[Thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming! I've updated the previous chapters to fix the paragraph breaks.] - Rubaiyat

Chapter 5

"Yeah, I've got her." Damon said into the phone. "See you back home? No Stefan, the hospital's too dangerous. She needs somewhere secure to get used to being a vampire. Best keep her somewhere we can keep an eye on her." He rolled his eyes when he heard Stefan's reply. "Fine, where you can keep an eye on her. No, I haven't asked her yet. We'll deal with that later. Yeah, I'll be there in a minute." He hung up.

"I can hear you." I called at him. He was standing next to his car about twenty metres away.

"I know." He replied. "Guess I can't whisper around you anymore."

"Did you do that often before I turned?"

"All the time. Now come, we have to meet Stefan back at the Boarding House."

"What about Katherine?"

"Help me load her into the back, won't you? We can't just leave her here."

"Why?" I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I've run out of cover stories relating to dead women with stakes through their hearts lying in cemeteries."

"That's the real reason?"

"Paranoid, aren't we?" He tilted his head slightly and gave me an odd look. "Look, Elena. The councils still on high alert after the whole Alaric saga. Caution never killed anyone."

"I...fine." I relented. Damon had a point. How could I be jealous of a dead girl anyway?

Jealous? Because Damon's trying to hide Katherine's body? I'm a fool.

"Let's get a move on then." Damon said, and we loaded Katherine into the back of his car.

Before long we were driving towards the Boarding House. Damon seemed distracted. He kept throwing me sidelong glances when he thought I wasn't looking. Eventually, I couldn't stand it anymore.

"Are you okay Damon?"

"Huh? Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Stop staring at me."

"Don't flatter yourself Elena." He smirked.

"Is it about Katherine?" His smile only widened.

"Katherine? God no. She's finally dead. I don't have to worry about her ever again."

"Then what is it?" He hesitated, but after a moment replied.

"I promised Stefan I'd wait until we got home before I asked you."

"Ask me what?"

"Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"I heard you perfectly Damon. Ask me what?"

"Stefan-"

"Why's it so important that Stefan be there?" I said rather hotly. For some reason Damon's evasiveness was grating on my patience.

"Elena...do you want me to leave Mystic Falls?"

"What?"

"Before you went off the bridge, Stefan and I promised each other that whoever you didn't choose would leave town. Now that you chose him, Stefan wants me gone."

"But why? Is he scared I'll change my mind?"

"I don't know what he's scared of, but when you turned...everything changed. I couldn't just leave you like this."

"I don't understand, Damon. I thought you and Stefan were getting along at last. He gave himself up to Klaus for you and you rescued him back. Why is he trying to get rid of you?"

"Because he knows how I feel about you Elena, and he doesn't trust me."

"So you're leaving? After everything we've been through you'll just pack up and go?"

"We agreed that we'd let you decide. If you want me out of Mystic Falls, I'll leave. I go without hesitation. But if you want me to stay, well then Stefan-" He stopped abruptly as we arrived outside the Salvatore home to see Stefan waiting outside for us. Damon avoided my gaze as we got out the car.

"Is she really dead?" Stefan asked.

"As a plank." Damon smirked as he opened up the back to reveal Katherine.

"You're positive?"

"Yes, Stefan, we're positive." I snapped, before walking inside without them.

"What happened, Damon." I heard Stefan ask suspiciously.

"I can hear you!" I shouted at the top of my lungs from the entrance hall.

Stefan and Damon walked into the house with an awkward silence hanging in the air. Neither would look at the other.

"I'll just go down to the basement and burn this while you two lovebirds..." Damon said, throwing Katherine over his shoulder. He disappeared down the stairs leaving Stefan and me alone.

"Are you alright, Elena?" He asked after a moment of silence.

I'm a murderous vampire with no control over myself.

"I...I'm fine Stefan."

"What happened in the cemetery?"

"Katherine found me and...explained a few things. It turns out she orchestrated my transition from the very beginning. It was her blood Meredith gave me. She convinced Rebekah to try kill me and she put the janitor outside my room. It's all her fault. She did this!"

"It's okay, Elena. She's dead. She can't hurt you any more."

"It's too late! She's already-" I stopped, trying to rein in my emotions. Remembering what Damon said in the hospital, I took a deep breath and tried to relax.

"Here." Stefan handed me a glass of scotch. "It helps calm the nerves and help with the hunger." I took it gratefully. It was powerful, and burned my throat, but did indeed help.

"And Damon?"

"Hmm?"

"How did he react to her death?"

"He was the one who killed her."

"Damon killed her?"

"He saved me." I said simply. Jealousy flickered across his features.

"Did...he say anything else?" He asked. "About Katherine I mean." He added quickly.

Paranoid, Stefan? I thought. Remembering that Damon wasn't supposed to tell me about him possibly leaving, I decided to leave out our conversation in the car.

"Say anything? No. Just his usual smugness." Stefan relaxed, and poured himself a drink. After taking a sip, he said,

"Elena, there's something I need to speak to you about."

"Yes?"

"It's about Damon."

He's going to bring it up without Damon being here?

"Yes Stefan?"

"We had an arrangement before you were turned. If you chose him, I promised to leave town. He made the same promise if you chose me."

He's going behind his brother's back!

"So?"

"When you turned...Damon decided he couldn't leave. He thought you needed his help getting through this. We agreed that we'd let you decide whether-" Stefan stopped as we heard footsteps coming back up the stairs. I could smell the smoke on Damon as he entered the room.

"I hope you've forgiven and forgotten Elena's little escapade, Stefan." He said, flashing me a quick smile.

"Of course." Stefan replied smoothly.

"Excellent. Now we can get down to business teaching Elena the right way to be a vampire."

"I think we'd better tell her about our arrangement now, Damon." Damon's smile vanished and he shot me a look.

"I...had better fix myself a drink then."

"Elena," Stefan said, staring at me with a look that said act normal, don't tell him you already know. This is our little secret. Send Damon away, please send him away.

I couldn't take it anymore. Stefan was treating me like his accomplice in ridding Mystic Falls of Damon.

"I already knew, Stefan." I said, standing and putting my scotch down.

"Wha-" He was speechless. Immediately he looked accusingly at Damon.

"Brother, I'm sorry. It was-"

"I forced him to tell me." I interrupted. "He told me, but it was against his will. He didn't want to go behind your back like you did."

"What?" Damon looked at Stefan in confusion.

"He started telling me the moment you left." I said accusingly. I was angry at Stefan. How could he be so selfish? "You were both getting on perfectly! And now look, backstabbing and jealousy!"

"Elena-" Stefan started.

"Don't talk to me Stefan! I don't want to hear it!"

"Calm down Elena, you'll-" Damon said.

"I don't care Damon! I don't care!" Fuming, I started towards the door.

"Elena don't." Stefan said worriedly. "There are people out there. You haven't learnt to control the urges."

"I'm going home, Stefan. I want to see Jeremy."