To the top is Fracisco Lachowski as Theo Fitsgerald.

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"I love the old way best, the simple way of poison, where we too are strong as men."

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WARNING- MENTIONS OF DEPRESSION AND CUTTING. 

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Chapter 27- Past Problems

Daemon paced around his study like a lion in a cage. Deandra watched him a little frightened. Daemon realized that she must be scared that he would attack her.

His wife was currently singing for the kitchen.

The bloody woman was singing while he was going mad. Not to mention her singing sounded like a cross between a dying walrus and a whale's mating call. He had heard neither of those sounds but he was pretty sure that his wife's voice was relatable to it.

He hadn't even tried telling her to shut up because he knew that she wouldn't listen to him and would sing even more horrendously. Besides, even though his assistant was her long lost best friend, he didn't want Deandra witness his wife not listening to him. He demanded respect from everyone.

"Why are we waiting here like an idiot?" Daemon asked angrily to his assistant.

"Idiots, sir," Deandra corrected him automatically. Daemon saw her grimace a little... Aiden had been a bit of a Grammar Nazi.

"I meant idiot. You are the only idiot here, not I," Daemon said stiffly. Deandra didn't even bother commenting; it was just like Daemon to insult others even when everyone was miserable.

The door of the study opened and Rosalyn came. Daemon watched her gently pat Deandra, and then give her a cup of tea. She then turned to him and gave him his cup of coffee.

"Ok, now that we all are here," Daemon said giving a meaningful look to Rosalyn, "you tell us what you thought was very important that even I had to listen."

Rosalyn raised an eyebrow at Daemon's attitude and then turned to Deandra. Deandra just shrugged and mouthed, 'He is always like this with me."

Rosalyn rolled her eyes and then turned to Deandra expectantly.

"Well... about a week back, after I had gone out with that man and I was trying to forget his existence... I got a call from someone..."

Daemon looked interested and nodded.

"I thought it was a prank call because I just kept hearing heavy breathing and then a very harsh voice..."

"What does this have anything to..." Daemon started both stopped when he saw the look that Rosalyn gave him.

"The person said 'Sebastian...no...'" Deandra said sounding a little scared, "I thought it was someone from our past trying to scare me but..."

"Who do you think it is? Aiden..." Daemon asked concerned.

"No, I know his voice very well. This... I don't know... it sounded older, rougher and a little dangerous," Deandra said and chuckled sarcastically, "I know I sound insane."

"Yes, you..."

"No, you don't," Rosalyn said giving a warning look in Daemon's direction. Daemon stayed quiet- no point in making her angry. The end result would only be him sleeping on the couch.

But that didn't mean he would listen to her without any argument. He frowned at Deandra and then at her and then at his lap. He heard her chuckle.

"Don't worry Deandra... I'm not sure what it was...but we will figure it out," Rosalyn then smiled at her, "We have to figure it out."

Deandra smiled back at her. She then got up and placed her cup on the tray and said, "I'll anyway leave now. I just want to spend the night alone."

He nodded and Rosalyn looked a little tensed. Before Deandra could leave, she pulled her arm and said, "Don't do anything stupid, ok? I'm trusting you."

Daemon watched them confused.

"I know what you feel, but you won't do anything. You know the consequences, you have seen it before," Rosalyn said sternly to Deandra. Deandra didn't meet her eyes when she nodded and walked out.

"I'll call you in the morning," Rosalyn called behind her and left the room leaving Daemon to think whether he knew everything that had happened in her past.

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Rose walked into the bedroom that she had started sharing with Daemon. She wasn't very surprised when he walked towards her and grabbed her arm.

"What was that, Rosalyn?" Daemon asked pissed.

"What was what?" Rose pouted.

"Don't act cute with me, Rosalyn," Daemon said angrily.

"But I'm not acting" Rose started but stopped when she saw her husband's enraged expression.

"What was the meaning of what you told Deandra?" Daemon asked.

Rose looked down embarrassed.

"Rosalyn, I will not ask you again, what did you mean? I'm asking you the nice way now, do you want me to bring out by bad side?" Daemon asked as he looked down at her.

"It's my past...it's not something I'm proud of..." Rose said softly hoping that he would leave the issue. But when had Daemon ever agreed with anyone's wishes?

"Please, Rosalyn... you can say whatever you want to me. I won't judge you or be angry, I promise."

Rose looked surprised as his eyes softened. Daemon had to be the most bipolar man she had ever met. She sighed knowing that she didn't have a choice.

"Daemon..." Rose said helplessly, "We might as well sit down; this is going to take some time."

Daemon nodded and before Rose could protest, he had her in his arms and then threw her on the bed like a rag doll. She glared at him from the bed and he just smirked in return. She understood immediately that he was being playful; he was trying to distract her. She smiled at him softly and shook her head.

Stupid boy. People thought that he was rude and mean and didn't care about anyone. Even Daemon probably felt that about himself- but she knew the truth. He was just hiding his true feelings so much that even he felt that they didn't exist. He cared a lit- he was just too afraid to show it.

For a second, she wondered what made him that way. Was there a reason he became so cold? She made a mental note to ask Dennis about it.

Daemon sat down next to her and raised an eyebrow; well, he tried to raise an eyebrow and Rose giggled at him.

"I love you," she said softly with a smile. His smirk turned into a grin and he said, "I know, who doesn't?"

"I can name a lot of people," Rose said dryly and Daemon rolled his eyes. He then looked at her meaningfully.

"Ok..." Rose said taking a deep breath, for some weird reason she didn't find any problem telling him about it. It may have something to do with the fact that she had already told him half the things.

She couldn't believe that this was the same man that she had married a month ago.

Just a month... she had fallen for him in a month.

"If you are done smiling weirdly, can you start?" Daemon asked rudely. Nice man she fell for.

"You know after I caught Sebastian cheating on me... I was never the same. I had a couple...ok...a lot of insecurities. I don't know how or even why but eventually I lost interest in eating..."

"What?" Daemon asked shocked.

"Yeah, I'm kind of fine now. But then I became a little anorexic and I fell into depression. To be honest, I don't remember anything. It all just went in a blur, to be honest. All I actually remember is not eating. And my relationship with my friends collapsed. Deandra and me, we fought a lot...well more like she would say something innocent and I would completely blow it out of proportion. I kept having that feeling that no one cared. And I took it out on her. And well Alex... she had been pissed but at that time we were still on talking terms. She, honestly, had no idea what to do with me. She was scared and nervous that I might fall off the rails or something. I actually really don't blame her either. I was in a very emotionally unstable time."

Daemon took her hand in his and rubbed it soothingly. She smiled at him absent mindedly.

"It was at that time that I got a new friend, well more like he forced himself onto my life when he saw my condition. Unlike others he cared and noticed when I was down. He never took no for an answer. We bonded over my helplessness. He had an obsession with helping the damsel in distress. Even before he had gone around helping people."

"You talk so fondly about him," Daemon said dryly.

"Well, obviously. His name is Theo... Theo Fitzgerald..."

"Fits..."

"You always have a problem with my friends' last name," Rose said rolling her eyes, "So well, he first observed my sudden aloof character and the fights and how I never ate. He figured out I had depression issues and he tried prying into my issue. I hate priers."

"I hate priers too," Daemon said passionately.

"Stop being jealous," Rose said and continued without waiting for his reply, "So, he understood that prying wasn't working, so he did the next best thing. He started force feeding me. Yes, I'm serious- he started complaining to the counselor, teachers and even my friends and with loads of blackmail and threats, he started making me eat."

Daemon looked into her eyes and then sighed and looked down.

"Hey wait. It wasn't that bad. I wasn't weight obsessed or tried vomiting food or anything, I just wasn't interested. Anyway, for the best part. You know, one day, my friends decided that I had to go out with them or I will fall into the deep pits of depression, so I was getting ready. I was shaving my legs... yes Daemon, I'm a girl, I shave my legs... so well, I got a big cut on my knee..."

Daemon looked like he knew exactly where it was going.

"The blood was just gushing out... and I became... I don't know, fascinated? I always wanted to be a doctor but because of my circumstances and all, I turned out to be a teacher who never even goes to school. Anyway, so it kind of fascinated me but it hurt like a bitch. Don't look at me like I murdered your puppy... anyway, so I had read a lot about you know...that... and I thought it would help."

Daemon's glare intensified. He had a very unique glare but that never stopped Rose from thinking that it was a little like the one she used to get from Alex. Her heart dropped again.

"So, well, to cut the story short, I tried it and I felt absolutely nothing but pain and I hated it. Theo figured it out and he gave me a long lecture, half of which I spent staring at the wall behind him, and then made me promise to stop it. I was planning on it, but things slipped and I did it again. I tried hiding it from him and he caught me and he was disappointed. And... well... I didn't like seeing him disappointed and after a long lecture about trust, which I tried very hard to listen to, I promised again. Till today, I haven't broken it. It was the only reason I didn't do anything bad after Alex died."

Daemon looked at her and for a second, she saw a flash of gratitude as well as relief on his face. He hugged her tightly to his chest and patted her head.

"Where is he now?"

"No clue. I lost contact, I'm not good in keeping contact with people," Rose shrugged, "I tried in the beginning but then well, I felt like I wasn't needed, so I kept away."

Daemon pulled away from her and looked into her eyes and said, "You had a crush on him."

Rose smiled and said, "And you're jealous again."

"I...I..."

"You never showed any problem with Sebastian, why? Honestly, it was a little troubling for me," Rose said.

"Well, Sebastian is a bastard and you know it. You were over him because he did a bad thing. But this guy was good to you, he helped you..."

"Well, it's kind of sad that I don't like the good guy and prefer the mean, shouting and terrifying kind of guy who has a heart somewhere inside..." Rose said as she knocked his chest. He chuckled and brought her close to him.

"You think Deandra will go into that?" Daemon asked, sounding a little scared.

And people thought he didn't care....

"She tried to before when she had some problems but I convinced her out of it. Why does she need an example? She knows what happened to me, she watched me... she knows I regret what I did... she just has to remember that," Rose said with a shrug.

Daemon took a deep breath and he looked like he wanted to say something. Rose nodded at him encouragingly.

"Well, I just wanted to say that you have me now...I mean if you need anyone to talk to or if you feel bad about the past or... you know..." Damon stammered and then sighed. He ran his hand through his hair.

Rose had the sudden urge to jump on him.

"I would love to help you... that doesn't mean I've changed ok..." Daemon said, turning stern. Of course, he would love to protect his bad reputation.

"Of course, you haven't..." Rose said cuddling on to him. Without looking at his face, she said, "You can always also tell me what has bothered you for this long..."

She looked up at him to see him smiling down at her.

"When the time is right."

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AN:

Ok, hello folks :D

I know this is later than I expected to upload but well... I slacked off.

And right now I have projects to do, record books to complete and practicals to study for. And I have one day. Yes, I'm screwed.

Onto a finer note, I dedicate this chapter to my best friend to who I had said I would upload earlier, but didn't. Also sorry for ditching you in school. :P. i also dedicate it to a special friend as well. :D

And then, this chpater deals with pretty heavy stuff including cutting, depression and anorexia. As a person who went through all three and a person who has seen other people go through the same, I have the same advice as Rose. Things happen in life and at time, we just want to run away from it. Trust me, I experience it everyday. But we have to face those difficulties without succumbing to the pressures. I know, many will say, it's all right for her to say but it's difficult to follow. Yes, it's true... I know it. But I haven't been into cutting so much as I was thankfully stopped, but I did have issues regarding depression and anorexia. Depression, as Rose, said also destroys relationships. To my luck, I was able to make it better but many may not be able to.

Now the topic which I have actually fully experienced- anorexia. There are people out there who are dealing with the same and this is a huge problem. To those who are going to through other struggles- I wish you all luck and I'm sure you will be able to get over it with time.

So now that is over... wow I keep writing longer and longer author's notes.

So, do vote, comment and like.

Have a wonderful day,

Ashley. :D