Emily wasn't exactly sure what time it was when she suddenly felt her body waking up. The Radkova witch did know it was way too early, though, from the heavy sounds of sores that surrounded her in the living room.
Last night, the group of supernatural beings and the humans ended up having a little sleepover at the Gilbert house. It had been almost three in the morning when Scott and Stiles were going to drive all the way back to Beacon Hills.
Emily didn't want anything to happen to the duo, so the Radkova witch thought it would be safer for them to spend the night. At least then they wouldn't have to travel in the pitch black dark and possibly have a car accident.
The group ended taking lodge all across the Gilbert house. Emily fell asleep on a pallet of blankets and pillows right between Scott and Tyler in the center of the living room. Stiles passed out on the couch with his limbs hanging in odd positions. Meanwhile, Elena and Damon along with Alaric and Jenna went to sleep in their respected bedrooms.
It wasn't until Emily had wiped the sleep from her green eyes and allowed for her brain to properly work before the Radkova witch finally realized why she had woken up in the first place. The loud sound of Emily's cell phone was coming underneath her pillow, causing the noise traveled all across the living room.
The Stilinski teenager groaned from his position on the couch. "Turn it off!" Stiles sluggishly begged before he turned his body to face the opposite direction and pulled the blanket over his face. Stiles could only hope that it was block out the sound, so he could fall back to dreamland.
Emily softly giggled as she pushed her body to sit up. The Gilbert girl slightly turned and reached her hand underneath the pillow to grab her cell phone.
Emily turned back around once she had the device squeezed between her fingers before the Gilbert girl noticed the obstacle laid on either side of her. Emily didn't want to wake everyone up but she knew she needed to get out the living room to answer her phone.
The Radkova witch silently prayed for the two werewolves to stay asleep as Emily slowly removed Tyler's arm from around her waist along with Scott's hand that was holding onto her free arm.
Emily sighed in relief once she fully standing up before she quickly remembered her ringing device. The Radkova witch took quick steps as she made her way into the kitchen. Emily went to the furthest side, so her voice didn't wake anyone up before she finally looked down to her cell phone.
Emily's eyebrows immediately furrowed when she saw that an unknown caller was trying to reach her. The Radkova witch had no idea who it could be. Emily did know it couldn't be Stefan since the last time he called, it had shown an actual number.
The Gilbert girl was too curious to just let the call go to voicemail, so Emily pressed the accept button on her cell phone before she brought the device up to her ear. "Hello?" Emily cautiously greeted the unknown person.
"Ooh," the voice on the other side of the line murmured, "it's so good to hear a familiar voice."
Emily was still half asleep as she tried to rack her brain to comprehend who she was speaking to. It took the Radkova witch a couple more seconds before Emily's green eyes widened in surprise. "Katherine?" The Gilbert girl quietly whispered.
"I always knew you were too good for that town," the Petrova vampire teased. "Did you miss me?" Katherine cooed with an obvious smirk shining across her lips that could be heard through the vampire's tone of voice.
"I mean, yeah," Emily murmured before she asked in confusion, "but where have you been?"
Emily was honestly very surprised to hear from her sister's doppelganger. She hadn't seen Katherine since the night Damon was cured from his werewolf bite and Stefan was forced to leave with Klaus.
It felt like so long ago. The Radkova witch never thought she would get the chance to speak to Katherine again after she left. Emily thought the Petrova vampire would go into hiding, so the hybrid didn't find her. Then again, Katherine has always been a fighter. It wasn't in Katherine to cower away. The Petrova fire and all.
"Oh, you know, just around," Katherine uttered as she skirted passed the question.
"Is everything okay? Did something happen?" Emily worriedly asked the Petrova vampire. "I know you wouldn't take the chance coming back here after Klaus," the Radkova witch mumbled.
"Smart girl," Katherine cooed with a wide grin. "But you're right," the Petrova vampire stated as she shook her head, "I have no plans of ever returning back to that place."
"What is it, then?" The Radkova witch curiously asked.
"I've missed you," Katherine murmured with a tone of teasing in her voice. "I was quite sad I didn't get the chance to watch my little witch grow," the Petrova vampire stated.
Emily softly chuckled before she muttered, "it's been a crazy journey since then."
"Oh?" Katherine inquired as her left eyebrow lifted up. "Do tell," the Petrova vampire requested.
Emily leaned the right side of her body against the door that led to the backyard. "Well, I brought Elena back," the Radkova witch recalled with an easiness to her voice as if she had just told Katherine what two plus two equals.
Katherine froze for half a second before she tightly squeezed the payphone between her fingers. "You're joking, right?" The Petrova vampire slowly asked.
"Nope," Emily muttered with a light chuckle.
"Emily, do you not realize how danger that spell is?" Katherine quickly interrogated in worry for the young witch. "It could ruin you, possibly kill you!" The Petrova vampire exclaimed.
Katherine, of course, was no witch but she had been acquaintances with Maria Radkova for a while. Katherine had begged the witch to perform that spell on Darina but the witch always told her that it was too dangerous. Maria had even told the Petrova vampire about all of the consequences of performing that spell.
"I know," Emily sighed as she tossed her head back and stared up at the ceiling. "But I have it under control," the Radkova witch promised as she tried to assure her ancestor through the phone.
"I can't believe those stupid idiots let you put yourself in danger like that!" Katherine growled.
"Hey," Emily cooed before she informed the Petrova vampire, "it was my idea, my choice." The Gilbert girl released a heavy breath before she quietly whispered, so no one in the house would hear, "all they needed to know was that Elena was coming back. I took care of the rest."
The Petrova vampire released a couple of tsking sounds from her lips. "Is my little witch turning into a bad witch?" Katherine teasingly asked.
"Ah, well, I kind of already went down that road," Emily mumbled as she briefly flinched at the memories of all the bad things she had done during that time. "I had a little emotionless journey for a while," the Radkova witch informed Katherine.
"Aww, too bad I wasn't there," the Petrova vampire mumbled before a pout took over her face. "We could of had some fun together," Katherine uttered with an exaggerated sigh.
Emily giggled before she murmured, "oh, I'm sure."
The witch and the vampire shared a series of chuckles together before Katherine was the one to sober up first. "What's the juice on the Stefan forefront?" The Petrova vampire curiously asked. "I wouldn't doubt you would have been searching for him," Katherine murmured.
Emily heavily sighed at the thought of her boyfriend and his situation. "He's still stuck with Klaus if that's what you mean," the Gilbert girl muttered.
"I've been trying to get him back but every plan just fails," Emily recalled to the Petrova vampire as a deep frown took over her facial features. "It's so frustrating!" The Radkova witch whined, "I'll come up with a solid plan before it just get destroyed right in front of me."
"If only I could just find out where they were going," Emily absently mumbled.
It was the one question that the Radkova witch was begging to find the answer to. Emily, of course, knew there still would be a tough road ahead of her but at least then she would know where to look.
"Hmm," the Petrova vampire hummed, "that's interesting you would say that."
"Why?" Emily immediately questioned back. The Gilbert girl couldn't help but notice something in Katherine's voice. She just wasn't sure what. "Do you know something I don't?" Emily quickly asked.
"I might," Katherine playfully cooed.
The Radkova witch's brows scrunched up as she took in Katherine's words. There was no way the Petrova vampire would know more than they did unless Katherine actually saw them with her own two eyes.
"Are you following them?" Emily curiously inquired.
"God no," Katherine scoffed as she rolled her brown eyes. "I don't want to be anywhere near that asshole," the Petrova vampire muttered before she explained, "but I have heard some interesting things through the grapevine."
"What did you hear?" The Radkova witch anxiously asked. Emily knew whatever the Petrova vampire heard could make or break her plan in bringing Stefan back home. Emily only hoped it was something good.
"I heard Klaus pitched a fit once his hybrids didn't work out," Katherine mentioned.
Emily silently nodded her head as she figured that was what happened when they were trying to get out of the Great Smoky Mountains. It seemed like the hybrid that they met had turned out badly from what Tyler and Damon had told her about their fight with the hybrid.
"Yeah," Emily muttered before she told the Petrova vampire, "we realized that yesterday."
Katherine waved her hand around in the air as she stated, "apparently, Klaus had gone looking for answers."
"Do you know where?" The Radkova witch inquired.
Emily figured if they knew where Klaus was looking for answers, then they would be a step closer to bringing Stefan back home while Klaus was distracted by his hybrid problem.
"It seems like they are heading to the windy city," Katherine informed the Radkova witch.
Emily's brows immediately furrowed together at the vampire's response. "Chicago," the Gilbert girl mumbled the city through her mouth before she asked, "are you sure?"
"Yup," the Petrova vampire popped her lips as she muttered the word. "He's looking for some witch in Chicago to talk about his inability to produce hybrids," Katherine informed her sister's doppelganger.
"Holy shit," Emily gasped with her green eyes widened as she quickly straightened her body instead of leaning against the door. "This is what I've been searching for!" The Radkova witch excitedly exclaimed.
"Thank God you called," Emily murmured as she released a sigh of relief. "I was just about to go crazy if I didn't find out where they were heading," the Radkova witch mumbled with a light chuckle.
"I don't know what you're planning and I don't want to know but you have to be careful, Emily," the Petrova vampire warned the young witch. "If Klaus finds out that you and your sister aren't actually dead, he will kill everyone you care about before he will finally kill you," Katherine uttered as she made sure Emily how dangerous this was.
Katherine adored the eldest Gilbert more than anyone left on this planet. The last thing Katherine wanted was for Emily to meet her demise after everything she has gone through.
"I know," Emily softly murmured before she promised, "I'll be careful."
That was one of the thoughts that was always at the forefront of Emily's mind. Emily knew she had to careful whenever she was closing in on Klaus and Stefan for her sake, for her sister's sake, and for Jenna's sake. They would all be at risk if Klaus found out that they were alive.
The Petrova vampire released a heavy sigh. Katherine felt like it was her sister all over again. Katherine knew there was no stopping Emily, though. She had that Petrova fire after all.
"I hope it works out for you, little witch," Katherine whispered with a small smile heard throughout her voice.
Emily released a light chuckle before she uttered, "me too."
"I'm not sure when we will get to talk next," Katherine told her sister's doppelganger. "I don't need Klaus tracking me," the Petrova vampire muttered as she rolled her brown eyes.
"Be careful," Katherine reminded the Radkova witch once more before she ordered, "be unstoppable and never let anyone take your fire away."
Emily softly smiled at the Petrova vampire's words. It reminded Emily just how connected she was to Katherine and Darina. They all had that toughness and fierceness about them.
"Take care of yourself, Katherine," the Gilbert girl murmured before she removed the device from her ear.
After Emily ended the phone call, the Radkova witch couldn't help the way her smile widened brightly across her face. Emily was just happy that she had finally gotten the answer to her most important question.
The Radkova witch felt so relieved and excited that she was back on track in bringing Stefan back home. Emily almost wanted to cry from all of the stressful hours she had spent researching animal attacks and all of the arguments she had with Damon. It was finally leading towards something positive.
The Radkova witch was so lost in her excitement that she didn't notice the footsteps heading her way. It wasn't until Emily felt a hand on her shoulder that she realized someone was with her. Emily flinched at the touch before she quickly looked up.
"Sorry!" The McCall werewolf quickly apologized as he removed his hand from Emily's shoulder. Scott took a small step backwards once the true alpha realized that he had frightened the brunette girl.
Emily shook her head in amusement as she looked up at the true alpha. "You really need to stop scaring me like this," the Gilbert girl joked.
Scott shot the Radkova witch an apologetic smile before he focused on the reason why he wasn't sleeping right now like he usually would be at this time. "What are you doing awake?" The McCall werewolf asked as his brows furrowed in worry, "did something happen?"
The Radkova witch immediately thought back to what Katherine had just told her as she quickly grew serious and focused. "We need to wake everyone up," Emily ordered before she told the true alpha, "I have some news."
The McCall werewolf subconsciously grabbed ahold of Emily's hand as he worriedly asked her, "are you okay?"
Emily giggled as she lightly waved her free hand. "It's good news," the Radkova witch promised as she shot the true alpha an assuring grin.
A sigh of relief instantly slipped through Scott's lips. Scott's inner wolf was only seconds away from going off the rails if something had happened to Emily when he had been asleep.
Scott gave the Radkova witch's hand a small squeeze before he offered, "I'll go wake Tyler and Stiles."
Emily silently nodded her head in agreement. At least that way, it wouldn't take as long to get everyone up. "I'll wake up the rest," the Radkova witch uttered as she slowly backed out of the kitchen. "Let's meet up in the living room," Emily suggested.
The Radkova witch waited for a confirmation from Scott before she quickly turned around and exited out of the kitchen. Emily walked passed the living room before she headed up to the second floor of the Gilbert house.
The Radkova witch was practically brimming with excitement as she hurriedly jogged up the stairs. However, Emily's fast footsteps must have caused a lot of noise, enough to wake someone up.
Emily had barely walked in front of her aunt Jenna's bedroom before the door was suddenly thrown open by a barely awake Alaric Saltzman.
The vampire hunter slowly rubbed the sleep out of his blue eyes before he looked across at the young girl with a look of confusion in his gaze. "What's going on?" Alaric grunted.
"Katherine called," Emily informed her aunt's boyfriend.
"Kathrine?" The Saltzman hunter asked in bewilderment. Alaric never thought they would hear from the Petrova vampire ever again after she had gotten away from Klaus.
The Radkova witch nodded her head before she explained, "she gave us a lead." Emily pointed her finger inside her aunt's bedroom before she told the vampire hunter, "wake up Jenna and meet me downstairs. I'll explain everything once everyone is together."
Once Alaric nodded his head in agreement, the Radkova witch continued her way down the hallway to Elena's bedroom. Emily knocked her knuckles against the door four times before she pushed it open.
"You better be dressed!" Emily called out as she slowly entered her twin sister's bedroom. Thankfully, the Radkova witch found Elena and Damon both wearing clothes, at least that's what Emily thought since most of their body was hidden underneath Elena's baby blue comforter.
The human girl immediately groaned when Emily flicked on the lights. Elena quickly hid her face into her boyfriend's chest to block out the brightness that took over her bedroom. "Let me sleep!" Elena whined.
"Go away!" Damon complained as he joined in with his girlfriend before he pulled the comforter over their heads.
Emily rolled her green eyes at the couple. They definitely weren't early risers. However, Emily knew just the way to get their attention. "Katherine called," the Gilbert girl simply uttered.
Just like Emily had hoped, that was all it took before the Salvatore vampire swiftly sat up in bed and quickly zeroed his gaze onto the Radkova witch. "What did the bitch want?" Damon inquired as his brows pulled together in confusion.
Meanwhile, Elena continued to groan in bed, especially when Damon's body wasn't there to block the bright light out of her face. The human girl flipped her body around, so she was facing the opposite side. Elena curiously glanced over to her alarm clock before the Gilbert girl practically choked when she saw the time.
"Emmie!" The human Petrova doppelganger whined as she slowly pushed her body to sit up and glare over to her sister. "It's only six the morning!" Elena exclaimed before she begged with a pout, "can't this wait?"
Emily softly chuckled before she told her twin sister, "trust me, you will want to hear what Katherine told me now rather than later."
Emily didn't want to take the chance that the human and the vampire couple would fall back to sleep, so the Radkova witch crossed the bedroom until she reached the large window. Emily swiftly pushed open the white curtains to let even more light enter the room.
Emily turned back to face her sister's bed with a warning but playful look displayed across her face. "You have ten minutes or the next time I come up here, I won't be so nice," Emily advised as she brought her right hand up before she allowed the fire to flow through her finger tips.
The Salvatore vampire grumbled under his breath about Emily not letting him sleep and something about Emily using her powers to get what she wanted. Emily wasn't really paying attention to Damon's whining.
Instead, the Radkova witch released an amused giggle before she reminded the couple, "ten minutes." Emily shot her twin sister and the vampire a smirk before she exited Elena's bedroom and headed downstairs to join the rest of her loved ones and friends.
It took fifteen minutes and a little bit of fire power from the Radkova witch's fingertips to Damon's back before the supernatural and human group were all finally sitting around the living room.
The Stilinski teenager felt like he was about to fall back asleep at any second now. "Was it really necessary to wake up this early?" Stiles complained before he released a loud yawn.
Emily chuckled as she playfully rolled her green eyes at the human boy. "Yes it is," the Radkova witch told Stiles along with everyone else in the living room.
"Well, out with it, then!" Damon grouched as he tossed his head back on the couch.
Emily couldn't help but find it amusing how cranky everyone was. Emily usually would be, too, if someone woke her up at six in the morning. The only reason Emily wasn't cranky like the rest of them was because she finally got the answer she needed to bring Stefan back!
"What did Katherine say?" Elena gently asked her twin sister as she shot her an encouraging smile. The human girl had been grumpy earlier but she quickly sobered up when she noticed how serious Emily was about this early morning meeting.
A wide grin immediately took over Emily's face as she told the group, "she found out where Klaus and Stefan are heading next."
Jenna's hazel eyes widened in surprise as she gasped, "what?"
"Where are they?" Alaric inquired as his brows furrowed together.
"The windy city," the Radkova witch answered as she repeated Katherine's previous words.
"Chicago?" Elena asked in confusion, "why there?"
"Katherine said Klaus is looking for a certain witch to help him create his hybrids," Emily recalled.
"And you believe her?" The Lockwood werewolf inquired as he tightly squeezed Emily's hand between his two palms with a worried expression displayed all across his face. "What if it's a trap?" Tyler anxiously asked.
Tyler wasn't completely present during the time Katherine was causing problems in Mystic Falls before he activated his werewolf gene but he has heard all about the Petrova vampire. Tyler personally didn't trust Katherine at all.
"It's not," Emily immediately stated as she shook her head. "We all may have had our differences when it comes to Katherine but she has never once lied to me," the Radkova witch uttered as she defended her doppelganger's sister.
"She's right," Damon muttered as he rolled his head around until he was staring over to the couch across from him that held Emily and the two werewolves. "Katherine may be the biggest bitch in the world but she has never put Emily in harm's way," Damon stated.
When no one else tried to discredit the Petrova vampire and her information, Emily loudly clapped her hands together. "Now that's settled, who's coming with me?" The Radkova witch inquired with a grin as she slowly moved her green gaze at each face around the living room.
"I can't," the Sommers vampire murmured as she was the first one to speak up. "I promised Andie's mother I would help with the funeral," Jenna explained.
Emily shot her aunt a soft smile. "It's okay," the Radkova witch assured Jenna before she gently told her, "take all the time you need."
Alaric wrapped his arm around the Sommers vampire's shoulder before he pulled her into his chest. "I'm going with Jenna," the Saltzman hunter stated before he told the group, "but call me if you need any help."
"Well, I'm coming," the Lockwood werewolf uttered next as he lightly squeezed Emily's hand before he softly stroked it with his thumb. "I won't let anything happen to you," Tyler swore as he stared deeply into the Gilbert girl's green eyes.
Emily squeezed the Lockwood werewolf's hand right back as she smiled over at her best friend. "Thanks," the Radkova witch murmured as she praised the werewolf. Emily was honestly grateful Tyler was going to come with her, especially if they come across anymore hybrids.
The next one to speak up was the other half of the Gilbert twins. "I'm obviously going," the human girl uttered with a chuckle. Elena glanced between her twin sister and the vampire hunter before she teasingly murmured, "us stubborn Gilberts have to stick together."
The Gilbert twins and Alaric were the only one to chuckle at their little inside joke between the three of them. It was just something that stuck since the sisters gave Alaric the magical Gilbert ring. It was Emily and Elena's way of reminding Alaric that he was a part of the family since he felt like it was his job to look after them.
The McCall werewolf released a heavy sigh which sobered up the chuckling between the twins and the vampire hunter. "I wish we could come," Scott mumbled as he softly stroked the Radkova witch's knee. The true alpha glanced over to Stiles before he continued, "but we have to get back to Beacon Hills."
"Hey, it's okay," Emily cooed as she placed her palm on top of the McCall werewolf's hand before she glanced between the two pouting Beacon Hills residents. "I couldn't ask you to pick up your lives to help us," the Radkova witch uttered as she shook her head.
In theory, it sounded like the perfect plan. The true alpha and the Protector of the Innocence would be unstoppable together but it just wasn't possible. For one, they lived on opposite sides of the world. The other major reason the Gilbert girl couldn't ask Scott to do that was because he had his own town to protect.
"I would," Scott whispered under his breath.
It was absolutely killing Scott's inner wolf to even think about leaving without Emily by his side. Scott's inner wolf felt complete when it was here with Emily's inner witch, so it hurt to know that Scott had to let Emily walk right into danger without him.
"It's too bad you can't come," Tyler cooed as he glanced over to the true alpha with a wide smirk stretched across his lips. The Lockwood werewolf wrapped his arm around Emily's shoulder before he pulled her tightly against his chest. "I'll keep our girl safe," Tyler cockily swore.
Scott had to forcefully bite down on his bottom lip to stop himself from growling at the Lockwood werewolf. Scott wasn't a hateful person but he did not like how close and possessive Tyler always seemed to be with Emily.
The true alpha knew it was partly because of his inner wolf not liking other wolves around the Radkova witch but also because Tyler was completely delusional. The Gilbert girl was literally searching high and low for her boyfriend but Tyler was acting like Emily was going to choose him. It was kind of sad in Scott's opinion.
"You better call and tell us everything!" Stiles ordered as he pointed his finger over at the Radkova witch with a slight glare to his brown eyes.
Emily released an amused giggle before she nodded her head. The Radkova witch squeezed Scott's hand that was on top of her knee before she glanced between the two Beacon Hills residents. "I will," Emily promised the human teenager and the true alpha, "I'll keep you in the loop."
Stiles lifted up his hands in innocence as he murmured, "that's all I ask."
The living room at the Gilbert house grew silent for a few minutes before Damon released a loud groan. "I guess I have to go," the Salvatore vampire muttered as he rolled his blue eyes. "Someone has to be the responsible one," Damon stated.
The Radkova witch couldn't help but giggle as she stared over at the Salvatore vampire. "You are far from being the responsible one out of all of us," Emily teasingly murmured before she grew serious as she added, "but I do appreciate the help."
Emily was beyond excited right now. She wasn't going to let Damon's sour mood bother her - even though she knew Damon's sourness wasn't real. Emily knew he wanted to find Stefan just as much as she did. Emily figured the eldest Salvatore was just saving face in front of everyone else he wasn't used to showing his emotions around.
Emily was just so ready to bring her boyfriend back home. They were another step closer to making that dream an actual reality!
However, Emily couldn't have done it without the Petrova vampire's help. Emily had been completely stuck last night when they returned back from the Great Smoky Mountains. Katherine's call was just what she needed this morning to finally solve the one burning question that had been on Emily's mind.
While Emily was excited about traveling to Chicago to bring Stefan home, she wasn't going to be stupid and careless about it. The Radkova witch knew it was going to be extremely dangerous for her and Elena by being that close to Klaus but it was just something Emily had to do.
It was going to be tough but if the Radkova witch could somehow talk Stefan into coming back home, then it would be all worth it.
