A/N: I have no idea where this story is going, but I have some ideas :) thank you for all the reviews and suggestions from Nothing Without You. I hope you like this one too!

ONE

Waking up was harder than I ever remembered it to be. My body was sore all over and it felt as though I had been asleep for a week. Which I had always thought would be refreshing and yet it wasn't. I turned my head away from the blinding light behind my closed lids and opened them once the light had faded. The bed beside me was empty and the room beyond it was strange and unfamiliar. "Stefan?" I called out, afraid of what had happened to him. He would have never left without saying anything.

I sat up and waited for the dizziness to pass before I got to my feet. I looked around the room more throughly; it was starting to be familiar, but it still wasn't clicking. I made my way towards the door and opened it up. I stepped out into the hall and a chill ran up my spine. It was definitely the boarding house I was in. I looked around the hallway and realized that I had come out of Damon's room. What was I doing in there, I wondered. I walked down to Stefan's room and pushed the door open. There were a few articles of my clothing folded neatly at the end of the bed but there was still no sign of Stefan. I backed out into the hallway as I began to panic and stopped short as I noticed his ring on my finger.

"Elena?" Damon called from the top of the stairs.

"Where the hell is Stefan? Why am I wearing his ring?" I fired. "Why was I in your room?"

His brow arched, but his eyes were devoid of his usual mockery. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Stop answering a question with a question. I hate that," I said as I crossed my arms and tapped my foot impatiently.

"Stefan gave you his ring before he left."

"Left? Where did he go?"

His eyes darkened. "Elena, what is the last thing you remember?"

I wracked my brain for the answer and came up with nothing. There was a lot of black and flashes of blood, but not much else. "I don't know," I said and felt an onslaught of tears from frustration coming. "Just tell me where he is," I pleaded softly.

"He's not here. He went to visit a friend in Florida. She contacted him two days ago and he left this morning. I assumed he would have told you that," he said and I knew he was lying, but I let it go. Something told me I didn't want to know the truth.

"I should get going. What time is it anyway?"

"It's almost two in the afternoon."

"Seriously? What day is it?"

"Saturday," he said as if it were bad thing. "Look, Elena, promise me that you won't take off that ring."

I looked at it again and then back up at him in horror. "If I'm wearing this, then...Oh God."

He pulled me to him and I was even more confused. He was being nice for no reason at all. "He's fine. He had another ring made so that you could keep that one. Just promise me that you'll never take it off."

I stepped back from him and nodded briefly. "I'll never take it off," I promised. "I'm going to see Bonnie. Do you know where my phone is?"

He fished it out of his pocket and handed it to me. I didn't ask where he got it and all the questions I wanted to shout at him I put aside for another time. "Here. Call me if you need me for anything. I mean it Elena; call me."

He was worried about me for some reason. I nodded and headed down to my car. "Damon?" I called from the front porch with the door still opened. When he was beside me, I asked, "Where's my car?"

"Stefan drove you here last night."

I took a deep breath to calm my anger. "You couldn't have told me that sooner?"

He grinned, his usual arrogance back in his eyes. "Call her and I'll drive you over there."

He went to grab his keys as I dialed her number. "Elena?!" she answered as if I hadn't spoken to her in a week.

"Bonnie, I need to talk to you. Mind if I come over?"

"No, not at all," she said in a rush.

"Bonnie-" I started before Damon grabbed my phone and moved outside at his superhuman speed. "Hey!" I yelled as he spoke to her before I could get out there to take my phone back. He hung up by the time I got there. "What did you say to her?"

"Nothing," he replied as he placed the phone in my hand and led me to his car.

I stared at him the whole way there. "What is with you?"

"What's with me?" he asked with a light smirk.

"Yes. You're being nice, you're obviously lying about Stefan. Why?"

He shook his head, the smirk gone. "You'll understand soon enough." I sighed and let it go. I spent the rest of the ride fidgeting in my seat. For whatever reason I couldn't get comfortable. "Are you okay?"

"I'm feeling restless for some reason."

He only shook his head, but the look on his face told me he was deeply concerned. We pulled into Bonnie's driveway and he followed me out of the car. "She said I could come over too."

"She hates you," I said flatly.

He nodded, "Yes, she does."

She opened the door and flung her arms around me. "Bonnie?" I asked in surprise.

"I'm sorry, I'm just really happy to see you," she said with unshed tears sparkling in her eyes.

She let me go and stared at Damon. "I need to talk to you," he said to her.

I sighed; I was being told to leave. "I have to use the bathroom. I'll be in your room," I said and went into the house. Ironically, I really did have to use the bathroom and by the time I got to her room, she was already there waiting for me. "You and Damon have a nice chat?"

"I don't want to talk about that."

"Do you know what happened to Stefan? Damon said he was in Florida visiting a friend. He's lying to me and I don't know why. This morning I woke up in Damon's room wearing Stefan's ring. Bonnie, I don't remember what happened."

She smiled lightly, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Matt and Caroline wanted to go to the Grill tonight for dinner. I told them you would come with me after you called me. Is that alright?"

"I'll have to check with Jenna," I said and then something coursed through me. "I have to call her."

She grabbed my phone from me. "I told her you were coming over. She said it was okay." I sighed and laid down on her bed. "Can I get you anything?"

I licked my lips. I didn't remember the last time I had eaten or had anything to drink, but for some reason I wasn't feeling either hungry or thirsty. I felt parched, but not thirsty and the thought of water was appealing. "No, I'm fine. Thanks though."

She nodded. "I don't have any homework this weekend. Want to go see a movie?"

I shook my head. "No. I don't want to be around people right now." I stood up and started pacing. My skin began to itch as if something was crawling on me and I felt dirt on my skin. "Do you mind if I take a shower? Borrow some clothes?"

"No, go ahead. I think I still have some things of yours in the closet."

I smiled as she gathered up clothes and a towel for me. "Bonnie?" I said before I closed the door to the bathroom that connected to her room and the room next to hers. She looked my way, waiting for me to continue. "You'd tell me if something was wrong right?"

"Of course," she said, her eyes begging me to believe her. I simply nodded and closed the door. I got under the hot spray and scrubbed my skin until it was raw. I couldn't understand for the life of me why my skin burned for no reason. I glanced at the ring on my finger. Why did Damon tell me to leave this on? What wasn't everyone telling me? Both questions haunted me as I scrubbed again until I couldn't stand the water on my skin anymore.

I shut off the water and stood in front of the mirror with a towel around my body. My hair clung to my shoulders and back in dripping wet waves. I looked different. My features were more enhanced, sharper than they were before. My eyes had a glimmer of something I had never seen before. I looked more like...like...the name I was searching my mind for never came as I tore my eyes away from the mirror and got dressed. I towel dried my hair and used Bonnie's make-up before going back into her room. "Thanks."

"Feel better?" she asked as I sat down on the bed.

I nodded, "A little."

"Well, I have cards, board games, the Wii's downstairs. Anything sound interesting?" she asked.

"I haven't played the Wii in awhile," I said and followed her downstairs to the game room. She set it up for tennis, obviously in the mood for something competitive and handed me one of the remotes. "This should be good."

After our third round of games, I was beginning to hear a steady thump coming from somewhere in the room. "Elena?" she asked when she noticed I was no longer paying attention to the game.

"Do you hear that?" I asked, looking around the room again. It was getting louder and louder although the pace was the same.

"Hear what?"

I turned to look at her. My response died before it reached my lips as my eyes latched onto her throat. That's where the noise was coming from. I could hear her heart beating loudly in my ears. At the moment, it was all I heard. She swallowed hard and her heart rate increased. I could sense the blood rushing through her veins and licked my lips. I wasn't even aware that I had been advancing on her until the lamp on the end table behind her crashed to the floor. It brought me back to reality and I stepped back, running a hand through my hair. She was frightened and I couldn't blame her. "I'm sorry," I said and stepped back again.

She sat next to me as I sank onto the couch and put my heads in my hand. "It's okay," she said and put her arm around my shoulders. "Come on, maybe we should just play cards," she suggested.

I nodded and wiped a few tears from my face before I followed her to the kitchen. We played any game we could think of until it was time to get ready to meet Caroline and Matt at the Grill. "I don't think I should go."

"Why not?" she asked as she did her make-up in the bathroom. I sat on the edge of the tub and watched her. "They want to see you."

"I know, I just don't think I'm ready to handle the public." I was thinking about the fact that I had almost attacked her for no apparent reason.

"You'll be fine," she promised. "Please don't make me go alone."

I grinned from the fake pout on her face in the mirror. I sighed and nodded. "I guess I'll go."

She shrugged. "It's not like you had a choice."

It was six when we left, borrowing her father's car. I followed her to the entrance, still unsure of whether or not I really wanted to go in there. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it for reassurance. The room was pretty crowded for a Saturday and I tensed. It felt like I was being put in a spotlight. Heads turned in my direction, heads that didn't usually turn. As I moved through the crowd behind Bonnie I noticed my moves were full of a confidence and grace that usually wasn't there. "Glad you could make it," Caroline said as she hugged me.

Matt nodded in agreement and my eyes slid past him to the bar. John, Alaric, and Damon were sitting there with drinks in hand, facing my direction. I looked at Bonnie. "What are they all doing here together?"

She glanced in their direction and then back to me. "I don't know. Just ignore them," she said and went to rack up the balls to start a game. We played for half an hour before they ordered food.

"You sure you don't want anything?" Matt asked as he sat with me at the table while Bonnie and Caroline played.

I was playing with the straw in the glass of water Bonnie insisted I have. "I'm sure."

"You okay?"

I nodded again, "I'm fine."

By the time their food came, my hands were clammy and it was hard to breathe. I felt as though I was being suffocated which I found odd. I had never been claustrophobic and I was beginning to panic. I closed my eyes and my hearing picked up several beating hearts and the flow of blood pounded in my ears. I turned to see Damon starting at me with concern that was mirrored on John and Alaric as well. I pushed myself to my feet and started moving for the door. "Elena?" Matt and Bonnie called after me.

I didn't stop until I was outside. I leaned against the wall and took deep breaths, my hand at my throat out of a nervous habit. When I opened my eyes, Damon was standing not far in front of me. "What's happening to me?" I asked him, the ache that had washed over me slowly subsiding.

He reached up and tucked my hair behind my ear. "We need to talk," he said and then stepped closer so that he could grab my hand. His fingers laced with mine and I was too stunned to pull away from him. John, Alaric, and Bonnie came out of the bar as well; each of them wearing a mask of sadness.

"Where are we going?" Bonnie asked.

"To the boarding house," Damon said and tugged slightly at my hand so that I followed him to his car. I wanted to ask him every question that popped into my mind, but the way he gripped the steering wheel made me stay silent.

Fifteen minutes later, Bonnie, Alaric, and John were sitting on the sofa as Damon and I stood in front of the fireplace facing them. I looked at everyone. "Okay, why is everyone looking at me as if they've seen a ghost?"

Damon's lip twitched, but no one else moved. "I need you to close your eyes and concentrate on the last thing you remember," he said.

"I don't-"

"Just do it," he demanded and I sighed.

I closed my eyes and let my mind go blank. It was awkward to know that everyone was staring at me. "Katherine," I said after a few minutes. "That's who I was comparing myself to earlier."

I had opened my eyes to see everyone shifting uncomfortably. "And?"

I crossed my arms around my chest. "Just tell me what happened. I'm not going to remember by myself."

"That's not how it works," Alaric said quietly from the couch.

"How what works."

"Elena, it doesn't matter what happened, all you have to know is that you're in Transition. What you do now is your choice," Damon said from beside me.

"Transition?" I repeated trying to remember what that meant.

"Elena, you don't have forever. Not yet. Not unless you drink, and it needs to be done soon."

Bonnie stood up and shoved Damon out of the way you did to an annoying sibling, not to someone who had tried to kill you. She had a small pocket knife in one hand as she raised her wrist up. "Bonnie!" I cried out as she slit her wrist enough to draw a little blood. She didn't even flinch.

The sight of the blood seemed to erase everything else from the room. My ears filled with the sound of it rushing through her veins. There was a pang of hunger unlike anything I had ever felt before as I took a fumbling step towards her and then stopped myself. "Elena, take it. I don't want to lose you twice," she begged and stepped closer.

The rich coppery scent filled my nose and I moaned as the pressure building in my upper jaw let go and I felt the two sharp indents as my canines lengthened into fangs. My eyes moved from the blood to her eyes and she nodded slowly. "You can't undo this Elena. There's no going back," John warned.

I nodded as I cupped her hand softly and brought it to my lips. My teeth slid into her skin and the rich, metallic taste filled my mouth with a satisfaction I never knew existed. I pulled her closer and drank deeply. Her body had relaxed and I used my other arm to hold her up. After the first few gulps, I became aggressive and I couldn't stop; I didn't want to stop. Her breath quickened, letting me know that I was hurting her and I hissed as Damon pulled her away from me. "That's enough," he said sternly, cupping my chin in his hand.

I licked my lips to get the extra blood off and as I looked into his eyes, memories came flooding back to me. Stefan losing control, Stefan's disappearance, Damon...so much of Damon. I stumbled back, keeping my eyes on his. I began to tremble as I realized everything that was going on. "Stefan..." I breathed, picturing the pile of rubble that had crashed on top of him; burying him in the catacombs of the old church. My love for Damon burned in the back of my mind and I ran from the room then. It was too much all at once. I raced to the porch and hurled over the railing as I realized what I had just done. I turned to see Damon lounging on the door frame. I ran a shaky hand through my hair. "I'm a vampire now." He nodded and came to hold me to him. "I remember everything," I whispered and clung to him.