A/N: No copyright infringement intended. I don't own the characters. They are merely written in my own light, OOC. This is an AU.
Oblivion Chapter 3: The Darkness Inside
"Gram's, please! I need you!" Bonnie cried. "Damon!" she screamed. "Damon, I need you! I'm so sorry! Please, be okay." Bonnie fell to her knees and cried violently in the middle of the forest, bawling her eyes out. It wasn't all about being alone. It wasn't about needing Damon. It was something deeper driving her to find him, to save him.
Back on the other side of the forest, Damon was fighting to get mobility of his body.
"Bonnie." A tear escaped his eye and rolled down his temple and into his ear. "Bonnie, I need you. Please," he pleaded weakly.
Bonnie continued to cry, defeated and alone. "Gram's…please," she pleaded again.
Bonnie. A voice called to her.
"Grams, is that you?" Bonnie whispered to the wind. She looked around her, not seeing anyone, but she could feel Sheila's presence. Bonnie had no clue whether it was her mind simply given her what she needed or was as it really grams.
Bonnie Bennett, you are stronger than this. You are a Bennett. A Bennett witch never gives up.
"I'm not a witch. I'm nothing. "Bonnie cried as she continued to sit pathetically in the middle of the forest.
I said get up! Your friend needs you. You need each other. The voice echoed more loudly.
"Okay." Bonnie nodded. "Okay." She sobered; she used the long stake to get to her feet.
As Bonnie collected herself, her salvation came by way of a primate. It was Damon's huge friend who finally decided to make an appearance.
Bonnie screamed at the top of her lungs when she saw the massive creature. The primate snarled and grunted at her.
"Go away! Get away from me!" Bonnie screamed as she swung her weapon madly at the animal.
The creature had finally had enough of the woman's riotous behavior. It stood erect, over eight feet tall, towering over Bonnie. It pounded its chest viciously before kneeling in front of her, causing Bonnie to back away from it in fear.
Bonnie stumbled, landing flat on her back, her mouth agape, and her eyes like saucers.
Once the animal had her attention, it jumped up and down and then galloped a few feet off before turning to her and jumping up and down, again, and dashing around in circles.
"What are you trying to tell me?" Bonnie whispered intriguingly.
As Bonnie lay on the ground, watching the creature peculiarly, the wind began to whistle through the trees. She could swear that she heard her grams once more telling her to follow the animal as she watched the tree limbs blow in her direction.
Bonnie got to her feet, picked up her weapon, and stared at the animal. It slowly galloped away once seeing it had the human's attention; Bonnie swiftly followed. The animal looked back to see if Bonnie was following him before leaving her sight all together. Once the creature knew that she was there and pursuing, it ran faster, making it impossible for Bonnie to keep up.
Damon lay paralyzed in the grass by a tree. He could hear something coming upon him. He hoped with all his heart that it was Bonnie, but what he heard rustling in the bushes sounded much larger than his tiny friend.
The animal let out a low guttural growl. Damon closed his already heavy lids. He could hear the beast snorting and grunting. The beast was now upon him. It nudged his face with its nose. The creature then began sniffing the vampire's face, its hot heavy breath and its slobber dripping down onto Damon. He was glad, in this moment that his body was fully desiccated.
The creature's foul, smelly breath was a mixture of blood and feces and it made him want to puke. The beast bit down into his arm with its razor-sharp teeth, sinking them deep into his cold, soft skin.
Damon's eyes widened in horror. He hoped like hell the thing didn't see his rapidly blinking eyes or the slightly trembling lump in his throat as his body involuntarily tried to push out a shrilling cry.
As Damon lay lifeless, the creature mauling his arm, he heard more movement and her—Bonnie— calling for him. He began to panic. He tried to twitch his finger. He then tried to lift his body to no avail. He'd be damn if this thing got Bonnie. Fuck! Fuck! He wanted to die. He'd rather die a thousand deaths by fire than hear whatever this thing standing over him would do to Bonnie.
God please. Please protect her. Bonnie, run. Damon thought, hoping he could magically deliver his message to her. His mind went on alert again. He heard a different grunt, that of an apes. Bonnie was talking to a creature, it was his friend. Thank God! The beast that stood over him snarled and growled lowly. Bonnie and his friend had piqued its interest. Damon heard the creature take off, back in to the bushes.
I must warn them, he thought. Fuck! Fuck!
"Damon! Oh, God!" Bonnie was finally there and astounded by what she saw as a look of horror flashed across her face.
She skid across the ground on her knees, quickly scanning Damon's body. She picked up his mauled arm. She was horrified.
"What did this to you?" she whispered fearfully. Her warm tears splattered onto Damon's cool cheek as she caressed his face with her thin fingers. Her tender touch made him forget all about the danger that lurked in the bushes a few yards away.
Damon opened his eyes and tried to speak to Bonnie.
"Damon, I'm so sorry. I want you in my life. You're my friend and you mean the world to me," Bonnie declared in a shaken voice, her eyes glassy from tears yet shed.
He would have welcomed the great Bonnie Bennett caressing him and spitting out her sonnets any day of the week but not now.
"Bo-," He tried painfully with everything in him to call to her as his eyes shifted fitfully around. He blinked and tried to swallow. "Bo-." Nothing but a peep escaped his voice.
"It's okay." Bonnie tried to calm him as she rubbed her fingers over his chest before feeling around in her jacket for the makeshift knife.
Damon's animal friend began to jump and roar loudly, warning them and distracting Bonnie in the process. It stood to its massive eight feet, taking a defensive stance.
The large, ominous black creature with ten-inch razor sharp claws and blade sharp teeth lunged forth from the bushes. The mighty primate tackled it to the forest floor and they went tumbling down the small slope.
Bonnie was rendered speechless by what she saw before going swiftly to work to get Damon to safety as she continued to fiddle around for the blade. She was clumsy in her rush to cut a jagged gash in the palm of her hand. Damon's eyes widened as the black veins instantly began to swim across his face at the smell of her blood.
Bonnie placed her hand to Damon's lips. The thick crimson liquid flowed into his mouth and down the back of his tongue. The little blood sitting at the top of his throat gave him just enough strength to get out a few words.
"Do you trust me?" Damon struggled painfully to say.
"With my life," Bonnie answered as she met his gaze honestly.
Damon gently stroked Bonnie's right upper thigh with his finger. She cuddled him to her and pushed his head towards her neck. Damon was too weak to properly latch onto her and siphon her blood. He opened his mouth just wide enough to timidly lock onto her neck and bit into her soft, warm skin. Bonnie winced when his fangs pushed through, fisting his shirt just above his shoulder as he began to suckle on her like a newborn nursing from its mother.
Damon slowly took in a pint of her blood, and once strong enough, he moved to a sitting position and cradled Bonnie's head in his hand, keeping her neck exposed. He gazed into her eyes. Bonnie gave a lopsided grin and rubbed her fingers over his cheek. Damon looked at her neck and trailed a finger over his bite marks before snapping his attention to the woods. The creatures were too close for comfort. He looked back down to Bonnie's deep green irises.
There was no time for him to enjoy this. He sank his incisors deep into her neck, again, taking more of her blood. Bonnie closed her eyes and pulled at his shirt as her blood left her body, but not once did she fear the worst; not once did she believe her life was in danger as she grinned dreamily and moaned weakly at Damon's soft, wet lips pulling and tickling at her skin while his fingers gently massaged her warm neck.
Damon had taken two pints of her blood before he noticed that Bonnie was on the brink of passing out. The vampire tore into his wrist and pushed it to her mouth.
"Come on, Bon Bon." He beamed.
Bonnie frowned as she drank the metallic liquid. She was like a baby being forced to take her medicine. Damon chuckled as he gently pulled his closing wound away from her mouth. "Are you okay to stand?" Damon took her by the shoulders.
Bonnie nodded, and he flashed to a standing position before sweeping her up into his arms.
"What are you doing?" Bonnie protested.
"I'm getting us the hell out of here before that creature comes back," he spat.
"We can't leave that ape behind. He led me to you. He saved our lives Damon. Don't," Bonnie pleaded.
Damon looked at her drolly. If this had been his girlfriend Elena, she would have been happy to run off, go home, and have sex, but not Bonnie, and not even Stefan's girlfriend Elena.
Damon leapt up into the tree next to them and sat Bonnie down on a branch.
"I want to help you."
"I know, but I can't concentrate on killing this thing if I'm worried about you, too. Understand?" he said.
Bonnie nodded.
Damon jumped out of the tree and looked back up at Bonnie.
"Be careful," she said sweetly.
Damon leered. He grabbed Bonnie's large stake and then flashed away.
It didn't take long for Damon to find the two Titians going head to head in a shallow creek. Damon decided to watch and wait for the perfect opportunity to strike. He cringed when he saw the damage the large black cat with six legs had done to his friend. He never knew he cared or perhaps it was because Bonnie cared that he finally decided to take notice of what the animal had done for them.
It was then that he was able to empathize with this creature which seemed to be very intelligent, highly aware of its surroundings, and more compassionate than him, a humanoid and highly emotional vampire.
The perfect moment had finally presented itself.
The large panther-looking creature was on his hind legs mere inches from killing his friend. Damon flashed to the beast, and plunged Bonnie's long stake so deep into the center of its chest that it went through and out the other side of the monster.
The animal roared loudly as it came crashing down on its front paws. It staggered from one side to the other before collapsing onto the ground. It let out three gurgling gasps before taking its final breath.
The primate hit the ground with a resounding thud next. Damon turned to the creature and flashed to its side.
"Hey, buddy." Damon gave a faint happy curl of his lips as he gently rubbed the animal's arm. His eyes quickly glanced over the animal's torn limb, the bloody red gashes in its head, and the flesh hanging from the gaping wound on his belly. It wasn't even the same species as his brother but seeing it there severely wounded and at the brink of death made Damon think about Stefan. He sighed deeply, trying to shake the image of his dead brother from his mind.
"You saved Bonnie's life. I owe you." Damon bit into his hand. He held his fisted bloody appendage over the primate's mouth and squeezed it tightly. "I hope this works," He whispered as drops of his blood dripped like a faucet into the creature's mouth. The animal whimpered through his laborious breaths.
Damon could see the minor wounds began to heal. "It's working." He chuckled unbelievably. He bit into his hand again, giving the creature more of his blood and watched as the animal continued to heal.
Bonnie, still in the tree, heard the vicious roaring; and then it suddenly stopped. It worried her immensely, but she held fast to her faith that everything would be alright.
An hour later, Damon came flashing back to her and his little friend came soon after.
"Oh, thank God!" Bonnie mindlessly leapt out of the tree and Damon was there to catch her.
The animal looked at Bonnie and Damon for a while, an affectionate look on its face.
"Thank you," Bonnie said, and no sooner than she spoke those words the animal left.
"Hey man, she said 'thank you!'" Damon spat.
"Damon," Bonnie warned.
"Kidding."
"Come on, let's go." Bonnie grabbed Damon's hand, interlocking her fingers with his, and just like the night they were brought to this world, they looked down nervously at their clasped hands and then back at each other with that same 'I would go anywhere with you' look.
Bonnie quickly looked away and pulled at his hand and they walked through the forest with nothing but the light of the three moons on their backs.
"I think your friend knows we're not from this planet," Bonnie said.
"You think so?" Damon cocked his brow at her.
"Well, yeah. He keeps watching over us."
"I think it's your grams." Damon smirked.
"You would." Bonnie frowned.
"What's so wrong with that?"
"My grams wouldn't be an ape; she'd be a fairy," Bonnie said sassily.
Damon let out a hearty laugh. "Ah, a fairy. Got it."
"It's probably Stefan," Bonnie blurted, mockingly.
Damon laughed. "Oh, my God, that is Stefan. It's so like him, to watch everything I do." He laughed, and Bonnie followed.
They continued in silence, but Damon couldn't let go of the things Bonnie had said to him when he was incapacitated.
"Those things you said before you gave me your blood." He paused and looked at her. She continued to stare straight ahead. "Did you mean what you said about wanting me in your life?"
Bonnie was silent for a moment, before admitting, "Yes." She stopped, and they turned to each other. "If and when we return home, I want the same thing," Bonnie said seriously. "You're my friend, Damon."
"I want the same thing, too." Damon blushed as he took Bonnie's hands into his. "Besides…I've been dying to get you drunk." He wiggled his brow.
They snickered, then sobered, but continued to stare affectionately at each other. In a month's time, they went from frenemies to the best of friends. They supposed they were best friends all the time, but they never had a chance to connect and sort out their feelings.
As Damon ran his thumbs tenderly over the back of Bonnie's hands, he began to feel a powerful wanton urge move over him. He wanted more than to merely rub this woman's hand. He wanted a physical and intimate contact with her.
Damon could no longer fight what he was feeling. He wrapped his arms around Bonnie and massaged her back lovingly. His cool hands initiated a warm sensation inside of her. He squeezed her closer and tighter to him. He'd longed to hold Bonnie this way for so long. He closed his eyes as he gently rocked her from side to side.
Before pulling away, he rubbed his cheek tenderly against hers, closing his eyes and getting lost in the moment. Damon gently grabbed her by the neck and pushed her cheek to his lips, planting sweet, loving, wet kisses against her cheek repetitively. Bonnie held him to her and blissfully glowed as he continued his loving, tender ministrations.
They were both so starved for something as simple as touching and caressing, for affection. Being in a place like Mystic Falls didn't allow one to cuddle for too long before things went awry. This moment was heaven to them, a luxury they couldn't afford back home.
Damon finally pulled away. He looked at Bonnie in a way that was so profound and dangerously beautiful.
Bonnie blushed as she massaged his chest and then his face. She ran her fingers through his hair, starting with the front of his head, slowly working her way down to the back of his neck, linking her fingers around him. Damon, in turn, snaked his arms around her waist.
"What are we doing, Damon?" Bonnie asked in a daze.
"We're celebrating. I'm alive; you're alive, and we're together," he replied in a low husky voice, just above a whisper.
"I wish I could have danced with you at my prom," Bonnie said.
"Dance with me now. This place is so much more beautiful than your prom."
"It's more dangerous, too." They laughed, but quickly sobered as they rocked gently from side to side to the sounds of the wind whistling through the trees and the various other sounds of nature.
For the first time ever, Bonnie could see stars in Damon's crystal blue eyes. He was happy, and it was because of her, and nothing pleased Bonnie more.
:::::
Stefan turned off his humanity which made it easier for him to slip back into his ripper lifestyle, losing Damon was too much to bear. Losing Elena was one thing but losing his brother who had been a part of his life on and off for the last one hundred and seventy plus years was another.
Even though Stefan had turned off his emotions, there was this small part in his soul that was reserved for finding Damon. No matter what state of mind he was in, the love he had for his brother was always that little bit of humanity he couldn't shake.
Stefan had just finished killing two other innocent victims. This time it was two college roommates. He carefully placed the young men's heads neatly on top of their necks. He stared down at what he had done without even flinching. He continued to ignore all of Caroline's calls. Killing was an art for him, and his art didn't need to be interrupted. It took time to do what he did, and besides, the last thing he needed was Caroline finding out about his old, now new extra-curricular activities.
After putting the bodies back together he ran home, but not to the boarding house. His new home, a place where his brother had never been. He needed a fresh start, a place where there weren't so many reminders of Damon laying around.
He hurriedly showered, because if anyone knew Caroline, and he did, she would surely be there soon, checking in on him and being the caring friend that she had always been.
He was in and out of the shower in minutes, and surprisingly, the woman still hadn't made her grand appearance.
He walked into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of bourbon from the bottom cabinet. There was no need to pour it in a glass. He preferred drinking straight from the bottle these days. Stefan hurried to the living room, his body still moist and his hair still wet. He tightened his towel around his waist, plopped down onto the couch, and then collapsed back against it.
He placed the bottle to his lips and turned it up, downing the amber liquid in minutes.
"Fuck!" He rushed out when his cell phone vibrated on the coffee table. It was Caroline –again.
He snatched it up because the last thing he wanted was for her to come to his condo and jump down his throat about where he'd been. It was easier to hide behind a phone call.
"Hello, Caroline."
"Where the hell have you been? I've been calling you all day and night."
"I was taking a nap." He grinned.
"You're lying, Stefan."
"Maybe." He shrugged.
"Stefan, it's been a month."
"Caroline, are you telling me that a month is too long for me to mourn over my brother?"
"No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying that you need to hang out with your friends and try to have a normal life. It'll be good for you," she pleaded.
"No, what I need to do is find a witch to help me get my brother back."
"Stefan, the Other Side collapsed, and it took Bonnie and Damon."
"I heard Sheila in the forest, talking to Bonnie. She did something. Bonnie and Damon are alive somewhere in this universe or maybe in another, but they're alive; and if you were really my friend you would help me, or maybe you just don't care enough about my cause because Damon is my brother."
Caroline sat on the phone for a moment not saying anything. "Stefan, I'm sorry that you lost your brother, your only family member, but you seem to be forgetting what he did to me, and you also seem to be forgetting that I played Damon and Elena's personal cheerleader because you felt like your brother being with Elena would change him, and it didn't. Pretending I was okay with them dating went against everything that I believed in, and if that didn't prove to you how much of a friend, I am to you, then I don't know what will."
Stefan hung his head. For a moment, he couldn't believe it himself—that he had encouraged Elena to remain in an abusive relationship with his brother.
He had been blinded by his love for his brother for so long that he had ignored all the horrible things he had done to Andie, Caroline, and even to Elena when she was in her right mind.
"I'm sorry, Caroline. I know that wasn't easy for you to do. Thank you," he declared, showing a bit of his humanity.
"Don't thank me, Stefan, just come hang out at my house tomorrow night with the rest of the gang. Okay?"
"Will Elena be there?" he asked.
Caroline went silent again. "Yes, but she's a total mess. She acts like she's in withdrawal. It's scary. Do you think she's still sired?"
"I don't know, but she sure does act like it." He paused. "Okay, I'll come by." Stefan hung up without saying goodbye.
::::::
After their sweet slow dance, Damon and Bonnie went back to their little cave. It was home, for now.
Damon built their little fire, and they sat in the cave watching each other. Something was different but neither one of them wanted to acknowledge it, because one day they would return home, it was inevitable.
They both knew that Stefan and Elena would do whatever they could to bring them back, and once home, they would be reunited with the love of their lives. What they did here and now could make things awkward back home, so they had to ignore the burning desire they felt welling up inside of them whenever they knocked down one more wall that inevitably exposed something more about themselves to each other.
"Good night, Damon." Bonnie was the first to crack under the pressure.
"Good night, Bonnie," Damon said just as sweetly as he watched Bonnie snuggle in to her thick, leafy bed.
Damon laid down, but he couldn't take his eyes or thoughts off Bonnie. Knowing she had his blood and he had hers made him nervous, partially because if something happened to her, she would be his little vampire, made by his blood; and two, a part of him was inside of her and it sent delightful chills up his spine.
"Damon," Bonnie called with her back to him.
"Yeah," he answered as he stared at the back of her head.
"Will you lay beside me?"
Damon widened his eyes at her request. His tongue froze, and he was suddenly at a loss for words.
"You don't have to if you don't want to," Bonnie stated, embarrassed. She took his silence as a 'no' answer.
Damon slowly crawled across the cave and lay down behind her. He snaked an arm over her waist and Bonnie threaded her fingers through his.
"Are you afraid?" Damon asked gruffly.
"No, I'm lonely. I miss Jeremy. Do you miss Elena?"
"Yeah," he replied.
"Do you think what we're doing is wrong?" Bonnie asked.
"No…I don't think it is. We're two friends comforting one another." Damon's voice was still husky and low, a hint of nervousness coming through. "There were times in my life, before I came to Mystic Falls…I was so lonely. I was out there in the world, sleeping with women I didn't want, pinning over Katherine, but deep down I wanted a friend, someone like you. This feels nice, Bonnie."
Bonnie giggled softly as she lay on her bed with one arm folded underneath her head.
"I heard that, Bon Bon. I can't believe you're making fun of my pain." He sneered.
"I'm not making fun of your pain. I never thought you wanted a friend. Elena told me you didn't want to be her friend when you two broke up," she explained.
"Friendship with Elena would be so one sided. We're so much alike. Hell, we can barely be lovers. How in the hell could we be friends?" Damon laughed in thought.
"Wow," Bonnie gasped.
"What?" Damon raised his brow confused as he rubbed Bonnie lightly on her arm.
"To hear you be so upfront about your relationship with Elena."
"It's easy to be myself with you."
Bonnie smiled. "It's easy to be myself with you, too."
"Good," Damon replied.
"Why do you think we ended up here? In a whole other galaxy, a whole other Earth?" Damon asked, mystified.
"I don't know. Maybe she got the spell wrong, or maybe this was the only place that we could go that has a natural celestial event that's powerful enough to sustain our life force."
"Mmm, well, this place is definitely weird."
"This place is definitely beautiful," she added, ignoring Damon's cynicism.
"Those nasty looking slug creatures. That freaky looking panther, and the weird ass looking fish."
"The trees are so beautiful. The flowers smell so wonderful and talk about those three big beautiful moons," Bonnie gushed.
Bonnie and Damon continued to babble about their new surroundings, ignoring each other's disdain and admiration for new Earth.
"The insects are ferocious. It rains too much and it's too damn hot!"
"Mmm, I love the way the sun shines and the smell of the lush green grass in the air."
"Are we talking about the same planet?" Damon chuckled, and Bonnie followed.
Damon squeezed Bonnie a little closer to him as he closed his eyes relishing. He was beginning to feel even more comfortable and happy with her presence in his life. "May I hold you?"
"I would like that," she replied happily.
Damon cuddled closer to Bonnie, wrapping his strong arm around her. He squeezed her to him before kissing her 'good night' on the cheek.
::::::
Morning came quickly. Bonnie and Damon decided to spend the day by the lake to soak up the sun rays and enjoy the beautiful day.
Bonnie was desperate to participate and help make new things for their home. She worked diligently on her twig, leaves, and vine basket all day whilst Damon worked on their shower. He had successfully gathered up all the vines he needed and now he was working on something that would hold enough water so that it would pour down over Bonnie like a waterfall.
He too was ready for a full shower. Using their socks to wash their bodies from bowls they made from the husk of the black fruit was no picnic, but they were grateful for it all the same.
Their ape friend even came out to play. He brought them tons of fruit and even nuts. They were both impressed with the animal's communicative skills and how he picked up on their needs and wants.
"Screw it, screw this!" Bonnie threw her little project to the ground enraged by her inability to make a basket.
"Calm down," Damon said with a chuckle as he walked to the basket. He picked it up off the ground and then sat down next to Bonnie. "Let me show you."
"No, I'm done with it," Bonnie pouted.
"The Bonnie I know doesn't give up. Now, watch me."
Bonnie turned to Damon, still pouting. She watched him carefully as he bent the rubbery twigs around and then tied them off with a little vine. He did it slowly a few times more before handing the project back off to her.
"Okay, do you think you can do it?"
Bonnie nodded.
Damon took her hands into his and they did a few together, their hands mingling and touching all the while. Bonnie's heartbeat quickened, and her palms moistened. She was aware of Damon's touch now. He made her feel alive.
Unbeknownst to her, Damon was equally affected by their closeness. His hands were clammy, his mouth was dry, and he felt nervous. Why now, did she have this effect on him? He wondered.
"You think you can do it now?" He asked looking down at her.
"Uh…yeah. Yeah, I think I can." Bonnie gave a nervous nod.
Damon cleared his throat. "Wow, my mouth is dry? Yours?" he asked as he looked at her oddly.
"Have some tea."
Damon laughed. "What?"
"When you were out one day, I squeezed some of the juice from the yellow fruit into some hot water. It's pretty good." Bonnie jumped up and grabbed one of their little bowls that was filled with hot water. She squeezed some of the juice from the fruit into the water before given it to Damon to try. She sat back down beside him and waited for him to taste it.
He took a sip and then another. "This is pretty good, especially on a hot ass day like today." He smirked.
"Well, I'm glad you like it." Bonnie laughed.
Inevitably they began to watch each other, and the longer they did, the more nervous Bonnie became under Damon's intimidating and yearning gaze.
Ever since the night that Damon went missing, they couldn't sit and not touch each other.
Damon overlapped his hand with Bonnie's and squeezed it gently. She placed her hand over his and rubbed the back of it tenderly, and just like magnets they began to drift into each other.
Damon tilted his head right and Bonnie tilted her head left, and just as their lips were about to touch, their animal dropped a very living fish smack dab in between them.
"Shit! Shit! Damon dropped the hot tea to the ground as he jumped to his feet. Bonnie hopped up screaming and jogged in place.
The animal jumped up and down excitedly in response to them.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Damon shouted at it.
The creature ignored Damon and dived back into the water.
"Oh, my God, there's fish in this water!" Bonnie gasped. She quickly overcame her fear when she stared down at the odd-looking fish, still a tad bit scared of it.
Damon easily forgot his anger, too, and grinned at the delicatessen happily. "I'm going for a swim." He hurriedly removed his jeans and shirt. Bonnie widened her eyes nervously at his nicely-shaped legs, the bulge in his underwear, and his broad chest.
"You don't know what's in there?" Bonnie chimed hesitantly, trying to take her mind off his body.
"Fish are in there, which means the boogeyman isn't. Now come on." Damon gave a ridiculous grin and dived into the lake.
They both had forgotten that they had almost kissed not moments ago.
Bonnie took off her blouse, shoes, and jeans.
The entire world stopped spinning when Damon looked at her body. His eyes were glued to the jiggle in her thighs and her rounded, plump bottom right down to her well-toned legs and her cute little toes. His eyes hurried back up to her breast and over her washboard abs.
Bonnie seemed to move in slow motion as she ran towards the lake and then dived into the cool water.
"This feels wonderful!" Bonnie laughed as she splashed water in Damon's face.
He still hadn't come back to reality.
"God damn, Bonnie, you're hot!" Damon stated seconds later in disbelief. He couldn't believe that his brain had relayed to his mouth what he was thinking. "Wait? What?" He stated unbelievably. "I shouldn't have said that. That was so inappropriate," he stammered mindlessly for the words.
"Ehm…and how so, I am hot!" Bonnie laughed, splashing water in his face once more.
Damon rolled his eyes at his conceited friend and splashed water back at her.
They frolicked around in the water, him chasing her. He would catch her and then lift her up out of the water and dip her back down before diving underneath to tickle her little feet.
Bonnie didn't mind Damon's accidental and innocent touches; like, when his covered member brushed up against her bottom and when his hand would lightly rub her breast. It was heavenly, forbidden, but it felt so right. She felt so alive in this moment, playing with her friend.
Damon didn't seem to mind Bonnie's touches either. Whenever her breast would rub up against his hard chest or when her hand would accidentally touch his partially hardened and sensitive shaft, he welcomed her touch.
Their little water sports went on for most of the day, and they had completely shirked their chores whilst their pet continued to work hard to collect them food. They forgot all about the unfinished shower that still hadn't been completed or the basket that needed to be weaved, and more importantly, they hadn't thought much or at all about trying to get home.
"Oh no." Bonnie tilted her head to the sky, allowing the light drizzling rain to shower down onto her face. "It's raining. Boo," she pouted.
"Aww, now, now, come here." Damon reached for Bonnie as he wades in the water.
She slowly swam to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Damon snaked an arm around her waist and brought her warm body to his. Bonnie laid her cheek against his shoulder, a smile on her face, her eyes closed.
Damon fanned his free arm around in the water and twirled Bonnie slowly around in the center of the lake.
"Do you feel protected?" He asked in a low, seductive voice, his cool lips against her warm cheek.
"I feel protected, but not from the rain." Bonnie let out a lax chortle, and Damon followed with a hearty laugh.
::::::
"Stefan!" Caroline beamed and then took him into a warm embrace after opening the door for him. "I'm so glad you came."
"Yeah, whatever," Stefan sassed.
"Stop it." Caroline giggled. "Hey everybody, look who's here!"
"What's up, Stefan?!" Matt chimed as he ran over to his friend. He gave him a quick brotherly hug and patted him on the back.
"What's up, Stefan?" Tyler gave him the one-nod.
"Hey, Stefan. We miss you around here." Jeremy smiled from the sofa and then took a swig of his beer.
"Hey, everybody. No need to stop what you're doing for me." Stefan gave a slight furl of his light, showing politeness.
"Where's Elena?" Stefan whispered to Caroline.
"She's in my room." Caroline rolled her eyes. "Can I get you something to drink?"
"Bourbon," Stefan answered. He glanced around the room. Everyone eased back into what they were doing before he came, all except for Tyler who still had him on his radar.
Stefan walked over to him and leaned against the kitchen entrance. Tyler took a swig of his beer, holding the vampire's gaze.
"Is there something you want to say to me?" Stefan asked.
"Nope." Tyler sent him a forced grin. He watched Stefan for a minute and then broke their awkward silence. "Did you hear about those brutal murders in Baysville?"
"No, I haven't heard, but I have a feeling that I'm about to." Stefan grinned. He really didn't need to hear about murders that he had committed.
"An entire family was killed in their own home. Two teenage boys, their mother, and their father. They were drained of all their blood and dismembered, and in the next town over the same thing happened to this couple who was returning home from grocery shopping." Tyler stared Stefan square in the eyes as he explained to him about the recent string of murders outside of Mystic Falls.
"Wow, Tyler, I had no idea that you liked looking at the news." Stefan sneered sinisterly at him as he cocked his head to one side.
"There's a better way, Stefan," Tyler said knowingly.
"A better way for what?" Stefan maintained his poker face.
"You know what the hell I'm talking about," Tyler spat.
"Here's your drink," Caroline chimed just in time.
"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes," Stefan flirted with Caroline and Tyler frowned.
"Hey, Stefan." A raspy voice called to him from across the room, it was Elena.
Stefan turned to look at her. He forced himself to smile. He really hadn't talked to her since Damon died. She was too much of a reminder of all the horrible things that had gone wrong with his relationship with his brother. Somehow things with him and Damon became all about Elena and not them, and for the first time ever, he hated it.
"Hey." Elena was now standing in front of Stefan. "Where have you been?"
She didn't ask him how he was or how he was holding up but where he had been, like he owed her an explanation of his comings and goings.
"Home, that's where I've been," Stefan replied politely.
"Well, you could have at least called me. I've been miserable. I needed you," Elena nagged.
"Really, Elena," Caroline quarreled.
"Elena, calm down." Tyler fummed.
"Elena, you're not the only one here who's lost somebody. Stefan lost his brother. We lost our best friend, Bonnie. Remember her?" Matt explained frustratingly.
"Who saved all of our asses by the way," Tyler added.
"Bonnie is a witch. That's what she's supposed to do. Save us!" Elena shot back.
"Bonnie wasn't a witch. She was the anchor, and if you would have taken your nose out of Damon's ass, you would have remembered that. She died bringing me back to life -for you," Jeremy said angrily, turning beet red in the face.
"I loved Bonnie; she was my best friend, but friends come and go, but not the love of your life. Damon was my life; he was everything to me, and if Bonnie had remotely cared about me, she would have brought him back first and not Alaric," Elena whined, becoming hysterical.
"Well, maybe if you hadn't blown yourself up, she could have saved him instead of saving you. Committing suicide with Damon? Really, Elena? What a senseless and dumbass thing to do," Tyler said before downing the rest of his drink.
"Damon needed me," Elena shot.
"No, I needed you," Jeremy stated.
"I'm out of here," Matt said disappointedly as he frowned up at Elena.
"Right behind you man," Tyler followed Matt out the door.
Elena's friends and Jeremy began to file out of the house one by one. They had enough of this Elena.
"Wait! Wait!" Why is everyone leaving? This was supposed to be a time for us to come together and try to heal!" Caroline pleaded.
"Sorry, Caroline, maybe next time." Jeremy grabbed his jacket and slammed the door behind him.
Elena stood in the middle of the room pathetically, not even understanding what was happening.
"Are you happy, now?" Caroline hissed angrily to her friend.
"Well, looks like the party is over," Stefan said emotionlessly. He put down his glass and headed for the door.
"No, Stefan, you can't leave. I need you," Elena whined as she threw her hands out to the side of her.
"...and why do you need me?" Stefan laughed amusedly.
"Because you're my friend."
"Umph, you mean the friend that you spent all day long with and then told your boyfriend that you had the worst day ever, after?"
"Stefan, I can't help the way I feel."
"What the hell happened to you, Elena?" Caroline asked with a look of horror.
"There's nothing wrong with me, Caroline," Elena answered rudely.
"Yes, there is. You're not my friend. You're not the girl that I met in grade school. You're a fucking bitch, and what's worse is that you don't care about the fact that you ripped out Stefan's heart, and just when he was beginning to get better, he lost his brother. All you care about is the dick you're not going to be getting from Damon, and what about Bonnie, and all the selfless things she has done for you? She died so that you could be happy, and you don't even care! It should have been you that died, not Bonnie!" Caroline said heatedly, and Stefan let out a hearty laugh.
Elena raised her hand to strike her friend, but Stefan caught it mid swing and shoved her to the floor. "Get the fuck out," Stefan said coldly.
"Stefan, this isn't you," Elena said
Stefan flashed to the front door and held it open for Elena.
The jealous, selfish, and self-absorbed woman got to her feet and slowly grabbed her things and left.
"I'm so sorry, Stefan," Caroline said somberly.
"Don't be."
"What do we do-," Caroline was cut off when Stefan held his finger up to her to hold her train of thought.
"Hello."
"Hello, Stefan"
"Who is this?" He asked.
"Oooh, only the woman you tracked down and forced to call you."
"Lucy Bennett." He paused. "I need you."
"Let me guess—to help you bring back your brother? Well, the answer is no, but I will do whatever I can to bring back Bonnie," Lucy answered nastily.
"Do you really think Bonnie will leave my brother behind, because if you do, then you don't know Bonnie Bennett," Stefan said confidently.
"I'm listening," Lucy huffed, annoyed.
"Where are you?" Stefan grinned into the phone.
"Why? Are you going to be my escort?"
"Can I?" He flirted. "Can I take you for a drive, Lucy?"
"You're a boy. I need a man. Now grab a pen and paper and let's see if your vampire mind can keep up."
"I like 'em sassy." He smiled.
Lucy snickered and then rattled off her location. Stefan hung up, simpering. He placed his phone into his pocket and looked at Caroline.
"That was Bonnie's cousin, Lucy?"
"No, it was Mother Theresa." Stefan shrugged as he flashed her an absurd look.
"Stop being an ass," Caroline said, annoyed as she crossed her arms over her chest.
Stefan gave a cheerful look. "I'll catch you later." He opened the door and Caroline quickly closed it. She grabbed him by the back of the neck and placed a hard kiss on his lips, letting their lips linger before pulling away.
Stefan shifted his eyes around perplexed. "What was that for?" he asked, bemused.
"I couldn't help myself," Caroline said innocently, her face childlike.
"Caroline, I'm not in my right mind. I will take advantage of you," Stefan warned as cocked his head to the side with a dangerous, smoldering glance.
"What if I want you to take advantage of me?" she asked seductively.
"You need to make things right with Tyler. Now, I have to go." Stefan quickly left the house. He stopped mid stride to his car when he heard a voice call to him.
"Hello, Stefan."
Stefan rolled his eyes and then slowly turned around. "What the fuck do you want, Enzo."
"Oh, the same as you. To get Damon back."
"Jesus Christ, what's up with you? Were you and my brother fucking or something? You're clingy. Go away."
"I'm going to let your little comment slide since you're hurting just as much as me over Damon, but he was like a brother to me, and I want to help so, stop being such an ass. You know you could use the muscle, unless you rather I tell Damon's flaky dingbat girlfriend what you're up to, and we all know how much you enjoy her company." Enzo gave a shady leer.
"Fine. Get the fuck in the car and keep your trap closed."
Enzo smirked as he hopped into the car, and Stefan sped off.
::::::
Stefan and Enzo sped down the highway, music at deafening levels. Stefan popped his fingers to the beat against the steering wheel and Enzo laughed hilariously at him. "What the hell are you laughing at knock off version of my brother?"
"I could use a snack," Enzo answered, smiling cunningly at Stefan.
"I'm not Damon. We're not lovers, and I don't need someone to hold my hand while I feed." Stefan grinned.
"Well, at the next motel we see, you mind if I quench my thirst?"
"Sure," Stefan drawled.
An hour later, they were parked outside of a rundown motel. Stefan watched as Enzo worked his way into the room of a man and two women.
He didn't want to be around Enzo. He was Damon's friend, and he liked to do things on his own, but he craved blood like the body craved oxygen, and now that he was no longer with Elena, and maybe no longer in love with her, he was back to needing blood like the human body needed water.
He dazedly climbed out of the car. He looked around to see if anyone was watching. The coast was clear, so he flashed up to the room.
He knocked timidly on the entrance. Enzo swung the door wide open and smiled at Stefan as blood dripped from his mouth and down his chin.
"I knew you couldn't resist, mate." Enzo stepped aside, allowing Stefan entry.
Black veins swam fitfully across Stefan cheeks, his eyes bloodshot red. He growled lowly as he parted his lips, showing his perfectly extended incisors. He flashed into the room and went right to work on the brunette.
"Now we're having some fun." Enzo grinned and then closed the door.
::::::
Damon and Bonnie kicked off their night by the fire. He cooked the fish given to them by his animal friend for dinner. It was the best meal they'd had since being on the planet. They ate in silence for the better part of the evening, but it was hardly awkward, it was peaceful and comforting.
"Damon, you should try the juice of the yellow fruit on your fish," Bonnie suggested nonchalantly.
"What is it with you and the yellow fruit?"
Bonnie reached over and squeezed some of the juice onto Damon's fish. He looked suspiciously down at the fish as she seasoned it with the juice from the fruit. He grabbed a small piece of the fish and popped it into his mouth. He chewed slowly as he nodded his head questionably about the flavor. Damon then looked at Bonnie. "En." He waved a hand lazily in the air.
"You're crazy. It's delicious."
"It'll be even more delicious once it mingles with your blood." Damon waggled his eyebrow at her.
"Oh hey, I have a surprise for you." Bonnie placed her food down onto the stump and grabbed some leaves sitting on the ground. She wrapped and tied them around her waist, covering her cute satin black panties. Damon licked his lips with anticipation as his eyes ran down over her caramel skinned legs. He sat at the edge of the stump, fully alert with his elbows resting on his knees, holding his food securely in hand.
"Don't tell me you're going to strip for me. What kind of best friends are we?" Damon laughed.
"I'm not striping for you, Damon. I'm providing you with entertainment." Bonnie shook her head. "Okay, you ready?" She gave a juvenile grin.
Damon held up his thumb as he nodded, pushing his bottom lip into his top one as he squinted his eyes at her.
Bonnie began dancing the hula. She moved her hips with grace as she waved her hands in the air from side to side. Damon was quite impressed with her rhythm and how she waved her tummy and wiggled her little hips.
Damon Salvatore was completely mesmerized by Bonnie Bennett as he watched her dreamily.
He was already feeling so many things for and about Bonnie lately, but now she was sending some major feels to his lower region as she danced seductively in front of him.
Though Bonnie was heavy on the left side of his mind, Elena was still sitting very heavily on the right.
The desire and tenderness he felt for Bonnie right then rapidly turned into feelings of despair and guilt as his mind slipped off into a very dark place.
Here, Damon was in a completely different world and beginning to feel one way about another woman whilst so easily forgetting about the woman he had committed selfish, deceitful, and reckless acts to have, back home.
He broke his brother's heart because he wanted to win and make him feel every bit of the pain he felt when Katherine left him and declared her love for the man he wanted to hurt, his brother.
After Damon had succeeded at getting everything he had wanted, it wasn't epic, loving, or sweet. It was sick, toxic, and twisted, but now, here he was, left with this sickening feeling in his gut. Now, here Damon was, left with this guilty sense of obligation to stand by the woman he had won, because he had ruined everything for everyone involved including himself.
"Well, you like the entertainment?" Bonnie asked, taking Damon away from his very own personal hell, his mind.
"Best damn entertainment ever." Damon smirked, his mind still an enigma of thoughts.
"If it was so great, then why do you look so sad?" Bonnie asked, annoyed as she placed her hands on her hips and pushed out her knee.
"I'm not sad, Bon-nie," Damon answered ridiculously. "I'm tired." He got to his feet and put his makeshift plate down on the tree stump. He walked over to a clean spot in the lush green grass and lay down. He propped his head up with his forearm, crossed his ankles, and gazed up at the sky.
Bonnie watched him carefully before walking over to him. She lay down beside him and crossed her ankles, overlapped her hands on her belly, and stared up at the sky, too.
"Shine bright like a diamond. Shine bright like a diamond." Bonnie broke out in song.
"Oh, my God." Damon laughed. "She dances, she sings." He looked over at Bonnie, grinning.
"You know you like that song. I know Elena made you play it constantly in your car."
"Ugh." Damon rolled his eyes knowingly, annoyed by her comment.
"Shine bright like a diamond," she continued to sing.
"Stop singing that song," Damon protested playfully.
"Why, because it's not Radiohead?!" She shouted. "So, shine bright, tonight, you and I-," Bonnie continued to sing.
"Diamonds don't shine, Bonnie, they sparkle!" Damon spat and then laughed.
"Oh, what the hell… We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky," Damon joined in.
"Eye to eye, so alive, we're beautiful like diamonds in the sky," they sang together.
"Aww, how sweet." A deep sinister voice came from out of nowhere, rudely interrupting them.
Damon quickly got to his feet and Bonnie followed. They were surrounded by twenty buff men with various kinds of weapons.
Bonnie looked around for their animal friend. He was lying lifelessly on the other side of the lake. "Oh, my God. What did you do to our friend?!" She spat in horror.
"Relax. Your friend has been drugged. He will be fine."
"Who the fuck is you?" Damon questioned coldly with a glowering gaze.
"Peyak, is this the man you saw healing the Pongidae?"
The tan man nodded quickly.
"Take him," the mahogany leader demanded. He was a handsome man with a beautiful lean swimmer's body and a neatly trimmed beard. His attire was brown pants and a brown vest made from animal skin, his shoes leather boots.
The armed men rushed Damon all at once, but he wouldn't go down without a fight. He ripped out one of the men's hearts easily, instantly making the situation worse. Things escalated quickly, forcing Damon to reveal his true—identity. He tossed men into trees, broke arms, jaws, and head-butted the heads of a few unlucky foes, but these men were resilient and fought effortlessly through their pain.
Bonnie screamed at the top of her lungs for the men to stop as she pulled fitfully at her hair. She felt powerless and defeated by what was happening to Damon, but there was no way she, a mere girl, weighing a little over a hundred pounds could do to help him without risking her own life.
One of the armed men lunged for Damon's heart with his blade, and the leader warned him to take him alive. Damon took advantage of the distraction and ripped out the man's heart.
The leader finally had enough of Damon's insolence. He walked swiftly over to Bonnie. He snatched her roughly up into his clutches, folding an arm roughly behind her back, and then placed his blade to Bonnie's neck, drawing a little blood.
Damon was instantly distracted by the smell. He extended his incisors and growled as black veins spread rapidly across his cheeks.
The men swiftly subdued Damon. They wrestled him to the ground, pushed his chin into the dirt, and roughly fisted his hair.
"Now that I have your attention-," the leader stated through gritted teeth. "You can either behave…or I will slice this bitch's throat from ear to ear."
Damon looked into Bonnie's fearful eyes, his mouth twisted in anger. He scanned over her face, his eyes lingered at her quivering lips. Damon's appearance softened. It wasn't about him anymore, it was about Bonnie. She timidly nodded at him, pleading for to him to surrender.
"I'll go with you, if you let her go," Damon offered.
"Damon, no!" Bonnie protested at him going alone.
The leader tightened his grip on her folded arm. "You're hurting me," Bonnie cried.
"I'm afraid I can't do that. See… she." The man pressed his lips against Bonnie's cheek. "…keeps you in line. You so much as look at me wrong." He slid his finger across his neck and smirked.
Damon immediately locked his glassed-over worried eyes with Bonnie's. They had conquered one close call only to be ensnared by another.