AN: I probably should have broken this up into two chapters, but the simple fact is that I didn't want to. *channels sassy Veronica Mars attitude* Sue me lol. Anyhoo. Enjoy.
#
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
Bonnie eyes slowly peeled open at the sound of her alarm clock shrieking loudly. It was a little past ten and she was still extremely tired. The vision had replayed itself in her dreams non stop all night leaving her mentally and physically drained. Sighing heavily, she rolled over and slammed her hand across the snooze button before rolling over to go back to sleep. Unfortunately for her, the vampire lying next to her had other plans. She groaned as she felt his lips begin to nibble on her ear lobe while his hand began to trail down her body slowly.
"Knock it off, babe. I'm trying to sleep," she chuckled softly as she swatted away the sneaky hand that found it's way underneath her right breast.
"I'm hungry," he complained hoarsely, nuzzling his face into the curve of his neck. She sighed amused as she felt his fang graze a sensitive part of her skin located over a pressure point. "You know good and damn well that there are blood bags in the fridge." He growled causing her to giggle quietly. "And you know good and damn well that I am not talking about drinking blood. I'm talking about eating you."
Bonnie rolled over and was about to plead for one more hour of uninterrupted sleep when she suddenly found herself unable to speak due to the fact Enzo had shoved his tongue in her mouth. She was mortified as she thought about her funky morning breath, but either he was oblivious to it, or he simply didn't care. Slowly Bonnie began to melt into the kiss allowing him to pull her on top of him where she could feel his eager erection pressed against her bare stomach. She was debating whether or not to lose her panties when the sound of her cell phone ringing caused her to break their kiss.
"Don't even think about answering that phone," he warned huskily as his hand slid down her back before resting on her firm buttocks. Bonnie grinned deviously before reaching over and grabbing the cell phone off of her nightstand. She was surprised to find Caroline's perky face flashing across the screen. Why the hell was she calling her so early?
"Hello?" she mumbled sleepily. There was a pregnant pause. "Bonnie Bennett, you better not still be in bed!" Caroline's screechy voice came through the other end of the phone. "You were suppose to be here over an hour ago!" Bonnie frowned as she sat up and rubbed the crust out of the corners of her eye. "I'm suppose to be where?" Bonnie winced and held the phone away from her ear as Caroline screeching reached a feverish pit. "I can't believe you forgot! You promised me that you would help me with the crime prevention event. McGruff the crime dog is coming to speak to the kids about being upstanding citizens and you agreed you would be in charge of the face painting." Bonnie slapped her palm across her forehead as she swore softly. With all the supernatural drama that she had been dealing with she had completely forgotten that she had committed to helping Caroline run the event weeks ago. "I'm so sorry, Caroline. I completely forgot."
"Instead of apologizing, get your ass out of bed and get down here. The event is going to start in five hours, and there is so much stuff to be done," she whined before lowering her phone from her mouth to bark orders at some poor person in the back ground. Bonnie rolled her eyes amused and shook her head while Enzo stared at the phone wide eyed. Caroline was sweet, blonde and a picture of innocence, but when it came to organizing and planning events, she was known to be a bit of a demonic control freak.
"Give me an hour and I'll be on my way," Bonnie promised as she reluctantly made her way out of her bed and padded barefooted towards the bathroom. "Make it forty five minutes and bring coffee." Click. The line went dead. Bonnie sighed and tossed the phone on the bathroom sink. Waking up to the sound of Caroline's loud and disapproving voice was the last thing she had expected given the night that she had. The vision had replayed in her mind the entire time that she had slept and it left her feeling restless, frightened and exhausted. Looking at her reflection, she was aghast to find dark circles residing under eyes.
"Care if I join you, darling?" he inquired as he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tight to his hard and taunt body. Bonnie stood on her toes and placed a kiss on his lips. "As much as I would love to have a shower quickie, I don't have time. If I'm not down at the police station within the hour, Caroline is going to cut me."
Enzo frowned concerned. "I know that you love her, but why do you let her boss you around like that? You two aren't teenagers anymore. You are grown women. You can say no if you wanted to."
Bonnie sighed. "In our group, Elena was always the popular one, I was always the peace keeper and Caroline was the leader. I think that taking charge makes her feel in control and even though it use to drive me crazy, I have learned to live with it. If acting neurotic helps her maneuver through life more easily, who am I to complain?"
Enzo sighed rolling his eyes and retreating from the bathroom. "Just let the little blonde know that if she interrupts my meal again, she will have to make it up to me by joining us."
"Keep dreaming, mister." Bonnie wrinkled her nose as she threw her bra at his back causing him to laugh.
After she finished disrobing, she climbed into the shower hissing as the steam hit her face. As the hot water cascaded down her body, a small moan escaped Bonnie's lips as she felt her tense muscles begin to relax. Closing her eyes, she forced herself not to think about the visions that had replayed over in her head all night, and instead chose to focus on her late night chat with Stefan in the woods. Despite the fact that they had a lot of issues to work out, she was sort of happy that he was there for her after her run in with Cade. He may have been obnoxious and slightly irritating, but it was nice to see beneath his rough exterior was a glimpse of the Stefan that she had use to know and care about. Reaching for her loofah and soap, she began to lather up humming softly to herself as she closed her eyes. She begin to think about what Enzo had tried to start that morning and a smile slowly crept across her lips. She imagined him disappearing beneath the covers and slowly slipping off her underwear and slowly kissing the space between her legs. She bit her bottom lip as she tossed her head back and imagined all the ways his wicked tongue would bring her to completion. Then as he slowly crawled from the covers, he planted a kiss on her belly button before...
As the face emerged from beneath the covers, she felt her breath catch. Instead of starring into the face of Enzo, she was imagining Stefan's green eyes boring into hers with his mouth wet from her release. He slowly crawled his way up her body and was preparing to kiss her when...
"It's Stefan."
Her eyes snapped open and she dropped her loofah as she heard Enzo say the younger Salvatore's name. Pulling back the shower curtain, she found the Augustine vampire starring at her with a curious smile on his lips and her phone in her hand.
"W-what did you say?" she squeaked, her wet breast heaving up and down rapidly.
"Stefan was calling you and left you a message. He wanted to check in and make sure you were doing okay," Enzo informed with a smile. "I guess he really is turning over a new leaf. It's nice to know that Damon's brother isn't a lost cause after all."
Bonnie forced a weak smile as she cut off the shower and quickly exited the shower. Grabbing the towel off the rack, she wrapped it around her body all the while forcing the guilt and horror she had felt at fantasizing about Stefan while she had been touching her body. Forcing the deceitful thoughts to the back of her mind, she dried off and quickly got dressed.
Minutes later, she jogged down the stairs and entered into the kitchen where she found Enzo busy packing his day trip bag filled with blood bags and Funyons.
"Where are you heading off to?" she asked curiously as she filled her travel mug with coffee. Enzo drained his coffee cup of the lukewarm blood before licking traces of it off his lips. "Alaric and Dorian are at the Armory and I figured I would drop in and see what they were up to. After all, I do have the responsibility of making sure the place stays secure and the day to day operations are running smoothly." Bonnie smiled as she kissed the tip of his nose. "The working man look is a good look on you."
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Bonnie asked curiously. Enzo shrugged nonchalantly as he slouched down in his chair with a devious smile on his lips. "Am I not allowed to admire just how beautiful you truly are?" he asked causing her to blush lightly.
"I don't want you to feel like I'm pressuring you or trying to control the direction in which this relationship is headed," he admitted softly. He fumbled with his empty cup before continuing nervously, "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I just want to spend the rest of my life with you. If that means spending the rest of my life with you as a human, great. If it means that spending the rest of my life with you as a vampire...well that's okay too. Just as long as I have you by my side, nothing else really matters."
Hearing his words filled with love and sincerity made Bonnie's heart swell inside of her chest and she felt guilty for not being able to give Enzo a clear answer on what it was that she actually wanted. She knew that she loved him and that she saw a future with him, but taking the cure was a big step and that meant that he would give up something very rare and precious to be with her. He would be giving up his immortality and she wasn't sure if she wanted him to do that. If Enzo became human, that mean things would change. Enzo would want to start a family which Bonnie would become a mother. Bringing children into a world filled with so much evil and darkness was the last thing Bonnie wanted to do. Her entire life, she had dreamed of meeting the perfect guy, falling in love and living happily every after, but nowhere in that picture had she ever saw herself being a mother and she was afraid that if she told him that, he would look at her differently.
Clearing her throat, she smiled softly before reaching across the table and covering his hand with her own. "With everything that is going on around her, I don't think that now is a good time to make any permeant decision concerning our relationship. Maybe once everything cools down, we can revisit this conversation and really talk about our future."
Enzo's face lit up as he grinned. Lifting her hand, he bent down and pressed several kisses across her knuckles. "Fair enough love."
Their eyes met and they shared a brief moment of tenderness before Bonnie's phone chirp breaking the spell that had fallen between them. Bonnie rolled her eyes laughing as she reluctantly released Enzo's hand and rose from the table. "I should get going before Caroline sends some poor minion of hers to find me."
Enzo laughed as he rose from the table and grabbed his coat. "I need to head out as well."
The vampire and the witch exited the house laughing softly as they made their way to their respective vehicles.
"I love you," Enzo murmured as he gently grazed her cheek with her knuckles. "No matter what happens with Cade, no matter what you decide you want me to do about the cure, nothing will change the fact that I love you, Bonnie Bennett. ." Bonnie felt her heart flutter in her chest as she lifted herself up on her toes before kissing him warmly on the mouth. "I love you too."
As they couple headed in opposite directions, neither of them were aware that someone had been watching them from a distance with a sinister smile.
#
Damon whistled cheerfully as he jogged up the stairs leading into city hall. After his earlier chat with Matt Donovan, Damon thought that he would be proactive and take the matters involving the Founder's Counsel into his own hands. Walking into the building, he made a bee line to the receptionist desk sitting near an broken down water fountain.
"May I help you, sir?" the young blonde asked shyly as she subconsciously threaded her French manicured nails through her shoulder length hair as she batted her long eyelashes at Damon. She wasn't the kind of attractive that was in your face, but he could admit that he found her slightly crooked smile and large eyes quirky and cute. All he had to do was apply the slightest bit of charm and Damon was confident that she would be putty in his hands. Clearing his throat softly, Damon leaned on the counter and flashed the receptionist his most dazzling smile. "Hi. My name is Damon and I have a couple of issues that I would like to bring to the Mayor elect's attention. Is there any possible way that you could point me in the direction of his office."
"I'm afraid not. In order for you to see Mayor Elect, you would need an appointment scheduled through his chief of staff," she said apologetic.
For a brief moment, Damon was tempted to compel her, but given the fact that Founder's Counsel were in process of taking measures to eradicate vampire's from the town, the receptionist's blood was probably already laced with vervain.
"Hey Trixie. Do you mind calling my old lady and telling her I'm working late? If she finds out that I'm having another late night poker game with the boys, she is going to skin me alive." Damon looked up to find Mayor Elect locking up his office as he made his way towards the exit of the building.
"Of course. Sir, this man was actually looking to speak to you. Maybe you can squeeze him in before you leave?" Trixie asked hopefully. Brody Sharp sized Damon up and down before flashing a bright smile. "Of course! I can always find time to speak with my constituents. What can I do you for, son?"
Damon's head reeled slightly from the heavy southern accent before he extended his hand. "My name is Damon Salvatore and I was hoping to speak to you on a very sensitive matter."
The Mayor-Elect nodded before leading Damon back to his office and closing the door behind them securing their privacy.
"Damon Salvatore," he drawled rolling the vampire's last name across his tongue slowly as he leaned against his desk, "That's an interesting last name. Is it Spanish or something?"
Damon forced himself not to sneer in the face of the other man's ignorance. Instead, he plastered on a smile and leaned forward in his chair. "Actually it's Italian. My ancestors came over by boat and help found this town." Brody eyes lit up. "So your people are the ones I have to thank for fine wine and great pasta." Damon forced smile became strained. He was willing to bet that the backwoods hick never had fine dining or fine way a day in his sheltered and pathetic life. He could clearly see why Matt didn't like the man. He was arrogant, rude, tacky and narrow minded. Many could argue that Damon shared the same unpleasant character traits, but at least on Damon, it was considered charming.
"Wow, so your family were one of the founding families in Mystic Falls. How about that? Good to see that good folks can come here legally from less fortunate parts of the world and make a decent name for yourself. Your people passed on quite a legacy," he whistled impressed.
"I was a member of the Founder's Counsel when it was up and running a few years back. Carol Lockwood and Elizabeth Forbes entrusted the town's safety to me and when it came to getting rid of things that goes bump in the night, I
"I figured that Donovan knew more than what he was letting on and was just keeping me out of the loop. For some reason that kid seems to not like me or trust me," he said scratching his head confused.
"When it comes to this town, Donovan is kind of territorial," Damon said before leaning forward with a conspiratorial look in his eyes, "Between you and I, I think he does a great job in protecting this town from your run of the mill criminals, but when it comes to the more darker deviants, I think Donovan is out of his league."
The Mayor Elect nodded with a somber look on his face. "I have people starting to asks me questions that I can't answer and the last thing I want is for panic to break loose once people discover that vampires are lurking within our borders feasting on our virgins and spreading their debauchery in our streets," he said sounding scared.
Damon smiled brightly. "I couldn't agree more. That's why I would suggest flooding the town's water with vervain and having a mandatory curfew for everyone. Vampires have an aversion to vervain and vampires can't enter homes without permission so if people are in before dark, they will be safe."
The Mayor Elect eyes widened in astonished. "You are a very knowledgeable young man."
Damon shrugged casually. "That's why I was Sheriff Forbes's right hand man." Rising from his chair, he smiled charmingly. "If you need any more assistance, I'll be around."
"Well I would be crazier than a gravy covered cat in a barn yard filled with blood hounds if I didn't take you up on your offer to have a place on the Founder's Counsel," the mayor elect grinned before rising from his seat behind his desk and extending his hand out towards Damon, "Welcome aboard, son." Damon released his hand and followed him towards the door. "Now if you don't mind, I have to get going, but I look forward to seeing you Sunday evening at the church for the meeting of the Counsel. I know it's short notice, but I hope that you will be able to make it," he said hopefully. Damon smirked. "I wouldn't miss it."
As the two men parted ways, Damon made his way to the parking lot lost deep in thought. If he played his cards right and manage to get the trust of the other members, he would be able to stay two steps ahead of the rookie members therefore keeping his existence a secret and making sure that people in his little supernatural circle remained safe from harm and persecution. As he made his way towards his blue corvette, he spied Bonnie's car parked several rows over and he smiled. If he was a betting man, he would guess that Caroline had found a way to rope his Bon Bon into volunteering for whatever event that was currently taking place in town square. As he neared her car, he found a piece of plastic bag tucked neatly beneath her window wipers.
Examining the bag closely, he frowned as he read the words splayed across the plastic. Pork rinds. What the hell? Why would someone shove this trash beneath Bonnie's window wipers? As he looked around the parking lot, he couldn't help but get a bad feeling. It was almost as if someone was watching him, but as he scanned the area, he could only see cops mingling with the towns people and children running to and fro from the bouncy houses to the snack stands. His eyes spotted Bonnie kneeling down in front of Josie painting her face with a brilliant smile on her face. He couldn't help but smile at the sight. He figured that he could spare a few minutes to talk to her before heading home. Tossing the empty bag of pork rinds to the ground, he shoved his hands in leather jacket pockets before heading in her direction.
#
"There. I'm all done." Bonnie held up a hand held mirror to Josie's face to show her the butterfly she had painted on her right cheek.
"Oh wow! It's so pretty!" the Gemini twin squealed happily as she grabbed the mirror and examine Bonnie's artwork closely. The butterfly was painted on her left cheek in a mixture of colors ranging from gold, black and hot pink. Those were all of Josie's favorite colors. As Bonnie used an portable air fan to help dry the art on the young girl's face, she was distracted when she spotted Caroline and her other daughter, Lizzie, making their way towards her hand in hand. She had painted Lizzie's face earlier and the bright red rose on her left cheek seemed to be holding strong. As the sisters admired each other's face paint, Caroline chuckled softly before staring at Bonnie with awe and quiet appreciation. "Is there anything that Bonnie Bennet can't do?" she inquired wryly.
Bonnie sighed heavily. "Apparently I can't give Enzo an answer to his proposal about him becoming human for me."
Caroline blinked surprised before a brilliant smile dance across her face. "Oh my gosh, Bonnie! That's huge. He is literally giving up immortality for you. That is so romantic. What are you waiting for?" Bonnie shifted uncomfortably as she began to place her paint brushes in cups of cold water to clean them. "There is something that I have been keeping from Enzo and I feel like if I told you how I really feel you might judge me." A look of surprise and hurt flashed across the blonde vampire's face. "Bonnie Bennett, you are like a sister to me. There is nothing you could tell me that would make me look at you any differently. You know that." Bonnie forced a tiny smile. "I don't want to be a mom."
"Is it because your mother abandoned you and you think that you wouldn't be mother material? If that is the case, you are crazy," Caroline exclaimed as she grabbed Bonnie's free hand and held it tightly in her own." You are one of the most loving and nurturing people that I know. You are kind, you are strong, you are incredibly protective. You would make an amazing mother."
Bonnie huffed frustrated as she withdrew her hand from Caroline's tight grip. "That's sweet of you to say, Care, but I simply don't want to be a mother. I have zero desire to bring life into this world. I never saw myself having kids and I'm afraid that if I tell Enzo this, it will break his heart." A stunned silence fell between the two friends as Caroline quietly processed what Bonnie had just confessed to her. While she was prepared to support her friend in her decision, Caroline couldn't help but feel a little sad that Bonnie felt the way she felt. Growing up, she had always imagined that she would have kids that would end up being best friends with Bonnie and Elena's kids and that there would be another generation of Forbes, Bennett's and Gilberts to take on the world. It never once occurred to Caroline that Bonnie's dreams would be different from her own.
"Listen, sweetie. Enzo loves you. I know that having a family is a big deal for him, but he has to take in consideration of what you want. If he can't accept the fact that you are all the family that he needs, then maybe it's time for the two of you to reevaluate your relationship," she said gently. Bonnie nodded with a worried look on her face. "I just don't want to lose him, Caroline. I really love him." Caroline sighed softly before wrapping her arms around her shorter friend. She wanted Bonnie to be happy and it seemed like every single time she got close to having everything she wanted, something always seemed to get in her way.
"Don't look now, but Damon effing Salvatore is making his way over here," Caroline mumbled frowning. Bonnie turned around and smiled as the blue eyed vampire swaggered over to them with a devil may care grin on his face. Teenage girls giggled as he walked by causing Bonnie to laugh amused and Caroline to roll her eyes exasperated. Both women have grown use to Damon's ridiculously good looks, but watching strangers fawn over them never ceased to amuse Bonnie and annoy the blonde vampire. "Hello ladies," he greeted them before winking at Josie and Lizzie. "Munchkins.
"What brings you by, Damon? This event is to teach children to avoid criminals. You being here is a classic case of irony," she sneered.
"I was just leaving city hall and I saw Bon Bon's car so I decided to stop in and see my bestie. Given everything she has been through last night, I wanted to make sure she was okay," Damon said casually, never once taking his eyes off of Bonnie who seemed to look uneasy and uncomfortable.
Caroline's brow furrowed in confusion. "Bonnie, what is he talking about?"
Fortunately for Bonnie, she was saved from answering when the twins grabbed Caroline's hand and half pulled and half dragged her towards the bouncy house. When Bonnie was certain that Caroline was safely out of hearing distance, she punched Damon in the shoulder causing him to yelp in protest. "What the hell was that for?" he complained feeling both amused and annoyed.
"You were about to put my business in the street," she hissed frantically. "Caroline doesn't know about Cade and I'm going to keep it that way." Damon narrowed his blue eyes at her frustrated before grabbing her by the arm and leading her back over to her booth where they could have a little more privacy. "I shouldn't have to find out that you had some clandestine meeting with Cade from my brother. You should have called me," Damon growled. Bonnie snatched away from him and sighed annoyed. "I didn't call you because it wasn't a big deal, Damon. I wasn't hurt. I wasn't traumatized. I was just formerly introduce to our latest supernatural nightmare and to be honest, we both know that my run in with Cade was going to happen sooner or later. We should just be glad that he doesn't want to hurt me."
"Yeah, okay. Even if I believed that, I still don't understand why you wouldn't call me and tell me about it. I don't like the fact that Stefan is walking around knowing things about you that I don't," he said unhappily.
Bonnie smirked she got a wet wipe from off the counter of the booth and wiped away the black paint lingering on her right index finger. "If I didn't know any better, I would say that you kind of sound jealous."
"Um, hello? Have you met me? When have I ever been okay with someone taking liberties with what's mine?" Bonnie stopped fumbling with the bottles of glittered and faced the vampire with a look of annoyance on her pretty face. "I am only going to tell you this one time, and one time only. am not a possession or an object. I don't belong to anyone." There was a long silence before Damon sighed apologetically. "Listen, Bon Bon. You know that I didn't mean it that way. I'm just saying that you are my best friend, and the best friend contract clearly states that when it comes to the role of being the person you lean on and depend on, I'm on a very short list of people that you call. Nowhere in the fine print of said contract does it says that you can outsource my place in your life to Stefan."
Bonnie couldn't help but laugh and silently she was astonished how Damon could make her want to strangle him in one moment and have her melting on the inside in the next. Damon may have had some loathsome qualities, but one of the things she loved most about him was how committed to their friendship. There was a time that she thought that they would never be friends again after his decision to desiccate for three years, but when he had revealed what had been inside of the letter he had left her, she had felt all of the anger and resentment she had been holding on slowly fade away. The fact that he admitted that he cared about letting her down as much as he cared about letting Elena down, meant a lot to her. It said that he cared about her very deeply and the bond between them hadn't been broken.
"Damon, there is nothing or no one that can ever take your place. You are my best friend and there is nothing that will ever change that. I promise," she said sincerely.
"So that means that you trust me enough to tell me what's going on with you for now on?" he asked.
Bonnie sighed. "Of course I trust you Damon."
She became nervous when she spotted a wicked gleam flash in his pale blue eyes.
"Good. Since you trust me, why don't you take a seat?" he offered patting the chair Josie had been sitting in earlier. Bonnie eyebrows lifted to her hair line as she stared at the vampire warily. "Why? What are you up to?" she inquired curiously. Watching him innocently pluck a paint brush from a tray, her moss green eyes widened as she slowly backed away from him. "Oh hell no. Don't even think about it."
He pouted playfully. "Come on, Bon. Stop being so uptight and have a little fun."
"Fine, but if you do a terrible job, it's only fair that I return the favor," she warned with a sigh before settling down onto the chair. Damon studied her face closely with such a serious expression that Bonnie couldn't help but burst out laughing. Damon rolled his eyes amused. "I can't do my best work if you are busy cackling like a moron." Bonnie quickly sobered and shot him a dirty look that made him grin. "Much better." As he took the brush and began to paint her cheek. Bonnie suddenly realized how close his face was to hers and became uneasy. She hated that everything about Damon was so intense. His wild blue eyes that held so much unspoken emotions, the sharp features of his face that made him impossibly handsome. Damon was finishing the outline of his design when he notice Bonnie bit down on her bottom lip before lowering her eyes. "Penny for your thoughts, Bon Bon?" he murmured as he purposely leaned closer to her. If a stranger would walk by and observe them, it would look like they were two people engaged in an intimate moment.
"Nothing, it's just that I was curious about the cologne you are wearing. It smells nice," she murmured, a light blush flooding her cheeks. Damon smirked as he lowered his brush and coated the bristles in white paint before carefully dragging it across her cheek. "It's called Italian Leather. It's the official cologne for eternal studs." Bonnie snorted and rolled her eyes. "Well in that case, I should remember to buy some for my eternal stud in the future."
Damon eyes widened noticeably as a grin stretched across his face. "Are you saying that you want your boyfriend to smell like your best friend? I don't whether or not I should be flattered or disturbed." Bonnie scowled deeply. "God, do you always have to be an ass?" He forced himself to keep from laughing. He loved getting under her skin. Noticing that he was amused by her indignation, Bonnie's face darkened noticeably. "Care to fill me in on what exactly it is that you find so funny?"
Damon stopped painting and stared her straight in the eyes. "I'm going to let you in on a little secret, Bon Bon. I know that you expect me to take you seriously whenever you curse me out, but I don't. At most, I find your scowling and your desire to hurt me...cute."
Bonnie grabbed his collar and yanked him closer so that their nose were nearly touching. "Believe me, you would find it less cute if I had my magic to put you in your place," she bit out through her clenched teeth.
Damon grinned deviously. "True. I would find it less cute and more of a turn on."
Realizing that they were in the dangerous territory of flirting, Bonnie quickly sobered up. She released her hold on his jacket, but he remained lingering in her personal space. "Seriously Damon?"
"What can I say," he murmured as he leaned forward and pressed his lips against her ear, "You always made it hurt so good."
Bonnie felt her stomach twist as she felt him smile against her cheek. The seductiveness of his words caused goosebumps to dance against her skin. As he pulled back and resumed painting her cheek, she couldn't help but feel flustered at his closeness. She knew that Damon was a notorious flirt and had got off on making women feel nervous in his presence, but Bonnie had always prided herself for being immune to his charm in the past. Right now, she felt that she needed to be vaccinated and that didn't sit too well with her.
As Caroline stood monitoring her kids in the bouncy house, she took a moment to glance in Bonnie and Damon's direction. She could hear their banter over the music and the idle chatter of the strangers around her, and something about the sight of them together intrigued her. When Bonnie was around Damon, she seemed more carefree and full of life. He challenged her, anger her, exasperated her, endeared himself to her. He could draw all kinds of emotions from Bonnie without trying. When Damon was around Bonnie, he seemed to carry a little less of the world on his shoulders. The fake mask that he would wear for everyone else's benefit came off around Bonnie and everything he said, everything he did and all the smiles he displayed was genuine. They were best friends in every sense of the word.
Damon and Bonnie. Who would have thought, she mused quietly before turning her attention back to her daughters.
"There. All done," Damon announced with a satisfied grin on his face.
Clearing his throat, he handed her the mirror and he was rewarded when a child like giggle escaped her lips. On her cheek was the spitting image of Ms. Cuddles complete with a black triangle nose and scruffy ears and paws. Watching her light up caused Damon grin to widen and while Bonnie was gushing over the painting, he wasn't listening to a single word that she was saying. Instead he was focused on how he never noticed how her olive green eyes seemed to glow whenever she was happy or how beneath her scent of jasmine and cucumber melon, there always seemed to be the hint of lavender that lingered on her skin. As he continued to silently observe her, he wondered why he had never noticed these little things about her and why was it that his sudden awareness of her and these peculiar traits was suddenly making his mouth grow dry?
"Well you aren't exactly Klaus when it comes to knowing your way around paint and a brush, but it's not half bad," she said impressed as she examined the paint job Damon had proudly completed. "I guess I will take that back hand compliment as you being satisfied with my work. My stroke game is notorious." He waggled his eyebrows deviously causing Bonnie to slap his arm playfully before laughing.
An hour later, the crowds begin to fade and the booths began to shut down. Seeing that the event was coming to an end, Bonnie hugged Caroline and the twins goodbye before walking with Damon to her car. They walked together in a comfortable silence before Damon cleared his throat softly.
"Listen, Bon. I was thinking that you and Enzo can come over to my place for drinks tomorrow night," he suggested and Bonnie smiled amused. "What's the matter, Damon? Tired of drinking alone?" she teased. He stopped walking and grabbed her hand holding her place so that they were standing face to face. Bonnie noticed that there were no traces of amusement or playfulness on his face and she immediately became uneasy. "When Enzo told me about wanting to take the cure, I wasn't exactly on board with the idea, but I have had time to put things in perspective." A tender smile slowly spread across his lip. "You are my best friend and you are very important to me. I want you to have the happiest life that you can imagine and if that is with Enzo, I wish you nothing but the best. I know that you don't need it, but you have my blessings."
Bonnie blinked and her lips were parted as she processed Damon's surprisingly sweet statement.
"I-I don't know what to say," she stammered flustered.
He flashed her his typical cocky grin to lighten the mood. "Bonnie Bennett speechless? Wow. That's a first."
Bonnie shook her head smiling before closing the space between them and stood on her toes before wrapping her arms around him. Damon reciprocated the act and held her close. He felt warmth flood through his chest as he realized that he meant everything he had said to her. While he wasn't excited about the fact that Enzo would eventually take her away from Mystic Falls, he truly wanted nothing more than for her to be happy. Oddly enough, it was Stefan's creepy antics that had made Damon take the high road and put his selfishness aside so that he could support Bonnie and Enzo moving forward together. The old him would have thrown a fit and found ways to manipulate the outcome that he wanted forcing her to stay in his life, but he had grown and he accepted that he could no longer be selfish with her.
"Promise me something?" Bonnie's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he pulled back slightly. His blue eyes connect with her olive green ones inquisitively. "Promise me that no matter what happens, we will always be friends."
"Best friends," he corrected softly as he playfully pulled her body tighter against his.
Bonnie and Damon broke apart at the sound of a woman whimpering in pain. It was only in that moment that Bonnie noticed a dark pool of liquid had formed beneath her car. Trailing behind Damon, they made their way to the driver side of the car and came upon a young woman lying motionless on the hot pavement covered in blood. Her shirt had been ripped open and there was a large hunting knife sticking out of her gut. As Bonnie moved forward to take a closer look, a deep frown marred her pretty features. Above the nasty wound were the letters XOXO scrawled in blood.
How bizarre, she thought to herself as she knelt down beside the wounded woman feeling helpless. Turning her gaze onto Damon, she stared at him desperately.
"Damon, do something. You have to help her," she pleaded quietly with a small tremor in her voice.
Damon narrowed his eyes as he squatted down next to the bleeding girl. Scrunching his nose, he quickly observed her injuries before deciding to taking drastic measures. Gripping the hilt of the weapon, he yanked it out of the girl's gut causing her to cry out in agony. Moving quickly, he dropped the hunting knife before biting down into his wrist and pressing the wound against her lips. As the blood poured into her mouth, the girl's eyes widened in fear.
"Shh, it's okay," Bonnie whispered stroking her hair in attempt to soothe her. "Don't worry. You are going to be fine." As Damon continue to feed the girl his blood, Bonnie noticed the girl's phone lying near her head. Lifting it from the ground, she was preparing to call for an ambulance when the picture on the screen made her blood run cold.
"Oh my god."
Damon lifted his head up to see that Bonnie's face was twisted in horror and her eyes were wet with tears. He immediately got the feeling that something was very wrong. "What is it, Bon? What's wrong?"
When she didn't say anything, he made his way over to her and grabbed the phone out of her hand. On the screen was a picture of the last person he ever expected to see alive again blowing her a kiss.
"Kai," Bonnie whispered brokenly, "He's alive.
#
"You have to be several different kinds of crazy if you think that Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a shot going to the playoffs this year. They are the worst team in the NFC south division!" Dorian exclaimed as he positioned a step ladder near the bookshelf to retrieve a journal he had been looking for. Alaric looked up from the crossbow he was fixing and snorted dismissively. "The only reason why are sleeping on Tampa Bay is because you are a bandwagon Cam Newton fan." Dorian opened his mouth to protest, but Alaric cut him off with a warning glare. "If you are about to say that Newton is GOAT, I won't be responsible for this crossbow misfiring."
Enzo chuckled softly as he watched the Occult professor and the intern bicker back in forth about football. The past few hours had been spent shuffling through the archives, organizing artifacts and updating the filing system. After awhile, things had gotten a tad bit boring which led to Dorian and Alaric engaging in an argument about their NFL teams rivalry. Unfortunately, Enzo didn't really have much to offer to the conversation. Unlike the two men who were born and raised in a culture that celebrated grossly paid athletes tossing around a ball made of pigskin, Enzo preferred to spend his times doing far more entertaining things such as reading a classic novel, engaging in swordsmanship, and driving fast cars. The subject of football just didn't appeal to him.
"Score!" Dorian exclaimed as he plucked a book from the bookshelf and descended down the ladder happily. "Found it."
Alaric approached him and arched an eyebrow when he recognized what Dorian was clutching tightly.
"What are you doing with the Maxwell journal?" Alaric asked curiously.
Dorian's eyes lit up with excitement. "I was doing some research yesterday and thought that maybe if I ran Ethan's Maxwell name through this genealogy website, we could find out more about the guy. As luck would have it, Maxwell has a well known descendant that resides right here in Mystic Falls," he said cryptically. Alaric folded his arms across his chest and leveled the intern with an impatient look. "Who is Ethan Maxwell's descendant?" he asked exasperated.
"Matt Donovan," Dorian informed flashing a smile that stretched ear to ear. Alaric eyes lit up in surprise. "Are you sure?"
"I ran his name across a genealogy website tracing back the entire family tree. I checked the result's five times. Matt's name was listed as one of the last remaining descendants," he insisted. "After I figured it out, I decided I would make a copy of the journal. I thought that Matt would like to read the history of his people first hand and I didn't want to risk losing the original so I figured making copies was the safest bet."
"What's your plan after you finish copying the journal?" Alaric asked curiously.
"Dude. It's the weekend and while organizing a bunch of ancient artifacts is loads of fun, I have a date tonight. You remember what those are, right? Expensive dinner, I flash my teeth and if I'm lucky, at the end of the night she will flash her-" Alaric interrupted him coughing weakly. "Alright, kid. We get the point." Dorian grinned before shooting Alaric a mock salute as he grabbed his brown leather satchel and slung it over his shoulder.
"Lock up when you are done," Alaric yelled after him. As Dorian disappeared in the direction of the main office, Ric turned his attention towards Enzo who was reclining bac in his chair with his hand perched behind his head and his ankles crossed in front of him.
"You've been unusually quiet. What's on your mind?" Alaric asked curiously.
Enzo sighed heavily. "Bonnie had a run in with Cade last night and I hate the fact that she was defenseless. She refuses to wear the blood necklace that I gifted to her and she no longer has her magic. I'm just worried that when she finds herself in real danger, that I won't be around to protect her." Alaric watched as Enzo scrubbed his hand across his face wearily. Alaric was concerned that Cade had made contact with Bonnie, but he wasn't all that surprised. The one thing that Elena and Bonnie had in common was their ability to attract the attention of the worst kinds of supernatural monsters.
"Follow me. There is something that I need to show you," Alaric said cryptically before rising from the table and exiting the room. Curiously, Enzo trailed behind the former history teacher and his intrigue grew as he found himself standing in the tunnels moments later. He watched silently as Alaric walked over to the far corner of the room and place his hands on the wall. As his face twisted in concentration, he used his knuckles to drum against several seemingly random patches of the wall before a opening appeared producing a medium sized black box covered in velvet. Grabbing the box, Alaric placed it on the table next to him before opening it. Inside where different items that Enzo could only assume that was magical. There were daggers, a compass, a Tibet singing bowl, a couple of vials of mysterious liquid, a ninja star and something that appeared to be a broach.
"Yes, here it is," Alaric breathed relieved as he lifted the piece of onyx jewelry out of the box, "The Genovese Pendant. It was created in 1652 to ward off enemies. As long as Bonnie is wearing it, those who wish to cause her harm cannot touch her. The only problem is that this particular magical artifact was created using dark magic.
"These aren't logged in with the main registry. How did you even come across them?" Enzo inquired as he stared down at the odd looking piece of jewelry.
"A while ago I found this book along with the Maxwell journal in the secret room in the vault. I think your cousin Alex may have hidden it in there because she didn't want to make these particular artifacts official. Especially given the fact that the team she hired off the books had stolen them from witches who were associated with our old friends, the Originals," Alaric informed rubbing the stubble around his neck. Hearing the name Original made Enzo's eyebrows shoot up to his hair line and his dark eyes widen in alarm. While he had been fortunate enough to have not been around for the era where Klaus and his psychotic family had reeked havoc on Mystic Falls, but Bonnie had filled them in on that particular chaotic part of her life. "Would her wearing this put her in danger? We already have our hands filled with Sybil and Cade. The last thing we need is for Klaus to be on our supernatural radar?"
Alaric examined the piece of jewelry closely and shook his head. "If there was a way for them to track it down, they would have come for it already. Besides, I think they have their hands filled with some war that is being waged in New Orleans," Alaric stated somberly as he placed the pendant in the palm of Enzo's hand. "If we want Bonnie to stay safe, her best bet is to wear it."
"Thanks mate. I can now worry less on keeping her safe and more on how to convince her that moving forward in our relationship is a good thing," he mumbled as the two men began the journey out of the tunnels and headed back towards the main room in the armory. Alaric detected a note of sadness in Enzo's voice and frowned. "Trouble in paradise?" he asked gently.
"I want to take the cure for Bonnie, but I'm not sure that she wants that for us," he sighed heavily, "Every time I bring it up, she either completely avoids the issue or she insist on talking about it later. I am starting to think that she isn't as committed to us as she has lead me to believe. I want a family. I want to grow old with her. I want us to be completely committed to one another."
Alaric nodded as he stopped and faced Enzo outside the hall of the main room. "Did you ever stop to ask Bonnie what is that she wanted? I mean Bonnie is a human that fell in love with a vampire. She had to make peace with not having certain things out of life. Now that you are offering her a life as a human, she is going to be forced to have to reevaluate everything about the relationship. Don't you think she deserves a little time to figure things out?"
Enzo considered Alaric's point of view and realized the former history teacher was right. He had been so excited in taking the next step in their relationship that he never bothered to ask Bonnie what she wanted. He also never gave her time or space to actually process what he was asking from her? It wasn't like he was proposing that they move in together, or they relocate. He was asking her to accept him becoming human for her and that was a lot for anyone to process. Then and there he decided that he would make up for being pushy by cooking Bonnie's favorite dinner and reassuring her that she could take all the time she needed to decide what she wanted. He didn't know why he had been rushing to get an answer from her in the first place. It wasn't like either of them were going anywhere and they had all the time in the world to figure things out.
Walking into the main room, Enzo tensed as he felt a chill in the air. He couldn't help but feel like something bad was about to happen. Seconds later, his suspicions were confirmed when he heard the haunting sound of humming filling the room.
Alaric frowned as he looked around uneasy. "Do you hear that?"
Enzo looked around the room and felt his mouth grow dry when he spotted Sybil standing at the top of the staircase with a devious look on her face. She was wearing a white blouse with high waist black slacks and black pumps with silver spikes running down the stiletto part of the heel.
"Hello, Enzo," she purred before winking at Alaric, "Professor."
"What the hell do you want?" Alaric growled harshly as she began to circle the two men like a hawk.
"Don't be rude. We both know that aren't so tough without your little weapons," she taunted as threaded her fingers through his shaggy brown hair enjoying the way his body vibrated with anger and fear. "Don't worry, Alaric. I'm not here for you. Unfortunately for you, you have nothing that I want." Sighing she moved away from Alaric and made her way over to Enzo who was watching every move she made like a hawk. When she entered his personal space, Enzo wasted no time in grabbing her by the throat and flashing her across the room before slamming her back violently against the hard wall. The impact was so rough that it cause the wires in the wall to crease and the lights in the room to flicker slightly. Sybil pouted as she stared at Enzo feeling a little hurt. "That's no way to treat a woman."
"You are not a woman," he seethed as he tightened the grip on her wind pipe. "You are a monster and you disgust me." Sybil eyes darkened angrily as she used a psychic attack to cause the vampire to fall to his kneels growling as he clutched the sides of his head in pain. "There was a time you thought of me in a more flattering light, Enzo. You can pretend that the very sight of me disgusts you, but let's not pretend that you weren't too disgusted when you crawled into my bed."
Alaric's eyebrows shot up to his hairline as he watched Enzo's face twist with guilt and regret. Enzo and Sybil had an affair? Alaric felt his stomach turn as his thoughts turned to Bonnie. He had been there when Jeremy had kissed his ex girlfriend who was a ghost while he had been with Bonnie. He had witnessed how much that had devastated her. When she discovered the truth about Sybil and Enzo, he could only imagine how heart broken she would be at his betrayal. Seeing the uncomfortable look on Alaric's face, Enzo jumped at the chance to explain his side of the story. "My humanity was off and it was a mistake. I had every intention of telling her, but I never found the right time."
Sybil rolled her eyes and huffed annoyed. "Enough with all of your excuses, Enzo. Damon's humanity was off and he managed to resist my charms. It makes me think that perhaps that you aren't as in love with Bonnie as you think you are," she murmured twirling a loose lock of hair around her manicured finger tip, "The man you are when your humanity is on is a man who settled for that little witch, but when your humanity switch is off, you are free and unburdened by the feelings you claim to have for her which leads me to wonder. Which one is the real Enzo? The one who settled or the one who is free?"
Enzo felt his anger surge and Alaric took a step back as he watched the veins around the vampire's eyes become dark and transparent.
"Don't you ever question my love for her. What I feel for Bonnie is the truest thing that I have ever known," he spat. "What happen with you was a mistake and you mean nothing to me. Just like you mean nothing to Damon." He was too angry to notice Sybil's face morph from smug to murderous as he continued to berate her. "You run around her manipulating people just so that you can get what you want, but as much as you try, you can't get men to do the one thing that you desperately want and that is genuinely love you." Before Enzo could take a breath after his long winded rant, Sybil stretched her hand out and caused Enzo's mind to become filled with agony and torment. Screaming, he clutched the sides of his head as he collapsed withering uncontrollably.
"Leave him alone," Alaric growled helplessly. Watching Enzo crying out weakly was hard to watch and even though he knew that there was nothing he could do to physically stop the siren harming Enzo, but he couldn't sit back silently and watch his friend suffer. To his surprise, Sybil stopped her mental torture on the Augustine vampire and smiled at him sweetly. She could tell that the Occult professor was frightened and she could easily dole out the same type of punishment to him that she had unleashed on Enzo, but she realized that she would be wasting her time and her time was precious.
"Very well," she relented. "Enzo and I will be on our way. Be a dear and deliver a message for me, will you? Tell Bonnie Bennett that she has twenty four hours to deliver Elena Gilbert to me," Sybil said coldly, "If she fails to meet my dead line...Enzo will suffer a fate far worse than death."
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Enzo hissed hatefully.
Sybil frowned. "You don't have a choice, Enzo. You either come with me, or I will eat Alaric, and I must warn you. I really have quite the appetite."
Alaric felt paralyzed with fear as the siren stared at him hungrily. Enzo swore silently. As much as he loathe being near Sybil and being strong armed into leaving with her, he knew that it was the only way to make sure that Alaric stayed safe and unharmed. "Fine," Enzo relented, "I'll go with you."
"Excellent!" Sybil exclaimed clapping her hands in delight.
Bending over, she picked up the pendant before examining it curiously. "I think I will hold on to this for the time being." Seconds later, she and Enzo disappeared.
End Note: The Sailor scouts told me to tell ya'll to review or in the name of the moon, I will punish you. *strikes awkward pose*