Written 2013 by VeGirl
I groaned and tried to crack my hurting neck before I opened my eyes slowly.
"Emma, are you okay?" I heard my friend's worried voice and turned to look at her. Her eyes were bloodshot and she looked like she had been up all night.
"Yeah I'm fine, but you looked like shit." I groaned as I sat up on the couch. I turned my head to hear my neck pop.
"That Julius-guy snapped your neck, and I took them both down."
I raised my eyebrows in surprise.
"Well, they can't go around snapping people's necks without any repercussion." She said angry. "But then they explained that you'd be fine in a while and that it was just from concern." She explained. "So they put you here on the couch before they left."
"How sweet of them." I said sourly and then I realized. "But we have to go after them!" I was filled with new energy and adrenaline. "I have to get Damon to safety." I looked at my friend who was absolutely exhausted. "How long have I been out?"
She stifled a yawn. "About six hours." She couldn't hold that yawn anymore and gaped wide before being able to put a hand up to cover it.
I looked surprised around to assess the light coming in from the painted windows, before looking back at my friend. "Have you been up all this time?"
She nodded. "I had to baby-sit you." She teased with a smile and another jawn.
I tilted both of my eyebrows in a concerned face. "You shouldn't have! We have to get you to bed!"
"Don't worry about it, I'll just crash here." She slumped down on the couch opposite mine and I think she slept before her head hit that pillow.
Wow, she had been sitting by my side the whole time I was out cold?
My neck hurt like a s.o.b. and I tried to stretch it again to pop it into its rightful place. Damn Julius for breaking my neck, that's not a very nice thing to do! I'm gonna have to have a little heart to heart with him when he comes back.
I turned my head to look at Anna, fast asleep on the couch one last time before I headed downstairs to get a nutritious drink so I wouldn't be tempted to take advantage of the sleeping girl on the couch.
Jeeze, I sounded like some molester.
I grabbed a bag in the freezer and thought about heating it in the microwave, while dialing Ted's number. The phone rang and rang and after a while it went to voice mail. I ended the call and redialled; this time it went straight to voice mail. I was getting more and more annoyed and kept calling him with the same result. By now my anger started to phase into worry.
What if something had happened to them as well?
I tried calling Stefan's and Damon's phones as well with the same fruitless result. I was just about to call Ted for the gazillion time when my phone chimed.
"Hello?"
"Emma, have you heard from them?" Elena asked worried. "I've been calling and calling and nobody answers."
"Yeah, it's the same for me." I sighed.
"But you said you had an idea."
"Yeah, I sent two vampires out to find them, but they won't answer either."
"Oh my God, what if something happened to them as well?" She sounded devastated.
"Come on Elena; let's not jump to conclusions here." I said even if I felt exactly the same. "Didn't you say something about not finding a line out or no signal when you were on that island?"
"Yes... Yes that must be it!" We were both grasping straws by now.
"Are you alone?" I asked.
"I've called Caroline and she's on her way over." Elena informed and that was good, she shouldn't be alone at a time like this.
"I'll call when I hear something." I promised, we hung up before I turned towards the sleeping Anna. "I'm glad you can sleep." I mumbled, so grateful that she had defended me and sat by my side the entire night.
After pacing back and forth for a while I went into the lounge and started to flick through the channels. I couldn't find anything to distract me the slightest so I ended up calling the list of phone numbers again and again; Damon, Stefan, Klaus, Ted and then start from the top again.
I walked to the kitchen to get a bottle of water and then I took a detour to Anna's room to get a blanket to put over my sleeping friend. My eyes noted the opened suitcase on her bed; she had only had time to unpack her grimoire.
I had been a bad hostess.
I don't think the big clock in the parlour had ever passed slower; I was there several times, just to check if I had to wind it up further. Thoughts of eternity ran through my head more than once and I could not fathom any longer amounts of time. I had gone through the phonenumbers again, several times and randomly searched the books in the bookshelves when Anna finally woke up again.
Vampire-speed took me instantly to her side by the couch, startling her. "You're awake!" I whined. "I'm gonna fall apart if we don't hear anything soon." I sighed
She sat up and started to stretch her back and neck. "I know sweetie, but we have to have faith, I mean if we didn't believe in the impossible, we wouldn't be here in the first place." Anna comforted me with the perfect words; of course they'd come back.
I put my arms around her to thank her for all she had done, and to show her how much she really meant to me. She had been my best friend for years and she would become my best friends for as long as we would walk this earth together; and that held a promise to be for a long time.
"Are you thirsty?"
"A little, how about you?" She asked and then she frowned. "Damn, I forgot."
I snickered. "I had a 'Bloody Mary' earlier." I exaggerated the tone for her to get the point. "I'll get you something." Anna followed me to the kitchen and we ate some cereal and then brought soda and cookies to the lounge where we sat down.
My phone chimed and I saw Ted's number on my display. "Ted?" I yelped and all the nerves of my body were on edge.
"What's all this nagging on the phone? There are at least fifty missed calls from you, Sweetie." I ignored that teasing tone in his voice.
"Have you found them?"
"Yeah, we found them and we're on our way home."
I almost cried. "Are they okay? Please say that they're okay!" I begged and my voice cracked.
"Yes, you can calm down now, cutie. We'll be home soon, but we have to stop and get something to eat first." He told me in a calm way. "They all need to feed."
"Oh... can I talk to Damon?"
"Sorry, no can do. He's in the other car and he lost his phone, but we'll be home in an hour, you'll gonna have to wait, sugar."
"Do you promise he's okay?" I sobbed.
"Yes, he's a big boy, he'll be fine." Ted tried to comfort me in a diminishing tone. "As long as we'll get some blood in him, he'll be up and running in no time."
"Up and running?" I shrieked.
"Bye now Emma, see you in an hour."
I just held my phone out for Anna to see. "He hung up on me!" I cried out with my hands flung out. "They have to stop and feed the vamps, but they'll be home in an hour." I started to cry.
"But honey, that's a good thing." Anna hugged me. "They're on their way home; that's good." She did her best to comfort me. "They're stopping at what; McDonald's?"
I started to laugh through my tears. "Let's hope not!" I hugged my friend tight. "Nibbling on the guests would not be appreciated."
Anna laughed. "No, probably not..." She counted on her fingers. "What are they; five vampires and a witch?"
"Yes, and a vampirehunter, don't forget that!" I laughed. "Oh wait a minute!" I suddenly sobered up. "I have to call Elena!" Quickly I got my phone up and called her. "Elena, they're on their way back!" I called and heard her cry on the other side of the line.
"Really, do you promise?" she sobbed.
"Yes, they'll be here in about an hour, can you come?"
"Yes, of course; if I may." She asked cautiously. "I mean... I know how I have been treating you." Her voice got weaker and weaker.
I didn't really know what to say to that confession. "Elena, everything will be alright; just get over here, okay? You and Caroline."
"Okay."
Anna was already on the phone, ordering pizza for us when I hung up, and within half an hour Anna, Caroline, Elena and I sat jittery in the kitchen, laughing and feasting on the Italian delicacy before us.
"I can't even express how grateful I am that you came and helped us." Elena told Anna.
"Things were getting a little boring at home, and Mystic Falls is never boring." She laughed.
"No, it could use a little less action from time to time." Elena exhaled half a laugh.
"I am a little jealous of you guys, to just book a flight and travel across the Atlantic." Caroline said with a longing face. "How much of Europe have you seen?"
Anna and I turned to each other. "Not that much." We started to talk about where we had been before we got on this trip. "You know; Denmark and Germany... and I studied in England." I told them.
"I've been in Spain and Greece with my parents." Anna said. "And then there was Transylvania, of course." Anna and I chuckled watching the others eyes widen.
"The bugger Klaus refused to make a detour to Venice when we got to Italy." I pouted. We were just about to talk about all the countries we raced through with Klaus when sounds outside made me interrupt the conversation with a yelp and get on my feet. "They're coming!" Anna and Elena strained their hearing but couldn't take in what Caroline and I heard.
Thank you vampire hearing!
I ran outside and jumped in Damon's arms as soon as he got out of the car, and Elena came running behind me and threw her arms around Jeremy, before she hugged Bonnie.
It was a sad bunch of people arriving dirty and tired, but none the less happy to be home. Everybody welcomed everybody back and I saw Caroline eyeing Klaus and Anna as they were hugging each other.
"Are you okay?" I heard Anna ask Klaus quietly. "I was worried."
Klaus pulled a strand of Anna's hair behind her ear in an intimate way. "Thank you for helping us out." He said soft to her and she smiled back in a cheeky way.
Elena surprised us all by throwing herself in Stefan's arms. "Are you okay?"
Surprised he looked down at her. "Yes, I'm fine, are you okay?" She nodded and tears streamed down her face which she buried in Stefan's chest and tenderly he put his arms around her.
I gave Damon the grin of a Cheshire cat. "I'm so glad you're safe." Then I slapped his arm. "Don't ever run off and do something like this again!" I chastised him with a stern face.
"No, Ma'am." He smiled with his eyes glittering with mischief. "I will never leave you." Again he bent down and gave me a smouldering kiss filled with all the worry and relief we both had experienced over these last few days.
We broke off the embrace to hug the other people that we had been worried about. Jeremy and Bonnie stood firm with their arms around each other and Klaus and Anna was caught up in what looked like a tender reunion.
"Theodor and Julius!" I walked up to these two heroes that weren't close to anyone but Damon, and yet they hadn't hesitated to put themselves in harm's way to get all of them back. I hugged them. "Thank you!" I whispered with tears in my eyes.
"You're welcome!" They said smiling. "Don't hesitate to call if you need."
I looked around at this sweet reunion, at all these people that meant so much to us.
"Why didn't you call me to help?" I heard Stefan whisper in Elena's hair.
She looked up at him with tearfilled eyes. "I just couldn't after all I had done to you." He voice trembled. "I've hurt you so much, Stefan and I'm so sorry." I couldn't take my eyes off of them and I slid my arm around Damon's waist and motioned for him to look at his brother, just as Elena and Stefan kissed again.
Damon had a bittersweet smile on his face and affectionately I stroked his cheek. He turned to me and we smiled at each other. "Have I told you how glad I am that you found me... again?"
I smiled. "No, but you can show me." I kissed him with all the longing and awe that had multiplied so many times since I sat at home watching him on The Vampire Diaries. He had during this passing year, swiftly become the centre of my universe, and I would do everything in my power to stay by his side.
"Now, could somebody tell me what the hell happened to make this simple search and rescue to fail?" A voice cut through this scene of harmony, it sounded like Caroline.
Everybody regained their focus to these last couple of days and we all sat down to hear the rest. Bonnie was the one to start this. "I'm afraid that Shane is Silas."
"Was Silas!" Klaus interrupted. "Silas has been taken out of this equation."
"There was still a couple of hunters left on that island, without directions since Silas was about to rise." Jeremy told us. "First we had to eliminate those." The tattoo's that had been covering the skin on his arms had vanished, I now noticed.
"He's been around since your last fieldtrip." Klaus added terse, looking around in this room at the people staying on this continent while Damon, Klaus, Anna and I went to Sweden. "He's been posing as different people to infiltrate."
"He's been here?" Caroline asked confused.
Klaus expression changed into a sombre painful face. "He's been visiting me as you." He revealed softly and their eyes connected, shutting the rest of us out for a fraction of time.
He suddenly seemed aware that the rest of us were watching him and the protective walls slammed up instantly. Caroline's face was a quivering mass of confusion the next time his eyes flickered over her.
"But the 'bottle of life' that you so kindly saved, Emma, has now been disposed of." His voice was once again the same constructive and clearheaded chief of commands' as it ever were. "It has been shoved down his throat and he is now once again secured in that holding cell of his."
"He's back where somebody can find him?" I felt a shiver of chock running through me.
"He's dead!" Stefan said cold.
I let out an exasperated sigh. "So he can't cause anymore havoc?"
"No, not this bad." Damon had a wry smile lurking.
"Yeah, now I'm back as the big bad." Klaus shared that smirk with Damon, and I pressed my lips together in a line.
"So now all we have to do is wait for all the bad monsters that ever existed to crawl out, right?" I said and the room went silent. "Wasn't that what Shane said?" I turned around to look at Bonnie for most.
"There will always be some bad guys." Elijah's stern voice sounded through the silence. "The only rational thing we can do is stay together."
We started to look at each other, not really sure what he meant.
"There will always be another crisis, another enemy, threatening our community." Elijah had us all listening like a preacher. "We can let threats, deceptions and hunger for power completely destroy us, or we can rise against it." He had me convinced in an instant, but I had always liked the guy, just like Elena had. "We have to realise what is important in life, and death; family and friends."
"Together as one..." I heard Klaus mumble.
Elijah gave Klaus an appreciative smile and the two old brothers shared a moment, looking like there was something vital that only they knew about. On the other hand, the guys were over thousand years old; of course they knew stuff we had no idea about.
People started to mumble after that inspirational speech and it looked like we thought that was a great idea, even if people didn't trust Klaus with everything he had done so far.
My eyes were drawn to Anna and Klaus across the room. They looked very serious, both with their eyebrows in a straight line. Anna seemed to urge Klaus to do something. It all made sense when Klaus rolled his eyes and walked up to Caroline. "Caroline, could I have a word with you in private, please?"
I have never want to eavesdrop more in my life and I thanked my new super hearing for allowing that, as my eyes followed the pair leave the parlour to walk through the kitchen an out on the patio.
"Caroline I know I have wronged you many times and I just want to say that I have decided to spare Tyler, since I know how much that boy means to you." I couldn't remember ever having heard Klaus more humble. However much I strained my hearing, I couldn't detect any answer from Caroline.
"I'm aware how this might seem out of character for me, but this latest kind of events made me realise how I want you to not see me as the bad guy."
"Klaus, one good deed can't take away all the bad things you have done."
"I am aware of that Caroline." Klaus way of saying her name always reminded me of a caress. "But I'm doing my best to gain your respect."
"Good." She said stern and I so wanted to look out through the window. "What about Anna?"
"Anna?" Klaus sounded surprised. "Anna is a good friend of mine; there is nothing more going on between us."
I walked over to Anna who stood across the room, looking thoughtful. "How are they doing; I can see how you're eavesdropping." She hissed and I motioned with a finger for her to stay silent.
"The last I heard was that Tyler has hooked up with Hayley." I heard Caroline reveal and I could barely believe it. "I even heard that she was pregnant, but Tyler claims that it isn't his child."
"Well, vampires can't procreate." I heard Klaus say with a hard edge to his tone.
"God knows who she's been with..." Caroline snarled.
There was a pause from Klaus. "There is a place in New Orleans that I'd like to take you, Caroline." I had to admire his persistence. "When you'll let me some day, I'd like to show you my favourite places in this world."
"Okay."
"I beg your pardon?"
"I can't sit around here waiting for Tyler." Her voice was vibrant. "The senior prom is over and so is school, I have to deal with my life... or existence." She added in a desperate tone.
"Thank you." Klaus said and I wanted to spy openly at them. "I hope you can find some redeeming qualities in me eventually."
She snorted. "I think you have to work hard for that Klaus, but if you're willing to try, I am."
"Yes!" I hissed, making both Anna and me smile wide. "I think they'll make it."
"Finally!" Anna smiled. "That's a cute guy, but she makes him a better man. He needs her to kick his ass." Anna exclaimed and I snickered.
"Yes, it looks like Caroline and you together are the only ones who can tame that beast."
"Yes, with the help of you." Anna snickered. "Two vampires and a witch."
"A powerful witch goddess!"
"That sounds fine to me."
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Hello all of my beautiful readers, I want to say a thank you for all of you who has read this story, this is closing in on the final episode... er... I mean chapter... ;-D
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