Chapter Thirty-Six

Darkness was everywhere, suffocating and pushing at Ella. She felt like she was falling through space and her stomach lurched. The last thing Ella remembered was Damon attacking her and then sliding down the wall. She wasn't even sure how long she'd been falling, it felt like an eternity but it could have only been a few seconds.

Ella didn't know what was happening or why but she wanted it to stop. Almost instantly she got her wish. The air whooshed from her lungs as she felt herself hit something soft. It took a few moments for her to get her breath back, when she did she opened her eyes.

The darkness was gone, in fact Ella recognised instantly where she was. She was home, lying on the sofa in the Salvatore Boarding House. Frowning, Ella sat up and looked around. She sighed in relief when she saw Damon standing at the window. He had his back to her, but Ella could tell from the set of his shoulders that he was worried.

"Damon?" she called to him, getting up from the sofa.

Damon didn't turn or show any sign of having heard her at all. Ella's frown deepened as she moved over to where her father still stood. She called his name several more times but still he didn't respond.

Ella stopped in front of Damon, but he didn't look at her instead he continued to stare out of the window. His face was twisted into a look of mingled worry and fear and he held a, still full, glass of whiskey in his hand.

"Damon? What's going on?" Ella asked.

Damon sighed and turned away from the window. He walked over to the side table that held his alcohol selection and set down his glass. Turning away from the table Damon looked toward the hall.

"I know you're there," he said.

For a second Ella thought he was talking to her and rushed over to his side. It soon hit her that he hadn't been speaking to her at all. Seconds after he spoke someone appeared in the doorway, Ella's gaze left the tense lines of her father's face and moved to the dark figure.

"Let her go Maria," Damon said to the figure, his voice sounded hollow and defeated. "Just let Ella go and you can do whatever you want to me."

"This is a new side to you Damon," Maria smiled as she stepped into the light.

Ella gasped at the sight of her mother and she realised what was happening. It was the same thing that had snapped her out of it the last time she was trapped inside her own mind with Gaby. She was having a vision, Maria had found Damon and everyone else was too busy watching Ella to notice.

"I don't know what you mean," Damon said with a smirk that meant he did know what she meant.

Maria laughed. "Still the same sarcastic joker you always were. But I'd never would have imagined you sacrificing yourself to save anyone."

"She's my daughter," Damon growled. "Our daughter, of course I would sacrifice myself to save her. I would do anything for her, and unlike you I would never intentionally hurt her."

"I love her too." Maria argued, her beautiful face twisting in fury.

"No you don't, you don't love anyone. No sane mother would mess with their daughter's mind and send them off to torment and kill their own father. Ella's done nothing except love you and you're using her as a pawn in your sick and twisted little game."

"She chose you!" Maria snarled, keeping her voice low so as not to alert the others. "When Klaus brought her to me to make her forget his plan...I told her who I was, I asked for her help to punish you. She refused, she said that she had spent time with you, that she loved you and she would never hurt you. I did what I had to do, it was the only way to get her to help me."

"Just let her go Maria," Damon pleaded now, moving toward the woman who had once been the love of his life. "I'll go with you, you can do whatever you want, torture me, kill me, I really don't care. Please just let my daughter go."

"You really love her don't you?" Maria asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Of course I do, she's my daughter."

"Things didn't have to be this way Damon," Maria sighed. She closed her eyes, turning her face away from Damon. "If you had just believed me, we could have been a family. We could have been a family, but now..."

Maria trailed off, opening her eyes again she took out her cellphone and quickly typed out a text message. When she was done she put her phone back in her pocket and held out her hand to Damon.

"It's done, if you leave with me now then Cassandra will release Ella for her spell in five minutes. If you don't then I send another message to Cassandra but this one will be to kill Ella, understood?"

Damon nodded. "You won't have to do that, I won't fight you."

"NO!" Ella screamed, but it was too late. Maria and Damon were gone and Ella was being swallowed by the darkness once more.

TBC...