Damon Logic
A.N: Hi guys I'm back after a little break I took, I had to figure out how to manoeuvre some of the events that are about to take place in this chapter and later chapters to make them more believable. Anyway college has officially closed for the holidays and I have to find a holiday job or my mom won't stop nagging me. So I should be able to upload like I used to, oh how I missed those days….P.S I warned you in the previous chapter that there would be flashbacks.
Chapter 37
Joshua felt his patience leave him when Leo threw another smirk his way while giving his subordinates his orders. He was well aware that the Elder could wipe him off the face of the earth at any point but it was like the man was toying with him, goading him into confessing. That however wasn't happening anytime soon.
Leo showing up was both a curse and a blessing, he hadn't counted on Andy being the mole, truth be told he more suspected Lily and Spike but apparently they hadn't known anything. However he could work this situation to his advantage, he still had expression which made it easy for him to cancel out the spell that bound him inside the circle.
"I've finally figured it out" Leo said walking toward Joshua with the grace and elegance expected from an Elder, Joshua always wondered if they received special training just for walking and talking.
"Figured what out exactly?" Joshua asked feigning boredom.
"What you were trying to do" He answered looking down at the young warlock.
"What? Trying to resurrect the parents you murdered?" Joshua asked sarcastically "Wow Leo, took you what? half an hour to figure out what everyone already knew" he said with a roll of his eyes.
"Leo? Getting bold now are we boy?" Leo said with a dark chuckle before continuing "No I'm not referring to your dear parent's sudden demise, I'm talking about the ritual you came here to perform" he said resting both of his hands on his cane.
This immediately made the young warlock become tense as he began avoiding eye contact with the amused elder.
"You see it puzzled me that you'd come all this way to have a veil lowered when you could perform a spell to have them resurrected yourself and then it occurred to me that you might have been using this all as a smoke screen all along to do the ritual." Leo said smirking at the way his face paled.
"What ritual?" Joshua asked keeping his eye on the burning candle outside of his circle.
"My dear boy don't make me say it" Leo said chuckling as he stepped closer toward him before lowering his voice "The phoenix ritual" he said leaving the boy on the ground speechless.
…..
"Damon? Damon?" a sing songy voice called in irritation waking the vampire from his unconscious state.
"Please tell me I'm dead" he groaned turning over away from the giggling voice to bury his head under the blankets.
Wait, blankets? When did he get into a bed? Why was he in a bed?
"Sorry still alive, unfortunately" the voice answered pulling the blankets off of his head to reveal Caroline.
"Caroline? What the hell are you doing here? Where's Vicky?" he asked sitting up abruptly.
"Vicky? She's been dead for over a year." She said raising an eyebrow in confusion. "C'mon, we'll be late" she said pulling him out of bed.
"Late for what?" he said aggravated as he went to climb out of the bed.
"We're going to see Bonnie in the hospital remember?" she said looking at worriedly "She's been awake for over three weeks and she still hasn't said a word, I think it might be time to call in that witch friend of yours" she said completely ignoring his panicking expression.
"Caroline" he said masking his face under indifference, "What happened to Bonnie?"
"What's with you today?" she asked stepping away from him and then frowned at his serious expression "She used too much magic trying to kill Klaus, you remember that?" she asked and then continued when he nodded "And she died, but we resuscitated her and got a heartbeat…you rushed her to the hospital and she went into a coma for about six months, you were with her when she woke up screaming three weeks ago, any of this ringing a bell?" she asked again.
"Yeah Yeah, and then what?" he asked almost showing the worry on his face.
"She hasn't said a word since, to anyone…the doctor says it's psychological, but I don't know Damon, I think this might be a witch problem" she said running a hand through her layered blond hair.
"I doubt it, it's not unlikely that it might be psychological" Stefan said entering the room. "I think the best thing we can do for Bonnie is let her know that we're there for her and that we love her and support her" he said wrapping an arm around Caroline's waist.
Damon looked between the two and raised an eyebrow at the contact but decided against commenting as he left the room heading for his car.
"What's with the long face" Bonnie asked sitting in the passenger seat of his car as he got in.
"What the hell is this?" he asked gripping the steering wheel.
"It's a consequence" she answered, all amusement having left her voice.
"A consequence to what exactly?" he asked gritting his teeth as he glared at her frowning when she suddenly disappeared.
"Dammit!" he yelled speeding in the direction of the only hospital in town.
….
"The gates are falling apart" Bridget murmured swiping a finger over the flashing tattoo on her wrist.
"I think we're still fine" Bianca answered, "My powers are still functioning fine, but this stupid virus really sucks" she said wincing slightly.
"Yeah I'm really sorry about that guys, I don't know why I didn't just kill that girl the second she showed her face" Bridget apologised running a hand through her curly hair.
"We all underestimated her, remember we are one" Betty reassured rubbing her temples. "Guess this is what the flu feels like right guys?" she said laughing lightly.
"I think this is worse Betty, but yeah…I'm pretty sure this is what the flu feels like" Bianca groaned.
"Hey girls remember the first time we met Damon and we had to pretend to be his servants?" she asked giggling at the memory.
"Yeah and Bridget punched the mayor forcing Damon to pay for damages" Betty said laughing.
"Hey, how was I supposed to know he was the mayor? He didn't talk like one!" Bridget yelled making them laugh back at her even harder.
"In any case those were good times even with everyone treating us like scum, Damon always took care of us" Bianca said smiling lightly.
"Yeah, hey why hasn't he woken up yet?" Betty asked moving toward the edge of the salt barrier to look at Damon's still unconscious state.
"I've been trying to reach him through dreamscape but I can't get through, Bonnie's little spell on him is blocking me" Bridget answered with a frown.
"You mean the ring" Bianca hissed lowly in surprise "I thought that would've worn off by now"
"Apparently she found a way to connect it to her somehow" Betty whispered in reply.
"Makes sense but do you think there are any weaknesses to it?" Bianca asked intrigued.
"The only person that would know is Bonnie" Bridget answered with a shrug.
…..
Damon parked in the hospital parking lot before rushing into the building, sitting at reception was a short chubby middle aged woman dressed in a nurse uniform. She blushed when she saw him walk toward her and cleared her throat to talk to him in what she thought was a seductive voice.
"Can I help you?" she asked sitting up straight to ogle him.
"Bonnie Bennett, what room is she in?" Damon asked compelling her, clearly in no mood for games.
"Third floor, room 337" the woman answered in a robotic tone before blinking to find the man gone.
Rushing to the room, Damon almost gasped at the sight he found. It wasn't particularly gruesome, Bonnie was awake and her forehead was bandaged. She was sitting up and looking out of the window but that is what freaked him out.
She was just sitting there and hadn't said a word about his arrival.
"She hasn't said a word since, to anyone…the doctor says it's psychological,"
He winced at the memory of Caroline's voice before going to sit at Bonnie's side. Her head turned to face him and his jaw clenched at the sight of her.
Her hair was dull and stringy, and she'd lost a lot of weight like she hadn't been eating. Her skin was pale and her usual fiery green eyes were dull hazel and dead. He frowned at that, she seemed dead to him, the only thing reminding him that she was alive was the sound of her heartbeat and the rise and fall of her chest indicating that she was breathing.
Without saying a word her gaze went back to the outside window as she continued staring at the trees swaying in the wind and the birds chirping outside. He hated this, her silence. He always hated it, even when she glared at him it was like she was communicating something to him but not now. Now she was dead to the world, she wouldn't say a word or make a move. She was like a statue waiting to be taken away by something.
Reaching over slowly, he took her small hand in his looking to her face to see if she would come back, but there was nothing she was still dead.
"Bonnie" he said in a playful tone, as if to annoy her into talking again. But there was nothing, she still hadn't moved from her upright position in her bed and hadn't moved her gaze from the swaying trees outside.
"I hear you're giving us all the silent treatment" he tried again after a few minutes of silence. Still nothing, all he got in reply was a blink.
"You know I don't care either way, I can sit here and talk to myself all day. I know you'd love that" he said chuckling but stopped when she still hadn't said a word. Her silence was swallowing him up, he remembered now all the times he'd wished she would shut up.
Flashback (1 year ago)
He walked up to her and smirked at her witch costume, very ironic he thought idly.
"So, where'd Caroline run off to?" he asked her ignoring the angry glow of her green eyes.
"Do yourself a favour and don't ask me about Caroline" she said not backing down, interesting he thought still smirking at her, definitely a feisty one this one.
"Oh Bonnie so loyal" he said suddenly feeling amused.
"Just stay away from her" she said her glare intensifying still smirking he looked down at the necklace she wore around her neck.
"Where'd you get that?" he asked suddenly know longer in the mood for games.
"From a friend" she answered wrapping her hand around the pendant.
"Caroline" he stated rather than asked.
She lifted it to her vision before dropping it again to glare at her him, almost daring him to try something. He hated that about the Bennett women, their guts.
"You know that's mine don't you" he continued annoyed with her silence.
"Not anymore" she said rolling her eyes at him.
"Funny" he said sarcastically. "I'd like it back please" he said snapping a finger before holding his hand out.
"I'm not giving it to you" she said rolling her eyes surprising him. "I'll give it to Caroline and she can give it to you if she feels like it" she sassed.
"Or I could just take it right now" he said, what am I? in the fifth grade he thought going to grab the necklace before she could stop him.
He winced when the crystal reacted to his skin almost immediately burning him, he let go only to watch her run from him in fear or confusion? He wasn't quite sure as he watched her retreating back.
Why wouldn't she just shut up and hand over the crystal? He thought annoyed as he looked around the party for a quick snack.
End flash back
"Dammit Bonnie! Say something!" He yelled dropping her hand to stand next to her bed.
"Hey mister don't yell at the sick lady!" a little girl with green eyes and curly brown hair yelled while running over to Bonnie and standing defensively in front of her with her little chocolate arms crossed.
Groaning he went eye level to the girl to compel her to leave when he saw it.
Flashback 12 years ago (Mystic falls)
Damon watched the little girl running into the woods curiously "The Bennett's get crazier every generation" he mused jumping up into a tree to watch over her.
He moved closer when she fell, at that moment she must have realised that she didn't know where she was because she looked so scared and it was so dark and cold that she started crying "Dumb kid, what's she doing running around in a place like this" he said jumping from the tree when she curled into a ball and continued sobbing.
Despite his past and the things he still did he really hated the sound of a child crying so he stepped forward and picked her up before carrying her home, "I hope you're proud Emily" he mused sarcastically as he sped off sensing the little girl staring up at him like he was some kind of superhero.
He snorted at the thought before putting the girl down by her grandmother's front porch. "God I hope Sheila doesn't see me" he said looking to the window wearily before looking down at the curly haired six year old that had been staring up at him in awe.
"Listen kid I have to go now, do you think you can go in by yourself?" he asked looking down at her pouty face.
"My name is Bonnie not kid" she said glaring up at him with her hands planted on her hips.
"I'm sorry…Bonnie, do you think you can go in by yourself?" he asked looking down at her, what the hell was he doing? Why was he being so nice?
"Why mister? Are you scared of my daddy?" she asked giggling at his face as he scoffed at the thought.
"No midget I'm not scared of your daddy" he said almost laughing at the thought of being afraid of Rudy Hopkins.
Blowing up her cheeks she gave him her hardest glare at the nickname he gaze her. "I'm not a midget you big chicken" she said sticking her tongue out at him.
"I'm not a chicken" he said almost chuckling before tensing at the voices of Rudy and Sheila calling for the little girl in front of him. "Listen when you go inside don't tell your grams that you were out here with me ok" he pleaded with the six year old as Sheila's voice became panicked.
"But…but why not?" she asked before crossing her arms in defiance.
"Ok I don't have time for this" he said resting his hands on her shoulders before stepping toward her and looking into her fiery green eyes. "You were alone out here all night" he said in a monotone voice.
"No I wasn't, I was out here with you" Bonnie answered narrowing her eyes at the vampire before resting her hand on his forehead "Are you ok mister?" she asked looking worried.
"What the?" he said standing up straight to look down at the little midget. "Why wasn't it working?" He thought panicking. Before remembering something his ex-girlfriend Bree told him. Witches are naturally immune to persuasion.
But this girl was too young to have any kind of abilities, he frowned down at her before leaning down to her again. She was six for heaven's sake she couldn't be that strong, he just had to try harder.
"You were alone out here all night" He repeated using his full power to draw the little girl in. By the second attempt it worked and he continued "You were sitting out here all night by yourself while they were fighting" he said watching her eyes struggle before dilating.
"I-I w-was out here all-all n-night by myself while they were f-fighting" she stuttered but he was satisfied with the result as he disappeared across the road at that very second Sheila came rushing out of the house to find Bonnie staring into space.
"That was way too close" he said walking off toward the Manor.
End flash back
"Midget?" he whispered looking down at the little girl before looking over at Bonnie again. It was impossible wasn't it? Two Bonnie's from different timelines or universes in the same room.
"I'm not a midget!" she yelled crossing her arms to glare up at him.
"Then what do you call yourself shorty?" He asked looking over at Bonnie who still hadn't made a move when he realised that he was still stuck in whatever witchy prank 'dark Bonnie' had been playing.
"There's nothing wrong with my size you giraffe!" she yelled pointing an accusatory finger up at him.
"No I'm no giraffe shorty, I'm the perfect height for my age" he said almost snickering "Whereas you little miss dwarf are abnormally short" he said smirking down at the girl really wishing that he could wake up now.
"I'm not that short!" she yelled before kicking him in the shin making laugh down at her.
"Damon stop it" older Bonnie interrupted in a hoarse voice as she looked over at him with a glare.
He winced at the sound of her voice but smirked when she looked at him with the same fire she always had in her eyes.
"Figures that your first words would be something judgmental" he muttered walking over to her ignoring the six year old Bonnie that had slipped out of the room.
"Damon, listen to me" she said hoarsely grabbing for his hands which he gave her.
"Maybe you shouldn't talk" he said looking around the room for water.
"No, you have to listen" she said frowning at the sound of her voice as she tightened her hold on his hands. "You're being held here by your own guilt, you need to let it go" she said sternly narrowing her eyes at him.
"No, you're crazy ass other half says that I'm stuck here until I get the cure" He said looking around the room again.
"We gave you the cure Damon, you're being held here by your guilt, let it go" she said sorrowfully letting go of his wrists to touch the sides of his face.
"Whatever guilt I have isn't holding me back from coming back to you, I'm being forced to play a game by dark Bonnie, she's the reason I'm still here" he said sliding her hands from the sides of his face.
"If she were me then she wouldn't be doing this to you, she's your guilt Damon. Think about it, you're here, in a universe where I used all of my power to kill Klaus which resulted in me dying before I was brought back only to return with psychological problems. You didn't mind the idea of me using all my power back then to kill him, and now the guilt's hitting you. Earlier Vicky attacked you, when it was actually you that attacked her. Tell me you don't see a pattern here" she said her voice becoming more and more hoarse as she spoke.
He got up and poured her a glass of water as he handed it to her. Thinking about it now made sense,
"Every one of your victims will get what they deserve tonight, and you'll endure it just as they had to"
She knew a lot more than she was supposed to know, like how he bit Vicky and where exactly it happened, she knew about the time he saved her and everything he compelled her to forget. Which he could have accepted, except the real Bonnie only remembered a small part of what happened that night, maybe it was true, maybe it was his guilt that was keeping him there.
But how could he get out? she said he had to let go, but he couldn't it was what kept him human. The guilt he carried around was his own and he didn't share it with anybody not even his broody brother. He knew that he'd screwed himself over waiting for Katherine for all those years but he accepted that it was now a part of who he was.
"Don't strain yourself thinking about it" she offered placing a hand over his "Just let go" she said drifting off into her stone cold silence again.
"Here goes nothing" he said getting up to leave the hospital room.
…..
"Did it work?" Sheila asked Bonnie when she came out of her trance.
"I told him to let go" she sniffed looking around before looking at her grandmother again. "I don't know if this is going to work Grams" she said biting her lower lip.
"Why do you think that?" Sheila asked smiling warmly at her granddaughter.
"He's got so much to feel guilty for, I don't think it's possible to just let go" she said wringing her wrists before looking over at her still smiling grandmother.
"Bonnie did I tell you about the time I'd lost you in the mall?" Sheila asked and then continued when she shook her head in the negative. "You were four and we were shopping for Christmas gifts when I turned to look at a pair of earrings for your mother, you slipped off to find more shiny things" she said with a breathy laugh, "When we found you I felt so guilty that I never wanted to take you anywhere with me again, but what I realised was that holding on to that one incident robbed us of all the places we could have visited. So I pushed that guilt aside and look at what we got out of it. Now I know that Damon has a lot of guilt, I'm glad that he knows that what he's done in the past is wrong but all that guilt is keeping him from connecting with the people around him. Do you understand?" Sheila asked and then continued when Bonnie nodded.
"That man has a lot to make up for but I think that all that he's done to protect those three young women that he barely even knew or what he's done for you a girl who's shown her distaste for him on more than one occasion shows that he's trying" she said rubbing circles on Bonnie's back "Believe in him Bonnie, he'll keep his promise" she said looking over at the unconscious vampire.
"Thanks Grams" Bonnie said after a while with a soft smile.
….
"What do you want?" the clone asked once she arrived in the grave yard where Damon had been waiting for her.
"I wanted to call a time out on our little game, is that ok?" he asked looking down at one of the tombstones.
"Why?" the clone asked suspiciously as she walked toward him to look down at the tombstone he had been staring at.
"I wanted to talk to you about something, I figure I can't do that if you're torturing me" he said running a hand through his hair.
"What do you want to talk about? I swear Damon if this is a tr-" she started but was cut off by him turning abruptly toward her.
"I'm not going to apologise to you" he hissed lowly "Do you know why?" he asked stepping around her.
"Because you're a dick?" she asked sarcastically as she crossed her arms at him.
"Because not all of what I've done revolves around you" he said going to sit on a tombstone "I don't write names down on a wall or forget to turn my humanity back on because I know what I've done and I've taken responsibility for it" he said clenching his jaw as she stepped toward him.
"Have you Damon? I mean after everything you've done, do you really think you've taken responsibility for it all?" she asked cocking her head.
Chuckling he looked off into the distance before looking at her again "Some of the things I've done, I feel totally justified for doing them" he looking her dead in the eye "Some of the things I've done? I'd do them again in heartbeat" he said getting up to walk toward her. "And with that kind of reasoning, I feel completely justified doing this" he said pulling a stake from his back pocket before staking her with it.
She yelled out in pain before falling to the ground unconscious and he almost felt a twinge of guilt looking down at Bonnie's dead body before it transformed into a dead clone of himself.
"Well that isn't freaky at all" he said sarcastically as he felt himself fading into consciousness again.
…
Everyone in the cave looked over at Damon when he grunted loudly before sitting up with Alaric's help.
"Ow, my head" he groaned rubbing his temples "Feels like I've been hit by a bus" he rasped blinking repeatedly to clear his blurry vision.
"You look it" Alaric said handing his friend a blood bag.
"Wait Ric?" Damon asked looking up at his friend with disbelief "If you here and I can touch you" he said lightly slapping Alaric's cheek "Then that means the little witch did it, she actually did it" he said looking around for the little witch in question.
He located her in the far left corner in front of an alter alongside Sheila, he almost winced at the sight of her glaring eyes but his attention was dragged away by someone walking toward him.
"Mr Salvatore" Leo said stopping in front of him "It's been a while, 50 years was it?" he asked with a cold smile.
"Leo" Damon murmured in greeting before swearing under his breath when he's memories returned "So nice of you to drop in" he said getting up to face the Elder.
"Yes, when I heard that we were having a reunion I simply had to drop in as you say" Leo said smirking at the Vampire who only smirked in reply.
…..
A.N: Okay that's it, Damon's awake! Woohoo! I decided to dedicate this chapter to waking him up. What the hell is this Phoenix ritual Joshua wanted to do? What will Damon do now that he's face to face with Leo? Can Bonnie create a new veil? And where's the rest of the gang?
Let me know what you guys thought?...