A/N The Vampire Diaries Settings and Characters all belong to LJ Smith and the CW. Any original characters and this story are copyright © 2011-2018 to Hopelessromanticgurl, all rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.
Lexi inhaled and exhaled a deep breath. "Elena, I'm an original."
Elena gasped. "How…How is that possible?"
"I was changed around the same time as Klaus and Elijah. They are brothers."
Elena gasped again. "Are you their…" Elena choked on the words.
"No. I'm not their sister. Thankfully, I was changed a few years after them. Now I've told you everything that Elijah has done to me, but I never mentioned Klaus's involvement in it all. Please, Elena, before you pull that dagger out at least give me a chance to tell you everything? If you hear my story and still want to pull out the dagger, then I won't stop you."
"Promise?"
Lexi nodded. "I promise. I'll even help convince Stefan and Damon it's a good idea.
Elena inhaled and exhaled a deep breath and nodded. "Ok, let's go talk."
Together the two of them left the house. Lexi sent Stefan a text telling him they were going out, so he didn't panic when he woke up.
A few hours later they arrived back home. Elena was in shock. She spoke softly. "I'm so sorry for what you had to go through Lexi. Thank you for trusting me and telling me everything."
"Are you still going to wake Elijah?"
Elena shook her head. "If he betrayed you, there is a chance he'll betray me too. I'm leaving the stake in."
"Thank you, Elena. I hope you know you're making the right choice."
"But then what is our plan? We can't use Bonnie." Her voice cracked at the end.
"We won't. She will only be used to weaken him. Just leave the rest to me, ok?"
Elena nodded. "I trust you."
"Good. Now go to bed."
"I can't. I can't sleep. That's why I was awake, to begin with. I keep having nightmares about Bonnie."
Lexi slowly walked toward her. "You trust me, right?"
Elena nodded. "Of course."
Lexi reached Elena and carefully reached behind her and removed her necklace. "I can control your dreams if you trust me."
"Just don't make it anything weird."
"So no shirtless Stefan done."
Elena giggled. "Thanks, Lexi."
"Not a problem. Now go to bed."
Elena nodded and headed back upstairs. She was tired just too terrified to sleep. She felt better knowing Lexi would help keep the nightmares away.
The next morning Stefan woke up and smiled at Elena snuggled into his chest. He kissed her head and rubbed her back. She just snuggled further into his chest.
He chuckled softly. "Wake up." He whispered in her ear then kissed it.
She giggled softly and swatted at him.
"Wake up, Sleepyhead." He said again in her ear. Then he lightly tickled her sides.
This time, she whined and pulled her arms down to stop him. "No. Stop it."
"Come on, baby girl." He coaxed gently rubbing her back.
"No."
Stefan sighed.
"Let her sleep. She had a rough night." Lexi said appearing in the doorway.
"Nightmares?" Stefan asked.
"Among other things. Just let her sleep. She needs it."
"Ok." He stroked Elena's hair. "Go back to sleep, Princess."
"Stay." She said tiredly.
"Always." He promised.
She was out again in a few seconds. Once she was sleeping Stefan spoke. "What happen last night?"
"She tried to pull the dagger from Elijah. She is so terrified, Stefan. She felt she had no other choice."
"Tried?"
"I stopped her. But it took a lot of convincing."
Stefan sighed. "She has a reason to worry. What are we going to do? The sacrifice could happen any day now. She is worried about protecting us, but we also have the problem that Elena is going to die if Klaus drinks her blood."
"Have you talked about...you know her being like us?"
"If she wanted it she would have brought it up. I've thought about it tons of times."
"Maybe Jeremy's ring?" Lexi said.
"It protects from the supernatural. It won't work on Elena."
Lexi sighed. "You're right."
"What are we going to do, Lexi?" Stefan asked sadly.
"I don't know, Stefan, I really don't know." Lexi sighed.
A few hours later Elena was woken up by her cell phone. "Ello?" she answered.
"Elena?"
Elena shot up in bed. "Jenna!"
"Yeah, I've been calling you forever why haven't you answered your phone."
"Sorry, I was in the shower." Elena lied. "What's up?"
"I don't know you tell me. What's with all the messages telling me to stay away from Ric and request for me to stay on campus a little longer?"
"Will you please just trust me and do it?"
"That's kind of hard to do from the kitchen. I arrived home this morning. Rick was waiting for me."
"What!" Elena gasped. "Rick is there?"
"Yeah he's standing right next to me…he says Hi. He wants to know if you had a good time at the dance last night. He said he had a blast."
Elena turned white as the memories returned.
Out of nowhere, Jenna screamed.
"What happen?" Elena asked frantically.
"Oh relax I'm fine Ric just…." she let out a squeal. "Ric keeps tickling me…" she squealed once. "Stop it!"
"Jenna, please listen to me, you have to get away from him."
"Elena I'm fine. He's just tickling me. Stefan does it to you all the time."
"Jenna please just listen to me and get away from him." Through the phone, she could hear Jenna squeal and giggle."Jenna listen to me!" Elena cried.
"Ric, no, not the neck…" she squealed. "That tickles!"
"Jenna no!
"Elena." Jenna giggles. "I'm fine. Rick is just nibbling my neck and it…" she giggled harder. "Really tickles."
"No! It won't tickle in the end! Make him stop! Stop!" Elena begged.
Then Jenna screamed and the line with dead.
"Jenna? Jenna? JENNA!" Elena screamed with tears streaming down her cheeks. She threw her phone on the bed and went to run, but Stefan wrapped his arms around her waist before she could. She struggled. "Let me go!"
Lexi appeared in front of her. "Elena, stop calm down. You have to stay here; this is what Ric wants."
"No! Jenna! Jenna! Jenna! Let me go!"
"No, Elena you have to stay here. I will go get Jenna."
"No, let me go! He's going to hurt her; HE'S GOING TO KILL HER!" she shrieked hysterically.
"Stop it, Elena, listen to me! Calm down and I'm going to go save her."
"No! No! You won't make it in time! He's going to kill her." Elena cried.
"Elena, look at me," Lexi said.
Elena looked at her.
"I need you to calm down. Take a deep breath and calm down." Lexi said.
Elena unwillingly calmed down and inhaled and exhaled a deep breath.
"Good. Stay with Stefan. I promise I'll be home with Jenna soon." In a flash, she was gone.
Elena turned in Stefan's arms and cried and shook, gasping for air. She was terrified.
Stefan rubbed her back whispering words of comfort into her ear. He just hoped Lexi got there in time.
It felt like a lifetime before the door opened and Elena heard Lexi call her downstairs. Elena and Stefan rushed downstairs.
"She's in the living room," Lexi said. Elena rushed away.
"What happen?" Stefan asked.
"Nothing this time. When I got there Ric or Klaus or whoever it was had her pinned down. Jenna was giggling. So I know he wasn't biting her. But he was about it. He had tried to compel her to keep laughing so she didn't scream when he bit her, but I stopped him. We fought, Jenna saw things she shouldn't have. I didn't have a choice Stefan. I had to tell her."
"You did the right thing," Stefan said. "You saved her life that's what matters."
"I guess."
"Are you ok?" Stefan asked.
"Seeing him again I…" Lexi stopped, and her eyes went wide.
"Again? You've met Klaus before?" Stefan asked. "Is this what you've been so scared to tell me?"
Lexi squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. "There is so much more than you know about my past, Stefan. I've never told you anything more than I was turned through an attack and my parents were murdered right in front of me."
"Klaus did it?" Stefan asked.
"You know what, I'm really tired Stefan. I'm going to head to bed. Good night Stefan." With that, she was gone. Stefan sighed. "Lexi, what is going on? Whatever it is, you can trust me."
"I can't, Stefan. I'm sorry but I can't." Lexi whispered so only he would hear.
Stefan sighed but nodded. When Lexi was ready, she would tell him. For now…Elena needed him. Jenna just found out the truth about vampires She was going to need him.
After a few minutes, Elena left one of the rooms, closing the door behind her.
"Is she gonna be ok?" Stefan asked.
"She's in shock. I tried to tell her as much as I could, but I barely scratched the surface." She answered softly.
"I'm so sorry, Elena. I hate this."
"It's not your fault, Stefan. It's mine. Anyway…"
"Stop. It's not your fault either. If it's anyone's fault, it's Klaus's fault."
"Yeah and Klaus is only here because of me! I can't do this anymore, Stefan. I can't…" her voice cracked. "First Bonnie, and now Jenna? How many more people does Klaus have to hurt before I listen to him? How many more people…." Elena trailed off and looked to the basement door.
"Elena, don't. We will find another way." Stefan said.
"When? After Klaus kills Bonnie for real this time? After Ric kills Jenna because Klaus made him? After Klaus kills every single person that I love? No! Stefan, I can't. Elijah said he had a way to protect everyone I love and keep me alive as well."
"Do you think he will still help you after you stabbed him? How do you know he won't kill you the second he gets the chance?"
Elena didn't speak.
"I understand you're upset. You have every right to be. But why don't you sleep on it and if you still want to pull the dagger out tomorrow….I…I won't stop you."
Elena didn't speak once more.
"Elena please talk to me."
"I'm not going to sleep on it, Stefan. I just woke up. I'm tired of sleeping on it."
"Elena…"
"Stefan it's only 1 in the afternoon. I'm not going to bed."
Stefan chuckled. "Oh. I didn't even realize that."
Elena smiled softly. "I will take today and think about. I'll sleep on it tonight. Tomorrow I will make my final decision."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet."
"I am. You're listening to me."
Elena sighed and nodded.
"You ok?" Stefan asked.
"I'm just ready for all of this to be over. The sacrifice, everything."
"It will be. Come on I know just what you need." He took her hand and led her to the living room. He sat down on the couch and had Elena sit between his legs on the floor. Then he started to massage her neck.
She let out a moan of pleasure and dropped her neck down.
"Feel good?" He asked.
She let out another moan of pleasure as her answer.
He chuckled. "How does this feel?" He bent down and gently kissed her neck.
She giggled and shrugged. "That tickles."
But he just continued.
She giggled harder and started to squirm. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. "What about this, right here." He squeezed her stomach making her squeal. "Does that tickle?" he asked.
"Yes!" she giggled squirming in his arms.
"And what about here?" He squeezed her sides, and she squealed again.
"Yes!"
He chuckled and let go.
She whined.
"You wanted me to keep tickling you?" he asked surprised.
"No, not tickling but massaging my shoulders….it felt amazing," Elena said.
"Ok, come back. I promise I won't tickle you." Stefan said.
Elena moved back into her spot and Stefan continued to massage her neck.
A few minutes went by, and Elena laid her head on Stefan's knee.
"Sleepy?" he asked stroking her hair.
"No. Just relaxed."
"Good. Just rest. You deserve it."
He continued to stroke her hair and just let her snuggle him knowing she needed it. It had been a rough few days, and she had barely gotten much sleep. As he looked over at the clock, a thought hit him. If it was only 1:30 in the afternoon why was Lexi going to bed? That when he realized she hadn't actually gone to bed. It was a trick to get away from him….away from the conversation.
He spoke soft enough that Elena wouldn't hear. "Lexi, you didn't have to run. I wouldn't have pushed the subject."
He was so happy when she responded. "It wasn't just you. Klaus said some things when he saw me and it got me thinking. I didn't want to say anything until I knew for sure that it was a solid fact, but I think it's time. I think…I think I'm ready to finally tell you guys everything. Everything about my past and everything you need to know about Klaus and a way to save Elena's life. Have Damon, Jenna, Rose, and Elena meet me in the living in about 10 minutes."
Stefan just nodded knowing she didn't need a response. "You ok?" he asked pinching her side.
She squirmed and giggled softly. She nodded.
"You sure?"
She nodded again and looked up at him. "What's going on?"
"Lexi has an idea to keep you safe during the sacrifice, and she's ready to tell us about her past. But she wants everyone to meet in the living room together. I'll get Damon if you can get Jenna if she's comfortable enough to sit through this, and Rose."
Elena sighed but nodded. "Ok. Relaxation is over."
"We will go back to it soon. I promise." He gave her a peck on the lips and stood up. Elena followed behind him.
A/N What do you think? Leave me your thoughts in a review. Those who review with an account will get a sneak peek at the next chapter so please review!
For updates, sneak peeks, and sometimes cool pictures FIND and LIKE me on Facebook at "hopelessromanticgurl"
For updates and information on my original novels FIND and LIKE ME ON Facebook at "S.M. Nicholas Romance Author"
