Sagittarius stood there clenching his fists. "He can't be your soulmate, if you were with him for a year and then you left him for a year. If he were your soulmate you'd be living happily ever after by now."
"No, you don't get it. We didn't know, we thought we could live without each other but we can't and I know I'm not explaining myself properly but I really need to get back to Damon okay?" I stomped off into the woods leaving an open mouthed Sagittarius standing there for a good minute or so before he came trotting after me.
"So what am I going to do about Mavro?" he asked when he'd caught up with me, I sighed heavily. When would men ever learn to take control of their own lives?
"Why don't you announce that you've had enough of me and marry that pretty little Palomino who was dressing me this morning? She seems to think you're the best thing since sliced bread," I suggested.
"We don't have sliced bread here," was all I got back which made me go mad.
"Sagittarius! You're a Prince, warrior and leader of a whole herd of centaurs who look up to you to lead them. So for once in your life get your head out of the clouds and make a decision about your own life!" But he looked so stunned and rejected that I instantly regretted my words.
"Look, I'm sorry okay. It's just that you said you've been waiting for me for all this time and I've disappointed you, I didn't mean to but you always have to have a back up plan if things don't work out, you should know that. So do us both a favour and make a decision about Mavro and stick to it, whatever happens."
He regarded me with a puzzled look for a moment and then sighed, "you're right. I've been hanging on for you for years and that's why Mavro is trying to take over my herd. My indecision has nearly cost me my herd and my obstinance cost me my wife, I just hope it hasn't cost me her friendship as well." He smiled down at me and I smiled back up at him.
"Of course it hasn't. I really have enjoyed being here with you, perhaps if things were different.." he suddenly swung me onto his back and launched himself into a gallop before I had the chance to finish my sentence.
Once back at camp I said my goodbye to the friends that I had made and Sagittarius carried me towards the cave entrance. We were about halfway when he stopped and began to shimmer, I was half prepared to find myself landing on my bum as the shimmer meant he was changing, but to my surprise he changed into a horse instead and when I looked round me so had Helios and the rest of his personal guard, I was going to make quite an exit as we galloped flat out the rest of the way and I couldn't help but screeching a loud "wooo!" as we left the others eating dust.
It was over too quickly though and I was through the cave and back in the museum, but this time there was no one to meet me as no one expected me. So with the little money I had left from last visit I caught the train back to Damons' flat, the Ferrari was parked in his space in the exclusive gated community car park and I got a couple of odd looks from a neighbour as I caught the lift up to the penthouse.
I rang the doorbell constantly just in case he thought it was someone else, I couldn't help but grin when I heard him swear in Italian and he came to the door with his trousers barely done up, "about time! I'm starving, what's for dinner?" I went to walk in but he put his arm out to stop me.
"What exactly are you doing here Elizabeth? I thought you were with your husband?"
I grinned at him and asked if he had another girl with him, which really annoyed him "of course I don't have a girl with me! Now why are you here? I'm assuming this has something to do with your husband so out with it!" he spat the word husband out like it left a nasty taste on his tongue, I hoped this would work as I nervously pushed my hair back behind my ears.
"Ex-husband you mean. No, it hasn't." His whole expression changed in instant and a slow wide grin spread over his face, he dropped his arm and gestured for me to enter, I went straight to the sitting room and saw paper work spread over the coffee table. I had never seen him looking over anything the whole time I had known him, "sorry. Am I interrupting something important?"
He bundled it up into a neat pile on the edge, "not at all Elizabeth. I'm pleased you finally came to your senses. I have some of that wine you like if you wish to celebrate- oh and I think I may have some of that chocolate around here somewhere as well.." he walked off to the kitchen and I followed him.
"Damon, there's no need. Really.." he turned sharply and looked at me intently and for a minute I thought I'd said something very wrong.
"Oh but there is, my dear. You and I belong to one another and whilst I don't particularly like the idea anymore then you do, there's not a great deal we can do about it."
"What do you mean, you don't like the idea?" I suddenly felt that perhaps I'd just made a horrible mistake, if Damon was only putting up with me until a solution could be found...
"What I mean is that I was looking for my Queen of Darkness, someone to be by side forever and instead I found you- a human woman who can't make up her mind whether she loves me or hates me." That hurt and he saw it in my eyes, but as he opened his mouth to speak I decided to speak for him, "I wanted you from the moment I read about you. I'm sorry if I'm a disappointing soulmate, guess I'm as bad at that as I am at being a wife."
I turned to go but he grabbed my arm and spun me round to face him, "Elizabeth Roberts! Stop being such a stupid fool! Tell me what you felt during the time were apart? Did you feel empty deep down inside like there was a hole in your life that needed to be filled?" I stared up at him in astonishment.
"That, was why I came back from Italy. That, was also why you and I used to be so close when we were all living together as one big, happy family." Then I knew for certain that he really did love me and despite breaking each others' hearts we were meant to be, he bent down and kissed me passionately on the lips, I returned the kiss and before I knew it I was flat out on the bed with Damon drawing blood from my neck.
I wasn't ashamed to admit that I enjoyed it and when he had finished he grabbed a fierce looking kitchen knife and cut himself so that I could take blood from him, afterwards he kissed me as I lay half on him and half in the tangled sheets. He had a smug satisfied grin on his face as he stretched lazily like a cat for his mobile and phoned Stefan to tell him that I had finally split up from Sagittarius and I was staying round his place, Stefan must've asked if I was alright because Damon told him I was asleep and truth be told it had been a busy day so I snuggled closer into his shoulder and fell asleep.
I awoke a couple of hours later, Damon was in the living room with the paper work spread out over the coffee table again. "It's fine piccolina, just some business that I need to look over for my accountants, now you're here hopefully I'll be able to get on with it."
"Don't tell me you were worried," I mocked gently.
He snorted and flashed me a grin over his shoulder, "not at all. It was just very distracting and inconvenient with you living there. Stefan was very concerned and so were the girls."
I went and perched on the arm of the chair, he pulled me down and kissed me gently on the lips, "are you glad I'm here?" I asked.
He smiled at me and said "very. Now go and get cleaned up as we're going out for dinner in ten minutes, you have clothes in the chest of drawers nearest the window and the rest of your stuff is in the wardrobe. I'm really going to have to take you shopping soon, you didn't take much care over your appearance while I was gone did you? You were too distracted by that new bookshop and don't try to deny it, Stefan said his study has had to have three more cases installed just to accommodate your books."
I laughed at that and headed to the shower, when I came out there was a dress waiting for me on the bed with accessories to match.
Dinner turned out to be in the little Italian near to Grove House and Stefan wasn't best pleased that we were five minutes late, but Bonnie and Elena unsuccessfully hid grins. I was starving and managed mains and their excellent Tiramasu while avoiding Stefans' intense gaze and the occasional smart remark from Damon. After the empty plates were cleared away we went back to Stefans' place where he produced a bottle of champagne and a photo of a large house.
"Elena and Bonnie are always saying how much they miss Grove house, so I thought that now Matt's coming over..."
"Stefan!" Bonnie and Elena practically yelled, Damon's eyebrows went up and Stefan lookeda bit perplexed. "That was supposed to be a surprise!" Bonnie scolded, "how did you find out about that?"
"Matt told me," I couldn't help but laugh at the expression on the girls' faces. "As I was saying, don't start quizzing until after I've finished Lizzie otherwise this will go on all night. Matt's coming over to live in the UK, you're back and as Damon keeps reminding me we were all very happy at Grove House, minor dramas notwithstanding" he glared hard at Damon and I.
"So I thought we might give it another go, there isn't anywhere really round here and as our little Paranormal Investigation company is doing so well I though why not move to London? Let me know what you think of this."
The paper was snatched off him by Elena, the boys didn't get a look in. "This looks wonderful Stefan!" Breathed Elena. Stefan looked very pleased with himself, I was horrified at the price of two and a quarter million but a voice inside my head told me not to worry about it, they could easily afford it. Especially as the price was knocked down to two million, I looked at my boyfriend who was trying his best to look innocent which in my book made him almost certaainly guilty. The one thought that popped up in my head was we had practically come full circle, but how long would teh harmony last this time?