[episode 1.12/1.14]

December 12, 2009

"MR. SALTZMAN, what are you doing?" I asked slowly. I lifted my shaking hands in surrender in front of me. "I don't know what's going on, but I'm sure there's a worthy explanation if you just explain what you think is happening."

"Any sudden movements, and I won't hesitate," he warned.

My legs grew wobbly for an entirely new reason this time. The terror running its course in my veins was nearly enough to make me stumble, but I was doing everything in my power to remain still. I didn't want my deranged history teacher to attack me for falling over out of fear.

"Sir, I don't understand. You're going to attack me because I have a relationship with a teacher and because you think he's a vampire?"

He blinked, and the weapon wavered slightly. Only a second later, he straightened it up again. "Your wound, it's already healed."

"It was hardly a wound," I said, my face growing hot from having to explain. "We—we were kissing, and I fell back against the wall while he was kissing my throat. It was an accident, so he didn't really cut me deep. If you want to wipe up the blood, I promise you, you will find the very small wound is still there."

His eyes narrowed, but I could see him rubbing the words over in his mind, trying to decide if he believed them. "I won't come closer. If you move slowly, you can grab a tissue from that box in the window and wipe it up. If you start moving too quickly, I will pull the trigger."

I gulped. It must have been some sort of gun.

My heart thudded loudly in my ears as I slowly moved my left hand out toward the box of tissues. Alaric watched me the entire time, and once I finally wiped away the blood, I motioned toward the small scrape with round, hopeful eyes. "See? Just like I promised."

His lips pressed together tightly, and he slowly lowered the weapon. "You're not a vampire," he said, more to himself. He ran his free hand over his face. "Well, shit."

"Why—why would you...? Sir, I'm confused."

"Margot, I need you to be honest with me," he said then, meeting my eyes in the dark classroom again. "What do you know about vampires?"

I swallowed and tried to come up with a way out of this. "Sir, I—I don't understand. You're still going on about vampires? I thought this was just a ruse to get me to admit to my relationship with a teacher."

When something like guilt flickered across his expression, I wondered if he decided he'd been completely missing the real problem. But then my eyes caught on the wood in the weapon, finally understanding how it worked, and he seemed to notice my new revelation too.

"Do you know Damon Salvatore?"

I scratched at my elbow and chuckled dimly. "Unfortunately."

"And do you know what he is?"

"A self-serving douchebag?" I offered with an innocent smile.

His eyes closed on the unexpected laugh that came out of him. The tension in my tightened hands lessened at the sight of his new smile.

"I'm sorry, Margot," he said finally, completely setting down the weapon. "I'm sorry I had to coerce the truth from you in this way. You're right. I was just trying to get you to admit this affair."

I frowned. "Well, it's not really an affair. Enzo isn't married, and neither am I."

"Enzo," he repeated slowly.

I gulped. "Yeah, Enzo and I have known each other a long time is all. I knew him before he decided to be a teacher. He's...sort of a family friend. Nothing concerning here going on at all actually if you think about it."

"That is actually even more concerning."

"How? I told you we didn't start seeing each other just when he became a teacher. No big deal," I argued with a lot of hand waving and desperation.

"No big deal?" He scoffed. "Margot, you're a victim."

My arms crossed over my chest, and my placating smile disappeared. "You're right, but not because of him."

His eyes widened.

"But you wouldn't know that because you don't know me, Mr. Saltzman," I said. "You just waltzed into this town a few weeks ago, thinking you know everything. Do me a favor and go pick another family to make your project because I'm tired of feeling like the town screw-up that no one actually listens to."

With that, I started marching back toward the door. My heels clicked sharply on the floor, and I felt empowered to know I'd said what was necessary to protect Enzo and my friends. I was at the door — my fingertips just grazing the cold, brassy handle — when Alaric spoke again.

"I listened," he said, making me halt in my tracks. "I listened when I heard students whispering about a strange girl named Margot Gilbert who'd been crying vampire for the last year."

I cautiously turned around, pressing my back to the door. His eyes were wild and intense, and I had the sickening feeling it was his turn to lay his trump card on the table too.

"Mr. Saltzman—"

"I listened when the students speculated that the girl poking around in the town history for information on vampires was really just crazy."

I shook my head. My breaths started to come in panicked pants. No. No, no, no, no.

"I listened when the teachers talked about poor Elena and Jeremy Gilbert who'd had tragedy following them for months after their parents' deaths."

My entire body was trembling against the door as he took another step closer to me now. I was trapped, my body petrified and immobile, with my escape only inches away from reach.

"I listened to the medical logs showing falsified prescriptions of vervain for a girl diagnosed with psychosis."

Tears welled up in my eyes.

"I listened when a student told her friend she thought she hated you but couldn't remember if that was true anymore, ever since Enzo came to town."

"Sir, I have—"

"And I listened to the terror in your voice when you asked me what I knew about vampires — a question you would have asked about with desperation and wonder a year ago, based on what I'd listened to."

My mouth opened and closed a few times. I felt like I was all out of moves, and Mr. Saltzman had just called checkmate on my lies. Maybe I should have known all the pathological lying would catch up to me someday, but I hadn't expected it would be today — trapped in a classroom with my history teacher.

"So, I've listened, Margot," he said finally, eyes hardening now. "Maybe it's time you did some talking instead."

**********

BY THE TIME I FINISHED with my reluctant explanations — where I did my best to protect the vampires from unnecessary admissions — Alaric was appeased with the new knowledge about vampire soulmates, and Enzo was getting restless with waiting in the hallway.

"Look, that's all, okay? My parents were part of a violent secret society that probably would have heartily accepted you based on that gun alone, and I just wanted to free the only person who ever saw me."

He nodded, sitting at his desk now and taking it all in. "If what you've said is true, that—that changes everything."

"What?" My eyebrows furrowed.

"My wife. She's the reason I came to Mystic Falls. A vampire killed her two years ago."

"Well, I can promise you it wasn't Enzo. He was still imprisoned at that time," I said, not hiding my defensiveness very well.

"I know."

I tipped my head forward and narrowed my eyes. "What? Then who did?"

Misty rain hissed as it came down outside and gathered on the window. The glass fogged up with the humidity building for the budding storm outside and for the storm collecting in Alaric's eyes. I couldn't tell if it was tears or rage in his eyes that was catching the light, but it was clear he was present, here, in this moment, and ready for action.

"The self-serving douchebag," he said finally, meeting my eyes with a humorless smile.

I blinked. "And how does what I said change anything?"

"Because now I only need to figure out who his soulmate is—"

"—well, he doesn't ha—"

"—and kill her."

The breath stilled in my throat. There was something heavy and final to those words, words I was deeply afraid of. If Damon's hypothetical soulmate were human, like me, Mr. Saltzman would have no qualms about killing her to exact his own sense of justice.

Where did that leave me with anyone that wanted to hurt Enzo?

Right on cue, he snapped the locked door handle off its hinges and came into the room. Alaric rushed to stand, scrambling for his vampire gun, but Enzo grabbed onto me and dragged me from the room before the history teacher could get his bearings.

"Enzo? What's happening?" I tripped over my feet trying to keep up with him.

"Damon found out the truth, and in retaliation, he and Anna took Jeremy."

I finally found my footing and started to move even faster than Enzo. "Where did they take him?"

"We're not going after him."

I skidded to a halt and turned to look at his guilt-ridden face. "What are you talking about? Of course we're going after him."

"Our job is get Jenna and keep the two of you safe while Stefan, Elena, and Bonnie get Jeremy back."

I stared at him in horror. "Enzo, he's my baby brother. You know what Damon is capable of! How can you expect me to sit back while that happens?"

"Because I do know what Damon's capable of," he said gently, swiping his thumbs under my eyes to collect tears I hadn't realized had fallen, "so I know if Damon's plans fail, he'll come after you next."