A/N: I am so sorry this chapter took so long. It was harder than I thought it would be. I no longer have a beta, so please if you see a mistake let me know and I will fix it. As usual thank you for the follows, favorites and reviews.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Three months; three long months. No Stefan, no Bonnie and Damon was ready to rip someone's throat out. The hunt for Stefan was like a wild goose chase, he spent the better part of the summer hunting his brother down, but when they had found him, his brother was gone. Replaced by humanity-off ripper Stefan. Who made it perfectly clear he wasn't going back to mystic falls. Elena had been devastated, but they were determined not to give up. Bonnie, on the other hand, was shipped off to live with her aunt for the summer, leaving Damon alone to take his aggravation out on the poor town of Mystic Falls. He had no qualms admitting that he was an asshole on any given day, but over the summer, he had been so much of an asshole that he started getting on his own nerves.
The fairytale character Grumpy from Snow White and the seven dwarfs came to mind as the best way to describe his mood. Snow white was the only person that could make Grumpy happy. So now replace Snow White with Bonnie and that was his predicament. His Snow White wasn't around to make him happy and he was very, very grumpy.
Damon stared blankly into the dark red liquid that sat unmoving in the coffee mug on Elena's kitchen Island. With his hand wrapped around the glass he brought the mug to his lips and took a long drag of the coppery tasting liquid. He grimaced as the blood made its way through his body.
Heating blood up in a microwave was a poor substitute for the warmth of the blood rushing through some poor unsuspecting victims veins, or suspecting victim; Damon didn't discriminate, but being in love with a highly moral and judgmental witch was having an effect on his daily activities. He wasn't quite sure when it had happened, but one day he woke up and realized he hadn't drank from the flesh in quite some time. That wasn't to say he was becoming domesticated by any means, but he acknowledged that if he ever wanted any chance to be with his little witch, miniscule though it might be, he would have to make some changes. Emphasis on some changes. Damon was no saint and could only do so much.
Who would have thought that all it took was a set of vivid green eyes and creamy caramel skin to end the reign of terror he had brought upon the world. He had almost unleashed hell on Mystic Falls after Stefan and Bonnie left, but the melodic voice in the back of his mind told him she would never forgive him if he did something stupid, like kill someone and since all the work he had done to form their quasi-friendship took a turn for the worst before she left, he had no desire to screw it up anymore than he already had. So he gritted his teeth and shoved all of his energy into finding his brother, whom along with Klaus had left a trail of dismembered bodies all along the eastern seaboard and there was nothing he could do to stop them. He would bring Stefan back though, if it killed him, he would bring him back and start the long process of turning him back into his usual brooding self. After all, he did owe Stefan his life.
There was a silver lining to all the darkness though. After three grueling, torturous months, his little witch was finally coming home. Which is why he was sitting at the island in Elena's kitchen watching her and Caroline flit around the room acting like crazy women. Bonnie's absence had not just been felt by Damon, though he would argue that he felt it the most. Elena and the rest of their rag tag group, sans Stefan of course, were all beside themselves over the summer. Bonnie and Stefan's absences were almost too much to bare. He was sure that Bonnie would definitely deny it, but she seemed to be the proverbial glue that held them all together.
Tuning the girls mindless chatter out and letting his mind wander, he recalled the moment he found out that not only Stefan, but also Bonnie would be gone for an extended period of time. Leaving him alone with his own devices with only Elena to keep him company.
3 months ago
Damon pulled into the driveway of the yellow house with the green door. There was a second car next to Bonnie's that he didn't recognize, but this was also only the second time he had shown up at her house, so there was that to consider. Shutting off his engine and pocketing his keys, he exited his Camaro. He was just about to make his way to the front door when it opened and the object of his untimely affection came out of her house, pulling a large suitcase on wheels behind her. She stopped short when she noticed him and donned a confused, but not displeased expression.
"Damon…?"
Her voice was soft, pleasant and void of any animosity, which Damon took as a huge win. There was a time that she couldn't be in the same vicinity as him without wanting to give him an aneurysm, so they were definitely making progress.
Damon stood next to his Camaro a little unsure of himself. He was new to this, being in love with someone who wasn't a conniving bitch, thing. So he knew he had to approach every situation with Bonnie with kid gloves. She just started liking him or at least not hating him and he wanted to keep it that way. Taking a couple of cautious steps toward the house he said, "Sorry to just drop by like this. I wanted to talk to you."
She gave him an easy smile that lit up her face and he thought he felt something flutter in his stomach. He mentally chastised himself for his sappiness.
"No worries, I'm glad to see you back on your feet."
Damon made his way up the path to her front porch and stood at the bottom step as he spoke. "That's actually want I wanted to talk to you about." He paused. "Thank you. If it wasn't for you, I'd be a pile of dust right now."
Bonnie shook her head. "It wasn't just me." Her smile faded and her voice became sad. "I'm really sorry about Stefan. If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know."
Damon was shaking his head before she finished speaking. "No, thank you, but you've done more than enough. I can do this on my own."
"Well if you change your mind, I'm only a phone call away," she said sincerely as she made to start the trek down the stairs with her oversized suitcase, but Damon rushed over to her and grabbed it from her picking it up with ease. She smiled gratefully and said "Thanks, that thing is heavy. You'd be surprised how much clothing and accessories one person needs for a three month trip."
Damon's heart sank at her words, which came out playful and easy, having no clue the effect they were having on him. Three months? What did she mean by three months?
Trying not to clue her in on his inner turmoil he said glibly, "I'm sorry you're going to have to fill me in here."
She rolled her eyes, not at him, but the situation. "My dad thinks I need a break from Mystic Falls, what with all the craziness going on around here, so he's sending me to live with my aunt for the summer."
Damon felt as if his world had just stopped. He had just finally fully admitted how he felt about her and now she was leaving. For three months. To keep his composure he stood as still as a statue and gave no response. He was trying to keep any and all expression from his features so she didn't catch on to the distress he was feeling.
She gave him a strange look and asked, "You ok Damon?"
Shaking his head from his trance and schooling his features he said, "Uh yeah, I'm fine. So uh, your aunt huh? Where does she live?"
"Some small town in Ohio. I'm sure I'll be dreadfully bored." She exaggerated the word "dreadfully" to put emphasis on her plight.
Damon saw a silver lining. " You don't want to go?"
Bonnie scoffed. "Of course not." She started walking to the car that wasn't hers and Damon followed, her suitcase in hand. "I'd much rather spend the summer with my friends and Jeremy, not be stuck in nowheresville Ohio."
Damon tried not to let it get to him that he wasn't someone that was on her list of people she was going to miss. She pushed the trunk button on the key fob in her hand and gestured for Damon to place her suitcase in the trunk. Damon did as instructed and then putting his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket he casually said, "I can compel him."
Bonnie blinked at him, clearly confused by his statement. "Compel who?"
"Your dad." He answered simply, like it was the most obvious solution. "I can compel him to let you stay." He knew she would never go for it and hoped she didn't give him a witchy migraine for his efforts, but he had to try.
Bonnie stared at him blankly for a second before she started laughing light-heartedly. She slapped his arm playfully as she remarked, "You're funny Damon."
Damon's expression remained serious. "I'm not joking. Just say the word and I'll compel him."
Bonnie's laughter sobered and her expression turned serious as she chastised him, though her words contained no real malice. "Damon you're not compelling my dad."
Damon shrugged offhandedly like he hadn't just suggested the worst thing in the world to someone like his little witch. "Well the offer still stands if you change your mind."
She laughed good-naturedly, use to his antics. "I won't."
Damon smiled, her laughter was one of the most calming sounds he had ever heard and he could hardly believe how happy it made him to be the one on the receiving end of it.
Deciding on a change of topic so as not to test her patience with him he asked grudgingly, "So how's the boyfriend doing?" He already knew the answer thanks to Elena and honestly couldn't care less about how he was doing, but he wanted to stay on Bonnie's good side. So he thought asking about Jeremy would make her happy.
She did seem surprised by the question, but her eyes lit up as she answered him. "He's good. Thankfully the witches heard my plea to save him and helped us, but when they did…" Her voice trailed off and a solemn expression covered her features. Taking in a heavy breath and releasing it she continued, "When they did they took all their power with them. I'm back to just being little old me. A mediocre witch."
The sadness in her eyes and tone and her use of the words he had used to describe her once cut him to pieces. "Bonnie, I didn't mean that when I said it." He replied hastily, attempting to counteract her feelings of doubt about herself, feelings he was sure he had a huge part in since clearly his words had resonated with her to the point of her remembering them easily. "We were fighting and I wanted to get under your skin. That's all. You're an amazing witch Bonnie Bennett. Even without all the dead witches power. You're still young. One day you'll be a force to be reckoned with all on your own."
If you asked him, he would say that his hand moved of its own volition when it reached over and caressed her cheek softly as he spoke the words that he believed whole-heartedly, but he knew that wasn't the truth. He had been struck by such an urge to comfort her in any way that he just could not help himself.
Bonnie jumped slightly at the touch, but made no move to remove his hand from her face. His hand seemed to cover the whole side of it, his thumb running across her cheek bone caused her eyelashes to flutter as she released a long shaky breath. He stared into her green eyes and was struck with an urge to kiss her so profound that he felt his face move involuntarily.
"Damon." She whispered, and it came out as both a question and plea.
"Bonnie!"
The sharp male voice interrupted the moment like the crack of a whip, knocking both Bonnie and Damon out of their trances. Bonnie jumped away from Damon so fast she could have rivaled his vampire speed. They both turned their attention to where the voice came from and Damon saw a dark skinned man that could only be Bonnie's father standing on her front porch.
"Dad," Bonnie said sheepishly confirming Damon's suspicions.
"Who's your friend?" He asked, eyeing Damon with a look that told him that her dad already knew who he was or at least, what he was.
"Damon Salvatore," Damon said using the famous southern charm that had wooed men and women alike for over a century. "It's nice to meet you Mr. Bennett."
"It's Mr. Hopkins." His face was stern as he spoke and Damon could tell that this man didn't take any shit. He might have admired the man if it wasn't for the fact that Damon knew he left Bonnie alone for extended periods of time forcing her to fend for herself. Father of the year he was not.
"Damon just stopped by to thank me for helping him with something."
Damon glanced at her and took in her appearance. She was wringing her hands together nervously and shifting her weight from one foot to another looking every bit like a girl who wanted to please her father, but never quite reached his expectations.
"Well it was nice of you to stop by Mr. Salvatore, but I'm afraid Bonnie needs to finish packing." He turned his attention to his daughter. " We need to get on the road soon if we're going to make it to the airport on time."
Bonnie nodded. "Ok, I'll be inside in a minute."
Bonnie's dad looked displeased, but didn't argue. "Mr. Salvatore."
The way he said his name left a bad taste in Damon's mouth, but he had no desire to get on Bonnie's dads bad side, so he inclined his head and said politely, "Mr. Hopkins."
The intimidating man turned and practically stomped back into the house. Damon turned back to Bonnie and could tell for the second time that their moment had passed and there would be no kiss. Damon had let the opportunity to kiss her pass through his fingers twice now. He wasn't sure he could handle a third.
His patience and willpower with the situation was waning. He had never been the guy to deny himself something or someone he wanted, but his deep feelings for her kept him in check. He wanted to do this right, even if nothing ever came of them, he didn't want to risk putting any more strain on their already fragile relationship.
He knew she was obviously as conflicted as he was or there wouldn't even be almost kisses, but it seemed like something in the universe didn't want them to finally take that last step. He watched as she stood awkwardly, looking in every direction but at him, biting her bottom lip agitatedly, but in Damon's already heated state, the action made it increasingly hard for him to not snatch her up and replace her teeth with his mouth. He needed to get away from her before he did something stupid.
"Well I guess I better-" His words were cut off abruptly by a very angry witch.
"What the hell are you playing at?" She asked angrily, almost yelling, but not quite.
Damon was so confused by the sudden change in her demeanor it took him a moment to respond. "What do you mean?"
"You almost kissed me for the second time. Why? Why are you even thinking about kissing me? And why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden? Showing up at my house randomly to tell me thank you for helping you, showing up at the witches house to check on me after the fight with Klaus and I know Elena did not send you." Damon made to interrupt her tirade with an explanation, but she wouldn't allow it. "The last time I checked you hated me, passionately. I was Elena's annoying best friend who could do spells for you when you needed. That was it. So what the hell game are you playing?"
Bonnie was so angry she was visibly shaking. Damon could practically see the air surrounding her crackling with energy, the power inside her just begging to be released. He knew that if she still had the power of the witches she probably would have done some damage by now, but her own power was still in it's fledgling state, so no matter how angry she got, her power would remain inside her unless she herself let it out.
Damon wasn't sure how to answer the barrage of questions she unleashed on him without actually telling her the truth and as much as he would love to he just couldn't do it. His pride wouldn't allow it. So he settled for truth adjacent, but before he could speak she threw her hand up to stop him.
"You know what Damon, it doesn't matter. I'm sure it's just some sick game you're playing to mess with Elena somehow."
"Excuse me?" He was outraged at the insinuation. He supposed it wasn't too far fetched for pre-in love with Bonnie- Damon, but she didn't know about his feelings for her and apparently now wasn't the time to tell her. She would probably smack him and call him a liar.
"Look, whatever this was." She gestured between them. "It's done. I'm with Jeremy and you're pining for your brothers girlfriend. So how about we just go back to the way things were before. Okay?"
She didn't give him a chance to answer. Before he could stop her she went bounding up the path to her house and onto her porch. She stopped before she went into the house though and turned around to look at him. Her expression sobered slightly as she said, "I meant what I said though, about Stefan. If you need any help, I'm just a phone call away. See you in three months Damon." And with that she turned and entered her house and shut the door.
Damon stared at the door wondering how they went from almost kissing for a second time to Bonnie giving him the proverbial middle finger. After standing outside her house looking like a creeper for longer than he should, he scowled and walked to his car, got in and slammed the door shut. No matter how angry he got he always treated his car with the respect it deserved, but Damon was so pissed off that If he had slammed the door any harder the window would have shattered and he couldn't bring himself to give a damn. He started the engine, revved it up and squealed his way out of her driveway and onto the street.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
Elena's voice pulled him away from his memory and back into the present. He looked at her and gave her a look of disgust. "Just thinking about how disgusting microwaved blood is."
She rolled her eyes and snickered, noting that there was no real animosity in his tone and went back to cooking dinner.
Elena and Caroline had decided to plan an extravagant dinner, or at least as extravagant as two teenage girls could get anyway, in Bonnie's honor to show her how missed she truly was and to hopefully beg her to never leave again, but that last part was really Damon's wishful thinking. Even though they had parted on bad terms he still hated every second of her being gone and never wanted her to leave again and now with her coming home he could work on fixing the brokenness between them.
He wasn't sure why he bothered caring though. He was pretty sure everyone that mattered had already been clued in on the fact that he was hopelessly in love with the beauty, probably herself included, but she would never want to admit it because that would open up a can of worms that he knew she wanted nothing to do with.
"Why is he even here?"
The blonde vampire posed the question to Elena in a harsh whisper while they stirred the contents of one of the pots and pans on the stove. Damon wasn't sure why she bothered whispering knowing damn good and well that he could hear her perfectly.
He stared at their backs and turned his lip up in disgust at Elena and Bonnie's best friend. He really needed to impart some well needed wisdom on the girls to keep better company. He was just about to come up with a smart ass retort when a thought crossed his mind. A slow smile crept up on his face. There was no better way to brighten his mood until his little witch came home than to get under Caroline's skin. It was a favorite pastime of his after all. So with a smirk plastered on his face he replied honestly, "I'm in love with Bonnie." He paused while he waited for her reaction. Both girls turned around instantly. Elena with a look of confusion and disbelief on her face and Caroline with a look of pure disdain and disgust on hers. "I've spent the past three months in utter agony waiting for the little witch to return so I can see her beautiful face and finally confess my love to her. That's why I'm here."
Damon kept his features neutral throughout his monologue giving away nothing of the truth to his words because they were after all completely true. Well all of them except for the confessing his feelings to her. His pride would never allow him to go through that just to be rejected since she was still disgustingly in love with the bane of his existence.
Both girls stared at him blankly for a moment. He watched as the tiniest of smiles crept onto Elena's face. A smile so small Caroline was none the wiser. They shared a knowing look. It had honestly surprised him when he had admitted to Elena that he has feelings for Bonnie. She never got upset or angry, she just asked him a few questions; questions he had a hard time answering since he didn't have most of the answers. She had unnecessarily reminded him of the fact that Bonnie was with her brother so she couldn't exactly route for Damon, but she could understand why he had developed feelings for her best friend because Bonnie was easy to love.
They had formed a stronger bond over the summer while looking for Stefan and missing Bonnie, but the bond was more friendship than anything else. Damon would have pounced on the chance to make Elena fall for him before when he thought his feelings for her were real, but now, his affections for his little witch were so strong. He only had eyes for her. Elena was beautiful, there was no denying that, but she was beautiful to him now the way a sister would be if he had one. Bonnie, however, was beautiful in a way that made his heart race whenever he saw her. He used to be confused about his feelings for the witch and the doppelganger and who he felt more strongly for, but now there was no doubt in his mind who had his heart and he could hardly contain his anxiety at seeing her again.
Just when it seemed Caroline was about to come back with a snappy retort, the doorbell rang and everyone in the room stood at attention and then the girls rushed to the door. Caroline made it to the door first having used her vampire speed and stuck her tongue out at Elena playfully as she opened the door and was greeted by the sight of their best friend. The girls all squealed in delight at seeing one another again after three months and jumped into a group hug, Elena and Caroline practically crushing Bonnie between them what with her being the much smaller of the three of them.
Damon stood and watched from his spot in the kitchen anxiously. His fingers itching with the desire to rip her away from Caroline and Elena and pull her into his arms. He had to physically restrain himself and keep his feet planted firmly were they were or he would do just that and the way he and Bonnie had left things before she left made it perfectly clear that if he tried anything she would gladly give him a witchy migraine for his troubles. He'd almost endure the pain if it meant being able to hold her even if only for a moment, but he already had a lot of work to do to get back in her good graces since she felt like he was just playing some sick game with her even though she couldn't be further from the truth. So he stayed routed to his spot and waited for her to notice him.
He soon found out that she wouldn't be noticing him anytime soon however, when her stupid boyfriend came bounding down the stairs and scooped her into his arms and then kissed her soundly. A kiss she happily returned with fervor. Damon clenched his fists and let out a low growl, one only loud enough for the only other vampire in the room to hear. Caroline turned from the couple to give him a curious look. He ceased growling immediately and regained his composure, but gave her a menacing glare. She rolled her eyes and gave him a look of disgust and turned her attention back to her friends.
Thankfully little Gilbert finally released Bonnie's mouth, but he still held her in his arms. An embrace his little witch seemed to feel quite at home in. Her cheek was pressed against his chest and she had a serene smile on her face. Damon's heart ached. He had never wanted to be someone else before in his entire existence, but in this moment, if he could trade places with Jeremy he would.
"Alright alright," Caroline exclaimed as she pulled Bonnie away from Jeremy. "You've had your turn, let the rest of us have her."
Jeremy pretended to be upset, but let Bonnie go willingly. Bonnie laughed good naturedly and let Caroline lead her away into the kitchen. Bonnie stopped abruptly when she caught site of Damon. They stared at one another for a short moment, both donning somber expressions until Caroline steered Bonnie away from him further into the kitchen as she spoke.
"Don't worry about him Bon. He's been following Elena around like a puppy dog all summer."
Elena and Damon spoke in unison.
"He has not."
"I have not."
Elena walked over to the girls and giving Caroline a pointed look added, "We spent the whole summer searching for Stefan and that's it."
Caroline just rolled her eyes and sarcastically said, "Whatever you say."
Damon stared at Bonnie who was trying her damndest to look anywhere but at him. He silently pleaded with her to look at him so he could gage her reaction to what Caroline said, but she didn't even give him so much as a sidelong glance.
Bonnie did however decide a change of subject was in order. "How's that going by the way? Any luck?" She asked as she took a seat on one of the barstools at the island. She directed her question at Elena being very careful to not look in Damon's direction.
Elena looked close to tears as she spoke. "Yeah we found him, in Chicago, but he very seriously did not want to be found."
Bonnie looked at her questioningly. "What do you mean?"
Elena shook her head and fought back against the tears threatening to fall. She wiped furiously at the offending water droplets and said softly, "I don't want to talk about it right now." She wrapped her arms around her best friend and continued more cheerfully, "Besides today is about you. We all missed you so much. We even made you dinner to celebrate."
Bonnie smiled, but Damon noticed it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I was wondering what smelled so delicious. But you guys didn't have to."
Caroline spoke up animatedly. "Of course we did. We love you and hated that you had to be gone for the entire summer."
"Nobody missed you like I did Bon." Jeremy commented as he moved to stand next to her and planted a kiss on the top of her head.
Caroline and Elena gave a collective eye roll, but smiled at their best friends happiness. Bonnie giggled and smiled shyly, but Damon had seen enough. His temper was already flaring. If he had to endure too many more public displays of affection between the woman he was in love with and the boy he despised, he wouldn't be held accountable for his actions.
"Well," he stated loud enough to get everyone's attention. "As fun as this has been, I'm going to go. I've got more important things to do than hang out here with a bunch of teenagers."
Elena perked up instantly. "I thought you were going to stay for dinner."
"God Elena let him go. It's not like anybody wants him here anyway." Caroline gave him a sickly sweet smile and Damon was just about to remove her head from her body when a soft voice spoke up.
"Caroline," Bonnie admonished. "Be nice please. For me."
The smile Bonnie gave her best friend was one that would bring anybody to heel and Caroline, with all the love and admiration she had for her friend, did just that. Smiling at Bonnie she turned her attention back to the food still cooking on the stove and decided to pretend that Damon just didn't exist.
Damon stared at Bonnie for longer than what would be considered appropriate as he let what she just did sink in. It didn't make any sense to him. She had practically told him to go to hell before she left and now here she was defending him to her best friend. He was very confused, but decided now wasn't the time to dwell on it, since Jeremy and Elena were staring at him while he was staring at her. Bonnie for her part kept her attention fixed firmly on a spot on the island.
Forcing his attention away from his little witch he grabbed his leather jacket off the coat rack and muttered haphazardly, "See you tonight at the Lockwood Party." He looked at Elena pointedly. "Don't bring chili."
She rolled her eyes and gave him a sarcastic laugh. "Bye Damon," she said as she turned to help Caroline with the food.
Damon said nothing else as he left the house, but he took slower than usual steps since he heard a certain someone coming after him.
"Damon wait up."
He turned around in a leisurely manner so he wouldn't appear to be overly excited. He didn't say anything either. He just watched quietly as her little legs carried her as quickly as they could to stand in front of him.
He looked down at her as she stood before him. She fidgeted nervously as she chewed at her lower lip. Damon averted his eyes. It was very hard to focus when she was being so cute. Especially since she didn't have a damn clue as to how she was affecting him.
They stared at one another awkwardly for a moment until Bonnie finally spoke.
"Where you headed?" She asked as she alternated between standing on the heels and balls of her feet.
Damon had to physically restrain himself from chuckling at her cuteness. She was going to be the death of him. "I just have some things to take care of before the party tonight," he answered coolly, with an air of nonchalance he didn't feel.
She bobbed her head slowly in acknowledgement and said, "Ok."
Her continuous fidgeting and lip biting told him she wanted to say more, but wasn't quite sure how to go about it. He decided to throw her a bone. "Is that all you needed?"
Her eyebrows lifted and she let out a simple "Hmm?"
"It just seems like you have something else you want to say to me," he continued, biting back a chuckle.
He watched the wheels turning in her head, trying to decide if she should say what was on her mind or not. After a long moment of silence passed between them he simply nodded his head and turned to leave.
"I'm sorry!" she said, the words finally bursting out of her.
Damon stopped in his tracks and turned to her with furrowed brows.
"Sorry for what?" he asked, clearly confused.
Gaining some confidence she continued, "The way I treated you…" Her eyelids fluttered. "Before I left. I'm not one hundred percent sure of why you've been acting different around me lately; if it has something to do with Elena or I don't even know what, but you didn't deserve to be yelled at like that and I'm sorry."
Damon had a hard time comprehending what was happening. He was not use to being apologized to, especially by someone like Bonnie. But here she was, in all her fidgeting cuteness, apologizing to him for how she yelled at him and he was dumbstruck. If it had been anyone else he would have smirked and cockily told them that of course they should be sorry, without really caring about the apology, but this was Bonnie, his little witch and he felt something in his chest tighten because in order for her to want to apologize she had to feel bad about how she treated him and if she felt bad that meant she had to care on some level about his feelings, which in turn meant that on some level she cared about him and that made Damon feel some type of way that he couldn't particularly explain. So he stood there, blinking at her for a moment unsure of how to respond.
When he finally came to his senses he said more sincerely than he probably ever had, "Apology accepted. Thank you."
There was one thing he needed to clear up however and he wasn't sure how to go about explaining it to her without laying all of his cards on the table, but he didn't like knowing that she thought how he had been with her had anything to do with Elena. So he sucked it up and decided to tell her what he could.
"Bonnie, I want to explain something to you." She gave him a serious look and nodded for him to continue. "How I've been with you lately has absolutely nothing to do with Elena. I can't fully explain it, but I like you. You're a kind, good, beautiful person and one day, out of the blue, I realized that the way I was treating you was ridiculous and you didn't deserve any of it. So I decided to stop being your enemy and possibly become your friend and during that time I realized that you were also kind of cute." He smirked. She laughed and rolled her eyes. "And me being who I am, figured that kissing you might not be a bad thing." She opened her mouth to argue, but he held his hand up to stop her and continued. "But I realize now, that trying to kiss you while you have a boyfriend is definitely a bad thing. You can't blame a guy for trying though. So I would like it if we could be friends or at least head in that direction and I promise I won't try to kiss you again." He gave her a sly grin. "Unless you want me to."
Bonnie wasn't quite sure what to do with this information. Throughout his whole speech her emotions had gone on a high speed Rollercoaster. Changing from regret for having treated him badly, to happiness for his acceptance of her apology, to a strange feeling in her stomach at his explanation for his recent actions concerning her and then finally reaching a point of self-loathing for being disappointed that he wouldn't be trying to kiss her again.
She shouldn't want him to kiss her, that much she knew. She was with Jeremy and she loved Jeremy. Didn't she? She definitely had strong feelings for him, but there was always something…missing. Something that she needed, but wasn't quite sure what it was. As much as she hated to admit it and she would never do it out loud for fear of some crazy unforeseen consequences, but standing here, in front of Damon, made her feel alive. Alive in a way she had never felt in all her 17 years. Her body was buzzing with energy, like her magic was right underneath the service just begging to be released.
It didn't make sense. She use to hate Damon, like really hate Damon. She loathed his entire existence and would have gladly let him burn on more than one occasion, but somehow, slowly, he had warmed his way into…her heart wasn't the right term. She didn't love Damon, but there was definitely something, something she couldn't explain and wasn't sure she wanted too. Which is exactly why she had tormented herself all summer over the way she had reacted before she left. Before she wouldn't have cared and cussed him up one side and down the other, but now, the idea of him being upset because of something she did rubbed her the wrong way and that's why she apologized.
Damon watched the emotions play across her features like a silent movie. If he didn't know any better he would think she looked almost upset at the prospect of him not trying to kiss her again and that had him wanting to kiss her, really bad.
They stared at one another, him looking into her green eyes and her looking into his blue. They seemed to be locked in some kind of moment; it wasn't awkward at all, but it was charged. The air around them seemed to be crackling and sizzling, like it was expecting some kind of explosion. Damon thought that if he was able to touch his lips against hers, there would be one; like an atomic bomb going off and everything else around them would cease to exist. Damon felt like he would be ok with that.
He had been with countless women in his lifetime, but none had ever come close to making him feel the way that she does. The need to touch her or to just be close to her was overwhelming. He was coming to realize that maybe he shouldn't have told her that he wouldn't try and kiss her again because he wasn't sure he could keep that promise.
They had been locked in their moment for longer than they should have been when Damon noticed they had company. He forced his eyes away from hers and looked over her head at Elena's porch and sneered. "Bonnie," he started quietly. "We have company."
Bonnie took a second to register what he had said and when she turned her head to see who it was her heart jumped into her throat, but she didn't move away from Damon like she should have. "Jeremy."
Jeremy was angry, but he tried not to show it. "You coming back inside? The food is almost done."
Bonnie nodded. "Yeah I'm coming." She turned back to Damon and gave him a crooked smile. "I guess I'll see you tonight."
Damon smiled at her and said simply, "Yeah."
"Bye." She gave him a half wave then turned and walked up to the porch where Jeremy was waiting for her. She smiled at him and took his hand, leading him into the house.
Damon watched them until the door shut behind them. Jeremy had glanced back at him with a murderous expression before they entered the house. Damon had simply smirked and winked at him which just enraged Jeremy even more, but made no move to make Bonnie aware of it.
Damon walked to his car with a little more pep in his step, but before he started the engine he caught the sound of voices coming from inside the house. It was Jeremy and Bonnie. Damon focused intently, unashamed at listening in on someone else's conversation.
"What was that about?" Jeremy asked, irritation dripping in his tone.
"I just needed to apologize to Damon. I was extremely rude to him before I left and I felt bad about it all summer," she replied easily.
"Why did you feel bad? I'm sure he deserved it. He's an asshole and you hate him," he reminded her pointedly.
"I don't hate him." She paused. "At least not anymore. He hasn't been that bad lately. He's actually been really nice."
"Bonnie," Jeremy stressed her name. "Please don't fall into the same trap that Elena did. Just because Damon can be charming doesn't mean he's not a bad guy."
"People can change Jer."
"Yeah, people Bonnie. Damon isn't a person. He's a vampire, a monster. His soul purpose for being on earth is to drink innocent peoples blood and kill them. Have you forgotten what he's done to you, what he's done to Caroline? You can't trust him Bonnie."
"I haven't forgotten anything Jeremy, but thanks for reminding me," she replied bitterly.
Damon gripped the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles turned white. He would love nothing more than to bust through that door and snap the little pipsqueaks neck, but he had to restrain himself.
"Bonnie…"
Bonnie cut him off. " You know Jer, its not a crime to believe there's good in everyone. Even vampires."
"God Bonnie, do you hear yourself? This isn't you. You hate vampires."
"I use to hate vampires, but when Caroline became a vampire I realized that judging all vampires the same is wrong. They're not all bad Jer and like I said, people can change."
Jeremy sighed heavily, but said nothing.
"Look," Bonnie started somberly. "I don't want to fight anymore. Lets go get some food. I'm starving."
Damon heard Bonnie kiss him and he took that as his cue to get the hell out of there. He could only handle so much torture in one day.
Damon traipsed casually across the Lockwood's lawn, being polite and waving at anyone who waved at him. Pretending to be the good guy was taxing, but necessary. Pretenses had to be kept. He was just about to head into the mansion when his attention was turned toward a picnic table that was occupied by his two favorite teenagers and their annoying best friend. He contemplated leaving them alone, but decided he couldn't pass up an opportunity to get under his little witches skin.
He walked over to them quietly. Using his stealth to keep his presence unknown, which wasn't hard since they were all three huddled together engrossed in a serious conversation about something Damon didn't care enough about to try and listen in on. When he was close enough behind Bonnie, he moved quickly, covering her eyes with his hands, she jumped, a move that pressed her back up against his chest, but relaxed when Damon brought his mouth directly to her ear and whispered seductively, "Guess who?"
"Eww please take your hands off of her."
He heard Caroline droning on in the background, but ignored her completely. His soul focus was his little witch and the way her body was shivering against his , but she regained her senses quickly and composed herself. "Well you can't be my boyfriend. Your voice isn't sexy enough."
"Ouch," Damon muttered as he released her from his hold.
She turned to look up at him and couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. "Damon, out causing trouble like usual?"
Damon pressed his hand to his chest, aghast at the suggestion. "Me? Never." His words said one thing, but his sly grin spoke volumes.
"Don't you have a Founders Council meeting to get to?" Elena asked with a chastising look in her eyes.
"Yes, please go. You're ruining my mood." Caroline said waving him off dismissively.
Damon smirked at her, refusing to let her get to him. "Caroline, always a pleasure."
She rolled her eyes. "Wish I could say the same."
He turned his attention to Bonnie and Elena, inclining his head toward them as he said, "Ladies."
"Damon." They replied in unison.
Before he turned to leave he looked at Bonnie one last time and winked at her. The blush that spread across her cheeks made him smile and yearn to touch her, but he mustered restraint from his depths, pulled himself away from her and walked toward the Mansion.
Once inside he made a beeline for the open bar and ordered a bourbon. He had just taken his first sip when Alaric came to stand next to him. Damon spared him a glance and noting the other man's serious demeanor simply muttered his name in greeting. "Ric."
"I don't know what's going on between you and Bonnie, but I think you should back off."
Damon had run through all sorts of scenarios that could have caused his friends ire, but Bonnie had been the furthest thing from his mind. He turned to face the man and asked curiously, "Since when do you care about Bonnie?"
Alaric was taken aback by the audacity of his question. "What the hell do you mean? She's my student and Elena's best friend. Of course I care about her."
Damon made a noncommittal noise and said with a calmness that was slowly slipping away, "Well regardless, what I'm doing with Bonnie is none of your business. "
"I'm making it my business."
Damon eyed him intensely. "You really need to rethink that decision."
"I don't need to rethink anything." He paused and sighed. "Look I don't know why you're messing with Bonnie. If it has something to do with Elena. You trying to get back at her for not loving you like she loves Stefan; I don't know. All I know, is whatever the reason, you need to stop. Bonnie doesn't deserve that."
Damon's eyes flashed ferociously. "How I feel about Bonnie has nothing to do with Elena."
Alaric was nonplussed. "Damon you don't feel anything for Bonnie. The only person you have feelings for is yourself and I'm telling you to back off."
Damon gripped his glass almost to the point of it breaking. "And I'm telling you to go screw yourself."
Alaric closed the already miniscule gap between them and muttered, " I'm not afraid of you Damon."
Damon's voice was low and dangerous as he spoke. "Maybe you should be."
They stared at one another, waiting for the other to make a move, but their stand off was interrupted.
"Damon," Sheriff Forbes began as she looked between the two men cautiously. "The mayor is ready for the Council meeting to start."
Damon nodded at her and then turned back to Alaric. "Duty calls." He downed the rest of his bourbon, placed the glass back on the bar and said, "See ya Ric." Then he walked away from his best friend.
Damon was at his whit's end with this whole day and this stupid party. He was already annoyed due to his argument with Alaric and now he had to deal with Bill Forbes. It just kept getting better and better.
He walked outside of the mansion and saw Elena and Alaric talking to one another. Putting aside his animosity toward his best friend he said hurriedly as he walked down the steps to meet them, "We have a big problem."
Elena looked over at him anxiously. "Damon where the hell have you been?"
"Dealing with Bill Forbes." He cut to the chase. "He's impervious to compulsion."
"How?" asked Alaric.
"Hell if I know, but he's threatening to out me." Damon rolled his eyes. "The irony."
"Well what did you do to him? How do you know he can't be compelled?"
"Highly unimportant right now Elena. He wants to control the Council. He said it's been compromised."
Alaric spoke up animatedly. "He's not wrong."
"He wants to put vervain in the water supply." Damon continued eagerly, thinking that his two companions were not grasping the direness of their situation.
Elena seemed thoughtful. "Maybe that wouldn't be a bad idea. It could help you, you know, since Stefan isn't here to…" She trailed off, leaving the rest of her words unspoken.
"To what?" Damon asked, advancing on her angrily. "To what Elena? To keep me in check? Make me be a good boy?" He threw up his arms in agitation. " I'm so sick of this shit. I should have killed him earlier."
Elena looked affronted. "He's Caroline's dad Damon."
"He could be the pope for all I care. Nobody threatens me and gets away with it."
"Damon you need to calm down." Alaric urged in his usual fatherly manner that grated on Damon's nerves.
"You are really working on my last nerve today Ric. Back the hell off."
"That's not going to happen."
Damon nodded dismissively. "How's that ring working Ric?"
Alaric looked bewildered at the sudden change in topic. "What?"
Damon didn't answer. He just simply closed the gap between them, grabbed Alaric's face and twisted harshly until his neck snapped and his friend fell to the ground unceremoniously.
Elena cried out in anguish as she looked at her surrogate father's dead body. "Damon! What the hell is wrong with you?"
Damon's blue eyes were as cold as ice as he responded. "Nothing is wrong with me Elena. I'm just tired of people trying to tell me what do to." He glanced down at Alaric's prone form and sneered. "See you in a few hours buddy."
He walked away from the two of them without a backward glance back into the mansion. Elena staring after him in astonishment and fear at what he was about to do.
It took Damon no time at all to find the object of his disdain. Bill Forbes stood in the study as cavalier as you please, pouring himself a glass of scotch. Damon strolled into the large room casually, giving away nothing of his previous countenance. Bill glanced up as he entered, but said nothing in way of greeting. He just downed his scotch in one gulp and preceded to pour himself another glass.
"Scotch huh?" Damon asked conversationally as he walked past the man to lean against a bookshelf. "I'm a Bourbon man myself."
Bill gave Damon a side long glance and replied harshly, "You're not a man Damon. You're a monster."
Damon shrugged noncommittally. "In my experience man and monster tend to be one in the same."
Bill seemed to acquiesce and nodded. "True, but men can change." He turned to face Damon fully. "Monsters will forever be monsters."
"Is that how you feel about your daughter? I heard about what you did to her." Damon clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and shook his head. "With fathers like you, who needs enemies?"
Bill recoiled at the question. "I thought I was doing the right thing, but vampire or not, she's still my daughter. I just have to learn to live with that."
Damon crossed his arms on his chest and studied Bill curiously. "Is that why you haven't outed us to the council?"
Bill looked thoughtful. "I would never subject Caroline to that."
"How sweet," Damon muttered contemptuously with a roll of her eyes. "Look I just want to make you aware of the fact that I don't like to be threatened. It puts me in a bad mood. Makes me want to kill things."
Bill turned back to face the desk in a manner that said he was unafraid. "Damon you might be impulsive, but you're not stupid." He took a drink of his scotch. "It's not like you can kill the ex-husband of the sheriff."
Damon's fangs dropped and his eyes turned black. "People really have to stop underestimating me today." He advanced on Bill in a flash, leaving the other man with no time to react. Grabbing him by the neck, he forced his head to the side and sank his fangs into his carotid artery with the fluidity of a vampire who had been doing this little song and dance for almost two centuries.
Damon let the warm liquid pool into his mouth and drank it down greedily like a vampire possessed. He took three long drags of the blood before he released the man who instantly fell to his knees. Damon's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he used his tongue to lap up any remaining blood that coated his mouth. "Whoo! Now that was a rush," he exclaimed excitedly. "I'd almost forgotten how good it tasted to drink directly from the flesh."
Bill covered the still bleeding wound with the palm of his hand. "Are you going to kill me?"
Damon chuckled. Amused with the man whom only moments ago was so cocky and sure of himself, but was now crawling away from Damon on his hands and knees, ready to beg for his life. "Nah. I'm not going to kill you. I don't need the headache. I am however, going to enjoy this moment. They are so few and far between these days."
It was at that moment that Caroline came rushing into the study and screamed, "Daddy!" She dropped down to the floor next to him, bit into her wrist and offered him her blood.
He blanched at the sight of it and said forcefully, "I'm fine."
Caroline sneered at him. "Grow up." She forced her wrist into his mouth and made him drink. When his wound healed completely she helped him to his feet and confronted Damon, shoving him into the wall behind him. "What the hell is wrong with you psycho?"
Regaining his balance, Damon growled low in his throat and advanced on her menacingly. "Back off Blondie. You can't beat me in a fight."
Caroline raised her fist to punch him in the face, but Damon grabbed it easily. Wrapping his hand around her neck he lifted her up and threw her down on the desk without breaking a sweat.
"Damon!"
Everyone in the room turned their attention to Elena who had just ran into the room. Caroline seized the opportunity, snatched her dad up and sped out of the room leaving Damon and Elena alone.
"Damon what are you doing? Why are you acting like this?"
"I'm not acting like anything Elena. This is who I am." He threw his arms out for emphasis. "Or did you forget that I'm a vampire?"
"Just because you're a vampire doesn't mean you have to act like one."
"That's exactly what it means!" He yelled emphatically. "I am a vampire Elena and I am tired of everyone trying to keep me in check."
Elena folded her arms across her chest and gave him a hard stare. "What would Bonnie think?"
Damon's eyes went wide at the audacity of the girl he had come to see as a sister. "Leave her out of this. I mean it Elena."
She shook her head. "No, not if bringing her up is the only thing that will make you see reason. What do you think she would say if she was here right now?"
"Well she's not here right now is she?" he asked furiously. "Is she Elena?"
Elena shrank back slightly, finally comprehending what was going on with him. "That's what this is all about isn't it? It's about Bonnie, and her not being here…" She paused as her eyes searched his face. "With you."
Damon's eyes narrowed dangerously as he said in a low voice, " You don't want to tread on this water Elena."
She deflated, all the anger left her body, leaving behind sympathy and remorse. "Damon," She started somberly. "I know your feelings for Bonnie are hard to deal with. It's not easy seeing the person you love happy with somebody else, but she is happy with somebody else Damon. She's with Jeremy and as hard as it is, you're going to have to learn to accept that because you can't go around acting like this. I won't allow it. I'm sorry, but I won't."
Damon's chest rose and fell rapidly as he listened to the words he didn't want to hear. Deciding not to address the Bonnie part of her speech, he focused on the latter portion of it and muttered threateningly, "You don't have to power to stop me."
Elena cocked an eyebrow and lifted her chin as she replied, "Bonnie does."
Damon roared angrily, picked up the closest thing to him, which happened to be a chair and threw it against the wall with enough force to split it into pieces. She jumped, but being use to his bouts of rage and knowing that he would never hurt her, was unafraid.
Damon strolled over to her and said with a deathly calm, "I think we've had enough of each other for one day. Goodnight Elena." And with those final words he walked passed her out of the room and out of the mansion with a rage bubbling inside him that he hadn't felt in a long time.
Damon sat in front of the fireplace at the Boarding house rehashing the events of the day in his mind when a knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts. Groaning he got up and walked to the door, opened it, saw who stood on the other side and sighed heavily. "I thought we agreed that we need some time apart."
"Trouble in paradise?"
Damon looked at the girl again and mentally kicked himself for even thinking she was Elena. "Katherine." He said simply. "What do you want?"
He walked further into the house and she followed unfazed at his rude welcome. "I'm actually in need of a partner in crime. Thought you might want to go on a little road trip."
Damon's interest was piqued so he asked, "A road trip to where and why?"
She shrugged nonchalantly. "That's for me to know and for you to find out, but I promise you won't be disappointed." She dangled Elena's necklace in front of his face with a sly grin.
He eyed it curiously, weighing the pros and cons of leaving with her and then finding he didn't quite care about the cons at the moment. Grabbing his leather jacket off the back of the couch, he shrugged it on and said, "Why the hell not, me and Mystic Falls need a break from each other anyway."
He walked out of the front door and Katherine followed him smiling wickedly, surprised at not having to put up more of a fight to get him to leave with her. "I'll drive," she called after him, but quickly realized her words were unnecessary, when she seen him enter her car on the passenger side. She walked to her car and entered on the drivers side. She shut the door and looked a Damon. "Ready to have some fun?"
Damon sighed, knowing that whatever he was about to get himself into was not going to be good, but he was here and he didn't feel like sticking around for the aftermath of his actions tonight so he said, "As ready as I'll ever be."
Katherine smirked, put the key in the ignition and started the car. "Lets go." And they drove off into the night, leaving behind Mystic Falls and all the problems that come with it.