Ch. 21 – 2x16-17

A/N: Now we take a short break from Elijah for a bit. (sad) Don't worry it won't be for long. Just this chapter and in the nest, we meet Klaus, so that should keep you entertained until Elijah returns.

Edit: 1/16/2022

If it were purely up to me, I would avoid the Boarding House at all costs. I just want to avoid the temptation, - well not temptation, per say. Memories, potential, the draw of possibilities – as much as possible. But it's never up to me, so I'm being called, again, on a school day to come to a meeting at the Boarding House.

I knock and immediately walk in, "Whatever this is better be quick, cause I've got homework to hand in and I'm not losing points due to your drama," I shout up the entrance way.

"Up here," I hear Elena shout. I walk upstairs and discern that the meeting is in Stefan's bedroom. Oh boy.

"Everybody better be dressed when I get in there," I say from outside the door.

"It's fine, come on in," Stefan replies.

I still hold up my hand in front of my face, just in case. Elena chuckles lowly and says, "Everyone is dressed, Emilia." Something about her tone is off.

I look up and realize what's going on.

"Zdraveĭ, Katerina", I greet, picking her out immediately, despite her straight hair and attempt at a replication of my twin, "Elijah's death broke the compulsion and released you from the tomb, did it?" Damn it. I'm pretty sure she was the one to welcome me into the room.

"A plus to the smarter twin," Katherine says from her spot in the chair. My sister makes a face at the ancient bitch while pacing.

"How is that possible?" Stefan asks.

"He's an Original," Katherine says, stroking an antique knife, "They have all sets of special skills."

Elena keeps pacing and says, "I don't want you here." Fair. She turns to Stefan. "Get her out of here."

Katherine stands, "You need me, Elena. You all do."

Stefan, Damon, and I all scoff at the same time.

Stefan comments, "Like hell."

Katherine leans against Stefan's desk and says, "We all want the same thing – Klaus dead. Yet here you all are, running around like chickens with their heads cut off."

"Speak for yourself," I mutter to myself.

Elena crosses her arms against her chest and says to Katherine, "I don't need your help and I don't want it."

"And that's incredibly stupid of you," Katherine replies. "Do you know where Klaus is? When he's coming? What he looks like?" Well no to the first two, other than close and soon. But I have a good idea on the last one. I think.

"If you know something, say it or get out," Damon threatens.

"Fine, then I'll just go the Grille and have some lunch," Katherine says. She turns to my twin/her look-a-like and says, "Maybe Aunt Jenna is free for a bite."

"Not unless you want another stake in the stomach," I threaten, casually feeling up the weapon I have on me.

"Ok, enough threats," Stefan, the peacemaker, speaks up. "Emilia, it's time to go. Damon, you know what to do. Elena and I are going to school and Katherine, you do whatever you want. If you are really on our side, you can help Damon." And with a grimace from me, Katherine, Damon, and Elena, we all head our separate directions.

And the drama continues: with John dividing Alaric and Jenna, John now having the Gilbert ring (ugh), Bonnie's powers are gone, so is Tyler, and the other relationship drama all around (Matt and Caroline being the main culprit, but there is something fishy with Bonnie and Jeremy). Never a moment to rest in Mystic Falls. Hopefully, the Girl's Night tonight will fix everything. Well not, fix... But help.

Either way, I'm on Martin duty prior to the actual event. I somehow got roped into this meeting. Stefan figured having someone who is a bit more on their side to mediate the discussion of having them join us. Damon's a blabbermouth and mentioned my apparent connection to Elijah. Damn him. There's no connection. There's nothing. We're nothing… Besides, Elijah is dead. So's our deal. We are lucky that the Martin's don't attack us for the stupid things we've done to them already.

Including whatever I did… God, I shouldn't have agreed to this.

But fuck it, I'm here already. Damn, my caffeine craving. I wanted a latte one moment and the next, everyone is here, and now I can't leave. Avoiding eye contact it is.

Stefan is the one to greet the Martin's. He stands up from the table and says, "Thank you for coming."

Dr. Martin replies as he grabs a hold of the seat, "I didn't want to. But my son made a case to hear you out."

We all sit down as Luka clarifies, "Bonnie said that you have information about Elijah." I choose to glance at Bonnie, giving her a look and focusing on that connection between the two of them. It's easier than flinching at a name and a different connection- Nope. Focus, Emilia. Focus on Bonnie, as I was just thinking about. Bonnie and Luka, what's that about? Especially because Jeremy has been hanging out a lot with my friend. Lots of things, lots of questions to communicate in a look.

"Elijah's dead," Stefan says. Fuck, I still flinched. "I'm sorry." I can feel Jonas's gaze on me. He definitely didn't notice the flinch. I'm just casually focusing on my figuring out how latte art is made and not on whether or not the Martin's noticed my body spontaneously twitch at the same time a name is uttered. I should not look up to check. Don't look up. Don't do it… Don't…. Damn it.

I glance up at the table. I see Bonnie's focus is also on the table, Stefan's looks determined at Dr. Martin, Luka is focused on Bonnie, and Dr. Martin, Jonas, is looking at me. Fuck. And he falls back in his seat when he meets my eyes. Somehow, he found the confirmation of Stefan's claim in my gaze... Fuck! Shit! How did he do that? I'm supposed to be better than this. I'm so stupid.

Dr. Martin responds to the claim by standing to leave when Stefan also stands and puts a hand on his shoulder. Stefan keeps him there and says, "Hear me out. We can help you. Please." Dr. Martin looks to me again, but this time I stay focused on the table and Bonnie.

Dr. Martin sits and Bonnie says, "We know that Klaus has your daughter." She is getting right to the point with this, huh? "I'm sorry about the way I had to get that information, but it's good that we know." I mean it's good that you apologized, and I'm all for learning information, but putting someone under a spell and dragging the information out of his brain and then asking to work together is difficult, even for me. "We can all work together to get her back."

"How?" Luka asks.

Stefan is the one to respond, saying, "I suspect that you and Elijah had a plan to kill Klaus. I'll just help you carry it out." A few more burning glances from Dr. Martin and I definitely think I should learn more about latte art. "You can trust us. I give you my word." Another flinch. I think I need more water. I am dehydrated and that's why my muscles are twitching. "We all do."

Fuck.

Somehow, the Martin's agree with Luka explaining more specifics about the plan. They need to harness the power of the dead witches. The ghost story, Elijah's ghost story, and what he asked me to research, was to get the power to kill Klaus. I narrowed it down, I found the correct stories pertaining to the event, but not an exact location. But I'm close I can feel it. The past couple of days have been so distracting that when I finally sunk into my research, I've gotten somewhere with it.

Something I will have to focus on after Girls' Night. I need to get out of my head. And luckily, Caroline is great at that.

"Chinese food or pizza?" Caroline asks as we stand in the kitchen.

Elena chuckles, "Do you even have to ask?"

I laugh, "It's a fair question," I defend. "Sometimes, you are in the mood for pizza and other times it's Chinese," I shrug. "Sometimes you want cheese and bread, other times it's fried food and MSG."

"Well, tonight it's a pizza night," Elena says.

Caroline picks up her tablet, "I've got it." She stares at it without moving for a moment. I lean over to see what's wrong and Bonnie does the same. It's her background, the picture of her and Matt at the Founders' Parade.

"I'll do it," Bonnie says, plucking the tablet out of Caroline's hand, while I grab the empty hand and give her a small side hug.

There's a moment of silence, before Elena speaks up, "Do you think Jonas is being sincere?"

Bonnie answers while I hide my face and keep my thoughts away, "I don't know what to believe." Caroline nods to me before leaning on the counter. I turn to the fridge and ponder drinking one of Jenna's beers instead of pondering anything else. "I think he's at a loss. He's not sure who to trust."

"Join the club," I mumble from my spot by the fridge. Now, do we have enough butter for cookies?

Thank god for Caroline. "Well what are we going to do about this movie situation?" she asks. "What about The Notebook?"

I start to search for different ingredients for cookies, making sure I have enough for the different recipes in my head, while Elena places potato chips on the island, "Caroline, how many times have you seen that movie?"

Caroline defends, "That is so not the point."

Elena starts, "Well, yeah, I mean-" when Jenna walks into the kitchen. "Hey," Elena greets her. I pop up with a smile at her from my position in front of the lower cabinets.

"What's going on?" Jenna asks.

Elena sits on the island chair/stool and explains, "Girls' Night."

Jenna nods with an "Oh," and turns back to her purse.

"Are you okay?" I ask quietly from the counter.

Jenna looks up and sees my sad look and Elena's slightly pitying one. Her arms and shoulders drop, "You heard about my fight with Ric." Second-hand from Elena, but yes.

"He feels terrible," Elena defends the man.

"Is this some kind of disguised attempt to cheer me up?" Jenna asks.

All of us shake our heads. Elena explains, "No. No, this is about us girls hanging out."

I continue, "We ordered pizza and I'm making cookies."

Elena picks up from where she and I left off, "And, you know, we'll be here if you happen to want to talk."

Caroline speaks up, raising her hand, "Because I am a winner when it comes to successful relationships."

Jenna looks at her, sadly, for a moment before asking, "You too?"

Caroline sighs and shakes her head, "You have no idea."

Jenna groans, "Okay, then." And she goes to the fridge. "It's this whole Isobel thing. He's hiding something from me." She sighs and grabs a soda before leaning on the island on the side closest to the fridge.

"To play Devil's Advocate," Caroline says. "Maybe there's a great reason why he's not telling you. Maybe he is just trying to protect you." Wait, that's what Caroline is doing to Matt. They are in the same argument in opposite sides… This can't be good.

"Well, that's not his call to make," Jenna replies, "I mean, I deserve the truth. Everybody does."

"Sometimes it's harder than that," Caroline defends.

"I agree," I murmur. Jenna whips her head to me and so does everyone else. I focus on measuring ingredients instead of the stares.

"Not if it's somebody you care about, it isn't," Jenna says.

"The truth is often more complicated then that," I murmur again. I start mixing butter and sugar and ignore the looks. "It's not always about the other person in the relationship. It's often keeping something that you are barely able to admit yourself. It's something that hurts to say or may hurt the other person. It's trying to keep the one person who makes you happy still with you. When you know if you say something, these perfect moments with them might be ruined. And then, if they do leave you, if they hate you for what you kept from them, what do you do then? That person is who is keeping you going and to lose them hurts more than you thought possible. So you hide things, trying to keep them happy, but they know something is up and you still can't stop, because you just want every last second you can get with them."

Fuck, why did I spill all of that?

What is wrong with me?!

"Who are you talking about?" Elena asks after a quiet minute.

I pause. Not thinking about them, I'm not. All the faces still flash in my mind of who I could... "Jenna and Alaric" I answer. God, I'm a liar. I can tell that I'm getting some disbelieving looks so I rush to explain, "Alaric is hiding something about his wife. The person he loved, who he agreed to spend the rest of his life with. And she was suddenly gone one day, and his world is shifted. And he finally finds Jenna and he wants to commit, and then he finds out information about his wife. Something he doesn't want to know, something that hurts him to know. Something that shows that his whole life is again, shifted. And how does he balance that information and his new life when he's with someone who makes him happy. He's busy, he doesn't have the time to think through all the implications and yet, he still wants to spend time with Jenna. So, he hides. And then, in comes John, asshole extraordinaire, sensing the divide and finds some way to make himself feel better about his pathetic life, decides to wreck every single happy relationship he can. And Jenna, who knows John for the longest out of all of us, and probably understands his sleazy personality the best, fell for it hook, line, and sinker. How is Alaric supposed to explain any of that?" By the time I'm done, the dough is ready.

The kitchen is silent while I place the cookies on the tray. Jenna eventually asks, "How do you know all of this?"

I sigh and turn, "I watch, Jenna. I've seen a lot of your relationship. You love each other and you let John, of all people, get in the way of that" She turns away to stare at the island. I place the cookies in the oven before I continue, "Plus, I read. I understand people a lot more because of it."

There's a long silence as everyone digests my whole speech. God, I cannot believe myself sometimes. I always have to be right, even when it means spilling some secrets and when I should definitely keep my mouth shut. I kept things quiet for two years and now that everyone has secrets, I start spilling some of mine. God, I am so stupid, so pathetic.

Caroline is the one to change the subject, "You know what we need? Dancing. There is a band at the Grille."

"I'm in," Bonnie says.

"In," Elena agrees.

"Me too," I breath out, still hitting myself internally. "Just need a few minutes on the cookies." The three other teens look around and agree to wait. We chill quietly for a few moments.

"I'm in too," Jenna says. She smiles at us softly and I give a closed smile back. Fuck, I'm so sorry, Jenna. I'm the worst. I shouldn't have said all of that. I'm sorry.

She gets the first cookies when I give them out.

I'm the last one in the Grille when we go in, and I stick to Caroline's side inside. This really isn't my scene anymore. There's a lot of people in close quarters with loud music and sweaty bodies holding alcohol. It's a lot for me. So, I press against Caroline who accepts it without question. And I press against Elena when Caroline's dancing gets to be too much.

Jenna leaves us with a mutter of, "I need a drink." Our gazes follow her last position to see that Alaric is here too. God damn it, I shouldn't have said anything. My aunt is going to hate me because I picked Alaric's side. She's going to leave me too. She's leaving me now.

Elena senses my thoughts, because she pulls me into a tighter side hug, "You okay, Emmy?"

I sigh, "I shouldn't have said all that stuff. Jenna is mad at me. I wasn't on her side." God, can I not keep my mouth shut today.

Elena hugs me tighter, "It'll be fine, Lia. She needed the push. And she loves us. She will forgive us." I sigh.

At that moment, Matt walks by. Caroline greets him but he ignores her. Bonnie sums things up with the comment, "Things just got real awkward."

There a few moments of awkward conversation here as we convince Caroline to do something and at the bar, as Jenna and Alaric converse. I should focus on what's going on here. Jenna will be fine. She'll forgive me. She will. Focus, Emilia.

Bonnie says, "Look, he said the ball is in your court."

Caroline sighs, "Yeah, but I can't do anything about it?"

"Why not?" Bonnie asks. "All you do is talk about how much you care about him."

"Yeah, but I'm still keeping so many secrets," Caroline responds.

"Alaric is in the same boat with Jenna," Elena says. "And maybe that's the mistake. We're trying to protect the people we love by keeping them out of it, but in the end, we're hurting them anyways." Elena takes a breath. "It's like Emmy said earlier. Sometimes it hurts to tell people our secrets, it's hard, because you want to keep them close. But you have to trust that you and Matt love each other and are strong enough."

I take a deep breath before continuing the encouragement, "You went through something bad and came out stronger. And everything you do now is to help and protect your friends. Matt loved you when you were human, neurotic Caroline. Maybe the move is showing him that you love him and he can love you when you are also badass Caroline." I take a deep breath. "Admitting your secrets is hard. But if you love Matt enough to get over that, then I deserve to be wrong."

Caroline takes a moment and faces the band. She then starts taking her jacket off.

Elena asks, "What are you doing?" Caroline just hands Elena her jacket and walks through the screaming crowd. Bonnie, Elena, and I huddle, and Elena asks, "What is she doing?"

Caroline gets on the stage and grabs the microphone, "Hey, everybody." The three of us, four when Jenna joins, stare in shock. "Let's hear it for the band!" She leads a round of applause. "Weren't they awesome?"

Jenna mutters, "This isn't gonna end well," as she take a sip of her drink.

Up on the stage, Caroline says into the microphone, "So there's this guy. And, uh, he told me to tell him how I feel about him." She chuckles, "Like it's so easy. Um, you know, just cause I talk a lot doesn't mean that I know what I'm actually talking about. Ah, like now, I'm feeling loopy and I don't really know how to express myself." Oh my god, get to the point. I feel embarrassed for her. The lead singer of the band tries to take the mic when Caroline blurts out, "I can sing." All of us turn and glance at each other. Oh my god. "Yeah! Yeah. You know what, I'm going to sing."

The lead singer leans down to talk to her when she turns. I think she compels him because they stare for a moment and then she whispers in his ear. The lead turns around and whispers into the band before they start playing. Caroline starts singing "Eternal Flame" by the Bangles. She gets the place swaying after the first verse and a shocked comment from Jenna about how she's good. And she really is. I'm the first one screaming when she hits the best notes. I'm the one screaming the loudest when Matt jumps up on the stage and starts kissing her. Go, Caroline. That's my best friend.

Caroline and Matt disappear, and the band continues their set. The crowd chills out after a few more songs and Elena and I take the chance to go to the bathroom. Where we find Matt and Caroline making out. Whoops. We giggle to each other and turn back to the main room. We stop Bonnie from making the same mistake.

Elena says, "I wouldn't. Caroline and Matt are…"

"In the bathroom?!" Bonnie asks, scandalized.

"If they are happy, I'm happy," I reply.

We start walking back to our spot when Bonnie stops us, "Um, hey, speaking of happy, would it freak you guys out if I started dating your brother?"

We stop. Oh my god!

I turn to face Bonnie, "I knew something was going on!"

Elena is more subdued and surprised, "You're into our brother?"

"I know it's weird," Bonnie starts. "But he's been so good and strong. He makes me happy." Elena shakes her head in surprise. "I really can't tell what you are thinking right now." Frankly, me either. I think I'm happy for them?

Elena breathes out a laugh, "I'm thinking… that Jeremy has had more pain in his life than a hundred people's worth of pain, and"

I finish for her, "He deserves to be with someone as amazing as you."

"Really?" Bonnie asks.

Elena and I exchange glances and turn back to Bonnie, "Really," we reply. And then, there's smiles, laughs, and a group hug.

Elena's phone rings and she leaves the hug, "It's my phone." She picks up the call and says, "Hey, Stefan. I'm at the Grille…I can't hear you…Hold-" she holds up the 'one moment' finger and walks to a quieter spot. Bonnie smiles softly for a moment and we sit silently. I am about to ask her about the Jeremy thing, when we spot Dr. Martin in the crowd.

Bonnie and I go to greet him when I notice his face. He is distraught and searching for something. Or someone. I grab Bonnie's arm, and tell her, "You go talk to him, and I'll find Elena." We go our separate ways. I am almost to the bathroom hallway when the lights explode and people in the crowd scream. Another moment passes and the rest of the lights explode.

I need to find Elena now.

I get pulled into the bathroom and I am about to whip out a knife when I notice it's Stefan who is pulling me. Elena is with him and Caroline is at the sink. I must have just missed Matt exiting in the dark.

Elena gasps out, "We have a problem."

"What's going on?" Caroline asks.

"Jonas is here and he's after Elena," Stefan explains. Oh my god, what happened?

"Crap," I mutter.

"Oh my god," Caroline gasps out in surprise.

"We have a plan," Stefan says. "But I need to get Elena out of here."

"What can we do?" I ask, gesturing to myself and Caroline. And Stefan starts to explain the plan.

I'm on safety duty. If Jonas works more magic, I'm in charge of getting people out. He's on a rampage and I need to try to protect as many people and minimize as much damage as possible. Fuck, now things are on fire. I immediately make my way to the door and open them to scream, "Everybody out!" There's a rush of scrambling, stampeding people. I make my way through the crowd to pick up stragglers and people who got pushed and trampled in this initial rush. It's insanely chaotic with the screams and the smoke filling the room. People are rushing, pushing and stepping around broken glass and flames. I'm constantly yelling at people to get out and a few fire-safety tips that I gleamed from reading and that one episode of The Office. Jenna tries to drag me out, but I push her into Alaric's arms and yell at him to "Get her out of here! I'll be fine! You go!" I try to do the same to Matt, but he gets pushed away from me and by the time I swing by him again, he is picking up Bonnie from the floor. I help him by grabbing Bonnie's other side when I hear Elena shout.

"Dr. Martin, I'm so sorry about Luka," she tells him. "I never wanted that to happen, but…at least let us help you get your daughter back."

"Only Elijah can do that," Dr. Martin replies.

"You don't need Elijah," Elena says. Dr. Martin turns and now the flames are higher. Matt gets me and Bonnie to the doors when Caroline's scream distracts him. The doors close behind him and in front of me, so I can't follow him immediately. Bonnie starts to drop when I let her go for a second, so I have to watch helplessly as Matt pushes Dr. Martin into the wall and Dr. Martin stabs him with a broken beer bottle in the neck. Caroline and I both scream Matt's name as he is pushed to the floor. Dr. Martin leaves out the back while Caroline moves to Matt's body. I see her bite her wrist and I have to leave Matt in her hands, while I get a now more stable Bonnie back to my house.

I leave her with Jeremy as I head upstairs. I'm shaking a bit from the night. I'm trying to calm the rush of adrenaline and tears of panic when I hear footsteps coming up the stairs. They go into the bathroom and turn on the faucet. I try as hard as I can to wipe away the tears and tremors, but it takes a second and that's when I hear the sounds coming from the bathroom. I have just enough time to grab a knife and pull open the door when I see Elena bite Dr. Martin's neck. Oh, Katherine. Dr. Martin's body drops to the floor and Katherine leans back in time for Bonnie and Stefan to rush in.

Katherine pushes a piece of hair off her face and says, "You're welcome."

Bonnie squats down on one side of Dr. Martin and I follow to check his other side. Bonnie says, "You didn't have to kill him."

"Yes, we did," Katherine replies.

Bonnie and I both sigh quietly at the loss of the man. I am grabbing his arm and checking his wrist when Bonnie leans over to close his eyes. I realize he still has a pulse the moment he sits up and grabs Bonnie. He starts chanting and she's screaming, and I react.

I stab him.

His breath goes out of him in a gasp and I mouth apologies as I pull out the knife. He grabs me lightly, still mouthing words. But I can't…I can't make them out. I can only watch as his eyes go glassy and his hand which was on my arm goes limp as his whole body falls backwards. I check his pulse and this time, it's for real. He's gone. If Luka is dead, this means the end of the Martin's. I sit back and I drop the bloody knife on the ground as I take a deep breath.

"You okay?" Stefan asks. "Both of you?" looking between me and Bonnie.

"Yeah," I say with a sigh. I turn to Bonnie who is taking deep breaths and she nods. I sigh and look down at the blood. "Just… get him out of here." I can't see this anymore.

Stefan nods as he, and surprisingly Katherine, work together to move his body. Bonnie heads downstairs to calm down more with Jeremy and I pull out some trusty cleaning supplies.

I can do this; I have plenty of times before.

I make it downstairs after the Salvatore's and Katherine are gone. I actually make it down the stairs right as Jenna walks in and I figure the other people left due to that.

Elena is in the entrance way and greets Jenna first, "You made it home."

"Tonight was very weird," is what Jenna replies. I take a step back on the stairs as Jenna walks by. She's angry with me. I knew it. I shouldn't have come down. I shouldn't have opened my stupid mouth.

"Tell me about it," Elena murmurs.

I sigh from my spot on the stairs and Elena turns to look at me. We exchange glances and I shrug sadly, looking away. She sighs and nods her head to the kitchen. I nod at her and she walks off. I take a few deep breaths before I follow.

I stay behind in the kitchen archway while Elena joins Jenna at the kitchen island. Jenna asks her through a mouthful of ice cream, "Are John and Jeremy asleep?"

"I think so," Elena replies.

Jenna sighs, "If I go to bed right now, there's a chance I'll wake up hangover free." Elena takes the spoon and is about to take a scoop of ice cream when the doorbell rings.

We all turn to face the door and Jenna is the one to ask the question, "Who is that?" Elena and I shrug, and Jenna gets up. I let her pass me and I stand still against the wall. Don't make a move. Don't make a sound. Don't make her react to your presence. Jenna gives me a pat as she passes me and I relax slightly against the wall. Slightly. She could still be mad. Right now though, she is focused on opening the door. Elena joins me and we walk closer right as Jenna opens the door fully.

"Hi, you must be Jenna," a woman says. Elena and I stop and recognize her right as she says, "I'm… the twins' mother."

Jenna turns to us in disbelief and I want to curl up and die. Jenna, no.

Elena is the one to gasp out the name of the woman, "Isobel."

I shouldn't have come down.

"Hello Elena," Isobel says. "It's nice to see you again." She glances my way and simply greets me with a nod, "Emilia." Wow, she just has to ruin everything. Elena walks up to the door, next to Jenna.

But our aunt is only focused on one word, "Again?" she asks my sister. Elena looks back at her shocked and apologetic. To be fair, I didn't expect this to happen either.

"So you are the woman whose dating my husband?" Isobel asks. I don't think I have ever hated someone more. Her timing is perfect and horrible. And she is capitalizing on an already shaky relationship and rubbing her stupid smug face in our business. Why, why did she have to ruin things? Whoever fucking called her is going to have to deal with an enraged me. "I need to speak with Elena. May I come in?"

"No," I speak up. Everyone turns to me. I stand up taller. I have to protect my family from this threat. I walk to the doorway, pushing myself past my sister and aunt to hold the door and block Isobel from even looking at them. "No! You don't get to come in here. You don't even get to speak. I don't care what I have to do, but I will do everything in my power to make sure that you and whatever evil crap you bring with you stays away from my family. You don't get to waltz in here like you are all innocent and perfect. You know exactly what you are doing and why it's pissing me off." I lean closer to her and whisper threateningly, "And I'm sure you remember what happens when you piss me off." I lean back to be inside the house. "Now, leave. And never come back to darken our doorstep again." I stare her down as she takes a step back.

"I need to speak with Elena. I have information she needs," Isobel defends herself.

"I don't care what you think you have. Whatever it is, it's worthless coming from you," I reply venomously.

"Are you willing to risk Elena's life on that?"

"I'm willing to do anything to protect her. And part of that is keeping her from you. So leave. I'm not going to ask again." Isobel finally walks backwards slowly and as she turns to go down the porch, I tell her one last thing, "And tell whoever called you, that when I find them, we will be having words." She pauses before she flashes off. I turn and push the door closed. More forcefully than I intended. But as I see the situation brewing behind me, I wish I slammed it harder.

Jenna is crying and whispers, "You knew she was still alive?"

Elena stands there guilty and shocked, unable to come up with a valid explanation.

I try to defend, "She was supposed to be dead. She came to us as our birth mom."

Jenna is undeterred, "Rick? John? Did they know?"

"I can explain everything, Jenna," Elena starts.

Jenna pushes us away with a "No," and she runs upstairs. No! Elena and I immediately start pleading with her apologies and asking her to wait. But she slams her door closed in our faces and locks it. I frustratingly pull the locked knob just in case, my anger, guilt, and hurt manifesting in trying to force this lock open.

"Jenna, you have to talk to us," Elena pleads through the door, her voice choked up with the tears streaming down our faces. I…We can't lose her too. Not like this.

"We need to explain," I try to say through my tears. I can't. She needs to listen to us. I can't lose her. She's all we have left.

I can hear Jenna crying through the door but eventually all goes silent. I've curled up in front of the door at some point and Elena is next to me, against the wall. Our knocks have subsided, but our determination keeps us here.

Elena is the one to drag me to bed. I fight for a bit, steadfast in my need to explain. It's all I can focus on. If I explain, everything will be fine. Everything will go back to normal when I explain. She just needs to talk to me and then we can be happy again. A good explanation will work this time. I can't lose people again. I need to explain. If I explain, everything will be fine… My brain keeps looping this for the entire time I sit in front of the door. Elena pushes me to the bathroom and into comfier clothes and tries to get me to bed. I get tired of fighting, so I let her for a moment. Waiting in bed for only 30 minutes before I realize that sleep is never going to come for me, so I grab my laptop (deciding on that only after I tried to pick up my sketchbook and my hands shake too much to be any use) and go back to sitting in front of Jenna's door.

I need proof. I'll explain everything. Vampires and the whole lot. I'll tell her what Isobel did. But she won't believe me if I don't have proof. I need to explain. If I explain, everything will be…

Alaric knocks on our front door in the morning, "Hey, is she up yet?"

I can hear Elena explain from downstairs, "She won't come out of her room. Emilia has been up there all night." I really only left when Elena forced me to take a shower and get dressed. She watched the door for me. But as soon as I was in clothes that were socially acceptable to wear outside, I was back in front of the door. Gilbert Stubbornness at its finest.

"What'd you tell her?" Alaric asks.

"Nothing. Emilia tried to give an explanation but Jenna wouldn't talk to us," Elena responds.

"We're gonna have to fix this, Elena," Alaric says.

"Yeah," Elena sighs in agreement.

And that's when Jenna pops out of her room. Bag in hand. It takes me a moment too long to process and Jenna is already down the stairs. She's leaving me. No, no, no, NO!

Elena and Alaric both greet her while she walks down the stairs, but Jenna is resolute, "I don't want you here, Rick. You need to go."

I watch as I walk down the stairs as Jenna drops her bag by the door while Alaric begins to try to mitigate her feelings, "Ok, listen. I can't begin to imagine what you must be feeling right now."

Jenna stands up after grabbing her keys, "Rage and betrayal would pretty much cover it." She grabs her jacket off the hook.

"Where are you going?" Elena asks.

"I'm gonna stay on campus," she answers as she puts on her jacket. "I have a thesis to write, and I don't want to be in this house." She doesn't want to be with us. She doesn't want me. She hates me. She can't hate me. I can't lose her.

"Jenna, please just stop," Alaric says. "Please just let us explain to you exactly what is going on."

Jenna turns to me, "Emilia, I need you to go to the Lockwood's today and accept the Historical Society's check for your mom's foundation."

"Ok, but Jenna, please-" I start.

"I don't have it in me to hear any more lies from you," Jenna says. She pauses, staring the two in front of her down. They stand still. No attempts to do anything to assure her they weren't just going to lie to her again. I stare at them, begging for them to acknowledge someone or something: that they had a plan, that they recognize her feelings and aren't going to do it again, that they are going to be honest, that they aren't just going to let her leave. But nothing.

As soon as she turns to close the door, I'm running after her, slipping in right before the door shuts all the way. "Jenna!" I call after her, but she continues to her car. I run to her door right as she closes it as starts the car. I bang on the windows until she glances at me, sobbing for her not to go, "Please! Jenna, you can't leave. You can't leave me. You can't hate me. I can't lose someone else! I'm sorry!"

She rolls down her window and I continue desperately sobbing out apologies at her sullen teary face. She sighs and says, "I'm not leaving you Emilia, I just need some space."

"I can't let you leave with you hating me," I reply. "Not over her."

"Then why did you keep it from me?" Jenna asks, teary and choked up.

"Because she hurt me!" I sob. "She didn't want me!" I take a shaky breath before I lower my volume to explain, "She only wanted to meet Elena. She couldn't care less that I was there. I was an afterthought, left behind. She didn't want to learn about who we grew into after she left; she just wanted to get something from Elena." I shakily take a breath and rub the tears off my face. "I lost my parents and then my memory of them is marred by the fact that they weren't the ones who birthed me. It was someone else. I tried to keep everything as it was, but I was stupid and sad, and I wanted someone who felt something was missing with them too. And there was a stupid hope inside of me that maybe, Isobel would feel that too. And then she came and destroyed that piece of me. Ripping it out and burning it up as I watched her barely acknowledge my presence as if I were nothing more than something added to Elena... She didn't want me and that hurt more than I ever could've imagined. So, how could I tell you that I wasn't worth it in her eyes. That I was nothing… What if you thought the same?"

"Oh, Emilia, no. I would never think that," Jenna says.

"Then why are you still leaving?! You are leaving me just like she did!"

"I can't stay here, Emmy! I can't stand here and keep being lied to. I need some space. I need them to know that I'm hurt and angry that things were kept from me."

"It's like I said yesterday! It hurts to tell you and I didn't want to lose you."

Jenna shakes her head, "You aren't losing me, Emmy. Not completely. I will still be here for you. To love you as best as I can. But to do that, I need some time for myself. Away from all of this. I need to find me before I can be there for you."

I nod slightly as I step back. With the little space I give her, she drives away. I rub my tears away and try to calm down as I walk back into the house. My sobs have stopped, but my tears have only slowed by the time I open the door.

My tears stop completely as I hear John say, "It's better that she's not here what with everything that's going on. But, if you had been honest with her from the beginning, then-" Alaric stops him with a fist to the nose.

John stands back up slowly, blood dripping from his nose.

Alaric turns to Elena and whispers, "Sorry," before he passes by me and goes out the door.

"You did this," I realize. I stare him down threateningly. He takes a step back and I am about to launch at him when Elena grabs my arm and pushes me upstairs. I follow her cue for once and ignore my urge to rip him apart. Threats are no longer effective; I need real action against him.

An hour later, and Elena is inviting me downstairs due to a plead from John. I close my laptop, running the words through my head before I follow her downstairs.

We turn to find Isobel standing in the kitchen archway. "I asked John for a do-over," she says.

I turn to John, "You invited her in," I grit out through my teeth.

"She has information about Klaus," he says.

I laugh bitterly. "I don't care if she has a way for world peace, I should kill both of you for being here. You dare invite this woman in here after her presence lost us our final relative."

"I'm your father," John tries to correct.

"You are nothing to me. You are not fit enough to be called a man, let alone the title father."

"Just listen to her," John starts.

"No!" I say forcefully. "I don't trust either of you. Now, both of you need to leave before I get really angry."

"We are not leaving-" John starts but I am pushing him against a wall, knife to the throat before he can finish whatever explanation he can come up with.

"I share the blood of a doppelganger," Technically. "a magical being. How much magic do you think I need to have for that ring to protect you from me? From dying at my hand? Do you want to find out? Because I have no longer have qualms about killing you."

Stefan's hand is on my shoulder and he tries to placate me, "Let's hear them out first."

"Nothing they offer is going to be worth losing my aunt. And everything they offer is going to come with poisoned strings," I bite back at him, my knife cutting into John's throat. I turn to my victim, "But threats aren't enough for you." Before anyone can react, I flip my grip, slice my left hand and place the bloody wound on John's shriveled heart and the bloody knife on his head, whispering words given to me a few minutes ago. I wasn't supposed to be the one doing this, but here's hoping doppelgangers are more magic than I thought.

I get through the chant two-and-a-half times before Stefan rips me off of John, pushing me to Elena who holds me back from continuing, while Stefan checks over the damage on John. I chuckle in my head. Nothing would be visible, even it did work.

John pleads to my sister and her boyfriend one more time, "Just listen to her, okay?"

Stefan sighs, looks to me, before taking a long deep breath out and turning to Isobel, "Alright, what do you know?"

We settle down in the kitchen. Elena tries to calm me down with soothing words, the practicality of the situation, and tea. But I'm still ramped up enough to go off at a moment's notice. No way in hell am I letting my guard down with these two. My biological parents, how far we have fallen.

Speaking of, Isobel starts her explanation from her seat at the kitchen table, "Since I was last here, I've been doing everything possible to find Klaus." Elena and I both roll our eyes. Me from my spot in the archway, hers from the middle of her pacing. "We knew our best chance was to find him before he could find you."

"Best chance at what?" Stefan asks from his spot leaning against the counter. He situated himself next to me in case I go off again. Good luck, Stefan.

"Keeping Elena alive," John says.

Elena interrupts before I can, saying, "You don't get to talk. Not after everything you've done." With a glance to me, she finishes, "Not unless you want to feel Emilia's rage again."

Stefan glances at me, flipping my bloodied knife in my hands, before he changes the topic, asking Isobel, "Were you able to find Klaus?"

"No," Isobel answers. I huff out a laugh. Of course not. "Nobody knows where he is. But there are these rumors flying around that a doppelganger exists."

"Which means that any vampire that wants to get in favor with Klaus will be lining up to capture you," John says. In efforts to avoid my rage at the man speaking, I try to focus on his words. Which, of course, brings up memories of the last time someone tried to use us to gain favor with Klaus. Elijah's not coming to help us this time.

I sigh, shake my head and focus back on the conversation in time to hear Elena say, "I'm not buying any of this." Which is fair. "The last time you were here, you made it very clear that you didn't give a damn about me, or my sister. Now, all of a sudden, we are supposed to believe that you want to help?"

"Isobel's been helping all along," John says.

"Bullshit!" I call out. Elena turns to me and we exchange simultaneous eye rolls. She probably would have said the same as I did. Go twin.

John explains, "Klaus has been obsessed with finding Katherine for centuries. All it would take was any one of those 1864 tomb vampires to spread the word around that Katherine was still alive, and it would bring him straight to Mystic Falls, where you were bound to be discovered, so we killed them."

"And almost killed Stefan and Damon in the process," Elena explains.

"Plus," I speak up. "Katherine wasn't so silent in her years after her supposed death, based on the fact that she met this one," pointing to Isobel, "years ago. And, you killed the Mayor, a potential werewolf, which brought more turned ones here, bringing even more attention to this town than Katherine or her search for the moonstone did, so really…you fucked up your plan and fucked all of us over even more than we thought."

Isobel breaks the stare down I have with my former relative, standing up and saying, "I have a safe house that I can take you to. The deed is in your name. No vampires can get in without your permission, not even me." She pauses before finishing with, "Let me help you."

"You wanna help?" Elena asks. "Then get the hell out of my house."

"I'll escort you out," I chime in.

With the bio-parents from hell gone, I head back to my room to get ready for the luncheon. In reality, I'm trying to decompress any way I can. Going from Jenna to John to Isobel has me reaching for my knives. Luckily, wood shavings are easier to clean than other things.

Cut to a few hours later and I am dressed in a short burgundy dress, satin with a pleated A-line skirt with ruffles on the end and a scoop neckline. Elena is next to me wearing a royal blue wrap dress with a classy V-Neckline and long sleeves.

Caroline walks over to us quickly and I ask, "Hey, any luck finding Matt?" desperate for any news. She was here searching for him, because he disappeared last night after she tried to explain the events of yesterday (with the healing him with blood thing) and he freaked out. Before all of this craziness, I was looking forward to hanging out with him, when this event was just another Historical Society luncheon for me and a catering shift for him. I was especially looking forward to it after last night, and this morning. I could use his brand of sensibility and mundaneness after the days we've had. But Murphy's Law continues to win out. Everything continues to go wrong in the life of Emilia Gilbert.

"None," Caroline answers. "What if he tells somebody?" Crap, I didn't even think about that. God, I'm all over the place and it's screwing with me even more. "What is he tells everybody?"

"That's not going to happen," I tell her, trying to reassure both her and me.

"We just gotta find him and make sure that doesn't happen," Stefan explains. My brain is jumping to a hundred different conclusions and none of them are great. Stefan turns to Elena and I, "Do you have any idea where he would be?"

I shake my head and fold my arms. I can't think, let alone answer. My head is swirling, and Elena has to answer for me.

"I wish I did, but he wasn't really one to run," she says. Good answer.

"You know, this wasn't how this was supposed to happen," Caroline says. "You know, I was supposed to tell him at the right moment and in the right way, and he was supposed to be okay with it because he loves me." A lot of people are supposed to be okay with a lot of things because they love you.

"We'll help you find him," Elena reiterates.

"I have to accept this thing for Jenna," I interrupt. "She gave me this job; I can't just leave. I can't let her down again." I cross my arms closer and tighter around my chest. I feel like I can't breathe after saying that.

Elena looks at me and I drop my head to the ground. I can't look her in the eye and see pity. I can't look her in the eye at all. She turns back to Caroline, "Both of us are going to accept this award/donation. And then we can help you look." There are sometimes when I really love my sister. The pressure in my chest lessens a bit when she says that.

Caroline sighs, "All right. Just call me when you're done, and I'll be out looking for him." And the pressure and guilt is back.

Caroline leaves and I go to follow her when Mrs. Lockwood spots me and drags me into some conversation. God, I can't focus on her right now. As I'm being dragged off, I see Stefan comforting an anxious looking Elena. Whatever he says works because she leans against his head with a small smile. I could kill for the same kind of reassurance now.

But that's not in the cards for me. I try to withhold a flinch as memories fly through my head. Carol obviously sees something because she turns to me in alarm. Luckily, I'm well versed in hiding behind a polite smile.

But stupidly, I think of the last event I was hiding behind a polite smile.

No literary escape this time.

Like I said, Murphy's Law always wins.

Fortunately, there's only a few minutes of inane conversation and polite smiles before Carol has everyone sit down and she starts her speech. The whole thing goes over my head as I stand next to Elena in the back corner. My brain is swimming today with half-baked plans for Matt and Jenna and things I need to research for them and for Klaus. Not for Klaus, but to protect against Klaus. And the other Originals, if they are coming too. Well, not all of them are coming. God, what is wrong with me. No, focus. I need to fix things. I need to research. I need…to keep moving.

Elena is the one to nudge me back to reality, just in time to hear Carol say, "And here to accept the donation to the Miranda Sommers Gilbert Scholarship Fund is Elena and Emilia Gilbert."

Crap. Time to go.

Elena leads us to the front of the room, the 'stage' if you will. I have to grip the folds of my skirt to keep from crossing my arms again. The light applause is just loud enough to cover over my pounding heart. This is such a bad day for me to deal with the Historical Society. Elena has to step into my usual role of protector for once, and doesn't that just sting, as she gracefully accepts the envelope. She nods and hands the check to me while she starts a speech. As much as I hate the fact that she is taking my spot (my role, doing the things I should be doing, especially because the Historical Society is mine), Elena is the better speech-giver. She's more eloquent when it comes to spontaneous talks and right now, I'm focused more on the fact that I hate how Elena is talking to the Historical Society than on speaking to them myself. Or more focused on how she is doing my job than me actually doing it. I hate myself.

Elena starts, "The Historical Society was my mom's baby. She considered all of you family. And she would be honored and touched by this gift-"

And she's interrupted by the sound of clatter and thuds. I recognize that sound. It's the sound of a body falling down the stairs. Stefan is out of the room and moving to whoever fell by the time most guests are gasping and standing out of their chairs. Carol in moving through the crowd and I'm grabbing Elena's arm, trying to keep her from following.

Something's not right. Everyone was in the room, who could have fallen down the stairs.

Based on the sound pattern, they were unconscious. And that means head injury and blood. Very dramatic. Gains lots of attention.

A lot of things can happen when you get other people's attention.

My theories are all confirmed when as Elena pushes my grasping hand away and steps towards the action, someone steps in front of her. Katherine.

"Nice dress," she says. Elena is about to gasp out when Katherine slams her hand over my sister's mouth. "Can I borrow it?"

I take a deep breath in about to scream as loud as possible, when instead I breathe in some herb/chemical combo that burns my lungs and instantly turns the world unstable. Katherine must have sprayed something before she flashed away with Elena. I'm shaky and dizzy, but I'm trying to get to the crowd. Safety in numbers, I can't be left here.

I trip and stumble over a chair or a table, I can't tell. What is that brown blur?

Colors are melting and everything is spinning...

My lungs are on fire…

but they can't be, there's no smoke…

Oh, sorry I bumped into you… Mr. Turtle?…

I have to… Elena…

I don't hit the ground as I fall unconscious and I'm whisked away.

I wake up in a moving car.

Not again.

I can't.

This isn't supposed to happen again.

Ow, my head.

And my lungs.

Chloroform.

It's been a while since I've been dosed with chloroform.

And something else.

Some herb.

Fuck.

It was magic chloroform.

No wonder my head hurts so much.

Wait, Elena.

I reach my hand out slowly. I feel a rustle of…fabric, it's weirdly rough but fuzzy, and a little further…hair? Is it mine? No, I had my hair up. Didn't I?

Yeah, I can remember throwing it in a bun... And I feel one of the pins digging into my scalp now.

So, the hair is Elena's. She had it down.

She's here. We're together. Good.

What am I laying on?

Is this? What is this metal thing?

Am I in the trunk?

I open my eyes just a peak, and once my vision clears, I see the divide of a seat and the trunk. And Elena in the seat next to me. But we're perpendicular? She's laying sideways in the seat, while I'm laying forwards. How?

Ugh, my head hurts.

Wait, am I? Are we?

We're in an SUV with folding seats and I'm laying on that folded seat, half in the trunk while Elena is in the back seat.

And Isobel is driving.

I hate her.

Her phone rings and Elena stirs slightly. I reach my hand out slightly to touch the back of her head, hoping to keep her still.

Isobel answers the phone, "Are we good to go?" Who did she team up with this time?

There's a pause as the other person speaks. It's not loud enough for me to make out who it is, but I think it's a … woman? I tense slightly as I realize. Fuck, it's Katherine.

"We'll be long gone before that," Isobel says. Where are we going?

Another pause. "I'm sorry, Katherine." Hah, she was with Katherine, emphasis on was. Double-crosser gets double-crossed. "I had to do what I was told." Oh no. She was compelled. She found Klaus. And Elena is starting to really stir. She looks up and towards me, still unfocused. I try to motion to her to keep quiet, but she doesn't see. "He wanted the moonstone and he wanted you." I hate that I'm right in this situation.

The drive passes quietly, even when Isobel notices we are awake.

At one point we stop for gas and Isobel slides into the passenger seat while some lackey, I'm not sure whose, drives us the rest of the way. Elena and I hold each other's hand the whole quiet drive.

Eventually we are let out when we reach our destination, 'Grove Hill Cemetery'. Isobel steps out first saying, "Just because you can't be compelled, doesn't mean I can't force you to come with me."

Elena and I both sigh as we slide out the driver's side of the SUV. I roll my eyes at her threat. Whoever put me in the car did not pat me down. I still have a few weapons on me. It might be this lackey, who opened the door for us. And then takes the SUV and drives away.

Isobel stops in front of a grave and Elena takes the moment to ask, "Is that what happened? You were compelled to betray Katherine?" I'm gonna go with yes, that is exactly what happened.

"If it was, I couldn't tell you," Isobel answers as she starts to walk further in the graveyard. And the lackey drives away.

"That means yes. Klaus is nothing if not thorough," I mutter as I follow behind vampire mom.

"So you lied," Elena points out. Oh, I should've killed her when I had the chance. "You did find Klaus, didn't you?" Elena stops and we both realize what this means. "He knows where I am now."

Isobel keeps walking silently.

"Are you taking us to him?" I ask. I tense as I prepare. I grab my knife from where it's strapped to my leg.

Isobel keeps walking until we stop in front of a grave. She kneels down and pauses.

"What is this?" Elena asks.

Isobel brushes away the leaves and we can finally read the epitaph.

'In Loving Memory

ISOBEL FLEMMING

Jan 18th, 1976 – May 4th, 2007'

And she steps back, "My parents." She sighs and turns to us, "Your grandparents, they put it here when it became clear that the police weren't going to find my body. They visit every week, and they bring flowers. Even though no one's buried here." Wow, I've never thought that Isobel had parents really. Let alone that they were normal decent people. Damn, we could've had grandparents. We haven't really had any before. The only one we had, Grandma Beth, died when Elena and I were 4 years old. We could've had more family.

Isobel continues, staring at the tombstone, "The Isobel they knew is dead." She turns to us, and I grab Elena's hand, pushing her slightly behind me. "So maybe there's a part of me that's buried here, the- the human part. The part I abandoned when I- when I chose to become a vampire." She pauses and shifts, emotion leaking into her tone for the first time I've ever heard from her, "the part that used to dream of the day that she'd know her daughters." My whole body goes still. "Both of them."

Elena grasps my frozen arm, "What?" she asks quietly. Neither of us can believe that Isobel is saying this. Being almost emotional. Operating with her humanity switch on.

"And instead, you got to meet the other part," Isobel says. "The part that would betray her own flesh and blood." Is she talking about Katherine or us? Cause Katherine is a distant relative, and we are her daughters. Very different situation.

Isobel's cell phone rings, which gives Elena and I the chance to glance at each other and take a moment to process this. She answers and I feel Elena drop her grip on my arm and take a step away. I'm still reeling from Isobel's words and all that we could've had with her if she made a few different choices. We could've had grandparents; we could've been friendly and close. We wouldn't have lost Jenna now or John much earlier. We would've had family and been loved. But all of that was lost because she decided that living the supernatural was better than just learning about it.

I'm shaken out of my thoughts when I hear Isobel ask, "Let them go?" in a dreamy, surprised voice.

Elena turns back to face us, and we exchange looks.

Isobel, still on the phone, smiles as she says, "I'm done?" in the same dreamy tone. This time happier, relieved. She actually sighs in relief. The call ends and she drops the phone.

"Who was that?" Elena asks, again placed slightly behind me. I have an all too terrible idea of who it was.

"I'm so sorry, Elena and Emilia," Isobel says.

Elena grabs my hand and I blink away the sudden tears in my eyes. I didn't know I needed to hear that from her.

"That I was such a disappointment to you," Isobel finishes. She actually seems earnest and it's hitting harder than anything else with her.

She looks me in the eyes as she reaches for her necklace, "I'm sorry, Emilia. I could've been a good mother to you." She looks at Elena, "to both of you."

And she rips off her necklace. Her lapis lazuli necklace.

It's her daylight necklace.

She lifts her arms and screams, burning.

Elena and I gasp in shock and can only watch as our biological mother burns to death on her gravesite in front of us.

We just got to meet her for the first time.

We get a ride back to the Lockwood mansion from the lackey. The ride passes as quietly as the one there. Elena and I stare out opposite windows in the backseat, our hands holding each other's like a lifeline outside of our tumultuous minds.

Once we are back in my car, Elena and I finally let the tears roll as she reveals that she grabbed Isobel's necklace.

After a few moments of silent grieving, I drop her off at the Boarding House where she is greeted by Stefan with a giant hug. I watch them as they walk inside, clutched together. I am about to drive off when I am startled by a knock on the window. I am about to raise my knife when I see it's Damon, leaning on the driver's side, holding up a glass of something alcoholic.

I roll my eyes, and my window.

Damon sighs and leans down closer to the window, "I heard you had a bit of a rough day."

"What gave you that idea?" I ask, facing my steering wheel.

Damon shrugs casually, "I don't know, maybe your twin clutching my baby bro like a lifeline, the fact that you got kidnapped by your vampire bio mom, who then had a moment of heart before she killed herself in front of you, or it could be the fact that you've been sitting in my driveway for 10 minutes?"

I give a watery, sarcastic chuckle, "Could be any of those."

Damon taps the side of the car, "C'mon in. I've got better things to do than comfort you, Buffy."

I chuckle lowly at the old nickname, the one he gave me the first time I faced Isobel. "You sure I'm welcome inside. We're not exactly friends, Demon."

Damon, laughs at my nickname for him, "Well, I've, we've, got planning to do, and I know how much you love that."

I groan and sit back in my seat.

"Or drinks, if that makes you feel any better," he says, flipping around to put his hands on the lowered window and his face right next to mine. His eyes are surprisingly earnest, and he actually is being nice, so I roll my eyes and rise the window. He has to slip his hands out before I crush them, but he ignores that because I unlock my doors. Smiling in victory, he pulls the door open for me and I step out.

We walk into the house side-by-side, and he picks up a stack of paperwork he left on the entryway table.

"What's that?" I ask.

"You'll find out in a minute," Damon says.

We enter the den, just in time to hear Elena realize, "He knows I'm not going to run."

Damon then strolls into the conversation, "which is why we need to take some precautions, cause we got played. All of us." He sets the paperwork on Elena's lap and taps it before stepping back.

Elena asks, "What is this?" I slide up next to her and peek over the side of the chair she's sitting in to look at the paperwork.

Stefan answers, "It's the deed to our house. It's in Zach's name. As soon as you sign it, it'll be in your name."

"You're giving me your house?" Elena asks.

"Well both of you, actually," Damon says. My head whips up in surprise. "Double protection, just in case…Isobel had the right idea with the safe house."

"You'll just have to stay here until it's over," Stefan adds. "That way, you can control who gets invited and who doesn't."

"Although, I'll be super pissed if you lock me out," Damon comments. I look up at him, smirking. "That was not an idea, Emilia."

I just keep smirking, oh this will be good.

And that thought ends when John sits up gasping. I had no idea he was there. Damon flashes over and pins him to the wall.

"I swear, I had no idea what she was going to do," John pleads. "I'm sorry." He turns to face us, "I'm so so sorry."

Elena speaks up, "Damon, let him go." I turn to her in shock. As does everyone else. "He and I need to talk."

John sits on the couch in front of ours. Just us two and him in the room, but Damon and Stefan are on hand, prepared both to attack John, or in case I do. Elena may be more forgiving, but he did this. He brought Isobel back. He let her, a liability, into our lives. He told her everything and now Klaus is on his way.

But still, he is alive to defend himself, "I always knew that she and Katherine were close, but I never realized that Isobel and her were working against me. Two of the world's most uncaring and selfish vampires, and yet they were genuinely friends."

I am about to speak up, when Elena uncrosses her arms for a second, and places her right hand on my left leg to stop me. She speaks up instead, much more calmly than I would, "If that's what you thought of her, why did you ever put your trust in her at all?" Oh good point. I was going to say something along the lines of 'Why should we keep you alive?' but that is a good question.

"Because I was there when she gave birth to you." That's new information. "I saw how heartbroken she was to give you both up." Elena tenses a bit and takes a deep breath. It hurts to be reminded that she once loved us, especially when she just died after just giving us the smallest peek at who she could've been. John continues, "And because she was the first girl I ever loved, and when she said she'd help keep you safe…I believed her."

I scoff at that, quieter than I would like, but still out loud.

John sighs and pauses. "At this point, I will do whatever you want me to." Something about this still feels insincere to me. I can't believe that he would do anything genuine. Not for us. He doesn't do anything for anyone other than himself. Not unless he were under a spell, and mine didn't work like that. "If you feel safer with me not around, then I'll go."

I roll my eyes and Elena sighs. If he has to remain living, which I'm not fully for, then I want him away from me.

John sighs, nods, and gets up to leave.

Elena crosses her arms, "You screw up everything, John." Oh, get him, Elena. Rip him to shreds. "Everything you touch falls apart." Nice one.

John turns and sighs, because her words are true. He can't deny that.

"But you are the only parent we have left." Wait, what?! "So maybe I can learn not to hate you," she finishes.

John nods, "Ok" and he looks to me. As if to ask for me to apologize. Or to accept him or agree with Elena. Either way, his smile is just too smug for someone who should be begging for his life.

"No," I murmur. I repeat myself louder at Elena's head turn. "He's not my parent. My last parent was Jenna, and he pushed her to leave us. I refuse for him to get away with that. If he is going to remain alive, he's going to do it far away from me, because I will never stop hating him. He should count himself lucky that I'm letting him live after all he's done." And I get up and storm off.

If Elena wants to keep him alive, she can deal with him.

I walk to the living room, where Damon and Stefan are. Stefan is handing Damon a drink. Perfect.

As I walk up, I hear Damon say, "That makes Bonnie our secret weapon."

Oh fuck no.

I'm not leaving the planning, now holding both my sister's and Bonnie's lives, in their hands.

I immediately snatch Damon's drink out of his hand.

I throw it back, ignoring the burn of Damon's ridiculously expensive bourbon, and place the empty glass back in his hand.

"Alright boys, Klaus is on his way, let's get to planning."

A/N: So this marks the last chapter of the most recent edits. Thank you for sticking with me this far, especially if you have been with me through the past 2 years, before that rewrite, or just recently joined. I appreciate all of you.

I promise I am working on this story and I plan to have this finished (hopefully) before we get to the 10-year anniversary of first posting this. We'll see though.