Celtic Fire

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Keara. She's all mine.

A/N: This will be a love story regarding Damon and an O/C (Keara). Rated mature due to language and sexual scenes between the two. Other characters of TVD will make appearances as well. Plenty of angst, but plenty of romance as well.

Keara O'Malley was standing before the grave of her beloved grandmother, Ada. The evening sky held brilliant reddish/orange hues which was exactly the opposite of how Keara felt. She felt empty, void and alone. Not at all vibrant like the colors surrounding her.

She has received the phone call not 3 days prior. Her grandmother had collapsed due a severe stroke and had passed away. The doctor assured her that her grandmother passed immediately and did not feel any pain. This comforted her and she was happy for her grandmother; that she was finally with her treasured husband in death. But, that did little to curb the wound that was left where her heart used to be.

"I love you," she whispered, dropping a single yellow rose on the bare ground. Wiping a single tear, she walked away with resolve as strong as steel. Ada would have wanted her to go on and that was just what she intended to do.

An emerald green Jeep Wrangler slowly drove through main street in Mystic Falls. Keara had chosen it because it matched the shade of her eyes. The Virginia town had a certain charm to it; tiny shops lined the streets as she drove past. Not many people were out, but it was midnight, after all.

She turned left at Lee street and stopped at a modest brick house. It was the last house on the dead end street and she was happy that it would offer some privacy. She placed the Jeep in park and climbed out, stretching her long legs.

The moon was almost full, so that it offered some light for her to move the boxes of clothes from the vehicle to the front door. She turned the key in the lock, took a deep breath, and stepped into her new life.

Furniture already sat in the living room and the house looked like it was a well used home. The moving trucks had placed all of her belongings in their proper places the day before yesterday. The only thing that Keara had to take with her were the boxes of clothes and the picture of her grandmother.

Finally, after 3 am, Keara crawled into her dark cherry bed and fell into a dreamless slumber.

Sleep was not going to present itself to Damon. He lay under the black silk sheet staring up at the ceiling. Of-course, his mind was consumed about thoughts of Elena. Since she had turned her humanity back on, she had resorted to her old ways. She had told both he and Stefan that, while she cared for him, Stefan would be the one she would share her life with. Damon had expected this, but what he didn't expect was how he felt about it.

He supposed, if he was honest with himself, that he did love Elena in his own way. But, the reason he was attracted to her in the first place was because of Katherine. He no longer felt anything but hatred for the ruthless vampire, but once upon a time, he had loved her without reservation.

He was glad that Elena had finally made a decision and stuck to it. The waiting and hoping was the worst part. Now, he felt….free.

Kicking off the sheet, he stood up and walked over to the window and peered at the moon. The night was clear and offered endless possibilities. He hastily dressed in a dark tee-shirt and jeans and jumped out the window. No need to wake Stefan or Elena by going out the front door.

He had been walking the streets of Mystic Falls, trying to figure out what he wanted to do. On one hand, he wanted to take a sweet young woman to his bed and feed his appetite. It had been too long since he had fed from a willing, albeit compelled, donor. And, it had been too long since he had fed his other appetite as well. To Damon, it was impossible to have one without the other. Sex and blood went hand in hand.

But, he also wanted to be alone tonight. It was a curious feeling. Alone in his thoughts, he walked aimlessly until he found himself on a lonely dead end street. He noticed a dark green jeep parked in front of a small brick house.

Mystic Falls was a small town and Damon knew almost everyone in it and where they lived. But he didn't know who lived here. He vaguely remembered that this house had been vacant for the better part of a year. So, with curiosity brimming, he cautiously walked to the back of the house and peered into the bay window.

Someone was definitely living here now and that someone was sound asleep on her bed. Her long, curly, auburn locks were fanned about the pillow on which she lay. Her skin, already pale, seemed to shimmer in the moonlight. She was laying on her back, covers tossed to the side due to the searing summer heat. And, this gave Damon a complete view of her flawless body because she was sleeping in the nude.

"Fuck," he murmured. This was a woman, with a woman's curves. Her perky full breasts rose a little with each breath she took. His eyes slid to her soft, flat stomach and then to her rounded hips. He licked his lips and continued on. Soft, tiny auburn curls hid her treasure from his view and he paused at the sight for a moment. Continuing on, he noticed her succulent thighs and wondered what it would feel like to rest between them. Finally, he ended his scrutiny with her tiny feet, nails painted a teasingly bright pink.

With reluctance, he tore himself away from the vision before him.

Without realizing it, Keara had become Damon's next obsession.