*It's been so long since I've wrote last that I couldn't remember whom to
thank for reviewing. So, I give a large *Thank You* to anyone who took the
time to read my story. *Sniff* It is very much appreciated.*
Chapter XV
Damon carried Bonnie upstairs into Meredith and Alaric's bedroom. Stefan was close on his heals, followed by Elena and Bonnie's two friends. Matt stayed at the door, looking grim. Meredith was downstairs taking care of Alaric.
He hesitated laying her down on the blankets.
"What happened, Damon?" Elena said coldly, unable to take her eyes off the petite redhead's face. It was strange but Bonnie appeared to be smiling faintly in her dreams.
He glared at her, knowing full well what she was implying. Well, he supposed, it was partly true. Bonnie now belonged to him, mostly. The other vampire who exchanged blood with her had to be eliminated. Otherwise, he or she would always maintain some control over her life.
"She'll need fresh blood," he said, ignoring Elena's question.
"What have you done?" she whispered.
Stefan finally snapped and spun around to face his beloved. "This isn't his fault. Think, Elena. Why would he bring her here otherwise?"
"How could I not assume that it was him?" She hissed at him, spun around on her heal and left the room
Stefan sighed and moved to follow her but stopped. There were more pressing issues here rather than Elena's feelings. He turned to stare at Matt, who nodded and removed his shirt.
"No," Damon said quietly.
"Who else can do this for her?" Matt said, a note of challenge in his voice.
"I meant, not that way. I don't think she'll be gentle about it. Fill something and I'll feed it to her."
"Are you sure?" Stefan said quietly.
For the first time in centuries, the two Salvatore brothers looked at each other without anger. It was time to stand together against an outside force with no hidden feelings.
"I can only control her to a point, Stefan. I'll admit that I did have to exchange blood with her, but only because the one that changed her didn't finish the job. I didn't want to see our Bonnie dead or turn revenant. Would you?"
"No, I wouldn't. Matt?" Stefan turned to face his best friend.
"Fine. I'll get a knife."
********
Sullivan stared out into the night. Feelings of doubt and anger filled the room as he waited for some indication of her existence.
Finally, too impatient to wait, he sent out a summons.
"Wake."
********
The dream was strange. It kept on shifting to include faces of people she had known all her life, and others that she had never met. But placing names to the faces was impossible.
The only one Bonnie could identify was the boy.
She walked along a darkened stone path in a garden, following the thin form of Brent. He kept on turning and pointing at things of interest but never paused long enough for her to catch up with him.
The air was brisk and hard to breathe for it froze the lungs.
Brent stopped walking and turned to face her. His mouth opened and a deep voice that wasn't his came from his lips. Why was that familiar to her? "Wake."
Her eyes opened. She blinked to take in her surroundings. The lights were off and two dark figures lurched over her. Two sets of eyes stared down: one green, the other black. Why was that important?
A cup was pressed to her lips and Bonnie swallowed on reflex. It tasted cold and thick but helped clear her thoughts. She snatched it and finished it in a single drain. Then turned to face the green set of eyes.
"Stefan? Why are you here?" her voice sounded odd. It had an angry touch that had never been present before.
Those green eyes rose past her to stare at the other one and then moved back to her. "Do you remember what happened to you?"
"I-I don't know." Bonnie frowned and shifted on the bed. Her skin felt tight and it was hard to shift her limbs. She stared down at her clothes. "I'm filthy."
Stefan managed a pained smile. "The bathroom is that way."
She slid off the bed and tried to move past the dark eyed one. She couldn't quite meet his eyes for some reason. Ignoring him, she stepped around him.
He grabbed her arm tightly, and pressed a soft mouth to her ear. "You can't avoid me for long. I'll wait."
He released her and she bolted for the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
Oddly enough, her first instinct was to look for a place to escape. There were no windows in the bathroom. Bonnie sighed and started to peel off her jacket. Her eyes darted to look at the mirror.
Her eyes narrowed at her reflection. Blood and dirt covered almost all of her body.
Swirls of images passed through her head. Images of pain, blood and dark eyes. Unable to grasp hold of them, she finished removing her clothes and turned on the shower.
The hot water pounded against her flesh and she savoured the feeling of rinsing off the filth. Each move was one of automation as she reached for the bottle of shampoo. With each layer of grime that was removed, memories began to emerge. Hazel eyes, brown hair and teeth. Pain, death, dark eyes and drinking blood from someone's wrist. Feeling safe and secure in the arms of . . .
Her eyes flung open and she whispered, "Damon."
A small, secret smile formed on her lips and she turned off the taps.
She stepped out of the tub and grabbed for the dark, black silk robe left hanging on the back of the door. She quickly rubbed her hair dry with a towel and emerged from the bathroom, ignoring the billows of fog that rolled off her skin and from the overheated bathroom.
Stefan was gone and that only left Damon. He lounged in a chair, feet up on a stool and stared at her from under dark lashes.
"How do you feel?" he asked. It sounded like a simple question, but it was more than that.
She walked around the bed, taking slow and fluent steps. He eyed her warily as she approached him.
He held out a hand and she wrapped her own fingers around it, savouring the feeling of flesh on flesh.
A memory teased and she tried to grab hold of it. A vow that was important to her. She shook her head. Why couldn't she remember anything? She bared her teeth in frustration.
When Bonnie looked back on this moment, it always seemed strange that it never occurred to her that something was wrong.
Too fast for her to see, he stood and grabbed hold of her chin. He tilted her head up and gently brushed the sharp canines with prodding fingers.
His touch brought her out of her reverie and she raised her eyes to meet his gaze. His eyes held no emotion, and were simply chips of stone.
She brushed her own fingers against his lips. They were soft and cool as silk. Why was that familiar?
"Damon?" she said softly
He raised an eyebrow in inquiry. "Yes?"
"Why are you here?"
"You went missing." His voice was clipped, impatient. "I came to help."
"What am I afraid of?" her voice trembled.
"Something wants you," he replied quietly.
"Can I ask you a favour?" she asked hesitantly.
Interest shone in his eyes. A ghost of his old arrogant smile crossed his face. "I suppose. For a price."
She swallowed roughly. "Will you watch over me?"
An emotion she had never expected to feel in him washed through her senses. Tenderness. Then something else took hold. Fierce protectiveness.
He wrapped his hands around her face and kissed her, roughly. She could feel his teeth extend in his passion and she fought the urge to bite his lower lip. Her right hand rose and plunged into his silken hair. The other clamped onto his shoulder, pricking through the material until she could feel his skin.
He lifted his head with a snarl and said, "Always."
Chapter XV
Damon carried Bonnie upstairs into Meredith and Alaric's bedroom. Stefan was close on his heals, followed by Elena and Bonnie's two friends. Matt stayed at the door, looking grim. Meredith was downstairs taking care of Alaric.
He hesitated laying her down on the blankets.
"What happened, Damon?" Elena said coldly, unable to take her eyes off the petite redhead's face. It was strange but Bonnie appeared to be smiling faintly in her dreams.
He glared at her, knowing full well what she was implying. Well, he supposed, it was partly true. Bonnie now belonged to him, mostly. The other vampire who exchanged blood with her had to be eliminated. Otherwise, he or she would always maintain some control over her life.
"She'll need fresh blood," he said, ignoring Elena's question.
"What have you done?" she whispered.
Stefan finally snapped and spun around to face his beloved. "This isn't his fault. Think, Elena. Why would he bring her here otherwise?"
"How could I not assume that it was him?" She hissed at him, spun around on her heal and left the room
Stefan sighed and moved to follow her but stopped. There were more pressing issues here rather than Elena's feelings. He turned to stare at Matt, who nodded and removed his shirt.
"No," Damon said quietly.
"Who else can do this for her?" Matt said, a note of challenge in his voice.
"I meant, not that way. I don't think she'll be gentle about it. Fill something and I'll feed it to her."
"Are you sure?" Stefan said quietly.
For the first time in centuries, the two Salvatore brothers looked at each other without anger. It was time to stand together against an outside force with no hidden feelings.
"I can only control her to a point, Stefan. I'll admit that I did have to exchange blood with her, but only because the one that changed her didn't finish the job. I didn't want to see our Bonnie dead or turn revenant. Would you?"
"No, I wouldn't. Matt?" Stefan turned to face his best friend.
"Fine. I'll get a knife."
********
Sullivan stared out into the night. Feelings of doubt and anger filled the room as he waited for some indication of her existence.
Finally, too impatient to wait, he sent out a summons.
"Wake."
********
The dream was strange. It kept on shifting to include faces of people she had known all her life, and others that she had never met. But placing names to the faces was impossible.
The only one Bonnie could identify was the boy.
She walked along a darkened stone path in a garden, following the thin form of Brent. He kept on turning and pointing at things of interest but never paused long enough for her to catch up with him.
The air was brisk and hard to breathe for it froze the lungs.
Brent stopped walking and turned to face her. His mouth opened and a deep voice that wasn't his came from his lips. Why was that familiar to her? "Wake."
Her eyes opened. She blinked to take in her surroundings. The lights were off and two dark figures lurched over her. Two sets of eyes stared down: one green, the other black. Why was that important?
A cup was pressed to her lips and Bonnie swallowed on reflex. It tasted cold and thick but helped clear her thoughts. She snatched it and finished it in a single drain. Then turned to face the green set of eyes.
"Stefan? Why are you here?" her voice sounded odd. It had an angry touch that had never been present before.
Those green eyes rose past her to stare at the other one and then moved back to her. "Do you remember what happened to you?"
"I-I don't know." Bonnie frowned and shifted on the bed. Her skin felt tight and it was hard to shift her limbs. She stared down at her clothes. "I'm filthy."
Stefan managed a pained smile. "The bathroom is that way."
She slid off the bed and tried to move past the dark eyed one. She couldn't quite meet his eyes for some reason. Ignoring him, she stepped around him.
He grabbed her arm tightly, and pressed a soft mouth to her ear. "You can't avoid me for long. I'll wait."
He released her and she bolted for the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
Oddly enough, her first instinct was to look for a place to escape. There were no windows in the bathroom. Bonnie sighed and started to peel off her jacket. Her eyes darted to look at the mirror.
Her eyes narrowed at her reflection. Blood and dirt covered almost all of her body.
Swirls of images passed through her head. Images of pain, blood and dark eyes. Unable to grasp hold of them, she finished removing her clothes and turned on the shower.
The hot water pounded against her flesh and she savoured the feeling of rinsing off the filth. Each move was one of automation as she reached for the bottle of shampoo. With each layer of grime that was removed, memories began to emerge. Hazel eyes, brown hair and teeth. Pain, death, dark eyes and drinking blood from someone's wrist. Feeling safe and secure in the arms of . . .
Her eyes flung open and she whispered, "Damon."
A small, secret smile formed on her lips and she turned off the taps.
She stepped out of the tub and grabbed for the dark, black silk robe left hanging on the back of the door. She quickly rubbed her hair dry with a towel and emerged from the bathroom, ignoring the billows of fog that rolled off her skin and from the overheated bathroom.
Stefan was gone and that only left Damon. He lounged in a chair, feet up on a stool and stared at her from under dark lashes.
"How do you feel?" he asked. It sounded like a simple question, but it was more than that.
She walked around the bed, taking slow and fluent steps. He eyed her warily as she approached him.
He held out a hand and she wrapped her own fingers around it, savouring the feeling of flesh on flesh.
A memory teased and she tried to grab hold of it. A vow that was important to her. She shook her head. Why couldn't she remember anything? She bared her teeth in frustration.
When Bonnie looked back on this moment, it always seemed strange that it never occurred to her that something was wrong.
Too fast for her to see, he stood and grabbed hold of her chin. He tilted her head up and gently brushed the sharp canines with prodding fingers.
His touch brought her out of her reverie and she raised her eyes to meet his gaze. His eyes held no emotion, and were simply chips of stone.
She brushed her own fingers against his lips. They were soft and cool as silk. Why was that familiar?
"Damon?" she said softly
He raised an eyebrow in inquiry. "Yes?"
"Why are you here?"
"You went missing." His voice was clipped, impatient. "I came to help."
"What am I afraid of?" her voice trembled.
"Something wants you," he replied quietly.
"Can I ask you a favour?" she asked hesitantly.
Interest shone in his eyes. A ghost of his old arrogant smile crossed his face. "I suppose. For a price."
She swallowed roughly. "Will you watch over me?"
An emotion she had never expected to feel in him washed through her senses. Tenderness. Then something else took hold. Fierce protectiveness.
He wrapped his hands around her face and kissed her, roughly. She could feel his teeth extend in his passion and she fought the urge to bite his lower lip. Her right hand rose and plunged into his silken hair. The other clamped onto his shoulder, pricking through the material until she could feel his skin.
He lifted his head with a snarl and said, "Always."