The next morning, Elena struggled with what to write in her journal. How did she put these terrible feelings into words? She wanted her daughter more than anything, and she didn't know how to convince herself to give her up. Maybe she didn't have to. Just maybe. Maybe if she got some answers out of Stefan he could say just the right thing and assure her that it was okay to keep her baby. If she lost Graysen she would have nothing. In the end she decided to forego school for the day, opting instead to meet with Stefan at the very public Mystic Grill right in the middle of the lunch rush. She was willing to hear him out if it meant she could eventually feel secure enough to keep her child with her.

"You said you would explain everything, that's why I asked you to meet me," she said, her expression stone cold. She'd worn her most form-figured maternity dress to meet with Stefan in the hopes that some shred of humanity would keep him from harming her and her unborn child. "When you Google 'vampire' you get a world of fiction," she knew because at 4 A.M. when she couldn't stand to stare at the ceiling any longer she'd tried to do a little research. "What's the reality?"

"I can tell you whatever you want to know," Stefan assured her. He seemed to be taking this seriously, which made Elena feel only slightly better.

"I know you eat garlic," she said, remembering the other night when he made her dinner.

"Yes," he agreed.

"And, somehow, sunlight's not an issue?" she asked quizzically.

After a brief interruption from their waitress, he replied, "We have rings that protect us," he flashed her his huge 'Italian Renaissance family heirloom' ring.

"Crucifixes?" she asked.

"Decorative," he responded simply.

"Holy water?"

"Drinkable," that one worried her a little. She wondered if anything could hurt him.

"Mirrors?"

"Myth."

"You said you don't kill to survive," she reminded him.

"Animal blood keeps me alive, but not as strong as Damon. He can be very powerful," he warned. Elena had become increasingly fearful of Damon. Of course they'd had their moments, maybe even more so than she'd had with Stefan, but she could sense that he was very dangerous. Now she had proof that he'd killed.

"But you let him get involved with Caroline?" she accused.

"Forcing Damon not to do something is much more dangerous. Believe me," Stefan replied.

"He was hurting her."

"He was feeding on her," Stefan corrected. "He was able to take away her memories of being bitten using a form of mind compulsion. She never knew it was happening to her. If he wanted to kill her, he would have." Both his tone and his words disgusted Elena. Caroline was a person- her friend. She was beautiful and young and ambitious and Damon had taken her and forced her to do his bidding and erased her mind when he was done with her. She couldn't bear to think of that happening to her daughter and she was sure that Sheriff Forbes would be horrified to know that it was happening to Caroline.

"That doesn't make it okay!"

"No, no, none of this is okay, Elena," he agreed. "I know that." The look on his face had her almost believing him. She didn't know what to think.

"Stefan, I'm afraid," she said honestly. "If it was just about me, I probably wouldn't even tell you, but it's not. I have a daughter, Stefan. And now… I don't know how I can keep her with me now that I know what I know." Tears slipped silently down her cheeks. "I was finally in a good place. I was happy, and I wanted this. I want her so badly. I have never felt a love like this or such a deep-rooted need for a person to exist, but I need her. And now I'm afraid that because of this I'll lose her."

Tears welled up in Stefan's eyes and he reached for her hands. She waited a brief second before she pulled away. She longed to be comforted, but not by a vampire. "Elena, I will never let anything happen to her. And honestly, I don't really believe that Damon would hurt her either. I will do anything to protect you so that you and your daughter can have the life you deserve, Elena. I never meant for this to happen. I never meant to make you question giving your baby away."

"Are there others? Apart from you and Damon?" she needed to know. She assumed there had to be more vampires somewhere.

"Not in Mystic Falls. Not anymore," he replied.

"Not anymore?" she asked, looking for clarification.

"There was a time when this town was very much aware of vampires. It didn't end well for anybody. That's why it's important that you don't tell anyone," he pleaded.

"I can't promise that," she said honestly. She needed to talk to Matt.

"Elena. Give me today. I will answer any questions that you have, help you with any doubts you have about raising your baby, and when it's over you can decide for yourself what you want to do with what you know," Stefan implored. "It will be your choice," he promised. After a moment she nodded reluctantly.

Most of the car ride to Stefan's mystery location was spent in silence. He gave her directions every once in a while and they ended up near the outskirts of town.

"Stop here," he said when she neared a pile of bricks near some overgrown trees. She did as he said but was very reluctant to get out of the car.

"What are we doing here?" she asked.

"I want to show you something," he said simply, walking further away from the car.

"In the middle of nowhere?" She felt the imminent fear creeping up again.

"This… didn't used to be nowhere," he said sadly. "Used to be my home."

Elena finally got out of the car and took a look around them. It certainly wasn't a home anymore. It looked like ruins. There were dilapidated piles of brick and marble scattered through dense trees wrapped in vine. It was spooky.

"It looks so…"

"Old?" Stefan finished the thought for her. "It's because they are."

"Wait, how long have you…" she didn't know quite how to phrase the question and it frightened her to think about it.

Stefan turned to face her and his face went serious. "I've been seventeen years old since 1864," he told her. Elena's heart hit the floor. She hadn't expected him to have been around for so long. He was older than her grandparents and great-grandparents. All of the history that he was so interested in, he had been a part of.

"Oh my God," were the only words she could force out of her mouth.

"You said you wanted to know," he reminded her. "I'm not gonna hold anything back." In that moment she was grateful for his honesty.

"A half-century before the boarding house was even built, this was my family's home. Damon and I… we were both born here. The Salvatore brothers, best friends," Elena found it hard to imagine a time that the two of them didn't hate each other. "I remember the day he taught me to play football when the game was first invented. Well, I say taught. He just kind of threw the ball at me and took off running. I asked him to tell me the rules, but he was too excited. Then comes, Katherine, saying 'who needs rules?' Very typical of her. She stole the ball from us ran away with it. I was too shocked to chase after her at first, so Damon did."

Elena was floored. She hadn't expected Katherine to enter the story so soon. "You knew Katherine in 1864? Damon made it seem like…"

"Damon was trying to make you think that I was still heartbroken. He thought that you and I were going to be a couple and he wanted to ruin it," Stefan explained.

"All because you loved the same woman a hundred and… forty five years ago?" Elena asked, doing the quick math in her head.

Stefan smiled sadly and shook his head. "She wasn't just any girl. She had the both of us tripping over our own feet to do anything and everything she asked of us. Damon even chose not to return to the war because he wanted more time with her. The first time I really noticed how deep into it we both were was when she mentioned needing an escort to a town event. We both jumped at the chance and she chose me. I escorted her to the ball at the original Lockwood mansion."

"The first Founder's party?" Elena asked, stunned. She was enthralled by his story. "You signed the registry." She thought back to the story Damon had told her about 'the original Salvatore brothers' and the woman they loved who had died in the church. Stefan continued, unaware of her thoughts.

"I didn't care that I'd gotten something that my brother wanted. I didn't even care if it hurt him. I only knew that I wanted her," she didn't know what it felt like to be so consumed with desire for another person.

"So he was upset," she said lamely.

"That's the thing about Damon. He doesn't get mad. He just gets even. What Damon wants, Damon usually gets. And I didn't know it at the time, but turns out that night… Katherine was with him too," he looked dejected, as if it still bothered him to this day.

"So he stole her from you? Not the other way around?" she asked, looking for clarification.

"Turns out she wasn't ours to steal. I told her I was in love with her, and in return, she bit me. I woke up the next morning confused and covered in blood. I was afraid. I wanted her to stay away, but she compelled me to keep the relationship going. She made it to where I had no choice but to stay by her side and not tell anyone. She controlled my mind and Damon's and she compelled each of us to keep the secret from the other. She wanted all of us to be together. Forever."

If Elena was being honest, she thought that Katherine was a perfect example of a scary, psychotic vampire.

"Didn't work out that way," Stefan continued as he pulled a small cloth from under a log. "But Damon and I… looks like we're stuck with each other. Like it or not."

"Is that Damon's ring?" Elena asked when she saw what Stefan had picked up.

He nodded. "I took it from him. I have to give it back."

"No! Don't, Stefan! Keep it hidden," she couldn't have Damon out on the loose. He was a monster, she understood that now.

"Elena, if I don't give it to him, he'll retaliate, and I don't want him going after someone close to you just to try to get to me. I don't think he'd hurt you, because deep down I believe that just maybe he cares for you, but he wouldn't extend that free pass to your brother or Jenna or Matt." In that moment, Elena realized she couldn't handle Graysen growing up without Matt. She couldn't take her away from him, and she certainly wouldn't let Damon take him from her.

As they got back in her car to leave, Elena stopped him. "The mind control you said Katherine used, did you ever do that to me?" she needed to know that her decisions were her own and that she still had her free will to do what was right.

"No," he pointed to the pendant on her neck that he'd given her at the football game, "That necklace contains an herb called vervain. It protects you from being compelled. I wanted to protect you from Damon's influence… but I also wanted to protect you from me." In that one short moment, she found herself trusting his words. "Elena, you should never take that necklace off because no matter what happens after today, no matter how you feel about me, you'll know that you were free to make your own choice." He was giving her the chance that he'd never gotten, the chance to walk away. She felt free to make her own decision. She could run away, avoid him for as long as she lived, and forget that vampires were anything more than just a scary story if that was what she chose. But for one short moment, she felt that he might could actually protect her.

When they arrived back at Elena's house, she was surprised to see Matt's truck in her driveway. They walked inside and heard him yelling at his sister in the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Elena asked. The last thing she needed right now was human drama.

"She's really messed up," Matt replied. Vicki was crying and looking around the room in fear.

"Elena, back up," Stefan said as he walked towards Vicki to try to calm her down. "Look at me. Focus. You're gonna be fine. Everything's gonna be fine," he whispered gently. Vicki's breathing instantly went back to normal and Elena wondered if he'd used his mind compulsion on her.

Stefan told Matt and Jeremy to take Vicki upstairs and put her to bed. Once they left the room, he turned back to Elena with his jaw set. She knew something was off.

"You know what's wrong with her?" she accused.

"Yeah," he said shortly.

"What is it?"

"She's transitioning." The words were simple but she felt like there was a whole world of meaning behind them.

"Transitioning into what?" she asked, though in her heart she knew the answer before his lips parted to tell her. Not human drama. More vampire drama.

"A vampire," he nodded.

Elena felt the overwhelming desire to cry again. Graysen's aunt was going to be the thing that she was currently most afraid of. "What?" she whimpered, unable to believe what was happening.

"Damon must've gotten to her. She's new. She hasn't completed her transformation yet," he explained.

"How does she do that?" Elena asked, hoping that there was a way to stop the process.

Stefan paused for a while before giving her an answer, as if afraid that it would set her off. "She has to feed on human blood."

"And what if she doesn't?"

"She'll die. She may only have a few hours," Stefan said.

So basically, the options were to either let Vicki, Matt's only real family, wither away and die, or for her child to have a vampire for an aunt.

"She's upstairs with them right now," she breathed shakily. What if Vicki killed Matt or Jeremy? She wouldn't be able to live with that pain.

"It's okay. She doesn't know what's happening to her yet," Stefan assured her. It didn't make her feel any better.

"So when is she gonna know?" she asked.

"Right now she doesn't remember anything. A part of her is still human. Slowly, the deeper she gets into the transition, memories will start to come back. And then she'll know she has to make the choice." Elena paced through the kitchen with her head in her hands.

Suddenly, she realized what Stefan was saying. To complete the transformation, he had to have chosen to drink human blood. He'd told her before that he didn't do that. She was shocked and furious. "The same choice you made?" she asked coldly. He made no move to deny it and she couldn't stand to look at him any longer.

Elena made her way to the dining room to start cleaning when she heard Matt yelling Vicki's name in the foyer as she ran out of the house. They all went to the front door and looked around, but Vicki was nowhere to be seen.

"She was fine and then she just freaked out!" Jeremy explained. He looked afraid and Elena's heart broke for him.

"I'm gonna go look for her! Call me if you hear anything," Matt shouted as he ran for his truck. This was the first time that Elena had seen him where he made no move to acknowledge Graysen. Right now he was only worried about his sister and Elena wasn't sure what he would do if he knew how his sister's new development would impact the life of his child.

"I can track her," Stefan whispered to her.

"Go!" she commanded instantly. What was he waiting for? It's not like she had any particular desire to be around him right now.

The sun had set nearly an hour ago and there was still no word from Stefan or Matt. Elena and Jeremy were cleaning the kitchen in a failed attempt to take their minds off of it.

"Maybe we should check in with Matt," Jeremy suggested.

"He'll call when he finds her," she huffed. She hoped that Matt wouldn't be the one to find Vicki. She needed him and their daughter needed him and she didn't want him to become the last piece of Vicki's transformation.

"Well what are we supposed to do?" Jeremy asked. He was antsy and impatient waiting for news.

"We wait. We're supposed to wait."

"I don't know what's wrong with her," he said sadly. She hated the helpless look in his eyes.

"She'll be fine. We'll all be fine," she reassured him, though she knew that they wouldn't. And Vicki Donovan would never be the same, no matter the outcome.

The doorbell rang and she ran for it, hoping for some kind of news. Jeremy followed her, clearly thinking the same thing. She opened the door but tried to slam it closed quickly when she saw that it was Damon standing on her front porch.

Damon shoved his hand against the door and opened it easily despite Elena pressing her full weight against it. She was powerless to stop him. "Jeremy, go upstairs," she commanded roughly. He reluctantly backed away.

Damon stood in the doorway with a smug grin on his face. "You're afraid of me," he observed. He sounded curious. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess. Stefan finally fessed up."

Elena felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She knew that all this stress wasn't good for the baby, and if she wasn't scared before, she definitely was now. She clutched at her belly and groaned in pain. "Stay away from me!" she warned.

"Elena, I'm not going to hurt you. You need to calm down," he said gently. "I'm just looking for Stefan. May I come in?"

Elena didn't answer, she just sunk to the floor and sobbed, holding onto her stomach. Damon stepped across the threshold and got on the floor next to her. "She's fine, for now. Good, strong heartbeat; but you have to breathe. I know you're afraid, but I'm not going to kill you. If anyone's hurting Graysen right now, it's you. You need to slow down." She was enraged, but she knew that he was right about that. She took deep breaths to try to calm herself down.

"Now where's Stefan?" he asked again.

"He's out looking for Vicki," she spat.

"Don't look at me with those judgy little eyes. That girl's gonna thank me for what I did to her."

"Did you thank Katherine?" she countered. He paused and she could tell she'd struck a nerve. He stepped away from her.

"You got the whole life story, huh?" he asked.

"I got enough."

"Oh I doubt that," he said bitterly, and she was sure there had to be another big piece missing. Instead of filling her in, Damon walked back to the front door. "No one's going to hurt you or your daughter, Elena. I can promise you that. Tell my brother I'm looking for him."

After he left, Elena sat on her front porch to get some air and wait for news about Vicki. The porch swing had always calmed her down when she was younger and she was hoping it'd have the same effect tonight. First thing in the morning she was going to call Dr. Tynes to make sure that Graysen was okay. Elena had never before felt this kind of weight on her shoulders. Sure, Damon claimed that he wouldn't hurt them, but how could he be trusted? And what would happen to Matt if Vicki died, or worse, became a vampire and fed on him? She knew that she couldn't let her child grow up in a house with an uncontrollable monster with a thirst for blood.

Footsteps on her front walkway alerted her to Stefan's presence. She looked up and saw that his blue button-down shirt was soaked with blood. "You're bleeding!" she gasped, running to his side.

"No, it's okay. I'm okay," he insisted. He gabbed Elena's hand and looked into her eyes and she knew that he hadn't come with good news. "I couldn't stop her. I tried," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"What does that mean?" she asked desperately.

"She fed. And I lost her."

"Oh my God," there was a new, formerly drug-addicted vampire on the loose. One who lived with Matt and dated her brother.

"I'll take care of it," Stefan promised. "I'll find her and I'll show her that she can live like I do. I won't let her hurt anybody, Elena. I promise."

"What do I tell my brother? How do I tell Matt that we have to give our baby away because his sister could…" she wasn't able to finish the sentence through her sobs.

"I won't let her hurt any of you. You don't have to give up your baby. We'll get her out of town and come up with a story-"

"You mean come up with a lie," she interrupted.

"I'm so sorry," he said sincerely. It was all his fault. Her whole life had come crashing down in an instant because Stefan ran into her outside the men's restroom on the first day of school and he just had to be a vampire. Because of him, she would probably have to give up her daughter, get her as far away from Mystic Falls as possible. Because of Damon, Vicki was a vampire. But still, parts of her understood that this was never his intention.

"I understand that you would never do anything to hurt me. I even kind of believe Damon when he says that he won't. And I promise, I will keep your secret, I'll figure out something else to tell Matt. But I need you to stay out of my life. I'm sorry, but I just can't take the risk of having you near me."

She quickly walked back inside and shut the door soundly behind her. Once in the comfort of her home, she collapsed on the floor and cried for hours, holding her stomach securely.

AN: There it is! Tell me what you think pretty please! Also, I've officially chosen Graysen's birthday! Any guesses?

Also, if you guys have any note or suggestions, I'm all ears. Anything from who's with her when she goes into labor (though I've already got an idea of my own) to how much the baby will weigh.