I don't own the vampire diaries and I don't own the characters.
This takes place after the events in my fanfic Soulmates always find a way.
The POV's will be from Damon and Elena.
Enjoy.
Feedback is appreciated.


Sorry it took me a little longer to update. This chapter was tough to write but it finally came out real good. The next chapter will include a small falling out scene between someone and I don't think it's who you expect. But they also will find out something about Baby Salvatore. Let me know what you think.


Chapter 16- Homecoming

Elena's POV

The day had gone by too fast. My head was still spinning. I was alive, Damon's mom had done some spell to make me wake up my limbo and she also brought back our baby; I kept reminding myself that I owed her big time no matter how much she told me I didn't. Asher had been excited to hear that his little sister was okay now, he was thoroughly convinced it was going to be a girl. He also didn't seem surprised I had woken up, his reason being that I had Damon and that Damon would 'slay the devil' before he would let me die. The visit with my parents had been short, they had claimed that it was only work that was keeping them from staying but something else was wrong even if they didn't tell me. Jenna and Ric had responded quickly to Damon's text and were overly excited to hear the story, so much they had Damon tell in 4 times. My head was still ringing with Caroline's 'Eeeeekkkk' that she screamed the minute she walked in and saw me sitting up talking to Ric. Visiting hours ended and everyone left, even Bonnie and Jeremy although they seemed happy they could now go sleep in a bed rather than a chair. I had tried to convince Damon to go to the boardinghouse with Asher and his mom but he was adamantly against it.

"So Damon. How come you didn't go home with them? I know I'd much rather be in your bed at home it's a lot more comfy." I laugh as I scoot down under the covers more and try to get comfortable.

He laughs. "True but...that bed doesn't have you."

I watch as he pulls the blinds down over the windows and he locks the door. I roll my eyes, not going to ask at why he's locking the door because I have a pretty good idea already. He slips out of his converse and takes off his shirt and jeans. He slides in the bed next to me and pulls me to where I'm practically laying on top of him. It's quiet for a while and I'm left waiting, he locked the door so obviously he wants to have sex right? I mean yeah I was in limbo for a while but I can still make love to my amazingly hot, sweet, adorable fiancee.

"Damon?"

He doesn't reply. I frown before I look up and see him asleep. Seriously? This has to be a fucking first. Damon is in bed with me, with a locked door, and he's fucking sleeping! I hear the growl in the back of my throat as I move to straddle him. He still doesn't wake up. I kiss his forehead...nothing. I decide to start with the spots I know drive him crazy, like the one right where his pressure point is on his neck. I hear him moan but it's a whisper, hmm at least it's something. I run my hands down his chest and start to kiss him like crazy everywhere. God, I missed him. I get to where his boxers are and I run my tongue across his stomach. Suddenly I feel his arms grab my arms and pull me up so he's looking me in the eyes.

"Elena. If you don't stop that right now I will not be able to be accountable for my actions."

I smile. "What if I don't want to stop? It was you who locked the door and crawled into this bed with me. But...if you want me to stop then fine. I'll stop." I lay back next to him and turn to where my back is facing him. I know he won't be able to let me sleep because by now we are both aroused. I felt his and that huskiness in my voice gave me away. I felt him roll me over and climb on top of me, I giggled as I saw him smile down at me.

"Hmm Ms. Gilbert, would I be correct in the assumption that you want me to make love to you when you just woke up from being in a coma for 3 months?" He starts to gently kiss his way down my neck and across my collarbone.

"You'd be correct Mr. Salvatore."

He wastes no time in pulling the very ugly and uncomfortable hospital gown off of me. "I never liked that gown. Good thing I brought your tank top and shorts from the house so you won't be completely naked when I'm done with you." He grabs my hands and locks our fingers together next to my head. His lips find their way to my breasts and kiss each one. He takes each nipple in his mouth and sucks and bites until he know I can't take anymore. His lips find mine and he lets go of my hands. I quickly rid him of his boxers and he does away with my panties as well. We join hands again and he slowly thrusts into me. We don't go fast or hard tonight, it's slow and gentle and perfect. "I love you." He whispers the words in my ear as he slightly picks up speed since we are both close to our releases.

"I love you too." At those words we both find our release. He rolls off of me and slides out of the bed. "Where are you going?" I sit up to look at him keeping the covers over my chest.

"I told you, getting your clothes. No other person in the world is going to see my girl naked. Now blue or red top?" He looks at me as he holds up two different tank tops.

"Blue, I guess." He tosses it to me and picks out the matching shorts. He walks back over to me and puts my shorts on for me. "I could have done that you know."

He smirks. "I know. I just wanted to do it for you babe. Now scoot over so I can hold you." I lay my head on his chest and I fall asleep quickly.

Suddenly I'm back in the white room with Stefan. I look around and panic. Damon, I need to find Damon. I run everywhere I can looking for him but I can't find him. The surroundings change and I'm in the graveyard now. There is a funeral going on but whose I have no idea. I walk closer and I see Damon. He's sitting on the ground next to the casket crying like I've never seen him cry before. Jeremy is standing next to him but he looks different, so cold like he's turned off his humanity. Jenna is behind them and is quite frankly a mess. Ric is just shaking his head in his hands mumbling 'why her?' over and over. Klaus is attempting to comfort a very distraught Caroline but he doesn't seem to be making her feel any better. I look around again and I don't see my parents. A voice comes from behind me, "They gave up Elena. I mean after all they aren't your real parents right? Just ancestors that acted as your parents, I wonder if they even really care about you."

I turn and glare at Stefan. "How can you say that! Of course they care." I don't let him see that part of me agrees with him. Maybe they don't care as much anymore now that they know I know the truth. I turn away from him when I see everyone but Damon disappear. He stays next to the casket and even though it's closed I know it's me in there. Why else would everyone's reactions have been that intense and upset. The light changes and it's now dark outside. Bonnie comes up behind Damon and wraps one arm around his shoulders. At first I don't think anything of it other than it's a friendly gesture but then she talks to him. "It's okay sweetie. She's in a better place. Come on let's go home." She grabs his hand and kisses his cheek. He gets up and wraps his arms around her waist. "Thanks for helping me let go of her babe."

I open my eyes and pop up in bed like a pop tart in a toaster. I'm gasping for air and I slowly realize that it was just a dream. A very awful horrible dream. I look down and Damon is blinking his eyes open.

"What's wrong baby?" He sits up and wipes away the tears I didn't even know I was crying.

I shake my head and lay back down. Nothing in that dream could have been true, could it? My parents did care about me, they've proven it countless times. The part of the dream that was bothering me the most was the part with Bonnie and Damon. I don't know why but I couldn't shake it. I knew Damon didn't have feelings like that towards Bonnie or vice versa. Yet, ever since I woke up there has been something different between them, like their friendship had changed. I'd always wanted them to be friends but honestly that was it, I didn't want them to be anything more than friends.

"Elena. Please talk to me. What's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?"

Damon turns me to face him and runs his hands up and down my arms. I shake my head repeatedly. I don't want to talk about the dream, I just want to forget it. I don't want to tell him about what he and Bonnie said to each other in the dream. I don't even want to think of them as Damon and Bonnie. I close my eyes but he won't give up. He sits up and starts bouncing on the bed, yes bouncing on the bed.

"Damon. Stop."

"Nope. You need to stay awake and you need to talk to me."

I reach out and try to grab him to make him stop. It doesn't work. "What are you 5? Stop bouncing the bed. I want to sleep." Not really sleep but at least try to sleep.

"No I'm 160 some odd years old, or 19 if you want a more practical age without counting in the vampire years. Now...talk to me baby. What's wrong?"

He stops bouncing and lays next to me. I take a deep breath and start telling him about my dream. It's no use trying to hide it he doesn't give up when he wants something. He listens carefully until I get to the part about Bonnie. Then he starts laughing uncontrollably. He actually laughs so hard he falls out of the bed and is curled in a ball on the floor still laughing.

"You...you think...your dream was that...Bonnie?" He barely got the words out in between his laughter.

I get up and take the blanket to the chair. "Fine. I told you and you're laughing at me. I'll sleep in the fucking chair. Good night Damon!" I turn the chair away from him and stare at the wall.

"Elena. I'm sorry. It's just there is so much wrong with that dream. Lets talk okay? Please?" He was kneeling in front of me with this pouty look on his face. Damn it why can't I resist this man? I nod my head and he carries me back to the bed which surprises me. "Now. Answer me this, how many times has witchey tried to kill me in the past few years?"

His question takes me by surprise. I shrug. "I don't know. A lot."

"Exactly." He looks down at me and his eyes are staring right into mine. Blue to brown and I see the sincerity of his words in his eyes. "I can't just forget that, forgive yeah I'm capable of that but never forget. Bonnie is just a friend alright? Hell I'll even say a good friend but that's only because she's a good friend to you and a great girlfriend to Jeremy. If she was a crap friend to you and horrible girlfriend to Jeremy I'd hate her. Now next...Klaus and Caroline. The original was comforting blondie and failing...he wouldn't just sit there and do nothing. If all else failed he'd compel her to be okay most likely. Jenna and Ric, yeah your dream had them right they'd both be distraught. Babe your parents do care about you a lot. Your dad brought you back from being dead at least 15 times in one month. It took a lot out of him Elena, but he loves you. But the one thing the dream had completely wrong was that I would not be crying next to your casket babe. I'd be in one next to you."

I instantly recoil at his last words. He wouldn't dare. "No." I shake my head. "You'd live Damon. You'd move on and live a happy life."

"Happy? Without you? Do you know how many times I thought of actually jumping off the top of the hospital yesterday after I pulled the life support? At least 60 Elena. Hell if you had died I'd probably jumped for real. I can't live without you and I know people say that all the time and don't mean it but I do. I..." He shakes his head. "I almost lost you Elena. I literally pounded on your heart to start it again more than 10 times in the past 3 months. God, if one time it hadn't worked...Do you remember before Klaus's sacrifice to make him a hybrid I told you I can't lose you?" He pauses and I nod my head. "I still can't. I literally can't lose you. Physically, emotionally, I can't. It would be like...losing the ability to breath. Your literally the reason I'm still here and alive. You make me happy and believe me there would never be anyone else. I love you. Always, only you." He grabs my left hand and rubs the white gold band. I read the words that he just spoke that are engraved in the band.

How could I have thought for one moment that my dream was trying to tell me something that was real? Of course Damon didn't feel anything but friendship for Bonnie. I pulled him close to me and buried my face in his chest. "I love you too Damon. I'm not going anywhere." We hold onto each other and fall into a peaceful sleep, hopefully no more dreams.

Damon's POV

It had been a couple of days since Elena's bad dream. Fortunately we had been able to talk it out in one night. How she could ever thing I'd feel anything but a friendship for Bonnie Bennett was still beyond me. But right now I had more important things to think about, Elena was coming home today. Jenna, Caroline, and Miranda were at the hospital with her now keeping her company. They were already in full wedding planning mode, of course Elena wanted to get married before the baby came. I had already said I didn't care much for planning and that I'd get my tux and be at the alter waiting for my beautiful bride. I was driving through town on my way to the boardinghouse, I had to make sure everything was perfect when she came home. First on my list was to make her favorite lunch, chicken and dumplings. I had talked to Asher earlier and he promised he would be back when Elena got home, he had taken my mom to Richmond because she claimed she needed to shop but honestly I think they just wanted to get know each other which was fine by me.

When I pulled up to the boardinghouse I cursed as I parked the car in the driveway. "Fuck." Why was her car parked in front of the house? It was times like these when I wished I still had my vampire hearing. I got out and noticed that she wasn't in her car and she wasn't waiting outside the door. I pushed the key into the lock and walked in MY house. I shut the door and walked into the living room. "Bonnie. What the hell are you doing here and how did you get in here?" I stare at the witch sitting on MY couch. Isn't breaking and entering still illegal?

"I used the spare key." She holds it up and I snatch it out of her hand. "I wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'll take that. And you can come by the hospital. Anything else?"

She stands and looks me in the eyes. "Something's wrong. What is it?"

I raise one eyebrow at her. "Nothing is wrong. And if it was, I'd talk to Elena...not you. Now where's Jeremy?" I look around hoping that he will walk in because even I can tell that this is getting way too intense and slightly uncomfortable. Where is Jeremy or Elena when you need them?

"He's at home I guess. I came here alone. I wanted to see you." She steps forward and I step back.

"No." I shake my head. "No Bonnie. You can't do this. I don't...we're just friends."

"But Damon...you're different. I know we're friends but I can't not feel..."

I roll my eyes. Okay enough with Mr. Nice guy. "Just shut up Bonnie. I love ELENA! I think you should go. Now. Go to Jeremy."

She shakes her head and steps forward. "We need to talk Damon. I know you feel something. I can feel it in the air. The tension." Yeah I think to myself the awkward I don't know how to let you down without sounding harsh and I don't want Elena to find out about this ever tension. Yet, before I can say anything she keeps on babbling. "Jeremy is different and Elena has changed too. But so have you. You're not like you used to be. You're better." Before I know what she's doing she kissing me.

I push her away and smile when she flies across the room. "What the hell Bonnie?!" I wipe my mouth while trying my best not to puke right here. "Get out of my house!"

She looks at me confused. "But..."

"OUT!" I yell at her and point to the door. She gets up and walks out thankfully without looking back at me.

When I hear the front door close I nearly run to the bathroom. I spend a great deal of the next half hour puking up my guts. She kissed me. How could she fucking kiss me? I'm engaged to her best friend...well her supposedly best friend. After I've gotten rid of most of my breakfast I go to my liquor cabinet. I need a drink. I don't bother pouring the bourbon in a glass I just drink it straight out of the bottle. I pace the length of the living room as I pull out my phone and send a text message.

Get here. NOW.
-D

I walk to the kitchen and start boiling the chicken. Hopefully this person can help me sort out the crap going through my head. After about ten minutes I finally hear the doorbell ring. I wrench open the door and immediately start talking.

"Thank God you're fast. Look Bonnie kissed me. Yeah I know shocked? I was too. I kicked her out and spent half an hour puking my guts out. But that's not all Elena had a fucking dream a couple days ago that she died and guess who I started dating in the dream? Bonnie fucking Bennett. Why would she kiss me? She said she felt something for me and that she could feel that I felt tense around her and yeah I do because hell she tried to kill me more than 50 fucking times. Not to mention all those little brain aneurysms she gave me. Come on man talk for Christ's sake!" I stare at Ric and he starts to laugh.

"Okay Damon slow down. Bonnie kissed you? First off I would tell Elena. I know you may not want to but she deserves to know just the same and it will save you a lot of pain if she finds out now from you instead of later from someone else. Next...I think you should stay away from Bonnie and basically avoid her at all costs. Now...I should warn you that your chicken in burning because you left your stove on too high."

"Shit!" I yell as I run back into the kitchen. I grab the pot and throw the chicken out. Why did I put the stove on the max setting? Oh yeah, because I'm an idiot who tries to multitask when I suck at it, at least I suck at it when I'm human. "Great there goes dinner. Just fucking great." I turn around to see Ric talking on the phone in the hallway.

"20 minutes? Yeah that's fine. Put it on my tab." He looks up at me. "The chicken and dumplings will be here in 20 minutes and Elena should arrive about 15 minutes later with Jenna and Miranda. Now go get ready for your fiancee and I'll keep and eye and ear out for unwanted visitors." He pushes me towards the stairs as he's talking.

"Fine. Thanks for ordering. I'm paying you back."

I allow him to push me to the bottom of the stairs. Maybe he's right, maybe I should tell Elena. I know from experience that he's right it will be infinitely worse if she finds out from someone else later. I just didn't know how to tell her, especially after her dream a couple of days ago. She was just starting to put it behind her and now this. I shake my head as I step into the shower. Unlike usual the warm water does nothing to relax me, my thoughts are still going 90 miles a minute. I never understood why she felt like she would be so easy for me to replace, like she was never good enough for me. I told her over and over that she was deadly wrong and that she was everything I never knew I always wanted. Hell even with our trip to the past she was everything I'd wanted. "At least I didn't kiss Bonnie back." I say the words out loud and sigh in relief. At least she would know that the kiss had been totally one sided. Bonnie started it but I quickly put an end to it.

As I got dressed I decided to take Ric's advice. I deleted her number from my phone, I don't really know why I saved it in the first place I hardly ever called her unless it was to see if she was with Elena. I would cut all ties with the witch and avoid her. I would never be alone with her and I would end what little friendship we had. She would move on past this crush and realize that what she had with Jeremy meant more than a fucking attraction. I walked downstairs and I saw Ric setting the table with the food already. My mom and Asher had shown up while I was upstairs and were bringing out extra chairs. I quickly counted them. 10? We only need 8 for this dinner. "Wait wait wait. 10 chairs? There's only 8 people. Grayson and Miranda. Me and Elena. Mom and Asher. Jenna and Ric." I see Ric's face as he looks up at me.

"Jeremy and Bonnie decided to join us."

Great, just fucking perfect. I nod my head and go to grab my bottle of bourbon. I start chugging it down. I get about halfway done with the bottle when it's pulled out of my hands and replaced with water.

"God Damon. Do you want to die? You're not a vampire anymore. Too much alcohol can kill you. Now drink the water and sober up enough to make it through dinner."

I nod at Ric and drink the water. I walk to the kitchen and drink about 3 more glasses before the door opens. Even though I can't see Elena yet I can feel her presence. I smile and I run around the corner to greet her. "Welcome home baby!" I pick her up and spin her around. I'm calmed down immediately when I hear her giggle and she kisses me on the cheek. I hug Miranda and Jenna and shake Grayson's hand as he walks in behind them. Luckily Jeremy and Bonnie aren't with them. I bring Elena a glass of root beer and sit down on the couch with her on my lap. We decide to wait to eat until Jeremy and Bonnie show up. After 10 minutes of hearing wedding plans Jeremy walks in like it's his own house, which it kind of is since he's Elena's brother and I actually gave him a key, unlike his girlfriend who used the spare that doesn't belong to her at all.

We sit down at the table with Ric and Grayson each sitting at the end of the big dining table. Jenna, Bonnie, my mom, and Miranda are on one side while Asher, Jeremy, Elena and I are on the other side. No one talks at first and I'm not willing the break the silence just yet. I can see Ric giving me looks but I shake my head. I don't want to tell her now, not here where her supposed best friend is sitting right across from her. Knowing Elena she'd probably jump across the table and punch her lights out or run out of the room crying. Each is not an option I'm willing to take. We finish dinner and I help Ric and Jeremy clear out the dishes and bring in desert.

Not even a minute after I sit down do I hear the words that begin the war that I know is to come any minute.

"Damon and I kissed."

I spit out my drink and immediately yell out the truth. "NO Bonnie. YOU kissed ME. I puked for half an hour after throwing you out which I'm about to do right now." I get up to show her to the door when I hear the only voice that could snap me out of my angry haze speak.

"Bonnie, you kissed Damon?" I turn to face Elena and my heart breaks when I see her face.