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Growing Pains

Ashley's POV

About 6 hours have passed since Elena died. Stefan was torn up about it. It didn't help that Damon was hounding him and blaming everything on him. Damon was just mad. I wasn't sure how he felt about Elena becoming a vampire but I knew he was mad that Stefan saved Matt first instead of Elena. As for me...I wasn't sure how I felt. I knew I felt sorry for Elena because I knew this isn't what she wanted. I've been there. I didn't want to be a vampire either and honestly, I wanted to die rather than complete the transition but Stefan and Damon wouldn't let me. All in all, I was numb. I couldn't believe what had happened today. Not only is Elena going to wake up in transition but my mind was still trying to grasp the fact that Klaus was dead. When Stefan and Damon took Elena's dead body home from the hospital, I had slipped out and went to see Kol...except he wasn't there. Rebekah told me that he said he just wanted some time alone and left which I understood but now I was starting to worry. I didn't want him to do something he'd regret since he was grieving his brother's death. Now I just sat in Elena's room with my brothers waiting for Elena to wake up. All of a sudden, Elena gasped and shot up making all of us look at her.

General POV

"Stefan," Elena said looking around.

"Hey. I'm right here," Stefan said rubbing Elena's leg.

"What happened?" Elena asked.

"You were in an accident," Stefan said not ready to tell her all of this.

"Oh my god. Matt! Is he-" Elena started to panic before Damon cut her off.

"Alive? Ask Stefan the hero," Damon said with a cocky attitude; Ashley fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"He's fine," Stefan confirmed.

"Thank you," Elena said with a sigh of relief. "I thought that I...how did you-"

"Save you? He didn't," Damon stated.

"Damon," Ashley said finally shaking her head at Damon.

"When Jeremy brought you to the hospital, your injuries were worse than anyone knew. Meredith Fell used Damon's blood to heal you," Stefan explained.

"And when Rebekah ran Matt's truck off the road, you had vampire blood in your system Elena," Damon concluded.

"Oh my god. Does that mean that I...am I dead?!" Elena started to panic with tears quickly filling her eyes; Stefan and Ashley just looked down while Damon stared at Elena. "No no no no. That wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Maybe it doesn't have to. I talked to Bonnie. She said she's stronger than ever. There might be something she can do to help you," Stefan said trying to comfort Elena.

"No the only thing that's going to help is for you to feed and for you to complete the transition," Damon said.

"We have all day before she has to feed Damon," Ashley said.

"Yeah we need to get her out of this," Stefan backed Ashley up.

"There is no way out of it! We all know the drill. You feed or you die. There is no door number three," Damon snapped at Stefan.

"I was ready to die. I was supposed to die. I don't wanna be...I can't be a vampire! If there's something that Bonnie can do, we have to try," Elena sobbed out.

"We will. We'll try anything," Stefan said to Elena; she looked at Damon.

"Your choice Elena. As always," Damon said then got up and left the room; Stefan sighed.

"I'll be right back," Stefan said and got up and followed Damon.

"Ash, can I ask you something?" Elena asked looking at Ashley.

"Yeah of course," Ashley answered.

"How did you feel when you were in transition?" Elena asked her.

"Honestly, like you're feeling. I didn't wanna be a vampire either. That was the last thing I wanted but Stefan and Damon gave me no choice. They wouldn't let me just die," Ashley answered.

"Does it get better?" Elena questioned.

"I don't know. People handle blood better than others. For me and Damon it was easy. But for Stefan, it's not. I think thirst control is the hardest part but you're not alone Elena. We're gonna be by your side and help you every step of the way," Ashley responded and sat by her on the bed; she put her arm around Elena. "You'll be okay. I promise."

"Thank you Ash," Elena replied and put her head on Ashley's shoulder.

"You're welcome," Ashley said.

A few hours have passed and Ashley was getting ready to leave her house to go on a search for Kol because she was starting to get worried. She stepped outside her house only to feel a needle jab into her neck. Her first instinct was to attack whoever it was but she soon felt herself getting dizzy and she passed out. The next thing Ashley knew, she was waking up in a van with vervain ropes tied around her. She looked around and realized that Rebekah was sitting next to her unconscious. Ashley sighed and rested her head against the van. Just a few minutes later, Rebekah woke up and started to struggle against the ropes.

"Vervain ropes," Ashley said making Rebekah look at her. "Looks like Alaric ratted us all out the council."

"The council? What exactly do they think they can do to me?" Rebekah asked; Ashley shrugged. "How did you even get in this mess?"

"I was getting ready to go out and look for Kol since I hadn't heard from him and as I walked out the door, a needle jabbed into my neck and next thing I know, I'm waking up like this," Ashley explained.

" So are you and Kol like dating now?" Rebekah asked with a small smirk; Ashley smiled a little.

"I'm not sure if you would call it dating but we love each other," Ashley replied.

"Well how cute. I'm happy for you Ashley," Rebekah said.

"You know Rebekah, I actually believe that," Ashley replied.

"That's because it's true," Rebekah said smiling; Ashley returned the smile.

All of a sudden the van crashes and tips over on it's side. Ashley and Rebekah groan in pain and shock from what just happened.

"What the hell happened?" Rebekah asked.

Before Ashley could respond, the back doors to the van open up and Tyler is standing there.

"Tyler?" Ashley asked shocked.

"I'm harder to kill than you think," Tyler replied untying Ashley from the ropes.

"You're alive! How are you alive?" Ashley asked still in shock.

"No time. Come on. We gotta go," Tyler answered helping Ashley up.

"But Rebekah-" Ashley started to say but Tyler cut her off.

"She'll be fine. She's an Original. She die easily. Let's go," Tyler urged Ashley; Ashley and Tyler take off and speed away and end up in the woods.

"Do you have your phone with you? I need to call Stefan and Damon but I don't have my phone," Ashley said to the person she thought was Tyler.

"No I don't. So what were you doing in that van anyway?" Tyler asked.

"I was getting ready to go and look for Kol and I got injected with a needled then passed out," Ashley explained.

"You and Kol huh?" Tyler asked trying not to sound jealous.

"Yeah and save the lecture okay? I've already been hounded enough," Ashley said not wanting to hear any more lectures.

"Your brothers aren't happy about it are they?" Tyler asked her.

"No but honestly, I don't care. You know, Kol isn't the person everyone thinks he is. He's really sweet underneath it all," Ashley stated with a small smile.

"Really? Then why were you searching for him? Did he run off on you?" Tyler asked.

"No. He just needed some space since Klaus's death. I think he blames me for it since it was Stefan and Damon who desiccated him. If he wasn't desiccated, Alaric wouldn't have killed him. But anyway, Kol will be fine. He just needed some space and I just wanted to make sure he was okay," Ashley explained.

"Do you...love him?" Tyler hesitated.

"Yeah I do. And he loves me," Ashley said with a small smile.

"He doesn't love you!" Tyler snapped.

"Woah, easy Ty," Ashley said shocked.

"No! He doesn't love you! You can't love him! He's not the person you think he is!" Tyler yelled at her.

"And how do you know Tyler?!" Ashley countered.

"Because I know my brother!" Tyler yelled without realizing what he was saying.

"Your...brother?" Ashley said confused then her eyes got huge as she realization hit her. "You're Klaus! Where is Tyler?!"

"Oh relax. He'll be back in his body in no time then I can be in mine," Klaus stated.

"You bastard. You made me open up to you about Kol," Ashley said beside herself that Klaus would do that to her.

"Love, I meant what I said about Kol. He doesn't love you," Klaus said; instead of Ashley saying anything in response, she punched him in the face.

"Everytime I think you can change, you prove me wrong," Ashley said shaking her head; with that, she walked away.

About an hour had passed and Ashley was sitting on the couch at the boarding house waiting to hear from anyone. She didn't care if it was Stefan, Damon, Elena or Kol. She just knew that Damon had left to go rescue Stefan and Elena and that Kol wasn't picking up the phone still. Her thoughts were then interrupted by Damon and Stefan walking in.

"Thank god you guys are okay!" Ashley said jumping up and running over to them and hugging them; they hugged her back.

"You can't get rid of us that easily," Stefan said with a small smile which Ashley returned.

"I'm going to bed. It's been a long day," Damon said and walked upstairs.

"Is he okay?" Ashley asked Stefan.

"He'll be alright. He's right though. It has been a long day," Stefan answered.

"Yes it has. So did Elena…"Ashley started to say before trailing off.

"She completed the transition. She's a vampire," Stefan confirmed.

"And I take it she's not happy about that?" Ashley asked already knowing the answer.

"She's not sure how to feel yet. But she'll get through this," Stefan said.

"Okay. Listen, I gotta run someplace real quick but I'll be back in a little bit," Ashley said knowing she had to go find Kol.

"Okay," Stefan said nodding; Ashley gave him a small smile then left.

After about twenty minutes of searching for Kol, Ashley was about to give up for the night. She was walking back to her house when she saw Kol coming her way.

"Kol! I've been trying to reach you all day!" Ashley said shocked that she finally found him.

"Yeah sorry. I needed some time," Kol said and hugged her; Ashley breathed a sigh of relief and wrapped her arms around him.

"It's okay. I understand. There's something you need to know though. Klaus isn't dead. He's-" Ashley started to say before Kol cut her off.

"In Tyler's body. I know. Me and Rebekah had a run in with him a little bit ago and he's back in his normal body," Kol stated; Ashley nodded.

"So are you okay?" Ashley asked Kol.

"I will be after I do this," Kol stated then kissed Ashley; Ashley grinned at him after they pulled away.

"You wanna stay at my place tonight? Klaus isn't there so it's just Rebekah right now and she'll be in bed by now," Kol said feeling nervous.

"I would love to," Ashley said with a smile and intertwined her hand with Kol's hand.

Kol and Ashley got back to the Mikaelson house and went right up to Kol's bedroom. The two started at each other for a moment then took each other in their arms and kissed each other passionately. The kissing intensified and the breathing got heavier. They spent the night making love to each other and never wanting to let each other go.