Always Getting Over You | The Vampire Diaries

Growing Pains

3rd Person POV:

The sound of church bells, sirens and people vaguely speaking from far away filled the silence and Elena Gilbert gasped a large breath of air as her dark eyes popped open widely. Her gaze swept around the room in surprise as she recognised her own bedroom until she finally stopped on the familiar silhouette sitting on the end of her bed.

"Stefan?" She asked in confusion as she tried to sitting up straighter on her pillows and his head snapped around in surprise at the sound of her voice.

"Hey. I'm right here. You've been in and out for hours." Stefan explained in an exhausted voice as he stood up from the bed to sit down next to her and she immediately clasped his hand in hers for comfort.

"Wh-what happened?" Elena asked him as tears sprung to her dark brown eyes as she felt fear grip her heart and Stefan frowned at her in sympathy before looking down at the bedspread in shame.

"You were in an accident."

"Oh my God. Matt is he...?" she asked in a panic as she sat up straighter on the bed and tightened her grip on his hand as hot tears filled her eyes.

"Alive?" a familiar voice interrupted her from the other side of the room and Elena turned her head in surprise to see Damon Salvatore sitting on the window seat across the room from the bed. "Ask Stefan. The hero."

"He's fine." Stefan assured her in a tired voice as he squeezed her hand to get her attention and she looked back at him with gratitude in her eyes as she sighed in relief.

"Thank you. I thought that I - how did you...?" she stuttered unsurely as she shook her head slightly in confusion and Stefan looked away from her shining dark brown eyes because he was feeling ashamed that his actions lead to this.

"Save you? He didn't. When Jeremy brought you to the hospital before all this happened, your injuries were worse than anyone knew. Meredith Fell made a choice, she used my blood to heal you. And when Rebekah ran Matt's truck off the road, you had vampire blood in your system, Elena." Damon informed her in a hard voice because he didn't want anyone to see how much this was killing him to watch the woman he loved suffer.

"Oh my God. Does - does that mean that I - am I dead?" Elena asked in a panic as tears fell from her eyes unashamedly as she rocked slightly back and forth while the Salvatore's watched her helplessly. She covered her face with her hands as tears poured out of her eyes and Stefan stared at her powerless to help her at the moment. "No, no, no, no! That wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Maybe it doesn't have to. I talked to Bonnie, she says she's stronger than ever, there might be something that she can do to help you." Stefan told her slowly as he gripped her shoulder to stop her from rocking and Elena peeked at him from in between her fingers with a hopeful gleam in her dark eyes.

"No, the only thing that's going to help is for you to feed and complete the transition." Damon argued sternly as he glanced at Elena before glaring at his younger brother heatedly and Stefan shook his head in denial as he looked over at his brother.

"We have all day before she has to feed, Damon. That's a day to exhaust every possible way out of this."

"There is no way out of it. We all know the drill. You feed or you die. There is no door number three." Damon snapped at him as he stood up from his lazed position on the window seat and Elena let her hands fall on to the bed as she stopped sobbing to look at the brothers.

"I was ready to die. I was supposed to die. I don't - I don't want to be - I can't be a vampire! If there's something that Bonnie can do we have to try." She said determinedly grabbed hold of Stefan's hand in hers and the younger Salvatore glanced down in surprise before a wave of guilt filled him because he was going to have to tell Elena about him and Rhea as soon as possible as well.