Bonnie and a ghost (Helen)
Guilty, filthy soul, by Awolnation
"She's blackening my name,
My army never came,
It's water under the bridge,
be careful who you tell,
cause you gotta look her in the eye,
and you gotta love your way of life,
cause you gotta guilty, filthy soul,
don't ya know its out of your control?"
"So what do we tell the others?" I heard Stefan's question after a while. I blinked and returned to reality. "What others?" I asked confused. "Some of our old friends are expected tomorrow: Barbie and Ken, Indiana Jones Junior and Harmony Matt," Damon mocked and Stefan rolled his eyes. "We expect Caroline with Tyler, Jeremy with Bonnie and Matt," he corrected his brother. "Has Jack still not found his Jill?" Damon asked bitingly. "I think that's enough," Elena snapped back. I held up both hands. "Could anyone enlighten me at least once?" I tried to defuse the situation. "But of course," Damon interjected. "Caroline, Elena's best friend from school, now a vampire, pert, blond, biased, formerly Miss Mystic Falls and daughter of the sheriff…," I interrupted Damon. "Caroline is Liz's daughter?" I asked dumbfounded. "Yep, but she doesn't like me particularly because I abused her as a feeding station in the beginning." I raised my eyebrows. "You've bitten my cousin and made her a vampire?" I asked him incredulously. "Caroline is related to you?" Elena asked in astonishment before Damon could answer. Now the three of us looked at him with crossed arms. "Oops, this is really not my fault," he said, grinning mischievously. "Have I bitten Caroline - yes, did I turn her - no, that was Katherine," he continued. "The Katherine?" I asked. Damon nodded.
"How come you're related to Liz Forbes?" Stefan asked. "Liz is my aunt, she was my father's sister. Mom has kept her maiden name at the wedding, and they had a fight. I've never met her," I explained. "Which is maybe not bad at all," Damon said. "Who is Tyler?" I asked him. "Caroline's boyfriend, son of the former mayor and now a werewolf-vampire hybrid," he replied. Another hybrid? Slowly I got the impression that I shouldn't be surprised by anything in this town. "And Jeremy and Matt are…?" This time Elena replied. "Jeremy is my brother and Matt is my best friend," she said. "Don't forget to mention that you died for Matt," Damon commented sharply. "Matt is the boy who was in the car with you?" I asked Elena softly. She nodded silently and I could see that the memory still hurt her. "Ever since, he's tried to make himself useful to justify his existence," Damon scored verbally. I ran both hands through my hair. What I should do? Tell them all? Keep it a secret? Wouldn't have worked anyway, Bonnie knew it already. "We tell them," I finally decided. "Are you crazy?" Damon snapped. "The alternative would be to leave, but that doesn't solve the problem with Bonnie," I retorted. "I know a solution," Damon growled. "No!" Stefan interjected. "I'll talk to her, from witch to witch," I said. "But not alone," Damon said and I nodded. "Okay, together with you," I replied and looked at him. He nodded. "Then you better beware – and dress warmly, darling!"
I did just that, because now a nasty cold wind blew when I left along with Damon. We drove to Bonnie in silence. Just when we stopped in front of her house, Damon turned to me. "I don't want you to take any risk," he said, reaching for my hand. "I just got you back." I leaned over to him and kissed him. "I know. I promise to be careful," I said softly. We got out and walked to the front door. I knocked and after a few seconds a tall, muscular young man opened the door. "Jeremy! My goodness, are you in the protein shake business?" Damon said obviously surprised. "On me, getting older simply looks better, Damon," the young man mocked back while they shook hands. "I'd like to speak with Bonnie. Is she there?" I asked. "I think so, I'll call her," Jeremy said, stepping back from the door. "Bonnie? You've got a visitor," he called back into the house. "And you are Damon's girlfriend?" he asked gently while we waited for Bonnie. "Um, yep. My name is Helen," I said and shook his hand. "Jeremy. I'm ...," he said but I interrupted him. "Elena's brother, right? She mentioned it," I finished his sentence. "Exactly," he replied. At this moment, Bonnie came to the door. Her expression did not bode well.
"What are you doing here?" she asked curtly. I took a deep breath. "I want to talk to you about this afternoon," I said with a quick glance at Jeremy. She looked at me intently. "Okay, but Damon stays outside," she replied. Before he could protest, I turned to him. "It's okay, Damon," I said and put a hand on his arm. His face spoke volumes of concern. I put my arms around his waist. "I can take care of myself, you know?" He kissed my forehead and leaned his to mine while he looked me in the eyes. "I know that, but I don't have to like it." I just smiled at him and kissed him on the lips. Then I turned around and went inside with Bonnie. "I'll keep you company, pal," I heard Jeremy say before we arrived in her living room. Undecided, I stood near the door frame. "Sit down," Bonnie said coolly, pointing to a chair. "Thanks," I replied. Before I could say anything, she started speaking. "I did some research about your family. The Coreys have always sided with vampires and have used their powers in their favor. Our families haven't exactly been on good terms for centuries. Is that why you're here?" she said. Surprised, I shook my head. "No, Bonnie. I know nothing about old family feuds. I just wanted to ask you to keep my unusual situation secret." She raised an eyebrow. "You actually expect that I approve of this ... this thing in your belly? How could you agree to something like this?" she ranted.
"I didn't agree to anything, Bonnie. When I met Damon, I didn't know that I was a witch or that vampires exist. I was just about to fall in love. Is that a crime?" I replied firmly. Now it was up to me to raise my voice. "And this 'thing' as you call it, will be a normal baby, just like I was!" Horrified, she looked at me. "So it's true what our chronicles report? The Corey witches really can mate with vampires?" Damn, she had figured it out herself! "Yes, it's true. We carry a certain gene that makes it possible. What are you going to do now? Kill Me?" She looked at me with disgust in his eyes. "I should, but I'm not a murderer - unlike him," she pointed out to the porch where Damon was waiting. I sighed. "Bonnie, I don't know what he's done to you, but we love each other. I only ask for peace!" I held out my palms. "Peace? For Damon? This order is pretty tall, I think," she replied. What argument could possibly convince her, I wondered. "I'm asking not only for him, Bonnie, but also for the baby. Don't take its father away before it is born. He loves this child and its existence isn't the baby's fault. Or do you want to destroy this unborn life?"
She got up and started pacing on the spot. "I can't do that," she murmured and shook her head. "The Bennetts are pledged to the balance of nature and to protect human life," she said. "Then, give us a chance, Bonnie. Damon is at a turning point, believe me!" I knew I was threading on thin ice here. "He will never be able to live without human blood, Helen, you should know that," she reminded me. "Yes, I know, but he doesn't have to kill for it, doesn't he? I don't know what our future will be like, but he can't go against his nature, just like you can't ignore yours!" It was my last straw. She scrutinized me for quite some time. "You can't give me any guarantees, but still you're asking me to risk a lot. Why?" I took a deep breath. "Because I believe in him, Bonnie," I said softly. She crossed her arms. "You're pretty much alone in this," she said, "but I admire your courage." She gave me an intent glance. "Does that mean, you're not threatening us?" I asked surprised. She nodded. "As long as Damon doesn't kill innocent people, he's safe and you… well, I really don't want to be in your shoes at all," she explained. "Thank you, Bonnie," I replied relieved and got up. "What are you going to tell the others?" she asked.
I shrugged. "I don't know yet," I replied and walked to the exit. "The truth always finds a way," Bonnie said and opened the door for me. I nodded to her and stepped onto the porch. Damon sat on the railing and jumped up when he saw me. Wordlessly, I went to him and let him take me into his arms. "Are you okay?" he asked me softly. I just nodded and snuggled flush to his body. He pressed his lips on my hair and inhaled deeply. Then he looked at Bonnie. "Thanks," he said. "Don't mess up, Damon," she replied icily. "I'll try," he replied before he put an arm around my shoulders. "Let's go," he said to me and we went back to the car. I was glad that Bonnie was ready to leave us alone. Now we just had to come up with a story for Caroline and Tyler. "I could hear what Bonnie said," Damon said casually as he drove back to the boarding house. "What have you actually done that she despises you so much?" I asked him. His expression darkened. "Stefan and I are indirectly responsible for the death of her grandmother. And I've tried to kill her once," he explained. "She saved my life, several times, but only because of Elena," he added.
I shook my head. "What? Did you really think this would all be plain sailing?" he grumbled. "No, certainly not," I said softly. "Get used to it, Helen. My tab is long," he said. "Want to get rid of me again?" I asked after a while. Surprised, he looked at me. "Why do you think that?" he asked. I just shrugged. "Well, since you've given me a warning like this ...," I replied. After a few seconds he stopped at the roadside and got out. He opened my door and held out his hand. "Get out," he demanded. I let him help me out of the car. "What are you doing, Damon?" I asked bewildered. "Come on, I want to show you something," he replied, pulling me along behind him. "Where are we going?" He grimaced. "Where you are closest to my 'life'," he replied cryptically and moved on. I had no choice but to follow him. We went through an old wrought-iron gate to a cemetery. "Is this the local cemetery?" I asked. "The older part," he said curtly. The path led along loose grave rows under old large trees and the lighting was very dim. An uneasy feeling crept over me.
Suddenly he stopped and pointed to a grave. "Zachary Salvatore," he said, pointing to another. "Joseph Salvatore." He went a little further before he stopped again. "Jessica Cohen, Samantha Gibbons, Daren Malloy, Brook Fenton, William Tanner, Vicki Donovan," he counted on and pointed in different directions of the cemetery. "All dead, through me," he said, looking at me. "And those are just the ones I did not bury myself." The coldness in his voice and his eyes made me shiver inside. "I have a lot on my conscience, but that's who I am, Helen. Keep that in mind," he added. Then he turned abruptly and strode on. At the end of a small branch from the main walkway, he stopped in front of a grave stone. "Alaric," he muttered, letting go of my hand. He bent down and freed the plate of leaves and branches. "Hey buddy, I want you to meet someone," he said softly and sat on the edge of the opposite tomb. Now I could now see the inscription on the plate. 'Alaric Saltzman – he was loved' it read. So this was his best friend, I thought. "This is Helen. You'd like her, Ric," Damon said. "You know what's screwiest? I will soon be a father," he added, grimacing at the last word. "Me and a ... a baby! Seriously, Ric, can you imagine me changing diapers?" He shook his head and put a wry grin on. "I can well imagine what would you say, buddy: Get over it!" It was as if he had forgotten that I was standing next to him.
I felt a cold breeze near me and a translucent figure materialized on the grave stone. 'Don't be scared,' it whispered. A ghost? I thought. What else could it be? The shape of a handsome blond man formed above the grave. 'Yes, I am his spirit. What a crap, huh?' Alaric chuckled. 'Tell him he's right. That's exactly what I would tell him.' I put a hand on Damon's shoulder. "He's here," I said. He winced and turned his head back and forth. "What? Where? You can see him?" I nodded. "He is standing right in front of you and wants me to tell you that you're right: You should get over it." Ric grinned at him. "Man, dude, I really miss you here," Damon sighed and looked in his direction. Ric's eyes softened and he got serious. 'Tell him I also miss him, but he has a different task now. He has to be there for the baby and you - if you want him to do this,' he said, eyeing me intently. I took a deep breath. Of course I wanted this, but would it work? "Sure I do," I replied and Damon gave me a questioning glance. "He says he misses you too, but you should be there for your child now," I relayed the message. "And I want that too, Damon," I added and sat down beside him on the stone slab. "But I 'm not sure how we two can fit into your life." Now I had expressed my doubts.
He held up his hands and examined them with great interest. "These hands can kill in seconds, Helen, and you really want to entrust them with a child?" he said softly. 'Oh please, not the ‚I -am-unworthy' tour,' Ric groaned and rolled his eyes. For a ghost he had quite the humor. I took both of his hands in mine and fixed his gaze. "Would I be here, with you, in the dark of a cemetery if I didn't trust you completely?" I said softly and put his hands on my belly. "Your child is growing in here, Damon. Do you really want to forsake yourself the chance to ever hold your son or your daughter in your arms? I love you and I trust you, but it is your decision!" He closed his eyes and frowned. It was clear that he was struggling with himself. "He's scared," Alaric said, astonished. "Not of the responsibility, but of the guilt if something goes wrong," he mused. I nodded silently. "I'm scared too, Damon," I said. "But together, we can do it," I said softly. He looked up and his ice-blue eyes boring into my cornflower blue ones. "Are you sure?" he asked. I nodded. "Absolutely!" He took a deep breath. "All right, then let's risk it," he whispered and kissed me tenderly.
'Oh guys, get yourself a room, will ya?' Alaric himself complained after a while. I had to chuckle and interrupted us. "Ric is still there," I said. Damon rolled his eyes and stood up, pulling me with him. "Really dude, you should give up peeping," he joked. Alaric opened his arms. 'Hey, what else is left for me to do and you two…,' he waved his hand around in the air, 'are definitely camera material.' I rolled my eyes. "Ric," I called, playing indignant. "What did he say?" Damon asked. I put my arms around his neck. "If we don't want a ghost in our bedroom, we 'd better go," I whispered and nibbled on his neck. He couldn't help a faint groan. 'Okay, that's enough! God, the woman is hot, mate. Beat it, take her home,' Alaric called and disappeared into nothingness. I had to chuckle. Damon grabbed my chin and fixed my gaze. "I want to know every single word," he growled. I grinned at him. "Ric has just called me 'hot' and disappeared before he could catch fire," I replied. The mood change on his face was clearly ambiguous. "Then we should follow his example, don't you think?" he whispered and kissed me again.