Elena felt her mouth getting dry, 'Damon Salvatore had opened my phone,' Elena thought, 'he put his number in my phone… why?' Elena's hand was shaking as she scrolled down to Stefan's number.

She started to type... hey, so about last night I think we need to talk. E

'What was there to talk about really' she thought, 'Stefan is a vampire, I am a human, ergo I am his food. But what did Damon mean by he feeds on animal blood… either way he lied to me. We were supposed to be friends and he lied to me.' Elena felt as tears came to her eyes, she forced them away.

The car ride back home felt much longer than the one to the boarding house, there was no upbeat song this time. Instead the radio was playing Taylor Swifts "teardrops on my guitar". 'How fitting.' She thought to herself about the song playing, her mind going to Kathrine. 'Who is Kathrine?'

"Elena, hunny we're home." Jenna said noticing Elena dozing off.

"Oh, thanks Jenna, I think I am going to go to bed now. Thank you again for everything today." Elena said getting out of the car and heading to her bedroom.

"Your welcome Elena," Jenna whispered as her niece walked out of the room, 'Poor girl.' Jenna thought to herself seeing how sad Elena looked.

When she got to her bedroom Elena fell to the bed tears pouring from her eyes. She let out a sob. "Why can't my life ever be simple?" She says pulling her teddy bear close to her.

Her phone vibrates in her pocket. I am sorry Elena, I never meant for you to find out like this. Please forgive me. Can I come over? S.S

Elena gasped as she read the text. 'He wants to come over, I don't know if I should let him...' Elena thought to herself as she types back. Okay, but please promise me you wont hurt Jenna or Jeremy. E

Her phone buzzed quickly it was a phone call from Stefan,

"Hey, look Elena I am so sorry! I would never hurt you, Jenna, or Jeremy. I am not like that I don't hurt people. I am so sorry you had to find out like this. Please let me come over and explain." Stefan says pleading through the phone.

"Okay, I'll let you come over, but Stefan I don't want to regret my decision." Elena said shaking.

"You won't I promise I won't hurt you. I care about you Elena." Stefan replied. "I'll be there in 5 minutes."

As she set her phone down Elena felt sick. What was she going to say to him when he got there, so many things were rushing in her head.

Elena went downstairs to tell Jenna that Stefan was coming over. When she got to the bottom on the stairs she saw that Jenna was passed out on the couch again. A bottle of vodka beside her and a rerun of Friends playing on the TV. It was Jenna's coping mechanism get drunk and watch soaps. Elena sighed as she took the afghan from the lazy boy and placed it over Jenna. Jenna looked so childlike when she slept, her soft features mirrored Elena's mothers. Elena felt a tear roll down her cheek. 'Mommy I wish you were here.' Elena thought as she went to the door to wait for Stefan. She didn't want the doorbell to wake Jenna, so she went outside and sat on the Patio swing. It was cool out, the leaves were beginning to turn from their jade color to a more amber hue.

Elena saw Stefan's car pull up. She felt a lump growing in her throat as he opened the car door and walked to her.

"Hey." He said softly.

"Hey." She said back.

"Look I won't sugar coat this. I wanted to tell you, I just didn't know how. Its not like I really could have said, oh by the way I am a vampire, I must drink blood to survive and must wear this crappy ring to stay in the sun. You would have just laughed at my face." Stefan said gruffly.

"I realize that," Elena began, "But you were my friend, I trusted you and you lied to me. Not just about the vampire thing but about your brother, and," She couldn't finish her sentence the words were caught in her throat.

"About Kathrine," Stefan finished her thought for her.

"Yes, about Kathrine." Elena replied trying to stay composed.

"I don't know what to tell you Elena, I like you. Not because you resemble her, its because you are you. Your kind, loving and fun. I am sorry if I have ruined our friendship, please let me make it up to you." Stefan said pleading with his eyes.

Elena took a sharp breath in, "I want to believe you Stefan, I want to believe you wouldn't hurt me, but I just don't know. Bonnie told me that vampires can control my mind. I don't want to risk losing myself." Elena defended herself.

"I know Elena, I understand. I brought you a gift take it as a peace offering." Stefan said holding up a necklace. 'how does Bonnie know that?' Stefan thought.

"Its got a special herb in it called Vervain, if you wear it no vampire can mess with your mind. I would never mess with your head Elena, but please wear it so that you can trust me." Stefan begged. 'And to protect you from Damon.' Stefan kept to himself.

"Okay, I'll wear the necklace and we can still be friends, but I don't want anymore lies." Elena demanded.

"I promise I won't lie anymore Elena I'll tell you everything." Stefan promised. "Where do you want me to start?" Stefan asked.

"From the beginning, as I am pretty sure your Dad didn't buy you that car? Or die of a heart attack, did he?" Elena scowled. Opening the door to the house and ushering Stefan upstairs to her room, she glanced in her brother's room noticing he was passed out with his headphones in. 'Good he won't hear anything.' She thought to herself.

"No, your right he didn't." Stefan began his story.

"Damon and I were born here in Mystic falls, to Lillian and Giuseppe Salvatore. We grew up here in the 1800's. In 1864 we met a woman named Kathrine. Kathrine was special, but she was cruel. While Damon was off at war Kathrine and I became close, I loved her, or I thought I did. When Damon came back from the war he began to make advances with Kathrine, and Kathrine played along. She played us against each other loving us both. It was soon after, that Damon came to me and confided in me that Kathrine was a vampire. I realized then that my love for her was not real. She had compelled me to love her. But Damon, he loved her, she never compelled him. He begged me not to tell father. I played along for a while, but oblivious to me my father had put Vervain in our water. Kathrine had used me to feed from and when she did she became instantly ill. Vervain is a poison to vampires. My father knew what Kathrine was and he and some of his men tied her up. Damon came rushing to her aid believing that I told father. I begged my father to let her go for Damon's sake, but he just proceeded to chain her up in a carriage. Damon and I snuck out that night to save her, but when we found her we were shot down and Kathrine was taken to be burned with the rest of the vampires in town. Kathrine had been feeding us her blood daily, and when we were shot we had her blood was in our systems. When you die with vampire blood you become one, well not instantly but after you complete the transition by feeding from a human." Stefan stopped to take a breath looking deep in Elena's eyes, "do you want me to keep going?" he asked.

"Yes, please tell me." Elena said grabbing a blanket from her bed and curling up in it, they were sat in the window seat of her room, the soft glow of the moon peering in. Her mind was whizzing with all this information, she was beginning to feel very sad for Damon.

"After we awoke from our death we had chosen to not complete the transition. It was too painful Kathrine was dead and our father would never accept us back home. So, I went to say goodbye to him, he was shocked when he saw me. He told me he had shot us, that we were sympathizers and they were as bad as the vampires. He became violent and hit at me I defended myself unware of the new strength I held. He went flying into the wall and became impaled on a sword. I had an urge to taste the blood, I couldn't contain it all the control I had was gone, from the smell," Stefan shifted uncomfortably at the memory, his eyes glazing over, small dark veins creeping under his eyes.

Elena jumped.

"I'm sorry, its just the thought of blood…" Stefan said visibly embarrassed.

"No, it's okay you just startled me. What does it feel like? The..." Elena gulped.

"The bloodlust? It is un-satisfiable." Stefan explained.

"So, do you always feel like…" Elena didn't know how to finish the sentence.

"No, I drink from animals, I don't feel like eating you Elena," Stefan said knowing what she was thinking.

"But Damon, your brother he doesn't drink from animals? He was the one who attacked Vikki wasn't he?" Elena inquired.

"Yes, Elena he was the one who attacked Vikki, Damon is not like me Elena. He is cruel and manipulative." Stefan said proudly.

"Okay, please continue with your story." Elena said fixated on the words Stefan said about Damon, cruel, manipulative… 'yet he saved me? Why would he save me if he was so cruel, and why didn't he just kill me?' Elena thought about how Damon had saved her the night before and how when she went to their house he never attacked her. Was what Stefan said about Damon true?

"After I drank the blood from my father I had these amazing feelings I had never felt before, I could hear things like the chirping of a cricket that was hundreds of feet away, I could run so fast and not get tired, I felt invincible. I wanted Damon to feel what I felt so I found a girl and brought her to him. I forced him to drink from her, he tried to refuse. But I pushed I wasn't in my right mind. When all was said and done Damon hated me, his only purpose in life was to love Kathrine and with her gone he would spend an eternity alone. He promised me an eternity of misery and an eternity of misery it has been. Damon is a cruel man who kills without mercy. I have tried to reason with him and apologize for my mistake, but he is relentless." Stefan sighed as he finished his story.

Elena was shocked. 'How could Stefan think that it is all Damon's fault. The poor man is grieving. The only love he had known was a two-timing slut who on top of that died…' Elena thought to herself.

"Wow, that's a lot to take in one night, thank you for telling me," Elena forced a smile.

"Your welcome but I should really be thanking you, thank you for listening to me. I haven't told anyone what happened before." Stefan said sincerely.

'I can honestly understand why, you are an asshole who made your brother turn into a monster because you couldn't be alone.' Elena thought to herself. "Oh, it was no big deal Stef what are friends for." Elena forced out.

Stefan smiled happy that they were back to being friends, he reached down to take her hands, Elena pulled back, "I'm sorry Stefan but I really don't like you in that way, you're a really good friend." Elena said uncomfortably.

"Oh, I am sorry Elena I didn't mean to push you. I'll let myself out." Stefan said sadly walking out of her room.

Elena sighed feeling tears mounting in her eyes. She needed to talk to Bonnie, she needed to figure out what she should do. Bonnie's Grams would know, she was after all the one who told Bonnie that Damon was Elena's soulmate.

Elena grabbed her phone and texted Bonnie hey Bon, sorry I didn't call you back, I was having a heart to heart with Stefan. Can you come over? I really need you. E