The Devil's Angel

“I’m sorry…for what happened,” Elena said as she set the breakfast on the side table. Mia was rubbing her swollen eyes as she sat up and rested against the head post of the bed with Jake sleeping beside her.

“I can’t believe she’s gone,” Mia mumbled.

“Yeah,” Elena replied with a distant tone and then shook her head, “Take something. You need it,” she said warmly as she pointed to the breakfast and Mia’s eyes followed her to the tray before resting on her again.

“Is everything ok?” Mia asked and waited for Elena to look at her.

“Yes. All’s good,” she smiled but Mia could see it was forced for her sake. Even her eyes weren’t shining as they used to, they were concealing like she was hiding something and Mia couldn’t help but wonder why. She and her morbid curiosity.

She wasn’t in mood to eat anything, she couldn’t even force herself to eat or drink as she placed the glass of juice that Elena had made her drink on the table and sighed. She thought about everything that happened the previous night. She couldn’t believe it. She had a hard time believing that Claire was dead and Damon had killed her but her mind steered into another direction as she thought about his words, his broken demeanor.

What did he mean? Damon’s word from last night repeated themselves over and over again in her head. ‘She had to die’, ‘it was you or it was her’, ‘I did it because I love you’.

She caressed Jake’s face and smiled sadly at him, “I’m going to take care of you,” she promised as she thought about Claire, the way she was with Jake, with her. How she cared for her, took her in when she had nobody, encouraged her, supported her, protected her.

She wiped the tears with the back of her hand as she came to stop at the top of stairs, same place where she argued with Damon last night. “Everything is so against a single, peaceful moment in this town,” she heard Caroline say in exasperated tone of hers.

“He could’ve just tell her,” Elena said in a low voice and Mia leaned forward to listen.

“He wanted to protect her,” Stefan said, thinking about Damon, the way he looked when he thought Mia was dying and shook his head to clear off the image of his brother. He had never seen him like that and that disturbed him.

Damon was stronger and had endured so much things like that before, first with their mother’s death, his father’ abuse, Katherine’s death and then her return to know he was played all along and then finally Elena and everything after that. He was strong, Stefan knew but how much pain a man could take before breaking completely?

“Protect from what?” Caroline asked.

“From truth,” Elena answered her. “He didn’t want to tell her that Claire was trying to…”

“Wait! Damon was invited in already, wasn’t he?” Bonnie questioned, interrupting Elena as Mia thought about Elena’s word and how they matched with Damon’s, ‘She was trying to...’ Claire was trying to, what? She thought.

“Yes, no. it didn’t need an invitation before. It was Shawn’s and he had died. Claire just signed the papers yesterday,” Elena replied, “Enrique told Mia in the Grill that Claire was going to meet a lawyer.”

“Weird,” Bonnie said, “It’s like it all happened in one day.”

“That’s what Damon said. To him, it wasn’t just an accident. Claire just simply, tried to kill Mia,” Stefan said and sighed, “and if it wasn’t for Damon, she would’ve succeeded.”

“Apparently,” Elena shrugged, “She was out, safe with Jake already and no vampire could get in without an invitation from her and she must’ve known that all of Mia’s friends were vampires.”

“Of course, she would’ve known…all about this paranormal stuff. You don’t think Silas would’ve told her?” Bonnie said skeptical, flashing her eye brows.

“Huh! I still can’t believe she was working for Silas,” Caroline commented, “Talk about looks can be deceiving,” she scoffed.

The world was spinning and she was fixed on her spot. She couldn’t hold it any longer as the things flew past her and she was unable to move. Everything she knew just a few minutes ago had changed, crashed upon her. Nothing she knew was true.

She was betrayed by the person she loved, the person she thought loved her while the person she was bent on hating was keeping her safe. The person she was holding responsible for a death of loved one was on her side the whole time, protecting her and that dear on had stabbed her in the back.

Stefan and Elena were both talking to her now, asking her to look at them and she was. She was looking at them and could see their faces but it was a different dimension. Her brain was stuck into the dark world, in the dark place and she couldn’t talk t them and even if she did, she knew they couldn’t listen to her.

‘She had to die.’ ‘It was you or it was her.’ ‘I did it because I love you.’ And she remembered her own icy reply, ‘What a great way to show it.’ When it could’ve been a simple ‘I love you too.’

That was the moment that it clicked. She understood the meaning behind Claire’s words so perfectly. ‘Love is selfish, you know.”

‘It isn’t selfish. Love is selfless. You think about others first.’

‘Not others…other. You’re selfish to the world.’

Damon was selfish to the world, selfish to Claire and Jake…but her…’It was you or it was her.’ He chose her. He jumped in to save her. She also understood Stefan’s coldness. He was Damon’s brother and he knew the truth. He knew what Damon had chosen and he knew that the person his brother chose didn’t choose his brother. She remembered Damon’s face when he told her that he loved her, ‘I did it because I love you,’ and it broke her all over again.

“Damon?” she whispered brokenly, her eyes trying to adjust themselves to the reality. She knew what to do. She had to find him and apologize and tell him that she loved him too and everything would be fine. Yes, Claire’s betrayal will keep hurting her but she also knew she could handle it all with Damon by her side. Why? Because she loved him and somehow, he loved her too.

“Damon?” she asked for him again, looking pleadingly at Stefan, trying to convey to him that she was choosing the right thing now, that she was choosing his brother and Stefan didn’t have to hate her anymore. “Stefan? I need Damon,” she whispered.

Stefan lowered his eyes and shook his head slowly and Mia tensed at denial. “No, you don’t understand. I love him, Stefan and I didn’t know about Claire…I just, need to see him,” she explained and waited for him to acknowledge her but he sat there, still and realization dawned upon her.

It was very likely of Damon to leave after a fight. He did that last time and she didn’t see him for three days, “No, no. He didn’t leave again,” she chanted and Stefan put his hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture.

“No, he didn’t. He’s just lost,” he replied, shrugging slightly.

Mia looked from Stefan to Elena in confusion, knowing of all the eyes that were watching her in the room but she didn’t care as she searched Elena’s face and her concealed eyes. “Elena?” she asked.

“He flipped the switch,” she answered in a quiet whisper.