The Devil's Angel

Her chocolate brown contrasted against her wheat pale skin, the wind blowing through them, giving her a dark and intimidating look. Her wings were in full bloom, the golden white glow created a halo around them which shone on her, striking off the true angelic look. Her brown eyes were narrowed, her lips pursed and she had a look of concentration of her face.

"You are not strong enough. You never will be," His voice boomed across the open forest, so much so, it seemed that the wind stilled in fear. "How much will it take for you to understand?"

"I do understand," her voice was calm but he could feel the hint of fear in it, "And I'm not backing down," she affirmed with a nod.

"You don't have that power," the voice hissed, "You will die from exhaustion before you could do me any harm," he informed her.

"There are other sources...from where I can get that power," she said in her calm demeanor. She was so easy about it, it seemed she was in her lounge discussing everyday politics.

"Oh, your significant other?" he raised his eyebrows and laughed sinisterly, causing Mia to grimace, "He can only give you the power with a touch and I doubt you will want him anywhere me," he almost pouted, looking at her with pity in his eyes, "He would be a liability between us," he stated it as the most obvious thing.

Thinking about it, Mia knew he was right. She would never put Damon in that position. She would never let him come near Silas. Silas knew what he meant ot her and hurting him would be the surest way to get to her and she wouldn't allow it. But then, there was the prophecy. She wanted to die and if killing Silas, killed her too, it wasn't much big of a deal. She would make sure that Damon would be safe and fine.

Suddenly, the air around her was so thick, she could hardly breathe. A moment of distraction and he had the upper hand on her. She tried to use her wings but they wouldn't budge. They didn't even move an inch and she was feeling heady already. She opened her eyes and concentrated on Silas, trying to inflict the same pain on him.

"Told you, liability?" he gave her a maniac, evil grin and it boiled the blood in her, fuming her up with seething anger.

A blast of air threw him back, catching him off guard and Mia could breathe again and she took the opportunity to fill her lungs with the very necessary oxygen as she straightened herself up and glared at Silas. The look in her eyes was deadly and almost hopeless as if she knew, she couldn't get out of the situation alive but there was also determination gleaming in them.

"You underestimated me," she hissed and gestured towards him. Silas' body convulsed and twitched on the ground, following the movements of her hands and she smiled at him, "He's not a liability," she gave a dramatic pause, "He's my strength. Always has been, always will be," she said sweetly and smirked at him.

Silas inhaled sharply for air that never came as he locked his eyes with Mia's dark ones. "You. Will. Lose," he bit out the words and Mia shook her head, feeling control and power around her, in her. "Stop, angel," he ordered.

"It doesn't work here," she pointed to herself. When his wide eyes kept staring her, she felt the need to elaborate, "Your compulsion," she said.

Silas tried again for the breath but his body was becoming rigid now. Mia could feel the energy in her dropping, her own breathing was becoming labored and hard. She was taking in small gasps, almost panting. Just as Silas' face started to harden, crippling like a piece of paper, Mia felt the last thread of her energy draining out of her and as much as she tried, she couldn't help it when she collapsed on the wet forest ground. Her breathing still, her heart at a painful halt, her hair fell in waves on her face covering the lifeless eyes.

"Told you. You will lose," Silas spat the words at her lifeless body, "One way or another."

Damon shot up in his bed, his hair a mess on his head as his eyes frantically searched for one thing that had ability to rattle him to his core. She wasn’t there. He glided his hand across the sheet where her scent still lingered. His heart was galloping out of his chest. After witnessing a dream like that...a nightmare like that. He desperately needed to see her, to touch her, to make himself believe she was fine and safe.

He threw the covers off him as he made his way to the bathroom, "Mia?" he pushed open the door but to his disappointment and fear, it was vacant. "Mia?" he called for her again as he hastily put a shirt on and dashed down. He checked every corner of his house but she was nowhere to be found.

After their discussion last night, he didn't want her to leave and a make decision for herself. She needed time, they both needed time and he felt as if he was running out of it. He bumped into Stefan on his way out, the words from the dream infiltrated his every thought and the image...the image of her collapsing on the ground tore at him. He had to find her, he needed to find her as quickly as possible. He couldn't let her fight this war.

"What is it?" Stefan asked.

"Mia," Damon replied impatiently, his eyes darting around and the answer was enough for Stefan to know what had happened.

"She went outside a few minutes ago, Damon. Calm down," Stefan said, raising his hands.

"She went outside?' Damon raised his eyebrows and looked at Stefan with pure annoyance, "And you let her?"

"I couldn't stop her. She was just taking a call," he said as they both made their way out.

"What call?" Damon's eyes snapped to Stefan as he stilled.

"It was Jake, Damon. Geez, give her a break. He wanted to talk. He loves her," Stefan replied, rolling his eyes.

"Ok, Stef," his voice was clipped, "Where is she now?" he spread his arm in front of him as an exasperated gesture.

"So I thought," he sighed when Stefan looked around with panicked eyes.

The dream came back to him and God, help him, if she went to confront Silas and he hurt in any way. He was going to kill the bastard even if it was the last thing he did. "Take Elena. Find her," he said as he crossed the front lawn.

"Where are you going?" Stefan asked, shouting behind him.

"What do you bloody think, Stefan? Just take others with you and search in the...forest," he ordered, thinking that if his dream meant anything, it would be disastrous and there was only one thing that could help her if she was with Silas.

He wouldn't be a liability to her. He would be her strength like she said, like she made him out to be. He also knew she wouldn't let him get close just as he would never let her. There was just one thing he could do and he needed to see Bonnie.

***************************

"I see, you wanted to meet me," Silas said in his cold, distant but voice full of menace.

"I just wanted to talk," she sighed as she rubbed her hand on her head, trying to remind herself of the reason she was here.

"You made a mistake," he commented with a shrug of his shoulder and Mia tensed, going on alert at once. Her coming here was a mistake, she knew but she had to tell him that whatever plan he had was bound to fail. She was the only key through which Ariel could come back, not by any cure or any veil.

"I made a lot. Which are you specifically referring to?" she asked indifferently. She wasn't sure, she cared about anything at the point, anything except the person she left in bed this morning. She knew, he couldn't sleep all night, she couldn't either. The heaviness of her choice was hanging on both of them but when finally, sleep consumed him. He looked so beautiful, so rested, so at peace and she wanted to keep it that way. She had to make sure of that and she couldn't see any other way.

"The witch,” he said, "Do you know how hard, I had to work on her...to teach her that thing?"

"Darkness? Expression?" she asked, disbelief toning her voice. How someone could be so selfish? She thought.

"It was to help my Ariel," he said with hard edge.

"Your Ariel?" Mia scoffed, "She's dead."

"I'll bring her back," he pinned her with his intense look and Mia gulped.

"You can't," she whispered, "Only I can do that."

"What?" he raised his voice, stepping towards her, "You don't know..."

"I know enough," she laughed without humor. Never had she thought, that knowing things about her past would be that horrible. She wanted to be that girl again, who would wake up to a nightmare and fall in Damon's arms again where he would console her that it was just a bad dream and that she was fine but now, every time she woke from a dream, it told her how much more complicated her life had become?

"Don't mess with me," he warned.

"Or what? You will make sure that I'm cursed like her?" she shook her head, "You have no idea, do you? How much pain she's in because of you?" she eyed him with disgust, "What you put her through? What she had to endure because of your actions?" she stepped forward, "How can you even claim to love her after everything you did to her?"

"Shut up," he shouted, "Just shut the hell up."

Mia flinched at his roaring voice but regained her ground once again, "It hurts, doesn't it? The truth?" she spat the words at him and took a deep breath.

"You will pay for this," he hissed.

His comment brought all the raging emotions within her, her hopelessness, her despair, pain, loss. "Don't you think I've paid enough?" she snapped, "You don't think, I know that I'll keep paying for it when it wasn't even my fault," she jerked her arm, "Don't you think, I'm still paying for it?" Her arms were at her side, her hand fisted tightly as she stood in an offensive stance.

"She doesn't love you," she hissed, "She stopped caring, the day you killed Henry and the day Qetsiyah took her life, damning her for eternity."

She was here to make a truce, to make him understand that no matter what he did, he couldn't bring back Ariel. She wasn't his to bring back. She wanted him to know that all his efforts were futile, even if he had the cure and was able to drop the veil but with him talking like that, hitting her at her lowest point, she just snapped.

A rush of air collided with her, threatening to take her with it but Mia flicked her hand to redirect the ball of air and stepped up front, taller, gathering all her strength and courage. She eyed him cautiously, her breathing hard.

Silas smiled at her with pure malice. She felt dizzy as everything started to blur around her and Mia just wanted to close her eyes and give in to it. It’s an illusion, she told herself, nothing but illusion.

"Mia?" she looked behind her and saw Damon crumpled in the dirt, his fingers digging into the soil, his face streaked with pain. Blood tarnished his lips, his eyes wide with pain. It's not him, Mia told herself. Just an illusion. Just an illusion. He's safe, she kept chanting in her head as she stood there looking at him. It took everything in her to not rush to him and hold him.

"Let go, Mia," he croaked. "H-Help," he said as his head hit the ground, his eyes closing and he gave out a shattering breath.

"Damon!" she screamed, giving him all her attention, providing Silas with the best opportunity.

*******************************

"Bonnie!" he shouted as he pushed open the door and barged in, "Bonnie!"

"Wha..." Bonnie skidded to a stop in front of him, "Damon?" she tilted her head to a side, "What are you..."

"I need you to link me with Mia," he stated as he went to her living room.

Bonnie rushed after him, "You want what?" she asked incredulously, "Are you out of your mind?"

"Yes and the longer you take the more I'll lose it," he said without a break.

Bonnie nodded, "Why?" she asked, raising her eyebrows, “Why, Damon?”

"She can't use my energy if I'm not touching her and for her to kill Silas, she needs a lot of power and I know for a fact that she wouldn't let me anywhere near herself but if she's linked with me, she wouldn't have to worry or die...She'll be fine. She'll be able to use my energy," he was explaining quickly in a fast tone, impatience evident.

"But that could kill you?" she jerked her head, "With your touch, she only takes as much as you can give her and if it's not enough, she blacks out," she reminded him and Damon gave her a rigid nod as if it didn't matter in the least.

"This way, Damon. There will be no barrier, no stopping her," she tried to reason with him, "She will take it all from you and she wouldn't even know it. You'll drain yourself."

"You don't think, I know that?" he stepped towards her, his voice came out a little harsher than he intended but it didn't bothered Bonnie in the least as she shook her head.

"Damon, you can't. She wouldn't..." she said as she started to understand him.

"I don't care, Bonnie,” he cut her off, “She needs to be safe. If she dies, she's cursed. She needs to go back to the...Heavens. I wouldn't let her die and she wouldn't leave me and I'm sure as hell, she doesn't care what happens to her. She is adamant that she has to leave both ways, might as well as stay with here as long as she can and I know where she's coming from but I can't sit and let her do this, Bonnie. I can't let her die...you have to understand that," his voice faltered, clogging his throat with emotions, "I can't..."

"Hey, Damon," she coaxed him, sitting in front of him, "it's gonna be ok," she said, knowing well enough that nothing was alright but she had never seen him like that. He was scared and so hopeless that at that single moment she truly forgive him for every wrong he had done to her and her friends.

"Please, help me. Bonnie, you're the only one who can and I can't watch it happen to her," he raised his eyes to meet hers as he covered her hand on his knee with his own, "Please," he said, pouring all desperation and fear he felt in that one word.

Bonnie sighed as she stared hard at him and gave him a single, mechanical nod and Damon let out a breath, he didn't know he was holding. He would tolerate everything, even death to gain the knowledge that she'll be fine. He wanted it more than anything else and he always had a way of getting what he wanted.

*************************

She rushed to him and fell on her knees as she cradled his head in her lap, "Damon," she called for him as she ran her fingers through her hair. Damon was up in an instant. So fast, she could barely comprehend it as he took her by her neck and held her above from the ground, her feet searching for the ground underneath her.

"I'll make it easy, angel," he snarled, his lips pulling up. He looked so beautiful still, she could let him do anything and just look into his eyes as he killed her.

"I love you," she croaked but kept her gaze on him, memorizing the planes of his face. She wanted to remember him even is she died and was cursed. His memories will help her ease the pain. The way he touched her, loved her, comforted her though he was tainting their last moment together.

"Mia!" Stefan's voice reached her and she could think of only word. Silas. The anger and pain filled her every pore as she concentrated on the face before him. Things started to clear up in her mind as she started to push him out of her mind.

What was she thinking? Damon would never do that. He was the one trying to keep her alive, just like he said last night. As she put all her attention to him, she could see the imperfections in the person in front of her.

His eyes were vacant, distant. There was no warmth in his blue eyes, no depth, no light. Nothing. Nothing that she loved. His nose was straight, a little too straight, his jaw was angular not solid with high cheekbones. He had a little pale complexion instead of the olive undertones. His hair were a little too brown for her rather than blackish brown that striked against his perfect blues. Her eyes darted to his eyes which were hard now, not the blue but greenish sort.

"Silas," she choked. As soon as the realization settled in her stomach, she felt the tingling in her back. Whoosh! The air trembled as she pushed Silas and released herself from his grasp, her wings unfurling giving her a sudden intimidating and dark look.

Stefan reached Mia as did Elena and others, standing beside her in a semi-circle making a formation almost unconsciously. Silas stood up slowly, wiping the blood from his split lip which had already healed itself as he locked his furious eyes with Mia.

Instead of stepping back, Mia squared her shoulders, her wings growing a little, balancing themselves with her dominant stance. The stain of blood on his mouth, told Mia that he wasn’t invincible and it made her feel a little better, a little confident.

A small smile played on Silas' lips. "It's on," he stated flashing his eyes brows as he glanced at every member of her team. Samantha, Cam, Aaron and Tyler stood at her right with Elena, Stefan and Caroline at her left, all staring hard at him. Klaus appeared slowly as he took his place beside Caroline.

He was furious with them, especially after Rebekah but this wasn't just about him. It was all of them and they had to protect their home and the people they loved and he was ready. Caroline reached to take Klaus' hand in hers, showing him how grateful she was that he was here with them but her cold eyes remained fixed on Silas.

"No lover boy?" Silas questioned Mia who took a heavy step forward.

Mia was glad that he was nowhere near. She had to finish it before he arrived and she knew he would be here soon. Small figures started to appear in front of them and Mia squinted her eyes to see clearly when all the hooded figures came to stand in front of and Silas strolled comfortably in front of them.

Mia cocked her head, trying to understand when Silas spoke up, "It works on them," he said simply. Seeing a wave of confusion on her face, he explained himself, "the compulsion," he finished.

Mia inhaled sharply as she looked at all the people surrounding her. People that were compelled by Silas to fight them. She turned to glare at Silas.

"They're yours," Silas addressed his compelled army with a casual wave of his hand, "You know what to do."