"I've missed this. Waking up to you making breakfast the morning after."
When Onyx wakes, she finds herself alone in Damon's bed, white sheets draped over her naked body. She stands and finds Damon's shirt, slipping it over her head and pulling on her underwear.
"Damon!" She calls, walking downstairs. Entering the kitchen, she spies the shirtless vampire making waffles, a plate of bacon already on the counter. "What's all this?" She asks.
"I thought I would make you breakfast." Damon grins over his shoulder.
"You know, I always wanted a guy as hot as you to cook me breakfast. But I wanted it to be in my apartment in Paris with him in pajama pants, not jeans. Although you do have the shirtless sexy vampire part down." Onyx kisses Damon's cheek.
"Thanks. If you want to go to Paris, all you have to do is ask." Damon smirks, finishing the waffles he is making. "Enjoy."
Onyx takes two waffles and a handful of bacon. Damon takes the rest of the waffles and pours two glasses of blood.
They sit down at the table to eat and Onyx speaks. "I know I told you a long time ago about my family. I want to tell you the truth, if you'll listen."
"I'll listen, I promise." Damon chews a bite of waffle slowly.
"In 1596, my mother turned eighteen. When they threw her a party, her older cousin found her dead in her bedroom. Some guy she was in love with fed her his blood and snapped her neck. Her fiancé was devastated, until he learned the family secret. All of them were vampires and were going to turn my mother anyway, but someone else got to her first. She ended up marrying the guy, James Van Helsing. They had two children, Amber and Adrian. When my mother became headmistress of a boarding school, she fell in love with one of the men there. They are-were- my parents. But what my dad didn't know was that my mom had another child, a daughter she kept hidden from the rest of the world because she didn't want your Katherine to kill her. When I was born, my mom ran. She left the school, left her husband, and married my dad. Daddy never liked Amber or Adrian, mainly because Amber was a bitch and Adrian had boy issues all the time. My mom's old husband, James, was killed in a fire. Her sister was killed and then brought back to life. Eventually, we were all trapped in the school. My best guess is your Katherine found us and set fire to the grounds. My mom told my secret sister to run. She told her to take us and her nephew- Vixan- and run. My parents, my entire family, died in that fire. My aunt managed to escape and she's been searching for us ever since. I have no one, except my siblings who hate me, and my aunt who can't find me." Onyx can feel the tears welling up in her eyes, the humanity building up inside her.
"Onyx, hey. Everybody has a terrible family secret. I understand, now, about you having no one. But Onyx, you have me. I'm here for you." Damon grabs her hand across the table. "I'll protect you."
"Thanks. On a lighter note, why don't you give me that tour now?" Onyx asks, wiping her face and finishing her breakfast.
"Sure thing." Damon grabs their plates and sets them in the sink. "Come with me." Damon holds a hand out to Onyx.
Giggling, she takes his hand. "Such a gentleman, Mr. Salvatore."
"Baby, you haven't seen gentleman." Damon whispers in her ear, pulling her against him.
Onyx pulls away, her amber eyes sparkling. "I'm surprised you didn't run for the hills, Damon. My family secret isn't something everyone can handle."
"We all have a screwed up family. Your mom slept around, my brother killed our father. Elena's dad knew about vampires. End of story." Damon strokes Onyx's cheek. "You know, I never asked how old you are. Since you told me so much already, what's one more secret?"
"You should know to never ask a lady her age. It's rude. But if you must know, I was born in 1612." Onyx bites her lip, her eyes downcast.
"So you're, like, four hundred years old?" Damon asks, his eyebrows quirking.
"Four hundred and one, to be exact. I was born on August twentieth, sixteen-twelve." Onyx laughs, taking Damon's hand again. "But enough about me. Tour. Now."
Damon laughs and scoops Onyx up bridal-style.
As the tour the house, Damon keeps glancing at the gorgeous and damaged brunette next to him. How he managed to fall in love with someone other than a Petrova doppelganger is beyond him. He watches her for a moment- the way her dark curls bounce around her shoulders, the way her amber eyes catch and reflect light, how her skin seems to shine.
"You're beautiful, Onyx Storm." Damon says, turning her toward him and tucking a loose curl behind her ear.
"Damon." She turns her head.
"I'm serious." Damon places a finger under her chin and brings her face to his. His lips capture hers and he pushes her up against the nearest wall. "You're beautiful and powerful and any man is lucky to have you."
"You know the way to a woman's heart, Mr. Salvatore." Onyx smiles, pulling away. "I think I want to go back to the Grill."
"Why?" Damon asks, running a hand through his hair.
"Why? Because, Damon, I want to make friends. I don't know, maybe I'll go to New Orleans. Look, spending the night with you was great, like always. But while you're pining over some girl, I can't allow you to use me as a rebound. Call me when you're ready for a relationship."
"Onyx, I can't let you walk away. I did that once and it was the stupidest thing I've ever done. Please, Onyx. Stay." Damon watches Onyx walk away, his heart turning to stone.
As Onyx exits the house, she feels herself let go. She can feel the tears flowing down her face as she unlocks her Maybach. Turning, she can see Damon standing at the threshold, his arms crossed and his eyes on her.
She raises her hand and then drops it. "Turn it off, Storm." She whispers to herself.
And that's what she does- turns off her humanity. She eases herself into her car and speeds off. Onyx watches as Mystic Falls fades in the background until it becomes nothing more than a speck in the distance.
She stops at a restaurant in Georgia called Daisy's Diner.
"Hi there, I'm Sue Ellen. What can I get you?" A pretty yet plain girl stands behind the counter, smiling brightly at Onyx.
"I'll take a chocolate shake. And an order of fries." Onyx orders, her eyes flashing.
"Sure thing. And Miss? If you're gettin' over a breakup, don't be angry. I'm sure he'll come back to ya. You sure are pretty and I bet he doesn't know what he's missin'." The waitress smiles.
"Thanks. Oh, and Sue Ellen?" Onyx asks. "Don't pry into people's business."
Sue Ellen gulps and turns away. As Onyx waits for her order, she glances around the restaurant. The theme is obviously 50's and Onyx smirks. The fifties weren't her best decade. None of them were, come to think of it. When you spend the twentieth century running from a psycho doppelganger and an Original, you don't really take time to get lost in the era.
Sue Ellen places Onyx's order in front of her. "Oh, Miss, a man just entered. He's headed straight for you."
Onyx turns and her smile is genuine. "Vixan." She stands, wrapping her arms around the white-haired god.
"Onyx, love. I've missed you. You turned it off, didn't you?" Vixan kisses her cheek, sliding onto the stool next to hers.
"Damon Salvatore happened. I found him in Mystic Falls and slept with him. Then of course I had to leave. I can't let him use me again, Vix. First after Katherine and now after Elena. I'm done being his Doppelganger Rebound." Onyx sips her drink, chewing her fries.
"He's a dumbass, if you ask me. Onyx, I still love you. Why did you leave me?" Vixan asks.
"Honestly? It's because of Klaus." Onyx sighs.
"The Original that chased you from New Orleans to New York to San Francisco?" Vixan quirks an eyebrow. "I didn't know he's the reason you left. Why don't you pay him a visit?"
"I might as well. I have nothing to lose. After all, he was probably the one to get me knocked up in the eighteenth century. Oh come on, Vix, you didn't think you were the dad?" Onyx laughs, finishing off her meal.
"I think you need to go back to Damon Salvatore." Vixan drops ten dollars on the counter, nodding at Sue Ellen. "Keep the change."
"I don't need you, Vixan Dragomir." Onyx stands. "And I sure as hell don't need Damon Salvatore."