Chapter 3: Square One

Damon had slowed his pace a bit, enjoying his time holding Elena a bit too much to hurry too quickly to the boarding house. They would get there with plenty of time to spare.

"Damon," Elena said sternly. She had done it so often, he was beginning to take a shine to it. "Where are we going?" He could feel her hold around his neck getting weaker.

"To the boarding house," he replied. Elena gave up on fighting him. She just didn't have the energy.

"Oh," she said, "where I'm sure everyone is waiting."

"And where I'm sure that there are a few nice bags of blood waiting for you."

She said nothing. She only felt the breeze on her face, the moonlight on her skin, and the feel of Damon's arms curled around her. Elena was tired, and much of her strength had left her, but Damon's touch was comfortable. Soon she was resisting laying her head on his shoulder and falling asleep.

At this point Damon didn't care if she was annoyed. He knew that once she transitioned, the few things he had made her forget would come back to her, and bite him in the ass. His fantasies of her remembrance changing everything had been thrown out the window. A two minute chance encounter, would not change anything. The proclamation of his obvious love, would not change anything. Elena would feel betrayed and violated.

The fact that she had left him to die alone, outside of some lonely storage units filled with abandoned belongings, was kept at the forefront of his mind. He loved her, and he had decided that he would be her friend, and see her through this. But then, he would be gone.

She could run off with Stefan. Saved from the danger of the council, Klaus, and himself, she would finally live happily ever after. Perhaps he could be satisfied with only that.

By the time they arrived at the boarding house, Elena was starting to nod off on his shoulder. Noticing this he gave her a quick shake before bolting through the door of the boarding house.

"So," they heard Caroline say, "Damon is out there with Elena alone?" The tone of her voice made it clear just how dubious she thought that venture was.

"Meanwhile," Damon announced as he walked through the sitting room to them, Elena in his arms, "Back at the ranch..." He laid Elena down on the sofa, and left the room to bring Elena the blood she needed.

Jeremy stepped forward to ask his sister how she was feeling, biting back the question he was too weak to ask, "Are you about to leave me forever?"

"Really friggen thirsty," Elena replied with a small and weary laugh.

"Jeremy," Caroline started, remembering when she was in transition, "I think you should go."

"What? No!" he replied, "I'm not going to just leave my sister."

"A new vampire is dangerous," She said, having taken Elena's reply as confirmation that she would be joining them in their special club. "Here, take my keys, I'll text you with updates."

Jeremy, realizing what this would mean, simply nodded to his sister before he left, driving straight for home.

"Thank you," Elena said, and Caroline just smiled in reply.

From the couch Elena looked around the room, trying to find where Stefan had hidden himself. She found him pacing the room, looking everywhere besides at the people in it.

Before she knew it, Damon was in front of her, a blood bag in his hands. The urge flooded through her body at the sight of the blood, and she took it from him, sucking the bag lustily until there was nothing left.

When she had finished, the fog that had clouded her vision lifted, and she could see everyone in the room staring at her.

"What?" she asked, feeling self conscious.

Caroline was the first to end the awkward pause, "Um, it's just that it's kind of weird to see you this way," She smiled hopefully and shrugged, "You know, craving human blood."

Elena laughed, which caused another layer of awkwardness in the room. "Well," Elena said, "It's not like it wasn't weird for us when it happened to you."

Caroline laughed too, and it was like hitting the release on a pressure valve. For the first time in what felt like ages, everyone started to slowly relax.

"Oh," Caroline exclaimed, eyes wide open, "I have to call Bonnie."

Elena's smile faded at that. Bonnie. She remembered how she had reacted when Caroline was turned. But then again, she did grow to accept it. Even after her mother was turned, in spite of their rocky relationship, Bonnie had turned her life upside down in order to help her.

All of that was true, and more. But no matter what, Bonnie was a witch. Just like vampires had their nature, witches had theirs. It wasn't just a line of thinking she had learned from her grandmother. Caroline and Elena are her friends, but they are still strange creatures spitting in nature's great and all powerful eye. Bonnie would always see vampires this way.

Elena's love for Bonnie hadn't always stayed the same. They've gone through so many terrible events together, and Elena had depended on her. And then there was the all consuming guilt to amplify it as well. Bonnie had saved her life, and in return, Elena had caused her friend more grief than she could stand. Perhaps there is a point when peoples' differences cannot be overlooked.

Here she was, with Caroline, two of three best friends could possibly go on forever, but not Bonnie. Nor, Elena suspected, would Bonnie ever want to. Not like this.

Caroline pulled out her phone and stepped out of the house. That was okay, Elena wasn't sure she wanted to overhear the conversation anyway.

"How are you feeling?" Stefan asked, wondering what would be coming, how she would react. The last time she had been faced with becoming a vampire, he remembered holding her while she cried. It didn't matter what the end would be for her, it was all the choices she missed out on. There would never be children, never growing old, and never being able to choose. But, in this case, he supposed that she had chosen, even if it was a snap decision.

Elena found herself without an answer. She wished they would all disappear, and leave her to her transition in peace. It was like their presence put pressure on her. It seemed silly, after all, she should be glad for the support, for the love of her friends. But now it felt suffocating.

Elena was afraid. How would she feel in ten minutes? Or in couple of hours? She didn't know. When would it sink in that she was no longer human? When would the anger, or the tears, or...anything, start?

Finally, she lamely replied, "I don't know."

He moved to go sit beside her on the couch, and gently placed his hand on hers. "Whatever happens," he started softly, "I am here to help." It was so similar to what Damon had said earlier in the evening, that something in her startled, and she felt a lump rise in her throat.

Elena slid her hand out from under Stefan's, and brought it up to her face, brushing away strands of brown hair. "I know, Stefan. Thank you."

A small smile formed on Stefan's lips, as he nodded and looked away.

Elena became desperate to change the subject, as the feelings of guilt over whelmed her. Where was Damon? With one sarcastic line he could easily derail a conversation or deflate the situation. Even Caroline's presence would have been appreciated. At that thought, Elena spoke again. "Caroline sure is taking long enough..."

Stefan focused his hearing, searching for Caroline's voice around the perimeter of the boarding house, and came up with nothing. "I'll go check on her," he offered, and without waiting for a response, placed his hands on his knees and pushed himself off of the couch.

Elena watched him escape the room, feeling bad for being so distant, but also thankful for the pressure of his gaze to be gone. Her mind returned to wondering where Damon had run off to. Sick of waiting for nothing, she rose from her seat and slowly walked up the stairs with tired, heavy legs. The exhaustion was slowly ebbing from her body, and each step came with more ease than the last.

In her mind a million thoughts strained to be front and center. It was like opening a cupboard, and having the entire contents crash down upon you. She wasn't searching for Damon just for the sake of it, but was using it as a diversion. Any other conversation she could have had with Stefan, would have been working against this goal.

Another glass tumbled down from the cupboard..."Turn it off"...she let it shatter on impact.

She wanted to call out to Damon, but paranoia kept her from doing so, in case she might be heard by someone else.

But who else would hear her?

Caroline and Stefan.

Why did that matter to her?

She brushed the back of her hand over her forehead, and willed herself to observe her surroundings, to take note of every piece of art, pattern and fleck of dust. She needed more distractions.

Stopping outside of Damon's bedroom door, she sucked in a breath and rapped her knuckles quietly on the wood. When there was no reply, she simply swung it open.