Forever; The Devil's Angel

"I'm calling him," Damon said with a small apologetic smile, "well, guess he's ignoring me," he shrugged. Mia must have gotten to him or Elena and even they both knew the truth, they couldn't tell Mia or comfort her in any way. He smiled at that because that situation was going to change very soon. As soon as Stefan came back and got Mia's family settled in their new home and of course, give him a heads up about Mia's temperament at that particular moment, he would run to her with the amulet from the Markowitz and he would tell her everything, all the truth she deserved and God, did she deserve it.

"Have you always been a sour bunch?" Annalisa asked and took a deep breath looking around herself at Damon's warm home. She was surprised at the warmth and comfort she felt there despite it being a lair of two vampire brothers...with one vampire girlfriend. Huh, it really was weird. Vampires? They were all real. Witches and werewolves too. She should've known already. She has been a part of supernatural angelic heritage.

"Vampirism was the turning point," Damon simply said reflecting upon memories when he and Stefan were both normal humans living normal human lives until that unfortunate day, the day that Katherine Pierce infiltrated their lives and tore them apart from within and they were never the same again but he had to admit, they had made a lot of progress ever since Mia came into his life and he thought it was worth mentioning to her family, "And then Mia's arrival," he sighed, "she brought us together but of course, he hates me whenever I hurt her and I," he shook his head, "I actually don't mind that. She needs him more than I do."

"She'll understand," Fiorella reminded him. She has been saying that ever since he told her the whole story in the plane with the amulet in his hand of course and she was so understanding. He also urged her to talk to Antonio again about his affair some decades ago but she refused him clearly and asked him to not meddle in their affairs which Damon felt was a major setback in the bond they were so nicely creating but that didn't stop him and he went on to request the same thing for Mia's sake. 'It's the first time you're going to meet your daughter. Don't let her know that the family she's been dreaming about is broken,' he had said to her and she had started to cry, nodding her head furiously.

"I hope so," Damon replied, "I really hope so," Damon was saying when he heard the voice he had been waiting for. Finally, it was about time, he thought as he smiled and alerted the Markowitz in their living room, "That's Elena," he pointed to the door and Annalisa gave him a nod.

"Stefan's girlfriend?" She asked and Damon gave her a nod.

"I'll just go and get them," he said a little excited. Even his tread was a little jumpy but that was until he heard another familiar voice.

'I just don't know where to start,' she was saying and Damon stopped dead in his track. No, no. Not like this. Not now. Nobody was prepared for her and for what was about to happen if she came in.

'We'll start somewhere,' Elena was saying and Damon's mind paused. What were they talking about? What were they trying to find? 'Don't worry, we'll find something out,' she was going on and Damon felt he couldn’t move.

"Are you ok?" Annalisa asked and Damon whipped to face her.

He blinked twice and Annalisa's figure started to appear in front of his eyes. Was he really blacking out? "Ahan," he said and cleared his throat.

'Welcome home, sister,' He heard Elena say and he heard the door opening, the shocking moment broke for him as he rushed out to the front door.

Mia stepped in the familiar hall with a small smile on her face, her eyes on the ground as she shook her head. It was really weird to affirm that she and Elena were both sisters but at another level, it felt good to have a family nearby. It was at that moment Mia realized that family wasn't just the people you shared blood with. It were the people that wanted you in their lives, the ones who accepted you for who you were, the ones who would do or say just the smallest thing to see you smile or forget the dark parts of your life for just a second. These were the people that loved you no matter what and Mia cherished them, loved them back with the same passion and thanked Heavens for them.

"Hi," came the most awkward hello that Mia had ever heard and she snapped her eyes to meet with Damon's and she froze, the smile dropping at the sight of him and she took a sharp intake of breath.

"Uh," Elena looked from Damon to Mia and then back to Damon again, her eyes narrowed as she took in the tension between both.

"Hi," was Mia's epic reply as she blinked her eyes and stepped back, shaking her head. She opened her mouth to say something but when her brain became a puddle, she chose to stay quiet. She didn't want to embarrass herself or say the wrong thing. Also, she was mad at him, she reminded herself and therefore wasn't entitled to say anything at all.

"Uh," Elena dragged, "This isn't awkward at all," she clapped and smiled at Damon. "Where were you?" Elena asked, "You took off again," her tone was accusatory and Mia was reminded of the reason she hated him. He lied to her, was still lying to her and when it was time for him to tell the truth, he ran away which was written in the bad book.

"I," Damon hesitated as his eyes went to Mia and he shut his mouth which infuriated Mia but she kept her cool as she eyed him waiting for his answer. Damon shrugged, "Just here and there," he said and Mia clenched her jaw, her hands fisting at her sides. When would he try to be honest with her? Why was honesty so damn difficult? The way he looked at her, it was clear that he could talk easily about where he went to Elena but seeing her there, he couldn't get the words out. When did they change so much? They used to confide everything in each other, trust each other with everything.

"Where were you guys?" he asked, "I've been calling you and Stefan," he said and Mia felt a shiver run through her and it was not the usual kind Damon gave her.

Mia straightened herself as she fixed her eyes on Damon, "Just here and there," she snapped at him and Damon was surprised to hear the bitterness in her voice. He was free now. There was nothing holding him back now. He could just hold her and tell her everything but it was all going to be so new and shocking to her. He didn't know how she would cope with all the information dump. He didn't just want to burden her. He possibly couldn't drop the bomb like that. It needed to be done nice and slowly, to ease her into the idea of it all.

"Mia..." He started to say but Mia jerked her head.

"Save it, Damon," her words were slashing but he took the hit calmly knowing well he deserved it, "I-I shouldn't have come here," she turned away back to the door when Damon held her by the arm and Mia shivered at the touch and let out a gasp. Damon snatched his hand away as if it burnt him but it achieved his goal of keeping Mia in there as she stood frozen.

She wanted to cry at all the feelings that overwhelmed her. She wanted to run into his arms and let it all out, to tell him that her life was one, big question mark but she resisted, clenching her fists, her cheeks were reaching the red tint now and then she wanted to hit him so hard that he would remember the pain forever.

Damon saw the change in her otherwise calm and pleasant demeanor as she turned back to him, "What do you want, Damon?" she hissed through her clenched teeth. Elena wanted to jump in and stop whatever she was going to witness in just a few moments but she decided against it. Maybe, they wanted this, to scream at each other and call each other names. Maybe, it would let them off easy.

"Where were you, Mia?" He asked in an authoritative voice that irked Mia. Damon knew it was unfair of him to ask that question but it was clear from her eyes that she was hiding something and he knew he couldn't rest until he figured it out.

"None of your damn business," Mia spat the words, her brown eyes stared at Damon without blinking, her lips pursed together as she glared at him. If looks could kill and eyes were weapon, Damon was sure he would've been a dead man by now with the way she was looking at him. He was sure, she was also imagining various ways to actually kill him.

How dare he ask her that? Mia wanted to strangle him or she could just use her power to suffocate him. It wasn't like anything was actually going to kill him but she knew it would hurt like hell and maybe then he would understand what he was putting her through. She was breathtaking with her charged body and furrowed brows, her lips pursed. He was taken back to their moment in the basement. They were both so angry with each other but that ended on a good note. They had kissed like never before, woven together into a perfect wave of passion.

Mia's lips parted as she saw the expression in his eyes changing from annoyance and sadness to pure lust and love and she couldn't stop her heart from beating out of control which lead to more anger from her side. Her cheeks grew hotter and Damon's eyes glazed as he thought of touching the smooth, creamy texture of her skin. One thought lead to another and he was in another world where she was in his arms, holding him tight as he kissed her senseless, paying regards to every beautiful part of her, the feel of her skin, the taste of her lips, her intoxicating scent and the melted chocolate of her eyes. It was way too perfect and Damon's hands twitched as he forced himself to stop from attacking Mia right now.

Mia heard the moaning sound and realize to her great mortification that she was the one responsible but she could barely contain her jumping emotions as Damon stood there undressing her with his eyes and loving like never before. Mia's breath was lost the moment she recognized the change in his eyes and she could feel the sanity leaving her side but she shook her head and broke her eyes from hot gaze as she turned around, finally feeling like she could breathe a little but she had to get out.

Mia had barely moved an inch when Damon's hand landed on her shoulder again, "Mia?" he called her, his voice clogged with emotions, sounding husky and deep and Mia let the chill travel through her body, wrecking her.

"Let me go, Damon," her voice was weak and Damon knew she felt the same way he did and despite his constant attempts to drive her away, he still hadn't completely lost her and that was the most amazing gift he could ever receive.

"Listen to me," he said but Mia shook her head as she jerked away from him. She couldn't handle his proximity. She had to get out for fresh air. She needed her breath back.

"I have to go," Mia said but Damon was persistent as he held her again. Every time he touched her, he felt the electric charge touring his body and it felt so wonderful and euphoric that he didn't want the feeling to end.

"Let go, Damon," Elena said when she found her voice. This in front of her was the most psychotic couple. They had both large egos and had each other so much that they weren't ready to confront and talk to each other. "Come on," she said, trying to let Mia off the hook, "We need to talk," she said as she held the sleeve of Damon's jacket and pulled him away from Mia.

"Where did you go?" Damon asked Elena but he didn't let Mia go who was trying to take a deep breath. The question, however, completely shattered the moment and she questioned herself. What kind of idiot was she? He didn't love her. He just wanted to know where they had been because he couldn't keep himself from messing into other people's life.

Mia jerked him away with force this time, "Let me go," she snarled and Damon was reminded effectively that yes, she was still attracted to him but she didn't love him the same way. The feeling somehow was more disturbing than he would have imagined and he felt his heart pinching hard, the walls reaching up to form the protective fortress around his heart and soul which was not the best thing for him at that time.

He felt the sweat breaking on his skin, the sticking drops were prickling him and his heart was pinching him and then there were her eyes again, the warmth he was imagining there was replaced with a steely resolve and cold, almost indifferent expression and he felt as if she was million miles away, gone so far away that even if he went around the globe, he wouldn't be able to reach her.

Mia saw the disturbance in his eyes, somehow she could always see that even if it was making things harder for her but she couldn't take the lies anymore, she'd had enough of them and besides things had changed. It wasn't like before but still when he had suddenly grabbed her hand as one last ditch effort to keep her there for questioning, Mia wanted to think of it differently, as if he wanted her there because he loved her and not because he wanted to know where she had been or whatever it was that he wanted.

Deep in his thoughts and buried in layers of pain of guilt and rejection, Damon squeezed her hand, "Where are you?" he whispered because she felt so far away. He was losing her with every second ticking by. He had already started to feel despair that would come with her gone. He was so close to make everything alright but he literally felt her fingers slipping through his hands.

Despite her hoping and wishing, the words undid her and she snapped, "Why do you even care, Damon?" she spat the words at him, pulling her hand away, "What does it matter, huh? What are you going to do with it?" She was seething now. Obviously, she had taken his words wrong, thinking that he was asking her where she had gone to and that enraged her making her blood boil for so many reasons.

"What?" Damon was taken aback with her sudden explosion, his eyes held clouds of confusion. Of course, he couldn't understand what made her tip off. Maybe, she didn't care and seeing him getting all sentimental on her made her uncomfortable and she snapped. Whatever the reason, the realization that she didn't give a damn about him, he felt the old, darker part of him take control.

"I don't get why you're so interested when you so conveniently pointed out that you didn't want to be a part of my life..." Mia was saying when Damon finally put in his word.

"I said that?" Damon asked still a little off to what was going on around him.

"Yes," Mia hissed, "When you run away, Damon, that's what it means."

Run away? Run away? Damon couldn't believe it. What kind of person was she? To so easily assume that he had run away because he was afraid to confront her when the truth was that he was in actual trying to kill himself...emotionally to help her. And Damon Salvatore didn't do emotions well. He watched her guarded eyes, pursed lips, crossed arms and he knew there was something else going on. The way she was closing herself off at his asking where she had been made him curious. She must've been at doing something that she knew would he would be upset at, which is why he had to know.

"Why is it so hard for you tell me where you were, huh?" He asked and Mia snorted at that. Hard? It was almost impossible for her to repeat her confrontation with Maya in the state she was and to Damon. She knew she would break and she didn't want that. Not here, not now, she thought.

Taking in a shaky breath, Mia repeated, "Just let me go," she said.

Ha! She knew that he knew. She was hiding something and now she wanted to make a run for it. "Just tell me where you sneaked off to?" he asked and Mia heard the little mocking sound to his voice. Her eyes bulged out as the vein in her neck throbbed almost painfully, blood rushing to her face.

"Why?" she asked in a high pitched voice.

"I don't want you doing stupid things when I'm away," Damon provided with her a reply almost suddenly, his hands fisting at his side.

"Oh," Mia let out an exasperated laugh, "So, it's ok as long as I'm with you?" her words seemed alright but the tone in which they were delivered was bitter and resentful.

"Mia," Damon closed his eyes fighting to gain control.

"No," Mia raised her finger, "You're the one who left, Damon," she went off again, “You're the one who gave up on us. Not me. I didn't went running in the dark when it was time to face the truth."

"I'm running away from the truth?" Damon asked incredulous.

"Aren't you?" Mia raised her brows, her eyes sparkling with fury.

"I'm finding the damn truth for you, Mia," Damon argued waving his hand in the air.

Mia scoffed, "Oh, don't bother," she dismissed him with her hand, "I'm doing good enough for myself," she said thinking about everything she had found out about Maya and herself.
"Look at you!" Damon pointed at her and Mia blinked twice, "You don't even know for yourself what you want. First you want me to help you, then you're doing well enough for yourself..."

"Like you're not doing it?" She didn't know why she posed it as a question but he was no idiot. He had to know what he was doing. What he was putting her through? "Like you don't mess up with my mind every time I see you," she paused, "Damon, it's like I don't even know you anymore. Who you are. What you want?"

"I've been clear about what I want!" Damon screamed, smacking his hand on the table nearby.

Seeing him react that way, Mia saw red everywhere she saw, "You broke up with me!" she shouted at him.

Was she still holding that against him? "I kissed you in the basement!"

What was that supposed to mean? "You said your feelings had changed!" Mia argued.

What the hell? "I never said that!" Damon shouted back to her.

"You left!" She replied, her jaws clenched.

"To protect you!" Everything was for that.

"You went to Maya!" Mia accused and Damon was speechless. She knew the reason. He told her the damn reason.

"What about Cam?" He accused her back for always believing in Cam but never him. She ran away to Cam too. She listened to him, trusted him.

Mia groaned, "So, it's about me and Cam again?" she asked. She should've known, he would try to make to about her.

"It was never about me and Maya!" Damon argued but all seemed useless as if they had made it a point to not understand each other at all and just shout out stuff. For what? He didn't know but that was exactly what they were doing, "I was never engaged to her. She's not in love with me."

"Neither is Cam!" Mia said with a stern voice and the rest of his sentence came to her and she shook her head as if she didn't believe it, "And really? She's not in love with you? What are you, blind?"

"Mia!" Damon's voice was warning as if he was asking her to shut up but obviously Mia had different plans.

"No, listen!" Mia continued, "Cam never said that you snatched me away from him, did he?" Mia raised her brow and put her hand on her hip, "Maya did! She's under the illusion that I snatched Cam and you from her. She said..."

"You went to see Maya?" Damon's voice raised so much that Mia flinched, “You went to freaking New Orleans?" his hands were twitching as Mia knew he wanted to jerk some sense into her but she couldn't care, not in the least. "What are you, Mia, crazy?"

Mia caught his eye and remained quiet for a moment, her arms crossing themselves on her chest, "Yeah, I'm delusional," she mumbled.

"Self-destruction is not the answer, Mia," Damon kept going, "You don't go on a suicide mission."

Mia felt like she was drained, tired and didn't want to keep up as she resigned into a quiet, "She's not that bad." It was also that the topic took away the fight from her and she went over everything that had happened and everything that they had talked about. She wished she could talk to someone about it. She didn't want to get sick or something.

Damon eyed her suspiciously, "Are you sure we're taking about the same person, here?" His voice had finally left the anger it was holding, only to be replaced with light taunting tone.

It was like a heavy weight completely pressed her and as much as she had been trying to hold it off from falling on her head, it struck with that much force. Mia rubbed her temples as she closed her eyes and pushed everything back but it was hard to do that when she knew that Damon was looking at her like she had lost her mind. She was hoping to hear Elena's voice to get her away from her but she had gone on a silence fast and she was left with her screaming thoughts, Damon's questioning eyes and her own misery.

Damon looked at her exhausted figure. She was a guardian and healed herself pretty good but looking at her now, she didn't look like that much. In fact, he was sure if someone came banging on the door, instead of fighting, Mia would totally pass out. What could take so much toll on her? And her parents were in the lounge. How was she going to handle them if she was this close to fainting already?

A very familiar feeling washed Mia and she opened her eyes. She had felt that same pull when she went to visit Maya in the morning. It was like someone was snatching the power in her, her strength and she felt sick to her stomach. Her eyes lifted to Damon's and she saw concern floating in the depth of his eyes but Mia could hardly appreciate the beauty and his tender look as she felt her stomach clench hard and Mia's face changed, her eyes losing their focus for a moment and she felt the most disgusting salty and bitter flavor at the back of her throat. Her eyes began to tear up as her body convulsed, doubling her over and she extended her hands to cover her mouth.

"Mia!" Damon exclaimed in a surprise as he quickly reached out to grab her, snaking an arm around her waist, he held her hair back from her face as his eyes looked for any other sign of her sickness. "You alright?" he asked.

Mia shook her head as her body convulsed again and she spewed out the sandwich she had eaten during her ride home. She had never gone through something like this before and it was wrecking her. There was something very wrong with her and she had no idea. "What's wrong with me?" she asked in low whisper and Damon held her tight knowing exactly what was wrong but what he couldn't get was why her body wasn't healing her?

"Angel, there's nothing wrong with you," he assured her, "You're just," he paused, "throwing up," he said and Mia raised her eyes.

She had heard the word many times before. Throwing up? Somehow, it was a human thing but she had never faced any human ailments. Seriously, angels and throwing up didn't go very well in a same sentence. "This is throwing up?" she asked as she straightened herself, the sick feeling disappearing slowly.

Damon gave her a nod as he led her towards the bathroom. She had to clean herself up and he had to figure out why was this happening. "Throwing up sucks," Mia wailed and Damon was pulled out of his thought train as he chuckled at her.

Mia watched silently as Damon turned the tap and gently held her wrist and took her hands under the running water. Mia rubbed her hands under the water as she washed her hands quietly, thinking hard about what was going on. Damon grabbed the tissue paper to wipe her face as he tied back her hair with a clip and slipped out of the bathroom. Mia bent slightly to rinse her mouth and splashed some water on her face, her eyes blinking rapidly as she was left with shock at the quiet moment she just spent with him. It wasn't much of a big deal but it was way too intimate, a little too personal and comfortable the way they moved around each other.

Just then, Damon entered the small space and put fresh clothes on the counter, "How do you feel?" he asked in a soft voice and Mia shook her head as she felt her lower lip tremble. She had come to hate that question. Her life totally sucked. What does it matter how she felt? It was going to suck anyway. When she didn't reply and kept looking at him as if he had grown two heads, Damon sighed and extended her hands to her waist as he crumpled her shirt in his fist, trying his best to control himself.

His fingers brushed her skin as she suppressed her shudder and removed his hands by gently pushing them away, "What are you doing?" she asked confused, her voice rough and husky.

Damon closed his eyes for a brief second, "You need to freshen up," he explained and shrugged putting his hands at the exact spot and Mia took a sudden step back as her back hit the bathroom counter and a gasp left her lips. Damon shifted his gaze to her eyes and kept it there, fixed on her deep browns. His lips pursed into a thin line as he side stepped her and grabbed her tooth brush, the one she hadn't used for so long now because everything had been falling apart and the distance between them had been growing every day.

He put a small amount of paste on the brush and handed it to her. Mia looked at him as he handed her the brush but he was facing the ground. Mia took the brush from him cautiously as to not let their fingers touch because under the heavy tension, she knew single touch would collapse her. As soon as she took the brush from his fingers, Damon went to the shower stall and adjusted the water, the swishing sound of water filling the awkward silence as the steam started to build up in the confined room and it became almost difficult for Mia to breathe.

Her brain was running all over the place, her heart beating so loudly, she was sure Damon could hear it despite the sound of shower running. "Uh," Damon started, "If you feel sick again," he said, "Let me know. I'll be right outside," he said with a small smile that never reached his eyes which were crinkled, his hands fisted at his sides, his chest rising and falling with a steady rhythm.

It was then that Mia realized why she had started to feel so better so soon. Damon took away her suffering and it was suffering. She had no idea how humans handled it. Human diseases were really hard to endure and she felt sorry for them but the question popped in her mind. Why did she get sick when she had never gotten sick before? What was wrong with her super immune system?

Deep in her thoughts, Mia put down her toothbrush and turned towards the shower as she pulled off her shirt. She didn't know what to think. She needed someone to talk to, someone who'd understand and not judge her but she wasn't sure she could share all that she had found today and still not be judged of her dysfunctional family. Mia heard her own sharp intake of breath as the sound of door closing reached her ears. She thought that he had left but not apparently before she stripped off while he was still standing there. A deep pink flushed her skin as she took a deep breath and calmed her racing heart.

Mia slowly stepped into the shower, her muscles relaxing as soon as the fine stream of warm water hit her body. Oh, yes, she needed this as her heart took on a calming beat and her muscles unknotted themselves, the clean water washing off the grim reality of life...just temporarily but it felt good and peaceful. Her fingers ran through her hair, moving and untangling the knots in slow motion. She just wanted everything to go back to the way it was. It was hard to follow her life that way when all it did was run away from her. Picking up the soap, Mia inhaled its scent that was so Damon as she dragged it all over her body and pushed away all the dark thoughts to take some time for herself.

The door opened slightly as a head poked in, "How is she?" Fiorella asked as she came inside and stood before Damon who had his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his legs.

Damon looked up to see the green eyes shining with concern, "She's alright," he said, "I just," he sighed, "I don't know why it happened," he shrugged, "It has never happened before. She doesn't get sick," he said it exactly the way he was thinking about it for the last fifteen minutes but he could reach no conclusion.

Fiorella nodded and sat beside him on the bed, "I couldn't help but overhear," she said and looked guilty but Damon couldn't care about it. He shrugged quietly letting her know it was no big deal. "She said she went to meet Maya?" she asked and Damon snapped his eyes to her.

"Yeah, why?" he asked as he tilted his body towards her, his eyes shining as of a child who was going to get his favorite present or in his case, the answer.

"The twins," she said, "They work that way."

"What is that supposed to mean?" he arched his brow and Fiorella saw the confusion behind his eyes.

"The twins are made that way," she shrugged, "they share the powers of the guardian which is why one of them has to die for the other to completely function normally," she explained, "I'll say that she was with Maya and got weak, her powers leaving her to go into Maya's body," she waved her hand, "and you know without her powers, she's a simple human being, people who does get sick especially when they're pregnant."

"Oh!" Damon said, his lips forming a perfect O shape as he blinked twice, letting it all sink in. It wasn't that bad, right? He just had to keep her away from Maya so, she doesn't lose it again. “But,” he started with a crease between his brows, “Maya wasn’t here now and it was pretty clear that Mia didn’t felt like that when she was with her and her sickness started just now…”

Fiorella put her hand on his to stop his ongoing rambling, his own explanations to make sense of things. She sighed as she looked at him, “She felt the need to be stronger when she was with Maya there. Now, that she was home, she felt…” Fiorella searched for a better word, “safe, maybe. Like, she didn’t need to hide anymore and she just relaxed which obviously used up more of her energy…hiding herself that is,” she completed.

"She'll come around though as the effect wears off," she said with a smile and saw Damon smile back. She chuckled, "I see you're a very argumentative couple," she voiced her observation and Damon stiffened realizing now that she had listened to their stupid fight too and that actually made him feel embarrassed. Way to point scores in front of girl's parents.

"Yeah," Damon chuckled nervously, "I don't even know what it was about?" he shrugged and being very honest.

Fiorella smiled and stood up, her hand at Damon's shoulder, "It was about two people who wanted each other by their sides but were doing and saying everything to push away," she patted him, "I see already that she's different from Maya," she said thinking about how Maya was used to get everything she wanted while Mia pushed it away. "You need to tell her the truth," she told Damon, "or you would grow further apart."

"I hope to," Damon replied with a sigh and Fiorella took his hand and put the amulet in the palm of his hand.

"You're doing so much for her," Fiorella said, "I wonder why?" she put in the question just to make him think as she knew the answer to it herself but he had to know where his thoughts were and Damon realized it too smiling at how Mia used to do the same with him, asking him question not for herself but for him to question himself.

The reply to Fiorella's question was easy enough though. It was because he loved her and she was the one thing he couldn't afford to lose. She was one of those people who just got him before he spoke, believed in him and trusted him and he didn't want to lose that either. Mia entered his life when he was at his most lone state shining like a beacon that saved him from drowning in his own shortcomings and fears. From the very first moment, she pulled him in like a bait pulls in the fish, like the forbidden apple that drew in Adam. She was toxic but he was addicted and he didn't want it any other way.

He couldn't bear the thought of life without her, world without her. He had lied to her, kept things but all for her own good and if anyone could understand that, it was her. It was his angel. And now, it wasn't just about the girl that had stolen his breath and housed his heart. Now, she was so much more than that. Now, they were a family and God knew he would do anything for that. He had to let her in and trust her. It was time she knew what the hell was going on with her life.

As soon as Damon's eyes shone with reason, Fiorella smiled at him, "Tell her that," she said, "She deserves to know the truth."

"What truth?" The voice was like a bucket of cold water on Damon's senses and he froze up, his joints all locked, his tongue all tied up. Well, it just wasn't his day and it was so not the way he imagined to introduce Mia's mother to her. His eyes went from Fiorella to Mia who was eyeing him suspiciously and seemed sad about something.

It was his girlfriend, she just knew that and he went away with her and now she wanted him to tell Mia that they were over for good and he had moved on. Well, at least she didn't look like a Maya from her back as that was all she could see. Mia took a deep breath before opening her mouth to let him know that she didn't care about his escapade or little girlfriends but the woman turned around and Mia felt as if she was in some kind of dream as everything faded away but that figure.

"Mia, uh," Damon finally stood up as he pointed his thumb towards Fiorella but he stopped short when he saw tears forming in Mia's eyes, a skeptical smile on her face as she tilted her head to a side. How could she not already know? She could recognize that voice anywhere. It was from all her dreams where her mother sang her lullabies but that's where she drew the line. Was it really real or was it just a dream that she had imagined so many times over since the changes in her life started to happen?

Damon saw her standing there with a towel wrapped around her head as she looked on with shock written all over her pale face, her lips parted, her muscles rigid and frozen. He could see her fingers twitching on the hem of her shirt as she stared with her wide eyes. It felt like she was hit by a freight train or maybe it was lightening that struck her. She blinked twice and opened her mouth to say something but when nothing came out, she snapped it shut. No, it was her brain that was misfiring. Maybe, it was overused, short circuited.

She shook her head as she didn't know what to feel but that person was the only one thing and she had waited for this for far too long. Mia took a deep breath, her hands shaking as beads of sweat broke on her face adorning it, "Mamma," her voice was hushed but it spoke volumes, a little of everything that she felt.