It was late when Damon and Stefan wrapped up their conversation and went their separate ways for the night. As Damon walked up the stairs of the Lockwood mansion, his head nearly exploded with all of the information that Stefan had laid on him. He didn't often see his brother completely lose his cool like he had earlier in the night when he tried to kill Julian, but knowing that he'd lost the chance at being a father...well, Damon supposed that would drive most guys crazy. He didn't broadcast it, but accepting that fate for himself hadn't been the easiest thing. Even when he knew it was just a fantasy with Elena, there was some part of him that still held out hope.

He walked into the room that he had claimed as his own and slowly pulled off his suit jacket and unbuttoned his shirt. He tossed them, along with his pants, onto the back of a chair and fell onto the bed. He was too tired to shower and he just wanted to sleep, but he knew sleep wouldn't happen until he was able to share his thoughts with someone. A very specific someone. He grabbed his phone and checked the time. It was 2:32, and he knew that if he called Bonnie, he risked waking her up and getting cursed out. Still, he hadn't seen her all day and even getting a tongue-lashing from her might make him feel more normal.

So he called her and stared at the ceiling. She answered on the third ring, and he expected to hear a groggy, sleep-laden voice. Instead, she sounded wide awake.

"Hey," she said.

Damon smiled a little to himself. He wasn't sure how or when her "hey" had become so welcoming, but it was the phone greeting that he always looked forward to.

"I didn't wake you up?" he asked.

"No, actually, I'm just getting home. It's been an odd night."

"Who are you telling? Me too. You tell me about yours first."

"Well," she said with a long sigh. "Hold on. Let me get undressed."

"Oh yeah, baby, take it all off," he teased.

"Pervert," she laughed. "Hold on."

He waited patiently and listened while she took off her party clothes and put on pajamas.

"So," she said when she came back, "turns out that our lovely local heretics are compelling people to go to the high school and they're using them as recyclable blood bags. They've got them hooked up to IVs and just sitting there like zombies. It was pretty creepy."

"Sounds like. I'm guessing Mommy Dearest doesn't know about this."

"I'm guessing you're right. What happened with you?"

"I spent my entire night trying to keep Stefan from killing Julian, and let's just say I failed spectacularly."

"Julian's dead?"

"No, but Stefan tried and failed to kill him. Julian lost his shit and kicked Stefan's ass, then my ass, then had the nerve to make us sit there and listen to a lecture from him like he's our father. Lily sure can pick 'em."

"Wow. That's...interesting."

"I've got even juicier stuff than that. So you know Stefan and Valerie had a little dalliance in the woods, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Turns out that my dear brother didn't quite perfect the pull-out method and knocked her up."

"Shut up."

"Oh yes. But Julian found out and beat Valerie until she lost the kid. Stefan found out and you know the rest."

"Wow," Bonnie said again. "That is crazy. How is Stefan?"

"Upset. Hurt. Grieving. You know, everything you'd expect from learning that you lost your once chance at fatherhood."

"Oh my God, that's terrible," she breathed.

"Yeah, we just spent the last couple of hours talking about it."

"I hope you were understanding."

"I was the perfect example of brotherly support."

"Mm."

Damon smiled. "Sorry I missed you tonight at the party. Looking out for Stefan took up all my time. I hope you weren't too alone and miserable in that weird ass environment."

"I was okay," she promised. "And I wasn't alone. I ended up spending some time with Enzo, weirdly."

He frowned. "Enzo? Since when do you two hang out?"

"We don't. Well, not really. We had a run-in the other day with Oscar and the Phoenix Stone. Then tonight we got there at the same time and he told me to pretend to be his date, and..."

"Wait, what?"

He sat up and frowned into the phone, trying to piece together the part about "Enzo" and "date."

"You know he's totally in love with your mom, right?"

His frown deepened into one of disgust. "What? No!"

"Well, he is. Anyway, he wanted me to pretend to be his date to make Lily jealous."

Irritation flared in Damon's veins.

"Pretend to be his date, how?" he asked.

"We just stood near each other and talked, really. We did kind of flirt at the end and Lily definitely seemed to notice."

Damon blinked several times, and when he heard a popping noise in his hand, he realized how tightly he was holding his phone. He loosened his grip slightly but that didn't change the aggravation that overcame him.

"Anyway, I'm pretty tired," Bonnie said. "I'm going to bed. I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Good night."

It took everything him not to keep her on the phone and grill her about every little detail of her interactions with Enzo. He pulled it together long enough to say "night," but after they hung up, he didn't sleep. He couldn't. He was too annoyed to even close his eyes. He wanted to hunt down Enzo at the very moment and question him about what was going on, but he managed to hold off until the next day. He entertained Stefan for a few hours in the morning and then peeled out of the mansion and headed straight for Enzo's favorite bar. He found his former best friend perched at the bar stool, slowly sipping from his glass. Damon slid into the seat next to him and plastered a fake smile on his face.

"Fancy meeting you here," he said.

Enzo spared him a side glance. "Hardly."

"I hear you're into my mom," Damon said, skipping all preamble. "I didn't know you were a granny chaser."

Enzo's chortle rumbled deep from his throat. "Your mother is hardly what I could call a 'granny.' She's a vivacious woman frozen in time at just the right age." He turned to Damon and quirked an eyebrow. "Like a delicate wine."

"Gross, but good to know."

"Is it?"

"Yeah, 'cause if you like old broads like Lily, that means you're not into young ones like Bonnie."

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm talking about you asking Bonnie to be your pretend girlfriend so you could make Lily jealous."

"And that's your business because...?"

Damon stood up and crowded Enzo's space, nearly pushing his nose against Enzo's face.

"Because Bonnie is my business," he said, making sure that Enzo understood his tone to be serious and genuine. "She's been through a lot, and the last thing she needs is to get caught up with some jackass and get her heart broken."

"Agreed," Enzo said coolly.

"Good. Then you'll agree that she's not a toy for you to play with while you're really in love with another woman."

Enzo smirked and stood up as well, accepting Damon's invasion of personal space and imposing his own.

"Are you talking about me?" Enzo asked. "Or about yourself?"

Damon frowned. "What?"

"Perhaps you should take your own advice, mate."

Enzo patted his shoulder and then turned and exited the bar, leaving Damon confused. He slouched on a barstool for a while, playing the conversation over and over in his head, trying to decipher Enzo's meaning. The only thing he could come up with was that Bonnie had feelings for him. But he knew that wasn't true. He and Bonnie were like best friends, like siblings, like partners in crime. She didn't like him like that, and he definitely didn't like her like that.

He told himself that as he downed a few drinks. He told himself that, even when he recognized that nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach as jealousy brought on by the fact that Bonnie had spent time with another guy and might perhaps spend more time with that other guy in the near future. Just the thought of it infuriated him. He pictured Bonnie laughing at Enzo's dumb jokes and swooning over his ridiculous accent and maybe even kissing the guy.

He got so mad, he damn near broke his glass.

When he left the bar, he drove straight to Bonnie's. He didn't really know why. He didn't even know what he would say to her. When he got to her dorm door, he knocked but she didn't answer. He heard the steady beating of her heart and slow even breathing. He quietly let himself in and found her asleep on top of her comforter and rather than leave, he shut the door behind him and gently sat on the edge of her bed.

Damon had watched Bonnie sleep many times while they were in 1994. He hadn't necessarily done it on purpose; she just always fell asleep on the couch while he was right next to her. Back then, he hadn't noticed how pretty she looked in her sleep, when she didn't have the weight of everyone's problems directly on her small shoulders. He hadn't noticed how good she smelled. He hadn't noticed how smooth her legs were and how tiny her favorite shorts were.

"Fuck you, Enzo," he said to himself.

For some reason, his hand itched to touch her, preferably on her lovely legs. He managed to fight back that urge, but he did wipe a tuft of hair off her face and behind her ear.

"Mm," she whimpered. She squirmed a little before she opened her eyes, and she smiled slowly at him. "Hey."

He half-smiled. "Hey."

"Watching me sleep? That's not weird at all."

"That wasn't my purpose when I came over here, but you looked like you were having a good sleep."

"I was." She groaned as she sat up and stretched, and hard nipples strained against her T-shirt. Damon's eyes tried to find another target, but they landed on her legs, then her dainty feet, and then back up to her chest and then her slim neck. Fuck, when did Bonnie get sexy, he wondered.

"So what's up?" Bonnie asked. "Everything okay?"

He hesitated but then nodded. "Yeah, it's okay. Just catching up with my BFF."

She chuckled. "Then let's catch up."

They spent the rest of the day together, and Damon accompanied Bonnie on all her errands, even though he complained the entire time. It was like that for the next several days, too. When he wasn't busy trying to talk Stefan off a ledge, he was keeping tabs on Bonnie, making sure that Enzo wasn't infiltrating her inner circle. He had finally accepted that their "pretend date" was nothing but a one time thing when he showed up at Bonnie's dorm with some takeout and a few movies.

"Hey Bon," he called through the door. "Let me in. My hands are full."

When she opened the door, he expected to see her in some sweats or other lounging attire. But she was dressed like she was going out, in jeans and boots and one of those long open cardigan sweaters. Her hair was bouncy and smelled like she had just curled it, and he frowned immediately.

"Going somewhere?" he asked.

"A movie," she said as she let him in.

"What? But I brought some for us to watch."

"I wish you had told me. I already made plans."

"You're going with Caroline?"

She turned her back to pick up some jewelry when she said, "No, with Enzo."

Damon's back stiffened instantly and his face twisted into a scowl.

"You're going on a date with Enzo?"

"Not a date," she said with a shrug. She turned back to him and talked while she put her earrings in. "He called and asked if I was doing anything. I told him I might go to a movie, and he invited himself. See? Not a date."

Damon blinked several times and said through gritted teeth, "you're wearing lip gloss. And perfume. And those new boots you just bought. Looks like a date to me."

Bonnie straightened up and looked at him with narrow eyes. "Okay, and so what if it is?"

Anger burned through him and he had to control himself not to let his tone get too hostile.

"Why the hell would you want to date Enzo?"

"Why wouldn't I? He's cute and available. It's not like I'm asking him to marry me."

"You can do better than him."

"Yeah, maybe I can, but for right now, I want to have fun. What's wrong with that?"

Damon didn't know what "having fun" meant but he imagined it included meaningless sex.

"So that's how it's gonna be now?" he asked. "You put me down for him?"

Bonnie laughed incredulously. "I'm not putting you down. I didn't even know you were coming over."

"I've only been coming over every day."

"So I was just supposed to assume you would be here with no warning?"

"You can assume whatever you want. Have a nice date."

He started to walk out but Bonnie stepped in front of him and put her hand on his chest. She looked at him hard, too hard and critically.

"Why are you so upset about this Enzo thing?" she asked. "You acted weird on the phone when I first told you about the pretend date thing, and now you're throwing a fit because I'm going out with him."

"I already told you he's not good enough for you."

"Nobody I've ever dated has been good enough for me but I don't recall you pouting like this."

"We weren't BFFs back then."

A look of recognition came over her. "Is that what this is about? You think he's going to replace you as my best friend?"

Damon didn't answer at first. He hadn't really considered that his feelings about the situation were based on his fear of being replaced. But she had given him the out and he was going to take it.

"Maybe."

"Damon," she said, with a gentle scold. "You and I have been through things together that nobody else would understand. Enzo can't and won't take your place. We're going to a movie. That's it. Okay?"

"Fine. Guess I'll just throw your special order Chinese food in the trash."

She cracked a smile. "You are so dramatic. Don't throw it away. Put it in the fridge and we'll eat it when I get back. Okay?"

Damon knew he was being ridiculous, and he also knew it was utterly pathetic to just wait in Bonnie's dorm room like a lost puppy while she went on a date with that square-headed moron. But he did it because letting her come back to her room with Enzo wasn't something he could let happen. So she left, and he waited. He turned the TV on but he wasn't really watching it. He laid on her bed, arms crossed tightly over his chest, trying not to count the minutes.

He did pretty well at first. Thirty minutes turned into an hour, and one hour turned into two. At the three-hour mark, he expected her to come back. When her absence stretched into four hours, his mood deteriorated. He was getting more upset by the second, until finally he heard Bonnie and Enzo talking as they approached the door.

"Well, the movie was quite terrible but the company was lovely," Enzo drawled.

"The movie and the company were both decent," Bonnie said in what sounded suspiciously like flirting.

"Perhaps we could do it again sometime."

"Yeah, perhaps."

"Are you sure you wouldn't be amenable to dinner?"

"I can't. I promised Damon I would come back so we could hang out."

"Ah yes, Damon," Enzo said, and Damon knew exactly the stupid smirk that must have been on his face. "Your guard dog."

"He's not my guard dog. He's my friend. And he's looking out for me."

"Looking out for you, or marking his territory?"

Silence stretched between them, and Damon waited uncomfortably for someone to say something.

"I'll talk to you later," Bonnie said quietly.

Enzo responded with a kiss, and Damon hoped for Enzo's sake that it was on her hand or cheek.

"Sweet dreams."

Bonnie opened the door and Damon stared at the TV, trying to give the impression that he hadn't listened to the whole exchange.

"Hey," she said softly.

"I wasn't aware that they made four-hour movies anymore," he said. He gave her a tight smile. "Did you see some kind of foreign documentary about the origins of sand?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes and headed for her mini fridge. She pulled out all of the food and warmed it up in the microwave. She handed Damon his and said, "scoot." He moved over as much as he could in her small bed and she sat down next to him. He couldn't help but notice how he could feel the warmth of her skin, even through her jeans and his. They ate quietly at first but he got the feeling that she wasn't paying attention any more than he was.

"How was your date?" he asked.

"It wasn't a date," she reminded him. "But it was nice."

"Did Enzo behave himself?"

"Are you my dad now?"

"No, but apparently I am your guard dog."

Her eyes flitted to his and they shared a brief glance before she looked at her food again.

"How much of that did you hear?" she asked.

"All of it."

She nodded slowly and he could tell that she was working up the nerve to ask something.

"So this protectiveness and jealousy that you have going on...is it because you're looking out for me, or because you're marking your territory?"

It was his turn to look at his food and he could feel her staring at him. He briefly entertained the thought of laughing off her question, but the fact that she even asked it meant that she was suspicious that Enzo wasn't just teasing her. He wasn't sure if his feelings were borne completely out of jealousy or whether they had been there all along, simmering beneath the surface, waiting for someone or something to take the lid off. Either way, he knew that their relationship was about to change, right there on her twin-sized bed while they watched "House Hunters."

"What if I said it was both?" he finally answered.

She glanced at him and looked away again, and he immediately regretted his answer because she looked uncomfortable.

"But you know what? Don't worry about it. I'm the king of unrequited crushes," he said in the most joking tone he could muster.

She didn't answer right away, and he was left to wonder how he would salvage their friendship with her knowing that he had some kind of feelings for her. He was about to give her an out and blame it on his loneliness and missing Elena and generally anything but actually liking her, but she spoke up first.

"What if it's not unrequited?" she asked.

His eyebrows jumped up in surprise. Of all the things he thought she would say, that wasn't it. She looked at him with wide, vulnerable eyes and he had no idea how to respond. So they sat there next to each other, legs touching and Chinese food growing colder by the minute, trying to figure out what to say and do.

"I told Enzo not to pursue you if he's in love with someone else," Damon said. "And he told me I should take my own advice."

Bonnie's eyes drooped a little in disappointment but she nodded.

"Yeah, you should," she said.

"Okay."

"Okay."

When the awkwardness got too tense, Damon cleared his throat and stood up. He dusted his hands on his pants and pulled his jacket on.

"I should probably go check on Stefan. Hopefully Julian hasn't put him in a naughty corner somewhere."

Bonnie smiled limply at his joke. "Keep me updated."

He nodded. He wanted to leave but he hated the way the air felt around them.

"Are we gonna survive this?" he asked.

"If we could survive each other for four months, I think we'll make it through this."

"Yeah, but that was back when we wanted to kill each other. I think the things we want to do to each other now would be on the opposite spectrum of that."

He was pretty sure he saw a dash of red in her brown cheeks.

"We'll be okay," she promised.

She got up and walked him to the door and there was another awkward silence as he waffled between just leaving and saying something to smooth things over. Perfect words had always eluded him; that was more Stefan's thing. Damon was a man of action, and when he couldn't find the right thing to say, he just did.

"Fuck it," he said, and then he took her face in his hands and kissed her. She let out of a muffled yelp of surprise and for the first few torturous seconds, she didn't respond. Damon figured she might throw him into a wall or slap him or just stand there like a cold fish, but then she grabbed his jacket and held on while she kissed him back. They never progressed passed pressing their mouths together, but Damon could tell from the soft and pliant quality of her lips that any kiss from her would be good.

When they pulled apart, he still held her face and her eyes darted from his to his mouth. He wasn't sure whether he should apologize or run out of there with his tail between his legs.

"Tomorrow, we should pretend like none of this happened," Bonnie said against his lips. "We should go back to being us: Bonnie and Damon, badass best buddies."

He nodded, unsure of where she was going with it.

"But tonight," she continued. She trailed her eyes up to his face and met his gaze. "I think I'd like to kiss you some more," she whispered. "If that's okay with you."

A full-fledged grin spread across Damon's lips. "Bennett, I like the way you think."

He reached behind him and locked her door, and then spent the rest of the night in Bonnie's warm embrace...trying his hardest not to fall in love with his best friend.