A Different Transition
Elena was sitting in the living room of the boarding house. She as shaking. She was absolutely starving. She'd never felt such hunger in her entire life, and unlike when she was human, she couldn't simply eat whatever she wanted to sate it. It wasn't even as simple as just drinking blood. She'd tried everything, animal blood, blood bags, even Damon's blood. She couldn't keep any of it down. The only way she seemed to be able to feed was from the vein, and the last time she'd done that, she'd almost killed someone.
The hunger was only one of the ways Elena was having a hard time adjusting to vampirism. Her emotions were going haywire. She'd known that that was what it was like even before she became a vampire, but she still wasn't prepared for it.
Stefan soon came over with a blood bag and tried to hand it to her.
Elena shook her head. She wanted it so badly, but she knew it wouldn't help her. She would feel better for a few minutes, and then she would throw it up. Then she'd be worse off than she was right now. "No. You know I can't."
"You have to try, Elena. You've got to feed," Stefan said.
"It will not help anything if I throw it up," Elena said.
Damon came in at that moment.
Stefan looked at his brother. "She won't take it."
"Why would she? So she can just throw it up later. That seems redundant, doesn't it?" Damon said.
"She has to eat," Stefan said.
"Yeah, but not that way. She needs to drink from the vein," Damon said.
Stefan shook his head. "She'll kill someone, and then she'll never forgive herself."
"Stop talking about me like I'm not here!" Elena yelled in a rage before slamming her hand against the coffee table, breaking it in half in the process. She then got up and crossed the room. She went over to the liquor and poured herself a glass of bourbon. She could hold down blood bags, but she could at least have a drink.
Stefan approached her again. "Elena, please try."
"I said no!" Elena yelled. She dropped her drink and pushed Stefan away from her causing him to fly clear across the room.
Stefan stared at her in shock. He wasn't exactly surprised that she lashed out at him. Her emotions were all over the place, and she was starving. It was to be expected that she might react out of anger. What surprised him was how strong she was. She was weak, and she'd managed to throw a more experienced vampire across the room effortlessly. Something wasn't right.
"I'm sorry, Stefan," Elena cried before running out of the room.
Damon went over and helped his brother up. "Maybe try being less pushy next time."
"She shouldn't have been able to do that, especially in her condition," Stefan said quietly. He didn't want Elena to hear him.
"So she's a bit stronger than expected. I wouldn't say that's bad though," Damon said. If anything, he liked how strong she was.
"It is when you couple it with everything else. She shouldn't be like this. Something's wrong with her," Stefan said. Before walking away.
"Where are you going?" Damon wondered.
"To see Meredith Fell," Stefan said before walking out. He knew it was very unlikely that Doctor Fell could help him, but she had been the one to give Elena vampire blood. He needed to know exactly what she did because something was very wrong.
Xxxxxxxxxxx
Stefan found Doctor Fell exiting a patient's room. He immediately went up to her. "I need to talk to you about Elena."
Meredith nodded and ushered him into an empty patient room. "How is she? Is she adjusting well?"
"No. She can't eat the way she should be able to, and she's stronger than she should be. I need you to tell me exactly what happened when you gave her that blood," Stefan said.
"The same thing that would happen if you fed her your blood. Her injuries healed. I don't know why Elena's having such a hard time. That would be more your territory," Meredith said.
"There has to be something you can tell me. I have never seen a vampire react this way," he said.
Meredith thought for a minute. "Well, I might be able explain her increased strength, but I don't know why she wouldn't be able to feed."
"What is it?" Stefan asked frantically. He would take any answer at this point.
"The blood I gave her might not have been Damon's," Meredith said.
"You had other sources?" Stefan asked.
"One other source."
"Well, what's so special about the other source?" Stefan asked. As far as he knew, all vampire blood was the same. It shouldn't make Elena stronger or affect the way she fed.
"It was the blood of an original vampire," she said.
Stefan's eyes widened. "Please tell me it wasn't Klaus'."
Meredith shook her head. "No, the blood was his brother, Elijah's."
Stefan bolted from the room without another word.
Xxxxxxxxxx
Stefan made it Klaus' mansion within minutes. One of the servants let him in and showed him to the living room, where Klaus was waiting for him. He didn't want to talk to Klaus, but he had to speak to Elijah, and Klaus was the only one that could put him in touch with him. Stefan supposed he could speak to Klaus instead of Elijah, but he didn't trust Klaus. He didn't really trust Elijah either, but he at least believed the older original would be truthful with him.
"Hello, Stefan. You have a lot of nerve showing up here after you and your little friends just tried to kill me. It is mere intrigue that stops me from ripping out your heart," Klaus said.
"Look, I don't want to be here, Klaus, but I have to speak to your brother," Stefan said.
"I can only guess you mean Elijah. I can't imagine what you would have to speak to Kol about. I'm sure you know that Elijah is know that Elijah is no longer with me," Klaus said.
"Yeah, but I know you're in touch with him. You can give me his number," Stefan said.
"No, I don't think so, but I suppose I can call him. Again, pure intrigue stops me from outright refusing you," Klaus said before taking out his phone and dialing his brother.
Stefan sighed and watched Klaus dial. He hadn't wanted to do this with Klaus around, but he would take what he could get. He needed to get Elena help now. She couldn't keep going on the way she was.
"Niklaus. What mess have you managed to get into this time?" Elijah asked on the other end of the phone, sounding annoyed.
"Brother, do you have no faith in me?" Klaus asked with amusement in his voice.
"I have faith in your ability to cause havoc," he said.
"Well, as it turns out, I'm merely the middleman," Klaus said before holding the phone out of Stefan.
Stefan brought the phone to his ear. "Elijah?"
"Stefan? What can I help you with?"
"I need your help. It's Elena. She recently transitioned, and she's having a hard time," Stefan said.
Klaus chuckled. "Why am I not surprised this is about the doppelganger?"
"I'm very sorry to hear that, but I'm unsure of how I can help," Elijah said. The tone in his voice made it clear he was indeed sympathetic.
"It turns out that the blood that sired her may have been yours," Stefan said.
Any amusement Klaus previously had disappeared, and he looked at the younger Salvator intently.
"What you are telling me is not possible. I have not given Elena my blood," Elijah said.
"It's a long story, but a doctor in town somehow got a hold of your blood, and she may have given it to Elena to save her life," Stefan explained.
Elijah was quiet for several moments before speaking again. "Tell me what's wrong?"
"She can't feed the way she should, and I think she's stronger than she should be," Stefan said.
There was another short silence from Elijah. "She can't feed from blood bags, can she?"
"No. What's wrong with her?" Stefan asked. He was finally getting somewhere. Elijah seemed to know what was wrong.
"I will be there by morning," he said.
"No, you don't have to do that. Just tell me what's wrong with Elena and how I can help her," Stefan said. The last thing they needed was another original in town. The two that were already there were more than enough.
"I said, I'll be there in the morning. And, Stefan, this should go without saying, but do not allow Elena to go home to her brother," Elijah instructed before handing up the phone.
Stefan sighed before handing Klaus his phone back and heading out of the room.
Klaus waited long enough to make sure Stefan was gone from his home before dialing Elijah back.
"Niklaus. I trust you are along now," Elijah said.
"Of course, brother. You know what this is, don't you? The girl is a doppelganger with original blood coursing through her," Klaus said.
"I have taken an educated guess. Her inability to eat however she chooses and increased strength proves it," Elijah said.
"I'll go get the girl. She certainly can't be trusted with those two idiots," Klaus said.
"You'll do no such thing! You've already caused that young woman enough damage. I will not have you traumatize her further by being yourself," Elijah said.
"She's probably starving, Elijah," Klaus said. That wouldn't have mattered to him in the past, but things were different now. She wasn't just a doppelganger now, and she wasn't just a garden variety vampire either.
"I know, but the situation needs to be handled with care. I will be there first thing in the morning to handle it. Do nothing, Niklaus," Elijah said in a hard tone that demanded obedience.
"Fine," Klaus said before hanging up the phone.