Emily and Jeremy take a cab home. Jeremy, who Emily told that Damon had left, notices Damon's car is still outside, and Emily tells him she doesn't know why, despite assuming he went after Anna on foot for stealth.
At the house, Emily notices that Elena and Stefan are both gone. She asks Jenna where they'd gone, and Jenna tells her they'd left cause Stefan was having a 'problem' and Elena was 'helping' him. Jenna also states she thought they were being deliberately vague about it, and assumed that…they were sleeping together, something Emily thought valid, if it weren't for the current situation.
She calls her.
"Hey. Emily," Elena picks up after a minute or so, as though she was debating answering.
"Hey. Where are you?" Emily gets to the point.
"At Stefan's," Elena replies quickly. Emily squints her eyes. "We just…wanted to spend some time alone…I'll be back in a bit, okay?" she lies reluctantly. Emily partially believes her. She sighs, and closes up with her.
Then she calls Damon, both to check up on him, and to tell him that Stefan was gone. He canceled on her, probably still with Anna. She was kind of worried if he was in trouble, but calmed herself and noted to try again later.
Her, Jenna, and Jeremy are eating dinner, and Jenna asks Jeremy how it went with his 'friend.' Jeremy smiles sheepishly. "Fine. It was cool," he pleasantly replies.
Emily is disturbed by the fact that he was enjoying the company of someone he didn't actually know at all, and so innocently.
She didn't dwell on the topic when Jenna turns to her next. "So. Emily," she calls.
"Yeah?" Emily replies, picking at her half-empty plate.
"Don't yell at me, but I really wanna know…What is the deal with you and Damon?" she asks. The topic catches Jeremy's interest too. Emily immediately frowns, and was about to speak when Jenna quickly cut her off. "I know you said you were just friends…but why."
"Because he's in love with someone else. Okay?" Emily shortly replies. This takes Jenna off guard, and she look profusely confused. Jeremy also furrows his brows.
"That's not what he said," he starts. Emily turns to him perplexedly, then she glares threateningly.
"You asked him?!" Jeremy widens his eyes warily.
"I just asked if you guys were a thing, that's it," he elaborates. Emily rolls sighs irritably. Jenna has her lips pursed from both tension and amusement.
"What did he say?"
"He said you're just friends, that's it's him with the issues."
"What?" Emily asks in confusion.
"That, you're not together cause he has issues. And I asked what kinda issues, and he was, 'uh, stuff.'" Emily tries to process, so does Jenna.
"Well. That is the issue. The other woman," Emily answers alas, then she sighs somewhat tiredly. "Besides. I don't…we're just friends…" she says, as if trying to convince herself. "And…He's leaving town soon anyways, so…" she shakes her head, then grows quiet, and numb.
"Why?" Jenna asks.
"I don't know…He just is," she lies. Jenna and Jeremy share a look.
"Well. Who cares? There are a ton of other guys out there, and you're a catch, hon," Jenna tries to cheer her up. Emily humors her with a smile.
"Yeah."
"Yeah, plus, he's kinda weird, anyways," Jeremy adds. 'You have no idea,' Emily smirks.
"Right. Change of topic. Jenna. How was work?" says Emily.
They talk somewhere, and are soon done eating. After piling the dishes in the sink, Emily, who is intent on washing them, decides to call Damon first. She climbs up the stairs to her room with her phone on her ear.
"What?" he picks up, tone irritated.
"Nothing. Are you okay?" she worriedly asks.
"Fine. Just driving down memory lane…My dad has the Grimoire, in his fucking coffin," he states, evidently frustrated. Emily's eyes widen in surprise as she enters her room.
"Wow."
"Yeah. Wow."
"Are you headed there now?"
"Yeah."
"…Do you need some company?" she asks curiously, feeling the need to be there, in his sour mood, to calm him, as if it would earn her something.
"…Why not? Two minutes, and I'm at your house. Be ready."
XXX
"Are you okay?" she asks again, seated beside him in the car.
"Why wouldn't I be? I should've expected it'd be him…Always fucking up my life, even from beyond the grave," he raves in annoyance. Emily eyes him sympathetically, then lightly smirks.
"Seems to me like your life's fucked up as is," she says. Damon glances at her irritably at first, then seeing the sympathetic humor in her eyes, he spares a smile.
"I guess that's a fact."
"…So what are we gonna do? Dig up his grave?" she asks, somewhat grimly.
"Pretty much. You just be a dear and hold a light," he says.
"I can help you shovel."
"Yeah. Right," he chuckles. She widens her eyes at him.
"Hey. What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, don't take it personally. I'm ten times faster, and ten times stronger. If anything, you'd slow me down."
"You're are a total jerk, you know that, right?" she scolds. He smirks.
"So I've been told."
They arrive at the cemetery, and exit the car. Damon opens the trunk and brings out a shovel, and a flashlight. He hands it to her, and cradles the shovel, as they start into the woods.
Half way in, Damon pauses. Emily stops as well, and faces him. He has a bewildered look on his face. "What?" she asks him worriedly.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me…" he starts hasting forward.
"Damon!" she calls. He ignores her with determined steps as she followed after him.
She sees a light…between the trees, and starts to hear voices.
Her face goes pale, and she halts her tracks, before rushing after Damon again knowingly.
The two appear in a clearing, where, opposite them,
are Stefan and Elena, stood within the dug up grave, with Elena's flashlight aimed…at the Grimoire.
"Well, what do you know?" Damon speaks up, causing the two to whirl around in shock. They stand in haste as Emily appears beside Damon, and Elena is taken aback. "This is an interesting turn of events," Damon bitterly says, lips curling into a snarl. Emily's caution shoots up to a hundred.
This wouldn't end well.
Stefan approaches and stops a few feet opposite Damon, glancing in acknowledgement at Emily.
"I can't let you bring her back," he says almost nonchalantly. Emily eyes him in bewilderment. Why did he care whether or not Katherine came back?! "I'm sorry."
"So am I…For thinking for even a second that I could trust you…" Damon says, sounding truly heartbroken. Stefan gives him a sarcastic look.
"Oh. You're not capable of trust. The fact that you're here means that you read the journal and you were planning on doing this yourself!" Stefan retorts.
"Of course I was going to do it by myself, because the only one I can count on is me! You made sure of that many years ago, Stefan," Damon shoots back heatedly…Emily knows what he means by that, and is greatly disturbed by his current, hurting state. Stefan's expression twists with sudden guilt, then he stands his ground
Damon thinks for a moment…He could tell, Stefan wasn't going to back down…He could see Elena standing warily by the Grimoire…He had to get that book.
He thought about going after her, add a little 'persuasion,'
…then he could hear Emily's shuffling feet beside him, and is suddenly worried how she'd react.
He thinks about Emily herself then…
With half-a-second's decision, he vamp-speeds behind her, placing an arm around her neck to shoulder, shocking her to her very core and causing her to gasp.
Everyone panics.
"Damon! What are you doing?!" she demands, attempting to break free, but his hold is strong, not painful. He gives her shoulder an almost assuring squeeze, which confuses, and doesn't calm her down, as he spoke next.
"Give me the grimoire," he grimly commands.
"You're not gonna hurt her," Stefan shakes his head confidently. Damon cocks a brow.
Stefan hesitates.
Damon bites into his wrist. He forces her lips open, and his sour blood seeps into her mouth. She whimpers in his hold, suddenly fearing the worst, especially with Stefan's widening eyes, and Elena's screams of 'no.'
He then removes his wrist, and Emily gasps for air. "Damon! What've you done?!" she utters horrifically. Damon ignores the pang in his chest, uncertain whether or not Stefan would force his hand.
Would he do it?
Would he really turn her?
"Let her go, Damon. She'll hate you for this." Stefan insists.
"Do you think I fucking care?!" Damon retorts almost automatically. In that moment, with the look of horror on Emily's face, Stefan couldn't actually validate that statement.
"Stefan," Elena pleas, tears of fear breaming her eyes. Damon is content she was a pressure point, as Stefan actually seemed indecisive then.
He momentarily wonders what Emily thought of the unfolding event, and listened into her madly racing hurt.
He felt the slightest hint of guilt,
but ironically still considered this the best course of action.
"All I want, is Katherine…Give me the damn thing!" he shouts. Emily shuts her eyes at the loud voice, grasping at his arm weakly, still attempting to process.
The situation didn't look all that complex,
but Emily had never been more confused,
like she couldn't actually comprehend just what was happening.
"Stefan, just give it to him!" Elena insists.
A heavy minute passes.
Stefan falls back…grabs the grimoire, and places it in surrender, on the ground, opposite Damon…
"Now let her go."
Damon's grasp loosens on her…He pulls back his arm. "Go," he whispers. She exhales, unintentional tears sliding down her cheeks and blood tainting her quivering lips. She walks forward to Stefan's extended hand, and into Elena's urgent, open arms.
She turns between them to see Damon grabbing the grimoire off the ground.
He doesn't look at her, and zooms away.
XXX
"Are you okay?" Elena asks, her arms wrapped around Emily in the backseat of Stefan's car. Emily doesn't reply, staring out the window with an absent gaze. "We tried to tell you…he couldn't be trusted…" Elena says anxiously.
"Like I could trust you," Emily retorts coldly. Elena's brows furrow. Stefan grows tense.
"What?"
Emily snaps to her then.
"Plotting behind my back. Nice," she faces the window again.
"Wh-" Stefan cuts Elena off.
"This isn't her fault, Emily. I told her she couldn't tell you. She thought she was protecting you."
"No. You're right…It's your fault. It's your fault now. As it was back then." Stefan's chest aches. Damon had told her.
"…What are you talking about?" Elena asks in confusion.
"Damon and Stefan knew Katherine was a vampire. Stefan promised Damon he wouldn't tell their father. Then he did," Elena's eyes widen, "Stefan promises Damon he's going to help, and it's a lie. Tell me again, who's not to be trusted, Stef?" Emily mocks bitterly. Stefan sighs from tension.
"I didn't mean for them to take her…I trusted father as much as Damon trusted me…I know what I did was wrong…I destroyed the trust between us," he confesses.
"And your plan to make amends amazes me," Emily smirk sarcastically, facing the window again.
"Why are you defending him? He almost killed you tonight!" Elena exclaims.
"Yeah, I was there!" Emily shoots back.
Elena eyes her in utter confusion. She'd never seen her react like this. It was as if she was in denial.
Stefan catches on to that.
"Katherine is dangerous. She's reckless. If he'd let her out, they'd be a pair to be reckoned with. I couldn't let that happen," Stefan defends his point of view.
"You know what? Whatever," she shakes her head.
The car grows silent.
No one else knows what to say.
No one speaks again.
XXX
Stefan drops them off at the house, and takes his leave.
Emily climbs the stairs, and slams the door to her bedroom shut.
Elena sighs from extreme tension.
She climbs up after her, and attempts to get her talking. Emily tells her she's tired, as she makes her bed, and readies for fake sleep.
Elena lets her be.
As Emily steps out of the bathroom in her pjs, and is fixing the bed, her eyes catch sight of a figure, and she looks to see Damon at the window.
Hellfire burns within her eyes.
Damon knows what's coming.
He raises his hands. "Let me exp-"
"You lying!" she charges at him, shoving him hard in the chest. "Backstabbing!" he attempts to grab her flailing arms.
"Em-"
"Son of a bitch!" He finally restrains her, and walks her into the wall beside them, parting her legs with his to keep her immobile. "Let me go, or I'll scream!" she threatens. Damon gives her a look.
"You're not gonna-"
"HEEL-" he cuts her off with a hand on her mouth.
"Seriously?!" he retorts. She mumbles incomprehensively between his grasp. "What's that? Can't understand you," he teases. Her mumbles grow louder, and she is eyeing him menacingly. He rolls his eyes. "I'm gonna remove my hand, and if you scream…I'll kiss you," he smirks. She eyes him in frustrated confusion. He slowly removes his hand. She remains firmly silent, uncertain if he was serious. Damon inhales, expression hardening. "I wasn't gonna do it," he tells. She scoffs.
"Right."
"Come on. We're partners. Why would I turn on you?!"
"Because you don't fucking care. That's what you said, wasn't it?!"
"I was bluffing!"
"Yeah?! Your brother, who's known you for a hundred years! Didn't think you were."
"He's too emotional to think clearly under pressure…I thought you knew I was lying…" he says, tone softening with the last statement.
She looked away, as though trying, but failing, not be affected by his untrustworthy words.
Damon lets her go, but is still inches apart from her, trying to catch her eyes. "Look, it was either you, or your sister," he says half-sarcastically. Emily snaps to him. "You wouldn't have liked it if I'd gone after her…But I figured, with you…" he locks his gaze with hers intently. "You'd get it…" he says.
Emily absorbs his words, wanting, yet refusing, to believe them, at the same time.
When he sees her slumping, and eyes dropping to the floor, he could tell she was coming around.
He'd said all he could, he was reluctant to come from the start, and he sure as hell wasn't straight out apologizing.
He steps back, snapping her out of her processing.
He heads back to the window.
She opened her mouth with uncertain words to stop him,
before she shut it again,
and he left.
XXXXX
