Forever; The Devil's Angel

Now...

Thirty two minutes. Thirty two minutes, sixteen seconds since his world had been ripped away from him. Thirty two minutes, sixteen seconds since he saw her last. Thirty two minutes, sixteen seconds since she has been burning in the deepest pits of hell and with every passing second, every passing minutes, Damon has been losing his mind.

He paced along the room in front of fire, his emotions crackling, resembling the blazing fire in his eyes. He fisted his hands in his hair, a growl erupting from the depths of his hollow, lonely soul. He dashed to the nearest table and picked up the bottle of bourbon and took a swig from it but it wasn't enough. Nothing was going to make it any better and to think that he had an eternity to live...

He threw the bottle as it crashed against the wall breaking into a million useless pieces resembling his heart. It had been twenty minutes since he woke up on the floor and in the last twelve minutes, he had searched his house a thousand times and every time he came to a stop in front of the crackling fire, he would growl and curse and break whatever he could find because he couldn't find her and her absence meant one thing. She was gone. Forever. And not just gone but cursed and maybe, that was the worst part about all of this.

"Damon," Stefan hesitated because pretty much every time he spoke, Damon had been very old-Damon like, "That's the fourteenth bottle you've hit," he said but his eyes were serious, sad and feeling the pain of his brother.

"Like I give a damn," he spat the words and breathed deeply.

Seeing somewhat of a normal response from him, Stefan straightened, "Look," he started, "I know how you're feeling," he said.

Damon whipped, "No, you don't," he snarled, "You don't have a freakin' clue."

Stefan gave him a nod, "We lost her too," he admitted, trying to convey that he wasn't alone in his pain, that all of them felt loss too.

Damon narrowed his eyes at his brother. He wanted to punch him hard as he was reminded of how he stopped Elena to speak out for Mia because he was scared, for her life, "You didn't lose Elena, brother," he said through clenched teeth, "So, don't tell me how I feel," he came eye to eye with Stefan, "until, the day you lose Elena for good."

Stefan flinched. He was right. His brother was gone and in front of him stood the guy who had promised to make his life miserable but he had lost so much, Stefan reminded himself. He was prone to act out, "I get that you're hurting but..."

Damon picked a small china dish and sent it flying to the wall, "It's not hurting," he roared, "It's God damn agony," he said as a whimper broke through his lips, "And you still wouldn't feel this," he fisted his shirt in his hand, "even if you see Elena die in front of your eyes because she wouldn't be cursed. She wouldn't end up in hell for eternity."

So, that's what it was. His pain didn't end there, it went far beyond what Stefan was thinking, "So, now you're a sudden believer in Heaven and Hell?"

"I believed in it the second I found that the woman I loved was an angel and still, I let a devil like me ruin her," Stefan heard the self-loathing in his voice.

"You're not a devil, Damon," Stefan sighed.

"If it wasn't for me," Damon said, "She would still be here," he chuckled without humor, "So, yeah. I just wrecked an angel for life."

Stefan put his hand on Damon's shoulder and waited for Damon to acknowledge his existence, "That angel gave you a gift," he said, "So, you need to cherish it," his eyes bore into Damon's as he tried to make his brother understand, "You need to pull yourself together for Kiera."

Damon turned around facing the ground, "I can't even think about her," he admitted.

"She's your daughter, Damon," he said, "You don't get a choice in that," he said and wondered where she was anyway? They hadn't seen her since they all woke up in the living room. What if? What if she was gone too?

Damon didn't see the whole expression of Stefan changing as he pivoted around, "Don't you get it? Mia was supposed to be here. She was the one who was supposed to pull me through this. I don't know a single thing about raising a daughter. I'm a shitty person, Stefan. Remember? People around me get hurt. They die, they leave. They...hurt."

Stefan's mind was running somewhere else now as his eyes darted everywhere around the room, not meeting Damon's. What was he gonna say if Kiera was gone too? As much as Damon thought he couldn't see or need her, Stefan knew Kiera was the only thing that could pull his brother out of this mess. That her sight was the only thing that could make him a person he was once again but what if? These what ifs would be the end of him.

Stefan turned away from Damon as he started towards the door but before he took his second step, Bonnie entered the room and Stefan exhaled in relief as he saw Kiera safely tucked in her arms. Her eyes were wide as they roamed around the room until they rested on Damon's back, "Damon," she sighed his name and made her way towards him, her shoulder brushing past Stefan.

Damon didn't move. He didn't even hear her. His thoughts were that loud but the air pierced when he heard sharp inhaling followed by cry of a baby. Bonnie stopped in her tracks as she looked down at Kiera and Damon's heart lurched in his chest as he stared at her. Where was Mia? What was he supposed to do? She was the one that was gonna teach him how to be a father, a better person in general. How was he supposed to go on without her?

With her cries becoming loud, Damon rushed to her, "What is it?" he asked Bonnie who stared at him blankly. How was she supposed to know? "What does she need?" he shook his head as he extended his arms to hold her. "Hush," he cooed her as he held the small bundle of miracle in his hands, "Hush," he rocked his arms gently, "You're ok," he sighed as he hugged her to himself, "I'm here. You're gonna be ok," he assured her, no matter how useless his promises were in keeping her safe, he wanted her to know that he would move the Heaven and Hell for her. He wouldn't let anyone take her away from him. Not this time. Not ever. Not like Mia.

It was magical, the moment when her cries subsided and she opened her little eyes to him, those deep, shiny eyes that bored into him, seeing to his very core and he felt the effect of her gaze deep within. It was as if she was comforting him with a silent message, telling him that he was needed just as he was, with her soft, innocent look. Damon touched her hand and Kiera wrapped her tiny fingers around his finger, clutching it tightly as if to never let go and Damon could see the color again, feel the life again. He sighed. Stefan was right. She needed him, his little angel needed him. The fact that she stopped wailing the moment he held her was thrilling to him and he felt a shift around him, inside him as he told her that they were going to be fine.

Stefan closed his eyes and sighed. Bonnie shifted on her feet unsure of what was going on and what was she supposed to do? "What is it?" Stefan looked at her dead on, accusation in his eyes, "What are you hiding?" he asked. He could tell by her small movements that she was nervous and Bonnie nervous was a big deal. The girl was stronger than most of their strengths combined.

Taking a deep breath, she asked, "What happened?" she wanted to be sure before she could say anything.

Stefan didn't want to vocal the situation seeing that Damon was not throwing things around anymore and he seriously hoped he wouldn't, given the fact that it was Kiera now in his arms. "Mia," he uttered as a soft whisper, trying to save Damon's ears from it and Bonnie saw the broken glasses, dishes and bottles in front of the fire. She knew enough.

It was time. Bonnie went forward and faced Damon, "Where is the amulet?" she asked.

Damon was surprised by her question as he shook his head, "What?" He asked as he shifted Kiera to his other arm.

"The amulet? Where is it?" she asked.

Damon looked at Stefan, asking him silently if she was fine and not losing her mind. Stefan shrugged and Damon threw a look at the wall behind her and Bonnie whipped around to see it hanging there. She gave him a nod and asked Stefan to take Kiera from Damon's arm. "What's going on, Bonnie?" Damon asked as he kept his eyes on Kiera when Stefan took her with an awe filled smile, but she shook her head and handed him a crumpled paper.

Damon raised his eyes to her as he watched her with a peculiar expression and Bonnie jerked her head towards his hand. A sliver of hope flamed inside Damon as he hastily opened the paper to read its content. His heart stuttered to a stop, a shiver travelled through his body as he raised his eyes sharply to look at Bonnie. She gave him nothing but a single nod and Damon was flying out the door. Stefan didn't knew what was happening but with the glaze in Damon's eyes, he had an idea as he rushed after him, Kiera in his arms.

**********

It was if someone had injected with her a shot of adrenaline, the power that she felt flowing inside her was too much to handle especially after last...how many days? She couldn't keep any track of the time. She didn't know how long had it been? She didn't know how she was alive? She remembered distinctly that Maya took her powers and left her to die but then she woke up and only felt like dying because she was so weak and tired.

Her vision was dancing when a funny looking guy entered and offered her some food but Mia didn't want it. She wanted to go home. She wanted Damon and she wanted...her daughter. She hadn't even held her? How unfair world could be? These two were the only things on her mind. Damon and her daughter. Her daughter and Damon. After that came a long stream of questions, half of them she didn't even want to think.

Maya was out there with her powers, pretending to be her. Would Damon or anyone realize that it wasn't her? Would they catch her in the act? Would they be looking for her? What about Vincent? Was he dead? Were his people behaving alright with Klaus? How were Klaus and Elijah? What about the baby boy? What did they name him? What about her own little princess? What was Damon going to name her? Would Damon be ok with her? How was he acting with her? Did he get the glint in his eyes when he looked at her like Mia hoped he would? Did he felt any change when he saw their daughter?

She looked at the tray of untouched food and sighed to herself. She wasn't going to eat anything but after some hours or days maybe, she felt so cold and weak that she gave up on her resolve to not eat and almost crawled to put something in her mouth but just then, a jolt of electricity shocked her to the core and Mia felt the very familiar thrumming of her power just frizzling under her skin and the food remained there, untouched.

Mia groaned with her new found powers. She wasn't tied up but she couldn't open the door. She called for that guy but nobody came and she felt herself totally at the mercy of Maya and her hired people. She sighed as she slid down the wall and held her head in her hands. With her eyes closed, she let her mind drift off to the good but bitter thoughts.

She let herself imagine being with Damon and her daughter. How they were just normal people with no issues, no enemies, no mission or duties, no supernatural, completely and utterly normal? How heavenly would that be? He would be that prickly bad boy but with an inside of gold; sweet with an attitude, carefree with a streak of protectiveness, possessive with understanding. She wiped her tears on her knees and sniffled as she took a deep breath.

She remembered when they talked about this day but it was the notion that she would be taken by the Heavens, not abducted by Maya but the conversation made her sigh and put a small smile on her lips. How hopeful and happy they were that day or at least she was. He had always been the pessimist in these kind of things but stronger, surer. She tilted her head to a side as she replayed the moment in her mind.

"Forever is infinite, Mia," he said. "It's not limited…and sure as hell don't come with an expiry date. It's forever. It's always," he paused "For always."

"Our forever is infinite," Mia replied and then sighed because once the Heavens found about her, they would take her away but she wasn't going to tell him that and see the heart breaking look in his face but at the same time, she couldn’t' give him false hope, "Some infinities are just smaller than others but it's still a forever," she said.

"And if they find out," he started, "it's going to reverse everything you've broken your sweat for and the worst part," he held her face in his hands, "It's gonna be you, Mia, instead of her," he referred to Maya because they knew that she would get all the power if Mia was cursed. "You're gonna be the one cursed for the forbidden for more than two thousand years until someone charges in to save you and you know what?" he raised his brows at her, "Angels like you don't come every day. They come once in 2000 years."

Mia smiled at him and pressed a gentle kiss on his lips, "Life sucks," she said, "It crushes and breaks. It cripples us, makes us beg for mercy but there's always a silver lining in the sky, Damon. There's always hope and I refuse to let go of it," she joined her forehead with his, "Hope springs eternal, you know."

Damon chuckled at her, his eyes closed as he shook his head, "Yeah" he opened his eyes, "Springs eternal and breeds eternal misery."

Mia sniffled as she pulled the brakes on her train thought right there because she couldn't think about what came next, how he touched her and made everything beautiful and perfect. She shook her head and dried her tears again as she was slowly welcomed into a slumber that she was grateful for. It was the only thing that numb the pain and made her forget things.

**********

Damon threw open the door and stormed out the car, every fiber of his being tense and he felt the air thickening around him for he couldn't breathe easily. Bonnie and Stefan followed suit as they checked out the address that Damon had read from the paper that Bonnie had given her. According to her, Maya had given her that paper, saying that she was to give it to Damon when she saw time was fit.

Damon's eyes fell on a skinny boy that was sitting in a shed and reading a book. Damon rushed to him and held him up the ground by his collar, "Where is she?" he asked but the words felt unreal as they left his mouth. She could be alive. She really could be alive. She was right, he thought with a small smile. Hope was good and he refused to let go of it.

"You," the boy croaked and pointed to him, "You're Damon?" he said.

Damon flashed his brow and tilted his head to a side, "Maya told me to only let you enter," he said and looked back at Bonnie and Stefan with Kiera.

"Just let me in," Damon let him go and the poor bloke hardly stabilized himself from falling to the ground.

Taking a deep breath, he faced the door and uttered some magical words but Damon couldn't hear the damn thing. What if the door opened and she wasn't there? What would he do then? If there was even a point one percent chance that she could be alright, Damon knew he would flip the world in search for her. He wouldn't rest for a second until she was safe in his arms.

Damon was inside the room as soon as it opened. His eyes fell on the empty bed in front of him, a tray of untouched food and his heart flipped inside his chest as his sense went on high alert but then he heard small breaths behind the door and the world stopped spinning as the sight of her dropped him to his knees.

She might've been sitting, leaning against the wall before, but now she laid curled up on the floor, her brown cascade of hair fell around her as she slept peacefully. She looked radiant as ever, fresh and healthy, stunningly beautiful.

He stood there, soaking her in but he had to touch her, know for sure that she was real. His chest rose and feel rapidly matching the beat of his heart and the impatience that filled him. Crouching besides her, Damon splayed his finger on her face and sighed at the contact, the very familiar feeling of frenzy flooding him. Never in his life was he so stuffed up with feeling that he wanted to cry but seeing her, touching her was such a rush, it made him lightheaded and dizzy in the head.

"Mia?" he didn't want to wake her up but he couldn't resist. He had to see her, her chocolate brown eyes, the warmth and love he knew he would see there.

His voice was so close and sweet to her ears, Mia shivered in her dreams as she waited to see his face. She knew her memories did him no justice but maybe, the dream version of him would be a little closer to the reality. He called for her again. She waited and waited but when he didn't came, Mia forced herself to open her eyes as the frustration was getting too much for her to handle.

She fluttered open her eyes and saw the most striking face floating in front of her as she raised herself on her elbows, her eyes adjusting to the light in the room, "Damon?" her voice was rough with sleep and she cleared her throat. Damon sighed with relief, his eyes closing on their own accord as he felt a spirit of calmness spreading over him.

"You're alive," he smiled and opened his eyes.

"You're not with Maya," she voiced her own worry, "You're here. I was afraid you'd never find out," she sat up straight and leveled their eyes, "She kidna..."

"I know," Damon cut her off as he leapt forward and caught her lips with his own. The kiss wasn't innocent or passionate but they both felt the desperation oozing out of it. Damon poured all of his fears and madness in it and she drank from it like a thirsty desert dweller found a source of water in scorching heat. He grasped her neck and she tilted her head giving him better access as he deepened the kiss erasing the distance between them, every second of torture he had spent without her.

Breaking the kiss to give her some space, Damon leaned back to look deep into her brown orbs, "I thought I lost you forever," he admitted, "I was a mess, Mia. I was a crazy mess. I can't believe you're alive."

Mia frowned, "I don't," she shook her head, "What are you talking about?" she asked.

Damon gave her a nod, "I'll tell you. There's a lot you need to know," he grazed his thumb under her eye.

"You say that as if centuries have passed," Mia sighed, "How long has..."

Damon chuckled, "It feels like an eternity," he said thinking about how hard it was to imagine an eternity without her, "But it's ok. We're ok."

"I was so scared, Damon," Mia told him, "She just took all my powers and," her voice broke, "I couldn't do anything. I just kept thinking about you and," she snapped her eyes to him as her heart double paced. Mia straightened up, "Damon? How is she?" she asked, her eyes showed panic and Damon rejoiced in it because that showed that it was Mia, his Mia that worried over everything and their daughter...she had to make the top of list.

"She's fine," he smiled at her, "She's alright but," he shook his head thinking about the moment when he thought, he was just the parent she had to grow up with, "She needs you though," he said, "We all need you, Mia," the heart break in his voice slashed at her heart and she wanted nothing more than to hurt Maya for separating them.

Mia nodded with a smile at his words but it faltered when she thought about Maya, "I'll make her pay," she said, "for everything she did. For putting us through this hell..." Mia kept saying but Damon put her finger on her lips, silencing her and Mia tilted her head at him.

"If there's anyone to pay for her actions," he said, "It's us," Mia looked at him as if he had grown two heads, "We owe her an awful lot."

"What?" Mia leveled her brows, "What are you talking about?"

"You wouldn't believe me, if I told you."

Mia laughed without humor, "After everything we've been through, are you sure about that?"

"People change," he shrugged.

Mia pulled back her legs as she rose to her knees, "Is that Damon Salvatore talking?" she asked.

Damon thought about the question hard. If he was to compare himself with the Damon he was five years ago, before he came to Mystic Falls to when he met Elena and then finally, when he met Mia...he could write a book on the differences he found. Elena was the first person in centuries who made him feel but Mia...She took him by surprise. Funny, the first time he met her, he drank from her but she was strong even if she didn't knew it at that time. She's always been strong in a way. She put up with him, his crappy mood swings and bizarre personality. No matter how much he shook her, she was always there at the end of the day. Angry, hurt and mad as hell but she was there.

From day one, he always saw understanding in her eyes as if she saw right through him and though it scared him, it was exhilarating. She made him care, made him want to keep her safe and sound because she needed that from him. She made him feel important, cared for, needed. For her, he never had to try to be better because he was just like that with her. Mia just snaked her way inside him and resided there giving him all the things he had been missing out on and the things he thought he never wanted or needed.

Where Elena just grounded him, Mia made him feel human, something he had desired for so long. She brought out the best in him and he knew that he wasn't the best of people, he might not even deserve her but everything he gave her was the best of things he had and everything he was with her was the best that he could ever be.

"You've changed me," Damon finally said still in deep thought, "You've changed me a lot."

Mia sighed, "I never changed you, Damon," she put her hands on his face, "I told you I never wanted to change you. I just reminded you of a person you were all along. I just wanted you to see yourself as a person you truly are." Damon absorbed her every word as he kissed her quickly and got to his feet, pulling Mia up with him.

"I have to show you something," he said, "tell you something but first, Kiera needs to see you."

"Kiera," Mia said, "You named her Kiera?"

Damon froze. No, he didn't. He didn't name her. He had asked her to name their daughter but it was never Mia. It was Maya there who named her. "How did you know?" she asked.

Damon snapped his eyes to her, "Know what?"

Mia smiled, "I called her Kiera," she admitted, "I remember when Maya took me, I kept thinking about you and her," she gave herself a nod, "that was the name that popped in my head," she looked at him with a smile, "I'm pretty sure I called her Kiera."

Damon's heart missed a beat. Maya really did it. She made sure of everything, every aspect. She had even thought about what seemed a trivial thing to her, "Maya named her, maybe after hearing it from you," he said, "Mia, she," he paused, "She did a lot of things for us," he took out the piece of paper that Bonnie had given her and Mia blinked as she took it from him.

Her eyes glazed as she read it. She couldn't believe it. Maya, the one she had hated forever had saved them from so much demise, pain and hurt. Damon was right. She really had changed and Mia didn't know what to say or do regarding the sacrifice she had made for them, "Damon," she looked at him confused, a small tear escaping her eye and Damon caught it in a kiss.

"I know, angel," he said, "I know."

He took her hand as he started to lead her out. He had spent a day going crazy that his reason for existence had gone but as he held her hand in his, he smiled thanking whatever stars or any little good he has done that was letting this happen for him. Finally there was nothing to be worried about. No coming disaster waiting to happen, people to rescue, lives to be endangered. It was finally him and his angel, and the little miracle that waited just outside the doors and he was happy. He was finally happy.

"We're gonna have to live with a lot of caution," Mia said as Damon took her to Kiera.

"At least, we're gonna live," Damon replied, "At least, we get to live."