Chapter Seventeen

"So you're just going to forgive her like that? After she kissed your man?" Katherine asks through the phone, scoffing.

"She's my sister, Kat, and he is not my man." I reply, zipping my suitcase close.

"So what if she's your sister? She kissed Damon and she knows that you love him." She says, sighing. "I mean, did she even apologize for kissing him?" She asks, scoffing.

"No." I answer, sitting beside my suitcase that lays on the bed. "She never apologized."

"Then why are you back to being lovey dovey. Just because she said I love you?"

"So what do you want me to now, Katherine? Ignore her and be mad at her just because she kissed Damon?" I scoff, "I am not letting Damon - or any guy - come between us."

"But it's not fair! Why the hell are you defending her? She kissed Damon!" She yells into the phone, "Oh, my god! Do you even hear me? She kissed the man you love and now Damon loves her because you let it happen."

"I didn't let it happen!"

"Yes, you did! You didn't go around and stop it - "

"How was I supposed to stop it?" I ask, my voice loud.

Katherine yells, "You let Damon go! Even after he apologized!" She says quietly, "You let him go and now Elena has him!"

I stay silent while she continues, "What happened to you, Emilia? Why are you in the dark? Why are you not fighting?"

"I don't know." I reply, my voice weak.

"You are not like this! You are not weak! What happened to the bitch that I became friends with? You don't need to be loved to be strong. I'm an example. No one loves me yet I'm still strong as a stone." Katherine says.

"I know what you are going through, Emilia, trust me I do. You are heartbroken by your own sister and Damon. But you cannot let something like that make you weak. Even if you're heartbroken, you should stay strong.

Plus, the only love you need is self-love. Because in the end if anybody abandons you if everyone dies and you're along, the only love you will end up with is your own."

She sighs, "Don't let yourself down, Emilia. I'm not telling you what to do but just own your rights." She says, "And after what everyone tells you, in the end you're going to do what you want to do."

"Wow," I whisper, chuckling. "Didn't peg you as a poetic and deep person."

"Oh, shut up." She laughs, "It's the least I could do."

"Well, you did a lot for the least." I sigh, "You made me realize my mistakes and how pathetic I sound. So thank you for that, Katherine."

"You're welcome." She replies quietly, "What are you doing now anyways?"

"I'm about to move in back into my house. Elena invited me back." I answer, sighing.

"You were invited by your own sister into your own house?" She scoffs in disbelief, "Emilia, what the hell is wrong with you?!"

"I know I know." I chuckle, "But anyways, I want to go back because I'm sick of motels and I also miss my old room."

"You poor soul, get your ass out of that filthy motel." She says and I laugh before I stand up.

"Well, I got two hands and I can't multitask so bye." I say before I end the call, slipping the phone in my back pocket as I wheel the suitcase to the front door.

♡ ♡ ♡

"What do you want, Damon?" I ask, raising an eyebrow while I cross my arms. I patiently tap my foot on the floor as I eye him cautiously, wondering why the fuck Damon would show up at my doorstep.

"I need your help." Damon replies, pursing his lips while he crosses his arms behind his back.

"Is anyone going to die?" I ask, tilting my head.

"Not that I know of." He answer, frowning.

"Bye." I say, slamming the door shut but he holds out his hand, pushing the door forcefully open.

"Stefan's not drinking human blood." Damon says, pushing past me and closing the door.

"And that's a problem because?" I ask, raising both my eyebrows as I follow him into the living room of my own house.

"He will die without it. Vampire logic. Duh." Damon replies and I roll my eyes.

"So what do you want me to do, Damon? Seduce him with blood?" I ask, leaning against the wall.

Damon scoffs, "Last thing I want on this earth is you seducing my brother."

"Careful Damon, you're caring again." I reply, smirking.

Damon sighs, "I still care about you, you know."

I roll my eyes, "Okay. Good for you."

"Why can't you forgive me, Emilia? I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. And I will say it a million times more, just please don't push me away." Damon says, walking towards me with a pleading look on his face.

"I don't really want to talk about this now, Damon." I say, sighing. "But I will help you help Stefan."

Damon nods, "Okay."

I grab my jacket and pull it on, sliding my phone into my back pocket. I step out of the house and wait for Damon before I close the front door behind him.

I follow Damon down the porch steps and I accidentally miss a step. I yelp as I trip but Damon reaches out and steadies me on my two untrusted clumsy feet.

"Oh my god, I almost died." I whisper, taking deep breaths to stop my panic attack.

Damon rolls his eyes and flicks my forehead, "Not when I'm around, you're not."

♡ ♡ ♡

"So what does a medical examiner, Bill Forbes, and Alaric Saltzman have in common?" Damon asks as I sip at my cherry vodka.

None of us reply till Stefan starts tapping his ring vigorously on the counter. I place my hand on his, stopping the movement as he turns to meet my eyes. I give him a soft smile and tear my eyes from his.

Stefan pours himself a drink while Damon says, "You know, quitting blood cold turkey after a ripper binge might not be the best approach. Every time you play that all-or-nothing game, you eventually leave a trail of bodies. So, I'm thinking, now is a good time to pay our old friend moderation a visit."

"They were all on the Founders' Council, Damon. That's what they all have in common." I pipe up, answering Damon's question before the conversation could take another direction.

"But why them? Huh? Brian Walters and Alaric weren't from founding families." He sighs, "I mean, hey, if you're gonna slaughter council members, go A-list. At least in 1912 they killed a Salvatore."

"Which Salvatore would that be?" Rebekah asks, coming up behind us.

"Oh, hey, sweetheart. So nice of you to join us." I look up at her, smiling sarcastically. "You can leave now."

Rebekah glares at me before she slides into the seat beside Stefan. "Zachariah Salvatore." Damon answers.

"Brace yourself, boys, to play a hundred questions. Hosted by the one and only, Rebekah Mikaelson." I wink at her, smirking.

Rebekah rolls her eyes, "So, Zachariah Salvatore was your nephew?"

"Well, our father knocked up one of the maids during the Civil War, she had a son." Damon replies, "But as far as everyone else knew, Stefan and I were dead. Family name had to go somewhere."

"And, uh, your family owned the logging mills back then?" She asks, crossing her arms on the table.

"You're full of a lot of questions." Damon mutters, gulping down his drink.

"Told you so." I mutter, sighing as I pour myself a drink.

"Aren't you a little too young to drink?" The bartender asks, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Fight me." I bark, slamming my glass as I stand up to meet his eyes.

"Woah woah woah." Damon says, standing up to push me away from the bartender. "Calm down. I'm sure he didn't mean it, right?" He looks at the bartender and compels him.

The bartender nods and looks at me, "Yes, I am sorry."

"Now go." Damon says before he turns to me, "Might wanna work on your short temper."

I roll my eyes and sit back down on the stool, drowning down my drink. Stefan grabs his glass and his bottle and moves from between Rebekah and Damon to sit beside me.

"So, did they ever catch the killer?" Rebekah asks as she moves into the seat beside Damon. Thirsty much?

"Nope. Wrote it all off on vampires." Damon replies, sighing.

"Maybe it was a vampire." I say, shrugging.

"Yeah, yeah, maybe it was a vampire, Damon." Stefan says, turning to look at his brother with suspecting eyes.

"Don't think for a second you didn't cross my mind too, brother." Damon replies and I chuckle. "But these murders weren't your style, were they? Plus there were no other vampires circulating then."

"Well, there was one other vampire. Remember Sage?" Stefan asks.

"Ohh, right, Sage." Damon says, taking a swig from his bottle.

"I knew a Sage once. Trashy little thing." Rebekah says, shrugging.

"You really think it was Sage who was killing all those Founders back then?" 

"Town questioned every grown man in Mystic Falls. Probably never occurred to them that a woman could have done it." Stefan replies, shrugging.

"So, uh, tell me more about your old relatives. I heard they tore down half the woods to build this town." Rebekah says, drinking her whiskey.

"Ugh. You never give up do you." I huff as the bartender gives us a new bottle of whiskey. Rebekah goes to grab the bottle, but Damon grabs it first.

"Easy there, lushy pants. It's been a hoot and a half but it's boy's night and you weren't invited." Damon says before he leaves with the alcohol.

Stefan grabs three glasses and urges me to follow. "C'mon Emilia." I nod and follow behind him, not before smirking at Rebekah.

"I genuinely feel bad for her brothers. Such a clingy thing." I mutter, sliding beside Stefan on a chair while Damon goes to play darts.

"So, let's just say Sage was killing everyone in 1912. Who the hell is doing it now?" Damon asks, pointing a dart at the board. "It's not that psycho, Dr. Fell. She's a woman. There's no way she could stab three grown men." He says, scoffing.

"That's a bit sexist." I reply, glaring at Damon's head just as he throws the dart but Rebekah catches it before it hits the board.

I groan loudly as she says, "Emilia's right. A woman could easily kill a man, with the right motivation."

"You just, uh, don't give up, do you?" Stefan asks, narrowing his eyes at the blonde.

"Why are you so grumpy?"

"He's on a master cleanse. Trying to be a better man and all." Damon answer instead, giving his brother a glance.

"You know, you were a lot more fun in the '20s." Rebekah says.

"Oh shut up, Rebekah. You probably weren't fun in the '20s, and you sure aren't fun now." I say, glaring at her through my lashes. "Don't rile him up." I advice her.

"Yeah. He's testy when he's being self-righteous." Damon adds.

"I'm not being self-righteous, Damon." Stefan sighs, "I'm just not interested in slaughtering innocent human beings anymore."

"Oh, okay, fair enough. My mistake. You used to be self-righteous." Damon says as he takes out Stefan's journal and tarts reading. "Dear diary, Damon has lost his way, though I have pulled my own life together he continues to waste his."

Rebekah grabs the journal from Damon and reads, "His bitterness consumes him. He is nothing but blackness and vile." She chuckles as she closes the journal, "Oh, judgy."

"Well, this is fun." I mutter under my breath, refilling my glass.

"You know, if I'm being honest, you didn't seem like much fun either, Damon." Rebekah says, handing Damon the journal back.

"I wasn't." Damon admits, "The woman I was in love with was stuck in a tomb and she wasn't getting out for a hundred years. I wasn't having any fun at all."

"So Rebekah," I pipe up, "Tell us about you stalking skills. How did you know Sage?"

"She was obsessed with my brother Finn, over 900 years ago." She answers.

"What? Creepy suicidal guy?" Damon asks, frowning in confusion.

Stefan taps his ring vigorously against the table once again. "You're doing it again." Damon says, looking at his brother.

Stefan sighs and gets up, "Alright, you know what, I need to, uh, I gotta get out of here."

"Sure. First, admit you're jonesing." Damon says, standing up straight from leaning against the table.

"Damon, I'm not."

Damon rushes over and grabs him by the collar. "Admit it."

"Okay, fine, I'm freaking out." Stefan grits through his teeth, "I'm ready to eat the entire wait staff, why do you need to hear me say it?"

"Because I'm feeling a little self-righteous too." Damon replies quietly. Stefan pulls Damon's holds off of him and grabs his jacket before he dashes out he door.

I sigh, getting up as I grab my jacket and pull it on. "I thought you were helping him." I say to Damon, shaking my head before I follow Stefan out the door.

The cold weather instantly hits my face hard and I shiver before I jog to catch up with Stefan. "I don't if a sorry helps, but I'm sorry. I know what you're going through, I've been through it. Blood and I go way back."

"How are you handling blood now?" Stefan asks, looking at Emilia as he slows his pace a bit.

"I'm getting the hang of it." I reply, "But you know Stefan, you're a vampire. You need human blood to survive, it's your craving. You should learn to control it but don't let the blood control you."

"You're in on this too?" Stefan asks, scoffing.

"No. No, I'm not." I sigh, "I'm not going to force you to drink blood, Stefan. I'm not like that. I'm just going to advice with whats best and the rest is up to you."

Stefan nods and opens his mouth to reply but gets cut off when Damon starts feeding on a blonde. Stefan rushes over and pushes Damon away, "Damon, stop!"

I run over to the scene and scoff when I look at the blonde who has her neck bitten off.

"Sorry brother. It's dinner time. Have a bite." Damon smirks, licking the blood off his chin.

"What are you doing?" Stefan asks, looking at his brother.

"Tough love, Stefan. You're not gonna survive this cold turkey thing, you never do. It's time to get that monkey off your back." Damon suggests, nodding his head towards the blonde.

"No. No." Stefan shakes his head.

"Feed or I'll let Rebekah have her way with her. You know she'll kill her." Damon replies.

"You know I will." Rebekah says, smirking.

"Then her blood will be on your hands. Or you could just have a little drink, save her life. Come on, Stefan. You were the one that said you didn't want any more innocent lives slaughtered. Save her. Go on, have a bite." Damon says, "I snatched, you eat, I'll erase. Hell, I'll even heal her for you."

"Why are you doing this? You know what blood does to me." Stefan says quietly.

"Because you let it control you. You always have. I'm just here to help you learn how to fight it."

"So this is your way of helping your brother? Threaten him to drink?" I ask, scoffing.

"This is rubbish." Rebekah huffs before she extends her fangs and gets ready to bite the blonde but Stefan rushes over and pushes Rebekah out of the way.

I watch as Stefan stares at the blood - contemplating his next move - before he bites her and starts feeding.

"I got it from here. Go ahead." Damon says, looking at Rebekah.

"The night's just getting started." Rebekah replies.

"Scram. No one likes a lurker." Damon replies, glaring at her.

"You're a real arse, you know?" She scoffs before she turns around and leaves.

"So I'm told." He whispers, glancing at me for a mere second.

"This is so wrong." I huff, pushing Stefan away from the blonds. Stefan goes and tries to feed again but I push him back. "Stop it." Stefan goes again but I growl, "I said stop it! You wanna fight hunger or do you wanna fight me?"

Stefan stops and I stare at his blood covered face, shaking my head in disappointed. "You've got it real bad, Stef." 

"What are you doing?" Suddenly, Elena and Matt enters the alley and walks towards us.

Stefan turns to look at her and she gasps when she sees the blood on Stefan's face. "Stefan?" She asks, barely over a whisper.

"Elena." Stefan croaks, wiping the blood off his mouth.

"What are you three doing?" Elena asks, looking between us three.

"Relax, Elena. Just a little experiment. There's no need to make this more dramatic than it needs to be." Damon says, holding up his hand in mock surrender.

"Elena, let's just go." Matt says, trying to pull her out of the alley. Elena continues to stare at Stefan and ignores Matt.

I move forward to block Stefan from Elena's vision. "You should go back home, Elena. I'll meet you there." I say quietly, smiling at her.

Eventually, Elena moves and she follows Matt out of the alley. I sigh and turn to look at Stefan sadly, giving him a small smile.

Stefan turns around and walks past Damon. "Stefan, hey wait, Stefan. Wait!" Damon calls out but Stefan had already disappeared.

"You were being a good brother by trying to help, Damon." I say, "But I guess things don't work out how you expect them to be."

♡ ♡ ♡

I push open the Salvatore door and step inside, the door clicking softly shut behind me. I sigh when I spot Stefan, sitting on a table in front of the fireplace with his back towards me.

I walk into the living and sit beside him on the table, gazing into the fire. It's hot flames warm my cheeks and my cold hands. The bright light causing my eyes to squint slightly.

I sigh and turn to look at Stefan who has his elbows perches up on his knees while his chin is on his intertwined hands.

"I know this is bad timing but are you okay?" I ask, pursing my lips.

Stefan doesn't reply and stays still as he gazes at the fire. I nod - knowing that he is in no mood to talk - and I turn back to the fire.

"Thank you." Stefan says suddenly and I turn to look at him. Seeing the confusion on my face he says, "For what you said back there in the alley."

"Oh." I sigh, "You're welcome."

"Also thank you for understanding what I'm going through." He says quietly.

I nod, "It's the least I could do, Stefan." I sigh, "Don't let yourself down, Stefan, because after what everyone tells you, in the end you're going to do what you want to do."

Katherine's words were powerful and meaningful. They really made me understand and realize a lot. I said the same exact words to Stefan hoping to at least help him understand the situation.

"You're a really great person, Emilia." He says, turning to look me in the eyes. "Sometimes I wish that I'd met you first." He whispers, holding his hand up before he lightly caresses my cheeks.

Suddenly, the door opens softly and Stefan instantly puts his hands down. I look back to see Damon stepping into the house before he sends me a small smile.

"Well, I'm better be going." I say, getting up. "I've had enough Salvatore drama."

I walk towards the front door and step out into the porch. I close the door and walk down the porch steps. I hear the door open slightly behind me but I keep walking.

"Emilia." Damon says, stopping me before I turn to look at him.

I raise an eyebrow as he comes down the porch steps and stands in front of me. "Thank you for your help tonight. It's really appreciated." Damon says, smiling softly at me.

"I did nothing, Damon, but you're welcome." I reply, smiling. Damon nods and smiles one more time before he turns to walk back into the house.

"You asked why I couldn't forgive you," I say quietly, halting Damon's steps. "It was because you were the love of my life, Damon. And you didn't want to be. That's hard to let go."

Damon turns to look at me and he opens his mouth to respond but I cut him off. "You don't have to say anything, Damon." I smile, "Go back in there. Your brother needs you."

Before Damon could say anything else, I turn around and walk down the path to the street. I couldn't help but smile at the thought that I had made things right.

I helped Stefan out. I made things right between Damon and I. And now I was heading home, hoping for an apology from my sister.

---------------------------------------
Long chapter!!!!

Thank you guys so much for reading this story and just reading your comments make my day❤❤❤❤

Also, I'm sorry for how bad the previous chapter was. I know things didn't please you but everything happens for a reason.

Cuz if what happened previously didn't happen, then what happened now wouldn't have happened.

I don't know if that makes sense.......

But who gives a shit right?

Anyways, i love you guys❤❤

Peace✌🏻

Oh and #ripperemilia ;)

to be continued....