a/n: okay, this has been in my mind since I started writing and the last couple of days it's been all I can think about. Apparently, Damon and Elena want this version of their lives told more than anything at the moment. So here's some things you need to know about this story:

Yes, it is a crossover. No, it's not a typical one. I'm using bits and pieces of the True Blood universe, but none of the characters will make an appearance. All I wanted was a few things from the series, but the majority of it will be TVD.

Vampires are out in the open, but they look and act just as normal humans. They can go out in the sun with an amulet/ring/whatever. Vervain is their weakness. There is no synthetic blood. Instead, they are able to exist by having "donors" or groupies that give their blood willingly in exchange for money, sex, etc. I'm not really going to get into that though. I'm kind of overlapping things as I go, so if you have any questions or want me to clarify something, let me know.

I am taking how Damon and Stefan turned from the book universe. For those of you who haven't read it/don't know, don't worry, I'll include it in one of the chapters. As far as Katherine's concerned, I haven't made up my mind on whether or not she'll be dead, but it won't really matter because she won't be making an appearance.

This is going to be a short fic. I have it outlined to six chapters and it probably won't be any more than that so the pace is going to be a bit faster than usual.

ONE

Elena stood outside of her boyfriend's apartment. They had exchanged keys a few days ago and yet she felt strange using it to just walk into his home. They hadn't been together for more than a few months and this was the farthest she had gotten in any relationship. It was a symbol of how she was maturing. As she held the metal object in her hand, she went back and forth about whether or not she should just use the damn key or look like a fool and ring the door bell. Then again, she could always say she left the key at home. She laughed at that; Stefan would see right through her. He always knew when she was lying. Stefan Salvatore was definitely not a normal boyfriend.

He was a vampire.

It had taken Elena a little bit to adjust to this, although it wasn't as hard as she thought it would be. That was due to the fact that up until a few years ago vampires were a thing of horror stories. Now they were a part of reality. Knowing that they were out there and integrating in society as normal people made it easier to be in a relationship with one. They weren't as scary as she'd once thought. They weren't the things that nightmares were made of. At least not all of them were. There was still a good portion of the vampire population that went out on killing sprees and ignored the laws, but for the most part, they lived their undead lives as if they were human.

That was how she had met Stefan. They met at the coffee shop where she worked. He was there at the same time every day. Eventually, she got the nerve to give him her number and ask him out on a date. He didn't answer right away. Later, she found out it was because he thought she was one of the vampire groupies that had surfaced once vampires had gone mainstream. Until that moment, Elena hadn't even noticed that he was one of the undead. Not long after that, they began their relationship.

Elena sighed after reliving the past few months and looked at the key again. Making a snap decision, she put it in the lock and opened the door. There, she was rewarded with the sight of Stefan pacing the living room. "Stefan?" she called out softly as she nudged the door shut.

He looked up at her, surprised he hadn't heard her come in. "You're early."

She nodded. "Class got out early," she answered and tilted her head to the side. "Are you okay?" she asked, sensing that something was bothering him.

"I'm fine," he assured her.

Elena crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. For as good as he was at being able to detect her lies, she was equally as good at detecting his. "Want to try that again?" she asked, her eyes daring him to lie to her again.

Stefan sighed and raked a hand through his hair. He met her gaze and smirked just a little. Once he broke eye contact, he bent to pick up the letter on the coffee table. "I just got this in the mail."

"What is it?" she asked, coming to stand closer to him.

"It's a letter from-" he stopped short as he debated the best way to convey the information.

"From...?" she prompted after his hesitation had bordered on a minute.

"Alright," he said and put the letter back down on the coffee table. He sat on the couch and patted the cushion next to him. "Before I tell you what that's about, there's something else I have to tell you."

"Okay." Slowly, she moved to sit beside him, her mind going over a hundred and one things he would have to tell her. From the way he was acting, she had a feeling that whatever it was, it wasn't good.

He smiled at her, sensing her worry. He reached for her hand and took it in his, giving it a light squeeze. "It's nothing bad, it's just more about my..." he paused, searching for the right word. "People, I guess."

"So this is about vampires?"

He nodded. "There's more to us and our world than we let on to the public. They wanted humans to know that we exist, but they didn't want them to know the full details."

Elena let out a breath of relief. From the sound of things, this wasn't going to as bad a conversation as she thought. "What, do you guys have kings and queens?" she asked in a teasing manner. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened in shock as he just stared at her, silently giving her an answer. "Oh my god, I was kidding."

"I know you were."

Elena shook her head. "Really? Kings and queens? How does that work?"

"It's different in every country. Some have regional kings, others have one for the entire country. The United States has one for every state. They don't do things by human standards, but its our government. It's been established far longer than any other government in history. In fact, humans actually got the idea of government from us," Stefan informed her. He shook his head and continued. "Either way, to pledge yourself to any one king or queen means exactly that. You're their subject until you either change fealty or die."

"Can you be loyal to one and live somewhere else?"

Stefan nodded. "Yes, but you have to notify the right people. If you're found living outside your fealty, you can be tried for treason by your sovereign and trespassing by the other."

"That sounds complicated," she said with a frown.

He grinned and shrugged. "It can be. There are a lot of rules and intricate details, but once you know the basics, the rest is easy."

"Sure."

Stefan let go of her hand and reached out to pick up the letter again. "I'll tell you more about everything later," he promised and handed the letter to her. "This came in the mail today. It's from Virginia's king, the one I owe my fealty to."

Elena skimmed the letter. Most of it was formality, informing Stefan that the king had requested his presence immediately. All Elena could make of it was that Stefan was needed for some sort of errand. It wasn't until she got to the end that surprise got the better of her. The king's signature with a printed name underneath had startled her. Damon Salvatore it read. Her eyes lifted to Stefan's and he nodded.

"Yes, the King of Virginia is my brother."

For a moment, Elena couldn't seem to speak. Her thoughts were jumbled as she tried to say too many things at once. "Y-you have a brother?"

Stefan nodded again.

"Wow. I didn't think that was possible. I've never heard of vampire relatives."

"It is very rare."

Elena put her hands over her heart and smiled at him. "I can't even imagine how close you two must have been to turn and be together forever."

Stefan gave a hard stare, one that let Elena see the pain and betrayal in his eyes. "We didn't turn for each other. The one thing Damon and I are not is close. In fact, we're far from it." He stood up and plucked the letter from her hands. "I should get going. He'll make things even worse for me if I keep him waiting longer than I have to."

Elena got to her feet and followed him to his room. "I want to go."

"No," he said, his eyes meeting hers instantly. "You are staying as far away from him as you possibly can."

"He's your brother, Stefan."

He shook his head. "He's my king. There's a difference."

"If you hate him so much, why are you loyal to him? Why did you chose to give him your fealty when you could give it to anyone?"

"Because Damon made sure that no one wanted to take me in. He did everything in his power to make sure that I had no choice but to come to him and beg for his mercy." He shook his head a bit more forcefully. "No, you're not going to meet him."

"Give me one good reason why? I don't want to hear 'because' or 'I hate him.' I want a real, solid answer that I can understand. You know I hate being told no."

He snorted. He was well aware of her aversion to the word no. It was never in a selfish way which was what had drawn him to her among other things. It was more of an independent and fearless attitude. Although sometimes, like now, it was the thing he hated most about her.

"Well?"

"Because Damon will take you away from me."

Elena stared at him with disbelief. "I don't-"

"He can do it. You might not have to answer to you, but he can order me to never see you again and I would have to comply. He could force you to stay there with him. He could..." he stopped and shook his head. "No, Elena. It's too dangerous."

"I'll have to meet him eventually you know. If we stay together long enough he's going to hear about your relationship if he hasn't already and he's probably going to want to meet me." She moved closer to him and took his hands in hers. "Please?" she asked, pleading with her eyes in a way that she knew it was hard for him to say no to. "All I want to do is meet your brother. Then you can go on your errand and I'll go home."

"It won't be that simple," Stefan insisted, but his resistance was already fading.

Elena seized the opportunity and reached up to cup his face. She closed the gap between them and placed her lips on his neck. "It will be that simple," she breathed, placing a few kisses onto his skin. "I meet your brother. We have dinner or lunch and then we part ways the following morning." She stopped and looked up at him noticing his eyes darkening with lust.

He groaned and stepped away from her. "Just remember that you wanted this," he said.

She nodded, a smile creeping onto her face as her joy escalated. "I just need to run home and get the essentials. Should I meet you back here?"

"No, I'll pick you up," he assured her. Elena gave him a look and he sighed. "I will."

Satisfied with the answer, knowing he meant it, she nodded and left. Once she was gone, Stefan stared at the open door and cursed. There was no way this was going to end well for any of them. He contemplated going without her, but she knew she would track him down and cause more of a problem. With a sigh, he continued packing.