Silhouettes – Part V

Damon walked up the steps of Bonnie's porch later that night, or more precisely – early morning, but true to his word, here he was. The light was off in her room, but he could tell the kitchen light was on from the side of the house. He knocked gently, and waited patiently as she came to the door.

She was changed out of her clothes from the carnival, and must have showered too as she wasn't wearing makeup and her usual straight hair fell in natural damp curls that carried the scent of coconut and shea butter; pushed out of her face by a thick headband. She was in that same oversized forest green sweatshirt with a pair of black spandex shorts peeking out underneath, showing off the long expanse of her legs.

He was stunned by her natural beauty. He'd never seen her hair like that, and he wondered to himself why she never wore her hair natural like this. With a clearing of his throat, he held up her keys. "Brought your car back."

She leaned on the door, and gestured inside with a tilt of her head. "Did you want to come in?"

Damon knew that her question held significance. She knew what inviting him in meant. She was basically giving him an all-access pass into her home. It was the beginning of trust. "Yeah…I do." He smiled crookedly, slipping passed her as she opened the door further for him.

She led him into the kitchen, and he sat at the small round table as she poured herself a mug of tea. She grabbed a glass for him, placed a bottle beside it, and his keys and sat down across from him. He smirked, tucking the car keys into his pocket. Maybe she knows me better than I thought. Bonnie kept her eyes downcast in her mug, as he poured himself a glass, and took a sip. He winced at the taste. "It's my dad's." She excused with a little laugh. "I don't know anything about scotch."

He made a mental note to get the man a bottle that cost more than twenty dollars. This was terrible. "It's fine." He lied with an amused smile.

"So…how did it go?" Bonnie asked quietly, looking at him as she sipped her tea.

"You were right. Katherine turned him. She lured him in pretending to be Elena and sent him after you." He explained. It didn't take long to get the guy talking. He had him tied up in the basement feeding him vervain for less than an hour before he spilled the beans. Damon was mildly disappointed.

Her slim fingers linked around her mug, tapping the ceramic gently with her nails. "But why? What does she want with me, Damon?"

"He didn't know much. But he said that you have something she wants. Maybe its something she gave to Emily or something Emily took from her…I'm not sure. Did your grams pass anything down to you; an heirloom, a spell…?" he prompted, trying to jog her memory.

Bonnie shook her head. "No…not that I can think of. I'll have to take a look at her things."

He noticed the sadness in her tone. "Bonnie, I never told you before, but I'm sorry about the hand I played in her death. I never wanted that to happen." He apologized sincerely.

"I appreciate that. It's partly my fault. I never should have dragged her into it." She admitted on a sigh. "She always said witches needed to stop getting in the middle of vampire business."

"She was your grandmother…she never would have let you do it alone. And you're one of the good ones…in the middle of it is right where you belong." She shot him a grateful smile. "Well, besides the last few hours, it looked like you girls were having a good time tonight." He diverted. It was nice to see her smile and laugh with her friends.

"Yeah…we did." She started fondly. "I can't remember the last time we were able to just be together like that without something life threatening happening. It felt…normal." She laughed. Her eyes slid up slowly to meet his, and she found herself biting back a grin.

"What?" he chuckled.

"I defended you today." She stated almost proudly.

Well, that's not what he was expecting. "Oh yeah?"

"Mhm. I told Elena…about…" she trailed off with a shrug of her shoulders.

It didn't take a genius to deduce what she was talking about. The awkwardness she was giving off told him she still wasn't completely comfortable discussing it. "I figured." He choked down half of the cheap scotch.

She held his stare brazenly, a glassy sparkle in her eye that challenged him. "Elena thinks I should steer clear of you."

He scoffed an ironic laugh. "That's not terrible advice."

"She called you a monster." Bonnie waited for his reaction soberingly.

His head bowed, rolling the liquid left around in the glass, watching it swish around, and responded in a strained voice. "I can be."

Shaking her head, Bonnie leaned back in the chair. "I don't believe that. I know you've done terrible things, but I also think that you feel remorse for them. Monsters don't feel remorse." she affirmed confidently. He was stunned into silence, his lips parted and the blue of his eyes almost hypnotizing to her. "Thank you, for being there tonight and taking care of everything…I didn't want to be the one to do it. I feel like I've been thanking you a lot for saving my life." She breathed a laugh looking down at her hands still clenched around the mug.

Damon allowed himself a moment to observing her adoringly as she broke his gaze. Her curls framed her face and he found himself wanting her tunnel his fingers through it. The sleeves on her sweater came down to her knuckles, making her look so petite and dainty. "I promised you I wouldn't let anything happen to you. I meant it." He answered her in a low, and serious tone that cause her eyes to shoot back up, looking at him from under her thick lashes.

"I believe you." She said with a tender smile. He realized that Bonnie said a lot with those wild green eyes of hers. They held more wisdom in them than her years. "So tell me…" She pulled one bare leg up, resting her heel on the edge of the chair and hugging her knee to her body. "Who am I speaking to right now?" she had a cheeky little twist to her lips that indicated the playful nature of the question.

With a cant of his head, he narrowed his eyes, matching her energy. "What do you mean?"

"Is this…cocky Damon; full of bravado and witty one-liners, or manipulative Damon; willing to say or do anything to get what he wants…or this new, improved, unusually sweet Damon; who actually seems to care."

Damon thought about it for a moment. "This is me, Bonnie." He said with a light shrug. "No prefixes, no filters; just me…being real, with you. You know, when you spend most of your life pretending to be someone you're not – and trust me I had a lot of time to practice…it's easy to forget who you really are. When I was human, being who I was didn't get me very far." It got him no where, if he was honest. It didn't earn his father's respect, or Katherine's love and he allowed himself to be manipulated to the point of losing everything he held dear.

Bonnie picked up on the downhearted tone; one she never thought she'd hear coming from Damon of all people. He always portrayed that he was content being the bad guy – the one that smirked his way through every critique, laughed through all the pain, and made the hard decisions that no one else was capable of. She realized that he wasn't any different than the rest of them, and she had the sudden urge to bring him a sense of peace. "I want to show you something." She stated softly, rising to her feet and nodding her head in the direction of the hall, gesturing him to follow her.

He did so slowly, curiosity getting the better of him as he trailed behind her down the hallway, then up the stairs. He could hear her heart rapidly beating in her chest,. His eyes travelled from the top of her head to the shapely curve of her bottom to her bare feet, decorated in a dusty pink nail polish. He let his hand trail behind hers on the railing as they reached top, and she pushed open the door at the end of the hall. Damon walked in after her, letting his eyes coast over all the details that made up Bonnie Bennett. The track and field trophies on the shelf, the vanity mirror cluttered with pictures of her friends and family, the posters of bands that she liked, the teddy bear on her bed, nestled between her pillows. He smiled.

"So…" her voice drew him out of his musings, and he turned back to her. She seemed amused; hip cocked and arms crossed. "Is it how you pictured it?" She arched a brow high on her forehead.

His eyes shut with realization, and he forced out an embarrassed chuckle. Caught. "So you know…"

"That you've been posted up outside my window at night? Yeah." She finished for him with a chuckle of her own. "I didn't at first, but the other night…I got that same feeling. And when I looked out my window there you were." She padded passed him and hopped on the center of her bed, pulling the stuffed bear into her lap.

Damon blinked. He was standing in the middle of Bonnie's bedroom…like it was completely normal. He wandered her room slowly, fingering the little trinkets on the shelves. "And that doesn't weird you out?" He was surprised by how calm she was about all of this. Part of him was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Oh no, I'm weirded out…" she admitted, and they both broke out into a laugh. "But I think I get it." She continued in a sober tone, fiddling with the arms Ms. Cuddles. Her chest rose and fell with her shaky breaths.

His head snapped to her, and he swallowed thickly feeling the air being sucked out of the room. There were those eyes again, saying everything she wasn't. He came to stand in front of her, searching her eyes for the answer. "You do…?"

Bonnie let out a long exhale passed her lips in an attempt to calm her racing heart, and dropped her gaze to her lap with a nod. Why were his eyes so blue? They were like pools of ocean, sucking her under water. She swallowed audibly, her next words coming out in barely a whisper. "I just…don't think I'm ready to hear it…" There was a long stretch of silence between them as they both processed the meaning behind her words. This wasn't just a little crush…she knew that now. So maybe she wasn't ready to hear it, but she seemed to accept it for what it was, and that was okay with him. "That night…on the porch; the things you said to me…" She gnawed on her lower lip. "No one has ever told me that before."

Damon sauntered over to the left side of her bed, cautiously perching on the edge beside her, hoping he wasn't overstepping his bounds. "That's because boys these days don't know a good thing when it's right in front of them." He smirked, then leaned forward teasingly. "Maybe you need to start dating older men."

Bonnie let out a bubble of laughter so unexpected to her she covered her mouth. "Yeah? How old?"

Damon's hand teetered back and forth as his mouth turned down in a thoughtful frown. "You should probably stick to the 150-180 range." A grin split his face, knowing he made her laugh. She was so beautiful when she smiled; her pearly white teeth, her full, cupid bow lips, the little dimple in her cheek.

Bonnie stared at him, her head tilting pensively. "Why don't you let people see the good in you?"

That was a good question. One no one had ever bother asking him before; maybe because they knew there was no good in him. He turned his head to face her, and spoke with a candid sincerity that almost sounded strange to his own ears. "Because when people see good, they expect good…and I don't want to have to live up to anyone's expectations."

"I feel that. Sometimes I feel like everyone expects me to have all the answers. To be the strong one. If someone's in trouble I'm there to fix it; to hold it together all the time. But I'm not always as strong as everybody things I am…" she admitted quietly in a strained whisper. These were things she couldn't even tell her friends, yet the words seem to come out so naturally now. Her friends never really understood that about her. It was easy to give and give and give when it came to those she loved, and she did it willingly, but it became expected after a while, and when you were the one everyone relied on…who do you rely on?

Damon shifted, facing her squarely. "I'll make you a deal. I can't promise to be the poster boy for humanity like Saint Stefan or anything, but…" he started with a playful roll of his eyes. "I'll try to work on it if," he pointed a stern finger at her. "You promise me that when you feel like the weight becomes too much…" He shrugged a shoulder, bumping hers good-naturedly. "You let me help carry the load for you."

Bonnie blinked away the tears that pooled in her eyes. Again…he surprised her. She got him all wrong before. Either that, or he was a hell of a bullshitter. But she knew deep down, that while that may be true…he wasn't lying about this. Her hand reached out, and covered his laying flat on her duvet. "You're a good man, Damon. I'm glad you let me see that."

He felt his heart leap in his chest. A good man? He couldn't think of a single moment where someone thought of him as a good man. "Well…" he forced out behind a smile that almost faltered. "You'd be the only person I know to think that."

She shrugged a shoulder. "Then they aren't looking hard enough."

When Damon left, and the sun was cresting over the horizon, he hopped down her porch stairs, a skip in his step, and risked a glance back up at her window, and to his surprise, Bonnie stood there with a shy smile, and raised her hand in a little wave. He nodded back, a roguish glint in his eyes as he slid in the front seat of the Camaro.

…

It would be naïve of them to think that while things have been quiet the last week, the trouble had passed. Damon knew better than to think that Katherine was just going to roll over after snuffing out her little toy. That's why he wasn't surprised when Sheriff Forbes slid onto the stool next to him at the Grill.

"Why am I not surprised to find you here?" she greeted with a knowing smirk.

Damon turned his head with a lazy grin. "Because they have the second-best bourbon in town." The boarding house had better bourbon, but he burned through that quick. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Liz? I'm assuming this isn't a social visit." He took note of her uniform.

She canted her head apologetically. "No, it's not. I'm calling a council meeting tonight. There have been several missing persons reports in the last week, and I'm running out of excuses for their parents. We need to get a handle on this. Can you make it?"

Damon nodded. "Yeah, I'll be there."

Liz smiled gratefully. "Thanks Damon. I'll text you the address and time."

Caroline, Bonnie and Elena walked in the front door, and the blonde scoffed, crossing her arms as her mom sitting beside Damon. "That will never stop being weird."

"What?" Elena asked as she headed to their favorite booth.

"My mom and Damon being so chummy."

Elena laughed sarcastically. "Damon is just trying to keep the council off his back. It's an act." She stated as if it was fact, and something about her tone didn't sit right with Bonnie.

She snapped her head to her friend. "And how do you know that?"

The doppelganger reeled back, surprised by Bonnie's harsh tone. "Because it's Damon. You said it yourself, Bonnie; he's always working an angle."

With an irritated roll of her eyes, Bonnie glanced away, while Elena and Caroline exchanged a look. "Since when do you rush to Damon's defense?" Caroline retorted.

Letting out a snort, Elena spoke up. "Probably since-" Bonnie shot her a warning glare, and Elena snapped her mouth shut. "Never mind."

The blonde's eyes darted back and forth between them. "Wait! What am I missing?"

"Nothing." Bonnie hushed quickly, watching Sheriff Forbes slip off the stool and head for the front door. "I'll be right back." She headed Damon's way, without waiting for her friend's acknowledgment and hopped up on the stool Liz vacated, gracing him with a pleasant smile. "Hey."

Damon blinked, turning to her surprised, before a slow smile pulled his lips. "Hey back."

She pointed at the empty shot glass in front of him. "Can I have one of those?"

He feigned shock, his mouth dropping open. "But you're under age. I'd hate to be a bad influence." He teased even as he filled the shot glass from the bottle beside it. She gave him a look; a deadpanned stare with a tilt of her head, and it made him chuckle as he pushed the shot glass towards her.

Casting a quick look around to make sure no adult eyes were on her, Bonnie took the shot quickly, pulling a face at the taste of the bourbon burning down her throat. "Ugh…that was a mistake." She said on a laugh, catching the drop that slipped from her lip.

Damon watched her with amusement, swivelling to face her. "Pretty bold of you to come over here with them around." He cupped a hand around his mouth, leaning in for a conspiratorial whisper. "They hate me."

Bonnie and Damon glanced over, to see both her friends looking at her like she'd lost her mind. "They just don't understand you." She said simply.

"Yeah? And you do?"

"I'm starting to. They think you're using the Sheriff; that this relationship you have with her is an act." If she was honest, a month ago she believed that too. She believed along with everyone else that Damon would charm the pants off everyone he could if it meant staying ahead of the curve.

"And what do you think?"

She thought about it for a second, her mouth twisting contemplatively. "I think she's your friend."

Damon laughed, but it came off cynical. "I don't have friends."

"Then what am I?" She fired back playfully offended.

Damon sighed, his tongue darting out to wet his bottom lip, his eyes piercing through hers intensely. "I wish I knew." He saw her eyes dart away hesitantly. "Look, if you want to be friends, we can be friends, Bonnie. But it doesn't change how I feel about you…and it certainly won't stop me from pursuing you." Her head ducked shyly; her cheeks flushing, and he smirked internally at how adorable she was. "Think you can live with that?" He asked testing the waters of her boundaries.

Her eyes rose slowly, looking up at him through thick lashes. "Yes…" she started hesitantly. "But it doesn't mean-"

"I know."

"Okay." She held out her hand. "So…friends?"

He looked at her hand before grasping it, squeezing gently but reluctant to let go. "Friends." Damon gracefully stood, suddenly towering over her. "Well…I better go before I drink this place out of business." He winked, a small smirk pulling his lips. "Have a good night, Bonnie."

…

"What the hell was that?" Caroline asked as Bonnie slid into the booth across from her.

"Can we not, with the judgment please, Caroline?" Bonnie retorted tiredly. "Damon and I have been…" what would she call it? "Getting along lately. Maybe he's not the asshole you all think he is."

The girls laughed. "Oh, I'm sure he's just misunderstood." Caroline mocked. "Look, I know first hand the kind of guy Damon is, okay. I've got the bite marks to prove it." She snapped back with attitude.

"Well, maybe he's changed." Bonnie fired back.

The blonde scoffed, flicking her hair out of her face. "Please, Bonnie, don't be naïve."

The witch sucked in a maddened breath and forced a smile. "You know what…I'm not doing this." She grabbed her purse, and got up, pulling it over her shoulder.

"Bonnie…" Elena tried to mediate, shooting her other friend a reproving frown. "She didn't mean that."

"Yes, I did! I mean, Elena, come on…you don't believe this, do you?" Caroline questioned crossing her arms over her chest.

Elena was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and her mouth hung open as she looked between them, as they stared at her expectantly.

With a shake of her head, Bonnie turned and left, storming out into the parking lot. Caroline drove. Great. So, with a resigned sigh, Bonnie continued down the sidewalk towards her house.

"Well, well, if it isn't Bonnie Bennett." The voice stopped her in tracks, and slowly, the witch turned to see the woman standing like a devil in sheep's clothing. Knee-high heel boots, skin-tight black jeans and a blood red blouse covered by a black leather jacket. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders in curls, pinning Bonnie with a predatory stare. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Katherine." She finished with a sickly-sweet smile.

…

AN: Oooooh! Katherine's back in the mix! I know Caroline is a little tactless right now, but let's face it, she was a bit mean in the beginning, especially to Bonnie. It won't be that way forever, but I wanted to stay true to pre-vampire Caroline. Thank you to Lovepeaceandwar for your review about having them be friends first. I think it's a nice touch and I'm running with it! - Vanessa