I am SOOO sorry that this chapter had taken me such a damn long time.

I just was kind of stressed because of my trip, and THEN I had a stupid stomach flu.

But here I am, and I bring a new chapter.

THANKS to my readers and reviewers, you are the best, and THANK YOU to my amaaazing beta AVECIA. She really had much to do with this chapter.

Now, I don't own anything 'bout the Vampire Diaries. Just messing with them for fun.

On with it!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Where moments before everyone had been curious about what Damon and Alaric had found out, there was now a grave silence in the room.

Bonnie just sat there, trying to process what Alaric just had said. She knew the others were probably worried about her now, but she had never known her ancestor. Not really.

Sure, a part of Emily had invaded her body once, but that didn't really count.

The only other thought she had, was that this really didn't make any sense.

Emily had tried to prevent Damon from opening the tomb – meaning she had tried to protect Mystic Falls. And now she, what? Had changed her mind and wanted to destroy it? Just like that?

And that was the first thing that came out of her mouth, too.

"Why would she want to destroy Mystic Falls? I mean, I understand that what happened was awful, but she tried to protect the town only a few years back. Why should she change her mind now?"

Nobody answered her, they just kept on giving her worried stares – well, most of them anyway.

Katherine had already gone back to manicuring her nails (Elena could clearly see the regret in her face – she probably felt slightly guilty about what had happened to Emily), and Isobel looked like she was far, far away with her thoughts.

Rolling her eyes she tried to defuse the worry of her friends.

"Guys, I'm okay. What did you think would happen? I mean, I didn't know her. The only thing the two of us have in common is the magic. I'm more on edge because we need to find out if we really are up against her, or not. And if we are, how we're gonna stop her."

Suddenly Isobel stood up from were she had been sitting, and started to pace back and forth in front of the fireplace, mumbling under her breath.

After about a minute of this, Jeremy looked between Isobel, Elena and Alaric, before he addressed the last two.

"Is that normal behavior? Because she looks kind of…whacko right now. Compared to the usual queen-bitch attitude, I mean."

Elena tried to stifle her laughter at that.

"Don't worry, it's pretty normal – I think she might be on to something."

"Well, okay then…I was just worried that it's contagious or genetic or something…"

Jeremy and Elena bickered on for a while, unaware at the smile creeping onto Jenna's face because of it.

Other than Elena being here, and not dead, the fact that the siblings finally had buried the hatchet was the best thing that had happened in quite some time.

The two only stopped with their back and forth, as Isobel slumped back into the armchair.

"So, I think I might have an explanation for the 'change of hearts'. Mind you, it's only a guess but… here it goes:

Of course I know all about how Emily took over Bonnie's body, and tried to protect the town.

How she destroyed that amulet or whatever. But I think that wasn't really Emily trying to protect Mystic Falls, but only a memory of hers.

Like, when she was alive, she had put a spell of some sort on the amulet, putting a part of herself into it, to make sure it could never be used to open the tomb.

This memory would be left unharmed by any and everything that happened to Emily after the spell.

Meaning that there were no hard feelings against this town.

Also, it would really make sense that it's Emily we're up against. Just think about it… Bonnie is her direct descendant, therefore, she has the same magic inside her, that once resided in Emily.

No matter how far gone she is from the person she once was – she would recognize the magic. Like…a smell or something.

So when you reached into the world where the dead reside, Emily could've felt it – could have felt you Bonnie. Then all she had to do then was to latch herself onto it, and be done with it."

The room was silent after that, everyone considering what had been said.

Bonnies face, though, fell at the possible explanation. Because even if what she said was true, it still made her sad that her ancestor could've changed so much; could've betrayed everything she once stood for. And that, ultimately, it was her fault that this was happening now. Because she had been unable to let Elena go.

She let out a bitter laugh, not able to hold it in.

Then she stood up, and with a glance at the others, stormed up the stairs, and right into Damon's room.

She had expected that at least Caroline would follow her up – no matter that they weren't teenagers anymore, Caroline never had learned to realize when somebody just needed to be left alone – and was really glad when no one came in after her.

She occupied the chair beside the bed, letting out a tired sigh.

After a few minutes she got the feeling of being watched and opened her eyes, wondering when she had closed them in the first place.

Nobody had entered the room, but Damon had his eyes open and trained on her form.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, I just needed to get away from the others."

As there was no jab or sarcastic comment coming from Damon, she remembered that he currently wasn't able to speak. Or move, for that matter.

"So, Emily, huh? I never would have thought of her. I mean, what are the odds of my ancestor coming back to life, only to wreak havoc and kill?

That whole situation is just totally screwed up.

Katherine and Isobel are here to help, and Emily is the big, bad evil?

I kind of feel like I fell through the rabbit hole or something. Everything is just upside down… and you really need to hurry up with healing. It's creepy that you don't say anything crude and sarcastic."

Damon rolled his eyes – at least there was one thing he could do to let her know that he was not pleased with the situation.

"Yeah, this day is for shit. I wish I had never got out of bed in the morning."

Damon couldn't agree more – if he just had stayed in bed with Elena, they would be doing something fun in there now, instead of him just lying here, unable to move.

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

A few hours later saw the living room full of people with their noses buried in thick, old books.

Isobel had thought that it might be useful to learn everything about 'vengeful spirits' and every other creature born out of malicious feelings as possible.

And as it was their best bet until now, they went with it.

Elena was upstairs, sitting with Damon while reading her own leather-bound sleeping pill as Stefan came in.

"Hey, I thought you'd want to catch a break. Eat something, or go stretch your feet for a bit.

I'll stay up here in the meanwhile."

At first she wanted to protest, telling Stefan that it was alright, but the loud, gurgling sound her stomach made just then, betrayed her.

Grinning a bit sheepishly, she stroked a strand of hair out of Damons face before she threw a thankful smile in Stefan's direction and left.

Elena hadn't been gone for a whole minute as Damon opened his eyes.

"Hey"

Stefan's eyes snapped up to his brother, a startled look clear on his face.

"…I wasn't aware that you're healed already."

"Am…not. Still not…feeling….very…much."

His voice sounded monotone and strained, like it cost him way too much energy to get the words out.

"Well, then you should take it easy and just sleep."

"Yeah, just…need to….ask….you….something first."

The words still had that robotic sound to them, but Stefan could see that this was serious, so he didn't bother with trying to diffuse Damon.

"Well then, shoot."

"How come…that the report…of Emily's….death was… written…by our…father."

Stefan, of course, knew what Damon meant. Emily had died a few years after them – a few years after their father had died.

He could already see the last of his big secrets wave it's goodbye.

"Are you sure you want to know the answer to that Damon? Because you're not going to like it."

There was no reason to pretend he hadn't known anything. Damon knew him too good for that.

"Don't… care. Tell me."

Sighing, Stefan leaned forwards, resting his elbows on his thighs

"Everything you know about that night is true. I went to confront him, and to say goodbye. We fought, he got injured, and I took his blood.

What I hadn't told you is that I also gave him a bit of mine. It's just… as I told you what had happened; you never asked if he survived. You just assumed that he ended up dead, and I let you believe it."

"Why?"

"He shot us Damon. Our own father shot us, and left us to die. The two of you had always been fighting, you never got along. I thought it would be better if you thought he was dead. No reason for you to go back and…do something stupid."

For a moment they just stared at each other, both looking tired and drawn, even though their conversation hadn't been longer than a few minutes.

Their father just never had been a pleasant topic for them.

"He never…was all that…fond of…me. I wouldn't….have…bothered…going back just…because he…finally got rid…of the…black sheep of…the family."

Stefans just shook his head, amazed how Damon was able to sound bitter, condescending and sarcastic all at once.

"That's not what I meant. I know you wouldn't have sought revenge for yourself. But back then there was still something left of… well, we still were more like the brothers we used to be.

No matter how much you had hated me for making you fully transition – for stealing Katherine. You would have gone and killed him, because he killed me. That's what you always did back then. Look out for me, covering up my wrongdoings, and punish whomever tried to make trouble for me. So I'd decided that it would be better for you if you thought I'd killed him. I wouldn't have wanted his death on your conscience. I was already at fault for everything else that went downhill back then. You had still been you back then. Still feeling, still mostly human. I couldn't have let you go and burden yourself with something like that."

A heavy silence hung between them as they remembered the last night they both had been human.

"Not… your fault. Not alone…at least. I was as…much to blame…as you."

"No, you…"

"Yes. Stop…arguing. It's in the…past anyway. It's alright."

Stefan wanted to say more, argue his point… or just stamp his feet in a petulant show of frustration, but Elena came back at that moment, so he just stood up and let her have her seat again.

Just as he reached the door, he got stopped by Damon's voice.

"You know… it's gotten better… in the… last years. Back to…what we once…were."

Stefan didn't reply to that, but he had to blink rapidly to get rid of the burning in his eyes, and bite his lip to stop the goofy grin that wanted to break free.

Finding out that Elena wasn't dead after all, and getting his brother back?

Maybe he had to thank Emily, once this was all over.

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

The house was deathly silent, even though there were more than a dozen people inside.

But most of them were cowering on the floor, trying to blend into the shadows, afraid that one wrong move would cost them their lives.

The Kitsune had failed to kill the vampire-turned-human and the teacher, and their mistress wasn't happy. At all.

The living room was in pieces, not one couch or armchair still whole, and the side tables and shelves were nothing more like wood splinters.

She wasn't ready for them to know who she was.

This was her game, and her rules. How dare they interfere?

Damon Salvatore…an insolent brat he had been back in 1864, and an insolent brat he was now.

The boy will wish that he'd died that night, so long ago.

Because when she was done with Damon, there would be nothing left for him. Only the broken pieces of his heart, and the memory of his friends, his family, his love, as she'd ripped them apart.

Slowly she started to calm down again, and soon she danced through the room, giving no mind to the rubble on the floor as she hummed a happy tune.

Her eyes were sparkling, and her lips were drawn into a smile.

But the sparkle wasn't telling of happiness, but of insanity, and the smile looked more like a grimace, like a death mask than anything else.

And outside of her line of sight, her creatures and servants – the first few of what would be an army – shrank more into the shadows.

Because not even the most gruesome of them could muster such childlike glee over the musings of bloodshed and murder.

Xoxoxoxo

The first real scene for our big bad! Hope you liked it – and I hope the brotherly scene between Damon and Stefan wasn't too sappy!

Just tell me what you think, you just have to click on the little button below and write a few words for me^^.

So long,

Zora