~ LATE JANUARY ~ LATE AT NIGHT ~ PRIVATE CLINIC OF ANGELS ~
~ OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF SURGERY ~
Nicolae Harronate, the youngest surgeon and chief of surgery - just 25 years old - sits in his office on the top floor of the ultra-luxurious and modern building of the private clinic he built right after graduating from medical school, because that was his big dream since he was a little human boy.
He was supported by his brother Stefan who, after his father's "retirement", took over the management of the company and expanded it even further, extending its activities in both the medical and educational fields.
But more about that later. Now we return to Nicolae's office, which is quite large and has a huge window through which sunlight enters the room during the day, while at night one can admire the bright stars and the pale moon. On the opposite wall there's a large, deep fireplace, in which wood is constantly burning. Behind the black mahogany desk is a large 250-gallon aquarium, with about thirty tropical fish of all sizes and colors swimming in it. Directly above it hang frames with Nicolae's degrees and countless awards, while paintings of enormous value hang on the rest of the ice-colored walls. A Picasso, a Modigliani and a Da Vinci. The floor is covered throughout with a dark gray, thick Persian rug, while large pots of lush houseplants sit in the corners.
As I said, Nicolae is sitting behind his desk looking at tomorrow's surgery schedule when suddenly the window opens with a bang and two seconds later Damon's handsome face appears with a broad and extremely disarming smile.
Damon: Hey, cuz! Can I come in?
Nicolae: No, I'm busy. Beat it!
Damon: Sure!
Damon jumps in and closes the window with a shake of his head. Nicolae looks up from his papers and stares at his cousin.
Nicolae: What exactly didn't you understand, freak?
Damon: Jeez! How tense are you, little angel? When was the last time you got laid?
Nicolae: Last night, asshole. Don't you remember? You were there, too.
Damon: Well ... Yes ... You know what I mean!
Nicolae: What the hell do you want, Damon?
Damon: Do I have to want something to come to you?
Nicolae: Why were you in such a hurry to see me? I'd come to the Lair in two hours.
Damon drops onto the couch, and though he tries to hide it, he contorts his face into a pained grimace for a moment. His expression was almost imperceptible, but not so much that Nicolae didn't notice it. After all, he sensed from the first second that something was wrong with Damon because they were so close. So, he leaves his desk and walks towards his cousin.
Nicolae: Again, Damon? Why? Why are you doing this to yourself?
Damon: What am I doing? I don't get you.
Nicolae, who's starting to get really annoyed, lifts up Damon's shirt in one swift motion, revealing the real reason for his late-night visit. A deep gash deep in his ribs, loosely covered with a blood-red adhesive bandage.
Nicolae: Do you get me now?
Damon: Now come on. It's nothing. It's going to heal soon.
Nicolae: You heal in seconds, moron. This comes from adamas and needs divine intervention. My intervention. That's why you came here.
Damon: Okay. Maybe you're right.
Nicolae stands up and runs both hands through his hair.
Nicolae: Where's this all going, Damon? You're falling apart. Ever since she left you ...
The fire in the fireplace suddenly flares up, burning everything around it and the water in the aquarium begins to boil, threatening to scald the fish inside, while Damon narrows his eyes and growls menacingly.
Damon: She didn't leave me! She just ... She just let me off the leash for a while.
Nicolae: Bullshit! Can you hear me? Fucking bullshit! You turned her and shortly after she took off to do the dolce vita in Europe.
Tempers calm as Damon sadly hangs his head.
Damon: My Maggie never ... She didn't ... She left to help the Drops with the restaurants.
Nicolae: Don't be so sure about that.
Damon jumps up from the couch, walks towards Nicolae and presses against the wound in his ribs. Now that he knows, he doesn't have to hide his pain.
Damon: Why did you say that, Nic? Do you know something I don't? Elena told me ...
Nicolae: Elena is your sister and she loves you too much to tell you the truth. She just told you what you wanted to hear.
Damon: What do you mean by that? What's the truth?
~ AT THE SAME MOMENT ~ IN THE PENTHOUSE ~
Ever since Stefan, Jason, Johnny, and the girls had moved into the house they'd built on the family land, Damon, Nicolae, JJ, and Elena had lived in the penthouse. Normally Margaret would have stayed with them, but she decided to do something else. We'll see later what and why.
So ... JJ is just coming out of the bathroom. He's standing in front of the closet in the bedroom that once belonged to his parents, getting ready to go to the Lair, as he does every night, when Elena rushes into the room all excited.
Elena: JJ, I need you right now!
JJ: When you say "right now," does that mean I don't even have time to put on briefs?
Elena looks down at JJ's lower body and sees that he's just as naked as his upper body.
Elena: Oh! Sorry! I'm very upset and didn't notice you were naked.
JJ's handsome face takes on an endearing expression of wonder that makes him look even more like his father and grandfather, and he points to his crotch with both hands.
JJ: What? How could you've missed that?
Elena rolls her eyes.
Elena: Put this monster in a pair of pants, you pompous Nephilim, because like I told you, I need you.
JJ, like a true Harronate, starts to get dressed laughing.
JJ: What do you need me for, Cassandra? I hope it's not too time-consuming, because there are two adorable brunette goddesses waiting for me at the Lair, and I don't want to disappoint them.
Elena shakes her head and purses her lips, something she definitely gets from her mother.
Elena: You're such a Harronate! But anyway! You don't have anything to worry about. It won't take long. I need you to teleport me to Budapest.
The confused expression from earlier returns to JJ's face, but this time without the playful mood.
JJ: To do what there?
Elena: To put some brains in the empty head of the bitch who's torturing my brother.
But before we see JJ's response to Elena's request, let's talk a little about the changes that have taken place in those fifteen years ...
As I mentioned before, Jace retired and handed over the management of the company to Stefan, who together with JJ, who took Alexander's place, expanded the activities to other areas. After that, the two angels, Jace and Alexander, took their companions, Mary, and Matt, and the four of them began traveling the world and beyond.
Artemis eventually opened the tavern she wanted, and with the help of her parents, who refused to give up their human nature, managed to make it one of the most popular places for good food. People come from all over to taste the angelic flavors that come from the hands of the new queen of the Harronate Empire. In the early years, she and Stefan had some problems with the press because of JJ, but eventually, as always happens in such cases, the matter was forgotten when a new scandal came to light.
Sadly, Grandma Artemis left this vain world five years ago. JJ accompanied her soul to heaven and made sure that she'd spend eternity with her beloved husband.
The other people now ... Zoe, George's wife, followed her husband to the grave a year later and a few months later the same thing happened to Homer. The mansion and all its assets went to Alexander, Isabella and Jace, who in turn passed it on to their own children.
Zafira married Marcus, who managed to rise to the highest rank in the police hierarchy. He became and still is Chief of Police.
Logan and Jeanette followed Simon and Isabella to Europe to help Adam and George realize their dream of opening restaurants in every country.
Kyle and Katerina still work for the company, while their children Jonathan and Alice work for Damon at the Lair.
Jason became principal at the school that was purchased by the Harronate Corporation, along with several others, as the company expanded. He's assisted in this difficult task by Cecilia, who's not only the assistant principal, but also fills in as a teacher when a teacher is absent.
Johnny is now the head of the veterinary clinic, which specializes in researching pet longevity. The lead researcher is Eva, who named the research "Odyssey" in honor of her beloved dog Odysseus. Matty eventually became a dog trainer and now works for the police department as head of the K-9 unit. After a few years at the helm of the gang, Lucida passed the baton to Damon, but continued to fight crime from a different perspective. Together with Lucifer, she solves crimes of a sexual nature. He's the chief and she's the deputy chief of the Special Sex Crimes Unit.
And now we'll talk about the hybrids ... After the Santorini weddings, Sebastian resigned and gave his place to Lucida. Together with Lois, they set out on a journey around the globe, but not alone. They had Jared and Chloe with them, who after endless discussions and many pleas from Sebastian agreed to turn and live together forever.
As soon as Elena finished school, she took her place next to her brother as the second leader of the gang. The senior members, Negro, Tiny, Juan, and Dog, retired and lived happily with their families, having carefully selected and trained their successors. Edy, married to Aurora, is still the head bartender.
And Margaret ...
We'll talk about her later. Now ...
~ BACK TO CLINIC OF ANGELS ~
Nicolae has revealed to Damon all that Elena has kept from him, and with the weight of the truth on his shoulders, he leans on the desk with one hand while holding his wound with the other. Nicolae, already regretting the revelation, approaches Damon and strokes his cheek with his hand.
Nicolae: Are y'all right?
Damon: Please, Nic ... Heal me.
Nicolae: You know what? I'm going to do something better.
Damon: What?
Nicolae: Come with me, you stupid wolf!
Nicolae grabs Damon by the shirt and literally drags him out of the office.
Damon: Where the hell are you taking me?
Nicolae: Shut the fuck up!
The two men stand outside the elevator and as the doors open, Nicolae pushes Damon inside.
Nicolae: Get in, you moron!
Damon: Okay! Okay!
Nicolae enters the box after Damon and presses the button with the initials R.A. on it. Damon knows exactly what those initials mean - Restricted Area - and immediately understands that Nicolae is taking him to the special operating room set up specifically for celestials and all kinds of supernatural creatures. Of all the clinic staff, only Nicolae has access to this operating room, so the elevator button works only with his fingerprint.
This operating room has only one steel operating bed and the walls are made of adamas. It's completely soundproofed and contains some surgical instruments made of adamas as well as a refrigerator filled with human 0-negative blood.
As the elevator descends lower and lower - the operating room is on the third basement level of the building - Damon asks a question, though he's afraid of the answer.
Damon: Why are you taking me there, Nic?
Nicolae: To fix you.
Damon: Why there? You can do that in your office.
Nicolae: Oh, no! No! No! Not this time.
Damon: What the hell does that mean?
Nicolae: It means that this time you'll be healed like a normal person. I'll fix the damage to your spleen, but I won't heal the wound.
Damon: And then what're you going to do?
Nicolae: What I'd do to a mortal. I'm going to stitch you up.
Damon: With an anesthetic, I hope.
Nicolae: It's no use, freak. Your body burns morphine and every other kind of drug.
Damon: What's the point of all this?
Nicolae: I hope the pain you'll feel will clear your mind and make you think clearly.
Before Damon can answer, the elevator doors open and Nicolae pushes him out.
Nicolae: Move!
Damon walks out into the empty and cold hallway leading to the door, Nicolae behind him.
Damon: Let's talk about this, man. It doesn't have to be like this.
Nicolae: Yes, it does.
Damon: Isn't there any other solution?
Nicolae: Sure. I can call your father.
Damon opens the door, goes into the operating room and lies down on the hard bed, after taking off his shirt first.
Nicolae: Good choice!
Damon: Just do what you have to do to get it over with and get out of here.
As Nicolae rolls up the sleeves of his shirt and begins to prepare the necessities for surgery, Damon closes his eyes and lets his mind travel back in time, more specifically to the day that changed his life ...