Hello :) This is my FIRST story. Woah. I feel like dancing or singin'. But I won't. That might be weird. I don't want to scare anyone away. Speaking of people going away, if the first chapter doesn't totally make you go, "... That was awesome," please don't go. Just try the second. Because it will totes get much better. K? K! And , unfortunately, I don't anything Vampire Diaries or the characters. Just Emily and anyone else I decide to bring along. Okay, start reading now!

Let us embrace, and from this very moment,

Vow an eternal misery together

-Thomas Otway

Now

March 2012

There was nothing left to say.

She had made the choice already. If she regretted it, she didn't say it. He covered her body with his, and she put her arms around him. If she thought long enough, she could still picture him in all of his incarnations. Age five, his hair becoming less pure of a blond; age 11, sprouting. Age 14, with the hands of a man. The moon rolled in the sky, sloe eyed; she breathed in his scent. "I love you," she said.

He kissed her gently, and she was left wondering if she had just imagined it. She pulled back slightly, to look into his eyes.

And the stake was plunged into her heart.

Although for centuries, almost a thousand years, that they had been parted as a family, they still felt whole. United. Except for Finn; but he had never truly felt like one of them anyways. There was Elijah, moral. The "good" brother, to this family's standards, at least. Finn, the eldest, who hated what he had become. Rebekah, the youngest; tempting, wild, and still a little girl who relied on her big brother and believed that her mother loved her, no matter what she did. Kol, a loose cannon, the trouble maker. And finally Niklaus, the black sheep. The son that nobody wanted and the "bad' brother. A cursed man. An entirely different family had been brought together and torn apart by things that had been set in motion long before some were even born. A tragic story, of course, but one that seemed to be coming to an end.

Last year, Klaus's curse had been broken. To him, it was a celebration. Finally, the boulder had been lifted off his shoulders. But then came Mikael, the father. Not his, but the only one he had. One that wanted to kill him. Klaus had killed him though, and reunited his family.

But the happiness only lasted for a while.

"You know, Rebekah," Kol chimed in from the living room, "fraternizing with the enemy will only lead to your little heart being broken. And a Salvatore no less! Scandal, truly."

"But screwing every schoolgirl in Mystic Falls is perfectly fine?" she countered. Kol only grinned, reveling in the pride he had over east conquests. Rebekah pushed passed him to get to Elijah, who was looking at the clock, seemingly transfixed.

"What are you waiting for?'

"Niklaus and Emily," he replied evenly. Rebekah smiled. Emily

"Knowing her, they're probably out looking for lost puppies to help. She was always very generous." Rebekah pulled her brother away from the clock and set him down on the couch. "They're practically adults. Or at least they're old enough to be."

"Actually," Elijah pointed out, "Emily was turned when she was seventeen."

Rebekah thought back to the days when they were all still completely intact with their humanity. When they were all still human. It seemed so far away, so long ago. Changing someone at such a young age seemed awful.

But Emily never complained. She never threw fits or cried. She merely accepted the fact that she couldn't have children or a family. That was probably the worst part.

"I wouldn't worry," Rebekah offered. "They'll be back soon. They always get into trouble together, and they're fine. You know that."

Elijah smiled. "Yes. I do."

Rebekah walked away, satisfied. However, Elijah was not convinced.

The loud thud woke the entire house.

Elijah ran down the stairs, wondering if Emily and Klaus had indeed made it back and were sleeping upstairs. However, when he ran to the front door, he found out they weren't.

Klaus came in, his clothes and face dirty. His cheeks were tear stained and his eyes were red rimmed. Rebekah ran to help, but he pushed passed her. Kol stood by waiting for instructions.

Elijah broke the silence. "Klaus? Are you alright?"

He looked at him. "I don't know."

Elijah was beginning to see his brother in an entirely new way. When Klaus was with Emily, he was nice and caring. He would laugh and make jokes, just to see her smile. He would never raise his voice at her. He was patient and loving. But only with Emily.

Without her, Elijah realized, Klaus was a mess. She was his rock, his love. And now apparently, according to Klaus, she was missing.

"Klaus, do you know where you were?" Kol asked.

Klaus lifted his head, slowly and carefully as if looking at his family would bring on some kind of catastrophe. "Up on the hill," he whispered.

Elijah nodded. As kids, they would travel for two hours through the woods so they could get to this hill. It had been in town for God knows how long. It was secluded and they were the only ones who knew about it. Rebekah broke her arm doing cartwheels down it. Klaus and Emily shared their first kiss together on that hill.

"Is Em still there?" Rebekah questioned.

Klaus looked back down. "No."

Elijah raised an eyebrow. "Where is she then?"

"She's upstairs."

Kol laughed. "Knew you were just lying. Well, why isn't she down here? She could be helping us try to figure out why you look like you just killed a village of puppies!"

Klaus got up and walked to his brother. "She won't talk to you." Klaus looked like a man scorned, wrecked.

Elijah moved closer to their conversation. If Em was upstairs, he would know. She would here her walking around or breathing or brushing her hair or something. It was only them.

Kol snorted. "I know she;s up there, Niklaus. Probably laughing right now. Come on Em!" Kol screamed the the ceiling above him. "We all know you're listeni-" Klaus cut him off, savagely.

"Em," he said, "is dead."