BONUS STORY

A/N: it's been 48 hours (ish) since they decided to let the universe do its work… but I think Damon's subconscious has already made up his mind. This is how I imagined one of their last days together being like. Just a quick thought. And once again, Bamon…. You have my heart. Until next time- Katie xx.

Day One-Hundred and Twenty-Two

Warmth canvased his entire body, blanketing the iciness of his skin. His bones had a heaviness to them, like an anchor cast down to the bottom of the ocean. Happily settling there, unmoving. His once rigid muscles had relaxed. Damon Salvatore was completely unwound in the quiet space he inhabited, almost vulnerable. He was safe here. Secure. He didn't have to open his eyelids to know where he was, as his mind began to awaken from slumber. He started his early morning ritual without hesitation. He took a deep breath and flexed his toes, moving them in small fluid circles. He then sucked in his abdomen once more and reached his arms far above his head, pushing with so much upward force he should have dislocated his shoulders. He cracked his neck from side to side. Once satisfied, his arms lowered to their original position, only to find themselves coming in contact with an object. More specifically, a body.

His fingers drummed on the exposed skin, as his mouth twitched, pondering the identity of the person next to him. He could have easily opened his eyes to take a look and banish the mystery but Damon liked games, and this was an interesting one.

His fingertips traced up and down an arm, briefly halting to examine a lacy strap clothing a shoulder, as goose bumps erupted on the flesh of the person after every soft stroke of his fingers. His touch journeyed upwards, until he reached a pulse point of a neck. What was once slow and steady now quickened, the drumming of a heartbeat thudding into his ear canal. Soft tussles of hair wisped against his hand as he neared the outline of a jaw, and then pillowiness of a cheek. His fingers then sought out lips, brushing the corner of a mouth, tracing a cupid's bow. A breath caught in his throat as wetness from a tongue greeted his touch with eagerness, and then the lips pressed into the palm of his hand, as a pair of slender hands cupped around his own.

And at the sound of her voice, the mystery was solved.

"Someone is handsy this morning," she croaked with amusement, her voice sleepy. Her head lifted from his chest. "Good morning, my love." She poked his nose.

Damon's eyes widened, the vision of the woman coming fully into focus.

"…Bonnie?"

She turned her body towards him, draping herself partly on top of him, her elbow on his stomach.

"Yes?" she smiled, a giggle escaping her. Her short, chocolate brown hair was curled into little ringlets, and she was clothed in nothing more than a crème lace colored lingerie top. Her legs were bare and tucked behind her.

Sunshine was beginning to peek through the heavy curtains of the bedroom, and stray flecks of color danced off her eyes.

"What's got you so speechless?" she continued, confused at Damon's silence. The witch reached out and caressed his cheek with the pad of her numb, absentmindedly combing hair away from his face. "Is it the top I'm wearing?" she frowned, dropping her hand and inspecting her wardrobe choice. "I thought you liked it! Pretty sure you were enjoying it last night-"

"It's not about your clothes," Damon cut in, slowly sitting up. His gaze surveyed her closely. "I just- don't understand what's going on. And what do you mean last night? What happened last night?"

Bonnie grinned as her fingers traced an invisible pattern on his stomach.

"Damon, please. Frankly, I don't even know at what point you put your shirt back on!"

All at once, the color drained from his face.

"You mean…" he gulped. "You mean, we?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes and let out a loud sigh as she unceremoniously pushed up off him and balanced on her knees before swiftly straddling him, grinding into him with a smirk as the palm of her hands landed on his chest.

"Had sex?" she laughed, quirking a brow. "And what else is new?"

Damon didn't have the energy to jump from the bed, but his heart was definitely doing somersaults.

He urgently gripped her hands. "Bonnie, what the hell is happening? I swear to God I don't remember a damn thing! Were we drunk?"

Bonnie scowled.

"Damon, this isn't funny. We have a really big day to get ready for and I don't have time to-"

Bonnie's voice was drowned to muffles as Damon slowly lifted her left hand, his gaze laser-locked on her ring finger.

The sunlight caught the princess-cut stone just right, and the diamond sparkled so bright it nearly blinded him.

"Bonnie…" he whispered. "You- you're…"

To his astonishment, his eye caught sight of a golden band around his own finger.

She frowned, her free hand lifting to cup his cheek.

"Yes," she nodded. "I'm married. Married to the man of my dreams. Married to my favorite person on this earth." Her voice went quiet as her expression softened. "I'm married to you."

Damon's mouth fell open.

"But when did this happen? Why don't I remember?"

"Honey, I don't know." She replied. "But this really isn't good timing considering the event today…"

"Which is?"

She sighed. "Your brother's wedding. He and Elena are getting married today."

Damon sat up fully, the back of his skull smacking into the headboard.

"Their- what?"

"Damon, I don't have time to explain everything, I'm sorry," she responded, rubbing soothing circles into his back as she sat in his lap. "But you can't argue with love. And those two are in love."

"But…" he whispered. "What happened to letting the universe do its work? Didn't you and I agree to let it play out?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "It played out a couple years ago when we came home. It all fell into place pretty quickly."

"Okay," he nodded, his eyes finding hers. His hands sought her arms, and he softly took hold of her. His mind had connected the dots in a matter of seconds, but he decided he wanted to hear this answer out loud. He wanted to hear it from the woman in his arms. His wife. "And what exactly did the universe decide?"

Her expression was peaceful as she leant forward and closed the distance between them with a kiss, her fingers delving deeply into his hair, taking fistfuls into her grasp.

They breathed in synchronicity, their lungs filling with air as the witch softly nipped at his lower lip, her earthy scent invading his senses and the sweet flavor of her tongue bathing his mouth, exciting his taste buds.

She suddenly pulled away, and Damon found himself leaning in as her lips retreated. His head swam with desire as his eyelids became heavier.

A smile tugged at her lips as her hands fell from his hair, to land on his face. She tickled the outline of his lips with her thumb, as he mirrored her and took her face into his hands as well.

They sat in silence until Bonnie's low voice drifted through the air, lighting each of Damon's nerves on fire like a million sticks of dynamite exploding all at once.

"Me," she whispered. "You chose me…"

…

Damon let out a deafening bellow as he sprang upward, his fists nearly punching a hole into the mattress as he steadied himself.

His chest was heaving so hard he swore he had been participating in a race only moments ago.

"What?!" a nearby female voice shrieked. The bed shook with frantic movement. "What's going on? Damon?"

Damon Salvatore took several deep breaths as he cased his surroundings, which currently happened to be cloaked in pitch darkness.

A desperate hand patted the comforter until it came in contact with his upper thigh.

"Damon, what the hell?" Bonnie hissed. "Say something. What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Uh-yeah," he choked, clearing his throat. "I'm okay." His forehead wrinkled. "I think."

Bonnie clamored out of her side of the bed and hurriedly lit a candelabra with a wave of her hand, sitting it on a nearby table.

The soft glow illuminated the bewildered witch, who was clothed in her usual shorts and oversized t-shirt. She worriedly raked her hair.

Damon let out a sigh at the familiar sight.

"Are you gonna tell me why you decided to randomly yell at three in the morning or am I going to have to read your mind somehow?" she asked, hands on her hips.

Damon's eyes fell to her left hand, and when he didn't see a ring, he knew what had happened.

He wiped sweat from his brows and shook his head.

"I'm sorry," he replied. "I was just having a-" he paused, contemplating his next choice of words. "A very vivid dream."

"Oh. A nightmare?"

"No," he replied, his eyes darting away. "A dream."

Bonnie quietly observed him, her eyes inquisitive.

"I've never seen you like this before. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." Damon's mind showed him a flash memory of her in his lap. "No, thank you. I'm good."

Bonnie squinted at him, clearly skeptical of his answer.

"Can I do anything? Get you anything?"

"Bonnie," he sighed, falling backwards into his pillow. "Please. Just put the light out and go back to sleep."

The witch crossed her arms, her bare foot tapping against the hardwood floor.

"That's it?" she asked.

"Yup." Damon closed his eyes.

"Seriously?"

"Mhm."

"I get you don't want to share the details of this so-called dream," she began. "But you really scared me, Damon. You can't just expect me to-"

"You really want to do me a favor?"

Bonnie blinked. His irritated tone had suddenly turned huskier.

She paused before replying. "Yes," she nodded.

"Good." Damon rolled his head towards her, his bright blue eyes twinkling in the shadows the flames were casting. "Turn out that light and come here."

Bonnie's stomach dropped as her limbs robotically obeyed his request, snuffing out the light with another wave of her hand.

Her rapid pulse thrummed a cord in her neck as she made her way back to the bed, she internally cursed her nerves, which she was embarrassed Damon always sensed.

He said nothing as she approached. Bonnie couldn't see him clearly, but could hear the rustling of the sheets as he pulled back the covers for her to climb in.

Wordlessly, she did so, and slid herself under the silken sheets as Damon laid the comforter flat once she was settled. He slightly reached over her body to tuck her in.

Bonnie rested her head into her pillow, softly biting her lip.

His soft chuckle finally broke the silence.

"What?" she glared, her cheeks burning crimson.

Damon chose not to comment. Bonnie only felt him scooting closer to her, an arm raised.

"Come here."

Bonnie hesitated only for a moment, before she released a breath and turned her body into him, her cheek nestling into the crook of his arm and her arm curled up beneath her chin.

She felt Damon adjust his body until they were both comfortable, and his arm rested naturally around her shoulder.

Damon, himself, took in a content breath as his cheek pressed into the crown of her head.

Bonnie puzzled at his demeanor for some time, until she stretched, laying the arm that was once tucked beneath her chin across his torso instead. The soft cotton of his shirt caressed her skin.

Damon responded to her touch with a kiss, pressing it into her scalp.

Shivers spread down Bonnie's spine as she gripped his side to contain her reaction.

There was a shift in the air.

It was so subtle you could almost miss it.

Bonnie had felt it only a few times before. The most significant came to the forefront of her mind. A picnic, a first kiss, a confession…

Bonnie didn't know how to exactly define it. She could only discern that in some way it signified the transition into another level of their relationship. A silent shift in meaning. Organic, in a way. Like planting a seed and watching it grow into something you could have never imagined- something unexpectedly beautiful.

Bonnie closed her eyes. She wondered how many more moments like these they would experience, and what causes them. She wondered how many more times it would take until Damon realized the depth of feelings she truly had for him. She wondered if he would ever reach the same point she had. If it would all be worth it. If he would choose her…

Damon relished in the serene space they had decided to share nightly, and relaxed in the familiarity of the darkness and peace engulfing them. The dream he had created felt like reality spilling onto a canvas- he recognized it well but now it was in brilliant color. He now saw that his brain and heart had decided to go separate ways. In the dark, he couldn't pretend. There were no more decisions or negotiations. There was nothing left but truth. A truth Damon could no longer avoid. The Bonnie in his dream and the Bonnie in his life were one in the same. Kissing Bonnie felt the same on his mouth as a kiss from Bonnie his wife. He needed her. His soul craved her. She was more than just a friend. She was his light. His hope. Bonnie was everything he was not. Them finding their way to each other, was only a matter of time after they first held hands and died together, getting swooped up and delivered here. Here, in this strange world they shared, he knew they could translate that same feeling to the reality outside these walls. Somehow, along the way, Bonnie Bennett ended up being his- and he was hers.

And Damon finally realized… he loved being hers.

THE END