Hero?

47

Ana instructs her driver to pull over once they've passed through the gate and close the gate behind them.

"I might trespass here, but it doesn't mean that I want others to do so as well. The longer the body goes without being found the better." They hadn't buried Spider, just pulled his body into the trees and left it there. The weather forecast said that there would be a string of storms coming in and that would wash away the blood. The animals might just help in dealing with the body as well.

"If the storm knocks out the cell tower the body might be found..." Damon trails off as Ana shakes her head.

"I own the local station. All repair work will be done by those that work for me."

Damon snorts his appreciation, "You weren't trespassing then."

"Not this time, no. Other times most definitely. That trail you followed was made by me, for the most part at least. It took me some time to find it when I came back and a bit of clearing to make it visible for those that didn't know what to look for. You were lucky I've had time to redo it or you would have had a much tougher time getting to me than you did."

"Ana, you need to sleep. Trinity would you switch places with Ana?" Damon doesn't dare do more than ask politely at this point.

Trinity hesitates and looks to Ana for her response. She nods in exhaustion. "He's not going to do anything to me now."

Damon is actually hurt that she thinks that he would do anything to hurt her at all. He holds his tongue though, since he's getting what he wants, Ana next to him where she belongs.

Just like nothing has happened, Damon puts his arm around her and holds her and she finds herself falling into a deeper sleep than she's been in for months.

"Sleep Little One and when you wake you can deal with your traitor." Damon says softly, but if he finds the bastard first he's not sure that he'll be able to keep his cool. Shawn has been pouting since Ana left and hasn't had anything to take his mind off of things.

Ana wakes just enough to feel herself being lifted up and carried. She looks around and sees Damon's house and settles back down into sleep. Jonah and Damon will take care of the prisoners.

She wakes slightly once more as she is settled onto a soft surface before slumbering once again.

Ana sits up with her heart racing and finds herself enfolded in the strong arms she's missed so badly. She allows herself to cry as Damon holds her.

"What is it, Ana? Was it Scott once more?" Damon asks holding the sobbing girl tight to him.

Ana can't help the bitter laugh that fights through the sobs, "If only it were that simple. No, now my nightmares are much more exotic."

Silence falls with her words, "These nightmares are where I get the ideas for my more unusual torture methods. I have no idea where they originate from, my mind has become rather twisted I'm afraid."

"My fault, I'm sorry for that Ana." Damon has never been so remorseful for having brought Ana into his world than he is now.

"You didn't bring me into this world, Damon, that was my father's doing. He borrowed money from your father knowing he wouldn't be able to pay it back. He'd intended to use me as payment from the very beginning."

Damon stills, how in the world could she possibly know that?

"You want to know how I know that don't you? I found some of your father's old papers. It was a box labeled from the year my father made the loan. For collateral my father put me down and made sure your father knew I could dance. Apparently my father had brought one of the porn movies he'd made of me dancing and showed it to your father. Your father wrote that he was very impressed.

"I don't know what made him decide to kill me instead." Ana finishes softly still holding tightly to Damon for comfort.

Damon laughs without humor, "That was most likely my fault. My father knew I was getting fed up with him and was scared of me. When I tried to get him to leave well enough alone he did the only thing he could to piss me off. Unfortunately for him it back fired."

Damon pulls away from Ana when she stops shuddering. "I've made a lot of mistakes with you and tomorrow if you wish to cut contact with me again, I won't blame you. Thank you for giving me this time that you have." He gives her a weak smile that falls almost as soon as it comes.

"You've rested for over an hour. Your guest is getting a bit obstreperous. Jenny and her have nearly come to blows several times and I've had to intervene. Jenny won't be moving soon if I have to intervene again."

"And that's supposed to motivate me?" Ana asks her face showing her confusion.

"Jezey's value will go down if she is too battered." Damon responds with a shrug of his shoulders.

Ana sneers, "And Jenny's value to you?"

"She holds no real value to me. Her value to me lied in the information she could get me in relation to snake. That and she was a good fu... anyway, there isn't much about her that I care for."

Ana looks at him with narrowed eyes, "Perhaps it's time for the deal then. While you evaluate Jezey, I want you to think about a deal. In exchange for Jezey being your personal slave, I would like you to release Jacob from his oaths to you so he can work for me, and I want you to give me Jenny."

Damon looks at Ana, amazed at the deal she was offering him. "Close your mouth Damon, the only thing you might catch with it down are flies."

"You hate slavery with a passion and here you are giving a girl into slavery and asking me to do the same for you." Damon can't believe just how much Ana has changed.

"Think about it, Damon." Ana smiles, "You really should think about changing your name to Demon."

Damon laughs for the first time since Ana left with true humor. "My men already have. I've heard  a couple of them accidentally use that name instead when referring to me. Everyone would freeze and look at me with frightened eyes. I actually don't mind that much."

Ana laughs with him, "I bet. It suits you, you know. At least from what I've heard."

"You've heard correctly. But still, slavery Ana? That's something that you've always wanted the groups to stay away from."

"This is a special case. They've both threatened me. I don't forget and I don't forgive that."

"Ana-" Damon says closing his eyes.

"I don't hate you, Damon. You've disappointed me and lost my trust, but I don't hate you."

Damon looks down in shame, "Are you hungry? You haven't eaten for some time. You don't have to eat with me. If you'd rather I can have Gemma bring you a tray of something."

Ana puts her hand on his arm. "Are you sure your men would be okay with me joining you down there?"

Damon snorts, "They will be thrilled."

Ana looks at him her vulnerability plain to see. "They will welcome you, Ana. They've missed you more than you can possibly imagine." Damon offers his hand to her and Ana hesitantly takes it. Damon escorts her out of her room and downstairs to the dining room where she faces not just her men but Damon's as well for the first time in months.

There exclamations of joy as they see her coming in are what actually reassure her and she is able to relax.