Forever; The Devil's Angel

The rich, velvety texture touched his lips, warm and luscious with all its perfection and he jolted up, his body springing up alive. His face was masked with veins beneath his eyes that were dark black orbs concentrating on the hand that had connected with his lips. Damon grabbed the hand as he pulled it towards himself, his fangs protruding deep into the fresh skin.

"I found it," Elena entered the room, waving a blood bag in her hand, her lit up face frowned as she saw Matt with his wrist on Damon, "What are you doing?" she scrunched her nose and Matt pulled away his hand despite the protest of Damon's assaulting hands as he shook his head.

"He needed it," Matt replied simply, "And you said you had run out of your," he hesitated as he stood up, "stock," he completed with a shrug and Damon raised his brow at him.

"I needed quite a lot of it after the attack on you," Stefan explained from the side couch, "How you doing?" he nodded at Damon who flashed to Elena and snatched the blood bag making her gasp aloud and Stefan shook his head but there was a small smile gracing his lips.

"Damon?" Elena used her scolding voice but Damon ignored it as he pulled open the seal and put the bag to his lips.

"Hmm," he mumbled as he turned towards Matt. "Despite you being useless, your blood kind of make up for your existence," Damon smirked at him. There was a reply on Matt's tongue but he swallowed it as he opened a bandage to cover his wrist.

"Do you need it?" Stefan offered his own wrist to Matt to help him speed the healing process but Matt flat out shook his head.

"No man, not doing it," he said as he walked towards the main door. He had to get back to his shift at the Grills and he also needed to check on Caroline who was God knew where after Klaus dropped off Damon. "You're welcome," he said glancing at Damon as he stepped out the door.

"Whatever, Donovan," was Damon's carefree reply, "I've saved your ass a lot of time too," he shouted to him. Stefan gave him the look which spoke volumes of how Damon never did that. "Every time, he's near and I don't kill him is," he pointed at himself, "me...Saving his life," he shrugged and smirked at his little brother.

Stefan shook his head mirroring Elena but they knew they were both happy to get him back. He was like the rebellious child in the house who's presence is always a nuisance but his absence made everything dull and boring. Damon pressed the bag hard and tried to suck the last drop of blood in it, "Do I look alive again?" he asked.

"Yes, very much," Elena rolled her eyes as she jumped to sit on the couch, her feet landing in Stefan's lap who adjusted accordingly. "So, what happened back there? What did they do to you?" Elena asked and Stefan pinched her foot asking her subtly to shut up. Whatever happened there, he knew by looking at unconscious Damon that it was not good and he didn't want him to relive that pain again.

"Nothing major," Damon shrugged casually but he knew what it was. The continuous pain and torture, the blackouts. Everything was a clear, perfect image. Mia appeared out of nowhere, his last properly conscious moments with her and they were such a blast, Damon struggled to keep upright. He had to find her, they had to talk about it. He didn't know if her passion came from frustration or desire but he never felt that alive in such a desolate place before.

A part of him was hoping that she would've forgotten everything he had done and would take him back like nothing happened but there was a fear along with it. He couldn't risk her life, not now, not ever. She had to make this through and this wasn't even just about her anymore. She was pregnant and he was going to be a father. The thought still chilled him to bones but he had to get to her and then the thought hit him. Did she even make it out? Was she still there in the warzone or safely tucked in her bed? His mind ran over different scenarios of what could happened until he realized, he didn't had to torture himself when he could just go, see her.

"Mia?" He asked looking at Stefan and Elena and they both straightened up. Oh no, something was wrong when they made that kind of face.

"We don't know," Stefan started and Damon boomed.

"You don't know?" he punched the table hard and the items on it shook violently.

Stefan stood up, "Cam went to get her," he said, "But she wasn't with Klaus when he came to drop you home. Mia told him not to give you blood or else you would go running back to New Orleans," he explained.

Damon's forehead was pinched as he processed that information, "She's still there," he said to nobody in particular.

"She's out though," Stefan interrupted hoping it would make a difference, "And we don't know for sure she's still there. Cam went to get her back to Mystic Falls. He knew it was dangerous for her there."

"Finally," Damon threw up his hand, "Someone with a brain," he shouted, his voice dripping with anger, frustration. "I'll go see if she's here," Damon said as he moved towards the door and Stefan put his hand on his shoulder.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Positive," Damon replied knowing he was worried that someone might be still trying to get to him but he couldn't careless as he went outside. He had to see her, meet her, talk to her, figure things out.

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

There was a screeching sound of someone crying, a baby most probably and Mia searched into the darkness for the voice, to calm her, help her, comfort her. She didn't who it belonged to but she wanted it to stop. Running through the dark, haunted tunnels Mia was breathing heavily when she saw the small opening where light glimmered. She sighed, finally knowing there was a way out of those tunnel and that was where the voice was coming from, she thought. She ran towards it as the light blinded her and she snapped her eyes shut.

The air was calm, the birds chirping. It felt as if she had woken up in a new world. She opened her eyes to a very familiar scene and the sense of deja vu rocked through her body. She had seen this before, in the same exact way. She could remember everything about the scene.

The empty road in front, the store behind with sun rays reflecting off the glass on the building and there she was walking, humming to herself as the automatic sliding doors opened under her weight and the girl with open, wavy brown hair walked out, her small hands filled with the shopping bags.

Mia thrashed around hoping to wake front the scene. This was the part where she had the accident, where she went into coma and never saw her family again. This was the turning point in her life after which she became Mia instead of Maya where her identity got swapped with the person who had cursed for life.

"She's running off with everything, Anton," the voice came and Mia's heart tripped inside her chest. She could recognize that voice anywhere. It was the ever soft and calming voice of her mother. The little girl walked on oblivious to where her parents were. "She's growing up," the man replied, probably her father. As much as Mia wanted to see them, she couldn't. She saw herself through the eyes on the little girl, humming, jumping, content, moving forward.

"She'll grow in time," her mother laughed, "Look at her, all that stuff in her hand," she said referring to the shopping bags in her hands.

The man laughed as he called out to her, "Angel," he said and the little girl turned around and smiled at her father. He seemed young, athletic but it were his eyes that were pulling, the deep browns that shone with wisdom. Mia sighed at his sight. She was finally seeing her father, his tan skin complemented his dark hair that looked black from the distance. He raised his thick eyebrow at her, "Wouldn't you get tired of all that burden? Why don't we share it?" his voice was deep, amused as he looked at her.

The little girl pursed her lips as she looked up at him from distance, "I'm fine, daddy. I will carry my own bur-den," she replied, her brows pinched together and she saw her mother swat his father's arm. "See, all your philosophical talk and she's turning into..."

"She'll turn into an amazing, strong woman. It is what's needed from her," he replied and her mother gasped, clearly not wanting to talk about what the world needed from her daughter. She saw her father lean in to press a kiss at her mother's temple and stepped forward.

"Come on, angel," he said to the little girl who was busy in watching the black shadow flicker by the car parked at the side. Seeing her father coming for her things, she leapt off into the street, increasing her pace.

"Maya! Stop!" Her father cried, dashing for her. She couldn't comprehend anything as the screechy noise pierced her ears a second before she felt the stinging pain when the car collided with her, hitting her hard, sending her flying off to the side of the road. The pain intensified as her head hit the pavement and knocked the breath out of her.

“Someone call an ambulance. Please, Maya. Open your eyes, angel.” Her father had her head in his lap as he called for her. She could hear her mother's frantic voice in panic as she saw the life draining out of her daughter. “Princess, please. Wake up," her mother kept repeating. She was going deeper into the blackness.

The same void she was being pulled into turned into a better place. She was expecting the sounds of the hospital machinery beeping at her sides but she woke up on her bed, the very same bed she had made before she jumped out the window to find Damon. Her heart leapt in her chest as she sat up with a jolt.

No, no. They didn't drug her. Mia grasped her hair tightly in a fist as she groaned in frustration. She couldn't be back in Mystic Falls. She had to be in New Orleans. She had to find the bad guys and the cure. She had to kill those people...Elijah? How could he? She trusted him and he drugged her and then sent her away. Didn't he understand, her stay there was important...

The sound stunned her. The baby crying...and she froze in fear. What the hell was going on? She slowly stood up and hesitantly moved towards the window as she looked down at the forest surrounding the small cabin. The dream came back at her, hitting her like a freight train.

She had seen the same dream before yet, it was so different. She saw her father for the first time and she could still feel the rush of it. If it wasn't for that accident, she would've been with her family and she was sure that she would've been close to her father, the love, concern and knowledge she had seen his eyes was infectious.

She didn't get why she didn't see it exactly the same way before, of why her dream was so edited before. The sound reached her ears again and pulled Mia from her thoughts as she gasped, her hand flying to her chest. She looked below as she saw the shadow moving among the trees and Mia bit her lip but the shadow looked too familiar, like the one she saw in her dream just now, the one hiding behind the car she was looking at with so much intrigue.

It was bad, she knew it beforehand but she was curious and she was sure like always it would be troublesome. She fiddled with her fingers, her eyes glued on the dark forest. She sighed in defeat as her curious side won the battle and she leapt towards the drawer to put on a shirt and ran downstairs.

There was nobody to be seen and she was happy to know that. She didn't want to answer anyone at the moment and by that she obviously thought of Cam as he was the only who asked her all kinds of questions and she hated him at that minute anyway. He had to be the one who would've asked Elijah to drag her back to Mystic Falls.

Opening the front door, Mia let the fresh air renew her senses as she started to follow the crying voice and the shadow that was somehow linked with it. How, she didn't know but there had to be some connection as they both seemed a part of same dream she just had now and that more than anything rattled her senses.

Looking around the area, Mia let her vision adjust to the darkness as she started to move into the deeper part of the forest, following the voice of the crying baby and the more steps she took on the wet yet rough patch of green grass, the more she felt herself closer to the voice and the shadow that floated kept moving at her pace before it picked up the speed and her heart beat grew louder, throbbing in her chest, pulsating in her veins with a rush of blood.

With her feet beating against the ground, her heart matching the rhythm, the voice grew louder, clearer and she roamed her eyes around for she was sure it was someplace where she could actually find the crying girl.

What if it wasn't real? The thought entered her mind and she shuddered. She wasn't going crazy. It couldn't be just hallucinations or remnants of her dreams. It couldn't be. She just wouldn't accept it. There was something in the woods. Thinking all these thoughts and she found herself halted, still, at a stop in the forest with no direction of where to go except she could follow the voice, real or not.

Taking a deep breath, Mia started off in the same direction, the same things running in her mind as if on a replay.

"Mia!" He shouted from far away but that voice seemed familiar, "Mia!" he shouted again but she kept going ignoring it. She was so close to the girl, she didn't want to stop. The shadow took a sudden right sharp turn and Mia's breath caught in her throat as she made herself turn in that direction but she crashed with a firm wall of ripped muscle and lost her balance as she fell backwards.

Damon grasped her by the waist and pulled her to him, his breathing heavy from running to find her and then following her around. Mia thrashed in his arms, her eyes frantically searching for the lost shadow. The voice of the girl had died out taken up by soft usual chirping of the insects and light wind that blew through the trees.

"No, no," Mia shouted at Damon, "Let me go," she struggled against him but he kept his hold on her, unwilling to let her go, "Let me go," Mia roared at him but he spun her around and landed her on her feet.

"Stop it!" he shouted back and Mia silenced shocked at his raise of voice and the show of dominance that it rang with, "Are you out of your mind to run in the forest like that?" He questioned her sanity, "Especially after what we've been through?" He touched her cheek just because he wanted to and looked at her but her eyes were still the same, glancing around, wide and frantic.

"I have to go," she said and pointed to where she last saw the shadow.

"You have to calm down, Mia," Damon soothed her but she tried to break free wanting to return to find the lost shadow. Damon grasped her shoulders and gave her a violent jerk. "Mia! Come back to me," he ordered her to stop thinking about running away into the forest and she froze to her spot, her large, brown eyes staring straight into Damon's blue.

"I have to go, Damon," she explained, "I have to see my father," she said and Damon knitted his eyebrows together.

"You what?" he asked confused and Mia nodded.

"My father," she repeated, "Damon, I need to see my father," she said and Damon shook his head. He felt his blood go cold. God knew what she was going through and after Katherine's remark about her family. She was so not taking it well.

"We'll find him soon," he said, his thumb moving under her eye and she shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. It was her father, it had to be.

"He's my father, Damon," she argued trying to convince him of her theory but Damon shook his head again.

"You're not following anything in the woods, you get me?" he widen his eyes at her and she stopped struggling against him.

Mia was angry, he could see it gleaming in her eyes and she was going to lash it out on him. Damon drew in a breath readying himself for the assault whether it was just verbal or physical. His eyes remained fixed on hers. Pursing her lips, Mia pushed him away, "Let me go," she said, her voice crisp and Damon tilted his head as he grabbed her again, "Stop touching me," she shouted at him.

"Stop it, Mia. You need to stop," Damon put his hands up in surrender as he asked her rationally again if only she was in the mood for rational.
"You don't understand, Damon. He's my father," she shouted at him again.

"He's not. Your father is not here, Mia. You don't even know the guy so you need to stop following some fragment of your imagination into the woods," he shouted back, his hands fisted at his sides and he saw her flinch at his words. Damon closed his eyes realizing his words. Idiot. "Mia," he started to apologize as he opened his eyes. She needed his support right now, not his anger or frustration.

"You think I'm going crazy, don't you?" Mia asked, her lower lip trembling.

"No, Mia. I know it's difficult..."

"You don't know anything about this. I saw it, Damon," she stated firmly as she took a step back. She wanted him to understand. He always did before without her explaining anything. Had they gone so apart from each other?

"You're dreaming again?" he asked, disbelief lacing his voice as he took a step towards her. Mia gave him a small nod and let out a breath. She saw the same, old Damon again in him. The one that cared so much, it literally hurt her, the one who knew her, understood her, loved her.

"I saw him just today," she said feeling that old feel of comfort with him, the one that made her feel safe and fine without that burn inside her that wanted to jump him. She missed this, she missed him. He had made it clear that he still wanted to be her friend despite their little respite from this whole breakup thing in the basement when she kissed him. She just didn't think it was possible again to face him after that foolish act on her part but in this moment, she was sure that she could be his friend. He was the only person she could talk to about anything, had always been.

"What happened?" he asked and Mia shook off her thoughts.

"I-I just saw him," Mia told him, "First, I was in this tunnel and I kept hearing this baby crying," she said and Damon swore his heart stopped right there but Mia didn't notice anything as she kept talking, "And it was so disturbing. I just wanted to help her, you know," she shrugged.

"Her?" Damon asked. He knew how her dreams rang of truth every time. All the dreams she had seen were either her memories, the stuff that had happened or sometimes, they gave her a small glimpse of future like when she saw Silas hurting him and he did died. It didn't matter whose fault it was, her dream became true nevertheless. And now she was hearing a baby crying...

"The child," she said, "It was a girl's voice and I knew I could help her. I just wanted her safe and then I walked into this brilliant light and I saw them, Damon. My parents," she raised her eyes to him and moved towards him unconsciously, "It was the same scene, Damon, the one where I lost my memories."

"You saw your accident again?" he asked knitting his brows together in confusion.

Mia bit her lip as she slowly nodded. "Yes, just it was a little different. I saw my father there. Before, it was just my mother," she shrugged, "There was also that shadow, I saw."

"And you were following that shadow?" He asked incredulous and Mia gave him an unsure nod. "I, also heard the baby crying."

"Like right now?" He pointed to the ground.

"No, I don't hear it now but I did when I started running," she explained.

"Ok, Mia. Listen to me," he came closer to her and put his hands on her shoulder and felt her relax under his touch. He felt the thrill of it deep inside his bones and a small smile broke on his lips.

"There you are," Cam came from behind, panting as he put his hands on his knees to catch his breath and raised his head to look at Mia and then his eyes made their way to Damon, "Oh," he sighed, "I see, it's a lover's getaway and I thought you were in trouble," he snapped at Mia but his eyes were hard on Damon who pulled Mia away by her arm and stepped in front of her.

"And it took you this long to reach her," Damon snapped back, "Knowing that she was in trouble. Good saving, brother," he spat out at him.

"Don't put this on me," Cam exploded with anger as he stood up straight. Mia moved from behind Damon to stand by his side as she took in Cam.

Man, he looked angry. Looking at them both, she knew she would have to intervene soon if she wanted to stop them from having a brawl. She didn't know why Damon hated him so much and then it flitted through her mind what he had said, not to trust Cam. His jealousy ran deep and as wrong as it felt, she as usual felt a good hope in it.

"And why not?" Damon growled at him, "You asked me to leave her so she could be safe," he pointed at Mia beside him and Mia gasped at the sentence. What the hell? She thought. Her heart came to a halt, her breath hitched in her throat as she looked at Cam and then at Damon but they were both oblivious to her as they kept staring at each other.

"Stop it," Cam said nervously as his eyes flickered to Mia and her completely shocked state.

"Oh now, you want me to stop?" Damon kept his voice raged, "I thought you of all people would do anything to keep her safe and look where it got her. First, she stayed a prisoner in the damned Klaus prison and now," he paused for the dramatic pause, "She was going to be killed by following some black creature in the dead of the night..."

"Damon," Cam warned him, his teeth grinding as he send him a pointed look in Mia's direction but Damon couldn't stop the words from tumbling out of his mouth. He couldn't help it. He was in rage. No wonder people advised against speaking in anger. "Especially with her being in the condition she's in..."

Cam's mind blanked as Damon's word hit him. He couldn't slip that out. His eyes roamed around as he saw two whisperers hanging in the trees nearby, their faces smug as they looked down at them and Cam felt hopeless.

There was a certain edge to the smile they gave and Cam's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't think of anything. He was protecting her alright but now...Now, he couldn't do anything. They were exposed alright or maybe...Damon hadn't stated the exact thing so before Damon could clarify his statement and completely rat them out, Cam punched him straight in the face.

Mia gasped aloud as Damon fell backward, caught off guard with the punch. Mia rushed to Damon's side before sending a life threatening glare in Cam's direction. Mia fell on her knees by his side as Damon straightened up, his nose bleeding profusely but it stopped as Mia watched and Damon stood up. "No, Damon," Mia tried to stop him but Damon was quick as he pushed Cam with a force and he flied, hitting the tree and collapsed.

Damon kept moving as he landed a neat kick in his stomach and Cam doubled over in pain. "Damon, stop," Cam croaked, his hand reaching out for him.

"You don't tell me what to do anymore," Damon hissed, "And I'm sure not following your pathetic pleas," he spat the words at him. Cam breathed in through his nose, trying to absorb the pain.

"We. Are. Not," he said taking in breaths between the words as his body healed him together, "Alone," he stated and Damon froze at his spot. His mind went back to everything he had said and he cursed himself.

Mia took Damon by his arm and spun him towards her, "Are you done?" She asked him incredulous, shaking her head.

Damon was breathing hard, his eyes looked around. Of course, he couldn't see them but he knew they were watching. He pulled away from Mia. He had done enough damage for one day. He had said all the wrong things, all at once. He cursed under his breath.

Mia looked around to Cam as he stood up leaning against the tree. "You lied to me?" she asked Cam. She clearly remembered asking him if he knew anything about why Damon broke up with her but he so innocently shook his head claiming he knew nothing of it when according to what Damon just said now, he was the one who asked him to stay away from her.

She didn't know whose betrayal was worse. Cam's for lying to her and trying to keep her away from Damon or Damon's to convince her that he didn't care, that he had moved on but mostly that he didn't trust her enough and just went on to do as Cam said.

"Mia, I," Cam started when she turned to Damon again. "And you?" she licked her lips, "What the hell did you do?" she asked him fixing him under her gaze but he wouldn't look at her, guilt consuming him. All this time he stayed away trying to keep her safe and now...damn those whisperers. He punched the tree in front of him and Mia flinched away from him.

"I can't believe this," she threw up her hands in exasperation. She still couldn't believe what was going on around her. First, Elijah and now, Cam and Damon both. "Two people that I trusted the most," she looked from Damon to Cam, "Did you feel nothing when you lied to me? No regret, no guilt?" she stopped short, "I-I trusted you," she shouted her frustration out.

Damon clenched his eyes shut. He had ruined everything, all because he couldn't keep his mouth shut and if Mia kept acting this way, he knew he would blurt out some more which is why he decided to flee, "I'm gonna leave," he said in an emotionless voice as he turned.

"Why don't you face the truth for a second?" Mia blared at him and he spun to face her. "I do face reality, Mia which is why I decided to do what I thought was right."

"But it wasn't right. You lied to me. You told me you didn't care anymore," Mia stepped towards him, her stance rigid, her eyes narrowed as she pointed her finger at him, openly accusing him, "You led me to believe that everything we had was gone for good...."

"I'm sorry if my definition of right doesn't match with yours but I needed to keep you safe," Damon cut her off.

Did he really not feel sorry for lying to her? How could he do this anyway? She trusted him with everything and she was hurt. "Maybe I do need to be kept safe," Mia replied in a calm voice and raised her eyes to his, "From you," she snapped and nodded at him, "because nobody can hurt me more," she said in a grave voice.

Her words slashed at him, cutting him deep but the truth in them was undeniable, "Maybe, you're right," he said in a calm tone matching hers and somehow that sounded so final. It was better if they were shouting, he thought. This voice, this tone felt more like a goodbye.

They both stared at each other, their eyes somehow betraying their words to each other, baring what they actually felt but none was in a position to do something. First, they were lying to each other but this...this was the greatest lie of all...to themselves. For them to think that it was in reality all over now, that there was no way back because they both knew deep within that they needed that second chance.

Mia licked her lips and took a deep breath and Damon's eyes followed her small movement, "Glad we had this conversation," she added finally and turned around, away from him because she couldn’t do it anymore, pretend that it was all ok, that it was what she needed because she needed him to tell her why he lied, why he couldn't trust her with the truth, for him to feel sorry so that she could forgive him but she was hurt too and thought that she didn't want to forgive him...she was so confused right now.

"Mia," Cam came running to her as he put a hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner but Mia shrugged it away, "Don't touch me," she hissed as she kept walking towards the lake house.

"Mia," he started again without touching her this time but she cut him off. "I don't want to hear it, Cam. Not right now," she raised her hand, "I can't do this."

"But..."

"Leave me alone for the night, will you?" she asked in a polite way but her voice was anything but polite or calm. Cam sighed and gave her a nod as he watched her go into the house. He hoped her feelings would settle in the night but he also knew he would have to answer her question in the morning. Should he tell her the truth then or withhold it again? He had no idea.

Damon kept walking to his house, deep in thoughts wondering if what he did was right or if there was something else he could've done differently to cancel out the outcome that had appeared. He would've told her the truth if that damn species wasn't there at that moment. He knew Mia. She would formulate all questions in the night thinking about every single thing and would be at his door first thing in the morning and demand answers or maybe he had really hurt her so much that she didn't want to see him again.

They both were the possibilities and he hoped second didn't come true but if she did come, he knew he wouldn't be able to answer her and lie to her again anytime soon was not in his to do list anytime soon so decided to leave for a while but where was the question? He needed to keep her safe by staying with her but then it hit him and he couldn't have hit upon a better thought.

He smiled as he pulled out his phone and dialed the number he never thought he would. There was something he could do, something he promised himself while he was stuck in the basement and he knew she needed it more than anything now. Also, he could present it to her as a token for his apology and she might...might forgive him.