A Night On The Town

[Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries. No copyright infringement intended. I'm just borrowing brilliance and adding my own.]

PART ONE

10. Lost Girls Pt 1

"What are you?"

Stefan didn't reply. I stood behind him, not saying anything either.

"What are you?" she demanded again, louder.

Stefan took a deep breath and inclined his head fractionally in a nod. "You know."

"No," Elena denied firmly. "I don't."

"Yes, you do," Stefan replied calmly. "or you wouldn't be here."

How did she find out?

"It's not possible," she denied, shaking her head. "It can't be."

Stefan took a step forward and set down the stake in his hand. Elena backed up immediately, her frightened eyes never leaving his face.

"Everything you know," Stefan said carefully. "and every belief that you have is about to change. Are you ready for that?"

I couldn't move. If I moved, she would see me. If I moved, this conversation would officially involve me. If I moved, I would have to go to her and explain to her.

"What are you?" Elena demanded again, her voice hard and her eyes fierce.

Stefan hesitated, gathering courage to speak the words that would inevitably terrify my sister, perhaps even drive her away for good. "I'm a vampire."

I inhaled a little louder than I intended and her eyes flashed to mine. If possible, they widened even more. Only there was something else there. On top of her confusion, there was something else there that had my heart plummeting.

I knew it was a bad idea for me to stay here.

She stared between Stefan and I before taking a step backwards. "I shouldn't have come," she announced, her voice thick with fear and confusion.

"No, Elena," Stefan said, following her as she backed away. "Elena, please."

"No, no, no," she said, continuing to back away. "No!" she shouted when he reached for her.

She turned and started running along the porch toward the steps. I walked forward to watch as Stefan moved at vampire speed to cut her off.

"How did you do that?" Elena gasped out after coming to an abrupt halt.

"Please don't be afraid of me," Stefan begged desperately.

"Let me go!"

"No, Elena, listen to me. There are things you have to know and understand."

"Let me go!" she shouted when he grabbed her arms.

"Stefan," I said when the sudden need to protect her overcoming me. "Stefan, let her go. She's terrified."

"Elena, please," Stefan begged, tightening his grip as she struggled.

I rushed forward and grabbed his wrist, twisting it until he let her go. Elena ducked around him and ran to her car, jumping in behind the wheel.

Stefan watched as she tore out of the driveway and sped off into the night. Then he whirled on me. "Alex, if she tells anyone—"

"I'm going to go talk to her," I told him firmly. "I'll…I'll tell her everything. She's terrified and she needs to know that she doesn't have to be."

"She's terrified of me," he said, dragging a hand through his hair, his eyes pained. "She's afraid of me."

"Stefan, I'm going to go talk to her," I repeated. "Just give me some time before you rush in trying to get her to talk to you, okay?"

He didn't nod or give any indication that he'd heard me, but it didn't matter. I gave him a firm look before bolting off the porch into the night, heading for home.

Elena was pacing and panting in her bedroom. I heard her footsteps on her hardwood floor as I rushed up the steps and into the house. I closed the door behind me and took the stairs two at a time, my heart thumping wildly in my chest and my mind racing frantically for some explanation.

I knocked on her bedroom door, but didn't wait for an answer. Elena froze mid-pace in the center of her room and turned her wide eyes onto me.

"Elena," I said carefully and took a cautious step into the room.

"What the hell were you doing there?" she demanded furiously. "Alex, what the hell is going on? What were you doing there? You said you were going to stay with a friend? What were you doing there?"

Her heart was pounding harder than mine. The scent of her blood was stronger because of it. I took a deep breath and tried to ignore my building hunger.

Before I could answer, she rushed on. "He's a vampire. Vampires don't exist! Vampires do not exist, Alex. This isn't real!"

I reached out and grabbed her shoulders as she started to pace again. "Elena, you need to stop. You need to breathe."

She took deep, gasping breaths, her frantic eyes on mine. "He's a vampire. He's a vampire."

I nodded slowly. "Yes. He is, but you don't need to be afraid of him, Elena. You don't need to be afraid."

Her brows furrowed. "You knew?"

I nodded again.

"How did you know? How…why didn't you tell me? How could…how could you…how did you find out?"

"I figured it out at the Founder's Party," I told her, maneuvering her over to her bed. "Sit. Breathe, Elena."

"How do you know about vampires, Alex?" Elena demanded impatiently.

I dropped my arms to my sides and stood before her. "Because I met a few in Paris."

"You met a few in Paris?" she echoed.

I nodded and crouched down in front of her. "Yes. Andrew and Maria are vampires."

"Andrew and Maria? The people that took you in while you were recovering from the car accident?"

I sighed and lowered my head, even more guilt stabbing at me. "I didn't want this to happen this way. I wanted to wait for the perfect time."

"What are you talking about?" Elena shouted at me. "Will you please just explain to me what is going on?"

I took a deep breath and stood up, wringing my hands in front of me. "I didn't get into a car accident in Paris, Elena. I was attacked by a vampire in an alleyway. He nearly killed me."

Her jaw dropped in horror. "What?"

My whole body was shaking with anticipation and fear. Fear of her reaction. Fear of her rejection. Fear of her own fear of me.

I exhaled deeply and stared at her, my eyes prickling with tears. "Andrew saved me. A vampire named Royce attacked me and nearly killed me. Andrew fed me his blood to save me. Vampire blood has the ability to heal humans." I slowly lowered myself to my knees in front of her. "Andrew took me back to my hotel room and compelled me to forget ever meeting him."

"Compelled you to forget?" Elena breathed out in confusion.

I sighed. "Vampires can compel humans to do things, forget things, think things. Mind control."

Her heart lurched again. "But…you remember?"

I nodded. "After he returned me to my hotel room, you called me. Do you remember the night you called me? You told me about Stefan."

She bobbed her head, but she was still confused.

I took a deep breath and grasped her right hand, squeezing it gently. "Elena, after that phone call, I died. I…had a little accident and I died."

Her expression turned blank for the following five seconds before turning disbelieving. "What?"

"In order to become a vampire," I said slowly and carefully. "a human has to die with vampire blood in their system. And I did. After that phone call, I died. When I woke up…I was a vampire. Andrew and Maria gave me blood that completed the transition."

Silence filled the room. Disbelieving, stunned silence. I could almost hear the inner conflict going on in her head. I gripped her hand tighter, aiming to comfort.

An image flashed through my head, quick but clear. It was a memory of last night and my reaction to seeing the blood on the kitchen counter. Only this memory was from her point of view. It was her memory that I was seeing.

I lifted my hands from hers and the image disappeared.

"Your eyes," she murmured. "You saw my blood and your eyes…darkened. And then you ran."

I pressed my lips together tightly and nodded. "Yeah."

"You…oh, my God!" She leapt to her feet and stumbled away from me frantically. "You're…you're a vampire!"

"Elena, please. I'm not going to hurt you. Stefan isn't going to hurt you. I promise!" I stood up but made no move toward her. "I swear to you, no one is going to hurt you."

"Why were you there tonight?"

I hesitated before answering, "I'm a new vampire, Elena. Stefan is helping me control my thirst. It's not exactly easy being around humans."

This didn't help calm her down. "You were going to attack me last night!"

"No!" I denied immediately, but it was a lie. I lifted a hand and tugged at my hair. "Elena, I wouldn't hurt you. I…Stefan wouldn't have let me."

"And if Stefan hadn't been there?" she shot back.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I had no answer for her.

She gulped and nodded. "So you're staying with Stefan?"

I nodded. "Just until I have better control over myself."

"I don't want you here if you're going to hurt us," Elena said firmly.

I flinched, reining back my tears. Rejection. "Okay."

"Why did you even come back if you're a danger to us?"

"I'm not!" I protested, but I knew I was. I let out a growl of frustration and started pacing. "Because Bonnie called me and told me I needed to come home. Because I wanted to come home. Because I knew I had to be here! You're my family, Elena. You, Jeremy and Jenna. We need each other right now. I need you! I can't do this without you."

"Elena?"

We both whipped around at Stefan's voice, turning to the bedroom window to the right of Elena's bed.

Elena let out a little squeal and rushed for the door, but I cut her off, grabbing her shoulders.

"Elena, please," Stefan begged.

"Elena, he's not going to hurt you. I promise."

She shook her head and pulled out of my grip, glancing between us. "All those animal attacks? Those people who died?" She looked at Stefan, her eyes pleading and terrified.

"No. That was Damon."

That didn't really comfort her. "Damon?" she whimpered, backing away against the wall.

"Yes, Damon," Stefan replied, stepping toward her. "I don't drink human blood. That's not how I choose to survive, but Damon does. I'll explain everything to you, but I beg you, Elena…do not tell anybody."

I winced at his proclamation, hating that I wouldn't be able to say the same about the blood.

"How can you ask me that?" Elena demanded.

"Because knowing this is dangerous for so many reasons," Stefan exclaimed. "You can hate me, but I need you to trust me. I need you to trust us."

She was trembling. Trembling and crying. "Just go. Please. Just go, please? Go! If you mean me no harm, then you'll go."

Agony. That's what filled Stefan's eyes. "I never wanted this," he whispered.

He took a step back and Elena immediately turned toward her door. I blinked and Stefan was gone, retreating back through the window.

I turned to Elena to see her holding the door open for me. "Elena, please?" I begged. "I'm still the same person. I'm still your sister."

She flinched and opened the door wider, her jaw lifting a few inches. "Please go."

I nodded, choking down a sob. I turned and walked out of the room, flinching again when it slammed shut behind me.

I fled, feeling like the outcast that I was.

Stefan was on his phone when I caught up with him out on the porch. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the Sizzler," Damon's voice replied through the phone, his tone sarcastic as ever. "I had the buffet."

That doesn't sound good…

"Where's my ring?"

"I don't have it. What have you done?" Stefan demanded, glancing sideways at me.

"No, what have you done? You're the one that locked me in the basement and starved me. So whatever I've done, whoever I've had to suck dry, is on you, buddy."

"You're being careless. How many more animal attacks is this town gonna believe, huh?"

Fear stabbed through me. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, willing myself to stay calm.

"I know how to cover my tracks. Where's my ring?" Damon demanded furiously.

Stefan glanced at me again. "I gave it to Zach to hide. Probably shouldn't have killed him."

Lie. He was bluffing.

A short silence passed before Damon laughed. "Ah, you almost got me. Where is it?"

Stefan's shoulders sagged. "I'll get it back, but I need time."

"What, did you FedEx it to Rome? Where is it? I want my ring, Stefan, or my next stop's Elena's."

I stiffened and snatched at the phone, but Stefan pulled it out of my reach. "Over my dead body, dick!" I shouted at the phone.

Damon chuckled darkly on the other end. "Is that Alex? Is she joining the family now? Oh, she probably wouldn't like it if I drained her sister, right?"

"I already want you dead," Stefan growled into the phone. "Don't give me another reason."

"Don't give me a reason to rip you apart."

"Yeah? Is that going to be before or after you get your ring back?"

"Just get it!"

The call ended.

"Okay, if you want to kill him, I won't try to talk you out of it this time," I said the moment he pocketed his phone.

He shook his head. "You were right, Alex. He's stronger than me. I don't stand a chance. Neither of us do."

I looked up at my house and sighed. "So what do we do?"

He didn't answer for a few moments. He followed my gaze, staring up at one of Elena's bedroom windows.

"I need your help," he said thickly.

I nodded. "Tell me what to do."

"I need you to go back to the boarding house. I need you to wait for Damon and try to keep him there while I figure out what to do."

"Uh…" I stared at him skeptically. "And if he tries to kill me?"

"He won't. He likes you."

"What the hell gives you that idea?" I demanded in disbelief.

"He let you live before," he replied simply. "He won't kill you. Just keep an eye on him and if he tries anything, try to at least stall him."

"What makes you think he's going back to the boarding house?" I asked, slipping my hands into my jean pockets.

"The sun's coming up in a few hours. He's going to need shelter."

I nodded in understanding and glanced up at Elena's window once more before turning away. "Okay, wish me luck then."

"Alex," he called once I reached the bottom of the steps.

I glanced back at him.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "About…" He trailed off and looked back at the house.

I swallowed thickly and nodded. "I don't blame her. I'd probably react the same way if I discovered I'd not only been living with a vampire, but dating one as well."

I arrived at the boarding house two hours before sunrise. I was just reaching for the door handle when it was wrenched open and I was pulled inside.

"Oh, the fun has arrived." Damon slammed the door shut and pushed me back against it, smirking down at me and licking his lips. "Are you my dessert?" he asked, stepping suggestively close to me.

I scoffed in disgust and pushed against his shoulders. "In your dreams."

"Hmm, or yours," he said, tilting his head and leaning in to kiss my neck.

I reached up and slapped him across the face.

He grinned and flashed his teeth at me. "Feisty. Just my type."

Yeah, that's what Stefan said yesterday.

I pushed against him again, but he didn't budge. I sighed heavily and slumped against the door. "You're a pervert. A psychotic pervert."

He kissed my neck again. "And you're yummy. Taste like…" He licked his lips again. "Strawberries. Sweet with a hint of tang."

"Sorry, Damon, but you're really not my type." I gave him a hard shove and managed to back him up enough for me to slip around him.

"Liar." He appeared in front of me again. "We could have loads of fun together," he drawled, grasping my hips. "All you need to do is open yourself up to the idea."

I definitely didn't miss the innuendo. I raised my hand to slap him again, but he caught my wrist just in time.

"Okay, the slapping thing is already getting old."

"Speaking of old, exactly how old are you?"

"Oh, about a hundred and sixty…something or other. But, Alex, age is just a number. I'm an eternal stud."

"Oh, God," I grumbled in disgust. "You are disgusting."

"You want me."

I heaved a sigh and prayed for patience. Stefan, I'm going to kill you for subjecting me to this!

The smell of fresh blood filled my nose. Hunger twisted in my gut and I felt my eyes darken and my teeth sharpen to points.

"Someone's hungry," Damon said, lifting a hand to swipe his thumb beneath my left eye, tracing the prominent veins. Then he latched onto my hand and dragged me into the parlor. "Look, honey, I brought home dinner."

Vicki Donovan was sprawled out on one of the couches, bleeding profusely from the neck.