Note: In the wisdom of my (recent) old age, I have decided to make it a two-parter, but that's all I have in me loves. If you want to get more feisty characters before your retinas I suggest you turn your attention to 'The Arsonist's Lullabye'. Mkay – bai XO.

The Wicked One

Call me Violent, I mean Violet

"We have a kid." Damon said, blowing air through his puffed cheeks as he slid back into the couch and ran his hands through his hair. Bonnie had her head in her hands next to him; probably trying to piece together any logical and plausible scenarios that would create a child between the two of them. "I mean, we," he emphasised with a hand waved between them, "Have a kid together."

"That's like the fiftieth time you've said that now." Bonnie muttered behind the shelter of her palms.

"And it's not like I can't hear you or anything." Violet quipped as she sat across from them; eyes narrowed and mouth pinched. Stefan was next to her, also staring, though she commended him for his efforts not to. First he'd been as weirded out as anyone else but she'd pulled him down on the couch next to her and patted his hand with an affection he couldn't place and then she'd rolled her eyes and laughed. 'You're my uncle Stef,' she'd said, 'I was hoping you of all people would make this less weird for everyone'.

Caroline had finally stopped pacing and whirled around to face Violet. Violet found it odd how different her aunt was now "in the past". The Caroline Forbes she knew was a force to be reckoned with, not a flailing drama queen. All the blonde had been doing since the three returned to the Boarding House was squeak out a loud 'what?' and then frown and gape and then frown and then the what-ting all over again. "You said your name was Violet?"

"Yes, Caroline," Violet sighed, "My name is Violet Salvatore. I'm a Hybrid. Born not made and my mother is Bonnie Bennett-Salvatore," Damon choked and Bonnie'd stopped breathing, "And my dad is Damon I'm-The-Only-One-Who-Can-Do-Wrong Salvatore." Violet lifted her dark brows in a silent question, "If you want I can just run through the list of all the things I know about them – and you – until you all realise I'm not lying."

"I don't think they're freaking out 'cause they think you're lying." Matt spoke up. Violet's gaze flickered to his and Damon narrowed his eyes. "I think it's more the fact that you're not and they have to wrap their heads around this." She smiled and Damon cleared his throat, patting Bonnie none too gently on the back so she could think to breathe. The witch lifted her head and her eyes settled on the girl. Her girl. Her daughter. Violet was about to speak when Bonnie beat her to it.

"Violet?" The Hybrid's gaze snapped to her mother's face. "Was I," she fumbled a bit, "Where we…Was I a good mother?" The room fell silent and Bonnie watched as Violet's eyes began to shimmer a bit. Wordlessly, the girl nodded and Bonnie felt the strange weight that had been plaguing her since her realisation lessen a bit.

Beyond the initial impact of Violet's announcement, Bonnie was sent into a spiral for an entirely different reason. Every mother figure she'd ever had hadn't been hers to have for long enough. That had damaged Bonnie irrevocably, and then her father died and she had no one to call home. How in the hell did she have it in her to raise anyone?

"Mom…" Violet couldn't seem to help herself. "I can't stay for much longer, or the future you is going to wring my neck, but, you need to know," Violet stood and flashed to Bonnie to drop to her knees in front of the witch. Violet took her mother's hands in hers, marvelling at the subtle differences in her mother in this time, she looked up at Bonnie and her smile wobbled. "You're the best mother anyone could ask for. I know people always say that in the movies we hate," she laughed and it was so perfectly Bonnie that when the witch's surprising giggle fell in line smoothly, Damon swore his skin erupted in gooseflesh. "But you are. You and daddy are everything to me. So don't be made that I did this okay? Because saving you today is the only reason I'll even exist in a few years' time. Garett tried to explain the logistics to me, but you know –" she remembered herself, "I mean, you will get to know him and he makes absolutely no sense to me half the time, but," a shrug and the downcast eyes that made her so Damon in that moment, "There's a reason I'm here." She looked to Damon then.

Her hand covered his. "And despite your ridiculous rules about boys and blood, I love you," Damon's dead heart galumphed, "I love you more than either of you could imagine," her eyes flickered to Bonnie and back to his, "You're an incredible father," she squeezed his hand and narrowed her eyes, "And no, no matter how much you try and bribe me I will never say those words again, "Damon's smile was helpless and pure as he held Violet's gaze, "So don't even try." The three of them shared a shaky laugh. The other three; Matt, Caroline and Stefan could only stare.

"I'm the luckiest girl in the world," Violet promised, "I'm an idiot half the time, but, after today I say we just sweep all that under the rug?" Bonnie and Damon lifted their left brows at her and she chuckled, "Can't blame a girl for trying."

"…How?" Bonnie asked after a moment.

"Well apart from the obvious," Violet snorted, "It's because of you mom," Violet looked at Bonnie. "It's because you never really die and daddy's undead. There's some voo-doo going on there and then I happened."

"That doesn't make any sense." Damon stammered. Violet nodded.

"I didn't say it would. But you two are more special than you think." She said assuredly, "And it's pretty cool that I'm living proof of that." Bonnie couldn't help it, her free hand curved around Violet's cheek and the girl's eyes fluttered at the contact.

"Are we safe? What is it like?" Damon asked as the two turned to him. Violet licked over her bottom lip and shrugged.

"You said I wasn't supposed to spoil anything for you." Damon scoffed and she grinned. "I told you you'd do that." She drew in a breath. "But there is one thing you wanted me to tell you…" she moved until she was wedged between the two of them ans started fiddling with her fingers. As he was about to tell her to just spit it out and put him out of his misery she spoke. "Elena," the room grew colder, "She, uh –"

"You don't have to say it." Damon cut in and she cut her eyes at him and crossed her arms.

"Someone has to," Violet reasoned firmly, "And you won't hurt me so I guess it has to be me." She paused. "Elena isn't ever coming back." She remembered something. "And if you push mom away," her eyes pressed shut for a long moment, "Daddy if you let this eat away at you…" she looked him head on. "I'll never exist." Damon looked at her long and hard.

Violet was his flesh and blood – by some convoluted nonsensical miracle the Universe granted him this gift. This girl. His girl. His daughter. He noticed when Bonnie's fingers wove quickly with Violet's and how the girl seemed more at ease after that. He noticed how Violet had Bonnie's face shape, their eyes, his mouth and Bonnie's skin. Violet had his build, making her taller than her, his brain struggled over the word, her mother, and she had his hair and Bonnie's laugh and –

"Breathe dad." Violet whispered. "If you pace yourself, if you do what's right. For you, for me, for us – all of us," she jerked her head toward their audience, "Everything will be better than you can ever imagine – your own words."

"I'm going to fuck up." Damon's voice was barely a whisper. Violet nodded.

"All the time," she agreed, "Your fuckery knows no limit. But, and here's the kicker, the same can be said for your love." Her smirk, a small twitch of her upper lip to the right was exactly him and he mirrored her smile without thinking. She really was his. Violet swooped in and kissed his cheek and hugged him fiercely. She turned to Bonnie and pulled her upright. She hugged Bonnie for a long time. "I love you." She promised. Damon was on his feet and she said it to him as well. "I have to go."

"Now?" Her parents asked. Violet nodded and pushed her fringe back. She turned around to Stefan and sped to him and hugged him, shorter, but still with love.

"Don't be so hard on yourself." She knocked his chin and grinned. She twirled on her booted heel to look Caroline up and down. "The future you would have a field day." Was all she said. Then she turned to Matt and looked sad and walked over to hug him. "Because I never got to actually say hello." She said and wiped away a tear she couldn't help; foggy memories of an older man smiling as he lifted her up and swung her around (she'd only been one or two at the time). Then she walked to her parents. Bonnie and Damon enveloped her in a hug and Violet's heart burst as she let the moment soak in. "Please don't let me go." She whispered, and they tightened their grip on her. One moment they could feel her then her skin began to sink and shimmer and she vanished from their grasp. It left Damon and Bonnie standing with an arm wrapped around the other.

Bonnie started crying she couldn't help it. She wasn't sure what she was feeling but she knew it overwhelmed her. This was more than finally moving past everything with Damon, this was more than Elena, or either of them. Someone's life, Violet's life hung in the balance with very choice they made now. Bonnie couldn't help the loss that passed through her – her and Damon hardly spoke; how would they ever reach a point of –

"I have to go." Bonnie turned to Damon who'd been silently watching her fall apart. She had expected him to say as much, leave as quickly as he could. "I'm coming back."

"Damon –" It was Stefan who'd called after him but he couldn't stay. He needed to say goodbye if he was ever going to see Violet again. Damon's feet felt heavy even as he ran with supernatural speed. Seeing Violet, having her in front of him, a part of him, it was the only thing propelling him forward to Elena's coffin. Violet needed him and as much as he couldn't think he could actually say the words to Elena, he had to – they all had to. Bonnie's knees gave in and Caroline caught her.

All the witch was thinking was that she was never going to see Violet again.

"What happens now?" The blonde asked as she looked up at the other two while Bonnie held onto her.

"Violet." Stefan said and Matt nodded. "Violet needs to happen."

The day of Violet's birth

Bonnie held the little creature in her arms and her smile was trembling as she ran the pad of her thumb over the sleeping infant's cheek. It was jarring having Violet's image in her mind at seventeen as she looked down at the baby.

"She's perfect." Damon whispered as he kissed Bonnie's cheek. Bonnie could only nod as she watched him look down at their daughter. Bonnie had stopped aging when she turned twenty-two – making Damon only physically a year older than her. They still hadn't figured out what Bonnie was (her being unable to remain dead and all – theories of immortality where being tossed about – child notwithstanding) but right now – Bonnie and Damon were going to start a family.

"Hello Violet." Bonnie cooed as Damon swooped down to kiss Violet's forehead. When Violet had left all those years ago Bonnie and Damon's world descended into madness; both trying to mourn and see past themselves to look at one another. Soon they both realised they wanted Violet, they needed her around. That brought them closer, but what kept them tied was the love that blossomed in the wake of their relationship. It fostered a fire that still burned bright to this day. Violet was forged in that flame and it made perfect sense for her to be the embodiment of not only her parents, the magic that lived within them but also their love. "Maybe we can give her a curfew of midnight?" Damon sneered.

"Hell no." He said immediately. "Eleven o' clock."

"How about half past eleven?" Bonnie tried to reason with a tired grin on her face.

"Quarter past." Damon sighed.

"I'll take it." Bonnie kissed him, chastely on the mouth when the doors burst open. The midwife come witch nodded at them and rose from her chair beside them.

"My work here is done." She announced as Caroline began squealing and clapping her hands.

"Is it her? Violet?" The parent's nodded. "Yay!"

"Ssh, Caroline," Matt grumbled as he entered with purple balloons and a lilac version of Bonnie's Ms Cuddles from then they'd been kids. "Let her sleep." Despite his shifts at the sheriff's department, he'd let his paperwork mount when Bonnie went into labour.

"Let me see her." Stefan flashed inside and zoomed until he stood beside Damon. "It's her alright." He grinned. Even now, as a new-born all the signs were there. Violet's eyes opened and went straight to Bonnie's face. Bonnie could swear her child smiled. Then Violet's eyes went to her father, her uncle, rolled until she saw Matt and Caroline before she burrowed deeper into her blanket with a satisfied gurgle. They all chuckled.

"Definitely." Damon agreed and kissed Bonnie's head, once, twice, and then a third time. "How are you feeling?" His blue eyes were shining as they looked her over.

"I want to sleep for a week straight." Bonnie admitted, "But other than that. I've never been happier."

"Me neither." Damon beamed.