3 years later
" Bonnie Marie Bennett."
Damon cheered "Way to go Judgy!" as Bonnie walked proudly across the stage to accept her college degree.
The gang was all there cheering her on, even Abby. Damon had come to an understanding after the death of Abner and although he still could barely stand her he found that a shitty mom was better than no mom at all. So he tolerated her for Bonnie." Go Bonnie!" she screamed.
He spied Mr. Bennet smiling proudly. " Way to go baby girl!"
Bonnie smiled and waved. She was so proud of herself. She was graduating Magna Cum Laude with a degree in criminal justice, she planned to attend law school but too tell the truth she was tired of school and she was graduating a year earlier than everyone of her peers, and she took a semester off!
The past three years had been good to her. She was no longer in one on one therapy, but she still wasn't dating exclusively, no matter how many times Caroline found, " the perfect guy" for her.
She was still a bit apprehensive around men and she also didn't want to set herself up for failure.
Damon was happy too. He had a job working as an independent consultant for the Sheriff's office. It didn't pay a lot but he wasn't doing it for the pay, he needed a purpose. He still partied and still enjoyed having meaningless sex with hot women but he had changed and he couldn't go back to that person.
Later that night at the Grille the gang was sitting around drinking and celebrating Bonnie.
She flew out of her seat when "Fly" by Niki Minaj and Rhianna began to play.
"I love this song!" She headed to the dance floor alone swaying to the music. Damon watched her and smiled to himself. It had taken a while but she had regained her confidence and spark. He admired her and what she had gone through and still thought the world was a good place.
He watched as a guy that was around her age swaggered up and started dancing. She tensed up as usual and apologized walking away.
"Hey you just gonna leave me hanging?"
She smiled and slid into the seat next to him.
"Why didn't you dance with that guy, I thought you liked that song."
She shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of her margarita.
He didn't know why he asked, he didn't want her to dance with the guy. He felt pangs of jealousy whenever any man noticed Bonnie. He was in love with her or at least he thought he was, he didn't really know what love was. He had never been close to anyone like he was with Bonnie. He had shown her who he was and she had not run from it. She had embraced him, flaws and all. Deep down he knew he didn't deserve her but he watched her grow into a woman and he wanted her to notice him. He held her when she had nothing. She held him when he had nothing. She was his closest friend and if she asked him to he would bring her the stars and the moon. Of course she had no idea how he felt, he disguised it with lose women and booze.
She was comfortable enough talking about sex with him that he could tell her about his sexual exploits. She would shake her head and blush, he would never forget when she asked him about a year ago what an orgasm felt like. He wanted so badly to say " I can show you better than I can tell you." But he knew she wasn't ready for that. So he told her it was undescribable and went home and jacked off in the shower.
He was stuck in friend mode and Bonnie seemed happy that way. She made him dinners when she was home from school and had the occasional movie night. Sometimes he would catch her watching him and he would think maybe theres a chance but he was to afraid of rejection to go further. Their relationship was the simpliest most complicated thing in his life. Imagine sharing a child with a woman, seeing that child laid to rest to soon, knowing the most intimate details of each others lives and he'd never even kissed her. It was all very confusing.
" I mean you got to date sometime.' he said.
"Why do I have to date Damon, my life is perfectly fine the way it is." She clapped her hands happily! "Oh did I tell you I am teaching classes at Pretty girls."
"The strip club?" he knew perfectly well that it was a kids dance studio but he liked to get rise out of her.
" You're an ass."
He laughed loudly. " If it makes you happy Bonnie."
"Of course it makes me happy, don't I look happy," she beamed.
She was trying to find all these ways to fill the empty spaces in her life. Volunteering to teach ballerina classes for toddlers was the new one.
"What days are you teaching, maybe I'll swing by, there should be a lot of hot moms there right?" he asked eyeing her to see if he could get her to react.
" Tuesdays and Thursdays at 630 after I get off work." she said dissappointing him. "Maybe I can teach you a few moves" she teased elbowing him in the side.
" My moves are just fine. As a matter of fact.," He said hopping across the table to get out of the booth. He grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet, pushing her with both hands on her hips from behind to the dance floor as Chris Brown's 'She aint you" began to play. She grinned from ear to ear as he pushed her out on the dance floor. They danced for hours, laughing and talking, anyone watching would think they were a couple in love sharing a night out.
/
Bonnie started her job as a law clerk right after graduation. She loved the law, maybe because everything else had been so chaotic in her life. The law was the most stable thing she could think to do when she went back to school.
Sometimes things got hectic, but all in all it was a pretty cool gig. She got to see her dad and Damon when he stopped by on a case. Lately she'd started having these feelings about Damon. Of course she knew he was attractive, but she felt something. She didn't know what it was but it was there bubbling just beneath the surface and it kept her up nights.
She would see him out sometimes with some bimbo or as Caroline would say "trailer booty." And Damon would saunter up introduce the chick to Bonnie. She would be cordial and smile not judging his outwardly but inside cringing.
She would watch a movie with him and become exaspperated at his constant chatter but the next weekend she would invite him over again. She enjoyed spending time with him. He saw her fall apart and he helped to build her back up. The entire time she was away at school, not a week would not go by without her coming out of a class or her dorm to find Damon leaning on his blue Camaro checking in on her. She depended on him, she was happier after she saw him. She didn't know what that meant and she was to afraid to look further into it.
Every year on the anniversary of Abner's death she would get a dozen white roses with a card that said simply, for the mother of my child. She knew they shared something special, she was closer to him than she was to anyone in her life.
Sex, was a complicated thing for her. Since her rape she had never been with anyone. Her therapist told her she was still a virgin, Bonnie didn't buy that. She wanted to be intimate with someone she just was picky on who it should be.
"What if I start to like the guy and he wants lots of kids, what then?" she explained to Caroline and Elena.
"We are in the same boat Bonnie. If the guy loves you he will accept you, all of you."
When it came down to it she guessed she was just afraid of rejection. Afraid that she would be intimate with some guy and he would say " well that was awful."
Caroline and Elena used to censor sex talks around her, but Bonnie had encouraged them to speak freely. Some of the things Caroline was into , she was sure may be illegal in some states. She was frustrated and to temper that frustration she threw herself into school, work and volunteering her time with kids. She felt it was a tribute to Abner's memory.
She was running late for her ballet class starting in 15 minutes. She swung her BMW hybrid into the parking lot and rushed to change.
The two and three year old girls were all waiting to begin. Leaning against the wall in the back of the class were the parent of the little girls and to her surprise, Damon, leaning against the wall. During the lesson she noticed several of the mom's checking him out, obviously wondering who's father he was. Damon could hear them whispering, but he only had eyes for Bonnie. She was magnificent with the little girls, patient, funny, supportive and encouraging. She would make a phenomenal mother he thought sadly. When the class was over he waited in the studio for her to clean up.
He sat in a folding chair as she gathered her things.
"You were really good with those kids Bon."
"Thanks Damon, " she beamed as she locked the door in case someone wandered into the studio.
" I mean I can tell some of them maybe black swans one day. A few may be better suited for a horizontal pole instead of a parallel one" he smirked.
She shook her head and laughed. "You are terrible."
"Hey I am just calling them like I see them."
She went to remove her Ipod from the sound system when Damon used his vamp speed to stop her.
"I thought you were going to teach me a few moves."
She snatched the Ipod from his hand and said, " I thought you said there was nothing wrong with your moves."
" Hey you are never to old to learn." Snatching the ipod out of her hand.
"You're ancient though." She smirked.
He scrolled through the song and found what he was looking for placing the Ipod back in the dock, "Fly" filled the studio.
She smiled and placed her hand in his outstretched hand. They began to waltz around the room.
"You dance divinely, Mr. Salvatore." Bonnie said mimicking a line from Gone with the wind.
" Shut up" He teased. He spun her around the room and watched as she closed her eyes and began to hum along to the song.
"I love this song," she said and he let her hand go. She stopped dancing and looked at him. He was watching her with his arms crossed. He lifted a hand signaling for her to continue. She was a little embarrassed but apart one alternative therapy class was sensual dancing. She had only done it with other rape victims, women like her and she taught Caroline and Elena a few moves. It's now or never Bonnie, she thought. If you can dance for Damon you may be ready to be date or something more serious.
She moved around the room in perfect synch with the music, eyes closed, touching herself sensually, singing the words. She was lithe, petite, limber, beautiful, glowingly perfect, thought Damon. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. If he didn't know it before he knew it now. He wanted her. The room went silent and she stood in the middle of the dance floor, breathing heavily.
"I love dancing."
He said nothing, just nodded his head.
" You want to get something to eat."
"Not tonight," he scratched his head still staring at her.
His blue eyes travelled to her lips and he had the strongest urge to kiss her.
"Your body is different" he said finally. She had curves in all the right places.
"I work out a lot."
She was totally unaware of what she was doing to him.
"We better get going," he said looking at his watch.
"You go ahead," she smiled brightly, her face full of life. " I really feel like dancing." Her green eyes wide and sparkling.
He should go, he needed a drink to clear his mind of the images of her body moving across the floor. He kept seeing her under him naked doing the same moves underneath him.
He swaggered up to where she stood and put his arm around her waist pulling her to him. Bonnie was a little shocked but she didn't pull away. He begin to sway and she followed his lead. There was no music playing, all Bonnie could hear was her own heart hammering in her ears. She knew he could hear it too. She wrapped her arms around his waste and pulled him close to her. Intimacy was difficult but not with Damon, not tonight. She let him rub his hand along her back, up her arms and hold her closer than any man had ever done. Damon knew this was a big deal for her and he didn't want to scare her or take advantage of the situation. He just wanted to be near her. Feel her warmth, her spirit, her goodness.
After a long while they pulled apart and Damon moved a strand of stray hair out of Bonnie's eyes.
" You okay?"
"Yeah."
That night while Bonnie slept, Damon went to a bar, a pretty brown skinned girl with light brown eyes caught his eye. She flirted and invited him back to her room for a "good time." It had happened before. He would spend the day with Bonnie, and then go out and bang some girl from behind and feed until he got the image of her big green eyes out of his head and he could once again face her and pretend he didn't want her.
This night was no different, stumbling through her apartment door and onto the bed Damon tried, he really tried but he couldn't substitute this girl for the real one. He compelled the girl to forget him. Wishing he could stop thinking about Bonnie, how she felt in his arms, how her body moved with his and how much he wanted her.