The Birthday

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

Standing on the porch of a beautiful white two story wooden house in Tennessee was the slightly taller Emma Gilbert. She had on a pair of black converse, high waisted denim shorts that were rolled up at the ends, and her mother's locket tucked underneath a t-shirt with the words '100% Human' written on it. Let's just say it was a bargain Emma couldn't pass on. And leaning on the door frame of the front door was Stefan Salvatore who was waiting patiently for their cue. No words were exchanged between the two, the sounds of the nocturnal filling the silence.

It had been two months since she agreed to leave Mystic Falls with Klaus and Stefan in order for Damon to receive the werewolf bite cure. During all this time, she was not able to contact anyone she knew. To make sure she didn't, Klaus got her a new phone so that no one could call her. Lucky, she was able to receive one final text from Alaric that Jeremy was okay just before Klaus had destroyed the old one.

Emma huffed, crossing her arms. Since her hair was in a tight ponytail due to the unbearable heat of the summer, she began to tilt her head side to side out of boredom, making her bundled hair sway back and forth across her back.

"Could you stop that?" Stefan asked, glancing over at the girl. Emma shrugged and continued, walking over to the wooden railing with chipped paint. He didn't tell her to stop, he just asked.

She always hated this part, the wait with Stefan. There was really no point for her to be there, at all. Most of the time, they didn't need her for these confrontations. She wasn't sure if Klaus did it on purpose or not, having her stay with them till the very end, especially what happens. 

The front door swung open and the girl who opened it screamed at the sight of Stefan. Klaus appeared behind her, holding onto another girl.

"I love it when they run." he said, a large smile on his face. "Emma, sweetheart, come inside."

Emma walked away from the railing and opened the screen door, stepping inside the house, the wood creaking under her footsteps. She looked at Klaus for instruction, only receiving a nod that said 'You know what to do'. The girl that opened the front door, dark skinned with natural curls, eyed Emma as she walked over to a wall and placed her hand on it. Emma closed her eyes and concentrated.

A large tan building came to mind. In all caps were the words 'SOUTHERN COMFORT' was plastered in brown letters on the front, with the 'E' crooked and a guitar in between the words. Motorcycles and a truck were parked outside. The view zoomed inside, the sound of music playing. A man walked in and sat at the bar, Klaus coming up behind him. Klaus said his name and it echoed on and on. Ray? Ray?

"Ray?" Emma gasped, ripping her hand off the wall. Her head pounded and she felt something trickle down from her nose. She wiped her nose with her arm, already knowing what it was. "There's a place, called 'Southern Comfort'. We'll find him there." she said, walking over to stand underneath the door way to the dining room.

Since Klaus had made her come with him after the sacrifice, he had the witches that worked for him teach her how to use her powers. The whole idea was strange to Emma, that he was, in a way, helping her gain control over her seer powers. But it was just so that he could use her. And thanks to him, she now had the ability to use it when ever she concentrated hard enough.

Klaus smiled. "Well done. Now, where's that?" he asked, his eyes on the girl in front of him.

"Tulley." she said. She looked defeated. "It's near the border off highway 41."

"Thank you, my love." Klaus said. He moved a strand of hair from the blonde he was holding onto. "Now, may my friend come in your home?"

The girl whimpered. "Yes." she replied, but shook her head at the same time.

Stefan opened the screen door and stepped inside. Klaus shoved the blonde towards Stefan.

"Kill this one quickly." He looked over at the other girl. "Make that one suffer." he said, walking out of the house, Emma quick to follow.

She may have spoke too soon when she said she hated the waiting part with Stefan. It was this moment that she hated. The worse part. As she descended the porch steps, she quickly pulled out her iPod and shoved the headphones in her ears. She made sure to pick a very upbeat song and put the volume up all the way. It was so that she couldn't hear the screams. After every single 'meeting', she had to turn the volume up a little bit each time because it wouldn't be loud enough. It got to the point where she needed to have it blasting or she could hear them. As an added measure, she clasped the palms of her hands over the headphones to keep them in place and continued to follow Klaus to the car.

~~~~♡~~~~

As instructed to, Emma sat down at one of the many tables in Southern Comfort. It was packed with middle aged men, considering it was the middle of the day. Did people really need a drink now?

Emma still wore the same clothing from the night before, not having time to change, though she did have her hair down this time. Klaus was very eager to get to the bar, not wanting this Ray guy to get away. She really wasn't sure why they wanted him, only knowing he was a werewolf. Stefan was the one in on the loop and of course, he didn't tell her.

A man walked into the bar. He had long dirty blonde hair that was slicked back, a full beard and mustache, red flannel with a grey t-shirt underneath, and blue jeans, the typical look of the south. She had to admit, he was good looking and oddly familiar. Then it clicked. This was Ray.

Ray approached the bar, leaning on the counter top. "Can I get a beer?" he asked.

On cue, Klaus made his way over from the far side of the room and sat on the bar stool next to Ray. "Ray? Ray Sutton?"

The bartender cracked open a beer and set it in front of Ray. Ray grabbed it as he looked down uncomfortably. "Who wants to know?"

"I've been looking everywhere for you." Klaus began. "We started in Florida, Pensacola. I met a young chap there who you worked with before you moved to Memphis. Now he directed me to two lovely young women. And they led me here. To you."

Ray put the beer bottle down. "I think I'll be going." he said, backing away from the bar.

Klaus reached out and held Ray back with his hand. "Not so fast, mate. You only just got here. Now your type are very hard to come by." Ray turned around to try to leave another way, only to be stopped by Stefan.

"Yeah, I wouldn't do that." he said, pushing Ray back.

From her spot, Emma tensed. She hoped Ray would just cooperate.

Ray sighed, looking at the men in front of him. "Vampires." he concluded.

"You're swifty swift, Ray." Klaus said, a smile plastered on his face. He reached behind Ray and grabbed the beer bottle for himself. "Yes, my friend here is a vampire. He's compelled everyone in the bar, so don't look to them for any help." he explained.

Ray did a look over at the place to see many already looking at the three, but none of them seeming to be scared or frightened. His rested on Emma and she uncomfortably looked away, trying to act somewhat normal.

"I, however," Klaus continued, Ray's attention back on him. "I'm something else. A different kind of monster. I've got some vampire, I've got some wolf."

"A--what?" Ray asked, obviously confused.

"A hybrid, Ray. I'm both." Klaus revealed. "You see, I want to create more of me." Upon hearing his words, Emma grew more interested in the conversation than she was before. This was Klaus' plan? "Now, you being the first werewolf I've come across in many a moon, pun intended, Ray, aye?" Klaus said, tapping the bottle on Ray's shoulder. "I need you to direct me to your pack. So, where can I find them, Ray?"

Ray shook his head. "You can't compel me, it won't work."

Stefan scratched the side of his head before he turned to the bartender. "I need a scotch on the rocks, please." he asked, pulling out a small black drawstring pouch from his back pocket. "Tell you what, Ray. We're going to play a little drinking game." Stefan explained, opening the pouch. "Something I like to call truth or," Stefan poured the purplely contents of the pouch onto his hand. "wolfsbane."

Klaus smiled. "Oh, this is going to be fun, Ray."

Emma got up from the table and walked far from them, not wanting to watch them torture the poor guy. She managed to find a computer in the back, so she sat there as a distraction. It was easy to turn on, no login required. She had just opened the browser when the today's date caught her eye. Today was Elena's birthday. Emma sighed and covered her face with her hands. She was missing her sister's 18th birthday because of Klaus.

Klaus. Everything is his fault. He took her whole life away. Took her away from her family and friends for what? He was capable of doing all of this by himself, he didn't need her and Stefan. 

An idea popped up in her head just as she heard Ray cry out in pain, which she ignored. Using the page she opened, she typed in the amazon website and began to browse through the products listed. If she wasn't able to be there for Elena, the least she could do was get her a present, even if it will get there a little late. She searched and searched until she found the perfect gift. It was a vintage handmade leather journal with leather straps attached to tie it close. Yeah, she knew Elena already had one, but there was something about this journal that screamed Elena.

The cost of it was not a problem. Emma pulled out her small wallet and took out Klaus' debit card. He had given it to her so she could buy whatever she needed, whether it were clothes, female supplies, or entertainment. The only restrictions were train tickets, bus tickets, subway tickets, boat tickets, and plane tickets.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Emma jumped at the sound of Klaus' voice behind her, the card flying out of her hands onto the table. She turned her head and looked up to see him with his arms crossed.

"Why do you care?" she asked back, glaring at him. She looked back at the computer screen, but was yanked out of her seat by her arm.

Klaus leaned his head close to hers. "I asked you a question." he growled.

She seized her arm back and resisted the urge to rub where he held onto her tightly. "Fine, if you want to know so badly, I ordered something for Jeremy to put on Elena's grave. It's her birthday today." she admitted, thought part of it was a lie. Klaus had no idea Elena was still alive.

Klaus went towards the computer and looked at the recent purchase. "A journal? What could she possibly to with that?"

"It supposed to be symbolic." she informed, crossing her arms in annoyance. 

Klaus chuckled and backed away from the computer. "Such a human thing to do." he said, leaving the girl to join Stefan.

Emma rolled her eyes, shutting down the computer and following him. When she entered the main area of the bar, she saw Ray tied up to a wall, in front of a dart board, and multiple darts stuck on his shoulders, head, and chest. Stefan stood not far from him with more darts in his hands. Ray groaned and began to yell, tugging at the chains on his wrists.

Stefan dipped one of the darts in the scotch he ordered. Stefan used his vampire strength to throw the dart hard, making it hit Ray's neck. Emma winced. "We can end this right now, Ray. Just tell me where your pack gathers for the full moon." Stefan suggested, pulling a dart out from the werewolf's body.

Ray breathed heavily and shook his head. "I can't."

"I know, I know, you live by a code and all that. But you see, he's not going to let me stop until you tell me." Stefan explained, gesturing towards Klaus who sat at a table amused by the scene with Emma at the seat next to him. "And I do whatever he says. That's the way it goes around here."

Just then a young woman came up to Klaus. "Mr. Klaus? I have some information for you." she said, gaining the original's attention. Emma eyed the girl. "You told me to tell you if I saw anything. I saw that guy's brother Damon at the farmhouse." she said.

Emma's eyes widened. Why Damon was still searching for them? He's going to get himself killed.

"Well, thank you, Claudine. You just tell your friends to keep the good work with the neighborhood watch, huh?" Klaus said and the woman left.

Stefan vamped over. "So my brother's still on our trail?"

"He's getting closer." Klaus said, anger laced in his words. "I'm going to have to deal with that."

Emma's heart began to pound in nervousness as Klaus went towards the exit, but was relieved what Stefan stopped him.

"No, no, no. Let me handle it." Stefan said.

Klaus raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Why should I let you leave?" he asked.

"Cause you know I'll come back."

"Do I?" Klaus countered, his eyes narrowing at the other vampire.

"You save my brother's life. I'm in your service." Stefan explained.

"Oh, that almost sounds so tedious and indentured. Aren't you even having the least bit of fun?" Klaus asked, pointing at the tied up Ray.

Stefan stayed silent for a moment. "I'll make sure that my brother doesn't bother us anymore." Stefan assured, moving past Klaus.

Emma watched after him, sadness washing over her. He was going back to Mystic Falls. This may be her only chance to see everyone she cares about again. She got up from her chair and went up to Klaus.

"Let me go with him." she sternly said.

"Oh, well, with that attitude, how could I possibly say 'no'?" Klaus remarked, leaning on the bar.

Emma let out a shaky breath, trying to keep her temper down. "Please, let me go. I'll come back. You can compel me or compel Stefan to make him bring me back, whatever makes you sleep better at night, but please," she repeated, looking at him with begging eyes. "let me go."

Klaus' blue-green eyes stared deeply into Emma's green ones, pondering the idea of letting her go with Stefan. She was a little surprised when she saw him jerk his head towards the door. "Go, before I change my mind."

Emma felt a wave of relief hit her, and she ran after Stefan, just as he was about to drive away. He came to an abrupt stop and rolled down the window, leaning over the passenger seat to see her.

"Klaus said I could come." Emma informed him, a light smile on her face. 

Stefan let out a sigh and unlocked the door to let her in. Once she was buckled, Stefan put the car in drive and drove off, a cloud of dust flying up in the air. It was silent, for the most part, during the car ride. Just the sound the wind made as it flowed through the open windows, which made Emma's hair flap around. 

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to go to Mystic Falls." Stefan finally said, his eyes still on the dirt covered road.

During their time spent with Klaus, Emma and Stefan agreed to keep some distance away from each other in front of the original vampire. To pretend that Emma hated Stefan for following Klaus' orders to kill. Emma understood that it was to keep the monster out of the town and away from Elena. Who knows what the man would do if he found out that she never died.

Emma looked out of the window, squinting as the sun shone in her eyes. She wished she had some sunglasses. "I know. I ju- I just want to see everyone, even if I don't talk to them. I miss them." She giggled. "Even Damon." She heard Stefan chuckle. She turned her head towards Stefan. "When you talk to him, just be gentle, okay? Don't-"

"Emma, I need to make sure he doesn't follow us anymore. If I fail at that, Klaus will kill him." Stefan interrupted, his grip on the steering wheel tightening.

She had no idea what he had in mind that would force Damon to leave them alone, but he had a point.

They had gotten to an area where there was civilization. A newly built Walmart caught her eyes.

"Hey, can we stop in there?"

~~~~♡~~~~  

Emma stepped out of the vehicle, a pair of brand new sunglasses on the top of her head. At Walmart, Emma took the opportunity to get sunglasses and a change of clothes. Wearing the same clothes in unbearable heat is not fun. She got a grey short sleeve v-neck top with a small pocket on the chest and white denim overall shorts. And to keep her feet fresh, she bought a packet of new socks.

It was nighttime when they arrived in her hometown, though the heat still lingered. Stefan had parked a ways from the boarding house, where they could hear the sound of cheers and loud, pounding music. Stefan got out of the car as well, but didn't make the move to follow her.

"I'll be back soon. Try not to talk to anyone, alright? It's better that way for when we leave." Stefan suggested, staring at the house one last time before getting back in the car and driving away.

Emma watched after the car until the back lights were merely two little dots in the distance. The palms of her hands were covered in a thin coat of sweat from the heat and nervousness. The gravel crunched with each step she took towards the boarding house. She could see all the lights on and many people going in and out of the front door, all with red solo cups or the actual alcohol bottles. Worried that she would be spotted immediately, she went around the house to the backyard where there were not so many drunk teenagers. There were a bunch of people she recognized from school as she scanned the patio and the inside through the windows. She climbed up the stone steps, smiling every so often at whoever looked at her. Hopefully no one knew who she was.

She put her hands in her pockets as she walked around the outside of the house, glancing inside. She saw a large group of people dancing in the living room and some girls dancing on top of the side tables. She kept walking and saw the study, where a bunch of people were smoking some weed. She let out a laugh. Of course, the stoner den. She walked up to the other window that looked into the study and stopped, any sign of amusement gone from her face. There, sitting on beige couch that faced the fireplace, was Jeremy who happened to be taking a long drag from a blunt.

A few tears escaped from her eyes and she wiped them away quickly. The last image she had of him was Jeremy laying on the floor of The Grill in a pool of his blood with a bullet hole in his chest. He looked distraught and she wished she knew why. She missed spending time with and talking to him. Emma watched as Jeremy looked down at his lap and then lifted his head up to take another drag when his gaze fell on her. She tried to move every muscle in her body to move but she remained frozen in place. She saw him say her name and get up from the couch. That made her move.

Emma retraced her steps as fast as she could, pushing past the people who got in her way. She pulled out her phone and called Stefan's number.

"Come on, Stefan. Pick up." she whispered to herself, frustrated tears clouding her vision. She had one job to do and she blew it.

Emma raced down the stone steps, letting out a groan when the call went straight to voicemail. She almost made it to the last two steps when a hand seized her arm. She whipped her head back to see Jeremy's surprised face.

"Emma." he said, out of breath. "It is you."

She tried to say something, but she couldn't find anything to say. She thought for a moment before she quickly pulled her arm out of his hand and gave him a tight hug, throwing him off. Jeremy wrapped his arms around her and hugged her too.

"I saw you die, Jeremy." Emma began, looking up at him. "When I left, I didn't know if Bonnie was able to save you or not."

"Well, she did." he said, a smile on his face. "So, what does this mean? Were you able to get away from Klaus?" he asked, holding her by the arms.

"I-I didn't. He let me come back, with Stefan, but just for a little bit." she explained.

Jeremy frowned. "Oh, then stay here and let me go get Elena so that sh-"

"No!" Emma said quickly. "You can't. She can't know I was here." Before Jeremy could protest, she continued. "If she knew I was here, she'd try to follow us or something."

"But-"

Stefan was right, it was better not to talk to anyone. Just seeing him in the study was hard but actually being next to him and and talking to him was painful. 

"I need to go, Jeremy." she said, breaking away from his grip and going down the remaining steps. When Jeremy advanced after her, she held her hands up. "Please, Jer, if I don't go, Klaus will come back to Mystic Falls and see that Elena was still alive and then kill everyone."

Emma walked backwards slowly, to see if he'd move with her. A wave of relief flushed over her when he didn't and she walked back across the gravel driveway to where Stefan had dropped her off. New tears formed and she frantically brushed them off. She moved to the side of the road when a car was heading towards the house. Because of the bright headlights, she wasn't able to recognize the car until it was about to pass her. As it passed, she made eye contact with familiar icy blue eyes, sending chills down her back. The car didn't stop, as she expected it not to and she continued her way down the road. It wasn't long before Stefan's car came into view.

She quickly opened the passenger seat and entered the car, not uttering a word. Stefan glanced over at her and saw the distraught look on her face. He watched as she buckled and simply looked out the window while letting out a shaky breath. He didn't say anything, knowing she didn't heed his warning, and drove off, heading back to the bar.

~~~~♡~~~~ 

Emma followed behind Stefan as they reentered the bar, seeing Ray now tied to the pool table on his back. It seemed like Ray had even more blood on him than the last time she had seen him.

The werewolf lifted his up, looking at Klaus. "What are you going to do now?" he asked.

"It's time for step two, Ray." Klaus announced. In a blink of an eye, he snapped Ray's neck, Emma letting out a gasp.

"You made it back." Klaus commented, eyeing the two that just walked in.

"Did you really doubt us?" Emma replied, crossing her arms and keeping her focus on Ray's limp body.

"Not for a second, little one." Klaus said, before turning his attention directly to Stefan. "I knew you'd pass the test, Stefan. You still care for your brother; for your old life."

Stefan let out a fake laugh. "I don't care about anything anymore."

"You put on a good show, Stefan." Klaus pushed, making Emma worry he was going to do something. "I almost believe you. Let's hope for your brother's sake, he does."

Klaus got close to Stefan and whispered in his ear, "You never stop caring about family, do you? But every time you feed, the blood makes it easier to let go." The original backed away and walked off.

Emma could see Stefan's conflicted face. She wasn't sure if she should try to comfort the guy, thinking it was best to leave him be and give him some space. Her suspicions were confirmed as she watched him head out the front door. It hurt her to see him like that. Klaus was trying to force him to become this vicious monster he has tried so hard not to become for many years. She only hoped he could hold out for a little bit longer.

~~~~♡~~~~ 

And here's a new update for my lovely readers. We are FINALLY in season 3!! Be ready for the orignals :::))))