Damien had finally come back home after spending five days in New York with Guy. He couldn't say that it was boring, he had alot of fun and got to catch up with Guy. The two talked for hours, not even really doing anything for almost a entire day. They talked about what they did after he went to live with Marcus and became a vampire, and what Guy did after the village was burnt down. It was nice to meet someone that he used to know as a human. It wasn't that he regretted the decision that he made to become a vampire, but he did wish that it was someone else had turned him.

He was still livid with Marcus for lying, but it wasn't only that his maker had lied, but he also had cheated on him with Arya. He knew now that Marcus would never just settle down with him, Arya would always be there and Marcus would always be the sadistic bastard that he was and find that thrill from Arya.

He didn't call Arya, Gale or anyone to come get him from the airport. He merely flagged down a cab and headed home. Alec had been home, but left again to go see that dragon that lived in the graveyard. He had alot to think about when it concern Marcus, also.....Guy talked with him about him coming to Bitter Springs permanently. Damien liked the idea, Guy could even stay at his town house till he could get his own place, the only thing that both vampires were concern with was how Marcus would react. Damien could careless really, but he didn't want Marcus and Guy to get into a fight over something, especially when Damien really wanted nothing to do with Marcus.

Damien had become independent, he didn't need Marcus anymore. He even left a two week noticed at Marcus business and found a new job elsewhere. He was still going to be a active member in the business world, but he found another job at another multi-billion dollar company in another city that was forty-five minutes away from here. The cab pulled up to his three story townhouse, he paid the fare before getting his luggage out from the trunk.

The key was still underneath the mat as he unlocked the front door. He didn't really use any of his senses to see if anyone was there or not as he walked passed the living room and went straight to his room to start unpacking.

The days since Damien had taken off had been a conflicting couple of days. On one side, he got to spend more time with Arya as he hadn't really spent much time with her lately, on the other hand, he missed Damien. They spent the time cleaning up the living room and changing the window that had been shattered, and whenever he started wondering about Damien, he was distracted. It seemed Arya really didn't want him to think about Damien at all, but he couldn't do that. He couldn't just let go like that.

He had been able to do some thinking and he had come to realize that he had to change one way or another. He couldn't keep getting what he wanted all the time and expect there to be no consequences, he knew that. He hadn't spoken to Alec either since the whole thing, and ever since Damien had left his notice that he wanted to leave his company he knew Damien was wouldn't like it if he talked to Alec. Not right now anyway, he'd think he was trying to corrupt the boy somehow.

When Damien returned home, he let himself in, though he kept his distance. "Can we talk, civilized?" He asked quietly. Marcus wasn't about to try to convince Damien about anything, it was rather that he wanted to clear the air if they were going to be staying in the same town. "I don't want any trouble."

He was humming to himself as he started unpacking his cloths, folding them neatly and putting them away in his drawers. He would have to call Alec, just to make sure his brother was alright. He had taken Alec under his wing and wasn't planning on letting the boy go back to Arya and Marcus, he didn't trust them. As he was putting the cloths away, he turned around when he smelt and heard Marcus let himself in.

He frowned, closing the suitcase and sat down on the bed and looked at Marcus."Then talk." He said. He half expected Marcus to cover up what he did with pretty lies and words, but it wasn't going to work. "Guy is going to move out here, he seems to really take a interest in me." He said.

Marcus was relieved when Damien didn't immediately throw him out and told him to talk. Leaning against the wall, he folded his arms and looked at Damien when he say that Guy would want to move to Bitter Springs to be with Damien. Sure, Marcus didn't like the idea, but he didn't flinch at the mention of it either. If it was what Damien wanted, he'd concluded that he wouldn't meddle.

"I'm not here to try to cover anything up, everything Arya told you is true. We had too much time on our hands, couldn't stay in one place for too long because of the inquisition, and quite honestly we were trying stay alive when we stumbled across your village. It's no excuse for what we did, but it's the truth. Before you came along, we'd spent almost a millennium together, just the two of us. I tried for years to ignore that history, but the truth is, I could never bring myself to hurt you just to feel better." He knew it was no excuse for any of the things he'd out Damien through the past week and a half, but at least it was the plain truth. Marcus knew he'd hurt Damien far more than he'd ever care to admit by not telling him everything about that night his village was sacked and by sleeping with Arya, but he was trying to get his ex to at least not hate him.

"Do you think he will make you happy?" he asked, still being mature about it all. If Damien wanted to be with Guy, there wasn't anything he could do about it without forcing himself on Damien, which was still something he never wanted to do. "I'm not saying I like it, but I'm not going to try to get between the two of you. All I want is for you to be happy."

He wasn't sure if anything Marcus could say could.make up for centuries.of lies and deceits. . He wasn't even sure if maybe what him and Marcus had was even love. He tried not to appear upset, but it still hurt alot. He looked away once Marcus started talking to him, explaining everything. He was in deep thought of everything, before looking up at Marcus at the question. "He doesn't hide anything from me and treats me as a equal, so yes I think I'll be happy with him." He said.

"Is that all you wanted to say?" He asked. Their was still some sadness there, but it wasn't like it was five days ago.

Marcus nodded slightly in acceptance when Damien said he thought he'd be able to be happy with Guy as he didn't keep anything from him. He knew he had no one to blame for this situation but himself, but that didn't stop him from hurting over it. "I never wanted to keep any of it from you, but I didn't know how you'd handle it. I know I've been too controlling at times, but I really do love you enough to let you have a chance at the happy ending you deserve. Stealing your past away was bad enough, I'm not going to stand in the way of your future, though maybe someday we can work our way back to friends at least?"

Walking over to Damien, he kissed the top of his head and sighed slightly before he took a step back again. "I miss you, I really do. I would do almost anything to change the past and not hurt you at all. If there was even the slightest chance of winning you back, I would do whatever it took, but I'm man enough to admit defeat." If there was nothing else, he felt like he'd said what he came there to say. He really didn't know how else to try to make Damien understand that he was hurting over this all as well. It wasn't like he would try to manipulate the younger vampire again. He'd done that more than enough in the past and he would find a way to move on eventually, and until then he would just find comfort in the fact that he was doing the right thing for once. He loved Damien enough to let him go when that was what Damien seemed to truly want, and it was something he should have done ages ago.

"Goodbye Damien, go be free and happy at last." Despite his desire to kiss Damien as if his life depended on it, Marcus bit his lower lip and slowly started to back away. He honestly didn't trust that Damien wouldn't try anything if he turned his back to him right now.

Damien would have handled it better in the past, but this was centuries later and just the time period added onto the hurt that he felt. He was quiet, looking away from Marcus again and had to bite his lower lip to control any outburst of screaming, cursing, yelling and crying our all four mixed together. Marcus made him so angry, he always forgave the man and went back with him, but maybe that was a mistake, he should have just showed Marcus that he couldn't be forgiven for everything.

He flinched when Marcus kissed the top of his head and looked up at the man now. He was shocked to say the least that Marcus wasn't going to try and win him back. Normally, Marcus would have gone to great length, some say crazy just to keep him, but now...he was just going to admit defeat?

He just sat there, stunned and quiet as the man he had loved and known for so long just start to back away. He stood up then, throwing a vase at the mans head in anger. Their was a small satisfaction when the vase crashed in the back of Marcus's skull. "You can't have both me and Arya you know!" He shouted."You should have never told me you loved me! You should have just stay with Arya instead of marrying her off because its clear that you two will never get ovr each other!!" He added.

Marcus knew he had a history of messing up and getting Damien to forgive him. He also knew that he always wound up repeating his mistakes and having to start over. It wasn't a good way for anyone to live, and he really only wanted Damien to be happy. He'd caused enough misery over the centuries and didn't deserve another chance, not right now. If the only way to show Damien that he still loved him was to give him what he needed, then that's what he would do.

The male flinched when the vase crashed against his skull like that and whirled around. A moment later, he'd grabbed Damien by the wrist, painfully tight and practically snarled at his fledgeling. "I did love you, enough to try to change who I am so I wouldn't hurt you. Do you know how hard it was to try to change after two thousand years?" He let go of Damien and cursed in exasperation at the whole situation. Instead of leaving the room, he was walking in circles, trying to think of the best way to explain. "What Arya and I share isn't love, not anymore. One of my gifts is very unpredictable and it links two people together, because of that we are able to find one another, and summon the other as long as we're on the same continent it seems. I was relieved when it didn't pass on to you, simply because I knew I wouldn't be able to control you and you wouldn't like always feeling like I was watching you."

Stopping in his tracks, he looked at Damien, the sadness of the situation buried just beneath the surface. "I tried to get rid of my demons, but that made me try to control you all the time instead. You made me want to be a better person, while I can easily control your sister and I don't have to worry about my demons. I could never become better at anything if I got back together with her. Least of all become better at treating people you care about right."

It seemed to have gotten Marcus attention, but not in the most positive way either. He glared at his maker, making a noise when the man gripped his wrist and painfully tight. He snarled back, he wasn't going to back down from Marcus or be submissive, if the man wanted to bare his fangs then he would get it back.

Once Marcus finally let go, he watched his maker seem to go in circles as if trying to find a way to better explain himself. He watched the man, not sure what would happen or how this would all come about or what would be said. He listened to what Marcus said, none of it made him feel any better really and looked away for a moment.

"Me and you could never be together.....not while shes around....she'll always try something....but you let it happen, you let her come between us....that's what hurts the most. I would have fought her off if you refused her advances, but you gave in..." He said softly, starting to cry again and hide his face in his hands. "I don't even think you ever even loved me....you took me away from my home....my mother died because of you because your selfish and hide things from me that you should have just told me centuries ago, its hard to believe that you had or still have feelings for me." He added, between soft sobs.

Damien breaking down had never been his intentions, he really just wanted to clear the air. Now all he wanted to do was to make him feel all better. "Can I show you something?" He asked quietly, reaching out to barely touch Damien's cheek. All he showed him was how he'd tortured Arya that night. "That, more than anything is what we need one another for. That's what she hints at whenever she suggests you can't replace her. That is also why she keeps getting between us as I never want to hurt you just to make myself feel better."

Marcus didn't really think that what he'd just showed Damien would convince him that he really did have feelings for him. He had just needed Damien to know exactly why he seemed to need his sister around. It was rare that it got so severe as the memory he'd just showed Damien, but if he was really in a mood and she provoked him, they could make quite a mess of things. No wonder Arya never had any fledgelings of her own stay sane for long enough to be useful.

He did have something else to show Damien though, gently pulling Damien into a hug, he shared some of his fondest memories of his fledgeling with him. The pride he'd felt when he learned just how gifted Damien truly was. The joy that came with Damien finally giving himself away. Even how sad he'd truly been deep down when Damien left the first time. "One day, you'll believe that I truly did love you at this point in time," he said quietly. He knew it would take time, and he knew there was no guarantee even then that Damien would ever believe him. Marcus still had one last thing to show Damien though, the memory of how relieved he was when he finally realized he loved Damien.

"I'm not asking for another chance, I've had more than enough. I'll stay out of your way for a while to give you some space and a real chance at being happy." He might even go as far as to pack some things and go away for a while. There was a business trip to Europe he'd kept putting off, but if Guy was coming to town, it might be easier if he just left for a while.

It didn't make him feel better at the first memory that was showed to him. He knew that if he let Marcus hurt him the way Arya let him, then their would be no need.for Marcus to keep her around but he shouldn't have to put himself out luge that because his maker was a sadist. "That's obviously more important than being with me." He said.

He was pulled into a hug and almost pushed the other away until memories and images started.flashing through his head. It made him cry even more and he hide his face in the mans chest. Damien want sure if he should take Marcus willingness to letting him go as one that the man was relief that he.didn't have to put up with him or that he was bring truthful that he wanted Damien to be happy. Soft whimpers left him, he didn't know what to say he .so confused.

Marcus hated that he kept hurting Damien like that, and he really had never wanted Damien to change to accommodate his sadistic side. "I tried changing for your sake Damien, I really did." He would continue working on it as he hadn't always been like that, he knew there had to be a way out of it as well. "And I will continue to work on it."

It was painful to hear Damien cry like that, and all he could do was run his hand through Damien's hair, trying to soothe him. "I do want to be with you, but more than anything I just want you to be happy. I can't give you what you need just yet, so I won't even try to win you back because I don't deserve you." It did feel good to hold Damien close like that again, he'd missed it, but he knew he things couldn't continue the way they had been going for so long. He couldn't keep hurting Damien and manipulating him into forgiving him over and over.

Gently tilting Damien's head so he could look at his fledgeling, he offered a sad smile. "When I leave here today, you won't see me again unless you want to yourself, and I know you don't want to train her, but Gale needs a roof over her head. She can't stay with Arya or myself and she's got it under control now anyway. Take good care of them." It was obvious that it wasn't easy for him to say goodbye to Damien, his voice was even wavering slightly at the end, but he knew it was the right thing for everyone. Until he could truly overcome his sadistic tendencies, he had to stay away. The only reason he knew he was doing the right thing by this, was because it was one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do. Especially when all he wanted to do was to kiss Damien one last time.

Marcus seemed to have done good and didn't know what gaff happened to just suddenly tugger that sadistic side if him to choke out and go to the one person that could fulfill those desires. He wondered if Marcus would ever c change. The man had centuries to turn himself around, but never did. He wanted to believe that Marcus could and will change, but it was hard trusting him.

He tried containing the tears that were threatening to fall down his face. A soft whimper left him at the mans words and was forced to look up at the man. He was really leaving? "Where are you going?" He asked. He would take Gale in, he guess he could do that while he went to get his car. He didn't know what came over him, maybe he was just vulnerable right now Abe confused, but he leaned forward, practically pushing the man against the wall and kissed him passionately.

The saddest part was, it wasn't even Damien's fault that he'd been brought back into his old patterns. Arya had infuriated him so much when they had been with Gabriel, he hadn't know what else to do about it. Especially when she'd provoked him about losing Damien. She was to blame for this really, he'd been doing so good up until then. Maybe he needed to work on her as well so they could all be friends and at the same places at the same time.

"I have a business trip I need to take, then I'll just stay out of your way when I get back," he said quietly. It wasn't something he wanted to do, but it was what was needed of him to let everyone get a chance to move on from this mess. He'd even start looking for a place of his own, he'd lived with Arya for too long already. It was clear he needed to be around town if he didn't want to be all alone, but he'd really try his best to get through the next few weeks without slipping up too badly again.

Marcus didn't know what had come over Damien when he suddenly kissed him like that. It took a lot to break Marcus, but Damien was in serious danger of doing just that now. He couldn't stop himself from returning the kiss though, holding on to the hope that one day they could be together for real, no more secrets or lies. He eventually broke the kiss though, or he'd end up bringing Damien to the bed and push his luck. "I can't stay," he whispered, afraid to speak as he was already struggling with an emotion he hadn't felt in a really long time. He'd felt tinges of sadness over the years, but if he stayed he was in danger of breaking down and he didn't want that.

Cupping Damien's face, he kissed him again very gently. There was no point trying to deny how much he wanted Damien right then, as Damien could probably feel it himself, but he couldn't tell his fledgeling that he wanted him to be happy and then take advantage of their vulnerabilities. "I love you" he murmured when he pulled away again before he let go of Damien and turned away for a moment to wipe away a stray tear that threatened to fall.

He didn't know what had come over him and really thought that they would end up sleeping with one another. He was surprise that Marcus stopped and looked up at the man that had hurt him so many times and could see how hurt Marcus was about the while thing. He kissed back, looking up at the other and felt a tear run down his face at those three words I meant so much to him in that same time hurt him. He stood as if frozen when Marcus pulled away and started walking away.

He.didn't know that he could say or dip to maybe make anything better. He knew though that Marcus needed to quirk on field and he need to be by himself to figure things out. After Marcus left, he.called Guy, asking him when he would come. The vampire would come down in just a couple.of days. He would have up Getty Gale moved in very soon and went to get his.car. Luckily Arya left him alone and he headed back home.