41

I woke up and looked next to me to see the space empty. I reached my hand out and groaned lightly shutting my eyes again. "How do you manage to stay asleep so late?" I heard Damon say as I opened my eyes to see him looking at me. He was wearing dark jeans and a black v-neck.

"Because I love sleeping." I replied moving my arm for him to lay down.

"But doesn't your super sensitive vampire hearing make you wake up?" He asked curiously as he laid down.

"Thankfully no, it doesn't." I said my eyes still shut as I moved my head to over his chest resting my arm across him.

"Is there anything you'd rather do than sleep?" He asked wrapping his arm around my waist.

"Other than the basic vampire survival needs and kissing you, no." I replied quickly as I let out a soft hum.

"What was that second part? I didn't quite catch it." He asked as he rubbed the side of my waist lightly.

I chuckled lightly and turned my head up to him. He was smirking lightly. I patted his chest lightly and sat up. I stretched and stood up. I was wearing a gray tank top I left there once and some black underwear. I brushed my fingers through my hair away from him. I heard a quick whoosh.

"You're such a tease." I heard from right behind me as Damon kissed the side of my neck. I turned and we kissed a little before he pulled away unexpectedly. "Two can play at that game, Emmie." He said my name whispering it into my ear before backing up and walking away.

I scoffed lightly. Nobody played me at my own game and won. "Game on, blue eyes." I replied walking away. Giving him a quick smirk before I made my way down to the basement. I was surprised that he didn't bring up Andie but I didn't bother asking because I didn't want to upset him.

I drank some of a blood bag and headed back upstairs taking normal sips. It was so hard to control hunger. I was supposed to only have three a day but I usually had five. When I was eating I couldn't concentrate on anything else, it was like the sound of the blood throwing through my body masked the sound of anything else and the sensation made me not care about what was happening around me.

I walked back into Damons room and saw Elena talking to him. He was taking papers off of his map as the news talked about Andie. I started to feel bad for not asking him about it.

"Stefan called me." She said as Damon turned to me and raised his eyebrow as I walked in. I tried to hide the blood bag as I went over to some shorts that were laying besides the bed.

Elena turned and saw me, looked down to see that I wasn't wearing pants and turned back around. "Sorry." She said lightly looking at Damon who shook his head, a small smile appearing on his face.

"Don't be too disgusted. We were naked together for nine months." I replied as I put the blood bag under the bed sheet and put on shorts. "So Stefan called?" I asked looking at her.

"What did he say?" Damon asked holding all his papers together.

"He didn't say anything but I know it was him. I asked sheriff Forbes to trace back the calls. They were in Tennessee." She explained.

"Where he is binge drinking on the country folk." Damon replied and I felt my mouth water a little bit. I really didn't like that feeling. "We went through this Elena." Damon said walking to the fireplace with the papers. "He's gone."

"If he was gone he wouldn't have called." Elena replied as Damon started lighting a match. He put so much work into finding Stefan. I didn't want him to give up. Maybe him giving up would help Elena give up though and I didn't want her to get hurt. Either way it was still going to be sad.

Elena looked at me and I looked down not sure what to say. Damon lit the papers in the fireplace as he looked at the fire. Elena sighed lightly and walked out closing the door behind her.

"Are you okay?" I asked looking at him as he walked back over to the map.

"I'm fine." He replied pulling out the tacs.

"Damon." I said sweetly, walking over. "Tell me how you feel."

"I don't feel like talking about it." He replied as I looked to him worried.

"Why don't you ever want to talk about what's wrong?" I asked curiously looking at him.

"Why did you hide the blood bag when Elena walked in?" He asked as I looked to him confused.

"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked as he put the tacs in a container. "I hid it because I know she feels weird about it all. I want to at least attempt being normal for her."

"But you aren't normal, Emma. You're a vampire." He replied turning to me. "You can't just pretend to be human anymore."

"You can't pretend you're not hurting." I replied throwing it back. "You can't start projecting all of what you feel at me. You both do that. Just talk to me. I want to help you."

"I don't want to talk about it. I just want to keep it away." He explained.

"That's not how life works and you know that." I replied.

"Well what are you gonna do to stop it?" He asked as I stayed quiet. "Exactly. Just leave it alone." He walked out the room and I sighed lightly. I wanted to punch something. I grabbed my blood bag and my phone and headed to my house.

I didn't understand why he couldn't talk to me. All I wanted was for him to be okay but apparently he didn't want that and I didn't get it.

I got inside the apartment and my dad wasn't there. I texted him and he told me he was going out with Elena to look for Stefan. He told me to stay in town and make sure that everything stayed safe here.

I pulled out the punching bag. No one included me. I was powerful and immortal and still no one included me. I was something even more than I was before and no one seemed to give a shit.

I maybe got in three punches before I punched straight through the bag. I pulled my hand out and got dressed. My phone dinged.

Up for pool?, Tyler asked as I quickly replied yes. I almost forgot that him and Caroline hooked up and I definitely wanted the details.

I headed to the grill and on my way I realized it would be a full moon tonight. saw Tyler playing pool by himself and walked over. I smiled lightly to him as I hugged him.

"So..." I started as he looked at me.

"So what?" He asked confused.

"Um who do you think set up the entire evening with Caroline?" I asked looking at him. He raised his eyebrows. "Okay all I did was give you both a little nudge, but it obviously seemed that was all you both needed." I smiled.

"Yeah she spent the night- I think." He replied shooting another ball.

"You think?" I asked confused.

"Well she wasn't there when I woke up." He replied as I looked at him confused.

"That's very not Caroline." I replied.

"So she hasn't talked to you about it yet?" He asked curiously.

"No. Why?" I asked with a smirk.

"I just haven't heard from her all day, that's all. She said she was meeting me here, but I haven't seen her." He replied as I looked to him confused. It sounded like she was too embarrassed to talk about it, but I didn't want to say that aloud.

"Well I say let's play a round." I changed the subject as he nodded.

We got pretty far when Matt walked over. "You moving in or something? You've been here forever." Matt said as he poured some coffee in Tyler's cup.

"I was supposed to meet Caroline earlier." He explained.

I went over to drink some of the coffee and Matt stopped me putting his hand over the cup. "Vervain coffee." He replied as I nodded and gave it to Tyler.

"Have you seen Caroline by the way?" Tyler asked putting his phone down and taking the cup.

"No I'm not really concerned in here whereabouts anymore." Matt replied a bit sassily.

"Look I didn't mean for our friendship to be a problem for you." Tyler looked to him as I watched hoping there wouldn't be a fight again.

"It is what it is." Matt shrugged as he turned.

Tyler sipped the coffee and made a face. "You said vervain was in this?" He asked looking to Matt.

"Yeah. I'm surprised you can taste it. The coffee usually masks it." He nodded before walking away.

"I don't get that." Tyler looked to me. "He's always getting mad at me now a days."

"You two have a lot of history and lately for him it's been crazy, and I get that, but I agree that he doesn't have to project. A lot of people are doing that lately." I sighed lightly hitting a ball in.

"Wanna talk about it?" He asked as I looked at him.

"Damons upset about his brother and he won't talk to me about how he's feeling." I said shortly.

"That doesn't make sense." He replied.

"I know." I sighed getting ready to hit another ball. "And with the Caroline thing, she probably is sleeping or something." I shrugged lightly.

"Do you really believe that?" He asked as I sighed lightly.

"Do you need help with tonight?" I asked curiously.

"I don't know yet, but I think you should try to text Caroline." He said as I looked at him confused.

"Do you want to look desperate?" I asked as he shook his head.

"My mom put vervain in my coffee this morning. You don't think that she took Caroline do you?" He asked looking at me.

"Why did you wait this long to say something?" I replied as I put my pool stick down and we headed to his house so Tyler could ask about it. I explained the council to him and he shook his head not realizing the extents they would go to.

He asked me to stay in the car just to be sure that I wouldn't be vervained too. I waited in the car and eventually he came back out with his mom.

"What's going on?" I asked confused looking at him.

"I'm showing her." He replied as his mom got in the backseat and he sat in front.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked looking at him.

"She thinks Caroline is a monster. She needs to understand." He replied as we drove.

"Emma knows?" Ms. Lockwood asked looking from Tyler to me. "What's going on?" She asked looking to me.

"You'll see." I replied turning back around.

We got to the Lockwood cellar and his mom wouldn't stop asking questions the whole time. "Just let him show you." I said eventually after hearing enough of her yapping.

"Why are you here? You're just human." She asked as I held Tyler's spare clothes. We both looked at her normally but we were obviously both surprised that she didn't already know what I was. I'd like to keep it that way too.

"Because I'm his best friend. We tells each other everything." I replied with a nod. Tyler nodded as well as he started chaining himself up.

"Go in there." He instructed as I opened the gate. "Mom, go!" He insisted as he started turning.

"Tyler what's happening?" His mom asked.

"Me, uncle Mason, we have it. It's a family curse." Tyler responded as more of his bones cracked.

"A curse? Tyler what's happening?!" His mom asked again.

"It's gonna be okay Tyler." I assured closing the bars and tying chain around the opening.

"Tyler?" His mom asked as he groaned. His teeth grew and his eyes changed color. His mom started screaming as he continued transforming.

"Don't be scared." I said looking to her. "He won't want you." I explained knowing his instinct was to come after me.

"What's going on?" She breathed heavily all the way against the wall.

"Tyler's a werewolf, Ms. Lockwood." I explained as he transformed completely looking at us growling. He swipped his paw through the gate trying to get to me.

We spent a few hours just like that. I calmed Ms. Lockwood and Tyler tried to attack me, but we made it. He transformed back and laid naked on the ground. I started opening the gate and Ms. Lockwood started calming down. I put the blanket over him and waited for him to wake up.

"Hey." I smiled to him. "You made it."

He gripped the blanket and looked to his mom who was still in the cage. "I'll take care of it. I'll make sure nothing happens to her." She said with a bit of a whimper.

Tyler nodded letting of a sigh as I handed him his shirt. "You did good." I replied.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked curiously looking around the destructed room.

"No the chains held well. Are you hurting?" I asked curiously.

"Not anymore." He replied. "Thank you for being here." He smiled lightly.

"Of course." I nodded. "I'll be here whenever you need me." I smiled to him reassuringly. At least I had Tyler here to accept me.