AN: Sorry if there are any errors, I was so over editing this. I'll catch them later.
Chapter 12: (They Long to Be) Close to You
Why do birds suddenly appear
Everytime you are near?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you
Why do stars fall down from the sky
Everytime you walk by?
Just like me, they long to be,
Close to you
On the day that you were born
The angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moondust in your hair
And golden starlight in your eyes of blue
That is why all the girls in town
Follow you, all around
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you
The Carpenters
The night of their first date shifted into the wee hours of the morning. Time flew by as they sat in his car talking about anything and everything. They exchanged secrets and musings that not even their closest friends knew until the sun rose over the horizon, glittering the lake.
There were only a couple of pervasive thoughts that flowed between them. How weird it was that they could speak so easily to each other when it was a struggle with others. How right and natural their time together felt that time flowed by in what felt like seconds when it was in fact hours.
Not all of their time together was spent talking. Most of it was in silence, staring out into the open space before them, left to their own thoughts like these.
The peace they felt between each other was tranquil and welcoming. It was pleasurable and somehow exciting. Despite the lack of conversation at times, the heavy weight of attraction that permeated the air like a physical form kept them aware of each other. The bubble they settled in for those hours was a heady mix of ease and lust, intoxicating and addicting.
After their first date, the days that followed ran and then bled into each other. Time only seemed to pick up speed when Bonnie was with Damon. She fed from him and his energy like he was her cup of coffee in the morning. She wouldn't quite say she was obsessing, but her hunger for his presence was insatiable. It caused her concern until she remembered that she was… in love . A fact that was still disquieting to her once solitary life and her once broken heart.
They went on a couple of dates per week along with her sessions with him, so admittedly, they met a lot. That was until she decided that there might be a conflict of interest when they spent half of her therapy time making out and heavily petting. After an argument or two, Damon reluctantly agreed and referred her to one of his acquaintances who did similar work.
At this point in her development thanks to Damon's work, the classes were more for working on fundamentals than developing in strides. Bonnie had already begun taking what she learned from the classes and worked them into her self-care at home. She was doing yoga every morning and self-reflections in her journal every night. It was something she felt inspired to do after she saw Damon practicing one morning and he explained it helped with his energy as well as his mobility in boxing.
The yoga helped her continue to achieve her sense of centeredness and mindfulness; it helped her become aware of her body and her sexual being. The journaling, while it could have been used as a reflection of her day, was mostly for her to catalog the moments that she felt arousal or sexy, or write down the things she liked after pleasuring herself and some things she became interested in trying.
Even without having sex with another person, Bonnie was happy to realize that she was making waves in connecting with herself sexually.
She started to realize there was a method to Damon's madness. Despite often sleeping next to each other, she felt less and less compelled to rip his clothes off and became satisfied with the intimacy in their closeness. Sometimes just touching him and cuddling was enough for her to feed on his sexual energy and take what she needed.
After ending their sessions, to make up for the huge dip in their time together that didn't conveniently meld into work, Bonnie found herself going over to Damon's house any time he texted, 'I want to see you,' or he came over to hers. It wasn't as much as her heart wanted her to be around him, but it was enough that she could still lead a reasonably healthy life with a work, school, and social life balance.
Speaking of, she even became friends with April, the younger girl that worked at the coffee shop with her. Bonnie had got up the courage to ask her to hang out one day during their shift together after they'd spent most of it chatting about shared interests, and the girl readily agreed.
That developed into a real friendship that she hadn't had since her Grams died. It wasn't quite to the level to which she shared with Caroline and Elena—she didn't think anything could reach what they'd shared for over a lifetime, but it was something genuine. She felt proud, allowing herself to open up to new people.
With April she found a common interest in their studies of the zodiac and tarot readings. It was nice to be able to bond with people over other facets of her personality. Whereas with Caroline, they usually talked about their shared interests in fashion, pop culture, career goals, and problems in their daily lives. With Elena, they usually talked about the books they were reading, their relationships and their feelings, or deeper issues that may be going on. She never really talked about her interest in tarot or the things she learned from her grandmother's journals that edged on Spirituality and Wicca unless Caroline wanted a palm reading…so it was nice talking to someone about it who was genuinely interested.
She herself didn't care for it much before—or at least she made herself believe she didn't, but after opening up to Damon about her grandmother, she found her interest once again piqued towards learning more about the multi-faceted woman. Seeing how interested Damon was to learn about her witchiness—so to speak, even if it was usually a means to fish for more ways to tease her, also made her feel less like a weirdo and more special and unique. It was nice.
He went so far as to ask her to make any fun teas or stimulating brownies for them to try if she came across them in her witchy cookbook . His words, not hers.
He even graciously took a fortune-increasing charm—not that he needed more money. She'd clumsily made it on her first try and yet he wore the woven thread around his wrist as a bracelet every day. His acceptance of her and her family history made her feel off-balance but in a good way. It was a big difference from the treatment she received from her classmates when she was younger. Back then, the children looked at her differently when they learned what her grandmother usually got up to, even more so after learning that the Bennetts made a name for themselves as witches in the town's history books.
Work was also going well, she didn't have to worry about Vicki trying to start anything after the night of her and Damon's first date either. Supposedly the girl quit due to their manager Jenna passing her over for a raise; unsurprising considering the girl spent most of her time at work on her phone. Bonnie couldn't help but think good riddance. It was made even better when she noticed that her checks were eight percent weightier. So at least her hard work wasn't being overlooked.
The dates that followed between Bonnie and Damon had been more or less perfect. She planned half, and he planned half. He learned to just go with his instincts on what activities to plan for her and she allowed him to spoil her like he wanted to without suspect of any ulterior motive. It was easier to fully give in to him now that everything was on the table.
Date 3: They went on hikes together.
"Come on Bon, you gotta keep up or we'll miss the sunset."
"That's easier said than done Damon when you have long legs like yours." The small brunette huffed, roughly wiping sweat from her brow before glaring up at her…at her boyfriend? Bonnie scrunched her nose, her previous ire mixing with the confusion that settled onto her face.
The raven-haired man bit his lip to keep from smirking although Bonnie knew him well enough at this point that it was pointless to even try and hide it. "...Don't scream."
Bonnie blinked, still trying to catch her breath and subsequently cursing herself for relaxing on her workout regimen during the colder months, it took more effort than she'd admit into pulling an about-face while struggling to breathe, "What?"
"This is for your benefit little bird, I know you'll regret not seeing this, so… don't scream ."
"Damon what in the hell are you–wa..waooh!" She didn't get to finish her question before she was promptly thrown into the air and onto a brawny shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
It took fifteen more minutes for them to reach the summit, all the while Bonnie was kicking and screaming and threatening to rip Damon's balls off mixed with his snarky rebuttals and resounding laughter. The laughter exacerbated her anger even more in the aftermath of his decision to play bongos with her ass.
Once they finally did get there, Bonnie had tired herself out and had truly taken on the form of a potato sack, Damon gave her one last firm pat on the butt and gently put her down.
At the sight of her rubbing her eyes cutely, Damon stole a quick kiss. At his audacity for trying to get some sugar after tossing her around she swiped at him and he moved just as quickly away.
"I know you're irritated, but look at this." Damon angled his head up toward the view that Bonnie had her back to causing the girl to quirk up her brow.
Finally, she turned around and the choked gasp that came from her lips told him he made the right decision in dealing with her ire if not to see her reaction to such a sight.
The small mountain they were on top of gave way to a gorgeous view of mountains in the distance coalescing on top of each other. The landscape created a large rolling mass along the horizon that resembled the waves in the ocean. Perfectly aligned in the middle was the setting sun, exquisitely circular like some sort of still life painting made by Robert Spear Dunning of an orange. It glowed against the sky and from its luminescence radiated a warm ombre of colors.
Standing there, staring out into the distance, Bonnie took it all in. Her heart squeezed and her palms tingled as she sat in the moment. She reflected on the fact that if it weren't for Damon or her desire to become a better version of herself several months ago, she would probably be so inside of her head even in this quiet moment that she wouldn't be able to take in the beauty in front of her.
"Isn't it beautiful?"
Without turning away from the Sun that the Earth was slowly completing its revolution around, Bonnie was able to understand that Damon was speaking not just about the beauty in front of them, but the beauty that was visible in life when one allowed themselves to open up to it.
Just like she was able to take in the view, really settle into it, and allow herself to feel pleasure in the moment, opening herself up intimately allowed her to see the beauty of her relationship with Damon, with her friends, and with herself.
It was beautiful.
Looking to her side to peer up at the man at the source of it all, she accepted the warm hand that settled into hers. His face was still focused serenely in the distance, and she wondered with captured breath if that was the same expression she had when she took in the sunset.
Finally, his blue eyes, stricken gray under the light, gazed down into hers. His brows furrowed slightly as they settled on her face, an inkling of concern that faded into understanding as his other hand came up to caress her face, his thumb wiping away the tears that fell from her eyes.
Bonnie sighed deeply into the caress. Almost as if magic was the anchor between them, she felt the familiar zips of electricity spark her skin pleasurably from his touch.
Slowly closing her eyes and embracing the glow of warmth on her skin from the sun, Bonnie held her hand against his on her face and nuzzled it, breathing shallowly into his palm.
"Do you feel it?" Damon questioned, his voice heavy.
She nodded, her long lashes tickling his skin before eyes like the forest around them weighed him down like a blanket.
"It's amazing," and that was an understatement. It was plain euphoria. Happiness in its purest form.
"Thank you, for everything, Damon."
.oOo.
Date 5: On other dates, the couple would usually find themselves just watching a movie at home, playing board games that Bonnie lamented Damon loved to cheat at or having intimate quiet dinners that the other cooked, but there were often other times that they went out as well.
"Bon…!"
"Bon, are you here? Where are you?"
Damon sighed, glaring at his phone where the pin Bonnie sent him highlighted the words, 'You have reached your destination,' obnoxiously, "...BonBon it's time to come out, your handsome admirer is here for you~!" He sang, "Due to the location, your request for a male stripper was denied, but no worries they sent me as backup."
Silence answered back.
Damon groaned, near irritated as he took in his surroundings again. He was in the middle of a forest, a well-known piece of land called, Butt Fuck Nowhere and the only woman he'd go to such lengths to see was nowhere to be found.
After driving thirty minutes outside of town, he was made to park his car on the side of the road and then was led by the navigation on his phone to walk a good ten-to-fifteen minutes from the forest's edge to where he was now.
All for a date that his would-be girlfriend planned.
"Okay then…here Bunny Bunny, tsk tsk tsk, come out come out wherever you are…" The ebony-haired male wagged his tongue. Seeming to catch onto the undisclosed game he was meant to play. From where he was standing, in the middle of lush grass, brambles, and juniper trees, nothing really stood out to Damon as a hiding spot. Shifting eyes like blue gemstones, Damon peered at the foliage waiting for the unusual twitch of a branch or spasm against a bush to identify itself as a munchkin-holding culprit.
"A hah!" Damon barked, jumping behind a large tree. Nothing about it particularly sparked him, but the shape of its contours and its lushy greenness somehow spoke of Bonnie.
.
..
Nothing.
A breeze blew against the leaves bringing the smell of wildflowers and sunlight to his nose, but no notes of Bonnie. Birds chirped, squirrels zipped by with mouthfuls of nuts, but no Bonnie.
Okay.
Now he was pissed.
"Alright little girl, you had your fun, now the big bad wolf would like his mischievous–thinks she's funny–little girlfriend to come out and meet him for their date," Damon growled, strangling the bundle of purple haze roses in his grip, Bonnie's favorite.
A giggle floated into the air.
Sweet and silky against the wind like a dream.
Rosebud lips parted until white teeth gleamed. Damon anchored his body around, facing the direction he heard the sound. Walking with a grace that bespoke his innate confidence, Damon was in the direction the laughter came from within seconds.
Catching his raised attention, another chime whispered in the air. This time…interestingly enough, in the opposite direction.
His sharp eyes narrowed, but the grin stayed on his lips. Damon couldn't help but find himself deeply amused. "...you are so in trouble when I get my hands on you, Bon…"
Before he could walk toward where the new noise drifted from, or better yet strategize a quicker way to catch his little bird, Damon's ice-blue eyes caught on a medium-sized puddle near the base of a tree. The water was still and dark allowing him to see his reflection encircled by tiny lavender speedwells. Crouching, Damon frowned at the sight, the water mimicking his movements.
The sound of leaves rustling on his right made his ear twitch but he dared not move. A warm breeze caressed his midnight strands causing them to dance along his brow and the pond water rippled after a silhouette caught on its edge. Silence dimmed the atmosphere for a split second before it popped like a bubble.
Damon moved with agility and speed, snapping to a stand and turning with his arms out just in time to catch the bundle of white-blue crepe, sun-kissed skin, and perfumed hair.
"Da—Mmmph!" He pressed his smile against resistant glossed lips, taking his prey's breath away. Before thoughts could form, his grip tightened around a slim waist while his other hand slid deep into burnished strands and pulled.
Just as he expected, Bonnie melted like a tab of hot butter into his arms. Her sweet lips fused against his with deep belly moans that morphed into happy mewls as they sipped from each other. Her hips quirked up into his hold, calling to the blood that flowed like a transfusion stiff into his pants. Bonnie's mouth-watering scent, a mix of linen and daisies, roses and vanilla sunk into him and he held her impossibly tighter.
He bit her lip as she tried to pull back, her small hands held tight to his shoulder down to his flexed biceps. Panting against his mouth, her breath was caught when he licked at the open seam between her lips.
"How'd you know I was behind you?" She barely got out, voice a rasp.
Damon watched with a slumberous gaze as she opened up to him, her emeralds unfocused and dreamlike as if she were drugged by his lips.
He felt the same.
"I won't lie, you had me in the beginning…" He nipped at her dewy lips. Smirking when she whimpered from the tingly touch. She was always so sensitive to him. "But I could see you coming from the reflection in the puddle."
Bonnie groaned, turning her head at his chuckle.
Damon kissed down her sweet-smelling neck before finally letting her down on her tiptoes. At that moment noting her lack of footwear which made their height difference even more apparent.
"Alright squirt, you got me in your sinful clutches. What do you have planned for me? Something naughty I hope," Damon worked his eyebrows, his smile growing at the amusement Bonnie showed on her face. His hands tightened along her delicate waist feeling her ribcage expand as she breathed against him.
Green eyes twinkled, "C'mon, I'll show you where I parked us." Her hand clasped his warmly, bringing it away from her sides as she pulled him in the opposite direction.
Damon easily followed, amusement of his own sparkling his eyes as he took her pretty form in. She was dressed in a short flowy sun dress, not super appropriate for the colder months but appreciative of the unseasonably warm day, and his leering gaze. The fabric of her dress was a thin crepe in innocent white with small sky-blue flowers dotting around it as lace ran across the hem and the border of its high neckline. When her back turned towards him he was able to take in her bared shoulders all the way down to the dip in her smooth back. His eyes lingered all the way down to the long naked stems of her legs.
Why do birds suddenly appear
Everytime you are near?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you
It seemed that not just him, but the nature around them took her in as well. The trees opened up and a curtain of light washed over Bonnie's warm hair and skin making it glow, the squirrels stopped in their tracks to watch as they passed, and the birds swooped in closer to them, singing their own little chorus of praise as they hopped closer than he'd ever seen a bird dare, just to get closer to her. He could understand the sentiment.
Bonnie hummed along with them, her smooth voice melding perfectly with their chirps.
She was like a cartoon woodland princess come to life.
Bonnie threw a smile back at him as they walked and Damon's eyebrows broke against his hairline speechless at what was in front of him.
Moments later they arrived at a little meadow where the trees broke. It was a beautiful sight. The sun barred down on the grove of flowers in hues of purple, blue, yellow, and pink. Butterflies danced and bees pollinated the heavenly wafting flowers. Right on the edge was a picnic under the shade of an elder tree, its branches dipping with leaves in an ombre of deep green.
Bonnie had picked a lightweight fleece in a light red checkered pattern. The quintessential woven picnic basket sat at the head with a delicate vase holding a couple of flowers from the meadow.
"Wow…Bonnie, this is…wow." Damon was gobsmacked, taking it all in.
Bonnie smiled. Her expression was naturally prideful. "... right , aren't I amazing?"
"To say the least…I feel like I'm in a Disney movie." Damon smirked as Bonnie's smile grew until she was giggling.
Damon brushed a strand of her hair from her face before quirking a brow, "How'd you find this place anyway?"
Her gaze lulled into his for a heart-clenching moment before she teased her lip and pulled him to their blanket.
Damon slipped off his shoes next to her abandoned sandals before helping himself to the space Bonnie made for him.
He was tempted to pull at his shirt and fidget with his belt at the come hither, appreciative look Bonnie gave him while she watched with hooded eyes, as he prepared to sit.
It was moments like these. Looks like those, that had him cursing himself to kingdom come for ever implementing that stupid no-sex rule. They were both still successfully celibate and hadn't touched that same kind of intimacy since the night on his car recognizing how close they'd gotten to doing away with the whole thing then, but oh was it hard.
One would think since he understood his feelings for Bonnie and knew he was in for the long run, why was it a big deal? He was hot, she was hotter, they should rub together like two branches and make a fire. But it was because he knew what he felt for Bonnie was real that he wanted to wait. He didn't want to mess things up. He couldn't. She deserved the best of him.
Damon finally settled next to the temptress, his lips quirked up and tingling at the stolen, lingering kiss she planted on him afterward. "Before I answer, I just want to say you look very handsome today," Bonnie whispered, her eyes sincere and her nose brushing his. His grin grew at her confession, tempted. There was something about the way that Bonnie complimented him. There were no airs to it, she just said it. Like a fact. He'd been called handsome a time or two before, but with her, he actually believed it, felt it. And not just in a way to appeal to the fairer sex but because Bonnie thought him so and he knew she wasn't one to be swooned by physical appearances. It was too sincere for flattery but he was flattered considering whom he got to hold at night.
"That means a lot coming from the belle of the woods." Bonnie blushed as she pulled away, her lips licking at the minty taste of his breath.
Not realizing when she tugged them out of his grip, he watched on with bemusement as she took the roses he brought for her and lifted them to her nose. Her eyes once again raked over his form and Damon had to hold back a shiver. All he was wearing was a dark blue polo t-shirt and black chinos suitable for the warmer temperature, but she made him feel like he arrived dressed in her favorite dessert. It was crazy how seductive she could be and not even realize it.
"I go on jogs in the park around here some mornings," the young woman finally supplied. She slowly took one of the roses from the bunch before placing the rest softly on the ground. The stem had already been pre-trimmed so he didn't have to worry about her accidentally cutting herself. "One day I went off course and got lost in the woods, there was a cute little family of rabbits that I got distracted by that led me to this field. I marked it on the map in my phone and vowed to bring someone deeply special to me here one day." Gently her lithe fingers twisted the flower from the stem. Confused, Damon connected with Bonnie's eyes already leveled on him and watched as she slid the rose behind her ear into her hair. "How do I look?" Like pure sin in an innocent form.
Eyes like the sky above, heated to a simmer, "He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking." Long lashes fluttered around eyes like the blades of grass below them and then widened, red stained lips opened in a gasp. His effect on her was clear to him and it had been that way for a long time. "An accessory it may be, however, the flower didn't enhance your beauty but you, it."
Bonnie fell in his words and his orbit, so humbled by the words he quoted she didn't notice when the flower fell from her hair.
Damon tipped her chin and rushed her closer to him. He took in her gasp hungrily before roughly brushing his lips against hers.
Bonnie felt adrift by his kiss. Just as she rested the entire length of her body against him, Damon twisted them over into the blanket causing her to shriek. They rolled and rolled together, laughter muffled by their bodies rolling into the flowers.
Finally, they came to a stop with Damon laughing heartily on top of an equally uproarious Bonnie.
Staring, he admired her once again, her loosened hair and her happy smiling face beautifully enshrined in a flower crown.
This, he wanted to permanently etch into his memory so that he could close his eyes and remember it for years to come. Overcome by his feelings, Damon nudged his forehead against hers, closing his eyes as he held her close and took her in. Their bodies aligned with each other, shoulder to hip, his leg between hers as their calves wove together.
On the day that you were born
The angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moondust in your hair
And golden starlight in your eyes of blue
Once more, looking deeply into his eyes, Bonnie began to hum the same tune as before. Her small fingers played with his shirt as he rested heavily against her.
A rumble began in his throat before he spoke. "This might be number one on my top ten most romantic dates."
"What about the other nine?" Her hand caressed his cheekbone and smoothed down his neck.
"Well, considering this is our fifth date, we still have four more to add to those slots." Their eyes twinkled at each other. Bonnie got her body as close to his as possible as he rested on bent arms, it was amusing and reminded him of something else. "Remember when you used to burst out in tears when I used to hold you like this as if I had rabies?"
Her smiling lips brushed his before pressing a damp kiss to his cheek, her hums continued to flow into his ear. "First of all, you as a therapist should not be making light on someone's trauma and secondly, you do have rabies."
He chuckled, slowly blinking her into sight. "Is that so?"
Bonnie twisted her neck and her lip challengingly, all the answer she needed to give him as a reply.
"Hmm, well then…it's only fair if we both have it!" Damon darted his mouth to her neck, hands moving quickly to her sensitive sides and tickling.
Bonnie howled with laughter, trying with all her might to throw him off but he was too strong. She squealed as he nipped her with his teeth at her collarbone and bare shoulder. Tears threatened her eyes when he held her down with his hand clenched tight around her hip and his weight pushing open her legs. From there he wiggled his knuckles into the meat of her thigh, a weak spot that quickly made Bonnie crumble. As she twisted and turned her skirt came eagerly close to flashing him her goodies.
"Uncle! Uncle!" Bonnie tapped out.
"What's that? I'm sorry I don't quite understand, are you trying to say I don't have rabies?" Damon taunted, gently biting her jaw.
Bonnie raked a hand through his soft hair, "N-No! Ahh, no rabies–mm, ha! U-Uncle!"
Finally, he stopped, but he couldn't quite get a hold of his own laughter with the same speed due to the sight of her tired tortured form. She was a sight for sore eyes with her panting pouty mouth, reddened cheeks, and mussed hair, it made him salacious with his words, "I prefer Daddy, but I guess Uncle works too."
"Gross." Bonnie rolled her eyes, still panting and tingling from his masterful hands.
The man's smirk broadened, "The point I'm trying to make, albeit in my typical charming way, is that…you've come a long way, Bennett."
Bonnie blinked, finally understanding what he meant, "I guess you could say that." And she had, truly. Thanks to Damon and thanks to her desire to want to change, Bonnie has become this loving, affectionate, and sexual woman. The person she always wanted to be and knew she had the propensity for, she just needed that strong shove.
Damon fell to his side, bringing her with him and then he began rubbing the skin on her back with his thumb before leaving a kiss on the crown of her head. The feather-like touch caused goosebumps to raise and made her thighs clench with want around his.
She absorbed his heat as they cuddled up now and remembered how she was before, barely even able to stand within his space and flinching at his every touch, Bonnie couldn't help but feel pride at her development. She was more confident, more assured of herself, and more open to others.
She was exactly where she was supposed to be , their minds thought at the same time.
.oOo.
Date 7: Then there was the time she really got first-hand knowledge of his family.
"Damon…" Bonnie groaned, her tone clear to anyone that could hear it that she was at her wit's end with him.
"Bon, this would be a great idea! Stop listening to that happiness-eating voice in the back of your head and think about it." Damon soothed through the video calling app on her phone, notably using the lowered syrupy voice he knew she liked when he spoke against her ear. Even with the slight insult that earned him a glare, he didn't falter. His face projected on the screen of the device was equally calm to match the tone of his voice, a contradiction to the clear vexation painting Bonnie's face that grew after realizing how casually he was taking their conversation.
With a huff, Bonnie crossed her arms and leaned back against the counter behind her, facing her phone perched on the island at her front. "Damon, be serious. We only started dating not even a month ago, you can't ask me to move in that soon. It's ridiculous." She pursed her lips. "We haven't even verbally committed to each other yet. You've never claimed to be my boyfriend nor I, your girlfriend. I feel like you're skipping steps here."
"Sure I can. And I've been your man since our first date when you stood up for me against the Wicked Witch of West Charlotte, you've been my girl since I made you sing my name on the hood of my Camaro. Not just anybody get's that privilege."
Bonnie's heart skipped a beat and her face darkened prettily which she tried to cover with a droll expression. Damon thought she just made herself even cuter with her furrowed brow and pout. "You can't just do that…" She finally remarked after a moment, referring to his sudden claim.
"Sure I can." Without an ounce of shame, he grinned devilishly. Bonnie was sure he was able to get away with a lot of dumb stuff with that grin. She however, wasn't so easy to swoon, she thought while stubbornly ignoring her perked nipples rubbing against the material of her dress.
The petite brunette rolled her eyes while fixing her stance against the counter behind her until her hip was cocked dramatically against it. Damon raised an eyebrow clearly distracted by the gracefully swooping lines of her supple body. The long knit black dress she wore was molded perfectly against her shape.
His attention was recaptured as she spoke but Bonnie couldn't help but smirk into her words at his obvious attraction toward her, successfully defusing her ire. "We've been over this Damon, it's too soon. I just leased my apartment and I do not think rushing into moving in with my…therapist is super smart after breaking up with my ex who I recently lived with. Call me jaded but we see how that worked out."
" Ex- Therapist current boyfriend, but sure, I can understand that, and that's why I said we should move in after you graduate in the spring and not tomorrow." He replied, his cocky smile growing further.
Bonnie shook her head incredulously, her own traitorous smirk growing as well.
" But…" He continued on as an afterthought, coughing a bit, "you can move in tomorrow as well if you want, that option is not quite off the table..."
"It's not off the table because it was never on it, to begin with." Bonnie glared and Damon held her stare all the while clearly amused.
A bubble that defied their separate time and space took over their forms and settled on them. When their staring contest noticeably became more sexually charged, Damon licked his lips and murmured, "I miss you…"
Bonnie bit her lip, slowly she walked up to her phone before picking it up and brought his 2D-face closer to hers. "I miss you too…when are you coming home?"
"Hmm, that is the golden question now isn't it?"
"Don't be coy and let my sweet nothings fool you, Damon. I can hang up." She pursed her lips amusedly, only half-serious.
He chuckled.
"It's been over a week," she groaned, "what all do you have going on up in New York? Is the office finished?"
"Well," He sighed, seemingly equally vexed that he's been away for so long. "We've gotten the renovations done with the office space. The interior designer finished up a couple of days ago and the new employees have been training for a while. Everything is running smoothly so…I should be home soon." He spoke the last part with meaning in his eyes, especially when his mouth formed over the word home .
"Okay…" Her heart squeezed and her palms tingled, some sort of chemical in her brain started firing at recognizing the genuinely tender sound in his lowered voice and after seeing the same fond smile he'd been showing her ever since that night while sitting on his car.
I love you, was on the tip of her tongue. Just like it had been for the past few weeks. It was getting harder and harder for her not to say it, especially during emotionally charged moments like these with him. The hike, the picnic, looking into his eyes just made the words want to slip.
Everything since they started dating, has felt like a fairy tale. She and Damon fit together so perfectly that it was like they were made for each other. However, she still didn't feel comfortable saying those three words so soon. Not that she didn't think he wouldn't possibly feel the same there were multiple moments between them where she had a feeling that what he felt for her was pretty strong, especially now in regards to him trying to get them to move in with each other, yet and still, she felt it was too soon.
Well, that was before he went away at least.
Now after over a week without him, she felt miserable. Before, they would see each other almost every day if even for a quick coffee date in between their busy schedules or to spend the night at the other person's house. After Damon left, the contact minimized to phone calls every other day. He'd be so busy in some instances she could only catch him when he called her in the middle of the night and clearly sleep-deprived as he hung onto the sound of her voice sleepily. In those cases, she whispered to him a few nonsensical things to get him to fall asleep and then kept him on the phone as she prepared herself for bed.
Basically put, she missed him terribly. How much she truly did, caused her to realize that there was no point worrying about going too fast, moving too slow, or what was appropriate. She loved Damon and she wanted him to know that.
"See you soon, babe."
"See you…" The three words fit right on her tongue, and going by the twinkle in Damon's eye right before she ended the call, she wondered if he knew about her dilemma as well. His piercing gaze always seemed to read more than she was able to tell. Even though she wanted to tell him how she felt, she would wait until he came back. She wanted him to hear it for the first time in person, not over the phone.
Sighing, Bonnie placed her phone down on the counter. Biting her lip, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She really really missed him. It honestly kind of worried her how much. She had never been in love with a man, especially not like this before. Bonnie wasn't sure if it was just because it was her first time experiencing this kind of all-consuming romantic love or because she was in love with Damon , in particular; but whatever the case it was intense.
She couldn't help but want to be around him always, and even when he was in town, she noticed then how terrible she felt if they spent too much time apart. Now that the distance wasn't just a couple of miles, but thousands, Bonnie could truly feel the ache. When he was around he intoxicated and invigorated her, yet when he was gone she felt listless. Damon seriously had her down bad for him, feening, wanting…just plain love-struck. All of that and more, and she didn't know what to do with herself.
Even with his actions pointing to the contrary, she still couldn't help but hope she wasn't in this alone. For such deep and intense feelings, she needed to know how he felt as well so that she could somehow dampen them before getting hurt. However impossible as that was now. She was worried that she was too in love with him at this point that if her feelings were unrequited she would be truly forsaken.
Opening her eyes, Bonnie struggled not to laugh at herself. Never in a million years would she have thought she would be in this position, especially over a guy. Her relationship with Jeremy was a level less platonic than friendship at best, and an obligation after intense pining and loneliness at worst. And while she loved Jeremy—probably would continue to care for him in some distant way since they grew up together despite all that he'd done, she could admit, especially now and experiencing the intense feelings that she felt for Damon, that she hadn't been truly in love with Jeremy. Certainly not if this was what true love really felt like.
Brushing a hand through her curls, Bonnie turned to the sink and finished doing what she had been in the middle of doing before Damon called. Pulling on large rubber gloves to protect her manicure, Bonnie got back into the motions of cleaning the sink. She had finished washing the dishes from the meal she made for an early lunch and was now wiping down the sink and from there moving on to the rest of the kitchen. She had just finished dusting the living room and the library which she did after cleaning the bathrooms on the first floor and watering the plants in the house.
Before Damon left, Bonnie, remembering how he hated having people he didn't know running around his house, offered to take care of his place while he was gone. Probably more often than needed, Bonnie had come to his house every other day to make sure everything looked fine and that no one broke in. She watered the plants he had around his home or in his yard on some days and on others she focused more on cleaning and dusting indoors. Normally she didn't do too much all at once but today she decided to clean a little more thoroughly. Even though Damon didn't explicitly state when he was coming back she had a feeling it was soon and she wanted him to praise her for a job well done.
She had a feeling she was doing too well as she remembered herself scrubbing at a damn near imaginary spot for over ten minutes and lighting some candles she noticed he had stored away.
When she noticed them she couldn't help but think how sexy it was that a man liked to keep his home smelling good.
After they were lit she was even more appreciative when she realized the smell was something she would buy.
Anyways, unfortunately, she realized that if he was too pleased by her work, Bonnie knew it would just add more ammo to this new train of thought Damon was stubbornly hung up on which was Bonnie moving in.
Nevertheless, she kept up at it until the rooms were gleaming and then afterward she rushed into the shower to wash off the sweat and the lingering smell of chemicals on her body.
Refreshed and smelling of some expensive looking herby smelling body wash that Bonnie found in Damon's shower, Bonnie lotioned her body up using his plain lotion—she thought she was lucky to find that he even had some, Jeremy never used lotion—and threw on one of his button-up shirts sans bra and panties.
Bonnie finger-detangled her hair the best she could with so little product while standing in front of his bathroom mirror. Looking around she took the room in again.
His bathroom, like the rest of the master bedroom, was designed in a surprisingly classic meets modern kind of way. Although typical of a bachelor there was not much on the countertops besides some of her stuff she left behind like jewelry, skin-care, and makeup. The fixtures were made of white limestone offset by dark tones of grey, black, and mahogany throughout the color scheme. His shower was impressive and completely see-through with only glass shielding the spray of water. It had a cascading shower head, not one but two, sorry— three additional jets on the sides. Thermally heated floors in slate added to the comfort of the room and lighting used to compliment one's looks definitely showed this room was made with Damon in mind. What had surprised her when she first saw it, but probably shouldn't have was the deep and clearly expensive tub that Damon had potions and soaps lining around showing he used it often.
Using a brush and a handful of gel she found in his cupboard, something she was surprised he had because she knows he doesn't use it, Bonnie slicked her long hair back into an immaculate ponytail to hold while it dried and wrapped her head in a scarf to keep away the frizz.
Pursing her lips at her reflection, Bonnie narrowed her eyes taking a moment to argue internally with herself realizing her next actions were going to border on crazy.
Shucking off the dress shirt she stole from Damon's closet, Bonnie licked her lips nervously at her bare form before turning to Damon's hamper. Opening the lid, she was surprised to find not much inside, then considered that he must have washed clothes before his trip. She fingered some black socks and a pair of jeans.
In a daze, Bonnie ran a finger along the seam of a discarded pair of black boxer briefs, remembering how he ruined two pairs of her lingerie with his hands as a result of their passion…and even more with his infuriating presence. Shaking her head, Bonnie snatched her hand away before she could be accused of being a pervert and turned her eyes to what she was looking for. It was another black shirt—Damon's customary design, a plain long-sleeved one for the cooler season. However, what made this shirt special was not in its design but in the memory that it held as the last thing she saw him in before he took a shower for his departure.
Before she could rationalize herself out of it, Bonnie picked up the article of clothing and brought it to her nose.
Despite being in the hamper for over a week, it still retained the smell. His smell . With the cotton soft thread against her skin, it felt like a caress of textures and smells blanketing her. Warm and intense like its wearer. His smokey dark scent swam up her nose and triggered sparks in her brain, her body reacted as a junkie's would after getting a fix. Everything turned into a haze and her consciousness drowned. Her skin tingled with pleasant sparks of electricity, her nipples pebbled into hard beads, her stomach tightened and her insides clenched until her thighs felt slick.
Slowly, Bonnie pulled the shirt on. Brushing a piece of lint from her face, the young woman moved once more to stand in front of the mirror, taking in her rosy flush and the dilation of her pupils.
She had it bad…
.
.
.
A handful of minutes later found Bonnie lying in the middle of Damon's bed. Turning to his side, she brought his pillow in close and laid her head on top of it, sucking in all of the lingering smells that she could.
This was the same place she found herself during the week that he was gone on more times than she would admit. So, unfortunately, his smell was pretty much overcome by her own. That's why she used his body wash…and his cologne…and wore his clothes before getting in bed, it was to somehow contain the last few vestiges of him until he came home.
A tickle formed in Bonnie's throat that she tried to clear to no avail.
Swallowing, the tightness grew until she found herself panting slightly.
Green eyes stung and Bonnie found herself overwhelmed by the urge to cry.
"Come home, Damon…"
.oOo.
Brrt
.
.
Ka-thunk
Slowly.
.
.
Reluctantly.
Grrrt
.
.
Long lashes fluttered until bleary grass-stained eyes were visible.
I told….
…he never listens….
A small ribcage slowed its perennial expansion incrementally until it completely stilled.
Wha…
…for…
With a start, Bonnie shot up from the bed. Her senses suddenly forced into high alert.
There were sounds…
…the shuffling of feet, perhaps something was being moved around and there were voices, although they were too far away for her to understand what was being said even with the master bedroom door wide open.
On a breath, Bonnie scrambled from the bed and rushed to the hallway, slowly she edged her body out enough for her to put an ear out to the sounds.
Louder now, the voices and the moving, but she still couldn't decipher who it was or what they were doing.
Heat gradually grew on her skin and her heart felt like it was going to jackhammer straight out of her chest. Panicking, Bonnie ran to her phone to check if Damon had left any messages stating that he was home or whether he was expecting company, only for her to find it dead.
Of course after almost three hours on the phone with the man and using the device to blast music through his Bluetooth speakers as she cleaned, the damned thing would be dead and it was just the cherry on top of bad luck that she forgot to charge it before her nap.
"Nooo, no no no, fuck, fuck, fuck." Bonnie hissed in a whisper, dancing her small feet on the ground as she looked around the room in a daze. The nearly bare bedside tables wouldn't help. In this day and age, no one had house phones anymore, they just used their cells, the only landline Damon owned was in his office which was on the first floor. Meaning at that very moment she had no way to contact the police.
Thinking of the authorities once again made her wonder how the intruders got into the home. While Bonnie visited Damon's house to check if the house was still standing and no one burglarized it, her presence was merely a formality, the house was decked with security cameras and safety locks, so there would be very little chance someone could break in without alerting everyone from a mile away and the police would be at the house within five minutes time.
That left the possibility of whoever broke in to either know Damon and have access to a key, or be a master cat burglar who studied the ins and outs of the home beforehand.
Just last night, she had watched a spy drama, so the last option wasn't so far out of the realms of reality, unfortunately. Damon had some pretty valuable stuff in his home, even family heirlooms that went back centuries, anything was possible.
Crash!
Bonnie heard a curse loud enough that she understood the person wasn't happy with whatever just happened. Her brain detected the shouted word as foreign, but her senses were too frazzled to detect which language.
Forcefully taking deep breaths, her logic-oriented rational brain demanded to be heard.
Okay, okay, okay.
All she had to do was sneak down to Damon's office and use either the phone to call the police or press the panic button for emergencies located at his desk.
With that solitary thought in mind, Bonnie whipped off her head scarf, crouched down to her bag near the bed—the damned thing coincidentally didn't contain a charger, and flung items out of it until she got to a pair of jeans, forgoing a search for underwear, Bonnie pulled on the legs of the jeans before stuffing Damon's large shirt on her petite frame into the waistband, all the while huffing quietly and trying to calm herself.
Standing, Bonnie, picked up her phone from the bed and stuffed it into her back pocket. It may not be of use now but the charger she brought but naturally took out of her bag was in the office that she could use if the landline wasn't working. She'd never seen Damon use it, so there was a possibility that it was just for show—as ridiculous as that sounds she wouldn't hold it against him, and or there was no service attached to it. The cell phone would have to work in case the landline didn't.
Looking around the room, Bonnie spotted the heaviest thing she could find that wouldn't weigh her down and she could get a good swing in.
An antique-looking lamp post.
Perfect.
Snatching the wire out of the wall and quietly plopping the shade on the dresser below it, Bonnie wrapped the rest of the cord around the post until it could no longer hinder her.
She'd taken self-defense classes since she was young, so even without a weapon she felt confident that she could figure something out, but she wasn't arrogant enough to think that a weapon just in case wouldn't be more beneficial, especially in a two versus one fight.
Don't bring a knife to a gunfight, and she had no idea what kind of weapons they had on hand. It was best to be prepared.
With that being said, she wasn't going to go looking for trouble, it was better to just beeline it for the office but if she had to interact with the men downstairs, she would try to catch them unaware and knock them out with the post before they even knew she was there.
Taking a couple more controlled deep breaths, Bonnie moved to the hall once more. The voices were lowered now, but no less uproarious and neglectful to their surroundings, as if the speakers had no care that they were breaking into someone's home and that there could be people inside of it.
It made the young woman's eyebrows furrow.
"Who exactly is here?" She whispered to herself.
Wrapping around the corner of the hall, Bonnie used the toes of her feet to creep until she reached the stairs.
With each step, the noises grew until she was standing at the landing.
"...I swear my dear, you are just so dramatic…"
"...You just don't understand mother…"
Now more curious than ever at the sound of what could be women, against better judgment Bonnie let her curiosity dictate her and changed trajectory from the office to the kitchen where the sound of the intruders was coming from. With her back against the wall next to the open doorway, Bonnie leveled her breaths until they were imperceptible and preened her ears to their conversation.
"Tu ne devrais pas être si bouleversé…"
"Bien sûr maman, mais comment a-t-il pu ne pas me le dire?"
"C'est sa vie…"
Bonnie's mind buzzed, the women were now speaking French when a moment ago they were speaking English. They seemed to toggle between the two…
Quickly translating in her mind, she understood that they were talking about a man. One of the women was upset because the man didn't tell her something and the other woman was comforting her. Were they talking about Damon?
"Mais je suis sa mère ! Je devrais savoir ces choses!" But I'm his mother! I should know these things!
His mother?
Bonnie blinked, using the silence that followed that statement to lean her head out and finally take a glance at who it was that broke into Damon's home.
There she caught sight of what she correctly assumed were two women. One moving around pots and pans and the other sitting with her head bowed at the island with a glass of wine in her hand.
They were both older although the woman sitting looked noticeably younger than the other. Despite their older age, Bonnie could tell even from the distance she was at, some feet away hiding around a corner in the hallway leading to the kitchen, that they both looked very good for their age. Dressed in fine slim clothing in natural monochrome colors that stayed in line with today's fashions with expensive pumps to match, the women looked more like retired supermodels who still knew how to carry themselves than home invaders. The oldest one who was moving around the kitchen as if she owned it, started tutting before speaking once more to the other woman with her head bowed and back tense.
"Lily…" Bonnie had heard that name before but she couldn't put her finger on where. "You cannot keep trying to force things to be perfect all of the time. You know how the boys grew up. That trauma takes time to heal." The older woman stated in a no-nonsense fashion.
"I know mother," Lily sighed, "but I can't help it, I just want my family back…"
Bonnie's eyes widened, and slowly the puzzle pieces in her mind formed together, these two women couldn't be…could they?
Sucking in a breath before slowly breathing it out, Bonnie edged around the doorway until she was in view of the other women, with her lamp post still in hand defensively, yet slightly lowered, Bonnie finally spoke, "Um…who are you?" she asked, now a foot or two into the kitchen.
Two heads snapped up in her direction. One with reddened fearful eyes and the other with a stern expression that fell into bafflement.
.oOo.
"Honey you almost gave me a heart attack, you do realize that is fatal at my age, right?"
"I…I am so sorry Mrs. Salvatore, please forgive me."
"Salvatore is that horrible man Guiseppe's family name, I come from the Michel Family. My husband, may he rest his soul was a Ricci."
"Oh, um, Mrs. Ricci, pardon me..."
The older woman smirked, taking in Bonnie's remorseful expression and refreshed appearance.
After Damon's mother and grandmother told the slightly shaken girl who they were and Bonnie quickly disarmed herself amidst profusely apologizing, she was met with curious smiles that turned into laughter until all three women were awkwardly laughing at the situation they found themselves in. Less intense introductions were made following Bonnie telling the women who she was, the two older women made eyes at each other during her stuttered explanation of her and Damon's relationship, and Damon's grandmother invited her for tea. The first teapot of which had been broken by Lily, was one of the reasons why she was frazzled and forced to sit while her mother made a replacement.
"My name is Vivienne–Lya, however, you may call me Vivienne, Bonnie. I'm more than welcome to be friends with a woman willing to take charge like that." Vivienne winked one of her bright entrancing blue eyes and Bonnie was struck realizing what side of the family Damon got them from. Vivienne was a remarkably beautiful woman up close. She had features like an Old Hollywood actress, high cheek bones, pale skin and shiny pinned up ebony hair. She wore a white, curve-accentuating Dior women's suit circa 1940's, it had a classic fit to it that would never go out of style. "It's about time Damon brought around someone with some backbone. It's rare that I meet any of his girlfriends but the last one I met could barely hold a glass of water let alone a lamp post to defend herself." She snorted and Bonnie couldn't help slowly raising her eyebrows. "She was more waif-like than a…um what do you call it in English," she looked at her daughter who stared back, "whatever, she looked like a fantôme is what I want to say, it was a shame really."
She looked like a ghost? Bonnie bit her lip to keep from laughing. Vivienne's bluntness tickled her and reminded her of something her Grams would say.
Lily sighed before smiling shamefully at Bonnie for her mother's antics, "You shouldn't say stuff like that mother." Bonnie cast her green eyes toward Lily when she spoke. Good genes were definitely in this family. Lily had her mother's whole face, just a couple decades younger. With classic features as well, Lily showed off skin that would make girls Bonnie's age jealous. Her blue eyes were maybe a shade fairer than her mother's but not as light as Damon's with perfectly arched eyebrows encasing them. Her rosy lips seemed to be in a perpetual pout and her long lustrous hair was in finger curls down her back. Lily wore a Fabiana Filipi cream knitted sheath dress that screamed old money and she certainly carried herself that way as well. Her posture was perfect, remiss of the moment she was slouched sullenly over the counter in distress.
Vivienne rolled her eyes at her daughter with a huff. "Come now girls, the tea is ready, let's take this conversation into the sunroom." Just as she was about to take the platter of tea, cakes, and cookies into her hands Bonnie rushed over.
"Let me get that for you…Vivienne."
Smirking, Vivienne brushes the girl aside. "Don't worry Bonnie, I may be old but I'm not feeble. At least, no more than my daughter who broke that pot earlier." Showing off her grace, the older woman picked up the tray in one smooth motion and glided out of the door. Bonnie wasn't sure how old the woman was but she was sure whatever it was she didn't look a day near it. She walked back straight and composed even with the heavy tea set in her hand like she was advertising it on a runway.
Wide-eyed, Bonnie turned to Lily to find the woman with an amused expression on her face.
"Vitamins and supplements go a long way, my dear."
She'd keep that in mind.
.oOo.
Before joining the women for tea, Bonnie had scurried back upstairs to make herself presentable. Now she was sitting in the sunroom with the matriarch of Damon's family with a fresh appearance, light makeup, her go-to pair of gold earrings and her unruly hair flyaways brushed back. Naturally brushed baby hair framed her heart-shaped face.
Just like the name presented, the sunroom was filled with the afternoon sun. Wall to wall dome-shaped glass graced them with a view of the garden and the forest that his house was built on. Inside, the walls were a pale apricot and the chairs and lounges were a cream that brought brightness into the room. It was probably Bonnie's favorite room in the house and where she normally spent her time to read and relax. Sometimes she and Damon would cuddle together on the lounge, her head on his lap as he read to her a book.
"I'm impressed how quickly you got changed Bonnie, then again you're such a lovely girl it probably takes no time at all." Vivienne smiled kindly.
"You have good taste as well sweetie, that's a lovely dress," Lilly added, appraising her with an eye that understood fashion. The slim woman circled around the back of Bonnie's chair before taking a seat on the younger woman's left.
"Thank you," Bonnie shied away from the compliments by smoothing her hands down her legs over her dress. It was a dress Caroline picked and at the time, although bitter to have her choices overlooked, she had to give it to her blonde friend that she understood the assignment. Matching the light colors Lily and Vivienne were wearing, Bonnie wore a long beige knit dress, curved around her body similar to the one she wore earlier except this one was off the shoulder with long sleeves. It suited the lower temperatures and cozy comfort of fall but was chic enough for tea. She was happy this was the look she chose to throw in her bag before coming over to Damon's. Even more so after seeing how well dressed the two women in front of her were.
"It's always so lovely visiting Charlotte, much better than that dreary Mystic Falls, no wonder the boys chose to stay here." Vivienne continued the conversation once Lily settled in her chair.
"Did you forget? I still live there mom…" Lily smiled calmly before moving to pour them each a cup of tea into the china. As the liquid hit the rim delicately, Bonnie was able to take in notes of lavender and chamomile from where she was sitting . Pleasant, the smell alone was enough to sooth her nerves.
"And I don't know why. Especially after Guiseppe passed, I had no clue as to why you chose to send yourself back to that house of horrors." Damon's grandmother scoffed. "Even worse still you forced Stefan to go back with you." She shook her head before taking a sip of her freshly poured tea.
Lily just smiled back pleasantly. Not a wrinkle or fine line could be found to disrupt her face.
"I mean look at some of those people who live there. So full of themselves as founding families as if that means something in the middle of nowhere. They live in a dystopia. Lauding their achievements for building the town and sense of religious morality piously and yet there's not a brown face among them of the people who actually laid down the infrastructure." Vivienne continued to sip the hot beverage while rolling her eyes. Althewhile, Bonnie's eyebrows rose higher and higher on her head. She had a feeling her Grams would have gotten along well with Vivienne. "They looked down on our family for showing what real old money looks like, all because we were foreign. C'est connasse. I should be used to it, my family moved to Italy of course before Lily moved to America, but the people of Mystic Falls seem especially bigoted. If they knew the things I know, they wouldn't be so quick to shun our family."
"Language mother…" Lily huffed against the rim of her teacup. Vivienne glanced her way but it seemed like she was all but ignored.
Tempering the way her eyebrows wanted to raise until they disappeared into her hairline, and the way her body leaned in, Bonnie felt her mouth salivate. She knew if she was a horn for gossip like Caroline she would be ecstatic, she was certain the girl would pay for seats like this after hearing the implication from Vivienne for juicy gossip.
"Hmm, like that Fell family, every time I met them I knew they wanted to throw a racial slur at me. It was just on the tip of that horrible boy's tongue, Logan–something or another, I just know it! He's only hateful because the whole town knows his ex-girlfriend Andie left him for Damon."
That was Damon? Bonnie remembers hearing something like that through the grapevine before but she had no idea that it was Damon who stole Andie Starr from Logan Fell. It's a wonder she didn't know about Damon until her therapy. The town's gossip was ubiquitous. She knew Stefan had an older brother and she remembers Stefan going to school with them for a few years while they were kids but her knowledge about Damon during that time was surprisingly little.
"Then there's Mayor Lockwood…last I heard he had an illegitimate child with the maid. Now he's pleading for the courts to not give the child his last name, claiming that it would only hinder the babe when they grow up." Vivienne snorted into her tea, blue eyes sparkling mischievously, "Poor, Carol. I'd feel bad if she wasn't always attempting to fool around with Guiseppe."
Bonnie had already heard about that from Caroline. It was the reason why Carol had been in a downward spiral with her alcoholism and why Tyler went to visit her during her AA retreat a month ago. He had just come back from his trip before they all met at the club.
Lily leaned over the table to pour amber liquid from a small decanter into her tea. Sipping her own drink, Bonnie found herself curious as to what it was. She had an idea though, considering what she would drink after what her mother implied.
"Where are you from Bonnie? Are you originally from the South?"
"Yes, ma'am…I'm actually from Mystic Falls as well…" Expecting to see some shame come across Vivienne's face or maybe even anger that the girl didn't speak up faster, Bonnie wasn't prepared for her sweet smile to grow into a grin, "I know the streets front and back and almost everyone in it, it's a small town just like you said."
"Completely dreadful isn't it?" Vivienne's eyes glowed.
"Mother, not everyone feels the same way that you do. Mystic Falls is Bonnie's hometown and a place where I have irreplaceable friends as well. I won't allow you to continue to go around spreading your gossip."
"It's alright Ms. Salvatore, I don't mind. That's one of the reasons why I moved. There's nothing for me in Mystic Falls anymore. I mean my father's there, but then again he's not. He's always moving…" Bonnie sighed, stirring the spoon in her teacup aimlessly, "I never felt accepted back home or like I belonged there. And after my grandmother died, that became even more apparent to me. I've been wanting to travel the world and go to other places ever since."
"My condolences dear," Lily spoke, her blue eyes soft and clear and Bonnie felt like that was one of the most genuine utterances of that statement that she'd ever heard. She felt that Lily had seen a lot of loss.
Soft, warm, slightly wrinkled hands enveloped hers and Bonnie looked up to deep blue, with warm shades that made the color seem like amethysts. A moment passed with the older woman staring deeply into her gaze and Bonnie was speechless. "She was a kind woman. I can tell. You have her aura."
Bonnie felt a tingle in her eyes that grew until she felt the unmistakable flow of tears going down her face. "Thank you."
.oOo.
"Normally when I come for a visit, we eat at Le Trumilou. Oh, it's a lovely place Bonnie especially if you enjoyed that cream cake."
They had moved on from tea a couple of hours ago and were now snacking on pastries that Vivienne had made and brought over. All the while talking about her childhood in Mystic Falls and then how she met the Salvatore Brothers. First with Stefan and how they went to school together, then her meeting with Damon, although she admittedly omitted the sex therapy part and spoke instead about how they met professionally then along the line decided to date. She could tell by the arch in Vivienne's brow that the older woman didn't care too much for Bonnie's vagueness.
"Certainly," Lily spoke up. "We went last night to meet up with Stefan."
"Thank goodness he didn't bring that little putain of his, Dieu merci," Vivienne sighed. "I can't believe he would ever decide to date mon chou's ex-love after she hurt him so badly. I will never understand Salvatore men. You cannot convince me they didn't get that from their father."
"Do you mean Elena?" Vivienne looked at the young girl with a startled expression.
"Do you know her Bonnie?"
"Y-yes, she's my best friend, but the girl you're mentioning is Katherine."
"Ah yes! Kathleen!" She remarked, snapping her fingers.
"Who is Elena?" Lily asked.
"She's Stefan's current girlfriend and…my best friend," Bonnie bit her lip, "also Katherine's–Damon's ex, younger identical sister." She hoped that didn't sound as confusing as it did coming out.
"Oh mon Dieu! They have the same face?!"
"Yes, unfortunately…although I hope you give Elena another chance, she's honestly a sweet girl and her and Stefan are really good for each other. Her and my friend Caroline were the closest thing I had to sisters growing up…"
Vivienne shared a look with her daughter before turning back to Bonnie and adjusting in their seats.
Breaking up the stunned silence, Bonnie brought back up the topic of the restaurant.
"What is your favorite dish at Le Trumilou?
"Hmm," Vivienne pondered around her bite of cake. The sun was waning now leaving just a golden glow in the sky, it created a beautiful ambience within the room. "The cassoulet, you must try it. Our family is from Èze in Southern France and it's a staple there. Le Trumilou makes it well."
"Oh, I love cassoulet! I missed out on trying it there though. When Damon took me we only went for dessert," Bonnie sighed happily, her green eyes shifting to the side as she reminisced her trips to Nice and Marseille with her grandmother. The food she ate was absolutely delicious so she was sure even without the women's recommendation that she would need to try it after hearing they had it on the menu.
"You've had cassoulet before?" Vivienne blinked. Lily was just as stunned as she moved forward in her chair. Both women watched as the girl happily blossomed before them, her golden skin glowed and her eyes brightened while recalling food from their hometown. She looked so pretty with the sun shinning through the room onto her that they felt themselves become enamored. She looked like a doll.
"Yes, but I haven't had it, or these cream cakes since my grandmother and I last visited France when I was in middle school," Bonnie spoke before finishing the last bite of cake on her plate, unaware of their fascination.
However by the looks on their faces, Bonnie could at least tell they were surprised. Such appraisal made her nervous.
What she didn't know was that they weren't just amazed by her personal knowledge of France with her near-perfect pronunciation of the food names but also because Damon invited her to the bistro that had become something personal to their family.
"Pouvez-vous parler français, mon lappin?" Can you speak French, my bunny?
"...Oui." Bonnie blushed. "J'ai étudié depuis que je suis jeune." …yes. I've studied since I was young.
Vivienne put her hands over her mouth, her eyes twinkling with almost tears and Bonnie wasn't sure how to react.
Before she knew it the other woman was on her side of the seat, grasping her hands and pushing back strands of Bonnie's hair behind her ear before pinching her cheeks. Althewhile speaking and saying random compliments about Bonnie's beauty and thoughts about her character in French.
She was being too nice and Bonnie felt like her face was going to go into flames when she heard, "She's so beautiful, with our Damon they would make the most adorable grandchildren. I hope they start soon while I'm still young," in French.
"I'm so proud…she's perfect!" Lily honestly meant that. She'd always wanted a daughter and this seemed like a golden opportunity for her to have that kind of connection with Bonnie. The woman felt a kinship with the young girl from right when they met. She hadn't said much throughout tea, somewhat because her mother was chatty enough for the two of them, but also because she was mainly there to observe. She was beyond happy that coming to Charlotte worked out and that the reason behind the visit was being partially achieved.
The two women grinned from ear to ear slightly overwhelming Bonnie. The unsuspecting girl had no idea what the two women were thinking and what they had planned for her.
"Who's perfect?" Three raven heads of hair turned to the sound of footsteps, "If you're talking about me you should wait until I come into the room so I can hear it firsthand."
Bonnie's eyes widened, recognizing the sound of that voice instantly.
And just as she thought, long jean-covered legs leading up to a gray crew neck under a new John Varvatos leather jacket brought her eyes up to the face that she'd been missing dearly.
"Damon!"
"Mon chou!"
"Damon?" Bonnie gasped, watching as Lily and Vivienne pulled the dark-haired man into hugs, kisses, and familiar greetings. Despite his comment, he looked almost as surprised as she did earlier to see them there.
She wouldn't go so dramatic as to say she was overwhelmed by the sight of him, but the elated feeling that expanded in her chest could not be ignored.
She's missed him so much.
And despite how much of a 'cool girl' she may try to present herself to be, she was sure her feelings at that moment are written across her face.
Luckily Damon's expression wasn't too different when his baby blues landed on her.
Bonnie didn't know when or how she got up but in a flash, after their eyes met, she was suddenly in his arms, with her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.
"You idiot," She hummed, her lips happily finding a spot behind his ear to press her lips.
It was only after the glow of the moment between them giggling and chuckling in each other's ears and necks that she realized that the position in his arms may be a bit inappropriate in front of his mother and grandmother.
"Fuck Bon, I missed you," Damon finally spoke, pulling her back by the nape of her neck to take her in. All thoughts of their audience were once again sent to the back of her mind at the sight of his breathtaking grin. It was full of bright white teeth, rosy flush, and an expression that was open in a way that she was slowly getting used to.
She knew she was beaming just as hard by the tingle of pain in her cheeks.
Finally getting a hold of herself with a slight shake of her head, Bonnie was just about to get down when he swooped in and pressed his lips firmly against hers.
"Da—!" Muffled, his lips caressed hers hotly as his arms tightened into a bear hug around her waist. Expletives wanted to fall from her mouth but after one good movement of his lips against hers that brought up a whiff of his cologne, she found herself lost once again.
"Really Damon, in front of Grandma?" Another familiar voice broke the air in the room. Bonnie finally released herself from Damon's suction cup lips with a smack that left no ambiguity as to what was going on. Blearily, she noticed the side-by-side rocking motion Damon started with her in his hold before turning her green eyes to Stefan standing behind his brother in the doorway pursing his lips in a way that showed he was clearly holding back his amusement.
Quickly, Bonnie smacked Damon's shoulder to let her down, her movements soon becoming erratic and jerkish once she felt the ticklish press of his kisses on her neck and clavicle. "Damon, let me down!"
"Oh my…" Lily whispers behind them and from then Bonnie was in full panic mode. It was honestly too embarrassing, marking that day as an avalanche of embarrassment from when she threatened to do them bodily harm with a lamp post to now making out with the woman's son.
As if he lived for her mortification and or to make a spectacle of himself, Damon took a deep breath at her cleavage as if to take in her smell, groaning as he spoke, "Mmm my Bon Bon, always smelling like a Bon Bon."
Bonnie squeaked before finally struggling herself out of his hold.
Red-faced and tingly all over, Bonnie righted her clothing while glaring at—at… her boyfriend, and his infuriating smirk which would assure his quick demise.
It would be the perfect setting for his last words too, now that his immediate family was gathered.
Turning around to start another round of apologies to the women of the family, Bonnie was met with an unexpected sight.
Lily had an awed look on her face while Damon's grandmother looked so happy that she was near tears.
Bonnie was speechless.
Turning to Lily, her mother spoke tearfully, "You were right, she's perfect."
.oOo.
"Not to break up the fun, but what are you doing here mother?" Damon asked rudely as he placed plates around his dining table.
Bonnie bit her lip to keep from laughing, not at his obvious attitude, but at the picture on the cellphone Lily was busily shoving into her face.
There on the screen was an old picture of Damon as a toddler. The quality of the photo was pretty good considering Bonnie figured Lily scanned the original physical copy.
Photographed was a tottering baby who she was told was Damon, standing warily against an open drawer. Told, because the baby had a diaper not just covering its tush but its head as well. Rosy cheeks and a gummy smile took over the expanse of the child's face, not to mention the baby's large pretty blue eyes. As adorable as it was, the diaper on the head while the rest from the drawer were strewn about split Bonnie's sides. Vivienne was already bent over the table laughing with a glass of wine in her hand completely ignoring Damon as he noisily placed a plate in front of her, clearly vexed.
"Oh, Damon you were so cute as a baby." Bonnie cooed around her giggles.
"Mm, wait until you see this one," Lily's sweet voice chimed as she toggled the screen.
This picture was of Damon as a baby, maybe four or five months old attempting to crawl away from his play seat, but as he was caught on the edge by his diaper, it showed his reddened cheeks falling out of it. His little cherub face was pulled down in a wail as tears fell from his big doe eyes.
"AAAWWW," Bonnie couldn't help but croon. It had to be the most adorable picture ever. She held the sides of her face to keep from smiling too hard. If Damon was this adorable as a baby she couldn't help but imagine a child with the same baby blues and raven hair but slightly warmer skin and her nose, maybe her chin…
Oh god, was she really imagining her and Damon's child?
Lily and Vivienne must've gotten into her head…
"Yes, mon lapin, little Damon was the cutest babe I'd ever seen. Next to Stefan of course. I could never choose between my boys." Vivienne smiled warmly before taking a dainty sip of her wine.
Damon growled, irritated from being ignored, and by what he felt was an attempt to emasculate him.
"Oh! That reminds me!" Lily's mother took the phone from her and scrolled through the gallery of photos until she found what she was looking for, deftly using the phone despite the stereotype for women her age.
"Mother!"
"Oh shush child!" Vivienne waved her away, "Look at this photo Bonnie, this is Stefan and Damon…" On the screen was another scanned photo. Seeing the lower quality for the time period reflected in the graininess of the photo made Bonnie want to see the original shot that was probably protectively nestled in an old family album. Captured was a toddler-aged Damon again, rouged cheeks, ebony hair, lurid blue eyes, and all. However in this case he was wailing tearfully as a much younger baby, probably only half a year old, latched his gummy bite onto his older brother's arm. Stefan was the ideal baby with his auburn almost golden locks, much lighter than his darker hair now, bright hazel eyes, and reddened cheeks. They both sported diapers as they sat on a blanket outside in the grass. It was a sight that could easily capture the heart or ovaries of anyone.
The dynamic depicted between the two brothers also made sense of their current mildly antagonistic relationship.
Stefan ambled behind the women to get a look at the photo, he was also curious. "Oh, mémère, why do you have to show her that?"
Vivienne reached up to pinch Stefan's cheeks between her hand and coo at him. "You haven't changed one bit, just grew a bit taller but my Stefiepoo is still in there."
Bonnie snorted quietly, "Steffiepoo?" She arched her brow at the amber-haired man, knowing without a doubt that she was going to tell Elena that as soon as possible. Actually, she should probably ask Lily for the photo later as well. She would send it to her best friend and then keep the copy on her phone. The Salvatore brothers were too cute, they could put the Gerber baby to shame.
"Bonnie," Stefan glared in her direction but the severity of the look on his face was dimmed by his slightly pinkened and smooshed cheeks still in his grandmother's hand. The gargled sound that came out when he said her name also didn't help. "This doesn't leave the house…" He raised his brows and darkened his gaze so that she knew what he meant. Don't tell Elena.
"Suuuure." Bonnie bit her lip to hide her grin. Meanwhile, her eyes floated back to the photo that Lily's eyes were still sparkling at. Using her index finger and thumb Bonnie zoomed in onto the drool leaking from Stefan's mouth onto his brother's arm, his little gums gleamed with slobber, causing all of the women to laugh. "I think he thought it was a nipple!" Their laughter grew.
Stefan groaned, finally extracted himself from his grandmother's clutches then moved to follow Damon into the kitchen.
The older male was mashing a bowl of potatoes with more vigor than necessary when he spotted him. "Bonnie seems to be getting along with mom and mémère pretty well." Stefan chuckled, moving to pick up a tumbler from the rack above the liquor cabinet before pouring a decanter of brown liquid into it. "A lot better than when I introduced Elena anyway…" He finished wryly with a sip of his drink.
Damon paused his mashing at that, "Did you know mom was going to be here?"
"I knew grandma was," Stefan shrugs. "I saw them last night but considering what happened…I figured just mémère would show up."
"Fuck! I knew I should have never let her copy my key." He growled,"I let the woman have access to my house while I'm away on business one time and what does she do? Take advantage like I thought she would." Throwing the masher into the sink with a little too much force, Damon swung back the rest of his own drink that was left on the counter.
"Why are you so upset?" The younger brother sighed having seen his brother's theatrics time and time again. "You and mom usually get over your differences quickly enough." He snorted into his glass.
"She knew Bonnie was going to be here…" Damon answered, his arms crossed as he stared down at the countertop. "Had to have…"
Not following, Stefan squinted at his brother, "What—"
"She must be here because she knew Bonnie was..." The raven-haired man interrupted, focused on his line of thought.
"Damon you're not making any sense. If this is about the argument you had, mom isn't that methodical."
Damon snorted at that, walking with a much smoother gait to the liquor cabinet where Stefan was standing. His body was more composed and calm after finding what he believed to be the answer to his questions. "You don't know mom like I do, I've spent more years with her," Damon cooed before heavily patting Stefan's cheek.
"Barely," The younger brother clenched his jaw at the sting but just blew it off like always. He wasn't going to allow Damon to play his games. Considering what the earlier baby picture depicted of Stefan being the aggressor, it was funny how things have changed. Or perhaps it was a decades-old revenge plot of Damon's that started from his baby brother teething, which changed their dynamic. "Fine, I'll bite. How could mother have known Bonnie was going to be here?"
"I may or may not have been pretty vague on our last visit about whether or not I was seeing someone," Damon shrugs while refilling his drink before taking a healthy gulp with a flourish. "Knowing I was going to be away on business, she saw the best opportunity to come and check Bonnie out for herself."
"After our last visit…" Stefan furrows his brow in thought, "but our last visit was more than a couple of months ago." The hazel-eyed man turned to his brother. Squinting with arms crossed at Damon's sudden nonchalance, "You and Bonnie have barely started dating."
Damon gave him a blank look before taking another drink.
Stefan was amazed by how long and deep Damon's feelings ran for the girl, reminding him of when he accused Damon of being in love the night they all went out...all that time ago. However, Damon wasn't that candid with his feelings, so that still didn't answer the question of what he said to peak their mother's interest.
"What could you have possibly said to mom before you two even started seeing each other, that would make her hop on a plane to meet Bonnie herself?"
Damon walked back over to the kitchen island before plopping his half-empty glass on top of it. Distracted, he started folding the finely mashed, mashed potatoes into a serving bowl. "Ah you know, the woman reads into everything." He narrowed his brow, "I say 'wow, that's great,' she hears 'Life sucks, I'm over-working, when are you coming to visit?'" A snort, "I say plainly, 'sure,' she hears 'I hate you mom, I never want to speak to you again.'" Damon's smirk is wide and mean with a flash of dark amusement in his eyes.
"What did you say, Damon?" Stefan pushed, well-versed in the way his brother liked to evade in their verbal bouts. No matter how important the conversation, it was like Damon was naturally built to be flippant.
Rolling his eyes, he carries on, "She asked if I was seeing someone and I simply said, 'No.'" He emphasized the word with his hands.
Finally getting an answer but not what he expected, Stefan sported a fully wrinkled forehead, "I don't get it, how could all of this come about from you saying no ?"
"I said no, Stefan," Damon sighs, pinching his fingers together as another gesture to emphasize his point, "were you not listening to what I was saying? Matter fact, I'd bet a hundred dollars that you'd just thought in that brooding head of yours that I'm never that straight and to the point. So, how do you figure her thought process is, based on that?"
Stefan blinks. "So you said no, and she took that as…" He still didn't get it.
Working his jaw in frustration, "Well we know who the smart one is between the two of us," Damon then explained. "She took that as 'I've met the woman of the dreams and I plan on marrying her within the week. Also, she's carrying my babies.' Babies and not baby, because they might be twins. Actually with the power of my swimmers–sextuplets." He wagged his brows.
Stefan damn near spit his drink out and ended up choking instead to stop himself. Wiping the dribbles of alcohol along his chin with his sleeve, he cleared his throat to mask his chuckles when he caught the look of his brother's pinched face and downturned lips. He knew that look and he knew it meant that Damon was two seconds away from ruining his day, so he straightened up. "What do you normally say when she asks if she jumped to that kind of conclusion? Also, where was I when this whole convo went down?"
"I normally tell the woman that I'm dating some random supermodel...that I might've just gotten out of a relationship or some other not answer."
"Those are not answers?"
"For me it was, who could keep up with my flavor of the week back then? It was easier to keep track the names of random people you met on the street." Stefan retracted his doubt with raised hands. "I guess she clued in since the answer was too direct this time...I've never told her no before. I've told her I was celibate and not really looking, but never no." Damon raised his nice thick brows while finishing the garnishing on the roast beef. "Anyway, that was when you were out working on the Porsche."
Stefan tipped his head up in thought making his amber hair shift along his forehead.
Hearing a ting from the oven, he moved to place his own drink down and then pulled up the sleeves of his grey henley. Oven mitts in place, he pulled out the roasted vegetables and placed the pan on a heat-resistant board before spooning out the food and putting it in a bowl.
While processing his thoughts, he takes out the dessert he made earlier as well and places it on the cooling rack for later.
Damon was really in love with this girl, and it was made clear in his interactions with his family long before they even met the girl. Even their grandmother who previously had even less information about Damon's dating life, told Stefan that she could hear a change in Damon's voice during their recent calls and that she had a feeling he had changed.
"You really shouldn't be so hard on mother, Damon. You know she just wants us to be close again."
"Close? Like back when father was alive and forced us to be a farce of a family?" He snorts, "Thanks but no thanks."
"Regardless, we are family Damon. Mom was just as much of a victim as you were. As I was…If she thinks us being a family is what's best, I want to believe her."
Leaning onto the countertop with his hands spread, Damon stared his brother down who stood on the other side adjacent to him. "You know, normally in this situation, I would say you're only on her side because you are the Golden Boy aka the Child Who Can Do No Wrong, and that while you're adjusting your hero hair, off to her rescue, your cape is likely to get sucked into an errant vacuum somewhere. Think of a human-sized blender…" Stefan made a face, "but luckily for you, I've changed opinions."
The younger Salvatore snorted, finishing off the last touches on his apple pie, and looked his brother amusedly in the eye. "Yeah, and why's that?"
"I've been talking with Bonnie." Damon took on an imperious look, his arms crossed and nose was up.
"I hope she did most of the talking."
Damon side-eyed him, "And she agrees with you, that I should try to work things out with mom."
Stefan couldn't hide his smirk, "Well, you know what they say about great minds and thinking alike?"
Damon kept a straight face for a moment until it slowly grew into a grin. "Right, well on that note, if I throw a stick will you leave?"
Stefan shook his head before picking up the roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes then headed into the dining room.
.oOo.
From then on dinner went on without a hitch, surprisingly.
Damon wouldn't say that he was particularly enthused about sitting at the table listening to his mother carry on about her plans for the family during Thanksgiving, but he could admit that his talk with Stefan helped him calm down a bit about the unexpected visit.
It also helped to see Bonnie there in front of him after such a long absence. Seeing her again and feeling the warm pressure in his chest made him realize nothing could truly bring his mood down so long as she was here with him.
She looked absolutely radiant as well.
She was always gorgeous, but her glow was brightened under the warm muted lights of his dining room that highlighted her impeccable skin.
His grandmother was at her side leaning over to whisper something undoubtedly inappropriate to the girl, but either she was used to it from him, now knowing where he got it from, or she was genuinely amused as the apples of her cheeks rose and brought his eyes to her perfect smile and plush rose lips.
Blue eyes made their way down her bared neck, over her clavicle and the swoop of her dainty shoulders that shook from her laughter, before they made their way back down to the heave of her modestly presented ches–
"Damon, have you been listening to anything I've been saying?"
Blinking, the man got himself together enough to look at his brother who was staring back at him knowingly.
He had it in him to kick Stefan underneath the table for the look on his face but realized that would be too childish even for him.
"Mother was asking if you thought Bonnie would like to join us for Thanksgiving." Stefan cocked a brow.
"Huh?" Damon replied, looking to the other side of the table at the woman on Bonnie's other side who was also staring at him as if she were trying to get his attention for the past five minutes.
"I mean it's obvious that you would like her to join."
"What the fuck are you talking about Stefan?" He growled lowly so that his mother wouldn't hear.
Putting down his fork, Stefan rubbed at the side of his mouth clearly telling Damon to do the same.
At that moment, whatever conversation Bonnie was having with his grandmother ended and the two women joined the conversation, "What is this about mon lapin joining us for a holiday?"
"Thanksgiving mémère," Stefan informed.
"Oh lovely," Vivienne turned to Bonnie once again, "You must join us, I won't take no for an answer."
"Um, ah," Bonnie started to speak, slightly jostled by Vivienne's sudden grip on her arm.
"May I invite Elena as well?"
"Who?" Their grandmother squinted at the name, "Stefan, hunny, you know only family is invited to our holiday gatherings."
During the commotion, Damon wiped below his lip, his eyebrow twitched when he felt some wetness there.
"My girlfriend, grandmother. I've told you her name multiple times. You met her a few months ago." Stefan huffed.
"O-oh, Ela!" Vivienne brightened. "You know my mind isn't as sharp as it used to be Stefan, merde." Lily made a noise that suspiciously sounded like a snort. Everyone turned their heads to her but she ignored them while graciously placing a cut of roast beef into her mouth. "How long have you two been dating again? Don't you think it's too soon?" Yeah and Bonnie and Damon dating for just a month wasn't?
"Since I was a senior in high school…"
"You may invite Elena, Stefan." Lily amended.
Vivienne turned her attention back to Bonnie, "Oh Bonnie dear, you will attend right?"
"Well, my father and I usually spend that time together. Albeit he usually cancels due to work…so I'll have to make sure that it's okay with him."
Damon watched curiously as his grandmother gave Bonnie a comforting look before pushing a strand of the girl's curls back behind her ear. His eyes then turned to Lily turning in her seat to focus all of her attention on the girl as well.
"Dear we would love to have you at our home, if your father would like to join us as well he's more than welcome. I can empathize with how it feels raising a child alone, especially around the holidays…" Damon noticed the tightness that formed on Bonnie's shoulders that relaxed when Lily smiled fondly at the girl. It surprised him to hear that Bonnie devulged that kind of information to his mother. "No pressure, if it doesn't work out I would still love to meet with you again soon, I've had a lovely afternoon today during tea with you."
"I as well, Lily." Both Salvatore brothers raised their brows at that. Lily almost always went by Mrs. Salvatore unless it was her own mother speaking. She revered being seen as a married woman, now widowed, particularly among the class-conscious society of the Mystic Falls elite.
That fully settled it for Damon, as he watched the three settle in with each other with genuine smiles all around. Bonnie was made of magic.
"Plus I haven't finished showing you embarrassing photos of the boys." Lily giggled and the other women joined. "The photos I have in my album back home are just precious." She winked.
His mother made a joke, his mother never makes jokes.
The three continued on with their own conversation as he and Stefan looked on in slight amazement. Watching as Vivienne patted Bonnie's thigh remarking in French that she had photos of Lily as well and so the woman shouldn't get too cocky, while Lily tilted her head stating, also in French, that she didn't have any photos that she was ashamed of, because she burned all the bad ones in her teenage years.
Bonnie laughed and carried on with them just as easily and fluently in French and Damon was stunned. He spoke with Bonnie in French and even Italian at times but never really a full conversation like this. It was extremely sexy to see her hold herself so well in the language that reminded him of the many summers he spent on the French Riviera. Èze French had a particular dialect to it as well that his grandmother was proud of. Bonnie picked it up and adjusted like it was nothing giving credence to her time spent in the Southern part of the country.
His surprise also grew for something a little deeper than language. His grandmother wasn't an easy woman to win over, none of his girlfriends that made it long enough to even meet his grandmother—usually by happenstance, even got a glance of acknowledgment from the particular woman, Elena was another example of evidence to that.
Normally he didn't care if his family approved of his choices in life or the girlfriends he chose to deal with. He learned early on with his father, that some people would never be satisfied and it had more to do with them than who he brought around. However, the one person whose opinion he did respect was his grandmother's. His grandmother was cutthroat and morally gray. She didn't make the best decisions about life and depending on who you'd ask, you'd get a range of answers for the type of person his grandmother was. However, she was strong-willed, stubborn, and could read a person and their character after one time looking at them. That meant she only wasted her time on people who were truly worth it. Damon admired those traits from Vivienne.
To see Bonnie get along so well with the woman was a testament to how right their relationship felt. Seeing her interact so well with not only his grandmother but his mother as well, who while kind and gracious to everyone she met, was not the most open and forthcoming after her marriage with his father, and yet here she was engaging with Bonnie and showing her family photos.
"Damon, what are you thinking about?" Stefan leaned over to his brother and asked, his voice hushed to not break the conversation the women were having.
Damon narrowed his eyes in thought, moments later his expression lit full of certainty.
"Bonnie…"
Soft green eyes dancing gaily from whatever his mother said, shifted their gaze from the woman to him. It was like everything else in the room fuzzed out and all he could see was her.
"I love you."
AN: There's a lot happening in this chapter, probably too much haha. However, there's only one more chapter to go and we'll finally be at the end! The last chapter is also pretty long, I'm very surprised by how much I had to write for this fic, I didn't expect that many ideas to come out of this. Regardless, I hope that was a good thing and that you guys enjoyed.
Btw, for Vivienne character, I really was inspired with and thought about Vivien Leigh esthetically-clearly based on the name, which I was lucky was also a common French name. I thought that actress would really suit the look for this family and the character she played in Gone With the Wind (which I watched recently for the first time) reminds me a bit of a female Damon, hardworking, charming and passionate, but rude, selfish and blind to the things that matter in front of them.
Anyways, hope y'all enjoyed the chapter. Hopefully I'll be finished editing the last soon. Urgh, I hate editing.