Chapter Four

She spun round to Damon as she heard the lock fall into place, and the quick movement made her feel faint and dizzy. She pulled off Caroline's sunglasses and rubbed her eyes. She felt like she hadn't eaten in days but didn't dwell on that uncomfortable thought. She pushed through the fog of her mind trying to remember if the front door to this house had ever been locked before. "Is that really necessary?"

"Fraid so," Damon said tucking the key into the pocket of his jeans and crossing his arms. His eyes scared her; the hint of laughter was missing. He wasn't smirking, wasn't playfully challenging her to come get the key. He was just standing there; an unmovable object and she couldn't be bothered with indignation or their usual arguments. She was too weak. She dropped her bag where she stood and turned to the living room, looking for somewhere to lie down. She walked straight into Stefan. He had been standing directly behind her the whole time.

She should be angry. Damon usually got a slap when he pulled this trick, but right now Elena was just relieved to know that he was here, that they were both here and willing to help her. She wanted so much to fall into Stefan's arms, let him hold her and kiss her and tell her that everything would be fine, but she knew better. "I just need to sit down," she whispered, trying to step around Stefan.

When Stefan took her by the arm and half carried her to the couch, she didn't complain. She would be a strong and independent woman tomorrow, even if she was a blood craving vampire. She felt the couch depress as Stefan sat down, taking her small hand in his. When Elena opened her eyes, Damon was sprawled on the couch opposite and his eyes immediately found hers. The intensity there belied his relaxed and disinterested pose; he was nervous. The room was dark, the black curtains shutting out the late afternoon sunshine. She felt Stefan's large hand squeeze hers and she saw a different brand of concern in his eyes.

"Are you okay Elena?" asked Stefan. She nodded. For a brief instance she saw what her eternity could be like. Stuck between two warring brothers who claim to love her but invariably treated her like the prize in the Christmas cracker. That thought alone brought on another headache.

"I need to do this Stefan," she explained quickly, before her determination fled. "But I can't end up like Vicki – "

"You won't Elena. I'll help you," Stefan said.

"Oh yes, cause that's what every new vampire needs: a ripper teaching them how to control the need to rip out a humans throat and feed til there's nothing left," Damon sneered. The look that passed between the two brothers was pure rage and hate and Elena was too tired for this crap.

" – I don't want to …hurt anyone," she continued.

"Never," Stefan reassured her.

"You know you're lying, Stefan. We're vampires, it's in our nature to feed off people and that generally hurts." Damon's comments were all directed at his brother. It shouldn't have hurt her but it did. She was dying, in fact she was technically already dead, and they were still fighting.

"Stop it," she cried in frustration. "You are both going to help me and you're going to get along while you do it." Stefan hung his head but Damon looked ready to argue as always. "I don't care if you have to pretend Damon," she spoke through gritted teeth. The cramps and shooting pains were fuelling her anger; she knew it and she didn't care.

"Please just promise you will never let me kill anyone." Maybe they thought she was talking to herself because neither of the brothers spoke a single word in response. She looked at both of them in turn. "Promise me," she demanded.

It was Stefan who spoke. "We can't, Elena." She was shocked and hurt, her mouth hung open as she tried to understand his words.

"Once you turn Elena, you will be a vampire," Stefan explained. "You will be almost as strong as us and your urges will be a hundred times harder to control because you've never felt them before." He pulled her into his arms and held her close. She wasn't going to break down though. Elena felt only vaguely nervous as the realities of her new life dawned on her.

Damon was still leering at her. The tightness in his jaw as he watched her was his only outward reaction to Stefan's closeness. "Of course, that does mean you won't be allowed to leave this house for awhile." She wanted to hit him. "You'll be our prisoner," he finished.

"But Caroline – ," Elena began.

"Was always a control freak, but even she gave into the hunger," Damon finished. Elena couldn't see Stefan's face, but Damon looked at his brother and shut up.

"Do you still want to do this Elena?" Stefan asked, pulling away so he could search Elena's eyes.

"Yes," she answered.

"I'll get the blood," Damon volunteered, running down to the basement fridge with vampire speed.

Once he had left Stefan only hugged her tighter. "Elena," he began. She knew what he was going to say. He was going to question her decision, poke holes in her reasoning and make her doubt herself. This was never what either of them wanted but now that it was happening, Elena was determined to jump in with both feet. She didn't want someone reminding her of the hidden rocks below. She knew the dangers and the consequences.

"Don't Stefan, it won't change anything," she spoke quietly. Elena felt Stefan tense at her words. There was no time to talk anyway. Suddenly Damon was there, standing over the two of them and the smell that followed him was glorious. Elena had no reference for this as she had never smelt anything so appetising and tempting in all her life. She was rising from her seat without any conscious effort, following Damon across the room as if in a trance. She stood behind him and watched as he took the open blood bag and poured a fraction of its contents into a glass. Her throat was suddenly so dry. Her gums ached. She grasped the glass and devoured its contents as soon as Damon turned with the glass in hand.

The ache in her jaw pulsed painfully. Elena groaned as she felt her gums break before the pressure of her sharp new incisors. Stefan was suddenly behind her, or had he been there the whole time, holding her in his strong and comforting arms, stroking her back. It wasn't helping. Elena was now bent double with pains shooting across her jaw and her eyes felt like they were on fire. Her fangs had dropped and so had the crystal glass she was holding. Damon caught it with superhuman speed, refilled the glass and he now put it to her lips. "It will help take away the pain," he said softly. Elena didn't need any encouragement to drink.

Elena didn't know how long she sat in that room, feeding. The hunger just wouldn't leave her or maybe she was quickly becoming addicted to the hot sticky goodness that made her feel invincible. A tiny voice in the back of her mind whispered that she should be worried, but even with the curtains drawn the dark living room seemed brighter than ever. Elena wasn't worried about anything but the blood.

Eventually the Salvatore brothers cut her off. She tried to wrangle herself another bag, another glass but when the two brothers were in agreement, there was no arguing with them. Elena sat glumly on the couch and licked her fingers of spilt droplets, not letting any of it go to waste. The high of the blood lust was fading and Elena body finally admitted its exhaustion. "I'm so tired now. Where can I get some sleep?" she asked, still completely engrossed in making sure she had devoured every single drop of blood.

The brothers didn't answer. She was sucking on her thumb as she looked up to find both brothers sitting opposite and staring intently at her. They both looked uncomfortable. Elena quickly released her digit and folded her hands in her lap. She couldn't help licking her lips; the smell of blood still hung heavy in the air.

Stefan smiled softly at her, trying to put her at ease and failing miserably. Damon didn't move a single muscle as he continued to gaze at her. She noticed there was another scent in the room. Underneath the sweet cloying smell of human blood, there was a musky, earthy fragrance that she had never noticed about the boarding house before.

"Where am I going to sleep?" she asked again.

"We made up a room for you. On the first floor, turn right and it's the first room on the left," Stefan instructed.

"Okay," Elena said slowly, visibly confused. She waited a moment for one or both of the brothers to jump up and accompany her but it didn't happen. "I can find it on my own," she muttered as she left the sitting room. She picked up her overnight bag and slung it over her shoulder and she walked up the stairs. The curtains on every window of the Salvatore house had been closed and taped shut. She smiled at the effort they'd gone to for her.

"Fuck." She jumped. That was Damon's voice and it sounded like he was right behind her.

"Yeah, we didn't think this through," Stefan's voice sounded just as close and it was obvious he was responding to his brother.

Damon's amused chuckle was as clear as if he had been standing right beside her. Elena knew vampires had improved hearing but this was ridiculous. "No little brother. You didn't think it through. Call a truce? Like that would ever work now. We are going to be fighting over that girl for the next hundred years."

"Try not to sound so happy at the thought," Stefan pleaded.

"Hard not to be happy when I'm going to win," Damon said. It was obvious from his voice that he was trying to provoke a reaction. He succeeded.

It was Elena who replied. She spoke quietly, confident now that both brothers could hear her clearly. "Fight over me and I guarantee you'll both lose."

She found her room easily, closed the door and thanked whatever gods looked after vampires that there was a key in the lock. She knew it wouldn't stop either of them but it should be a big hint that she wanted to be left alone.