III.

A Reunion

The one thing Damon noticed when he walked into the grille was the sudden urge of magical energy. It had been years since he had felt that kind of magic. It had been Bonnie's, he remembered. He might not have cared for Judgey like how his brother, Elena and the vampire blonde had, but he did admit he acknowledged she was human. After she disappeared, the town had lost it's flare. Elena was still the talked about subject of supernatural badness, but Damon would always wait for the little witch to come walking through the door. But she never did. He would never admit it out loud but he missed her.

Not pining every day for her and waiting for her to proclaim her undying love for him like Jeremy was, but he did miss her.

He glanced around the room and smiled when he saw Bonnie. She had grown, he noticed. She looked about twenty six years old and her short hair fit her more than the long mane he remembered. Her eyes were brighter and she was dressed in a pair comfortable jeans, boots and a buster. He could see the toned stomach and the abs she was developing nicely. He watched as she looked behind her just as a little girl with dark hair and natural red highlights followed behind her. She wore a pair of leggings with a pink and gray plaid skirt and a gray t-shirt. She looked no older than eight years old.

Damon stilled.

Eight years old. It had been almost nine years since Bonnie had left, and that girl held an eerie similarity to Bonnie. However, Bonnie's hair may have been dark but it was nothing like the little girl's. Bonnie's hair also has a light tint of brown, this girl's hair was ebony with red highlights naturally throughout. If Damon wasn't paying too much attention to the detail, he would have thought the girl just has really dark red hair. Her skin was lighter than Bonnie's, a warm mocha shade.

A little bean pole, Damon mused. She was almost as tall as Bonnie, but then again, Bonnie was small herself. Now Damon only had one question; who was the father? Bonnie had been pregnant when she left, he knew that because he would have smelt it on her.

The little girl seemed to pause, her eyes turning to meet Damon's from across the room. She frowned and turned her attention back to Bonnie.

"Mama," she spoke and Bonnie turned to look at her.

"Yes?"

"It's starting at me," she said. Bonnie blinked, confused. "The vampire in the leather jacket is staring at me."

Bonnie frowned and turned, meeting Damon's eye. He nodded in greeting and she frowned. "Damon."

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"Could you please stop staring at my Mama?" Vera asked as she, her mom and the vampire sat at a booth. Her mother had invited the vampire to come join them for a light lunch. His only meal consisted of a glass of dark amber liquor. Currently he had been staring at her mother as if expecting her to disappear at any moment and Vera found herself staring to sound more and more like her brother.

She did not need to come a female version of Evan.

"I'm sorry little girl," the vampire said with a sarcastic tone. "But I am having a conversation with your mom. Maybe you can go find a friend and let adults have their fun."

Vera growled, eyes turning crimson. She moved to get up when Bonnie reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder. She said no words, she just stared the girl down. The crimson faded and the blue returned to her eyes. She bowed her head, ashamed. Bonnie leaned over, kissing her daughter's forehead. Damon had only seen one other person's eyes turn that color.

The man who shot him in the shoulder. He turned to Bonnie, "You got knocked up by that bad boy wanna be?" he asked. "Oh Judgey I expected better from you. Like maybe Jeremy. We all were hoping you'd have a daughter by him, you know continue the Gilbert line and all that."

Vera squinted her eyes, focusing her magic and Damon winced as his brain cells began to explode. She stopped after a minute and then smirked when he glared at her. Bonnie had not done any magic upon their arrival. Vera did not know why, but her mother had told her she would only use it in case of emergencies. Evan took that as a sign to focus in his swordsmanship training with her Papa and uncle Vergil. Vera had taken it as to prepare for the worse.

"Damon," her mother said and Vera watched as a small series of black veins started to crawl along her mother's skin. "I'd appreciate it if you did not speak ill of my children's father."

Damon's eyebrows almost kissed his hairline. Children, she has said. So she had two half witch spawns running around. "I don't know whether to congratulate you, witchy or find the guy and pat him on the back for being able to get you in the sack."

Bonnie's emerald eyes darkened before it was wiped from her face and a smile crossed her lips. "Maybe you can. He just walked in behind Elena and Caroline."

Damon turned and sure enough, there was the guy who had shot him. But he was older, about twenty nine and not the pesky twenty-one year old he remembered him to be. His hair was still dark, but the mohawk was gone, replaced by a head short ebony locks. A miniature version of him, however, was right next to him in a navy blue t-shirt and black jeans. Like the little girl, there was a resemblance to Bonnie. But Damon could see more clearly in the boy's eyes.

Emerald eyes that had flames of determination in them.

He groaned, a mini witchy in male form.

"Papa!" the little (redhead?) girl called and got out of her seat, rushing over to Captain Wanna Be Badass and he scooped her up in a hug. Damon sighed. Just what he needed when the witch came back. Sappy family moments. If he wanted those, he would have tried to reconnect with Stefan.

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Caroline felt as if all the air had been knocked out of her when she saw Bonnie. Bonnie was here. She wasn't dreaming. Bonnie was actually here, sitting next to Damon Salvatore of all people. She would let that go for the moment because her best friend was alive. Her best friend was sitting in the exact establishment were she told her it was never a competition with Elena. She was sitting in the exact same place where they had been in so many fights, so many make ups, so maybe girl moments.

She couldn't stop the sob that escaped her as she rushed past a man who held a redheaded child and a dark haired boy who stood next to them and to her best friend. Bonnie around just in time and she opened her arms, allowing Caroline to crash into her.

"You're alive," the blonde muttered. She kept her hold tight. She wasn't going to let her go. Not again, "Oh my god Bonnie you're alive."

Bonnie held her. "I've missed you too Care."

Caroline pulled away, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes. "Look at you," she said giving her best friend a once over. "You look amazing."

"Thank Caroline, " Bonnie said. "You look as radiant as ever."

"Mom are you bisexual?" asked a voice. Caroline turned to see a boy of eight staring at her. He stood next to a face she thought looked familiar and a little girl with wavy very dark red hair. The little boy spoke again. "Because I think Dad would like that."

The man laughed. "Your mom's not bisexual," he paused and thought about it before looking at Bonnie. "Are you?"

Bonnie fixed him with a look. "I've been married to you for almost nine years and you decide to ask me that now?"

"Hey doll face, it's not like I'd know. I mean these two," he pointed to the girl and boy next to him. "Are the only proof I have that we're even together, aside from you taking my mark and name."

Caroline blinked. Married? Mark? She eyed the two children, and twins.

"Wow," Caroline said as she looped her arm around Bonnie's.

"You're married," Elena breathed, speaking for the first time. She looked at the two children, so different but so similar. She could see Bonnie in the girl's personality; all warm and bubbly. In the boy, she saw Bonnie's power and of course her eyes. But that was about it aside from the tint of mocha in their skin tone. They were rather fair toned in complexion, resembling the man they were with. Elena also spied the marking on Bonnie's shoulder blade.

A marking resembling a sword going through what appeared to halo. On both sides, three markings branched out, remind Elena of wings. She frowned, when had Bonnie decided to get a tattoo?

"Oh," Damon said, his eyes on the tattoo as well. His eyebrows shot up and a smile crossed his lips. "Well hot damn Judgey."

"Damon," Elena said turned her gaze on the two children.

"Lady I curse more than a sailor at sea," said the boy and jabbed a finger at Bonnie's husband. "I get it from him."

"Evan," the girl said, her voice a warning.

"Vera," the boy said mocking her. "Jeez you're such a prude. You've got more of dad's temper than I did. Especially when you decided to go into demon mode."

"You're such a brat." Vera responded.

"I'm older," he glared.

"I'm smarter."

"Don't continue that conversation," their dad said. He was having flashbacks to his younger years with his brother.

"Wait," Elena said turning her gaze back on him. "Who are you?"

He smirked. "The name's Dante," he introduced. A deep hiss caused him to still and he turned, watching the area. "Of course they'd follow."

"Who?" Damon asked.

"You're going back," Bonnie said.

"It's pulling me in," Dante said with a sigh before looking at his kids. "You two better not be using any magic when I get back."

"You'd better be back to train me than!" Evan replied.

"An hour tops," grinned Dante. Vera just smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. Turning his attention on his wife he pulled into his chest, his arm around her waist and the hues of his eyes turning crimson. "Keep them safe."

"I will," she said. Dante smiled and kissed her. "Be safe, I love you."

He only smiled as he faded from sight. Once he was gone, Damon looked right at Bonnie. "What the hell is going on?"