Forever; The Devil's Angel

It had been a second, an hour but it felt like a lifetime as he stood there watching the fire dance in front of him. He wanted to bawl his eyes out but there was nothing except guilt, frustration and anger.

There was no need to mention the pain, even thinking about it multiplied it a million times. It was cold or maybe it was only him who felt cold but the heat from the fire was doing nothing but burn his heart, his already blackened heart.

"It's ok," Elena said softly as she put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a little squeeze.

"She's gone," he wasn't sure if he was talking to her or convincing himself to return to the reality. He hurt her...broke her and for what? It wasn't like she wasn't going to know what had happened and then, she would hate him more for putting her through this.

"You did the right thing," Samantha said as she emerged from the door, her eyes tight but soft as she took in his raw and ragged form.

Anger bubbled up inside him as he turned around sharply at her, his eyes slated clean of emotion but there was anger flashing in them, the storm inside him churning and brewing as he stormed towards her and she staggered back a step but kept her hard eyes on him, scrutinizing him and his every move.

"Right thing?" he screamed as he shook his head vigorously, "It's not right. None of this is right," he exploded as he swept the bottle of whiskey off the table in blinding rage. The hurt and pain he felt consumed him, turning it into hot fury as he came to stand directly in front of her and grabbed her neck in a death tight grip, his knuckles turning white with the force he put into the action, his lips pursed, his breathing ragged.

Samantha struggled in his grip, gasping for air already, her eyes wide with fear as she gaped at him. "Stop it, Damon," Elena pleaded as she rushed towards him, "Let her go. You're hurting her," she said as she tried to pull him away from her but to no avail as he pushed her to the wall and kept her there, loosening his hold on her slightly.

"She's hurt," he spat at her, "She's hurt because of me and she needs me. Me!" he conveyed his point by looking directly into her eyes, "And I'm gonna go and tell her the truth."

"You can't," she struggled and tried to take in the air, her eyes watering as she swallowed.

"Why the hell not?" He raged as he pushed her again and tightened his hold. Elena put her hand on his at her neck and looked at him with sympathizing eyes. She heard the desperation in his voice, the pain behind his why and the hurt in his eyes when he said the words. Damon didn't bothered looking at her as he kept his cold eyes on Samantha.

"Why do you think, Damon?" she croaked, her voice rough.

"Damon, please," Elena pleaded again and pulled his hand to herself. Very reluctantly, Damon let go of Samantha's neck and turned to face Elena, his eyes empty as he sighed.

"Why?" he asked again but in a barely audible whisper. He felt the anger in him frizzle out as a soft but intense, heart slicing, gut wrenching pain settled within him, letting him know that it will be a part of him forever with every breath he took.

Samantha was taking deep breaths, bracing herself with her hands on her knees, her raven hair falling down, framing her face. She turned her eyes on Damon and saw his defeated figure. The strong person that almost took her down looked torn and broken, every piece of his existence crumbling to the ground and she suppressed a sigh.

"It isn't about her finding the truth, Damon. She'll obviously know what's happening to her," Samantha said, her fingers moving in a slow motion at her neck, trying to soothe the pain where he had held her so ferociously, "It's about keeping her safe knowing that the whisperers are onto you both."

Damon didn't raise his eyes as he stared at the floor, his eyes hard and calculating, "It'll be better if she knows that too. She'll know that I didn't mean any of the bullshit I said. She'll know at least that I love..."

"Don't you know her at all?" Samantha asked, shaking her head and Damon stood up harshly, his body rigid and taut, his eyes tense as he glared at her. How dare she question him? He knew her. How could he not? He breathed her, lived for her. He knew her better than she knew herself just like she knew him better than everybody else.

"Don't you..." He started hissing at her but she held up her hand, her expression of pure determination. Mia was his blind spot, he couldn't see anything clear wherever she was concerned and Damon was hers, she couldn't keep her head in the game either and she was the one that had to deal with them both.

"Think about it, Damon. You go and tell her the truth. Even if you ask her to stay away for her own good and yours. You know she wouldn't. She wouldn't care. She never have. She tries to defy her world every chance she gets. If not for the sake of your life, she would've turned against everything in the Heavens. Telling her the truth will make things better for you but she wouldn't stay away. She wouldn't and you very well know that."

Damon sighed in defeat. His head was exploding with pain. As much as he hated it, he knew she was right. Mia's safety was priority right now and she wouldn't stop. If she knew the truth, she wouldn't care to expose everything just to be with him and they would all turn against her and he couldn't handle it. He knew it deep to the very core of him.

There was so much frustration bottled up inside him, he wasn't sure how to get it out. Blood, he needed blood but he damn well knew, he couldn't be what he was before. He had moved forward so much. He didn't want to go down that path again. Booze, then, he decided. That was the second thing that could soothe him a little under these circumstances.

"I think we should both go out. Have some drinks. Chill out a little," Stefan interrupted his thoughts as he entered the door and gave a warm smile in Elena's direction who returned it with a bright smile of her own. "What a great idea," she exclaimed building up some enthusiasm and Damon scoffed.

"Really, Stefan. Really?" he asked incredulous, tilting his head to a side as he raised his eyebrows.

Stefan shrugged and gave him a 'whatever' face, not verbalizing his response as he motioned him out the door, "Come on, big brother. Let's have a guys night out."

Seeing his serious attitude, Damon was taken back a little, "You're kidding me, right?" he asked again, not sure of Stefan's proposal.

"Well, you want it or not?" Stefan asked.

"Fine," he sighed as he clapped Stefan's shoulder on his way out. He had a family with him, people who cared about him, who were trying to distract him though he knew it wasn't going to happen. Still, he was grateful, not that he would ever say that out loud. He wondered where she was. Did she have anybody to whom she could rant out? Anybody who could support her through what he had put her through? Anybody who cared just for her wellbeing and happiness?

There was just one name that popped up in his mind and somehow it made him more edgy and frustrated. It was going to be a long night and he wasn't sure how was he, to spend an eternity in that condition. He was on his fourth glass when Stefan interrupted again. "Wanna talk about it now?" he asked and Damon shook his head.

"Nope. Not at all," he answered as he gulped in the rest of his drink and sighed, "It sucks, man," he complained.

"Ahan," Stefan clipped his answer so that he would keep talking but he was stun, his eyes looking hard past him and Stefan grew conscious of what was happening. "Hey. Damon," he snapped his fingers in front of him but Damon kept his eyes there, fixed, staring. Slowly, Stefan turned around to see the object of such imminent interest and saw her with the most dazzling of smile.

She seemed happy, content, enjoying herself already as she swayed lightly with the music. Her eyes were shining until they fell on Damon. She stopped suddenly, her smile faltering, showing her surprise as she stared at him. Her lips parted as she took in the sight of him, her heart skipping a beat as she straightened herself and started towards him.

Stefan was shocked to see her like that. Damon was sick and moping while she was dancing to the music. It seemed unreal and he couldn't believe it which gave way to only one plausible deduction. She wasn't who he thought she was and Stefan really wasn't in mood to deal with nasty look alike but obviously the brother he was chaperoning had different plans.

"Mia," he sighed as he stood up, ready to greet her with open arms.

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Step after step. That should be easy but it felt like hell as she moved forward, her eyes fixed on the road in front of her but they seemed lost, vacant filled up with tears as they prickled her eyes and blurred her vision. She still couldn't wrap her mind around everything. None of it made any sense.

Was it just yesterday that she was taking the drink with him both promising forever to each other? Was that one drink so important that it broke everything she had built for herself? Did he really think she should have fallen for Cam when she fought for him against her right instinct?

She knew something was up. It couldn't be the reason he broke up with her. There was something else going on in there but he should've trusted her not break her over. She clenched shut her eyes in the middle of the lone road when she felt someone call her name. She couldn't register who it was, just that someone had called her.

"I'm talking to you," Cam said standing in front of her, "Mia, what's wrong?" He shook her shoulders to shake her up and bring her out from her almost trance like state. He didn't know what was wrong with her. Did she knew already? What did Samantha do? Did she tell Damon?

"You said something, didn't you?" she accused him, her eyes showed a fleet of emotions and none of them were soothing or reassuring.
Cam knitted his eyebrows together, thinking upon what he had said since he found her but he came up empty. "I just asked if you're doing ok. Because you look..."

"Damon," she said and Cam gave her an unsure nod, "You said something to him?"

Cam shook his head, his nose scrunched up in confusion, "No, what? Why?"

"Then why did he leave me, Cam? Why did he broke up with me? Why did he said that I should've chosen..." she was screaming but stopped herself in time and drew in a shaky breath. Cam looked at her for moment. So, this is what Samantha did? She asked Damon to break up with Mia and give her some space to take off whisperers from off their trail.

'Hey," he cooed and took her by the shoulders but she quickly shrugged off his hands. She didn't love him. She didn't chose him. He was her friend, probably the only friend now but with Damon's voice fresh in her mind, she couldn't let him touch her. Cam looked at her rejection with narrowed and hurt eyes. What was wrong with her? She had never done that before.

"Mia," he started but she shook her head.

"I don't..." she paused and took a deep breath, "I just want to go home," she said, averting her gaze from him. She didn't know what to say to him. It was real awkward for her at the moment.

"What did he say, Mia? What did Damon do?" he asked annoyed at her behavior. She was hurt and she was taking it out on him.

"It doesn't make any sense," she said, "It doesn't make any sense, Cam. He was fine, so fine and then I didn't took the drink and he got mad but it wasn't my fault, Cam. I had to...I had to save him. I didn't know and now he thinks it's over because we can never be what we want to be. Not that he wants me now, anyway," she mumbled at the end as she started to walk away.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked almost to himself. He had no idea what Damon had implied on the effectiveness of the break up but he knew he was somehow involved in it. He turned around to go after Mia when she spun around and threw her hands in exasperation, her expression frustrated with her pursed lips and tight but swollen eyes.

She gave out a choked laugh and shook her head, "I don't have a home," she complained and sniffed, "You kicked me out and I don't know why. Damon kicked me out and I don't know why. I have Elena and Stefan but they live with Damon so that's not an option. I have nowhere to go," she said.

"I didn't kick you out, Mia..." he started to explain himself.

"But I can't go there, can I? You asked me not to cross that threshold of the Golden gate," she scoffed at her statement.

"What about Caroline and Bonnie? You can ask Matt," he suggested.

"No, I don't want to bother them," she said to herself in a small voice, "Caroline is all in Klaus mode and Bonnie has gone to visit her Mom."

"Ok," he sighed, "Matt is it, then," he raised his eyebrows in question when he heard her sigh as she raised her eyes to him. There was a glint that was absent before and he wondered the reason for it.

"I'm going to find Katherine," she said out of the blue, "It's all her fault and she will pay," she stressed her statement by pointing her finger to the ground, "I'm going to find her and kill her and then I'll find some place to stay."

Cam shook his head and came towards her. Hesitantly, he took a strand of her hair to tuck it behind her ear and sighed, surprised that she didn't push him away this time. "You know, she's an immortal, right now?" he asked.

"Maybe, she gave it to Maya. She's her favorite," she hissed like a child throwing a fit.

"So, you're going to kill her too?" he raised his single brow.

"I could," she said unsure of her herself and she stuttered the response, "She's done a lot of damage," she clarified herself.

"To you," he replied, "Not anybody else. Wouldn't that fight be for yourself?" he questioned her.

Mia took her moment, thinking about it. She wasn't allowed to fight for herself but for the good of others. How was any of it fair to her? "Fine," she hissed, "But I can kill Katherine. It would be a huge favor to the world and they will all thank me."

"You're thinking like Damon, Mia. You're directing your anger of him onto someone else," he argued with her and her heart gave a pinch at the mention of his name, his earlier comment about changing her into himself flickered to her mind.

"I'm not angry," she argued back.

"No, you're frustrated and heartbroken which ultimately leads to your anger," he laid it out for her but her eyes hardened all of a sudden and he raised his eyebrows, daring her to deny it.

"What should I do?" she asked brokenly in a defeated manner.

Cam sighed and spun her around by draping his arm over her shoulder as he started to walk towards Mystics Grill, "Maybe, first I can take you for a drink and then we can nicely ask Matt if he has a spare room so you could stay there and then, when you've calmed down a little, we'll discuss Katherine, ok?" he asked and looked over at her.

She didn't want to discuss anything or do any of the things that he suggested but she didn't have a choice and he was only trying to help so she gave him a small nod. "Okay," she said, "But I'll find her."

She had to talk to Damon too. She was angry with him but it didn't make her hate him and she knew there was some other reason for his outburst and she wasn't giving him up. She'll talk to him straight and make him see that he was thinking along the wrong lines. She couldn't just leave knowing well that he had always pushed people away because of his own insecurity and she wasn't just anybody.

Cam chuckled a little and shook his head, "Right. Well, then we'll do it together. Deal?"

This time, Mia smiled a little, "Deal," she replied.