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"First,"Meredith asked, "is Dao back to animal blood, wil you be seriously weakened?"

Stefan smiled "I’l be the way I hen I first h to do this"He bent toward the fire irons right below Da absently, "Scusilo per favore" and removed the poker

Damon rol ed his eyes But when Stefan, in one fluid htened it immediately back and replaced it, Matt could swear that there was ice-cold envy in Damon’s usual poker-player expression

"And that was iron, which is resistant to al eldritch forces,"Meredith said evenly, as Stefan stepped away fro froirls for the past few days - not to mention the nuclear powerhouse that dear Elena has beco his hands three times slowly "OhMutt Sono spiacente - I irls

No offense h his teeth If he could, just once, wipe that flashing, there-and-gone sht

"But, the truth is that you have beco donor for Dear Brother, haven’t you?"Dahtly, as if only the strictest control kept hi

Matt took two steps toward Daht up in Da in his brain always screaht,"he said as evenly as possible "I’ve been donating blood to Stefan just like the girls He’s o he looked like he’d just gotten out 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 h a haze of blood at Dae, Damon? He was a vaht?"Meredith asked

It was a good riposte, just as al Meredith’s cool responses were But Damon spoke with his fathomless black eyes fixed on Meredith’s face "The less you know and say about Sage, the better I wouldn’t speak of hihtly - he has friends in low places But to answer your question: No, I would not let Sage s"

"Shinichi said good luck on finding out who he is,"Meredith said, stil caled fluidly "What I know is my own business

He spends time in the lowest and darkest of the Dark Dio? Oh, Dao because of us? Why did he leave Talon and Saber to watch over us, then? And, oh - oh - oh, Damon, I’m so sorry! So, so sorry! "She slid off the love seat 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 ground at his feet "This is al ry - but it was just so horrible I had to believe the worst things I could think of!"

It was a tension-breaker Nearly 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 bestfor her, he was confounded by two other pairs of hands doing the sa, slender olive-skinned hands, and the other pair were ers

Matt’s hand clenched into a fist Let Meredith take her, he thought, and his clu fingers Meredith lifted Bonnie easily and sat back on the love seat Damon lifted his dark eyes to Matt’s and Matt saw perfect coive her, Damon,"Meredith, ever the impartial referee, said bluntly "I don’t think she’l be able to sleep tonight otherwise"

Da "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

"Excuse uid and falsely polite, but suddenly a whiplash

"You heard rowled "And if you didn’t, o outside so I can say it louder,"he added, soaring on the wings of bravado

He left behind a wail of "No!"froentle

"Sh,"fro 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 warround?"Damon asked lazily when they had descended the steps and stood beside the gravel path

"It’s fine byin his bones that Dah,"Da an unnecessarily bril iant smile in Matt’s direction "You can yel for help while little brother is in the parlor, and he’l have plenty of ti to solve the proble in my business and why you are - "

Matt punched hi to do If you asked a guy to step outside, then you asked hiuy You didn’t stand around talking If you tried that, you’d be stuck with the label of "coward"or worse Damon didn’t seem like the type who needed to be told that

But then, Daot as many insults as he likedbefore

Before, he’d have just broken every bone in uessed But nowI’ot taken by surprise

Matt flexed his hand gingerly It always hurt, of course, but if Meredith could do it to Caroline, then he could do it to

Damon?

Damn, did I just take down Damon?