Set between S1xE02 - 'The Night of The Comet' and S1xE03 - 'Friday Night Bites' (Caroline has met Damon but he has not fed on her yet nor has he been invited in to the Forbes house.)
Song - I'm With You by Avril Lavigne (also recommend listening to 'The Vampire Diaries Ambience' on YouTube, or even just the TVD original score in general. It's really helped me with writing, especially this chapter)
CHAPTER 03 - WON'T YOU TAKE ME BY THE HAND?
A large gasp tore through Willow. Her eyes immediately flashed open, darting around anxiously. She squinted her eyes for a moment, staring blankly into the back garden, but found that she was on the ground. Slowly she turned herself onto her back and stared up at the night sky. Willow lifted a hand to her forehead, groaning. With great difficult she managed to lift herself up by one arm and saw that she had been lying half inside the house and half outside.
Frowning deeply in confusion, she glanced around, wondering how exactly she had ended up on the ground and how long she had been there. With help from the light from the kitchen she spotted blood on the concrete slabs in the garden. Her eyes widened in panic and immediately she pulled herself back inside the house. She pulled herself up on shaky legs and quickly yanked the back door closed and locked it.
Once the door was shut she was able to see her reflection in the window of the door. Willow raised her right hand to her face where blood had oozed from her nose and dripped down the side of her face to her cheek from the way she had been lying on the ground. The blood had now dried and crusted over.
Willow gulped and dashed to the sink of the kitchen, turning the tap on and immediately rinsing water over her face. She scrubbed her face so hard she was sure she was making her skin red raw.
Once she was sure the blood was gone she leaned back and took a large gulp of air. Her eyes moved back to the back door, wondering what had happened. Had she tripped and hit her head? How long had she been lying there? Surely it could not have been long as someone would have found her lying unconscious at some point.
She rubbed her hands down her face and turned away from the back door. She felt exhausted; her limbs felt heavy and her head had a raging headache which was made worse when she turned to face the kitchen. The light in the kitchen felt blinding, almost as bright as the sun. She winced and turned her face away, squeezing her eyes shut.
How hard had she hit her head?
"Willow, what are you doing up?"
Willow jumped at the sound of her aunt's voice, not expecting her. She blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to ignore the brightness in the room. She gulped and cleared her throat. "I just needed a glass of water." She gestured to the glass that was on the counter top. Willow considered telling Liz about the bump she took to her head but the blinding light and the intense headache she had just made her want to go to bed. If she still felt off in the morning then she would tell Liz and go to the hospital.
Liz frowned at her niece as she herself went to make herself a glass of water. She saw Willow flinching away from the light and couldn't help but notice the ashen look that her skin had. "Are you okay, sweetheart? You look a bit pale." Liz moved toward Willow, placing a hand on her forehead.
Willow huffed as Liz coddled her, about to tell her not to worry when something caught her attention. Her eyes drifted to the wrist of her aunt whose hand was still pressed to her forehead. Her wrist was right in front of her eyes. She furrowed her eyebrows as she heard what sounded like whooshing or a heartbeat from far away. Willow's mouth fell agape slightly, transfixed on Liz's wrist.
"Well, you don't have a fever." Liz said and removed her hand from her niece's forehead and stepped away from her, making for the sink.
Willow shook her head, her own hand going to her forehead. She took a deep breath and licked her dry lips. "I'm just tired. I'm gonna head back to bed." Willow told Liz hurriedly.
Liz waved her off, "Good night."
Willow didn't reply and darted up the stairs. As soon as she was in her room she closed the door, resting against it. She let out a breath and then made her way to her bed. As soon as she was under the bed covers and comfortable she was sound asleep.
The sound of ambulance sirens and cars driving passed is what woke Willow in the morning. She jumped awake, startled by the noises. Willow's eyes flashed open and she felt like she was living a repeat of last night. Her eyes darted around her room, feeling anxious for what seemed like no reason.
She sat up in bed slowly and winced, hissing to herself. Her muscles ached just pushing herself into a sitting position. She cringed again at the blaring sound of a car alarm from outside and dogs barking. She felt like her limbs were made of lead as she slowly pulled herself out of bed and made her way to her window. Willow was curious as to how the their street was full of so much activity and so she pulled back the curtain to take a look.
Willow instantly regretted pulling the curtain back as sunlight shown through the gap she had created. While the kitchen light last night gave her a headache this made her feel like her head would split open. Her eyes felt like they were on fire as soon as she saw the sunlight for a few seconds. Clamping her eyes shut, she immediately released the curtain and stepped back.
A knock came from behind her bedroom door followed by her aunt's voice, "Willow, are you getting up?"
Willow looked turned away from the window and cleared her throat. "Um... yeah..."
"Looks like Caroline has already left." Liz told her and Willow frowned at this. "I've gotta go to work though so I'll see you later, okay?"
Willow placed two fingers to her left temple and replied, "Yeah, I'll see you."
"Have a good day, sweetheart. Make sure you're not late for school." Liz told her followed by her footsteps going down the stairs.
Once she was certain that Liz was gone she left her bedroom and made a beeline for the bathroom. She turned the tap on and immediately swilled her face in cold water. She closed her eyes and leant against the sink. Taking a couple of deep breaths she opened her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror.
Willow stared at her reflection and was not surprised to see her skin so pale. She bit her lip, contemplating whether or not she should just ditch school for the day or not. Willow found herself flinching for what felt like the millionth time in just that morning; a stabbing pain came from her jaw.
"What...?" Willow's face scrunched in pain as she raised a hand to her mouth. She continued to look at herself in the mirror, opening her mouth and trying to see where the pain was coming from. Willow found it wasn't just her jaw that ached but her mouth as well. With shaky hands Willow lifted her top lip where she felt the most pain. It felt as if something was trying to push through her gums, specifically above her canines. Gently she prodded her gums but felt nothing out of the ordinary.
"I'm going crazy..." She muttered to herself. Willow turned away from the mirror and quickly left the bathroom. While the idea of staying at home sounded like a great idea, school sounded like a good way to distract herself.
She decided to get dressed, taking her time. She didn't care if she was late for school as long as she made it there at some point. Once she was dressed in a simple Gorillaz band t-shirt, skinny jeans and her converse, she made her way downstairs to try and have something to eat.
The idea of having something to eat almost made her mouth water and Willow couldn't understand why. She had felt hungry but now that she was thinking about it she couldn't get it out of her head. Once Willow had gotten into the kitchen she went on autopilot finding food to eat. She went about making herself cereal and toast and even pulled out an entire pack of yogurts from the fridge.
She sloppily poured milk into her bowl of cereal, spilling some of it onto the counter. Gabbing a spoon from a drawer she quickly got to work in scooping a large spoonful of cereal and shoved it into her mouth. Willow shovelled several more spoonfulls into her mouth before she finally registered the taste. Her stomach heaved, the taste making her feel sick. Her spoon clattered onto the counter and Willow spoon around and spat out the cereal that was left in her mouth.
Willow coughed a few more times, the sickness almost overwhelming her. She had never felt so ill before and this confused her more. She had been feeling starving, the most hungry she had ever felt and then a few spoonfulls of cereal and she felt nauseous.
Shaking her head in despair Willow pushed away from the sink and went about cleaning up the mess she had made, putting away all the food she wouldn't eat and throwing away the cereal. After brushing her teeth and gathering her coat and school bag. She stepped outside and straight away raised her hand to block out the sunlight.
Through squinted eyes she made her way to her car, hastily getting inside the vehicle to escape the sunlight. Once she was inside the car she began looking through the glove compartment in search of sunglasses. She was sure she had left a pair in the car over the summer.
After tossing a load of receipts from shops, pens, loose change and various other random things she had left discarded in her car, she eventually found a pair of black sunglasses. She immediately put them on and sighed in relief. Willow looked through the windscreen and was pleased to discover that while the sun continued to irritate her eyes and give her a headache it was not as bad if she did not have the sunglasses.
With her sunglasses on she began driving to school. Despite feeling slightly better Willow continued to feel anxious and unsettled. She wondered if the bump to her head had done more damage than she thought but it didn't explain the way she was feeling. The uncomfortable pain in her gums, the hunger that became nausea as soon as she took a bite of food and the general feeling of being uncomfortable in her own skin were all things she did not associate with head trauma.
Willow had never been more happy to see the school in her entire life. She was late for first period but she had made it at least. She kept her sunglasses on as she exited the car and did her best to ignore the amplified sounds that she could hear.
Her class for second period was French and was glad that the lesson had not started yet and only a few students had arrived. Willow made it to her seat quickly and kept her head down. Though Willow did not want to, she slowly took her sunglasses off; she knew the teacher would just tell her to take them off.
Her eyes didn't feel as irritated like they did when she was in the sun or a light was on and for that she was grateful. She still felt uneasy and like she wanted to rip her own skin off due to how uncomfortable she was feeling but she was somewhat thankful that her eyes didn't feel like they were burning. The noise of the students chatting and moving chairs was giving her a serious headache though and she pinched her eyes shut to try and ignore the noise.
"Where the hell were you in first period?" Caroline demanded. Willow jumped and flinched away at her high pitched voice. Willow opened her eyes slowly and looked up to her cousin who was standing in front of her desk with her arms crossed, a pointed look on her face. The blonde was waiting for an answer.
Willow licked her dry lips and hunched further down into her seat. "Slept late."
"Slept late?" Caroline scoffed. "Seriously?"
Willow felt a bout of anger boil up inside her. She didn't know where it came from but it had built up quickly and she was already ready to blow. "Why don't you back off, Caroline." She spat at her cousin. "And you were gone this morning, so what do you care?" She glared at her cousin intently, gripping the table tightly. Neither girls paid any attention to the other students that were arriving to class.
Caroline's mouth hung open in genuine shock at her cousin's anger towards her. The blonde shook her head at Willow's attitude, words escaping her. She huffed, rolling her eyes at Willow's behaviour and ready to give her a peace of her mind. Before she could though she was interrupted by Elena and Stefan.
"Everything okay?" Elena questioned, her eyes glancing between Willow and Caroline. Stefan was just behind her, shouldering his bag. His gaze was solely on Willow though.
"Everything's fine." Caroline told Elena, her tone of voice hard. "Willow just woke up on the wrong side of the bed." She sent Willow a final glare before stomping off to her seat.
Willow swallowed and hesitantly looked towards Elena and then to Stefan over Elena's shoulder. Willow didn't know how but the fact that Stefan was a vampire had escaped her mind. She was sure Elena was speaking to her but her attention was completely on Stefan.
Elena was suddenly completely in her line of sight. The girl was crouched down on one knee so that she was eye level with Willow. Elena placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, a concerned look on her face. "Are you okay, Willow?" Elena asked her gently.
Willow did not answer her but she was transfixed on Elena. She didn't know how but she swore that she could hear Elena's heartbeat. Willow's eyes moved from Elena's face and became focused on Elena's neck. Like with her aunt the night before her mouth began to practically salivate as she continued to stare intently at Elena's neck.
Stefan's eyes shifted between Willow and Elena before focusing fully on Elena. "Willow...?" Elena questioned uncertainly. She looked back to Stefan, worry clear in her eyes.
Stefan's eyes widened when he saw the intensity that she was staring at Elena's neck, a horrible realisation coming over him.
Nonononono No!
Stefan darted forward so quickly that he was unsure whether he had used his enhanced speed, but at that moment in time he did not care whether he got everyone's attention, he only cared about Willow. Stefan reached for Willow's face, pulling her chin so that she was facing him, taking her focus away from Elena. "Willow, look at me. Focus on me." His voice was soft but commanding. Stefan kept his grip on her chin but Willow didn't fight him or try to pull away.
Stefan swallowed as he watched her, his forest green eyes taking in everything about her; her paleness, her sudden anger, her twitchy behaviour and the way she was focusing on Elena's throat all confirmed to him one of his worst nightmares.
Willow was in transition.
An immense amount of guilt was threatening to completely consume Stefan but he knew he needed to help Willow right now, and not focus on himself. He had to get her out of the school. It was only a matter of time before Willow lost control and slaughtered the entire school.
With that in mind Stefan took Willow's hands in his own, squeezing them in reassurance. "Willow, why don't you come with me?" He told her, already pulling her out of her seat.
"Stefan, what's going on?" Elena insisted, feeling lost, especially after witnessing their interaction that moment.
Willow allowed Stefan to pull her towards him, her focus still on him. Stefan already began pulling Willow away from Elena and toward the door. "Nothing, Elena. It's fine."
"It doesn't look like nothing." Elena hissed, reaching forward and grabbing Willow's wrist. Willow whirled around, glowering at Elena's hand. Elena was surprised by the hostility in her friend's eyes. The commotion had managed to get Caroline's, and a few other students', attention now too.
"What's going on?" Caroline questioned. While she had been irritated by Willow's harsh behaviour earlier she was now worried for her.
"Everyone shut up!" Willow barked, yanking her wrist out of Elena's grip and shoving Stefan out of the way. Stefan and Elena were both shocked at her strength, Elena more than Stefan, and before either of them could stop her she dashed out of the classroom.
Stefan cursed and made to quickly follow after her but the teacher arrived just at that moment. The teacher told Stefan, Elena and Caroline to take their seats. Stefan's gaze flickered between the door and the teacher before making his decision.
"I'm sorry, I left my French book in my locker. Could I go and get it please?" Stefan fibbed, finding it easy to come up with the lie. The teacher nodded and waved his hand for him to go. Without another word to Elena or Caroline, he left the classroom.
Once Stefan stepped out of the classroom he listened intently to try and find Willow. He heard the sounds of students and teachers in other classrooms and then finally heard her. She was breathing heavily in the girls bathroom that was down the corridor. As soon as he had located her he used his vampire speed to make it to the girls bathroom and made his way inside.
Willow was leaning heavily against the sink, her long dark hair blocking out her face though he could see her teary eyes in the mirror over the top of the sink. Her eyes lifted up and she made eye contact with Stefan and jumped back in shock.
"Stefan? What are you doing in here?" She hissed at him.
Stefan came towards her slowly, "Willow, I need you to come with me."
Willow's brow furrowed in confusion. "What? What are you talking about?"
Stefan was right in front of her now and he gently placed his hands on her upper arms. "I can help you, Willow. I'll explain everything. I just need you to come with me."
Willow closed her eyes and shook her head, "Look, I promised I wouldn't tell anyone, okay?"
Stefan leaned forward slightly so that he was all she could see, making sure to make eye contact with her. He ignored her words and continued. "That headache, feeling like every word spoken is someone shouting at you, the hunger..." Willow opened her eyes in surprise as he listed off everything that she was feeling. "Everything that you are feeling right now I have felt. I know what you're going through and I can help you, but I need you to come with me."
A million questions ran through her mind. She couldn't understand how he would know what she was going through but the way he was looking at her and the fact that he had come to find her along with how he had been after she had found out about vampires made her trust him. Willow swallowed and nodded her head at him, agreeing to go with him.
Stefan sighed in relief, dropping his head slightly so that it almost rested on Willow's shoulder. He then leaned back and took her hand in his. "C'mon." He pulled her with him out of the bathroom and began leading her toward the exit of the school.
"Where are we going?" She asked as they stepped out. She hissed and raised her hand as the sunlight hit her. Stefan frowned as he watched her cower away from the light. His heart broke and once again the guilt took over. This would not have happened if it wasn't for him, none of it would have.
Stefan gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and gestured for her to come closer to him. "We'll go to my place. I can help you there."
"That doesn't sounds ominous at all." Willow drawled but stepped closer to him, still cringing at the sun.
"Remember last night?"
Willow shuddered, "How could I forget?"
Stefan pulled her close enough that she was pressed up against him. Willow felt her breath escape her but clung onto him none the less. "This'll be faster."
This time Stefan did not wait for her to feel comfortable and instead whooshed them away. Willow clung to Stefan, and while it took longer than last night it was still over with in a minute or two.
"Where here." Stefan told her and she pulled away from him.
She raised her eyebrows as she looked up at the large boarding house. Willow had heard of this place from Liz but had never been anywhere near it before. She swallowed and looked behind her and saw the large front lawn that they had and the drive leading up the house, as well as the woods surrounding it.
"I'm never gonna get used to that." Willow said, gesturing to Stefan, talking about his super speed.
A forlorn look came over Stefan. "We'll see." He nodded towards the door, stepping towards it. "C'mon." He opened the large wooden door to his house and stepped inside, Willow hesitantly following him.
Stefan took her hand again and began leading her through the house until they came to the stairs.
"Stefan? What are you doing home this early?" A voice called from behind them just as the two of them were about to go up the stairs. Willow slowly turned around at his voice as the man walked up to them. The man eyed Willow critically before turning his attention to Willow. "Who's this?"
"This is Willow. She's a friend." Stefan told him quickly, watching Willow. He saw that she was now focused on his uncle now, specifically his neck. Stefan tightened his hold on her hand and tugged her towards him. "We'll talk later, Zach." He didn't wait for a response from Zach and practically dragged Willow up the stairs and into his room.
Willow pulled herself out of Stefan's grip just as he closed his bedroom door. Willow huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, "Okay, you got me here. What now?" She watched as Stefan went to his window and shut the curtains, blocking any sunlight from coming in.
Willow watched him warily. "Stefan...?"
Stefan turned back to her and gestured for her to sit down on his bed. Willow huffed and sat down, bouncing on the mattress slightly as she did so. Stefan took a seat in his desk chair and wheeled it closer to her so that he was sitting in front of her. "Willow, I need you to tell me what happened last night."
Willow frowned, "You know what happened. You were there."
Stefan shook his head. "No, after you got home. You were texting me and said you were fine, so something must have happened after."
"What are you talking about?" Willow demanded, getting angry. "You said you would help me."
Stefan quickly saw her emotions heighten and it seemed anger was the one that seemed to push forward the most. "I am going to help you but it's very important for you to tell me what happened when you got home."
Willow glared at him for a few moments before relenting. "Once I was home I spoke to my aunt, took a shower to wash the blood off, got ready for bed and then I went downstairs so that I could get a drink." She shrugged her shoulders at Stefan.
"Something else happened, Willow, and I need you to think. Think hard." He insisted.
Willow huffed, "The back door was open so I went to close it and I must have hit my head or something because I woke up..." She trailed off, staring blankly over Stefan's shoulder for a few seconds before sudden realisation hit her. "I thought I fell and hit my head but," She swallowed, feeling tears fill her eyes, "someone hit my head. Like really, really hard."
Stefan closed his eyes and hung his head at hearing this. Someone had done this to her, and there was only one person he could think of that would do something like this. He focused his attention back on her. He reached forward and took her hands in his, unsure how to tell her. "Willow," He began slowly, dread layered in his voice.
"What's going on?!" Willow cried, interrupting him. "I don't understand!" She shook her head and pulled her hands away from Stefan, head falling into her hands. Her breath began coming in quickly, panic over taking her.
Stefan could see her starting to fall into a panic attack and quickly pushed himself off his chair so that he was crouched down in front of her. He gently placed his hand on her cheeks and lifted her head so that she was looking at him. "Willow, it's okay, I'm here for you. Look at me, Willow." Despite her shaking and heavy breathing Willow made eye contact with him and focused on his forest green eyes. "Breathe with me. One breath in and a long breath out." Stefan nodded at her as he began doing slow, deliberate breaths for her to follow. Eventually she mimicked his breathing patter until her breaths became more even and less erratic. Her heart rate slowly calmed to the point that she couldn't hear it in her ears anymore. "That's it, that's it." Stefan encouraged. "You're gonna be okay."
Willow let out a final calming breath and sniffled. Stefan kept his hold on her cheeks, even wiping a tear from her cheek. "What's happening to me?" She whispered.
Stefan pressed his lips together and slowly released her face. He looked away, his gaze falling to the floor. He cleared his throat. "Willow, I have to tell you how someone becomes a vampire." Stefan began and Willow nodded her head, still trying to wipe the tears from her face. Although she was confused as to why he wanted to tell her this but assumed that it must be important and to do with herself. "In order for a person to become a vampire they have to die with vampire blood in their system." He hesitated but continued, "And last night I gave you my blood to heal you." He kept his intense gaze on her, waiting for her to catch up and understand what he was saying.
It didn't take long and Willow gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Oh my God! I died?!" She cried out in horror. "Am I a vampire?" She managed to choke out between fresh tears.
Stefan shook his head sombrely, "No, not yet. Right now you're in something called transition." Willow gulped and blinked her eyes at his words, not fully understanding what that meant. "In order to become a vampire you'll need to drink human blood."
"What?!" Willow sobbed more. "I can't do that. Why would I want to?"
"That feeling of hunger you've been having, that's your body pushing you to feed. To complete the transition." Stefan explained to her slowly.
Willow swallowed deeply, her hand falling to her mouth where her gums had been hurting all day. "So everything I've been feeling, that's because I want blood?" Stefan let out a breath and nodded at her. Willow sat up and wiped her eyes once more. "What will happen if I don't?"
Stefan's voice seemed to catch in his throat, not wanting to deal more bad news to her. He had to though, he knew that he did. "You'll start to feel weaker and eventually...you'll just... go..."
He couldn't bring himself to actually say it, though by the devastated look on her face she understood. "I'll be dead." She wept. She shook her head, sobbing heavily.
Stefan moved so that he was now sat beside her on the bed and pulled her into his arms for a hug. He didn't say anything and just chose to be there for her. She clung to him and sobbed openly. She couldn't stop.
Stefan had felt guilty before but now he felt absolutely awful. This was completely and utterly his fault. It was his brother that had attacked her and it was his blood that had turned her. He should have left town months ago.
Willow continued to cry as she hiccupped, "What am I supposed to do?"
Stefan moved his head so that he could look down at her but did not remove himself from the hug. "If you decide to turn I can help you. I'll show you how to control the bloodlust. I'll be there for you, I promise."
Willow buried her head into his shoulder, unsure how to make the choice. She wasn't sure if she'd be a good vampire and she definitely did not want to hurt anyone. On the other hand, the only other option was to die. Back a few months ago Willow had accepted that she would die in the car crash. But then she had somehow awoken in hospital, alive. The possibility of seeing her mother again, if there was even an afterlife or peace when someone died, was very tempting.
"What if I don't want to?" Willow muttered quietly, though Stefan was easily able to hear her.
Stefan felt his heart go cold at the possibility of her choosing to die. While he had only known her a short while, he had grown very fond of her. He cared for her on an equal level to Elena and never wanted this for her. This was not a choice Willow should ever have to make. Stefan clenched his eyes shut and clutched her closer to him, pressing his lips to the crown of her forehead. Despite the idea of her dying making him want to force her to drink blood, he understood. He would never take the choice from her.
"Then I'll be there for you then too." Stefan replied, though his voice was heavy with emotion.
Willow felt her breath catch in her throat at his declaration. Words escaped her, she had no idea how to voice her appreciation.
Never in her life did she believe that so many times in her life time that her life would be at risk. Maybe the universe was trying to tell her something.
Despite the idea of seeing her mother again sounding nice and very tempting, there was no guarantee. Yes the pain and the heartbreak would be over but she would end up feeling nothing and just being gone. And what about Caroline and Liz. While Willow often believed that she was more of a burden to them most of the time, she also knew that the two of them also went through a great amount of pain and loss when her mother died. It wasn't fair to put them through that again.
Willow leaned back slightly so that she could look up at Stefan. "What about my aunt and cousin? I die and what's told to them...?" She shook her head, determination now in her eyes. "I can't do that to them. They've been through enough."
Stefan was surprised but secretly glad that she had changed her mind. Willow bit her lip, uncertainty written all of her face. "How do I...? What am I supposed to do? Does it have to be human blood?"
"Yes, but you don't have to hurt anyone." Stefan began to explain. "I can get a blood bag from the hospital."
Willow allowed herself to have some hope and nodded her head gratefully at him. "Thank you, Stefan."
"You shouldn't thank me." He pulled away from her and stood up. He felt awful that this was happening to her. "It's because of me that this is happening to you."
Willow followed Stefan, standing before him. "No, it was Damon. He's the one who ripped my throat out and he's the one who probably killed me." She crossed her arms over her chest, shaking her head despondently.
Stefan did agree with her in some sense but if he hadn't have come back to Mystic Falls then Damon probably wouldn't have followed him. Damon did promise Stefan a lifetime of misery after all, and maybe turning Willow was just the start of his torment in Mystic Falls.
Stefan watched her, noting her pale complexion and the way she was becoming quite restless, rubbing a hand over her mouth and shifting from foot to foot. "Are you sure this is what you want?"
Willow hesitated for a moment and then nodded her head. "Yeah, I am."
"Okay." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll try and be quick. Stay here, Zach won't bother you."
Willow gave a tight lipped smile and then when she blinked Stefan was gone. Willow sucked in a nervous breath and sat back down on his bed. She hoped that she had made the right choice.
Willow didn't know how when she fell asleep or how long she was out but the sound of a door slamming was what woke her. She jumped awake and sat up immediately. She looked around and found that she had fallen asleep on the small leather sofa near Stefan's book shelf.
She felt awful. She placed her head in her hands and groaned. Willow looked around and saw no sign of Stefan but noticed that it was now pitch black in the room. Slowly Willow got up and made her way to the window and peeled back the curtain. Willow was relieved to see that it was now night time. No sun to bother her.
Willow jumped again when she heard a loud bang. Turning around she slowly made her way to the bedroom door, curiosity getting the better of her even though Stefan had told her to stay put. Very slowly she turned the doorknob, attempting not to make a sound. She snuck out of the bedroom and tip-toed her way towards the banister, peaking over to see what the commotion was.
She regretted her decision to see what was happening as she saw who it was. It was Damon who had Zach pinned against a wall. Willow let out an involuntary gasp, cold fear over taking her. Damon seemed to hear her and whipped his head upwards and saw Willow just before she stumbled backwards. With a blink of an eye Damon was in front of her. His hand clamped around her throat and he pushed her against the wall.
"What a pleasant surprise to see you again." Damon sneered, squeezing his hand around Willow's throat. Willow choked as Damon continued to smirk at her, enjoying her suffering. "You offering another vein to tap?"
Willow glared hatefully at the vampire. Unbridled anger boiled within her. He did this to her; he fed on her and because of that Stefan had no choice but to give her his blood to save her, and then to top it off he killed her. She didn't know where the strength came from, maybe it was how much she hated Damon or just her own deeply buried anger that she kept hidden, but she shoved Damon with enough power to force him backwards into the banister.
This seemed to shock Damon enough that he just watched her, almost mystified by her. Willow glared at him as she sprinted passed him and down the stairs, not even sparing Zach a look. Willow threw the door open and ran as fast as her legs could carry her, away from the boarding house and away from Damon.
She didn't think as she ran, she just knew that she had to get away from Damon. Willow didn't look where she was going or even how long it took her to get away from the boarding house, only focusing on escaping. But when she finally stopped and took some much needed deep breaths she found she was in the town centre, not far from the clock tower. At first Willow was confused as to why she had decided to come to the centre of town but understanding soon came over as someone walked passed her.
The sound of the man's heartbeat rang loudly in her ears like a drum. She was almost hypnotised by it and the idea of drinking his blood almost compelled her to almost grab the man and do what her body was pushing her to do; drink his blood. Instead though Willow squeezed her eyes shut and once again found herself running, this time hiding herself in the shadow of the clock tower.
Willow took several deep breaths, leaning her head back against the building behind her. She placed her hands over her ears, trying to block out the almost deafening sounds of cars and people.
"Willow, is that you?"
Willow frowned and looked up, finding her therapist, Dr. Walker standing before her. Willow eyed her warily, confused and surprised to see her. "Dr. Walker? What are you doing here?"
The therapist shouldered her hand bag and took some steps forward. "I'm visiting my sister." She watched Willow, narrowing her eyes. "Is everything okay?"
Willow turned away from her and bit out. "I'm fine. Please leave."
"Something is clearly wrong, Willow. I'd like to help."
Willow snapped her head back around to face her. Her eyes were sharp, with a deep snarl on her face as she snapped. "I said leave!"
Dr. Walker was shocked by her outburst and the vicious look on her face. She raised her hands but did not step away from the girl. Just as she was about to attempt to say some encouraging words another voice interrupted.
"You are fast for someone who's in transition." Damon chuckled from behind the therapist.
Willow's eyes widened and she cowered away from him. "Leave me alone."
Dr. Walker whirled around to face Damon. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "Are you bothering this girl?"
Damon narrowed his eyes as he briefly turned his attention to the therapist. "I'm actually trying to help her." He gave her a wide grin. "Although, now that I think about it, I'm fairly certain you'll be more help."
Willow did not click on to what Damon was insinuating until his face changed; blood red eyes, black veins under them and two very obvious fangs. Before Willow could even shout to warn Dr. Walker or even move to help her, Damon sunk his teeth into her neck. Willow cried out in horror as Damon tore into the therapist's neck.
Damon only fed on her for a few minutes before he pulled away from her, and pulled Dr. Walker in front of him. The woman was weak but she was still alive. While Willow was mortified by what Damon had just done the scent of the blood had already overwhelmed her. She had completely forgotten what Damon had just done and was now transfixed on the blood that was dripping down Dr. Walker's neck.
Her mouth salivated at the sight of it and couldn't take her eyes off the blood. With no thought she felt herself being pulled forward, towards Damon and the therapist.
"This is what you've been craving." Damon practically whispered tantalisingly. "Have a taste." Damon reached up with his hand, toward Dr. Walker's neck wound, allowing the blood to drip onto his hand. Ever so gently, Damon reached towards Willow and smeared the blood over her lips.
Willow closed her eyes as she tasted it for the first time. While it was strange at first to have a metallic taste in her mouth, it very quickly turned into euphoria. She could feel all of her nerves coming alive, like electricity was coursing through her body. It was like nothing she had ever felt before.
And she wanted more.
During all this she hadn't even realised that Dr. Walker was now lying limply on the ground and Damon was pushed against the clock tower by Stefan. The two were arguing, Stefan very clearly infuriated with Damon. Willow glanced at them, watching as Stefan slammed Damon against the wall again. "How could you of all people do this to her?!" Stefan demanded, fury burning in his eyes. "You knew I'd give her my blood to heal her so you killed her." Stefan accused, followed by a swift punch to Damon's face.
"I didn't do this." Damon snarled, reaching forward and grabbing Stefan and returning the punch to the face.
Willow couldn't even say anything before an intense, sharp pain came from her mouth. She winced, clamping her hand over her mouth. She felt something pierce through her gums and it was the most intense pain she had ever felt. She cried out in agony, falling to her knees. She let out a loud gasp as whatever was causing so much pain finally broke through her gums.
Gingerly she removed her hand and felt inside of it. She jolted her hand away when she felt something razor sharp scratch her finger. She pulled her hand back and stared at her finger, spotting a drop of blood oozing out of her finger and watched in amazement as it healed in a matter of seconds.
Every single sense was dialled up to a hundred; she could hear people talking from yards and even miles away, she could see every crack and groove on the concrete and she felt like her skin was alight.
Willow turned her head at hearing the fight occurring between Stefan and Damon. Stefan had punched Damon several times in the face, blood spilling from his nose and mouth. While Stefan was usually weaker, his anger was fuelling him to get the upper hand over his brother. The two were far too absorbed in their own fight to notice her as she finally turned her attention back to Dr. Walker.
The therapist's blood smelled tantalising and it was all she could think of. She just wanted more, and more, and more. Dr. Walker looked up at her in complete horror, staring aghast at Willow's dark red eyes, the veins that had spread out under them and over cheeks and the blood that was over her mouth.
Willow stared intently at the therapist for a millisecond before darting forward with impossible speed and grabbing her. Willow pulled herself up to her feet, dragging a sobbing Dr. Walker with her, and without even a second thought Willow opened her mouth and latched her fangs into the open wound in the woman's neck.
Willow didn't even register Dr. Walker's horrendous scream as she drank the warm, metallic blood from her neck. Stefan did though and immediately both brothers stopped their fight, their attention now diverted to the new vampire who was draining the blood out of the woman.
"No! Willow!" Stefan sped forward and wrapped his arms around Willow's waist, pulling her away from Dr. Walker. Stefan dragged her away and slammed her against the clock tower. He didn't want to use force and hurt her but he knew that in this moment Willow had no control and needed to snap out of her bloodlust.
"Willow stop!" Stefan demanded, using all of his strength to keep her pinned to the wall. Willow hissed at him, her fangs on display along with the blood marring on her lips and chin. "That's enough!" Though he regretted it, he brought her forward and slammed her back against the clock tower.
It seemed to do the trick as Willow settled back against the clock tower and stopped fighting him. Her blood red eyes stared intently at Stefan before looking away, spotting Dr. Walker lying on the ground with a horrible open wound on her neck.
Willow sucked in a ragged gasp, her hand coming up to her bloody mouth in horror. She had done this. She had killed someone. An immeasurable amount of guilt and heartbreak surged to the surface, almost pulling her apart. Her face turned back to normal as she sobbed, unable to turn away from the dead body of the therapist.
"Willow, Willow, hey, look at me, c'mon. Focus." Stefan instructed firmly, taking her face and forcing her to look away from her victim.
Willow did so but continued to cry. The horror at what she had done was destroying her. How could she recover from this? She was a monster.
"We need to go." Stefan told her, his tone gentler now. "It's gonna be okay. C'mon." He pulled her into his arms, shielding her from the dead body a few feet from them.
A deep chuckle came from their right and the two glanced back to see Damon, who had recovered from Stefan's assault on him. "Such a mess." He leaned casually against the clock tower as if there wasn't someone lying dead in front of him. "We may as well announce to this town that vampires have returned." He shook his head, as if this was just a slight inconvenience to him. His sharp blue eyes landed on Willow, smirking at the blood covering her face. His gaze then focused on Stefan, giving him a withering look. "She'll never make it as a vampire, Stefan."
Stefan tightened his hold on Willow, glaring hatefully at Damon. "We'll see." He insisted with determination. And without another word, he and Willow disappeared, leaving Damon behind.
Stefan once again led her to the Salvatore boarding house. He had her hand clutched tightly in his own as he shoved the door open. "Zach!" Stefan bellowed into the house. "Get down here!"
Willow went to step forward and follow him but found the she was immediately blocked out. She frowned in confusion and pushed her hand against the air but found there was some kind of force field preventing her from taking another step forward. Before she could voice her concerns to Stefan, the man from earlier, Zach appeared.
"Uncle Stefan, what is-" He halted when he saw Willow standing in the doorway, her face covered in blood. Horrified, he turned back to Stefan and demanded, "What happened?"
"Later." Stefan insisted. "Invite her in."
Zach looked aghast at Stefan's suggestion. "Are you crazy? I've already got two vampires that come and go as they please, I am not adding a third."
Stefan stepped forward so that he was right in Zach's face. He narrowed his eyes and told him in a much firmer and threatening tone. "I am trying to help her, now invite her in."
Zach gulped and looked back to the vampire standing outside. She looked helpless and frightened, and he was reminded that before she was a vampire she was just a teenage girl who never asked for this. In fact, he was sure that he had seen her before, possibly around the sheriff. Bowing his head, he sighed, "Don't make me regret this." He muttered. Zach raised his head and nodded at the girl. "You can come in."
Willow was shocked when Stefan wasted no time in leaning forward and once again grasping her hand and pulling her with him. This time she made it inside with no issues. She filed it away as something she needed to ask Stefan later.
The two vampires had sped up to his bedroom within seconds, Stefan leading her into his bathroom. Willow found herself freezing up when she saw her reflection. Her eyes began to fill with tears and she could feel herself begin to hyperventilate as she looked the blood that was all over mouth and chin and even staining her top. As she panicked her face changed; she watched in disgust as the whites of her eyes turned dark red, black veins spread out under them and her fangs coming through.
She immediately hid her face in her hands and screeched, "What's happening to my face?" She spun away from the mirror, trying to hide from herself. "I'm a monster!"
Stefan was there in seconds with a wet towel to help clean the blood off her. He pulled her hands away from her face. "Willow, hey, look at me. You need to focus." Willow didn't listen and instead continued to sob. "Willow! Look at me!" Willow slowly opened her eyes seeing that his face had also changed like hers. Within seconds he had managed to make his face go back to normal. "Did you see that?" Willow sniffled and nodded her head. "Anytime that you feel the blood rush in you tell yourself that you will get through it." Willow's face crumpled and she shook her head. Stefan took her face in his hands, "You're strong enough, okay? I know you can do this." He got closer to her so that she was pushed back against the sink and all she could see was his face. Willow gripped his upper arms tightly as he brushed some dark hair out of her face. His voice was firm as he continued to try and calm her. "It doesn't matter how good it feels to let it take over you, you fight it off." Stefan lifted her head slightly so that she was properly looking at him. "Watch me." He took a deep breath and nodded for her to follow, like earlier. Willow focused and began copying him again, breathing in and out until her face went back to normal.
Willow let out one last breath and bowed her head. With her calmer now Stefan began gently cleaning her face of the blood. It was quiet between them as he made sure all of the blood was gone. Once she was all cleaned up Stefan pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair gently. Willow recuperated his affections and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest.
"You're gonna survive this." Stefan whispered, pressing his cheek to the crown of her head. "I promise."