Wayward Heart: Book 1

Part 7

Bonnie was already waiting inside the boarding house for Damon and Emma, the movement of the car going from concrete road to dirt had stirred Emma awake. She hadn't said anything, but she sat up and kept her eyes forward. The look in her eyes was something Damon was way too familiar with, he had seen it in his own anytime he looked in the mirror for years; at least until he met Elena, then it at least dimmed. When Emma came into his life was when he saw it go away altogether. He could feel it simmering in him now though.

Once the car was parked Emma slowly got out of the vehicle and moved over to get her things but Damon had already grabbed them, he gave her a gentle smile before taking her hand and walking slowly into the house.

"Emma," Bonnie came running as soon as she heard the front door open.

There was no reaction from Emma, all she did was pull her hand away from Damon's and go to sit on one of the couches. Damon sat the bags down and shared a look with Bonnie as he went over to find a strong bottle of bourbon, Bonnie went to sit with Emma, who hadn't taken her eyes off of the embers in the fire place.

"I have a spell that can heal your leg, it will take a few hours, but you'll be up and ready for action by tomorrow," Bonnie took one of Emma's hands but Emma almost seemed comatose to everything going on around her.

Damon had turned and bitten into his wrist quickly before letting a few drops of is blood fall into the bourbon that was in the glass tumbler that he was holding. In his mind he was trying to justify continuing on with the ruse, now that Stefan had been outed it was only a matter of time before Emma would figure out Damon too, but for now she needed to cope. Damon already knew the longer he waited the worse it would be when she did find out he was a vampire too, briefly he wondered if it would be better to wait until Alaric could be with them, he didn't dismiss the idea totally at least there would be someone to pick up his desiccated body once Emma staked him. He joined Emma and Bonnie in the main room, he kneeled in front of Emma.

"Here," he offered the glass out to her but she acted like she didn't hear him, she just continued to look into the flames that danced in the fireplace.

Damon looked to Bonnie for help and she shrugged her shoulders, Damon let out a half defeated sigh and looked at the floor for a moment before looking back up. Emma was in her own hell right now and he knew he needed to move it, just like he had promised her.

This time Damon grabbed Emma's hand and forced the glass into it while using his other hand to lightly brush her cheek so she would look at him, "Em."

Emma actually reacted, her hand tightened enough for Damon to let the tumbler go and she actually looked at him, her face remained emotionless as she raised the glass to her lips and took a sip, but by the time she lowered her glass her expression was sad.

"Go home Bonnie," she said in a hushed voice, "thank you."

Bonnie looked at her confused, "But I didn't do the spell."

The moment Emma looked back at Bonnie, Bonnie understood why Emma was sending her home. She grabbed her purse and her grimoire before she started for the door. Damon immediately stood up in protest.

"Bonnie, what the hell," he scoffed as she closed the door, he took her seat next to Emma and grabbed her hand, "we will figure something else out, I'm sure I can round up another witch."

"For a spell that doesn't exist and if it does, Bonnie isn't strong enough yet," Emma looked down at her glass.

Damon scoffed at her, "Of course Bonnie is strong enough, it isn't even that-"

"Damon," Emma said quietly to interrupt him but he continued.

"-bad of a wound. Hell I could probably patch-."

"Damon," Emma said it louder this time and he actually stopped talking.

"Emma, let me fix this," he managed to get in just before she looked up at him.

"As far as my leg goes, you already did," she held up her glass, "I know that vampire blood heals."

"Well, yeah," Damon went into damage control mode, "I got that from Stefan, I have a bag of it in the fridge so I-"

Emma shook her head, "Stop lying to me."

Damon sat still, his eyes stayed on Emma as he evaluated his situation. They sat in an overbearing silence while both of them tried to decide what to do about their current predicament.

"I have spent the last few weeks trying so hard to excuse your super-human behavior for something else, anything else. My hesitation to admit to myself what you and your brother are, is what got my sister killed," Emma didn't break eye contact with Damon, "I spent so much time forcing myself to believe that you were just a relative of the Salvatore Family, that the Damon Salvatore that died in 1864 wasn't the same one I was spending every moment of every day with."

"Em," Damon said sadly when Emma paused to keep herself composed, she held up a hand to stop him from speaking.

"I have figured out that it was Alaric who asked you to make sure your brother stayed away from me; and he probably thought he was able to protect Katie on his own. The fact that he trust you is a big part of why I'm still here right now," Emma felt Damon's hand move in hers and she looked down, she had forgotten that they were still holding hands, but she didn't pull her hand away.

"And the little part?" Damon had also looked down at their hands at this point.

Emma didn't hesitate on her answer, "Because I trust you."

He stayed quiet, no one had ever said that to him, at least not to his face.

Emma leaned her head against the back of the couch and pulled her legs up, the weight of the day was finally crashing down on her, and now that the pain in her leg was nearly gone as Damon's blood worked its way through her system, she was finding it harder and harder to stay awake. Damon reached behind him and pulled a blanket over and placed it over Emma.

"Damon," Emma said so softly that he thought that she had just mumbled in her sleep but when he looked over he saw she was still awake, but just barely.

"Yeah?"

"What am I supposed to do now?" Emma asked.

He pulled Emma into him so she was leaning against him instead of the couch, "For now, sleep. In the morning, you sling that crossbow back over your shoulder and we kick down Klaus's door."

"Okay."

"Em," Damon started carefully with what he was going to say, "I need you to know that I am going to try and get my bother back; his emotions are turned off, what he did, isn't him. Klaus is compelling him."

Emma leaned her head further back so she could see Damon, "I know."