40

I was upstairs looking at my dress.

My outfit was pretty simple, but the dress made me stick out. I wasn't complaining though because my boobs looked really good.

"Knock, knock." I heard someone say at the door as I saw Damon.

"Hey." I smiled. "What've you been up to?"

"Following leads." He replied walking over wrapping his hands around me over my shoulders.

"Without Elena?" I asked raising my eyebrow.

"She's too pushy. She just wants to argue and tell me I'm doing things wrong." He replied.

"Are you?" I asked curiously.

"Maybe sometimes." He said quietly as I turned to look at him. "It's just dealing with Klaus she's gonna get caught and killed. I don't want to risk that." He explained looking to me as I nodded.

"You need to tell her that instead of acting like an ass." I replied as he held my waist and I had my arms around his neck. I looked down and sighed lightly. "This is how you can make it up to her." I said walking over to my purse. I pulled out a box. "Dad found her necklace in the apartment. You should give it to her." I said handing it to him.

He held it and smirked to me. He pulled me in and kissed me. "You really want us to be friends?"

"Yes." I nodded lightly.

He kissed me again. "I'll do it for you then." He smiled as I nodded.

"Thank you." I replied.

"I almost forgot." He took a breath and I looked to him confused. He went to his dresser and pulled out a small box. "Happy birthday." He smirked lightly handing me the box.

I opened it, unwrapping the little bow. I saw a necklace with an E on it. "Wow." I said looking at it. "I love it." I smiled up to him. "I love you, thank you." I hugged him lightly.

"I love you too." He said putting it around my neck. I looked down at it and smiled. I kissed his cheek.

"Go give Elena her present. I'm gonna have some blood before I go out." I smiled lightly to him holding his cheek.

"Okay. I'll walk you down when you're ready." He nodded before walking out. I went over to my bag and took of a blood bag. I drank it all and walked out to see Damon and Elena.

"You guys ready?" He asked as he held it either arm to each of us. I noticed Elena's necklace on.

"Let's do this." I smirked as I wrapped around his arm and Elena lightly wrapped around his other arm.

We walked down the stairs and people began saying happy birthday to us. We walked down the hallway thanking people and all when we got to the living room to see it filled with people. I smiled looking around.

"Woah hey hey hey." Damon said looking at a girl passing by with Damons bourbon. "You want the cheap young stuff over by the cheap young people." Damon compelled as I chuckled.

"So much for all that beer." I looked at him.

"Do you like?" Caroline asked walking over.

"This is keeping it small?" Elena asked with a sigh.

"Caroline it's amazing." I smiled looking around. "Thank you." She shrugged lightly smiling.

Elena sighed. "What are we drinking?" She asked giving into the fun. Caroline went off with her and I looked to Damon. I grabbed the bourbon and swigged some.

"Hey." He said looking at me with a furrowed brow.

"I may be forever young but I'm not cheap." I smiled lightly to him. He smirked at my sassy comment and leaned forward kissing me.

"You will be the death of me." He said whispering in my ear.

"Not if you're already dead." I smirked brushing my hand through the side of his hair. "Come on, let's dance." I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the dance floor.

We danced for a while before he went off in search of my dad who was there strictly to make sure nothing got too bad. I saw Caroline chugging some whiskey when I went over to her.

"Hey." I sang as I grabbed it. I took a few gulps and then looked to her. "You could go up to him." I suggested as I shrugged lightly.

"Why? It's not like it's my problem." She shrugged.

"Care, you obviously don't want her with him and not just because of her nickname." I smiled to her handing her the bottle back. "I'm sure he feels the same." I put my hand on her shoulder before walking away.

I passed Matt down the hall and he smiled to me. "Happy Birthday." He spoke.

"Wow the Matt Donovan actually spoke to me. Haven't done that in a while." I smiled jokingly.

"I'm sorry I don't-"

"I understand. I'm stuck in between a whole bunch of things you don't like. I'm just glad you aren't taking it out on me." I smiled. He was the only one to take his problems elsewhere rather than throw them on me. Not to mention tipsy me was very truthful with her words.

"You're the best." He smiled to me. He was on something for sure. His eyes were partially closed and he was smiling all funny.

"I know." I replied before walking away.

Soon it was cake time. Caroline gathered us around a large cake and Elena and I stood in the front. I read it to see 'Happy Birthday E and E.'

"Have you seen Damon?" I asked Elena as I looked around.

"No not recently." She replied shaking her head.

"Oh okay." I nodded lightly. I saw my dad standing on the outskirts. I gave him a small smile and he seemed sort of worried. I looked confused but before I could walk away everyone was singing happy birthday.

Elena and I stood there center of attention as they sang. They finished and we blew out the two candles on the cake. I grabbed two pieces and went over to my dad.

"What's going on?" I asked curiously.

"Damon thinks Andie found another lead. She texted him to meet at the news station."

"So he just left?" I asked confused.

"She said it was urgent." He shrugged lightly.

"Oh. Okay." I responded unsure if that was the real story. It sounded a lot like he went to hook up with her but I knew he wouldn't do that..., right?

"I think I'm gonna head out soon." He sighed lightly eating his cake.

"Maybe sleep in your own bed for once all summer?" I asked curiously.

"You want me too?" He asked confused.

"I mean it's lonely without you but if they need you it's no big deal." I shook my head still caught in my thoughts about Damon.

"Alright well I'll figure it out. Have fun, don't do anything too stupid." He said kissing my forehead before I nodded and walked away.

Not long after I found Tyler walking down the hallway sort of angry.

"Tyler." I said stopping him. "What's wrong?"

"Caroline." He replied. I furrowed my brows. "She compelled Sophie away. That was my only chance."

"I mean unless she wasn't." I replied looking to him. He looked at me confused.

"You don't mean you do you?" He asked confused.

"No Tyler." I rolled my eyes. "Caroline, Tyler. It's Caroline. You do like her don't you?"

"I mean... yes but she-" he started.

"Nuh uh. Make it clear. Let her know and get her side of it." I replied to him. "Right now, go. Find her and tell her." I said pushing him lightly. "She's in the living room." I added after listening out for her.

He walked away and towards her as she pushed through the crowd, quite forcefully. They began arguing. Tyler kept telling her to just tell him what she really meant and it ended in a heated kiss. I smiled as they started walking out. Tyler looked over and I winked. Turns out he was getting lucky tonight.

I looked at my phone and didn't see any messages from Damon and I wondered when he'd be back. I listened around and I heard crying.

I went towards it and it was in Damons bedroom. I looked to see Elena crying holding onto her necklace. "Elena?" I asked worried.

"Did you know?" She asked looking at me.

"Know what?" I asked confused.

"About how Damon was looking without me and about how Stefan was the one doing the killings?" She asked sadly.

"I told him to search with you. Stefan is causing the damage? I thought it was Klaus." I looked at her worried. "I'm so sorry Elena." I hugged her.

"You shouldn't be with him Emma. He just makes things worse." She cried blaming him to take away some of the pain.

"But I thought you said I made him better." I replied.

"You do." She sighed lightly catching her breath. "But he doesn't deserve you." She shook her head. It wouldn't be the first time I'd heard that.

"You should head home. It's getting late." I smiled comfortingly to her as she wiped her tears.

"Yeah. I'm sorry for being such a sob fest. I'm glad to have spent this birthday together." She smiled lightly back.

"Me too. Be safe on the way home." I smiled as she walked out.

I went out after her and saw Damon by the alcohol. "Hey. What have you been up to?" I asked curiously. "Dad told me you went somewhere."

"Andie said she had a lead of follow. I went to check on it and it was a dead end." He answered. "I don't think we'll be getting Stefan back anytime soon."

I looked at him sadly. "It'll be okay." I nodded lightly.

"No it won't Emma. Stefan is with him because of me and now he doesn't have his humanity because of me. This is all my fault." He explained as I looked to him sadly. "I don't really want to talk about it." He shook his head. "I'm just gonna start cleaning."

"I'll help." I replied as he walked away. I didn't want to intrude but I wanted him to know I was here if he needed to vent.

I was cleaning for a while. Everyone had left and I had to kick some people out. I started to hear a whole bunch of things breaking. I ran upstairs to Damon sitting in Stefan's room with things scattered.

I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around him from the back. "What really happened?" I asked knowing he wouldn't go this ballistic on a dead lead.

"Stefan was there. He took Andie's phone to get me to go there. He told me to stop looking." He explained as I nodded lightly. "He killed Andie and told me to let go. Then he ran away." He said as I could hear the sadness in his voice. "He doesn't want to be found."

"Just because he doesn't want to be doesn't mean we won't still find him anyway." I replied quietly.

"I'm sorry. This was supposed to be a special night for you." He apologized.

"No it's okay. This is the most love I've ever gotten on a birthday. It was more than I could ask for." I replied still wrapped around him. He started to get up and I let go.

"I had plans. I was gonna dance with you until everyone was gone and then when they were I was gonna cherish the moment being with you." He explained as he wrapped around me looking at me.

"Who says we still can't?" I asked as I smiled at him. He grabbed my cheeks lightly and placed his lips on mine. I played a song on my phone and we started swaying. I looked up at him admiring him as he looked down probably doing the same.

"Elena's right." He said holding me close. "I don't deserve you."

"You heard that?" I asked surprised. He nodded. "I think you do deserve me." I added looking up to him.

"That's why I love you." He replied pushing my hair behind my ear. He kissed me again and I hugged him lightly.

"We are gonna find Stefan and everything will be okay, okay?" I asked as I listened to his chest.

"Okay." He replied combing through my hair. "Still want that bubble bath?" He asked as I smiled up to him.

"Of course." I replied as we headed to the bathroom.