Two men drinking in a bar, the start to the perfect joke; Alaric Saltzman and Damon Salvatore each sat at the bar with a glass tumbler of bourbon in their hands, discussing the latest troubles with finding Damon's brother Stefan.
"Last I heard he was in Chicago," Damon said as he took a small sip from his bourbon.
Alaric pepped up, "Have you told Elena?"
Damon shook his head.
Across the Mystic grill the door chimed as it opened and two young women walked through. They looked around for an empty table and found a booth close to the bar, the oldest one waved to a waiter who nodded to let them know that he had seen them.
"Are you crazy, don't you think she would want to know?" Alaric chided Damon.
At the sound of Alaric's voice the youngest woman's head popped up from her menu and looked in the direction she heard it coming from, as soon as she spotted the all too familiar face she stood and headed to its owner.
"Alaric?" She asked.
Alaric turned at the sound of his name to see someone he never thought he would see again, someone who he thought of as a niece, regardless of the lack of actual relation.
"Emma!" He said excitedly and stood to embrace her, "What the hell are you doing in Mystic Falls."
"I just moved here."
Damon cleared his throat behind them, he wasn't a fan of being left out of the loop of any conversation.
Alaric rolled his eyes, "Emma, this is my, friend, Damon."
Emma looked around Alaric to wave to Damon, but was caught of guard by his ice blue eyes. She gave him a quick wave and turned her attention back to Alaric.
"So this is where your search has landed you? What's so special about Mystic Falls?"
"More than you know," Damon commented behind Alaric, which earned him a pointed look from his friend.
"I've stopped looking Emma. Isobel is gone, it's time for everyone to just move on."
Emma nodded.
"I can't wait to see your parents, where are they," Alaric asked as he started searching the bar for familiar faces.
"Umm," Emma's face fell, "it's just Katie and me now."
Alaric stopped searching when he confirmed that it was just Katie sitting at a table alone and waiting on her sister to return, he gave Katie a small smile and nod which she returned.
"We can talk about it later Em, I'm just happy to see you."
"Me too," she said before hugging Alaric again, "I better get back to Katie before she gets hangry."
"No one wants that," Alaric laughed lightly.
Emma looked around Alaric again to Damon and gave him a small smile, "It was nice to meet you Damon."
"I look forward to seeing you again Emma," Damon smirked.
Emma started walking back over to the table she was sharing with her sister. Damon watched her back as her loose dark red curls bounced from side to side while she moved with an odd amount of grace for a human.
"Don't even think about it you dick," Alaric warned.
"What," Damon feigned shock at the accusation that he was showing any interest in Alaric's friend.
"First of all, she is like family to me."
"So is Elena and you are fine with her and Stefan," Damon pointed out.
Alaric rolled his eyes, "Secondly, she is a vampire hunter."
"Well, clearly not a very good one," he motioned to himself.
"I trained her a few years ago," Alaric ignored his comment.
"I stand by what I said," Damon smirked as he swigged back the rest of his bourbon.
"Alaric lives here now?" Katie asked her sister when she returned.
"Yea, I guess it's just where life led him after Isobel," Emma shrugged.
"His friend is cute," Katie commented and Emma could have sworn she saw Damon grin just as she said that.
Before Katie could make anymore observations about the raven haired, blue eyed man that sat with Alaric their waiter approached the table.
"Hey I'm Matt, can I get you guys anything to drink?"
Emma looked up to the blonde haired guy to answer, she noticed he also had blue eyes, a much deeper shade than Damon's but still a pretty ocean shade, "I'll just have a coke and a cheeseburger."
Katie rolled her eyes at her sister's eagerness to order food, "Just a soda water and the chef's salad please."
Matt quickly scribbled down the order and said he would be back soon.
"Really Em, do you always have to order the cheeseburgers?" Katie got on to her sister about her diet, or lack there of.
"Really Katie I do, if they have shit burgers then what is the point in living here? Especially since this seems to be the only restaurant in town."
"Did you get everything done and set up for school tomorrow?" Katie asked.
"I'm sorry I thought as the parent that was your job," Emma said with thick sarcasm.
"Emma..."
"Yes, Katie, I got everything done to start my senior year away from all my friends because instead of staying in North Carolina to be with me, my sister insisted for God knows what reason, that I move to this small ass Virginia town."
Katie looked at her sister with sad eyes. The rest of their lunch was eaten in silence, but occasionally Emma would look up and see Damon glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, she fought the urge to smile.
________
Emma juggled her book bag and a crappy map of the school that had all of her classes highlighted. She glared down at her map trying to find where her history classroom was, she had found her self at a four way junction in the hallway and was trying to orient herself to know which one she needed to go down.
"Can I help you?" A voice from behind her made her jump slightly but she looked up to see a tall dirty blonde teen with a sharp jaw line and brilliantly white smile looking down at her.
Although he wore a smile it didn't reach his eyes, his eyes were completely emotionless. Emma immediately went on alert and her body tensed.
"Just trying to find the senior history room," Emma said with caution in her voice.
"Come with me, I was just heading that way now, that's my next class too," he grinned, "I'm Stefan by the way."
"Emma."
They walked together to the left, the class was embarrassingly close to where Emma had been. Stefan opened the door and let Emma pass ahead of him.
"Emma Peters, glad to see you m..." Alaric was cut off and his face fell as he watched Stefan walk in behind Emma, "glad to see you made it to class, I was thrilled when I saw you on my roster."
"Me too Ala-I mean Mr. Saltzman," Emma smiled sheepishly before walking to the only open desk in the corner of the front row by the window.
"All right," Alaric took his place in the front of the class, "let's open our text books to page 282 and get started."
"Keep him the hell away from her Damon," Alaric started yelling just as he opened the door to the boarding house, he could already see Damon in the main room by the fireplace.
"Keep who where, what now?" Damon already had a slight idea of who Alaric was referring to but felt like pushing his buttons.
"Your currently psychopathic brother needs to stay away from Emma."
Damon feigned pout, "I take it little Emma's first day as a Timberwolf didn't go so well."
"If Stefan even scratches her I will kill him," Alaric almost growled.
"Relax," Damon walked over to a small bar and pour himself a bourbon from a crystal decanter, "if she is the big bad hunter you trained her to be she will either sniff him out and do it for you or at the very least be able to defend herself."
"I don't care what you have to do Damon, keep her safe."
Damon rolled his eyes.