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"Another night without any answers", Damon shrugged off his leather jacket as he walked into the quiet boarding house with Miranda a couple of nights later.
"I think we are getting closer, before you staked that vampire…he was actually about to tell me a few things".
"The only thing he was going to tell you or rather ask you was to come back to his place", Damon poured himself a drink.
Miranda gasped as she smacked Damon on the arm as he handed her a sniffer of brandy, "He was not and even if he was, I would have declined".
"Of course you are, you have to keep up the innocent Southern Belle routine at all times…I think that's part of the reason why Stefan was attracted to you way back when", Damon swallowed his drink.
"Stefan was trying to distract himself from what was going on between you and Elena".
"Maybe", Damon poured more of his drink.
"But I am not the Southern Belle that you may think", Miranda said looking at him out of the corner of her eye.
Damon turned to her, "Oh really?"
"Yes, really", Miranda moved closer to him looking into his crystal blue eyes and taking a breath. She felt his hand come to her cheek and caressed it softly. She closed her eyes as she felt him move closer to her and she swallowed waiting for his lips to meet hers.
"So have you been making progress on where the stone is and I want to be sure this stone is actually the real deal, we've been fooled before", Damon replied from across the room sitting down on the couch.
Miranda opened her eyes and shook her head trying to erase the hallucination from her memory, "What?"
Damon opened his mouth to respond and then stopped when he heard something upstairs, "You should go…I will call you tomorrow", he replied suddenly putting down his glass and standing up and with a whoosh, Miranda realized that she was alone in the living room.
Damon sped upstairs rushing to his room and opening the door. He saw Bonnie gripping the sheets as if she was fighting with someone, he rushed over to the bed and grabbed her, "Bonnie…wake up…wake up", he said touching her cheek.
Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at him, "Damon…?" she asked slightly confused.
"I'm here…calm down…I can hear your heart beating", he whispered bringing her into an embrace.
"I really want these nightmares to stop", she said sliding out of his embrace and lying back on the pillows.
"And they will", Damon said lying down next to her.
Bonnie nodded as he wrapped his arms around her and she sniffed, "You smell like smoke", she wrinkled her nose.
Damon smiled as he gazed down at her, "What you don't like the way I smell".
Bonnie smiled slightly, "Funny thing is, I am slightly attracted to that smoky smell you have right now…must be the baby".
"Well good…I feel your heartbeat slowing".
"You know that the nightmares only make affect me for a few minutes and then I get myself back together…but you being here helps".
Damon reached down and caressed her cheek, "Good…", he closed the space between them with a kiss and then pulled her into his arms, "do you want to tell me about it?"
"No", she said as he placed one of his hands on her belly drawing circles.
"Bonnie…"
"No because every time I have a nightmare, you get into protective mode".
"I am already protective of you and Wendy", he said, "so you should just tell me".
Bonnie sighed, "Klaus wasn't really in this one, but I could hear our baby crying and I couldn't find her…I searched all over and I just knew…I just knew he had her".
"Look at me…", Damon said touching her chin as she looked up into his eyes, "Klaus will never hurt you or our child, he's gone and he is never coming back and if he does…he will not win in any way".
"No he won't", Bonnie reached up and caressed the left side of Damon's face, "thank you".
"You don't have to thank me…I'm just telling the truth".
"I am thanking you for soo much more than that", Bonnie whispered as she leaned up and began kissing Damon. He framed her face with his hands as he laid her down on the bed taking his shirt off and throwing it on the floor as he flipped her over on top of him. Bonnie giggled, "Damon, you won't hurt the baby".
"I know that, I just like when you do most of the work", he grinned leaning up and pulling her head to his.
Miranda stood out in the hallway. She could hear Bonnie's giggles through the door. She whispered a few words and suddenly the view behind the closed door became much clearer. She watched as Bonnie straddled Damon as his hands moved up her night shirt and slowly worked it off. Bonnie threw her head back as he kissed a trail from her neck down to her swollen belly. When he worked his lips back up to hers, he smiled back at her as he lowered her down on the bed…
"Miranda?" Stefan asked from the side of her.
Miranda jumped as the hole she made in the door closed up, "Stefan…I was just on my way back from the bathroom…are they usually that loud?" she asked gesturing towards Damon's closed door.
Stefan smirked, "Bonnie usually…uh…does something to stop others from hearing…"
Miranda shook her head, "I'm kind of embarrassed that you caught me actually".
"It's ok…how are you doing?" Stefan asked as he walked down the stairs with Miranda.
"I'm ok…this is actually getting interesting and I feel like my powers are growing".
"Good…good…hey, I just wanted to make sure that you don't feel weird…I know that things were different before…"
"Stefan, we don't need to have this talk…I think you and Elena are adorable and I have no interest in getting in between you two".
"Good, good and I just want you to know that when we were…together, I wasn't using you".
"I know Stefan, its ok…please stop".
"Ok…ok…", Stefan grinned, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to say that".
"I understand Stefan and its fine, trust me…I am not holding any flame lit for you, so no need to reassure me or anything".
"I know, I just remember how we left things off and I know that…"
Miranda reached out and touched Stefan's hand, "Stefan…honestly, there is nothing that you really need to say to me…I've moved on".
"Good, I'm happy for you", Stefan nodded and smiled.
"So am I", Miranda returned his smile thinking about Damon and how she couldn't wait to have him looking at her the way he looked at Bonnie.
SSSSSS
Damon touched Bonnie's leg which was entangled with his lightly, "So when are you visiting Caroline?" he asked.
"I don't think I'm going anymore".
Damon looked up at her in alarm barely covering it up, "What do you mean?"
"I don't really feel like going to California with all of those perfect woman and their perfect bodies, I much rather stay here with you…someone who appreciates that I'm a fatty now".
"One, you are not fat and two, you really should try to go to California now because in a few months, you won't be able to".
"And why is that?" Bonnie asked looking down at him.
"Because I won't let you out of my sight", he smiled kissing her softly on the lips.
Bonnie smiled, "Maybe I will rethink it…I don't know".
"Good", Damon nodded, "and I see that you and Miranda are getting along better".
Bonnie shrugged, "Yes, we are…I still don't trust her completely, but I know that she is helping you all…and I also know that things are starting to get serious around here".
"What…what are you talking about?"
"Damon, I'm a witch…I know when things start to get weird…and I can feel the presence of other things here".
"There is nothing in Mystic Falls".
Bonnie smiled as she reached over and placed her hand on Damon's cheek, "Damon, there are vampires here…more each day, I know that".
"Ok, there may be a slight increase in the population, but its nothing big and we are handling it".
"I know you are and just so you know, I have no desire to enter the fray directly", Bonnie said touching her stomach.
"Exactly…we are handling it and I would feel better if you and Elena were far, far away from here".
"I know that, but this is my home Damon and I want to be close to you", she snuggled up next to him.
"Well who wouldn't?" Damon snorted as he wrapped his arms around her.
"And when you say things like that makes me not want to leave you with some tall, model, blond cheerleader witch hanging around", Bonnie pouted.
"Look, I love you…", Damon touched her cheek causing her to look at him, "and I only want you, remember that and it won't change".
"Damon…Damon…Damon…", Bonnie sighed, "how did you get like this?"
"Like what?"
"Like this…great boyfriend…soon to be baby daddy…it's crazy…and all of this because I set you on fire that night".
"Yeah, guess I'm a glutton for punishment".
Bonnie gasped as she punched him in the stomach.
"Oww!"
"Glutton for punishment, huh?"
"Kidding…just kidding", he chuckled as he kissed her.
SSSSSS
Later that week, Miranda met Bonnie at the Bennett house with some of the spell books and they moved into the living room. Over the past couple of weeks, they searched for anything on the Mrak stone and the Gathering of Darkness. They had to move to the Bennett house so that Damon wouldn't realize that Bonnie was aiding Miranda in her research.
"More vampires are coming, we need to find out about this stone and soon", Bonnie replied turning the pages in one of the spell books that she took from the Martin house.
"I know…Bonnie, can I ask you a question?" Miranda asked as she looked up from one of the books.
Bonnie looked up, "About...?"
"You and Damon…how did you two get together, if I may ask…things were vastly different when I was in Mystic Falls".
Bonnie looked at Miranda. She couldn't tell if her question was because of innocent curiosity or if it was something more, "Long story short, when I came back from being held by Klaus…I was a very different and damaged person, Damon understood that and helped me work through it, somewhere along the way…we started to like each other as more than frenemies and the rest is history".
"So you didn't feel weird that he wanted your best friend for a long time and went after her?"
Bonnie's eyes shot up to meet Miranda's. Yes, she was aware of the fact that Damon wanted and pursued Elena for a long time and that for a time, Elena indulged him. It wasn't something that she liked to focus on or bring it, but when it did come up…it made her feel weird.
"Elena has never been a factor in my relationship with Damon", Bonnie answered.
"I'm sure, Damon looks at you like you are the only person he could possibly want".
"And he's the only one I want and if anyone tried to come in between us, I wouldn't hesitate to take them down", Bonnie replied simply.
"Well let's hope no one ever tries that", Miranda stated.
"Exactly", Bonnie answered as she looked down in the spell book and suddenly her eyes went big, "I found it!"
"What?" Miranda asked.
"The history of the Gathering of the Dead and the Mrak stone, its all right here and I think we can come up with a spell to find out who has the stone and we can go from there", Bonnie replied as her eyes flew across the page, "I will work on that spell and you will tell Damon and Stefan what you found".
"Can't I tell them that you helped me?"
"No, Damon would get all crazy and no one wants thay…you can feel free to take all of the credit for this", Bonnie stated.
"Thanks", Miranda smiled.
SSSSSS
"So the Gathering of Darkness is in two weeks and I am working on a spell to find out exactly who has the stone or rather, how we will locate it", Miranda announced in the Salvatore living room with Damon, Stefan and Alaric staring back at her.
"So how long will it take to locate it?" Alaric asked.
"Only a matter of days".
"And once will get it, can it be easily destroyed?" Stefan asked.
"Probably, I still need to find that out".
"Well can you please find out all of this before we are faced with hundreds of vampires and no way to stop them?" Damon snapped.
"You know what Damon, I have been working hard on this", Miranda snapped back, "and it's not exactly easy to find out all the answers to your questions".
"Well our backs are up against the wall here, since you tell us that we only have about 14 days to make sure that Mystic Falls doesn't turn into a vampire Woodstock".
"I just found out ok!" Miranda yelled.
"Yes and we know that and we are grateful, Damon's…he doesn't mean to yell", Stefan replied calmly.
"Well then he needs to stop doing it…look, I'm leaving and when I have something new, I will tell you", she picked up her bag and stomped out of the boarding house slamming the door as Stefan and Alaric looked at Damon.
"What!"
"She is helping us, you can't yell at her like that", Stefan replied.
"Oh she needs to be stronger", Damon flagged them as he poured a drink.
"She is not Bonnie, Damon…you can't yell at her and then get laid later…it's not foreplay like it is for you and Bonnie", Alaric replied.
"Real funny", Damon snorted, "fine…I will track her down and apologize…ok".
"Good and we will start to get things ready here", Alaric replied as he placed his bag of stakes and other weapons on the table.
SSSSSS
Damon knocked on Alaric's door after noticing Miranda's car in the driveway and after a few moments, she opened the door, "What do you want Damon?" she asked.
"Can I come in?"
She rolled her eyes and moved out of the way for him to enter.
"Look, I just want to say I'm sorry about what happened earlier…I shouldn't have yelled at you…you are an important asset to the team and yeah…I'm sorry", Damon replied.
Miranda rolled her eyes, "Well I guess that's the best apology that I can get from you".
"More or less", Damon smirked, "so will you continue working with us until this is all over?"
"Yes…I will help".
"Good…you are really shaping up to be a good witch", Damon replied.
"Thank you, I know I'm not as good as Bonnie…but I'm trying".
Damon smiled, "You are doing a good job".
"While coming from you, that means a lot", Miranda said looking up at Damon.
"Well I think I'm flattered".
"You should be", Miranda whispered as she touched Damon's wrist and then in a split second he found her lips on his.
Damon immediately pushed her away from him, "Umm…what the hell was that?"
Miranda toppled back into the bookcase and touched her lips, "I'm…I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me…its just that you were here and you were being…ugh…I'm sorry, I shouldn't have kissed you…"
"Yeah…you're right about that", Damon said looking at her with a look barely hiding his disgust. Since he started a serious relationship with Bonnie, he had never kissed another woman—he may have fed off of a few, but he would never kiss another woman…he wasn't into that.
"I'm sorry…can you please not tell Bonnie, she already hates me…I don't want her to think that I am after you".
"I'm sorry, you just kissed me...what did that mean?" Damon asked.
"It meant nothing, I just got caught up in the moment…I've been lonely since I arrived here and…look, Damon I am so sorry…I just…can we forget this ever happened?" Miranda pleaded.
Damon nodded moving over towards the door, "Umm…sure, we can forget that this ever happened…keep researching so that we can make sure that this town doesn't turn into a buffet for all of the world's vamps".
Miranda nodded as Damon headed out of the door.
"Have a good night", she called after him.
"Umm…you too", Damon yelled without looking back at her and getting in his car.
Miranda closed the door and leaned up against it touching her lips lightly. She couldn't help but smile as a warm feeling came over her.
SSSSSS
"Do you know that this is the closest thing to heaven?" Bonnie asked as she put a spoonful of pistachio ice cream in her mouth sitting on a stool in the boarding house.
She and Elena had just arrived from a study group and were indulging themselves in ice cream. The boarding house was quiet and empty when they returned, so they didn't feel the need to hide that they were piggy pregnant women who had their food needs.
"It can be one step closer", Elena smiled as she drizzled chocolate sauce all over her bowl and Bonnie's.
"See…this is definitely a plus to not being pregnant alone", Bonnie said licking chocolate off of the side of the bowl.
"Mmm, hmm".
"So, I hate to bring this up, but there is something going on that I think you should know about".
"Oh Bonnie, don't tell me any bad news…"
"I'm sorry, but I can't keep this from you…you need to know".
"What", Elena said setting down her spoon and bracing herself.
"You are annoying", Bonnie stated.
"What…how!" Elena's eye widened.
"Well because you are pregnant and you never stop smiling, I, on the other hand, feel humongous most days".
"Oh Bonnie, you always have a big ole smile on your face and honestly, I don't smile all the time…but I am happy…very happy. I knew that when I fell in love with Stefan and of course made the decision to marry him, I knew that there would be a chance that I would never have the chance to carry our child…but I am and I can and I can't help but feel grateful for it and I really can't complain".
Bonnie swirled her ice cream around, "I'm happy too, but I guess…I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, I mean it always drops where we are concerned, doesn't it?"
"Bonnie, overall…things have been good…we're both doing good, the babies are healthy…things are ok".
Bonnie nodded, "The nightmares are tapering off again".
"Good…seeeeee…things are working out", Elena grinned.
"They are…they are…"
"And Miranda is handling the witchy stuff and I know that it bothers you, but doesn't it make you feel better to know that they have some kind of back up and you can sit here with me and not worry about Damon, Stefan or the babies…all we have to do is sit back and eat ice cream".
Bonnie nodded as she thought about the Mrak stone and the Gathering of Darkness, she didn't want to tell Elena—but she knew that Elena would want to know. From what Bonnie and Miranda had gathered, that if the Gathering of Darkness actually occurred, hundreds of lives would be lost and it would be like a big ole party for vampires and whatever dark beings that would be resurrected. Bonnie was still searching for a spell that would direct them to the stone's location and time was slowly running out.
"Bonnie, did you hear me…I kind of want to go shopping for some things tomorrow after class, want to come?" Elena asked.
"Umm…sure…I guess".
"Oh Bonnie, you have to drop your superstition…if you buy Willow a gift, nothing will happen", Elena said.
"Please don't call her that".
"I'm sorry, Damon has corrupted me…I doubt that he's naming her Willow".
"He better not", Bonnie mumbled, "and yes, we can go shopping and I will buy something for Cantaloupe".
Elena giggled, "You are still on the fruit thing, huh?"
"Damon hates it, so its my form of torture for him…he likes to tease me with the names, so I will keep calling her by the fruits or vegetables that the bump tells me".
Elena shook her head as she stuck ice cream in her mouth.
SSSSS
After going out for a drink and a quick feed, Damon walked into the bedroom where Bonnie was sleeping on her side with her arms wrapped around her body pillow. As her stomach began to increase in size, she started having a hard time sleeping any other way. She usually used him as a body pillow, but since she had fallen asleep without him, she had used the next best thing.
He slid his jacket off and placed it on a chair by the closet. Ever since he left Miranda, he played over and over in his mind every movement and every word that he had said to her. He was sure that he had not led her on, so the fact that she decided to mull him out of nowhere confused him and he wasn't confused often.
Part of the reason why he selected Miranda to fill in for Bonnie was the fact that Miranda never wanted anything to do with him a couple of years ago. She only wanted Stefan and in fact, she kind of looked at Damon with a look of disgust most of the time. He knew that if anything, Miranda would go after Stefan and he would promptly turn her down and there would only be weirdness between them. He had no idea when she had decided that he was the brother that she was interested in.
He slipped off his shirt and jeans and walked over to the bed, sliding in next to Bonnie. He moved closer to her, "Hey, I'm home", he whispered in her ear.
She nodded almost sleepily as she turned around and wrapped her arms around him, placing her head on his chest and falling back into a deep sleep. Damon pulled her closer and stared at the shadows dancing along the ceiling. He would definitely tell Bonnie about the kiss…when the time was right.
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