allowed her to lead him into the dining room, his mood darkened noticeably when he looked up to find Jeremy pulling out the chair for Bonnie who smiled up at him with a tender and sweet smile on her slender lips. As the beautiful sound of the cello along with an acoustic guitar and violin filled the atmosphere in a folksy and whimsical tune, Damon felt his throat tightened as he couldn't ignore at how beautiful she looked lit beneath the candlelight surrounding the room. As dinner droned on, Damon would casually look up from whatever conversation he would find his focus and his pale blue eyes drawn in the direction of the Bennett witch who was laughing and socializing warmly with most of the guests at the table. He was aware that Elena was leaning over and and saying something quietly in his ear, but he was clearly distracted and wasn't listening to a word she was saying.

He couldn't tear his eyes away from the bewitching Bennett witch...

Suddenly, without any warning, Bonnie and Jeremy excused themselves from the table and disappeared out of the dining room. As Elena and Stefan engaged him in a conversation about the history of Mystic Falls, and the latest social and political issues in society, Damon eyes were locked on the chair where Bonnie had abandoned and the longer she remained away from the dinner table, the more antsy and uneasy he became. When everyone was nearing the end of their meals, Damon couldn't take the suspense any longer and decided to go find him a stiff drink to ease his nerves.

"Is everything okay? You've been really quiet all evening," Elena noted worry.

"I'm fine," he murmured gazing tenderly into her doe like brown eyes, "Excuse me."

Wiping his mouth with the crisp white napkin that had been in his lap, he tossed it down on his plate of uneaten lamb before pushing back front the table and proceeded to exit the dining room.

Damon was heading up to his bedroom to grab his secretly stashed aged Bourbon hidden in his closet,when he heard angry voices drifting from one of the guest bedrooms. As he moved closer to where the altercation was coming from, his sensitive hearing detected Bonnie and Jeremy squabbling angrily behind closed doors. Judging from the sound of the elevated volume in Jeremy's voice and the shrill and emotional edge in Bonnie's words, he could tell that the conversation that they were having was very personal and very heated. While the last thing that Damon wanted was to get involved in a middle of an altercation that had nothing to do with him, he knew that he needed to be there for Bonnie. Gritting his teeth, he braced himself as he rested his hand on the knob and quietly entered the room.

"I told you that I don't want to talk about it, Jeremy! Why can't you just respect that and let it go?" she cried angrily.

Jeremy paced back and forth in front of the fireplace agitated.

"How the hell do you expect me to respect the fact that I had to learn that you were not coming back by a voice mail. You never gave me a chance to say goodbye!"

Bonnie brushed away tears as she stared at him trembling noticeably.

"I didn't tell you because I knew that it would be too painful," she tried weakly.

"Too painful for who? You? Did you even consider my feelings or were you only thinking about yourself?" he snapped emotionally.

They were so involved in the argument that neither of them detected him inside of the dark room. They were standing near the roaring fireplace and Bonnie's face was streaked with tears and mascara as she glared at her former lover with his arms folded across her petite chest. Seeing her her in distressed and emotional stress made him angry and unable to stand back and watch her suffer anymore, he decided to intervene and make his presence known by clearing his throat and emerging out of the shadows.

Bonnie whirled around and was startled to find Damn Salvatore standing across the room with a dark and unreadable expression on his handsome pale face.

"Damon," she gulped swallowing back tears, "W-what are you doing here?"

He gave her a brief smile before focusing his attention on the other man standing between him and his Bennett witch.

"I think you should take a walk and cool off, Gilbert," Damon suggested tightly.

Jeremy turned towards the vampire and narrowed his eyes annoyed.

"Listen, Damon. This is between me and Bonnie, so if you don't mind, why don't you give us a minute?" he growled.

He turned to face Bonnie again when he suddenly found himself face to with Damon who had used his superhuman agility to get between him and Bonnie.

"Don't make me repeat myself kid," he warned with a dangerous look in his cold blue eyes.

"Damon, don't," Bonnie warned placing her hand on his shoulder to restrain him.

The brooding vampire glance over his shoulder and glared at the Bennett witch, and it was in the split second that Jeremy noticed by the way that they were starring at each other look, that something was different between them. Jeremy have never seen Damon look at anyone like that. Not Katherine, not Rose...not even Elena. The way the vampire was looking at Bonnie was as if he considered her his possession and he couldn't deny the obvious and palpable tension between them.

"It seems like a lot has changed and I'm starting to understand why you left me that voicemail," he said quietly with hurt laced in his voice as he turned to exit the room.

"Jeremy, wait," she pleaded tearfully.

Damon reached out and grabbed her hand restraining her.

"Just let him go," he warned quietly as the former vampire hunter disappeared out of the room.

She shuddered as his cold hands reached up and gently brushed away the tears that had fallen out of the corners of her eyes.

"I can't just let him go, Damon. I can't just let him walk away," she protested desperately.

"Chasing after him isn't going to change the fact that he obviously resents you," he growled glaring down at her.

She snatched away from angrily.

"Why the hell did you get involved anyways? Whatever is going on between me and Jeremy has nothing to do with you," she snapped.

"Listen, I get that you are seriously pissed off with me right now, and you have every reason to be . However, there are things I need to tell you, and I need you to listen to me without going all witchy on me," he warned evenly.

"There is nothing left to say, Damon. When I said that I didn't want anything to do with you, I meant it. You have everything you want! You have your beautifully human mother back in your life, you get to have your happy ending with Elena, and you a brother who completes the picture perfect Salvatore dynasty. Meanwhile, what am I left with? A marked soul for eternal damnation and a ex boyfriend who blames me for the reason why he has spent the past year suffering," she sobbed in anguish, "You have everything and I am standing here left with nothing."

"You have me," he tried, his voice barely above a whisper, but he was all but certain that she couldn't hear him over the sound of her own tears.

Watching her small frame shake violently, he couldn't bear to watch her overwhelmed with sadness, and he knew that he had to do something, anything, to ease the burden of the pain that she had been carrying on her frail shoulders. Before he could fight his impulse and convince himself that his next action was a bad idea, he grabbed her into his arms and covered her trembling lips with his mouth in a strong and passionate kiss. Her olive green eyes clouded with tears widened in surprise and a soft whimper escaped her throat as his tongue passionately and deliberately swept the inside of her mouth. Moaning softly, he could taste the sweet wine that still lingered on her lips. As the kiss deepened, she gasped his name sweetly against his soft lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him closer. Everything from the way he tasted down to the way his hand was caressing her lower back was caused her knees to weaken. Suddenly he moved his hand further down her back resting on her ass causing her to gasp breathlessly as she pulled away from slightly. Starring into his eyes, she could see a mixture of smoldering desire and adoration reflecting on the surface of his haunting blue eyes. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized that what he wanted from her the same thing that she had secretly been wanting from him for weeks, but she knew that she had to put a stop to their highly inappropriate actions before things went too far.

"Damon, we can't do whatever 'this' is. You are in love with Elena and she is my best friend. We can't keep allowing this to happen," she whispered emotionally as she struggled to catch her breath.

He stared at her feeling pained knowing that she was right, but it still didn't erase the fact that their was still a very serious and honest conversation that they needed to have about their feelings, and he knew that they couldn't do it here where they couldn't express themselves freely.

He smiled as he moved closer to her and stared down into her eyes.

"Relax, judgey. I'm not trying to convince you to do anything wrong. I want to avoid hurting Elena as much as you do, but hiding that I have feelings for you and pretending that I don't think about acting on them isn't fair to her, me or you. I'm going to tell her the truth. I'm going to tell her that I need time to figure things out," he said firmly.

"How are you so sure either of our relationship with Elena is going to survive this?' she asked quietly.

The handsome vampire cupped her face inside the palms of his cold hands before smiling down at her affectionately.

"If me and my brother could survive falling for the same girl not once, but twice, I am confident that you and Elena can survive falling for the same guy," he assured.

Bonnie made a face as she folded her arms across her chest.

"What makes you think that I have fallen for you?" she murmured, her voice soft and almost shy.

"Because you didn't deny it," he said huskily as he reached down and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

He was leaning in to kiss her again when the door suddenly opened and Stefan walked in. Lifting his brown eyes, he stopped abruptly frowning instantly as he noticed how close the Bennett witch and his brother was standing together. While they weren't engaged in anything inappropriate, he could sense the tension between them and he wasn't dumb enough to not recognize the tension as being sexual.

"Everyone is gathering for a nightcap," Stefan said awkwardly, "Elena was worried and wanted me to come find you two."

Bonnie shifted uncomfortably as she cleared her throat softly. She could sense that Stefan was uneasy and the last thing she wanted to do was to hang around and watch an exchange of words between the two brothers.

"I...I should go," she said awkwardly before quickly making her way out of the room.

Stefan waited before the Bennett witch had disappeared from the room before turning and glaring at Damon in complete disbelief and utterly confused.

"Damn it, Damon. What the hell are you doing? Elena and Bonnie are best friends," Stefan hissed between his clenched teeth.

The older Salvatore brother sucked his teeth frustrated as he brushed past Stefan ignoring the judgmental glares of disapproval that his brother was shooting in his direction. He didn't need Bonnie or his brother reminding him about the nature of Elena and the Bennett witch's relationship. The two were practically closer than most sister's and while Damon knew that revealing he had feelings for both women would do irreparable damage to their friendship, he knew that he had no other choice. While the last thing he wanted to do was to drive a wedge in between them, he knew that if he didn't confront his feelings for Bonnie, it would only be a matter of time before Elena discovered how he felt and if he didn't handle the situation right, people were going to get hurt and neither woman deserved to have to deal with unnecessary pain.

"I'm not doing this with you right now, so get the hell out of my way," he growled dangerously.

Before Stefan could protest any further, his older brother stormed out of the room and he sighed heavily before bolting after him. As he made his way down the stairs towards the foyer, the front door suddenly opened unexpectedly causing him to halt abruptly in his tracks.

Enzo strolled in casually with a smirk on his lips.

"Sorry that I am fashionably late," he apologized drawling slyly, "I had to pick up a gift for the lovely host."

Caroline narrowed her blue eyes angrily as she emerged from the dining room looking displeased.

"How can you be late to something you were definitely 'not' invited to?" she asked coldly.

Enzo smiled sweetly.

"There is no need to be hostile, gorgeous. If I am not mistaken, this was a family affair and I find it rather rude that you left out the one person who is truly the guest of honor," he said slyly.

Stefan took a step forward and stared at the dark haired vampire evenly.

"You don't want to do this," he warned quietly.

Sarah emerged causing Stefan's face to turn as white as a sheet.

Damon immediately recognized the timid girl from a week ago that he had a confrontation with a week earlier and an ugly frown marred his handsome face.

"What the hell is she doing here?" he demanded glaring at his former friend coldly.

Enzo smiled slyly.

"I believe the two of you met before, but at the time you didn't know that you were connected," he said cryptically.

"Stop beating around the bush and spit it out, Enzo," Damon growled impatiently, "What the hell are you two doing here?'

"You are my uncle," Sarah announced coldly, taking a step forward slowly, "You are the man who killed my parents."