"What happened Elena?" Emily asks in the car, quite freaked out.
"I don't know! I found her like this, outside," Elena replies from behind, next to an in-tears Caroline.
Having had enough with her own conspiracies, Emily parks the car that was headed to Caroline's on the side of the road, and turns to face the two. Elena had a comforting arm over Caroline's shoulder. The girl was as if in a state of shock, practically shaking and covered in Emily's black shawl.
"Okay, Caroline. I know you're scared, and confused, but, I need you to think very, very carefully. What is the last thing you remember?" she asks in a fairly serious tone that masked her own state of panic.
"…I…I…don't…" her eyes then slightly widen.
"…Damon…" she utters.
"…What?" Emily asks with furrowed brows.
"I…remember him…kissing my neck," Caroline continues.
Emily's eyes widen, so do Elena's.
"Or…biting my neck," she utters weirdly, then her face scrunches and she sniffs back more tears. "And then I just...I just can't remember! I think I, passed out?" she says, completely confused.
'Oh my god.'
'Oh my god!'
Emily's heart madly races.
'No. No it can't be. It can't be him. It…
…' she thinks.
"Wha-What do you mean? He was…Was he hurting you?" Elena tries.
"I…I don't know…" Caroline confesses tiredly.
There was no blood on her. No sign of a new bite or anything,
that was because, after Damon had attempted to kill her for getting Emily suspicious, was then vervained, and kidnapped by Stefan, Stefan healed her wounds with his own blood.
But they didn't completely heal, for his abilities were weak due to his animal-feeding, so some scars were still there.
"Stefan was right…" utters Elena.
"About what?" Emily pushes. Elena locks eyes with hers. She stays silent, and inhales deeply.
"Let's just get Caroline home first," she turns to her blonde, scared friend. "Okay?" she smiles. Caroline nods, looking to her hands as she attempted to keep calm.
Emily faced the wheel again and re-started the car.
'…Oh my god…'
XXX
Three days had passed, and neither of the Salvatore brothers were heard from after Stefan had sent Elena a message, stating that there was something he need to do.
Elena had told Emily about what had happened with her and Stefan during the party. How she tried to ask him about Katherine, like Emily told her she should, and ended up with close-to-no answer as he continued to blame Damon for turning them against one another.
Then, just like Damon, he disappeared, them leaving both Gilberts alone, and, apparently, a very distressed Caroline, who just wanted to forget the whole thing.
The first day was filled with mad panic on Emily's side. She went back to the gym and freshened up her kung-fu, she started gathering wood and fashioning a strong, wooden stake. She re-insisted that her siblings and Jenna not remove the 'accessories' she'd given them.
Everyone thought she was acting crazy, and never got a straight answer when they'd ask what in the world she was doing, especially with the wooden stake thing. She merely explained that whittling was relaxing.
She didn't dare try to call Damon, or even Stefan, though Elena continued to try with the latter, and to no avail.
Finally, on the fifth day, and after Emily had calmed down somewhat, Elena comes back from school and tells her that Stefan has returned.
"And he wants to meet at the Grill at four to explain what was going on," she says, sitting at the kitchen-counter and eating a grilled cheese sandwich with Emily.
"No way. Nuh uh," Emily shakes her head.
"What do you mean?" Elena asks weirdly.
"He can't be trusted, Elena. You can't trust anything he says, and you certainly can't be alone with him," Emily firmly says. Elena is further confused by this, then somewhat understands.
"…He's not like Damon, Em…He won't hurt me," Elena assures.
"We don't know that, Elena," Emily insists, even though what she was worried about was far more serious than what Elena thought.
"…Look, the least I could do is hear him out," Elena pushes.
"Then I'll come with you," Emily decides. Elena grins in mock.
"What?"
"Yeah. I'll drive you, and, uhhh, get a drink at the bar or something," she says.
"…Is this about Damon?"
"What are you talking about?"
"That you liked him, and then you find out he's crazy, and want an explanation from Stefan?" Elena asks. Now it was Emily's turn to smile in mock.
"Right. Just tell me when you're ready to head out," she tells in irritated dismiss, taking her sandwich and exiting the kitchen.
She did not like Damon.
No way.
She barely knew Damon, and
he was a fucking vampire.
XXX
It had been a full hour before Stefan finally decided to show up. Matt, who was also at the Grill, was playing pool with Elena and talking to pass the time, while Emily stayed by the bar, and sat on her phone, looking up every few minutes to eye around for that godforsaken Salvatore.
He then did show up, and Emily suspiciously observed from afar, thankful the bar was populated.
Alone with a vampire.
Very bad.
She studied him with new perspective.
He didn't look like a vampire.
What was a vampire supposed to look like anyways?
Normal, she knew,
till he turned to feed.
But, still, she wondered if there was a more obvious sign.
They weren't supposed to be able to walk in the sun, so how were they doing it?
She was close to certain Damon was a vampire, somehow walking in the sun, but…
…maybe Stefan wasn't one.
Maybe it was just Damon.
That was not something to risk though.
If he really was a vampire, there was no way she was gonna let Elena anywhere near him.
A few minutes into their conversation, and Matt comes by Emily's side.
"So, what are you really doing here, Em?" he asks curiously. She sipped her coke and kept her gaze fixed on Stefan and her sister.
"Just…hanging out," she replies, not even looking at Matt.
"Yeah? Cause it looks like you're about ready to kick Stefan's ass…Did he do something to Elena, other than being secretive?" he asks.
"Uhhh, no," she replies, barely listening. Matt eyes her dismissive behavior irritably. Clearly, there was something more, and she wasn't saying.
A dark, elder male comes by Stefan and Elena, and they speak. Emily is unable to hear from that distance, but just afterwards, Elena and Stefan move to the exit. Emily slides off her stool and stops a few feet away from them as they spoke once more, before Elena stormed out in frustration.
Emily's brows furrow, and Stefan's posture falls in disappointment.
Emily inhales deeply and walks up to him.
"Stefan," she calls. He faces her.
"Emily. Hi," he greets with a tired smile. She doesn't find it in her to retort it.
"Hey…Where is he, Stefan? Where'd he go?" she asks.
Why did she care, she wondered.
Maybe she just wanted to know that he was gone for good, that he wasn't something she had to worry about anymore,
but was that the only reason?
"…He, uhhh, left town," Stefan replies.
"…Why?" she asks.
"I'm not sure…But I know he's not coming back. I'm sorry, Emily," he touches her upper arm in sympathy.
He may not have been aware of the exact nature of their relationship, even though he asked Damon if he'd found a way to compel her, and got no answer, but Emily seemed fairly upset.
He did not assume it was because she knew, because if that was the case, she'd have seemed more relieved.
Emily shakes her head in dismiss.
"It's fine," she says. "I'll see you around," she then takes her leave.
XXX
"So, he was like: 'there was this thing with my uncle', and then I was like: 'You couldn't call to tell me you'd be an hour late?!' then he was like, 'Uhhh, I'm sorry Elena!', and then I told him that he couldn't keep answering questions with…non-answers! and then that guy came up to us and said he knew Stefan, and that Stefan hadn't aged a day, like, what the hell does that even mean?!" Elena raves angrily beside Emily in the car.
Emily's heart jumps at the last statement.
'Oh god. Was Stefan really one too?' her mind worriedly thought.
"And when I asked him, he dodged my question, like he dodges all of my fucking question, so I left! I mean, he's clearly not ready to be honest with me, and I won't have him lie to my face. No!" she continues.
"You're absolutely right," Emily determines, honestly just wanting Elena away from Stefan, the potential vampire.
XXX
"Hey, hey. Don't go downstairs," Jeremy says to Emily at their house later that night, up the stairs as he storms out of his room to block her. Jenna was out on a date with her ex, Logan Fell, something Emily thought extremely unwise, but of course, Jenna didn't listen, so, anyways, it was just the three siblings at home.
"Why not?" Emily cocks a suspicious brow at Jeremy.
"Stefan's down there," he smiles. Emily's eyes widen. She storms down the stairs. "Wha! Hey!" Jeremy calls. She ignores him as he rushes after her.
She parts the closed, glass sliding door open to the kitchen, to find Stefan cutting up vegetables on the counter, and Elena stood opposite him. "What's going on here?" she asks angrily.
"Emily. Stefan's just. Uhhh, we were just talking," Elena calmly explains.
Stefan sees the gaze in Emily's eyes.
A scared one,
then, a set one.
"No. I'm sorry. You need to leave," she decides, coming to stop a foot in front of Elena protectively.
"Em, come on," Jeremy calls.
"Stay out of this, Jer," she tells over her shoulder. Jeremy is taken aback with her strict tone, wondering why in the world she was suddenly acting like this.
"Emily!" Elena exclaims at her rudeness.
"It's fine," Stefan calls.
"No, it isn't!" Elena states, facing Emily once more. "We're just talking, Em!"
"About what?!" Emily insists.
"…About Katherine!" Elena angrily confesses.
He was finally opening up to her, and Emily was ruining it.
Emily fixes her gaze on Stefan again.
She wouldn't say what she was worried of,
but Stefan could see it.
She must know.
Why else would she be acting like this?
"Elena. Can I talk to Emily for a minute?" Stefan calmly requests. Emily continues to glare at him. Elena finds his request odd.
"I…Okay," she gives in as he eyes her assuringly, and leaves the room. Stefan continues to eye her until she closes the door on her and Jeremy outside.
Stefan turns his full attention to Emily.
For a full, tense minute, neither say a word.
Then, Stefan speaks.
"I'm not like him, Emily. I would never hurt Elena," he assures.
"…Like him how?" she pushes for confirmation.
"Dangerous. I'm not dangerous."
"…What are you, Stefan?" she demands.
She had to be sure.
But now. Stefan was.
He was certain she knew the truth.
Still, he wouldn't give in. Not yet. Better yet, not unless he had to.
"…What do you think I am, Emily?" he retorts.
Would she say it?
She didn't.
Why didn't she?
Because she wasn't sure, and she wouldn't have him take the advantage of treating her as the insane.
Emily leans closer to him from the opposite side of the counter. She speaks in a low, cold tone. "If she cries tonight because of you, you are never stepping foot in this house again. Do you understand?"
"…I understand," Stefan nods with a soft smile.
"Good," Emily says with no amusement.
"You know," Stefan crosses his arms, "Elena's really lucky to have you watching over her," he praises, quite sincerely. Emily does not reply.
She merely takes her leave.
XXX
When Stefan leaves, and Elena tells Emily, after scolding her for her overprotective behavior, everything Stefan had told her. About Katherine, how he loved her, how she was beautiful and fun, but selfish and impulsive, how Damon's intervention and his assumption that he had her first got in the way, how Stefan did things in turn he was not proud of, and how his biggest regret was that he couldn't fix things with Katherine before she died. Then that they talked casually the rest of the night, and how things went well.
Elena left out the part where she could've sworn she'd seen Stefan's face change in the window's reflection when she'd accidently cut her finger with the kitchen knife.
She didn't even have to mention it,
Emily was already setting a plan in motion…
The next day, she knew both Stefan and Elena would be at that school fundraiser, this car wash that Caroline, who was still in denial about the whole thing with Damon, had personally planned.
Emily took the chance,
and went to Stefan's house at around four pm.
What was she doing?
What in the world was she doing?
She needed proof.
She couldn't keep worrying about Elena every time she went off to school,
worried what might happen,
what he might do to her.
Her sister's life was not, in any way, something she was willing to risk.
Behind her belt, was a wooden stake she was very intent on using should she be surprise-attacked by Stefan.
She made way to the house, parked, got out, headed for the door, and decided on looking for a back-way in, rather than pick the front door's lock, something she learned off the internet, and practical practice on her own front door.
The house, the mansion, was incredibly large and lavish. Inside, as she entered from the back window into the living room, everything, every piece of furniture, was Victorian. There was a fireplace, a large piano, large, wooden arch-ways connecting the hallway to the stairs, the kitchen, and the dining room. The walls and floors were also a genuine, oak wood.
It was incredible,
but Emily wasn't here for sightseeing.
She roamed about the first floor, and came across the door to the basement.
Surely, if there was any sign of vampirism, like, blood-bags, or…something, it would be hidden in the eerie basement
She crept down quietly, warily, and stopped short at the stony cellar,
with what seemed like cells, actual, prison like cells with reinforced, metal doors.
She could hear someone breathe!
Slowly, she approaches one of the cells, the one where she thought the sound was coming from, and looks through its small, barred, square window.
"Emily!" hoarsely exclaimed a ghostly pale, sweaty Damon sitting on the dirt floor with his back to the brick wall.
Her eyes widen.
XXXXX
