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So on Stefan’s door

"It’s a woodpecker,"Elena said when she could speak "They knock, don’t they?"

"On doors inside houses?"Stefan said dazedly

"Ignore it and it wil go away"

Aresumed

Elena moaned, "I don’t believe this"

Stefan whispered, "Do you wantyou its head?

Unattached fro continued, she was getting more worried and less confused "Better see if it is a bird, I guess,"she said

Stefan rol ed away fro to the door In spite of herself, Elena pitied whoever was on the other side

The knocking started again

Stefan reached the door and nearly wrenched it off its hinges

"What the - "He stopped, suddenlyhis voice

"Mrs Flowers?"

"Yes,"Mrs Flowers said, deliberately not seeing Elena, earing a sheet and directly in her line of vision

"It’s poor dear Meredith,"Mrs Flowers said "She’s in such a state, and she says she has to see you now, Stefan"

Elena’s mind switched tracks as suddenly and s to see Stefan, even if, as Elena was sure she must have, Mrs Flowers had delicately indicated just howbusy Stefan was at the moment?

Her mind was Stillsolidly linked with Stefan’s He said,

"Thank you, Mrs Flowers I’l be down in just ainto her clothes as fast as she could, while crouching on the far side of the bed, added a telepathic suggestion

"Maybe you could make her a nice cup of tea - I ood idea,"Mrs Flowers said gently "And if you should see Elena, perhaps you could say that dear Meredith is asking for her, too?"

"We wil ,"Stefan said automatical y Then he turned around and hastily shut the door

Elena gave him time to put his shirt and shoes on, and then they both hurried down to the kitchen, where Meredith was not having a nice cup of tea, but pacing around like a caged leopard

Stefan began, "What’s - "

"I’l tel you what’s wrong, Stefan Salvatore! No - you tel me!

You were in my mind before, so you must know You must have been able to see - to tel - about me"

Elena was Stillmindlocked with Stefan She felt his dis out a chair at the kitchen table so Meredith could sit

The very si to respond to civility, seehtly But StillElena could feel her fear and pain like the taste of a steel sword on her tongue

Meredith accepted a hug and became a little caled anile was so visceral and so clear within her that Elena couldn’t bear to leave her, even when Mrs Flowers deposited four s of tea around the table and took another chair Stefan offered

Then Stefan sat down He knew Elena would stand or sit or share a chair with Meredith, but whatever it was, she would be the one to decide

Mrs Floas gently stirring honey into her ave it to Elena who put just the little bit that Meredith liked into Meredith’s ently, too

The ordinary, civilized sounds of two spoons quietly clinking seeave her and sipped, then drank thirstily

Elena could feel Stefan’s h of relief as Meredith floated down another few levels He politely sipped his own tea, which was hot but not burning hot and ood,"Meredith said She was almost a huhter She relaxed enough to pul over her own cup of tea and squeeze lots of honey in and stir it and take a gulp Good! Cal down tea!

That’s chamomile and cucumber, Stefan told her

"Cha down"And then she blushed, for Mrs Flowers’s bright se in it

Elena hastily drank an to feel alht

Meredith was completely Meredith now, not sohtly

There was just one proble than beasts but they could cry Now Meredith, who never wept, was shaking and tears were dripping into the tea

"You knohat ht?"she asked Elena at last

Elena nodded hesitantly "We had it sometimes in stew at your house?"she said "And for tapas?"Elena had grown up with the blood sausage as a meal or a snack at her friend’s house, and she was used to the bite-sized pieces as a delicious food only Mrs SulezShe looked back and forth from him to Meredith

"It turns outat Stefan now "Andested softly And then Elena felt soentle swell that spoke right into the center of Meredith’s brain It said: Just tell it and be caler No fear

But it wasn’t telepathy Meredith felt the thought in her blood and bones, but didn’t hear it with her ears

It was Influence Before Elena could brain her beloved Stefan with herInfluence on one of her friends, Stefan said, just to her, Meredith’s hurting, feeling scared and angry She has reason to, but she needs peace I probably won’t be able to hold her anyway, but I’ll try

Meredith wiped her eyes "It turns out that nothing was like what I thought happened - that night when I was three"She described what her parents had told her, about everything that Klaus had done Tel ing the story, even quietly, was undoing al the cal influences that had helped Meredith ain Before Elena could grab her, she was up and striding around the roohed and said that I’d need blood every week - animal blood - or I’d die I didn’t need much Just a tablespoon or two And my poor mother didn’t want to lose another child She did what he told her to But what happens if I have more blood, Stefan? What happens if I drink yours?"

Stefan was thinking, desperately trying to see if in al his years of experience he’d co like this

Meanwhile he answered the easy part

"If you drank enough of my blood you’d becoht take less So don’t let any vah"

"So I’m not a vampire? Now? Not any kind? Are there different kinds?"

Stefan answered seriously "I’ve never heard of ’different kinds’of vampires in my life, except for Old Ones I can tel you that you don’t have a vampire’s aura What about your teeth? Can you make your canines sharp? Usual y it’s best to test over human flesh Not your own"

Elena promptly stuck out her arm, wrist vein-side up

Meredith, eyes closed in concentration, h Stefan Then Meredith opened her eyes, mouth also open for a dental inspection Elena stared at her canines They looked a little bit sharp, but so did anybody’s, didn’t they?

Careful y Elena reached a fingertip in She touched one of Meredith’s canines

Tiny pinch

Startled, Elena pul ed back She stared at her finger where a very s up