Pre Edit Count – 3,204 Words

Song I listened to for this chapter: Christmas Nights in Blue by Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Walking down the street in New York, Damon has his head down. It’s snowing, heavily, with the lights from the different Christmas decorations on the townhomes around him twinkling. The lights are playing on the snow falling as well as the ice and snow on the ground. The sight is one that would make any viewer think of Christmas Cards or just thoughts of the season that is upon them in New York.

None of this is imposing on Damon’s thoughts, as he makes his way to the old Bar on the corner. He just wants to lose himself in drink again, forget the mistakes he has made.

He ignores those who watch him walk by, the man a visibly broken shadow of his past self. Too many regrets have come and gone, until all there is left is the shell of a man who has given up, but something prevents him from taking that last step.

If you asked Damon himself, he would say punishment is the reason he doesn’t take off his ring in the middle of the afternoon on a sunny day. No matter how many times he has attempted to do it. However, if you asked others who had known of what happened, they will tell you there is just a little amount of hope that they are have for a happy ending is what preventing Damon from ending his life?

See, Damon lost everything. Moreover, he did it not by his hand, but that is exactly what he has been made to think. There are forces at work that he has no control over. Since the man refuses to believe others have that sort of power over him, he believes that only he could have been the one to make the mistakes.

Occasionally, it is acceptable to blame others. Especially when they are the ones who made the mistakes. For this story, we will only deal with Damon. He is the one needing to build his bridges again, or make stairs if he hits a wall.

Going back to the dark haired man, we find him opening the door to the bar he has been frequenting. Damon walks into the dark bar, moving to his spot, by the tree that all the lights but the blue ones are out. He ignores it as he has since they put it up; just raising his finger and the bar tender brings his drink. Knowing Damon’s habits, he has the second one ready after Damon tosses the first back quickly.

‘Same ole as every time.’

Damon dismisses the man, never knowing they had the same thought.

Damon stares down into the brown depths of his drink. When his mind sees eyes that match the brown and he growls slightly to himself as he takes a drink. He just can’t seem to get rid of the thoughts of the woman who has driven him to this point. But then love doesn’t easily relinquish those in it’s grasp.

Then to his amazement, a song breaks through his concentration. Sometimes Tom, the bartender, has local bands come in. Nevertheless, this time it was an older man playing on the piano, the melody from the keys one of Christmas. Damon is surprised that Tom had someone coming to play Christmas carols. But then, it is the season, he thinks to himself sardonically.

Taking another drink, Damon just relaxes, listening to the music. His mind listening to the melodies, causing him to remember the last Christmas he was happy.

(Flashback)

It had been over a couple years to think about it. He had been in the Boarding House, sitting on the floor with his brown haired beauty in his arms, laughing at the stories Stefan was sharing about Christmases in the past.

She had turned to look up at him, her brown eyes shining with happiness and love as she raises an eyebrow up at him, “Really? You. Mr. Grinch himself, dressed up as Santa for the kids?”

He rolls his eyes at her and giving a lopsided grin down at his love, “I felt sorry for them. I may have hated everyone at that time, but the War was going on, and most of them had been just been orphaned. Can you really say no to a bunch of pleading children eyes?” He will never admit to his loving side in front of all these people.

She just laughs at him.

The rest of the group is all scattered around, watching the two of them with grins on their faces. None of them had thought the two of them would be right for each other, but there was no way of denying how Bella had managed to get Damon to fall for her. He is devoted to her in a way he had never been to Elena.

Damon sighs into his glass remembering their first meeting. He basically fell for her that moment in time, but denied it for a long time. The look on her face when he looked into her eyes was it.

Taking another drink, he thinks back to that time.

(Flashback)

Bella had been a complete surprise. She had been on the run, and had literally run into Damon when she had come into the Grill. He had caught her as she had bounced off him.

She had looked behind her as he steadied her, and she asked him, “Thanks, but it would be better for you to let me go.”

Damon had raised his eyebrows, and asked her, “Why is that?”

She looked back at him, her eyes reluctantly moving away from the door. She met his ice blue eyes, and just stared for a second. Then she shook her head minutely, and told him, “I have someone chasing me. I am not good for anything but a body anyways. Just believe me when I tell you that you are better off letting go of me.”

He just smirked, but when he would have quipped back at her, she twisted herself out of his arms, and was off through the bar.

Blinking in shock, Damon turned to follow her. He is more surprised on how fast she moved. He barely caught the tips of her hair as it made its way out the back door.

Damon had been curious. He had tried to follow her, and instead had found only ghosts of the scent he had been enjoying when she had been in his arms.

It wouldn’t be until later that he found out that she had been running from a Cold One. Moreover, to his shock, as well as the others, it was Kol Mikaelson who rescued her already once.

He had in fact turned her, with Klaus helping him. They had left her for a day to grab stuff to bring her to Mystic Falls, but the Cold One had found them. She had almost had Bella, and instead Bella had gotten away only by the skin of her teeth. She had been running since then, only remembering that the brothers had planned to bring her to Mystic Falls. What they hadn’t told her was which one. Would you believe there is one in Nevada? Therefore, she had worked her way here, running from her past literally. She had learned how to feed, and compel others to make sure they didn’t remember her on her own.

The gang had been shocked to find that she had been less than a day old in her new life when she had started to run away.

Stefan is the one who had found her, and when she was mumbling about Kol, he took a chance and called the Original.

They had not parted on good terms, but they had parted all alive. Well, except Finn. Then, he had tried to kill them all, and they had found out that if any Original died, his line did. That had made a cease fire, that all honored. Rebekah had tried to kill Elena, but she instead had been daggered and put back to rest. Kol had been close to it, but when he went to Denver, he had come across the almost dead Bella and decided that there was just something about her. He had tried to heal her, calling his brothers to him.

Klaus had been the only one who answered.

When he arrived, he too was enthralled by the small woman who was fighting for her very life. With the information that Kol had given her so much blood that he could smell him clearly on the woman, and she was still in a bad way, Klaus had made a decision to make her a hybrid, he wanted her to always be able to fight for herself. Only there was a problem.

After a long fight, she woke and they had helped her transfer over with the help of a helpful for once witch. They had bargained for some of Elena’s blood, and Bella had come through all the way. However, she was not a Hybrid, no instead she is a Mikaelson now.

Klaus had been the one who came for her, and he had crouched over her snarling when Kol had followed him into the alley. Kol took one look at everything, then sniffed. He growled out to Klaus, “The bitch was here!”

Klaus looks up at his brother, and Kol took Bella from him. He carefully held her, taking note of the injuries. Klaus turned to Stefan, demanded from him an answer, “How did you find her?!?!”

Stefan had smirked and told him. “She has Damon searching for her. I just happened to find her before he did. She literally ran into him, and managed to pique his curiosity.”

With a savage growl, Klaus turned back to Kol, “Well?”

Looking up at him, Kol shook his head. “There is more than an attack here at work. She is healing, but underneath the damage, it looks like she was failing, dying.”

With a growl, Klaus turned on Stefan. “Gather the gang at your place. I will bring them and we will explain. We may need some more blood from Elena to heal her. I don’t know. But my new sister will not die!”

And with that, the two Originals are gone, leaving a mystified Stefan.

It had come to be a shock to everyone, when Bella refused to tell them why she was unhealthy. Elena felt for the fellow brunette, and freely offered her blood to the other to help. Damon on the other hand had sat in a chair, and with his hands held against each other, and the tips of his fingers meeting at his lips, he watched.

He felt a pull to the woman, but what he couldn’t understand was the frantic movements of Kol. Klaus was bad, but Kol was worse. He wondered if Kol was in love with the tiny woman.

What they had been told was that Kol shared his abilities with the woman. She is, for all intents, his sister. His twin if you wanted to truthful. It had taken a witch, when she was starting to die even with Klaus changing her. The helpful witch had appeared, and with their permission, she did a spell that made the woman an Original. Kol’s twin sister Original.

And she is slightly tied to Klaus from his trying to give her his Hybrid status. She is sturdier than Kol from it, but not a full Hybrid. The major thing is she is already immune to a werewolves bite.

So Kol was frantic over the sister he had always wanted, the loving caring version. Klaus had been surprised by the love he felt for this little woman, again, as a sister. When she had been missing, the two men had hunted for the two of them. One, the red head, to kill. The other to save.

After that, Damon and Bella had gotten closer, and eventually Kol and Klaus had to give into the love from the two.

This had made the Originals and the group found common grounds. This Christmas it had Elijah, who had come quickly to love the new sibling, Klaus with Caroline, Kol by himself, but doting on his sister as she teases Damon.

Another song floats through his mind, and Damon brings himself out of the memory. The blessed memory he keeps trying to drown out of his head with alcohol.

His attention caught by the song, an old one that he has not heard since he was a child. He looks up at the old man, and he raises an eyebrow as the man winks at him as he plays.

Damon sighs, and taking another drink, he tries, as he has done so many times before, to find where he went wrong. He had to have done something to land himself here. So far from friends, and family. So far from the one, he loves more than anything.

All of a sudden, a tall blond man sits down beside him. Damon looks at him, not recognizing him at all. The man has a blue sweater on, over some light grey slacks. He has a scruff on his face, and his voice has an accent Damon cannot place as he puts in an order for a bourbon.

The man turns and looking into the light blue eyes of Damon, he smirks. His own brighter blue eyes sparkle as he holds his hand out to him, “Eric.”

Taking the hand, Damon returns, “Damon.”

Eric turns slightly, and nodding his thanks to the bartender as he places his drink before him. He soon is taking a drink, looking over the bar. He then looks at Damon, “So what brings you here?”

A wry chuckle makes its way out of Damon’s mouth. He shakes his head minutely, “The usual.”

“Ah.”

Putting his drink down, Eric summarizes, “Woman issues. Or family, or you might be the lucky drawer of the winning of having both. Which would it be in this circumstance?”

“All the above.”

A look, Eric nods one side of his head. “Sounds very familiar.”

At the look from his companion, Eric expands on his comment, “I came here looking for someone. My own female. We often find ourselves dropped in odd places. I for one, get tired of being dropped off without a concern of how we find ourselves.”

Damon smirks, “Sounds like it happens often.”

Right before he takes another drink, Eric mutters, “Too often for my liking.” He takes the drink, and then asks, “So what about you? I’m waiting for a call, and wanted a drink. Are you waiting?”

Playing with his glass, Damon slowly shakes his head. “Nope.”

Putting down his drink, Eric turns his head. “Then why are you here?”

“Trying to forget.”

Snorting, Eric asks him, “And how is that coming?

“Abysmal if you really want to know.” Damon takes another drink, and signals for another one. “I am screwed no matter what. If I want to forget her, I think more on her. If I want to know what I did wrong, I see nothing wrong. No matter what I do, nothing works but me being miserable.”

Looking at the man, Eric feels for him. “Have you tried asking her or them what went wrong?”

“No.”

Eyebrow raised, “Then how do you know you did something wrong?”

Rolling his eyes, Damon answers him, “I normally do it. I am cursed to mess up things that are perfect. I thought I managed to get past it, but well, here I am.”

Nodding his head, Eric thinks through the comments said and unsaid. “So basically, you normally mess up something, so this is your fault automatically?”

The dark haired one snorts. “It fits the situation perfectly.”

The blonde-haired person shakes his head and glances up as he mutters, “I see your problems now.” Then he clears his throat, “I have found in my dealings with the other sex that it helps to talk. I have thought I have done things, to find out it is not my fault.”

Damon just chuckles. “Oh I did it. Just not sure what. I just had her twin brother and the rest of the family mad at me. I was chased out of the town we lived in by them.   Moreover, my own family helped them. Every time I called, it never was answered. So I am not sure how more plain it can be that it was my fault.” He tosses back the little left in his glass and signals for another one.

Watching him, Eric is reminded of all the times he has seen himself at this point. He wonders how his angel ever put up with him, but then he remembers how she had showed the two of them all the missteps they had taken in the different ways you can in the universe. So he thinks of what he can do to help fix this mess.

“When was the last time you tried?”

Turning his head, Damon asks, “What does it matter to you?”

Sighing, Eric tells him bluntly, “It matters. No one should be sitting on Christmas Eve in a bar drinking away memories. I have made mistakes, and it has taken another person talking to me, even when I didn’t want to listen, to make me see reason.” He rubs his pointer finger along his eyebrow and asks, “What would it hurt if you would to call? You may be shocked.”

Damon stares out the window to the outside, where the snow is coming down like pure salvation. He remembers when Bella dragged him out to play in the falling snow, excited more than anyone he had ever known at the prospect of playing in the snow with him did. From there, he remembers so many other times, and the words of the man beside him as well as the music from the old man combine to make him think.

He pulls out his cell phone, and turning it on, he takes a deep breathe. Then he presses send, calling the last number he has once called a couple times a day just to hear her voice.

It rings a couple of times, then a breathless voice answers, “Damon?”

He is shocked, and couldn’t make a sound, until she said his name again, and he breathes a revenant “Bella.”

Smiling to himself, Eric nods as he finishes his drink.

A year later, they are seated in the Boarding House, with Damon playing with his Bella’s fingers, kissing the ring he had placed there the month before. He had just finished telling the story yet again.

Kol is shaking his head, “So you never saw where the guy went?”

Not looking up at his brother in law, “Nope. He was there, and was gone the next minute. I sure wish I could see him again, to thank him for the help.”

Klaus is sprawled out, his head in Caroline’s lap, “I just wish we could find that red headed bitch. She and that family have made our lives miserable for the last time. I am hunting them, and have killed a fair few, enough to gain the attention of their so-called royal family. After the New Year, if they are not here, then it will be hunting season. No one messes with the Mickaelsons.” He is growling the last out.

Damon shrugs. “I’m just happy that you found out the truth.”

The group grins, with Stefan telling him, “Well if you had not turned the phone off, you would have heard much sooner.”

The dark haired vampire just rolls his eyes, as he looks adoringly on his wife. “Well, it all came to a good end.”

Bella grins at her husband, “Fitting for a carol even!”

The rest of the group groans, throwing pillows at them.

Outside a tall blonde covers his mate in his wings, kissing on her neck he tells her, “Another mission finished. And they are back together.”

The blonde female in his arms snuggles back into his arms. “Who knew this was so difficult? However, well worth it. It is time to go back.”

He chuckles, and holding her close, he tells her, “Just wait until we are home, my lover. I have many things I wish to do to you…”

With that said, the two of them fade out, no marks in the snow where they were just standing. The wind blows snow where they were, and the scene inside could be from a Christmas card, a family laughing and loving.

Final count: 3,455

The reason this one was so late, was that MistressJessica’s Final Strand inspired this story.  And since that was inspired by EricIzMine’s Multiverse, well I wanted it approved before I published it.  Angela, you are missed, more than you can ever imagine, but your memory still resides in our hearts, and that is the best way to be remembered.  Thanks for the memories, and I hope you are enjoying yourself in the Multiverse!

Fairfarren~Wendy