16|THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD

"Did you complete the challenge I bestowed upon you?"

Gemma looks up at Willow through narrowed eyes, leaning back against her chair. She watches the therapist shift in her seat across from her, her manicured nails tapping against the table in what seems like impatience. "Calm down, lady Willow," the vampire mutters. "Yes, I did."

The blonde grins, her teeth flashing. "What'd you do?"

Gemma gazes at her for a long second, "why do I feel like this is gossip for you?"

Willow hums and grabs her notepad off of the table, waving it around as she sends Gemma a pointed look. As if the one action proves once and for all that she's professional about Gemma's personal life. "It's for my notes," the blonde reassures her.

Gemma clears her throat, "I hugged her."

Willow leans forward, inclining her ear to the girl. "What was that?"

"I hugged her."

Willow scoffs, pursing her lips as she stares at the Salvatore in disapproval. "That's it?"

"What?" Gemma splutters, "what'd you want me to do? Get a damn ring?"

"Precisely," Willow begins to flip through her notes, her eyes frantic. "It appears my plan has failed. We must resort to plan b immediately or all will be lost."

Gemma cradles her head between her hands, closing her eyes at the brewing frustration. She enjoyed Willow's presence, of course she did. Who wouldn't? She's bubbly and bright, and can make you laugh with the insane facial expressions. Gemma's accustomed to... quiet, though; and Willow is anything but quiet.

"What are you talking about, Sherlock?" Gemma grits her teeth.

Willow sighs, "in all seriousness, what's the blockage? You're obviously harboring something for her, so why not just go for it?"

"Uh," Gemma gives the woman a look. "She's dating my brother."

The blonde smirks, "you could keep it friendly, but if romance is your first thought, who am I to avert you?"

Gemma scowls, "you're a dick."

Willow hums, grinning at the woman happily. "How do you feel about Elena?"

Gemma shrugs, "nothing. I'm indifferent to her."

"Really?" Willow gapes, "you're still sticking with that?"

"There's nothing to stick with. I'm telling the truth. She's my brother's girlfriend, therefore a part of my life until the inevitable happens."

Willow squints, "which is?"

The vampire's instinct, in any situation, would be to blurt death. It's the answer to all of her problems, according to Damon. She used to agree with him before she saw... the alternative lifestyle.

"They'll break up," she says. "They're seventeen, they'll—"

"Don't say they don't know what love is," Willow moans, shaking her head. "That's the worst. Saying someone's too young to love discredits almost everyone. Haven't you ever been young and in love?"

Gemma blanches, "no. My father was wildly homophobic and nearly killed me the first time he found out I had involved myself in that lifestyle."

Willow pauses, "is that you saying you're ready to talk about the daddy issues?"

The female Salvatore smiles wryly, "didn't I just?"

"Not really, no. When you say kill—"

"It was brutal," Gemma cuts her off. Her eyes meet those of the gentle blonde, feeling her shoulder's sag at the newfound professional look the therapist had presented. "When he first found out, I was with Leo, the son of one of his colleagues. Leo's father and mine had set us up, naturally. Women couldn't choose their partners, according to Father."

"Was your father a misogynist?"

"Absolutely."

Willow nods, "carry on."

"I was out in the yard with a new friend of mine, while Stefan, Leo and Father watched from a distance. This was before Stefan even considered pursuing Katherine. I think he had his eye on my friend, but it didn't matter. She and I—"

"Is this another love interest?" Willow cuts her off, confused. "I thought it was just Katherine and Lexi?"

"No, yeah, that's it. Violet and I were just friends, but close, none the less. I still remember the comment Stefan made, jokingly of course. Father though, it opened the floodgates for him. It's like every suspicion he had ever had had come roaring to life."

"What did Stefan say?"

"It was an innocent comment," Gemma looks away, her jaw set. "He said if I didn't know better, Leo, I'd say those two were set to be together." She bites the inside of her cheek, her hands trembling in her lap. "The realization on my father's face was devastating, but the look on Leo's; it shook me to my core."

"Leo was homophobic as well?"

"The town I lived in was very small and set in its way," Gemma replies. "They didn't see much change and when they did, they hated it. Even if it was one of their own."

"Do you blame Stefan?"

Gemma hesitates, "not for Father finding out. Maybe for the way he refused to acknowledge what was going on. He was so wrapped up in everything else that I didn't matter anymore. Not that we were close in the first place, but knowing your brother doesn't care about what makes you, you does hurt."

"Is that why you draw closer to Damon? Was he more sympathetic with you about your Father's hatred?"

"It was after that incident," Gemma starts. "Damon and I didn't talk a lot before that. A few comments here, a few minutes spent hanging out there. I had come home one day pretty banged up and he took care of me. He dropped everything that was important to him the moment I walked through the door. No questions asked, no remarks about how it wasn't lady like. Just... Damon."

"What do you mean, banged up?"

Gemma swallows thickly, averting her eyes.

"You don't have to give details, Gemma. It'd just be helpful to have some insight to what your triggers are."

"My triggers?" The woman asks, making a face. "What do you mean?"

Willow blinks, "a trigger is something that affects your emotional state. It often overwhelms you or causes you distress. It may cause you to act out or harm yourself. It can also bring up specific thought patterns or influence your behavior."

"Oh," Gemma mutters.

"Do you want to discuss a few things that you think may trigger you?"

"Um, maybe whenever I think of my father?" She wrinkles her nose, "whenever I have dreams, or... whenever Stefan acts like nothing ever happened to me."

"Has Elena ever triggered you?"

Gemma falls silent, giving the woman a calculating stare. "Why?"

"I feel like it'd be vital to discuss why you're so sensitive to her yet insist that she means nothing to you."

The vampire sighs loudly, slumping in her chair with a deep frown. Whenever she catches one of the waitresses eyes, she flashes a tight smile, hoping it'll draw the namesss girl over. Gemma drums her fingertips across the tabletop whenever it works, the waitress idling over with a polite smile. "Can I get a glass of Bourbon? Um, keep them coming, please."

"I'll need to see some I.D."

Gemma's eyes wander down to the girl's name tag, Alissa being printed in a messy scrawl. She side eyes Willow's curious stare before clearing her throat, reaching into her back pocket for the said item. Years and years of her on and off again morality has trained her to keep important items like this on hand. Especially since she can't just whip out the compulsion in front of her therapist. She gives the waitress her I.D, gazing at the girl with a small smile.

"Okay," Alissa nods. "Coming right up."

Gemma utters a small thank you and straightens up in her chair, directing her gaze back to her therapist. "There was this one time—"

"In band camp?"

Gemma pauses, "seriously?"

"Sorry, keep going."

"Sometimes when I'm around her, I... forget that I've done some pretty bad things. I forget all of the things I've been through, and all of the things I was made into. But, um, she can't. I was convinced that's all she sees when she looks at me, and when she said—" Gemma clenches her jaw, halting in her story whenever Alissa brings her a cup of Bourbon. She grabs it from the girl's hand and takes a large gulp, flashing her a smile— which she's sure is more of a grimace— as the girl trudges away. "There was an incident where I had gotten into a fight with her brother's girlfriend. I thought... I thought she was going to hurt Elena, or even my brothers. Elena asked me if I enjoyed hurting the girl."

Willow raises her eyebrows, surprised. She nods slowly before clearing her throat. "What kind of lifestyle did Elena lead before she met you? Was it calm? Was it rebellious and wild?"

"Um, I guess calm. I've heard a few things that suggest she didn't have much excitement."

"So, maybe her comment wasn't that far fetched."

Gemma makes a face, "what?"

"Think about it," Willow starts. "Your life has been crickets so far. This woman and her two brothers come barreling in. You fall in love with one of them, you despise the other, and you're in a weird friend phase with the sister. Your emotions are everywhere, you're getting lied to— or so I assume— what else is there to do?"

"Not accuse me of enjoying violence."

"I'm not excusing her accusation," Willow reassures the woman. "All I'm asking is that you consider her side of it. How long had she known you when the incident happened? Did she witness it? Was she scared?"

Gemma huffs, "you're supposed to be helping me."

"I am," Willow tells her. "You can't go through life thinking people are out to get you, Gemma. Especially not people who are good for you. Everyone's allowed to make mistakes. You can't blame her for a lapse in judgement."

"I've seen the error of my ways," Gemma scowls. "This happened a while ago. I don't need advice."

Willow nods, pressing her lips into a thin line. Her eyes bore into Gemma's for a short second before she leans forward, clasping her hands on the table. "You said she makes you forget. Want to explain?"

"She reminds of the time before my father found out about me," Gemma blurts. "To me, it feels like she stands for everything I used to be. Innocent, naive, free."

"That implies that you're not those things now."

"I'm not," Gemma says.

"You wouldn't call yourself free from your father? From being burdened by the secret you had to keep for so long?"

"I'm stuck inside myself, Willow. I'm stuck with all of the screwed up mantras that my own voice screams at me. I'm stuck with the nightmares, the bad days, the tendencies that never work. How is that free?"

"Have you ever considered that you're depressed?"

Gemma blinks, "I— I joke about it, but... no. It's just always something I've dealt with. It's life. Sometimes people get dealt a bad card."

Willow shakes her head, "absolutely not. The moment you've accepted defeat is the moment it becomes harder to get better. It's not life, Gemma. Yes, you've been dealt many bad cards, but that doesn't mean that you'll keep getting them."

"I'm not sad all time."

"It's perfectly fine to be sad sometimes," Willow tells her. "But are you ever happy?"

Gemma falls silent.

"I'm going to recommend some more challenges, okay? Is that alright?"

"Yeah," Gemma rasps. "Yeah, that's fine."

"Okay, so—"

\\

It's only a few hours later that Gemma Salvatore finds herself shuffling into The Grill again. Pathetic, she knows. She can't find another place to pass time, but this time, she was invited. How Jenna got her number, the woman's not sure.

Her eyes quickly flick up whenever she sees someone waving at her from the bar, a short laugh escaping her lips whenever she sees Damon planted in a seat with sunglasses hiding his eyes. Kelly Donovan sits next to him, mindlessly chattering while he blankly gazes straight ahead. Gemma trudges toward the bar and sits next to her brother, raising her eyebrows in question. "Why the sunglasses?"

"I had an eye examination done today," he smiles dryly. "Dr. Pearl and Anna."

Gemma nods, "I usually just go to the eye clinic."

He scoffs and reaches over the side of the bar, grabbing a bottle of Bourbon and sliding it over to her. "Drink up, Wednesday."

The vampire hesitates, wrapping her hand around the bottle while staring at it forlornly. "I can't."

"You can't?" Damon raises his glasses to show off his wide eyed expression.

"Willow says—"

"Willow said, Willow said, Willow said—"

"You're the one who made me see her in the first place."

"Wow!" Kelly Donovan exclaims, her eyes glazed and hooded. She presses herself closer against Damon to get her eyes on Gemma, a drunken grin gracing her lips. "I didn't know you had a sister. You must be new to town, too."

"Yes," Gemma deadpans.

"For sure, because I would've remembered someone who looked like you."

Gemma hums, grabbing the bottle of Bourbon and bringing it to her lips. She feels Kelly's eyes on the side of her face and she silently groans, turning away from the woman's prying eyes.

"I love to see someone drowning their sorrows," Kelly purrs. "It's so sexy."

Gemma doesn't reply so Damon shifts near the woman, a sly smile rising on his face. "It's more like nursing my wounds, and you?"

"I was supposed to be interviewing for the bartender job but I think the manager blew me off."

"Well, that's not very nice."

"Last time I was in town, I slept with her boyfriend."

Gemma nods with purses lips. "Fair enough."

"That's not very nice either," Damon says.

"It happens."

"Yes, it does."

"Gemma!"

The woman looks up at her name, smiling widely whenever Jenna Sommers comes barreling toward her. Truth is, she enjoyed Jenna's company. The strawberry blonde woman was witty and sarcastic. She felt like a sunnier version of who Gemma was.

It takes the Salvatore by surprise whenever Jenna yanks her into a hug, squeezing her tightly. Gemma swallows thickly before letting herself relax into the woman's touch, returning the gesture with hesitance.

"I'm so glad you came," Jenna gushes. "I haven't been out with a friend in what feels like forever."

"Yeah," Gemma says, taken aback. She wasn't aware the woman classified her as a friend, but she's honored, none the less. "Me either."

"What is this you're drinking?" Jenna sits down and nudges the bottle of Bourbon, looking offended. "You are not drowning your sorrows, got it? We're going to order something fruity."

"Already here," Gemma murmurs.

Jenna laughs loudly before signaling the bartender over. She flashes him a grin before glancing at Gemma, "can we both get strawberry daiquiri's, please?" He nods and turns to make their drinks, leaving the two woman alone to chat. "You're good with strawberry?"

"Strawberry's perfect."

"So," Jenna begins, turning toward Gemma with her hands clasped in her lap. "I've seen you around with my friend Willow a few times. Is there anything there?"

Gemma snickers, "patient confidentiality."

Jenna makes a sound of realization, "she's good."

"She is."

"I went to high school with her. She graduated early and went to college, and I..." Jenna flushes. "I took the alternative."

Gemma smiles softly, "not now, though. Aren't you going to school?"

"Yeah, for psychology," Jenna groans. "It's rough. If I had know how hard it was, I would've started a decade ago."

Gemma pauses when the bartender turns to give them their drinks, giving him a thankful nod before averting her attention back to Jenna. "Tell me about it," she expresses. "College wasn't a pleasant experience for me either."

"You went to college?" Jenna exclaims, "when? Where? What did you go for?"

Gemma smiles gently, the gears in her brain turning as she comes up with believable answers. She did go to college, but some of the details would be a dead give away of her immortality. "I went straight out of high school," she replies. "It was a college across the country. I wanted to be as far from my family as possible at the time. I went to be a Forensic Nurse."

Jenna nods, "what exactly is that?"

"Primarily, they help mental health victims with violence or crime that they may have experienced. I've always wanted to help people that survived things like that... I, uh, I figured it'd be beneficial for both sides. I knew that I had enough passion to do it genuinely and it'd also help me deal with things."

"Wow," the Sommers woman marvels. "Did you ever finish your courses? I mean, are you registered?"

Gemma smiles sadly, "I am. Life just got in the way, you know? Near the end of my training, I felt like I didn't have what it took so I never applied for a job anywhere."

"But you still could?" Jenna asks.

"I guess so," Gemma shrugs. The woman assumes with a little touching up on her certifications that she could get a job somewhere local. It'd take a little bit of compulsion, if anything.

"I think you should pursue it," Jenna encourages her.

"Mm," Gemma hums and takes a sip of her daiquiri, meeting the strawberry blonde's eyes over the rim of her glass. "Why'd you go for psychology?"

"Oh," Jenna flushes at the attention. "I just, I was always interested in it. After my sister died, Elena and Jeremy's mom, I got more involved with it. I saw how it messed with both of them and I was desperate to find something to help, even if it took me years."

Gemma blinks, "wow, Jenna. You're selfless."

"They're family," the woman shrugs. "It's what you do. Did I want to put my life on hold? Of course not, but I couldn't let my sister down."

"I understand," Gemma nods. "Either way, it's incredible. Raising two teenagers takes a lot of work."

"It's not without failure," Jenna groans, letting out a short laugh. She finishes the rest of her drink and grabs Gemma's from her hands, flashing the vampire a sly smile. "A lot of failure."

"In that case," Gemma waves the bartender over. He wanders over to them with an expectant look and the Salvatore leans forward, "can we get two of your—" she trails off as she scans the menu over his head. "Malibu Sunset's?" He nods and she makes a sound of protest when he tries to move away. "Please keep them coming."

"Sounds a lot like drowning our sorrows, Gem." Jenna pipes up as she watches the man stalk off, his eyes furrowed together in irritation.

"Not drowning," Gemma smirks. "Swimming in them."

Jenna cackles, "like that makes it any better!"

"No, but it sounds better."

Gemma laughs whenever Jenna gains a wide eyed look, ducking her head and shuffling closer to the vampire as if she's trying to hide herself. The Salvatore looks down at her with raised eyebrows, grinning. "What are you doing?"

"Hide," she hisses. "We're not here!"

"Why?"

"Children under my care, five o'clock."

"Who cares?" Gemma asks. "You're off the clock."

"You're never off the clock with children."

The female Salvatore glances up only to meet the eyes belonging to Elena Gilbert. The human girl does not look impressed, quite judgy if Gemma had to say so herself. Gemma gives her a look that says can I help you? before she gives her attention to the woman in front of her again. "Elena's almost an adult, Jenna. She's fine. Who hasn't gotten drunk in front of their kids? I'm sure that's the last thing that'll ever give her trauma."

Jenna squints at the woman before she sighs, "I'll drink to that."

The bartender comes back with their drinks and leaves quickly, obviously not wanting to get caught up in their alcohol induced chat. Jenna grabs hers first and takes a sip, humming blissfully with a pleased expression. "Pineapple?" She asks.

"No idea," Gemma responds. "I just ordered whatever sounded good."

Jenna laughs again, shaking her head.

"Alright, I've got to use the restroom. I'll be right back." The Sommers woman nods absently, too absorbed in her drink and the way Kelly and Damon have re-entered themselves into Gemma's space. Gemma rolls her eyes before trudging away from the bar and weaving through the crowd of people. Her eyes catch Stefan's as she passes and she gives him a polite nod in response to his weak wave.

She hears Elena before she sees her. The frustration lacing the girl's tone, the way she's responding to whatever Caroline's accusing her of while they linger in the bathroom.

"I was just trying to make conversation," Elena reassures her friend.

"Try less." Caroline snaps.

Gemma strolls into the restroom with her brows raised, her eyes searching Elena's solemn expression. In her peripheral vision she notices Caroline giving her a shy smile, which causes the vampire to look over at her. "Hello, Caroline." She cuts the blonde off before she can actually respond. "Goodbye, Caroline." She waits until the Forbes leaves with a huff before she idles up closer to Elena, curious about what had happened. "She's jealous?"

"Yeah. She thinks Matt and I still have something. I told her, she and Bonnie that I stopped feeling anything for Matt weeks before my parents died. Why would that change now? Especially when..." Elena pauses, shaking her head. "Especially when I have Stefan."

"Some people just can't let go of the past," Gemma informs her. "It'll take time for Caroline to move on from what happened between you and Matt."

Elena bites the inside of her cheek before she exhales softly, "did you ever get jealous of your brothers being with Katherine too?"

Gemma folds her arms over her chest, staring down at the doe eyed girl. "Not really, no. Believe it or not, Katherine and I were just friends. Did she mean a lot to me? Yes, of course, but I wasn't in love."

"Was she?"

The Salvatore smiles wryly, "Katherine Pierce has never loved anybody, Elena."

"You're so contradicting," the girl argues. "You talk about her like she's this selfless, kind girl, but then you say that she's self centered and anything but this savior that you make her out to be."

"Just because someone does you a favor doesn't mean it's for you," Gemma points out. "Katherine was a lot like that. Everything fit her agenda, whether it benefited someone else along the way or not."

Elena huffs, "I'm so done trying to figure all of this out."

"You're cranky tonight," Gemma frowns.

"You're getting my aunt Jenna drunk," she grumbles as she shuffles out of the bathroom, looking over her shoulder as Gemma follows her out.

"Your aunt Jenna is a willing participant."

Elena let's put a faux laugh filled with mockery, a gasp ripping from her throat whenever a man catches her by the arm and yanks her back. Gemma straightens up at an instant, moving forward the rip the man's hand from Elena's arm.

"Katherine?" He asks, ignoring the Salvatore glare.

"I'm sorry, you have the wrong person," Elena says shakily.

"My mistake," he mutters.

Gemma gazes at him with a dark look, "wait for consent next time, asshole. You don't just grab someone like that."

"Gem, it's okay," Elena hushes her. She grabs Gemma's hand and pulls her closer, urging the girl to move. "Let's go back, okay?"

Gemma brushes past the man with tense posture, letting Elena pull her over to the pool table holding Stefan, Matt and Caroline. Her brother looks miffed, but more concerned at her presence, his eyes questioning her arrival. "Everything okay?" He asks.

"Everything's great," Elena smiles. She lets go of Gemma's hand and pulls out her phone, typing a message for Stefan to read. Gemma silently applauds the girl for remembering, vampires can hear things humans can't. Even with already knowing, the female Savaltire feels white hot anxiety run down her spine at Elena's message.

That man over there called me Katherine.

Gemma instinctively glances over at the unknown vampire, her chest tightening when she sees him gone. Katherine Pierce wasn't even in Mystic Falls and she was already causing them hell.

\\

Later that night, after leaving Elena to her date with Stefan and making sure Jenna gets home safely, Gemma finds herself taking up residence on the front porch of the Sommers woman. After Jenna's run in with the vampire outside of The Grill, Gemma's anxiety was on high alert. She didn't trust one of the three humans in the house not to accidentally invite him or his friends in.

She sits on the swing, occasionally pushing herself off on the ground to make the furniture rock back and forth, letting the small breeze wash over her. She leans forward to shed her jacket, letting the black camisol underneath breathe. Her eyes snap up whenever she hears someone walking up the front porch steps, her shoulders falling lax whenever Elena's wide eyes stare back at her. "Evenin', peaches."

"Is something going on?" Elena wonders, moving forward to take a seat beside Gemma. She rests her bag on the floor beside the swing, pulling her legs underneath her while Gemma continues swinging. "Why are you here?"

"Jenna had a run in with that vampire tonight," Gemma tells her the truth. She figures the girl's heard enough lies to last a lifetime from the Salvatore family. "Thought I'd stick around until the morning."

"You're staying out here until tomorrow?" Elena repeats, shocked.

"That was the plan, Miss Gilbert."

"You care about Jenna," Elena states.

"She's your aunt and my friend. Of course I care about her."

"I'm sorry for being rude to you tonight," Elena apologizes, her voice soft. "I don't know why I was so upset."

"It's okay," Gemma murmurs. "I'm not holding it against you."

"You had another session with Willow today, right? How did it go?"

Gemma shifts whenever Elena shuffles closer to her, the girl's hair brushing against the vampire's bare skin. The Salvatore suppresses the urge to shiver, inclining her head toward Elena so they wouldn't have to raise their voices to hear each other. "It went well," she says. "We talked about my triggers, and... doing things that make me happy."

"Like what?"

Gemma scoffs out a laugh, "it's ridiculous. She wants me to meditate, and to get more sun. I'm a vampire."

Elena giggles, leaning into Gemma's side. "Being a vampire means you can't like the sun?"

"Precisely."

"What else did she say?"

"A healthy diet, make friends, have more sex, anti-depressants—"

"What?" Elena shrieks.

Gemma bursts into a fit of laughter, leaning forward to press her palm over Elena's mouth to muffle the girl's amused hysterics. Elena's eyes water as she tries to hold back her laughter, shaking her head furiously behind Gemma's hand.

"Sh!" Gemma whines, "you're gonna wake up Jenna!"

Elena gasps for air, "she said to have more sex?"

"Sex releases endorphins and oxytocin, feel good hormones."

"Please stop," Elena begs, her chest heaving. "When's the last time you even had sex?"

Gemma exhales heavily, her eyes searching their surroundings aimlessly. "19–"

"19–!"

"Sh!" Gemma hushes her again, laughing softly. "We can't wake up aunt Jenna."

"Aunt Jenna sleeps like a rock when she's drunk."

"Good to know," Gemma hums.

"Did you at least have fun tonight?"

"I did," the vampire nods. "We talked about my uni days, a little about swimming in our sorrows—"

"Naturally."

"Excuse me, miss Gilbert, is that criticism I hear in your voice?"

"Never, peaches. Concern, maybe. Never criticism."

Gemma sighs before leaning back against the swing, letting her head loll back. "Do you have cookies?"

"What?" Elena copies her actions, turning her head toward the vampire.

"Cookies," Gemma says. "To bake."

Elena grins slyly and springs up from the swing, holding her hand out for Gemma to take. "Come with me, miss Salvatore."

"After you, miss Gilbert."

\\

not edited. thank you for being so patient!! a lot is happening in my life right now. my grandma got released from the hospital on the 23rd (of april) after suffering from septic shock. this is us 🥺

the 23rd (of april) was also my 19th birthday, woo hoo!! 🥳 it was uneventful. but so so thankful you've all been patient and kind with me, even if you were unaware of what was going on. always in awe at the endless support. i thank God for all of you. more coming soon, much love. <3

-madison.