The Salvatore Saga, Part Four: My new Life

It was a perfect scenario, or at least it would have been for someone. I mean, what more could one want than sun-kissed sandy beaches and lazy waves rolling onto the shore? It was a paradise, especially when shared with the one you love. Except, she wasn't there. She was somewhere else, and he had no idea what she had been doing all this time. He didn't know her mood or her state of mind. Was she happy, sad, or had she given up on their love? Had she moved on? Was everything lost between them?

He glanced at his arm tattoo, a symbol of their life together. It had faded, as if it had been there for decades, even though it had only been a little over a year. It seemed to reflect the fading of their love, or at least that's what he believed. He sat on the beach, lost in his thoughts, aware that Mariella was occupied with others, but that didn't bother him. What bothered him was Mimi. Where was she? What was she doing? And how on earth would they move on from this?

Damon cursed himself for the millionth time, blaming his weakness and impulsiveness. In hindsight, he could see so many better ways to have handled the situation, but it was too late now. The damage had been done, and picking up the pieces would be difficult.

He remembered what they had and was fairly certain it would never be the same. She had moved on, learning a hard lesson once again. How could he, the supposedly strong alpha male, have chosen others over his alpha female?

How could he not have been there for her, especially when she was sick and weak? No, he had gone to Mariella, engaging in fucking with wild abandon, while others took care of Mimi. It burned holes in his soul, the missed chances. But what could he do now? Not much, unfortunately.

Mariella, on the other hand, was happy. She lay between several Salvatores on the beach in the Azores, enjoying life. The holiday had been exactly what they needed. The vampire heat had lasted for five weeks, and then they had spent three weeks in Ireland's castle, unloading the black goo from pack members, including Wulfe and Magnum. After that, it was time to visit the Azores, and now Mariella wasn't even sure how much time had passed.

It was the end of November, beginning of December, when they arrived in the Azores. Time seemed to fly by, filled with their passion and love. For Mariella, it wasn't just a sex-filled holiday, but a holiday of love, or at least that's how she felt.

However, there was a "but" in their story. As usual, Damon was initially passionate and attentive, but as time went on, he seemed to make room for others to be with Mariella. He would cook or sit on the beach, and Mariella couldn't figure out what he was thinking. She hadn't focused on it until now, but there was one thing that was bothering her and tarnishing the perfection of this holiday.

Feeling the weight of it all, Mariella let out a sigh and got up to take a shower. Even though she had been swimming a lot and having sex in the water, she still liked to wash herself with soap and sponge to feel a little cleaner.

As she showered, her mind wandered to what the day would bring and whether she should talk to Damon about what was bothering him. She already had a good idea - it was Mimi. Mariella knew Mimi had been a real troublemaker, not helping her recovery at all.

Nobody knew what Mimi was up to, or at least they didn't talk about her. Eventually, they would all have to face each other again, and Mariella couldn't help but frown at the thought of the drama that might unfold.

Damon would be jealous, and regretful, and might not even want anything to do with Mimi, but he would mope around and hate himself. And what about Mimi? Would she be an ice queen who didn't care about love or anything else? Mariella cursed the complexities of pack life and angrily wondered why nothing could be easy. 

Mariella dried herself off and took a moment to admire the airy bedroom with its white, gauzy curtains and soft white bedspread. The bed wasn't used much anymore since Salvatores had moved elsewhere and Mariella had changed rooms.

She briefly thought about the past when Damon had bought this place for himself and Mimi. He was so different back then. Mariella's conscience nagged at her for taking this paradise away from Mimi, even though it was too late now.

This place had once been Mimi and Damon's ultimate paradise, and she had stolen it, just like she had stolen Damon from Mimi. Sometimes, thoughts like this would enter Mariella's mind and she couldn't help but dwell on them.

Life had happened, though, and it was time to accept and move on. Too much had changed. Mimi had changed, Damon wasn't the same, and Mariella had exerted her influence over the centuries she had been with Damon. It was strange how time went on.

She picked up a lightweight wraparound dress and put it on. It was white with floral patterns, not something she typically wore, but it felt right for the moment. The light fabric clung to her still damp skin, but she knew she would dry soon in the heat of the sun once she stepped outside onto the sun-kissed beach. It was time to have another conversation with Damon, and maybe it was time to end the holiday and see what the alpha female was up to.

Mariella walked outside, the sun shining directly in her eyes and the heat hitting her skin. She didn't use her abilities to deflect it or make it easier for herself. She wanted to experience things like everyone else.

In the past, she had used her abilities to make everything easy and effortless, but it had made life boring. She craved excitement, she wanted to feel, to be annoyed by the heat or anything else. More or less, she wanted to feel alive.

The hot sand kissed her bare feet as she walked along the beach, and finally, after almost circling the entire house, she spotted Damon sitting at the beach, wearing boxers and gazing out at the sea. A slight breeze rustled his hair, but he had kept it short so it wasn't too messy, unlike the longer hairstyles other Salvatores used to have.

Her steps were measured as she finally reached him and plopped down to sit next to him. He said nothing, just kept gazing at the sea.

Mariella finally spoke softly, "Mimi, right? I think it's time to end this holiday. I'm not sure how long we've been here, but we should go see what she's doing."

Damon's voice was quiet as he responded, "It's almost the first of June, so yeah, we've been here for six months, maybe longer, if you count vampire heat and unloading."

Mariella was surprised that time had truly flown by, but then again, they had needed this holiday.

She replied, "Oh, that long? But, my love, we needed this. She needed some time of her own. You can't know what she's been up to. Maybe we'll have a wonderful time when we get back together. You can't know that."

Damon moved his arm, showing the magical tattoo that had grown from the scar of their vampire wedding, and said, "See, it's faded. It symbolizes the fading love between us. I can't blame her. I was a terrible husband. I had the perfect opportunity to care for her, to be there for her, but no. I acted as I always do, ignoring the actual issues and burying my head in the sand. Even when the source of infection was revealed, I blamed her, more or less. You have no idea, do you now, darlin'?"

Mariella looked at Damon and asked, "No, what are you talking about?"

He admitted, "I was hoping the reason for the infection had been Mimi, so it would have been her fault. But no, it was that damn juice. I wanted it to be her fault, and I even tested every single fruit she ate, hoping to find germs. But no, I got mad and didn't handle it well. I blamed her in my mind, accused her of making you the culprit even though she hadn't done it. I was cruel, as usual."

Mariella fell silent and said, "I was mad at her, too. My juice, my favorite thing, turned out to be the source of the infection, and I blamed her as well. I refused to believe it, even when Samuel and Colin showed me proof. No, I blamed Mimi and told them she made them blame me. You weren't the only one. And I know we mistreated the alpha female of the pack badly. I hope we can move on, ask her for forgiveness, and see where we stand. But in order for us to do that, we have to go back."

Her voice remained calm as she tried to convince herself that they could still make things right, even though it sometimes felt like they had gone too far and there was no reason for Mimi to trust them or want anything to do with them. 

Damon spoke in a quiet voice, "They miss her. I can feel it. Those five, they have been missing her this whole time, no matter what you or I have been doing with them. And not one of them blamed her, but they didn't defend her either. I don't know. Did they want me to bury myself deeper in pain where I can't escape? But I can still feel them missing her, thinking about her." His voice almost broke as he added, "Loving her, deeply, all the time."

Mariella nodded and said, "I know I have lost them. Hell, I never really had them. But I wanted to believe I did. Now I realize they have always belonged to her. But now they have a way to be with her. I'm not sure what this means for us."

Damon nodded and said, "Goddamn it, I'm not going to give up on her. I will get her back. She is mine, even if those others want her too. She belongs to me."

Mariella nodded. She said, "How about we go on a road trip? We can gather the pack together and finally end up wherever our alpha female is. The whole pack will be there to meet her, and it's time to start our pack life once again."

Damon looked at his wife, hoping but also fearing. Maybe this road trip would ease him back into pack life, and they would find a way back to Mimi and their perfect pack life. Back to love and lust, and being with her, too.

They sat on the hot beach, looking at the sea, feeling the sand beneath them. They were unsure of what the future would bring to them or the pack. But it was soon time to end the holiday and start anew.

They would see what fun things life was throwing at them this time. Maybe things would be just as they had been, or maybe things would be different, something new. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Sometimes, change is exactly what is needed in order to move forward. It's not good to always stay the same. The status quo is not what the universe wants for their pack, and it is a lesson they need to learn.

Love was a powerful force, and both of them knew it and felt it. It was what tore Damon's heart apart, his love for Mimi. He couldn't help but remember their time in the Azores, how he had taken her there for a romantic getaway. Now, their once paradise belonged to someone else.

Damon realized he had been a fool, a complete fool, and there was little he could do about it. Lessons were hard to learn, and every time he thought things were going well with Mimi, something would happen, causing a major setback. It felt like he was always back to square one, or even worse off.

He wondered how long she could handle this. And when was the last time she had let it all out? She would unleash her emotions, her frustrations, but never fully cleanse herself of them.

Damon shook his head, realizing just how poorly they had treated Mimi throughout all these years, centuries, even. His jealousy had prevented her from being with anyone else. He wanted to be with her, but he would always choose Mariella over her. Love, life, and regret filled Damon's soul.

He smiled bitterly, thinking about how humans used to believe that vampires were soulless monsters. Well, technically, he was undead, but he still had a soul. He had feelings, even more intense than humans, and that was what made everything so damn difficult.

This time, not even the steady and powerful love he felt from Mariella could ease his pain. He yearned for that same love from Mimi, even though he knew it was just a hope, maybe someday. He could always hold onto that hope. One day.