Emma laid down on her bed at the boarding house, her gaze stuck to the ceiling. She could still remember the feeling of Jonathan's unbeating heart in her hands, his blood dripping to the ground around her. She didn't mean to do it, but when he started attacking everyone, she panicked. The only thing on her mind was to stop him. After it happened, she took it upon herself to bury Jonathan. Damon and Jared had offered their help, but she told them she could handle it. It was her responsibility to do it.

It was already sunrise, a ray of light beginning to hit her eyes. She flinched and checked the time on the clock; it was well past the normal time to get up. Elena had offered to take their home, but she couldn't bring herself to go back to that place. She couldn't bring herself to face Jeremy.

The last time she really spoke and saw him was when she and Elena caught him making out with Anna's spirit in the bathroom of The Grill. So as of now, she did not know what was going on with him. And she missed that. Because of Klaus, she missed out spending time with her brother during summer. There was no way for her to take that back.

She pulled the covers off and went into the closet, putting on leggings, a stripped blouse, and sneakers. Luckily, it was the weekend, so she had nothing to do. Heading downstairs, the young girl went to the kitchen for a quick drink and noticed how empty the house was. Her phone buzzed in her back pocket, indicating a text message was sent. She saw the text was from Elena, asking her to come over for an intervention for Jeremy.

Emma held back sending a reply. Would he even want her there? She let out a sigh. She couldn't avoid him forever. She replied and grabbed a jacket that was draped over the couch, going out the front door.

There was one thing she loved about being a vampire and it was having the ability to go places in an instant. She didn't need to ask for a ride for anyone or run. So, using her vampire speed, she vamped all the way to her home, appearing just before the porch steps.

The Gilbert went up the wooden steps hesitantly, nerves creating goosebumps on her arms. She wished she didn't have that feeling going to her own home, but she couldn't help it. She hasn't been inside it since the beginning of the summer.

She pulled out the keys to the house she always carried with her. Slipping it through the key hole, she turned it to the left and the lock clicked. She pushed the door and it swung open.

"Emma." Elena called out from the dinning room, walking over with plates in her hand. "Thanks for coming. I know things are a bit hectic, but I'm really worried about Jeremy."

The girl nodded, readjusting her leggings. "I understand. I haven't spoken to him in a while so this would give us a chance to talk."

Elena smiled, turning around to head back to the kitchen. "Great. Alaric is almost done cooking. You can eat if you wa-"

"Elena?" Emma interrupted. She gestured to the door frame. "I can't go in."

The smile on the doppelganger's face dropped. "O-oh my, god. I completely forgot. You can come inside."

The last time she had stood by the door, she could feel the invisible wall that prevented her from entering the inside. Once Elena had said those words, it was as if it was broken down all at once. Emma reached out a hand across the door frame, nothing blocking it. She went further and stepped inside for the first time in a while.

"Feels good to be home." she muttered, but deep down, she somehow felt like a stranger in her own home.

Alaric was at the island, chopping some vegetables for the meal. "Hey there. Elena fill you in?" he asked.

Emma noticed the utensils weren't out so she walked over to the drawer and took some out. "Yeah. What exactly has been going on with him?"

"He's been distant lately and over the summer, he got a job at the Grill. Only I just found out he was fired weeks ago." Elena explained, setting plates on top of the placemats.

"Really?" She moved around the table and placed a fork and knife at each seat. "Why would he suddenly do that?"

Her question wasn't able to answered due to the front door opening and closing. Jeremy, seeming to be a bit out of breath, made his way into the kitchen and over to the fridge.

"Just in time. We've been cooking." Elena said.

Jeremy shook his head, opening the fridge. "Sorry. Just passing through."

"Aww. Well, I thought we'd all stay in, have a meal together like a typical atypical family." Alaric suggested.

Jeremy pulled out a can of soda. "Why?"

"Maybe because you got fired and you didn't tell anyone." Elena pointed out.

The Gilbert brother rolled his eyes. "Look, can we do this later? I made plans with Tyler. He's right outside."

Emma held her hand up to stop him from leaving. "Since when have you and Tyler Lockwood been friends?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Does it matter?"

"Uh, yeah. He's Klaus's pet dog. If Klaus wanted to, he could have Tyler kill you in an instant." she countered, crossing her arms. She never thought she'd see the day Jeremy wanting to be around Tyler.

"He can here outside. Besides, neither of you should lecture me on who I can and can't hang out with."

Elena scoffed. "What is with the attitude?"

"You know what, this is lame. I'm leaving." Jeremy said, ignoring Elena's question and heading to the door.

"No, no, no." Elena said but was too far to stop him.

Emma hurried in front of him and shoved him back, a little too hard, making him stumble back. "You're not going anywhere."

Jeremy narrowed his eyes at her, betrayal on his face. He turned to Alaric for some back up but the older man shrugged. "Fine." He turned to his sisters. "You want me to stay in? Let's all stay in, then. Yo, Tyler, come on in."

The front door opened and Tyler stepped inside, entering the kitchen with a smug look on his face.

Jeremy pulled out a chair, patting the back support. "Have a seat, Ty. I'll get you a drink." As the hybrid sat down, Jeremy grabbed a glass and filled it with water, setting it by Tyler.

"Thanks."

Elena shook her head, clearly annoyed. "This is weird. Klaus has hybrids stalking me, and now, you're just sitting in our kitchen."

"Maybe I should go." Tyler said, the one good idea so far.

Jeremy came back to the table with plates and utensils for his new best friend. "No, stay. You're not doing anything."

"You sure you don't have to report back to your owner to get a treat?" Emma asked, sitting down on the table's bench.

"That's not how it works." he replied with a chuckle.

Alaric came over from the island with a glass of wine, taking a seat at the head of the table. "Tell me, Tyler. What is the difference between being sired and being compelled?"

The hybrid took a moment before responding. "Compulsion, that's just mind control, like hypnosis. And being sired is like faith. You do something because you believe it's the right thing."

"So, you believe that serving Klaus is the right thing?" Elena inquired, an eyebrow raised in suspicion.

He shook his head. "I don't serve him. Klaus released me from a curse that was ruining my life. I owe him for that."

"What if he asked you to jump off a bridge?" the vampire hunter asked.

"He wouldn't. And if he did, I'd be fine. I'm a hybrid."

"Okay, so what if he asked you to rip your own heart out?" Elena questioned.

"He wouldn't."

"But what if he did?"

"I don't know. Then I'd rip out my heart!" Tyler answered, leaving everyone shocked.

Emma's eyes darted towards Jeremy and she could see he was taken back. Hopefully that convinced him something was wrong with Tyler.

Tyler leaned back in his chair, pissed. "You guys sound like Caroline, getting all freaked out over something you don't understand."

"You're right, Tyler. We don't understand. But it seems as though you are willing to be someone's lapdog." Emma shot back.

"You're overthinking it. I can still make my own decisions." he said, but she thought otherwise.

The sound of a phone rang and Jeremy excused himself to take the call.

"Was it your choice to come here or did Klaus tell you to?" the young vampire asked, leaning on her elbows.

Tyler seemed to have been a little restless. "I came here because I wanted to. Klaus doesn't control my every movement."

"Hey, I'm just trying to understand. I was turned by his blood and yet the only way I listen to what he says is if he compels me. I can make my own choices."

Jeremy rejoined the group, sitting back in his seat.

"I gotta go." Tyler said, checking his watch for the time. "Thanks for the food offer, but-"

"Next time." Alaric finished, munching on a cracker.

The hybrid nodded and stood up, pushing his chair and leaving the house. Once he was gone, Elena and Alaric got up and went to get the waiting food on the counter. Emma's phone chimed, a text from Jared saying he was going to call her. She moved to the living room, pressing answer when the angel's name popped up.

"Hey, something you need?" she asked, turning away from everyone else.

There was some shuffling on his side. "No, nothing in particular. Just wanted to check up on you after what happened with Jonathan."

The mention of that name made her flinch. "I'm getting by. I just can't get that image out of my head."

"What image?"

"Of me, holding his heart and burying his dead body." she replied, flashes of that night coming to surface.

"I asked if you needed help."

More like begged but she didn't say that. "I know and I appreciate that. But it was something I needed to do. I took his life and it was my responsibility to take care of it."

"Listen, if you need any help with that-"

"No offense, but I'll pass. The last time you helped me with my emotions, you ended up getting rid of them and I got them back by watching everyone I know die in front of me." she said.

She heard him groan. "Yeah, that's pretty much my fault. Sorry about that."

Emma smiled. She couldn't really blame him for everything. He was trying to help her. "No, it's fine. You didn't to it on purpose."

"Jeremy?"

The girl glanced back towards the dinning room to see her brother missing from his seat. "I'll call you later." she said and hung up the phone. "Where'd he go?"

Elena looked at her. "I don't know. He was just here."

Alaric reached down to Jeremy's plate and picked up the Gilbert ring left behind. "It's his ring."

"Why wouldn't he take off his ring?" Emma asked, walking over and taking it from him.

"I don't know."

They all turned to the front door that was wide open and in a distance, Jeremy was standing in the middle of the street.

"Jeremy? What are you doing?" Elena called out as they stepped outside.

Just then, a black SUV veered sharply around the corner of the road and went straight towards her unmoving brother. They tried to call out to him but he ignored them. Emma and Alaric ran over to get him, though, the girl was faster. She managed to push Jeremy out of the way.

The car hit her side and she was sent in the air, her back slamming on the windshield. The SUV came to a stop and she fell to the asphalt, hard. The glass from the windshield pierced her back and arms and the impact of her fall left her breathless. The last thing she heard was the sound of the SUV zooming away.


Emma was standing in the basement of the old witches house where they had planned on killing Klaus and Elena was brought back to life thanks to John. Before the young girl were four coffins, the letter 'M' was engraved on the lids. They were arranged in a line and in front of one of them was Bonnie. She was muttering foreign words, her eyes closed in concentration.

The Gilbert reached out a hand to the witch, but when she made contact with her, a jolt ran through her. An image of a blonde woman, sharing the characteristics of Rebekah, Klaus, and Elijah. The woman had a dark aura to her that screamed at the young girl to stay away from her. The last thing she saw was fire engulfing the room.


When she finally came to, she felt the pain way her down. Just to raise her arm was difficult. And with the vision that happened, it took more of a toll on her. She used her little strength to sit up on the couch she laid on. To her left was Alaric sitting on one of the love seats.

"Ric?" she muttered, grunting in pain as she adjusted her position.

He smiled her, reaching over and helping her up. "Welcome back. How do you feel?"

She glanced behind her to the window and saw that the sun was beginning to set and her siblings were no where in sight. "I think so. What happened? Where is everyone?" she asked, planting her feet on the ground.

"You don't remember what happened to you?"

Emma rubbed her neck. "I remember the car going towards Jeremy and getting hit- Jeremy! Is he okay?" she asked, more alert now. She some how forgot about the reason she was in this state.

"He's fine. He's up in his room." Alaric placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

A sigh escaped her lips. She had no idea what she would have done if she found out Jeremy ended up hurt or worse, dead. "Thank goodness. So what happened?"

"Turns out Jeremy was weaned off vervain and was compelled by Klaus to stand in the street so one of the hybrid minions could run him over. All to send a message."

"What message?"

"To give him back the coffins."

Her eyes grew wide. "Someone took the coffins?" she asked, panic beginning to rise. There was one other thing Klaus cared more about than himself and it was the coffins of his "dead" family he kept around. They were his pride and joy. "He needs to get them back. He'll go crazy and kill everyone."

Alaric nodded. "We know. It was Stefan who took them, so Elena and Damon went to convince him to give them back. Haven't heard anything yet so I hope it's a good sign." She moved to get up but the pain in her side made her yelp. "Okay, how about we get you something to make you better. Damon brought some blood over when we called him." he said, guiding her to the kitchen.

"The thing I hate about what I am. The need for human blood to feed and heal me." She lowered herself down onto a dining table chair as Alaric went into the fridge to retrieve the blood bag.

"Hey, it's rough but we all have your back." He reached into a cabinet and took out a glass, walking over and handing the stuff to her.

She frowned, thinking back to Jeremy. "Not everyone." His reaction to her being what she was said it all. It was bad enough she didn't feel good about herself, but for her brother to resent her?

"Do you mean Jeremy?" She nodded. "Listen, when I first found out about vampires and how one killed my wife, I resented them. Think about how he feels. His little sister was turned into the thing he fears and hates."

"I didn't choose to be like this!"

"I know. Just give him some time." Alaric's advised.

Emma rubbed her eyes. "And if it lasts forever?"

He shrugged. "Then I don't know."

The door bell rang and Alaric left her to answer. While he was gone, she pondered over what he said.

Time. Why was Jeremy the one who needed time? He didn't have to control the urge to tear everyone's neck off. He didn't have to keep his emotions in check to avoid having a major meltdown. She now had to live as a monster for the rest of her- forever. The person who needed time was her.

A grunting sound made it to her ears, making her snap her head in the direction of the front door. She stood up from the chair and saw Alaric hunched over and a man outside.

"Alaric?" She inched closer steadily, partially from her slowly healing wounds but also from her suspicion of the man.

The vampire hunter turned slightly toward her and that's when she could see the end of a knife in his abdomen. Emma gasped and attempted to speed over to Alaric, but the man outside quickly pulled out a gun and shot her several times, three bullets to her chest and one in her left leg. She fell backwards, the bullets making it impossible to move. She tilted her head to the side to get a view of the man as he chuckled when Alaric fell too, a pool of blood forming around his body.

"Now, if I was invited in, I could help save him since you seem to be busy." he said.

Her eyes narrowed. "Can't invite you in dumbass. I'm a vampire. Besides, if he dies, he'll just come back to life and kill you." She dragged herself to a wall and propped herself up.

He shook his head, a snugness surrounding him. "I don't know about that. Seems to me he's not dying fast enough." he said, pointing down to Alaric.

Just then, a stake shot out and hit in the chest. Jeremy appeared in her line of vision and checked on Alaric before making his way to her. "Alaric is barely hanging on. Are you alright?" he asked, looking over her wounds.

She nodded. "We need to get him help." She gestured to the guy. "Is he dead?"

Jeremy got up and went to the kitchen returning with a kitchen knife. "Not yet." He stepped outside and hovered over the guy, raising the knife up.

"Wait what ar-" She jumped when he brought it down and made a clear cut on the guy's neck, decapitating his head. She froze as he turned back with droplets of blood sprayed across his face.

He went to Alaric and picked him up. "I'm taking him to the hospital. Can you manage?"

It took her a second to respond. "Y-yeah. I'll meet you there." she said as he disappeared out of the house.

She was blown away when she watched him kill that guy. This was who her brother was now? Elena was right. Something was going on with Jeremy and it was turning him into someone she barely recognized. Their life did this to him.

After recovering from the events, Emma pulled out all the bullets that hit her. She held one up to see they were wooden, the reason why it hurt her so much. Before she left to meet up with Jeremy at the hospital, she healed herself with some blood and changed out of her ruined clothing. Also, she sent a text to Damon, informing him about the body that needed to be taken care on the patio of her house.

She went straight to the hospital and found her brother sitting down in the waiting area.

"How is he?" she asked, hands in the pockets of a new jacket.

He shrugged, shaking his head. "He's out right now, but it's not looking too good. The knife went deep. They were asking to do surgery, but I had them wait."

"Wait for what? The ring is tampered with or something. He needs help." Emma said, turning to the hospital room Alaric was currently in.

"I was waiting for you." Jeremy said, looking up to the young girl.

She quirked an eyebrow. "To do what? I'm not a surgeon." When he only stared at her, she connected the dots. "But I have vampire blood." Her the hair on the back of her neck stood up at just the thought of giving anyone her blood.

Emma stepped away from her brother and entered Alaric's room. He was still dressed in the button up and jeans he wore when he was stabbed. She shut the door and closed the blinds to prevent peeping eyes. She, then, went to the side of his bed, and he stirred awake, moving to get up.

"Hey, hey, don't move. I'm here to, uh, fix you." she said, pushing gently down on his shoulder to keep him down.

She didn't address his questioning glance as she brought her wrist up to her mouth. It was strange to think that she had to bite herself. But she had to do it to make sure Alaric was better. Her fangs unsheathed and she bit down hard until she drew blood. Before it could drip to the ground, she placed her wrist on his mouth.

"Drink."

Alaric nodded weakly and he began to drink the blood. As he drank, she looked at the white bandage covering his wound and peeled it back to see the wound healing, as if it was never there. She pulled back and helped him sit up.

"Thanks." he said, groaning from his soar muscles.

She smiled and inched her way to the door. "Anytime. I'll give you a moment to collect yourself." And she met up with Jeremy by the entrance of the hospital.

"Did it work?" he asked.

"Yeah, I just let him have some privacy." she informed, crossing her arms as she stood by him.

A silence blanketed over them and it brought up her conversation with Alaric. After what she saw him do earlier that night, it showed there was something wrong with him. This would be the opportunity for her to talk to Jeremy, to see what was the matter with him and how he felt about her. The problem was, she couldn't find the courage to utter a word. Her relationship wasn't the same as it was before the whole mess with Klaus happened. She didn't know if he was even going to listen to her.

"'kay guys, let's go." Alaric said, meeting up with the two.

They all exited the building, heading to the vampire hunter's car. He glanced over to Emma and she met his stare, his eyes asking if she talked to her brother. She shook her head and kept her gaze to the ground, ashamed she couldn't grow up and face her problems.

"Hey, Jeremy?" the adult said, bringing them to a halt. "You okay?"

The middle Gilbert shrugged, stealing a glance at Emma. "Why wouldn't I be? I shot a hybrid and chopped his head off with a meat cleaver. Typical Sunday, huh."

"You know you can talk to us about this stuff, right?" Alaric said.

"What could you tell me that I don't already know? This is the way things are. It sucks, but I just got to get used to it." Jeremy admitted, moving past the other two and going straight to the car.

Emma watched him walk away. It was because of vampires that made her brother the way he was. It was his involvement in the supernatural that made him colder and more reserved. And it needed to be fixed.


When they returned to the Gilbert house, Jeremy and Alaric went upstairs and Emma went to the kitchen, where she found Elena and Damon in close proximity of each other.

"O-oh! Sorry." she said, not sure if she should turn away or leave.

The two backed away from each other, seeming as though they were caught doing something forbidden.

"Em, you guys are back. How's Alaric?" Elena asked, setting down a bloody rag on the counter, most likely from the porch.

"He's fine, just changing into something clean." she responded, Damon walking past her. "I need to talk to you, Elena, about Jeremy."

Elena gestured to the dining table and they sat down. "Is it because of what he did to the hybrid 'cause, I'm worried, too."

Emma clasped her hands on the table. "You weren't there, Elena. I saw him do it. He didn't care about what he did. He had this look on his face that I can't get out of my head. This life is changing him, hurting him. He doesn't deserve to have to live in fear."

The doppelganger nodded in agreement, standing up. "You're right. I think the best thing we can do is give him a better life."

After formulating some sort of plan, the two of them went up to Jeremy's room, where he was putting away his clothes.

"Can we talk?" Elena asked, knocking on the door frame.

Jeremy sighed, plopping down on his bed. "What did I do now?"

"I've been thinking about what you said earlier, about how we should pack up and go."

He shook his head. "Elena, I didn't mean any of that."

"But you were right." she said, Emma making her way to sit down next to Jeremy. "You shouldn't have to give up a normal life just because of me."

"What's going on?" he asked just as Damon and Alaric joined them all.

Emma grabbed his arm, his attention landing on her. "Jer," Tears were beginning to form in her eyes, but she held them in. She stared straight into his eyes and spoke. "You're going to go out of town for a little while. There's some really nice people in Denver that you'll be staying with where you'll go to school and make new friends. You'll keep doing art and have some fun at parties. Just not too much." She paused, unsure of what to suggest him to do next.

"Tell him he's going to leave Mystic Falls behind and never think twice about it." Alaric said.

She looked at Elena to see if that was what she wanted as well, receiving a nod in return.

Emma couldn't keep it in and let a tear shed down her cheek as she turned back to her brother, the boy sitting in a hypnotic state. "You're going to leave Mystic Falls behind. . . and never think twice about it. You're going to have a better life where you won't be in danger." she finished, moving her eyes away.

Jeremy blinked a couple of times and got up, grabbing a bag from his closet and tossing it on his bed. "How cold is it in Denver this time of year?" he asked, opening one of his drawers.

The young girl had to leave the room, unable to stand what she had done. She entered her room and closed it behind her, the rest of the tears she held back falling down. She leaned her body against the door and slid down to the ground. She didn't know if Jeremy would ever forgive her for doing that to him or if she could even forgive herself. Compelling Jeremy to leave town was the only option to keep him safe, but taking away his free will at the same time was wrong. Was there another way?


I hope you liked the update! Make sure you tell me what you thought!

See you in the next update 3