Confessions and Compulsion

A/N: Hey! I'm laced-scrawl and I wrote this chapter, though the idea is pompeystar's! We hope you like it, and we'd love to know what you think so don't forget to let us know! ;) Enjoy! xx

Bonnie Bennet loved the smell of grimoires; musty with an aroma of undiscovered knowledge. The soft texture of the old, fragile pages appealing flitted through her fingers as she carefully turned them, her eyes scanning the perfectly inked words and occasional sketches. She was currently relaxing after an incredibly long day; she and Luka had finally destroyed the moonstone, and for the first time in a long time, she felt relaxed. Not only did she have less to worry about, but she was now sure that things were getting more interesting between her and Luka. She found him mysteriously intriguing, and she was sure after the way he'd flirted with her today that something was going to happen between them.

She turned another page and saw a neatly written title in old calligraphy; 'Talismans'. That was strange: she'd leafed through this grimoire many times before – how had she missed an entire chapter? Especially one so important on something she'd needed information on? She ran a hand through her hair in confusion before proceeding to read the chapter.

Up until the second page, nothing jumped out at her. It was all information she already knew. But the second page had a sub-heading; 'Destroying a Talisman'. Her eyes widened and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She'd had the answer all along – she'd just never seen it! She swallowed hard and started to read, though by the end of it, she genuinely wished she hadn't.

In order for a talisman to be destroyed, it needs to be assaulted with an extreme amount of power from more than one witch. The power needs to be so strong that it can't be broken in any way. Usually, it takes many years for a witch to possess even a fraction of that power, and the process requires much practice to ensure the power is unbreakable. The spell to destroy a talisman varies greatly, depending on its power. The same spell cannot be used for a different talisman…

The sentence was left unfinished because the page was torn. Not that it mattered. Bonnie had acquired all of the information she needed to know for a fact that the moonstone was far from destroyed.

Suddenly everything sunk in, all at once, and the young witch was overcome with nausea.

Luka had lied to her. The spell he'd used had done something else to the moonstone, and now, he had it! She'd trusted him and he'd betrayed her.

And now, the fate of her best friend, herself and Mystic Falls was in the hands of someone else. Someone who had deceived her so easily and effortlessly. Someone who couldn't be trusted.

And it was all her fault.

x-x-x

Sweet and tangy.

She'd never expected fresh human blood to taste of anything but metallic copper, yet here she was, gulping it down relentlessly as though it was the sweetest nectar. She knew she should have been disgusted with herself; she was devouring a young woman's blood and relishing the taste of it after all. But the unbearable, all-consuming blood lust coursing through her was all she could think about.

She'd been scared. Of course she had! It wasn't like she'd read a book previously that detailed the process of becoming a vampire. Even though she did know roughly what to expect, she found herself acutely aware that it meant nothing when actually faced with the situation. The prospect of sinking her teeth into a human being terrified her, but the thought of dying scared her even more. She was an emotional wreck.

Thank God for Damon Salvatore.

Elena couldn't quite believe how amazing he'd been. He'd turned his back on the serious conversation they'd had to focus on getting her through the transition process quickly and safely. Shutting off emotions: another added extra packaged in with becoming a vampire. She'd have to learn how to do that sometime.

Damon had quickly sought out a passing victim for her, compelled her with instructions to not run away or be scared, and talked Elena through 'the art of biting correctly'. He did all of this with swift precision, probably aware that her hunger was starting to take over her. She knew that next time he took her out to hunt, she'd have to take care of the compulsion herself, but it was something she didn't want to think about until the time came. She couldn't handle everything all in one go; her head already felt like it was about to explode. Before she'd stepped forward to take hold of the helpless woman and consequently, take hold of her life, Damon had solemnly promised to stop her from going too far. Elena had nodded gratefully – not trusting herself to speak. He stood back, allowing her the freedom to deal with things her own way, and she was momentarily stunned by how well he knew her. Stefan would have suffocated and coddled her, had he been the brother involved in the situation, and she found herself pleased that he wasn't. She still loved him beyond belief, but Damon's practicality and ease was more reassuring to her than a safe hug and kiss.

She'd taken hold of the woman and swept her hair to the side, exposing her long, tempting neck. The urge to consume erupted suddenly within her and within a few short seconds her fangs had elongated and she'd sunk her teeth directly into the warm flesh.

The feeling of the sticky red liquid cascading down her throat and richly coating her tongue was incredible. It was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before in her life, and she found herself thinking that she could easily get used to it. It was like eating the richest, sweetest tasting chocolate after being denied it for so long.

She didn't know how long she'd been drinking; the unfamiliar, overpowering sensations had made her lose all sense of time, but moments later, two strong arms were pulling her away. She clung on to the body, not wanting to relinquish her hold on what was giving her so much pleasure, but the arms were annoyingly persistent.

"That's enough, Elena," came Damon's voice from a seemingly far-off place.

"No!" she mumbled, trying to sink her fangs in deeper. For a split second, she thought she'd won the struggle, until she was pushed backwards roughly, the woman's limp body ripped from her. She stumbled backwards, catching her balance before she fell down. It took her a few moments to adjust to the loss of her food source, and process the situation. She was a vampire. Officially. She'd completed transition. There was no turning back now. She licked the rest of the blood off her lips and swallowed it eagerly; how could blood taste so good? She placed her hand over her heart and was unnerved to not feel it beat. Not once.

She watched with a dazed expression as Damon dealt with the girl; feeding her his blood and compelling her to forget anything ever happened to her before sending her on her way. When he'd finished he turned and gave her a small smile.

"You ok?"

Elena nodded slowly, not really sure if she was. She felt energised and rejuvenated, yet her head ached slightly and her eyes felt a little heavy. Her body seemed to be full of contradictions.

Damon noticed her expression and walked towards her. He kept his face blank – not trusting actual emotion to show up on his face. He was a little unnerved at seeing her feed from a human being; the thought of Elena as a vampire was weird enough, but actually seeing it was incredibly unsettling. She was innocent and pure. She was human and normal. She wasn't supposed to become one of them. Not like this.

He couldn't shake the thought that it should have been Stefan with her now, by her side, holding her hand. She was supposed to turn to be with him. And yet, Stefan was locked in a tomb with Katherine doing God only knew what, and he was here. Helping her through the process of becoming a vampire. He was by her side, holding her hand and simply being there. He was behaving like a love-struck boyfriend. It wasn't normal. That wasn't what he did. It suddenly occurred to him that he'd have to teach her how to compel people and do things on her own. She was going to be spending a lot of time with him and, whilst he liked the idea, he knew that it was going to be far from easy. If her feelings were all over the place before, they were about to get even more tangled up, as being a vampire meant a heightened sense of everything. Unless she shut her humanity off – but that was something he wouldn't allow to happen.

"You did well," he said, tilting her chin so that she looked directly at him. "I thought you would've put up more of a fight to be honest."

"Disappointed are you?" she asked in a teasing voice that sounded odd given her passive facial expression.

"Not disappointed, impressed."

Elena smiled at the compliment and ran a hand through her hair, still in awe of what she'd done. She looked at her hands and saw them in a new light – as though they weren't her hands anymore. It was the first time she'd done something like that, and she knew it wouldn't be the last. She was no longer a young girl anymore and she had to face up to it.

"It gets easier," Damon said, brushing some blood off of her cheek. She nodded, ignoring the spark that ran through her at his touch. She leaned into his hand and knew that she believed every word that he said. Things would have to get easier; she'd have to adjust to her new life as quickly as possible. The hard part was over…for now.

x-x-x

"I've been so stupid!" Bonnie exclaimed once she'd collapsed unceremoniously onto one of the comfy sofas in the Gilbert's living room. Jeremy sat next to her gingerly, not comfortable with emotional women. When he'd opened the door a few moments ago to the beautiful witch, the last thing he'd expected was for her to push past him into the living room and throw herself towards a couch.

"What's happened?" he asked, taking her hand. She sighed softly and accepted the comfort he was offering her. After she'd gotten over the initial shock of the discovery she'd made, she knew she had to tell someone. So she'd gotten into her car and driven to the first place she could think of, though which of the Gilbert 'siblings' she'd planned on confiding in was not entirely clear to her. Until she'd come up with a plan.

"I should've listened to you," she said quietly, her eyes focussing directly on his. "You were right about Luka."

At the mention of his name, Jeremy immediately sprang alert.

"What's he done?" he demanded, his eyes darkening. Bonnie swallowed hard, not realising just how strong Jeremy's dislike of Luka was. She knew that this would probably make his feelings ten times stronger, but it was the only way he'd agree to help her.

"Earlier today, I went to see him. I wanted to know whether he knew how to destroy the moonstone. He said that he didn't, but that we could figure it out…"

"So that's where you've been," he said in realisation. Bonnie nodded.

"Yeah. Research took us all day, and we performed the spell once it got dark."

"I'm guessing something went wrong…?" Jeremy said, not wanting to highlight the fact that he'd been trying to get hold of her all day. The truth was that he enjoyed hanging out with her, and he'd actually missed her today.

"He lied to me," she said, sighing heavily. "The spell we performed on the moonstone wasn't to destroy it. I don't know what it did exactly, but I was looking through one of Emily's grimoires just now and I know for a fact that the moonstone is very much intact."

Jeremy's eyes were wide in shock and confusion.

"Are you serious?"

"Yup," Bonnie nodded solemnly. "And now he has it."

Jeremy stood up and ran a hand through his already dishevelled hair.

"Oh my God!" he exclaimed. "This is bad, Bonnie! What are we going to do?"

Bonnie bit back a smile at his choice of words; we. That was why she knew Jeremy was the best person to go to. She knew he'd be willing to help her. Now, all she had to do was convince him.

"I have an idea, but it's a little risky."

"Tell me," he said, concerned but happy to finally be included in something.

"I was thinking that we could break into the house and get back the moonstone."

The silence that this met with was deafening.

"What?" Jeremy exclaimed in shock.

"I know it sounds crazy, but-"

"You think!" he interrupted. "We could easily get caught – it's not like it's an average house! Do you even know where it could be?"

"I have an idea! And I know they're out at the moment – we'd be an hour tops!" Bonnie blurted out, trying to get him to see past his obvious fears. "Please, Jeremy, I'm begging you! I know there are a lot of things that could go wrong, but we need that moonstone. Elena's life is on the line…"

Jeremy began to soften and Bonnie knew it was working.

"You know I'm going to do it, right? With or without you."

That was the final push he needed. Bonnie mentally congratulated herself as he turned to her with a defeated expression.

"Ok. Let's do it."

x-x-x

"Drink?"

Elena looked up to see Damon standing by his drink's cabinet, vintage bottle of scotch held in between his hands, tilted towards her as an invitation. She shook her head.

"No thanks."

"Suit yourself," he replied, pouring himself a glass and placing the bottle back in its rightful place. Elena fiddled with a loose thread on the cushion she'd placed in her lap, pulling at it so that it was long enough to twist around her fingers. It had been a long day, and she wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed and go to sleep. But she couldn't do that. Damon had forbidden her from going home as there was no way she'd be able to control herself around humans. The thought of hurting her family in any way was enough to keep her away, but she wasn't happy about it.

"How long before I can go home?" she asked curiously. Damon took a sip of his favourite drink before plastering a fake hurt expression on his face.

"And there was me thinking that you loved it here!"

Elena rolled her eyes.

"That's not what I meant."

Damon nodded, sat next to her and threw his arm around the back of the couch.

"A while. You need to learn how to control the blood lust and that'll take some time."

Elena sighed and nodded heavily.

"Great. So, I'm stuck here with you."

Damon grinned.

"I'm sure we'll find some way to pass the time…" he said as he ran his free hand through her hair. Elena forced herself to pull away from him, but didn't get up from where she was – something that didn't go unnoticed by Damon.

"Where am I going to sleep?" she asked suddenly, the thought popping into her head. She didn't really want to sleep in Stefan's room, given the circumstances, but she'd never slept anywhere else when she'd been there.

"Well my room's available," Damon joked, his grin widening as she shot him an unimpressed look. "Relax; there are plenty of guest rooms. Choose whichever one you want."

Elena nodded thankfully and got up to take a look at them. The moment she'd stood up, she felt the air around her tighten. Damon must have felt it too, because within a second he was up and in front of her protectively. She peeked from around his shoulder and felt her jaw drop.

"Elijah?"

The corners of the Original's lips quirked up as he nodded his greeting.

"Elena, Damon. How nice to see you both."

Damon's eyes darkened.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I was in the neighbourhood," he said as he walked towards them. "Thought I'd stop by and say hello."

"Oh, hello! Now leave."

Elena tried to steady her breathing but couldn't control the fear trickling through her; Elijah's mere presence was enough to send chills down her spine. And Damon's attitude wasn't helping matters at all.

"Not before I've said what I need to say," Elijah said, looking at Elena directly before turning his eyes back to Damon's. "And something tells me that this will be easier without your input."

Before Damon or Elena could blink, Elijah had stepped directly in front of Damon, his eyes focussed on the blue orbs.

"You will go upstairs to your room and leave us alone. You will not come back down and you will not eavesdrop."

Damon nodded, repeated his understanding of the information, and walked out of the living room. Elena watched with a dazed expression, suddenly feeling very alone, and very vulnerable. Elijah had compelled Damon; the one person she was supposed to feel safe with. She'd always imagined him to be invincible, and yet, he'd just been compelled by an Original. Just like that.

She watched as Elijah's brow furrowed in confusion, before his eyes widened.

"You're a vampire."

It was a statement. Not a question.

"H-how do you…"

"I can't hear your heart beat," he stated, his face becoming passive again. "Well, this is unexpected."

Elena couldn't think of anything to say. She was in a severe state of shock and couldn't quite believe what was going on. Luckily for her, Elijah seemed to be in his own world.

"Klaus is not going to be happy when he finds out about this…" he muttered to himself as he began to pace.

"What do you mean?" he asked, her voice hoarse. Elijah turned to look at her.

"You're a vampire now, Elena. That means that you are no longer useful to him. He's not going to be happy."

Elena nodded, understanding the meaning behind his words. Even though one part of the problem was fixed, she had managed to inflate the other half by angering the most powerful vampire of all time. Why couldn't her life be simple?

"What do you want?" Elena asked tiredly, not in the mood for games.

"I want to make a deal with you." Elijah said in a business-like manor. "I know you think that you have no reason to trust me, and I don't blame you, but I'm a man of my word."

Elena eyed him sceptically, unsure of whether he was serious.

"What kind of a deal?"

Elijah smiled wistfully.

"I want Klaus dead, as do you. You are the last Petrova doppelganger, and until Klaus comes to meet us all personally, I need you to stay alive. In return, I promise to protect you and your friends from him."

Elena frowned.

"So, you know how to kill Klaus?"

"I have a hunch," he said in a tone that clearly stated that he wasn't going to tell her anything else.

"Why do you want to kill Klaus?" she asked, not expecting him to tell her. She was right.

"I have my reasons," he said shortly. "So, do we have a deal?"

Elena thought about it and couldn't come up with a concrete reason to not accept. Her gut was telling her to trust him, even though she knew she shouldn't. Damon and Stefan certainly wouldn't be happy.

But they weren't here.

"Ok, but on one condition."

Elijah tilted his head in question.

"I want you to let Stefan and Katherine out of the tomb, and I don't want you to hurt them."

If Elijah was surprised by her request, he covered it well.

"Stefan I can understand, but Katherine?"

"I have my reasons," she replied in the same monotone he'd said the words in. Elijah nodded in bemusement before holding his hand out for her to shake. Elena looked at it before sighing and placing her hand in his.

"I'll see you around," he said before walking to the front door and leaving for the tomb.

So guys, what did you think? xx

NB: Just for the record, I've noticed that a lot of you have been favouriting this story, but haven't been reviewing it, please, if you favoirite it, can you review as well please xx :D

Thanks xx