First, I'd like to sincerely apologize for the ridiculous wait for this chapter. That was not my intention, but life has a tendency to get in the way. I hope the next chapter will be up in a much more timely manner. Second, the episode this chapter is based in had Rebecca in it, but she isnt necessary for my story, at least not yet. So she was swapped out with Caroline. I just wanted to make everyone aware incase there are any die hard TVD fans that would notice. With that being said, I want to thank everyone for the favorites, follows and comments and for continuing to stick with me. Also, the rating may change at some point, but I'll make sure to let you guys no if it does.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"Damon Salvatore, of course you need help. Why else would you be calling me in the middle of the night? While I'm asleep."
The sarcasm was evident in her tone and Damon knew he was pushing his luck by calling her at all, but out of all the witches he had come across over the duration of his life, she was the one he was certain would have answers for him. She made a habit out of knowing things others didn't, but he also knew that everything came for a price. He just didn't know how heavy of a price he would have to pay for the information that he wanted. He already knew however that for Bonnie, he would pay whatever price was necessary.
He decided to tread carefully. His usual snark wouldn't do him any good here. "I just need some information. Something is going on with someone I care about and I just want to know how to help her." Keeping himself out of the conversation was a must. The last thing he needed was anyone knowing he had something weird going on with him. Everyone needed to think he was at his strongest, always.
She scoffed audibly, sleep and annoyance an unmistakable presence in her next words. "Of course it's a girl. It's always a girl with you. I just hope it's not still that damn Katherine you were obsessing over the last time you came to me for help."
His response was immediate. "It's not. She can go to hell. This is someone else. Someone better. Someone very important to me."
"How sweet. They're always important to you Damon. Unfortunately for you, I don't care. I gave up helping vampires a long time ago."
"You wouldn't be helping me, you'd be helping her."
"And why should I care about your most recent love interest Damon?"
"She's a witch."
"Is that supposed to mean something to me? I know plenty of witches that I wouldn't lift a finger to help. Why would I be bothered with helping one I've never even met?"
Damon's jaw clenched. He was rapidly losing his patience with the old witch, but he knew he couldn't get on her bad side or she wouldn't help him. Its not like he could threaten her with bodily harm since they were on the phone, never mind the fact that she was far too old and powerful to be bothered with being afraid of him. She could do things that would make Bonnies witchy migraines seem like minor headaches. He hated to say what he was about to say, but he didn't really see that he had any other option.
"She's Sheila's granddaughter."
His words were met with a silence that stretched on for longer than Damon thought was necessary.
"What in the hell are you doing with Sheila's granddaughter?"
"She's a Bennett or have you forgotten my promise to Emily about protecting her line."
"Oh please, you never gave a damn about protecting the Bennett line. Why start now?"
"Because this particular Bennett is important to me. Look, will you help me or not?"
Damon heard the bed creak over the line. He figured she was sitting up now, her interest officially peaked.
"Okay…what's going on?"
"She did some magic, involuntarily."
"That's not that unusual. Young witches coming into their power do unbidden magic all the time. There's a lot of power in our bodies. Sometimes it forces its way out without our consent. Honestly, If that's all that's going on with her, I wouldn't be too concerned. But then again, you've known enough witches in your time that you already knew that. So there must be something else."
Damon inhaled a deep breath before he spoke. "What does it mean when a witches eyes turn black?"
"Excuse me? What do you mean they turned black?"
"Just what I said. It was only for a second, but she opened her eyes and they were black. As soon as she blinked again though, they were back to normal."
"This is very important. What was she doing?"
He hesitated, but finally said,"She was kissing me."
"I'm not saying anymore over the phone. If you want my help then you have to come to me."
"What? Why?"
"I just said I'm not saying anymore over the phone. You want my help? You know where to find me. Come without the girl. The less she knows right now the better."
Damon gripped his phone in annoyance. He felt the device creak in his hand. "I don't have time to just leave right now. There's too much shit going on here. Just tell me what you know dammit."
"You know where to find me Damon. Good-bye."
Damon sat in his car in the high-school parking lot staring out at nothing in particular. It was a nice day out by all accounts, most would actually call it a beautiful day. The sun was a yellow ball of fury that sat high in the cloudless blue sky; bright and illuminating. Its rays emitting just the right amount of heat to make people long for a passing cloud or two to provide a respite from the warmth. The trees were covered in blankets of varying shades of vibrant greens since it was still far too early in the fall for the effects of the season to take hold, especially in North Carolina.
Damon didn't give a crap about any of that though. He didn't care about the sun. He didn't care about the trees. He didn't care about the various high school students that were milling about outside, shuffling from the building to their cars since it was the end of the school day. The only thing he cared about in that particular moment was replaying the conversation he had had a few nights prior with a witch whom he thought he could trust to help him, but witches had a tendency to be a little indecisive when it came to loyalty. Especially when it involved vampires. Most witches despised vampires and everything they represented. Vampires were an abomination, a slight against nature and blah, blah, blah.
Vampires like Damon didn't help matters much, since he had the bad habit of only bothering with witches when he needed something from them. Bonnie, unfortunately, was no exception, but that was changing. Being in love with the little witch had definitely put some things into perspective for him. The most important of those being that he was done with using her for her abilities, which almost always led to putting her life in danger. Damon had made up his mind. They'd have to learn how to handle things without her magic.
Especially when they were dealing with Original asshats like Klaus and apparently now an even bigger ass in the form of one seriously dangerous vampire/Klaus hunter; Mikael.
Just add that to the ever growing list of absolute shit they have to deal with on a daily basis. Sometimes he wished he could just be a normal person with a normal life, but then he remembered that he had the strength and speed of a vampire, the power to bend people to his will and that he could very easily live forever. Those were the kinds of perks that made him get over the whole wishing he was normal thing. Being normal was over-rated anyway and incredibly boring from what he remembered of his human days.
So never mind, Damon was perfectly happy being a vampire. He just wished that he didn't have to constantly worry about the people he loved being in danger.
Like now, for instance. On top of the whole Klaus and Mikael situation, he also had to figure out what was going on with Bonnie. Something funky was going on with him as well, seeing as how it wasn't every day that lightbulbs exploded around him when he was angry. The whole situation annoyed him. Well, really it pissed him off. He just couldn't understand why the old witch wouldn't tell him what he needed to know over the phone, but one thing was for sure. Whatever was happening to them, couldn't be good.
It was worrisome to say the least, but whatever it was he would fix it. He finally just got her, he'd burn the world to the ground before he lost her.
"You know it's considered creepy to sit outside of a high-school when you don't go to high-school."
Damon smirked and turned toward the voice at a leisurely pace. "Well if it isn't the lesser Gilbert. How's it going? Oh I'm sorry, that's a stupid question." Damon smiled maliciously. "You're a single man now. You must be living it up. What's it like kissing a ghost anyway? I'm not sure I've ever thought about it myself, but now that I know someone who has…got to say I'm kind of curious."
Jeremy took an angry step toward the car. "How the hell do you know about that?"
Damon chuckled. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Jeremy squared his shoulders, a determined look on his face. "Well it doesn't matter. I won't be single for long. I'm going to get Bonnie back."
Damon exited the Camaro and stood face to face with Jeremy in one fluid motion. Jeremy's bravado faltered slightly at Damon's proximity. He was worried, but trying not to show it. That amused Damon. If only Jeremy knew that he reeked of fear and Damon would be able to smell it from a mile away.
"How are you going to do that? Please enlighten me because I'd love to know what you could possibly do to justify what you did. You were lucky to even be with Bonnie in the first place cause let's face it Jer. You're not even in the same stratosphere as Bonnie and what she ever saw in you is anybody's guess, but you had her and then lost her and now you're going to leave her the hell alone. Because honestly Jer," Damon invaded Jeremy's personal space to the point that they were touching chests. Damon leaned in close enough to be able to speak directly into Jeremy's ear as he spoke. "You're lucky that I don't snap your fucking neck. You hurt her you piece of shit and I'd like to kill you. Probably be doing the world a favor, but lucky you, you have people that would care if you were dead. So, I'm going to say this once and only once. Leave Bonnie alone or I will kill you. Consequences be damned."
"Damon, Jeremy…everything ok?"
The voice was filled with caution and concern and had Damon straightening up immediately and moving three steps away from Jeremy to put the proper amount of distance between them. He looked in the direction the voice came from and saw Bonnie first and foremost. She was as beautiful as always; her brown hair cascaded down around her shoulders, the soft curls framing her face perfectly. Her makeup was soft and simple, like it always was. Though he had to admit, the shiny, pink lip-gloss she was wearing left his focus on her mouth for longer than what was deemed appropriate for two people that are supposed to be keeping their relationship; or however one would define it, a secret. Forcing his eyes away from her plump lips, he turned his attention to the purple floral print dress she was wearing. The length of which only came to her mid-thigh. Thighs, that in Damon's humble opinion were created for the sole purpose of wrapping around his waist. Now Damon found himself distracted for a whole different reason. He had dreamt many a dream about what it would be like to spread her legs and run his tongue along the length of her inner thigh; tasting her flesh in a way that no man before or after him ever would. Bonnie was his…and that was final.
A throat clearing next to Bonnie pulled him away from his indecent thoughts. He glanced at Elena, whose eyes were telling him he needed to calm the hell down before he gave himself away. Little did she know that Bonnie already knew very well about his attraction to her and he was almost positive that Jeremy wasn't completely dense and had to no Damon felt some type of way about Bonnie. Nevertheless, he reigned in his horniness, nodded at Elena in acknowledgement and then retuned all of his focus back on Bonnie. Who, in turn, seemed to have all of her focus on him as well. Probably because she just watched herself get eye-fucked, but he didn't care. He gave her a small smile, heeding her desire to keep whatever they had going on between the two of them quiet… for now. She returned his smile with a tiny one of her own, causing Damon to feel like the equivalent of a twelve-year-old boy with his first crush.
Pre-Bonnie, he would have been disgusted with himself for feeling this way, but at this point, he was just too far gone to care. Case in point, it had only been a couple days since he seen her, but the affect she had on him was the same. He swore he could still feel the petal soft of her lips against his. He wanted nothing more than to grab her and kiss her again, but he knew that would be unwanted at this particular moment.
"Bonnie, hey." Jeremy took the few steps needed to enter Bonnies personal space while simultaneously blocking her view of Damon.
A maneuver that both annoyed and amused Damon. He hated Jeremy being so close to her, but was also fully aware that he was just going to be making a fool of himself. Jeremy didn't know it yet, but Bonnie had moved on from him long before they broke up.
"You've been avoiding me all day." Jeremy continued, leaning down towards her and rubbing his hand down her arm as he lowered his voice in an attempt to make their conversation a little more private, "can we talk?"
Bonnie didn't hesitate in taking a step back, putting a small amount of distance between the two of them. "I don't think that's a good idea Jeremy. We've said all we needed to say."
Jeremy's face fell, "Please just let me explain."
"Jeremy, Bonnie said she doesn't want to talk." Elena's voice was soft, but firm as she spoke, making sure she got her point across. She loved her brother, but he hurt her best friend and she wasn't going to let him do any more damage.
Heaving a heavy sigh, he stepped away from Bonnie and turned toward Elena. "I need a ride home. I missed the bus."
Elena looked between Bonnie and Jeremy with a panicked expression. "Well Bonnie rode with me today."
"I'll take her." Damon said, stepping forward with a smirk plastered on his face.
"Oh hell no," exclaimed Jeremy with malice. "I don't think so."
"Excuse me," Bonnie gave Jeremy a pointed look. "but you don't have any say."
"Bonnie," Jeremy pleaded, "please ride home with us. I promise I won't say a word to you. Just don't get in the car with him." It was a last ditch effort to prove to himself that their relationship wasn't over. If she didn't get in Damon's car, he still had a chance. If she did get in Damon's car however,…well it didn't bare thinking about.
Bonnie gave him a sad, pitying look . She was still hurt by what he had done and though she knew he didn't deserve her sympathy; it was Jeremy and she just couldn't help it. He was her first real relationship and even though she knew that she was never in love with him, she did love him, for more reasons than just him being her boyfriend. They had grown up together, he was like family, and maybe that's why his betrayal hurt so much.
Nevertheless, she knew she had to put herself first this time. So without saying a word and while completely avoiding Jeremy's gaze, she slowly made her way over to stand next to Damon. Praying the whole time that he wouldn't make a big deal out of it and try to rub it in Jeremy's face. Thankfully, in a very un-Damon like manner, he remained blissfully silent. Bonnie smiled softly to herself. She really wanted to kiss him again.
Jeremy's eyes went wide. "Bonnie, come on."
"Jeremy! Stop. Before you make an even bigger fool of yourself. Come on," Elena grabbed her little brothers arm and started to pull him away towards her car. "Let's go."
"Actually," Damon spoke, halting their movements. "I need you to drop him off and then meet us at the boarding house."
Both Elena and Bonnie stared at him with questioning expressions and asked simultaneously, "Why?"
"I'd rather not discuss it here, but trust me when I say, it's important."
Elena shrugged and replied, "Alright, I'll be there."
"Why can't I come?" Jeremy asked petulantly.
"Because you're useless." Came Damon's immediate response.
"Screw you Damon."
"Damon." Elena's voice was filled with chastisement.
"What? You may not like the word I used, but it's the truth and we all know it. And trust me, the big bad that we're dealing with now; you don't what your little brother anywhere near this."
Elena considered his words for the briefest of moments before turning to her little brother and saying, "Jer I'm taking you home."
Jeremy seethed and opened his mouth to protest, but Elena put her hand up to stop his words before they escaped.
"There is something you should know before you go." Damon inwardly sighed and braced himself for the tsunami he was going to have to deal with once he said his next words. "Stefan is no longer locked up."
Elena's eyebrows rose. "What? What do you mean?"
"I mean, that I decided your method wasn't working and wanted to try something else."
This time it wasn't just her eyebrows that rose, her entire demeanor went on the defensive. "Are you out of your damn mind?" She asked, in a voice that was loud enough to draw the attention of a group of passing students. All of whom stopped to see what the commotion was about. They quickly changed their minds however, when Damon gave them a look that would make just about anyone rethink wanting to be in his presence.
After the nosy students scurried away, Elena continued her tirade, albeit in a much quieter voice. "What the hell were you thinking Damon? I had a plan. Lexi told me it would work and now you've screwed it all up."
"I'm afraid I didn't have a choice. We don't have the time it would take for you to starve him to the point of turning his humanity back on. That would take weeks, or months and we just don't have the time. I need him present and alert. Plus, he's the only one that knows how to get ahold of Klaus and as much as I hate to say it, we need Klaus back in Mystic Falls."
This time the voice came from the pretty brunette beside him. "Damon we just finally got rid of Klaus. Why would we willingly bring him back?" Bonnie asked, annoyance coursing through her, though she was trying not to show it.
Damon turned to look at her, his expression softening as he replied, "I don't want him back. I'd do anything to keep him away from yo…us, but I'm afraid we don't really have a choice."
Despite the seriousness of their conversation, Bonnie couldn't help the butterflies that formed in her stomach. She usually tried to live her life as selfless as possible, always concerned more for those around her than herself, but there was a sliver of something that she wasn't proud of, that wrapped around her heart when he slipped up and almost said "you" instead of "us".
At some point in there unconventional friendship, she had become so important to him that he was more concerned for her than anyone else. At least that's what she had gathered, and that's how he had made her feel lately. She didn't necessarily want to be more important. She knew her life was no more important than anyone else's, but she'd be lying if she said it didn't feel good that he felt that way about her. She still didn't understand how or why he did, but it felt good to be someone's first thought for once. Especially since it was Damon.
Elena and Jeremy watched the small exchange between the witch and the vampire with varying expressions. Elena's was one of envy, she knew how Damon felt about her best friend and though she wasn't jealous of the two of them per se, she was envious of the way Damon was looking at her, only because she missed the days when Stefan would look at her the same way. She just desperately wanted those days back. She desperately wanted to feel the love that her and Stefan had shared again.
Jeremy on the other hand, his expression was one of outrage. "Why do I suddenly feel like I'm not the only one who was unfaithful in our relationship?" He knew his words would have consequences, but at the moment he didn't really care.
The atmosphere surrounding the four of them shifted dramatically as Bonnie turned to face her ex with a look in her eyes that had Jeremy immediately regretting his words.
As she moved toward Jeremy slowly, but with purpose, the air surrounding her became visible, like her body was radiating enough heat to warm the atmosphere, causing a shimmer effect that's comparable to the heat from the pavement on a hot summer day.
Damon followed behind her as she moved, completely unaware of the hike in her body temperature. His mind and body were drawn to her like a moth to a flame, or like a vampire drawn to an overheated witch.
When Bonnie stood directly in front of Jeremy, with Damon standing behind her like a snake ready to strike at the first sign of trouble, she asked in a low voice that sounded so unlike her that had she not been standing directly in front of Jeremy, he might not have believed it was her.
"What did you say?"
Jeremy swallowed hard and took an involuntary step back. He could hardly believe what he was seeing. Bonnie was terrifying. The tiny, nondescript frame of his very recent ex girlfriend, was absolutely terrifying and he wasn't sure she had a single clue.
When he finally got himself together and opened his mouth to speak, he was cut off by an equally terrifying Damon before any words could come out.
"I would choose your next words very wisely if I were you."
Elena stood next to Jeremy in stunned silence and suddenly very afraid for her little brothers safety. Between her usually calm and level headed best friend; who looked murderous, and Damon; who looked ready to pounce if Jeremy so much as moved a muscle, she knew she needed to remove him from the situation before things got out of hand. She had no idea what was going on with the two of them, but at the moment she needed to react first and ask questions later.
"Okay," Elena drawled, as she slowly moved to position herself between her brother and her best friend. "We're going to go. I'll drop him off and meet you guys at the boarding house. Ok Bonnie?"
Bonnie stared at Jeremy unblinking, not even registering Elena's presence until she said her name. She blinked a couple of times and took a startled step back, which had her colliding with the brick wall that was Damon behind her.
He placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her and felt the heat slowly dissipate from her skin. Replaced with her normal, albeit slightly above average body temperature.
Elena tugged a very shocked Jeremy away from them and toward her car, calling out from behind her as she went that she would see them in a few.
Bonnie barely registered her words. She was too shaken up to notice anything, but the steadying hands of Damon. His presence felt like a balm for her frazzled nerves.
"Are you ok?"
"Damon, somethings wrong with me."
Her words came out so fast, it took Damon's brain a second longer than it should have, to catch up to what she said and the meaning behind it. Once he realized what her words meant, he turned Bonnie to face him. "What do you mean? What's wrong?" He asked, concern evident in his tone.
Bonnie shook slightly as she spoke. "Just now, with Jeremy, I wanted to hurt him."
Damon relaxed slightly as he stared into her vibrant green eyes. "Yeah me too, but don't worry about him. He's an idiot."
Bonnie shook her head and lowered her eyes in shame. "No Damon, you don't understand. I really wanted to hurt him. It was like something took over me, a darkness that I couldn't control." She brought her green eyes back up to meet his; the fear in them was unmistakable. "That I didn't want to control."
Bonnie started pacing frantically back and forth in front of Damon. "First last night with the street lights and now this…Damon what's happening to me? I don't want to be a person that thinks about hurting other people. Especially people I care about."
Damon watched as his little witch worried herself to death over what was happening to her, while letting the comment about caring for Jeremy roll off his back. He knew she still cared about him, hell they'd only broken up a few days ago, but the notion still sparked a bit of annoyance in him. He let that go though, he had way more important things to worry about than Bonnie's lingering feelings for little Gilbert.
Placing his hands on her shoulders to stop her pacing, he brought his height down to her level so he could look directly into her eyes as he spoke.
"Hey, calm down. I told you, we're going to figure this out. Whatever it is, we'll figure it out."
He said the words with confidence, but on the inside he felt like he was trying to reassure himself just as much as he was trying to reassure her.
Bonnie nodded and exhaled a shaky breath. "Okay."
Damon sighed. "Come here." He pulled her into his arms. A gesture that a few months ago would have been unthinkable, but was now met with no resistance.
Bonnie went into his arms without hesitation, like they beckoned her and she was unable to deny them. She was fully aware that they were still standing in the parking lot of the high school, in broad daylight for anyone to see, but the way she felt while being wrapped in his arms, overshadowed any and all trepidation she might have for being seen.
She melted into his embrace; his arms, his scent, his unwavering strength was a balm for her tumultuous soul. A soul that was starting to crave his closeness like an insatiable hunger. A hunger she was only too happy to feed.
Damon held her like that for a long moment, enjoying the way she felt in his arms. If there was a person out there for everyone that fit perfectly against them; his person was Bonnie. His body was at peace, but his mind was in turmoil. They were both changing. He didn't know how or why, but he knew that he had to find out because if he didn't figure it out soon and they just got worse; there's no telling what might happen and he would never be able to forgive himself if he let anything happen to Bonnie. Ultimately, he knew what he had to do, but it didn't mean he had to like it.
"Come on, let's get out of here," he said as he pulled away from her, but only to wrap his arm around her shoulders, as he led her the short distance to his car.
Damon and Bonnie arrived at the boarding house a short while after leaving the high school and judging by the cars in the driveway, they were the last to arrive. Of course, it couldn't just be Elena and Stefan, Caroline had to be here as well. He sneered and rolled his eyes. His day just kept getting better and better.
He was honestly dreading getting out of the car. He knew as soon as him and Bonnie walked into the house, Elena would bombard Bonnie with a multitude of questions about what happened at the high school and he was really in no mood for Bonnie to have to suffer through the inquisition. He knew she would only mean well, but if there was anyone who Bonnie hated to upset, it was Elena. Their devotion to one another was admirable, but it was starting to grate on Damon's nerves. He just wanted Bonnie to worry about herself for once and not everyone else around her.
He knew facing them was unavoidable though, since they had bigger fish to fry right now. He'd just have to step in if things started getting out of control. Bonnie was already under enough stress. He'd be damned if he let anyone else add to it.
Once he parked the Camaro and turned off the engine, he came to the conclusion that it would be best if she was prepared for the onslaught. Keeping his voice soft, he turned to her and asked, "You know Elena is going to have questions right?"
Bonnie stared at the boarding house with a sense of foreboding. She never actually liked this place, it was far too big for the two brothers who lived there, which, to her, gave it a very eerie feeling, sort of like the Stephen King movie 'Rose Red'. There were way too many rooms and she had never felt the desire to explore the house for fear of getting lost.
She knew that was a slight exaggeration, the house wasn't that big, but that's how it felt to her the first time she had been there. Which in reality had only been a couple of years ago, but felt like an entire life time ago. Back when she was just a teenage girl whose biggest issues ranged from what to wear that day, to what party they were going to go to on the weekend. God she missed those days.
These days her whole life revolved around being a witch and what big bad they were going to have to deal with next. Don't get her wrong, she loved being a witch, but sometimes she would let herself wonder, if given the choice, would she give up being a witch to be a regular teenage girl again. Most days she would say no, but days like today, she might actually consider it. It would save her from having to answer questions that she didn't have the answers to.
Knowing she couldn't hide in Damon's car forever, she squared her shoulders and answered his question. "Yeah, let's get this over with."
Bonnie made to open the car door, but Damon's words stopped her.
"One more thing."
She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to say something, but words never came. Instead, he gently grabbed her chin between his thumb and pointer finger and her breath stopped.
He seemed to hesitate, deciding on if what he was about to do was a good idea or not, but the hesitation was very short lived. Before she knew it, he leaned into her as he pulled her face towards his and placed a gentle, but firm kiss on her lips. It was just one kiss that lasted the length of a breath, but it had the desired effect. It calmed her.
She missed his lips as soon as he moved away; her eyes remaining closed for a moment longer than necessary. When she did finally open them and her green eyes were met with his icy blue, she was almost undone by the heat in his stare. The need to kiss him again practically overwhelming, but she knew now was not the time for a full on make out session. Not in broad daylight and especially not in front of the boarding house where most of the people that mattered to her happened to be waiting for them.
Damon gave her a small smile, which she happily returned and then they exited the Camaro. Damon rushed around to meet her so they could walk in together. He hoped his closeness would provide some form of comfort, reminding her that she wasn't alone. He also really hoped that Elena would keep her cool and not act overly dramatic like she had a flare for. Damon would only tolerate so much before he would shut it down. Bonnie was already dealing with enough as it was.
They entered the house side by side, Damon itching to rest his hand on the small of her back, but restraining himself. Elena and Caroline were on them as soon as they crossed the threshold. Clearly Elena had filled Caroline in on what had happened.
Caroline was on her first, her vamp speed a useful tool at times like these. "Bonnie, what the hell is going on with you?"
Elena, though only human, was not far behind. "Bonnie are you okay?"
Their voices were laced with concern, but the forcefulness of their words had Damon's defenses rising up. He stepped in front of Bonnie instantly, his body moving like it had a mind of its own. Putting his hand out to stop them from progressing further he said, "Hey, cool it. She doesn't need you attacking her."
Elena looked affronted and then annoyed. Caroline just looked pissed. Elena spoke first. " We're not attacking her Damon. We're worried about her. The Bonnie I seen today, is not the Bonnie I know. Something is wrong with her. We just want to make sure she is okay."
Caroline crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't know why it's any of your business anyway Damon. She's our best friend, we're allowed to be concerned for her."
"You can be concerned about her all you want," he said as he took a step toward Caroline, invading her personal space. "From across the room."
Bonnie could feel the tension in the air and decided to diffuse the situation before things got out of hand. "Damon it's fine," she said, almost putting her hand on his arm to reassure him, but thought better of it. She didn't need them getting suspicious about their relationship. Instead she just stepped around him to face her friends. "I wish I could tell you what's going on with me, but I honestly don't know. Maybe it's some kind of witch thing that Grams didn't get a chance to tell me about. Something to do with coming into my powers." Even as she said the words, she didn't believe them, but she shrugged nonchalantly like it wasn't a big deal, trying to reassure her best friends that she's fine. It didn't work.
Elena moved toward her, grabbing Bonnie's hands and holding them in her own. Bonnie could feel Damon tense up, but thankfully he stayed silent and unmoving. He was being seriously overprotective and it made Bonnie worry. She was aware they had some kind of relationship and that would make him protective, but Elena was harmless. There was no need to protect her from her best friend.
Elena leveled her with a stare and asked, "Bonnie, do you really believe that? I mean clearly it's some type of witch thing, but it definitely doesn't seem normal. I've never seen you like that." She paused. "Bonnie you were terrifying."
Bonnie didn't know what to do. She wanted to say the right thing to make Elena feel better, but words failed her.
"While this is all very entertaining," Stefan said from his place next to the bar, where he had been watching the whole exchange with a bored expression. "We have bigger problems at the moment."
Damon looked over at his brother with a not-quite thankful expression, but something akin to it. He'd do almost anything to take the focus off of Bonnie. He could tell she was getting overwhelmed by her best friends and she was so damn selfless he knew she probably felt worse for them than she did herself, even though she was the one going through something, not them.
Stefan wordlessly directed his attention to the doors and Damon followed his gaze to the man now standing in their doorway. Damon knew who he was because they had had a run in with him at the bar earlier. Or more precisely, his fist had a run in with Damon's chest.
"Shit. Mikael."
Mikael smiled. "Now is that anyway to treat a guest?"
Damon inwardly panicked. He would have done anything in that moment to put himself between Bonnie and Mikael. As it was, he had to use all his resolve to keep himself standing in his spot, he didn't want to give Mikael any ideas about how he felt about Bonnie. His protective instincts we're on high alert when it came to her, even more so than usual, which was saying something. He loved her and was in love with her, but the fierceness with which he needed to protect her these days was almost crushing.
It was only moments before, that he was ready to attack Elena to protect Bonnie and he knew if there was anyone he didn't need to protect Bonnie from, it was Elena, but at that moment he didn't care, he just felt the need to make sure Bonnie was safe no matter what. A frightening thought occurred to him; what if his overprotectiveness had something to do with whatever was going on with him and Bonnie?
"Don't worry, I promise no harm will come to any of you as long as you bring Klaus to me in a timely manner."
"And how exactly do you expect us to go about doing that?" Damon asked, while he tried to inconspicuously position his body in front of Bonnie.
"I know exactly how…tell him you've killed me." Mikael replied with a bored tone.
The next few hours were spent devising a way to get Klaus to mystic Falls without him becoming suspicious about why they wanted him there. They decided the best course of action was to have Stefan call Klaus and tell him that they had daggered Mikael with a stake fashioned from the white oak tree and then dipped in the ashes from the same tree and Stefan wanted to know what to do with the body. Klaus had obviously been a little skeptical and wanted proof. Luckily, they had all predicted that outcome and were prepared.
Mikael told Elena to dagger him, since only a human could dagger an original and then take a picture and send it to Klaus. Mikael predicted that Klaus would be so ecstatic to see him incapacitated, that he would come rushing back to Mystic Falls and Klaus did not disappoint.
After convincing Klaus to come back, they un-daggered Mikael so they could come up with a plan to kill Klaus. The plan was simple and fool proof as long as everyone did their part. There was one notable absence that everyone was trying to tip toe around, but Bonnie wasn't having it.
"What do you need me to do?"
Damon's response was immediate and without hesitation. "Nothing, you're staying home." He leveled her with a stare that said not to argue, but alas she was Bonnie and arguing with Damon was something she did easily.
"What do you mean I'm staying home? I can help Damon."
He tried to keep his tone gentle, but he also didn't want to give Mikael any ideas. "We have this taken care of. There's nothing you can do."
"I disagree. I believe having a witch on our side would be quite advantageous."
Everyone's eyes turned to the original in shock and confusion.
"Don't look so surprised. I've lived for a thousand years. I know power when I see it. And you're quite the powerful witch aren't you. Still young of course, but one day you'll be a force to be reckoned with. I think she would come in quite handy as matter of fact."
"This isn't up for debate. We have a good plan that doesn't require magic. Bonnie is going home."
Mikael shrugged, conceding easily. He didn't really care one way or the other as long as Klaus was dead soon.
Bonnie scoffed audibly, "Shouldn't I get some say in this?"
"Bon, for once in my life, I'm going to agree with Damon." Caroline's head hurt just to say those words, but they were the truth..
Damon looked shocked, but pleased. Bonnie on the other hand looked aghast. "Care…since when do you ever side with Damon?"
"Since I know it's for the best. For reasons that we shouldn't discuss right now, it's best for you to ride the bench on this one and deep down you know that."
Bonnie stood in a shocked silence, looking from one face to the other in the room and seeing the same look on all their faces, save for Stefan who seemed bored and Mikael who just seemed impassive. Heaving a loud, heavy sigh, she gave in. Annoyed though she was, she knew her friends were right. She just hated the idea of her friends being in danger and she won't be there to help.
"Fine, I give up. I'd like to go home now please." She looked at no one as she spoke, but she knew who she wanted to take her home. She didn't need anymore lectures or worried glances.
"I'll take you," offered Caroline, happy to help her best friend. Especially since she knew Bonnie was upset. "I'm about to head home anyway."
"No I got it. I'll take her home," said Damon nonchalantly, like it wasn't a big deal for him to offer to take her home.
Caroline gave Damon a heated look. "No," she said, stressing the word. "I'll take her home."
Bonnie could sense the tension rising and wanted to put an end to it before it escalated into a bloody fight, which was always prone to happen when Caroline and Damon were involved. She wanted to tell Caroline that Damon could take her home, but she didn't know how she could get away with that without looking incredibly suspicious. So even though she knew she was going to get the third degree on the way home she accepted her fate.
"Caroline can take me home."
Caroline gave Damon a smug look and he had to force his body to stay rooted to the spot he was standing in. It wouldn't do any good to rip her throat out in front of everyone. Best to do things like that in private, where he could have some plausible deniability.
Damon shrugged with an air of fake indifference and said, "Fine, what do I care? I've got better things to do anyway."
The look Bonnie gave him, fleeting though it was, spoke volumes. She was hurt by his choice of words and he couldn't blame her, but he didn't want to give anyone, namely Mikael, any ideas. He'd call her later to explain and do some damage control. Honestly, by this point Damon figured she should know better by now.
"You ready Care?"
"Yeah, let's go."
Elena walked over to Bonnie and wrapped her in a warm embrace. "I'll call you later. Love you."
Bonnie smiled warmly at her best friend and said, "Love you too."
Damon watched as Bonnie turned away from Elena and gave him one last annoyed look before she walked out of the boarding house with Caroline.
"I think I'll be leaving as well. I want contacted as soon as Klaus sets foot in Mystic Falls. Are we clear?" Mikael looked from Damon to Stefan and finally Elena expectantly.
Damon and Stefan nodded in agreement. Elena said, "Of course."
And with that Mikael was gone. A small cloud of dust that he kicked up as he sped out of the boarding house was all that was left to prove that he had ever actually been there.
"Well this has been fun. I think I'll have a glass of bourbon and a blood bag and call it a night." Damon looked from Stefan to Elena with curiosity and trepidation. He wasn't entirely sure leaving them alone together was the wisest decision. As long as Stefan was compelled to do Klaus' bidding, he couldn't hurt Elena, but there were more ways to hurt someone than just physically. "Are you going home?"
"Yeah, but first I have a favor to ask you."
"What's that?"
Elena glanced over at Stefan who had been standing there with a bored expression on his face, much like he had had the whole day.
Stefan looked at Elena and then to Damon and chuckled. "OK fine," he said, throwing his hands in the air. "I can tell when I'm not wanted. I'm hungry anyway."
Stefan started to walk to the front door, but was stopped abruptly by Damon, who was now standing in front of him.
"Do you think that's wise little brother."
"Don't worry Damon, I promise I won't tear through Mystic Falls in a bloody rampage." Stefan made a show of considering his next words carefully. "At least not tonight."
Stefan gave Damon a malicious smirk and then disappeared into the night.
Damon rolled his eyes, but he knew dwelling on whatever Stefan was doing would only give him an unwanted headache. Turning his thoughts away from his wayward brother, he looked at Elena and with the events of the day weighing heavy on him, he asked in a hollow voice, "What did you need?"
Elena was still staring at the empty space that Stefan had just occupied lost in thought, so Damon's words landed on deaf ears.
"Elena." He said her name a little louder this time in hopes that she would be knocked out of her Stefan induced trance.
She inhaled deeply while shaking her head ever so slightly and then looked at Damon. "Yeah?"
"You said you needed a favor. What is it?"
"Oh yeah." Her face took on an even more solemn expression as she said, "I need you to compel Jeremy to leave Mystic Falls. There's just too many things in this town that can hurt him. First Klaus and now Mikael. I just can't take that risk. I can't lose my brother Damon."
Damon stood in a contemplative silence as he let her words sink in. He had a sinking suspicion that there was another name she wanted to say, but she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud because that would mean admitting that Bonnie was someone that she was afraid of.
Damon found himself to be indignant on Bonnie's behalf. If she knew Elena was afraid of her, even if only for her brothers sake, it would devastate her. Which is one of the reasons Damon was only too happy to compel Jeremy's ass out of Mystic Falls.
"I'm assuming you'd like me to do this tonight."
Elena gave him a sad nod.
"Alright, let's go."
Damon sank down onto his king size bed with a heavy sigh. The day had been a long one and he was happy it was finally over. There was one more thing he had to do however, before he could go to sleep. Picking his cellphone up off his nightstand, he dialed the number he had come to know by heart. It was late and he wasn't a hundred percent sure that she would pick up, but he had to try.
"Damon?"
Her voice was full of sleep and Damon instantly felt bad for waking her.
"Hey, sorry I woke you. I'll let you go back to sleep."
"What did you need?"
"Nothing that can't wait till tomorrow. Go back to sleep."
"Well now I won't be able to sleep until I know what's going on. Is everything ok?"
Damon smiled to himself. He could hear her turn on her lamp and sit up in bed. She just couldn't help herself. "I just wanted to check in. You seemed upset when you left today. I just wanted to explain why I don't want you going with us to kill Klaus."
Bonnie sighed. "I get it Damon, you don't have to explain. You don't want me to hurt anyone."
"Well yeah, but not for the reason you think."
"What do you mean?"
"Bonnie, If your powers acted up for whatever reason and you hurt someone…you wouldn't be able to forgive yourself. I don't want you having something like that on your conscious, especially if it can be avoided just by you simply not being there."
"Damon, I won't be able to forgive myself if one of you gets hurt and I wasn't there to stop it."
"Bonnie, everything will be fine. Trust me. We have a good plan and as long as everyone plays their part, Klaus will be dead and then we can focus on figuring out what's going on with you."
"What if something goes wrong?"
"It won't…I promise."
"You can't promise that Damon."
"I can and I am. So just let it go. Please."
"Fine, I guess I've got enough of my own issues to worry about anyway."
"Exactly, you need to focus on you for once. Everyone else will be fine."
"Alright."
Damon considered whether he should tell her about Jeremy or if he should let Elena tell her. He decided it was probably best if the news came from him. He didn't want her realizing that she was one of the reasons Elena wanted Jeremy to leave town.
"There's one more thing that you should know. Elena asked me to compel Jeremy to leave town. He's leaving tomorrow to go live with their aunt in some town up north."
Bonnie was silent for longer than Damon would have liked. He wasn't sure what her silence meant. Was she upset that Jeremy was leaving? Was she mad that Damon compelled him? She hadn't been upset when he compelled the bouncer and bartenders the other night at the bar, but that was different circumstances. Compelling someone she cared about was a whole different animal where Bonnie was concerned.
"I'm sure Elena is doing what she feels is right. She wouldn't have asked you to compel Jeremy if she didn't think it was for the best. Honestly, it'll probably do him some good to get away from all this craziness for awhile. Sometimes I forget that we're all still so young. Well with the exception of you and Stefan of course. You know it's really not fair. You get to stay young and hot forever, while the rest of us have to grow old and die."
Her tone was light-hearted as she spoke, but her words hit Damon like a stake to the heart. She was right. Bonnie was going to grow old, while he stayed forever young. She was going to die one day and he'd be powerless to stop it. He knew that turning her into a vampire was out of the question. She was a witch, they had a special bond with nature and all that. Even if she did grow to love him the way he loved her, she would never agree to losing her powers and her connection to the earth, never mind the fact that she would have to drink blood. She abhorred the very idea of it and if he took it upon himself to turn her without her permission; she'd never forgive him and he'd lose her anyway. Damon suddenly felt like the walls were closing in around him.
"Damon? I didn't offend you did I? I was just joking, well I mean not really, but you know what I mean."
Her words brought him back to reality. The reality where his little witch was still alive and well and would be for a very long time.
"Sorry I got lost in thought for a second and no you didn't offend me."
"Oh, care to share?"
Sure, when hell froze over, he thought.
"No, it's nothing important, but I should let you get back to sleep."
"Alright, but before you go, I just wanted to say sorry about earlier with Caroline. I wanted you to take me home, but I figured it would look pretty suspicious if I accepted a ride from you and not her."
"No I get it. I didn't mean what I said earlier either. There's nothing more important to me than you."
He knew he was taking a risk with his choice in words, but he figured she might as well no so she wouldn't be surprised if he chose her above everyone else. She needed to know she was his first, second and last priority.
She chuckled. "You're just saying that because you like to kiss me and you want me to keep letting you."
"Oh I definitely like kissing you." Loved would be a better word, but he figured one revelation at a time was best. "But that's beside the point. I mean it Bonnie, I'd do anything for you."
He could tell by her silence and heavy breathing that she was at a loss for words and since he didn't care to wait for her to tell him some nonsense about his own feelings or about how she doesn't feel the same way, he decided to cut the phone call off there.
"Anyway, it's late. Goodnight witchy. Sweet dreams."
He hung up before she had a chance to protest or tell him how cheesy he was being because apparently that's what he has been reduced to; a cheesy, sappy, love-sick fool. Surprisingly however, he didn't care. He'd stopped caring about looking like a fool a long time ago where Bonnie was concerned.
He felt his phone vibrate once in his hand, notifying him that someone had sent him a text. He didn't usually keep his phone on vibrate, but the little meeting they had earlier had required zero interruptions. The screen lit up a split second later, showing the message and the name of the person that sent it.
The text was from Bonnie and only consisted of two words, but they made Damon smile nonetheless. It read "Goodnight Damon."
If he needed anymore proof that he was a sap, he just received it. Chuckling to himself, he turned his ringer back up and then sat his phone down on the nightstand.
Letting his body sink further into his extremely comfortable bed, he could already feel his eyelids getting heavy. Sleep wasn't a necessity for vampires, but it was one human tradition that he had gladly kept. Sleeping meant dreaming and dreaming meant completely uninterrupted visions about his favorite little witch and as far as he was concerned, there was no better way to end the day than having Bonnie beneath him, fulfilling every single one of his fantasies.
He knew Bonnie was untouched in all the ways that mattered and he was happy for her to stay that way until she was ready. If almost two-hundred years of life had taught him anything, it was patience. So, for now, dream Bonnie would have to do and that was completely fine by him because Bonnie was well on her way to being his and that's the only thing that mattered.