Hero?

62

"Damon?" Ana asks tears still in her voice. She's at his side waiting for him to wake up. She's running her fingers in his hair.

"Ana?" Damon says waking up from his drugged sleep.

Ana hands him some water and some headache medicine after he sits up. "Sorry about that, many people feel hungover after the medicine. Thank you for following my directions. Where's your phone? My people didn't find it on you."

"You told me to not bring it so I gave it to Calum to use," Damon says keeping his eyes closed.

"Thank you for doing that." Ana manages to say before falling into his arms and crying.

Damon holds Ana to him as she sobs,  "What's wrong Ana?"

Ana manages to stop her crying after several minutes of sobbing. She can't say it out loud she whispers it to him and he stiffens. "I'm not going anywhere. Have you told Jacob yet?"

Ana shakes her head, "I couldn't tell him anything."

"How much sleep did you get after you called me?" Damon demands, Ana doesn't look like she's been getting sleep.

"I slept nearly six hours after I called you. I woke  up only about half an hour after you got here." Ana says tiredly. Damon holds her tight to him.

"You need to sleep Ana. You're going to make yourself sick if you don't." Damon gently chides.

"I know, but they can't make me sleep like you do." Ana says exhaustedly.

Damon just holds Ana as she falls back asleep. "Go to sleep Little one." 

"I love you Damon," Ana says as she falls into a deep sleep next to Damon.

"I love you too." 

"You're in love with her," Trinity says from the doorway.

"Don't worry, she's not going to hear it from me," Trinity says as Damon gives him a dirty look. "She's in love with you too, you know that right?"

"No, she's not. She's smart to have moved so far away from me. Being with me has brought her nothing but pain. I've destroyed her Trinity."

"You're wrong on both counts. Ana moved out here because she needed time to figure out what the hell to do. She felt betrayed by you and needed time to regroup. She has now and needs you more than ever. She might allow myself and Jacob to seduce her like you instructed, but the one she wants is you. Hell she called you for help Damon. She always looks for you, even when she knows you can't possibly be there she looks for you. She still trusts you, even though she tells herself that she can't, she does. She doesn't trust me as much as she does you."

"You'd be the better choice, Trinity, you haven't corrupted her like I have. Not to mention you're only seven years older than her, not ten like me."

Trinity gives a bitter laugh, "She doesn't give a flying damn for any of that. She may only be fourteen, but she knows who she wants. That's the thing about Ana, she knows what she wants and she goes for it, but she won't with you."

Damon looks up sharply at the younger man, "Why do you say that?"

"You've done a good job making her believe that all she is to you is a little sister. She doesn't want to ruin things. She doesn't think you want anything more, but you do don't you?"

"Yes, but it's best if I don't...."

"Best for whom? She needs you you can see it can't you? She can't sleep without you and she has nightmares about you dying. Why do you think she was such a basket case? She thought you were dead, the nightmare was so real. She needs you at her side Damon. You've always been there for her until you fucked up. It's time to make things better don't you think?"

Damon shakes his head, "I don't know what to do anymore. She won't come back and she doesn't want me here full time. I messed up to much to make things better, Trinity."

"Give her time, she'll come back. She misses the estate, she had a really hard time leaving, she finally felt accepted there and not just tolerated. She really misses Jackson and his family. Under the right circumstances you could get her to go back."

Damon feels a flicker of hope at Trinity's words, but then it blows out. "She said that she would never come back. I don't blame her, some of her most traumatic experiences happened there or with me."

Trinity stares at the older man, "So what you aren't even going to try anymore? Damn and here I thought that you loved her. Guess I was wrong. She needs to be around other people, Damon. It's not good being this isolated. Not to mention that it's hard to protect our territory. Get her to go back home. The easiest and best way would be to kill Snake."

"I've been looking. He's started a war with me. Started killing my men. I've had to pull them all back to the estate." Damon says running his hands through his hair.

"Shit, we didn't know. That definitely won't help things. Ana's going to blame herself for that." Trinity says softly.

"I know. She doesn't understand that this is the price you pay when there is someone after you. I knew the price when I made the alliance with Hawk years ago. She may have considered the alliance dead but I never did. I would never leave her high and dry."

The younger man goes in and lays his hand on Damon's shoulder, "She knows that Damon, that's why she has forgiven you. Now you need to get her to go back home. This place was never meant to be a full time headquarters."

That gets Damon's attention, "What do you mean?"

"It was supposed to be a retreat, or vacation home. A secondary headquarters only. She needs to go home." Trinity says then leaves as Ana starts waking up.

"Damon?" Ana says drowsily.

"Go back to sleep Little one." Damon gives her a kiss, he had only meant it to be a little peck but Ana takes it further.

"Ana," Damon begins but Ana interrupts him.

"Don't you dare tell me you regret that."

"You're too young..." Damon starts.

"You were younger. Don't go there Damon, please?" Ana isn't above begging.