Breathing ∞ Kol Mikaelson [1]

[53]

Walking through the aisles between church pews, Emma's eyes scanned the crowd in search of her mother. It wasn't long before she noticed Marissa's hand raising into the air and waving her over, the questioning look in her eyes unmistakeable.

"Let the interrogation commence." Emma grumbled, starting to head in her mother's direction while the two Mikaelsons followed after her.

"Will your mother surprise us with a white oak stake if we sit with you?" Kol questioned, his tone somewhat joking as he noticed Marissa Park's displeased expression once she noticed the two vampires intent on joining her and her daughter.

"No." Emma laughed, but soon enough caught on to an ongoing conversation as they passed by a trio of people. "But just in case, you two head on over. I need a moment." She announced, changing direction and heading off towards her newest targets.

"I'm not letting a hunter stop me from where I'm supposed to be." She overheard Tyler's voice as she approached.

"Also, if he shows his face, I'm gonna kick his ass." Caroline added just as Emma appeared by Stefan's side.

"Hunter? Yay tall, shaved head, gloves on his hands? Kinda handsome if you ignore the fact that he's trying to kill off half the population of this town?" She questioned curiously. If she was hearing them right, there was a new hunter in town and thinking back to the stalker outside the bathroom, it seemed too much of a coincidence.

"Yeah, how do you know that?" Caroline asked in surprise, ignoring the look Tyler gave her as she indirectly agreed with the handsome part of the man's description.

"Just had the pleasure of meeting him." Emma revealed, indirectly giving them the warning that the man who was after Tyler was present in the building. "By the fact that you're alive, I'm assuming he thought you were just a vampire?"

"His gloves are coated in vervain." Tyler explained before sending her a questioning look. "Why do you even care though? You're human and your friends are indestructible at the moment."

"Yes, but it's always nice to know who's up next on the kill list." Emma said like it was the simplest of all facts. Like she was saying she had coffee for breakfast that morning. And before any of them had a chance to really get past that, she was walking away again.

"Where have you been?" Marissa questioned her daughter as soon as Emma came to sit with her own group in the places her mother chose in the end. "And where are your jacket and bag?"

"I, uh, dumped them in Kol's car. Didn't feel like carrying them around." Emma answered simply. Beside her, Kol sent her a questioning look, knowing very well that was a lie. Her only response was a subtle shake of her head, silently telling him she'd explain it all later.

Whether he accepted it or not wasn't really clear as there wasn't a chance to question her further. "Before we begin the Mass, we'd like to open the floor to anyone who would like to share a memory about our late friends on the Town Council. I know that April Young wanted to say a few words about her dad. April? April, are you still here, honey?" Carol Lockwood spoke from the front of the room, but as she called for the girl, there came no response from anywhere in the crowd.

"Is there anyone else who would like to share a recollection or a memory about Pastor Young?" Carol tried again, but no one seemed to be eager to speak kind words about the man who seemed to have blown up twelve people. No surprise there.

But then someone stood up. And, if you asked Emma, that someone was an idiot for doing so. "Come on up, Elena." The mayor smiled at the Gilbert girl as she made her way through the aisle and up the steps.

"She looks like hell." Rebekah whispered silently, and Emma simply nodded her head. She wasn't too surprised by it. After all, something made her believe that for a vampire puking up blood wasn't too great. At best, Elena was just terribly hungry, at worst, she'd repeat her bathroom scenes in front of the whole town within a couple of moments.