The Devil's Angel

“Damon, you’re home,” Stefan said as soon as Damon stepped in. “Nope. Mark my absentee,” he said icily still upset over the tortuous argument with Mia. Then, he suddenly stopped and turned towards Stefan, “Where were you, anyway? I asked you to look for Mia,” Damon accused.

Stefan’s expression relaxed, “Yes, Damon. I found her. She was with you. Nothing to worry about there…but I-I can’t say the same for what Bonnie found.”

He averted his gaze to the other side of the room and Damon’s eyes followed his to see the group standing there with a serious expression on their faces. His mind ran to Mia. He left her at her home, safe and sound. So, it wasn't her. “What is it?” he asked curious.

Bonnie looked at him with sympathy and pity in her eyes. God, it was not going to be good, he thought. His body tensed and he took a step towards Bonnie, tilting his head, “Bonnie? What is it?”

“It’s not good,” she replied dejectedly. “Stop being so melodramatic,” he eyed others, “will somebody here spit it out?” he asked in a loud and authoritative tone.

“Ok,” Bonnie said and took a deep breath. She looked at Stefan who gave her a single nod and Damon narrowed his eyes at their silent communication, his expression of pure confusion.

“I found an old grimoire today. It belonged to Emily and ummm…her mentor was Ayana.” Damon nodded, “Ayana was Esther’s buddy, right?” he inquired from Elena. “Yes, that’s what Esther told me when I met her. Ayana was the one who preserved her body,” Elena said.

“So,” Caroline continued, seeing that Bonnie was going to take a lot of time to speak again, “Ayana was to Emily what Emily was to Bonnie. A spiritual mentor. The one they first handedly connected to.”

Damon went to sit on the couch, sensing their long story with an irritated face. Seeing Damon’s annoyance, Stefan decided to hurry things up, knowing it inevitable. He knew it was going to hurt Damon, crush him even.

Stefan had seen him with Mia. The way he cared about her and worried about her. All of them had. No one was blind to their behavior around each other, except maybe them both.

“Bonnie found the necklace that Mia wears…in the grimoire, Damon. It said that it belonged to…to an angel. A guardian angel,” he completed.
Damon leaned forward and clasped his hands together, “I know that,” he said, “that’s what Klaus told her today along with the fact that last one to come was named Victoria Markowitz and she was to stop Klaus’ real father from dying at the hands of infamous Mikael,” he raised his eye brows, “and also he didn’t succeed apparently, given that vampires and werewolves are at war with each other because of that and then she died, like two days after,” he finished with a shrug.

Everybody in the room looked at him with wide eyes. “What?” he said irritated, “I was going to tell you guys…tomorrow.”

They all turned towards Bonnie now with disbelief. Damon’s phone buzzed, signaling a message. He took it out to see Enrique’s number from Meredith. He looked at it for a moment, deciding what to do. He, then made his way to the table in the corner. Taking a neat paper, he wrote the number for Mia.

He smiled sadly at it when his thoughts were interrupted suddenly by a frustrated Bonnie, “How can it be?” Putting the paper in his pocket, he came to stand with the group, looking at Bonnie turning the pages of her grimoire.

She then faced Damon, her toes touching his, “She can’t die. She’s an immortal.” Damon took a step back, “Come on, Bonnie.”

“No, no. It’s what it said. Ayana told Emily here,” she pointed at the grimoire, “that the angels who wear the necklace are dangerous because they have divine powers. They can be stronger than the witches even. Ayana told her to be careful with those entities, not because of their powers only but also because they were immortal.”

“Then how can she die? Is she still alive, then?” Damon questioned, his eye brows knitted together. “No,” Bonnie exasperated, “She can die when she completes the…whatever task given to her, in a matter of days or hours even."

“So, it means that Klaus’ real father is still alive somewhere, if she’s dead?” Elena said and Caroline nodded in agreement.

Damon couldn't hear anyone, once the thought registered in his mind. His entire being focused on Mia. She was sitting there, holding him close, telling him with tears in her eyes that she didn't wanted it, that she wanted a normal life. And like a moron he was, he convinced her to move on to accept it.

After telling her to embrace it, he himself was backing out. He wasn't ready for this. She was angel. She would be assigned a duty and at completion, she will die. Die, like everyone else he cared about. Like all of them, her time here was limited.

He staggered backwards, his eyes losing their focus. She was right, he was a hypocrite. He told her to accept it when he never did but he knew why he convinced her of that. Firstly, to lessen her pain and worry but also to help her move on from her past, from Enrique.

He was selfish. He was the bad and evil brother. “Damon,” Stefan’s voice was polite and soft but Damon held his hand up for him to stop as he moved to the counter, opened the bottle of whiskey and started to drown himself in it.

His face was impassive, giving nothing away as he drank it but his eyes were shining with emotions. Others looked helplessly to each other, thinking of any way to help him but they knew beforehand that the effort was wasted.

After an hour of drinking, Damon stood up to leave, his mind made up. As he reached the front door, Stefan pushed him back, understanding the meaning behind his eyes and his set jaw.

“No, Damon. Don’t.” Damon pushed him back with the same force. “Don’t tell me what to do, brother. I know how to handle myself and I’m not in a mood to play games with you,” he snapped angrily and moved past him but Stefan stopped him again.

He opened his mouth to say something but Damon smirked at him, “nor am I in a mood to be lectured, little brother.”

“Damon, you’re not doing this. You’re better than that. Please, look. We found a way when there was no way. Every time with Elena and you and me. We've done the impossible, Damon. We’ll get her through this. We’ll help her. We’ll make sure nothing happens to her.”

“You don’t have to do this,” he pleaded but Damon gave him a look of pure hatred like Stefan was the only thing standing between him and peace he so desired.

‘Let me go, Stef,” he said but his voice was the opposite of what expression his face showed. It was defeated and hopeless.
Elena pushed her way to Damon, putting her hands on his face, she made him look at her, “Stefan’s right, Damon. You’re not alone in this. She’s our friend too. We’re gonna be right there with you Damon.”

Damon’s expression faltered for a moment, revealing everything he felt in that second and Elena’s heart broke. How could life be so cruel to him, to have caused him this much pain, she thought.

“That’s the problem, Elena. You guys have always been there yet, it’s always been this way…I’m still al…” Damon stopped his tirade when Elena held him tighter.

“Stay, Damon. Please. It’ll be fine. You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to run away. You don’t have to turn it off. Stay, for me,” her eyes and tone pleaded with him.

He smiled in his sinister way as he shook her hands off him in one swift jerk. “You, don’t get to do that anymore. It doesn't affect me, Elena. I’m over it,” his words sliced through Elena as she looked at him in disbelief.

Stefan rushed forward to her and glared at Damon who was standing there indifferently. “I’m ok,” Elena lied and dismissed his concern with a wave of her hand. She and Stefan both looked at the door, only to find the empty doorway. Damon was gone.