Chapter 2

It felt a little bit like coming up out of the water after a dive into the deep end. It wasn't so much like just waking up to an alarm, she felt she had to struggle and push her way up to the surface of consciousness. She felt relief at waking up then immediately regret as if felt like someone took a sledge hammer to her head. She had started to sit up when she hit consciousness but at the pain she let out an involuntarily moan and sank back onto the couch covering her face with her hands. What the hell had happened?

"I hear those things give you an awful hangover." A male voice said from across the room. She didn't recognize it but she didn't feel alarm. There was no malice in the voice.

Reminding herself to breathe she spread her fingers and slowly opened one eye to see who was speaking. What struck her first was her setting. It was rich and dark, a library or sitting room; a place she had never been in before. There was a monstrous fireplace with a roaring fire that kept the room rather toasty. Her eye finally rested on the man sitting in a chair across the way from her; a book open in his lap and a glass of red wine in his hand. He was watching her intently, his gray eyes piercing even from across the room in the dim light.

Taking a deep breath she grit her teeth and sat up, swinging her legs to the ground. She rested her elbows on her knees and her forehead in her hands, looking at the ground. The light was still a bit much for her headache. "What things?" She managed to ask.

There was a pause of silence. In a normal situation, Emma would have looked up to see what was taking him so long to answer but this situation was far from normal.

"The roofies." He finally replied.

Her head did pop up at that, sending a spike of pain down her neck but she ignored it for the moment. "The what? I had roofies? You gave me roofies?" She was debating on whether or not her feet would hold her weight enough to stand and run when he held up a hand and shook his head.

"Not me." He assured her. It was enough to stop Emma's thoughts of running but she was immediately more wary of this stranger. "I don't need roofies." He added.

She frowned, not sure if he was trying to be funny or just a jerk. "What happened?" She managed to ask without her skull splitting open in pain.

The guy closed the book and sat forward in his chair. "I'm just the babysitter, not the messenger. You'll have to wait for Stefan and Elena for explanations."

"Elena! Is she okay?" At the mention of her friend the fog began to lift a bit from her head. It still hurt like crazy but things were a bit clearer. And it was very clear that she had no memory of much of the night. "Did she get roofied?"

"Just you." The guy replied. "Your lucky night, I guess. Elena was right there the whole time, so don't worry. She caught you when you fell and she and Stefan brought you right back here. Nothing happened."

Emma took a minute to process what he said. She peered at him curiously. "So you've been watching me?"

"Watching OVER you. 'Watching you' seems creepy." He flippantly threw a hand up as he spoke, relaxing back into his chair before taking a sip of wine.

"Where is here? And where are Stefan and Elena?"

"Wow, you are just full of questions tonight, aren't you? I told you they could explain when they get back. I am just the BABYsitter."

It was Emma's turn to sit back, mulling over what the guy said. She tried to remember what she could of the evening. She had been going to a party with Elena, more for Jenna's sake than any one else's. Even though Emma was a few years older than Elena, the two girls had become good friends over the past few years, bonding over similar childhoods and backgrounds. Plus, Jenna and Jake were good friends so Jenna was constantly asking Emma to keep an eye on her new charge. Emma didn't mind so much- Elena was fun to hang out with.

This evening was a party out in a field; a bonfire, high school kegger- pretty typical. Elena had been meaning to introduce Emma to Stefan, her new boyfriend, and they had agreed to all meet up at the party. Emma remembered arriving at the party, intending to only sip on one drink for the night; she wasn't much of a partier. However, after arriving at the field she didn't remember what happened. There was a blank wall blocking her memories up until a few moments ago when she had woken up. That must have been the roofies.

"I need a shower." The words popped out of her mouth before her brain processed what she was going to say. So the subconscious says, so it must be true.

"You need a shower." He repeated, looking at her with curiosity. At her nod he sighed heavily and stood. "Whatever. Follow me."

She stood shakily but determined, followed him to the next room, up some stairs and down a hall way. He opened a door with a flourish and held a hand toward the open door. "Bathroom, complete with shower and towels."

Emma looked down at her clothes then back at him sheepishly. "My clothes are muddy..."

He arched an eyebrow, a dangerous look passing across his face. "Sheesh woman! You are demanding!" He growled. But he couldn't argue, her clothes were very muddy. "Fine. I will find something and throw it in the bathroom without peeking."

"Thank you." Emma replied. She had a feeling that anything more might provoke wrath so she scurried into the bathroom and shut the door, leaning on it to catch her breath. What a strange night.