Try {One | Alaric Saltzman}

Lost Girls

It was surprising to see Stefan sitting with his shoulders slumped and his head in his hands. He was infinitely stronger than them, yet he seemed more vulnerable than them combined. And it was only then that she realized then how gentle he had been with her the night before, how his pleas seemed desperate rather than aggressive.

"You said you would explain everything," Elena said gently as they sat down across from him at a table outside of the Grill. "That's why I asked you to meet us here."

"I can tell you whatever you want to know."

"I know you eat garlic," she said. "And, somehow, sunlight's not an issue."

He held up his hand, turning it so that his ring was on display. "We have rings that protect us."

Abigail fired off her memorized list of questions, starting with, "Crucifixes?"

"Decorative."

"Holy water?"

"Drinkable."

"Mirrors?"

"Myth."

Elena leaned forward, willing the conversation down to hushed tones, "You said you don't kill to survive."

"Animal blood keeps me alive, but I am not as strong as Damon. He can be very powerful."

Abigail scoffed. "And yet you let him get involved with Caroline?"

"Forcing Damon not to do something is much more dangerous. Believe me."

"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." He took a deep breath. "If he wanted to kill her, he would have."

Elena pulled her back until she was slumped in her chair. "Is that supposed to make it okay?"

"No, none of this is okay. I know that."

"Are there any others? Aside from you and Damon?"

"Not in Mystic Falls; not anymore."

A whole history; a whole world. One she had never known existed. One she was a part of.

Abigail sat up slowly and deliberately. "Not anymore?"

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

"We can't promise that."

"Please," he sighed. "Give me today. I will answer any questions that you have, and when it's over, you can decide for yourselves what you wanna do with what you know. It'll be your choice."

The only sound that filled the car as Stefan gave them directions into the woods came from tree branches against the car as they got lower and lower. It was father into the woods than they had ever gone. In fact, Abigail was sure the car couldn't make it another few feet. But just as she looked into the rear view mirror at Stefan, they met a clearing.

"What are we doing here?" Elena asked.

Stefan rounded the car. "I want to show you something."

Abigail shuddered. "In the middle of nowhere?"

"This didn't used to be nowhere." With a sense of familiarity, he looked at the ruins which surrounded them. "This used to be my home."

"It looks so..."

"Old? It's because they are."

Elena side stepped in front of him. "Wait, how long have you..."

"I've been seventeen years old since 1864." He gave them a moment, one that was shorter than they needed, as they calculated the number of years that separated them. "You said you wanted to know. I'm not gonna hold anything back. Half a 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 friends. Until Katherine made her way to town."