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.

Stefan nodded and rushed to grabbed a wooden stake and ran to the front door. He yanked it open surprised to see Elena standing there. "What are you?"

Stefan froze, now what was he going to do?

Lexi came up behind him. "Elena…"

Elena stepped back. "What are you?" she repeated.

"Elena, I know you're angry, scared and hurt right now. You have every right to be. But Stefan really needs to go right now. Come inside and I'll explain everything to you." Lexi said calmly.

"No, I want to hear it from him, what are you?" Elena asked glaring at Stefan.

Stefan looked to Lexi who nodded. He sighed and looked to Elena. "I'm a vampire."

Elena didn't move or speak. Stefan wasn't even sure she was breathing.

"Elena, please let me explain myself." Stefan said as he gently reached to take her hands.

"NO! Don't touch me." Elena said pulling away from him.

"I'd never hurt you, Elena. Please believe. I'd never hurt you."

"No, just leave me alone!" Elena said quickly rushing to her car. She jumped in and drove off.

Stefan sighed. Lexi shook her head. "Don't just stand there, go after her. Damon can wait."

"He has your ring."

"SO, it's dark now anyways, I can leave if I want to. But I'd rather stay here with Zac. Go, Stefan, you need to talk to her."

Stefan nodded and quickly left the house. Damon could wait, after all, how much damage could he really do.

He arrived at Elena's house just in time to see her removing her jacket frantically.

"Elena…"

She jumped a mile high and spun around with a gasp. She quickly made a run to the door but he stopped her held the door shut. She whimpered softly clinging to the door tightly and squeezed her eyes shut. Stefan had a feeling she was begging mentally not to be 'eaten'

"Elena, listen to me, please, I'd NEVER hurt you. You're safe with me. I promise."

She turned to face him and the fear in her eyes was crystal clear. "All those animals attacks? The people who died?" she whimpered.

"No, that was Damon."

"Damon?"

"Yes, Damon. I don't feel off people. It's not how I choose to survive. Damon is the only one who feeds on people. I'll explain everything to you, but Elena, please I beg you. Do not tell anyone."

"How can you ask that of me?"

"Because, you knowing this is dangerous, for so many reasons. Hate me as much as you want. But I need you to trust me."

"Go." She whispered so softly Stefan almost didn't hear it. "Go, please just go. If you mean me no harm you'll go."

Stefan wanted to object but he hated all the fear in her eyes. If it would help her to trust him, then he'd leave. "I never wanted this." He whispered and in a flash he was gone.

He called Damon but it didn't go well. Damon threatened Elena and so Stefan decided to stand guard outside Elena's house all night and protect her in case Damon decided to follow through on his attack. Right now, she was most important.

The next morning he was surprised when Elena called to meet him. He called Lexi and asked her to come too to help him explain everything so Elena understood it.

The three of them met outside The Grill.

"You promised you'd explain everything to me. It's why I asked you to meet me. If you Google vampire you get a loud of fiction, what's the truth?"

"I'll tell you everything you want to know."

"I know you eat garlic." She started.

"Yes." Stefan nodded.

"It doesn't affect us." Lexi said. "It might taste differently than it does for you but nothing more than that."

"What about the sunlight? Do you guys not burn?"

They all got quiet as the lady brought over their drinks. When she was gone Stefan answered by holding up his hand. "We have rings to protect us."

Damon had come home and it was a battle to death over Lexi's ring. Thankfully she won, so now Damon was trapped in the house. But Stefan knew he had to get the ring back otherwise more innocent people would die.

"Crucifixes?" Elena asked.

"Decorative." Stefan answered automatically.

"Holy water?"

"Drinkable."

"Mirrors?"

"Myth."

"You said you don't kill to survive?" Elena asked.

"Animal blood keeps me alive, but not as strong as Damon."

"He can be very powerful when he wants to be." Lexi explained further. "I'm the only one strong enough to fight him and win."

"And yet you let him get involved with Caroline?"

Forcing Damon not to do something is much more dangerous, believe me." Lexi said for Stefan.

"He was hurting her!"

"He was feeding on her. He was able to take away her memories of being bitten using a form of mind compulsion. She never knew what was happening to her. If he wanted to kill her, he would have." Stefan defended quickly.

"Is that supposed to make it ok?"

"No. no, none of this is ok, Elena. I know that." Stefan sighed.

"Are there any others, aside from you, Lexi, and Damon?"

"Not in Mystic falls, not anymore."

"Not anymore?"

"There was a time when this town was... Very much aware of vampires, and it didn't end well for anybody. That's why it's important that you don't tell anyone."

"I can't promise that."

Lexi and Stefan shared a look, but then looked back to Elena. "Elena... Give me today. I will answer any questions that you have, and when it's over, you can decide for yourself what you want to do with what you know. It'll be your choice."

Elena sighed but nodded. "Ok."

"Thank you, Elena." Lexi said. "We promise to explain everything to you."

They ended up getting into Elena's car and driving to an unknown location, well unknown to Elena.

They got out of the car and Elena looked hesitant. "You know, I've seen enough horror movies to know how this ends."

Stefan and Lexi laughed. "Relax, we aren't going to hurt you. Plus, this wasn't always the middle of nowhere. A long time ago…this used to be my home." Stefan said.

Elena moved from her car over to where they were. She looked at the old statues. "It looks so…"

"Old? That's because they are."

Elena looked confused. "Wait, how long have you…"

"I've been 17 years old since 1864."

"Oh my…"

"You said you wanted to know. I'm not going to hold anything back. Half century before the boarding house was even built, this was my family's home. Damon and I... We were both born here. The Salvatore brothers, best of friends."

"I'm almost scared to ask but Lexi…how old…"

Lexi chuckled. "Haven't you ever learned it's rude to ask a lady her age."

"Yeah but not when she looks…well like you."

Lexi laughed. "Thanks I think. Let's just say I'm…older than Stefan."

Elena nodded.

"So what happen, you and Damon were best friends, then what?"

"Katherine." Lexi explained. "She played them both against each other, and so till this day they hate each other."

"Till this day? Wait, did you know Katherine in 1864?"

Stefan nodded.

"Damon made it seem like…"

Stefan cut her off. "Damon was trying to make you think that... I was still heartbroken. He saw that I was happy with you, and he wanted to ruin it."

"All because of a girl?"

"She wasn't just any girl…She chose me. I escorted her to the ball at the original Lockwood mansion.

"The first founder's party... Where you signed the registry." Elena said slowly piecing everything together.

"I didn't care that I had gotten something that my brother wanted. I didn't even care if it hurt him. I only knew that I wanted her."

"So he was upset?"

"That's the thing about Damon. He doesn't get mad. He just gets even."

"Which is why we need to give this back to him." Lexi said holding up Damon's ring.

"Is that so he can walk in the day?" Elena asked.

Stefan nodded.

"No, Stefan, don't give it to him."

"I don't have a choice, Elena. If he doesn't get this ring back. When night fall comes he'll go after me and hurt me the one way he knows will hurt me the most."

"How is that?" Elena wondered.

"You." Stefan said 100% serious.

Elena got quiet. She was his biggest weakness. She had thought it would be Lexi or even Zac, but her? Wow he really did love and care very much about it. Maybe…just maybe he was honest when he said he would never hurt her.

They decided to head back so they got back in the car. Suddenly a thought hit Elena. "The mind control... You said Katherine used. Do you ever do that to me?"

Stefan shook his head as Elena drove. "No. That necklace…" he pointed to the chain around her neck. "… it contains an herb called vervain. It protects you from being compelled. I wanted to protect you from Damon's compulsion. But I also wanted to... protect you from me. Elena, you should never take that necklace off... because no matter what happens after today, no matter how you feel about me... You'll know that you were free to make your own choice."

They drive in silence after that. Elena just tried to process everything Stefan said to her. He was 161 years old…Lexi was even older than that. They were both vampires, but Stefan only drank from animals not people. Damon was the murderer, who killed innocent people to survive…She sighed. She still didn't know what to do about Stefan. Did she stay with him or break up with him?

They arrived at Elena's house to chaos.

"What's going on?" Elena asked.

Stefan and Lexi saw the food all over the table, and Vicky was acting weirder than normal and knew what was going on. They went over to Elena.

"Elena, Back up." Stefan said gently pulling her away from Vicky.

Lexi went over to Vicky and looked deep into her eyes. "It's going to be ok, I promise." She whispered gently.

"Jeremy, Matt, take her up to bed, shut the blinds. She's going to be ok."

Once they three of them were gone. Elena spoke to them both.

"You know what's wrong with her?"

"Yeah." Stefan nodded.

"What is it?"

"She's transitioning." Lexi answered.

"Transitioning into what?"

"A vampire…"

"What? How?"

"Damon must have gotten to her last night. She's new. She hasn't completed her transformation yet."

"H-how does she do that?"

"She has to feed on human blood."

"And what if she doesn't?"

"She'll die. She may only have a few hours."

Elena froze. She and Vicky weren't that close. Not since she got Jeremy into drugs after their parents died. But at the end of the day Vicky was her best friend's sister and her brother's crush. If she died both of them would be devastated. She couldn't let that happen. They had to find a way to save her…wait, she had to feed on human blood there were two humans upstairs with her right now. One of them was her brother. She panicked. "She's upstairs with him right now."

"It's ok. She doesn't know what's happening to her yet." Lexi said hoping to calm her down.

"So when is she going to know?" Elena asked still as panicked.

"Right now, she doesn't remember anything. A part of her is still human, but slowly, the deeper she gets into the transition, the memories will start to come back, and then she'll know she has to make the choice." Lexi explained.

Elena inhaled and exhaled deeply. "What can we do?"

They all shared a look. None of them knew what to do at that moment. It worried all of them. Maybe getting together with a vampire wasn't the best choice.

It was quiet for a long time. Then they heard Matt yelling out for Vicki and the door was opened and Vicki was gone. Everyone run out after her. Matt grabbed his truck and drove off in search of his sister.

"I can track her." Stefan said.

"Go." She nodded. Her questions could wait. Vicky had to be found and fast!

Elena sighed and turned to go back inside.

"So, now that he is gone, do you want to talk." Lexi asked. "I know it's a lot to take in."

Elena sighed. "I don't know what to do, Lexi. I honestly don't. I'm so confused."

"Look, The love of my life was human he went through , what I imagine you're going through denial, anger etc. But at the end of the day love really did conquer all."

Elena just sighed. "I'm scared."

"Yeah, but you still called him, you still are giving him a chance to explain himself and tell you everything, after all the chances you've given him, you're still giving him one more because you're crazy about him I get it okay? I mean what's not to love. Listen, take it from someone who's been around a long time when it's real, you can't walk away."

Elena nodded but didn't speak.

"How were you…I mean did you…"

"How was I turned?" Lexi asked.

Elena nodded.

"It wasn't willingly. Nobody willingly becomes a vampire. But um…I was attacked. My mom died from blood loss and my dad was in the hospital. I died too, but when I woke up…"

"You were becoming one of them?"

Lexi nodded. "I couldn't even go see my dying father in the hospital, because I was scared I'd kill him."

"You never got to say goodbye?" Elena gasped.

Lexi nodded with tears in her eyes. "I watched their funerals from afar too scared of being near any humans. I managed to survive it this long. I even helped Stefan through a rough patch in his life. But I still wish I would have been able to say goodbye."

"Me too." Elena whispered softly with tears in her own eyes.

"Give Stefan a chance to tell you his story before you judge him. Remember what I said, nobody becomes a vampire willingly, but also love really can conquer all."

"Thank you."

"I'm just being honest."

Elena nodded softly.

"Look, if you wants to take a break and make up your mind that's ok too. Stefan will understand. But you'll hurt him more with lies. You need to be honest with him."

Elena nodded once more. Maybe taking a break would be a good idea.

The doorbell made her jump. She went over to the door and opened it but then quickly tried to close it, but it was forced open. Lexi vampire sped over to the door, but it was too late. Damon had gotten inside.

"You're scared of me. I'm going to take a guess and say Stefan told you."

"Stay away from me!" Elena demanded.

"Hey, there's no need to be rude. I'm just looking for Stefan. We can cut to the chase if you want. I'm not going to kill you right now. That wouldn't serve my greater agenda. So... Where's Stefan?"

"He's out looking for Vicki." Lexi answered moving Elena behind her.

"Don't look at me with those judgey little eyes. Girl's going to thank me for what I did to her."

"Did you thank Katherine?" Elena glared angrily.

"Mmm. Got the whole life story, huh?"

"I got enough."

"Oh, I doubt that. Tell my brother I'm looking for him. Oh, tip for later, be careful who you invite in the house."

Damon left and Elena let out a shaky breath. She was honestly scared.

"You're ok. He's gone." Lexi said turning to face her. "Elena, I promise you, that no matter what happens between you and Stefan I will always protect you from Damon."

"Thank you." Elena let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. "I really thought he was going to hurt me, or worse…Jeremy."

Lexi shook her head. "I'll never let that happen. I swear on my life, as long as I live I'll never let him hurt you or anyone you love."

They shared a hug and Elena sighed. Lexi had become one of her best friends. If she said goodbye to Stefan would she have to say goodbye to Lexi too?

The door opened and Stefan walked in. Both girls gasped when they saw red on his shirt.

"You're bleeding, are you hurt? What happen?" Elena asked.

"It's nothing it's fine. I healed."

"Where is Vicky?"

Stefan sighed. "I tried to stop her, but she fed and then I lost her."

Elena gasped.

"I'll take care of it. I'll find her, and I will show her that she can live like I do. I will make sure that she does not hurt anybody, Elena. I promise you."

"What do I tell my brother and…and Matt?"

"We'll come up with a story."

"You mean we'll come up with a lie?"

"I'm so sorry." Stefan sighed.

"I gave you today just like you asked. And I understand that you would never do anything to hurt me, and I promise I will keep your secret, but…"

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