𝐒𝐀𝐅𝐄𝐓𝐘 𝐍𝐄𝐓, ᵗʰᵉ ᵛᵃᵐᵖⁱʳᵉ ᵈⁱᵃʳⁱᵉˢ

𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘢𝘯 + 𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯

𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐱

phoebe, elena, and stefan walked back to the car in silence.

as elena got into the car on the left backside, stefan walked phoebe to the driver side, opening the door for her.

the girl smiled slightly at him, in thanks, before getting ready to get in, but paused and turned back to him as he stood in front of her,''the mind control...you said katherine used''.

stefan nodded, for her go on.

''do you ever do that to elena? or me?'' she asked, needing to know, wondering if her friendship with stefan was fake.

just a compelled vision in her head or worse, what if elena's relationship with him was fake as well?

''no" stefan almost answered immediately,''that necklace'' he pointed to the rose gold locket around phoebe's neck, making her also look down at it,''i gave one to elena also. they both contain an herb called vervain. it protects you both from being compelled''.

phoebe titled her head a little at his meaning.

''i wanted to protect you and elena from damon's influence. but i also wanted to...protect you two from me'' stefan commented after.

the teen shook her head, giving him a look that said she knows he'll never do anything to hurt her intentionally.

''phoebe, you should never take that necklace off...'' stefan spoke to her directly,''because no matter what happens after today, no matter how you see me...you'll know that you were free to make your own choice'' he assured her, earning a grateful nod from her, before he left to get in the car, leaving phoebe there to think for a couple seconds.

~~~~~~~~~~

at the gilbert residence, elena, phoebe, and stefan walked in hearing a commotion coming from the family room.

the three recognized the voices of matt, jeremy, and vicki.

''what's going on?" elena questioned as soon as they walked in the room.

phoebe stood next to her, awaiting an answer also, looking between the three.

''she's really messed up'' matt answered, referring to his sister.

stefan, having realized what's going on, stepped forward, gently pulling elena and phoebe back from in front of vicki,''phoebe, elena, back up'' he then placed a hand on vicki's cheek, trying to keep her calm,''vicki, look at me. focus. you're gonna be fine. everything's gonna be fine''.

vicki seemed to calm down at stefan's words as he turned to matt and jeremy,"guys, take her up to bed. shut the blinds. she's gonna be fine, okay. come on. come on''.

stefan let matt and jeremy take vicki upstairs.

phoebe rubbed a hand on her forehead, trying to calm her nerves before stefan walked back to her and elena.

''you know what's wrong with her?'' elena questioned, actually not surprised he would know.

''yeah'' stefan responded.

"what is it?'' phoebe asked this time, looking to stefan.

stefan stepped closer to them in a hushed whisper,''she's transitioning''.

''transitioning to what?'' phoebe questioned, clearly not following where stefan was going with this.

''a vampire'' he confirmed, earning a look of disbelief from both phoebe and elena.

''what?'' the dawson girl asked softly, with a look of devastation on her face.

''damon must have gotten to her. she's new. she hasn't completed her transformation yet'' stefan assured them.

''h-how does she do that?'' elena questioned, not wanting to believe that the vicki donovan she knew basically all her life was transitioning into a vampire.

stefan was 100 % hesitating from answering the question, knowing it would only worry the girls more,"she has to feed on human blood''.

worried looks turned into terrifying ones at the news elena and phoebe just received.

''and what if she doesn't?'' phoebe asked fearing she already knows the answer.

stefan was even more hesitant to answer that question,''she'll die''.

terrified looks then turned into sad ones for vicki's options for the situation she's in right now.

~~~~~~~~~~~

''she may only have three hours'' stefan stated as elena paced back and forth in the kitchen.

"she's upstairs with him right now'' the brunette referred to her younger brother, jeremy, worried about his safety.

''it's okay. she doesn't know what's happening to her yet'' stefan tried to assure the gilbert girl that she shouldn't worry.

''so when is she going to know?'' elena questioned, waking past stefan, running a hand through her hair.

''right now, she doesn't remember anything. a part of her is still human, but slowly, the deeper she gets in the transition, the memories will start to come back, and then she'll know she has to make the choice''he explained to the girls.

phoebe held her head in her hands with her elbows on the counter top, thinking everything over like she had done so many times today.

elena perked up at that, turning to him,''the same choice you made?"

phoebe raised her head from her hands to look over at the two, releasing a quiet sigh.

elena shook her head from not getting an answer and walked out of the kitchen, frustrated and exhausted.

~~~~~~~~~~

''vick! vick!'' the sound of matt's alert and panicked voice caught the attention of elena, stefan, and phoebe from the kitchen, making their way outside, along with jeremy.

''she was fine, and then she just—she just freaked out'' the teen explained to them, seeing vicki nowhere in sight.

''i'm gonna go look for her. call me if you hear anything'' matt told the others before running to his truck.

stefan leaned into phoebe's to whisper,"i can track her''.

phoebe nodded,''go".

she just really wanted vicki to be okay and for no one to get hurt.

stefan went to find vicki as did matt.

let's just say their methods were a little different.

elena and phoebe looked out in the distant, really hoping vicki hasn't hurt anyone already.