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.
The next morning Elena woke up and rolled over to snuggle Stefan…again she woke up, and he was gone. Only this time it caused her to panicked. "Stefan? Stefan!"
In a flash, Lexi was in the room. "It's ok. He went on a hunt. He'll be back as soon as he can. You're safe. You're home."
Elena sighed. "Damon?"
"He's not here."
Elena just nodded.
"Why don't you go get ready for your day. I'll make some breakfast."
Again Elena nodded silently. Lexi left the room allowing Elena to get ready.
She got out of bed and jumped into the shower. When she got out, she got dressed. Then she went to check on Jeremy, he was sound asleep. She smiled softly and closed his door. Then taking a deep breath she walked slowly over to Jenna's room. She stood by the door but didn't go in. The bed was perfectly made and unslept in. Elena was expecting to see Jenna come up the stairs dressed in the same clothes from yesterday, and she'd tease her about spending the night with Ric again. A million bricks knocked her off her feet when she realized….that wasn't going to happen. She forced back tears and closed the door walking out.
"That'll get easier..." A voice said.
She looked up startled to see Damon.
"But you know that."
She sighed. "What do you want?" she asked softly.
"I want to apologize.."
"Damon…" she sighed.
Did he really think she wanted to talk about this right now? Him feeding her his blood was the reason she had no parents left. She needed to get through John's death before being able to forgive him.
"Please…Elena feeding you my blood….I was wrong. "
"Yes, you were." Elena nodded.
"I know I don't deserve your forgiveness but…I need it."
She sighed. "And I need time, a lot of time, Damon, because of you John is dead, just as we were finally starting to get to a good place you had to do something stupid and now I lost the only two parents I have left. It's going to take a lot of time before I can forgive you. I'm sorry but I just…I need time."
"What are you doing here?"
Elena jumped but saw Lexi standing there.
"If Elena wanted to see you she would have called. You need to leave." Lexi said.
"I just wanted to talk that's all. I'll leave now."
In a flash, Damon was gone. Lexi looked to Elena. "Are you ok?"
"I hate this," she whispered.
"Hate what?"
She was silent again.
"Please tell me," Lexi said.
"I'm scared of him," Elena said so softly no human would have heard it. "I'm scared of being alone with him. I hate it."
"It's normal. He pretty much attacked you. I promise I won't let him hurt you again."
Elena nodded going quiet again.
Lexi sighed softly. "You know what you need?"
Elena didn't respond.
"A night of fun. I'm going to set it up. Since you're not speaking, I'm going to assume you have no objections." Lexi smirked. Then without waiting for Elena to respond she was gone.
She sighed softly and just sat outside her Aunt's bedroom with the door closed. As crazy as it sounded she felt closer to Jenna.
Lexi just hung up the phone as Stefan walked in.
"Welcome back," Lexi said.
"Thanks. Is Elena awake yet?" Stefan asked.
"Yeah. We spoke for a few minutes…well, actually I spoke she listened. She's still pretty shut down. She's just barely speaking."
Stefan sighed. He wasn't sure what to say.
"How did everything go with Damon?" Lexi asked.
"I locked him in the basement cellar. Rose is keeping an eye on him. Then I met with Bonnie. She spoke with Emily and said there is a cure, but there is only one person who has it."
Lexi sighed. "You figured it out."
"Yeah. Is that where you went to save Rose?"
"I didn't have a choice," Lexi said.
"I'm not mad, Lexi. I just want to know for sure before I go over there. Is he the one with the cure?"
"Yes. I'll go. You stay here and take care of Elena."
"No. I'm not letting you be alone with that pig."
"Technically he's a wolf." Lexi teased.
Stefan laughed and shook his head. "Whatever he is I'm not letting you go over there alone."
"Then we go together because I'm not letting you go over there either," Lexi said. "I've already set up for Caroline to take Elena and Jeremy to see Gone with the Wind tonight. They can be a good distraction until we come back."
Stefan nodded. "Should we tell Elena?"
"That's your choice."
"She might want to say her…" Stefan cleared his throat to keep from tearing up or crying. "She might want to talk to him."
"She told me she was scared of being alone with him. But if he's weak and locked behind a door she might feel better."
"I'm going to tell her. What she does with the information is up to her."
Lexi nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Who is going to tell her we're leaving to see Klaus?"
"You're doing what!"
They both stopped and turned to see Elena.
"I guess I am," Lexi said.
"I'm coming with you!" Elena said instantly.
"He believes you're dead. You can't." Lexi said. "We will be fine. We will pop in visit a little then leave."
"He'll kill you both!" Elena cried.
"No, he won't. He had his chance, and he didn't take it." Stefan said.
"Why are you even going to see him?"
"He has the cure."
"Cure for what? Happiness?"
"No. For a werewolf bite."
Elena's eyes went wide. "Who was bitten?"
"Damon," Stefan said.
"You don't have to go see him unless you want to. But we thought you deserved to know." Lexi said.
Elena just nodded.
"Rose is with him, you wouldn't be alone with him. But to be honest he's too weak to even stand by now so…he wouldn't be able to attack you.." Stefan said.
Elena nodded once more.
"In the meantime. I've spoken with Caroline, and you, Bonnie, and Jeremy are all going to see Gone with the Wind tonight." Lexi said.
Elena squeezed her eyes shut. "I don't like this. But I know I would do anything to save Jeremy so I understand why you're going, Stefan. I feel a little better knowing Lexi will be there to help keep you safe."
"Thank you. I promise I'll be home tonight." Stefan kissed her head hoping he'd be able to keep that promise.
Nightfall came, and Stefan and Lexi went to the center of town where the movie was taken place with Elena and Jeremy. Once they were sure Elena was ok they both left.
They arrived at where Klaus had last been seen, his apartment. They walked in to see Katherine sitting on the bed.
"What is going on!" she cried out. I've been waiting for two days to be free! Klaus is supposed to be dead!"
"We ran into a few complications. I'll explain later. Where is Klaus?"
Before Katherine could speak Lexi did. "He will be here in three…two…one."
Just then the door opened, and Klaus walked in. They were all shocked to see Elijah alive and well, with him.
"Look who came for a visit," Kat said.
"Lexi, I knew you couldn't stay away," Klaus smirked. Then he saw Stefan. "You just seem to keep popping up don't you?"
"Elijah?" Lexi gasped. "How are you…"
"Alive? Your precious friends Luca and Jones helped me out with that. I was going to help them destroy Klaus, but then I saw Damon kill them all and I changed my mind."
"You're the one who helped him escape?" Lexi said. "Why?"
"He promised me something. In fact, I think it's time you pay up" Elijah said to Klaus.
"You're right. How silly of me to have forgotten. You want to see your family again…"
Lexi saw Klaus with the dagger behind his back. She knew he was going to betray him. Faster than anyone expected Lexi pushed Elijah out of the way. "Look out!"
The dagger ended up stabbing Lexi in the arm causing her to cry out and grab her arm. The wound instantly started to heal itself.
"Lexi…" Elijah said with a gasp. "After everything I've done…"
"Look," Lexi said cutting him off. "We are here for you Klaus."
"I need your help. It's for Damon. Please. I'll do anything." Stefan said.
"The trouble is I don't know how good you are to me. You're just a shy of useless for what I need," he said with a smirk.
"I heard about this one vampire, crazy bloke, always on and off the wagon for decades. When he was off, he was magnificent. 1917, he went into Monterey and wiped out an entire migrant village... A true ripper. Sound familiar?"
Stefan tensed. "I haven't been that way for a very long time." He was happy at that moment Lexi came with him to remind him of that.
"That's not who Stefan is anymore, and he's not going back to that ever again," Lexi said.
"Well, that's the vampire I can make a deal with. That is the kind of talent that I can use when I leave this town." Klaus looked over to Katherine "Katerina, come here."
She went over to Klaus. He bit her wrist.
"No, no, no!" she cried out as a wolf bite appeared.
But then Klaus shoved his wrist into her mouth forcing her to drink his blood. After that, the wound healed itself.
"You want your cure? There it is."
"Your blood is the cure." Stefan sighed.
"Now... Let's talk, you and I."
"Forget it, Klaus. Stefan will never be the Ripper for you!" Lexi said. "Take me on your little journey. You said so yourself you wanted to be with me again. I won't fight you this time."
"Oh but it's much more fun when you do fight." Klaus smiled. "Anyway as much as I would love to take you up on that offer I can't. Stefan is the one I really need…well, I need ripper Stefan."
"I'm not turning back into him," Stefan said.
Klaus put some of his blood into a small vile. "There it is. You want to save your brother? How 'bout a decade-long bender? And I have big plans for you when we leave this town."
"I'm not like that anymore." Stefan told him once more.
"Well, that's too bad. You would have made a great wingman."
He started to pour the blood down the drain.
"Wait!" Stefan cried out.
"Now that's more like it. I want you to join me for a drink." He threw a blood bag at Stefan.
Stefan took a sip. He and Elena had still been slowly building up his tolerance for blood. So maybe he could handle it.
"Finish it. All of it. You do everything I say, and I save your brother. That's the deal."
"It's ok, Stefan." Lexi said. "Do it. I'm right here."
Stefan drank the entire bag. He tried his best to picture Elena to remember why he was fighting the ripper inside him.
"I'm not sure how much help you'll be, but you can try." He threw another bag at Stefan. "Again."
Several blood bags later Stefan sat on the floor with his face covered in blood. Lexi sat next to him rubbing his back. She got him to fight off the ripper in him once before she could do it again.
"Lexi." He choked out.
"I'm here. I'm right here. Shhh. You're doing amazing. Just remember why, and who you're fighting for."
"I can't. Lexi I can't." Stefan groaned.
"Yes, you can." Lexi fished out her cell phone and looked through her pictures and showed one to Stefan. "Look at this girl." Lexi said. "That's who you're fighting for. She needs you. She just lost the only parents she had left. She can not lose you too. So fight it, Stefan. Fight for Elena." Lexi knew Klaus would be too distracted with Katherine or Elijah to hear her.
Stefan inhaled and exhaled a deep breath and drank and few more.
Stefan looked to Klaus. "No more, not until you give me the cure."
"Not until we make a deal."
"No." Lexi said as she stood up. "You've made enough deals. Now it's my turn. Stefan has had every blood bag you gave him. He is still not the ripper you need him to be. So give him the cure and be on your way. I'm sure there will be another vampire you can compel to be your wingman. Stefan drank all the blood you asked him too. He is no good to you if he isn't the Ripper so give us the cure and let us leave."
"That was not our deal."
"I'm making a new one. Unless…" Lexi smiled sweetly. "You know what, I've never been really good at deal making. My good friend Michael is better at making deals than me."
For the first time, Stefan saw Klaus tense. Who was Michael?
"Maybe I should call him and see what kind of deal he suggests I make."
"You wouldn't dare." Klaus growled.
"Don't test me, Klaus. Give us the cure and let Stefan and I leave here."
"I will help her, Brother." Elijah warned. "Lexi saved my life I will do whatever I can to repay her."
Klaus growled. "Fine."
"And let Katherine go to." Lexi said.
Klaus growled and broke the compulsion on Katherine, and she was gone in a flash. The second Lexi had the vile of blood She grabbed Stefan, and they were gone too.
They arrived home just in time to see Elena kiss Damon and mutter a soft, sad goodbye.
Lexi ran over to Damon and helped his drink the vile.
The wound on his arm started to heal.
"You got it?" Elena asked.
"Yeah. He's going to be fine." Lexi said.
Elena got off the bed and ran over to Stefan and hugged him tightly. To her surprise, he pushed her away.
Elena looked hurt. Had he seen the kiss? Was he angry at her for it? Did he feel hurt?
Lexi went over to her and Stefan. She rubbed Stefan's back.
"Klaus had him drink a lot of human blood in an attempt to turn him back into the ripper. But Stefan fought it and won. But he's still really shaky from all the blood. He just doesn't want to hurt you." Lexi said.
Elena nodded. "I understand. Thank you for helping him."
Lexi shook her head. "I didn't do anything. My past ideas didn't work. It wasn't until I showed him a picture of you from my phone that he really started to fight it. So I owe you the thank you."
"I owe you both a thank you." Stefan said. "Elena, I love you so much. Please know that. I just can't…your smell…"
"It's ok. I love you too. I'll save my hug for when you're ready."
Stefan smiled and nodded.
Elena smiled softly. But then she frowned. She had been so busy worrying about Damon that she had forgotten about Jenna's death. Now that Damon was better she could focus on getting through that…but how?
She looked up at Stefan and Lexi who were looking at her. She smiled softly. "That's how." She whispered.
A/N What do you think? Leave me your thoughts in a review. I have lost a lot of TVD readers through the time it took to write this story so I'm sorry to say this will be my last TVD story. Maybe one day I'll try again but for now this is the end. Feel free to check out my other stories though.
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