Forever; The Devil's Angel

It was quiet, too quiet but there was a disorienting sound, almost like a silent buzz in her head that spooked her. Her throat was parched dry and she felt herself inhale thick air which made her feel as if she was dying, choking on it. She wanted to see something, anything alive or moving but there was vast, endless darkness with no horizon.

She tried moving but she was stuck and the panic started to build in her as she pushed it away but the farther she pushed, more forcefully it snapped back at her. She felt herself losing that fight but she knew she had to keep on. She put her mind to work, to think, to recall the memories reaching out to figure out what had happened but it was no use.

Her struggles came to a sudden halt when she saw a moving shadow from the corner of her eye or maybe, her eyes were still closed. She couldn't figure out but the shadow was familiar, real. She called for it asking what it wanted from her but no voice escaped her throat or maybe, she couldn't hear it. The figure moved again, "You wouldn't win," the voice said and it was low and deep, "You've been marked," the disembodied voice continued and it sent chills across Mia's skin, "And you will lose this battle."

It was only after the last sentence that the voice registered in Mia's mind and to say that it shook her world was an understatement. It was done. Time and time again she had told Damon, assured him that everything would be fine, that the Heavens would never find out and they will live in peace. She had promised him that she wasn't going anywhere, that she wouldn't die and leave him alone to take care of the little...

Oh, God! She was a mother. She was a mother now. She had just given birth. She couldn't leave. She hadn't held her in her arms or kissed her or sang her lullabies. She hadn't even laid eyes on her baby. The world couldn't be that unfair...to her, to Damon, to her little angel. They can't do that. She wouldn't let them but the warning from the death angel itself had her shaking and she was cold all over, shivering with fear and cold and...Oh, God! They were going to punish her, curse her, kill her.

Mia was frantic now as she fought herself to wake up. Her eyes fluttered and she finally felt her hand which seemed numb before. She wriggled her fingers, trying to grab something or to alert someone that she was trying to get up but she received no help as she finally opened her eyes to a dimly lit room. She felt foggy almost as if everything that she had felt in her deep sleep was just a bad dream, a hazy moment that was a figment of her dark imagination but just then, her eyes fell on Damon.

He was sleeping on the chair, his neck hanging at the most awkward angle. He was going to get a crick, she was sure of that but she had to find her baby. Where was her baby? Had she survived? Was it really a her? Ever since she had found that she was expecting, she had always seen a girl in her dreams and she wanted to know if her dreams had been real. She wanted to hold her in her arms because she didn't know how much time she had left. Her gaze snapped to Damon, the moment that thought flitted through her mind. He would go berserk if that happened. She didn't want to hurt him. She didn't want to hurt anyone.

Her heart squeezed and her eyes finally went to a small cradle right beside Damon's chair. His arm was hanging down the armchair, his fingers grazing the hand of the baby and Mia knew that she had never found a moment so beautiful. So complete and endearing. A small tear escaped her eye and she inhaled a shaky breath, a sense of exciting rush travelling through her body.

Mia moved to them, her eyes fixed on her daughter. She had a daughter. She was a mother. She felt her hand moving to the little baby that slept there, her fingers brushing Damon's before she let one finger make contact with her cheek. It was so soft and plump and magical. Mia felt the most thunderous shiver travel through her body as she sighed, her heart blooming in her chest. She felt like it could explode as she held the little angel's hand with her finger and almost cried with ecstasy when her small fingers curled around Mia's finger. Mia couldn't stop herself as she bent down to press her lips to her daughter's head.

She wanted to hold her baby so bad but they both looked so breathtakingly stunning that she couldn't, despite the desperation that built inside her but the more she looked at them, the more guilt and sadness, utter despair consumed her. Also, it wasn't if they were going to just kidnap and curse her forever. The thoughts and complications stuffed themselves inside her mind and she felt as if she couldn't breathe through the pain and lurching heart that felt nothing but dark future for herself and it hurt. It really hurt and she just wanted to breathe as she stood on her weak legs and got out of the small room to get some air.

The night air was chilly and damp and Mia felt that coldness seep into through her skin into her body. A shiver rocked her body as she walked through the ghostly graveyard. When she came here yesterday, she couldn't have thought that she would be facing this kind of reality. Everything was going so good but then again she had to know that her life never remained cozy for long.

She kept walking deep in her thoughts unaware of the surrounding though the fact that she was walking in a graveyard where she killed Davina and Vincent was creepy on its own. Mia folded her arm, her hands moving in a slow motion on her upper arm to take away the cold air that nipped at her. Somehow, that reminded of her fight with Davina's magic and her heart sank. Her job was done and she had to go but now, she had to face a trial, a death penalty. Mia hung her head, her loose strands falling with a bounce.

The rustling sound of crumpling dried leaves snapped Mia out of her thought train as she looked around her but there was nothing but inanimate objects illuminated with dim, white moonlight. Mia shook her head as she turned around and started walking again but her feet applied braked as soon as her eyes landed on a black figure standing in front of her. Mia felt her heart jump out of her chest and she started shaking. No, it couldn't be that soon. It couldn't be but then the figure moved and Mia realized the feminine movement to it which kicked down the fear and gave way to curiosity. Who could it be?

"What are you doing here?" Mia asked, her voice showed none of the emotions she was feeling.

"Your greetings were always sublime," the voice had that teasing tone that she recognized all too well. Her body came to alert as she tilted her head to a side. She couldn’t figure out what Maya was doing here?

"Wouldn't have expected to see you here," Mia remarked as she waved her hands to her surroundings.

"I've been here for a while now," Maya replied as she touched the stone head near her and rubbed her fingers together to let the dirt come off her.

"What are you doing here exactly?" Mia asked but her voice lacked the venomous edge to it until she realized, "You're the one who's been taking away my power?" Mia couldn't believe it. She had thought that their relationship had shifted a little, reaching a point where they didn't want to kill each other all the time.

"Yes," Maya smiled, "Fun little thing, isn't it?" she let out a laugh that made Mia forget every reason that she had filed to defend this person in the last six months. Her mother's voice roamed in her mind. She told her that there were some people that never changed. She shouldn't have believed that Maya was an exception to those people. "I had a good hold onto it until your Mommy gave you her blood," she kept on saying, bruising Mia's self-trusting capability.

"What?" Mia's voice came out as a squeak. When did that happen?

"You didn't think you could give a normal birth after all you've been through?" Maya said, "They had to cut you open for it, to save your daughter's life and then you were bleeding so bad that there was no way but for your mother to give you a transfusion. Lucky you, otherwise you'd been gone."

Mia didn't know any of that. She just remembered being blinded by the pain and drowning in some kind of hell but now that she thought of it, she really couldn't pull out much scenes from that time. She shook away those thoughts as she put her attention on Maya again. "What are you doing here?" She asked again.

"I had to finish what I started," Maya stated, her leg bending as she put her hand on her hip, "You don't know how long I've been waiting for this moment."

"What moment?" Mia took a step back, her instincts telling her to run away. It was the words and the way she said them, letting them roll off her tongue as an acid dripping and corroding everything good.

"When you are at your weakest," Maya said as she countered Mia's step, "When all your friends are so exhausted that they wouldn't hear your screams, your pleas. They wouldn't even know what hit them when they wake up," the smile on her face was so malicious that Mia felt her heart trip inside her chest.

Mia gathered up her strength, her hands fisted at her side to fight whatever Maya had planned. "Come on, Maya," Mia cajoled her, "You're better than this."

"You have no idea," Maya sighed exasperatedly as she bent down to pick a sharp stone from the ground and Mia kept on looking at her confused. What was she doing? Mia thought and Maya saw the small crease between her brows and chuckled. "See this little trick," Maya snickered as she cut her hand, thick blood oozing out of it, "Here's a demo."

"What are...?” Mia started to see but the understanding dawned upon her as soon as she felt her energy sizzle right under her skin, bubbling up to surface and then suddenly leaving her body, leaving Mia feeling cold and empty.

"Time to take back what's mine," Maya said as she let the sharp edge of the stone cut deeper and Mia took several steps away, folding her arms as if it would stop her power from going into Maya, "Running scared, sister?" Maya hissed as she stormed towards Mia and put her hands on Mia's bare skin. The power crackled as it left Mia's body and entered Maya.

Panic settled in Mia and she started to shake. Closing her eyes, she focused on Damon and her little girl who needed her as she burst Mia with the cold wind, similar to what she had done with Davina. A jolt of energy left her but instead of hitting Maya, it readily absorbed into her as if it was a part of her and Mia gritted her teeth in anger.

She had to run. That was the only choice. Mia whipped around but pair of arms snaked around her waist, pulling her back. Mia let out a shrill scream but it came out muffled because of the hand that ended on her mouth. She shot her powers to her assailant but just like before, the powers moved into Maya and Mia hissed in fury. It was no use. Her powers were no use.

Mia bit the hand and heard a sharp intake of breath. She used this opportunity to scream for help again but Maya was in front of her stuffing some old, dirty cloth in her mouth. Maya nodded to someone behind Mia most probably the muscles that was in the operation. The arms lifted off her ground and Mia kicked and thrashed to let herself free but the bulky man kept pulling her away from where she needed to be.

It wasn't long before Mia was thrown into some car with Maya sitting beside her. Mia finally managed to spit out the dirty piece of cloth and turned her pleading eyes to Maya, "Please," she begged, something she never thought she would do with Maya but the image of Damon and their daughter, both sleeping kept appearing in front of her and she felt desperate. She couldn't let them down, "I have a daughter, please. My daughter," Mia was shaking her head, "What are you going to do?" she asked knowing beforehand she wasn't going to like the answer.

"I'm doing you a favor," Maya said, "Something I shouldn't do because, let's face it, you probably deserve it," she was saying and Mia heard her quietly, trying to figure out what she wanted, "I just want powers, Mia and that's only possible when you breathe your last," Maya said and for the first time, Mia found out that she really wasn't afraid of death but she was afraid of what that would do to people she cared about her, "Aren't Heavens gonna kill you anyway?" Maya smirked, "I promise, I'll be gentle."

'You have to stick around for all this, Mia. I can't handle all of it on my own.' The sound of her baby crying. How broken and empty she felt every time she woke from a nightmare that she had lost some child in woods? This was it. This was the moment those dreams were pointing to. The crying voice she kept following in her dreams? 'I'm scared as hell.' Damon's fear of losing her, to not be able to love their daughter the same way without her. The promises she made him? 'You can do whatever you want, Damon. Just don't give up, ok?' 'Don't let me. Ever.' The images kept assaulting her one after another and Mia kept shaking her head, tears that built in her eyes, spilt freely, running on her cheeks as she looked at Maya.

"My daughter, please," Mia cried, "I didn't even hold her yet," her hands ached to touch her again and she felt the full force of heart wrenching regret that she left the house without holding her or waking Damon up, telling him how much she loved them both. Everything was going to fall apart. Her parents. She had just found them and she hadn't even thanked her mother for saving her daughter's and her life. A splitting cry escaped Mia. She hadn't even seen the faces of everyone as they looked at her daughter. How Damon looked at her?

"She needs me," Mia screamed, "My baby needs me. I need to hold her," she cried, "I didn't even hold her yet. She needs me. Kiera needs me," she repeated, her voice breaking. "Damon! Damon!" her calling out his name was in vain for nobody answered her but the quiet look of Maya's eyes and there was no assurance there. Not a single sliver of hope that things could be fine and Mia felt hopeless. Completely shattered and hopeless.

Seeing her thrashing, crying and screaming, begging to her, Maya rolled her eyes at Mia. Way to be dramatic. She put her hands on Mia as she felt the small bursts of energy enter her body, vitalizing her, giving her life and power that she wanted...needed. Mia tried to land a punch on Maya's face but to her dismay found out that it too, drained off her energy but she kept fighting as she scratched her nails on Maya's arms, her neck. She pulled at her hair in desperation as her cries kept constant.

"I will kill you," Mia threatened, "I will kill you, you rodent," she clawed at her again but Maya grabbed her both hands and looked straight into her eyes.

"There's nothing you can do, Mia," Maya said, "For the first time in your life, you can do nothing. I'm the powerful one here," she saw Mia's struggles die down as Maya kept contact with her longer.

"He'll find out," Mia said, "Damon will kill you," she said.

"You remember when you said the same about Enrique?" Maya taunted, "He never came, Mia and neither is Damon. Nobody is coming."

"Please," a broken whisper came from Mia as she felt the remains of her energy leave her body, "They need me," her eyes drooped closed as her head fell back to the seat, leaning against it.

"World goes on," Maya said, "Plus, they'll have me."

"She didn't even hear me say I love her," Mia mumbled as she couldn't hear Maya's muffled words and Maya knew that she was talking about her daughter. Somehow, that was the thing in her mind, her only regret as the world faded around her and Maya felt powerful than ever.

Mia's vision blotted and she saw spots everywhere her eyes went out. Her palms were sweaty. Her heart was beating somewhere, she could hear the pounding in her ears but felt nothing as world tilted around her. A sigh escaped Mia's lips as she fell on the seat unconscious, letting the darkness surround her, plunge her into deep, dark, inescapable abyss of silence, numbing her completely.