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"Emersyn, hey, I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out? A lot of stuff has happened today and I really need someone to talk to," Caroline's voice came through the Stark's cell phone.

"Uh, yeah, sure. I've got a shift at the grill though. Do you want to come by now? I finish at nine," Emersyn answered as she got out of her car before walking towards the restaurant.

"Wait, is Matt working tonight?" Caroline asked suddenly.

"No, don't worry. He worked earlier today. It's just me and a few other guys working the bar tonight."

The blonde girl smirked, "Just you and a bunch of guys, huh? Anyone interesting?"

"Definitely not. The people here are a bit too small towney for me. Not to sound like a gold digger - I mean, I can't really be one, since, you know - but anyways, I need a man with a bit more money who won't use me for my money."

"Fair enough. Sounds like you need Damon."

Emersyn choked. "I would rather pull my own eyes out and eat them than date Damon Salvatore."

Clocking in, she pulled on her apron and walked out to the bar and smiled at Luke, a twenty-two year old bartender.

"Alright, Care. I better go. Just punched in, don't want to be getting paid to be talking on the phone."

"God, you are such a goody two shoes."

Emersyn chuckled, "I definitely am not. I got drunk last night while I was working. That was Damon's fault though. He just kept buying me drinks. Now get your blonde ass over here."

"Okay, okay. I'll be there in ten."

Hanging up, Emersyn leaned against the bar and glanced back at Luke who had already been looking at her with an amused smile.

"How's your night going, Max?" he asked as he slid a drink over to her along the mahogany bar. Catching the glass, Emersyn smiled, "Same as always."

"You're friend Caroline was here earlier."

Emersyn glanced back at him with a confused stare, "She was?"

"Yeah, so was that Elena girl. I think they must have had a fight, or something, because one second Caroline was here and the next she was running out the door."

"Right, right. Yeah, she told me about that. She forgot she had to meet her mom." Caroline never mentioned her and Elena meeting up earlier. She said she had been busy all morning setting up for the masquerade ball.

The bell chimed not a few moments after and Caroline walked inside and the Stark glanced back at Luke. "Go ahead, I'll cover," he said with a smile as he dried a glass.

Smiling at him, she walked over to the blonde. "Evening, blondie."

"Max," Caroline smiled. "You look hot," she said as her eyes looked the Stark up and down.

"Crew necks are for virgins. I made some alterations," Emersyn answered as she glanced down at her top that showed off her cleavage.

The blonde vampire laughed, "Ooh, should we do mine?"

"We wouldn't want to ruin that pretty shirt you got on. Besides, if you have no car, why open the garage?"

Caroline shook her head with her lips pursed as she held in a laugh.

Moving back to the bar, Emersyn leaned against the wood and held her drink up to her lips.

"You're drinking already? Max, your shift started fifteen minutes ago."

Her red painted lips were pulled into a smirk, "Fifteen minutes too long. Besides, blame Luke. He was the one who gave me the drink. Or my absent mother who gave me a bottle of vodka for my fifth birthday."

Caroline's head tilted but before she could say anything, the bell chimed again, causing their eyes to turn to the door. Elena walked inside.

"Did you know she was coming tonight?"

"No, I thought she was staying home with Ric and her aunt Jenna. Oh, crap. I gotta go. I was supposed to meet Stefan tonight. Sorry, Max."

Emersyn's smile wavered, but she shook her head nonetheless, "It's cool. I'll hang out with Elena."

As Caroline left, Elena soon joined the Stark and that was when the Stark noticed tears in her eyes. Emersyn shifted as she placed her hand on the doppelganger's shoulder, "Are you alright?"

Elena nodded, but as more tears fell from her eyes, it became even more apparent that she wasn't.

Emersyn's thumb came up to wipe away some of the brunette's tears, "Come on, Elena. You can talk to me."

"It's Stefan," Elena admitted, her doe eyes shining in the warm lights of the Grill. "We broke up. For real this time. Katherine, she compelled my aunt to stab herself. Jenna almost died and it's all my fault. Everything is all my fault," the girl cried as Emersyn pulled her into her arms.

Emersyn had never been great with emotions, she had, however, always been told she gave great hugs. Was it because Bucky was a creep and liked her boobs? Potentially. 

As she held onto the doppelganger's shaking body, she glanced around the restaurant and noticed two teenage boys snapping their fingers in her direction. "For fucks sake," she muttered as she slowly let go of Elena. "I'll be right back."

"Excuse me. Waitress," the teen snapped. "Dude?"

Emersyn stopped in front of their table, "Hi, what can I get for you?"

"We need some–" she began to snap her fingers in front of his face. "Is that annoying?" she asked as she continued to snap. "Is that obnoxious and rude? Would you find it distracting if someone did that to you while you were working? Oh, you don't have a job, sorry."

The other teen chuckled, "Damn, dude. She burned you."

Emersyn snapped her fingers in front of his face, "Oh. No, hipster. No. Do not think we are on the same team. We have nothing in common. I wear knit hats when it's cold out. You wear knit hats 'cause of coldplay."

Elena's giggle sounded in her ears and she took that as a good thing and chose to keep going.

"You have tattoos to piss off your dad, my dad didn't even know he was my dad. And finally," she turned to the first guy, "You think," she snapped in his face, "This is the sound that gets you service. I think this is the sound that dries up my vagina."

"The other waiter disappeared. We needed a refill."

"Please."

Emersyn smiled as she held her hands together. "That, ladies, is how you treat a waitress," she spoke before walking away and joining Elena's side once more after telling Luke about the two drinks.

Elena smiled, her tears now dry as a soft laugh left her lips. "That was amazing, Max."

The Stark shrugged with a smile painted on her lips, "Ah, I figured I should do something to cheer you up."

Her eyes squinted with a twinkle of mischief, "Do you do that often?"

"To every customer almost," Luke answered from behind them, causing them both to look back, not expecting him to be standing there.

"Oh, go back to staring at yourself, Luke."

"How about I stare at you instead?" the brunette man flirted.

"How about you get me and my friend another drink?"

"Orders up."

Elena sent Emersyn an amused grin, "How do you already have everyone here on a leash?"

She laughed softly as she leaned against the bar, "I can think of two reasons."

The doe eyed girl blushed at the innuendo.

"So, what are you doing tonight?"

Elena shrugged, "I honestly just wanted to not be alone. I figured you would be here."

Glancing at her watch, she noticed her shift would be over in four hour. "How about we do something fun? I'm off at eleven but I can get Luke to cover me. Why don't we go to that party?"

"The masquerade ball?"

"Yeah, why not? It'll be fun, I'll hook you up with a hot guy... or a hot girl... or both if that's something you're into."

Laughing, Elena shook her head amusedly, "I think I'm alright. But, yes to the party. I need something to cheer me up."

"I'll be ten minutes. Luke, backroom."

After a bit of convincing, and Emersyn having to flash her boobs at the twenty-two year old, he let her go early, with a promise of covering for her.

As the two girls walked out of the Grill, Elena stopped suddenly, "Wait, we don't have the right clothes for this. It's a masquerade."

Emersyn grinned as she pulled her new friend towards her car and popped the trunk, revealing a suitcase, "The benefits of knowing a Stark. I have an outfit for every possible situation."

Elena pulled out a skimpy piece of black lingerie and the girl smiled, "Every situation?"

"You never know when you're gonna need it. That's all I'm gonna say."  

After both girls changed into their dresses of choice, both tight mini black ones, they took off towards the Lockwood mansion where the ball was being held.

Arriving at the party, the two girls grabbed masks before placing them on their faces and joining the crowd on the dancefloor. Through the speakers, Hotel Room Service played loudly as they danced around each other, hands intertwined.

Screaming the lyrics, they jumped along with the beat. If Elena didn't already know who the girl was, it was quite obvious who's daughter she was by her confidence in herself and in her dress.

"We gon freak some more!" Emersyn sang loudly, her voice slightly slurred from the drinks she had at the Grill beforehand. Twirling Elena, Emersyn grinned sloppily as the doppelganger laughed.

Gaining her confidence, Elena waved her fingers through her hair as the red and blue lights shone down on them. "You can meet your girlfriend and meet me at the hotel room," she sang, her voice shaky and matched Emersyn's drunk one.

Soon enough, the song ended, but that didn't stop the two girls from dancing. I Gotta Feeling faded into their ears and they both smiled as they moved along to the beat, Emersyn grabbing two shots from a waiter that passed by them, walking through the sweaty crowd of jumping teenagers.

Handing a shot to Elena, they chugged the liquor and placed them back on the platter before going back to jumping to the beat. Spinning Elena to the left, Emersyn pulled her back into her chest, before spinning her back around to face her.

"Tonight's gonna be a good night!" Elena screamed the lyrics as her fist beat the air to the beat.

Emersyn grinned, her cheeks rosy from whatever liquid she just drank as she danced with her arms above her head, "Fill up my cup! Mazel Tov!"

"That tonight's gonna be a good good night!" every drunk person on the floor sang, their hands shooting in the air.

Elena and Emersyn danced for what felt like hours – or rather till they couldn't stand their heels anymore – and soon moved to sit by one of the small surrounding tables. Elena's smile was crooked as she tilted her head to look at Emersyn, "I think–" she hiccupped, "that has been the most fun I've had in a while."

The Stark grinned, her lipstick slightly smeared and staining the glass she held in her hand. "That's what happens when you party with the right people."

A giggle broke through her lips as she swayed slightly, grinning as she did so. "Do you always do stuff like this?"

"Back in New York I did this three times a week. Natasha, Bucky and I would always go together."

Her eyes widened as she whispered, "Natasha as in Black Widow?"

Emersyn's eyes sparkled in amusement as she nodded.

"And Bucky as in the Winter Soldier?" Elena whispered again, her eyes wide like saucers from the new information. If it were possible, they widened even more and her jaw dropped as Emersyn nodded.

"Can you introduce me to him? I always thought he was hot."

"What about Stefan?" Emersyn tsked, the amused look she was wearing never leaving her face as she took a sip of her drink.

"Forget him. I want the Winter Soldier," Elena answered, leaning forward slightly as she looked down at Emersyn's half empty glass, "Are you gonna finish that?"

Emersyn shook her head, her mouth curved into a smile, "No, but you aren't either. I know this town doesn't really care about underage drinking, but you, sweet Elena, are hammered. I'll get you some water." 

Elena had a tight grip on the older teen's arm as they walked over to the drink table and grabbed a bottle of water. Opening it with a single hand, Emersyn handed it to Elena as she leaned her against a brick pillar.

"Drink up," the Stark encouraged, as she helped Elena hold the bottle to her lips. "Atta girl."

Glancing behind the brunettes shoulders, Emersyn's eyebrow quirked, "Isn't that Bonnie?"

"Bonnie?" Elena asked, turning her head slightly, "Yeah, it is. That's so weird, I thought she said she wasn't going to be here..." she trailed off, "Jeremy?"

"Who's Jeremy?"

"My brother," Elena answered, sobering up slightly. "Can you help me walk over there? My legs feel like jello."

Grabbing a hold of the girl's arm, Emersyn wrapped her free arm around Elena's waist, so that she was supporting the majority of her weight and just about carried her over to the picnic bench where her brother and best friend sat.

"Elena?" the boy, Jeremy, questioned in surprise, the same shocked look appearing on Bonnie's face as the doppelganger came into eyeline.

"What are you doing here?" Bonnie asked, with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Dancing," Elena grinned, however, it soon fell off her face. "What are you doing here? You both said you weren't coming."

Jeremy's eyes cast towards Emersyn, but Bonnie spoke, knowing that Emersyn already knew a little about their lives. "We're killing Katherine."

"You guys are trying to kill her here?" Elena asked, her voice no longer shaky as the alcohol seemingly left her system in a flash.

Jeremey shrugged, "We saw an opportunity and we knew we had to take it."

Elena shook her head, "Okay, stop with the "we", are you guys crazy? You're gonna get yourselves killed."

"We know what we're doing, Elena," Bonnie urged, her arms crossed.

"And how am I supposed to feel if one of you guys gets hurt because of me?"

"It's not just you anymore, Elena. She's messed with all of us, she has to be stopped." Jeremy's eyes flickered towards Emersyn, "Who are you?"

"What are you? A cop? You're a fucking narc aren't you?" Emersyn asked, feigning a look of fear, though her eyes were shimmering in amusement as she watched the teenage boy shuffle on his feet.

"What? No. I'm Elena's brother."

"Mhm. And how do I know you're not a narc?"

"I'm sixteen?"

"So?"

"He's not a cop, Emersyn. He's just a jerk," Elena informed the Stark, after realizing she was still holding onto her and slowly let go only to grab her arm once more after a wave of dizziness swept through her head.

"Emersyn? That's why you look so familiar," Jeremy muttered. "You look just like–"

"Yes, Emersyn Stark, I know. Don't cream your pants. So, what are we doing about this Katherine situation?"

Out of nowhere, a scream erupted from Elena's lips and her grip tightened into a deathly hold on Emersyn's arm. The doppelganger fell forward, revealing her back which was now covered in blood.

Gasping in pain, hardly able to think, Elena fell into the Stark's arms as another wound appeared on her arm.

Pulling a chair out, Bonnie helped Emersyn set the screaming doppelganger down.

"What's going on?" Jeremy yelled as Emersyn pulled off a strip of her dress and wrapped it tightly around the doppelganger's arm, creating a temporary tourniquet.

"Jeremy, it's Katherine. She's linked to Katherine! Get them to stop! Now!" Bonnie yelled and the boy quickly ran off towards the house.

A cut slowly started to form on Elena's hand, earning more pained grunts from the girl. Tearing another piece of her dress, Emersyn held the fabric tightly to the girl's hand. "Go to my car, in the center console there is a box with a red cross on it. Grab it and bring it to me," Emersyn instructed Bonnie as she handed her a set of keys and the witch ran off.

"We're gonna help you, Elena. You're gonna be okay," Emersyn spoke steadily as she continued to hold pressure of the doppelganger's hand.

"Emersyn, it hurts."

"I know. I know, Elena. I'm gonna make it better." Using her free hand, she pressed a button on her watch and a red metal hand coated her own. Inside her palm was a blaster much like her fathers. "This is gonna hurt but it's gonna seal your would, okay?"

Emersyn glanced around and grabbed a piece of bark, "I know this is gross but bite on this."

Nodding, Elena put the piece of wood between her teeth and soon enough, a laser beam protruded out of Emersyn's hand. Muffled screams fell from Elena's lips as the beam came in contact with her skin. The pain only lasted a minute though, as when the girl was distracted, Emersyn pulled a needle out of her gauntlet and pierced it into Elena's neck.

Gasping, Elena took the wood out of her mouth and glanced at her hand. The wound was sealed and no longer had blood slipping out. "What was in that needle? I can't feel the pain anymore?"

"Little thing a friend and I created. It's like morphine. Just a bit better."

Panting, Elena rested her head on Emersyn's shoulder as Bonnie ran back over to them. "Here," the witch spoke as she handed her the small box.

Opening it, Emersyn grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a suture set. "Wait, do you know how to use that?" Elena asked as she watched Emersyn prep the needle and thread.

The Stark smiled, "I became a licensed doctor when I was fifteen. I think I know how to do some simple stitches."

As Emersyn stitched up Elena's arm, Jeremy ran over to them. "Are you okay?" he asked, grabbing a hold of his sister's shoulder.

"Are they?"

"They're stuck in there with her." Jeremey looked over to Bonnie, "You were right; Katherine had a witch link Elena to her."

Bonnie's eyes widened as though a lightbulb went off, "The girl I saw, the one inside! Stay with her, keep pressure on her back!"

"Where are you going?"

"There's another witch here, I'm gonna find her!" Bonnie answered him as she took off.

Jeremey's eyes glanced over at Emersyn and watched as she tied off the stitches before placing the suture into a tray and grabbing a bandage. As she finished cleaning off her arm, Emersyn looked up, "What are you looking at, virgin?"

A mad blush formed on his face as Elena laughed, "It's funny cause she isn't wrong."

Jeremy grunted as he gently pushed his sister, "Screw off, Elena."

— — —

As Emersyn moved to work on cleaning Elena's wound on her back, Jeremy left to find Bonnie, leaving the two teenage girls alone.

"What's it like?" Elena asked suddenly, glancing back at Emersyn.

"What's what like?" the Stark asked, not looking up.

"Being you?"

She huffed a laugh, "It's not as exciting and grand as you may think. The only thing good about my life is my family. The rest of it doesn't really matter."

"Your family... Like the Avengers?"

She nodded, "Mhm. I grew up around them. I used to take summer vacations up in space in Asgard. But, um, I don't know. With the amount of times I have come to death's door, sometimes I'm not so sure if it's all worth it."

"Stefan told me you were running from something."

"There are a lot of people that want me dead. Some for money, some for fame, some because I pissed them off. I love my family, but they attract a lot of bad attention."

"... If you could switch places -live a different life- would you?"

"Never," Emersyn answered as she wiped her hands clean. "You're all done. Come on, I'll drive you home."

Walking towards the Stark's car, Elena held her phone to her ear as she spoke to her brother. "Yeah Jeremy, Emersyn's driving me. Tell Bonnie that I'm starting to feel better. Yeah, you can drive her home. I'm just gonna go straight to bed. Okay."

As Elena hung up her phone, Emersyn went to speak but before she could, something smashed against her head, knocking her unconscious. "Emersyn!" Elena screamed before a cloth was held to her lips, and she too, fell unconscious. 

okay, i know it's an overused plot to have the oc kidnapped with elena. i don't care, i like it. deal with it. i promise something exciting happens with it, okay? you're either gonna think it's nice, or it's shit.

k, bye.