~ ABOUT A WEEK LATER ~
All these days Nicolae, JJ and Elena see a different Damon. A happy Damon. A Damon like he was before Margaret broke his heart.
He walks around the house humming happy songs. He laughs all the time and doesn't get angry at the slightest provocation, as he has done all the last year. On nights out at the Lair, he flirts with the ladies in his usual sweet and sexy way, but he leaves the club with the same girl every night. With Alice.
He spends the nights with her and she's overjoyed, but not quite. She has a thorn in her side that makes her heart bleed and that won't let her surrender to his magic. And that thorn is named Margaret.
Alice knows that Margaret will come back one day. By the way, she has a big question about how Margaret could leave him in the first place. How could anyone leave a man like him? Alice could never do such a thing. She'd always stay by his side no matter what. Even as a simple friend. Even as his simple employee.
This is exactly what Alice is afraid of. She fears that Damon won't be able to stay away from Margaret if she comes back. Of course, she keeps this fear from him so as not to upset him. He has asked her for peace and she wants to give him what he has asked for.
But is this fear really justified or is Alice just too worried because of her love for Damon? Let's see ...!
~ CLINIC OF ANGELS ~ CAFETERIA ~ A LITTLE AFTER NOON ~
Nicolae takes his lunch break at his favorite table in the back of the hall. In front of him he has a hamburger with double beef, cheddar cheese, tomato and a fried egg on top.
He's an angel and doesn't have to eat, but that doesn't stop him from enjoying his favorite meal. Besides, he has to keep up appearances and not admit to people that he's not one of them.
He takes the huge round masterpiece and brings it in front of his mouth.
Nicolae: Hello, beauty!
He bends down and is ready to take the first bite, but then ...
Damon: That well-cooked crap you're eating is going to kill you one day, Doc.
Without taking his eyes off his food, Nicolae almost growls.
Nicolae: I'm trying to eat, you freak. Go play with some nurses and come back in half an hour. Get out of here now!
He bites into the hamburger and begins to chew with his eyes closed, savoring the exquisite combination of flavors and aromas on his palate. After all, Artemis was absolutely right when she insisted on hiring this very chef. Nicolae and everyone else, clinic staff and patients, owe her a big thank you.
But Damon has no intention of making it easy for Nicolae. He pulls up the chair and sits across from him.
Damon: I'm sorry, cousin, but as great as they're, I don't have time to play games with your nurses. Hmmm ... I never thought I'd say something like that. But anyway! Like I said, I'm in a hurry, so you put down that cooked, nasty stuff you're eating and we'll go down to the special operating room. I need your medical skills, Surgeon.
Nicolae tosses the half-eaten hamburger back on the plate and glares at Damon, who looks at him with a sweet smile.
Nicolae: What the fuck do you want, Damon?
Damon: I want you to remove the stitches from my wound.
Nicolae: And why should I do that?
Damon: Because they've served their purpose. My mind has cleared and I can think clearly now.
Nicolae: Are you sure about that?
Damon: I've never been more sure of anything. It's over, Nic. I've suffered enough. I don't need any more unnecessary pain.
Nicolae: I'll believe that when I see it.
Damon: You're coming to the Lair tonight, right?
Nicolae: Yes, of course.
Damon: Then you'll see it and believe it.
Nicolae: Let me doubt it a little bit, but that's okay. Let's go!
Nicolae stands up and makes a sign to Damon to do the same.
Damon: You're not going to pay?
Nicolae: Are you paying in the Lair?
Damon: Touché!
Damon also gets up and follows Nicolae out of the cafeteria. As they walk down the corridor ...
Damon: You know, when I came, I saw a dark-haired nurse I've never seen before.
Nicolae: You should be talking about Jessica.
Damon: Turquoise eyes, curvy butt, and bra size D.
Nicolae: That's her. She's new.
Damon: Does she know how to remove stitches?
Nicolae: I thought you didn't have time for games.
Damon: That's true, but it would be nice if she held my hand while you pulled my stitches.
Nicolae: The hand, huh?
Damon: Yeah, you pervert. The Hand.
Nicolae: As far as I'm concerned, the pot calls the kettle black, you freak.
They enter the elevator laughing. Down in the operating room, Nicolae calls Jessica and asks her to assist him. Since it's her dream to become an operating room nurse, she immediately agreed. Besides, she doesn't often have the opportunity to treat a patient like Damon, who flirted fiercely with her but didn't take it any further. He even had to compel her to forget the tiny detail that his wound magically healed within seconds after removing the stitches.
After that, Damon left and Nicolae returned to his patients.
~ THE SAME NIGHT ~ IN THE LAIR ~
The club is packed as it is every night. Men and women, alone or in pairs, crowd the bar while most of the tables are already occupied. The rest is reserved for groups that will come later.
Nicolae sits in the booth with a girl on his lap, while JJ dances with Elena on the dance floor.
Damon talks to Isaiah and Jonathan in the office with the monitors. Alice checks the liquor bottles they received that afternoon with Edy's help.
Everything is going as normally as it does every night, until a familiar smell hits Damon's nose as he talks to the others. A smell he hasn't smelled in more than a year. A smell he'd soon forget.
He turns his head toward the door, in the direction the smell is coming from, and squints his eyes to locate the source. And there she is, standing in the doorway, searching the room with her gaze.
Damon's body tenses. His breath is barely coming out of his lungs, even though his heart is beating like crazy. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time. He begged God and pleaded with Night to bring her back to him.
He thought it would be the moment of his life, but no. Everything he feels at this moment isn't the result of his joy, but of his anger. Why now? Why tonight? Of all the nights he has suffered, why did she choose this night when he finally decided to change his life? Is it possible that she sensed the change in his emotions?
Damon's unstable state is intense and, of course, cannot go unnoticed by the two men next to him. Isaiah looks at Jonathan, who puts his hand on Damon's shoulder. He turns and looks at him.
Jonathan: The other day at our house, my sister and I told you that we trusted you to make the right decision. Now it's time to prove to us that you deserve that trust.
Damon nods to Jonathan and begins to walk.
But except for Isaiah and Jonathan, everyone else immediately senses the tension in the atmosphere. Nicolae immediately pushes the girl away and stands up. JJ runs to him while Elena goes to Damon. He stops to talk to her and she puts her hand on his chest.
Elena: You have to learn something. She knows about your suffering.
He gasps and stares at her, growling.
Damon: How did she find out?
Elena lowers her head.
Elena: I told her. I made JJ go to Budapest with me and I told her everything. I'm sorry, brother. I'm so sorry. I thought I was supposed to do it this way, but ... It was wrong. I should never have done it ...
Damon: Stop it. It doesn't matter anymore.
Elena: What do you mean?
Damon: You'll see.
He goes to leave, but she grabs his hand.
Elena: Whatever you do, please be sure.
Damon: I am. Trust me.
Damon starts to walk again and Elena goes into the booth where Nicolae and JJ are sitting like cats on a hot tin roof.
JJ: Did you know she was coming tonight?
Elena: I had seen it, but I didn't know when. I'm scared, damn it!
Nicolae: You don't have to be, beautiful. Your brother will make the right decision.
Elena: How do you know that?
Nicolae: I'm him, Elena, and he's me. You may be his sister, but I ... Whatever! Wait and see.
JJ: I'm going to Alice. If anyone needs support tonight, it's her, no one else.
In fact, from the first moment Margaret showed up at the door, Alice dropped everything and fixed her gaze on Damon. Her body trembles and her breathing is rapid. She leans against the counter to keep from collapsing. Edy immediately notices that something is wrong and rushes to her aid.
Edy: What's wrong, girl?
Alice: She has come.
Edy: Who?
Alice raises her hand and points to the door. Edy follows her finger with his gaze.
Edy: Oh! I see.
Alice: Get me something to drink. Something strong. Please, Edy.
Edy: Sure, baby.
As Edy pours the drink, JJ comes over and takes Alice in his arms.
JJ: Come on, girl. Calm down. Everything's going to be all right.
Alice: Who says so? The wise CEO or the mighty Nephilim?
JJ: Neither one of them, girl. He says.
Alice looks in the direction JJ is pointing and sees Damon walking towards the dance floor, not the door like everyone thought.
Alice: What is he doing?
JJ: What he really wants and not what he should.
But it's not just Alice who is amazed at Damon's movements. Everyone is surprised, especially Margaret, who expected a very different reaction from him. She was waiting for him to run, hug her and never leave her again. Instead, he gets on the dance floor and ... What the hell? He's getting ready to sing. What the hell is going on?
She runs to get to him, but three steps later something stops her. Something magical. A higher power forces her mind to keep her feet on the ground. She looks up and is surprised to see Damon looking at her a little strangely. Strange how he looks at something when he uses his telekinesis.
No! No! It can't be! Damon can't be the one keeping her away from him. He can't be the one not letting her get to him. And why?
All of this happened very quickly and the people in the club didn't notice. Instead, they cheer and start clapping when they see Damon with the microphone in his hand. The clapping and cheering stops when the DJ turns down the music and Damon starts to speak.
Damon: Good evening, my beautiful humans. For those who don't know me, though I doubt there are more than one or two, I'm Damon Jones, the owner of this club and a lucky man. And because we always say in my pack that joy multiplies when you share it, I want to share it with you tonight with a song I dedicate to a wonderful woman who means a lot to me. I want to thank her for putting up with me, even though I'm the biggest jerk in the universe.
The audience applauds again. Alice grabs JJ's hand and squeezes it anxiously, thinking that there's no way he's talking about her, while Margaret smiles because she's sure the song is dedicated to her. And Damon starts singing acapella.
Damon: * I came late to your door, with a wound in my chest, and from your kind heart I ask a favor.
Give me love and affection, I want you to help me. A wound of love, with love to heal it for me.*
There is absolute silence in the room. Not even the breaths can be heard. Only Damon's divine voice, covering everything.
Elena covers her mouth with her hand. Even though she has seen it all, she still finds it hard to believe. The same thing happens to Nicolae, who literally stares at his cousin with his mouth open. He didn't believe him at noon in the clinic and now owes him a fat apology for scolding him.
As for the girls, I'm not sure which of them is more confused. Alice, who sees the man she worships like God raise his hand and call her to him, waving his fingers, or Margaret, who sees the man who has only ever sung for her singing for someone else.
The only thing that is certain is that Margaret collapses in a chair and begins to cry because she realizes that what everyone warned her about has finally come to pass. She has lost Damon.
Alice, on the other hand, jumps over the bench and runs to the dance floor. She walks up and takes Damon's outstretched hand as he continues to sing.
Damon: * When I was cruelly betrayed, I thought of you, and if I've sinned once, forget the past.
Give me love and affection, I want you to help me. A wound of love, with love to heal it for me.*
As if in a trance and without understanding what is happening, Alice surrenders to Damon, who takes her in his arms and kisses her for the first time in front of everyone.
Meanwhile, Elena, who feels sorry for Margaret, approaches her, and sits down next to her. Margaret raises her head and looks at her with red eyes.
Margaret: Tell me this is all a prank to teach me a lesson for leaving.
Elena: Excuse me, Maggie, but does this really seem like a prank to you?
Elena points to the dance floor, but Margaret refuses to look.
Margaret: What did I do to deserve this?
Elena: You left and came back too late.
Margaret: But there was a reason for that.
Elena: No, Maggie. It was wrong. You let the wolf off the leash and gave him a choice.
Margaret: I thought that ...
Elena: That what? That he'd choose you?
Margaret: Yes.
Elena: You offered him the jar and told him to dip his finger in the honey, girl. How could he not lick it off? But wait a minute! Why are you sad anyway? You managed to live away from him for more than a year.
Margaret: Do you think that was easy?
Elena: Come on, Maggie. Cut the crap! If you couldn't live without him, you'd never leave him.
Margaret: I love him.
Elena: No. You never really loved him. At least not as much as he did. You've only learned to do it. That's not love. It's something else. Dependence. Habit. I don't know. What I do know is that it's not love.
Margaret: I should talk to him.
Elena: Yes, I know. You should, but I'm warning you, Maggie. I love you like a sister, but if you hurt him again, I'll rip your heart out of your chest with my own hands.
Elena's blue eyes light up for a few seconds, a sign that she means what she says.
Elena: Do we understand each other?
Margaret: I never ...
Elena: Yes! Yes! Go upstairs to the office and wait. I'll send him to you, but mark my words!
Margaret gets up and heads for the stairs leading upstairs, while Elena approaches Damon, who has gone into the booth with Alice. Nicolae has joined JJ at the bar to give them some privacy.
Damon is sitting on the couch drinking whiskey while Alice is nestled in his arms, looking at him spellbound. Elena sits across from the two of them smiling.
Damon: Why are you smiling, Bitsy?
Elena: Because I like what I see.
Damon: Thanks.
Elena: You know, when I saw all this, I believed for the first time that a vision of mine wasn't going to come true. I thought it was just my need to see you happy again. I was very hurt by all of that.
Damon: And now that it's turning out to be true?
Elena: I'm glad. Not just because my visions are still so fucking great, but mostly because I'm happy for you. For both of you.
Damon: I'm happy, too.
Elena: But there's something else that needs to be done. You know that, right?
Damon: Yeah, but I don't want to do it.
Elena: You have to, Bruh.
Then Alice wakes up from her trance and intervenes to do the right thing.
Alice: Your sister is right. You should talk to her. After everything you've been through together, an explanation is the least she deserves. Go, baby.
Damon: You'll be here, right?
Alice: Always.
Damon: Where is she?
Elena: Upstairs. She's waiting for you in the office.
Damon gives Alice a light kiss.
Damon: I'll be right back.
She nods and watches him go, smiling, as he gets up and heads for the stairs. When the two girls are alone, Alice turns to Elena.
Alice: Can you do me a favor?
Elena: What?
Alice: Pinch me.
Elena laughs out loud.
Elena: It's true, Alice. He chose you. Suck it up. You stuck with my brother.
Alice: Wow! Me and Damon. THE Damon. He chose me. FUCKING HELL! I need a drink.
Elena laughs even harder as Alice fills the glass Damon has been drinking with whiskey and drains it in one go, grimacing at the burning in her throat.
~ AT THE SAME TIME ~ IN THE OFFICE ~
Margaret sits down in the leather chair behind the desk and waits. She jumps up and runs to him when Damon enters the office. This time he doesn't stop her and so she falls on top of him and hugs him tightly. He returns the hug, but his own is loose and almost friendly. It has nothing to do with how he used to hug her. She awkwardly walks away and he sits down in his seat.
Margaret: So, it's true, isn't it?
Damon: What?
Margaret: It's over between you and me.
Damon: Yeah. It's over between you and me.
Margaret: Why?
Damon: Really, Maggie? Are you really asking why?
Margaret: Yes, Damon. I'm really asking why.
Damon stands up, slaps his hands on the desk and shakes everything on it.
Damon: So, listen to me. Because you left like a thief without even giving me a look. Because all you left me with was a ridiculous letter full of romantic crap. Because you lived your life in Europe while I died here, far away from you. Day after day. Hour by hour. Minute by minute. Because you called me every three months out of pity and spoke to me for just a few minutes each time. Because you enjoyed yourself as a student while I deliberately inflicted pain on my body because it was the only way I could feel alive. Because you found out about my ordeal and instead of asking the Nephilim to teleport you here right away or even take the first plane, you showed up a week later like nothing happened. A whole damn week later, Maggie. Do you want more or is that enough for you?
Damon cries out and Margaret hangs her head in shame under the weight of the truth.
Damon: LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME, DAMN IT!
She lifts her head and looks at him.
Margaret: I'm sorry.
He shakes his head in frustration.
Damon: That's not enough, Maggie. I'm sorry, but no. I'll always love you. You're and always will be a big part of my life. My blood turned you. I'm your maker and the bond that unites us will last forever, but we have no other solution but to separate. We can't be together again because I'm in love with someone else.
Margaret: Don't say that, please!
Damon: I've never lied to you before, Maggie, and I'm not going to now. But before we say anything else, tell me something. How did you get out of Budapest unnoticed? I check the system and none of your names came up.
Margaret: I booked a private charter flight in the name of a classmate.
Damon: I see. Good thought.
Margaret: I've learned from my mistakes.
Damon: Good for you.
Margaret: Can I ask you something now?
Damon: Yes, of course.
Margaret: When?
Damon: When what?
Margaret: When did you fall in love with her?
Damon: Does it matter?
Margaret: To me, yes. Please tell me.
Damon: I didn't realize it until a few days ago, but it started last summer.
Margaret: The trip to Saint Mauritius, huh?
Damon: Yes.
Margaret: I see.
Damon: I didn't cause it. I can swear to that.
Margaret: I know. I caused it when I gave you the choice. I just never thought you'd choose another woman over me.
Damon: Every action has a reaction, Maggie-pie, and every choice has consequences. Never forget that.