A.J.

"Damon, are you home?" I asked as I walked into the boardinghouse.

"Yep, I'm up here," he called from the bedroom.

"I am going to go read a book," Harper said. I wasn't surprised that he was still a bookworm.

"Have fun," I laughed, going upstairs and plopping down on the bed beside Damon.

"Did you enjoy your lunch with the Brit?" he asked sarcastically.

"Actually, I did. We discussed what he wanted to do with his life and committing high treason on French fries," I said simply, laughing when Damon lifted one eyebrow.

"I'm not going to ask you to elaborate on that last bit," he said, rolling over on his side to face me.

"You would've had to have been there," I told him.

"I feel sure. So, what do you want to do?" he asked me.

"Well…what is there to do?" I asked, feeling bored out of my mind already.

"We could go out to the lake," he suggested, and I perked up at the mention of the lake buried deep in the woods behind the boardinghouse.

"Sounds perfect," I said, getting off the bed.

"I'll race you."

"I'll win," I said, taking off running.

I'm pretty sure we tripped over each other and crashed into the water at about the same time.

"I do believe it's a tie," I said, surfacing.

"I agree," he nodded, surfacing next to me.

I swam contentedly beside him, and we did so for hours, not hindered by energy loss like humans would be.

"So, A.J., what do you say we go somewhere this weekend?" Damon asked me.

"Where?"

"I don't know. How does…" he trailed off briefly, "Italy sound?" he asked offhandedly, as if the idea had just popped into his head.

"That sounds amazing!" I said, swimming over and throwing my arms around him.

"I already have the tickets," he added smugly.

"You knew I would want to go to Italy, huh?" I teased, smiling.

"Absolutely," he grinned, kissing me.

"I'll go pack," I smiled.

That weekend, arriving in Italy…

I stared at my surroundings in awe as I held on to Damon's arm, walking through downtown Venice.

"Do you like it?" he asked me.

"I love it, it's perfect," I said, fixated by his eyes. This happened to me frequently. I would be walking, talking, and functioning normally, but one gaze that I held too long with Damon made me dizzy and incoherent. I thought absently of who I was before I met him, the sweet, shy A.J. North that saw the shot man under a streetlamp and couldn't let him go even after she saved him. Mine and Damon's relationship had been so hard, so complicated, yet here we were, in Italy, crazy in love.

"What's on your mind?" he asked softly.

"I just can't believe how different I am now, how different I am from the girl that held on to you while you died," I said, sighing softly. I was a completely different girl now. I was a predator, a vampire. And as disturbing as it is, I enjoy being a vampire.

"You're not as different as you think," he said, his lips curling up at one side.

"What do you mean?" I asked, puzzled.

"I mean that you are the same girl that…" his voice trailed off, and he bit down on his lip.

"The same girl that what?" I asked, turning him to face me.

He shook his head. "Never mind. It's not important," he said.

"Yes it is. What were you going to say?"

"I was going to say that you are the same girl that…I fell in love with. Sappy, I know. But it's true," he said hoarsely, as if the words were hard for him to say.

"I love you too," I said, leaning up to kiss him.

Damon

A.J. and I toured Venice all day, and finally got back to the five star hotel I had rented for us.

"Ostentatious much?" she asked.

"Very much," I replied, getting out of the black Ferrari F50 I had rented us. I believed in traveling in style.

"It's beautiful," she said, taking in the ornate, expensive hotel.

"I rented this one for a reason," I told her, smiling.

"Because it made your credit card shriek in protest?" I asked, cocking one eyebrow.

"No. Because they are having a party tonight. A masquerade party," I added.

"Just like prom," she said, her face lighting up.

"Exactly like prom," I said happily. That had been the night I had asked her about becoming a vampire, the night that had changed everything.

"Ironically enough, I brought my mask from prom. I don't know why, but I wanted to bring it," she laughed, seeming thrilled and excited about the party.

"Wonderful. I brought mine simply because I knew about the party before we even came. It's the original reason I decided on Italy," I told her as we checked in and went upstairs.

"When does the party start?" she asked.

"Seven p.m., in the ballroom. I already have directions to it, believe it or not it is part of the hotel."

"A hotel with a built in ballroom? No wonder this place is five star," she laughed, helping me unpack at vampire speed.

I stood in the main part of the bedroom getting dressed while A.J. took the bathroom, and smiled when I pulled my mask off of the dresser. I was already in my tux, which was completely black (right down to the dress shirt) except for my royal blue silk tie. It didn't look goth, but I undoubtedly looked like a vampire.

"Are you ready?" I asked through the door, sliding my shoes on.

"Just about," she responded, and I heard a hairdryer turn on. Women and their primping, I thought wryly, shaking my head.

"I'll meet you downstairs," she added.

"Do you know how to get to the ballroom?" I asked.

"I'll get someone to give me directions. I want to surprise you," she said, and I felt my lips curl up at one side.

"Alright then. I'll see you down there," I said.

"See you there."

A.J.

I stood in the doorway of the ballroom, smiling slightly in anticipation. The large double doors were propped open, so I probably stood out a good bit as I lingered in the doorway.

It was fifteen minutes until the party was due to start, but people of all sorts were already arriving. I looked around and spotted Damon, who looked as heartbreakingly perfect as always. I walked over and stood in front of him, smiling as his eyes roamed hungrily over my body. I had bought the dress in a boutique while he and I had been touring Venice, and had insisted that he didn't peek at it until I was actually wearing it. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I would be wearing it to a masquerade ball.

"You look…" his voice trailed off.

The dress had a corset bodice and a full skirt, both parts were black and lined with sapphire blue Swarovski crystals. It swept the floor, and my hair was swept into a complicated updo on the back of my head.

"You don't look so bad yourself," I said, leaning in to kiss him. His lips were warm and soft against mine, and I felt him deepen the kiss hungrily. I felt his tongue run along my lower lips, asking for entrance.

"We are in public, Damon," I reminded him, pulling away. I smiled slightly, flattered I had affected him so deeply.

"Lovely," he muttered, eyes running down my body.

"My face is up here," I said, tilting his chin up to where his eyes were level with my face and not my chest.

"And your point?"

I sighed and shook my head. "Let's dance," I said as a slow, beautiful song started. It was "May I" by Trading Yesterday, and we began to waltz. It was one of the older ones, and I was glad I knew how to do it. It was about the intimacy of a near touch, and in the beginning out hands were extremely close but not touching.

When I finally stepped forward into his arms, our gazes were locked and I felt like we were two candle flames, catching each other and merging together, flaring higher and higher. We danced throughout the entire party, and by the time it was over his blue eyes were burning with desire.

"Upstairs," he said hoarsely, taking my arm.

"Damon!" someone called.

I turned to see Elena standing in the doorway of the ballroom, in a stunning red gown that swept the floor.

"What is she doing here?" Damon muttered, slightly irritated.

"I don't know," I sighed, biting back my frustration as we walked over.

"May I talk to Damon alone for a moment?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Um, yeah, sure," I said, walking away.

I walked out of the ballroom, into the next room, perching on an ottoman. There were still so many voices from the people left at the party that I couldn't hear their voices, but I started to worry when half an hour later he still wasn't back. I got up and walked back into the ballroom, looking for Damon.

I wasn't prepared for what I saw.

Elena had the collar of his shirt clenched between her fingers, and her mouth was pressed hungrily to his. His eyes were still open, as if he was shocked. But he didn't pull away. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him to her.

Blinking back my tears, I stared at them in shock. Glancing my way, Damon caught my eye. He looked mortified, just as he should. Feeling tears streak down my face, I spun around and ran out of the hotel and onto the sidewalk. I felt my face transform with fury, and my face was wet with tears.

"A.J. wait!" Damon called after me.

I ignored him and continued running down the sidewalk, also ignoring the people that stared after me curiously.

"A.J. please!" he pleaded, catching up to me at vampire speed, not even caring about the people crowding the sidewalk.

"Leave me alone, Damon," I said to him.

"You don't understand. It wasn't Elena, it was Katherine," he explained.

"Oh because that makes it so much better!" I yelled, slapping him hard across the face.

"What am I? Was I just a time filler until you got your precious Katherine back?" I screamed, headless of the people milling about.

"Please let me explain-"

"Explain what? How good of a kisser she is?" I cut him off, my jaw clenching.

"She wouldn't let me go, I was not kissing her back. She is over three hundred years old! I could never overpower her," he said, his eyes begging me to understand. But I met him with a gaze that was hard and cold. I was angry and I was hurt.

"Go to hell," I spat. I knew that I must be a strange sight, with my face transformed but wet with tears. It only made me angrier that he was seeing me this weak, this fragile.

"A.J. I brought you here for a reason. To Italy, to this party. There was a reason behind all of it. I wanted it to be perfect."

"You wanted what to be perfect?" I demanded furiously.

"This."

He sunk to one knee in front of me, and pulled a small black box from the inner pocket of his jacket. He opened it, revealing the sparkling diamond ring nestled inside.

"A.J. North, will you marry me?"

"Sometimes there are no words. No clever quotes to neatly sum up what's happened that day... sometimes the day just... ends."

~Aaron Hotchner

Author's Note:

So there it is, the end of Angel of Mercy. The sequel will include the conclusion to the end scene of this chapter, and it will also go more in depth where Harper is concerned. He will play a very big part in the sequel, as will Sam. (Note: Harper is in no relation to the Harper on The Vampire Diaries, they just happen to have the same name. But again: the two Harpers are completely different from one another).

The sequel will be called All About Us (after the T.A.T.U song) because it's a more in depth study of the Ocs, about their personalities and motivations.

With all that said, thank you so much to all of the amazing readers who have encouraged and supported this fic, and to everyone who has reviewed, you guys are great! And of course, thanks to drodgers89, for her constant help with my fan fictions :-)