Erin wanted her to be free from the pain, the guilt, and the darkness as she witnessed Klaus hover over her aunt. She repeatedly whispered, "Turn it off," to Jenna until she saw the emotion leave her aunt's eyes. Then, Klaus staked her in the heart. Jenna was dead.
They didn't realize Uncle John walked outside, waiting for Erin to wake up. When Erin finally jolted back to life, she told her family she felt fine, normal,human. The spell had worked. No one noticed John fall to the ground, as his soul flowed through his body to his daughter's.
"I like you now, just the way you are." Elena spoke and went in to kiss Damon softly on the lips. The vampire thanked her for staying with him, and the brunette smiled before stating, "You're welcome."
Erin then walked to Katherine and asked, "Where's Stefan?"
"He's paying for this. Gave him over to Klaus, I wouldn't expect him anytime soon. Or never, probably never." Katherine stated.
Erin then ran out of the room, leaving Katherine to stare at Damon and Elena. The vampire smirked at the pair, who were as far away as possible. She turned to her ex and stated, "It's okay to love them both, I did the same with you two."
Erin woke from her restless dream, the past few months replaying in her mind. The girl got up from her bed hesitantly and waited a moment before taking a deep breath and opening the curtains. This was a day she dreaded, without Stefan it wouldn't be the same.
The doppelgänger got dressed and came out of her room, hearing Elena trying to wake Jeremy up for work. "You're late for work, Matt just called." The twin spoke, ripping the covers off her brother. Jeremy scrambled to get a look at his clock, checking the time.
"Well, maybe they'll fire me." He hoped, making Erin jump in with a response, "There's the excess of ambition I was looking for." Both of her siblings amusedly smiled and rolled their eyes, the girls shuffling their way out of the room.
Erin's phone then rang, and she looked down to see her best friend, Caroline, was calling. "Hey Care. What are you doing?" The twins leisurely made their way down the stairs and to the kitchen as Erin stayed on the phone.
Caroline replied that she was shopping for the party the Gilbert sisters were trying to bail on, and the doppelganger retorted, "I never said yes in the first place, that was Elena." Obviously, Caroline went with Elena's response over Erin's.
"My mom wants you to call her; there was an animal attack in Memphis. That's the third one this week in Tennessee." The blonde told her friend, trying not to let her down. Erin nodded on the other line and replied that she would call her mom, trusting that Caroline's information was indeed about Klaus.
Before hanging up, Erin begged Caroline to keep tonight small. The blonde smiled and quirked, "Wear something pretty!" Much to the doppelganger's dismay, the vampire hung up on her.
Elena and Alaric were making coffee as they eavesdropped on Erin's phone call; the two were worried about how obsessive and depressed Erin had gotten over the summer. Elena asked her sister, "Was that more Stefan news?"
Erin confirmed her sister's question, and Alaric pressed, "How do you know Stefan's still with Klaus?" Elena wondered the same thing, and the girl answered with a sigh, "Stefan always sticks to his promises, so I know the alternative is to assume he's dead. I just can't afford to think like that."
The twins decided to change the topic of conversation as the two asked Alaric if he was okay on the couch. Erin started to say, "You know, if you need a room…"
The man declined, "Sleep in your dead parents' room or my dead girlfriend's room…no thanks." The brunettes nodded, feeling his pain. The house was a constant reminder of all they had lost; however, the other occupants gave them hope it would be okay.
Erin smiled sadly at the man before Elena handed the girl her purse. The twins went to walk out when Alaric's voice stopped them, "Erin, Elena…happy birthday."
The girls drove to the Salvatore Boarding House to confer with Damon after Erin talked to the Sherriff. They had another lead on Stefan and Klaus. As the girls trudged onto the mansion, they were welcomed by the sight of Damon…naked and covered in bubbles.
Elena turned around and covered her eyes while Erin stood there, unimpressed. She wasn't about to let Damon get any satisfaction from seeing her get flustered. While Elena stuttered and flung a blanket towards him, Erin and Damon stared each other down. Over the summer, the two were in a constant power struggle to which everyone got annoyed by.
Eventually, Damon backed down as usual. Erin was the first to speak, "Sherriff Forbes gave us another location to check: Memphis." The vampire snatched the piece of paper from her hand and muttered how it was another dead end. The doppelganger countered, "Shut up, Damon."
Damon had been getting on her nerves all summer long with his pessimistic point of view. Whenever Erin thought of an idea or had a theory of Stefan's whereabouts, he shot it down. Surprisingly, Elena was the only one he sort got along with; much to Erin's buried dismay.
"You're right, Erin. This could be it- this could be the thing that tells us Stefan's alive and well and living in Graceland." Damon stated sarcastically, enraging Erin. The girl took the paper back and quipped, "Fine, I'll go by myself."
She started to walk away but Damon vamp sped in front of her, making Elena roll her eyes. The man grabbed the paper again and spoke, "And let Klaus know you're tracking him? He thinks you're dead-let's keep it that way. I'll check it out and tell you if I find anything."
Damon took a step away from Erin, but the girl said, "No you won't, Damon." The vampire turned around to face the girl he loved, and Erin continued, "You keep telling me these leads are 'dead ends', but I can't bring myself to believe you. I know you, Damon. And you're hiding something. You better tell me soon, or I'll decide to take things into my own hands."
The man quirked an eyebrow before advancing upon her, "Is that a threat?" Erin stood tall before him and shook her head before replying, "No, Damon. I'm giving you my word." The doppelganger grabbed her bag from the table and started walking towards the door when Damon snarked, "Look who's becoming a mini Elijah."
Erin huffed before turning around and biting back, "I would rather become Elijah than you any day." The girl then slammed the door shut and drove away.
Elena sighed and rubbed her temples, sick of the constant bickering from the pair. Damon stared at the girl before demanding, "What?" Elena deflated for a moment, teliing the vampire, "Please stop provoking her, you know how stressed out she can get."
"Why are you always pointing the finger at me?" He countered, making Elena quirk an eyebrow. Damon ignored it as he pressed, "She shouldn't be trying to get into something she knows nothing about." Elena went into defensive mode about her twin and countered, "And whose fault is that?"
The pair said nothing for a moment, and Elena decided to shed light on a sensitive subject, "You may have not known Erin for as long as I have, but I know you hate seeing her like this. When our parents died, she shut everyone out just like she's doing now. I don't want to see her get like that ever again. If I have to tell her about what you've actually been doing all summer, I will."
After picking up Tyler and Caroline to set up for the party and making sure Damon was gone, Erin drove back to the Boarding House. Elena had already cleared a few tables for drinks and napkins, and the trio packed the tables full of equipment while talking about their problems.
"I have to fight Damon whenever we get a lead, it's exhausting." Erin vented to her friends, and Caroline questioned that it probably wasn't that bad. However, Elena came to her defense and stated, "No, she literally had to fight Damon one time."
Erin nodded and told the story, "Once, there was a lead in Maine and he said he would rather get stabbed in his carotid artery than go there, so I stabbed him in the neck with a fork. Suffice to say he went."
Caroline stood wide eyed while Tyler brushed it off and spoke, "Maybe he doesn't want to find him. I mean, he's into the both of you." Erin thought about it for a moment, but Elena quickly stated, "The only reason Stefan left was so he could save Damon's life. Trust me, Damon wants to find him."
"But, you kissed him, and he's obsessed with Erin. Probably screwed with his head." Tyler brought up, making Elena and Caroline surprised. Elena looked at Caroline in accusation, figuring she told the werewolf about the encounter. However, Erin raised her hand and admitted, "Actually, I told him."
Elena said it was alright and then got a call from Bonnie. The girl shuffled out of the room and Caroline turned on Tyler, "Just because we tell you things doesn't mean you're allowed to know them!" Erin smiled as the boy shrugged in response. The trio had hung out together all summer, forming a very close knit bond. It was almost like it was before vampires came to town.
"I gotta run; I have to change before I pick up Sophie for our date." The werewolf's statement surprised the girls who had different reactions. Erin spoke, "You're bringing a date? What happened to all of us being single?"
Caroline asked at the same time, "Slutty Sophie is your date?" Tyler attempted to preserve whatever self respect he had and said, "It's been kind of slow in that department." Erin scoffed while Caroline raised an eyebrow. Tyler then relented, "And…I am horny all the time now!"
Caroline then tried to bond a little more and the two supernatural creatures chatted about their sex drives while Erin made a face- this was one of the weirdest conversations she had ever been apart of. She could practically see the sexual tension from the pair and mentally told them to jump each other already.
That night, Erin occupied Stefan's room and looked at herself in the mirror. She really did not want to be there, but it was her birthday. She deserved to have some fun, even if the one person she wanted wasn't there. That was when she saw Damon.
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna lose it. At least not before the cake." She quipped, and Damon could see the sadness in her eyes. Truthfully, he had been trying to protect her all these months. From Klaus, from death, from himself. He finally had what he wanted, but she didn't want him. At least not right now.
"It's your party, you can cry if you want to. However, then you would leave Elena to party all by herself and we both know that is not a good idea." Damon spoke, causing Erin to smile. It was small but it made Damon's heart swell. It gave him hope.
The vampire stepped into the room and stared at the picture of Erin and Stefan for a moment before stating, "I got you something." At Erin's look, he continued, "I know I promised not to buy you anything, so don't worry, I didn't pay for it."
"You stole it?" Erin asked, seemingly unimpressed, and Damon rolled his eyes. He pretended to be offended, even though they both knew he wasn't. The man shook his head and admitted, "I found it." He pulled out a jewelry box and opened it. Inside was Erin's bracelet.
"I thought I would never see it again, thank you." Erin spoke sincerely, and Damon proceeded to put the bracelet on for her. Feelings surfaced in both of them, feelings of love. Of course, Erin buried them as much as she could; they scared her to death. She loved Stefan, she chose Stefan. Right now, for her, it was Stefan.
Damon decided he would be the one to push the conversation, "Look, I'm sorry about fighting with you all summer. You just have to understand that Stefan might not come back, not in your lifetime. I don't want to see you get stuck going through this alone because you're not alone."
"I know I'm not, it's just easier to push people away, you know? And I understand why Stefan left- he chose to save his family over his own happiness. I would do the same thing. So would you." Erin told, making Damon stare at her in awe. The two hadn't spoken like this in a while, and he missed it. He missed her.
So, he offered his arm and led her down to the party.
Erin's jaw dropped at the sight of the packed Boarding House. This was small? She also looked around and saw that a crowd of people were watching Elena do a keg stand and cheering around her. While Damon compelled a girl to drink the cheap booze, Caroline approached the doppelganger. At Erin's shocked face, Caroline went into panic mode, "Oh my god, you hate it. Sorry, I just- you always talked about wanting a huge rager for your 18th and I-"
The brunette cut off her best friend by smiling and asked her, "What are we drinking?" Caroline squealed and took hold of her friend and dragged her away from Damon and to the bar. After the girls got a drink, they wandered into the "stoner den" as Caroline put it.
Immediately, Matt came up to them and said hi to Erin. "Matty blue! My favorite person in the world!" Erin smiled, happy to see her friend, and Matt gave her a kiss on the cheek before giving Caroline the cold shoulder and leaving.
The two girls talked about how Matt hates not being with Caroline until Erin spotted her brother with a joint. The doppelganger excused herself politely from Caroline, who understood, and she made her way to Jeremy.
"Hey kiddo." Erin greeted her brother, who said happy birthday. The girl then snatched the joint from her brother's hand and looked at him questioningly. He sighed and admitted, "I just need to chill, it's been a rough summer."
Erin tilted her head at that, agreeing with him, and then she challenged with a smile, "'Chill?' What is that, stoner talk?" Jeremy chuckled at the memory from their first day of school just last year, it felt like another lifetime.
Her brother then asked as he saw his joint resting in his sister's hand, "Now, what are gonna do with that? It's mine, I paid for it." Erin smirked before putting the joint to her lips and smoking it, leaving her brother in shock, "What? You never got me a birthday present."
Unbeknownst to them, Elena saw the joint in her sibling's hand and retreated to Alaric and Damon for help. She demanded Damon's drink and explained to them, "Jeremy's smoking again and he dragged Erin into it. Now, they're doing drugs in the library."
Damon asked jokingly, "Is their stash any good?" If looks could kill, Damon would be dead. Elena called him an ass and turned to Alaric, "Talk to Jeremy, he listens to you." Then, she cut back to the vampire, "And you, please attempt to get Erin back into a normal routine. I can't do it alone."
The twin then pushed the drink back into Damon's hand and walked away. As she left, Damon commented, "We're screwed."
Erin made her way into Damon's room, looking for him. She hadn't seen him in hours. Surprisingly, Caroline was in the room, taking a break from the party. Erin told her friend, "I was just looking for Damon, I think I'm gonna skip out on the cake. Elena's been celebrating tonight enough for the two of us." Caroline, though, wouldn't have it. "No! No way, it's your birthday! You know, it's the dawn of a new day and you can't get on with your life until you and Elena have made a wish and blown out the candles!"
What Caroline said peaked Erin's interest, "Is that what you all want me to do? Get on with my life? I'm not gonna give up on finding Stefan, Caroline." The blonde agreed, and she spoke, "Of course not and you shouldn't. But, you have to admit that you're kind of letting your life pass you by. Isn't Stefan the one who wanted to make sure you lived it?"
"You want me to make a wish? I just want to know that he's alive, that's all I hope for. That's it, that's my wish." Erin stated and turned to leave but saw something peculiar. That was when Elena walked in, hearing the two girls, "Hey what are you guys..." She trailed off as she saw Erin staring at Damon's board. The map of all the leads they had over the summer.
Elena saw the different emotions flash in her sister's eyes: anger, hurt, betrayal, confusion. Her sister deserved to know the truth, and she couldn't wait for Damon to get here. Elena had to do it. "Erin, there's something you should know."
As soon as Elena and Erin heard Damon stroll into his room, they turned around. Erin scowled at the vampire while holding sheets of newspaper clipping in her hand. "Why didn't you tell me? Why did you keep it a secret?" Erin immediately demanded. She was angrier than Elena had ever seen her, and the doppelganger looked ready to pounce on Damon.
Damon groaned about how he was having a horrible night, and Erin pressed on, "All summer, every single time I came to you for a lead, you made me feel like an idiot for having hope." Elena let her go, knowing her twin needed to get everything out in the open. At Damon's next words, the girls stood, shocked, "You were an idiot, we both were. You should really get back to your party, the two of you."
Erin refused to surrender and asked, "Why are you doing this? Why have you been tracking all of Klaus' victims?" The vampire then erupted with rage and geared it towards the innocent girl in front of him, "Because they're not Klaus' victims, Erin. They're Stefan's. He's left a trail of body parts up and down the Eastern Seaboard." At Erin's silence, he continued and advanced upon her, "I've seen it happen before, he's flipped the switch. A full blown ripper."
Elena called for Damon to stop as he slapped the clippings out of Erin's hands, but he snapped, "No, you stop, Elena. Stop trying to convince her that everything's okay, stop waiting for her to open up to you, stop following me around, just stop! Stefan is gone and he's not coming back." He turned to Erin and his eyes softened as he repeated what he said to her earlier, "Not in your lifetime."
At Erin's clearly shaken face, Damon calmed down and suddenly felt guilty. However, he mustered up his will power and left the room.
Meanwhile at Southern Comfort, Stefan stormed out of the bar and took a moment to breathe. Klaus was right; with every kill, more of his humanity became lost. He needed hope, and there was only one person on the entire planet that could fill him with hope. Pressing speed dial, Stefan called her number. He knew he shouldn't, but he just needed to hear her voice, even the sound of her voice mail would be satisfying.
After a little while, she answered, and Stefan tried to soak up as much of Erin Gilbert as he could. After she was greeted with silence, Erin realized that it was her long lost boyfriend. "Stefan? Stefan, if this is you...you'll be okay." She spoke, and hearing her say that brought tears to the vampire's eyes. All he wanted to do was be with her, but he made a deal with Klaus.
Erin gave her boyfriend something to cherish, "I love you, Stefan. Hold onto that, never let that go." Erin hushed into the phone, causing tears to stream down Stefan's face. He nodded on the other line even though she couldn't see him; he wished he could tell her he loved her. He would always love her.