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"You are not the same, don't come pretend you are. And I am ever-changing too."

- Sofi La Torre


Chapter 5

Familial Bulls***


Warning(s) : Language

Damon had nobody for as long as he's been gone and surprisingly, he preferred it that way. That was until he met Rose. Friend? No, she was more like his consultant. She claims that any emotional bond formed between the two of them would put their agreement in jeopardy.

He made it pretty far, he was proud to admit. If he asked Rose the same, she'd probably agree too. Probably. Rose can be a bit of an asshole, but Damon was too so it wasn't that much of a bad thing.

When Damon woke up this morning, he knew it was going to be different. It was going to be difficult, too. Walking back into someone's life can be just as harmful as leaving. He knew that he was going to figure this out the hard way.

Reaching out to Stefan was a challenge. Damon hadn't seen him in so long, let alone speak to him. His own brother even wanted him out of his life.

After several attempts of calling him, Damon found out that Stefan had changed his number. The only person kind enough, yet reluctant to give it to him was their mother. Their relationship was also on the outs.

He and Stefan's relationship was anything close to being mended. But he can wait. He had to.

The airport wasn't crowded this morning. Not like he expected it to be. It was February, the holidays are over and people were finally getting back to their normal lives. Damon was too. Or at least trying to.

When he saw Stefan, he was surprised. His not so little brother changed a lot. He looked much more smug than before. But his "hero hair" as Damon liked to say, didn't change at all.

Damon walked to his brother's car. "Hello, brother." He greeted, sticking his hand out in attempts to shake Stefan's.

Stefan looked at his hand, which fell when Damon realized Stefan wasn't going to do shit. "Damon. Get in, I'm late."

The two had discussed Damon coming back. Stefan told him that it wasn't a good idea, but with Damon being Damon, he decided to go with his own gut feeling and come back.

Once Damon put his bags in the trunk and two were settled in the car, Stefan took off. Damon scammed around the car, his eyes falling to the back seat. There was a pink and brown car seat buckled in behind Stefan's chair.

"Ahem," Damon cleared his throat and motioned to the backseat. Stefan glances at him. "You carpool or something?" He asked.

Stefan shook his head. "Not exactly. Only when-" he stopped. "Why don't you ever mind your own business?"

"Sorry." He muttered. "So, how have you been?"

"I think I'd like it better if we just didn't talk."

The rest of the car ride was full of the most awkward silence ever. Stefan had unresolved issues, all with Damon. Damon didn't expect his brother to welcome him with open arms, but the treatment he was receiving? He didn't think he deserved.

The car stopped across the street from a blue house. Looking up, Damon saw a woman walk out of the house and sit on the stairs. Stefan got out of the car and Damon followed behind him. The house was familiar, but Damon wasn't able to place his finger on it.

Where exactly were they?

"Where the hell have you been?! I've been dying here without you."

Damon knew that voice. That's a voice he used to fall asleep to, thinking about. The voice that sounded like home. A voice that he hadn't heard in so long.

Stefan sighed. "I had to go to the airport."

"Why? Is your mom in town?!" He shook his head. "Okay then, I don't..."

Damon watched from the space he left himself in. He didn't want to impose on their conversation. He didn't want to ruin it. Stefan took her hands and she searched his face. "Bonnie," he said. "Bonnie." Stefan repeated.

"What? Stop it!" She pushed him away, taking a few steps back. "You're freaking me out, what is it?"

Taking in a breath, Damon started for the porch. All he could see was his brother's back when he approached the two best friends.

"H-Hey," he said. Bonnie pushed Stefan again, letting go of his arms. Shaking her head, Damon heard Bonnie spit out a cackle.

"Stefan." She whispered, her voice was full of warning.

Taking steps up the stairs and onto the porch, Stefan moved to Bonnie's side. She looked so different. Bonnie Bennett was standing here. There. Right in front of Damon and his brother. A frown grew prominent on her face, her wide eyes not being able to look away.

There was so much that Damon wanted to do. To touch her face, her eyes still as green as ever. If he took her hand, he'd never be able to let go… He wanted to say some things that should have been said before. Except he couldn't.

"Happy, uh, happy birthday, Bon."

Bonnie sighed. She wasn't sure just how to handle this situation. Should she say thank you? Should she say nothing? Well, what she should probably do first is look away. She had yet to look away.

He looked the same. Just three years older. He had some scruff but not too much. He was buffer. He definitely was. Maybe a little bit taller.

The front door opened and out came Abby. "Bonnie, honey. Are you okay?" When she saw the people who accompanied her daughter, her smile turned down. "Stefan how lovely of you to join us."

Stefan smiled at Abby, who pulled him in for a hug. "Damon… Nice to see you." Abby sighed. "Come in, there's plenty of food."

"You too, Abby."

Bonnie pushed past her mom and rushed inside. Ripping her jacket off, she almost threw it. She almost threw it and screamed. But she didn't. All she did was laugh. She continued to laugh when she hung up her jacket.

The laughter didn't stop when Caroline and Matt approached her, after seeing Damon themselves. "Are you okay?"

"What is he doing here?" Caroline seethed with detest. Laughing, Bonnie snorted. She looked at Matt who just shrugged back. Caroline listened as Bonnie's laughter faltered. Her face fell, tears were filling her eyes and her mouth gaped open. "Okay, okay. Let's go talk, yeah?"

"No, no. I'm fine." The brunette smiled, yet her green eyes were frowning. " I'm fine."

Damon felt very uneasy when he entered Abby's house. If looks could kill, he would have been dropped over dead by now. His eyes scanned the room and fell on the little girl who seemed to be coming towards him. Damon smiled, watching the little girl walk his way.

It was December of 2016. Damon knew that coming here wasn't a good idea but he had to see her. Bonnie had went into premature labor. She had the baby. She had his baby.

He pushed open the hospital room door, quietly sneaking in. Luckily nobody else was around. Bonnie laid asleep on the bed, her back towards him. He could hear little sounds come from the bassinet beside her bed.

His heart nearly fell out of his chest as he approached the baby. Looking in, laid the tiniest human he had ever seen. He couldn't believe that something so innocent was so real.

"Hi," he whispered. His hand smoothed over the hair that she had on her little head. "I'm your daddy, little baby."

"Her name is Calista." A voice said from behind him. Turning around, he saw Caroline enter the room. "You know… Babies recognize their parents' voices in the womb? She's not going to recognize yours." She pointed out.

"Calista…" he whispered to himself. Sighing, he nodded. "She's beautiful."

"You don't belong here and need to leave."

"I'm her father, Caroline."

She scoffed. Pulling him by his arm, she led the two out of the hospital room. "You're a low life piece of shit, Damon. You can't keep going in and out of Bonnie's life like she's some kind of timeshare that you only visit every so often." She snapped. "And I'll be damned if I let you anywhere near that little girl. She deserves a real father. And that's not you."

Caroline stepped in front of Calista, blocking Damon's view from him. Picking up the toddler, she turned around. Shaking her head, Caroline trailed off with Calista in her arms.

Bonnie watched the interaction from the kitchen. Bonnie couldn't help but feel a tad bit guilty. A side of her wanted to introduce Calista to her father, but another side of her wanted to keep her child as far away from his as possible.

Bonnie scoffed, looking away from Stefan. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. He just kind of showed up." He explained.

"How could he have just shown up if you went to go pick him up from the airport?"

"Bonnie, I… I just..." Stefan stuttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Bonnie's eyebrow rose. "You… You just what?" She mocked him. "What? You knew he was coming back and you didn't tell me. Which makes me come to the conclusion that you've been in contact with him for god knows how long and haven't told me that either. Which makes you a fucking liar."

"I'm sorry."

She snickered. "Why don't you get yourself some food, chill, chat with your fucking brother…" she suggested, grabbing her drink. "While I try and enjoy the rest of my party away from him, away from you and away from your familial bullshit."

There's something in this liquor

The air is getting thicker…

"I just-" the 21 year old burped loudly, her and her friends laughing. "I just don't understand men!"

Caroline nodded and raised her glass. "I can drink to that!" She exclaimed. Caroline, Bonnie and Vicki were drunk. To put it lightly.

Bonnie was the most intoxicated out of all of them, she being the one drinking on the way to the club. The lights on at the club didn't help her feel anymore sober either. Which is the last thing she wanted.

"How dare he come back here!" Bonnie hiccuped. The hype Caroline and Vicki shown before started to die down. Bonnie hadn't stopped talking about Damon since she saw him. That began at noon. It's going on 9pm now.

Damon this, Damon that. Damon, Damon, and more Damon. Caroline was close to snapping if Bonnie says one more thing about him.

"He fucking sucks." She admitted. "But he…"

"Bonnie stop!" Caroline begged. "You said it. He sucks. He left you more times than I can count and does not deserve to be the topic of discussion on your birthday! Fuck him!"

"I just… he-"

Caroline groaned, pushing her glass away from her. "-Left you! He left you and your daughter all alone and he's going to do it again, so stop talking about him! Fuck. Damon. Salvatore."

Vicki sipped on her drink as she scooting down in her chair. She watched Bonnie's face change. "How about another drink? Huh, Bon?"

Bonnie had her eyes set on Caroline, ignoring Vicki completely. Her lip curled up. "Anything else you want to say, Care?"

Caroline looked at Bonnie and shrugged. "And tell you more of the truth that you can't handle? Mmm, maybe tomorrow." She spat.

Bonnie pushes herself up hard. Standing on her feet, she stumbled back. "Okay, no! No, it's girls night remember?!" Vicki began, rounding the table to get Bonnie. The brunette moved past Vicki and stormed off from her friends. "Wait! Come on, please?!"

Vicki sat in Bonnie's place, glaring at the blonde beside her. Caroline shrugged. "I just said what we were all thinking." She insisted.

Bonnie was huddled in the corner of the bar, phone gripped in her hand, looking down at the image her mother just sent her. In the picture was Bonnie and Calista. After singing happy birthday, the toddler took it into her own hands to smear the birthday cake all over Bonnie's face. She wanted to go pick up her daughter and go home. Do her birthday the way she originally wanted. Not be out in a club with friends. One of who was a complete bitch to her.

Sighing, Bonnie sucked up the anger she had earlier and dialed his number. After a few rings, the line connected. Before he could speak, Bonnie did. "I'm still mad at you, so don't get it twisted. I just… can you please come pick me up?"

When Bonnie returned to the table, Caroline and Vicki were gone. They were dancing or they left. Either way, Bonnie didn't care. She just grabbed her jacket and strolled outside.

As soon as her feet hit the curb, the red car pulled up. Smiling, she leaned down and opened the door. "Thank you for picking me up." She said, buckling herself in. Looking over, she gasped. "Are you fucking kidding me?!"

Damon looked at her, giving her a sympathetic smile. "How else was I going to talk to you?"

"Like a normal person and, uh, I don't know, pick up a phone?"

"Like you'd answer?" Unbuckling the seat belt, she reached for the car door. "Wait! Can't we just talk?"

"No."

"Then at least let me drive you home? Please?" He begged. "I mean, I didn't steal Stefan's car to not take you home."

Sitting back, she turned her head away from him. "Fine. But we're not talking."

"Okay, that's fine."

Why was it that as soon as she was beginning to get over needing him to save her, that he had to come back? That part of Bonnie that cared about Damon was gone. Long, long gone. Now all she wanted to do was protect and care for the one and only person that really mattered.

Calista.


Now that Damon's back, what do you think he's been doing? Or where he was? Who do you think Rose is to him?

Bonnie has a lot of repressed feelings, seeing as she practically forced herself to not cry over him being back.

As for that little flashback, it looks like Damon has left Bonnie more than once during her pregnancy because of what Caroline said.

Do you think Bonnie and Damon will be able to ever have a stable relationship?

Let me know what you think!

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