AN: I apologize once again for the long wait, but I hope you guys think it was worth it. I struggled with this chapter because I wanted it to be perfect for you guys, but alas, there is no such thing. I am happy with it though and I hope you guys will be as well and also, if you're into a little interactive reading, Bonnie talks about a song at one point, the name isn't mentioned, but the song I listened to while writing was 'Acquainted' by the weekend. Anywho, thank you for all the favorites, reviews and follows. You guys have truly helped me turn this into more than I ever thought it would be. Happy reading!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Damon sat on his barstool and watched with rapturous enthusiasm as Bonnie downed her fourth shot of bourbon. When she was done, just like she had with the previous three shots, she slammed the glass down on the bar and then threw her arms in the air like she had just won a gold medal at the Olympics. Damon cocked an eyebrow and grinned. There was something about the fact that she was being slightly corrupted and he was the one she chose to let herself be corrupted with, that made his chest swell with a sense of pride.
She was actually having a good time, with Damon no less and he didn't want the night to end any time soon. He didn't want her to have to go back to the reality where her first real boyfriend cheated on her, with a ghost, of all things. The reality where said boyfriend was also her best friends little brother. Someone she would still have to see and interact with on a regular basis. The whole situation pissed him off on a molecular level. He was still pondering whether or not he should just snap Jeremy's neck and bury him somewhere no one would ever find him. He would hardly be missed.
Well that wasn't exactly true, but Damon would be glad to be rid of the annoying little prick. He wasn't sure if he could restrain himself from doing something regretful the next time he seen him. A solid punch to the gut would teach him a lesson about playing with the hearts of innocent girls. Especially the girl that Damon was in love with, but that was an issue for tomorrow. Tonight was about Bonnie and helping her forget about her problems. At least for a little while longer.
Focusing his full attention back on the beautiful brunette, he watched a she swayed to the music. Her movement's a little more relaxed than they would normally be. He wasn't surprised. She was four shots deep and feeling every bit of it.
The first shot had loosened her up quite a bit, but the second and third shots had her smiling and giggling at everyone and everything. As much has he was enjoying watching her face scrunch up every time she took a shot, Damon knew that the fourth shot would have to be her last. He didn't want her to have a horrible hangover in the morning.
Any normal person would wake up completely regretting the previous nights events after two shots of the top shelf bourbon they have been drinking, but Bonnie wasn't just anyone. She was a witch; a supernatural being. Which made her tolerance for mind altering substances quite higher than the average person.
He was pretty sure she didn't know that about herself yet and Damon wasn't going to be the one to tell her. At least not tonight anyway because then he would never get her to stop drinking.
Bonnie turned to Damon and placed her hand on his knee like she didn't have a care in the world. "You know Damon," she said slurring her words and wobbling slightly. "You have really pretty eyes. Has anyone ever told you that?"
Damon chuckled while trying not to think about her hand on his knee. "I may have been told that once or twice, but never by anyone as beautiful as you."
Bonnie pointed a wobbly finger at him and said, "There you go again. Calling me beautiful. You know, you've been awfully flirty with me lately." She narrowed her eyes dramatically as she continued, "what's up with that?"
Damon gave her a lazy shrug. "You're a beautiful woman. I'd have to be blind to not see that."
Bonnie shook her head unconvinced. "No that's not just it. You've been way nicer to me. Almost too nice. I know you care about me. I just don't know why? Why did you start caring all of a sudden?" Each word was annunciated or elongated to match her drunken state.
Bonnie's hand on his knee, combined with her rapid fire questioning was starting to make Damon's head spin. He wasn't anywhere near as drunk as she was, but he still felt pretty good. Just not good enough to answer all her seemingly innocent, but very serious questions.
"What's with the inquisition?" He asked, keeping his tone lighthearted. "Am I on trial or something? Can't I just care about you?"
Bonnie wasn't exactly sure why she was asking Damon so many questions. She wasn't normally so openly inquisitive. At least not about such serious topics. Topics that had admittedly been plaguing her for awhile. She just never had the courage to actually voice them out loud. Thankfully at this particular moment, the alcohol she was drinking was doing all the asking for her. Her tongue was being extremely loosy goosy and it didn't seem to be letting up any time soon, so she might as well take advantage of it while it lasted. "Um no, Damon Salvatore doesn't just care about people. He only cares about very specific people. Like Elena and Stefan or even more specifically; yourself." She shrugged bemused and continued, "I just don't get why I'm also on that very short list of people."
Damon sat in a contemplative silence for a short moment. Going over all the excuses he could make up in his head that would lead them down the path of least destruction, but where she was completely drunk, he was slightly buzzed and a little less eager to not tell her the truth. So he leaned into her so their faces were mere inches apart and asked in a very serious voice, "You want to know?"
Bonnie was put off a little by his sudden proximity, but the bourbon was still working its magic. So she leaned in even closer and replied softly, "Yes."
"You really want to know?" He asked huskily, leaning into her just a little bit more.
Bonnie's eyes darted to his mouth as he spoke, but quickly moved back to his eyes. This time she didn't trust her voice to come out without shaking so she simply nodded her head.
Damon leaned in closer, so close, so impossibly close, they could easily feel one another's bourbon soaked breath on the others face. So close that the tips of their noses were only separated by the tiny amount of air that could squeeze between them. Staring into her stunning emerald green eyes, he whispered, "I'm in love with you."
Bonnie's eyes had closed momentarily as he spoke. Of their own volition of course. It had nothing to do with the fact that Damon's face was so close that a simple movement would have his lips on hers. However, the moment the words left his lips she sat up straighter, moving her face back to a much safer distance.
They stared at each other for a long moment, both battling their own inner turmoil. Damon sat stock still, waiting for her response. He had finally told her the one-hundred percent truth and he had no idea how she would react.
Bonnie sat just as still for a moment, her eyes wide with disbelief. Until she finally started to laugh. Not just a little chuckle or snicker. No, this was a full belly laugh that had her doubling over from the force of it.
To say Damon was a little shocked would definitely minimize his feelings in that moment. He gave a lazy half chuckle before asking, "What's so funny?"
It took a moment for Bonnie to sober up enough so she could speak, but when she finally did she said, "You almost had me for a second." She started laughing again and pointed at him and then herself as she spoke. "You; in love with me? Hah!" Another bought of laughter as she continued, " You're so funny Damon. You know if you don't want to tell me the truth you could have just said that."
Damon was annoyed. Of course he finally told her the truth and she didn't believe him. "Bonnie, I'm being-"
"Oh my God." Bonnie squealed in delight making Damon jump in spite of himself.
"What?"
"I love this song," she replied as she started swaying on her stool.
Damon's mood instantly lifted at her excitement over a mere song. In hindsight he could admit that trying to have a serious conversation with a drunk Bonnie was definitely not the best idea.
"Damon dance with me." Bonnie pleaded excitedly as she hopped off her stool and started trying to lead him on the dance floor.
He hesitated for a moment, unsure of the right path to take. On the one hand, he wanted nothing more than to let her lead him on the dance floor. He had wished for this very thing to happen quite some time ago during the 60s dance, but on the other hand, they would be playing a very dangerous game. Damon wasn't sure if he could contain himself being so close to her as they moved together. Dancing could be the most innocent thing in the world, but when two people who had enough sexual tension between them they could cut it with a knife, danced together. Very bad things tended to happen. Or very good things, depending on how you wanted to look at it.
All reservations disappeared completely however, when she looked up at him with her beautiful green eyes and poked her bottom lip out in the cutest pout he had ever seen. Damon had to fight the very strong urge to pull her close and suck her lip into his mouth. God he loved her. He never denied himself anything, but he continuously denied himself her. It was becoming too much to bare.
Sighing and shaking his head, he relented. "Alright. Let's dance."
She smiled brightly and turned toward the crowd of people grinding on the dance floor. She wasn't sure why she was so excited to dance with Damon, but she was. Her body was already buzzing from the alcohol, but now it was buzzing for a whole other reason. She led him by his hand through the throng of people until she found a spot that was big enough for them to squeeze into.
Damon watched her as she led them through the crowd. He watched her body language to gage how he should respond to her. She was drunk, obviously, so her movement's were more fluid than usual. However, he noted that there was a rigidness to her posture as well. She was tense for some reason, nervous. Perhaps she was second guessing her decision to want to dance with him. That thought tugged at something uncomfortably.
Why would she be nervous about dancing with him? Was she coming to her senses? Was she realizing that she was about to dance with Damon Salvatore; the town bad boy/vampire. Was she realizing that that was probably a bad idea.
They had danced before, but at a school dance and they were having a very important conversation at the time, so she could explain that away, but this; she wouldn't be able to come up with a good enough reason as to why she was dancing with him, in a club, in a completely different town in the middle of the night with none of her friends around.
Damon had known that they were about to play a dangerous game and he wandered if she was just figuring that out for herself.
When she stopped in the opening that she found, she instantly started moving to the beat of the music. It was an upbeat song, some new song from the current decade. Damon didn't much care for today's music so he couldn't place the song or who sang it, but what he did notice however, was that Bonnie kept her body planted firmly away from his. It was clearly intentional. There was no touching of any sort, but Damon found that he was only slightly disappointed and that it was probably for the best anyway. As it was, he found that he was perfectly content with just watching her.
She moved with all the grace of a lioness that was stalking her prey. Her hips swayed and rotated effortlessly. She would occasionally lift her arms above her head as she moved, causing her top to lift excruciatingly high, exposing so much of her bare skin, that if she was facing him, he was sure that the bottom of her top would be well above her naval.
His fingers reached out of their own volition. He wanted to touch her. No, scratch that. He needed to touch her. His fingers itched with the need to trace every line and dip of her perfectly sculpted back. She was a tiny woman, but she was definitely all woman. Her curves were in all the right places and he wanted his fingers to know and memorize every single one. He wanted to map her body. He wanted to know every dimple, every little mole that nobody knew about. Every secret her body was hiding. He wanted to know it all.
As he continued to watch her like a man possessed, Damon caught sight of a tall blonde man stalking toward her with purpose. A purpose that Damon had no interest in letting him indulge. She had clearly captivated the man and Damon couldn't blame him, but he would rip the man's throat out before he let him anywhere near his little witch.
Moving completely on impulse, he quickly closed the gap between him and the beautiful brunette. He didn't touch her, but he was close enough to her that he felt the heat from her body on his chest. He said nothing as he watched as the man that had been stalking toward Bonnie made the connection that she was completely off limits. Between Damon's close proximity to her and the look that said "I'll kill you if you come any closer," the guy quickly got the message, tucked tale and turned the other direction to prey upon some other lonely female. Damon couldn't help but feel bad for whoever she was. They guy looked like a creep and if that was coming from Damon; well that said something.
Turning his attention back to his beautiful little witch, he was instantly consumed with the need to touch her again. They were so close now, that all it would take was a simple move on his part. All he had to do was move a centimeter and she would be in his embrace. He could tell his proximity was affecting her as well, her breathing was shallow and her heartbeat increased considerably. He was glad he wasn't the only one affected by their closeness. Swallowing hard, he tried to contain himself, but he knew it was a losing battle. She was too beautiful, too intoxicating. The jasmine and vanilla scent he had come to love, mixed with the sweat that had accumulated on her body, was positively mouth watering. So much so, that his gums began to ache with the need to release his fangs. He reigned it in, but decided he was over keeping his hands to himself. His self control had finally diminished and even though he knew he shouldn't, he was going to do what he wanted for the first time in a long time when it came to Bonnie Bennett.
Bonnie noticed the second he closed the distance between them. She had felt his presence behind her like a looming threat. She was surrounded by everything that was Damon and he hadn't even touched her… yet. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck, making her skin tingle in the most intoxicating way. She wished he would just touch her; one simple touch would be her undoing and she knew it. She should want him to keep his distance. She should want him to keep his hands as far away from her as possible, but the need was overwhelming. It gnawed at her, like a dog on a bone, bit by bit, until all that was left was Damon.
She didn't know why she felt this way and at the moment she didn't much care. She just wanted him to touch her. She wanted to feel his fingers on her skin. She knew it was wrong to want something so bad, but she couldn't help it. She wanted to be in Damon's arms more than she had ever wanted anything in her life. She had been fighting her attraction for him for so long and she was tired, weary. There wasn't a single modicum of fight left in her, so she might as well embrace it. She wanted to fall into the abyss that was Damon and pray her heart came out unscathed.
And just like that, like she had sent some kind of unknown spell into the air, she felt Damon's fingers snake around her waist. Caressing her bare skin as they moved at a slow and methodical pace. Her breath caught when he finally gripped her hips and pulled her with delicate force into his body. Her back hitting his chest in the most delicious way.
Any and all tension immediately left her body as she melted into him. Their bodies melded like they were two people trying to become one. Bonnie remained motionless, perfectly content to just let their bodies touch, to let the feeling of Damon's hands on her, send her off into blissful oblivion. That was until Damon's hands on her waist started to slowly move her in a swaying motion, while his body followed suit. She caught on quick and took over, moving her body to the rhythm of the new song that had started playing. It was a slower, more sensual song than the previous ones. It told the tale of longing, of needing, of desiring someone that you know you shouldn't, but you just can't help it. The song was perfect, torturously so.
Leaning her head back to rest on his chest as they moved, she snaked her hands up around the back of his head and caressed the hair that laid at the nape of his neck. His hair was thick and felt like silk. Bonnie relished running her fingers through it.
Damon closed his eyes involuntarily when Bonnie's hands started running through his hair. That was his undoing. Any and all inhibitions were out the window after that. He let his hands roam freely across her bare stomach as they moved, the tip of his pinky roaming dangerously close to the waistband of her shorts. Damon itched to move his hands just a little further south, but he still had enough of his wits to know that that would be extremely inappropriate, even if they were already crossing very dangerous lines, he knew there were some lines they couldn't cross just yet.
He would however, indulge his fantasies just a little bit and enjoy the moment while it lasted. He leaned his head down into the crook of her neck to give her short frame easier access to continue her ministrations. Unable to control himself, he ran his nose along the lines of her neck, savoring the feeling of her body shivering as he moved. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he inhaled her scent. The smell of her blood lingering just beneath the surface of her skin was intoxicating and he was out of his mind with the need to taste her. A simple prick with his fang and her blood would spill from her body onto his tongue. He relished the thought, but again, he had more self control than that. Never mind the fact that Bonnie would probably set him on fire for his efforts.
"Is this ok?" he asked breathily, his lips touching her ear as he spoke. He wanted to make sure she wasn't uncomfortable. He could tell by the way her body was reacting that she wasn't, but he wanted to make sure that she knew that she had all the control.
Bonnie took in a deep breath, trying to go over all the reasons why what Damon was doing wasn't okay, but she came up completely empty. She knew somewhere deep down that she shouldn't be okay with Damon's mouth being so close to her neck. He was a vampire after all, and any sane person would know that having a vampire so close to your neck was just asking for trouble. She knew that, she did, but at the moment she didn't care and she also knew that they were past the point of Damon hurting her. She knew that in her bones. So she threw caution to the wind and decided that just for tonight, she would live for the moment. Leaning her head just enough to give him better access, she answered him, her voice barely above a whisper, "Yes."
Damon took her invitation to heart. Parting his lips slightly, he ran the corner of his mouth up her neck. Her soft skin felt like silk beneath his lips. Bonnie let out a little moan that threatened to send him over the edge as she tilted her head even further to give him more access. While his hands continued to roam freely across her stomach, he pressed her even further into him. If he managed to get her any closer, they would become one person. Damon didn't think that would be a bad thing.
He noted at some point during all of this that they had stopped dancing. If one could call it that to begin with. She was still absently running her hands threw his hair, but that seemed to be all he was getting out of her. His little witch was putty in his arms, she was completely pliable. He pretty much knew at this point he could probably get her to agree to do just about anything. Well, within reason, but he didn't want that. He didn't want to take advantage of her. That was the absolute last thing he wanted to do. He wanted her to know that she still had complete control. If she wanted what they were doing to stop, that would be the end of it. No questions asked.
He placed a small kiss on her neck, testing the waters. The heat from her skin practically scorching his normally cold lips. She took in a sharp breath, her body damn near going limp in his arms.
"Damon." Bonnie said on a sigh.
"You're so fucking beautiful," he whispered into her ear seductively, completely overtaken with the captivating beauty.
Bonnie had been told she was beautiful more than once in her life, but the way Damon said it had her knees practically buckling from underneath her.
Feeling braver than she had in a long time, she turned her head slightly and responded with a sultry, "You're not so bad yourself."
Damon smirked and snickered as he placed an open mouth kiss on her neck. "Oh yeah?"
Bonnies eyelids fluttered and she let out a shaky breath. His lips on her neck was almost too much to bare. Damon was creating sensations in her body that she had never experienced before. Her whole body tingled and she felt hot all over. Much hotter than usual. She was actually starting to wonder if the heat her body was producing had less to do with Damon and more to do with the four shots of bourbon that she had downed like it was Kool-Aid.
Suddenly feeling very weak, Bonnie took in a few deep breaths trying to calm herself, but the room started spinning and an unwelcome feeling of nausea crept into her stomach. She closed her eyes and leaned against him for support, her head lulling to one side as she was unable to hold her head up.
Damon instantly knew something was wrong with his little witch and turned her to face him while he asked, "Bonnie? Bonnie are you ok?"
She swayed in his arms, barely able to hold her own weight. "I don't feel so good. I'm so hot."
Without giving it a second thought, Damon lifted her into his arms and carried her toward the exit. "We need to get you some air."
Bonnie put up no fuss when Damon picked her up and maneuvered them threw the crowd. She actually felt slightly better as soon as she was off of her feet and in his arms and she felt even better still, as soon as they were outside. The cool night air was a balm for her overheated skin. Her stomach stopped doing backflips and she felt like she could breathe again. She inhaled a couple deep breaths, letting the coolness seep down her throat into her lungs.
She thought Damon would set her down once they made it outside, but he continued to hold her. "That's much better. Thank you."
Damon stared down at her fondly. "No need to thank me, but I think its time we get you home."
Bonnie nodded in agreement. "You can put me down Damon. I feel ok to walk."
Shaking his head he replied, "No it's ok. I like carrying you."
Bonnie chuckled as she draped her arms around Damon's neck dramatically, southern Belle style. "You better be careful Damon. You're going to spoil me. I'll have you carrying me around all over the place."
It was Damon's turn to chuckle as he happily carried her to his car. "Don't go getting any bright ideas princess. This is a one time free offer. Any of my future carrying services will cost you."
Bonnie's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Cost me huh? And what exactly would the price be for your superior services?"
Damon stopped walking as he arrived at his car. He placed her gently on the ground and grabbed his keys out of his front jeans pocket. "You couldn't afford it," he responded cheekily as he unlocked the car. He opened the door, only to find it shut immediately after. He turned to Bonnie with a questioning stare.
She leaned up against the car with her arms crossed as she stared back at him. "What's the price?"
Damon found himself caught completely off guard with her question. He had figured their playful banter would have ended after he unlocked the car so he could get her home, but she wanted to continue to play and Damon was finding out very quickly that he couldn't really deny her anything. Mimicking her stance, he replied, "I already told you. You can't afford it."
Bonnie was feeling braver than she had in a long time. She knew it was in part due to the alcohol still coursing threw her, but she also found that she was just enjoying her time with Damon and she wasn't in any hurry for it to end. Stepping away from the car to stand toe to toe with him she said in a low voice, "Try me."
Damon was struggling with some serious inner turmoil as he stared down at her, his gaze searching her eyes for something that would tell him what she was thinking. Her green eyes just stared back at him, alternating between his eyes and his mouth. Lingering on his mouth for longer than what was usually customary.
He was trying to stay strong. He had told himself that he wasn't going to give into temptation. He was going to let Bonnie get over her relationship with Jeremy before he tried anything, but he was starting to realize that that was a fools errand. The need to have her was bone deep, a feeling that had consumed him to the point of madness. He couldn't go another second without claiming her as his. "You really want to know?"
Bonnie swallowed and bit her lip. She knew where this was going and she was coming to terms with the fact that she wanted and had wanted it for a while now. They had almost kissed twice before and she was always trying to lay the blame solely on Damon, but she knew she was just as much to blame as he was. She had wanted to kiss him on more than one occasion and now was finally her chance. She shouldn't want to do it and she definitely shouldn't have wanted to do it while she was still with Jeremy, but she couldn't help it, any more than she could help it right now. Throwing caution to the wind, she looked up at him through her eyelashes and nodded.
Damon closed any of the remaining distance they had left between them. Staring down at her for a short moment, he searched her face for any indication that he was misinterpreting her meaning, but he only was met with longing, a longing that if he didn't know any better could have rivaled his own. He watched as her chest rose and fell as she took in deep, shaky breaths. Placing a finger under her chin, he tilted her head ever so slightly, giving himself better access to her beautiful mouth. He leaned down so their lips were so close they were almost touching, but not quite. "The price," he started, his voice a breathy whisper that he knew she could feel on her lips. "Is you."
She barely had time to react before she realized that his lips were on hers. She inhaled deeply, breathing in everything that was Damon as he consumed her. The kiss was simple, but electric. There was no movement, just a motion of lips on lips, in a soft, tender embrace. It felt like forever, but also no time at all because before she knew it, Damon pulled back, ending their kiss way too soon for Bonnie's liking.
When Damon pulled away from her he felt like he was missing a piece of his soul, his other half that he had been missing all these years. He had kissed countless women in his hundred plus years, but none of them could even come close to holding a candle to the amazing woman standing in front of him. It wasn't even that she was an experienced kisser because he could tell she wasn't or maybe he was just too experienced, but either way. Kissing her had been the most alive he had felt since he had died.
He had ended the kiss way sooner than he wanted too, but he didn't want to overwhelm her. He wanted to give her a chance to take it all in, to fully comprehend what just happened. He wanted to kiss her again so bad, but he wanted to leave the next move up to her.
They stared at one another, Bonnie's shoulders visibly rising and falling as she breathed heavily, deciding on her next move. It took all of five seconds before she jumped up, wrapping her arms around his neck, as she shoved her mouth against his. The force of it knocking Damon back, but he didn't allow it to separate them. He instantly wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the ground so she matched his height.
This kiss wasn't like the last one. This kiss was heated, intoxicating. They didn't care that they were in the parking lot of a night club that was still in full swing. They didn't care that they had people watching them, chuckling at their very public display of affection. They didn't give any of it a second thought. Everything surrounding them seemed to fade away as their mouths moved together.
Bonnie's body felt like it was on fire. Nobody had ever kissed her the way Damon was kissing her. Like he was a man starving and she was the last meal he was ever going to have. He slid his tongue across her bottom lip, begging for access, which she happily gave. Once his tongue entered her mouth, bonnie gasped and let out a whimper. The sensations coursing threw her reminded her of the first time she used magic. It was such an exhilarating, overwhelming experience. One that she never thought she would even come close to experiencing again, but here she was, in the arms of Damon Salvatore, kissing Damon Salvatore, feeling like all the pent up frustration she had been holding in for months was exploding from her body all at once.
Damon could feel the heat radiating off her body like she was on fire. In the far reaches of his mind he knew that meant something, but he was so engrossed in finally having her in his arms, finally feeling what he had been pining over for months that it didn't click. His brain wasn't functioning properly or he would have realized something was off. He would have remembered that witches ran a little hotter than normal when they were about to do magic, but he didn't because he was consumed by his little witch. So when the street lights surrounding them all shattered he was caught completely off guard.
When it happened, the noise that filled the night air had Damon and Bonnie pulling away from one another in shock. The sound of popping and shattering glass was deafening. Damon acting completely on instinct lowered Bonnie to the ground, shielding her with his body as she covered her head with her arms and screamed. Once all the surrounding street lights had combusted, leaving them in pitch black darkness, they stood up and looked around.
As Damon assessed Bonnie for any wounds, she glanced around at all the people that had looks of shock and terror written all over their faces. With confusion and disbelief plastered on her own face she asked, her voice shaking, "Did I do this?"
Damon wanted to lie to her and tell her that she had nothing to do with it. That it was probably faulty wiring or something to that effect, but he couldn't. He had lied to her about so many things, he didn't want to add another one to the list. Besides, if her powers were on the fritz, they needed to figure out why and how to fix it before she did something to hurt someone. Everyone around them seemed to be fine, maybe a scratch here and there, but if she ever actually hurt someone; Damon knew she would never forgive herself. So it was definitely best if they figured it out sooner rather than later.
"Yeah, I think so," he responded, keeping his tone calm.
Bonnie shook her head. "But that doesn't make any sense Damon. I haven't done anything like that since I first got my powers. It's like I had no control." Her eyes went wide and her voice became frantic. "This can't be happening. I can't not have control of my powers Damon. It's too dangerous. What if I hurt someone?"
"Hey, calm down," Damon said soothingly as he grabbed Bonnie by her shoulders. He made sure he caught her eyes as he continued, "We'll figure it out. Whatever it is; We'll figure it out. Okay, I promise."
Bonnie swallowed and took a few calming breaths before she nodded. "Okay."
He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. " Come on. Let's get you home."
After ushering her into the car and closing the door for her, Damon gave himself a second to worry about her while he walked around the car to the driver's side. Lack of control wasn't one of the things Bonnie had. She was anal about perfecting her powers, so Bonnie doing magic without realizing it was definitely out of the norm. He'd have to do some digging and see if this has happened before with any other witches.
Once he was in the car, he turned to her and gave her a reassuring smile and then put the key in the ignition and drove off.
The drive was silent for a good portion of it. Damon knew his little witch was stuck in her head, pondering over everything that might be wrong with her. He wanted to tell her she was fine, but he didn't want to give her false hope. Especially if there was something wrong with her. He doubted it though. There has to be a perfectly good explanation for what happened.
After glancing in her direction a couple times he Decided on trying to go for humor, while bringing up something he desperately wanted to talk about. "You know, it was probably that kiss we shared that caused your powers to go on the fritz."
She turned to him with a quirked eyebrow, but was unable to keep the smile from forming on her face. "Calm down Damon. The kiss was good, but it wasn't – exploding streetlights- good."
She chuckled at her own quip, seemingly in a slightly better mood. She was realizing that Damon had that affect on her.
Damon, however, looked completely aghast as he placed his non driving hand on his chest dramatically. "Excuse me? I'll have you know that these lips, are the stuff of legend. Many a woman has begged to be kissed by these lips. And I don't know if you were sharing the same kiss as me back there, but that was a kiss that could make your knees weak. Or…" He paused for effect. "Make a beautiful young witch shatter streetlights by sheer force of will."
Damon had started out jokingly, but as he said the words out loud, they actually made sense. Now, Damon would admit that he had an ego the size of the western hemisphere, but he wasn't the type to actually believe he could cause Bonnie to involuntarily do magic. At least he wasn't the type until about two minute's ago. It couldn't have just been the kiss though, there had to be more to it. He'd have to do some investigating.
Bonnie for her part wasn't buying it. The kiss her and Damon had shared was great, better than great even, but there's no way that was the cause. This was one of those times she wished she had her grams with her. She would have surely had the answer. Her mood sobered at the thought of her grams. She stared out into the vast blackness of the night sky and said, "Grams would have known."
Damon's body went cold at the mention of Bonnie's grandmother. He chanced a glance over at her as she stared out the window. He wanted to say something, anything, but nothing he said would ever make up for the role he played in Sheila Bennett's death. For once in his long existence, he opted for silence. He did, however place a tentative hand on her thigh, squeezing it gently. It was a risky move, but he couldn't not do anything. He wanted her to know he was there.
Bonnie felt a sense of calm wash over her as soon as he touched her. Glancing down at the hand on her leg, she stared at it curiously, wondering not for the first time, why Damon seemed to have these crazy affects on her. If she thought about it, really thought about it, he had always had the ability to draw out her emotions. Even if in the beginning it was pure anger and hatred, he still affected her in a way no one else ever had. And as time passed, anger and hatred gave way to something else. Something that led them to where they are now and she had to admit, she didn't hate it. Not even a little bit.
Biting her lip, she glanced briefly in his direction before she placed her hand over his. He instantly readjusted their hands, intertwining their fingers, but kept their hands on her leg.
The rest of the drive was filled with a peaceful quiet, both of them engrossed in their own thoughts.
When they finally pulled into Bonnie's driveway, Damon shut off the engine, annoyance coursing through him as soon as he noticed her dads car wasn't there. He wanted to ask her how long he has been gone, but didn't want to upset her if it was a sore subject, which he knew it was. Even if she tried to pretend that she liked the freedom that came with a parent that was never around, Damon knew better. So instead he just pretended not to notice the lack of cars in her driveway.
That did remind him of something though. "If you want to leave your key, I'll pick up your car for you. It'll be here before you wake up."
Bonnie nodded, smiled shyly and pulled her keys out of her pocket to pull her car key off her key ring and said, "Thank you. And um, thank you for tonight Damon. I had a really great time."
"You're very welcome. Anytime you want to go out and get shit face drunk, I'm your guy. Even if you don't want to get drunk and just want to get away or hang out. I can still be your guy." Damon's voice was filled with a hopefulness that would normally disgust him, but when it came to Bonnie he just couldn't be bothered with feelings like disgust. Being with her made him too happy to bother with feelings like shame and annoyance with himself. He was turning into his brother where she was concerned and he really didn't give a damn.
Bonnie let out a chuckle followed by another shy smile. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth as she thought carefully about the next words she should say. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she threw caution to the wind and just said what was on her mind. "I would like that, very much. I don't know what this is between us, I don't know why I feel the urge to kiss you whenever I'm near you, or why I feel like I'm happiest whenever we're together, but I do. And I'd like to continue with whatever this is," she paused, her eyes turning down for a moment as shame coursed through her as she continued, "but, at least for a little while, it would probably be best if we kept whatever is going on between us…between us." She felt ashamed as soon as the words left her mouth, but she knew it was for the best. She knew her friends would never understand. Hell she barely understood it.
Damon quirked an eyebrow in amusement. "Are you trying to say you want me to be your dirty little secret?"
"God no..I'm just…I don't think…" Bonnie struggled to get the right words out as she looked at him aghast.
Damon placed his hand on her shoulder to calm her. "Hey," he chuckled. "I'm just messing with you. I've wanted you…this…for so long, that if keeping this between us for awhile is what it takes for you to be comfortable, I'm all in. Hell sneaking around sounds like fun to me."
Bonnie stared at him as he spoke, taking in every word and she knew somehow, that he meant everything he said. When he finished she placed a hand on the side of his face, rubbing her thumb across his sharp cheekbone. When Damon leaned into her touch, she thought her heart might explode right out of her chest and then the next thing she knew, her body moved of its own accord as she closed the gap between them and placed her lips on his.
Damon was momentarily stunned by the kiss. He was surprised that she would initiate another kiss between them so soon, but he quickly came to his senses and started to kiss her back, his lips caressing hers with a reverence he'd never shown or felt for anyone. He poured everything he felt into this kiss. He couldn't say the words, not again, not after her reaction at the club, but he could show her. He could show her how precious she was to him, through their kiss, through his actions from here on out. He would show her and then when the time was right, he would tell her again and hope that her reaction next time would be much more favorable.
When they pulled away, their movements were slow and their breathing was heavy. Bonnie leaned her forehead against his as she caught her breath. She'd never been left breathless by kissing before, but Damon seemed to suck all the air out of her lungs with just the touch of his lips on hers. She kept her eyes closed as she inhaled and smiled. She knew she should feel like she was doing something wrong.
Her and Jeremy had just broken up only a few hours ago, but she couldn't bring herself to feel bad. She was just sure that it meant that her and Jeremy were not meant to be. Especially if they were both battling feelings for people that weren't each other. So no, she didn't feel bad. For the first time ever, she felt like she was kissing the right person.
When she could finally bring herself to pull away from Damon, she opened her eyes to look at him, expecting to see a look that was similar to hers, but Damon jerked away from her slightly, a look of shock on his face.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Bonnie's voice was laced with confusion as well as concern.
Damon stared unblinking at Bonnie for a short moment, unsure of what he thought he saw, was really what he saw, but it couldn't have been. There was no way. His eyes had to be playing tricks on him. When Bonnie had opened her eyes after their third mind-blowing kiss of the night, Damon had swore that her eyes were black. Not just the irises either. No, both her eyes were completely black, which is why Damon had jumped back. He couldn't believe what he had seen. As soon as she blinked though, her eyes were back to the beautiful, vibrant green that Damon had come to love. It had happened so fast Damon wasn't entirely sure he really seen it, but after a moment of questioning his sanity, he knew what he seen had been real. He just didn't have a single clue why her eyes changed.
This would be the second time tonight that something strange had happened with Bonnie. First the streetlights and now this. He'd definitely have to start investigating what was going on before anything else happened. He couldn't let anything bad happen to her. He wouldn't allow it.
Deciding it was in their best interest to not clue her in on what he saw just yet, he mentally shook himself and responded calmly, "uh nothing, sorry. I think I've had too much alcohol on an empty stomach and it's messing with me."
Bonnie looked at him with concern. "You haven't fed?"
Damon was happy for the concern she was showing him, but he didn't want to take this conversation any further. Bonnie hated the idea of drinking blood and he didn't want to end their amazing night on a sour note. "You know what?" he asked as he took her hand in his and placed a kiss on the top of it. "Let's not talk about that. Besides, it's late. You should probably get to bed and sleep off all that alcohol."
Bonnie hesitated for a moment. She was worried about Damon. He never went too long without eating and even though the thought turned her stomach, she didn't want him starving for any reason. She knew this would be a topic they would have trouble communicating on, but she would have to let him know that she knows what he is and she has come to terms with that.
"Damon, I don't know why you haven't fed, but don't starve yourself. Okay?" She gave his hand a squeeze and kept her voice soft and non-combative as she spoke. She didn't want to involuntarily start an argument, not after the night they had.
"No, it's nothing like that. I just went a little longer than usual is all, but enough about that. You need to get to bed and I need to go get your car."
She wasn't convinced, but she nodded and said, " Alright. Goodnight Damon and thank you…again."
"Anytime witchy," he said as he smiled at her.
She returned his smile with a warm one of her own as she exited the car.
Damon watched as she walked along the path to her house, keys in hand. When she made it to the front door, she unlocked it and right before she stepped inside the house, she turned around, giving Damon a final wave goodnight that was accompanied by a smile that Damon happily returned.
Once Damon was sure she was safely in the house with the door locked, he pulled out of the driveway. All the events of the night playing over in his head, like a dream he never wanted to wake up from.
Damon entered the boarding house after he dropped Bonnies car off at her house like he promised. He'd had to restrain himself from climbing the tree that was next to her bedroom window so he could take a peek at her peacefully sleeping form. He knew he was already bordering on obsessive where she was concerned, but he knew where to draw the line and staring into her bedroom in the middle of the night while she slept, well that was definitely crossing it. So he had dropped her car off, left the key in the center console and walked home.
He had contemplated stopping to see his little brother in the place that Lexi had chained him up, but decided against it. He'd had too great of a night to ruin it by hanging out with a starving Stefan. So Damon just went home, to the far too big, far too empty house, him and his brother had called home multiple times throughout the years.
He knew something was off as soon as he walked through the door. He should have walked his ass right back out the door, but he was tired and it was his house so he just sighed heavily, preparing himself for whatever was to come.
"What are you doing here Katherine?" Damon asked grudgingly as he stalked passed the older vampire, making a beeline for the cooler that stored their blood bags. He would usually head straight to the bar before even speaking to the annoying doppelganger whom he used to be foolishly in love with, but he was still coming off his high from his night with Bonnie and plus he had already consumed enough alcohol for the night. The effects of which he was still slightly feeling.
He needed actual sustenance and even though he wholly believed that blood bags were a poor man's substitute for the real thing, he was still trying to prove to himself that he could be good enough for Bonnie. Even if she had no clue, it still meant something to him to try and control himself. He had had a major slip up with Bill Forbes, but that was the only one. He knew it was never a good idea to try and change who you are for someone else, but in his mind, he had to try. For her, he had to try.
"Where have you been all night? I've been waiting here for hours. I called and texted you a million times," came Katherine's response as she followed him through the house, annoyance at having been left there waiting all day oozing from every word. It didn't matter that he hadn't known she was there, that was beside the point. She hated being left waiting. She was above that.
Damon opened the cooler, snatched up a bag or two, but who was counting and immediately bit into one, drinking all of its contents quickly and then moved onto the next one immediately after the first. He hadn't realized he had been that starved until he started drinking. The blood was cold and disgusting, but it did the trick. He almost snatched up another one, but thought better of it. Three bags was only ever necessary if he was wounded and lost a lot of blood and since he was perfectly fine, he couldn't justify drinking a third bag.
Wiping his mouth clean of any blood, he replied without looking at her, "I was minding my own business. You should try it sometime."
"Very funny," Katherine sneered as she made a show of examining her nails. " And here I thought you would be excited to hear the news I have for you."
Damon rolled his eyes and sighed as he walked back into the living room. He had wanted to go to his bedroom, but he didn't want Katherine taking it as an invitation. Crossing his arms as he leaned against the arm of a couch he responded, albeit grudgingly, "Alright, I'll bite. What news?"
"Remember our little mission where I had to go wake up Mikael?"
Damon was already bored with this conversation. "Yeah, but I really don't care. Just the mention of Mikael sent Klaus running for the hills. He's somebody else's problem now."
Katherine chuckled, but it was a hollow sound. "If only it were that simple. Mikaels awake, paid a hefty price for it too. The bastard only feeds on vampires. Go figure. Damn near drained me dry. I was passed out on the floor for awhile until a poor old caretaker stumbled upon me and I was able to feed."
"Are you going somewhere with this?" Damon asked, already losing what little bit of patience he had.
"I just wanted to be nice and give you a heads up. He'll probably be heading this way."
Damon's brow furrowed. "Why would he Come here? Klaus is in the wind."
"Yeah, but Stefan is here."
Damon stared at her, confusion marring his features. "Why does that matter? Mikael doesn't know Stefan and Klaus are linked."
"Actually he does," Katherine replied slowly.
Damon stalked toward her, already knowing where this was going. Katherine never changed. Always looking out for number one. "And how would he know that?"
Katherine shrugged innocently. "I may have told him, but in my defense the asshole was going to kill me. He asked me where Klaus was and I told him I didn't know. Well he made it pretty clear that if I didn't give him something useful that he would put me in the ground…permanently. So I told him Stefan could help find him."
Damon threw his hands up in the air in anger and exasperation. "Jesus Christ Katherine. Why didn't you just walk him to the front fucking door?"
"Hey! I could have left and been half way around the world right now on some remote island, drinking from some sexy cabana boy, but instead I came here, to worn you."
Damon sobered, but only slightly. "I'd say thanks, but since it's your fault to begin with, that hardly seems appropriate."
"Whatever, I did my good deed. Try not to get dead. Well, more permanently dead anyway."
Katherine sauntered toward the front door to leave, but paused and turned back toward Damon. "Another word of advice; I'd put your little romance on hold if I were you."
Damon's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"
Katherine smirked. "Don't play coy Salvatore. The witch; I can smell her all over you. Her scent is so embedded in your skin, I can barely tell where she ends and you begin. And If I can smell her, you already know who else will be able to. We both know Klaus isn't above using our weaknesses against us and since Elena is safe now, he'll go after whoever he can."
"Bonnie is a Bennett witch. She can take care of herself."
"Damon please, Bonnie needed the power from a hundred dead witches, just to wound Klaus enough for someone else to kill him. She's alone now. She wouldn't stand a chance."
"She's not alone. She has me and I won't let anyone touch her." He spoke the words with conviction, but doubted them as soon as they left his mouth. He was no match for Klaus and if Klaus was afraid of Mikael; well Damon didn't even want to know what he was capable of.
Katherine gave a half-hearted chuckle. "How sweet." She rolled her eyes dramatically. "You Salvatore brothers always have put it all on the line when you're in love. I would know. I was the first."
It was Damon's turn to roll his eyes. "The first mistake in a long line of mistakes. Look, thanks for the warning and the unwanted advice. It's been a long day and I'm going to bed. Feel free to see yourself out."
Katherine used her vamp speed to close the short distance between them. Running her finger down his chest she whispered seductively, "How bout one last time for the road."
Damon grabbed her hand and shoved it away forcefully. "Katherine," he started in a low contemptuous voice. "I wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire. Have a good life. Goodnight."
He turned away from her and walked toward the stairs without giving her a second thought.
Katherine was seething. She wanted to rip Damon's heart out for speaking to her in such a way, but she settled for something that would hurt even more. "It'll never last you know," she called after him. "Bonnie will never love you. She's too good for someone like you. It may not be today and it may not be tomorrow, but one day she'll figure that out. Then she'll leave you and you'll be alone all over again, pining over someone you can't have. Just like you pined over me and just like you pined over Elena. When are you going to learn Damon. You'll always be the lesser Salvatore."
When she was done speaking, she sauntered out of the boarding house, highly pleased with herself and like she didn't have a care in the world.
Damon was halfway up the stairs when he stopped walking. He felt like someone had just knocked all the air out of him, which was ridiculous since he didn't even need air, but that's what it felt like. Katherine's words had definitely done what she had intended. Any other time she spoke, he barely listened, but this time her words hit home. She had manifested every fear he had been trying to suppress into a blinding truth.
He knew Bonnie would never love him like he loved her. He knew she was too good for him and that one day she would realize that. She was still young, naïve, she didn't even know what she wanted out of life yet and Damon was acting like he was her damn soul mate. God he was an idiot. Of all the stupid things he has done, falling in love with Bonnie had to take the cake.
He was angry, no, scratch that. He was pissed. He was pissed at Katherine for running her damn mouth. He was pissed at Bonnie for making him fall in love with her in the first place, but more importantly, he was pissed at himself for being the stupid love sick fool that he always was.
As Damon stood on his stairway, replaying Katherine's words over and over again, he felt a rage bubble up inside of him. It was an intense, all consuming feeling, that was forcing its way through his body like a virus, until it became too overwhelming.
With a deafening roar that echoed throughout the house, Damon put his fist through the closest wall, completely destroying it. That was the normal part. The unusual part was that while Damon was unintentionally remodeling the house, a loud sound of popping and shattering glass, left Damon shrouded in darkness.
All the lights that surrounded Damon had been demolished, much like how Bonnie had destroyed the streetlights earlier, but that didn't make any sense. Damon was the only one in the house and he obviously didn't do it. He didn't have that kind of power. Creating fog had always been the extent of his magic abilities and he wouldn't even call that magic. It was more like a cheap parlor trick he'd developed to scare his victims, back when he enjoyed the hunt. This however, was something else entirely. This was magic, powerful magic and either someone was messing with him or he had done it himself. He was leaning towards the latter, but that was crazy. Wasn't it?
Damon didn't know, but he did know someone who might have some insight into what was going on. Not just with him, but with Bonnie as well. Deciding to leave fixing the lights and the wall for tomorrow, he continued up the stairs to his bedroom, pulling his cellphone out of his pocket as he went.
Scrolling through the contacts, he was hoping he still had the right number since it had been quite a few years since they last spoke. After finding her name, he pushed the call button and placed the phone next to his ear.
It rang a few times, leading Damon to believe that it was going to go to voice-mail, until finally a groggy voice came over the line and said, "Hello?"
"Hey, it's me. We need to talk."