Silhouettes – Part VII

Damon woke up face down in Bonnie's silky white pillows, her scent surrounding him fully, but the space beside him was bare. He raised his head with a sleepy frown, and his eyes gravitated to the doorway. "Morning…" A lazy grin pulled on his lips as he rolled on his side, propping his head up on his hand.

"Good morning." She chuckled, with a little blush to her cheeks. "Sorry…it's just, I've never had a guy in my bed before." She admitted slightly embarrassed.

That made his heart leap. "Well, I'm happy to be your first." He pinned her with a roguish smirk wagging his brows at her, and when her cheeks reddened further, he knew she picked up on the implication. He knew Bonnie was untouched; he could sense that innocence in her, and admired it, but last night was intimate on another level. Just laying beside her all night…he'd never felt closer to a human being.

She giggled, dragging her hand down her face. "Okay, cool it, Casanova." She teased. "Um…Caroline called. She got your text last night and I guess she wants to make sure I'm okay. She said her and Elena would be here soon."

Damon gracefully rose from the bed. "So should I sneak out the window then?" he joked good-naturedly.

"Or you can just stay…" she suggested hopefully.

"Sure." He answered gratefully. He didn't want to her to leave his sight.

When Bonnie opened the door to let her friends in, they both wrapped her up in a tight hug, causing her to stumble back. The young witch laughed, hugging them back. "Guys, I'm okay." When she pulled back and led them into the kitchen, the look of shock on their faces was worthy of a picture. They stared at Damon, who was standing in the corner of the counter.

"What…happened last night?" Caroline asked hesitantly, looking between Bonnie and Damon.

"Katherine happened." Damon started, crossing his legs at his ankles and his arms followed suit. "She kidnapped Bonnie and forced her to do a spell. For what, we don't know."

"But whatever it was…it was dark. I'm still feeling it." Bonnie added.

Elena frowned. "Well, where is she now?"

"No idea. But if I know Katherine, she's probably long gone by now. She got what she wanted, no matter the cost." He grumbled bitterly.

Caroline threw her hands up then let them slap to her thighs. "Well, that doesn't make sense. I thought you said she was turning vampires." She directed to Damon.

"I thought she was."

"Well, clearly she wasn't because all those 'missing people' turned up dead." She explained. Everyone looked up at her sharply. "Yeah, I heard my mom get the call this morning. Twelve bodies were found at the cemetery…and set on fire." She added uneasily.

Damon glanced at Bonnie, and she glanced back at him, concern pulling her features. It couldn't be a coincidence that twelve people died, the same night Damon killed a coven of witches, while she simultaneously performed one of the most powerful spells she'd ever done.

"What's going on, you guys?" Elena demanded, looking between them.

"It was a ritual of some kind. It has to be." Bonnie mumbled to herself, feeling the guilt rack through her. Her focus trained on the bowl of fruit on the counter, and the glass shattered into thousands of pieces, shooting in every direction. Elena and Caroline turned and covered their faces and Damon sped to Bonnie, pulling her back out of the way of the flying shards. She turned to him with wide and scared eyes. Her voice wavered with fear. "Did I do that? Damon, did I do that?" He pulled her trembling body to his chest, running a hand up and down her back until she relaxed.

"I don't know." He lied, meeting her friend's concerned faces.

…

Council business pulled Damon from Bonnie for a few hours of the day, but he was back at her house before the sun went down. She didn't answer the door, so he tried the knob and was surprised to find it unlocked. "Bonnie, why isn't this door locked?!" he called out walking into the living room to find open boxes and books everywhere.

Bonnie jumped up from her spot on the floor, stepping over the obstructions as she made her way through the different stacks frantically. "Good, you're here. Something's happening to me, Damon. That spell Katherine made me do has something to do with it, I can feel it." She dropped back down to another pile of files, shuffling through them.

"Hey, Bon, calm down, what's going on?" He looked around at everything cluttering her living room floor. "What's all this?"

Her eyes didn't leave the papers in front of her as she rambled on. "I pulled out all my Grams' research on different types of magicks. Most witches have a more traditional practice like spirit magic or ancestral magic. The source is natural and channeled through the Earth or a lineage. But I remember Grams telling me about something else; something darker. Expression. It's limitless, which is why most witches consider it an abomination of the craft. It requires three sacrifices to access the full extent of its power."

Damon shook his head, as he processed. "But you didn't kill anyone."

Bonnie glanced up. "No, but you did." There was no hatred in her tone, and it came out matter of fact as she moved back to another pile, grabbing a map and laid it out calling hm over. Damon stepped around the boxes and crouched beside her. "This is where the witches died. On the edge of town." She circled the location with a red sharpie. "And this…" she circled another location on the other side of the map. "Is where they found the bodies of the missing students this morning."

Damon frowned. "But that's only two sacrifices."

Bonnie leveled him with a steady look as she circled another spot. "Guess where this is."

Realization dawned on him. "The bluff."

She held his stare pointedly. "Where the tomb vampires died." In a grand gesture, Bonnie connected each point, making a giant triangle. "It's called an expression triangle. And right here…" she starred the spot right in the middle. "Is where you found me after I did the spell. She used you for the sacrifices and she used me to channel all that power into the stone. She played a long game. She knew you would try to get her out of that tomb, and she was counting on us to take them out for this sacrifice." She tossed the pen into a box with resentment. She had been at it all day, and finally things were starting to make sense, but she had no idea what that meant for her now. She had access to all this power and no idea how to control it. Every time her emotions ramped up, the lights would flicker or something would catch fire. She was out of control. But a part of her felt so powerful. She could see how something this intense could be so addictive. But it occurred to her that it lessened around Damon. In the forest, and only a few hours ago his presence alone was enough to calm her. "Damon, this power…I can't control it. I could hurt someone…and I feel like you're the only person that can calm me down." She grabbed his hands pleadingly. "Please help me?"

He brushed a stray curl behind her ear. "I'm not going anywhere. We'll get you through this, okay?" Tears filled her eyes, and the walls around them started to shake. "Bonnie, look at me." He stared deeply into her eyes. "Take a deep breath." He did it with her several times until everything stilled. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes." She responded on a whisper with zero hesitation. "Yes, I trust you."

He nodded, brushing the tear that slipped down her cheek. "I'm going to fix this."

Shooting him a watery smile, Bonnie brought a hand up, holding it to her face. "I know you will. If there's one thing I do know, Damon, its that…you always come through for me." She stated softly, and with gratitude.

He swallowed deeply, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. "And I always will."

…

Over the next couple weeks, it was hard to find a moment where Damon wasn't within a stone's throw of Bonnie. She'd stayed home from school while she worked on controlling her magic and the number of lightbulbs and mirrors that had to be replaced in the boarding house was starting to add up. She wasn't surprised to find out her dad's work trip was extended another month, and at Damon's request, she moved back into the boarding house.

Bonnie found herself getting comfortable there, much to Damon's pleasure. She brought light to this place, and he never wanted her to leave. She walked around the house, barefoot in her oversized sweater, and he couldn't help but picture her dressed in his shirt and nothing else. He watched her from the doorway of his bathroom as she lathered up her legs and arms with her shea butter lotion, her hair still wrapped in a towel and a short plushy white robe draped around her.

"You're in my bathroom." He stated observingly, leaning on the doorjamb with a teasing smirk.

She glanced at him, caught off guard, before the surprise bled into an easy smile. "Well, you've been holding out on me. I think I'm in love with your bathtub."

Damon had to compose himself at the imagery that created in his mind. Her mocha-colored skin, naked and silky under the soapy water. He cleared his throat and shifted slightly. "Well, you can use it whenever you want. Elena's here."

"Okay, I'll be down in a couple minutes." She slipped passed him, her heartbeat escalating as her chest brushed against him, sensitive through the thin material of her robe. He grabbed her wrist gently and she looked back at him. "Yeah…?"

"I'm glad you're here, Bonnie." He told her in a low and sobering tone.

She smiled, a warmth in her eyes. "I'm glad you're here, too." Giving him a gentle squeeze on his forearm, Bonnie gave him a nod. It let him know that she didn't just mean she was happy to be here in this house, or glad that he was still in town, but that she was glad he was there...for her.

Ten minutes later, she made her way downstairs, dressed and with Damon in tow. Elena launched herself into Bonnie's arms in a tight hug, looking her over. "Hey…are you okay?"

Bonnie eased her friend's worry with an easy chuckle. "Elena, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Stefan filled me in about the magic Katherine made you do. I'm so sorry you got caught up in this." They made their way into the parlor, and Elena dotted on her, bringing her a glass of water. "Can I get you anything else?"

"'Lena…" Bonnie leveled with her. "You don't have to treat me like I'm going to break. I'm okay. I'm still me. Just…a little different." She forced a smile.

Her eyes darted up to Damon, before looking back at Bonnie. "Can we talk, in private?"

Damon didn't budge, and Bonnie didn't move her unwavering gaze from her friend. "Whatever you can say to me you can say in front of Damon." He couldn't help but shoot Elena a smug smirk when she glanced back up at him.

"Okay…" She sucked in a deep breath. "I don't think you should stay here anymore. You're not safe here, Bonnie. If the last few weeks has proven anything it's that Katherine can waltz in and out of this house without an invite."

Bonnie blinked. "Katherine's gone. She's not a threat to us anymore."

"How do you know that? Maybe that's just what she wants us to think. Come stay with me, or at the very least, let me come stay with you." She offered hopefully.

Bonnie laughed ironically. "And what exactly are you going to do, Elena? You realize that I'm fully capable of protecting myself, don't you? If anything, I'm more powerful now than I was before. I'm here because I want to be." She felt a heated ball grow in her belly, making her hands tremble. She felt Damon rest a calming hand on her shoulder, and the trembling seized.

Elena glared up at Damon. "You don't have anything to say?" He held her glare with one of his own, challengingly. "Fine…I'll say it. Bonnie, I think Damon is a bad influence on you." She rose to her feet, pacing the floor in front of the couch. "He killed twelve people, and for some reason you just accept it!" she ranted, letting her hands slap to her sides. "He's the reason Katherine pulled you into this, he's the reason Chet and a dozen of our classmates are dead."

Damon looked between them, and shot Elena a look with a careful warning. "Elena…" He could hear Bonnie's breathing increase and saw the tension in her shoulders.

Elena continued on obliviously, all her anger finally coming out. "He's the reason your Grams is dead, Bonnie!"

Bonnie rose to her full height, and abruptly all the books came flying off the shelves in Elena's direction, the lights flickered on and off, and the fire raged; roaring to life. With a scream, Elena was able to cover against any real damage, but a hardcover hit her in the forehead. Damon stood in front of Bonnie, shielding Elena from any further onslaught, while Bonnie pinned her friend with an unfamiliar scathing look.

"Get out of here, Elena!" he bellowed, one hand holding Bonnie back. The doppelganger stared on in horror. "I'm serious, you gotta go, now! She's not the one in the driver's seat."

Elena scampered off, and out the front door. Damon turned back to Bonnie, holding her face in his hands. She struggled at first, fighting his grip. "Bon…hey…look at me. Look at me!" He forced her to look up at him, and the white-hot rage in her eyes slowly faded back to their usual jade green. "There you are..." he smiled. "I'm right here with you."

Bonnie dropped her head to his chest, holding onto him like a lifeline as she sobbed into his chest. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" she cried, muffled by his shirt.

…

Stefan sat with Elena on the front steps of the boarding house, carefully tending to the cut on her forehead. He found her pacing the driveway in a panic when he pulled in.

"This is all Damon's fault, Stefan, you know that right?" she grumbled wincing as he dabbed her cut with a cloth. "Bonnie has completely lost control."

Stefan pulled a band aid from the first aid kit he brought out from the garage, and carefully covered her cut. "Maybe he didn't handle it properly, but I can't say I blame him, Elena." He admitted reluctantly. "Bonnie's life was in Katherine's hands. If I was in his shoes, I can't say I wouldn't do the same."

She leveled him with an unconvinced look. "You'd kill twelve people."

Stefan nodded; his response confident with a protective edge. "If it meant saving your life, yes. It wouldn't be the worst thing I've ever done." He confessed with a bitter tone.

"You are not Damon, Stefan!" she argued back in defense.

"No, I was worse!" He took a calming breath before running a hand over his face. "He loves her…to Damon, that's all that matters." He stood helping Elena to her feet. "Look, just be easy on her. Try to understand where she's coming from, okay?"

Elena nodded with resignation, and followed him in, only to see Bonnie in Damon's arms, as he soothingly ran a hand up and down her back as the lights slowly flickered back to life. It was almost too intimate of a moment to interrupt, but Damon seemed to catch notice of them, and urged Bonnie to go over, while he and Stefan disappeared into the kitchen.

Bonnie's shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry, Elena…I didn't mean to hurt you." Guilt pulled at her, seeing the bandage caused by her outburst.

"It's okay. I know you didn't." She reassured her friend with a sympathetic cant of her head.

"I'm getting a handle on it. It's a process, but Damon's been helping me. He said he's going to find a way to keep me in control of my emotions. He knows a witch that might be able to help." She explained with hopeful excitement.

Elena managed a smile, tucking her hair behind her ear. "That's great, Bonnie, I'm glad…but, I just can't help but feel like Damon is the last person who should be teaching you control." She broke to her friend as gently as she could.

Bonnie glanced away in frustration, crossing her arms over her chest. "Please don't start, okay?"

"I'm sorry, but as your friend I have to give it to you straight. I know you think he's changed-"

"He has." The witch snapped back.

Elena continued. "But that doesn't mean he's good for you."

Bonnie laughed, rubbing her hands over her face, and cupping them around her neck and squeezing in an attempt to relief the tension building. "'Lena…I get that you believe you're coming from the right place…but with all due respect, you have no idea what you're talking about." She held her hands up. "Just…stay out of it."

She walked away back upstairs, leaving Elena standing there shocked by her harsh response. Maybe months ago, Bonnie would have taken her friend's concern to heart, and despite her better judgement would have listened to her. But now…things had changed. She had confidence in herself, she knew herself better now, and she felt like she owed part of that to Damon.

It bothered her that Elena could be so hypocritical. She acted like she made all the right choices all the times when her falling in love with Stefan is what launched them into the world of vampires and the supernatural. She was quick accuse Damon of his horrible past, yet she was sure Elena didn't know the horror of Stefan's. Damon had divulged a few stories in her time here, and they were worse than she could have imagined.

Damon stood in the doorway of her room, as she sat on the floor, meditating, regaining her composure. "You okay?" He'd of course heard the exchange with Elena earlier.

Bonnie's eyes opened, and she leveled him with a tired look. "She's driving me crazy, Damon. What gives her the right to weigh in on what choices I make?" She pushed to her feet as Damon walked in, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"She's worried about you."

Bonnie scoffed, plopping down beside him. "So naturally she knows what's best for me? As if I'm not able to make my own decisions."

He smiled to himself. She was so cute when she was huffy. "Okay so she can be a bit judgy…" she raised a brow. "Okay a lot judgy, but you weren't crazy about her and Stefan when they started dating. Just give her time to get used to us being friends."

She stared at him in amazement. "How are you so cool about this? She basically nailed you to the cross down there."

Damon chuckled. "Well, she doesn't know me the way you do. I haven't exactly given her any reasons to like me."

She dropped her head, fiddling with her fingers. "Well…I want her to." She stated quietly. Her heart was pounding in her chest.

He could feel a shift in the air, and he couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking. "And why's that?"

She didn't dare look up at him. "Because…I like you. Because this…" Bonnie gestured between them, finally meeting his intense gaze. "Means something to me. And I wish she could understand that." She finished on a strained whisper.

It was the first time Bonnie acknowledged the change in their relationship, and he was happy to hear her say it out loud. "And what does it mean to you exactly?" he prodded gently.

Bonnie smiled, looking up at him through her lashes. "I think you and I both know that we aren't 'just friends'. It's more than that now." She felt bonded to him in someway; like they had this secret that no one else was in on. It brought a sense of comfort into her life that she didn't realize she was missing.

Damon cracked a boyish grin. "I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels that way."

"You aren't. I just need to work out exactly where that leads." She explained hesitantly. "I haven't really been in a relationship, Damon. I don't think I've ever trusted a guy enough to get that close. My parents could never make it work and when she left, my dad was never the same. In a way I lost them both." She was quick to make a joke or brush off the fact that her dad was barely around, but deep down it bothered her that he couldn't make the effort to be more present in her life especially after her grams died. "I have had exactly one boyfriend; we were six and he put gum in my hair. I was heartbroken." They shared in a laugh. "It's a big step for me…" she added more seriously.

He covered her hands with his. "I understand. And I want you to know that no matter what you decide…you won't lose me, ever." Damon confirmed in a strained voice. The thought of her walking out of his life almost hurt just to imagine. Even if she hated him, he could never leave.

She let out a shaky breath, squeezing his hand back with both of hers. "Good…because I don't think I could handle that; losing you." She was on the verge of tears, and Damon pulled her close, resting her head on his shoulder.

…

Katherine paced the floor of the hotel room, the phone to her ear. "No, you said that if I could get what you needed, he'd be willing to make the deal. I did the three sacrifices, I had a Bennett Witch do the spell, and I have the stone fully charged with dark magic. I didn't wait five-hundred fucking years for him to change his mind! Make the call." She hung up and tossed the phone on the bed with a frustrated groan.

…

AN: Hey Fam! I know, I know…Elena is super annoying lol. I'm not trying to Elena bash but she can be pretty hypocritical. Bonnie's friends will come around eventually, but I think they need to see it for themselves. I think I have a few more chapters to go under this one; I'm really glad you guys are enjoying it! Stay tuned! - Vanessa