Plan B

*AGE CHANGE FROM 12 to 14; Birthday no longer on Founder's Day*

Emma groaned, rubbing her face as she began to wake up. Opening her eyes slowly, she looked around her surroundings. It turned out she was in one of the rooms at the boarding house. Though, it wasn't a room that she recognized and she had gone through the whole entire place.

The room was simple. The bed she was in was placed on the far corner of the room but turned at an angle. There were end tables on each side of the bed. A tall dresser was against a wall with a TV on it. There was a bathroom attached to it as well. But, to the young girl, the room seemed bare. Not much character was shown in it like Stefan's room. Emma had just sat up on the bed when the door opened with Damon walking through it.

"Well, well. Look who's awake." he said, closing the door and going into the closet that was off to the side.

Emma let out a yawn. "How long have I been asleep?"

From inside the closet, Damon replied, "Two days."

The young Gilbert's eyes widened in shock. "What?" She was asleep for 2 days? How is that even possible?

There was a chuckle. "Yeah, at first I thought you were dead." Damon said, stepping out of the closet with a different shirt on and walked over to sit on the corner of the bed. "But, then I heard your heart beat."

Emma let out a breath. "Wow. Well-" she began, looking down to realize she was in different clothes. She rose a eyebrow at the vampire quickly.

"Elena changed your clothes so you would be comfortable." he said, making Emma sigh in relief. "Why, did you think I would do something like that?" he asked her accusingly.

Emma bit her lip, trying to find words to explain. It's not like she thought he would do that, it's just that you can never be too sure with Damon. He's just a box full of surprises.

Damon scrunched his face in disgust. "Ew. You actually think I would do something like that. Sorry, but I don't go for preschoolers. I mostly want women who are, what the word, fully developed." he said, moving his hands around his chest to emphasize what he meant.

It was Emma's turn to look at the vampire in disgust and threw a pillow at him. "Get out." she ordered, laying back down on the bed.

"You can't tell me to get out of my own room." Damon shot back, crossing his arms.

"Wait. If this is your room then why am I in here?" Emma asked, throwing her arms in exaggeration.

Damon shrugged, laying on the bed next to Emma. "I was too lazy to go to a different room and mine was closest."

Emma nodded, and began to play with a strand of her hair. "How's, uh, Sheriff Forbes?"

"Well, we think the vervain is almost gone and Caroline has been trying to talk to her but Liz chooses to ignore every word."

Emma sighed sadly. She couldn't really blame Sheriff Forbes for acting the way she was. She's in disbelief. Her own daughter was the very creature she was raised to hate. How else was the woman supposed to respond.

"Is it bad that I feel guilty for yelling at her?" Emma asked, remembering blowing up in Sheriff Forbes face.

Damon let out a laugh. "Don't. You spoke your mind and she deserved it." He looked over at the young girl, seeing her uneasy face. "Pipsqueak, stop worrying. If you want I could compel her to forget what you said."

Face scrunched up, Emma thought it over. "Um, sure? I don't know, do whatever you want."

"Alright, just don't be disappointed with what I pick." Damon said, and the two settled in a peaceful silence. That was until Damon sprung up from the bed and went to the door.

"Where are you going?" Emma asked, sitting up on the bed.

Damon let out an annoyed sigh. "Your brooding brother's here." he said, closing the door behind him.

Quickly getting up, Emma jumped out of the bed and followed after Damon. She made it just in time as he opened the front door to reveal her older brother.

"I need to talk to you." Jeremy stated, adjusting his backpack on his shoulder.

"And why would I need to talk to you?" Damon retorted.

Emma walked up to the vampire and slapped his arm. "Be nice. Let him talk."

Jeremy smiled in gratitude. "Thank you, Emma. Anyways, Tyler Lockwood has to kill someone to activate his curse. He's not a werewolf yet." he informed.

Damon made a face as if thinking. "Eh, not good enough." he said, beginning to close the door. Emma pushed him out of the way and left the door opened.

"But Mason Lockwood is, and he's looking for a moon stone." Jeremy explained, growing anxious that Damon might walk away.

"A moon stone? What's that?" Emma asked leaning against the door frame.

Jeremy took a small step forward. "It's a special rock connected to the werewolf legend. That's why he's here." Jeremy smiled before finishing his speech with, "And I know where it is."

"And you're bringing me this why?" Damon questioned.

Jeremy sighed in annoyance. "Do I need a reason? Look, I just want to help, okay?"

Damon crossed his arms, and tilted his head to the side. "What did your," Damon glanced at Emma and back at Jeremy. "older sister say about this little discovery?"

Jeremy looked down at his feet, staying silent.

"Wait, Jer, you didn't tell Elena?" Emma inquired, kind of shocked that he would hold this information, very important information, from her.

"I'm sorry, Emma. Elena doesn't want me getting involved in all this."

Damon sarcastically smiled. "And you're a Gilbert and you just can't help yourself. I learned that the hard way." he stated, looking at Emma once again. "Your search for life's purpose is as obvious as it is tragic."

Jeremy narrowed his eyes at the vampire. "You going to let me in or not?"

"What should I do, Emma?" Damon asked the young girl.

Emma scoffed at the question. "Seriously? Come in, Jeremy." she said, opening the door wider to let Jeremy inside the boarding house.

Damon ground and walked ahead to the living room. "Ugh, I need a drink if he's here."

"So, Em, this is where you've been hanging out?" Jeremy asked, ignoring Damon's comment while entering the house and setting his backpack on one of the couches.

Emma rolled her eyes and sat cross legged on the reading chair. "'Hanging out' isn't the word I would use. It's more like I fell asleep and Elena didn't take me home." she said, putting her arm on the side of the chair and rested her chin on the palm of her hand. "So," she began, getting more serious. "you've been hanging out with Tyler?"

Jeremy leaned against the chair she was sitting on and crossed his arms. "Don't tell me that you're going to give me the 'it's too dangerous' speech."

"Whaaat? No I wasn't." she said, butting her lip nervously. From the unconvinced look on her brother's face, she broke. "Okay, fine. Maybe I was." Jeremy angrily sighed. "Look, I'm sorry." she apologized. "but it is."

"Emma, please."

"He's a freaking werewolf." Emma stated. "or will soon have the ability to become one. I would count that as pretty dangerous, Jeremy." the young Gilbert reasoned, though it seemed that no matter what she would say, Jeremy wouldn't care. Emma leaned back on the chair, crossing her arms over her chest. "Fine, whatever. I'm just trying to look out for you."

"I get that, but you and Elena have to stop pushing my help away."

Emma pursed her lips and looked away from her brother, stubbornly. "Yeah, yeah."

Just then, Rick opened the front door and entered the boarding house with a box full of files.

"Rick!" Damon exclaimed, moving to stand next to the couch with a glass of bourbon in his hand.

Alaric nodded his head in greeting, walking in to the living room to see Jeremy next to Emma. "What are you doing here?" he asked, setting the box down on the table.

"Helping them. I'm the one who fond out about the moon stone." Jeremy responded.

Alaric looked at Emma and Damon for confirmation only to receive shrugs from them both. "Does Elena know you're here?"

Jeremy hesitated. "Not exactly." he said as Damon walked past him to the box Alaric brought.

"What you got?" the vampire asked, lifting up the lid. Emma got up from the chair and went next to the two older men to look at the papers.

"Oh, this is Isobel's research from Duke. Her assistant sent it to me." Rick informed, rubbing his eyes.

Damon was holding a file when he smiled in remembrance. "Hmm. Vanessa, the hottie. A developed woman." he said dreamily. Emma glared at him, taking his glass out of his hands and dumping it in a nearby plant. She handed the glass back to him with an innocent smile, seeing his pissed expression at her action.

"Yeah, Vanessa, yes." Alaric said, giving the two a strange look out of confusion on what was happening. Shaking his head, he continued. "Now do you remember the old Aztec curse she told us about?"

Damon thought for a moment. "Sun, and the moon. Blah, blah, blah."

"The Aztec curse, cool." Jeremy said, joining the three.

Alaric nodded. "Yeah, supposedly vampires and werewolves used to roam freely until a shaman put a curse on them to limit their power." he began, as Emma pulled a piece of paper that had pictures on it. "Since then, werewolves an only turn on a full moon and vampires are weakened by the sun." he explained as Damon wiggled the finger his sunlight ring was on.

"Most of them, anyway."

"According to the legend, the werewolf part of the curse is sealed with the moon stone." Alaric said, putting his arms on his hips.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows. "You're saying that a rock created the curse?" she stated in a form of a question.

Damon walked up to the fireplace. "It's a witch thing. Whatever seals the curse is usually the key to unsealing the curse."

"Maybe Mason Lockwood believes he can use the moon stone to break the curse." Alaric suggested.

Damon glanced at the group from where he stood. "If we start believing in some supernatural witchy-woo legend from a picture book, we're idiots."

"Okay," Emma began, setting the picture down on the table. "who has the stone now?"

"Tyler." Jeremy said.

Damon tilted his head. "Can you get it?"

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah."

Damon opened his arms out wide. "See, now your life has purpose."

Jeremy rose an eyebrow in questioning. "So, you believe it?" he asked the vampire.

"It's the same book that says a werewolf bite kills a vampire. Ignoring it would make me a bigger idiot." Damon said, placing his empty glass on the table.

Emma smiled. "Ha, he admits it." Alaric and Jeremy to laugh at her comment. "Alright, boys, let's go." she said, going towards the front door.

"Pajamas." Jeremy called out.

Emma turned sharply to the stairs and lifted her hand up. "I knew that."

~~~~♡~~~~  

"What's the plan?" Emma asked, following Damon and Jeremy up the steps of the Lockwood Mansion.

Damon slightly turned his head to the side but kept looking forward when he responded. "I gotta find Stefan and fill him in."

Emma nodded and stopped to point outside. "I'll go look for Tyler and text you guys when I find him." She broke from the guys and exited the house to the backyard. It took her several minutes to try and find Tyler because of how many people there was to set up for the masquerade. She did find him eventually, working on something at a table.

After texting Jeremy and Damon his location, Emma went up to the patio and watched Tyler in case he walked away. Feeling the presence of two people, Emma looked at both her sides to see Damon and Stefan next to her.

"Where is he?" Damon asked, surveying the area.

Emma pointed at the tables where Jeremy appeared to speak to Tyler. "There." Jeremy and Tyler talked for sometime. Though she couldn't hear a thing, she knew Stefan and Damon were able to. She crossed her arms and looked at the vampires only to see them staring at each other, having their own private conversation. "What? What did they say?" she asked, uncrossing her arms and turned her back on her brother and potential werewolf.

"Uncle Mason has the moon stone." Damon informed.

Emma let out a groan and rubbed her face. "Why am I not surprised. What now?"

Stefan bit his lip and responded, "Bonnie." The three nodded and walked together to get the witch. Once they found her, they led her to a quiet part of the backyard.

"Okay, this is as far as I go." Bonnie said, making a stop. She looked at the three. "What do you want?"

"A favor." Damon stated.

Bonnie let out a dry laugh. "Like that's going to happen."

Damon sighed dramatically. "So predictable. That's why I brought them." he said, staring at Stefan and Emma.

"I know how you feel about helping us out but since you're the one that linked Mason with Katherine, we finally have an opportunity to get an upper hand on both of them, so just hear us out." Stefan explained calmly.

Emma on the other hand was in shock at what he said about Mason and Katherine. "Wait. Mason and Katherine?" she said with wide eyes.

Damon inhaled sharply. "Oh, yeah. Forgot to mention that."

Bonnie crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. "Okay, I'm listening." she said, just as Stefan's phone began to ring.

"I have to fill Elena in on what's going on." he said, taking out his phone from his pocket. He looked at Damon sharply. "Can you play nice, please?"

Emma rested a hand on Stefan's arm. "Don't worry, I'll handle him." she assured. He nodded in thanks and walked off, answering his phone.

Damon continued to explain the plan. "All you have to do is touch Mason Lockwood again, see if he gave Katherine the moon stone."

"My visions don't work like that. I don't get to ask the questions." Bonnie said.

Emma sighed, disappointingly, though got an idea. "What about capturing him?"

Damon snapped his fingers. "Exactly. See, I knew you would come around. The little witchy juju thing you, Bonnie, did on me, the one where my brain goes into flames, is that vampire-specific?"

Bonnie shrugged. "It works on anyone with a supernatural healing ability, but I am not going to help you hurt him."

"Mason is a werewolf, Katherine's evil. They're the bad guys." Damon tried to reason. Bonnie still didn't budge, shaking her head. "Really? You're going to play morality police with me right now? Let me put it to you in another way; they're a threat to Elena so you, witch, are going to get over yourself and help us." he said as Stefan joined the group again.

"Uh, please." Emma said, to make Damon's request sound more polite.

Bonnie thought for a moment and finally agreed. The plan was for Bonnie to get Mason alone to use her magic on him. She was successful and Damon went up to Mason and kneed him in the face, knocking him out. Emma and Stefan came out of their hiding spots and dragged Mason's body into Mason's car.

~~~~♡~~~~  

"Here's his bag. As requested." Bonnie said, setting Mason's bag on a chair as Damon set Mason on a chair in the middle of the library.

"Okay, Emma grab that corner." Damon instructed, grabbing an end of a tarp that was spread on top of the carpet.

Emma grabbed another end and began to flatten it out. "What's this for?"

Damon looked up when he was finished. "I don't want to stain the carpet."

"I knew you were going to say something like that." Bonnie said, moving to stand in front of the unconscious werewolf.

Damon grunted when he got up. "Judging again."

"He's not going to be out much longer." Bonnie warned, staring down a Mason.

Emma went over to Mason's bag and opened it, only to be shocked to see a lot of chains inside of it. "Whoa." she said, raising them up to show Damon and Bonnie. "I think I found something to tie him up with."

Damon reached out for them and Emma walked over to him, helping him tie it around Mason. As they did so, Bonnie grabbed onto Mason's head, and closed her eyes in concentration.

"What are you doing?" Damon asked, looking at Bonnie in confusion.

With her eye still closed, Bonnie replied, "You're looking for a moon stone. I am trying to help you find it."

"Oh, good. Find out if he gave it to Katherine, and find out where she is." Damon requested. "And find out what they're going to do with it. Once they get it." he added.

Emma looked at Damon from wrapping the chains around Mason with her eyebrows furrowed. "You're asking for a lot, Damon."

"Well, if she wants to help, she's gotta deliver."

"Somewhere small." Bonnie said, already seeing something. "Dark. There's water."

"Like a sewer?" Damon asked.

Bonnie shook her head. "No. Like a well? That can't be right." Bonnie paused, thinking more. "Yeah, it's a well." she confirmed.

"Why would Mason put it in a well?" Emma asked, trying to come up with an idea.

Bonnie looked annoyingly at Emma. "I told you, I only get what I get."

Suddenly, Mason's hand reached out and caught onto Bonnie's arm, causing everyone to gasp in surprise. Emma helped Damon pry Mason's hand off of Bonnie. When she was free, Bonnie backed far from the werewolf angrily.

"That's it. That's all I got." the witch said, already walking towards the exit.

"Hey, judgey." Damon called out. "Thank you." he said.

Bonnie nodded at him and turned to leave again.

Mason began to wake up. "Come on." Damon said. "Wake up, wolf boy." Damon pulled his arm back and punched Mason in the face really hard.

Emma winced, watching Mason's eyes snap open as his head went to he right from the punch.

"Emma, I don't think you should stay for this." Damon said, looking over at the young Gilbert, having seeing her flinch. He went over to the fireplace and grabbed one of the fire pokers.

Emma stared at the poker, imagining what he would do with it. "Um, I want to." she said, fiddling with her hands as she stood her ground.

Stirling the poker around, Damon stuck it over the fire. "Alright, if you say so. But don't say I didn't warn you." he said.

Emma nodded in understanding and watched Mason, who was starting to go crazy being chained up. Damon noticed Mason's struggles and smiled at it.

"Heh. Someone's feisty."

Mason glared at Damon and Emma, still struggling. With too much force, Mason caused the chair he was tied to to fall backwards. Damon and Emma walked up to stand next to Mason.

"What?!" the werewolf shouted, full of rage.

Damon reached out and stabbed Mason in the chest, making him screamed out in pain. Emma unconsciously flinched as Mason screamed. Damon pulled the fire poker out and rested over his shoulder.

"You can hurt. Good to know. I was afraid you were going to be some beast mass with no affinity for pain." Damon said, staring down at Mason. He bent down and moved Mason's shirt aside to show the wound begin to heal. "Oh, but you heal quickly. Not good. Guess I have to keep applying pain." Damon grabbed onto the chains and lifted Mason up and then went back to heating the fire poker. "Emma," he said, grabbing the young girl's attention. "since you're going to just stand there and watch me inflict pain onto Mason, you should ask some questions."

Emma nodded and stood straighter, turning her body to face Mason. "Right. Katherine. How'd you meet her?"

Mason didn't reply and continued to try to free himself.

Damon turned to the werewolf. "I think she asked you something." When Mason still didn't answer, Damon began to get a little mad. "I have all day." he said, walking up to Mason and stabbing him in the stomach with the fire poker again.

Mason screamed in agony, tightening his hands on the handles of the chair. Damon pulled the poker out (A/N: that sounds wrong on so many levels) and again, put the poker in the fire.

"When did you meet her? Did she seduce you, tell you she loved you?" Damon asked. "You're supernatural so she can't compel you. I'm sure she used her other charms. Katherine's good that way."

Emma noticed Jeremy enter the room with the box Alaric brought. "Jer."

"I, uh, found something in Rick's box of stuff." her older brother said, setting the box down. Emma stood next to him, peering at his findings.

"What is it?" Emma asked.

Jeremy lifted a wrapped substance and held it up as Damon set the fire poker down and stood with them. "I did research on my phone. It's a plant called aconitum vulparia. It grows in the mountainous areas of the northern hemisphere, commonly known as aconite, blue rocket and wolfsbane." Jeremy informed as Damon unwrapped the cloth to show the dried plant.

"What else did you read?" Damon asked.

"Well, every source says something different." he said, holding his phone out. "One myth say it causes lycanthropy, which is bogus. And the other says, well, it's toxic."

"Guessing toxic." Damon said, taking one piece of the plant out.

Emma noticed Mason struggled a little more desperately as Damon walked closer to him.

Damon placed himself in front of Mason, holding the wolfsbane out. "What's Katherine doing in Mystic Falls?" Mason didn't say a word and Damon rubbed the wolfsbane against the werewolf's cheek. As a result, Mason began to scream out in pain as the herb burned his skin. "Why is she here?" Damon asked again.

"She's here with me." Mason said. "Why do you ask, you jealous?"

Emma's eyebrows rose up in surprise by his out burst.

"How rude of me." Damon said, and let out a dry chuckle. "You know, I realized I didn't offer you anything to eat." The Salvatore then shoved the wolfsbane in Mason's mouth. Mason gagged.

Emma made a face of disgust as Mason coughed up the wolfsbane.

"Why do you want the moon stone?" Damon asked.

Spit and pieces of wolfsbane dripped down Mason's chin. "Screw you!" Mason shouted, biting down on his teeth from the pain.

Damon made the noise of a buzzer. "Wrong answer." He made the move toward Mason again but Jeremy stepped forward.

"If he was going to say anything, he would have already."

Emma grabbed onto Jeremy's arm to hold him back. "Jer, stop. Let Damon do what he needs to do."

Damon, grateful that Emma was holding back her annoying brother, glared at Mason. "I'm taking your eyes now." He lifted the wolfsbane to hover in front of Mason's eyes when Mason confessed.

"The well! You can find it there." Mason admitted, breathing heavily.

Damon leaned forward. "We know. I want to know what is does and why you want it."

"I'm getting it for Katherine."

"Why?"

"She's going to use it to lift the curse."

Emma peered down at Mason from behind. "Why would Katherine, who's a vampire, help you, a werewolf, break a curse that stops you from turning whenever you want?" she asked.

"So I wouldn't have to turn anymore."

Emma was surprised at how easily Mason was giving them the information. She expected him to put up more of a fight to keep what he knew to himself. But she guessed he couldn't take the burning anymore.

"Why?"

"Because she loves me."

Jeremy and Emma shared a look. Mason has no idea how wrong he is about that.

Damon seemed to have lost it a bit when he heard that Katherine supposedly loved Mason. "Now I get it. You're just stupid." Mason looked down sadly. "Katherine doesn't love you. She's using you, you moron."

Mason shook his head. "I'm done talking."

Damon nodded along. "Yes, you are." He handed the remaining wolfsbane to Jeremy. "Take Emma on a walk, Jeremy."

"I'm staying." Jeremy stated.

Emma was confused. "Wait, what are you going to do, Damon?"

"You guys need to go."

"I'm staying." Jeremy said once again.

Mason looked up at Jeremy. "Just help Tyler. Don't let this happen to him."

Jeremy stared back at Mason. "Damon-" Just then, Damon shot forward and pinned Jeremy on the couch with his hand around his throat.

"Damon!" Emma shouted, frozen in place.

"You wanted to be part of this?" Damon asked. "Well, here it is. Kill or be killed. The guy's a werewolf. He'd kill me the first chance he got!" the vampire spat. "So you suck it up, or leave." Damon let go of Jeremy's throat and went to stand in front of Mason again. "He wants me to kill him, anyway." When he was directly in front of Mason, he continued talking. "It really is a curse, isn't it?"

Jeremy got up from the leather seat and left the library room angrily.

"You know, I look at you and see myself." Damon explained. Emma saw that he was thinking back to when Katherine deceived him back when he was still human. "A less dashing, less intelligent version."

"I love her." Mason blurted.

"Oh, I know!" Damon yelled, his anger getting the best of him. "I've been where you are." he said, a little more calmly. "But Katherine will only rip your heart out. Let me do it for her."

That was when quickly Emma went in front of Mason and brought her arms out to shield the werewolf from Damon. "Damon, stop."

"Move, Emma." he growled.

"Damon, please." she pleaded. "I know I was the one who suggested this, but it was because we needed answers. We got them. Now he can be let go."

"Go."

"No, Damon! This isn't right. It's not the way to go." Emma said, standing her ground.

Damon's nostrils flared. "Then you leave me no choice." Reaching down, Damon ripped off Emma's vervain bracelet, making Emma's eyes widen, and began his compulsion on her. "Leave the room."

She already felt her body begin to head towards the door but she tried in all her power to stay. "Da-"

"Shut up and leave the room." he commanded.

Emma couldn't fight the compulsion anymore. Her mouth snapped shut and her body turned and began to walk unwillingly towards the other room. As she walked, she closed her eyes as tears fell and a feeling of failure clouding her mind for not being able to be strong enough to stop Damon. She heard a sickening crunching noise, followed by Mason grunting in pain. Emma had just made it to the door when there was a squishing noise and Mason's screams ceased. More tears fell and she felt arms wrap around her. She immediately hugged back, knowing that the arms belonged to Jeremy.

~~~~♡~~~~  

Emma and Jeremy sat next to each other in the waiting room, anxious to find out about Jenna's current condition. Emma looked up in time to see Elena walk through the double doors.

"How is she?" Jeremy asked, both siblings getting up from their seats.

"The doctors told Alaric that she got lucky." Elena explained. Emma released a breath of relief, fresh tears flowing of happiness. "She's going to make it. She's going to be okay."

Emma sniffled before asking, "Does she remember what happened?"

Elena shook her head. "No, nothing. It's all part of Katherine's mind compulsion."

"Why would Katherine hurt Jenna?"

"Because she's trying to send a message that she could get to anybody." Elena replied, on the verge of tears.

At those words, Emma shook with anger. "I need to step out." Emma said, turning and leaving the hospital. She knew what she was doing was a bit selfish, her family needed her, but she needs to be alone.

That bitch has been causing problems for everyone. Because of her, John had his fingers chopped off and was stabbed in the stomach. Because of her, she made Damon obsessed of freeing her from the tomb which resulted in Grams dying because of the spell they used. Because of her, Caroline became a vampire and now they had to deal with Sheriff Forbes not exposing her own daughter to the rest of the Founders council. And now because of her, Jenna nearly died. Katherine needed to go. She needed to go now.