Start With Fruit

I can't take my eyes off Damon as he comes out of the bathroom shirtless, drying his still dripping hair with a light blue towel. The muscles in his stomach are stretched and tight with his arms raised above his head, drying his hair. His white-washed jeans are hanging dangerously low on his hips, revealing that deep, prominent v-line. His scar is covered, nowhere to be seen.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer, kitten." Looking back at his face, I find him half smirking, half smiling. Liking that I'm staring. As heat rushes to my cheeks, I look away from him entirely.

"So, when am I going to meet Lily? She on her way?" He's draping his towel over the back of a chair when I look up.

Hearing her name brings a smile to my face, "Within the hour, hopefully."

After shrugging on a long-sleeved shirt, he smiles and lounges on the edge of the bed.

"What is she like?"

My smile only widens, "She's amazing, Damon. She's got the biggest personality. She's so bubbly and playful and compassionate. She's gorgeous, she looks like my mom." He smiles broadly and scoots forward until he's directly in front of me, that's when he begins to look nervous.

I ask him, "What?"

Shaking his head, he reaches up to my cheek, hand hot as it always is. My stomach plunges as he leans closer to me, his eyes closing. We haven't properly kissed in years. My goodbye kiss doesn't count, not in my mind.

I lean forward too. His breath is warm and minty against my lips, they tingle the whole way across. He stops a hairsbreadth away, his eyes looking into mine. A chance. He's giving me a chance to say no. It makes me realize . . If I really don't die, this is the man I want to be with. This is the amazing man that I want Lily to look up to.

Before I can close the distance between us, the door to my room swings open.

"What the hell is this?!"

I jump back, pressing myself into the bed, trying to somehow hide from Maxwell. Damon's face goes hard and he gets up off the bed, moving around it to stand between Maxwell and me, arms crossed over his chest.

"You're not welcome here," Damon tells him, slowly moving to stand between Maxwell and me. Maxwell's face turns to one of shock and he breaks out in a smile as his brows raise. He laughs. Oh, Goddess.

"I'm her dad, I am most certainly welcome here, young man."

I watch as he goes to take a step but Damon does before him, closing in on the older man's space. The second he takes that space-invading step, Maxwell takes one backward. I almost smile. Looking between them, it's clear that Damon is the Alpha here.

"Step-father," Damon corrects him, causing anger to light up Maxwell's eyes. "And no, you are not welcome here. Neither is your son."

Maxwell shakes his head and shuts the door, stepping further into the room and yet somehow no closer to Damon.

"That is my daughter, I'll leave once I have her."

"Step-daughter," Damon corrects him.

Maxwell smiles, "Not her. My daughter, inside her."

Damon's nose screws up, and his fists curl tighter, "Family isn't determined by blood. Whatever gender that baby develops to be, it will not be your child." As Maxwell's anger builds, his ears go red. I can almost see the steam coming out of them. He looks a lot angrier than I've seen him in a long time.

But then, his face changes. A tiny smile rises to his face and every single one of my hairs stands on end.

He takes a step towards Damon, still smiling.

"It is a girl. She's able to make it a girl."

My stomach lurches. I have to swallow hard to keep myself from throwing up. Damon's heart accelerates, pumping as fast as I imagine mine would if it still beat. His brows pull together and his cocky confidence fades as he looks at me, seeing the tears coming down my face. What will Maxwell do if I object to what he is insinuating? What will Damon do if I don't?

"What?" There is nothing but confusion on Damon's lean face.

Maxwell fakes his surprise, "Oh," he exclaims. "She didn't tell you she's a witch? Oh, my bad."

Damon whips around the face me, his eyes are wide and his jaw slack. Not a hint of disbelief on his face, as if he's suspected I'm not human all along. Shouldn't he not believe Maxwell? Witches are simply fantasied by mortals . . . No. I've always known there's something up with him, that there's something unnatural prowling through his veins.

Sobs begin to make me shake and I can't even look at Damon anymore. I stare at Maxwell instead, who looks smug as anything. He is so intent on ruining my life and anything good in it. He is so intent on getting me back, he doesn't care how broken I am. As long as I'm alive I'll be his. His lover and his punching bag.

Damon turns back to Maxwell and the wondrous smell of blood tinges the air as his nails break skin.

"I don't give two flying fucks. I like her how she is and you don't. She is not your daughter and that child isn't yours either. Actually . . ." He scoffs, smiling. "Fuck. That kid is the furthest from being mine and it's still more mine than yours. Do yourself a favor and leave, before I lose my cool and make you leave."

Maxwell stares at him, likely as dumbfounded as me. When he finds his voice he declares that he will be back, with Jake. Then he leaves, without another word said. I still don't look at Damon, even when I feel him staring at me.

"Can you look at me . . . please?"

When I don't answer or look up he sits back where he was before Maxwell came in.

"Amaya," he whispers, his hand hot on my clammy cheek, his fingers the same as they rest under my chin. I don't bother fighting it as he raises my head to look him in the face. His hand leaves my face, to wipe away my tears.

"It's true, isn't it? I don't care if it is, Aya." So I nod. No more lies.

He smiles just a little bit, "I don't care, Aya. If anything, it makes you cooler."

I scoff, "What? How could it do that?"

"Are you kidding me, Aya? You have magic in your veins. Every kid dreams of being magic, or having it, or even seeing it. It's amazing."

That's what my mom used to think, used to tell me. She'd constantly tell me that, although my specific magic comes with consequences, it is a blessing. I used to believe her. I was naive. I will never be able to use my magic as freely as she could use hers.

"That's what my mom used to think," I tell him, my tears finally subsiding. Leaning forward, he wraps his arms around me snuggly. He squeezes me tight as if reminding me that he's safe and warm and secure. I never want to let go of him. When he goes to pull away I lean with him, touching his shirt. He understands straight away and stops, letting me decide what is going to happen, and at what pace. I lean forward slowly, my chest pulling tight. Our lips have just barely touched when there's a knock on the door, causing us both to jump back.

Damon sighs, "Man, I just can't catch a break." He's smiling, and I can't help the smile that lifts my lips too. Staying exactly where he is, he yells for whoever it is to come in. Amber pokes her head in, smiling when she sees the two of us. A broad smile overtakes my face, knowing who is with her.

"Guess who's excited to see someone!"

She opens the door wider and a little blur of blonde comes rushing in. Damon jumps off the bed as Lily launches herself onto it, attacking me in a hug. I thank the stars for the pain relief I'm currently on.

"MAMA!"

Lily is squealing and giggling as we hug tightly, as I smother her face in kisses. She pulls away and smiles wildly at me, "I missed you so so much, mama! You're gonna come home now?!"

My smile stays for once. Finally, finally, we have a safe place where we can stay together. I don't have to leave her anymore.

"Yeah, we're gonna stay together from now on. No more grandpa or dad."

Her eyes light up, her entire face lights up, "No more hurt or scary?"

"Nope. No more."

Remembering Damon, I look over the little girl's shoulder and see him standing with Amber in the middle of a conversation. But he's paying equal attention to me, turning his full attention to me as I look at him. He smiles.

I look back at Lily, "Do you want to meet someone special to mama? It's Damon. He's helping us." Immediately she gets all shy but she also nods.

Hearing me, Damon and Amber finish their conversation and come over. Amber sits to the right of me, the bed dipping under her weight, and Damon sits in the chair to my left. Lily cuddles into me, hiding her face from Damon. When her elbow meets my ribs I'm left wincing.

"Hey, little lady," Damon greets her, reaching out to tap her tummy. "How was your day today?"

Surprisingly, she lets go of me and moves to sit on my legs, in front of Damon. However, noticing my responding wince, Damon picks her up by her underarms and sets her in his lap.

She answers him excitedly, "Good, good!" It shocks Amber and me. She's always been an extremely shy kid, the complete opposite of this. Damon is weirdly good with kids. As if he has his own. I shake away those thoughts, it can't be possible. I'd have met the kid by now. I've been to his house . . . the house that looks unlived in.

Damon tucks one of her curls behind her ear, "Oh, yeah? What did you do?"

She grins at him, waving her arms around, "Painting, and finger puppets. Oh! And cars! So so many of them!"

"I cannot tell you how many hot wheel cars she's been bringing home," Amber chimes in, laughing. It makes us all laugh.

*_*_*_*

Damon POV

Reaching over to Amaya, I drum my fingers against her back, grabbing her attention. She stops speaking with Amber to look at me.

"I'm going to grab something to eat. What would you like?"

Her face drops a little, her nerves kicking into high gear by the looks of her teeth gnawing on her lip, "Um, I don't know." I suppose that's not too far fetched, for a person who barely eats to not know what they want.

Forcing a smile onto my face, I ask her, "Something salty or sweet?"

"Sweet?" I smile wider at her, not totally sure how I'm able to continuously do it with all the thoughts flying through my head.

"Alright, I'll be back in a few. I'll take her with me."

Smiling, she thanks me and hold the back of Lily's neck as I slowly stand, careful not to wake her. She's been attached to me since she got here. It's nice, I have to admit. She gives me a similar feeling to Amaya, and the woman's mother too oddly. Once the door clicks shut behind me, I walk through the halls of the hospital on a mission to find Dr. Matthews.

"Dr. Matthews," I call out when I see her, a hand over Lily's ear. The woman turns at the sound of her name, looking surprised to see Lily and me.

"Mr . .?"

"Cooper. Damon Cooper. I wanted to talk to you if you've got a few minutes?"

She glances at her watch, "Uh, yeah, sure. I'm about to clock off anyway. What's on your mind, Mr. Cooper?"

In order to match her pace, I have to readjust Lily on my hip.

"I uh . . . I know that Amaya said she didn't want help but if she did, what kind of help would be involved?"

Dr. Matthews tosses her head side to side, her lips pressed together, "I'm not entirely sure. I hadn't looked much into it yet. I needed her consent first."

I slow to a stop in front of the small food shop, skimming over the menu.

"In your opinion though. You said you'd briefly seen the damage. What does she need to reverse it? Off the record, if you need." I find her staring at me warily when I look at her. I almost roll my eyes. I come close but remain polite.

"It's not for me. We're not even together. I need to know because she won't ask, even if she wants to. One of us needs to know in case she changes her mind."

The wariness disappears so I look up at the menu again, looking over all the sandwiches, salads, wraps, desserts, and drinks. Not being able to decide what I want is the least of my worries at this point. However, it adds to my stress nonetheless. As I try to decide my head begins to pound. It rarely stops pounding as of late. That feeling of being constantly dehydrated and just plain exhausted. No matter how much sleep I get, it doesn't change. I probably wouldn't bother to get out of bed were Amaya not in my life.

"She's gonna need a neurosurgeon and a plastic surgeon, at least. From what I saw, most of the nerves are likely severed or damaged in some way so she'll need a surgeon to reattach the nerves and fic up any other damage they can. Then, if she wants it to look . . . better, I guess, she'll need the plastic surgeon. It'll be at least a few separate surgeries. Even then, she might not gain back feeling and something like labor could be a problem as she gets older." I can't help the disbelief that is likely present on my face.

"Even after a heap of surgeries, it still won't be fixed. It's that bad?"

She stares at me almost sympathetically, "This isn't a matter of a little tear, Mr. Cooper. Whether she wants to tell us who or not, someone took what seems like a knife to her. They basically circumcised her and then mutilated her. I'm astonished that she is able to sit through that sort of pain."

I don't focus on it. I force my mind right past that information, knowing nothing good will come if I dwell on it. I'll probably lose it. Instead of dwelling, I order food and bring Dr. Matthew's to an empty table away from others. I shift Lily on my hip again, moving my hand from under her as it begins to throb again. I never got it properly looked at so the healing process has been slow.

"And the burns, everything. What about it all?"

She sighs, checking her phone screen before answering me, "All that is easier. She was completely right about the burns. Malnutrition will be the hardest to reverse. You just have to take it easy and slow. Start with lighter foods, like fruit or crisps or something, work your way up to pasta and bread and rice and such. It's going to be a long road to recovery for that girl, Mr. Cooper."

I swallow hard before asking her, "Can she carry the baby to term? Is her body capable? What will happen with the birth?"

She sucks on her lip for a moment, "Theoretically, no. Her body will either reject the fetus or she'll pass away. But, I suppose miracles have happened before. The birth . . Honestly, I haven't a clue on that yet."

My and Amaya's food gets set down on the table by the waitress. I toss the young woman a polite, thankful smile and readjust Lily again, feeling her begin to squirm.

I lower my voice as I speak next, "So, what am I meant to do? I don't know how to help her."

Dr. Matthews places her hand on mine, "It's gonna be a long road, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Just be there for her. She's gonna be fine."

Taking my hand away from hers, I pick up my fruit salad and pass it to my throbbing hand, then scooping up Amaya's blueberry muffin, I thank the woman. I say a polite goodbye before returning to Amaya's room. Her daughter starts to wake up on my way there, rubbing her eyes and yawning wide. I can't help my smile. She's cute as a button. She reminds me of Aaron when he was little. I open the door and am greeted with the sight of Amber and Lily hugging. They pull away, looking at me as the door swings open. Remembering the doctor's words, I sit on the edge of the bed and hand Amaya my fruit salad.

"Sorry, they didn't have any cutlery."

She thanks me. She opens the lid and I pick at the berries in the muffin as I watch her decide what piece of fruit she wants. Gently, I place Lily down in one of the seats beside the bed. She sits quietly, still waking up, rubbing her eyes.

"I can barely remember what they're called, let alone what they taste like," she comments, laughing awkwardly.

"Well, I remember, so I'm gonna take this one," Amber pops a raspberry into her mouth, giggling as she makes her way to the adjoined bathroom.

"Can I have some? Mama? Mama?" Smiling, I look at Lily, who is getting up out of her chair and climbing onto the bed.

"Sure you can, sweetie. Choose one."

Lily's blonde hair bounces around as I help her onto the bed, she giggles and waves her arms around, a fiery ball of energy. She's cute as a button and I can't get enough of either of them but still, my mind begins to drift away. I have so much to think about that I can barely think about anything. I can't think.

"Damon?" I look up at the sound of my name, finding Aya staring at me and Lily munching on an overflowing mouthful of fruit.

"Are you okay?" Forcing up a smile, I nod.