Hero?

16

Gemma knocks at the study door and waits nervously. The word was that Master Damon was in a foul mood from the idea of Ana leaving. She hopes that Ana wanting to talk to Master Damon means that she's changed her mind about leaving here.

"Come in!" Damon yells and Gemma takes a breath and opens the door.

"Yes?," Damon asks when he looks up and finds Gemma enter the room.

"Mistress Ana has asked if she might talk to you after breakfast." Gemma asks with her heart beating hard in her chest. The change in Master Damon from the day before is incredible. Some of the change could be due to exhaustion from staying up all night making the arrangements for the now ex-slaves, but not all of it could be laid at that door.

Damon looks at her and she realizes what the difference was, a light that wasn't there now comes back into his eyes, hope. He had been hopeless before. Damon loves Ana and her leaving meant he lost hope.

"Did she tell you what she wanted to talk about?" Damon asks with hope.

"I'm sorry sir, she didn't, but afterwards she left the window and sat down to eat. It's the first thing she's eaten since she came home from school yesterday." Gemma is happy to report.

"How does she look?" Damon asks as he closes his eyes in pain.

"Like she hasn't slept in days and cried herself dry." Gemma replies softly, she knows her words are going to hurt Damon.

"Thank you, Gemma. Go get your breakfast now."

"Can I get you anything master?" Gemma asks as she leaves.

"No, perhaps I'll eat later thank you." Gemma knows he'll only eat if Ana chooses to stay.

Ana knocks at the door and comes in when she hears Damon tell her to enter. She refuses to think about when she would have just walked in before. She opens the door and enters. She's shocked at the sight before her. Damon looks almost as bad as she knows herself to look.

"Thank you for seeing me, sir." She sees Damon wince at her words. She feels a twinge of pain at that, but she still can't forgive him yet.

"Any time, Ana, you know that." Damon says softly.

"Do I? I did at one time. I just wanted to ask you why?"

"My men asked me to and..." Damon couldn't finish his thoughts.

"Why Damon?" When he doesn't answer and looks away she turns her attention to Calum.

"Why did you do that Calum? You've hated me since we've met." Calum can't stand her direct words and stare.

"You were right, Ana. When I told the men what you said they too felt ashamed of their actions towards you and the slaves. We couldn't do anything about past actions and we knew that our words wouldn't sway you in your decision to leave, so we did the only thing that we could do to make things right. At least in a small measure.

"I know that this won't erase years of abuse we've given the slaves," Calum shakes his head. "We are also aware that this isn't likely to affect your decision to leave. But I'm asking on behalf of the men to reconsider and give us, all of us, another chance to show you that we don't hate you."

"You want me to give you more time to show me that you've completely changed your feeling towards me overnight?" Ana gives him a scathing look. "You, more than any of them have hated me since the beginning. Those kind of feelings don't just change overnight." Ana shakes her head. "Let me talk to Damon alone please."

Calum looks to Damon who gives a nod of his head. Calum slowly leaves the room he looks back with a look that holds a great deal of wishing, but very little hope of those wishes being fulfilled.

Ana doesn't look behind her as the door closes behind Calum, she knows that Calum left. "Why Damon? Don't tell me that it's because the men asked you to. You forgave over two million in debt to free them all. Then you spend a huge amount on giving them money to start over and tickets to wherever they wish to go? Allowing those that wish to stay and work for you. Why?"

Damon can't hold her demanding gaze and turns his chair to face the window and stares out at the same garden that Ana had gazed at earlier. He tries to find the right words to say and finally just sighs and says the only ones he can find to say.

"It was something that should have been done a long time ago. I got lost in what is instead of what should be. It took you to bring me out of the fog of the past to the clarity of the present. I don't want you to leave Ana, but I understand." For the first time he can remember he feels tears run down his cheeks.

"Have you called Mrs. Lighten yet? If not you can use my phone and I'll leave you to talk in privacy." Damon motions towards the phone sitting on his desk and stands up to leave. "I care too much for you to want to make you miserable staying here. I'll instruct Gemma to start packing your things."

Damon starts walking towards the door. He wipes the tears away not wanting his men to see them and he fights off the urge to let more of them fall.

"Damon, wait." Ana calls before he opens the door. Damon stands rock still at her words, his arm reaching towards the knob.

"Do you believe Calum? Do you really believe that he and the others have changed how they feel about me being here?"

"I think they wish to change how they feel. Like you said, feelings like that don't change overnight. But shouldn't they be given the chance to change? I don't know, perhaps we're beyond change, we've become too evil and twisted. You should leave before you're twisted and destroyed by this life as well."

Ana is holding back her own tears now. "You want me to go now? You are the only one to keep me safe. You are the only one to care. You aren't evil or twisted. I don't want to call Mrs. Lighten. I don't want to leave, but I'm so tired of all the dislike I get on all sides. You, Gemma, Jackson and his family are the only ones that accept me fully. Not even Jacob wants me here although he's done his job of protecting me." Now it's Ana's turn to start crying again. She wipes the tears away impatiently. She feels strong arms wrapping around her bringing with them a feeling of safety that she's not felt since she found out about the slaves being here.

"Ana," Damon says hoarsely. "Give us another chance, please. I'll give you as much space as you need, but please stay."

"I don't know, I'm confused Damon. I just don't understand why you did everything for me that you've done. You refuse to tell me and that makes me feel uneasy. I should have been a slave, but you refuse to treat me that way or tell my why you don't. I just wait for the day when you change your mind and take me to the slave auction. That's part of the reason I can't take this anymore."

"Oh, Little One, I'm not going to ever take you to the slave auction. It's just I can't tell you why I'm doing what I am for you, you're too young. If you can't feel safe with me under those conditions then I'll call Mrs. Lighten and have her come get you. But, I promise you, if you decide to stay here, I'll never sell you. You are not a slave. You will never be a slave." Damon strokes her hair taking comfort in her being in his arms even as he gives her comfort.

"Damon, I'm so tired," Ana cries into his shoulder.

"Go to sleep Little One, I'll make sure that you are safe." Ana feels her eyes closing on her and Damon lifting her up and holding her close as he sits on the couch.

Damon finds his own eyes closing and soon he's fast asleep holding Ana close to him.