I own nothing from The Vampire Diaries Universe. It all belongs to it's respected owners. I simply own my characters and story alterations.

A/N: Please Read & Review! Reviews Help! Enjoy this extra long chapter!

Chapter 20 – I Love You

Azkedelia's POV

"Damon if we're going to be able to work, we have to trust one another no matter what. I know I can do that, but can you?" I asked looking deep into his eyes. He looked back with just as much depth.

"Yes Azkedelia, I trust you from now on, no matter what" he said before kissing me gently.

"Good" I replied. After that he told me everything him and Stefan had talked about in the kitchen. I was shocked.

"Did you work some kind of magic?" Damon asked.

"No" he gave me look. "I'm serious, I didn't do anything but make a wish and honestly this is the first time I have ever had one come true" I stated and he smiled as he pulled me close.

"Well like I said from now on I trust you no matter what" I could hear him smirk.

Suddenly I felt a wave of energy and when I opened my eyes I saw that I was no longer in Damon's arms but rather in a very dark wooded area. Tree's seemed to be breathing as it became very cold. As I let out my breath it became a thick white cloud. The trees were black and leafless, their branches all jagged and sharp. The sky was a mixer of light and dark grays but no sight of a sun even existing. The ground was as hard as stone though it looked like compressed dirt. The roots from the trees intertwined to form the paths that were hard to see through the fog. I spun around at the sound of a twig snapping.

"Hello?" my voice echoed through the woods. I heard another snap to my side and spun again. "Whose there?" I asked. I saw someone hiding behind one of the tall dark trees. I could see some white fabric. "You don't need to hide" I said as I took a small step closer.

"No but you most certainly do" a light and shy feminine voice came from the direction of the person keeping hidden.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked as I took another small step forward.

"I shouldn't be here. You shouldn't be here" she spoke quickly.

"Please come out" I said gently as I took one last step closer. I was close enough to see the woman was about my height and wearing a silk white night gown, white slipper pumps and had long dark hair. I was able to reach out and touch her shoulder. When I did she jumped and when she turned to face me I couldn't believe who I was looking at.

"Mom?" I questioned looking her over. She looked the same, but extremely weak and beaten up. "Momma is that really you?" I felt tears begin to fill my eyes.

"Shhh Azzie or they might hear you" she lunched herself forward and wrapped her arms around me. "You can't stay here honey, I have to hide you!" she whisper exclaimed in my ear. She then pulled back and cupped my face and smiled. "I have been so proud of you Azkedelia."

"Where are we?" I asked.

"I have to hide you, come with me" she started pulling me down a jagged path by my arm. I had to jog to keep up with her.

"Where are we going? Why do I need to hide? What the hell is going on?" I exclaimed loudly and she stopped.

"Shhhhhhh Azzie there are forces her that want to hurt you. I need you to think of Damon as we run. I can feel them coming!"

"Who? And where are we?!"

"Purgatory. There is no time to explain anything else we must run and as we do I need you to think of Damon as hard as you can so a door will appear and the door will hide you until Destiny and Damon save you"

"Save me from what?" suddenly we jumped up at the sound of a tree falling over.

"They will explain when you get back home but right now we must run!" she yelled as she began pulling me through the dark woods. As we ran I suddenly felt a few different presences following us. "Think of Damon and your love for him" she yelled as we ran. I took a deep breath and thought of how I felt when I first started to love Damon and how I felt when I was a child. I thought of how we had kept him a secret from my whole family for the first four years of our friendship. I then noticed that we had stopped running and there was white oak door standing before my mother and I. "Hurry through the door" she said looking around nervously.

"Where does it go?" I asked.

"A safe place inside your mind back in the real world. Now go" she explained.

"Come with me" I begged and she smiled before shaking her head.

"I can't. Right now my place is here. You must go they are almost here and they will kill you" she said as she opened the door. She pushed me through as I saw a black mist start to engulf her but she was able to slam the door behind me causing her and the door to disappear. The scenery completely changed around me. I was now in my family's cabin in the woods. The one I often met Damon at.

"Momma!" I screamed but got no response. I looked around the cabin then the front door opened. I turned to look and saw Damon walking into the cabin. "Damon!" I said excitedly, but he didn't hear me. "Damon?" I said as he passed me to go into the kitchen. I reached out to touch him but I went right through him. I realized this was a vision and I was simply visiting. Damon opened the fridge that had a few pints of blood in it. I couldn't figure out quite what year this was because Damon came to stay here often over the years. As his mug full of blood was heating up in the microwave he closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. I knew he was calling for me. I simply watched as Damon drank his blood in silence. When he was done he went over to the fireplace and threw a few logs in then started the fire. Just then the door opened and a teenage me came walking in the door. She was dressed in a red lace tube top and black faded jeans with high heeled black boots. Judging by my outfit and the black low lights in my hair and how it was cut I was roughly sixteen give or take a few months.

"Damon?" she yelled as she shut the door. When she looked into the living room she saw him and her eyes lit up. The younger version of me was definitely sixteen at the least because that's when I started to feel more than friendship for Damon.

"Azzie love" he smiled and picked her up as she ran into his arms.

"You were gone for so long. I was afraid you'd..." younger Azkedelia's voice trailed off as Damon set her down.

"I'm fine. I promise. I'm only sorry I missed your and Kelli's sweet sixteen" he smiled as they sat down on the couch.

"It's okay I mean we got your gifts that morning and your letters. Mom and Dad threw us a huge party and Kelli met a new guy at school" She explained and as she did I started to remember this scene. Damon had been gone longer than usual and I had a nightmare of his death.

"How was the party?" He asked.

"Great and The dress you sent was amazing. It matched my mask perfectly, but how did you know my size?"

"I know you very well Azzie" he replied.

"One thing happened that day that I wasn't too thrilled about" he simply looked at the younger Azkedelia. "Our succubus powers came into effect bringing the hunger with it. I got so hungry I almost killed a boy at the party. Kelli found me and was able to stop me though" now younger me looked upset and regretful. I remembered when the hunger came on my sixteenth birthday. It was stronger than anything I had ever felt. I soon had to realize that even though I didn't want one, I had to have a boyfriend to have someone to feed from. My mother had taught my sister and I how to control the hunger as well as feeding.

"So I take it you have a cover?" I never realized before, but Damon almost looked scared to hear my answer.

"Yeah. His name is Scott but I don't really like him. I just need to be able to feed" young Azkedelia replied awkwardly.

"Why not pick someone you actually like?" Damon gave a half smile.

"I don't like any of the boys in this town. They're all immature and well none of them..." her voice trailed off and I knew what she wanted to say to finish the sentence. None of them were Damon.

"None of them are what?" Damon asked.

"It's nothing. So how was your trip? Did you find what you were looking for? Did you run into any trouble?" this was classic me keeping the attention off of me and switching it to someone else.

"I've decided to give up my search" he simply spoke and at that time I didn't know his search was going to lead to the tomb that Katherine was not in. At this age I knew of Katherine and that Damon had loved her and she was a vampire, but I didn't know she was still alive and I think I have always known I was the reincarnation of Amelia just by dreams I had while I was a child.

"Oh, but it was so important to you and it has been over a century. Why give up now?"

"I found something else that's more important" and in that moment I realized he was talking about me. I had never put it together before but he meant I was more important than Katherine. I never believed it until seeing this scene play before me.

Suddenly the scene changed and this time I was still in the cabin but it was decorated for the holidays. I saw Damon come out of the bedroom and put a shirt on. He went to a loose floorboard and opened it. He reached in for something and when his hand came up he had several small gifts wrapped and being held in a white bag. He put the floorboard back and then went to set the presents under the small tabletop Christmas tree. Suddenly I heard a ding and I noticed it was timer on the kitchen stove. Damon ran into the kitchen and pulled a small bird out of the oven and placed it on top of the stove. On the counter there were bowls of food such as yams and vegetables. Damon started setting them on the table and I laughed to myself at how sweet it was that he was trying to make everything perfect. I remembered this Christmas Eve. I was only two months from being 17. Damon had spent the day with my family and I then slipped a note to me to meet him at the cabin later that night. Just as he finished sitting the table and lighting the candles teenage me came walking through the door covered in snow. When she took off her white foax fur parka I could see her hair was all a honey blonde with no low lights and she wore a tight black v-neck sweater, faded blue jeans and white fur boots. She set the coat on the rack and when she turned she saw the presents under the tree.

"Damon what's this?" and as she turned there was Damon handing her a glass of wine. "I'm not 21" she stated and I couldn't help but continuously smile at the scene. Damon and I had been avoiding the inevitable kiss we both had been longing for. Watching this only made me love him more. Sadly memories like these were ruined for me after he broke my heart and left. I had shut a lot of them out, but seeing how it was with us even this far back made me see my and Damon's connection in a new light. It made me have faith in us again.

"In my time you are well over age to have a glass of wine with dinner" he smirked and young me smiled as she took the glass. He then took her over to the dining nook and pulled out a chair for her. She gave a big grin as she sat down and set the glass of wine on the table. Damon took the seat at the corner of the table next to her.

"You really outdid yourself" young me said as she looked over the table.

"Its been a long time since I've celebrated a real Christmas eve and I wanted it to be with you before we celebrate Christmas with your whole family tomorrow" he smirked. I decided to sit down on the other side of them and watch.

"When was the last time you had real Christmas?"

"When my brother and I were still human" I had forgotten that Damon had never really said Stefan's name. He always said his brother or little brother, but rarely actually said Stefan.

"That long?" I could see the sympathy in young Azkedelia's eyes because I remember feeling it and the terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. Damon hadn't had a real family Christmas since before 1864 which was a little over a hundred and forty years ago from this scene at the least.

"Lets not talk about that. I just want to enjoy this meal with you and then we can open presents, maybe watch some Christmas movies or sit by the fire. Whatever you want" young me agreed and they continued to eat dinner.

I and my younger self laughed at all of Damon's quips and jokes. I loved every minute of it and I know my younger self did too. After dinner they made their way over to living area and opened their gifts. Younger me loved everything that Damon had given her, but didn't know at the time they all possessed magical properties, mostly for protection. I remembered that it took me forever to figure out the few things I had got Damon that Christmas because even though we were close at that time I didn't know as much about him as I do now and I am still continuously surprised by him to this day.

"Damon?" young me asked as they were sitting close by the fire. He turned his head and looked at her. "What is your favorite Christmas moment?" he gave her a look before turning back to look at the fire.

"Azzie I told you I'm don't want to talk about that" he said calmly.

"I know, but there are some thing I just need to know" she replied. Damon looked down to his glass of liquor then slammed the rest of it down before setting the glass to the side. He then turned a little to face her.

"It was the last Christmas we had with my mother. She always made such a fuss during the holidays. She'd have my father cut down the biggest tree that would fit in our house. We'd decorate it together with homemade ornaments. My mother had ones that were imprints of mine and my brother's hands that she always put on the tree first. We were decorating the tree and she was singing a christmas carol in french. "Les anges dans nos campagnes, Ont entonné l'hymne des cieux, Et l'écho de nos montagnes, Redit ce chant mélodieux" Damon sang beautifully. It was the french carol known as Angels We Have Heard on High. "It happened to be one of her good days. She didn't seem as if she was sick at all come to think of it. I remember my father had come up with the idea that we should only get present of things we needed like clothes and a new pair of shoes, you know essentials, but not my mother. Stefan and I were getting ready for bed when she snuck into our room with two presents in hand. She sat at the end of my bed and we met her there. She told us it was our little secret as she handed one to my brother and one to me. I remember being nervous to open mine because of my father, but my mother's gentle eyes showed that it would be alright. She helped my little brother open his as I opened mine. He got a toy my mother had made and when I opened mine it was a very beautiful silver music box and when I opened it, it played the same lullaby my mother used to sing us to sleep. She tucked us in and sang along with the music box until we fell asleep. The next day it was also another good day and we spent the day singing and opening presents while my mother cooked our Christmas goose. We had a great dinner and I can swear I can even remember my father laughing a few times. It was my favorite Christmas because My mother was in good health for those two days and we were all one little happy family. A few months later my mother died of tuberculosis. She had been sick with it for a long time and back then there wasn't a treatment for it, but that Christmas it was like she knew it was going to be her last and I think that's why she gave me the music box. I've always blamed my brother for her demise" he explained and as young me listened I actually cried. Watching Damon tell this story for the second time made me see how much pain it had actually caused him to lose his mother.

"Why blame your brother?" young me asked.

"She was always fragile, but after she had him she became much weaker which in effect caused her to catch tuberculosis" he said flatly.

"Damon, that doesn't make it his fault. He was an innocent life brought into the world through the love of your mother and father. There shouldn't be blame put on anyone, but if you choose to place blame it should be on your parents, not Stefan" I smiled at how smart younger me was and how wise she sounded as she spoke.

"Well when you put it like that I suppose you're right" Damon had a look full of enlightenment and understanding which made me realize at that moment he stopped blaming Stefan for their mother's death. Suddenly they locked eyes with one another. They continued to gaze into one another's eyes as they both slowly leaned closer to one another. They were close enough that their noses were touching and they could feel one another's breath. "Azzie we shouldn't" Damon whispered but neither moved.

"I want to" she replied.

"So do I but..."

"But nothing" and with that she crashed her lips onto his in a heated kiss. I could see Damon tried to resist at first but finally he gave in and wrapped his arms around young me as they stayed in a continuous series of kisses. I smiled at them as I felt proud of my younger self taking charge the way she did, well I guess like I did back then, oh you know what I mean.

"Azzie?" I heard a voice from a far. "Azzie love"

"Damon?"

"Azzie please come back to me" He sounded scared.

"Damon! Damon I'm here!" As I yelled the scene around me faded to darkness. "Damon!" I screamed.

Damon's POV

"Kelli held on harder than I thought she would so she's quite weak" Destiny stated as she examined her. Azzie moved her head slightly and began to groan. At the speed of light I pushed Destiny out of the way.

"Azzie? Azzie love?" I got no response and she had stopped making noise and moving. "Azzie please come back to me" my voice was soft and I'll admit I was scared. She didn't look too good. Her complexion was pale and her hair almost lifeless. She had dark circles under her eyes and her lips were a pale pink with a bluish color. She looked like she was starving.

"Damon!" she yelled as she sat straight up. Her voice was weak and hoarse.

"I'm right here" I said as she looked over to me. She placed her hand on my cheek and gave a small smile and she brushed it along my face. "I love you" she said as if she were saying it for the first time. "I love you too Azzie" I said as she wrapped her arms around my neck and held on tight. It was then Destiny made a fake coughing noise. Azkedelia looked up and around the room. She noticed Destiny and Stefan standing there and when she looked to the other side of her she saw the chain. She stood up and looked between the three of us.

"What the hell happened here?" She asked then her legs gave out but I caught her.

"What do you remember?" Destiny asked as I helped Azkedelia sit down.

"Just darkness, why?"

"We've got a lot to tell you" Destiny replied.

After I kissed Azzie and gave her the energy she needed Destiny decided to be the one to tell her everything that had happened. After that I was going to get Azkedelia alone and find out what she really remembered while Akelianna was possessing her because the moment she spoke the words, just darkness, I knew she was lying.

So this was a great chapter for all you Azzie and Damon lovers! We got to see two important moments in their lives together and trust me there will be more. Alright so onto the questions. Why was Azkedelia so surprised to see her mother in purgatory? Why was Azkedelia sent to purgatory if her sister was trying to fuse their souls together? Was Akelianna lying? And why did Azkedelia lie about what she remembered after waking up? All these questions and more will be answered as the story continues! Remember to R&R plz and thank you!