AN: I would like to apologize for any mistakes in advance. As for all your questions, everything will reveal itself. Probably in the next couple of chapters.

I would like to thank the lovely Jadiona, for helping me with my flaws and editing this chapter as well.

She looked at the car appreciatively. She didn't know what model it was but it was a beauty. He opened the passenger side for her and she was taken aback by the gesture. A gentleman or a killer? She suspected she would find out sooner than later and climbed in without any complaint. She loved the car, so luxurious and over the top. However, she was not going to admit it out loud, Damon's ego seemed huge enough as it is. He stepped on the gas and peeled-off towards the town. She settled in the seat and watched the world whiz by.

After minutes of comfortable silence, he startled her when he asked, "So what brings you to Mystic Falls?" He tried to be nonchalant, but she could hear the curiosity in his voice.

Her first thought was, so here the interrogation begins. She didn't know what to tell him or what his intentions towards her were. But she decided to keep it as close to the truth as possible.

"I had a tough couple of years and needed a change of scenery." She said and then looked at him.

He looked at her for a couple for moments with what could be only described as frustration. Suddenly he leaned closer and said, "You will not be staying at the hotel, I will take you to my home. You are going to tell me everything that happened and the real reason for which you are here." He was looking at her straight in the eyes, his tone firm and authoritative, his pupils dilated as he stared at her with such intensity that it made her wary. She gaped at him and suddenly realized that he was trying to compel her. Now that she thought about it, she remembered Hermione telling her something about one of the species of vampires that were able to compel people to do their whim. She had never been more thankful to Snape for all those occlumency lessons.

He was a Vampire!

Anger welled up in her. The nerve of him! Her jaw clenched tightly and she glared at him. She was not afraid of him, in fact it would only take a spell for her to kill him. Even in the muggle world people were trying to manipulate her. She was sick and tired of being used as a puppet. Enough was enough.

"You Arsehole!" She shouted and he almost swerved the car off the road. She noticed with satisfaction that he looked shocked at her outburst.

"Who the hell do you think you are? We don't know each other and you have no right to order me around. I don't know exactly what you're trying to do but you can piss-off." She paused before adding brusquely, "Stop the car."

He did as she said but was looked angry. No cross that, he looked absolutely livid. Athena didn't wait as she hurriedly got out and started walking. She had made no more than a couple of steps before she crashed into him. She almost fell back but he caught her by her waist. Immediately her body tensed, prepared for combat.

He looked straight in her eyes and murmured, "Vervain?"

"What?" She asked, genuinely confused.

He cocked his head to the side and looked at her with those unfathomable eyes as if trying to find the answers to the universe. Then suddenly his hands went to her wrists and held them tight to his chest.

"How did you do that?" He asked.

"Do what?" She feigned innocence. She tried to get her hands free so she could get her wand out but he just held them tighter.

"Deny the compulsion." His brows furrowed in concentration as he sniffed her. "Hmm.. No Vervain." He provided her eloquently.

Damon stared at her curiously, looking her up and down as if checking for something before released her hands and stepped back. He could hear her heart rate spike.

"I am sorry. It was not my intention to frighten you. As an apology, I would like to drop you to your hotel and without anything asked." He smiled as he made eyes at her that reminded her of a puppy.

She was just about to curse him into the next year when he apologized. She was taken aback by the apology and looked at him for a moment before she decided to accept. She didn't know why but somehow, she knew that he would not harm her. And then her mind supplied a single word to her. Fool.

"You try that again once more and I will kick your arse." Without another word, she turned around and went to the car. Soon he starting driving but this time he didn't start a conversation, and she prayed for it to stay that way. They reached the hotel within an hour. With the way he drove, she was not surprised at all. She thanked him and got out of the car when he called, "See you soon, babycakes!"

Athena didn't turn around but she could tell that he was smirking. Closing her eyes, she barely resisted the urge to bang her head somewhere and went inside without another word.

She checked in and went to the room. It was nothing much, a single room with a bed, a small sofa, a table at the corner with 2 chairs and a window. Athena was knackered. She took her stuff out from her pocket, dumped it on the table without enlarging anything, threw herself onto the bed and was out within seconds, so she was not able to see the black crow out of her window.

It'd been a week since she settled in her new home. Athena loved it here, even though she realized the first day that the town was not as human as it seemed. The first day, after her meeting with the agent and completing the remaining formalities regarding the house, or she should probably say mansion, she met a few people her own age. Matt, Bonnie, Caroline, Tyler and Jeremy all came to talk to her as soon as she stopped inhaling her food. Well, it was pretty delicious and she was starving. Matt, Jeremy and Tyler seemed pretty human but she was positive that Caroline was a vampire while Bonnie was a witch. She had felt her magic as soon as she saw the girl but there was something different about her. Not as strong, perhaps she was new or a different witch altogether. But they all seemed nice, friendly and welcoming. The 3rd day, she met Elena, Jeremy's sister. She was beautiful with brown eyes and was a brunette.

Meeting the girl would have been fine but she seemed arrogant and snobby. To say that the girl didn't like her at all, would be an understatement, and the feeling was pretty much mutual.

She met a couple of other people as well, Carol Lockwood and Liz Forbes– the Mayor and the Sheriff of the town. They welcomed her and invited her for tea. She was British and tea was her life, but she had never tasted tea like that. When she mentioned it, they just waved it off.

She had not met Damon after the day when he dropped her at the hotel, but from what she understood, she knew she would meet him sooner, rather than later.

The house she bought was huge, but being alone, she just used the living room which had a huge fireplace, as well as the kitchen which was connected to the dining room along with a huge bar and the master bedroom. Though, her favourite part of the house was the open area in front of the house from where she could see the forest. She could always cast the Disillusionment Charm and ride her broom. The place was huge. The first thing she did after unpacking was set the floo network and then the wards. There were many creatures in this town, not to mention the death eaters roaming somewhere in the world. Moody's shout of 'Constant Vigilance' would always be etched in her subconsciousness. Here she was not the Girl-who-lived or the Savior of the Wizarding World but only Athena and she had never known peace like this.

The only thing left for her to do was find her father. She was not sure if she should ask anyone. This was a small town and mouthing a word could lead to something which could turn out bad for everyone. She was not here to bother anyone. No. Now that she was settled, she would find him herself. Even if he asked her to leave, she would at least know the man.

She was enjoying some music and was in the process of making breakfast when her wards alerted her. She wasn't expecting company and didn't know anyone who would come to her house this early in the morning. She reminded herself that she had her wand in the holster under her sweater as she went to the front gate but almost turned around when she saw who it was. She just wanted to enjoy her breakfast. Was it too much to ask?

"Good morning, Sunshine." said Damon.

"Where did you get my address from?" Even as she asked it, she knew how foolish it was.

He didn't answer but quipped, "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Probably a bit of peace was too much to ask." She muttered under her breath but of course he heard her.

Both his hands went over his heart melodramatically and he said, "You wound me, doll face."

She looked at him and asked, "What's with the nicknames?"

"I am trying to find the one which suits you the best." He grinned and then said again, "Didn't anyone tell you that it's rude to keep your guests waiting at the door, Brit girl?"

She rolled her eyes heavenward and sighed. She knew that vampires had to be invited in. What choice did she have? This was not going to be a peaceful day.

"Come on in." she said just as he entered.

He was looking around the place as if he owned it. She didn't beat around the bush and asked, "What are you doing here Damon?"

"I just wanted to welcome our new guest and see if you need any help, sweetheart." He said nonchalantly.

Athena may be many things but dumb was not one of them. She knew he was curious about her and maybe even a bit suspicious. And there was the fact that something about him was familiar. She was smart enough to know that he was not going to answer her questions anytime soon so she gave up on it, for the moment. She looked at him and recognized the sadness and loneliness in his eyes. She was so going to regret it. She went to kitchen and took out two plates. She set up the full English breakfast on the dining table with juice and coffee. When she saw him looking at her, she called, "Come on, else it will get cold." He gave her a smile, not his signature smirk or the one when he was being sarcastic, a full-blown smile and it made her heart skip a beat.

They ate in silence and he praised her over the food when they were done. He had her blushing in no time. "It's nothing really. I used to make it all the time."

She was the one to break the comfortable silence this time. "So, what is it?"

He looked at her sharply and asked, "What?"

"You are here early in the morning, a place which no one else knows, biding your time..." when he opened his mouth to interrupt her, she shot him a glare and he closed it again - "...so either you are avoiding someone or running from something. So, which one is it?"

He looked at her for a long moment and murmured, "You are a clever girl, aren't you!?"

When she didn't say a word and just looked at him expectantly, he sighed and sat down on the sofa. Athena got up from the recliner, went to her bar, took out one bottle of firewhiskey, filled two glasses and handed one to him. She knew it was stronger than anything else but it was magically made so the fire would not harm him. He looked so lost and miserable that she wanted to help him out if she could. He looked at the bottle and raised his eyebrows at her but took the glass. She was about to warn him when he nodded his thanks and took a sip.

His eyes watered and it burned his throat, which almost ended in a coughing fit.

"What was that?" He asked with a scratchy throat after a moment.

"It is called firewiskey and is a special recipe. Not many people know about it." She shrugged and chucked it all down in one go.

She reached for more and saw him looking at her with his jaw slacked open. "What? I have been drinking it since I was 14."

He shook his head as his lips twitched. He took the glass and settled in front of the fireplace again. Neither said anything for a moment. Then he stated, "Baby bro got into a complicated situation, had to leave town and it was my fault. Long version short, I tried to help, which didn't do any good. His girl didn't say it but I can see it every time I look into her eyes that she blames me. I'll spare you the soap opera but he is back with his new friends and is acting like the rebellious teenager he is. Now I have to babysit brother dear and keep an eye on them because they are nothing but trouble." Then he added as an afterthought, "I am too old for this shit."

It didn't take her long to get the clear picture. So, he has a brother so it was obvious that he was a vampire. He brought some friends who Damon clearly hated and she was pretty sure that the new friends were some kind of supernatural beings as well. Damon didn't seem like a guy who would care about some minor issues, which only meant that his brother and company were cooking something big. She shuddered. The peace didn't last long but with her luck, she wasn't even expecting it. She made a mental note to keep her wand with her at all times.

For now, she focused on him. It was obvious that whatever drove his brother out of town was eating Damon up. She could not help but notice the similarities between them. She knew that the weight of such guilt could crush someone. She saw the loneliness in his eyes and the fact that he was here with a stranger, instead of a friend. It could be a possibility that he had no one to talk to. She thought about her friends and the Weasley's. Where would she be now if none of them would have been there for her? Dead. She was sure of it and she had never felt more grateful. Behind his flirting and sarcastic ways, she could see a broken heart and the damage that he had no doubt suffered. He was most likely old and had lost his loved ones as well. The sarcastic way in which he mentioned his brother's girl, she could bet her money that there was a story there. And then she decided that no matter what, she would try to help him. She stood up from her spot and went to sit next to him.

"Did you do it on purpose?"

He looked startled. He probably had not noticed when she came and sat next to him but composed himself and said, "What? Of course not."

"Then it was not your fault." When she saw that he was about to argue, she shot him another glare. What was with him and always cutting her in mid-sentences. "No, listen to me. I have been in a situation like this. I know how terrible it is. It's like a crushing weight on your chest and you feel like all the air has been sucked out of your system. You cannot breathe. Wherever you look, it feels as if everyone is blaming you." She took a deep breath and started, "I was fourteen. There was an accident at my school. A friend of mine died and it was my fault. I just stood there and did nothing. And he paid the price. There isn't a day when I don't think about it, about things I could have done. He could have been alive. But its too late now and nothing's left but regrets. Damon, whatever it was, I am sure was not your fault. And even if it was, you tried to help him. I know you think that you failed but a failure is not always a mistake. It simply means that it was the best you could have done under the circumstances. The real mistake would be to stop trying."

And she gave his hand a squeeze.

He looked at her then, really looked at her for the first time. He could see the pain in those green orbs which matched his own. He could not decipher how such a young girl could have suffered to the point where she could think of nothing but living with this pain. And even then, she was trying to help him. HIM ! He was nothing but a killer. A monster. No one in his entire existence, cared about his feelings, unless they wanted something or had some hidden agenda. No one has given him a second thought, ever. Even the woman he turned for didn't love him. Elena surely cared about him but he had never been her priority. It's always been Stefan. He stood and abruptly turned away from her so she wouldn't be able to see how deeply her words affected him. He cleared his throat from the lump that rose.

Athena looked at him and cursed herself. She didn't mean to annoy him. She did not know him but she was sure that he was a good person, behind all that bad boy act.

"Damon." She called tentatively from her spot on the sofa. "I am sorry."

He looked at her in bewilderment and asked, "What are you sorry for?"

"I didn't mean to upset you. I... I shouldn't have said anything."

He laughed then and said, "You didn't upset me, oh wise one!"

He gave her a smile. His smile was like the sun breaking through the clouds. And then she mentally slapped herself for her thoughts.

He headed towards her bedroom and she followed him, confused. He opened her wardrobe and started rummaging through it. It was so baffling to see a stranger, practically throwing her clothes left and right that she couldn't even get the words out of her mouth. She was still standing there looking at him with wide eyes and mouth hanging open, when he told her to wear the clothes that he selected. Not only was a vampire looking into her wardrobe without her permission but was ordering her to wear what he chose?

Finally, she was able to work her brain enough to yell, "What do you think you are doing?"

"Get dressed, Princess. We are going out." And with that he left her room. She was so baffled by the turn of events that she couldn't say a word which abruptly changed when she saw the clothes which he selected and shouted on the top of her lungs.

"Damon!"

As with everything she did not notice, that he already knew which her room was.

EN: I work 12 hours a day, so I would like to request you to be patient with me. I will try to update it early but, in any case, it would be updated, atleast once a week.

"I am trying to find the one which suits you the best." I remember reading something similar in one of the fic years ago and its stuck in my mind ever since. I don't remember where, but I thought to mention it in any case. It is not the same dialogue but the idea is not mine.

Next chapter would be more from Damon's Pov.

July 23rd, 2018