"Emily…I was just going to call you…" Stefan says as he answered the front door of his house. Emily furrows her brows.
"You were?" she asks.
"Yeah," he crosses his arms. "Elena hasn't been to school, and she hasn't been answering her phone." Emily's expression calms to one with knowledge.
"Yeah. That's actually why I'm here…" Stefan's brows furrow. Concern reappears on Emily's face as she clutched the strap of her handbag anxiously.
XXX
"I looked everywhere. At the school, at the Grill, even the cemetery. I called all her friends…." Emily explains from within Jenna's car, the one she'd borrowed for the day. They are driving around town. It was around three pm. Elena seemed missing since that morning, and Jeremy and Jenna assumed she was at school, but then Jeremy told Emily she wasn't, and she had to go there herself and ask around. She looked around town…Nothing…
"Did you try Bonnie?" Stefan asks from beside her.
"Yeah. She isn't answering either. I tried her, like, seven times!" she says frantically. Stefan inhales deeply.
"Okay. Calm down…Drive to Bonnie's grandmother's house, Sheila. She can help," he suggests.
"Help how?!"
"She's a witch," Emily seemed to have forgotten that in her worked up state. "She can try a locater spell," he says. She nods along, fully focused, and now somewhat at ease.
Emily turns and starts heading into the required direction.
After a few minutes of silence, Stefan speaks up.
"How are you feeling?" he asks.
"Worried. Very worried," she answers. Stefan lightly smirks.
"No. Obviously. I meant…" she already begins catching onto what he meant, her gaze losing interest, "about what happened with Damon, last night."
Emily recalls the night before…She is uncertain what to say,
less so what to think…
What did she think?
She wanted to believe he was being truthful…that he was never intent on hurting her…that he truly never would have done it…But how could she be sure?
Should she?
She had to remember…the things he'd done…
How could she just overlook…everything else he'd done?
She realized she'd been grasping at every little spick of good deed she'd seen him do, and she'd keep forgetting that he'd lived a hundred years before her…
But she didn't want to think that way either…
"I'm fine…" she simply gave. "He told me he was never gonna do it, so that's that."
Stefan's brows furrow.
"When did he say that?"
"He came to me, at the house."
"…He…apologized?"
"Not exactly. He said he thought I knew he was bluffing…He didn't say much…"
Stefan takes this in…
He is greatly confused.
"For him to…even bother…" he thinks out loud. Emily's heart jumps. She glances at Stefan.
"You think he was telling the truth?" she asks, sounding hopeful. Stefan faces her. He didn't want to falsely assure her.
"…I…can never tell with Damon…It's just…"
"That he bothered," Emily finishes for him. Stefan reluctantly nods. Emily sighs from the tension in her tangled thoughts and feelings. "You shouldn't have betrayed his trust Stefan…Not again."
"I was doing it for him…She's. She's not good for him, Emily."
"You don't think I know that?!" she retorts angrily. Stefan eyes her strangely. "He told me what kind of person she was…But he can't help how he feels…If he needs to see her again to see for himself all he shouldn't have missed, then so be it…And if he's finally convinced, he just might let us kill her," Emily lets slip half-seriously. Stefan cocks a brow at her, then smirks.
"You rooting for that outcome?" he asks humorously. Emily gives him a dismissive look, smirking as well.
A moment of silence passes, Stefan squirming uncomfortably in his seat. He then faces her. "…I'm sorry…" he says. She furrows her brows. "For making Elena lie to you…I never wanted to get between you two. You have a very strong bond, and it should stay that way."
"…Apology accepted, Stefan," Emily assures. Stefan smiles contently.
The rest of the car ride is short, with a quiet struggle of concern regarding Elena's whereabouts, till they finally arrive at Sheila's.
They exit the car, and head towards the one-story house. Emily knocks, and they are soon greeted by the owner. An aged, dark woman stood opposite them, and smiled warmly at each. "Emily. Stefan. To what do I owe this pleasure?" she asks. The two smile in retort.
"Hi, grams," says Emily.
"Hello, Sheila," Stefan greets. Emily finds it weird that Stefan knew her name. She hadn't actually heard anyone call her that in a long time. "We need your help."
XXX
Sheila invited them in, and didn't ask many question about how Emily knew of vampires, or Elena for that matter.
Regardless, she seats Emily down, and uses her blood to track down Elena through a map of the town, a scene that fills Emily with a mixture of combined feelings including amazement, curiosity, and a slight fear from the unknown. She began to wonder at what limits there were to magic; what couldn't witches do?
Sheila then does the same with something of Bonnie's, managing to prove that both girls were together at the Gates Motel.
Stefan borrows the car from Emily, and tells her to stay behind lest there be danger, something she was greatly against, but him rushing out the door didn't give her much of a chance to argue.
XXX
"Don't be so restless, child," says Sheila, placing a tray of tea on the living room table. She sits by Emily's side, and the Gilbert stops tapping her foot, wiping her sweaty hands on her jeans before flashing a forced smile at Sheila.
"I'm just worried, that's all."
"I know you are…Let me get your mind off of it…How long have you known?" she asks curiously.
"About…all of this? A while. A few years…I never saw anything till my first college year…Even then I wasn't sure…But I guess…Damon and Stefan removed all and any remaining doubts," she chuckles nervously.
"I suppose they did," Sheila smirks.
Emily starts a conversation with Sheila about witches, specifically her, and when she started getting her powers.
Their conversation only lasts a few minutes when the doorbell rings.
Emily jumps off the couch, with Sheila following after.
She opens the door, and furrows her brows un-expectantly. "Damon? What are you doing here?"
"I'd ask you the same thing," he retorted, looking just as confused.
"Can we help you?" Sheila asks, evident distaste in her tone. Damon plasters on a smile.
"Hi there. I'm looking for Bonnie," he politely says.
"She's not here," Sheila tells strictly. Emily faces her perplexedly.
"Oh, well do you know when she-"
"Never," Sheila cuts off.
"Grams," Emily calls, eyeing her strangely. Sheila ignores her. Damon purses his lips, impatient. He smirks bitterly.
"You have quite an opinion for someone who doesn't know me," he says.
"You got some nerve knocking on a Bennett witch's door and asking her for anything." Damon looks at Emily, who looks at him as though he'd been busted. She decides to cut in, and steps outside the door.
"What'd I do?" Damon asks in confusion. Emily grabs his arm.
"Okay. Time to go," she smiles sheepishly and starts pulling him back. He eyes them both perplexedly.
"Emily. He's-"
"I'm on vervain. I'll be okay. Bye, Grams," she manages to guide Damon away as he realizes he wasn't going to find what he wanted there.
"What's her problem?" he asks irritably, Emily walking him to his car.
"You bit her granddaughter, remember?" Emily answers.
"That? Seriously?" they stop and she stands opposite him with her back to his car.
"Yeah, some people take that sorta stuff seriously, Damon. Especially when they can't just guess why you do what you do," she says, tone cold as she crossed her arms. Damon studies her for a moment, then smirks.
"Are you still mad at me?" he muses. She raises a brow.
"Hm," she smirks fake-ly. "I need a ride," she says.
"And I need to find a Bennet witch," he retorts.
"I don't care. You can do that later. Your 'upset' friend here is asking you for a favor," she shoots back, glaring at him daringly. He glares back, then nears her. She stands her ground, unfazed. Stefan had made her almost certain of the honesty behind Damon's 'apology' from the night before. He didn't scare her anymore; there was no need for her to be afraid around him, unless she wasn't his target.
He listens to her heart. It doesn't jump…He smirks.
"Alright. Hop in."
XXX
"Where do you wear your vervain?" he asks curiously, inside the car in the driver's seat. He hadn't started the car yet. She faced him, and raises an amused brow.
"I'll never tell," she smirks. He gives her a 'really' look.
"Do you drink it?" he persists.
"Maybe," she vaguely gives. He shakes his head, chuckling.
"So where to?" he asks, starting the car.
"Gates Motel," she answers from beside him.
He pauses, and turns to her.
"Why do you wanna go there?" She cocks a brow at him.
"Why do you think I wanna go there?" she retorts. Damon studies her for a moment, squinting his eyes at her suspiciously.
"You spill first," he says. Emily sighs irritably.
"We don't have time for this. Will you just drive, and I'll explain along the way."
He continues to eye her, not moving, as if pressuring her into fessing up.
"Damon!" she gestures to the car-wheel in some haste. Noting she was being serious, and that something was happening, he gives in, and starts the car. She lets out a breath of relief.
"Talk," Damon pushes.
"…Elena's missing," she somewhat hesitantly replies. The mention of his brother's partner, the brother who double-crossed him, sets a frown to his face. Emily knew he didn't want to hear about her, but Stefan wouldn't let her tag along, and she was doing nothing useful sitting around at Sheila's, it was driving her crazy. Damon faces her and raises a brow. "She has been since last night, and I've looked all over for her…Eventually, I started to suspect it was…something vampire-related, so I went to Stefan. Thought he might know, and cause I knew you wouldn't wanna help me find her."
"You guessed right," Damon retorts coldly. She eyes him irritably. "What makes you think she's at the motel?"
"Locator spell. Why are you being so weird about that place?"
"It's where that Anna girl is staying," he replies. "Where I followed her to last night." Emily's eyes widen.
"So it is vampire-related!"
"Apparently, most of your problems are."
"This is just fucking great!" she exclaims angrily. Damon raises a brow at her, not expecting an outburst. "I'm so…useless!" Damon faces her in confusion. "They're too strong! They're too fast! I never see them coming! All that work at the gym, and what do I get?! Attacked. Almost bitten, several times!...I can't protect anyone…I'm…" she sighs, speechless and fairly upset, with an escalated heartrate. Damon feels a pushy urge to say something, hopefully useful.
"I could always turn you," he offers, half-seriously. She snaps to him.
"Stop it with that. I told you already-"
"Told me that you were afraid of hurting someone. Bullshit. This way, you can actually fight back." He was definitely serious now.
The offer was so compelling in that moment.
He could almost hear her weighing it.
She then faces him.
"And who would teach me self-control if you're gone? You just gonna turn me and let me deal?!" she asks harshly. Damon's face twists with annoyance at the constant mention of that topic.
"Stefan could teach you," he retorts. "Granted, it'll be squirrels for breakfast. But still," he says, despite being greatly against Stefan's lifestyle; it made him weak, and he knew it would make Emily weak to follow his ways, but not weaker than she already claimed she was feeling.
"…I don't trust him like I trust you…"
Damon's face goes blank.
It just came out, even she was surprised at hearing it,
because they both knew that partially wasn't true,
but were sure she was hoping it was real.
She turns her face to the window, not knowing what to say after that. She thought of negating it, but didn't want to…Maybe she wanted him to believe it.
…Did he want to believe it?
He glances at her, then faces the road again with a clenched jaw.
Ironically, he also didn't know what to say.
They arrive shortly at the motel. The town was small, and owning a car made most destinations minutes apart.
Upon arrival, she sees Elena and Bonnie rushing out of a motel room. She quickly climbs out of the car, but Damon doesn't move. He remains in his seat, watching as Emily ran to her sister, taking her into her arms protectively, despite feeling powerless to actually protect anyone.
He then sees his brother follow after them calmly, knowing then that he was safe, not a scratch on his face. It annoys Damon; he was hoping Stefan would get his butt kicked, at least a little,
but deep, deep down,
he was relieved his brother was still breathing.
Without another word, he pulls out, and drives away.
Emily hears the car move, and watches him take off.
She doesn't give it much attention, turning back to her sister and her friend.
XXX
"So, what do we do now?" asks Elena, stepping into Sheila's dining room with Stefan and Emily at either of her sides.
"For now, you need to stay here," Stefan replies, standing opposite them.
In the car, the four had shared information. Bonnie and Elena explained that Anna and Ben wanted Bonnie to perform a spell from the Grimoire to open the tomb. But they didn't have the Grimoire, Damon did. Anna thought it was Stefan, and tried to use Elena to get it from him, as well as to pressure Bonnie into preforming the spell when necessary.
When Stefan didn't answer, she called Damon, who told her knowingly that she had nothing to bargain with. Hearing so, Anna soon returned to check on the motel, to find her captives missing, and her partner beneath a bed, hiding from the sun.
"A prisoner, in my own home? I don't think so," says Sheila.
"I can't protect you if you leave the house," Stefan warns.
"We'll protect ourselves," she retorts. Emily finds that amusing.
If it were true, Bonnie wouldn't have gotten caught. If witches were so badass, she and Elena would've already escaped.
But Emily forgot to recognize that Bonnie was a fresh, practically untrained witch.
The group begins to think on solutions to the tomb issue…They could just not open it, but that would mean a target on the back of Bennetts till it was, and the biggest threat being Damon, who was hell-bent on opening that tomb.
"Maybe if we just let him get what he wants, this all stops," suggests Elena, glancing at Stefan. Emily likes the sound of that.
"No. He doesn't deserve to get what he wants," says Bonnie bitterly from her seat in the dining table. Emily eyes her angrily. Bonnie notices her glance, and doesn't get a chance to comment when Elena replies:
"What other choice do we have?"
"Witches being pulled down by vampire problems. As much as we tried to do to stay out of it," says Sheila tiredly, glancing at her granddaughter meaningfully. She then looks to Stefan. "I'll open the tomb. You get your brother's girl and destroy the rest with fire. Then this will be all over."
"We still have to get Damon to agree," he says.
"I'll deal with that," says Emily confidently, then she approaches Stefan, a determined look in her eyes. "And since I'm obviously not trusted with…ulterior plans," she says pointedly. "If this goes another way…and he kills someone…It'll be on you." Stefan eyes her intensely, a troubled look on his face.
He gives her a firm nod.
Half-satisfied, Emily walked back out into the living room and dialed his number as the others watched.
"What?" he answers with an irritated tone. Her brows furrow.
"Are you okay?" she asks worriedly.
"I'm fine. Is there something you want?" he asks as if impatiently. She raises a confused brow.
"What's with the attitude?" she asks.
"Will you just cut to the point," Damon pushes. Emily is both confused, and now a little pissed. She straightens.
"Yeah. I'm coming over. There's something you need to hear," she grabs her bag off the couch and exits the house, not wanting to be overheard.
"I'm really not in the mood fo-"
"Okay, bye," she hangs up, buffing air from her nose as she pulled out her car keys.
XXXXX
