EMERY DID NOT THINK much about her next moves as she took the initiative and pressed her lips against his.

There were so many alarms that went up in her head like warnings, telling her to stay away, giving her all the reasons why she should but she could not bring herself to care.

Klaus was taken aback by the action, he was half-expecting for her to push him away but she didn't. Wrapping his other hand around the neck, he pulled her impossibly closer, their lips moving in sync.

Her hands found their way to the back of his head where she allowed her fingers to tangle themselves in his dirty blonde locks. Klaus groaned against her lips at the sensation before deepening the kiss, sliding his tongue past her teeth to meet hers.

Emery gripped his hair tighter when he did that, the two stepping impossibly closer to each other, both desperate for more. Klaus finally slowed down and ran his tongue across her bottom lip before they pulled away to catch their breaths.

Klaus kept his hands on her, their lips inches away from each other as they tried to regulate their breathing. He brushed a strand of her hair away from her face, keeping his forehead against hers.

Emery was not expecting for him to press his lips against hers again. But she didn't waste any time and instantly began to kiss him back. If not for her phone which vibrated in her pocket, neither of them would've stopped.

"Really?" Klaus breathed out in annoyance as they put some distance between them once more. Instead of replying, she removed her phone from her pocket to check the message.

Klaus didn't take away her phone unlike she thought he would. Emery had been in contact with Damon ever since they left. The older Salvatore would text her every now and then, asking her about her health and other things, she didn't want to lose that friendship— neither of them did. However, it was only him who contacted her, the rest didn't. Emery assumed that they either didn't care or were too busy with their own lives.

"It's Stefan," she felt the need to tell him, "he's at the apartment, asking where we are."

"Right," Klaus cleared his throat while she glanced at his swollen lips and messed up hair. She was sure she looked the same. "We should go."

"Yes—" Emery cut herself off when his hand reached out to her head. She pursed her lips when he began fixing her hair so she wouldn't look like she had just ran a marathon. "Thank you."

"Just fixing what I did," he mumbled with a small shrug, retreating his hands to his sides. "We can go now."

The two then walked out of the warehouse side by side, going straight to Stefan's apartment. Emery didn't know where it was so she just followed wherever Klaus went, her heart was beating faster than ever after what just happened. She was unable to stop thinking about it and neither could Klaus.

Soon enough, they reached the place and found Stefan standing, leaning against a wall as he waited for them. His brows were raised in annoyance when he caught sight of them approached him together.

"Where were you?" His question was directed to Emery knowing that Klaus would not answer him.

"I—" Emery licked her lips, "— went to get ice cream."

"Are you lying?" Stefan frowned at the witch who was quick to shake her head, "what? No. Of course not."

Stefan shot her a suspicious look, "you're telling me that Klaus just agreed to take you out for ice cream?" He turned to the hybrid who was watching the whole scene unfold while trying to hide his irritation, "I thought we had more important matters to deal with."

"Stop being so dramatic, mate," Klaus said instead with a annoyed sigh, "we're here, aren't we?" Without giving him the chance to say anything else, Klaus stared at the doorknob before opening the door rather roughly.

He walked in, his eyes narrowing as he looked around, sensing a presence. "Do you feel that?" He turned to look at Stefan who was still standing by the door, "is anybody here?"

"It's been vacant for decades," Stefan walked in with Emery following shortly after, "people must break in all the time. Why'd you bring me here?"

"Your friend," Klaus smirked, "Liam Grant. The one who drank his wife's blood. I never could figure out why you wanted his name. And then you told me your little secret, it was all part of your special little ritual."

Emery raised her brows at the information and she could not stop herself from asking, "what ritual?"

"To write it down," Stefan replied, his voice coming out lower than he intended it.

The witch tilted her head to the side, confusion clear on her face, "why would you do that?"

"To relive the kill," Klaus was the one who answered her this time as he kept his eyes fixed on Stefan with a smirk tugging at his lips, "over and over again." Klaus then walked towards a shelf and opened it, revealing a sort of hidden cupboard which was empty. "You believe me now?"

Stefan walked inside and glanced at the wall on which there were several names written. However, Elena was also there, hiding. While Stefan was busy staring at the doppleganger, Klaus approached Emery who was standing there, looking as bored as ever.

"Your necklace," he began, his fingers going to where the it was resting on her chest. It was a plain silver heart shaped thing which could be opened and contained pictures in them.

"What about it?" She glanced down at his finger which was holding the heart in them. "You have it on all the time."

"Really?" She shot him a fake shocked look, "I would've never known had you not tell—"

"— All right, shut up." He cut her off, biting his lip to fight off a smile but he couldn't hide the amusement though. "We get it. What does it contain?"

"A picture of my mom," she mumbled, "wanna see?"

"Can I?" He asked back and when she nodded, he carefully opened the heart, revealing the picture of a beautiful woman who looked rather familiar staring back at him. She had a dazzling smile on her lips and was holding a two years old Emery who had her small arms wrapped around her and her face buried in the crook of her neck. Both of them seemed to be really happy.

The picture made Klaus stare at it with adoration clear on his features. He had seen that woman somewhere, he couldn't figure out where though. Deciding to brush it off, his eyes went to meet Emery's who was already staring at him.

"Well, she was beautiful," he muttered, closing the necklace and letting it fall back on her chest, "just like you."

The blush that took over her face at his words didn't go unnoticed by the hybrid who smirked. Before she could thank him, Stefan decided to interrupt, "look what I found."