"So let me get this straight," Alaric rubbed his temples in an attempt to destress himself, "you pulled her from school to keep her away from Stefan, who kept bullying her for some reason. Only to end up killing two guys who tried to attack her, even though she easily defended herself. Then you take her out into the middle of the damn woods, possibly get spotted by a hybrid. Oh and I almost forgot, you slept with her."
"That uh...pretty much sums that whole thing up. Yup," Damon said as he took a swig of bourbon from a flask he kept in his jacket.
"Did you know she was joking with her sister this morning about the fact that you two were 'on a date because you shared a milkshake'; do I even want to know what the hell that is about?"
"That is actually the most innocent part about this whole thing."
"Please explain to me how this whole thing I supposed to keep her safe."
Damon opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it when he couldn't find the right answer. He knew what he had done was stupid, he put a bigger target on her back; which was why he was currently in the school parking lot getting patronized by the kettle; he had to keep his eyes and ears alert to make sure that not only was Stefan backing up but Tyler wasn't showing any signs of taking an interest in Emma.
He watched from a distance as Emma ran the track with ease while laughing with Bonnie about their new classmate Rebekah. Damon of course had recruited Bonnie onto his safety team. For once she was doing something for more than just Elena.
"Emma is coming over to the boarding house later, she couldn't be safer there," Damon tried to ease his friend's worry.
"Oh great, with your soulless brother and a psycho Original. Super safe," Alaric pushed himself off the car and started walking back into the school.
Over the next month Emma spent most of her time with Damon, either at the boarding house or at her apartment. They had become inseparable, and for Damon it was no longer just because Alaric hired him to steer her away from trouble. For once he found himself caring about something outside of his brother. Once upon a time he had thought he had fallen for Elena, but after a year of rejection and her continued doubt in his ability for control, his heart had finally pivoted in a different direction with the appearance of Emma.
Emma drove down the dirt road and onto the gravel driveway of the boarding house, expecting it to be like any other day. She hopped off of her Kawasaki Ninja and pulled her helmet off. She shook her hair out and clipped her helmet to the seat. She knocked on the door to the boarding house only to have it opened by Stefan instead of Damon. She was slightly put off but asked about Damon.
"Yea he is just upstairs in his room," Stefan's cold smile invited her into the dark house.
The dark wood and huge fireplace made the space inviting but also put her on alert. Something wasn't right. Just as she was about to comment the blonde who had just started at her school came down stairs from the second floor in nothing but a towel.
"Did you have to use all of my conditioner?" She heard Damon ask before she saw him following her down the stairs.
Emma's arms fell to her sides in shock. There was a snicker behind her from Stefan which only reinforced what she was thinking.
"And why the hell are you using my bathroom? What's wrong with yours?" Damon demanded, that statement alone eased Emma a little.
"Your shower head is better," Rebekah commented before she noticed Emma standing in the middle of the main room, "oh don't worry we didn't do anything, this time."
She flicked her hair and began to walk away but stopped when Emma commented back, "Trust me, I wasn't worried. I knew he traded up to a red head for some reason, now I see that it was because he had a bitchy blonde."
Rebekah's jaw dropped at the rebuttal and Damon began laughing hard as he crossed the room to Emma's side and kissed her temple before pulling her into his arms. Stefan disappeared and Rebekah stomped off towards her room.
"Well, I can clearly make an entrance and clear a room at the same time," Emma motioned around them.
"Fine by me," Damon pushed her chin up slightly so she was looking at him, "it just means that I can do this with a little more privacy."
He leaned down and gently pressed his lips against Emma's, again it was Emma that deepened the kiss and pulled him down closer to her level.
"I heard your bike pull up, you didn't tell me you drove a motorcycle," Damon said when they broke apart, "I swear you are gonna make me fall for you hard."
"Haven't you heard? That was my evil master plan all along," Emma flicked her hair at him in the same way Rebekah had done to her.
Damon grabbed her hand and pulled her back before she could walk more than three steps. Emma laughed as he spun her back into his arms.
"You promised you had books that could help me on this stupid history paper Ric wants me to do. As much as I would love to keep this going, it is due tomorrow and I am an idiot for putting it off this long," Emma pulled herself free.
Damon grabbed her hand and began to pull her towards several shelves full of books that he had hoped would hold something she could use, but he really had no idea. The goal was just to keep Emma in his sights at all times. He knew it wasn't the greatest of plans but after the other night he had no other ideas. Hanging out in her room while she slept was beginning to feel a little too 'Creeper Cullen' for him. Emma made a frustrated noise and Damon raised his eyebrow at her when she looked up at him helpless.
"Screw this paper," Emma growled and pushed herself away from the shelves.
"What does Ric even have you working on?"
"Some insane theory that vikings were here way before any other settlers," Emma threw her hand in the air.
Damon knew Ric was giving her a red herring to keep her busy while the chaos reined around her. Both of their heads snapped towards the front door when they heard something outside bang and then something else slam against the front door.
"What the hell?" Damon said as he took several large gaits over to the door, trying his best to hide that he was using his speed slightly so Emma would be forced to stay behind him, because just like he thought she would, she had followed him to the front door.
He was cautious as he pulled it open slightly and saw a motorcycle helmet sitting broken on the top step, further over by the rest of the vehicles he could see Emma's bike sitting on its side. Damon pursed his lips in frustration as he let Emma pull the door open to see the scene in the front yard. She saw her helmet first and lightly pushed Damon to the side so she could get to it. When she picked it up she gasped, Damon looked over her shoulder and saw that the helmet had cracked. Damon pieced together what had happened and looked at the front door and was shocked it only had a small mark where the helmet had impacted it. Rebekah must have thrown the helmet after she pushed the bike over. He stood helpless as he watched Emma storm over to her bike to pick it up. She struggled slightly to do it on her own but Damon knew her well enough to know that helping her when she was this mad was probably a bad idea, considering she refused help even in the best of circumstances.
Once the bike was up Emma began inspecting it and saw the gas cap was undone as well, "At least I only had half a tank so when the bitch tipped it nothing came out."
Emma looked around at the gravel around them to see if she could find a wet spot where the gas may have leaked. Damon could smell the gas further into the woods. Rebekah must have turned the bike upside down to dump the tank completely before she dragged it across the rocks. Emma had disappointment written all over her face as she ran her hands over the scratch marks that ran along the custom paint job she had on her tank and fenders. She turned her attention to her helmet.
"What I want to know is, how in the hell did she throw this hard enough against the door that she broke it," Emma looked up at Damon for answers to a question she may already be deducing in her own head.
Damon shrugged as he took the helmet from her, "Maybe it was a factory dud that made it out onto the sales floor. I think we should just be happy that you weren't in an actual accident wearing that thing. I'm more upset about your paint job."
Just as Damon wanted the mention of the bike made Emma drop the subject of the helmet altogether, "I'm gonna kill her. It took me forever to save up for that."
"I'll make sure she pays you every penny that it cost to fix anything that broke," he pulled her into his arms in a comforting hug, "let's just get you back inside, I'll make us some dinner."
"I think I'm just gonna head home," clearly what Rebekah had done was effecting Emma more that Damon could process at the moment, so he began to dig into his pocket for his keys.
"I'll let you drive if it will make you smile," he jingled the keys to his Camaro in front of Emma's face like they were bait, "and I never let anyone besides me drive, so it would be super special."
Emma shook her head before she began to pull her hair back, "I'll be fine, the wind will be annoying, but it's just a couple of miles."
Damon scoffed in disbelief, "What about your helmet? Most accidents happen within five miles of your home."
"Just toss it," Emma waved him off before she started the bike.
Damon already knew she wouldn't make it to the end of the driveway before she was walking back but kissed her good-bye, even if it was only temporary. As he predicted the bike stuttered and clicked off less than 10 feet away from him, he let his head drop for a moment but quickly brought it back up when he saw the fiery tantrum that had exploded from Emma.
"Dammit," she yelled as she pounded her fist against the fuel tank before she jumped off the bike and pushed it down herself this time and began kicking it.
She had almost kicked the front fender all the way off before Damon snapped out of his shock and moved forward to stop her. He grabbed her from behind and pulled her back, she started trying to pull his hands of off her and get out of his grasp.
"Emma you need to stop," he said calmly, his voice seemed to soothe what ever beast had seemed to have just taken over the sassy but low-key girl he had come to know.
She stopped trying to pull away and just let him hold her while she stared at the ground. Damon could tell she was trying to stitch herself back together before she turned to face him, he was fine with standing there all night if she needed him to do it. When he heard her breathing change into shorter less controlled breaths, and he could feel that he was supporting more of her weight, he knew that what ever battle she was fighting in her head was over, and she had lost. She let him turn her so she was facing him, but her face was still hidden from him as she looked down.
"Em, I can't help you if you don't tell me what the hell is going on," Damon whispered.
Emma tried to take a deep breath but it felt like she couldn't get her lungs to open up enough, "A year."
Damon instantly understood, her parents had died a year ago, but there was one thing he didn't understand, "But you just moved here like two months ago."
"It took Katie that long to get me to move here with her."
They stood in silence for a short time while Emma tried to pull all of her pieces back together.
"I wish I would have met you anywhere but here."
"What's wrong with here?"
"Nothing makes sense and you would think I was crazy if I told you."
"Try me," Damon lifted put a finger under Emma's chin and lifted her face gently to meet his.
Emma just shook her head, Damon was worried that she may be picking up on all the craziness around her and the supernatural energy that seemed to surround Mystic Falls. He would need to bring Alaric into the conversation soon. For now though, he knew exactly who to call.
"Come on, let's get you back inside for now," Damon easily picked her up and carried her inside the house while Emma hid her face in his neck and seemed to hold on to him like she was afraid if she let go he may disappear.
Once he had gotten her back inside and up the stairs into his room he placed her gently on his bed, he took off her boots for her and let her curl up in his bed. When he thought she was relaxed enough for him to step aside for at least a moment he got up and pulled his phone out of his pocket and scrolled down to the name of a person he knew would be able to help Emma cope for at least tonight.
He let out a sigh just before Elena picked up, "What Damon?"
"I need your help, and this isn't about me okay, Emma needs someone who is going to understand what she is going through," he hoped mentioning Emma would soften Elena's disdain for him.
"What's going on?" He was right, her tone had changed completely.
"She lost her parents a year ago today," Damon explained, "and I just watched her damn near kick her motorcycle to pieces."
"Sounds like she is acting out like Jeremy did."
"Can you please just come over," Damon begged, which he was usually above, but for Emma he would bend.
"Yea, I'll be there soon," Elena hung up her on her end and Damon slipped his phone back in his pocket before he returned to Emma.
They quietly just sat together while Emma laid her head on Damon's lap and he brushed his fingers through her hair. Damon listened anxiously for the sound of Elena's tires hitting the gravel drive way. Although he was enjoying this quiet moment, which he was getting less and less of, he knew Emma was suffering and there wasn't anything he could do about it. No one he could go kill, no destruction he could cause that was going to fix this. In this case he felt useless and he hated that for Emma. His Emma, someone he already knew he would do anything to protect, regardless of what Alaric or anyone else thought of him. As soon as he heard her car he had to fight the urge to rush down to Elena and shove her up the stairs as fast as he could. Instead he waited patiently until he heard the front door open, just like a normal human would do.
Elena knocked on the door to his room, "Come in."
When Emma saw Elena she sat up with a confused look on her face and looked between the two of them, trying to piece together why he had called her.
"Hey Emma," Elena said as she stepped over to the bed and traded places with Damon, who was already backing out of the room.
Emma watched him as he started to leave with begging eyes, not wanting him to leave her. Damon gave her a reassuring smile and closed the door behind him. Once he was out of both girls sights he let out a deep sigh and leaned up against the wall in the hall. He looked over to see Stefan walking towards him.
"Not tonight," Damon held his hands up surrender, he was emotionally tapped out.
Stefan gave him a look of shock, "Looks like your little toy is making you soft brother."
Damon began a low warning growl at the mention of Emma, and Stefan continued his journey to his room. He was glad both of the girls in his room couldn't hear the exchange, but he could hear them.
"I lost my parents too," Elena started to explain why Damon had called her, "my dad accidentally drove off of Wickery bridge and I nearly drowned, but Stefan saved me. Unfortunately it was too late for both my mom and dad."
"Stefan," Emma gestured towards the door, "the guy that has been bullying me nonstop saved you?"
Elena nodded, "He was different then, but I know he will come back to me. I just have to hold onto hope."
"I would give anything to be able to call my mom and tell her about Damon, she would have liked him," Emma laughed quietly, "it would have taken awhile for my dad to come around, but he would have."
"I know that feeling, both of mine would have loved who Stefan was just a few months ago."
"What changed?"
Elena tried to find the right answer, "Let's just say, he started hanging out with some old friends that should have stayed in his past."
Emma nodded, content with that answer and Elena breathed a sigh of relief.
"I feel like such an idiot," Emma put her face in her hands, "Damon should never have seen me like that."
"Even if he doesn't admit it to any one, like ever, he is more sensitive than people give him credit for."
"I literally blew him off and then destroyed my bike."
Elena shrugged, "I've seen worse reactions to pain."
Emma laid back on the bed, "I didn't even know where the hell I was going to go, maybe out to the quarry or something. All I knew is I did not want to go anywhere Katie was going to be."
"Why?"
"She is acting like it is just a normal day, and all I can think is its because she lost one parent, I lost two."
"She's your half sister?"
"Yup," Emma popped the P, "she was like, four, when my parents met and six by the time I came along. Her mom had always been out of the picture so my mom stepped up I guess."
"I'd be willing to bet she is hurting just as much, maybe you should go home and talk about everything together. Reminisce, pull out some old pictures, something; but you should be going through today together. After my parents died Jeremy was acting out so bad I'm shocked Sheriff Forbes never arrested him, at least once just to knock some sense into him, he was failing school, doing and dealing drugs. You aren't doing any of that, you are still pushing through life, heck you even got yourself a boyfriend."
Emma half scoffed and half laughed, "Its a bit early to put a label on it, but I guess after tonight I should probably at least consider locking that down a little bit."
"Duh, Damon is crazy about you."
"I wish I met him in Durham, hell anywhere but here, I didn't want to come back, but Katie insisted that this was where we should be, it took her forever to finally convince me. She started packing like she was really going to leave me, and I couldn't handle the idea of being left behind. So I gave up and started packing too."
"Why do you hate it here so much?"
Emma shook her head, "It isn't so much about hate, I just always have this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach, like something isn't right. I know I sound absolutely insane, and after tonight that would be a fair assumption from you and Damon, but something is just off."
"Yup, you're crazy," Elena laughed, knowing well that she was lying and Emma was absolutely right.
"Gee, thanks," Emma said sarcastically.
Damon had heard that the conversation was basically over and knocked on the door to his room to announce that he had 'returned'.
"How are you feeling Emma?" He said cautiously.
Elena stood and excused herself from the room and closed the door behind her as Damon approached Emma and sat down next to her.
"I..." Emma didn't even know how to apologize for her outburst.
Damon put a finger to her lips, "I had no idea that you had that in you, and I am not sure if I'm terrified or turned on."
Emma smiled and grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him into her, pressing her lips against his gently to show him that she was back to her normal level headed self. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap without breaking the kiss.
Emma pulled away and rested her forehead on his, "Can I ask you something?"
After hearing her conversation with Elena he should have been prepared for this, "Hmm, I suppose."
"I just wanted to know," Emma got anxious about her own question and decided to drop it, "you know what, never mind, the answer doesn't matter anyway."
Damon flipped the both of them so they were laying on the bed but Emma was beneath him while he supported himself on his arms while his ice blue eyes met with her amber ones, "You can ask me anything Em."
Emma moved her hands to his biceps and took a very brief moment to enjoy the feel of his muscles beneath his shirt.
"Good God this is such a high school trivial thing," she closed her eyes so she couldn't see his reaction when she asked the question, "what exactly is this, happening between us?"
Damon smiled and brought his lips to her neck and kissed in the nape of it, Emma opened her eyes to see him raise his head again to look at her, "Listen, I would move heaven and hell for you. I wouldn't hesitate to tear this world apart for you. So call the last few months what you want, but just know that, okay."
Emma was exhilarated by that answer and pulled Damon close to her so she could kiss him, once they parted she smiled at him, "Okay."