AN: There are not any words to express how sorry I am for updating so late. Nonetheless, here is another chapter that I hope you all would enjoy.

Happy reading. :)

The nerves didn't help when she parked her car in front of the Salvatore boarding house. It was probably the first time she had gone there for personal reasons—personal, non-violent reasons, that is. She already downed her meds for her allergies, double-dosed on Vitamin C, and swore half-heartedly that she wouldn't kiss Django's face. And now, sure, she was ready to face her puppy, but was she ready to face the 'daddy'? She swallowed hard, the dryness in her throat exaggerated by her suddenly anxious thoughts.

"Bonnie Bennett, I like you."

"Fuck, this was a bad idea," Bonnie muttered, suddenly strapping her seatbelt back on, ready to leave. Why couldn't she just have asked Caroline to fetch Django and meet somewhere public? Not THIS! What the hell was I thinking?! Panic immediately consumed her, but before she can step on the gas like the Phantom Racer, the boarding house's big door slid open.

For the life of her, Bonnie thanked the heavens that Damon and Stefan didn't resemble each other. However, the nervousness returned when she watched Stefan's amused face as he made his way to her car. Why did he look like he knew something she didn't? Did he? Didn't he? Did he? She couldn't find it in herself to move a full minute after he knocked on her window. Forcing a smile on her face, she opened a little bit of glass, "Hi."

"Bonnie," Stefan said in a peculiar manner, as if he were teasing her. "You were sitting out here for what," he glanced at his wristwatch, "15 minutes already?"

Bonnie gulped. "Nah…"

"So I thought maybe I should escort you inside," Stefan said, and tried to open the car door, but it didn't budge. He raised a brow at her. "Come on. Django is waiting for you."

"Um, Stef, I have, ah…" Somehow, it felt more difficult to lie to Stefan than it was to give her colorful excuses to Damon. And did Stefan just allude to her puppy as…? No, no. She was reading into this waaaay too much. Of course Damon wouldn't tell his brother about confessing to her, right? RIGHT!? "I just got a text. I need to be in an emergency meeting. For school. Clubs. And prom."

Stefan laughed out loud she didn't think it was possible. After a minute of recovering, he grinned at her. "We go to the same school, Bonnie. I know for a fact that there are no meetings scheduled today."

"I said 'emergency', Stefan—"

"Caroline was right; you're terrible in making excuses."

Bonnie's eyes widened. "What the hell—"

"You owe me, Bennett," Stefan warned. "Do you know how many days I've suffered because of Django?"

Was he still referring to Damon as Django? Didn't make a difference, that's for sure. "Uh, sorry?"

"Suffered," Stefan repeated. "Now, open the door." When she looked like she wouldn't cave, he flashed her his fangs. "You wouldn't mind if I sneaked a sip, would you?"

Oh right, I'm talking to the Bambi-sucker. In a beat, she was out of the car, storming towards the boarding house like it was her own. "Django!?"

"Uh, I came out there to escort you," Stefan grumbled, following her as she made her way inside. "Well, welcome home, Bonnie."

Looking left and right, she frowned. "Where are they?" She began to pace nervously in the living room. She made a face when Stefan answered her pointing to the stairs. Before he can suggest anything else, she shook her head. "Not happening. I'm not going to—"

"Get your mind off the gutter, Bonnie," Stefan said, giving her a wink. Then he made a show of taking a deep breath and yelled, "ASSFACE, YOUR GIRLFRIEND IS HERE!" When Bonnie gave him a look, he frowned. "What?"

"I'm not his girlfriend," she replied. "And I didn't think you kids were so sweet."

"It's part of our charm," Damon's voice interrupted before Stefan could defend himself. He entered with his century-old swagger, the whole effect ruined by the baby bag on his shoulder. On his hand was Django, its little paws dangling in the air. He sneered at his brother in greeting, but when his eyes landed on Bonnie, she tried hard not to grab onto anything in fear of losing her balance.

Trying not to think of how she miraculously felt so endeared to the eldest Salvatore, Bonnie cleared her throat and put a smile on her face. "Django!" she chirped happily, and as expected, her little darling wagged its tail and whimpered for her attention. "Oh my, I miss him so much! Damon, give him to me!" she stretched out her hands, but he effortlessly lifted his hand over her head, and Django was simply out of reach. "What the fuck?"

"Are you dyslectic or something?" Damon asked, smirking at her. "It's supposed to be 'Oh my, I miss you so much, Damon! Give me some!'"

"I'm not dyslectic, but you're clearly delusional," Bonnie laughed. She tried to reach for her dog, but he simply held the pup away. "DAMON! Are you really trying to prove you're twelve?! He's begging for me!"

True enough, Dhango started swimming in the air, trying to get to his mommy, but Damon just looked down at her, a couple of inches below his nose. "Not in my perspective," he said, and ruffled her hair with his free hand, to which Bonnie scowled at him, trying to swat his hand away.

"How dare you touch my hair!"

"Because you're so small you couldn't reach him!"

"Don't make me use force, Damon!"

"Ooh, I'm soooo scared!"

As Bonnie tried to reach for Django, she forgot about how Stefan still stood behind them, observing them quietly, completely entertained—not until Damon secretly flashed him a warning glare. "Fine, fine," the younger brother muttered under his breath, and left the two love birds alone.

"No weird feelings?" Damon asked for the third time, knowing he couldn't help the double entendre slip out. But it seemed that Bonnie was just really eager to have the puppy back in her hands. Good-naturedly, she shook her head and said her breathing was clear. Even so, Damon noticed she was going to keep a good distance from the dog and not smother it with kisses that would trigger her allergies. "That's great. You'll just have to go here if you want to do some major petting."

Bonnie just rolled her eyes at him, but this time, she didn't say anything. She kept herself occupied and effectively distracted with their baby. Simply said, they looked adorable.

Damon knew she was tense. If only he can laugh at her face because of her fears and insecurities. If anyone should be nervous, it should have been him (and he was). Unlike Bonnie, who was probably going nuts about their shared and too short kisses, Damon was feeling all sorts of out of character.

Not only because he was suddenly burdened by caring for a dog in his house (something he felt a bit guilty for doing to her, and the allergies it gave her), but because of the conversation they had the other night. Surprisingly, he wasn't out of his zone because he told her he liked her, though of course, that was an accomplishment in itself. He was, however, going a little bit crazy with the fact that he might have sort of told her things he hadn't told anyone else.

It happened right after he told her he liked her, and she sort of drifted to sleep. Or did she? He had no way of knowing, other than the soft snoring on the other line after his unplanned confession.

"Bonnie Bennett, I like you."

When she didn't respond, probably lost in her own thoughts and the gravity of his 'confession', he sighed loudly. He told her about how Django was doing, and he went on and on about that, then somehow, the dog talk drifted to tales about his younger years with Stefan. They wanted to keep the stray dog they found, but they knew Giuseppe would blow a fuse if they did. Talking about his past, and his family in particular, gave him the strangest feeling to say something more.

Talking to Bonnie like this, as unresponsive as she was at the moment, made him feel different. He wanted to pour out his thoughts and emotions, not just to be able to get it off his chest, but because he wanted her to know about them. He wanted her to listen—not just because he wanted to show her that he wasn't a heartless son of a bitch, but he wanted to share who he was—or what was left of him. Honestly, Damon didn't think he was a complete lost cause.

So he said a few things he didn't think he'd ever say in his lifetime. "You know, as annoying as Django is? I think I actually like him." He held his breath, partly wanting to hear her retort and tease him about it, but all he could hear was the soft hum of her breath. "And don't you dare laugh at me, Bennett, but I… I think I actually want kids. But yeah, I know that's sorta impossible, but yeah. The idea of having them isn't such a bad idea." He laughed. "That sounds stupid, right? Me, a dad. Psh."

Damon forced another chuckle out, but it didn't feel like he was joking anymore. He hasn't been joking around her for a long time anyway. "Actually, Bonnie, I feel like… I feel like I need a family. Of my own." He wanted to strangle himself for saying it, but she was so quiet, it's as if she was really listening to him. "I don't know why I'm telling you this, but it's true. Can you imagine it though?"

He waited for a reply, there was none. Relief and disappointment flooded his chest. "Let's just pretend I'm not the despicable vampire you hate. But imagine this. I'm just Damon, alive, and I'm with you. We're going to be together, and, uh…" He paused, thinking about saying 'fucking' or 'making love', afraid she might suddenly wake and castrate him in the middle of the night. "We'll have kids. Imagine that." What was he saying? He was actually taking advantage of her silence. "I hope you dream of this, Bennett. I know I will."

Because she made it so easy to think of family. Why did she make it so easy all of a sudden? To say stuff like this? He was being a coward now, but somehow, if they kept this up, he had a feeling he would be telling her these things even if she was conscious.

All he could think about was Bonnie Bennett and he liked it. Loved it, even.

Was he in love with her?

Clenching his jaw, he nodded to himself. "I need you, Bonnie. I can't explain it, but I need you. If I'm going to be dreaming of kids and a life worth living, it's going to be with you."

When did this happen, that there was going to be no one else but Bonnie Bennett? Boy, she caught him off-guard. What a tricky little witch.

When she snored on the phone, he chuckled to himself, and bid her goodnight.

Wasn't he supposed to be scared? Hadn't he had doubts of Elena because she was the evident ball and chain? But why wasn't he feeling any straw of negativity with Bonnie? Was he out of his mind? Probably. Was he serious? As a bat. Why would he tell Bonnie, of all people? Someone he couldn't compel to forget, someone he hadn't even fucked, for crying out loud. What the flying fuck was wrong with him? A lot of things, apparently.

"Stop staring, Salvatore." Bonnie's voice interrupted his thoughts, and if he had a heart, it would have had jumped out of his chest in surprise. Despite her command, he noticed something different in the way she said it, as if those three words were peppered with affection that wasn't there before.

Everything was really taking a huge toll on him. Other than his unplanned admission of wanting a family last night, it didn't help that Bonnie was being unusually Bonnie. Despite their traditional banter/aggressive acquaintance, and their ire mostly directed at each other, it's as if he had always known such sweetness was hidden in a box somewhere. This was the Pandora's box of all Pandora's boxes, that's for sure. He couldn't stop seeing all of Bonnie, even considering those annoying traits of hers as borderline adorable. Which explains why he couldn't keep his eyes off her lips for more than a few seconds.

As Bonnie was about to give Django a smooch, Damon used his superspeed to take the dog away. "Tsk, tsk, tsk!" he warned unhappily. "You're not getting sick over this again."

Bonnie looked deflated immediately. "It's just so hard to…"

"And I'm not letting Django one up me," Damon said offhandedly. "I'm a jealous hubby and if someone's getting a kiss here, it's me." Did he just get hard from what he said? Probably. Did he scare her away? As he looked down, Bonnie was already halfway to the door. What the fuck? "Bonnie, wait! Hey, don't go!"

Bonnie looked like she was burning. "I gotta go," she whispered. "I don't know what I was thinking. I have to go." She kept saying it to herself, whispering about remembering 'the list'.

Damon sped up to her before she got out, slammed the door close behind him and effectively kept her away. "What are you doing? I was just joking for fuck's sake!"

"I know, Damon, I know," Bonnie whispered. "And I'm sorry. I'm sorry for acting this way. You've been so good to me, and—"

"Was this about what I told you the other night?" he asked fearfully. When she ignored him, he felt the need to fix things. "Bonnie, I wasn't playing around." When he realized what he just said, he smacked his own head with his hand. "I mean, look, just don't push me away." For a moment, he was relieved that she stopped moving. She faced him, her green eyes brimming with… sadness? Uh-oh. This was not good.

"Damon, I can't do this with you," Bonnie said under her breath. "You've been really wonderful to me, sweet, thoughtful, and I…" she shook her head. "But I can't do this. "

"I know whatever I do won't make up for all the wrong things I've done directly or indirectly to you," he said. "But, Bonnie, I…"

"I haven't said this before, but I trust you, Damon," Bonnie said. "Even before—before this." She looked so conflicted, looked so confused, but he could see that her mind was made up. "And I am going to tell you something, about why I can't be with you, Damon."

Fight for it. Fight for her. But he wanted to know. "Then tell me."

"I'm the marrying type, Damon," she said. "I've always wanted to get married. I want a family of my own. I want children. I want everything."

So it all went down to that. To think he said the same things to her the other night. But it was what she wanted, right? Bonnie wanted things he couldn't give her. Dreams weren't going to cut it for her. When has love ever been enough anyway?

"And I really, really hate to be the one to do this to you, but if I don't do this now, it'll only prolong the pain—because it's not hard to…" She surprised him by wrapping her arms around him, and he felt warmth he had never thought possible. Something exploded in his ribcage, like his heart beating anew. "I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"Wait!" he exclaimed, grabbing her by the arm when she tried to leave again. "You're saying you don't want me because you want to get married?"

"Yes."

For a couple of moments, Damon stood there, staring at her, hoping he could read her mind. If he could, he would see another item mentally added in her list saying, Reason #7: He makes it so easy. He naturally deceives you to fall for him, Bonnie. You are not immune to his charms, after all. But he couldn't read her mind, could he?

Despite all the doubts, two questions drilled into Damon's head:

Why can't they even try?

Did he actually just fall for the most stubborn woman on earth?

So he laughed like a jester, just because he didn't know what else to do. But he stopped as soon as he saw the distress unfurl in her eyes. For the first time in his unlife, Damon's confidence and self-respect plummeted to the empty abyss of his soul.

AN: If you guys remember the last chapter, when Bonnie dreamed of having a family with Damon, it was the same time that he was telling her about wanting a family with her as well. Poor Bonnie, missing out on such a big confession! ;x Anyway, please review and tell me you're still there! ;)