Thank you for your reviews, randomlittleme, mrs mathis, Reighn Venhem 33704, stefanswifey01, ShyButterflyKiss, Infrena, aprilf00l, EllaChocolate!

And, to answer your questions:

ShyButterflyKiss, Bonnie still cares about Jeremy. And Jeremy won't die. Sorry:). But Damon will try to kill him.:) And of course Raymond will die. But it won't be Bonnie who will kill him.

stefanswifey01, Stefan won't ever understand Katherine. :) He doesn't get the kind of love she had for him. Anyway, he doesn't care. (Pity, I sometimes like Katherine)

Chapter thirteen

Tomorrow to win or lose

Bonnie woke up abruptly; the moment she opened her eyes she was totally awake. She found herself lying in her bed. Her room was dimly lit by the light of the bedside lamp. The witch blinked and frowned slightly. Her shoes were off. Her jacket was off. And she was lying in someone's arms.

'Oh. My. God.'

She glanced down and saw the hand around her waist, with the very familiar ring on it. Bonnie held her breath, hoping Damon was sleeping deeply. She shifted carefully and realized it was almost impossible to move. Damon's chin rested on top of her head. Their legs were entwined. And he pillowed his head on her hair.

In other words he had trapped her.

'How the hell did this happen?'

She froze when Damon's breathing changed. Shutting her eyes tightly, Bonnie cursed silently. She couldn't remember anything after... Right, she had fainted in his arms. Again. Seriously, it was like a bad melodrama.

Damon was lying still and Bonnie made another attempt to remove his pretty heavy arm from her waist. She needed to climb out of the bed and set the vampire on fire. What a nice motivating thought.

Bonnie heard the cell-phone buzzing and flinched. She closed her eyes again as Damon groaned in frustration and reached in his pocket. He pulled his phone out, still lying all wrapped around her.

"What?" he asked groggily. There was a pause, and then he growled, "What do you want?" Another pause. "No... Because I don't want to, obviously." Bonnie wondered who was on the other side of the phone. "And what can be so important, little brother?" So, it was Stefan.

She frowned when Damon's fingers curled around hers and he gave her hand a little squeeze. So out of character. Okay, all pretending aside now. Bonnie shifted but Damon pulled her closer to him.

"Just get lost, I'm sleeping," he said and hung up.

"Damon," Bonnie hissed.

He buried his face in her hair again and gave a satisfied sigh.

"Snuggling, really?"

"Five more minutes," he said in a muffled whisper.

"Are you kidding me?"

"Just don't move," he drawled lazily. "I'll be up in five minutes. Well, one way or another..."

"Ugh."

"Bonnie."

"What?"

"You kissed me."

She scoffed.

"You kissed me."

"And you just couldn't resist..." his breath tickled her ear.

"Yeah, right..." Bonnie pushed him off her and turned around to face him. She sat indian-style on her bed, her bright green eyes were blazing. Damon stretched himself and rose up on his elbow.

"Look..." she started hotly.

"I loved every moment of it," he said not taking his eyes off her. "What about you?"

Bonnie stared at him as though he had gone mad.

"We can't," she said, matter-of-factly.

He rolled his eyes.

"Why the hell not? And if you say the 'S' word, I swear, I'll destroy this town in blind fury."

She slightly frowned, evidently puzzled.

"What 'S' word?"

"Stefan."

"What has Stefan to do with it?"

Damon flashed her a smile.

"Aw, you're officially my favorite girl in the whole world."

Bonnie still watched him skeptically and he suggested casually, "Jeremy?"

"No."

"Then what?"

She averted her gaze.

"Don't make me your new habit," she mumbled. "Your heart needs to be free first."

Damon stared at her, his expression unreadable.

"So, it's Elena," he said calmly. "Bonnie, trust me..."

"No," she shook her head as if she was trying to shake off the confusion. "She's my best friend."

He sat up in bed and took both her hands in his. But Bonnie wasn't deceived by that gentle gesture. She could tell he was getting impatient.

"Is it about her?" he demanded. "Is it only about her? Because it doesn't matter."

"You're in love with my best friend," she muttered, looking down at their intertwined fingers. "It matters. And look at us. We always fight and we hated each other..."

"Why are you so attached to the past?" he snapped. "The first time I kissed you it felt like the most natural thing in the world. And when you gave me blood... I know you felt it. You felt what I feel."

"Everything is so messed up now," she whispered.

Damon sighed in irritation.

"God, why do you hate me so much!"

She looked up at him, alarmed.

"I don't hate you."

"I was talking to God," he glared at her. "And you are such a tease. First you kiss me senseless and the next moment go in denial."

Bonnie narrowed her eyes.

"Stop complaining. What do you want?"

"How about some happiness in my life?" he smirked and then sighed dramatically, "And I want to say 'And so the lion fell in love with the lamb'."

"And the lamb set his ass on fire," Bonnie said darkly. Damon was so mean to Edward. Why he needed to mock everyone?

"Uh-huh," he wagged his eyebrows. "What a sick, masochistic lion."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and he put his arms around her. His lips instantly were on her neck.

"Oh, don't you dare," she warned him, her voice low.

"You've got the wrong idea," he said, nuzzling her soft skin. "I'm not going to bite you."

"Either way, stop."

"Okay. Kiss me first, then."

He leaned away from her and gave her a seductive smile. Bonnie smiled back, wondering how someone like him could be so insecure? She still remembered his emotions that flooded into her when he was drinking her blood. Damon Salvatore didn't believe he was good enough.

Why? He was gorgeous, he was funny and brave, at least, when he needed to. Well, he had a bad temper and he was a vampire and a murderer and, to be honest, a bit psycho and... Okay, it did make sense. He had to be insecure with Stefan being so noble.

But Damon didn't need to be like Stefan.

He touched her face and demanded, "Kiss me."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Hey. Don't make me."

"Don't make me make you," he said in a sing-song manner.

She laughed softly but suddenly paused.

"Wait. Where's Lucy? She was in my bed."

"Yeah... she was," Damon said unenthusiastically.

"Where is she?" Bonnie asked worriedly.

"I took her to the couch."

"Why?" she exclaimed.

"I'm not comfortable on the couch," he 'explained'. "You know, she's a heavy sleeper, your cousin."

Bonnie blushed.

"Maybe, not. I gave her Daddy's sleeping pills," she mumbled.

Damon stared at her intently and slowly breathed out.

"You did this so you could go on your merry way. You really wanted to go and kill Klaus... You wanted to go all alone..."

"Okay, Damon," Bonnie said quickly. "I'm kissing you now!"

"You saw what happened yesterday?" he snapped. "Your powers were gone! You could be dead now!"

"I know."

"You were acting like a total idiot!"

"I know!" she shouted. "I'm sorry!"

Damon was still angry. Bonnie furrowed her brow and moved away from him.

"What is wrong with you?" he said testily.

"I miss the times when you didn't give a damn," she muttered, offended. He looked at her furiously and she hurried to say, "I didn't think clearly back then! Yuichi..."

"Please," he drawled sarcastically. "You knew him for what — two days?"

"I still care."

"What about your friends?" he asked grimly. "Elena and Barbie? Don't you care about them?"

"Of course, I do... I want to protect them."

Damon covered his eyes with his hand. There was no doubt anymore, he was fatally unlucky with the women he chose.

He always pitied people who lived for others. He was always ready to use them. And he couldn't deny he had treated Bonnie the same way. He was the taker and she was the giver. Maybe it was unfair but logical; it was in their natures.

But he wasn't okay with that anymore. He was selfish all right but Bonnie was his now. He wanted to show how much he cared about her. He wanted to make her believe she deserved all the happiness in the world. For starters, she needed to stop being all suicidal. She was too damn stubborn. A very difficult girl to protect.

Damon felt desperate. Seriously, when did his desire to caress her and tease her turn into the desire to hold her and never let her go?

How would she react? Did she still love Jeremy? Damon never said that out loud (he was afraid she would claw his face if he did) but he always thought Bonnie had started to date Jeremy out of gratitude. Jeremy had acknowledged her.

And what if Jeremy never wanted to leave Bonnie? What if Klaus had compelled him to do it? And if Jeremy came back now and wanted Bonnie back would she...

Bonnie watched Damon's face and saw him frown deeply. She touched his hand and his eyes flickered to her face.

"Did Stefan want to talk to you?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah."

"Then go and talk to him."

His eyes narrowed to slits.

"Kicking me out already?"

'And so unhappy about it.'

She gave him a half-smile. Damon nodded.

"Promise you won't do anything without telling me," he said. "Or I won't leave."

"Don't be ridiculous."

He shrugged.

"Fine. We can stay in bed."

"You want me to burn you?"

Damon scowled.

"Why do you always threaten me? Have you ever heard about diplomacy?"

"Have you?"

He ignored it and pulled her close to him. Bonnie felt light as a feather when she straddled his legs. She immediately relaxed into his arms and put her fingers in his hair. Damon smiled before he kissed her.

Bonnie closed her eyes, welcoming his kiss without hesitation. Everything felt right. His hands were caressing her back and it seemed he couldn't get enough of touching her. Bonnie shuddered with pleasure when his lips went down to her neck.

"So," Damon smirked. "How about..."

"Go home," she said strictly.

He laughed at her attempt to be bossy.

"I envy your self-control," he said with obvious irony in his voice.

Bonnie knew her self-control would be in shreds soon enough.

'If I start humming I'll ruin my reputation.'

Damon walked into the living room and right away saw Stefan who sat in the armchair. His little brother was drinking scotch in an almost Byronic manner.

"Brooding much?" Damon raised his eyebrows.

Stefan said nothing. Damon scoffed and went to the table to pour himself a drink.

"I've met your friend. Raymond. You know, brother, he has an unhealthy obsession with you."

"You think so?"

"I know an obsession when I see one."

Damon put the bottle down and turned to look at Stefan.

"Where's Elena?"

"She went home."

"Is it safe?" Damon asked, surprised.

"Nowhere is safe. But after Jenna's death the house is in Elena's name. Klaus wasn't invited."

Damon swallowed a gulp of his bourbon and asked, "Trouble in Paradise?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Maybe you should. They say nobody should keep everything inside. Let it out. Talk."

Stefan finally raised his head and stared at him.

"Talk about what? How you spent your last summer?"

Damon grimaced.

"Well, unlike you I don't keep a journal. But I can, you know, show you some pictures."

"Pictures with you and Elena?" said Stefan, his eyes boring into his brother.

Damon slowly lowered his hand that was holding the glass. His mouth twisted into a sardonic smile.

"Well, well, well..." he muttered. "Let me guess. Elena and you had a talk. And as always I'm the bad guy in the story."

"I should have guessed, right?" Stefan said. "You avoid her as if she was covered with vervain."

"Oh please..." Damon smirked. "Don't be a baby."

Stefan scoffed. That wasn't the way 'obvious' Stefan would act in response. A sudden unfamiliar wave of panic hit Damon. And that made him angry.

"Listen here, little brother," he growled. "I never asked you to save me. And I'm not going to apologize for your stupidity."

"I knew you hated me," Stefan said, his face rigid. "I knew I deserved your hate. But no matter how much you hated me, you have always accepted me. You were my brother. But now I feel it. You were always honest when you told me you never wanted me in your life. You would deny my very existence."

Damon wanted to smirk but he was a bit too surprised to react in his typical way.

"What the hell did Elena tell you?" he drawled.

Stefan's eyes darkened.

"Do you really love her? Was it worth?.."

"Oh, please!" Damon exclaimed. "Little Stefan is going through his emo phase, no one loves him! She even wasn't your girlfriend then!"

"Yes, I suppose it's quite understandable..." Stefan said sarcastically. "I wonder why I can't understand it..."

"Go talk to her and get over it!" Damon shouted impatiently.

"You still don't get it, do you?" Stefan roared jumping to his feet. "It's not about me and Elena. It's about me and you! About things you could do to me, brother."

The last word was filled with venom. Damon didn't wince but seeing his brother like this made him speechless.

"I'm just surprised you haven't rubbed it in my face," Stefan whispered.

"You thought I would?" Damon responded. "Why?"

"Why not?" Stefan looked away. "You screwed my life up again. You slept with the only girl I really loved."

Damon stared at him in disbelief.

"What are you talking about?" he snarled. "I've never slept with her."

Stefan stood stock-still. Damon huffed impatiently.

"She kissed me, then I kissed her, end of story. Oh, and there was a great lecture about how much she loved you."

Stefan still didn't look at him. Damon said slowly, "I didn't sleep with her."

"Because of your lack of trying?" his brother said in a hollow voice.

Bonnie's smiling face vanished from Damon's mind. He no longer could feel her touch. Instead of that he felt empty, cold. The last time he saw his brother as indifferent as now he had run away. He had left Stefan with Lexi and fled. He couldn't bear the sight of him. But Stefan was always an inevitable part of his life. They were bonded by friendship, by hate, by brotherly love, by rivalry. They were bonded by blood.

He thought of Bonnie again. Her face burst clearly into his mind and this time it wasn't her shy and kind face but fierce, angry and stubborn, with her green eyes blazing. Damon furrowed his brow.

After their first kiss and his chat with Yuichi later, he sat at the bar and drank. And when he got completely hammered an unexpected thought came into his mind, 'Tomorrow Elena will be my yesterday.'

And then tomorrow came. Damon remembered Bonnie's smile and felt stronger than ever.

'I won't lose her.'

His gaze went to Stefan and he saw his brother's shoulders slump a little.

"She was laughing at me," Stefan said. "She was playing with my mind."

Damon's eyes rounded.

"Okay," he said with exaggerated patience. "You know, I understand you are bitter. But Elena isn't a mind-player, really..."

"Elsa," Stefan whispered. "She made me believe Elena hated me. Hated me for choosing you over her... I believed it."

'For fuck's sake, that's it? All your hate for that bitch is just because of it?'

Stefan didn't notice Damon's disgusted expression and continued sadly, "I left her alone. But no, no, I left her with you. And then Raymond said..."

"So, Elsa and Raymond," Damon scoffed. "The most trustworthy sources. You don't trust me but..."

"It's not about trust," Stefan said, looking up. "I know how she feels about you. I know she... "

"She what? She cares about me? She feels grateful? Or maybe responsible?" Damon's voice rose. "She likes me chasing after her?"

Stefan's face was terribly pale but Damon felt not a shred of pity.

"You went to Klaus," he said severely. "It was your choice."

"I would do it again," Stefan whispered.

"So you are a moron."

"You would do the same thing."

"Thinking that makes you a total moron."

"I hate him."

His brother shrugged.

"So? We are vampires. We always hate someone. Get over it."

"I can't."

Damon huffed and raised his hands in mock defeat.

"That's it. I'm not going to sit here and watch you fight your inner demons."

"Damon," Stefan called helplessly and that made Damon irritated beyond belief.

"What?" he spat.

"It's my fault," Stefan confessed. "I was stupid to believe he would let me go. I wanted to go home, I didn't think clearly. And now everyone is in danger. Klaus, he did terrible things. I did terrible things."

Damon scowled.

"If you want my compassion you're delusional."

"Klaus won't let me live," Stefan said matter-of-factly. "The same goes for Bonnie. But you and Elena may have a chance to escape."

"Oh," Damon drawled, pacing now. "Well, wouldn't it be my own version of 'happily ever after'."

"It's not about some stupid love triangle anymore. It's about your choice. And survival."

Damon stopped dead in his track and stared at Stefan.

"So you're suggesting me to take Elena and flee?"

Stefan was silent for a long time and then said very quietly, "Yes."

Trying to remain calm, Damon smiled acidly.

"Nice... What about Bonnie?"

"I want her to be safe," Stefan said sadly. "But she won't run."

True.

"And Elena would?"

"If you and I ask her the right way."

"You want to compel her," Damon whistled, impressed.

"If I have to."

"Creepy."

"I know."

"So," Damon smiled, taking a step closer to his brother. "You're ready to give me your girlfriend?"

"I'm trusting you to protect her. I can't. I'm doomed."

Damon gave a short, derisive laugh not taking his eyes off Stefan's unhappy face.

"You sad, pathetic coward... And I hate to admit it but Klaus had bested me. I promised you an eternity of misery. He actually made you face it. You are miserable."

A faint smile appeared on Stefan's face.

"I wanted us to be brothers again," he said calmly. "I guess it's too late after all. We didn't take our chance to fix everything."

Damon watched him in silence and Stefan nodded with a determined look.

"I'll stay here and help Bonnie."

"She's not yours to protect," Damon couldn't help but be annoyed.

Stefan paid no attention.

"Hope we'll finish —"

"Stefan," Damon interrupted. "I think you've got the wrong idea. I'm not going anywhere."

Stefan looked so surprised that Damon wanted to hit him.

"Why?"

"Because you will get yourself together," Damon said calmly. "And you will help me to get rid of Klaus."

"What?" Stefan now totally lost his cool demeanor. "You are not serious..."

"Listen, brother," Damon scowled. "You are a vampire. I know, you are afraid of that cruel part of you. I've been watching for decades you fight it," Damon gave a curt, mocking nod. "It was amusing but you need to stop now."

"You know I can't control it."

"That's not it!" Damon growled impatiently. "You can't skip one part and go straight to controlling."

"What are you talking about?" Stefan exclaimed.

"You have to accept it finally," Damon spat. "You have to admit this part of you exists. You can't fight something you don't admit to being real."

Stefan looked very confused and angry.

"You want me to admit I'm a monster?"

"You are a vampire. Stop trying to be good."

"Of course, you want it..." Stefan muttered.

"It's not me who goes crazy for no reason."

"Really?"

Damon decided to be fair just for once.

"I can be... emotional." Oh, Bonnie would have laughed. "But my mind is always clear. And I don't kill because I cannot stop. I kill because I want to."

Stefan blinked.

"Is it any better?"

"Yes. I'm not pretending to be human. I'm not fighting my nature. I'm not breaking into pieces."

"Why are you telling me this?" Stefan asked, frowning. "Even if I learn to control myself how would it help to kill Klaus? And since when are you so heroic?"

"I don't do heroic," Damon said, insulted. "I just need to kill him before he gets to her."

"Elena?"

"Bonnie."

Stefan froze.

"You want to protect Bonnie?" he asked incredulously.

Damon scowled. Really, some opinion his brother had of him.

"Yes."

"But..." Stefan's frown made him look like an old man. "I mean, you never... Why?"

"Because I love her," Damon said simply.

Stefan blinked and stared at his brother. He was totally shocked.

"You what?"

"I. Love. Her."

"Are... Are you serious?"

"Do you want me to swear on Gone with the Wind?" Damon asked, annoyed. Then he frowned slightly. "Wait, but don't tell her! I won't let her gloat until she admits she loves me."

Stefan stood gaping at him. Minutes passed, asteroids collided with each other and Stefan just stared. Then he cleared his throat and mumbled, "You love Bonnie..."

Damon shook his head in disbelief and said sourly, "Your skull is indeed thick, Stefan."

"But you loved Elena. And before that you loved Katherine."

"Wow. Aren't you good with putting things in chronological order..."

Stefan let out a sigh, "Well, now I so believe in karma..."

His brother rolled his eyes. No matter how you put it, Stefan was pathetic.

TBC