Chapter Three – Come Back Soon

*Looks up nervously from behind laptop* Hi there! Um...so yeah. I haven't updated in ages. And this is only a crappy update. Er...I'M SORRY! PLEASE DON'T THROW THINGS AT ME...ouch, who threw that? I know that I'm being pathetic with my updates, and I really am sorry. I'm not going to promise to update every week or anything, but I'll do my best...no, I'll do better! Please review, even though I've been a horrible updater...this chapter is very important! I hadn't planned to stage this scene so early, but tbh, I really can't be bothered to think of gap-fill that you'll all hate. I hope you don't hate this too much! It's quite a repetitive storyline, I know...you might recognise it. But this will be different. I swear. This is going to make it interesting. And also hopefully stop Damon being too OOC, which I've noticed I write like sometimes.

Oh, and one other thing. I love reviewers. I especially love signed reviews, because I can reply to them individually. I also love anonymous reviews, because it makes me feel loved that people take the time to give me feedback. So first off, this chapter is dedicated to all you lot. You are fabulous. X

But, on a more serious note, I do take all reviews to heart, and try to adapt my work to suit. On another one-shot I posted, I got an anonymous review...not exactly a nice one. I appreciate that these people will have their point of view, and I wasn't mad at the fact that someone posted a flamer on my story, cos they're entitled to their opinion. The reason this review got deleted was the fact that not only did they insult my work, they insulted my readers. I can cope with being insulted myself, but I will not have them insulting my readers. That's just low. So in summary, all flamers will be used to toast the reviewer's head.

Sorry for massively long A/N...I will get on with the story now, I promise!

Love, ThisLooksLi~ , Saskia xxxx (Twitter - Sassi_Bear)

I woke up next to Damon, his arm protectively around my waist. He looked so peaceful. I spent a few minutes studying his face; the face that I had missed for so long. I still loved him...but I couldn't deny that things were different between us now. He'd insured that when he left. I sighed, rubbing my temples. Damon stirred and his arm tightened round me. I smiled slightly, tracing patterns over his face with my fingertips. He smiled, and kissed my palm. His eyelids lifted and I saw his beautiful blue eyes. He blinked, looking slightly confused.

"Hey babe." I whispered. His eyes locked with mine and his smile became radiant.

"Rhia..." He breathed. I giggled, and kissed him softly. He was slow to respond at first, but he soon woke up. I smiled against his eager lips.

"Calm down, Damon. It's too early, darling." I laughed as I said it, knowing that I sounded about 90 years old. He smirked too, and kissed me again.

"Who says it's too early? It's never too early..." His lips pressed against mine again, and I momentarily forgot my protests.

"Mmm...okay Damon, cut it out now." He broke off, chuckling softly. He ran his fingers down my face and ran them across my collarbone.

"If you insist, darling. I mean, we've got tonight, and tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that..." We laughed, but my laughter was forced. Whenever anyone mentioned my future, my stomach churned, and I felt queasy. Someone somewhere was trying to communicate with me, I swear.

"Right, Damon. Move. I need to get changed and try to sort my life out." I pushed weakly on his (buff, toned, hot, fit, muscly) chest.

"I could always help you get changed..." He said suggestively. I laughed...this was so easy. I was really being very schizophrenic. It was so simple to tease and banter with Damon, so why was it so difficult to kiss him? I swung my legs off the bed, leaving him hanging.

"Sorry love, you're on your own." I said, still grinning. I grabbed some clean clothes from my chair and walked through to my bathroom. I locked the door, and smirked when I heard Damon's voice drift through.

"As if a little lock will keep me out!"

"No, but Jenna will!" I called back. That shut him up. He really was a bit scared of my aunt. I changed quickly, trying to think about what the hell I was doing with my life.

A few weeks past, and things were getting closer to normal every day. I got a new job, started a few evening classes to get my exams sorted, and I even went to those bloody counselling sessions. True, I went to them under protest, but I went, and I've now been declared to be of sound-mind. So I am officially not crazy.

Woop-dee-doo.

Two months after I got out of hospital, I sneaked out of Damon's protective embrace, and down the stairs. Damon hardly ever left my side now. It would be sweet...if it wasn't so damn annoying. He hadn't told me what happened while he was away, and I don't think he planned to. I loved him to pieces, but him always being around...it was suffocating me. Hence why I was sneaking around like a ninja at 7am to talk to Jenna. I walked into the kitchen and saw her standing against a unit with a big mug of coffee. Coffee. Ew.

"Hey Jenna." I said nonchalantly.

"You're up early, Ree." She commented. I nodded vaguely, while I made myself a cup of tea (none of that manky coffee crap for this girl, thankyou very much!). After taking a few mouthfuls, I cleared my throat..

"Jenna, can I ask you for advice?" I said nervously.

"Of course darling...what's wrong?" Jenna put her cup down and came to stand next to me.

"It's just...well, ever since...you know." Jenna nodded, not wanting to be reminded of the er...incident. "Damon's been acting really protective, and hardly letting me out of his sight, and all that...I almost feel like I can't breathe. I love him, Jen, but it's so difficult to get my life sorted when he's always standing there, telling me what to do!" I rubbed my eyelids, wishing that this could be easy. Jenna was silent, and I looked at her worriedly. "I know what would be the easy way out, but I don't know if I can do that to him!" Jenna pursed her lips.

"I can't tell you what to do, Ree. But if I was in your position...I think the easy was out would be most effective." My eyes widened, and I stared at her, wondering if she was being serious. "Do what you have to do, Rhiannon. I'll support you through whatever. Just remember...once you've done it, you can't take it back."

~Damon POV~

(A/N, haven't written Damon POV for ages, sorry if it sucks!)

I woke up and automatically reached for Rhia, who I knew would be lying beside me. It was routine – I'd stay the night, and then go home to get changed, have a quick bloodbag, then I'd be back by her side within fifteen minutes. I didn't want to leave her on her own. We had months to make up for, and I needed to make up for them. The sun was streaming through the windows, almost as if it was July rather than March. Maybe I'd take Rhia to the beach...walk along the pier, do fun things like that. We hadn't been out in ages. Or maybe...wait...

She wasn't there. She wasn't next to me.

I immediately sat up, wide awake. This was the second time in two weeks. What the hell was going on? I raced down the stairs, checking the kitchen and living room so fast I was just a blur. I paused outside the bathroom...someone was in there. I inhaled...nope. Rhia had a very distinctive scent, which was even more prominent when she was showering. She wasn't in there. I sprinted back up the stairs, thinking that I might have maybe missed her in the ensuite. Nope. Crap.

I spun round in the centre of the room, hands running through my hair in despair. I couldn't lose her. Not now. I'd made a mistake before, and I wasn't going to lose her again. I sank down on the bed, getting my phone out to call her. It was then I realised there was a message on the screen.

One missed call – Rhia Parker. Call voicemail?

My hands were shaking. I hesitantly selected the option, and heard the stereotypical voice of the voicemail woman at the end of the line.

You have one new message and no saved messages. Message left at Saturday 19th March at 06:39am. To listen to this message, please press one.

I confirmed I wanted to listen to the message and waited. It might not be her. Maybe it was Stefan or someone. Or maybe it was her, and she had to go to work early or something and didn't want to wake me.

Damon, it's Rhia. It's killing me to do this, but I know that in the long term, it will be best for us. You left me last year. Well now it's my turn, although hopefully I can get away before you wake up. I promise that I will be back...it won't be much more than a year. I need to do this to prove to myself that I can live without you, and to show you that I don't need your protection. I'm going to change my mobile number, and email and everything. Jenna knows that I'm going, but she won't know my new info either. Please don't have a go at her. She's doing it for me. When I come back...then we'll see where we are. Don't assume that as soon as I come back, I'll throw myself at you and we'll have spontaneous sex on the couch, because that won't happen. When I return...we'll take it slow. Start over. You know. Damon, don't try to come after me. I'll only stay away for longer if you do. I do love you. I will forever. You are my forever, and I am sure that I am yours, but right now...forever is leaving you hanging Damon. Goodbye, baby. I love you.

I heard a small sob before the line disconnected. I slowly moved the phone from my ear, completely in shock. I ended the call on autopilot, before staring at my mobile. In one blinding movement, I threw it across the room, letting it smash into a million pieces next to her wardrobe. I went over to it and opened it. Empty. The drawers were the same. Her bathroom was bare too. All the shoes from her shoe rack were gone. Her guitar and amp had disappeared. I sat back on her bed, breathing heavily. I opened the bedside drawer, hope all gone. I looked down, expecting more emptiness; the final nail in my coffin. Inside was an envelope with my name on the front. I picked it up with shaking hands and opened it.

There was two things inside. One was a piece of paper with two words written on it. 'Remember me'. The other was a picture. It took me a while to remember, but then I recognised it. It was taken on the day before I left her, at a video arcade. She'd just done one of those dancemat things, and failed epically. She had her camera, and we'd scrunched our faces together to get both of us in the shot. I remembered that just after, she'd persuaded me to pay for Guitar Hero. I ran one finger across the picture, and a single tear fell from my eye.

She'd left me. Now I knew what it felt like.

Mercury summer, in the afternoon, I hope you come back soon, mercury summer, you just take your time, I hope to see you soon.

Song Credits – Mercury Summer by Fightstar, from the CD: Be Human.

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