Bonnie was avoiding him. Damon hadn't seen her in a week. Maybe I came on to strong, he did that sometimes. Next time you are in this situation maybe don't ask a girl 5 minutes after she reveals she is pregnant by a monster to keep the kid and raise it with you. He'd texted her a few times asking how she was and gotten no response. If it wasn't for Elena giving him updates he would've assumed Bonnie had gotten an abortion. But Elena told Damon that she was doing some soul searching and needed some space. Damon considered contacting Megan to see if maybe she had contacted her but decided against it. He just felt out of control and there was nothing to do but wait. He wasn't good at that. He took the time to check in on Shane and make sure he was behaving himself, when he arrived at Whitmore he was informed that Atticus Shane no longer was an employee of Whitmore. Damon went to his house and it had been packed up. He made a visit to the deans office and the perky little secretary told him that his arrest was just to much and the board thought it there were to many coincidences so he was let go. At least something came out of this. Damon compelled the Dean to give the professor a horrible recommendation and advised him to give full disclosure, "try to get another job teaching now dick!" he muttered aloud as he left the school.

He tried to locate him but it was as if he dropped off the face of the Earth, he called Abby and she informed him that she had not heard from him at all since she walked out. She would let Damon know if she found out anything. He hung up the phone without thanking her, it was the very least she could do. He spoke with Liz to let her know that the professor had disappeared, she said she would have her deputies to keep a look out for him and if they saw him she would let Damon know. She also put an extra patrol on Bonnie's block, just to be safe.

There was nothing for him to do then but sit and wait. He wished Ric was still alive. He would like his advise or at least someone to talk to while Stefan attended college for the 15th time. He said he was going to study law this time. Damon thought it may have something to do with what happened with Bonnie, either way he was proud of his baby brother. He had a few drinks at the Grille before calling it a night and heading back to the manor. Instead of driving he decided to walk, wasting time waiting to find out if you would be a father or if Bonnie had skipped town was driving him mad. He strolled down main street looking into storefront windows. He came across a kids store called "Baby B Mine", he looked in the window for several moments before finally walking in. A young lady asked could she help him.

"I'm just looking."

She smiled and left him alone, he walked around the shop smiling at some of the items, tiny pants, onesies, a bib that said daddy's little girl and one reading daddy's little man. The item that caught his attention was a pint sized leather jacket. He felt a grin on his lips as he held up the jacket and the clerk who had been watching him called out, "Isn't that adorable? I want to have a kid just to buy it!" Damon grinned broadly, "Yeah it's pretty bad ass."

He swallowed hard and realized how badly he really wanted this, he wanted to be the father to Bonnie's kid. It would break his heart if she decided to not keep the baby. He didn't know why he felt so strongly about it or protecting Bonnie, he just knew he wanted to be there for her. Since things had went to shit with Elena he was purposeless, for years protecting her was his goal and making her fall in love with him was his objective. But like with most things in his life it wasn't what he expected and once they realized they were sired, being with her became a bitter pill he had to swallow.

So for the past half year he was a ship without a rudder. He watched the gang graduate and go their separate ways. Meeting on the weekend for an occasional dinner. There were times that Damon considered leaving town. He held the jacket up daydreaming before his cell phone rang and snapped him out of his reverie.

The theme to Bewitched chimed alerting him to the fact it was Bonnie calling. He took an unnecessary breathe and answered.

"Hey witchy woman," cringing at his lame attempt to sound cool. "what have you been up to?"

"I've been busy," she said.

"I figured as much, how are you?"

"I'm okay, I'm doing okay," she said.

And he really believed that she was. "You sound a lot better, stronger."

The phone went quiet.

"Soooooo what have you been up to?" she asked.

"Oh you know, drinking, hanging, feeding, sleeping, the usual."

" Where are you now?" she asked.

"Oh I was just out on the prowl ,you know raising hell." He stared at the tiny leather jacket and placed it back on the rack.

"So being a bad ass?"

"Yep you know me."

He waved to the clerk as he exited the store. Stepping out on the sidewalk he looked across the street and sitting on the trunk of her Prius was Bonnie. She had a grin on her face and was staring right at him.

He hung up the phone and sauntered across the street to where she was parked. " Very funny, judgey."

"Hey alot of bad asses shop at Baby B Mine." She held up her hand as if she was defending him.

"I was going to feed off the clerk" he said rolling his eyes trying not to laugh.

" Right…' she smirked slowly nodding her head.

"I was!" he said pouting, sounding like a 5 year old.

Bonnie tilted her head to the side and looked at him with amusement. She burst out laughing and it was a real laugh, genuine, a tummy grabbing, can't breathe laugh.

Damon watched her, glad he could get her to laugh, even if it was at his expense.

When she was done. He tried to look tough, "Are you done now?"

" Yes,"she said wiping her eyes.

They stayed there is silence for a few minutes and Damon listened and heard Bonnie's heartbeat and the heartbeat of the baby.

"So you don't call, you don't write," he said with a grin on his face.

" I had some things I needed to sort out."

"Yeah?"

"I went and communed with my family and tried to find some sort of resolution, to find some answers."

He nodded his head waiting for her to continue.

"Did you find the answers you were looking for."

"Not really, a week is not really a long time to come to a life altering decision."

"I agree, ", he said, " I am glad you are taking your time with things."

"I did decide to take the next semester off, so much has happened. I know I just started school, but I need a break."

" Hey you went to school for 18 years, a semester off from hitting the books won't kill you. You may be a stronger student later on because you have recharged."

" And I started therapy."

"That's great Bonnie, really great." He said hopeful.

"What do you think I should do Damon?"

"It's your choice Bonnie, I just want you to know that I support whatever decision you make."

"I really want your opinion," she pleaded.

So he told her what was in his heart.

"I don't think my father ever wanted me, he was never proud of anything I did. I wasted so much time trying to gain his approval. He was always so harsh with me and with Stefan."

He continued, "I don't think he loved me. I never knew my mother and the only love I received in my whole life was from Stefan, and Katherine came between that, and then I allowed my obsession with Elena ruin the relationship we were rebuilding. 150 year on this earth and no one has ever loved me. I was never enough for anyone," He scoffed. "I think about my father and I realize he was right about a lot of things. I never grew up, even now, I have wasted so much time partying, whoring around and chasing dreams. This past year I took a good, hard look at myself , can you imagine waking up after being on this earth for as long as I have and realizing you're a fool, I despise fools."

"Damon.."she interrupted.

"Let me get this out while I still can," he said " I don't honestly know what you should do but I know this, that if you do decide to have this baby, I will love it. I promise you that it will never think it wasn't enough, that is will always have enough love, be enough, have enough everything. Do you know how much time I have wasted chasing after something not real Bonnie? This child is real, you're real, it's a part of you, apart of my friend. I don't care about Shane, I care about you Bonnie, Shane means nothing to me, and one day he will mean nothing to you. "

She shook her head in disbelief, she couldn't believe what he had shown her, what he told her, sometimes she felt the same way, " I don't know if I can get past it Damon."

"You got past me," he smiled, " You blamed me for your grandmother's death, I killed your mother, Jeremy and I tried to kill you, I have said and done hateful things to you, but here we both stand, talking about your baby. Hell, I was just looking at a tiny leather jacket for the kid." He scoffed.

" So you admit you were picking out baby clothes?"

After a small pause, "I admit nothing."

She laughednervously, "Wow, that was really intense."

"I'm a pretty intense guy." He said, his baby blues twinkling.

"Can you still hear the heart beat?"

"Yeah, it's pretty strong."

She couldn't hide the small grin on her face.

"I still haven't made up my mind, but I want to thank you for your offer and your honesty, it does help to know I have support either way."

"You're welcome, judgy."

"I asked you to stop calling me that."

"Why? it reminds me of our rich history of once loathing each other."

"I think those days are behind us."

He helped her down from the trunk of the car.

" I know whatever choice you make will be the right one."

She looked at him with her tremendous green eyes, wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him.

"Does this mean no more witchy migraines."

"No more witchy migraines," she spoke into his shoulder.

He put his hand on the small of her back and guided her into the car. Once inside he closed the door and Bonnie rolled down the window to say her goodbye.

Damon reached through the car window and grabbed her seatbelt, his hand brushing against Bonnie's belly when he fastened it. He heard her swift intake of breath and she tensed up a little but just as quickly relaxed.

When he looked up she was staring at him expectantly and without thinking he put his large hand on her flat stomach. Bonnie hesitated for a moment and then put her hand on top of his. They stared at their hands protectively shielding the tiny being inside of her. Bonnie was the first to look up and her expression was still doubtful and afraid. Damon's face was full of awe.

"Drive safely,"he whispered.

"Goodnight."

Another week went by and she had not made a decision, by the 7th week Bonnie knew she was keeping the baby. On the 9th week Damon went back to Baby B Mine and purchased the Tiny leather jacket, onsies, bibs, diapers and other items, He accepted congratulations from the young shop clerk.

"Are you hoping for a girl or a boy?" she asked.

"It's doesn't matter" he grinned.

He left the store on cloud nine never noticing Shane watching from the shadows.