A/N: So here's another story I've had for awhile that I finally decided to post. It's a little different than any other Bamon fics I've written, but hopefully you'll like it as much as I do. This story is only a two-shot, so it will be wrapped up with the next update. It's Post S8 but very AU, so Bonnie is still without magic, Stefan is alive and both he and Damon are still vampires, and Elena is still getting all the beauty sleep in the world in her comfy coffin. Please, please review!

Happy weekend and hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or its characters. They belong to The CW. This is intended for entertainment purposes only.

Part 1

Echoes of Silence

Today will be different. Today it will happen. Things will change. Bonnie had tried prayer, wishful thinking, non-magical spells, but this sentiment had never been realized. Nevertheless. she hadn't given up hope. She sat on the floor of her bedroom, grimoire open on her lap, unlit candles surrounding her. "Come on, come on!" She screamed inside her head, her eyes squeezed shut. She opened them again and her candles remain unlit.

"Dammit," she cried, throwing the large book off of her in frustration. She heard the sound of her bedroom door creaking open and turned to see a blue-eyed, centuries old vampire peering in at her.

"Yeah, I know," she said with a nod. "I'll be out in a minute, Damon." He nodded and looked at her a moment longer curiously, then turned and disappeared. She sighed heavily. She didn't want him seeing her upset or frustrated. It would only make their situation more tense, and that's the last thing they needed. She quickly collected her emotions and stepped out of the room. When she made her way into the kitchen, Damon was on the stool, fiddling with his phone.

"Texting?" She asked, curiously. He turned the phone and flashed her the screen, "Ah, Angry Birds. You've been playing a whole lot of that lately."

He went back to the game and Bonnie decided to drop it. "I know you're hungry. Sorry I'm late with dinner. What do you feel like today? Spaghetti?" He nodded and she went to work preparing their meal.

After a year of living together in a four bedroom Victorian home on the outskirts of Mystic Falls, they had somewhat of a routine reminiscent of the one they had in the 1994 prison world. Damon made breakfast, although he'd branched out from just making vampcakes, and Bonnie took care of dinner. They went grocery shopping together and both snuck unlisted items in the cart when the other wasn't looking. And they watched a lot of movies.

The differences included the setting. They no longer had the option to reside at the boardinghouse, and Damon had purchased a house after his brother's wedding. And there was no bickering. Bonnie and Damon's friendship had always been built on bickering and now it was off the table. Sometimes, she'd find angry notes around the house and she'd either ignore it or tell him off while he glared at her with his blazing blue eyes, but they were usually over it within the hour. And Bonnie's motivation for getting her magic back was much different than before, and it was almost more upsetting when she failed to light a damn candle.

After dinner was done and Damon settled down at the table across from her, she felt a sadness coming from him. She blamed herself for it. He'd seen the water in her eyes when he'd summoned her earlier, and it negatively affected him. Aside from the constant game playing on his phone, he'd been doing much better lately. Bonnie would bury her own feelings about their situation and do what she could to make him feel better about it. She would tell silly jokes, buy him gifts, make his favorite meals, anything to make him smile. Some days it worked beautifully. Other days he regressed into a defeated shell of himself.

She attempted to fill the heavy silence. "I might go do some shopping tomorrow," she told him. "I would invite you but I'm going for the girly things and you'd be bored out of your mind." He continued eating without making eye contact. "Maybe you should go by the boardinghouse. I know Caroline has some blood bags so you can refill." He now looked at her in surprise. "Yes, I know I'm always a stickler about you driving alone but I'm going to relax, okay. You're a fully capable driver and I realize that, especially since you're always going off when I'm not home anyway because you don't listen to me. You can do almost everything you always could so I'll chill trying to babysit. If you do leave tomorrow, just be as careful as possible on the road. Don't give them a single reason to pull you over." He looked thoughtful for a moment then went back to his phone, without a nod or shake of the head. The rest of the meal went by silently and when she was finished she got up, rounded the table, and wrapped her arms around her best friend from behind. The act seemed to take him by surprise and his upper body stiffened.

"I will always be here for you, no matter what," she promised him. "You are still Damon Salvatore, and I will get you to remember that. Who you are is not defined by words. I know you've been getting used to this but you still miss your old life like hell. Let me know whatever else I can be doing to make this easier, how I can get you to be happy again. And we still have to hold out hope that Stefan will get his job done. I love you, Damon, and we're going to get through this together." She released him, then collected his plate. He sat there unmoving for a moment as she cleaned up, then suddenly stood and walked out. She heard his bedroom door closing a few moments later.

The truth was Damon had changed a lot over the past year, and it was all due to a quick-to-anger witch named Angelica. After successfully destroying Hell and its creator, indisposing the pesky Kai for all eternity, and completing Stefan and Caroline's wedding without any bloodshed, everyone was in a good place. Bonnie was still without the love of her life, Enzo, but she planned to fulfill her promise to him and live her life to the fullest. Travel the world, and culture herself. Stefan and Caroline got a house together to enjoy married life, leaving the Salvatore mansion free to be transformed into a school for gifted children run by Caroline and her ex-fiance Alaric. Damon was still trying to find his place in the world without Elena, having decades to go before they would be reunited. He helped out at the school for awhile but quickly lost interest. He met Angelica at a club in New York, and a heated affair was ignited. Months later she was falling hard. Finally facing all the red flags he'd previously ignored Damon tried to break things off, as love was never supposed to be part of the equation, but Angelica was unable to accept this. After weeks of stalking and relentless attempts to reignite their flame Damon went off on her and told her plainly that they would never be together and he would never love her. He said it harshly and she decided it would be last thing he would ever say.

She went home, seething, before casting a wicked and complicated spell that removed the vampire's ability to speak, forever, then disappeared into the night to never be seen or heard from again.

Having his speech stolen seemed to strip away the very fiber of his being. Who was Damon Salvatore without his snark, his insults, his jokes, or his nicknames? He was sad, angry, and bitter. He couldn't even find a human on the street to take it out on, because you can't properly compel without speaking. If he fed on a human, he would have to kill them and Bonnie was there to prevent such a thing from transpiring at every turn.

Bonnie always had to remind herself that as hard as this was on her, it was twice as hard on him. Back in the prison world, he would think of all the things he would say to Elena when he saw her again. Now, when they were reunited in another sixty to seventy years, he wouldn't even be able to open his mouth to tell her he loved her. Bonnie had put her life on hold to come home and help him adjust and to keep him from going over the edge, while Stefan was scouring the world looking for the elusive witch who'd cursed his brother. He would do whatever it took to get her to lift the spell, even killing her, but she was next to impossible to find and Damon had pretty much given up all hope on that front.

Later on, that night, as Bonnie slid underneath her blankets, ready to let sleep overwhelm her after a long day, she decided she'd definitely pick something up for Damon while she was out tomorrow. As she started to drift off her phone vibrated, snapping her awake. It was a text message from Damon that simply read, '112'. She knew what that meant and a couple minutes later she was lightly knocking on Damon's door. A shirtless Damon opened the door and stepped back so she could enter. The lights were off but the light from the TV flooded the room.

"Look, I know today hasn't been one of your best days," she started, turning to face him as he shut the door behind her. "And I feel like it's partly my fault. Don't ever think that I'm-" She was interrupted by him suddenly pulling her into a hug. The act took her off guard, which is how she imagined how he must have felt earlier, but she welcomed the embrace. When he stepped back he placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. Bonnie looked into his eyes, trying to find a hint behind his sudden affection and change in behavior. He gestured toward his nightstand then wandered off into his connecting bathroom. Bonnie sat on the edge of his bed and turned on the lamp on the nightstand. She picked up the notepad he kept there and as she expected there was a message for her.

'I appreciate you being here with me when you don't have to be. Sorry I've been such a miserable little punk bitch lately'. She couldn't help but crack a smile. She shut the light off then crawled into his bed, sliding over to the left side. He had Fallon on the TV but her eyes were still drooping and she knew Fallon was going to be talking at her sleeping form momentarily. There were many nights one of them couldn't fall asleep right away and they summoned each other, hence the '112' code. They would usually stay up late watching a movie or show on Damon's sixty inch in his room and fall asleep sprawled out in precarious positions on his bed. Bonnie's spot was usually at the end of his bed, one of his pillows propped up under, and he stayed at the same position at the top right. Tonight she didn't bother to move to the bottom of his bed to get closer to the TV, she just wanted sleep and Damon would have to learn to appreciate her light snoring.

When he emerged from the bathroom her eyes were already closed but he knew she wasn't asleep yet. He grabbed the remote as he got into bed and shut the TV off. Bonnie felt him getting into the bed next to her but didn't move. A moment later she felt his arm wrap around her torso and pull her closer into him, so her back was pressed against his warm chest. Her eyes snapped open but she didn't speak. He snuggled up to her then was still and didn't make another move. Soon, she heard steady breathing that indicated he'd fallen asleep. She finally let her body relax and found she actually liked the comfort of being in his arms. It had been a long time since she'd been held like this, and she never expected Damon to be the first one since Enzo was alive to do it. She fell asleep wondering what the hell was going through her best friend's mind, wishing more than ever he could just tell her.

Bonnie had spent well over a thousand dollars when she emerged from the third department store she'd walked into, but she firmly believed the last purchase was worth the money. She found a hot, albeit expensive, black leather jacket that would look phenomenal on Damon. She'd learned his style so she knew what he would like and wouldn't. Last time she'd gotten him a jacket and a new pair of jeans, he'd smiled so brightly it made her entire day. She'd caught him trying the clothes on in the mirror and he looked great. Now, he would look even better.

Her phone rang as she headed to her car. She quickly stowed her bags away in the backseat before answering the call.

"Hey Bonnie."

"Hey Stefan," she responded, climbing into the driver's seat.

"How's everything going?" The younger Salvatore brother inquired.

"It's fine," she answered with a sigh. "He had one of his more somber days yesterday, but he didn't drink so much and he seemed to be in a better mood by the end of it."

"Good, as long as he's keeping that humanity switch on."

"It's staying on, I'm making sure of it," Bonnie promised. "I was hoping it would get easier for him by the day but it's not consistent. Please tell me you're calling with some good news."

"I don't want you to get your hopes up but I think I have a lead," he said. "There's a pretty obscure coven that was based out of DC at one time, hopefully still are. It was nearly all women and they were known for cursing people who wronged them in anyway. Someone matching Angelica's description was said to be a part of this it years ago. I'm headed to DC now."

"That's great!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"We'll see," he said, obviously taking his own advice of not getting his hopes up. "A lot of these leads have been falling through. If this one doesn't work out, I don't know if anything else can be done."

"Don't talk like that." Bonnie's tone was suddenly very serious. "You can't give up on your brother. You can do this."

"I'm not giving up on him, I'm just facing the reality of the situation."

"It will work out, Stefan," she stated, sternly. "Please, you're not just doing this for Damon. You're doing this for me. You owe me."

There was a long pause on the other end of the phone than Stefan sighed deeply. "I've been doing everything I can, Bonnie. If there's the slightest hint this coven is still there, I'm going to do whatever it takes to find them...to find her."

Bonnie breathed deeply. "Thank you, Stefan. Keep me updated." And she hung up the phone without a goodbye. She and Stefan had been having this unspoken tension between them for a couple years. Ever since Stefan had embarked on his witch hunt, Bonnie had been ignoring the tension for the sake of her best friend. He had once taken something from her, the most important thing in her life, ripped it coldly from her arms. It was love. Love she'd found in the vampire, Enzo St. John. A kind of consuming, passionate love she'd never had before and was once sure she would never have again. She wasn't so sure of that anymore, but still she had sworn she would never forgive him. Until the situation with Damon had slowly but surely softened the heart that had gone cold after the sight of a no-humanity Stefan standing on her doorstep with Enzo's heart in his hand. If it hadn't been for Damon showing up in the nick of time, and snapping Stefan's neck, Bonnie would have been the next to go.

Since regaining his humanity, Stefan had been working overtime to earn Bonnie's forgiveness and now to find a way to lift Damon's curse, because if he did that Bonnie's forgiveness would surely follow. She wasn't aware of the lengths he'd been going through to make this happen, and if this new lead didn't work out, Stefan had no idea how he would be able to face her again.

Bonnie changed her mind about going to meet Caroline first and went back home to drop off her bags and give Damon his gift. When she walked in the house he was standing in the kitchen, drinking a bottle of water. His eyes widened at the sight of her.

"Hey, buddy," she said with a smile. "I know I'm home early. I'm still going out with Care but I wanted to bring you something first. Stay right where you are, I'll be right back." She was eager to put a smile on his face so she hustled to her bedroom and laid the bags on the bed. She then noticed a folded piece of paper lying on her pillow. A few minutes later she was storming out of the room. Damon was unsurprised but momentarily feared for his immortality as she flew at him like a ball of rage. "What the hell is this?!" She shrieked, brandishing the letter in his face. He looked at her with guilt-ridden eyes.

"It breaks my heart to have to do this but I can't continue to be a hindrance to your life. I'm leaving, I have to. I know you may hate me for it, but one day you'll realize it was the best thing for you!" She read the letter aloud angrily, then spotted the packed bags by the door and her anger boiled over. She raised her hand, and for the first time ever, she slapped the mute across his face. The sound of the slap resounded throughout the house.

"You were going to leave while I was gone? You weren't even man enough to face me about it? You promised you would never do this to me again!" Bonnie was shaking with fury as she screamed in his face. She didn't care that he couldn't argue back. He needed to shut up and listen to what she had to say. "Were you just going to wander the streets of New York with your humanity off, waiting for someone to kill you? After everything I've done for you! Do you think I would be here if I didn't want to be here? Do you think I wanted to spend all this time making sure you had the most normal life possible for you to throw it all away?! You ungrateful, selfish, backstabbing bastard! I can't even look at you!" She turned on her heel and started to storm out. The loud sound of glass breaking stopped her. She turned back to see the glass fruit bowl she'd bought for the house shattered on the floor, and a seething Damon standing with his fists balled, his blue eyes alight with a burning internal fire.

"What? Are you mad?" She asked in a mocking tone. "I don't care, be mad! Fuck all of this. Fuck this house and fuck you for making me feel this way again! Like I don't mean shit to you! You know what, I'm going do you a favor. I'm going to walk out on you. Save you the trouble."

She headed away but suddenly found herself being grabbed and pushed against the wall.

"What the hell are you doing," she seethed as he boxed her in with his body so she couldn't escape. "I'm just giving you what you want. Now, move!" He didn't move, instead he leaned in closer, staring intensely into her eyes. She stopped yelling and allowed herself a moment to calm.

"Why do you insist on breaking my heart, Damon?" She asked with a crack in her voice, her eyes watering. "Almost everyone I loved has died. I don't have my Grams, my father, Enzo...just you. The time we have together each night, it's what I look forward to. Being able to make you smile makes me smile. We promised each other that we would deal with your curse together, get through it together. How do you think it makes me feel that you'd rather be alone, in silence, murderous, and absolutely miserable, than be here with me. I'm not going to let you hurt me anymore, Damon. You can have this house, I'll go." Damon slowly stepped away and Bonnie moved past him, into her bedroom. She fought back the tears of hurt and anger as she flung open her closet door and started yanking the clothes from their hangers. She heard her bedroom door open.

"Leave me alone, Damon," she warned.

He grabbed her as walked toward her bed and before she could start screaming out expletives, his mouth was on hers. She froze as he kissed her, then he pulled away his hands on her face, looking into her eyes expectantly.

"What are you doing?" She asked softly. He responded by leaning into to kiss her again. She started to turn away but he turned her face back toward his and she returned his passion. The kiss deepened and she felt herself being lifted then laid onto her bed. Layers of clothing was hurriedly peeled off. Bonnie ignored that voice in her brain telling her this was as a bad idea as Damon kissed her bare skin, his lips traveling and exploring every part of her nude form. She shut that voice out, wrapping her legs around Damon's waist, giving him the nod of approval. She wanted it, and she wanted him now.

And so they made love to each other for this first time. Heated, angry, passionate love, and changed the dynamic of their relationship forever.

Bonnie woke up alone the next morning. There lay another letter on the pillow where Damon had laid his head the night before. She quickly sat up, throwing back the covers and getting out of bed. She crashed into his bedroom and found it empty. Her heart sank, then she heard a noise coming from the kitchen. She made her way to the kitchen and found a shirtless Damon standing over the stove, making french toast. She breathed a sigh of relief. He looked up at her and smiled. He noticed her expression and made a gesture with his hands, indicating he wanted to know if she was okay. They had created unique hand gestures for commonly used phrases.

"I thought you had left me," she admitted. "I saw the letter and..."

"Read it," he motioned with his hands.

She nodded. "I will. Can I eat first? It smells so good." He smiled brightly again and nodded, holding up the plate of french toast to show her the food was ready. Bonnie knew Damon very well, and was sure if he'd had the ability to speak he would've made some sarcastic remark at her request to eat first just to mess with her. Something along the lines of 'And who said any of this was for you?' while smirking as she told him to shut up. She missed it in a way, just like she knew he did.
They settled down together to eat breakfast. As they dug in, Damon reached across the table and took her hand into his. Bonnie smiled but inside she was feeling a flurry of emotions. What did last night mean for them going forward? What were they now? What was he feeling?

A sharp knock at the door interrupted her thought process. She scurried to her bedroom to quickly throw on some pants then went to open the door. A fuming Caroline Forbes-Salvatore was on the other side of it.

"Oh, so you are alive!" She exclaimed, storming into the house without invitation.

"Oh my God, Caroline." Bonnie's eyes widened in horror.

"Oh my God is right!" The angry blonde cried."You stood me up and have been ignoring all my calls last night and this morning! I started freaking out thinking you were dead in a ditch somewhere and poor Damon wouldn't even be to pick up the phone and call anyone which I realize now is stupid because he can text but it's hard to think rationally when you're worried!"

"I am so sorry, Care, you have every right to be upset," Bonnie apologized. "I didn't even hear my cell ringing, I swear. I got caught up in something last night and totally forgot about our date. It will never happen again."

"You bet your-" Caroline's oncoming threat was left unfinished as she finally noticed a half-dressed Damon moving around the kitchen. Then she really studied Bonnie, who was mussed herself. She was wearing a man's shirt with no bra and a pair of unzipped jeans that appeared to have been hastily thrown on. Her mouth became a hard angry line. "Bedroom, now!" She hissed at her friend, grabbing her by the arm and practically dragging her back there. The moment the door was closed, Caroline turned on Bonnie. "Tell me you did not sleep with Damon!"

"Uh..."

"Bonnie!"

"Maybe a little."

Caroline gasped.

"Actually kind of a lot, if we're being honest."

"Bonnie, I can't believe this!" Caroline cried.

"It's not that big of a deal," Bonnie said.

"Of course it is, it's you and Damon!" she exclaimed. "You two have always been complicated but now you're adding sex to the equation. He's permanently cursed. He will never speak again."

"You don't know that!"

"I do." Her expression turned somber. She sat on the bed and guided the former witch down with her. "Look, I need to talk to you about Stefan. He wanted to tell you himself when he got back but given the circumstances, I think you should know now."

"Stefan's coming back?"

"Yes, permanently," Caroline stated. "He's putting an end to the whole mission."

Bonnie's brow furrowed. "But he just had a lead. What happened to the coven in DC?"

"What always happens, Bonnie," Caroline said sadly. "This witch does not want to be found and she won't be. He's talked, and paid, dozens of witches. None of them can break this spell. It's time for him to come home to his brother, his wife, his life."

Bonnie sighed. "You're absolutely right. He's put his whole life on hold for this."

"So have you. You were traveling the world, having an amazing time, and you dropped everything to come back for Damon when he needed you but you also thought that one day he'd be back to normal."

"Look, he's not blind or deaf, and even if he was it wouldn't matter. We've been getting on just fine."

"Yeah, now, but what about ten years from now, or twenty?" Caroline pressed. "Look, I know how much you care for him but I just want you to see the whole picture. Can you do this forever?"

"He's still Damon," Bonnie said softly. "Beneath the stress and hopelessness he's feeling now, he's still the same Damon that used to drive me up the wall back when I was sixteen. And he's the same Damon I died with. The same Damon I was trapped with in the prison world and realized I had a deeply buried love for all along. The sooner I can get him to realize that, the better off we'll be."

Caroline nodded in understanding. "Have you thought about...Elena?"

"Of course," Bonnie said. "I've been keeping my journal updated for her, so she'll know everything. She told Damon she wanted him to live his life, that she wanted him to fall in love, and I know she wanted the same thing for me. I honestly believe she'll understand, Care."

Caroline nodded, the tears brimming in her eyes reflecting Bonnie's own. "I think you're right, Bon," she agreed. "And when she wakes up I know she'll be happy to learn you were there for Damon. I can't believe I'm saying this but I wish you two the best of luck. It's complicated, but you always figure it out."

Bonnie nodded and the two women stood and embraced. Then Bonnie was somber again. "When will Stefan be back in Mystic Falls?" She asked.

"Should be by midnight," Caroline replied. "He wanted to tell Damon himself, explain everything to him."

"That's fine, but I don't know how much Damon is going to be interested in the explanation." Bonnie shook her head, sadly. "Damon has pretty much given up hope, and I've wanted nothing more than to give him good news for months and months. I don't want to be the one to have disappoint him this time."

"I am so sorry," Caroline said, sincerely. "Stefan really did all he could."

"I know he did."

When they emerged from the bedroom Damon was still in the kitchen, cleaning up the mess left from breakfast. Bonnie and Care had done their best to wipe any evidence of crying from their faces, as to not tip Damon off that anything was amiss, but the moment Damon set eyes on Bonnie his brow furrowed and his face grew stern. He just barely acknowledged Caroline with a tilt of the head as she bid him goodbye and flitted out the door. Bonnie took her time closing the door after her friend and turning to face Damon.

His expression was a grave one. His electric blue eyes were locked on hers, scrutinizing her. "Everything okay?" She asked him, trying her best to sound normal. His grave expression deepened and she quickly realized, "You heard."

He gave just the slightest nod of assent.

"Are you gonna...are you going to leave?" It was hard for her to get the question out because she couldn't bear to get the answer she dreaded. He didn't attempt to answer the question, didn't make a move to use their invented sign language or grab the pen and notepad that always sat on the counter, type out a message on his iPhone. His face didn't even change, he continued to stare at her.

The air was heavy and with every second that passed Bonnie felt emotions rise within her more and more as the gravity of what Caroline just told her hit her, then her heart broke completely for her best friend. "I'm so sorry, Damon." She was crying now. Almost sobbing. "I really thought...I really thought we could fix it. Like we always do. I thought even if Stefan didn't find Angelica, I'd get my magic back and I could break the damn curse myself. Neither is going to happen and I am so, so sorry. I don't know what to do." His expression had just barely softened at her sudden burst of tears. "After last night and after finding this out, I don't know what I am to you. All I know, is that you are my world, Damon. And I can't stand the thought of living in fear everyday that you're going to walk out. So, I need to know if you're going to stay and stick this out with me."

Damon's response was to walk away.

More tears spilled as Bonnie stood there suspended in disbelief. When Damon returned moments later she was still standing in the same spot. He stood directly in front of her, now holding the letter he had left on her pillow in his hand. He took both of her hands into his then enclosed the piece of paper inside of it, then gently cupped her heart-shaped face and kissed her softly on the lips. Then he walked away again.

Damon's actions were telling. Bonnie knew every answer she needed was in that letter. All she hoped was that kiss he'd just given her was a kiss confirming he shared Bonnie's feelings and not a good bye kiss.

A/N: This fic was originally titled Speechless but I didn't want to give away the curse in the title, and yes I got the current title from The Weeknd. Thanks for reading. Reviews are love!