Wayward Hearts: Book 2

Part 19

Damon watched as the girl walked away. Now more than ever he was confused, between what he had heard Matt and Emma speaking of the other day when they were walking around the lake and his continued confused feelings around her, it was driving him nuts. Throwing the sire bond to Elena into the mix was almost overwhelming.

"Emmy, what in the hell are you doing?" Dean asked as he came in to see Emma messing around in the fireplace, trying conjure a ball of fire.

"I have to learn how to defend myself Dean. This time it's a Rusalka, what is it gonna be next time?" Emma remained focused on the fire, Dean couldn't argue her point.

Emma waved her hand through the flame and seemed to be able to force it to obey her, but it was still a far cry from the abilities Dean had seen another Phoenix, Atticus Finch, possess.

"Have you heard from Castiel?" Emma asked.

Dean put his hands in his pockets, "No, not yet."

Emma just nodded, which worried Dean, anytime he had seen her react nonchalantly to something that she should have had a larger reaction to, it never ended well. He knew just how reckless she could be when she became desperate enough.

Emma stood up, "I'm going for a walk."

"Not by yourself your not," Dean looked at her like she was crazy.

"Relax, I'll stay away from the water."

"We don't know just how far this thing can reach out."

"Well, it isn't trying to get into the house, and it didn't try anything while I was out in the yard with the guys."

Emma got up and walked towards to the door before Dean could say anything else to stop her. Dean plopped down on the couch frustrated.

"Hey Dean," Sam called.

"Yeah," he answered as he looked over his shoulder to his brother.

"So I was looking more into this thing and Rusalkas can imitate looks to be more appealing to its victim. Meaning this thing could show up at any point if it got bold enough, and we might not ever know," Sam explained.

"Crap!" Dean shot up from the couch and ran for the door.

Emma looked down at the ground as she walked, her hands were in the pocket of her hoodie, and her mind was a million miles away.

"Emma."

At the sound of her name, Emma's head snapped up and began looking around. She saw Damon standing a little ways down the trail from her near the water's edge.

"What are you doing out here?" She asked him as she got closer.

Damon didn't answer her, but he continued looking at her.

"Damon?" Emma asked hesitantly as she continued walking towards him.

As she got closer she could see his face begin to blur. Emma stopped walking and started to turn back the other way to run, when the shrill ringing began to attack her hearing, nearly incapacitating her. The monster in front of her stepped closer, as it did, the facade it was wearing faded and Emma could finally see the Rusalka in its true form. Emma did her best to back away but the pain she was in left her close to immobilized.

"Emma!" Emma looked back to see the real Damon running towards her in a panic.

She turned back to see the Rusalka still stalking towards her, Damon wasn't going to reach her before the creature did. Emma screamed as the pain in her head became unbearable.

The Rusalka grabbed her ankle and pulled her towards itself. Emma kicked with her other leg, trying to get it away. As soon as it was able, it wrapped its arms around Emma's waist and pulled her face to face with it. Instinct took over and Emma began hitting the monster anywhere she could land a blow. She grabbed it's arm and tried to pry it off of her, as soon as Emma's palm touched the Rusalka its shrieking grew louder, even making Damon put his hands on his head in response to the pain.

The monster dropped Emma to the ground as it continued to scream. Emma turned around to face it, ready to continue to defend herself, only to find that it was bursting into flames and turning to ash, it fell to its knees. When the flames reached its face the screeching stopped and Emma and Damon were able to focus again.

Sam and Dean came running behind Damon. Dean ran straight to Emma, she was in so much shock that she didn't respond to anything around her, except for the creature currently turning into ash in front of her. She tried to stand but began to feel weak, she stumbled to the ground again. Dean picked her up in his arms just as everything seemed to go dark for her.

"Did she do that?" Damon asked in shock.

"Yeah, I think so," Sam answered him.

Damon saw Emma laying limp in Dean's arms, "Is she..."

Dean shook his head, "She fainted, I don't think she was ready for the amount of power it took her to do that."

Dean began walking back toward the cabin with Emma in his arms.

Jeremy and Matt were inside on the couch when the three men walked in.

Matt jumped up, "Oh my god, is she okay?"

"Yeah," Dean nodded, "but uh, good news is; I think it's safe to use the lake in June now."

Dean started up the stairs to Emma's room, he laid her gently on the bed. When he turned back around Damon was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. Dean studied Damon, he could see something in him, like the memory of Emma was just below the surface.

"She'll be fine," Dean said quietly as he walked past Damon and back downstairs to explain to the teen boys what had happened.

Damon stepped forward into the room and sat on the bed next to Emma. She looked peaceful. He raised a gentle hand and pushed a piece of her velvet hair away from her face. There was something about her, and he was determined to figure out what it was. Cautiously he took her hand and closed his eyes, trying to tap into her brain.

At first he got flashes, her with him on the couch in the foyer, laying against him and talking, kissing her at the Grill by the pool tables, making love to her in his bed and then waking up with her naked body pressed against his, both of them smiling. Then he began to see deeper memories, her smiling at him as he sped around the corner of the highway in his Camaro. Someone's funeral where he was comforting her, the name on the headstone read Katie Peters. A scene where she died in his arms and he was begging for her to stay with him, then bringing her home and gently taking care of her until she resurrected. He saw the look in her eyes as he finally admitted that he loved her, sparkling and bright. He could feel the warmth of her arms around him when she helped him to the car after he had been held captive by Rebekah. They danced in the parlor while she wore a blood red dress, he stopped and gave her his mother's bracelet that he had accused her of stealing. He saw as she cried over Alaric's desiccated body as he tried to pull her back. Finally he saw them sitting on the floor of his shower, both of them clinging to each other and crying, as if something horrible was about to happen and they were helpless against it.

Damon released her hand and stood up shocked, he backed away slightly and started walking down the stairs and out the front door.