Cursed Blessings

Chapter 5

"What!?!" Damon's face held a surprised look as he stared over at his younger brother. "I didn't do anything that Bonnie wasn't a willing participant in," Damon replied slightly peeved by his brother's implication.

"Right, because compelling a woman to have sex with you is totally beneath you."

"My God, will you tell Caroline to get over it already. Besides, I would never do that to Bonnie," Stefan only nodded his head at Damon's words. Over the past year he had seen with his own eyes how close Damon and Bonnie had gotten, and he knew his brother well enough to know that he would never willingly hurt someone he cared deeply for. Although, he still had a tendency to hurt them under the guise of helping or protecting them. "What I want to know is why the hell you let Bonnie go out without feeding first?"

"She fed, and she's ravenous. This is my third cup of blood to replenish my blood loss," Stefan said not noticing the way Damon scowled at him.

"You fed her?" Damon half spoke, half growled, and the tone was enough to capture Stefan's attention, causing the younger Salvatore to lock eyes with the older one.

"Yeah, I thought that we agreed that would be best, to help relieve you, remember?" Stefan defended. "Bonnie came to me this morning and asked. What did you want me to do, tell her no?" He added as if to shift blame.

"Well, thank you little brother, but from now on I'll be feeding Bonnie."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Bonnie's voice filled the room and both brothers turned to see her and Caroline entering the kitchen. Bonnie paused at the door, while Caroline moved to where Stefan sat. "I mean I'll take your blood, because apparently I need it for the baby, but I won't be feeding from you anymore, Damon. Caroline and I stopped by the hospital and 'borrowed' a few things so you can do transfusions, and maybe even you could donate some blood too Stefan."

"Sure," Stefan replied as he nodded in agreement.

"Me too," Caroline chimed in with a huge smile on her face.

"Ok, so this way we can stock up, and I don't have to take so much from you Damon," Bonnie continued as she felt the heat from his gaze burn into her.

"I don't mind, I'll give whatever you and 'our' baby needs," Damon spoke and Bonnie noted how his glare darkened, and it made her squirm a bit under his heavy gaze.

"Well, I think it's a brilliant idea, and I'm glad I thought of it," Caroline spoke up, and Damon turned and locked a death glare onto her. Stefan instinctively stood and casually placed himself in between the two of them. "After what happened yesterday it's obvious that Kai's spell is doing something to both of you, still making you want to ... hook up," She added with a soured look on her face. "In situations like this, I think you two should just avoid each other altogether, which is why Bonnie should come stay with me."

"No," Damon said so calmly that everyone else in the room stilled, and quietly regarded him. "You should definitely leave Caroline, because right now I think I might hurt you if you stayed," Caroline flinched a bit at his words, because she felt the truth in them. "But Bonnie and my child are staying here, where they belong. Isn't that right, Bon-Bon?" Damon asked as he once again turned his eyes back onto Bonnie, and she could see the rage, anger, and hurt in them.

"Y-yes," Bonnie complied to appease him, never taking her eyes from his.

"Good," Damon replied happily as he turned back to the counter with a broad smile on his face. "Glad that's settled. Now, if you'll excuse us," He then lifted the cup and finished off his breakfast, sat it back atop the counter, and then turned and moved to where Bonnie stood. "Bonnie and I need to talk," He gently but firmly grasped her arm and began to move them to the exit that led to the living room. Caroline took a step to intervene, which caused Damon to shoot a warning look to his younger brother. Stefan in turn reached out and grabbed Caroline's arm.

"It's ok, Caroline," He spoke softly to her.

"But..." Caroline started to protest but Stefan cut her off.

"They're just going to talk, like he said," She settled down a bit at his calming words.

"Ok, fine," Caroline conceded. "But if you need me Bon, just scream," Bonnie tossed her beloved friend a smile and a nod as she allowed Damon to pull her from the Kitchen.

A moment later, in the study

"I won't let you do it," Damon declared as he released his hold on Bonnie and moved to the bar in the corner to make himself a stiff drink. Bonnie stood staring at him baffled by his words.

"Do what?" She questioned.

"Take my child from me," He answered as he quickly tossed back his drink and then proceeded to pour himself another one. "If you want to leave, fine, but not until after the baby is born," His words royally pissed Bonnie off, and she placed her hands on her hip and took a step closer to him.

"Excuse me? Just who in the hell do you think you are?"

"Her father," He stated as he pointed to her belly.

"Well, I'm her mother and there's no way in hell I'm leaving her with you to raise alone."

"Come off it Bon-Bon, you don't even want her. Hell, just yesterday you were planning to find a way to get rid of her," Damon barked back at her.

"For your information I already have the spell to end this pregnancy, I finished writing it up last night, yet here I am still very pregnant," Bonnie said and she could see by the expression on Damon's face that she had shocked him.

"So, even after telling me yesterday that you would keep her, you really don't want to keep her?" He asked the hurt evident in his voice, though his face gave nothing away.

"It's not that."

"Then what is it exactly?"

"This is a spell Damon," Bonnie said as she placed both of he hands upon her belly. "This is a means to keep Elena asleep forever and torture us in the process. I know you said that you want this baby, but I also know that sometimes, and it might be a fleeting millisecond, but sometimes you wish you hadn't picked my life over Elena's," Damon remained silent because words were the truth. "I don't want this baby to ever look into your eyes and see that regret from you, because I can tell you from experience it really hurts," He had to avert his eyes from Bonnie's tear filled one, and swallow down the lump that had suddenly lodged in his throat. "So, I finished the spell just in case you changed your mind before she's born. As for me I try not to think of this baby as anything except some pawn in Kai's game, just a spell he cooked up."

"Bon, I won't lie and say that I've never thought about pushing you out in front of a speeding car."

"Yeah, thanks for that memory," She tossed in as she rolled her eyes and huffed out a bit as she folded her arms across her chest.

"My point is," He continued to speak as he walked out from behind the bar and moved to stand before her. "That it was just the once, I swear to God I've never had those kind of thoughts since, and when I did have that thought it was a fleeting millisecond like you said."

"C'mon Damon I've seen it in your eyes since then."

"You mean when we're hanging out and I'm all happy one second and then broody the next?"

"Yeah, exactly," She confirmed with a nod of her head. "The regret pours off of you."

"Bon-Bon, it's not regret about choosing you over Elena. It's a revelation and maybe a little guilt too, because I suddenly realize in those moments with you that I'm happy and I'm not even thinking about Elena. When I'm with you, I'm happy 'without' Elena," His confession stunned her into silence as she stared at him in awe. "See, now you've got that same look on your face. And another thing, this baby," He placed both of his hands on her swollen middle. "She's not a spell," Bonnie's face scowled up as she opened her mouth to defend her beliefs, but he quieted her by shaking his head to allow him to continue. "Kai's spell made my sperm viable and made us irresistible to one another, but he didn't just conjure her up and put her inside of you. We created her Bonnie, you and me. The means may have been unusual, and he seemed to have sprinkled her with Miracle-Gro, but the conception was done the old-fashioned way. She's all ours, not Kai's, so it's ok for you to want her and to love her," Damon leaned down and placed a gentle kiss against her forehead, and then he turned and walked out of the room, leaving Bonnie to stew on his words.