Forever; The Devil's Angel

"This is so not me, Damon," she made a face at him as he held up a shocking pink skirt with a matching top for her, "I'll look like a...strawberry lollipop."

Closing his eyes, he licked his lips, "Hmm...lollipop," he said in a low raspy voice and Mia rolled her eyes as she nudged his shoulder with her own and he shoved her back but she was a total of five inches away when he pulled her in by her waist and pressed a quick kiss to her temple, "You look delicious all the time," he smirked, "and these eyes of yours remind me of rich, melted chocolate in which I can drown."

Mia looked at him pointedly, her lips curling up as she looked at him, "And you know what they say about death by chocolate," he sighed as he moved her directly in front of him, "What a way to go," he opened his hazy eyes to meet her dazzling ones.

"A cheesy Damon," she said teasingly, "That's a new one," she chuckled. The words made her heart warm, it didn't matter how cheesy or cliché they were. The thing that mattered was it came from him and for her and that was enough for her heart to become a gooey puddle in her chest yet she couldn't stop herself for remarking him on it.

"I told you, you'll ruin me," he winked at her with his smirk still at place as he placed his hands on her waist and pulled her in until there was no distance between them.

"Although it was a perfect boyfriend sort of thing to say...for me," she paused and widen her eyes in amusement, "and my ego."

Damon chuckled as he leaned forward to place a tantalizing kiss on her forehead that sent her heart shooting into a frenzy, "No, angel. It was a perfectly 'whipped' boyfriend sort of thing to say," he shrugged his shoulders and rested his chin on the top of her head, both of them fitting together perfectly like pieces of puzzle that were carved for each other, "Not like I give a damn."

Mia shook silently with laughter and hugged him tighter, stealing yet another perfect moment for herself, the one that would stay with her forever no matter what the future held or brought on her...on them.

"Will you be buying something?" The store manager cleared her throat to shatter their own little world of themselves.

If she was annoyed, Damon was infuriated but with Mia holding him like she was, he couldn't muster up that anger to channel it to her as with a shrug he nodded towards the rack beside them, "Yeah, pack the whole thing," he said casually. Mia jumped back clearly stunned at his statement and the casualness in his voice as he offered to buy her half the store.

"What? No, Damon? Are you crazy?" She asked looking between Damon, the manager and the huge rack of clothes in front of her. Her eyes were wide as she contemplated the amount it would add up to.

"Don't be crazy, angel. It's not much," he said as he nodded to the rack again, "Go on. Pack it," he added to the manager who stood there just as stunned as Mia if not more.

"No, no. He's not crazy, he's delusional," Mia said to Damon and smiled at the still shocked manager, "I'll just be taking these three," Mia handed her the clothes she had picked for herself. The manager scowled at Mia, obviously for the lack of sales in her department when Damon shoved another dress to her arms. "For the party tonight," he said as his way of explanation.

Knowing there was no changing his mind, Mia rolled her eyes but Damon was fast enough to catch her lips curling upwards. She was happy and he couldn't hope for anything else, he didn't even want anything else but for her to stay like that forever. "You have a wonderful boyfriend," the manager said with a trying to be friendly smile.

Mia smiled back and mouthed ‘thank you’ before turning to Damon. "A wonderful whipped one," she muttered under her breath as she picked her shopping bags. "Hey, your words, not mine," she said when Damon scoffed at her statement, her voice content and glee.

He raised both his hands in mock surrender, "Did you hear me complaint?" he cocked his head to a side and put his hand to his ear in a hearing motion, "Wait! What was that? No, Damon. You truly are the wonderful," he smirked at her, "Why, thank you," he gave her a little bow.

Mia hadn't felt light like that in ages and being with him was easy, effortless. She was nothing but herself and she loved it, not having to fake every moment or smile. She opened her mouth when his cell phone rang and she clamped it shut as she nodded towards his pocket, "Who is it?"

Hesitantly, Damon took out his phone to see Elijah's name flashing on it. "Elijah," he groaned and Mia stiffened. So much for a peaceful, happy moment. "Miss me already?" Damon greeted into the phone, his voice still had an annoyed edge to it.

"What do you mean she's missing?" he asked in a serious tone and Mia stepped forward, her eyes locked with Damon's as she searched for an answer. "When? Right, ok," he was saying, "Where do you want us to look?" he asked Elijah but his eyes were questioning Mia, if she was up for it. Mia nodded to him and put her hand on his shoulder and a simple touch seemed to soothe him.

"Yeah, we'll check it out," he said and cut off the phone.

"What happened?" Mia asked once he took a deep breath and put his phone away.

"Hayley's missing. Everyone's worried. They're thinking that Marcel might have her or something," he said.

"Where do we look?" she asked quickly. Though she wasn't a very big fan of Hayley but she hadn't even given her a chance and she was in danger, it didn't call for biases. It was her duty and job to protect and keep peace and she would make sure that Hayley remain unscathed from the brewing war.

"Marcel's having a party. It will start soon. We'll go there directly."

"And do what? We need a plan, we can't just go and raid his place," Mia argued panicked. It was her first time after Silas that she was handed a task to save people and take out the enemy and she could feel jitters in her body. They needed a plan, these types of things couldn't be done without a proper direction and she needed that direction, that push.

The selfish part of her didn't want it to be over. If the situation got stabilized, it would mean that she had to go and she wasn't ready to go, not yet though she knew she had to keep herself ready for that. Damon put both his hands on her face and forced her to look at him, not caring about the crowd's wandering eyes and shocked expressions.

"Mia, here. Look at me. Mia, look at me," he said again until she was looking straight into his eyes, "It's going to be ok. You've done this before and you're strong enough," he circled his thumb under her eyes in a soothing gesture, "I believe you. I believe in you," he stressed the words, "Trust me, you've got this."

He was so different from her...where she followed rules, he broke them, where she required a plan, he went by instinct. When she felt weak, he made her strong and when she doubted, he believed and she was utterly, unconditionally in love with him and she wouldn't have it any other way. Mia gave him a nod and closed her eyes, basking in the bright optimistic light with which he shone.

"I can do this," she repeated and took a deep breath, "Sure, I can," she said again as Damon smiled at her. She was really trying. He could tell by the small crease between her eyebrows, the way she had her eyes closed to focus and then her sweet voice repeating the words as she would get the energy from them.

She looked so innocent and naive, so fragile and delicate, he wanted nothing but to hide her in his embrace and never let go...for her to face the harsh reality of the world but she was a victim already and he knew she understood. Mia opened her eyes to see his perfect blues staring back at her which made her catch her breath and she sucked in a gulp of air.

The world was thinning around them, voices became whispers until it was an annoying noise in the background, the people disappearing until there was no one but them. She could feel her heart palpitating, her breaths that came in short. The threat that she felt with the news...that it will be over soon, that she would have to leave seeped into her bones and chilled them and she knew she wanted him to heat her up.

The fire in her eyes was the kind where you were bound to get burn but you still touch it out of fascination as to see if it felt just as exotic as it looks. There was no escaping it, no way out and he didn't want it either. He would burn hundred times over to be with her, get a thousand rejections and heartbreaks if he knew that she would be standing at the end of dark tunnel to pull him out into the light.

Mia let out a sigh as she closed the distance between them and claimed him, her arms finding the ever so familiar place, clasped behind his neck as she fisted a hand in his hair and pulled him closer, trying her best to mesh them together, to never let go and with the way he groaned at the contact, she knew he wanted the same.

Damon could feel that forbidden touch of heaven as he kissed her, the sweetness, the pure bliss, it was all for him to take and she gave it so generously, so completely, it was a phenomenon in its own. She moaned her protest when he pulled back to catch his breath, "I can do all this all day long, angel but we need to go," he said in between his breaths.

Screw them, that was her first thought but she bit her tongue in time as she nodded, "I know," she said and looked up at him, "Thank you," she wasn't sure what in particular she was thanking him for but he had to know how grateful she was for his presence, for him.

"Not bragging but I am the wonderful boyfriend," he winked at her trying to lighten the mood and his heart swelled at the success when she chuckled, her eyes twinkling and she linked their fingers together going forward to whatever waited for them with him, with the person she knew she could survive with.