Disclaimer: TVD is owned by the CW/LJ Smith. Original characters are mine.
Summary: It couldn't last but neither thought this is how it would end.
A/N: Hello everyone. I really enjoyed reading your reviews from the last installment hehe sorry about the cliffhanger. I meant to update this sooner but I got the latest Sims 3 expansion so that kinda absorbed my time for a while lol. However I think it all worked out since the show comes back next week and now I'll be ready for it. Depending on how the premier actually goes and whether I'm bit by inspiration earlier, my next update should be after the 18th, combining episodes 4.01 and 4.02. Hopefully whatever is on tv won't kill my muse dead. Anyway thank you for the reviews and I hope you enjoy this one as you've enjoyed the others!
Two Against the World
Bonnie had reached a point in her life where not much scared her anymore if it didn't deal with someone she cared about in danger. Case in point; the gun pointed at her head by the burly man dragging her through the hallway to the underground car garage. Granted having a weapon trained on you wasn't easy but she wasn't scared at all because Damon was right behind her. He was in the same situation but she knew the plan—it had been her idea—and she'd whispered it under her breath while they were still in their hotel room.
Three minutes. Three minutes after Damon basically proposed the door was kicked open and Mr. Blake appeared, telling them to get dressed and come quietly or he would shoot her in the leg. For starters. Naturally Damon could have taken them all out in a second but then they would have had bodies in their room and how did you explain something like that to the police? It would have caused un-needed attention to them when they were just trying to lay low and have some fun.
So they'd went with Mr. Blake and his men listening as he demanded all of his money back or else.
She knew she should have been focusing on their circumstances but she let his threats become white noise so that she could instead think about Damon's insane proposal. Seriously was there something wrong with him? On what planet was getting engaged a good idea? And why did it fill her with an odd sense of accomplishment?
Their relationship had not started out normal by any means but surprisingly everything following that night in the news had been wonderful. Almost dying and being stalked by several crazy fiends aside of course. But marriage was a huge deal. Marriage meant moving in together and sharing a mortgage and committing your life to someone until you died. Sure there was divorce or whatever but she didn't want to think about that. She'd been young but she could remember how it'd affected her father and she did not want to go through it.
Damon was different however. Forever honestly meant forever and maybe she was stupid, but she believed him when he said he'd never want anyone else.
Still there were like a million reasons to say no. To hand back the ring and suggest they just keep going like they were going. But—god—for the life of her she didn't give a shit about any of them. Besides it wasn't like they were going to a chapel anytime soon and getting hitched. It was just—it was a gesture to prove how much he loved her. A crazy, heart exploding gesture that would kill her friends when they found out and that of course would be half of the fun, seeing the look on everyone's faces—especially Elena.
Could I even wear the ring around my father? Would he totally freak out? Would I have to put it on a chain when I was around him or would he not notice at all?
The only problem was that nothing was set in stone and she had no idea what the future held beyond spending as much time with Damon as she possibly could. It didn't make much sense to throw her eggs all into one basket, especially at such a young age but she didn't exactly feel seventeen. And she honestly doubted anyone would care about her the way Damon did. Their connection was in the blood and it was extremely powerful, too powerful to be overlooked or ruined by something like logic.
Snapping back to attention as Mr. Blake pushed them into a secluded area of the car garage where cameras didn't reach; she rubbed her bare upper arms and wished she'd been able to grab a sweater from the room. Focus Bonnie there are more important things happening than chilly night air.
"I don't have your money." Damon said leisurely. "Well I don't have all of it. The whole point of playing and winning was so that I could buy something sparkly with it. Besides, why should I have to give it back anyway?"
Mr. Blake raised his gun. "Perhaps because I have this pointed in your face? I do not know how things are done where you are from Mr. Salvatore, but strangers do not come into my house and take what's mine. You were supposed to give me a chance to win my money back."
Damon smirked. "You mean cheat and get it back?"
The other man shrugged. "It's a system that has worked for many years now. So this is what is going to happen. You are going to get my money back or…" He turned the weapon onto Bonnie. "I am going to put a hole in your pretty wife's head. Something tells me she won't be so pretty afterwards however."
Damon glanced to Bonnie. "Do I really have to stand here and listen to this anymore?"
She chuckled. "No, go ahead. I think we're in the clear."
Before Mr. Blake could ask what in the hell they were talking about he was crashing to the ground with a broken neck. Damon dispatched his men with much of the same finesse, moving so fast that they honestly had no idea what hit them. They crumpled like a balled up piece of paper, eyes still open but lifeless, staring wide at nothing.
Bonnie had enough decency in her to cringe but she didn't look away, not even as Damon started rooting through their pockets. "What should we do with the bodies?"
"Well we could steal a car, take them out into the desert and hope a coyote eats them." He suggested, handing her their wallets. "Or you could burn them to a crisp and we could get the hell out of his city."
She made a face. "Both of those are gross but I don't wanna steal a car. If the cops caught us with their bodies in the trunk we'd been in big trouble. And you'd probably kill the cops and…I'm not quite there yet."
He strolled over to a water truck and smashed the lock, pushing up the screen to yank out a large jug of fresh spring water. "Then fire it is." He drenched the bodies and looked around to make sure they were still alone. "Do your thing, witchy."
I'm so gonna need therapy after this.
Sitting on the passenger side of Damon's vehicle after destroying whatever footage the cameras might have picked up and checking out of the hotel, Bonnie quietly watched the scenery fly by. She remembered being a little girl craving adventure but figuring it would never happen. Or at least she would have to wait until she was an adult and on her own. Little had she known that one day she'd fall in love with a crazy vampire that lived by his own set of rules. Had she known she probably would have hid under her bed for the rest of her life.
Chewing on the inside of her cheek, she shifted and gazed at Damon as he drove. The lights of the dashboard danced in his eyes and his expression was calm. Serene even. She reached over and touched his hand, pulling it into her lap so that she could stroke his fingers. "So I have an answer for you if you want it."
His brows narrowed but he kept his gaze on the road. "I was under the assumption your non answer was your answer."
She snorted. "Be serious. I would never do that to you. I'd be totally honest either way because that's important in a relationship. Especially ours." She wet her lips. "Besides I'm pretty sure you know my answer is yes."
Damon grinned. "I had an inkling but sometimes you surprise me. And sometimes you're annoying on purpose."
She laughed and leaned across the seat to kiss his cheek. "Where's the ring?" His hip shifted up and she giggled, sticking her hand into his pocket. "The engagement ring Damon, not the cock ring."
"Ha ha." He said dryly. "Keep that up and I'll toss it out the window."
"You won't." She yanked out the box and opened it, slipping the gorgeous ring onto her finger. "Jesus. I can't believe you got me this."
Merging off the highway and up to a vacant rest area, Damon slid the gear into park. "Okay so technically it was a crazy spur of the moment idea but I like it. Why should we wait until you're in your twenties to get engaged when we can just be engaged now? I want people to know you're mine."
That could sound creepy but it's actually very romantic. "And when people freak out because I'm too young and we hardly know each other or whatever?"
He shrugged, running his fingers through his hair. "Fuck them. Not many people are going to be on board with us anyway so screw them and whatever they might say. You love me and I love you. The end."
Bonnie admired her ring again; god it's big. "You're right. I just—I don't know the thought of people judging us makes me mad. Especially since it'll be mostly you they'll have problems with. My dad has no idea you're a vampire or that vampires are real but he's going to flip his shit because he assumes you're older and possibly taking advantage of me." She exhaled deeply. "Not to mention our so called friends will all have to give their input. I wish things could be easier for us just once. I wish I'd tell Elena and Caroline and instead of looking scandalized, they squeal and immediately wanna know who is going to be the maid of honor. It's like even after all this time people still try to talk me outta being with you and it's fucken irritating."
Damon nodded in understanding. "Yeah but maybe if things were easy we wouldn't be together. Are you happy?"
"Very." She smiled at him. "This is awesome. And like you said we can be engaged for a long time and no one will think it's weird. Though I doubt that will stop me from looking at wedding dress magazines. But I did that before I even knew you so…"
He squeezed her thigh. "You're cute. So where to now?"
Good question. "Somewhere where we can just relax for a bit. The whole mess with Mr. Blake still sort of has me on edge. What were the odds that we'd get caught up in that kinda crap?"
"Pretty good considering our luck." He stared at her. "You okay with me killing them? Seems like you would have had a problem with that sort of thing in the past…"
That was true. She would have been upset knowing that Damon had murdered someone but things were different now. There were bad people in the world and sometimes those bad people deserved to get hurt. "They were terrible people. Hell they'd probably killed before or beat someone up. Besides it was us or them and I wasn't going to be shot so that they could continue being assholes."
He smirked and shifted a little, leaning his head back to the head rest. "That makes perfect sense to me." The hand on her thigh tugged a little at the yellow fabric of her dress. "C'mere."
Maybe it was silly but Damon could still make her blush. Sometimes all he had to do was look at her with desire in his eyes and she could feel her cheeks burning before her heart would began to pound loudly in her ears. It was a feeling she hoped she never lost; the way he could tell her without saying a word how much he wanted her. Needed her. Possibly even craved. She wondered if she had the same effect on him but decided she most likely did.
Bonnie was thankful for the large foot wells of the SUV because it made maneuvering that much easier. She kicked off her dainty shoes and arched, shimming out of her panties to lay them on the dashboard. Damon reclined his seat back a few inches grabbed her hips, lifting her effortlessly onto his lap. She laughed, bracing a hand against the window so that she didn't hit her head against it. They were under a flickering streetlamp in a place where families stopped to stretch their legs but she couldn't seem to get herself to care if a minivan happened to drive up. She was happy. And that happiness only spread when Damon kissed her.
It ran through her veins like wild fire mingling with lust and some other emotion she couldn't pin down. Damon was good at most things but kissing was especially one of them. He could be forceful yet careful at the same time; and he always held her like he meant every single touch or caress. His hand slipped between her legs and she shuddered, leaning back so that she could unbutton his shirt enough to see the paleness of his chest and collar bone. She loved to mark him up even if the marks never lasted.
With the thumb of one hand slip-sliding over her clitoris, he managed to get his jeans unbuttoned and down to his knees with the other. A low muttered fuck was all the warning she got before he was pulling her down onto his erection, sinking into her until there was nowhere else to go. Bonnie whimpered, spreading her thighs further, wanting to feel him as deeply as possible.
He bucked up and she moaned his name so he did it again and again, his fingers leaving imprints on her pretty brown skin. The windows fogged up in no time and a few times Bonnie's back struck the steer wheel hard, causing the horn to blow but she didn't care. Damon was whispering filthy things in her ear and his cock was hitting all the right places, and nothing else in the world mattered but this moment between them.
The motel wasn't posh or ritzy—it was actually kinda ho hum but Damon didn't give a shit. He'd stayed in worse places especially since he was born before the invention that was indoor plumbing. As far as he could tell there were no bed bugs and the sheets were clean so he was okay. He'd offered to find a better place but Bonnie had not made a fuss, saying an Ecno Lodge was better than sleeping in the car. She'd needed to stretch out after their encounter.
He smirked and brought his left arm up over his head, sighing silently into the quiet of the room. He could hear the shower running and see the light shining out from underneath the door. He was so very tempted to go join her but he wasn't sure she was up for another round. Once in the car and then again on their rented bed had already made her shaky enough; the last time with him pressing her face down onto the mattress and making her come so hard that it felt like an earthquake was hitting the room. Fuck he loved it when she lost control like that. When she got loud and her power spiked and he felt like a god for pulling that sort of reaction out of her.
He could still taste her...sometimes he thought it was better than blood.
So they were engaged now or whatever—somewhere Daddy Salvatore was rolling over in his grave. Not only was she not white but she was also not exactly human. Still better than Katherine but his dad was a dick so he probably still wouldn't be satisfied. His mother, well he didn't know how she would have felt about everything. But she had been gentle and loving and there was a chance she would just be happy that he'd found someone who honestly loved him. Flaws and all.
None of that matters however. They're dead and I've been doing whatever the fuck I've wanted to do for as long as I can remember. The only person whose input I have to deal with is Stefan's.
Damon could see it going either way with his dear little brother. Stefan believed in love and family and he'd always been the sort of person that had wanted all of that. Even in his selfish Ripper phase he had wanted someone that understood what he was going through. Someone who cared enough to make him stop because he had not been strong enough to stop himself. Enter Lexi. It wasn't surprising that Stefan could forge friendships that lasted centuries. That part of him would be glad that Damon was serious about holding onto the person he cherished the most.
The other part—the broody, the world hates me so I might as well live in a hole—part would think it was a rash decision that would no doubt have consequences. And blah blah blah…like he wouldn't propose to Elena on the spot if he thought she would say yes.
In all honestly Damon kinda felt like he'd been waiting for his life to start ever since he thought Katherine was stuck in the tomb. He thought she would get out and they would begin. Of course that hadn't happened because she was a stupid little bitch so for a while—even with his feelings for Bonnie growing—he'd just been circling the drain, not quite sure of what he wanted. He had tried his hand at all of it before realizing the thing he wanted was right in front of his eyes the entire time.
So now that he had his priorities in order all he had to do was make sure no one stepped in to fuck them up, which was actually easier said than done. He had a feeling getting Bonnie to trust him was the walk in the park and that everything that followed would be hell. They still had to deal with Alaric and the other Originals and Bonnie's human father.
And all those unforeseen events that would no doubt happen.
Because to live in Mystic Falls is to constantly be looking over your shoulder. That should be the town motto.
They all needed a plan. Something besides just sitting around and waiting to see what tried to kill them. Unfortunately he was drawing a blank, his mind too mellow from sex to function properly. Eh we'll figure something out. We always do.
His cell phone ringing pulled him out of his drifting thoughts and he reached for it, propping himself up onto an elbow. "Hello?"
"Damon." It was Stefan.
"Hello brother." Damon said. "How are things in the Falls?"
Stefan was oddly quiet before replying, "Damon it—it's Elena. Something has happened."
Frowning, Damon sat up and put his bare feet on the floor. "What do you mean something has happened? What's wrong?"
Stefan took a shuddering breath. "It—Rebecca said she didn't want to run anymore. That Alaric would find them no matter where they went." Pause. "I didn't know what she was going to do until it was too late."
"Stefan, what did she do?" Damon asked slowly. "Is Elena dead?"
"She made me save Matt. I should have taken them both; it would have made more sense but he was unconscious and had probably sucked in so much water already. I guess that's what she was thinking." Stefan explained absently like he was in a trance. "It was like déjà vu with her parents all over again except this time I was too late to save her. But it all happened so fast and—fuck."
"Stefan—"
"I didn't know what Meredith had done. I didn't know. If I had I would have—but I wanted to respect Elena's choice. She deserved that. She always deserves that and it's not my place to ever take that away from her."
"What did Meredith do?"
"Damon, Elena is in transition. Apparently she was a lot sicker than Meredith let on when she passed out so she gave her some of your blood to heal her."
Damon blinked and tried to process all of this new information. His brain was grinding so slow though, like it just couldn't put two and two together. "She—she's a vampire?"
Stefan sighed—or sniffed. "Not yet. She might decide not to complete the transition. Right now she's just really confused and I think she probably wants Bonnie. They are best friends."
"Yeah." He murmured. "We'll be back as soon as…" He trailed off. If they didn't make it back in time and Elena decided to die, neither of them would get to say good-bye. "We'll be back."
"Okay." Stefan replied quietly. "Okay."
They hung up without saying bye and Damon groaned, dragging a hand across his face. This was going to crush Bonnie. Yeah her and Elena were still on shaky footing but they were best friends and this was not the kinda thing you wanted for your best friend. Especially one that had spoken out against becoming a vampire in the past. Of course Elena could very well decide not to drink human blood and just die.
I wonder if Alaric is still alive? His life was tied to Elena's and she's technically dead so probably not. Fuck. He was a crazy asshole in the end but he hadn't always been that way. He didn't deserve to go out the way he did either.
The bathroom door opened and Bonnie stepped out, rubbing at her wet hair with a towel. "Were you talking to someone?"
He exhaled and patted the spot beside him. "I need to tell you something and I don't think you're going to like it."
She arched a brow but sat down, pulling her legs up under her fluffy robe. "What's wrong?"
Damon took her hands in his. "I hate to do this to you, babe. I mean we're flying high with happy shit and now…" His jaw twitched in anger and a bit of grief. "But you'd wanna know because you're awesome like that. You need to know stuff because you've elected yourself the protector of Mystic Falls and everyone in it."
Bonnie's expression turned worried. "Damon what's wrong? What's happened?"
"Elena's…in transition." He wet his lips. "Rebecca caused some type of accident and Stefan…" He pushed down his irritation at his brother being stupid enough to not save Elena and Matt. "She had my blood in her system when she drowned."
Bonnie gasped and clutched at her chest. "I…" She shook her head. "She's a vampire? What…"
"She hasn't decided if she wants to turn yet or not." He explained. "I just got the call from Stefan. I honestly don't know what she'll do but if you wanna see her we should go now. Otherwise it might be too late."
"What? Oh yeah. Yes." She moved off the bed listlessly—as if on autopilot—to slip on clothes from her bag. "I guess it was stupid to think any of this would last."
Grabbing his jeans off the floor, he stepped into them. "Our road trip?"
With her back to him she put on her bra and underwear. He could still see the bruises on her hips. "Happiness, actually. This time with you is the happiest I've been in a long while and in an instant it's just over. And I—I'm angry because this was our time and once again Elena has managed to mess it up. And then I feel like a bitch because she's dying and I'm worrying about myself, and I've been so mean to her lately because of that stupid kiss and what if she dies before we get back and I can't tell her what I need to say, and she thinks I hate her and…"
And suddenly she's crying so he abandoned buttoning up his jeans to go to her. To wrap his arms around her and hold her close. "She knows you don't hate her. And if anyone is to blame for this it's Rebecca. Hopefully we can figure out a way to hurt that bitch or kill her once and for all." He kissed her temple. "Everything is going to be okay."
"I really doubt that, Damon." She pulled away to continue getting dressed.
Regrettably he kinda doubted it as well but it wouldn't count for both of them to be outspoken pessimists.
With the way they were speeding Bonnie was surprised they hadn't been pulled over but she knew Damon would just compel the cop to let them go even if they were. Her mind was bursting at the seams with thoughts, accusations and remorse, and honestly she wasn't sure how she was going to react upon seeing Elena. They were still best friends but things were different now—they were different in more ways than one. She knew that she needed to be supportive and she would be but there were other things to consider.
Like for instance the fact that Klaus wasn't actually dead but whiling away the hours inside of Tyler until they could get his body back or find a suitable, permanent replacement. She hadn't told anyone what she had done—not even Damon, especially not Damon—but it was bound to come to light sooner or later. Probably sooner now that Elena was technically dead. He could no longer use her blood to make hybrids. At least it seemed like he shouldn't be able to but she didn't exactly understand the mechanics of it all. In any case that reveal would be a giant shock and she would have to shoulder the consequences but she did not regret her decision.
Sometimes you had to play bad to keep the people you cared about safe. Kol may have turned her mother but Klaus was the father of everyone else. Him dying might affect the other Originals as well and then all vampires would cease to exist.
Right now though she had to focus on Elena and what she was going through. She wouldn't be alone because of Caroline and the Salvatores but it had to be trying and scary. Most likely she would become a vampire but then what? Would she try Stefan's diet or the blood bags? Would she freak out like Caroline and kill some innocent person that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? Was Jeremy now in danger just being around her? So many new questions to answer.
It was true that she and Elena were best friends on somewhat muddy ground but she wanted to be there for her. In a way it was in her DNA—the caretaker role and all. She didn't really mind putting aside her anger over the kiss because constantly having it in the back of her mind was exhausting. Perhaps this was how they truly mended their shattered friendship. It was horrible but it didn't have to be completely so. Caroline was managing and Elena would have the same support system to help her.
What if she turns into another Katherine?
What if she goes after Damon again now that they have more in common?
What if she turns off her humanity and you have to do something drastic to keep her in line?
Could you do it? Could you take Elena down if you had to?
Bonnie exhaled deeply and shifted in her seat, feeling the slight twinge from her still sore muscles. The old Elena would want her to do whatever she had to do to keep others safe, so she would. Besides Stefan would never let Elena lose control. No doubt he was blaming himself right now for the entire thing.
I have to find a way to do something to Rebecca. I don't care if it pisses Klaus off. I'm gonna strike out against her if it's the last thing I do. I'm so sick of the Originals and the spirits pushing us around!
"You okay? I can almost hear you thinking."
She nodded a little. "I'm okay. Just worried I guess. This is something that Elena never wanted and now… I don't know. I get the feeling she's going to be looking to me to try to fix it."
Damon arched a brow. "How would you fix it? You can't make her human again. The most you can do is make her a daylight ring and hope she never forgets it."
"Yeah." She whispered. "I can't help but feel crappy though. While we were off getting engaged she was drowning in the same place her parents died."
"Bonnie you couldn't have known what bitch Barbie vamp was going to do, and even if you had it's not like you could have stopped her. This isn't anyone's fault." His hands tightened on the steering wheel. "Maybe Meredith's but if she hadn't given Elena my blood then she'd be dead either way so…"
"How do you feel about that?" She inquired as innocently as she could. "You basically sired her."
His blue eyes cut to her as if he knew exactly what she was hinting at. "It's not really some big deal like they make it in the movies. I sired Caroline too but we don't braid each other's hair and share secrets. Most of the time she annoys the fuck outta me. It just happened to be my blood in both of their systems. Nothing more." He paused and moved one hand down to brush her wrist. "I'd only feel something if I made you and that would have less to do with my blood and more what you mean to me."
She smiled. "If it ever happens I hope you're the one to do it."
Damon snorted. "Oh it'll be me, no questions about that." A beat. "So when we get back you wanna move into the mansion?"
Bonnie laughed lightly, thankful for the subject change. "I would but my dad might have something to say about that. One of the odd times he's actually home." An image popped into her head of living with Damon and she grinned, wishing it was a reality. "Would it be wrong to get you to compel my dad to let me though? Okay it sounds even more screwed up out loud than it did in my head."
Damon snickered. "Maybe a little but being a good girl doesn't get you what you want as fast as being bad does. And we both know you want to live with me so that you can see me naked all the time."
"I don't think Stefan would appreciate you suddenly always nude."
"He'd get over it. I've done worse."
Giggling, she turned her attention to her ring and twisted it around her finger. She had a feeling it was going to be a new habit. "Things are going to change once we get home, aren't they?"
Guiding the SUV around a sharp curve with a flick of his wrist, he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Yes. Not between us but yeah I think they will change in general. But I'm with you no matter what."
Bonnie's eyes grew damp and she quickly wiped away her tears. "Even if I have to do sinister things to keep everyone safe?"
He glanced at her, reaching up to smooth his thumb across her cheek. "Of course. No one more than me understands that sometimes you have to play dirty to win. Considering who we are up against it makes perfect sense." His expression turned sympathetic. "I'll never judge you for what you might have to do to protect everyone. I might not get it or agree with it but I'll know it was in everyone's best interest."
Leaning into his touch, she grabbed his hand before he could pull it away and kissed his fingers. "Then let's go home."
~Fin~
