When she wakes up, he's gone.

She doesn't call, doesn't try and find out where he went. She knows he needs time…and maybe space…

Elena returns, and informs the household of Sheila's unexpected death, and the funeral Bonnie, who was heartbroken, and her father were preparing.

When they are alone, Elena re-informs Emily of the prior night and everything that had happened in detail, obviously needing to talk through the unexpected event with someone.

To think, only yesterday, Emily and Sheila were talking.

The idea that someone suddenly, simply, wasn't there any more…It wasn't foreign to either of the Gilberts…

They both knew how Bonnie must be feeling. They understood her pain better than most, and were very intent on being there for her through the whole thing.

XXX

The following day was the funeral, and after that, Bonnie was off to her aunt's, in need of time and space.

Two days later, and Emily hasn't heard a word from Damon.

She didn't push (even though she madly wanted to call him up). He needed as much space and time as the Bennett did. Maybe more.

That morning, she was driving Jenna's car, to Grove Hill, Virginia, with Elena beside her.

Jenna had informed Elena that she'd dug a little deeper about her past, like she'd asked her to. Elena's father, Grayson, had kept everything from his medical practice. Records, logs, old appointment books. Jenna found an entry in his journal about the night Elena was born, the patient he admitted, and her birth date. Isobel Peterson.

Being a pregnant teenage runaway, it probably wasn't her real name, at least not the last one. Jenna did however look up that last name, Peterson, that was present in the area and born the same year Isobel was. Aside from three men, she found one woman matching the name. A Trudie Peterson. She showed Elena a picture of Trudie, and her high school friend…Isobel…They were cheerleaders, something that brought a smile to Elena's face, for she was one too once.

There was something else Jenna was reluctant to tell Elena of, but eventually decided she ought to. Turns out, she'd found out, with the frequent amount of times she'd met up with the charming history teacher, Alaric Saltzman, that his wife's name was also Isobel…and that she died.

She was killed, and the case was never solved.

…There was a reason Alaric was in town…a reason he was a vampire-hunter undercover…He'd told Stefan, that night the Salvatore went to find the Gilbert Journal, that his wife, who was a parapsychologist, spent her life researching paranormal activity in Mystic Falls. Her work was what led him to town, a while after what he saw, after she…disappeared…

He didn't know whether or not she was dead…All he knew…was what he saw.

He saw her being sucked dry of blood…by Damon Salvatore...

Only Stefan was aware of Alaric's story. Damon had no idea he was in Mystic Falls because of him.

The Gilberts obviously didn't know either, and Elena was just praying that Isobel was not the same as Alaric's Isobel, who was presumed dead.

Regardless, after a lot of thinking-out-loud with her sister, she decided she wanted to talk to Trudie, and get to the bottom of things.

Emily drives her in Jenna's car, a red Mini Cooper S Cabrio. Elena wasn't intent on doing this alone. She needed someone with her, and Emily was happy to accompany.

Fifteen minutes into the ride, Elena suddenly sighs and turns down the radio, facing Emily as she spoke: "Oh my god, I'm so nervous. And worried. Can you please just…distract me, till we get there?"

"Sure. How's school?" Emily asks.

"Ugh. No. Something else."

"Okay, ummm."

"Oh! I never did ask you. Have you talked to Damon?" she inquires. Emily tenses up.

"No. Why?" she worriedly asks.

"It's just. I ask Stefan, and he just says he's…dealing," Elena weirdly says, something that further worries Emily.

She'd been going crazy for the past three days, thinking if she should check up on him, maybe drop by, see if he was okay.

She kept telling herself he needed some time to himself. Besides. If he needed something, he'd call her…Right?

"Did you call him…the night it happened?" Elena asks a question she'd forgotten to ask before, for obvious reasons.

"Yeah. I did," Emily replies, suddenly reluctant to continue.

She could only remember one thing every time she thought of that night…the kiss.

It was so much more heated than all their previous ones, and it would have led them to a place that probably would have made things really complicated and awkward for them.

But that was exactly what she couldn't stop picturing, and one of the reasons she kept herself from calling him.

"What did he say?" Elena snaps her out of it.

"Uhhh, not much…just that…" she heartedly tried to recall, the feel of his lips against hers a persistent thought whilst remembering, "he was unsure what to do anymore…Stuff like that."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Huh…Damon didn't really strike me as the type of guy to easily open up."

"Ha. Yeah. No. He isn't…He just…I convinced him to," she says, then furrowed her brows at her strange statement. Elena eyed her suspiciously.

"How?" she asked.

"Ummm. You know. Just…I don't really remember," she gives shortly, shaking her head in dismiss.

"…Did something else happen between you two?" Elena pushes.

"What? No," Emily denies, smiling as though just the thought was funny,

till she felt the ghost of his warm embrace as they laid that night in her bed,

and her cheeks grow red.

Elena's eyes widen.

"Oh my god! Something did!" she exclaims, shocking Emily. "What?...Tell me you didn't sleep with him!"

"No! Of course not!" Emily shouts back, quite seriously that time.

"Because you know what that means. You don't wanna be his rebound girl."

"I know! We didn't…Nothing happened, okay?!" Emily insists.

"…Are you sure?" Emily sighs.

"We…may have kissed, but," she shook her head as Elena's brows raised. "That's all…It was a sympathy kiss," she casually says. Elena considers her words. She looks out the window and speaks up after several seconds:

"Well, I don't think I have to warn you, because your old and mature enough to figure it out yourself," Emily rolls her eyes at that, "that going down this path with him will only end badly, especially now."

"Ah. Look at that. We're here," Emily smiles in relief, parking the car.

Elena immediately shuts up, and eyes the small, one-story house horrifically.

They exit, and stand across the street from the house. Emily faces Elena warily. "You ready?" she asks.

"…I don't know," Elena shakes her head.

"Do you want a minute?" Elena shakes her head again, fairly uncertainly. "Okay, well," Emily takes her hand, and squeezes it assuringly. Elena turns to her. "Together," Emily says. Elena's features somewhat relax. She inhales deeply and nods.

Emily guides her towards the house.

XXX

"I haven't thought about Isobel in years," the blonde, Trudie, says, seated opposite Emily and Elena on her kitchen table.

"When was the last time you saw her?" Elena asks.

"About 17 years ago, when she left to go have you."

Hearing it from an outside source, made the situation suddenly feel all too real, for both siblings.

Emily would never treat Elena any differently, but the truth was as unexpected as it was incredibly frustrating.

"We kept in touch for a while," Trudie continues, "but, well, you know. People drift apart."

"Do you know…where she ended up?" Emily asks. Elena awaits an answer anxiously.

"She was in Florida for a while. She was on her own. I know it wasn't easy," she said in pity.

Elena and Emily were both foreign to the idea. Being alone and pregnant was something neither of them could fully process let alone take into consideration.

"Do you have any idea who my father is?" Elena asks. The question makes Emily all the more uncomfortable, as though she hadn't acknowledged that the father was someone else too.

"I could never get her to fess up," Trudie shakes her head, smiling sympathetically at Elena. "Anyway, she finally pulled it together, got into college on a scholarship." Elena smiles at that.

Ever since she'd seen her mother in that cheerleading costume, she was suddenly more open to the idea. Optimistic. Then of course, Jenna mentioned she might be…gone…That wasn't on Elena's mind at that moment though, so with that smile, she asked: "Where did she go?"

"Somewhere in North Carolina. Duke, I think. Smart girl, smart school," Trudie replies. The kettle whistling in the kitchen cuts her off. "Let me just grab that," she said, rising from her seat.

"You okay?" Emily asks, touching her sister's shoulder in assurance.

"Yeah," Elena nods and smiles in dismiss.

She didn't know how to feel. She was as conflicted as she was worried, as she was…excited?

She just didn't know.

And honestly, right now…neither did Emily. She couldn't see past this, this conversation with this woman, Trudie. Both results seemed equally heavy. Either they find out that Isobel really is dead, in which case A) Elena would be devastated, B) Alaric might be her real dad, and that's a whole other package of stuff to sort through. Or…Isobel is alive…and they can find her, which also gives an A) she's a horrible person, B) she's actually nice…which could turn the siblings' lives upside down, especially if she offers to take her daughter in again.

Trudie comes back with a tea tray, and a year book beneath her arm pit. She placed the tray down and sat to Elena's side, opening the book excitedly. She shows Elena and Emily several pictures of her and Isobel in high school.

Emily then reaches for her tea,

and Trudie eyes her warily.

Emily takes a casual sip, watching the pictures with them indifferently, but somewhat pleased Elena seemed content.

Then the taste sets in.

Her brows furrow.

She brings the cup to her lips to taste again,

and picks up the all too familiar scent.

She catches Trudie's eyes, and Trudie quickly looks away.

Emily's heart jumps.

'Seriously?! When did this become the norm for us?!' she wondered irritably, then decided to flat-out ask. She clears her throat. "Miss Peterson," she calls.

"Yes, dear?" Trudie answers innocently. Elena faces her sister curiously.

"What's, uh, that taste, in the tea?" Emily casually asks. With the silly question, Elena looks back at the photos.

"Oh. It's just a herbal mixture," Trudie answers in dismiss.

"Vervain?" Emily questions.

Trudie freezes. Elena's eyes widen.

She looks to Emily, who was eyeing Trudie intently, and turns to her as well.

"You know?" Elena asks warily.

"Know what?" Trudie retorts.

"Come to think of it, you also, technically, didn't invite us in," Emily states upon recalling. Elena's memory triggers too. "And this is definitely vervain…You know," Emily confidently states.

Trudie gets to her feet. "I think that you should probably leave," she says firmly.

"Wait. What are you not telling me?" Elena asks her suspiciously as Emily cautiously stands as well, pulling her sister up by the arm.

"Please. Leave," Trudie repeats, voice growing louder. Emily moves Elena away from the table, and towards the door. Elena continues to stare at Trudie in confusion. "Now!" Trudie pushes, looking more scared that hostile.

"Come on," Emily encourages, grabbing her bag. Elena does the same.

They both leave the house, and head to the car. Elena gets into the front seat, and Emily heads to the wheel.

Feeling a set of eyes on her back,

she turns

and spots a man…standing oddly in the middle of the road.

Her heart jumps.

Quickly, she opens the door and gets in, shutting it behind her,

and locking it.

"Who is that?" Elena asks her, staring over her seat at the back warily.

"No idea," Emily answers, starting the car and driving off in haste.

Discussing what had happened in the car, the two find that, somehow, they'd only ended up with more questions than before, something that clearly frustrates Elena. Emily does her best to calm her down, and when they head home, they explain to Jenna what had happened, leaving out the finale, and simply stating that Trudie didn't know what had happened to Isobel, and that she said nothing about her having passed away.

XXXXX