The Return: Midnight Chapter 4

First,Meredith asked, is Damon right? If you go back to animal blood, wil you be seriously weakened?Stefan smiled. Il be the personal manner I was when I first met you,he give tongue to. Strong enough to do this.He bent toward the fire irons right below Damons elbow, murmuring absently, Scusilo per favore and removed the poker.Damon rol ed his eyes. But when Stefan, in one fluid motion, bent the poker into a shape and then straightened it immediately back and replaced it, Matt could swear that at that place was ice- cold envy in Damons usual poker-player expression.And that was iron, which is resistant to al eldritch forces,Meredith said evenly, as Stefan stepped away from the fireplace.But of course hes been imbibing from you three charming girls for the past few days not to mention the nuclear powerhouse that dear Elena has become,Damon said, clapping his pass on three clocks slowly. OhMutt. Sono spiacente I concoct, I didnt mean to add you in with the girls.No offense me ant.None taken,Matt said through his teeth. If he could, just once, wipe that flashing, there-and-gone smile off Damons face, he would legislate happy, he sentiment.But, the truth is that you have become a verywil ing donor for Dear Brother, havent you?Damon added, his lips twitching slightly, as if only the strictest control kept him from smiling.Matt took 2 steps toward Damon. It was al he could do not to get right up in Damons face, even though something in his brain unceasingly screamed self-destruction when he had thoughts like that.Youre right,he said as evenly as possible. Ive been donating blood to Stefan just like the girls. Hes my friend, and a couple of days ago he looked like hed just gotten step to the fore of a concentration camp.Of course,Damon murmured, as if chastened, but then he went on in even softer tones, My little brother has always been popular with both wel , with ladies present, I wil say genders. Even with male kitsune which of course is why I am in this mess.Matt literal y power saw red as if he were looking through a haze of blood at Damon.Speaking of which, what happened to sage, Damon? He was a vampire. If we could find him, your problem would be over, right?Meredith asked.It was a good riposte, just as al Merediths cool responses were. But Damon spoke with his fathomless black eyes fixed on Merediths face. The less you cope and say about Sage, the better. I wouldnt speak of him lightly he has friends in low places. But to answer your question No, I would not let Sage make me into a vampire. It would just complicate things.Shinichi said good luck on finding out who he is,Meredith said, stil calm. Do you know what he meant by that?Damon shrugged fluidly. What I know is my declare business.He spends time in the lowest and darkest of the Dark Dimensions. just burst out, Why did Sage go? Oh, Damon, did he go because of us? Why did he leave Talon and Saber to watch over us, then? And, oh oh oh, Damon, Im so sorry So, so sorry She slid off the love stern and bent her head so that only strawberry curls were visible. With her smal pale hands on the floor to brace her, she looked as if she were about to bow her head to the filth at his feet. This is al my fault and constantlyyones angry but it was just so horrible I had to believe the worst things I could think ofIt was a tension-breaker. intimately everyone laughed. It was so Bonnie, and so true of al of them. So human.Matt wanted to pick her up and put her back on the love seat.Meredith was always the opera hat medicine for Bonnie. But as Matt found himself reaching for her, he was confounded by two other pairs of hands doing the same thing. One was Merediths own long, slender olive-skinned hands, and the other pair were male, with even longer tapering fingers.Matts hand clenched into a fist. Let Meredith take her, he thought, and his clumsy fist in some way got in the way of Damons reaching fingers. Meredith lifted Bonnie easily and sat ba ck on the love seat. Damon lifted his dark eyes to Matts and Matt saw perfect comprehension there.You real y ought to forgive her, Damon,Meredith, ever the impartial referee, said bluntly. I dont think shel be able to sleep tonight otherwise.Damon shrugged, cold as an iceberg. Maybesomeday.Matt could feel his muscles clench. What kind of bastard said that to little Bonnie? Because of course she was listening.Damn you,Matt said under his breath.apology me?Damons voice was no longer languid and falsely polite, but suddenly a whiplash.You heard me,Matt growled. And if you didnt, maybe wed better go outside so I can say it louder,he added, soaring on the wings of bravado.He left behind a wail of Nofrom Bonnie, and a profaneSh,from Meredith. Stefan said, Both of you in a commanding voice, but then he faltered and coughed, which both Matt and Damon took as a chance to sprint for the door.It was stil very agile outside on the boardinghouse porch. Is this the kil ing ground?Damon asked l azily when they had descended the steps and stood beside the gravel course.Its fine by me,Matt said briefly, knowing in his bones that Damon would contest dirty.Yes, this is definitely close enough,Damon said, flashing an unnecessarily bril iant smile in Matts direction. You can yel for befriend temporary hookup little brother is in the parlor, and hel have plenty of time to rescue you. And now were going to solve the problems of what youre doing in my business and why you are Matt punched him in the nose.He had no idea what Damon was trying to do. If you asked a guy to step outside, then you asked him to step outside.Then you went for the guy. You didnt stand around talking. If you tried that, youd be stuck with the label of cowardor worse. Damon didnt memorizem like the type who unavoidable to be told that.But then, Damon had always been able to repel any attack on him while he got as many insults as he likebefore.Before, hed have just broken every bone in my hand and gone on baiting me, Matt guessed. But nowIm almost as fast as him, and he simply got taken by surprise.Matt flexed his hand gingerly. It always trouble, of course, but if Meredith could do it to Caroline, then he could do it to Damon?Damn, did I just take down Damon?Run, Honeycutt, he seemed to hear the voice of his old coach tel ing him. Run. Get out of town. Change your name.Tried that. Didnt work. Never even got a T-shirt, Matt thought sourly.But Damon wasnt leaping up like a flaming demon from hel , with the eyes of a dragon and the strength of a enraged bul to annihilate Matt. It looked and sounded more as if he were shocked and indignant from his disheveled hair to his earth-stained boots.YouignorantchildishHe lapsed into Italian.Look,Matt said. Im here to fight, okey? And the smartest guy I ever knew said If youre gonna fight, dont talk. If youre gonna talk, dont fight.Damon tried to snarl as he knelt up and pul ed spiny teasel and prickly sida out of his distressed black jean s. But the snarl didnt come out quite right. Maybe it was the new shape of his canines. Maybe it just didnt have enough judgment of conviction behind it. Matt had seen enough defeated guys to know that this fight was over. A strange exaltation came over him. He was going to keep al his limbs and variety meat It was a precious, precious moment.Al right, then, should I offer him a hand? Matt wondered, to be answered instantaneously by, Sure, if youd offer a hand to a temporarily stunned crocodile. What do you really need ten whole fingers for, anyway?Oh, wel , he thought, turning to go back into the front door. As long as he lived which, conceded, might not be too long he would remember this moment.As he went in, he bumped into Bonnie, who was rushing out.Oh, Matt, oh, Matt,she cried. She was looking wildly around. Did you hurt him? Did he hurt you?Matt smacked his fist into the palm of his hand, once. Hes stil sitting down back there,he added helpful y.Oh, noBonnie gasped, and sh e hurried out the door.Okay. slight spectacular of a night. But stil a pretty good one.They did what?Elena asked Stefan. Cold poultices anchored by tight bandages were wrapped around her arm, hand, and thigh Mrs. Flowers had cut her jeans off wretched and Mrs. Flowers was wiping away the dried blood on her neck with herbs.Her heart was pounding with more than pain. Even she hadnt realized that Stefan was tuned in to the entire house when he was awake. Al she could do was to shakily thank God that hed been asleep while she and Damon no She had to stop thinking about it, and right nowThey went outside to fight,Stefan said. Its idiotic, of course. But its a matter of honor, too. I cant interfere.Wel , I can if youre done, Mrs. Flowers.Yes, dear Elena,Mrs. Flowers said, winding a bandage around Elenas throat. Now you shouldnt get tetanus.Elena stopped in mid-motion. I thought you got tetanus from rusty blades,she said. Da this one looked brand-new.Tetanus comes from dirty blades, my dear,Mrs. Flowers corrected her. But this she held up a bottle is Grand mamas own personal convention that has kept many a wound disease-free down the cen down the years.Wow,Elena said. I never even heard of Grand mama before. Was she a healer?Oh, yes,Mrs. Flowers said earnestly. She was actual y accused of being a witch. But at her trial they could prove nothing. Her accusers seemed not even to be capable of coherent speech.Elena looked at Stefan only to find that he was looking at her.Matt was in danger of being dragged off to a kangaroo court for al egedly assaulting Caroline Forbes while under the influence of some unknown and terrible drug. Anything to do with courts was interesting to both of them. But looking at Stefans concerned face, Elena decided not to survey the subject. She squeezed his hand. We have to go now but lets talk about Grand mama later. I think she sounds fascinating.I just remember her as a crotchety old recluse, who didnt suffer fools gladly and thought just about everyone was a fool,Mrs. Flowers said. I suppose I was going down the same path until you children came and make me sit up and take notice. Thank you.Were the ones who should thank you,Elena began, hugging the old woman, feeling her heart stop pounding.Stefan was looking at her with open love. It was al going to be al right for her.Im worried about Matt, she thought to Stefan, testing the waters more vigorously. Damons still so fast and you know he doesnt like Matt a bit.I think, Stefan returned with a wry smile, that that is a rather stunning understatement. But I also think you shouldnt worry until we see who comes back injured.Elena eyed that smile, and thought for a moment about impulsive, athletic Matt. After a moment, she smiled back.She was feeling both guilty and protective and safe. Stefan always made her feel safe. And right now, she wanted to spoil him.In the front yard, Bonnie was abasing herself. She couldnt help thinking, even now, about how hands ome Damon looked, how wild and dark and ferocious and gorgeous. She couldnt help thinking about the times hed smiled at her, laughed at her, come to save her at her urgent cal . She had honestly thought that somedayBut now she matt-up as if her heart were breaking in two.I just want to bite my tongue out,she said. I should never have assumed anything from what I saw.How could you by chance have known that I wasnt stealing Elena away from Stefan?Damon said wearily. Its just the kind of thing Id do.No, it isnt You did so much to free Stefan from prison you always go about the most danger yourself and you kept us al from being hurt. You did al that for other people Suddenly Bonnies upper arms were being held by hands that were so strong that her mind was flooded with cliches. A grasp of iron. Strong as steel bands. An inescapable grip.And a voice like an icy outpouring was coming at her.You dont know anything about me, or what I want, or what I do. For al you know I could be plot ting right now. So dont ever let me hear you talk again about such things, or imagine that I wont kil you if you get in my way,Damon said.He got up and left Bonnie sitting there, staring after him. And shed been wrong. She wasnt out of tears at al .