Artemis sighed and rolled over

"Ever thinking of actually going back to your own bed Lena?" Artemis asked, for the last week or so. Every morning Artemis had woken up to Elena sleeping beside her, she did this a lot when she was younger and every time the elder teen had welcomed into her bed.

"Hmm why you find it annoying?" Elena mumbled shifting so that she was facing her

Artemis smiled "No not at all. I get it" she murmured "You feel lonely"

"I do" Elena admitted "ever since the homecoming I've been wishing that Stefan would call me-"

"He's gone Elena. The Stefan you knew is gone"

"I know. But I thought after everything we've been through, he would fight, fight for us-"she got teary eyed, Artemis sighed and wiped away the stray tears off of her sister's face

"Honey if a man doesn't fight for you then he's not worth it" Artemis stared into Elena's dark brown eyes "you are worth a lot more than Stefan Salvatore-"

"I can't just switch off my emotions Artemis-"

"I didn't expect anything less" Artemis said quietly "you're going to always have feelings for him." There was a moment of silence between the pair, Artemis glanced over the time and saw it was nearing the time where she would usually get up for work. She sat up and stretched her arms above her head

"Up we get Elena" she swung her legs out of bed and got onto her feet, Artemis rolled her eyes when she heard Elena whine

"Why? It's a Saturday and-"

"And you can't stay around the house and mope all day like you've been doing for the last week" Artemis cut her off "up Elena. Today is a new day so…embrace it-"

"When did you turn so wise?" Elena snorted opening one eye to watch the other teen.

"Always been wise dear, just that you've haven't been listening to me" Artemis grinned "Now come on, I've got work but how about at noon we'll have lunch at the Grill?" she suggested

Elena smiled "Yeah I'll like that"

"Great." Artemis smiled and placed her hands on her hips "Now get out of my room-"

Elena's jaw drops "What-"

"Shoo you heard I got work so shoo, I have to get ready-"Elena groaned and dropped back down onto the bed.

Artemis huffed and tapped her barefoot on the polished wooden floor "Fine, when I come back from my shower my bed better be empty-"

"Ok, ok, but your bed is so soft" Elena mumbled causing Artemis to snort, she walked over to her dresser and pulled out her underwear. With one last glance Artemis padded barefooted down the hallway heading towards the bathroom.

She did her morning routine and turned the shower faucet on, she brushed her teeth and rinsed her mouth out. She placed her hand under the spray water and felt that it was warm enough.

Artemis stripped out of her clothes and dropped it into the hamper reminding herself that she needed to do the laundry. She stared at the piled up clothes for a moment, it felt like forever since she had even thought about these mundane tasks such as the laundry clearing up the garden.

She shook her head and decided to deal with it later Artemis stepped under the warm spray of water and felt her muscles relaxed when the water washed over her, she tilted her face up letting the water hit her face. After a few minutes of just standing beneath the spray of water she reached out and grabbed her washcloth where she lathered it in lavender smelling soap.

Artemis then washed her hair and watched as the bubbles swirled down the drain.

When she was done she grabbed her towel and dried herself off. Artemis slipped on her bra and panties and wrapped the towel around her form. Artemis hurried down the corridor and shut her bedroom door; she smiled slightly seeing that her bed was vacant and already made. She dropped the towel on to her armchair and rummaged through her closet and opted to wear a pair of black skinny jeans and a top.

Once Artemis was dressed she scoured her room for a pair of shoes, she slipped on her flats and blow dried her hair, she decided to leave it loose. Artemis grabbed her jacket and bag and skipped downstairs

"Morning Ric" she smiled at the hunter who was pouring himself a coffee

"Morning Art" he grinned back and saw her walking over the fridge "I wouldn't bother the fridge is empty"

Artemis eyebrows shot to her hairline when she saw that he was right, the fridge only had a measly carton of milk and some pizza, she moved on to the cupboards and saw that they were bare as well.

"Damn, where'd all the food go?" she asked looking at him.

Alaric chuckled "We ate it. There's coffee-"

"No good without food Ric" she muttered taking the offered cup from him. And sighed when she felt the hot liquid slide down her throat,

"Art relax I'll get the food-"

"Thanks for the offer Ric but I know you've got papers to grade" Artemis murmured and checked the time "I should go to work, I'll pick the food up later"

Elena entered the room and swiped Artemis's coffee off of her causing the elder teen to roll her eyes

"Serious Lena-"

"Don't you have to go to work-"Elena said

"Yeah I do and don' bother looking through the fridge there's no food" Artemis called from over her shoulder

"What-?" Elena started

"We'll have some food at the Grill" Alaric suggested "Art-"

"No time catch you guys later" they heard the front door slam shut. Artemis walked down to her car

"Paper" Stuart the paper boy shouted, she had just managed to dodge out of the way

"Stuart you little brat. THROW IT ON THE FREAKING PORCH-"

"YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO" Stuart shouted back, Artemis frowned and marched over to him but the kid got onto his bike and pedaled

"YEAH YOU RUN OFF STUART, I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE-"

"I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE AS WELL. LOVE YOU ART-"Artemis snorted and shook her head, once in a while she would run into the kid and they would just voice off each other.

The paper slipped from her grasp Artemis bent down to pick it up, just as her fingers closed around the paper but froze the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, she felt as if she was being watched. She abruptly stood up and looked over her shoulder she shook her head when she saw no-one was there. Artemis turned back around and slammed into something hard that appeared in front of her.

"Sorry" the man smiled pulling the ear-buds out his ears "I should really watch wear I'm going"

"No" Artemis smiled her breathing rate going back to normal "It's my fault"

"You have a nice day" the man ran off. Artemis frowned feeling she had seen his face someplace before.

"Art" Alaric called exiting the house "who was that?"

"Just a random guy" she replied and walked over to her car, she started it but groaned when the engine spluttered

"Oh come on. Start" she slammed her hand down on the dashboard but it didn't start "Work you stupid son of a bitch" she shouted.

"Erm Art-"she jumped when Elena popped her head into the car "You've got no gas-"Artemis followed her gaze and swore when she saw that the younger teen was right.

"Oh no-"

"Just use my car" Alaric called. Artemis hurried out and slammed it shut "use my car for the day, you're going to need it more than us" he chucked her the keys "you're driving though-"

"And drop us off at the Grill" Elena added. Artemis smiled it was a fair deal; she climbed into the driver's side, whilst Alaric got into the front passenger seat. Elena slid in the back; once everyone was buckled up she pressed her foot down on the accelerator and drove towards the town-square.


Artemis was currently at the counter and had just finished polishing some of the items. She glanced up hearing the belle above the door ring, her heart was in her throat every time she heard someone coming into the store since she knew that Klaus was out there. And he hadn't made his move yet with unnerved her even more. She relaxed immediately seeing an elderly man coming into the store. He wobbled over to her using his walking stick.

"Hello dear" the man smiled

"Hi" Artemis grinned "I'm Art-"

"William Jennings"

"So Mr Jennings-"

"No dear please call me Will." He spoke over her. Artemis nodded and picked up the stool she had been sitting on, she carried it around the side of the counter

"Here you go Will sit down" she uttered

"Oh thank yah, you treat me more better than my wife" Artemis smothered down her giggles

"I'm sure she loves you-"

"Oh she does. Maybe too much" Will said "So love I was wondering if you got any WW2 items here"

Artemis nodded "I've got some items in the back, anything specifically you're looking for?" she called over her shoulder as she walked up and down the aisles the top shelves were devoted to box items. She had labelled them and placed it alphabetical order

"I'm looking for some dog tags" Will yelled out,

"Hmm. I think I've got some. Hold on for a sec" she pushed the ladder that had wheels at the bottom, Artemis slowly climb up it since it was rusty. She grabbed the box and headed back over to Will

"Bit dusty isn't it dear" Will murmured seeing the young girl lifting the lid

"No one comes in for this stuff." She explained pulling out various cases and paper bags. "Here we are dog tags" she opened up the small box revealing an array of tags

"Is…"

"One belong to my best friend, we use to be in the armed forces" Will said "I remember him selling it-" Artemis allowed him to examine then as she leant against the counter listening to his story. "Times were hard for him his family…"

"What happened to him?" Artemis asked softly knowing that Will wouldn't have dropped by seeking his friend's tags

"He passed away a couple of nights ago, in his sleep" he exclaimed "I thought it would be best for him to bury with his tags. Ah this is it" Will pick up the silver chains "How much dear-"

"Ah no Will. You think I'm going to sell them to you after you told me that story?" she saw the affronted look on his face so hastily added on "I'll give them to you."

"What?"

"They're not mine Will" Artemis smiled as she bagged the tags up "they belong to your friend"

"Oh dearie thank you so much" he took the small bag off of her "how can I pay you back?"

"No need to, have good day Will. Hope to see you around" Artemis waved him off.

"You definitely will be seeing you. Might bring the Mrs, she has a thing for jewellery-"Artemis laughed "I think every woman has a thing for jewellery"

"Bye, bye love" Will smiled and left.

Artemis smiled and thought he was a sweet old man, she put the rest of the items back in the box and placed the lid over it. She picked it up and headed back to the aisle, she climbed up the ladder and put in back in its place. She clamoured down the ladder and was pushing it back, when she got the strange feeling that she was once again being watched.

Artemis peered out of her store window and swallowed feeling her throat was suddenly dry. When she saw a man clad in black was watching her. She opened the front store door and saw that the man was still there she went to call out to him but a truck drove by blocking her. Artemis brows furrowed seeing that the man had vanished. She shook her head and headed back inside.


After a couple of hours Artemis grabbed her bag and locked the store up, she looked both ways and headed inside the Grill. She spotted Elena sitting with Bonnie the teens were chatting. Artemis glanced over to the bar and her eyebrows shot to her hairline when she the bottles that were lined up in front of Damon.

"Damon?"

"Ah there's my girl" the vampire gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek "come, come join us-"

"Alright you sound like you're from a weird cult" Artemis muttered taking the vacant in between Alaric and her boyfriend. "Marking papers Ric?" she asked

He hummed and nodded

"Ok there's bloody Mary, screwdriver, brunch in a bottle" he downed a shot "So what would it be Art?" he asked waving a barmaid over

"I'll have a coffee please" Artemis told her

"Coffee? Serious I thought you're meant to be the fun Gilbert?" Damon scoffed. Artemis rolled her eyes

"I am fun and mature" Artemis uttered rubbing her temples

"What's wrong?" Damon asked frowning at her as a mug of coffee were set down in front of her

"Noth-"

"Art" he murmured she shifted and he leant against the bar, brushing aside her curly locks

"Ok. I think I'm just being paranoid but…"

"What is it?" Alaric asked pausing from grading papers

"I feel like someone is watching me all the time"

"You're not hurt-"

"No" Artemis said clearly "It's just a feeling I feel like I'm slowly descending into insanity" she murmured

"You're not crazy" Damon kissed her temple rubbing her back "you just occasionally act- ow" he exclaimed when she pinched him

"Not funny-"

"Yet you're smiling" he smirked tapping her nose

"It's ok to feel like that. Klaus is out there and he knows that you've tried to kill him-"

"Shut up Ric" Damon hissed seeing the anxious look on her face "don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you or Elena"

Artemis smiled feeling much better. "Thanks" he kissed her cheek and finished the rest of his drink.

"So seriously Art? You're not going to help me out with this" she shook her head sipping her coffee "Ergh…Ric? I can't drink this all by myself-well I can but I don't want to" Damon said.

"Ric" the vampire whined.

Artemis rolled her eyes and whacked him upside the head "He's busy Damon."

"But-"

"This may come to you as a shock but I'm not here to hangout with you." The bar woman placed another drink in front of Damon

"He's got enough" Artemis shoved the glass back into her hands having seen the other woman giving Damon a once over.

"Oh Art jealous-"

"No."

"You so are" Damon nipped her earlobe "but I find it sexy, so Ric-"

"I'm here to see Jeremy" Alaric said

Artemis frowned "Why? isn't he here? He's supposed to be working" she stood up and peered around the bar not seeing her brother anywhere,

"He's an hour late for his shift" Alaric explained

"What?" Artemis asked "I saw him leave. He wasn't in the house. Where the hell is he?" she saw the shifty look on the history teacher's face and knew there was something else "What else is there Ric?"

"Art-"

"Don't lie, tell me" she demanded.

Alaric sighed and placed a wad of paper in front of her. Artemis picked up and was surprised to see what was written on it

"That's his mid-term paper-"

"He got an 'F'?" Artemis asked looking at him "how?"

"He copied it straight off the internet and he didn't bother hiding it" Alaric said

"Well done Ric, you've truly pissed her off" Damon uttered seeing the flush look on her face. "So I'm guessing his getting grounded"

"He's going to get more than grounded" Artemis muttered flicking through the paper, she felt a shadow over her and looked up seeing that the barmaid had returned

"Did you say you're waiting for Jeremy? As in Jeremy Gilbert?" the woman asked,

"Yeah" Alaric nodded

"He was fired last week" she said and walked off.

"He's definitely getting more than an ass kicking. Where the hell is he?" Artemis snapped rummaging through her bag

"Art-" Alaric called her but she had stormed off over to Elena "Ya think it's too late to move back out of the house?"

"Nah you're stuck Ric. Just be sure not to be on the other end of Artemis's wrath" Damon downed the rest of his drink.


"Hey Bon" Artemis said but the usual smile wasn't on her face

"Something wrong?" Elena asked

"Your brother" the elder teen hissed

"He's yours too-"

"When I get my hands on him, he won't be" she dropped the mid-term paper in front of Elena she was surprised by the grade

"He got an F?" Elena asked thinking Jeremy was in deep shit

"Not only that but he also got fired from the Grill" Artemis said

"I think I'll leave you guys to it" Bonnie shuffled knowing that when the elder teen did get her hands Jeremy it wouldn't be pretty

"Bon-"Elena hissed not wanting to be left alone but the witch just raised her thumb in good luck and practically fled. Elena groaned wanting to do that as well

"Did you say something"? Artemis snapped

"No" Elena gulped.

Artemis sighed and pulled out her cell, she paced up and down as Damon strolled over to the pair

"So Art-"

"Not now Damon" she uttered running her finger through her hair.

"Relax babe" Damon murmured against the shell of her ear, Elena was shocked to see that Artemis had calmed down somewhat. But her anger wasn't completely gone. The younger teen watched as Artemis held the cell up to her ear

"Jeremy Grayson Gilbert" she hissed into the phone "What the hell are you playing at? Pick up your damn phone"

"No answer?" Elena asked as Artemis re-dialled his number

"No, straight to voicemail, either he's screening my calls or he's doing something" Artemis was hoping that it was the latter; from the corner of her eye she could see Damon playing darts. She groaned when it once again went straight to voice mail

"Jeremy pick up your phone. You've got a lot of explaining to do when you get his. Call me back or I will hunt you down" Artemis hanged up and rubbed her aching temples. "Unbelievable wait till I get my hands on him-"

Damon smirked and looked at her "Incredibly sexy when you're mad"

Artemis shook her head "I'm not mad-"Elena snorted "ok I'm a little mad. But I can see it's happening again, I'm worried" Damon strolled over to her and rested his forearms on her shoulders

"Big deal he lost his job at the Grill, it's not the end of the world-"

"I don't care about his dumb job. I…he's spiralling again" Artemis murmured "ever since Bonnie broke things off he's moody-"

"And doesn't talk to either of us" Elena added.

"He's a typical teenager-"

"He's a Gilbert Damon, anything but typical. He sees ghosts and he lost everyone he cares about"

"Not everyone he still has both of you" Damon murmured and threw his dart, he went to retrieve them.

"I'm going to get something to drink" Elena muttered walking off knowing that the couple needed sometime on their own. Artemis nodded and studied Damon she crossed her arms in front of her chest

"You ok Damon?" he turned around to face her

Artemis quirked an eyebrow "Well you're day drinking. And the fact that you're not even capable of walking in a straight line, must say this isn't your most attractive look"

Damon smirked and swaggered over to her "Oh so what is my most attractive look?" Artemis grinned and ran her finger against his jawline,

"There are many attractive looks on you Damon"

"Oh?" he grinned and dropped his hands onto her hips pulling her flush against his body

"Yeah but I'm not going to tell you. Since I don't want your head to get even bigger" Artemis giggled when he kissed her throat, she slumped against him when he bit down on her ear,

"You're really not going to tell me?" he whispered in her ear

"No" Artemis uttered and pulled back slightly "and well played-"

"What?" he asked dumbly but he saw the look she was shooting him "ok well you need a distraction"

"Thanks"

Damon nodded and brushed aside her stray curls, he was about to open his mouth but they were interrupted

"Don't mind me" Artemis felt dread pool in the pit of her stomach. She jumped and turned around seeing Klaus standing there, she discreetly saw Elena and was relieved to see that Alaric had pulled the younger girl back.

"Klaus" Artemis breathed

"Hello Artemis must say I hope you treat me as well as you treat Damon" the hybrid grinned in amusement when the younger vampire snarled at him. Damon stepped protectively in front of her he went to take a step forward but she grabbed the sleeve of his jacket.

"You're going to do this in the Grill? In front of everyone? Isn't this a little beneath you?" Damon said his eyes hardened

"I don't know what you're talking about" Klaus said casually "I came down to my local pub to grab a drink with a mate." Artemis breath hitched recognising the man, it was the same guy who she had bumped into outside the house "Get a round in Tony"

"I surprise you stuck around for happy hour" Damon uttered shifting even more in front of Artemis as to shield her.

"My sister seems to be missing, I need to do something about that" Klaus snapped, Artemis shifted slightly Damon dropped his hand slightly so that it was clasping hers, he gave it a brief squeeze

"Cute, blond bombshell-"

"Psycho" Artemis pitched in

"Shouldn't be too hard to find" Damon spoke over her. He lightly pushed Artemis back as to create some distance between her and the hybrid.

"The truth is I've grown to like your little town" Klaus snatched the darts off of Damon and brushed pass Artemis "I'm thinking build a home here; I'm imagining you're wondering how does this affect you. The answer is not in the slightest" she turned and her gaze didn't waver off of him "As long as I get what I want, and everyone behaves themselves. You can go on living your little lives however you choose" Klaus turned and Damon forced himself not to react when the hybrid looked at Artemis "you have my word. Now I'm guessing you have heard that a multitude of times"

"What more could you want? No one wants to play your sick little games anymore" Artemis snapped, he scowled and stalked up to her, her eyes dropped down to the dart it's pointed edge was right near her throat

"For starters you might tell me where Stefan is" Klaus snarled

Damon stepped forward bringing the hybrid's attention to him "Stefan skipped town the moment he saved your ass"

"Well you see that, that is a shame" Klaus threw the dart hitting the board straight in the middle "Your brother stole from me. I need him found so I can take back what's mine-"

"You should've been more specific when you removed your compulsion" Artemis sniped "It's not our problem but sounds like a Klaus and Stefan problem"

Klaus eyes narrowed on her and he went towards her but Damon stood in front of her. Making him chuckle "You think you can protect her? Think again-"

"I can try though" Damon scowled

"Well this is me broadening the scope sweetheart. Catch you late" she jolted when he tugged one of her curls and flounced off.

"What did Stefan do now?" Artemis muttered as Damon faced her

"I have no clue" the raven head vampire murmured "You ok though?" he gave her a quick once over

"I'm fine" Artemis assured just as Elena appeared next to them

"What did he want?" the doppelganger asked they both gave her a brief explanation.


Artemis yawned as she pushed the car through the store, she had closed up early to go grocery shopping, she looked down at the list in her hands and rolled her eyes seeing Elena had written in capitals 'pop-tarts'.

"That girl has way too much sugar" she muttered under her breath, Artemis spotted the strawberry tarts on the top shelf, she inwardly groaned and stood on the tops of her toes trying to reach for the box but her fingers just brushed the edge of it.

"Allow me" an arm reached out and easily plucked the box from the high shelf

"Than-"the smile slid off her face when she saw who it was, the hybrid Tony? She thought his name was

"Aren't you going to thank me-"

"Get lost" Artemis snapped dropping the box in the cart and sped up her pace, she glanced over her shoulder and saw that he was following "Seriously leave me alone-"

"The thing is Klaus wants me to keep an eye on-"

"I don't care what he wants. Go away" she hissed and paled when Tony took a step closer

"You should really-"

"Hey" Matt called from the other end of the aisle "What's going on here?" he stormed towards the pair and his frown deepened when he saw how uncomfortable she was.

"Nothing just having a friendly conversation-"

"I wasn't talking to you" Matt spat

Tony smirked and leant forward slightly so that only Artemis could hear him "Tell your little friend to back off-"

"I said get away from her" Matt snapped, Artemis grabbed Tony's arm and shoved him away

"Go away" she scowled at him.

"Alright, just be aware Klaus has got eyes on you" without another word he left.

"Art you ok?" Matt asked as they walked down another aisle

"Yeah fine" Artemis muttered dropping some vegetables into the cart

"Who was that?"

"Another hybrid" she revealed and saw that she had everything she needed "Matt you-"

"Nah I got to buy some stuff-"

"Do you have enough money?" Artemis asked

"Art you don't need-"

"No I can. I said I'll be taking care of you and I've done a shitty job doing it" she looked through her bag.

"Art, I know you've been through a lot-"

"Still doesn't excuse me for what I haven't done for you" she pulled out her purse, pulling some cash out.

"Yes it does Art, you've been hell for the last couple of months" Matt murmured, Artemis sighed and gently grabbed his hand placing the cash into his palm

"Take it please, it'll make me feel better" Matt saw the earnest look on her face and reluctantly took the money

"Thanks Art, I did need it for bills and stuff"

"No problem. I'll see you later" she smiled with one last wave she headed towards the checkout.

Just as she was loading the bags into the boot of the car her cell rang loudly

"Art-"

"Yep?"

"Should we order take out or-"

"No, no I got the food, be home in ten and see if you can call Jeremy" Artemis said hanging up, she slammed the boot door shut and climbed into her car.


"So you got peppers? Lots and lots of peppers" Alaric said him and Elena were both helping Artemis putting the groceries away,

"Yeah why not?" Artemis asked "we can make….chilli or something"

"So that means I can go and-"

"Nice try Ric you can start chopping" Artemis scoffed handing him the chopping board "and save it Elena you can set the table. So Jeremy-"

"He should be coming" Elena uttered wiping down the plates.

It wasn't long till the kitchen was filled with soft music and a delicious aroma,

"You ready?" Alaric asked

"For what? We've got Originals, vampires and hybrids" Artemis scoffed

"No problem" Elena said sarcastically causing Artemis's lips to twitch in amusement, she poured the chilli into a serving bowl and placed it on the table.

Artemis heard the front door slamming shut and looked up seeing Jeremy strolling into the kitchen casually; she rolled her eyes seeing Elena had picked up all the utensils

"What? Just in case" Elena muttered

"Good idea" Alaric agreed

"Jeremy" Artemis smiled "fantastic, we're just about to eat-"

"Sorry just passing through" he said pulling out a bottle of water.

"My ass you're staying in" Artemis scowled her hands on her hips

"What's wrong?" Jeremy asked

"Are you seriously asking me that?" she bit out "let's just say you've failed your mid-term paper-"

"Art-"

"No Ric agreed to let your re-do it and you will be" she said firmly "and secondly you've lost your job and you didn't tell anyone?"

Jeremy sighed "Look can we do this later-"

Artemis shook her head and prodded him hard in the chest "Do you think I'm messing around Jeremy. What is wrong with you?" she snapped

"Art seriously I need to go, I made plans with Tyler-"Jeremy said.

Artemis narrowed her eyes "When did you start hanging around with Tyler?" the hunter asked from his position by the counter.

"I don't know does it matter?"

"Yeah it does, for one thing you might not hate him anymore but you definitely are not buddies with him. And he's sired by Klaus the psychotic hybrid. He's dangerous Jeremy"

"He can hear you, he's right outside" Jeremy gestured to the front door.

"Besides why should you lecture me on who I can and can't hand out with? Have you seen some of the people Elena-"

"This isn't about Elena" Artemis snapped "this is about you. And show me another bout of attitude I will haul your ass upstairs and you can spend the rest of the weekend in your room no computer or anything"

Jeremy huffed "Whatever this is lame Tyler is waiting-"

"I swear to god, if you step over that threshold you will regret it" Artemis threatened him, Jeremy looked over to Alaric

"Hey I'm with her on this one, and she's running the show-"

"So sit your ass down" she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"You want me to stay in" Jeremy snapped "fine let's all stay in.-"

"No Jeremy" Artemis shouted

"Tyler come in" the door opened revealing the hybrid

"That's it you're grounded" Artemis hissed "and I'm taking this"

"What the hell Art-"Jeremy attempted to push her back but she grabbed on to his jacket and pulled out his ipod "You can't-"

"I can. And next is your computer" she uttered shoving the device into her own pocket; she wasn't at all surprised seeing the scowl form on his face.

Artemis placed a bowl of chilli in front of Elena and sat down beside her whilst Jeremy got Tyler some. Alaric dropped down in the vacant seat beside the eldest Gilbert teen who was eyeing Tyler

"This is weird" Elena muttered

"You're telling me about it, there's hybrids stalking us and now we got one sitting right here in front of us" Artemis said

"Maybe I should go" Tyler said

"Ya think-"

"Art no need to be rude, stay Tyler" Jeremy said placing his hand on the hybrid's shoulder and pushing him back down in his seat.

"No of course stay, should I bring out fairy cakes as well" Artemis drawled

"Stay till your sire master calls for you" Elena added on both sisters got a glare from Jeremy.

"It's not like that" Tyler chuckled digging into the food

"Tell me Tyler" Alaric said "what is the difference between being sired and being compelled?"

"Ah now that is a good question" Artemis commented taking a sip of her own drink.

"Compulsion that's just mind control like hypnosis, being sired it's like faith, you do something because you believe it's the right thing to do-"

"Even if the thing you're doing is bad? No offence Tyler sounds like mind control" Artemis murmured

"And you believe that serving Klaus is the right thing to do?" Elena questioned leaning forward in her seat

"I don't serve Klaus-"Artemis's eyebrows shot to her hairline hearing that "Klaus released me from a curse that is ruining my life, I owe him for that"

Wow Artemis thought was Tyler that blind to trust the hybrid, and she wondered if he's got any idea of what he's doing.

"What if he asks you to jump off a bridge?" Alaric asked

"He wouldn't and even if he did I'll be fine" Tyler shook his head "I'm a hybrid"

"Ok but what if he asks you to…I don't know…erm to rip your own heart out?" Artemis asked

"Again he wouldn't-"

"But what if he did" Artemis insisted

"Then I rip out my own heart"

Artemis's eyes widened she saw the others look shock at that

"You guys sound like Caroline, getting all freaked out by something you don't understand" Tyler snapped.

"You're right Tyler we don't understand" Elena said "Klaus has terrorized every single one of us and you're just blindly loyal to him"

"You're overthinking things-"

"You said Klaus released you from your curse, and he made your life better. If that's true where's your free will gone Tyler?" Artemis asked softly

"You're wrong I can still make my own decisions"

"Really?" Artemis cocked an eyebrow the others watched on "yet you will still rip out your own heart if he told you to"

Just then her cell rang,

"Art your phone" Elena said. Artemis quickly got up onto her feet and rummaged through her bag pulling it out

"Hey Betty what's up?" she asked

"Art hon, I think you've left your store door unlock-"

"What?"

"Yeah it's wide open-"

"Ok thanks I'll be there in a couple of minutes" Artemis hanged up pulling on her jacket

"What's wrong?" Alaric asked

"Forgot to lock the front door of the store Ric you-"he threw her the car keys "thanks. See yah in a bit" Artemis smiled and ran out of the store.


"Yep definitely unlocked" she muttered looking around the store, nothing was missing she shook her head wondering how she could forget to lock it even in the first place. She locked the door and once she was sure she'd done it she got back into the borrowed car.

Artemis flipped on the radio and sung along to the music,

"You make me feel like I'm living in a teenage dream…-"she turned the steering wheel left and just managed to miss hitting another car that was speeding down the road. "What the-"her eyes widened seeing Jeremy standing in the middle of the road straight in the line of fire. Without thinking things through Artemis slammed her foot down on the accelerator, she could hear Elena shouting for him to move. Artemis slammed the other car causing it to veer off, but it came back as quick as it went off.

"Shit, shit shit" Artemis muttered and saw that he was only a couple of feet away from Jeremy, she made sure her seatbelt was secure before going full throttle, she managed to edge in front of the other car and swerved the wheel. She braced herself and cried out before the other car slammed into the side of Alaric's car.

"ART" Elena screamed as Alaric managed to push Jeremy out of the way "Oh my god-"

Artemis was sent tumbling into the air; the car rolled a couple of times before it came to an abrupt stop.

"Shit" Alaric swore and looked to the other car, and was miffed when it once again seek out Jeremy, he pushed the teen out of the way and got hit.

Elena gasped "There I go again" Tony smirked bumping into people. She looked down and saw the ring on his finger

"Elena-"

"Are you ok?" she asked

"Yeah- get Ric inside"

"Where's Art-"Elena's eyes landed on the other end of the road where the car was "Call Damon now and get him inside"

Jeremy nodded as Elena ran towards the SUV, "Art?" she said and stopped herself from going into a full blown panic attack. Seeing the state of her older sister, the car was on it's roof and Artemis had a massive gash on her temple, she was relieved to see that Artemis was somewhat conscious

"Elena?" Artemis groaned her whole body was throbbing she coughed up some blood, causing Elena's panic to grow even more

"I'm right here. I'll get you out" Elena said and reached down to pull the seat belt but it was stuck

"Is Jeremy ok?" Artemis whimpered when the younger girl accidently nudged her

"Yeah he's fine but Ric-"

"What?"

"He'll be ok. I can't get you out" Elena shouted frustrated

"It's ok" Artemis swallowed her eyes rolling in the back of her head

"No Art stay awake" Elena shouted "STAY AWAKE-"

"Alright. No need to shout" Artemis groaned feeling blood run down her face, every time she exhaled her whole body hurt she must've broken a few ribs.

"Art please stay awake" Elena begged her

"Why isn't she out yet?" Jeremy asked worriedly running over to them

"She's stuck I can't get her out-"

"Move" Damon demanded he came as soon as he got the call from Jeremy

"Damon-"

"I SAID MOVE" he roared, Elena scuttled back as the vampire took her spot. "Hey Art" he said softly and could see the pain written all over her face "How's it hanging-"

"Not good. My belt it's stuck-"

"Isn't this like déjà vu?" Damon muttered and faltered slightly when she gasped in pain

"Please just get me out"

"I will. Place your hands on the roof, yep you got it" Artemis did as she was instructed he reached down and easily freed her, he caught her before she hit the ground and pulled her out

"This one seems worst" Damon bit into his wrist and pressed it against her lips. Elena and Jeremy relaxed somewhat then Artemis started to drink the blood, Damon placed his other hand on the back of her neck so he could look her in the eye.

"Yeah that'll do it"

Artemis gasped as he pulled his wrist away, she slumped against him

"So what the hell happened?" Damon asked scooping her up bridal style. They headed back to the house.


Artemis sighed as she stretched her back, Jeremy was sitting by the door frame and Elena was hovering over Alaric.

Damon stayed to make sure Artemis was alright

"Really Damon no need to molly coddle me" Artemis muttered when he placed his hands on her hips when she staggered

"Well you're the one who though it be smart to crash the car-"

"It was a smart idea at the time." Artemis countered "and I'd do it again" she looked over to Jeremy who was sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest

"How is he?" Damon asked looking at Alaric.

"He's dead, but he's got his ring. Klaus's hybrid hit him" Elena explained, managing to calm herself down that was one of the scariest moments in her life, seeing Artemis sailing in the arm.

Damon nodded and frowned "Jeremy, why aren't you wearing vervaine? Where's your bracelet?"

Artemis realised that he was right and knelt down in front of Jeremy "Jeremy?"

"I don't know"

Artemis sighed "It was Tyler that's why he was hanging around you. Trying to get you off of vervaine I'm going to kill him"

"Klaus is trying to send us a message" Damon stated

"What message?" Artemis asked looking at him from over her shoulder

"He wants us to find Stefan because he stole his coffins which were full of Klaus's family" Damon replied

"Coffins?" Elena questioned

"Yep, now all we have to do is find four coffins and voila no-one else on family Christmas list needs to die" Damon said.

Artemis stood up and Jeremy did the same "Wait that's your big plan? To steal back four dead Originals so this evil hybrid doesn't kill me or everyone else we know?"

"You got a better idea?" Damon stepped up to him but Artemis moved in between the pair

"Yeah lets pack up and get out of here" Jeremy retorted.

Artemis placed her hands on her younger brother's shoulders "You need to calm down-"

"No I'm not going to calm down Art; this happens every time no matter what we do. You get on my case about homework and school but who cares? None of us our going to make it out of this town alive"

"Jeremy where are you going?" Artemis called out as he snatched up his jacket from the ground

"I need some air" he shouted and slammed the front door shut, Artemis groaned and felt Damon's arms coming around her

"It'll be ok" he assured her kissing her on the cheek

"No it won't" Elena murmured "We need to find Stefan. Art?"

Artemis's eyes were glazed over her head felt like it was thumping "He wants his family back Damon"

"No-" he spun her around so that they were face to face "I know what you're thinking and the answer is no-"

Artemis shook her head "If we give him Rebekah-"

"Yeah and he'll un-dagger her and the first thing she does is kill you-"

"Better me than Jeremy" Artemis hissed and shoved him away

"No" Damon scowled

"Klaus's coffins." Elena muttered, Artemis looked over to her and could see that the younger girl had realised something "how many did you say they were?"


"So this is where Bonnie said they were?" Artemis asked as she, Elena and Damon trudged through the grass heading towards the old witch's house. Artemis recalled the last time she had been here was with Jeremy.

"Bonnie said that the place has lost all of its mojo" Damon commented and grabbed Artemis's hand when she tripped

"Thanks"

"The dead witches were angry at her for bringing Jeremy back to life, but I guess they want her to know something" Elena said slightly breathless from their walk

"It's why I hate witches they're so fickle-"

"You sure it's not the fact with one look they can send you onto your knees?" Artemis countered

"They're passive aggressive-"

"And what are you? A bunny raising hippy?" Artemis muttered as they stepped on to the porch.

"Love the comebacks Art" Damon drawled opening the front door.

"Stefan?" Elena called

"Stefan" Artemis shouted

"Come on Stefan-"the vampire hissed when the sun rays burned his skin. He threw himself into the shadows "Still?"

"What?" Artemis asked confused

"The witchy spirits aren't a big fan. They use their juju to screw with my daylight ring" Damon uttered

"Wait outside" Artemis told him

"Art-"

"We're not going until we find out if he's here" Elena spoke up, and walked off. Artemis followed after her but not before blowing Damon a kiss.

"This way Lena" Artemis led her down the stairs "this is where Bonnie brought Jere back to life"

"It's creepy" Elena muttered

"Ya think?" Artemis looked around

"Stefan?" Elena called out again

"Come out, come out wherever you are Stefan" Artemis said loudly "we're not leaving" she added on

"Go away" a voice said from behind them. The elder teen clutched onto Elena's hand as they witnessed Stefan coming out from the shadows.

"You shouldn't be here Elena, and Art I thought you would have more sense than letting-"

"Hey you ass" Artemis scowled "I don't control her."

"We need your help Stefan" Elena said inching forward "Bonnie said you'll be here."

"Well Bonnie sucks at keeping secrets" Stefan said

"Look we're not here to discuss Bonnie's secret keeping skills." Artemis sniped "give Klaus his family back-"

"Oh really?" Stefan quirked an eyebrow "Is that what I need to do-"

"Klaus compelled Jeremy to stand in front of a speeding car. Art took the hit and was seriously hurt."

Artemis was irked when the vampire didn't even flinch "Is there something twisted in your head? Klaus won't stop till you give his family back just give-"

"Arty, seriously stop talking, I am not going to give Klaus his family back" Stefan stated

"Are you listening to us? He's going to kill Jeremy" Elena frowned

"Not my problem" Stefan casually said, Elena slapped him hard across the face

"Then you can go to hell" she spat and stormed out.

Artemis remained where she was staring at the vampire "Who are you?"

"Someone you obviously don't know, now are you going to slap me as well?" Stefan asked.

Artemis's cheeks flushed in anger, without further ado she punched him hard in the face

"Stefan you should know I'm not a slapping type of girl" she stalked out of the house and met Elena in the hallway, she saw the tearful look on her face

"He's-"

"Leave it Art" Elena whispered Artemis nodded and grabbed her hand leading her out of the house, Damon was waiting a couple of feet away

"That didn't go well-"

"Not in the mood Damon"

"Let me talk to him"

"You can't get in the witches won't let you" Artemis shouted her frustration was showing, Damon walked over to her and pressed the car keys into her hand

"Look at me" he instructed seeing the worried expression on her face "you go home and deal with your brother and I'll deal with mine" she nodded "Ok?" Damon asked looking at Elena who reluctantly nodded.


As soon as they arrived home Elena ran upstairs and Artemis didn't blame her, she glanced over to the couch and saw that Alaric was still dead.

She walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water, she didn't know what was going on in Stefan's mind anymore and she wasn't really in the mood to figure it out, she stretched her stiff muscles above her head. Artemis heard a groan from the living room and made her way towards the sound

"Ric, glad to see you up an about" Artemis smiled at him

"Thanks you?"

"Damon came" she frowned slightly as he staggered around

"How's Jeremy?"

"He hates me. Hates the fact that we didn't even get to have a family dinner without someone dying before desert-"all of a sudden Alaric coughed "Ric? Oh my god" she breathed seeing him coughing up blood

"It's the ring" he dropped to the ground gasping for breath "Art-"he groaned

"No, no no" she grabbed the quilt off of the couch and placed it under his head "It'll be ok Ric, it'll be ok Ric" she grabbed the phone and kept her fingers on his pulse to make sure it was steady. She called an ambulance, once she had told them the address it clattered to the ground. She was grateful that Elena stayed in her room. Artemis brushed her fingers through his hair "It's ok Ric, it's ok"

When there was a knock on the door Artemis immediately answered it.

"What happened?" the paramedic asked

"He got hit by a car" Artemis said worry and panic written all over her face they rushed pass her "He-I think he's got internal injury, he's coughing up blood"

"Get his vitals" one of the paramedic said as they crouched down beside an unconscious Alaric. "He's pulse is weak we've got to get him out of here."

"Let's move-"

"Let's not and say we did" Artemis eyes widened and she spun around and saw Tony standing there "why don't you two meet us at the hospital?"

"What are you doing? He needs help" Artemis shouted as the paramedics walked away she looked at Tony

"Ya know you still save his life Arty, just take my blood" he raised his wrist and made a face "Oh I can't get in, you're going to have to invite me-"

"Why are you doing this?" Artemis hissed

"Klaus wants his family back you didn't deliver." Just then Alaric started to cough "Let me in and you can save him-"

"Stop, stop just-" she jumped when the hybrid gasped and dropped to the ground with an arrow sticking out of his back, she looked up and saw Jeremy standing there with a crossbow "Jeremy?"

"He's not dead yet" and he walked pass her

"Oh my god" Elena breathed she was standing on the stairs

"Where are you going?" Artemis called but he returned just as quickly as he left, both Artemis and Elena watched as Jeremy knelt down beside the hybrid.

"Jere-"Artemis looked away when he beheaded the hybrid

"Now he's dead" Jeremy said meeting Artemis's gaze she saw the flecks of blood littered all over his face. "We've got to get Alaric to the hospital right now" eh brushed pass a stunned Artemis, she couldn't believe what he had done. This wasn't the life she wanted for any of them, her younger brother had literally hacked someone's head off.


They were at the hospital Artemis paced up and down; her mind was working a mile a minute

"Art-"

"Klaus won't stop till he gets his family back" Artemis whispered to Elena not wanting Jeremy to hear "I'm giving him Rebekah back-"

"Art-"

"Elena I don't want any of us to end up dead. Stay here ok" she shoved the keys into her hands. And was glad that Elena had driven Damon's car,

"Ok" Elena nodded and watched as Artemis ran off, she didn't miss the fact that her older sister looked like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Artemis arrived at the Boarding House and pulled out her cell, she was glad that Damon wasn't around so she could do this. She waited by the fireplace having just called Klaus. she sipped the glass of bourbon and jumped when there was a loud knock on the door, she placed the glass on the mantelpiece and walked over to the door, with a deep breath she opened it.

Klaus smirked at her "Glad to see you up and around-"

"No thanks to you" Artemis muttered as he pushed pass her

"Oh sorry love you were just collateral damage didn't want you to get hurt. I had a word with Tony he won't be doing it again-"

"He won't be doing anything again" she slammed the front door shut "He's dead"

Klaus snarled and blurred forward pinning her to the wall "What?"

"Life for a life, he killed Ric" Artemis spat and cringed when she felt his lips against her throat

"What I wouldn't give to suck you dry. But I need you" he pulled back gripping her chin "I trust you have news on Stefan?"

"I couldn't find him" she uttered and groaned when he pressed his body closer to hers

"You're disappointing me love-"

"I got something else" she squeaked out, and inhaled when he pulled back "follow me" she led him down the basement stairs and opened the cellar door revealing Rebekah who was on her front with the dagger sticking out of her back.

Artemis walked into the cellar facing him "My poor sister, I can't turn my back on her for a moment" Klaus said

"You have Rebekah" Artemis said "a deal is a deal" she swallowed when he entered the cellar

"The life of my sister in exchange for your brother's? Yeah I say that's a bargain. Consider him spared" Artemis felt somewhat relieved

"You should know I daggered her so she's going to be pretty pissed when she wakes up, she'll come after me-"

"I can control her" Klaus said kneeling down beside Rebekah "besides I still need yours and Elena's help finding Stefan-"

"I told you I don't know where he is" Artemis snapped and watched as he pulled the dagger out.

"You're lying, you're fortunate enough not to have a shortage of loved ones. The question you should be asking yourself is who's going to die next" Klaus said looking up at her "Will it be that dear old lady Betty or Damon-" Artemis stumbled back when he stood up

"It's only a matter of time before Stefan gives me what I want-"

"Are you stupid? Stefan doesn't care about my friendship with him nor does he care about Elena-"she stepped up to him "You made sure of that. You were the one who turned him in to a monster. He is your problem" she paused her eyes roamed his face "just so you know Rebekah's not just after me. She wants your head on a platter, she knows that you killed your own mother" Artemis said she stepped around him before she left she said "seems like you've got two rouge vampires. Good luck Niklaus" with that she walked off.


Artemis arrived home and saw that the lights were off, she walked up the porch and saw the blood splattered all over it, but there was no body which she was glad of. She flicked on the lights and shed off her jacket and headed straight into the kitchen pulling out a bucket from underneath the sink, she filled it with warm soapy water and grabbed a sponge.

For the next twenty minutes Artemis was on her knees getting the blood off of the porch.

When she had done that she headed back inside and dumped the red water down the sink, she looked over her shoulder hearing the door slammed shut, and saw that it was Damon

"You got rid of it?" Artemis asked squeezing the sponge

"Tony the hybrid is at the bottom of the quarry" Damon walked over to her, he could see how tense she was

"Alaric?"

"I took care of him too" Damon said "he'll be fine" Artemis was still squeezing the sponge

"How are you doing?"

"Fine. I got the blood off the porch-"

"Look at me" he demanded when she didn't he blurred behind her and pressed her lightly against the counter, she felt his comforting weight against her back, Damon grasped her hands and washed the blood off, his lips were aligned with her ear

"It'll be ok" he assured her kissing the shell of her ears, Artemis's eyes dropped down onto their hands,

"I made a deal with Klaus" she felt him tense behind her "I gave him Rebekah-"

"What?" Damon asked and lightly grabbed her by her upper-arms and spun her around "Say you didn't do that. She'll come round and kill you-"

"No she won't-"

"How can you be so sure?" Damon snarled

"Klaus won't let her, he needs me-"

"You trust him-"

"Do I look stupid enough to trust him?" Artemis snapped "but I can't trust Stefan either and Elena can't as well. I didn't have any other choice, Stefan won't give up the coffins Damon" she said

Damon sighed "My brother is sort of running his own show now"

"Yeah and mine chopped off someone's head. It's not right, I don't want this life for him, me and Elena are trapped but he doesn't have to be.-"

"Art-"

"It's not fair Damon. He doesn't deserve this-"

"She's right" Elena said from the entryway "he doesn't" she hugged herself

"We have to fix this Damon" Artemis said glassy eyed.

"We will" he cupped her face "we will"


"So we're all in agreement"? Artemis asked softly glancing over at Jeremy's room. Elena and Alaric nodded

"Yes, it's the best thing for him" Alaric said.

Artemis took in a deep breath and led the way; she crossed her arms in front of her chest and knocked on the door alerting him that they were there.

"Hey can we talk?" Artemis leant against the frame as Elena stood on her other side, Jeremy turned around to face them

"What did I do know?" he sighed dropping down on to his bed.

Artemis smiled at him "If I went through that then we would be here forever. But I've been thinking about what you said earlier-"he looked questioningly at her so she further explained and sat down beside him "about how we should pack up and go"

"Art I didn't mean that-"

"No but you were right" Artemis cut him off she felt a lump in her throat "you don't deserve to give up a normal life because of us."

"What's going on?" Jeremy asked scared slightly because of the look on the elder teen's face.

Damon stepped into the room "Your sisters think we need to have another one of our chats" he sat down on Jeremy's other side

"Here's the thing Jeremy" Damon started "You're going to go out of town for a while." He caught Jeremy's eyes and compelled him "a long while. You're going to stay with some nice family friends in Denver. You're going to be in school, you're going to meet new girls living girls" a smile came on to Artemis's face when he said that, she felt tears well up in her eyes and looked away, Elena walked forward and placed her hand on her shoulder squeezing it.

"You're going to do whatever you want."

"Tell him his going to leave Mystic Falls behind and never think twice about it" Alaric said. Damon looked over to Artemis she nodded in consent and wiped away her tears, she stood up and felt Elena leaning against her back

"You're going to leave Mystic Falls and never think twice about it" Elena sniffed causing Artemis to turn around and hold her. She hugged her close "You're going to have a better life Jeremy"

Artemis felt her eyes well up and tears streamed down her face and felt Elena press her face against the crook of her neck.


"Elena" Damon called as Artemis and Elena walked down the hall "Stefan didn't betray us"

Artemis frowned "What?"

"He did it to save me. Klaus was once step ahead. Stefan didn't betray us I just want you to know that" Elena nodded

"I'm going to go sleep"

Artemis nodded and watched as she went into her room. "Is it true?"

"Yeah it is" Damon replied and followed Artemis into her room, she dropped down on to her bed

"Art talk to me" Damon said lying down beside her

"you want me to talk? Fine I feel like a horrible person" she said shifting so she was facing her.

"You saved his life Art-"

"Then why do I feel so bad about it?" Artemis asked softly her voice shook "remember the last time he got compelled-"

"He found out and he got over it" Damon murmured wiping away her tears but she shook her head and rolled away, he sighed and pulled her back

"I'm screwing up Damon" she said "this-"

"No you're not" he pulled her closer so that their tips of their nose brushed against each other "He's so lucky that he's got you as a sister him and Elena are"

Artemis smiled "Thank you" she breathed

"You're welcome-"

"Not just for tonight, for everything. Honestly I don't know what I would've done without you"

"Me neither-"

"No need to be cocky" Artemis rolled her eyes "do you-"he cut her off by kissing her softly on the lips, she kissed him back she pulled back resting her temple against his, "Thank you for being here Damon"

"I'm always here Art" he slowly trailed his hand up her cheek and cupped it, pulling her down for another kiss. Artemis sighed as he held her.

"Stay for the night?" she asked

"Yeah" Damon ran his fingers through her hair kissing the crown of her head.


AN: Apologies for any grammar or spelling mistakes. Thanks to those who reviewed. Outfit link on profile.

So in this Chap a lot went down. Art and Elena talked at the beginning. Arty's car won't start, she helps out an old man. And is being stalked by a hybrid. she goes to the Grill and finds out about Jeremy, she's not happy. Klaus makes an appearnce, Matt comes to her rescue. She has an awkward dinner. Artemis crashes Alaric's car to save Jeremy, Damon helps her. Arty and Elena talk to Stefan and she's angry at him. Ric has to go hospital, she makes a deal with Klaus, and she asked Damon to compell Jeremy. Finally a Darty moment.

Next Chap; Our Town.

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