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CHAPTER 6:

BRAM STOKER VS. TWILIGHT

Answers (noun): a thing that is said, written, or done as a reaction to a question, statement, or situation

"Google can bring you back 100,000 answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one."

"Okay, could you give me all the bad news at once? Do you have to keep doling it out for dramatic effect?"

"The good news is there is no more bad news."

"There's no time for waiting, no future to see; inside the next moment, nothing might be; the answer's not certain, no time to decide; is this the last curtain, there's no place to hide. We all know the story, we've heard it before; we end up no question, outside of death's door; there's no easy answer, to the question at hand; so easy to ask, and not understand."

The enveloping stillness prompted Elena to hysterically yell, "What are you? What are you?"

"You know," Stefan stated, a resigned inflection in his tone. Forest-green eyes flickered from the brunette to the terrified girl with raven hair, "Both of you."

"No, no we don't," Snow denied weakly, slowly pulling Elena backward to maintain distance between them and Stefan, as well as to keep a close proximity to the car, which happened to be their only method of escape if everything were to go to hell in a handbasket.

Hands up, palms facing them, Stefan made an effort to appear non-threatening, "Yes, you do, or you wouldn't be here."

Elena shook her head, a pleading note in her voice, "It's not possible. It can't be." She needed to know the truth; but all the same, she wanted him to agree with her, to laugh at her overactive imagination, to bring her back to normality. Risking a few steps forward and disregarding the girls' flinch in fear, Stefan spoke in a voice of forced calm, "Everything you know… and every belief that you have is about to change. Are you ready for that?"

"What are you?" unconsciously, Snow started to cry, her profound fear of him and of the unknown too much for the gentle girl to handle.

Snow Silverstone believed in fairy tales…in magic of the purest kind, and true love, and soulmates. Monsters, on the other hand, she never believed in them. Not once. Not ever…

Pain struck him at the sight of her tears. Averting his gaze, Stefan glanced down at the stake in his hand, and for a moment, he felt like staking himself for making Snow cry. Combating the feeling, he instead chose to give in to his urge to protect the timid girl and the girl he loved. Steeling himself for the inevitable reaction the truth would evoke, Stefan uttered three words that would change the two girls' lives forever, "I'm a vampire."

Silence ensued.

The only distinguishable sound was the howl of the wind and the rustling of leaves in their respective trees as Snow and Elena stared at Stefan, horror-struck.

Snow's nails digging painfully into Elena's wrist snapped her out of her horrified trance. "W-We, we should go, r-right, Elena? Coming here was a mistake. Let's just, let's go." Just before the girls could take that last step to the car, Stefan appeared in front of them, prompting their shrieks to rent the air. "Please. Snow, Elena, please don't be afraid of me," he pleaded.

"H-How did you do that?" Elena gasped.

Snow stared incredulously at Stefan, her eyes nervously moving around in their sockets, "That-that, what, how… you were just there! How—"

"Look, please there are things that you have to know and understand," Stefan interjected.

"No! Let us go," Elena yelled, officially more freaked out than ever. As though the hounds of Hell were after her, Snow ran around the car and whipped open the passenger door, jumping inside quickly. Elena side-stepped Stefan and started the engine. Crossing the speed limit, the brunette breathed out, "You're so sleeping over tonight."

Snow bobbed her head. "Definitely! I'm scared, Lena," she cried, tears staining her ivory complexion. It wasn't only her fear, but she could sense Elena's too.

"Me too, Snow. But we'll, we'll figure it out. We'll work through it. Together," Elena offered her a tentative smile, not wanting to add more stress to her friend.

Breathing a sigh of relief once they secured themselves inside the house, the best friends sequestered themselves in the safety of Elena's room and began pacing around while shaking their heads, not knowing what to think or feel about the entire situation. It was unreal. Suddenly, Snow stiffened, her wide eyes intent on her reflection in the mirror, tears once again welling in her eyes at the sight of Stefan emerging from the drapes, "E-Elena?"

Following her gaze, Elena gasped, whirling around. She immediately ran to Snow's side and grabbed her hand, but before they could reach the door, Stefan slammed his shoulder against it, shutting it. Fear saturated the air as the girls found themselves cornered with no means of escape, and for a brief moment, Snow forgot how to breathe.

Wanting to put their fears to rest, Stefan quickly reassured them, "I would never hurt you. Both of you are safe with me."

"B-But, wh-what about all those an-animal a-a-attacks? All those p-people who-who died…" Snow trailed off, her back flush against the closed door in hopes of creating a semblance of distance between them while her eyes regarded him with fear.

"No. No, Snow that was Damon!"

"Damon?" Elena gasped.

Oh my God! Damon?

Damon who was dating Caroline, who hurt her. The same Damon who rescued her from Joshua.

"Yes," Stefan desperately met their gaze, watching intently as a sliver of fear left their eyes. "I don't drink human blood. That's not how I choose to survive, but Damon does! I'll explain everything to the both of you, but I beg you, Elena, Snow, don't tell anybody."

Nervous, Snow blurted out, "It's not like anyone would ever believe us."

Stefan shook his head, "You'd be surprised how many in this town would actually believe you."

"How can you ask us that?" Elena snapped, cradling Snow in her arms while she glared at him.

"Because you two knowing this is dangerous for so many reasons. You can hate me, but I need you to trust me," Stefan implored, focusing a beat longer on Snow so that she could detect the sincerity in his eyes. He knew that he was taking advantage of Snow's compassion and kindness, but he needed them to trust him. With Damon out and about, their awareness of their secret was more dangerous than ever.

Elena's eyes were wide with fear. She just wanted him to leave her room and to stay away from them. "Just go. Just go, please. Go. If you mean us no harm, then you'll go," she pleaded.

He turned to Snow, but she adamantly averted his gaze, unwilling to stare a second longer at the pain etched on his face. She could practically feel his desperation and sincerity, but she was terrified. "I never wanted this," Stefan whispered. A second later, he was gone.

Grossly taken aback, the girls blinked at his vanishing act. The silence in the room surmounted upon his unexpected method of departure and for a while, it remained that way, until Snow finally broke it. "I trust him," she whispered.

The brunette stared at her friend in disbelief. "What? Why? He's a, he's a vampire, Snow," Elena stuttered, whispering the 'v-word' as though there were prying ears – though unknown to her, Stefan stood guard by the front porch, warily inspecting the surroundings in case a furious Damon, who was currently murderous with absolute rage, carried out his threat and came after Elena or Snow, and could therefore, hear every single word between them. Unbidden, his lips quirked into a small smile at Snow's words – she truly was a gem…one of a kind.

"I know. But I feel it, Elena. I can sense so much good in him. He was being honest with us," Snow begged Elena to understand, despite the fact she, herself, didn't understand anything. Discovering this unbelievable revelation had her even more terrified than Elena, and yet, due to her weird, inexplicable 'senses', she was filling in the position of his biggest advocate. "Yes, he's a vampire, and I'm totally freaked out, like seriously, they exist, what!? But he was a vampire when you first met, he was a vampire when you agreed to go out with him, and he was still a vampire when I befriended him… the only difference is that now, we know he's a vampire."

"Okay. First of all, breathe. You're rambling," Elena placed both hands on her shoulders, forcing Snow to face her, before she instructed her to imitate her breathing cycle for a minute, not wanting Snow to experience an anxiety attack. "Second, how is it that you always know what to say?" Elena mocked exasperation, suppressing the urge to smile.

Snow shrugged innocently, "It's, like, my superpower."

A small chuckle blended with the howling wind, courtesy of the grinning vampire maintaining guard of the Gilbert Residence and its inhabitants.

The next day, after having woken up from an unfulfilling sleep that could be summed up to twisting and turning and the constant kicking of feet, and even at one point, Snow accidentally shoved the brunette off the bed, Snow and Elena's first course of action was to open the laptop and type "Vampires" in the search engine.

"Twilight… New Moon… Dracula… Stephanie Meyer, ugh! It's no use, Lena. The only source of information available to us is Stefan. I mean, you never know, what if there's like, a Quileute Tribe living by the borders of Mystic Falls? Or perhaps in Grove Hill…" Snow puffed her cheeks in annoyance and Elena looked at her docile friend, struggling to quash her amusement.

Rolling her eyes, the brunette took out her phone, "Fine. I'll text Stefan and ask him meet us at the Grill." Having sent the message, she squinted at her friend, a sudden afterthought eliciting confusion, "Hey, what about Lucille? Won't you get in trouble?"

"Nope. My Wicked Stepmother'd make me sleep out of the house if I get home after twelve… but since I slept elsewhere, kinda makes it redundant. Anyway, she probably rejoices whenever I'm not around," Snow scoffed. Digging her finger through the tear in her jeans, she sadly added, "The only issue's breakfast. Marianne can easily have lunch and dinner done, but for breakfast Lucille has to call her at least a day before so she can come early."

Scowling inwardly at the explanation, Elena attempted to instill cheer in her friend, "Well… screw them. Who needs them when you have us-" Her inspiring speech was interrupted by an incoming text, "Whoa, okay. It's Stefan. Come on, let's bounce."

The entire car ride to the Grill was spent in complete silence, none of them bothering to fill it with inane chitchat due to their anxiousness, their thoughts revolving around the upcoming conversation they were about to have with Stefan, and the additional revelations he would be imparting them with. The mere notion of vampires existing was… it was absurd. If Snow hadn't witnessed with her very own eyes the abnormal way Stefan moved, similar to the speed of light, and if Elena hadn't witnessed the scene alongside her, therefore ensuring she wasn't imagining things, she probably would've chalked it all up as some elaborate sham… maybe a prank Tyler was pulling.

Entering the Grill, they saw Stefan had beaten them there, comfortably waiting for them at a more secluded table. Clearing her throat to dispel the awkwardness, Snow deposited herself on the chair beside Elena. The brunette slid her chair closer to Snow's until their shoulders brushed, before providing Stefan with her utmost attention. "You said you would explain everything. That's why I asked you to meet us here. When you Google 'vampire' you get a world of fiction. What's the reality?" Elena inquired bluntly, not bothering to beat around the bush.

Radiating sincerity, Stefan said, "I can tell you whatever you wanna know. Both of you."

Glancing at Elena from her peripheral vision, Snow masked her knowing smile behind her hand. 'Thus begins the Elena Inquisition.'

"I know you eat garlic," Elena stated. Stefan dipped his head in agreement. "And somehow, sunlight's not an issue," brunette brows knit in confusion.

Speaking up for the first time since their arrival, Snow whined, "Please don't tell me you sparkle."

It was like the sun had finally risen – the table's personal sunshine; Stefan laughed, his forest-green eyes twinkling at the violet-eyed girl. "No. We don't sparkle. We don't have a diamond texture, either. We have rings that protect us," he wagged the bejeweled finger, allowing the attention to fall on the very ring both girls recalled admiring the first time the three of them met at the cemetery – God, that day seemed ages ago.

Recovering from the memory, Elena proceeded with her laconic investigation, "Crucifixes?"

"Decorative," Stefan supplied with a shrug.

"Huh, so not compatible with Dracula either, okay," Snow nodded to herself, mentally crossing off Bram Stoker from her mental checklist along with Stephanie Meyer. Apparently, novelists were incapable of getting their vampire facts straight, which was profoundly disappointing for Snow since she practically lived vicariously through the characters in her storybooks.

Elena rolled her eyes, shooting her friend an exasperated look, "Holy water?"

"Drinkable."

"Oh, oh, I got one. What about mirrors?" Snow inquired shyly.

He responded with a gentle smile, "Myth."

Eyes wary, Elena tilted her body forward, "You said you don't kill to survive."

Sucking in a sharp breath, Snow kept her eyes on Stefan, searching for any form of deception on his part. Stefan nodded, "Animal blood keeps me alive, but not as strong as Damon. He can be very powerful."

"So… in vampire standards, the politically correct term is you're a vegetarian," in a cute manner, Snow twitched her nose. Stefan snorted. Elena, on the other hand, lightly cuffed her shoulder, although she was secretly glad for the brief moment of humor, "You really gotta cut down on all those books, Snow."

In a bout of immaturity, Snow responded by sticking her tongue out. However, like whiplash, her eyes turned sad as she addressed the vampire, "If you knew how Damon is, why'd you let him get involved with Caroline?"

Stefan grimaced, "Forcing Damon not to do something is much more dangerous, believe me."

"He was hurting her!" Elena snapped, his reasoning evoking her disapproval.

"He was feeding on her. He was able to take away her memories of being bitten using a form of mind compulsion," Stefan elucidated patiently. "She never knew what was happening to her. If he wanted to kill her, he would have."

Scandalized, Elena hissed, "Is that supposed to make it okay?"

He shook his head, "No. No, none of this is okay, Elena. I know that."

"Caroline told me she has holes in her memories from the Founder's party. That's com-, compulsion?" it had been plaguing Snow ever since Damon's cruelty came to light, how Caroline quickly recovered from the abuse and asked Stefan after his whereabouts. It all made perfect sense now – How is Caroline supposed to move on from the abuse, when she barely had any memories of them.

At Stefan's grim nod, Elena's eyes grew wide as a horrifying thought struck her, "Are there any others, aside from you and Damon?"

A gasp left Snow, the thought downright terrifying. Stefan, they knew and thankfully, he cared about Elena, Snow, their loved ones, and the town in general; Damon… apparently Stefan had a modicum of control over him and his volatile actions since the trigger-happy vampire hadn't been seen since the Founder's party, and besides, whether he liked to believe it or not, as long as Stefan was alive, he would always have a link to his humanity. However, some unknown, unnamed, mysterious vampire lurking in town with no connections whatsoever to any of its inhabitants was a scary thought.

The girls breathed out in relief when Stefan moved his head in negative, "Not in Mystic Falls. Not anymore."

"Not anymore?" Snow squeaked – Did that mean they could come back?!

Hearing Snow's frenetic heartbeat, he adopted a reassuring tone, "There was a time when this town was…very much aware of vampires, and it didn't end well for anybody. That's why it's important that you don't tell anyone."

"I can't promise that," was Elena's prompt reply.

Lightly swatting her shoulder, Snow scolded her friend, "Elena!"

The violet-eyed girl's kind nature never failed to surprise Stefan, and he couldn't prevent the smile that graced his features. "Thank you, Snow." He then turned to meet Elena's unyielding gaze, forest-greens desperate, "Elena, give me today. I will answer any questions that you have, and when it's over, you can decide for yourself what you wanna do with what you know. It'll be your choice."

"Well, I, for one, can sense you're being sincere. I believe you," Snow beamed at the vampire, displaying her pearly whites. The brunette hid her rolling eyes behind her hands, facepalming and emitting a groan, "You are so trusting, Snow, it's gonna get you into trouble one day." It wasn't that she being unnecessarily rude or anything, just Elena displaying concern for her friend. Snow had such a kind nature, her demeanor gentle and forgiving, eliciting the escalating worry that one day, she'd be manipulated and eventually, taken advantage of.

Leveling Elena with a sympathy-filled look, Snow mumbled, "You are such a bad Bella."

The brunette's hands animatedly sprang into the air, "Arghh, Snow! Stefan is not Edward Cullen, I am definitely not Bella Swan, and this is not a reenactment of Twilight."

"You gotta admit though, Damon'd make a pretty good James," Snow bit back a smirk, baiting her friend. Realizing her docile friend tricked her, chocolate brown orbs narrowed in mock rage, a pout formed on her lips, and folded arms that were propped on the table shifted, pressing against her chest in a huff. All the while, Stefan sat chuckling at their antics, their friendship bond refreshing and undeniably one of a kind. Liking the light ambience she unwittingly generated, Snow adopted a pensive countenance, "Wanna know what else's odd—?"

"Pretty sure you're gonna tell us anyway," Elena interjected playfully, snark bleeding into her words.

Acting as though she hadn't been interrupted, Snow proceeded in the same breath, "-Bella lived in a small town called Forks – which by the way, I still don't get, I mean, who names a town after a cutlery. Following this trend, an emerging novelist'll name a town Spoons! or Knives!" Shaking her head, the raven-haired girl inhaled deeply, allowing herself to collect her breath and steer the conversation back on track before she fell victim to, and got distracted by, her wandering thoughts once more, "Where was I? Oh, right. Then there's us! We live in a small town called Mystic Falls. And note that both towns had vampires. Think there are werewolves, too? Or d'you think they prefer to be called Shapeshifters. Ya know, political correctness and all that…"

The two brunettes gaped, dumbstruck, at Snow, her visage adorned with an innocent smile. Uncomfortable with the silence and the weight of their stares, she crinkled her nose, "Stop looking at me like that. You're weirding me out."

"You're weirding us out," Elena flicked an index finger between herself and Stefan.

A prominent frown on her face, Snow pouted. "Fine, I'll ixnay the fiction-speak. Just, FYI! Vampires were thought to be a work of fiction, too," she concluded adamantly.

Suddenly, in a move so random he had both girls staring at him in bemusement, Stefan shot to his feet, "Come on, I want to show you something."

Putting their faith in the vampire for the meantime, Elena's trust, first and foremost, originating from Snow's resolute assertion that Stefan meant them absolutely no harm, they took Elena's car through the woods. In the backseat, a shiver wracked the snow-kissed girl's willowy form, recalling the last time she willingly elected to visit the woods was the Back to School Party, where Vicki almost bled to death and Joshua attempted to sexually assault her. Snow hoped she wasn't wrong, or gullible, to put her trust in Stefan, and that he wasn't about to devour their blood and bury them somewhere in the woods – if that improbable scenario were to ever happen, Elena's dead derriere would most definitely haunt hers till the end of time.

"So, um, why exactly are we in the middle of nowhere?" Snow inquired hesitantly, endeavoring to quell her morbid thoughts by instigating conversation as they stepped out of Elena's car and approached a site of ruins.

A gleam of nostalgia passed through the pair of forest-greens as Stefan drank in the site, "This…didn't used to be nowhere. Used to be my home."

Twin gasps pervaded the air. "It looks so…" Elena struggled to find a word that aptly depicted the site of ruins that used to be considered a home.

"Old?" Stefan supplied. Elena nodded. "It's because they are," he smiled, tone matter of fact.

"Whoa, whoa, slam the brakes! How long have you been… uh, considered a Cullen," Snow inquired meekly, her violet eyes vividly portraying awed disbelief. Elena rolled her eyes fondly, her arms folded as she swallowed back a laugh – persistent was one of the many adjectives used to describe Snow Silverstone, and the word didn't even do her much justice.

Stefan chuckled, "I've been 17 years old since 1864."

"Oh, my God," Elena gasped, wide-eyed.

Mimicking the brunette, Snow gasped, "Oh, my God!" Shaking off her shock, a giggle slipped past her lips at her next thought, "You're like the eternal teenager."

The vampire stared, unadulterated amusement consuming him as he recalled uttering something similar to Damon just a couple weeks back. Dialing back the humor, Stefan solemnly said, "You said you wanted to know. I'm not gonna hold anything back." Inhaling deeply, his gaze refocused on the ruins of what was once his home. "Half a 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," he reminisced sadly, a bitter smile materializing on his handsome visage.

"You and Damon, best friends? Whenever you two're together, you radiate so much tension. I mean, no offense, it seems like Damon hates you," Snow revealed sadly. Her disclosure was followed by the sudden feeling of her heart aching… From the peripheral of her vision, she studied Stefan's pained expression, confused – she didn't think she was that attached to him… so, where did such profound pain came from?

"What happened?" sympathetic brown swirls met forest greens orbs.

Stefan was silent for a moment before uttering one name, "Katherine." He tilted his head to meet the girls' curious stares, his expression one of grim acceptance, "Katherine happened."

Upon Stefan's confession, if one were to look at Elena's face, the apt expression that described her reaction is: '…and the penny dropped'. "You knew Katherine in 1864? Damon made it seem like…" Elena trailed off, sheepishly glancing at Snow, who looked much too smug and pleased with herself at her correct deduction. "I told you. I told you! I had a feeling Damon was manipulating the situation for his own gain," and with that, the raven-haired girl playfully stuck her tongue out at her friend.

"Well, Snow was right," Stefan smiled at Snow in appreciation. "Damon was trying to make you think that… I was still heartbroken. He saw that I was happy with you, and he wanted to ruin it." Throughout his explanation, Snow's head automatically moved in assent, him merely confirming her suspicions.

Elena, her being an older sister, couldn't wrap her mind around Damon's…hatred, his-, his…vendetta. It struck the brunette as inconceivable, to wish your younger brother pain, harm, or heartbreak, and she voiced her feelings on the topic, "All that, it's all because you loved the same women 145 years ago?"

The vampire looked lost in a memory. "She wasn't just any girl…" he sounded mildly wistful.

"Tell us more about her. When I asked Damon, all he mentioned was her bad qualities," Snow piped up softly. She wanted to know more about this woman that had the ability, and apparently achieved success, in turning two close brothers into enemies, despite the century and a half that passed. What was so special about her…?

"There was the Founder's party… Katherine had us both ask her. She was seductive and used it as a weapon. She chose me," he abruptly revealed, focusing on Elena, and then Snow; although, Stefan looked displeased with the trajectory of his tale, like he held disdain over Katherine's selection of him over Damon. "I escorted her to the ball at the original Lockwood Mansion."

Comprehension dawned on Snow, "And that's when the relationship between you and Damon turned sour."

Glum, Stefan nodded.

Brown eyes alight, Elena added, "The first Founder's party, where you signed the registry."

"I didn't care that I had gotten something that my brother wanted. I didn't even care if it hurt him. I only knew that I wanted her," Stefan's face was the perfect picture of shame and guilt.

Snow found her incapable of not expressing her sympathy for Damon, "Poor Damon. How upset was he?"

A smile graced Elena's lips, shaking her head at Snow's typical behavior – her heart had room for everyone, apparently even murderers suffering from a broken heart. For his part, Stefan looked incredulous, like Snow was an increasingly hard puzzle he couldn't, not even with the knowledge he had amassed over his hundred-and-sixty-years of life, decipher – she was too sweet, too kind and innocent; too forgiving. He shook his head and carefully chose his next words, "That's the thing about Damon. He doesn't even get mad. He gets even."

"What do you mean?" Elena's brows furrowed in confusion.

Emitting a sigh, Stefan stared into nothing in particular as he desolately explained, his response much too laconic for the girls to properly comprehend the true danger the elder Salvatore posed, "What Damon wants, Damon usually gets. I didn't know it at the time, but, turns out that night… Katherine was with him, too."

"What? That's, that's horrible! I thought one of you dated her first, not at the same time," Snow didn't just sound appalled, she looked appalled, taking great umbrage at both brothers behavior – no girl was worth destroying a bond between brothers, between family, in Snow's opinion. Elena shared her friend's exact sentiment, disgust coloring her olive complexion, "So Damon was lying? He stole her from you, not the other way around?"

Stefan looked bitter when he next broke into speech, wholly disgusted with himself, "Turns out she wasn't ours to steal." Exhaling roughly through his nostrils, he stared between the girls, finally stating, "She was a vampire." Snow and Elena simply stood there, blinking at the vampire in shock – suffice to say, they did not see that coming. Grimly, Stefan continued, "She could control my mind, and Damon's. She compelled each of us to keep the secret from each other. She wanted all of us to be together. Forever." He let out a scoff, his tone reeking of bitterness, "It didn't work out that way, but, Damon and I, looks like we're stuck with each other. Like it or not."

And Snow could finally understand how Katherine destroyed the Salvatore brothers' profound bond – compulsion. Of course she was a vampire. It might be naïve of her, but Snow truly believed in 'family above all'. Nothing and no one, should or could, come between family. The snow-kissed girl's idealistic mind was incapable of mentally grasping an otherwise scenario – it was unthinkable, and wholly preposterous, and downright inconceivable.

The vampire approached the ruin and pulled out a loose brick. Silently trudging behind him, Snow and Elena gasped, instantly recognizing the piece of jewelry Stefan withdrew from a box. "Is that Damon's ring?" squinting, Elena's orbs flickered between the ring in Stefan's palm with the letter 'D' inscribed, to the ring adorning the middle finger of his right hand with the embedded letter 'S'. Stefan nodded, "I took it from him, but I have to give it back."

"No, don't. Stefan, keep it hidden, please," Snow's terrified violet orbs collided with regretful forest-greens. He genuinely felt regret over what he had to do. "Snow, if I don't give it to him, he'll retaliate in the only way he knows he can hurt me," Stefan prefaced in a sad tone.

Her curiosity waxed, Elena retorted, "And how is that?"

"By hurting you," came Stefan's prompt response, not even missing a beat, his alluring eyes brimming with solemnity as he pierced the brunette with the intensity of his stare which elicited a flush on her cheeks as she averted his gaze. Clasping her hands together, Snow pressed them to her chest and swooned, the incurable romantic in her mentally gushing over them, irregardless of the inappropriate timing and the danger they were currently experiencing. Stefan then met Snow's twinkling orbs, inwardly confused over the sudden change in her disposition from frightened to ecstatic – unlike the vampire, Elena had no problem reading her best friend, her eyes rolling aggressively in their sockets, despite her fond smile. "He hasn't been invited into your house yet, Snow. So for now, you're safe," he added.

Successfully distracted from the real-life romance happening right in front of her, Snow's eyes widened and she adamantly shook her head, her terror re-emerging. "It doesn't take much to get an invite from Lucille, Stefan. One glance at a pretty boy and she allows him in. She's been searching for a while for handsome, rich men for Haisley and Paisley," she imparted, nose wrinkling in disgust. Elena, too, looked repulsed at the mere thought of the step-bitches in a relationship – they'd eat the poor sucker alive.

After a moment of silence, Elena couldn't help but ask, the thought of having her mind manipulated nagging her, "The mind control, you said Katherine used… Do you ever do that to me?"

The reaction to her inquiry was a vehement denial. His lips pulled into a brief smile, "No. That necklace, it 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." The brunette then found herself on the receiving end of serious forest-green eyes, "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."

Snow whimpered, "Do you-, do you know if Damon ever compelled me?"

"No," he promptly shook his head. While Damon may be capable of many acts of evil, one factor that immensely surprised Stefan since Damon's unforeseen arrival at Mystic Falls, was his treatment of the Silverstone Heiress; Damon's treatment of Snow reminded him of when they were human, and of how he treasured and protected and cared for him before Katherine entered the picture and destroyed his humanity and their bond. "He never did… But now that you know about us, it's dangerous for you to walk around without vervain. I'll get you some when I return to the Boarding House and deal with Damon."

Despite her reservations, Elena smiled fondly at the exchange; Snow didn't have many people in her life that cared about her safety, or even for her in general, and she knew that, whether or not things worked out between her and Stefan – romantically, that is – he would continue to protect her sweet-natured friend.

The violet-eyed girl's mega-watt smile was on full display and she thanked Stefan.

The trio, however, received an unwelcome surprise once reconvened at the Gilbert House. Jeremy and Matt were congregated in the living room, their expressions heavy with bemusement as they stared at a distraught Vicki.

"Vicki? Oh my God, are you okay?" Snow turned her attention to the boys, "What's wrong with her?"

Hearing and seeing Snow, Vicki's entire demeanor changed into happiness, and she rushed over to engulf her in a desperate hug. "Snow! I don't feel so good," she cried, tightly clinging to her as though frightened she would disappear.

Stefan advanced toward them, his steps cautious and his expression taut, "Snow, back up. Vicki, look at me. Focus." Confused, Snow obeyed and, while she took a step back, she kept a hand interlaced with Vicki's. The vampire cradled Vicki's face in his hands and stared deeply into her chestnut eyes, "You're gonna be fine. Everything's gonna be fine." He briefly slammed his eyes close at the reality of the situation – of what Damon had done. Opening them, forest-greens fixated on Jeremy and Matt, both of whom were portraying bewilderment and terror, respectively. "Guys, take her up to bed. Shut the blinds. She's gonna be ok. Come on. Come on," he steered her toward the boys and, once they disappeared upstairs, he allowed his grimace to show.

"You know what's wrong with her?" Elena sounded accusing. At Stefan's grim nod, Snow cried out, "What's wrong with her?"

Swallowing tightly, Stefan admitted, "She's transitioning."

Confused and deeply affected by the tension and fear and pain that permeated the entire house, Snow alternated her tearful gaze from Elena to Stefan. "Transitioning to what?" there was a tremor in Elena's voice. However, it was Stefan's following words that sent multiple chills down her spine: "A vampire."

"No. No. No! Why? Who would—!?" Snow would've broken down right there, in the middle of the Gilbert's living room, if it weren't for Elena grabbing her in a tight embrace, carrying most of her weight.

Dragging a hand down his face, Stefan apologetically said, "Damon must have gotten to her. She's new. She hasn't completed her transformation yet."

Desperate, Snow reached a hand out and gripped the hem of Stefan's jacket, unconsciously twisting it in fear, "H-How does she do that?"

Reluctantly, he revealed, "She has to feed on human blood."

"And what if she doesn't?" Elena dreaded the answer; still new to the existence of vampires, she found the thought of drinking blood to survive unfathomable.

"She'll die," was the succinct response, prompting an echo of Snow's sharp intake of breath. "She may only have a few hours," Stefan proceeded with the disclosure of unending bad news, sad eyes fixated on Snow's faint form who had yet to be released from Elena's vice hold.

Gasping, chocolate orbs grew wide and traveled to the floor above, "She's upstairs with Jeremy and Matt right now."

Cue more awful revelations from the vampire: "It's okay. She doesn't know what's happening to her yet. Right now, she doesn't remember anything. A part of her is still human, but slowly, the deeper she gets into the transition, the memories will start to come back, and then she'll know she has to make the choice."

Suddenly, Jeremy and Matt hurtled down the stairs in a hurry, yelling about Vicki's freak out and subsequent disappearance. Separating from the group, Matt elected to search for Vicki in his car, hoping that she would be waiting for him in their house. Stefan, on the other hand, began tracking her down with his vampire senses, thus leaving Snow and the Gilbert siblings to anxiously wait for any news.

"I'm scared, Elena. What if they don't find her," Snow whimpered. However, before Elena could give her words of reassurance, the doorbell rang, cutting her off. Arms linked, the best friends approached the front door, opening it to find Damon smirking at them in all his evil glory. Recoiling at the sight, Snow let out a squeak of fear, and Elena simultaneously moved to slam the door in his smirking face – and if it wiped the irritating smirk off his face, it'd be a great bonus. Unfortunately, her human strength was nothing compared to Damon's superior strength and vampire reflexes and thus, the door bounced back, courtesy of his foot in the threshold.

In a strained voice, Elena said, "Jeremy. Go upstairs." While she addressed her brother, she didn't release Damon from her glare.

Lips still smirking, Damon's eyes sought out a pair of terrified violets before quickly moving on to meet Elena's glare head on, more amused than intimidated by the front the brunette was putting, "You're afraid of me. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess. Stefan finally 'fessed up." Again, he redirected his gaze to Snow, "Though I must say, I am surprised he included Silverstone."

"Stay away from us," Elena shouted, an arm springing around her terrified friend.

Batting his eyes, Damon donned an innocent expression, "Hey, there's no need to be rude. I'm just looking for Stefan. May I come in? Oh, wait. Of course I can. I've been invited." Smirking, he pushed the door open and gracefully crossed the threshold. His actions prompted Elena and Snow to instantaneously and simultaneously back up in fear, the latter's eyes growing wider as they brimmed with the beginning formation of tears. "We can cut to the chase if you want. I'm not gonna kill you… right now," looking at Snow was a mistake; he couldn't bear seeing those unique eyes fill with tears because of him. For some annoying reason, he didn't like it when Snow Silverstone cried. "You too. That wouldn't serve my greater agenda. So, where's Stefan?" he made sure to keep his eyes on the brunette – he had a reputation to uphold, after all, and that girl made him soft.

"He's out looking for Vicki," Elena spat, her tone oozing with hatred.

"Why? Why did you do it?" Snow whispered, profound sadness radiating from her.

Damon rolled his eyes and blatantly ignored Snow, "Don't look at me with those judgey little eyes. Girl's gonna thank me for what I did to her."

"Did you thank Katherine?" Elena snarled through gritted teeth.

Taken aback, Damon inspected the brunette, forcing nonchalance on his countenance, "Mmm. Got the whole life story, huh?"

"I got enough," Elena folded her arms, her glare unwavering.

A chuckle left him, "Oh, I doubt that. Tell my brother I'm looking for him." Turning to leave, just as he reached the door, he looked at the girls from over his shoulder, electric-blue eyes flickering between them as he taunted, "Oh, tip for later, be careful who you invite in the house." And he left, the door slamming shut, leaving an ominous silence in the room.

After an hour filled with worriment, the girls relocated to the front porch, unable to handle the stifling ambience in the house. However, they barely sat outside for five minutes before Stefan came up to them, his shirt stained with blood. "Oh my God! You're bleeding," Snow gasped, her hands flying upward to cover her mouth.

"I'm okay. But Snow… I'm sorry. She fed and then I lost her," Stefan apologetically addressed Snow, prompting the waterworks to begin again. Her sadness over Vicki's fate was too intense, it completely slipped her mind that somebody must have died or been harmed in order for Vicki's transition to be complete. The vampire kept his eyes on Snow, his voice ringing with a promise, "I'll take care of her, Snow. I'll find her, and I will show her that she can live like I do. I will make sure that she does not hurt anybody. I promise you." Forest-green collided with chocolate brown, "Both of you."

Her face soaked with tears, Snow nodded, "I'm going to give you two a moment alone. Elena, I'm sleeping over again. It's after twelve."

Elena nodded sympathetically, "You want me to come with?"

"No, I need a moment alone."

Making herself comfortable on Elena's bed, the pure-hearted girl cried her heart out, her sadness too deep and too intense to bottle inside. The emotions emanating from everyone was killing her, and her heart couldn't handle it anymore. And to make things worse, Vicki's fate was unknown – Vicki was a girl she looked up to as a big sister, despite her irresponsible and impetuous tendencies. The elder Donovan made it a habit to protect her and look after her when she started working at the Grill at fourteen…

Snow Silverstone couldn't handle losing anyone, not after she had lost her parents, and Grayson and Miranda Gilbert… She had a shortage of loved ones in her bleak life, and one by one, they were dropping like flies. Snow was terrified that soon, she'll be the last one standing – forever alone till Death came to collect her.

"Please, call me Katherine." – Katherine Pierce

"I'm at the sizzler. I had the buffet. Where's my ring?" – Damon Salvatore

"What, did you FedEx it to Rome?! Where is it? I want my ring, Stefan, or my next stop's Elena's. Or better yet, I'll just drop by our favorite gal, Snow. That girl's so annoyingly nice, I bet you I can get her to willingly pop an artery for me." – Damon Salvatore

"Who needs rules?" – Katherine Pierce

"Your face, it was like a demon." – Stefan Salvatore

"You have no idea of the future I have planned for us, Stefan… You, me, and Damon. No rules." – Katherine Pierce

"I'm the screwed-up one. Matt's got it so easy. He's the golden boy. I mean, he's gonna get a football scholarship and marry Elena and have a lawn mower and some babies, and when I think of my future, I just come up blank. Snow's the only person in this godforsaken town that actually sees me for who I am and doesn't compare me to Matt. She actually looks up to me, God only knows why." – Vicki Donovan

"I gave you today just like you asked. And I understand that you would never do anything to hurt me, or Snow, and I promise I will keep your secret, but…I can't be with you, Stefan. I'm sorry. I…I just can't…" – Elena Gilbert

"Why does everyone die on me, Lena?" – Snow Silverstone

A/N: Poor Snow, huh? So, do you want Vicki to survive, yay or nay?

And what do you think about Snow? Is she normal? Or is there something different about her… something supernatural? Why do the vampires have a soft spot for her? Is it universal, or…

I'm sorry the plot is identical to canon for now, I'm hoping with Snow's inclusion the chapters are entertaining to read. I promise, however, that now the truth regarding vampire is out, canon divergence is approaching! I've so many changes in store for you guys, so just be patient, and in a few chapters, a lot will change in the TVD plotline AND, our favorite Winchester brothers will join the scene!

On the plus side, a mystery will be revealed NEXT CHAPTER!

R&R.