((A/N: Thanks again for the great reviews and don't worry Kennett and Klaroline fans they'll be back soon!))

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Chapter 10

"Elijah says I should let you come in," Elena moaned with complete disinterest in the meaning of her words as Elijah cradled her in his arms before the open front door. The two brothers looked skeptical but it seemed that was in fact enough for Kol to cross the threshold. They flashed back up to Elena's room where Elijah settled Elena back in bed.

"Okay time for a little show and tell," Elijah looked to Elena and Kol watched in amazement as he opened his wrist and offered it to the doppelganger – his surprise grew when she latched on as though she were in the throes of blood lust. Her moans of delight as she enjoyed it had Kol unable to hide the smirk on his face.

"Oh Kol, hi," Elena smiled once she had finished.

"OMG" Kol said. Elijah held out her hand then.

"I think this may have something to do with it but I can't get it off – short of chopping off her finger it won't budge," Elijah said demonstrating by once more trying to pull the ring off.

"That's your Mikaelson ring," Kol said as he pretended to examine it, "the one that was lying on your desk last night. Elena must have picked it up and tried it on."

"That much is obvious," Elijah frowned.

"Yes well they are intended for our true mates – one for each of us," Kol said. "If she had put my companion on apparently it would have come off just fine. The problem is once the ring finds the person it belongs to it will never come off. That's why Klaus could never get Sage's ring off."

"So you're saying this ring thinks Elena is my true mate," Elijah tried to wrap his head around it.

"I'm saying destiny, fate, call it what you will has decreed that Elena is your true mate," Kol said.

"This ring is making her sick Kol. She has a fever, she can't eat or drink – well except for my blood which she can't seem to get enough of and she's getting weaker," Elijah worried.

"The ring was designed to be worn by an original vampire. It was spelled for that purpose," Kol said.

"Elena's not a vampire so why doesn't it just come off?" Elijah said.

"It won't come back off Elijah. It's spelled to never leave your true mate's hand."

"Then find a witch to un-spell it!" Elijah practically growled.

"It won't work. She's seeking your blood for a reason Elijah – completion. That ring and your blood will make her an original."

"She has never wanted to be a vampire much less an original!" Elijah's temper was about to get the better of him.

"She has one other choice," Kol said solemnly, "you don't turn her and that ring will kill her within the week. It still won't come off her finger though."

"How did that ring come to be on my desk anyhow? We need to find the rest of them in case anymore of them happen to work," Elijah sighed.

"Oh no!" Elena interrupted when she stumbled out of the bed and half-walked half-crawled to the bathroom. Elijah held back her hair where she was sick again. When she finished he carried her back to bed.

"Elena we know what's making you sick," Elijah began gently, "it's that ring on your finger."

"It won't come off."

"No, apparently there's no way to get it off," Elijah sighed. "The problem is that ring is designed to be on an original."

"I thought it was yours. I was worried about you," Elena said with worry on all her features.

"Well now I'm worried about you lovely Elena. I'm afraid that ring has taken away the choices everyone has worked so hard to protect for you. Now your only choices are continue taking my blood, die and complete transition or don't but that ring will continue to weaken you. Do you understand?" Elijah finished gently.

"That still won't work," Elena remarked, "you said the ring is spelled for an original – even if I…if I went through with it I wouldn't be one."

"That ring is spelled to make you one. It finds a mate and makes an original," Kol interjected, "you would become an original Elena."

"How is it that you know so much about these rings?" Elijah looked to Kol.

"I've been reading the pages detailing their creation in Esther's grimoire," Kol said. "Once I found them I was curious."

"You laid this on my desk," Elijah grew angry again. Elena stopped him with a gentle hand atop his arm. She looked deeply into his eyes and he could see clarity in her despite the fact that he could feel the heat off her feverish skin through his shirt sleeve.

"That doesn't matter anymore Elijah. What does matter is that for some reason this ring chose me – maybe because I'm the doppelganger," She shrugged, "and now I have two choices – follow the urges this ring is giving me, complete transition and apparently become an original vampire or resist and this ring will consume me." She was quiet for a long moment. Then she got up and struggled to get dressed.

"I need to see Stefan."

Elena managed to get dressed and as she wobbled downstairs, Elijah carried her as she looked ready to fall on the third step. She would have argued but his blood was calling out to her again and she was dying to bite him once more.

Pull yourself together Elena! She mentally scolded herself. Once they were down the steps, he set her down and she walked out the front door and drove to the Salvatores'. Wordlessly, she walked in and caught Stefan just about to walk down the stairs. He gave her a small smile and went to greet her.

"I thought that you were sick." He told her lightly. She shook her head.

"This ring on my finger," she held her hand up with the ring on it. "Is slowly killing me and the only way for me to survive is to die and transition into a vampire otherwise it's going to kill me." Tears welled in her eyes and she hugged him as he rubbed her back.

"Have you called Bonnie? Elijah?" Stefan worried.

"Elijah called Kol this morning and he's read all of Esther's writings on it," Elena said. "There's no loophole. This is happening." The tears broke free then and made trails down her cheeks.

"Hey…hey," he had her look at him and he dried her tears. "It's not so bad…"

"There are good benefits to being a vampire," he told her as he led her to the couch. "You're immune to most things and you can run as fast as you want." She giggled weakly.

"You know that I love running."

"Well…there is that and the fact that you can watch over Jeremy as well as all of his descendants for years to come." She smiled and nodded as she knew that one day, she wouldn't be able to watch over him and his family and it scared her.

"The cons about it are the bloodlust that goes hand in hand with actual lust and the whole blood drinking," he shook his head. "There's the whole 'sunlight burns' as well as stakes and decapitation along with fire." He saw her eyes look down sadly. "Another good thing about vampirism is that you can have forever with whomever, no matter how long it takes you to find that." Elena stared at him for a long moment. For so long there she had believed her forever belonged to him – now she knew it didn't and it hurt.

"It's okay Elena," Stefan said gently as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I will always love you but…Elena, this love I have for you isn't what you deserve. I can't be that for you anymore." She nodded.

"We make better friends than lovers." She joked. He chuckled and nodded.

"I wanted your opinion first Stefan because I knew you'd be honest with me – you wouldn't shield me from the truth," she kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm going to transition and I need you to call Elijah and tell him that I want to do this and I want to do this now before I get any weaker."

"You want his blood to be the blood that makes you transition." He could see the look in her eyes as she nodded. She was choosing this-no matter what Damon wanted (which was for her to stay human and be in love with him).

Going over to his phone, he called the Original when he heard a crash in the living room.

"What just happened Stefan?" Elijah asked though he was already on his way. Stefan looked and paled as he saw Elena had tried to stand up but fell into the table. She was now motionless on the floor.

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