Damon huffed in the Salvatore library. He muttered angrily to himself as he pulled books off the shelves, flipped through the pages and tossed them behind his back once he realized they didn't contain what he needed. He was searching for something in the Salvatore family history that would help him destroy his mother and the Parker witch once and for all.
The loud crash the books made as they slammed into hardwood floor was a welcome change from the sensual sounds coming from upstairs. While he tried to tune it out, he could still hear Bonnie moaning and Kai grunting as they made love in his house. HIS HOUSE. He regretted the quick decision he had made the night before to let Bonnie stay there for her own protection. The thought of Kai - the bastard who put Elena into a sleep coma, killed his pregnant sister, and left Bonnie for dead more than once - touching someone so innocent. It made Damon cringe.
Damon tossed another book behind him, but he never heard it hit the ground. He turned and saw Stefan holding the dark red leather-bound book.
"Stop brooding Damon," Stefan said, tossing the book onto an end table.
"Ah, judgment coming from the king of brooding," Damon said, picking up a random book, opening it and pointing to a page, "Oh look, the definition of brooding – Isn't that your picture there, little brother?"
Stefan knocked the book from Damon's hand.
"Come on, why don't you get out of here for a while. Blow off a little steam," Stefan directed.
"Now why would I need to blow off some steam, Stef?" asked Damon, knowing full well what Stefan meant.
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's because our sweet little friend Bonnie is upstairs with someone you hate – someone you killed actually, and you can't do anything about it," Stefan explained.
Damon turned back to his brother and gave him his signature smirk.
"Sure I can," Damon pointed out, "I can rip out his heart and then chop off his head. That should do the trick this time."
"You could, but then she'd hate you and, well, it's not like you've got this big stockpile of friends," Stefan reasoned.
"Thanks for reminding me brother. Incidentally, you're dick when you're not getting laid," Damon said.
"I'm not a dick for pointing out the obvious. I'm your brother and you're just torturing yourself by sticking around here today. You should get out for a while before you say or do something you regret," said Stefan.
"Oh, I already regret plenty of things: Stef," Damon groaned, "I regret saving the little witch when I could have had Elena in my arms right now. I regret trying to protect her all this time. I regret actually giving a shit about what happens to her for the next 60 fucking years. I regret letting her stay here with that little prick of a vampwitch Kai. I regret…. I regret even giving a shit about her at all."
Stefan stepped back, considering his brother's words.
"I see it now. This isn't about being in love with her," Stefan noted, "You're not jealous because you want her for yourself. You're jealous because she's not focusing her attention on you: she's not being grateful enough. She's not being loyal to you. You're mad because you think she owes you and you want to collect in every way you can just to make yourself feel better."
"That's bullshit Stefan, and you know it," Damon defended himself, but inwardly, he thought about Stefan's words and wondered if there was any truth to them.
"Damon, she doesn't owe you a damn thing! You chose to save her. You told her to leave Kai in the prison world. There is a difference between being in love, needing someone, and wanting someone. You need Bonnie. You want Bonnie. You're not in love with her," Stefan said softly.
Damon thought for a moment then decided changing the subject was the best option at the moment.
"Look, can we just focus on the task at hand, okay?" Damon noted, "We've got a couple of powerful women to kill and no way of knowing how to do it.
The irony of both he and Kai sharing a desperate need to commit matricide bothered him. He didn't want the little bastard's help, but he knew defeating Elizabeth meant teaming up with the prick.
A soft creak sounded behind him as he turned to see Bonnie descend the stairs. She wore a long, black curve-hugging skirt and a simple white blouse that buttoned down in the front. She was stunning and his physical attraction to Elena's best friend made him feel guilty. The friendship they'd built meant something to him, but he was also a vampire with certain.. needs. He had to be careful with whom he exercised those needs.
Stefan was probably right. Perhaps he wasn't in love with her, but Bonnie represented the same strength and sweetness that made him fall in love with Elena. As a mortal, regardless of her magic, she could still die, yet she was afraid of nothing. He admired her. If he really did have to live without Elena for 60 years, Bonnie would be most logical companion for him.
Wading his way through sorority girls would get old. Bedding a random stranger wouldn't matter much either. Yet the formidable Bonnie Bennett possessed a magnificent interior and exterior. He knew he wasn't worthy of her. Neither was - Kai.
Kai followed Bonnie down the steps like a lap dog. Had Damon not been so angry at the idea of the two of them being together, he would have found Kai's trot down the staircase humorous.
Rather than chuckle, Damon let out a low growl. Bonnie wouldn't be able to hear it, but Kai would.
"Good Morning Damon – actually, it was a fucking great morning Damon," Kai chided, throwing Damon a wicked smirk and drawing a sideways glare from Bonnie.
She blushed, but still carried enough of a threat in her stare to put Kai partially back in his place.
Bonnie then turned to Damon and Stefan. She bit her lip before she spoke, trying to tamp down the rest of her embarrassment.
"I'm sorry about the, um, windows," she managed to choke out before realizing that nothing she said would make her feel any less exposed.
Stefan held up a hand as he smiled kindly.
"Don't worry about it Bonnie," Stefan added, "Windows can be replaced easy enough and noises, ahem, can be tuned out."
Bonnie nodded and sat gracefully on the plush sofa, crossing her legs. Kai leapt onto the cushions next to her, placing his head on her lap and batting his eyes up at her.
"What do you want," she said, forcing back a smile. He made her heart flutter. The sensation was difficult to control.
"I want you to run your fingers through my hair," he joked.
"No," she said flatly, looking away from him with no real anger in her voice.
Kai reached up and turned her face to look down at him. He then gave her a wink that made her insides feel hotter than if he had been the Devil himself.
"Behave!" she whispered back.
"Or you'll what," he kidded back, looking her up and down as if he were about to strip her naked right then.
Damon watched them with disgust, making an audible "humph" as he continued brooding by the bookshelves.
A sudden knock at the door startled everyone. Stefan turned to Damon.
"I don't suppose you're expecting anyone?" he asked.
"Nope," Damon answered, tensing up for a fight.
Kai jumped up from the couch and stood in front Bonnie. His eyes turning dark, vampire veins showing. Bonnie had no intention of cowering behind him, but his arms blocked her full view of the door.
No one was getting past him.
Damon cautiously walked toward the knock. As he stepped into the foyer, the door flew open with enough force to knock him over, sending him into the bookcase.
Elizabeth stood in the doorway, her dark hair glowing in the sunlight like a misplaced halo. Stefan launched himself at her only to be thrown back against the fireplace. The flames lapped at his feet, setting his pants on fire. He rolled to snuff out the flames, ending up on all fours and bearing his fangs for another attack.
"Boys, stay where you are," she said in a matter-of fact-tone, "I'm here for a little girl talk."
Kai used magic to lob the coffee table at his mother. She deflected it easily, shattering it against the far wall. He knew it wouldn't hit her, but wanted to send a message: he was no longer the frightened child sitting in the basement of his boyhood home.
Rather than chuckle at his failed attempt to attack her, Elizabeth just smiled at her son with what appeared to be pride.
"Someone's been practicing," she said, "We'll work on your aim later. Right now, I need to speak with Bonnie."
"Over your dead body," Kai threatened.
"Well, well, well. The boy really does have fangs doesn't he?" she chuckled.
Bonnie tried to step around Kai, but he wouldn't budge.
"Come on, Kai. I've got this," Bonnie said.
"She's not coming anywhere near you!" he shouted.
Bonnie gently touched his shoulder.
"She's not here to hurt me," Bonnie noted, "Not today."
Kai looked into her eyes, searching for some reassurance that she knew what she was talking about. He found it, but still only moved one foot to the side, allowing Bonnie to look at Elizabeth. He turned toward her, blocking her with half his body as he slipped his hand into hers.
"Interesting, isn't it Bonnie?" Elizabeth asked, not waiting for a response, "How they gather together to protect the one person in this room stronger than all of them combined."
"What do you want?" Bonnie asked, not bothering to acknowledge the compliment she'd just received.
"Oh, we told you last night that we needed information from you Bonnie…," Elizabeth stopped speaking and held out a necklace with a small silver ring attached at the bottom.
She let go of the necklace and it floated to Bonnie, who caught it in her right hand.
Elizabeth walked casually toward Bonnie and Kai, as she used a spell to prevent Damon and Stefan from lunging at her again. She took her hand, raising it to Bonnie's face, but Kai grabbed her arm.
"You don't get to touch her," he said, glaring at his mother.
"My sweet boy, neither of you is in any danger from me," she said, then turned to Bonnie, "You are so beautiful sweetheart. Strong. Brave. Powerful."
She withdrew her hand from Kai's grasp.
"You're not getting my blood," Bonnie insisted.
"It's not your blood I want," Elizabeth said coldly. She reached for Bonnie's stomach then quickly withdrew her hand.
"Welcome to the family sweetheart," she added.
Elizabeth turned on her heel and headed toward the door.
Bonnie's heart rocketed against her ribcage. It couldn't be. It made no sense. Not this soon.
"I – I'm not pregnant," Bonnie insisted shaking her head.
Elizabeth stopped, facing the feisty Bennett witch.
"Technically not yet, but it's coming. - They're coming… whether you believe it or not," Elizabeth pointed out.
Panic filled Bonnie's lungs. She backed up toward the wall so it could hold her up when her legs gave way. Kai backed up along with her, turning to look in her eyes, then down at her stomach, and back up again.
He spun around back to his mother, his eyes black again.
"You can't have them!" he yelled, his voice shaking the room, knocking pictures and books off the wall.
Elizabeth turned back around, smiling at her son with what appeared to be genuine affection.
"Malachai, my sweet child. Before this is all over, you will be begging me to take them."