under the sea

darling it's better

down where it's wetter

take it from me

Emily groaned as she blindly reached for her cell phone that was hidden underneath the pillow her head was resting on. It was the familiar ringtone that belonged to her aunt Jenna. Emily brought the phone to her face once she had found it before she instantly regretted it when the bright light took her vision for a few seconds. But once she could see again, Emily swiped right on the screen before she brought the device up to her ear. "Hello," she mumbled in a groggy voice.

Jenna chuckled through the phone when she heard the tiredness in her oldest niece's speech. "Are you seriously just now waking up?" She questioned in amusement.

Emily pushed her messy brown bed hair from her eyes as she sat up and leaned against the wooden headboard. "Yes, Ariel," she uttered tiredly before explaining, "Caroline was having some problems, so I stayed up with her all night."

Jenna groaned through the phone instantly when she heard the familiar nickname that her sister had gave her when they were children. "Please never call me that again - especially not in public," she pleaded to her niece.

Emily couldn't help but chuckle at her aunt's embarrassment of her resemblance to The Little Mermaid. "Hey, if the shoe fits," she joked before growing serious as she wondered, "so, what can I do for you at the crack of dawn?"

"Emily, it is almost eight o'clock in the morning," Jenna scolded before she informed her niece the reason she called, "but I just wanted to remind you that we need to be at the Lockwood's in less than an hour to help with the Masquerade Ball."

Emily nodded her head silently as she remembered the exact event which was written down on her small flower calendar that hung on her wall at the Gilbert house. "Yeah, I know," Emily muttered as she yawned. "I'll meet you in front of the mansion soon," she promised.

"Alright, good. I'll see you soon," Jenna stated before she scolded her niece once again but with humor in her voice this time, "now don't go falling back to sleep, young lady."

Emily chuckled quietly before she spoke with a large smirk, "I'll see you under the sea soon, Miss Ariel." But when she didn't get a response from her aunt, Emily pulled her phone away with furrowed brows before she looked down at the screen. "Rude," Emily mumbled under her breath when she noticed her aunt had hung up on her.

Emily threw her cell phone onto the pillow as she slid out of the large king sized bed. She did so as quietly as she could, since she didn't want to wake up Caroline, who was sleeping on the other side. She and the blonde had stayed up all night like they used to do. But instead of her medium sized room at the Gilbert house, it was now spent inside the last bedroom on the left side of the hallway in the Salvatore boarding house. Emily basically had claimed the room as her own with how many times she and Elena had stayed over.

Emily tip toed across the room carefully as she made sure not to step on any of the squeaky floorboards. Once she came to a stop in front of her destination, Emily opened the old wooden dresser that held a couple of her outfits that she had brought over a few days ago. She settled on a pair of ripped jeans along with a simple white graphic tank top before she slipped on her leather jacket that laid on top of the large dresser.

Emily went back to tip toeing once she had finished getting dressed as she made her way towards the occupied bed. She grabbed her cell phone from the pillow and stuck it in her jacket pocket before grabbing her black and white purse from the ground. She placed her purse on the bed and dug around for a few seconds until she found a pen and a blank piece of paper, where she began to write a note.

Gone to the Lockwood's

Good luck with your mom

I'll see you later

xoxo Emmie

The Gilbert girl slipped the small note onto her pillow as soon as she finished writing it so it would be the first thing Caroline would see once she woke up. Emily then quietly placed her purse over her shoulder and grabbed her black boots from the bottom of the bed before she gave her sleeping best friend one last look. She was worried for Caroline but she knew that the vampire just needed to have a meaningful chat with her vampire hunter mother.

Emily quietly made her way into the hallway before she softly closed the bedroom door behind her to hopefully not to wake up the sleeping girl. Once Emily didn't hear any movement, she began to walk down the hallway as she simultaneously slid her black boots on which almost caused her to tumble to the ground. Emily huffed out a sigh once she finally got her boots on before she continued to walk normally as she made her way down the staircase.

Emily looked around the living room once she reached the bottom of the stairs. But only shrugged her shoulders when she couldn't see anyone. She guessed her sister and the Salvatore brothers were still asleep. Only crazy people wake up this early, she thought. Emily took a quick detour to the kitchen and swiped an apple from the counter before she swiftly walked out of the Salvatore boarding house for another busy day.


It took Emily about twenty minutes to reach the Lockwood mansion from the Salvatore's. She noticed there was a lot of people already getting to work for the big event once she had parked to the side of the large white house. She knew today was going to be another hectic day - just the downside of being the darling child of Mystic Falls.

Emily yawned for the third time since she got into her car before she took the keys out of the ignition as she hoped it would be the last time the loud noise would leave her mouth. She ignored the sleepiness she felt before she reached over to the passenger seat and grabbed her black and white purse. The brunette began to dig through it for a moment before she found and slipped on a pair of black and silver earrings along with a matching ring. Emily went back to her purse after putting on her jewelry and pulled out a small handheld mirror. She groaned instantly when she saw her hair sticking up all over the place. She had forgotten to brush it before she rushed out of the boarding house. Emily went to reach for her hairbrush, but jumped in fright when there was suddenly a loud knock on her window.

Emily rolled her eyes in annoyance when she noticed her aunt Jenna bent over as she laughed hysterically. The Gilbert girl opened the car door and sluggishly got out before she mumbled, "ha, ha, ha, so funny, Ariel."

Jenna instantly closed her mouth when she heard the familiar but irradiating nickname. The strawberry blonde glared at her niece as she stated, "now that wasn't funny."

Emily shrugged her shoulders lightly and commented, "I thought it was pretty hilarious." She smirked before she added as she knew it would get an arise out of her aunt, "maybe I should tell Ric about your favorite nickname."

Jenna's eyes widened before she commanded in as strong as a voice she could muster, "don't you dare." The strawberry blonde decided to get off of the horrible topic of her nickname as she wondered curiously, "so, what were you even doing sitting in your car like a loner?"

"Maybe I am a loner," Emily told her aunt dismissively. However, a minute barely passed by before the two girls broke out into laughter as they knew that was far from the truth. The Gilbert girl began to mess with her hair as she mumbled out her real answer, "I forgot to do my hair and now I look horrible."

Jenna rolled her eyes and ordered, "oh, come on. Stop being such a drama queen." She paused as she thought before adding, "well, a bigger drama queen than you already are." But the only response Jenna got out of her niece was a raised eyebrow and a pout. Jenna chuckled lightly before she twirled the young girl around and began to pull and brush her fingers through the brunette's hair. The only sound that could be heard was Emily cursing under her breath as she complained about Jenna hurting her.

"There," Jenna exclaimed after a couple of minutes before she turned Emily back around and threw the brown side braid of her shoulder. Jenna brushed the small pieces of baby hairs to the side of Emily's face and stated, "now you look like the same beautiful girl as you always do."

Emily couldn't help the lovable smile that shined on her face at her aunt's words. "Thank you, Jennie," she told her aunt with the one nickname that Jenna loved to hear. The Gilbert girl turned around and locked her car before she moved back to her aunt and linked their arms together. "Now, let's go get bossed by Mrs. Lockwood all day long," Emily joked before a large smirk grew on her face when she heard her aunt groan loudly.

The two girls silently made their way up the stairs and inside the opened door of the Lockwood mansion. Emily noticed the constantly moving people coming in and out with several different things in their hands as they prepared for the event. Emily had to admit that she really liked when the town did a Masquerade Ball. She mostly enjoyed it because she liked getting dolled up and dancing the night away.

"Oh! Jenna! Emily!" The mayor called out loudly as she spotted the two related girls. She strutted over to them with her nude heels clacking against the marble floors with a large clipboard cradled in her right hand. "Thank you so much for helping out today," Mrs. Lockwood exclaimed once she was in front of them with a bright smile on her face.

"Of course, it's for a good cause," Jenna told the older woman with a timid grin as she held onto her niece's arm tightly. She was never a big fan of Mason's sister-in-law. Jenna always imagined that the woman thought she was better than everyone else.

Emily bumped her hip into Jenna's before she glanced at her aunt with a barely noticeable smirk. She knew exactly how her aunt felt about the older woman. Emily turned her attention back on the mayor as she smiled politely. "I wouldn't have missed this event for the world," she stated.

Mrs. Lockwood smiled with deep sadness in her eyes as she confessed, "this was always Richard's favorite party of the year."

Emily touched Mrs. Lockwood's arm lightly as she was about to console the woman, but was soon interrupted by a familiar blonde boy shouting at her best friend and the mayor's son, Tyler Lockwood. Emily couldn't help but roll her eyes at the two boys that she saw as her close friends.

Mrs. Lockwood jumped out of her grieving widow persona and turned back into the ever so commanding woman she was as she yelled at the two teenage boys, "be careful with that! It's from the 1800's!"

Emily noticed the annoyance on Tyler's face and the worried look on his mother's. She knew it would end badly, so Emily quickly turned towards the mayor with a sweet smile as she stated, "I got this, Mrs. Lockwood," before she swiftly jogged up to her friends to stop any tension that could arise in the early morning. Emily just really hoped the boys wouldn't end up dropping the large table as she caught up with them.

"Are you trying to give your mother a heart attack?" Emily joked once she joined Tyler's side while the two boys not so quietly sat the centuries old table down.

Tyler rolled his eyes and mumbled, "she's just overreacting." He lifted his arm and flexed his muscles as he questioned with a smirk, "you don't think I can handle this little ole table by myself?"

"Oh, yeah, totally, Ty. You could carry this large table alone that is made with real wood, instead of that fake crap they use nowadays. That makes perfect sense," Emily stated with sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Besides," she began with a teasing smirk, "the only reason you didn't drop it is because of Mr. strong blondie over here," before she threw Matt a playful wink.

The Lockwood boy pouted at his best friend before he instantly rolled his eyes when he heard Matt and Emily laughing at him. "Whatever," he mumbled under his breath as he leaned against the table that he and Matt had just carried up from the basement.

"Tyler! Get off of that table right now!" Mrs. Lockwood screeched as soon as she saw her son on top of the antique furniture before she stormed towards the three teenagers.

"Uh-oh. You're in trouble now," Matt joked in a low voice as he noticed the mayor headed straight towards them, well more like in Tyler's direction.

Mrs. Lockwood grabbed her son's arm in a tight grip as soon as she was in reach and pulled him away from the pristine table. "You do not have time to be lying around, Tyler Kennedy Lockwood," she scolded.

The older woman calmed herself down before she turned to the other two teenagers. She looked at the Donovan boy first as she instructed, "Matt, could you please make sure my son helps out with the heavy lifting?" Once the blonde agreed with a nod, Mrs. Lockwood swiftly turned her attention to the Gilbert girl with a soft smile. "Here is a list of things that I know will get done as I did them myself," the mayor stated as she handed Emily a piece of paper that was on top of her clipboard.

"Of course, Mrs. Lockwood," Emily began as a small smile made its way onto her face, "I will make sure everything goes perfectly like it should." She threw Tyler a smirk before turning back to the mayor and added, "and I'll make sure that Tyler isn't slacking off."

While Tyler rolled his eyes at his best friend, knowing she was only doing it to annoy him, his mother smiled brightly at the Gilbert girl. Mrs. Lockwood sighed gratefully before she commented dreamily, "oh, how I wish you would have been my daughter."

"Mom! What the hell!" Tyler exclaimed in disbelief, "your son is right here!"

Mrs. Lockwood rolled her eyes at her son's exaggeration and stated, "yes, I know, honey. Now get back to work," before she swiftly turned on her heels and walked away from the two amused teenagers and her annoyed son.

Emily and Matt couldn't help but laugh at their best friend's face that was filled with irritation once his mother had left. "I hate you," Tyler mumbled to his female best friend, "you know my mom loves you and you rub it in my face."

Emily grinned at the Lockwood boy as she shrugged her shoulders carelessly and stated, "that's your problem." She patted Tyler's cheek as she exclaimed with a smirk, "now you better get to work, Kennedy," before she walked away so she could get to work herself with the distant sound of Matt's laughter and Tyler's groaning behind her.


Emily had picked up her own clipboard and pen as she went through the list Mrs. Lockwood gave her. She felt weird just carrying around a single piece of paper. The Gilbert girl made her way through the back door of the Lockwood mansion with her clipboard, where she saw many more people helping as they were setting out the tables and stocking the bar. Emily smirked instantly when she saw that no one was by all of the top shelf alcohol. She shrugged her shoulders lightly as she thought, a small drink couldn't hurt, especially with how busy she was going to be today.

The brunette girl skipped over to the boxes of alcohol with a bright glint in her eyes. However, before she could even lay a finger on a bottle of the sweet nectar, she suddenly heard someone clear their throat from beside her. Emily quickly looked up, hoping it wasn't Mrs. Lockwood, but breathed out a sigh of relief and happiness when she saw it was the one and only Bonnie Bennett.

"Bonnie!" Emily exclaimed, "it's so good to see your beautiful face!"

The Bennett witch couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the brunette. No matter how much drama comes in their lives, there will always be one constant and that is the happy Emily Gilbert. Bonnie gave the young girl a small smile and mumbled out a quiet, "hey," before she turned her attention on the box of candles she was working on.

Emily knew there would still be some tension with Bonnie, since the whole thing about finding out her two friends are vampires. The Gilbert girl could understand that it wasn't going to be easy for Bonnie when she barely liked vampires to begin with. But it didn't mean Emily didn't hate that there was even tension in their friendship when she had missed having the Bennett girl in her life.

Emily decided she would help Bonnie work in silence. It was better than having no contact at all. So, the two girls quietly placed the large white candles on the stands around the table without any words being spoken. However, Emily soon began to notice how Bonnie would look up every couple of seconds. She sighed as she realized why she was doing that. "Caroline isn't coming and Elena isn't around right now," Emily told the Bennett girl.

Bonnie looked up at Emily briefly before muttering as she messed with a candle in her hand, "I know. I'm just making sure."

Emily hated that the four girls; her, Bonnie, Elena, and Caroline couldn't be in the same room together. There had never been a time in their lives where they were this dysfunctional. The Gilbert girl decided she would at least try to get Bonnie to open up about their broken friendship. "Maybe they should be here, so you guys can work this all out," Emily suggested lightly.

Bonnie shook her head and huffed as she angrily placed a candle into one the holders. "Could you make it a little less obvious that you're on their side?" She wondered with irritation in her voice.

"Elena is my twin sister, so I will always support her," Emily stated truthfully before adding, "but there is no wrong or right side of this, Bonnie."

Bonnie rolled her eyes, "oh, come on." She stared at Emily with a hard look as she exclaimed in a hushed whisper, "ever since Caroline and Elena became vampires, we don't even speak to each other anymore." Bonnie bit down on her bottom lip as she mumbled, "I didn't think I'd lose you too."

Emily's eyes softened as she heard Bonnie's words and how she spoke with sadness clouding her voice. She didn't even realize that she had let Bonnie fall to the side of the supernatural world. The two girls were becoming to be very close friends before the Bennett girl even found out about the vampires. Emily hated that she let the drama that comes with Mystic Falls get in the middle of their friendship. "Let's go," Emily suddenly ordered as she decided she wanted to make up for her poor excuse of being a friend.

"Where?" Bonnie questioned in confusion.

"Somewhere. Anywhere. Let's just get out of here for a little while," Emily responded before she swiped a bottle of bourbon from the table and held her other hand out to Bonnie. "Please?" She begged with a hopeful smile spreading across her face.

Bonnie couldn't help but fall under the trap that is Emily Gilbert's shiny green eyes like all the other men and women in Mystic Falls. Bonnie nodded her head as she laced her fingers with Emily's before the brunette pulled her away from all of the busy people that surrounded the Lockwood mansion.

The two girls silently walked hand and hand for a few minutes before Emily found the spot she was looking for. She was grateful that no one was by the pond, so they wouldn't be interrupted or eavesdropped on. Emily pulled Bonnie with her once again as she walked down the wooden dock, before she released her friend's hand and took a seat on the edge with her legs hanging over the dark blue water. Emily looked up at the standing Bonnie with a tiny smile and muttered, "come on."

Bonnie decided she would humor the Gilbert girl as her interest was piqued for what the brunette had to say. So she quietly sat down and hung her legs over the edge just like Emily had done.

It was quiet between the two girls as both of their eyes focused on the small rainbow that shined over the pond. But the silence was beginning to become too tense for the Gilbert girl, so she popped open the bottle of bourbon she had borrowed. She took a large gulp before passing it over to Bonnie, who only took a small sip before placing the bottle between them.

"I'm sorry," Emily apologized after a moment when she finally thought what she could say. She looked over into Bonnie's deep brown eyes as she continued, "I've been such an ass to you. I felt like I needed to focus on all of the vampire stuff that I totally forgot about my witchy friend."

A small smile lifted on Bonnie's lips as she heard the nickname come out of the brunette's mouth before she instantly frowned and focused back on the pond. "I understand Elena is your sister and Caroline has always been your best friend since the beginning," she began to explain before a sigh slipped through her lips, "I just thought nothing would have changed between us. I thought you would always be that constant in my life."

It was now Emily's turn to frown along with her brows furrowing as she was ashamed of her actions. She hated herself that she allowed for Bonnie to be pushed away. Emily reached over and grabbed Bonnie's hand softly in her own before she spoke quietly, "I know, Bonnie. And I can't apologize enough for how bad I feel for putting you in last place in my life." Emily paused before she carefully slipped the two vampires in conversation, so hopefully Bonnie will try to reach out to them, "maybe you should give Elena and Caroline a chance. They are still the same girls you grew up with. I've been around them the whole time and they are still them."

Bonnie pulled her hand away before she grabbed the bottle of bourbon with a shaky grip and brought it up to her lips to take a large gulp. Once she had swallowed the strong liquid, she looked back at the pond and stated, "they're vampires. I can't trust them anymore."

"Then trust me," Emily exclaimed as soon as the words were out of Bonnie's mouth. She didn't want to give the Bennett girl a chance to think about not being in her life. "If there is someone to put your trust in, then please trust me," Emily begged as her soft green eyes connected with Bonnie's brown ones, "you know me, Bonnie."

Bonnie knew without a single doubt that she could trust the oldest Gilbert. She was just a human girl in the middle of the supernatural world that had taken over their small town. She just felt conflicted knowing that Emily still trusted Elena and Caroline, who were now vampires. But Bonnie didn't blame Emily for what happened to her friends. The only person she does blame with hatred in her veins is Damon Salvatore.

Bonnie looked over at the Gilbert girl after a few minutes of silence and noticed Emily was looking down at her fingers like she always does when she's nervous or scared. "Okay," Bonnie finally whispered that the other girl thought she imagined what she wanted to hear.

Emily's eyes swiftly looked towards Bonnie in surprise as her heart raced in her chest. She prayed silently that she had heard Bonnie right. "Okay?" Emily questioned hopeful.

Bonnie couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's excitement, always the same ole Emily. Bonnie nodded her head once more as she responded with a stronger voice, "yeah." She reached over and grabbed Emily's hand as she continued, "I know all this will still be hard as I try to come to terms with Caroline and Elena, but without a doubt, I trust you with my life."

"Oh, thank God," Emily breathed out as she sighed in relief. She knew everything still wasn't okay between Bonnie and the other two girls, but for now, she was happy that she and Bonnie were good again. She didn't even realize until today that she had missed being around the Bennett witch.

The two girls stayed on the dock together but now with zero tension between them. It felt like before everything began to go wrong in the small town. Where there was no vampires, witches, or werewolves. They drank the bottle of bourbon and laughed together like old times. But when a calm silence settled between them along with the empty bottle of alcohol, Emily then began to explain to Bonnie about everything that had happened lately. From revealing that she has a doppelganger, who happens to be Katherine's sister, to the knowledge of werewolves. Emily told Bonnie everything she could think of. She didn't want Bonnie to be left out no matter how much the girl hated vampires. She wanted Bonnie to know so she could at least protect herself if necessary when Emily couldn't.


It was about two hours later when Emily and Bonnie had finally went back to work on the large event that would happen in less than twenty-four hours. Emily's chest had felt lighter when she and Bonnie went their separate ways as she knew her and Bonnie were okay. It was like they went right back to where they left off all those weeks ago before everything turned hectic.

Emily was now sitting at the Lockwood's large and equally as long pristine traditional chestnut dining room table as she was cleaning all of the silverware the Lockwood's owned. But it was starting to feel like they stole every silverware that the Queen of England had plus more. Emily's hands were so sore from scrubbing off the dirt and spots before wrapping them elegantly inside of a silk ivory napkin. She did have help earlier from a girl in her history class, but the girl had ran off with her friends, which annoyed Emily immensely - did they not know how important this event was to the community?

Emily was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even hear someone come up to her before the person swiped the knife from her hand. The Gilbert girl groaned instantly when she looked into the blue eyes that could only belong to the smirking Salvatore, who was twirling the silver knife between his fingers. Emily quickly grabbed the silverware from Damon as she rolled her eyes and questioned, "what do you want?"

Damon glanced around the busy Lockwood mansion as he stated, "looking for my baby bro." He turned his eyes back to the young girl and added, "speaking of which, would you mind telling your sibling to stop following me around?"

Emily placed the silverware onto the table and looked up at Damon as he gained her attention at the mention of her siblings. "Which one?" She wondered.

Damon smirked as he stated, "oh, dear Elena has been following me around, but I don't mind that at all." However, when Damon saw Emily roll her eyes and lose interest, he grew serious as he continued, "but that isn't the sibling I'm talking about."

Emily's annoyance for her sister and Damon's strange relationship disappeared instantly when she realized Damon was talking about her brother. "Jer?" She questioned worriedly. Emily definitely didn't want her baby brother around the vampire that had already killed him.

Damon nodded his head before he lifted his chin towards the ceiling once he heard the familiar stomping of a pair of squeaky sneakers that belonged to the youngest Gilbert. "Ask eager beaver," Damon told the brunette before he swiftly walked away to find his own brother.

Emily's brows furrowed as she watched Damon walk away without a single explanation. She huffed out a sigh as she realized she would have to find out what he meant herself. Emily stood up from the table so she could go look for the troubled teen, but didn't have to look far as her brother was walking right in front of her to follow after the oldest Salvatore. "Oh, no, no, no," Emily exclaimed as she quickly grabbed her brother's arm and turned him to face her. "Why are you following Damon like a lost puppy?" She interrogated with a tint of worry in her commanding voice.

Jeremy rolled his eyes in annoyance and crossed his arms over his chest as he mumbled stubbornly, "I'm not following him like a puppy." He looked up at his sister once he heard a heavy sigh leave her lips. "Damon and I have an understanding," Jeremy tried to explain to ease his sister's mind, "and we're working together."

Emily's eyes widened as soon as the words fell from her brother's mouth. "Jeremy, no!" She yelled in a whisper so they wouldn't attract attention. "That is the worst idea you could ever have! Don't you remember, oh, I don't know, that he killed you!" She exclaimed.

Jeremy shook his head and raised his hand with the heavy magical ring that had kept him living from the attack of the vampire who he was now helping. "But I didn't die," he stated as he tried to convince his worried sister that he would be fine.

"That doesn't matter, Jeremy!" Emily continued as she raised her voice. "Sure everything is fine right now, but something bad is going to happen and Damon will snap without a doubt, and I do not want it to be your life, Jer," Emily explained but as she spoke her voice turned softer. She wasn't necessarily mad at her brother, it's just she didn't like Jeremy helping the vampire when he could end up dead again, and he might not be lucky enough to live this time.

Jeremy stared at his sister while a tense silence surrounded them before he shook his head. He wasn't going to allow himself to feel guilty for doing something his sister didn't like. "No, Emily," he exclaimed in a strong voice, "you can't protect me from everything in the world. I want to do this," before he quickly walked away to go find Damon.

Emily growled under her breath. She couldn't let Jeremy get involved with whatever Damon was doing. It will not end well for anyone. Emily went to rush after the two culprits, but soon realized she couldn't just leave all the silverware to sit like this or it wouldn't get finished in time. So the Gilbert girl scanned the room before she found a trustworthy girl that is on the cheerleading squad. "Cheryl!" Emily called out to gain the girl's attention. Once the cheerleader began to make her way to the table, Emily gave her a polite smile. "Hey, could you be the best person ever and finish up here? I would really appreciate it," Emily spoke with a charming grin that no one could ever turn down.

Cheryl quickly nodded her head at the cheer captain of the Mystic Falls Timberwolves. "Of course, Emily," she agreed as a bright smile shined on her ruby red lips.

Emily touched the copper golden haired girl's shoulder softly and praised her fellow cheerleader, "thank you so much, Cher." Emily threw her purse across her chest and stated, "I will make sure Mrs. Lockwood knows how well you helped the community," before she swiftly walked away and lost her smile as she looked for the human boy and the blue eyed vampire.

Emily had spent at least five minutes searching the inside of the mansion for Jeremy and Damon, but to no vice, she couldn't find them anywhere. She thought they must be outside, so Emily rushed down the front stairs of the Lockwood mansion and turned the corner before she instantly slammed right into a hard wall.

Emily groaned as she felt her head beginning to pound from slamming into the wall. But she didn't remember there ever being a wall there, so she looked up and instantly blushed when she saw a smiling Stefan Salvatore looking down at her in amusement. It reminded Emily of the first day of sophomore year when she had bumped into Stefan in the same way as she walked out of the men's restroom.

"Hi," Emily muttered in a soft voice as she pointed her head towards the sky so she could look directly at the vampire's face.

"Hi," Stefan whispered back in the same soft tone that the Gilbert girl used as he stared into his favorite pair of eyes.

Emily shook her head after a moment when she realized she was in some sort of trance with the younger Salvatore. She closed her eyes briefly as she took a deep breath. But once Emily opened her eyes, anger came back to mind as she remembered why she was outside instead of helping with the event. Emily punched Stefan's arm, even though she knew it wouldn't hurt, as she questioned with anger in her voice, "why is your brother pulling my brother into some plan that is probably evil?"

"Ouch," Stefan mumbled while he rubbed his arm as he hoped it would put a smile on her face instead of the deep frown she was sporting. But it didn't work. Stefan sighed heavily before he explained what had been going on lately while Emily has been in the dark, "they are trying to find the moonstone. It's how werewolves can break the sun and the moon curse and be free to turn whenever they want."

Emily nodded her head silently as she remembered the curse Vanessa had mentioned. "We learned about that at Duke University," she stated before wondering, "why does Damon need Jeremy? Why can't Damon find it on his own?"

Stefan looked at the young girl nervously for a moment as he didn't know how badly Emily was going to react. "Jeremy is trying to get it from Tyler," he finally answered.

Emily's eyes instantly flared with anger and annoyance once again for the second time in less than ten minutes. She was angry because she couldn't believe Damon would bring Jeremy into all of this and annoyed because her brother promised her only a few days ago that he wouldn't go digging into things that didn't involve him. "Not if I can help it," Emily growled under her breath as she quickly turned around to go stop her brother from doing something stupid.

However, before she could get too far, Stefan swiftly grabbed her arm and twirled her back around which caused Emily to be even closer to the vampire. "That's not a good idea," Stefan mumbled as his lips were only centimeters from Emily's. If the wind were to push them, his lips would be on hers instantly. Stefan shook his head mentally as he tried to get that idea out of his mind. He grew serious as he looked into Emily's green eyes. "I need you to stay out of this," he stated before he brought his hand to Emily's cheek and exclaimed, "I will watch Damon and Jeremy the whole time and make sure nothing happens to your brother. Just promise me you will stay out of the way."

Without Emily's knowledge or she just subconsciously did it, she leaned her face in Stefan's hand as his warm fingers moved across her skin. "I promise," Emily whispered as she stared right into Stefan's forest green eyes.

Stefan rubbed Emily's cheek softly for a few seconds before his right hand slowly slid to her shoulder and left a feathered touch all the way down her arm until he linked their fingers together in a perfect hold. He gave her hand a tight squeeze before he slipped his hand away, even though he did love the feeling of holding her close, before he made his way to find the youngest Gilbert and his brother to fulfill his promise.

Emily stood there for a moment before she groaned and grumbled, "dammit." She had fallen under Stefan's stupid charm. She hated that he made her feel that type of way. Every time they were close and alone, her brain would just turn to scrambled eggs. Emily pushed the small brown hairs away from her eyes as she huffed out a sigh before turning around. She decided to just get back to work as she hoped Stefan would keep her brother safe.


Emily had been working nonstop ever since she found out about what was going on with her brother and the moonstone. She knew if she even stopped for one second, then she would start worrying like crazy and end up driving herself insane. So Emily busied herself with talking to Cheryl, a fellow cheerleader, as they sat the elegant silverware filled napkins around the large round tables that were placed perfectly around the Lockwood's bright green yard.

"How's your brother, Jason, doing?" Emily wondered as she glanced over to the copper golden haired girl before she continued to place napkins around a table. "I heard about his accident the other day. I was thinking about stopping by the hospital to see him tomorrow," Emily stated.

Cheryl looked up at the brunette with a soft smile on her rosy lips at the mention of her twin brother. "He's better," she responded before explaining, "the mayor is planning on shutting the lake off where he almost drowned until they can make it safer." The two girls continued to work in a peaceful silence before Cheryl spoke up again as she informed the brunette, "Jason is back at home now, but I bet he would love for you to visit him." She chuckled as she shook her head, "you know how much that boy adores you."

Emily couldn't help the blush that rose to her cheeks. Jason was her very first kiss when they were in the first grade. She always had a soft spot for the boy ever since the Blossom twins and the Gilbert twins met in preschool. But the boy and girl's parents weren't really a big fan of her family, so Emily never did get the chance to get close with Jason. Emily looked up to Cheryl with a smile as she began to speak, "I think I will -"

However, before she could finish her sentence, Emily was interrupted by her cell phone ringing in her jacket pocket. "Sorry," Emily apologized to Cheryl before she answered the phone without seeing who was calling. "Hello," the brunette spoke as she brought the electronic device to her ear.

"Hey, Emmie, it's Bonnie," the young girl greeted her friend before getting straight to the point as she questioned, "do you happen to remember that old well we all used to play around when we were younger? Caroline and I can't think of where it's located."

Emily's eyebrows shot up in surprise when the girl mentioned who she was with. She didn't think her talk with Bonnie would work so fast. "Oh? You and Caroline are already talking again?" She asked with a tint of hope in her voice. She really wanted the witch and the vampire to be friends like they used to be.

Bonnie nodded her head before she realized Emily couldn't see her. "Uh, yeah, we're getting there," she mumbled awkwardly before questioning again, "so, do you remember the place?"

Emily thought for a short moment before she answered as she remembered their old secret hangout spot, "yeah, it's 237 steps from the Lockwood's pond, where that one tree with the bike stuck in it." Emily furrowed her brows as she wondered, "why did you want to know?"

"I need you to meet Caroline and I there," Bonnie ordered before she explained, "I think that's where the moonstone is hidden."

Emily didn't know how Bonnie knew about the moonstone, but she did know it was important that they find it. "Yeah, of course, I'll be right there," she told Bonnie before she swiftly hung up her phone and placed it back into her leather jacket pocket. Emily looked up at Cheryl with a small smile as she stated jokingly, "the work never stops coming."

Cheryl chuckled as she waved her hand and uttered, "go ahead. I shouldn't be too much longer."

Emily grabbed her black and white purse, that sat in one of the elegant chairs, and slipped it over her shoulder before she looked back to the copper golden haired girl. "I can't thank you enough for helping," she praised before she began to walk away. But as she continued to walk, Emily turned around and told the young girl, "I'll try to stop by sometime tomorrow to visit Jason." She winked as she added, "but don't tell him. I want it to be a surprise," before she turned her body back around and broke into a jog as she went to find the familiar well.

Once Emily reached the pond behind the Lockwood mansion, she thought for a moment before remembering that she only has to walk directly from the middle of the pond to the woods and she would be right in front of the well. So Emily carefully walked around the water until she was aligned with the middle of the pond before she began to walk through the woods, hoping she doesn't end up tripping with her heeled boots. Emily didn't bother counting like she used to do when she was a kid, instead she just looked for the rusted bike that was stuck inside of a large oak tree.

It only took Emily a few minutes to find the rusted bike on her left before she spotted the well right in front of her. Emily remembered when she was younger, she would crawl on the well that stood at least four feet in the air and act like she was the queen of Mystic Falls.

Emily couldn't find Bonnie nor Caroline as she looked around the small area, so she decided to see if she could spot anything inside of the well. But as she moved her face close to the steel gate that blocked off the contents, Emily suddenly banged her forehead against the hard surface when she heard someone yell out, "what are you doing here?"

"Shit," Emily heard the same voice swear under their breath as she moaned out in pain before she felt someone hold her face in their hands. Emily realized that she had closed her eyes when her face made impact with the hard surface. So when the pain finally stopped, Emily opened them and stared right into a familiar pair of forest green eyes.

Stefan held the Gilbert girl's face softly in his warm hands as he rubbed a long finger across the forming bump on her forehead. "Are you okay?" He whispered as he looked at Emily with obvious worry shining through his eyes.

Emily's breath hitched as she realized their close proximity and that there was no one around to interrupt them. She quickly took a step back, causing her back to ram right into the hard well. Even if it was only a few inches from the vampire, it still helped. She couldn't allow herself to feel something for her sister's boyfriend. "Uh, I'm fine. Bonnie, um, told me to meet her here," Emily finally mumbled as she avoided looking into Stefan's dreamy eyes. The Gilbert girl turned her back to the vampire as she looked down the well and added, "she thinks the moonstone is down there."

Stefan stared at the backside of the twitching girl with furrowed brows. He couldn't understand it, but he wanted, no needed, to be closer to her - but he knew it wasn't the right time. "Bonnie called me too," Stefan stated while he lightly touched Emily's waist as he moved around her. He pulled the rusted lock off of the steel circular gate before he grabbed it easily and threw the gate to the side. Once there was nothing blocking the entrance, Stefan turned on a large flashlight and shined it down to the underground well. However, when he couldn't see what was inside, Stefan huffed out a sigh and jumped right on top of the edge. But before he could dive inside, Stefan felt Emily grab onto his lower arm, causing him to twist towards the brunette beauty.

Emily stared into Stefan's green eyes for a moment before she finally whispered, "be careful." She didn't know why, but she just had this bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Stefan nodded his head and stated to reassure the young girl, "I'll only be down there for a minute." He took a deep breath as he stared right at Emily before he dropped down into the well without a second thought.

Emily gasped as she quickly looked down the entrance before mumbling, "asshole." Stefan didn't even give her an indication that he was going down the well. Emily rolled her eyes when she heard Stefan's laughter bounce off the walls. But once silence took over the woods, Emily turned around and leaned against the well as she waited patiently for Stefan to find the moonstone. However, while Emily stood there alone, she began to wonder what was taking Bonnie and Caroline so long. Emily decided that she would give them a call, so she pulled her cell phone out of her jacket pocket. But as Emily was looking through her contact list, she suddenly heard Stefan yell out her name.

Emily swiftly forgot about calling her friend as she shoved her phone back into her jacket pocket before she leaned over the well's edge and shouted down to the vampire, "Stef! What's going on?"

"Emily!" Stefan yelled out again as pain began to take over his body.

"Stefan! What's happening!?" Emily shouted frantically. She didn't understand what was going on but his yelling was beginning to make her feel extremely nervous. It also didn't help that she couldn't even see him.

"V-V-Vervain!" Stefan tried to yell as he felt his throat closing up. "Vervain!" He cried out clearly once more with the last bit of energy he had left.

Emily's eyes widened in shock once she heard what was surrounding the vampire. "Oh, my God. Oh, my God," she mumbled under her breath as she tried to think what to do. Emily took a step back from the well as she felt herself beginning to tremble. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she tried to block everything out of her mind. She knew she needed to relax so she could focus. Finally, Emily opened her eyes once she had calmed down and instantly spotted something that could help her. A set of chains. However, as she pulled on the end of the chains, they wouldn't even budge. "No, no, no," Emily yelled as she continued to pull as her boots dug into the ground. She wasn't going to give up. She needed to help Stefan.

"Emily!" A familiar voice suddenly called out which instantly stopped the Gilbert girl's panicked rambling.

Emily quickly stood all the way up from the ground at the loud voice, but sighed in relief when she saw it was her best friend. However, the relieved feeling didn't last long before Emily remembered the current predicament. "It's Stefan! He's down there and I can't get him!" Emily quickly explained to the blonde vampire.

Caroline didn't even bother responding to the brunette as she swiftly climbed on top of the well. But before she could jump down to help Stefan, the Gilbert girl quickly grabbed onto her arm and exclaimed, "you can't! It's filled with vervain!"

Caroline quickly jumped off of the well at the revelation as she didn't want to be anywhere near the burning liquid. It wasn't even a second later, before the blonde vampire began to pace up and down the dirt covered ground as she tried to think what she could do to help.

"Caroline!" Emily yelled impatiently at the pacing girl. She pointed to the rusted chains that she had tried to get off of the ground. "Grab those and wrap them around me!" Emily commanded.

The blonde vampire quickly nodded her head before she jogged towards the chains and grabbed them with ease unlike the human girl. "Are you sure about this?" Caroline questioned nervously to her best friend.

Emily took off her purse and jacket and threw them to the ground before she moved in front of Caroline. "This is the only way," she stated as she took a deep breath to calm herself down. However, when she felt Caroline wrap the cold chains tightly around her stomach, Emily's breath hitched for the second time in the woods. But she knew she couldn't think too hard about it now or she would end up chickening out.

Emily shakily climbed on the edge of the well once Caroline had gave her a small nod when she was finished securing the chains around her waist. The Gilbert girl was scared out of her mind but tried to ignore that small part of her that told her to turn around and run away from the danger. But Emily shook that thought out of her mind. She wasn't going to turn her back on Stefan when he needed her.

Caroline laid her hand on Emily's shoulder as she steadied the young girl. "Hey, I got you. You're going to be okay," the vampire spoke as she tried to console her best friend, who was shaking like a leaf.

Emily looked over her shoulder and into her best friend's blue eyes as she nodded her head and mumbled quietly, "I know." It wasn't that Emily didn't trust Caroline to keep her safe. She was just frightened that she would either fall to her death or not be able to save Stefan.

Caroline grabbed onto the chains silently from Emily's waist to lower her down. But before either girl could move, Bonnie suddenly came rushing towards them as she was out of breath. "What's going on?" The Bennett witch gasped to the vampire, "you just ran off." However, Caroline didn't have the chance to explain before Bonnie's eyes moved towards Emily on top of the well and questioned in disbelief, "are you crazy? What are you doing?"

Emily leaned over the well as her fingers grasped tightly to the bricks while she was crouched down. The Gilbert girl felt her inner Batman shining out like she was watching over Gotham instead of trying to save someone she was beginning to have feelings for. "I need to help Stefan," Emily whispered to Bonnie before she looked over to Caroline and nodded her head as she was ready to descend inside the well.

Caroline gave her best friend one last look before she made sure she had a tight grip on the chains. But the vampire still didn't like their odds, so she looked over to Bonnie and stated, "come help me." It wasn't too much longer before the two supernatural beings began to lower the human girl into the old well.

Emily was about a third of the way down the dark tunnel when she suddenly felt like she was falling to her death before all movement came to an abrupt stop. "Sorry!" The Gilbert girl heard not even a millisecond later as the vampire's voice bounced off of the brick walls. Emily closed her eyes as she heaved out a sigh while she held the rusted chains in a death grip. "It's okay," she finally called out to her best friend once she had calmed down before commanding, "just keep going! We got to keep going!"

Emily planted her black boots against the hard brick wall as she felt Caroline and Bonnie continue to lower her into the well. She hoped it would at least slow her down so they wouldn't have another accident like they just did. While Emily descended down the well, she decided to screw her eyes closed as she tried to calm herself from the feeling of the walls closing in on her. But once she felt freezing cold water reach the inside of her boots, Emily snapped her eyes open and gasped instantly at what she saw.

Emily quickly placed her feet onto the ground and unhooked the chains from herself before she shakily moved towards the unconscious vampire. "Stef," she whimpered as she how bad he looked from the small light that was shining on his face. Emily knew that he needed out of here as soon as possible, so she quickly linked him to the chains before yelling out, "pull him up!"

Emily waited to make sure Stefan was out of the well before she reached for the only light source that was bopping up and down in the dark water. Once the flashlight was in her hand, Emily quickly began to search for the reason they were here.

"Emily! We're ready for you!" Caroline's voice bounced off of the walls as she threw the rusted chains down to her best friend.

"Hold on!" Emily called out as she bent down and pushed her unoccupied hand through the water, "we need the moonstone or this would have been for nothing!"

Emily continued to reach around the water but still couldn't feel anything, so she sat down on her knees, which caused her head to barely stay afloat. What felt like hours, but were actually seconds, before she finally wrapped her fingers around a medium sized box. Emily didn't want to get her hopes up if this wasn't what they were looking for, so she didn't even bother saying anything to the supernatural beings. Instead, she dropped the flashlight in the water with it pointed towards her before she began to try to open the box to make sure it did contain the moonstone. But as she reached for the latch, Emily suddenly felt something crawling on her shoulder.

Emily looked over her shoulder in confusion before she instantly screamed bloody murder as she saw two beady eyes that could only belong to the one creature she couldn't stand, a snake. Emily quickly pushed the creature off of her before she noticed the multiple pair of snakes coming closer. "Hell no, hell no, hell no," she mumbled as she swiftly grabbed onto the rusted chains and wrapped it back around her waist before snatching the box from the water. "Pull me up now!" Emily yelled as she continuously tried to keep the slithering snakes off of her.

Emily sighed in relief as she could now feel the bright sun on her wet skin while her two friends pulled her all the way out of the well. The Bennett witch was the one to pull Emily to her feet before the blonde vampire began to unwrap the chains from her waist. "Oh, thank God," Emily mumbled as she relaxed against Bonnie's chest. She swore that she would never go inside any unknown water ever again.

Emily took a step away from Bonnie once she gained her strength back and could stand on her own. The water and the stress had taken a lot out of her. Emily turned around to go see if she had an extra shirt in purse, but gasped in shock when she noticed Stefan's body lying on the ground. Emily completely forgot about the wet clothes clinging to her body as she quickly ran and slid down to her knees in front of Stefan's unconscious form. "Oh, Stef," Emily mumbled as she brought her hand to his cheek. But when he wouldn't even move or make a sound, Emily knew that he was in bad shape.

Emily looked around her surroundings for a moment before she spotted her purse right by Stefan's head. She quickly reached for it and dumped everything out before she grabbed a pair of scissors she had. Emily closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she placed the cold metal across her palm before she slid the blade down her skin. Once she saw blood oozing from her hand, Emily used her other one to pull Stefan's jaw open before placing her bleeding palm into his mouth. The Gilbert girl flinched at first when she felt the vampire drinking from her, but relaxed after she got used to the weird feeling.

"Oh, hey," Emily whispered with a tiny smile as she noticed Stefan's reddened eyes staring up at her. She carefully pulled his head on her lap from the hard ground before she began to brush his wet hair soothingly. "I got the moonstone, Stef. We're okay," Emily spoke softly into Stefan's ear while her warm blood dripped down his dry throat.

Emily ignored the presence of her two friends as all the tension left her body with Stefan being so close to her. But she knew that feeling wouldn't last long. It never does when you live in the supernatural filled town of Mystic Falls.


Emily drummed her finger tips against the leather steering wheel of her black car as she and Stefan rode in a peaceful silence. They both were exhausted from everything that had transpired in the last thirty minutes. Emily had gave Stefan about half a pint of her blood in the middle of the woods until she was sure he would be okay. The vampire had tried to stop her, but Emily was stronger in that moment, so he couldn't exactly fight her when he was so weak.

It was only a couple of minutes later before Emily finally pulled in front of the Salvatore boarding house. "Are you okay?" The Gilbert girl questioned once she had turned off her car and twisted her body towards the quiet Stefan.

Stefan's now healthy green eyes stayed glued on the one and only moonstone that he was twirling in his fingers as he whispered strongly, "yeah." He moved his attention off of the rock after a moment of silence and stared at the brunette girl before he brought his hand to her cheek and rubbed it softly. "Thank you," he muttered as his top lip curled into a grateful smile.

Emily felt like she was stuck in Stefan's gaze, but this time she didn't want to move away. Instead, she leaned into his hand and whispered with an adoring smile, "of course. I'll always come running towards the danger when you're involved."

Stefan's smile instantly turned into a frown but still kept his hand settled on her cheek like it was finally home. "Yeah, well, don't make it a routine," he stated teasingly.

"Yeah, well, don't give me a reason to," Emily muttered with the same teasing tone as the vampire. The Gilbert girl's smile turned into a smirk as she added, "besides, I love saving your ass."

The quietness was instantly broken not even a second later as Stefan's booming laughter rang through the small black car. He shook his head at the young girl with humor shining through his eyes. "Come on. We should get inside," Stefan stated once a calmness settled between them.

The human girl and the vampire boy quietly made their way inside of the Salvatore boarding house. Their fingers grazed each other's every couple of seconds as they walked side by side. But all the playfulness and carelessness melted away once they stepped foot into the living room.

"Oh, my God," Emily gasped as she saw Mason tied to a throne-like chair while her baby brother stood in the corner of the room and Stefan's brother stood in front of the werewolf with her twin sister right next to him. But as soon as the words fell out of her mouth, everyone's eyes were on her. Emily went to rush towards Mason, but was instantly stopped when Stefan brought her into his chest.

"No, Stefan! Let me go!" Emily yelled as she fought his tight grip.

"Stefan," Elena called out as she watched her sister squirm with her sorrow filled brown eyes. "Let her go," she ordered in a soft whisper. Elena felt sorry for her sister. She knew how this was all going to end and she didn't even warn her sister when they were planning on killing someone she loves.

Once Emily felt the pressure of Stefan's body release her, she slowly walked towards the werewolf with tears in her eyes. She knew as soon as she saw him that this was the end of Mason. She already knew it was going to happen at the volunteer picnic, but now it felt more real.

"Mase," Emily whimpered as she fell to her knees in front of the chair that held someone she thought as family.

The Lockwood man had tears in his brown eyes as he stared down at the young girl. "I am so sorry, Emmie," Mason whispered with a voice filled of regret. He hated to see her hurting, especially when he was the reason.

Emily grabbed Mason's warm hand from where his arm was wrapped in a tight rope to hold him into place. "Me too," she whispered back. She didn't care what the three vampires and her brother would hear right now, she just wanted some time with Mason. Emily took a shaky deep breath before she spoke with a broken voice, "we never did get to have that milkshake and fries like you promised."

Mason chuckled lightly, despite the pain and what was to come, as the oldest Gilbert girl just had that affect. "I know," he whispered as his point finger ran over Emily's hand. "But every time you do go drink a milkshake with a side of fries, I'll always be there with you," Mason stated as he tried to console the young girl before his death.

"You won't really," Emily mumbled stubbornly, "it won't be the same."

"You're right. But you will get used to it," Mason muttered sadly. "I am really sorry that this is happening," he apologized once again as a calm silence fell between him and the human girl. "If I could, I would take all the threats back so I wouldn't have to see this ugly look on your face," Mason added but with a small teasing tone towards the end of his speech.

Emily covered her face with her hand as another round of tears rained down her cheeks and a sob racked through her body. "This is not the time for jokes, Mase," she scolded the older man as a barely noticeable smile made its way onto her chapped lips.

Mason chuckled lightly with his hoarse throat before he confessed, "but I wanted to see a smile on that beautiful face one last time."

"God, you are making this so much harder," Emily grumbled as she pushed her wet hair out of her eyes. She knew saying goodbye was going to be hard, but she didn't know it was going to be this difficult.

Mason gave Emily a half smile and declared, "I'm so proud to have gotten the opportunity to see you grow to a beautiful young woman. You are such a strong and smart person, Emmie. You are going to be that doctor you always wanted to be."

"A cardiothoracic surgeon," Emily corrected.

Mason grinned and stated, "yeah, that." He gripped the young girl's hand as he continued, "you, Emily Gilbert, are going to change the world someday. I know it. And I know that you are going to start hurting soon, but you know what? That is just going to make you so much stronger. Right?"

Emily wiped away the tears with her other hand as she quickly nodded her head and promised, "I won't let you down." She touched Mason's face lightly with her shaky fingers and confessed, "you will always be that older brother I never had."

"And you will always be my baby sister," Mason stated, "no matter what happens once you leave."

Emily instantly shook her head and spoke with as strong as a voice she could muster, "I am not leaving your side."

"Yes, yes, you are," Mason commanded before he added, "I do not want you to see what happens to me." The werewolf lifted his eyes towards Emily's vampire sister while the aforementioned girl was busy crying into his lap. The last thing he wanted was for her to see him die. Mason knew that it would ruin her.

Emily felt tears drop down her face like a waterfall at the thought of Mason being gone. She began to panic even more when she suddenly felt someone lift her from the ground. "No, no, no. I'm not leaving you," Emily cried as she tried to reach out to the werewolf.

"Hey, hey, hey," Elena spoke softly, "let's go home." But when her sister wouldn't even budge, Elena continued as she tried to convince Emily, "you know you don't want to see this, Emmie. It will only make it worse. You don't want to remember him like that."

Those were the only words the saddened girl needed before she stopped resisting to pull away from her sister. While Elena did loosen her grip, she still held Emily cautiously in case the human girl's legs failed her.

Emily turned around in Elena's grip before she cried into her twin sister's chest. It took a few minutes before she calmed herself down enough to say her final goodbye. Emily took a large deep breath before she slowly pushed herself out of Elena's arms and moved to stand directly in front of the dying werewolf. But as she stood there, Emily didn't know what to say. It was like her heart was being ripped out of her chest.

"Hey, it's going to be okay," Mason spoke gently. "You are going to be fine, I promise you. But I need you to promise me something back," he uttered before he waited for the young girl to nod her head in agreement. "I need you to protect Tyler from all this and if he does turn, then you will help him through it," Mason requested before adding softly, "I just want you and him to be safe. That's all I ever wanted."

Emily nodded her head repeatedly. "I promise," she whispered. Emily placed her hand on the side of Mason's face before she leaned down to place a lingering kiss on the top of his head. "It's okay. You can go. We'll be fine," Emily stated before saying the last three words she would ever speak to Mason Lockwood, her family, "I love you."

Mason had tears running down his dirty cheeks. He knew this was really the end. This would be the last conversation he would ever have with someone he cares for. But he knew he needed to be strong for Emily, so he whispered those four words as his brown eyes stayed locked on her tearful green ones, "I love you too." He squeezed her hand before he added, "I'll see you soon, princess."

Emily squeezed Mason's hand back as she looked at him for the last time before she walked straight back into her sister's chest. She knew Mason was trying to ease her pain that was to come by not saying goodbye, but nothing would help. She just felt agony.

Emily ignored the guilty looks from the Salvatore brothers as her own sister and brother led her out of the boarding house. If it was her choice, she would have stayed until his last breath. But Emily knew Elena was right, it would only make everything worse. She just didn't know how she was just supposed to be fine after knowing Mason Lockwood wouldn't be alive and in her life anymore.