AN: Okay. I know chapter seven was a weird but it will make sense later on in the story. I promise.
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Later that night at the Boarding House
Will this night ever end, Matt wondered to himself unhappily as he made his way up the driveway leading to the Salvatore's Boarding House. It was pushing close to midnight and the weary sheriff was in desperate need of a stiff drink and a good night's sleep. He was officially off the clock, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to get any rest until he talked to Damon about the missing woman who turned up dead earlier that evening. Twisting the knob on the door, he boldly let himself in. Anyone who was in the supernatural circle and was on talking terms with the Salvatore vampires knew that the open door policy was limited a very small group of people, and fortunately, Matt was in that group. As he closed the door behind him and made his way towards the living room, his ears were greeted with the sound of Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" echoing through the halls. He fought the urge to roll his eyes as he ventured deeper into the obscenely large Manor. Crossing the threshold into the living room, his fought the urge to burst out laughing as he watched Damon, who had his eyes clothes gyrating his hips to the music as he dance around the pool table with a glass of Bourbon in one hand and a pool stick in the other. He was wearing a grey t-shirt that clung to his chest and equally tight jean pants with black leather boots. Watching the vampire mouth the words to a pop icon while casually engaging in a lonely game of pool made Damon look normal, but Matt knew more than anyone else that looks could be incredibly deceiving. Damon had his moments where he could be carefree and fun, but he also was known for being impulsive, dangerous and murderous which bought Matt back to the reason why he was at the Boarding House in the first place.
Sensing that he had an unexpected visitor, Damon peeled one eye open and grinned as he found Mystic Falls sheriff starring at him with amusement and annoyance on his youthful face.
"I don't recall ordering a stripper gram," Damon joked lazily as he took a healthy gulp of the liquor in his crystal tumbler, "But by all means, if the spirit moves you, feel free to shake your money maker."
The blue eyed vampire waggled his eyebrows suggestively before returning to his pool game. Matt shook his head exasperated and folded his arms across his chest. Any other day he wouldn't have been bothered by Damon's defective personality, but after the night he had, the former quarter back simply wasn't in the mood.
"You know what your problem is Damon?" the blonde started.
The man in question shot the solid orange ball in the far right pocket before sighing heavily.
"Let me guess. I drink too much? I'm too good looking? My house and certain parts of my anatomy are too big?" he ticked off on his long and slender fingers.
Matt sucked his teeth and rolled his eyes as he tried not to let his irritation show.
"Your problem, Damon, is that you think that everything is a fucking joke.
" Well it's not," he spat coldly.
"I just spent most of the night cleaning up your mess. That missing woman that you so casually slaughtered was discovered in the woods by kids. Kids who are severely traumatized by the way." Damon frowned as he turned his full attention towards the former quarterback. "What are you talking about, Donovan? I didn't kill anyone."
"So I'm suppose to believe that Georgina tore herself into little pieces and wrapped herself in your Persian carpet before disposing herself in the woods?" he asked flatly.
Hearing Georgina's name made alarm bells go off in Damon's head.
Georgina was the woman he had met a few days ago at the bar and had taken home with plans to feed from her. Unfortunately for the poor woman, Sybil had interrupted his meal and in a fit of jealousy, she had torn helpless Georgina apart before turning her rage on to him and lodging her stiletto in his back. He was about to tell Matt the truth behind Georgina's death, but something struck him as odd. There were other vampires lurking within the borders of Mystic Falls, but for some reason, he singled him out and Damon couldn't help but feel slightly offended. He knew he had a past of being a cold blooded killer, but as of lately, he only killed to keep Cade off his back and if it was absolutely necessary. Killing for sport was no longer a favorite past time of his and Damon was somewhat pissed that Matt was refusing to see that he had changed for the better.
"Riddle me this, Matt man," Damon drawled lazily, "Why do you automatically assume that it was me that murdered Georgina? Why couldn't it be Caroline? She may look all prim and proper but blondie can be a messy feeder."
Matt scoffed as he walked to the opposite end of the pool table and braced his hands on the wooden edge before leaning forward with a knowing look on his face.
"I know it wasn't Caroline, because Caroline is my friend and she doesn't kill people and bury them in the woods," he growled.
"Fine," Damon sighed exasperated, "I will admit to burying the chick in the woods but I didn't kill her or dismember her. Cybil gets the credit for that. Bitches be crazy."
Matt stared at him suspiciously. "Yeah, right. Like I am suppose to take your word for that."
"Believe what you want," Damon snapped no longer in a playful mood. He slammed the pool stick down on the table violently causing Matt to jump startled.
"I didn't kill that woman. I simply disposed of her body. I get that you want to stand here with your little badge filled with righteous indignation pretending to be the champion of justice, but you are barking up the wrong tree, brother. "
It was in that moment that Matt was grateful that he didn't have any access to wooden bullets or a well sharpened urge to strike Damon down was so strong, it had the sheriff seeing red.
"You act like that woman was a nobody. She had a name. It was Georgina. Georgina has people who loved her and is grieving for her."
Damon could hear the emotion in Matt's voice and his frown deepened. "People die every day, Donovan. Why are you taking her death so personally?"
"It's because of the way you discard people, Damon. You literal have no respect for us mere mortals," he breathed angrily. "You didn't have respect for Georgina. You didn't have respect for Vicky. Yu didn't have respect for Tyler..."
Damon eyes widened and seconds later he was in the sheriff's face with a dangerous look in his wild blue eyes. "So this is the root of the issue between me and you, Matt? Are you still sulking over the fact that I prematurely ended your bromance with the mutt? Are you still resenting the fact that I killed your sister? I admit that I have made my fair share of mistakes, but I'm not Stefan. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life being self loathing and pathetic. I have done bad things and you need to learn to get over it! Now if you are done rehashing the past, your time would be better spent making sure that Georgina's death isn't linked back to me. Stop pouting and do your damn job."
As Damon turned to walk back to the pool table, he could practically feel the sheriff glaring daggers in his back.
"Why should I clean up your mess, Damon," Matt inquired bitterly, "Is this why you keep me and Bonnie around. You think that we are nothing more than useful little humans who you can just use to make inconvenient problems disappear?"
Damon smiled coldly as he faced the other man with a deadly look in his eyes. If this was anyone else giving him a hard time, he would have been ripped their heart out, but unfortunately for him, this was someone that Bonnie cared about. She may have forgiven him for killing Tyler, but he knew that she would never forgive him for killing Matt.
"I keep Bonnie around because I like her. She's my friend, my drinking partner, and she keeps me from doing impulsive things like breaking people's neck when they get on my nerve. I keep you around because our mutual friends would get all sad and judgey if I disposed of you. Now you can continue to stand there and continue to bitch about your feelings or you can go out there and make sure that this town remains ignorance to the presence of everything that goes bump in the night. Make no mistake, Donovan, if you fail to do your job and my little secret is discovered, they aren't just going to come after me and Stefan," he warned acidly.
"Oh no. They are going to go after blondie, her munchkins, Bonnie and they are going to after you. When they find out you knew that there were vampires and witches running amuck and you sat back and covered it up, they are going to string you up right along with us."
Matt was practically seething as he glowered at the smirking vampire, but deep down he knew that Damon was right. He didn't have any other choice but to cover it up. Exposing Caroline, her daughters and Bonnie as supernatural was not a risk he was willing to take. Despite everything that had happened over the years, Caroline and Bonnie were the only family that he had left and he wasn't about to let the Founder's Counsel or anyone else jeopardize their wellbeing.
"I will take care of the body and the investigation, but I'm warning you. This is the last time. I am done cleaning up after you and Stefan. I am done letting you drag me, Caroline, Bonnie and everyone else down because you can't seem to ever stay out of trouble. I'm done. It's time for me to stop caring whether or not your secret is safe and start worrying about keeping this town protected," Matt growled angrily.
Before Damon could say another word, the seething Sheriff before stormed out of the Boarding House and slammed the door firmly behind him.
#
Stefan was making his way up the driveway leading to the Boarding House when he spotted Matt Donovan storming out the front door. He opened his mouth to greet him, but the pissed of Sheriff blew past him muttering curses under his breath. Sliding inside of his car, the vehicle roared to life angrily before Matt backed out of the driveway and went flying down the road obviously desperate to get far away from the Boarding House as possible. Stefan smirked as he realized that there was only one person who could cause that kind of anguish in a person before sending them running and screaming for the hills and that person was his not so likeable brother, Damon Salvatore. Breezing through the open door, Stefan made his way into the living room where he found Damon clutching the edges of the pool table while starring off in the distance, his pale face pinched with tension.
"Hey, I just passed Donovan on the way in. He didn't look too happy, but I guess that is what happens when you lower your standards and associate with a low life such as yourself," Stefan sneered as he glowered at the brooding dark haired vampire who simply rolled his eyes in response.
"Just when I didn't think my night could get any worse. What the hell are you doing here?" Damon snapped as he faced his brother with his arms folded across his chest.
Stefan shrugged as he made his way over to the wet bar and poured himself a drink. The truth was that after the night Stefan had, all he wanted was a stiff drink, a hot shower and a good night's rest in his own bed. "I live here Damon. I don't need a reason to come and go as I please."
As he brushed past Damon, the elder Salvatore brother wrinkled his nose as he caught an unique mixture of scents wafting off Stefan's clothes. He reeked of fresh dirt, smoke, sweat and...something all too familiar.
"You look like shit. Where have you been?
" Damon asked observing Stefan curiously.
"I was out helping a friend out of a tight jam," he said cryptically as he reached up and brushed the remaining dirt and leaves out of his hair.
Damon eyes widened when he realize the familiar scent on Stefan was Bonnie. "Helping out a friend, huh? Why do you smell like Bonnie?"
Stefan could hear the suspicion lurking in Damon's voice and he forced himself not to laugh in Damon's face. Making his way over to the fire place, he stared into the flames before taking a sip of Bourbon causing his lips to pull back exposing his brilliant white teeth. "Maybe because she was the friend I was helping out. Do I really have to spell out the obvious?"
Abandoning his pool game, Damon rolled the eight ball into the nearest corner pocket before joining his brother in front of the fire place.
"Why would Bonnie need your help?" he pressed warily.
The caramel haired vampire smiled deviously. "You tell me Damon. Why don't you stand there with that constipated look on your face and wrap your mind around all the different possibilities and come to your own conclusion?"
Damon stared at Stefan feeling his hand tingle with the urge to smack the smug smile off his brother's face. If Stefan had been with Bonnie, he knew that something bad had to have happen. Did Stefan provide an encore to his stunt from a week ago and kissed her again? Did he hurt her? Was she safe? All of these questions raced through his mind as he reached into his back pants pocket and retrieved his phone.
"What are you doing?" Stefan asked arching an busy eyebrow inquisitively.
"I'm calling Bonnie to make sure she is alright," Damon informed as he glared at him with contempt flashing in his pale blue eyes.
Stefan sighed heavily and grabbed the phone out of his brother's hand before tossing it on the couch. "It's late and she needs her rest, Damon. She had a little run in with Cade and I happen to find her in the middle of the woods and I helped her find her way back to her car. I was nothing but a perfect gentleman and she is fine. There is no need to wake her up with a pointless interrogation."
Damon had stopped listening to Stefan after his brother had uttered Cade's name. The thought of the ruler of the underworld being anywhere near Bonnie made Damon see red and he felt his fangs extract smoothly causing Stefan to instinctively take a couple of steps backwards.
Damon closed his eyes, desperate to gain his composure.
"What the hell does he want with her?" he asked when he managed to find his voice again.
Stefan shrugs. "Who knows? Bonnie wasn't exactly forthcoming about their little conversation, and I didn't really care enough to push. I warned her to keep her distance from him, but you know Bonnie. She's going to do what she wants if she means saving the people she cares about," Stefan smirked, "And as it turns out, she is interested in saving me."
Damon snorted rudely.
"She only cares about you because you are my brother and the guy that vampire Barbie is in love with. She wants to save you because of us. Not because she is invested in you personally," the raven haired vampire sniped coolly.
Stefan felt his haughty smile slowly slip from his lips and his eyes darkening noticeably as he drained the rest of the Bourbon from the crystal tumbler. Caroline had said something similar to him days earlier and it was annoying that Damon shared her same opinion. His ex lover and his idiotic brother were so arrogant to think that the only reason Bonnie would want to save him was because of her loyalty to them. It never occurred to them that Bonnie actually saw him as someone worth saving. He had seen the conviction in her eyes when he had cornered her in the dressing room a week ago, and earlier that night she had confirmed her steely resolution by reluctantly calling him her friend. When it came to Bonnie's reasons to save him, Caroline and Damon were wrong and Stefan couldn't wait to prove it.
"I guess we will have to wait and see if that's true, now won't we?" Stefan said stiffly.
"No, because you are going to stay away from her or else," Damon warned quietly.
"Are you attempting to threaten me, Damon?" Stefan inquired amused.
"No. I'm just giving you a friendly reminder to keep your blood and your tongue to yourself," he snapped.
Stefan crossed one arm over his chest while using his free hand to stroke his chin thoughtfully as he slowly closed the distance between him and a clearly agitated Damon.
"Not to bring up the past, but I do recall you giving your blood and putting your tongue in Elena's mouth when she was still my girlfriend. Last time I checked, you have no claims to Bonnie so why are you so concerned about the parts of myself that I chose to put inside of her?"
Damon bristled as Stefan's statement came across as dirty and sexual. The last thing he wanted to think about when he thought about his brother and Bonnie was sex. He was annoyed that Stefan was attempting to justify his actions by reminding Damon of his less than innocent pass with Elena. While it was true that Bonnie wasn't his girlfriend, Damon still felt the need to protect her from whatever dark and disgusting intentions Stefan had towards her.
"You're right, Stefan. Bonnie isn't my girlfriend, but unlike you, I actually give a damn about her," he breathed angrily as he glowered at his brother, "Believe it or not, she is actually happy with Enzo. She loves him and he loves her. In fact he loves her so much that he plans on taking the cure for her and they are going to ride off into the sunset and be perfectly human together. It's my job as her best friend to see that nothing gets in the way of that which is why I am telling you one time, and one time only. Back the hell off!"
Stefan stared up at Damon frowning. "Your posturing is endearing and oddly noble, but come on Damon. It's me. I know you better than anyone. You say that you want Bonnie to be happy, but there is a part of you that doesn't want Enzo to take the cure," he said slyly.
Damon scowled as he backed away from his brother slowly. He wasn't liking the direction that this conversation was heading.
Instead of admitting that Stefan had struck a nerve with his observation, the dark haired vampire decided to go with plausible deniability. "I don't know what the hell you are talking about."
Stefan lowered himself down on to the couch smirking at Damon who was trying his best to look nonchalant.
"I'm talking about the fact that if Enzo takes the cure, he will take Bonnie far away from this god forsaken town. We both know that you are too selfish to allow that to happen, so you can stand there and lecture me about not ruining Bonnie's happily ever after, but if you actually cared about her happiness, you would support Enzo taking the cure. Tell me, brother, when exactly did you give the little happy couple your blessing on starting on this new journey in their relationship?" he asked innocently.
Damon felt a lump form in his throat. Stefan always had a way of seeing right through him.
"Just because I'm not thrilled about the fact that Enzo is going to take Bonnie away from the only place that she had ever called home does not mean that I don't want her to be happy. I just want her to be happy here in Mystic Falls without you interfering in her relationship," he said evenly, his pale face twisting in annoyance.
"Between Enzo wanting to make a life long commitment to her and Cade taking an creepy interest in her, Bonnie has a lot on her plate. The last thing she needs is a vampire with a serious lack of control trying to push up on her."
Stefan heard the thinly veiled jealousy in his brother's voice and rolled his eyes. He could admit that he wanted Bonnie to get her happily ever after and that his inference with her relationship wasn't exactly honorable, but there had always been this weird chemistry between them. It was subtle and had gone unnoticed for far too long, but it was undeniable. He had known it from the moment way back when Bonnie had given him Elena's number and had saw him for who he truly was. Beneath the fear and the uncertainty had been a spark. A feeling of curiosity, attraction and something indescribable. He had ignored it in favor of pursuing Elena, but now that Elena was no longer an issue and Enzo being relatively new in Bonnie's life, Stefan had every intentions of turning that spark into a full on inferno.
"You do know that this thing between me and Bonnie isn't exactly one sided, right?"
Stefan pointed out as he intertwined his fingers behind his head and slouched back on the couch crossing one ankle over the other, "I mean, you were there when I kissed her. We both know that the smell of her blood wasn't the only thing lingering in the air after I walked away."
Damon tightened the grip on his empty crystal tumbler causing a small fracture to imprint in the glass. He turned his chilling gaze on to Stefan feeling the overwhelming temptation to snap his neck. "Watch it, brother. If you keep talking like that, this pool stick may end up in a very interesting place."
Stefan slowly ran his tongue across his teeth fighting back a grin as he ignored Damon's violent threat.
"I'm curious, Damon. What's the real reason that you are bothered by my sudden interest in Bonnie? Are you worried that my endgame is to hurt her, or are you worried that she might actually reciprocate my interest and destroy any chance you may think that you have with her?"
Damon flinched physically as if he had just been slapped. His nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed.
"You really should learn to check your delusions at the door, brother," he growled.
"First of all, Bonnie is not desperate enough to fall for someone who has been with not only one but two of her best friends. Secondly, I don't think I have a chance with her because I'm not in love with her. I'm in love with Elena. You remember her, right? The girl who you thought was your epic love before she actually saw the light and chose the better brother?"
Damon knew the moment the words left his lips that they had been harsh and cruel, but Stefan had provoked him. A tense silence fell between the two brothers and Damon sighed wearily. He knew that he was wrong for what he said, but his pride and his ego refused to let him apologize.
Surprisingly, Stefan rose from the couch and stood in the middle of the living room looking unbothered.
"Elena is old news," he sighed, "We both have had our tickets punched on that ride." Damon made a face." Bonnie on the other hand...She is a different story. She is an enigma. She is unexplored territory," Stefan said goading him with a wicked gleam in his eyes as he took another sip of Bourbon. "I mean, be honest. You had to at least think about it once or twice."
"Think about what?" Damon asked evenly. Stefan smiled as his eyes darkened noticeably.
"Think about how it would feel to explore every inch of that tight little body of hers. How she would taste when she falls apart on your tongue." The dark haired vampire found it hard to swallow as the images Stefan described began to slowly creep into his mind. "The face she would make once you hit all of her little sweet spots..." Stefan never got a chance to finish his musings.
One second Stefan was vocalizing his fantasies aloud, and the next second he found himself slammed against the wall with Damon's hand around his throat.
"Stop. Talking." the elder vampire brother warned quietly. His blue eyes flashed wildly and his voice hard and coldly.
Stefan chuckled darkly as a pair of amused forest green eyes clashed with blue eyes filled with fury.
"What's the matter, Damon?" he murmured, "You seem flustered. Does the thought of Bonnie being thoroughly fucked get you hot and bothered?"
Damon licked his lips subconsciously as he tried to block out the X rated images of Bonnie pouring through his mind.
Stefan wasn't wrong. Damon had thought about what it would be like to fuck Bonnie and each time the treacherous thoughts would fill his head, he was reminded how wrong and twisted it was to even imagine such a thing. There were nights where he would get lonely in his bed and Bonnie's innocent face would pop up in his fantasies followed closely by a raging erection. Every time it happened, it felt like his biggest sin and his worst betrayal.
"You're disgusting," Damon mumbled no longer able to hold his brother's gaze.
Seeing the guilty look on Damon's face made Stefan smirk arrogantly.
"I'm pot," the caramel haired vampire taunted huskily, "Nice to meet you kettle."
Damon tense and he felt the urge to wipe the smug smile off of his brother's face. He knew that Stefan was just pressing his buttons looking for an reaction, but Damon wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of losing his cool. Instead he plastered on a smile on his face before releasing Stefan. Seconds later, they were standing toe to toe and nose to nose.
"Bonnie is off limits, Stefan," Damon warned coldly, his warm breath fanning across his Stefan's cheek. "If you keep pushing the issue, then you and I are going to have a problem."
Stefan sized Damon up slowly and deliberately before a smile bloomed across his lips.
"Since you were so kind to give me a friendly reminder earlier, let me give you one in return. Whatever happens between Bonnie and I isn't any of your concern. Do yourself a favor and stay out of it."
Damon narrowed his eyes as he felt his body coil with tension.
"Enjoy the rest of your night," Stefan murmured brushing past him before making his way upstairs leaving Damon starring after him murderously.
End Note: But wait...there's more! On to the next chapter.