AN: Thanks for reading! No twilight in this one (again) but be patient, they will have their time to shine :)

A shout out to Danielle Salvatore :) thank you for being an awesome beta!

And a happy birthday to Mona! One of my two reviewers and my best friend :) She's sixteen now !

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or The Vampire Diaries; It all belongs to Stephenie Meyer and L.J. Smith.

Elena POV

Elena was walking between Meredith and Bonnie while she told them about everything that happened the day before. She left out the part about trapping Stefan in the car so she could look at his face, for obvious reasons.

"I can't believe it. You didn't even have to try! There were no plans A and B like with any other guy, it just happened!" Bonnie was very excited about it, but Elena was still thinking about the fear she'd felt in the car. Meredith was the first to notice.

"Is something wrong, Elena?"

"I don't know, I'm worried about Stefan. Since I got out of the car, I keep thinking something bad is about to happen." She bit her lip, unsure of what to do.

"Call him when we sit down somewhere, so you'll be sure everything's okay." Bonnie offered.

"I will." Elena said, and she felt a bit better.

"So, tell me more about today!"

Elena sighed. "Bonnie, I already told you everything there is to know."

"But I want details!"

And then Elena felt it. Or heard it. She wasn't sure what was going on, the only thing she was certain about was that Stefan was in trouble. She felt him in her head, crying out for help. She immediately stopped walking. "Stefan." She whispered.

"Elena?" Meredith asked.

"It's Stefan, I need to find him!" Elena was panicking. Bonnie and Meredith didn't understand what was going on.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I don't know! I just need to find him, he's in trouble! I know it." She looked around, not sure which way to go, but then abruptly turned and walked into the forest.

"Where are you going? How do you know Stefan is there?" Her friends called after her.

Bonnie and Meredith were trying to keep up, but Elena was running and they fell behind. Elena didn't know how she knew he was there, she just followed her intuition.
And then she saw something a few paces ahead. It was Stefan, and he was lying on the ground. She called out his name while she ran over to him. It scared her when he didn't answer and she fell down on her knees beside him.

She quickly looked at his body and gasped when she saw the wound in his stomach. She held his face in her hands.

"Stefan? Stefan! Wake up! Can you hear me?"

Elena panicked when he didn't move. Why would anyone hurt him like that? She didn't know what to do, but when she looked at his shirt, covered in blood around the wound, she did know what he needed. Blood. Stefan had told her his kind healed faster than humans, especially when they drank human blood. But she could hear Bonnie and Meredith behind her. I can't tell them, she thought, they'd be horrified if they knew.

Her friends were finally close enough to see that there really was something wrong, and they quickly ran over to Elena, who was still holding Stefan's head and saying his name. Bonnie gasped, her eyes wide. Meredith knelt down beside her.

"What happened?" She asked, shock clear in her voice.

"I don't know!" Elena cried, she was blinking away tears.

"I'll call the hospital." Meredith said, while taking her phone. "No!" Elena yelled, and she knocked the phone away. It fell down a bit further, one part of it was laying beside it.

"I'll buy you a new one." Elena said absently.

"Why did you do that? Do you want him to die?" Bonnie yelled. Meredith was staring at Elena, stunned.

"I can't explain right now, but please, trust me. We just can't call an ambulance. Please." She pleaded. "Promise me you'll stay here and help me." Elena looked at her friends anxiously. Her friends looked at her as if she'd lost her mind.

"Okay…" Bonnie said slowly. "But you do know how to help him, right?"

Elena did know of a way, but could she tell them? She didn't know what their reaction would be. Her worrying was interrupted by Meredith, who said: "His hands are tied." Elena looked down and noticed that Stefan's arms were lying underneath him, bend back unnaturally. "You're right. We have to untie them." Elena said, while trying to lift Stefan up. He was too heavy, so Meredith helped her roll him to his side. Elena tried to loosen the knots but they were knotted very tightly.

"We'll have to cut them over. Do you have anything sharp?" Meredith shook her head and looked at Bonnie.

"I saw a bunch of garbage on the way here, leftovers from a campfire, there has to be a broken glass or something like that." Bonnie said, and quickly went looking for it.

"Oh, Stefan." Elena sobbed, looking at him. He looked incredibly pale, and he hadn't moved or made a sound since they got there. Elena knew this was bad. He must have lost a lot of blood if he isn't healing, she thought.

"I did a first-help course this summer, but we never learned to deal with this." Meredith's voice was quiet at the end. "We should really call an ambulance, Elena. I know you don't want to tell us why we can't, but if you don't think of anything else that can help him before we free his hands, I will find a way to call." Meredith said, threateningly."

Elena had to tell them. She knew that. They believed she would be able to help Stefan, just because she said so. If they didn't trust her, they would've called already. Now she had to trust them not to freak out. Elena sighed.

"I know something that will help him." She said, quietly.

"That's what you said to Bonnie. But is it true?"

Elena nodded.

Then they both turned around, Bonnie was back, carefully holding a piece of glass between two fingers. She gave it to Meredith, who was closest Stefan's hands. Elena twisted them so Meredith could cut the rope easier. It took a while, but at last they managed to get Stefan free. Elena turned him on his back again and Meredith took his wrist. She frowned.

"This is not good. I hope you know what to do now, Elena." She said meaningfully.

"Promise me something first." Elena said, "What I'm going to say or do now, stays between the three of us. You can't ever tell anybody about it. Ever." She said fervently. Bonnie and Meredith frowned and nodded wearily.

"Stefan needs to drink blood."

Her voice was so quiet, she didn't think her friends had heard. But when she looked at them, she saw understanding in their eyes. It surprised her. She knew that Bonnie had been reading about things like this since she visited her cousin, but Meredith wasn't interested in these things. She'd always been quiet when an excited Bonnie talked about the creatures of the night.

Bonnie was the first to react. "You mean… he's a…?" Elena didn't say anything, she wanted to hear Bonnie say it. It then somehow seemed less like revealing Stefan's secret.

"A vampire." Meredith almost whispered.

"But he's not like the ones in stories," Elena said quickly, she didn't want them to think bad of him, "He feeds on the blood of animals. But he needs to heal, so I have to give him my blood."

Bonnie nodded, "I think I read about that once." She said, not seeming repulsed at all. Elena was relieved about that and looked at Meredith, as if she was asking permission.

"You have to do it now. We'll talk about everything later." Meredith said quietly. Elena scooted over to Stefan's head and put it in her lap. She didn't want to admit it, but she was scared. But after one look at Stefan, she resolutely picked up the sliver of glass they'd used to cut the rope. She knew it was dirty, but there wasn't anything else she could use now. She clenched her jaw and quickly slid it over her palm. The gash wasn't long, but deeper than Elena intended. She gasped and her hand trembled. Blood welled up immediately and she held it above Stefan's mouth. The blood dripped down on his lips and Elena watched him anxiously. Relieved, she saw his lips tremble.

"Stefan? Can you hear me?"

He grunted and swallowed. Elena touched his lips with her palm and his eyes started to flutter.

"He's coming around!" Bonnie said happily. Stefan licked his lips and looked up. His eyes focused on Elena. "You heard me? And you came?" He said hoarsely.

"Of course I came." She said softly. "Now drink, you have to get better."

"The branch… Wood… Inside me." He managed to say, then his eyelids drooped again.

"What does that mean?" Meredith frowned, Elena didn't know either.

"It's his stomach," Bonnie realized. "Someone hurt him with a branch, wood is one of the only things that can kill a vampire, and he can't heal if it's still inside his body."

Elena and Meredith looked at her in stunned silence.

"What? I read a lot about it." Then she looked at Stefan.

"Someone has to take it out." Meredith said.

Elena grimaced and Bonnie looked at Meredith pleadingly.

"Okay fine, I'll do it." Meredith said, looking at the branch. "It will bleed more when it's out." She warned.

"That's okay, he'll heal faster, too." Elena said, her hand was still bleeding, but she tried to keep the blood from dripping out of her palm, she didn't want to waste it.

"Okay, here we go." Meredith said, and she pulled at the branch carefully.

It moved a little, and Stefan groaned. "I'm sorry Stefan, I'll try to be fast." Meredith said. Elena caressed his face to distract him. It didn't help much, Meredith pulled the bough out in one motion, and Stefan cried out. He was still weak and his cry sounded more like a whimper. Now Elena brought her hand back to his mouth and let the blood drip into it. He didn't react. "Stefan, come on. This will help." She saw his lips move as he tasted the blood on them. He surprised her by shaking his head. Elena sighed, she hadn't known him for a long time, but she'd felt enough self-hatred from him to guess where this reaction came from.

"This isn't the time to discuss your morals! I can't go and catch a rabbit for you! Please, do it for me!" She pressed her hand against his mouth, but he stubbornly closed it. "Stefan, you're hurting! I can't bear to see you like this, please!" Elena was almost yelling at him, she was desperate.

"Stefan, just do it. If it makes you better, there's no reason you shouldn't. You're worrying Elena."

Startled, Elena turned around. It was Meredith who had spoken, calm as always. Stefan licked his lips, and Elena let out a relieved sigh. She brought her hand to his mouth again and smiled when he didn't resist. She felt his canines extend and they pressed in the skin next to the gash. The veins under his eyes were barely visible. It was a weird feeling, not unpleasant, very intimate. And she understood why people gave their blood willingly. It made her feel connected to him in a whole new way, she tried to imagine how it would be if it was her neck, not her palm. She saw Stefan getting stronger, his eyes fluttered open and with some effort, he lifted his hand to press hers harder against his mouth. Elena smiled.

After some time, he slowly sat up, not letting go of her hand. A few moments later, he stopped and released it. His teeth retracted and his eyes turned back to normal. Elena didn't think her friends had seen any of the changes in Stefan's face.

"This is enough." He said. His voice was still weak and he looked extremely pale.

"Are you sure?" Elena asked, she didn't want him to stop because of her.

"I'm healed, see?" He lifted his shirt and beneath the blood, she could see there was new skin, the wound was already gone.

She felt relief well up inside and threw her arms around him. "Oh Stefan! I was so worried! I'm so glad you're okay!"

He smiled weakly. "Thank you. For everything." He said, and then turned to Bonnie and Meredith. "I'm sorry you had to see that." He said, and hung his head.

Bonnie was smiling nervously and didn't know what to say.

Meredith said, "Who did this to you?"

Elena turned to Stefan, she'd forgotten about that. All she'd cared about was to make Stefan better, but now she wanted to know, too. How could anyone do that to him? She wanted to hurt the one who did this, she wanted to make him pay. She would never forget how she'd found Stefan, he'd looked horrible. And she could see he was still in pain.

"It was Damon."

"Your brother?" Elena was shocked.

"You have a brother?" Bonnie asked. And Elena thought she sounded way too excited.

"Damon isn't like Stefan, Bonnie." She said, trying to convey a warning with her eyes.

"Elena's right. He's dangerous." Stefan said, grimacing while propping himself up on his elbows.

"So why did he do this? What happened" Elena asked.

"I'd been feeling a presence in the woods, and I wanted to know who it was. I saw Damon watching the three of you on the road. I told him to stay away from you, to move to a different place. He wanted to make sure I knew I couldn't command him. He threatened to look for Bonnie and Meredith." Stefan's voice got quiet near the end.

"He wants to hurt them?" Elena panicked.

Stefan laughed without humour. "No, hurting girls is not his style. He'd compel you."

"And take our blood?" Bonnie asked, her eyes wide. "Does it hurt when he does that?"

"It won't come to that." Elena said, determined. "Don't let anyone in your house you don't know. He can't get in if he's not invited in. Right, Stefan?"

He nodded. "You'll have to be careful when you're alone somewhere."

Meredith nodded "We will."

But then Elena thought of something, "Can't he compel you so you let him in?"

Stefan looked alarmed and Elena took that as a 'yes'.

"That doesn't matter," Bonnie said, "I learned a lot about herbs and stuff, vervain would protect us from him. I'll give you some of it."

"You have vervain?" Stefan asked, looking at Bonnie with wide eyes. Bonnie blushed and looked down, "I got it from my cousin. And actually, I'm still starving. I don't want to be rude or anything, but can we go and eat somewhere?" Bonnie asked, trying to change the subject.

Elena laughed, she was still worried about Damon, but the relief she felt now that she knew her friends would be protected and Stefan was okay made her giddy. "Let's go, can you walk?" She asked Stefan. He hesitated but slowly stood up. "I'm okay." He smiled, and the four of them walked back to the road.

Damon POV

Damon was watching the girls and that lame excuse of a vampire walk between the trees. He laughed at how weak his little brother was, there he was, sitting in tree, a couple of branches high, not even trying to hide his presence, and yet that boy had no idea. He'd seen 'operation rescue-Stefan' from nearby and couldn't help but be amused by the little redhead.

Oh, he'd noticed Elena, seen her beauty. But she was nothing to him. She was nothing like Katherine, she was strong. And at the moment, he wanted to play with someone sweet and defenceless. His preferences changed sometimes, and he wasn't in the mood for Elena. Besides, his brother would act really annoying and even though Damon found it relieving and fun to kick him down from time to time, he was bored with him now.

And the other one, Meredith, didn't look like someone he'd have fun with. But this little witch, now she was something entirely different. He'd swear she'd sounded enthusiastic when she heard about him, and that was after she knew he'd pricked his brother to the ground. She must've been so disappointed, Damon thought, after learning about vampires for a whole summer, you finally get to see one and then it's Stefan. Now that's what they call an anti-climax. Poor little bird, he should show her what real vampires look like. He flashed a smile, that was exactly what he would be doing tonight.

Elena POV

Elena, Bonnie and Meredith sat down on a bench next to the sandwich bar. Stefan had left when they passed his car, he was still weak and wanted to go home.

"So, I guess you left out a few details when you told us all about Stefan." Bonnie said.

"Just a few. Wasn't there something you wanted to tell me about?" Elena said, changing the subject.

"Oh, right! We found some information on your feeling thingy."

"I knew that already, tell me what you found."

"Right, we think it may be some kind of aura."

"Huh?"

"That's what I said, too." Meredith said.

"You know I've been reading about weird stuff."

"Like vampires."

"Exactly. And when you told me about your feeling, I remembered some things about aura's."

"Bonnie called me and told me what she knew. I wasn't convinced at first, but when I looked it up on the internet, it seemed the most plausible explanation." Meredith shrugged.

"Okay, so tell me about it." Elena was getting impatient.

"Well, it said that everyone has an aura, a bit like a bubble that surrounds you, but no one can see them, except for some animals and mythical creatures."

"And me." Elena said.

"Right, some people have the power to see them." Bonnie said, sounding very excited.

"But I don't see anything, I just feel things." Elena frowned.

"I already thought about that. When peoples aura's touch or cross for the first time, they can feel something about the other person, sometimes. Which isn't very weird if you think it through for a minute."

"It's not?"

"Of course not! You know when you meet someone and you just really don't like him? Your intuition? It's the same thing, only you have it a lot stronger."

"Okay… I think I know what you mean." Elena said.

"There's an other thing I found," Meredith said. "Remember when you got near the school?"

"Yes?"

"Well, it seems that buildings have something like an aura, too. Not the building on it's own, but when there are a lot of people inside, a kind of mixture hovers around the building."

"That would definitely explain what I felt." Elena said, feeling better each moment. She still thought her new sense was weird, but at least it could be explained.

"This is awesome, Elena! You're talented!"

"Huh, I wouldn't call it that. But I'm glad I know more about it. Thanks." She smiled at her friends.

"No problem." Bonnie grinned and she reached out to hug Elena. Then she realized that vegetables were falling out of the bottom of her sandwich and mayonnaise was dripping on her clothes. "Oh, crap!" She yelled, and tried to wipe it away with her napkin. It only left a bigger smudge. Elena and Meredith were laughing at Bonnie, who was still struggling to get her sandwich back together and clean her clothes.

"I could use some help, you know." She grumbled. Elena and Meredith tried to stop laughing and helped Bonnie out.

"Because the two of you are so helpful and kind, I'll give you both some Vervain when we get home." She said.

Elena got quiet. "Are you sure it will work?"

"I'm sure. You can wear it in your clothes, or drink it as a thee. As long as you keep it close, it will work."

"How dangerous is this, Elena?" Meredith asked, looking serious. "I don't really know. Stefan told me about everything only today. But from what I know, you should be very careful. Stefan lives on animals, Damon doesn't and has a lot more power."

"Do you think he'd hurt us?"

"I really don't know, Meredith."

"Do you think he looks like Stefan?" Bonnie asked Elena, looking innocent.

"I can't believe you can even think about that now!" Elena said, feeling frustrated.

"I just thought that if he looks like Stefan, maybe we would recognize him if we saw him."

Elena raised an eyebrow sceptically.

"I don't think that's what Bonnie's worried about, but she does have a point." Meredith said.

"True, but I don't know. I'll ask Stefan, okay?"

Her friends nodded.

Elena realized she didn't really know anything about vampires. Stefan had told her a lot that morning, but it seemed there was even more that she didn't know. It made her feel uneasy in her stomach. She wanted her friends to be safe, and how could they be careful when they didn't know what to look out for?

AN: That was chapter 6; I hope you liked it! Please review :)