Title: Love Never Dies...

Summary: Damon's ex returns to Mystic Falls in order to help Stefan with the Katherine situation. How does Damon handle the return of Aria? R&R

Chapter One: The Return

Aria stood in the shadows and silently watched as Damon and Stefan were having their usual rant. She watched them for awhile just for entertainment. She soon got bored and before you knew it, she was standing before them. Her long black-brown hair that curled at the bottom, her black nail polish, her beautiful hazel coloured eyes and the midnight purple coloured tattoo that always stayed on her hand.

'Aria? Is that you?' Stefan recognised.

'In the flesh.' She smiled and gestured her hands at her body.

'What are you doing here?' Damon asked, curiously and rudely.

'I am here to help my dear friend Stefan with his kitty Kat problem.' She smirked.

'Damon here has a new obsession.' Stefan said.

'Really? What happened to Katherine? Got to clingy?' Aria joked.

'The Lockwoods. The Gilbert device affected them but not the vervain. So, they're obviously not vampires. They're something else.'

'Werewolves?' Aria suggested knowing the real truth.

'That's not possible. Werewolves don't exist.' Damon stated.

'I heard there is a carnival tonight. Anyone going?' Aria asked.

'Yes. You can come with me and meet Elena.' Stefan said.

'Thanks for the offer but I think I'm going to hang out with Damon for the day.' Both the brothers were shocked by what Aria had just said.

'Why do you want to hang out with me? I thought you came here to help Stefan.' Damon said rudely.

'Because I haven't seen my ex in a while and want to know and see how things are going.' Aria simply answered.

'You do realise that sounds messed up.' Damon said.

'Yes but you know how I am.' Aria smirked.

'Yes Aria. We do.' Stefan smiled.

'Okay. We'll I have things to do. Like explode.' Damon smirked. Aria stayed for awhile to talk to Stefan.

'Is he alright?'

'He's Damon.'

'So. You and Elena? Is Katherine not going to get in the way?' Aria asked.

'No. We are stronger than that.' Stefan reassured Aria.

'Stefan. I heard you've been drinking animal and not human.'

'Yes.'

'Stefan! You're going to need the human blood sooner or later. And you need to learn to control it like Damon has. If you don't do this soon, one day you might just kill Elena because the force of the thirst will be twice as strong as it is usually.'

'It won't. I'll be fine. Weren't you meant to go with Damon?' Stefan reminded Aria.

'Yes. But I shall meet him at the carnival.' Aria smiled and disappeared.


~One Hour Later~

Damon was holding Jeremy in a head/arm lock sort of thing. Aria popped up in front of both of them.

'Damon. I am ashamed. Why are you bullying a younger?' Aria said sarcastically.

'Aria. How nice of you to arrive?' Damon smiled.

'Let him go.' Aria said as she looked at her nails.

'Fine.' Damon said and aggressively let Jeremy go and pushed him. As Jeremy stood up, Damon threatened him and threw his ring at his head.

'Damon! Leave him alone.' Aria ordered and this time she was serious. 'Are you alright?' Aria asked Jeremy.

'Get lost.' Jeremy spat and was walking off but Aria held his hand and pulled him back.

'Hey. I asked you a question. I didn't tell you to be rude to me.'

'He hurt me. How do you think I'm doing?' Jeremy said angrily and stormed off.

'Really Damon? Why?'

'He was threatening me.' Damon shrugged.

'And that gives you a right to hurt him. How?'

'Just leave me alone. I have work to do. Good bye.' Damon smiled and ran off. Aria let him go and went around the carnival to have some fun. A few minutes later she came across the parking lot where she saw Damon burning on the ground and Bonnie doing the spell and Elena. She sped over to him, pushed Bonnie against one of the cars with her breath and moved the fire away from Damon. It almost looked as if she was a witch but she wasn't. Elena ran over to Bonnie.

'Bonnie!' She screamed.

'Damon. You okay?' Aria asked as she helped Damon up.

'Thanks.' Damon said as he tried to regain his strength.

'Don't mention it.'

'What did you do?' Elena came screaming at Aria.

'Keep your voice down. Elena.' Aria said calmly.

'What? Who are you? How do you know my name?' She asked nervously and a little scared.

'I'm Stefan's friend and Damon's ex. Your little witch friend was almost killing him and all you did was stand there. I simply made her unconscious.'

'What are you?' Elena asked.

'You will never know.'

'How did you do that?' Damon asked.

'Damon. Out of all people, you should know that I never answer those questions.'

'Why? Why don't you just tell me?'

'Because then we'll all be killed.' Aria simply said.

'When will she wake up?' Elena asked Aria.

'Ergh. Wait.' Aria sighed and blew into Bonnie's direction and within seconds she woke up.

'What happened?' Bonnie said as she got up with the help of Elena.

'Are you okay?' Elena asked.

'Yeah.' Bonnie replied.

'Well. I'd love to stay and chat but this is too boring for me. See-ya.' Aria gave a salute and disappeared.

'Who was she?' Bonnie asked Elena whilst Damon went off too.

'She's a friend of Stefan's and Damon's ex.' Elena explained.

'What? Damon's ex?' Bonnie said, shocked.

'Yeah. I need to go talk to Stefan. Are you going to be alright?'

'Yeah.' Both Bonnie and Elena went off into the carnival. Elena found Stefan in the toilets helping Caroline.

'Stefan. Can I ask you something?' Elena asked.

'Sure.'

'Does Damon have an ex who is also your friend?'

'Yeah. How did you-.' Stefan chuckled. 'I'm guessing you met her.'

'Yeah. She kind of made an impression. Especially with Bonnie. But I don't understand. Were they in love before or after Katherine?'

'Kind of both. She met him before and they expressed their love after. But they were really good friends. Weirdly enough she doesn't hate Katherine.' Stefan replied and Elena was trying to imagine.

'So. How's she doing?'

'Better.'

Aria found Damon at home drinking and listening to music.

'You're missing the party!' Aria shouted as she came in.

'Why are you here?' Damon asked - suddenly standing inches away from her lips.

'For Stefan.' Aria lied.

'Aria. I can tell when you lie. Why are you really here?' Damon asked, this time looking into her eyes and placing his hands on her shoulders.

'I can't tell you.' Aria finally said.

'Aria. Why did you leave?' Damon asked - relating to their break up. Serena sighed and sat down on the couch. Damon stood near her and faced her.

'I was kidnapped and forced to leave. They took me to some place called 'Collision.' It was basically a place where they help others with the same power as me to control and be able to use it properly. But they made us kill many lives. I managed to escape. I am here because they are out on the run, looking for me. If they find me, they will kidnap me. Take all of you lot away. Kill you one by one in front of me and then they will torture me until my death. I don't want anything to happen to any of you. I am here because they know I hate small towns and because Katherine is here.' Aria explained. Damon went over and sat next to her.

'What do you want with Katherine?'

'She has plans. Plans to hurt you, Elena and everyone else. She won't leave until she has Stefan. I can't let her hurt anyone else. She's already hurt you and killed many lives.' Stefan then entered in.

'Hey. Didn't catch you at the carnival.' Aria said to Stefan.

'Yeah. I was a little busy. Heard you met Elena and hurt Bonnie. What's that about?'

'She tried to kill Damon. I was only saving him. Besides, she didn't get any marks, scars or blood anywhere. Not that there was any blood.'

'You still could've done it another way.'

'Like what? She was burning Damon. Did you want me to find some sort of magic water and pour it over him?' Aria asked Stefan.

'You know what I meant.'

'Yeah but I was just saying. Okay. Um. I need to leave. I'll be back in 2 days maybe a little later.' Aria said as she got up.

'Where are you going?' Damon got up and asked.

'I need to go quickly handle some minor issues of mine. I'll be back.'

'Be careful.' Stefan said.

'I'll try.' Aria smirked. She quickly hugged both Stefan and Damon and disappeared.

'You still like her.' Stefan said as a wide smile appeared across his face.

'What?'

'You still like her.'

'Don't you have Elena or Katherine to go after?' Damon said and walked off.